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F Grummt

Publications and source records attributed to F Grummt.

At least 37 records · Page 2Linked to original sources
PubMed1995

A novel type of unstable homogeneously staining region with a head-to-tail arrangement: spontaneous decay and reintegration of DNA elements into a plethora of new chromosomal sites.

After transfection of amplification-promoting DNA elements into mammalian cells, homogeneously staining regions (HSRs) are formed by high copy numbers of transfected DNA arranged in head-to-tail polymers. Here, we wanted to evaluate the stability of this type of HSR during prolonged cultivation of transfected cells in selective medium. Thymidine kinase-deficient mouse L cells were transfected with pAPR4tk DNA harboring the amplification-promoting element 4 (APR4) linked to the gene for thymidine kinase (TK) or, alternatively, transfected with a DNA construct (pARP4t-PA) carrying, in addition, the expression cassette for human tissue-type plasminogen activator (t-PA). After transfection, one or two HSRs per cell were formed that disintegrated spontaneously after 25-40 wk of continuous cultivation in the presence of selective HAT (hypoxanthine-aminopterin-thymidine) medium. Unexpectedly, plasmid DNA reinserted into a plethora of new chromosomal sites, as revealed by in situ hybridization and Southern blot analysis. Coincidently, secretion of t-PA decreased to 10-20% of its original level. After transfection of pAPR4tk DNA lacking the t-PA expression cassette, HSR decay and reintegration of plasmid constructs into multiple chromosomal sites were also observed, whereas the ptk vector without an amplification-promoting DNA element did not form an HSR after transfection. We conclude that, in contrast to the pattern of known structures with head-to-tail arrangements, the HSR formed by amplification-promoting DNA elements represents a novel type of HSR that disintegrates by transposition into a plethora of new chromosomal integration sites. This process is mediated by the amplification-promoting DNA element itself and can be observed even when selective pressure is maintained.

Animals↗
PubMed1994

Structural homologies and functional similarities between mammalian origins of replication and amplification promoting sequences.

MuNTS2, a 423 bp sequence isolated from the non-transcribed spacer of murine rDNA stimulates the amplification of cis-linked plasmid DNA in mouse cells under selective conditions. Here we demonstrate that a 180 bp subdomain of muNTS2 is highly homologous (approximately 70%) to three domains of the first well-characterized origin of replication of mammalian chromosomes, i.e. the origin of bidirectional replication (OBR) of the dihydrofolate reductase (DHFR) locus in Chinese hamster ovary (CHO) cells. When subcloned, the 180 bp homology region of muNTS2 was revealed to be essential for the amplification promoting activity of muNTS2. Fragments of the initiation zone of DNA replication from the DHFR locus of hamster cells containing the domains of homology to the mouse muNTS2 element proved also to promote DNA amplification. Thus, the screening system for amplification promoting elements turned out to detect an origin of bidirectional replication.

Animals↗
PubMed1994

High-copy expression vector based on amplification-promoting sequences.

We describe a new vector system that allows efficient expression of heterologous proteins in transformed mouse L fibroblasts. This is due to its persistence at high copy numbers, achieved by a 370-bp amplification promoting element (muNTS1) derived from the nontranscribed spacer of murine rDNA. Copy number determination showed that this sequence mediates a 40- to 800-fold amplification of the vector DNA in transfected L cells. High copy number was accompanied by increased expression levels of the reporter gene secreted alkaline phosphatase (SEAP). Analyzing the structural organization of multicopy plasmid DNA in mouse L cells revealed that plasmid DNA is integrated as reiterated head-to-tail concatamers into the chromosomal DNA. The vector described here can be used as a versatile high-copy expression system for heterologous proteins overcoming any limitation to enzyme-deficient cell lines.

Alkaline Phosphatase↗
PubMed1994

Tumorigenic transformation of established murine fibroblasts by transfection with amplification promoting DNA elements.

