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L Hanley-Bowdoin

Publications and source records attributed to L Hanley-Bowdoin.

15 recordsLinked to original sources
PubMed1996

A DNA structure is required for geminivirus replication origin function.

The genome of the geminivirus tomato golden mosaic virus (TGMV) consists of two single-stranded circular DNAs, A and B, that replicate through a rolling-circle mechanism in nuclei of infected plant cells. The TGMV origin of replication is located in a conserved 5' intergenic region and includes at least two functional elements: the origin recognition site of the essential viral replication protein, AL1, and a sequence motif with the potential to form a hairpin or cruciform structure. To address the role of the hairpin motif during TGMV replication, we constructed a series of B-component mutants that resolved sequence changes from structural alterations of the motif. Only those mutant B DNAs that retained the capacity to form the hairpin structure replicated to wild-type levels in tobacco protoplasts when the viral replication proteins were provided in trans from a plant expression cassette. In contrast, the same B DNAs replicated to significantly lower levels in transient assays that included replicating, wild-type TGMV A DNA. These data established that the hairpin structure is essential for TGMV replication, whereas its sequence affects the efficiency of replication. We also showed that TGMV AL1 functions as a site-specific endonuclease in vitro and mapped the cleavage site to the loop of the hairpin. In vitro cleavage analysis of two TGMV B mutants with different replication phenotypes indicated that there is a correlation between the two assays for origin activity. These results suggest that the in vivo replication results may reflect structural and sequence requirements for DNA cleavage during initiation of rolling-circle replication.

Base Sequence↗
PubMed1996

Interactions between geminivirus replication proteins.

Geminiviruses are small DNA viruses that replicate in the nuclei of infected plant cells. The closely related geminiviruses tomato golden mosaic virus and bean golden mosaic virus each encode a protein, AL1, that catalyzes the initiation of rolling-circle replication. Both viruses also specify a second replication protein, AL3, that greatly enhances the level of viral DNA accumulation. Using recombinant proteins produced in a baculovirus expression system, we showed that AL1 copurifies with a protein fusion of glutathione S-transferase (GST) and AL1, independent of the GST domain. Similarly, authentic AL3 cofractionates with a GST-AL3 fusion protein. These results demonstrated that both AL1 and AL3 form oligomers. Immunoprecipitation of protein extracts from insect cells expressing both AL1 and AL3 showed that the two proteins also complex with each other. None of the protein interactions displayed virus specificity; the tomato and bean golden mosaic virus proteins complexed with each other. The addition of heterologous replication proteins had no effect on the efficiency of geminivirus replication in transient-replication assays, suggesting that heteroprotein complexes might be functional. The significance of these protein interactions is discussed with respect to geminivirus replication in plant cells.

Geminiviridae↗
PubMed1995

A geminivirus induces expression of a host DNA synthesis protein in terminally differentiated plant cells.

Geminiviruses are plant DNA viruses that replicate through DNA intermediates in plant nuclei. The viral components required for replication are known, but no host factors have yet been identified. We used immunolocalization to show that the replication proteins of the geminivirus tomato golden mosaic virus (TGMV) are located in nuclei of terminally differentiated cells that have left the cell cycle. In addition, TGMV infection resulted in a significant accumulation of the host DNA synthesis protein proliferating cell nuclear antigen (PCNA). PCNA, an accessory factor for DNA polymerase delta, was not present at detectable levels in healthy differentiated cells. The TGMV replication protein AL1 was sufficient to induce accumulation of PCNA in terminally differentiated cells of transgenic plants. Analysis of the mechanism(s) whereby AL1 induces the accumulation of host replication machinery in quiescent plant cells will provide a unique opportunity to study plant DNA synthesis.

Base Sequence↗
PubMed1994

Molecular characterization of the AL3 protein encoded by a bipartite geminivirus.

The genome of tomato golden mosaic virus (TGMV) is composed of two circular, single-stranded DNA molecules that together contain 6 open reading frames (ORFs). Three of these ORFs (designated AL1, AL2, and AL3) overlap and are specified by multiple polycistronic mRNAs. No RNA specifying the AL3 ORF alone has been detected, suggesting that the AL3 gene product is translated from an internal ORF. A recombinant histidine-tagged-AL3 fusion protein was purified from Escherichia coli and used to raise a polyclonal antiserum. Analysis of protein extracts from healthy plants and plants infected with TGMV by SDS-PAGE and immunoblotting showed that a protein corresponding to the predicted AL3 gene product is produced only in infected plants. This protein comprises approximately 0.05% of the cellular proteins and is present in the soluble and organelle fractions. These results are discussed with respect to the expression and role of the AL3 protein in the viral life cycle.

Cloning, Molecular↗
PubMed1994

Interaction between a geminivirus replication protein and origin DNA is essential for viral replication.

