Evidence for palindromic sequences near the termini of adenovirus 2 DNA

When the kinetics of $\text{Escherichia coli}$ exonuclease III digestion of adenovirus 2 DNA were studied by DNA polymerase I-catalyzed repair synthesis at 5°C, there was an indication of the formation of hairpin structure in the single-stranded template, exposed by exonuclease III. The hairpin structure results from a sequence with an inverted repetition of the type, a b c d···d′ c′ b′ a′. The location of these sequences was determined to be about 180 nucleotides from each terminus of adenovirus 2 DNA with the use of specific restriction endonucleases. The possible role of this region in the replication of the adenovirus 2 genome is discussed.     

Heterocyclic steroids-part VIII: Studies on the total synthesis of racemic 2-phenyl-7-methyl-3-oxa-A-nor-14 beta-estra-1,5(10),6,8-tetraen-17 alpha-ol.

2-Phenyl-6-methyl-4-oxo-4,5,6,7-tetrahydrobenzofuran (II) is converted into racemic 2-phenyl-7-methyl-3-oxa-A-nor-14 beta-estra-1,5(10),6,8-tetraen-17 alpha-ol (VIII).     

Modulation of the nucleoside triphosphatase/RNA helicase and 5'-RNA triphosphatase activities of Dengue virus type 2 nonstructural protein 3 (NS3) by interaction with NS5, the RNA-dependent RNA polymerase

Dengue virus type 2 (DEN2), a member of the Flaviviridae family, is a re-emerging human pathogen of global significance. DEN2 nonstructural protein 3 (NS3) has a serine protease domain (NS3-pro) and requires the hydrophilic domain of NS2B (NS2BH) for activation. NS3 is also an RNA-stimulated nucleoside triphosphatase (NTPase)/RNA helicase and a 5'-RNA triphosphatase (RTPase). In this study the first biochemical and kinetic properties of full-length NS3 (NS3FL)-associated NTPase, RTPase, and RNA helicase are presented. The NS3FL showed an enhanced RNA helicase activity compared with the NS3-pro-minus NS3, which was further enhanced by the presence of the NS2BH (NS2BH-NS3FL). An active protease catalytic triad is not required for the stimulatory effect, suggesting that the overall folding of the N-terminal protease domain contributes to this enhancement. In DEN2-infected mammalian cells, NS3 and NS5, the viral 5'-RNA methyltransferase/polymerase, exist as a complex. Therefore, the effect of NS5 on the NS3 NTPase activity was examined. The results show that NS5 stimulated the NS3 NTPase and RTPase activities. The NS5 stimulation of NS3 NTPase was dose-dependent until an equimolar ratio was reached. Moreover, the conserved motif, 184RKRK, of NS3 played a crucial role in binding to RNA substrate and modulating the NTPase/RNA helicase and RTPase activities of NS3.     

Peptide hairpins with strand segments containing alpha- and beta-amino acid residues: cross-strand aromatic interactions of facing Phe residues

The incporation of beta-amino acid residues into the strand segments of designed beta-hairpin leads to the formation of polar sheets, since in the case of beta-peptide strands, all adjacent carbonyl groups point in one direction and the amide groups orient in the opposite direction. The conformational analysis of two designed peptide hairpins composed of alpha/beta-hybrid segments are described: Boc-Leu-betaPhe-Val-(D)-Pro-Gly-Leu-betaPhe-Val-OMe (1) and Boc-betaLeu-Phe-betaVal-D-Pro-Gly-betaLeu-Phe-betaVal-OMe (2). A 500-MHz 1H-NMR (nuclear magnetic resonance) analysis in methanol supports a significant population of hairpin conformations in both peptides. Diagnostic nuclear Overhauser effects (NOEs) are observed in both cases. X-ray diffraction studies on single crystals of peptide 1 reveal a beta-hairpin conformation in both the molecules, which constitute the crystallographic asymmetric unit. Three cross-strand hydrogen bonds and a nucleating type II' beta-turn at the D-Pro-Gly segment are observed in the two independent molecules. In peptide 1, the betaPhe residues at positions 2 and 7 occur at the nonhydrogen-bonding position, with the benzyl side chains pointing on opposite faces of the beta-sheet. The observed aromatic centroid-to-centroid distances are 8.92 A (molecule A) and 8.94 A (molecule B). In peptide 2, the aromatic rings must occupy facing positions in antiparallel strands, in the NMR-derived structure.Peptide 1 yields a normal "hairpin-like" CD spectrum in methanol with a minimum at 224 nm. The CD spectrum of peptide 2 reveals a negative band at 234 nm and a positive band at 221 nm, suggestive of an exciton split doublet. Modeling of the facing Phe side chains at the hydrogen-bonding position of a canonical beta-hairpin suggests that interring separation is approximately 4.78 A for the gauche+ gauche- (g+ g-) rotamer. A previously reported peptide beta-hairpin composed of only alpha-amino acids, Boc-Leu-Phe-Val-D-Pro-Gly-Leu-Phe-Val-OMe also exhibited an anomalous far-UV (ultraviolet) CD (circular dichroism) spectrum, which was interpreted in terms of interactions between facing aromatic chromophores, Phe 2 and Phe 7 (C. Zhao, P. L. Polavarapu, C. Das, and P. Balaram, Journal of the American Chemical Society, 2000, Vol 122, pp. 8228-8231).     

