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Effect of partial removal of frontal or parietal bone on concentrations of mRNAs coding for preprocholecystokinin and preprosomatostatin in rat neocortex.

Partial removal of the frontal or parietal bone increased concentrations of mRNAs coding for preprocholecystokinin and preprosomatostatin in rat parietotemporal cortex by more than 170 and 67%, respectively, when measured 3 days after the operation. The increases were independent of the anaesthetic agent used during the operation and were transient with a maximum usually observed 3 days after the operation. They occurred not only in areas close to or under the removed bone part, but also in more distant areas. Thus, removal of the frontal bone also enhanced levels of preprocholecystokinin- and preprosomatostatin-mRNA in the parietotemporal and occipital cortex. mRNA concentrations were increased in the inner as well as outer layers of the cortex. The possible experimental and pathophysiological implications of the observed changes in gene expression of both neuropeptides in neocortical neurons are discussed.

Animals↗

Organization and transcription of Volvox histone-encoding genes: similarities between algal and animal genes.

The nucleotide sequences of two non-allelic histone H2A-H2B gene loci of the green alga Volvox carteri have been determined. Each locus contains a divergently arranged H2A-H2B gene pair. The encoded proteins differ in one (H2A) and 16 positions (H2B), respectively. The coding regions are separated by short intercistronic segments (256 bp and 298 bp) containing TATA boxes and a central tandem repeat of a conserved 20-bp element as the putative histone-specific transcription signals. The 3'-untranslated regions exhibit a characteristic 3'-palindrome and weakly conserved spacer elements. Transcription in one gene locus was shown to initiate 48 bp upstream from H2A and 59 bp upstream from H2B. Contrary to higher plants, V. carteri histone mRNAs are nonpolyadenylated. S1 mapping and Northern-blotting experiments indicated that V. carteri histone mRNAs are terminated at the 3'-palindrome by the same mechanism that operates in vertebrates and sea urchins.

Amino Acid Sequence↗

Identification of a necroptosis-related lncRNA prognostic signature and the hub RBP HNRNPK in esophageal squamous cell carcinoma.

ObjectiveEsophageal squamous cell carcinoma (ESCC) is a malignant tumor with poor prognosis. Necroptosis is important for tumor immunity, but its role in ESCC remains unclear. This retrospective bioinformatics study aimed to investigate the prognostic value of necroptosis-related long non-coding RNAs (lncRNAs) and to identify key lncRNA-binding proteins (RBPs) in ESCC patients.MethodsRNA transcriptome and clinical data of ESCC patients were obtained from The Cancer Genome Atlas (TCGA) and Gene Expression Omnibus (GEO) databases. Necroptosis-related lncRNAs were identified through correlation analysis with necroptosis-related genes, subjected to consensus cluster analysis, and used to construct a prognostic risk model via least absolute shrinkage and selection operator (LASSO) regression. The hub RBP was experimentally validated by quantitative polymerase chain reaction (qPCR) using 30 pairs of ESCC and adjacent normal tissues from patients who underwent surgical resection.ResultsA total of 30 necroptosis-related lncRNAs were significantly correlated with overall survival (OS). The upregulated lncRNAs in the risk model were associated with high immune scores, innate immune cell infiltration, cluster 2 classification, and advanced T-stage disease (p&#x2009;<&#x2009;0.05). Three hub RBPs (HNRNPA1, HNRNPC, and HNRNPK) were identified through protein-protein interaction network analysis. qPCR confirmed that HNRNPK was significantly overexpressed in ESCC tissues compared to adjacent normal tissues (p&#x2009;<&#x2009;0.05).ConclusionsThe necroptosis-related lncRNA risk model is an independent prognostic factor for ESCC patients. HNRNPK was identified as a hub RBP significantly overexpressed in ESCC tissues. We hypothesize that HNRNPK may promote tumor progression through regulating proto-oncogene expression or modulating the immune microenvironment, though this requires further mechanistic validation.

Humans↗

Histone synthesis in Leishmania infantum is tightly linked to DNA replication by a translational control.

