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A Kolb

Publications and source records attributed to A Kolb.

At least 73 records · Page 4Linked to original sources
PubMed1987

Role of glutamic acid-181 in DNA-sequence recognition by the catabolite gene activator protein (CAP) of Escherichia coli: altered DNA-sequence-recognition properties of [Val181]CAP and [Leu181]CAP.

It has been proposed that Glu-181 of the catabolite gene activator protein (CAP) makes direct contact with certain base pairs of the specific DNA site. We have purified wild-type CAP and two substituted CAP variants, [Val181]CAP and [Leu181]CAP, and have assessed the DNA-sequence-recognition properties in vitro with respect to positions 5, 6, 7, 8, and 16 of the DNA site. The data indicate that [Val181]CAP and [Leu181]CAP fail to discriminate between the consensus DNA base pair and the three non-consensus-DNA base pairs at 2-fold-related positions 7 and 16 of the DNA site. In contrast, [Val181]CAP and [Leu181]CAP retain the ability to discriminate between different base pairs at positions 5 and 8 of the DNA site. We conclude that Glu-181 of CAP makes a direct contact with 2-fold-related positions 7 and 16 of the DNA site, as proposed previously based on in vivo results. We propose that upon replacement of Glu-181 by valine or leucine, this contact is eliminated and is replaced by no other functional contact. We estimate that the contact by Glu-181 with each position contributes -0.7 kcal/mol to the total CAP-DNA binding free energy.

Amino Acid Sequence↗
PubMed1986

The regulatory region of the uxuAB operon in Escherichia coli K12.

The uxuAB operon is composed of two genes coding for enzymes involved in hexuronate degradation. This operon is negatively controlled by the uxuR and exuR regulatory gene products. Starting from uxu hybrid plasmids, a 300 bp Sau3A restriction fragment was isolated and shown to contain the entire uxu regulatory region using in vitro gene fusions that brought lac gene expression under the control of the transcriptional and translational signals of the uxuA gene. The nucleotide sequence of this fragment was established. The start of the uxu mRNA was localized by S1 mapping experiments (the presence of a CAP binding site upstream of the promoter was shown by DNAse I footprinting and in vitro titration). The N-terminal amino acid sequence of the purified uxuA-lacZ gene product allowed the mapping of the uxuA initiation codon at 115 bp from the start of transcription.

Base Sequence↗
PubMed1986

Overlapping promoters and their control in Escherichia coli: the gal case.

Two overlapping promoters compete for RNA polymerase in the region that controls the expression of the galactose operon in Escherichia coli. Kinetics of open complex formation at P1 and P2 can be followed through the rate of formation of two specific abortive transcripts. The corresponding forward kinetic constants appear to be identical over a wide range of enzyme concentrations and temperatures, indicating that the two processes are strongly coupled. We propose a scheme accounting for our observations. In a first step, the competition between the two sites is a simple kinetic process, involving the "on" rate constants. In a second step, a slow reequilibration occurs, implicating the "off" rate constants and the conversion of one open complex to the other through a set of closed complexes. The first step is clearly affected when the complex between cyclic AMP and its receptor is bound at the activator site. An estimate of the various rate constants describing open complex formation at P1 and P2 is provided, as well as a qualitative description of the effect of the activator complex on these two pathways.

Cyclic AMP↗
PubMed1984

Mechanism of CRP-cAMP activation of lac operon transcription initiation activation of the P1 promoter.

CRP-cAMP was shown to activate transcription initiation at the Escherichia coli lac promoter in vitro as a result of two separate effects. An indirect component of the activation resulted from an enhancement of the fraction of promoters productively bound by RNA polymerase. This effect was due largely to CRP-cAMP repression of RNA polymerase binding to an overlapping site (lac P2) within the promoter region. In addition, a direct enhancement of RNA polymerase binding at the principal lac promoter (lac P1) was found. The combination of indirect and direct activation by CRP-cAMP was suggested to be responsible for the large activation observed in vivo. Promoter strength parameters were also determined for the L8, UV5 and Ps promoters. The effect of CRP-cAMP on these mutant promoters was shown to be consistent with the activation mechanism deduced for the lac wild-type promoter. DNA supercoiling enhanced the promoter strength of the lac wild-type and UV5 promoters. The combination of supercoiling and CRP-cAMP was necessary for optimal promoter strength for the lac wild-type promoter.

Cyclic AMP↗
PubMed1983

On the different binding affinities of CRP at the lac, gal and malT promoter regions.