The geminivirus, tomato golden mosaic virus (TGMV), encodes one protein, AL1, that is absolutely required for viral DNA replication. AL1 interacts with the TGMV DNA genome by binding specifically to the viral origin of replication. We have investigated the nature and significance of AL1/origin interactions in vitro and in vivo by using competitive DNA binding and transient replication assays. Competition assays established that a 13-base pair (bp) element (5'-GGTAGTAAGGTAG) containing two 5-bp direct repeat motifs separated by a 3-bp central core constitutes a high affinity AL1 binding site. DNAs containing intact 3' repeat sequences plus core (TAAGGTAG and ccTAGTAAGGTAG) were stronger competitors for AL1 binding than DNAs containing intact 5' repeat sequences plus core (GGTAGTAA and GGTAGTA-AccTAG), thereby demonstrating that AL1 interacts differently with the repeat motifs. Replication in tobacco protoplasts established that the AL1 binding site is an essential cis-acting element for viral replication. No replication was detected for DNAs containing mutations in either of the repeat motifs of the AL1 recognition sequence when AL1 was provided in trans from a plant gene expression vector. In contrast, a DNA with a mutation in the 5' repeat motif (ccTAGTAAGGTAG) replicated when both AL1 and AL3, a TGMV protein involved in viral DNA accumulation, were provided in trans. No replication was detected for a DNA containing a mutation in the 3' repeat motif (GGTAGTAAccTAG) in the presence of AL1 and AL3. The in vitro and in vivo results suggest that binding of AL1 to the 3' repeat element is an essential step in DNA replication, while binding to the 5' repeat element may serve to enhance viral replication.

Base Sequence↗
PubMed1994

Geminivirus replication origins have a modular organization.

Tomato golden mosaic virus (TGMV) and bean golden mosaic virus (BGMV) are closely related geminiviruses with bipartite genomes. The A and B DNA components of each virus have cis-acting sequences necessary for replication, and their A components encode trans-acting factors are required for this process. We showed that virus-specific interactions between the cis- and trans-acting functions are required for TGMV and BGMV replication in tobacco protoplasts. We also demonstrated that, similar to the essential TGMV AL1 replication protein, BGMV AL1 binds specifically to its origin in vitro and that neither TGMV nor BGMV AL1 proteins bind to the heterologous origin. The in vitro AL1 binding specificities of the B components were exchanged by site-directed mutagenesis, but the resulting mutants were not replicated by either A component. These results showed that the high-affinity AL1 binding site is necessary but not sufficient for virus-specific origin activity in vivo. Geminivirus genomes also contain a stem-loop sequence that is required for origin function. A BGMV B mutant with the TGMV stem-loop sequence was replicated by BGMV A, indicating that BGMV AL1 does not discriminate between the two sequences. A BGMV B double mutant, with the TGMV AL1 binding site and stem-loop sequences, was not replicated by either A component, indicating that an additional element in the TGMV origin is required for productive interaction with TGMV AL1. These results suggested that geminivirus replication origins are composed of at least three functional modules: (1) a putative stem-loop structure that is required for replication but does not contribute to virus-specific recognition of the origin, (2) a specific high-affinity binding site for the AL1 protein, and (3) at least one additional element that contributes to specific origin recognition by viral trans-acting factors.

Base Sequence↗
PubMed1994

A DNA sequence required for geminivirus replication also mediates transcriptional regulation.

Tomato golden mosaic virus (TGMV), a member of the geminivirus family, requires a single virus-encoded protein for DNA replication. We show that the TGMV replication protein, AL1, also acts during transcription to specifically repress the activity of its promoter. An earlier study established that AL1 binds to a 13-bp sequence (5'-GGTAGTAAGGTAG) that is essential for activity of the TGMV replication origin. Analysis of AL1 binding site mutants in transient expression assays demonstrated that the same site, which is located between the transcription start site and TATA box in the AL1 promoter, also mediates transcriptional repression. These experiments revealed that the repeated motifs in the AL1 binding site contribute differentially to repression, as has been observed previously for AL1-DNA binding and viral replication. Introduction of the AL1 binding site into the 35S promoter of the cauliflower mosaic virus was sufficient to confer AL1-mediated repression to the heterologous promoter. Analysis of a truncated AL1 promoter and of mutant AL1 proteins showed that repression does not require a replication-competent template or a replication-competent AL1 protein. Transient expression studies using two different Nicotiana cell lines revealed that, although the two lines replicate plasmids containing the TGMV origin similarly, they support very different levels of AL1-mediated repression. These results suggest that geminivirus transcriptional repression and replication may be independent processes.

Amino Acid Sequence↗
PubMed1992

A geminivirus replication protein is a sequence-specific DNA binding protein.

