Generation of a purely clonal defective interfering influenza virus

Defective interfering (DI) influenza viruses carry a large deletion in a gene segment that interferes with the replication of infectious virus; thus, such viruses have potential for antiviral therapy. However, because DI viruses cannot replicate autonomously without the aid of an infectious helper virus, clonal DI virus stocks that are not contaminated with helper virus have not yet been generated. To overcome this problem, we used reverse genetics to generate a clonal DI virus with a PB2 DI gene, amplified the clonal DI virus using a cell line stably expressing the PB2 protein, and confirmed its ability to interfere with infectious virus replication in vitro. Thus, our approach is suitable for obtaining purely clonal DI viruses, will contribute to the understanding of DI virus interference mechanisms and can be used to develop DI virus‐based antivirals.     

Hypoxanthine guanine phosphoribosyltransferase deficiency: nucleotide substitution causing Lesch-Nyhan syndrome identified for the first time among Japanese

Summary A previously undescribed nucleotide substitution at codon 51 (CGA to TGA) has been identified using the polymerase chain reaction technique in hypoxanthine guanine phosphoribosyltransferase (HPRT) cDNA; this is the first molecular evidence for a point mutation in a Japanese patient with Lesch-Nyhan syndrome. The present mutation is the 19th nucleotide substitution identified as a germ-line mutation at this locus and the second mutation generating a stop codon. The position of the nucelotide substitution is exactly the same as a previously described mutation HPRT_Toronto, indicating for the first time that nucleotide substitutions at the same position in the sequence of HPRT can generate different mutant alleles, one causing a partial deficiency and the other a complete deficiency. Although the type of nucleotide substitution is different between the two cases, a single base position has twice become the target of a mutation. However, the calculation of the probability of finding substitution mutations at the same base position in the coding region of hprt indicates that there is no evidence for the presence of a hot spot for substitution mutations in the human hprt germ line.     

GDPmannose dolicholphosphate mannosyltransferase of chicken liver mitochondria

Chicken liver mitochondria contain enzymes for the dolichol cycle. GDPmannose dolicholphosphate mannosyltransferase has been solubilized with Emulgen 909 and purified. The purified enzyme was not homogeneous, but highly specific for GDPmannose and dolichyl phosphate. The enzyme activity was stimulated by MgCl2 (3 mM optimum) and exhibited a pH optimum at around 7.2. Bisubstrate kinetic analysis indicated that the enzyme follows a sequential mechanism. The Km values for GDPmannose and dolichyl phosphate were 0.43 and 14.3 microM, respectively. The purified enzyme was labile and lost its activity on storage at 0 degree C overnight or incubation at 30 degrees C or higher temperature. Inactivation could be prevented by the addition of heat-denatured mitochondrial extract. Further investigation revealed that phospholipids and dolichyl phosphate are responsible for the stabilization. Single addition of either phospholipid or dolichyl phosphate showed little activity, but the combination of these lipids enhanced the stabilizing activity greatly. Eight naturally occurring phospholipids were tested and found to be effective in combination with dolichyl phosphate. Among these, sphingomyelin was the most effective. Dolichol could partially substitute dolichyl phosphate but worked at higher concentrations.     

Morphology of spines and spine joint in the crown-of-thorns starfish Acanthaster planci (Echinodermata,Asteroida)

Summary Morphology and movement of the spines of Acanthaster planci were studied. All surfaces of the animal are covered with spines. The spines on the aboral surface are cylindrical with sharp tips. The spines on the oral surface are flat; they bend over to cover the mouth and the ambulacral grooves when these soft parts are stimulated. Those on the side of the animal make a barrier of crossed spines. Thus the structure and movement of the spines are well-adapted for defense.The junction between the primary aboral spine and its pedicel makes a movable joint. The ultrastructure of the connective tissue at the joint was studied. The connective tissue is mainly composed of collagen fibers. Presumed neurosecretory cells with processes which are filled with electron-dense granules of 0.2 m diameter were found between collagen fibers. Muscle fibers are mainly found in the connective tissue at the central holes. These observations support the view that the joint connective tissue has catch properties.     

