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At least 181 records · Page 10Linked to original sources
PubMed1990

Are cross-regulatory interactions between homoeotic genes functionally significant?

The first instar larva of Drosophila consists of a chain of segments or parasegments in which the morphological pattern characteristic of each metamere is determined by the homoeotic genes, which are active in overlapping domains and are known to interact among themselves. The interactions occur at the level of transcription and allow some homoeotic genes to control the patterns and levels of expression of others. The best known among them are the down-regulation of Antennapedia (Antp) by Ultrabithorax (Ubx) and that of Ubx by abdominal-A (abd-A) and Abdominal-B (Abd-B). It has been proposed that these cross-regulatory interactions play a part in specifying cell pattern, and hence the identity of each metamere. Here we assess the functional significance of some of these interactions by expressing the Antp, Ubx or both homoeotic genes under the control of the heat-shock promoter. Predictably, we find that homoeotic gene products evade normal regulatory controls and can be maximally expressed in regions where they are normally down-regulated but, surprisingly, we find that interruption of the normal down-regulation of Antp and Ubx has no phenotypic consequences in the epidermis, where homoeotic phenotypes are normally manifest. Hence our results challenge the view that these, and possibly other cross-regulatory interactions have a role in determining segmental identity.

Animals↗
PubMed1978

Regulation of the galactose pathway in Saccharomyces cerevisiae: induction of uridyl transferase mRNA and dependency on GAL4 gene function.

In Saccharomyces cerevisiae, utilization of galactose requires four inducible enzyme activities. Three of these activities (galactose-1-phosphate uridyl transferase, EC 2.7.7.10; uridine diphosphogalactose 4-epimerase, EC 5.1.3.2; and galactokinase, EC 2.7.1.6) are specified by three tightly linked genes (GAL7, GAL10, and GAL1, respectively) on chromosome II, whereas the fourth, galactose transport, is specified by a gene (GAL2) located on chromosome XII. Although classic genetic analysis has revealed both positive and negative regulatory genes that coordinately affect the appearance of all four enzyme activities, neither the basic events leading to the appearance of enzyme activities nor the roles of the regulatory genes have yet been determined. Regulation of inducible enzyme activity could be mediated by events related to transcription, translation, or enzyme activation. For the purpose of studying galactose pathway induction and its regulation, we have developed an immunoprecipitation assay that enables us to detect the GAL7 specified uridyl transferase polypeptide in yeast extracts and among the polypeptides synthesized in an RNA-dependent in vitro translation system. Use of this immunoprecipitation assay in conjunction with in vivo labeling experiments demonstrates the presence of [(3)H]leucine-labeled transferase in extracts prepared from cells grown in galactose but not from cells grown in glucose. This galactose-specific induction of transferase polypeptide is mediated by the de novo appearance of a functional mRNA species whose synthetic capacity is detectable by the combination of in vitro translation and immunoprecipitation. The appearance of functional transferase mRNA depends on wild-type expression of the positive regulatory gene, GAL4. Cells carrying a nonsense (amber) mutation in the GAL4 gene fail to produce the transferase mRNA, whereas a nonsense suppressor of the GAL4 amber mutant regains the galactose-specific mRNA response. Our results establish that the induction of the GAL7 specified uridyl transferase activity is mediated by de novo appearance of a functional mRNA and that this galactose-specific response is dependent on a wild-type GAL4 gene product.

Cell-Free System↗
PubMed1995

Two copper-responsive elements associated with the Chlamydomonas Cyc6 gene function as targets for transcriptional activators.

In Chlamydomonas reinhardtii, cytochrome c6 (cyt c6) is synthesized only under conditions of copper deficiency when plastocyanin cannot be synthesized. In previous work, the copper-responsive regulation of cyt c6 synthesis was demonstrated to occur by control of transcription, with no contribution from post-transcriptional processes. To understand the mechanism underlying its regulation, the genomic DNA encoding cyt c6 (Cyc6) was analyzed for the presence of copper-responsive elements. Sequences lying between positions -127 and -7 with respect to the start site of transcription were found to be sufficient to confer copper-responsive expression on either a promoterless or a minimal beta-tubulin promoter-driven (arylsulfatase-encoding) reporter gene. Analysis of this 120-bp fragment indicated that copper-responsive elements lie in two distinct regions (between -110 to -56 and -127 to -109). ATG fusions between copper-insensitive promoters and the coding plus 3' untranslated region of the Cyc6 gene resulted in the accumulation of cyt c6 in copper-supplemented medium; this confirms earlier studies indicating a lack of post-transcriptional control in this copper-responsive pathway. In the context of a constitutive promoter (derived from the beta-tubulin gene), each region was found to function as an activator of transcription in copper-deficient cells, and the metal specificity of the response of reporter genes containing either one or both regions was identical to that of the endogenous Cyc6 gene. The copper-responsive synthesis of cyt c6 is thus attributed to these two 5' upstream sequences.

