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Isolation and characterization of a new transposable element in Chlamydomonas reinhardtii.

A new transposable element, Tcr3, was identified in the unicellular green alga Chlamydomonas reinhardtii. The Tcr3 element contained imperfect terminal inverted repeat sequences of 56 bp and created a 2 bp target site duplication upon insertion. Insertion of Tcr3 into the 3'-untranslated region of the NIT8 gene, which is essential for nitrate assimilation, prevented expression of the gene. Excision of the Tcr3 element correlated with reversion of the mutant phenotype and left behind a 3 bp footprint. Tcr3 was found in all Chlamydomonas isolates tested and should prove to be useful for transposon-tagging experiments in Chlamydomonas.

Animals↗

Enhancement of strand invasion by oligonucleotides through manipulation of backbone charge.

The ability of DNA oligonucleotides, neutral peptide nucleic acids (PNAS), and oligonucleotide conjugates to hybridize to inverted repeat sequences within supercoiled double-stranded DNA by Watson-Crick base-pairing is examined. PNAs and oligonucleotide conjugates initiate and maintain strand invasion under more stringent conditions than do unmodified DNA oligonucleotides. PNAs hybridize rapidly and, once bound, hold open a target site allowing oligonucleotides to base-pair to the displaced strand under conditions that would otherwise preclude hybridization. The ability to manipulate hybridization efficiency through different options for the alteration of oligomer charge should have important implications for optimizing sequence-specific recognition of DNA.

Amino Acid Sequence↗

14-3-3s are DNA-replication proteins.

14-3-3 proteins are conserved multifunctional molecules, involved in many biological processes. Several 14-3-3 isoforms were recently shown to be cruciform DNA-binding proteins, which is a new activity ascribed to the 14-3-3 family. As cruciform-binding proteins, 14-3-3 proteins are putatively involved in the regulation of DNA replication. Inverted repeat sequences that are able to extrude into cruciform structures are a common feature of replication origins in both prokaryotes and eukaryotes. The involvement of cruciform structures in the initiation of DNA replication has been demonstrated. A leading model of 14-3-3 function proposes that they facilitate critical protein-protein interactions, thus serving as a central component of a wide variety of cellular processes.

14-3-3 Proteins↗

Purification and characterization of the DNA-binding protein DnrI, a transcriptional factor of daunorubicin biosynthesis in Streptomyces peucetius.

The DnrI protein, essential for the biosynthesis of daunorubicin in Streptomyces peucetius, was purified almost to homogeneity from dnrI expression strains of Escherichia coll and S. peucetius through several steps of chromatography. The proteins purified from both organisms had identical chromatographic and electrophoretic behaviour. Purified Histagged or native DnrI was used to conduct DNA-binding assays by gel mobility-shift analysis, and the results showed no significant difference in the DNA-binding activity of native or His-tagged proteins. DnrI binds specifically to DNA segments containing the intergenic regions separating the putative dnrG-dpsABCD and dpsEF operons, and the dnrC gene and dnrDKPSQ operon. DNase I footprinting assays indicated that the DNA-binding sites for DnrI extended from upstream of the -10 to -35 regions of the dnrG or dpsE promoters to include about 65 bp of the dnrG-dpsE intergenic region and about 80 bp of the dnrC-dnrD intergenic region. Both binding sites contain imperfect inverted repeat sequences of 6-10 bp with a 5'-TCGAG-3' consensus sequence that was present in 4 out of 10 other promoter regions in the cluster of daunorubicin biosynthesis genes.

Base Sequence↗

The CII protein of bacteriophage 186 establishes lysogeny by activating a promoter upstream of the lysogenic promoter.

We have shown previously that the cII gene product of the non-lambdoid temperate bacteriophage 186 is required for the establishment of lysogeny. We show here that CII, a potential helix-turn-helix DNA-binding protein, establishes lysogeny by activating a promoter (PE) which spans the apl/cII intergenic region, upstream of the lysogenic promoter, PL. The start site of the PE transcript (+1) has been mapped by primer extension and we have identified the CII binding determinants at PE by DNase I footprinting. CII binds to inverted repeat sequences separated by two turns of the helix, with binding half-sites centred at the 38 and -58 positions of PE. Oligomerisation studies with purified CII protein indicate that a CII tetramer may be the species that binds to this site. We also show that PE is subject to direct negative feedback by the CI repressor.

