Site-directed mutagenesis in the uracil-repair system. Preparation of mutated forms of human alpha 2 interferon

The mutant forms of human IFN-alpha 2 gene are obtained by oligonucleotide-directed mutagenesis with the use of uracil-repair system. To intensify the process the procedure of the uracil-containing DNA template preparation is modified. It was determined that when mutagenesis is performed in the uracil-repair system the yield of the process depends on the mutant DNA-strand in vitro synthesis efficiency. It is shown that the stability of the 5'-end primer-template complex and the level of the endogenic primers elongation are the basis factors, that determine induction mutations.     

A universal instinct for designing thermoregulated promotors in gram-positive bacteria]

The construction of plasmid pVKH300, which is useful for modifying any promoter into the thermoregulated form in B. subtilis cells, is presented. The main features of the plasmid are the presence of effectively expressed in B. subtilis lambda C1857 gene and recognition site of BglII restriction enzyme between OR2 and OR3 lambda phage operator sites. Promoterless alpha-amylase gene of B. amyloliquefaciens is used as a reporter gene for promoter cloning into BglII site of pVKH300. Examples of promoter-containing DNA fragments cloning with pVKH300 as vector are presented. It was found that the best regulated promoter, in a plasmid named pVKH332, was cloned in such a way that the distance between central nucleotides of OR2 and OR3 is equal to integer number of DNA helix turns (84 b.p. in the case).     

Elements of structural organization of the transcribed area of the ribosomal repeat (rDNA) in human peripheral blood lymphocytes

The rDNA transcribed region (TR) was tested for accessibility to RsaI recognizing 15 TR sites, DNase I, and photoinducible arylazide (N-(4-azido-2-hydroxybenzoyl)-N,N'-diaminoheptane acetate) in isolated nuclei and, with arylazide, in intact cells. Arylazide entered cells well and did not appreciably affect the chromatin structure. Its photolysis products efficiently modified DNA in accessible sites. Single-strand breaks made by DNase I were not transformed in double-stranded in rDNA TR, suggesting the necessity of denaturing electrophoresis for such an analysis. About 70% of all rDNA copies proved poorly inaccessible to endonucleases and arylazide, the accessibility being higher in their 18S and 5.8S rRNA gene regions than in the regions of the external transcribed spacers (ETSs) and the 28S rRNA gene. Proteinase K disrupted this structure, and the corresponding copies were extracted from nuclei. This explained why in situ hybridization occasionally fails to reveal rDNA in the nucleolar fibrillar center (FC) on electron microscopic preparations. In other rDNA copies, TR (excluding 5'-ETS) was accessible to nucleases and arylazide. These copies were not extracted from nuclei treated with proteinase K. Some of their RsaI sites were protected by tightly bound proteins. Seven such regions were identified in TR. Possible association of the molecular structure, nucleolar location, and functional state of rDNA is discussed.     

The accumulation of single-stranded breaks does not lead to paired DNA damage--the characteristic of the transcribing fragment of the human ribosomal operon that allows its being detected in biological fluids at the death of different body cells

It was shown by blot-hybridization with corresponding DNA probes after electrophoretic separation of control and experimental samples of human genome DNA that accumulation of single-strand breaks in the chains of double-strand fragment of transcribing range of ribosomal gene (TRrDNA) does not result in double-strand breaks. That differs from the other studied DNA sequences (cluster of histon genes, Alu-repetition, telomeric repetition and satellite III). Single-strand breaks and double-strand breaks were induced by endonucleases and by gamma-radiation. In spite of higher chemical modification of TRrDNA by arylazide and dimethylsulfate (because of high content of GC-pairs), under the following fragmentation TRrDNA was found to be more resistant to double-strand breaks than other studied DNA sequences. At the same time in the range of non-transcribing spacer (NTS) of ribosomal gene, the section with higher sensitivity to double-strand breaks was found. Higher resistance of TRrDNA to double breaks makes it possible to identify these fragments in cell material from different tissue after death or in DNA samples after prolonged storage. Resistance of TRrDNA to formation of double-strand breaks can be used for its detection in biological fluids after cell death, including the death initiated by ionizing radiation.