Infantile blount disease: a developmental tibial growth defect

Many gene families have been expanded by gene duplications along the human lineage, relative to ancestral opisthokonts, but the extent to which the duplicated genes function similarly is understudied. Here, we focused on structural cytoskeletal genes involved in critical cellular processes, including chromosome segregation, macromolecular transport, and cell shape maintenance. To determine functional redundancy and divergence of duplicated human genes, we systematically humanized the yeast actin, myosin, tubulin, and septin genes, testing ∼81% of human cytoskeletal genes across seven gene families for their ability to complement a growth defect induced by inactivation or deletion of the corresponding yeast ortholog. In five of seven families—all but α-tubulin and light myosin, we found at least one human gene capable of complementing loss of the yeast gene. Despite rescuing growth defects, we observed differential abilities of human genes to rescue cell morphology, meiosis, and mating defects. By comparing phenotypes of humanized strains with deletion phenotypes of their interaction partners, we identify instances of human genes in the actin and septin families capable of carrying out essential functions, but failing to fully complement the cytoskeletal roles of their yeast orthologs, thus leading to abnormal cell morphologies. Overall, we show that duplicated human cytoskeletal genes appear to have diverged such that only a few human genes within each family are capable of replacing the essential roles of their yeast orthologs. The resulting yeast strains with humanized cytoskeletal components now provide surrogate platforms to characterize human genes in simplified eukaryotic contexts.

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Correction of the Growth Defect in Dwarf Mice with Nonautologous Microencapsulated Myoblasts—An Alternate Approach to Somatic Gene Therapy

Human Gene Therapy ◽

10.1089/hum.1995.6.2-165 ◽

1995 ◽

Vol 6 (2) ◽

pp. 165-175 ◽

Cited By ~ 97

Author(s):

Ayman Al-Hendy ◽

Gonzalo Hortelano ◽

Gloria S. Tannenbaum ◽

Patricia L. Chang

Keyword(s):

Gene Therapy ◽

Growth Defect ◽

Somatic Gene Therapy ◽

Somatic Gene ◽

Dwarf Mice

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Legionella pneumophila DotU and IcmF Are Required for Stability of the Dot/Icm Complex

Infection and Immunity ◽

10.1128/iai.72.10.5983-5992.2004 ◽

2004 ◽

Vol 72 (10) ◽

pp. 5983-5992 ◽

Cited By ~ 56

Author(s):

Jessica A. Sexton ◽

Jennifer L. Miller ◽

Aki Yoneda ◽

Thomas E. Kehl-Fie ◽

Joseph P. Vogel

Keyword(s):

Cell Surface ◽

Legionella Pneumophila ◽

Bacterial Species ◽

Wide Distribution ◽

Host Cells ◽

Growth Defect ◽

Intracellular Growth ◽

Homologous Proteins ◽

Type Iv ◽

Cell Surface Structure

ABSTRACT Legionella pneumophila utilizes a type IV secretion system (T4SS) encoded by 26 dot/icm genes to replicate inside host cells and cause disease. In contrast to all other L. pneumophila dot/icm genes, dotU and icmF have homologs in a wide variety of gram-negative bacteria, none of which possess a T4SS. Instead, dotU and icmF orthologs are linked to a locus encoding a conserved cluster of proteins designated IcmF-associated homologous proteins, which has been proposed to constitute a novel cell surface structure. We show here that dotU is partially required for L. pneumophila intracellular growth, similar to the known requirement for icmF. In addition, we show that dotU and icmF are necessary for optimal plasmid transfer and sodium sensitivity, two additional phenotypes associated with a functional Dot/Icm complex. We found that these effects are due to the destabilization of the T4SS at the transition into the stationary phase, the point at which L. pneumophila becomes virulent. Specifically, three Dot proteins (DotH, DotG, and DotF) exhibit decreased stability in a ΔdotU ΔicmF strain. Furthermore, overexpression of just one of these proteins, DotH, is sufficient to suppress the intracellular growth defect of the ΔdotU ΔicmF mutant. This suggests a model where the DotU and IcmF proteins serve to prevent DotH degradation and therefore function to stabilize the L. pneumophila T4SS. Due to their wide distribution among bacterial species and their genetic linkage to known or predicted cell surface structures, we propose that this function in complex stabilization may be broadly conserved.

