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Development of zinc finger domains for recognition of the 5'-CNN-3' family DNA sequences and their use in the construction of artificial transcription factors.

Considerable progress has been made in recent years in the design of transcription factors for the directed regulation of endogenous genes. Although many strategies involve selection methods that must be applied for each new target sequence, we have developed an approach based on linkage of predefined zinc finger domains that each recognize a three-base pair DNA sequence to construct artificial transcription factors that bind to a desired sequence. These domains can be assembled to recognize unique 18-base pair DNA sequences with high specificity. Here we report the development and characterization of zinc finger domains that bind to 15 of the 16 5'-CNN-3' subsites. These domains were created through a combination of phage display selection, site-directed mutagenesis, and de novo design. Furthermore, these domains were used to generate a highly specific six-finger protein targeting the ERBB-2 promoter. When fused to regulatory domains, this protein was capable of up- and down-regulating the expression of the endogenous ERBB-2 gene. With the addition of this collection of predefined zinc finger domains, most 5'-CNN-3'-, 5'-GNN-3'-, and 5'-ANN-3'-containing sequences can now be rapidly targeted for directed gene regulation and nuclease cleavage.

Amino Acid Sequence↗

A new multiple quantum filter design procedure for use on strongly coupled spin systems found in vivo: its application to glutamate.

A numerical procedure is outlined that is appropriate for the design of multiple quantum filter sequences targeted for the strongly coupled, multiple spin systems that occur in metabolites present in brain. The procedure uses numerical methods of solution of the density matrix equations, first, to establish the most appropriate resonance to target with the filter; second, to provide contour plots of a performance index of the filter in terms of critical sequence parameters; and third, to produce the response signals of the target and the background metabolites to the optimized filter. The procedure is exemplified for the AMNPQ spin system of the amino acid glutamate at a field strength of 3 T. The 2.3 ppm peak of the PQ multiplet of glutamate was identified as the target resonance, and the performance of the filter so derived was evaluated experimentally on phantom solutions and in human brain. These experiments clearly demonstrate that a linewidth of <or=4 Hz is required for full resolution of glutamate from glutamine at 3 T using this double quantum filter. Nevertheless, even at a linewidth of approximately 7 Hz in vivo, the 2.3 ppm peak of glutamate dominates the filter response and thereby removes a significant cause of uncertainty in measuring changes in glutamate by eliminating most of the background observed in unedited spectra obtained using PRESS or STEAM.

Brain↗

In situ genotyping individual DNA molecules by target-primed rolling-circle amplification of padlock probes.

Methods are needed to study single molecules to reveal variability, interactions and mechanisms that may go undetected at the level of populations of molecules. We describe here an integrated series of reaction steps that allow individual nucleic acid molecules to be detected with excellent specificity. Oligonucleotide probes are circularized after hybridization to target sequences that have been prepared so that localized amplification reactions can be initiated from the target molecules. The process results in strong, discrete detection signals anchored to the target molecules. We use the method to observe the distribution, within and among human cells, of individual normal and mutant mitochondrial genomes that differ at a single nucleotide position.

DNA Mutational Analysis↗

Nucleotide replacement at two sites can be directed by modified single-stranded oligonucleotides in vitro and in vivo.

Studies involving the alteration of DNA sequences by modified single-stranded oligonucleotides in vitro and in vivo have revealed potential applications for functional genomics. Repair of a replacement, deletion, or insertion mutation has already been achieved with molecules having lengths between 25 and 74 bases. But, other vector parameters still remain to be explored. Here, the position of the single base in the vector directing the alteration was examined and the optimal site was found to be at or near the center of the vector. If that position is staggered 3' or 5', the frequencies of gene repair in vitro decreases. The potential of a single vector to direct two nucleotide changes at a specific site in a target sequence was also examined. Both targeted bases are corrected together at the same frequency if the sites are separated by three bases, but conversion linkage decreases precipitously when the distance is expanded to 15 and 27 nucleotides, respectively. These results suggest that single oligonucleotides can be used to direct nucleotide exchange at two independent sites, a reaction characteristic that may be useful for many genomics applications.

Base Pair Mismatch↗

Vector for IS element entrapment and functional characterization based on turning on expression of distal promoterless genes.

