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Suppression of the nonsense mutation in homozygous beta 0 thalassaemia.

The common form of beta thalassaemia associated with elevated haemoglobin A2 levels can be broadly classified as beta + or beta 0 type according to the presence or absence of beta-globin chain synthesis in the homozygous state. The molecular pathology of each type is heterogeneous. Apart from a subgroup of Indo-Pakistani patients, the beta-globin structural gene is intact in the majority of patients with beta 0 thalassaemia. The amount of beta-globin mRNA present in the reticulocytes of these patients varies: in some it is absent or barely detectable; in others, a substantial amount is present, but it is nonfunctional. We recently demonstrated that the molecular lesion in a Chinese patient with nonfunctional beta-globin mRNA was due to the mutation of the normal lysine codon AAG at amino acid 17 to the amber terminator codon UAG, which prematurely terminates the beta-globin chain. In the present study we demonstrate the first example of a nonsense mutation in humans which can be suppressed in vitro by the suppressor tRNA, as has been found in other eukaryotic cells and viruses.

Codon↗

Characterisation of a non-canonical genetic code in the oxymonad Streblomastix strix.

The genetic code is one of the most highly conserved characters in living organisms. Only a small number of genomes have evolved slight variations on the code, and these non-canonical codes are instrumental in understanding the selective pressures maintaining the code. Here, we describe a new case of a non-canonical genetic code from the oxymonad flagellate Streblomastix strix. We have sequenced four protein-coding genes from S.strix and found that the canonical stop codons TAA and TAG encode the amino acid glutamine. These codons are retained in S.strix mRNAs, and the legitimate termination codons of all genes examined were found to be TGA, supporting the prediction that this should be the only true stop codon in this genome. Only four other lineages of eukaryotes are known to have evolved non-canonical nuclear genetic codes, and our phylogenetic analyses of alpha-tubulin, beta-tubulin, elongation factor-1 alpha (EF-1 alpha), heat-shock protein 90 (HSP90), and small subunit rRNA all confirm that the variant code in S.strix evolved independently of any other known variant. The independent origin of each of these codes is particularly interesting because the code found in S.strix, where TAA and TAG encode glutamine, has evolved in three of the four other nuclear lineages with variant codes, but this code has never evolved in a prokaryote or a prokaryote-derived organelle. The distribution of non-canonical codes is probably the result of a combination of differences in translation termination, tRNAs, and tRNA synthetases, such that the eukaryotic machinery preferentially allows changes involving TAA and TAG.

Amino Acid Sequence↗

Mutations in the vasopressin V2 receptor gene in two families with nephrogenic diabetes insipidus.

Congenital nephrogenic diabetes insipidus (CNDI) is a rare X-linked disorder in which the renal collecting duct is unresponsive to arginine vasopressin, and thus, the urine is consistently hypotonic to plasma. As a result, affected individuals are unable to concentrate urine and suffer from episodes of severe dehydration and hypernatremia. Recently, the association between arginine vasopressin V2 receptor gene mutations and CNDI has been demonstrated. In this report, two additional novel molecular defects of the arginine vasopressin V2 receptor gene in CNDI families are described. In one family, the affected individual demonstrated a G-->T transversion causing a nonsense mutation in codon 231. This mutation results in a glutamic acid becoming a termination codon, causing premature termination and truncation of the encoded receptor protein. This mutation causes a NciI site within the gene to be abolished and a BsaWI site to be created. In the second family, affected individuals showed a 28-basepair duplicating insertion in the very beginning of exon 2 down-stream of the splice acceptor site. It was hypothesized that an insertion mutagenesis mechanism involves the formation of a stem-loop structure within the newly synthesized DNA strand, followed by a slipped mispairing. This may be a general mechanism for the deletion or insertion of repeated sequences within the genome. Recent data show that G-protein-coupled receptors are susceptible to many different mutations that often result in the loss of function, causing a similar clinical phenotype.

Adult↗

Nucleotide sequence of the nifLA operon of Klebsiella oxytoca NG13 and characterization of the gene products.

