scholarly journals Homology-Dependent Maternal Inhibition of Developmental Excision of Internal Eliminated Sequences inParamecium tetraurelia

1998 ◽  
Vol 18 (12) ◽  
pp. 7075-7085 ◽  
Author(s):  
Sandra Duharcourt ◽  
Anne-Marie Keller ◽  
Eric Meyer
Keyword(s):  
Inhibition Efficiency ◽  
Germ Line ◽  
Single Copy ◽  
Sequence Specificity ◽  
Direct Repeats ◽  
Maternal Control ◽  
Sequence Element ◽  
Conserved Sequence ◽  
Internal Eliminated Sequences ◽  
Sexual Generation

ABSTRACT Thousands of single-copy internal eliminated sequences (IESs) are excised from the germ line genome of ciliates during development of the polygenomic somatic macronucleus, following sexual events.Paramecium IESs are short, noncoding elements that frequently interrupt coding sequences. No absolutely conserved sequence element, other than flanking 5′-TA-3′ direct repeats, has been identified among sequenced IESs; the mechanisms of their specific recognition and precise elimination are unknown. Previous work has revealed the existence of an epigenetic control of excision. It was shown that the presence of one IES in the vegetative macronucleus results in a specific inhibition of the excision of the same element during the development of a new macronucleus, in the following sexual generation. We have assessed the generality and sequence specificity of this transnuclear maternal control by studying the effects of macronuclear transformation with 13 different IESs. We show that at least five of them can be maintained in the new macronuclear genome; sequence specificity is complete both between genes and between different IESs in the same gene. In all cases, the degree of excision inhibition correlates with the copy number of the maternal IES, but each IES shows a characteristic inhibition efficiency. Short internal IES-like segments were found to be excised from two of the IESs when excision between normal boundaries was inhibited. Available data suggest that the sequence specificity of these maternal effects is mediated by pairing interactions between homologous nucleic acids.

scholarly journals Developmentally Regulated Chromosome Fragmentation Linked to Imprecise Elimination of Repeated Sequences in Paramecia

2003 ◽  
Vol 2 (5) ◽  
pp. 1076-1090 ◽  
Author(s):  
Anne Le Mouël ◽  
Alain Butler ◽  
François Caron ◽  
Eric Meyer
Keyword(s):  
De Novo ◽  
Germ Line ◽  
Single Copy ◽  
Mendelian Inheritance ◽  
Direct Repeats ◽  
Developmentally Regulated ◽  
Chromosome Fragmentation ◽  
Dna Elimination ◽  
Flanking Sequences ◽  
Identical Cell

ABSTRACT The chromosomes of ciliates are fragmented at reproducible sites during the development of the polyploid somatic macronucleus, but the mechanisms involved appear to be quite diverse in different species. In Paramecium aurelia, the process is imprecise and results in de novo telomere addition at locally heterogeneous positions. To search for possible determinants of chromosome fragmentation, we have studied an ∼21-kb fragmentation region from the germ line genome of P. primaurelia. The mapping and sequencing of alternative macronuclear versions of the region show that two distinct multicopy elements, a minisatellite and a degenerate transposon copy, are eliminated by an imprecise mechanism leading either to chromosome fragmentation and the formation of new telomeres or to the rejoining of flanking sequences. Heterogeneous internal deletions occur between short direct repeats containing TA dinucleotides. The complex rearrangement patterns produced vary slightly among genetically identical cell lines, show non-Mendelian inheritance during sexual reproduction, and can be experimentally modified by transformation of the maternal macronucleus with homologous sequences. These results suggest that chromosome fragmentation in Paramecium is the consequence of imprecise DNA elimination events that are distinct from the precise excision of single-copy internal eliminated sequences and that target multicopy germ line sequences by homology-dependent epigenetic mechanisms.

scholarly journals Timing of Developmentally Programmed Excision and Circularization of Paramecium Internal Eliminated Sequences

