Showing papers in "Molecular and Cellular Biology in 1982"
TL;DR: A series of recombinant genomes which directed expression of the enzyme chloramphenicol acetyltransferase (CAT) in mammalian cells provided a uniquely convenient system for monitoring the expression of foreign DNAs in tissue culture cells.
Abstract: We constructed a series of recombinant genomes which directed expression of the enzyme chloramphenicol acetyltransferase (CAT) in mammalian cells. The prototype recombinant in this series, pSV2-cat, consisted of the beta-lactamase gene and origin of replication from pBR322 coupled to a simian virus 40 (SV40) early transcription region into which CAT coding sequences were inserted. Readily measured levels of CAT accumulated within 48 h after the introduction of pSV2-cat DNA into African green monkey kidney CV-1 cells. Because endogenous CAT activity is not present in CV-1 or other mammalian cells, and because rapid, sensitive assays for CAT activity are available, these recombinants provided a uniquely convenient system for monitoring the expression of foreign DNAs in tissue culture cells. To demonstrate the usefulness of this system, we constructed derivatives of pSV2-cat from which part or all of the SV40 promoter region was removed. Deletion of one copy of the 72-base-pair repeat sequence in the SV40 promoter caused no significant decrease in CAT synthesis in monkey kidney CV-1 cells; however, an additional deletion of 50 base pairs from the second copy of the repeats reduced CAT synthesis to 11% of its level in the wild type. We also constructed a recombinant, pSV0-cat, in which the entire SV40 promoter region was removed and a unique HindIII site was substituted for the insertion of other promoter sequences.
7,438 citations
TL;DR: The cloning procedure described here mitigates this shortcoming by attributing the high efficiency of cloning full- or nearly full-length cDNA to the fact that the plasmid DNA vector itself serves as the primer for first- and second-strand cDNA synthesis.
Abstract: A widely recognized difficulty of presently used methods for cDNA cloning is obtaining cDNA segments that contain the entire nucleotide sequence of the corresponding mRNA. The cloning procedure described here mitigates this shortcoming. Of the 10(5) plasmid-cDNA recombinants obtained per microgram of rabbit reticulocyte mRNA, about 10% contained a complete alpha- of beta-globin mRNA sequence, and at least 30 to 50%, but very likely more, contained the entire globin coding regions. We attribute the high efficiency of cloning full- or nearly full-length cDNA to (i) the fact that the plasmid DNA vector itself serves as the primer for first- and second-strand cDNA synthesis, (ii) the lack of any nuclease treatment of the products, and (iii) the fact that one of the steps in the procedure results in preferential cloning of recombinants with full-length cDNA's over those with truncated cDNA's.
1,333 citations
TL;DR: It was found that even linear plasmid DNA was recruited into the concatemer by homologous recombination, even though cultured mammalian cells contain the enzymes for ligating two DNA molecules very efficiently irrespective of the sequences or topology at their ends.
Abstract: We examined the fate of DNA microinjected into nuclei of cultured mammalian cells. The sequence composition and the physical form of the vector carrying the selectable gene affected the efficiency of DNA-mediated transformation. Introduction of sequences near the simian virus 40 origin of DNA replication or in the long terminal repeat of avian sarcoma provirus into a recombinant plasmid containing the herpes simplex virus thymidine kinase gene. (pBR322/HSV-tk) enhanced the frequency of transformation of LMtk- and RAT-2tk- cells to the TK+ phenotype 20- to 40-fold. In cells receiving injections of only a few plasmid DNA molecules, the transformation frequency was 40-fold higher after injection of linear molecules than after injection of supercoiled molecules. By controlling the number of gene copies injected into a recipient cell, we could obtain transformants containing a single copy or as many as 50 to 100 copies of the selectable gene. Multiple copies of the transforming gene were not scattered throughout the host genome but were integrated as a concatemer at one or a very few sites in the host chromosome. Independent transformants contained the donated genes in different chromosomes. The orientation of the gene copies within the concatemer was not random; rather, the copies were organized as tandem head-to-tail arrays. By analyzing transformants obtained by coinjecting two vectors which were identical except that in one a portion of the vector was inverted, we were able to conclude that the head-to-tail concatemers were generated predominantly by homologous recombination. Surprisingly, these head-to-tail concatemers were found in transformants obtained by injecting either supercoiled or linear plasmid DNA. Even though we demonstrated that cultured mammalian cells contain the enzymes for ligating two DNA molecules very efficiently irrespective of the sequences or topology at their ends, we found that even linear plasmid DNA was recruited into the concatemer by homologous recombination.
449 citations
TL;DR: There appeared to be a correlation between levels of c-myb expression and hemopoietic activity of the tissues and cells examined, which suggests that c- myb may be expressed primarily in immature hemopOietic cells.
