Gene/Protein Disease Symptom Drug Enzyme Compound
Pivot Concepts:   Target Concepts:
Query: EC:2.7.7.48 (transcriptase)
9,479 document(s) hit in 31,850,051 MEDLINE articles (0.00 seconds)

POU domain transcription factors are required for neuropeptide expression in selected subsets of hypothalamic neuroendocrine neurons. We now report that expression of the gonadotropin-releasing hormone (GnRH) gene, which controls sexual development, is regulated by the POU protein SCIP/Oct-6/Tst-1. Reverse transcriptase PCR cloning and RNase protection assays demonstrated the presence of SCIP/Oct-6/Tst-1 mRNA in the GnRH-producing neuronal cell line GT1-7. The physiological relevance of this regulatory activity was suggested by the detection of SCIP/Oct-6/Tst-1 mRNA in a subset of GnRH neurons in the hypothalamus of prepubertal female rats. Coexpression of SCIP/Oct-6/Tst-1 in neuronal cells inhibited rat GnRH (rGnRH) promoter activity via three regions of the proximal rGnRH promoter containing SCIP/Oct-6/Tst-1 binding sites. DNase I footprinting, gel shift assays, and DNA and protein mutagenesis studies indicated that both direct DNA binding and protein-protein interactions are required for SCIP/Oct-6/Tst-1 modulation of GnRH gene expression. Activation of SCIP/Oct-6/Tst-1 expression in terminally differentiated GnRH neurons may be a factor determining the ratio of phenotypically "inactive" versus "active" GnRH neurons during postnatal life.
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PMID:Repression of gonadotropin-releasing hormone promoter activity by the POU homeodomain transcription factor SCIP/Oct-6/Tst-1: a regulatory mechanism of phenotype expression? 903 92

NK cells migrate in response to C-C chemokines, including monocyte chemotactic protein-1 (MCP-1) and MCP-3. Increased migration was observed in IL-2-activated NK cells. It was therefore of interest to define the expression in resting and activated NK cells of the MCP-1 receptor (CCR2) for which two cDNAs (A and B) have been described. Specific oligonucleotides and reverse-transcriptase PCR revealed the presence in activated NK cells and mononuclear phagocytes of the fragments expected on the basis of the reported cDNAs. In addition, amplification with a common A/B- and an A-specific oligonucleotide yielded an unexpected, abundant, 1649-bp fragment. Sequence analysis as well as Northern blotting and RNase protection with different probes revealed that the CCR2 gene is expressed in activated NK cells and mononuclear phagocytes as a predominant long transcript (3.4 kb) consisting of CCR2B, followed by a novel sequence (X), corresponding to an intron in the genome, and by a CCR2A-specific portion. The predominant long transcript is polyadenylated and present in the cytoplasm. The augmented migratory capacity of IL-2 activated vs resting NK cells was associated with increased CCR2 transcript levels.
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PMID:IL-2-regulated expression of the monocyte chemotactic protein-1 receptor (CCR2) in human NK cells: characterization of a predominant 3.4-kilobase transcript containing CCR2B and CCR2A sequences. 905 2

Two basic processes are involved in protein evolution: One is amino acid replacement and another is reorganization of structural or functional units of proteins. Multidomain or multifunctional proteins are thought to have evolved by fusion of smaller structural units such as modules or domains. Reverse transcriptase (RT) is one of such fused proteins. The N-terminal part forms of globular domain with polymerase activity and the C-terminal part forms another globular domain with ribonuclease H activity (RNase H domain). There are single-domain enzymes which are homologous with the RNase H domain. The group of enzymes is called type I ribonuclease H (RNase HI). It is most likely that the ancestors of RNase HI and the polymerase domain were fused and became contemporary RT. At fusion, amino acid replacements presumably occurred at the interface of the domains to reinforce the interdomain interactions. Such replaced amino acid residues are conserved during evolution of the fused enzyme. We analyzed the pattern of amino acid replacement at each residue site in the free form, RNase HI group, and the integrated form, RNase H domain group. Then we compared the patterns between the two forms. Drastic fitting replacements of amino acid residues occurred at four of 29 residue sites involved in interdomain contact. Hydrophilic amino acid residues of the free form were substituted with hydrophobic or ambivalent ones in the integrated form. These substitutions aid in stabilizing the fused conformation by hydrophobic interactions at the interface of the domains. These observations imply that domain fusion could have occurred with only a relatively small number of adaptive amino acid substitutions.
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PMID:Adaptive amino acid replacements accompanied by domain fusion in reverse transcriptase. 907 Oct 24

