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A contextual activity score (CAS) for inferring ADAR-associated transcriptional activity across RNA-seq, single-cell, and spatial transcriptomics.

BACKGROUND AND OBJECTIVE: Adenosine-to-inosine RNA editing, catalyzed by Adenosine Deaminases Acting on RNA (ADARs), is a widespread modification involved in neural function, immune regulation, and cancer. The Alu Editing Index (AEI) is the standard metric to estimate ADAR activity but requires raw sequencing reads and is poorly suited for single-cell and spatial transcriptomic data. This study aimed to develop an alternative framework for inferring ADAR-associated transcriptional activity from gene expression data across diverse transcriptomic technologies. METHODS: We developed the Contextual Activity Score (CAS), a framework based on transcriptional signatures from ADAR perturbation experiments. Context-specific signatures were generated for human neurons, mouse neurons, and cancer models to infer ADAR1 and ADAR2 activity. CAS was computed from normalized gene expression matrices using regulon-based enrichment analysis. Performance was evaluated by comparing with the Alu Editing Index across bulk RNA sequencing datasets, simulated sequencing depths, and library preparation protocols. RESULTS: CAS showed strong concordance with the Alu Editing Index across multiple datasets, while remaining robust to reduced sequencing depth and different library protocols. Unlike the Alu Editing Index, CAS can be applied to single-cell and spatial transcriptomic data and enables the independent assessment of ADAR2 activity. In cancer and neuronal contexts, CAS captured biologically meaningful variations in ADAR-associated transcriptional activity at sample, cell-type, and spatial levels. CONCLUSION: CAS provides a scalable approach applicable across multiple RNA-seq protocols for estimating ADAR-associated transcriptional activity using gene expression data. This method, implemented in an open-source R package for broad adoption, expands the ability to study ADAR-associated transcriptional activity across transcriptomic modalities where direct editing quantification is challenging, such as single-cell and spatial transcriptomics.

Adenosine Deaminase↗

Sequence determination and cDNA cloning of eukaryotic initiation factor 4D, the hypusine-containing protein.

Protein synthesis initiation factor 4D (eIF-4D) from mammalian cells contains the post-translationally modified lysine derivative hypusine. A highly purified preparation of the protein from rabbit reticulocytes was subjected to chemical and enzymatic cleavage, and a large number of overlapping peptides were resolved by high performance liquid chromatography and sequenced. Two mixed 14-base DNA probes were synthesized based on suitable amino acid sequences and were used to screen a human cDNA library in lambda gt11. A cDNA insert containing eIF-4D encoding sequences was identified and a 558-base pair EcoRI-PstI fragment was sequenced. Northern blot hybridization of HeLa cell RNA shows a single size class (1.2 kilobase) of mRNA. The DNA encodes a protein comprising 154 residues with a mass of 16,703 daltons. Human eIF-4D matches all of the rabbit peptides sequenced, extending from residue 9 to 154 except for Cys-129 which is Ser in the rabbit protein. The residue modified to hypusine is identified as Lys-50 and the amino terminus is blocked. eIF-4D possesses rather little secondary structure in the amino-terminal two-thirds of the protein, but the carboxyl-terminal third is rich in alpha helices.

Amino Acid Sequence↗

scooby: Modeling multi-modal genomic profiles from DNA sequence at single-cell resolution.

Understanding how regulatory DNA elements shape gene expression across individual cells is a fundamental challenge in genomics. Joint RNA-seq and epigenomic profiling provides opportunities to build unifying models of gene regulation capturing sequence determinants across steps of gene expression. However, current models, developed primarily for bulk omics data, fail to capture the cellular heterogeneity and dynamic processes revealed by single-cell multi-modal technologies. Here, we introduce scooby, the first framework to model scRNA-seq coverage and scATAC-seq insertion profiles along the genome from sequence at single-cell resolution. For this, we leverage the pre-trained multi-omics profile predictor Borzoi as a foundation model, equip it with a cell-specific decoder, and fine-tune its sequence embeddings. Specifically, we condition the decoder on the cell position in a precomputed single-cell embedding resulting in strong generalization capability. Applied to a hematopoiesis dataset, scooby recapitulates cell-specific expression levels of held-out genes, and identifies regulators and their putative target genes through in silico motif deletion. Moreover, accurate variant effect prediction with scooby allows for breaking down bulk eQTL effects into single-cell effects and delineating their impact on chromatin accessibility and gene expression. We anticipate scooby to aid unraveling the complexities of gene regulation at the resolution of individual cells.

