2P1, a novel male mouse cDNA specifically expressed during meiosis

We screened a mouse germinal cell expression library with a probe derived from Sob1, a human testis-specific cDNA, and identified 2P1, a new mouse cDNA. A database search revealed that 2P1 was 91% identical to ORF1 of E3-3, a rat gene probably involved in the regulation of alternative splicing. Sequencing showed that 2P1 has a destabilization motif in its 3'-untranslated region. Northern blotting showed strong gene expression in the testis and weak expression in the epididymis, with no signal detected in other tissues. RT-PCR analysis confirmed testis and epididymis expression. In situ hybridization revealed that 2P1 mRNA was absent in spermatogonia but expressed in spermatocytes. This last result was confirmed by RT-PCR of FACS isolated primary spermatocytes (pachytene stage). Using RT-PCR, purified spermatids were also shown to express 2P1.     

The Gla domain of factor IXa binds to factor VIIIa in the tenase complex

During blood coagulation factor IXa binds to factor VIIIa on phospholipid membranes to form an enzymatic complex, the tenase complex. To test whether there is a protein-protein contact site between the gamma-carboxyglutamic acid (Gla) domain of factor IXa and factor VIIIa, we demonstrated that an antibody to the Gla domain of factor IXa inhibited factor VIIIa-dependent factor IXa activity, suggesting an interaction of the factor IXa Gla domain with factor VIIIa. To study this interaction, we synthesized three analogs of the factor IXa Gla domain (FIX1-47) with Phe-9, Phe-25, or Val-46 replaced, respectively, with benzoylphenylalanine (BPA), a photoactivatable cross-linking reagent. These factor IX Gla domain analogs maintain native tertiary structure, as demonstrated by calcium-induced fluorescence quenching and phospholipid binding studies. In the absence of phospholipid membranes, FIX1-47 was able to inhibit factor IXa activity. This inhibition is dependent on the presence of factor VIIIa, suggesting a contact site between the factor IXa Gla domain and factor VIIIa. To demonstrate a direct interaction we did cross-linking experiments with FIX1-479BPA, FIX1-4725BPA, and FIX1-4746BPA. Covalent cross-linking to factor VIIIa was observed primarily with FIX1-4725BPA and to a much lesser degree with FIX1-4746BPA. Immunoprecipitation experiments with an antibody to the C2 domain of factor VIIIa indicate that the factor IX Gla domain cross-links to the A3-C1-C2 domain of factor VIIIa. These results suggest that the factor IXa Gla domain contacts factor VIIIa in the tenase complex through a contact site that includes phenylalanine 25 and perhaps valine 46.     

Effects of deletion of the prolactin receptor on ovarian gene expression

Prolactin (PRL) exerts pleiotropic physiological effects in various cells and tissues, and is mainly considered as a regulator of reproduction and cell growth. Null mutation of the PRL receptor (R) gene leads to female sterility due to a complete failure of embryo implantation. Pre-implantatory egg development, implantation and decidualization in the mouse appear to be dependent on ovarian rather than uterine PRLR expression, since progesterone replacement permits the rescue of normal implantation and early pregnancy. To better understand PRL receptor deficiency, we analyzed in detail ovarian and corpora lutea development of PRLR-/- females. The present study demonstrates that the ovulation rate is not different between PRLR+/+ and PRLR-/- mice. The corpus luteum is formed but an elevated level of apoptosis and extensive inhibition of angiogenesis occur during the luteal transition in the absence of prolactin signaling. These modifications lead to the decrease of LH receptor expression and consequently to a loss of the enzymatic cascades necessary to produce adequate levels of progesterone which are required for the maintenance of pregnancy.     

Dioxygenase from Aspergillus fumigatus MC8: molecular modelling and in silico studies on enzyme–substrate interactions

Flavoenzymes have been extensively studied for their structural and mechanistic properties because they find potential application as industrial biocatalysts. They are attractive for biocatalysis because of the selectivity, controllability and efficiency of their reactions. Some of these enzymes catalyse the oxidative modification of protein substrates. Among them oxygenases (monoxoygenases and dioxygenases) are of special interest because they are highly entantio as well as regio-selective and can be used for oxyfunctionalisation. Dioxygenase enzymes catalyse oxygenation reactions in which both di-oxygen atoms are incorporated into the product. A dioxygenase enzyme purified from Aspergillus fumigatus MC8 was subjected to protein digestion followed by peptide sequencing. The sequence analysis of the peptide fragments resulted in identifying its match with that of an extracellular dioxygenase sequence from the same species of fungus existing in the protein database. The sequence was submitted to protein homology/analogy recognition engine online server for homology modelling and the 3D structure was predicted. Subsequently, the in silico studies of the enzyme–substrate (protein–ligand) interaction were carried out by using the method of molecular docking simulations wherein the modelled dioxygenase enzyme (protein) was docked with the substrates (ligands), catechin and epicatechin.     

