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PubMed1969

Critical arginine residue for maintaining the bacteriophage tail structure.

The addition of 0.2 m l-arginine to various T-even bacteriophage preparations inactivated the virus preparations irreversibly. The virus particles were even more sensitive to added d-arginine and l-homoarginine than to l-arginine but were unaffected by arginine analogues with either an altered carboxyl group or guanidyl group. Treatment of phage T2H with 2,3-butanedione, a reagent which specifically reacts with the guanidyl portion of arginine residues, resulted in the apparent in-activation of most of the virus particles. However, after incubation of the treated particles at pH 7.5 at 37 C for 1 hr in the absence of butanedione, the original virus titer almost completely returned. The reactivation was completely inhibited by the presence of 0.2 m d-arginine. It appeared that the virus protein coat was sufficiently plastic so that the initial conformational change resulting from the alteration of an arginine residue (to possibly an ornithine residue) was at least partially reversible and that the virus tail proteins then refolded to produce a stable and active virus particle. These reactivated virus particles were not sensitive to inactivation by d-arginine but could now be rapidly inactivated by l-ornithine. Virus particles inactivated by arginine have altered tail structures. They have contracted tail sheaths still attached to tail plates and still contain tail cores. These properties of virus particles indicate that there is a free carboxyl group and a guanidyl group spatially equivalent to an arginine residue on one component of the virus tail which bind reversibly by means of polar linkages to another tail component. These bonds maintain the integrity of the virus tail. Added arginine appears to compete with this endogenous viral arginine for the binding sites and then to favor an irreversible conformational change.

Arginine↗
PubMed1999

Interactions between vaccinia virus IEV membrane proteins and their roles in IEV assembly and actin tail formation.

The intracellular enveloped form of vaccinia virus (IEV) induces the formation of actin tails that are strikingly similar to those seen in Listeria and Shigella infections. In contrast to the case for Listeria and Shigella, the vaccinia virus protein(s) responsible for directly initiating actin tail formation remains obscure. However, previous studies with recombinant vaccinia virus strains have suggested that the IEV-specific proteins A33R, A34R, A36R, B5R, and F13L play an undefined role in actin tail formation. In this study we have sought to understand how these proteins, all of which are predicted to have small cytoplasmic domains, are involved in IEV assembly and actin tail formation. Our data reveal that while deletion of A34R, B5R, or F13L resulted in a severe reduction in IEV particle assembly, IEVs formed by the DeltaB5R and DeltaF13L deletion strains, but not DeltaA34R, were still able to induce actin tails. The DeltaA36R deletion strain produced normal amounts of IEV particles, although these were unable to induce actin tails. Using several different approaches, we demonstrated that A36R is a type Ib membrane protein with a large, 195-amino-acid cytoplasmic domain exposed on the surface of IEV particles. Finally, coimmunoprecipitation experiments demonstrated that A36R interacts with A33R and A34R but not with B5R and that B5R forms a complex with A34R but not with A33R or A36R. Using extracts from DeltaA34R- and DeltaA36R-infected cells, we found that the interaction of A36R with A33R and that of A34R with B5R are independent of A34R and A36R, respectively. We conclude from our observations that multiple interactions between IEV membrane proteins exist which have important implications for IEV assembly and actin tail formation. Furthermore, these data suggest that while A34R is involved in IEV assembly and organization, A36R is critical for actin tail formation.

Actins↗
PubMed1991

Modification of Trypanosoma brucei mitochondrial rRNA by posttranscriptional 3' polyuridine tail formation.

