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PubMed2026

High quality genome assemblies of African cattle breeds using PacBio HiFi sequencing.

Africa has a uniquely rich cattle diversity of ~150 breeds comprising the Bos taurus indicus sub-species, Bos taurus taurus, and their crosses. These represent ~23% of the global cattle population. However, high quality, representative assemblies are limited for African cattle and especially for indicine breeds. Here we built high quality de novo assemblies for five important African indigenous cattle breeds using PacBio HiFi sequencing: Lagune (Bos taurus taurus), Gudali, Iringa Red and Singida White (Bos taurus indicus), and Mpwapwa (Bos taurus taurus x Bos taurus indicus). These new assemblies are the most contiguous and complete African cattle assemblies produced so far, with genome sizes of 3.25-3.36 Gb, contiguity N50s ranging from 83.59 Mb to 97.87 Mb and scaffold N50s from 100.30 Mb to 113.37 Mb. BUSCO genome completeness scores were also higher than 99.68%, indicative of highly contiguous assemblies. These improved and highly contiguous genome assemblies are consequently a valuable resource for future African and global livestock genomic studies.

Animals↗
PubMed2004

Host-guest assembly of ligand systems for metal ion complexation. Synergistic solvent extraction of copper(II) and silver(I) by 1,4,8,11-tetrabenzyl-1,4,8,11-tetraazacyclodecane in combination with carboxylic acids.

Host-guest formation between 1,4,8,11-tetrabenzyl-1,4,8,11-tetraazacyclodecane (1) and lipophilic organic carboxylic acids in chloroform has been investigated and the effect of such ligand assembly on the solvent extraction of copper(II) and silver(I) has been probed. NMR titration experiments in the absence of a metal ion confirm the formation of weak 1:1 and 1:2 (macrocycle:carboxylic acid) assemblies in CDCl(3) between 1 and palmitic (hexadecanoic) acid or 4-tert-butylbenzoic acid while difunctional salicylic acid showed a 1 [ratio] 2 interaction that is somewhat stronger. The interaction between the former two acids and the tetra-N-benzylated macrocycle is significantly less than that reported previously for its non-substituted parent, cyclam; a result that likely reflects the presence of the less-basic, more sterically hindered tertiary nitrogens in 1 relative to the secondary nitrogens present in cyclam. Carboxylic acid-containing assemblies of this type have been used as extractants in a series of solvent extraction (water/chloroform) experiments. From both previous observations as well as from entropy considerations, it was anticipated that the use of a host-guest assembly of the above type for metal-ion complexation might contribute to enhanced metal ion binding (and concomitant enhanced metal ion extraction). Such behaviour is postulated to arise from the components of the coordination sphere being, at least in part, assembled for complex formation. In accord with this, the use of the ligand assembly involving palmitic acid/macrocycle 1 was found to lead to enhanced (synergistic) extraction of copper(II) at a metal ion concentration of 10(-3) mol dm(-3) while, for silver(I), synergism was somewhat marginal at this concentration but was clearly apparent under related conditions when the silver concentration was reduced to 10(-4) mol dm(-3). Similar behaviour towards silver was also observed when 4-tert-butylbenzoic acid was substituted for palmitic acid, while the use of salicylic acid resulted in enhanced (synergistic) extraction at both metal ion concentrations.

Journal Article↗
PubMed2006

Addressing metal centres in supramolecular assemblies.

Supramolecular metal ion assemblies are deposited from their solutions onto highly orientated pyrolytic graphite (HOPG) substrates to be imaged by scanning tunnelling microscopy (STM). Since the structural and electronic information of STM measurements are strongly entangled, the spectroscopic interpretation and analysis of the images of such molecular assemblies has proven to be challenging. This tutorial review focuses on a general room temperature scanning tunnelling spectroscopy (STS) protocol, current induced tunnelling spectroscopy (CITS), applied to free-standing 1D and 2D arrangements of supramolecular metal ion assemblies rendering local tunnelling probabilities with submolecular resolution. The size of the investigated molecular assemblies was confirmed by comparison with X-ray crystallographic data, while the consistency of the spectroscopic investigations and of the determined positions of the metal ions within the assemblies was checked by DFT calculations. Due to the genuine level structure of coordinated metal centers, it was possible to map exclusively the position of the coordination bonds in supramolecular transition metal assemblies with submolecular spatial resolution using the CITS technique. CITS might thus constitute an important tool to achieve directed bottom-up construction and controlled manipulation of fully electronically functional, two-dimensional molecular designs.

