scholarly journals c-Fos Proto-Oncoprotein Is Degraded by the Proteasome Independently of Its Own Ubiquitinylation In Vivo

2003 ◽  
Vol 23 (20) ◽  
pp. 7425-7436 ◽  
Author(s):  
Guillaume Bossis ◽  
Patrizia Ferrara ◽  
Claire Acquaviva ◽  
Isabelle Jariel-Encontre ◽  
Marc Piechaczyk

ABSTRACT Prior ubiquitinylation of the unstable c-Fos proto-oncoprotein is thought to be required for recognition and degradation by the proteasome. Contradicting this view, we report that, although c-Fos can form conjugates with ubiquitin in vivo, nonubiquitinylatable c-Fos mutants show regulated degradation identical to that of the wild-type protein in living cells under two classical conditions of study: transient c-fos gene expression during the G0/G1 phase transition upon stimulation by mitogens and constitutive expression during asynchronous growth. Moreover, c-Fos destruction during the G0/G1 phase transition is unusual because it depends on two distinct but cumulative mechanisms. We report here that one mechanism involves a C-terminal destabilizer which does not need an active ubiquitin cycle, whereas the other involves an N-terminal destabilizer dependent on ubiquitinylation of an upstream c-Fos breakdown effector. In addition to providing new insights into the mechanisms of c-Fos protein destruction, an important consequence of our work is that ubiquitinylation-dependent proteasomal degradation claimed for a number of proteins should be reassessed on a new experimental basis.

2016 ◽  
Vol 60 (6) ◽  
pp. 3415-3418 ◽  
Author(s):  
Esther Zander ◽  
Harald Seifert ◽  
Paul G. Higgins

Different physiological conditions, such as NaCl, low pH, and sodium salicylate, have been shown to affect antibiotic resistance determinants inAcinetobacter baumanniiisolates. Therefore, the aim of this study was to investigate the effects of NaCl, sodium salicylate, and low pH on the susceptibility ofA. baumanniito carbapenem. We cloned genes encoding oxacillinases (OXA) of different subclasses, with their associated promoters, from carbapenem-resistantA. baumanniiisolates into the same vector and transferred them to theA. baumanniireference strains ATCC 19606 and ATCC 17978. Carbapenem MICs were determined at least in triplicate by agar dilution under standard conditions, as well as in the presence of 200 mM NaCl or 16 mM sodium salicylate, or at pH 5.8. OXA-58-like gene expression was determined by reverse transcription-quantitative PCR (qRT-PCR). Under some experimental conditions, significant MIC reductions were shown for some transformants but not for others. Only in one instance were all transformants harboring the same OXA affected by the same condition: at pH 5.8, the imipenem and meropenem MICs for strains expressing OXA-58-like enzymes decreased from a resistant level (32 to 64 mg/liter) to an intermediate-susceptible level (8 mg/liter). However,blaOXA-58-likegene expression remained the same. MICs for both wild-type reference strains were not affected by the conditions tested. Our results indicate that the effects of the experimental conditions tested on OXAin vivoare mostly strain dependent. MICs were not reduced to wild-type levels, suggesting that the conditions tested do not lead to complete OXA inhibition in the bacterial cell.


2018 ◽  
Vol 92 (16) ◽  
Author(s):  
Hui Cai ◽  
Meisui Liu ◽  
Charles J. Russell

