Search PubMed⌕ Search

Biomedical subjects

M A Groenen

Publications and source records attributed to M A Groenen.

At least 55 records · Page 3Linked to original sources

Development and mapping of ten porcine microsatellite markers.

Thirty (TG)n microsatellite clones were isolated from a pig genomic library, sequenced, and tested for their suitability to detect polymorphism on a panel of animals by means of the polymerase chain reaction. Ten of these clones were developed into suitable markers and subsequently segregation of these markers was determined in the five PiGMaP reference pedigrees. A linkage analysis was performed on these 10 microsatellites together with 365 other loci that have been typed on these reference families. Eight of the microsatellites have been mapped to eight different linkage groups that have been previously assigned to different chromosomes (chromosomes 1, 6, 7, 9, 14, 15, 17 and 18). Of the remaining two markers, one is X-linked and the other shows no linkage. The number of alleles detected by these microsatellites, in the reference pedigrees, varied from six to sixteen and the heterozygosity varied from 42 to 85% in the 26 unrelated founder animals of these reference pedigrees.

Animals↗

The complete sequence of the gene encoding bovine alpha s2-casein.

From a bovine genomic library, five overlapping clones, spanning some 50 kb, have been isolated. These clones contain the complete alpha s2-casein-encoding gene (alpha s2ca) and its 5' and 3' flanking regions. The nucleotide (nt) sequence of the complete gene including 2510 bp of the 5' flanking region and 276 bp of the 3' region has been determined. The total length of alpha s2ca appears to be 18483 bp and, therefore, it is the longest of the four bovine casein-encoding genes. The alpha s2ca gene is comprised of 18 exons ranging in size from 21 to 266 nt. There are 16 Alu-like artiodactyla retroposons inserted at ten different locations within the gene. About 14% of the gene is composed of these repetitive sequences. Although the organization of alpha s2ca appears to be similar to that of the alpha s1-casein-encoding gene (alpha s1ca), sequence comparisons and the length of the exons indicate that it is more closely related to the beta-casein-encoding gene. Furthermore, it is shown that both genes could have evolved from a common ancestor by means of internal duplications.

Animals↗

Highly polymorphic microsatellite markers in poultry.

Microsatellite markers have been established for a large number of species, but up till now very few polymorphic microsatellite markers have been reported in poultry. We have isolated 34 polymorphic chicken microsatellite markers of the poly(TG) type. The number of repeats varied from 9 up to 33. Often, other repeats such as poly(T) or poly (GAA) were present adjacent to the poly (TG) repeat. Polymerase chain reaction amplification of the microsatellites resulted in detection of three or more alleles in a test panel of five different animals for 75% of the microsatellites. Segregation of five microsatellite markers has been tested in a small family.

Alleles↗

Multiple octamer binding sites in the promoter region of the bovine alpha s2-casein gene.

Using a set of overlapping oligonucleotides from the promoter region of the bovine alpha s2-casein gene we have identified two nuclear factors which probably are involved in expression of this gene and the related calcium sensitive alpha s1- and beta-casein genes. One of these factors which was present in extracts of all tissues that have been tested including Hela cells turned out to be the octamer binding protein OCT-1. Oct-1 binds with different affinity to 4 sites at positions centred around -480, -260, -210 and -50. The strongest of these 4 binding sites, the one around position -50, is highly conserved in all calcium sensitive caseins of mouse, rat, rabbit and cattle. The other nuclear factor (MGF, mammary gland factor) which is specifically expressed in the mammary gland, binds to a site around position -90. This binding site is also highly conserved in all calcium sensitive caseins of mouse, rat, rabbit and cattle.

Animals↗

Organization and polymorphism of bovine major histocompatibility complex class II genes as revealed by genomic hybridizations with bovine probes.