Journal Article↗

Polyoma virus giant RNAs contain tandem repeats of the nucleotide sequence of the entire viral genome.

The bulk of late virus-specific RNA synthesized in polyoma virus-infected mouse cells is larger than a single strand of poloma DNA. The arrangement of viral nucleotide sequences in these giant polyoma RNAs was studied by electron microscopy of hybrids between purified high molecular weight viral RNA and the HindII-1 fragment of polyoma DNA, which contains 91% of the viral genome. Hybrid molecules containing a short single-stranded gap (corresponding to the 9% of viral sequences not present in HindII-1), flanked by double-stranded regions, were photographed and measured. The majority of hybrid molecules contained no single-stranded loops or branches, showing that all viral sequences are transcribed contiguously and that no nonviral sequences are present in the RNA. Hybrid molecules, containing RNA up to 3.5 times the genome length, had a repeating structure of single-stranded gaps 8% of genome length interspersed with double-stranded regions 89% of genome length, showing that giant polyoma RNAs contain tandem repeats of the nucleotide sequence of the entire viral DNA. A small proportion of hybrid molecules contained single-stranded branches or deletion loops in characteristic positions, indicating that RNA "splicing" may occur on high molecular weight nuclear polyoma RNA.

Cell Nucleus↗

[The amplification of nucleotide sequences by PCR and the new technics for molecular diagnosis].

The polymerase chain reaction (PCR) is a method for selective amplification of DNA or RNA segments of up to 2 kilobase pairs (kb) or more in length. Repeated cycles of enzymatic primer extension in opposite directions are performed using synthetic oligonucleotides flanking the sequences of interest and the heat-stable DNA polymerase from the archaebacterium Thermus aquaticus (Taq polymerase). The reaction is simple, fast and extremely sensitive, and the DNA or RNA content of a single cell is sufficient to detect a specific sequence. This method has proved useful in simplifying complex analytical protocols in basic and applied molecular biology.

DNA↗

Amplification and analysis of cDNA generated from a single cell by 5'-RACE: application to isolation of antibody heavy and light chain variable gene sequences from single B cells.

The technique of 5'-rapid amplification of cDNA ends (5'-RACE) is widely used to amplify unknown sequences at the 5' end of a messenger RNA (mRNA). However, conventional 5'-RACE is inappropriate for producing cDNAs from a single cell due to the small quantity of mRNA present in one cell. In this study, we report an improved 5'-RACE method that is suitable for generating cDNA from a single cell. In this method, the first-strand cDNA was directly synthesized from a single cell, and both the tailing reaction and second-strand cDNA synthesis were performed in the same tube without purifying the cDNA sample. Using this method, we were able to amplify the cDNA of the immunoglobulin (Ig) variable region gene from more than 50% of single B cells. The amplified cDNA fragment contained a full-length Ig variable region including a 5'-untranslated region, a leader sequence, and an initiation codon. This method may thus be applicable for a comprehensive analysis of the Ig variable genes of the lymphocyte repertoire in humans and animals, thereby contributing to the development of antibody-based therapeutics for infectious diseases.

B-Lymphocytes↗

Establishment of B-cell lymphoma cell lines persistently infected with hepatitis C virus in vivo and in vitro: the apoptotic effects of virus infection.

Hepatitis C virus (HCV) is a major cause of chronic hepatitis, liver cirrhosis, and hepatocellular carcinoma. Studies of HCV replication and pathogenesis have so far been hampered by the lack of an efficient tissue culture system for propagating HCV in vitro. Although HCV is primarily a hepatotropic virus, an increasing body of evidence suggests that HCV also replicates in extrahepatic tissues in natural infection. In this study, we established a B-cell line (SB) from an HCV-infected non-Hodgkin's B-cell lymphoma. HCV RNA and proteins were detectable by RNase protection assay and immunoblotting. The cell line continuously produces infectious HCV virions in culture. The virus particles produced from the culture had a buoyant density of 1.13 to 1.15 g/ml in sucrose and could infect primary human hepatocytes, peripheral blood mononuclear cells (PBMCs), and an established B-cell line (Raji cells) in vitro. The virus from SB cells belongs to genotype 2b. Single-stranded conformational polymorphism and sequence analysis of the viral RNA quasispecies indicated that the virus present in SB cells most likely originated from the patient's spleen and had an HCV RNA quasispecies pattern distinct from that in the serum. The virus production from the infected primary hepatocytes showed cyclic variations. In addition, we have succeeded in establishing several Epstein-Barr virus-immortalized B-cell lines from PBMCs of HCV-positive patients. Two of these cell lines are positive for HCV RNA as detected by reverse transcriptase PCR and for the nonstructural protein NS3 by immunofluorescence staining. These observations unequivocally establish that HCV infects B cells in vivo and in vitro. HCV-infected cell lines show significantly enhanced apoptosis. These B-cell lines provide a reproducible cell culture system for studying the complete replication cycle and biology of HCV infections.

