流行性感冒病毒重组株京生75-29 R2 T1及冷适应株31-广的基因分析

用聚丙烯酰胺凝胶电泳方法分析了流行性感冒病毒重组株京生75-29R2 T1(H3N2)及冷适应株31-广(H3N2)的RNA及多肽。重组株京生75-29R2 T1的HA及M基因系来自流行病毒亲本株/甲/北京/29/75(H3N2),而P_2、NA、NP及NS基因则来自温度敏感母株福R3(H2N2)。流行病毒株甲/穗/03/68(H3N2)在低温条件下经鸡胚尿囊腔传递24代而获得的冷适应疫苗毒株31-广(H3N2)其基因型与野毒株一致。     

用微型计算机在TSr(Bg1Ⅱ)-1核苷酸顺序中寻找相似序列

<正> 为了在TSr(Bgl Ⅱ-1)核苷酸顺序中寻找有无类似α—顺序的冷点区顺序,我们在微型电子计算机上编制了查找相似序列顺序(WSS程序)。本程序的特点是运行速度快,无重复扫描,可自行选择欲查找的相似百分比和百分比精度,它不仅适用于寻找内切酶的酶切点,而且可以在相当长度的已测序DNA顺序中快速准确地检出碱基位置和数量发生随机变异的DNA相似片段,并直接计算、打印出相似百分比值。     

An equilibrium between distorted and undistorted DNA in the adult chicken beta A-globin gene

We have used single strand specific nucleases to map DNA distortion in the adult chicken beta A-globin gene. We have detected two structures of that kind and have mapped nuclease-cutting sites at one base resolution. One prominent site is centered at -190 relative to the RNA capping site and is positioned at the center of a stretch of contiguous C residues. The second site is near the first intron/exon junction (+620) and appears as a series of discrete 1-base-long enzyme-cutting sites. Based upon the pattern of nuclease cutting and the kinetics of nuclease cutting we conclude that the "poly(C)" stretch may assume a looped geometry in supertwisted DNA molecules which is similar to that proposed by Felsenfeld (Nickol, J. M., and Felsenfeld, G. (1983) Cell 35, 467-477). We show that S1 nuclease cuts within the intron occur mainly at the end points of polypurine segments and suggest that such end points may assume a distorted transitional geometry. We find that Neurospora crassa endonuclease cuts both the promotor and intron sites in linear DNA molecules but that in linear DNA the cutting process is limited by a first order conformation change of the DNA substrate. Based upon those kinetics we propose that in unstressed DNA, each of the two sites can convert between a distorted and undistorted geometry. In the enzyme assay buffer at 37 degrees C, the time constant for the equilibrium is nearly 10 h for the promotor site and 7 h for the intron.     

A 57,000-mol-wt protein uniquely present in nonproliferating cells and senescent human fibroblasts

Mouse monoclonal antibody, S-30, was produced from hybridoma preparation from mice injected with the cytoskeleton extract of an in vitro aged culture of human fibroblasts derived from a 66-yr-old donor. The antibody stains positively the nuclei of the nonproliferating cells present predominantly in the senescent cultures of five selected fibroblast strains derived from donors of different age groups, whereas a negative reaction is observed in the cultures of their young counterparts. In the intermediate stage of the in vitro life span of these cell strains, a heterogeneous positive reaction for staining with S-30 antibody is observed in different subfractions of cell cultures. However, the expression of S-30 can be induced in the young fibroblasts at the early stage of their life by prolonged culturing to confluence. This induced expression of S-30 nuclear staining can be depleted upon subculturing at low cell density. Immunoelectron microscopy with colloidal gold-protein A complex demonstrates that the S-30 proteins are present in the nuclear plasma and at the region of nuclear envelope in a clustered arrangement. Immunoprecipitation of [3H]leucine labeled cell specimens shows that the antibody S-30 reacts with a protein with a molecular weight of approximately 57,000.     

