The Murine Nucleolin Protein Is an Inducible DNA and ATP Binding Protein Which Is Readily Detected in Nuclear Extracts of Lipopolysaccharide-Treated Splenocytes

A 100-kDa DNA binding protein was found to be dramatically up-regulated upon the mitogenic stimulation of murine splenocytes with bacterial lipopolysaccharide (LPS). The induced DNA binding protein was also found to exhibit moderate binding specificity for the immunoglobulin isotype switch DNA repeats. Furthermore, the induction of the 100-kDa protein by LPS was found to be mediated by both an increase in the protein's stability and an increase in the synthesis of the protein. In vitro phosphorylation experiments revealed that the 100-kDa DNA binding protein was one of the most heavily phosphorylated proteins in both lymphoid and nonlymphoid nuclear extracts. Although this in vitro phosphorylation initially appeared to be mediated by a potent nuclear kinase activity, it was later determined that a significant part of the detected labeling was due to the direct binding of ATP by the 100-kDa protein. Antibodies raised to the 100-kDa DNA binding protein were used to isolate cDNA clones from a lymphocyte cDNA λgt11 expression library. Nucleotide sequence analysis revealed that the cloned cDNAs were identical to the mouse nucleolin gene. The β-galactosidase fusion proteins (encoded by exons 3-14 of nucleolin) and a more severely truncated 45-kDa protein (encoded by exons 5-14 of nucleolin) were both found to bind strongly to DNA and ATP. Furthermore, the strength of DNA binding was found to be highly dependent on the overall dG content of the DNA probes. Our experiments also revealed that apart from binding ATP and G-rich DNA, nucleolin directly bound GTP, dATP, and dGTP, but not dCTP, dTTP, or dUTP. Computer analysis revealed that the putative ATP binding domains appear to fall within two of the phylogenetically conserved RNA binding domains of nucleolin.     

Regulation of O-antigen chain length is required for Shigella flexneri virulence

It is shown that Shigella flexneri maintains genetic control over the modal chain length of the O-antigen polysaccharide chains of its lipopolysaccharide (LPS) molecules because such a distribution is required for virulence. The effect of altering O-antigen chain length on S. flexneri virulence was investigated by inserting a kanamycin (Km)-resistance cassette into the rol gene (controlling the modal O-antigen chain length distribution), and into the rfbD gene, whose product is needed for synthesis of dTDP-rhamnose (the precursor of rhamnose in the O-antigen). The mutations had the expected effect on LPS structure. The rol ::Km mutation was impaired in the ability to elicit keratoconjunctivitis, as determined by the Serény test. The rol ::Km and rfbD ::Km mutations prevented plaque formation on HeLa cells, but neither mutation affected the ability of S. flexneri to invade and replicate in HeLa cells. Microscopy of bacteria-infected HeLa cells stained with fluorescein isothiocyanate (FITC)-phalloidin demonstrated that both the rol ::Km and rfbD ::Km mutants were defective in F-actin tail formation: the latter mutant showed distorted F-actin tails. Plasma-membrane protrusions were occasionally observed. Investigation of the location of IcsA (required for F-actin tail formation) on the cell surface by immunofluorescence and immunogold electron microscopy showed that while most rol mutant bacteria produced little or no cell-surface IcsA, 10% resembled the parental bacterial cell (which had IcsA at one cell pole; the rfbD mutant had IcsA located over its entire cell surface although it was more concentrated at one end of the cell). That the O-antigen chains of the rol ::Km mutant did not mask the IcsA protein was demonstrated by using the endorhamnosidase activity of Sf6c phage to digest the O-antigen chains, and comparing untreated and Sf6c-treated cells by immunofluorescence with anti-IcsA serum.     

β-Endorphin like immunoreactivity of brain,pituitary gland and plasma of rats submitted to postnatal protein malnutrition: Effect of behavioral training

Wistar-derived rats were raised and maintained either on a normal- (25% casein) or on a low-protein (8% casein) diet until the age of 100 to 114 days. Both diets were isocaloric and contained an adequate supply of salts and vitamins. There were gross differences in body, brain and pituitary weight between the two groups. In addition, the brain and pituitary content of β-endorphin like immunoreactivity was lower in the protein malnourished rats, and three different forms of training (50 tone-footshock shuttle avoidance trials; 50 tones alone (habituation); 50 footshocks alone) caused a depletion of brain β-endorphin like immunoreactivity in the normal, but not in the malnourished rats. Footshock stimulation caused, in addition, a pituitary decrease and a plasma increase of β-endorphin like immunoreactivity, also restricted to the normal diet group. Performance in the habituation and in the shuttle avoidance tasks was similar in the two groups, despite the different responsiveness of their brain and pituitary β-endorphin systems to training and/or stimulation. In view of the possible involvement of these systems in learning suggested by these and by previous data, it seems likely that the neurohumoral regulation of habituation and avoidance learning may be different in rats submitted to protein malnutrition when compared to controls.     

