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)

The double-stranded RNA bacteriophage phi 6 contains a virion-associated RNA-dependent RNA polymerase complex. Removal of the virus envelope and the nucleocapsid surface protein, P8, reveals a nucleocapsid core particle (proteins P1, P2, P4, P7) which is the viral polymerase complex, capable of synthesizing RNA strands of positive polarity. The in vitro plus strand synthesis (transcription) reaction of the particle obtained from the mature virion was optimized and its activation and inactivation were investigated. Purine nucleoside triphosphates (NTPs), binding to a low-affinity binding site in the polymerase complex, activated plus strand synthesis. GTP was the preferred NTP, but dGTP, ddGTP, and the noncleavable analog GMP-PCP could also switch on transcription. This NTP-binding site is probably different from that of the unspecific viral NTPase found in protein P4 and also from that of the rNTP-specific RNA polymerase active site. Binding of purine NTPs was sufficient for the switch-on; hydrolysis of the NTP was not required. Besides nucleotides, divalent cations had an effect on phi 6 in vitro plus strand synthesis. Magnesium ions are required for the activity but calcium ions inhibit the reaction. Manganese ions are shown to dissipate the effect of magnesium and calcium ions, leading to uncontrolled, exceptionally high level plus strand synthesis.
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PMID:In vitro transcription of the double-stranded RNA bacteriophage phi 6 is influenced by purine NTPs and calcium. 788 44

Strains of Desulfitobacterium hafniense, such as strains PCP-1, DP7, TCE1, and TCP-A, have unusual long 16S ribosomal RNA (rRNA) genes due to an insertion of approximately 100 bp in the 5' region. In this report, we analyzed the 16S rRNA genes of different Desulfitobacterium strains to determine if such an insertion is a common feature of desulfitobacteria. We amplified this region by polymerase chain reaction (PCR) from eight Desulfitobacterium strains (D. hafniense strains PCP-1, DP7, TCP-A, TCE1, and DCB-2; D. dehalogenans; D. chlororespirans; and Desulfitobacterium sp. PCE1) and resolved each PCR product by denaturing gradient gel electrophoresis (DGGE). All strains had from two to seven DGGE- migrating bands, suggesting heterogeneity in their 16S rRNA gene copies. For each strain, the 5' region of the 16S rRNA genes was amplified and a clone library was derived. Clones corresponding to most PCR-DGGE migration bands were isolated. Sequencing of representative clones revealed that the heterogeneity was generated by insertions of 100-200 bp. An insertion was found in at least one copy of the 16S rRNA gene in all examined strains. In total, we found eight different types of insertions (INS1-INS8) that varied from 123 to 193 nt in length. Two-dimensional structural analyses of transcribed sequences predicted that all insertions would form an energetically stable loop. Reverse transcriptase-PCR experiments revealed that most of the observed insertions in the Desulfitobacterium strains were excised from the mature 16S rRNA transcripts. Insertions were not commonly found in bacterial 16S rRNA genes, and having a different insertion in several 16S rRNA gene copies borne by a single bacterial species was rarely observed. The function of these insertions is not known, but their occurrence can have an important impact in deriving 16S rRNA oligonucleotidic fluorescence in situ hybridization probes, as these insertions can be excised from 16S rRNA transcripts.
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PMID:Heterogeneity between 16S ribosomal RNA gene copies borne by one Desulfitobacterium strain is caused by different 100-200 bp insertions in the 5' region. 1749 57