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The human gene for von Willebrand factor. Identification of repetitive Alu sequences 5' to the transcription initiation site.

The region at the 5' end of von Willebrand factor gene was cloned by screening genomic libraries with a partial von Willebrand factor cDNA probe and oligonucleotides complementary to areas of von Willebrand factor mRNA at the extreme 5' end of the untranslated region. The sequence 2158 bp upstream of the transcription initiation site, the first exon and first exon-intron junction is reported. The first exon includes the entire 5' untranslated sequence (250 bp) and the translation initiation codon starts the second exon, suggesting an unusual control mechanism for the cell specific expression of von Willebrand factor. An AT-rich region resembling a TATA box is found 32 bp upstream of the transcription initiation site. At -1030 and -1806 nucleotides 5' of the TATA box are two repetitive Alu sequences of approximately 300 bp. Recombinant events at these Alu sequences could result in some clinical forms of von Willebrand disease involving transcriptional defects.

Base Sequence↗

Characterization of the human and mouse genes for the alpha subunit of type II prolyl 4-hydroxylase. Identification of a previously unknown alternatively spliced exon and its expression in various tissues.

Prolyl 4-hydroxylase (4-PH) catalyzes the formation of 4-hydroxyproline in -X-Pro-Gly- sequences and has a central role in the synthesis of all collagens. We report here on the cloning and characterization of the genes encoding the catalytic alpha(II) subunits of the human and mouse type II 4-PH [alpha(II)]2beta2 tetramers. The human and mouse genes are approximately 34.6 kb and 30.3 kb in size, respectively, and both consist of 16 exons. The translation initiation codons are located in exon 2, and the sizes of the exons consisting entirely of coding sequences are conserved in the two genes, varying from 54 to 240 bp, whereas the exons 1, containing the transcription initiation sites and 5' untranslated sequences, are 546 bp and 293 bp in the human and mouse, respectively. The sizes of the introns vary from 48 to 49 bp to over 8 kb in both genes. The 5' flanking regions contain no TATA box, but they and introns 1 contain several motifs that may act as transcription factor binding sites, including those for Sox9, which regulates chondrocyte-specific expression of collagens II, IX and XI. Unlike the human alpha(I) gene, the alpha(II) genes do not contain an alternatively spliced exon homologous to exon 9. However, a novel mutually exclusively spliced alternative exon 12a was identified in both genes. The nucleotide and amino-acid sequence identities between the 60-bp exon 12a and 66-bp exon 12b are about 35% and 45%, respectively, in both human and mouse genes. PCR analyses showed that both types of exon 12 are expressed in all tissues studied, except for adult leukocytes that expressed only mRNAs containing exon 12b sequences. Insect cell expression studies showed that a recombinant alpha(II) subunit containing amino acids coded by exon 12a associated with the beta subunit to form a fully active enzyme tetramer.

Alternative Splicing↗

Sequences of large T1 ribonuclease-resistant oligoribonucleotides from protamine mRNA: the overall architecture of protamine mRNA.

Limited T1 ribonuclease digestion of the family of protamine mRNA's purified from rainbow trout testis yields several large oligoribonucleotide fragments ranging in size from 12--54 nucleotides in length. Several of these fragments purified by two dimensional gel electrophoresis contain several G residues and must represent nuclease-resistant, base-paired regions of the mRNA. Sequence analysis of these oligonucleotides by the method of Simoncsits, A., Brownlee, G.G., Brown, R.S., Rubin, J.R. and Guilley, H. (1977) Nature 269: 833-836, shows that these oligoribonucleotides arise from the 5'- and 3'-non-coding regions of the mRNA. Comparisons of the sequences of the large RNA fragment with DNA sequences obtained after cloning double-stranded protamine cDNA in the plasmids pBr322 and pmB9 show precise correspondence of a 54 nucleotide RNA fragment with positions 49--100 from the 3'-poly(A) tract and extending to within 5 nucleotides of the termination codon. Two other RNA fragments of 21 and 25 nucleotides in length arise from the 5'-non-coding region of the message and possess an AUG-sequence at their 3'-termini which is the initiation codon. The presence of distinct by homologous sequences in several sets of large RNA fragments is consistent with the presence of several closely related protamine mRNA's.