2000 ◽  
Vol 20 (5) ◽  
pp. 1553-1561 ◽  
Author(s):  
Mireille Bétermier ◽  
Sandra Duharcourt ◽  
Hervé Seitz ◽  
Eric Meyer
Keyword(s):  
Quantitative Pcr ◽  
Genomic Dna ◽  
Germ Line ◽  
Donor Site ◽  
Single Copy ◽  
Southern Blots ◽  
Macronuclear Development ◽  
Internal Eliminated Sequences ◽  
Dna Elements

ABSTRACT Paramecium internal eliminated sequences (IESs) are short AT-rich DNA elements that are precisely eliminated from the germ line genome during development of the somatic macronucleus. They are flanked by one 5′-TA-3′ dinucleotide on each side, a single copy of which remains at the donor site after excision. The timing of their excision was examined in synchronized conjugating cells by quantitative PCR. Significant amplification of the germ line genome was observed prior to IES excision, which starts 12 to 14 h after initiation of conjugation and extends over a 2- to 4-h period. Following excision, two IESs were shown to form extrachromosomal circles that can be readily detected on Southern blots of genomic DNA from cells undergoing macronuclear development. On these circular molecules, covalently joined IES ends are separated by one copy of the flanking 5′-TA-3′ repeat. The similar structures of the junctions formed on the excised and donor molecules point to a central role for this dinucleotide in IES excision.

scholarly journals Protein binding to a single termination-associated sequence in the mitochondrial DNA D-loop region.

1993 ◽  
Vol 13 (4) ◽  
pp. 2162-2171 ◽  
Author(s):  
C S Madsen ◽  
S C Ghivizzani ◽  
W W Hauswirth
Keyword(s):  
Mitochondrial Dna ◽  
Protein Binding ◽  
Loop Formation ◽  
Sequence Element ◽  
Conserved Sequence ◽  
Loop Region ◽  
In Organello ◽  
Close Proximity ◽  
D Loop

A methylation protection assay was used in a novel manner to demonstrate a specific bovine protein-mitochondrial DNA (mtDNA) interaction within the organelle (in organello). The protected domain, located near the D-loop 3' end, encompasses a conserved termination-associated sequence (TAS) element which is thought to be involved in the regulation of mtDNA synthesis. In vitro footprinting studies using a bovine mitochondrial extract and a series of deleted mtDNA templates identified a approximately 48-kDa protein which binds specifically to a single TAS element also protected within the mitochondrion. Because other TAS-like elements located in close proximity to the protected region did not footprint, protein binding appears to be highly sequence specific. The in organello and in vitro data, together, provide evidence that D-loop formation is likely to be mediated, at least in part, through a trans-acting factor binding to a conserved sequence element located 58 bp upstream of the D-loop 3' end.

scholarly journals An Absolutely Conserved Tryptophan in the Stem of the Envelope Protein E of Flaviviruses Is Essential for the Formation of Stable Particles

Viruses ◽  
2021 ◽  
Vol 13 (9) ◽  
pp. 1727
Author(s):  
Iris Medits ◽  
Franz X. Heinz ◽  
Karin Stiasny
Keyword(s):  
Life Cycle ◽  
Envelope Protein ◽  
Transmembrane Domain ◽  
Viral Life Cycle ◽  
Compensatory Mutation ◽  
Sequence Element ◽  
Conserved Sequence ◽  
Tick Borne Encephalitis ◽  
Tick Borne Encephalitis Virus ◽  
Stable Particles

The major envelope protein E of flaviviruses contains an ectodomain that is connected to the transmembrane domain by the so-called “stem” region. In mature flavivirus particles, the stem is composed of two or three mostly amphipathic α-helices and a conserved sequence element (CS) with an undefined role in the viral life cycle. A tryptophan is the only residue within this region which is not only conserved in all vector-borne flaviviruses, but also in the group with no known vector. We investigated the importance of this residue in different stages of the viral life cycle by a mutagenesis-based approach using tick-borne encephalitis virus (TBEV). Replacing W421 by alanine or histidine strongly reduced the release of infectious virions and their thermostability, whereas fusion-related entry functions and virus maturation were still intact. Serial passaging of the mutants led to the emergence of a same-site compensatory mutation to leucine that largely restored these properties of the wildtype. The conserved tryptophan in CS (or another big hydrophobic amino acid at the same position) is thus essential for the assembly and infectivity of flaviviruses by being part of a network required for conferring stability to infectious particles.

