Tobacco mosaic virus: a pioneer of cell-to-cell movement.
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Cell-to-cell movement of tobacco mosaic virus (TMV) is used to illustrate macromolecular traffic through plant intercellular connections, the plasmodesmata. This transport process is mediated by a specialized viral movement protein, P30. In the initially infected cell, P30 is produced by transcription of a subgenomic RNA derived from the invading virus. Presumably, P30 then associates with a certain proportion of the viral RNA molecules, sequestering them from replication and mediating their transport into neighbouring uninfected host cells. This nucleoprotem complex is targeted to plasmodesmata, possibly via interaction with the host cell's cytoskeleton. Prior to passage through a plasmodesma, the plasmodesmatal channel is dilated by the movement protein. It is proposed that targeting of P30-TMV RNA complexes to plasmodesmatal involves binding to a specific cell-wall-associated receptor molecule. This protein, designated p38, also functions as a protein kinase, phosphorylating P30 at its carboxy-terminus and minimizing P30-induced interference with plasmodesmatal permeability during viral infection. (+info)
Structural characterization of DNA and RNA sequences recognized by the gene 5 protein of bacteriophage fd.
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The single-stranded DNA sequence d(GT5G4CT4C) occurs close to the origin of replication within the intergenic region of the viral strand of bacteriophage fd. The RNA analogue of this sequence r(GU5G4CU4C) forms part of the untranslated leader sequence of the gene 2 mRNA and is specifically bound by the fd gene 5 protein in its role as a translational repressor. The structure of these sequences is likely to have an important role in the control of both DNA replication and RNA translation in the phage. We show that this 16 nt sequence, in both a DNA and an RNA context, can exist in a structured and unstructured form as determined by high-resolution gel filtration and non-denaturing gel electrophoresis. The CD spectrum of the structured form is characteristic of parallel guanine tetraplexes. The structured form of the DNA sequence melts at approx. 47 degrees C in the presence of Na+ ions but the structure is stabilized up to 75 degrees C in the presence of K+ ions. The RNA structure is more stable than the equivalent DNA structure (melting temperature approx. 62 degrees C), and its stability is further enhanced in the presence of K+ ions. Two of the central guanine residues are fully protected from cleavage as determined by dimethyl sulphate protection experiments, whereas methylation interference studies show that methylation of any of the four central guanine residues inhibits structure formation. Our results demonstrate that the structured form of the nucleic acid is mediated through the formation of a guanine-tetraplex core region, in RNA this might be further stabilized by the presence of weaker uracil quartets. (+info)
Sequence analysis of plasmid pKJ50 from Bifidobacterium longum.
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The complete nucleotide sequence of a plasmid, pKJ50, isolated from an intestinal bacterium, Bifidobacterium longum KJ, has been determined. The plasmid was analysed and found to be 4960 bp in size with a G+C content of 61.7 mol%. Computer analysis of sequence data revealed three major ORFs encoding putative proteins of 31.5 (ORFI), 24.5 (ORFII) and 38.6 kDa (ORFIII). ORFI encodes a protein with a pI of 10.18 and shows relatively high amino acid sequence similarity (more than 60%) with several plasmid replication proteins from Gram-positive and -negative bacteria. Southern blot analysis showed that pKJ50 accumulates an ssDNA intermediate, suggesting that it replicates by a rolling-circle mechanism. Upstream of ORFI, three sets of repeated sequences resembling iteron structures of related plasmids were identified. ORFIII encodes a protein with a pI of 10.97. It also shows a high level of amino acid sequence similarity with some plasmid mobilization proteins. Upstream of ORFIII, a 12 bp stretch resembles an oriT DNA sequence with inverted repeats identical to those found in conjugative plasmids. Hydropathy plot analysis of ORFII, encoding an acidic protein (pI = 4.95), suggests it is a transmembrane protein. Several interesting palindromic sequences, repeat sequences and hairpin-loop structures around ORFI, which might confer regulatory effects on the replication of the plasmid, were also noted. Reverse transcriptase PCR (RT-PCR) and in vitro translation confirmed the expression of ORFI and ORFII. RT-PCR produced amplified DNA fragments of the expected sizes, corresponding to ORFI and ORFII. However, no RT-PCR product corresponding to ORFIII was obtained. In vitro translation showed protein bands of the expected sizes, corresponding to each ORF. A shuttle vector capable of transforming Bifidobacterium animalis MB209 was constructed by cloning pKJ50 and a chloramphenicol resistance gene into pBR322. (+info)
Oxidative damage of DNA by chromium(V) complexes: relative importance of base versus sugar oxidation.
