Isolation, expression, and mutation of a rabbit skeletal muscle cDNA clone for troponin I. The role of the NH2 terminus of fast skeletal muscle troponin I in its biological activity.

A cDNA for rabbit fast skeletal muscle troponin I (TnI) was isolated and sequenced. The clone contains a coding sequence predicting a 182-amino-acid protein with a molecular mass of 21,162 daltons. The translated sequence is different from that reported by Wilkinson and Grand (Wilkinson, J. M., and Grand, R. J. A. (1978) Nature 271, 31-35) in that Arg-153, Asp-154, and Leu-155 must be inserted into their original sequence. Amino acid sequencing of adult rabbit TnI confirmed this result. In order to investigate the role of the NH2 terminus of TnI in its biological activity, we have expressed a recombinant deletion mutant (TnId57), which lacks residues 1-57, in a bacterial expression system. Both wild type TnI (WTnI) and TnId57 inhibited acto-S1-ATPase activity and this inhibition could be fully reversed by troponin C (TnC) in the presence of Ca2+. Additionally both WTnI and TnId57 bound to an actin affinity column. Thus, both inhibitory actin binding and Ca(2+)-dependent neutralization by TnC were retained in TnId57. TnC affinity chromatography was used to compare the binding of TnI and TnId57 to TnC. Using this method, two types of interaction between TnC and TnI were observed: 1) one which is metal independent (or structural) and 2) one dependent on Ca2+ or Mg2+ binding to the Ca(2+)-Mg2+ sites of TnC. The same experiments with TnId57 demonstrated that the type 1 interaction was weakened, and type 2 binding was lost. This method also revealed an interaction between TnC and TnI which is dependent upon Ca2+ binding to the Ca(2+)-specific sites of TnC and which is retained in TnId57. Taken together, these results suggest that the NH2 terminus of TnI may constitute a Ca(2+)-Mg(2+)-dependent interaction site between TnC and TnI and play, in part, a structural role in maintaining the stability of the troponin complex while the COOH terminus of TnI contains a Ca(2+)-specific site-dependent interaction site for TnC as well as the previously demonstrated Ca(2+)-sensitive inhibitory and actin binding activities.     

Ligation activity of FLP recombinase. The strand ligation activity of a site-specific recombinase using an activated DNA substrate.

The FLP protein of the 2-microns plasmid of yeast belongs to the integrase family of site-specific recombinases whose members form a covalent bond between a conserved tyrosine of the recombinase and the 3'-phosphoryl group at the site of cleavage. We have made an activated DNA substrate and have shown that FLP can promote efficient strand ligation without forming a covalent intermediate with the DNA substrate. The strand ligation activity of FLP is independent of its ability to cleave DNA. Since site-specific recombinases are members of the larger class of topoisomerases, these findings may be generally applicable to other members of this class of enzymes.     

Spatial and temporal patterns of intracellular calcium in colonic smooth muscle

Summary Intracellular calcium [Ca²⁺] _i measurements in cell suspension of gastrointestinal myocytes have suggested a single [Ca²⁺] _i transient followed by a steady-state increase as the characteristic [Ca²⁺] _i response of these cells. In the present study, we used digital video imaging techniques in freshly dispersed myocytes from the rabbit colon, to characterize the spatiotemporal pattern of the [Ca²⁺] _i signal in single cells. The distribution of [Ca²⁺] _i in resting and stimulated cells was nonhomogeneous, with gradients of high [Ca²⁺] _i present in the subplasmalemmal space and in one cell pole. [Ca²⁺] _i gradients within these regions were not constant but showed temporal changes in the form of [Ca²⁺] _i oscillations and spatial changes in the form of [Ca²⁺] _i waves. [Ca²⁺] _i oscillations in unstimulated cells (n = 60) were independent of extracellular [Ca²⁺] and had a mean frequency of 12.6 +1.1 oscillations per min. The baseline [Ca²⁺], was 171 ± 13 nm and the mean oscillation amplitude was 194 ± 12 nm. Generation of [Ca²⁺] _i waves was also independent of influx of extracellular Ca²⁺. [Ca²⁺] _i waves originated in one cell pole and were visualized as propagation mostly along the subplasmalemmal space or occasionally throughout the cytoplasm. The mean velocity was 23 +3 m per sec (n = 6). Increases of [Ca²⁺] _i induced by different agonists were encoded into changes of baseline [Ca²⁺] _i and the amplitude of oscillations, but not into their frequency. The observed spatiotemporal pattern of [Ca²⁺] _i regulation may be the underlying mechanism for slow wave generation and propagation in this tissue. These findings are consistent with a [Ca²⁺] _i regulation whereby cell regulators modulate the spatiotemporal pattern of intracellularly generated [Ca²⁺] _i oscillations.The authors thank Debbie Anderson for excellent technical assistance with the electron microscopy and Dr. M. Regoli for providing the NK-1 agonist [Sar⁹,Met(O₂)¹¹]-SP. This work was supported by National Institutes of Health Grants DK 40919 and DK 40675 and Veterans Administration Grant SMI.     

