Suppression of Nonsense Mutations in the Dystrophin Gene by a Suppressor tRNA Gene

Nonsense mutations in the dystrophin gene are the cause of Duchenne muscular dystrophy (DMD) in 10–15% of patients. In such an event, one approach to gene therapy for DMD is the use of suppressor tRNAs to overcome the premature termination of translation of the mutant mRNA. We have carried out cotransfection of the HeLa cell culture with constructs containing a suptRNA gene (pcDNA3suptRNA) and a marker LacZ gene (pNTLacZhis) using their polymer VSST-525 complexes. It was found that the number of cells producing -galactosidase depends inversely on the dose of the suptRNA gene. A single in vivo injection of the construct providing for expression of the suptRNAochre gene into mdx mouse muscle resulted in the production of dystrophin in 2.5% of fibers. This suggests that suppressor tRNAs are applicable in gene therapy for hereditary diseases caused by nonsense mutations.     

Effect of Silver Ions on Copper Metabolism during Mammalian Ontogenesis

Copper metabolism was studied in laboratory rats that received silver ions with food (Ag diet) from birth for 5, 20, 40, and 180 days. Parameters of the copper status in the blood serum were determined, and data on the distribution of silver ions in the body were obtained. A comparative histological analysis of brain, liver, kidney, and spleen sections of adult rats kept on the Ag diet for 30 or 180 days was performed. Copper and silver content, expression levels of the genes of copper transport proteins, and the activity of copper enzymes were determined in the cells of the liver, the central organ responsible for copper metabolism in mammals. In adult rats kept on the Ag diet for 30 days, copper status parameters dropped to near-zero values. In contrast, these parameters were decreased only twofold in rats that had been kept on the Ag diet for 6 months from birth. At the same time, the expression of genes involved in copper homeostatis was downregulated. The expression of genes that encode copper enzymes was unchanged. The activity of ceruloplasmin, the main copper-containing protein of the blood, was decreased, while the activity of SOD1, a cellular copper enzyme, was unchanged. The pathways by which silver can interfere with copper metabolism and the mechanisms that compensate these effects are discussed. The data obtained may help assess the potential consequences of growing environmental exposure to silver due to increasing use of silver nanoparticles in different areas of human activity.     

Interaction of the dye Congo red with fibrils of lysozyme,beta2-microglobulin,and transthyretin

Interaction of the dye Congo red (CR) with fibrils of three model proteins—hen egg lysozyme, recombinant human beta 2-microglobulin (b2M), and recombinant human transthyretin (TTR)—has been investigated using spectrophotometry. Considerable amounts of impurities were detected in the commercial dye formulation. A procedure of dye purification has been developed. The molar extinction coefficient of the dye at 490 nm (ε₄₉₀) has been measured; the coefficient was 3.3 × 10⁴ M^–1 cm^–1 at pH > 6.0. The formation of a complex between CR and the fibrils was accompanied by a change in the absorption spectrum of the dye in the visible wavelength range. Titration of fibril solutions with excessive amounts of dye showed that the number of CR molecules bound to a protein monomer within the lysozyme fibrils was close to five, whereas the respective ratio for b2M was close to four, and the ratio for TTR fibrils was close to four molecules per protein subunit.     

Study of the pre-implantation development of mice embryos marked with a green fluorescent protein (EGFP) gene

We present the data on the in vitro development of mouse embryos after injecting pronuclei with cloned DNA fragments with an enhanced green fluorescent protein (EGFP) gene under the control of different regulatory elements (promoters, enhancers, stop signals, etc). It was found that the microinjection procedure itself inhibits development independent of the genetic constructs applied. The development of transgenic embryos may be blocked at different stages of cleavage and morula or blastocyte stages. Most transgenic embryos proved to be mosaics. Transgenic cells are very frequently found in trophectoderm; i.e. they are not a part of the inner cell mass, which is a progenitor for the development of embryo tissues.     

