Gene/Protein Disease Symptom Drug Enzyme Compound
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Query: EC:2.7.7.6 (RNA polymerase)
34,946 document(s) hit in 31,850,051 MEDLINE articles (0.00 seconds)

A simple method for the purification of human placental nuclei is described. Nuclei were isolated by homogenizing tissue in standard saline citrate solution in the presence of zinc chloride to stabilize the nuclear membranes, NP40 as non-ionic detergent and sodium bisulphite for inhibition of proteolytic activity. Nuclei purification was achieved by low-speed centrifugation through a discontinuous sucrose gradient. The purified nuclei were evaluated by morphological criteria using phase contrast and electron microscopy. The extent of contamination by cytoplasmic debris was estimated by Papanicolaou's staining technique. Biochemical criteria include measurements of alkaline phosphatase activity as a plasma membrane enzyme marker and DNA-dependent RNA polymerase activity for the functional integrity of nuclear components. Transcriptionally active nuclei were obtained but the yield of nuclei was low; however, this low yield is compensated by the high degree of purity, the simplicity of the method and the functional and morphological integrity of the purified nuclei.
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PMID:Low-speed purification of human placental nuclei. 652 84

By use of poly(dA-dT) as template and Escherichia coli RNA polymerase, several metal ions were tested for their effect on the efficiency of transcription and on the misincorporation of CMP into the poly(rA-rU) product. In the presence of 10 mM MgCl2, Mn2+ has a stimulatory effect on the transcription, Co2+ has very little effect on the reaction, Cu2+ and Zn2+ are strongly inhibitory, and Cd2+ and Ni2+ are less inhibitory. The background misincorporation of CMP in the presence of MgCl2 is about 1 nucleotide per 2000 correct nucleotides incorporated and is independent of Mg2+ concentration. Zn2+, Ca2+, Sr2+, Li+, Na+, and K+--all nonmutagenic and noncarcinogenic--do not increase misincorporation. Mn2+ causes a concentration-dependent threefold increase in the misincorporation that can be slightly reversed at higher MgCl2 concentrations. Cd2+ causes a dramatic increase in the misincorporation with increasing CdCl2 concentration that can be substantially overcome by higher concentrations of Mg2+. Cu2+ also increases the misincorporation, Ni2+ slightly increases it, and Co2+ does not increase it at all. Several control experiments indicate that the misincorporation of CMP is dependent on the template-directed synthesis of poly(rA-rU). Nearest-neighbor analysis indicates that CMP is incorporated in place of UMP into the poly(rA-rU) product. The increase in misincorporation appears to be related both to the "hard-soft" character of the metal ions and to their carcinogenic potential.
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PMID:Effect of several metal ions on misincorporation during transcription. 702 4

Transcriptional elongation involves dynamic interactions among RNA polymerase and single-stranded and double-stranded nucleic acids in the ternary complex. In prokaryotes its regulation provides an important mechanism of genetic control. Analogous eukaryotic mechanisms are not well understood, but may control expression of proto-oncogenes and viruses, including the human immunodeficiency virus HIV-1 (ref. 8). The highly conserved eukaryotic transcriptional elongation factor TFIIS enables RNA polymerase II (RNAPII) to read though pause or termination sites, nucleosomes and sequence-specific DNA-binding proteins. Two distinct domains of human TFIIS, which bind RNAPII and nucleic acids, regulate read-through and possibly nascent transcript cleavage. Here we describe the three-dimensional NMR structure of a Cys4 nucleic-acid-binding domain from human TFIIS. Unlike previously characterized zinc modules, which contain an alpha-helix, this structure consists of a three-stranded beta-sheet. Analogous Cys4 structural motifs may occur in other proteins involved in DNA or RNA transactions, including RNAPII itself. This new structure, designated the Zn ribbon, extends the repertoire of Zn-mediated peptide architectures and highlights the growing recognition of the beta-sheet as a motif of nucleic-acid recognition.
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PMID:Structure of a new nucleic-acid-binding motif in eukaryotic transcriptional elongation factor TFIIS. 762 41

