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Misincorporation of nucleotides by calf thymus DNA primase and elongation of primers containing multiple noncognate nucleotides by DNA polymerase alpha.

Misincorporation of nucleotides by calf thymus DNA primase was examined using synthetic DNA templates of defined sequence. Primase seldom misincorporated NTPs during initiation of a new primer (i.e. polymerization of two NTPs to generate the dinucleotide). Following dinucleotide formation, however, primase readily misincorporated NTPs. Although the rate of misincorporation varied according to both the identity of the mismatch and the template sequence, primase is by far the least accurate nucleotide-polymerizing enzyme known. In some cases primase discriminated against incorrect NTPs by less than a factor of 100. After primase incorporated a noncognate nucleotide into the primer, the next correct NTP was readily added. Remarkably, primase could also polymerize consecutive noncognate nucleotides and generate primers containing multiple mismatches. Generation of a correctly base-paired primer-template negatively regulated further primer synthesis; however, generation of a primer-template containing multiple mismatches did not. After primase synthesized a primer containing multiple mismatches, the primer was transferred to the polymerase alpha active site via an intramolecular mechanism. Importantly, polymerase alpha readily elongated this primer if dNTPs were present. These data are discussed with respect to the question of why primase is required for DNA replication.

Animals↗

Separation of nucleic acid hydrolysis products, purines, pyrimidines, nucleosides, nucleotides, ribonucleic acid hydrolyzates, and mixtures from nucleotide syntheses by column chromatography on amberlite XAD-4.

Amberlite XAD-4 resin has been studied as a support for liquid-solid column chromatography. By coating the resin with triethylammonium bicarbonate, a new and unique separation of nucleic acid components has been achieved. Separations are accomplished with a linear gradient of this buffer from 0.1 to 0.4 M. Separation occurs in the following order: inorganic phosphate, purine or pyrimidine bases, 5'-monophosphates, nucleosides and 5'-diphosphates or 5'-triphosphates; the 2'(3')-monophosphates are eluted after either the 5'mono-, di-or triphosphates. The bases and nucleosides are separated in the order: cytosine, uracil, guanine and adenine. Inorganic phosphate and the nucleotides are eluted in the order: inorganic phosphate 5'-mono, di- and tri-phosphates. Excellent separation of the 5'-monophosphates and the 2'(3')-monophosphates is now possible. In each series of 5'-mono-, di- and tri-phosphates or 2'(3')-monophosphates, the elution order is generally cytidine, uridine, guanosine and adenosine. By use of water instead of coating the resin with triethylammonium bicarbonate, the nucleotides and inorganic phosphate are found in the void volume; adenine is eluted very slowly, whereas adenosine is not eluted. Adenosine is eluted only with ethanol-water (1:3). The method is advantageous in that the recovery is quantitative, the buffer is easily removed, the capacity of the column is large (35 mugmoles pergram of resin), flow-rates are high, the time required is short and separations of combinations of inorganic phosphate, bases, nucleosides and nucleotides are now possible that previously could not be accomplished.

Buffers↗

The accessibility of etheno-nucleotides to collisional quenchers and the nucleotide cleft in G- and F-actin.

Recent publication of the atomic structure of G-actin (Kabsch, W., Mannherz, H. G., Suck, D., Pai, E. F., & Holmes, K. C., 1990, Nature 347, 37-44) raises questions about how the conformation of actin changes upon its polymerization. In this work, the effects of various quenchers of etheno-nucleotides bound to G- and F-actin were examined in order to assess polymerization-related changes in the nucleotide phosphate site. The Mg(2+)-induced polymerization of actin quenched the fluorescence of the etheno-nucleotides by approximately 20% simultaneously with the increase in light scattering by actin. A conformational change at the nucleotide binding site was also indicated by greater accessibility of F-actin than G-actin to positively, negatively, and neutrally charged collisional quenchers. The difference in accessibility between G- and F-actin was greatest for I-, indicating that the environment of the etheno group is more positively charged in the polymerized form of actin. Based on calculations of the change in electric potential of the environment of the etheno group, specific polymerization-related movements of charged residues in the atomic structure of G-actin are suggested. The binding of S-1 to epsilon-ATP-G-actin increased the accessibility of the etheno group to I- even over that in Mg(2+)-polymerized actin. The quenching of the etheno group by nitromethane was, however, unaffected by the binding of S-1 to actin. Thus, the binding of S-1 induces conformational changes in the cleft region of actin that are different from those caused by Mg2+ polymerization of actin.(ABSTRACT TRUNCATED AT 250 WORDS)

Actins↗

Cyclic nucleotide phosphodiesterase (PDE) isoenzymes in the human detrusor smooth muscle. II. Effect of various PDE inhibitors on smooth muscle tone and cyclic nucleotide levels in vitro.

