Biomedical subjects

Mary A O'Connell

Publications and source records attributed to Mary A O'Connell.

10 recordsLinked to original sources

PubMed2006

A root-specific bZIP transcription factor is responsive to water deficit stress in tepary bean (Phaseolus acutifolius) and common bean (P. vulgaris).

Root cDNA libraries were differentially screened to isolate water deficit-responsive transcripts in the relatively drought-resistant plant tepary bean (Phaseolus acutifolius). A novel root-specific, water deficit-responsive transcript was identified and predicted to encode a bZIP transcription factor. The orthologous form of this gene was isolated from the drought-sensitive P. vulgaris and the patterns of expression of these genes compared. These genes have predicted amino acid sequences in the bZIP domain that are 64% similar to a soybean bZIP protein. There were three amino acid differences between the P. acutifolius bZIP and the P. vulgaris gene product. Both species transcribed this gene in a root-specific and water deficit-responsive manner. The cell-specific pattern of expression for the gene was determined using in situ hybridization and immunolocalization. Two tissues in the root accumulated the protein: epidermis and phloem. The nuclear localization of this protein was determined by electron microscopy. The bZIP protein accumulated in the nuclei of both the epidermal cell and the vascular cell in response to water deficit stress in both species in a similar manner.

Adaptation, Physiological↗

PubMed2006

Drosha versus ADAR: wrangling over pri-miRNA.

Processing of a mammalian hematopoietic microRNA precursor is suppressed when it is edited by ADARs. The edited pri-miRNA can subsequently be degraded by Tudor-SN.

Adenosine Deaminase↗

PubMed2005

Composition and Antimicrobial Activity of Anemopsis californica leaf oil.

Isolation and characterization of leaf volatiles in Anemopsis californica (Nutt.) Hook. and Arn. (A. californica) was performed using steam distillation, solid-phase microextraction, and supercritical fluid extraction. Thirty-eight compounds were detected and identified by gas chromatography; elemicin was the major component of the leaf volatiles. While the composition of the leaf volatiles varied with method of extraction, alpha-pinene, sabinene, beta-phellandrene, 1,8-cineole, piperitone, methyl eugenol, (E)-caryophyllene, and elemicin were usually present in readily detectable amounts. Greenhouse-reared clones of a wild population of A. californica had an identical leaf volatile composition with the parent plants. Steam-distilled oil had antimicrobial properties against 3 (Staphylococcus aureus, Streptococcus pneumoniae, and Geotrichim candidum) of 11 microbial species tested. Some of this bioactivity could be accounted for by the alpha-pinene in the oil.

Anti-Infective Agents↗

PubMed2005

SUMO-1 modification alters ADAR1 editing activity.

We identify ADAR1, an RNA-editing enzyme with transient nucleolar localization, as a novel substrate for sumoylation. We show that ADAR1 colocalizes with SUMO-1 in a subnucleolar region that is distinct from the fibrillar center, the dense fibrillar component, and the granular component. Our results further show that human ADAR1 is modified by SUMO-1 on lysine residue 418. An arginine substitution of K418 abolishes SUMO-1 conjugation and although it does not interfere with ADAR1 proper localization, it stimulates the ability of the enzyme to edit RNA both in vivo and in vitro. Moreover, modification of wild-type recombinant ADAR1 by SUMO-1 reduces the editing activity of the enzyme in vitro. Taken together these data suggest a novel role for sumoylation in regulating RNA-editing activity.

Adenosine Deaminase↗

PubMed2005

Tuning of RNA editing by ADAR is required in Drosophila.

RNA editing increases during development in more than 20 transcripts encoding proteins involved in rapid synaptic neurotransmission in Drosophila central nervous system and muscle. Adar (adenosine deaminase acting on RNA) mutant flies expressing only genome-encoded, unedited isoforms of ion-channel subunits are viable but show severe locomotion defects. The Adar transcript itself is edited in adult wild-type flies to generate an isoform with a serine to glycine substitution close to the ADAR active site. We show that editing restricts ADAR function since the edited isoform of ADAR is less active in vitro and in vivo than the genome-encoded, unedited isoform. Ubiquitous expression in embryos and larvae of an Adar transcript that is resistant to editing is lethal. Expression of this transcript in embryonic muscle is also lethal, with above-normal, adult-like levels of editing at sites in a transcript encoding a muscle voltage-gated calcium channel.

Adenosine Deaminase↗

PubMed2004

Adenosine deaminases acting on RNA (ADARs): RNA-editing enzymes.

Adenosine deaminases acting on RNA (ADARs) were discovered as a result of their ability extensively to deaminate adenosines in any long double-stranded RNA, converting them to inosines. Subsequently, ADARs were found to deaminate adenosines site-specifically within the coding sequences of transcripts encoding ion-channel subunits, increasing the diversity of these proteins in the central nervous system. ADARI is now known to be involved in defending the genome against viruses, and it may affect RNA interference. ADARs are found in animals but are not known in other organisms. It appears that ADARs evolved from a member of another family, adenosine deaminases acting on tRNAs (ADATs), by steps including fusion of two or more double-stranded-RNA binding domains to a common type of zinc-containing adenosine-deaminase domain.

