Polymorphic Imprinting of <Emphasis Type="Italic">SLC38A4</Emphasis> Gene in Bovine Placenta

Imprinted genes are characterized by monoallelic expression that is dependent on parental origin. Comparative analysis of imprinted genes between species is a powerful tool for understanding the biological significance of genomic imprinting. The slc38a4 gene encodes a neutral amino acid transporter and is identified as imprinted in mice. In this study, the imprinting status of SLC38A4 was assessed in bovine adult tissues and placenta using a polymorphism-based approach. Results indicate that SLC38A4 is not imprinted in eight adult bovine tissues including heart, liver, spleen, lung, kidney, muscle, fat, and brain. It was interesting to note that SLC38A4 showed polymorphic status in five heterogeneous placentas, with three exhibiting paternal monoallelic expression and two exhibiting biallelic expression. Monoallelic expression of imprinted genes is generally associated with allele-specific differentially methylation regions (DMRs) of CpG islands (CGIs)-encompassed promoter; therefore, the DNA methylation statuses of three CGIs in the SLC38A4 promoter and exon 1 region were tested in three placentas (two exhibiting paternal monoallelic and one showing biallelic expression of SLC38A4) and their corresponding paternal sperms. Unexpectedly, extreme hypomethylation (<?3%) of the DNA was observed in all the three detected placentas and their corresponding paternal sperms. The absence of DMR in bovine SLC38A4 promoter region implied that DNA methylation of these three CGIs does not directly or indirectly affect the polymorphic imprinting of SLC38A4 in bovine placenta. This suggested other epigenetic features other than DNA methylation are needed in regulating the imprinting of bovine SLC38A4, which is different from that of mouse with respect to a DMR existence at the mouse’s slc38a4 promoter region. Although further work is needed, this first characterization of polymorphic imprinting status of SLC38A4 in cattle placenta provides valuable information on investigating the genomic imprinting phenomenon itself.     

Mapping of the Ogura fertility restorer gene <Emphasis Type="Italic">Rfo</Emphasis> and development of <Emphasis Type="Italic">Rfo</Emphasis> allele-specific markers in canola (<Emphasis Type="Italic">Brassica napus</Emphasis> L.)

Ogura cytoplasmic male sterility (CMS) and its corresponding nuclear fertility restorer gene, Rfo, have been introduced from radish to Brassica species by interspecific crosses. Rfo restores male fertility by altering the translational expression of Orf138, a mitochondrial gene, whose expression results in the male sterile phenotype. This system has been extensively investigated and breeding restorer lines for the Ogura CMS has become a major objective for hybrid seed production in many canola breeding programs. In this study, we have sequenced genomic clones of Rfo amplified from a canola restorer line R2000, licensed from INRA, France, and a Dow AgroSciences non-restorer line Nexera 705 using primers designed from the radish Rfo sequence (GenBank accession AJ550021). Sequence alignment revealed three homologous sequences of Rfo. Two of the sequences were present in both R2000 and Nexera 705 but the third one was present only in R2000. These results suggested that the first two sequences could be the homoeologous sequences of Rfo already existing in the canola genome and the third one could be the radish Rfo introduced into canola. Based on the sequence differences between the restorer and non-restorer lines, Rfo allele-specific PCR markers were developed. We also developed a high throughput, Rfo allele-specific Invader^® assay through Third Wave Technologies. Linkage analysis revealed a co-segregation between the allele-specific marker and the phenotypes for fertility restoration. This allele-specific marker has been mapped in the linkage group N19 and proved to be very useful for direct selection of Rfo alleles for fertility restoration during marker-assisted introgression of the Ogura restorer for hybrid development in canola.     

Purification and properties of recombinant DNA methyltransferase M2.<Emphasis Type="Italic">Bst</Emphasis>SE of the <Emphasis Type="Italic">Bst</Emphasis>SEI nickase-modification system

The operon for the Bacillus stearothermophilus SE-589 nickase-modification system (NM.BstSEI, recognition site 5′-GAGTC-3′) includes two DNA methyltransferase (M.) genes, bstSEIM1 and bstSEIM2. The gene encoding M2.BstSEI was cloned in pJW and expressed in Escherichia coli cells. M2.BstSEI was purified by chromatography and displayed maximal activity at 55° C and pH 7.5. The enzyme modified adenine in the nickase recognition site 5′-GAGTC-3′ and was specific for 5′-GASTC-3′ substrates. The kinetic parameters of the methylation reaction were determined. The catalytic constant was 2.2 min^?1, and the Michaelis constant was 9.8 nM on T7 DNA and 5.8 μM on SAM.     