Abstract: The oncogenes (v-onc genes) of rapidly transforming retroviruses have homologs (c-onc genes) in the genomes of normal cells. In this study, we characterized and quantitated transcription from four c-onc genes, c-myb, c-myc, c-erb, and c-src, in a variety of chicken cells and tissues. Electrophoretic analysis of polyadenylated RNA, followed by transfer to nitrocellulose and hybridization to cloned onc probes showed that c-myb, c-myc, and c-src each give rise to a single mature transcript, whereas c-erb gives rise to multiple transcripts (B. Vennstrom and J. M. Bishop, Cell, in press) which vary in abundance among different cells and tissues. Transcription from c-myb, c-myc, c-erb, and c-src was quantitated by a "dot-blot" hybridization assay. We found that c-myc, c-erb, and c-src transcription could be detected in nearly all cells and tissues examined, whereas c-myb transcription was detected only in some hemopoietic cells; these cells, however, belong to several different lineages. Thus, in no case was expression of a c-onc gene restricted to a single cell lineage. There appeared to be a correlation between levels of c-myb expression and hemopoietic activity of the tissues and cells examined, which suggests that c-myb may be expressed primarily in immature hemopoietic cells. An examination of c-onc RNA levels in target cells and tissues for viruses carrying the corresponding v-onc genes revealed no obvious correlation, direct or inverse, between susceptibility to transformation by a given v-onc gene and expression of the homologous c-onc gene.
380 citations
TL;DR: Eight independently isolated mutants which are supersensitive (Sst-) to the G1 arrest induced by the tridecapeptide pheromone alpha factor were identified by screening mutagenized Saccharomyces cerevisiae MATa cells on solid medium for increased growth inhibition by alpha factor.
Abstract: Eight independently isolated mutants which are supersensitive (Sst-) to the G1 arrest induced by the tridecapeptide pheromone alpha factor were identified by screening mutagenized Saccharomyces cerevisiae MATa cells on solid medium for increased growth inhibition by alpha factor. These mutants carried lesions in two complementation groups, sst1 and sst2. Mutations at the sst1 locus were mating type specific: MATa sst1 cells were supersensitive to alpha factor, but MAT alpha sst1 cells were not supersensitive to a factor. In contrast, mutations at the sst2 locus conferred supersensitivity to the pheromones of the opposite mating type on both MATa and MAT alpha cells. Even in the absence of added alpha pheromone, about 10% of the cells in exponentially growing cultures of MATa strains carrying any of three different alleles of sst2 (including the ochre mutation sst2-4) had the aberrant morphology ("shmoo" shape) that normally develops only after MATa cells are exposed to alpha factor. This "self-shmooing" phenotype was genetically linked to the sst2 mutations, although the leakiest allele isolated (sst2-3) did not display this characteristic. Normal MATa/MAT alpha diploids do not respond to pheromones; diploids homozygous for an sst2 mutation (MATa/MAT alpha sst2-1/sst2-1) were still insensitive to alpha factor. The sst1 gene was mapped to within 6.9 centimorgans of his6 on chromosome IX. The sst2 gene was unlinked to sst1, was not centromere linked, and was shown to be neither linked to nor centromere distal to MAT on the right arm of chromosome III.
341 citations
TL;DR: Antibodies to two of the major chicken heat shock proteins, chsp89 and chsp70, cross-reacted with proteins of similar molecular weights in normal embryonic and adult chicken tissues and in extracts from widely different organisms.
Abstract: Three of the proteins induced by heat shock of chicken embryo fibroblasts have been purified, and rabbit antibodies have been raised against them. These antibodies have been used in radioimmune precipitation reactions and in a solid-phase immune assay to detect antigenic material in non-heat-shocked chicken tissues and in extracts of widely different species ranging from yeast to mammalian tissue culture cells and human erythrocyte ghosts. Antibodies to two of the major chicken heat shock proteins, chsp89 and chsp70, cross-reacted with proteins of similar molecular weights in normal embryonic and adult chicken tissues and in extracts from widely different organisms. These data provide further evidence for the university of the heat shock response and conservation of proteins induced by this type of stress.
295 citations
TL;DR: The observations suggest that the defect in sst2 mutants is intrinsic to the cell and is involved in the mechanism of alpha factor action at some step after the initial interaction of the pheromone with the cell.
Abstract: Saccharomyces cerevisiae MATa cells carrying mutations in either sst1 or sst2 are supersensitive to the G1 arrest induced by alpha factor pheromone. When sst1 mutants were mixed with normal SST+ cells, the entire population recovered together from alpha factor arrest, suggesting that SST+ cells helped sst1 mutants to recover. Complementation tests and linkage analysis showed that sst1 and bar1, a mutation which eliminates the ability of MATa cells to act as a "barrier" to the diffusion of alpha factor, were lesions in the same genes. These findings suggest that sst1 mutants, are defective in recovery from alpha factor arrest because they are unable to degrade the pheromone. In contrast, recovery of sst2 mutants was not potentiated by the presence of SST+ cells in mixing experiments. When either normal MATa cells or mutant cells carrying defects in sst1 or sst2 were exposed to alpha factor for 1 h and then washed free of the pheromone, the sst2 cells subsequently remained arrested in the absence of alpha factor for a much longer time than SST+ or sst1 cells. These observations suggest that the defect in sst2 mutants is intrinsic to the cell and is involved in the mechanism of alpha factor action at some step after the initial interaction of the pheromone with the cell. The presence of an sst2 mutation appears to cause a growth debility, since repeated serial subculture of haploid sst2-1 strains led to the accumulation of faster-growing revertants that were pheromone resistant and were mating defective ("sterile").
233 citations
TL;DR: This study was able to confer the multiple drug resistance phenotype on sensitive mouse L cells by DNA-mediated gene transfer of DNA obtained from the colchicine-resistant mutants by staining with an antiserum raised against membranes of mutant CHO cells.