Amino Acid Sequence↗

GBMdeconvoluteR accurately infers proportions of neoplastic and immune cell populations from bulk glioblastoma transcriptomics data.

BACKGROUND: Characterizing and quantifying cell types within glioblastoma (GBM) tumors at scale will facilitate a better understanding of the association between the cellular landscape and tumor phenotypes or clinical correlates. We aimed to develop a tool that deconvolutes immune and neoplastic cells within the GBM tumor microenvironment from bulk RNA sequencing data. METHODS: We developed an IDH wild-type (IDHwt) GBM-specific single immune cell reference consisting of B cells, T-cells, NK-cells, microglia, tumor associated macrophages, monocytes, mast and DC cells. We used this alongside an existing neoplastic single cell-type reference for astrocyte-like, oligodendrocyte- and neuronal progenitor-like and mesenchymal GBM cancer cells to create both marker and gene signature matrix-based deconvolution tools. We applied single-cell resolution imaging mass cytometry (IMC) to ten IDHwt GBM samples, five paired primary and recurrent tumors, to determine which deconvolution approach performed best. RESULTS: Marker-based deconvolution using GBM-tissue specific markers was most accurate for both immune cells and cancer cells, so we packaged this approach as GBMdeconvoluteR. We applied GBMdeconvoluteR to bulk GBM RNAseq data from The Cancer Genome Atlas and recapitulated recent findings from multi-omics single cell studies with regards associations between mesenchymal GBM cancer cells and both lymphoid and myeloid cells. Furthermore, we expanded upon this to show that these associations are stronger in patients with worse prognosis. CONCLUSIONS: GBMdeconvoluteR accurately quantifies immune and neoplastic cell proportions in IDHwt GBM bulk RNA sequencing data and is accessible here: https://gbmdeconvoluter.leeds.ac.uk.

Humans↗

HIF1A+CSF3R+ neutrophils-dominated hypoxic niche induced metabolic reprogramming for neoadjuvant therapy resistance in NSCLC.

BACKGROUND: Non-small cell lung cancer (NSCLC) is one of the frequently occurring cancers characterized by molecular heterogeneity and multiple immune cell infiltration patterns, which are associated with treatment sensitivity and resistance. However, the specific microenvironmental cells and their mechanisms that lead to treatment resistance in patients need to be explored in greater depth. METHODS: On the basis of patients receiving neoadjuvant therapy in our center, a multicenter, multicohort NSCLC spatial transcriptome, single-cell transcriptome, T-cell receptor repertoire sequencing, bulk RNA transcriptome, phosphorylated proteome, genome mutation, and clinical data were included for a comprehensive assessment of the therapeutic and prognostic impact of HIF1A+ CSF3R+ neutrophils in NSCLC. In vitro experiments validated the functional phenotype of HIF1A+ CSF3R+ neutrophils and co-localization interactions with other cellular subpopulations. Gradient boosting machine (GBM) constructed region of interest (ROI) models for evaluation. Computer-aided drug design (CADD) was used to predict targeted small molecule drugs, and in vivo mouse models were constructed to assess the effectiveness of the combination treatment regimen. RESULTS: Centered on HIF1A+ CSF3R+ neutrophils, recruited exhausted T cells and stromal cells form a hypoxic niche within the tumor region, which was enriched in non-response patients. ROI composed of these specific cellular subpopulations, associated with senescence and glycolysis, accurately predicting NSCLC progression, prognosis, and microenvironment composition. CADD analysis identified that platycodin-D2 specifically targeted CSF3R, reducing HIF1A expression and inhibiting neutrophil activity. Combining navitoclax, platycodin-D2 with anti-programmed cell death protein 1 (PD-1) significantly suppressed tumor proliferation and improved the immunosuppressive microenvironment. CONCLUSION: Our study emphasized the role of HIF1A+ CSF3R+ neutrophils in immunotherapeutic resistance of NSCLC, constructed a microenvironmental immune dysregulation network in a hypoxic ecological niche with HIF1A+ CSF3R+ neutrophils as the center. Platycodin-D2 specifically targeted HIF1A+ CSF3R+ neutrophils, enhancing the efficacy of anti-PD-1 therapy in NSCLC.

