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PubMed1997

Folding of the conserved domain but not of flanking regions in the integrin beta2 subunit requires association with the alpha subunit.

We have used immunoprecipitation with mAbs to probe folding during biosynthesis of the beta2 integrin subunit of lymphocyte function-associated antigen 1 (LFA-1; CD11a/CD18) before and after association with the alphaL subunit. An evolutionarily conserved region is present in the beta2 subunit between amino acid residues 102 and 344. mAbs to one subregion before the conserved region, and two subregions after the conserved domain, immunoprecipitated both the unassociated beta'2 precursor and mature alphaL/beta2 complex, suggesting portions of these subregions are folded before association with alphaL. An activating mAb to the C-terminal cysteine-rich region, KIM127, preferentially bound to the unassociated beta subunit, suggesting that it may bind to an epitope that is in an alphabeta interface in unactivated LFA-1. By contrast, mAbs to five different epitopes in the conserved region did not react with unassociated beta'2 precursor, suggesting that this region folds after alphaL association and is intimately associated with the alphaL subunit in the alphaL/beta2 complex. mAbs to two different epitopes that involve the border between the conserved region and the C-terminal segment, were fully or partially reactive with the beta'2 precursor, suggesting that this region is partially folded before association with alphaL. The findings suggest that the conserved region is a distinct folding and hence structural unit, and is intimately associated with the alpha subunit.

Amino Acid Sequence↗
PubMed1998

Effect of mutating the regulatory phosphoserine and conserved threonine on the activity of the expressed catalytic domain of Acanthamoeba myosin I heavy chain kinase.

Phosphorylation of Ser-627 is both necessary and sufficient for full activity of the expressed 35-kDa catalytic domain of myosin I heavy chain kinase (MIHCK). Ser-627 lies in the variable loop between highly conserved residues DFG and APE at a position at which a phosphorylated Ser/Thr also occurs in many other Ser/Thr protein kinases. The variable loop of MIHCK contains two other hydroxyamino acids: Thr-631, which is conserved in almost all Ser/Thr kinases, and Thr-632, which is not conserved. We determined the effects on the kinase activity of the expressed catalytic domain of mutating Ser-627, Thr-631, and Thr-632 individually to Ala, Asp, and Glu. The S627A mutant was substantially less active than wild type (wt), with a lower kcat and higher Km for both peptide substrate and ATP, but was more active than unphosphorylated wt. The S627D and S627E mutants were also less active than phosphorylated wt, i.e., acidic amino acids cannot substitute for phospho-Ser-627. The activity of the T631A mutant was as low as that of the S627A mutant, whereas the T632A mutant was as active as phosphorylated wt, indicating that highly conserved Thr-631, although not phosphorylated, is essential for catalytic activity. Asp and Glu substitutions for Thr-631 and Thr-632 were inhibitory to various degrees. Molecular modeling indicated that Thr-631 can hydrogen bond with conserved residue Asp-591 in the catalytic loop and that similar interactions are possible for other kinases whose activities also are regulated by phosphorylation in the variable loop. Thus, this conserved Thr residue may be essential for the activities of other Ser/Thr protein kinases as well as for the activity of MIHCK.

Acanthamoeba↗
PubMed1995

Characterization of chitin synthase 2 of Saccharomyces cerevisiae. Implication of two highly conserved domains as possible catalytic sites.

