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Mutational analysis of Agrobacterium tumefaciens virD2: tyrosine 29 is essential for endonuclease activity.

Agrobacterium tumefaciens VirD2 polypeptide, in the presence of VirD1, catalyzes a site- and strand-specific nicking reaction at the T-DNA border sequences. VirD2 is found tightly attached to the 5' end of the nicked DNA. The protein-DNA complex is presumably formed via a tyrosine residue of VirD2 (F. Durrenberger, A. Crameri, B. Hohn, and Z. Koukolikova-Nicola, Proc. Natl. Acad. Sci. USA 86:9154-9158, 1989). A mutational approach was used to study whether a tyrosine residue(s) of VirD2 is required for its activity. By site-specific mutagenesis, a tyrosine (Y) residue at position 29, 68, 99, 119, 121, 160, or 195 of the octopine Ti plasmid pTiA6 VirD2 was altered to phenylalanine (F). The Y-29-F or Y-121-F mutation completely abolished nicking activity of VirD2 in vivo in Escherichia coli. Two other substitutions, Y-68-F and Y-160-F, drastically reduced VirD2 activity. A substitution at position 99, 119, or 195 had no effect on VirD2 activity. Additional mutagenesis experiments showed that at position 29, no other amino acid could substitute for tyrosine without destroying VirD2 activity. At position 121, only a tryptophan (W) residue could be substituted. This, however, yielded a mutant protein with significantly reduced VirD2 activity. The nicked DNA from strains bearing a Y-68-F, Y-99-F, Y-119-F, Y-160-F, Y-195-F, or Y-121-W mutation in VirD2 was always found to contain a tightly linked protein.

Agrobacterium tumefaciens↗

The Rab3A GTPase interacts with multiple factors through the same effector domain. Mutational analysis of cross-linking of Rab3A to a putative target protein.

Rab3A/smg25A is a small Ras-like guanine nucleotide binding protein implicated in the control of regulated secretion from cells. Rab3A is approximately 30% cytosolic and 70% associated with the membranes of secretory vesicles. It cross-links specifically to a rat brain membrane protein of about 85 kilodaltons (p85). To identify epitopes on Rab3A that are important for its interaction with this putative target protein, we have determined the effects of point mutations on the cross-linking efficiency of Rab3A to p85. Rab3A, which was preincubated with a non-hydrolyzable analog of GTP, cross-linked more efficiently to p85 than did Rab3A-GDP. Rab3A mutants that had decreased nucleotide binding also exhibited poor cross-linking to p85. Mutations in the effector domain, a site important for the interaction of Rab3A with its guanine nucleotide releasing factor, guanine nucleotide dissociation inhibitor, and GTPase-activating protein, eliminated the ability of Rab3A to cross-link to p85. However, short peptides corresponding to the effector domain did not reduce cross-linking efficiency when present at a concentration of 50 microM.

Animals↗

Mutational analysis of poliovirus 2Apro. Distinct inhibitory functions of 2apro on translation and transcription.

Transient expression of poliovirus 2Apro in mammalian cells by means of the recombinant vaccinia virus vT7 expression system leads to drastic inhibition of both cellular and vaccinia virus gene expression (Aldabe, R., Feduchi, E., Novoa, I., and Carrasco, L. (1995) FEBS Lett. 377, 1-5; Aldabe, R., Feduchi, E., Novoa, I., and Carrasco, L. (1995) Biochem. Biophys. Res. Commun. 215, 928-936). To obtain further insights into the molecular basis of this inhibition, a number of 2Apro variants were generated and expressed in COS-1 cells. The effect of these variants on cellular translation, on vaccinia virus-specific translation, and on transcription of the reporter gene luciferase was analyzed. The ability of the different 2Apro variants to block cellular translation depends on their capacities to cleave eIF-4G. The blockade exerted by 2Apro on transcription of the luciferase gene reinforces the notion that this protease is a potent inhibitor of RNA polymerase II-mediated transcription. Some of the 2Apro variants tested failed to block luciferase transcription, despite the fact that eIF-4G cleavage and inhibition of translation were observed. Two reconstituted polioviruses mutated in 2Apro were defective in inhibiting luciferase transcription, yet were still able to cleave eIF-4G and block translation. These findings indicate that 2Apro interferes with cellular gene expression at both the transcriptional and translational levels. Moreover, these two effects probably reflect the inactivation of different host proteins by poliovirus 2Apro.

