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Compound heterozygous protein C deficiency caused by two mutations, Arg-178 to Gln and Cys-331 to Arg, leading to impaired secretion of mutant protein C.

The protein C gene in a patient apparently homozygous for protein C deficiency was analyzed. Two different point mutations, each located in a different allele, were detected to reveal that the patient is a compound heterozygote. Mutation of Arg-178 (CGG) to Gln (CAG) [mutation I] was detected in exon VII, in the vicinity of activation peptide cleavage site by thrombin. Mutation of Cys-331 (TGC) to Arg (CGC) [mutation II] was found in exon IX, at one of the sites involved in disulfide bond formation in the catalytic domain of the heavy chain. The alteration of Cys-331 to Arg disables the formation of the disulfide bond and would alter the protein conformation. Transient expression assays using COS-7 cells transfected with protein C expression vectors containing each one of these two mutations suggested that each of the two mutations would lead to the protein C deficiency by an impairment of secretion of the respective mutant proteins.

Alleles↗

Sequence variability of immunoglobulins considered from the standpoint of population genetics.

The probability of gene identity between members of a multigene family was investigated, assuming mutation, random genetic drift, and unequal crossing-over. The theoretical results on the equilibrium and transient behavior of the identity probability were applied to the analyses of sequence variability in the variable regions of immunoglobulins. The probability of amino acid identity between corresponding residue sites at different but homologous immunoglobulin sequences was computed both within and between species from data reported by other workers. The average probability of amino acid identity was obtained for the hypervariable regions and also for the framework regions. From statistical analyses based on population genetics theory it is concluded that somatic mutations cannot be the major cause of hypervariability and that the results can readily be explained by the germ line theory.

Journal Article↗

Fucosidosis: genetic and biochemical analysis of eight cases.

The molecular basis of the deficiency of alpha-L-fucosidase has been investigated in eight patients who had been diagnosed clinically and enzymatically as suffering from the autosomal recessive lysosomal storage disease fucosidosis. None of the patients had a deletion or gross alteration of the alpha-L-fucosidase gene (FUCA1). Single strand conformation polymorphism (SSCP) analysis followed by direct sequencing of amplified exons and flanking regions identified putative disease causing mutations in six of the patients, who had severe forms of the disease and very low residual alpha-L-fucosidase activity and protein. They were a 10 bp deletion in exon 1 (E113fs), a 1 bp deletion at position -2 of intron 2 (S216fs), a g-->a transition at IVS5+1, point mutations W183X and N329Y in exons 3 and 6, respectively, and a compound allele consisting of a point mutation in the signal peptide in exon 1, P5R, and a 1 bp insertion in exon 6 (Y330fs). One patient in whom an SSCP change was not detected had residual alpha-L-fucosidase activity and cross reacting protein in the heterozygous range and normal metabolism of metabolites containing fucose in his fibroblasts, consistent with the low activity polymorphism. The eighth patient, who had a partial deficiency of alpha-L-fucosidase in her fibroblasts and leucocytes at a young age but normal alpha-L-fucosidase activity and protein at a later age, was homozygous for the common Q281R polymorphism in exon 5. She had no other sequence changes and Kivlin (Peters plus) syndrome has subsequently been diagnosed. The basis of her transient deficiency of alpha-L-fucosidase is not known. The detection of five novel mutations in six severely affected patients confirms the genetic heterogeneity in fucosidosis.

Adult↗

Identification and functional analysis of cystathionine beta-synthase gene mutations in patients with homocystinuria.

Homocystinuria is an autosomal recessive inborn error of metabolism that is most often caused by mutation in the cystathionine beta-synthase (CBS) gene. Patients may develop serious clinical manifestations such as lens dislocation, mental retardation, osteoporosis, and atherothrombotic vascular disease. Over 100 mutations have been reported, but so far, none have been reported in Korea. Mutation analysis of the CBS gene in six Korean patients with homocystinuria was performed by direct sequencing. Eight mutations were identified, including four known mutations (T257M, R336C, T353M, and G347S) and four novel mutations (L154Q, A155V, del234D, and A288T). All patients were compound heterozygotes. To characterize these mutations, normal or mutated forms of CBS were cloned into pcDNA3.1 expression vector followed by transfection into mammalian cells for transient expression. Whereas the expression levels of mutant proteins were comparable to that of normal control, enzyme activities of all the mutant forms were significantly decreased. In addition, a novel single nucleotide polymorphism, R18C, was identified, which showed one-third to two-thirds the enzyme activity of wild type and 1% of the allele frequency in normal control. The spectrum of mutations observed in Korean patients bears less resemblance to those observed in Western countries.

