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The twisted gene encodes Drosophila protein O-mannosyltransferase 2 and genetically interacts with the rotated abdomen gene encoding Drosophila protein O-mannosyltransferase 1.

The family of mammalian O-mannosyltransferases includes two enzymes, POMT1 and POMT2, which are thought to be essential for muscle and neural development. Similar to mammalian organisms, Drosophila has two O-mannosyltransferase genes, rotated abdomen (rt) and DmPOMT2, encoding proteins with high homology to their mammalian counterparts. The previously reported mutant phenotype of the rt gene includes a clockwise rotation of the abdomen and defects in embryonic muscle development. No mutants have been described so far for the DmPOMT2 locus. In this study, we determined that the mutation in the twisted (tw) locus, tw(1), corresponds to a DmPOMT2 mutant. The twisted alleles represent a complementation group of recessive mutations that, similar to the rt mutants, exhibit a clockwise abdomen rotation phenotype. Several tw alleles were isolated in the past; however, none of them was molecularly characterized. We used an expression rescue approach to confirm that tw locus represents DmPOMT2 gene. We found that the tw1 allele represents an amino acid substitution within the conserved PMT domain of DmPOMT2 (TW) protein. Immunostaining experiments revealed that the protein products of both rt and tw genes colocalize within Drosophila cells where they reside in the ER subcellular compartment. In situ hybridization analysis showed that both genes have essentially overlapping patterns of expression throughout most of embryogenesis (stages 8-17), while only the rt transcript is present at early embryonic stages (5 and 6), suggesting its maternal origin. Finally, we analyzed the genetic interactions between rt and tw using several mutant alleles, RNAi, and ectopic expression approaches. Our data suggest that the two Drosophila O-mannosyltransferase genes, rt and tw, have nonredundant functions within the same developmental cascade and that their activities are required simultaneously for possibly the same biochemical process. Our results establish the possibility of using Drosophila as a model system for studying molecular and genetic mechanisms of protein O-mannosylation during development.

Amino Acid Sequence↗

Intratumoral coinjection of two adenoviruses, one encoding the chemokine IFN-gamma-inducible protein-10 and another encoding IL-12, results in marked antitumoral synergy.

We have constructed a recombinant defective adenovirus that expresses functional murine IFN-gamma-inducible protein-10 (IP-10) chemokine (AdCMVIP-10). Injection of AdCMVIP-10 into s.c. tumor nodules derived from the CT26 murine colorectal adenocarcinoma cell line displayed some antitumor activity but it was not curative in most cases. Previous studies have shown that injection of similar s. c. CT26 tumor nodules with adenovirus-encoding IL-12 (AdCMVIL-12) induces tumor regression in nearly 70% of cases in association with generation of antitumor CTL activity. AdCMVIP-10 synergizes with the antitumor effect of suboptimal doses of AdCMVIL-12, reaching 100% of tumor eradication not only against injected, but also against distant noninjected tumor nodules. Colocalization of both adenoviruses at the same tumor nodule was required for the local and distant therapeutic effects. Importantly, intratumoral gene transfer with IL-12 and IP-10 generated a powerful tumor-specific CTL response in a synergistic fashion, while both CD4 and CD8 T cells appeared in the infiltrate of regressing tumors. Moreover, the antitumor activity of IP-10 plus IL-12 combined gene therapy was greatly diminished by simultaneous in vivo depletion of CD4+ and CD8+ T cells but was largely unaffected by single depletion of each T cell subset. An important role for NK cells was also suggested by asialo GM1 depletion experiments. From a clinical point of view, the effects of IP-10 permit one to lower the required gene transfer level of IL-12, thus preventing dose-dependent IL-12-mediated toxicity while improving the therapeutic efficacy of the elicited antitumor response.

Adenoviridae↗

The gene CYP3 encoding P450pcn1 (nifedipine oxidase) is tightly linked to the gene COL1A2 encoding collagen type 1 alpha on 7q21-q22.1.

CYP3, the gene which encodes the hepatic cytochrome P450pcn1, the isozyme responsible for the metabolic oxidation of the calcium channel-blocking drug nifedipine, has recently been mapped to human chromosome 7 using somatic cell hybrids. Using multilocus linkage analysis in CEPH families, we examined the linkage of a cDNA probe (hPCN1) for CYP3 to the oncogene MET, the pro-alpha 2(1) collagen gene COL1A2, and the T-cell receptor beta-chain gene TCRB, together with three arbitrary loci D7S8, D7S13, and D7S16, defined by the anonymous DNA probes pJ3.11, pB79a, and p7C22, respectively. From 70 CEPH parents screened with a StyI RFLP for hPCN1, four informative families were found each with both parental and maternal grandparents and 6-11 children per family. Tight linkage emerged between CYP3 and COL1A2, with a maximum combined lod score of 5.72 at theta = 0, suggesting the most likely subchromosomal localization of CYP3 is 7q21.3-q22.1.

