Ty1 sequence with enhancer and mating-type-dependent regulatory activities.

Some insertion mutations in Saccharomyces cerevisiae activate the expression of adjacent structural genes. The CYC7-H2 mutation is a Ty1 insertion 5' to the iso-2-cytochrome c coding region of CYC7. The Ty1 insertion causes a 20-fold increase in CYC7 expression in a and alpha haploid cell types of S. cerevisiae. This activation is repressed in the a/alpha diploid cell type. Previous computer analysis of the CYC7-H2 Ty1 activator region identified two related sequences with homology both to mammalian enhancers and to a yeast a/alpha control site. A 112-base-pair (bp) DNA fragment encompassing one of these blocks of homology functioned as one component of the Ty1 activator. A 28-bp synthetic oligonucleotide with the wild-type homology block sequence was also functional. A single base pair mutation within the enhancer core of the synthetic 28-bp regulatory element reduced its activation ability to near background amounts. In addition, the 112-bp Ty1 fragment by itself functioned as a target for repression of adjacent gene expression in a/alpha diploid cells.     

Structural diversity of murine serum amyloid A genes. Evolutionary implications

Mouse serum amyloid A (SAA) gene family comprises four members that are closely linked in the chromosome 7. Two of these genes encoding major mouse SAA isotypes (SAA1 and SAA2) are highly homologous not only in exons but also in introns and flanking regions; this sequence homology extends 280 base pairs upstream of major cap sites and 430 base pairs downstream of polyadenylation sites, and the 5' boundary of this homology unit is marked by the CA/GT repeat. Sequence comparison also shows that one (SAA4) of the other two genes is related to the SAA1/2 gene, whereas the other gene (SAA3) evolved independently. Based on these results and the SAA gene arrangement, we discussed mouse SAA gene evolution.     

Evolution of the casein multigene family: conserved sequences in the 5'' flanking and exon regions.

The rat alpha- and bovine alpha s1-casein genes have been isolated and their 5' sequences determined. The rat alpha-, beta-, gamma- and bovine alpha s1-casein genes contain similar 5' exon arrangements in which the 5' noncoding, signal peptide and casein kinase phosphorylation sequences are each encoded by separate exons. These findings support the hypothesis that during evolution, the family of casein genes arose by a process involving exon recruitment followed by intragenic and intergenic duplication of a primordial gene. Several highly conserved regions in the first 200 base pairs of the 5' flanking DNA have been identified. Additional sequence homology extending up to 550 base pairs upstream of the CAP site has been found between the rat alpha- and bovine alpha s1-casein sequences. Unexpectedly, the 5' flanking promoter regions are conserved to a greater extent than both the entire mature coding and intron regions of these genes. These conserved 5' flanking sequences may contain potential cis regulatory elements which are responsible for the coordinate expression of the functionally-related casein genes during mammary gland development.     

Localization of sequences required in cis for yeast Ty1 element transposition near the long terminal repeats: analysis of mini-Ty1 elements.

In order to identify and characterize sequences within Ty1 elements which are required in cis for transposition, a series of mini-Ty1 plasmids were constructed and tested for transposition. Mini-Ty1s are deletion mutants of the Ty1-H3 element; Ty1 gene products required for transposition are supplied in trans from a helper Ty1 which has intact open reading frames but lacks a 3' long terminal repeat (LTR) and therefore cannot transpose itself. Up to 5 kilobase pairs of internal sequences of the 6-kilobase-pair-long Ty1 element can be deleted without a significant effect on transposition. The smallest mini-Ty1 element capable of transposition contains the 3' LTR and the transcribed portion of the 5' LTR, 285 base pairs (bp) of internal sequence 3' to the 5' LTR, and 23 bp of internal sequence 5' to the 3' LTR. We conclude that Ty1-encoded proteins can act in trans and that cis-acting sequences in Ty1-H3 are all within or near the LTRs. Further deletion of the 285-bp internal sequence adjacent to the 5' LTR significantly reduced transposition frequency, and the mini-Ty1 RNA produced failed to be packaged into the viruslike particles efficiently. Surprisingly, several nonhomologous cellular mRNAs were also associated with viruslike particles.     

