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The osmotic-1 locus of Neurospora crassa encodes a putative histidine kinase similar to osmosensors of bacteria and yeast.

Osmotically sensitive mutants of Neurospora crassa are unable to grow on medium supplemented with 4% NaCl, have altered morphologies and cell-wall compositions, and are resistant to dicarboximide fungicides. Osmotic-1 (os-1) mutants have a unique characteristic of forming protoplasts that grow and divide in specialized liquid medium, suggesting that the os-1+ gene product is important for cell-wall assembly. A cosmid containing the os-1+ locus of N. crassa, isolated from a genomic cosmid library by chromosomal walk from a closely linked gene, was used to subclone the os-1+ gene by functional complementation of an os-1 mutant. Analysis of the sequence of complementing DNA predicts that os-1+ encodes a predicted protein similar to sensor-histidine kinases of bacteria and a yeast osmosensor-histidine kinase. Importantly, the predicted os-1+ protein is identical to the N. crassa nik-1 predicted protein that was identified by using polymerase chain reaction primers directed against histidine kinase consensus DNA sequences. Our results indicate that nik-1 and os-1 encode the same osmosensing histidine kinase that plays an important role in the regulation of cell-wall assembly and, probably, other cell responses to changes in external osmolarity.

Amino Acid Sequence↗

Mosaic (MSC) cucumbers regenerated from independent cell cultures possess different mitochondrial rearrangements.

Passage of the highly inbred cucumber ( Cucumis sativus L.) line B through cell culture produces progenies with paternally transmitted, mosaic (MSC) phenotypes. Because the mitochondrial genome of cucumber shows paternal transmission, we evaluated for structural polymorphisms by hybridizing cosmids spanning the entire mitochondrial genome of Arabidopsis thaliana L. to DNA-gel blots of four independently generated MSC and four wild-type cucumbers. Polymorphisms were identified by cosmids carrying rrn18, nad5-exon2, rpl5, and the previously described JLV5 deletion. Polymorphisms revealed by rrn18 and nad5-exon2 were due to one rearrangement bringing together these two coding regions. The polymorphism revealed by rpl5 was unique to MSC16 and was due to rearrangement(s) placing the rpl5 region next to the forward junction of the JLV5 deletion. The rearrangement near rpl5 existed as a sublimon in wild-type inbred B, but was not detected in the cultivar Calypso. Although RNA-gel blots revealed reduced transcription of rpl5 in MSC16 relative to wild-type cucumber, Western analyses revealed no differences for the RPL5 protein and the genetic basis of the MSC16 phenotype remains enigmatic. We evaluated 17 MSC and wild-type lines regenerated from independent cell-culture experiments for these structural polymorphisms and identified eight different patterns, indicating that the passage of cucumber through cell culture may be a unique mechanism to induce or select for novel rearrangements affecting mitochondrial gene expression.

Cells, Cultured↗

A two-step protocol for efficient deletion of genes in the filamentous ascomycete Podospora anserina.

Deletion of genes in Podospora anserina via conventional methods is an inefficient and time-consuming process since homologous recombination occurs normally only at low frequency (about 1%). To improve the efficiency of replacement, we adopted the two-step protocol developed for Aspergillus nidulans (Chaveroche et al. in Nucleic Acids Res 28:E97, 2000). As a prerequisite, a vector was generated containing a blasticidin resistance cassette for selection in the Escherichia coli host strain KS272 (pKOBEG) and a phleomycin resistance cassette for selection in P. anserina. A derivative of this vector, into which short ( approximately 250 bp) PCR-generated sequences flanking the gene to be deleted have been integrated, is introduced into the E. coli host strain which contains a cosmid with the gene of interest and long 5' and 3' flanking sequences. Subsequently, a cosmid is reisolated from E. coli in which the gene of interest is replaced by the resistance cassette. This construct is used to transform P. anserina. The long stretches flanking the resistance cassette facilitate recombination with homologous sequences in the fungal genome and increase the efficiency of gene deletion up to 100%. The procedure is not dependent on the availability of specific auxotrophic mutant strains and may be applicable to other fungi.

Escherichia coli↗

A physical map of the Q region of B1O.P.