Chitin synthase 2 of Saccharomyces cerevisiae was characterized by means of site-directed mutagenesis and subsequent expression of the mutant enzymes in yeast cells. Chitin synthase 2 shares a region whose sequence is highly conserved in all chitin synthases. Substitutions of conserved amino acids in this region with alanine (alanine scanning) identified two domains in which any conserved amino acid could not be replaced by alanine to retain enzyme activity. These two domains contained unique sequences, Glu561-Asp562-Arg563 and Gln601-Arg602-Arg603-Arg604-Trp605, that were conserved in all types of chitin synthases. Glu561 or arginine at 563, 602, and 603 could be substituted by glutamic acid and lysine, respectively, without significant loss of enzyme activity. However, even conservative substitutions of Asp562 with glutamic acid, Gln601 with asparagine, Arg604 with lysine, or Trp605 with tyrosine drastically decreased the activity, but did not affect apparent Km values for the substrate significantly. In addition to these amino acids, Asp441 was also found in all chitin synthase. The mutant harboring a glutamic acid substitution for Asp441 severely lost activity, but it showed a similar apparent Km value for the substrate. Amounts of the mutant enzymes in total membranes were more or less the same as found in the wild type. Furthermore, Asp441, Asp562, Gln601, Arg604, and Trp605 are completely conserved in other proteins possessing N-acetylglucosaminyltransferase activity such as NodC proteins of Rhizobium bacterias. These results suggest that Asp441, Asp562, Gln601, Arg604, and Trp605 are located in the active pocket and that they function as the catalytic residues of the enzyme.

Amino Acid Sequence↗
PubMed2000

Interaction between the conserved region in the C-terminal domain of GRK2 and rhodopsin is necessary for GRK2 to catalyze receptor phosphorylation.

The C-terminal domain of G protein-coupled receptor kinases (GRKs) consists of a conserved region and a variable region, and the variable region has been shown to direct the membrane translocation of cytosolic enzymes. The present work has revealed that the C-terminal domain may also be involved in kinase-receptor interaction that is primarily mediated by the conserved region. Truncation of the C-terminal domain or deletion of the conserved region in this domain of GRK2 resulted in a complete loss of its ability to phosphorylate rhodopsin and in an obvious decrease in its sensitivity to receptor-mediated phosphorylation of a peptide substrate. On the contrary, deletion of the betagamma subunit binding region in the C-terminal domain of GRK2 did not significantly alter the ability of the enzyme to phosphorylate rhodopsin. In addition, the recombinant proteins that represent the C-terminal domain and the conserved region of GRK2 could inhibit GRK2-mediated phosphorylation of rhodopsin and receptor-mediated activation of GRK2 but not GRK2-mediated phosphorylation of the peptide substrate. Furthermore, the conserved region as well as the C-terminal domain could directly bind rhodopsin in vitro. These results indicate that the C-terminal domain, or more precisely, the conserved region of this domain, is important for enzyme-receptor interaction and that this interaction is required for GRK2 to catalyze receptor phosphorylation.

Adrenergic beta-Antagonists↗
PubMed2000

Evolutionarily conserved features of the arginine attenuator peptide provide the necessary requirements for its function in translational regulation.

Neurospora crassa arg-2 mRNA contains an evolutionarily conserved upstream open reading frame (uORF) encoding the Arg attenuator peptide (AAP) that confers negative translational regulation in response to Arg. We examined the regulatory role of the AAP and the RNA encoding it using an N. crassa cell-free translation system. AAPs encoded by uORFs in four fungal mRNAs each conferred negative regulation in response to Arg by causing ribosome stalling at the uORF termination codon. Deleting the AAP non-conserved N terminus did not impair regulation, but deletions extending into the conserved region eliminated it. Introducing many silent mutations into a functional AAP coding region did not eliminate regulation, but a single additional nucleotide change altering the conserved AAP sequence abolished regulation. Therefore, the conserved peptide sequence, but not the mRNA sequence, appeared responsible for regulation. AAP extension at its C terminus resulted in Arg-mediated ribosomal stalling during translational elongation within the extended region and during termination. Comparison of Arg-mediated stalling at a rare or common codon revealed more stalling at the rare codon. These data indicate that the highly evolutionarily conserved peptide core functions within the ribosome to cause stalling; translational events at a potential stall site can influence the extent of stalling there.

Amino Acid Sequence↗
PubMed2001

Structure of the tetraspanin main extracellular domain. A partially conserved fold with a structurally variable domain insertion.

