scholarly journals Analysis of the 5'-upstream regions of the human relaxin H1 and H2 genes and their chromosomal localization on chromosome 9p24.1 by radiation hybrid and breakpoint mapping

1999 ◽  
Vol 23 (3) ◽  
pp. 355-365 ◽  
Author(s):  
JL Garibay-Tupas ◽  
K Csiszar ◽  
M Fox ◽  
S Povey ◽  
GD Bryant-Greenwood
Keyword(s):  
Radiation Hybrid ◽  
Regulatory Elements ◽  
Distal Region ◽  
Biologically Active ◽  
Evolutionary Significance ◽  
Homologous Region ◽  
Coding Region ◽  
Chromosomal Locus ◽  
Homologous Segment ◽  
Breakpoint Mapping

Relaxins are known endocrine and autocrine/paracrine hormones that play a major role in reproduction. In the human there are two relaxin genes, H1 and H2 which share 90% sequence homology within their coding region. The biological and evolutionary significance of two highly homologous and biologically active human relaxins is unknown. In order to achieve a better understanding of the regulatory mechanisms involved in the differential expression of these two genes and to gain insight into their role(s) in the preterm premature rupture of the membranes, we have investigated the properties of their 5'-upstream regions and mapped them both by radiation hybrid and breakpoint mapping into the same chromosome 9p24.1 locus. The 5' ends of these relaxin genes could be divided into a proximal highly homologous segment and a distal non-homologous region. Within the proximal region are contained several putative regulatory elements common to both genes, suggesting a similar regulatory mechanism. The clustering of the relaxin genes within the same chromosomal locus suggests that these genes may be under a common regulation. On the other hand, a distinct gene-specific regulation may also exist for the individual relaxin genes since cis elements specific to each gene were identified at their 5' ends. Moreover, the observed divergence at the distal region of their 5'-upstream sequences may provide the structural features that act as gene-specific transcription regulators. Since the two genes are highly homologous in both their coding and flanking regions, the divergence at the distal region of their 5' ends may be important in the regulation of these genes and in their involvement in the pathology of preterm birth.

scholarly journals Structure and Regulation of the Salivary Gland Secretion Protein Gene Sgs-1 of Drosophila melanogaster

Genetics ◽  
1999 ◽  
Vol 153 (2) ◽  
pp. 753-762
Author(s):  
Günther E Roth ◽  
Sigrid Wattler ◽  
Hartmut Bornschein ◽  
Michael Lehmann ◽  
Günter Korge
Keyword(s):  
Drosophila Melanogaster ◽  
Tandem Repeats ◽  
Transcriptional Start Site ◽  
Regulatory Elements ◽  
Coding Region ◽  
Band Shift ◽  
Salivary Gland Secretion ◽  
Enhancer Binding Protein ◽  
Factor Secretion ◽  
Third Instar Larvae

Abstract The Drosophila melanogaster gene Sgs-1 belongs to the secretion protein genes, which are coordinately expressed in salivary glands of third instar larvae. Earlier analysis had implied that Sgs-1 is located at the 25B2-3 puff. We cloned Sgs-1 from a YAC covering 25B2-3. Despite using a variety of vectors and Escherichia coli strains, subcloning from the YAC led to deletions within the Sgs-1 coding region. Analysis of clonable and unclonable sequences revealed that Sgs-1 mainly consists of 48-bp tandem repeats encoding a threonine-rich protein. The Sgs-1 inserts from single λ clones are heterogeneous in length, indicating that repeats are eliminated. By analyzing the expression of Sgs-1/lacZ fusions in transgenic flies, cis-regulatory elements of Sgs-1 were mapped to lie within 1 kb upstream of the transcriptional start site. Band shift assays revealed binding sites for the transcription factor fork head (FKH) and the factor secretion enhancer binding protein 3 (SEBP3) at positions that are functionally relevant. FKH and SEBP3 have been shown previously to be involved in the regulation of Sgs-3 and Sgs-4. Comparison of the levels of steady state RNA and of the transcription rates for Sgs-1 and Sgs-1/lacZ reporter genes indicates that Sgs-1 RNA is 100-fold more stable than Sgs-1/lacZ RNA. This has implications for the model of how Sgs transcripts accumulate in late third instar larvae.

