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Phylogenomic analysis of 16S rRNA:(guanine-N2) methyltransferases suggests new family members and reveals highly conserved motifs and a domain structure similar to other nucleic acid amino-methyltransferases.

The sequences of known Escherichia coli 16S rRNA:m2G1207 methyltransferase (MTase) RsmC and hypothetical 16S rRNA:m2G966 MTase encoded by the ygjo open reading frame were used to carry out a database search of other putative m2G-generating enzymes in finished and unfinished genomic sequences. Sequence comparison and phylogenetic analysis of 21 close homologs of RsmC and YgjO revealed the presence of the third paralogous lineage in E. coli and other gamma-Proteobacteria, which might correspond to the subfamily of MTases specific for G1516 in 16S rRNA. In addition, the comparative sequence analysis supported by sequence/structure threading suggests that rRNA:m2G MTases are very closely related to RNA and DNA:m6A MTases and that these two enzyme families share common architecture of the active site and presumably a similar mechanism of methyl group transfer onto the exocyclic amino group of their target bases.

Amino Acid Sequence↗

Multiplex PCR assay specific for the multidrug-resistant strain W of Mycobacterium tuberculosis.

In 1991, a multidrug-resistant strain of Mycobacterium tuberculosis was isolated from eight people with tuberculosis at a state correctional facility in New York. This strain, which is designated strain W (IS6110 restriction fragment length polymorphism type 212072), was resistant to isoniazid, rifampin, ethambutol, streptomycin, kanamycin, ethionamide, and rifabutin. Since that outbreak, the W strain has been associated with outbreaks in five hospitals in the New York City area and is a continuing public health problem in the area. To be able to identify this strain rapidly, we developed a multiplex PCR assay which targets a direct repeat of IS6110 with a 556-bp intervening sequence (NTF-1). The amplification generates two amplicons from strain W, which indicate the presence and orientation of the NTF-1 sequence between the direct repeat of IS6110, and a third amplicon, which serves as an internal PCR control. The assay was evaluated with 193 isolates of M. tuberculosis, and all 48 strain W isolates among those 193 isolates were correctly identified.

Antitubercular Agents↗

Prospects offered by genome studies for combating meningococcal disease by vaccination.

Meningococcal disease was first recognised and Neisseria meningitidis isolated as the causative agent over 100 years ago, but despite more than a century of research, attempts to eliminate this distressing illness have so far been thwarted. The main problem lies in the fact that N. meningitidis usually exists as a harmless commensal inhabitant of the human nasopharynx, the pathogenic state being the exception rather than the norm. As man is its only host, the meningococcus is uniquely adapted to this ecological niche and has evolved an array of mechanisms for evading clearance by the human immune response. Progress has been made in combating the disease by developing vaccines that target specific pathogenic serogroups of meningococci. However, a fully comprehensive vaccine that protects against all pathogenic strains is still just beyond reach. The publication of the genome sequences of two meningococcal strains, one each from serogroups A and B and the imminent completion of a third illustrates the extent of the problems to be overcome, namely the vast array of genetic mechanisms for the generation of meningococcal diversity. Fortunately, genome studies also provide new hope for solutions to these problems in the potential for a greater understanding of meningococcal pathogenesis and possibilities for the identification of new vaccine candidates. This review describes some of the approaches that are currently being used to exploit the information from meningococcal genome sequences and seeks to identify future prospects for combating meningococcal disease.

Clinical Trials as Topic↗

The t(5;17) variant of acute promyelocytic leukemia expresses a nucleophosmin-retinoic acid receptor fusion.

We have studied an acute promyelocytic leukemia (APL) patient with a variant t(5;17)(q32;q12). This translocation fuses the gene for the nucleolar phosphoprotein nucleophosmin (NPM) to the retinoic acid receptor alpha (RARA). Two alternatively spliced transcripts are expressed, which differ in 129 bases immediately upstream of the RARA sequence. The NPM sequences contained in the shorter NPM-RAR cDNA are identical to the NPM sequences contained in the NPM-ALK fusion gene expressed in t(2;5) lymphomas. The RARA sequences are the same as the RARA sequences found in the PML-RAR and PLZF-RAR fusion seen in t(15;17) and t(11;17) APL, respectively. Both NPM-RAR transcripts fuse NPM and RARA sequence in the same reading frame, to generate translation products of 57 kD and 62 kD. Both NPM-RAR proteins are expressed in the patient's leukemic cells, along with wild-type RARA derived from the uninvolved allele. In transcriptional assays using a retinoic acid response element reporter construct, both NPM-RAR fusion proteins act as retinoic acid-dependent transcriptional activators. This case defines a third class of APL rearrangements, all of which generate fusion proteins of RARA.

