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Acute intermittent porphyria: expression of mutant and wild-type porphobilinogen deaminase in COS-1 cells.

BACKGROUND: Acute intermittent porphyria (AIP) is an autosomal dominant disorder that results from the partial deficiency of porphobilinogen deaminase (PBGD) in the heme biosynthetic pathway. Patients with AIP can experience acute attacks consisting of abdominal pain and various neuropsychiatric symptoms. Although molecular biological studies on the porphobilinogen deaminase (PBGD) gene have revealed several mutations responsible for AIP, the properties of mutant PBGD in eukaryotic expression systems have not been studied previously. MATERIALS AND METHODS: Seven mutations were analyzed using transient expression of the mutated polypeptides in COS-1 cells. The properties of mutated polypeptides were studied by enzyme activity measurement, Western blot analysis, pulse-chase experiments, and immunofluorescence staining. RESULTS: Of the mutants studied, R26C, R167W, R173W, R173Q, and R225X resulted in a decreased enzyme activity (0-5%), but R225G and 1073delA (elongated protein) displayed a significant residual activity of 16% and 50%, respectively. In Western blot analysis, the polyclonal PBGD antibody detected all mutant polypeptides except R225X, which was predicted to result in a truncated protein. In the pulse-chase experiment, the mutant polypeptides were as stable as the wild-type enzyme. In the immunofluorescence staining both wild-type and mutant polypeptides were diffusely dispersed in the cytoplasm and, thus, no accumulation of mutated proteins in the cellular compartments could be observed. CONCLUSIONS: The results confirm the causality of mutations for the half normal enzyme activity measured in the patients' erythrocytes. In contrast to the decreased enzyme activity, the majority of the mutations produced a detectable polypeptide, and the stability and the intracellular processing of the mutated polypeptides were both comparable to that of the wild-type PBGD and independent of the cross-reacting immunological material (CRIM) class.

Amino Acid Substitution↗

Increased immunogen valency improves the maturation of vaccine-elicited HIV-1 VRC01-like antibodies.

Antibodies belonging to the VRC01-class display broad and potent neutralizing activities and have been isolated from several people living with HIV (PLWH). A member of that class, monoclonal antibody VRC01, was shown to reduce HIV-acquisition in two phase 2b efficacy trials. VRC01-class antibodies are therefore expected to be one component of an effective HIV-1 vaccine elicited response. In contrast to the VRC01-class antibodies that are highly mutated, their unmutated forms do not engage HIV-1 envelope (Env) and do not display neutralizing activities. Hence, specifically modified Env-derived proteins have been designed to engage the unmutated forms of VRC01-class antibodies, and to activate the corresponding naïve B cells. Selected heterologous Env must then be used as boost immunogens to guide the proper maturation of these elicited VRC01-class antibodies. Here we examined whether and how the valency of the prime and boost immunogens influences VRC01-class antibody-maturation. Our findings indicate that, indeed the valency of the immunogen affects the maturation of elicited antibody responses by preferentially selecting VRC01-like antibodies that have accumulated somatic mutations present in broadly neutralizing VRC01-class antibodies isolated from PLWH. As a result, antibodies isolated from animals immunized with the higher valency immunogens display broader Env cross-binding properties and improved neutralizing potentials than those isolated from animals immunized with the lower valency immunogens. Our results are relevant to current and upcoming phase 1 clinical trials that evaluate the ability of novel immunogens aiming to elicit cross-reactive VRC01-class antibody responses.

AIDS Vaccines↗

Distribution of TP53 mutations among acute leukemias with MLL rearrangements.

