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G A Evans

Publications and source records attributed to G A Evans.

At least 19 recordsLinked to original sources
PubMed1992

Prolactin receptor triggering. Evidence for rapid tyrosine kinase activation.

The mechanism of action of prolactin (PRL) has remained obscure despite the unveiling of the primary structure of PRL receptors. The present study demonstrates rapid PRL receptor-mediated tyrosine phosphorylation of at least three cellular proteins, designated p120, p97, and p40, in a rat T-lymphoma (Nb2-11C) as revealed by antiphosphotyrosine immunoblotting. One of the phosphotyrosyl proteins, p120, co-purified with activated PRL receptor complexes obtained using either anti-ligand or anti-receptor antibodies. Furthermore, in vitro incubation of affinity-purified PRL receptor complexes from PRL-stimulated cells with ATP in the presence of a tyrosine phosphatase inhibitor, resulted in a 10-15-fold increase in the phosphotyrosine content of p120, as revealed by antiphosphotyrosine immunoblotting. Parallel experiments utilizing [gamma-32P]ATP confirmed a rapid and time-dependent incorporation of phosphate into p120 in the same affinity-purified PRL receptor complexes. These data provide strong evidence for the involvement of a tyrosine kinase in PRL signal transduction and suggest the presence of a tyrosine kinase within the activated PRL receptor complex.

Adenosine Triphosphate↗
PubMed1992

Retinoblastoma protein phosphorylation does not require activation of p34CDC2 protein kinase.

Of the many intracellular events that occur after mitogenic stimulation of cells, the phosphorylation of the retinoblastoma protein (RB) in early G1-phase appears to play a pivotal role in controlling cell-cycle progression. RB phosphorylation results in release from a proliferative block imposed by hypophosphorylated RB. Several investigators have presented evidence, using models produced in vitro, that the serine kinase p34CDC2 phosphorylates RB and is responsible for regulating RB phosphorylation. Using human T-cells as a model, we show that lectin treatment of resting T-cells results in detectable RB phosphorylation by 24 h after treatment. Further, using immunoprecipitation and immunoblotting, no detectable p34CDC2 could be seen until 48 h after lectin stimulation. Analysis of the relative histone H1 activity of p34CDC2, purified by immunoprecipitation, revealed that RB phosphorylation does not parallel increases in p34CDC2 activity as T-cells progress into S-phase, supporting the contention that p34CDC2 activation as a histone H1 kinase is not a critical regulator of RB phosphorylation. Further treatment of activated T-cells, arrested in G1-phase, with interleukin 2 results in a 95% increase in RB phosphorylation within 4 h with no detectable increase in the histone H1 kinase activity of p34CDC2. Together, these data suggest that p34CDC2 activation is not required for early cell-cycle phosphorylation of RB.

CDC2 Protein Kinase↗
PubMed1992

Primary structure, chromosomal localization, and functional expression of a voltage-gated sodium channel from human brain.

A cDNA library derived from human cerebral cortex was screened for the presence of sodium channel alpha subunit-specific clones. Ligation of three overlapping clones generated a full-length cDNA clone, HBA, that provided the complete nucleotide sequence coding for a protein of 2005 amino acids. The predicted structure suggests four homologous repeats and exhibits greatest homology and structural similarity to the rat brain sodium channel II. A second cDNA clone, HBB, that encodes a different subtype of sodium channel was isolated. Hybridization of DNA fragments from the 3' untranslated region of HBA and PCR with primers derived from HBB with human-hamster somatic cell hybrids localized these clones to human chromosome 2. In situ hybridization to human metaphase chromosomes mapped the structural genes for both HBA and HBB sodium channels to chromosome 2q23-24.3. The sodium channel HBA gene product was expressed by transfection in CHO cells. Expressed HBA currents were voltage-dependent, sodium-selective, and tetrodotoxin-sensitive and, thus, exhibit the biophysical and pharmacological properties characteristic of sodium channels.

Amino Acid Sequence↗
PubMed1992

Characterization of a tyrosine kinase activity associated with the high-affinity interleukin 2 receptor complex.

