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

An 18 kDa bradyzoite specific surface protein of Toxoplasma gondii (T. gondii) has been purified by affinity chromatography with a specific monoclonal antibody using parasites grown in vitro under conditions inducing the biosynthesis of bradyzoite specific proteins. N-terminal and internal amino acid sequences obtained by microsequencing enabled us to design degenerate oligonucleotides. A fragment of 187 bp was amplified by polymerase chain reaction (PCR). It was used as a probe to clone a 4 kb-Bam HI fragment encompassing the gene encoding the 18 kDa protein. Nucleotide sequence analysis revealed a single open reading frame of 516 nucleotides encoding a 172 amino acid protein. The deduced amino acid sequence matched perfectly the peptides microsequenced from the native protein. The N-terminal hydrophobic region was found to possess the characteristics of a signal peptide of 27 amino acids. The hydrophobic C-terminal part could represent a signal for a glycan-phosphoinositide anchor. The full-length cDNA was also isolated and both the 5' and 3' untranslated regions were determined. Reverse transcriptase-PCR (RT-PCR) using p18-specific primers showed a stage-specific expression of this gene. Comparison of the nucleic acid sequence and the predicted amino acid sequence with databases did not reveal significant homology with known genes or proteins. This gene is proposed to be named sag4, according to the existing T. gondii nomenclature.
Mol Biochem Parasitol 1996 Nov 25
PMID:Molecular cloning of the Toxoplasma gondii sag4 gene encoding an 18 kDa bradyzoite specific surface protein. 894 89

Chlamydia trachomatis is a nucleotide parasite, being entirely dependent on its host eukaryotic cell for a supply of ATP, GTP, and UTP. Chlamydiae are not, however, auxotrophic for CTP, as they are able both to transport CTP from the host and synthesize CTP de novo via a chlamydial CTP synthetase. This study addresses the developmental regulation of CTP synthetase over the course of the C. trachomatis life cycle. Given the distinct life stages of C. trachomatis, analysis of temporal changes in gene expression and regulation of protein activity is the key to unravelling the mechanism of pathogenesis of this bacterium. The results of immunodetection analysis indicate that CTP synthetase is present in C. trachomatis elementary bodies and reticulate bodies and that it is widespread in other chlamydial strains. Reverse transcriptase-polymerase chain reaction (RT-PCR) and metabolic labelling experiments show that CTP synthetase is transcribed and translated primarily during the mid- and late stages of the chlamydial growth cycle. In addition, C. trachomatis CTP synthetase was transcribed with the CTP utilizing enzyme CMP-2-keto-3-deoxy-octanoic acid synthetase (CMP-KDO synthetase) as part of a polycistronic mRNA. The co-expression of these two enzymes suggests a role for CTP synthetase in lipopolysaccharide biosynthesis, potentially channelling CTP directly to CMP-KDO synthetase. The ability of the intact operon to complement CTP synthetase and CMP-KDO deficiencies in mutant Escherichia coli strains indicates that both enzymes are efficiently translated from a single messenger RNA. Kinetic analysis revealed that the C. trachomatis CTP synthetase possessed co-operativity patterns typical of both prokaryotic and eukaryotic CTP synthetases. However, the K(m) of the enzyme for UTP was lower than that of E. coli CTP synthetase, presumably in response to the low intracellular concentration of this nucleotide in C. trachomatis.
Mol Microbiol 1996 Nov
PMID:Chlamydia trachomatis CTP synthetase: molecular characterization and developmental regulation of expression. 895 11

The objective of this study was to explore the nature of the antigen-specific T cell response in giant cell arteritis by analyzing clonally expanded T cells in temporal artery specimens. In temporal artery tissue from eight patients, 10% of the T cell receptor beta chain repertoire was systematically screened for clonal T cells by reverse-transcriptase polymerase chain reaction with selected BV, BJ, and BC specific primers and by direct sequencing of the amplified product. In five additional patients tissue-derived T cell clones were characterized. All expanded clonotypes were analyzed for their presence at different sites of the inflamed artery. T cell lines were tested for their proliferation to autologous monocytes pulsed with temporal artery extracts from patients with giant cell arteritis, polymyalgia rheumatica, and unrelated diseases. Clonally expanded T cells were identified in 30% of the BV-J combinations of the sampled repertoire. A subset of these clones were encountered at different sites of the inflammation, but not in the peripheral blood. The T cell receptor beta chain sequences were diverse. The patients had between none and five such clonotypes in the sampled repertoire, suggesting that only few T cell specificities in each patient are involved in antigen recognition. One of these T cell clonotypes was shown to proliferate in response to an antigen selectively expressed in temporal artery specimens from giant cell arteritis and from polymyalgia rheumatica patients. Clonotypes with identical T cell receptor beta chain sequences can be found at distinct sites of the inflammation in giant cell arteritis, suggesting recognition of the same antigen at different locations. At least for some of these T cell clones the antigen is shared between different giant cell arteritis and polymyalgia rheumatica patients but not expressed in temporal arteries of patients with unrelated diseases. While different HLA-DR4+ patients utilize distinct T cell specificities, the actual number of responding T cells in individual patients is small and may be disease limiting.
J Mol Med (Berl) 1996 Nov
PMID:Recognition of tissue residing antigen by T cells in vasculitic lesions of giant cell arteritis. 895 56