Trypanosoma brucei mitochondrial transcripts can be posttranscriptionally processed by uridine addition or deletion. With editing of mRNAs, uridine addition and deletion create precisely altered reading frames. The addition of nonencoded uridines to mitochondrial guide RNAs results in a less precise modification. Although uridines are specifically added to the 3' termini, their number varies, which results in heterogeneous oligo(U) tails on guide RNAs. In this paper, we show that the mitochondrial 9S and 12S rRNAs are also modified by uridine addition. These modifications appear to have aspects in common with both RNA editing and oligo(U) tail formation. Metabolic labeling studies with intact mitochondria and [alpha-32P]UTP, in the absence of transcription, demonstrated the posttranscriptional timing of the event. T1 RNase comparison analyses of cytidine 3',5'-[5'-32P]biphosphate 3'-end-labeled and [alpha-32P]UTP metabolically labeled rRNAs, along with direct RNA sequencing of the 3' termini, identified the site of uridine addition and revealed the creation of an oligo(U) tail for both rRNAs. 12S and 9S rRNAs hybrid selected from total cell RNA exhibited the same modification, demonstrating the presence of this processing in vivo. Moreover, only 3'-poly(U)-tailed 9S and 12S rRNAs were detected in total cellular and mitochondrial RNAs, which suggests that they are the most abundant and probable mature forms. The 12S and 9S rRNA oligo(U) tails differed significantly from each other, with the 12S having a heterogeneous tail of 2 to 17 uridines and the 9S having a tail of precisely 11 uridines. The mechanism of formation and the function of the rRNA poly(U) tails remain to be determined.

Animals↗
PubMed2000

The H3-H4 N-terminal tail domains are the primary mediators of transcription factor IIIA access to 5S DNA within a nucleosome.

Reconstitution of a DNA fragment containing a Xenopus borealis somatic type 5S rRNA gene into a nucleosome greatly restricts the binding of transcription factor IIIA (TFIIIA) to its cognate DNA sequence within the internal promoter of the gene. Removal of all core histone tail domains by limited trypsin proteolysis or acetylation of the core histone tails significantly relieves this inhibition and allows TFIIIA to exhibit high-affinity binding to nucleosomal DNA. Since only a single tail or a subset of tails may be primarily responsible for this effect, we determined whether removal of the individual tail domains of the H2A-H2B dimer or the H3-H4 tetramer affects TFIIIA binding to its cognate DNA site within the 5S nucleosome in vitro. The results show that the tail domains of H3 and H4, but not those of H2A and/or H2B, directly modulate the ability of TFIIIA to bind nucleosomal DNA. In vitro transcription assays carried out with nucleosomal templates lacking individual tail domains show that transcription efficiency parallels the binding of TFIIIA. In addition, we show that the stoichiometry of core histones within the 5S DNA-core histone-TFIIIA triple complex is not changed upon TFIIIA association. Thus, TFIIIA binding occurs by displacement of H2A-H2B-DNA contacts but without complete loss of the dimer from the nucleoprotein complex. These data, coupled with previous reports (M. Vettese-Dadey, P. A. Grant, T. R. Hebbes, C. Crane-Robinson, C. D. Allis, and J. L. Workman, EMBO J. 15:2508-2518, 1996; L. Howe, T. A. Ranalli, C. D. Allis, and J. Ausio, J. Biol. Chem. 273:20693-20696, 1998), suggest that the H3/H4 tails are the primary arbiters of transcription factor access to intranucleosomal DNA.

Animals↗
PubMed1999

Ureterolithiasis: value of the tail sign in differentiating phleboliths from ureteral calculi at nonenhanced helical CT.

PURPOSE: To determine the value of the tail sign in differentiating phleboliths from ureteral calculi at nonenhanced helical computed tomography (CT). MATERIALS AND METHODS: The nonenhanced helical CT scans in 82 patients with a confirmed diagnosis of pelvic ureterolithiasis were retrospectively reviewed. Each calcification along the ureter was classified as a phlebolith or a ureteral calculus on the basis of clinical and imaging findings and was analyzed for the presence of a tail sign. RESULTS: Eighty-two patients each had a single ureteral calculus. None of these calculi were associated with a positive tail sign. Sixty-nine phleboliths were present in 35 patients. Forty-five phleboliths (65%) were associated with a positive tail sign. Of the remaining 24 phleboliths, 17 (25%) were associated with a negative tail sign and seven (10%) were indeterminate. The tail sign has a sensitivity of 65% (45 of 69; 95% CI: 53%, 75%) and a specificity of 100% (82 of 82; 95% CI: 96%, 100%) in differentiating phleboliths from ureteral calculi. CONCLUSION: The tail sign is an important indicator that a suspicious calcification represents a phlebolith. Absence of the tail sign indicates that the calcification remains indeterminate.

