Transnationalizing recombinant-DNA regulation: between Asilomar, EMBO, the OECD, and the European Community.
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The myc family of oncogenes is well conserved throughout evolution. Here we present the characterization of a domain conserved in c-, N-, and L-Myc from fish to humans, N-Myc317-337, designated Myc box IV (MBIV). A deletion of this domain leads to a defect in Myc-induced apoptosis and in some transformation assays but not in cell proliferation. Unlike other Myc mutants, MycDeltaMBIV is not a simple loss-of-function mutant because it is hyperactive for G2 arrest in primary cells. Microarray analysis of genes regulated by N-MycDeltaMBIV reveals that it is weakened for transactivation and repression but not nearly as defective as N-MycDeltaMBII. Although the mutated region is not part of the previously defined DNA binding domain, we find that N-MycDeltaMBIV has a significantly lower affinity for DNA than the wild-type protein in vitro. Furthermore, chromatin immunoprecipitation shows reduced binding of N-MycDeltaMBIV to some target genes in vivo, which correlates with the defect in transactivation. Thus, this conserved domain has an unexpected role in Myc DNA binding activity. These data also provide a novel separation of Myc functions linked to the modulation of DNA binding activity.
Cyclic AMP is a second messenger for various hormones that inhibits cell multiplication and DNA synthesis in cultured astrocytes. We examined the effects of increasing intracellular cyclic AMP on the catalytic (cdks) and regulatory (cyclins and ckis) components of cyclin-dependent protein kinases, which regulate progression of the cell cycle before completion of DNA synthesis, in primary cultured astrocytes and in an astrocytic cell line C.LT.T.1.1. The amount of cdk4 changed little during the cell cycle and was not affected by cyclic AMP. There was little cdk1 and cdk2 in quiescent cells, and their expression increased during the G1-S phases. Cyclic AMP strongly inhibited cdk1 and cdk2 expression. Transforming growth factor beta also inhibited cdk1 expression in primary astrocytes. Cyclic AMP did not affect the two ckis p27KIP1 and p21CIP1. There was little cyclin D1 in quiescent cells, but it increased during the G1 phase and was reduced by cyclic AMP. Cyclin E increased during the G1-S phases and was not affected by cyclic AMP in primary astrocytes. The amount of cyclin A was low in quiescent cells and increased during the G1-S phases. Expression of its mRNA and protein was inhibited by cyclic AMP. The protein kinase activities associated with complexes of cyclins and cdks were increased by growth factors and prevented by cyclic AMP. We conclude that cyclic AMP inhibits progression of the cell cycle in astrocytes at least by preventing the expression of the regulatory subunits, cyclins D1 and A, and catalytic subunits, cdk1 and cdk2, of cyclin-regulated protein kinases. Key Words: Cyclin-dependent protein kinases-Glial cells-Cyclic AMP.
Vertebrates express two A-type cyclins; both associate with and activate the CDK2 protein kinase. Cyclin A1 is required in the male germ line, but its molecular functions are incompletely understood. We observed specific induction of cyclin A1 expression and promoter activity after UV and gamma-irradiation which was mediated by p53. cyclin A1-/- cells showed increased radiosensitivity. To unravel a potential role of cyclin A1 in DNA repair, we performed a yeast triple hybrid screen and identified the Ku70 DNA repair protein as a binding partner and substrate of the cyclin A1-CDK2 complex. DNA double-strand break (DSB) repair was deficient in cyclin A1-/- cells. Further experiments indicated that A-type cyclins activate DNA DSB repair by mechanisms that depend on CDK2 activity and Ku proteins. Both cyclin A1 and cyclin A2 enhanced DSB repair by homologous recombination, but only cyclin A1 significantly activated nonhomologous end joining. DNA DSB repair was specific for A-type cyclins because cyclin E was ineffective. These findings establish a novel function for cyclin A1 and CDK2 in DNA DSB repair following radiation damage.