The tetraspanin family of membrane glycoproteins is involved in the regulation of cellular development, proliferation, activation, and mobility. We have attempted to predict the structural features of the large extracellular domain of tetraspanins (EC2), which is very important in determining their functional specificity. The tetraspanin EC2 is composed of two subdomains: a conserved three-helix subdomain and a variable secondary structure subdomain inserted within the conserved subdomain. The occurrence of key disulphide bridges and other invariant residues leads to a conserved relative topology of both subdomains and also suggests a structural classification of tetraspanins. Using the CD81 EC2 structure as a template, the structures of two other EC2s were predicted by homology modeling and indicate a conserved shape, in which the variable subdomain is located at one side of the structure. The conserved and variable subdomains might contain sites that correspond, respectively, to common and specific interactions of tetraspanins. The tetraspanin EC2 seems to correspond to a new scheme of fold conservation/variability among proteins, namely the insertion of a structurally variable subdomain within an otherwise conserved fold.

Amino Acid Sequence↗
PubMed2006

Mining for allosteric information: natural mutations and positional sequence conservation in pyruvate kinase.

Although the amino acid sequences and the structures of pyruvate kinase (PYK) isozymes are highly conserved, allosteric regulations differ. This suggests that amino acids with low conservation play important roles in the allosteric mechanism. The current work exploits a 'natural screen'- the 122 point mutations identified in the human gene encoding the erythrocyte PYK isozyme and associated with nonspherocytic hemolytic anemia - to learn what amino acid positions in PYK may be important for allosteric regulations. In addition to the mutations, we consider the conservation of each amino acid position across 241 PYK sequences. Three groups of residue positions have been created, those with: (1) no disease causing mutation identified; (2) a disease causing mutation identified and high conservation across isozymes; and (3) a disease causing mutation identified and low conservation. Mutations at positions not identified in the natural screen are likely to be tolerated with minimal loss of function. Mutations at highly conserved positions are more likely to disrupt properties common to all PYK isozymes (e.g., structure, catalysis). Residues in the third group are likely to be involved in roles that are necessary for function but not common to all isozymes (e.g., allostery). Many of the Group 3 residues are located in the C-domain and to a lesser extent the A domain.

Allosteric Regulation↗
PubMed1995

Mouse Brca1: localization sequence analysis and identification of evolutionarily conserved domains.

The human genes BRCA1, conferring susceptibility to early-onset breast and ovarian cancer, has recently been isolated. Here we describe isolation of cDNAs, sequence analysis, and genomic localization of the murine homolog, Brac1. The mouse cDNA sequence predicts a protein of 1812 amino acids; a number of small gaps account for the 51 fewer residues in the mouse protein relative to human BRCA1. While the predicted mouse and human proteins display on the whole a high level of homology (58% identity, 73% similarity), the regions of greatest homology are at the respective amino and carboxyl termini. Most reported disease-associated missense mutations in human BCRA1 occurred within these more highly conserved terminal regions. A predicted zinc-building RING finger domain near the amino terminus lies within a 50 amino acid stretch that is perfectly conserved in both species. The strong conservation during mammalian evolution argues for the importance of this domain, perhaps mediating a role for BRCA1 in DNA and/or protein binding. We have also identified a conserved highly acidic domain in the carboxyl terminal half of the BCRA1 protein resembling acidic transactivation domains of certain transcription factors. Using an interspecific backcross panel, Brca1 was mapped to a region of mouse chromosome 11 that exhibits conserved linkage with 17q21. The sequence and isolated cDNAs will provide useful reagents for studying the expression of Brca1 in the mouse, and for testing the importance of the evolutionarily conserved domains.

Amino Acid Sequence↗
PubMed1994

Conservation of sequence in recombination signal sequence spacers.

The variable domains of immunoglobulins and T cell receptors are assembled through the somatic, site specific recombination of multiple germline segments (V, D, and J segments) or V(D)J rearrangement. The recombination signal sequence (RSS) is necessary and sufficient for cell type specific targeting of the V(D)J rearrangement machinery to these germline segments. Previously, the RSS has been described as possessing both a conserved heptamer and a conserved nonamer motif. The heptamer and nonamer motifs are separated by a 'spacer' that was not thought to possess significant sequence conservation, however the length of the spacer could be either 12 +/- 1 bp or 23 +/- 1 bp long. In this report we have assembled and analyzed an extensive data base of published RSS. We have derived, through extensive consensus comparison, a more detailed description of the RSS than has previously been reported. Our analysis indicates that RSS spacers possess significant conservation of sequence, and that the conserved sequence in 12 bp spacers is similar to the conserved sequence in the first half of 23 bp spacers.