The IL-2 receptor complex is minimally composed of two genetically unrelated subunits of relative molecular masses 55 and 75 kDa respectively. Structural information deduced from the cDNA sequences of either subunit have not revealed significant information as to the basis of the mechanisms of IL-2 receptor signal transduction. Nevertheless, IL-2 stimulates the activation of one or more tyrosine kinases requiring the functional participation of the p75 member of the receptor complex. Here we have developed the methods to isolate the receptor complex with an associated tyrosine protein kinase. Extracts of membrane glycoproteins from activated normal human T lymphocytes and cell lines demonstrated catalytic activation of tyrosine kinase activity when stimulated with IL-2. Purification of the receptor complex with biotinylated IL-2 revealed the presence of two dominant phosphotyrosyl-proteins of approximate molecular masses 58 and 97 kDa. Denaturation gel electrophoresis followed by renaturation of proteins associated with the IL-2 receptor complex demonstrated that the 97 kDa protein had catalytic autophosphorylation activity. The results indicate that the 58 and 97 kDa phosphotyrosyl-proteins can be found to co-precipitate with the IL-2 receptor complex and that the 97 kDa protein was demonstrated to have protein kinase activity. The association of such kinases with receptors devoid of catalytic structure may represent a unique paradigm of growth-factor receptor mechanisms.

Cell Line↗
PubMed1992

Association of the erythropoietin receptor with protein tyrosine kinase activity.

We have examined the signal transduction mechanism of the hematopoietic growth factor erythropoietin (Epo). Epo stimulation of Ba/F3 cells transfected with the Epo receptor resulted in increases in tyrosine phosphorylation of proteins of 97, 75, and 55 kDa. Epo-induced increases in tyrosine phosphorylation of a 97-kDa protein were also detected within the Epo receptor complex, suggesting that a protein tyrosine kinase is associated with the Epo receptor. Protein tyrosine kinase activity was found within the Epo receptor complex and modulation of this activity was observed after treatment of cells with Epo. Furthermore, constitutively high amounts of protein kinase activity were observed in Epo receptor complexes isolated from autonomously growing cells coexpressing the Epo receptor and the leukemogenic glycoprotein gp55. The dominant phosphotyrosylprotein found associated with the Epo receptor was 97 kDa. An Epo receptor-associated protein of identical molecular mass was also found to bind ATP, a characteristic critical for protein kinases. Collectively, these data demonstrate that the Epo receptor is associated with protein tyrosine kinase activity and further suggest that a 97-kDa phosphotyrosylprotein associated with the Epo receptor is a protein tyrosine kinase involved in Epo-mediated signal transduction.

Adenosine Triphosphate↗
PubMed1992

Specific protein kinases modulated during T cell mitogenesis. Activity of a 55-kDa serine kinase is associated with growth arrest in human T cells.

The intracellular events which are involved in controlling the G1 to S phase transition during the eucaryotic cell cycle are important to define in order to understand the mechanisms by which mitogenic and growth arrest-inducing agents control cell growth. Because a change in protein kinase activity is associated with the initial response of cells to mitogenic stimulants and growth factors, we used a kinase renaturation assay to identify specific protein kinases which are modulated as human T cells make the G1 to S phase transition after mitogenic stimulation with lectin. We identified four protein serine/threonine kinases of 180, 97, 85, and 38 kilodaltons which are increased in activity as these cells enter S phase. A-55 kDa serine/threonine kinase (PK55) was shown to have maximal activity during G0 and its activity was reduced by 95% upon movement into S phase. PK55 is inducible in human T cells by removal of interleukin 2 and low serum incubation which arrests cells in G1 phase, indicating that it is closely associated with G1 phase growth arrest. Furthermore, a similar PK55 activity was induced upon growth arrest in HL-60 cells treated with dimethyl sulfoxide and in Daudi cells treated with interferon alpha. Because the cAMP-dependent protein kinase (PK-A) family has been shown to be antiproliferative to lectin stimulated T cells, we were interested in determining whether PK55 was in fact an isozyme of PK-A. Comparative analysis using a specific peptide inhibitor of PK-A activity revealed that PK55 is catalytically distinct from PK-A. This data suggest that increases in PK55 may be associated with the growth-arrested state and further that PK55 is distinct from PK-A.

