scholarly journals Response from Varani et al. to “Comment on ‘the IS6 family, a clinically important group of insertion sequences including IS26’ by Ruth M. Hall”

Mobile DNA ◽  
2022 ◽  
Vol 13 (1) ◽  
Author(s):  
Alessandro Varani ◽  
Susu He ◽  
Patricia Siguier ◽  
Karen Ross ◽  
Michael Chandler
Keyword(s):  
Family Members ◽  
Direct Repeat ◽  
Review Article ◽  
Insertion Sequences ◽  
Strand Transfer ◽  
Standard Of Proof ◽  
Important Group ◽  
Recent Review Article ◽  
Replicative Transposition

AbstractThe IS6 family of insertion sequences is a large but coherent group which was originally named to avoid confusion between a number of identical or nearly identical IS that were identified at about the same time and given different names (IS15D, IS26, IS46, IS140, IS160, IS176). The underlying common mechanistic feature of all IS6 family members which have been investigated is that they appear to transpose by replicative transposition and form pseudo compound transposons with the flanking IS in direct repeat and in which associated genes are simply transferred to the target replicon and lost from the donor.In the accompanying letter Hall raises a number of very serious and wide-ranging criticisms of our recent review article concerning the IS6 family of insertion sequences. She clearly feels that we have undervalued her work and that we question or ignore certain of her in vivo results. This impression is almost certainly the result of the standard of proof we generally apply to mechanistic aspects of transposition where we think it important to identify transposition intermediates including the types of synaptic, strand cleavage and strand transfer complexes involved.

scholarly journals Direct repeats bind the EcR/USP receptor and mediate ecdysteroid responses in Drosophila melanogaster.

1996 ◽  
Vol 16 (6) ◽  
pp. 2977-2986 ◽  
Author(s):  
C Antoniewski ◽  
B Mugat ◽  
F Delbac ◽  
J A Lepesant
Keyword(s):  
Fat Body ◽  
Cell Transformation ◽  
Direct Repeat ◽  
Transgenic Animals ◽  
Transcriptional Level ◽  
Regulatory Sequences ◽  
Direct Repeats ◽  
Fbp1 Gene

The steroid hormone 20-hydroxyecdysone plays a key role in the induction and modulation of morphogenetic events throughout Drosophila development. Previous studies have shown that a heterodimeric nuclear receptor composed of the EcR and USP proteins mediates the action of the hormone at the transcriptional through binding to palindromic ecdysteroid mediates the action of the hormone at the transcriptional level through binding to palindromic ecdysteroid response elements (EcREs) such as those present in the promoter of the hsp27 gene or the fat body-specific enhancer of the Fbp1 gene. We show that in addition to palindromic EcREs, the EcR/USP heterodimer can bind in vitro with various affinities to direct repetitions of the motif AGGTCA separated by 1 to 5 nucleotides (DR1 to DR5), which are known to be target sites for vertebrate nuclear receptors. At variance with the receptors, EcR/USP was also found to bind to a DR0 direct repeat with no intervening nucleotide. In cell transformation assays, direct repeats DR0 to DR5 alone can render the minimum viral tk or Drosophila Fbp1 promoter responsive to 20-hydroxyecdysone, as does the palindromic hsp27 EcRE. In a transgenic assay, however, neither the palindromic hsp27 element nor direct repeat DR3 alone can make the Fbp1 minimal promoter responsive to premetamorphic ecdysteroid peaks. In contrast, DR0 and DR3 elements, when substituted for the natural palindromic EcRE in the context of the Fbp1 enhancer, can drive a strong fat body-specific ecdysteroid response in transgenic animals. These results demonstrate that directly repeated EcR/USP binding sites are as effective as palindromic EcREs in vivo. They also provide evidence that additional flanking regulatory sequences are crucially required to potentiate the hormonal response mediated by both types of elements and specify its spatial and temporal pattern.

scholarly journals LASS3 (longevity assurance homologue 3) is a mainly testis-specific (dihydro)ceramide synthase with relatively broad substrate specificity

2006 ◽  
Vol 398 (3) ◽  
pp. 531-538 ◽  
Author(s):  
Yukiko Mizutani ◽  
Akio Kihara ◽  
Yasuyuki Igarashi
Keyword(s):  
Amino Acid ◽  
Substrate Specificity ◽  
Family Members ◽  
Fatty Acyl ◽  
Ceramide Synthase ◽  
Broad Substrate Specificity ◽  
Acid Protein ◽  
Amino Acid Protein