Phosphodiesterases (PDEs) regulate intracellular cyclic nucleotide metabolism and, thus, contraction and relaxation of smooth musculature. The aim of the present study was to evaluate the functional effects of isoenzyme-selective inhibitors and their effects on cyclic nucleotide levels in the human detrusor smooth muscle. In addition, the functional relevance of the cAMP versus the cGMP pathways in the regulation of the detrusor smooth muscle tone was assessed. Relaxant responses to various PDE inhibitors, forskolin and sodium nitroprusside (SNP) were investigated in vitro using a standard organ bath setup. Cyclic nucleotide levels were measured after incubation with the same substances using cAMP and cGMP radioimmunoassays (RIAs). Significant relaxant responses were only induced by non-selective PDE inhibition, the PDE I inhibitor vinpocetine and the adenylate cyclase activator forskolin. Relaxant responses to these substances were paralleled by increases in cyclic nucleotide levels. Our data suggest that the cAMP pathway and calcium/calmodulin-stimulated PDE (PDE I) may be of functional importance in the regulation of the human detrusor smooth muscle tone in vitro.

Cyclic AMP↗

Nucleotide sequence of the beta-globin genes in gorilla and macaque: the origin of nucleotide polymorphisms in human.

Part of the beta-globin genes of Macaca cynomolgus and Gorilla gorilla has been cloned and sequenced. Ten putatively neutral nucleotide polymorphisms have been described at the beta-globin locus in humans. They are associated in seven combinations, which define seven different haplotypes of the beta-globin gene: four major frameworks--1, 2, 3, and 3--and three minor frameworks, which we term KI1, KA1, and OR1. The nucleotide sequences of these frameworks are compared with those of homologous sequences in chimpanzee, colobus, macaque, and gorilla. This comparison provides strong evidence that framework 2 was the earliest framework in the human lineage. From framework 2, a rooted parsimonious tree for the six other frameworks is constructed. This phylogenetic tree is discussed in terms of the evolution of nucleotide polymorphisms as well as in terms of genetic affinities between human populations. For each position at which there is base difference in comparing human, gorilla, and chimpanzee beta-globin genes, the phyletic lineage where the corresponding substitution occurred has been identified using the maximum parsimony procedure. The data provide evidence that polymorphisms may represent a significant component of differences between closely related species. If so, nucleotide polymorphisms may strongly bias estimates of small evolutionary distances.

Animals↗

The influence of adjacent nucleotides on the pattern of nucleotide substitution in mitochondrial introns of angiosperms.

It has been known that in noncoding regions of the chloroplast genome, the pattern of nucleotide substitution is influenced by the two nucleotides flanking the substitution site. In a GC-rich environment, a bias toward transition was observed, whereas in an AT-rich environment, a bias toward transversion was observed. In this study, the influence of the two adjacent neighbors on the substitution pattern was observed in the first intron of the mitochondrial nad4 gene, although the AT content of this intron is only 48%. The proportion of transversions increases from 0.32 to 0.75 as the A + T content (number of A's + T's) of the two nearest neighbors increases from 0 to 2. This trend was also observed in another mitochondrial group I intron with an AT content of 64%. In addition, a similar, though weaker, effect was observed in vertebrate pseudogenes. So this effect is present in all three types of genomes. Furthermore, in contrast to the situation in the noncoding regions of chloroplast DNA, where most nucleotide substitutions occurred in the categories with an A + T content of either 1 or 2, nucleotide substitutions in the mitochondrial first nad4 intron occurred more evenly in three categories of different A + T contents. This might be due largely to the difference in the AT content (0.48 vs. 0.72) between the mitochondrial first nad4 intron and the chloroplast DNA regions studied.