The complete nucleotide sequence of the regulatory operon nifLA of a nitrogen fixer Klebsiella oxytoca NG13 was determined, and the transcriptional start point was assigned by S1 mapping. The nifL protein (a repressor) was coded by an open reading frame of 1,485 bases, corresponding to a protein of 495 amino acids with a calculated molecular weight of 55,242. The open reading frame (1,572 bases) of the nifA protein (an activator), corresponding to a molecular weight of 58,649, was confirmed by in vitro transcription-translation experiments, using the wild type and artificially deleted nifA genes. The initiation codon (ATG) of nifA overlapped the termination codon(TGA) of nifL, sharing the two bases T and G. A conserved DNA contact point [Gln-(X)3-Ala-(X)3-Gly-(X)5-Val] common in many DNA binding proteins was found in the C-terminal region of the nifA sequence. The promoter sequences of nifLA, nifB and nifF in K. oxytoca coincided exactly with those of K. pneumoniae in the consensus regions at -12 and -26, although the overall homology in the promoter regions was 96%. Changes of four amino acids were found between the nifA coding sequences of K. oxytoca and K. pneumoniae.

Amino Acid Sequence↗

Characterization of a domain of the genome of BmNPV containing a functional gene for a small capsid protein and harboring deletions eliminating three open reading frames that are present in AcNPV.

The nucleotide sequence of a 1.5-kb fragment of the genome of Bombyx mori nuclear polyhedrosis virus (BmNPV) has been determined. An open reading frame (ORF) has been identified, which encodes a protein of a predicted molecular mass of 15 kDa (p15). Analysis of the p15 sequence revealed that it shares significant similarities with a number of previously characterized viral capsid proteins. Two mRNAs, 0.7- and 1.3-kb, are transcribed from the p15 gene. The 0.7-kb transcript appears before BmNPV DNA replication, while the 1.3-kb transcript is transcribed only after viral DNA replication. The transcription start sites for the 0.7- or 1.3-kb transcripts have been localized into two areas mapping 114 and 557/559 bp upstream of the p15 translation initiation codon, respectively, and the two transcripts appear to share a common poly(A) addition site located 114 bp downstream of the translation termination codon. Comparisons of the nucleotide sequence of the 1.5-kb BmNPV fragment with that of another isolate of BmNPV and with Autographa californica NPV (AcNPV) genomic DNA reveal that the corresponding region of AcNPV encompasses 4.1 kb of DNA and three additional ORFs that are absent from the BmNPV genome. These findings raise questions about the origin and functional relevance of the putative polypeptides encoded by the three ORFs of AcNPV.

Amino Acid Sequence↗

Structure of the rat prolactin gene.

The organization and sequence of the rat preprolactin gene has been investigated. Analysis of two different plasmids containing pituitary cDNA inserts has provided the complete 681-nucleotide coding sequence of preprolactin as well as 17 nucleotides preceding the initiation codon and 90 nucleotides following the termination codon. Digestion of rat chromosomal DNA with the restriction endonuclease Eco RI followed by size fractionation and hybridization to a labeled prolactin cDNA probe has demonstrated that prolactin genomic sequences are located on 6.0-, 3.9-, and 2.9-kilobase fragments. The 6.0- and 3.9-kilobase fragments were isolated from a library of cloned rat DNA fragments. The sequence of more than 1800 nucleotides of the cloned DNA has been determined. The sequenced region contains coding regions of 180 and 189 nucleotides which specify the COOH-terminal 123 amino acids of the 227-amino-acid sequence of rat preprolactin. These coding regions are separated by an intervening sequence of 597 nucleotides. At least one other large intervening sequence separates this region from the region coding for the NH2-terminal portion of preprolactin. Hybridization experiments suggested that the intervening sequences of the rat prolactin gene contain DNA sequences which are repeated elsewhere in the rat genome.

Amino Acid Sequence↗

The complete nucleotide sequence of the RNA coding for the primary translation product of foot and mouth disease virus.

The complete nucleotide sequence of the coding region of foot and mouth disease virus RNA (strain A1061) is presented. The sequence extends from the primary initiation site, approximately 1200 nucleotide from the 5' end of the genome, in an open translational reading frame of 6,999 nucleotides to a termination codon 93 nucleotides from the 3' terminal poly (A). Available amino acid sequence data correlates with that predicted from the nucleotide sequence. The amino acid sequence around cleavage sites in the polyprotein shows no consistency, although a number of the virus-coded protease cleavage sites are between glutamate and glycine residues.

