The primary structure of the ovine beta-caseins.

Ovine whole casein contains 2 multiphosphorylated beta-casein components designated as beta 1 and beta 2-caseins. The complete sequence of beta 1-casein and the partial sequence of beta 2-casein have been determined from cyanogen bromide and tryptic digests. The ovine beta 1 and beta 2-caseins have the same polypeptide chain and appear to differ only in that they contain 6 and 5 phosphates respectively. The amino acid composition of ovine beta 1-casein can be written as: Asp4, Asn4, Thr10, ThrP1, Ser9, SerP5, Glu19, Gn21, Pro34, Gly5, Ala4, Val21, Met6, Ile9, Leu22, Tyr3, Phe9, Trp1, Lys12, His5, Arg3. Compared to bovine beta-casein A2, which is made up of 209 residues, ovine beta 1-casein has a deletion of 2 residues (either Pro-179--Tyr-180 or Tyr-180--Pro-181) and 20 largely conservative amino acid substitutions. Although 20% of the substitutions involve proline residues, the proline contents of ovine beta 1 and bovine beta A2-caseins are very similar, around 16%. The average hydrophobicity, calculated according to Bigelow, is 5.51 kJ/residue, which is similar to that calculated for bovine beta-casein A2. The cluster of 4 phosphorylated serine residues and the highly charged nature of the amino terminal region observed for bovine beta-casein are conserved in the ovine beta-caseins. The substitution from Ile-12 (bovine) to Thr-12 (ovine) results in a new phosphorylation site, according to the phosphorylation code proposed for caseins. This site is only partially phosphorylated hence the occurrence of both beta 1 and beta 2-caseins in ovine milk.     

Molecular cytogenetic assignment of genes to bovine chromosome 5

Seven genes were assigned by molecular cytogenetic methods to bovine chromosome 5. To accomplish this, specific primers were either publicly available or were designed from highly conserved regions of the publicly available mammalian gene sequences. The identity of the amplified segments was verified by sequencing and alignment with the published sequences. The optimized primers that amplified the desired bovine genes were used for screening a bovine bacterial artificial chromosome library. The positive clones were localized to a specific band of bovine chromosome 5 by fluorescence in situ hybridization. The genes HOXC4, SP1 and IGFBP6 were localized to band q21, COL2A1 was localized to bands q21-q23, IGF1 was localized to band q26, MB to band q31 and the gene CYP2D6 was localized to band q35. The cytogenetic assignment of SP1, IGFBP6, COL2A1, IGF1, MB and CYP2D6 is first reported here and the assignment of HOXC4 refines the previous assignment of this gene. The identification and localization of these genes further support the development of the human to bovine comparative map through characterizing the homologous segments conserved in the evolution of these species. This information will be useful for the future localization of genes that affect economically important traits in bovines.     

Rat beta casein cDNA: sequence analysis and evolutionary comparisons.

The complete sequence of a 1072 nucleotide rat beta-casein cDNA insertion in the hybrid plasmid pC beta 23 has been determined. Primer extension was employed to determine the sequence of an additional 82 5'-terminal nucleotides in beta-casein mRNA. Rat beta-casein mRNA consists of a 696 nucleotide coding region, flanked by 52 nucleotide 5' and 406 nucleotide 3' noncoding regions, including a 40 nucleotide poly(A) tail. The derived 216 amino acid sequence of rat beta-casein was compared to the previously determined sequences of beta-caseins from several other species. Approximately 38% of the amino acids have been conserved among the rat, ovine, bovine and human sequences and these conserved amino acids occurred in clusters throughout the protein. One such cluster containing the majority of the potential casein phosphorylation sites was located near the amino terminus. Contrary to the considerable divergence observed for the processed beta-casein, 14 of 15 amino acids in the signal peptide sequence of the precasein were identical between the rat and ovine caseins.     

