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Replication process of the parvovirus H-1. VI. Characterization of a replication terminus of H-1 replicative-form DNA.

The linear duplex replicative form (RF) DNA of the parvovirus H-1 has been characterized with respect to cleavage by the bacterial restriction endonuclease of Escherichia coli, EcoRI. RF DNA has a single cleavage site 0.22 genome length from the left end of the molecule. The molecular weight of H-1 RF DNA determined by gel electrophoresis is 3.26 X 10(6). H-1 RF DNA has been found to dimerize by hydrogen-bounded linkage at the molecular left end, and in some molecules the viral strand is covalently linked to the complementary strand. Some 10% of monomeric RF DNA also has a covalent linkage between the viral and complementary strands at the left end. The EcoRI-B fragment, containing the left end of the RF molecule, appears to be a replication terminus by its labeling characteristics for both RF and progeny DNA synthesis. These findings suggest that the left end of H-1 RF DNA has some type of "turn-around" structure and that this end is not an origin for DNA synthesis.

Base Sequence↗

Replication process of the parvovirus H-1. VIII. Partial denaturation mapping and localization of the replication origin of H-1 replicative-form DNA with electron microscopy.

Partial denaturation mapping, restriction endonuclease digestion, and electron microscopy were used to determine which end of the linear duplex replicative-form (RF) DNA molecule contains the origin of RF replication for the parvovirus H-1. This origin was localized within approximately 300 base pairs of the arbitrarily designated right end of the RF DNA, in the EcoRI or HaeII-A fragment. Based on denaturation behavior in formamide, the right end was also found to have a relatively high guanine plus cytosine content, whereas the region adjacent to the left terminus of the RF DNA molecule was adenine plus thymine rich.

DNA Replication↗

Replication of vesicular stomatitis virus in murine spleen cells: enrichment of the virus-replicating lymphocytes and analysis of replication restriction.

Vesicular stomatitis virus (Indiana strain) will only grow in T lymphocytes which have been stimulated to undergo cell division. Evidence is presented that a considerable enrichment of the vesicular stomatitis virus-replicating T cells may be accomplished in the mouse spleen by passing the spleen cells over glass wool columns. By using this procedure experiments were performed to study the nature of the block in vesicular stomatitis virus replication in unstimulated (nonpermissive) versus mitogen-stimulated (permissive) splenic T cells. The results show that, as is the case in permissive T-cell lines, stimulated normal T cells allow the synthesis of the 42S virion ribonucleic acid.

Animals↗

Replication process of the parvovirus H-1. X. Isolation of a mutant defective in replicative-form DNA replication.

A temperature-sensitive mutant of H-1, ts14, that is partially defective in replicative-form (RF) DNA synthesis has been isolated. ts14 H-1 is characterized by a decrease in plaque-forming ability and production of infectious virus at the restrictive temperature of 39.5 degrees C. RF DNA synthesis of ts14 is reduced to 3 to 7% of that of wild-type H-1 at either the restrictive or the permissive temperature. A complementation analysis of RF synthesis of ts14 and a viable defective H-1 virus, DI-1, or wild-type H-3 indicates that the defective RF DNA synthesis of ts14 is cis-acting. ts14, unlike wild-type H-1, causes a multiplicity-dependent inhibition of DI-1 or H-3, but not LuIII, RF DNA synthesis. Mixed infections of cells with two parvoviruses also exhibited a cross-interference for viral protein synthesis that was multiplicity dependent, ts14 inhibited infectious virus production of H-1 or H-3, but not LuIII. LuIII-or H-3-pseudotype particles were produced by coinfection with H-1. H-3 and H-1 showed similar interactions with ts14, and H-3 DNA was more homologous to H-1 than was LuIII by comparative physical mapping studies. The results suggest that ts14 is a mutant with a defect in a regulatory sequence of its DNA that influence RF DNA replication.

DNA Replication↗

Simian virus 40 DNA replication in vitro: specificity of initiation and evidence for bidirectional replication.