Abstract: Colchicine-resistant Chinese hamster ovary (CHO) cell mutants whose resistance results from reduced drug permeability have been isolated previously in our laboratories. This reduced permeability affects a wide range of unrelated drugs, resulting in the mutants displaying a multiple drug resistance phenotype. A 170,000-dalton cell surface glycoprotein (P-glycoprotein) was identified, and its expression appears to correlate with the degree of resistance. In this study we were able to confer the multiple drug resistance phenotype on sensitive mouse L cells by DNA-mediated gene transfer of DNA obtained from the colchicine-resistant mutants. P-glycoprotein was detected in plasma membranes of these DNA transformants by staining with an antiserum raised against membranes of mutant CHO cells. These results are consistent with a causal relationship between P-glycoprotein expression and the multiple drug resistance phenotype.
206 citations
TL;DR: Introduction of a segment containing the SV40 early polyadenylation signal into the 3' end of the DH FR cDNA gene generated a recombinant capable of transforming cells to the DHFR+ phenotype with at least a 10-fold increase in efficiency, demonstrating the necessity for an efficient polyadenyation signal.
Abstract: Dihydrofolate reductase (DHFR) modular genes have been constructed with segments containing the adenovirus major late promoter, a 3' splice site from a variable region immunoglobulin gene, a DHFR cDNA, and portions of the simian virus 40 (SV40) genome. DNA-mediated transfer of these genes transformed Chinese hamster ovary DHFR- cells to the DHFR+ phenotype. Transformants contained one to several copies of the transfected DNA integrated into the host genome. Clones subjected to growth in increasing concentrations of methotrexate eventually gave rise to lines containing several hundred copies of the transforming DNA. Analysis of the DHFR mRNA produced in amplified lines indicated the following. (i) All clones utilize the adenovirus major late promoter for transcription initiation. (ii) A hybrid intron formed by the 5' splice site of the adenovirus major late leader and a 3' splice site from a variable-region immunoglobulin gene is properly excised. (iii) The mRNA is not efficiently polyadenylated at sequences in the 3' end of the DHFR cDNA but rather uses polyadenylation signals downstream from the DHFR cDNA. Three independent clones produce a DHFR mRNA containing SV40 or pBR322 and SV40 sequences, and the RNA is polyadenylated at the SV40 late polyadenylation site. Another clone has recombined into cellular DNA and apparently uses a cellular sequence for polyadenylation. Introduction of a segment containing the SV40 early polyadenylation signal into the 3' end of the DHFR cDNA gene generated a recombinant capable of transforming cells to the DHFR+ phenotype with at least a 10-fold increase in efficiency, demonstrating the necessity for an efficient polyadenylation signal. Attachment of a DNA segment containing the transcription enhancer (72-base pair repeat) of SV40 further increased the biological activity of the modular DHFR gene 50- to 100-fold.
193 citations
TL;DR: Great general applicability of retroviruses as eucaryotic vectors is suggested, as the chimeric MLV-tk virus showed single-hit kinetics in infections and behaved like known replication-defective retrovirus.
Abstract: We investigated the feasibility of using retroviruses as vectors for transferring DNA sequences into animal cells. The thymidine kinase (tk) gene of herpes simplex virus was chosen as a convenient model. The internal BamHI fragments of a DNA clone of Moloney leukemia virus (MLV) were replaced with a purified BamHI DNA segment containing the tk gene. Chimeric genomes were created carrying the tk insert in both orientations relative to the MLV sequence. Each was transfected into TK- cells along with MLV helper virus, and TK+ colonies were obtained by selection in the presence of hypoxanthine, aminopterin, and thymidine (HAT). Virus collected from TK+-transformed, MLV producer cells passed the TK+ phenotype to TK- cells. Nonproducer cells were isolated, and TK+ transducing virus was subsequently rescued from them. The chimeric virus showed single-hit kinetics in infections. Virion and cellular RNA and cellular DNA from infected cells were all shown to contain sequences which hybridized to both MLV- and tk-specific probes. The sizes of these sequences were consistent with those predicted for the chimeric virus. In all respects studied, the chimeric MLV-tk virus behaved like known replication-defective retroviruses. These experiments suggest great general applicability of retroviruses as eucaryotic vectors.
182 citations
TL;DR: Data support the concept that heavy-chain allelic exclusion, like that of light chains, is not mediated by control at the DNA or RNA levels but is probably a consequence of feedback control from cytoplasmic mu chains.