Acute leukemias carrying MLL rearrangements are characterized by a high degree of clinical and immunologic heterogeneity, as demonstrated by variability in their immunophenotype, consistent with lymphoid or myeloid/monoblastic derivation, as well as their occurrence in distinct age groups from infancy to adulthood. Recently, it was shown that inactivation of the TP53 tumor suppressor gene occurs frequently in cases of acute lymphoblastic leukemia carrying MLL rearrangements. In order to assess the extent of TP53 inactivation throughout the immunophenotypic and clinical spectrum of MLL+ acute leukemias, we tested for TP53 mutations 29 cases of MLL+ acute leukemias displaying lymphoid (13 cases) or myeloid/monoblastic (16 cases) features and belonging to different age groups. Mutations were detected in 6/16 myeloid/monoblastic cases and in 3/13 lymphoid cases. Among myeloid/monoblastic leukemias, the TP53 mutations occurred in 3/4 infants, but only in 3/16 cases in other age groups. Overall, our data suggest that (1) TP53 inactivation is a relatively common event in leukemias with MLL rearrangements irrespective of the leukemic phenotype and of the patients' age; (2) at least two genetic lesions (i.e., MLL rearrangement and TP53 mutation) have accumulated in the short time (few weeks after the birth or conception of the child) corresponding to the development of acute leukemias of infancy.

Acute Disease↗

High conservation of the differentially amplified MPA2 satellite DNA family in parthenogenetic root-knot nematodes.

Sequence variability and distribution of a newly characterized MPA2 satellite DNA family are described in five root-knot nematode species of the genus Meloidogyne, the mitotic parthenogens M. paranaensis, M. incognita, M. arenaria and M. javanica, and the meiotic/mitotic M. hapla (isolates A and B, respectively). The lack of distinctive mutations and the considerable contribution (40.8%) of ancestral changes disclose an ancient satellite DNA which existed in the common ancestor of extant parthenogenetic species in the same or similar form and remained preserved for a period of at least 43 My. Nonuniformly distributed polymorphic sites along the satellite monomer suggest differences in constraints acting on particular sequence segments. Sequence diversity is clearly unaffected by significant differences in genomic abundance of the MPA2 satellite DNA in the examined species. Observed results suggest that the dynamics of this satellite DNA family might be in the first instance a consequence of characteristics of its nucleotide sequence and possible constraints imposed on it. Under conditions of mitotic and meiotic parthenogenesis, slow accumulation of mutations and slow replacement of old MPA2 sequence variants with new ones may be equivalent to the dynamics of some satellite DNA sequences conserved for extremely long evolutionary periods in sexual species.

Animals↗

Spontaneous mutation rates at enzyme loci in Drosophila melanogaster.

In a marked-inversion-balanced lethal system mutations were accumulated at a minimum pressure of natural selection on 2000 second chromosomes of Drosophila melanogaster that originated from 4 stem chromosomes. Five enzyme loci were tested: alpha-glycerol-3-phosphate dehydrogenase (EC 1.1.1.8), malate dehydrogenase (Mdh, EC 1.1.1.37), alcohol dehydrogenase (EC 1.1.1.1), hexokinase-C (Hex-C tentative name), and alpha-amylase (Amy, EC 3.2.1.1). Three band-morph mutants, one at the Mdh locus, one at the Hex-C locus, and one at the Amy locus, were detected out of 1,658,308 allele replications. In addition, 17 null mutants were found. Accepting that the number of structural genes is the same as that of bands in the salivary gland chromosomes, the total mutation rate per generation for all the structural genes in the second chromosomes is estimated to be 0.008-0.040, which is much smaller than that estimated for viability polygenes (0.12-0.17). Thus, it is speculated that most viability and other fitness polygenes are located in controlling regions outside the structural genes.

Alcohol Oxidoreductases↗

TabBO: a model reflecting common molecular features of androgen-independent prostate cancer.