Time of replication of genes responsible for a temperature-sensitive function in a cell cycle-specific ts mutant from a hamster cell line

A method involving short pulses of 5-bromodeoxyuridine (brUdRib) followed by irraidation with 313 nm light was used to locate the time of replication of certain genes during the cell cycle of two cell lines, AF8 and AL106. AF8, a temperature-sensitive mutant of BHK21/13 cells, grows at 33°C but not at 39.5°C. AL106, a hybrid clone of tsAF8 and SV-40 transformed Lesch-Nyhan fibroblasts (LNSV), which retains all hamster chromosomes and one human chromosome (No. 3), has the ability to grow at 39.5°C. AF8 and AL106 cells synchronized at the G₁-S boundary were released from their block and pulsed with brUdRib for 2-hour periods during the S phase. The cells were subsequently irradiated with 313 nm light. Colony-forming efficiency and revertants frequency were studied. Incorporation of brUdRib during the early S phase (0–4 hours from the begining of S), decreased the colony-forming efficiency of AL106 cells both at 33°C and 39.5°C, and also of AF8 cells at 33°C. No AF8 colonies grew at the nonpermissive temperature regardless of the treatment. Thus the time of replication of genes responsible for colony-forming ability was the same in tsAF8 at the permissive temperature and in AL106 at both temperatures. The time of replication of the genes responsible for the ts function in AF8 cells was located by determining the revertants frequency in synchronized AF8 cells pulsed with brUdRib and irradiated during 1- to 2-hour periods of the S phase. Back-mutants were scored by counting the number of clones capable of growing at 39.5°C (nonpermissive for AF8 cells). The highest frequency of induced back-mutations occurred in synchronized AF8 cells pulsed with brUdRib (and irradiated) between two to four hours from the begining of the S phase. Exposure to brUdRib during other periods of the S phase or during G₁ had no effect on the reversion rate. This method can be used to locate the time of replication (in S) of ts genes in other temperature-sensitive mutants or of other specific genes in other conditional mutants.     

Correlation of cotylenol with the aglycone of fusicoccin

The stereostructure of cotylenol, the aglycone of the cotylenins, has been confirmed by chemical correlation with the aglycone of fusicoccin A.     

The role of the IGF1 receptor in the regulation of cdc2 mRNA levels in fibroblasts

The levels of cdc2 mRNA increase when quiescent cells are stimulated by growth factors. In BALB/c 3T3, both platelet-derived growth factor and insulin-like growth factor 1 (IGF-1) are required to increase cdc2 mRNA levels. In p6 cells, which constitutively overexpress the IGF-1 receptor, IGF-1 is sufficient. The importance of the IGF-1/IGF-1 receptor interaction in regulating the levels of cdc2 mRNA was further confirmed by showing that an antisense oligodeoxynucleotide to the IGF-1 receptor RNA inhibited the IGF-1-mediated increase.     

Changes in RNA polymerase II in a cell cycle-specific temperature-sensitive mutant of hamster cells

tsAF8 cells are a temperature-sensitive mutant of BHK cells that arrest at the nonpermissive temperature in the G₁ phase of the cell cycle. The activity of solubilized RNA polymerase II and its ability to bind [³H]-γ-amanitin decrease in tsAF8 cells at 40.6°, with a half-life of ～ 10 hr. No appreciable changes occur in these two parameters in tsAF8 cells at 34° or in BHK cells at either 34° or 40.6°. Protein synthesis is not appreciably affected for at least 24 hr after tsAF8 cells are shifted to 40.6°. These results indicate that in tsAF8 cells at the nonpermissive temperature, there is a defect in either the synthesis, the assembly, or the stability of RNA polymerase II, and that the loss of RNA polymerase II molecules is not due to widespread cellular damage.