Base Sequence↗

The HspR regulon of Streptomyces coelicolor: a role for the DnaK chaperone as a transcriptional co-repressordagger.

The dnaK operon of Streptomyces coelicolor encodes the DnaK chaperone machine and HspR, the transcriptional repressor of the operon; HspR confers repression by binding to several inverted repeat sequences in the promoter region, dnaKp. Here, we demonstrate that HspR specifically requires the presence of DnaK protein to retard a dnaKp fragment in gel-shift assays. This requirement is independent of the co-chaperones, DnaJ and GrpE, and it is ATP independent. Furthermore the retarded protein-DNA complex can be 'supershifted' by anti-DnaK monoclonal antibody, demonstrating that DnaK forms an integral component of the complex. It was shown in DNase I footprinting experiments that refolding and specific binding of HspR to its DNA target does not require DnaK. We conclude that the formation of the stable DnaK-HspR-DNA ternary complex does not depend on the chaperoning activity of DnaK. In affinity chromatography experiments using whole-cell extracts, DnaK was shown to co-purify with HspR, providing additional evidence that the two proteins interact in vivo; it was not possible to purify HspR away from DnaK in any experiments unless a powerful denaturant was used. The level of heat shock induction of chromosomal DnaK could be partially suppressed by expressing dnaK extrachromosomally from a heterologous promoter. In addition, it is shown that DnaK confers enhanced HspR-mediated repression of transcription in vitro. Taken together, these results suggest that DnaK functions as a transcriptional co-repressor by binding to HspR at its operator sites. In this model, the DnaK-HspR system would represent a novel example of feedback regulation of gene expression by a molecular chaperone, in which DnaK directly activates a repressor, rather than inactivates an activator (as is the case in the DnaK-sigma32 and Hsp70-HSF systems of other organisms).

Bacterial Proteins↗

Negative feedback regulation of dnaK, clpB and lon expression by the DnaK chaperone machine in Streptomyces coelicolor, identified by transcriptome and in vivo DnaK-depletion analysis.

The dnaK operon of Streptomyces coelicolor encodes the DnaK chaperone machine and the negative autoregulator HspR, which confers repression of the operon by binding to several inverted repeat sequences in the promoter region, dnaKp. Previous in vitro studies demonstrated that DnaK forms a specific complex with HspR bound to its operator sequences in dnaKp, and a model was proposed in which DnaK functions as a corepressor of the dnaK operon (Bucca, G., Brassington, A., Schonfeld, H.J., and Smith, C.P. (2000) Mol Microbiol 38: 1093-1103). Here we report in vivo DnaK depletion experiments which demonstrate that DnaK is a negative regulator of the dnaK operon. Cellular depletion of the DnaK chaperone leads to high-level transcription from dnaKp at the normal growth temperature. DNA microarray-based analysis of gene expression in wild-type and hspR-disruption mutant strains has identified a core cluster of genes regulated by HspR: the dnaK and clpB-SCO3660 operons and lon. These three transcription units are considered to be the direct targets of HspR. Significantly, analysis of the entire genome sequence revealed that the promoter regions of dnaK, clpB and lon are the only sequences that contain the HspR consensus binding sequence 5'-TTGAGY-N7-ACTCAA. S1 nuclease mapping confirmed that transcription of both clpB and lon is substantially enhanced at ambient temperature in strains depleted of DnaK, providing further evidence that these genes are members of the DnaK-HspR regulon. From transcriptome analysis, 17 genes were shown to be upregulated more than twofold in an hspR disruption mutant. This included the seven genes encoded by the dnaK, clpB and lon transcription units. Significantly, the other 10 genes are not heat-shock inducible in the wild type and their upregulation in the hspR mutant is considered to be an indirect consequence of enhanced synthesis of one or more components of the HspR regulon (the DnaK chaperone machine, ClpB and Lon protease).

Adenosine Triphosphatases↗

The OhrR repressor senses organic hydroperoxides by reversible formation of a cysteine-sulfenic acid derivative.

Reactive oxygen species induce the expression of detoxification and repair genes critical for life in an aerobic environment. Bacterial factors that sense reactive oxygen species use either thiol-disulfide exchange reactions (OxyR, RsrA) or redox labile 2Fe-2S clusters (SoxR). We demonstrate that the reduced form of Bacillus subtilis OhrR binds cooperatively to two adjacent inverted repeat sequences in the ohrA control region and thereby represses transcription. In the presence of organic hydroperoxides, OhrR is inactivated by the reversible oxidation of a single conserved cysteine residue to the corresponding cysteine-sulfenic acid, and perhaps to higher oxidation states.

