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G F Maley

Publications and source records attributed to G F Maley.

At least 55 records · Page 3Linked to original sources
PubMed1987

Localization of the T4 phage ribonucleotide reductase B1 subunit gene and the nucleotide sequence of its upstream and 5' coding regions.

The nucleotide (nt) sequence in a 757-bp [corrected] segment downstream from the intron-containing T4 phage thymidylate synthase gene (td) has been determined. This region was found to contain two open reading frames (ORFs). The first ORF(ORF2) [corrected] 261 bp [corrected] in length, is 24 [corrected] nt downstream from the td gene. The second ORF(ORF3) [corrected]) is 200 bp long at 558 [corrected] nt from the td gene and extends to the end of the Eco RI fragment. The amino acid (aa) sequence (66 aa residues) deduced from the second truncated ORF shows 59% homology to the sequence of the N-terminal portion of the ribonucleotide reductase large subunit of either Escherichia coli (B1 subunit) or mouse (M1 subunit). This tentatively identifies the truncated gene to be the 5' end of the T4 phage ribonucleotide reductase subunit B1 (nrdA) gene and pinpoints its exact location on the T4 phage genomic map. Southern hybridization analysis suggests good sequence homology among the nrdA genes of various T-even phages.

Amino Acid Sequence↗
PubMed1987

Interrupted thymidylate synthase gene of bacteriophages T2 and T6 and other potential self-splicing introns in the T-even bacteriophages.

Southern hybridization analyses of procaryotic DNA from Escherichia coli, lambda bacteriophage, and T1 to T7 phages were carried out. The hybridization probes used consisted of DNA restriction fragments derived from the T4 phage intron-containing thymidylate synthase gene (td) and short synthetic oligodeoxynucleotides defining specific exon and intron regions of the gene. It was shown that intact as well as restricted DNA from the T-even phages hybridized not only to both T4 phage td intron- and exon-specific probes but also to probes defining the td 5' (exon I-intron) and 3' (intron-exon II) presplice junctions. These data strongly suggest that, analogous to the T4 phage, only the T2 and T6 phages among the procaryotes tested contain interrupted td genes. The td intervening sequence in each phage is roughly 1 kilobase pair (kb) in size and interrupts the td gene at a site analogous to that in the T4 phage. This was confirmed by data from Northern (RNA) hybridization analysis of td-specific in vitro transcripts of these phage DNAs. [alpha-32P]GTP in vitro labeling of total RNA from T4 phage-infected cells produced five species of labeled RNAs that were 1, 0.9, 0.83, 0.75, and 0.6 kb in size. Only the 1-, 0.9-, and 0.75-kb species were labeled in RNA from T2- or T6-infected cells. The commonly present 1-kb RNA is the excised td intron, which exists in both linear and circular forms in the respective T-even-phage-infected cells, while the 0.6-kb RNA unique to T4 may be the excised intron derived from the ribonucleotide reductase small subunit gene (nrdB) of the phage. The remaining labeled RNA species are likely candidates for other self-splicing introns.

DNA, Bacterial↗
PubMed1986

Cloning and expression of an intron-deleted phage T4 td gene.

The 1017-bp intron within the cloned phage T4 td gene was deleted by oligonucleotide-directed mutagenesis. Induction of thymidylate synthase activity and mature td mRNA from this intronless construct (pKTd delta I) was compared both in vivo and in vitro with expression from plasmids bearing td genes in which the introns contain either no change (pKTd2), an XbaI linker inserted about 200 nucleotides from the 3'-end (pKTdX-1), or a deletion of two-thirds of the central portion (pKTd delta 1-3). Slightly more synthase accumulated in cells carrying pKTd delta I as compared to the other td genes when induction was performed at 30, 37, or 42 degrees C. Dramatically different results were observed in vitro, where enzyme activity synthesized from pKTd delta I DNA appeared earlier and reached severalfold higher levels than with pKTd2 DNA. In addition, thymidylate synthase expression from pKTdX-1 was impaired relative to pKTd2, while pKTd delta 1-3 accumulated enzyme at levels intermediate between those of pKTd2 and pKTd delta I. Under both in vivo and in vitro conditions, increasing levels of mature td mRNA preceded and paralleled those in enzyme activity for all four plasmids, demonstrating comparable translation of the mRNAs produced. From these results it would appear that the splicing of td RNA is much more efficient in vivo than in vitro, suggesting that other cellular components may facilitate in vivo processing of this intron-containing transcript.