Regulatory elements controlling pituitary-specific expression of the human prolactin gene

1990 ◽  
Vol 10 (9) ◽  
pp. 4690-4700
Author(s):  
B Peers ◽  
M L Voz ◽  
P Monget ◽  
M Mathy-Hartert ◽  
M Berwaer ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Regulatory Elements ◽  
Distal Region ◽  
Dnase I ◽  
Proximal Region ◽  
Base Pairs ◽  
Specific Expression ◽  
Positive Region ◽  
Dnase I Footprinting ◽  
Human Prolactin ◽  
Flanking Sequences

We have performed transfection and DNase I footprinting experiments to investigate pituitary-specific expression of the human prolactin (hPRL) gene. When fused to the chloramphenicol acetyltransferase (CAT) reporter gene, 5,000 base pairs of the 5'-flanking sequences of the hPRL gene were able to drive high cat gene expression in prolactin-expressing GH3B6 cells specifically. Deletion analysis indicated that this pituitary-specific expression was controlled by three main positive regulatory regions. The first was located just upstream from the TATA box between coordinates -40 and -250 (proximal region). We have previously shown that three motifs of this region bind the pituitary-specific Pit-1 factor. The second positive region was located in the vicinity of coordinates -1300 to -1750 (distal region). DNase I footprinting assays revealed that eight DNA motifs of this distal region bound protein Pit-1 and that two other motifs were recognized by ubiquitous factors, one of which seems to belong to the AP-1 (jun) family. The third positive region was located further upstream, between -3500 and -5000 (superdistal region). This region appears to enhance transcription only in the presence of the distal region.

The gene for the heat-shock protein 70 of Euplotes focardii, an Antarctic psychrophilic ciliate

2004 ◽  
Vol 16 (1) ◽  
pp. 23-28 ◽  
Author(s):  
ANTONIETTA LA TERZA ◽  
CRISTINA MICELI ◽  
PIERANGELO LUPORINI
Keyword(s):  
Thermal Stress ◽  
Heat Shock ◽  
Heat Shock Protein ◽  
Heat Shock Protein 70 ◽  
Regulatory Region ◽  
Regulatory Elements ◽  
Specific Response ◽  
Hsp70 Gene ◽  
Sequence Motifs ◽  
Coding Region

In the Antarctic ciliate, Euplotes focardii, the heat-shock protein 70 (Hsp70) gene does not show any appreciable activation by a thermal stress. Yet, it is activated to appreciable transcriptional levels by oxidative and chemical stresses, thus implying that it evolved a mechanism of selective, stress-specific response. A basic step in investigating this mechanism is the determination of the complete nucleotide sequence of the E. focardii Hsp70 gene. This gene contains a coding region specific for an Hsp70 protein that carries unique amino acid substitutions of potential significance for cold adaptation, and a 5' regulatory region that includes sequence motifs denoting two distinct types of stress-inducible promoters, known as “Heat Shock Elements” (HSE) and “Stress Response Elements” (StRE). From the study of the interactions of these regulatory elements with their specific transactivator factors we expect to shed light on the adaptive modifications that prevent the Hsp70 gene of E. focardii from responding to thermal stress while being responsive to other stresses.

scholarly journals Glucose homeostasis is impaired in mice deficient in the neuropeptide 26RFa (QRFP)

2020 ◽  
Vol 8 (1) ◽  
pp. e000942
Author(s):  
Mouna El-Mehdi ◽  
Saloua Takhlidjt ◽  
Fayrouz Khiar ◽  
Gaëtan Prévost ◽  
Jean-Luc do Rego ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Glucose Metabolism ◽  
Pancreatic Islets ◽  
Glucose Homeostasis ◽  
Gene Knockout ◽  
Hepatic Glucose Production ◽  
Biologically Active ◽  
Mutant Mice ◽  
Insulin Production ◽  
Coding Region ◽  
The Impact