We established two human prostate cancer cell lines, MDA PCa 2a and MDA PCa 2b, the TabBO model system, that reflect common features of human androgen-independent prostate cancer that are not present in other model systems: bone origin, prostate-specific antigen production, androgen receptor expression, and androgen sensitivity. We therefore hypothesized that molecular pathways in our model system reflect common alterations responsible for the progression of a subset of human prostate cancer. Progression to androgen independence has been hypothesized to be largely associated with impairment of the regulation of cell growth or apoptosis of prostate cancer cells. Therefore, in this study, we examined molecular markers known or suspected to be important in prostate cancer progression and key regulators of cell growth and apoptosis: p53, p21WAF1/CIP1, Bcl-2, Bax, retinoblastoma (Rb), and p16INK4A/MITS1. We analyzed the expression of these markers in the cell lines, their tumor of origin, and tumors derived from the cell lines by s.c. inoculation into nude mice. DNA sequencing of the entire open reading frames of the p53 and p21 genes revealed no mutations. Additionally, accumulation of the p53 protein was not found by Western blot analysis, nor was overexpression of the Bcl-2 oncoprotein detected. Bax expression was detected in MDA PCa 2a cells, whereas it was absent in MDA PCa 2b. Rb and p16 protein expression was normal as measured by both Western blot and immunochemical analyses. Immunohistochemical studies of p53, p21, Bcl-2, and Rb in both samples from the original human cancer from which the lines were derived and mouse xenografts derived from the lines revealed similar levels of protein. These results are consistent with reports indicating that 40-50% of bone metastases of prostate cancer have wild-type p53, 50-70% do not overexpress the Bcl-2 protein, and mutations in the p21 gene are rare. Therefore, we conclude that MDA PCa 2a and MDA PCa 2b reflect molecular pathways in a common subset of human androgen-independent prostate cancer and that important molecular players in apoptosis (namely, p53 and Bcl-2) seem to be intact in this subset of androgen-independent prostate cancer. Understanding the signal-transduction pathways operating in these cell lines may help to identify therapeutic targets for prostate cancer.

Androgens↗

The effects of spontaneous mutation on quantitative traits. II. Dominance of mutations with effects on life-history traits.

We studied the dominance of the effects of chromosomes carrying unselected mutations on five life-history traits in Drosophila melanogaster. Mutations were accumulated on the second chromosome for 44 generations in the absence of natural selection. Traits studied were female fecundity early and late in adult life, male mating ability, and male and female longevity. Homozygous effects were estimated for 50 mutant lines, and heterozygous effects were estimated by crossing these lines in a partial diallel scheme. Direct estimates of dominance showed that the effects of mutants are at least partially recessive. Heterozygotes had higher trait means than homozygotes in all five cases, and these differences were significant for late fecundity and female longevity. For all traits, genetic variance was larger among homozygous crosses than among heterozygous crosses. These results are consistent with those of many other studies that suggest that both unselected mutations and those found segregating in natural populations are partially recessive.

Animals↗

RNA polymerase modulators and DNA repair activities resolve conflicts between DNA replication and transcription.

Organisms rely on close interplay between DNA replication, recombination, and repair to secure transmission of the genome. In rapidly dividing cells, there is also great pressure for transcription, which may induce conflict with replication. We investigated the potential for conflict in bacterial cells, where there is no temporal separation of these processes. Eliminating the stringent response regulators ppGpp and DksA or the GreA and Mfd proteins, which revive or dislodge stalled transcription complexes, and especially combinations of these factors, is shown to severely reduce viability when DNA repair is also compromised. Both ppGpp and certain RNA polymerase (RNAP) mutations reduce accumulation of backed-up arrays of stalled transcription complexes. We propose these arrays are formidable obstacles to replication that are normally kept in check in wild-type cells by ppGpp, DksA, GreA, and Mfd. When arrays do obstruct replication, the consequences are resolved by one of the many pathways available to rescue stalled forks.

DNA Repair↗

Structural instability caused by a mutation at a conserved arginine in the alpha-crystallin domain of Chinese hamster heat shock protein 27.

Mutations in the alpha-crystallin domain of 4 of the small heat shock proteins (sHsp) (Hsp27/HspB1, alphaA-crystallin/ HspB4, alphaB-crystallin/HspB5, and HspB8) are responsible for dominant inherited diseases in humans. One such mutation at a highly conserved arginine residue was shown to cause major conformational defects and intracellular aggregation of alphaA- and alphaB-crystallins and HspB8. Here, we studied the effect of this Arg mutation on the structure and function of Hsp27. Chinese hamster Hsp27 with Arg148 replaced by Gly (Hsp27R148G) formed dimers in vitro and in vivo, which contrasted with the 12- or 24-subunit oligomers formed by the wild-type protein (Hsp27WT). Despite these alterations, Hsp27R148G had a chaperone activity almost as high as Hsp27WT. The dimers of Hsp27R148G did not further deoligomerize on phosphorylation and like the dimers formed by phosphorylated Hsp27WT were not affected by the deletion of the N-terminal WD/EPF (single letter amino acid code) motif, suggesting that mutation of Arg148, deletion of the N-terminal WD/EPF motif, and phosphorylation of Ser90 may produce similar structural perturbations. Nevertheless, the structure of Hsp27R148G appeared unstable, and the mutated protein accumulated as aggregates in many cells. Both a lower basal level of phosphorylation of Hsp27R148G and the coexpression of Hsp27WT could reduce the frequency of formation of these aggregates, suggesting possible mechanisms regulating the onset of the sHsp-mediated inherited diseases.

