Structural analysis of UBL5, a novel ubiquitin-like modifier

UBL5 is a widely expressed human protein that is strongly conserved across phylogeny. Orthologs of UBL5 occur in every eukaryotic genome characterized to date. The yeast ortholog of UBL5, HUB1, was reported to be a ubiquitin-like protein modifier important for modulation of protein function. However, unlike ubiquitin and all other ubiquitin-like modifiers, UBL5 and its yeast ortholog HUB1 both contain a C-terminal di-tyrosine motif followed by a single variable residue instead of the characteristic di-glycine found in all other ubiquitin-like modifiers. Here we describe the three-dimensional structure of UBL5 determined by NMR. The overall structure of the protein was found to be very similar to ubiquitin despite the low approximately 25% residue similarity. The signature C-terminal di-tyrosine residues in UBL5 are involved in the final beta sheet of the protein. This is very different to the di-glycine motif found in ubiquitin, which extends beyond the final beta sheet. In addition, we have confirmed an earlier report of an interaction between UBL5 and the cyclin-like kinase, CLK4, which we have determined is specific and does not extend to other cyclin-like kinase family members.     

Cloning and expression analysis of a novel WD repeat gene, WDR3, mapping to 1p12-p13.

WD repeat proteins are components of multiprotein complexes that are involved in a wide spectrum of cellular activities, such as cell cycle progression, signal transduction, apoptosis, and gene regulation. These proteins are characterized by repeat units bracketed by Gly-His and Trp-Asp (GH-WD). We report here the isolation of a new member of the WD repeat gene family, WDR3, which encodes a putative 943-amino-acid nuclear protein consisting of 10 WD repeat modules. WDR3 is widely expressed in hematopoietic cell lines and in nonhematopoietic tissues. Fluorescence in situ hybridization mapped WDR3 to human chromosome 1p12-p13, a region that is affected by chromosomal rearrangements in a number of hematologic malignancies and solid tumors.     

Cloning, expression and characterization of a novel human REPS1 gene.

Ral is a member of the small GTPase-binding protein (G protein) family, and plays an important role in the Ras-RalGDS signal transduction pathway. A series of recent findings reveal several important downstream target proteins of Ral, such as RalBP1, Reps1, and others. Here we report another binding partner for RalBP1, which we have isolated from the human fetal brain library. The human REPS1 protein shares 83% amino acid identity with the mouse Reps1 protein. Northern blot analysis shows that the REPS1 is expressed in a variety of tissues, with the strongest expression in the heart and testis.     

Cloning, mapping, and expression analysis of a gene encoding a novel mammalian EGF-related protein (SCUBE1)

The epidermal growth factor (EGF) superfamily comprises a diverse group of proteins that function as secreted signaling molecules, growth factors, and components of the extracellular matrix, many with a role in vertebrate development. We have isolated a novel mammalian gene encoding an EGF-related protein with a CUB (C1s-like) domain that defines a new mammalian gene family. The Scube1 (signal peptide-CUB domain-EGF-related 1) gene was isolated from a developing mouse urogenital ridge cDNA library and is expressed prominently in the developing gonad, nervous system, somites, surface ectoderm, and limb buds. We have mapped Scube1 to mouse chromosome 15 and show that it is orthologous to a human gene in the syntenic region of chromosome 22q13. We discuss the possible functions of this novel gene and its role in heritable disease in light of these data.     

Isolation of a ubiquitin-like (UBL5) gene from a screen identifying highly expressed and conserved iris genes

