Biomedical subjects
Publications and source records attributed to H Delius.
The human cervical carcinoma cell line ME180 was examined for human papillomavirus (HPV) DNA and RNA. The integrated DNA of a presumably new HPV type showing a relationship closer to HPV39 than to HPV18 was cloned and sequenced. HPV sequences from the E6-E7-E1 region are expressed as poly(A)+ RNAs.
HPV 2a is commonly associated with verrucae vulgares, whereas HPV 57 was detected in mucosal lesions of the maxillary sinus and the genital tract, as well as in cutaneous lesions. The complete DNA sequences of HPV 2a and HPV 57 were determined. The HPV 2a genome consists of 7860 base pairs and the HPV 57 genome contains 7861 base pairs. On the nucleotide level an 83% homology between the two sequences could be ascertained. Compared to other HPVs they have a high G/C-content (HPV 2a: 48.8%, HPV 57: 50.1%). The genomic organization of both viruses complies with that of other sequenced HPVs. Significant sequence divergence between the HPV 2a and HPV 57 genomes was found in the long control region (LCR), as well as in the early-late-region (ELR). The latter varies in size between the cutaneous (72 to 103 nucleotides) and the mucosal HPVs (252 to 584 nucleotides). According to the sizes of the ELRs of HPV 2a (377 nucleotides) and HPV 57 (478 nucleotides), as well as DNA sequence comparisons, these two viruses could be grouped with the so-called mucosal HPVs. In a search for possible tissue-specific elements, a common amino acid motif, thr-thr/asp-pro-ala-ile/valile/leu was found in the L2 of all mucosal HPVs, as well as in HPV 2a and 57. The L2 of the cutaneous types contain the motif val-ser/thr-arg-thr-gln-tyr.
The genes encoding procyclin, the major glycoprotein expressed on the surface of procyclic forms of Trypanosoma brucei, comprise a multigene family. It has previously been demonstrated that procyclin genes in cloned trypanosome strains from Kenya and Uganda show restriction fragment polymorphisms. A detailed study of the Kenyan strain 227 has revealed that procyclin genes are arranged in tandem at 3 distinct loci (Pro A, B and C) and that the polymorphism is due to the duplication of 1.3 kb in the Pro A locus, which has generated an additional procyclin gene. Northern blot analysis has shown that at least 2 loci are transcribed and that a minimum of 3 procyclin genes are expressed within a cloned line. The transcription of procyclin genes is resistant to 1 mg ml-1 alpha-amanitin, whereas that of the 5' flanking gene in the Pro A locus is sensitive. This observation suggests that the two genes form part of separate transcription units with a promoter between them.
The entire gene for chicken cartilage matrix protein (CMP) has been isolated and characterized by restriction mapping, electron microscopy, nuclease S1 mapping, and sequence analysis. The gene, which is present in a single copy in the chicken genome, is 18 kilobase pairs long and comprises eight exons and seven introns. It has two transcription initiation sites, 8 base pairs from each other. A sequence very homologous to the consensus nuclear factor III binding-site sequence, a CAT- and a TATA-like sequence are found in the promoter region and ATTAAA is used as a polyadenylation signal. The nucleotide sequence defines a primary translation product of 493 amino acids which consists of a 23-amino acid signal peptide and two large repeated domains connected by an epidermal growth factor module. Amino acid sequences homologous to those of the repeated domains are present in the type A repeats of von Willebrand factor, complement factors B and C2, and in the alpha chains of the integrins Mac-1, p150,95, and LFA-1. The exon-intron structure indicates that the CMP gene may have arisen by exon duplication and exon shuffling during evolution. The GT-AG splice rule cannot be applied for the excision of the last intron of the CMP pre-mRNA. The donor splice site of intron G is basically different from the consensus sequence indicating that a novel type of splicing mechanism might exist in cartilage.