Journal Article↗
PubMed2005

Resolving the energy paradox of chaperone/usher-mediated fibre assembly.

Periplasmic chaperone/usher machineries are used for assembly of filamentous adhesion organelles of Gram-negative pathogens in a process that has been suggested to be driven by folding energy. Structures of mutant chaperone-subunit complexes revealed a final folding transition (condensation of the subunit hydrophobic core) on the release of organelle subunit from the chaperone-subunit pre-assembly complex and incorporation into the final fibre structure. However, in view of the large interface between chaperone and subunit in the pre-assembly complex and the reported stability of this complex, it is difficult to understand how final folding could release sufficient energy to drive assembly. In the present paper, we show the X-ray structure for a native chaperone-fibre complex that, together with thermodynamic data, shows that the final folding step is indeed an essential component of the assembly process. We show that completion of the hydrophobic core and incorporation into the fibre results in an exceptionally stable module, whereas the chaperone-subunit pre-assembly complex is greatly destabilized by the high-energy conformation of the bound subunit. This difference in stabilities creates a free energy potential that drives fibre formation.

Bacterial Proteins↗
PubMed1985

The assembly of microtubule protein in vitro. The kinetic role in microtubule elongation of oligomeric fragments containing microtubule-associated proteins.

The kinetics of assembly were studied for bovine and pig microtubule protein in vitro over a range of conditions of pH, temperature, nucleotide and protein concentration. The kinetics are in general biphasic with two major processes of similar amplitude but separated in rate by one order of magnitude. Rates and amplitudes are complex functions of solution conditions. The rates of the fast phase and the slow phase attain limiting values as a function of increasing protein concentration, and are more stringently limited at pH 6.5 than pH 6.95. Such behaviour indicates that mechanisms other than the condensation polymerization of tubulin dimer become rate-limiting at higher protein concentration. The constancy of the wavelength-dependence of light-scattering and ultrastructural criteria indicate that microtubules of normal morphology are formed in both phases of the assembly process. Electrophoretic analysis of assembling microtubule protein shows that MAP- (microtubule-associated-protein-)rich microtubules are formed during the fast phase. The rate of dissociation of oligomeric species on dilution of microtubule protein closely parallels the fast-phase rate in magnitude and temperature-dependence. We propose that the rate of this process constitutes an upper limit to the rate of the fast phase of assembly. The kinetics of redistribution of MAPs from MAP-rich microtubules may be a factor limiting the slow-phase rate. A working model is derived for the self-assembly of microtubule protein incorporating the dissociation and redistribution mechanisms that impose upper limits to the rates of assembly attainable by bimolecular addition reactions. Key roles are assigned to MAP-containing fragments in both phases of microtubule elongation. Variations in kinetic behaviour with solution conditions are inferred to derive from the nature and properties of fragments formed from oligomeric species after the rapid temperature jump. The model accounts for the limiting rate behaviour and indicates experimental criteria to be applied in evaluating the relative contributions of alternative pathways.

Animals↗
PubMed2001

In vitro studies of amyloid beta-protein fibril assembly and toxicity provide clues to the aetiology of Flemish variant (Ala692-->Gly) Alzheimer's disease.

In a Flemish kindred, an Ala(692)-->Gly amino acid substitution in the amyloid beta-protein precursor (AbetaPP) causes a form of early-onset Alzheimer's disease (AD) which displays prominent amyloid angiopathy and unusually large senile plaque cores. The mechanistic basis of this Flemish form of AD is unknown. Previous in vitro studies of amyloid beta-protein (Abeta) production in HEK-293 cells transfected with cDNA encoding Flemish AbetaPP have shown that full-length [Abeta(1-40)] and truncated [Abeta(5-40) and Abeta(11-40)] forms of Abeta are produced. In an effort to determine how these peptides might contribute to the pathogenesis of the Flemish disease, comparative biophysical and neurotoxicity studies were performed on wild-type and Flemish Abeta(1-40), Abeta(5-40) and Abeta(11-40). The results revealed that the Flemish amino acid substitution increased the solubility of each form of peptide, decreased the rate of formation of thioflavin-T-positive assemblies, and increased the SDS-stability of peptide oligomers. Although the kinetics of peptide assembly were altered by the Ala(21)-->Gly substitution, all three Flemish variants formed fibrils, as did the wild-type peptides. Importantly, toxicity studies using cultured primary rat cortical cells showed that the Flemish assemblies were as potent a neurotoxin as were the wild-type assemblies. Our results are consistent with a pathogenetic process in which conformational changes in Abeta induced by the Ala(21)-->Gly substitution would facilitate peptide adherence to the vascular endothelium, creating nidi for amyloid growth. Increased peptide solubility and assembly stability would favour formation of larger deposits and inhibit their elimination. In addition, increased concentrations of neurotoxic assemblies would accelerate neuronal injury and death.

