A novel skeletal dysplasia with developmental delay and acanthosis nigricans is caused by a Lys650Met mutation in the fibroblast growth factor receptor 3 gene.
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We have identified a novel fibroblast growth factor receptor 3 (FGFR3) missense mutation in four unrelated individuals with skeletal dysplasia that approaches the severity observed in thanatophoric dysplasia type I (TD1). However, three of the four individuals developed extensive areas of acanthosis nigricans beginning in early childhood, suffer from severe neurological impairments, and have survived past infancy without prolonged life-support measures. The FGFR3 mutation (A1949T: Lys650Met) occurs at the nucleotide adjacent to the TD type II (TD2) mutation (A1948G: Lys650Glu) and results in a different amino acid substitution at a highly conserved codon in the kinase domain activation loop. Transient transfection studies with FGFR3 mutant constructs show that the Lys650Met mutation causes a dramatic increase in constitutive receptor kinase activity, approximately three times greater than that observed with the Lys650Glu mutation. We refer to the phenotype caused by the Lys650Met mutation as "severe achondroplasia with developmental delay and acanthosis nigricans" (SADDAN) because it differs significantly from the phenotypes of other known FGFR3 mutations. (+info)
Presynaptic inhibition of GABA(B)-mediated synaptic potentials in the ventral tegmental area during morphine withdrawal.
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Opioids increase the firing of dopamine cells in the ventral tegmental area by presynaptic inhibition of GABA release. This report describes an acute presynaptic inhibition of GABAB-mediated IPSPs by mu- and kappa-opioid receptors and the effects of withdrawal from chronic morphine treatment on the release of GABA at this synapse. In slices taken from morphine-treated guinea pigs after washing out the morphine (withdrawn slices), a low concentration of a mu receptor agonist increased, rather than decreased, the amplitude of the GABAB IPSP. In withdrawn slices, after blocking A1-adenosine receptors with 8-cyclopentyl-1, 3-dipropylxantine, mu-opioid receptor activation inhibited the IPSP at all concentrations and increased the maximal inhibition. In addition, during withdrawal, there was a tonic increase in adenosine tone that was further increased by forskolin or D1-dopamine receptor activation, suggesting that metabolism of cAMP was the source of adenosine. The results indicate that during acute morphine withdrawal, there was an upregulation of the basal level of an opioid-sensitive adenylyl cyclase. Inhibition of this basal activity by opioids had two effects. First, a decrease in the formation of cAMP that decreased adenosine tone. This effect predominated at low mu receptor occupancy and increased the amplitude of the IPSP. Higher agonist concentrations inhibited transmitter release by both kinase-dependent and -independent pathways. This study indicates that the consequences of the morphine-induced upregulation of the cAMP cascade on synaptic transmission are dependent on the makeup of receptors and second messenger pathways present on any given terminal. (+info)
The mouse Y-box protein, MSY2, is associated with a kinase on non-polysomal mouse testicular mRNAs.
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In male germ cells many mRNAs are sequestered by proteins into translationally silent messenger ribo-nucleoprotein (mRNP) particles. These masked paternal mRNAs are stored and translated at specific times of germ cell development. Little is known about the mammalian testicular mRNA masking proteins bound to non-polysomal mRNAs. In this report, the major proteins binding to non-polysomal testicular mRNAs were isolated and analyzed. The two predominant proteins identified were: a Y-box protein (MSY2), the mammalian homolog to the Xenopus oocyte masking protein FRGY2/mRNP3+4, and a poly(A) binding protein. A kinase activity was also found associated with these non-polysomal RNAs. The kinase co-immunoprecipitates with MSY2 and phosphorylates MSY2 in vitro. The MSY2 associated kinase is not casein kinase 2, the kinase believed to phosphorylate mRNP3+4 in oocytes, but a yet unidentified kinase. MSY2 was found to be phosphorylated in vivo and MSY2 dephosphorylation led to a decrease in its affinity to bind RNA as judged by northwestern blotting. Therefore, testicular masked mRNAs may be regulated by the phosphorylation state of MSY2. Reconstitution experiments in which non-polysomal mRNA-binding proteins are dissociated from their RNAs and allowed to bind to exogenous mRNAs suggest that MSY2 binds RNA in a sequence-independent fashion. Furthermore, association of the non-polysomal derived proteins to exogenous non-specific mRNAs led to their translational repression in vitro. (+info)
A superfamily of metalloenzymes unifies phosphopentomutase and cofactor-independent phosphoglycerate mutase with alkaline phosphatases and sulfatases.
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Sequence analysis of the probable archaeal phosphoglycerate mutase resulted in the identification of a superfamily of metalloenzymes with similar metal-binding sites and predicted conserved structural fold. This superfamily unites alkaline phosphatase, N-acetylgalactosamine-4-sulfatase, and cerebroside sulfatase, enzymes with known three-dimensional structures, with phosphopentomutase, 2,3-bisphosphoglycerate-independent phosphoglycerate mutase, phosphoglycerol transferase, phosphonate monoesterase, streptomycin-6-phosphate phosphatase, alkaline phosphodiesterase/nucleotide pyrophosphatase PC-1, and several closely related sulfatases. In addition to the metal-binding motifs, all these enzymes contain a set of conserved amino acid residues that are likely to be required for the enzymatic activity. Mutational changes in the vicinity of these residues in several sulfatases cause mucopolysaccharidosis (Hunter, Maroteaux-Lamy, Morquio, and Sanfilippo syndromes) and metachromatic leucodystrophy. (+info)
The cellular distribution and kinase activity of the Cdk family member Pctaire1 in the adult mouse brain and testis suggest functions in differentiation.
