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Biomedical subjects

K G Skryabin

Publications and source records attributed to K G Skryabin.

At least 19 recordsLinked to original sources

Identification of latent periodicity in amino acid sequences of protein families.

For detection of the latent periodicity of the protein families responsible for various biological functions, methods of information decomposition, cyclic profile alignment, and the method of noise decomposition have been used. The latent periodicity, being specific to a particular family, is recognized in 94 of 110 analyzed protein families. Family specific periodicity was found for more than 70% of amino acid sequences in each of these families. Based on such sequences the characteristic profile of the latent periodicity has been deduced for each family. Possible relationship between the recognized latent periodicity, evolution of proteins, and their structural organization is discussed.

Algorithms↗

The use of viral vectors to produce hepatitis B virus core particles in plants.

The expression and assembly of the hepatitis B virus (HBV) nucleocapsid protein (HBcAg) were investigated in plants using viral vectors. Constructs based on either Potato virus X (PVX) or Cowpea mosaic virus (CPMV) containing the sequence of HBcAg were able to infect the appropriate host plants and remained genetically stable during infection. Analysis of HBcAg expression revealed that the protein can self-assemble into core-like particles and that the assembled material could be partially purified by differential centrifugation. Thus, the use of viral vectors can be considered a practical method for rapid production of assembled HBcAg particles in plants. This approach provides a means whereby a variety of chimaeric particles can be assessed quickly and cheaply for various diagnostic and vaccine applications.

Centrifugation↗

Ribosome shunt is essential for infectivity of cauliflower mosaic virus.

Cauliflower mosaic virus (CaMV) is a DNA-containing pararetrovirus replicating by means of reverse transcription of a terminally redundant pregenomic 35S RNA that is also used as a polycistronic mRNA. The leader of 35S RNA is long, highly structured, and contains multiple short ORFs (sORFs), which strongly interfere with the ribosome scanning process. Translation of this RNA is initiated by a ribosome shunt mechanism, in which ribosomes translate the most 5'-proximal short ORF (sORF A), then skip a large region of the leader containing a putative RNA encapsidation signal and reinitiate translation at the first long viral ORF. Here, we demonstrate that the efficiency of the sORF A-mediated ribosome shunt is an important determinant of viral infectivity. Point mutations in sORF A, which reduced the basal level of shunt-dependent expression and the degree of shunt enhancement by a CaMV-encoded translation transactivator (TAV), consequently reduced infectivity of the virus in turnip plants. First- or second-site reversions appeared in the viral progeny. The second-site reversions restored shuntdependent expression to an extent correlating with their relative abundance in the progeny. Mutations that abolished both the basal and TAV-activated components of shunting proved to be lethal. Finally, by using an artificial stem structure that blocks scanning, we obtained direct evidence that ribosome shunt operates during CaMV infection.

Amino Acid Sequence↗

Method revealing latent periodicity of the nucleotide sequences modified for a case of small samples.

An earlier reported method for revealing latent periodicity of the nucleotide sequences has been considerably modified in a case of small samples, by applying a Monte Carlo method. This improved method has been used to search for the latent periodicity of some nucleotide sequences of the EMBL data bank. The existence of the nucleotide sequences' latent periodicity has been shown for some genes. The results obtained have implied that periodicity of gene structure is projected onto the periodicity of primary amino acid sequences and, further, onto spatial protein conformation. Even though the periodic structure of gene sequences has been eroded, it is still retained in primary and/or spatial structures of corresponding proteins. Furthermore, in a few cases the study of genes' periodicity has suggested their possible evolutionary origin by multifold duplications of some gene's fragments.

Base Sequence↗

Isolation and characterization of CspBI, a novel NotI isoschizomer from Corynebacterium species B recognizing 5'-GC/GGCCGC-3'.

Sixty-seven bacterial strains were surveyed for the presence of type II restriction endonucleases, especially concerning super-rare-cutting enzymes. Fourteen strains were found to contain specific enzymes. One of them CspBI from Corynebacterium species B was purified and characterized as an isoschizomer of NotI, which recognizes the palindromic octanucleotide sequence 5'-GC/GGCCGC-3' and cleaves at the position shown by the arrow. A comparison between the cleavage patterns on different DNAs, obtained with partially purified endonucleases from other detected producents including some strains of Corynebacterium, Cellulomonas and Rhizobium has shown that these enzymes do not belong to super-rare-cutting restriction endonucleases.

Binding Sites↗

5'-regulatory region of Agrobacterium tumefaciens T-DNA gene 6b directs organ-specific, wound-inducible and auxin-inducible expression in transgenic tobacco.

The regulatory activity of a 826 bp DNA fragment located upstream of the pTiBo542 TL-DNA gene 6b coding region was analyzed in transgenic tobacco, using beta-glucuronidase (gus) as a reporter gene. The region was shown to drive organ-specific, wound- and auxin-inducible expression of the reporter, the effect being dependent on the type and concentration of auxin.

Agrobacterium tumefaciens↗

Functional organization of the riboflavin biosynthesis operon from Bacillus subtilis SHgw.

We have sequenced 6006 bp DNA of a region from the Bacillus subtilis SHgw chromosome known to contain riboflavin biosynthesis genes (rib gene cluster, 210 degrees on the B. subtilis genetic map). Five of the seven open reading frames found within the sequence are shown to represent the genes ribG, ribB, ribA, ribH and ribTD. The calculated molecular masses for the putative translation products are 39,305, 23,481, 44,121, 16,287 and 14,574 daltons respectively. The five rib genes are transcribed as a polycistronic 4277 nucleotide messenger RNA. The steady-state level of the transcript is negatively regulated by riboflavin. A cis-acting element necessary for regulation was mapped by analysis of constitutive mutations within the 5' untranslated region of the operon. The element is at least 48 bp in length and does not bear obvious similarity to well defined prokaryotic regulatory elements. The molecular mechanism of regulation remains unknown, but the data presented argue against regulation by attenuation.

