Independence between modification of genetic position effects and formation of lampbrush loops by the Y chromosome of Drosophila hydei

Summary The phenotype of the variegation position effect white-mottled-2 in Drosophila hydei is modified by supernumerary Y chromosomes and by fractions thereof. Different translocated Y fragments have varying degrees of effectiveness in suppressing the mutant phenotype in the mottled eyes. In fragments derived from similar regions of the Y chromosome the suppressive ability is related to their cytological lengths. In contrast, fragments derived from distinctive regions of the Y chromosome differ markedly in their effectiveness, and these differences are not necessarily correlated with the cytological length. In particular, fragments of the distal region of Y^L are more effective in enhancing the wild phenotype than are proximal fragments of similar size.The mutation white-mottled-2 is accompanied by a complex rearrangement of the X chromosome. This inhibits crossing over between large regions of the X chromosome in structural heterozygotes; it causes also a delay of development and a considerable reduction of viability in homozygous females and hemizygous males. XO males are inviable. The inviability of these males is partially covered by Y fragments. With respect to viability, the fragments show similar regional differences in effectiveness as in the modification of the mottled phenotype.There is also a parental effect on the modulation of the white-mottled-2 phenotype.There is no correlation between the activity of Y chromosomal factors on spermiogenesis and the activity of Y factors on the modification of the variegation position effect. Suppression of Y chromosomal sites which normally unfold lampbrush loops during the spermatocyte stage and whose activity has previously been shown to be indispensible for normal differentiation of the male germ line cells does not result in any visible alterations of the effectiveness on the mottling. So there is obviously independence between these two different genetic activities of Y chromosomal factors.     

On the mechanism of inhibition of the nicotinic acetylcholine receptor by the anticonvulsant MK-801 investigated by laser-pulse photolysis in the microsecond-to-millisecond time region.

The mechanism of inhibition of the muscle nicotinic acetylcholine receptor is of interest because of the many drugs which are known to modify its function. The laser-pulse photolysis technique, using a photolabile, biologically inert ligand (caged carbamoylcholine) for the nicotinic acetylcholine receptor, and BC3H1 cells have been used to investigate the mechanism of inhibition of the receptor by MK-801 [(+)-dizocilpine] in the microsecond-to-millisecond time region. MK-801 is an anticonvulsant and a known inhibitor of the N-methyl-D-aspartate and nicotinic acetylcholine receptors. Both the chemical kinetic and the single-channel current-recording measurements reported here indicate the existence of two inhibition processes, one occurring within 50 ms and the other within about 1 s of equilibration of the receptor with the inhibitor. Unless stated otherwise, here we characterize the receptor inhibition observed when MK-801 is equilibrated with the receptor for only 50 ms. We determined the effect of MK-801 on the concentration of the open receptor-channels and the apparent dissociation constant of the inhibitor from the closed-channel (KI(obs) = 180 microM) and open-channel ( = 950 microM) forms. Within a few milliseconds after inhibitor binding, decreases to about 100 microM, due to an inhibitor-induced isomerization to an inactive receptor form. A mechanism that incorporates the new results is proposed. It includes the formation of an ion-conducting receptor:inhibitor complex with a channel-opening equilibrium constant that is unfavorable compared to the open-channel receptor form in the absence of inhibitor. In the MK-801 concentration range of 0-500 microM, this mechanism accounts for the observed MK-801-induced decrease in the concentration of open channels. At high concentrations of carbamoylcholine, when the receptor is mainly in the open-channel form, the conducting receptor:inhibitor complex isomerizes to a nonconducting state with a rate constant of about 2400 s-1 for the forward reaction and 230 s-1 for the back reaction. It is shown that the proposed new mechanism, based on transient kinetic measurements, also accounts for the results of previous investigations with other inhibitors (procaine, cocaine), which were carried out under both pre-steady-state and equilibrium conditions. A compound that binds to the same regulatory site on the receptor as MK-801 but does not affect the channel-opening equilibrium constant may have considerable use in protecting an organism from the effects of abused drugs.     

Maximization of pulmonary hygroscopic aerosol deposition

A newly developed computer model is used to predict the aqueous salt solution concentration, breathing pattern, and inhaled droplet size distribution parameters that will maximize pulmonary deposition of hygroscopic medicinal aerosols. The parameter values providing maximum pulmonary deposition include 1) a NaCl concentration in the aerosolized solution of 0.035 g/ml or higher if the subject can tolerate it, 2) as nearly a monodispersed inhaled aerosol size distribution as possible, 3) an aerosol mass median diameter of 2-3 micron, and 4) slow (7 breaths/min) uninterrupted breathing of 1.5-2 liters of aerosol/breath. With these values, the model predicts that pulmonary deposition can be increased by greater than 100% relative to the deposition achieved in conventional inhalation therapy with isotonic saline-based medications.     

Interaction between the Msh2 and Msh6 Nucleotide-binding Sites in the Saccharomyces cerevisiae Msh2-Msh6 Complex

Indirect evidence has suggested that the Msh2-Msh6 mispair-binding complex undergoes conformational changes upon binding of ATP and mispairs, resulting in the formation of Msh2-Msh6 sliding clamps and licensing the formation of Msh2-Msh6-Mlh1-Pms1 ternary complexes. Here, we have studied eight mutant Msh2-Msh6 complexes with defective responses to nucleotide binding and/or mispair binding and used them to study the conformational changes required for sliding clamp formation and ternary complex assembly. ATP binding to the Msh6 nucleotide-binding site results in a conformational change that allows binding of ATP to the Msh2 nucleotide-binding site, although ATP binding to the two nucleotide-binding sites appears to be uncoupled in some mutant complexes. The formation of Msh2-Msh6-Mlh1-Pms1 ternary complexes requires ATP binding to only the Msh6 nucleotide-binding site, whereas the formation of Msh2-Msh6 sliding clamps requires ATP binding to both the Msh2 and Msh6 nucleotide-binding sites. In addition, the properties of the different mutant complexes suggest that distinct conformational states mediated by communication between the Msh2 and Msh6 nucleotide-binding sites are required for the formation of ternary complexes and sliding clamps.     

Competing Activities of Heterotrimeric G Proteins in Drosophila Wing Maturation

Drosophila genome encodes six alpha-subunits of heterotrimeric G proteins. The Gαs alpha-subunit is involved in the post-eclosion wing maturation, which consists of the epithelial-mesenchymal transition and cell death, accompanied by unfolding of the pupal wing into the firm adult flight organ. Here we show that another alpha-subunit Gαo can specifically antagonize the Gαs activities by competing for the Gβ13F/Gγ1 subunits of the heterotrimeric Gs protein complex. Loss of Gβ13F, Gγ1, or Gαs, but not any other G protein subunit, results in prevention of post-eclosion cell death and failure of the wing expansion. However, cell death prevention alone is not sufficient to induce the expansion defect, suggesting that the failure of epithelial-mesenchymal transition is key to the folded wing phenotypes. Overactivation of Gαs with cholera toxin mimics expression of constitutively activated Gαs and promotes wing blistering due to precocious cell death. In contrast, co-overexpression of Gβ13F and Gγ1 does not produce wing blistering, revealing the passive role of the Gβγ in the Gαs-mediated activation of apoptosis, but hinting at the possible function of Gβγ in the epithelial-mesenchymal transition. Our results provide a comprehensive functional analysis of the heterotrimeric G protein proteome in the late stages of Drosophila wing development.