The analysis of replicative form (RF) DNA of Aleutian disease virus (ADV) by alkaline gel electrophoresis revealed that all RF DNA species segregate into DNA single strands which represent integral multiples of a genome equivalent. This demonstrates that as with other autonomous parvoviruses, the virion and complementary DNA strands are frequently linked by hairpin structures and that also, nicks are present at subterminal sites. Approximately 50% of the 5'-terminal hairpins contain a subterminal nick whereas no nick is detectable in the 3'-terminal hairpin. This finding together with the presence of nicks in the 3' palindrome sequence of the dimer RF DNA (D RF DNA) bridge fragment is the first experimental proof for the so far hypothetical substrate specificity of a nickase. A novel DNA structure was identified in the monomer (M) RF DNA population. This molecule, designated 'monomer covalently closed linear RF DNA' (Mccl RF DNA), consists of a continuous, self-complementary, circular polynucleotide chain of twice the genome length. It was directly visualized by electron microscopy that denatured ADV M RF DNA is a single-stranded circular molecule of twice the genome length with covalently closed terminal hairpins on either end. Alkaline gradient centrifugations, enzymic assays and electrophoretic techniques confirmed the proposed structure. Moreover, evidence was obtained that the D RF DNA species contains an analogous Dccl RF DNA. It is suggested that the newly described Mccl RF DNA form is an important intermediate common to the DNA replication of all autonomously replicating parvoviruses.
The cloning and partial characterization of the genome of human papillomavirus type 53 is presented. The virus is a distinct type and is most closely related to human papillomavirus type 30.
The structures of two cloned recombinants of bacteriophage lambda and mouse genomic DNA (lambda mA14 and lambda mA36) were compared by electron microscopic analysis of various heteroduplex DNAs, restriction endonuclease mapping and nucleotide sequence determination. Each clone was shown to be derived from a distinct region of the mouse genome, but the two exhibited structural similarity over a region of at least 11,000 bases which included a cytoskeletal gamma-actin processed pseudogene of approximately 1800 bases. It is concluded that the two genomic regions were derived from a common ancestral region by duplication or amplification. The homologous regions of the two clones contained members of the long interspersed repetitive L1Md (long interspersed repeated sequence 1 of Mus domesticus) family lying in opposite orientation to one another, so that single-stranded DNA from the clones could form intra-molecular heteroduplexes. The complete nucleotide sequences of three L1Md members in lambda mA14 were determined. The longest of these (L1Md-14LH) had inserted into the gamma-actin processed pseudogene and, although it contained internal deletions, appeared to possess intact 5' and 3' ends. A second L1Md member (L1Md-14RH1) also appeared to have an intact 5' end but had lost most of its 3' portion, and a third member (L1Md-14RH2) was an internal fragment. The repeated sequence at the 5' ends of L1Md-14LH and L1Md-14RH1 showed these to be members of the L1Md-A family.
The genome of the Chilo iridescent virus (CIV) was analyzed for existence of repetitive DNA sequences by DNA-DNA hybridization using a defined and complete gene library of the viral genome (209 kbp) and by heteroduplex mapping. These experiments revealed the presence of repetitive DNA elements in the CIV genome, which are located in the EcoRI fragment H and in the EcoRI DNA fragment C at the coordinates 0.535 to 0.548 (EcoRI/Pstl DNA fragment, 2.7 kbp) and 0.920 to 0.944 (PvuII CIV DNA fragment L, 5.1 kbp), respectively. The DNA nucleotide sequence (2708 bp) of the EcoRI/Pstl subfragment was determined. The comparative analysis of the DNA sequences of this particular region of the viral genome with the DNA sequences of the PvuII DNA fragment L (5064 bp) revealed the presence of several DNA sequences within the EcoRI/Pstl subfragment of the EcoRI CIV DNA fragment H which show homology to DNA sequences of the PvuII DNA fragment L. For example, a DNA element (box A, 91 bp) is located at nucleotide positions 1981 to 2072 of the EcoRI CIV DNA fragment H which are complementary (greater than 90%) to the nine regions of the PvuII DNA fragment L (L-boxes 1 to 9). Furthermore heteroduplex mapping revealed the existence of a stem-loop structure (stem, 65 +/- 10 bp and loop, 652 +/- 80 bp) at the genome coordinates 0.571 to 0.582 (2.5 kbp, HindIII/EcoRI subfragment of the EcoRI CIV DNA fragment H). This indicates that an inverted repeat sequence is located at this region of the viral genome. The DNA nucleotide sequence of this subfragment was determined (2555 bp) which confirmed the data obtained from electron microscopy. An inverted repeat DNA sequence located at nucleotide positions 304 and 1011 is able to form this type of stem-loop structure.