Amino Acid Sequence↗

Mutagenicity of 1,3-butadiene at the Hprt locus of T-lymphocytes following inhalation exposures of female mice and rats.

The species specific response to 1,3-butadiene (BD), an important industrial chemical, was investigated by determining the influence of exposure duration and exposure concentration on the mutagenicity of BD in mice and rats and by defining the spectra of mutations in the Hprt gene T-cell mutants from control and BD-exposed mice. Female B6C3F1 mice and F344 rats (4-5 weeks old) were exposed by inhalation to 0, 20, 62.5, or 625 ppm of BD for up to 4 weeks (6 h/day, 5 days/week). Groups of control and exposed animals (n=4-12/group) were necropsied at multiple time points after exposure and the T-cell cloning assay was used to measure Hprt mutant frequencies in lymphocytes isolated from spleen. Mutant clones collected from control and BD-exposed mice were propagated and analyzed by RT-PCR to produce Hprt cDNA for sequencing. In animals necropsied 4 weeks after 2 or 4 weeks of BD exposure (0 or 625 ppm), the rate of accumulation of mutations was greater in mice than in rats. Supra-linear dose-response curves were observed in BD-exposed mice, indicating a higher efficiency of mutant induction at lower concentrations of BD. The mutagenic potency estimates (represented by the differences in the areas under the mutant T-cell 'manifestation' curves of treated vs. control animals) in mice were 11 and 61 following 4 weeks of exposures to 62.5 and 625 ppm of BD, respectively, while mutant frequencies (Mfs) in rats were significantly increased only at 625 ppm BD (mutagenic potency of 7). Molecular analysis of Hprt cDNA from expanded T-cell clones from control and BD-exposed mice demonstrated an increased frequency of mutants in exposed animals that likely contain large deletions in the Hprt gene (P=0.016). These data indicate that both exposure duration and exposure concentration are important in determining the magnitude of mutagenic response to BD, and that mutagenic and carcinogenic properties of BD in mice may be related more to the ability of its metabolites to cause chromosomal deletions than to produce point mutations.

Administration, Inhalation↗

On the parental origin of de novo mutation in man.

Studies tracing parental origins of human mutations by means of cytogenetic polymorphisms and RFLPs show that most trisomics arise out of maternal errors of segregation at the first meiotic division in oocytes. Temporal disturbance of meiotic progression seems likely to underly aneuploidy production in the female mouse, and this could equally be true in women, most especially as they approach the menopause when irregular cyclicity sets in. For human monosomy X, a high proportion of cases show loss of the paternal sex chromosome, and from experimental data giving similar findings in the mouse, it seems likely that the error could arise at the pronuclear stage after sperm entry into the egg, rather than at meiosis in the male. For human point mutations and structural rearrangements, a bias exists towards paternal origins. Errors arising during spermatogonial proliferation in men could contribute point mutations, these accumulating over a lifetime to give paternal age effects. For structural rearrangements, the hypersensitive stage is likely to be the post-meiotic differentiating spermatid, a stage not subject to germinal selection, and one which in Drosophila has been shown to combine high breakability with enhanced repair. Lack of a comparable cell type to the condensing spermatid of the male might be a reason why balanced structural rearrangements are produced rather rarely in females, at least in the mouse.

Animals↗

Spontaneous second-chromosome recessive lethals in a Drosophila melanogaster repair-deficient (mei-9a) mutant.