Alanine↗
PubMed2001

Assembly of desmosomal cadherins into desmosomes is isoform dependent.

Desmosomes are intercellular adhesive junctions that exhibit cell- and differentiation-specific differences in their molecular composition. In complex epithelia, desmosomes contain multiple representatives of the desmosomal cadherin family, which includes three desmogleins and three desmocollins. Rules governing the assembly of desmosomal cadherin isoforms into desmosomes of different cell types are unknown. Here we compared the assembly properties of desmoglein 2 (Dsg2) and desmocollin 2 (Dsc2), which are widely expressed, with Dsg1 and Dsc1, which are expressed in the differentiated layers of complex epithelia, by introducing myc-tagged forms into simple and squamous epithelial cells that do not express Dsg1 or Dsc1. Dsc2.myc and Dsg2.myc assembled efficiently into desmosomes in every cell type in spite of significant shifts in the stoichiometric relationship between desmogleins and desmocollins. In contrast, Dsc1a.myc, Dsc1b.myc, and Dsg1.myc did not stably incorporate into desmosomes in any line. Coexpression of Dsc1a.myc or Dsc1b.myc and Dsg1.myc did not lead to their colocalization and failed to enhance incorporation of either cadherin into desmosomes. Dsg1.myc, but not Dsc1a, Dsc1b, disrupted desmosome assembly in a cell-type-specific manner, and disruption correlated with the recruitment of Dsg1.myc, but not Dsc1a or Dsc1b, into a Triton-insoluble pool. The plakoglobin:E-cadherin ratio decreased in Dsg1-expressing cells with disrupted desmosomes, but a decrease was also observed in a Dsc1a line. Thus, a modest reduction of plakoglobin associated with E-cadherin is apparently not sufficient to disrupt desmosome assembly. Our results demonstrate that desmosome assembly tolerates large shifts in cadherin stoichiometry, but is sensitive to isoform-specific differences exhibited by desmogleins and desmocollins.

Animals↗
PubMed1998

Modulations in lipid A and phospholipid biosynthesis pathways influence outer membrane protein assembly in Escherichia coli K-12.

The assembly defect of a mutant outer membrane protein, OmpF315, can be corrected by suppressor mutations that lower lipopolysaccharide (LPS) levels and indirectly elevate phospholipid levels. One such assembly suppressor mutation, asmB1, is an allele of lpxC (envA) whose product catalyses the first rate-limiting step in the lipid A (LPS) biosynthesis pathway. Besides reducing LPS levels, asmB1 confers sensitivity to MacConkey medium. A mutation, sabA1, that reverses the MacConkey sensitivity phenotype of asmB1 maps within fabZ (whose product is needed for phospholipid synthesis from a precursor) is also required for lipid A synthesis. In addition to reversing MacConkey sensitivity, the sabA1 mutation reverses the OmpF315 assembly suppression phenotype of asmB1. These results show that OmpF315 assembly suppression by asmB1, which is achieved by lowering LPS levels, can be averted by a subsequent aberration in phospholipid synthesis at a point where the biosynthetic pathways for these two lipid molecules split. OmpF315 assembly suppression can also be achieved in an asmB+ background where FabZ expression is increased. The data obtained in this study provide genetic evidence that elevated phospholipid levels and/or phospholipid to LPS ratios are necessary for assembly suppression.

Bacterial Outer Membrane Proteins↗
PubMed2003

The DEAD-box RNA helicase SrmB is involved in the assembly of 50S ribosomal subunits in Escherichia coli.

Ribosome assembly in Escherichia coli involves 54 ribosomal proteins and three RNAs. Whereas functional subunits can be reconstituted in vitro from the isolated components, this process requires long incubation times and high temperatures compared with the in vivo situation, suggesting that non-ribosomal factors facilitate assembly in vivo. Here, we show that SrmB, a putative DEAD-box RNA helicase, is involved in ribosome assembly. The deletion of the srmB gene causes a slow-growth phenotype at low temperature. Polysome profile analyses of the corresponding cells reveal a deficit in free 50S ribosomal subunits and the accumulation of a new particle sedimenting around 40S. Analysis of the ribosomal RNA and protein contents of the 40S particle indicates that it represents a large subunit that is incompletely assembled. In particular, it lacks L13, one of the five ribosomal proteins that are essential for the early assembly step in vitro. Sucrose gradient fractionation also shows that, in wild-type cells, SrmB associates with a pre50S particle. From our results, we propose that SrmB is involved in an early step of 50S assembly that is necessary for the binding of L13. This step may consist of a structural rearrangement that, at low temperature, cannot occur without the assistance of this putative RNA helicase.

