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Identification of Bacillus subtilis men mutants which lack O-succinylbenzoyl-coenzyme A synthetase and dihydroxynaphthoate synthase.

Menaquinone (vitamin K2)-deficient mutants of Bacillus subtilis, whose growth requirement is satisfied by 1,4-dihydroxy-2-naphthoic acid but not by o-succinylbenzoic acid (OSB), have been analyzed for enzymatic defects. Complementation analysis of cell-free extracts of the mutants revealed that there are two groups, as already indicated by genetic analysis. The missing enzyme in each group was identified by complementation of the cell-free extracts with o-succinylbenzoyl-coenzyme A (CoA) synthetase and dihydroxynaphthoate synthase extracted from Mycobacterium phlei. Mutants found to lack dihydroxynaphthoate synthase, and which therefore complement with dihydroxynaphthoate synthase of M. phlei, were designated as menB; those lacking o-succinylbenzoyl-CoA synthetase, and therefore complementing with o-succinylbenzoyl-CoA synthetase, were designated as menE. The menB mutants RB413 (men-325) and RB415 (men-329), when incubated with [2,3-14C2]OSB, produced only the spirodilactone form of OSB in a reaction that was CoA and adenosine 5'-triphosphate dependent.

Bacillus subtilis↗

Isolation and expression of the Bradyrhizobium japonicum adenylate cyclase gene (cya) in Escherichia coli.

A 5.0-kilobase-pair HindIII fragment of Bradyrhizobium japonicum DNA containing the cya gene which encodes adenylate cyclase was isolated as an insert in pBR322, using marker rescue of the maltose-negative phenotype of an Escherichia coli cya mutant for identification. The isolated B. japonicum DNA fragment was capable of reversing the pleiotropic phenotype of cya mutations when inserted in either orientation in the HindIII site of pBR322. The complemented E. coli strains produced high levels of cyclic AMP. No sequence homology between the B. japonicum cya gene and that of E. coli was detected by hybridization analysis.

Adenylyl Cyclases↗

Identification and characterization of gyrB mutants of Escherichia coli that are defective in partitioning of mini-F plasmids.

hopA mutants, which have been suggested to be defective in mini-F plasmid partitioning (H. Niki, C. Ichinose, T. Ogura, H. Mori, M. Morita, M. Hasegawa, N. Kusukawa, and S. Hiraga, J. Bacteriol. 170:5272-5278, 1988), were found to carry mutations in the gyrB gene, coding for the B subunit of DNA gyrase. In gyrB(HopA) mutants, relaxation of the superhelicity of plasmids, increased IncG incompatibility, and increased SopB protein production were observed. It is suggested that altered expression of the sop genes, which is due to relaxation of the mini-F plasmid DNA, causes both defective partitioning of the mini-F plasmids and increased IncG incompatibility in gyrB(HopA) mutants.

Amino Acid Sequence↗

Mapping of the structural gene for the herpes simplex virus type 2 counterpart of herpes simplex virus type 1 glycoprotein C and identification of a type 2 mutant which does not express this glycoprotein.

The gene encoding glycoprotein F (gF) of herpes simplex virus type 2 (HSV-2) was mapped to the region of the viral genome from 0.62 to 0.64 map units. This region is colinear with, and partially homologous to, the region of the HSV-1 genome previously shown to encode gC. Mapping of the gF gene was done by insertion of HSV-2 DNA fragments into the thymidine kinase gene of an HSV-1 virus and screening of the resultant recombinant viruses for the expression of gF. In this way, DNA sequences necessary for the expression of gF in infected cells were also delimited. Because several plaque morphology mutants (syncytial mutants) of HSV-1 have previously been shown to be gC-, a syncytial mutant of HSV-2 (GP) was tested for the expression of gF. It was found to be gF-, indicating that gF is not essential for replication of HSV-2 in cell culture, just as gC is not essential for replication of HSV-1. This result also suggests that the gF- and gC- phenotypes are related in the same, as yet undefined, way to the expression of a syncytial marker. A proposal to change the name of HSV-2 gF to gC (gC-2) is discussed.

Animals↗

Identification of bovine papillomavirus E1 mutants with increased transforming and transcriptional activity.

