Apis mellifera cytoplasmic elongation factor 1 alpha (EF-1 alpha) is closely related to Drosophila melanogaster EF-1 alpha

Using low stringency hybridisation with a Drosophila melanogaster EF-1 alpha gene fragment we have isolated a genomic DNA clone encoding elongation factor 1 alpha (EF-1 alpha) from Apis mellifera. The hybridising Apis mellifera sequence could be delineated to two small EcoRI fragments that were also revealed by genomic Southern hybridisation. By comparison with the corresponding Drosophila melanogaster data the complete translational reading frame has been deduced. It is interrupted by two intervening sequences of 220 and about 790 nucleotides. Comparison with known eucaryotic EF-1 alpha sequences further confirms that certain amino acid sequences seem to be invariable within the EF-1 alpha protein family.     

Genes for elongation factor EF-1 alpha in the brine shrimp Artemia

Neurospora crassa had a heat-stable (up to 95 degrees C), soluble cyclic nucleotide phosphodiesterase (PDE). Both unheated and heat-stable PDE activities were inhibited by micromolar concentrations of Ca2+. This inhibition was reversed by EGTA or EDTA in molar excess of the Ca2+ concentration. Calmodulin was not involved in the Ca2+ inhibition, nor was Ca2+ inhibition of the heat-stable PDE due to cleavage inactivation of the enzyme by a Ca2+-stimulated protease. In addition to Ca2+, several other cations inhibited the activity of the heat-stable enzyme. Cyclic AMP and cGMP, but not 2'3' cAMP were substrates for both unheated and heat-stable PDEs. This is the first report of a PDE which is inhibited by micromolar concentrations of Ca2+.     

The gene family encoding the Arabidopsis thaliana translation elongation factor EF-1 alpha: molecular cloning, characterization and expression

Summary The gene family encoding the Arabidopsis thaliana translation elongation factor (EF-1) was analysed. This family contains four genes (A1-A4) organized in a similar manner in different varieties of Arabidopsis. Based upon both their physical separation and a comparison of their sequences, it is suggested that the A4 gene and the A1, A2, and A3 genes constitute two distinct subfamilies within the genome. By introducing chimaeric gene constructs into Arabidopsis cells, we showed that the Al gene promoter mediates a transient expression about twofold higher than that obtained using the CaMV 35 S promoter. This expression depends on a 348 by DNA fragment extending from –982 to –634 by upstream of the initiation codon. This element contains a characteristic telomeric sequence (AACCCTAA) which is also found in the promoters of the A2 and A4 genes as well as in the promoters of the Drosophila EF-1 F1 gene and of several highly expressed plant genes.     

Interaction of subunits of polypeptide chain elongation factor I from pig liver. Formation of EF-1alpha.EF-1betagamma and EF-1beta complexes

In the preceding papers, we showed that one of the two complementar factors of polypeptide chain elongation factor 1 (EF-1) from pig liver, EF-1alpha, functionally corresponds to bacterial EF-Tu (Nagata, S., Iwasaki, K., and Kaziro, Y. (1976) Arch. Biochem. Biophys. 172, 168), while the other, EF-1betagamma, as well as one of its subunits, EF-1beta, corresponds to bacterial EF-Ts (Motoyoshi, K. and Iwasaki, K. (1977) J. Biochem. 82, 703). Therefore, the interaction between EF-1alpha and EF-1 betagamma or EF-1beta was was examined and the following results were obtained. i) EF-1betagamma catalytically promoted the exchange of [14C]GDP bound to EF-1alpha with exogenous [3H]GDP. ii). In the absence of the exogenous guanine nucleotide, EF-1betagamma as well as EF-1beta could displace GDP bound to EF-1alpha to form an EF-1alpha.EF-1betagamma as well as an EF-1alpha.EF-1beta complex. iii) The occurrence of EF-1alpha.EF-1betagamma and EF-1alpha.EF-1beta complexes was demonstrated by gel filtration on Sephadex G-150. These results strongly indicate that the mechanism of the action of EF-1betagamma or EF-1beta in converting EF-1alpha.GDP into EF-1alpha.GTP is analogous to bacterial EF-Ts, and the reaction is accomplished by the following reactions; EF-1alpha.GDP + EF-1betagamma (or EF-1beta) in equilibrium EF-1alpha.EF-1betagamma (or EF-1beta) + GDP; EF-1alpha.EF-1beta (or EF-1beta) + GTP IN EQUILIBRIUM EF-1alpha.GTP + EF-1betagamma (or EF-1beta).     

