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Showing papers on "Transcription (biology) published in 1979"



Journal ArticleDOI
01 Jun 1979-Cell
TL;DR: The discovery of the induction of a unique set of puffs by heat shock (Ritossa, 1962) has led the way to an analysis of gene function and structure in Drosophila that is, so far, unique.

1,193 citations


Journal ArticleDOI
TL;DR: Relative rates of ovalbumin and conalbumin mRNA transcription were measured in isolated oviduct nuclei by allowing endogenous RNA polymerases to synthesize [32P]RNA that was then hybridized to immobilized recombinant DNA containing the respective gene sequences.

842 citations


Journal ArticleDOI
01 Aug 1979-Cell
TL;DR: It is demonstrated that the expression of many early adenovirus mRNAs is dependent upon the activity of a pre-early viral product, which is defective in adanovirus 5 host range (Ad hr) group I mutants.

642 citations


Journal ArticleDOI
TL;DR: Results are not consistent with negative control of late transcription through the action of a repressor and, taken together with other data, suggest that T antigen has an active role in late RNA synthesis.
Abstract: We have examined the discrete species of simian virus 40 (SV40) RNA present very early in infection of monkey cells with wild-type virus, with mutant tsA58 virus, and with the corresponding DNAs to distinguish between two classes of models for control of late transcription: (i) positive control mediated by large-T antigen and (ii) negative control mediated by a repressor protein associated with viral DNA in the virion. Total cytoplasmic or nuclear polyadenylated RNAs from infected cells were denatured with glyoxal, separated by electrophoresis on agarose gels, and transferred to diazobenzyloxymethyl paper. The positions of specific early and late RNA species were determined with region-specific SV40 DNA probes. The technique can detect individual RNAs present at the level of less than one copy per cell. After 9.5 h at 37 degrees C, appreciable amounts of two early RNAs (2.6 kilobases [kb] and 2.9 kb) were present in the cytoplasm of cells infected with wild-type virus or DNA, along with much smaller amounts of two late RNAs, 1.6 kb (16S) and 2.5 kb (19S). The amounts of the late RNAs were reduced, but they were still synthesized in the presence of cytosine arabinoside, an inhibitor of DNA synthesis. In comparable infections with tsA58 virus or DNA at nonpermissive temperature (41 degrees C), substantial amounts of the two early RNAs were again present, but the two late RNAs could not be detected. However, small amounts of the late RNAs were found when infections with tsA58 virus or DNA were prolonged to 30 h at 41 degrees C. These results are not consistent with negative control of late transcription through the action of a repressor and, taken together with other data, suggest that T antigen has an active role in late RNA synthesis. Specific early and late viral RNAs were also detected in the nuclear poly(A)(+) fractions and were similar in size to the RNA species found in the cytoplasmic polyadenylated fractions. The late nuclear RNAs (1.8 and 2.9 kb) were significantly larger than the late cytoplasmic species, possibly because they are precursors. The 2.6- and 2.9-kb early RNAs found in the cytoplasm are probably the messengers for large-T and small-t antigens, respectively.

517 citations


Journal ArticleDOI
TL;DR: From the large, complex arrays of composite RNA structures, numerous insights into the RNA splicing mechanisms were inferred.

488 citations



Journal ArticleDOI
10 Aug 1979-Science
TL;DR: The data reported predict the previously unknown sequence of the signal peptide of human growth hormone and strengthens the hypothesis that these genes evolved by gene duplication from a common ancestral sequence.
Abstract: The nucleotide sequence of a DNA complementary to human growth hormone messenger RNA was cloned; it contains 29 nucleotides in its 5' untranslated region, the 651 nucleotides coding for the prehormone, and the entire 3' untranslated region (108 nucleotides). The data reported predict the previously unknown sequence of the signal peptide of human growth hormone and, by comparison with the previously determined sequences of rat growth hormone and human chorionic somatomammotropin, strengthens the hypothesis that these genes evolved by gene duplication from a common ancestral sequence. The human growth hormone gene sequences have been linked in phase to a fragment of the trp D gene of Escherichia coli in a plasmid vehicle, and a fusion protein is synthesized at high level (approximately 3 percent of bacterial protein) under the control of the regulatory region of the trp operon. This fusion protein (70 percent of whose amino acids are coded for by the human growth hormone gene) reacts specifically with antibodies to human growth hormone and is stable in E. coli.

