Mutational analysis of the biglycan gene excludes it as a candidate for X-linked dominant chondrodysplasia punctata, dyskeratosis congenita, and incontinentia pigmenti.
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The cocaine- and amphetamine-regulated transcript (CART) peptide is a recently characterized neuropeptide implicated in the control of appetite. We hypothesized that genetic variation in CART may contribute to human obesity. The entire coding region of CART was determined by nucleotide sequencing in 91 unrelated subjects with severe early-onset obesity. A novel amino acid change, Ser66Thr, was found in 2 probands and in 0 of 100 control subjects but did not cosegregate with obesity in family studies. Two common polymorphisms were found in the 3'-untranslated region (A1475G and deltaA1457). An effect of these polymorphisms on body composition and intermediate phenotypes related to obesity was examined in a large Caucasian population in the U.K. Neither polymorphism showed any significant relationship with obesity; however, men heterozygous for the A1475G variant had significantly lower waist-to-hip ratio (WHR), fasting plasma insulin, and fasting triglycerides. Regression analysis indicated that the effects on insulin and triglycerides were likely to be secondary to the effects on WHR. Thus, we have conducted the first systematic study of the CART gene in human obesity, and although no clear association with obesity was found, the data suggest that genetic variation in the CART locus might influence fat distribution and variables related to syndrome X.
A number of mutants of the recombinant human hybrid interferon-alpha 8[60]alpha 1[92]alpha 8 have been expressed in Escherichia coli, purified to homogeneity and characterized. The introduction of one or two negative charges results in an anomalously lower electrophoretic mobility than that expected from the molecular mass. The mutations Lys84-->Glu, Cys86-->Tyr, Cys86-->Ser, Thr87-->Ile, Tyr90-->Asp and Lys84-->Glu/Tyr90-->Asp (double mutant) result in a marked decrease of the biological activity in murine cells compared to the unmutated protein. Comparisons with published structural and homology models of interferon-beta and -alpha, imply that these residues are located primarily on the external surface of the carboxylterminus of helix C. We propose a model of interferon-receptor interaction in which these residues define a potential binding site.
To investigate a novel branch of the shikimate biosynthesis pathway operating in the formation of 3-amino-5-hydroxybenzoic acid (AHBA), the unique biosynthetic precursor of rifamycin and related ansamycins, a series of target-directed mutations and heterologous gene expressions were investigated in Amycolatopsis mediterranei and Streptomyces coelicolor. The genes involved in AHBA formation were inactivated individually, and the resulting mutants were further examined by incubating the cell-free extracts with known intermediates of the pathway and analyzing for AHBA formation. The rifL, -M, and -N genes were shown to be involved in the step(s) from either phosphoenolpyruvate/d-erythrose 4-phosphate or other precursors to 3,4-dideoxy-4-amino-d-arabino-heptulosonate 7-phosphate. The gene products of the rifH, -G, and -J genes resemble enzymes involved in the shikimate biosynthesis pathway (August, P. R., Tang, L., Yoon, Y. J., Ning, S., Müller, R., Yu, T.-W., Taylor, M., Hoffmann, D., Kim, C.-G., Zhang, X., Hutchinson, C. R., and Floss, H. G. (1998) Chem. Biol. 5, 69-79). Mutants of the rifH and -J genes produced rifamycin B at 1% and 10%, respectively, of the yields of the wild type; inactivation of the rifG gene did not affect rifamycin production significantly. Finally, coexpressing the rifG-N and -J genes in S. coelicolor YU105 under the control of the act promoter led to significant production of AHBA in the fermented cultures, confirming that seven of these genes are indeed necessary and sufficient for AHBA formation. The effects of deletion of individual genes from the heterologous expression cassette on AHBA formation duplicated the effects of the genomic rifG-N and -J mutations on rifamycin production, indicating that all these genes encode proteins with catalytic rather than regulatory functions in AHBA formation for rifamycin biosynthesis by A. mediterranei.
