Molecular probes define different regions of the mouse t complex

Four genomic clones obtained from microdissected fragments of the proximal portion of mouse chromosome 17 have been used to identify a series of t-haplotype-specific restriction fragments. Their specificity is defined by presence in eight complete t haplotypes and absence from 18 inbred strains of wild-type mice. Partial t haplotypes contain subsets of the t-specific fragments, and each can be classified according to the t-specific fragments it contains. This is the first molecular evidence that independent partial t haplotypes contain different lengths of t haplotype DNA. Recombination studies indicate that partial t haplotypes suppress recombination in proportion to the extent of t haplotype DNA they contain. Molecular analysis of partial t haplotyes shows that the t-specific fragments map to and thus define different regions of the t complex. Certain regions of t haplotype DNA defined by t-specific restriction fragments can be correlated with loci involved in the control of transmission ratio distortion.     

Tubulin domains probed by limited proteolysis and subunit-specific antibodies

The substructure of the tubulin molecule was studied by limited proteolysis and high affinity polyclonal antibodies specific for alpha or beta-tubulin. Brief enzymatic cleavage separates the tubulin monomer into two domains of unequal size. Trypsin splits alpha-tubulin into components with Mr values of 36 X 10(3) and 14 X 10(3), chymotrypsin splits beta-tubulin into 31 X 10(3) Mr and 20 X 10(3) Mr fragments. The cleavage occurs at Arg339 (alpha) and Tyr281 (beta), as determined by sequencing several N-terminal residues of the small domains, i.e. the small domains are the C-terminal parts of the molecules, the large ones are the N-terminal parts. There is a second cleavage site of chymotrypsin within Mr 10(3) to 2 X 10(3) of the C terminus of beta-tubulin. The fragments can be separated only under denaturing conditions. They copolymerize into microtubules and incomplete microtubule walls joined by a wall junction, forming S-shapes and hooks in cross-section. The antibodies were raised against electrophoretically purified tubulin monomers. Those produced with alpha-tubulin are directed predominantly against the large domains; they are either specific for alpha-tubulin or cross-react with the large domain of beta-tubulin. Conversely, antibodies raised against beta-tubulin are directed predominantly against the small domains (beta-specific and beta-cross-reacting fractions). Thus the antibodies discriminate not only between the tubulin chains but also between the domains generated by the proteases. The complementary antigenicity correlates well with the stability of the domains. Potential sites of antigenic determinants are located within the polypeptide chains by comparing theoretical predictions with the pattern of immunoblots. Two epitopes of the alpha-cross-reacting antibodies have been located approximately. One is very close to the C terminus (within about 20 residues), the other is close to the N terminus (within about Mr 8 X 10(3) ). The epitope of the beta-cross-reacting antibody is also located within Mr 12 X 10(3) of the C terminus. The antibodies prevent microtubule assembly and cause disassembly of preformed microtubules. A variety of breakdown products are observed by electron microscopy. They include fibres of about 10 nm width, sheets with undefined substructure, thick tapered fibrous bundles and wispy filaments.(ABSTRACT TRUNCATED AT 400 WORDS)     

3-Deoxy-d-arabino-Heptulosonate 7-Phosphate Synthase from Carrot Root (Daucus carota) Is a Hysteretic Enzyme

Roots of carrots (Daucus carota) contain three activities of 3-deoxy-d-arabino-heptulosonate 7-phosphate (DAHP) synthase, the enzyme that catalyzes the first step of the shikimate pathway. The three activities, enzymes I, II, and III, are separated by chromatography on phosphocellulose. Enzyme III, purified to electrophoretic homogeneity, has a native molecular weight of 103,000 and consists of two identical subunits of 53,000 daltons each. Double reciprocal plots of reaction velocity versus substrate concentration yield K_m values of 0.03 and 0.07 millimolar for P-enolpyruvate and erythrose-4-P, respectively. Both products, DAHP and orthophosphate, inhibit the enzyme. Enzyme III is a hysteretic enzyme that is activated by physiological concentrations of l-tryptophan and Mn²⁺, both of which also partially eliminate the hysteretic lag. Feedback activation of carrot DAHP synthase by tryptophan is interpreted to be an early regulatory signal for polyphenol biosynthesis. The three carrot DAHP synthase isoenzymes share antigenic determinants.     

