scholarly journals Neurofilament deficiency in quail caused by nonsense mutation in neurofilament-L gene.

1993 ◽  
Vol 121 (2) ◽  
pp. 387-395 ◽  
Author(s):  
O Ohara ◽  
Y Gahara ◽  
T Miyake ◽  
H Teraoka ◽  
T Kitamura
Keyword(s):  
Gene Expression ◽  
Amino Acid ◽  
Japanese Quail ◽  
Nonsense Mutation ◽  
Trace Amount ◽  
Molecular Mechanisms ◽  
Deficient Mutant ◽  
Wild Type ◽  
In The Wild ◽  
Genetic Events

The existence of a neurofilament-deficient mutant of Japanese quail was recently documented (Yamasaki, H., C. Itakura, and M. Mizutani. 1991. Acta Neuropathol. 82:427-434), but the genetic events leading to the neurofilament deficiency have yet to be determined. Our molecular biological analyses revealed that the expression of neurofilament-L (NF-L) gene was specifically repressed in neurons of this mutant. To search for mutation(s) responsible for the shutdown of this gene expression, we cloned and sequenced the NF-L genes in the wild-type and mutant quails. It is eventually found that the NF-L gene in the mutant includes a nonsense mutation at the deduced amino acid residue 114, indicating that the mutant is incapable of producing even a trace amount of polymerization-competent NF-L protein at any situation. The identification of this nonsense mutation provides us with a solid basis on which molecular mechanisms underlying the alteration in the neuronal cytoskeletal architecture in the mutant should be interpreted.

scholarly journals Effect of Metallothionein-III on Mercury-Induced Chemokine Gene Expression

Toxics ◽  
2018 ◽  
Vol 6 (3) ◽  
pp. 48 ◽  
Author(s):  
Jin-Yong Lee ◽  
Maki Tokumoto ◽  
Gi-Wook Hwang ◽  
Min-Seok Kim ◽  
Tsutomu Takahashi ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Gene Expression ◽  
Molecular Mechanisms ◽  
Mercury Vapor ◽  
Brain Diseases ◽  
Wild Type ◽  
Chemokine Gene ◽  
Mercury Compounds ◽  
In The Wild ◽  
The Brain ◽  
Chemokine Gene Expression

Mercury compounds are known to cause central nervous system disorders; however the detailed molecular mechanisms of their actions remain unclear. Methylmercury increases the expression of several chemokine genes, specifically in the brain, while metallothionein-III (MT-III) has a protective role against various brain diseases. In this study, we investigated the involvement of MT-III in chemokine gene expression changes in response to methylmercury and mercury vapor in the cerebrum and cerebellum of wild-type mice and MT-III null mice. No difference in mercury concentration was observed between the wild-type mice and MT-III null mice in any brain tissue examined. The expression of Ccl3 in the cerebrum and of Cxcl10 in the cerebellum was increased by methylmercury in the MT-III null but not the wild-type mice. The expression of Ccl7 in the cerebellum was increased by mercury vapor in the MT-III null mice but not the wild-type mice. However, the expression of Ccl12 and Cxcl12 was increased in the cerebrum by methylmercury only in the wild-type mice and the expression of Ccl3 in the cerebellum was increased by mercury vapor only in the wild-type mice. These results indicate that MT-III does not affect mercury accumulation in the brain, but that it affects the expression of some chemokine genes in response to mercury compounds.

scholarly journals Role of Sigma Factors in Controlling Global Gene Expression in Light/Dark Transitions in the Cyanobacterium Synechocystis sp. Strain PCC 6803

2007 ◽  
Vol 189 (21) ◽  
pp. 7829-7840 ◽  
Author(s):  
Tina C. Summerfield ◽  
Louis A. Sherman
Keyword(s):  
Gene Expression ◽  
Global Gene Expression ◽  
Growth Conditions ◽  
Day Length ◽  
Regulation Of Transcription ◽  
Wild Type ◽  
Protein Levels ◽  
In The Wild ◽  
Altered Gene ◽  
Pcc 6803

