Inhibition of the initiation of leukemic transcription by N-trifluoroacetyladriamycin-14-O-hemiadipate in vitro. Impaired formation of RNA polymerase-DNA complex

The effect of N-trifluoroacetyladriamycin-14-O-hemiadipate (AD 143), a new derivative of adriamycin, on various steps of the enzymic reaction catalyzed by chicken myeloblastosis RNA polymerase II was studied. AD 143 inhibition of RNA synthesis, which was evident at the beginning of the reaction, could not be reversed by increasing the concentrations of any one of the four nucleoside triphosphate substrates of the reaction. Furthermore, the RNA synthesis inhibition was not affected by varying the concentrations of template DNA. The AD 143-induced inhibition caused a reduction of the frequency of RNA chain initiation, whereas the average chain length of RNA synthesized at the end of the reaction remained unaltered. The susceptible step in the initiation process was found to be the formation of stable complexes between RNA polymerase and the DNA template. While AD 143 causes no inhibition of Escherichia coli RNA polymerase activity, it was found not to affect the E. coli RNA polymerase-template DNA complex formation.     

Isolation of the lux genes from Photobacterium leiognathi and expression in Escherichia coli

Genes necessary for luminescence (lux genes) in the marine bacterium Photobacterium leiognathi, strain PL721, were isolated and expressed in Escherichia coli. A 15-kb fragment obtained from a partial digestion of PL721 DNA with HindIII was cloned into the plasmid pACYC184, resulting in the hybrid plasmid pSD721. When pSD721 was transformed into E. coli ED8654, the resulting transformants were luminous with no additions to the cells, indicating that it contained the structural genes coding for the alpha and beta subunits of luciferase (luxA and luxB), and for components involved in aldehyde biosynthesis. Hybridization analysis with luxA and luxB 32P probes confirmed the location of these two genes on the 15-kb insert. When pSD721 was transformed into four different strains of E. coli, luminescence expression varied widely in amount and in pattern. In some strains, luminescence developed like an autoinducible system, and at maximum induction was very bright, even with no addition of aldehyde, while in others, luminescence was 100-fold less, and no induction was seen. In no case was luminescence affected by shifts in temperature, osmolarity, or iron concentration. These results indicate that, while the complete lux regulon is apparently contained on the 15-kb cloned fragment, the regulation of the lux regulon in pSD721 is subject to host controls by E. coli, controls which vary widely among different E. coli strains.     

The role of the medium in long-range electron transfer

 The role of the polypeptide matrix in electron transfer processes in proteins has been studied in two distinct systems: first in a protein where the induced ET is artificial, and second as part of the catalytic cycle of an enzyme. Azurins are structurally well-characterized blue single-copper proteins consisting of a rigid β-sheet polypeptide matrix. We have determined rate constants and activation parameters for intramolecular long-range electron transfer between the disulfide radical anions (generated by pulse radiolysis) and the copper(II) centre as a function of driving force and nature of the intervening medium in a large number of wild-type and single-site-mutated proteins. In ascorbate oxidase, for which the three-dimensional structure is equally well characterized, the internal ET from the type-I Cu(I) to the trinuclear Cu(II) centre has been studied. We find that the results correlate well with distance through well-defined pathways using a through-bond electron tunnelling mechanism. Received: 2 January 1997 / Accepted: 6 February 1997     

DNA Barcoding of Neotropical Sand Flies (Diptera,Psychodidae, Phlebotominae): Species Identification and Discovery within Brazil

DNA barcoding has been an effective tool for species identification in several animal groups. Here, we used DNA barcoding to discriminate between 47 morphologically distinct species of Brazilian sand flies. DNA barcodes correctly identified approximately 90% of the sampled taxa (42 morphologically distinct species) using clustering based on neighbor-joining distance, of which four species showed comparatively higher maximum values of divergence (range 4.23–19.04%), indicating cryptic diversity. The DNA barcodes also corroborated the resurrection of two species within the shannoni complex and provided an efficient tool to differentiate between morphologically indistinguishable females of closely related species. Taken together, our results validate the effectiveness of DNA barcoding for species identification and the discovery of cryptic diversity in sand flies from Brazil.     

Protection Induced by Simultaneous Subcutaneous and Endobronchial Vaccination with BCG/BCG and BCG/Adenovirus Expressing Antigen 85A against Mycobacterium bovis in Cattle

The incidence of bovine tuberculosis (bTB) in the GB has been increasing since the 1980s. Immunisation, alongside current control measures, has been proposed as a sustainable measure to control bTB. Immunisation with Mycobacterium bovis bacillus Calmette-Guerin (BCG) has been shown to protect against bTB. Furthermore, much experimental data indicates that pulmonary local immunity is important for protection against respiratory infections including Mycobacterium tuberculosis and that pulmonary immunisation is highly effective. Here, we evaluated protection against M. bovis, the main causative agent of bTB, conferred by BCG delivered subcutaneously, endobronchially or by the new strategy of simultaneous immunisation by both routes. We also tested simultaneous subcutaneous immunisation with BCG and endobronchial delivery of a recombinant type 5 adenovirus expressing mycobacterial antigen 85A. There was significantly reduced visible pathology in animals receiving the simultaneous BCG/BCG or BCG/Ad85 treatment compared to naïve controls. Furthermore, there were significantly fewer advanced microscopic granulomata in animals receiving BCG/Ad85A compared to naive controls. Thus, combining local and systemic immunisation limits the development of pathology, which in turn could decrease bTB transmission.