Human T cell leukemia/lymphotropic virus (HTLV) is a complex 9 kb human retrovirus with at least eight alternatively spliced mRNAs expressed from the 3' or pX region of the genome. These mRNAs allow for the expression of novel proteins from the previously recognized pX open reading frames I and II in addition to Tax, Rex and p21rex encoded from orf III and IV. These alternatively spliced messages have been detected using reverse-transcriptase polymerase chain reaction (RT/PCR) amplification in HTLV-I-transformed T cell lines as well as in peripheral blood mononuclear cells (PBMC) from infected patients with and without disease. To gain insight into the role of these alternatively spliced mRNAs in pathogenesis, we developed a semi-quantitative non-PCR-based RNase protection assay to detect and quantitate their presence in HTLV-I-infected cells. Analysis of RNA from HTLV-I-infected cells established from patients with adult T cell leukemia (ATL) as well as tropical spastic paraparesis/HTLV-I-associated myelopathy (TSP/HAM) and both IL-2-dependent and IL-2-independent HTLV-I-infected cell lines by RNase protection has confirmed the existence of all of the alternatively spliced messages in each cell line analyzed. However, the relative quantity of each message was significantly different among these lines suggesting that splice site utilization is an important viral regulatory pathway.
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PMID:Differential expression of alternatively spliced pX mRNAs in HTLV-I-infected cell lines. 917 42

In order to study salmon thyroid-stimulating hormone (TSH), we designed a highly specific, sensitive, and rapid RNase protection assay (RPA) for quantification of steady-state levels of salmon TSH beta-subunit mRNA expression. The cDNA encoding the beta-subunit of TSH was isolated from coho salmon pituitary total RNA by reverse-transcriptase PCR, partially sequenced, and used as template for synthesizing a radioactively labeled, sequence-specific, antisense probe, and sense standard for the RPA. This assay, along with a similar RPA previously designed for coho salmon total alpha-subunit mRNA, was used to examine the effects of feeding T3 (0, 10, 100 micrograms/g) and methimazole (a thyroid inhibitor) (2.5 mg/g) on TSH subunit gene expression after 2 and 4 weeks. The low dose of T3 (10 micrograms/g) caused no change in TSH beta mRNA after 2 and 4 weeks and a transient increase in alpha mRNA after 2 weeks, followed by no significant effect after 4 weeks. The high dose of T3 (100 micrograms/g) caused a decrease in TSH beta mRNA after 4 weeks and no change in total alpha mRNA after 2 and 4 weeks. In contrast, methimazole treatment caused significant increases in both TSH beta mRNA (250%) and alpha mRNA (50%) levels after 4 weeks. These findings confirm that, as in mammals, TSH alpha- and beta-subunit expression in teleosts may be differentially regulated by negative feedback from the thyroid hormones.
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PMID:Quantification of salmon alpha- and thyrotropin (TSH) beta-subunit messenger RNA by an RNase protection assay: regulation by thyroid hormones. 920 9