Animals↗
PubMed1989

Lack of umuDC gene functions in Vibrio cholerae cells.

Attempts to identify an umuDC analog, using interspecific complementation of Escherichia coli mutants with plasmids containing a gene bank of Vibrio cholerae, were not successful. The DNA from none of the vibrio species examined including marine vibrios hybridized to E. coli umuC and umuD gene sequences. These cells are not mutable by ultraviolet (UV) light and cannot Weigle-reactivate UV-irradiated choleraphages, suggesting that vibrios are deficient in the umuDC operon. This possibility is supported by the fact that when the plasmid pKM101 carrying the mucAB genes is introduced into V. cholerae cells, they acquire the UV-mutable phenotype and UV-irradiated choleraphages can be Weigle-reactivated.

Blotting, Southern↗
PubMed1990

Abnormalities of carbohydrate metabolism and of OCT gene function in the Rett syndrome.

The pathogenetic basis of the Rett syndrome (RS) is unknown: an X-linked dominant, male-lethal gene defect is thought likely. We present a girl with RS who has defects both of the urea cycle and of carbohydrate metabolism resulting in fasting hypoglycaemia, post-prandial hyperlactataemia and excess urinary orotic acid excretion after alanine load. Her sister has a similar clinical picture, but less marked metabolic anomalies. The mother of these sisters has abnormal urinary orotic acid excretion; she transmitted opposite ornithine carbomoyltransferase (OCT) alleles to the two girls. Another girl with RS has similar metabolic responses to fasting and to carbohydrate load. We conclude that RS may be an aetiologically homogeneous condition, but that it includes a variable pattern of metabolic anomalies, and that the gene defect is distinct from the OCT locus.

Adolescent↗
PubMed1987

Loss of expression of a differentiated function gene, steroid 17 alpha-hydroxylase, as adrenocortical cells senescence in culture.

Senescence in cultured adrenocortical cells involves changes in expression of differentiated functions as well as changes in responses to mitogenic stimulation. Steroid 17 alpha-hydroxylase (steroid 17 alpha-monooxygenase, EC 1.14.99.9) is an adrenal-specific enzyme, the expression of which is dependent on the presence of stimulators of cyclic AMP production, such as cholera toxin. Dot-blot hybridization of RNA from bovine adrenocortical cells that had been incubated with cholera toxin showed a marked decline in 17 alpha-hydroxylase mRNA levels as a function of population doubling level, closely paralleling the decline in induction of 17 alpha-hydroxylase enzyme activity. The lower levels of 17 alpha-hydroxylase induction did not result from a requirement for a longer time period for induction or from a specific defect in response to cholera toxin and were not caused by a general failure of enzyme induction in response to cyclic AMP. The decreased growth rate in older cells results from a general decline in response to several growth factors. However, the decline in 17 alpha-hydroxylase induction did not result from a loss of response of the cells to mitogens, since quiescent cells at a low population doubling level showed stimulation of 17 alpha-hydroxylase mRNA by cholera toxin to levels similar to those in nonquiescent cultures and added mitogens either had no effect on 17 alpha-hydroxylase mRNA levels or decreased them. There was, however, a specific posttranscriptional effect of insulin on 17 alpha-hydroxylase. The loss of 17 alpha-hydroxylase induction is unlikely to result from overgrowth of a minority cell type lacking the ability to induce 17 alpha-hydroxylase, because adrenocortical cell clones that had high levels of 17 alpha-hydroxylase induction gave rise to cells with lower levels of induction on subcloning. Thus, loss of 17 alpha-hydroxylase activity in adrenocortical cellular senescence results from a primary failure of accumulation of 17 alpha-hydroxylase mRNA after incubation with the inducing agent.

Adrenal Cortex↗
PubMed1992

Loss of gene function through rapid mitotic cycles in the Drosophila embryo.

The early developmental period in Drosophila is characterized by rapid mitotic divisions, when the body pattern becomes organized by a cascade of segmentation gene activity. During this process localized expression of the gap gene knirps (kni) is required to establish abdomen segmentation. The knirps-related gene (knrl) encodes a kni-homologous nuclear hormone receptor-like protein and shares the spatial patterns of kni expression. The two genes differ with respect to the size of their transcription units; kni contains 1 kilobase and knrl 19 kilobases of intron sequences. The consequence of this difference in intron size is that knrl cannot substitute for kni segmentation function, although it gains this ability when expressed from an intronless transgene. Here we show that the length of mitotic cycles provides a physiological barrier to transcript size, and is therefore a significant factor in controlling developmental gene activity during short 'phenocritical' periods. The required coordination of cycle length and gene size provides severe constraints towards the evolution of rapid development.