scholarly journals A Novel Chromodomain Protein, Pdd3p, Associates with Internal Eliminated Sequences during Macronuclear Development inTetrahymena thermophila

2000 ◽  
Vol 20 (11) ◽  
pp. 4128-4134 ◽  
Author(s):  
Mikhail A. Nikiforov ◽  
Martin A. Gorovsky ◽  
C. David Allis
Keyword(s):  
De Novo ◽  
Germ Line ◽  
Chromosome Breakage ◽  
Specific Protein ◽  
Developmentally Regulated ◽  
Dna Elimination ◽  
Internal Eliminated Sequences ◽  
Subsequent Elimination ◽  
Rearrangement Processes

ABSTRACT Conversion of the germ line micronuclear genome into the genome of a somatic macronucleus in Tetrahymena thermophila requires several DNA rearrangement processes. These include (i) excision and subsequent elimination of several thousand internal eliminated sequences (IESs) scattered throughout the micronuclear genome and (ii) breakage of the micronuclear chromosomes into hundreds of DNA fragments, followed by de novo telomere addition to their ends. Chromosome breakage sequences (Cbs) that determine the sites of breakage and short regions of DNA adjacent to them are also eliminated. Both processes occur concomitantly in the developing macronucleus. Two stage-specific protein factors involved in germ line DNA elimination have been described previously. Pdd1p and Pdd2p (for programmed DNA degradation) physically associate with internal eliminated sequences in transient electron-dense structures in the developing macronucleus. Here, we report the purification, sequence analysis, and characterization of Pdd3p, a novel developmentally regulated, chromodomain-containing polypeptide. Pdd3p colocalizes with Pdd1p in the peripheral regions of DNA elimination structures, but is also found more internally. DNA cross-linked and immunoprecipitated with Pdd1p- or Pdd3p-specific antibodies is enriched in IESs, but not Cbs, suggesting that different protein factors are involved in elimination of these two groups of sequences.

Structure and expression of the chicken ferritin H-subunit gene

1987 ◽  
Vol 7 (5) ◽  
pp. 1751-1758
Author(s):  
P W Stevens ◽  
J B Dodgson ◽  
J D Engel
Keyword(s):  
Chicken Genome ◽  
Single Copy ◽  
Transcription Unit ◽  
Subunit Gene ◽  
Conserved Sequence ◽  
Coding Regions ◽  
Mature Transcript ◽  
Multiple Copies ◽  
Human Ferritin ◽  
Ferritin H

Although the genomes of many species contain multiple copies of ferritin heavy (H)- and light (L)-chain sequences, the chicken genome contains only a single copy of the H-subunit gene. The primary transcription unit of this gene is 4.6 kilobase pairs and contains four exons which are posttranscriptionally spliced to generate a mature transcript of 869 nucleotides. Chicken and human ferritin H-subunit genomic loci are organized with similar exon-intron boundaries. They exhibit approximately 85% nucleotide identity in coding regions, which yield proteins 93% identical in amino acid sequence. We have identified a sequence of 22 highly conserved nucleotides in the 5' untranslated sequences of chicken, human, and tadpole ferritin H-subunit genes and propose that this conserved sequence may regulate iron-modulated translation of ferritin H-subunit mRNAs.

scholarly journals Evidence supporting somatic assembly of the DNA segments (minigenes), coding for the framework, and complementarity-determining segments of immunoglobulin variable regions.