ABSTRACT We report on differential gene expression in the cyanobacterium Synechocystis sp. strain PCC 6803 after light-dark transitions in wild-type, ΔsigB, and ΔsigD strains. We also studied the effect of day length in the presence of glucose on a ΔsigB ΔsigE mutant. Our results indicated that the absence of SigB or SigD predominately altered gene expression in the dark or in the light, respectively. In the light, approximately 350 genes displayed transcript levels in the ΔsigD strain that were different from those of the wild type, with over 200 of these up-regulated in the mutant. In the dark, removal of SigB altered more than 150 genes, and the levels of 136 of these were increased in the mutant compared to those in the wild type. The removal of both SigB and SigE had a major impact on gene expression under mixotrophic growth conditions and resulted in the inability of cells to grow in the presence of glucose with 8-h light and 16-h dark cycles. Our results indicated the importance of group II σ factors in the global regulation of transcription in this organism and are best explained by using the σ cycle paradigm with the stochastic release model described previously (R. A. Mooney, S. A. Darst, and R. Landick, Mol. Cell 20:335-345, 2005). We combined our results with the total protein levels of the σ factors in the light and dark as calculated previously (S. Imamura, S. Yoshihara, S. Nakano, N. Shiozaki, A. Yamada, K. Tanaka, H. Takahashi, M. Asayama, and M. Shirai, J. Mol. Biol. 325:857-872, 2003; S. Imamura, M. Asayama, H. Takahashi, K. Tanaka, H. Takahashi, and M. Shirai, FEBS Lett. 554:357-362, 2003). Thus, we concluded that the control of global transcription is based on the amount of the various σ factors present and able to bind RNA polymerase.

The rmc locus does not affect plant interactions or defence-related gene expression when tomato (Solanum lycopersicum) is infected with the root fungal parasite, Rhizoctonia

2006 ◽  
Vol 33 (3) ◽  
pp. 289 ◽  
Author(s):  
Ling-Ling Gao ◽  
F. Andrew Smith ◽  
Sally E. Smith
Keyword(s):  
Gene Expression ◽  
Molecular Mechanisms ◽  
Arbuscular Mycorrhizal ◽  
Am Fungi ◽  
Fungal Species ◽  
Plant Interactions ◽  
Related Gene ◽  
Wild Type ◽  
Cell Layers ◽  
Almost All

A tomato mutant with reduced mycorrhizal colonisation, rmc, confers resistance to almost all arbuscular mycorrhizal (AM) fungal species tested, although there is variation in colonisation of different root cell layers by different fungi and one species of AM fungus can colonise this mutant relatively normally. These variations indicate a high degree of specificity in relation to AM colonisation. We explored the possibility of specificity or otherwise in interactions between rmc and three non-AM root-infecting fungi, Rhizoctonia solani anastomosis groups (AG) 4 and AG8, and binucleate Rhizoctonia (BNR). There were no differences between the wild type tomato 76R and rmc in the speed or extent to which these fungi infected roots or caused disease. Infection by R. solani induced high levels of defence-related gene expression in both tomato genotypes relative to non-infected plants. In contrast, with BNR the expression of these genes was not induced or induced to a much lower extent than with R. solani. The expression of defence-related genes with these two non-AM fungi was very similar in the two plant genotypes. It was different from effects observed during colonisation by AM fungi, which enhanced expression of defence-related genes in rmc compared with the wild type tomato. The specificity and molecular mechanisms of rmc in control of AM colonisation are discussed.

scholarly journals Hypothalamic signaling in anorexia induced by indispensable amino acid deficiency

2012 ◽  
Vol 303 (12) ◽  
pp. E1446-E1458 ◽  
Author(s):  
Xinxia Zhu ◽  
Stephanie M. Krasnow ◽  
Quinn R. Roth-Carter ◽  
Peter R. Levasseur ◽  
Theodore P. Braun ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Gene Expression ◽  
Adipose Tissue ◽  
Amino Acid ◽  
Food Intake ◽  
Molecular Mechanisms ◽  
Uncoupling Protein ◽  
Deficient Diet ◽  
Indispensable Amino Acid ◽  
Brown Adipose ◽  
Melanocortin Signaling

Animals exhibit a rapid and sustained anorexia when fed a diet that is deficient in a single indispensable amino acid (IAA). The chemosensor for IAA deficiency resides within the anterior piriform cortex (APC). Although the cellular and molecular mechanisms by which the APC detects IAA deficiency are well established, the efferent neural pathways that reduce feeding in response to an IAA-deficient diet remain to be fully characterized. In the present work, we investigated whether 1) central melanocortin signaling is involved in IAA deficiency-induced anorexia (IAADA) and 2) IAADA engages other key appetite-regulating neuronal populations in the hypothalamus. Rats and mice that consumed a valine-deficient diet (VDD) for 2–3 wk exhibited marked reductions in food intake, body weight, fat and lean body mass, body temperature, and white adipose tissue leptin gene expression, as well as a paradoxical increase in brown adipose tissue uncoupling protein-1 mRNA. Animals consuming the VDD had altered hypothalamic gene expression, typical of starvation. Pharmacological and genetic blockade of central melanocortin signaling failed to increase long-term food intake in this model. Chronic IAA deficiency was associated with a marked upregulation of corticotropin-releasing hormone expression in the lateral hypothalamus, particularly in the parasubthalamic nucleus, an area heavily innervated by efferent projections from the APC. Our observations indicate that the hypothalamic melanocortin system plays a minor role in acute, but not chronic, IAADA and suggest that the restraint on feeding is analogous to that observed after chronic dehydration.