Base Composition↗

Separation of ribonucleotides, deoxynucleotides, cyclic nucleotides and deoxycyclic nucleotides by reversed-phase high-performance liquid chromatography.

A reversed-phase gradient elution system with methanol-triethylammonium phosphate buffer (83.3 mM, pH 6.0) as eluent on C(18)-bonded silica is described for the separation of 38 ribonucleotides, deoxynucleotides, cyclic nucleotides and deoxycyclic nucleotides in less than 33 min. The retention of the nucleotides can be precisely controlled by adjusting the pH, buffer concentration and methanol content in the mobile phase. The system is especially useful for the analysis of low levels of cyclic nucleotides in cells and tissues.

Journal Article↗

Transducin and the inhibitory nucleotide regulatory protein inhibit the stimulatory nucleotide regulatory protein mediated stimulation of adenylate cyclase in phospholipid vesicle systems.

The adenylate cyclase coupled inhibitory nucleotide regulatory protein (Ni) and the bovine retinal nucleotide regulatory protein transducin (T) appear to share some common functional properties since their GTPase activity is stimulated to similar extents by the retinal photoreceptor rhodopsin. In the present work, we sought to assess whether these functional similarities might extend to their interaction with adenylate cyclase. This necessitated the development of reconstitution systems in which guanine nucleotide regulatory protein mediated inhibition of adenylate cyclase activity could be demonstrated and characterized in a lipid milieu. In the absence of the pure human erythrocyte stimulatory nucleotide regulatory protein (Ns), the insertion into phospholipid vesicles of either pure Ni from human erythrocytes or pure bovine T with the resolved catalytic moiety of bovine caudate adenylate cyclase (C) does not establish GppNHp inhibition of either Mg2+- or forskolin-stimulated adenylate cyclase. However, the coinsertion into lipid vesicles of either Ni or T with Ns and resolved C results in an inhibition of Ns(GppNHp) stimulatable C activity. As is the case in intact membranes, the reconstituted inhibition of the Ns-stimulated C activity extends into the steady-state phase of time courses of activity. This inhibition is highly sensitive to the MgCl2 concentration. At 2 mM MgCl2, the inhibition is greater than 80% while at 50 mM MgCl2 it is only approximately 20%.(ABSTRACT TRUNCATED AT 250 WORDS)

Adenylyl Cyclases↗

Multiple inequivalent metal-nucleotide coordination environments in the presence of the VO2+-inhibited nitrogenase iron protein: pH-dependent structural rearrangements at the nucleotide binding site.

Nitrogenase naturally requires adenosine nucleoside triphosphates and divalent metal cations for catalytic activity. Their energy of hydrolysis controls several mechanistic functions, most probably via separate structural conformers of the nitrogenase Fe protein. To characterize the ligand environment of the divalent metal in the ternary complex, with ADP or ATP and the Fe protein from Klebsiella pneumoniae, the hyperfine structures have been investigated by electron paramagnetic resonance (EPR) spectroscopy by substituting naturally occurring diamagnetic Mg(2+) by paramagnetic oxovanadium. This metal replacement leads to inhibition of nitrogenase activity. Moreover, depending on pH, two distinctly different VO(2+) EPR spectra are detected. At pH 7.4 each of the vanadyl EPR hyperfine lines is further split into two. This indicates that several spectroscopically distinguishable metal coordination environments coexist for VO(2+)-nucleotide chelate complexes in the presence of the reduced Fe protein. Overall, a total of at least three distinct local metal coordination environments have been identified. We report the EPR parameters for each of the disparate metal coordinations measured at different pH values with ADP and ATP bound. EPR spectra have also been recorded for the oxidized Fe protein showing essentially similar spectra to that of the reduced protein. The EPR parameters of VO-nucleotides in the presence of the Fe protein are consistent, for all metal coordination environments, with direct metal ligation by nucleotide phosphate groups and the formation of mononucleotide complexes. The nucleotide binding environment with the highest ligand field strength is compatible with a metal coordination structure that is also found in various G-proteins with GTP bound. No significant EPR line width change is detected after exchange into D(2)O buffer solution for any of the pH forms although differences exist between the pH forms. The missing difference between the EPR parameters in the presence of ADP or ATP suggests that there is little or no conformational rearrangement between these two forms; this contrasts with behavior of G-proteins that undergo substantial conformational changes upon hydrolysis. This could be related to the inhibition of nitrogenase by VO(2+).