The primary structure of elongation factor EF-1 alpha from the brine shrimp Artemia.

cDNA as well as amino acid sequencing has revealed the complete primary structure of elongation factor EF-1 alpha from the brine shrimp Artemia. A comparison with the published sequences of bacterial EF-Tu, mitochondrial EF-Tu and chloroplastic EF-Tu shows that distinct areas of these polypeptide chains are conserved in evolution. The evolutionary distance between prokaryotic and eukaryotic types of EF-Tu is larger than among bacterial and organellar EF- Tus . A number of regions present in both EF-Tu and EF-G from Escherichia coli are also found in EF-1 alpha from Artemia.     

Polypeptide chain elongation factor 1 alpha (EF-1 alpha) from yeast: nucleotide sequence of one of the two genes for EF-1 alpha from Saccharomyces cerevisiae.

Messenger RNA for yeast cytosolic polypeptide chain elongation factor 1 alpha (EF-1 alpha) was partially purified from Saccharomyces cerevisiae. Double-stranded complementary DNA (cDNA) was synthesized and cloned in Escherichia coli with pBR327 as a vector. Recombinant plasmid carrying yEF-1 alpha cDNA was identified by cross-hybridization with the E. coli tufB gene and the yeast mitochondrial EF-Tu gene (tufM) under non-stringent conditions. A yeast gene library was then screened with the EF-1 alpha cDNA and several clones containing the chromosomal gene for EF-1 alpha were isolated. Restriction analysis of DNA fragments of these clones as well as the Southern hybridization of yeast genomic DNA with labelled EF-1 alpha cDNA indicated that there are two EF-1 alpha genes in S. cerevisiae. The nucleotide sequence of one of the two EF-1 alpha genes (designated as EF1 alpha A) was established together with its 5'- and 3'-flanking sequences. The sequence contained 1374 nucleotides coding for a protein of 458 amino acids with a calculated mol. wt. of 50 300. The derived amino acid sequence showed homologies of 31% and 32% with yeast mitochondrial EF-Tu and E. coli EF-Tu, respectively.     

Structure and expression of elongation factor 1 alpha in tomato.

A full-length cDNA clone, LeEF-1, has been isolated from tomato for the alpha subunit of elongation factor 1 (EF-1 alpha), a polypeptide which plays a central role in protein synthesis. The 448 amino acid protein encoded by this cDNA appears highly homologous to other EF-1 alpha s having a high degree of similarity (75-78%) to EF1 alpha previously described from both lower eukaryotes and animals. Southern analysis indicated that EF-1 alpha belongs to a small multigene family of 4-8 members in tomato. The pattern of expression of EF-1 alpha mRNA in various tomato tissues was analyzed by Northern analysis, in vitro translation and in situ hybridization. EF-1 alpha mRNA is an abundant species and higher levels of mRNA were found in developing tissues such as young leaves and green fruit compared to the mRNA levels observed in older tissues. The increased levels of EF-1 alpha mRNA therefore appear to correlate with higher levels of protein synthesis in developing tissues.     

Identification of two genes coding for the translation elongation factor EF-1 alpha of S. cerevisiae.

The translation elongation factor EF-1 alpha of the yeast Saccharomyces cerevisiae is coded for by two genes, called TEF1 and TEF2. Both genes were cloned. TEF1 maps on chromosome II close to LYS2. The location of TEF2 is unknown. TEF2 alone is sufficient to promote growth of the cells as shown with a strain deleted for TEF1. TEF1 and TEF2 were originally identified as two strongly transcribed genes, which most likely code for an identical or nearly identical protein as judged from S1 nuclease protection experiments with mRNA-DNA hybrids. The DNA sequence analysis of TEF1 allowed the prediction of the protein sequence. This was shown, by a search in the Dayhoff protein data bank, to represent the translation elongation factor EF-1 alpha due to the striking similarity to EF-1 alpha from the shrimp Artemia. A search for TEF1 homologous sequences in several yeast species shows, in most cases, duplicated genes and a much higher sequence conservation than among genes encoding amino acid biosynthetic enzymes.     

Elongation factor EF-1 alpha gene dosage alters translational fidelity in Saccharomyces cerevisiae.

