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Competition for formation of nucleosomes on fragmented SV40 DNA: a hyperstable nucleosome forms on the termination region.

We have studied the relative abilities of different simian virus 40 (SV40) DNA segments to reconstitute into nucleosomes in vitro. The SV40 genome was separated into 15 discrete fragments by restriction endonuclease digestion and reconstituted with calf thymus core histones under conditions of varying histone-to-DNA ratios. Three fragments show very different abilities to form nucleosomes when low histone-to-DNA ratios require all fragments to compete for available histones. Two of these fragments, both from within protein-coding regions, are significantly underreconstituted. The third fragment, covering the SV40 termination region, competes much more effectively for histones than the other 14 fragments. The fragment containing the SV40 origin region formed nucleosomes with about average probability. Overall, the SV40 fragments differed by approximately an order of magnitude in their abilities to support nucleosome formation in vitro. The stability of the nucleosomes was measured by challenge with high concentrations of the destabilizing reagent heparin. The fragment that reconstituted most effectively also formed nucleosomes that were unusually stable to heparin challenge. These observations are intriguing since this fragment contains the sequences where replication of SV40 DNA commonly terminates and where early messenger RNA synthesis may terminate as well. The existence of unique hyperstable nucleosomes in this region suggests the interesting possibility that such nucleosomes may assist in termination events by assisting in the pausing of replication or transcription complexes.

Animals↗

Adenovirus core protein synthesis in the absence of viral DNA synthesis late in infection.

The acid extraction of the adenovirus type 5 core proteins V, VII, and pVII (the precursor to VII) from infected cells and the subsequent electrophoresis on a 15% acrylamide-2.5 M urea-0.9 N acetic acid (pH 2.7) gel, revealed that peptide VII has a similar electrophoretic mobility to that of histone H1. The core proteins, which are coded by late adenovirus mRNA, continued to be synthesized late in infection when viral DNA synthesis was inhibited either by cytosine arabinoside in wild-type infections or by shifting adenovirus H5 ts 125-infected cells to the nonpermissive temperature (40 degree C). Only the initiation, not the continuation, of viral DNA replication was essential for core protein synthesis. The synthesis of viral core proteins continued for over 8 h after the cassation of DNA synthesis. This was in contrast to the rapid shutdown of cellular histone synthesis in the absence of cellular DNA synthesis.

Adenoviruses, Human↗

Tissue restricted and stage specific transcription is maintained within 411 nucleotides flanking the 5' end of the chicken alpha-skeletal actin gene.

alpha-skeletal actin message levels have been shown to be tightly regulated in chicken primary myoblast cultures. To test for gene elements required for muscle cell specific expression, DNA sequences containing the 5'-flanking regions of the chicken alpha-skeletal actin, beta-cytoplasmic actin, and the histone H2b genes were linked to the coding sequences of the chloramphenicol acetyltransferase gene and transfected into myogenic and non-myogenic cells. In contrast to beta-actin CAT hybrids, the alpha-skeletal actin CAT constructions displayed restricted CAT expression in transfected non-myogenic cells. We showed that a 411 nucleotide fragment flanking the 5' end of of the alpha-skeletal actin gene was responsible for a 9-15 fold increase in CAT enzymatic activity during myoblast fusion, versus only a transient 2 fold rise for the beta-actin and histone flanking sequences. These results indicate that DNA sequences within 411 bp of the 5' terminus of the alpha-skeletal actin gene influenced its cell type and stage specific expression.

Acetyltransferases↗

Expression of a marked H2A histone protein in mammalian cells.

Histone protein sequences are highly conserved. In order to determine whether histones with sequences not found in nature would be tolerated in the chromatin of tissue culture cells, a gene for histone H2A.1a was altered by extending the protein coding region with eight amino acids, including three residues for methionine which are lacking in H2A.1a. Isolated clones of HeLa cells transfected with the gene construct were found to produce a novel protein which was resolved from other histone proteins on AUT-AUC two-dimensional gels. One clone, HeLa-B4, in which the novel protein named H2A.E accounted for about 10% of total H2A protein, was studied further. The linkage of H2A.E mRNA concentrations to the rates of DNA and protein synthesis was found to be the same as that of other replication-linked histone mRNA species. The stability of H2A.E in chromatin as well as the partitioning of nascent H2A.E protein between soluble and nuclear fractions was found to be indistinguishable from that of other histone species. This study shows that histone proteins with sequences other than the conserved sequences found in nature may be utilized in tissue culture cells.

Amino Acid Sequence↗

Different 3'-end processing produces two independently regulated mRNAs from a single H1 histone gene.

