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G Ferbeyre

Publications and source records attributed to G Ferbeyre.

At least 19 recordsLinked to original sources
PubMed2000

Hammerhead-mediated processing of satellite pDo500 family transcripts from Dolichopoda cave crickets.

This work reports the discovery and functional characterization of catalytically active hammerhead motifs within satellite DNA of the pDo500 family from several DOLICHOPODA: cave cricket species. We show that in vitro transcribed RNA of some members of this satellite DNA family do self-cleave in vitro. This self-cleavage activity is correlated with the efficient in vivo processing of long primary transcripts into monomer-sized RNA. The high sequence conservation of the satellite pDo500 DNA family among genetically isolated DOLICHOPODA: schiavazzii populations, as well as other DOLICHOPODA: species, along with the fact that satellite members are actively transcribed in vivo suggests that the hammerhead-encoding satellite transcripts are under selective pressure, perhaps because they fulfil an important physiological role or function. Remarkably, this is the third example of hammerhead ribozyme structures associated with transcribed repetitive DNA sequences from animals. The possibility that such an association may not be purely coincidental is discussed.

Animals↗
PubMed2000

PML is induced by oncogenic ras and promotes premature senescence.

Oncogenic ras provokes a senescent-like arrest in human diploid fibroblasts involving the Rb and p53 tumor suppressor pathways. To further characterize this response, we compared gene expression patterns between ras-arrested and quiescent IMR90 fibroblasts. One of the genes up-regulated during ras-induced arrest was promyelocytic leukemia (PML) protein, a potential tumor suppressor that encodes a component of nuclear structures known as promyelocytic oncogenic domains (PODs). PML levels increased during both ras-induced arrest and replicative senescence, leading to a dramatic increase in the size and number of PODs. Forced PML expression was sufficient to promote premature senescence. Like oncogenic ras, PML increased the levels of p16, hypophosphorylated Rb, phosphoserine-15 p53, and expression of p53 transcriptional targets. The fraction of Rb and p53 that colocalized with PML markedly increased during ras-induced arrest, and expression of PML alone forced p53 to the PODs. E1A abolished PML-induced arrest and prevented PML induction and p53 phosphorylation in response to oncogenic ras. These results imply that PML acts with Rb and p53 to promote ras-induced senescence and provide new insights into PML regulation and activity.

Cellular Senescence↗
PubMed2000

Distribution of hammerhead and hammerhead-like RNA motifs through the GenBank.

Hammerhead ribozymes previously were found in satellite RNAs from plant viroids and in repetitive DNA from certain species of newts and schistosomes. To determine if this catalytic RNA motif has a wider distribution, we decided to scrutinize the GenBank database for RNAs that contain hammerhead or hammerhead-like motifs. The search shows a widespread distribution of this kind of RNA motif in different sequences suggesting that they might have a more general role in RNA biology. The frequency of the hammerhead motif is half of that expected from a random distribution, but this fact comes from the low CpG representation in vertebrate sequences and the bias of the GenBank for those sequences. Intriguing motifs include those found in several families of repetitive sequences, in the satellite RNA from the carrot red leaf luteovirus, in plant viruses like the spinach latent virus and the elm mottle virus, in animal viruses like the hepatitis E virus and the caprine encephalitis virus, and in mRNAs such as those coding for cytochrome P450 oxidoreductase in the rat and the hamster.

Amino Acid Motifs↗
PubMed2000

Expressing active ribozymes in cells.

Artificially engineered ribozymes can be used to specifically regulate expression of target genes. Such ribozymes can be synthesized chemically and delivered into the cell exogeneously. Alternatively, ribozymes can be produced by the cell endogenously, after introduction of the artificial gene into the cellular genome. In the latter case, the design of the artificial gene defines the ribozyme properties, such as: expression level, intracellular localization, folding and association with proteins. Generally speaking, design of the expression vector is critical to obtain active ribozyme molecules. This paper first describes factors that are known or predicted to affect ribozyme activity in the cell, then reviews various expression systems that have been specifically developed for ribozymes. Lastly, a recently developed ribozyme system termed snorbozymes (small nucleolar RNA:ribozyme hybrids) will be discussed. This powerful test system has generated several important observations that are likely to affect the future development of ribozyme technology.

