Beta-tubulin complementary DNA sequence variations observed between cyathostomins from benzimidazole-susceptible and -resistant populations

The molecular mechanism of benzimidazole (BZ) resistance in cyathostomins of horses is still unclear. Previous studies revealed that the TTC or TAC polymorphism in codon 200 of the beta-tubulin isotype 1 gene is not as strictly correlated with BZ resistance as in trichostrongyles in sheep. To identify further sites of polymorphism within the beta-tubulin gene related to BZ resistance, complete complementary DNAs (cDNAs) encoding beta-tubulin of adult worms of Cylicocyclus nassatus, Cyathostomum pateratum, Cyathostomum coronatum, Cyathostomum catinatum, Cylicostephanus longibursatus, and Cylicostephanus goldi of a BZ-resistant cyathostomin population were characterized using specific primers. The cDNA sequence of each species spans 1,429 bp, encoding a protein of 448 amino acids. The interspecific identities are 95.2-99.6% at the nucleotide and 98.7-100.0% at the peptide level. The comparison of the amino acid sequences of individuals isolated from the BZ-resistant cyathostomin population with those from individuals of Cc. nassatus, Cy. coronatum, Cy. pateratum, and Cy. catinatum of a BZ-susceptible one showed differing amino acids in 11 positions. The commonness of a phenylalanine to tyrosine mutation at position 167 in all the 6 cyathostomin species isolated from a BZ-resistant population suggests its involvement in the molecular mechanism in BZ resistance.     

Investigation of diversity and isotypes of the beta-tubulin cDNA in several small strongyle (Cyathostominae) species

The diversity of the beta-tubulin cDNAs of the cyathostominae and the occurrence of further isotypes were examined in adult worms isolated from an anthelmintic-na?ve horse. cDNAs encoding beta-tubulin from Cyathostomum catinatum, Cylicocyclus nassatus, Cylicocyclus insigne, Cylicocyclus radiatus, Cylicocyclus elongatus, Cyathostomum coronatum, and Cyathostomum pateratum were characterized using specific primers developed from the cDNA sequence of Cc. nassatus. The cDNA sequences span 1,429 bp and show identities ranging from 95.6 to 100%. The deduced protein sequences span 448 amino acids and were 98-100% identical. The amino acid sequences of the 7 species varied within and between species at 10 positions. A 3' Rapid Amplification of cDNA ends using a degenerate forward primer was carried out with cDNA from Cy. pateratum, Cy. coronatum, Cy. catinatum, and Cc. nassatus to investigate the occurrence of further beta-tubulin isotypes. The expected polymerase chain reaction (PCR) product of 400 bp, including 306 bp of coding sequence, was amplified, as was an additional fragment of 600 nucleotides in the case of Cy. pateratum, Cy. coronatum, and Cy. catinatum. Sequencing of the PCR products revealed no evidence for the existence of a second beta-tubulin isotype in cyathostomes. The variation in size was caused by a length polymorphism within the 3' untranslated region, and 2 functional mRNAs seem to be transcribed from the same gene.     

A PCR-ELISA for the identification of cyathostomin fourth-stage larvae from clinical cases of larval cyathostominosis

We report the use of six oligoprobes designed from intergenic spacer region sequences to identify fourth-stage larvae (L4) of the tribe Cyathostominae. Oligoprobes were designed for identification of the following species: Cylicocyclus ashworthi, Cylicocyclus nassatus, Cylicocyclus insigne, Cyathostomum catinatum, Cylicostephanus goldi, and Cylicostephanus longibursatus. A seventh probe was designed as a positive control to identify all these members of the Cyathostominae. The intergenic spacer region was amplified by PCR using conserved primers. Initially, three oligoprobes were used in Southern blot analysis. To facilitate high-throughput identification, these and a further four oligoprobes were developed for use in a PCR-ELISA. All probes were validated for their ability to detect cyathostomin PCR products in the PCR-ELISA, using DNA from morphologically identified adult parasites. Initially, 712 L4 were isolated from the diarrhoeic faeces from horses (n=17) with clinical larval cyathostominosis. PCR products from 522 of these L4 were subjected to analysis, with 413 L4 being identified as one of the aforementioned species. With reference to individual species analysis, 28.5% of the 522 L4 were identified as C. longibursatus, 25.7% as C. nassatus, 15.9% as C. ashworthi, 7.3% as C. goldi and 1.7% as C. catinatum. No L4 were identified as being C. insigne species. When L4 within faeces from individual horses were compared, no sample was found to comprise parasites of one species. The least number of species identified in a single sample was two. This study suggests that clinical larval cyathostominosis is predominantly caused by mixed-species infections.     