The DNA nucleotide sequence of the PvuII DNA fragment L (0.920 to 0.944 map units (m.u.] of the genome (209 kbp) of insect iridescent virus type 6 was determined. The size of this DNA fragment was 5064 bp with a base composition of 39.79% G + C and 60.21% A + T. The DNA sequence contained many perfect direct repeats of sizes up to 145 bp. In addition to these repetitions, a cluster of four imperfect repetitive DNA elements (R1 to R4) with a complex structural arrangement was detected. R1, R2, and R3 existed in duplicate (two boxes (B] between nucleotide positions 271 and 3466) and their size were as follows: R1-B1/B2 (567/568 bp), R2-B1/B2 (917/931 bp), and R3-B1/B2 (92/88 bp). The R4 repetitive element was found in 12 boxes (between bases 1301 and 4417), which were interrupted at nucleotide positions 1883 to 2236 and 3341 to 3587. These interruptions define three segments (S) harboring boxes B1 to B3 (S1), B4 to B8 (S2), and B9 to B12 (S3). The size of the individual boxes was found to be 239, 233, 107, 244, 222, 242, 242, 148, 240, 242, 242, and 102 bp for R4-B1 to B12, respectively. Five open reading frames (ORFs of 118 to 333 amino acid (AA) residues) were detected. The analysis of the amino acid sequences of the largest ORF revealed that the deduced amino acid sequence of the putative gene product contained two repetitions TR1 (three domains of 50 AA) and TR2 (two domains of 74 AA). Sequences of 43 amino acid residues of ORF 5 (160 to 202 AA) were homologous within the majority of ORFs. A consensus sequence-MANL(X)6 IGSSST(X)6 L(X)1 LGS(X)1 LQISG(X)2 L(X)1 VN- was found in all five ORFs. Although classical canonical and noncanonical transcriptional start signals were detectable, polyadenylation signals were not observed.
DNA from ten mouse genomic clones, each containing distinct gamma-actin processed pseudogenes, was subjected to electron microscopic heteroduplex analysis, and in three cases (lambda mA36, lambda mA118 and lambda mA119) the heteroduplex formed with the DNA of a reference clone was found to be interrupted by a single-stranded loop. The genomic regions corresponding to these loops were subjected to structural analysis and they were found to represent different elements (IEs) inserted into the pseudogenes in a manner that gave rise to short target-site direct repeats. IE 36 (500 base-pairs in length) was found to be an intercisternal A-particle solo long terminal repeat (LTR), a 46 nucleotide region of which had undergone five-fold tandem amplification and subsequent mutation. IE 119 (501 base-pairs in length) was also a solo LTR, bearing similarity to the recently-described GLN-3 class of murine retroviral-like elements. IE 118 (865 base-pairs in length) is repeated 1000-2000 times in the mouse genome. It is not related to any known class of mobile elements, but does possess some sequence motifs that suggest it may be an LTR of a hitherto unrecognized family of retroviral-like elements. It also possesses a 26 out of 27 nucleotide identity to a region of the flanking pseudogene, suggesting that it may have suffered gene conversion.