Cell Line↗
PubMed1992

Interleukin-2-dependent phosphorylation of the retinoblastoma-susceptibility-gene product p110-115RB in human T-cells.

The state of phosphorylation of the retinoblastoma-susceptibility gene product, p110-115RB, is thought to have fundamental importance in controlling the progression of the cell through the cell cycle. We have studied RB phosphorylation in human T-cells in the context of T-cell activation, stimulated by phytohaemagglutinin (PHA) and interleukin-2 (IL-2). We show that, of the signals associated with T-cell activation, only signals that directly lead to movement into S phase of the cell cycle are capable of stimulating RB phosphorylation. Cyclosporin A (CsA), a potent inhibitor of IL-2 synthesis and cellular proliferation, blocked RB phosphorylation, and this was recovered with exogenous IL-2, indicating a direct involvement of IL-2 in controlling RB phosphorylation. We found that PHA did not stimulate RB phosphorylation within 10 h of treatment, but IL-2 could effectively stimulate RB phosphorylation within 2 h, and this approached a maximum within 8-10 h of IL-2 treatment. Further, by using actinomycin D to inhibit new gene transcription following IL-2 stimulation, we found that early-cell-cycle phosphorylation of RB required IL-2-stimulated gene transcription. From these data we conclude that, in human T-cells, RB phosphorylation is not directly associated with T-cell receptor-mediated events, but requires the interaction of IL-2 and new gene transcription following IL-2 stimulation.

Cell Cycle↗
PubMed1992

Two human glutamate decarboxylases, 65-kDa GAD and 67-kDa GAD, are each encoded by a single gene.

We report the isolation and sequencing of cDNAs encoding two human glutamate decarboxylases (GADs; L-glutamate 1-carboxy-lyase, EC 4.1.1.15), GAD65 and GAD67. Human GAD65 cDNA encodes a Mr 65,000 polypeptide, with 585 amino acid residues, whereas human GAD67 encodes a Mr 67,000 polypeptide, with 594 amino acid residues. Both cDNAs direct the synthesis of enzymatically active GADs in bacterial expression systems. Each cDNA hybridizes to a single species of brain mRNA and to a specific set of restriction fragments in human genomic DNA. In situ hybridization of fluorescently labeled GAD probes to human chromosomes localizes the human GAD65 gene to chromosome 10p11.23 and the human GAD67 gene to chromosome 2q31. We conclude that GAD65 and GAD67 each derive from a single separate gene. The cDNAs we describe should allow the bacterial production of test antigens for the diagnosis and prediction of insulin-dependent diabetes mellitus.

Amino Acid Sequence↗
PubMed1992

Molecular cloning, chromosomal mapping, and functional expression of human brain glutamate receptors.

A full-length cDNA clone encoding a glutamate receptor was isolated from a human brain cDNA library, and the gene product was characterized after expression in Xenopus oocytes. Degenerate PCR primers to conserved regions of published rat brain glutamate receptor sequences amplified a 1-kilobase fragment from a human brain cDNA library. This fragment was used as a probe for subsequent hybridization screening. Two clones were isolated that, based on sequence information, code for different receptors: a 3-kilobase clone, HBGR1, contains a full-length glutamate receptor cDNA highly homologous to the rat brain clone GluR1, and a second clone, HBGR2, contains approximately two-thirds of the coding region of a receptor homologous to rat brain clone GluR2. Southern and PCR analysis of a somatic cell-hybrid panel mapped HBGR1 to human chromosome 5q31.3-33.3 and mapped HBGR2 to chromosome 4q25-34.3. Xenopus oocytes injected with in vitro-synthesized HBGR1 cRNA expressed currents activated by glutamate receptor agonists with the following specificity sequence: domoate greater than kainate much greater than quisqualate greater than or equal to alpha-amino-3-hydroxy-5-methyl-4-isoxazole propionic acid greater than or equal to L-glutamate much greater than N-methyl-D-aspartate. The kainate-elicited currents were specifically blocked by 6-cyano-7-nitroquinoxaline-2,3-dione but were insensitive to 2-amino-5-phosphonovalerate and kynurenic acid. These results indicate that clone HBGR1 codes for a glutamate receptor of the kainate subtype cognate to members of the glutamate receptor family from rodent brain.