Bacillus subtilis↗

Immunoglobulin V/J recombination is accompanied by deletion of joining site and variable region segments.

A site-specific recombination event is responsible for the somatic activation of immunoglobulin genes and for generating a major share of immunoglobulin gene diversity. Although several possible mechanisms can be proposed to account for this process, recombinatio accompanied by deletion is a particularly attractive mechanism because it might utilize inverted repeat sequences noted on the 3' side of all variable regions and on the 5' side of all joining site segments thus far studied. Testing this model is complicated by the fact that antibody cells are at least diploid and gene segments on the inactive chromosome can obscure deletions occurring within the active gene. Accordingly, we have screened several immunoglobulin-producing plasmacytoma lines to select those in which both chromosomes are rearranged. By using appropriate cell lines and variable and joining region probes in in situ hybridization experiments, we show that recombination is accompanied by the deletion of both variable and joining region genes. These experiments also allow us to map the site of V/J recombination of several active immunoglobulin genes and suggest an order and orientation for variable, joining, and constant region sequences.

Animals↗

In vitro aggregation of the gene-sized DNA molecules of the ciliate Stylonychia mytilus.

Macronuclear DNA of hypotrichous ciliates exists in the form of gene-sized DNA molecules. It can be resolved on agarose gels into a continuum of sizes upon which is imposed a set of characteristic DNA bands. Most or all of the DNA molecules carry identical terminal inverted repeat sequences. By incubating macronuclear DNA under increasingly stronger ionic conditions, high molecular weight DNA aggregates and ring-like DNA structures are formed. Experimental evidence is presented that this aggregation is not due to the presence of identical single-stranded DNA ends on each macronuclear DNA fragment, and an alternative model for DNA aggregation is discussed.

Animals↗

Integration host factor is required for the DNA inversion that controls phase variation in Escherichia coli.

The on-and-off expression (phase variation) of type 1 fimbriae, encoded by fimA, in Escherichia coli is controlled by the inversion of a promoter-containing 314-base-pair DNA element. This element is flanked on each side by a 9-base-pair inverted, repeat sequence and requires closely linked genes for inversion. Homology analysis of the products of these genes, fimB and fimE, reveals a strong similarity with the proposed DNA binding domain of lambda integrase, which mediates site-specific recombination in the presence of integration host factor. Integration host factor, encoded by himA and hip/himD, binds to the sequence 5' TNYAANNNRTTGAT 3', where Y = pyrimidine and R = purine, in mediating integration-excision. In analyzing the DNA flanking the fim 314-base-pair inversion sequence, we found the adjacent sequence 5' TTTAACTTATTGAT 3', which corresponds perfectly with the consensus integration host factor binding site. To characterize the role of himA in phase variation, we transduced either a deletion of himA or an insertionally inactivated hip/himD gene into an E. coli strain with a fimA-lacZ operon fusion. We found the rate of phase variation decreases sharply from 10(-3) to less than 10(-5) per cell per generation. Southern hybridization analysis demonstrates that the himA mutation results in a failure of the switch-generated genetic rearrangement. When the transductant was transformed with a himA+ plasmid, normal switching returned. Thus integration host factor is required for normal type 1 fimbriae phase variation in E. coli.

Bacterial Adhesion↗

P nucleotide insertions and the resolution of hairpin DNA structures in mammalian cells.

Two lines of evidence point to a hairpin DNA intermediate in V(D)J joining (V, variable; D, diversity; J, joining) [Lieber, M.R. (1991) FASEB J. 4, 2934-2944]. One is the presence of P nucleotide insertions (short inverted-repeat sequence) in V(D)J junctions [Lafaille, J. J., DeCloux, A., Bonneville, M., Takagaki, Y. & Tonegawa, S. (1989) Cell 59, 859-870]; a second is the detection of site-specifically broken DNA molecules with covalently closed (hairpin) termini in thymus DNA [Roth, D. B., Menetski, J. P., Nakajima, P., Bosma, M. J. & Gellert, M. (1989) Cell 70, 983-991]. However, P nucleotide insertions could be generated in ways not involving a hairpin structure, and because physical evidence for hairpin-ended DNA fragments has been obtained only with mutant mice, there is some uncertainty regarding the role of hairpin molecules in the normal V(D)J joining pathway. To determine whether mammalian cells are capable of metabolizing this odd type of DNA terminus and whether, in doing so, junctions with P insertions are in fact created, a linear DNA molecule with a hairpin closure at each end was transfected into several murine cell lines. The hairpin-ended molecules were recircularized, and the junctions exhibited P insertions at a high frequency. This result directly links the presence of P insertions to a hairpin precursor, providing strong evidence for the notion that a hairpin DNA intermediate exists in V(D)J recombination. A comparison of hairpin end joining in various cells, including those derived from mice with the severe combined immunodeficiency (scid) mutation, is presented.

