Expression of Maternally and Embryonically Derived Hypoxanthine Phosphoribosyl Transferase (Hprt) Activity in Mouse Eggs and Early Embryos

X-chromosome activity in early mouse development has been studied by a gene dosage method that involves measuring the activity level of the X-linked enzyme hypoxanthine phosphoribosyl transferase (HPRT) in single eggs and embryos from XO females and from females heterozygous for In(X)1H, a paracentric inversion of the X chromosome. The HPRT activity in oocytes increased threefold over a 24-hr period beginning after ovulation. Afterward, the activity plateaued in unfertilized eggs but continued to increase for at least 66 hr in presumed OY embryos. Both before and after ovulation, the level of activity in unfertilized eggs from In(X)/X females was twice that from XO females, and the distributions of activity in eggs for both sets of females remained unimodal. Beginning with the two-cell stage, distributions of activity for embryos from In(X)/X females were trimodal, which is evidence for embryonic activity. It is proposed that activation of a maternal mRNA or proenzyme is responsible for the HPRT activity increase in oocytes and early embryos and is supplemented by dosage-dependent activity of the embryonic Hprt gene as early as the two-cell stage.     

Altered Turnover of Hypoxanthine Phosphoribosyltransferase in Erythroid Cells of Mice Expressing Hprt a and Hprt b Alleles

We have previously shown that mice expressing Hprt a allele(s) have erythrocyte hypoxanthine phosphoribosyltransferase (HPRT) levels that are approximately 25-fold (Mus musculus castaneus) and 70-fold (Mus spretus) higher than in mice that express the Hprt b allele (Mus musculus domesticus; C57BI/6J; C3H/HeHa), and that these differences in erythrocyte HPRT levels are due to differences in the turnover rates of the HPRT A and B proteins as reticulocytes mature to erythrocytes. We show here that: the taxonomic subgroups of the genus Mus are essentially monomorphic for the occurrence of either the Hprt a or the Hprt b allele, with Hprt a being common in the aboriginal species (M. spretus, Mus hortulanus and Mus abbotti) and in several commensal species (Mus musculus musculus, M. m. castaneus, Mus musculus molossinus), while Hprt b is common in feral M. m. domesticus populations as well as in all inbred strains of mice tested; in all these diverse Mus subgroups there is a strict association of Hprt a with high and Hprt b with low levels of erythrocyte HPRT; and, the association between the occurrence of the Hprt a allele and elevated erythrocyte HPRT levels is retained following repeated backcrosses of wild-derived Hprt a allele(s) into the genetic background of inbred strains of mice with the Hprt b allele. Collectively, these observations indicate that the elevated and low levels of erythrocyte HPRT are specified by differences in the Hprt a and b structural genes.(ABSTRACT TRUNCATED AT 250 WORDS)     

Variation in the Major Urinary Protein Multigene Family in Wild-Derived Mice

The levels of expression and genomic organization of genes coding for the major urinary proteins (MUPs) were examined in several stocks of wild-derived mice. Levels of MUP mRNA in the liver varied considerably with M. musculus Brno and M. castaneus males having several-fold more MUP RNA than inbred C57BL/6 males, whereas M. hortulanus, M. caroli and M. cervicolor displayed levels much lower than C57BL/6. Analysis of RNA with MUP cDNAs specific to two different subfamilies of MUP genes revealed that M. caroli and M. cervicolor primarily expressed a MUP mRNA that was less abundant in C57BL/6, suggesting differential expression of subfamilies of genes within the MUP multigene complex. Although inbred males usually have five-fold more MUP mRNA than inbred females, male to female ratios for wild-derived stocks ranged from one to several hundred. Southern blots of genomic DNA hybridized to MUP subfamily probes revealed differences in restriction fragment sizes as well as possible variation in the number of MUP genes in some species. Analysis of urinary proteins from hybrids between C57BL/6 and M. spretus suggested that low MUP expression in M. spretus females was due to cis-acting genetic elements.     