Deregulated replication of the cellular genome is assumed to result in tumorigenic transformation of the cell. We tested this hypothesis by using mouse DNA elements that promote amplification of transfected DNA in mammalian cells when linked to a selectable marker gene that is driven by a truncated promoter (Holst et al., Cell 52, 355-365 (1988); Wegner et al., Nucl. Acids Res. 17, 9909-9932 (1989)). Here, the DNA elements muNTS-1, e-1, e-2, e-4, e-5, and e-12 were inserted into the plasmid p-hyg, which contains the gene for resistance to hygromycin B driven by a constitutive promoter. After transfer into established rat fibroblasts (208F), transfected DNA constructs persist in low copy numbers (1-10 copies per cell) integrated into high molecular weight DNA. We observed a neoplastically transformed phenotype in 40% to 70% of hygromycin-resistant colonies of 208F cells which is dependent on the DNA element transfected. 208F cells transfected with vector DNA exhibit a "normal" phenotype and are not tumorigenic. The transformed cells, on the other hand, induced malignant tumors after injection into immunodeficient NMRI nu/nu mice. In contrast to established cells, primary rat embryo fibroblasts (REF) with limited life span are neither neoplastically transformed nor immortalized after transfection of e-4 DNA.(ABSTRACT TRUNCATED AT 250 WORDS)

Animals↗
PubMed1993

Multiple closely-linked NFAT/octamer and HMG I(Y) binding sites are part of the interleukin-4 promoter.

We show here that the immediate upstream region (from position -12 to -270) of the murine interleukin 4 (Il-4) gene harbors a strong cell-type specific transcriptional enhancer. In T lymphoma cells, the activity of the Il-4 promoter/enhancer is stimulated by phorbol esters, Ca++ ionophores and agonists of protein kinase A and inhibited by low doses of the immunosuppressant cyclosporin A. The Il-4 promoter/enhancer is transcriptionally inactive in B lymphoma cells and HeLa cells. DNase I footprint protection experiments revealed six sites of the Il-4 promoter/enhancer to be bound by nuclear proteins from lymphoid and myeloid cells. Among them are four purine boxes which have been described to be important sequence motifs of the Il-2 promoter. They contain the motif GGAAA and are recognized by the inducible and cyclosporin A-sensitive transcription factor NFAT-1. Three of the Il-4 NFAT-1 sites are closely linked to weak binding sites of Octamer factors. Several purine boxes and an AT-rich protein-binding site of the Il-4 promoter are also recognized by the high mobility group protein HMG I(Y). Whereas the binding of NFAT-1 and Octamer factors enhance the activity of the Il-4 promoter, the binding of HMG I(Y) suppresses its activity and, therefore, appears to be involved in the suppression of Il-4 transcription in resting T lymphocytes.

Animals↗
PubMed1993

Inhibition of HIV-1 replication by a high-copy-number vector expressing antisense RNA for reverse transcriptase.

We report the construction of a high-copy-number (hcn) expression vector for human cells. Amplification of this vector occurs due to the presence of an element derived from the murine DNA encoding ribosomal RNA (rDNA). HIV-1 replication in Jurkat T lymphocytes is nearly abolished when antisense RNA directed against the gene encoding reverse transcriptase is expressed from this hcn vector. The replication of the virus is only slightly reduced by the plasmid control version lacking the murine amplification-promoting element. This kind of hcn vector may represent an important improvement for the genetic engineering of eukaryotic cells and may also provide some ideas for the future gene therapy of some human diseases.

Culture Media, Conditioned↗
PubMed1993

Large T-antigen and sequences within the regulatory region of JC virus both contribute to the features of JC virus DNA replication.

