PubMed Health⌕ Search

Biomedical subjects

S T Jacob

Publications and source records attributed to S T Jacob.

At least 91 records · Page 5Linked to original sources
PubMed1984

A purified fraction containing RNA polymerase I that can accurately transcribe rat ribosomal RNA gene.

Transcription of a cloned rat rDNA containing the transcription initiation region was studied using purified fractions derived from whole cell extract. The cell extract obtained from rat mammary adenocarcinoma cells was fractionated successively on DEAE-Sephadex and heparin-Sepharose columns. The fractions eluted by 175 mM (NH4)2SO4 (DE-B) from the DEAE-Sephadex column and those eluting with RNA polymerase I on the subsequent heparin-Sepharose column (HS-B) were used in a run-off transcription assay using Xho I-cleaved cloned rat rDNA. Both fractions that contained greater than 90% of the RNA polymerase I activity produced the anticipated 635-nucleotide-long transcript. Fractionation of fraction DE-B on a phosphocellulose column also resulted in a RNA polymerase I-containing complex that, by itself, could transcribe the rDNA accurately. The major polypeptides obtained after NaDodSO4/PAGE of fraction HS-B had Mr values of 190,000, 120,000, 65,000, 42,000, and 25,000, corresponding to the major subunits of RNA polymerase I. Purified nuclear RNA polymerase I did not produce the correct transcript. These studies have shown that a purified fraction containing RNA polymerase I from whole cells can support accurate transcription of rDNA.

Adenocarcinoma↗
PubMed1984

Induction of a distinct nuclear poly(A) polymerase and the production of anti-tumor poly(A) polymerase antibodies in hepatocarcinogenesis.

Primary hepatomas induced in rats by an azo dye contained a distinct nuclear poly(A) polymerase which was different from the corresponding normal liver enzyme with respect to molecular weight and peptide map. The two enzymes could also be distinguished by their immunological characteristics. Sera from the carcinogen-fed rats contained antibodies to the tumor poly(A) polymerase even before the appearance of neoplastic nodules.

Animals↗
PubMed1983

Phosphorylation of RNA polymerases: specific association of protein kinase NII with RNA polymerase I.

The activities of the three DNA-dependent RNA polymerases from a rapidly growing rat tumour, Morris hepatoma 3924A, and from rat liver were examined. The activity of RNA polymerase I was higher in the tumour than in the liver. The enhanced capacity for RNA synthesis was a result of a higher concentration of polymerase I in the tumour as well as of an activation of this enzyme in vivo. The possibility that the high specific activity of the hepatoma polymerase I resulted from phosphorylation was investigated. Two major cyclic-AMP-independent nuclear casein kinases (NI and NII) were identified; the activity of protein kinase NII in the tumour was ten times that in liver. Protein kinase NII was capable of activating and phosphorylating RNA polymerase I in vitro. This kinase could also stimulate RNA polymerase II activity, although to a lesser extent than RNA polymerase I. RNA polymerase III was not affected by protein kinase NII. Protein kinase NII was tightly associated with polymerase I and was found even in purified preparations of the polymerase. Antibodies against both RNA polymerase I and protein kinase NII were present in sera of patients with certain rheumatic autoimmune diseases. These results imply that RNA polymerase I and protein kinase NII are in close association in vivo as well as in vitro and that polymerase phosphorylation may regulate the rate of ribosomal RNA synthesis in the cell.

Animals↗
PubMed1983

RNA polymerase I in hepatoma 3924A: mechanism of enhanced activity relative to liver.