Nicotinamide Phosphoribosyl Transferase (Nampt) Is a Target of MicroRNA-26b in Colorectal Cancer Cells

A number of cancers show increased expression of Nicotinamide phosphoribosyl transferase (Nampt). However, the mechanism through which Nampt is upregulated is unclear. In our study, we found that the Nampt-specific chemical inhibitor FK866 significantly inhibited cell survival and reduced nicotinamide adenine dinucleotide (NAD) levels in LoVo and SW480 cell lines. Bioinformatics analyses suggested that miR-26b targets Nampt mRNA. We identified Nampt as a new target of miR-26b and demonstrated that miR-26b inhibits Nampt expression at the protein and mRNA levels by binding to the Nampt 3′-UTR. Moreover, we found that miR-26b was down regulated in cancer tissues relative to that in adjacent normal tissues in 18 colorectal cancer patients. A statistically significant inverse correlation between miR-26b and Nampt expression was observed in samples from colorectal cancer patients and in 5 colorectal cell lines (HT-29, SW480, SW1116, LoVo, and HCT116). In addition, over expression of miR-26b strongly inhibited LoVo cell survival and invasion, an effect partially abrogated by the addition of NAD. In conclusion, this study demonstrated that the NAD-salvaging biosynthesis pathway involving Nampt might play a role in colorectal cancer cell survival. MiR-26b may serve as a tumor suppressor by targeting Nampt.     

构建尿嘧啶磷酸核糖转移酶基因缺失菌株实现Gluconobacter suboxydans基因组无痕修饰

弱氧化葡糖酸杆菌(Gluconobacter suboxydans)可高效不完全氧化多种糖类和醇类等多羟基化合物,生成相应的醛类、酮类和有机酸类等产物,是一类重要的工业微生物。利用同源重组技术对基因组进行修饰改造是工业育种的有效手段。传统方法多选用抗生素为筛选标记,存在诸多缺陷。构建尿嘧啶磷酸核糖转移酶基因缺失菌株以实现Gluconobacter suboxydans基因组无痕修饰为目标,将自杀质粒p MD18-Jqupp电转化至野生型Gluconobacter suboxydans J12中,通过四环素抗性和5-氟尿嘧啶双重筛选,获得敲除了编码尿嘧啶磷酸核糖转移酶的基因upp的突变株。经生理验证表明,该突变株在含0.5mg/ml 5-氟尿嘧啶的培养基上生长,而回补upp基因后,在0.5mg/ml 5-F氟尿嘧啶的培养基上不生长。说明获得的G.suboxydans-upp突变株能以upp基因作为负向筛选标记,通过两次同源重组,实现Gluconobacter suboxydans基因组无痕修饰与改造,为今后代谢工程改造Gluconobacter suboxydans获得有价值的工业菌种奠定基础。     

Role of Quinolinate Phosphoribosyl Transferase in Degradation of Phthalate by Burkholderia cepacia DBO1

Two distinct regions of DNA encode the enzymes needed for phthalate degradation by Burkholderia cepacia DBO1. A gene coding for an enzyme (quinolinate phosphoribosyl transferase) involved in the biosynthesis of NAD+ was identified between these two regions by sequence analysis and functional assays. Southern hybridization experiments indicate that DBO1 and other phthalate-degrading B. cepacia strains have two dissimilar genes for this enzyme, while non-phthalate-degrading B. cepacia strains have only a single gene. The sequenced gene was labeled ophE, due to the fact that it is specifically induced by phthalate as shown by lacZ gene fusions. Insertional knockout mutants lacking ophE grow noticeably slower on phthalate while exhibiting normal rates of growth on other substrates. The fact that elevated levels of quinolinate phosphoribosyl transferase enhance growth on phthalate stems from the structural similarities between phthalate and quinolinate: phthalate is a competitive inhibitor of this enzyme and the phthalate catabolic pathway cometabolizes quinolinate. The recruitment of this gene for growth on phthalate thus gives B. cepacia an advantage over other phthalate-degrading bacteria in the environment.     