The Actions of Sevoflurane and Desflurane on the γ-Aminobutyric Acid Receptor Type A

2003 ◽  
Vol 99 (3) ◽  
pp. 678-684 ◽  
Author(s):  
Koichi Nishikawa ◽  
Neil L. Harrison
Keyword(s):  
Amino Acid ◽  
Gabaa Receptor ◽  
Gabaa Receptors ◽  
Volatile Anesthetics ◽  
Aminobutyric Acid ◽  
Alpha Subunit ◽  
Induced Responses ◽  
Wild Type ◽  
In The Wild ◽  
Beta 2

Background Previous studies have shown that specific amino acid residues in the putative second transmembrane segment (TM2) of the gamma-aminobutyric acid receptor type A (GABAA) receptor play a critical role in the enhancement of GABAA receptor function by halothane, enflurane, and isoflurane. However, very little is known about the actions of sevoflurane and desflurane on recombinant GABAA receptors. The aim of this study was to examine the effects of sevoflurane and desflurane on potentiation of GABA-induced responses in the wild-type GABAA receptor and in receptors mutated in TM2 of the alpha1, alpha 2, or beta 2 subunits. Methods GABAA receptor alpha 1 or alpha 2, beta 2 or beta 3, and gamma 2s subunit cDNAs were expressed for pharmacologic study by transfection of human embryonic kidney 293 cells and assayed using the whole cell voltage clamp technique. Concentration-response curves and EC50 values for agonist were determined in the wild-type alpha 1 beta 2 gamma 2s and alpha 2 beta 3 gamma 2s receptors, and in receptors harboring mutations in TM2, such as alpha1(S270W)beta 2 gamma 2s, alpha 1 beta 2(N265W)gamma 2s, and alpha2(S270I)beta 3 gamma 2s. The actions of clinically relevant concentration of volatile anesthetics (isoflurane, sevoflurane, and desflurane) on GABA activated Cl- currents were compared in the wild-type and mutant GABAA receptors. Results Both sevoflurane and desflurane potentiated submaximal GABA currents in the wild-type GABAA alpha 1 beta 2 gamma 2s receptor and alpha 2 beta 3 gamma 2s receptor. Substitution of Ser270 in TM2 of the alpha subunit by a larger amino acid, tryptophan (W) or isoleucine (I), as in alpha1(S270W)beta 2 gamma 2s and alpha 2(S270I)beta 3 gamma 2s, completely abolished the potentiation of GABA-induced currents by these anesthetic agents. In contrast, mutation of Asn265 in TM2 of the beta subunit to tryptophan (W) did not prevent potentiation of GABA-induced responses. The actions of sevoflurane and desflurane in the wild-type receptor and in mutated receptors were qualitatively and quantitatively similar to those observed for isoflurane. Conclusions Positions Ser270 of the GABAA alpha1 and alpha2 subunits, but not Asn265 in the TM2 of the beta2 subunit, are critical for regulation of the GABAA receptor by sevoflurane and desflurane, as well as isoflurane, consistent with the idea that these three volatile anesthetics share a common site of actions on the alpha subunit of the GABAA receptor.

scholarly journals Overproduction of l-Lysine from Methanol by Methylobacillus glycogenes Derivatives Carrying a Plasmid with a Mutated dapA Gene

2001 ◽  
Vol 67 (7) ◽  
pp. 3064-3070 ◽  
Author(s):  
Hiroaki Motoyama ◽  
Hiroshi Yano ◽  
Yoko Terasaki ◽  
Hideharu Anazawa
Keyword(s):  
Amino Acid ◽  
Specific Activity ◽  
Test Tube ◽  
Amino Acid Sequences ◽  
Nutritional Requirement ◽  
Wild Type ◽  
Gene Encoding ◽  
Lysine Production ◽  
Obligate Methylotroph ◽  
In The Wild

ABSTRACT The dapA gene, encoding dihydrodipicolinate synthase (DDPS) partially desensitized to inhibition by l-lysine, was cloned from an l-threonine- andl-lysine-coproducing mutant of the obligate methylotrophMethylobacillus glycogenes DHL122 by complementation of the nutritional requirement of an Escherichia coli dapAmutant. Introduction of the dapA gene into DHL122 and AL119, which is the parent of DHL122 and an l-threonine producing mutant, elevated the specific activity of DDPS 20-fold andl-lysine production 2- to 3-fold with concomitant reduction of l-threonine in test tube cultures. AL119 containing thedapA gene produced 8 g of l-lysine per liter in a 5-liter jar fermentor from methanol as a substrate. Analysis of the nucleotide sequence of the dapA gene shows that it encodes a peptide with an M r of 30,664 and that the encoded amino acid sequence is extensively homologous to those of other organisms. In order to study the mutation that occurred in DHL122, the dapA genes of the wild type and AL119 were cloned and sequenced. Comparison of the nucleotide sequences of the dapA genes revealed that the amino acid at residue 88 was F in DHL122 whereas it was L in the wild type and AL119, suggesting that this amino acid alteration that occurred in DHL122 caused the partial desensitization of DDPS to the inhibition byl-lysine. The similarity in the amino acid sequences of DDPS in M. glycogenes and other organisms suggests that the mutation of the dapA gene in DHL122 is located in the region concerned with interaction of the allosteric effector,l-lysine.