We have analysed the regulation of histone synthesis in Leishmania infantum following inhibition of DNA replication. Run-on experiments indicated that transcription rates of the genes coding for the four core histones (H2A, H2B, H3 and H4) were not affected by the inhibition with hydroxyurea of DNA synthesis. However, a dramatic decrease was observed in the newly synthesized histones after inhibition of DNA synthesis. Furthermore, the synthesis of both the histones and DNA resumed in promastigotes after removal of hydroxyurea, indicating that inhibition was reversible. Unlike most eukaryotes, in which the replication-dependent histone transcripts decrease upon a replication blockade, the levels of L. infantum histone mRNAs do not change under similar conditions. Thus the present data indicate that histone synthesis in Leishmania is tightly coupled to DNA replication by a mechanism operating at the translational level.

Animals↗

Physiological activation of brown adipose tissue destabilizes thermogenin mRNA.

The amount of mRNA coding for the brown fat specific uncoupling protein thermogenin was followed in the brown adipose tissue of adult mice. As expected, cold exposure or norepinephrine injection caused an increase in the amount of thermogenin mRNA. However, contrary to expectation, the half-life of thermogenin mRNA was dramatically reduced, from about 18 h to about 3 h, when the mice were cold exposed. This destabilization of thermogenin mRNA was not related to the activity of protein synthesis. It was concluded that in brown adipose tissue an unusual mechanism operates which leads to a destabilization of thermogenin mRNA under the same physiological conditions which increase thermogenin gene expression.

Acclimatization↗

An analysis of sequences stimulating frameshifting in the decoding of gene 10 of bacteriophage T7.

The signals necessary for the translational frameshift in the gene 10 message of bacteriophage T7 include the previously identified frameshift site and the 3' non-coding region, over 200 bases downstream. The functional components of the frameshift site are identified in this study and show that the site most probably operates by the retroviral type two site mechanism. However, the base pairing requirements for the first tRNA are much more relaxed after the slip than is seen in other examples. The element at the 3' end of the gene, also necessary for frameshifting, is examined but only the extreme 5' side of the transcriptional terminator stem-loop structure in the 3' non-coding region seems to be required. No simple secondary structural model can explain the involvement of this sequence. The T7 frameshift site can be replaced with either a T3 site or a E. coli dnaX site. Both show higher levels of frameshifting than with the T7 site.

Base Sequence↗

T-kininogen gene expression is induced during aging.

We have constructed a cDNA library from senescent (24-month-old) rat liver mRNA and, by differential screening, have selected clones corresponding to mRNA species with increased abundance in aging rats. Direct sequencing of the inserts indicated that most of the clones (9 of 10) contained sequences coding for T-kininogen, also called major acute-phase protein, cysteine protease inhibitor, or thiostatin. Nuclear elongation experiments showed that the increase in mRNA concentration was controlled at the transcriptional level. RNase mapping and S1 analysis indicated that the age-dependent induction operated preferentially at one of the three transcriptional start sites of the gene(s). The acute-phase reaction (inflammation) is known to also induce these genes at the level of transcription; however, two of the three start sites are induced by inflammation. Transcription from one of these sites was induced by both phenomena, aging and inflammation.

Acute-Phase Proteins↗

Internal initiation of translation of hepatitis C virus RNA: the ribosome entry site is at the authentic initiation codon.

Hepatitis C viral (HCV) RNA includes an internal ribosome entry segment (IRES) that extends some 30 nt into the coding region and promotes internal initiation of translation at the authentic initiation codon at nt 342. The 5'-boundary of this IRES was mapped by in vitro translation and transfection assays and was found to lie between nt 42 and 71. Within these IRES boundaries there are, in most HCV strains, three AUG triplets upstream of the authentic initiation site. Although the first, 5'-proximal, of these is absolutely conserved, a mutational analysis showed that it is not a functional initiation codon. In particular, the G residue could be substituted provided compensatory mutations were made to maintain base pairing. The other two upstream AUGs are not absolutely conserved, and mutation of the third (5'-distal) had little effect on IRES activity. When an additional AUG codon was introduced by single-site mutation just upstream of the authentic initiation codon, it was found to be used when most of the IRES had been deleted to generate an RNA translated by the scanning ribosome mechanism, but was not used in the background of the full-length IRES when internal initiation is operative. These results argue that the IRES promotes direct ribosome entry immediately at, or indeed very close to, the authentic initiation codon, and that the upstream AUGs do not serve as ribosome entry sites.

Base Sequence↗

Tissue-specific expression of beta-galactoside alpha-2,6-sialyltransferase. Transcript heterogeneity predicts a divergent polypeptide.