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Chromium(V)-mediated oxidative damage of deoxy-ribonucleic acids was investigated at neutral pH in aqueous solution by utilizing bis(2-ethyl-2-hydroxy-butanato)oxochromate(V) (I) and bis(hydroxyethyl)-amino-tris(hydroxymethyl)methane)oxochromate(V) (II). Single-stranded and double-stranded (ds) calf thymus and human placenta DNA, as well as two oligomers, 5'-GATCTAGTAGGAGGACAAATAGTGTTTG-3' and 5'-GATCCAAGCAAACACTATTTGTCCTCCTACTA-3', were reacted with the chromium(V) complexes. Most products were separated and characterized by chroma-tographic and spectroscopic methods. Polyacrylamide gel electrophoresis experiments reveal more damage at G sites in comparison to other bases. Three primary oxidation products, 5-methylene-2-furanone (5-MF), furfural and 8-oxo-2'-deoxyguanosine, were characterized. A minor product, which appears to be thymine propenal, was also observed. The dsDNA produces more furfural than furanone. The formation of these two products resulted from hydrogen ion or hydride transfer from C1' and C5' positions of the ribose to the oxo-chromium(V) center. Since no enhancements of these products (except propenal) were observed in the presence of oxygen, mechanisms pertaining to the participation of activated oxygen species may be ruled out. The oxidation of the G base is most likely associated with an oxygen atom transfer from the oxo-metallates to the double bond between C8 and N7 of the purine ring. The formation of the propenal may be associated with an oxygen-activated species, since a marginal enhancement of this product was observed in the presence of oxygen. The formation of furfural in higher abundance over 5-MF for dsDNA was attributed to the ease of hydrogen ion (or hydride transfer) from the C5' compared to C1' position of the ribose within a Cr(V)-DNA intermediate in which the metal center is bound to the phosphate diester moiety. (+info)
Molecular requirements for human immunodeficiency virus type 1 plus-strand transfer: analysis in reconstituted and endogenous reverse transcription systems.
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We have developed a reconstituted system which models the events associated with human immunodeficiency virus type 1 (HIV-1) plus-strand transfer. These events include synthesis of plus-strand strong-stop DNA [(+) SSDNA] from a minus-strand DNA donor template covalently attached to human tRNA3Lys, tRNA primer removal, and annealing of (+) SSDNA to the minus-strand DNA acceptor template. Termination of (+) SSDNA synthesis at the methyl A (nucleotide 58) near the 3' end of tRNA3Lys reconstitutes the 18-nucleotide primer binding site (PBS). Analysis of (+) SSDNA synthesis in vitro and in HIV-1 endogenous reactions indicated another major termination site: the pseudouridine at nucleotide 55. In certain HIV-1 strains, complementarity between nucleotides 56 to 58 and the first three bases downstream of the PBS could allow all of the (+) SSDNA products to be productively transferred. Undermodification of the tRNA may be responsible for termination beyond the methyl A. In studies of tRNA removal, we find that initial cleavage of the 3' rA by RNase H is not sufficient to achieve successful strand transfer. The RNA-DNA hybrid formed by the penultimate 17 bases of tRNA still annealed to (+) SSDNA must also be destabilized. This can occur by removal of additional 3'-terminal bases by RNase H (added either in cis or trans). Alternatively, the nucleic acid chaperone activity of nucleocapsid protein (NC) can catalyze this destabilization. NC stimulates annealing of the complementary PBS sequences in (+) SSDNA and the acceptor DNA template. Reverse transcriptase also promotes annealing but to a lesser extent than NC. (+info)
Evidence for RNA linked to nascent DNA in HeLa cells.
