Showing papers on "Mutant published in 1991"

Generation and analysis of interleukin-4 deficient mice.

Abstract: Interleukin-4 (IL-4) promotes the growth and differentiation of many hematopoietic cells in vitro; in particular, it directs the immunoglobulin (Ig) class switch to IgG1 and IgE. Mice homozygous for a mutation that inactivates the IL-4 gene were generated to test the requirement for IL-4 in vivo. In the mutant mice T and B cell development was normal, but the serum levels of IgG1 and IgE were strongly reduced. The IgG1 dominance in a T cell-dependent immune response was lost, and IgE was not detectable upon nematode infection. Thus, some but not all of the in vitro properties of IL-4 are critical for the physiology of the immune system in vivo.

Construction of an eae deletion mutant of enteropathogenic Escherichia coli by using a positive-selection suicide vector.

Abstract: The ability to attach to epithelial cells, efface the microvillus surface, and disrupt the underlying cytoskeleton is characteristic of enteropathogenic Escherichia coli (EPEC). Recently, eae, a gene necessary for this phenomenon, was described (A. E. Jerse, J. Yu, B. D. Tall, and J. B. Kaper, Proc. Natl. Acad. Sci. USA 87:7839-7843, 1990). We report the use of a novel suicide vector containing the pir-dependent R6K replicon and the sacB gene of Bacillus subtilis to construct an eae deletion mutant of EPEC. This system enables positive selection for the loss of vector sequences. The resulting mutant, CVD206, is indistinguishable from the wild-type strain except for the loss of a 94-kDa outer membrane protein and attaching and effacing ability. Both the 94-kDa outer membrane protein and attaching and effacing ability are restored upon reintroduction of the eae gene on a plasmid. These results confirm the role of the eae gene in the attaching and effacing activity of EPEC and establish the utility of a new system for the construction of deletion mutations.

Requirement of the Auxin Polar Transport System in Early Stages of Arabidopsis Floral Bud Formation.

Abstract: The pin-formed mutant pin 1-1, one of the Arabidopsis flower mutants, has several structural abnormalities in inflorescence axes, flowers, and leaves. In some cases, pin1-1 forms a flower with abnormal structure (wide petals, no stamens, pistil-like structure with no ovules in the ovary) at the top of inflorescence axes. In other cases, no floral buds are formed on the axes. An independently isolated allelic mutant (pin1-2) shows similar phenotypes. These mutant phenotypes are exactly the same in wild-type plants cultured in the presence of chemical compounds known as auxin polar transport inhibitors: 9-hydroxyfluorene-9-carboxylic acid or N-(1-naphthyl)phthalamic acid. We tested the polar transport activity of indole-3-acetic acid and the endogenous amount of free indole-3-acetic acid in the tissue of inflorescence axes of the pin1 mutants and wild type. The polar transport activity in the pin 1-1 mutant and in the pin1-2 mutant was decreased to 14% and 7% of wild type, respectively. These observations strongly suggest that the normal level of polar transport activity in the inflorescence axes is required in early developmental stages of floral bud formation in Arabidopsis and that the primary function of the pin1 gene is auxin polar transport in the inflorescence axis.

Identification of p53 gene mutations in bladder cancers and urine samples

Abstract: Although bladder cancers are very common, little is known about their molecular pathogenesis. In this study, invasive bladder cancers were evaluated for the presence of gene mutations in the p53 suppressor gene. Of 18 tumors evaluated, 11 (61 percent) were found to have genetic alterations of p53. The alterations included ten point mutations resulting in single amino acid substitutions, and one 24-base pair deletion. In all but one case, the mutations were associated with chromosome 17p allelic deletions, leaving the cells with only mutant forms of the p53 gene products. Through the use of the polymerase chain reaction and oligomer-specific hybridization, p53 mutations were identified in 1 to 7 percent of the cells within the urine sediment of each of three patients tested. The p53 mutations are the first genetic alterations demonstrated to occur in a high proportion of primary invasive bladder cancers. Detection of such mutations ex vivo has clinical implications for monitoring individuals whose tumor cells are shed extracorporeally.

