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K Pham

Publications and source records attributed to K Pham.

25 records · Page 2Linked to original sources
PubMed1993

A 22-bp fragment of the pea lectin promoter containing essential TGAC-like motifs confers seed-specific gene expression.

To elucidate the molecular mechanisms responsible for seed-specific gene expression in plants, the promoter of the pea lectin (psl) gene, encoding an abundant seed protein, was used as a model. Leaf and seed nuclear proteins bound to a region in the psl promoter containing three overlapping TGAC-like motifs, which have been shown to be a binding site for basic/leucine zipper proteins, including TGA1a. A trimer of a 22-bp region of the psl promoter, containing the TGAC-like motifs, coupled to a heterologous minimal promoter conferred low reporter gene expression in root, stem, and leaf and high expression in seed of transgenic tobacco. Expression increased during the midmaturation stage of seed development and was observed in the endosperm as well as in the embryo, where it strongly decreased within a few days after germination. This expression pattern is qualitatively identical to the expression pattern conferred by a 2000-bp fragment of the psl promoter. Nucleotides within the TGAC-like motifs important for in vitro binding are also essential for in vivo transcription activation in vegetative tissue as well as in seed. The electrophoretic mobility of a DNA-protein complex containing seed nuclear protein was different from that formed with leaf nuclear protein. Furthermore, the TGA1a steady state mRNA level in immature seed was relatively low. These results suggest that a seed-specific factor different from TGA1a, but with similar binding specificity, is responsible for gene activation in seed. We conclude that the 22-bp region contains all the information, including an essential TGAGTCATCA sequence, necessary for seed-specific expression and very likely plays an essential role in the seed-specific expression pattern of the psl gene.

Base Sequence↗
PubMed1990

The chimpanzee major histocompatibility complex class II DR subregion contains an unexpectedly high number of beta-chain genes.

The major histocompatibility complex (MHC) class II DR subregion of the chimpanzee was studied by restriction fragment length polymorphism (RFLP) analysis. Genomic DNA obtained from a panel of 94 chimpanzees was digested with the restriction enzyme Taq I and hybridized with an HLA-DR beta probe specific for the 3' untranslated (UT) region. Such a screening revealed the existence of 14 distinct DRB/Taq I gene-associated fragments allowing the definition of 11 haplotypes. Segregation studies proved that the number of chimpanzee class II DRB/Taq I fragments is not constant and varies from three to six depending on the haplotype. Comparison of these data with a human reference panel manifested that some MHC DRB/Taq I fragments are shared by man and chimpanzee. Moreover, the number of HLA-DRB/Taq I gene-associated fragments detected in a panel of homozygous typing cells varies from one to three and corresponds with the number of HLA-DRB genes present for most haplotypes. However, a discrepancy is observed for the HLA-DR4, -DR7, and -DR9 haplotypes since a fourth HLA-DRB pseudogene present within these haplotypes lacks its 3' UT region and thus is not detected with the probe used. These results suggest that chimpanzees have a higher maximum number of DRB genes per haplotype than man. As a consequence, some chimpanzee haplotypes must show a dissimilar organization of the MHC DR subregion compared to their human equivalents. The implications of these findings are discussed in the context of the trans-species theory of MHC polymorphism.

Animals↗
PubMed1989

Tissue-specific alterations in somatostatin mRNA accumulation in streptozocin-induced diabetes.

In streptozocin-induced diabetes in rats, there is a marked increase in the content and release of immunoreactive somatostatin (SLI) from the pancreas and upper gut. To elucidate whether these SLI changes are associated with alterations in somatostatin gene transcription, we measured somatostatin mRNA (SmRNA) accumulation in these and other SLI-producing tissues. Pancreas, stomach, jejunum, hypothalamus, and cerebral cortex were removed from control rats, 6-wk-diabetic rats, and diabetic rats treated with insulin for 6 wk. Total RNA was isolated by centrifugation through CsCl and fractionated on agarose gels. A sensitive radiodensitometric hybridization assay was used to determine SmRNA levels in absolute amounts by in vitro synthesized sense-strand RNA as a quantitative standard and antisense cRNA as a specific probe. SLI was determined by radioimmunoassay. SmRNA exhibited size heterogeneity between the different control and diabetic tissues. A 2- to 3-fold increase in total SmRNA was found in pancreas and stomach of the diabetic rats that suppressed toward normal with insulin treatment. These two tissues also exhibited significant 1.6- to 2.6-fold increases in SLI, respectively. The remaining tissues showed no diabetes-related changes in SLI or SmRNA. We conclude that in insulinopenic diabetes, tissue SLI and SmRNA accumulation undergo parallel changes; are increased in pancreas and upper gut, reflecting augmented somatostatin synthesis; are reciprocally related to insulin acting directly or indirectly on somatostatin-producing cells; and are unchanged in the lower gut and brain, suggesting tissue-specific regulation of somatostatin gene transcription in diabetes.

Animals↗
PubMed1981

Phosphorylation of glycogen synthase and of the beta subunit of eukaryotic initiation factor two by a common protein kinase.

A protein kinase from rabbit reticulocytes, able to phosphorylate the beta subunit of eukaryotic initiation factor 2 (eIF-2), has been demonstrated to phosphorylate also glycogen synthase. A glycogen synthase kinase (PC0.7) from rabbit skeletal muscle has been shown to phosphorylate the beta subunit of eIF-2. Comparison of highly purified preparations of the two protein kinases has indicated several similarities of properties. 1) Both enzymes were associated with two major polypeptide species, alpha (Mr = 43,000) and beta (Mr = 25,000), and exhibited apparent native molecular weights of 176,000-180,000 by gel filtration and 130,000-140,000 by sucrose density gradient sedimentation. 2) Both enzymes phosphorylated glycogen synthase, eIF-2 beta, phosvitin, and casein and were effective in utilizing GTP and ATP as phosphoryl donors. 3) Both enzymes displayed the same chromatographic behavior on phosvitin-Sepharose, phosphocellulose, and DEAE-cellulose. 4) Both enzymes underwent an autophosphorylation of the beta polypeptide when incubated with ATP and Mg2+. On the basis of these and other properties, we propose that the two protein kinases, if not identical, are very similar enzymes.

Animals↗