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Conformation of methylated sequences in HeLa cell 18-S ribosomal RNA: nuclease S1 as a probe.

18-S rRNA from HeLa cells was digested with nuclease S1. Under the conditions employed 15% of the total nucleotides and some 50% of the methylated nucleotides were released as low-molecular-weight products. The material which was precipitable by 70% ethanol after nuclease S1 digestion was subjected to further digestion by combined T1 plus pancreatic ribonucleases or by T1 ribonuclease alone, and fingerprints were prepared. It was found that the four sites which are modified late during ribosome maturation, and which contain base modifications, were all accessible to nuclease S1. By contrast fewer than one-half of the sites which are modified early during ribosome maturation, and which contain 2'-O-methyl groups, were accessible to nuclease S1; the remainder were protected, presumably by secondary or tertiary interactions within 18-S rRNA.

Base Sequence↗

Primary structure of nuclease P1 from Penicillium citrinum.

The primary structure of nuclease P1, which cleaves both RNA and single-stranded DNA, from Penicillium citrinum was elucidated. The complete amino acid sequence consisting of 270 residues was determined by analysis of peptides obtained by digestion with Achromobacter protease I of the reduced and S-aminoethylated protein and by digestion with Staphylococcus aureus V8 protease of the reduced and S-carboxymethylated protein. Four half-cystine residues were assigned to Cys72-Cys217 and Cys80-Cys85. N-Glycosylated asparagine residues were identified at positions 92, 138, 184 and 197. Fast-atom-bombardment and laser-ionization MS were successfully used to confirm the determined amino acid sequences of peptides and to estimate the molecular mass of this glycoprotein having heterogenous sugar moieties, respectively. Comparison of the amino acid sequence of nuclease P1 with other nucleases revealed that the protein has a high degree of sequence identity (50%) with nuclease S1 from Aspergillus oryzae. The His-Phe-Xaa-Asp-Ala sequence (positions 60-64) is similar to the sequence (His-Phe-Asp-Ala) involving the active-site His119 of bovine pancreatic RNase A, and the Pro-Leu-His sequence (positions 124-126) is identical with the sequence involving the active-site His134 of porcine pancreatic DNase I.

Amino Acid Sequence↗

Restriction barrier composed of an extracellular nuclease and restriction endonuclease in the unicellular cyanobacterium Microcystis sp.

The unicellular cyanobacterium Microcystis aeruginosa K-81 has two types of restriction barrier, an extracellular nuclease and sequence-specific endonucleases. The nuclease was detected in the culture supernatant and it was easily released from the cells by washing with water or buffer containing Triton X-100. This nuclease was identified as a polypeptide of about 28 kDa that digested covalently closed circular and linear double-stranded DNAs, including chromosomal DNA from M. aeruginosa K-81. Among another 13 Microcystis strains examined, 3 produced an extracellular nuclease. Furthermore, M. aeruginosa K-81 contained two sequence-specific endonucleases, MaeK81I and MaeK81II, which were isoschizomers of SplI and Sau96I, respectively.

Bacterial Proteins↗

Mung bean nuclease cleaves Plasmodium genomic DNA at sites before and after genes.

Mung bean nuclease was found to cut the genomic DNA of the malaria parasite Plasmodium at positions before and after genes but not within gene-coding regions. This cleavage, which had nearly the preciseness of a restriction nuclease, required controlled conditions in the presence of formamide. Southern blot analysis showed that the coding areas for Plasmodium actin, circumsporozoite protein, histidine-rich protein, ribosomal RNA's, and tubulin are each cleaved from genomic DNA to yield a single major band on an agarose gel. DNA sequence data on several clones of mung bean nuclease cleavage products containing the gene for the circumsporozoite protein of Plasmodium falciparum confirmed that cleavage sites are before and after genes. Recognition and cleavage of DNA did not seem to be related to any primary sequence but may be related to structural features of the DNA duplex that demarcate genes. Mung bean nuclease-cleaved DNA could be inserted directly into a lambda expression vector, yielding a representative but small gene bank of intact gene fragments.