We describe the isolation of a mouse H1 histone gene that encodes two mRNA transcripts. One mRNA ends just beyond the coding region, near a highly conserved palindrome sequence typical of cell cycle-regulated histone genes. The level of this transcript is coupled to DNA replication. The second mRNA ends nearly 1 kilobase downstream near a polyadenylation signal. This mRNA is polyadenylylated, and its accumulation is not coupled to DNA replication. The two mRNAs are regulated independently and in some circumstances in opposite directions under several physiological conditions. The production of a polyadenylylated mRNA from an otherwise cell cycle-regulated histone gene may allow for continued synthesis of the histone protein when DNA synthesis ceases in nondividing cells.

Acetamides↗

A rat histone H4 gene closely associated with the testis-specific H1t gene.

A rat histone H4 gene closely associated with the testis-specific H1t gene was isolated by screening the Sargent-Bonner rat genomic library using cloned human histone genes as probes. Both the H4 gene and the H1t gene are located on a 7-kb EcoRI genomic DNA fragment. Although the deduced amino acid sequence of the rat H4 histone is identical to that of the sequence of human histone H4, the nucleotide sequence of the coding region differs significantly from the coding region of the human H4 gene. Moreover, the relative spacing between the 5'-consensus sequence elements is unique for an H4 gene. S1-nuclease protection analyses reveal that both the H4 and H1t mRNA species are present in a fraction of rat testis cells highly enriched in pachytene spermatocytes, while only the H4 mRNA species is present in a rat myeloma cell line (Y3-Ag1.2.3). During a 1-h hydroxyurea treatment of the Y3 cells, which produces a 99% inhibition of DNA synthesis, the level of this H4 mRNA drops by only 50%, indicating that the stability of this mRNA is only partially coupled with DNA synthesis.

Amino Acid Sequence↗

Histone genes in three sea star species: cluster arrangement, transcriptional polarity, and analyses of the flanking regions of H3 and H4 genes.

The arrangement of core histone genes and their transcriptional polarity has been determined for three species of sea stars (Pisaster ochraceus, P. brevispinus, and Dermasterias imbricata) representing two orders which diverged over 500 million years ago. Each species has approximately 500 core histones cluster repeats per haploid genome. The close phylogenetic relationship between the Pisaster species is evident from the correspondence of restriction sites in the repeat element, identical arrangement of core histones, and high degree of sequence homology in both the coding and spacer regions of the H3 gene. The Dermasterias repeat has the same gene order and transcriptional polarity of core histones, but its restriction map is significantly different. Moreover, the Dermasterias H3 gene has the same amino acid sequence, but in comparison to Pisaster nucleotide sequences, shows a high level of silent substitutions. Analyses of the nucleotide sequence of the 5' and 3' regions surrounding the H3 gene from each species demonstrate the presence of appropriately spaced consensus and processing signal segments. The 3' spacer segment of the Dermasterias H4 gene contains an unusual, threefold tandemly repeated, 21-nucleotide, AT-rich sequence. No similar sequence is seen in the P. brevispinus H4 3' region, but these two species show a striking regularity of distribution of five different homologous oligomers in the 3' spacer.

Animals↗

Mapping of DNA-binding proteins along the yeast genome by UV-induced DNA-protein crosslinking.

UV-induced crosslinking of DNA-binding proteins to DNA in intact nuclei of Saccharomyces cerevisiae and subsequent 'protein image' hybridization were applied to map non-histone proteins along single-copy genes of yeast. We detected two polypeptides that most probably correspond to core subunits of yeast RNA-polymerase II in the coding region of transketolase gene (TKL2). Several non-histone proteins were also detected which bind to the upstream region of TKL2 gene, and to the intergenic spacer between calmodulin (CMD1) and beta-mannosyl transferase (ALG1) genes.

Calmodulin↗

Characterization of two types of histone H2B genes from macronuclei of Tetrahymena thermophila.

Two histone H2B gene clones were isolated from macronuclei of Tetrahymena thermophila. Nucleotide sequences of the two clones were highly homologous within the coding region but not in the noncoding region. Comparison of the deduced amino acid sequences between the two clones showed three differences in a total of 121 amino acids. Each of the two clones contained a TAA triplet within the coding region, which appeared to code for a glutamine residue. To demonstrate the existence of histone mRNA containing UAA triplet, nuclease P1 protection mapping using total cellular RNA and nucleotide sequencing of primer extension products were carried out. The results clearly indicated that two cloned histone H2B genes were transcribed, giving rise to the major histone H2B mRNAs with a UAA triplet sequence in frame. The tentative 5'- and 3'-ends of histone H2B mRNAs were determined.