1979 ◽  
Vol 149 (6) ◽  
pp. 1299-1313 ◽  
Author(s):  
E A Kabat ◽  
T T Wu ◽  
H Bilofsky
Keyword(s):  
Adult Mouse ◽  
Germ Line ◽  
Variable Region ◽  
Single Copy ◽  
Variable Regions ◽  
X Ray ◽  
V Genes ◽  
V Region ◽  
Complementarity Determining Regions ◽  
The One

Two sets of apparently conflicting data on the genes coding for the variable region are being accumulated. One suggests that the sets of nucleotides coding for the framework segments of immunoglobulin light and heavy (VL and VH) chains assort independently and are therefore germ-line minigenes which, together with sets of nucleotides coding for the complementarity-determining regions (CDR) or segments assemble to form complete variable (V)-region genes (15, 16, 33). The other, based on the findings with clones from 12-d-old embryo and adult mouse coding for V-regions, infer that the first three frameworks and the three complementarity-determining segments are already assembled as germ-line V-genes (17-21). It is now generally accepted that the J segment, which in the one instance sequenced (21) is made up of nucleotides coding for framework (FR)4 plus two residues of CDR3, is a minigene. An examination of sequences of human, mouse, and rabbit V-regions, assuming the latter hypothesis, indicates that individual framework sets would have to be present in many copies. The FR2 segment found in one human, 20 mice, and 13 rabbits would have to be present in at least 10/14 copies in the NZB, and 5/6 in the BALB/c mouse, and 12/13 in the rabbit. The X-ray crystallographic data show this region to be a loop, projecting out from the V-domain, capable of accommodating many substiutions and 12 and 8 alternative sequences for this FR2 segment have been found in mouse and rabbit VK chains with substitutions possible at 13 of the 15 positions. These alternative sequences occur much less frequently than the preserved FR2 segment. Thus, there is no basis in the protein structure to account for evolutionary stability of this FR2 segment if it occurs in so many copies in germ-line genes coding for residues 1-96, but its stability is easily explained if it were coded for by a separate germ-line minigene present as a single copy; the alternative forms could then have arisen by duplication and mutation of this minigene. Somatic assembly of the minigene segments for the three framework and three complementarity-determining segments during differentiation would account completely for our assortment data from which FR4 was inferred to be a minigene.

scholarly journals Genetic Manipulation of Arterivirus Alternative mRNA Leader-Body Junction Sites Reveals Tight Regulation of Structural Protein Expression

2000 ◽  
Vol 74 (24) ◽  
pp. 11642-11653 ◽  
Author(s):  
Alexander O. Pasternak ◽  
Alexander P. Gultyaev ◽  
Willy J. M. Spaan ◽  
Eric J. Snijder
Keyword(s):  
Rna Structure ◽  
The Body ◽  
Equine Arteritis Virus ◽  
Site Directed Mutagenesis ◽  
Structural Proteins ◽  
Limiting Factors ◽  
Progeny Virus ◽  
Structural Protein ◽  
Sequence Element ◽  
Conserved Sequence

ABSTRACT To express its structural proteins, the arterivirus Equine arteritis virus (EAV) produces a nested set of six subgenomic (sg) RNA species. These RNA molecules are generated by a mechanism of discontinuous transcription, during which a common leader sequence, representing the 5′ end of the genomic RNA, is attached to the bodies of the sg RNAs. The connection between the leader and body parts of an mRNA is formed by a short, conserved sequence element termed the transcription-regulating sequence (TRS), which is present at the 3′ end of the leader as well as upstream of each of the structural protein genes. With the exception of RNA3, only one body TRS was previously assumed to be used to join the leader and body of each EAV sg RNA. Here we show that for the synthesis of two other sg RNAs, RNA4 and RNA5, alternative leader-body junction sites that differ substantially in transcriptional activity are used. By site-directed mutagenesis of an EAV infectious cDNA clone, the alternative TRSs used to generate RNA3, -4, and -5 were inactivated, which strongly influenced the corresponding RNA levels and the production of infectious progeny virus. The relative amounts of RNA produced from alternative TRSs differed significantly and corresponded to the relative infectivities of the virus mutants. This strongly suggested that the structural proteins that are expressed from these RNAs are limiting factors during the viral life cycle and that the discontinuous step in sg RNA synthesis is crucial for the regulation of their expression. On the basis of a theoretical analysis of the predicted RNA structure of the 3′ end of the EAV genome, we propose that the local secondary RNA structure of the body TRS regions is an important factor in the regulation of the discontinuous step in EAV sg mRNA synthesis.

scholarly journals U20, a novel small nucleolar RNA, is encoded in an intron of the nucleolin gene in mammals.