Sporadic cases in Duchenne muscular dystrophy

Summary A new estimation of the proportion of sporadic cases in Duchenne muscular dystrophy was attempted by means of segregation analysis in a sample of 988 sibships collected on a world-wide scale by different authors. Maximum likelihood estimates of ascertainment probability (), segregation frequency (p), and frequency of sporadic cases (x) were calculated by Morton's equations under different hypotheses. The best fit was found for p=0.454±0.024 and x=0.235±0.034. The possibility that the proportion of sporadic cases might be lower than the expected 1/3 is suggested.     

The electrical response to light of bacteriorhodopsin in planar membranes.

We have measured the light-induced short-circuit current generated by a planar membrane containing bacteriorhodopsin incorporated by vesicle fusion. The experimental results are consistent with an equivalent electrical circuit analogue that assumes that the vesicles remain intact after fusion and that the current generator equivalent of the light-driven proton pump is linearly dependent on bias voltage. The transient response to light of the planar membrane has also been examined. Slow response times are seen to be associated with the capacitive charging and discharging of the fused vesicles. A study of the leading edge of the light response curve of the planar membrane yields information about the transient response of the light-driven proton pump. We propose that the translocation of protons across the membrane is associated with a first-order process characterized by a rate constant lambda.     

3-Deoxy-D-arabino-heptulosonate 7-phosphate synthase. Purification and molecular characterization of the phenylalanine-sensitive isoenzyme from Escherichia coli.

The phenylalanine-sensitive 3-deoxy-D-arabino-heptulosonate 7-phosphate synthase (7-phospho-2-keto-3-deoxy-D-arabino-heptonate D-erythrose-4-phosphate lyase (pyruvate phosphorylating), EC 4.2.1.15) was purified to apparent homogeneity from extracts of Escherichia coli K12. The enzyme has a molecular weight of 140,000 as judged by gel filtration and sedimentation equilibrium analysis. The enzyme has a subunit molecular weight of 35,000 as determined by polyacrylamide gel electrophoresis in the presence of sodium dodecyl sulfate, suggesting that the native form of the enzyme is a tetramer. This was confirmed by cross-linking the enzyme with dimethylsuberimidate and by analyzing the cross-linked material by gel electrophoresis in the presence of sodium dodecyl sulfate. The enzyme shows a narrow pH optimum between pH 6.5 and 7.0. The enzyme is stable for several months when stored at -20 degrees C in buffers containing phosphoenolpyruvate. Removal of phosphoenolpyruvate causes an irreversible inactivation of the enzyme. The enzyme is strongly inhibited by L-phenylalanine and to a lesser degree by dihydrophenylalanine. Molecular parameters of the previously isolated tyrosine-sensitive 3-deoxy-D-arabino-heptulosonate 7-phosphate synthase from E. coli (Schoner, R., and Herrmann, K.M. (1976) J. Biol. Chem. 251, 5440-5447) are compared with those of the phenylalanine-sensitive isoenzyme from the same organism.     

Immunological studies on 3-deoxy-D-arabino-heptulosonate-7-phosphate synthase isoenzymes.

An apparently homogeneous preparation of the phenylalanine-sensitive 3-deoxy-D-arabino-heptulosonate-7-phosphate synthase isoenzyme from Escherichia coli was used as the antigen for antibody production in New Zealand white rabbits. The antibodies were monospecific as judged by immunodiffusion and immunoelectrophoresis. Antigen . antibody complexes maintained full enzyme activity and were inhibited by phenylalanine, indicating that neither the active site nor the feedback-inhibitor binding site is mechanistically connected to amino acid sequences which are antigenic determinants. While phenylalanine-sensitive 3-deoxy-D-arabino-heptulosonate-7-phosphate synthase could be quantitatively removed from solution by immunoprecipitation with soluble or immobilized antibodies, neither the tyrosine-sensitive nor the tryptophan-sensitive 3-deoxy-D-arabino-heptulosonate-7-phosphate synthase, the other two isoenzymes catalyzing the first step in the biosynthesis of aromatic compounds, formed any detectable complexes with the antibodies. This indicated less structural similarity than would be expected for isoenzymes. Also, the antibodies did not cross-react with 5-dehydroquinate synthase, the enzyme catalyzing the second step of the common aromatic biosynthetic pathway.