Humans↗

Identification and functional importance of IL-1 receptors on rat parietal cells.

We studied the expression of interleukin-1 (IL-1) receptors and the effect of IL-1beta on the function of highly enriched (>97%) rat parietal cells. RT-PCR of parietal cell poly(A)+ RNA with primers specific for the rat IL-1 receptor revealed a single 547-kb PCR product highly homologous to the published sequence of the IL-1 receptor. Northern blot analysis of poly(A)+ RNA of rat parietal cells and brain revealed a single RNA species of 5.7 kb. Cytochemistry of parietal cell IL-1 receptor was performed with biotinylated recombinant human IL-1beta, visualized by avidin-coupled fluorescein. Corresponding to the high degree of parietal cell enrichment, 95% of the cells stained positive. Basal H+ production ([14C]aminopyrine accumulation) was not changed by IL-1beta (0.25-100 pg/ml) nor was the response to histamine or carbachol when added simultaneously with the cytokine. However, when parietal cells were preincubated with IL-1beta (0.5-5 pg/ml) for 10 min before the addition of histamine or carbachol, the response to these secretagogues was reduced by 35 and 67%, respectively. Inhibition by IL-1beta was fully reversed by the human recombinant IL-1 receptor antagonist. Preincubation of parietal cells with IL-1beta failed to alter histamine-stimulated cAMP production but markedly inhibited carbachol-induced formation of D-myo-inositol 1,4, 5-trisphosphate. In fura 2-loaded, purified parietal cells, 10 min preincubation with IL-1beta dramatically reduced the initial transient peak elevation of intracellular Ca2+ concentration in response to carbachol. We conclude that rat parietal cells express IL-1 receptors mediating inhibition of H+ production. The antisecretory effect of IL-1beta may contribute to hypoacidity secondary to acute Helicobacter pylori infection or during chronic colonization by H. pylori preferring the fundic mucosa.

1-Methyl-3-isobutylxanthine↗

A rapid and sensitive solution hybridisation assay for the quantitative determination of specific viral RNA sequences.

A solution hybridisation assay has been developed which allows the quantitation of specific viral (RNA) sequences in infected cells. The assay makes use of single-stranded (ss) RNA probes of known polarity synthesised at high specific activity in vitro from cDNA clones of the relevant viral gene by the SP6 or T7 RNA polymerase. These probes are used together with samples containing the RNA to be detected at a known concentration to construct a calibration curve to relate RNase resistant radioactivity following solution hybridisation to amount of RNA. The amount of RNA in experimental samples is then determined using the calibration curve that is produced each time the assay is performed. The UKtc strain of Rotavirus growing in BSC-1 cells was used to develop this method but with the substitution of suitable cDNA clones it could be applied to any viral system.

DNA↗

Sequence of the hemagglutinin-neuraminidase gene of human parainfluenza virus type 1.

The nucleotide sequence of the gene encoding the hemagglutinin-neuraminidase (HN) glycoprotein of human parainfluenza virus type 1 (PI1) was determined from cDNA clones derived from poly(A)+ RNA extracted from infected cells. A single open reading frame in the sequence was found to encode a putative protein of 575 amino acids with a calculated molecular weight of 63,960. The predicted amino acid sequence contains ten potential sites for N-linked glycosylation and one major hydrophobic region located 35 amino acids from the amino terminus, which appears to be the signal-anchor domain of HN. Comparison of the amino acid sequence with the HN glycoproteins of other paramyxoviruses indicated that the PI1 HN protein is most closely related to the Sendai virus (SV) HN protein.

Amino Acid Sequence↗

Mitochondrial DNA of chloramphenicol-resistant mouse cells contains a single nucleotide change in the region encoding the 3' end of the large ribosomal RNA.