The requirements for the DNA replication of the human papovavirus JC were analyzed using JC T-antigen as well as the T-antigens of the related viruses SV40 and BK. With all three T-antigens, the boundary of the core origin mapped on the early side to position 5093 of the viral genome. In conjunction with earlier studies, the core origin of DNA replication was therefore defined as a 68-bp region which, similar to the SV40 core origin, contains three major structural elements, early palindrome, T-antigen binding site II, and A/T-rich tract. Replication was stimulated by sequences flanking the core origin on the early side. Specifically, the stimulating sequences on the early side were identified as T-antigen binding site I. The degree to which flanking sequences were able to stimulate viral DNA replication was dependent on the T-antigen used in the experiment, with JC T-antigen relying most and BK T-antigen relying least on the flanking sequences. SV40 T-antigen showed an intermediate dependence. The same hierarchy was observed when replication activities were compared. BK T-antigen was more active in replicating DNA than SV40 T-antigen, which in turn was more effective than JC T-antigen. Dependence on flanking sequences is, thus, inversely correlated to the replicating activity of the respective T-antigen, showing that, in addition to the origin, the T-antigen contributes to the characteristics of JC virus DNA replication.

Antigens, Viral, Tumor↗
PubMed1991

DNA replication of human polyomavirus JC is stimulated by NF-I in vivo.

Using a combination of Bal31 deletion mutagenesis and site-directed mutagenesis, we analyzed the sequence requirements for the DNA replication of the human neurotropic polyomavirus JC. In addition to defining the late side boundary of the viral core origin we demonstrated that the viral enhancer stimulates replication in vivo. Three regions within the viral enhancer increased the rate of replication, with sequences directly adjacent to the late side of the core origin exhibiting the strongest effect. These sequences interact with various cellular proteins, among them NF-I. Point mutations within the NF-I site abolished the stimulation of DNA replication concomitant with a strong reduction in NF-I binding. By contrast, point mutations which did not interfere with NF-I binding did not influence the rate of replication in vivo. Stimulation of JCV DNA replication could only be observed in vivo, but not in vitro, indicating a role of NF-I in determining chromatin structure.

Animals↗
PubMed1991

Mapping eukaryotic replication origins in vivo by size analysis of purified nascent DNA strands.

A simple and efficient method for the mapping of eukaryotic replication origins was tested. The method is based on differential labeling of newly synthesized DNA with BrdUrd and subsequent separation of heavy nascent strands from parental DNA by conventional alkaline sucrose and neutral CsCl isopycnic gradient centrifugation. Purified nascent DNA is then size-fractionated on alkaline agarose gels and analyzed by sequential hybridization to specific probes of known location on the DNA segment of interest. Evaluation of the hybridization results allows: (i) determination of the direction of replication fork movement and (ii) location of the initiation site of DNA synthesis. Taking SV40 and polyoma virus as model systems, we demonstrate the feasibility of this procedure. It applicability to the location of chromosomal replication origins is discussed.

Blotting, Southern↗
PubMed1991

Analysis of DNA sequences present in complexes of v-Myc and cellular DNA.

We have isolated cellular DNA sequences from the myelocytomatosis virus-transformed quail fibroblastic cell-line (MC29-Q8) by indirect immunoprecipitation of v-Myc-DNA complexes and subsequent cloning of the DNA. The v-Myc-DNA complexes were obtained from isolated nuclei pretreated with 150 mM salt and indirect immunoprecipitation of the p110 Gag-Myc protein with the IgG of a Gag-specific monoclonal antibody. A non-specific monoclonal IgG was used as control to account for non-specific interactions. The DNA from the precipitates was isolated, cloned and characterized. 21 positive and 13 control clones with inserts ranging in size from 25 to 330 nucleotides were sequenced and analyzed for sequence homologies to known DNA-motives. Some of the sequences over-represented in the specific DNA fragments corresponded to elements which have been previously described to promote DNA amplification. Six of these DNA fragments were tested for their ability to promote DNA amplification by insertion into a plasmid containing the HSV-1 tk gene with a truncated promoter. These constructs were transfected into mouse Ltk- cells which grow under HAT selection only upon amplification of the tk-carrying plasmids. Two of the six DNA fragments showed the capability to amplify their plasmids in cis and create stable cellular clones. Copy numbers of the amplified plasmids in these Ltk+ clones ranged from 470 to 680 whereby the amplified sequences were integrated as large clusters of head-to-tail tandems. The data presented here suggest that the Myc protein may be involved in DNA amplification and therefore may play a role in DNA replication.