Abstract: Lymphoid cells transformed by Abelson murine leukemia virus (A-MuLV) contain three classes of RNA transcripts from immunoglobulin mu genes. P mu-mRNAs (productive) correspond to the normal 2.7-kilobase (kb) membrane (mu m) and 2.4-kb secreted (mu s) mu mRNA species both in size and coding capacity and occur at approximately equal abundance in most mu-positive (pre-B-like) A-MuLV transformants. A mu-mRNAs (aberrant) generally fall into one of two categories--aberrantly small 2.3-kb mu m and 2.0-kb mu s mRNAs which encode aberrantly small mu polypeptide chains, or normal-sized, V H-containing mu RNAs which do not encode immunologically identifiable mu polypeptide chains. In one case, the latter type of A mu-mRNA was demonstrated to result from an in-phase termination codon in the D segment of the mu mRNA. Also, most, if not all, A-MuLV transformants express members of a 3.0 to 1.9-kb set of C mu-containing, but V H-negative S mu-RNAs (for sterile), the expression of which may occur simultaneously with but independently of P mu-mRNAs or A mu-mRNAs. The S mu-RNA sequences do not encode immunologically identifiable mu chains and can be produced by cells with unrearranged heavy-chain alleles, such as T-lymphocytes, although the structure of the S mu-RNAs from T-lymphoid cells appears to be different from that of B-lymphoid cell S mu-RNAs. Certain A-MuLV transformants also express gamma-RNA sequences that are probably analogous to the three different forms of mu RNA. These data support the concept that heavy-chain allelic exclusion, like that of light chains, is not mediated by control at the DNA or RNA levels but is probably a consequence of feedback control from cytoplasmic mu chains.
TL;DR: This study indicates that mammalian somatic cells are quite efficient at the willy-nilly end-to-end joining of unrelated DNA segments, since SV40 genomes with complementary single-stranded tails or with short non-complementary pBR322 tails were comparably infectious.
Abstract: Molecular substrates for probing nonhomologous recombination in somatic cells were constructed by inserting pBR322 sequences at selected sites on the simian virus 40 (SV40) genome. The chimeric products are too large to be packaged into an SV40 capsid. Therefore, production of viable progeny requires that most of the pBR322 sequences be deleted without altering any SV40 sequences that are essential for lytic infection. As judged by plaque assay, these recombination events occur at readily detectable frequencies after transfection into CV1 monkey kidney cells. Depending on the site of pBR322 insertion, the infectivities of the full-length circular or linear chimeras ranged from 0.02 to 2% of the infectivity of linear wild-type SV40 DNA. Nucleotide sequence analysis of several recombinant progeny revealed three distinct classes of recombination junction and indicated that the causative recombination events were minimally dependent on sequence homology. Potential mechanisms involving recombination at internal sites or at ends were distinguished by measuring the infectivity of chimeric molecules from which various lengths of pBR322 had been removed. These data support end-to-end joining as the primary mechanism by which DNA segments recombine nonhomologously in somatic cells. This end joining appears to be very efficient, since SV40 genomes with complementary single-stranded tails or with short non-complementary pBR322 tails were comparably infectious. Overall, this study indicates that mammalian somatic cells are quite efficient at the willy-nilly end-to-end joining of unrelated DNA segments.
TL;DR: A recombinant plasmid containing the gene for bacterial β-galactosidase, situated close to the simian virus 40 early promoter, has been constructed and transfection of CHO, L, and COS-1 cells led to the expression and appearance of the enzyme.
Abstract: A recombinant plasmid containing the gene for bacterial β-galactosidase, situated close to the simian virus 40 early promoter, has been constructed. Transfection of CHO, L, and COS-1 cells with this plasmid led to the expression and appearance of the enzyme. Using this system, we have developed a series of promoter cloning vehicles capable of accepting promoter signals for animal genes.
TL;DR: Three independent methods measure the kinetic complexity of the single-copy DNA from a typical strain of C. albicans to determine the DNA content per haploid genote and conclude that these strains are diploid.
Abstract: Candida albicans is a dimorphic fungus that is pathogenic for humans. No sexual cycle has been reported for this fungus, and earlier reports have differed on whether typical strains of C. albicans are haploid or diploid. Previous estimates of the DNA content of C. albicans varied by one order of magnitude. We used three independent methods to measure the kinetic complexity of the single-copy DNA from a typical strain of C. albicans (strain H317) to determine the DNA content per haploid genote; we obtained values of 15 and 20 fg per cell by using S1 nuclease and hydroxyapatite assays, respectively. Optical assays for DNA reassociation kinetics, although not definitive in themselves, yielded values in this range. Chemical measurements of the DNA content of several typical strains, including strain H317, yielded values clustered about a mean of 37 fg per cell. We concluded that these strains are diploid.
TL;DR: The results suggest that S. cerevisiae, like Drosophila, contains a multigene family of hsp 70-related sequences under complex transcriptional regulation and that the differential control, as well as the nucleotide sequence, has been highly conserved in evolution.
Abstract: Saccharomyces cerevisiae contains a family of genes related to the major heat shock-induced gene of Drosophila (hsp 70). Two members of the multigene family (YG100 and YG101) were isolated. The primary DNA sequences of more than one-half of the protein-encoding regions of YG100 and YG101 were determined and compared with the Drosophila hsp 70 gene sequence; the predicted amino acid sequences were 72 and 64% homologous to the sequence of the Drosophila hsp 70 protein, respectively. The predicted amino acid sequences of the yeast genes were 65% homologous. Our results demonstrate a striking sequence conservation of hsp 70-related sequences in evolution. Hybridization of the S. cerevisiae genes to total S. cerevisiae DNA indicated that the multigene family consists of approximately 10 members. Hybridization of labeled RNAs from heat-shocked and control cells suggested that, like transcription of the Drosophila hsp 70 gene, transcription of YG100 or a closely related gene is enhanced after heat shock. However, the amount of RNA sequences homologous to YG101 was reduced after heat shock. A multigene family related to the hsp 70 gene exists in Drosophila; transcription of some members is induced by heat shock, whereas transcription of others is not. Our results suggest that S. cerevisiae, like Drosophila, contains a multigene family of hsp 70-related sequences under complex transcriptional regulation and that the differential control, as well as the nucleotide sequence, has been highly conserved in evolution.
