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A Sentenac

Publications and source records attributed to A Sentenac.

At least 127 records · Page 7Linked to original sources

Activation of a latent RNAase from yeast by nucleoside triphosphates.

A latent RNAase activity stimulated by nucleoside triphosphates has been isolated from a yeast chromatin extract, by filtration on Sepharose 6B and hydroxyapatite chromatography. The RNAase was separated from a thermolabile proteic inhibitor on phosphocellulose. When separated from the inhibitor, the RNAase hydrolyses RNA to 5'-mononucleotides. Its activity is retained in the presence of EDTA, and 50% inhibited by 1 mM ATP or CTP. The RNAase is inhibited by the thermolabile component only in the presence of divalent cations. The activity is recovered upon addition of 0.01 mM ATP to the mixture. The Km for ATP is 10 microM. ATP can be replaced by other ribo- or deoxyribonucleoside triphosphates with varying efficiency but not by ADP, AMP or cAMP. These results suggest multiple interactions between the RNAase, a regulatory component, divalent cations and nucleoside triphosphates.

Adenosine Triphosphate↗

Natural variation in yeast RNA polymerase A. Formation of a mosaic RNA polymerase A in a meiotic segregant from an interspecific hybrid.

There is a natural variation in the molecular structure of RNA polymerase A isolated from several genetically distant yeast species, Saccharomyces cerevisiae, Saccharomyces douglasii, Schizosaccharomyces pombe, and Candida tropicalis. Several biochemical criteria were used to identify their homologous polypeptide components. Based on these correlations, the minimal subunit composition of S. cerevisiae (and Saccharomyces carlsbergensis) RNA polymerase A was tentatively defined as A190, A135, A40, A27, A23, A19, and A14.5. Without the two Saccharomyces species, S. cerevisiae and S. douglasii, 7 of 13 polypeptides of enzyme A(A49, A43, A40, A34.5, A19, A14.5, and A14) differ slightly in molecular weight and can be resolved by electrophoresis on polyacrylamide gel. The RNA polymerase A isolated from the diploid interspecific hybrid contains all the polypeptides characteristic of the two parents. One meiotic segregant had a hybrid RNA polymerase A with five of the polymorphic polypeptides (A49, A43, A19, A14.5, and A14) coming from S. douglasii and two (A40 and A34.5) from S. cerevisiae. In three successive backcrosses with S. cerevisiae, all the genes for S. douglasii polypeptides were shown to recombine although parental ditype tetrads predominated in the four four-spored asci examined. Thus, the genes for the seven polymorphic polypeptides are not clustered: they lie on at least three different chromosomes.

Ascomycota↗

Probing yeast RNA polymerase A subunits with monospecific antibodies.

Monoclonal antibodies were raised in mouse against native RNA polymerase A from Saccharomyces cerevisiae. After screening with the spot-immunodetection technique, 14 hybridomas were selected and the antibodies produced in mice. Their specificity, analyzed by blot-immunodetection, was found to be markedly biased towards a few RNA polymerase subunits: A135 , A49 , A43 , and A14.5. A different monoclonal antibody directed against the largest subunit, A190 , was obtained by immunizing a mouse with RNA polymerase A dissociated into its subunits with SDS. Two antibodies, which probably recognized the same antigenic determinant on subunit A135 , inhibited in vitro RNA synthesis. Inhibition was prevented by preincubation of the enzyme with DNA, suggesting a role for the A135 subunit in template binding. The antibody directed against A14.5 interacted with the A14.5 kd subunit present in all three forms of the yeast nuclear RNA polymerases but did not interfere with RNA polymerase activity. These antibody probes will be useful to study subunit function in reconstituted transcription systems.

Animals↗

Single-stranded DNA transcription by yeast RNA polymerase B.

Single-stranded DNA is not transcribed randomly by yeast RNA polymerase B. A denatured yeast DNA fragment, containing the gene for yeast alcohol dehydrogenase I, directs the transcription of defined RNA products visualized as discrete RNA . DNA hybrid bands following S1 nuclease treatment and agarose gel electrophoresis. Blocking the 3' end of the template by 3' deoxyadenosine did not change the band pattern but reduced the proportion of RNA covalently bound to the DNA from 20 to 4%. On the other hand, the band pattern was affected by the salt concentration, the nature of the divalent cation and the nucleoside triphosphate concentration. The four major RNA bands, found at low substrate concentration, hybridized to the same region of the template. This observation suggests the potential requirement for DNA destabilization in gene activation.

Alcohol Dehydrogenase↗

In vitro transcription of the yeast alcohol dehydrogenase I gene by homologous RNA polymerase B (II). Selective initiation and discontinuous elongation on a supercoiled template.