We recently described a soluble cell-free system derived from monkey cells that is capable of replicating exogenous plasmid DNA molecules containing the simian virus 40 (SV40) origin of replication (J.J. Li, and T.J. Kelly, Proc. Natl. Acad. Sci. U.S.A. 81:6973-6977, 1984). Replication in the system is completely dependent upon the addition of the SV40 large T antigen. In this report we describe additional properties of the in vitro replication reaction. Extracts prepared from cells of several nonsimian species were tested for the ability to support origin-dependent replication in the presence of T antigen. The activities of extracts derived from human cell lines HeLa and 293 were approximately the same as those of monkey cell extracts. Chinese hamster ovary cell extracts also supported SV40 DNA replication in vitro, but the extent of replication was approximately 1% of that observed with human or monkey cell extracts. No replication activity was detectable in extracts derived from BALB/3T3 mouse cells. The ability of these extracts to support replication in vitro closely parallels the ability of the same cells to support replication in vivo. We also examined the ability of various DNA molecules containing sequences homologous to the SV40 origin to serve as templates in the cell-free system. Plasmids containing the origins of human papovaviruses BKV and JCV replicated with an efficiency 10 to 20% of that of plasmids containing the SV40 origin. Plasmids containing Alu repeat sequences (BLUR8) did not support detectable DNA replication in vitro. Circular DNA molecules were found to be the best templates for DNA replication in the cell-free system; however, linear DNA molecules containing the SV40 origin also replicated to a significant extent (10 to 20% of circular molecules). Finally, electron microscopy of replication intermediates demonstrated that the initiation of DNA synthesis in vivo takes place at a unique site corresponding to the in vivo origin and that replication is bidirectional. These findings provide further evidence that replication in the cell-free system faithfully mimics SV40 DNA replication in vivo.

Animals↗

Regulation of dna replication after heat shock by replication protein a-nucleolin interactions.

Heat shock inhibits replicative DNA synthesis, but the underlying mechanism remains unknown. We investigated mechanistic aspects of this regulation in melanoma cells using a simian virus 40 (SV40)-based in vitro DNA replication assay. Heat shock (44 degrees C) caused a monotonic inhibition of cellular DNA replication following exposures for 5-90 min. SV40 DNA replication activity in extracts of similarly heated cells also decreased after 5-30 min of exposure, but returned to near control levels after 60-90 min of exposure. This transient inhibition of SV40 DNA replication was eliminated by recombinant replication protein A (rRPA), suggesting a regulatory process targeting this key DNA replication factor. SV40 DNA replication inhibition was associated with a transient increase in the interaction between nucleolin and RPA that peaked at 20-30 min. Because binding to nucleolin compromises the ability of RPA to support SV40 DNA replication, we suggest that the observed interaction reflects a mechanism whereby DNA replication is regulated after heat shock. The relevance of this interaction to the regulation of cellular DNA replication is indicated by the transient translocation in heated cells of nucleolin from the nucleolus into the nucleoplasm with kinetics very similar to those of SV40 DNA replication inhibition and of RPA-nucleolin interaction. Because the targeting of RPA by nucleolin in heated cells occurs in an environment that preserves the activity of several essential DNA replication factors, active processes may contribute to DNA replication inhibition to a larger degree than presently thought. RPA-nucleolin interactions may reflect an early step in the regulation of DNA replication, as nucleolin relocalized into the nucleolus 1-2 h after heat exposure but cellular DNA replication remained inhibited for up to 8 h. We propose that the nucleolus functions as a heat sensor that uses nucleolin as a signaling molecule to initiate inhibitory responses equivalent to a checkpoint.

DNA Replication↗

Inheritance of the replication complex: a unique or common phenomenon in the control of DNA replication?

Early models of the regulation of initiation of DNA replication by protein complexes predicted that binding of a replication initiator protein to a replicator region is required for initiation of each DNA replication round, since after the initiation event the replication initiator should dissociate from DNA. It was, therefore, assumed that binding of the replication initiator is a signal for triggering DNA replication. However, more recent investigations have revealed that in many replicons this is not the case. Studies on the regulation of the replication of plasmids derived from bacteriophage lambda demonstrated that, once assembled, the replication complex can be inherited by one of the two daughter plasmid copies after each replication round and may function in subsequent replication rounds. Since this DNA-bound protein complex bears information about specific initiation of DNA replication, this phenomenon has been called "protein inheritance." A similar phenomenon has recently been reported for oriJ-based plasmids. Moreover, the current model of the initiation of DNA replication in the yeast Saccharomyces cerevisiae proposes that the origin recognition complex (ORC) remains bound to one copy of the ori sequence (the ARS region) after initiation of DNA replication. Thus, it seems plausible that protein inheritance is not unique for lambda plasmids, but may be a common phenomenon in the control of DNA replication, at least in microbes.

