Pattern of somatic transposition in a high copy Ac tomato line

A transgenic tomato line containing between eight and ten copies per genome of an exceptionally active maize transposable element Ac has previously been described. Southern analyses indicated that these elements are somatically active in these plants. In order to characterize further the pattern of somatic transposition in this line, 24 independent Ac insertion events from a single plant were cloned. In 21 cases, Ac inserted into single copy genomic DNA while in three cases Ac inserted into sequences present at two to four copies per genome; none of the insertions occurred into more highly repetitive DNA. The chromosomal locations of 20 insertion sites were determined by RFLP mapping and a pattern of small dispersed clusters emerged. Thirteen of the 20 insertion sites were linked to at least one other insertion site but these were distributed over nine of the 12 tomato chromosomes. Only one Ac insertion was linked to the T-DNA locus. The structural integrity of these Ac elements was examined and no evidence of deletions or other rearrangements suggestive of Ds elements was found. The implications of these findings with respect to the use of Ac as a transposon tag in heterologous species are discussed.     

Novel heme-binding component in the serum of the channel catfish (Ictalurus punctatus)

The serum of the channel catfish (Ictalurus punctatus) was examined for heme- and hemoglobin-binding proteins. Electrophoretic mobility retardation assays failed to detect a hemoglobin-binding material similar to mammalian haptoglobin; however, a heme-binding component (not previously described) was identified in catfish seru. The heme-binding component was purified by gel filtration chromatography; electrophoretic analyses suggested it to be composed of two polypeptide subunits of molecular masses about 115 and 98 kDa. This composition is inconsistent with hemopexin, the known heme-binding serum protein of mammals. Although it was not fully saturated with heme, the catfish component contained detectable heme in normal sera. When complexed by the binding material, heme was used as an iron source by isolates of the bacterial Gram-negative genusAeromonas; the capacity of other bacteria to use the complex was not tested. The physiological function of the catfish heme-binding serum protein is presently not clear.     

Developmental and hormonal regulation of specific proteins in mouse vas deferens and seminal vesicle.

This paper is concerned with hormonal regulation of the developmental pattern of major proteins of the mouse vas deferens (mouse vas deferens protein: MVDP, 34.5 kD) and seminal vesicle (15.5, 120 and 140 kD) whose expression is regulated by testosterone at adulthood. The ontogeny of these proteins, studied by SDS-polyacrylamide gel electrophoresis, appeared to be uncoordinated. MVDP was not accumulated until animals were 20 days old and its concentration increased sharply from 20 to 30 days of age. In seminal vesicle, the 15.5 kD protein did not accumulate before day 30 whereas 120 and 140 kD proteins appeared and accumulated between 30 and 40 days. In 30-day-old mice castrated at birth or treated with cyproterone acetate over 29 days, MVDP levels were not abolished and were similar to those measured in 20-day-old males. Testosterone administration, from 1 to 10 days of age, did not induce precocious expression of MVDP. These results suggest that the neonatal expression of MVDP is independent of androgens. In seminal vesicle, the first expression of the 3 proteins studied was dependent upon testicular androgens as shown by neonatal castration and injection experiments. The marked increase in the levels of the 4 proteins studied, during sexual maturation, was not associated with quantitative or qualitative changes in tissular androgen concentrations, suggesting that other factors may be necessary for protein expression. Whereas thyroxine may induce a precocious accumulation of MVDP, prolactin had no stimulatory effect on the accumulation of proteins from vas deferens and seminal vesicle. The results suggest that during sexual maturation gene activation by androgens was progressive.     