1994 ◽  
Vol 14 (9) ◽  
pp. 5766-5776 ◽  
Author(s):  
M Nicoloso ◽  
M Caizergues-Ferrer ◽  
B Michot ◽  
M C Azum ◽  
J P Bachellerie
Keyword(s):  
Ribosomal Subunit ◽  
Single Copy ◽  
Sequence Motifs ◽  
Small Nucleolar Rna ◽  
Conserved Sequence ◽  
Stable Species ◽  
Perfect Complementarity ◽  
Dna Strand ◽  
Nucleolar Rna

We have found that intron 11 of the nucleolin gene in humans and rodents encodes a previously unidentified small nucleolar RNA, termed U20. The single-copy U20 sequence is located on the same DNA strand as the nucleolin mRNA. U20 RNA, which does not possess a trimethyl cap, appears to result from intronic RNA processing and not from transcription of an independent gene. In mammals, U20 RNA is an 80-nucleotide-long, metabolically stable species, present at about 7 x 10(3) molecules per exponentially growing HeLa cell. It has a nucleolar localization, as indicated by fluorescence microscopy following in situ hybridization with digoxigenin-labeled oligonucleotides. U20 RNA contains the box C and box D sequence motifs, hallmarks of most small nucleolar RNAs reported to date, and is immunoprecipitated by antifibrillarin antibodies. It also exhibits a 5'-3' terminal stem bracketing the box C-box D motifs like U14, U15, U16, or Y RNA. A U20 homolog of similar size has been detected in all vertebrate classes by Northern (RNA) hybridization with mammalian oligonucleotide probes. U20 RNA contains an extended region (21 nucleotides) of perfect complementarity with a phylogenetically conserved sequence in 18S rRNA. This complementarity is strongly preserved among distant vertebrates, suggesting that U20 RNA may be involved in the formation of the small ribosomal subunit like nucleolin, the product of its host gene.

scholarly journals Alphavirus RNA Genome Repair and Evolution: Molecular Characterization of Infectious Sindbis Virus Isolates Lacking a Known Conserved Motif at the 3′ End of the Genome

2000 ◽  
Vol 74 (20) ◽  
pp. 9776-9785 ◽  
Author(s):  
Jyothi George ◽  
Ramaswamy Raju
Keyword(s):  
Sindbis Virus ◽  
Repeat Sequence ◽  
Genome Replication ◽  
Sequence Element ◽  
Conserved Sequence ◽  
Long Term Stability ◽  
Nontranslated Region ◽  
Viral Promoters ◽  
Sequence Elements

ABSTRACT The 3′ nontranslated region of the genomes of Sindbis virus (SIN) and other alphaviruses carries several repeat sequence elements (RSEs) as well as a 19-nucleotide (nt) conserved sequence element (3′CSE). The 3′CSE and the adjoining poly(A) tail of the SIN genome are thought to act as viral promoters for negative-sense RNA synthesis and genome replication. Eight different SIN isolates that carry altered 3′CSEs were studied in detail to evaluate the role of the 3′CSE in genome replication. The salient findings of this study as it applies to SIN infection of BHK cells are as follows: i) the classical 19-nt 3′CSE of the SIN genome is not essential for genome replication, long-term stability, or packaging; ii) compensatory amino acid or nucleotide changes within the SIN genomes are not required to counteract base changes in the 3′ terminal motifs of the SIN genome; iii) the 5′ 1-kb regions of all SIN genomes, regardless of the differences in 3′ terminal motifs, do not undergo any base changes even after 18 passages; iv) although extensive addition of AU-rich motifs occurs in the SIN genomes carrying defective 3′CSE, these are not essential for genome viability or function; and v) the newly added AU-rich motifs are composed predominantly of RSEs. These findings are consistent with the idea that the 3′ terminal AU-rich motifs of the SIN genomes do not bind directly to the viral polymerase and that cellular proteins with broad AU-rich binding specificity may mediate this interaction. In addition to the classical 3′CSE, other RNA motifs located elsewhere in the SIN genome must play a major role in template selection by the SIN RNA polymerase.

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