Bacteriophage lambda↗

Characterization of factors that suppress linear DNA replication in SV40 in vitro replication system.

The in vitro simian virus 40 (SV40) replication system has been developed as a model system of cellular DNA replication, because the replication initiated from the replication origin of SV40 and replication fork proceeds bidirectionally. In this system, SV40 T-antigen (TAg) is the only factor provided by viral genes, while all other factors are supplied by the host cells. A suppression of replication has been observed in the linear template containing SV40 replication origin, compared with the closed circular template in the SV40 in vitro replication system using a crude extract of HeLa cells. However in the in vitro replication system reconstituted from partially purified factors, less preference was observed for the replication of the closed circular DNA over the linear DNA. In a mono-polymerase system supplemented by crude extracts, a suppression of replication in a linear template was also observed, when compared with a closed circular template. This suppression effect of crude extract was abolished by heat treatment, suggesting that the suppression was induced by some protein factors. A crude extract of HeLa cells was fractionated by stepwise elution with buffers containing 0.2 M, 0.4 M, 0.6 M and 1 M NaCl on a phosphocellulose column, and characterization of factors that suppress linear DNA replication has been done. Both fractions that were eluted at 0.4 M and 0.6 M from phosphocellulose were necessary to suppress linear DNA replication efficiently. The factors in the 0.6 M fraction that suppressed linear DNA replication synergistically with the 0.4 M fraction were partially purified by successive chromatography with heparin-sepharose and dsDNA-cellulose followed by glycerol gradient centrifugation. These results suggested that multiple factors are required to suppress DNA replication of the linear template.

Cell Fractionation↗

Dynamic organization of DNA replication in mammalian cell nuclei: spatially and temporally defined replication of chromosome-specific alpha-satellite DNA sequences.

Five distinct patterns of DNA replication have been identified during S-phase in asynchronous and synchronous cultures of mammalian cells by conventional fluorescence microscopy, confocal laser scanning microscopy, and immunoelectron microscopy. During early S-phase, replicating DNA (as identified by 5-bromodeoxyuridine incorporation) appears to be distributed at sites throughout the nucleoplasm, excluding the nucleolus. In CHO cells, this pattern of replication peaks at 30 min into S-phase and is consistent with the localization of euchromatin. As S-phase continues, replication of euchromatin decreases and the peripheral regions of heterochromatin begin to replicate. This pattern of replication peaks at 2 h into S-phase. At 5 h, perinucleolar chromatin as well as peripheral areas of heterochromatin peak in replication. 7 h into S-phase interconnecting patches of electron-dense chromatin replicate. At the end of S-phase (9 h), replication occurs at a few large regions of electron-dense chromatin. Similar or identical patterns have been identified in a variety of mammalian cell types. The replication of specific chromosomal regions within the context of the BrdU-labeling patterns has been examined on an hourly basis in synchronized HeLa cells. Double labeling of DNA replication sites and chromosome-specific alpha-satellite DNA sequences indicates that the alpha-satellite DNA replicates during mid S-phase (characterized by the third pattern of replication) in a variety of human cell types. Our data demonstrates that specific DNA sequences replicate at spatially and temporally defined points during the cell cycle and supports a spatially dynamic model of DNA replication.

Animals↗

Random inheritance of the replication complex by one of two daughter lambda plasmid copies after a replication round in Escherichia coli.