The beta-galactoside alpha-2,6-sialyltransferase represents a member of a family of sialyltransferases which catalyze the terminal addition of sialic acid to maturing carbohydrate chains. We surveyed rat tissues using cDNA probes complementary to coding and noncoding domains of the rat liver alpha-2,6-sialyltransferase. In addition to the expected differences in the level of sialyltransferase mRNA among the tissues, there were dramatic qualitative differences as well. Hepatic sialyltransferase probes hybridize to mRNAs of varying size on Northern blots. A tissue-dependent pattern of expression of these transcripts is documented. Evidence is presented that the multiple transcripts are generated from a common gene sequence. At least one instance of alternate splicing in the generation of the kidney sialyltransferase transcripts is predicted by S1 nuclease analysis. We report the isolation of a rat kidney cDNA clone, RKA, that substantiates this tissue-specific alternate splicing event. The RKA insert, although less than full-length, apparently encodes a polypeptide divergent from the reported hepatic alpha-2,6-sialyltransferase (1). RNA blot analysis indicates that the RKA-type transcripts represent a significant proportion of sialyltransferase RNA in rat kidney. Another class of kidney cDNA clones, RKE, is colinear with the hepatic sialyltransferase sequence. RNA blots probed for the divergent and common regions suggest that complex processing pathways are operative in the tissue-specific expression of sialyltransferase mRNA.

Amino Acid Sequence↗

Increased expression of the mRNA for hormone-sensitive lipase in adipose tissue of cancer patients.

The expression of genes coding for regulatory enzymes involved in the uptake, synthesis and mobilisation of lipid was measured in adipose tissue of cancer patients. Total RNA was isolated from subcutaneous adipose tissue of control and cancer patients and the various mRNAs measured by Northern blot analysis. The total lipoprotein lipase enzymic activity and the relative levels of the mRNAs for lipoprotein lipase and for fatty acid synthase were not significantly different between cancer patients and control patients. However, there was a significant two-fold increase in the relative level of mRNA for hormone-sensitive lipase (HSL) in adipose tissue of cancer patients compared with control patients. The cancer patients also exhibited a two-fold elevation in serum triacylglycerol levels and serum free fatty acid levels. There was a significant correlation between the serum free fatty acid level and expression of HSL mRNA in the adipose tissue. The serum levels of insulin and tumour necrosis factor-alpha were not different between cancer and control patients. The results suggest that at least one of the mechanisms for depletion of lipid from adipose tissue in cancer patients operates at the level of increased expression of mRNA of the lipolytic regulatory enzyme, hormone-sensitive lipase.

Adipose Tissue↗

Prediction of exact boundaries of exons.

It is known that while the programs used to predict genes are good at determining coding nucleotides, there are considerable inaccuracies in the determination of the gene structural elements. Among them, the most notable is that of the exact boundaries of exons. In order to assess this, we had earlier reviewed various programs that predict potential splice sites and exons. The results led to the following two observations: (i) a high proportion of false positive splice sites from computational predictions occur in the vicinity of real splice sites; and (ii) current algorithms are misled to predict wrong splice sites more often when the coding potential ends within +/-25 nucleotides from real sites than when it ends at farther positions. In this report, we review decision tree models for human splice sites and the resultant software tool, namely SpliceProximalCheck, that discriminates such'proximal' false positives from real splice sites. Further presented is an integrated system (MZEF-SPC) with Splice ProximalCheck (SPC) as a front-end tool operating on the results of Michael Zhang's exon finder program. Examination of the output of the integrated program on an illustrative gene set revealed that as much as 61 of 93 MZEF-predicted false positive exons could be eliminated by SPC for a loss of only 3 out of 33 MZEF-predicted true positive exons.

Algorithms↗

Co-ordinate expression of cytochrome c oxidase subunit III and VIc mRNAs in rat tissues.