Adolescent↗
PubMedDate not supplied

Prenatal diagnosis of 'true tail' with cartilage content?

A human tail is a rare congenital anomaly with a prominent lesion from the lumbosacrococcygeal region. According to Dao and Netzky human tails are classified into 'true tails' and 'pseudotails'. True tails comprise only mesenchymal tissue (adipose, connective, muscle, nerve tissue, blood vessels, and cutis). They are presumed to be remnants of the embryologic tail. All other lumbosacrococcygeal protrusions are summarized as pseudotails. Superficially they may resemble true tails. They contain normal or abnormal tissue, e.g. cartilage, lipoma and glioma. We report a case of prenatal diagnosis of a human tail in association with omphalocele, hydrocephalus and antiphospholipid-antibody syndrome resulting in a severe fetal growth restriction. Due to cartilage content the appendage had to be classified as 'pseudotail'. However, anatomical position and the decrease of length observed by consecutive ultrasound examinations at 14 and 21 weeks of gestation was suggestive of delayed regression of a 'true tail'. Furthermore, the association of antiphospholipid-antibody syndrome with congenital malformations is discussed.

Cartilage↗
PubMed1995

Integrin signaling: roles for the cytoplasmic tails of alpha IIb beta 3 in the tyrosine phosphorylation of pp125FAK.

pp125FAK (focal adhesion kinase) a protein tyrosine kinase that may mediate cellular responses to adhesion, is activated and tyrosine-phosphorylated when platelets adhere to fibrinogen via the integrin, alpha IIb beta 3. To determine whether either of the cytoplasmic tails of alpha IIb beta 3 regulates FAK phosphorylation, CHO cells were stably transfected with alpha IIb beta 3 or various cytoplasmic tail truncation mutants. Cells expressing wild-type alpha IIb beta 3 or alpha IIb beta 3 that lacked the COOH-terminal 13 or 18 residues of the 20 residue alpha IIb tail adhered to and spread on fibrinogen or on an anti-alpha IIb antibody, and FAK became tyrosine-phosphorylated. FAK also became phosphorylated in adherent cells lacking the COOH-terminal 35 or 39 residues of the 47 residue beta 3 tail, although the extent of phosphorylation was reduced by about 50% in the latter mutant. Little or no FAK phosphorylation was observed if 46 residues were deleted from the beta 3 tail. None of these beta 3 truncation mutants spread on the anti-alpha IIb antibody. When cells with wild-type alpha IIb beta 3 or truncated beta 3 were detached from a surface, FAK became rapidly dephosphorylated. In contrast, FAK remained phosphorylated in the two alpha IIb truncation mutants for up to 90 minutes in suspension. This persistent phosphorylation was not due to occupancy of alpha IIb beta 3 by adhesive ligands because it was also observed with an alpha IIb tail truncation mutant that contained an additional mutation in the extracellular portion of the receptor that prevents ligand binding. These studies demonstrate that: (1) the beta 3 cytoplasmic tail, including the membrane-proximal portion, is involved in initiation of FAK phosphorylation; (2) FAK phosphorylation can be initiated by cell adhesion in the absence of cell spreading; and (3) the membrane-distal portion of the alpha IIb cytoplasmic tail may normally function to dampen FAK phosphorylation in non-anchored cells.

Amino Acid Sequence↗
PubMed2006

Computer modeling demonstrates that electrostatic attraction of nucleosomal DNA is mediated by histone tails.