The murine class I MHC Q region is part of a large complex multigene family whose members have various peptide binding functions. The structure of the Q region is complex, varying extensively in the b, d, k, and q haplotypes so far examined. To better understand the structural heterogeneity, we examined the Q region of B 10.P, a strain whose immunological characteristics are distinct from other haplotypes. A total of 89 cosmids were isolated from genomic DNA. The B 10.P Q region was found to contain seven genes in a 190-kb cluster linked to DP and two additional Q genes in a separate 55-kb cluster. The gene arrangement in this haplotype was unique and did not correspond to any other haplotype; this underscores the complexity of chromosomal structure in this region. In addition to the Q region clusters, Tla region was tentatively aligned in five clusters spanning approximately 300 kb. One 37-kb M region cosmid was also identified.

Animals↗

Identification of a polyketide synthase gene (pksP) of Aspergillus fumigatus involved in conidial pigment biosynthesis and virulence.

Aspergillus fumigatus is an important pathogen of the immunocompromised host causing pneumonia and invasive disseminated disease with high mortality. Previously, we identified a mutant strain (white, W) lacking conidial pigmentation and, in addition, the conidia showed a smooth surface morphology, whereas wild-type (WT) conidia are grey-green and have a typical ornamentation. W conidia appeared to be less protected against killing by the host defence, e.g., were more susceptible to oxidants in vitro and more efficiently damaged by human monocytes in vitro than WT conidia. When compared to the WT, the W mutant strain showed reduced virulence in a murine animal model. Genetic analysis suggested that the W mutant carried a single mutation which caused all of the observed phenotypes. Here. we report the construction of a genomic cosmid library of A. fumigatus and its use for complementation of the W mutant. Transformation of the W mutant was facilitated by co-transformation with plasmid pHELP1 carrying the autonomously replicating ama1 sequence of A. nidulans which also increased the transformation efficiency of A. fumigatus by a factor of 10. Using this cosmid library a putative polyketide synthase gene, designated pksP (polyketide synthase involved in pigment biosynthesis) was isolated. The pksP gene has a size of 6660 bp. pksP consists of five exons separated by short (47-73 bp) introns. Its deduced open reading frame is composed of 2146 amino acids. The pksP gene complemented both the white phenotype and the surface morphology of the W mutant conidia to wild type. Whereas W mutant conidia caused a strong reactive oxygen species (ROS) release by polymorphonuclear leukocytes, the ability of pksP-complemented W mutant conidia to stimulate ROS release was significantly reduced and comparable to that of WT conidia. In addition, the complemented strains showed restored virulence in a mouse model.

Amino Acid Sequence↗

Effect of increased dosage of the ML-236B (compactin) biosynthetic gene cluster on ML-236B production in Penicillium citrinum.

The gene cluster responsible for ML-236B (compactin) biosynthesis has recently been characterized from P. citrinum No. 41520. Here, we describe how the ML-236B-producing strain was improved using a cosmid-mediated recombination technique. The introduction of the cosmid pML48, which contains seven of the nine ML-236B biosynthetic genes, into P. citrinum No. 41520 resulted in transformants which produced increased amounts of ML-236B. Southern analysis showed that pML48 had been incorporated by a homologous recombination event, and all high producers possessed two copies of each of the seven genes, mlcA- mlcF and mlcR, suggesting that increased dosage of the biosynthetic gene cluster was responsible for the enhanced production of ML-236B. On the other hand, various kinds of mutants with decreased titers of ML-236B were also obtained. Characterization of one such mutant, designated as T48.28, which was more sensitive to ML-236B than the parental strain, suggested that one of the ML-236B biosynthetic genes, mlcD, which encodes a putative HMG-CoA reductase, was involved in conferring resistance to ML-236B.

Base Sequence↗

Fil1, a G-protein alpha-subunit that acts upstream of cAMP and is essential for dimorphic switching in haploid cells of Ustilago hordei.