Animals↗

A functional Sp1 binding site is essential for the activity of the adult liver-specific human insulin-like growth factor II promoter.

The human gene encoding insulin-like growth factor II contains four promoters (P1-P4) that are differentially activated in various tissues during development. Expression of insulin-like growth factor II in adult liver tissue is directed by P1, which is activated by liver-enriched members of the CCAAT/enhancer binding protein family of transcription factors. In the present report we show that the region around -48 relative to the transcription start site contains a high affinity Sp1 binding site. This was demonstrated by electrophoretic mobility shift assays using nuclear extracts from Hep3B hepatoma cells and with specific antibodies directed against Sp1. Competition electrophoretic mobility shift assays revealed that the Sp1 binding site of P1 and a consensus Sp1 binding site bind Sp1 with comparable efficiencies. Mutation of the Sp1 binding site results in an 85% decrease in P1 promoter activity in transient transfection assays using two different cell lines, COS-7 and Hep3B. Investigation of P1 mutants in which the spacing of the Sp1 binding site and the transcription start site was increased showed that the role of the Sp1 binding site in regulation of P1 is position dependent. Interestingly, the Sp1-responsive element cannot be exchanged by a functional TATA box. Activation of P1 by transactivators CCAAT/enhancer binding protein-beta and hepatocyte nuclear factor-3beta is strongly impaired after mutation of the Sp1 binding site. These results demonstrate that the specific presence of a binding site for the ubiquitously expressed transcription factor Sp1 is of eminent importance for efficient activation of P1 by liver-enriched transactivators.

Age Factors↗

The human LMX1B gene: transcription unit, promoter, and pathogenic mutations.

LMX1B is a LIM-homeodomain transcription factor required for the normal development of dorsal limb structures, the glomerular basement membrane, the anterior segment of the eye, and dopaminergic and serotonergic neurons. Heterozygous loss-of-function mutations in LMX1B cause nail patella syndrome (NPS). To further understand LMX1B gene regulation and to identify pathogenic mutations within the coding region, a detailed analysis of LMX1B gene structure was undertaken. 5' -RACE and primer extension identified a long 5' -untranslated region of 1.3 kb that contains two upstream open-reading frames (uORFs). Transient transfection assays showed that sequences required for basal promoter activity extend no further than 112 bp upstream. An additional 47 mutations have been identified in the coding region, as well as nine deletions of large portions of the gene, but not in the promoter or highly conserved intronic sequences. The range of mutations and the identification of uORFs suggest further complexity in the regulation of LMX1B expression.

Base Sequence↗

Effects of Asn87 and Asp318 mutations on ligand binding and signal transduction in the rat GnRH receptor.

The gonadotrophin-releasing hormone (GnRH) receptor is unlike other G-protein coupled receptors in that the highly conserved amino acids, Asp in the second transmembrane region and Asn in the seventh, are interchanged. Site-directed mutagenesis studies mutated these residues back to their normally conserved positions. Two single mutants Asn87Asp & Asp318Asn and one double mutant Asn87Asp Asp318Asn were transiently expressed in COS-1 cells and their effect on binding to GnRH and inositol phosphate production measured. The single mutant Asp318Asn had no effect on ligand binding but abolished GnRH-dependent inositol phosphate production, whereas mutations Asn87Asp and Asn87Asp Asp318Asn show a complete loss of GnRH binding and subsequent inactivation of its second messenger system.

Amino Acid Sequence↗

Role of the mitochondrial DnaJ homologue, Mdj1p, in the prevention of heat-induced protein aggregation.