Requirements for West Nile virus (-)- and (+)-strand subgenomic RNA synthesis in vitro by the viral RNA-dependent RNA polymerase expressed in Escherichia coli

RNA-dependent RNA polymerases (RdRPs) of the Flaviviridae family catalyze replication of positive (+)- strand viral RNA through synthesis of minus (-)-and progeny (+)-strand RNAs. West Nile virus (WNV), a mosquito-borne member, is a rapidly re-emerging human pathogen in the United States since its first outbreak in 1999. To study the replication of the WNV RNA in vitro, an assay is described here that utilizes the WNV RdRP and subgenomic (-)- and (+)-strand template RNAs containing 5'- and 3'-terminal regions (TR) with the conserved sequence elements. Our results show that both 5'- and 3'-TRs of the (+)-strand RNA template including the wild type cyclization (CYC) motifs are important for RNA synthesis. However, the 3'-TR of the (-)-strand RNA template alone is sufficient for RNA synthesis. Mutational analysis of the CYC motifs revealed that the (+)-strand 5'-CYC motif is critical for (-)-strand RNA synthesis but neither the (-)-strand 5'- nor 3'-CYC motif is important for the (+)-strand RNA synthesis. Moreover, the 5'-cap inhibits the (-)-strand RNA synthesis from the 3' fold-back structure of (+)-strand RNA template without affecting the de novo synthesis of RNA. These results support a model that "cyclization" of the viral RNA play a role for (-)-strand RNA synthesis but not for (+)-strand RNA synthesis.     

The regulation of hepatic protein synthesis during fasting in the rat

We have studied translational control in the model of 48 h of fasting in the rat. Our initial observations showed a paradoxical increase in ribosomal protein S6 (rpS6) phosphorylation and a decrease in eukaryotic initiation factor 2alpha (eIF2alpha) phosphorylation. These effects, which would favor an increase in protein synthesis, could be attributed to increased circulating concentrations of branched-chain amino acids in fasting. To determine what mechanisms might account for decreased hepatic translation in fasting, we examined the cap binding complex. eIF4E-bound 4E-BP1 did not increase. However, eIF4E-bound eIF4G and total cellular eIF4G were profoundly decreased in fasted liver. eIF4G mRNA levels were not lower after fasting. Based on the hypothesis that decreased eIF4G translation might account for the reduced eIF4G content, we fractionated ribosomes by sucrose density centrifugation. Immunoblotting for rpS6 showed modest polysomal disaggregation upon fasting. PCR analysis of polysome profiles revealed that a spectrum of mRNAs undergo different translational regulation in the fasted state. In particular, eIF4G was minimally affected by fasting. This indicated that reduced eIF4G abundance in fasting may be a function of its stability, whereas its recovery upon refeeding is necessarily independent of its own involvement in the cap binding complex. Western immunoblotting of polysome fractions showed that phosphorylated rpS6 was disproportionately present in translating polysomes in fed and fasted animals, consistent with a role in translational control. However, the translation of rpS8, an mRNA with a 5'-oligopyrimidine tract, did not coincide with rpS6 phosphorylation, thus dissociating rpS6 phosphorylation from the translational control of this subset of mRNAs.     

A comparison of shoot-forming and non-shoot-forming somatic embryos of sweet potato [Ipomoea batatas (L.) Lam.] using computer vision and histological analyses

Diagnostic structural features for competence to form shoots were tested among sweet potato embryos by combining morphological image capture (using a computer vision system) with anatomical analyses (using light microscopy). Five major morphological variants (`perfect', `near perfect', `limited/no meristematic activity', `disrupted internal anatomy', and `proliferating') were identified among torpedo- and cotyledonary-stage embryos. Among these, only the first two were found to be competent for conversion into plantlets. Lack of organized shoot development in somatic embryos of sweet potato was associated with the following abnormalities: lack of an organized apical meristem, sparcity of dividing cells in the apical region, flattened apical meristem, and multiple meristemoids and/or diffuse meristematic activity throughout the embryo. Diagnostic separation of most shoot-forming and non-shoot-forming torpedo and cotyledonary embryo variants was achieved. Received: 27 January 1997 / Revision received: 28 January 1998 / Accepted: 12 February 1998