The LASS (longevity assurance homologue) family members are highly conserved from yeasts to mammals. Five mouse and human LASS family members, namely LASS1, LASS2, LASS4, LASS5 and LASS6, have been identified and characterized. In the present study we cloned two transcriptional variants of hitherto-uncharacterized mouse LASS3 cDNA, which encode a 384-amino-acid protein (LASS3) and a 419-amino-acid protein (LASS3-long). In vivo, [3H]dihydrosphingosine labelling and electrospray-ionization MS revealed that overproduction of either LASS3 isoform results in increases in several ceramide species, with some preference toward those having middle- to long-chain-fatty acyl-CoAs. A similar substrate preference was observed in an in vitro (dihydro)ceramide synthase assay. These results indicate that LASS3 possesses (dihydro)ceramide synthesis activity with relatively broad substrate specificity. We also found that, except for a weak display in skin, LASS3 mRNA expression is limited almost solely to testis, implying that LASS3 plays an important role in this gland.

Modulation of epidermal growth factor receptor proto-oncogene transcription by a promoter site sensitive to S1 nuclease

1988 ◽  
Vol 8 (10) ◽  
pp. 4174-4184
Author(s):  
A C Johnson ◽  
Y Jinno ◽  
G T Merlino
Keyword(s):  
Growth Factor ◽  
Epidermal Growth Factor ◽  
Egf Receptor ◽  
Receptor Gene ◽  
Gene Promoter ◽  
Direct Repeat ◽  
S1 Nuclease ◽  
Epidermal Growth ◽  
Specific Factors

The epidermal growth factor (EGF) receptor is the functional target of the mitogen EGF and the cellular homolog of the avian erythroblastosis virus erbB oncogene product. Regulation of expression of the proto-oncogene encoding the EGF receptor can be elucidated by studying the structure and function of the gene promoter outside the confines of the cell. Previously, we reported the isolation of the human EGF receptor gene promoter. The promoter is highly GC rich, contains no TATA or CAAT box, and has multiple transcription start sites. An S1 nuclease-sensitive site has now been found 80 to 110 base pairs (bp) upstream from the major in vivo transcription initiation site. Two sets of direct repeat sequences were found in this area; both conform to the motif TCCTCCTCC. When deletion mutations were made in this region of the promoter by using either Bal 31 exonuclease or S1 nuclease, we found that in vivo activity dropped three- to fivefold, on the basis of transient-transfection analysis. Examination of nuclear protein binding to normal and mutated promoter DNAs by gel retardation analysis and DNase I footprinting revealed that two specific factors bind to the direct repeat region but cannot bind to the S1 nuclease-mutated promoter. One of the specific factors is the transcription factor Sp1. The results suggest that these nuclear trans-acting factors interact with the S1 nuclease-sensitive region of the EGF receptor gene promoter and either directly or indirectly stimulate transcription.

Biochemical and genetic characterization of a yeast TFIID mutant that alters transcription in vivo and DNA binding in vitro

1992 ◽  
Vol 12 (5) ◽  
pp. 2372-2382
Author(s):  
K M Arndt ◽  
S L Ricupero ◽  
D M Eisenmann ◽  
F Winston
Keyword(s):  
Amino Acid ◽  
Dna Binding ◽  
Direct Repeat ◽  
Single Amino Acid ◽  
Wild Type ◽  
Dna Binding Specificity ◽  
Selection For

A mutation in the gene that encodes Saccharomyces cerevisiae TFIID (SPT15), which was isolated in a selection for mutations that alter transcription in vivo, changes a single amino acid in a highly conserved region of the second direct repeat in TFIID. Among eight independent spt15 mutations, seven cause this same amino acid change, Leu-205 to Phe. The mutant TFIID protein (L205F) binds with greater affinity than that of wild-type TFIID to at least two nonconsensus TATA sites in vitro, showing that the mutant protein has altered DNA binding specificity. Site-directed mutations that change Leu-205 to five different amino acids cause five different phenotypes, demonstrating the importance of this amino acid in vivo. Virtually identical phenotypes were observed when the same amino acid changes were made at the analogous position, Leu-114, in the first repeat of TFIID. Analysis of these mutations and additional mutations in the most conserved regions of the repeats, in conjunction with our DNA binding results, suggests that these regions of the repeats play equivalent roles in TFIID function, possibly in TATA box recognition.