Amino Acid Sequence↗
PubMed1982

Genetic control of immune response to myoglobin. Ir gene function in genetic restriction between T and B lymphocytes.

We studied the genetic restrictions on the interaction between T cells, B cells, and antigen-presenting cells (APC) involved in the H-2-linked Ir gene control of the in vitro secondary antibody response to sperm whale myoglobin (Mb) in mice. The B cells in this study were specific for Mb itself, rather than for a hapten unrelated to the Ir gene control, as in many previous studies. Low responder mice immunized in vivo with Mb bound to an immunogenic carrier, fowl gamma globulin (F gamma G), produced B cells competent to secrete anti-Mb antibodies in vitro if they received F gamma G-specific T cell help. However, (high-responder X low responder) F1 T cells from Mb-immune mice did not help these primed low responder (H-2k or H-2b) B cells in vitro, even in the presence of various numbers of F1 APC that were demonstrated to be component to reconstitute the response of spleen cells depleted by APC. Similar results were obtained with B6 leads to B6D2F1 radiation bone marrow chimeras. Genotypic low responder (H-2b) T cells from these mice helped Mb-primed B6D2F1B cells plus APC, but did not help syngeneic chimeric H-2b B cells, even in the presence of F1 APC. In contrast, we could not detect any Ir restriction on APC function during these in vitro secondary responses. Moreover, in the preceding paper, we found that low responder mice neonatally tolerized to higher responder H-2 had competent Mb-specific helper T cells capable of helping high responder but not low responder B cells and APC. Therefore, although function Mb-specific T cells and B cells both exist in low responder mice, the Ir gene defect is a manifestation of the failure of syngeneic collaboration between these two cell types. This genetic restriction on the interaction between T cells and B cells is consistent with the additional new finding that Lyb-5-negative B cells are a major participant in ths vitro secondary response because it is this Lyb-5-negative subpopulation of B cells that have recently been shown to require genetically restricted help. The Ir gene defect behaves operationally as a failure of low responder B cells to receive help from any source of Mb-specific T cells either high responder, low responder, or F1. The possible additional role of T cell-APC interactions, either during primary immunization in vivo or in the secondary culture is discussed.

Animals↗
PubMed1994

The glucose-regulated proteins (GRP78 and GRP94): functions, gene regulation, and applications.

The knowledge of GRPs as molecular chaperones is rapidly evolving. It is anticipated that the GRPs will make special contributions in the areas of basic cell biology, biotechnology, and cancer biology. In particular, they may play a role as the prototype of a class of genes that are regulated by signal transduction pathways originating in the ER and traveling to the nucleus. GRP78 and GRP94 function as molecular chaperones and can bind to malfolded proteins and unassembled complexes. They are induced in response to stress, but once the stress is removed the GRPs are posttranscriptionally modified into biologically inactive forms. The promoters of the grp genes are highly conserved, with several CCAAT-like motifs and GC-rich regions. The high level of redundancy that exists in the mammalian grp promoters may act to ensure that the expression of the genes, both of which are single copy, is unlikely to be significantly lowered in the event of mutation. These genes are thought to be controlled by several transcription factors whose complex interactions with the grp promoters allow variable patterns of grp induction. The promoters of the grp genes constitutively express their gene products, and their promoter activities can be further enhanced in cellular environments of low glucose or oxygen. The grp78 promoter is known to retain its strong activity in differentiated and undifferentiated tissues. These features make it an attractive alternative to viral promoters for use in gene therapy. Gene therapy may also be useful in treating cancer in some cases, especially solid tumors. In these instances, GRP levels are already likely to be quite high. These high levels of GRPs may inhibit the efficacy of several anti-cancer treatments. Suppression of GRP induction, perhaps by anti-sense or ribozyme technology, may prove to be useful in conjunction with anti-cancer drugs to treat tumors.

Animals↗
PubMed1983

Transcriptional activity of the human pseudogene psi alpha globin compared with alpha globin, its functional gene counterpart.

Transcriptional analysis of the human pseudogene psi alpha globin has revealed the following features: (1) The promoter with a 23 bp deletion between the CCAAT and ATA boxes is functional both in vitro and in vivo, 3 fold and 10 fold less efficient, respectively, than alpha. (2) Both the psi alpha and alpha globin gene promoters are active in the absence of transcriptional enhancers, either a gene-encoded or viral enhancer. (3) The mutated poly(A) addition signal in psi alpha (AATGAA) appears to be completely nonfunctional. This result provides an explanation for the absence of psi alpha transcripts in human erythroid cells.

Base Sequence↗