The E1 open reading frame of bovine papillomavirus type 1 (BPV) has been shown previously to encode trans-acting functions, M and R, that are involved in extrachromosomal replication of the viral genome. We have determined that several E1 mutants mapping in both the M and R regions and a single mutant of the upstream regulatory region have a higher transforming activity on mouse C127 cells than the wild-type genome does. A representative mutant in M, a mutant in R, and the upstream regulatory region mutant were complemented in trans by the wild-type genome, but the two E1 mutants did not complement each other, suggesting that they affect the same inhibitory function. A long terminal repeat-activated clone constructed to express the intact E1 open reading frame reversed the high-transformation phenotype of the mutants. In contrast to the high-copy-number autonomous replication of the wild-type genome, the genomes of the E1 mutants were, as previously described for other E1 mutants, integrated at lower copy numbers in the transformed cells. Relative to the viral genome copy number, both the E1 M and R mutant transformed cells contained an average of 10-fold more BPV-specific transcripts than did the wild-type transformed cells. Cycloheximide treatment of the cells transformed by the E1 mutants did not lead to the rapid 10-fold increase in the accumulation of viral transcripts observed with the wild-type genome. These results suggest either that integration of the BPV genome makes it unresponsive to a labile repressor or that an E1 gene product, containing both M and R sequences, is a repressor of BPV transcription.

Base Sequence↗

Identification of dominant-negative mutants of the herpes simplex virus type 1 immediate-early protein ICP0.

ICP0 is a 110,000-molecular-weight immediate-early protein of herpes simplex virus type 1 (HSV-1) which is encoded by three exons. It has been shown to function as a promiscuous transactivator of a variety of different HSV-1 and non-HSV-1 promoters in transient expression assays. Analysis of mutations which truncated the carboxy-terminal end of this 775-amino-acid (aa) protein demonstrated that a polypeptide which contained only aa 1 to 553 still possessed significant transactivation potential. Additional carboxy-terminal truncations which sequentially removed aa 245 to 553 and thus the remainder of the third exon resulted in the eventual loss of transactivation capability in these mutants. However, further analysis of these truncated derivatives demonstrated that they behaved as dominant-negative mutants to the wild-type polypeptide. Moreover, one of the mutants was found to act as a promiscuous repressor, in that it could dramatically inhibit a variety of HSV-1 promoters, non-HSV-1 promoters, and heterologous transactivator proteins in transient expression assays, despite having lost almost the entire third exon. These results indicate that a domain encoded by the first two exons probably interacts with, and can effectively titrate, the unknown cellular factor(s) through which ICP0 mediates transactivation.

Animals↗

Identification of sequential viral escape mutants associated with altered T-cell responses in a human immunodeficiency virus type 1-infected individual.

Control of viremia in natural human immunodeficiency virus type 1 (HIV-1) infection in humans is associated with a virus-specific T-cell response. However, still much is unknown with regard to the extent of CD8(+) cytotoxic T-lymphocyte (CTL) responses required to successfully control HIV-1 infection and to what extent CTL epitope escape can account for rises in viral load and ultimate progression to disease. In this study, we chose to monitor through full-length genome sequence of replication-competent biological clones the modifications that occurred within predicted CTL epitopes and to identify whether the alterations resulted in epitope escape from CTL recognition. From an extensive analysis of 59 biological HIV-1 clones generated over a period of 4 years from a single individual in whom the viral load was observed to rise, we identified the locations in the genome of five CD8(+) CTL epitopes. Fixed mutations were identified within the p17, gp120, gp41, Nef, and reverse transcriptase genes. Using a gamma interferon ELIspot assay, we identified for four of the five epitopes with fixed mutations a complete loss of T-cell reactivity against the wild-type epitope and a partial loss of reactivity against the mutant epitope. These results demonstrate the sequential accumulation of CTL escape in a patient during disease progression, indicating that multiple combinations of T-cell epitopes are required to control viremia.

Amino Acid Sequence↗

Identification and genetic characterization of mutants of bacteriophage T4 defective in the ability to induce exonuclease A.

A mutant of bacteriophage T4 unable to induce exonuclease A has been isolated. The mutation responsible for this defect maps between genes 39 and 56, in a region of the chromosome devoid of other known markers. Four deletion mutants lacking part of the genome located between genes 39 and 56 also fail to induce exonuclease A. The ability of all of these mutants to replicate suggests that exonuclease A is not essential for replication of phage T4.

Cell-Free System↗

Genetic analysis of oxygen defense mechanisms in Drosophila melanogaster and identification of a novel behavioural mutant with a Shaker phenotype.

Mutants of Drosophila melanogaster that lack Cu/Zn superoxide dismutase or urate are hypersensitive to reactive oxygen species (ROS) generated in vivo by the redox-cycling agent paraquat. We have subsequently employed paraquat as a selective agent to identify adult viable mutants potentially defective in other, perhaps unknown, components of ROS metabolism. Paraquat screening of ethyl methanesulfonate-induced second- and third-chromosome mutations yielded 24 paraquat hypersensitive mutants. Two mutants were identified as being new alleles of the previously identified doublesex (dsx) and pink (p) genes. The remainder of the mutations identified previously undescribed genes, including one second chromosome paraquat hypersensitive mutant that was found to exhibit shaking legs, abdomen pulsations, and body shuddering under ether anaesthesia. This recessive mutation was mapped to the polytene chromosome region of 48A5-48B2 and defines a new gene we named quiver (qvr). This mutation is similar in phenotype to the Shaker (Sh), ether-a-gogo (eag), and Hyperkinetic (Hk) mutations, all of which affect potassium channel function in D. melanogaster.