Centrifugation, Density Gradient↗
PubMed2000

The assembly pathway of outer membrane protein PhoE of Escherichia coli.

The assembly of the wild-type and several mutant forms of the trimeric outer membrane porin PhoE of Escherichia coli was investigated in vitro and in vivo. In in vivo pulse-chase experiments, approximately half of the wild-type PhoE molecules assembled within the 30-s pulse in the native conformation in the cell envelope. The other half of the molecules followed slower kinetics, and three intermediates in this multistep assembly process were detected: a soluble trypsin-sensitive monomer, a trypsin-sensitive monomeric form that was loosely associated with the cell envelope and a metastable trimer, which was integrated into the membranes and converted to the stable trimeric configuration within minutes. The metastable trimers disassembled during sample preparation for standard SDS/PAGE into folded monomers. In vitro, the isolated PhoE protein could efficiently be folded in the presence of N,N-dimethyldodecylamine-N-oxide (LDAO). A mutant PhoE protein, DeltaF330, which lacks the C-terminal phenylalanine residue, mainly followed the slower kinetic pathway observed in vivo, resulting in increased amounts of the various assembly intermediates. It appears that the DeltaF330 mutant protein is intrinsically able to fold, because it was able to fold in vitro with LDAO with similar efficiencies as the wild-type protein. Therefore, we propose that the conserved C-terminal Phe is (part of) a sorting signal, directing the protein efficiently to the outer membrane. Furthermore, we analysed a mutant protein with a hydrophilic residue introduced at the hydrophobic side of one of the membrane-spanning amphipathic beta strands. The assembly of this mutant protein was not affected in vivo or in vitro in the presence of LDAO. However, it was not able to form folded monomers in a previously established in vitro folding system, which requires the presence of lipopolysaccharides and Triton. Hence, a folded monomer might not be a true assembly intermediate of PhoE in vivo.

Biochemistry↗
PubMed2001

Assembly of cytochrome f into the cytochrome bf complex in isolated pea chloroplasts.

Structural features of cytochrome f necessary for assembly into the cytochrome bf complex were examined in isolated pea chloroplasts following import of (35)S-labelled chimeric precursor proteins, consisting of the presequence of the small subunit of Rubisco fused to the turnip cytochrome f precursor. Assembly was detected by nondenaturing gel electrophoresis of dodecyl maltoside-solubilized thylakoid membranes. A cytochrome f polypeptide unable to bind haem because of mutagenesis of Cys21 and Cys24 to alanine residues was assembled into the complex and had similar stability to the wild-type polypeptide. This indicates that covalent haem binding to cytochrome f is not necessary for assembly of the protein into the cytochrome bf complex. A truncated protein lacking the C-terminal 33 amino acid residues, including the transmembrane span and the stroma-exposed region, was translocated across the thylakoid membrane, had a similar stability to wild-type cytochrome f but was not assembled into the complex. This indicates that the C-terminal region of cytochrome f is important for assembly into the complex. A mutant cytochrome f unable to bind haem and lacking the C-terminal region was also translocated across the thylakoid membrane but was extremely labile, indicating that, in the absence of the C-terminal membrane anchor, haem-less cytochrome f is recognized by a thylakoid proteolytic system.

Alanine↗
PubMed2004

Higher-order assembly of microtubules by counterions: from hexagonal bundles to living necklaces.

Cellular factors tightly regulate the architecture of bundles of filamentous cytoskeletal proteins, giving rise to assemblies with distinct morphologies and physical properties, and a similar control of the supramolecular organization of nanotubes and nanorods in synthetic materials is highly desirable. However, it is unknown what principles determine how macromolecular interactions lead to assemblies with defined morphologies. In particular, electrostatic interactions between highly charged polyelectrolytes, which are ubiquitous in biological and synthetic self-assembled structures, are poorly understood. We have used a model system consisting of microtubules (MTs) and multivalent cations to examine how microscopic interactions can give rise to distinct bundle phases in biological polyelectrolytes. The structure of these supramolecular assemblies was elucidated on length scales from subnanometer to micrometer with synchrotron x-ray diffraction, transmission electron microscopy, and differential interference contrast microscopy. Tightly packed hexagonal bundles with controllable diameters were observed for large trivalent, tetravalent, and pentavalent counterions. Unexpectedly, in the presence of small divalent cations, we have discovered a living necklace bundle phase, comprised of 2D dynamic assemblies of MTs with linear, branched, and loop topologies. This new bundle phase is an experimental example of nematic membranes. The morphologically distinct MT assemblies give insight into general features of bundle formation and may be used as templates for miniaturized materials with applications in nanotechnology and biotechnology.