Animals↗

cis rescue of a mutated reverse transcriptase gene of human hepatitis B virus by creation of an internal ATG.

Using mutational analysis, we have investigated the translation strategy of the reverse transcriptase gene (pol) of human hepatitis B virus. It has been proposed that this pol gene product is synthesized as a core-pol fusion protein from a polycistronic mRNA template via ribosomal frameshifting, a mechanism often seen in retroelements. Our data indicate that creation of a novel ATG initiation codon near the original ATG can compensate for a lethal missense mutation at the first ATG position of the pol open reading frame. Genetic analysis has rigorously ruled out the possibilities of frameshifting, non-ATG initiation, or RNA editing. These results are discussed in the context of a 5'-end entry model versus a novel model of direct internal entry of ribosomes.

Base Sequence↗

Termination-reinitiation occurs in the translation of mammalian cell mRNAs.

Many examples of internal translation initiation in eucaryotes have accumulated in recent years. In many cases terminators of upstream reading frames precede the internal initiation site, suggesting that translational reinitiation may be a mechanism for initiation at internal AUGs. To test this idea, a series of recombinants was constructed in the mammalian expression vector pSV2. Each contained a dicistronic transcription unit comprising the coding sequence for mouse dihydrofolate reductase (DHFR) followed by the gene for xanthine-guanine phosphoribosyl transferase (XGPRT) from Escherichia coli. Various versions of this pSV2dhfr-gpt recombinant plasmid altered the location at which the DHFR reading frame was terminated relative to the XGPRT initiation codon and demonstrated that this is a critical factor for the expression of XGPRT activity in transfected Cos-1 cells. Thus, when the DHFR frame terminated upstream or a very short distance downstream of the XGPRT initiator AUG, substantial levels of XGPRT activity were observed. When the DHFR frame terminated 50 nucleotides beyond the XGPRT initiator, activity was reduced about twofold. However, when the DHFR and XGPRT sequences were fused in-frame so that ribosomes which initiated at the DHFR AUG did not terminate until they encountered the XGPRT terminator, production of XGPRT activity was abolished. This dependence of internal translation initiation on the position of terminators of the upstream reading frame is consistent with the hypothesis that mammalian ribosomes are capable of translational reinitiation.

Animals↗

[Molecular diversity of enzymes by transcriptional and translational mechanism].

This article discusses a molecular basis for isozyme production. Molecular diversity of enzymes is often created by genetic mechanisms, especially at the level of transcription and translation. First, transcription from several promoters in the same gene and alternative splicing make several transcripts which vary in length and the context. Isozymes are produced if the translation initiating codons are located in the in-frame position. Additional regions usually have the information of the targeting signal to the cellular compartment and/or the regulatory mechanism of enzyme activity. Second, the regulation of the translational initiation is another important step to make isozymes. Two mechanisms, that is, cap-dependent and internal ribosome binding, are currently recognized for the translational initiation.

Animals↗

Programmed translational frameshifting and initiation at an AUU codon in gene expression of bacterial insertion sequence IS911.

The proteins expressed by insertion sequence IS911, a member of the widespread IS3 family of elements, have been analyzed. The results indicate that three major species are produced from two consecutive reading frames. A protein of Mr 11,500, ORFA, is synthesized from an upstream reading frame. A larger protein, ORFAB, uses the same initiation codon and is produced by a -1 programmed translational frameshift between orfA and a downstream frame, orfB, whose amino acid sequence shows significant homology with retroviral integrase proteins. The orfB frame is also expressed independently in two alternative forms: the first uses a rare AUU initiation codon in the orfB phase whereas the second appears to initiate in the orfA phase and is produced by a -1 frameshift mechanism similar to that used in ORFAB expression. A specific IS911 integration reaction using a minimal active junction composed of 51 base-pairs of the right inverted repeat and a flanking phase lambda sequence resembling a second end in inverted orientation has been developed to analyze the functions of these proteins by transcomplementation in vivo. The orfA and orfB frames are shown to be essential and production of ORFAB is shown to stimulate integration in this system, suggesting that this fusion protein is the IS911 transposase.