The frequency of spontaneous second-chromosome recessive lethal mutations was determined in a Drosophila melanogaster strain kept homozygous for the X-linked mei-9 mutant for 50 generations. The data show that the rate of lethals of independent origin is 9 times higher and that of semilethals 4 times higher than the control values. The mei-9 mutant, originally isolated on the ground of its abnormal behaviour during meiosis, was later found to be defective in excision repair in somatic cells and to yield, after exposure to different physical and chemical agents, higher frequencies of genetic damage than mei-9+ flies. Our results are taken as evidence that the normal functioning of the mei-9 locus plays an important role in the repair of spontaneous lesions in the second chromosome and give support to positive findings in the X chromosome. Monitoring the accumulation of mutations in an experimental population could be a useful methodological approach to detect slight, though relevant, genetic damage induced by long-term exposure to environmental mutagens, whose detection is beyond the resolving power of conventional tests in Drosophila.

Animals↗

Normal human oral keratinocytes demonstrate abnormal DNA end joining activity during replicative senescence.

Repair of DNA double-strand breaks (DSBs) is critical for the maintenance of cellular genetic integrity. DSBs are repaired by cellular end joining activity, which could proceed with varying degrees of accuracy. Abnormal end joining may lead to an accumulation of mutations and contribute to genetic instability and cellular aging. In the present study, we compared the efficiency and accuracy of end joining activities in exponentially replicating and senescing normal human oral keratinocytes (NHOK). We developed an in vitro end joining assay utilizing a plasmid linearized with a unique EcoR I or EcoR V restriction site. The efficiency of end joining was determined by PCR with primers that could amplify the fragment containing the end joining site. The accuracy of end joining was assessed by determining whether the original EcoR I site was restored after end joining. Both replicating and senescing cultures of NHOK yielded a similar level of end joining efficiency, which was noted by the similar intensity of PCR amplification. However, the frequency of end joining errors was significantly elevated in NHOK during replicative senescence. Senescing NHOK could thus accumulate abnormal end joining products, which might contribute to cellular aging and cancer.

Cells, Cultured↗

Cell cycle control related proteins (p53, p21, and Rb) and transforming growth factor beta (TGFbeta) in benign and carcinomatous (in situ and infiltrating) human breast: implications in malignant transformations.

A comparative study of the products of the cell cycle control genes p53 (mutated form), p21, Rb (nonphosphorylated and phosphorylated form) and TGFbeta was performed by immunohistochemistry and Western blot, in benign breast disorders and breast cancer (in situ and infiltrating tumors). For the five proteins studied, the relative numbers of positively stained cells were higher in in situ carcinoma than in benign breast diseases. In infiltrating breast tumors, the relative numbers of positively stained cells were even higher than in in situ tumors except for the percentage of pRb immunostained cells, which decreased slightly in infiltrative tumors. For the other four proteins, the percentages of positively stained cases were similar to those found in in situ tumors. In the three groups of patients, TGFbeta immunoreaction appeared in the cytoplasm while immunoreactions to p53, p21, Rb, and pRb were found always in the nucleus except for p21 in in situ tumors, which showed cytoplasmic immunoreaction. Present results suggest that accumulation of mutated p53, cytoplasmic p21, and pRb in breast gland epithelium might be a crucial point in the development of in situ adenocarcinoma. In the infiltrating tumors, the expression of p21 in the nuclei and the decrease in pRb expression suggest an insufficient attempt to hinder cell proliferation.

Adult↗

Fixation of mutations at the VP1 gene of foot-and-mouth disease virus. Can quasispecies define a transient molecular clock?

The number of nucleotide (nt) substitutions found in the VP1 gene (encoding viral capsid protein) between any two of 16 closely related isolates of foot-and-mouth disease virus (FMDV) has been quantified as a function of the time interval between isolations [Villaverde et al., J. Mol. Biol. 204 (1988) 771-776]. One of them (isolate C-S12) includes some replacements found in isolates that preceded it and other replacements found in later isolates. The study has revealed alternating periods of rapid evolution and of relative genetic stability of VP1. During a defined period of acute disease, the rate of fixation of replacements at the VP1 coding segment was 6 x 10(-3) substitutions per nt per year. Only small differences in the rate of evolution were observed between subsegments within the VP1 gene. The observation of a relatively constant rate of evolution during a disease episode was unexpected. We propose that such constancy may be a consequence of random sampling of mutants from the FMDV quasispecies, followed by their amplification in susceptible hosts (to generate a new quasispecies). Successive sampling and amplification events may result in a steady accumulation of mutations.