A Cluster of Vitellogenin Genes in the Mediterranean Fruit Fly Ceratitis Capitata: Sequence and Structural Conservation in Dipteran Yolk Proteins and Their Genes

Four genes encoding the major egg yolk polypeptides of the Mediterranean fruit fly Ceratitis capitata, vitellogenins 1 and 2 (VG1 and VG2), were cloned, characterized and partially sequenced. The genes are located on the same region of chromosome 5 and are organized in pairs, each encoding the two polypeptides on opposite DNA strands. Restriction and nucleotide sequence analysis indicate that the gene pairs have arisen from an ancestral pair by a relatively recent duplication event. The transcribed part is very similar to that of the Drosophila melanogaster yolk protein genes Yp1, Yp2 and Yp3. The Vg1 genes have two introns at the same positions as those in D. melanogaster Yp3; the Vg2 genes have only one of the introns, as do D. melanogaster Yp1 and Yp2. Comparison of the five polypeptide sequences shows extensive homology, with 27% of the residues being invariable. The sequence similarity of the processed proteins extends in two regions separated by a nonconserved region of varying size. Secondary structure predictions suggest a highly conserved secondary structure pattern in the two regions, which probably correspond to structural and functional domains. The carboxy-end domain of the C. capitata proteins shows the same sequence similarities with triacyglycerol lipases that have been reported previously for the D. melanogaster yolk proteins. Analysis of codon usage shows significant differences between D. melanogaster and C. capitata vitellogenins with the latter exhibiting a less biased representation of synonymous codons.     

Conserved expression domains for genes upstream and within the HoxA and HoxD clusters suggests a long-range enhancer existed before cluster duplication

The posterior HoxA and HoxD genes are essential in appendicular development. Studies have demonstrated that a "distal limb enhancer," remotely located upstream of the HoxD complex, is required to drive embryonic autopod expression of the posterior Hox genes as well as the two additional non-Hox genes in the region: Evx2 and Lnp. Our work demonstrates a similar mode of regulation for Hoxa13 and four upstream genes: Evx1, Hibadh, Tax1bp, and Jaz1. These genes all show embryonic (E11.5-E13.5) distal limb and genital bud expression, suggesting the existence of a nearby enhancer influencing the expression of a domain of genes. Comparative sequence analysis between homologous human and mouse genomic sequence upstream of Hoxa13 revealed a remote 2.25-kb conserved noncoding sequence (mmA13CNS) within the fourth intron of the Hibadh gene. mmA13CNS shares a common 131-bp core identity within a conserved noncoding sequence upstream of Hoxd13, which is located within the previously identified distal limb enhancer critical region. To test the function of this conserved sequence, we created mmA13CNS-Hsp86-lacZ transgenic mice. mmA13CNS directed a wide range of tissue expression, including the central nervous system, developing olfactory tissue, limb, and genital bud. Limb and genital bud expression directed by mmA13CNS is not identical to the patterns exhibited by Hoxa13/Evx1/Hibadh/Tax1bp1/Jaz1, suggesting that mmA13CNS is not sufficient to fully recapitulate their expression in those tissues. The Evx1- and Evx2-like central nervous system expression observed in these mice suggests that the long-range regulatory element(s) for the Hox cluster existed before the cluster duplication.     

Complete nucleotide sequence of the human corticotropin-beta-lipotropin precursor gene.

The nucleotide sequence of an 8658-base-pair human genomic DNA segment containing the entire corticotropin-beta-lipotropin precursor gene has been determined, and some sequence features of the gene and its flanking regions have been analysed. The gene is composed of 7665 base pairs including two introns of 3708 and 2886 base pairs. Comparison of the 5'-flanking sequences of the human, bovine and mouse corticotropin-beta-lipotropin precursor genes reveals the presence of a highly conserved region, which contains sequences of 14-15 base pairs homologous with sequences located upstream of the mRNA start site of other glucocorticoid-regulated genes.     

The design and analysis of a homeotic response element

We have shown that the 26 bp bx1 element from the regulatory region of Distal-less is capable of imposing control by the homeotic genes Ultrabithorax and abdominal-A on a general epidermal activator in Drosophila. This provides us with an assay to analyze the sequence requirements for specific repression by these Hox genes. Both the core Hox binding site, 5'-TAAT, and the adjacent EXD 5'-TGAT core site are required for repression by Ultrabithorax and abdominal-A. The Distal-less bx1 site thus fits with the model of Hox protein binding specificity based on the consensus PBX/HOX-family site TGATNNAT[g/t][g/a], where the key elements of binding specificity are proposed to lie in the two base pairs following the TGAT. A single base pair deletion in the bx1 sequence generates a site, bx1:A(-)mut, that on the consensus PBX/HOX model would be expected to be regulated by the Deformed Hox gene. We observed, however, that the bx1:A(-)mut site was regulated predominantly by Sex combs reduced, Ultrabithorax and abdominal-A. The analysis of this site indicates that the specificity of action of Hox proteins may depend not only on selective DNA binding but also on specific post-binding interactions.