Animals↗

Differential secretion of isoforms of Serratia marcescens extracellular nuclease.

Extracellular secretion of the Serratia marcescens nuclease occurs in a two-step process: (i) rapidly to the periplasm via a signal sequence-dependent pathway and then (ii) slowly to the extracellular growth medium without cell lysis. There are two major isoforms of the nuclease in the culture supernatant of S. marcescens. We have isolated, purified, and determined the sequences of both isoforms. The first isoform, the mature nuclease (Sm2), is the result of signal sequence processing. The second isoform (Sm1) has three additional amino acids missing from the N terminus of the mature nuclease. Sm1 starts to appear extracellularly only during prolonged growth of a culture (16 to 48 h), probably because of cell lysis. However, pulse-chase experiments show that it is made early with Sm2 but is not secreted efficiently.

Amino Acid Sequence↗

PCR-based DNA amplification and presumptive detection of Escherichia coli O157:H7 with an internal fluorogenic probe and the 5' nuclease (TaqMan) assay.

Presumptive identification of Escherichia coli O157:H7 is possible in an individual, nonmultiplexed PCR if the reaction targets the enterohemorrhagic E. coli (EHEC) eaeA gene. In this report, we describe the development and evaluation of the sensitivity and specificity of a PCR-based 5' nuclease assay for presumptively detecting E. coli O157:H7 DNA. The specificity of the eaeA-based 5' nuclease assay system was sufficient to correctly identify all E. coli O157:H7 strains evaluated, mirroring the previously described specificity of the PCR primers. The SZ-primed, eaeA-targeted 5' nuclease detection assay was capable of rapid, semiautomated, presumptive detection of E. coli O157:H7 when >/=10(3) CFU/ml was present in modified tryptic soy broth (mTSB) or modified E. coli broth and when >/=10(4) CFU/ml was present in ground beef-mTSB mixtures. Incorporating an immunomagnetic separation (IMS) step, followed by a secondary enrichment culturing step and DNA recovery with a QIAamp tissue kit (Qiagen), improved the detection threshold to >/=10(2) CFU/ml. Surprisingly, immediately after IMS, the sensitivity of culturing on sorbitol MacConkey agar containing cefeximine and tellurite (CT-SMAC) was such that identifiable colonies were demonstrated only when >/=10(4) CFU/ml was present in the sample. Several factors that might be involved in creating these false-negative CT-SMAC culture results are discussed. The SZ-primed, eaeA-targeted 5' nuclease detection system demonstrated that it can be integrated readily into standard culturing procedures and that the assay can be useful as a rapid, automatable process for the presumptive identification of E. coli O157:H7 in ground beef and potentially in other food and environmental samples.

Adhesins, Bacterial↗

Evaluation of biological and physical protection against nuclease degradation of clay-bound plasmid DNA.

In order to determine the mechanisms involved in the persistence of extracellular DNA in soils and to monitor whether bacterial transformation could occur in such an environment, we developed artificial models composed of plasmid DNA adsorbed on clay particles. We determined that clay-bound DNA submitted to an increasing range of nuclease concentrations was physically protected. The protection mechanism was mainly related to the adsorption of the nuclease on the clay mineral. The biological potential of the resulting DNA was monitored by transforming the naturally competent proteobacterium Acinetobacter sp. strain BD413, allowing us to demonstrate that adsorbed DNA was only partially available for transformation. This part of the clay-bound DNA which was available for bacteria, was also accessible to nucleases, while the remaining fraction escaped both transformation and degradation. Finally, transformation efficiency was related to the perpetuation mechanism, with homologous recombination being less sensitive to nucleases than autonomous replication, which requires intact molecules.

Acinetobacter↗

Production of nuclease-formine 5'-nucleotide by Aspergillus quercinus in a low phosphate medium.