A high-resolution comparative radiation hybrid map of ovine chromosomal regions that are homologous to human chromosome 6 (HSA6)

In this study, we constructed high-resolution radiation hybrid (RH) and comparative maps of ovine chromosomes or chromosomal segments that are homologous to human chromosome 6 (HSA6). A total of 251 markers were successfully genotyped across the recently developed USUoRH5000 whole-genome panel; 208 of these markers were assigned to five RH linkage groups distributed on three ovine chromosomes (OAR8, 9 and 20). The RH maps have good correspondence with previous chromosome painting data, although a small centromeric region on OAR9 that is homologous to HSA6 had not been previously detected using human chromosome paints on ovine chromosomal spreads. High percentages of the ovine markers were identified as orthologues in the bovine (86.3%), dog (85.8%), horse (69.3%) and human (88.7%) genomes. These maps contribute to investigations in mammalian chromosome evolution and the search for economic trait loci in sheep.     

奶山羊乳腺上皮细胞的分离、培养及鉴定

应用组织块培养法高密度培养、连续传代法建立西农萨能奶山羊乳腺上皮细胞体外培养体系,通过生长曲线绘制、核型分析、免疫荧光染色 (角蛋白、上皮膜抗原、波形蛋白、β-酪蛋白)、油红染色及β-酪蛋白基因的RT-PCR分析进行培养细胞鉴定。实验结果表明细胞生长曲线为典型的S型,染色体数目众数为60,细胞角蛋白、上皮膜抗原、波形蛋白、β-酪蛋白表达均呈阳性,油红染色后可见细胞质内的脂滴,且细胞表达酪蛋白mRNA。说明运用本方法培养的细胞为正常的乳腺上皮细胞,并具有一定的泌乳功能。     

Caseinolytic activity of fruit extract from Opuntia ficus-indica on bovine, caprine, and ovine sodium caseinates

The rates and extents of hydrolysis of alpha(S)- and beta-caseins from bovine, caprine, and ovine sodium caseinates produced by an enzymatic extract of the fruit of Opuntia ficus-indica, (L.) Miller were evaluated and compared with those produced by a commercial animal rennet. A mechanistic model based on a pseudo-first-order enzymatic reaction, in the presence of first-order deactivation of the enzyme, was postulated and successfully fitted to the experimental data. The animal rennet exhibited higher enzymatic efficiency than the fruit extract, irrespective of the source (i.e., bovine, caprine, or ovine) and the type (i.e., alpha(S)- or beta-casein) of substrate. The enzymatic efficiency (k(cat)/K(m)) for alpha(S)-casein ranged from 72 to 220 and from 43 to 65 L g(-1) h(-1), and for beta-casein from 242 to 742 and from 55 to 164 L g(-1) h(-1), for the animal rennet and the enzymatic extract of O. ficus-indica, respectively. Finally, it was observed that beta-casein from caprine and ovine caseinates was degraded by O. ficus-indica faster than its alpha(S) counterpart, but the reverse was observed for bovine caseinate.     

Structure and regulation of the murine gamma-casein gene

The murine casein locus consists of five genes, which are coordinately regulated during mammary development. The levels of casein-specific mRNAs in mammary epithelial cells increase during the second half of pregnancy and remain high during lactation. The murine gamma-casein gene, which corresponds to the alphaS2-casein gene in ruminants, was isolated from a mouse bacterial artificial chromosome (BAC) library (strain 129SV). The gene contains 14 exons, which are distributed over 14 kb of DNA sequence. The expression pattern of the murine gamma-casein gene mimics that of the neighbouring beta-casein gene in terms of developmental induction in vivo. In cell culture, both the beta- and gamma-casein promoter are synergistically induced by prolactin and glucocorticoids. Glucocorticoid induction is critically dependent on prolactin-mediated activation of STAT5 in both promoters. Several consensus STAT5 binding sites were identified in the gamma-casein promoter, some of which may have an additive effect on prolactin induction. mRNA levels of gamma- and beta-casein are similar in lactating mammary tissue. However, promoter segments derived from the gamma-casein gene are significantly less active in cell culture than comparable fragments of the beta-casein promoter. Promoter hybrids between the gamma- and beta-casein promoters revealed that the critical sequences which are responsible for the different in vitro activity are located in a short promoter proximal region.     