Probing of contacts between <Emphasis Type="Italic">Eco</Emphasis>RII DNA methyltransferase and DNA with the use of substrate analogs and molecular modeling

The molecular mechanisms of DNA recognition and modification by EcoRII DNA methyltransferase (M.EcoRII) were studied using 14-mer substrate analogs containing 2-aminopurine or 1′,2′-dideoxy-D-ribofuranose in the M.EcoRII recognition site. The efficiency of DNA binding and methylation depended on the position of a modified nucleoside residue in the recognition site. A structural model of M.EcoRII in complex with substrate DNA and the cofactor analog S-adenosyl-L-homocysteine (AdoHcy) was constructed using the available crystal structures of M.Hha and M.HaeIII and the recent Frankenstein’s monster approach. The amino acid residues interacting with DNA were predicted based on the model. In addition, theoretical and experimental findings made it possible to predict the groups of atoms of the heterocyclic bases of the M.EcoRII recognition site that are presumably involved in the interactions with the enzyme.     

Construction of flavocytochrome <Emphasis Type="Italic">b</Emphasis><Subscript>2</Subscript>-overproducing strains of the thermotolerant methylotrophic yeast <Emphasis Type="Italic">Hansenula polymorpha</Emphasis> (<Emphasis Type="Italic">Pichia angusta</Emphasis>)

L-Lactate cytochrome c oxidoreductase (flavocytochrome b ₂, FC b ₂) from the thermotolerant methylotrophic yeast Hansenula polymorpha (Pichia angusta) is, unlike the enzyme form baker’s yeast, a thermostable enzyme potentially important for bioanalytical technologies for highly selective assays of L-lactate in biological fluids and foods. This paper describes the construction of flavocytochrome b ₂ producers with over-expression of the H. polymorpha CYB2 gene, encoding FC b ₂. The HpCYB2 gene under the control of the strong H. polymorpha alcohol oxidase promoter in a plasmid for multicopy integration was transformed into the recipient strain H. polymorpha C-105 (grc1 catX), impaired in glucose repression and devoid of catalase activity. A method was developed for preliminary screening of the transformants with increased FC b ₂ activity in permeabilized yeast cells. The optimal cultivation conditions providing for the maximal yield of the target enzyme were found. The constructed strain is a promising FC b ₂ producer characterized by a sixfold increased (to 3 μmol min^?1 mg^?1 protein in cell-free extract) activity of the enzyme.     

The replication origin of <Emphasis Type="Italic">Azotobacter vinelandii</Emphasis>

The putative replication origin of Azotobacter vinelandii was cloned as an autonomously replicating fragment after ligation to an antibiotic resistance cartridge. The resulting plasmids could be isolated and labelled by Southern hybridisation with the antibiotic resistance cartridge as probe and also visualised by electron microscopy. These plasmids integrated into the chromosome after a few generations, even in the recA mutant of A. vinelandii. The integrated copy of the plasmid was re-isolated from the chromosome and the DNA and its subfragments were cloned in the plasmid vector pBR322. A 200-bp DNA fragment was sufficient to allow the replication of pBR322 in an Escherichia coli polA strain. Electron microscopic analysis of this plasmid showed that replication initiated mostly within the A. vinelandii DNA fragment. The nucleotide sequence of the putative replication origin and its flanking regions was determined. In the sequence of the 200-bp fragment many of the distinctive features found in other replication origins are lacking. A greater variation from the consensus DnaA binding sequence was observed in A. vinelandii. Direct sequencing of the relevant genomic fragment was also carried after amplifying it from A. vinelandii chromosomal DNA by PCR. This confirmed that no rearrangements had taken place while the cloned fragment was resident in E. coli. It was shown by hybridisation that the 200-bp chromosomal origin fragment of A. vinelandii was present in three other field strains of Azotobacter spp.     

Regulatory activity of heterologous gene-activator <Emphasis Type="Italic">xlnR</Emphasis> of <Emphasis Type="Italic">Aspergillus niger</Emphasis> in <Emphasis Type="Italic">Penicillium canescens</Emphasis>

The gene encoding the xlnR xylanolytic activator of the heterologous fungus Aspergillus niger was incorporated into the Penicillium canescens genome. Integration of the xlnR gene resulted in the increase in a number of activities, i.e. endoxylanase, β-xylosidase, α-L-arabinofuranosidase, α-galactosidase, and feruloyl esterase, compared to the host P. canescens PCA 10 strain, while β-galactosidase, β-glucosidase, endoglucanase, and CMCase activities remained constant. Two different expression constructs were developed. The first consisted of the nucleotide sequence containing the mature P. canescens phytase gene under control of the axhA promoter region gene encoding A. niger (1,4)-β-D-arabinoxylan-arabinofuranohydrolase. The second construct combined the P. canescens phytase gene and the bgaS promoter region encoding homologous β-galactosidase. Both expression cassettes were transformed into P. canescens host strain containing xlnR. Phytase synthesis was observed only for strains with the bgaS promoter on arabinose-containing culture media. In conclusion, the bgaS and axhA promoters were regulated by different inducers and activators in the P. canescens strain containing a structural tandem of the axhA promoter and the gene of the xlnR xylanolytic activator.     