Amino Acid Sequence↗

Mutation analysis for cystic fibrosis to determine carrier status in 167 sperm donors from the Nebraska Genetic Semen Bank.

Cystic fibrosis is the most common autosomal recessive disorder in Caucasian populations, with an approximate frequency of 1/2500 live births and a carrier frequency of 1/25. Due to the high rate of predicted carriers (> 63,000) in the Nebraska population (1990 U.S. Census = 1,578,358), we analyzed sperm DNA obtained from semen donors at the University of Nebraska Genetic Semen Bank for eight of the more common mutations to determine the frequency and diversity in our population. The subjects included 167 semen donors (31 normal healthy donors, 56 infertility patients, 21 prevasectomy patients, and 59 prechemotherapy or preradiation cancer patients). The mutations analyzed included delta F508, R117H, G542X, S549R/N, G551D, R553X, R560T, and W1282X. Analyses were performed using PCR amplified products that were analyzed using polyacrylamide gel electrophoresis, slot blot, and restriction endonuclease digestion. These results were correlated with results from the clinical semen analyses and selected clinical parameters. Results for the total donor population studied showed that the delta F508 mutation was present in 8/167 (4.8%) donors, the R117H mutation was present in 4/167 (2.4%) donors and the G542X mutation was present in 1/167 (0.6%) donors. The observed number of carriers from this population, 13/167 (7.8%), was significantly greater (P = 0.02) than that expected assuming a carrier frequency of 1/25. The excess of carriers was restricted to the subgroup of infertility patients. This suggests that CF carriers may be at higher risk for infertility than the general population.

Cystic Fibrosis↗

Mutation analysis of leukemia inhibitory factor-receptor (LIF-R) in ACTH-secreting pituitary adenomas.

Numerous cytokines and particularly leukemia inhibitory factor (LIF) are involved in the differentiation, proliferation, and secretory function of ACTH-producing pituitary cells. LIF and its receptor LIF-R are abundantly expressed in normal pituitaries and in ACTH producing adenomas. The present study was performed to evaluate the possible role of LIF-R in the pathogenesis of ACTH-secreting pituitary adenomas. To test the hypothesis that a possible mutation of LIF-R might be involved in pathogenesis of Cushing's disease we analyzed ACTH-producing pituitary adenomas as well as inactive pituitary adenomas by RT-PCR and direct cycle sequencing. No mutations have been found in the adenomas investigated. We thus conclude that mutations in LIF-R are an unlikely cause for the development of Cushing's disease.

Adenoma↗

Mutational analysis of segmental stabilization of transcripts from the Zymomonas mobilis gap-pgk operon.

In Zymomonas mobilis, the genes encoding glyceraldehyde-3-phosphate dehydrogenase and phosphoglycerate kinase are transcribed together from the gap-pgk operon. However, higher levels of the former enzyme are present in the cytoplasm because of increased stability of a 5' segment containing the gap coding region. This segment is bounded by an upstream untranslated region which can be folded into many stem-loop structures and a prominent intercistronic stem-loop. Mutations eliminating a proposed stem-loop in the untranslated region or the intercistronic stem-loop resulted in a decrease in the stability and pool size of the 5' gap segment. Site-specific mutations in the unpaired regions of both of these stems also altered the message pools. Elimination of the intercistronic stem appeared to reduce the endonucleolytic cleavage within the pgk coding region, increasing the stability and abundance of the full-length message. DNA encoding the prominent stem-loop at the 3' end of the message was shown to be a transcriptional terminator both in Z. mobilis and in Escherichia coli. This third stem-loop region (part of the transcriptional terminator) was required to stabilize the full-length gap-pgk message.

Base Sequence↗

Mutational analysis of conserved glycines 42 and 256 in Cephalosporium acremonium isopenicillin N synthase.