Human eosinophils contain a number of granule proteins for which specific physiological roles remain unclear. The combined ribonucleolytic and membrane disruptive properties of the eosinophil-derived neurotoxin and eosinophil cationic protein, respectively, suggest the possibility that eosinophils might participate in host defense against enveloped single-stranded RNA viruses. To test this hypothesis, stocks of a replication-defective retrovirus encoding the reporter gene beta-galactosidase were pretreated with isolated human eosinophils, then used to transduce human erythroleukemia (K-562) target cells. Histochemical staining for beta-galactosidase activity was used to detect and quantitate the transduced cells. Co-incubation of retrovirus with eosinophils (0.4 x 10[6]/mL) before target cell transduction resulted in a marked decrease in transduction efficiency corresponding to an approximately 20-fold dilution of viral stock (P < 0.01), an effect that was directly proportional to the concentration of eosinophils, and that was reversed in the presence of ribonuclease inhibitor. Reverse transcriptase-polymerase chain reaction analysis demonstrated loss of the retroviral RNA genome as a result of eosinophil pretreatment, indicating that eosinophils are capable of mediating direct ribonucleolytic destruction of the isolated retroviral particles. Our results demonstrate that eosinophils function as effective anti-retroviral agents in vitro via the actions of their secreted ribonucleases, and suggest that eosinophils may represent an unrecognized arm of host defense against enveloped single-stranded RNA viral pathogens.
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PMID:Eosinophils inhibit retroviral transduction of human target cells by a ribonuclease-dependent mechanism. 930 75

While there is considerable evidence for phosphate (Pi) reabsorption in the distal tubule, Pi transport and its regulation have not been well characterized in this segment of the nephron. In the present study, we examined Na+-dependent Pi transport in immortalized mouse distal convoluted tubule (MDCT) cells. Pi uptake by MDCT cells is Na+-dependent and, under initial rate conditions, is inhibited by phosphonoformic acid (41 +/- 3% of control), a competitive inhibitor of Na+-Pi cotransport. The transport system has a high affinity for Pi (Km = 0.46 mM) and is stimulated by lowering the extracellular pH from 7.4 to 6.4 and inhibited by raising the pH from 7.4 to 8.4. Exposure to Pi-free medium for 21 h increased Na+-Pi cotransport from 2.1 to 5.5 nmol/mg of protein/5 minutes (p < 0.05) while parathyroid hormone, forskolin, and phorbol 12-myristate 13-acetate failed to alter Pi uptake in MDCT cells. Reverse transcriptase polymerase chain reaction of MDCT cell RNA provided evidence for the expression of the Npt1 but not the Npt2 Na+-Pi cotransporter gene. However, preincubation of MDCT cells with Npt1 antisense oligonucleotide led to only 20% inhibition of Na+-Pi cotransport, suggesting that other Na+-Pi cotransporters are operative in MDCT cells. Indeed, we showed, by ribonuclease protection assay, that MDCT cells express the ubiquitous cell surface receptors for gibbon ape leukemia virus (Glvr-1) and amphoteric murine retrovirus (Ram-1) that also function as Na+-Pi cotransporters. In summary, we demonstrate that the pH dependence and regulation of Na+-Pi cotransport in MDCT cells is distinct from that in the proximal tubule and suggest that different gene products mediate Na+-Pi cotransport in the proximal and distal segments of the nephron.
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PMID:Na+ -phosphate cotransport in mouse distal convoluted tubule cells: evidence for Glvr-1 and Ram-1 gene expression. 955 59