Chromosome Deletion↗
PubMed1986

Characterization of the intron in the phage T4 thymidylate synthase gene and evidence for its self-excision from the primary transcript.

The td gene contains a 735 bp open reading frame within its 1017 bp intron. A 12 nucleotide stretch may form a stable secondary structure with the putative Shine-Dalgarno sequence of the intron open reading frame and thus impair its translation. SP6 RNA polymerase transcripts of the td gene synthesized in vitro at 40 degrees C encompass a 2.7 kb primary transcript, a 1.7 kb mRNA, and a 1 kb intron RNA. The excised intron RNA consisted of linear and cyclized forms. RNAase H studies and resistance of the cyclized intron to linearization by HeLa cell debranching enzyme suggest it to be circular. Self-splicing of isolated td primary transcript occurred only marginally at 28 degrees C, but increased progressively to 50 degrees C, and required the presence of both Mg++ and a guanosine cofactor. An internal guide sequence is evident which may align the 5' splice site with the 3' end, presumably for precise exon ligation.

Base Sequence↗
PubMed1986

RNA splicing and in vivo expression of the intron-containing td gene of bacteriophage T4.

The splice junction sequence of td mRNA from T4-infected cells has been determined (5'....GGU-CUA....3') and shown to be identical to that of the RNA ligation product encoded by the cloned gene [Belfort et al. Cell 41 (1985) 375-382]. The RNA processing functions, T4 RNA ligase, T4 polynucleotide kinase, and the host prr gene product appear not to be essential for exon ligation; neither are the host endoribonucleases RNase III, RNase P and RNase E required for intron excision. While these results are consistent with the autocatalytic splicing mechanism demonstrated in vitro [Chu et al. J. Biol. Chem. 260 (1985) 10680-10688], they leave unanswered the question of which protein(s), if any, might stimulate the in vivo reaction. Analysis of the products of the cloned td gene has led to identification of two td-encoded polypeptides, namely a polypeptide corresponding to the exon-I-coding sequence (NH2-TS), and the catalytically active thymidylate synthase (TS). Kinetic and nucleotide sequence data provide evidence that NH2-TS is the product of the primary transcript and that TS is encoded by spliced mRNA. These results suggest that splicing may provide a switch controlling the relative expression of NH2-TS and TS, two proteins with markedly different temporal appearances despite their identical transcriptional and translational start sites.

Base Sequence↗
PubMed1985

In vitro expression of the intron-containing gene for T4 phage thymidylate synthase.

The mechanism of expression of the structural gene (td) of T4 phage thymidylate synthase, which contains a 1,017-base pair intron, was studied by employing a coupled transcription-translation system with a td containing recombinant plasmid (pKTd2) as template. The [3H]leucine-labeled protein products synthesized in this system were treated with antibody to the synthase and the resulting immunoprecipitate was subjected to sodium dodecyl sulfate-polyacrylamide gel electrophoresis. Two labeled polypeptides were obtained, one with an Mr of 32,000 and the other with an Mr of 25,000. The former corresponds in molecular weight to a subunit of T4-thymidylate synthase and the other to the 183-amino acid peptide encoded by exon I, the 5'-end of the interrupted td gene. When pKTd2 restricted in exon I was used as a template, labeled immunopeptides were not detected but, when restricted in the intron region or in exon II, only the 25,000 Mr exon I product was obtained. Both peptides (Mr = 25,000 and 32,000) were synthesized when the gene was restricted downstream to exon II. Active enzyme, as measured by the tritium release assay, was shown to form about 6 min after the td gene was added to the in vitro protein synthesizing system, and followed the appearance of mature mRNA, as evidenced by S1 nuclease protection studies. The enzyme increased linearly for another 14 min in conjunction with the appearance of the Mr = 32,000 immunopeptide. The exon I product, however, preceded the Mr = 32,000 peptide, indicating that a post-transcriptional processing event may be required for mature mRNA to be formed. Measurement of the RNA products from the td gene in a transcriptional system, with labeled probes from specific regions of the td gene, provided evidence in support of an RNA processing mechanism involving intron excision and exon splicing.

