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Coexpression of eukaryotic tRNASer and yeast seryl-tRNA synthetase leads to functional amber suppression in Escherichia coli.

In order to gain insight into the conservation of determinants for tRNA identity between organisms, Schizosaccharomyces pombe and human amber suppressor serine tRNA genes have been examined for functional expression in Escherichia coli. The primary transcripts, which originated from E. coli plasmid promoters, were processed into mature tRNAs, but they were poorly aminoacylated in E. coli and thus were nonfunctional as suppressors in vivo. However, coexpression of cloned Saccharomyces cerevisiae seryl-tRNA synthetase led to efficient suppression in E. coli. This shows that some, but not all, determinants specifying the tRNASer identity are conserved in evolution.

Acylation↗

ssaD1, a suppressor of secA51(Ts) that renders growth of Escherichia coli cold sensitive, is an early amber mutation in the transcription factor gene nusB.

Complementation analysis of the ssaD1 mutation, isolated as a suppressor of the secA51(Ts) mutation that renders growth of Escherichia coli cold sensitive, was used to show that ssaD corresponds to nusB, a gene known to be important in transcription antitermination. DNA sequence analysis of the ssaD1 allele showed that it creates an amber mutation in the 15th codon of nusB. Analysis of the effect of different levels of NusB protein on secA transcription and translation suggested that NusB plays little or no role in the control of secA expression. Accordingly, mechanisms by which nusB inactivation can lead to suppression of secA51(Ts) and secY24(Ts) mutations without affecting secA expression need to be considered.

Adenosine Triphosphatases↗

Effect of traY amber mutations on F-plasmid traY promoter activity in vivo.

We have examined the effect of the F plasmid TraY protein on tra gene expression in vivo. Expression was assayed as alkaline phosphatase activity in cells containing a traY phi(traA'-'phoA)hyb operon under traY promoter control. Amber mutations in traY significantly reduced alkaline phosphatase activity. Since nonsense polarity effects were minimal, if they occurred at all, these data provide the first direct evidence that TraY regulates tra gene expression.

Alkaline Phosphatase↗

Mutations to spectinomycin resistance which alleviate the restriction of an amber suppressor by streptomycin resistance.

Unlike mutations to streptomycin resistance, which restrict the function of an SU II amber suppressor, mutations to spectinomycin resistance have no restrictive effect. Furthermore, mutations to spectinomycin resistance counteract the restrictive action of streptomycin-resistant mutations when combined in a single strain. The mutations to drug resistance, singly or in combination, do not themselves lead to any detectable suppressor activity. The effects on SU II are interpreted in terms of interactions between ribosomal elements.

Coliphages↗

Synthesis of bacteriophage-coded gene products during infection of Escherichia coli with amber mutants of T3 and T7 defective in gene 1.

During nonpermissive infection by a T7 amber mutant in gene 1 (phage RNA polymerase-deficient), synthesis of the products of the phage genes 3 (endonuclease), 3, 5 (lysozyme), 5 (DNA polymerase), and 17 (serum blocking power) was shown to occur at about half the rate as during wild-type infection. This relatively high rate of expression of "late" genes (transcribed normally by the phage RNA polymerase) seems to be a general feature of all T7 mutants in gene 1 from our collection. In contrast, T3 gene 1 mutants and a T7 gene 1 mutant from another collection showed late protein synthesis at very reduced rates. Synthesis of the gene 3 endonuclease by T7 gene 1 mutants was very sensitive to the addition of rifampin 2 min after infection, conditions under which there was very little inhibition during wild-type infection. This supports the notion that late gene expression during nonpermissive infection by gene 1 mutants is dependent on the transcription of the T7 genome by the host RNA polymerase. In contrast to T3 gene 1 mutants, the T7 gene 1 mutants of our collection directed the synthesis of phage DNA during nonpermissive infection. This DNA accumulated as a material sedimenting faster than mature T7 DNA.

Centrifugation, Density Gradient↗

Suppression of amber mutations of bacteriophage T4 gene 43 (DNA polymerase) by translational ambiguity.

The growth properties of twelve different amber (am) mutants of bacteriophage T4 gene 43 (DNA polymerase) were examined by using nonpermissive (su(-)) as well as permissive (su(+)) Escherichia coli hosts. It was found that most of these mutants were measurably suppressed in su(-) hosts by translational ambiguity (misreading of codons during protein synthesis). The ability of these mutants to grow in response to this form of weak suppression probably means that the T4 gene 43 DNA polymerase can be effective in supporting productive DNA replication when it is supplied in small amounts. By similar criteria, studies with other phage mutants suggested that the products of T4 genes 62 (uncharacterized), 44 (uncharacterized), 42 (dCMP-hydroxymethylase), and 56 (dCTPase) are also effective in small amounts. Some T4 gene products, such as the product of gene 41 (uncharacterized), seem to be partially dispensable for phage growth since am mutants of such genes do propagate, although weakly, in streptomycin-resistant su(-) hosts which appear to have lost the capacity to suppress am mutations by ambiguity.

Cell-Free System↗

Mutator and antimutator phenotypes of suppressed amber mutants in genes 32, 41, 44, 45, and 62 in bacteriophage T4.