We conducted molecular dynamics computer simulations of charged histone tail-DNA interactions in systems mimicking nucleosome core particles (NCP) . In a coarse-grained model, the NCP is modeled as a negatively charged spherical particle with flexible polycationic histone tails attached to it in a dielectric continuum with explicit mobile counterions and added salt. The size, charge, and distribution of the tails relative to the core were built to mimick real NCP. In this way, we incorporate attractive ion-ion correlation effects due to fluctuations in the ion cloud and the attractive entropic and energetic tail-bridging effects. In agreement with experimental data, increase of monovalent salt content from salt-free to physiological concentration leads to the formation of NCP aggregates; likewise, in the presence of MgCl2, the NCPs form condensed systems via histone-tail bridging and accumulation of counterions. More detailed mechanisms of the histone tail-DNA interactions and dynamics have been obtained from all-atom molecular dynamics simulations (including water), comprising three DNA 22-mers and 14 short fragments of the H4 histone tail (amino acids 5-12) carrying three positive charges on lysine+ interacting with DNA. We found correlation of the DNA-DNA distance with the presence and association of the histone tail between the DNA molecules.

Binding Sites↗
PubMed2004

Establishment of adult Parelaphostrongylus tenuis, patent infections, and acquired immunity after experimental infection of white-tailed deer (Odocoileus virginianus) and red deer (Cervus elaphus elaphus).

Experimental Parelaphostrongylus tenuis infections were established in white-tailed deer (Odocoileus virginianus) and an atypical host, red deer (Cervus elaphus elaphus). Groups of deer were fed 10, 25, or 100 third-stage larvae (L3) of P. tenuis and received a single equivalent challenge exposure at varying intervals. Infections were monitored up to 6 yr in white-tailed deer and up to 2.8 yr in red deer. The prepatent period in white-tailed deer varied from 91 to 1,072 days (381 +/- 374) and in red deer from 105 to 358 days (167 +/- 77). Adult worms lived for up to 6 yr in white-tailed deer. Although most had patent infections until necropsy, latent periods were observed regardless of season. Adult worms lived for up to 2.8 yr in red deer, and patent infections persisted for 20-363 days (152 +/- 106). Patent infections were correlated with the presence of adult worms in blood vessels and sinuses of both deer species. Worms were restricted to the subdural space in all deer with latent and occult infections. Adult worm recovery in white-tailed deer fed 10 or 25 L3 corresponded to the mean intensities reported in natural infections of white-tailed deer Recovery from deer fed 100 L3 was not typical of natural infection intensities. Adult P. tenuis established in all groups of red deer, but neurologic disease was restricted to animals fed 100 L3. Acute neurologic disease was associated with subdural hemorrhage and occurred at 11 mo postinfection in 2 red deer. The absence of postchallenge patent periods and the persistence of occult infections indicated that challenge exposures did not establish. These data indicate that acquired immunity to P. tenuis was established by 6 mo postinfection in both white-tailed and red deer. Latent periods in white-tailed deer and latent infections in red deer reinforce the need for a reliable diagnostic assay.

Animals↗
PubMed2001

Assessment of the clinical utility of the rim and comet-tail signs in differentiating ureteral stones from phleboliths.

OBJECTIVE: This study was designed to assess interobserver variability in identifying the rim and comet-tail signs and to determine the clinical utility of these signs in determining whether or not the calcifications with which they are associated represent ureteral calculi. MATERIALS AND METHODS: Two radiologists and a radiology resident, unaware of the final diagnosis, reviewed preselected helical CT images from renal stone examinations in patients with 65 indeterminate pelvic calcifications. Assessment of calcifications for rim or comet-tail signs was performed independently of an assessment for the following five secondary signs of urinary tract obstruction: caliectasis, pelviectasis, ureterectasis, perinephric stranding, and renal enlargement. Agreement in identifying rim and comet-tail signs was assessed by obtaining kappa statistics. The utility the of rim or comet-tail signs in determining whether ureterolithiasis was present in patients in whom perinephric stranding and ureterectasis were present or absent was determined. The frequency with which one or more of each of the five assessed secondary signs was identified ipsilateral to a calcification having rim or comet-tail signs was also tabulated. RESULTS: Kappa values for interobserver agreement ranged from 0.49 to 0.73. In only one patient was a rim sign detected in the absence of ureterectasis and perinephric stranding. Reviewers identified at least three of the five assessed secondary signs ipsilateral to calcifications showing a rim sign in all but one patient (by each radiologist) and four patients (by the resident). When three or more secondary signs of obstruction were seen ipsilateral to a calcification having a comet-tail sign, in all but one instance, this was because the calcification was a ureteral calculus or because there was a separate ipsilateral ureteral calculus. CONCLUSION: In many instances, observers did not agree about whether the rim and comet-tail signs were present. The rim sign was observed in the absence of any secondary signs of urinary tract obstruction in only one (1.5%) of the 65 patients in our series (95% confidence interval, 0-5.3%). The comet-tail sign, when accompanied by secondary signs of obstruction, should indicate that an ipsilateral ureteral stone is present and not the reverse.