The production of ribonucleic acid (RNA)-depolymerase-forming 5'-nucleotides (5'-nuclease) was investigated with the fungus Aspergillus quercinus in media containing 68, 10, 5, 3, 1, and 0.5 mg of phosphorus per 100 ml. Yields were maximal with 5 mg of phosphorus per 100 ml. RNA-depolymerase-forming 3'-nucleosides (3'-nuclease) and phosphomonoesterase were maximal in media containing 1 and 0.5 mg of phosphorus per 100 ml. The 5'-nuclease was purified approximately 530-fold with a recovery of 84% by column chromatography on diethylaminoethyl-cellulose and by gel filtration through Sephadex G-100. The purified enzyme was capable of acting on both deoxyribonucleic acid and RNA, and the 5'-mononucleotides produced were identified by paper chromatography. The enzyme 5'-nuclease appears to be one of the repressible exonucleases that are active in the production of 5'-mononucleotides.

Aspergillus↗

Production and heat stability of staphylococcal nuclease.

No correlation existed between numbers of organisms and nuclease activity in laboratory-grown cultures of Staphylococcus aureus. Nuclease production was inhibited by anaerobic incubation and stimulated by aeration. Strains of S. aureus varied in the production of nuclease. The optimum pH for enzyme production was 8.3 and employment of a tris(hydroxymethyl)aminomethane buffer system resulted in increased production of the enzyme as compared with a phosphate buffer. The nuclease was extremely heat-stable and had a D value of 16.6 min at 130 C.

Buffers↗

Staphylococcal enterotoxin B and nuclease production under controlled dissolved oxygen conditions.

Enterotoxin B, nuclease, and total exoprotein production by Staphylococcus aureus strain S-6 was studied in a 0.5-liter fermentor system. While these extracellular products were elaborated over a wide range of aeration rates, maximal production occurred within the very narrow range of 125 to 150 cm(3) of air per min. The levels attained at the optimal aeration rate were not increased by maintaining a constant pH, although yield of enterotoxin:cell mass was highest at a constant pH of 7.0. During the growth cycle of the cultures, when aeration rate alone or aeration rate and pH were held constant, the dissolved oxygen (DO) levels, initially set at 100% of saturation, decreased to 5 to 10% 4 to 5 h after inoculation. The oxygen demand of the culture then maintained this level for an additional 4 to 6 h. This interval of low DO was characterized by maximal growth and exoprotein production. When the DO was controlled at a constant value throughout growth (by increasing or decreasing the airflow rate as appropriate), the culture demonstrated different optima for maximal growth and exoprotein production. A constant DO of 100% stimulated growth to extremely high densities, but the accumulation of toxin and nuclease was not observed. On the other hand, maintaining constant DO levels at 50 or 10% raised exoprotein levels higher than those achieved in a culture grown at the optimal aeration rate. Compared to the optimal aeration rate culture, the 10% DO culture yielded 20% more nuclease, 25% more toxin, and 40 to 50% more total exoprotein. These results indicate that it is the DO and not the aeration rate, per se, that is influential in controlling growth, toxin, nuclease, and total exoprotein production.

Bacterial Proteins↗

Secretion of nuclease across the outer membrane of Serratia marcescens and its energy requirements.

Extracellular secretion of Serratia marcescens nuclease occurs as a two-step process via a periplasmic intermediate. Unlike other extracellular proteins secreted by gram-negative bacteria by the general secretory pathway, nuclease accumulates in the periplasm in its active form for an unusually long time before its export into the growth medium. The energy requirements for extracellular secretion of nuclease from the periplasm were investigated. Our results suggest that the second step of secretion across the outer membrane is dependent upon the external pH; acidic pH effectively but reversibly blocks extracellular secretion. However, electrochemical proton gradient, and possibly ATP hydrolysis, are not required for this step. We suggest that nuclease uses a novel mechanism for the second step of secretion in S. marcescens.