Base Sequence↗
PubMed1984

Primary structure of the Streptomyces enzyme endo-beta-N-acetylglucosaminidase H.

We report the DNA and primary amino acid sequences of the Streptomyces plicatus enzyme endo-beta-N-acetylglucosaminidase H. Peptide sequence information was derived from enzyme isolated from Streptomyces culture medium using a combination of mass spectrometric methods and conventional techniques, including Edman degradation and carboxypeptidase Y digestion. The DNA sequence was determined by analysis of the Endo-beta-N-acetylglucosaminidase H gene cloned into the Escherichia coli plasmid pBR322 (Robbins, P. W., Wirth , D. F., and Hering , C. (1981) J. Biol. Chem. 256, 10640-10644). The enzyme from Streptomyces medium is 271 (or 269) amino acids in length and has a ragged NH2-terminal sequence beginning primarily with Ala-Pro-Val or Ala-Pro-Ala-Pro-Val. DNA resection experiments as well as the DNA sequence itself suggest that a proenzyme or, more probably, " prepro " enzyme may be the primary product of translation. The long 42 (or 44) residue leader sequence of the preproenzyme shows striking similarities to leader sequences found on proteins secreted by Bacillus species. The leader sequence is partially removed by E. coli and, as reported previously, endo-beta-N-acetylglucosaminidase H made in E. coli appears in both the periplasmic space and in the cell.

Acetylglucosaminidase↗
PubMed1984

Intervening sequence in the thymidylate synthase gene of bacteriophage T4.

The continuous sequence of 2.3 kilobases in a 3-kilobase DNA fragment encoding the structural gene for coliphage T4 thymidylate synthase (5,10-methylenetetrahydrofolate:dUMP C-methyltransferase, EC 2.1.1.45) was determined by using the M13 dideoxy chain-termination method. From the coding information within this gene and that provided by sequence analysis of selected CNBr peptides from the protein product, the primary structure of T4 thymidylate synthase was determined. The most significant finding of these studies is the presence of a 1017-base-pair interruption two-thirds of the way through the nucleotide sequence of the structural gene. The 5'- and 3'-terminal ends of this intron are demarcated by an apparent stop and start codon, respectively. The corresponding methionine preceding the second coding region of the synthase is not incorporated into the final protein product. Structural evidence confirming the presence of the intervening sequence in the phage genome was obtained by restriction and hybridization analysis. Support for the presence of the intron was also obtained at the functional level by enzyme expression studies using selected td gene fragments. This work also confirms the findings of Purohit and Mathews [ Purohit , S. & Mathews , C. K. (1983) Fed. Proc. Fed. Am. Soc. Exp. Biol. 42, 1759], which reveal that the termination codon for the dihydrofolate reductase gene and the triplet initiating thymidylate synthase overlap by a four-base stretch, A-T-G-A. The implications of this unusual gene arrangement are discussed.

Amino Acid Sequence↗
PubMed1983

Complete amino acid sequence of an allosteric enzyme, T2 bacteriophage deoxycytidylate deaminase.

The amino acid sequence of deoxycytidylate deaminase isolated from T2 phage-infected Escherichia coli has been determined. The enzyme is a hexamer, consisting of identical polypeptide subunits, each composed of 188 amino acids with a calculated Mr = 20,560. The primary structure was established by automatic Edman degradation of the intact carboxymethylated protein and of peptides derived from the protein by cleavage with cyanogen bromide, trypsin, chymotrypsin, the Staphylococcus aureus V8 protease, and 2-(2-nitrophenylsulfenyl)-3-methyl-3-bromoindolenine. Knowledge of the primary structure of deoxycytidylate deaminase should aid in determining the allosteric binding site of the negative effector, dTTP, recently reported (Maley, F., and Maley, G.F. (1982) J. Biol. Chem. 257, 11876-11878), and eventually that of the enzyme's positive regulator, dCTP, as well as its substrate. The deaminase has been crystallized through the use of polyethylene glycol; a scanning electron micrograph is presented.

Allosteric Regulation↗
PubMed1983

Purification and properties of T4 phage thymidylate synthetase produced by the cloned gene in an amplification vector.