The complete DNA sequence of the rRNA genes of mouse L cell mtDNA provides a basis for the examination of the nucleotide sequence of this region in a mutant mouse cell line that is resistant to chloramphenicol, a known inhibitor of mitochondrial protein synthesis. Resistance to chloramphenicol (CAPr) is conferred by a cytoplasmic determinant that is linked to mtDNA restriction endonuclease site polymorphisms. We have determined the sequence of a 212-nucleotide region of mtDNA from a CAPr mouse cell line that encodes a portion of the 1582-nucleotide large rRNA. This sequence is located 107-318 nucleotides from the 5' end of the heavy strand coding sequence, which corresponds to the 3' end of the rRNA. There is a single nucleotide difference in the large rRNA gene from CAPr cells, an A-to-G transition 243 nucleotides from the 5' end of the coding sequence. This single transition is located within a region of 10 nucleotides tht is otherwise completely homologous to human and yeast mitochondrial large rRNAs and Escherichia coli 23S rRNA and is positioned immediately adjacent to a single nucleotide transversion known to occur in a yeast CAPr mutant. This characterization of a mammalian mitochondrial mutant at the nucleotide level directly demonstrates that a mutant phenotype may result from a single mtDNA nucleotide change in an animal cell.

Animals↗

Genetic structure, transforming sequence, and gene product of avian sarcoma virus UR1.

We analyzed the genetic structure and gene products of the newly isolated avian sarcoma virus UR1, which recently has been shown to be replication defective and to contain no sequences homologous to the src gene of Rous sarcoma virus. The sizes of the genomic RNAs of UR1 and its associated helper virus, UR1AV, were determined to be 29S and 35S (5.9 and 8.5 kilobases), respectively, by gel electrophoresis and sucrose gradient sedimentation. RNase T1 oligonucleotide mapping of purified viral RNAs indicated that UR1 RNA contains eight unique oligonucleotides in the middle of the genome and shares four 5'-terminal and three 3'-terminal oligonucleotides with UR1AV RNA. The unique sequences of UR1 and Fujinami sarcoma virus were found to be closely related to each other by molecular hybridization of UR1 RNA with DNA complementary to the unique sequence of Fujinami sarcoma virus RNA, but minor differences were found by oligonucleotides fingerprinting. In the regions flanking the unique sequences, UR1 and Fujinami sarcoma viral RNAs contain distinct oligonucleotides, which are shared with oligonucleotides of the respective helper viral RNAs. Cell transformed with UR1 produce a single 29S RNA species which contains a UR1 unique sequence; this species is most likely the mRNA coding for the transforming protein. In UR1-transformed cells, a phosphoprotein fo 150,000 daltons (p150) was detected by immunoprecipitation with antiserum against gag proteins. p150 was associated with a protein kinase activity that was capable of phosphorylating p150 itself, immunoglobulin G of antiserum, and a soluble substrate, alpha-casein. This enzyme transferred phosphate exclusively to tyrosine residues of substrates in vitro, but p 150 labeled in vivo with 32P contained both phosphoserine and phosphotyrosine. The in vitro kinase reaction was not affected by the presence of cyclic AMP or cyclic GMP and strongly preferred Mn2+ over Mg2+. Thus, the properties of UR1 protein are almost identical to those of Fujinami sarcoma virus protein.

Alpharetrovirus↗

Cholesterol dysregulation in APOE4 astrocytes promotes α-synuclein pathology in miBrains.

The pathological hallmarks of neurodegeneration are the aberrant post-translational modification and aggregation of proteins. Genetic factors, like APOE4, increase the prevalence and severity of tau, amyloid, and α-synuclein pathologies. However, the human brain is largely inaccessible during this process, limiting mechanistic understanding. Here, we developed an iPSC-based 3D model that integrates neurons, glia, myelin, and cerebrovascular cells into a human brain-like tissue ("miBrain"). Single-nucleus RNA sequencing of miBrains confirmed the presence of diverse cell populations and revealed transcriptional responses to α-synuclein pathology. Like the human brain, pathogenic α-synuclein is increased in APOE4/4 miBrains. Combinatorial experiments revealed that endolysosomal dysfunction caused by cholesterol accumulation in APOE4/4 astrocytes impairs the degradation of soluble α-synuclein leading to a pathogenic transformation that seeds α-synuclein inclusions in neurons. Collectively, this study establishes a robust model for investigating protein inclusions in human iPSC-derived brain tissue and highlights the role of astrocytes and cholesterol in APOE4-mediated pathologies.

alpha-Synuclein↗

Putative glioblastoma origin-like cells in the subventricular zone: isolation and characterization.