ABSTRACTReporter viruses provide a powerful tool to study infection, yet incorporating a nonessential gene often results in virus attenuation and genetic instability. Here, we used directed evolution of a luciferase-expressing pandemic H1N1 (pH1N1) 2009 influenza A virus in mice to restore replication kinetics and virulence, increase the bioluminescence signal, and maintain reporter gene expression. An unadapted pH1N1 virus withNanoLuc luciferaseinserted into the 5′ end of the PA gene segment grew to titers 10-fold less than those of the wild type in MDCK cells and in DBA/2 mice and was less virulent. For 12 rounds, we propagated DBA/2 lung samples with the highest bioluminescence-to-titer ratios. Every three rounds, we comparedin vivoreplication, weight loss, mortality, and bioluminescence. Mouse-adapted virus after 9 rounds (MA-9) had the highest relative bioluminescence signal and had wild-type-like fitness and virulence in DBA/2 mice. Using reverse genetics, we discovered fitness was restored in virus rPB2-MA9/PA-D479N by a combination of PA-D479N and PB2-E158G amino acid mutations andPB2noncoding mutations C1161T and C1977T. rPB2-MA9/PA-D479N has increased mRNA transcription, which helps restore wild-type-like phenotypes in DBA/2 and BALB/c mice. Overall, the results demonstrate that directed evolution that maximizes foreign-gene expression while maintaining genetic stability is an effective method to restore wild-type-likein vivofitness of a reporter virus. Virus rPB2-MA9/PA-D479N is expected to be a useful tool for noninvasive imaging of pH1N1 influenza virus infection and clearance while analyzing virus-host interactions and developing new therapeutics and vaccines.IMPORTANCEInfluenza viruses contribute to 290,000 to 650,000 deaths globally each year. Infection is studied in mice to learn how the virus causes sickness and to develop new drugs and vaccines. During experiments, scientists have needed to euthanize groups of mice at different times to measure the amount of infectious virus in mouse tissues. By inserting a foreign gene that causes infected cells to light up, scientists could see infection spread in living mice. Unfortunately, adding an extra gene not needed by the virus slowed it down and made it weaker. Here, we used a new strategy to restore the fitness and lethality of an influenza reporter virus; we adapted it to mouse lungs and selected for variants that had the greatest light signal. The adapted virus can be used to study influenza virus infection, immunology, and disease in living mice. The strategy can also be used to adapt other viruses.


2003 ◽  
Vol 285 (5) ◽  
pp. H2240-H2247 ◽  
Author(s):  
Elizabeth A. Nunamaker ◽  
Hai-Ying Zhang ◽  
Yuichi Shirasawa ◽  
Joseph N. Benoit ◽  
David A. Dean

The development of inexpensive and effective approaches to transiently decrease gene expression in vivo would be useful for the study of physiological processes in living animals. DNAzymes are a novel class of DNA oligonucleotides that can catalytically cleave target mRNAs and thereby reduce protein production. However, current methods for their delivery in vivo are limited and inefficient. In this study, we show that electroporation can be used to deliver DNAzymes to the intact mesenteric vasculature of rats. With the use of PKC-ϵ as a target, a set of wild-type and mutant control DNAzymes was designed and shown to reduce both PKC-ϵ mRNA and protein levels in cultured smooth muscle cells in a specific manner. The wild-type DNAzyme reduced PKC-ϵ protein levels by 70% at 24 h in two different cell lines without decreasing the levels of the five other PKC isoforms tested. When delivered to the intact vasculature using electroporation, the DNAzyme reduced PKC-ϵ protein levels by >60% without affecting these other PKC isoforms. Electroporation was required for oligonucleotide transfer and was able to deliver the DNAzymes to multiple cell layers in the vessel wall. Protein levels were reduced maximally by 24 h postelectroporation and returned to normal by 48 h. These results suggest that electroporation can be used to deliver DNAzymes and other DNA oligonucleotides to the vasculature in vivo and can decrease gene expression for a window of time that can be used for experimental studies.


2003 ◽  
Vol 285 (1) ◽  
pp. G62-G72 ◽  
Author(s):  
Joyce K. Divine ◽  
Sean P. McCaul ◽  
Theodore C. Simon

Hepatocyte nuclear factor (HNF)-1α plays a central role in intestinal and hepatic gene regulation and is required for hepatic expression of the liver fatty acid binding protein gene ( Fabpl). An Fabpl transgene was directly activated through cognate sites by HNF-1α and HNF-1β, as well as five other endodermal factors: CDX-1, C/EBPβ, GATA-4, FoxA2, and HNF-4α. HNF-1α activated the Fabpl transgene by as much as 60-fold greater in the presence of the other five endodermal factors than in their absence, accounting for up to one-half the total transgene activation by the group of six factors. This degree of synergistic interaction suggests that multifactor cooperativity is a critical determinant of endodermal gene activation by HNF-1α. Mutations in HNF-1α that result in maturity onset diabetes of the young (MODY3) provide evidence for the in vivo significance of these synergistic interactions. An R131Q HNF-1α MODY3 mutant exhibits complete loss of synergistic activation in concert with the other endodermal transcription factors despite wild-type transactivation ability in their absence. Furthermore, whereas wild-type HNF-1α exhibited pairwise cooperative synergy with each of the other five factors, the R131Q mutant could synergize only with GATA-4 and C/EBPβ. Selective loss of synergy with other endodermal transcription factors accompanied by retention of native transactivation ability in an HNF-1α MODY mutant suggests in vivo significance for cooperative synergy.