Amino Acid Sequence↗

In vitro reconstitution of eukaryotic translation reveals cooperativity between release factors eRF1 and eRF3.

Eukaryotic translation termination is triggered by peptide release factors eRF1 and eRF3. Whereas eRF1 recognizes all three termination codons and induces hydrolysis of peptidyl tRNA, eRF3's function remains obscure. Here, we reconstituted all steps of eukaryotic translation in vitro using purified ribosomal subunits; initiation, elongation, and termination factors; and aminoacyl tRNAs. This allowed us to investigate termination using pretermination complexes assembled on mRNA encoding a tetrapeptide and to propose a model for translation termination that accounts for the cooperative action of eRF1 and eRF3 in ensuring fast release of nascent polypeptide. In this model, binding of eRF1, eRF3, and GTP to pretermination complexes first induces a structural rearrangement that is manifested as a 2 nucleotide forward shift of the toeprint attributed to pretermination complexes that leads to GTP hydrolysis followed by rapid hydrolysis of peptidyl tRNA. Cooperativity between eRF1 and eRF3 required the eRF3 binding C-terminal domain of eRF1.

Animals↗

The mechanism for apo-B mRNA editing is deamination.

Apolipoprotein (apo-) B mRNA editing at nucleotide 6666 converts cytidine to uridine, transforming the codon for glutamine-2153 to a termination codon. To investigate this editing mechanism, [a-32P] and [5-3H] CTP were incorporated into synthetic apo-B RNA. After the substrate had been edited extensively in vitro by a partially purified editing extract, the edited base was isolated and analyzed for radioactivity. The uridine-6666 resulting from the editing reaction had the same ratio of 3H to 32P as did the cytidine-6666, demonstrating that deamination rather than base exchange or nucleotide replacement is the mechanism for apo-B mRNA editing.

Animals↗

Translational control in production of transposase and in transposition of insertion sequence IS3.

IS3 (1258 bp in length) contains two open reading frames, orfA and orfB, which are out of phase and overlap each other. We show here that three proteins of 10, 32 and 42 kDa in size are encoded by IS3. The 10 kDa protein is the product of orfA and is here called OrfA. The ATG codon of orfB which overlaps the termination codon of orfA is utilized to produce the 32 kDa protein (here called OrfB), in a manner depending on translation of orfA. The 42 kDa protein is a transframe protein (here called OrfB), which is synthesized from orfA and orfB by -1 translational frameshifting at the A4G motif present in the overlapping region. Both the frameshifting event to produce OrfB and the coupled translation event to produce OrfB are greatly stimulated by a pseudo knot structure located in the overlapping region between orfA and orfB. A mutant IS3 with a single base insertion in the A4G motif efficiently produces the OrfB transframe protein without frameshifting. This mutant was found not to mediate co-integration but to mediate adjacent deletion to produce various miniplasmids and minicircles in large amounts. The OrfB transframe protein is necessary and sufficient for formation of these deletion products, implying that it is the transposase. Most of the minicircles consisted solely of the entire IS3 sequence and a three base-pair sequence between the IS3 ends. The significance of minicircle formation is discussed.

Amino Acid Sequence↗

Site-directed mutagenesis of potential protein-coding regions in expressible cloned cDNAs of cucumber mosaic viral satellites.

Site-directed mutagenesis was used to alter potential protein-coding regions (open reading frames or ORFs) within the cloned, expressible cDNAs of two satellites of cucumber mosaic virus (CMV), S-CARNA 5 and D-CARNA 5. RNA transcripts synthesized in vitro from the mutant and wild-type satellite cDNAs were tested for biological activity on tomato plants by coinfection with CMV RNAs 1, 2, and 3, and progeny CARNA 5s generated from such transcripts were isolated and sequenced. Two mutants of S-CARNA 5 were constructed in attempts to test whether the ORF (ORF IIB, beginning at nucleotide 135) responsible for synthesis in vitro of two small proteins (M. J. Avila-Rincon, C. W. Collmer, and J. M. Kaper (1986). Virology 152, 455-458) could be eliminated without loss of the satellite's biological activity. Biological tests with mutant transcripts that either lacked the AUG initiation codon or contained a premature translation termination codon were foiled by instability and/or reversion in the progeny. With progeny CARNA 5 of the former mutant, one of two altered nucleotides reverted, thus restoring the AUG but not the nucleotide immediately preceding it. In contrast, a mutation in the necrogenic D-CARNA 5 which altered the initiation codon of ORF I (nucleotides 11-94), whose predicted amino acid sequence is conserved in all necrogenic CMV satellites sequenced to date, was stable in biological testing and did not destroy necrogenicity. This was shown by nucleotide sequencing of the progeny CARNA 5 from necrotic test plants and by its direct comparison with wild-type D-CARNA 5 progeny in a tomato necrosis dilution assay. This experiment provides convincing evidence that a possible protein product of ORF I is not involved in the induction of tomato necrosis by D-CARNA 5.

