Molecular cloning of human mevalonate kinase and identification of a missense mutation in the genetic disease mevalonic aciduria.

Mevalonic aciduria is the first proposed inherited disorder of the cholesterol/isoprene biosynthetic pathway in humans, and it is presumed to be caused by a mutation in the gene coding for mevalonate kinase. To elucidate the molecular basis of this inherited disorder, a 2.0-kilobase human mevalonate kinase cDNA clone was isolated and sequenced. The 1188-base pair open reading frame coded for a 396-amino acid polypeptide with a deduced M(r) of 42,450. The predicted protein sequence displayed similarity to those of galactokinase and the yeast RAR1 protein, indicating that they may belong to a common gene family. Southern hybridization studies demonstrated that the mevalonate kinase gene is located on human chromosome 12 and is a single copy gene. No major rearrangements were detected in the mevalonic aciduria subject. The relative size (2 kilobases) and amounts of human mevalonate kinase mRNA were not changed in mevalonic aciduria fibroblasts. Approximately half of the mevalonic aciduria cDNA clones encoding mevalonate kinase contained a single base substitution (A to C) in the coding region at nucleotide 902 that changed an asparagine residue to a threonine residue. The presence of this missense mutation was confirmed by polymerase chain reaction amplification and allele-specific hybridization of the genomic DNAs from the proband and the proband's father and brother. Similar analysis failed to detect this mutation in the proband's mother, seven normal subjects, or four additional mevalonic aciduria subjects, indicating that the mutation does not represent a common gene polymorphism. Functional analysis of the defect by transient expression confirmed that the mutation produced an enzyme with diminished activity. Our data suggest that the index case is a compound heterozygote for a mutation in the mevalonate kinase gene.     

Enzymes of gluconate metabolism and glycolysis inPenicillium notatum

In addition to the ability of Penicillium notatum to grow on sucrose, glucose, fructose and gluconate, substantial growth occurred on 2-ketogluconate and 5-ketogluconate thereby indicating a diverse sugar metabolism. Cell-free extracts contained all the enzymes of the Embden-Meyerhof-Parnas pathway and for both oxidative and non-oxidative pentose phosphate metabolism. Despite inconsistencies in results between different assay methods for the conventional Entner-Doudoroff (ED) enzymes, the data indicated the route was enzymatically possible. Demonstrations of the activities of the enzymes of the non-phosphorylative equivalent of the ED pathway were achieved. No evidence was found of a phosphorylative linking enzyme between the two pathways. Both 2- and 5-ketogluconate reductases were detected along with gluconate dehydrogenase which suggested interconvertibility between the ketogluconates and gluconate. However, ketogluconokinase, responsible for the conversion of ketogluconate to 2-keto-6-phosphogluconate, was not detected. A scheme for the inter-relationships of routes of gluconate metabolism is discussed.     

Gene transfer to pre-hematopoietic and committed hematopoietic precursors in the early mouse Yolk Sac: a comparative study between <Emphasis Type="Italic">in situ</Emphasis> electroporation and retroviral transduction

Background  

Hematopoietic development in vertebrate embryos results from the sequential contribution of two pools of precursors independently generated. While intra-embryonic precursors harbour the features of hematopoietic stem cells (HSC), precursors formed earlier in the yolk sac (YS) display limited differentiation and self-renewal potentials. The mechanisms leading to the generation of the precursors in both sites are still largely unknown, as are the molecular basis underlying their different potential. A possible approach to assess the role of candidate genes is to transfer or modulate their expression/activity in both sites. We thus designed and compared transduction protocols to target either native extra-embryonic precursors, or hematopoietic precursors.     

The murine interleukin-4 receptor: molecular cloning and characterization of secreted and membrane bound forms

Receptors for interleukin-4 (IL-4) are expressed at low levels on a wide variety of primary cells and cultured cell lines. Fluorescence-activated sorting of CTLL-2 cells resulted in the isolation of a subclone, CTLL 19.4, which expressed 10(6) IL-4 receptors per cell. These cells were used for the purification of IL-4 receptor protein and to prepare a hybrid-subtracted cDNA probe for isolation of cDNA clones. Three classes of IL-4 receptor cDNA were identified. The first encoded a 140 kd membrane bound IL-4 receptor containing extracellular, transmembrane, and cytoplasmic domains. The second class lacked the cytoplasmic region, and the third encoded a secreted form of the receptor. All cDNA clones expressed in COS-7 cells had IL-4 binding properties comparable to the native IL-4 receptor. The soluble form of the IL-4 receptor blocked the ability of IL-4 to induce CTLL cell proliferation and may represent a regulatory molecule specific for IL-4-dependent immune responses.     

BACE-1 inhibitors part 2: identification of hydroxy ethylamines (HEAs) with reduced peptidic character

This paper describes the discovery of non-peptidic, potent, and selective hydroxy ethylamine (HEA) inhibitors of BACE-1 by replacement of the prime side of a lead di-amide 2. Inhibitors with nanosmolar potency and high selectivity were identified. Depending on the nature of the P(1)(') and P(2)(') substituents, two different binding modes were observed in X-ray co-crystal structures.