We constructed and characterized a novel trap vector for rapid isolation of insertion sequences. The strategy used for the isolation of IS elements is based on the ability of many IS elements to turn on the expression of otherwise silent genes distal to some sites of insertion. The simple transposition of an IS element can sometimes cause the constitutive expression of promoterless antibiotic resistance genes resulting in selectable phenotypes. The trap vector pAW1326 is based on a pBR322 replicon, it carries ampicillin and streptomycin resistance genes, and also silenced genes that confer chloramphenicol and kanamycin resistance once activated. The trap vector pAW1326 proved to be efficient and 85 percent of all isolated mutations were insertions. The majority of IS elements resident in the studied Escherichia coli strains tested became trapped, namely IS2, IS3, IS5, IS150, IS186 and Tn1000. We also encountered an insertion sequence, called IS10L/R-2, which is a hybrid of the two IS variants IS10L and IS10R. IS10L/R-2 is absent from most E. coli strains, but it is detectable in some strains such as JM109 which had been submitted to Tn10 mutagenesis. The distribution of the insertion sequences within the trap region was not random. Rather, the integration of chromosomal mobile genetic elements into the offered target sequence occurred in element-specific clusters. This is explained both by the target specificity and by the specific requirements for the activation of gene transcription by the DNA rearrangement. The employed trap vector pAW1326 proved to be useful for the isolation of mobile genetic elements, for a demonstration of their transposition activity as well as for the further characterization of some of the functional parameters of transposition.

DNA Transposable Elements↗

The SAT1 flipper, an optimized tool for gene disruption in Candida albicans.

The construction of Candida albicans mutants by targeted gene disruption usually depends on the use of nutritional markers for the selection of prototrophic transformants from auxotrophic host strains, but it is becoming increasingly evident that this strategy may cause difficulties in the interpretation of mutant phenotypes. Here, we describe a new method for inactivating both alleles of a target gene in C. albicans wild-type strains to obtain homozygous null mutants. The SAT1 flipping method relies on the use of a cassette that contains a dominant nourseothricin resistance marker (caSAT1) for the selection of integrative transformants and a C. albicans-adapted FLP gene that allows the subsequent excision of the cassette, which is flanked by FLP target sequences, from the genome. Two rounds of integration/excision generate homozygous mutants that differ from the wild-type parent strain only by the absence of the target gene, and reintegration of an intact gene copy for complementation of mutant phenotypes is performed in the same way. Transformants are obtained after only 1 day of growth on a selective medium, and integration into the target locus occurs with high specificity after adding homologous flanking sequences on both sides of the cassette. FLP-mediated excision of the SAT1 flipper cassette is achieved by simply growing the transformants for a few hours in medium without selective pressure, and nourseothricin-sensitive (NouS) derivatives can easily be identified by their slower growth on indicator plates containing a low concentration of nourseothricin. We demonstrate the use of the system by deleting the OPT1 gene, which encodes an oligopeptide transporter, in the C. albicans model strain SC5314. The null mutants became resistant to the toxic peptide KLLEth, and reintroduction of an intact OPT1 copy restored susceptibility. The SAT1 flipping method provides a highly efficient method for gene disruption in C. albicans wild-type strains, which eliminates currently encountered problems in the genetic analysis of this important human fungal pathogen.

Candida albicans↗

Distinct LIM domains of Hic-5/ARA55 are required for nuclear matrix targeting and glucocorticoid receptor binding and coactivation.

Hydrogen peroxide-inducible clone-5 (Hic-5), belongs to the group III LIM domain protein family and contains four carboxyl-terminal LIM domains (LIM1-LIM4). In addition to its role in focal adhesion signaling, Hic-5 acts in the nucleus as a coactivator for some steroid hormone receptors such as the glucocorticoid receptor (GR) and androgen receptor (AR). Based upon its effect on AR transactivation, Hic-5 has also been designated as ARA55. Here, we report mapping studies of Hic-5/ARA55 functional domains and establish that LIM3 and LIM4 are necessary for maximal effects on GR transactivation. However, results from yeast two-hybrid assays demonstrated that these two LIM domains together, while necessary, are not sufficient to interact with the tau2 transactivation domain of GR. LIM4 also functions as a nuclear matrix targeting sequence (NMTS) for Hic-5/ARA55, as it is both necessary and sufficient to target a heterologous protein to the nuclear matrix. Thus, as suggested from previous analysis of LIM domain-containing proteins, separate but highly related LIM domains serve distinct functions.