Codon↗

Functional over-expression of the Stm1 protein, a G-protein-coupled receptor, in Schizosaccharomyces pombe.

We report here the first functional over-expression of the Stm1 protein, a G-protein-coupled receptor with seven-trans-membrane spanning regions, in a homologous expression system without internal modification of the open reading frame of Stm1. The entire coding sequence, except for the termination codon followed by a C-terminal His6 tag, has been cloned into the pREP1 vector. The functionally active Stm1-His6 was over-expressed in Schizosaccharomyces pombe under the control of the nmt1 (no message in thiamine) promoter. The expression after induction was 120 times as much as that of control before induction and it gave approximately 500 ng protein/2 x 10(7) cells.

Escherichia coli↗

Isolation of a genomic clone for bovine pancreatic trypsin inhibitor by using a unique-sequence synthetic DNA probe.

Unique-sequence synthetic DNA probes, based on the known amino acid sequence of bovine pancreatic trypsin inhibitor, were constructed from oligodeoxynucleotides. In genomic Southern blot experiments, these probes were shown to hybridize specifically to discrete restriction fragments. A synthetic probe also was used to isolate a cloned BPTI gene from a bovine genomic library. DNA sequence analysis of this clone indicated that the BPTI coding region was neither preceded by a start codon nor immediately followed by a termination codon. This suggests that the mature form of BPTI may be produced through proteolytic processing from a larger polypeptide precursor.

Amino Acid Sequence↗

Identification of PEX3 as the gene mutated in a Zellweger syndrome patient lacking peroxisomal remnant structures.

Peroxisome biogenesis disorders, of which 13 complementation groups have been identified, are subdivided with regard to two major dysfunctions: peroxisomal matrix protein import and peroxisomal membrane synthesis. Detectable remnant membrane structures are evident only in the former. Molecular defects have been defined in 10 PEX genes, including eight related to protein import and two to membrane synthesis. We now have evidence that the human complete cDNA encoding Pex3p, a peroxisomal membrane protein (PMP) factor for the proper localization of PMPs, rescues the import of both PMP and the matrix protein in fibroblasts from a Zellweger syndrome patient of complementation group G. This patient was homozygous for a 1 base insertion in the codon for V182, which resulted in a change of codon (182-183) and introduced a termination codon (184), which inactivated PMP and matrix protein import by Pex3p. A PEX3-defective CHO mutant clone, ZPG208, was of the same complementation group as group G.

ATP-Binding Cassette Transporters↗

A novel mutation in the erythrocyte protein 4.2 gene of Japanese patients with hereditary spherocytosis (protein 4.2 Fukuoka).

