Genetic mechanisms of tumor-specific loss of 11p DNA sequences in Wilms tumor.

Wilms tumor, a common childhood renal tumor, occurs in both a heritable and a nonheritable form. The heritable form may occasionally be attributed to a chromosome deletion at 11p13, and tumors from patients with normal constitutional chromosomes often show deletion or rearrangement of 11p13. It has been suggested that a germinal or somatic mutation may occur on one chromosome 11 and predispose to Wilms tumor and that a subsequent somatic genetic event on the normal homologue at 11p13 may permit tumor development. To study the frequency and mechanism of such tumor-specific genetic events, we have examined the karyotype and chromosome 11 genotype of normal and tumor tissues from 13 childhood renal tumor patients with different histologic tumor types and associated clinical conditions. Tumors of eight of the 12 Wilms tumor patients, including all viable tumors examined directly, show molecular evidence of loss of 11p DNA sequences by somatic recombination (four cases), chromosome loss (two cases), and recombination (two cases) or chromosome loss and duplication. One malignant rhabdoid tumor in a patient heterozygous for multiple 11p markers did not show any tumor-specific 11p alteration. These findings confirm the critical role of 11p sequences in Wilms tumor development and reveal that mitotic recombination may be the most frequent mechanism by which tumors develop.     

Characterization of fall armyworm mitochondrial DNA (Lepidoptera: Noctuidae)

Mitochondrial DNA from the fall armyworm, Spodoptera frugiperda (J.E. Smith), was cloned and characterized using restriction enzyme mapping. Genome size is approximately 16.3 kilobase (Kb), consistent with that of most animals. Three fragments, 8.1 Kb, 6.2 Kb, and 2.0 Kb, were produced by digestion with restriction enzyme Xbal and cloned into a pUC19 vector. Twenty-nine restriction enzymes were used to generate a detailed physical restriction enzyme map of the three cloned fragments. These data represent the first detailed characterization of a lepidopteran mitochondrial genome. © 1992 Wiley-Liss, Inc.     

Purification of Vibrio fischeri nitrite reductase and its characterization as a hexaheme c-type cytochrome

Dissimilatory nitrite reductase was isolated from anaerobically nitrate-grown Vibrio fischeri cells and purified to electrophoretic homogeneity. The enzyme catalyzes the six-electron reduction of nitrite to ammonia. Upon sodium dodecyl sulfate-polyacrylamide gel electrophoresis, under either nonreducing or reducing conditions, the purified nitrite reductase migrated as a single protein band of Mr 57,000. Gel filtration chromatography revealed a native molecular weight of 58,000, indicating the enzyme as isolated to be present in the monomeric form. Purified nitrite reductase exhibited typical c-type cytochrome absorption spectra with the reduced alpha-band at 552.5 nm. Heme content analysis using the purified preparation indicated the enzyme to contain 5.5 heme c groups per molecule. Iron analysis showed the presence of 5.62 g iron atoms per mole of enzyme and no nonheme irons were detected. These results clearly indicate that, similar to the dissimilatory nitrite reductases from Desulfovibrio desulfuricans, Wolinella succinogenes, and Escherichia coli, the V. fischeri nitrite reductase is a hexaheme c-type cytochrome. Amino acid composition of V. fischeri also revealed close similarities to those of the other three hexaheme nitrite reductases previously studied. Based on this information, it is concluded that the four ammonia-forming, dissimilatory nitrite reductases isolated to date represent a homologous group of proteins with the distinct property of being hexaheme c-type cytochromes.     

Absence of fodrin (spectrin-like protein) under the pseudopod membrane in stimulated thyroid cells

A fodrin-like protein purified from porcine thyroid cells and characterized by its properties identical to those of pig brain spectrin (F. Regnouf et al., Eur. J. Biochem. 153, 313-319 (1985)) has been localized by immunofluorescence and electron immunocytochemistry in porcine and rat thyroid. Fodrin-like polypeptides were detected in subplasmalemmal meshworks of microfilaments attached to isolated or in situ plasma membranes. In resting cells, fodrin was found under apical and basolateral membrane domains, whereas it was always absent under the pseudopod membrane domain induced by acute TSH stimulation in vitro, using monolayers of porcine cultured cells attached to collagen permeable substrates, as well as in vivo, using rats intravenously treated with TSH. Thyroid fodrin could be involved in exocytosis and membrane stabilization which occurs during the formation of pseudopods induced by TSH stimulation.     