Two major cyclic nucleotide-independent protein kinases, NI and NII, have been identified in Morris hepatoma 3924A and rat liver. When expressed per unit DNA, the activities of protein kinase NI and NII were 1.3 and 12 times greater, respectively, in the hepatoma than in liver. Protein kinase NII, but not NI, was capable of phosphorylating and activating the DNA-dependent RNA polymerases I and II. Phosphorylation of RNA polymerase I was accompanied by an increase in average size of the RNA synthesized in vitro, whereas phosphorylation of RNA polymerase II was concomitant with an elevation in the number of RNA chains initiated. RNA polymerase I polypeptides of Mr 120,000, 65,000 and 25,000 were phosphorylated by protein kinase NII; RNA polymerase II polypeptides of Mr 214,000, 140,000 and 21,000 were modified by this kinase. In contrast to the purified hepatoma enzyme, RNA polymerase I activity in nuclear lysates was not affected by addition of protein kinase NII. In vitro phosphorylation of the tumor lysate followed by immunoprecipitation of RNA polymerase I polypeptides indicated little or no phosphate transfer to the 65,000 Mr polypeptide of the enzyme. These data suggested that the tumor enzyme, particularly the 65,000 Mr polypeptide, was highly phosphorylated in vivo, but becomes dephosphorylated during purification. Unlike the tumor enzyme, RNA polymerase I in the liver lysate responded to protein kinase addition; phosphorylation of the liver polymerase I polypeptides of Mr 120,000, 65,000 and 25,000 was observed. These observations indicate that the liver enzyme is not completely phosphorylated (activated) in vivo and that the relatively rapid rate of ribosomal RNA synthesis in the rapidly growing hepatoma may result, at least in part, from a polymerase I which is maximally phosphorylated.

Animals↗
PubMed1983

Regulation of RNA polymerase I by phosphorylation and production of anti-RNA polymerase I antibodies in rheumatic autoimmune diseases.

Relative to resting liver, Morris hepatomas with different growth rates (3924A, 5123D, 7800, and 7777) all had higher (two to eightfold) levels (activity/gm tissue) of RNA polymerase I. Only the most rapidly growing tumor (hepatoma 3924A) showed a substantial increase (fivefold) in RNA polymerase III activity. RNA polymerase II activity/gm tissue in the hepatomas was similar to that in resting liver. The elevation in the hepatoma RNA polymerase I activity resulted from both an increase in the number of transcriptionally active enzyme molecules and an increase in the specific activity of the enzyme as a result of phosphorylation. Phosphorylation of RNA polymerase I from Morris hepatoma 3924A could be catalyzed either by an endogenous protein kinase or by a highly purified preparation of NII protein kinase from the same tumor. Three out of eight polypeptides (Mr 120,000, 65,000, and 25,000) or RNA polymerase I were phosphorylated. Phosphorylation resulted in enhanced RNA synthesis at the level of chain elongation. Another nuclear protein kinase, NI, had no significant effect on RNA polymerase I. The activity and/or amount of the NII protein kinase was significantly reduced in resting liver, which correlated with decreased specific activity of the liver RNA polymerase I. Anti-RNA polymerase I antibodies were found in the sera of patients with rheumatic autoimmune diseases such as systemic lupus erythematosus (SLE), mixed connective tissue disease (MCTD), and rheumatoid arthritis (RA). Sera from these patients were capable of specifically inhibiting RNA polymerase I activity in vitro. Antibodies were produced predominantly against three of the polypeptides--S3 (Mr 65,000), S4 (Mr 42,000), and S5 (Mr 25,000) of RNA polymerase I. The spectrum and proportion of the antibodies against these three subunits differ with each patient and with the type of the autoimmune disease. These observations indicate that (1) the NII kinase can regulate RNA polymerase I activity, (2) protein kinase NII is associated with the polymerase I enzyme complex, and (3) certain polypeptides of this enzyme complex may be the target antigens in rheumatic autoimmune disease.

Animals↗
PubMed1982

Antibodies to distinct polypeptides of RNA polymerase I in sera from patients with rheumatic autoimmune disease.

Sera from patients with rheumatic autoimmune diseases were screened for antibodies directed against RNA polymerase I by using a solid-phase radioimmunoassay. Significant levels of the antibodies were detected in the sera of all patients with either systemic lupus erythematosus or mixed connective tissue disease and in 78% of the individuals with rheumatoid arthritis. No detectable anti-RNA polymerase I antibodies were found in the sera from healthy subjects. Individuals taking hydralazine, three of whom exhibited symptoms of drug-induced lupus, had barely detectable levels of the antibodies. Immunoglobulins obtained from sera containing anti-RNA polymerase I antibodies, as determined by the radioimmunoassay, could inhibit RNA polymerase I activity in vitro. Sera from patients with systemic lupus erythematosus contained immunoglobulins directed against the polymerase I-associated polypeptide of Mr 65,000 as well as against the polypeptides of Mr 120,000 or Mr 25,000, or both. Sera from individuals with rheumatoid arthritis reacted with the polypeptide of Mr 65,000 only. The antibodies in the sera of patients with mixed connective tissue disease were directed against the Mr 42,000 polypeptide or a combination of the Mr 65,000, 42,000, and 25,000 polypeptides. These data suggest that the production of anti-RNA polymerase I antibodies may be a unique characteristic of individuals with rheumatic autoimmune diseases and that the production of antibodies against specific polypeptides of RNA polymerase I may be indicative of the particular class of disease.