Binding of nonamer peptides to three HLA-B51 molecules which differ by a single amino acid substitution in the A-pocket

The interaction between 9-mer peptides and HLA-B51 molecules was investigated by quantitative peptide binding assay using RMA-S cell expressing human β2-microglobulin and HLA-B51 molecules. Of 147 chemically synthesized 9-mer peptides possessing two anchor residues corresponding to the motif of HLA-B^*5101 binding self-peptides, 27 paptides bound to HLA-B^*5101 molecules. Pro and Ala at position 2 as well as Ile at position 9 were confirmed to be main anchor residues, while Gly at position 2 as well as Val, Leu, and Met at position 9 were weak anchor residues for HLA-B^*5101. The A-pocket is suspected to have a critical role in peptide binding to MHC class I molecules because this pocket corresponds to the N-terminus of peptides and has a strong hydrogen bond formed by conserved Tyr residues. Further analysis of peptide binding to HLA-B^*5102 and B^*5103 molecules showed that a single amino acid substitution of Tyor for His at residue 171(B^*5102) and that of Gly for Trp at residue 167 (B^*5103) has a minimum effect in HLA-B51-peptide binding. Since previous studies showed that some HLA-B51 alloreactive CTL clones failed to kill the cells expressing HLA-B^*5102 or HLA-B^*5103, these results imply that the structural change of the A-pocket among HLA-B51 subtypes causes a critical conformational change of the epitope for TCR recognition rather than influences the interaction between peptides and MHC class I molecules.     

Analysis of the biosynthetic process of cellulose and curdlan using C-labeled glucoses

In order to elucidate the biosynthetic process of cellulose and curdlan, ¹³C-labeled polysaccharides were biosynthesized by Acetobacter xylinum (IFO 13693) and Agrobacterium sp. (ATCC 31749), from culture media containing -(1-¹³C)glucose, -(2-¹³C)glucose, -(4-¹³C)glucose, or -(6-¹³C)glucose as the carbon source, and their structures were determined by ¹³C NMR spectroscopy. The labeling was mainly found in the original position, indicating direct polymerization of introduced glucoses. In addition, the transfer of labeling from C-2 to C-1, C-3 and C-5, from C-4 to C-1, C-2 and C-3, and from C-6 to C-1 was found in celluloses. In curdlan, the transfer of labeling from C-1 to C-3, from C-2 to C-1 and C-3, from C-4 to C-1, C-2 and C-3, and from C-6 to C-1 and C-3 was observed. From analysis of this labeling, the biosynthetic process of cellulose and curdlan was explained as involving six routes. The percentages of each route via which cellulose or curdlan is biosynthesized were estimated for upper (C-1 to C-3) and lower portions (C-4 to C-6) of glucosidic units in the polysaccharides. It is noted that very few polysaccharides are formed via the Embden-Meyerhof pathway. The lower half (C-4 to C-6) structure of introduced glucoses is well preserved in the polysaccharides.     

Synthesis of sulfated derivatives of curdlan and their anti-HIV activity

Sulfopropyl curdlan was synthesized, its structure was determined, and the anti-HIV activity was compared with that of standard curdlan sulfates obtained with piperidine N-sulfonic acid in dimethyl sulfoxide. It was shown that sulfopropyl curdlan exhibits weaker anti-HIV activity than curdlan sulfate. Curdlan sulfates were synthesized with a SO₃-pyridine complex in a heterogeneous phase. It was shown from ¹³C-NMR spectra of acetylated curdlan sulfates that they had a different substituent distribution from standard curdlan sulfate. The cytotoxicity of the curdlan sulfates was attributed to their heterogeneous structure.     

Integrated tandem affinity protein purification using the polyhistidine plus extra 4 amino acids (HiP4) tag system

Peptide tag systems are a robust biophysical and biochemical method that is widely used for protein detection and purification. Here, we developed a novel tag system termed “HiP4” (histidine plus four amino acids) whose epitope sequence comprises only seven amino acids (HHHDYDI) that partially overlap with the conventional 6x histidine tag (6xHis-tag). We produced a monoclonal antibody against the HiP4 tag that can be used in multiple immunoassays with high specificity and affinity. Using this system, we developed a tandem affinity purification (TAP) and mass spectrometry (TAP-MS) system for comprehensive protein interactome analysis. The integrated use of nickel bead purification followed by HiP4 tag immunoprecipitation made it possible to reduce nonspecific binding and improve selectivity, leading to the recovery of previously unrecognized proteins that interact with hepatitis B virus X (HBx) protein or TAR DNA-binding protein 43 (TARDBP or TDP-43). Our results indicate that this system may be viable as a simple and powerful tool for TAP-MS that can achieve low background and high selectivity in comprehensive protein–protein interaction analyses.     

The primary structure of human H-protein of the glycine cleavage system deduced by cDNA cloning

A full-length cDNA encoding the human H-protein of the glycine cleavage system has been isolated from a lambda gt11 human fetal liver cDNA library. The cDNA insert was 1091 base pairs with an open reading frame of 519 base pairs which encoded a 125-amino acid mature human H-protein with a 48-amino acid presequence. Human H-protein is 97%, 86%, and 46% identical to the bovine, chicken, and pea H-protein, respectively.