湖羊瘤胃微生物GH9家族葡聚糖酶基因IDSGLUC9-25的表达与功能表征

【目的】葡聚糖酶是饲用添加剂的重要成分,本研究旨在从湖羊消化道微生物中挖掘性质优良的GH9家族葡聚糖酶基因,用于研发新型饲用酶制剂。【方法】从湖羊瘤胃微生物cDNA中扩增IDSGLUC9-25基因,在大肠杆菌中进行异源表达,对重组蛋白进行诱导表达和纯化,研究重组蛋白的酶学性质和底物水解模式。【结果】IDSGLUC9-25基因编码527个氨基酸,包含一个CelD_N结构和一个GH9家族催化结构域;重组蛋白rIDSGLUC9-25分子量约为62.7 kDa,最适反应温度和pH分别为40℃和6.0,在30-50℃下活性较高,在pH 4.0-8.0范围内能够保持较高的稳定性,经pH 4.0-8.0缓冲液处理1 h后残余活性均大于90%;底物谱分析表明,rIDSGLUC9-25能催化大麦β-葡聚糖、苔藓地衣多糖、魔芋胶和木葡聚糖,比活性分别为(443.55±24.48)、(65.56±5.98)、(122.37±2.85)和(159.16±7.73) U/mg;利用薄层色谱法(thin layer chromatography, TLC)和高效液相色谱法(high performance liquid chromatography, HPLC)分析水解产物发现,rIDSGLUC9-25降解大麦葡聚糖主要生成纤维三糖(占总还原糖64.19%±1.19%)和纤维四糖(占总还原糖26.24%±0.12%),催化地衣多糖主要生成纤维三糖(占总还原糖78.46%±0.89%)。【结论】本研究报道了一种来自密螺旋体属细菌的内切β-1,4-葡聚糖酶IDSGLUC9-25 (EC 3.2.1.4),能高效催化多糖底物生成纤维三糖和纤维四糖,为研发饲用酶制剂和制备低聚寡糖建立基础。     

G2 phase cell cycle disturbance as a manifestation of genetic cell damage

The predominant cell cycle change induced by X-rays and clastogens in peripheral blood mononuclear cells is the accumulation of cells in the G2 phase of the cell cycle. We show that this accumulation consists of cells that are either delayed or arrested within the G2 phase. Since both X-rays and DNA crosslinking chemicals are known to damage DNA, the G2 phase inhibition caused by these agents is thought to be one of the primary manifestations of (unrepaired) DNA damage. This interpretation is supported by two additional findings. (1) Older individuals have elevated baseline levels of mononuclear blood cells that are delayed and/or arrested in the G2 phase of the cell cycle. This coincides with the increased chromosomal breakage rates reported for older individuals. (2) Irrespective of their age, individuals with inherited genetic instability syndromes (such as Fanconi anemia and Bloom syndrome) exhibit elevated G2 phase cell fractions. We show that the method used to detect such induced or spontaneous cell cycle changes, viz. BrdU-Hoechst flow cytometry, is a rapid and highly sensitive technique for the assessment of genetic cell damage.Dedicated to Professor Ulrich Wolf on the occasion of his 60th birthday     

Two genes present on a transposon-like structure in Lactococcus lactis are involved in a Clp-family proteolytic activity

The lactose-protease plasmid pUCL22 of Lactococcus lactis subsp. lactis strain CNRZ270 contained two inverted copies of IS 1076 flanking a region of 3.7 kb. This internal region was sequenced and found to contain two large open reading frames, ORF1 and ORFP in opposite orientations. ORF1 consists of 2289 bp; the deduced 763-amino-acid sequence is similar to the ATPases of the ClpA family. It contains two well-conserved consensus ATP-binding sites. It was named ClpL. ORFP consists of 930 bp encoding a protein of 310 amino acids. No similarity with any known protein was found in GenBank data for ORFP. Increased ATP-dependent proteolytic activity was detected in extracts from Escherichia coli cells expressing the clpL and ORFP genes.