We have introduced the T4 thymidylate synthetase gene, resident in a 2.7-kilobase EcoRI restriction fragment, into an amplification plasmid, pKC30. By regulating expression of this gene from the phage lambda pL promoter within pKC30 in a thyA host containing a temperature-sensitive lambda repressor, the T4 synthetase could be amplified about 200-fold over that after T4 infection. At this stage, a 20-fold purification was required to obtain homogeneous enzyme, mainly by an affinity column procedure. The purified plasmid-amplified T4 synthetase appeared to be identical with the T2 phage synthetase purified from phage-infected Escherichia coli in molecular weight, amino end group analysis, and immunochemical reactivity. The individual nature of the phage and host proteins was revealed by the fact that neither the T2 nor the T4 enzyme reacted with antibody to the E. coli synthetase, nor did antibody to the phage enzymes react with the E. coli synthetase. These differences were corroborated by DNA hybridization experiments, which revealed the absence of apparent homology between the T4 and E. coli synthetase genes. The techniques and genetic constructions described support the feasibility of employing similar amplification methods to prepare highly purified thymidylate synthetases from other sources.

Base Sequence↗
PubMed1983

Studies on identifying the binding sites of folate and its derivatives in Lactobacillus casei thymidylate synthase.

It was shown that folate and its derivatives have a profound effect on stabilizing thymidylate synthase in vitro and in vivo, as a consequence of ternary formation between the folate, dUMP, or FdUMP, and the synthase. The degree to which complex formation is affected can be revealed qualitatively by circular dichroism and quantitatively by equilibrium dialysis using the Lactobacillus casei synthase. In contrast to the pteroylmonoglutamates, the pteroylpolyglutamates bind to thymidylate synthase in the absence of dUMP, but even their binding affinity is increased greatly by this nucleotide or its analogues. Similarly, treatment of the synthase with carboxypeptidase A prevents the binding of the pteroylmonoglutamates and reduces the binding of the polyglutamates without affecting dUMP binding. The latter does not protect against carboxypeptidase inactivation but does potentiate the protective effect of the pteroylpolyglutamates. To determine the region of the synthase involved in the binding of the glutamate residues, Pte[14C]GluGlu6 was activated by a water soluble carbodiimide in the presence and absence of dUMP. This folate derivative behaved as a competitive inhibitor of 5,10-CH2H4PteGlu, in contrast to methotrexate which was non-competitive. Separation of the five cyanogen bromide peptides from the L. casei synthase revealed 80% of the radioactivity to be associated with CNBr-2 and about 15% with CNBr-4. Chymotrypsin treatment of CNBr-2 yielded two 14C-labeled peaks on high performance liquid chromatography, with the slower migrating one being separated further into two peaks by Bio-gel P2 chromatography. All three peptides came from the same region of CNBr-2, encompassing residues 47-61 of the enzyme. From these studies it would appear that the residues most probably involved in the fixation of PteGlu7 are lysines 50 and 58. In contrast, methotrexate appeared to bind to another region of CNBr-2.

Binding Sites↗
PubMed1983

Characterization of the Escherichia coli thyA gene and its amplified thymidylate synthetase product.

The 7.8-kilobase HindIII insert in phage lambda NM589thyA [Borck, K., Beggs, J.D., Brammar, W.J., Hopkins, A.S. & Murray, N. (1976) Mol. Gen. Genet. 146, 199] was confirmed as originating from Escherichia coli by hybridization analysis and was shown to encode the thymidylate synthetase (5,-10-methylenetetrahydrofolate:dUMP C-methyltransferase EC 2.1.1.45) of E. coli K-12 by using biochemical, structural, and immunologic criteria. The 7.8-kilobase insert was reduced in size to a quasi-random population of DNA subfragments by partial digestion with the 4-base-pair recognition enzymes Alu I and Hae III. A clone containing a 1.1- to 1.2-kilobase fragment that encompassed the gene was obtained from this mixture by selecting for Thy+ recombinants. Fusion of this DNA fragment to the phage lambda rho L promoter in plasmid pKC30 revealed the direction of transcription of the thyA gene, and, in a phage lambda lysogen containing a thermolabile repressor, intracellular synthetase levels were increased about 700-fold. The enzyme was purified to homogeneity from this source by affinity chromatography, and some of its properties are described.