Changes in the dosage of genes encoding elongation factor EF-1 alpha were shown to cause parallel changes in the misreading of nonsense codons. Higher amounts of EF-1 alpha were correlated with increased nonsense suppression, suggesting that the level of EF-1 alpha is critically involved in translational fidelity.     

A bacterial clone carrying sequences coding for elongation factor EF-1 alpha from Artemia

A bacterial cDNA clone was identified carrying one third of the nucleotides coding for elongation factor EF-1 alpha from the brine shrimp Artemia. The sequence of codons corresponds with the known sequence of amino acids of EF-1 alpha in the region involved.     

Murine elongation factor 1 alpha (EF-1 alpha) is posttranslationally modified by novel amide-linked ethanolamine-phosphoglycerol moieties. Addition of ethanolamine-phosphoglycerol to specific glutamic acid residues on EF-1 alpha

Elongation Factor 1 alpha (EF-1 alpha), an important eukaryotic translation factor, transports charged aminoacyl-tRNA from the cytosol to the ribosomes during poly-peptide synthesis. Metabolic radiolabeling with [3H] ethanolamine shows that, in all cells examined, EF-1 alpha is the major radiolabeled protein. Radiolabeled EF-1 alpha has an apparent Mr = 53,000 and a basic isoelectric point. It is cytosolic and does not contain N-linked oligosaccharides. Trypsin digestion of murine EF-1 alpha generated two major [3H]ethanolamine-labeled peptides. Three peptides were sequenced and were identical to two distinct regions of the human EF-1 alpha protein. Blank sequencing cycles coinciding with glutamic acid in the human cDNA-derived sequence were also found to release [3H]ethanolamine, and compositional analysis of these peptides confirmed the presence of glutamic acid. Dansylation analysis demonstrates that the amine group of the ethanolamine is blocked. These results indicate that EF-1 alpha is posttranslationally modified by the covalent attachment of ethanolamine via an amide bond to at least two specific glutamic acid residues (Glu-301 and Glu-374). The hydroxyl group of the attached ethanolamine was shown by mass spectrometry and compositional analysis, to be further modified by the addition of a phosphoglycerol unit. This novel posttranslational modification may represent an important alteration of EF-1 alpha, comparable to the regulatory effects of posttranslational methylation of EF-1 alpha lysine residues.     

Purification and characterization of a germ cell-specific form of elongation factor 1 alpha (EF-1 alpha) from Xenopus laevis.

Elongation factor 1 alpha (EF-1 alpha) was purified to homogeneity from full-grown oocytes of Xenopus laevis. This protein is encoded by a gene previously shown to be expressed in male and female germ cells, and repressed in somatic cells. The purified protein was identified with EF-1 alpha on criteria of molecular mass, cross-reaction with antibodies raised against Artemia salina EF-1 alpha, affinity for guanine nucleotides, and ability to promote the mRNA-dependent binding of aminoacyl tRNA to 80S ribosomes.     

Anchoring of peptide elongation factor EF-1 alpha by phosphatidylinositol at the endoplasmic reticulum membrane

The cytoplasmic peptide elongation factor, EF-1 alpha, is anchored at the endoplasmic reticulum membrane by phosphatidylinositol via ethanolamine bridging presumably to Asp306 of the protein.     

Retropseudogenes constitute the major part of the human elongation factor 1 alpha gene family.

The elongation factor 1 alpha (EF-1 alpha) is a protein which promotes the GTP-dependent binding of aminoacyl-tRNA to ribosomes in the protein synthesis process. A human gene coding for EF-1 alpha has previously been cloned and sequenced along with a pseudo-gene. Here, we have further analyzed the family of human EF-1 alpha genes. Using an EF-1 alpha cDNA as probe twelve genomic EF-1 alpha-like clones were isolated and analyzed. Four of these were sequenced and found to contain EF-1 alpha retropseudogenes. A Southern blot analysis indicated that the remaining eight clones also contained retropseudogenes. Genomic Southern blot analysis revealed at least twenty loci in the human genome with sequence homology to the EF-1 alpha cDNA. Besides the already described active gene only one potentially active locus was found. The others appeared to be retropseudogenes. EF-1 alpha retropseudogenes were also found to be abundant in the mammalian species mouse and pig, while the chicken contained only one presumably active EF-1 alpha gene.