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T L Howard

Publications and source records attributed to T L Howard.

7 recordsLinked to original sources
PubMed2001

CHMP1 is a novel nuclear matrix protein affecting chromatin structure and cell-cycle progression.

The Polycomb-group (PcG) is a diverse set of proteins required for maintenance of gene silencing during development. In a screen for conserved partners of the PcG protein Polycomblike (Pcl), we have identified a new protein, human CHMP1 (CHromatin Modifying Protein; CHarged Multivesicular body Protein), which is encoded by an alternative open reading frame in the PRSM1 gene and is conserved in both complex and simple eukaryotes. CHMP1 contains a predicted bipartite nuclear localization signal and distributes as distinct forms to the cytoplasm and the nuclear matrix in all cell lines tested. We have constructed a stable HEK293 cell line that inducibly overexpresses CHMP1 under ecdysone control. Overexpressed CHMP1 localizes to a punctate subnuclear pattern, encapsulating regions of nuclease-resistant, condensed chromatin. These novel structures are also frequently surrounded by increased histone H3 phosphorylation and acetylation. CHMP1 can recruit a PcG protein, BMI1, to these regions of condensed chromatin and can cooperate with co-expressed vertebrate Pcl in a Xenopus embryo PcG assay; this is consistent with a role in PcG function. In combination, these observations suggest that CHMP1 plays a role in stable gene silencing within the nucleus.

Amino Acid Sequence↗
PubMed2001

CHMP1 functions as a member of a newly defined family of vesicle trafficking proteins.

A multivesicular body is a vesicle-filled endosome that targets proteins to the interior of lysosomes. We have identified a conserved eukaryotic protein, human CHMP1, which is strongly implicated in multivesicular body formation. Immunocytochemistry and biochemical fractionation localize CHMP1 to early endosomes and CHMP1 physically interacts with SKD1/VPS4, a highly conserved protein directly linked to multivesicular body sorting in yeast. Similar to the action of a mutant SKD1 protein, overexpression of a fusion derivative of human CHMP1 dilates endosomal compartments and disrupts the normal distribution of several endosomal markers. Genetic studies in Saccharomyces cerevisiae further support a conserved role of CHMP1 in vesicle trafficking. Deletion of CHM1, the budding yeast homolog of CHMP1, results in defective sorting of carboxypeptidases S and Y and produces abnormal, multi-lamellar prevacuolar compartments. This phenotype classifies CHM1 as a member of the class E vacuolar protein sorting genes. Yeast Chm1p belongs to a structurally-related, but rather divergent family of proteins, including Vps24p and Snf7p and three novel proteins, Chm2p, Chm5p and Chm6p, which are all essential for multivesicular body sorting. These observations identify the conserved CHMP/Chmp family as a set of proteins fundamental to understanding multivesicular body sorting in eukaryotic organisms.

ATPases Associated with Diverse Cellular Activitie↗
PubMed1999

Misexpression of Polycomb-group proteins in Xenopus alters anterior neural development and represses neural target genes.

In Drosophila, the Polycomb-group constitutes a set of structurally diverse proteins that act together to silence target genes. Many mammalian Polycomb-group proteins have also been identified and show functional similarities with their invertebrate counterparts. To begin to analyze the function of Polycomb-group proteins in Xenopus development, we have cloned a Xenopus homolog of Drosophila Polycomblike, XPcl1. XPcl1 mRNA is present both maternally and zygotically, with prominent zygotic expression in the anterior central nervous system. Misexpression of Pcl1 by RNA injection into embryos produces defects in the anterior central nervous system. The forebrain and midbrain contain excess neural tissue at the expense of the ventricle and include greatly thickened floor and roof plates. The eye fields are present but Rx2A, an eye-specific marker, is completely repressed. Overexpression of Pcl1 in Xenopus embryos alters two hindbrain markers, repressing En-2 and shifting it and Krox-20 in a posterior direction. Similar neural phenotypes and effects on the En-2 expression pattern were produced by overexpression of three other structurally unrelated Polycomb-group proteins: M33, XBmi-1, and mPh2. These observations indicate an important role for the Polycomb-group in regulating gene expression in the developing anterior central nervous system.

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PubMed1986

Glucose metabolism in epitrochlearis muscle of acutely exercised and trained rats.

Effects of insulin on glycogen synthesis (GS), glycolytic utilization (GU), and glucose uptake (GT) were studied in isolated epitrochlearis muscles from exercise-trained or sedentary rats during recovery from acute exercise or at rest. During the 1st h after acute exercise, the enhanced basal and insulin-stimulated GT was directed mainly toward replenishment of glycogen but basal GU was also increased. During the second through third hours after exercise, basal GS decreased but remained greater than rest and basal GU and GT returned to normal. Insulin sensitivity of these parameters was enhanced. Training alone reduced basal GS but enhanced insulin sensitivity of GT and GU. Training reduced the acute exercise-stimulated increase in basal and insulin sensitivity of GS during recovery from acute exercise, probably due to elevated glycogen stores. Thus recovery from acute exercise or training, either alone or in combination, enhances insulin stimulated GT in muscle; however, the increased glucose is primarily channeled toward GS after acute exercise, which is reduced by prior training and is directed to GU in trained animals either at rest or after acute exercise.

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