Sequence of a highly divergent beta tubulin gene reveals regional heterogeneity in the beta tubulin polypeptide

The nucleotide sequence of a chicken genomic DNA segment containing the chicken beta 4 tubulin gene has been determined. The predicted amino acid sequence of beta 4 is surprisingly divergent from that of the chicken beta 2 gene that encodes the dominant neural beta tubulin. beta 4 differs from beta 2 at 36 residue positions and encodes a polypeptide that is four amino acids longer, yielding a divergence of 8.9% between the two beta tubulin isotypes. While many of the amino acid substitutions are conservative, several involve significant alteration in the physiochemical properties of the residue. Furthermore, the amino acid substitution positions are not randomly located within the primary sequence but are distinctly clustered: major divergence occurs in the carboxy-terminal region beyond residue 430 and within the second protein coding exon segments of the genes. In addition, large regions of absolute sequence conservation are also present. Certain sequences within the heterogeneous regions are conserved in other species, indicating that these regions are under positive evolutionary selection pressure and are therefore probably essential for some aspect of beta- tubulin function. These findings strongly suggest that regional amino acid sequence heterogeneity may play an important role in the establishment of functionally differentiated beta tubulin polypeptides.     

Evaluation of the specificity of five oligoprobes for identification of cyathostomin species from horses

Here, we report evaluation of five oligoprobes designed from intergenic spacer (IGS) region sequences for identification of cyathostomin species. Oligoprobes were designed for identification of Cylicocyclus ashworthi, Cylicocyclus nassatus, Cylicostephanus longibursatus, Cylicostephanus goldi and a fifth probe designed to identify all members of this tribe. PCR amplification of IGS DNA from 16 cyathostomin species allowed sequence comparison and identification of four putative species-specific probes. Southern blotting of amplified products from 16 species showed that all probes were species-specific. The fifth probe recognised all 16 cyathostomin species but did not bind to members of the genus Strongylus. Furthermore, these probes were used to identify individual infective L3, eggs and L4 indicating that they will be invaluable to furthering the study of the epidemiology and pathogenesis of these important equine nematodes.     

Sequence of chicken c beta 7 tubulin. Analysis of a complete set of vertebrate beta-tubulin isotypes

In chicken, beta-tubulin is encoded by a family of seven genes. We have now isolated and sequenced overlapping cDNA clones corresponding to gene c beta 7 (previously designated c beta 4'), the only chicken beta-tubulin not previously characterized. The inferred amino acid sequence of c beta 7 tubulin is identical with the class I beta-tubulin isotype found in human, mouse and rat. Moreover, c beta 7 is highly expressed in almost all tissue and cell types in chicken, a pattern similar to those of the genes for class I beta-tubulin isotypes in other vertebrates. Comparison of the complete family of chicken beta-tubulin gene sequences reveals that the heterogeneity of beta-tubulin polypeptides encoded in a higher eukaryote is confined to six distinct beta-tubulin isotypes. Five of these are members of evolutionarily conserved isotypic classes (I to V), whereas the sixth represents a divergent erythroid-specific tubulin whose sequence has not been conserved.     

Xenopus laevis integrins. Structural conservation and evolutionary divergence of integrin beta subunits

We report the sequences of cDNA clones for two different integrin beta subunits isolated from a Xenopus laevis neurula cDNA library. mRNAs corresponding to both genes are first detected at gastrulation. We show that these two beta subunits are very highly related (98% identity in amino acid sequence) and probably arose at the time of tetraploidization of the X. laevis genome around 50 million years ago. Comparison of these sequences with those of various other vertebrate integrin beta subunit establishes that all species analyzed to date contain a highly conserved integrin beta subunit (beta 1). The interspecies homologies within this class of integrin beta subunits (82-86% identity in amino acid sequence) are much greater than those among the three different beta subunits which are known in humans (40-48% identity in amino acid sequence). Analysis of the homologies clearly indicates duplication and divergence of this multigene family more than 500 million years ago prior to the appearance of the vertebrates. We also observe cross-hybridization between cDNA probes for chicken integrin beta subunits and genomic DNAs of several invertebrate species. Despite the divergence in sequence among different integrin beta subunits, certain features of their structure are remarkably conserved.     