The role of the mitochondrial Hsp70 system in the prevention of heat-induced protein aggregation was studied in isolated mitochondria from Saccharomyces cerevisiae. Firefly luciferase was employed as a thermolabile tester protein. After shift to 40 degrees Celsius transient increase of mt-Hsp70/luciferase complex was observed, which required functional Mdj1p and Mge1p, the mitochondrial homologues of DnaJ and GrpE. The kinetics of luciferase aggregation, however, were not influenced by mutations in either mt-Hsp70 or Mge1p. Only the absence of Mdj1p led to enhanced protein aggregation. Thus, a central role in the transient protection against heat stress is attributed to this mitochondrial DnaJ homologue.

Bacterial Proteins↗

The effects of the phenylalanine 256 to valine mutation on the sensitivity of sarcoplasmic/endoplasmic reticulum Ca2+ ATPase (SERCA) Ca2+ pump isoforms 1, 2, and 3 to thapsigargin and other inhibitors.

Three isoforms of the sarcoplasmic/endoplasmic reticulum Ca(2+) ATPase (SERCA) are known to exist in mammalian cells. This study investigated the effects of thapsigargin and a variety of commonly used hydrophobic inhibitors on these SERCA isoforms (i.e. SERCA1b, SERCA2b, and SERCA3a), which were transiently expressed in COS-7 cells. In addition, the study assessed whether the introduction of the phenylalanine to valine mutation at position 256 (F256V), known to reduce the potency of thapsigargin inhibition in avian SERCA1, affects the other SERCA isoforms in a similar manner and whether this mutation also affects the inhibition by other inhibitors. This study has shown that the sensitivity to thapsigargin is different for the SERCA isoforms (apparent K(i) values being 0.21, 1.3, and 12 nm for SERCA1b, SERCA2b, and SERCA3a, respectively). The reduction in thapsigargin sensitivity caused by the F256V mutation was also different for the three isoforms, with SERCA2b only being modestly affected by this mutation. Although some of the other inhibitors investigated (i.e. cyclopiazonic acid and curcumin) showed some differences in their sensitivity toward the SERCA isoforms, most were little affected by the F256V mutation, indicating that they inhibit the Ca(2+)-ATPase by binding to sites on SERCA distinct from that of thapsigargin.

Adenosine Triphosphate↗

Overexpressed human RAD50 exhibits cell death in a p21(WAF1/CIP1)-dependent manner: its potential utility in local gene therapy of tumor.

Previously, mouse RAD50, one of the mammalian DNA recombination repair genes, was reported to have limited epitopic homology to p53. Here we report the functional characteristics of overexpressed human RAD50 (hRAD50). Transient transfection of hRAD50 in several cultured cells caused cytotoxicity. We established tetracycline-regulated, stable hRAD50 expression systems in SaOS-2 cells, which retain mutated p53, and in HeLa cells. After tetracycline withdrawal, cell death and multinucleated giant cells were observed with increased hRAD50 expression, and p21(WAF1/CIP1) but not p53 was increased. Transient transfection of hRAD50 in HCT116 p21(-/-) cells caused no cytotoxicity, but there was a significantly decreased survival rate in p21(+/+) cells. These cytotoxic effects of overexpressed hRAD50 in HeLa, SaOS-2, and HCT116 p21(+/+) cells were partially blocked by pretreatment of cells with N-benzyloxycarbonyl-Val-Ala-Asp-fluoromethyl ketone, a pan-caspase inhibitor. When the hRAD50 expression cDNA was injected intratumorally with liposomes, it regressed or delayed tumor development in the animal model and nitric oxide synthase expression was induced in the tumor tissues that had regressed. Our results indicate that overexpressed hRAD50 has an antiproliferation activity in vitro and in vivo in a p21-dependent manner.

Acid Anhydride Hydrolases↗

Mutations of the 22- and 27-kD zein promoters affect transactivation by the Opaque-2 protein.

