Sperm nuclei analysis of a Robertsonian t(14q21q) carrier,by FISH,using three plasmids and two YAC probes

The meiotic segregation of chromosomes 14 and 21 was analysed in 1116 spermatozoa from an oligoasthenospermic carrier of a Robsertsonian translocation t(14q21q), and in 16 392 spermatozoa from a control donor, using two-colour fluorescence in situ hybridisation (FISH). Two YAC probes (cloned in yeast artificial chromosomes) specific for regions on the long arms of these chromosomes were co-hybridised. Of the spermatozoa, 12% were unbalanced, resulting from adjacent segregations. Chromosomes X, Y and 1 were also simultaneously detected in 1335 spermatozoa from the same carrier. Whereas gonosomal disomy rates were not significantly different from those of the control donors, disomy 1 were slightly but significantly increased to 0.7%. The diploidy rate was also slightly increased to approximately 1% in the translocation carrier.     

Effects of lethal irradiation and cyclosporin A treatment on the growth and tumoricidal activity of a T cell clone potentially useful in cancer therapy

The TALL-104 cell line, originally derived from a patient with T cell leukemia, can be maintained indefinitely in culture in the presence of interleukin-2 (IL-2) and is endowed with a highly potent major-histocompatibilitycomplex (MHC)-non-restricted tumoricidal activity both in vitro and in animal models. The present study analyzes in detail the short- and long-term effects of irradiation and cyclosporin A (CsA) treatment on the growth and tumoricidal function of this T cell clone as compared to polyclonal lymphokine-activated killer (LAK) cell preparations from healthy donors. DNA and RNA syntheses by both TALL-104 and LAK cells were irreversibly arrested a few hours after irradiation with 40 Gy. However, 4-h⁵¹Cr-release assays, performed on different days (day 1 to day 7) after irradiation, showed that the cytotoxic efficiency of TALL-104 cells against hematopoietic and solid tumor targets was only modestly reduced, whereas that of LAK cells was severely inhibited. Moreover, the cytotoxic responses to recombinant human IL-2 and IL-12, measured 18 h after irradiation and cytokine addition, were normal in the case of TALL-104 cells but were abolished in the case of LAK cells. Co-culture of IL-2-or IL-12-preactivated TALL-104 cells with a tumor target for 5 days in the absence of cytokines resulted in a lower efficiency of lysis, as compared to the non-irradiated effectors, especially if the initial stimulus was IL-12. These findings suggest the requirement of multiple cytokine stimulation for optimal expression of tumoricidal activity by lethally irradiated TALL-104 cells. CsA, while abrogating TALL-104 cell proliferation at the low dose of 0.5 g/ml, inhibited their cytotoxic function marginally only at high doses (100 g/ml). By contrast, CsA reduced dose-dependently the cytotoxicity of LAK cells starting at very low doses (0.5 g/ml). CsA did not impair the ability of TALL-104 and LAK cells to produce interferon (IFN), tumor necrosis factor (TNF) , and granulocyte/macrophage-colony-stimulatory factor (GM-CSF) in response to IL-2, IL-12, or tumor targets. Irradiation reduced drastically IFN production by LAK, but not TALL-104 cells; release of TNF and GM-CSF by either type of effector was inhibited by 10%–50%, depending on the stimulus. The high resistance of the TALL-104 cells' tumoricidal function to irradiation and immunosuppressive drugs renders this immortal T cell clone a potentially safe and effective reagent for new adoptive-transfer approaches to cancer in MHC-incompatible recipients.     

Saturation of penicillin-binding protein 1 by β-lactam antibiotics in growing cells of Bacillus licheniformis

With the help of a new highly sensitive method allowing the quantification of free penicillin-binding proteins (PBPs) and of an integrated mathematical model, the progressive saturation of PBP1 by various β-lactam antibiotics in growing cells of Bacillus licheniformis was studied. Although the results confirmed PBP1 as a major lethal target for these compounds, they also underlined several weaknesses in our present understanding of this phenomenon. In growing cells, but not in resting cells, the penicillin target(s) appeared to be somewhat protected from the action of the inactivators. In vitro experiments indicated that amino acids, peptides and depsipeptides mimicking the peptide moiety of the nascent peptidoglycan significantly interfered with the acylation of PBP1 by the antibiotics. In addition, the level of PBP1 saturation at antibiotic concentrations corresponding to the minimum inhibitory concentrations was not constant, suggesting that additional, presently undiscovered, factors might be necessary to account for the experimental observations.     