Cloning, Molecular↗
PubMed1982

Studies on identifying the allosteric binding sites of deoxycytidylate deaminase.

Thymidine triphosphate, a negative regulator of deoxycytidylate deaminase, was found to bind covalently to this enzyme on exposure to UV light at 254 nM. The rate of half-maximal fixation was extremely rapid, occurring within 30 s and probably attaining a maximum of about 1 mol of dTTP fixed/mol of enzyme subunit. In contrast to the case of ribonucleotide reductase (Ericksson, S., Caras, I. W., and Martin, D. W., Jr. (1982) Proc. Natl. Acad. Sci. U. S. A. 79, 81-85) where the fixation of dTTP inactivated this enzyme, the activity of the deaminase was unaffected. The bound nucleotide could be released on exposure to UV 254 nm light in the presence of dCTP or dTTP but not dATP or dGTP. The enzyme-fixed nucleotide was found to remain with the larger of the two peptides released as a result of CNBr treatment of the labeled enzyme. Studies are in progress to define the location of this nucleotide, which will be aided greatly by our recent clarification of the complete amino acid sequence of T2-deoxycytidylate deaminase.

Binding Sites↗
PubMed1982

Allosteric transitions associated with the binding of substrate and effector ligands to T2 phage induced deoxycytidylate deaminase.

The binding characteristics of T2 phage induced deoxycytidylate deaminase were examined through the use of ultrafiltration and equilibrium dialysis. The positive effectors, 5-(hydroxymethyl)deoxycytidine 5'-triphosphate and deoxycytidine 5'-triphosphate, were bound in a highly cooperative manner, which is consistent with the allosteric effects promoted by these compounds. Their respective S0.5 values were 8 and 2 microM. A similar degree of cooperativity was associated with the binding of such competitive inhibitors of deoxycytidylate deaminase as dGMP, 4-N-hydroxydeoxycytidine 5'-monophosphate, and tetrahydrodeoxyuridylate. The negative effector, dTTP, also inhibited the binding of dCTP in a pH-dependent manner, which is consistent with its previously demonstrated inhibition of catalysis [Maley, G. F., Guarino, D. U., & Maley, F. (1972) J. Biol. Chem. 247, 931-939]. The binding of dTTP could be demonstrated only at low phosphate concentrations and did not appear to be cooperative. The number of binding sites for the allosteric ligands, substrate, and substrate inhibitors was shown to be six, which coincides with the number of enzyme subunits. It was established by CD difference spectroscopy that dCTP, at concentrations normally employed to demonstrate enzyme activation, effects a dramatic conformation transition in the deaminase, as indicated by a sharp decrease in ellipticity at about 280 nm. The nature of this response suggests that the microenvironment of some of the enzyme's tyrosyl residues had been perturbed by the presence of this allosteric nucleotide.

Circular Dichroism↗
PubMed1979

Differential inhibition of host and viral thymidylate synthetases by folylpolyglutamates.

The ability of folate analogues to inhibit host and viral thymidylate synthetases was measured using the corresponding Escherichia coli and T2-phage-induced enzymes. In the absence of Mg2+, 6 x 10(-7) M pteroylhexaglutamate inhibited the T2-phage-induced synthetase by 50%, but at least 100-fold greater levels of this compound were necessary to inhibit the E. coli synthetase by this amount. At 2.5 x 10(-6) M pteroylhexaglutamate, at least 80% inhibition of the T2-phage synthetase could be obtained with little or no inhibition of the E. coli enzyme. The pteroylmonoglutamate was about 2 orders of magnitude less inhibitory towards the T2-phage enzyme than the pteroyltri- to -heptaglutamates. However, upon addition of Mg2+ to the assay mixture, the inhibition produced by pteroylhexaglutamate was essentially reversed, with the E. coli synthetase now increasingly inhibited by this compound and the T2-synthetase only minimally impaired. Methotrexate and N10-formyl-2-amino-4-hydroxyquinazoline, although inhibitory to both enzymes in the presence or absence of Mg2+, did not show this differential selectivity. These results suggest that certain folate analogues may be useful in distinguishing between a host and an infecting organism's thymidylate synthetase and could thus provide an additional means of screening for potential chemotherapeutic agents.

Coliphages↗