By utilizing a homologous transient expression system, we have demonstrated that the Opaque-2 (O2) gene product O2 confers positive trans-regulation on a 22-kD zein promoter. This trans-acting function of the O2 protein is mediated by its sequence-specific binding to a cis element (the O2 target site) present in the 22-kD zein promoter. A multimer of a 32-bp promoter fragment containing this O2 target site confers transactivation by O2. A single nucleotide substitution in the O2 target sequence not only abolishes O2 binding in vitro, but also its response to transactivation by O2 in vivo. We have also demonstrated that an amino acid domain including the contiguous basic region and the heptameric leucine repeat is essential for the trans-acting function of the O2 protein. Similar but not identical O2 target sequence motifs can be found in the promoters of zein genes of different molecular weight classes. Conversion of such a motif in the 27-kD zein promoter to an exact O2 target sequence by site-directed mutagenesis was sufficient to increase the binding affinity of the O2 protein in vitro and to confer transactivation by O2 in vivo.

Base Sequence↗

Mutational analysis of dendritic Ca2+ kinetics in rodent Purkinje cells: role of parvalbumin and calbindin D28k.

The mechanisms governing the kinetics of climbing fibre-mediated Ca2+ transients in spiny dendrites of cerebellar Purkinje cells (PCs) were quantified with high-resolution confocal Ca2+ imaging. Ca2+ dynamics in parvalbumin (PV-/-) and parvalbumin/calbindin D28k null-mutant (PV/CB-/-) mice were compared with responses in wild-type (WT) animals. In the WT, Ca2+ transients in dendritic shafts were characterised by double exponential decay kinetics that were not due to buffered Ca2+ diffusion or saturation of the indicator dye. Ca2+ transients in PV-/- PCs reached the same peak amplitude as in the WT but the biphasic nature of the decay was less pronounced, an effect that could be attributed to PV's slow binding kinetics. In contrast, peak amplitudes in PV/CB-/- PCs were about two times higher than in the WT and the decay became nearly monophasic. Numerical simulations indicate that the residual deviation from a single exponential decay in PV/CB-/- is due to saturation of the Ca2+ indicator dye. Furthermore, the simulations imply that the effect of uncharacterised endogenous Ca2+ binding proteins is negligible, that buffered diffusion and dye saturation significantly affects spineous Ca2+ transients but not those in the dendritic shafts, and that neither CB nor PV undergoes saturation in spines or dendrites during climbing fibre-evoked Ca2+ transients. Calbindin's medium-affinity binding sites are fast enough to reduce the peak amplitude of the Ca2+ signal. However, similar to PV, delayed binding by CB leads to biphasic Ca2+ decay kinetics. Our results suggest that the distinct kinetics of PV and CB underlie the biphasic kinetics of synaptically evoked Ca2+ transients in dendritic shafts of PCs.

Animals↗

Telomerase activation by human papillomavirus type 16 E6 protein: induction of human telomerase reverse transcriptase expression through Myc and GC-rich Sp1 binding sites.

High-risk human papillomaviruses (HPVs) immortalize keratinocytes by disrupting the retinoblastoma protein (Rb)/p16 pathway and activating telomerase. The E7 oncoprotein targets Rb, while the E6 oncoprotein induces telomerase activity in human keratinocytes. This study has examined the mechanism by which E6 activates telomerase. Expression of human telomerase reverse transcriptase (hTERT), the catalytic subunit of telomerase, was found to be increased in keratinocytes stably expressing HPV type 16 E6, suggesting that E6 acts to increase hTERT transcription. hTERT expression and telomerase activity were activated to significantly higher levels in cells expressing both E6 and E7 than in cells expressing E6 alone. This indicates that E7 may augment E6-mediated activation of hTERT transcription. In transient-transfection assays using hTERT reporters, the induction of hTERT expression by E6 was found to be mediated by a 258-bp fragment of the hTERT promoter, proximal to the ATG initiation codon. Previous studies have demonstrated that overexpression of Myc can activate hTERT expression, suggesting that Myc may be a mediator of E6-mediated hTERT induction. However, in cells stably expressing E6, no strict correlation between the level of Myc and the activation of hTERT was found. Consistent with this observation, mutation of the two Myc binding sites in the hTERT promoter only modestly reduced responsiveness to E6 in transient reporter assays. This indicates that activation of Myc-dependent transcription is not essential for E6-mediated upregulation of hTERT expression. The hTERT promoter also contains five GC-rich elements that can bind Sp1. Mutation of these sites within the 258-bp fragment partially reduced hTERT induction by E6. However, when mutations in the Sp1 sites were combined with the mutated Myc binding sites, all activation by E6 was lost. This indicates that it is the combinatorial binding of factors to Myc and Sp1 cis elements that is responsible for hTERT induction by E6.