Animals↗

Iron transport.

Iron homeostasis is maintained by regulating its absorption: Under conditions of deficiency, assimilation is enhanced but iron uptake is otherwise limited to prevent toxicity due to overload. Iron deficiency remains the most important micronutrient deficiency worldwide, but increasing awareness of the genetic basis for iron-loading diseases points to iron overload as a major public health issue as well. Recent identification of mutant alleles causing iron uptake disorders in mice and humans provides new insights into the mechanisms involved in iron transport and its regulation. This article summarizes these discoveries and discusses their impact on our current understanding of iron transport and its regulation.

Absorption↗

Genetic Models in Applied Physiology. Functional genomics in the mouse: powerful techniques for unraveling the basis of human development and disease.

Now that near-complete DNA sequences of both the mouse and human genomes are available, the next major challenge will be to determine how each of these genes functions, both alone and in combination with other genes in the genome. The mouse has a long and rich history in biological research, and many consider it a model organism for the study of human development and disease. Over the past few years, exciting progress has been made in developing techniques for chromosome engineering, mutagenesis, mapping and maintenance of mutations, and identification of mutant genes in the mouse. In this mini-review, many of these powerful techniques will be presented along with their application to the study of development, physiology, and disease.

Animals↗

Intraocular pressure in zebrafish: comparison of inbred strains and identification of a reduced melanin mutant with raised IOP.

PURPOSE: The goal was to establish an accurate method for measuring intraocular pressure (IOP) in living adult zebrafish and to determine the average IOPs of genetically different strains and mutants. The overall purpose was to develop the zebrafish system for studies of IOP and glaucoma. Elevated IOP and anterior segment dysgenesis are two known risk factors for glaucoma. Because albino mammals have increased IOP and are prone to anterior segment anomalies, the study was focused on a reduced melanin zebrafish mutant, brass. METHODS: Servo-null electrophysiology was used to measure IOP in anesthetized adult zebrafish. A pulled-glass microelectrode was used to penetrate the cornea into the anterior chamber, and pressure transduction was recorded. IOP, histology, and visual behavioral assays were used to assess the brass mutant. RESULTS: Significant differences in IOP were detected between genetically distinct zebrafish strains. IOP averages were highest in the long fin (LF) strain (20.5 +/- 1.2 mm Hg) and lowest in the Oregon AB (AB) strain (10.8 +/- 0.3 mm Hg). In brass mutants, which show a reduced melanin phenotype, IOPs were elevated and mild iris hypoplasia was noted. No defects were observed within the retina or in visual function. CONCLUSIONS: In the present study, an accurate method was developed for measuring IOP in adult zebrafish. Both the ability to measure IOP in the genetically powerful zebrafish model and the conservation of elevated IOP and anterior segment anomalies between albino mammals and hypopigmented fish are important. They strongly support the use of zebrafish for studying the complex genetics of elevated IOP and glaucoma.

Animals↗

Decreased cholesterol efflux from fibroblasts of a patient without Tangier disease, but with markedly reduced high density lipoprotein cholesterol levels.

A 51-yr-old woman without clinical evidence of Tangier disease, but with an extremely low high density lipoprotein (HDL) cholesterol level, was studied. No defect in the major structural protein of HDL, apolipoprotein AI (apo AI), was detected. A preponderance of small HDL particles in the patient's plasma suggested defective uptake of cellular cholesterol. Efflux of [3H]cholesterol from patient fibroblasts to normal apo AI was decreased 50%. Cholesterol efflux to HDL was also decreased, but efflux to trypsin-modified HDL was not. The patient's cells partitioned more exogenously provided [3H]cholesterol into free cholesterol and synthesized greater amounts of phosphatidylcholine than did normal or Tangier fibroblasts. Her fibroblasts did not differ from normal fibroblasts in sterol synthesis rate, cellular cholesterol and cholesterol ester content, or incorporation of oleate into cholesterol ester. The data indicate the presence of a defect in apolipoprotein-dependent cellular cholesterol efflux that differs from that seen in Tangier disease. These findings are the first evidence that other low HDL cholesterol syndromes, besides Tangier disease, may also be associated with cholesterol efflux abnormalities. The identification of mutant genes responsible for apolipoprotein-mediated efflux abnormalities should provide valuable insights into cellular mechanisms involved in the reverse cholesterol transport pathway.

Apolipoprotein A-I↗