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Biomedical subjects

J Zabielski

Publications and source records attributed to J Zabielski.

21 records · Page 2Linked to original sources

Effect of beta-propiolactone inactivation of polyoma virus on viral functions.

Polyoma virus was inactivated by treatment with beta-propiolactone. T-antigen production, polyoma-RNA synthesis, induction of host DNA synthesis (measured by incorporation of labeled thymidine into the cell culture), and in vitro transforming ability were inactivated to a similar degree by various beta-propiolactone concentrations (0.25% beta-propiolactone reduced these functions approximately 96%), whereas plaque-forming ability and the ability of the virus to replicate its DNA and to synthesize capsid antigen were inactivated by a given concentration of beta-propiolactone to a much greater degree (0.25% beta-propiolactone led to a reduction of plaque-forming ability of over 8 logs). The significance of these data and their relationship to previously published experiments are discussed.

Animals↗

A distant enhancer element is required for polymerase III transcription of a U6 RNA gene.

U RNAs are highly abundant small nuclear RNAs involved in the processing of messenger RNA. Most U RNA genes are thought to be transcribed by RNA polymerase II (pol II). However, evidence has recently been presented that U6 RNA genes are transcribed by RNA polymerase III (pol III). In the light of these results it was surprising to find that the 5' flanking region of a mouse U6 RNA gene includes a perfect copy of the octamer sequence motif, ATTTGCAT, found in many RNA polymerase II transcription enhancer elements. In the present study we show that deletion of mouse U6 gene sequences upstream of nucleotide position -217, including the octanucleotide motif, reduces U6 transcription by 90% when assayed in Xenopus laevis oocytes, suggesting the presence of a distant control element. DNase I footprinting of the 5' flanking region of the U6 gene shows protection of the octanucleotide sequence. Moreover, the 5' flanking sequence from -217 to -315 can replace the enhancer of a human U2 RNA gene. We therefore conclude that although U6 RNA genes appear to be transcribed by pol III, they are preceeded by an enhancer-like element which can functionally substitute for the enhancer of a pol II-transcribed U RNA gene.

Animals↗