Amino Acid Sequence↗

TUP1 utilizes histone H3/H2B-specific HDA1 deacetylase to repress gene activity in yeast.

TUP1 is recruited to and represses genes that regulate mating, glucose and oxygen use, stress response, and DNA damage. It is shown here that disruption of either TUP1 or histone deacetylase HDA1 causes histone H3/H2B--specific hyperacetylation next to the TUP1 binding site at the stress-responsive ENA1 promoter. It is also shown that TUP1 interacts with HDA1 in vitro. These data indicate that TUP1 mediates localized histone deacetylation through HDA1. Interestingly, RPD3 deacetylates the ENA1 coding region, and both deacetylases contribute to ENA1 repression. However, epistasis analysis argues that only HDA1 and TUP1 are likely to function in the same pathway. These data define gene and histone targets of HDA1 and illustrate the role of histone deacetylation in TUP1 repression.

ATP-Binding Cassette Transporters↗

Antisense oligonucleotide-directed cleavage of mRNA in Xenopus oocytes and eggs.

We have investigated the effect of specific antisense oligonucleotides on both exogenous and endogenous mRNAs in Xenopus oocytes and eggs. Injection of 19- or 20-mers complementary to 70-kd heat shock protein, histone H4 and vegetally localized Veg 1 coding sequences causes rapid cleavage and degradation of up to 96% of the target transcripts present in stage VI oocytes. Nuclear and cytoplasmic transcripts appear to be equally accessible to cytoplasmically injected oligonucleotide and efficient cleavage also occurs in mature oocytes and unfertilized eggs. The residual intact mRNA appears to be completely inaccessible, resisting cleavage by further addition of oligonucleotide. We confirm that antisense oligonucleotides appear to act specifically in vivo, as previously reported in vitro, by directing RNase H cleavage and destabilization of their complementary mRNA.

Animals↗

Comparative and systems analyses of Leishmania spp. non-coding RNAs through developmental stages.

Leishmania spp. is the etiological agent of leishmaniases, neglected diseases that seek to be eradicated in the coming years. The life cycle of these parasites involves different host and stress environments. In recent years, many studies have shown that several protein-coding genes are directly involved with the development and host interactions. However, little is still known about the role of non-coding RNAs (ncRNAs) in life cycle progression. In this study, we aimed to identify the genomic structure and function of ncRNAs from Leishmania spp. and to get insights into the repertoire of ncRNAs (RNAome) of this protozoan genus. We studied 26 strains corresponding to 16 different species of Leishmania. Our RNAome analysis revealed the presence of several ncRNAs that are shared among different species, allowing us to differentiate between subgenera as well as between species that are canonically related to visceral leishmaniasis. We also studied co-expression relationships between coding genes and ncRNAs which in the amastigote developmental stage for Leishmania braziliensis and Leishmania donovani revealed the presence of miRNA-like transcripts co-expressed with several coding genes involved in starvation, survival and histone modification. This work represents the first effort to characterize the Leishmania ssp. RNAome, supporting further approaches to better understand the role of ncRNAs in gene regulation, infective process, and host-parasite interaction.

RNA, Untranslated↗

Vertebrate histone genes: nucleotide sequence of a chicken H2A gene and regulatory flanking sequences.

The DNA sequence of a chicken genomal fragment containing a histone H2A gene has been determined. It contains extensive 5' and 3' flanking regions and encodes a protein identical in sequence to the histone H2A protein isolated from chicken erythrocytes. In the 5' flanking region, a possible "TATA box" and three possible "cap sites" can be recognised upstream from the initiation codon. To the 5' side of the "TATA box" is found an unusual sequence of 21 A's interrupted by a central G residue. It occupies the same relative position as the P. miliaris H2A gene-specific 5' dyad symmetry sequence and the "CCAAT box" seen in other eukaryotic polymerase II genes but is clearly different from both. A significant feature of the 3' non-coding region is the presence of a 23 base-pair sequence that is nearly identical to a conserved region found in sea urchin histone genes. The coding region is extremely GC rich, with strong selection for these bases in the third position of codons. Not a single coding triplet ends in U. No intervening sequences were found in this gene.

Animals↗

Monocistronic transcription is the physiological mechanism of sea urchin embryonic histone gene expression.