A constitutive mutation, fil1, that causes filamentous growth in the haplophase of the dimorphic smut fungus Ustilago hordei, was previously shown to be genetically associated with a 50-kb deletion within a 940-kb chromosome. Physiological studies suggested that a gene that functions upstream of adenylyl cyclase was deleted in the mutant. Representational difference analysis of isolated chromosomes was used to obtain deletion-specific DNA probes and corresponding genomic cosmid clones. Complementation analysis identified a cosmid clone and subsequently a 2.1-kb insert that converted transformants of the mutant strain 10.1a(fil1) from the filamentous to the sporidial cell type. A single open reading frame of 354 codons that encodes a putative alpha-subunit of the heterotrimeric G-proteins was identified. Fil1 displayed a high degree of sequence identity to Gpa1 from the basidiomycete Cryptococcus neoformans and CPG-2 from the ascomycete Cryphonectria parasitica. FIL1, when introduced on a self-replicating vector, was found to suppress filamentous growth of starved haploid wild-type strains and restore normal mating response to the fil1 mutant, but did not suppress sexual dimorphism of either strain. Fil1 appears to function analogously to mammalian G alpha proteins, which are coupled to cAMP production via adenylyl cyclase, to regulate dimorphic switching in U. hordei.

Amino Acid Sequence↗

Haploinsufficiency of PAX9 is associated with autosomal dominant hypodontia.

We recently identified a frame-shift mutation in the PAX9 gene as the underlying cause for hypodontia involving permanent molar teeth segregating in an autosomal dominant pattern in a single large family (Stockton et al. 2000). Here we report a small nuclear family in which a father and his daughter are affected with severe hypodontia, involving agenesis of all primary and permanent molars, evidently caused by deletion of the entire PAX9 gene. Hemizygosity at the PAX9 locus in the two affected individuals was initially discovered when an informative single nucleotide polymorphism, identified while sequencing the gene for mutations, appeared to demonstrate non-Mendelian inheritance. Fluorescence in situ hybridization (FISH) analysis with a cosmid containing the PAX9 gene yielded a signal on only one chromosome 14 homologue and confirmed the presence of a deletion encompassing the PAX9 locus. Analysis of microsatellite loci in the vicinity of PAX9 delineated one breakpoint of the deletion. These data, in concert with FISH analysis with cosmids encompassing a 199 kb region, indicated that the deletion is between approximately 44 kb and 100 kb. PAX9 is one of two genes, and the only odontogenic gene within the deletion interval, thus supporting the model of haploinsufficiency for PAX9 as the underlying basis for hypodontia.

Anodontia↗

Isolation of a human gene (HES1) with homology to an Escherichia coli and a zebrafish protein that maps to chromosome 21q22.3.

Exon trapping was performed with chromosome 21 cosmids to identify those that may be involved in the pathogenesis of Down syndrome, or several of the genetic diseases that map to chromosome 21. BLASTX analysis revealed two exons with significant homology to a zebrafish protein (ES1) and an Escherichia coli protein (sigma cross-reacting protein 27A), both of unknown function. The exons also showed identity with several expressed sequence tags (ESTs). Sequences from all ESTs derived from this gene and reverse transcription-polymerase chain reaction (RT-PCR) analysis were used to determine the full cDNA sequence, which corresponded to an mRNA of 1.7 kb with an open reading frame of 268 amino acids. The mRNA from this gene, termed HES1, is ubiquitously expressed, but strongly so in heart and skeletal muscle. Potential mitochondrial targeting signals were found in both the human and zebrafish proteins, consistent with the high expression levels in muscle tissues. The strong homology between the E. coli, zebrafish and HES1 proteins suggests an important biological role. Hybridization of RT-PCR products to a cosmid contig in chromosome 21q22.3, mapped HES1 just proximal to D21S25, a critical mapping region for several genetic diseases. Given the mapping position, this gene is a candidate for involvement in these disorders, including autoimmune polyglandular disease type I and the autosomal nonsyndromic deafness loci, DFNB8 and DFNB10. In addition, the initial method of EST identification for gene isolation presented here is valid for many genes and can be used to obtain initial sequence contigs without cloning or library screening.

Amino Acid Sequence↗

FISH-deletion mapping defines a 270-kb short stature critical interval in the pseudoautosomal region PAR1 on human sex chromosomes.