Infrastructure for the life sciences: design and implementation of the UniProt website

Background  

The UniProt consortium was formed in 2002 by groups from the Swiss Institute of Bioinformatics (SIB), the European Bioinformatics Institute (EBI) and the Protein Information Resource (PIR) at Georgetown University, and soon afterwards the website was set up as a central entry point to UniProt resources. Requests to this address were redirected to one of the three organisations' websites. While these sites shared a set of static pages with general information about UniProt, their pages for searching and viewing data were different. To provide users with a consistent view and to cut the cost of maintaining three separate sites, the consortium decided to develop a common website for UniProt. Following several years of intense development and a year of public beta testing, the domain was switched to the newly developed site described in this paper in July 2008.     

Chain-chain interactions for methyl polygalacturonate: models for high methyl-esterified pectin junction zones

The ability of pectins to form gels in the presence of calcium is well-known, and it implies the interaction of carboxylate groups and bivalent ions. However, even when most of the galacturonic units are methyl esterified, pectins are able to form gels but only under certain experimental conditions. In this case, hydrogen bonding and hydrophobic interactions are believed to be responsible for gel formation, and it is likely, as in the other mechanisms of polysaccharide gel formation, that stable junction zones consist of cooperatively ordered chains linked together throughout nonbonded interactions to provide a three-dimensional network. To investigate the junction zones in HM-pectin gels, we investigated, by molecular modeling, all of the ways to associate two, and then three, fully methyl-esterified galacturonic acid chains. Two models are obtained: the first one is based on a packing of parallel chains; it agrees with the hypothetical model derived from fiber diffraction study; the second one displays an antiparallel orientation of the chains; it presents a better arrangement of the chains and, theoretically, a much lower potential energy. In both cases, all of the favorable associations occur within a network of hydrogen bonds and of hydrophobic contacts.     

Design and evaluation of analogues of the bacterial cell-wall peptidoglycan motif L-Lys-D-Ala-D-Ala for use in a vancomycin biosensor

Four small molecular receptors of vancomycin have been designed to make part of a novel biosensor device based on the FTIR-ATR detection: N-Boc (2a) or N-Ac (2b)-6-aminocaproyl-D-Ala-D-Ala and N-Boc (3a) or N-Ac (3b)-6-aminocaproyl-D-Ala-d-Ser. Using an original microbiological approach to assess the competition of compounds with the natural target of vancomycin in bacteria, EC(50) values of 6.3-8.0 x 10(-5)M (2a-b) and 7.1-9.3 x 10(-4)M (3a-b) were determined. Vancomycin:2b complex was characterized by MS.     

Early apoptosis-related changes triggered by HSV-1 in individual neuronlike cells

Early events of apoptosis following HSV-1 infection were investigated at the single-cell level using intensified fluorescence digital-imaging microscopy. The results provide evidence that infection of differentiated ND7 neuronlike cells by HSV-1 triggers detectable alterations indicative of physiological changes associated with the early stages of apoptosis. Less than 1 h after infection with HSV-1 (KOS strain) or K26GFP (GFP being fused to HSV-1 capsid protein VP26) we observed (i) moderate decrease in mitochondrial membrane potential (about 20%), (ii) exposure of phosphatidyl serine, (iii) morphological change in the mitochondria that became spherical instead of filamentous, and (iv) activation of caspase-8. Within 3 h changes reverted to normal, which indicated that apoptosis was counteracted very early following HSV-1 infection. Similar results were obtained with KOS-TK27GFP, lacking TK and UL24 proteins, suggesting that TK and UL24 play no role in apoptosis. In Vero cells mitochondrial changes characteristic of the apoptotic process were not observed following HSV-1 infection. The UV-inactivated K26GFP had the capacity to induce apoptosis in neuronlike cells. This real-time multiparametric analysis, in combination with relevant viral mutants, could be a useful approach for dissecting the roles of various viral genes in modulating apoptotic pathways during infection.