There are two pathways for replication of plasmids derived from bacteriophage lambda (so-called lambda plasmids) in Escherichia coli. One pathway is based on the assembly of the new replication complex at ori lambda, and the second requires activity of the replication complex inherited by one of two daughter plasmid copies after each replication round. Although these two replication pathways proceed at the same time in the host cell, we previously found conditions for specific elimination of the pathway based on the assembly of the new replication complex; thus, replication is restricted to that carried out by the heritable replication complex. These conditions are (i) the relaxed response to amino acid starvation and (ii) temperature upshift of the culture of cells harboring the lambda crotsPts1 plasmid. Here we asked whether the replication complex is inherited randomly by one of two daughter plasmid copies or whether the inheritance is preferred by one particular copy, that containing the parental DNA r strand or that bearing the l strand. We performed density shift experiments which allowed us to separate plasmid DNA molecules replicated by the heritable replication complex from those devoid of the replication complex and therefore not able to replicate. Then, [3H]thymidine-labelled plasmid DNA strands were separated and hybridized to membrane-bound ssDNA containing a fragment of either the r or l strand of lambda DNA. We found roughly equal efficiency of hybridization to both r and l strands in all experimental systems used. Therefore, we conclude that the lambda replication complex is randomly inherited by one of two daughter plasmid copies rather than preferentially inherited by either the copy carrying the parental r strand or that containing the l strand.

Bacteriophage lambda↗

Initiation of bacteriophage lambda DNA replication in vitro with purified lambda replication proteins.

We have developed a soluble enzyme system that replicates exogenously added plasmid DNA (lambda dv) bearing the replication origin of the bacteriophage lambda chromosome. The system contains pure phage lambda O and P replication proteins and a partially purified mixture of Escherichia coli replication proteins [the enzyme system of Fuller, R.S., Kaguni, J.M. & Kornberg, A. (1981) Proc. Natl. Acad. Sci. USA 78, 7370-7374). The features of lambda dv replication in this system closely resemble the known characteristics of phage lambda DNA replication in vivo. The system (i) depends completely on exogenously supplied DNA, (ii) specifically replicates supercoiled plasmid DNA that contains a lambda replication origin, (iii) depends on both the lambda O protein and the lambda P protein, (iv) depends on RNA polymerase, (v) depends on host replication proteins (e.g., primase, dnaB protein, and several others that function in the priming of DNA synthesis in E. coli) as judged by antibody inhibitions, and (vi) replicates as much as 32% of added lambda dv plasmid DNA through a single complete round to generate catenated daughter molecules. Furthermore, replication of lambda dv DNA in vitro requires DNA gyrase and an ATP-regenerating system. It is notable that addition of lambda O and P proteins to the mixture of E. coli replication proteins inhibits replication of plasmids bearing the origin of the E. coli chromosome. Exploitation of this enzyme system should allow a detailed investigation of the biochemical mechanisms involved in bacteriophage lambda DNA replication and its regulation.

Bacteriophage lambda↗

Simian virus 40 DNA replication in isolated replicating viral chromosomes.

Three subnuclear systems capable of continuing many aspects of simian virus 40 (SV40) DNA replication were characterized in an effort to define the minimum requirements for "normal" DNA replication in vitro. Nuclear extracts, prepared by incubating nuclei isolated from SV40-infected CV-1 cells in a hypotonic buffer to release both SV40 replicating and mature chromosomes, were either centrifuged to separate the total SV40 nucleoprotein complexes from the soluble nucleosol or fractionated on sucrose gradients to provide purified SV40 replicating chromosomes. With nuclear extracts, CV-1 cell cytosol stimulated total DNA synthesis, elongation of nascent DNA chains, maturation and joining of "Okazaki pieces," and the conversion of replicating viral DNA into covalently closed, superhelical DNA. Nucleoprotein complexes responded similarly, but frequently the response was reduced by 10 to 30%. In contrast, isolated replicating chromosomes in the presence of cytosol appeared only to complete and join Okazaki pieces already present on the template; without cytosol, Okazaki pieces incorporated alpha-(32)P-labeled deoxynucleoside triphosphates but failed to join. Consequently, replicating chromosomes failed to extensively continue nascent DNA chain growth, and the conversion of viral replicating DNA into mature DNA was seven to eight times less than that observed in nuclear extracts. Addition of neither cytosol nor nucleosol corrected this problem. In the presence of cytosol, nonspecific endonuclease activity was not a problem in any of the three in vitro systems. Extensive purification of replicating chromosomes was limited by three as yet irreversible phenomena. First, replicating chromosomes isolated in a low-ionic-strength medium had a limited capability to continue DNA synthesis. Second, diluting either nuclear extracts or replicating chromosomes before incubation in vitro stimulated total DNA synthesis but was accompanied by the simultaneous appearance of small-molecular-weight nascent DNA not associated with intact viral DNA templates and a decrease in the synthesis of covalently closed viral DNA. Although this second phenomenon appeared similar to the first, template concentration alone could not account for the failure of purified replicating chromosomes to yield covalently closed DNA. Finally, preparation of nucleoprotein complexes in increasing concentrations of NaCl progressively decreased their ability to continue DNA replication. Exposure to 0.3 M NaCl removed one or more factors required for DNA synthesis which could be replaced by addition of cytosol. However, higher NaCl concentrations yielded nucleoprotein complexes that had relatively no endogenous DNA synthesis activity and that no longer responded to cytosol. These data demonstrate that continuation of endogenous DNA replication in vitro requires both the soluble cytosol fraction and a complex nucleoprotein template whose ability to continue DNA synthesis depends on its concentration and ionic environment during its preparation.