Animals↗
PubMed2002

Sequence requirements for terminators and antiterminators in the T box transcription antitermination system: disparity between conservation and functional requirements.

The T box transcription termination control system is used in Gram-positive bacteria to regulate expression of aminoacyl-tRNA synthetase and other amino acid-related genes. Readthrough of a transcriptional terminator located in the leader region of the target gene is dependent on a specific interaction between the nascent leader transcript and the cognate uncharged tRNA. This interaction is required for formation of an antiterminator structure in the leader, which prevents formation of a competing transcriptional terminator stem-loop. The antiterminators and terminators of genes in this family are highly conserved in both secondary structure and primary sequence; the antiterminator contains the T box sequence, which is the most highly conserved leader element. These conserved features were investigated by phylogenetic and mutational analysis. Changes at highly conserved positions in the bulge and in the helix above the bulge reduced function, while alteration of other positions that were as much as 96% conserved did not have a major effect. The disparity between sequence conservation and function may be due to the requirement for maintaining base pairing in both the antiterminator and terminator structures.

Bacillus subtilis↗
PubMed2002

Ratios of radical to conservative amino acid replacement are affected by mutational and compositional factors and may not be indicative of positive Darwinian selection.

The ratio of radical to conservative amino acid replacements is frequently used to infer positive Darwinian selection. This method is based on the assumption that radical replacements are more likely than conservative replacements to improve the function of a protein. Therefore, if positive selection plays a major role in the evolution of a protein, one would expect the radical-conservative ratio to exceed the expectation under neutrality. Here, we investigate the possibility that factors unrelated to selection, i.e., transition-transversion ratio, codon usage, genetic code, and amino acid composition, influence the radical-conservative replacement ratio. All factors that have been studied were found to affect the radical-conservative replacement ratio. In particular, amino acid composition and transition-transversion ratio are shown to have the most profound effects. Because none of the studied factors had anything to do with selection (positive or otherwise) and also because all of them (singly or in combination) affected a measure that was supposed to be indicative of positive selection, we conclude that selectional inferences based on radical-conservative replacement ratios should be treated with suspicion.

Amino Acid Substitution↗
PubMed2003

Aux/IAA gene family is conserved in the gymnosperm, loblolly pine (Pinus taeda).

We isolated five members of the Aux/IAA gene family in loblolly pine (Pinus taeda L.). Degenerate primers complementary to conserved regions of angiosperm Aux/IAA genes were used to amplify fragments that were, in turn, used as probes to screen a cDNA library constructed from auxin-treated hypocotyls. The five unique clones, named PTIAA1-5, contain the four highly conserved domains that are characteristic of the Aux/IAA proteins. All clones contain the bipartite nuclear localization signal (NLS) between Domains I and II that is predicted in most angiosperm Aux/IAA genes, but only one, PTIAA2, contains the conserved NLS in Domain IV. The five invariant residues in Domain II that have been found to constitute part of a protein destabilization element in Arabidopsis thaliana (L.) Heynh. are conserved in all the PTIAAs. A postulated phosphorylation site located between Domains I and II and proximal to the conserved bipartite NLS was conserved in 20 out of 36 genes in this analysis, including the pine genes. Transcripts of all five PTIAAs accumulated specifically in the hypocotyls in response to exogenous auxin treatment and were induced by all auxins tested. Transcript abundance above basal levels in response to 1-naphthaleneacetic acid treatment was first detected after 10 min (PTIAA3) to 3 h (PTIAA2) in the different genes and remained above basal levels throughout 7 days. Induction of PTIAA2 was inhibited by the protein synthesis inhibitor cycloheximide, indicating that PTIAA2 is a secondary response gene. Phylogenetic analysis showed that all five pine genes clustered within a single class (Class I) of the dendrogram. Clone PTIAA2 has a sequence that is relatively distinct from the other four and is the most closely related to the angiosperm genes of Class I. Class I contains both primary and secondary auxin response genes, suggesting that it is the original lineage and that other gene classes have evolved subsequent to the angiosperm/gymnosperm divergence.

