Structure and chromosomal localization of the human glycogenin-2 gene GYG2

Glycogenin-2 is one of two self-glucosylating proteins involved in the initiation phase of the synthesis of the storage polysaccharide glycogen. Cloning of the human glycogenin-2 gene, GYG2, has revealed the presence of 11 exons and a gene of more than 46 kb in size. The structure of the gene explains much of the observed diversity in glycogenin-2 cDNA sequences as being due to alternate exon usage. In some cases, there is variation in the splice junctions used. Over regions of protein sequence similarity, the GYG2 gene structure is similar to that of the other glycogenin gene, GYG. A genomic GYG2 clone was used to localize the gene to Xp22.3 by fluorescence in-situ hybridization. Localization close to the telomere of the short arm of the X chromosome is consistent with mapping information obtained from glycogenin-2 STS sequences. Glycogenin-2 maps between the microsatellite anchor markers AFM319te9 (DXS7100) and AFM205tf2 (DXS1060), and its 3' end is 34.5 kb from the 3' end of the arylsulphatase gene ARSD. GYG2 is outside the pseudoautosomal region PAR1 but still in a region of X-Y shared genes. As is true for several other genes in this location, an inactive remnant of GYG2, consisting of exons 1-3, may be present on the Y chromosome.     

Mutagenesis of the proposed iron-sulfur cluster binding ligands in Escherichia coli biotin synthase

Biotin synthase (BioB) is a member of a family of enzymes that includes anaerobic ribonucleotide reductase and pyruvate formate lyase activating enzyme. These enzymes all use S-adenosylmethionine during turnover and contain three highly conserved cysteine residues that may act as ligands to an iron-sulfur cluster required for activity. Three mutant enzymes of BioB have been made, each with one cysteine residue (C53, 57, 60) mutated to alanine. All three mutant enzymes were inactive, but they still exhibited the characteristic UV-visible spectrum of a [2Fe-2S]2+ cluster similar to that of the wild-type enzyme.     

Germ-line mutational analysis of the TSC2 gene in 90 tuberous-sclerosis patients.

Ninety patients with tuberous-sclerosis complex (TSC) were tested for subtle mutations in the TSC2 gene, by means of single-strand conformational analysis (SSCA) of genomic DNA. Patients included 56 sporadic cases and 34 familial probands. For all patients, SSCA was performed for each of the 41 exons of the TSC2 gene. We identified 32 SSCA changes, 22 disease-causing mutations, and 10 polymorphic variants. Interestingly, we detected mutations at a much higher frequency in the sporadic cases (32%) than in the multiplex families (9%). Among the eight families for which linkage to the TSC2 region had been determined, only one mutation was found. Mutations were distributed equally across the gene; they included 5 deletions, 3 insertions, 10 missense mutations, 2 nonsense mutations, and 2 tandem duplications. We did not detect an increase in mutations either in the GTPase-activating protein (GAP)-related domains of TSC2 or in the activating domains that have been identified in rat tuberin. We did not detect any mutations in the exons (25 and 31) that are spliced out in the isoforms. There was no evidence for correspondence between variability of phenotype and type of mutation (missense versus early termination). Diagnostic testing will be difficult because of the genetic heterogeneity of TSC (which has at least two causative genes: TSC1 and TSC2), the large size of the TSC2 gene, and the variety of mutations. More than half of the mutations that we identified (missense, small in-frame deletion, and tandem duplication) are not amenable to the mutation-detection methods, such as protein-truncation testing, that are commonly employed for genes that encode proteins with tumor-suppressor function.     

Weshalb hemmen Würmer Allergien? Parasiten als Immunologen

Parasitic worms survive within their immunocompetent hosts by modulating their immune system and by inhibiting inflammatory responses directed against the parasites. This immunomodulation has a spill over effect and also inhibits inflammatory responses originating from other causes. For this reason, persons who are infected with certain species of worms show a lower rate of allergic diseases as compared to persons who are free of parasites. In the same line, studies in mouse models revealed that many inflammatory diseases can be treated by worm infections. This effect is among others owing to specific proteins that are released by the worms. Such secreted immunomodulators, shaped by co‐evolution between parasites and their hosts, could become lead compounds for the development of new therapies against allergic and inflammatory diseases.     

A Year of Infection in the Intensive Care Unit: Prospective Whole Genome Sequencing of Bacterial Clinical Isolates Reveals Cryptic Transmissions and Novel Microbiota