Deletions of the pseudoautosomal region (PAR1) of the sex chromosomes have recently been discovered in individuals with short stature, and a minimal common deletion region of 700 kb within PAR1 has subsequently been defined. We have cloned this entire region, which is bounded by the Xp/Yp telomere, as an overlapping cosmid contig. In the present study, we have used fluorescence in situ hybridization (FISH) to study four patients with X-chromosomal rearrangements, two with normal height and two with short stature. Genotype-phenotype correlations have narrowed down the the critical "short stature interval" to a 270-kb region containing the gene with an important role in growth. A minimal tiling path of 6-8 cosmids bridging this interval is now available for interphase and metaphase FISH and provides a valuable tool for diagnostic investigations of patients with idiopathic short stature.

Adolescent↗

Electroporation-mediated gene transfer efficiency is reduced by linear plasmid carrier DNAs.

Carrier DNA has generally been found to stimulate DNA-mediated gene transfer of Chinese hamster ovary (CHO) cells by calcium phosphate coprecipitation. In studies employing electroporation, however, we observed that linear plasmid DNA was inhibitory to the transfection of CHO cells. This unexpected result prompted us to explore the effects of various types and forms of plasmid, cosmid, and chromosomal DNAs on transfection efficiencies. Both carrier DNA form and type were found to influence transfection efficiencies. Circular and linear forms of plasmid carrier DNA had opposite effects: circular plasmids increased and linear plasmids decreased transfection efficiencies. These effects were independent of homology with the selected plasmid and are probably independent of homologous recombination mechanisms. Bacterial genomic DNA failed to stimulate transfection, while calf thymus and cosmid DNA consisting primarily of human sequences stimulated transfection significantly. Our results have importance for plasmid-based experiments in mammalian cells such as those involving the induction of interplasmid homologous recombination.

Animals↗

Isolation of hydrogen-oxidation gene from Alcaligenes hydrogenophilus and its expression in Pseudomonas oxalaticus.

A gene bank of a megaplasmid encoding the hydrogen-oxidizing enzyme system (Hox) in Alcaligenes hydrogenophilus was constructed using a broad host range cosmid vector pVK102, and established in Escherichia coli. Hybrid cosmids containing hox genes were identified by transferring the bank into Pseudomonas oxalaticus OX1 and screening colonies for the ability of H2-dependent autotrophic growth. About 800 colonies were formed under autotrophic conditions. One of the Hox+ transconjugants was isolated and its hydrogenases activities were measured. Although soluble hydrogenase was not detected, the Hox+ transconjugant had four times the membrane-bound hydrogenase activity of A. hydrogenophilus.

Alcaligenes↗

Fidelity of a YAC clone in the region of human MCF-2 gene.

A cosmid library was constructed from a YAC clone (XY311) carrying an insert of 650 kb from the F IX/mcf-2 region on human X chromosome. A contig of 200 kb that includes the mcf-2 gene and the genomic region downstream was assembled. Eighty kb of this contig represents a chromosome fragment already cloned and analyzed in detail with conventional restriction enzymes: comparison with this published map suggests that this region was correctly maintained during the procedure of YAC cloning. A discrepancy between the published map and the cloned YAC material was identified, but it resulted to be an EcoRI polymorphism present in the X3000.11 from which the YAC library was derived. The 3' portion of this contig, representing the telomeric end of the YAC XY311, provides new cosmid material for further analysis of the region downstream of the mcf 2 locus.

Chromosomes, Fungal↗

Domain-specific reasoning: social contracts, cheating, and perspective change.

What counts as human rationality: reasoning processes that embody content-independent formal theories, such as propositional logic, or reasoning processes that are well designed for solving important adaptive problems? Most theories of human reasoning have been based on content-independent formal rationality, whereas adaptive reasoning, ecological or evolutionary, has been little explored. We elaborate and test an evolutionary approach. Cosmides' (1989) social contract theory, using the Wason selection task. In the first part, we disentangle the theoretical concept of a "social contract" from that of a "cheater-detection algorithm". We demonstrate that the fact that a rule is perceived as a social contract--or a conditional permission or obligation, as Cheng and Holyoak (1985) proposed--is not sufficient to elicit Cosmides' striking results, which we replicated. The crucial issue is not semantic (the meaning of the rule), but pragmatic: whether a person is cued into the perspective of a party who can be cheated. In the second part, we distinguish between social contracts with bilateral and unilateral cheating options. Perspective change in contracts with bilateral cheating options turns P & not-Q responses into not-P & Q responses. The results strongly support social contract theory, contradict availability theory, and cannot be accounted for by pragmatic reasoning schema theory, which lacks the pragmatic concepts of perspectives and cheating detection.