We have screened a human adult iris cDNA library to identify genes that are highly expressed and conserved between humans and pigs. We identified human iris cDNAs that hybridized at high stringency to a porcine choroidal ring cDNA probe. Of 1568 human iris cDNAs examined, 176 were found to have high expression in porcine choroidal rings. One of the 176 clones was identified as a previously uncharacterized cDNA that we have named the Ubiquitin-like 5 gene (UBL5). The UBL5 gene is located on chromosome 19p13.2, and its genomic structure has been examined. There is a UBL5 pseudogene on chromosome 17p11.2. We have also found homologues to the UBL5 gene in Arabidopsis thaliana, Caenorhabditis elegans, Schizosaccharomyces pombe, and Saccharomyces cerevisiae. Northern blot analysis of the Ubiquitin-like gene 5 revealed expression in every tissue tested, with the highest levels of RNA expression in heart, skeletal muscle, kidney, liver, iris, and lymphoblasts. Intracellular localization experiments in COS-7 cells showed that the recombinant UBL5 protein is cytoplasmic. Western analysis demonstrated that the recombinant UBL5 protein is approximately 9 kDa, as predicted from the cDNA. A comparison between UBL5 and its homologues with other Ubiquitin-like proteins and Ubiquitin, using the PROTDIST program, suggests that the UBL5 genes are a separate class of Ubiquitin-like genes. Further characterization of the UBL5 gene will determine the function of the encoded protein and whether it is a candidate for ocular disease.     

Cloning and identification of a novel human ubiquitin-like protein,DC-UbP,from dendritic cells

Several ubiquitin-like proteins recently discovered have been confirmed to modify proteins akin to ubiquitinization for fine-regulation of intracellular proteins. In the present study, we report a novel ubiquitin-like protein from human dendritic cells (DC), named as dendritic cell-derived ubiquitin-like protein (DC-UbP). The full-length of DC-UbP cDNA is 565bp and encodes 106 amino acids. Ubiquitin domain (UBQ) in DC-UbP shares 28.6% identity and 55% similarity to ubiquitin, but does not possess the conserved C-terminus Gly-Gly of ubiquitin required for ubiquitinization. DC-UbP localized in cytoplasm, especially in mitochondrion, indicating that it may play a role in mitochondrial biology. DC-UbP mRNA was expressed in various tumor cells, but not in adult human normal tissues, suggesting that DC-UbP might be related to tumor genesis. In addition, DC-UbP mRNA expression decreased in the HL60 cells undergoing apoptosis after being stimulated with TRAIL and in the differentiated HL60 cells induced by ARTA. Taken together, DC-UbP might be downregulated during cellular differentiation and apoptosis.     

Cloning and expression of ARMC3-v2, a novel splicing variant of human ARMC3 gene

ARM genes, whose polypeptide consist of Armadillo/beta-catenin-like repeats (ARM) domain(s), exist ubiquitously from flies to vertebrates. These genes have multiple functions in signal transduction, development, cell adhesion and mobility, tumor initiation and metastasis. In this study, we have isolated a 2439-bp novel splicing variant of ARMC3 from the human fetal brain, encoding a 688-amino acid polypeptide that contains three typical ARM domains. The cDNA named ARMC3_v2 and the original named ARMC3_v1 (Gen-Bank: BC039312) are both located on the human chromosome 10p12.23. RT-PCR analysis in our work showed that ARMC3_v2 was detected in human skeletal muscle, liver, spleen and thymus; in contrast, ARMC3_v1 in skeletal muscle, lung, prostate and testis. The text was submitted by the authors in English.     

Cloning,expression, and initial characterization of a novel cytokine-like gene family

We report the identification and characterization of a novel cytokine-like gene family using structure-based methods to search for novel four-helix-bundle cytokines in genomics databases. There are four genes in this family, FAM3A, FAM3B, FAM3C, and FAM3D, each encoding a protein (224-235 amino acids) with a hydrophobic leader sequence. Northern analysis indicates that FAM3B is highly expressed in pancreas, FAM3D in placenta, and FAM3A and FAM3C in almost all tissues. Immunohistochemistry showed that FAM3A is expressed prominently in the vascular endothelium, particularly capillaries. We found that FAM3A and FAM3B protein were both localized to the islets of Langerhans of the endocrine pancreas. Recombinant FAM3B protein has delayed effects on beta-cell function, inhibiting basal insulin secretion from a beta-cell line in a dose-dependent manner.     

Cloning,expression and characterization of a novel human VMP gene*

We report here cloning and characterization of a novel human gene, termed VMP, which is a vesicular membrane protein. RT-PCR analysis shows that VMP is expressed exclusively in brain of the 16 tissues examined, suggesting that it is a neuron-specific membrane protein. The cDNA encodes 195 amino acid with a putative molecular weight of about 24 KDa. VMP contains two putative membrane spanning domains and a hydrophilic tail homologous to the microtubule-binding domain of MAPs. So it is speculated that VMP may associated with microtubules through its C-terminal and plays an important role in vesicular organelles transport and nerve signals.     