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Rapidly labeled, i.e., nascent, DNA from HeLa cells was separated from the bulk DNA by ultracentrifugation. Further characterization of the rapidly labeled component revealed that its sedimentation coefficient is in the range of 4S and that it exists in a single- and double-stranded conformation. Moreover, analysis by nitrocellulose chromatography and CsSO4 density sedimentation of the nascent DNA labeled with 3H-uridine revealed that it is covalently linked to short chains of RNA, indicating that in HeLa cells RNA primer is involved in DNA replication. (+info)
Molecular interactions between single-stranded DNA-binding proteins associated with an essential MCAT element in the mouse smooth muscle alpha-actin promoter.
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Transcriptional activity of the mouse vascular smooth muscle alpha-actin gene in fibroblasts is regulated, in part, by a 30-base pair asymmetric polypurine-polypyrimidine tract containing an essential MCAT enhancer motif. The double-stranded form of this sequence serves as a binding site for a transcription enhancer factor 1-related protein while the separated single strands interact with two distinct DNA binding activities termed VACssBF1 and 2 (Cogan, J. G., Sun, S., Stoflet, E. S., Schmidt, L. J., Getz, M. J., and Strauch, A. R. (1995) J. Biol. Chem. 270, 11310-11321; Sun, S., Stoflet, E. S., Cogan, J. G., Strauch, A. R., and Getz, M. J. (1995) Mol. Cell. Biol. 15, 2429-2936). VACssBF2 has been recently cloned and shown to consist of two closely related proteins, Puralpha and Purbeta (Kelm, R. J., Elder, P. K., Strauch, A. R., and Getz, M. J. (1997) J. Biol. Chem. 272, 26727-26733). In this study, we demonstrate that Puralpha and Purbeta interact with each other via highly specific protein-protein interactions and bind to the purine-rich strand of the MCAT enhancer in the form of both homo- and heteromeric complexes. Moreover, both Pur proteins interact with MSY1, a VACssBF1-like protein cloned by virtue of its affinity for the pyrimidine-rich strand of the enhancer. Interactions between Puralpha, Purbeta, and MSY1 do not require the participation of DNA. Combinatorial interactions between these three single-stranded DNA-binding proteins may be important in regulating activity of the smooth muscle alpha-actin MCAT enhancer in fibroblasts. (+info)
Replication mechanism and sequence analysis of the replicon of pAW63, a conjugative plasmid from Bacillus thuringiensis.
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A 5.8-kb fragment of the large conjugative plasmid pAW63 from Bacillus thuringiensis subsp. kurstaki HD73 containing all the information for autonomous replication was cloned and sequenced. By deletion analysis, the pAW63 replicon was reduced to a 4.1-kb fragment harboring four open reading frames (ORFs). Rep63A (513 amino acids [aa]), encoded by the largest ORF, displayed strong similarity (40% identity) to the replication proteins from plasmids pAMbeta1, pIP501, and pSM19035, indicating that the pAW63 replicon belongs to the pAMbeta1 family of gram-positive theta-replicating plasmids. This was confirmed by the facts that no single-stranded DNA replication intermediates could be detected and that replication was found to be dependent on host-gene-encoded DNA polymerase I. An 85-bp region downstream of Rep63A was also shown to have strong similarity to the origins of replication of pAMbeta1 and pIP501, and it is suggested that this region contains the bona fide pAW63 ori. The protein encoded by the second large ORF, Rep63B (308 aa), was shown to display similarity to RepB (34% identity over 281 aa) and PrgP (32% identity over 310 aa), involved in copy control of the Enterococcus faecalis plasmids pAD1 and pCF10, respectively. No significant similarity to known proteins or DNA sequences could be detected for the two smallest ORFs. However, the location, size, hydrophilicity, and orientation of ORF6 (107 codons) were analogous to those features of the putative genes repC and prgO, which encode stability functions on plasmids pAD1 and pCF10, respectively. The cloned replicon of plasmid pAW63 was stably maintained in Bacillus subtilis and B. thuringiensis and displayed incompatibility with the native pAW63. Hybridization experiments using the cloned replicon as a probe showed that pAW63 has similarity to large plasmids from other B. thuringiensis subsp. kurstaki strains and to a strain of B. thuringiensis subsp. alesti. (+info)