3T3 Cells↗

Molecular characterization of a mutable pigmentation phenotype and isolation of the first active transposable element from Sorghum bicolor.

Accumulation of red phlobaphene pigments in sorghum grain pericarp is under the control of the Y gene. A mutable allele of Y, designated as y-cs (y-candystripe), produces a variegated pericarp phenotype. Using probes from the maize p1 gene that cross-hybridize with the sorghum Y gene, we isolated the y-cs allele containing a large insertion element. Our results show that the Y gene is a member of the MYB-transcription factor family. The insertion element, named Candystripe1 (Cs1), is present in the second intron of the Y gene and shares features of the CACTA superfamily of transposons. Cs1 is 23,018 bp in size and is bordered by 20-bp terminal inverted repeat sequences. It generated a 3-bp target site duplication upon insertion within the Y gene and excised from y-cs, leaving a 2-bp footprint in two cases analyzed. Reinsertion of the excised copy of Cs1 was identified by Southern hybridization in the genome of each of seven red pericarp revertant lines tested. Cs1 is the first active transposable element isolated from sorghum. Our analysis suggests that Cs1-homologous sequences are present in low copy number in sorghum and other grasses, including sudangrass, maize, rice, teosinte, and sugarcane. The low copy number and high transposition frequency of Cs1 imply that this transposon could prove to be an efficient gene isolation tool in sorghum.

Amino Acid Sequence↗

Cooperative binding of NF-Y and Sp1 at the DNase I-hypersensitive site, fatty acid synthase insulin-responsive element 1, located at -500 in the rat fatty acid synthase promoter.

In vitro DNase I footprint analysis of the rat fatty acid synthase (FAS) promoter from -568 to -468 revealed four protein binding sites: A, B, and C boxes and the FAS insulin-responsive element 1 (FIRE1). As demonstrated by gel mobility shift analysis and supershift experiments, FIRE1, located between -516 and -498, is responsible for binding NF-Y. The C box located downstream of FIRE1 was shown by in vitro footprinting to be a Sp1 binding site, and furthermore, competition with Sp1 also abolished FIRE1 binding. Since the half-life of the Sp1.NF-Y.DNA complex is significantly longer than the half-lives of the Sp1.DNA or NF-Y.DNA complexes, the two transcription factors are deemed to bind cooperatively in the FAS promoter at -500. It is unusual that NF-Y binds at this distance from the start site of transcription. NF-Y binding sites are found in the promoters of at least three other FAS genes, viz. goose, chicken, and man. A second NF-Y binding site is located in the FAS promoter at the more usual position of -103 to -87, and it too has a neighboring Sp1 site. CTF/NF-1 competes for proteins binding to the B box. The A box binds Sp1 and contains a 12/13 match of the inverted repeat sequence responsible for binding the nuclear factor EF-C/RFX-1 in the enhancer regions of hepatitis B virus and the major histocompatibility complex class II antigen promoter. The same relative positions of NF-Y and Sp1 binding sites in the promoters of FAS genes of goose, rat, chicken, and man emphasize the involvement of these transcription factors in the diet and hormonal regulation of FAS.

Animals↗

Protein tightly bound near the termini of the Physarum extrachromosomal rDNA palindrome.

The genes coding for ribosomal RNa in plasmodia of Physarum polycephalum are arranged palindromically on extrachromosomal rDNA molecules of 61 kb (kilobasepairs). Incubation of mildly extracted rDNA with the 125I Bolton-Hunter reagent results in incorporation of label not removed by SDS, CsCl, or various organic solvents. Labeled protein is preferentially associated with terminal rDNA restriction fragments, as detected after gel electrophoresis of the DNA. Antibody reaction with dinitrophenylated protein-rDNA complexes allows visualization of protein located from 1 to 2 kb from the termini, in a region containing multiple inverted repeat sequences and single-strand gaps. DNase I treatment of either rDNA or rDNA termini releases primarily two labeled protein bands of 5,000 and 13,000 daltons as well as less prominent bands of higher molecular weight. We discuss mechanisms for involvement of terminal protein in replication of 3' ends and chromosomal integration of the rDNA.