410 citations


Journal ArticleDOI
25 Oct 1979-Nature
TL;DR: The results enable us to predict the primary sequence of two related polypeptides from region E1A of human subgroup C adenoviruses, and to study the structure of early ad2 mRNAs at the nucleotide level using molecular cloning procedures to amplify the appropriate mRNA sequences.
Abstract: The papova viruses and the human adenoviruses are widely used as a model system to study cell transformation in vitro. In subgroup C human adenoviruses, fragment HpaI-E, which comprises as little as 4.5% of the adenovirus type 5 (ad5) DNA, is sufficient for transformation of rat embryo cells1. Analysis of messenger RNAs (mRNAs) from the transforming region of adenoviruses type 2 (ad2) has identified several spliced mRN A species2–4. Promoter mapping studies indicate that the leftmost early region contains two separate transcription units, E1A and E1B (ref. 5) (Fig. 1a). Region E1A is approximately equivalent HpaI-E. The complete nucleotide sequence of the HpaI-E fragment of ad5 was recently reported6. However, the spliced nature of early adenovirus mRNAs prevents a prediction of the amino acid sequence of the corresponding polypeptides directly from the DNA sequence. To study the structure of early ad2 mRNAs at the nucleotide level, we have used molecular cloning procedures to amplify the appropriate mRNA sequences. In this report, clones corresponding to the 12S and 13S mRNA from region E1A (Fig. 1c) have been isolated and characterised by hybridisation and sequence analysis. Our results enable us to predict the primary sequence of two related polypeptides from region E1A of human subgroup C adenoviruses.

339 citations



Journal ArticleDOI
01 Aug 1979-Cell
TL;DR: Cloned DNA sequences complementary to unselected mRNAs from Chinese hamster ovary cells are constructed and used in RNA:DNA hybridization experiments, suggesting the synthesis of many hnRNA molecules that are qualitatively different from those which eventually contribute mRNA to the cytoplasm.

Journal ArticleDOI
TL;DR: The fidelity of transcription of adenovirus 2 DNA and Xenopus oocyte 5 S DNA templates by RNA polymerase III in extracts derived from cultured human, murine, and amphibian kidney cells is examined and sequences analysis of the discrete transcripts synthesized indicate that they result from accurate transcription of the corresponding genes.

Journal ArticleDOI
01 Feb 1979-Cell
TL;DR: Multiple nitrocellulose DNA filter replicas of plaques of in vitro generated recombinants of phage lambda and Saccharomyces cerevisiae have been screened by hybridization with 32P-labeled cDNA probes to allow the use of specific differences in total RNA populations as probes for gene isolation.


Journal ArticleDOI
01 Oct 1979-Cell
TL;DR: It is strongly suggested that host cell mRNAs serve as primers for viral RNA transcription in the infected cell, and that they donate their cap and 10–15 internal nucleotides, one of which is m 6 A, to the resulting viral mRNA molecules.

Journal ArticleDOI
TL;DR: Direct evidence is presented that the 5'-terminal methylated cap of the globin mRNAs is transferred to viral complementary RNA (cRNA) during transcription of influenza viral RNA transcription in vitro catalyzed by the virion transcriptase.
Abstract: We have recently demonstrated that globin mRNAs are effective primers for influenza viral RNA transcription in vitro catalyzed by the virion transcriptase [Bouloy, M., Plotch, S. J. & Krug, R. M. (1978) Proc. Natl. Acad. Sci. USA 75, 4886-4890]. Here, we present direct evidence that the 5′-terminal methylated cap of the globin mRNAs is transferred to viral complementary RNA (cRNA) during transcription. Chemical (β-elimination) or enzymatic removal of the cap of globin mRNAs eliminated essentially all their priming activity. Much of this activity could be restored by recapping the β-eliminated globin mRNAs with the vaccinia virus guanylyl and methyl transferases. Globin mRNAs containing 32P label only in the cap (m7G32pppm6Am-) were prepared by recapping β-eliminated globin mRNAs with the vaccinia virus enzymes, [α-32P]GTP, and unlabeled S-adenosylmethionine. By using this labeled globin mRNA as primer and unlabeled nucleoside triphosphates as precursors, the viral cRNA segments that were synthesized were shown to contain a 32P-labeled 5′-terminal cap structure. Gel electrophoretic analysis indicated that the globin mRNA-primed cRNA segments were 10-15 nucleotides longer at their 5′ end than ApG-primed cRNA segments, which initiate exactly at the 3′ end of the virion RNA templates. This suggests that, in addition to the cap, about 10-15 other nucleotides are also transferred from the globin mRNA to viral cRNA. A mechanism for the priming of influenza viral cRNA synthesis by globin mRNA is proposed.