Structures of the α(1-3)-galactose-containing asparagine-linked glycans of a Lewis lung carcinoma cell subline resistant toAleuria aurantia agglutinin: elucidation by1H-NMR spectroscopy

Four bi-antennary glycan fractions of theN-acetyllactosamine-type, derived from a Lewis lung carcinoma (LL₂) cell subline resistant to theAleuria aurantia agglutinin were studied by 400 MHz¹H-NMR spectroscopy. By this method, their antennae were found to be terminated either by (2-3 or 6)-linkedN-acetylneuraminic acid or (1-3)-linked galactose residues. The primary structure of glycans of these four glycopeptide or derived oligosaccharide-alditols has been determined in full detail.Abbreviations NAc N-acetyl group - NGc N-glycolyl group - GlcNAc N-acetylglucosamine - NeuAc N-acetylneuraminic acid - NeuGc N-glycolylneuraminic acid - Man mannose - Gal galactose - Fuc fucose - Con A concanavalin A - LCA Lens culinaris agglutinin - AAA Aleuria aurantia agglutinin - WGA Wheat germ agglutinin - RCA II Ricinus communis agglutinin II - PBS phosphate buffered saline, 0.01m Na₂HPO₄/0.14m NaCl, pH 7.2 - HPLC high performance liquid chromatography - EMEM Eagle's Minimal Essential Medium - Lec^R lectin resistant - MG -methylglycoside     

Spectrum of phenylketonuria mutations in Western Europe and North Africa,and their relation to polymorphic DNA haplotypes at the phenylalanine hydroxylase locus

Summary A total of 252 chromosomes from 126 patients with phenylalanine hydroxylase (PAH) deficiencies were analyzed for both mutant genotypes and restriction fragment length polymorphism (RFLP) haplotypes at the PAH locus. The mutant genes studied originated either from Western Europe (116 alleles) or from Mediterranean countries (136 alleles). Only 27% of all mutant alleles were found to carry identified mutations, particularly mutations at codon 252 (2.3%), 261 (7.5%), 280 (6.3%), 408 (3.5%) and at the splice donor site of intron 12 (6.3%). The mutant genotypes were associated with RFLP haplotypes 7, 1, 38, 2 and 3 at the PAH locus respectively. Except for the splice mutation of intron 12, these associations were preferential, but not exclusive, since the other four mutations were found on the background of at least two RFLP haplotypes. These results, together with the observation that 85% of PAH deficient patients are heterozygotes for their mutant genotypes, emphasize the great heterogeneity of PAH deficiencies in Mediterranean countries and hamper systematic DNA testing for carrier status in this population.     

Clinical and molecular heterogeneity of phenylalanine hydroxylase deficiencies in France

RFLPs of 68 normal and 74 mutant alleles at the phenylalanine hydroxylase (PAH) locus were determined in 37 French kindreds. A total of 23 haplotypes, including 18 normal and 16 mutant alleles, were observed. Two-thirds of all mutant alleles were confined within only four haplotypes, while the last third was accounted for by 12 haplotypes, including eight haplotypes absent from Caucasian pedigrees reported thus far. Several mutant haplotypes were present in typical phenylketonuria only, others were present in variants only, and some were present in both. In addition, a particular mutant haplotype (haplotype 2) was found to harbor different mutations in our series, resulting in either typical phenylketonuria or in mild hyperphenylalaninemias. The diploid combination of so many mutant haplotypes in PAH-deficient patients and of compound heterozygosity at the PAH locus in southern Europe might account for the broad spectrum of individual phenotypes observed in France.     

Magnesium and Manganese Content of Halophilic Bacteria

Magnesium and manganese contents were measured by atomic absorption spectrophotometry in bacteria of several halophilic levels, in Vibrio costicola, a moderately halophilic eubacterium growing in 1 M NaCl, Halobacterium volcanii, a halophilic archaebacterium growing in 2.5 M NaCl, Halobacterium cutirubrum, an extremely halophilic archaebacterium growing in 4 M NaCl, and Escherichia coli, a nonhalophilic eubacterium growing in 0.17 M NaCl. Magnesium and manganese contents varied with the growth phase, being maximal at the early log phase. Magnesium and manganese molalities in cell water were shown to increase with the halophilic character of the logarithmically growing bacteria, from 30 mmol of Mg per kg of cell water and 0.37 mmol of Mn per kg of cell water for E. coli to 102 mmol of Mg per kg of cell water and 1.6 mmol of Mn per kg of cell water for H. cutirubrum. The intracellular concentrations of manganese were determined independently by a radioactive tracer technique in V. costicola and H. volcanii. The values obtained by ⁵⁴Mn loading represented about 70% of the values obtained by atomic absorption. The increase of magnesium and manganese contents associated with the halophilic character of the bacteria suggests that manganese and magnesium play a role in haloadaptation.     