Animals↗
PubMed1999

The distribution of RNA motifs in natural sequences.

Functional analysis of genome sequences has largely ignored RNA genes and their structures. We introduce here the notion of 'ribonomics' to describe the search for the distribution of and eventually the determination of the physiological roles of these RNA structures found in the sequence databases. The utility of this approach is illustrated here by the identification in the GenBank database of RNA motifs having known binding or chemical activity. The frequency of these motifs indicates that most have originated from evolutionary drift and are selectively neutral. On the other hand, their distribution among species and their location within genes suggest that the destiny of these motifs may be more elaborate. For example, the hammerhead motif has a skewed organismal presence, is phylogenetically stable and recent work on a schistosome version confirms its in vivo biological activity. The under-representation of the valine-binding motif and the Rev-binding element in GenBank hints at a detrimental effect on cell growth or viability. Data on the presence and the location of these motifs may provide critical guidance in the design of experiments directed towards the understanding and the manipulation of RNA complexes and activities in vivo.

Adenosine Triphosphate↗
PubMed1999

A small nucleolar RNA:ribozyme hybrid cleaves a nucleolar RNA target in vivo with near-perfect efficiency.

A hammerhead ribozyme has been localized to the yeast nucleolus by using the U3 small nucleolar RNA as a carrier. The hybrid small nucleolar RNA:ribozyme, designated a "snorbozyme," is metabolically stable and cleaves a target U3 RNA with nearly 100% efficiency in vivo. This is the most efficient in vivo cleavage reported for a trans-acting ribozyme. A key advantage of the model substrate featured is that a stable, trimmed cleavage product accumulates. This property allows accurate kinetic measurements of authentic cleavage in vivo. The system offers new avenues for developing effective ribozymes for research and therapeutic applications.

Base Sequence↗
PubMed1998

E1A signaling to p53 involves the p19(ARF) tumor suppressor.

The adenovirus E1A oncogene activates p53 through a signaling pathway involving the retinoblastoma protein and the tumor suppressor p19(ARF). The ability of E1A to induce p53 and its transcriptional targets is severely compromised in ARF-null cells, which remain resistant to apoptosis following serum depletion or adriamycin treatment. Reintroduction of p19(ARF) restores p53 accumulation and resensitizes ARF-null cells to apoptotic signals. Therefore, p19(ARF) functions as part of a p53-dependent failsafe mechanism to counter uncontrolled proliferation. Synergistic effects between the p19(ARF) and DNA damage pathways in inducing p53 may contribute to E1A's ability to enhance radio- and chemosensitivity.

Adenovirus E1A Proteins↗
PubMed1998

Amber suppression in Escherichia coli by unusual mitochondria-like transfer RNAs.

The "cloverleaf" base-pairing pattern was established as the structural paradigm of active tRNA species some 30 years ago. Nevertheless, this pattern does not accommodate the folding of certain mitochondrial tRNAs. For these recalcitrant tRNAs, we have proposed structures having from 5 to 10 base pairs in the anticodon stem rather than the canonical 6. The absence of these types of tRNAs in cytoplasmic translation systems, however, raises the possibility that they may not be bona fide alternate folding patterns for active tRNA molecules. For this reason, we have designed new tRNA genes based on our model of unusual mitochondrial tRNAs, having 7, 8, 9, and 10 base pairs in the anticodon stem with other modifications to the D-stem and connector regions. We show here that these synthetic genes produce tRNAs that actively suppress amber codons in vivo.

Base Sequence↗
PubMed1998

Schistosome satellite DNA encodes active hammerhead ribozymes.