Amino Acid Sequence↗
PubMed2004

The role of taxonomy in species conservation.

Taxonomy and species conservation are often assumed to be completely interdependent activities. However, a shortage of taxonomic information and skills, and confusion over where the limits to 'species' should be set, both cause problems for conservationists. There is no simple solution because species lists used for conservation planning (e.g. threatened species, species richness estimates, species covered by legislation) are often also used to determine which units should be the focus of conservation actions; this despite the fact that the two processes have such different goals and information needs. Species conservation needs two kinds of taxonomic solution: (i) a set of practical rules to standardize the species units included on lists; and (ii) an approach to the units chosen for conservation recovery planning which recognizes the dynamic nature of natural systems and the differences from the units in listing processes that result. These solutions are well within our grasp but require a new kind of collaboration among conservation biologists, taxonomists and legislators, as well as an increased resource of taxonomists with relevant and high-quality skills.

Biodiversity↗
PubMed2004

Comparison of human chromosome 21 conserved nongenic sequences (CNGs) with the mouse and dog genomes shows that their selective constraint is independent of their genic environment.

The analysis of conservation between the human and mouse genomes resulted in the identification of a large number of conserved nongenic sequences (CNGs). The functional significance of this nongenic conservation remains unknown, however. The availability of the sequence of a third mammalian genome, the dog, allows for a large-scale analysis of evolutionary attributes of CNGs in mammals. We have aligned 1638 previously identified CNGs and 976 conserved exons (CODs) from human chromosome 21 (Hsa21) with their orthologous sequences in mouse and dog. Attributes of selective constraint, such as sequence conservation, clustering, and direction of substitutions were compared between CNGs and CODs, showing a clear distinction between the two classes. We subsequently performed a chromosome-wide analysis of CNGs by correlating selective constraint metrics with their position on the chromosome and relative to their distance from genes. We found that CNGs appear to be randomly arranged in intergenic regions, with no bias to be closer or farther from genes. Moreover, conservation and clustering of substitutions of CNGs appear to be completely independent of their distance from genes. These results suggest that the majority of CNGs are not typical of previously described regulatory elements in terms of their location. We propose models for a global role of CNGs in genome function and regulation, through long-distance cis or trans chromosomal interactions.

Animals↗
PubMed2001

Comparative sequence analysis of the imprinted Dlk1-Gtl2 locus in three mammalian species reveals highly conserved genomic elements and refines comparison with the Igf2-H19 region.

The Dlk1-Gtl2 domain on mouse chromosome 12 contains reciprocally imprinted genes with the potential to contribute to our understanding of common features involved in imprinting control. We have sequenced this conserved region in the mouse and sheep and included the human sequence in a three species comparison. This analysis resulted in a precise conservation map and identification of highly conserved sequence elements, some of which we have shown previously to be differentially methylated in the mouse. Additionally, this analysis facilitated identification of a CpG-rich tandem repeat array located approximately 13-15 kb upstream of Gtl2. Furthermore, we have identified a third imprinted transcript that overlaps with the last Dlk1 exon in the mouse. This transcript lacks a conserved open reading frame and is probably generated by cleavage of extended Dlk1 transcripts. Because Dlk1 and Gtl2 share many of the imprinting properties of the well-characterized Igf2-H19 domain, it has been proposed that the two regions may be regulated in the same way. Comparative genomic examination of the two domains indicates that although there are similarities, other features are very different, including the location of conserved CTCF-binding sites, and the level of conservation at regulatory regions.

Animals↗
PubMed2005

Evolutionary constraints in conserved nongenic sequences of mammals.