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Pctaire1, a member of the family of cyclin-dependent kinases, has been shown to be particularly abundantly expressed in differentiated tissues such as testis and brain. However, very little is known about the cellular and subcellular distribution and function of Pctaire1 protein(s), which is the focus of this study. We show that Pctaire1 encoded two major proteins of M(r) approximately 62,000 and approximately 68,000, found predominantly in testis and brain. Within these two tissues, Pctaire1 was most abundant in the cytoplasm of terminally differentiated cells, notably, the pyramidal neurons in brain and elongated spermatids in testis. Immunoprecipitation experiments further showed that a kinase activity toward myelin basic protein was associated with Pctaire1 in the adult testis and brain and that its activity was potentially regulated through association with regulatory partner(s). These results suggest that Pctaire1 kinase might have an important role in differentiated cells such as postmitotic neurons and spermatogenic cells. (+info)
Involvement of the Escherichia coli phosphoenolpyruvate-dependent phosphotransferase system in regulation of transcription of catabolic genes.
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Synthesis of catabolite-sensitive enzymes is repressed in mutants defective in the general proteins (enzyme I and HPr) of the Escherichia coli phosphoenolpyruvate-dependent phosphotransferase system (ptsI and ptsH mutations). To elucidate the mechanism of this phenomenon we constructed isogenic strains carrying pts mutations as well as different lesions of regulation of the lac operon or mutations affecting adenylate cyclase activity (cya mutation) and synthesis of cyclic AMP-receptor protein (crp mutation) Measurements of the differential rate of beta-galactosidase synthesis in these strains showed that the repressive effect of pts mutations was revealed in lac+, lacI, lacOc and cya bacteria, but it was lost in lacP and crp strains. It was concluded that mutational damage to the general components of the phosphoenolpyruvate-dependent phosphotransferase system diminishes activity of the lac promoter. The results obtained led to the conclusion that pts gene products (apparently phospho approximately HPr) are necessary for the initiation of transcription of catabolite-sensitive operons in E. coli. (+info)
In vivo regulation of glycolysis and characterization of sugar: phosphotransferase systems in Streptococcus lactis.
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Two novel procedures have been used to regulate, in vivo, the formation of phosphoenolpyruvate (PEP) from glycolysis in Streptococcus lactis ML3. In the first procedure, glucose metabolism was specifically inhibited by p-chloromercuribenzoate. Autoradiographic and enzymatic analyses showed that the cells contained glucose 6-phosphate, fructose 6-phosphate, fructose-1,6-diphosphate, and triose phosphates. Dithiothreitol reversed the p-chloromercuribenzoate inhibition, and these intermediates were rapidly and quantitatively transformed into 3- and 2-phosphoglycerates plus PEP. The three intermediates were not further metabolized and constituted the intracellular PEP potential. The second procedure simply involved starvation of the organisms. The starved cells were devoid of glucose 6-phosphate, fructose 6-phosphate, fructose- 1,6-diphosphate, and triose phosphates but contained high levels of 3- and 2-phosphoglycerates and PEP (ca. 40 mM in total). The capacity to regulate PEP formation in vivo permitted the characterization of glucose and lactose phosphotransferase systems in physiologically intact cells. Evidence has been obtained for "feed forward" activation of pyruvate kinase in vivo by phosphorylated intermediates formed before the glyceraldehyde-3-phosphate dehydrogenase reaction in the glycolytic sequence. The data suggest that pyruvate kinase (an allosteric enzyme) plays a key role in the regulation of glycolysis and phosphotransferase system functions in S. lactis ML3. (+info)
A phosphotransferase that generates phosphatidylinositol 4-phosphate (PtdIns-4-P) from phosphatidylinositol and lipid A in Rhizobium leguminosarum. A membrane-bound enzyme linking lipid a and ptdins-4-p biosynthesis.
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Membranes of Rhizobium leguminosarum contain a 3-deoxy-D-manno-octulosonic acid (Kdo)-activated lipid A 4'-phosphatase required for generating the unusual phosphate-deficient lipid A found in this organism. The enzyme has been solubilized with Triton X-100 and purified 80-fold. As shown by co-purification and thermal inactivation studies, the 4'-phosphatase catalyzes not only the hydrolysis of (Kdo)2-[4'-32P]lipid IVA but also the transfer the 4'-phosphate of Kdo2-[4'-32P]lipid IVA to the inositol headgroup of phosphatidylinositol (PtdIns) to generate PtdIns-4-P. Like the 4'-phosphatase, the phosphotransferase activity is not present in Escherichia coli, Rhizobium meliloti, or the nodulation-defective mutant 24AR of R. leguminosarum. The specific activity for the phosphotransferase reaction is about 2 times higher than that of the 4'-phosphatase. The phosphotransferase assay conditions are similar to those used for PtdIns kinases, except that ATP and Mg2+ are omitted. The apparent Km for PtdIns is approximately 500 microM versus 20-100 microM for most PtdIns kinases, but the phosphotransferase specific activity in crude cell extracts is higher than that of most PtdIns kinases. The phosphotransferase is absolutely specific for the 4-position of PtdIns and is highly selective for PtdIns as the acceptor. The 4'-phosphatase/phosphotransferase can be eluted from heparin- or Cibacron blue-agarose with PtdIns. A phosphoenzyme intermediate may account for the dual function of this enzyme, since a single 32P-labeled protein species (Mr approximately 68,000) can be trapped and visualized by SDS gel electrophoresis of enzyme preparations incubated with Kdo2-[4'-32P]lipid IVA. Although PtdIns is not detected in cultures of R. leguminosarum/etli (CE3), PtdIns may be synthesized during nodulation or supplied by plant membranes, given that soybean PtdIns is an excellent phosphate acceptor. A bacterial enzyme for generating PtdIns-4-P and a direct link between lipid A and PtdIns-4-P biosynthesis have not been reported previously. (+info)