Isopenicillin N synthase (IPNS) is critical for the catalytic conversion of delta-(L-alpha-aminoadipoyl)-L-cysteinyl-D-valine to isopenicillin N in the penicillin and cephalosporin biosynthetic pathway. Two conserved glycine residues in Cephalosporium acremonium IPNS (cIPNS), namely glycine-42 and glycine-256, were identified by multiple sequence alignment and investigated by site-directed mutagenesis to study the effect of the substitution on catalysis. Our study showed that both the mutations from glycine to alanine or to serine reduced the catalytic activity of cIPNS and affected its soluble expression in a heterologous host at 37 degrees C. Soluble expression was restored at a reduced temperature of 25 degrees C, and thus, it is possible that these glycine residues may have a role in maintaining the local protein structure and are critical for the soluble expression of cIPNS.

Acremonium↗

Mutation analysis of the putative tumor suppressor PTEN/MMAC1 in human ovarian cancer.

A putative tumor suppressor, PTEN/MMAC1 gene was recently identified at 10q23 and was found to be frequently altered in several types of human tumors. To determine the possible role of this gene in human ovarian tumors, we screened 31 unselected primary epithelial ovarian cancers with matched normal tissues and 7 ovarian cancer cell lines. Two homozygous deletions (4.8%) were detected in primary ovarian tumors by a semi-quantitative multiplex polymerase chain reaction. However, no point mutations were observed in any of the PTEN/MMAC1 coding sequences as determined by denaturing high-performance liquid chromatography and DNA sequencing. These data indicate that PTEN/MMAC1 mutations are rare in ovarian cancers.

Alternative Splicing↗

Refinement of an ovarian cancer tumour suppressor gene locus on chromosome arm 22q and mutation analysis of CYP2D6, SREBP2 and NAGA.

Loss of heterozygosity on chromosome 22q was detected in 53% of 123 ovarian carcinomas, suggesting the presence of at least one tumour suppressor gene. We have refined the location of one possible tumour suppressor gene to the region between the microsatellite markers D22S299 and CYP2D. Located within this region are the genes SREBP2 (sterol regulatory element binding protein 2) and NAGA (N-acetyl-alpha-D-galactosaminidase). Investigation of the coding exons of these genes by single stranded conformational polymorphism/heteroduplex analysis failed to identify any somatic genetic alterations in 57 ovarian tumours which exhibited LOH on 22q13. The CYP2D gene locus straddles the distal boundary of the candidate region. Germline variants of the active CYP2D6 gene with differing abilities to metabolise specific substrates have been implicated in the development of various cancers. Comparison of the frequency of the two common germline mutations among 258 ovarian tumours and 231 non-cancer controls did not reveal any significant differences between the two groups. This suggests that the known polymorphic variants of CYP2D6 are not involved in ovarian cancer predisposition. We also conclude that neither NAGA nor SREBP2 are likely to be mutated in ovarian carcinomas.

Chromosome Mapping↗

Mutational analysis of the ras converting enzyme reveals a requirement for glutamate and histidine residues.

The Ras converting enzyme (RCE) promotes a proteolytic activity that is required for the maturation of Ras, the yeast a-factor mating pheromone, and certain other proteins whose precursors bear a C-terminal CAAX tetrapeptide motif. Despite the physiological importance of RCE, the enzymatic mechanism of this protease remains undefined. In this study, we have evaluated the substrate specificity of RCE orthologs from yeast (Rce1p), worm, plant, and human and have determined the importance of conserved residues toward enzymatic activity. Our findings indicate that RCE orthologs have conserved substrate specificity, cleaving CVIA, CTLM, and certain other CAAX motifs, but not the CASQ motif, when these motifs are placed in the context of the yeast a-factor precursor. Our mutational studies of residues conserved between the orthologs indicate that an alanine substitution at His194 completely inactivates yeast Rce1p enzymatic activity, whereas a substitution at Glu156 or His248 results in marginal activity. We have also determined that residues Glu157, Tyr160, Phe190, and Asn252 impact the substrate selectivity of Rce1p. Computational methods predict that residues influencing Rce1p function are all near or within hydrophobic segments. Combined, our data indicate that yeast Rce1p function requires residues that are invariably conserved among an extended family of prokaryotic and eukaryotic enzymes and that these residues are likely to lie within or immediately adjacent to the transmembrane segments of this membrane-localized enzyme.

Amino Acid Motifs↗

Mutational analysis of a putative NTP-binding domain in the replication-associated protein (AC1) of bean golden mosaic geminivirus.