Stereoscopic back-scattered electron imaging of silver-stained proteins in nucleoli

By using simultaneously the AgNOR silver staining method, back-scattered electron imaging mode and stereo-tilt in scanning electron microscopy (SEM), it is possible to observe the nucleus through the cell surface, the nucleolus, and the tri-dimensional distribution of the AgNOR-associated acidic proteins. In C3H10T1:2 cells and their 7-12-dimethylbenz--anthracene-treated transformants, the staining demonstrates several intranucleolar silver-staining granules (SSG), surrounded by a weakly staining region. The SSG may represent the fibrillar center (FC) and the weakly staining region, the fibrillar dense component (FD). This component can link several SSG together to form a rope-like structure. In cells with no visible nucleolus and inactive nucleolar organizer regions (NORs) the silver-staining granules are less numerous, close together and the presumed fibrillar dense components are not visible. The SSG are located more peripheraly, and the weakly staining region and the rope-like structure are less prominent in control cell nucleoli than in transformed cells with a comparatively high rate of RNA synthesis.     

Phosphate dependency of phosphofructokinase 2

Experiments performed at micromolar concentrations of inorganic phosphate support the conclusion that liver phosphofructokinase 2 would be completely inactive in the absence of inorganic phosphate or arsenate. The concentration of inorganic phosphate that allowed half-maximal activity decreased with increasing pH, being approximately 0.11 mM at pH 6.5 and 0.05 mM at pH 8. The effect of phosphate was to increase V and to decrease Km for fructose 6-phosphate, without affecting Km for ATP. Citrate and P-enolpyruvate inhibited the enzyme non-competitively with fructose 6-phosphate and independently of the concentration of inorganic phosphate. Phosphorylation of the enzyme by the catalytic subunit of cyclic-AMP-dependent protein kinase did not markedly modify the phosphate requirement and its effect of inactivating phosphofructokinase 2 could not be counteracted by excess phosphate. A nearly complete phosphate dependency was also observed with phosphofructokinase 2 purified from Saccharomyces cerevisiae or from spinach leaves. By contrast, the fructose 2,6-bisphosphatase activity of the liver bifunctional enzyme was not dependent on the presence of inorganic phosphate. Phosphate increased this activity about threefold when measured in the absence of added fructose 6-phosphate and a half-maximal effect was reached at approximately 0.5 mM phosphate. Like glycerol phosphate, phosphate counteracted the inhibition of fructose 2,6-bisphosphatase by fructose 6-phosphate, but a much higher concentration of phosphate than of glycerol phosphate was required to reach this effect.     

Identification of the peptide bond cleaved during activation of human Clr

CNBr cleavage of unreduced proenzyme Clr yielded fragment CP2b, isolated by gel filtration and highpressure gel permeation chromatography. This fragment (˜ M_τ 55000) comprised at least 4 disulphidelinked peptides, which were separated by gel filtration after reduction and alkylation. Peptide CP2bRA4, overlapping the A- and B-chain regions in proenzyme Clr was digested by V8 staphylococcal protease, and the digest separated by reversed-phase HPLC. N-terminal sequence analysis of peptide CP2bRA4SP9 established that Clr activation involves the cleavage of a single Arg-Ile bond, located in the sequence: Gln-Arg-Gln-Arg-Ile-Ile-Gly-Gly