Bacteriophage T4 genes 32, 41, 44, 45, 56, and 62 are essential to DNA replication. Amber mutants (suppressed by su+1, su+2, or su+3 bacteria) in these genes were examined for any mutator or antimutator effects on the reversion of a transition mutation. In every case except for mutations in gene 56, elevated or lowered error frequencies were observed. These results indicate the importance of all of the replicative proteins in the determination of error frequency.

Coliphages↗

Construction of a specific amber codon in the simian virus 40 T-antigen gene by site-directed mutagenesis.

The site-directed bisulfite mutagenesis technique has been used to construct a specific mutation, am404, at nucleotide position 3124 in the simian virus 40 genome. The mutation was contained within a PstI restriction site (map position 0.27) and prevented cleavage by PstI at that position. Nucleotide sequence analysis of the mutagenized region indicated that only a single base pair change had occurred: a guanosine x cytosine leads to adenine x thymine transition. Comparison of the nucleotide sequence of am404 with the known DNA sequence of simian virus 40 indicted that the mutation in am404 resulted in the conversion of a glutamine codon to an amber codon. am404 could not replicate autonomously when transfected into monkey cells (BSC-40) but did replicate when it was cotransfected with the late deletion helper virus dl1007. On the basis of its position in the T-antigen, gene am404 should produce a T-antigen 24% shorter than the wild-type protein.

Antigens, Neoplasm↗

Restoration by Chloramphenicol of Bacteriophage Production in Escherichia coli B Infected with a Ligase-Deficient Amber Mutant.

The addition of chloramphenicol (CM) 5 min after infection of the nonpermissive host Escherichia coli B with the ligase-negative T4 amber, T4 AmH39X, allowed replication of parental deoxyribonucleic acid (DNA) and the production of high-molecular-weight progeny DNA, composed mostly of subunits with a D(2)/D(1) of 0.6. When CM was removed after the accumulation of a large pool of this DNA, most of the infected bacteria were able to produce viable progeny phage, with an average yield of approximately 15 bacteriophage per bacterium. This phenomenon is called CM rescue of the ligase-negative T4 Am. CsCl and sucrose gradient analyses showed both the resulting phage and DNA extracted from them to be similar to the phage and DNA produced on the permissive host. The total transfer of the parental label to progeny phages was as high as 20%. In contrast, in bacteria not treated with CM or in bacteria to which CM was added after phage-coded nucleases had already been synthesized, both parental and progeny (newly synthesized) DNA was composed of very short fragments. Phage which are produced under conditions other than those of CM rescue are dead, light in CsCl, and contain only very short fragments of DNA. Parent-to-progeny transfer in this case is below 1%. When light radio-active parental DNA was used to infect heavy bacteria, DNA replicating in the CM rescue conditions assumed only a hybrid density. After removal of CM and maturation, the parental DNA was incorporated into progeny molecules in fragments constituting approximately 7 to 10% of its mass. This pattern of distribution is essentially what is observed in similar experiments in the permissive host. The role of ligase as an enzyme which compensates for the lethal action of phage-coded nuclease and which is stringently required for the repair of single-stranded nicks is emphasized. The possibility of specific sites for a unique cutting enzyme is discussed in connection with the hypothesis of a circularly permuted assembly of sets.

Journal Article↗

Isolation and preliminary characterization of amber mutants of bacteriophage phi W-14 defective in DNA synthesis.

Of 42 amber mutants of bacteriophage phi W-14, 6 were defective in DNA synthesis. Three of the mutants synthesized DNA in the nonpermissive host, but were defective in post-replicational modification of the DNA. The DNA synthesized by two of these mutants, am36 and am42, contained more thymine and less alpha-putrescinylthymine than did wild-type DNA; that synthesized by the third mutant, am37, contained the normal amount of thymine, no alpha-putrescinylthymine, and hydroxymethyluracil. The properties of these mutants suggested that the presence of the normal amount of alpha-putrescinylthymine in phi W-14 DNA was essential for the production of viable progeny. Three of the mutants, am6, am35, and am45, failed to synthesize DNA in the nonpermissive host. These mutants were analogous to the DNA off mutants of T4. Nonpermissive cells infected with DNA off mutants accumulated dATP, dGTP, dCTP, and hydroxymethyl dUTP, but not dTTP or alpha-putrescinyldeoxythymidine triphosphate, confirming that both thymine and alpha-putrescinylthymidine in phi W-14 DNA are formed from hydroxymethyluracil at the polynucleotide level. The synthesis of phi W-14 DNA is unusual because (i) thymine is formed from hydroxymethyluracil at the polynucleotide level, (ii) the hypermodification forming alpha-putrescinylthymine is essential, and (iii) thymine and alpha-putrescinylthymine must be made in the correct proportions. Complementation tests showed that the mutants defined three genes involved in DNA polymerization and two genes involved in post-replicational modification.

Bacteriophages↗

Translational readthrough of an amber termination codon during synthesis of feline leukemia virus protease.