8-oxo-deoxyguanosine triphosphate (8-oxo-dGTP) is a major oxidation product in the nucleotide pool of the cell and is a potent mutagen, because it can be incorporated into DNA with equal frequency opposite either template C or A. The human MTH1 gene (hMTH1) is a homologue of the E. coli mutator gene mutT, which encodes 8-oxo-dGTPase. hMTH1 protein reduces spontaneous mutations by removing 8-oxo-dGTP from the triphosphate pool. To determine whether this gene is associated with carcinogenesis of human ovarian cancer, the present study examined, for the first time, the hMTH1 sequence in 49 ovarian cancers and 9 ovarian cancer cell lines by means of polymerase chain reaction-single strand conformation polymorphism (PCR-SSCP) and sequencing analyses. A Gright curved arrow A transition at codon 83 was detected in one patient and one cell line (3.4%), followed by an amino acid change (valineright curved arrow methionine) which was known to cause the protein to be less active in vitro. This one base substitution was found in normal and corresponding tumor DNA, and its allele type was heterozygous. The same change has been detected in HNPCC (hereditary non-polyposis colorectal cancer) and gastric cancer patients, and thus it may not represent a mutation specific for ovarian cancer. A silent Tright curved arrow C transition at codon 119 was detected in 12 patients and 2 cell lines (24.1%). No specific mutations in hMTH1 were found in either ovarian cancer patients or cell lines. Thus, it appears that hMTH1 is not directly associated with ovarian cancer.
Previous studies have suggested that cleavage of vaccinia virus core protein precursors occurs within the consensus tripeptide motif -A-G decreases X-. As an approach to delineate the sequence and structural features of the precursor polypeptides that are responsible for directing site-specific scission within this element, site-directed mutagenesis procedures were employed in concert with an in vivo trans-processing assay of the P25K: FLAG reporter plasmid. The results obtained suggest that residue occupancy at the P1' site (following the nomenclature of Schechter and Berger (Schechter, I., and Berger, A. (1976) Biochem. Biophys. Res. Commun. 27, 157-162), the positions at the amino- and carboxyl-proximal residues are indicated as P1, P2, etc., and P1', P2', etc., respectively) was extremely permissive, with only a proline substitution blocking cleavage. In contrast, the permissible occupancy of the P1 (serine or alanine) and P2 (cysteine, serine, or asparagine) sites was extremely restricted. Analysis of P1/P2 double mutants supported this conclusion and suggested additional levels of combinatorial stringency. Insertion or deletion of sequences immediately adjacent (amino- or carboxyl-terminal) to the -A-G-X- motif completely abrogated cleavage, suggesting the presence of additional important structural determinants. Mutation of the conserved proline or basic amino acid residues in these regions had no effect on cleavage, whereas it appeared that the presence of a hydrophobic residue in the P4 site was required.
In addition to the well-known internal promoter elements of tRNA genes, 5' flanking sequences can also influence the efficiency of transcription by Saccharomyces cerevisiae extracts in vitro. A consensus sequence of yeast tRNA genes in the vicinity of the transcriptional start site can be derived. To determine whether the activity of this region can be attributed to particular sequence features we studied in vitro mutants of the start site region. We found that the start site can be shifted, but only to a limited extent, by moving the conserved sequence element. We found that both a pyrimidine-purine motif (with transcription initiating at the purine) and a small T:A base pair block upstream are important for efficient transcription in vitro. Thus the sequence surrounding the start site of transcription of the yeast tRNA(Leu3) gene does play a role in determining transcription efficiency and fixing the precise site of initiation by RNA polymerase III.
BACKGROUND: Clinically, premature ovarian failure (POF) is defined as unexplained amenorrhoea (> 6 months) with a high FSH level (> 40 IU) before the age of 40 years. POF is a heterogeneous genetic disease with unknown aetiology. Inhibin and activin regulate the FSH level by their opposing actions and thus have been considered as strong candidate genes in the aetiology of POF. METHODS: We have screened inhibin genes in patients with POF (n = 80), primary amenorrhoea (n = 33) and secondary amenorrhoea (n = 4). RESULTS: INHbetaB and INHbetaA genes do not show any association with ovarian failure. We found the Ala257Thr missense mutation in INHalpha gene with high statistical significance in POF (nine out of 80, 11.2%) (Fisher's exact test, P = 0.0005), primary amenorrhoea (three out of 33, 9.1%) (Fisher's exact test, P = 0.014) and secondary amenorrhoea (two out of four, 50%) (Fisher's exact test, P = 0.001) with complete absence of this mutation in controls (none out of 100). CONCLUSION: The INHalpha gene is a strong candidate gene for ovarian failure. Mutations in INHbetaB and INHbetaA genes are not associated with ovarian failure.