Intron and exon length variation in <Emphasis Type="Italic">Arabidopsis</Emphasis>, rice,nematode, and human

As determined by computer sequence analysis, the average exon length in Arabidopsis thaliana, Oryza sativa, Caenorhabditis elegans, and Homo sapiens genes decreases with an increasing number of introns. In A. thaliana and O. sativa, variations in intron and exon lengths with an increasing number of introns are highly correlated. Linear correlation is observed between the total exon length and the number of introns, while the gene length increases in proportion to the number of introns. In human, the average intron and gene lengths depended on the gene density in DNA.     

Primary Structure of NM.<Emphasis Type="Italic">Bst</Emphasis>SEI Operon from <Emphasis Type="Italic">Bacillus stearothermophilus</Emphasis>, the Producer of N.<Emphasis Type="Italic">Bst</Emphasis>SEI Site-Specific Nicking Endonuclease

The nucleotide sequence of Bacillus stearothermophilus SE-589 DNA fragment including an operon for the site-specific nicking-modification (NM) system with a gene for BstSEI nicking endonuclease (nickase) has been determined. An analysis of the regions adjacent to the nickase gene has revealed two genes encoding DNA methyltransferases belonging to different classes. Three genes that form the system operon are separated by short open reading frames (ORFs). An analysis of these ORFs has shown that the polypeptides they encode are homologous to different parts of BstSEI nickase, NatB protein, and arginase. A difference in the GC content of the beginning and ending regions of the cloned DNA fragment and the presence of short ORFs similar to genes for known proteins indicate that the NM.BstSEI system operon has probably evolved by horizontal DNA transfer.     

Detection of pea wilt pathogen <Emphasis Type="Italic">Fusarium oxysporum</Emphasis> f. sp. <Emphasis Type="Italic">pisi</Emphasis> using DNA-based markers

Identification of the fungus Fusarium oxysporum f. sp. pisi (Fop), the causal organism of wilt disease of pea, is a time consuming and arduous task. Diagnosis of Fop by traditional means requires more than 2 months and involves two steps, identification of species using morphological characters and formae specialis ‘pisi’ using pathogenicity assays. The ambiguous morphological differences between F. solani and F. oxysporum further complicate the diagnosis of F. oxysporum. A polymerase chain reaction–restriction fragment length polymorphism (PCR–RFLP) based method was developed to detect Fop from India. A PCR–RFLP marker, HPACAPS1₃₈₀, generated after restriction of 28S rDNA region with enzyme MvaI, detected accurately the Fop among several other fungi with detection sensitivity of 5 fg of Fop genomic DNA. In a mixture of Fop and pea DNA, the sensitivity was 500 pg of Fop DNA in 50 ng of pea DNA. The assay was further refined to detect the Fop from infected tissues and infested soil. The current assay can detect Fop from culture, plant tissues and soil in a considerably shorter period of time compared to traditional methods.     

A new <Emphasis Type="Italic">Arabidopsis thaliana</Emphasis> deletion mutant <Emphasis Type="Italic">apetala1-20</Emphasis>

A new deletion allele of the APETALA1 (AP1) gene encoding a type II MADS-box protein with the key role in the initiation of flowering and development of perianth organs has been identified in A. thaliana. The deletion of seven amino acids in the conserved region of the K domain in the ap1-20 mutant considerably delayed flowering and led to a less pronounced abnormality in the corolla development compared to the weak ap1-3 and intermediate ap1-6 alleles. At the same time, a considerable stamen reduction has been revealed in ap1-20 as distinct from ap1-3 and ap1-6 alleles. These data indicate that the K domain of AP1 can be crucial for the initiation of flowering and expression regulation of B-class genes controlling stamen development.     

Cloning of <Emphasis Type="Italic">rec</Emphasis>A gene of <Emphasis Type="Italic">Corynebacterium glutamicum</Emphasis> and phenotypic complementation of <Emphasis Type="Italic">Escherichia coli</Emphasis> recombinant deficient strain

Nucleotide and amino acid sequences of Corynebacterium glutamicum recA genes, from GenBank, were compared in silico. On the basis of the identity found between sequences, two degenerate primers were designed on the two sides of the deduced open reading frame (ORF) of the recA gene. PCR experiments, for amplifying the recA ORF region, were done. pGEM^®-T Easy vector was selected to be used for cloning PCR products. Then recA ORF was placed under the control of Escherichia coli hybrid trc promoter, in pKK388-1 vector. pKK388-1 vector, containing recA ORF, was transformed to E. coli DH5α ΔrecA (recombinant deficient strain), in an attempt to phenotypically complement it. Ultraviolet (u.v.) exposure experiments of the transformed and non-transformed E. coli DH5α ΔrecA cells revealed tolerance of transformed cells up to dose 0.24 J/cm², while non-transformed cells tolerated only up to dose 0.08 J/cm². It is concluded that phenotypic complementation of E. coli DH5α ΔrecA with recA ORF of C. glutamicum, could be achieved and RecA activity could be restored.     