Feline leukemia virus contains a protease which apparently has the same specificity as murine leukemia virus protease. It cleaves in vitro the Pr65gag of Gazdar-mouse sarcoma virus into the constituent p15, p12, p30, and p10 proteins. We purified the protease and determined its NH2-terminal amino acid sequence (the first 15 residues). Alignment of this amino acid sequence with the nucleotide sequence (I. Laprevotte, A. Hampe, C. H. Sherr, and F. Galibert, J. Virol. 50:884-894, 1984) reveals that the protease is a viral-coded enzyme and is located at the 5' end of the pol gene. As previously found for murine leukemia virus (Y. Yoshinaka, I. Katoh, T. D. Copeland, and S. Oroszlan, Proc. Natl. Acad. Sci. U.S.A. 82:1618-1622, 1985), feline leukemia virus protease is synthesized through in-frame suppression of the gag amber termination codon by insertion of a glutamine in the fifth position, and the first four amino acids are derived from the gag gene.

Amino Acid Sequence↗

Degradation of Escherichia coli B deoxyribonucleic acid after infection with deoxyribonucleic acid-defective amber mutants of bacteriophage T7.

The degradation of bacterial deoxyribonucleic acid (DNA) was studied after infection of Escherichia coli B with DNA-negative amber mutants of bacteriophage T7. Degradation occurred in three stages. (i) Release of the DNA from a rapidly sedimenting cellular structure occurred between 5 and 6 min after infection. (ii) The DNA was cleaved endonucleolytically to fragments having a molecular weight of about 2 x 10(6) between 6 and 10 min after infection. (iii) These fragments of DNA were reduced to acid-soluble products between 7.5 and 15 min after infection. Stage 1 did not occur in the absence of the gene 1 product (ribonucleic acid polymerase sigma factor), stage 2 did not occur in the absence of the gene 3 product (phage T7-induced endonuclease), and stage 3 did not occur in the absence of the gene 6 product.

Carbon Isotopes↗

Effect of elevated temperature on extended enzyme synthesis induced by bacteriophage T4 amber mutants unable to synthesize deoxyribonucleic acid.

The extended synthesis of early enzymes by the deoxyribonucleic acid-negative amber mutants of bacteriophage T4 after infection of the nonpermissive host Escherichia coli B was prevented by incubating the infected cells at 44 C. This effect did not occur if the incubation temperature was 43 C or less or if the cells were grown and infected in broth rather than minimal medium (C medium). Once early enzyme synthesis had ceased at 44 C, lowering the incubation temperature to 37 C did not occasion resumption of synthesis. Experiments with chloramphenicol at 44 C indicated that increased degradation of early enzymes is an unlikely explanation for the effect. Examination of pulse-labeled ribonucleic acid and polysomes made at 37 and 44 C in infected cells revealed some differences, but at present there is no obvious way in which these differences may be related to the effect on enzyme formation. There was no discernible difference between the ribosomal ribonucleic acid and ribosomes at the two temperatures, nor was there a difference in the cell-free amino acid-incorporating systems isolated from cells infected at the two temperatures as judged by polyuridylic stimulation of phenylalanine incorporation. Incubation of cells infected with T4amN82 at 44 C with protein synthesis blocked by 5-methyltryptophan for 15 min did not prevent the typical pattern of enzyme synthesis at 44 C when the block was reversed by excess l-tryptophan. The relation of this and other observations relative to the effect at 44 C on the synthesis of early enzymes is discussed.

Bacterial Proteins↗

Amber suppression in mammalian cells dependent upon expression of an Escherichia coli aminoacyl-tRNA synthetase gene.

As an approach to inducible suppression of nonsense mutations in mammalian and in higher eukaryotic cells, we have analyzed the expression of an Escherichia coli glutamine-inserting amber suppressor tRNA gene in COS-1 and CV-1 monkey kidney cells. The tRNA gene used has the suppressor tRNA coding sequence flanked by sequences derived from a human initiator methionine tRNA gene and has two changes in the coding sequence. This tRNA gene is transcribed, and the transcript is processed to yield the mature tRNA in COS-1 and CV-1 cells. We show that the tRNA is not aminoacylated in COS-1 cells by any of the endogenous aminoacyl-tRNA synthetases and is therefore not functional as a suppressor. Concomitant expression of the E. coli glutaminyl-tRNA synthetase gene results in aminoacylation of the suppressor tRNA and its functioning as a suppressor. These results open up the possibility of attempts at regulated suppression of nonsense codons in mammalian cells by regulating expression of the E. coli glutaminyl-tRNA synthetase gene in an inducible, cell-type specific, or developmentally regulated manner.

Amino Acyl-tRNA Synthetases↗

Vasopressin-induced amber-like skin necrosis.

Case reports about vasopressin-induced cutaneous necrosis are not frequent. Here we report a further case, of which skin manifestations included not only mottling, cyanosis, ecchymosis, bullae and gangrene, but also amber-like change in focal areas. Besides, intermittent paling of the skin with or without deep pain sensation of the limbs over non-injection sites was observed that might be a warning sign of impending skin necrosis. Based on the literature about vasopressin-induced skin necrosis we discuss the possible role of coagulation enhancement of this molecule.

Esophageal and Gastric Varices↗