Regional assignment of two genes of the human branched-chain alpha-keto acid dehydrogenase complex: the E1 beta gene (BCKDHB) to chromosome 6p21-22 and the E2 gene (DBT) to chromosome 1p31

Maple syrup urine disease (MSUD) is caused by the deficiency of the mitochondrial branched-chain alpha-keto acid dehydrogenase complex. The multienzyme complex is a macromolecule (Mr 4 X 10(6] consisting of at least six distinct subunits. In this study, the human E1 beta gene (BCKDHB) has been localized to human chromosome 6 by hybrid somatic cell analysis, and regionally assigned to chromosome bands 6p21-22 by in situ hybridization. The E2 gene (DBT), which was previously localized to chromosome 1, is regionally assigned to the chromosome band 1p31 also by in situ hybridization. Localization of the E1 beta gene to chromosome 6p21-22 assigns another major human disease locus to a region that contains several important genes, including the major histocompatability complex, tumor necrosis factor, and heat-shock protein HSP70. Mapping of the E1 beta and the E2 genes may provide information for the linkage analysis of MSUD families with mutations in these two loci.     

The morquio A syndrome (mucopolysaccharidosis IVA) gene maps to 16q24.3.

The gene for N-acetylgalactosamine-6-sulfatase, the deficiency of which results in Morquio A syndrome (mucopolysaccharidosis type IVA), was assigned to chromosome 16 at band q24.3 by fluorescence in situ hybridization. Localization of this band was confirmed by PCR analysis of a somatic cell hybrid panel used for fine mapping of chromosome 16.     

In situ hybridization mapping and restriction fragment length polymorphism analysis of the porcine albumin (ALB) and transferrin (TF) genes

Summary
In situ hybridization analyses were conducted on porcine metaphase chromosomes using porcine liver albumin (ALB) and transferrin (TF) cDNA probes. The ALB gene was assigned to the q12 band of chromosome 8 and the TF gene to the q31 band of chromosome 13. For the latter, a statistically significant secondary peak was observed on the 6p15 band. However, the TF probe predominantly hybridized to the 13q31 band, indicating that this band is the most likely site of the TF gene. Since the TF gene belongs to linkage group V, this linkage group can now be assigned to chromosome 13. The TF and ALB probes were also used for restriction fragment length polymorphism (RFLP) analysis. A screening of 10 unrelated animals revealed Tag I RFLPs for both ALB and TF. Family studies indicated that the ALB and TF polymorphisms were controlled by three and two alleles, respectively.     

Cloning, sequencing and linkage mapping of the NRAMP1 gene of sheep and deer

The ovine NRAMP1 and cervine NRAMP1 cDNAs were cloned by RT PCR of RNA derived from macrophage enriched leukocyte preparations. The complete coding and 3' regions were sequenced. Both sheep and deer NRAMP1 proteins are 548 amino acids long. There are 77 and 73 amino acid differences, respectively, compared to the mouse Nramp1 sequence. Dinucleotide repeats were found in both the ovine and cervine 3' non-coding sequence. Amplification of these regions in individual sheep and deer showed them to be polymorphic micro-satellites. They have polymorphism information content values of 0·76 and 0·84 in sheep and deer, respectively. Using these microsatellites, the ovine NRAMP1 gene was mapped in a linkage group on ovine chromosome 2q and cervine NRAMP1 was mapped in a linkage group syntenic with human chromosome 2, mouse chromosome 1 and sheep chromosome 2.     

Localization of mouse parathyroid hormone-like peptide gene (Pthlh) to distal chromosome 6 using interspecific backcross mice and in situ hybridization.

The single copy parathyroid hormone-like peptide gene (Pthlh) was mapped to distal mouse chromosome 6 using genetic linkage analysis with a panel of DNA samples from interspecific backcross mice. In all 114 meiotic events examined, the Pthlh locus cosegregated with the locus for the Kirsten ras-2 gene (Kras-2) which was previously localized to distal mouse chromosome 6. In addition, Pthlh was localized to chromosome 6 band F-G and the mouse parathyroid hormone Pth was localized to chromosome 7 band F, by in situ hybridization. These studies confirm the previous localization of Pthlh to mouse chromosome 6 using somatic cell hybrids and show that the Pthlh/PTHLH locus is a part of a conserved linkage group between distal mouse chromosome 6 and the proximal segment of the short arm of human chromosome 12.     