Introduction26RFa (pyroglutamyl RFamide peptide (QRFP)) is a biologically active peptide that has been found to control feeding behavior by stimulating food intake, and to regulate glucose homeostasis by acting as an incretin. The aim of the present study was thus to investigate the impact of 26RFa gene knockout on the regulation of energy and glucose metabolism.Research design and methods26RFa mutant mice were generated by homologous recombination, in which the entire coding region of prepro26RFa was replaced by the iCre sequence. Energy and glucose metabolism was evaluated through measurement of complementary parameters. Morphological and physiological alterations of the pancreatic islets were also investigated.ResultsOur data do not reveal significant alteration of energy metabolism in the 26RFa-deficient mice except the occurrence of an increased basal metabolic rate. By contrast, 26RFa mutant mice exhibited an altered glycemic phenotype with an increased hyperglycemia after a glucose challenge associated with an impaired insulin production, and an elevated hepatic glucose production. Two-dimensional and three-dimensional immunohistochemical experiments indicate that the insulin content of pancreatic β cells is much lower in the 26RFa−/− mice as compared with the wild-type littermates.ConclusionDisruption of the 26RFa gene induces substantial alteration in the regulation of glucose homeostasis, with in particular a deficit in insulin production by the pancreatic islets. These findings further support the notion that 26RFa is an important regulator of glucose homeostasis.

Alternative splicing events in the coding region of the cytochrome P450 aromatase gene in male rat germ cells

1998 ◽  
Vol 20 (3) ◽  
pp. 305-312 ◽  
Author(s):  
J Levallet ◽  
H Mittre ◽  
B Delarue ◽  
S Carreau
Keyword(s):  
Cytochrome P450 ◽  
Alternative Splicing ◽  
Germ Cells ◽  
Binding Domain ◽  
Biologically Active ◽  
Male Rat ◽  
Heme Binding ◽  
Coding Region ◽  
P450 Aromatase ◽  
Alternative Splicing Events

Expression of cytochrome P450 mRNA in rat germ cells was characterized by reverse transcription PCR with various primers located at the 3'-end of the coding region. At least two unusual isoforms (Ex10-S and INT) of P450 aromatase (P450arom) mRNA were expressed. Analysis of their sequences demonstrated that an alternative splicing event occurred first at the exon-intron boundary of the GT consensus sequence of the last coding exon, and second in the internal 5' donor inside exon 9 used as a minor cryptic splicing site. These isoforms lacked the last coding exon which contained the heme-binding domain; in addition, for the Ex10-S transcript, the catalytic domain was also absent because of a frameshift in the open reading frame. The deduced amino acid sequences led to truncated P450arom polypeptides without the heme-binding domain, which were probably unable to convert androgens into estrogens. Adult rat germ cells are able to express P450arom mRNA, which is then translated into a biologically active enzyme which is involved in estrogen production. Moreover, for the first time, we report the existence of alternative splicing events of P45Oarom mRNA in pachytene spermatocytes and round spermatids, which probably cannot encode functional aromatase molecules.

The Multiple Myeloma SET Domain (MMSET) Protein Is a Histone H3 and H4 Methyltransferase with Properties of a Transcriptional Co-Repressor.

Blood ◽  
2005 ◽  
Vol 106 (11) ◽  
pp. 358-358
Author(s):  
Jotin Marango ◽  
Manabu Shimoyama ◽  
Boris A. Leibovitch ◽  
Ming Ming Zhou ◽  
Yolanda Martinez ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Multiple Myeloma ◽  
B Cell ◽  
Cell Line ◽  
Biological Effects ◽  
Regulatory Elements ◽  
Biologically Active ◽  
G1 Arrest ◽  
Set Domain ◽  
Myeloma Cells ◽  
Reporter Assays