Cell Line↗

Caspase inhibitor blocks human immunodeficiency virus 1-induced T-cell death without enhancement of HIV-1 replication and dimethyl sulfoxide increases HIV-1 replication without influencing T-cell survival.

OBJECTIVES: To determine the relationship, if any, between reagents that modulate survival of T-cells and replication of human immunodeficiency virus 1 (HIV-1) and to determine the effects of the solvent dimethyl sulfoxide (DMSO) and drugs such as cyclosporin A and all-trans retinoic acid on HIV-1 replication. DESIGN: To first establish the direct effects of solvent alone (ie, DMSO) at various concentrations on HIV-1 replication, followed by the ability of various compounds such as the caspase inhibitor N-benzyloxycarbonyl-val-ala-asp-fluoromethylketone (z-VAD-fmk), cyclosporin A, and all-trans retinoic acid on HIV-1 replication. Next, to determine if HIV-1 induces T-cell apoptosis using TUNEL (TdT-mediated dUTP-biotin nick end-labeling) assays and DNA fragmentation and poly-(ADP-ribose)-polymerase (PARP) cleavage, and then to examine how the various compounds influence T-cell survival after HIV-1 exposure. METHODS: The human T-cell line, CEM cells, were exposed to HIV(IIIB) and viral replication monitored using reverse transcription assays at 3, 6, and 9 days following infection. Cells were pretreated with various compounds dissolved in DMSO over a wide range of concentrations, and DMSO itself was also examined. T-cell death and apoptosis were assessed using TUNEL staining to detect 3'-OH DNA strand breaks and agarose gel electrophoresis to detect DNA fragmentation (laddering). Furthermore, PARP cleavage implicated in the apoptotic process was also examined. RESULTS: At very low levels, such as 0.002%, DMSO itself appears to enhance HIV-1 replication at 6 and 9 days after infection. At low levels of cyclosporin A, such as 0.01 microgram/mL, HIV-1 replication was further enhanced above the solvent effect, but at 1 microgram/mL, cyclosporin A strongly inhibited HIV-1 replication. Retinoic acid between 0.01 and 1 microgram/mL did not influence HIV-1 replication. In addition, a discrepancy was noted in that HIV-1-infected T-cells were TUNEL positive, indicating DNA strand breaks; however, more complete DNA fragmentation was not detected nor was PARP cleavage identified. The induction of TUNEL positivity was blocked by the caspase inhibitor z-VAD-fmk but not by DMSO or cyclosporin A. Even though z-VAD-fmk blocked the appearance of TUNEL-positive T-cells, there was not a consistently observed increase in HIV-1 replication. CONCLUSION: Low levels of DMSO and cyclosporin A can enhance HIV-1 replication in CEM cells. At higher levels, cyclosporin A inhibits HIV-1 replication with no significant effects by all-trans retinoic acid. No evidence for classic apoptosis was detected in CEM cells after HIV-1 infection, although DNA strand breaks may be present as revealed by TUNEL positivity. There was no correlation between levels of HIV-1 replication and T-cell survival or death. The mechanism of T-cell death after HIV-1 infection requires further study, and investigators who add compounds dissolved in DMSO must include controls to carefully examine the direct effects of even trace levels of this solvent on HIV-1 replication.