Dynamin-like protein encoded by the Drosophila shibire gene associated with vesicular traffic.

Abstract: Temperature-sensitive paralysis is the most striking defect of adult Drosophila carrying the shibire mutation. This is believed to be due to a reversible block of endocytosis, which prevents membrane cycling and thus depletes synaptic vesicles. The shibire mutation also affects many tissues outside the nervous system. We have now mapped and characterized the shibire gene. A 275-kilobase yeast artificial chromosome was subcloned into cosmids, among which the gene was then located by analysing with restriction-fragment length polymorphisms. A 15-kilobase fragment of wild-type DNA rescues the mutant phenotype and the sequence of two mutant alleles show differences with wild type, demonstrating that we have isolated the shibire gene. The gene encodes a protein that is highly similar to rat dynamin, 69% of the amino-acid sequence is identical. Dynamin is a GTP-driven mechanochemical enzyme related to mammalian mx-proteins and to the yeast vpsl gene product. Because the shibire gene product and dynamin have extensive similarity, we propose that they are cognate homologues. Dynamin causes microtubules to slide along each other in vitro and in extracts it is associated with a distinct, but so far uncharacterized, membrane fraction. In light of the shibire phenotype, we suggest that these proteins provide the motor for vesicular transport during endocytosis.

Cloning and characterization of the Pseudomonas aeruginosa lasR gene, a transcriptional activator of elastase expression.

Abstract: We report the discovery of the lasR gene, which positively regulates elastase expression in Pseudomonas aeruginosa PAO1. The lasR gene was cloned by its ability to restore a positive elastase phenotype in strain PA103, a strain which possesses the elastase structural gene (lasB) but fails to synthesize the enzyme. Nucleotide sequence analysis revealed an open reading frame of 716 nucleotides encoding a protein of approximately 27 kDa. A labeled LasR protein of 27 kDa was detected in Escherichia coli by using a T7 RNA polymerase expression system. A chromosomal deletion mutant of the lasR gene was constructed in PAO1 by gene replacement. This mutant (PAO-R1) is devoid of elastolytic activity and elastase antigen. The deduced amino acid sequence of LasR is 27% homologous to the positive activator LuxR of Vibrio fischeri and the suspected activator 28K-UvrC of E. coli. Northern (RNA) analysis of total cellular RNA from PAO1, PAO-R1, and PAO-R1 containing the lasR gene on a multicopy plasmid (pMG1.7) revealed that a functional lasR gene is required for transcription of the elastase structural gene (lasB). Images

T‐DNA insertion mutagenesis in Arabidopsis: mutational spectrum

Abstract: Summary More than 8000 transformants of Arabidopsis have been generated by treating germinating seeds with cultures of Agrobacterium tumefaciens. Genetic characterization of a subset of the transformants indicates that they contain an average of 1.4 inserts each, as assayed by kanamycin resistance. Molecular analysis shows that the inserts are predominantly concatamers of T-DNAs arranged as direct and inverted repeats. More recently these 8000 lines have been screened under a variety of growth conditions for visible alterations in phenotype. More than 1000 putative mutants were observed during the application of these screening procedures. These mutants fall into several general classes: seedling-lethals, size variants, pigment, embryo-defective, reduced-fertility, dramatic (morphological), and physiological. The majority of the mutants (88%) segregate in a Mendelian manner for the mutant phenotype. An analysis of approximately 50 mutants in this group shows that > 80% are tagged with a functional insert. The wide spectrum of mutants observed suggests that it may be feasible to develop a comprehensive collection of mutant lines in which each gene is tagged by a T-DNA insertion.

In vitro mutagenesis and plasmid shuffling: from cloned gene to mutant yeast.