Using a computer program designed to search for RNA structural motifs in sequence databases, we have found a hammerhead ribozyme domain encoded in the Smalpha repetitive DNA of Schistosoma mansoni. Transcripts of these repeats are expressed as long multimeric precursor RNAs that cleave in vitro and in vivo into unit-length fragments. This RNA domain is able to engage in both cis and trans cleavage typical of the hammerhead ribozyme. Further computer analysis of S. mansoni DNA identified a potential trans cleavage site in the gene coding for a synaptobrevin-like protein, and RNA transcribed from this gene was efficiently cleaved by the Smalpha ribozyme in vitro. Similar families of repeats containing the hammerhead domain were found in the closely related Schistosoma haematobium and Schistosomatium douthitti species but were not present in Schistosoma japonicum or Heterobilharzia americana, suggesting that the hammerhead domain was not acquired from a common schistosome ancestor.

Animals↗
PubMed1997

PolI-driven integrative expression vectors for yeast.

A novel expression vector for yeast has been constructed from the regulatory elements present in the polI promoter and the enhancer/termination region (E/T) of rDNA. Under some conditions, this promoter/vector combination produces small RNAs such as the hammerhead RNA sequence at levels comparable to polII- and polIII-dependent systems. No stable transcription product can be demonstrated with this vector when the enhancer/termination sequence is less than 100 nucleotides downstream from the promoter. On the other hand, high expression of a stable, hammerhead RNA molecule can be obtained from this vector by inserting a 400-bp fragment containing the ADH1 transcription termination region upstream of the E/T. RNAs produced by this vector are polyadenylated and multiple copies of this plasmid can be stably integrated into the yeast chromosome.

Genetic Vectors↗
PubMed1997

Efficient hammerhead ribozyme and antisense RNA targeting in a slow ribosome Escherichia coli mutant.

We have evaluated inhibition of the plasmid-born chloramphenicol acetyl transferase gene (CAT) by the hammerhead ribozyme and antisense RNA in Escherichia coli where the translation and transcription rates have been modified. Whereas neither antisense nor the hammerhead had an inhibitory effect on CAT activity in wild-type E. coli, both reduced the level of the messenger RNA and the activity of the CAT gene by almost 60% in a slow ribosome mutant. Streptomycin, which increases the speed of translation in this mutant strain, restored full CAT activity. The level of CAT activity expressed from a T7 RNA polymerase promoter was not affected by the presence of either antisense RNA or the hammerhead ribozyme. When the target gene was expressed from a chromosomal locus in wild-type E. coli, both antisense RNA and the hammerhead ribozyme showed some inhibitory activity, but the level of inhibition was significantly increased in the slow ribosome strain. This bacterial system offers a unique entry to the study of cellular factors which mediate the activity of ribozymes in vivo.

Base Sequence↗
PubMed1997

SnoRNAs as tools for RNA cleavage and modification.

Eukaryotic small nucleolar RNAs (snoRNAs) influence rRNA synthesis at two stages: nucleolytic processing and selection of nucleotides to be ribose methylated (Nm) or converted to pseudouridine (psi). The two modification functions and some processing activities involve direct base pairing of snoRNA with rRNA. In addition to rRNA-targeting sequences, snoRNA function depends on the presence of conserved box elements involved in snoRNA synthesis and localization. The present investigation is directed at using snoRNAs as tools for two purposes: 1) introducing nucleotide modifications into novel sites in rRNA and other snoRNAs, and: 2) targeting nucleolar RNAs for destruction using snoRNA:ribozyme chimers ('snorbozymes'). Early results demonstrate that snoRNAs can be used for both applications.

Cell Nucleolus↗
PubMed1996

Cell cycle arrest promotes trans-hammerhead ribozyme action in yeast.