Adenosine Deaminase↗

PubMed2004

Purification and assay of recombinant ADAR proteins expressed in the yeast Pichia pastoris or in Escherichia coli.

ADARs are found in Metazoans but are not present in yeasts. We have found that the methanol-utilizing yeast Pichia pastoris can be used to efficiently express enzymatically active epitope-tagged ADARs. We describe plasmid construction and protein expression procedures for producing Drosophila ADAR in this system.ADAR expression in Pichia pastoris uses the methanol-inducible alcohol oxidase AOX1 promoter for induction. A Zeocin resistance gene on the plasmid is used to select high copy number tandem integrations of the plasmid constructs. Preparation of extracts by grinding cultures in liquid nitrogen and purification protocols using 6 x HIS and FLAG epitope tags are described. Procedures for preparing radiolabeled dsRNA and for assaying the non-specific RNA editing activity of ADARs are described.ADARs produced in Escherichia coli are not enzymatically active. We describe expression of the ADAR dsRNA binding domains in E. coli using current versions of the T7 promoter based Studier vectors as well as the purification of the domains.

Adenosine Deaminase↗

PubMed2003

An ADAR that edits transcripts encoding ion channel subunits functions as a dimer.

In this report, we establish that Drosophila ADAR (adenosine deaminase acting on RNA) forms a dimer on double-stranded (ds) RNA, a process essential for editing activity. The minimum region required for dimerization is the N-terminus and dsRNA-binding domain 1 (dsRBD1). Single point mutations within dsRBD1 abolish RNA-binding activity and dimer formation. These mutations and glycerol gradient analysis indicate that binding to dsRNA is important for dimerization. However, dimerization can be uncoupled from dsRNA-binding activity, as a deletion of the N-terminus (amino acids 1-46) yields a monomeric ADAR that retains the ability to bind dsRNA but is inactive in an editing assay, demonstrating that ADAR is only active as a dimer. Different isoforms of ADAR with different editing activities can form heterodimers and this can have a significant effect on editing in vitro as well as in vivo. We propose a model for ADAR dimerization whereby ADAR monomers first contact dsRNA; however, it is only when the second monomer binds and a dimer is formed that deamination occurs.

Adenosine Deaminase↗

PubMed2003

Differential expression of fatty acid synthase genes, Acl, Fat and Kas, in Capsicum fruit.

The biosynthesis of capsaicinoids in the placenta of chilli fruit is modelled to require components of the fatty acid synthase (FAS) complex. Three candidate genes for subunits in this complex, Kas, Acl, and Fat, isolated based on differential expression, were characterized. Transcription of these three genes was placental-specific and RNA abundance was positively correlated with degree of pungency. Kas and Acl were mapped to linkage group 1 and Fat to linkage group 6. None of the genes is linked to the pungency locus, C, on linkage group 2. KAS accumulation was positively correlated with pungency. Western blots of placental extracts and histological sections both demonstrated that the accumulation of this enzyme was correlated with fruit pungency and KAS was immunolocalized to the expected cell layer, the placental epidermis. Enzyme activity of the recombinant form of the placental-specific KAS was confirmed using crude cell extracts. These FAS components are fruit-specific members of their respective gene families. These genes are predicted to be associated with Capsicum fruit traits, for example, capsaicinoid biosynthesis or fatty acid biosynthesis necessary for placental development.

3-Oxoacyl-(Acyl-Carrier-Protein) Synthase↗

PubMed2002

Micro-processing events in mRNAs identified by DHPLC analysis.

Post-transcriptional processes such as alternative splicing and RNA editing have a huge impact on the diversity of the proteome. Detecting alternatively spliced transcripts is difficult when they are rare. In addition, edited transcripts often differ from the genomic sequence by only a few nucleotides. Denaturing high performance liquid chromatography (DHPLC) is routinely used for single nucleotide polymorphism detection and we used this method to detect alternatively spliced or edited transcripts. As the sites of RNA editing appear to be conserved within gene families, we investigated whether editing sites are conserved in the murine homologue of the Drosophila cacophony transcript encoding the alpha1 subunit of a voltage-gated calcium channel that is edited at 10 independent positions. Although DHPLC analysis detects RNA editing at as low as 3% in control transcripts, no evidence of RNA editing was found in the analysed murine transcript. However an alternative exon was identified at the 3' end of the mouse Cacna1alpha transcript and an alternative micro-exon encoding only two amino acids (NP) was found in the extracellular loop before the IVS4 helix in the same transcript. In the homologous Drosophila transcript a micro-exon also encoding two amino acids was found at the same position before the IVS4 helix.

Alternative Splicing↗