Assignment of the human muscle adenine nucleotide translocator gene (ANT1) to 4q35 by fluorescence in situ hybridization.

The human muscle adenine nucleotide translocator gene (ANT1) was previously assigned to chromosome 4. The gene has now been further localized to the long arm of chromosome 4 at 4q35 by fluorescence in situ hybridization. This result confirms the previous assignment and precisely maps the gene to a specific chromosome band.     

The t(4;11) chromosome translocation of human acute leukemias fuses the ALL-1 gene, related to Drosophila trithorax, to the AF-4 gene.

The ALL-1 gene located at human chromosome 11 band q23 is rearranged in acute leukemias with interstitial deletions or reciprocal translocations between this region and chromosomes 1, 4, 6, 9, 10, or 19. The gene spans approximately 100 kb of DNA and contains at least 21 exons. It encodes a protein of more than 3910 amino acids containing three regions with homology to sequences within the Drosophila trithorax gene, including cysteine-rich regions that can be folded into six zinc finger-like domains. The breakpoint cluster region within ALL-1 spans 8 kb and encompasses several small exons, most of which begin in the same phase of the open reading frame. The t(4;11) chromosome translocation results in two reciprocal fusion products coding for chimeric proteins derived from ALL-1 and from a gene on chromosome 4. This suggests that each 11q23 abnormality gives rise to a specific oncogenic fusion protein.     

Plasticity of the response of fetal mouse fibroblast to lactation hormones

In the work described in this article, mouse fetal fibroblasts were treated with three lactation hormones (insulin, progesterone and oxytocin) and the cellular changes were analyzed by RT-PCR-Southern hybridization. A gene-expression pattern characteristic of mammary epithelioid cells was induced by the hormones, as indicated by expression of the marker genes alpha-casein and beta-casein. Two mammary epithelial cell-specific gene expression vectors were constructed with bovine alpha-s1-casein or ovine beta-casein gene promoters directing an EGFP reporter gene. Transient expression of the EGFP gene was observed in cells treated by the hormones but not in control cells. Cell morphology also changed after insulin and oxytocin treatments; the cells resembled epithelial cells rather than fibroblasts. Our results suggest that mouse fetus fibroblasts can be partially induced by lactation hormones to resemble mammary epithelial cells. This procedure might help to increase the efficiency of gene targeting in studies of mammary gland bioreactors.     

Human beta-casein. Amino acid sequence and identification of phosphorylation sites

The primary structure of human beta-casein has been determined by automated Edman degradation of the intact protein and of peptides derived therefrom by hydrolysis with trypsin and by chemical cleavage with cyanogen bromide. For each form of this multiphosphorylated protein (0-5 P/molecule), phosphorylated sites at specific seryl and threonyl residues have been identified. These are located near the amino terminus, within the first 10 residues of this 212-amino acid molecule. Sequence comparison of human beta-casein with the bovine and ovine proteins reveals 50% identity and a 10-residue shifted alignment relationship. Locations of prolyl and charged residues are generally conserved for the three homologues. The sequence data indicate the existence of genetic polymorphism involving uncharged residues in human beta-casein.     

Isolation and mapping of the first ruminant multidrug resistance genes

The first ruminant multiple drug resistance gene (MDR1) has been cloned and sequenced from sheep. Sequence data revealed the sheep MDR1 gene to have high sequence and structural similarity to other characterized MDR proteins from humans and rodents. A restriction fragment length polymorphism was discovered using the EcoRI enzyme and used to map the MDR1 gene to sheep chromosome 4. Physical mapping using fluorescent in situ hybridisation confirmed this map placement and assigned the MDR1 locus in the region 4q15-q21. The ovine MDR2 gene was also cloned and found to map to the same region as MDR1.