The genome of the geminivirus tomato golden mosaic virus (TGMV) consists of two circular DNA molecules designated as components A and B. The A component encodes the only viral protein, AL1, that is required for viral replication. We showed that AL1 interacts specifically with TGMV A and B DNA by using an immunoprecipitation assay for AL1:DNA complex formation. In this assay, a monoclonal antibody against AL1 precipitated AL1:TGMV DNA complexes, whereas an unrelated antibody failed to precipitate the complexes. Competition assays with homologous and heterologous DNAs established the specificity of AL1:DNA binding. AL1 produced by transgenic tobacco plants and by baculovirus-infected insect cells exhibited similar DNA binding activity. The AL1 binding site maps to 52 bp on the left side of the common region, a 235-bp region that is highly conserved between the two TGMV genome components. The AL1:DNA binding site does not include the putative hairpin structure that is conserved in the common regions or the equivalent 5' intergenic regions of all geminiviruses. These studies demonstrate that a geminivirus replication protein is a sequence-specific DNA binding protein, and the studies have important implications for the role of this protein in virus replication.

Base Sequence↗
PubMed1989

Transcriptional interaction between the promoters of the maize chloroplast genes which encode the beta subunit of ATP synthase and the large subunit of ribulose 1,5-bisphosphate carboxylase.

The genes encoding the beta subunit of ATP synthase and the large subunit of ribulose 1,5-bisphosphate carboxylase are located on opposite strands of the maize chloroplast genome. Their transcription start sites are separated by a 159 bp sequence that includes the promoters for both genes. The effects of deleting or modifying one of the two promoters on transcription from the adjacent, unaltered promoter were assessed in vitro using maize chloroplast extracts to transcribe cloned maize DNA templates. When the atpB promoter was disrupted by an 8 bp insertion, rbcL transcription was not altered. When the rbcL promoter was disrupted by a 2 bp insertion, atpB transcription decreased, whereas when the rbcL promoter region was deleted, atpB transcription increased. Activity of the atpB promoter was also reduced when the + 2 bp-rbcL promoter template was transcribed in vitro by Escherichia coli RNA polymerase. The changes in atpB transcriptional efficiency were only seen when the atpB and rbcL promoters were closely spaced on the same template molecule. These results established that the atpB and rbcL promoters interact in vitro in a cis and spacing dependent manner. The interaction may have physiological relevance in vivo.

Adenosine Triphosphatases↗
PubMed1989

Functional expression of the leftward open reading frames of the A component of tomato golden mosaic virus in transgenic tobacco plants.

The genome of the geminivirus tomato golden mosaic virus (TGMV) consists of two circular DNA molecules designated as components A and B. We have constructed Nicotiana benthamiana plants that are transgenic for the three overlapping open reading frames, AL1, AL2, and AL3, from the left side of TGMV A. In the transgenic plants, the AL open reading frames are under the control of the cauliflower mosaic virus (CaMV) 35S promoter. In TGMV infectivity assays, seven of 10 transgenic lines complemented TGMV A variants with mutations in AL1, AL2, or AL3 when co-inoculated with the B component. The 35S-AL construct was transcribed as a single RNA species in the transgenic plants, indicating that AL1, AL2, and AL3 were expressed from a polycistronic mRNA. This differs from the complex transcription pattern in TGMV-infected plants, which contains five AL transcripts. There was no quantitative correlation between the efficiency of complementation in the infectivity assay and the level of expression of transgenic AL RNA in the leaves of a transgenic line. One line that failed to complement defects in AL1, AL2, and AL3 in infectivity assays contained high levels of transgenic AL RNA and functional AL1 protein. These results provide evidence that chromosomal position can affect the cell- and tissue-specific transcription of the 35S promoter in transgenic plants. Comparison of the complementing plants and wild-type infected plants may provide insight into the TGMV infection process and the use of the CaMV 35S promoter for gene expression in transgenic plants.

Base Sequence↗
PubMed1988

Transient expression of heterologous RNAs using tomato golden mosaic virus.

The genome of the geminivirus tomato golden mosaic virus (TGMV) consists of two circular DNA molecules designated as components A and B. The A component contains the only virally-encoded function required for autonomous replication in infected plant cells. We used agroinoculation of petunia leaf discs with the A component to develop a transient expression system which permits direct examination of viral transcripts by S1 nuclease protection. The AR1 gene, which encodes the TGMV coat protein, was transcribed transiently in leaf discs after agroinoculation of TGMV a DNA. Synthesis of AR1 RNA was dependent on T-DNA transfer and TGMV DNA replication, demonstrating that it is a plant transcription product. The AL open reading frames of TGMV A were also expressed transiently in leaf discs. The ratio between AR1 RNA and the major leftward RNA was constant and was used to normalize AR1 transcription for viral DNA copy number. The bacterial genes encoding chloramphenicol acetyltransferase (CAT) and beta-glucuronidase (GUS) were transiently expressed in leaf discs from the AR1 promoter in TGMV A. The levels of AR1 and GUS RNAs were similar in leaf discs after adjusting for viral DNA copy number, while CAT RNA was less abundant. The geminivirus transient expression system allows rapid analysis of RNAs transcribed from foreign genes and can serve as a preliminary screen in the construction of transgenic plants.