Antibody Specificity↗
PubMed1981

Activation of purified hepatoma RNA polymerase I by homologous protein kinase NII.

We have recently purified a cyclic nucleotide-independent, heparin-sensitive nuclear protein kinase (NII) from Morris hepatoma 3924A and demonstrated an apparent relationship of this kinase to the two subunits (Mr = 42,000 and 24,600) of RNA polymerase I. When homogeneous protein kinase NII was recombined with purified homologous RNA polymerase I containing limiting quantities of endogenous kinase, RNA synthesis was stimulated as much as 5-fold during a 90-min incubation. The enhanced RNA synthesis was due to an increase in the average RNA chain length; protein kinase did not alter the number of RNA molecules synthesized by the polymerase. Phosphorylation of RNA polymerase occurred at serine and threonine moieties. Unlike the NII kinase, purified homologous NI kinase did not phosphorylate RNA polymerase I and, as a result, did not alter transcription. These data indicate that 1) RNA polymerase I is activated by protein kinase NII, 2) endogenous protein kinase NII remaining with highly purified RNA polymerase I does not fully phosphorylate RNA polymerase I in vitro, and 3) protein kinase NII is capable of regulating RNA polymerase I activity by preventing premature termination of RNA chains.

Animals↗
PubMed1981

A heparin-sensitive nuclear protein kinase. Purification, properties, and increased activity in rat hepatoma relative to liver.

A cyclic-nucleotide independent heparin-sensitive nuclear protein kinase (NII) from the Morris hepatoma 3924A has been purified by a combination of ion exchange and affinity chromatographic procedures and velocity gradient centrifugation. The purified kinase had a molecular weight of 140,000 as determined by gel filtration. Two polypeptides (Mr = 42,000 and 25,600) were present in the purified preparation in approximately equimolar concentrations. The protein kinase employed Mg2+ and Co2+ as divalent ion and preferred the nonhistone proteins, casein or phosvitin, as protein acceptors. In the presence of Mg2+, it utilized both ATP and GTP as substrates and transferred the terminal nucleotide phosphate to serine and threonine residues of the protein acceptor. Phosphorylation of casein was stimulated by polyamines, particularly spermine. This polyamine preferentially enhanced phosphate transfer to threonine. The enzyme was inhibited by several compounds including heparin, the o-n-octyloxime of rifamycin (AF/013), 3'-dATP, o-phenanthroline, polynucleotides, and ADP. Of these inhibitors, heparin was the most potent and completely abolished kinase activity at a concentration of 0.1 micrograms/ml. The kinase could be autophosphorylated by incubation with Mg2+ and [gamma-32P]ATP; under these conditions phosphorylation was confined to the polypeptide of Mr = 24,600 and was completely inhibited by heparin. Based on the unique properties of NII protein kinase (ability to use GTP, stimulation by spermine, sensitivity to heparin), a selective assay was developed which could measure NII activity in the presence of other nuclear kinases. Under the optimal assay conditions, the nuclear extract of hepatoma 3924A was found to contain at least five times more NII kinase activity than that of normal adult liver. Analysis of extensively purified preparations from the two sources confirmed these results. After purification 11 times more NII protein kinase activity was obtained from hepatoma 3924A than from liver. Although hepatoma and liver protein kinases exhibited many common properties, they displayed distinct nucleotide saturation kinetics. The apparent Km for ATP was 10 microM for hepatoma protein kinase and 24 microM for the liver enzyme.

Animals↗
PubMed1981

Anti-poly(A) polymerase antibodies in sera of tumor-bearing rats and human cancer patients.