Localization of tyrosine kinase-coding region in v-abl oncogene by the expression of v-abl-encoded proteins in bacteria

A series of plasmids containing different segments of the v-abl oncogene have been constructed to express different portions of the v-abl protein in bacteria. The tyrosine kinase activity of these proteins was determined by an in vitro assay employing histones or angiotensin II as substrates for the v-abl-encoded tyrosine kinase. These experiments show that the 5'-1.2 kilobases of v-abl is necessary and sufficient to produce an active tyrosine kinase which is functional as a monomeric soluble protein. The kinase-coding region corresponds to the minimal region of v-abl required for the transformation of fibroblasts. The kinase-coding region also coincides with the conserved protein sequences which are found in other tyrosine kinases. A compact domain of the v-abl protein including this kinase-coding region can accumulate to high levels in bacteria. The C-terminal region of the v-abl protein is not needed for the kinase activity and is rapidly degraded in bacteria.     

Use of fluorinated tyrosine phosphates to probe the substrate specificity of the low molecular weight phosphatase activity of calcineurin

Calcineurin, a calmodulin-activated protein phosphatase, is known to dephosphorylate certain low molecular weight phosphate esters. The low molecular weight phosphatase activity of calcineurin has been studied by utilizing tyrosine phosphate derivatives. Kinetic studies suggest that the substrate specificity is dependent upon the electronic nature of the substrate in contrast to results obtained with alkaline phosphatase from Escherichia coli. Comparison of calcineurin and acid-catalyzed hydrolyses indicates a 1:1 correlation between the rate constants for the two processes. This correlation and other model studies have been utilized to provide insight into the chemical mechanism of calcineurin. Possible chemical mechanisms for calcineurin are discussed.     

Elevation of the number of cell-surface insulin receptors and the rate of 2-deoxyglucose uptake by exposure of 3T3-L1 adipocytes to tolbutamide

Sulfonylurea compounds are hypoglycemic agents which by unknown mechanisms alter the amount of insulin receptor and the rate of glucose utilization in tissues exposed to the drugs. In this study the effects on insulin binding and uptake of 2-deoxyglucose by 3T3-L1 adipocytes were assessed after maintaining cell monolayers for 1-3 days in medium containing different concentrations of the sulfonylurea, tolbutamide. The amount of 125I-insulin bound by treated monolayers gradually increased to values 150-250% of those of control monolayers after 2-3 days of exposure to 1.5 mM tolbutamide. Such increases in insulin binding capacity arose primarily from an increase in receptor number and not from an alteration in the affinity of the receptor for insulin. Concomitant with the changes observed for the insulin receptor, tolbutamide-treated monolayers expressed 1.5-2-fold higher rates of uptake of 2-deoxyglucose relative to control monolayers at concentrations of insulin between 0 and 10(-10) M. This study thus demonstrates the responsiveness of adipocytes to tolbutamide and also establishes the usefulness of 3T3-L1 cells as a model system in which to study the mechanism of tolbutamide action, both as it relates to the use of sulfonylurea compounds in clinical applications and as possible probes for perturbing and studying relatively uncharacterized regulatory pathways controlling receptor level and biological responses to insulin.     

The complete amino-acid sequence of the proteinase inhibitor B from the root of the arrowhead (Sagittaria sagittifolia L.)

After reduction and alkylation of the disulfide bonds of the proteinase inhibitor B from the root of the arrowhead (Sagittaria sagittifolia L.) followed by CNBr cleavage three peptide fragments with 68, 62 and 11 amino-acid residues could be separated on DEAE-Sepharose CL-6B. The peptides or the inhibitor itself were further specifically cleaved either by trypsin or by the mixture of (CH3)2SO/HCl/HBr at the arginyl- and the tryptophyl-peptide bond, respectively. The complete amino-acid sequences of the peptides were determined by manual solid phase DABITC/PITC double coupling micro-method and the primary structure of the arrowhead inhibitor B consisting of 141 amino-acid residues was then elucidated. Twenty pairs of amino-acid residues are repeated in the molecule of this inhibitor, three of these pairs even occur three times. The possible locations of the reactive sites are discussed. On the basis of sequence comparisons between this inhibitor and all other serine proteinase inhibitors the arrowhead inhibitor may belong to a new family.