Protein kinase B (PKB)/Akt reportedly plays a role in the survival and/or proliferation of cells. We identified a novel protein, which binds to PKB, using a yeast two-hybrid screening system. This association was demonstrated not only in vivo by overexpressing both proteins or by coimmunoprecipitation of the endogenous proteins, but also in vitro using glutathione S-transferase fusion proteins. Importantly, this protein specifically associates with the C terminus of PKB but not with other AGC kinases and enhances PKB phosphorylation and kinase activation without growth factor stimulation. Thus, we termed this Akt-specific binding protein APE (Akt-phosphorylation enhancer). Since APE-induced phosphorylation of PKB did not occur in cells treated with wortmannin or LY294002, APE itself is not a kinase but seems to enhance or prolong the phosphoinositide 3-kinase-dependent phosphorylation of PKB. In cells in which APE was suppressed by small interfering RNA, DNA synthesis was significantly reduced with suppression of PKB phosphorylation, suggesting a synergistic role of APE in PKB-induced proliferation. On the other hand, in cells overexpressing both PKB and APE, despite markedly increased basal phosphorylation of PKB, both DNA rereplication and subsequent Chk2 phosphorylation and apoptosis were seen, suggesting the involvement of APE in the regulation of cell cycling replication licensing. Taking these observations together, APE appears to be a novel regulator of PKB phosphorylation. Furthermore, the interaction between APE and PKB, possibly dependent on the expression levels of both proteins, may be a novel molecular mechanism leading to proliferation and/or apoptosis.
In Chlamydomonas, the maternal inheritance of chloroplast genes correlates with the differential methylation of chloroplast DNA (chlDNA) in females (mt(+)) but not in males (mt(-)). Our previous studies have supported our methylation-restriction model in which the maternal transmission is accounted for by the differential methylation in gametes which protects female but not male chlDNA from degradation during zygote formation. In the mutant me-1 [Bolen, P. L., Grant, D. M., Swinton, D., Boynton, J. E. & Gillham, N. W. (1982) Cell 28, 335-343], chlDNA of vegetative cells of both mating types is heavily methylated even before gametogenesis; nonetheless, maternal inheritance occurs in mutants as in wild type. To investigate the mechanism of maternal inheritance in the me-1 mutant, we have compared restriction fragment patterns after agarose gel electrophoresis of chlDNAs from mutant vegetative cells and gametes with those from wild type, by using a set of 32 restriction enzymes of which 17 were methylation-sensitive in this system. We find that additional methylation occurs during gametogenesis in the mutant female (mt(+)) but not in the corresponding male (mt(-)). Thus, gamete-specific, mating-type-specific methylation occurs in the me-1 mutant as in the wild type, consistent with our methylation-restriction model. In the me-1 mutant, gametic methylation occurs on a background of vegetative cell methylation not present in wild-type cells and irrelevant to the regulation of chloroplast inheritance. Comparison of the me-1 mutation with the mat-1 mutation [Sager, R., Grabowy, C. & Sano, H. (1981) Cell 24, 41-47] provides evidence for the existence of two different chlDNA methylation control systems: mat-1, linked to the mating type locus and regulating the mating-type-specific methylation that correlates with maternal inheritance, and me-1, unlinked to the mating type locus and unrelated to the regulation of maternal inheritance.
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The pathway determining malignant cellular transformation, which depends upon mutation of the BRCA1 tumor suppressor gene, is poorly defined. A growing body of evidence suggests that promotion of DNA double-strand break repair by homologous recombination (HR) may be the means by which BRCA1 maintains genomic stability, while a role of BRCA1 in error-prone nonhomologous recombination (NHR) processes has just begun to be elucidated. The BRCA1 protein becomes phosphorylated in response to DNA damage, but the effects of phosphorylation on recombinational repair are unknown. In this study, we tested the hypothesis that the BRCA1-mediated regulation of recombination requires the Chk2- and ATM-dependent phosphorylation sites. We studied Rad51-dependent HR and random chromosomal integration of linearized plasmid DNA, a subtype of NHR, which we demonstrate to be dependent on the Mre11-Rad50-Nbs1 complex. Prevention of Chk2-mediated phosphorylation via mutation of the serine 988 residue of BRCA1 disrupted both the BRCA1-dependent promotion of HR and the suppression of NHR. Similar results were obtained when endogenous Chk2 kinase activity was inhibited by expression of a dominant-negative Chk2 mutant. Surprisingly, the opposing regulation of HR and NHR did not require the ATM phosphorylation sites on serines 1423 and 1524. Together, these data suggest a functional link between recombination control and breast cancer predisposition in carriers of Chk2 and BRCA1 germ line mutations. We propose a dual regulatory role for BRCA1 in maintaining genome integrity, whereby BRCA1 phosphorylation status controls the selectivity of repair events dictated by HR and error-prone NHR.