Amino Acid Sequence↗

Lentiviral nigral delivery of GDNF does not prevent neurodegeneration in a genetic rat model of Parkinson's disease.

Viral delivery of glial cell line-derived neurotrophic factor (GDNF) currently represents one of the most promising neuroprotective strategies for Parkinson's Disease (PD). However, the effect of this neurotrophic factor has never been tested in the newly available genetic models of PD based on the viral expression of mutated alpha-synuclein. In this study, we evaluated the ability of lentiviral vectors coding for GDNF (lenti-GDNF) to prevent nigral dopaminergic degeneration associated with the lentiviral mediated expression of the A30P mutant human alpha-synuclein (lenti-A30P). This virally based rat model develops a progressive and selective loss of dopamine neurons associated with the appearance of alpha-synuclein containing inclusions, thus recapitulating the major hallmarks of PD. Lenti-GDNF was injected in the substantia nigra 2 weeks before nigral administration of lenti-A30P. Although a robust expression of GDNF was observed in the whole nigrostriatal pathway due to retrograde and/or anterograde transport, lenti-GDNF did not prevent the alpha-synuclein-induced dopaminergic neurodegeneration in the lentiviral-based genetic rat model of PD. These results suggest that sustained GDNF treatment cannot modulate the cellular toxicity related to abnormal folded protein accumulation as mutated human alpha-synuclein.

Animals↗

Regulation of pyrimidine biosynthesis and its strong coupling to the purine system.

The control of pyrimidine biosynthesis in a yeast mutant deficient for uracil, adenine, and histidine has been studied in vivo. The uracil mutation causes accumulation of ureidosuccinic acid and dihydroorotic acid in the cells. Accumulation is prevented when the pyrimidine nucleotide level in the cell is raised, apparently owing to feedback inhibition in the pyrimidine system. Investigation of the coupling of purine and pyrimidine systems shows that a high level of purine nucleotides can reverse inhibition in the pyrimidine internal feedback loop. Under certan conditions this reversal may affect only the first step of the pyrimidine system so that ureidosuccinic acid is synthesized and the next element of the pyrimidine pathway, dihydroorotic acid, is not synthesized. Other aspects of coupling between the pyrimidine system and other systems are presented.

Adenine↗

Role of TP53 in repair of N-(deoxyguanosin-8-yl)-4-aminobiphenyl adducts in human transitional cell carcinoma of the urinary bladder.

The global genomic repair of DNA adducts was examined in human papillary transitional cell carcinoma (TCC) cell lines after exposure to N:-hydroxy-4-acetylaminobiphenyl (N-OH-AABP), the proximate carcinogenic metabolite of the human bladder carcinogen 4-aminobiphenyl (ABP). (32)P-post-labeling analysis of TCC cultures exposed to N-OH-AABP revealed a major adduct, identified as the 3',5'-bisphosphate derivative of N-(deoxyguanosin-8-yl)-4-aminobiphenyl (dG-C8-ABP). The amount of adduct formation in TCC10 was dependent upon the dose and the duration of exposure and ranged between 1 and 5 adducts/10(7) nucleotides. To test if p53 regulates repair of the dG-C8-ABP adduct in genomic DNA, an isogeneic set of cell lines was obtained by infection of the TCC10 cultures with a retroviral construct expressing a trans-dominant mutant of p53, namely a Val-->Ala mutation at codon 143. The TDM143-TCC10 line expressing the mutant form of p53 was selected. The rate of repair of dG-C8-ABP was compared between TCC10 and TDM143-TCC10 cultures after treatment with 15 microM N-OH-AABP. The rate of disappearance of the adduct was monitored over a period of time after chemical treatment. (32)P-post-labeling analysis of dG-C8-ABP in parental TCC10 showed its rapid removal, the majority of adducts disappearing within 48 h. In contrast to TCC10, TDM143-TCC10 was relatively slower in removal of dG-C8-ABP. After 24 h DNA repair TDM143-TCC10 showed an approximately 3-fold greater amount of dG-C8-ABP compared with TCC10. These results imply that p53 plays a role in the repair of ABP adducts and that in p53 null cells the unrepaired DNA damage could cause accumulation of mutations, which might contribute to increased genomic instability and neoplastic progression.

Aminobiphenyl Compounds↗