Abstract: Publisher Summary This chapter describes the In Vitro mutagenesis and plasmid shuffling in yeast genes. method for generating mutant alleles uses replicating yeast episomes as a means of exchanging the wild-type gene for mutant copies. The basic scheme for the exchange, known as plasmid shuffling In the first step, one copy of the gene of interest is inactivated in a diploid, and a wild-type copy is propagated in the cell on an episome. This allows the generation of a haploid strain with a chromosomal null allele. Mutagenized copies of the gene are then introduced into this cell on a second episome and exchanged (or shuffled) with the wild-type version. Removal of the wild-type gene, YFG in our example, is the key step in any plasmid shuflting scheme. This can be accomplished by taking advantage of two factors. First, even relatively stable YCp episomes are lost from a cell by missegregation or misrepfication at a rate of 10 –2 per generation. Second, compounds are available that prevent the growth of cells carrying specific yeast genes, and in the presence of such compounds these genes act as counterselectable markers, allowing one to directly select for cells which have lost this marker. By including one of these counterselectable markers on the same plasmid that contains the wild-type YFG gene, an investigator can select for cells that have lost the entire plasmid.

Identification of a nonsense mutation in the rod photoreceptor cGMP phosphodiesterase beta-subunit gene of the rd mouse.

Abstract: Retinal degeneration in the mouse mutant, rd, was previously shown to be a disorder of cyclic nucleotide metabolism involving a deficiency in the activity of the rod photoreceptor cGMP phosphodiesterase (PDE). We have characterized the normal and rd PDE beta-subunit gene, and their respective transcripts, by PCR and direct sequence analysis. We show that the gene consists of at least 22 exons ranging in size from 48 base pairs to several hundred base pairs, covering greater than 25 kilobases. Within a 67-base-pair exon of the rd PDE beta-subunit gene, we identified a nonsense ochre mutation (a C----A transversion in codon 347) that truncates the normal gene product, eliminating more than one-half of the peptide chain, including the putative catalytic domain. The consequences of the truncation are consistent with the observed phenotypes in rd mice heterozygous and homozygous for the disorder. The nonsense mutation was also found in another related and in six unrelated strains displaying the rd phenotype, indicating that the rd allele arose from a single genetic event. The results strongly argue for the nonsense mutation being responsible for retinal degeneration in the rd mouse.

A Mutation in the Arabidopsis TFL1 Gene Affects Inflorescence Meristem Development.

Abstract: We present the initial phenotypic characterization of an Arabidopsis mutation, terminal flower 1-1 (tfl1-1), that identifies a new genetic locus, TFL1. The tfl1-1 mutation causes early flowering and limits the development of the normally indeterminate inflorescence by promoting the formation of a terminal floral meristem. Inflorescence development in mutant plants often terminates with a compound floral structure consisting of the terminal flower and one or two subtending lateral flowers. The distal-most flowers frequently contain chimeric floral organs. Light microscopic examination shows no structural aberrations in the vegetative meristem or in the inflorescence meristem before the formation of floral buttresses. The wild-type appearance of lateral flowers and observations of double mutant combinations of tfl1-1 with the floral morphogenesis mutations apetala 1-1 (ap1-1), ap2-1, and agamous (ag) suggest that the tfl1-1 mutation does not affect normal floral meristems. Secondary flower formation usually associated with the ap1-1 mutation is suppressed in the terminal flower, but not in the lateral flowers, of tfl1-1 ap1-1 double mutants. Our results suggest that tfl1-1 perturbs the establishment and maintenance of the inflorescence meristem. The mutation lies on the top arm of chromosome 5 approximately 2.8 centimorgans from the restriction fragment length polymorphism marker 217.

cop1: a regulatory locus involved in light-controlled development and gene expression in Arabidopsis.