Cloning, mapping and tissue-specific expression of Drosophila clathrin-associated protein AP50 gene.

The Drosophila homologue of AP50, the medium chain of clathrin-associated protein complex AP-2, was identified and characterized from the Drosophila Expressed Sequence Tag database. The Drosophila AP50 is 86% identical to that of mouse and human, and 80% identical to the Caenorhabditis elegans homologue. It is a single-copy gene with two mini-introns in the coding region and it maps to position 94B1-B2 on polytene chromosomes. Two P1 clones, DS01102 and DS0104, were identified that contain the AP50 gene. Alternative 5' UTR splicing is involved in the regulation of AP50 expression. AP50 expression is highly enriched in the central nervous system and midgut caecum during embryo development, and its function is discussed. The two other Drosophila members of the medium-chain family of clathrin-associated protein complexes, AP47 and mu3, have also been identified and mapped to 85D20-D27 and 6E1-E4, respectively.     

Molecular cloning, chromosome mapping and characterization of UBQLN3 a testis-specific gene that contains an ubiquitin-like domain

The sequence of the ubiquitin protein is highly conserved between species and has facilitated the cloning of numerous ubiquitin-like proteins. In the present study, we report the cloning of the cDNA for human ubiquilin 3 (UBQLN3). The deduced amino acid sequence of UBQLN3 contains a UBQ domain (ubiquitin-like) in the amino terminus as well as two highly conserved domains found in several recently cloned ubiquitin-like proteins. One of these domains, termed the NP domain, is a highly conserved 93 amino acid region present in UBQLN3 and several ubiquitin-like proteins. The last conserved domain is the UBA domain (ubiquitin-associated) found in a variety of proteins of the ubiquination pathway. The human UBQLN3 gene was mapped to the 11p15 region of chromosome 11. Northern blot analysis of multiple human and mouse tissues demonstrated UBQLN3 mRNA expression specifically in testis.     

Cloning, expression, and chromosomal mapping of a human ganglioside sialidase.

Here we report the cDNA sequence of a human ganglioside sialidase. The cDNA was isolated from a human brain cDNA library by screening with a 240 bp probe generated by polymerase chain reaction using primers based on the sequences of rat cytosolic and bovine membrane sialidases which we previously cloned. The 3.0 kb cDNA encodes an open reading frame of 436 amino acids containing a putative transmenbrane domain and an Arg-Ile-Pro and three Asp-box sequences characteristic of sialidases and showing overall 83% and 39% identities to the bovine and rat enzymes, respectively. Northern blot analysis revealed high expression in skeletal muscle and testis, but low level in kidney, placenta, lung, and digestive organs. Transient expression of the cDNA in COS-1 cells resulted in a 130-fold increase in sialidase activity compared to the control level, and the activity was found to be almost specific for gangliosides. Fluorescent in situ hybridization allowed the human sialidase gene localized to chromosome 11 at q 13.5.     

Cloning and characterization of RNF6, a novel RING finger gene mapping to 13q12.

Myeloproliferative disorders frequently show deletions or rearrangements of the long arm of chromosome 13. We report here the cloning of RNF6, a new gene that maps close to the chromosome 13 breakpoint in a case of myelofibrosis with a t(4;13)(q26;q12). RNF6 is predicted to encode a 685-amino-acid protein with a coiled-coil domain and a RING-H2 finger at the amino and carboxy terminis, respectively. In addition, we have identified a novel motif, Lys-X-X-Leu/Ile-X-X-Leu/Ile (KIL motif), that is located shortly upstream of a subset of RING-H2 proteins, including RNF6. Drosophila g1, rat Neurodap1, and mouse Praja1. FISH and physical mapping indicated that RNF6 is located at 13q12.2 close to marker D13S1121, and it is oriented from telomere to centromere. RNF6 is not disrupted by the t(4;13).