TL;DR: Results indicate that TRP1 RI Circle has the replicative and structural properties expected for an origin of replication from yeast chromosomal DNA, and is a suitable model for further studies of yeast DNA replication in both cells and cell-free extracts.
Abstract: Transformation studies with Saccharomyces cerevisiae (bakers' yeast) have identified DNA sequences which permit extrachromosomal maintenance of recombinant DNA plasmids in transformed cells. It has been hypothesized that such sequences (called ARS for autonomously replicating sequence) serve as initiation sites for DNA replication in recombinant DNA plasmids and that they represent the normal sites for initiation of replication in yeast chromosomal DNA. We have constructed a novel plasmid called TRP1 R1 Circle which consists solely of 1,453 base pairs of yeast chromosomal DNA. TRP1 RI Circle contains both the TRP1 gene and a sequence called ARS1. This plasmid is found in 100 to 200 copies per cell and is relatively stable during both mitotic and meiotic cell cycles. Replication of TRP1 RI Circle requires the products of the same genes (CDC28, CDC4, CDC7, and CDC8) required for replication of chromosomaL DNA. Like chromosomal DNA, its replication does not occur in cells arrested in the B1 phase of the cell cycle by incubation with the yeast pheromone alpha-factor. In addition, TRP1 RI Circle DNA is organized into nucleosomes whose size and spacing are indistinguishable from that of bulk yeast chromatin. These results indicate that TRP1 RI Circle has the replicative and structural properties expected for an origin of replication from yeast chromosomal DNA. Thus, this plasmid is a suitable model for further studies of yeast DNA replication in both cells and cell-free extracts.
TL;DR: The differential induction of alpha-fetoprotein mRNA during liver regeneration in three inbred strains of mice was examined to determine the genetic and molecular bases for the differences in protein production and it was shown that neither regulatory gene is closely linked to the structural genes.
Abstract: The differential induction of alpha-fetoprotein (AFP) mRNA during liver regeneration in three inbred strains of mice was examined to determine the genetic and molecular bases for the differences in protein production. BALB/cJ, C3H/He, and C57BL/6 mice, previously identified as high, intermediate, and low AFP producers, respectively, were used. Liver AFP mRNA concentrations during normal development and after carbon tetrachloride administration were measured and shown to correlate exactly with the serum protein concentrations. By performing a series of genetic crosses, we identified two unlinked genetic loci that acted independently to affect the inducibility of AFP mRNA. The raf gene, previously identified by Olsson et al. (J. Exp. Med. 145:819-827, 1977), determines the adult basal level of AFP mRNA, and the Rif gene affects its inducibility during regeneration. By using a polymorphic restriction endonuclease site within the albumin-AFP structural gene region, we show that neither regulatory gene is closely linked to the structural genes. In addition, neither gene affects the concentration of albumin mRNA during development or liver regeneration.
TL;DR: When keratinocytes derived from different squamous epithelia are cultured in the absence of vitamin A, they form cross-linked envelopes during the last stage of terminal differentiation, but the degree of inhibition is not the same for different keratinocyte subtypes.
Abstract: When keratinocytes derived from different squamous epithelia are cultured in the absence of vitamin A, they form cross-linked envelopes during the last stage of terminal differentiation. Addition of the vitamin inhibits envelope formation, but the degree of inhibition is not the same for different keratinocyte subtypes. In the presence of low concentrations of retinyl acetate, conjunctival keratinocytes form virtually no cross-linked envelopes; esophageal and vaginal keratinocytes are less sensitive to the vitamin, and epidermal keratinocytes are the least sensitive. The suppression of cross-linked envelope formation is not associated with a proportional decrease in the concentration of involucrin, a precursor of the envelope, but occurs at the level of cross-linking itself, a process dependent on an increase in the intracellular concentration of calcium ions. Keratinocytes in which spontaneous envelope cross-linking has been prevented by retinyl acetate promptly form cross-linked envelopes if Ca2+ is introduced into the cytoplasm.
TL;DR: The rate of ribosomal protein synthesis appears to be controlled during the resting-growing transition by an alteration of the efficiency of translation of rp mRNA, possibly at the level of protein synthesis initiation.