Genetic and functional evidence that Type IV pili are required for social gliding motility in Myxococcus xanthus

The social gliding behaviour of Myxococcus xanthus has previously been associated with the presence of polar pili. A Tn 5 transposon insertion was isolated which introduces a defect in social gliding and is genetically linked to a known sgl locus; this insertion was found also to cause a piliation defect. A 2.7 kb section of DNA was isolated from either side of this transposon and sequenced, revealing three genes which encode amino acid sequences with substantial similarity to components of the Type IV pilus biogenesis pathway in Pseudomonas aeruginosa . The myxococcal pilA gene encodes a putative pilin precursor with a short signal sequence and processing site similar to those of other Type IV pilins. Myxococcal pilS and pilR encode amino acid sequences with similarity to PilS and PilR of P. aeruginosa , as well as to other members of the NtrB/C family of two-component regulators. Mutations within pilR and pilA that have no polar effect were demonstrated to be responsible for pilus and social motility defects. These results indicate that the pili of M. xanthus belong to the Type IV family of pili, and demonstrate that these pili are actually required for social motility.     

Human liver alcohol dehydrogenase. 2. The primary structure of the gamma 1 protein chain

The primary structure of the gamma 1 subunit of human liver alcohol dehydrogenase isoenzyme gamma 1 gamma 1 was deduced by characterization of 36 tryptic and 2 CNBr peptides. The polypeptide chain is composed of 373 amino acid residues. gamma 1 differs from the beta 1 subunit of human liver alcohol dehydrogenase at 21 positions, and from the E subunit of horse liver alcohol dehydrogenase at 43 positions including a gap at position 128 as in the beta 1 subunit. All zinc-liganding residues from the E subunit of the horse protein and the beta 1 subunit of the human enzyme are conserved, but like beta 1, gamma 1 also has an additional cysteine residue at position 286 (in the positional numbering system of the horse enzyme) due to a Tyr----Cys exchange. Most amino acid exchanges preserve the properties of the residues affected and are largely located on the surface of the molecules, away from the active site and the coenzyme binding region. However, eight positions with charge differences in relation to the E subunit of the horse enzyme are noticed. These result in a net positive charge increase of one in gamma 1 versus E, explaining the electrophoretic mobilities on starch gels. Of functional significance is the conservation of Ser-48 in gamma 1 relative to E. The residue is close to the active site but different (Thr-48) in the beta 1 subunit of the human enzyme. Thus, the closer structural relationship between human gamma 1 and horse E enzyme subunit than between beta 1 and E is also reflected in functionally important residues, explaining a greater similarity between gamma 1 gamma 1 and EE than between beta 1 beta 1 and EE.     

High frequency of-β-hexosaminidase deficiency in lymphoblastoid cell lines

The activity of seven lysosomal enzymes was determined in 25 lymphoblastoid cell lines. These lines included normal controls transformed with Epstein-Barr virus, Burkitt's lymphomas and other lymphomas with or without EBV genome.Four lines were deficient in total β-hexosaminidase activity. The deficiency was as severe as that of the variant O (Sandhoff's disease) of clinical β-hexosaminidase deficiency. The electrophoretic pattern was also similar to that observed in Sandhoff's disease.The possible mechanisms explaining the high frequency of β-hexosaminidase deficiency in lymphoblastoid cell lines are discussed.     