DNA Replication↗
PubMed1988

Characterization of a chloroplast sequence-specific DNA binding factor.

The large subunit of ribulose 1,5-bisphosphate carboxylase (rbcL) and the beta subunit of chloroplast ATP synthase (atpB) are encoded by divergently transcribed genes on the plastid genome. We have identified DNA binding factors specific for sequences located in the intergenic region between these two genes. Soluble plastid extracts from pea or whole cell extracts from maize protected a maize chloroplast DNA probe containing the 160-base pair region between the 5' ends of rbcL and atpB genes from exonuclease III digestion between positions -16 and -101 relative to the rbcL gene transcription start site. Competition assay with partial sequences from this intergenic region demonstrated that specific sequence(s) are required for the protection. The borders of the binding domain are conserved among the homologous regions of maize, tobacco, spinach, and pea chloroplast genomes. Gel filtration chromatography revealed a molecular weight of about 115,000 for the active complex involved in DNA binding. Using the exonuclease III protection assay, we have also shown that purified Escherichia coli RNA polymerase protects from +25 to -20 of the rbcL gene and from +21 to -23 of the atpB gene relative to their respective transcription start sites. These regions are analogous to open complexes found when E. coli RNA polymerase interacts with the prokaryotic promoters and are consistent with the ability of E. coli RNA polymerase to initiate transcription correctly on linear templates containing these chloroplast promoters. Possible role(s) for the chloroplast DNA binding factor in chloroplast gene expression and its regulation are discussed.

Base Sequence↗
PubMed1985

In vitro synthesis and processing of a maize chloroplast transcript encoded by the ribulose 1,5-bisphosphate carboxylase large subunit gene.

The large subunit gene (rbcL) of ribulose 1,5-bisphosphate carboxylase was transcribed in vitro by using maize and pea chloroplast extracts and a cloned plastid DNA template containing 172 base pairs (bp) of the maize rbcL protein-coding region and 791 bp of upstream sequences. Three major in vitro RNA species were synthesized which correspond to in vivo maize rbcL RNAs with 5' termini positioned 300, 100 to 105, and 63 nucleotides upstream of the protein-coding region. A deletion of 109 bp, including the "-300" 5' end (the 5' end at position -300), depressed all rbcL transcription in vitro. A plasmid DNA containing this 109-bp fragment was sufficient to direct correct transcription initiation in vitro. A cloned template, containing 191 bp of plastid DNA which includes the -105 and -63 rbcL termini, did not support transcription in vitro. Exogenously added -300 RNA could be converted to the -63 transcript by maize chloroplast extract. These results established that the -300 RNA is the primary maize rbcL transcript, the -63 RNA is a processed form of the -300 transcript, and synthesis of the -105 RNA is dependent on the -300 region. The promoter for the maize rbcL gene is located within the 109 bp flanking the -300 site. Mutagenesis of the 109-bp chloroplast sequence 11 bp upstream of the -300 transcription initiation site reduced rbcL promoter activity in vitro.

Cell-Free System↗
PubMed1983

A novel protein programmed by the mRNA conserved in dry wheat embryos. The principal site of cysteine incorporation during early germination.

If bulk mRNA from dry wheat embryos (wheat germ) is used to direct cell-free incorporation of [35S]cysteine into proteins, a striking proportion of the total radioactivity is channeled into a single protein. During early postimbibition development, when protein synthesis is directed by the mRNA conserved in dry embryos, incorporation of cysteine is preponderantly (20-25%) directed into synthesis of this one protein: the 'early' cysteine-labeled protein (Ec). When conserved mRNA from the dry embryos has been fully degraded, as when cellular or cell-free protein synthesis is directed by the mRNA in germinated embryos, synthesis of Ec is not detected. Reliable detection of Ec requires prior alkylation of wheat embryo proteins, and it was especially interesting to find that when wheat embryo proteins are alkylated by iodo[14C]acetamide, two proteins co-dominate the distribution of radioalkylated products in dodecylsulphate/polyacrylamide gels: Ec and wheat germ agglutinin. Using co-electrophoresis with the isotopically labeled protein to detect a dye-staining counterpart, Ec has been purified by combined cation-exchange and gel-filtration chromatography of alkylated wheat germ proteins. The purified protein can be recovered in milligram quantity (5-10 mg/100 g wheat germ) and compositional analysis shows that it is unusually rich in cysteine (approx. 15%) and glycine (approx. 17%), as is wheat germ agglutinin.

Alkylation↗