Abstract: Light signals from the environment are perceived by specific regulatory photoreceptors in plants and are transduced by unknown mechanisms to genes that control growth and development. We have identified a genetic locus in Arabidopsis thaliana, which appears to play a central role in this transduction process. Mutations in this locus, designated copl (constitutively photomorphogenic), result in dark-grown seedlings with the morphology of wild-type seedlings grown in the light. In addition, these mutations lead to constitutive expression of an array of normally light-regulated genes in dark-grown seedlings and in light-grown adult plants placed in darkness. Promoter-reporter constructs of some of these genes are constitutively expressed in dark-grown transgenic copl seedlings, indicating that the aberrant behavior of these genes results primarily from aberrant modulation of their promoter activities in the mutant. In contrast, light control of seed germination and diurnal control of cab gene expression is normal in the copl mutants. Because these mutations are recessive, we conclude that in seedlings and adult plants, the wild-type copl gene product normally acts in darkness to repress the expression of genes involved in the photomorphogenic developmental pathway and to promote the expression of genes involved in the dark-adaptive developmental pathway, and that regulatory photoreceptors act to reverse this action upon exposure to light. However, photocontrol of seed germination and diurnal rhythms is apparently exerted via one or more separate pathways not involving the copl product.

Domains of the human androgen receptor involved in steroid binding, transcriptional activation, and subcellular localization.

Abstract: A series of human androgen receptor (AR) deletion mutants was constructed to study the relationship between the structural domains and their different functions in the AR protein. Human AR mutants were expressed in COS-1 and HeLa cells to investigate hormone binding, transcriptional activation, and subcellular localization. The wild-type human AR (AR 1910) was expressed as a 110- to 112-kDa doublet, as revealed on immunoblots. All mutant AR proteins also migrated as doublets, except for one. This AR has a deletion from amino acid residues 51-211 and migrated as a single protein band, possibly due to altered posttranslational modification. The AR steroid-binding domain is encoded by approximately 250 amino acid residues in the Cterminal end. Deletions in this domain as well as truncation of the last 12 C-terminal amino acid residues abolished hormone binding. Cotransfection studies in HeLa cells showed that transcriptional activation of an androgen-regulated reporter gene construct was induced by the wildtype human AR. Mutational analysis revealed two regions in the N-terminal part, encoded by amino acid residues 51-211 and 244-360, to be essential for this transcriptional activation. Deletion of the hormone-binding domain yielded a constitutively active AR protein, indicating that in the absence of hormone this domain displays an inhibitory function. In the presence of its ligand, the wild-type AR was located in the cell nucleus. In the absence of androgens the receptor was mainly nuclear, but cytoplasmic localization was observed as well. In contrast, an AR deletion mutant lacking part of the DNAbinding domain and part of the hinge region was exclusively cytoplasmic in the absence of hormone. This mutant AR lacks a region that is highly conserved among steroid receptors and homologous to the simian virus-40 large T-antigen- and nucleoplas

Cellular localization and cell cycle regulation by a temperature-sensitive p53 protein

Abstract: Primary rat embryo fibroblasts were transformed by a p53 mutant (alanine to valine change at amino acid 135) plus ras. This p53val135 mutant is temperature sensitive for a conformational change detected by the binding of a monoclonal antibody, PAb246, which recognizes the wild-type protein or the great majority of p53val135 at 32.5 degrees C. At 37 degrees C, both mutant and wild-type p53 conformational forms co-exist in the cells, while at 39.5 degrees C, the majority of the p53val135 in the cell is in a mutant conformation not recognized by PAb246 antibody. At 39.5 degrees C, the mutant p53 is localized in the cytoplasm of the cell. At 32.5 degrees C, the p53 protein enters the nucleus and stops the growth of these cells. At 37 degrees C where there is a mixture of mutant and wild-type p53, the wild-type p53 protein is in a complex with hsc70 and mutant p53 protein in the cytoplasm of the cell during G1. This wild-type protein enters the nucleus as the cells enter the S-phase of the cell cycle. At 32.5 degrees C, the cells stop replication and arrest at the G1/S border. After 48 hr at 32.5 degrees C, 91% of the cells are in the G1 fraction of the cell cycle. The S-phase cells appear to be immune to the p53 negative regulation of growth until they enter the next G1 period.(ABSTRACT TRUNCATED AT 250 WORDS)

Phenotypic and Genetic Analysis of det2, a New Mutant That Affects Light-Regulated Seedling Development in Arabidopsis.