Adult↗
PubMed2005

Tail-flick latency and self-mutilation following unilateral deafferentation in rats.

Unilateral deafferentation induced by transection of the C(4)-C(8) dorsal roots of spinal cord, followed by a complex of abnormal self-mutilating behavior, is interpreted as an animal model of chronic nociception. The objective of our study was to test the differences in tail-flick latency between intact control and unilaterally deafferented animals and to assess the changes in their acute nociceptive sensation. The initial hypothesis was that deafferentation-induced painful sensation might cause stress-induced analgesia that should be manifested as prolonged tail-flick latency. The experiment was carried out on 11 male and 10 female adult Wistar rats. The tail-flick latency was repeatedly measured over a period of 10 consecutive weeks both in the preoperative baseline period and following multiple cervical dorsal rhizotomy. Contrary to our hypothesis, unilateral deafferentation was followed by a significant shortening of the tail-flick latency both in males and females. In deafferented animals, compared to the controls, variations of tail-flick latency were reduced. In individual animals after deafferentation, concurrent dynamic changes were observed in self-mutilating behavior, in a loss and regaining of body weight, and in tail-flick latency. Our data suggest that changes in tail-flick latency may be interpreted in terms of central sensitization and that tail-flick latency might be considered as a useful marker of chronic nociception.

Animals↗
PubMed1999

Assessment of the microbiological conditions of tails, tongues, and head meats at two beef-packing plants.

Newly skinned tails of beef carcasses at two packing plants were similarly contaminated with total aerobes and with coliforms that were largely Escherichia coli at log mean numbers about 3.5/cm2 and 4.5/100 cm2, respectively. The log mean numbers of aerobes and coliforms on the skinned tails after washing at plant A were, respectively, 1 and 2 log units less than the numbers on the newly skinned tails. At plant B, the log mean numbers of aerobes on skinned and on washed tails were similar while the log mean numbers of E. coli on washed tails were only about 1 log unit less than the numbers on skinned tails. Cooling of tails on racks in a chiller at plant B reduced the log mean numbers of E. coli by about 1 log unit but did not reduce the numbers of total aerobes. Tongues in the heads of carcasses at both plants were similarly contaminated with total aerobes and with coliforms that were largely E. coli at log mean numbers of about 4.5/cm2 and 4.5/100 cm2, respectively. The log mean numbers of aerobes on and the log total number of E. coli recovered from washed tongues were, respectively, about 2 and 4 log units less than for unwashed tongues at plant A and about 1 and 3 log units less than for unwashed tongues at plant B. The log mean numbers of aerobes and E. coli on washed cheeks and lips were both about 2 log units less than the numbers on unwashed tongues at both plants. With appropriate collection and washing procedures, the microbiological conditions of beef tails, tongues, and head meats can apparently be comparable to those of primal cuts and manufacturing beef at the times that the products are packed.

Animals↗
PubMed2001

[Effects of copper mine tailings on growth and development and physiological function of wheat].