Human erythrocyte protein 4.2 (band 4.2; pallidin) is a major membrane protein that comprises 5% of the total weight of the human erythrocyte membrane. Deficiencies of this protein have been observed in hereditary spherocytosis with anaemia, suggesting a role of protein 4.2 in erythrocyte stability and integrity. The molecular basis of this disorder remains unknown. As a first step in elucidating the pathogenesis of hereditary spherocytosis associated with protein 4.2 deficiency, we cloned and sequenced the erythrocyte protein 4.2 gene from a normal Japanese person. We prepared sets of oligonucleotide primers for polymerase chain reaction (PCR) and determined nucleotide sequences of exons and exon-intron boundaries of the protein 4.2 gene from three unrelated Japanese patients with hereditary spherocytosis due to a complete defect of protein 4.2, using PCR-related techniques. Two patients were homozygous for a missense mutation in codon 142 with the Ala (GCT)-->Thr (ACT) amino acid substitution that has been reported previously (protein 4.2NIPPON), whereas one patient was compound heterozygous for the same missense mutation in codon 142 and a guanine-adenine transition in codon 119 that changes the codon for Trp (TGG) to the termination codon (TGA) (protein 4.2Fukuoka). No additional mutation was identified in other exons of the protein 4.2 genes. Dot-blot hybridization with allele-specific oligonucleotide probes showed that homozygosity for the missense mutation in codon 142 and compound heterozygosity for the codon 142 and the codon 119 mutations were related to protein 4.2 deficiency in the families. Although two alleles of missense mutation of the codon 142 were also detected in 100 alleles of healthy Japanese, results obtained in this study indicate that the two mutations described above are closely related to the pathogenesis of hereditary spherocytosis due to protein 4.2 defect.

Adult↗

Overproduction of a selenocysteine-containing polypeptide in Escherichia coli: the fdhF gene product.

The fdhF gene of Escherichia coli codes for the selenocysteine-including protein subunit of formate dehydrogenase H. The protein subunit consists of 715 amino acid residues containing a single selenocysteine residue at position 140 which is encoded by a UGA codon. The decoding of this opal termination codon occurs under anaerobic growth conditions by means of a specific tRNA, i.e. the selC gene product. The ability of E. coli cells to overproduce a selenopolypeptide was examined using the fdhF gene as a model system. Surprisingly, E. coli was able to synthesize the fdhF gene product at the level of approximately 12% of the total cellular protein. This was achieved by cloning fdhF in a multicopy plasmid together with a synthetic selC gene under the Ipp promoter. FdhF production was absolutely dependent upon the addition of selenium to the culture medium and was almost completely blocked in the presence of oxygen. The product was specifically labelled with 75Se, proving that it consisted of a selenoprotein. The product was purified to homogeneity and shown to exhibit the catalytic properties characteristic of formate dehydrogenase H.

Bacterial Proteins↗

A novel mutation in the last exon of ATRX in a patient with alpha-thalassemia myelodysplastic syndrome.

We describe a patient with acquired alpha-thalassemia myelodysplastic syndrome (ATMDS). A previously healthy 66-year-old man presented with hemoglobin of 9.3 g/dL, mean corpuscular volume 59 fL, and a bone marrow aspirate with increased erythroid precursors and hypolobulated megakaryocytes. Hemoglobin H inclusions were seen in most red cells after 1% brilliant cresyl blue supravital stain of the peripheral blood. At the molecular level, we identified of a novel mutation in the most 3' exon of the ATRX gene (CGA-->TGA substitution in codon 2407) resulting in a premature termination codon (p.R2407X). This case provides further evidence for a link between ATRX mutations and ATMDS, and suggests a possible role for the conserved Q-box element in ATRX function.

Aged↗

The precore gene of the woodchuck hepatitis virus genome is not essential for viral replication in the natural host.

A number of naturally occurring hepatitis B virus mutants that cannot synthesize the virus precore protein have been identified. Such mutants have been associated with more severe forms of hepatitis, including fulminant hepatitis. The most common mutation observed is a substitution of G to A in the distal precore gene that converts a codon specifying Trp (TGG) to a termination codon (TAG). Using oligonucleotide-directed mutagenesis, we have produced the same point mutation in the precore gene of an infectious clone of woodchuck hepatitis virus (WHV). Transfection of mutant WHV DNA into the livers of adult woodchucks resulted in replication of the mutant in three of three susceptible animals. Levels of virus replication and transient elevations in liver enzymes in serum were similar to those of adult animals infected with wild-type WHV. Virions, found to possess mutant precore genes by polymerase chain reaction amplification and DNA sequencing, were recovered from the serum of one of the animals and inoculated subcutaneously into neonatal woodchucks. They produced infection in all five animals studied. The level of virus replication in neonatal animals infected with this mutant virus was comparable to that found in neonatal woodchucks infected with wild-type WHV, but none of five woodchucks infected with the precore mutant virus as neonates became chronic virus carriers. It was concluded that the precore gene of the WHV genome is not essential for virus replication in the natural host but may be important for chronic infection.

Animals↗