Poly(A) polymerase (polynucleotide adenylyltransferase; ATP:polynucleotide adenylyltransferase, EC 2.7.7.19) was covalently linked to diazobenzyloxymethyl-filters and used to screen the sera from a number of tumor-bearing rats and human cancer patients for antibodies to poly(A) polymerase. Sera from rats that had been inoculated with any of several Morris hepatomas or a mammary adenocarcinoma contained immunoglobulins capable of complexing with poly(A) polymerase. No antibodies to the enzyme could be detected in sera from control animals or from those bearing tumors for short periods of time. Antibodies to poly(A) polymerase were also observed in sera from human patients with leukemia, polycythemia vera, and Wilms tumor. The antibodies were not evident in sera from normal volunteers or from patients with nonneoplastic diseases. These included lupus erythematosus, a disorder in which antibodies are produced against an array of nuclear proteins. Immunoglobulins from the serum of one of the human patients were capable of inhibiting poly(A) polymerase activity in vitro, whereas those prepared from the serum of a normal volunteer did not affect enzyme activity. As determined by the diazobenzyloxymethyl-filter technique, the relative concentration of antibodies in the sera of an individual with leukemia (in remission) increased severalfold during a relapse. These data suggest that the presence of antibodies to poly(A) polymerase may be characteristic of sera from cancer patients and that the relative concentration of these antibodies may be indicative of the disease state.

Adenocarcinoma↗
PubMed1981

Protein kinase activity of RNA polymerase I purified from a rat hepatoma: probable function of Mr 42,000 and 24,600 polypeptides.

RNA polymerase I was purified to homogeneity from Morris hepatoma 3924A. Purified RNA polymerase I contained a protein kinase activity but comigrated with the polymerase in nondenaturing gels. RNA polymerase II, purified from the same hepatoma, lacked protein kinase activity. Analysis of the subunit composition of the RNA polymerase I showed the presence of eight polypeptides: S1, Mr 190,000; S2, Mr 120,000; S3, Mr 62,000; S4, Mr 42,000; S5, Mr 24,600; S6, Mr 21,000; S7, Mr 19,500; and S8, Mr 17,500. Antibodies prepared against purified polymerase I specifically inhibited RNA synthesis catalyzed by RNA polymerase I. When subunits of the enzyme were covalently linked to diazobenzyloxymethyl paper, complexes between the antibody preparation and S1-S6 were visualized. No immune complexes were formed between RNA polymerase I antibodies and RNA polymerase II subunits. The antibody preparation was able to inhibit both the protein phosphorylation catalyzed by RNA polymerase I and that catalyzed by a nuclear kinase (NII) purified from the same hepatoma. The two polypeptides of the nuclear kinase--Mr 42,000 and 24,600 (identical in size to S4 and S5 of polymerase I)--formed visible complexes with the RNA polymerase I antibodies. Both S4 and S5 of the polymerase contained an ATP binding site, a property associated with protein phosphorylation and also exhibited by the polypeptides of the purified kinase. These data suggest that polypeptides of Mr 42,000 and 24,600 associated with polymerase I are responsible for its kinase activity.

Animals↗
PubMed1981

Spermine-mediated phosphorylation of RNA polymerase I and its effect on transcription.

A nuclear protein kinase, designated NII, was purified essentially to homogeneity from the Morris hepatoma 3924A. In the presence of excess Mg2+, phosphorylation of casein by the kinase was stimulated by spermine (1-5 mM) and was inhibited completely by 0.1 microgram/ml heparin. The apparent Km for casein was reduced in the presence of spermine. Spermine preferentially augmented phosphorylation of threonine residues. The kinase was also associated with highly purified RNA polymerase I and appears to correspond to two polypeptides (Mr 42,000 and 24,600) of the polymerase. RNA polymerase I polypeptides of Mr 120,000 (S2), Mr 65,000 (S3) and Mr 24,600 (S5) were phosphorylated by the endogenous kinase. Spermine enhanced phosphorylation of the RNA polymerase I subunits as much as 20-fold. Phosphorylation activated RNA polymerase I; the phosphorylated enzyme synthesized longer product with no apparent effect on the number of RNA chains initiated.

Animals↗
PubMed1980

Transcriptionally active RNA polymerases from Morris hepatomas and rat liver. Elucidation of the mechanism for the preferential increase in the tumour RNA polymerase I.