Through pot culture experiments, the effects of Tonling copper mine tailings on growth and development and physiological function of wheat were investigated in this paper. The results showed that the seeds of wheat could germinate in copper mine tailings, but seed germination percentage and germination rate were lower than that in control. High ratio tailings decreased seedling height. Tailings decreased chlorophyll contents, but didn't effect on chlorophyll a/b. Compared with control, tailings significantly inhibited root growth and decreased root number. Tailings increased root and shoot biomass and significantly increased root/shoot ratio of wheat. The permeability of cell membrane and the free proline content in leaves of wheat increased with the increase of the ratio of tailings, they were relative tolerance index of wheat to copper tailings stress.

Biomass↗
PubMed1998

Changes in urinary excretion of deoxypyridinoline in tail-suspended rats: effects of a bisphosphonate, YH529.

Urinary excretion of deoxypyridinoline (D-Pyr) has been shown to be a useful marker for bone resorption. In this study, we investigated whether D-Pyr could be used to monitor the changes in bone resorption of the hind limb induced by tail-suspension. Male Wistar rats 5-weeks old were tail-suspended in a metabolic cage to unload the hind limbs. The control rats were not suspended. YH529 (YH), an inhibitor of bone resorption, or a vehicle (phosphate buffered saline=PBS) was administered daily starting 3 days before the commencement of tail-suspension. In the non-suspended rats receiving PBS, urinary excretion of D-Pyr did not show any significant change during the one-week experimental period. In the non-suspended rats receiving YH, D-Pyr excretion significantly decreased on day 5 and 7 when compared with that observed on day 0, in accordance with the systemic inhibition of bone resorption by YH. In the tail-suspended rats receiving PBS, D-Pyr excretion showed a tendency to increase on day 1, which is in agreement with our previous report that tail-suspension causes an early (on day 1 of suspension) and transient increase in bone-resorption of the hind limbs. In the tail-suspended rats treated with YH, the increase in D-Pyr excretion on day 1 was not observed, and a significantly lower excretion was noted from day 3 to 7 during the tail-suspension. It was suggested that D-Pyr excretion might reflect the transient increase in hind limb bone resorption induced by tail-suspension. As observed in-YH treated rats, D-Pyr excretion could serve as a good marker for the inhibition of systemic bone resorption.

Amino Acids↗
PubMed2004

[Establishment and growth of Lolium multiflorum for phyto-remediation of Pb/Zn tailings].

Following the cropping of Sesbania rostrata, Lolium multiflorum was cropped as the subsequent species on an acidified Pb/Zn tailings site. As the experimental treatments, S. rostrata issues harvested on the site were removed from the site or buried into the tailings as the green manure. Changes of tailings chemical and physical properties, germination, growth and heavy metal accumulation of Lolium multiflorum were investigated. The results showed that cropping of S. rostrata improved the chemical and physical properties of the tailings, especially for the contents of organic matter, total nitrogen, available phosphorus and available potassium. The strong acidity (pH < 3) in the Pb/Zn tailings was the main factor that limited the establishment of L. multiflorum. The tailings acidity was decreased temporarily by lime application and it seemed to be helpful only for the germination because the strong acidity was restituted in the end of the experiment. In the most cases, L. multiflorum succeeded to germinate, grow and establish on the Pb/Zn tailings, and yielded relatively great biomass (DM 1.4-3.2 t.km-2). Compared to CK (without S. rostrata cropping), cropping S. rostrata increased the biomass of subsequent L. multiflorum by 4.8%-39.5% in case without S. rostrata green manure using and by 7.7%-139.5% in case with the green manure using, and the green manure application resulted in 2.7%-75.8% increment of L. multiflorum biomass. The results proved that the artificial vegetation process using S. rostrata and subsequent L. multiflorum would be a successful pioneer stage for restoration of the Pb/Zn tailings.

Biomass↗
PubMedDate not supplied

Ecosystem function in alluvial tailings after biosolids and lime addition.