Chromosomes, Human, Pair 7↗

Chemical synthesis and expression in yeast of a gene encoding connective tissue activating peptide-III. A novel approach for the facile assembly of a gene encoding a human platelet-derived mitogen.

A synthetic gene encoding the platelet-derived factor, connective tissue activating peptide-III (CTAP-III) (Castor, C.W., Miller, J.W., and Walz, D.A. (1983) Proc. Natl. Acad. Sci. U. S. A. 80, 765-769), has been expressed and secreted from Saccharomyces cerevisiae by using a yeast expression vector and an alpha-factor leader segment. Mitogenic activity reported for naturally derived CTAP-III has been demonstrated here for recombinant CTAP-III. Active CTAP-III has been purified to apparent homogeneity. Structural studies have confirmed its identity. A general approach for the facile synthesis of genes is presented which has permitted the assembly of the entire structural gene and flanking regions (280 base pairs) from 20 oligomers in a single annealing and ligation reaction pool.

Amino Acid Sequence↗

Variable response to a candidate cancer vaccine antigen: MHC control of the antibody response in the rat to avian erythroblastosis virus (AEV)-encoded epithelial growth factor receptor but not AEV-encoded thyroid hormones receptor.

BACKGROUND: A problem likely to be encountered in any cancer immunotherapy based on vaccination with a single protein or peptide is variation in the host response. A particularly informative example is provided by the two oncogenic proteins, one intracellular and the other extracellular, encoded by the avian erythroblastosis virus (AEV), homologs of the thyroid hormones receptor (THsR) and the epithelial growth factor receptor (EGFR), respectively. MATERIALS AND METHODS: Antibodies to these two proteins were assayed by radioimmune precipitation (RIP) in sera from MHC-congenic rats immunized by virally induced tumors. RESULTS: Among the four haplotypes tested, RT1(1) rats exhibited a significantly lower response to the EGFR homolog than the high responders RT1c and RT1u, while RT1a rat strains had an intermediate response. Analysis of the recombinant haplotype RT1ac indicated that the response is controlled, as expected, by the class II locus of the MHC. In contrast, these rat strains responded uniformly to the intracellular THsR homolog. CONCLUSIONS: These results support the hypothesis that MHC restriction of the response to self-related proteins reflects mainly a tolerance mechanism. They sound a note of warning for cancer vaccine development, and also one of positive advice. The likelihood of MHC restriction suggests that a widely applicable polyvalent vaccine should be the final aim in cancer immunotherapy. Yet, paradoxically, evidence of MHC restriction can help establish that a candidate vaccine is likely to prove effective.

Alpharetrovirus↗

Prognostic significance of mRNA-encoding estrogen receptor and epithelial growth factor receptor in breast carcinoma progression into lymph nodes: 1. Estrogen receptor encoding mRNA.

The main objective of this study was to differentiate between lymph nodes infiltrated by estrogen receptor-positive (ER+) and estrogen receptor-negative (ER-) breast carcinoma. Lymph nodes were obtained from 40 postmenopausal cancer patients, 10 from each disease stage. Six patients from each group had estrogen receptor-positive (BCaER+) and four estrogen receptor-negative (BCaER-) tumors. Both tumor-containing (T) and uninvolved (N) lymph nodes from the same patient were examined by the following parameters: magnitude of lymph node nucleic acid hybridization with cDNA probes from breast cancer MCF-7ER+ and MCF-7ER- cells; and binding capacity of 3H-estradiol, 125I-EGF, and 125I-PDGF binding and protein kinase C activities of the lymph nodes. Concomitant with the appearance of transformed cells, several events occur: Tumor cells induce stimulation of mononuclear cells and macrophages and evoke T- and B-cell proliferation, leading to the synthesis of tumor cell membrane-associated antibodies. In estrogen receptor-positive (ER+) breast carcinoma, estrogens and host hormonal modulatory mechanisms stimulate production and release of epithelial growth (EGF) and platelet-derived growth factors (PDGF). These factors are characterized by protein kinase C activities. There is infiltration of tumor cells into the lymph node and infiltration of leukocytes into the tumor site. In the lymph node, tumor progression depends on tumor cell proliferation rate and metastatic aggressiveness. The experiments described in this study document the changes that occur in lymph nodes, with differences between nodes infiltrated with BCaER+ and BCaER- breast carcinomas. Hybridization of 32P-cDNA from MCF-7ER+ cells with cellular RNA from BCaER+ involved (T) lymph nodes is greater than with cellular RNA from uninvolved (N) lymph nodes. The magnitude of hybridization correlated (P less than 0.005) with the disease stage.

Breast Neoplasms↗

Roa307, a protein encoded on Coxiella burnetii plasmid QpH1, shows homology to proteins encoded in the replication origin region of bacterial chromosomes.