Amino Acid Sequence↗

Rhmod syndrome: a family study of the translation-initiator mutation in the Rh50 glycoprotein gene.

Rhmod syndrome is a rare genetic disorder thought to result from mutations at a "modifier" but not at the suppressor underlying the regulator type of Rhnull disease. We studied this disorder in a Jewish family with a consanguineous background and analyzed RH and RHAG, the two loci that control Rh-antigen expression and Rh-complex assembly. Despite the presence of a d (D-negative) haplotype, no other gross alteration was found at RH, and cDNA sequencing showed a normal structure for D, Ce, and ce Rh transcripts in family members. However, analysis of RHAG transcript, which encodes Rh50 glycoprotein, identified a single G-->T transversion in the initiation codon, causing a missense amino acid change (ATG[Met]-->ATT[Ile]). This point mutation also occurred in the genomic region spanning exon 1 of RHAG, and its genotypic status in the mother and two children was confirmed by analysis of single-strand conformation polymorphism. Although blood typing showed a very weak expression of Rh antigens, immunoblotting barely detected the Rh proteins in the Rhmod membrane. In vitro transcription-coupled translation assays showed that the initiator mutants of Rhmod-but not those of the wild type-could be translated from ATG codons downstream. Our findings point to incomplete penetrance of the Rhmod mutation, in the form of "leaky" translation, leading to some posttranslational defects affecting the structure, interaction, and processing of Rh50 glycoprotein.

Base Sequence↗

Unrearranged immunoglobulin variable region genes have a functional promoter.

We have tested whether immunoglobulin light chain variable region genes are capable of directing initiation of transcription without undergoing the DNA rearrangement which creates a complete immunoglobulin gene. Two human Vk genes specifically initiated transcription in vitro at a site which is approximately 30 bases downstream of a TATA box and 20 bases upstream of the initiation codon. A Vk pseudogene which lacks a TATA box at an homologous position was not transcribed to a detectable extent in the in vitro system. One of the Vk genes was injected into Xenopus oocytes and it initiated transcription at precisely the same position as in the HeLa cell extract. It is suggested that the promoter which we have identified upstream of unrearranged Vk genes operates in lymphocytes after V-J joining has occurred to initiate transcription of light chain messenger RNA.

Animals↗

erg, a human ets-related gene on chromosome 21: alternative splicing, polyadenylation, and translation.

The avian acute leukemia virus E26 induces a mixed erythroid-myeloid leukemia in chickens and carries two distinct oncogenes, v-myb and v-ets. Recently, a novel gene named erg, closely related to the v-ets oncogene, was identified in human COLO 320 cells and the nucleotide sequence of its approximately 5.0-kilobase transcript, erg 1 was determined. In the present study, the nucleotide sequence of the alternatively spliced transcript, erg 2, was found to differ from erg 1 by a splicing event that causes a coding frameshift near the amino terminus, resulting in an additional 99-amino acid insertion at the amino-terminus. Expression of complementary DNAs for the two transcripts in vitro resulted in synthesis of polypeptides of approximately 41 and 52 kilodaltons, suggesting the use of alternative translation initiation codons in the case of erg proteins. The erg gene was localized by somatic cell genetic analysis to human chromosome 21. It is proposed that alternative sites of splicing and polyadenylation, together with alternative sites of translation initiation, allow the synthesis of two related polypeptides from a single erg gene transcriptional unit.

Amino Acid Sequence↗

Nucleotide sequence of the gene for cytochrome b558 of the Bacillus subtilis succinate dehydrogenase complex.