Previous studies on restriction fragment length polymorphism of bovine major histocompatibility complex class II genes have primarily been based on the use of human probes. In the present study bovine probes for DQA, DQB, DRB and DYA were used for RFLP analysis of cattle genomic DNA digested with PvuII and TaqI. There was an excellent agreement between the RFLP results obtained with homologous and heterologous probes. Although a few 'new' restriction fragments were revealed with the bovine probes there was no discrepancy with regard to the classification of allelic types with the two types of probes. The major advantages of using bovine probes were a better hybridization signal and reduced cross-hybridization between loci. Hybridization experiments with DQA probes for the first domain exon from two different genomic clones revealed the presence of two distinct types of bovine DQA genes. Surprisingly, these probes did not cross-hybridize at high stringency, indicating that the two genes are quite divergent. Hybridization with a recently described genomic clone for a novel bovine alpha-chain gene confirmed that it corresponds to the DYA gene which had previously been identified by cross-hybridization to a human DQA probe.

Animals↗

The nucleotide sequence of the bovine MHC class II alpha genes: DRA, DOA, and DYA.

The nucleotide sequence of the exons 2, 3, and 4, and parts of the intervening sequences of a BoLA-DRA and -DQA gene and one other class II BoLA-A gene have been determined. The structure of the BoLA-DRA and -DQA gene was found to be very similar to that of the corresponding human HLA class II genes. An analysis of the structure of the other class II BoLA-A gene showed that this A gene was clearly very different from both the human A genes and the bovine DRA and DQA genes. The results indicate that this other type of class II A gene probably represents the class II gene that has already been identified in restriction fragment length polymorphism (RFLP) studies as BoLA-DYA. Since no clear homologue of this presumed BoLA-DYA gene was found among the human HLA class II genes, these results indicate that, at least as far as the A genes are concerned, a distinct class II gene is present in cattle.

Amino Acid Sequence↗

The nucleotide sequence of bovine MHC class II DQB and DRB genes.

The nucleotide sequences of most of the exons and parts of the introns of two BoLA-DQB genes and two BoLA-DRB genes have been determined. The structure of these genes is very similar to that of human major histocompatibility complex (MHC) class II genes. The two DQB genes probably represent true alleles. Based on the exons sequenced, both DQB genes and one of the DRB genes seem to be functional. The other DRB gene is a pseudogene; stopcodons are found in the exons encoding the second and transmembrane domain and, furthermore, a 2 base pair (bp) deletion has occurred in the leader exon which places the initiation start codon out of frame. Also in this pseudogene, an almost perfect inverted repeat of 200 bp is found flanking the exon encoding the first domain, which might have been the result of a duplication/inversion event. The sequences presented in this paper do not contain any repetitions. Therefore, DNA fragments containing these sequences can be used as homologous bovine probes in restriction fragment length polymorphism (RFLP) analysis to study disease associations in cattle.

Amino Acid Sequence↗

Homologies between the major histocompatibility complex of man and cattle: consequences for disease resistance and susceptibility.

The major histocompatibility complex (MHC) of mammals contains a large number of mostly duplicated genes. In the HLA system (the MHC of man), which is by far the best-studied major histocompatibility system so far, roughly 20 genes have been defined and mapped. They code for three classes of proteins: HLA-A, -B and -C (Class I), HLA-DP, -DQ and -DR (Class II) and serum complement components C2, C4 and Bf (Class III). Furthermore, the region contains genes for 21-hydroxylase (21-OH) and tumor necrosis factor (TNF). The MHC thus forms a chromosomal segment containing several clusters of genes of only partially defined biological significance, but ondoubtedly playing a role in disease susceptibility. In view of the recently obtained structural information on BoLA, the MHC of cattle, it is hypothesized that susceptibility to diseases in cattle is associated with BoLA in the same way as human diseases. Finally, new technical and conceptual developments in the field of MHC research and their application to the BoLA system are discussed.

Animals↗

Cloning and characterization of the acyl-coenzyme A: 6-aminopenicillanic-acid-acyltransferase gene of Penicillium chrysogenum.