Animals↗

What is the value added by human intervention in protein structure prediction?

This article presents results of blind predictions submitted to the CASP4 protein structure prediction experiment. We made two sets of predictions: one using the fully automated SAM-T99 server and one using the improved SAM-T2K method with human intervention. Both methods use iterative hidden Markov model-based methods for constructing protein family profiles, using only sequence information. Although the SAM-T99 method is purely sequence based, the SAM-T2K method uses the predicted secondary structure of the target sequence and the known secondary structure of the templates to improve fold recognition and alignment. In this article, we try to determine what aspects of the SAM-T2K method were responsible for its significantly better performance in the CASP4 experiment in the hopes of producing a better automatic prediction server. The use of secondary structure prediction seems to be the most valuable single improvement, though the combined total of various human interventions is probably at least as important.

Adenosine Triphosphatases↗

Cleavage of cottontail rabbit papillomavirus E7 RNA with an anti-E7 ribozyme.

We have designed and constructed a plasmid (pE7RZ-1) that contains a gene for a hammerhead ribozyme that specifically cleaves cottontail rabbit papillomavirus (CRPV) E7 RNA sequences in vitro. The in vitro produced transcripts of pE7RZ-1 cleave CRPV E7 target sequences in trans at 37 degrees C. Pretreatment of pE7RZ-1 RNA with poly-L-lysine (PLL) increases the stability of the RNA to greater than 2 hours in the presence of a crude papilloma cell extract and the pE7RZ-1 RNA/PLL mixture retains catalytic activity in this system. This is the first report of a papillomavirus specific ribozyme RNA cleavage and leads the way for the design of effective papillomavirus specific ribozyme based therapies.

Animals↗

Plasmodium: genus-conserved primers for species identification and quantitation.

Stable RNAs have regions of primary sequence that are nearly identical in every member of the Plasmodium genus and not found in the host or in other common pathogens. Several "genus-conserved" sequences, which flank hypervariable regions, were identified within the small subunit ribosomal RNA of Plasmodium species. Primers based on these conserved sequences permit amplification of species- or possibly even strain-specific sequences from samples of unknown composition. As an example of this approach, sequences from the four human malaria species were successfully recovered from Giemsa-stained blood smears, including two different sequences for Plasmodium ovale (of 91.5% similarity). This type of information is useful for epidemiological and phylogenetic analysis of any malaria species. We show that amplification of rRNA-derived sequences behaves in a competitive fashion during the cycles of polymerase amplification and therefore target sequences from Plasmodium species are amplified in proportion to their abundance in the sample. There are several implications of this finding. (1) The proportion of different products resulting from amplification from samples with mixed infections is closely related to the proportion of infecting species. (2) Direct quantitation of parasite nucleic acids within a sample can be derived when known amounts of competitor RNA are added to the RT/PCR reaction. (3) Amplification of rRNA sequences, using genus-specific primers, allows one to monitor the development of the parasite in the mosquito.

Animals↗

Intraspecific diversity of Oenococcus oeni strains determined by sequence analysis of target genes.

Using molecular techniques and sequencing, we studied the intraspecific diversity of Oenococcus oeni, a lactic acid bacterium involved in red winemaking. A relationship between the phenotypic and genotypic characterization of 16 O. oeni strains isolated from wine with different levels of enological potential was shown. The study was based on the comparative genomic analysis by subtractive hybridization between two strains of O. oeni with opposite enological potential. The genomic sequences obtained from subtractive hybridization were amplified by polymerase chain reaction and sequenced for the 16 strains. A considerable diversity among strains of O. oeni was observed.

Base Sequence↗

Molecular structure of the 8.0 kDa subunit of cytochrome-c reductase from potato and its delta psi-dependent import into isolated mitochondria.