Abstract: When resting (G0) mouse 3T6 fibroblasts are serum stimulated to reenter the cell cycle, the rates of synthesis of rRNA and ribosomal proteins increase, resulting in an increase in ribosome content beginning about 6 h after stimulation. In this study, we monitored the content, metabolism, and translation of ribosomal protein mRNA (rp mRNA) in resting, exponentially growing, and serum-stimulated 3T6 cells. Cloned cDNAs for seven rp mRNAs were used in DNA-excess filter hybridization studies to assay rp mRNA. We found that about 85% of rp mRNA is polyadenylated under all growth conditions. The rate of labeling of rp mRNA relative to total polyadenylated mRNA changed very little after stimulation. The half-life of rp mRNA was about 11 h in resting cells and about 8 h in exponentially growing cells, values which are similar to the half-lives of total mRNA in resting and growing cells (about 9 h). The content of rp mRNA relative to total mRNA was about the same in resting and growing 3T6 cells. Furthermore, the total amount of rp mRNA did not begin to increase until about 6 h after stimulation. Since an increase in rp mRNA content did not appear to be responsible for the increase in ribosomal protein synthesis, we determined the efficiency of translation of rp mRNA under different conditions. We found that about 85% of pulse-labeled rp mRNA was associated with polysomes in exponentially growing cells. In resting cells, however, only about half was associated with polysomes, and about 30% was found in the monosomal fraction. The distribution shifted to that found in growing cells within 3 h after serum stimulation. Similar results were obtained when cells were labeled for 10.5 h. About 70% of total polyadenylated mRNA was in the polysome fraction in all growth states regardless of labeling time, indicating that the shift in mRNA distribution was species specific. These results indicate that the content and metabolism of rp mRNA do not change significantly after growth stimulation. The rate of ribosomal protein synthesis appears to be controlled during the resting-growing transition by an alteration of the efficiency of translation of rp mRNA, possibly at the level of protein synthesis initiation.
TL;DR: The transfection procedure described in this paper is simple and reproducible and, although less efficient than microinjection, ought to be useful in phenotypic and genotypic studies in which transfer of genes to a large number of cells is desirable.
Abstract: We have developed a procedure that gives a very high efficiency of transfection in mammalian cells with low-molecular-weight DNA (approximately 10(4) base pairs). The procedure uses cells in suspension that are shocked with polyethylene glycol 4 h after replating. We compared this transfection technique to the standard technique involving manual microinjection of DNA into the nuclei of mammalian cells, using recombinant plasmids containing the simian virus 40 A gene or the herpes simplex virus thymidine kinase gene or both. The efficiency of transfection depends on a number of variables, the most important of which is the difference in transfectability of different cell lines. In our laboratory, the cell line that had the highest efficiency of transfection was tk-ts13, which is derived from baby hamster kidney cells that are deficient in thymidine kinase and temperature sensitive for growth. Under the appropriate conditions, as many as 70% of these cells can be transfected so that transient gene expression can be detected. With the manual microinjection technique, gene expression is independent of the cell line used and occurs faster than after transfection. The results suggest that the critical stage in transfection is the delivery of DNA molecules to the nucleus. Our experiments also indicate that an enzymatic function, in our case, thymidine kinase activity, gives a higher percentage of positive transfectants than when proteins are visualized only by indirect immunofluorescence. The transfection procedure described in this paper is simple and reproducible and, although less efficient than microinjection, ought to be useful in phenotypic and genotypic studies in which transfer of genes to a large number of cells is desirable.
TL;DR: Two forms of the transforming proteins of Fujinami and Yamaguchi 73 sarcoma viruses were detected in lysates of chicken cells transformed by these viruses, suggesting a common role for the interaction of pp90 and pp50 with viral transforming proteins encoding tyrosyl-protein kinases.
Abstract: Two forms of the transforming proteins of Fujinami (pp140fps) and Yamaguchi 73 (pp94yes) sarcoma viruses were detected in lysates of chicken cells transformed by these viruses; the majority of pp140fps and pp94yes molecules were present as monomers; however, a small percentage of these proteins was associated in a complex with two cellular proteins of Mr 90,000 and 50,000. These cellular proteins were shown to be identical to those previously found to be complexed with the transforming protein of Rous sarcoma virus, pp60src. These results suggest a common role for the interaction of pp90 and pp50 with viral transforming proteins encoding tyrosyl-protein kinases.
TL;DR: The results indicate that Uukuniemi virus and its structural proteins accumulate in the Golgi complex, supporting the idea that this compartment rather than the plasma membrane is the site of virus maturation.
Abstract: We studied the maturation of Uukuniemi virus and the localization of the viral surface glycoproteins and nucleocapsid protein in infected cells by electron microscopy, indirect immunofluorescence, and immunoelectron microscopy with specific antisera prepared in rabbits against the two glycoproteins G1 and G2 and the nucleocapsid protein N. Electron microscopy of thin sections from infected cells showed virus particles maturing at smooth-surfaced membranes close to the nucleus. Localization of the G1/G2 and N proteins by indirect immunofluorescence at different stages after infection showed the antigens to be present throughout the cell interior but concentrated in the juxtanuclear region. The G1/G2 antiserum also appeared to stain the nuclear and plasma membranes. Double staining with tetramethylrhodamine isothiocyanate-conjugated wheat germ agglutinin, which preferentially stains the Golgi complex, and fluorescein isothiocyanate-conjugated anti-rabbit immunoglobulin G, which stained the G1/G2 or N proteins, showed that the staining of the juxtanuclear region coincided. Similarly, double staining for thiamine pyrophosphatase, an enzyme activity specific for the Golgi complex, showed the fluorescence and the cytochemical stain to coincide in the juxtanuclear region. Immunoperoxidase electron microscopy of cells permeabilized with saponin revealed that the viral glycoproteins were present in the rough endoplasmic reticulum and the nuclear and Golgi membranes; the latter was heavily stained. With this method, the N protein was localized to the cytoplasm, especially around smooth-surfaced vesicles in the Golgi region. Taken together, the results indicate that Uukuniemi virus and its structural proteins accumulate in the Golgi complex, supporting the idea that this compartment rather than the plasma membrane is the site of virus maturation. This raises the interesting possibility that deficient transport of the glycoproteins to the plasma membrane and hence their accumulation in the Golgi complex determines the site of virus maturation.