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The Short Life Span of Saccharomyces cerevisiae sgs1 and srs2 Mutants Is a Composite of Normal Aging Processes and Mitotic Arrest Due to Defective Recombination

Genetics ◽

10.1093/genetics/157.4.1531 ◽

2001 ◽

Vol 157 (4) ◽

pp. 1531-1542 ◽

Cited By ~ 4

Author(s):

Mitch McVey ◽

Matt Kaeberlein ◽

Heidi A Tissenbaum ◽

Leonard Guarente

Keyword(s):

Cell Cycle ◽

Life Span ◽

Mitotic Cell ◽

Dna Helicase ◽

Premature Aging ◽

Growth Defect ◽

Short Life Span ◽

Single Strand Annealing ◽

Late Generation ◽

Strand Annealing

Abstract Evidence from many organisms indicates that the conserved RecQ helicases function in the maintenance of genomic stability. Mutation of SGS1 and WRN, which encode RecQ homologues in budding yeast and humans, respectively, results in phenotypes characteristic of premature aging. Mutation of SRS2, another DNA helicase, causes synthetic slow growth in an sgs1 background. In this work, we demonstrate that srs2 mutants have a shortened life span similar to sgs1 mutants. Further dissection of the sgs1 and srs2 survival curves reveals two distinct phenomena. A majority of sgs1 and srs2 cells stops dividing stochastically as large-budded cells. This mitotic cell cycle arrest is age independent and requires the RAD9-dependent DNA damage checkpoint. Late-generation sgs1 and srs2 cells senesce due to apparent premature aging, most likely involving the accumulation of extrachromosomal rDNA circles. Double sgs1 srs2 mutants are viable but have a high stochastic rate of terminal G2/M arrest. This arrest can be suppressed by mutations in RAD51, RAD52, and RAD57, suggesting that the cell cycle defect in sgs1 srs2 mutants results from inappropriate homologous recombination. Finally, mutation of RAD1 or RAD50 exacerbates the growth defect of sgs1 srs2 cells, indicating that sgs1 srs2 mutants may utilize single-strand annealing as an alternative repair pathway.

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Yeast dom34 Mutants Are Defective in Multiple Developmental Pathways and Exhibit Decreased Levels of Polyribosomes

Genetics ◽

10.1093/genetics/149.1.45 ◽

1998 ◽

Vol 149 (1) ◽

pp. 45-56

Author(s):

Luther Davis ◽

JoAnne Engebrecht

Keyword(s):

Saccharomyces Cerevisiae ◽

Cell Cycle ◽

Heterologous Expression ◽

Protein Translation ◽

Developmental Pathways ◽

G1 Phase ◽

Growth Defect ◽

Wild Type ◽

Drosophila Homolog ◽

Mutant Cells

Abstract The DOM34 gene of Saccharomyces cerevisiae is similar togenes found in diverse eukaryotes and archaebacteria. Analysis of dom34 strains shows that progression through the G1 phase of the cell cycle is delayed, mutant cells enter meiosis aberrantly, and their ability to form pseudohyphae is significantly diminished. RPS30A, which encodes ribosomal protein S30, was identified in a screen for high-copy suppressors of the dom34Δ growth defect. dom34Δ mutants display an altered polyribosome profile that is rescued by expression of RPS30A. Taken together, these data indicate that Dom34p functions in protein translation to promote G1 progression and differentiation. A Drosophila homolog of Dom34p, pelota, is required for the proper coordination of meiosis and spermatogenesis. Heterologous expression of pelota in dom34Δ mutants restores wild-type growth and differentiation, suggesting conservation of function between the eukaryotic members of the gene family.

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Guided growth vs.Tibial osteotomy at early stage of Blount disease in squelletically immature patients

Journal of Orthopaedics ◽

10.1016/j.jor.2021.05.006 ◽

2021 ◽

Author(s):

Beaudelaire Romulus Assan ◽

Anne-laure Simon ◽

Sonia Adjadohoun ◽

Géraud Garcia PS. Segbedji ◽

Philippe Souchet ◽

...