Adenosine Diphosphate↗

Probing nucleotide-binding effects on backbone dynamics and folding of the nucleotide-binding domain of the sarcoplasmic/endoplasmic-reticulum Ca2+-ATPase.

In muscle cells, SERCA (sarcoplasmic/endoplasmic-reticulum Ca2+-ATPase) plays a key role in restoring cytoplasmic Ca2+ levels to resting concentrations after transient surges caused by excitation-coupling cycles. The mechanism by which Ca2+ is translocated to the lumen of the ER (endoplasmic reticulum) involves major conformational rearrangements among the three cytoplasmic domains: actuator (A), nucleotide-binding (N) and phosphorylation (P) domains; and within the transmembrane Ca2+-binding domain of SERCA. CD, fluorescence spectroscopy and NMR spectroscopy were used in the present study to probe the conformation and stability of the isolated N domain of SERCA (SERCA-N), in the presence and absence of AMP-PNP (adenosine 5'-[beta,gamma-imido]triphosphate). CD and tryptophan fluorescence spectroscopy results established that the effects of nucleotide binding were not readily manifested on the global fold and structural stability of SERCA-N. 15N-backbone-relaxation experiments revealed site-specific changes in backbone dynamics that converge on the central beta-sheet domain. Nucleotide binding produced diverse effects on dynamics, with enhanced mobility observed for Ile369, Cys420, Arg467, Asp568, Phe593 and Gly598, whereas rigidifying effects were found for Ser383, Leu419, Thr484 and Thr532. These results demonstrate that the overall fold and backbone motional properties of SERCA-N remained essentially the same in the presence of AMP-PNP, yet revealing evidence for internal counter-balancing effects on backbone dynamics upon binding the nucleotide, which propagate through the central beta-sheet.

Adenosine Triphosphate↗

Nucleotide binding to the C-terminal nucleotide binding domain of ArsA. Studies with an ATP analogue, 5'-p-fluorosulfonylbenzoyladenosine.

ArsA protein, the catalytic component of the plasmid-encoded anion-translocating ATPase in Escherichia coli, contains two consensus nucleotide binding domains, A1 and A2, that are connected by a flexible linker. ATP has previously been shown to cross-link to the A1 domain upon activation with UV light but not to the A2 domain. The ATP analogue, 5'-p-fluorosulfonylbenzoyladenosine (FSBA) was used to probe the nucleotide binding domains of ArsA. The covalently labeled protein was subjected to partial trypsin proteolysis, followed by Western blot analysis of the fragments with the anti-FSBA serum. The N-terminal amino acid sequence of the labeled fragment showed that FSBA binds preferentially to the C-terminal domain A2 both in the absence and the presence of antimonite. Occupancy of the two nucleotide binding sites was determined by protection from trypsin proteolysis. Trypsin cleaved the ArsA protein at Arg290 in the linker to generate a 32-kDa N-terminal and a 27-kDa C-terminal fragment. The 32-kDa fragment is compact and largely inaccessible to trypsin; however, the 27-kDa was cleaved further. Incubation with FSBA, which binds to the C-terminal domain, resulted in significant protection of the 27-kDa fragment. This fragment was not protected upon incubation with ATP alone, indicating that A2 might be unoccupied. However, upon incubation with ATP and antimonite, almost complete protection from trypsin was seen. ATP and FSBA together mimicked the effect of ATP and antimonite, implying that this fully protected conformation might be the result of both sites occupied with the nucleotide. It is proposed that the A1 site in ArsA is a high affinity ATP site, whereas the allosteric ligand antimonite is required to allow ATP binding to A2, resulting in catalytic cooperativity. Thus antimonite binding may act as a switch in regulating ATP binding to A2 and hence the ATPase activity of ArsA.

Adenosine↗

A state-independent interaction between ligand and a conserved arginine residue in cyclic nucleotide-gated channels reveals a functional polarity of the cyclic nucleotide binding site.