TL;DR: Two lines of evidence showed that the PHO8 gene encodes the structure of repressible, nonspecific alkaline phosphatase in Saccharomyces cerevisiae: the enzyme produced by a temperature-sensitive pho8 mutant at the permissive temperature was more thermolabile than that of the wild-type strain, and the PHo8 gene showed a gene dosage effect on the enzyme activity.
Abstract: Two lines of evidence showed that the PHO8 gene encodes the structure of repressible, nonspecific alkaline phosphatase in Saccharomyces cerevisiae: (i) the enzyme produced by a temperature-sensitive pho8 mutant at the permissive temperature (25 degrees C) was more thermolabile than that of the wild-type strain, and (ii) the PHO8 gene showed a gene dosage effect on the enzyme activity. The pho8 locus has been mapped on chromosome IV, 8 centimorgans distal to rna3. A new mutant carrying the pho9 gene was isolated which lacks repressible alkaline phosphatase, but has the normal phenotype for the synthesis of repressible acid phosphatase. The pho9 gene segregated independently of all known pho-regulatory genes and did not show the gene dosage effect on repressible alkaline phosphatase activity. The pho9/pho9 diploid hardly sporulated and showed no commitment to intragenic recombination when it was inoculated on sporulation medium. Hence the pho9 mutant has a phenotype similar to the pep4 mutant, which was isolated as a pleiotropic mutant with reduced levels of proteinases A and B and carboxypeptidase Y. An allelism test indicated that pho9 and pep4 are allelic.
TL;DR: The results demonstrate that the high levels of p53 in F9 cells relative to their differentiated progeny were not due to alterations in the stability or turnover of this protein, and the regulation during differentiation involved a marked decrease in the amount of in vitro translatable p53 mRNA detected in the differentiated cell cultures.
Abstract: F9 embryonal carcinoma cells express high levels of a 53,000-molecular-weight cellular tumor antigen called p53. When F9 cell cultures are treated with retinoic acid and dibutyryl adenosine 3',5'-phosphate, they differentiate, predominantly into endoderm-like cells. This differentiation is accompanied by a marked decrease in the levels of p53. The mechanism(s) responsible for this decline in the level of p53 in differentiated cells was investigated. The results demonstrate that the high levels of p53 in F9 cells relative to their differentiated progeny were not due to alterations in the stability or turnover of this protein. Rather, the regulation during differentiation involved a marked decrease in the amount of in vitro translatable p53 mRNA detected in the differentiated cell cultures. This mechanism is unlike the one operating during the simian virus 40 infection or transformation, where the increased levels of p53 are largely due to the increased stability of the p53 protein.
TL;DR: Excision of interstrand DNA cross-links induced by 4,5',8-trimethyl psoralen plus 360-nm light was examined in wild type (RAD+) and various radiation-sensitive (rad) mutants of Saccharomyces cerevisiae known to be defective in the excision of UV light-induced pyrimidine dimers.
Abstract: Excision of interstrand DNA cross-links induced by 4,5',8-trimethyl psoralen plus 360-nm light was examined in wild type (RAD+) and various radiation-sensitive (rad) mutants of Saccharomyces cerevisiae known to be defective in the excision of UV light-induced pyrimidine dimers. Alkaline sucrose sedimentation of DNA after incubation of psoralen-plus-light-treated cells indicated little or no nicking of cross-linked DNA in rad1-2, rad2-5, rad3-2, rad4-4, rad10-2, and mms19-1 mutants. In the rad14-2 mutant, substantial nicking was observed but to a much lesser extent than in the RAD+ strains, whereas the rad16-1 mutant was as proficient in nicking as the RAD+ strain. Removal of cross-links was also examined in RAD+, rad3-2, and rad14-2 strains by determining the sensitivity of alkali-denatured and -neutralized DNA to hydrolysis by S1 nuclease. No cross-link removal was observed in the rad3-2 mutants, and the rad14-2 mutant was much less efficient than the RAD+ strain in removing cross-links.
TL;DR: It appears that the correctly spliced, poly(A)- mRNA molecules that are labeled in the presence of 3'dA can be transported from the nucleus with nearly the same frequency and the same exit time as in control cells and can be translated in the cytoplasm but have a much shorter half-life than the poly( A)+ mRNA molecules from control infected cells.