Amino Acid Chloromethyl Ketones↗

Protein inheritance: lambda plasmid replication perpetuated by the heritable replication complex.

BACKGROUND: Replication of a plasmid derived from the Escherichia coli phage lambda initiates by binding of the lambda O protein initiator to the origin of lambda DNA replication, ori lambda. The lambda P protein participates in subsequent steps of assembly of the lambda replication complex. A function of lambda P required for replication complex assembly is inactivated at 43 degrees C by the ts1 mutation. RESULTS: We found that the lambda replication complex assembled at 30 degrees C survives the temperature upshift in lambda crotsPts1 plasmid-harbouring bacteria. We present several lines of evidence that in this system (in which the replication complex assembly does not occur), the replication complex assembled prior to the temperature upshift is inherited by one of two daughter plasmid copies at each replication round for more than 30 cell generations. The 'old' replication complex-driven replication is chloramphenicol-resistant and rifampicin-sensitive. This replication is dependent on lambda O and host dnaK, dnaJ and grpE chaperone gene functions. CONCLUSIONS: The lambda O-containing replication complex is inherited together with DNA and bears information how to initiate the next round of replication at ori lambda; thus, we consider that this phenomenon deserves to be called protein inheritance.

Bacterial Proteins↗

Initiation of DNA replication within oriP is dispensable for stable replication of the latent Epstein-Barr virus chromosome after infection of established cell lines.

The 165-kb circularized chromosome of Epstein-Barr virus (EBV) is replicated in latently infected cells once per cell cycle by host proteins during S phase. Replication initiates at multiple sites on latent EBV chromosomes, including within a 1.8-kb region called oriP, which can provide both replication and stabilization for recombinant plasmids in the presence of the EBV-encoded protein, EBNA-1. Replication initiates at or near the dyad symmetry component (DS) of oriP, which depends on multiple EBNA-1 binding sites for activity. To test the importance of the replication function of oriP, the DS was deleted from the viral genome. EBV mutants lacking the DS and carrying a selectable gene could establish latent infections in BL30 cells, in which circular, mutant viral chromosomes were stably maintained. Analysis of replication fork movement using two-dimensional gel electrophoresis showed that the deletion of the DS reduced the initiation events to an undetectable level within the oriP region so that this segment was replicated exclusively by forks entering the region from either direction. A significant slowing or stalling of replication forks that occurs normally at the approximate position of the DS was also eliminated by deletion of the DS. The results confirm the DS as both a replication origin and a place where replication forks pause. Since the replication function of oriP is dispensable at least in certain cell lines, the essential role of EBNA-1 for infection of these cell lines is likely to be that of stabilizing the EBV chromosome by associating with the 30-bp repeats of oriP. The results also imply that in established cell lines, the EBV chromosome can be efficiently replicated entirely from origins that are activated by cellular factors. Presumably, initiation of replication at the DS, mediated by EBNA-1, is important for the natural life cycle of EBV, perhaps in establishing latent infections of normal B cells.

Base Sequence↗

Association of autonomous replication activity with replication origins in a human chromosome.

A systematic analysis of the correlation of autonomous replication activity with initiation of replication in a human chromosome was performed. The temporal order of replication of segments in a pericentric 320-kb MEN203 locus on human chromosome 10 (10q11.2) was determined by pulse-labeling of cells with 5-bromodeoxyuridine after synchronization with aphidicolin. The entire MEN203 locus replicated during the late S phase. Two distinct segments replicated earlier than the others in the locus, indicating that replication was initiated within or near these segments. Two other segments also showed an earlier response than the respective neighboring regions. These results suggest that the MEN203 locus contains two distinct replication origins and two possible origins that may be used less frequently. The results were essentially confirmed by synchronization of the cell cycle with mimosine. Analysis of autonomous replication activity of 10-kb long chromosome fragments covering the 320-kb region showed that certain fragments replicated two or three times more efficiently than others. The results are consistent with our previous observations with randomly cloned human chromosome fragments. The replication origins colocalized with fragments exhibiting relatively high autonomous replication activity. Thus, the capacity for autonomous replication of chromosome fragments might be prerequisite for the initiation of chromosomal replication.