Abstract: The greening phenotypes produced by recessive mutations in a gene designated de-etiolated-2 (DET2) are described. Recessive mutations in the DET2 gene uncouple light signals from a number of light-dependent processes. det2 mutations result in dark-grown Arabidopsis thaliana seedlings with many characteristics of light-grown plants, including hypocotyl growth inhibition, cotyledon expansion, primary leaf initiation, anthocyanin accumulation, and derepression of light-regulated gene expression. In contrast to these morphological and gene expression changes, however, the chloroplast development program is not initiated in the dark in det2 mutants, suggesting that light-regulated gene expression precedes the differentiation of etioplasts to chloroplasts. det2 mutations thus reveal at least two classes of downstream light-regulated responses that differ in their timing and control mechanisms. Homozygous det2 mutations also affect photoperiodic responses in light-grown plants, including timing of flowering, dark adaptation of gene expression, and onset of leaf senescence. The phenotype of det1 det2 double mutants is additive, implying that DET1 and DET2 function in distinct pathways that affect downstream light-regulated genes. Furthermore, these pathways are not utilized solely during early seedling development but must also be required to regulate different aspects of the light developmental program during later stages of vegetative growth.

Spectra of spontaneous and mutagen-induced mutations in the lacI gene in transgenic mice.

Abstract: Transgenic mice with a lambda shuttle vector containing a lacI target gene were generated for use as a short-term, in vivo mutagenesis assay. The gene is recovered from the treated mice by exposing mouse genomic DNA to in vitro packaging extracts and plating the rescued phage on agar plates containing 5-bromo-4-chloro-3-indolyl beta-D-galactopyranoside (X-Gal). Phage with mutations in the lacI gene form blue plaques, whereas phage with a nonmutated lacI form colorless plaques. Spontaneous background mutant rates using this system range from 0.6 x 10(-5) to 1.7 x 10(-5), depending upon tissue analyzed, with germ cells exhibiting less than one-third the background rate of somatic tissue. Treatment of the mice with N-ethyl-N-nitrosourea (EtNU), benzo[a]pyrene (B[a]P), or cyclophosphamide caused an induction of mutations over background. Recovery of the lacI target for sequence analysis was performed by genetic excision of a plasmid from the phage using partial filamentous phage origins. The predominant mutations identified from untreated and treated populations were base substitutions. Although it has been shown by others that 70% of all spontaneous mutations within the lacI gene, when replicated in Escherichia coli, occur at a hot spot located at bases 620-632, only 1 of 21 spontaneous mutations has been identified in this region in the transgenic mouse system. In addition, 5 of 9 spontaneous transitions analyzed occur at CpG dinucleotides, whereas no transition mutations were identified at the prokaryotic deamination hot spots occurring at dcm sites (CCA/TGG) within the lacI gene. For EtNU, approximately equal amounts of transitions and transversions were observed, contrasting with B[a]P-induced mutations, in which only transversions were obtained. In addition, B[a]P mutagenesis showed a predominance of mutations (81%) involving cytosines and/or guanines, consistent with its known mode of action. The discovery of a spontaneous mutation spectrum different from that of bacterial assays, coupled with the concordance of EtNU and B[a]P base mutations with the known mechanisms of activity for these mutagens, suggests that this transgenic system will be useful as a short-term, in vivo system for mutagen assessment and analysis of mechanisms leading to mutations.

Wild-type p53 suppresses growth of human prostate cancer cells containing mutant p53 alleles.