A defined and complete gene library of the Chilo iridescent virus (CIV) genome was established. The CIV DNA was cleaved with restriction endonucleases EcoRI, NcoI, SphI, and BamHI or double digested with BamHI/SalI and the resulting DNA fragments were inserted into the corresponding sites of the bacterial vectors pACYC184, pKm2, pL-ES-C3, and pAT153 using T4 DNA ligase. All cloned fragments were identified by digestion of the recombinant plasmids with different restriction enzymes and checked by hybridization of recombinant plasmid to viral DNA. This analysis revealed that sequences representing 100% of the viral genome were cloned into the EcoRI site of pACYC184. Although the CIV genome is linear, all 32 EcoRI fragments have been cloned directly. This suggests that the CIV genome is circularly permuted. In addition, NcoI(72%), SphI(40.7%), BamHI (11.6%), and BamHI/SalI(39.7%) DNA fragments of the viral genome were inserted into the corresponding sites of pKm2, pL-ES-C3, and pAT153, respectively. The physical map of the viral genome was constructed using the established gene library for restriction enzymes ApaI, BamHI, EcoRI, NcoI, SalI, and SmaI. Although the CIV genome is linear, this analysis revealed that the restriction maps of the viral genome are circular. This finding supports the hypothesis that the CIV genome is circularly permuted.
The genome of the fish lymphocystis disease virus (FLDV) was screened for the existence of repetitive DNA sequences using a defined and complete gene library of the viral genome (98 kbp) by DNA-DNA hybridization, heteroduplex analysis, and restriction fine mapping. A repetitive DNA sequence was detected at the coordinates 0.034 to 0.057 and 0.718 to 0.736 map units (m.u.) of the FLDV genome. The first region (0.034 to 0.057 m.u.) corresponds to the 5' terminus of the EcoRI FLDV DNA fragment B (0.034 to 0.165 m.u.) and the second region (0.718 to 0.736 m.u.) is identical to the EcoRI DNA fragment M of the viral genome. The DNA nucleotide sequence of the EcoRI FLDV DNA fragment M was determined. This analysis revealed the presence of many short direct and inverted repetitions, e.g., a 18-mer direct repetition (TTTAAAATTTAATTAA) that started at nucleotide positions 812 and 942 and a 14-mer inverted repeat (TTAAATTTAAATTT) at nucleotide positions 820 and 959. Only short open reading frames were detected within this region. The DNA repetitions are discussed as sequences that play a possible regulatory role for virus replication. Furthermore, hybridization experiments revealed that the repetitive DNA sequences are conserved in the genome of different strains of fish lymphocystis disease virus isolated from two species of Pleuronectidae (flounder and dab).
The structure of the chicken link protein gene has been determined from a series of genomic clones that cover the entire coding region as well as the complete 3'-untranslated region and a small portion of the 5'-untranslated region. The gene is greater than 80 kilobase pairs long and is present in a single copy in the chicken genome. The link protein gene contains at least five exons with four encoding the entire protein. The domain of link protein that has homologies with immunoglobulin-like proteins and the tandemly repeated hyaluronic acid binding domains are each encoded by separate exons. The exon-intron structure indicates that the link protein gene may have arisen by exon duplication and exon shuffling.
Human papillomaviruses (HPVs) 5, 8, 19 and 25 induce macular skin lesions in patients with epidermodysplasia verruciformis. HPVs 5 and 8 are known to prevail in skin carcinomas, which develop in about one-third of these patients. We compared the viral DNAs by heteroduplex analysis and on the basis of partial nucleotide sequences. The colinear genomes were closely related and showed nucleotide sequence homology in the range of 40% to 90%. Homology values between 70% and 80% were observed throughout roughly 4 kb of the heteroduplex molecules as estimated after 'calibration' by partial sequencing. Heteroduplex analysis did not support the hypothesis that the different HPV types arise by recombination and allowed no grouping to correlate with the association with malignant tumours. The upstream regulatory sequences of HPVs 8, 19 and 25 appeared highly conserved but differed from those of previously sequenced papillomaviruses in length, in the TATA motif, in the copy numbers and positions of the ACCGN4CGGT palindrome and of a YGCCAA direct repeat, and in two strictly conserved blocks of 33 and 29 nucleotides.