Distribution and behaviour of Acetes sibogae Hansen (Decapoda, Crustacea) in an estuary in relation to tidal and diel environmental changes

Quantitative samples of Acetes sibogae were collected at 2 hintervals for 48 h at three sites across the axis of a tidalestuary to examine their distribution within the water bodyover tidal and diel cycles, and to assess the role of behaviourin maintaining population distribution in estuarine/coastalwaters in relation to selected environmental factors. Watertemperature, salinity, tidal height and light intensity wereconcurrently measured. Distribution of the shrimp across theestuary was uniform and consistent between daylight or darkperiods, and among flood or ebb tides. Changes of A.sibogaeabundance were related to light and tidal cycles at each sitewith higher catches in dark periods and during flood tides.Acetes sibogae also exhibited both nocturnal and tidal verticalmovements in the water body, with greater numbers being onlyfound near-surface rather than near-bottom during flood tidesand at night. No significant differences in the distributionof size groups were found between any sampled levels of anysite. Acetes sibogae was highly aggregated in the water body.It is suggested that aggregating behaviour and tidal and nocturnalvertical movements act to facilitate population maintenancein estuarine/coastal waters.     

Physiological aspects of l-lysine production: effect of nutritional limitations on a producing strain of Corynebacterium glutamicum

The effect of nutritional limitations, such as phosphorus and carbon, on the production of l-lysine by Corynebacterium glutamicum was studied in continuous culture. We observed that phosphate-limited cultures at low growth rates were favourable to l-lysine production. l-Lysine was produced when a culture at low dilution rate (0.03 h^–1) was established. A dilution rate of about 0.04 h^–1 should be maintained in order to assure good productivity and an l-lysine yield of 0.53 g/g. Under carbon-limiting conditions the maintenance energy and growth yield of 0.03 g/g·g^–1·h^–1 and 0.41 g/g, respectively, have been obtained. Under these limiting conditions the l-lysine production was not favoured even at lower dilution rates.Correspondence to: N. Coello     

The exon organization of the triple-helical coding regions of the human alpha 1(VI) and alpha 2(VI) collagen genes is highly similar.

The alpha 1(VI) and alpha 2(VI) chains, two of the three constituent chains of type VI collagen, are highly similar in size and domain structure. They are encoded by single-copy genes residing in close proximity on human chromosome 21. To study the evolution of the type VI collagen genes, we have isolated and characterized genomic clones coding for the triple-helical domains of the human alpha 1(VI) and alpha 2(VI) chains, which consist of 336 and 335 amino acid residues, respectively. Nucleotide sequencing indicates that, in both genes, the exons are multiples of 9 bp in length (including 27, 36, 45, 54, 63, and 90 bp) except for those encoding for regions with triple-helical interruptions. In addition, the introns are positioned between complete codons. The most predominant exon size is 63 bp, instead of 54 bp as seen in the fibrillar collagen genes. Of particular interest is the finding that the exon structures of the alpha 1(VI) and alpha 2(VI) genes are almost identical. A significant deviation is that a segment of 30 amino acid residues is encoded by two exons of 54 and 36 bp in the alpha 1(VI) gene, but by a single exon of 90 bp in the alpha 2(VI) gene. The exon arrangement therefore provides further evidence that the two genes have evolved from tandem gene duplication. Furthermore, comparison with the previously reported gene structure of the chick alpha 2(VI) chain indicates that the exon structure for the triple-helical domain of the alpha 2(VI) collagen is strictly conserved between human and chicken.     

Cadmium-113 NMR studies of the DNA binding domain of the mammalian glucocorticoid receptor

The DNA binding domain of the mammalian glucocorticoid hormone receptor (GR) contains nine highly conserved cysteine residues, a conservation shared by the superfamily of steroid and thyroid hormone receptors. A fragment [150 amino acids (AA) in length] consisting of GR residues 407-556, containing within it the entire DNA binding domain (residues 440-525), has been overexpressed and purified from Escherichia coli previously. This fragment has been shown to contain 2.3 +/- 0.2 mol of Zn(II) per mole of protein [Freedman, L. P., Luisi, B. F., Korszun, Z. R., Basavappa, R., Sigler, P. B., & Yamamoto, K. R. (1988) Nature 334, 543]. Zn(II) [or Cd(II) substitution] has been shown to be essential for specific DNA binding. 113Cd NMR of a cloned construct containing the minimal DNA binding domain of 86 AA residues [denoted GR(440-525)] with 113Cd(II) substituted for Zn(II) identifies 2 Cd(II) binding sites by the presence of 2 113Cd NMR signals each of which integrates to 1 113Cd nucleus. The chemical shifts of these two sites, 704 and 710 ppm, suggest that each 113Cd(II) is coordinated to four isolated -S- ligands. Shared -S- ligands connecting the two 113Cd(II) ions do not appear to be present, since their T1s differ by 10-fold, 0.2 and 2.0 s, respectively. Addition of a third 113Cd(II) or Zn(II) to 113Cd2GR(440-525) results in occupancy of a third site, which introduces exchange modulation of the two original 113Cd NMR signals causing them to disappear. Addition of EDTA to the protein restores the original two signals.(ABSTRACT TRUNCATED AT 250 WORDS)