Cytochrome c oxidase (EC 1.9.3.1) is an enzyme which is composed of subunits derived from both the mitochondrial and the nuclear genomes. To determine whether or not the expression of these two genomes is co-ordinated at the mRNA level, we have examined the steady-state levels of mRNAs coding for cytochrome c oxidase subunit III (mitochondrially encoded) and subunit VIc (nuclear-encoded) in rat tissues. This was compared with the tissue concentration of the holoenzyme, which was estimated by measuring cytochrome c oxidase enzyme activity. The tissues (heart, brain, liver, kidney, soleus muscle and superficial white vastus muscle) possessed a 13-fold range of enzyme activity, which was highest in heart and lowest in the superficial vastus muscle. Specific subunit mRNA levels were quantified by using slot-blot hybridization of cDNA probes to total tissue RNA. The highest values for subunit III and Vlc mRNA tissue contents were found in kidney, followed by liver and heart (40-60% of that of kidney). The white vastus muscle contained the lowest subunit mRNA level (15% of that of kidney). Although some variability was apparent within each tissue, a parallel pattern of mRNA expression of the nuclear- and mitochondrially encoded subunits was observed. Differences between muscle (heart, vastus and soleus) and non-muscle tissues were noted in the relationship between mRNA and protein levels of expression. Thus, although this suggests that tissue-specific regulatory processes operate, the steady-state expression of subunit III and subunit Vlc mRNAs appears to be co-ordinately regulated.

Animals↗

A small RNA in testis and brain: implications for male germ cell development.

BC1 RNA, a small non-coding RNA polymerase III transcript, is selectively targeted to dendritic domains of a subset of neurons in the rodent nervous system. It has been implicated in the regulation of local protein synthesis in postsynaptic microdomains. The gene encoding BC1 RNA has been suggested to be a master gene for repetitive ID elements that are found interspersed throughout rodent genomes. A prerequisite for the generation of repetitive elements through retroposition and subsequent transmission in the germline is expression of the master gene RNA in germ cells. To test this hypothesis, we have investigated expression of BC1 RNA in murine male germ cells. We report that BC1 RNA is expressed at substantial levels in a subset of male germ cells. Results from cell fractionation experiments, developmental analysis, and northern and in situ hybridization showed that the RNA was expressed in pre-meiotic spermatogonia, with particularly high amounts in syncytial ensembles of cells that are primed for synchronous spermatogenic differentiation. BC1 RNA continued to be expressed in spermatocytes, but expression levels decreased during further spermatogenic development, and low or negligible amounts of BC1 RNA were identified in round and elongating spermatids. The combined data indicate that BC1 RNA operates in groups of interconnected germ cells, including spermatogonia, where it may function in the mediation of translational control. At the same time, the identification of BC1 RNA in germ cells provides essential support for the hypothesis that repetitive ID elements in rodent genomes arose from the BC1 RNA gene through retroposition.

Animals↗

Expression plasmid vectors containing Escherichia coli tryptophan promoter transcriptional units lacking the attenuator.

Two DNA fragments which contain the Escherichia coli tryptophan promoter operator region but lack the attenuator have been used in the construction of a series of pAT153 based plasmids suitable for the regulated expression of foreign genes in E. coli. The first, a 139-bp HhaI fragment includes 59 bp of the trp leader sequence, ending within the "attenuator peptide" coding sequence, eleven codons from the N-terminus. A fusion-type expression plasmid incorporating this fragment has been constructed. The second, a 99-bp HaeIII-TaqI fragment contains no coding sequence but includes the "attenuator peptide" SD site situated 4 bp upstream of the TaqI site. This fragment has been incorporated in expression vectors which result in the direct expression of cloned gene sequences. To further maximise expression, plasmids with directly repeating trp promoter HaeIII-TaqI units have been constructed.

Escherichia coli↗

A complex array of sequences enhances ribosomal transcription in Xenopus laevis.

The ribosomal DNA spacer in Xenopus laevis was shown in previous studies to be involved in regulating the expression of the ribosomal genes. Here transcription enhancement by this spacer has been studied in some detail, to fully identify the sequences involved and to determine their relative importance in this phenomenon. It is shown that the 60/81 base-pair (bp) repeats, which were reported to be enhancer elements, act as part of a mode of enhancement whose effect is amplified by the spacer promoters or Bam islands. The "Bam super repeat", a combination of spacer promoter and 60/81 bp elements, is the major enhancer unit. Within a Bam super repeat, a near linear correlation between the number of 60/81 bp elements and enhancer activity is observed. Thus, there is no significant co-operativity in the binding of transcription factors to an array of these elements. Multiple Bam super repeats do not act additively and may actually interfere with each others action. Surprisingly this effect is observed both in the presence and absence of active spacer promoters. Sequences between the 3' end of the 28 S coding region and the first spacer promoter may also be involved in enhancement but only in a very minor fashion. In confirmation of recent studies, the presence of the unique ribosomal termination sequence, 213 bp upstream from the pre-rRNA initiation site, is essential for efficient promotion, as deletion of this sequence virtually abolishes pre-rRNA- transcription. These data are discussed in terms of the possible mechanisms of transcription enhancement.