Polymorphism of <Emphasis Type="Italic">yellow</Emphasis> locus in <Emphasis Type="Italic">Drosophila melanogaster</Emphasis> mutants from natural populations

We have studied the molecular characteristics of the yellow locus (y; 1–0.0), which determines the body color of phenotypically wild-type and mutant alleles isolated in different years from geographically distant populations of Drosophila melanogaster. According to the Southern blot, data restriction maps of the yellow locus of all examined strains differ from one another, as well as from Oregon stock. FISH analysis shows that, in the neighborhood of the yellow locus in the X chromosome, neither P nor hobo elements are found in y^1–775 stock, while only hobo is found in these region in y^1–859 and y^1–866 stocks, only the P element is found in y⁺sn⁸⁴⁹ stock, and both elements are found in y^1–719 stock. Thus, all yellow mutants studied are of independent origin. Locus yellow located on the end of X chromosome (region 1A5–8 on the cytologic map) carries significantly more transposon than retrotransposon induced mutations compared to the white locus (region 3C2). It is possible that, at the ends of Drosophila melanogaster chromosomes, transposons are more active than retrotransposons.     

Search for genes influencing the maintenance of the [<Emphasis Type="Italic">ISP</Emphasis><Superscript>+</Superscript>] prion-like antisuppressor determinant in yeast with the use of an insertion gene library

The prion-like determinant [ISP ⁺] manifests itself as an antisuppressor of certain sup35 mutations. To establish that [ISP ⁺] is indeed a new yeast prion, it is necessary to identify the gene that codes for the protein whose prion form is [ISP ⁺]. Analysis of the transformants obtained by transformation of an [ISP ⁺] strain with an insertion gene library revealed three genes controlling the [ISP ⁺] maintenance: UPF1, UPF2, and SFP1. SFP1 codes for a potentially prionogenic protein, which is enriched in Asn and Gln residues, and is thereby the most likely candidate for the [ISP ⁺] structural gene. UPF1 and UPF2 code for components of nonsense-mediated mRNA decay. The [ISP ⁺] elimination caused by UPF1 and UPF2 inactivation was reversible, and Upf1p and Upf2p were not functionally related to phosphatase Ppz1p, which influences the [ISP ⁺] manifestation. Possible mechanisms sustaining the influence of UPF1 and UPF2 on [ISP ⁺] maintenance are discussed.     

Genomic modulation of diabetes (<Emphasis Type="Italic">db/db)</Emphasis> and obese (<Emphasis Type="Italic">ob/ob</Emphasis>) mutation-induced hypercytolipidemia: cytochemical basis of female reproductive tract involution

Infertility and hypercytolipidemic utero-ovarian involution are recognized consequences of the diabetes-obesity syndrome (DOS) in C57BL mice with either obese (ob/ob) or diabetes (db/db) single gene mutations. We have evaluated the interdependent deleterious influences of both mutation types and differences in the genomic background on utero-ovarian dysfunction in C57BL mice. Control (+/?) C57BL mice were matched with littermate ob/ob and db/db mutants expressed on either the /KsJ or /6 background. Both ob/ob and db/db mutations increased body weights of /KsJ and /6 background strains relative to +/? groups. In contrast, uterine and ovarian weights were depressed by ob/ob and db/dbmutations relative to +/?, regardless of the background strain, but especially when expressed on the /KsJ background. Functionally, both ob/ob and db/db mutations induced hyperglycemic-hyperinsulinemic states coupled with depressed serum estradiol-17-β and progesterone concentrations when expressed on a /KsJ background. Microscopic analysis of utero-ovarian tissue samples revealed marked hypercytolipidemia in the follicular granulosa and endometrial epithelial tissue layers of both ob/oband db/db mutant groups relative to normal +/? cytoarchitecture. The db/db mutation consistently promoted more severe hypercytolipidemic profiles than the ob/obmutation, regardless of background strain. Thus, the severity of utero-ovarian hypercytolipidemia following the expression ofob/ob and db/db mutations in C57BL mice is influenced, or moderated, by the genomic background on which the mutation is expressed.