A gene, aat, encoding acyl-CoA: 6-aminopenicillanic acid acyltransferase (AAT), the last enzyme of the penicillin (Pn) biosynthetic pathway, has been cloned from the genome of Penicillium chrysogenum AS-P-78. The gene contains three introns in the 5'-region and encodes a protein of 357 amino acids with an Mr of 39,943. It complements mutants of P. chrysogenum deficient in AAT activity. The aat gene is expressed as a 1.15-kb transcript and the encoded protein appears to be processed post-translationally into two nonidentical polypeptides of 102 and 255 aa, with Mrs of 11,498 and 28,461, respectively. Three proteins of 40, 11, and 29 kDa (the last one corresponding to the previously purified AAT), were identified in extracts of P. chrysogenum. The aa sequence of the N-terminal end of the 11-kDa polypeptide matched the nucleotide (nt) sequence of the 5'-region of aat. The N-terminal end of the 29-kDa polypeptide corresponded to the sequence beginning at nt position 916 of the sequenced DNA fragment (nt 441 of aat gene). The aat gene of P. chrysogenum resembles the genes encoding Pn acylases of Escherichia coli, Proteus rettgeri and Pseudomonas sp., all of which encode two nonidentical subunits derived from a common precursor, encoded by a single open reading frame.

Acyl Coenzyme A↗

Two genes involved in penicillin biosynthesis are linked in a 5.1 kb SalI fragment in the genome of Penicillium chrysogenum.

Two genes, pcbC and penDE (also named ips and aat, respectively) encoding the enzymes isopenicillin N synthase and acyl-CoA:6-amino penicillanic acid (6-APA) acyltransferase, which are involved in the penicillin biosynthetic pathway in Penicillium chrysogenum, were cloned. Both genes are clustered together in a 5.1 kb SalI DNA fragment and are separated by a nontranscribed intergenic region of 1.5 kb. These genes are transcribed from different promoters in two separate transcripts of about 1.15 kb each. The penDE gene complements mutants of P. chrysogenum deficient in acyltransferase and the pcbC gene increases the level of isopenicillin N synthase in strains containing low levels of this enzyme. The clustering of penicillin biosynthetic genes is of great interest in the light of previous claims of horizontal transfer of the pcbC gene from beta-lactam producing Streptomyces to filamentous fungi.

Acyltransferases↗

Cloning of the bovine major histocompatibility complex class II genes.

Class II genes of the bovine major histocompatibility complex (MHC) have been cloned from a genomic library. The library was constructed in the bacteriophage lambda vector EMBL3 and comprises approximately 10 times the equivalent of the haploid genome. Half the library was screened with the human DQA, DQB, DRA and DRB cDNA probes. Of the 100 positively hybridizing phage clones, 37 were eventually fully characterized and mapped by means of Southern blot analysis. The exons encoding the first, second and transmembrane domain of all different A and B genes were subcloned and mapped in more detail. These analyses showed that these 37 clones were derived from five different A and 10 different B genes. The hybridization studies indicate that we have cloned and mapped two DQA genes, one DRA gene, two other A genes, four DQB genes, three DRB genes and three other B genes. Since the library was made from a heterozygous animal, this would suggest that there are at least one DQA, one DRA one other undefined A, two DQB, two DRB and one or two other undefined B genes in the haploid genome of Holstein Friesian cattle.

Animals↗

Interactions of the transposase with the ends of Mu: formation of specific nucleoprotein structures and non-cooperative binding of the transposase to its binding sites.

Transposition of the E. coli bacteriophage Mu requires the phage encoded A and B proteins, the host protein HU and the host replication proteins. The ends of the genome of the phage, on which some of these proteins act, both contain three transposase (A) binding sites. The organization of these binding sites on each end, however, is different. Here we show, using DNase footprinting experiments with purified A protein, that mutant A binding sites, which affect transposition, have decreased affinity for the transposase. Furthermore the transposase binds non-cooperatively to all A binding sites both in the left and right end of Mu. Electron microscopic studies show that the A protein forms specific nucleoprotein structures upon binding to the ends of Mu. The A and B proteins interact with the ends of Mu to generate larger structures than with the A protein alone.