Adenine Phosphoribosyl Transferase 1 is a Key Enzyme Catalyzing Cytokinin Conversion from Nucleobases to Nucleotides in Arabidopsis

In plants, the cytokinin metabolic processes, including cytokinin biosynthesis, interconversion, inactivation, and degradation, play critical roles in the regulation of cytokinin homeostasis and plant development. Purine meta- bolic enzymes have been implied to catalyze the cytokinin interconversion in previous works. In this study, we report that Adenine Phosphoribosyl Transferase 1 （APT1） is the causal gene of the high-dose cytokinin-resistant mutants. APT1 catalyzes the cytokinin conversion from free bases to nucleotides, and is functionally predominant among the five members of the Arabidopsis Adenine Phosphoribosyl Transferase family. Loss of APT1 activity in plants leads to excess accumulation of cytokinin bases, thus evoking myriad cytokinin-regulated responses, such as delayed leaf senescence, anthocyanin accumulation, and downstream gene expression. Thus, our study defines APT1 as a key metabolic enzyme participating in the cytokinin inactivation by phosphoribosylation.     

Restoration of Phosphoribosyl Transferase Activity by Partially Deleting the trpB Gene in the Tryptophan Operon of Salmonella typhimurium

The amber mutant trpA28, which contains a mutation mapping within the so-called "unusual" region of the tryptophan (trp) operon of Salmonella typhimurium (between the genes trpA and trpB), lacks both components of the anthranilate synthetase (AS)-phosphoribosyl transferase (PRT) enzyme complex, the products of the genes trpA and trpB, respectively. Twenty-six revertants of this mutant selected on minimal medium supplemented with anthranilic acid, a substrate of PRT, contain deletions of various segments of the "unusual" region and make a species of PRT different in every respect from the wild-type, dissociated form of this enzyme. The results indicate that the unusual region corresponds to the operator proximal end of the trpB gene. Mutants in the unusual region, however, show unexpectedly low levels of AS activity and in two cases (trpA515 and trpA28) no detectable activity of this enzyme component.     

Molecular docking and simulation of Curcumin with Geranylgeranyl Transferase1 (GGTase1) and Farnesyl Transferase (FTase)

Protein prenylation is a posttranslational modification that is indispensable for translocation of membrane GTPases like Ras, Rho,Ras etc. Proteins of Ras family undergo farnesylation by FTase while Rho family goes through geranylgeranylation by GGTase1.There is only an infinitesimal difference in signal recognition between FTase and GGTase1. FTase inhibitors mostly end upselecting the cells with mutated Ras proteins that have acquired affinity towards GGTase1 in cancer microcosms. Therefore, it is ofinterest to identify GGTase1 and FTase dual inhibitors using the docking tool AutoDock Vina. Docking data show that curcumin(from turmeric) has higher binding affinity to GGTase1 than that of established peptidomimetic GGTase1 inhibitors (GGTI) such asGGTI-297, GGTI-298, CHEMBL525185. Curcumin also interacts with FTase with binding energy comparable to co-crystalizedcompound 2-[3-(3-ethyl-1-methyl-2-oxo-azepan-3-yl)-phenoxy]-4-[1-amino-1-(1-methyl-1h-imidizol-5-yl)-ethyl]-benzonitrile (BNE).The docked complex was further simulated for 10 ns using molecular dynamics simulation for stability. Thus, the molecular basisfor curcumin binding to GGTase1 and FTase is reported.     