Discrimination of invasive well-differentiated adenocarcinoma (IAD) from reactive bronchioloalveolar epithelium entrapped in pulmonary scars (PSE) may be difficult on routine histology, especially on small biopsies. Ancillary studies to help in this regard are desirable. Whereas IADs have been shown to harbor cumulative mutational damage of tumor suppressor genes, little is known about molecular changes in PSEs. In this study, we compared cumulative loss of heterozygosity (LOH) of tumor suppressor genes in PSEs (N = 12), bronchioloalveolar carcinomas (BACs, N = 15) and stage 1 IADs (N = 7). Unstained serial sections were microdissected to obtain lesional and normal tissue DNA. PCR was performed for up to 16 polymorphic markers. An allelic ratio of < 0.5 or >2.0 was designated as LOH. Fractional allelic loss (FAL) was calculated for each case as the number of markers with LOH divided by the total number of informative markers. Mean percentage of informative markers was 76.8%. PSEs showed significantly lower mean FAL compared with BACs and IADs (3.0% vs. 20.4% and 28.5%, respectively; P < 0.003). Only 1 case of PSE showed LOH of one marker in two different areas, whereas the majority of allelic losses in the neoplasms were present in two or more microdissected foci. Our study shows that PSEs harbor LOH of tumor suppressor genes at relatively low rates and in a random distribution compared with BACs and IADs, which show consistent allelic losses, and high FALs. These molecular differences may serve as an adjunct to histology in challenging glandular lesions of the lung.
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Vaccinia DNA topoisomerase, a 314-amino acid type I enzyme, catalyzes the cleavage and rejoining of DNA strands through a DNA-(3'-phosphotyrosyl)-enzyme intermediate. To identify amino acids that participate in the transesterification reaction, we introduced alanine substitutions at 39 positions within a conserved 57amino acid segment upstream of the active-site tyrosine. Purified wild type and mutant proteins were compared with respect to their activities in relaxing supercoiled DNA. The majority of mutant proteins displayed wild type topoisomerase activity. Mutant enzymes that relaxed DNA at reduced rates were subjected to kinetic analysis of the strand cleavage and religation steps under single-turnover and equilibrium conditions. For the wild type topoisomerase, the observed single-turnover cleavage rate constant (kcl) was 0.29 s-1 and the cleavage-religation equilibrium constant (Kcl) was 0.22. The most dramatic mutational effects were seen with R223A; removal of the basic side chain reduced the rates of cleavage and religation by factors of 10(-4.3) and 10(-5.0), respectively, and shifted the cleavage-religation equilibrium in favor of the covalently bound state (Kcl = 1). Introduction of lysine at position 223 restored the rate of cleavage to 1/10 that of the wild type enzyme. We conclude that a basic residue is essential for covalent catalysis and suggest that Arg-223 is a constituent of the active site. Modest mutational effects were observed at two other positions (Lys-220 and Asn-228), at which alanine substitutions slowed the rates of strand cleavage by 1 order of magnitude and shifted the equilibrium toward the noncovalently bound state. Arg-223 and Lys-220 are conserved in all members of the eukaryotic type I topoisomerase family; Asn-228 is conserved among the poxvirus enzymes.
Deregulated myc, bcl-2 and/or TP53 gene expression is associated with non-Hodgkin's B cell lymphomas (B-NHLs). Emu-N-myc transgenic mice that misexpress N-myc protein and carry a non-disrupted bcl-2 gene develop indolent B cell lymphomas reminiscent of the B-NHL, follicular lymphoma. Tumors from mice with end-stage disease exhibited discrete, nodular lesions as well as areas of diffuse tumor likely due to coalescence of enlarged follicles. Tumor DNAs were screened for mutations in the Trp53 gene, the murine homologue of the TP53 gene, which participates in B cell differentiation and survival. By PCR-based sequence analyses, we determined there were no mutations in exons 5-8, the common sites of TP53 mutation in B-NHLs. These findings suggested that disease progression in our novel murine lymphoma model may proceed via a Trp53-independent pathogenetic pathway.