The amount and/or activity of DNA-dependent RNA polymerase I, Ii and III from resting liver, regenerating liver and a series of Morris hepatomas (5123D, 7800, 7777, 3924A) were determined after extraction of the enzymes from whole tissue homogenates and subsequent fractionation by DEAE-Sephadex column chromatography. When compared with resting liver, the tumours exhibited a characteristic enzyme pattern in which polymerase I, but not II, was increased. The increase in RNA polymerase I was proportional to the tumour growth rates. Alterations in polymerase III were confined to the most rapidly proliferating hepatomas. By contrast, all classes of RNA polymerase were found to be increased during liver regeneration. Relative to resting liver, the fastest growing tumour, 3924A, exhibited the highest activities and/or amounts of RNA polymerase I (8-fold) and III (5-fold) per g of tissue. These alterations in the tumour RNA polymerases were reflected in corresponding increases in the transcriptionally active (bound or chromatin-associated) enzyme population. The mechanisms underlying the augmented synthesis of RNA in vitro by bound polymerase I from hepatoma 3924A were elucidated by product analysis. The results indicated that, relative to liver RNA polymerase I, the tumour enzyme produced more nascent RNA chains and elongated these chains at a faster rate. The number of 3'-termini, as measured by incorporation into uridine, was higher in the hepatoma even under conditions which prevented re-initiation. suggesting increased amount of transcriptionally active RNA polymerase I in the tumour.

Animals↗
PubMed1980

Turnover of the poly(A) moiety of mRNA in wheat-germ extract.

The synthesis and degradation of poly(A) were examined in wheat germ lysates under conditions used for protein synthesis. The lysate contained both poly(A)-polymerizing and poly(A)-hydrolytic activities. The synthetic activity was dependent on the presence of either poly(A) or polyadenylated mRNA as primer. Concurrent with the synthesis of poly(A), radioactivity was released from labeled poly(A) and from the poly(A) region of mRNA. Both poly(A) synthesis and hydrolysis were independent of Mn2+ and could proceed in the presence of Mg2+, the major divalent metal ion required for protein synthesis. The synthetic activity was favoured at high (1 mM) ATP concentration, whereas the hydrolytic activity was maximal in the absence of ATP or at low (0.1 mM) ATP concentration. These data indicate that the steady-state length of the poly(A) moeity of mRNAs in the cytoplasm may be regulated by the levels of ATP. Translation products of polyadenylated mRNAs isolated from myeloma cells before and after partial deadenylation were separated by dodecylsulfate/polyacrylamide gel electrophoresis. Shortening of the poly(A) moiety did not alter the relative amounts of the peptides synthesized, indicating that this process does not involve a preferential breakdown of certain species of mRNA.

Adenosine Triphosphate↗
PubMed1979

Differential effects of cordycepin triphosphate and 9 beta-D-arabinofuranosyladenine triphosphate on tRNA and 5 S RNA synthesis in isolated nuclei.

Although cordycepin 5'-triphosphate (3'-dATP), at low concentrations, preferentially inhibits chromatin-associated poly(A) synthesis in isolated nuclei, higher levels of the inhibitor prevent both rRNA (RNA polymerase I activity) and hnRNA (RNA polymerase II activity) synthesis in vitro (Rose, K.M., Bell, L.E. and Jacob, S.T. (1977) Nature 267, 178-180). The present studies demonstrate that this nucleotide can also inhibit tRNA and 5 S RNA synthesis (RNA polymerase III activity). At 50-200 microgram/ml, 3'-dATP inhibits incorporation of [3H]UTP into tRNA and 5 S RNA by approximately 65%, whereas the syntheses of these RNAs were completely blocked when [3H]GTP was used as the substrate. These data suggest the formation of poly(U) in the tRNA and 5 S RNA regions, which is resistant to 3'-dATP. In contrast, another ATP analog, Ara-ATP, which selectively inhibits poly(A) synthesis, does not block tRNA and 5 S RNA synthesis in isolated nuclei. The production of these RNA species in isolated nuclei is also insensitive to Ara-CTP and 2'-dATP. These data suggest that 3'-dATP exerts general inhibitory effects on RNA synthesis and further substantiate the conclusion that Ara-ATP is a selective inhibitor of the polyadenylation reaction in vitro.

Animals↗