Molecular cloning and characterization of the complete acetylcholinesterase gene (Ace1) from the mosquito Aedes aegypti with implications for comparative genome analysis

Insensitive acetylcholinesterase (AChE) has been shown to be responsible for resistance to organophosphates and carbamates in a number of arthropod species. Some arthropod genomes contain a single Ace gene, while others including mosquitoes contain two genes, but only one confers insecticide resistance. Here we report the isolation of the full-length cDNA and characterization of the complete genomic DNA sequence for the Ace1 gene in the yellow fever mosquito, Aedes aegypti. The Ace1 homolog in other mosquito species has been associated with insecticide resistance. The full-length cDNA consists of 2721bp and contains a 2109bp open reading frame that encodes a 702 amino acid protein. The amino acid sequence is highly conserved with that of other mosquitoes, including greater than 90% identity with Culex spp. and about 80% identity with Anopheles gambiae. The genomic DNA sequence includes 138,970bp and consists of eight exons with seven introns ranging from 59 to 114,350bp. Exons 2 and 8 show reduced amino acid conservation across mosquito species, while exons 3-7 are highly conserved. The Ace1 introns in Ae. aegypti reflect a high frequency of repetitive sequences that comprise about 45% of the total intron sequence. The Ace1 locus maps to the p-arm of chromosome 3, which corresponds to the orthologous genome regions in Culex spp. and An. gambiae.     

Characterization of the nucleotide sequence of a polyubiquitin gene (PUBC1) from Arabian camel, Camelus dromedarius

Molecular amplification and sequencing of genomic DNA that encodes camel polyubiquitin (PUBC1) was performed by a polymerase chain reaction (PCR) using various sets of primers. The amplification generated a number of DNA fragments, which were sequenced and compared with the polyubiquitin coding sequences of various species. One DNA fragment that conformed to 325 bp was found to be 95 and 88% homologous to the sequences of human polyubiquitin B and C, respectively. The DNA translated into 108 amino acids that corresponded to two fused units of ubiquitin with no intervening sequence, which indicates that it is a polyubiquitin and contains at least two units of ubiquitin. Although, variations were found in the nucleotide sequence when compared to those of other species, the amino acid sequence was 100% homologous to the polyubiquitin sequences of humans, mice, and rats. This is the first report of the polyubiquitin DNA coding sequence and its corresponding amino acid sequence from camels, amplified using direct genomic DNA preparations.     

Biphasic kinetics of the colchicine-tubulin interaction: role of amino acids surrounding the A ring of bound colchicine molecule

Isotypes of vertebrate tubulin have variable amino acid sequences, which are clustered at their C-terminal ends. Isotypes bind colchicine at different on-rates and affinity constants. The kinetics of colchicine binding to purified (unfractionated) brain tubulin have been reported to be biphasic under pseudo-first-order conditions. Experiments with individual isotypes established that the presence of beta(III) in the purified tubulin is responsible for the biphasic kinetics. Because the isotypes mainly differ at the C termini, the colchicine-binding kinetics of unfractionated tubulin and the beta(III) isotype, cleaved at the C termini, have been tested under pseudo-first-order conditions. Removal of the C termini made no difference to the nature of the kinetics. Sequence alignment of different beta isotypes of tubulin showed that besides the C-terminal region, there are differences in the main body as well. To establish whether these differences lie at the colchicine-binding site or not, homology modeling of all beta-tubulin isotypes was done. We found that the isotypes differed from each other in the amino acids located near the A ring of colchicine at the colchicine-binding site on beta tubulin. While the beta(III) isotype has two hydrophilic residues (serine(242) and threonine(317)), both beta(II) and beta(IV) have two hydrophobic residues (leucine(242) and alanine(317)). beta(II) has isoleucine at position 318, while beta(III) and beta(IV) have valine at that position. Thus, these alterations in the nature of the amino acids surrounding the colchicine site could be responsible for the different colchicine-binding kinetics of the different isotypes of tubulin.     