The nucleotide sequence was determined for the first part of the Bacillus subtilis sdh operon. An open reading frame corresponding to the structural gene, sdhA, for cytochrome b558 was identified. The predicted molecular weight of the cytochrome (excluding the N-terminal methionine) is 22,770. It is a very hydrophobic protein with five probable membrane-spanning segments. There is little homology between the B. subtilis cytochrome b558 and cytochrome b of mitochondrial complex III from different organisms or between cytochrome b558 and the hydrophobic sdhC and sdhD peptides of the Escherichia coli sdh operon. About 30 bases downstream of the sdhA stop codon, a new open reading frame starts. The nucleotide sequence predicts the presence of a typical flavin-binding peptide which identifies this reading frame as part of the sdhB gene. Seven bases upstream of the sdhA initiation codon ATG there is a typical B. subtilis ribosome binding site (free energy of interaction, -63 kJ), and further upstream, tentative sigma 55 and sigma 32 promoter sequences were found. The upstream region also contains two 12-base-long direct repeats; their significance is unknown.

Amino Acid Sequence↗

Replication capacities of natural and artificial precore stop codon mutants of hepatitis B virus: relevance of pregenome encapsidation signal.

The emergence of hepatitis B virus variants unable to express HBe protein during late stage of viral infection may represent an important mechanism of viral persistence. The molecular mechanisms responsible for the elimination of HBe expression are nonsense or frameshift mutations or initiation codon mutations in part of its coding sequence, the precore region. So far only 2 of the 29 precore amino acid codons have been found mutated to stop codons in nature, although a total of 10 codons are convertible to stop codons by single nucleotide changes. Since the HBe-coding sequence is largely overlapped by the pregenome encapsidation signal (epsilon signal), a recently found cis-acting element required for the packaging of pregenomic RNA, the absence of other potential nonsense mutants could result from their impairment of the epsilon signal. Seven such potential stop codon mutants were constructed and tested for replication capacities by transfection into a hepatoma cell line. Five mutants were replication competent, but at levels lower than that of a prevalent natural stop codon mutant. The remaining two mutants were completely defective in DNA replication, which clearly explained why these two mutants are not found in nature. Northern blot analysis revealed wild-type levels of RNA transcription by these two mutants but complete lack of packaged pregenomic RNA. Additional studies lent further support to the importance of the epsilon signal in pregenome encapsidation and suggested relaxed sequence requirements for the computer-predicted hexanucleotide bulge region as compared to the hexanucleotide loop of the signal.

Base Sequence↗

Temporal control for translation of influenza virus mRNAs.

cDNAs for genome RNAs of influenza virus A/PR/8/34 were cloned and portions containing the ATG initiation codon for translation were inserted into the 5' leader sequence of the chloramphenicol acetyltransferase (CAT) gene in a pSV2cat vector. In cells that were transfected with a plasmid containing a cDNA segment for the early gene and then super-infected with influenza virus, the maximal CAT activity was obtained at the early stage of infection. In contrast, a plasmid containing a cDNA segment for the late gene directed the highest activity at the late stage of infection. These observations together with the previous observations [K. Yamanaka et al. (1988) Virus Genes 2: 19-30] indicate that the translational efficiency of influenza viral mRNA is subjected to temporal control following viral infection.

Amino Acid Sequence↗

A second putative mRNA binding site on the Escherichia coli ribosome.

Translation in bacteria is initiated by a base-pairing interaction between the extreme 3'-end of the small-subunit rRNA and a purine-rich domain (Shine-Dalgarno (SD) sequence) preceding the initiation codon at the 5'-end of most bacterial mRNAs. Here, we describe the identification of a second functional and alternative site on the Escherichia coli ribosome which is capable of interacting with mRNA devoid of SD sequences and initiate the translation. This site is localized between nt 1340 and 1360 of the 16S rRNA in E. coli and is complementary to the untranslated region at the 5'-end of tobacco mosaic virus RNA (omega sequence).

Base Sequence↗

Differences in codon usage among genes encoding proteins of different function in Rhodobacter capsulatus.

Codon usage in Rhodobacter was evaluated and found to be strikingly different from that in Escherichia coli. While codon usage for genes concerned with nitrogen utilization and carotenoid biosynthesis corresponded to expectation, based on codon usage for Rhodobacter in general, that for the fructose utilization (fru) operon and for the photosynthetic genes encoding the reaction centre and light harvesting proteins exhibited significant deviation from expectation and from each other for specific amino acids. The differences in codon usage for the fru operon versus the photosynthetic genes may reflect different proportions of the various tRNA specific for certain amino acids when cells are grown under heterotrophic versus phototropic conditions. In addition, preferential use of the initiation codon, GTG, was found for the first cistrons of Rhodobacter operons.