The anion transporter, band 3, is a ubiquitous protein. It is present in brain and all other tissues examined. Not only is band 3 present in cell membranes, but also in nuclear, Golgi and mitochondria membranes. There are four isoforms of band 3, the anion exchanger (AE) proteins, thus far discovered. They are products of different genes. Lymphocytes are reported to contain AE2, but not AE1. We hypothesized that induction or up-regulation of AE1 occurs when lymphocytes are transformed as an initial event in the path to malignancy. We transformed lymphocytes containing a single base mutation with Epstein Barr Virus (EBV). The mutation of band 3, high transport band 3 (HTbd3), exhibits anion transport that is 2-3 times normal in erythrocytes which contain AE1. This facilitated our identification of AE1 since the probability that 2 different gene products would have the same mutation approaches zero. Thus, we have a base mutation in addition to linear sequence to identify AE1. A 133 base pair (bp) fragment including the affected region was amplified from the mRNA of lymphocytes from the HTbd3 mutant. AE1 primers were used to amplify regions of interest. Reverse transcriptase polymerase chain reaction (RT-PCR) was used to generate cDNA which was sequenced. The sequence of the crucial 133 base pair segment from high transport lymphocytes was 100% identical to the sequence published for the red blood cell band 3 of the same mutant. As reported previously for erythrocytes, this mutation is a C-->T base change which changes a proline to leucine in the protein sequence. Restriction enzyme digests of AE1 cDNA from normal and HTBD3 lymphocytes confirmed that the proposita was homozygous for the mutation, and showed the father to be heterozygous. Anion transport was increased in HTbd3 EBV transformed lymphocytes, as was the case with HTbd3 erythrocytes. AE2 was identified in lymphocytes by sequence. Thus, EBV transformed lymphocytes express the erythroid band 3 (AE1) in addition to AE2.
Cell Mol Biol (Noisy-le-grand) 1996 Nov
PMID:Human erythroid band 3 "anion exchanger 1" is expressed in transformed lymphocytes. 896 Jul 72

Sex hormone binding globulin (SHBG) is a high affinity binding protein for estrogens and androgens. SHBG has been found in breast tissue and cell lines through immunostaining. The goal of this series of experiments was to determine whether mRNA for SHBG is expressed in breast cancer cell lines and tumor tissue. Reverse transcriptase-polymerase chain reaction (RT-PCR) was used to detect SHBG and beta-2 microglobulin (control for tissue extractions). Three breast cancer cell lines, ZR-75-1, MCF-7, and MDA-MB-231 and 56 breast tissue samples were collected and analysed for SHBG mRNA expression. mRNA was successfully extracted from 30 of these breast tissue samples. SHBG mRNA was detected in ZR-75-1, MCF-7 and MDA-MB-231 cells, and in 11 of the breast tissue samples. Two PCR products were routinely amplified from the breast cancer cell line RNA, one at approximately 500 bp and another at approximately 300 bp. The DNA sequence of the 300 bp PCR produce was consistent with alternate splicing of the SHBG mRNA, where exon 7 is deleted, and is accompanied by a point deletion at the beginning of exon 8. SHBG protein production from the three breast cancer cell lines was detected by immunoprecipitation using an affinity purified SHBG antibody. SHBG mRNA was found in 11 of 30 samples of breast tissue. Some samples expressed only the 500 bp or the 300 bp PCR product, whereas others expressed both PCR products. The presence of SHBG mRNA in these samples was not associated with either the presence or absence of steroid receptors. SHBG mRNA is thus expressed in breast cancer cell lines, and in some breast tissue samples.
J Steroid Biochem Mol Biol 1996 Nov
PMID:Sex hormone binding globulin mRNA in human breast cancer: detection in cell lines and tumor samples. 901 Mar 21

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.
Mol Cell Biol 1997 Mar
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