Glioblastoma (GBM) remains lethal despite maximal therapy. The adult subventricular zone (SVZ), a neural stem-cell niche, has been implicated as a potential site of origin, yet the identity and functional properties of putative GBM origin-like cells (GBM-OCs) within the SVZ remain unclear. An SVZ-restricted somatic mutation mouse model (Cre-induced EGFRvIII expression with Trp53 and Pten disruption) was established and mouse SVZ-derived cells were prospectively isolated for functional and molecular profiling. Self-renewal, multipotency, invasive potential and tumour-initiating capacity were assessed relative to control SVZ cells and matched tumour-derived tumourspheres. Whole-genome and RNA sequencing defined genomic and transcriptional alterations during early progression. Mouse GBM-OCs exhibited self-renewal and multilineage differentiation and initiated tumours only after re-implantation into the SVZ (11/29, 38%), whereas direct striatal implantation failed (0/25, 0%), indicating context-dependent tumorigenic potential associated with the SVZ microenvironment. In contrast, tumour-derived tumourspheres retained tumorigenic capacity upon implantation into both the SVZ and the striatum. During progression from mouse GBM-OCs to tumours, whole-chromosome and arm-level aneuploidies accumulated. In patients with GBM, multi-region single-nucleus RNA sequencing of tumour-free SVZ, matched tumours and tumour-free cortex identified rare neural stem cell-like, astrocyte-like and oligodendrocyte precursor-like SVZ populations transcriptionally aligned with GBM programmes. These cells showed single-nucleus RNA-inferred chromosome 7 gain and/or chromosome 10 loss signals, with concordant low-frequency copy-number alterations in the SVZ detected by exome sequencing and enriched in matched tumours. Together, these findings support the presence of SVZ-resident stem or progenitor-like populations with early GBM-associated features, consistent with putative GBM-OCs, and highlight the SVZ niche as a potential target for early detection and niche-informed therapeutic strategies.

Animals↗

Identification of malignant cells in multiple myeloma bone marrow with immunoglobulin VH gene probes by fluorescent in situ hybridization and flow cytometry.

Because it has been difficult to identify and separate malignant cells in human lymphoid malignancies, we have developed a flow cytometry-based fluorescent in situ hybridization (FISH) technique using immunoglobulin (Ig) heavy chain variable region (VH) gene probes. After obtaining the specific VH gene sequence expressed by the multiple myeloma IM-9 cell line and the malignant cells in five multiple myeloma patients, sense and antisense biotinylated single-stranded RNA probes were prepared by transcription from the malignant clone's VH DNA sequences. The cells from the IM-9 cell line and from the mononuclear bone marrow cells of multiple myeloma patients were fixed, hybridized with the above biotinylated RNA probes, incubated with streptavidin-phycoerythrin, and analyzed by FACS analysis. The myeloma cells stained positive with their own specific antisense VH biotinylated RNa probes, whereas sense and irrelevant antisense biotinylated probes demonstrated only background staining. Dilutional concentrations of the IM-9 cell line with normal bone marrow cells were also accurately quantitated by this procedure. The application of this technique will allow a more accurate assessment of tumor burden in patients with multiple myeloma and should permit an accurate method of tumor cell purification for clinical as well as biological studies. Furthermore, this technological advance should be equally effective at identifying specific VH gene-expressing cells in other lymphoid malignancies, as well as in nonmalignant B cell disorders.

Bacterial Proteins↗

Glycine loops in proteins: their occurrence in certain intermediate filament chains, loricrins and single-stranded RNA binding proteins.

Quasi-repetitive, glycine-rich peptide sequences are widespread in at least three distinct families of proteins: the keratins and other intermediate filament proteins, including nuclear lamins; loricrins, which are major envelope components of terminally differentiated epithelial cells; and single-stranded RNA binding proteins. We propose that such sequences comprise a new structural motif termed the 'glycine loop'. The defining characteristics of glycine loop sequences are: (1) they have the form x(y)n, where x is usually an aromatic or occasionally a long-chain aliphatic residue; y is usually glycine but may include polar residues such as serine, asparagine, arginine, cysteine, and rarely other residues; and the value of n is highly variable, ranging from 1 to 35 in examples identified to date. (2) Glycine-loop-containing domains are thought to form when at least two and to date, as many as 18, such quasi-repeats are configured in tandem, so that the entire domain in a protein may be 50-150 residues long. (3) The average value of n, the pattern of residues found in the x position and the non-glycine substitutions in the y position appear to be characteristic of a given glycine loop containing domain, whereas the actual number of repeats is less constrained. (4) Glycine loop sequences display a high degree of evolutionary sequence variability and even allelic variations among different individuals of the same vertebrate species. (5) Glycine loop sequences are expected to be highly flexible, but possess little other regular secondary structure.(ABSTRACT TRUNCATED AT 250 WORDS)

Amino Acid Sequence↗