A hammerhead ribozyme designed to cleave the yeast ADE1 mRNA has been expressed in yeast under the control of a galactose-inducible promoter. RNA prepared from the galactose-induced yeast cultures possesses an activity that cleaves ADE1 mRNA in vitro. However, in spite of high expression levels of the ribozyme, no cleavage activity could be demonstrated in vivo. On the other hand, when the yeast cells expressing hammerhead RNA were treated with the alpha-factor mating pheromone, the level of ADE1 mRNA was reduced by 50%. Similar reductions were observed when this strain was cultured in the presence of lithium acetate or in nitrogen-free medium. Moreover, control experiments in which disabled hammerhead genes were expressed showed no such reductions. Extension of the length of the flanking recognition arms of the ribozyme from a total of 10 to 16 or 24 nucleotides diminished the inhibitory effect of the ribozyme. These data suggest that ribozymes are able to cleave a trans-RNA target in yeast.

Acetates↗
PubMed1996

Stimulation of mitotic recombination upon transcription from the yeast GAL1 promoter but not from other RNA polymerase I, II and III promoters.

Homologous recombination in Saccharomyces cerevisiae and other organisms can be stimulated by transcription. Consistent with this, we find that recombination of a chromosomal ade1 allele with a plasmid-borne ADE1 ORF under the control of the GAL1 promoter increased from 6.1x10(-6) to 1.7x10(-4) when transcription of the plasmid locus was induced by growing the cells in the presence of galactose. Recombination could also be stimulated by over-expressing the Gal4 transcription factor in the presence of the GAL1-ADE1 plasmid, while culturing the cells in dextrose medium. However, when transcription of the same ORF was driven from the highly active promoters of the rDNA (RNA polymerase I), and ADH1 (RNA polymerase II) genes, only background levels of recombination (5-10x10(-6)) were observed, irrespective of the carbon source. Recombination was found to involve integration of the whole plasmid and to depend on RAD51, RAD52 and RAD54. The results indicate that increased accessibility of transcriptionally active chromatin is not sufficient to cause increased rates of this kind of reciprocal exchange.

Alleles↗
PubMed1995

An oligodeoxyribonucleotide that supports catalytic activity in the hammerhead ribozyme domain.

A study of the activity of deoxyribonucleotide-substituted analogs of the hammerhead domain of RNA catalysis has led to the design of a 14mer oligomer composed entirely of deoxyribonucleotides that promotes the cleavage of an RNA substrate. Characterization of this reaction with sequence variants and mixed DNA/RNA oligomers shows that, although the all-deoxyribonucleotide oligomer is less efficient in catalysis, the DNA/substrate complex shares many of the properties of the all-RNA hammerhead domain such as multiple turnover kinetics and dependence on Mg2+ concentration. On the other hand, the values of kinetic parameters distinguish the DNA oligomer from the all-RNA oligomer. In addition, an analog of the oligomer having a single ribonucleotide in a strongly conserved position of the hammerhead domain is associated with more efficient catalysis than the all-RNA oligomer.

Base Sequence↗
PubMed1995

A hammerhead ribozyme inhibits ADE1 gene expression in yeast.

To study factors that affect in vivo ribozyme (Rz) activity, a model system has been devised in Saccharomyces cerevisiae based on the inhibition of ADE1 gene expression. This gene was chosen because Rz action can be evaluated visually by the Red phenotype produced when the activity of the gene product is inhibited. Different plasmid constructs allowed the expression of the Rz either in cis or in trans with respect to ADE1. Rz-related inhibition of ADE1 expression was correlated with a Red phenotype and a diminution of ADE1 mRNA levels only when the Rz gene was linked 5' to ADE1. The presence of the expected 3' cleavage fragment was demonstrated using a technique combining RNA ligation and PCR. This yeast system and detection technique are suited to the investigation of general factors affecting Rz-catalyzed inhibition of gene expression under in vivo conditions.

Base Sequence↗
PubMed1995

Structural and thermodynamic properties of DNA uncover different evolutionary histories.

We propose an index of DNA homogeneity (IDH) based on a binary distribution model that quantifies structural and thermodynamic aggregates present in DNA primary structures. Extensive analysis of sequence databases with the IDH uncovers significant constraints on DNA sequence other than those derived from codon usage or protein function. This index clearly distinguishes between organisms of different evolutive origins and places them in disjoint domains of DNA sequence space.

Biological Evolution↗