Bean golden mosaic virus (BGMV) is a whitefly-transmitted, ssDNA geminivirus with a bipartite genome. AC1 is the only ORF required for geminiviral replication. A putative NTP-binding motif, EGX4GKTX32DD, was present in the derived amino acid sequence of the replication-associated protein from the AC1 ORF for 13 geminiviruses including BGMV-GA (Guatemalan isolate, amino acids 221-263). We analyzed the phenotypes of mutations within this domain using a rapid and sensitive PCR-based assay for geminiviral replication developed for these studies. Replication in tobacco cells (NT-1 suspension cells) and infection of beans were abolished when codons were changed from K228 to H or D262 to R within the putative NTP-binding site. A temperature-sensitive replication phenotype was conferred by changing E221 to R within the putative NTP-binding domain. Replication was unaffected by changing a nonconserved codon near the putative NTP-binding domain from 1190 to R. Our results demonstrate that the putative NTP-binding domain is required for geminiviral replication. The role of NTP hydrolysis and the possible value of these mutants in a trans-dominant interference scheme for virus-derived resistance are discussed.

Amino Acid Sequence↗

Mutational analysis of Cak1p, an essential protein kinase that regulates cell cycle progression.

In Saccharomyces cerevisiae, entry into S phase requires the activation of the protein kinase Cdc28p through binding with cyclin Clb5p or Clb6p, as well as the destruction of the cyclin-dependent kinase inhibitor Sic1p. Mutants that are defective in this activation event arrest after START, with unreplicated DNA and multiple, elongated buds. These mutants include cells defective in CDC4, CDC34 or CDC53, as well as cells that have lost all CLB function. Here we describe mutations in another gene, CAK1, that lead to a similar arrest. Cells that are defective in CAK1 are inviable and arrest with a single nucleus and multiple, elongated buds. CAK1 encodes a protein kinase most closely related to the Cdc2p family of protein kinases. Mutations that lead to the production of an inactive kinase that can neither autophosphorylate, nor phosphorylate Cdc28p in vitro are also incapable of rescuing a cell with a deletion of CAK1. These results underscore the importance of the Cak1p protein kinase activity in cell cycle progression.

Amino Acid Sequence↗

Mutation analysis of the cellulose-binding domain of the Clostridium cellulovorans cellulose-binding protein A.

Cellulose-binding protein A (CbpA) has been previously shown to mediate the interaction between crystalline cellulose substrates and the cellulase enzyme complex of Clostridium cellulovorans. CbpA contains a family III cellulose-binding domain (CBD) which, when expressed independently, binds specifically to crystalline cellulose. A series of N- and C-terminal deletions and a series of small internal deletions of the CBD were created to determine whether the entire region previously described as a CBD is required for the cellulose-binding function. The N- and C-terminal deletions reduced binding affinity by 10- to 100-fold. Small internal deletions of the CBD resulted in substantial reduction of CBD function. Some, but not all, point mutations throughout the sequence had significant disruptive effects on the binding ability of the CBD. Thus, mutations in any region of the CBD had effects on the binding of the fragment to cellulose. The results indicate that the entire 163-amino-acid region of the CBD is required for maximal binding to crystalline cellulose.

Amino Acid Sequence↗

Mutational analysis of a type II topoisomerase cleavage site: distinct requirements for enzyme and inhibitors.

We have analyzed the DNA sequence requirements for cleavage of a 30 bp oligonucleotide that contains a strong bacteriophage T4 type II topoisomerase site. A novel method was used to generate substrates with each of the four nucleotides at 10 positions surrounding the cleavage site, and mutant substrates were also prepared for the four internal positions of the staggered cleavage site. The substrates were tested for cleavage in the presence of several inhibitors that induce enzyme-mediated cleavage: four antitumor agents of different classes (an aminoacridine, a substituted anthraquinone, an ellipticine derivative and an epipodophyllotoxin) and one antibacterial quinolone. At eight nucleotide positions flanking the cleavage site, the same preferred bases were found regardless of which inhibitor was present. These preferred bases show dyad symmetry with respect to the cleavage site, indicating that both protomers of the topoisomerase homodimer interact with DNA in an analogous manner. In addition, we found that the preferred bases on the 5' side of each cleaved phosphodiester bond are highly specific to the inhibitor used in the cleavage reaction. These results strongly suggest that the inhibitors interact directly with the DNA bases at the cleavage site, placing the inhibitor binding site precisely at the site of DNA cleavage.