The selenocysteine tRNA gene (tRNA(Sec)) is atypical. Though transcribed by RNA polymerase III like all other tRNA genes, its basal promoter elements are distinct and reside essentially upstream of the coding region. In addition, transcription from the basal promoter is activated by a 15 bp activator element. In this report we describe the cloning and functional characterization of Staf (selenocysteine tRNA gene transcription activating factor), a novel Xenopus laevis transcription factor which binds to the tRNA(Sec) activator element and mediates its activation properties. The 600 amino acid Staf protein contains seven zinc fingers and a separate acidic activation domain. Seven highly conserved regions were detected between Staf and human ZNF76, a protein of unknown function, thereby aiding in predicting the locations of the functional domains of Staf. With the use of a novel expression assay in X.laevis oocytes we succeeded in demonstrating that Staf can activate the RNA polymerase III promoter of the tRNA(Sec) gene. This constitutes the first demonstration of the capacity of a cloned factor to activate RNA polymerase III transcription in vivo.
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PMID:Staf, a novel zinc finger protein that activates the RNA polymerase III promoter of the selenocysteine tRNA gene. 764 96

Four cDNAs encoding human polypeptides hRPB7.0, hRPB7.6, hRPB17, and hRPB14.4 (referred to as Hs10 alpha, Hs10 beta, Hs8, and Hs6, respectively), homologous to the ABC10 alpha, ABC10 beta, ABC14.5, and ABC23 RNA polymerase subunits (referred to as Sc10 alpha, Sc10 beta, Sc8, and Sc6, respectively) of Saccharomyces cerevisiae, were cloned and characterized for their ability to complement defective yeast mutants. Hs10 alpha and the corresponding Sp10 alpha of Schizosaccharomyces pombe can complement an S. cerevisiae mutant (rpc10-delta::HIS3) defective in Sc10 alpha. The peptide sequences are highly conserved in their carboxy-terminal halves, with an invariant motif CX2CX12RCX2CGXR corresponding to a canonical zinc-binding domain. Hs10 beta, Sc10 beta, and the N subunit of archaeal RNA polymerase are homologous. An invariant CX2CGXnCCR motif presumably forms an atypical zinc-binding domain. Hs10 beta, but not the archaeal subunit, complemented an S. cerevisiae mutant (rpb10-delta 1::HIS3) lacking Sc10 beta. Hs8 complemented a yeast mutant (rpb8-delta 1::LYS2) defective in the corresponding Sc8 subunit, although with a strong thermosensitive phenotype. Interspecific complementation also occurred with Hs6 and with the corresponding Dm6 cDNA of Drosophila melanogaster. Hs6 cDNA and the Sp6 cDNA of S. pombe are dosage-dependent suppressors of rpo21-4, a mutation generating a slowly growing yeast defective in the largest subunit of RNA polymerase II. Finally, a doubly chimeric S. cerevisiae strain bearing the Sp6 cDNA and the human Hs10 beta cDNA was also viable. No interspecific complementation was observed for the human hRPB25 (Hs5) homolog of the yeast ABC27 (Sc5) subunit.
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PMID:Four subunits that are shared by the three classes of RNA polymerase are functionally interchangeable between Homo sapiens and Saccharomyces cerevisiae. 765 87

Available evidence suggests a double-pathway two-staged genetic alteration in the pathogenesis of Chronic Myeloid Leukaemia (CML). The regular Ph' defect results in BCR-ABL gene chimaerism on the one hand and suppressed synthesis of the protein responsible for Zn absorption on the other. The resulting Zn deficiency leads, through its metalloenzymes, to a low NAP activity and depressed DNA & RNA polymerase activities: the latter necessitates an adaptive mechanism to sustain cell division despite low zinc. This adaptation is in the form of another gene alteration; a point mutation in the BCR-ABL chimaeric gene, now an oncogene, whose onco-proteins are zinc-independent and stimulate cell division more efficiently (though abnormally also) than the polymerases while defying the usual mechanisms regulating DNA synthesis and cell division. Thus it seems possible that assisted transcellular zinc transport could prevent development of CML in Ph'-positive individuals and the enhanced (abnormal) cellular proliferation might be specifically inhibited.
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PMID:Possible significance of Ph, zinc and BCR-ABL chimaerism in the pathogenesis of chronic myeloid leukaemia. 766 34