Amino Acid Sequence↗
PubMed1992

Cosmid linking clones localized to the long arm of human chromosome 11.

Molecular probes that contain DNA flanking CpG-rich restriction sites are extremely valuable in the construction of physical maps of chromosomes and in the identification of genes associated with hypomethylated HTF (HpaII tiny fragment) islands. We describe a new approach to the isolation and characterization of linking clones in arrayed chromosome-specific cosmid libraries through the large-scale semiautomated restriction mapping of cosmid clones. We utilized a cosmid library representing human chromosome 11q12-11qter and carried out automated restriction enzyme analysis, followed by regional localization to chromosome 11q using high-resolution in situ suppression hybridization. Using this approach, 165 cosmid linking clones containing one or more NotI, BssHII, SfiI, or SacII sites were identified among 960 chromosome-specific cosmids. Furthermore, this analysis allowed clones containing a single site to be distinguished from those containing clusters of two or more rare sites. This analysis demonstrated that more than 75% of cosmids containing a rare restriction site also contained a second rare restriction site, suggesting a high degree of CpG-rich restriction site clustering. Thirty chromosome 11q-specific cosmids containing rare CpG-rich restriction sites were regionally localized by high-resolution fluorescence in situ suppression hybridization, demonstrating that all of the CpG-rich sites detected by this method were located in bands 11q13 and 11q23. In addition, the distribution of (CA)n repetitive sequences was determined by hybridization of the arrayed cosmid library with oligonucleotide probes, confirming a random distribution of microsatellites among CpG-rich cosmid clones. This set of reagent cosmid clones will be useful for physical linking of large restriction fragments detected by pulsed-field gel electrophoresis and will provide a new and highly efficient approach to the construction of a physical map of human chromosome 11q.

Chromosomes, Human, Pair 11↗
PubMed1992

Localization of 11q13 loci with respect to regional chromosomal breakpoints.

We have employed two strategies to map 13 markers located at 11q13. First, we used pulsed-field gel electrophoresis of DNA fragments obtained with methylation-sensitive restriction enzymes. The markers used in this study were scattered over 8.4 Mb and, for most of them, could not be linked one to another. A second mapping strategy employed hybridization to either DNA of somatic hybrids containing various parts of the long arm of chromosome 11 or metaphase chromosomes of a B-cell line containing the t(11;14)(q13;q32) translocation. We were able to sort out the centromeric from the telomeric probes with respect to translocation breakpoints taken as reference chromosomal landmarks by this approach. BCL1, which corresponds to the region where the t(11;14)(q13;q32) translocation breakpoints are clustered, appears as a boundary between two areas of human/mouse homology present in conserved syntenic regions on mouse chromosomes 7 and 19.

Animals↗
PubMed1992

Localization of the D5 dopamine receptor gene to human chromosome 4p15.1-p15.3, centromeric to the Huntington's disease locus.

Genes encoding G-protein-coupled receptors, including dopamine, serotonin, muscarinic cholinergic, and adrenergic receptors, play an important role in neurotransmission and may be involved in the pathophysiology of diseases such as Alzheimer's disease, Parkinson's disease, or Huntington's disease (HD). We mapped the gene encoding the D5 dopamine receptor (DRD5) to human chromosome 4p, an area implicated in HD and the Wolf-Hirschhorn syndrome, using gene-specific amplification with the polymerase chain reaction on a panel of somatic cell hybrids carrying different human chromosomes. Further localization of the DRD5 gene was carried out through the isolation and analysis of yeast artificial chromosomes, fluorescence in situ suppression hybridization to human metaphase chromosomes, and analysis of a panel of somatic cell hybrids subdividing human chromosome 4 into nine regions. The human DRD5 gene is located at 4p15.1-p15.33, centromeric to the location of the Huntington's disease locus although not in the obligate area containing the HD gene. The localization of the DRD5 gene to 4p15.1-p15.33 suggests the possibility that cis-position effects could be responsible for the altered D1-type dopamine receptor number observed in HD tissues or that the DRD5 gene could be a candidate for some of the abnormalities associated with the Wolf-Hirschhorn syndrome.