Animals↗
PubMed2005

Fractal intermediates in the self-assembly of silicatein filaments.

Silicateins are proteins with catalytic, structure-directing activity that are responsible for silica biosynthesis in certain sponges; they are the constituents of macroscopic protein filaments that are found occluded within the silica needles made by Tethya aurantia. Self-assembly of the silicatein monomers and oligomers is shown to form fibrous structures by a mechanism that is fundamentally different from any previously described filament-assembly process. This assembly proceeds through the formation of diffusion-limited, fractally patterned aggregates on the path to filament formation. The driving force for this self-assembly is suggested to be entropic, mediated by the interaction of hydrophobic patches on the surfaces of the silicatein subunits that are not found on highly homologous congeners that do not form filaments. Our results are consistent with a model in which silicatein monomers associate into oligomers that are stabilized by intermolecular disulfide bonds. These oligomeric units assemble into a fractal network that subsequently condenses and organizes into a filamentous structure. These results represent a potentially general mechanism for protein fiber self-assembly.

Animals↗
PubMed2005

Functions and dysfunctions of the nuclear lamin Ig-fold domain in nuclear assembly, growth, and Emery-Dreifuss muscular dystrophy.

The non-alpha-helical C terminus of Xenopus lamin B3 (LB3T) inhibits the polymerization of lamin B3 in vitro and prevents the assembly of nuclei in Xenopus egg interphase extracts. To more precisely define the functions of LB3T in nuclear assembly, we have expressed subdomains of LB3T and determined their effects on nuclear assembly in Xenopus extracts. The results demonstrate that the Ig-fold motif (LB3T-Ig) is sufficient to inhibit lamin polymerization in vitro. Addition of the LB3T-Ig to egg extracts before the introduction of chromatin prevents chromatin decondensation and the assembly of the lamina, membranes, and pore complexes comprising the nuclear envelope. When added to assembled nuclei, LB3T-Ig prevents the further incorporation of lamin B3 into the endogenous lamina and blocks nuclear growth. The introduction of a point mutation in LB3T-Ig (R454W; LB3T-IgRW), known to cause Emery-Dreifuss muscular dystrophy when present in lamin A, does not inhibit lamin polymerization, chromatin decondensation, or nuclear assembly and growth. These results shed light on the specific alterations in lamin functions attributable to a known muscular dystrophy mutation and provide an experimental framework for revealing the effects of other mutations causing a wide range of laminopathies.

Animals↗
PubMed2002

Control of biochemical reactions through supramolecular RING domain self-assembly.

RING domains act in a variety of unrelated biochemical reactions, with many of these domains forming key parts of supramolecular assemblies in cells. Here, we observe that purified RINGs from a variety of functionally unrelated proteins, including promyelocytic leukemia protein, KAP-1TIF1beta, Z, Mel18, breast cancer susceptibility gene product 1 (BRCA1), and BRCA1-associated RING domain (BARD1), self-assemble into supramolecular structures in vitro that resemble those they form in cells. RING bodies form polyvalent binding surfaces and scaffold multiple partner proteins. Separation of RING bodies from monomers reveals that self-assembly controls and amplifies their specific activities in two unrelated biochemistries: reduction of 5' mRNA cap affinity of eIF4E by promyelocytic leukemia protein and Z, and E3 ubiquitin conjugation activity of BARD1:BRCA1. Functional significance of self-assembly is underscored by partial restoration of assembly and E3 activity of cancer predisposing BRCA1 mutant by forced oligomerization. RING self-assembly creates bodies that act structurally as polyvalent scaffolds, thermodynamically by amplifying activities of partner proteins, and catalytically by spatiotemporal coupling of enzymatic reactions. These studies reveal a general paradigm of how supramolecular structures may function in cells.

Animals↗
PubMed2026

Multidomain interaction governs the filamentous assembly of the dominant-negative DNMT3A R882H mutant.