X-linked lymphoproliferative disease (XLP) is a rare inherited immunodeficiency to Epstein-Barr virus (EBV). The gene responsible for XLP has recently been identified as the four-exon SH2D1A gene encoding a 128-amino-acid protein that contains an SH2-domain. Functional studies indicate the SH2D1A protein acts as a regulator of at least two signal transduction pathways initiated by the cell surface molecules SLAM and 2B4, respectively, and possibly related to the host immune response to EBV infection. We have carried out a systematic mutation study of the SH2D1A gene in our series of 19 typical and 8 atypical XLP patients by polymerase chain reaction (PCR), reverse transcription/PCR, and sequencing, and have reconstructed the haplotypes of the patients. Four out of the 13 mutations detected are previously unreported. The identification of SH2D1A mutations in carriers from all three XLP families screened and the detection of mutations in two out of eight atypical patients indicates the usefulness of a DNA-based diagnosis for XLP disease.
A mutagenesis approach was applied to identify specific amino acid residues that are tentatively involved in binding of the oligosaccharide substrate at the active site of Escherichia coli maltodextrin phosphorylase. From ten residues located within a proposed channel connecting the enzyme surface with the active site, nine displayed significant effects on the reaction with oligosaccharide substrates when exchanged by mutagenesis. While several mutant enzymes (N258A/D259A/N260A, N307A, E350A, and Y578F) exhibited moderate decreases in apparent binding (about 4-17-fold), two mutations, H536L and E67A, weakened apparent binding of oligosaccharide substrates by 2 orders of magnitude. Two further mutant enzymes (T346G and H310A) displayed a 10-fold increase in the apparent Km of the oligosaccharide in the degradation reaction, while binding in the synthesis direction seemed less affected, indicating partially differential binding modes of oligosaccharides in synthesis and degradation. Quite uniquely, the H310A mutant enzyme exhibits a more than 100-fold-lowered Ki for gluconolactone, indicating the existence of an inhibitor binding site similar to that expected for a carbonium ion-like transition state. This is further confirmed by the finding that glucose, which does not inhibit wild-type enzyme, became an inhibitor of the H310A mutant enzyme (Ki = 20 mM). Since mutation of D308 did reduce kcat about 10-100-fold while Km values remained unchanged, a participation of this residue in transition state binding is probable. The insight into substrate recognition derived from this mutagenesis study corroborates a binding model where maltopentaose fits into the phosphorylase b structure in a distorted form.
The previously isolated hemiplegic, induction-negative, repression-positive mutants, H80R and Y82C, were found to be defective in the binding of arabinose. Randomization of other residues close to arabinose in the three-dimensional structure of AraC or that make strong interactions with arabinose yielded induction-negative, repression-positive mutants. The induction and repression properties of mutants obtained by randomizing individual residues of the N-terminal arm of AraC allowed identification of the domain with which that residue very likely makes its predominant interactions. Residues 8-14 of the arm appear to make their predominant interaction with the DNA-binding domain. Although the side-chain of residue 15 interacts directly with arabinose bound to the N-terminal dimerization domain, the properties of mutant F15L indicate that this mutation increases the affinity of the arm for the DNA-binding domain.
We have shown previously that a chemically synthesized adenovirus E1A region 3 peptide of 49 amino acids, protein domain 3 (PD3; residues 140 to 188 of the 289-amino-acid protein), trans activates viral genes in vitro and in vivo. To study structure-function relationships, we synthesized N-terminal deletion and cysteine substitution mutant peptides and tested their activities in a cell microinjection assay. Peptides lacking 1 to 12 N-terminal residues exhibited 5- to 50-fold-reduced molar specific activities, whereas those lacking 16 or 18 residues were inactive. Substitution of each of five PD3 cysteine residues with alanine resulted in substantial losses of activity: mutants in the PD3 N-terminal portion showed 40 to 55% of wild-type activity but required a 20-fold-higher concentration than PD3, whereas those in the C-terminal half were as much less active. These peptide mutant studies suggest the existence of two PD3 functional regions: one, localized in the C-terminal 70 to 75% of the molecule, is essential for trans activation; the other, localized in the N-terminal 25 to 30%, can be overridden to a significant extent at high peptide concentrations.
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