Genomic clones coding for human fibroblast collagenase were isolated. By constructing and transfecting mutants with 5' and 3' deletion mutations of the 5' control region of the gene into human or murine cells, we delimited a 32-base-pair sequence at positions -73 to -42 which is required for the induction of transcription by the tumor promoter 12-O-tetradecanoyl-phorbol-13-acetate. The DNA element behaves as a 12-O-tetradecanoyl-phorbol-13-acetate-inducible enhancer: it mediates the stimulation of transcription to the heterologous herpes simplex virus thymidine kinase promoter and acts in a position- and orientation-independent manner. Differences in enhancer efficiency in different cell lines are interpreted to indicate differences in the activity of a trans-acting factor.
Ferritin is composed of two subunits, H and L. cDNA's coding for these proteins from human liver (1,2,3), lymphocytes (4) and from the monocyte-like cell line U937 (5) have been cloned and sequenced. Southern blot analysis on total human DNA reveals that there are many DNA segments hybridizing to the apoferritin H and L cDNA probes (1,2,4,6). In view of the tissue heterogeneity of ferritin molecules (7,8), it appeared possible that apoferritin molecules could be coded by a family of genes differentially expressed in various tissues (1,2). In this paper we describe the cloning and sequencing of the gene coding for human apoferritin H. This gene has three introns; the exon sequence is identical to that of cDNA's isolated from human liver, lymphocytes, HeLa cells and endothelial cells. In addition we show that at least 15 intronless pseudogenes exist, with features suggesting that they were originated by reverse transcription and insertion. On the basis of these results we conclude that only one gene is responsible for the synthesis of the majority of apoferritin H mRNA in various tissues examined, and that probably all the other DNA segments hybridizing with apoferritin cDNA are pseudogenes.
Infection of Mu-sensitive bacteria with a recombinant lambda phage that carries the EcoRI.C fragment from the immunity end of wild type Mu DNA causes filamentous growth. Transmission electron microscopy revealed that the cell-division cycle was inhibited at, or prior to, the initiation of septation. The filamentation does not occur after infection of Mu-immune bacteria or after infection with a phage carrying the same EcoRI.C fragment, but with an IS1 insertion in gene B of Mu, showing that either gpB and/or some non-essential functions (e.g. kil) mapping downstream from the insertion are required for the inhibition of cell division. These data and previously published evidence suggest that in the "killing" of E. coli K12 by early Mu functions expressed from the cloned EcoRI.C fragment, two components have to be distinguished: one, a highly efficient elimination of plasmid DNA carrying the early Mu genes, and second, a series of interactions with host functions conducent to an inhibition of cell division. It is suggested that functions normally involved in the SOS reaction participate in the inhibition of cell division by early Mu functions. Infected bacteria synthesize the replication protein B (MR 33000) of Mu, which was found by cell fractionation experiments to be associated with the inner cell membrane. The role of this association for filamentous growth and for the integrative replication of the phage is discussed. The recombinant phage might be useful as a tool for the study of the E. coli cell division cycle.
A defined and complete gene library of the fish lymphocystis disease virus (FLDV) genome was established. FLDV DNA was cleaved with EcoRI, BamHI, EcoRI/BamHI and EcoRI/HindIII and the resulting fragments were inserted into the corresponding sites of the pACYC184 or pAT153 plasmid vectors using T4 DNA ligase. Since FLDV DNA is highly methylated at CpG sequences (Darai et al., 1983; Wagner et al., 1985), an Escherichia coli GC-3 strain was required to amplify the recombinant plasmids harboring the FLDV DNA fragments. Bacterial colonies harboring recombinant plasmids were selected. All cloned fragments were individually identified by digestion of the recombinant plasmid DNA with different restriction enzymes and screened by hybridization of recombinant plasmid DNA to viral DNA. This analysis revealed that sequences representing 100% of the viral genome were cloned. Using these recombinant plasmids, the physical maps of the genome were constructed for BamHI, EcoRI, BestEII, and PstI restriction endonucleases. Although the FLDV genome is linear, due to circular permutation the restriction maps are circular.