DNA methyltransferase DNMT3A-mediated de novo DNA methylation is important for proper regulation of gene expression and genomic stability in development. The DNMT3A R882H (DNMT3AR882H) mutation, a hot-spot mutation in acute myeloid leukemia and developmental disorders, exerts a dominant-negative effect in DNMT3A-mediated DNA methylation through promoting high-order protein assembly. However, due to the lack of structural knowledge on DNMT3A homo-oligomers, the mechanism behind wild-type DNMT3A (DNMT3AWT) and DNMT3AR882H polymerization remains unclear. Here, we report the single-particle cryo-EM structures of homo-oligomeric DNMT3AWT and filamentous DNMT3AR882H, revealing the role of the regulatory Pro-Trp-Trp-Pro (PWWP) and ATRX-DNMT3-DNMT3L (ADD) domains of DNMT3A in their dynamic assembly. While the oligomeric assembly of DNMT3A is mainly driven by the well-characterized oligomer interfaces in the methyltransferase domain, the autoinhibitory interaction of the PWWP and ADD domains in DNMT3A places them in a position for intermolecular contact, thereby contributing to the filamentous assembly of DNMT3AR882H. Disrupting the autoinhibitory interaction facilitates the transition of DNMT3AR882H polymer toward the low-order oligomeric assembly, reinforcing the aggregation-attenuation effect of the previously characterized oligomer-interface mutation R676K. Together, this study uncovers a multidomain cooperated assembly mechanism for DNMT3A, with important implication in development of effective therapeutic strategies against DNMT3AR882H-associated diseases.

DNA (Cytosine-5-)-Methyltransferases↗
PubMed1977

Membrane-associated assembly of M13 phage in extracts of virus-infected Escherichia coli.

Assembly of coliphage M13 is known to occur as the viral DNA crosses the cytoplasmic membrane, shedding its virus-coded DNA unwinding protein and acquiring from the membrane approximately 2400 copies of the major coat protein. Conditions are described in which extracts of M13-infected E. coli and membranes prepared from such extracts will support virus assembly at a rate equivalent to that of intact cells. Extracts prepared from cells infected with temperature-sensitive M13 mutants in genes 1, 3, 4, or 5 are temperature-sensitive in this cell-free assembly reaction. Phage assembly in vitro requires magnesium and as yet an unidentified heat-stable cofactor of low molecular weight. The rate of virus assembly is approximately linear with respect to extract concentration over a 10(4)-fold range, consistent with the observation that the entire M13 assembly activity copurifies with the cell membrane fraction.

Cell Membrane↗
PubMed1977

Role of surface modulating assemblies in growth control of normal and transformed fibroblasts.

Cellular microtubules, microfilaments, and surface receptors have been postulated to form a surface modulating assembly that regulates surface receptor mobility and cell growth. To test this hypothesis, we examined three agents known to affect cell growth [colchicine, concanavalin A (Con A), and the src gene product of Rous sarcoma virus] for their effects on chick embryo fibroblasts. Individual cells from serum-starved normal fibroblast populations became committed to enter S phase at various times over a 12 hr period after exposure to serum. Colchicine and other microtubule-disrupting agents blocked entry into S phase at a point close to the commitment point for each cell. The lectin Con A also blocked entry into the S phase when present in doses sufficient to modulate surface receptor mobility. In contrast, succinyl-Con A, which does not induce surface modulation, had no effect. Both Con A and colchicine blocked the appearance of cytoplasmic factors capable of stimulating DNA replication in a cell-free system. To study endogenous effects on the surface modulating assembly, we infected fibroblasts with a Rous sarcoma virus (tsNY68) having a temperature-sensitive mutation in the transforming (src) gene. We have previously shown that microtubular and microfilamentous structures of the surface modulating assembly are direct or indirect targets of the src gene product with consequent reduction in the capacity of Con A to induce surface modulation. TsNY68-infected fibroblasts shifted to the non-permissive temperature acquired normal microtubular morphology more rapidly (2 hr) than cells grown at the permissive temperature in the presence of protein synthesis inhibitors (7.5 hr). This suggests that the src gene product acts directly on the surface modulating assembly rather than via the nucleus or at the level of protein synthesis. Furthermore, "transformation" of the surface modulating assembly was partly blocked by treatment of the infected cells with Con A but not succinyl-Con A. Both Con A and colchicine inhibited entry into the S phase following a shift from nonpermissive to permissive growth conditions. All of these observations are in accord with the hypothesis that the surface modulating assembly acts as a signal regulator in growth control.

Animals↗