Base Sequence↗

Isolation and analysis of genomic DNA clones encoding the third component of mouse complement.

A gene library was constructed with DNA from strain A mice by using the phage lambda vector lambda 1059. By screening with cloned cDNA for the third component of mouse complement, C3, four different C3 genomic clones were isolated from this library. Two of the recombinant phages carry insertions of 14 and 18 kilobase pairs, respectively, which together cover one complete copy of the C3 gene and several hundred nucleotides of its 5' and 3' flanking sequences. The distance from the 5' end of the gene, which includes the hexanucleotide T-A-T-A-A-A and a translation initiation codon, to its 3' end as defined by the poly(A) attachment site is 24 kilobase pairs. From the genomic DNA sequence, a signal peptide of 24 amino acid residues is predicted at the NH2 terminus of the initial translation product. The signal peptide and the next two amino acids are encoded by the first exon of this gene.

Animals↗

The human endothelin-B receptor gene. Structural organization and chromosomal assignment.

The gene encoding the human endothelin-B receptor (hET-BR) has been isolated, and its structural organization and chromosomal assignment have been determined. Southern blot analysis demonstrated a single copy of the hET-BR gene in the human genome. The hET-BR gene spans 24 kilobases and consists of seven exons and six introns. The size range for exons is 109-2855 base pairs, although that for introns is 0.2-14.5 kilobases. Every intron occurs near the border of the putative transmembrane domain in the coding region. The major transcription initiation sites were mapped to the positions 258 and 229 base pairs upstream of the ATG initiation codon by primer extension and nuclease S1 protection experiments. The 5'-flanking region of the hET-BR gene lacks conventional TATA and CCAAT boxes but contains a sequence of potential Sp1 binding sites upstream of the transcription initiation sites. There are some canonical consensus sequences of cis-elements including GATA motif, acute phase reactant regulatory element, and E box. Using human-rodent somatic hybrid cell lines, the hET-BR gene was assigned to human chromosome 13. The present study will lead to a better understanding of the mechanism for the transcriptional regulation of the hET-BR gene and will give a clue as to how to search for possible genetic disorders of hET-BR.

Amino Acid Sequence↗

Functional sites in the 5' region of human immunodeficiency virus type 1 RNA form defined structural domains.

The 5' region of HIV-1 RNA contains functional elements involved in key steps of the retroviral cycle, such as genomic RNA transcription, splicing, translation, dimerization or initiation of reverse transcription. In the present work, we investigated the conformation of the first 500 nucleotides covering the RNA leader and the 5' gag coding sequences of HIV-MAL, using chemical probing. We provide detailed information on almost each nucleotide at one of their Watson-Crick positions and on position N-7 of purines. Experiments were conducted on two in vitro transcribed RNA fragments (1 to 707 and 1 to 311). A secondary structure model was derived by combining the experimental data, computer predictions and sequence comparison. Under conditions favoring dimerization (high salt concentration), HIV-1 RNA folds into independent structural domains that can be related to defined functional regions. The first domain corresponds to TAR forming a stable stem-loop. Intrinsic structural features are found to stabilize the TAR hairpin loop. The second domain (nucleotides 56 to 299) contains the PBS sequence, which is located in a stable subdomain constrained by a four stem junction (nucleotides 139 to 218). Although the MAL isolate has an insertion near the PBS, probably resulting from the duplication of a 23-nucleotide sequence, the structural organization of this subdomain is conserved in all other HIV-1 isolates. The third domain (nucleotides 300 to 404) contains the splice donor site, packaging and dimerization elements and the AUG initiation codon of gag. A major result is the structural versatility of this region. Two mutually exclusive structures, both equally in agreement with probing data, could modulate the different functions involving this domain. The reduced accessibility of the gag translational initiation site possibly accounts for the low efficiency of the in vitro translation of the dimer. Finally, the 5' gag coding sequences form a metastable domain.

Animals↗