Animals↗

A major difference between the divergence patterns within the lines-1 families in mice and voles.

L1 retroposons are represented in mice by subfamilies of interspersed sequences of varied abundance. Previous analyses have indicated that subfamilies are generated by duplicative transposition of a small number of members of the L1 family, the progeny of which then become a major component of the murine L1 population, and are not due to any active processes generating homology within preexisting groups of elements in a particular species. In mice, more than a third of the L1 elements belong to a clade that became active approximately 5 Mya and whose elements are > or = 95% identical. We have collected sequence information from 13 L1 elements isolated from two species of voles (Rodentia: Microtinae: Microtus and Arvicola) and have found that divergence within the vole L1 population is quite different from that in mice, in that there is no abundant subfamily of homologous elements. Individual L1 elements from voles are very divergent from one another and belong to a clade that began a period of elevated duplicative transposition approximately 13 Mya. Sequence analyses of portions of these divergent L1 elements (approximately 250 bp each) gave no evidence for concerted evolution having acted on the vole L1 elements since the split of the two vole lineages approximately 3.5 Mya; that is, the observed interspecific divergence (6.7%-24.7%) is not larger than the intraspecific divergence (7.9%-27.2%), and phylogenetic analyses showed no clustering into Arvicola and Microtus clades.

Animals↗

Mechanisms of oncogenesis in patients with familial retinoblastoma.

In an analysis of mutations in the RB1 gene in three patients, selected at random, who had a positive family history of tumours, we identified mutations, in constitutional cells, involving exons 3, 13 and 17 of the RB1 gene. We used SSCP and PCR sequencing to screen affected individuals and other members of their families. In two cases the mutations were 2 bp and 1 bp deletions identified in exons 3 and 17 respectively. The third mutation was a 1 bp insertion in exon 13. All three mutations lead to the generation of downstream premature stop codons as a result of frameshift changes, although the mutation in exon 3 possibly affects the splicing mechanism. The sites within the RB1 gene where these mutations occur contain interspersed repetitive DNA sequences, direct and inverted repeat sequences and/or dyad symmetrical elements suggesting that these areas promote the appropriate local sequence environment for the generation of deletions and insertions in the RB1 gene.

Amino Acid Sequence↗

Recognition of a tetranucleotide loop of signal recognition particle RNA by protein SRP19.

The interaction of protein SRP19 with the RNA component of human signal recognition particle (SRP) was studied by site-directed mutagenesis of the SRP RNA. The effects of nucleotide changes in the tetranucleotide loop (tetraloop) of helix 6 showed that SRP19 recognizes a tetraloop in a sequence-specific manner. Adenosine 149 at the third position of the tetraloop was essential for binding. In contrast, changes of the base at the second position had no effect. Mutations that disrupt or compensate individual SRP RNA helices were generated to investigate the importance of base pairing and to identify other binding sites. Considerable base pairing was essential in helix 6. Another SRP19-binding site was located in the distal part of helix 8. The primary sequences of the tetraloop-binding protein SR19 and of bacterial ribosomal protein S15 are shown to be similar.

Amino Acid Sequence↗

Use of high coverage reference libraries of Drosophila melanogaster for relational data analysis. A step towards mapping and sequencing of the genome.

Three differently made, primary Drosophila cosmid libraries of 16-fold genome coverage have been generated. Also, a jumping library has been created by a new method that takes advantage of methylation differences between genomic DNA and vector. Thirdly, two cDNA libraries have been picked. All these libraries have been arrayed on high-density in situ filters, each containing 9216 clones. As a reference system, such filters are distributed and identified clones are provided. Single-copy probes have identified on average 1.4 cosmids per genome equivalent. Together with cytogenetically mapped yeast artificial chromosomes, the libraries are also being used for physically mapping the genome, mainly by oligonucleotide fingerprinting and pool hybridizations. cDNA clones are further examined by a partial sequencing analysis by oligomer hybridization.

Animals↗

A molecular phylogeny of the gopher tortoises, with comments on familial relationships within the Testudinoidea.