Adenosine Triphosphate↗

EFFECT OF PH ON THE FORMATION OF EXOCELLULAR NUCLEASE IN AGING BROTH CULTURES OF SERRATIA MARCESCENS.

Eaves, George N. (Wayne State University College of Medicine, Detroit, Mich.) and Charles D. Jeffries. Effect of pH on the formation of exocellular nuclease in aging broth cultures of Serratia marcescens. J. Bacteriol. 85:1194-1196. 1963.-The formation of exocellular nuclease by Serratia marcescens occurred in the stationary phase of growth and was not associated with cell multiplication. An increase in specific enzymatic activity until the phase of autolysis suggested the selective secretion of the exocellular nuclease. The amount of enzyme accumulated was dependent upon the final pH attained by the culture medium, which was, in turn, related to the initial pH of the medium. The production of this nuclease was greatly favored by an alkaline pH.

Culture Media↗

Enzymatic degradation of uracil-containing DNA. II. Evidence for N-glycosidase and nuclease activities in unfractionated extracts of Bacillus subtilis.

Further studies have confirmed our earlier observations that in the presence of EDTA, degradation of phage PBS2 [3H]uracil-labeled DNA is effected by an N-glycosidase activity in extracts of Bacillus subtilis that removes free uracil from DNA. In addition, such extracts contain a nuclease activity that attacks PBS2 DNA in the presence of CaCl2. The nuclease activity is not observed under conditions that inactivate N-glycosidase activity but does attack DNA that has been preincubated to remove uracil by N-glycosidase action. We therefore postulate that the nuclease requires N-glycosidase action to generate substrate for its activity, i.e., the nuclease appears to attack depyrimidinated sites rather than uracil sites in phage PBS2 DNA.

Bacillus subtilis↗

Newly synthesized hepatitis C virus replicon RNA is protected from nuclease activity by a protease-sensitive factor(s).

Biochemical characterization of hepatitis C virus (HCV) replication using purified, membrane-associated replication complexes is hampered by the presence of endogenous nuclease activity that copurifies with the replication complex. In this study, pulse-chase analyses were used to demonstrate that newly synthesized replicon RNA was protected from nuclease activity by a factor(s) that was sensitive to 0.5% NP-40 or protease treatment. Nuclease susceptibility was not related to disruption of lipid membranes, since NP-40 did not significantly affect the buoyant density of HCV replication complexes or protease susceptibility of HCV NS3 and NS5A proteins. These results suggest that a protease-sensitive factor(s) protects newly synthesized RNA from nuclease degradation.

Cell Line↗

Saccharomyces cerevisiae RNase H(35) functions in RNA primer removal during lagging-strand DNA synthesis, most efficiently in cooperation with Rad27 nuclease.

Correct removal of RNA primers of Okazaki fragments during lagging-strand DNA synthesis is a critical process for the maintenance of genome integrity. Disturbance of this process has severe mutagenic consequences and could contribute to the development of cancer. The role of the mammalian nucleases RNase HI and FEN-1 in RNA primer removal has been substantiated by several studies. Recently, RNase H(35), the Saccharomyces cerevisiae homologue of mammalian RNase HI, was identified and its possible role in DNA replication was proposed (P. Frank, C. Braunshofer-Reiter, and U. Wintersberger, FEBS Lett. 421:23-26, 1998). This led to the possibility of moving to the genetically powerful yeast system for studying the homologues of RNase HI and FEN-1, i.e., RNase H(35) and Rad27p, respectively. In this study, we have biochemically defined the substrate specificities and the cooperative as well as independent cleavage mechanisms of S. cerevisiae RNase H(35) and Rad27 nuclease by using Okazaki fragment model substrates. We have also determined the additive and compensatory pathological effects of gene deletion and overexpression of these two enzymes. Furthermore, the mutagenic consequences of the nuclease deficiencies have been analyzed. Based on our findings, we suggest that three alternative RNA primer removal pathways of different efficiencies involve RNase H(35) and Rad27 nucleases in yeast.