2006 ◽  
Vol 74 (2) ◽  
pp. 861-868 ◽  
Author(s):  
Yanmin Hu ◽  
Farahnaz Movahedzadeh ◽  
Neil G. Stoker ◽  
Anthony R. M. Coates

ABSTRACT Hypervirulent mutants of Mycobacterium tuberculosis, whose growth rates are higher in vivo, have now been reported to have mutations in both regulatory and structural genes, but the basis for this unusual phenotype is not understood. One hypervirulence gene, dosR (devR, Rv2031c), activates transcription of approximately 50 genes in this pathogen in response to hypoxia and nitric oxide stress. The most dramatic activation (∼80-fold) is activation of the hspX (acr, Rv2031c) gene, which encodes a 16-kDa α-crystallin-like protein that is a major antigen. In this study we found that a Δacr mutant exhibited increased growth following infection of BALB/c mice in vivo and in both resting and activated macrophages in vitro (as measured by the number of CFU). The increased growth in macrophages was equal to that of a ΔdosR mutant, while introduction of a constitutively expressed hspX gene reduced the ΔdosR virulence to wild-type levels. These results suggest that the increased number of CFU of the ΔdosR mutant was largely due to loss of hspX expression. We also confirmed that constitutive expression of hspX slows growth in vitro, and we propose that hspX plays an active role in slowing the growth of M. tuberculosis in vivo immediately following infection.


2016 ◽  
Vol 85 (1) ◽  
Author(s):  
Wenchao Feng ◽  
Dylan Minor ◽  
Mengyao Liu ◽  
Jinquan Li ◽  
Suzanne L. Ishaq ◽  
...  

ABSTRACT Group A Streptococcus (GAS) acquires mutations of the virulence regulator CovRS in human and mouse infections, and these mutations result in the upregulation of virulence genes and the downregulation of the protease SpeB. To identify in vivo mutants with novel phenotypes, GAS isolates from infected mice were screened by enzymatic assays for SpeB and the platelet-activating factor acetylhydrolase Sse, and a new type of variant that had enhanced Sse expression and normal levels of SpeB production was identified (the variants had a phenotype referred to as enhanced Sse activity [SseA+] and normal SpeB activity [SpeBA+]). SseA+ SpeBA+ variants had transcript levels of CovRS-controlled virulence genes comparable to those of a covS mutant but had no covRS mutations. Genome resequencing of an SseA+ SpeBA+ isolate identified a C605A nonsense mutation in orphan kinase gene rocA, and 6 other SseA+ SpeBA+ isolates also had nonsense mutations or small indels in rocA. RocA and CovS mutants had similar levels of enhancement of the expression of CovRS-controlled virulence genes at the exponential growth phase; however, mutations of RocA but not mutations of CovS did not result in the downregulation of speB transcription at stationary growth phase or in subcutaneous infection of mice. GAS with RocA and CovS mutations caused greater enhancement of the expression of hasA than spyCEP in mouse skin infection than wild-type GAS did. RocA mutants ranked between wild-type GAS and CovS mutants in skin invasion, inhibition of neutrophil recruitment, and virulence in subcutaneous infection of mice. Thus, GAS RocA mutants can be selected in subcutaneous infections in mice and exhibit gene expression patterns and virulences distinct from those of CovS mutants. The findings provide novel information for understanding GAS fitness mutations in vivo, virulence gene regulation, in vivo gene expression, and virulence.