We have determined the stoichiometry of CRP binding to various DNA fragments carrying the lac, malT or gal promoters in the presence of cAMP, using a gel electrophoresis method. In each case, one dimer of CRP binds to the functional CRP site upstream of the transcription start. At the lac promoter, a second CRP dimer can bind to the operator region. Direct binding analysis and competition experiments performed at 200 microM cAMP allow us to measure the affinity of CRP for these different sites and to correlate them with variations in the consensus sequences, already proposed. The order is lac greater than malT greater than gal greater than lac operator greater than lac L8 much greater than non specific sites. No strong coupling exists between the two lac sites when on the same fragment. Conversely, we have studied, at constant CRP concentrations, the cAMP levels required to obtain half maximal binding to a particular DNA site : the required cAMP level increases inversely as the affinity for CRP. These variations may account for the differential activation of various cAMP sensitive operons in vivo. Anomalies in the migrations of the 1:1 complexes between CRP and DNA have been analysed and related to the size and to the position of the CRP site in the fragment. The electrophoretic mobility of the complexes depends not only on the size of the fragment but on the position of the CRP site : the mobility is lower when CRP binds near the center of the fragment. This effect is due to a clear change in the persistence length of the DNA induced by CRP binding. We suggest that, upon binding, the protein introduces a local bend (or a kink) in the DNA structure.

Base Sequence↗
PubMed1983

Comparison of the binding sites for the Escherichia coli cAMP receptor protein at the lactose and galactose promoters.

Polyacrylamide gel electrophoresis has been used to visualise and quantitate complexes between the Escherichia coli cyclic AMP receptor protein (CRP) and DNA fragments containing the promoter region of either the E. coli galactose or lactose operons. We show that, although CRP binding to the gal fragment is weaker than binding to the lac fragment, in each case, stable complexes are formed between one dimer of CRP and one molecule of DNA. We have examined the effects of a series of deletions and point mutations in the gal promoter region on CRP binding. From the position of deletions and mutations which prevent the formation of stable complexes, we deduce the location and extent of the sequence at the CRP binding site. We show that it covers approximately the same length of sequence as the binding site at the lac promoter. Unlike the lac site, the gal site contains no palindromic sequence. We discuss the importance of symmetry in the sequence at CRP binding sites and the validity of CRP binding consensus sequences which have been proposed.

Binding Sites↗
PubMed1983

Action of CAP on the malT promoter in vitro.

DNase I footprinting experiments demonstrated that CAP, the cyclic AMP receptor protein of Escherichia coli, binds around position -70 at the promoter of malT, the positive regulator gene of the maltose regulon. The binding of CAP in the presence of cyclic AMP favored the subsequent specific binding of RNA polymerase. Initiation of malT transcription in vitro displayed an absolute requirement for CAP at all tested RNA polymerase concentrations. However this was not the case with a mutant promoter (malTp1), which leads to CAP-independent malT expression in vivo. In that case an effect of CAP was seen only at the lower concentrations of RNA polymerase. These results, which suggest that CAP stimulates malT expression by promoting the binding of polymerase to the promoter, are compared with those obtained in other systems.

Binding Sites↗
PubMed1982

A transcriptionally active plasmid-protein complex isolated from Escherichia coli.

A stable transcriptionally active plasmid-protein complex has been isolated in high yield from Escherichia coli containing the thermally-inducible plasmid pKN 402A. The complexes which have a protein/DNA weight ratio of approx. 1 contain more than 11 polypeptide species. The weight percents of the three known proteins in the complex H1, RNA polymerase and HU, are 23, 23 and 5%, respectively. In vitro RNA synthesis by this complex proceeds for several hours and is inhibited by rifampicin and actinomycin to 33 and 98%, respectively, suggesting that most of the observed nucleotide incorporation is due to elongation of preinitiated RNA chains. Exogenous E. coli RNA polymerase but not exogenous DNA stimulates the in vitro transcription indicating that RNA polymerase is limiting and binds tightly to the plasmid. Stimulation of the in vitro transcription by the addition of exogenous E. coli core polymerase suggests that sigma subunit may be released in the RNA synthesis. This transcriptionally active complex should prove to be useful to study the mechanism of transcription and regulation in vivo.

Bacterial Proteins↗
PubMed1982

Is DNA unwound by the cyclic AMP receptor protein?

Superhelical pBR 322 derivatives have been relaxed by eukaryotic topoisomerase I in the presence or in the absence of E. coli cyclic AMP receptor protein (CRP) and of cyclic AMP (cAMP). CRP alone, or cAMP alone do not affect the average linking number of the distribution of the relaxed topoisomers. Hence, they do not unwind the template. In the presence of cAMP, CRP induces a small unwinding. The extent of this unwinding is barely modified when the relaxation is carried out on a similar vector plasmid where the CRP binding site of the lac or of the gal operon has been inserted. Under these conditions, we checked that CRP occupies the lactose control site and that upon addition of RNA polymerase, the corresponding promoter is readily activated. These findings are difficult to reconcile with the proposal that activation of these promoters results from the binding of the CRP-cAMP complex to left-handed DNA sequences.

Animals↗
PubMed1982

Point mutations change the thermal denaturation profile of a short DNA fragment containing the lactose control elements. Comparison between experiment and theory.