Activation of cyclic nucleotide-gated channels is thought to involve two distinct steps: a recognition event in which a ligand binds to the channel and a conformational change that both opens the channel and increases the affinity of the channel for an agonist. Sequence similarity with the cyclic nucleotide-binding sites of cAMP- and cGMP-dependent protein kinases and the bacterial catabolite activating protein (CAP) suggests that the channel ligand binding site consists of a beta-roll and three alpha-helices. Recent evidence has demonstrated that the third (or C) alpha-helix moves relative to the agonist upon channel activation, forming additional favorable contacts with the purine ring. Here we ask if channel activation also involves structural changes in the beta-roll by investigating the contribution of a conserved arginine residue that, in CAP and the kinases, forms an important ionic interaction with the cyclized phosphate of the bound ligand. Mutations that conserve, neutralize, or reverse the charge on this arginine decreased the apparent affinity for ligand over four orders of magnitude but had little effect on the ability of bound ligand to open the channel. These data indicate that the cyclized phosphate of the nucleotide approaches to within 2-4 A of the arginine, forming a favorable ionic bond that is largely unaltered upon activation. Thus, the binding site appears to be polarized into two distinct structural and functional domains: the beta-roll stabilizes the ligand in a state-independent manner, whereas the C-helix selectively stabilizes the ligand in the open state of the channel. It is likely that these distinct contributions of the nucleotide/C-helix and nucleotide/beta-roll interactions may also be a general feature of the mechanism of activation of other cyclic nucleotide-binding proteins.

Amino Acid Sequence↗

Constitutive release of ATP and evidence for major contribution of ecto-nucleotide pyrophosphatase and nucleoside diphosphokinase to extracellular nucleotide concentrations.

Nucleotides are important extracellular signaling molecules. At least five mammalian P2Y receptors exist that are specifically activated by ATP, UTP, ADP, or UDP. Although the existence of ectoenzymes that metabolize extracellular nucleotides is well established, the relative flux of ATP and UTP through their extracellular metabolic products remains undefined. Therefore, we have studied the kinetics of accumulation and metabolism of endogenous ATP in the extracellular medium of four different cell lines. ATP concentrations reached a maximum immediately after change of medium and decreased thereafter with a single exponential decay (t(1/2);1 approximately;230-40 min). ATP levels did not fall to zero but attained a base-line concentration that was independent of the medium volume and of the initial ATP concentration. Although the base-line concentration of ATP remained stable for up to 12 h, [gamma-(32)P]ATP added to resting cells as a radiotracer was completely degraded within 120 min, indicating that steady state reflected a basal rate of ATP release balanced by ATP hydrolysis (20-200 fmol x min(-)(1) x cell(-)(6)). High performance liquid chromatography analysis revealed that the gamma-phosphate of ATP was rapidly, although transiently, transferred during steady state to species subsequently identified as UTP and GTP, indicating the existence of both ecto-nucleoside diphosphokinase activity and the accumulation of endogenous UDP and GDP. Conversely, addition of [gamma-(32)P]UTP to resting cells resulted in transient formation of [gamma-(32)P]ATP, indicating phosphorylation of endogenous ADP by nucleoside diphosphokinase. The final (32)P-products of [gamma-(32)P]ATP metabolism were [(32)P]orthophosphoric acid and a (32)P-labeled species that was further purified and identified as [(32)P]inorganic pyrophosphate. In C6 cells, the formation of [(32)P]pyrophosphate from [gamma-(32)P]ATP at steady state exceeded by 3-fold that of [(32)P]orthophosphate. These results illustrate for the first time a constitutive release of ATP and other nucleotides and reveal the existence of a complex extracellular metabolic pathway for released nucleotides. In addition to the existence of an ecto-ATPase activity, our results suggest a major scavenger role of ecto-ATP pyrophosphatase and a transphosphorylating activity of nucleoside diphosphokinase.

Adenosine Triphosphate↗

Differential interactions of nucleotides at the two nucleotide binding domains of the cystic fibrosis transmembrane conductance regulator.