我国肾综合征出血热疫苗生产株LR1株的全基因组序列分析

为测定我国肾综合征出血热疫苗生产株LR1株的全基因组序列 ,了解该株分子基础 ,从提取的细胞总RNA逆转录PCR扩增 ,产物纯化后克隆T载体纯化后测序 ,结果证明 ,LR1株全基因组序列由L6 5 33、M36 16、S片段的16 92个核苷酸组成 ,依各自读码框架分别编码 2 15 1、1135、42 9个氨基酸。序列同源比较分析表明 ,LR1毒株与国外HTN型毒株高度同源 ,属同一亚型 ,尤其与HTN代表株 76 - 1183个片段同源率高达 99 3%～ 99 8% ,而与国内的HTN型病毒差异较大 ,同源率仅为 79 4%～ 84 6 %。氨基酸比较也显示了同样的结果。     

甘蓝型油菜Toc33基因编码区的分离及蛋白序列的比较

以甘蓝型油菜新鲜嫩叶为实验材料提取其总DNA,以其为模板,根据拟南芥Toc33基因编码区序列设计引物,PCR扩增甘蓝型油菜叶绿体外膜蛋白转运机器的构件蛋白基因Toc33,得到两条扩增带,测序结果显示克隆到的两个片段分别长1370bp、1490bp,将这两个片段分别命名为Bn Tpc33-1,Bn Toc33-2,序列比较发现它们之间的同源性为78％,其中外显子的同源性为96％,而内含子的同源性仅为60％。为研究Toc33与同一基因家族的Toc34基因功能间的关系,对拟南芥、油菜、诸葛菜等植物的Toc33、Toc34蛋白序列进行比较分析并构建了分子系统进化树。     

Complete nucleotide and derived amino acid sequences of sex-limited protein (Slp), nonfunctional isotype of the fourth component of mouse complement (C4)

The nucleotide sequence coding for sex-limited protein (Slp), the testosterone-regulated isotype of the fourth component of mouse complement (C4), has been determined from cloned genomic DNA and cDNA fragments. The complete deduced amino acid sequence for the single chain precursor protein of Slp (pro-Slp) consists of 1716 residues. The mature beta, alpha, and gamma subunits contain 654, 763, and 291 amino acids, respectively. One potential carbohydrate attachment site is predicted from the beta-chain, five for the alpha-chain, and none for the gamma-chain. From the comparison with the mouse C4 sequences, an extensive overall sequence homology, 96.0% in nucleotides and 94.2% in amino acids, is observed. Only one deletion/insertion event is recognized between C4 and Slp sequences: three residues near the Cls cleavage site are deleted from Slp. The distribution of cysteine residues is completely conserved between pro-Slp and pro-C4.     

甘蔗乙烯合成酶基因家族三个成员的克隆与序列分析

ACC（1-aminocyclopropane-1-carboxylic acid）合成酶是高等植物乙烯生物合成途径中的限速酶.根据已克隆的植物ACS（1-aminocyclopropane-1-carboxylic acid synthase）基因同源序列,设计简并引物,以甘蔗叶片总DNA为模板,通过PCR扩增,得到3条特异性强的扩增片段：Sc-ACS1为1 041 bp、Sc-ACS2为1 345 bp和Sc-ACS3为1 707 bp.将序列在GenBank核酸数据库进行同源性搜索,结果表明,3个片段均为ACS基因,推导编码的蛋白质序列分别包含326、242和310个氨基酸.其中,Sc-A CS1和Sc-ACS3同源性最高,核苷酸序列和蛋白质氨基酸序列分别有98%和96%同源,与禾本科植物玉米Zm ACS6、水稻OS-ACS2、毛竹等ACS基因家族也有很高的同源性,核苷酸序列同源性为88%-98%,蛋白质氨基酸序列同源性为73%-81%.甘蔗Sc-ACS2与水稻OS-ACS5在核苷酸和氨基酸序列上分别有91%和79%同源性,但与甘蔗Sc-ACS1和Sc-ACS3基因成员之间,氨基酸同源性分别只有45%和49%.系统进化分析表明,Sc-ACS1和Sc-ACS3基因与玉米Zm ACS6基因亲缘关系最近,而Sc-ACS2基因与水稻OS-ACS5基因亲缘关系最近.Southern杂交表明三基因在基因组中确实存在而且是多拷贝基因.三个片段已在GenBank数据库中注册,注册号分别为AY620985、AY620986和AY788919.