To understand the denaturation process of short DNA segments we have chosen a 203-base pair (bp) restriction fragment containing the lactose control region. A steady decrease in GC content exists between its i proximal and z proximal ends. We confirm that this fragment melts at low salt in two subtransitions. A GC to AT mutation in the AT-rich region (mutation UV5) increases the number of denatured base pairs in the first subtransition and decreases the cooperativity of the melting process. A GC to AT mutation in the GC-rich region (mutation L8) decreases the number of denatured base pairs in the first subtransition and increases the cooperativity. These mutations induce the same shift in the temperature of half denaturation. The effects of both mutations are additive. A short deletion at the z end of the fragment affects only the first subtransition. When four GC pairs are added to both end, the fragment melts in one transition. Comparison with the results obtained with a larger 789-bp lac fragment reveals strong end effects on base pair stability and suggests that denaturation of the 203-bp fragment proceeds unidirectionally from the z end. Good agreement is shown with the predictions made with the "z ipper model" of Crothers et al. (1965).

Base Sequence↗
PubMed1980

Heterotopic bone formation in a lower transrectal abdominal incision.

One case of a cicatricial hernia after appendectomi is presented where at operation it was found that the margins of the hernia opening in the abdominal wall consisted of an almost circular, rigid, bony formation with an inner diameter measuring 6 x 4.5 cm through which the hernia, the size of a tangerine, protruded.

Abdominal Muscles↗
PubMed1979

Isolation of plasmid-protein complexes from Escherichia coli.

A procedure is described for the isolation of complexes between pMB9 plasmids and protein from Escherichia coli which are stable during centrifugation on sucrose gradients and are not destroyed in the presence of competitor DNA. The proteins in these complexes have been analysed by dodecyl sulphate/polyacrylamide gel electrophoresis. Only 10 polypeptide species are found in significant quantities, many of which are bound to both the plasmid and host DNA. We have also detected the presence of one protein which binds to a specific DNA sequence inserted in the plasmid.

Bacterial Proteins↗
PubMed1979

[Light-microscopical researches on the olfactory mucosa of the sheep (Ovis aries L.) (author's transl)].

The functional olfactory epithelium of the sheep measures 183.62 cm2 with 302.41 . 10(6) olfactory cells. Their thickness varies between 4 and 9/1,000 micron 2 on an average and achieves in the Ethmoturbinale a unique maximum of 67/1,000 micron 2. In thinly crowded parts of the turbinalia the olfactory cells are mostly differentiated in pericaryon, dendrit, neck and capitulum, whereas in the densely crowded ethmoturbinale there are 4 zones of pericaryons one above the other, there is no neck, the capitula are longishly formed and mostly lie in the epithelium. Plasma conjugations at the basis of the capitula could also be observed. The olfactory ability is promoted by the widespread distribution of the olfactory cells. The certain recognition of mother and youngster should be effected by means of the olfactory sense, like ovis musimon, the primitive form of the sheep, does.

Animals↗
PubMed1977

Conformations of purine ribosyl 5'-nucleotides bound to glycogen phosphorylase b. A proton T2 relaxation time investigation.

The conformation of 5'-nucleotides in the active site of glycogen phosphorylase b has been deduced from linewidth measurements of protons H-1', H-8 and H-2. It is shown by selective deuteration of the purine ring in position 8 that the orientation of the base is anti in the case of strong activators like AMP and syn in that of weak activators like IMP. The orientation correlation time of the nucleotides in the active site is nearly that of the enzyme, i.e. 160 ns at 21 degrees C.

Adenosine Monophosphate↗
PubMed1977

Nucleic acid helix-unwinding properties of ribosomal protein S1 and the role of S1 in mRNA binding to ribosomes.

The presence of ribosomal protein S1 in 30S ribosomes is indispensable for the formation of 30S initiation complexes with natural mRNA. The 30S subunits lacking S1 retain activity with AUG as mRNA and are also active in poly(rU)-directed binding of Phe-tRNA. Isolated protein S1 stoichiometrically disrupts the secondary structure of helical and stacked single-stranded polynucleotides and converts them into their fully or partially denatured forms. A mono-N-ethylmaleimide derivatives of S1 is nearly devoid of any RNA helix-unwinding properties but is readily incorporated into 30S subunits deficient in S1. The resulting N-ethylmaleimide-S1-containing 30S subunits are completely inactive in the binding of MS2 [3H]RNA and in the formation of an initiation complex with MS2 RNA as mRNA. They retain activity in the binding of the initiator fMet-tRNA in response to the trinucleotide AUG and in the binding of Phe-tRNA in response to poly(U). They also retain the capacity to bind 50S subunits and to form 70S couples. These results suggest that a correlation exists between the RNA helix-unwinding capacity of isolated S1 and the function of S1 in the ribosomal binding of natural mRNA when the protein becomes part of the 30S subunit.

Binding Sites↗