A new in vitro approach is used to investigate the specificity of purified yeast RNA polymerase B (II). The template is supercoiled, the transcription is primed by a dinucleotide, and the transcripts are analyzed by polyacrylamide gel electrophoresis after synthesis in the absence of one nucleoside triphosphate. Under these conditions, two recombinant plasmids carrying the gene or part of the gene for yeast alcohol dehydrogenase I direct the synthesis of a very limited number of oligonucleotides. Elongation of these prelabeled oligomers, using unlabeled substrates, occurs in a discontinuous way. A major transcript of 200 nucleotides accumulates transiently. Southern hybridization shows that it is initiated about 1,400 bases upstream from the origin of the yeast alcohol dehydrogenase I gene. A minor start was identified, by a modified runoff experiment, at position -35 from the AUG initiation codon. The location of this site is related to the presumptive in vivo transcription starts. The selectivity disappears when the template is a truncated DNA. Then, initiation occurs predominantly at nicks introduced by the restriction enzymes.

Alcohol Dehydrogenase↗

Native deoxyribonucleic acid transcription by yeast RNA polymerase--P37 complex.

The specific activity of yeast RNA polymerases A or B, when complexed with P37 cofactor, compares favorably with that of E. coli RNA polymerase. The stimulation is observed only with double-stranded DNA but does not result from DNase action. The Km for nucleotide substrates and the optimal conditions of transcription are not modified. P37 stimulates RNA synthesis by ternary transcription complexes in the presence of poly(rI) which prevents reinitiations. The RNA chain length, estimated by 5' end labeling or sedimentation, is increased in the presence of P37. On the other hand, the trinucleotide synthesis, which reflects the chain initiation reaction, is not affected. Therefore, the cofactor appears to act at the elongation step of RNA synthesis.

DNA-Binding Proteins↗

Efficient and selective initiation by yeast RNA polymerase B in a dinucleotide-primed reaction.

Yeast RNA polymerase B catalyzes an efficient abortive initiation on double-stranded DNA templates using the appropriate combination of primer and substrate. The specificity of initiation was investigated using a recombinant plasmid (pJD14 DNA) containing the structural gene for yeast alcohol dehydrogenase I (ADHI). The combination of the dinucleotide UpA and UTP was 10 fold more efficient with pJD14 DNA than with the vector pBR322 DNA to direct the synthesis of the trinucleotide UpApU. Under these conditions, stable enzyme-DNA complexes were formed and could be retained on nitrocellulose filters. Using the UpA-primed system and a short pulse of RNA synthesis, transcription complexes were located on the yeast part of pJD14 DNA as evidenced by agarose gel electrophoresis. Southern hybridization of the pulsed RNA was restricted to a region, within the yeast DNA fragment, upstream to the initial region of the ADHI gene.

Alcohol Oxidoreductases↗

RNA-dependent ATPase from Saccharomyces cerevisiae.

A new RNA-dependent ATPase has been isolated from yeast chromatin extracts and partially characterized. The protein has a sedimentation coefficient of about 7 S. The enzyme hydrolyzes specifically ATP (or dATP) to ADP (or dADP) and Pi in the presence of Mg2+ or Mn2+ ions and requires a single-stranded polynucleotide as cofactor. The order of efficiency of synthetic polymers is poly(rU) > poly(rI) greater than or equal to poly(dU) > poly(rA) greater than or equal to poly(rC). Among natural polymers, single-stranded DNA and poly(rA)-containing mRNA from yeast are also active but less so than poly(rU). The enzyme exhibits a pH optimum of 8 and is fully inhibited by 0.25 M NaCl. The Km for ATP is0.2 mM. The resemblance between this ATPase and DNA-dependent ATPases from other sources, as well as the termination factor rho, is discussed.

Adenosine Triphosphatases↗

Immunological studies of yeast nuclear RNA polymerases at the subunit level.

Antisera were raised against native RNA polymerases A or B, as well as against each individual subunit of RNA polymerase A from the yeast Saccharmoyces cerevisiae. The affinity spectrum of antibodies was evaluated by reacting electrophoretically separated enzyme subunits, transferred to a membrane, with 125I-labeled immunoglobulins. Alternatively, the subunit . immunoglobulin complex was revealed by 125I-labeled Protein A. Antibodies directed against native RNA polymerase A recognized the majority of the polypeptides forming the enzyme. When challenged with RNA polymerases B or C, this antibody preparation demonstrated the presence of polypeptides common to the three enzymes. A small cross-reaction was also found at the level of the large subunits of Enzyme B as well as some additional polypeptides of Enzyme C. Similar experiments with antibodies directed against native RNA polymerase B confirmed the presence of common subunits and also showed that the large polypeptides of the three enzymes share a few immunological determinants. Common subunits are AC40, ABC27, ABC23, AC19, and ABC14.5. Immunologically related sites were conserved in the large subunits of RNA polymerase A from remote yeast species. Similarly, yeast and wheat germ RNA polymerase B share immunological determinants on the large subunit as well as on a small peptide. On the other hand, there was no significant cross-reaction between yeast and mammalian Enzyme B or Escherichia coli RNA polymerase. Antibodies raised against the different polypeptide components of RNA polymerase A reacted specifically with the corresponding subunits. Inhibition studies with these subunit-specific antibodies showed that the common subunits are not always similarly exposed to antibody attack within the three enzymes. The data are discussed in terms of the structural similarity, organization and evolution of eukaryotic RNA polymerases.