Base Sequence↗

A complex chromatin landscape revealed by patterns of nuclease sensitivity and histone modification within the mouse beta-globin locus.

In order to create an extended map of chromatin features within a mammalian multigene locus, we have determined the extent of nuclease sensitivity and the pattern of histone modifications associated with the mouse beta-globin genes in adult erythroid tissue. We show that the nuclease-sensitive domain encompasses the beta-globin genes along with several flanking olfactory receptor genes that are inactive in erythroid cells. We describe enhancer-blocking or boundary elements on either side of the locus that are bound in vivo by the transcription factor CTCF, but we found that they do not coincide with transitions in nuclease sensitivity flanking the locus or with patterns of histone modifications within it. In addition, histone hyperacetylation and dimethylation of histone H3 K4 are not uniform features of the nuclease-sensitive mouse beta-globin domain but rather define distinct subdomains within it. Our results reveal a complex chromatin landscape for the active beta-globin locus and illustrate the complexity of broad structural changes that accompany gene activation.

Animals↗

Deficiency in the nuclease activity of xeroderma pigmentosum G in mice leads to hypersensitivity to UV irradiation.

Xeroderma pigmentosum (XP) is a human disorder which is characterized by hypersensitivity to sunlight and elevated incidence of skin cancer. The disease is caused by mutations in genes that encode components of the nucleotide excision repair pathway. The gene product of XP complementation group G (XPG) is a structure-specific endonuclease which makes an incision 3' to DNA photoproducts and other helix-distorting DNA adducts. In addition, the XPG protein has been implicated in transcription and repair of oxidative DNA damage. Moreover, XPG is capable of cleaving R loops in vitro, a potential intermediate during immunoglobulin heavy-chain class switch recombination. Due to its multiple functions, complete elimination of XPG in mice results in severe postnatal growth defects and premature death. To understand the contribution of the XPG nuclease activity to its function in vivo, we introduced a point mutation into the mouse XPG gene which inactivates the nuclease catalytic site but leaves the remainder of the protein intact. The XPG nuclease-deficient animals develop normally and exhibit no obvious defect in class switch recombination. However, the mutant mice are hypersensitive to UV irradiation. This phenotype suggests that the nuclease activity of XPG is required only for nucleotide excision repair and that other regions of the protein perform independent functions.

Animals↗

Modulation of epidermal growth factor receptor proto-oncogene transcription by a promoter site sensitive to S1 nuclease.

The epidermal growth factor (EGF) receptor is the functional target of the mitogen EGF and the cellular homolog of the avian erythroblastosis virus erbB oncogene product. Regulation of expression of the proto-oncogene encoding the EGF receptor can be elucidated by studying the structure and function of the gene promoter outside the confines of the cell. Previously, we reported the isolation of the human EGF receptor gene promoter. The promoter is highly GC rich, contains no TATA or CAAT box, and has multiple transcription start sites. An S1 nuclease-sensitive site has now been found 80 to 110 base pairs (bp) upstream from the major in vivo transcription initiation site. Two sets of direct repeat sequences were found in this area; both conform to the motif TCCTCCTCC. When deletion mutations were made in this region of the promoter by using either Bal 31 exonuclease or S1 nuclease, we found that in vivo activity dropped three- to fivefold, on the basis of transient-transfection analysis. Examination of nuclear protein binding to normal and mutated promoter DNAs by gel retardation analysis and DNase I footprinting revealed that two specific factors bind to the direct repeat region but cannot bind to the S1 nuclease-mutated promoter. One of the specific factors is the transcription factor Sp1. The results suggest that these nuclear trans-acting factors interact with the S1 nuclease-sensitive region of the EGF receptor gene promoter and either directly or indirectly stimulate transcription.

Animals↗