Localization of tenascin-C in vivo and cell culture experiments in vitro have provided evidence for stromal production of tenascin-C in malignant tumors of a variety of organs. Here we raised the question of whether the mesenchymal stroma in the case of endometrial adenocarcinoma is the unique source of tenascin-C. Therefore, the expression of tenascin-C mRNA by human endometrial adenocarcinoma cells and endometrial stroma cells was investigated. Several preparations of endometrial stroma cells produced tenascin-C mRNA. Using a serum-free defined cell culture medium, production of tenascin-C mRNA could be increased by adding either serum or 20 ng TGF-beta/mL to the cell culture medium. Reverse transcriptase polymerase chain reaction analysis revealed that five out of six endometrial adenocarcinoma cell lines produced tenascin-C mRNA. Northern blot experiments and ribonuclease protection assays provided evidence that the number of copies of tenascin-C mRNA was small. Analysis of expressed splice variants by reverse transcriptase polymerase chain reaction analysis revealed the abundance of one major splice variant that lacked all potential alternatively spliced fibronectin type-III-like repeats. Regarding larger splice variants, all fragment sizes that could theoretically originate from seven alternatively spliced fibronectin type-III-like repeats were observed. Evaluating relative signal intensities, the splice variants containing a single fibronectin type-III-like repeat and the variant possessing all but one alternatively spliced repeats were most frequent. In summary, evidence is provided that tenascin-C can originate from both tissue compartments of the human endometrium stroma and (tumor) epithelium. Splice variant analysis revealed a high number of splice variants and a relative high proportion of variants that have so far been regarded as minor constituents of expressed tenascin-C.
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PMID:Expression of tenascin-C by human endometrial adenocarcinoma and stroma cells: heterogeneity of splice variants and induction by TGF-beta. 959 65

Cucumber mosaic virus (CMV) is an icosahedrion plant virus and contains three different single-stranded positive sense genomic RNAs. The very 3' ends of each of the genomic RNAs can fold into a tRNA-like structure. Based on the structural analysis of the 3' tRNA-like structure of the brome mosaic virus (BMV), we superimposed and redrew the 3' tRNA-like structure of CMV. We homogenized virus infected or healthy tobacco leaves with polytron and carried out low speed centrifugation twice and ultra-centrifugation three times to get detergent solubilized membrane bound fractions. We accidentally found that these fractions were enriched with a host-encoded RNA-dependent RNA polymerase (RdRp) activity. Similar activity could also be found in other plants tested. Alternately, the membrane bound fraction could be simply precipitated by low speed centrifugation (3,000 g) and high speed ultra-centrifugation (40,000 g). The pellet was then suspended in a detergent-containing buffer, after which 25%-55% glycerol gradient fractionation was performed. Activity was tested through the incorporation of [alpha-32P]UTP using endogenous CMV RNAs as templates on each fraction collected. It was found that most of the fractions contained the viral-encoded RNA-dependent RNA polymerase. The products of RdRp reaction were found to have a double-stranded from through further analysis of the RNase protection assay.
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PMID:The preparation of RNA-dependent RNA polymerase complex from virus infected plants. 961 71

Two catalytic functions were required, minimally, for the appearance of DNA in evolution: a ribonucleotide reductase (RNR) and a reverse transcriptase (RT). If one accepts the explanatory strength of the RNA world model, it is clear that DNA molecules arose in the RNA world at some stage during the early evolution of cells. I suggest that competition for limited and valuable resources such as nucleotides, amino acids, and sugars made an early appearance among RNA cells, RNA viruses, viroids, and RNA plasmids. Structural and functional similarities between the different types of polymerases favor the simple hypothesis that the first RTs were RNA polymerase mutants that preferentially joined together preexisting deoxyribonucleotide triphosphates (dNTPs) using RNA templates. What was the role of dNTPs inside cells before DNA was synthesized and tested by natural selection? The oxygen atom that is removed by the reductase is of crucial importance to many ribozyme functions, since the 2'-OH is a strong nucleophile that forms transitional states during catalysis. Consequently, a RNR may have been used by cellular parasites to inhibit ribozyme action. Thus, DNA may have been, initially, an inert by-product of retrotranscription in lineages that acquired RTs and could synthesize DNA molecules using cellular RNA templates to detoxify the intracellular environment. DNA was useless as template until a transcriptase (DNA-dependent RNA polymerase) evolved that could copy (-)DNA to reconstitute the (+)RNA genome, indeed a successful way of confronting ribonuclease threats in the RNA world.
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PMID:Inhibition of ribozymes by deoxyribonucleotides and the origin of DNA. 969 60


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