After phosphorylation by protein kinase A, gating of the cystic fibrosis transmembrane conductance regulator (CFTR) chloride channel is regulated by the interaction of ATP with its nucleotide binding domains (NBDs). Models of this gating regulation have proposed that ATP hydrolysis at NBD1 and NBD2 may drive channel opening and closing, respectively (reviewed in Nagel, G. (1999) Biochim. Biophys. Acta 1461, 263-274). However, as yet there has been little biochemical confirmation of the predictions of these models. We have employed photoaffinity labeling with 8-azido-ATP, which supports channel gating as effectively as ATP to evaluate interactions with each NBD in intact membrane-bound CFTR. Mutagenesis of Walker A lysine residues crucial for azido-ATP hydrolysis to generate the azido-ADP that is trapped by vanadate indicated a greater role of NBD1 than NBD2. Separation of the domains by limited trypsin digestion and enrichment by immunoprecipitation confirmed greater and more stable nucleotide trapping at NBD1. This asymmetry of the two domains in interactions with nucleotides was reflected most emphatically in the response to the nonhydrolyzable ATP analogue, 5'-adenylyl-beta,gamma-imidodiphosphate (AMP-PNP), which in the gating models was proposed to bind with high affinity to NBD2 causing inhibition of ATP hydrolysis there postulated to drive channel closing. Instead we found a strong competitive inhibition of nucleotide hydrolysis and trapping at NBD1 and a simultaneous enhancement at NBD2. This argues strongly that AMP-PNP does not inhibit ATP hydrolysis at NBD2 and thereby questions the relevance of hydrolysis at that domain to channel closing.

Adenosine Triphosphate↗

Nucleotide sequence of a Sendai virus genome region covering the entire M gene and the 3' proximal 1013 nucleotides of the F gene.

We determined the sequence of the 2,138 nucleotides in the Sendai virus genome just following the 3' proximal 3,686 nucleotides which we had previously reported (Nucleic Acids Res. 11, 7317-7330, 1983). This covers the entire third gene of 1,173 nucleotides and the 3' proximal 1,013 nucleotides of the fourth gene. Like the NP and P+C genes, both the third and fourth genes start from consensus sequence R1 (3'-UCCCAC(or UA)UUUC) at the 3' end and the third gene terminates with consensus sequence R2 (3'-AUUCUUUUU) at the 5' end. The third gene was identified as M, and the deduced 348 amino acids indicated that the M protein is rich in basic residues and has hydrophobic domains near the C-terminal. The fourth gene, although sequencing is not complete yet, was identified as F, since a large open reading frame found in the gene contains the characteristic sequence of 20 amino acids located at the N-terminal of the F1 protein. Analyses of the amino acid sequence suggested that the structure of the F gene product is NH2-signal peptide-F2-F1-COOH.

Animals↗

Conformational changes of arginine kinase induced by photochemical release of nucleotides from caged nucleotides--an infrared difference-spectroscopy investigation.

The conformations of arginine kinase (AK) in AK x Mg x ADP, AK x Mg x ATP, AK x Mg x ADP x NO3-, AK x Mg x ADP x Arg and AK x Mg x ADP x NO3- x Arg complexes were investigated by measuring their reaction-induced infrared difference spectra (RIDS). The photochemical release of ATP from ATP[Et(PhNO2)] and of ADP from ADP[Et(PhNO2)] produced distinct RIDS of AK complexes, suggesting that binding of ADP and ATP promoted different structural alterations of the enzyme active-site. Small infrared changes in the amide-I region were observed, indicating that about 5-10 amino acid residues were involved in the nucleotide-binding site. These infrared changes were due to the structural alteration of the peptide backbone caused by the nucleotide-binding and to the coupling effects between the nucleotide-binding site and the other substrate (Arg or NO3-)-binding site. ATP binding to AK (as well as ADP-binding to AK in the presence of NO3-) induced protonation of a carboxylate group of Asp or Glu, as evidenced by the appearance of the 1733-cm(-1) band, which was not observed with the AK x Mg x ADP, AK x Mg x ADP x Arg and AK x Mg x ADP x NO3- x Arg complexes. The RIDS of the AK x Mg x ADP x NO3- x Arg complex showed new infrared bands at 1622 cm(-1) (negative) and at 1613 cm(-1) (positive), which were not seen in the RIDS of other complexes (without NO3- or/and Arg). In the transition-state-analog complex of AK, no protonation of the carboxylate residue (Asp or Glu) was observed, and the binding site of NO3- or the gamma-phosphate group of nucleotide was altered.

Adenosine Diphosphate↗

Splicing analysis disclosed a determinant single nucleotide for exon skipping caused by a novel intraexonic four-nucleotide deletion in the dystrophin gene.