1984 ◽  
Vol 4 (12) ◽  
pp. 2594-2609 ◽  
Author(s):  
C R Mueller ◽  
A M Mes-Masson ◽  
M Bouvier ◽  
J A Hassell

To define the DNA sequences required for the expression of the polyomavirus early transcription unit, we cloned part of the viral genome in a plasmid vector, isolated mutants bearing lesions introduced in vitro within DNA sequences upstream of the transcriptional start site, and measured the capacity of these various mutant genomes to transform cells and to function as templates for transcription in vitro by comparison with wild-type DNA. One set of mutants bore 5' unidirectional deletions beginning at position -810 and extending downstream to position +4. Another set of mutants bore 3' undirectional deletions starting at position +4 and progressing upstream to position -311. The last set of mutants bore internal deletions between positions -810 and +4. Analyses of the properties of these mutant DNAs led us to conclude that the region between positions -403 and -311 includes an enhancer of gene expression. Deletion of this area from the viral genome reduced gene expression in vivo to 1 to 2% of wild-type levels, as measured by transformation assays. Moreover, this region increased the frequency of transformation of thymidine kinase-negative Rat-2 cells by the herpes simplex virus thymidine kinase (tk) gene from 5- to 20-fold. This occurred only if the polyomavirus sequences were covalently linked to the tk gene and then occurred independently of their orientation or position relative to the tk gene. A second transcriptional element is located downstream of the enhancer between positions -311 and -213. This element together with the enhancer was sufficient to bring about transformation of Rat-1 cells at nearly wild-type frequencies, and together these elements constitute the minimal sequences required for gene expression in vivo. The sequences making up the second element may be functionally duplicated downstream of position -165 (between positions -165 and -60). This was revealed by the characterization of mutant genomes with deletions between positions -349 and -60. The role of these redundant elements is not known; however, they may be analogous to the 21-base-pair repeats of simian virus 40. Finally, sequences between positions -57 and -1 were required for accurate and efficient transcription in vitro. However, this DNA stretch, which includes the TATA box and major transcriptional start sites, was not absolutely required for gene expression in vivo. We conclude that the polyomavirus promoter comprises multiple functional elements which are distributed across a DNA stretch of about 400 base pairs.


Blood ◽  
2016 ◽  
Vol 128 (22) ◽  
pp. 1051-1051
Author(s):  
Vikas Madan ◽  
Lin Han ◽  
Norimichi Hattori ◽  
Anand Mayakonda ◽  
Qiao-Yang Sun ◽  
...  