TnphoA mutagenesis identified an open reading frame, roa307, immediately upstream of the partition locus qsopAB on the Coxiella burnetii plasmid QpH1. The protein sequence deduced from roa307 displayed homology to Orf290 of Pseudomonas putida, Orf283 and Orf282 (SpoOJ) of Bacillus subtilis-hypothetical products of genes in the chromosomal replication origin region. Expression of roa307 was demonstrated by PhoA activity of an Roa307-PhoA fusion.

Amino Acid Sequence↗

The second cholera toxin, Zot, and its plasmid-encoded and phage-encoded homologues constitute a group of putative ATPases with an altered purine NTP-binding motif.

It is shown that the second cholera toxin, Zot, ORF3 product of Pseudomonas plasmid pKB740, and ORF424 product of bacteriophage Pf1 are a group of closely related proteins containing a modified version of the purine NTP-binding motif, with a drastic substitution of tyrosine for a conserved glycine. They are distantly but reliably related to the product of gene I of filamentous bacteriophages which is a putative ATPase containing the classical NTP-binding motif and is involved in bacteriophage assembly and exit from the bacterial cell. Hydropathy analysis suggests that the Zot and gene I product may have a similar transmembrane topology. It is hypothesized that Zot may possess ATPase activity and modify the membrane structure of its target cells in an ATP-dependent fashion. Genes for Zot and the related protein of pKB740 are likely to have evolved from gene I of a Pf1-like bacteriophage.

Adenosine Triphosphatases↗

The complete nucleotide sequence of cell fusing agent (CFA): homology between the nonstructural proteins encoded by CFA and the nonstructural proteins encoded by arthropod-borne flaviviruses.

Cell fusing agent (CFA) is an RNA virus originally isolated from a line of Aedes aegypti mosquito cells. Although our characterization of the virus many years ago showed that it resembled the flaviviruses, there was no detectable serological cross-reaction with members of the genus flavivirus. Furthermore, unlike the well-studied members of the genus flavivirus, CFA did not replicate in any of several vertebrate cell lines tested. We have now determined the nucleotide sequence of the CFA genome. Comparison of the predicted amino acid sequence of the CFA polyprotein with viral protein sequences in Genbank, has made it apparent that CFA should now be assigned to the family Flaviviridae, genus flavivirus. The homology between CFA proteins and those of other flaviviruses was highest for NS5 (45%) and NS3 (34%). Little homology was found for the structural proteins. Thus, CFA is only distantly related to the other flaviviruses for which there is sequence information; nevertheless, with respect to their hydrophobicity plots, the CFA polyprotein and the polyproteins of other flaviviruses are remarkably similar. We suggest that CFA is an insect virus, which was present in the embryos from which the Ae. aegypti cell line was established. Thus, CFA seems to be the first member of the family Flaviviridae, genus flavivirus, to be identified as an insect virus.

Amino Acid Sequence↗

The stability of mRNA encoding IL-4 is increased in pulmonary tuberculosis, while stability of mRNA encoding the antagonistic splice variant, IL-4delta2, is not.

The prototype Th2 cytokine IL-4, and its competitive antagonist IL-4delta2, may be important determinants of outcome in human tuberculosis (TB). However, there are no data on how gene expression of these cytokines is regulated. To evaluate this the stability of IL-4 and IL-4delta2 mRNA after the addition of actinomycin-D, was evaluated in whole blood from subjects with pulmonary TB and uninfected healthy volunteers. The Th2/Th1 (IL-4/IFN-gamma) mRNA ratio in unstimulated cells in whole blood was significantly greater in TB subjects than in controls (p<0.05). The mRNA half-life of the agonist (IL-4), but not the antagonist (IL-4delta2), was significantly prolonged in subjects with TB compared to healthy volunteers ( approximately 5-fold, p=0.0016), and the IL-4/IL-4delta2 ratio was higher in TB patients compared to controls (p<0.05). The differential stability of the Th2 agonist, IL-4, compared to the antagonist IL-4delta2, represents a hitherto undescribed post-transcriptional regulatory mechanism that may modulate the polarisation of Th1/Th2 responses in human TB.

Adult↗

Immune properties of recombinant vaccinia virus encoding CD154 (CD40L) are determined by expression of virally encoded CD40L and the presence of CD40L protein in viral particles.