Base Sequence↗
PubMed1992

Isolation and expression of linked zinc finger gene clusters on human chromosome 11q.

Proteins that share conserved "zinc finger" motifs represent a class of DNA-binding proteins that have been shown to play a fundamental role in regulating gene expression and to be involved in a number of human hereditary and malignant disease states. We have isolated, characterized, and mapped zinc finger-encoding genes specific to human chromosome 11q to investigate their possible association in the molecular pathogenesis of several disease loci mapped to this chromosome. An arrayed chromosome 11q cosmid library was screened using a degenerate oligonucleotide corresponding to the H/C link consensus sequence of the Drosophila Kruppel zinc finger gene, resulting in the isolation of six putative zinc finger genes. Three of the genes (ZNF123, ZNF125, and ZNF126) were analyzed and shown to contain tandemly repeated zinc finger motifs of the C2-H2 class. All three novel genes were found to be expressed in normal adult human tissues, although the tissue-specific pattern of expression differs markedly. Isolated zinc finger genes were regionally mapped on chromosome 11 using fluorescence in situ suppression hybridization and demonstrated clustering of the genes at 11q13.3-11q13.4 and 11q23.1-11q23.2. Analysis of in situ hybridization to interphase nuclei demonstrated a maximum distance of 1 Mb separating distinct finger genes. This analysis defines two linked multigene families of zinc finger genes to chromosome bands associated with a high frequency of specific translocations associated with malignancies.

Amino Acid Sequence↗
PubMed1992

Structure and linkage of the D2 dopamine receptor and neural cell adhesion molecule genes on human chromosome 11q23.

The gene encoding the D2 dopamine receptor (DRD2) is located on human chromosome 11q23 and has been circumstantially associated with a number of human disorders including Parkinson's disease, schizophrenia, and susceptibility to alcoholism. To determine the physical structure of the DRD2 gene, we utilized cosmid cloning, isolation of yeast artificial chromosomes (YACs), and pulsed-field gel electrophoresis to construct a long-range physical map of human chromosome 11q23 linking the genes for the DRD2 and neural cell adhesion molecule (NCAM). The D2 dopamine receptor gene extends over 270 kb and includes an intron of approximately 250 kb separating the putative first exon from the exons encoding the receptor protein. The resulting physical map spans more than 1.5 mb of chromosome band 11q23 and links the DRD2 gene with the gene encoding the NCAM located 150 kb 3' of the DRD2 gene and transcribed from the same DNA strand. We additionally located the sites of at least four hypomethylated HTF islands within the physical map, which potentially indicate the sites of additional genes. High-resolution fluorescent in situ suppression hybridization using cosmid and YAC clones localized this gene cluster between the ApoAI and STMY loci at the interface of bands 11q22.3 and 11q23.1.

Base Sequence↗
PubMed1992

Mapping of a human brain voltage-gated calcium channel to human chromosome 12p13-pter.

Degenerate DNA oligomers coding for highly conserved regions of the voltage-gated calcium channel were synthesized for the polymerase chain reaction (PCR) using DNA from a human brain cDNA library as template. PCR amplified a 640-bp DNA fragment from the human brain cDNA library. Sequencing revealed that this fragment encodes part of a protein highly homologous to a subtype of the dihydropyridine-sensitive calcium channel cloned from rabbit heart and rat brain. Southern analysis of panels of somatic cell hybrids mapped the 640-bp fragment, CACNL1A1, to human chromosome 12p13-pter.

Amino Acid Sequence↗