Abstract Chromosomal translocation t(8;21) (q22;q22) leading to generation of oncogenic RUNX1-RUNX1T1 fusion is a cytogenetic abnormality observed in about 10% of acute myelogenous leukemia (AML). Studies in animal models and recent next generation sequencing approaches have suggested cooperativity of secondary genetic lesions with t(8;21) in inducing leukemogenesis. In this study, we used targeted and whole exome sequencing of 93 cases (including 30 with matched relapse samples) to profile the mutational landscape of t(8;21) AML at initial diagnosis and post-therapy relapse. We identified recurrent mutations of KIT, TET2, MGA, FLT3, NRAS, DHX15, ASXL1 and KMT2Dgenes in this subtype of AML. In addition, high frequency of truncating alterations in ASXL2 gene (19%) also occurred in our cohort. ASXL2 is a member of mammalian ASXL family involved in epigenetic regulation through recruitment of polycomb or trithorax complexes. Unlike its closely related homolog ASXL1, which is mutated in several hematological malignancies including AML, MDS, MPN and others; mutations of ASXL2 occur specifically in t(8;21) AML. We observed that lentiviral shRNA-mediated silencing of ASXL2 impaired in vitro differentiation of t(8;21) AML cell line, Kasumi-1, and enhanced its colony forming ability. Gene expression analysis uncovered dysregulated expression of several key hematopoiesis genes such as IKZF2, JAG1, TAL1 and ARID5B in ASXL2 knockdown Kasumi-1 cells. Further, to investigate implications of loss of ASXL2 in vivo, we examined hematopoiesis in Asxl2 deficient mice. We observed an age-dependent increase in white blood cell count in the peripheral blood of Asxl2 KO mice. Myeloid progenitors from Asxl2 deficient mice possessed higher re-plating ability and displayed altered differentiation potential in vitro. Flow cytometric analysis of >1 year old mice revealed increased proportion of Lin-Sca1+Kit+ (LSK) cells in the bone marrow of Asxl2 deficient mice, while the overall bone marrow cellularity was significantly reduced. In vivo 5-bromo-2'-deoxyuridine incorporation assay showed increased cycling of LSK cells in mice lacking Asxl2. Asxl2 deficiency also led to perturbed maturation of myeloid and erythroid precursors in the bone marrow, which resulted in altered proportions of mature myeloid populations in spleen and peripheral blood. Further, splenomegaly was observed in old ASXL2 KO mice and histological and flow cytometric examination of ASXL2 deficient spleens demonstrated increased extramedullary hematopoiesis and myeloproliferation compared with the wild-type controls. Surprisingly, loss of ASXL2 also led to impaired T cell development as indicated by severe block in maturation of CD4-CD8- double negative (DN) population in mice >1 year old. These findings established a critical role of Asxl2 in maintaining steady state hematopoiesis. To gain mechanistic insights into its role during hematopoietic differentiation, we investigated changes in histone marks and gene expression affected by loss of Asxl2. Whole transcriptome sequencing of LSK population revealed dysregulated expression of key myeloid-specific genes including Mpo, Ltf, Ngp Ctsg, Camp and Csf1rin cells lacking Asxl2 compared to wild-type control. Asxl2 deficiency also caused changes in histone modifications, specifically H3K27 trimethylation levels were decreased and H2AK119 ubiquitination levels were increased in Asxl2 KO bone marrow cells. Global changes in histone marks in control and Asxl2 deficient mice are being investigated using ChIP-Sequencing. Finally, to examine cooperativity between the loss of Asxl2 and RUNX1-RUNX1T1 in leukemogenesis, KO and wild-type fetal liver cells were transduced with retrovirus expressing AML1-ETO 9a oncogene and transplanted into irradiated recipient mice, the results of this ongoing study will be discussed. Overall, our sequencing studies have identified ASXL2 as a gene frequently altered in t(8;21) AML. Functional studies in mouse model reveal that loss of ASXL2 causes defects in hematopoietic differentiation and leads to myeloproliferation, suggesting an essential role of ASXL2 in normal and malignant hematopoiesis. *LH and NH contributed equally Disclosures Ogawa: Takeda Pharmaceuticals: Consultancy, Research Funding; Sumitomo Dainippon Pharma: Research Funding; Kan research institute: Consultancy, Research Funding.


Genetics ◽  
1986 ◽  
Vol 114 (3) ◽  
pp. 669-685
Author(s):  
Karin Carlson ◽  
Aud Ȗvervatin

ABSTRACT Bacteriophage T4 mutants defective in gene 56 (dCTPase) synthesize DNA where cytosine (Cyt) partially or completely replaces hydroxymethylcytosine (HmCyt). This Cyt-DNA is degraded in vivo by T4 endonucleases II and IV, and by the exonuclease coded or controlled by genes 46 and 47.—Our results demonstrate that T4 endonuclease II is the principal enzyme initiating degradation of T4 Cyt-DNA. The activity of endonuclease IV, but not that of endonuclease II, was stimulated in the presence of a wild-type dCMP hydroxymethylase, also when no HmCyt was incorporated into phage DNA, suggesting the possibility of direct endonuclease IV-dCMP hydroxymethylase interactions. Endonuclease II activity, on the other hand, was almost completely inhibited in the presence of very small amounts of HmCyt (3-9% of total Cyt + HmCyt) in the DNA. Possible mechanisms for this inhibition are discussed.—The E. coli RNA polymerase modified by the products of T4 genes 33 and 55 was capable of initiating DNA synthesis on a Cyt-DNA template, although it probably cannot do so on an HmCyt template. In the presence of an active endonuclease IV, Cyt-DNA synthesis was arrested 10-30 min after infection, probably due to damage to the template. Cyt-DNA synthesis dependent on the unmodified (33  -  55  -) RNA polymerase was less sensitive to endonuclease IV action.


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