Abstract Over 40% of cases of multiple myeloma (MM) are associated with translocations of the immunoglobulin heavy (IgH) chain gene gene. The t(4;14) translocation, present in ca. 20% of myeloma cases, results in the overexpression of two potential oncogenes, MMSET and FGFR3, via juxtaposition of their endogenous promoters to regulatory elements of the IgH locus. The presence of t(4;14), and MMSET overexpression, is an adverse prognostic factor in MM irrespective of FGFR3 expression. MMSET contains several conserved motifs found in proteins involved in chromatin function (PWWP, HMG, PHD domains) and in the epigenetic control of transcription (SET domain). Accordingly, we found that the two main isoforms of the MMSET protein exhibit exclusive nuclear localization in both transfected fibroblasts and myeloma cells carrying t(4;14). Towards our goal of defining the ability of MMSET to affect gene regulation and contribute to the disease pathogenesis, we found that the SET domain of MMSET possesses in vitro methyltransferase activity specific for core histones H3 and H4. Using a computational approach and theoretical extrapolation from the solved NMR structure of vSET, we identified residues in the active site of MMSET essential for catalysis, whose mutation drastically reduces enzymatic activity. Reporter assays using Gal4 fusion constructs showed that both the amino terminus of MMSET, containing the PWWP and HMG domains, as well as the SET-containing carboxy terminus act as transcriptional repressors. MMSET interacts physically and functionally with a number of known co-repressor molecules, such as HDAC1, HDAC2, Sin3a, and SIRT1, but not HDAC4 or HDAC6. As such, MMSET co-expression enhances HDAC1 and HDAC2-mediated repression in transcriptional reporter assays, and MMSET repression is partially relieved by the addition of an HDAC inhibitor. A yeast two hybrid screen identified a number of other functional partners of MMSET, including ZNF331/RITA (Rearranged in Thyroid Adenoma), a KRAB domain/zinc finger protein previously implicated in malignancy. MMSET and ZNF331 co-localize in the nuclei of transfected fibroblasts, co-immunoprecipitate, and display cooperative repression in reporter assays. Collectively, these data support the idea that MMSET is a biologically active, bifunctional transcriptional mediator acting as a HMT enzyme in chromatin remodeling and as a complex adaptor in the recruitment of repressor species. Presently we are modeling the biological effects of MMSET through a conditional overexpression system in a B cell line. While low levels of MMSET are ubiquitiously expressed, induction of high levels of MMSET expression in the B cell line is associated with growth suppression and G1 arrest. While paradoxical for a presumed oncoprotein, such actions have been observed for other disease-associated proteins such as Runx1/MTG8. In contrast, a myeloma cell line harboring t(4;14) proliferates in the presence of high level MMSET expression. RNAi-mediated knockdown of MMSET in these cells induces apoptotic cell death. This suggests that MMSET may be critical for growth and survival of myeloma cells. Profiling of gene expression changes in these systems should link the transcriptional and biological activities of MMSET.

Genomic Organization, Chromatin Structure, and Transcriptional Regulation of the Murine Alpha Hemoglobin Stabilizing Protein (AHSP) Gene.

Blood ◽  
2005 ◽  
Vol 106 (11) ◽  
pp. 3633-3633
Author(s):  
Louis C. Dore ◽  
Christopher R. Vakoc ◽  
Gerd A. Blobel ◽  
Ross C. Hardison ◽  
David M. Bodine ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Chromatin Structure ◽  
Gene Activation ◽  
Inverse Correlation ◽  
Regulatory Elements ◽  
Genomic Region ◽  
Beta Thalassemia ◽  
Syntenic Block ◽  
Coding Region ◽  
Specific Expression

Abstract Alpha Hemoglobin Stabilizing Protein (AHSP, Eraf) is an abundant erythroid protein that binds and stabilizes alpha globin and alpha hemoglobin (Hb). In mice, loss of AHSP causes hemolytic anemia, with elevated levels of reactive oxygen species and Hb precipitation in erythrocytes. Loss of AHSP exacerbates beta thalassemia phenotypes in mice, presumably by enhancing the toxicity of excessive free alpha Hb. Based on these findings, AHSP is a candidate modifier gene for beta thalassemia in humans. No mutations in the AHSP coding region have been identified in patients to date. However, several groups reported an inverse correlation between beta thalassemia severity and erythroid AHSP expression levels, raising the possibility that AHSP is a quantitative trait modifier of beta thalassemia. To address this possibility, it is important to define the mechanisms that control expression of the AHSP gene. Transcripts of murine Ahsp are inducible by GATA-1. The goals of the current studies are to investigate the mechanisms of this induction and to define the DNA domain that regulates the locus. Using phylogenetic comparisons, we identified a hotspot for mammalian chromosomal rearrangement just downstream of the Ahsp gene. This hotspot is located at the end of a syntenic block of approximately 350 kb that is conserved in mammals and likely marks the 3′ end of the gene regulatory domain. We focused our initial functional studies on a 7 kb genomic region bounded at the 5′ (centromeric) end of Ahsp by the nearest adjacent gene, an EST expressed in multiple tissues, and at the 3′ (telomeric) end by the rearrangement hotspot. In transient transfection assays, the Ahsp promoter region conferred erythroid-specific expression to a linked reporter gene. In heterologous cells, GATA-1 transactivated the Ahsp promoter in a dose-dependent fashion. To examine GATA-1 binding and its subsequent effects on the Ahsp gene in vivo, we used G1E-ER4 cells, a GATA-1 null erythroblast line that undergoes terminal erythroid maturation after activation of an estradiol-inducible form of GATA-1. We made several findings with regards to the role of GATA-1 in Ahsp gene regulation. First, GATA-1 and its cofactor, Friend of GATA-1 (FOG-1), bind directly to the Ahsp locus at regions that contain conserved GATA consensus motifs and are predicted to be important erythroid regulatory elements by our bioinformatic studies. Second, GATA-1 induces epigenetic changes in chromatin structure that are associated with gene activation, including formation of a DNase I hypersensitive site, hyperacetylation of histones H3 and H4, and methylation of histone H3 lysine-4. Together, these findings begin to establish the DNA region and mechanisms that control Ahsp transcription, allowing for further studies to map the cis elements responsible for population variations in gene expression.