Journal ArticleDOI
16 Feb 1979-Science
TL;DR: In this paper, a method for the total synthesis of a given DNA containing biologically specific sequences consisting of the following steps is described: the DNA in the double-stranded form is carefully divided into short singlestranded segments with suitable overlaps in the complementary strands and all the segments are chemically synthesized starting with protected nucleosides and mononucleotides.
Abstract: The method developed for the total synthesis of a given DNA containing biologically specific sequences consists of the following. The DNA in the double-stranded form is carefully divided into short single-stranded segments with suitable overlaps in the complementary strands. All the segments are chemically synthesized starting with protected nucleosides and mononucleotides. The 5'-OH ends of the appropriate oligonucleotides are then phosphorylated with the use of [y-32P]ATP and polynucleotide kinase. A few to several neighboring oligonucleotides are then allowed to form bihelical complexes in aqueous solution, and the latter are joined end to end by polynucleotide ligase to form covalently linked duplexes. Subsequent heat-to-tail joining of the short duplexes leads to the total DNA. The methods are described for the construction of a biologically functional suppressor transfer RNA gene. The total work involved (i) the synthesis of a 126-nucleotide-long bihelical DNA corresponding to a known precursor to the tyrosine suppressor transfer RNA, (ii) the sequencing of the promoter region and the distal region adjoining the C-C-A end, which contained a signal for the processing of the RNA transcript, (iii) total synthesis of the 207 base-pair-long DNA, which included the control elements, as well as the Eco R1 restriction endonuclease specific sequences at the two ends, and (iv) full characterization by transcription in vitro and amber suppressor activity in vivo of the synthetic gene.

Journal ArticleDOI
01 Nov 1979-Nature
TL;DR: Evidence is presented which suggests that the increased synthesis at the early two-cell stage of a small number of polypeptides of molecular weight 35,000 is not dependent on transcription, but rather represents control at a post-transcriptional level using mRNAs synthesised before fertilisation.
Abstract: The earliest stages of mouse embryogenesis, from fertilisation to the two-cell stage, are characterised by an extremely low level of RNA synthesis. Indeed, during this period, RNA polymerase II activity and incorporation of labelled precurosrs into heterogeneous RNA are not detectable, and there is no increase in the poly(A) content of the embryo, but rather a slight decrease. The rate of protein synthesis remains low and relatively constant throughout the one- and two-cell stages. However, qualitative analysis of the protein synthetic profile on SDS gels has revealed changes which appear around the late one-cell to early two-cell stage. This early change in the pattern of polypeptide synthesis represents the first major qualitative molecular change found so far in development. We present evidence which suggests that the increased synthesis at the early two-cell stage of a small number of polypeptides of molecular weight 35,000 is not dependent on transcription, but rather represents control at a post-transcriptional level using mRNAs synthesised before fertilisation.

Book ChapterDOI
TL;DR: This chapter describes the methods used for the construction of a biologically functional suppressor transfer ribonucleic acid (tRNA) gene and discusses a chemical synthesis of deoxyribooligon nucleotides and describes the synthesis of di-, tri-, and tetranucleotides carrying 5′-phosphate groups.
Abstract: Publisher Summary This chapter describes the methods used for the construction of a biologically functional suppressor transfer ribonucleic acid (tRNA) gene. For the total synthesis of given deoxyribonucleic acid (DNA)-containing biologically specific sequences, the DNA in the double-stranded form is carefully divided into short single-stranded segments with suitable overlaps in the complementary strands. All segments are chemically synthesized, starting with protected nucleosides and mononucleotides. The 5′-hydroxyl groups of the appropriate oligonucleotides are then phosphorylated. The chapter describes the chemical synthesis and cloning of a tyrosine tRNA gene, which involve (1) the synthesis of 126-nucleotide long bihelical DNA corresponding to a known precursor of the tyrosine suppressor tRNA, (2) sequencing of the promoter region and the distal region adjoining the C–C–A end that contains a signal for the processing of the RNA transcript (3) a total synthesis of the 208-base-pair-long DNA, which includes the control elements as well as the Eco RI restriction-endonuclease-specific sequences at the two ends, and (4) full characterization by transcription in vitro and amber suppressor activity in vivo of the synthetic gene. The chapter discusses a chemical synthesis of deoxyribooligonucleotides and describes the synthesis of di-, tri-, and tetranucleotides carrying 5′-phosphate groups.