Antitermination of early transcription in phage HK022 requires no virus-encoded proteins and thus differs from antitermination by other lambdoid phages. It does require cis-acting phage sequences, which may be analogous to the lambdoid nut sites. To identify host proteins involved in antitermination, we isolated 14 Escherichia coli mutants that are specifically blocked in HK022 growth. The mutations are located in the rpoC gene, which encodes the beta' subunit of RNA polymerase. Each mutation alters one of three amino acid residues located within a cluster of four completely conserved cysteine residues that are believed to bind zinc. We examined the effect of one mutation on HK022 antitermination in vivo. rpoCY75N greatly reduced readthrough of a strong rho-independent transcription terminator placed downstream of the HK022 PL promoter and nutL analog, but did not decrease promoter activity. Purified enzyme had a similar effect on PL-directed transcription in vitro: wild-type but not mutant polymerase read through a strong rho-independent terminator located immediately downstream of the nutL analog with high efficiency. We suggest that interaction of the putative zinc-binding domain of the RNA polymerase beta' subunit with the HK022 antitermination sites suppresses transcription termination, and that this interaction can occur in the absence of other proteins.
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PMID:A zinc-binding region in the beta' subunit of RNA polymerase is involved in antitermination of early transcription of phage HK022. 775 39

The yeast shi mutation affects the spacing between the TATA promoter element and transcription initiation sites; for the H2B and ADH1 genes, a series of start sites located approximately 50-80 bp downstream of TATA is used in addition to the wild-type initiation sites located at around 100 bp from TATA (1). Here, the yeast SHI wild-type gene has been isolated by complementation and shown to be identical to RPB9, the gene encoding a small subunit of RNA polymerase II. A point mutation in the shi gene, changing a cysteine residue in a putative zinc ribbon motif into a phenylalanine residue, was demonstrated to permit the observed usage of upstream initiation sites. Deletion of the non-essential SHI gene also results in usage of upstream initiation sites and causes conditional growth defects.
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PMID:Role of a small RNA pol II subunit in TATA to transcription start site spacing. 780 Apr 82

Kell is one of the major blood group systems in human erythrocytes. It is a complex system containing a large number of different antigens. Previously we cloned the Kell cDNA, which was predicted to encode an integral membrane protein with 731 amino acids. Now we have isolated overlapping genomic clones and determined the exon-intron structure of the KEL gene; it spans approximately 21.5 kb with its coding sequence being organized in 19 exons that range in size from 63 bp to 288 bp. The size of introns ranges from 93 bp to approximately 6 kb. The donor and acceptor splice sites all conform to the consensus splicing sequences. Exon 1 encodes only the initiation amino acid, methionine, and contains a consensus Sp1 binding site. The single membrane spanning region of Kell protein is encoded in exon 3 and the putative zinc endopeptidase active site is in exon 16. The amino acids encoded by the 19 exons are identical to those of a person with a common Kell phenotype, as determined by RNA polymerase chain reaction of peripheral blood. Amplification of cDNA 5' ends, derived from human fetal liver, indicated three transcription initiation sites located 30, 81, and 120 bp upstream of the initiation codon. The 5' flanking region of KEL from -176 does not contain a TATA sequence, but has possible GATA-1 binding sites and has significant promoter activity when determined by chloramphenicol acetyltransferase activity in K562 cells.
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PMID:Organization of the gene encoding the human Kell blood group protein. 863 75

The functions of individual basal transcription factors during the formation of an initiation complex by RNA polymerase II remain largely unknown. Transcription factor IIE (TFIIE) has recently been shown to bind to multiple targets in the initiation complex. To assess the role of zinc binding in basal transcription, we have mutated the predicted zinc-finger domain of human TFIIE. Atomic absorption spectroscopy using purified recombinant proteins revealed that the large subunit, TFIIE-56, is indeed a zinc-binding protein. Mutation of a cysteine residue in the putative zinc-finger domain abolished zinc binding. Moreover, mutant TFIIE-56 failed to support reconstituted basal transcription in vitro, suggesting that zinc binding is required for TFIIE function. However, gel-filtration experiments and protein affinity experiments suggest that mutant TFIIE-56 forms a stable heterotetramer with the small subunit, TFIIE-34, that is similar to wild type. Interestingly, gel mobility shift experiments reveal that loss of transcriptional activity by mutant TFIIE is correlated with its inability to stably assemble into the transcription complex. These findings establish that zinc binding by TFIIE may help form a specific structure that is required for stable entry into the transcription complex.
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PMID:Transcriptional activity of transcription factor IIE is dependent on zinc binding. 793


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