Binding Sites↗

Sensitivity toward tyrosine kinase inhibitors varies between different activating mutations of the FLT3 receptor.

Activating mutations of FLT3 have been detected in patients with acute myeloid leukemia (AML). Two distinct types of FLT3 mutations are most common: internal tandem duplication (ITD) of sequences coding for the juxtamembrane domain and point mutations at codon 835 (Asp835) within the kinase domain. Both types of mutations constitutively activate the tyrosine kinase activity of FLT3 in experimental systems and result in factor-independent proliferation of Ba/F3 and 32D cells. Recently, novel mutations within the activation loop were identified in patients with AML: deletion of isoleucine 836 (Ile836del) and an exchange of isoleucine 836 to methionine plus an arginine insertion (Ile836Met+Arg). To examine whether the Ile836 mutations result in constitutive activation of the FLT3 receptor, we introduced both mutant FLT3 cDNAs transiently into HEK 293 cells. Both mutant FLT3 receptors were constitutively autophosphorylated in the absence of ligand and kinase activity led to constitutive activation of downstream signaling cascades as determined by activation of the STAT5 (signal transducer and activator of transcription 5) pathway. When stably expressed in the growth factor-dependent cell lines Ba/F3 and 32D, both deletion and insertion mutants led to factor-independent proliferation, indicating that both mutants have transforming capabilities. We then examined the sensitivity of the FLT3 ITD, FLT3 Asp835Tyr, and the novel FLT3 receptor mutants toward the kinase inhibitors AG1296, PKC412, and SU5614. We show that these FLT3 kinase inhibitors have distinct inhibitory potencies against different activating FLT3 receptor mutants. These results suggest that it may be useful to determine the exact kind of FLT3 mutation when applying receptor kinase inhibitors in clinical trials.

Acute Disease↗

Genetic study of the loss and restoration of Mutator transposon activity in maize: evidence against dominant-negative regulator associated with loss of activity.

The Mutator system of transposable elements is characterized by a family of transposons called Mu transposons that share common termini and are actively transposing in Robertson's Mutator (Mu) lines of maize. Mu lines lose transposition activity during propagation by either outcrossing or inbreeding. This loss of transposition activity, which can occur at non-Mendelian frequencies, is in the form of loss of forward transposition activity resulting in a decrease in the generation of new mutations, as well as the loss of mutability of Mu transposon induced mutations, and it has been correlated with hypermethylation of the Mu elements. Previous studies have concluded that restoration of Mutator transposon activity by crossing inactive lines back to active lines is incomplete or transient, and depends upon the sex of the inactive parent. Further, it has been proposed that the inactive system is dominant to the active system, with the dominance possibly mediated through a negative regulatory factor that is preferentially transmitted through the female. In this study, we have examined the frequencies of loss and restoration of Mu transposon activity using a Mu line carrying an insertion in the bronze 1 locus. We find that transmission of Mu transposon activity to non-Mu plants can occur at high rates through males and females, but individual cases of decreased transmission through the male were observed. We also find that in crosses between inactive-Mu and active-Mu plants, reactivation was efficient as well as heritable, regardless of the sex of the inactive parent. Similar results were obtained whether the inactivation occurred in an outcross or a self. In all cases examined, loss of Mu transposon activity was correlated with hypermethylation of Mu elements, and reactivation was correlated with their demethylation. Our results indicate that an inactive Mu system does not exhibit dominance over an active Mu system. We conclude that contrary to current models, inactivation and its maintenance is not obligatorily associated with a dominant negative regulatory factor whether nuclear or cytoplasmic, and we propose a revised model to account for these and other observations.

Alleles↗

Inactivated MGMT by O6-benzylguanine is associated with prolonged G2/M arrest in cancer cells treated with BCNU.

