PubMed Health⌕ Search

Biomedical subjects

J Giraudat

Publications and source records attributed to J Giraudat.

44 records · Page 3Linked to original sources
PubMed1985

Transmembrane topology of acetylcholine receptor subunits probed with photoreactive phospholipids.

The domains of the acetylcholine receptor subunits that contact the lipid phase were investigated by hydrophobic photolabeling of receptor-rich membrane fragments prepared from Torpedo marmorata and Torpedo californica electric organs. The radioactive arylazido phospholipids used carry a photoreactive group, either at the level of the lipid polar head group (PCI) or at the tip of the aliphatic chain (PCII), and thus probe respectively the "superficial" and "deep" regions of the lipid bilayer. The four subunits of T. marmorata and T. californica acetylcholine receptor reacted with both the PCI and PCII probes and thus are all exposed to the lipid phase. Ligands known to stabilize different conformations of the acetylcholine receptor (nicotinic agonists, snake alpha-toxin, and noncompetitive blockers) did not cause any significant change in the labeling pattern. The acetylcholine receptor associated 43 000-dalton v1 protein did not react with any of the probes. A striking difference in labeling between T. marmorata and T. californica acetylcholine receptors occurred at the level of the alpha-subunit when the superficial PCI probe was used. An approximately 5-fold higher labeling of the alpha-subunit as compared to the beta-, gamma-, and delta-subunits was observed by using receptor-rich membranes from T. marmorata but not from T. californica. The same difference persisted after purification of the labeled receptors from the two species and was restricted to an 8000-dalton C-terminal tryptic peptide. The only mutation observed in this region of the complete alpha-subunit sequence of the two species is the substitution of cysteine-424 in T. marmorata by serine-424 in T. californica.(ABSTRACT TRUNCATED AT 250 WORDS)

Animals↗
PubMed1984

A single gene codes for the nicotinic acetylcholine receptor alpha-subunit in Torpedo marmorata: structural and developmental implications.

We have used Southern blot hybridization to analyze the genomic structure encoding the alpha-subunit of the acetylcholine receptor (AChR) in Torpedo marmorata, with cDNA probes isolated from the electric organ. Four different radiolabelled probes, corresponding to various parts of the alpha-subunit mRNA, hybridized to several genomic fragments of T. marmorata DNA generated by digestion with the restriction enzymes SstI, PvuII and PstI. The same hybridization pattern was observed after washing the blots under low- or high-stringency conditions. As a check for detection sensitivity of heterologous sequences, the same probes were hybridized to PvuII-digested chicken DNA, revealing bands at low stringency which disappeared at higher stringencies. Unambiguously, two of our probes (one of them entirely within the coding region) hybridized to a single genomic fragment from T. marmorata DNA. This feature, as well as the results of an extensive study of the whole hybridization pattern, points towards the uniqueness of alpha-subunit-specific sequences in the genome of T. marmorata. Since overall more bands were found than expected from the cDNA sequence, this alpha-subunit gene must be split by several introns (at least four, possibly more). The length of this gene is at least 20 kb. The existence of a single alpha-subunit gene is consistent with the absence of chemical heterogeneity in the NH2-terminal sequence of the purified alpha-chain, and supports the view that the two alpha-chains belonging to one AChR oligomer have an identical primary structure. It also suggests that localization and stabilization of the AChR in well-defined post-synaptic areas of T. marmorata electric organ basically relies, during development, on 'epigenetic' mechanisms.

Animals↗
PubMed1984

Complete nucleotide sequence of Torpedo marmorata mRNA coding for the 43,000-dalton nu 2 protein: muscle-specific creatine kinase.

DNA sequences coding for the muscle-specific subunit of creatine kinase have been isolated from cDNA libraries constructed from Torpedo marmorata electric organ. Clones were screened by differential in situ hybridization and hybrid-selected translation. The in vitro translation product of the selected mRNA was immunoprecipitated by anti-chicken creatine kinase antibodies and comigrated with Torpedo muscle creatine kinase on two-dimensional gels at the same position as the cytosolic 43,000-dalton protein referred to as nu 2. The cDNA inserts hybridized to a mRNA species present in adult Torpedo muscle but not in brain. The complete sequence of the mRNA was determined on one of the clones except for the 78 nucleotides of the mRNA 5' terminal sequence, which were identified by the primer extension method. The amino acid sequence of muscle-specific creatine kinase from T. marmorata was deduced and analyzed. It includes the known sequence of a peptide from the active site of rabbit muscle-specific creatine kinase.

Amino Acid Sequence↗
PubMed1983

Complete mRNA coding sequence of the acetylcholine binding alpha-subunit of Torpedo marmorata acetylcholine receptor: a model for the transmembrane organization of the polypeptide chain.

A 1,350-base-pair-long cDNA clone, named p alpha-2, was isolated by hybridization to the previously characterized clone p alpha-1 and found to be specific for the alpha-subunit of the Torpedo marmorata acetylcholine receptor. The nucleotide sequences of both cDNA inserts were analyzed and the sequence of the complete coding region and part of the 5' and 3' untranslated regions of the alpha-chain mRNA was determined. The complete amino acid sequence of the alpha-chain precursor is presented and used to develop a model for the transmembrane organization of the polypeptide.

Acetylcholine↗
PubMed1982

Identification of a cDNA clone coding for the acetylcholine binding subunit of Torpedo marmorata acetylcholine receptor.

A recombinant DNA plasmid has been constructed that contains sequences of the gene coding for the acetylcholine binding subunit (alpha-subunit, 40 000 daltons) of Torpedo marmorata acetylcholine receptor protein (AChR). Polyadenylated RNA purified from Torpedo electric organ was used to construct a cDNA library. The AChR alpha-subunit cDNA clone was then identified by a two-step screening of 700 recombinant clones. As AChR is present in Torpedo electric organ but not in Torpedo liver or spleen, differential screening led to the selection of 12 clones specific for the electric organ. We then tested the ability of cDNA inserts to hybridize alpha-subunit mRNA specifically, as judged by cell-free translation and immunoprecipitation. The insert from one clone, p alpha-1, selectively hybridized with a mRNA species which elicited the synthesis of a 38 000 mol. wt. polypeptide. This polypeptide was precipitated by: (1) a rabbit serum raised against purified denatured alpha-subunit (the pure alpha-subunit displaced the complex); and (2) a rat monoclonal antibody specific for the denatured alpha-subunit. It was thus identified as a precursor of the alpha chain. Blot hybridization analysis of polyadenylated RNA from Torpedo electric organ with the p alpha-1 probe revealed a major species of 2.0 kb, which thus contains approximately 800 non-coding nucleotides.

Animals↗