Bacterial whole genome sequencing holds promise as a disruptive technology in clinical microbiology, but it has not yet been applied systematically or comprehensively within a clinical context. Here, over the course of one year, we performed prospective collection and whole genome sequencing of nearly all bacterial isolates obtained from a tertiary care hospital’s intensive care units (ICUs). This unbiased collection of 1,229 bacterial genomes from 391 patients enables detailed exploration of several features of clinical pathogens. A sizable fraction of isolates identified as clinically relevant corresponded to previously undescribed species: 12% of isolates assigned a species-level classification by conventional methods actually qualified as distinct, novel genomospecies on the basis of genomic similarity. Pan-genome analysis of the most frequently encountered pathogens in the collection revealed substantial variation in pan-genome size (1,420 to 20,432 genes) and the rate of gene discovery (1 to 152 genes per isolate sequenced). Surprisingly, although potential nosocomial transmission of actively surveilled pathogens was rare, 8.7% of isolates belonged to genomically related clonal lineages that were present among multiple patients, usually with overlapping hospital admissions, and were associated with clinically significant infection in 62% of patients from which they were recovered. Multi-patient clonal lineages were particularly evident in the neonatal care unit, where seven separate Staphylococcus epidermidis clonal lineages were identified, including one lineage associated with bacteremia in 5/9 neonates. Our study highlights key differences in the information made available by conventional microbiological practices versus whole genome sequencing, and motivates the further integration of microbial genome sequencing into routine clinical care.     

Unisexual Reproduction Reverses Muller’s Ratchet

Cryptococcus neoformans is a pathogenic basidiomycetous fungus that engages in outcrossing, inbreeding, and selfing forms of unisexual reproduction as well as canonical sexual reproduction between opposite mating types. Long thought to be clonal, >99% of sampled environmental and clinical isolates of C. neoformans are MATα, limiting the frequency of opposite mating-type sexual reproduction. Sexual reproduction allows eukaryotic organisms to exchange genetic information and shuffle their genomes to avoid the irreversible accumulation of deleterious changes that occur in asexual populations, known as Muller’s ratchet. We tested whether unisexual reproduction, which dispenses with the requirement for an opposite mating-type partner, is able to purge the genome of deleterious mutations. We report that the unisexual cycle can restore mutant strains of C. neoformans to wild-type genotype and phenotype, including prototrophy and growth rate. Furthermore, the unisexual cycle allows attenuated strains to purge deleterious mutations and produce progeny that are returned to wild-type virulence. Our results show that unisexual populations of C. neoformans are able to avoid Muller’s ratchet and loss of fitness through a unisexual reproduction cycle involving α-α cell fusion, nuclear fusion, and meiosis. Similar types of unisexual reproduction may operate in other pathogenic and saprobic eukaryotic taxa.     

mEosFP-based green-to-red photoconvertible subcellular probes for plants

Photoconvertible fluorescent proteins (FPs) are recent additions to the biologists' toolbox for understanding the living cell. Like green fluorescent protein (GFP), monomeric EosFP is bright green in color but is efficiently photoconverted into a red fluorescent form using a mild violet-blue excitation. Here, we report mEosFP-based probes that localize to the cytosol, plasma membrane invaginations, endosomes, prevacuolar vesicles, vacuoles, the endoplasmic reticulum, Golgi bodies, mitochondria, peroxisomes, and the two major cytoskeletal elements, filamentous actin and cortical microtubules. The mEosFP fusion proteins are smaller than GFP/red fluorescent protein-based probes and, as demonstrated here, provide several significant advantages for imaging of living plant cells. These include an ability to differentially color label a single cell or a group of cells in a developing organ, selectively highlight a region of a cell or a subpopulation of organelles and vesicles within a cell for tracking them, and understanding spatiotemporal aspects of interactions between similar as well as different organelles. In addition, mEosFP probes introduce a milder alternative to fluorescence recovery after photobleaching, whereby instead of photobleaching, photoconversion followed by recovery of green fluorescence can be used for estimating subcellular dynamics. Most importantly, the two fluorescent forms of mEosFP furnish bright internal controls during imaging experiments and are fully compatible with cyan fluorescent protein, GFP, yellow fluorescent protein, and red fluorescent protein fluorochromes for use in simultaneous, multicolor labeling schemes. Photoconvertible mEosFP-based subcellular probes promise to usher in a much higher degree of precision to live imaging of plant cells than has been possible so far using single-colored FPs.     

Substrate specificity and effect on GLUT4 translocation of the Rab GTPase-activating protein Tbc1d1

Insulin stimulation of the trafficking of the glucose transporter GLUT4 to the plasma membrane is controlled in part by the phosphorylation of the Rab GAP (GTPase-activating protein) AS160 (also known as Tbc1d4). Considerable evidence indicates that the phosphorylation of this protein by Akt (protein kinase B) leads to suppression of its GAP activity and results in the elevation of the GTP form of a critical Rab. The present study examines a similar Rab GAP, Tbc1d1, about which very little is known. We found that the Rab specificity of the Tbc1d1 GAP domain is identical with that of AS160. Ectopic expression of Tbc1d1 in 3T3-L1 adipocytes blocked insulin-stimulated GLUT4 translocation to the plasma membrane, whereas a point mutant with an inactive GAP domain had no effect. Insulin treatment led to the phosphorylation of Tbc1d1 on an Akt site that is conserved between Tbc1d1 and AS160. These results show that Tbc1d1 regulates GLUT4 translocation through its GAP activity, and is a likely Akt substrate. An allele of Tbc1d1 in which Arg(125) is replaced by tryptophan has very recently been implicated in susceptibility to obesity by genetic analysis. We found that this form of Tbc1d1 also inhibited GLUT4 translocation and that this effect also required a functional GAP domain.