HCT116 and HCT15 cells that highly express O(6)-methylguanine-DNA-methyltransferase (MGMT) displayed a transient cell cycle G2/M arrest in response to exposure to 1,3-bis(2-chloroethyl)-1-nitrosourea (BCNU) alone; however, 70-80% of cells were arrested in G2/M after treatment with O(6)-benzylguanine (BG) and BCNU. Cells accumulated in G2/M showed elevated levels of an inactive form of cyclin B1/p-Cdc2 (Tyr15) complex that was not associated with activation of Chk1/p-Cdc25C and was independent of p53/p21 status. The most prominent feature of cell death was the appearance of enlarged and multinucleated cells that was related to the inhibition of mitotic entry. In contrast, BG-resistant cell lines, HCT116 BBR and HCT15 BBR cells that contain mutations K165E and K165N of MGMT, respectively, displayed a normal cell cycle progression with a slight and transient increase in G2/M arrest at 24 h after treatments with either BCNU alone or BG combined with BCNU. The differences in the ability to progress toward G2/M after treatment with BG and BCNU between cells expressing wild-type MGMT and mutated MGMT were confirmed in CHO cells transfected with human wild type and K165E mutant MGMT cDNA, respectively. Thus, our findings suggest that BG-inactivated MGMT may be linked to cell signaling events, forcing cells into a permanent G2/M arrest in response to the DNA damages induced by BCNU.

Amino Acid Substitution↗

Nongenotoxic p53 activation protects cells against S-phase-specific chemotherapy.

Mutations in the tumor suppressor gene TP53 represent the most frequent genetic difference between tumor cells and normal cells. Here, we have attempted to turn this difference into an advantage for normal cells during therapy. Using the Mdm2 antagonist nutlin-3, we first activated p53 in U2OS and HCT116 cells to induce cell cycle arrest. These arrested cells were found to be resistant to subsequent transient treatment with the nucleoside analogue gemcitabine, as revealed by clonogenic assays following drug removal. In contrast, isogenic cells lacking functional p53 continued to enter S phase regardless of nutlin-3 pretreatment and remained highly susceptible to gemcitabine-mediated cytotoxicity. The sequential treatment with nutlin-3 alone, followed by transient exposure to nutlin-3 plus gemcitabine, efficiently compromised the clonogenicity of tumor cells with deletions or mutations of p53 but largely spared the proliferation of nontransformed human keratinocytes. Nutlin-3 pretreatment also conferred protection of p53-proficient cells against cytosine arabinoside but not against doxorubicin or cisplatin. We propose that the cell cycle arrest function of p53 can be used to convert p53 from a killer to a protector of cells, with the potential to reduce unwanted side effects of chemotherapy.

Antineoplastic Agents↗

A novel NOTCH3 frameshift deletion and mitochondrial abnormalities in a patient with CADASIL.

BACKGROUND: Cerebral autosomal dominant arteriopathy with subcortical infarcts and leukoencephalopathy (CADASIL), which leads to strokes and dementia, is caused by single missense mutations or, in a few cases, small deletions in the NOTCH3 gene. These mutations result in a gain or a loss of 1 (or, rarely, 3) cysteine residue in 1 of 34 epidermal growth factor-like repeats in the extracellular amino-terminal region of NOTCH3. OBJECTIVE: To describe a patient with a novel NOTCH3 mutation in whom clinical and laboratory findings of mitochondrial abnormalities were associated with a diagnosis of CADASIL. Patient A patient with a history of migraines, repeated transient ischemic attacks, and generalized fatigue underwent muscle biopsy, brain magnetic resonance spectroscopic imaging, and screening of mitochondrial DNA and NOTCH3. RESULTS: Molecular genetic analysis showed a NOTCH3 mutation (the first documented frameshift deletion in a patient with CADASIL) in exon 4. Although the screening of mitochondrial DNA did not show mitochondrial mutations, findings from muscle biopsy and brain magnetic resonance spectroscopic imaging showed signs of mitochondrial impairment (ultrastructural mitochondrial abnormalities and increased parenchymal brain lactate, respectively). CONCLUSIONS: A patient with CADASIL and a 5-base pair deletion leading to a frameshift mutation showed clinical and laboratory evidence of mitochondrial dysfunction. This adds to the previously reported hypothesis of a pathogenetic role of NOTCH3 or, less specifically, a microvascular pathologic effect on mitochondrial energy metabolism.

Base Sequence↗

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