PubMed HealthSearch

Biomedical subjects

L I Grossman

Publications and source records attributed to L I Grossman.

At least 19 recordsLinked to original sources

Tissue-specific expression and chromosome assignment of genes specifying two isoforms of subunit VIIa of human cytochrome c oxidase.

Subunit VIIa of mammalian cytochrome c oxidase (COX; EC 1.9.3.1) exists in at least two isoforms, one present in all tissue types ('liver' isoform; COX VIIa-L) and the other specific for cardiac and skeletal muscle (COX VIIa-M). We have isolated a full-length cDNA encoding human COX VIIa-M. The deduced polypeptide represents the human ortholog of COX VIIa-M, as it shares 78% identity with bovine COX VIIa-M, but only 63% identity with human COX VIIa-L. Northern-blot analysis of primate tissues demonstrated that COXVIIa-M mRNA is present only in muscle tissues; in contrast, the COXVIIa-L mRNA is present in both muscle and nonmuscle tissues. Southern-blot hybridization of human-rodent cell hybrid genomic DNA indicates that the COXVIIa-M gene maps to a single locus on chromosome 19, designated COX7AM. In contrast, COXVIIa-L cDNA probes hybridized to fragments from two COX7AL loci, on chromosomes 4 and 14.

Amino Acid Sequence

Rapid evolution of the human gene for cytochrome c oxidase subunit IV.

We have compared the DNA sequences of nine mammalian genes for cytochrome c oxidase subunit IV (COX4 genes)--four expressed genes (human, bovine, rat, and mouse) and five pseudogenes (human, chimpanzee, orangutan, squirrel monkey, and bovine)--and constructed the sequence of the ancestral mammalian COX4 gene. By analyzing these sequences to determine the pattern and rate of nucleotide substitution in each branch of the evolutionary tree, we deduced that the human gene has evolved rapidly since the origin of the primate pseudogene approximately 41 million years ago, and we discuss the suggestion that this results from coevolution of nuclear and mitochondrial genes for cytochrome c oxidase.

Amino Acid Sequence

Structure and organization of the heart isoform gene for bovine cytochrome c oxidase subunit VIIa.

Mammalian cytochrome c oxidase (COX) is a 13-subunit polypeptide complex that contains 10 subunits coded by the nucleus and 3 by the mitochondria. The nuclear-encoded subunits, though of unknown function, are presumed to play a regulatory role. Three of these (subunits VIa, VIIa, and VIII) generally exist in one of two isoforms--a constitutive (L) isoform or a skeletal muscle/heart-specific (H) isoform. To study the regulation, and possibly function, of these isoforms, we have begun characterizing the genes. In this paper we describe the isolation and characterization of the gene for the bovine COX VIIa-H isoform. The gene consists of four exons spanning 1.58 kb and is associated with a CpG island. There are no canonical TATA or CCAAT boxes immediately upstream of the transcription start site. Putative DNA sequence elements associated with respiratory function, muscle gene activation, and housekeeping function are present both in the upstream regions and within introns.

Amino Acid Sequence

Brain mitochondrial DNA is not damaged by prolonged cardiac arrest or reperfusion.

Postischemic reperfusion is known to cause iron-mediated peroxidation of polyunsaturated fatty acids in membranes, including mitochondrial membranes, in the brain cortex. Consequently, we tested the hypothesis that this radical-mediated damage would extend to DNA. Mitochondrial DNA (mtDNA) was chosen because of its presence at a known site of free radical formation, its sensitivity and ease of assay, and its known lack of any repair systems. In model experiments we utilized endonuclease III or piperidine to amplify topological form conversions in mtDNA damaged by in vitro reactions with hydroxyl radical. We then applied the amplified detection assays to dog brain mtDNA isolated after 2 or 8 h of reperfusion following a 20-min cardiac arrest. We found that ischemia and reperfusion caused no topological form conversions in mtDNA. Similarly, nucleotide incorporation by a gap-filling reaction showed no sensitivity to digestion of the mtDNA by exonuclease III, an enzyme known to remove blocked 3' termini at the site of radical-generated nicks. Furthermore, the recovery of mtDNA was similar in all experimental groups, suggesting that putatively damaged forms had not been removed by rapid degradation. Thus, despite mitochondrial membrane damage, brain mtDNA does not accumulate oxygen radical damage during postischemic brain reperfusion.

Animals

Cytochrome c oxidase subunit VIIa isoforms. Characterization and expression of bovine cDNAs.

Subunit VIIa of bovine cytochrome c oxidase occurs in two forms, the so-called heart and liver isoforms, which have been shown by protein analysis to differ in 35% of their amino acids. We have isolated and characterized cDNAs for each isoform. The derived heart-type processed protein is 59 amino acids long, with a 21-residue presequence; the immediate C terminus differs from the established protein sequence. The liver-type processed protein is 60 residues long, with a 23-amino acid presequence. Both presequences are traditional in that they are positively charged and appear amphiphilic when helically arrayed. The presequences are only 22% identical, but they both contain conserved residues indicative of two-step processing of the precursor proteins. Southern blot analysis reveals that the bovine genome contains five to six copies of the liver-type gene as opposed to the presence of a single copy heart-type gene. Transcriptional analysis shows that heart-type message is detectable only in heart and skeletal muscle; the liver type is also seen in heart and muscle and, additionally, in the other tissues examined (liver, brain, and lung). The amino acid sequence EKQKLFQED is conserved in rat and in both isoforms in cow and human and may represent a domain of core subunit function.