De Novo Biosynthesis of Nicotinamide Adenine Dinucleotide in Escherichia coli: Excretion of Quinolinic Acid by Mutants Lacking Quinolinate Phosphoribosyl Transferase

The excretion of quinolinic acid was studied in growing and resting cells of Escherichia coli K-12 nadC(13). Under optimal conditions, this organism could synthesize quinolinic acid in several-fold excess of the amount which would be required for normal growth. The excretion of quinolinic acid was controlled by the concentration of nicotinamide adenine dinucleotide (NAD) precursors available to the organism either during growth or during incubation in dense cell suspensions. These observations suggest that biosynthesis of NAD de novo is regulated by both repression and feedback inhibition. Analogues of niacin which inhibit bacterial growth also inhibited and repressed the synthesis (excretion) of quinolinic acid. The pH optimum for quinolinic acid excretion agreed favorably with the optimum observed for its synthesis in vitro. The rate of quinolinic acid excretion was strongly influenced by the concentration of ribose or glycerol in the medium.     

Hypoxanthine guanine phosphoribosyltransferase (HPRT) mutations in the Asian population

Mutation of hypoxanthine guanine phosphoribosyltransferase (HPRT) gives rise to Lesch-Nyhan syndrome, which is characterized by hyperuricemia, severe motor disability, and self-injurious behavior, or HPRT-related gout (Kelley-Seegmiller syndrome). The marked heterogeneity of HPRT deficiency is well known, with more than 300 mutations at the HPRT gene locus having been reported (deletions, insertions, duplications, abnormal splicing, and point mutations at different sites of the coding region from exons 1 to 9). We have identified mutations in Asian families with patients manifesting different clinical phenotypes, including rare cases of female subjects, by analyzing all nine exons of the HPRT gene (HPRT1) from genomic DNA and reverse-transcribed mRNA using the polymerase chain reaction technique coupled with direct sequencing. We developed suitable methods to detect the mutations identified from respective families with HPRT deficiency. Then, prenatal genetic diagnoses in HPRT-deficient families were carried out using both mRNA and genomic DNA from chorionic villi or amniotic fluid cells. As shown here in the heterogeneity of HPRT mutations, the spectrum of 70 mutations identified in the Asian population fits the four main conclusions that emerged previously from worldwide analysis.     

黄鳝Hprt基因的克隆及表达分析

次黄嘌呤鸟嘌呤磷酸核糖转移酶(Hprt)参与嘌呤核苷酸的补救合成。采用RACE技术克隆了黄鳝的次黄嘌呤鸟嘌呤磷酸核糖转移酶基因,它的全长cDNA 为1 452 bp,预测编码218个氨基酸,与人类、小鼠、鸡和斑马鱼等脊椎动物Hprt氨基酸序列之间的同源性超过76.7％。基于该基因氨基酸序列构建了进化树,显示与斑马鱼Hprt基因更同源。RT-PCR表明黄鳝Hprt基因在多种组织中广谱表达,表明黄鳝该基因在功能和进化上的保守性。      

Electrophoretic patterns of seed albumins in the Old-WorldLupinus species (Fabaceae): Variation in the 2S albumin class

PAGE and SDS-PAGE electrophoretic analysis of 31 accessions of 10 Old-WorldLupinus species, 5 smooth-seeded and 5 rough-seeded, covered total seed albumins and 2S albumins isolated by a solid-phase extraction. PAGE albumin patterns showed a distinct difference between the smooth- and rough-seeded lupins. SDS-PAGE analysis of seed albumins revealed interspecific differences, mainly due to the 2S albumins. The differences were especially marked in the smooth-seeded species. In the rough-seeded lupins the following subgroups were distinguished: (1)L. atlanticus, (2)L. cosentinii andL. digitatus, (3)L. palaestinus andL. pilosus. Evidence was provided that the 2S albumin class contains conglutin , so far classified as a globulin. The results are discussed with reference to taxonomic relationships of the Old-World lupins and characterization of the lupin seed albumin fraction.     