Nuclear DNA binding protein p92 is a sequence specific octamer binding protein with identical molecular weight as the ubiquitous octamer binding protein Oct-1. It binds to octamer related sequences from the enhancer of human papillomavirus type 18. The activity and intracellular distribution of p92 is regulated by extracellular signals. In serum starved Hela-fibroblast hybrid cells p92 is localized to the cytosol. Serum stimulation leads to nuclear import of p92. In fractions of asynchronously growing cells, which were separated according to cell cycle phases into G1, S, and G2 populations by centrifugal elutriation, p92 DNA binding is confined to S phase. In binding site blots however, p92 DNA binding activity is also present in G1 and G2. In G1 and G2 DNA binding activity of p92 is masked by a novel nuclear inhibitor I-92. The cyclic association of p92 with its inhibitor I-92 provides a new mechanism of regulating S phase dependent activity of a sequence specific DNA binding protein.
Tn7 insertion into its specific target site, attTn7, is mediated by the proteins TnsA, TnsB, TnsC and TnsD. The double-strand breaks that separate Tn7 from the donor DNA require the Tns proteins, the transposon and an attTn7 target DNA, suggesting that a prerequisite for transposition is the formation of a nucleoprotein complex containing TnsABC+D, and these DNAs. Here, we identify a TnsABC+D transposon-attTn7 complex, and demonstrate that it is a transposition intermediate. We demonstrate that an interaction between TnsB, the transposase subunit that binds to the transposon ends, and TnsC, the target DNA-binding protein that controls the activity of the transposase, is essential for assembly of the TnsABC+D transposon-attTn7 complex. We also show that certain TnsB residues are required for recombination because they mediate a TnsB-TnsC interaction critical to formation of the TnsABC+D transposon-attTn7 complex. We demonstrate that TnsA, the other transposase subunit, which also interacts with TnsC, greatly stabilizes the TnsABC+D transposon-attTn7 complex. Thus multiple interactions between the transposase subunits, TnsA and TnsB, and the target-binding transposase activator, TnsC, control Tn7 transposition.
Poly(ADP-ribose) is a nuclear polymer that is synthesized in response to DNA-strand breaks and covalently modifies numerous nuclear proteins. Inhibition of poly(ADP-ribose) polymerase by 3-amino-benzamide in cells exposed to DNA-damaging agents has a variety of cellular effects, including increases in cell killing, frequency of single-strand breaks, repair replication, and sister-chromatid exchange. These increases have been interpreted as an indication that poly(ADP-ribose) polymerization regulates the rate of ligation. Because of slow ligation, continued repair polymerization should therefore generate longer repair patches. Direct measurement of the rate of ligation of intracellular repair patches and of the size of repair patches indicates that they are unchanged when poly(ADP-ribose) polymerization is inhibited. We therefore conclude that poly(ADP-ribose) does not regulate the ligation stage of repair but instead may regulate the activity of intracellular nucleases and other enzymes that can cause additional DNA damage and changes in chromatin structure.