Municipal biosolids and agricultural limestone were incorporated into the surface of alluvial highly acidic, metal-contaminated mine tailings in Leadville, CO, in 1998. Amended sites were seeded and a plant cover was subsequently established. A range of chemical and biological parameters were measured over time to determine if treatment was sufficient to restore ecosystem function. An uncontaminated upstream control (UUC), a contaminated vegetated area (CVA), and soils collected from the tailings deposits before amendment addition were used for comparison. Standard soil extracts showed decreases in extractable Pb, Zn, and Cd in the amended soils. Increased CO2 evolution, reduced N2O, and elevated NO3- in the amended tailings indicated an active microbial community. Levels of CO2 and NO3- were elevated in comparison with the CVA and UUC. Ryegrass (Lolium perenne L.) and earthworm (Eisenia foetida) survival and metal uptake values were similar in amended tailings to a laboratory control soil. Ryegrass and worms in unamended tailings died. Field plant diversity was lower in amended areas than in CVA or UUC, with a higher percentage of the vegetative cover consisting of grasses. Small mammal analysis showed a low potential for elevated body Cd and Pb in the amended tailings. A re-entrainment study using fathead minnows (Pimephales promelas) showed no danger for resuspended amended tailings, as survival of fish was similar to the laboratory control. Data suggest that ecosystem function has been restored to the amended tailings, but that these systems are not yet in equilibrium.

Animals↗
PubMed2005

[Study on BMP15 and GDF9 as candidate genes for prolificacy of Small Tail Han sheep].

Bone morphogenetic protein 15 (BMP15) gene and growth differentiation factor 9 (GDF9) gene which control the fecundity of Belclare and Cambridge ewes were studied as candidate genes on the prolificacy of Small Tail Han sheep. Single nucleotide polymorphism of GDF9 gene and BMP15 gene was detected in both high fecundity sheep breeds (Small Tail Han sheep and Hu sheep) and low fecundity sheep breeds (Dorset sheep, Texel sheep and German Mutton Merino sheep) by PCR-RFLP. The results showed that the G8 mutation (C --> T) of GDF9 gene and the B4 mutation (G --> T) of BMP15 gene were not detected in five sheep breeds. There was the same B2 mutation (C --> T) of BMP15 gene in Small Tail Han sheep as that in Belclare and Cambridge ewes. The same B2 mutation did not exist in other four sheep breeds. Concerning the B2 mutation of BMP15 gene, AA and AB genotypes were detected in Small Tail Han sheep, frequency of A allele was 0. 734, frequency of B allele was 0.266. The BMP15 B2 genotype distributions were high significantly different (P < 0.001) between Small Tail Han sheep and other four sheep breeds. The ewes with heterozygous mutant AB had 0.62 (P < 0.01) lambs more than those with wild homozygous type AA in Small Tail Han sheep. These results indicated that the B2 mutation of BMP15 gene had significant effect on the fecundity of Small Tail Han sheep and ruled out the possibility that the fecundity of Small Tail Han sheep was affected by the G8 mutation of GDF9 gene and the B4 mutation of BMP15 gene.

Animals↗
PubMed1994

An intramolecular association between the head and tail domains of vinculin modulates talin binding.

Three independent lines of evidence demonstrate an interaction between the head and tail domains of vinculin. First, both the purified 30-kDa tail fragment and a fusion protein containing tail domain, vinculin residues 884-1066, protect purified 95-kDa head domain from cleavage by protease V8 in a specific, dose-dependent manner. Second, direct binding studies between the 95-kDa head and the V884-1066 fusion protein and carboxyl-terminal truncations of the fusion protein indicate a tight interaction (Kd approximately 50 nM) that requires vinculin residues 1013-1043. Finally, cross-linking of vinculin demonstrates cross-linkable head-tail complexes in the intact protein, which are almost exclusively intramolecular. Talin and the tail domain compete for binding to the vinculin head domain. Therefore, we propose that the loss of the intramolecular interaction of head and tail accounts for the increased affinity for talin of the head domain compared with intact vinculin. The observation that a head-tail interaction in the molecule affects the ability of vinculin to interact with another adherens junction component suggests that modulation of head-tail binding is a way to control recruitment of vinculin into an adherens junction.

Amino Acid Sequence↗