Isolation of Stable Human Ceruloplasmin and Its Interaction with Salmon Protamine

An interaction was discovered between ceruloplasmin (CP, a ferro-O₂-oxidoreductase, EC 1.16.3.1), a copper-containing protein of human blood plasma, and salmon protamine (PR), a cationic polypeptide of vertebrates that provides a compact structure of spermatozoid DNA. Addition of PR to CP at a molar ratio of 2 : 1 decreases the CP electrophoretic mobility. Two types of CP binding centers for PR were determined: two centers with a high (K _d1 of 5.31 × 10⁻⁷ M) and four centers with a low affinity (K _d2 of 1.56 × 10⁻⁵ M). PR was shown to form complexes with CPs of various animal species. The CP-PR complex dissociates at an increased ionic strength (0.3 M NaCl), at pH decreased below 4.7, and/or in the presence of added polyanions (DNA, lipopolysaccharides, or heparin) or polylysine, which indicates the electrostatic nature of the interaction. The CP-PR interaction increased 1.5-fold the rate of CP-catalyzed oxidation of Fe²⁺. The preliminary treatment of blood plasma with arginine-Sepharose and heparin-Sepharose (to remove the blood coagulation factors) and affinity chromatography on PR-Sepharose allowed us to isolate the practically unproteolyzed monomeric CP in 90% yield; it remained stable for more than two months at 37°C.__________Translated from Bioorganicheskaya Khimiya, Vol. 31, No. 3, 2005, pp. 269–279.Original Russian Text Copyright © 2005 by Sokolov, Zakharova, Shavlovskii, Vasil’ev.     

Fluorene Derivative Disodium Salt as a New Fluorescent Dye for Identification of Amyloid Deposits in Myocardium of mdx Mice

The aim of this study was to develop a new method for the detection of amyloid deposits in laboratory animals using an analogue of Congo red synthesized on the basis of diaminofluorene. The analogue is disodium salt of 2,7-(1-amino-4-sulfo-2-naphthylazo)fluorene (DSNAF). Myocardial samples from mdx mice of both sexes aged 1–1.5 years (n = 8) were used as the material for this study. The main result of this study was the development of an optimal protocol for amyloid staining with DSNAF. It has been shown that the sensitivity and specificity of amyloid detection by this method is comparable with Congo-red staining. The clear advantages of using DSNAF are stability of staining, high fluorescence intensity of amyloid deposits, and total lack of background fluorescence, which greatly simplifies the procedure of quantitative evaluation of obtained results. The method of amyloid staining with DSNAF is characterized by simplicity and good reproducibility. Further research will show the possibility to apply this method for diagnosis of amyloidosis in the practice of clinical research.     

The activity of enzymes involved in synthesis and hydrolysis of flavin adenine dinucleotide is Pichia guilliermondii studies at different levels of flavinogenesis

The activity of FAD-pyrophosphorylase and FAD-hydrolase (nucleotidepyrophosphatase) was studied in extracts of Pichia guilliermondii ATCC 9058 capable of riboflavin over-production. The specific activity of the enzymes was highest at the logarithmic growth phase (2.6 and 3.8 mcmoles of FAD per 1 min per 1 mg of protein X10(-5), respectively), and did not increase upon the induction of riboflavin overproduction. A decrease in the content of hemin compounds and a low content of flavins in the cells of Pichia guilliermondii mutants had no considerable effect on the activity of the two enzymes. When the yeast was cultivated on a medium containing hexadecane, an increase in the content of FAD in the cells was not accompanied with a rise in the activity of FAD-pyrophosphorylase. The activity of the enzyme did not change when succinate and lactate, the substrates of FAD-containing enzymes, were used as the source of carbon. The activity of FAD-pyrophosphorylase increased only when iron-deficient cells of the yeast were grown or incubated on a medium containing glycine; this stimulation was inhibited by cycloheximide.