Histone deacetylase inhibitor Trichostatin A (TSA), alone, is able to activate the transcription of DNA methylation-mediated silenced genes in human cancer cells. Increase in expression and half-life of the DNA methyltransferase DNMT1 has been found in carcinomas of the colon, lung, liver, prostate, and breast cancer. This overexpression of DNMT1 is responsible for hypermethylation of regulatory sequences of many genes involved in tumorigenesis. Using quantitative real-time PCR and Western blot analysis, we found that TSA down-regulate DNMT1 mRNA and protein expression in Jurkat T leukemia cells clone E6-1. We also observed that TSA decreased DNMT1 mRNA stability and reduced this transcript half-life from approximately 7 to 2h. We also found that protein biosynthesis is needed for posttranscriptional regulation of DNMT1 mRNA, which suggests the involvement of an RNase and/or mRNA stabilization protein entity in DNMT1 transcript stabilization. Our findings suggest that TSA not only alters histone acetylation, but also may affect DNA methylation.
Exposure of cells to heat inhibits a number of nuclear activities associated with semi-conservative replication of DNA including the incorporation of radiolabelled precursors into acid-insoluble DNA, the initiation of new replicons, the elongation of the DNA fibre at the replication fork, the synthesis and deposition of new histones into chromatin and the reorganization of nascent DNA into mature chromatin. These effects are likely to underlie the heat sensitivity of S-phase cells and may contribute to the radiosensitization observed in this phase of the cell cycle. While some of these effects may be explained as 'passive' consequences of heat-induced damage on chromatin structures experiments reviewed here point to the activation of a checkpoint as a contributing factor to the observed inhibition of DNA replication. Activation of a heat responsive S-phase checkpoint targets the activity of RPA via interaction with nucleolin. Nucleolin, a major nucleolar protein, is found normally sequestered in the nucleolus. Exposure of cells to heat causes a rapid translocation of nucleolin from the nucleolus into the nucleoplasm that enables RPA/nucleolin interaction. This interaction inhibits functions of RPA associated with the initiation of DNA replication and contributes to the immediate inhibition of DNA synthesis observed after heat shock. The results suggest that the nucleolus serves as a sequestration centre for the temporary inactivation of regulatory molecules, such as nucleolin, capable of regulating essential cellular functions after heat shock. It is speculated that this regulatory process is integrated in the network of responses that determine cell sensitivity to heat and that it may be involved in heat radiosensitization to killing as well.
Despite the existence of a wealth of structural and theoretical data relating to palindromic sequences in the genome, the mechanism of cruciform formation in the presence of anthracyclines in miscellaneous biological processes is still poorly understood. Generally, DNA intercalators influence the DNA superhelicity, which plays a key role in the cruciform formation in DNA molecules. The potential of DNA intercalating ligands on the stabilization/destabilization of cruciform in DNA is discussed. Here, the indirect impact of anthracyclines to cell developing and surviving is analyzed for the first time. Primarily, the anthracycline modifies the helical properties of DNA and the overall DNA structure, and secondarily alters any cruciform-dependent processes, mainly DNA replication and transcription.
Although gene regulatory mechanisms in eukaryotic cells are complex, some progress is being made in understanding them. Chromosomal proteins may play a significant role in genome function and gene control. More specifically, a central role may be played by the nuclear nonhistone proteins. It appears that both viral transformation and steroid hormone action may be associated with the phosphorylation of these proteins. Recent studies have revealed that some oncogenic viruses are capable of producing viral transforming proteins with protein kinase activity. This suggests how they may subvert normal gene regulatory mechanisms. Furthermore, the effects of the steroid-receptor complex on nuclear nonhistone proteins may be similar to the effects of these viral transforming proteins, but in a controlled sense. A model of gene-regulatory, nuclear phosphorylation reactions is formulated which suggests how some oncogenic viruses may control normal gene regulatory mechanisms and how steroid hormones may interact with these same mechanisms. Such a model may reveal how disruption of these same mechanisms leads to carcinogenesis.