Abstract: Labeled adenovirus type 2 nuclear RNA molecules from cells treated with 3'-deoxyadenosine (3'dA) were earlier reported to lack polyadenylic acid [poly(A)], but to be correctly spliced in the nucleus (M. Zeevi et al., Cell 26:39-46, 1981). We have now found that the shortened mRNA molecules, lacking poly(A), can also be found in the cytoplasm of 3'dA-treated cells in association with the polyribosomes. In addition, the accumulation of labeled, nuclear adenovirus-specific RNA complementary to early regions 1a, 1b, and 2 of the adenovirus genome was approximately equal in 3'dA-treated and control cells. At the initial appearance of newly labeled adenovirus type 2 RNA (10 min) in the cytoplasm, there was one-half as much labeled RNA in 3'dA-treated cells as in the control. However, control cells accumulated additional mRNA in the cytoplasm very rapidly in the first 40 min of labeling, whereas the 3'dA-treated cells did not. Therefore, it appears that the correctly spliced, poly(A)- mRNA molecules that are labeled in the presence of 3'dA can be transported from the nucleus with nearly the same frequency and the same exit time as in control cells and can be translated in the cytoplasm but have a much shorter half-life than the poly(A)+ mRNA molecules from control infected cells. From these results it is suggested that the role of poly(A) may be entirely to increase the longevity of cytoplasmic mRNA.
TL;DR: Results suggested that MBC acted to disrupt the structure or function of the mitotic spindle and cause chromosome nondisjunction.
Abstract: The genetic effects of the mitotic inhibitor methyl benzimidazole-2-yl-carbamate (MBC) have been studied in Saccharomyces cerevisiae. MBC had little or no effect on the frequency of mutation. In some experiments MBC caused an increase in the frequency of mitotic recombination; however, this effect was small and not reproducible. The primary genetic effect of MBC was to induce mitotic chromosome loss at a high frequency. Chromosome loss occurred at equal frequencies for all chromosomes tested (13 of 16). Cells which had lost multiple chromosomes were found more frequently than predicted if individual chromosome loss events were independent. The probability of loss for a particular chromosome increased with length of time cells were incubated with MBC. MBC treatment also increased the frequency at which polyploid cells were found. These results suggested that MBC acted to disrupt the structure or function of the mitotic spindle and cause chromosome nondisjunction.
TL;DR: Recombinant phage particles carrying the thymidine kinase (TK) gene of herpes simplex virus type 1, coprecipitated with calcium phosphate, efficiently transformed mouse Ltk- cells to the TK+ phenotype.
Abstract: Recombinant phage particles carrying the thymidine kinase (TK) gene of herpes simplex virus type 1, coprecipitated with calcium phosphate, efficiently transformed mouse Ltk- cells to the TK+ phenotype. The conditions necessary to achieve high efficiency of transfer of the TK gene by phage particle-mediated gene transfer were investigated. Of the parameters examined, the pH of the buffer used for coprecipitation of phage particles with calcium phosphate, the length of time of coprecipitation, and the length of the adsorption period were found to alter the transfer efficiency significantly. The optimal pH was 6.87 at 25 degrees C. The other optimal values for these parameters were as follows: coprecipitation time, 7 to 20 min; adsorption time, 18 to 30 h. Treatment with dimethyl sulfoxide, glycerol, or sucrose did not enhance gene transfer. The optimal conditions yielded about 1 transformant per 10(5) phage particles per 10(6) cells without carrier DNA. An increase in the dosage of phage particles, up to at least 5 x 10(7) phage particles per 100-mm dish, resulted in a linear increase in the number of transformants. Addition of carrier phage, up to 10(10) phage particles per dish, did not significantly affect the number of transformants.
TL;DR: The results indicated that the inhibition of host cell protein synthesis that accompanied infection by each virus could be explained by a reduction in the amounts of cellular mRNAs in the cytoplasm, and it was suggested that this decrease was due to virus-mediated mRNA degradation.
Abstract: Cloned DNA copies of two cellular genes were used to monitor, by blot hybridization, the stability of particular cell mRNAs after infection by influenza virus and herpesvirus. The results indicated that the inhibition of host cell protein synthesis that accompanied infection by each virus could be explained by a reduction in the amounts of cellular mRNAs in the cytoplasm, and they suggested that this decrease was due to virus-mediated mRNA degradation.
TL;DR: Syrian hamster cells resistant to N-(phosphonacetyl)-L-aspartate (PALA), a specific inhibitor of the aspartate transcarbamylase activity of the multifunctional protein CAD, overproduce this protein as a result of amplification of the CAD gene.
Abstract: Syrian hamster cells resistant to N-(phosphonacetyl)-L-aspartate (PALA), a specific inhibitor of the aspartate transcarbamylase activity of the multifunctional protein CAD, overproduce this protein as a result of amplification of the CAD gene. The authors have used a sensitive in situ hybridization technique to localize CAD genes in spreads of metaphase chromosomes from several independent PALA-resistant lines and from wild-type PALA-sensitive cells. The amplified genes were always found within chromosomes, usually in an expanded region of the short arm of chromosome B9. In wild-type cells, the CAD gene was also on the short arm of chromosome B9. In one mutant line, 90 to 100 CAD genes were found within an expanded B9 chromosome and 10 to 15 more were near the distal end of one arm of several different chromosomes. Another line contained most of the genes in a telomeric chromosome or large chromosome fragment. The amplified genes were in chromosomal regions that were stained in a banded pattern by trypsin-Giemsa. A few double minute chromosomes were observed in a very small fraction of the total spreads examined. The in situ hybridizations were performed in the presence of 10% dextran sulfate 500, which increases the signal by as much as 100-fold.more » Using recombinant DNA plasmids nick-translated with -/sup 125/I)dCTP to high specific radioactivity, 10 CAD genes in a single chromosomal region were revealed after 1 week of autoradiographic exposure, and the position of the unique gene could be seen after 1 month.« less