Animals↗
PubMed1990

Interaction of a protein with a palindromic sequence from murine rDNA increases the occurrence of amplification-dependent transformation in mouse cells.

muNTS1, an element isolated from the nontranscribed spacer of murine rDNA, increases the occurrence of amplification-dependent transformation in mouse cells when integrated into plasmid DNA containing a selectable marker (Wegner, M., Zastrow, G., Klavinius, A., Schwender, S., Müller, F., Luksza, H., Hoppe, J., Wienberg, J., and Grummt, F. (1989) Nucleic Acids Res. 17, 9909-9932). In an initial attempt to dissect muNTS1 into its structural components we localized part of the transformation increasing activity to a long AT-rich stretch from the 5' region which interacts with HMG-I. Here we identify a second element on muNTS1 which also stimulates the rate of amplification-coupled transformation in cis. It is found in the 3' region of muNTS1 and contains the 11-base pair palindrome ATGGCTGCCAT. It is conserved in the otherwise strongly divergent ribosomal NTS regions from mouse, rat, and man and is also found in the origin/enhancer region of human papovavirus JC. The palindromic sequence interacts specifically with proteins from mouse cell extracts. Protein-DNA interaction was dependent on the presence of zinc ions in the extract. Point-specific mutations within the palindrome reduced protein-DNA complex formation substantially and concomitantly abolished the ability to stimulate the frequency of transformation. The binding activity was purified and shown to consist of two polypeptides with molecular masses of 70 and 73 kDa.

Animals↗
PubMed1990

Netropsin, distamycin and berenil interact differentially with a high-affinity binding site for the high mobility group protein HMG-I.

Netropsin, distamycin, berenil and the chromosomal protein HMG-I share the ability to bind preferentially to AT-rich regions of DNA. We studied the binding behaviour of the chemical agents towards a high-affinity binding site for HMG-I by DNase I and MPE footprinting and analyzed their ability to challenge HMG-I-DNA complexes by competition experiments. Significant differences in the binding affinities and in the efficiencies to abolish HMG-I-DNA complexes were observed for the three drugs. Netropsin proved to be the most avidly binding compound and the most efficient competitor raising the interesting possibility that netropsin affects cell growth by interfering with HMG-I-DNA interaction.

Amidines↗
PubMed1990

An amplification-promoting sequence from mouse genomic DNA: interaction with a trans-acting factor that also affects gene expression.

We previously identified murine DNA sequences that stimulate the amplification of cis-linked plasmid DNA in mouse cells under selective conditions (Holst et al., 1988). Here we focus on the structural features of one of these elements, the 229-bp element 5. The amplification-promoting activity was fully recovered from the middle part of element 5. The active region interacted in a sequence-specific way with a protein from nuclear extracts. Using footprinting analyses the binding region was characterized and subsequently shown to be functionally active as an amplification-promoting sequence, whereas a mutated binding site was inactive. Therefore, cis-acting element 5 functioned via interaction with a trans-acting factor. The same binding site was also active as a promoter element for RNA polymerase II transcription, because it efficiently reconstituted the activity of a truncated herpes simplex virus type 1 (HSV-1) thymidine kinase (tk) gene promoter lacking the distal Sp1 binding site. Thus, the same protein seems to function in both RNA polymerase II transcription and DNA amplification. Possible relationships between both functions are discussed.

Animals↗
PubMed1989

Cis-acting sequences from mouse rDNA promote plasmid DNA amplification and persistence in mouse cells: implication of HMG-I in their function.