Carvedilol Induces Changes In Gene Expression In The Wild-Type Rat Heart

2012 ◽  
Author(s):  
Jennifer I. Drake ◽  
Ramesh Natarajan ◽  
Harm J. Bogaard ◽  
Donatas Kraskauskas ◽  
Norbert F. Voelkel
Keyword(s):  
Gene Expression ◽  
Rat Heart ◽  
Wild Type ◽  
In The Wild

scholarly journals Biological role of the general control of amino acid biosynthesis in Saccharomyces cerevisiae.

1981 ◽  
Vol 1 (7) ◽  
pp. 584-593 ◽  
Author(s):  
P Niederberger ◽  
G Miozzari ◽  
R Hütter
Keyword(s):  
Saccharomyces Cerevisiae ◽  
Amino Acid ◽  
Amino Acid Biosynthesis ◽  
Wild Type ◽  
General Control ◽  
Acid Biosynthesis ◽  
Mutant Strains ◽  
In The Wild ◽  
Amino Acid Imbalance

The biological role of the "general control of amino acid biosynthesis" has been investigated by analyzing growth and enzyme levels in wild-type, bradytrophic, and nonderepressing mutant strains of Saccharomyces cerevisiae. Amino acid limitation was achieved by using either bradytrophic mutations or external amino acid imbalance. In the wild-type strain noncoordinate derepression of enzymes subject to the general control has been found. Derepressing factors were in the order of 2 to 4 in bradytrophic mutant strains grown under limiting conditions and only in the order of 1.5 to 2 under the influence of external amino acid imbalance. Nonderepressing mutations led to slower growth rates under conditions of amino acid limitation, and no derepression of enzymes under the general control was observed. The amino acid pools were found to be very similar in the wild type and in nonderepressing mutant strains under all conditions tested. Our results indicate that the general control affects all branched amino acid biosynthetic pathways, namely, those of the aromatic amino acids and the aspartate family, the pathways for the basic amino acids lysine, histidine, and arginine, and also the pathways of serine and valine biosyntheses.

scholarly journals Involvement of H-NS in Transpositional Recombination Mediated by IS1

2001 ◽  
Vol 183 (8) ◽  
pp. 2476-2484 ◽  
Author(s):  
Yasuyuki Shiga ◽  
Yasuhiko Sekine ◽  
Yasunobu Kano ◽  
Eiichi Ohtsubo
Keyword(s):  
Dna Binding ◽  
Wild Type Strain ◽  
Integration Host Factor ◽  
Deficient Mutant ◽  
Wild Type ◽  
Transposase Gene ◽  
In The Wild ◽  
Transposition Reaction ◽  
Target Plasmid

ABSTRACT IS1, the smallest active transposable element in bacteria, encodes a transposase that promotes inter- and intramolecular transposition. Host-encoded factors, e.g., histone-like proteins HU and integration host factor (IHF), are involved in the transposition reactions of some bacterial transposable elements. Host factors involved in the IS1 transposition reaction, however, are not known. We show that a plasmid with an IS1 derivative that efficiently produces transposase did not generate miniplasmids, the products of intramolecular transposition, in mutants deficient in a nucleoid-associated DNA-binding protein, H-NS, but did generate them in mutants deficient in histone-like proteins HU, IHF, Fis, and StpA. Nor did IS1 transpose intermolecularly to the target plasmid in the H-NS-deficient mutant. The hns mutation did not affect transcription from the indigenous promoter of IS1 for the expression of the transposase gene. These findings show that transpositional recombination mediated by IS1 requires H-NS but does not require the HU, IHF, Fis, or StpA protein in vivo. Gel retardation assays of restriction fragments of IS1-carrying plasmid DNA showed that no sites were bound preferentially by H-NS within the IS1 sequence. The central domain of H-NS, which is involved in dimerization and/or oligomerization of the H-NS protein, was important for the intramolecular transposition of IS1, but the N- and C-terminal domains, which are involved in the repression of certain genes and DNA binding, respectively, were not. The SOS response induced by the IS1 transposase was absent in the H-NS-deficient mutant strain but was present in the wild-type strain. We discuss the possibility that H-NS promotes the formation of an active IS1 DNA-transposase complex in which the IS1 ends are cleaved to initiate transpositional recombination through interaction with IS1 transposase.

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