Bacillus subtilis↗

The 5'-untranslated leader sequence of potato virus X RNA enhances the expression of a heterologous gene in vivo.

The 5' untranslated leader of potato virus X (PVX) RNA is shown when contiguous to the coding sequence, to enhance the expression of the neomycin phosphotransferase II gene (NPTII) in Nicotiana tabacum protoplasts in vivo. The level of transient expression of the NPTII gene in protoplasts provided by a plasmid containing the coding sequence of the NPTII gene under the control of 35S cauliflower mosaic virus (CaMV) promoter and terminator elements served as the baseline control. Insertion of the viral 5' untranslated leader sequence upstream of the NPTII ATG codon increased the level of expression 4-fold. An 83 nucleotide (nt) leader sequence (lacking only one nucleotide of the complete PVX leader) and a truncated version with a 28 deletion at the 3' end both had similar enhancing abilities. The 28 nt CA region of the PVX leader alone had no enhancement properties.

Base Sequence↗

Unexpected close relationship between the large nonvirion proteins of filamentous potexviruses and spherical tymoviruses.

The amino acid sequences of the large proteins of potexviruses and tymoviruses were aligned. It was shown that three domains of these proteins display significant similarity between the two virus groups. In contrast to central (putative NTPase-helicase) and C-terminal (putative polymerase) domains, the conservative N-terminal domain of the potexvirus/tymovirus large protein displayed no obvious similarity to the respective regions of the large proteins of other Sindbis-like viruses.

Amino Acid Sequence↗

Conserved and variable elements in RNA genomes of potexviruses.

The nucleotide sequences of genomic RNAs and predicted amino acid sequences of two strains of potato virus X and white clover mosaic potexvirus were compared to each other, and the proteins of different plus-RNA-containing plant viruses. The predicted non-virion proteins of potexviruses have direct sequence homology and common structural peculiarities with those of several 'Sindbis-like' plant viruses. The most conserved amino acid sequences were found to be located in the polypeptide encoded by the long 5'-proximal open reading frame (ORF1). The putative polypeptide encoded by the ORF2 starting beyond the ORF1 stop codon is clearly related to the presumptive NTP-binding domain of the ORF1-coded polypeptide. These results suggest possible functions for all of the potexvirus proteins and also indicate that potexviruses have a genome organization which is considerably different from that of other plant viruses.

Amino Acid Sequence↗

Expression of env sequences of the bovine leukemia virus (BLV) in the yeast Saccharomyces cerevisiae.

DNA sequences of the envelope (env) gene of the bovine leukemia virus (BLV) were expressed in the yeast Saccharomyces cerevisiae. Two yeast promoters, the repressible PHO5 promoter and the constitutive PGK promoter, were used to construct four expression plasmids comprising either a sequence of the surface antigen gp51 or a (gp51 + gp30) sequence. The expressed heterologous gene products were characterized by Western blot analysis and competitive radioimmunoassay. By means of Northern blot analysis the steady-state level of env-specific mRNA was analysed. The highest expression rate was obtained from recombinant plasmid YEpSG 94 comprising a gp51 sequence--a 630 base pair fragment containing 70% of the gp51 but lacking the N terminus--as well as the PHO5 promoter including PHO5 signal sequence and the PHO5 terminator. The recombinant gp51 was partially glycosylated but the PHO5 signal peptide did not seem to be cleaved off. No immunoreactive material could be found in the periplasm or in the culture medium. By means of monoclonal antibodies directed against eight different epitopes of viral gp51, all four sequential antigenic determinants were detected in the AH 216 (YEpSG 94) expression product.

Amino Acid Sequence↗

NMR studies of DNA recognition sequences and their interaction with proteins. The phage lambda OR1 operator, a symmetric lac operator and their specific complexes with cro protein and lac repressor "headpiece".

The phage lambda operator OR1 and a 18 base pair symmetric lac operator have been studied by high resolution NMR. The imino proton resonances and the resonances of the unexchangeable protons (except the 5' and 5" sugar proton resonances) have been assigned by one- and two-dimensional NOE techniques. The imino proton resonances of OR1 and the symmetric lac operator have been used to monitor changes induced in the operator structure by the formation of a specific complex with the phage lambda cro protein and with the lac repressor N-terminal DNA binding domain ("headpiece"). Two regions within the OR1 sequence could be identified, where changes in the imino proton resonance positions occur: The central part around base pairs CG 9 and 10 and the region around base pairs AT 5 and CG 5. The TA base pair 6 is the only position in the symmetric lac operator, where the complex formation with headpiece induces a change.

Bacteriophage lambda↗

1H NMR study of the interaction of bacteriophage lambda Cro protein with the OR3 operator. II. Assignment of the non-exchangeable proton resonances of the OR3 operator.

The 17 base pair operator OR3 oligonucleotide, which is the preferential binding site for the Cro repressor of phage lambda, was studied by two-dimensional NMR spectroscopy. A sequential assignment procedure based on two-dimensional Nuclear Overhauser Effect (NOESY) and scalar coupling correlated (COSY) NMR spectroscopy, together with the knowledge of the oligodesoxynucleotide sequence, made it possible to assign the non-exchangeable base protons and the H1' and the H2'-H2" sugar protons of the OR3 operator DNA. The pattern of the observed NOE connectivities is consistent with a right-handed helical DNA structure. The base and sugar proton assignments provide the necessary information for further studies of the OR3 operator - Cro repressor interaction.

Bacteriophage lambda↗