Sequence-specific DNA recognition by basic peptides.

A chiral template with C2 symmetry has been used for modeling a dimeric interface of DNA binding protein. An oligopeptide derived from the basic region of MyoD, a recently described "helix-loop-helix" class of DNA binding protein, has been tethered to the template. Among the four models which differ in chirality and polarity with respect to the arrangement of two subunits, only one dimer model with right-handed and C-terminus to C-terminus arrangement of the peptide subunits binds DNA containing native MyoD binding sequence.     

Alterations in cardiac function and subcellular membrane activities after hypervitaminosis D3

The present study was designed to induce massive accumulation of calcium in the myocardium and to evaluate the effect of calcium overload on myocardial contractile function and biochemical activity of cardiac subcellular membranes. Rats were treated with an oral administration of 500,000 units/kg of vitamin D₃ for 3 consecutive days, and their hearts were sampled on the 5th day for biochemical analysis. On the 4th and 5th days, heart rate, mean aortic pressure, left ventricular systolic pressure and left ventricular dP/dt were significantly lowered in vitamin D₃-treated rats, demonstrating the existence of appreciable myocardial contractile dysfunction. Marked increases in the myocardial calcium (67-fold increase) and mitochondrial calcium contents (24-fold increase) were observed by hypervitaminosis D3. Mitochondrial oxidative phosphorylation and ATPase activity were significantly reduced by this treatment. A decline in sarcolemmal Na⁺, K⁺-ATPase activity was also observed, while relatively minor or insignificant changes in calcium uptake and ATPase activities of sarcoplasmic reticulum were detectable. Electron microscopic examination revealed calcium deposits in the mitochondria after vitamin D₃ treatment. The results suggest that hypervitaminosis D₃ produces massive accumulation of calcium in the myocardium, particularly in the cardiac mitochondrial membrane, which may induce an impairment in the mitochondrial function and eventually may lead to a failure in the cardiac contractile function.     

SV40 T-antigen is required for maintenance of immortal growth in SV40-transformed human fibroblasts.

Two lines of immortal human fibroblasts were isolated following transfection of TIG-3 cells with plasmid DNA, pMT-1ODtsA, that contained SV40 early gene with a deletion in replication origin and ts mutation in coding sequence for T-antigen. These cells continued proliferation at 34 degrees C, over 565 population doubling level (PDL) which is far over the limited division potential of untransformed normal TIG-3 of 70-80 PDL. When the culture temperature was shifted to 40 degrees C after 70 PDL, they ceased proliferation immediately. One of these immortal clones, SVts8, lost its ts phenotype after retransformation with wtT-antigen gene. These results indicated that the function of intact T-antigen is required for maintenance of immortal proliferation, at least in one of the SV40 transformed immortal clones.     

The membrane potential modulates the ATP-dependent Ca pump of cardiac sarcolemma

The effect of membrane potential on the activity of the ATP-dependent Ca²⁺ pump of isolated canine ventricular sarcolemmal vesicles were investigated. The membrane potential was controlled by the intravesicular and extravesicular concentration of K⁺, and the initial rates of Ca²⁺ uptake both in the presence and the absence of valinomycin were determined. The rate of Ca²⁺ uptake was stimulated by a inside-negative potential induced in the presence of valinomycin. The valinomycin-dependent stimulation was enhanced by the addition of K⁺ channel blocker, tetraethylammonium ion or Ba²⁺. The electrogenicity of cardiac sarcolemmal ATP-dependent Ca²⁺ pump is suggested from the increase of Ca²⁺ uptake by negative potential induced by valinomycin.     