Antigen-Antibody Complex↗

A mutation of the B220 subunit gene affects the structural and functional properties of yeast RNA polymerase B in vitro.

The Saccharomyces cerevisiae mutant rpo B1 produces a DNA-dependent RNA polymerase B defective in RNA synthesis in vitro. RNA polymerase B purified from the mutant is altered both structurally and functionally. The enzyme is defective in the RNA chain initiation and elongation reactions. Enzyme-DNA binding is comparatively much less affected. These enzymological defects in the mutant enzyme are enhanced at elevated ionic strengths. Purified rpo B1 RNA polymerase B is lacking B32 and B16.5 subunits. However, the low activity of the mutant enzyme cannot be accounted for only by the loss of these two polypeptides. Wild type enzyme devoid of B32 and B16.5 subunits can be obtained after a mild urea treatment. This enzyme variant, called RNA polymerase B, does not share the enzymological properties of the mutant RNA polymerase. Immunoprecipitation of the enzyme from crude extracts shows that, in the rpo B1 mutant, a normal amount of RNA polymerase B is synthesized which contains the full complement of subunits. The polypeptide chain altered by the rpo B1 mutation was identified by partial proteolysis with proteinase K in the presence of sodium dodecyl sulfate. The 35S-labeled peptide pattern generated from the B220 subunit of the mutant enzyme differs markedly from the peptide pattern of the wild type subunit. The rpo B1 mutation therefore alters the B220 subunit, suggesting a role for this subunit in RNA chain elongation and in the association of the B32 and B16.5 subunits to the RNA polymerase molecule.

Ammonium Sulfate↗

Interaction of a new polypeptide with yeast RNA polymerase B.

A basic 37,000-dalton protein (P37), purified from yeast cells, interacts with yeast RNA polymerase B and drastically increases its specific activity. A complex of P37 and RNA polymerase can be isolated by sedimentation through a glycerol gradient. The complex is dissociated at the ionic strength of 0.9. The preferential binding of P37 with RNA polymerase form BI (with the unproteolyzed B220 subunit) was visualized by polyacrylamide gel electrophoresis under nondenaturing conditions. Kinetic analysis of the RNA polymerase cofactor interaction indicated that the dissociation constant for the complex is 5 X 10(-8) M.

DNA-Directed RNA Polymerases↗

Identification of two different RNase H activities associated with yeast RNA polymerase A.

Two ribonuclease H activities have been found in yeast RNA polymerase A. The nuclease activities comigrated with subunits A49 (Mr = 49,000) and A40 (Mr = 40,000), after electrophoresis in a sodium dodecyl sulfate polyacrylamide gel containing [32P](rG)n . (dC)n as substrate. Both activities were also found, among other nucleases, in a high salt chromatin extract. Several lines of evidence suggest that the chromatin RNase H of 49,000 daltons (RNase H49) is the same protein as subunit A49. They co-migrate on sodium dodecyl sulfate-gel electrophoresis, have the same chromatographic properties, and dissociate simultaneously from RNA polymerase A. Fractions containing RNase H49 stimulate RNA synthesis by RNA polymerase A* lacking A49 and A34.5 subunits. Finally, limited proteolysis of the protein band having RNase H49 activity yields the characteristic fingerprint of the A49 subunit. This subunit, therefore, exists in two states: bound to chromatin and associated with RNA polymerase A. On the other hand, it is not yet clear whether the RNase H activity of 40,000 daltons, associated with RNA polymerase A, is due to the A40 subunit or whether it represents a trace contamination by a very active nuclease tightly bound to the enzyme.

Chromatin↗

Isolation and characterisation of a strain of Saccharomyces cerevisiae deficient in in vitro RNA polymerase B(II) activity.

Two hundred strains of Saccharomyces cerevisiae temperature sensitive for RNA synthesis were selected and screened in crude extracts for DNA-dependent RNA polymerase activities. One strain was isolated which had only residual in vitro RNA polymerase B activity. In normal growth conditions total RNA, poly A+ RNA and protein synthesis were indistinguishable from those of the wild type strain at 23 degrees C and after shift to 37 degrees C. A temperature sensitive phenotype was detected only when rpoB containing strains were grown in adverse conditions. The mutant character showed mendelian segregation and was coexpressed with the wild type character in heterozygous diploids. Residual enzyme activity was characterised in crude extracts using synthetic polymers and natural templates in different ionic conditions.

DNA-Directed RNA Polymerases↗