One of the earliest marks of a double-strand break (DSB) in eukaryotes is serine phosphorylation of the histone variant H2AX at the carboxy-terminal SQE motif to create gammaH2AX-containing nucleosomes. Budding-yeast histone H2A is phosphorylated in a similar manner by the checkpoint kinases Tel1 and Mec1 (ref. 2; orthologous to mammalian ATM and ATR, respectively) over a 50-kilobase region surrounding the DSB. This modification is important for recruiting numerous DSB-recognition and repair factors to the break site, including DNA damage checkpoint proteins, chromatin remodellers and cohesins. Multiple mechanisms for eliminating gammaH2AX as DNA repair completes are possible, including removal by histone exchange followed potentially by degradation, or, alternatively, dephosphorylation. Here we describe a three-protein complex (HTP-C, for histone H2A phosphatase complex) containing the phosphatase Pph3 that regulates the phosphorylation status of gammaH2AX in vivo and efficiently dephosphorylates gammaH2AX in vitro. gammaH2AX is lost from chromatin surrounding a DSB independently of the HTP-C, indicating that the phosphatase targets gammaH2AX after its displacement from DNA. The dephosphorylation of gammaH2AX by the HTP-C is necessary for efficient recovery from the DNA damage checkpoint.
TDP43 is an RNA/DNA binding protein increasingly recognized for its role in neurodegenerative conditions, including amyotrophic lateral sclerosis and frontotemporal dementia (FTD). As characterized by its aberrant nuclear export and cytoplasmic aggregation, TDP43 proteinopathy is a hallmark feature in over 95% of ALS/FTD cases, leading to the formation of detrimental cytosolic aggregates and a reduction in nuclear functionality within neurons. Building on our prior work linking TDP43 proteinopathy to the accumulation of DNA double-strand breaks (DSBs) in neurons, the present investigation uncovers a novel regulatory relationship between TDP43 and DNA mismatch repair (MMR) gene expressions. Here, we show that TDP43 depletion or overexpression directly affects the expression of key MMR genes. Alterations include MLH1, MSH2, MSH3, MSH6, and PMS2 levels across various primary cell lines, independent of their proliferative status. Our results specifically establish that TDP43 selectively influences the expression of MLH1 and MSH6 by influencing their alternative transcript splicing patterns and stability. We furthermore find aberrant MMR gene expression is linked to TDP43 proteinopathy in two distinct ALS mouse models and post-mortem brain and spinal cord tissues of ALS patients. Notably, MMR depletion resulted in the partial rescue of TDP43 proteinopathy-induced DNA damage and signaling. Moreover, bioinformatics analysis of the TCGA cancer database reveals significant associations between TDP43 expression, MMR gene expression, and mutational burden across multiple cancers. Collectively, our findings implicate TDP43 as a critical regulator of the MMR pathway and unveil its broad impact on the etiology of both neurodegenerative and neoplastic pathologies.
Studies were carried out to analyze the mechanism by which extracellular matrix (ECM) molecules and soluble growth factors interplay to control capillary endothelial cell growth. Bovine adrenal capillary endothelial cells attached to purified matrix components but spread poorly and exhibited low levels of DNA synthesis in the absence of exogenous growth factors or serum. Addition of cationic, heparin-binding growth factor purified from either human hepatoma cells or normal bovine pituitary (fibroblast growth factor) induced extensive cell spreading and up to eight fold increases in DNA synthetic rates relative to levels observed in cells on similar substrata in the absence of mitogen. However, the extent of this response differed depending upon the type of ECM molecule used for cell attachment (fold increase on type III collagen greater than gelatin greater than type IV collagen greater than fibronectin greater than type V collagen much greater than laminin). Computerized morphometry demonstrated that endothelial cell DNA synthetic rates increased in an exponential fashion in direct relation to linear increases in cell and nuclear size (projected areas). Similarly sized cells always displayed the same level of DNA synthesis independent of the type of ECM molecule used for cell attachment or the presence of saturating amounts of growth factor. In all cases, DNA metabolism appeared to be coupled to physical expansion of the cell and nucleus rather than to a specific cell morphology (e.g. polygonal versus bipolar). These findings suggest that ECM may act locally as a "solid state" regulator of angiogenesis through its ability to selectively support or prohibit cell and nuclear extension in response to stimulation by soluble mitogens.