Retinoic acid promotes proliferation and chondrogenesis in the distal mesodermal cells of chick limb bud

Distal and proximal mesoderm of chick limb bud was respectively dissociated and cultured in the medium containing various concentrations of retinoic acid (RA). At low concentrations (5-50 ng/ml), RA promoted proliferation and chondrogenesis in the distal mesodermal cells. The distal cells of stage 20-24 limb buds were responsive to RA, although those of stages 25-27 were unresponsive. Both the cells of anterior and posterior regions of the distal mesoderm were responsive to RA, while the cells of proximal mesoderm were unresponsive. At higher concentrations, the growth-promoting effect of RA was reduced and chondrogenesis in the distal cells was rather inhibited. These results were discussed in relation to the role of RA as the morphogen in normal limb development and experimental duplicate formation.     

Oxidation and esterification of geometrical and positional isomers of octadecenoic acids in perfused rat liver

The metabolic fate of the geometrical isomers of 6-, 9-, and 11-octadecenoic acids was studied in isolated perfused rat livers. Although the ketogenicities of these monounsaturated fatty acids generally decreased as the double bond was moved away from the carboxyl group, a dependence on the geometrical difference was found only for 9-octadecenoate, the rate being significantly lower in the cis-isomer. Very low density lipoprotein lipid secretion was distinctly and specifically decreased when trans-9-octadecenoic acid was perfused, but no such difference was observed with other isomers. Various trans-isomers were actively incorporated into the hepatic lipids and secreted apparently at the expense of preexisting endogenous cis-octadecenoate. The trans-isomers were all incorporated exclusively at the 1-position of hepatic phosphatidylcholine. Concentrations of the cis-octadecenoate in the glycerolipids secreted and remaining in the liver were characteristically modified depending on the location of the ethylenic bond of the cis-octadecenoate. Thus, both the location of the double bond in the acyl-chain and the geometrical configuration specifically influence the rate of oxidation and esterification of octadecenoic acid in perfused rat liver.     

Thymine glycols and urea residues in M13 DNA constitute replicative blocks in vitro.

Thymine glycols were produced in M13 DNA in a concentration dependent manner by treating the DNA with osmium tetroxide (OsO4). For the formation of urea-containing M13 DNA, OsO4-oxidized DNA was hydrolyzed in alkali (pH 12) to convert the thymine glycols to urea residues. With both thymine glycol- and urea-containing M13 DNA, DNA synthesis catalyzed by Escherichia coli DNA polymerase I Klenow fragment was decreased in proportion to the number of damages present in the template DNA. Sequencing gel analysis of the products synthesized by E. coli DNA polymerase I and T4 DNA polymerase showed that DNA synthesis terminated opposite the putative thymine glycol site and at one nucleotide before the putative urea site. Substitution of manganese for magnesium in the reaction mix resulted in increased processivity of DNA synthesis so that a base was incorporated opposite urea. With thymine glycol-containing DNA, processivity in the presence of manganese was strongly dependent on the presence of a pyrimidine 5' to the thymine glycol in the template.     

Analysis of fluorescence quenching of ribosome-bound virginiamycin S

The two virginiamycin components VM and VS interact synergistically with bacterial ribosomes in vitro and in vivo. Ribosome affinity for virginiamycin S increases about 10-fold upon incubation with virginiamycin M. This effect has been previously traced by spectrofluorimetric measurement based on the enhancement of virginiamycin S fluorescence upon its binding to the 50 S ribosomal subunit. In the present work the action of two virginiamycin S fluorescence quenchers, acrylamide and iodide, has been explored to gather information about the accessibility of ribosome-bound virginiamycin S and the variation of the accessibility level in the presence of virginiamycin M. Both acrylamide (non-ionized quencher) and iodide (ionized quencher) proved powerful quenchers of free virginiamycin S solutions. Since a comparable effect was obtained on 3- hydroxypicolinamide , the latter was indicated as the part of the molecule involved in the fluorescence effect. Fluorescence quenching by either agent was of the dynamic, i.e. collisional, type. Such an inference was based on the fact that these quenchers merely modified the emission spectrum (not the absorption spectrum), the bimolecular rate constant for the quenching process decreased linearly with the viscosity of the medium (static-type quenching is viscosity-independent), and that linear Stern-Volmer plots were obtained. The quenching ability of both agents underwent a sharp decrease in the presence of ribosomes; however, the Stern-Volmer equation was followed only in the case of acrylamide, whereas Lehrer 's relationship had to be applied in the case of iodide. When ribosomes were incubated with virginiamycin M, the fluorescence quenching ability of acrylamide and iodide was significantly reduced. Conclusions are as follows: a) the 3- hydroxypicolinyl residue of virginiamycin S is buried within an open well on the ribosome surface and is likely to be involved in the interaction with the binding site; b) the accessibility to the well is partly controlled by electrostatic forces; c) interaction of ribosomes with virginiamycin M entails a conformational change whereby the access to the well is reduced. These findings provide a molecular explanation for the previously observed increase of the association constant of virginiamycin S to ribosomes incubated with virginiamycin M which was found to be due to the decrease of the dissociation rate constant (the association rate constant remains practically the same).     