Abstract: Evidence supporting a broad role for the inactivation of the p53 gene in human tumorigenesis has been provided by studies showing that the p53 gene is mutated in many human cancers. In this study, we report on the mutational status of the p53 gene in prostate cancer cells and provide functional evidence that the wild-type p53 gene may have a role in suppressing prostatic tumorigenesis. Sequence analysis of exons 5-8 of the p53 gene reveals that three of five prostate cancer cell lines (TSUPr-1, PC3, DU145) contain mutations which alter the amino acid sequence of this most highly conserved portion of the gene. One of two primary prostatic cancer specimens examined also contained a mutation in this region. Transfection of the wild-type p53 gene versus a mutated p53 gene into two cell lines with p53 mutations results in reduced colony formation. Wild-type p53 gene expression is apparently incompatible with continued growth of these tumor cells inasmuch as none of the colonies which formed after wild-type transfections retain the transfected p53 sequences. Immunocytochemical data indicate that prostate carcinoma cells expressing the transfected wild-type p53 gene are growth arrested because they exhibit a reduced level of thymidine incorporation into DNA. This study is the first report of p53 gene mutations in prostate cancer cells and suggests a functional role for the p53 gene in suppressing prostatic tumorigenesis.

Use of a screen for synthetic lethal and multicopy suppressee mutants to identify two new genes involved in morphogenesis in Saccharomyces cerevisiae.

Abstract: Genes CDC24 and CDC42 are required for the establishment of cell polarity and for bud formation in Saccharomyces cerevisiae. Temperature-sensitive (Ts-) mutations in either of these genes cause arrest as large, unbudded cells in which the nuclear cycle continues. MSB1 was identified previously as a multicopy suppressor of Ts- cdc24 and cdc42 mutations. We have now sequenced MSB1 and constructed a deletion of this gene. The predicted amino acid sequence does not closely resemble any other in the available data bases, and the deletion does not produce any readily detectable phenotype. However, we have used a colony-sectoring assay to identify additional genes that appear to interact with MSB1 and play a role in bud emergence. Starting with a strain deleted for the chromosomal copy of MSB1 but containing MSB1 on a high-copy-number plasmid, mutants were identified in which MSB1 had become essential for viability. The new mutations defined two genes, BEM1 and BEM2; both the bem1 and bem2 mutations are temperature sensitive and are only partially suppressed by MSB1. In bem1 cells, a single copy of MSB1 is necessary and sufficient for viability at 23 or 30 degrees C, but even multiple copies of MSB1 do not fully suppress the growth defect at 37 degrees C. In bem2 cells, a single copy of MSB1 is necessary and sufficient for viability at 23 degrees C, multiple copies are necessary for viability at 30 degrees C, and even multiple copies of MSB1 do not suppress the growth defect at 37 degrees C. In a wild-type background (i.e., a single chromosomal copy of MSB1), both bem1 and bem2 mutations cause cells to become large and multinucleate even during growth at 23 degrees C, suggesting that these genes are involved in bud emergence. This suggestion is supported for BEM1 by other evidence obtained in a parallel study (J. Chant, K. Corrado, J. Pringle, and I. Herskowitz, submitted for publication). BEM1 maps centromere distal to TYR1 on chromosome II, and BEM2 maps between SPT15 and STP2 on chromosome V.

The function of chitin synthases 2 and 3 in the Saccharomyces cerevisiae cell cycle.