Aphidicolin↗

Studies of mammalian chromosome replication. II. Evidence for the existence of defined chromosome replicating units.

Sister chromatids of metaphase chromosomes can be differentially stained if the cells have replicated their DNA semiconservatively for two cell cycles in a medium containing 5-bromodeoxyuridine (BrdU). When prematurely condensed chromosomes (PCC) are induced in cells during the second S phase after BrdU is added to the medium, the replicated chromosome segments show sister chromatid differential (SCD) staining. Employing this PCC-SCD system on synchronous and asynchronous Chinese hamster ovary (CHO) cells, we have demonstrated that the replication patterns of the CHO cells can be categorized into G1/S, early, early-mid, mid-late, and late S phase patterns according to the amount of replicated chromosomes. During the first 4 h of the S phase, the replication patterns show SCD staining in chains of small chromosome segments. The amount of replicated chromosomes increase during the mid-late and late S categories (last 4 h). Significantly, small SCD segments are also present during these later intervals of the S phase. Measurements of these replicated segments indicate the presence of characteristic chromosome fragment sizes between 0.2 to 1.2 micrometers in all S phase cells except those at G1/S which contain no SCD fragments. These small segments are operationally defined as chromosome replicating units of chromosomal replicons. They are interpreted to be composed of clusters of molecular DNA replicons. The larger SCD segments in the late S cells may arise by the joining of adjacent chromosomal replicons. Further application of this PCC-SCD method to study the chromosome replication process of two other rodents, Peromyscus eremicus and Microtus agrestis, with peculiar chromosomal locations of heterochromatin has demonstrated an ordered sequence of chromosome replication. The euchromatin and heterochromatin of the two species undergo two separate sequences of decondensation, replication, and condensation during the early-mid and mid-late intervals respectively of the S phase. Similar-sized chromosomal replicons are present in both types of chromatin. These data suggest that mammalian chromosomes are replicated in groups of replicating units, or chromosomal replicons, along their lengths. The organization and structure of these chromosomal replicons with respect to those of the interphase nucleus and metaphase chromosomes are discussed.

Animals↗

Replication of 5 S ribosomal genes precedes the appearance of early nuclear replication complexes.

The present work shows that replication of the 5 S ribosomal genes differs in time and 3'deoxyadenosine sensitivity from replication of other nuclear genes, in Allium cepa L. root meristems. Fluorescence in situ hybridization with the pTa794 DNA probe which contains a complete 410 bp 5 S gene from Triticum aestivum allowed to detect four clusters of 5 S genes in these diploid cells (2n = 16), two of them in the short arm of the smallest metacentric chromosomal pair 7. Replication of the 5 S ribosomal genes occurred very early in interphase, as discerned by their resolution as doubled spots only two hours after interphase was initiated in synchronous binucleate cells. Codetection of nuclear replication (by immunodetection of 5-bromo-2'-deoxyuridine incorporation) showed that the replication of the 5 S ribosomal genes occurred before any incorporation of 5-bromo-2'deoxyuridine could be detected in the nuclei. The earliest Br-DNA detected in these cells followed a radial pattern from different foci apparently dispersed along some chromosomal arms. These structures seem to represent early replication complexes, as a result of the displacement of multiple DNA forks from the foci known as pre-replication complexes where the replication machinery of the earliest replicating genes assembles. No consistent positional correlation existed between the formation of the early replication complexes and the already replicated 5 S ribosomal clusters. Finally, nuclear replication but not that of the 5 S genes was prevented by 3'deoxyadenosine, and the earliest replicating 5 S ribosomal gene cluster differed in both sister nuclei resulting from the segregation of one single chromosome in anaphase.

Cell Nucleus↗