scholarly journals Recombinogenic Flap Ligation Pathway for Intrinsic Repair of Topoisomerase IB-Induced Double-Strand Breaks

2000 ◽  
Vol 20 (21) ◽  
pp. 8059-8068 ◽  
Author(s):  
Chonghui Cheng ◽  
Stewart Shuman
Keyword(s):  
High Efficiency ◽  
Strand Break ◽  
Strand Transfer ◽  
Strand Breaks ◽  
Genomic Deletions ◽  
Topoisomerase Ib ◽  
Dna Strand ◽  
Recombination Pathway

ABSTRACT Topoisomerase IB catalyzes recombinogenic DNA strand transfer reactions in vitro and in vivo. Here we characterize a new pathway of topoisomerase-mediated DNA ligation in vitro (flap ligation) in which vaccinia virus topoisomerase bound to a blunt-end DNA joins the covalently held strand to a 5′ resected end of a duplex DNA containing a 3′ tail. The joining reaction occurs with high efficiency when the sequence of the 3′ tail is complementary to that of the scissile strand immediately 5′ of the cleavage site. A 6-nucleotide segment of complementarity suffices for efficient flap ligation. Invasion of the flap into the duplex apparently occurs while topoisomerase remains bound to DNA, thereby implying a conformational flexibility of the topoisomerase clamp around the DNA target site. The 3′ flap acceptor DNA mimics a processed end in the double-strand-break-repair recombination pathway. Our findings suggest that topoisomerase-induced breaks may be rectified by flap ligation, with ensuing genomic deletions or translocations.

scholarly journals Short-Form Bomanins Mediate Humoral Immunity in Drosophila

2018 ◽  
Vol 10 (4) ◽  
pp. 306-314 ◽  
Author(s):  
Scott A. Lindsay ◽  
Samuel J.H. Lin ◽  
Steven A. Wasserman
Keyword(s):  
Humoral Immunity ◽  
Short Form ◽  
Family Members ◽  
Gene Encoding ◽  
Vitro Assay ◽  
Gram Positive Bacteria ◽  
Toll Receptor ◽  
Secreted Peptides

The Bomanins (Boms) are a family of a dozen secreted peptides that mediate the innate immune response governed by the Drosophila Toll receptor. We recently showed that deleting a cluster of 10 Bom genes blocks Toll-mediated defenses against a range of fungi and gram-positive bacteria. Here, we characterize the activity of individual Bom family members. We provide evidence that the Boms overlap in function and that a single Bom gene encoding a mature peptide of just 16 amino acids can act largely or entirely independent of other family members to provide phenotypic rescue in vivo. We further demonstrate that the Boms function in Drosophila humoral immunity, mediating the killing of the fungal pathogen Candida glabrata in an in vitro assay of cell-free hemolymph. In addition, we find that the level of antifungal activity both in vivo and in vitro is linked to the level of Bom gene expression. Although Toll dictates expression of the antimicrobial peptides (AMPs) drosomycin and metchnikowin, we find no evidence that Boms act by modifying the expression of the mature forms of these antifungal AMPs.

scholarly journals The Use of Fluorescent Anti-CEA Antibodies to Label, Resect and Treat Cancers: A Review

Biomolecules ◽  
2021 ◽  
Vol 11 (12) ◽  
pp. 1819
Author(s):  
Michael A. Turner ◽  
Thinzar M. Lwin ◽  
Siamak Amirfakhri ◽  
Hiroto Nishino ◽  
Robert M. Hoffman ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Near Infrared ◽  
Fluorescent Dyes ◽  
Review Article ◽  
In Vivo Studies ◽  
Murine Models ◽  
Exclusion Criteria ◽  
Major Barrier ◽  
Tumor Margins ◽  
Cancer Types

A major barrier to the diagnosis and effective treatment of solid-tumor cancers is the difficulty in detection and visualization of tumor margins in primary and metastatic disease. The use of fluorescence can augment the surgeon’s ability to detect cancer and aid in its resection. Several cancer types express carcinoembryonic antigen (CEA) including colorectal, pancreatic and gastric cancer. Antibodies to CEA have been developed and tagged with near-infrared fluorescent dyes. This review article surveyed the use of CEA antibodies conjugated to fluorescent probes for in vivo studies since 1990. PubMed and Google Scholar databases were queried, and 900 titles and abstracts were screened. Fifty-nine entries were identified as possibly meeting inclusion/exclusion criteria and were reviewed in full. Forty articles were included in the review and their citations were screened for additional entries. A total of 44 articles were included in the final review. The use of fluorescent anti-CEA antibodies has been shown to improve detection and resection of tumors in both murine models and clinically. The cumulative results indicate that fluorescent-conjugated anti-CEA antibodies have important potential to improve cancer diagnosis and surgery. In an emerging technology, anti-CEA fluorescent antibodies have also been successfully used for photoimmunotherapy treatment for cancer.