Adult↗

Isolation and characterization of an alphoid centromeric repeat family from the human Y chromosome.

A collection of human Y-derived cosmid clones was screened with a plasmid insert containing a member of the human X chromosome alphoid repeat family, DXZ1. Two positive cosmids were isolated and the repeats they contained were investigated by Southern blotting, in situ hybridization and sequence analysis. On hybridization to human genomic DNAs, the expected cross-hybridization characteristic of all alphoid sequences was seen and, in addition, a 5500 base EcoRI fragment was found to be characteristic of a Y-specific alphoid repeat. Dosage experiments demonstrated that there are about 100 copies of this 5500 base EcoRI alphoid fragment on the Y chromosome. Studies utilizing DNA from human-mouse hybrids containing only portions of the Y chromosome and in situ hybridizations to chromosome spreads demonstrated the Y centromeric localization of the 5500 base repeat. Cross-hybridization to autosomes 13, 14 and 15 was also seen; however, these chromosomes lacked detectable copies of the 5500 base EcoRI repeat sequence arrangement. Sequence analysis of portions of the Y repeat and portions of the DXZ1 repeat demonstrated about 70% homology to each other and of each to the human consensus alphoid sequence. The 5500 base EcoRI fragment was not seen in gorilla, orangutan or chimpanzee male DNA.

Animals↗

Isolation and characterization of a previously unrecognized myosin heavy chain gene present in the Syrian hamster.

A full length (25,000 base-pair) myosin heavy chain gene completely contained within a single cosmid clone was isolated from a Syrian hamster cosmid genomic library. Sequence comparison of the 3' untranslated region indicated the presence of a 75% homology with the rat embryonic myosin heavy chain gene. Extensive 5' flanking region regulatory element conservation was also found when the sequence was compared to the rat myosin heavy chain gene. S1 nuclease digestion analysis, however, indicated that the Syrian hamster myosin heavy chain gene exhibited expression in adult Syrian hamster ventricular tissue, as well as the adult vastus medialis, a fast twitch skeletal muscle. Expression also appears to be enhanced in myopathic relative to control hearts. This myosin heavy chain gene is neither the alpha nor beta cardiac myosin heavy chain gene, but is a unique, previously unrecognized, myosin heavy chain gene present in both myocardial and skeletal muscle tissues.

Animals↗

Isolation of v-fms and its human cellular homolog.

The integrated form of McDonough FeSV proviral DNA, including cellular flanking sequences, was molecularly cloned from nonproductively transformed Fisher rat cells. Acquired cellular-derived (v-fms) sequences within the cloned proviral DNA were mapped from between 2.6 and 5.5 kb from the 5'LTR. Upon transfection, the cloned proviral DNA was biologically active; it caused induction of the transformed phenotype and the resulting transformed cells expressed the major McDonough FeSV translational product, P170gag-fms at high level. Using a series of molecular probes representing subgenomic regions of the viral v-fms gene, a cosmid library of human lung carcinoma DNA was screened for v-fms homologous sequences. Three cosmid clones containing overlapping v-fms homologous cellular DNA inserts, representing a contiguous region of cellular DNA sequence of approximately 64 kb in length, were isolated. Within this region of human genomic DNA, v-fms homologous sequences are dispersed over a total region of around 32 kb. These represent the entire human cellular homolog of v-fms, are colinear with the viral v-fms transforming gene, and contain a minimum of four intervening sequences. At least 12 regions of highly repetitive DNA sequences have been mapped in close proximity to c-fms coding sequences.

Animals↗

Molecular cloning and characterization of feline cellular genetic sequences homologous to the oncogene of the McDonough strain of feline sarcoma virus.

The organization within the cat genome of cellular genetic sequences homologous to the viral oncogene v-fms of the McDonough strain of feline sarcoma virus (SM-FeSV) was determined. Four cosmid clones containing overlapping v-fms homologous cellular DNA inserts representing a contiguous region of cellular DNA of approximately 80 kbp in length have been isolated from a feline cosmid gene library. Within this region of the cat genome, the c-fms genetic sequences are dispersed over a region of around 30 kbp and are interspersed with at least three intervening sequences.

Animals↗