Bacteriophage T4↗

Mutation analysis of the gene encoding Bruton's tyrosine kinase in a family with a sporadic case of X-linked agammaglobulinemia reveals three female carriers.

Bruton's tyrosine kinase (Btk) has been identified as the protein responsible for the primary immunodeficiency X-linked agammaglobulinemia (XLA). We and others have cloned the gene for Btk and recently reported the genomic organization. Nineteen exons were positioned within the 37 kb gene. With the sequence data derived from our genomic map, we have designed a PCR based assay to directly identify mutations of the Btk gene in germline DNA of patients with XLA. In this report, the assay was used to analyze a family with a sporadic case of XLA to determine if other female relatives carry the disease. A four base-pair deletion was found in the DNA of the affected boy and was further traced through three generations. With the direct identification of the mutations responsible for XLA, we can now diagnose conclusively the disease and identify the immunologically normal female carriers. This same technique can easily be applied to prenatal diagnosis in families where the mutation can be identified.

Agammaglobulinaemia Tyrosine Kinase↗

Loss of heterozygosity and mutation analysis of the p16 (9p21) and p53 (17p13) genes in squamous cell carcinoma of the head and neck.

We analyzed allelic loss at the p53 gene (17p13) and at chromosome region 9p21 in 35 primary head and neck squamous cell carcinomas. Loss of heterozygosity (LOH) at p53 and 9p21 was found in 50 and 75% of informative cases, respectively. LOH at the p53 gene did not increase significantly with tumor stage, but was more frequent in moderately and poorly differentiated tumors than in well-differentiated tumors. LOH plus mutation or homozygous deletion of p53 was limited to advanced stage and poorly differentiated tumors. Allelic loss at 9p21 is frequent in early stage head and neck squamous cell carcinoma and is not significantly associated with LOH at p53. The second exon of the p16/MTS1/CDKN2 gene was found to be homozygously deleted in 1 of 19 cases showing LOH at 9p21, but direct sequencing did not show mutations in the remaining 18 cases. This suggests that p16 plays a limited role in the development of head and neck squamous cell carcinoma.

Carcinoma, Squamous Cell↗

Surface signaling in transcriptional regulation of the ferric citrate transport system of Escherichia coli: mutational analysis of the alternative sigma factor FecI supports its essential role in fec transport gene transcription.

Ferric citrate induces transcription of the ferric citrate transport genes (fec) in escherichia coli by binding to the outer membrane receptor protein FecA without entering the cell. The signal elicited by ferric citrate crosses the outer membrane via TonB, ExbB, and ExbD. FecR transmits the signal across the cytoplasmic membrane and activates FecI located in the cytoplasm. FecI belongs to a subgroup of sigma factors that respond to extracytoplasmic stimuli. Chromosomal insertion and deletion mutations were generated in fecI; the resulting mutants were totally devoid of FecA production and fecB-lacZ expression. Iron starvation did not derepress fec transport gene transcription in fecI mutants. Missense point mutations were generated in the predicted helix-turn-helix motif of FecI to examine its role in transcription initiation. Replacement of glutamate by alanine (E141A) at the third position in the first helix reduced the residual activity of FecI in the absence of ferric citrate to 30% of the wild-type level, but induced fec transcription almost normally n the presence of ferric citrate. Mutant FecI(K145E) displayed 156% of the activity of wild-type FecI in the absence of ferric citrate and conferred full induction by ferric citrate. Mutant FecI(K155E), which has a mutation in the second helix, showed 9% of the wild-type activity in the presence of ferric citrate and 78% in the absence of ferric citrate. The reduced activity of FecI(K155E) was also shown in vitro by DNA binding assays with cell lysates; in gel retardation experiments FecI(K155E) reduced the electrophoretic mobility of fecA promoter-containing DNA less than did wild-type FecI. fecI is not autoregulated, as demonstrated by the lack of FecI-induced fecI-lacZ expression in vivo and by the lack of specific fecI transcription in vitro. Instead, formation of fecI mRNA requires sigma 70. We conclude that transcription of the fec transport genes is regulated by FecI, which responds to ferric citrate via FecR. fecI and fecR co-transcription is inhibited by the iron-loaded Fur repressor, which then results in a low level of transcription of the fec transport genes.

Amino Acid Sequence↗