We have examined histone gene expression during the early stages of sea urchin embryogenesis. The five histone genes expressed at that time are contained in tandem repetitive segments. It has been suggested that adjacent coding regions and their intervening spacer sequences are transcribed into large polycistronic messenger ribonucleic acid (RNA) precursors. We have subcloned into pBR322 deoxyribonucleic acid (DNA) sequences mapping either in the coding region, the 5' spacer, or the 3' spacer of the H2B histone gene. These clones were used to produce radioiodinated hybridization probes. We measured the steady-state quantity of H2B messenger RNA as well as spacer-specific RNA in the total RNA from embryos taken at various stages of development from fertilization to hatching of blastulae (0 to 22 h post-fertilization). Small amounts of RNA hybridizing to both spacer probes could be found. However, we show that these RNAs form mismatched hybrids with the spacer DNA and therefore cannot originate from the spacers present in the histone genes. We conclude that there is no detectable transcription of the spacer regions on either side of the H2B histone gene. The detection limit for RNA complementary to the 5' spacer sequence corresponds to a maximum of about three RNA molecules per cell, an amount shown to be far less than the projected steady-state pool size of a putative polycistronic transcript, if such a precursor were to be the obligatory transcript of the histone genes. (This conclusion was derived by using the known rates of production of H2B mRNA throughout early development [R. E. Maxson and F. H. Wilt, Dev. Biol., in press].) The physiologically relevant transcript of the histone genes in early development is therefore monocistronic and probably identical to the messenger RNA itself.

Animals↗

The stem-loop structure at the 3' end of histone mRNA is necessary and sufficient for regulation of histone mRNA stability.

Chimeric genes were made by fusing mouse histone genes with a human alpha-globin gene. The genes were introduced into mouse L cells and the stability of the chimeric mRNAs was measured when DNA synthesis was inhibited. An mRNA containing all the globin coding sequences and the last 30 nucleotides of the histone mRNA was degraded at the same rate as histone mRNA.

Animals↗

Evidence for a human histone gene cluster containing H2B and H2A pseudogenes.

Not all members of the human histone gene family are functional. We have isolated a human H2B pseudogene that contains alterations in the protein-coding sequences as well as in the 3' and 5' flanking sequences that preclude expression of a functional H2B histone protein. There are three modifications in the amino acid-coding region: a single-base deletion producing a frame shift, a single-base substitution resulting in a codon change from serine to tryptophan (an amino acid not present in histones), and the absence of a stop codon. Analysis of nucleotide sequences upstream from the AUG start signal indicates the absence of a "TATA" box and other putative consensus regulatory sequences. In the 3' flanking region, a highly conserved block of 22 nucleotides that exhibits hyphenated dyad symmetry is displaced downstream. Within the same genomic segment, the adjacent H2A histone gene is missing 12 nucleotides, resulting in a deletion of four amino acids in a highly conserved region of the protein.

Amino Acid Sequence↗

Histone gene transcripts in the cleavage and mesenchyme blastula embryo of the sea urchin, S. purpuratus.

Two distinct populations of histone gene transcripts have been identified in the sea urchin embryo. Both late cleavage and mesenchyme blastula stages contain histone transcripts which hybridize to a full-length histone repeat recombinant DNA, pCO1. The histone RNAs of the two stages, however, are dissimilar in sequence. While the transcripts of the cleavage embryo form well matched hybrids with the plasmid DNA which are relatively resistant to RNAase, the hybrids containing the mesenchyme blastula transcripts melt some 10 degrees C lower and are twice as sensitive to RNAase. Hybridization of the two RNA samples to the Hha I fragments of the histone DNA, or to segments of the histone repeat subcloned in other plasmids, shows that many regions scattered along the repeat are complementary to widely diverged transcripts in the mesenchyme blastula RNA. The two RNA populations consist predominantly of polysomal RNA sequences and are most probably mRNAs for the five histones. The mesenchyme blastula RNA sequences in both S. purpuratus and L. pictus form hybrids with pCO1 DNA that are less stable than those containing L. pictus cleavage RNA, indicating the wide divergence of the two histone RNA populations. The bulk of the histone genes in S. purpuratus appear to be of the type coding for the early mRNAs. Only a small percentage of the several hundred gene copies are candidates for the type coding for the late mRNAs. The melting characteristics of the hybrids and the sensitivity of RNAase provide an assay for the late embryonic histone genes. Of the total RNA labeled during a 10 min pulse in the cleavage embryo, histone transcripts represent approximately 9.7 and 6.5% of the radioactivity in S. purpuratus and L. pictus, respectively. These values fall to 0.57 and 1.4%, respectively, at the mesenchyme blastula stage. Although histone genes are transcribed during these two periods, the type of gene which is active is switched at some point prior to the mesenchyme blastula stage.

Animals↗