Abstract: The morphology of three Saccharomyces cerevisiae strains, all lacking chitin synthase 1 (Chs1) and two of them deficient in either Chs3 (calR1 mutation) or Chs2 was observed by light and electron microscopy. Cells deficient in Chs2 showed clumpy growth and aberrant shape and size. Their septa were very thick; the primary septum was absent. Staining with WGA-gold complexes revealed a diffuse distribution of chitin in the septum, whereas chitin was normally located at the neck between mother cell and bud and in the wall of mother cells. Strains deficient in Chs3 exhibited minor abnormalities in budding pattern and shape. Their septa were thin and trilaminar. Staining for chitin revealed a thin line of the polysaccharide along the primary septum; no chitin was present elsewhere in the wall. Therefore, Chs2 is specific for primary septum formation, whereas Chs3 is responsible for chitin in the ring at bud emergence and in the cell wall. Chs3 is also required for chitin synthesized in the presence of alpha-pheromone or deposited in the cell wall of cdc mutants at nonpermissive temperature, and for chitosan in spore walls. Genetic evidence indicated that a mutant lacking all three chitin synthases was inviable; this was confirmed by constructing a triple mutant rescued by a plasmid carrying a CHS2 gene under control of a GAL1 promoter. Transfer of the mutant from galactose to glucose resulted in cell division arrest followed by cell death. We conclude that some chitin synthesis is essential for viability of yeast cells.

p53 alteration is a common event in the spontaneous immortalization of primary BALB/c murine embryo fibroblasts.

Abstract: It has been shown previously that mutant p53 can act as an immortalizing gene when cotransfected into primary rat embryo fibroblasts along with a selectable marker. To determine whether a mutation at the p53 locus is a common event in the pathways leading to spontaneous cellular immortalization, 11 clonally derived BALB/c murine embryo fibroblast lines were established by passage on a 3T3 schedule and examined for p53 alterations. By the following criteria, all 11 independently established lines contain at least one mutant allele of p53. Seven of these lines have a PAb240-reactive p53 species and exhibit an extended p53 half-life as determined by pulse-chase analysis. The p53 protein species in a subset of these lines is also capable of complex formation with the constitutive heat shock protein hsc70. p53 cytoplasmic DNAs (cDNAs) from several of these lines have been cloned by reverse transcription of cytoplasmic RNA followed by PCR amplification, and the mutations have been mapped by DNA sequence analysis. Point mutation in conserved domains of p53 appears to be a common alteration in these lines, although one established line carries a 24-bp in-frame deletion of p53. The remaining four cell lines do not express detectable p53 protein. For each line there is a different molecular event underlying the lack of p53 expression: (1) deletion of at least the first 6 exons of both p53 alleles; (2) expression of a single p53 mRNA encoding a stop codon at amino acid position 173; (3) no detectable p53 mRNA; and (4) greatly diminished expression of p53 mRNA. These findings indicate that p53 alteration commonly occurs in spontaneously immortalized BALB/c mouse embryo fibroblasts passaged on a 3T3 schedule and, therefore, may be an important event for the immortalization process.

Tackling the protease problem in Saccharomyces cerevisiae.

Abstract: Publisher Summary This chapter describes the conditions and procedures that affect the levels and activities of the vacuolar proteases and present both genetic and biochemical assaying methods for coping with protease problems. Protease B activity in colonies can be assayed using an overlay test. It is based on the principle that states that protease B, which is freed from cells by lysis and from its inhibitor by the SDS present in the overlay, solubilizes the particles of Hide Powder Azure in the overlay, uncovering the colony and surrounding it with a clear halo. Mutant colonies remain covered. Carboxypeptidase Y activity in colonies can be assessed by using an overlay test that relies on the esterolytic activity of the enzyme. The substrate is N-acetyl-DL-phenylalanine β-naphthyl ester, cleavage of which, in colonies anyway, is catalyzed only by CpY. In biochemical analyses, commonly used assay for protease A activity measures the release of tyrosine-containing acid-soluble peptides from aciddenatured hemoglobin. Protease A is apparently the only protease to catalyze the reaction at acid pH. It is reported the use of a protease-deficient strain can ease protease problems. Strains bearing the pleiotropic pep4-3 mutation have greatly reduced, but not zero, levels of PrA, PrB CpY, and ApI. Strains such as EJ101 that carry prb1-1122 have also been used successfully in some purifications. Use of a double mutant is recommended that carries mutations both in the PEP4 gene and the PRB1 gene.