Keyword(s):

Early Stage ◽

Guided Growth ◽

Blount Disease

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Suppressors of a Saccharomyces cerevisiae pkc1 mutation identify alleles of the phosphatase gene PTC1 and of a novel gene encoding a putative basic leucine zipper protein.

Genetics ◽

10.1093/genetics/141.4.1275 ◽

1995 ◽

Vol 141 (4) ◽

pp. 1275-1285 ◽

Cited By ~ 13

Author(s):

K N Huang ◽

L S Symington

Keyword(s):

Protein Kinase ◽

Leucine Zipper ◽

Mapk Pathway ◽

Mitogen Activated Protein Kinase ◽

Growth Defect ◽

Temperature Sensitive ◽

Gene Encoding ◽

Basic Leucine Zipper ◽

Mapk Cascades ◽

Synthetically Lethal

Abstract The PKC1 gene product, protein kinase C, regulates a mitogen-activated protein kinase (MAPK) cascade, which is implicated in cell wall metabolism. Previously, we identified the pkc1-4 allele in a screen for mutants with increased rates of recombination, indicating that PKC1 may also regulate DNA metabolism. The pkc1-4 allele also conferred a temperature-sensitive (ts) growth defect. Extragenic suppressors were isolated that suppress both the ts and hyperrecombination phenotypes conferred by the pkc1-4 mutation. Eight of these suppressors for into two complementation groups, designated KCS1 and KCS2. KCS1 was cloned and found to encode a novel protein with homology to the basic leucine zipper family of transcription factors. KCS2 is allelic with PTC1, a previously identified type 2C serine/threonine protein phosphatase. Although mutation of either KCS1 or PTC1 causes little apparent phenotype, the kcs1 delta ptc1 delta double mutant fails to grow at 30 degrees. Furthermore, the ptc1 deletion mutation is synthetically lethal in combination with a mutation in MPK1, which encodes a MAPK homologue proposed to act in the PKC1 pathway. Because PTC1 was initially isolated as a component of the Hog1p MAPK pathway, it appears that these two MAPK cascades share a common regulatory feature.

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A multiplex CRISPR interference tool for virulence gene interrogation in Legionella pneumophila

Communications Biology ◽

10.1038/s42003-021-01672-7 ◽

2021 ◽

Vol 4 (1) ◽

Author(s):

Nicole A. Ellis ◽

Byoungkwan Kim ◽

Jessica Tung ◽

Matthias P. Machner

Keyword(s):

Legionella Pneumophila ◽

Bacterial Species ◽

Virulence Gene ◽

Polymerase Activity ◽

Growth Defect ◽

Great Promise ◽

Macrophage Infection ◽

Crispr Interference ◽

Crispr Array ◽

Virulence Protein

AbstractCatalytically inactive dCas9 imposes transcriptional gene repression by sterically precluding RNA polymerase activity at a given gene to which it was directed by CRISPR (cr)RNAs. This gene silencing technology, known as CRISPR interference (CRISPRi), has been employed in various bacterial species to interrogate genes, mostly individually or in pairs. Here, we developed a multiplex CRISPRi platform in the pathogen Legionella pneumophila capable of silencing up to ten genes simultaneously. Constraints on precursor-crRNA expression were overcome by combining a strong promoter with a boxA element upstream of a CRISPR array. Using crRNAs directed against virulence protein-encoding genes, we demonstrated that CRISPRi is fully functional not only during growth in axenic media, but also during macrophage infection, and that gene depletion by CRISPRi recapitulated the growth defect of deletion strains. By altering the position of crRNA-encoding spacers within the CRISPR array, our platform achieved the gradual depletion of targets that was mirrored by the severity in phenotypes. Multiplex CRISPRi thus holds great promise for probing large sets of genes in bulk in order to decipher virulence strategies of L. pneumophila and other bacterial pathogens.