Hypoxanthine (HX) inhibition of in vitro meiotic resumption in goat oocytes

To improve in vitro maturation and to understand the mechanism for meiotic resumption of oocytes, meiotic progression, and its control by hypoxanthine (HX) were studied in goat oocytes. Ovaries were obtained from a local abattoir, and cumulus-oocyte complexes (COCs) and follicular fluid were collected from follicles of different surface diameters (SDs). The meiotic competence and progression of oocytes were observed, and the concentration of HX in the follicular fluid and culture media was measured by high-performance liquid chromatography (HPLC). Full meiotic competence of goat oocytes was acquired in follicles of >/=1.5 mm in SD with 90% of the oocytes developing to metaphase II (MII) stage after 24 hr in culture. The HX concentration in follicular fluid decreased with follicle development, from the highest level of 1.16 mM in /=5 mm follicles. HX inhibited meiotic resumption of goat oocytes in a concentration-related manner but this inhibitory effect declined gradually. When we renewed the medium at 4 hr of HX-199 (TCM-199 supplemented with 4 mM HX) culture, the percentage of oocytes with intact germinal vesicle (GV) did not increase but decreased significantly instead. HPLC measurement of HX in the HX-199 culture drops indicated that the HX concentration declined from 0 hr to 4 hr of culture and after medium renewal at 4 hr of culture. By adding dibutyryl cAMP (db-cAMP) at medium renewal, we found that db-cAMP held up the decline of GV percentages. Together, these results were consistent with the possibility that the decline of HX inhibitory effect was not due to HX depletion but rather due to the negative feedback of the metabolites on its further uptake by oocytes. Goat oocytes were capable of normal nuclear maturation and activation after temporal arrest by HX, but prolonged exposure to HX induced spontaneous activation.     

Electrophoretic evidence for the origin ofDryopteris yakusilvicola (Dryopteridaceae)

To investigate the origin of the triploid agamosporous speciesD. yakusilvicola, an electrophoretic analysis was made for five enzymes of theD. sparsa complex.Dryopteris yakusilvicola showed a monomorphic banding pattern for the five enzymes and was heterozygous in all six gene loci coding them. Comparison of enzyme banding patterns suggests that the genome ofD. yakusilvicola was derived through hybridization betweenD. sabaei and either a sexual tetraploid or an agamosporous triploid ofD. sparsa. Cytological evidence (Darnaediet al., 1989) supports the idea that of the two types ofD. sparsa the sexual tetraploid is a parent. The monomorphic pattern implies thatD. yakusilvicola originated from a single hybrid between the parental species, and that it is a neo-endemic of Yakushima Island.     

Devising Assisted Reproductive Technologies for Wild-Derived Strains of Mice: 37 Strains from Five Subspecies of Mus musculus

Wild-derived mice have long offered invaluable experimental models for mouse genetics because of their high evolutionary divergence from laboratory mice. A number of wild-derived strains are available from the RIKEN BioResource Center (BRC), but they have been maintained as living stocks because of the unavailability of assisted reproductive technology (ART). In this study, we sought to devise ART for 37 wild-derived strains from five subspecies of Mus musculus maintained at the BRC. Superovulation of females was effective (more than 15 oocytes per female) for 34 out of 37 strains by treatment with either equine chorionic gonadotropin or anti-inhibin serum, depending on their genetic background (subspecies). The collected oocytes could be fertilized in vitro at mean rates of 79.0% and 54.6% by the optimized protocol using fresh or frozen-thawed spermatozoa, respectively. They were cryopreserved at the 2-cell stage by vitrification with an ethylene glycol-based solution. In total, 94.6% of cryopreserved embryos survived the vitrification procedure and restored their normal morphology after warming. A conventional embryo transfer protocol could be applied to 25 out of the 35 strains tested. In the remaining 10 strains, live offspring could be obtained by a modified embryo transfer protocol using cyclosporin A treatment and co-transfer of ICR (laboratory mouse strain) embryos. Thus, ART for 37 wild-derived strains was devised successfully and is now routinely used for their preservation and transportation. The information provided here might facilitate broader use and wider distribution of wild-derived mice for biomedical research.     

Functional Divergence of the Glutamine Phosphoribosyl Pyrophosphate Amidotransferase (ASE) Gene Family in Arabidopsis

Journal of Evolutionary Biochemistry and Physiology - Background: Functional divergence occurs widely among duplicated genes in plants. The divergence of functional genes may result from changes in...