NMR studies of the mechanism of cyclic AMP-dependent protein kinase

NMR has been used to study the role of the divalent cation, the conformations, arrangement, and exchange rates of the enzyme-bound metal-ATP and peptide substrates, the mechanism of the phosphoryl transfer, and the structure and role of the regulatory subunit on type II cyclic AMP (cAMP)-dependent protein kinase from bovine heart. The active complex consists of an enzyme-ATP-metal bridge in which the metal is beta, gamma coordinated, with delta chirality at P beta, and a torsional angle at the adenine-ribose bond in the high-anti range (x approximately 80 degrees). The bound heptapeptide substrate Leu-Arg-Arg-Ala-Ser-Leu-Gly is extended in conformation, forming either a coil or, less likely, a beta turn but not an alpha helix or beta sheet. The distance from the gamma-P of bound ATP analogs to the Ser-OH of the bound peptide (5.3 +/- 0.7 A) would permit a metaphosphate or an elongated phosphorane intermediate or transition state. The regulatory subunit (R2) blocks the peptide- or protein-binding site of the catalytic subunit. The 31P chemical shift of cAMP is not greatly altered on binding to R2, but the resonance is broadened to approximately 32 Hz, which indicates no chemical change but marked immobilization of bound cAMP. A narrower (approximately 7 Hz) 31P resonance at 4.44 ppm is assigned to P-serine-95 of R2 because it disappears with catalytic subunit, Mg2+, and an ADP-generating system.     

Sucrose transport into vacuoles isolated from barley mesophyll protoplasts

Sucrose transport has been investigated in vacuoles isolated from barley mesophyll protoplasts. Rates of sucrose transfer across the tonoplast were even higher in vitro than in vivo indicating that the sucrose transport system had not suffered damage during isolation of the vacuoles. Sucrose transport is carrier-mediated as shown by substrate saturation of transport and sensitivity to a metabolic inhibitor and to competitive substrates. A number of sugars, in particular maltose and raffinose, decreased uptake of sucrose. Sorbitol was slowly taken up but had no effect on sucrose transport. The SH-reagent p-chloromercuribenzene sulfonate inhibited sucrose uptake completely. The apparent K_m of the carrier for sucrose uptake was 21 mM. Transport was neither influenced by ATP and pyrophosphate, with or without Mg²⁺ present, nor by protonophores and valinomycin (with K⁺ present). Apparently uptake was not energy dependent. Efflux experiments with preloaded vacuoles indicated that sucrose unloading from the isolated vavuoles is mediated by the same carrier which catalyses uptake. The vacuole of mesophyll cells appears to represent an intermediary storage compartment. Uptake of photosynthetic products into the vacuole during the light apparently minimizes osmotic swelling of the small cytosolic compartment of vacuolated leaf cells when photosynthetic productivity exceeds the capacity of the phloem for translocation of sugars.Abbreviations Hepes 4-(2-hydroxyethyl)-1-piperazincethane-sulfonic acid - pCMBS p-chloromercuribenzene sulfonate Dedicated to Professor Dr. W. Simonis on the occasion of his 75th birthday     

Ionic inhibition of catalytic phosphorylation of histone by bovine brain protein kinase.

The effects of various ions commonly found in protein kinase assays upon the rate of histone phosphorylation catalyzed by the highly purified bovine brain enzyme, protein kinase I, have been investigated. Sodium, potassium, and magnesium were found to inhibit histone phosphorylation by protein kinase I in a similar manner. The degree of inhibition by any of these cations was demonstrated to be directly proportional to the square root of the ionic strength of the assay medium. The relationship between the ionic strength of the assay medium and the rate of histone phosphorylation catalyzed by protein kinase I was employed to correct the rate of histone phosphorylation at various magnesium acetate concentrations to a standard ionic strength. When this was done an analysis of the previously postulated rate law for histone phosphorylation c atalyzed by protein kinase I gave a binding constant for the magnesium-ATP complex which was in agreement with that expected for this complex on the basis of various binding constants available in the literature. These results demonstrate that it is unnecessary to postulate a specific ion inhibition process for protein kinase I by the ions employed in this study. They also support the reasonable assumption that magnesium ion binds to ATP at or prior to the rate-determining step in histone phosphorylation catalyzed by protein kinase I. The expression developed in this paper for the effect of ionic strength upon protein kinase I activity can now be used to correct activity measurements made under various assay conditions to a standard assay state, allowing facile comparisons of kinetic data. It should be possible to develop similar expressions for other protein kinases and substrates to permit useful interpretation of kinetic data.