Base Sequence↗

Transcriptional regulation of the mu-delta heavy chain locus in normal murine B lymphocytes.

The heavy chain genes for IgM (C mu) and IgD (C delta) are expressed differentially during B cell maturation and activation. We have determined the role that transcription plays in the regulation of these changes by using the method of in vitro nascent RNA chain elongation. In neonatal cells that express much lower densities of IgD than IgM on their surface, transcription of C delta is observed at half the level of C mu. This 3:1 transcriptional ratio of mu to delta is preserved in mature resting cells, which express higher densities of IgD on the surface than IgM. When activated by the mitogen, lipopolysaccharide (LPS), transcription of C mu is preferentially enhanced. However, C delta transcription is not shut off even though the expression of IgD in the stimulated cells is greatly decreased. In all three differentiative stages, polymerase unloading occurs in the vicinity of a large inverted repeat sequence, 5' to C delta and 3' to the mu membrane exons. This suggests that the developmental selection of secreted vs. membrane-bound carboxyl-terminal exons is controlled by RNA cleavage. The data presented here, together with our previous analysis of mRNA and protein synthesis, show that the differential expression of IgM and IgD in normal B lymphocytes is regulated at the transcriptional, translational, and posttranslation levels.

Animals↗

A rapid method for detection of putative RNAi target genes in genomic data.

RNAi, inhibition of gene expression by double stranded RNA molecules, has rapidly become a powerful laboratory technique to study gene function. The effectiveness of the procedure raised the question of whether this laboratory technique may actually mimic a natural cellular control mechanism that works on similar principles. Indeed recent evidence is accumulating to suggest that RNAi is a natural control mechanism that might even serve as a primitive immune response against RNA viruses and retroposons. Three different interference scenarios seem to be utilized by various RNAi mechanisms. One of the mechanisms involves degradation of mRNA molecules. Here we suggest a method to systematically scan entire genomes simultaneously for RNAi elements and the presence of cellular genes that are degraded by these RNAi elements via exact short base-pair matching. The method is based on scanning the genomes using a suffix tree data structure that was specifically modified to identify sets of combinations of repeated and inverted repeated sequences of 20 bp or more. Initial scan suggest that a large number, about 7% of C.elegans and 3% of C.briggsae genes, have the potential to be subject to natural RNAi control. Two methods are proposed to further analyze these genes to select the cases that are more likely to be actual cases of RNAi control. One method involves looking for ESTs that can provide direct evidence that RNAi control element are indeed expressed. The other method looks for synteny between C.elegans and C.briggsae assuming that genes that might be under RNAi control in both organisms are more likely to be biological significant. Taken together, supportive evidence was found for about 70 genes to be under RNAi control. Among these genes are: transposase, hormone receptors, homeobox proteins, defensin, actins, and several types of collagens. While our method is not capable of detecting all cases of natural RNAi control, it points to a large number of potential cases that can be further verified by experimental work.

Animals↗

Why is the initiation nick site of an AT-rich rolling circle plasmid at the tip of a GC-rich cruciform?

pT181 and other closely related rolling circle plasmids have the nicking site for initiation of replication between the arms of a GC-rich inverted repeat sequence adjacent to the binding site for the dimeric initiator protein. Replication is initiated by the initiator-induced extrusion of this sequence as a cruciform, creating a single-stranded region for nicking by the protein. Nicking is followed by assembly of the replisome without relaxation of the secondary structure. Following termination, the initiator protein is released with a short oligonucleotide attached to one subunit, which prevents it from being recycled, a necessary feature of the plasmid's replication control system. The modified initiator can cleave single-stranded substrates and can nick and relax supercoiled plasmid DNA weakly. Although it can bind to its recognition sequence in the leading strand origin, the modified protein cannot induce cruciform extrusion, and it is proposed that this inability is the key to understanding the biological rationale for having the nicking site at the tip of a cruciform: the need to provide the functional initiator with a catalytic advantage over the modified one sufficient to offset the numerical advantage and metabolic stability of the latter.

Bacterial Proteins↗