Sequences from the mitochondrial cytochrome b gene were obtained to examine molecular phylogenetic relationships among the North American gopher tortoises. Data from 352 aligned positions generated a single most-parsimonious tree for each of three analytical approaches: (1) equal weighting, all substitutions; (2) equal weighting, third position changes limited to transversions; and (3) transversions weighted 10 times transitions. Identical topologies for the resulting trees depict the gopher tortoises as a monophyletic group comprising two well-defined clades. Observed sequence divergence (7.0%) between the agassizii (Gopherus agassizii; G. berlandieri) and the polyphemus (G. flavomarginatus; G. polyphemus) clades suggests an Early Miocene separation of these lineages. The cytochrome b phylogeny complements some previous systematic interpretations, including formal taxonomic recognition of the two distinct groups, but is at odds with the most recent morphological analysis. Additional sequence comparisons of selected testudinoid (batagurid, emydid, and testudinid) taxa yielded a phylogeny consistent with a morphologically based hypothesis demonstrating close phylogenetic affinities between the Testudinidae and the "Bataguridae."

Animals↗

Sequence diversity of Vipera lebetina snake venom gland serine proteinase homologs--result of alternative-splicing or genome alteration.

Four clones encoding homologous protein(ase)s were isolated from the Vipera lebetina (snake) venom gland cDNA library. One of them represented DNA encoding factor V activating enzyme (Siigur et al., 1999), the other is homologous to VLFVA but has two principal discrepancies in the translated protein sequence in comparison with snake venom serine proteinase structures: in the active site triad Ser195 is replaced by Asn195 and His57 by Arg57. The third and the fourth clone represent combinations of the first two clones. The possibilities of generation of such clones via trans-splicing of the primary gene transcript, by exon shuffling or by unequal crossing-over on the genome level are discussed.

Alternative Splicing↗

Hybrid membrane IgM with the transmembrane region of I-A alpha facilitates enhanced presentation of distinct epitopes to T cells.

The role of B cell Ag receptors (membrane Ig or mIg) in the efficient Ag presentation to T cells, including the requirement of mIgM-associated Ig alpha/Igbeta, remains unclear. We report here that mIgM, substituted with greater than two-thirds of the NH2-terminal A alpha transmembrane (TM) regions of the MHC class II molecule, are capable of mediating the efficient presentation of specific Ag to some (Group 1) but not all (Group 2) T cell hybridomas. In contrast, the generation of epitopes recognized by the Group 2 hybridomas can be mediated only by the wild-type mIgM. Tyrosine phosphorylation appears to be necessary for the enhanced Ag presentation to Group 2 hybridomas, while it does not for Group 1 hybridomas. In addition, differential sensitivity of Ag processing to leupeptin, different duration required for epitope generation/presentation, as well as the involvement of distinct epitopes for stimulation of these groups of T cell hybridomas were observed. These results suggest that transport of the mIgM/Ag complexes to an endocytic compartment(s) for generation of certain T cell epitopes may be mediated by the N-terminal TM sequence of mIgM, independent of Ig alpha/Igbeta association. This function can be replaced by two-thirds of the NH2-terminal TM region of A alpha chain of class II molecules.

Amino Acid Sequence↗

Construction of a gene encoding the insect bactericidal protein attacin. Studies on its expression in Escherichia coli.

Attacin, a bactericidal small protein is produced by the giant silk moth Hyalophora cecropia. This paper deals with our efforts to clone the attacin cDNA in a bacterial vector to express it in Escherichia coli and produce the protein in sufficient amount, for further studies. We chose two inducible expression vector/bacterial cell systems: pPL-lambda/N99cI+ cells which is able to be induced by nalidixic acid, and pET3d/BL21(DE3) cells carrying a T7 RNA polymerase gene which is IPTG-inducible. After cloning in the pPL-lambda system and under no addition of the inducer, isolated transformants carried this plasmid with at least 2 concurrent deletions that drastically affected attacin expression, even though attacin gene seems to be intact as deduced by its PCR amplification. It was concluded that basal attacin expression occurred in this system and bacterial growth was limited. Plasmid deletions may have emerged by selection pressure as a way to avoid bactericidal expression and allow bacteria survival. The second cloning attempt was done in pET3d vector/BL21 cells, that should not express the cloned sequence (they lack T7 RNA polymerase gene). Transformed BL21 cells gave 3 recombinant plasmids, 2 of them presented a C deletion that generated an early stop signal in the attacin coding region. The third clone, pET-ATT18, carrying an intact gene, was transferred to BL21(DE3)-IPTG inducible cells in order to be expressed. Attacin was undetectable in stained gels or by Western blot analysis. However, expression was visualized in grown cells after 30 min of IPTG induction and 5 min of [35S]-methionine labeling, as a 22.5 kDa protein band by using gel electrophoresis and fluorography. This low level of expression drastically affected bacterial growth. Considering that attacin has no lytic activity, these results suggest that this molecule should block bacterial growth directly at the cytoplasm by an unknown mechanism, since no signal peptide coding sequence was incorporated in this gene construction, precluding periplasmic or external destination of this protein.