Searching for amplification promoting sequences within the murine rDNA cistrons, we isolated two elements from the nontranscribed spacer region. These 370 bp and 423 bp long cis-acting elements, referred to as muNTS1 and muNTS2, are localized 4.1 kb and 4.6 kb upstream the RNA polymerase I transcriptional start site. They contain ca. 50 bp long AT-rich sequences that strongly interact with a protein from nuclear extracts. The protein could be purified and identified as HMG-I. A synthetic oligonucleotide encompassing the AT-rich stretch from muNTS1 is able to substitute for the muNTS elements. A similar sequence from the nontranscribed spacer of rat has previously been reported to be important for the function of the RNA polymerase I enhancer (1). Therefore the interaction of HMG I with the muNTS elements may play a role both in the stimulation of DNA amplification and transcription.

Amino Acid Sequence↗
PubMed1989

Identification of an amplification promoting DNA sequence from the hypotrichous ciliate Stylonychia lemnae.

The macronucleus of the hypotrichous ciliate Stylonychia lemnae contains a 1218 bp long DNA molecule which becomes highly amplified during vegetative growth due to a continuous overreplication over a long time range. The region which is located upstream the open reading frame of the overamplified 1.2kbp Stylonychia DNA molecule enabled plasmids containing an inefficiently transcribed thymidine kinase gene to persist and amplify upon transfection into mouse L fibroblasts under selective conditions. This region contains long AT-rich stretches. The AT-rich sequences interact with a previously characterized HMG-I like protein from mouse Ehrlich ascites tumour cells. A binding activity for AT-rich stretches could also be identified in macronuclear extracts from Stylonychia lemnae. We suggest a common mechanism for overamplification in Stylonychia macronuclei during vegetative growth and amplification of plasmid DNA in heterologous mouse cells under the influence of a common element.

Amino Acid Sequence↗
PubMed1989

Distinct mouse DNA sequences enable establishment and persistence of plasmid DNA polymers in mouse cells.

Distinct elements isolated from mouse genomic DNA confer on plasmid DNA the ability to persist at high copy numbers in mouse L fibroblasts (1). Field inversion gel electrophoresis demonstrated that - in contrast to our previous assumption - the persisting plasmid DNA does not exist extrachromosomally but as clusters of tandem repeats integrated into genomic DNA. Digestion with restriction endonucleases that do not cut within the plasmid DNA results in fragments of 50-300 kb in length indicating reiteration of 10-50 plasmid DNA molecules. Restriction with several enzymes that cut once or twice within the plasmid sequences lead to fragment(s) indicative for head-to-tail tandem repeats. In situ hybridization revealed signals for a long homogeneously staining region (HSR) in one or two chromosomes per cell nucleus. Possibilities how these elements could act in the establishment and/or maintenance of the head-to-tail polymers of plasmid DNA in mouse cells are discussed.

Animals↗
PubMed1988

A new expression system for mammalian cells based on putative replicator sequences of the mouse and a truncated thymidine kinase gene.

We have constructed a new expression vector for mammalian cells. The vector contains a truncated tk gene for amplification under selective conditions, a sequence putatively supporting the replication of plasmid DNA in eukaryotic cells (murine autonomously replicating sequence) and an expression cassette for the cDNA to be studied. As a model cDNA we have used that of human tissue-type plasminogen activator (t-PA). Analysis of Hirt supernatants and chromosomal DNA from L cells, prepared six weeks after isolation of the clones indicated a 50- to 500-fold amplification of the expression construct in the cells. Concomitantly, the expression of t-PA was dramatically increased. Our data are consistent with episomal persistence of the expression construct, with a head-to-tail mode of integration into the mouse genome and with coexistence of both episomal plasmids and head-to-tail integrates. In tk-deficient cell lines other then L-cells, such as mouse mastocytoma or rat hepatoma cells, a strong selection against the persistence of the expression construct was noted. After long-term propagation of the L-cells under selective conditions the expression of the indicator gene continually decreases, but finally a constant plateau level of expression is established. Expression could be restored to the original level by blocking more efficiently the de novo synthesis of nucleosides.

Animals↗