Expression in the lung of procarcinogen-metabolizing P450 enzymes in the CYP3A subfamily may contribute to the initiation of pulmonary carcinogenesis by agents that require metabolic activation, such as tobacco-derived polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons. Expression and localization of CYP3A4 and CYP3A5 proteins in human lung were determined by immunohistochemistry with three antibodies, one specific for members of the CYP3A subfamily and two antipeptide antibodies specific for CYP3A4 and CYP3A5, respectively. Positive immunostaining in one or several cell types of the lung was observed in all patients with anti-CYP3A4 and anti-CYP3A5 antibodies. With the anti-CYP3A4 antibody epithelial staining was observed in five cases and staining of alveolar macrophages in 12 of 27 cases. To determine which CYP3A genes are transcribed in lung tissue, analysis by reverse-transcriptase-polymerase chain reaction with gene-specific primers for CYP3A4, CYP3A5, and CYP3A7 was performed. CYP3A5 mRNA was detected in all eight samples studied, CYP3A4 mRNA in one sample, and CYP3A7 mRNA in none of the samples. CYP3A5 was localized by immunohistochemistry in the ciliated and mucous cells of the bronchial wall, bronchial glands, bronchiolar columnar and terminal cuboidal epithelium, type I and type II alveolar epithelium, vascular and capillary endothelium, and alveolar macrophages, whereas CYP3A4 was found in bronchial glands, bronchiolar columnar and terminal epithelium, type II alveolar epithelium, and alveolar macrophages. These data establish that CYP3A5 is the predominant CYP3A form in human lung, that CYP3A4 is expressed in about 20% of individuals, and considerable variation of pulmonary expression occurs in both CYPs between individuals.
Am J Respir Cell Mol Biol 1997 Mar
PMID:Expression and localization of CYP3A4 and CYP3A5 in human lung. 907 Jun 8

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.
J Mol Evol 1997
PMID:Adaptive amino acid replacements accompanied by domain fusion in reverse transcriptase. 907 Oct 24

Mutations in the rec11 gene of Schizosaccharomyces pombe reduce meiotic recombinant frequencies by as much as a factor of 300 on chromosome III but less than a factor of 4 in the intervals tested on chromosomes I and II. To gain insight into the function of this region- (or chromosome-) specific activator of recombination, we have cloned and sequenced the rec11 gene. Meiotic crosses with rec11 disruption mutations placed the rec11 gene 6 cM from ade6 on chromosome III. Transcripts of rec11 accumulated transiently at 2-3 h after induction of melosis in a pat1-114 (Ts) mutant. Reverse transcriptase/polymerase chain reaction (RT-PCR) analysis of these transcripts revealed eight introns. The spliced RNA is predicted to encode a polypeptide of 923 amino acids with only very limited homology to reported proteins. The transient accumulation of rec11 transcripts and the phenotype of rec11 mutations suggest that the novel rec11 gene product acts early in meiosis to activate recombination preferentially on chromosome III.
Mol Microbiol 1997 Mar
PMID:Region-specific meiotic recombination in Schizosaccharomyces pombe: the rec11 gene. 907 25

This study examines how interleukin-6 (IL-6) expression by human luteinizing granulosa cells is regulated. IL-6 was assayed in culture supernatants, mRNA in cells by in situ hybridization and by a competitive reverse-transcriptase polymerase chain reaction (RT-PCR). TNF alpha (100 pg-1 ng/ml) induced IL-6 mRNA and protein. Phorbol 12-myristate 13-acetate (PMA) (50 nM) mimicked this effect. DibutyrylcAMP (1 mM) and 10 microM forskolin. C2-, C6- and C8-ceramide (15 microM), all had no effect. The inhibitor of protein tyrosine kinase (PTK), genistein (100 micrograms/ml) reduced tumor necrosis factor (TNF) effects. The inhibitors of protein kinase C (PKC) (staurosporine, 10 nM), of phospholipase C (U73122, 2 microM), of phospholipase A2 (PLA2), (indomethacin 30 microM, mepacrin 50 microM, nordihydroguaiaretic acid 10 microM, ONO-RS-082 3,5 microM), none prevented it. Hence, IL-6 is induced by TNF alpha via activation of PTK. Protein kinase A, phosphoinositide and conventional PKC, sphingomyelin and PLA2 pathways are not implicated.
Mol Cell Endocrinol 1997 Feb 07
PMID:Tumor necrosis factor-alpha induces interleukin-6 mRNA and protein in human granulosa luteinizing cells via protein tyrosine kinase without involving ceramide. 908 55


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