Anti-Bacterial Agents↗

Cloning of the rat aortic smooth muscle Na+/Ca2+ exchanger and tissue-specific expression of isoforms.

The amino acid sequences of two isoforms of the rat aortic smooth muscle Na+/Ca2+ exchanger have been deduced by cloning and sequencing the cDNAs. These isoforms are identical in nucleotide sequence except that one has a 23-amino acid insertion at amino acid position 570. They are highly homologous to the canine cardiac exchanger except for the NH2-terminal portion and part of the large central hydrophilic domain (amino acid residues 570-631). They are 902 and 925 (with the insertion) amino acid long with calculated molecular masses of 100,676 and 103,200 (with the insertion), respectively, if the NH2-terminal 32-amino acid residues are eliminated as a cleaved signal sequence. Amplification of the variable region (amino acids 570-631) of the exchanger by means of the reverse transcriptase-polymerase chain reaction and DNA sequencing revealed that many isoforms of the exchanger are expressed in different rat tissues. The two clones isolated in this study are the predominant isoforms expressed in aorta, stomach, liver, and kidney. In cardiac and skeletal muscles, another isoform is dominant, which is equivalent to the canine cardiac exchanger. In brain, a third type is predominantly expressed. Alignment of the nucleotide sequences of these isoforms and Southern blot analysis of rat genomic DNA suggested that each isoform is generated through alternative splicing of the primary transcript.

Alternative Splicing↗

The mutation causing the common apolipoprotein A-IV polymorphism is a glutamine to histidine substitution of amino acid 360.

Apolipoprotein (apo) A-IV is a protein involved in the metabolism of chylomicrons and high density lipoproteins. This protein displays genetic polymorphism due to two main codominant alleles, A-IV1 and A-IV2. We have identified the mutation that leads to this polymorphism. It is caused by a single-base substitution of guanine for thymine in the third base of codon 360. This substitution leads to a glutamine to histidine change. Direct sequencing of amplified DNA from eight subjects in a three-generation pedigree has demonstrated that the guanine to thymine substitution can explain the apo A-IV polymorphism. In 32 unrelated individuals, a correspondence between apo A-IV phenotype determined by isoelectric focusing and genotype determined with Fnu4HI digestion of amplified DNA could be demonstrated. The enzyme lecithin:cholesteryl acyltransferase (LCAT) is activated by apo A-IV. Under our in vitro conditions, the isoprotein apo A-IV 1-1 is a better LCAT activator than is the isoprotein apo A-IV 2-2. A knowledge of the molecular mechanism underlying the apo A-IV polymorphism will help to elucidate the mechanisms involved in LCAT activation.

Amino Acid Sequence↗

Characterization and amino acid sequence of the OXY-2 group beta-lactamase of pI 5.7 isolated from aztreonam-resistant Klebsiella oxytoca strain HB60.

Klebsiella oxytoca strain HB60 is highly resistant to cefoperazone and aztreonam (MICs = 128 mg/L). It produces a chromosomally encoded beta-lactamase of pI 5.7 which was highly efficient against penicillins, first-generation cephalosporins and cefoperazone, a non-oxyimino third-generation cephalosporin. Aztreonam and oxyimino broad-spectrum cephalosporins were less good substrates. The beta-lactamase activity was susceptible to inhibition by clavulanic acid (IC50 = 1 microM). The enzyme purified to homogeneity had a specific activity towards benzylpenicillin of 3670 U/mg. The 263 amino acid residues of the protein were sequenced by Edman degradation of proteolytic peptides. The beta-lactamase was shown to belong to the OXY-2 group as it had only one amino acid substitution (Asn for Asp at ABL position 197) compared with the beta-lactamase (pI 5.2) from the aztreonam-susceptible K. oxytoca strain SL911 and two substitutions (Ala223 for Val and Asp255 for Asn) compared with the beta-lactamase (pI 6.4) from the aztreonam-resistant K. oxytoca strain D488. These three OXY-2-group enzymes behave in the same way towards beta-lactam antibiotics. The variability in the resistance of these K. oxytoca strains would thus seem to be due to variation in the level of production of the beta-lactamases rather than to structural alteration of the enzymes.

Amino Acid Sequence↗

Detection of minimal residual disease in acute lymphoblastic leukemia using immunoglobulin hypervariable region specific oligonucleotide probes.