The cytochrome-c reductase (EC 1.10.2.2) of the mitochondrial respiratory chain couples electron transport from ubiquinol to cytochrome c with proton translocation across the inner mitochondrial membrane. The enzyme from potato was shown to be composed of 10 subunits. Isolation and characterization of cDNA clones for the second smallest subunit reveal an open reading frame of 216 bp encoding a protein of 8.0 kDa. The protein exhibits similarities to a 7.2/7.3 kDa subunit of cytochrome-c reductase from bovine and yeast, that is localized on the intermembrane space side of the enzyme complex. It also shows similarity to a previously unidentified 7.8 kDa protein of cytochrome-c reductase from Euglena. The potato 8.0 kDa protein has a segmental structure, as its sequence can be divided into four parts, each comprising a central Arg-(Xaa)5-Val motif. N-terminal sequencing of the mature 8.0 kDa proteins indicates the absence of a cleavable mitochondrial targeting sequence. Import of the in vitro synthesized 8.0 kDa protein into isolated potato mitochondria confirms the lack of a presequence and reveals a dependence of the transport on the membrane potential delta psi across the inner mitochondrial membrane. These features are unique among the intermembrane space proteins known so far.

Amino Acid Sequence↗

Characterization of two nuclear-encoded protein components of mitochondrial ribonucleoprotein complexes from Leishmania tarentolae.

Two mitochondrial proteins with molecular masses of 18 and 51 kDa were isolated from Leishmania tarentolae, and N-terminal amino-acid sequences were obtained. The cDNAs and genes encoding these proteins were cloned using RT-PCR. The proteins were identified as components of the previously characterized mitochondrial ribonucleoprotein complexes, T-Ia and T-VI, by comigration in native gels. The p18 and p51 genes contain 17 and 9-amino-acid N-terminal sequences, which are not present in the mature proteins and may represent cleavable mitochondrial targeting sequences. There are two identical p18 genes separated by 1.7 kb in tandem array and both are transcribed. The p18 amino-acid sequence is not similar to any sequence in the database. Antiserum to p18 expressed in Escherichia coli reacts with the entire tubular mitochondrion. The p51 gene is single copy, and the amino-acid sequence is similar to mitochondrial aldehyde dehydrogenases from other organisms. The N-terminal amino-acid sequences of 71 and 62-kDa mitochondrial proteins which co-migrated in native gels with several other T-complexes were also obtained. The p71 sequence proved to be similar to hsp70 sequences from other organisms. The p62 sequence was identical to an hsp60 sequence from Trypanosoma brucei.

Amino Acid Sequence↗

A direct comparison of the properties of natural and designed zinc-finger proteins.

BACKGROUND: Zinc-finger proteins of the Cys2His2 type constitute an important family of DNA-binding proteins. Each zinc-finger domain has three residues that are thought to be important in determining DNA binding site specificity. Proteins have been designed previously by combining zinc-finger domains with a fixed sequence framework with different DNA-contacting residues. RESULTS: We compared the DNA-binding properties of the DNA-binding domain from the human transcription factor Sp1, which contains three zinc fingers, with designed proteins in which the sequences of the structural framework were greatly modified but the presumed DNA-contacting residues were retained. Frameworks based on a zinc-finger consensus sequence and on a minimalist sequence consisting largely of alanine residues were studied. The preference for binding to the target sequence, 5'-(G,T)GG G(C,A)G GG(G,T)-3', was retained in all cases tested. The consensus framework-based protein was found to be superior to the natural one in terms of overall DNA-binding affinity, the degree of sequence discrimination, and the resistance to inactivation by chelating agents. CONCLUSIONS: Our observations provide direct evidence that the residues previously observed to interact with the DNA bases are indeed the most important residues for determining DNA-binding specificity. We have also shown that these domains can tolerate considerable sequence variation while retaining function as well as three-dimensional structure. Finally, they show that framework modification can be used to generate proteins that have normal or enhanced DNA-binding activity but have different metal-binding properties.

Amino Acid Sequence↗

Novel recognition sequence of coxsackievirus 2A proteinase.