Expression of costimulatory molecules by recombinant poxviruses is a promising strategy for enhancing therapeutic vaccines. CD40-CD40L interactions are critical for conditioning dendritic cells (DC) and priming T- and B-cell immunity. We constructed a vaccinia virus expressing murine CD40L (rV-CD40L) and studied its immunomodulatory properties in vitro. Direct DC infection with control vaccinia or psoralen/UV-inactivated rV-CD40L stimulated high levels of interleukin 12 (IL-12) release. However, replication-competent rV-CD40L did not stimulate IL-12 under similar conditions. We observed a high level of CD40L protein on purified viral particles and demonstrated that induction of IL-12 by nonreplicating rV-CD40L was blocked by anti-CD40 antibodies suggesting that functional CD40L on viral particles contributed to alterations in IL-12 synthesis. Since cross-presentation of tumor-associated antigens by DC is augmented by viral infection of tumor cells, we infected MC38 murine colon carcinoma cells with rV-CD40L. Infected cells stimulated IL-12 secretion by DC and proliferation of B cells and DX5(+) (NK/NKT) cells through direct CD40-CD40L interaction. A subpopulation of NKT cells expressing CD40 (NK1.1(+), CD3(lo)) appeared to be a major effector population responding to MC38/rV-CD40L. These results highlight the complex immune regulatory effects of rV-CD40L defined by the cumulative effects of CD40L expression, presence of CD40L protein in viral particles, and the replication potential of the virus.

Animals↗

Properties of a mutant recA-encoded protein reveal a possible role for Escherichia coli recF-encoded protein in genetic recombination.

A mutation partially suppressing the UV sensitivity caused by recF143 in a uvrA6 background was located at codon 37 of recA where GTG (valine) became ATG (methionine). This mutation, originally named srf-803, was renamed recA803. Little if any suppression of the recF143 defect in UV induction of a lexA regulon promoter was detected. This led to the hypothesis that a defect in recombination repair of UV damage was suppressed by recA803. The mutant RecA protein (RecA803) was purified and compared with wild-type protein (RecA+) as a catalyst of formation of joint molecules. Under suboptimal conditions, RecA803 produces both a higher rate of formation and a higher yield of joint molecules. The suboptimal conditions tested included addition of single-stranded DNA binding protein to single-stranded DNA prior to addition of RecA. We hypothesize that the ability of RecA803 to overcome interference by single-stranded DNA binding protein is the property that allows recA803 to suppress partially the deficiency in repair caused by recF mutations in the uvrA6 background. Implications of this hypothesis for the function of RecF protein in recombination are discussed.

Bacterial Proteins↗

Early rearrangements of genes encoding murine immunoglobulin kappa chains, unlike genes encoding heavy chains, use variable gene segments dispersed throughout the locus.

Immunoglobulin heavy-chain variable region (TH) gene segments located closest to the joining (JH) gene segments are preferentially rearranged during ontogeny, indicating that chromosomal position influences the frequency of rearrangement. In addition, certain VH gene segments are repeatedly rearranged, suggesting that the DNA sequence or structure surrounding these segments may increase the probability of rearrangement. To determine whether there is similar based rearrangement of kappa variable (V kappa) gene segments, 25 rearrangements were sequenced from murine fetal and neonatal B-cell hybridomas and from subclones of a pre-B cell line that rearranged V kappa genes during in vitro culture. Four gene segments were isolated twice and one gene segment was isolated three times, suggesting that the process that targets individual variable gene segments for repeated rearrangement operates on both the VH and V kappa loci. Based on a current map of the V kappa locus, the rearranged gene segments belong to nine families that are dispersed throughout the locus. Thus, in these cell types, V kappa rearrangements use germ-line gene segments located across the entire locus, whereas the corresponding VH rearrangements use gene segments proximal to the JH gene segments. Heterogeneity of V kappa rearrangements would add diversity to the biased pool of VH rearrangements, producing a broad repertoire of antibodies early in development.

Amino Acid Sequence↗

The active site of ICP47, a herpes simplex virus-encoded inhibitor of the major histocompatibility complex (MHC)-encoded peptide transporter associated with antigen processing (TAP), maps to the NH2-terminal 35 residues.

The herpes simplex virus (HSV) immediate early protein ICP47 inhibits the transporter associated with antigen processing (TAP)-dependent peptide translocation. As a consequence, empty major histocompatibility complex (MHC) class I molecules are retained in the endoplasmic reticulum and recognition of HSV-infected cells by cytotoxic T lymphocytes is abolished. We chemically synthesized full-length ICP47 (sICP47) and show that sICP47 inhibits TAP-dependent peptide translocation in human cells. Its biological activity is indistinguishable from that of recombinant ICP47 (rICP47). By using synthetic peptides, we mapped the core sequence of ICP47 minimally required for TAP inhibition to residues 2-35. This segment is located within the region of the molecule conserved between ICP47 from HSV-1 and HSV-2. Through alanine scanning substitution we identified three segments within this region that are critical for the ability to inhibit TAP function. The interaction of ICP47 with TAP is unlikely to mimic precisely that of the transported peptides, as deduced from differential labeling of the TAP1 and TAP2 subunits using sICP47 fragments with chemical cross-linkers.

ATP Binding Cassette Transporter, Subfamily B, Mem↗