Mammalian genomes contain many highly conserved nongenic sequences (CNGs) whose functional significance is poorly understood. Sets of CNGs have previously been identified by selecting the most conserved elements from a chromosome or genome, but in these highly selected samples, conservation may be unrelated to purifying selection. Furthermore, conservation of CNGs may be caused by mutation rate variation rather than selective constraints. To account for the effect of selective sampling, we have examined conservation of CNGs in taxa whose evolution is largely independent of the taxa from which the CNGs were initially identified, and we have controlled for mutation rate variation in the genome. We show that selective constraints in CNGs and their flanks are about one-half as strong in hominids as in murids, implying that hominids have accumulated many slightly deleterious mutations in functionally important nongenic regions. This is likely to be a consequence of the low effective population size of hominids leading to a reduced effectiveness of selection. We estimate that there are one and two times as many conserved nucleotides in CNGs as in known protein-coding genes of hominids and murids, respectively. Polymorphism frequencies in CNGs indicate that purifying selection operates in these sequences. During hominid evolution, we estimate that a total of about three deleterious mutations in CNGs and protein-coding genes have been selectively eliminated per diploid genome each generation, implying that deleterious mutations are eliminated from populations non-independently and that sex is necessary for long-term population persistence.

Animals↗
PubMed1997

Large-scale comparative sequence analysis of the human and murine Bruton's tyrosine kinase loci reveals conserved regulatory domains.

Large-scale genomic DNA sequencing of orthologous and paralogous loci in different species should contribute to a basic understanding of the evolution of both the protein-coding regions and noncoding regulatory elements. We compared 93 kb of human sequence to 89 kb of mouse sequence in the Bruton's tyrosine kinase (BTK) region. In addition to showing the conservation of both position and orientation of the five functionally unrelated genes in the region (BTK, alpha-D-galactosidase A, L44L, FTP-3, and FCI-12), the comparison revealed conservation of clusters of noncoding sequence flanking the first exon of each gene. Furthermore, in the sequence comparison at the BTK locus, the conservation of clusters of noncoding sequence extends throughout the locus; the noncoding sequence is more highly conserved in the BTK locus in comparison to the flanking loci. This suggests a correlation with the complex developmental regulation of expression of btk. To determine whether a highly conserved 3.5-kb segment flanking the first exon of BTK contains transcriptional regulatory signals, we tested various portions of the segment for promoter and expression activity in several appropriate cell lines. The results demonstrate the contribution of the conserved region flanking the first exon to the cell lineage-specific expression pattern of btk. These data show the usefulness of large scale sequence comparisons to focus investigation on regions of noncoding sequence that play essential roles in complex gene regulation.

Agammaglobulinaemia Tyrosine Kinase↗
PubMed2004

Evolutionarily conserved regions and hydrophobic contacts at the superfamily level: The case of the fold-type I, pyridoxal-5'-phosphate-dependent enzymes.

The wealth of biological information provided by structural and genomic projects opens new prospects of understanding life and evolution at the molecular level. In this work, it is shown how computational approaches can be exploited to pinpoint protein structural features that remain invariant upon long evolutionary periods in the fold-type I, PLP-dependent enzymes. A nonredundant set of 23 superposed crystallographic structures belonging to this superfamily was built. Members of this family typically display high-structural conservation despite low-sequence identity. For each structure, a multiple-sequence alignment of orthologous sequences was obtained, and the 23 alignments were merged using the structural information to obtain a comprehensive multiple alignment of 921 sequences of fold-type I enzymes. The structurally conserved regions (SCRs), the evolutionarily conserved residues, and the conserved hydrophobic contacts (CHCs) were extracted from this data set, using both sequence and structural information. The results of this study identified a structural pattern of hydrophobic contacts shared by all of the superfamily members of fold-type I enzymes and involved in native interactions. This profile highlights the presence of a nucleus for this fold, in which residues participating in the most conserved native interactions exhibit preferential evolutionary conservation, that correlates significantly (r = 0.70) with the extent of mean hydrophobic contact value of their apolar fraction.

Conserved Sequence↗