Journal ArticleDOI
TL;DR: Transcription of all early regions was initiated and continued for at least 2 to 3 h in cells that were treated with cycloheximide or emetine before and during infection, suggesting that at least the initiation of RNA synthesis from the five early adenovirus type 2 transcription units does not depend on the formation of a viral protein.
Abstract: The time course of appearance of transcriptional activity from five early adenovirus type 2 transcription units has been determined. RNA complementary to region 1A (1-4.4 map units), the first region to be transcribed, was detectable at 45 min after infection; a maximal rate of RNA synthesis was reached at 3 h after infection and was maintained thereafter for at least 6 h. RNA from region 2 (75-56 map units), which encodes the mRNA for the 72,000-dalton DNA-binding protein, was the last to be synthesized; transcription commenced at about 2 h postinfection, reached a maximum at 7 h, and then declined. Transcription of regions 3 (76-86 map units) and 4 (99-91 map units) reached a maximal value at 3 h postinfection. The rates of RNA synthesis from these regions then declined over the next 6 h. The decline of transcription from regions 2 and 4 appeared to be a specific repression of these transcription units. The repression did not occur in the absence of protein synthesis, suggesting that a viral protein might be involved. Transcription of all early regions was initiated and continued for at least 2 to 3 h in cells that were treated with cycloheximide or emetine before and during infection, suggesting that at least the initiation of RNA synthesis from the five early adenovirus type 2 transcription units does not depend on the formation of a viral protein. Moreover, mRNA was formed in the absence of protein synthesis that hybridized to DNA fragments representing each of the five early transcription units. The increase in mRNA accumulation in the presence of cycloheximide (or emetine) does not appear to be due to increased RNA synthesis; thus, either increased mRNA stability or increased efficiency of nuclear RNA processing must occur.

Journal ArticleDOI
30 Apr 1979-Virology
TL;DR: Viral DNA sequences present in the human embryo kidney cell line (293) transformed from sheared adenovirus 5 fragments reveals that the viral DNA is integrated and located at two sites on the cellular genome.

Journal ArticleDOI
TL;DR: DNA from the cloned yeast iso-1-cytochrome c, cycl, gene was used in a hybridization assay to measure levels and rates of synthesis of cycl RNA, demonstrating that the expression of the cycl gene is subject to transcriptional regulation.
Abstract: DNA from the cloned yeast iso-1-cytochrome c, cycl, gene was used in a hybridization assay to measure levels and rates of synthesis of cycl RNA. Derepressed cells synthesized cycl RNA at 6 times the rate of that of glucose-repressed cells. Upon glucose addition to a derepressed culture, the transcription of the cycl gene was repressed within 2.5 min. The half-life of hybridizable cycl RNA was determined to be 12-13.5 min under repressed and derepressed conditions and during repression. The results demonstrate that the expression of the cycl gene is subject to transcriptional regulation.

Journal ArticleDOI
TL;DR: The data presented strongly suggest that the virion M protein is responsible for the endogenous inhibition of in vitro RNA synthesis seen at high concentrations of VS virus.
Abstract: An endogenous transcriptase inhibitor active at high concentrations of vesicular stomatitis (VS) virus was present in trypsinized whole virions but was absent from ribonucleoprotein cores containing only the L, N, and NS proteins. Poly(L-glutamic acid) effectively reversed the transcriptase inhibition. Transcription under noninhibited, inhibited, and poly(L-glutamic acid)-reversed conditions did not appear to greatly affect the nature of the RNA transcription product. The VS virion matrix (M) protein was purified to greater than 98% homogeneity and was found to have an isoelectric point of approximately 9.0. Purified M protein inhibited transcription by ribonucleoprotein cores, an effect that was partially reversed by poly(L-glutamic acid). Two group III temperature-sensitive (ts) mutants of VS virus (tsO23 and ts G31) with lesions in the M protein exhibited little or no endogenous inhibitor activity compared with two wild-type strains and a group V mutant (tsO45) with a lesion in the G protein. The data presented strongly suggest that the virion M protein is responsible for the endogenous inhibition of in vitro RNA synthesis seen at high concentrations of VS virus.