Applications of Advanced Nanotechnology in Stem Cell Research

2021 ◽  
Vol 13 (2) ◽  
pp. 188-198
Author(s):  
Chih-Hui Yang ◽  
Shu-Ling Huang ◽  
Yi-Ting Wang ◽  
Chun-Ho Chang ◽  
Ya-Chi Tsai ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Stem Cell ◽  
Stem Cell Research ◽  
Biomedical Applications ◽  
Academic Research ◽  
Review Article ◽  
Technical Problems ◽  
Biomedical Industry ◽  
Significant Attention

Nanotechnology gives rise to new breakthroughs and developments in various fields. The applications of advanced nanotechnology may resolve the current technical problems encountered in stem cell research. Nanotechnology has gained significant attention in both academic research and the biomedical industry in recent years. In this mini-review article, the progress of nanotechnology-aided stem cell studies has been surveyed, and the in vitro and in vivo applications of nanotechnology have been introduced. The in vitro studies are divided into three categories: isolation, detection, and regulation. The progress of in vivo studies and trends in biomedical applications have also been addressed.

scholarly journals Characterization of calcium- and integrin-binding protein 1 (CIB1) knockout platelets: Potential compensation by CIB family members

2008 ◽  
Vol 100 (05) ◽  
pp. 847-856 ◽  
Author(s):  
Brenda R. Temple ◽  
Holly R. Gentry ◽  
Jan C. DeNofrio ◽  
Weiping Yuan ◽  
Leslie V. Parise
Keyword(s):  
Thrombus Formation ◽  
Mrna Level ◽  
Family Members ◽  
Cytoplasmic Tail ◽  
Binding Pocket ◽  
Vitro Binding ◽  
Cytoplasmic Tails ◽  
Hydrophobic Binding

SummaryPlatelet aggregation requires activation of the αIIbβ3 integrin,an event regulated by the integrin cytoplasmic tails. CIB1 binds to the cytoplasmic tail of the integrin αIIb subunit. Previous overexpression and knockdown studies in murine megakaryocytes demonstrated that CIB1 inhibits integrin αIIbβ3 activation.Here we analyzed Cib1-/- mice to determine the function of CIB1 in platelets in vitro and in vivo. We found that although these mice had no overt platelet phenotype, mRNA level of CIB1 homolog CIB3 was increased in Cib1-/- megakaryocytes. In vitro binding experiments showed that recombinant CIB1, -2 and -3 bound specifically to an αIIb cytoplasmic tail peptide. Subsequent protein modeling experiments indicated that CIBs 1–3 each have a highly conserved hydrophobic binding pocket. Therefore, the potential exists for compensation for the loss of CIB1 by these CIB family members, thereby preventing pathologic thrombus formation in Cib1-/- mice.

scholarly journals The free energy landscape of retroviral integration

2019 ◽  
Vol 10 (1) ◽  
Author(s):  
Willem Vanderlinden ◽  
Tine Brouns ◽  
Philipp U. Walker ◽  
Pauline J. Kolbeck ◽  
Lukas F. Milles ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Energy Landscape ◽  
Forward Rate ◽  
Strand Transfer ◽  
Viral Dna ◽  
Retroviral Integration ◽  
Target Capture ◽  
Point Of No Return ◽  
Efficient Integration ◽  
Site Binding

Abstract Retroviral integration, the process of covalently inserting viral DNA into the host genome, is a point of no return in the replication cycle. Yet, strand transfer is intrinsically iso-energetic and it is not clear how efficient integration can be achieved. Here we investigate the dynamics of strand transfer and demonstrate that consecutive nucleoprotein intermediates interacting with a supercoiled target are increasingly stable, resulting in a net forward rate. Multivalent target interactions at discrete auxiliary interfaces render target capture irreversible, while allowing dynamic site selection. Active site binding is transient but rapidly results in strand transfer, which in turn rearranges and stabilizes the intasome in an allosteric manner. We find the resulting strand transfer complex to be mechanically stable and extremely long-lived, suggesting that a resolving agent is required in vivo.

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