Amino Acid Sequence

Characterization and expression of a cDNA specifying subunit VIIc of bovine cytochrome c oxidase.

We have isolated a cDNA that encodes subunit VIIc of bovine cytochrome c oxidase (COX VIIc). The 325-bp cDNA contains sequences encoding the mature 47-amino acid (aa) polypeptide and a 16-aa presequence. The deduced aa sequence of the processed polypeptide is identical to that of the heart protein determined by aa sequencing. Northern-blot analysis reveals a single 525-nucleotide (nt) transcript in all tissues examined, whose levels vary with the corresponding respiratory activities in different tissues; thus, no evidence for isoforms of COX VIIc is seen in adult tissues. Southern-blot analysis of bovine genomic DNA digested with three different restriction enzymes reveals several bands that hybridize with the cDNA. We present here the sequence of one genomic region that contains a processed gene encoding COX VIIc. The genomic and cDNA nt sequences are 99% identical throughout the 189-bp open reading frame; the deduced aa sequences are identical. The sequence of the genomic clone suggests that the cDNA terminates prematurely at an EcoRI site in the 3'-untranslated region. We have compared COX VIIc cDNAs from cow, human and mouse, and find the presequence similarity among them to be 100% at the aa level.

Amino Acid Sequence

The cDNA for the heart/muscle isoform of bovine cytochrome c oxidase subunit VIa encodes a presequence.

We have used mixed oligonucleotide probes to isolate a cDNA for the heart/muscle isoform of cytochrome c oxidase (COX) subunit VIa (COX VIa-H) from a bovine heart cDNA library in lambda gt10. This cDNA, and a second one isolated upon rescreening, predict a 97 amino acid COX VIa precursor protein comprised of a 12 amino acid, basic presequence plus an 85 residue mature VIa protein. The presence of a presequence contrasts with the rat heart COX VIa cDNA.

Amino Acid Sequence

Brain nuclear DNA survives cardiac arrest and reperfusion.

Iron-mediated peroxidation of brain lipids is known to occur during reperfusion following cardiac arrest. Since in vitro damage to DNA is caused by similar iron-dependent peroxidation, we tested whether free radical damage to genomic DNA also develops during reperfusion following cardiac arrest and resuscitation. Genomic DNA was isolated from the cerebral cortex in (i) normal dogs, (ii) dogs subjected to a 20-min cardiac arrest, and (iii) dogs resuscitated from a 20-min cardiac arrest and then allowed to reperfuse for 2 or 8 h. DNA strand nicks were evaluated by in vitro labeling of newly created 3' and 5' termini. DNA base damage was evaluated utilizing reaction with piperidine prior to labeling of 5' termini. The 3' DNA termini were labeled before and after digestion with exonuclease III, and the 5' DNA termini were labeled before and after treatment with piperidine. In vitro experiments with genomic DNA damaged by oxygen radicals verified that these labeling methods identified radical damage. In the experimental animal groups, terminal incorporation and electrophoretic mobility of brain nuclear DNA are not significantly changed either by 20 min of complete brain ischemia or during the first 8 h of reperfusion. We conclude that genomic DNA is not extensively damaged during cardiac arrest and early reperfusion, and therefore such DNA damage does not appear to be an important early aspect of the neurologic injury that accompanies cardiac arrest and resuscitation.

Animals

Novel use of a chimpanzee pseudogene for chromosomal mapping of human cytochrome c oxidase subunit IV.

We have isolated a chimpanzee processed pseudogene for subunit IV of cytochrome c oxidase (COX; EC 1.9.3.1) by screening a chimpanzee genomic library in lambda Charon 32 with a bovine liver cDNA encoding COX subunit IV (COX IV), and localized it to a 1.9-kb HindIII fragment. Southern-blot analysis of genomic DNA from five primates showed that DNAs from human, gorilla, and chimpanzee each contained the 1.9-kb pseudogene fragment, whereas orangutan and pigtail macaque monkey DNA did not. This result clearly indicates that the pseudogene arose before the divergence of the chimpanzee and gorilla from the primate lineage. By screening Chinese hamster x human hybrid panels with the human COX4 cDNA, we have mapped COX4 genes to two human chromosomes, 14 and 16. The 1.9-kb HindIII fragment containing the pseudogene, COX4P1, can be assigned to chromosome 14, and by means of rearranged chromosomes in somatic cell hybrids, to 14q21-qter. Similarly, the functional gene, COX4, has been mapped to 16q22-qter.

Amino Acid Sequence