scholarly journals Intermolecular homologous recombination in plants.

1990 ◽  
Vol 10 (2) ◽  
pp. 492-500 ◽  
Author(s):  
M Baur ◽  
I Potrykus ◽  
J Paszkowski
Keyword(s):  
Homologous Recombination ◽  
Recombination Frequency ◽  
Strand Break ◽  
Kanamycin Resistance ◽  
Homologous Region ◽  
Coding Region ◽  
Base Pairs ◽  
Protein Coding ◽  
Linear Molecules ◽  
Or Gene

To study DNA topological requirements for homologous recombination in plants, we have constructed pairs of plasmids that contain nonoverlapping deletions in the neomycin phosphotransferase gene [APH(3')II], which, when intact, confers kanamycin resistance to plant cells. Protoplasts isolated from Nicotiana tabacum were cotransformed with complementary pairs of plasmids containing these truncated gene constructs. Homologous recombination or gene conversion within the homologous sequences (6 to 405 base pairs) of the protein-coding region of the truncated genes led to the restoration of the functional APH(3')II gene, rendering these cells resistant to kanamycin. Circular plasmid DNAs recombined very inefficiently, independent of the length of the homologous region. A double-strand break in one molecule only slightly increased the recombination frequency. The most favorable substrates for recombination were linear molecules. In this case, the recombination frequency was positively correlated with the length of the homologous regions. The recombination frequency of plasmids linearized at sites proximal to the deletion-homology junction was significantly higher than when linearization was distal to the homologous region. Vector homology within cotransformed plasmid sequences also increased the recombination frequency.

scholarly journals Cloning and expression of the bovine intestinal alkaline phosphatase gene: biochemical characterization of the recombinant enzyme

1993 ◽  
Vol 290 (2) ◽  
pp. 503-508 ◽  
Author(s):  
H Weissig ◽  
A Schildge ◽  
M F Hoylaerts ◽  
M Iqbal ◽  
J L Millán
Keyword(s):  
Alkaline Phosphatase ◽  
Biochemical Characterization ◽  
Sequence Similarity ◽  
Chinese Hamster Ovary Cells ◽  
Chinese Hamster ◽  
Regulatory Elements ◽  
Eukaryotic Expression ◽  
Cloning And Expression ◽  
Coding Region ◽  
Intestinal Alkaline Phosphatase

A complete genomic clone and a full-length cDNA coding for bovine intestinal alkaline phosphatase have been isolated and sequenced. The gene (5.4 kb) contains 11 exons separated by ten small introns at positions identical to those other members of the eukaryotic tissue-specific alkaline phosphatase family. In addition, 1.5 kb of upstream sequences contain putative regulatory elements showing sequence similarity to human and mouse intestinal alkaline phosphatase promoter sequences. To achieve recombinant bovine intestinal alkaline phosphatase expression, the coding region of the gene was subcloned into the pcDNA I eukaryotic expression vector and transfected into Chinese hamster ovary cells. Recombinant bovine intestinal alkaline phosphatase displays enzymatic properties comparable with those of purified native bovine intestinal alkaline phosphatase, a slightly increased thermal stability and, upon desialylation, it shows a homogeneous behaviour in agarose gel electrophoresis and isoelectric focusing. The availability of the recombinant bovine intestinal alkaline phosphatase and the elucidation of its primary sequence will help to accelerate our efforts to obtain the first crystallographic model of a eukaryotic alkaline phosphatase molecule.

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