Bacteriophage mu↗

The requirements for a high level of transposition of bacteriophage Mu.

To analyse the functional and structural requirements of Mu transposition a special mini-Mu transposon was constructed. This mini-Mu, situated on a derivative of pBR322, has an easily selectable marker gene conferring chloramphenicol resistance (Cam) cloned between the ends of the mini-Mu. The genes required for transposition are cloned outside the ends and are under control of the PL promoter of bacteriophage lambda. To obtain a high frequency of transposition the A and B products are required. Under B- conditions both cointegrate formation and simple insertions are strongly reduced. The role of B in the transposition process is unknown and is discussed. Deletion analysis of the ends of the mini-Mu has revealed the existence of multiple sites required for transposition. The same sites were found to be strong A-binding sites. In addition two weak A-binding sites were found. Point mutations introduced into these last sites show that they are at least as important for transposition as the strong binding sites. The organization of the binding sites is asymmetric in Mu. At the left end two binding sites are situated more than 100 bp away from the end. These affect specifically the frequency of transposition. The distance between these two sites and the site close to the left end is extremely critical. At the right end also three A-binding sites are found, but only two seem to be important for transposition. Transposition with low frequency can be obtained with a mini-Mu with only one end. Secondary att sites are selected which all show some homology with an A-binding site. An absolute requirement for a 5'T at the artificial end is observed. Based on these results a simple scheme for the evolution of a transposon is discussed.

Bacteriophages↗

Transposition of mini-Mu containing only one of the ends of bacteriophage Mu.

Transposition of mini-Mu containing only one of the ends of bacteriophage Mu was studied. Transposition was observed when plasmids containing this mini-Mu were used as the donor in a mating-out assay with the F factor POX38, which lacks all known transposable elements, as the target. Analysis of the plasmids isolated from the recipient strain showed that in most cases the mini-Mu containing plasmid and POX38 were fused and that a part of the plasmid had been duplicated, indicating the formation of co-integrates. To obtain the DNA sequences of the junctions between donor and recipient DNA, an F factor was constructed that made it possible to analyse these junctions directly. The results showed that several sequences can be used as an alternative end in transposition and that these alternative ends show homology with the consensus for a strong A binding site. Moreover, the first base pair at the junction was always a (TA) base pair. This base pair is situated at exactly the same position with respect to the sequence which has homology with the consensus for a strong A binding site as in the ends of Mu.

Base Sequence↗

Analysis of the ends of bacteriophage Mu using site-directed mutagenesis.

We showed previously that two regions at the left end (L1 and L3) and one at the right end (R2) of bacteriophage Mu are essential for transposition. These regions all contain a 22 base-pair sequence with the consensus YGtTTCAYtNNAARYRCGAAAR, where Y and R represent any pyrimidine and purine, respectively. The Mu A protein binds to these regions in vitro, and weakly to sequences between nucleotides 1 and 30 of the right end (R1) and between nucleotides 110 and 135 of the left end (L2). These weak A binding sites contain the sequence AARYRCGAAAR. Here we show, using site-directed mutagenesis, that the weak A binding sites are essential for transposition. Mutations in these weak A binding sites have a greater effect on transposition than mutations of corresponding base-pairs in the stronger A binding sites, located adjacent to these weak A binding sites. We confirm the importance of several of the conserved base-pairs in the consensus sequence YGtTTCAYtNNAARYRCGAAAR. The base-pairs in the A binding sites that are shown to be essential for transposition are all conserved in the ends of the related bacteriophage D108. Furthermore, it is shown that the distance of 90 base-pairs between the two regions at the left end (L1 and L2L3) is essential.

Bacteriophages↗