Animals↗

Some traces of hidden codes.

Recent results in comparative genetics reveal processes of neutral evolution that are reminiscent of neutral codon substitutions, although they operate on novel kinds of sequences and molecular structures. This suggests that in addition to the genetic code, previously unrecognized "degenerate" codes might govern molecular interactions at other levels of biological information. If they exist, such multiple degenerate codes cannot be accounted for by the two concepts usually placed at the heart of molecular biology, i.e. molecular cascades and gene networks. This article reports on some representative examples of putative degenerate codes involving three fundamental levels of biological regulation, i.e. transcription, post-transcriptional regulation and signal transduction. From these examples we suggest that degenerate codes are organized hierarchically and that the concept of neutral evolution can be generalized to all kinds of molecular interactions. In addition, a case of functional evolution is interpreted as the emergence of novel, possibly degenerate codes. Comparative genetics and molecular embryology will be instrumental in testing the existence of multiple degenerate codes and hence, in unraveling the causes of evolution.

Animals↗

Differential control by IHF and cAMP of two oppositely oriented genes, hpt and gcd, in Escherichia coli: significance of their partially overlapping regulatory elements.

The hpt gene, which encodes hypoxanthine phosphoribosyltransferase, is located next to, but transcribed in the opposite direction to, the gcd gene, which codes for a membrane-bound glucose dehydrogenase, at 3.1 min on the Escherichia coli genome. In their promoter-operator region, putative regulatory elements for integration host factor (IHF) and for the complex comprising 3', 5'-cyclic AMP (cAMP) and its receptor protein (CRP) are present, and they overlap the promoters for hpt and gcd, respectively. The involvement of IHF and cAMP-CRP, as well as the corresponding putative cis-acting elements, in the expression of the two genes was investigated by using lacZ operon fusions. In an adenylate cyclase-deficient strain, addition of cAMP increased the expression of hpt and reduced the expression of gcd. In agreement with this observation, the introduction of mutations into the putative binding element for the cAMP-CRP complex enhanced the expression of gcd. In contrast, mutations introduced into the putative IHF-binding elements increased the level of hpt expression. Similar results were obtained with IHF-defective strains. Thus, the expression of the two genes is regulated in a mutually exclusive manner. Additional experiments with mutations at the -10 sequence of the gcd promoter suggest that the binding of RNA polymerase to the hpt promoter interferes with the interaction of RNA polymerase with the gcd promoter, and vice versa.

Bacterial Proteins↗

The nuclear-encoded polypeptide Cfo-II from spinach is a real, ninth subunit of chloroplast ATP synthase.

Proton-translocating F-ATP synthases from chloroplasts contain a nuclear-coded subunit, CFo-II, that lacks an equivalent in the corresponding E. coli complex. Three recombinant phages that code for the entire precursor of this subunit have been isolated from lambda gt11 cDNA expression libraries made from polyadenylated spinach RNA using a two-step strategy. The reading frame of 222 amino acid residues includes 147 residues for the mature protein (M(r) 16.5 kDa) and a transit sequence of 75 residues (M(r) 8.0 kDa). Secondary structure predictions indicate a bitopic protein, anchored by a single N-terminal transmembrane segment and a C-terminal hydrophilic region that probably reaches into CF1. CFo-II precursor made in vitro can be imported into isolated, intact chloroplasts and assembled into ATP synthase. This protein is a real subunit of the plastid enzyme and a distinctive characteristic of ATP synthases involved in photosynthetic processes. Unique features are (i) that the gene for CFo-II (atpG) appears to be a duplication of atpF encoding CFo-I, the homologues of the genes for subunits b' and b in photosynthetic bacteria, (ii) that it represents the first instance that one copy of the various duplicated loci found in plastid chromosomes has been phylogenetically translocated to the nucleus, and (iii) that it operates with a bipartite (import/thylakoid-targeting) transit peptide but without an intermediate cleavage site for the stroma protease, suggestive of a way of membrane integration different from that of its plastome-encoded counterpart CFo-I. With these data, the first complete sequence for a chloroplast ATP synthase of a higher plant (spinach) is available.

Amino Acid Sequence↗