Restored expression of major histocompatibility class I molecules by gene transfer of a putative peptide transporter.

Abstract: Cytotoxic T lymphocytes recognize antigen-derived peptides bound to major histocompatibility complex (MHC) class I molecules with which they assemble in the endoplasmic reticulum or in an undefined subcompartment. There is genetic evidence that the peptides that are products of cytosolic protein degradation are transported into this compartment by a peptide supply factor (PSF), encoded in the MHC class II region. Like the corresponding genes RING4, HAM1 and mtp1, PSF is related to the multidrug-resistance family of transporters and may be a peptide pump, as translocation of peptides across membranes must occur independently of the secretory pathway. There is, however, no functional evidence for this role so far. Here we report gene transfer experiments showing that expression of PSF complementary DNA in the human lymphoblastoid cell line mutant 721.134 restores normal levels of surface HLA-A2 and -B5. No similar effect was observed in 721.174 mutant cells, in which a homozygous deletion includes PSF among several other closely linked genes. At least one of these genes may therefore also be required for PSF function.

Mutant of Arabidopsis Deficient in Xylem Loading of Phosphate

Abstract: A mutant of Arabidopsis thaliana deficient in the accumulation of inorganic phosphate has been isolated by screening directly for plants with altered quantities of total leaf phosphate. The mutant plants accumulate approximately 5% as much inorganic phosphate, and 24 to 44% as much total phosphate, as wild-type plants in aerial portions of the plant. Growth of the mutant is reduced, relative to wild type, and it exhibits other symptoms normally associated with phosphate deficiency. The phosphate deficiency is caused by a single nuclear recessive mutation at a locus designated pho1. The rate of phosphate uptake into the roots was similar between mutant and wild-type plants over a wide range of external phosphate concentrations. In contrast, when plants were grown in media containing 200 micromolar phosphate or less, phosphate transfer to the shoots of the mutant was reduced to 3 to 10% of the wild-type levels. The defect in phosphate transfer to the shoots could be overcome by providing higher levels of phosphate. Transfer of sulfate to the shoots was essentially normal in the mutant, indicating that the pho1 lesion was not a general defect in anion transport. Movement of phosphate through the xylem of the shoots was not impaired. The results suggest that the mutant is deficient in activity of a protein required to load phosphate into the xylem.

Allelic exchange in Escherichia coli using the Bacillus subtilis sacB gene and a temperature-sensitive pSC101 replicon.

Abstract: To facilitate efficient allelic exchange of genetic information into a wild-type strain background, we improved upon and merged approaches using a temperature-sensitive plasmid and a counter-selectable marker in the chromosome. We first constructed intermediate strains of Escherichia coli K12 in which we replaced wild-type chromosomal sequences, at either the fimB-A or lacZ-A loci, with a newly constituted DNA cassette. The cassette consists of the sacB gene from Bacillus subtilis and the neomycin (kanamycin) resistance gene of Tn5, but, unlike another similar cassette, it lacks IS1 sequences. We found that sucrose sensitivity was highly dependent on incubation temperature and sodium chloride concentration. The DNA to be exchanged into the chromosome was first cloned into derivatives of plasmid pMAK705, a temperature-sensitive pSC101 replicon. The exchanges were carried out in two steps, first selecting for plasmid integration by standard techniques. In the second step, we grew the plasmid integrates under non-selective conditions at 42 degrees C, and then in the presence of sucrose at 30 degrees C, allowing positive selection for both plasmid excision and curing. Despite marked locus-specific strain differences in sucrose sensitivity and in the growth retardation due to the integrated plasmids, the protocol permitted highly efficient exchange of cloned DNA into either the fim or lac chromosomal loci. This procedure should allow the exchange of any DNA segment, in addition to the original or mutant allelic DNA, into any non-essential parts of the E. coli chromosome.