Coxsackievirus B1 (CVB1) 2A proteinase (2A(pro)) is a cysteine proteinase that cleaves the viral monocistronic polyprotein between the C-terminus of the VP1 region and the N-terminus of the 2A region, and also shuts off translational initiation in host cells by cleavage of eukaryotic initiation factor 4G (eIF4G) isoforms. We expressed in Escherichia coli a series of fusions in which various C-terminal fragments of VP1 were linked to the N-terminus of 2A(pro), and we also employed site-directed mutagenesis to introduce mutations of several amino acid residues. Our results showed that the presence of the C-terminal three amino acid residues of VP1 at the N-terminus of 2A(pro) is sufficient for specific self-cleavage between VP1 and 2A(pro) to generate mature 2A(pro), but the P4 amino acid also plays an important role. We further found that 2A(pro) cleaves the amino acid sequence Leu-Val-Pro-Arg-( *)Gly-Ser (LVPRGS motif), which is the target sequence of thrombin.

Amino Acid Motifs↗

Selecting effective siRNA sequences based on the self-organizing map and statistical techniques.

Short interfering RNA (siRNA) has been widely used for studying gene functions in mammalian cells but varies markedly in its gene-silencing efficacy. Although many design rules/guidelines for effective siRNAs based on various criteria have been reported recently, there are only a few consistencies among them. This makes it difficult to select effective siRNA sequences in mammalian genes. Here, we propose a new method for selecting effective siRNA target sequences on the basis of the self-organizing map (SOM) technique and statistical significance analyses for a large number of effective siRNAs. In the proposed method, the score is defined as a gene degradation measure. The effectiveness for the proposed method was confirmed by evaluating effective and ineffective siRNAs for recently reported genes (12 genes, 172 siRNA sequences) and comparing with other reported scoring methods. The size (value) of this score is closely correlated with the degree of gene degradation, and the score can easily be used for selecting high-potential siRNA candidates. The evaluation results indicate that the proposed method would be useful for many other genes. It will therefore be useful for selecting siRNA sequences in mammalian genes.

Animals↗

Characterization of a peptide adduct formed by N-acetoxy-2-amino-1-methyl-6-phenylimidazo[4,5-b]pyridine (PhIP), a reactive intermediate of the food carcinogen PhIP.

2-Amino-1-methyl-6-phenylimidazo[4,5-b]pyridine (PhIP) is a member of a class of compounds known as the heterocyclic amines (HCAs) that are formed in meat during cooking. It is a multi-organ carcinogen in rodents forms adducts and with DNA and protein. Although protein adducts are not thought to be involved in cancer development, they may be useful as internal dosimeters of PhIP exposure and bioactivation. Towards the goals of characterizing the adducts formed in humans and the development of an assay for quantitation of adduct levels, we have characterized a peptide adduct formed by the putative genotoxic metabolite, N-acetoxy-PhIP. A model peptide with the internal sequence Leu-Gln-Lys-Cys-Pro-Tyr, which is homologous to a potential target sequence for HCAs in human serum albumin, was reacted with N-acetoxy-PhIP and an adduct was identified and further characterized by LC-ESI-MS/MS. N-acetoxy-PhIP is covalently bound to the peptide via cysteine and the exocyclic amino group of PhIP. Future work is needed to establish if this adduct is formed and is stable in vivo in humans following exposure to PhIP.

Carcinogens↗

Insights into the specificity of RNA cleavage by the Escherichia coli MazF toxin.

The mazEF (chpA) toxin-antitoxin system of Escherichia coli is involved in the cell response to nutritional and antibiotic stresses as well as in bacterial-programmed cell death. Valuable information on the MazF toxin was derived from the determination of the crystal structure of the MazE/MazF complex and from in vivo data, suggesting that MazF promoted ribosome-dependent cleavage of messenger RNA. However, it was concluded from recent in vitro analyses using a MazF-(His6) fusion protein that MazF was an endoribonuclease that cleaved messenger RNA specifically at 5'-ACA-3' sites situated in single-stranded regions. In contrast, our work reported here shows that native MazF protein cleaves RNA at the 5' side of residue A in 5'-NAC-3' sequences (where N is preferentially U or A). MazF-dependent cleavage occurred at target sequences situated either in single- or double-stranded RNA regions. These activities were neutralized by a His6-MazE antitoxin. Although essentially consistent with previous in vivo reports on the substrate specificity of MazF, our results strongly suggest that the endoribonuclease activity of MazF may be modulated by additional factors to cleave messenger and other cellular RNAs.

Animals↗