Journal ArticleDOI
TL;DR: The results of the studies on viral RNA accumulating in canavanine-treated cells reinforce the hypothesis made previously that more than one polypeptide in each of the alpha and beta polypePTide groups is involved in the transcription preceding the transitions from alpha to beta and beta to gamma polyPEptide synthesis, respectively, and thatCanavanine selectively inactivated subsets of these polypepeptides permitting only partial transitions fromalpha to Beta to Beta and Beta to gamma to occur.
Abstract: This report concerns the stable viral RNA sequences that accumulate in HEp-2 cells infected with herpes simplex virus type 1. By hybridizing labeled total DNA and restriction endonuclease DNA fragments with excess unlabeled total nuclear and cytoplasmic RNA, we determined the genetic complexity of the RNA and we mapped the regions on the physical map of herpes simplex virus type 1 DNA that are homologous to the RNA. Our results show the following. (i) The viral RNAs accumulating in the nucleus and cytoplasm of cells infected and maintained in the presence of inhibitory concentrations of either cycloheximide or emetine were homologous to 33 and 12% of viral DNA, respectively. All of the fragments tested contained sequences homologous to nuclear RNA. However, only the fragments mapping between 0.00 and 0.18, and 0.53 and 1.00 map units contained sequences homologous to cytoplasmic RNA. (ii) The viral RNAs that accumulate in the nucleus and cytoplasm of cells infected and maintained in the presence of inhibitory concentrations of phoaphonoacetic acid were homologous to 39 and 26% of viral DNA, respectively. In this instance all of the fragments except those mapping between 0.42 and 0.53 map units contained sequences homologous to cytoplasmic RNA. (iii) The viral RNAs that accumulate in the nucleus and cytoplasm 8 h after infection were homologous to greater than 50 and 41%, respectively. All of the fragments tested contained sequences homologous to cytoplasmic RNA. (iv) The viral RNAs that accumulate in the nucleus and cytoplasm of cells infected and maintained in the presence of canavanine are homologous to 33 and 19% of viral DNA, respectively. All of the fragments tested contained sequences homologous to both nuclear and cytoplasmic RNAs. Our results indicate the following. First, there are at least three phases of transcription of viral DNA. Phase 1 does not require the synthesis of host cell or viral proteins. Phase 2 requires the synthesis of viral proteins made before the initiation of viral DNA synthesis. Phase 3 appears to be related to the initiation of viral DNA synthesis. Second, both the extent of transcription and the accumulation of viral RNA in the cytoplasm are tightly regulated. The genetic complexity of total RNA accumulating in infected cells increased in each successive phase. Moreover, the genetic complexity of nuclear RNA was invariably higher than that of cytoplasmic RNA in each phase. Lastly, the results of the studies on viral RNA accumulating in canavanine-treated cells reinforce the hypothesis made previously that more than one polypeptide in each of the alpha and beta polypeptide groups is involved in the transcription preceding the transitions from alpha to beta and beta to gamma polypeptide synthesis, respectively, and that canavanine selectively inactivated subsets of these polypeptides permitting only partial transitions from alpha to beta and beta to gamma to occur.

Journal ArticleDOI
TL;DR: Results indicate that splicing is an essential function in the biogenesis of certain mRNAs.
Abstract: Simian virus 40 deletion mutants were constructed lacking specifically the intervening sequences for a late viral mRNA. The construction method involved the replacement of portions of the late simian virus 40 genes with the DNA segment from reverse transcription of the viral mRNAs. Restriction endonuclease cleavage and sequence analysis confirmed the precise structure of the mutant DNAs and demonstrated that they contained the genetic information for VP1, including all potential 5' ends for the late viral RNAs. Thus, the primary late transcription product(s) of this mutant should have the structure of functional 16S mRNAs. Complementation analysis as well as immunoprecipitation showed, however, that deletion of the intervening sequences from this mutant prevented the expression of VP1. The nature of this failure appears to be a defect in the posttranscriptional processing of the viral RNA. These results indicate that splicing is an essential function in the biogenesis of certain mRNAs.

Journal ArticleDOI
01 Dec 1979-Cell
TL;DR: Determination of the nucleotide sequence of gene β1 confirms that this gene corresponds to the second type of two common co-dominant alleles encoding the adult β-globin chain, and partial DNA sequence analysis indicates that the large intron in β4 is located between codons for amino acids lysine and leucine in an analogous position to that of the largeintron inβ1.

Journal ArticleDOI
01 Aug 1979-Cell
TL;DR: By comparing the properties of the active 75S RNA gene with those of active genes in other systems, it was inferred that the loss of beads and the extension of the fiber in the active unit is probably directly related to the level of transcriptive activity.

Journal ArticleDOI
01 Oct 1979-Cell
TL;DR: The polymerase subunit and the base within the promoter sequence that are joined to each other in two covalent crosslinks between E. coli RNA polymerase and the lac UV5 promoter substituted with bromouracil in the place of thymine is determined.

Journal ArticleDOI
01 Jul 1979-Cell
TL;DR: These experiments indicate that some sequence within a 500 bp SV40 segment, presumably the splicing region, is required for the accumulation of stable mRNA and demonstrate how hybrid transducing viruses can be used both to characterize viral regulatory sequences and to produce new gene products in cultured cells.