To develop a sensitive and specific assay for minimal residual disease in acute lymphoblastic leukemia (ALL), we exploited the enormous diversity of genomic sequences created by immune receptor gene rearrangements. To isolate clone-specific sequences, we first synthesized oligonucleotides that match conserved variable (VH) and joining (JH) sequences flanking the third hypervariable region (HVR3) in the rearranged immunoglobulin heavy chain (IgH) locus. In polymerase chain reactions (PCR), these primers were then used to amplify the intervening HVR3 segments from leukemic DNA samples. Of 12 B-lineage ALLs studied, ten generated one or more fragments of the size expected for HVR3 gene segments. Thus, this single pair of amplimers was sufficient to isolate HVR3 sequences from a majority of acute lymphoblastic leukemias. To verify that the amplified fragments originated from HVR3 alleles and to assess their diversity, we sequenced 7 PCR products derived from 6 leukemias. In addition to elements of recognized D segments, each of the 7 fragments contained novel VH-D and D-JH junctional sequences, including N nucleotides, not known to be present in the germline. Each sequence was unique, and allele-specific oligonucleotide probes hybridized only to HVR3 segments from which the probes were derived. Therefore, as anticipated, these HVR3 segments appeared to possess the diversity required to serve as clonal markers for leukemic populations. To demonstrate that these amplified HVR3 alleles could serve as the basis for a sensitive and specific assay to detect rare leukemic cells, we analyzed in detail one pre-B leukemia that had rearranged 2 IgH alleles. The HVR3 sequences were shown to be linked to rearranged JH-containing restriction fragments in digests of genomic DNA, establishing their origin in the leukemic cells. We synthesized oligonucleotides corresponding to the unique junctional sequences in the HVR3 segments. Using these novel amplimers in an allele-specific amplification and hybridization procedure, we showed that this assay can detect 10 leukemic cells in a background of 10(6) normal blood mononuclear cells. In contrast, the leukemic HVR3 sequences were not detected in extracts of normal or unrelated remission leukemic leukocytes. We conclude that the assay for specific IgH HVR3 sequences is a realistic strategy for detection of minimal residual disease in B-lineage ALL.

Alleles↗

Molecular structure of microtubule-associated protein 2b and 2c from rat brain.

Full length cDNA clones encoding microtubule-associated proteins (MAP) 2b and 2c from rat brain have been isolated and sequenced. The cDNA fragments spanning the coding regions for both MAP2b and MAP2c were assembled and expressed in Escherichia coli. The mobility of these bacterial expressed proteins in sodium dodecyl sulfate gels is identical to that of MAP2b and MAP2c from rat brain. The protein sequence of rat MAP2b has been compared to the full length sequence from mouse and the partial sequence from human high molecular weight MAP2. This comparison has revealed that MAP2b is composed of several highly conserved domains flanked by domains with extensive sequence divergence. Two of the conserved domains, found either at the NH2 or COOH terminus, overlap with the binding domain for the regulatory subunit of the cAMP-dependent protein kinase II and the microtubule-binding domain, respectively. A third homologous domain of unknown function lies in a central region of MAP2b. Secondary structure prediction suggests that the portion of MAP2b which extends from the microtubule surface is composed of an extensive number of alpha-helices separated by small turns which may account for the extended yet flexible structure of MAP2. Interestingly, the 4000-base pair deletion from the middle of MAP2b which generates MAP2c not only removes these helices, but also this third highly conserved MAP2b domain.

Amino Acid Sequence↗

Differential splicing in the extracellular region of fibroblast growth factor receptor 1 generates receptor variants with different ligand-binding specificities.

We have cloned a genomic region of the murine fibroblast growth factor (FGF) receptor 1 (FGFR1) gene that includes three alternative exons for the third immunoglobulinlike domain in the extracellular region of the receptor. The mRNA of one of these splice variants encodes a secreted receptor that lacks transmembrane and cytoplasmic sequences as well as a portion of the third immunoglobulinlike domain. Highest levels of mRNA encoding this variant were found in brain, skeletal muscle, and skin. We expressed this form of FGFR1 in CHO cells and showed that the recombinant secreted protein binds acidic FGF. We also discovered a novel alternative exon in the third immunoglobulinlike domain that encodes part of a transmembrane FGFR1 mRNA. This exon is highly homologous to the corresponding region of the keratinocyte growth factor receptor. Transcripts including this exon were present at highest levels in the skin. We cloned an FGFR1 cDNA which includes this exon and expressed this receptor variant in L6 rat skeletal muscle myoblasts. The new receptor variant had a 50-fold-lower affinity for basic FGF than does the published FGFR1 variant, whereas both forms of receptor bound acidic FGF with high affinity. These results show that the third immunoglobulinlike domain plays an important role in determining the binding specificities for different FGFs. Our data provide the first evidence that differential splicing in the extracellular region of a receptor gene generates receptor variants with different ligand-binding specificities.

Amino Acid Sequence↗