Response properties of FM-FM combination-sensitive neurons in the auditory cortex of the mustached bat

Summary For echolocation, the mustached bat,Pteronotus parnellii rubiginosus, emits orientation sounds (pulses) and listens to echoes. Each pulse is made up of 8 components, of which 4 are constant frequencies (CF_1–4) and 4 are frequency-modulated (FM_1–4). Target-range information, conveyed by the time delay of the echo FM from the pulse FM, is processed in this species by specialized neurons in a part of the auditory cortex known as the FM-FM area. These cortical neurons are responsive to pulse-echo pairs at specific echo delays (Fig. 1). The essential components in the sound pair include the pulse FM₁ followed by an echo FM_n (n=2, 3 or 4). Downward sweeping FM₁-FM_n sounds that are similar to those the animal naturally hears during echolocation are the most effective in evoking facilitative responses. Most FM-FM neurons, however, still exhibit facilitative responses to stimulus pairs consisting of upward sweeping FM sounds and/or pure tones at frequencies found in FM sweeps (Figs. 2 and 3). The magnitude of facilitation is altered by changes in echo rather than pulse amplitude (Figs. 5 and 6). Neurons characterized by shorter best delays (or echoes from closer targets) do not require larger best echo amplitudes for facilitation.Abbreviations CF constant frequency - FM frequency modulation - H _n CF — FM harmonics of the mustached bat biosonar signal - CF _n CF components of the harmonics - FM _n FM components of the harmonics - PCF _n pulse CF_n - ECF _n echo CF_n - PFM _n pulse FM_n - EFM _n echo FM_n - PH _n pulse H_n - EH _n echo H_n - BA best amplitude for facilitation - BD best delay for facilitation - PST peri-stimulus-time - PSTC peri-stimulus-time-cumulative - dB SPL dB re 20 Pa     

Correlation between the presence of T-antigen and the reinitiation of host DNA synthesis in senescent human diploid fibroblasts after SV40 infection

Senescent human diploid fibroblasts, TIG-1, had labelling indices of about 0.5-3% when labelled with [3H]thymidine for 3 days in fresh medium containing 10% fetal bovine serum. When these cells were infected with SV40, the percentage of nuclei incorporating [3H]thymidine increased by about 10-fold. The frequency of T-antigen-positive cells and that of [3H]thymidine-incorporating cells were almost the same. About 80% of T-antigen-positive cells were also positive to incorporation of [3H]thymidine, and the same result was obtained in infected young cells. These results indicated that senescent human diploid cells which are brought to synthesize T-antigen always initiate DNA synthesis as young cells do. The characteristics of senescent cells as compared with younger cells was low incidence of T-antigen-positive cells after infection. The basis of low susceptibility of senescent cells to initiate DNA synthesis by SV40 infection thus seems to be concerned with an event after the adsorption of virus, but before the synthesis of a detectable amount of T-antigen.