BACKGROUND: Mutations in exonic splicing enhancer sequences are known to cause splicing errors. Although exonic splicing enhancers have been identified as a stretch of purine-rich sequences, it has been difficult to precisely pinpoint the determinant nucleotides in these sequences. This article reports that a 4-bp deletion in exon 38 of the dystrophin gene induced complete exon 38 skipping in vivo. Moreover, the third nucleotide of the deletion was shown to be determinant for the exonic splicing enhancer activity in in vivo splicing analysis of hybrid minigenes encoding mutant exons. METHOD: Genomic DNA analysis of a 2-year-old boy with a raised level of serum creatine kinase yielded a 4-bp deletion 11 bp upstream of the 3' end of exon 38 of the dystrophin gene (c. 5434-5437del TTCA), disrupting a predicted SC35-binding site. RESULT: Interestingly, his dystrophin mRNA was shown to completely lack exon 38 (exon 38- transcript). As the exon 38- transcript coded for a truncated dystrophin protein, this exon skipping was determined to be a modifying factor of his phenotype. In an in vivo splicing assay, a hybrid minigene encoding exon 38 with the 4-bp deletion was shown to induce complete exon 38 skipping, confirming the deleted region as a splicing enhancer sequence. Site-directed mutagenesis of the deleted sequence showed that the complete exon 38 skipping was caused by mutation of the third nucleotide position of the deletion (C5436), whereas mutations at the other three nucleotide positions induced partial exon skipping. CONCLUSION: Our results underline the potential of understanding the regulation of exonic splicing enhancer sequences and exon skipping therapy for treatment of Duchenne's muscular dystrophy.

Base Sequence↗

Effects of guanine nucleotides and divalent cations on forskolin activation of rabbit luteal adenylyl cyclase: evidence for the existence of an inhibitory guanine nucleotide-binding regulatory component.

The effects of guanine nucleotides and divalent cations on the activation of rabbit luteal adenylyl cyclase by the diterpene forskolin were investigated. Saturating concentrations of forskolin elicited 10- to 15-fold stimulation of adenylyl cyclase activity in the absence of added guanine nucleotide. No lag was observed in the time course of forskolin-induced activation. Addition of 10 microM guanosine triphosphate (GTP) and guanyl-5'-yl imidodiphosphate [GMP-P(NH)P] inhibited forskolin activation by 10-15% and 30-40%, respectively, in the presence of 3.0 mM MgCl2. GMP-P(NH)P was more potent than GTP in inhibiting forskolin activation of adenylyl cyclase having an IC50 of 36 nM compared to 610 nM for GTP. In contrast, the Kact for stimulating adenylyl cyclase activity by both GMP-P(NH)P and GTP were similar, 1.00 and 0.86 microM, respectively. GMP-P(NH)P-induced inhibition of the forskolin-activated enzyme was not due to the hysteretic nature of GMP-P(NH)P activation of luteal adenylyl cyclase, as addition of GMP-P(NH)P to an enzyme that had been treated 5 min earlier with forskolin resulted in the immediate inhibition of enzymatic activity. Addition of GMP-P(NH)P to a concentration-effect curve for forskolin increased the Kact value for forskolin form 7.18 to 26.8 microM. There was a different MgCl2 concentration requirement for maximal stimulation of luteal cyclase by GMP-P(NH)P (8 mM MgCl2) and maximal inhibition of forskolin-stimulated activity by GMP-P(NH)P (0.5-0.6 mM MgCl2). Further, MnCl2 concentrations above 1.0 mM completely abolished the inhibitory action of GMP-P(NH)P on forskolin activation of luteal cyclase. In fact, at 2.0 mM MnCl2, adenylyl cyclase activity in the presence of GMP-P(NH)P plus forskolin was greater than that of forskolin alone. Thus taken together, these findings suggest that the rabbit corpus luteum contains an inhibitory guanine nucleotide-binding regulatory component in addition to a stimulatory regulatory component. Further, these components demonstrate differing requirements for both guanine nucleotides and divalent cations in order to interact with the catalytic moiety of adenylyl cyclase. The existence of such an inhibitory component suggests the presence of an inhibitory receptor in the corpus luteum which could negatively regulate adenylyl cyclase resulting in the inhibition of cAMP production and reduced progesterone output from the corpus luteum under normal physiological conditions.

Adenylyl Cyclases↗