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Repeated isolation of an antibiotic-dependent and temperature-sensitive mutant of Pseudomonas aeruginosa from a cystic fibrosis patient

Journal of Antimicrobial Chemotherapy ◽

10.1093/jac/dkaa482 ◽

2020 ◽

Author(s):

Daniel J Wolter ◽

Alison Scott ◽

Catherine R Armbruster ◽

Dale Whittington ◽

John S Edgar ◽

...

Keyword(s):

Cystic Fibrosis ◽

Pseudomonas Aeruginosa ◽

Bacterial Infections ◽

Lipid A ◽

Clinical Laboratory ◽

Membrane Phospholipid ◽

Growth Defect ◽

Genetic Mutations ◽

Temperature Sensitive ◽

Isolation And Characterization

Abstract Background Bacteria adapt to survive and grow in different environments. Genetic mutations that promote bacterial survival under harsh conditions can also restrict growth. The causes and consequences of these adaptations have important implications for diagnosis, pathogenesis, and therapy. Objectives We describe the isolation and characterization of an antibiotic-dependent, temperature-sensitive Pseudomonas aeruginosa mutant chronically infecting the respiratory tract of a cystic fibrosis (CF) patient, underscoring the clinical challenges bacterial adaptations can present. Methods Respiratory samples collected from a CF patient during routine care were cultured for standard pathogens. P. aeruginosa isolates recovered from samples were analysed for in vitro growth characteristics, antibiotic susceptibility, clonality, and membrane phospholipid and lipid A composition. Genetic mutations were identified by whole genome sequencing. Results P. aeruginosa isolates collected over 5 years from respiratory samples of a CF patient frequently harboured a mutation in phosphatidylserine decarboxylase (psd), encoding an enzyme responsible for phospholipid synthesis. This mutant could only grow at 37°C when in the presence of supplemented magnesium, glycerol, or, surprisingly, the antibiotic sulfamethoxazole, which the source patient had repeatedly received. Of concern, this mutant was not detectable on standard selective medium at 37°C. This growth defect correlated with alterations in membrane phospholipid and lipid A content. Conclusions A P. aeruginosa mutant chronically infecting a CF patient exhibited dependence on sulphonamides and would likely evade detection using standard clinical laboratory methods. The diagnostic and therapeutic challenges presented by this mutant highlight the complex interplay between bacterial adaptation, antibiotics, and laboratory practices, during chronic bacterial infections.

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Tim18p Is a New Component of the Tim54p-Tim22p Translocon in the Mitochondrial Inner Membrane

Molecular Biology of the Cell ◽

10.1091/mbc.11.1.103 ◽

2000 ◽

Vol 11 (1) ◽

pp. 103-116 ◽

Cited By ~ 109

Author(s):

Oliver Kerscher ◽

Naresh B. Sepuri ◽

Robert E. Jensen

Keyword(s):

Growth Defect ◽

Inner Membrane ◽

New Members ◽

Mitochondrial Inner Membrane ◽

Native Electrophoresis ◽

Multiple Copies ◽

New Gene ◽

Synthetically Lethal ◽

Blue Native Electrophoresis ◽

Blue Native

The mitochondrial inner membrane contains two separate translocons: one required for the translocation of matrix-targeted proteins (the Tim23p-Tim17p complex) and one for the insertion of polytopic proteins into the mitochondrial inner membrane (the Tim54p-Tim22p complex). To identify new members of the Tim54p-Tim22p complex, we screened for high-copy suppressors of the temperature-sensitivetim54-1 mutant. We identified a new gene,TIM18, that encodes an integral protein of the inner membrane. The following genetic and biochemical observations suggest that the Tim18 protein is part of the Tim54p-Tim22p complex in the inner membrane: multiple copies of TIM18 suppress thetim54-1 growth defect; thetim18::HIS3 disruption is synthetically lethal with tim54-1; Tim54p and Tim22p can be coimmune precipitated with the Tim18 protein; and Tim18p, along with Tim54p and Tim22p, is detected in an ∼300-kDa complex after blue native electrophoresis. We propose that Tim18p is a new component of the Tim54p-Tim22p machinery that facilitates insertion of polytopic proteins into the mitochondrial inner membrane.

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