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)

Interferon (IFN)-inducible double-stranded RNA-activated protein kinase (PKR) is thought to play a key antiviral role against hepatitis C virus (HCV). However, demonstrating the importance of PKR expression on HCV protein synthesis in the presence or absence of IFN has proven difficult in vivo. In the present experiment, full-length HCV constructs were transiently transfected into two cell lines stably expressing T7 RNA polymerase. HCV expression was monitored under conditions of upregulated or downregulated PKR expression. In addition, IFN was monitored during downregulation of PKR. HCV expression effectively increased PKR expression, as well as that of its regulated proteins. PKR was obviously knocked down by PKR-specific siRNA, which resulted in significantly increased HCV core protein levels. Conversely, over-expression of PKR significantly suppressed HCV core levels in both cell lines. Furthermore, IFN induced high levels of PKR, whereas downregulation of PKR reversed IFN's antiviral effects and increased HCV core levels. Based on these results, it appears that HCV protein expression is directly dependent on PKR expression. PKR is antiviral toward HCV and responsible for IFN's effect against HCV.
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PMID:Hepatitis C virus expression and interferon antiviral action is dependent on PKR expression. 1759 33

Sigma factors encoded by the nucleus of plants confer promoter specificity on the bacterial-type RNA polymerase in chloroplasts. We previously showed that transcripts of OsSIG1, which encodes one such sigma factor in rice, accumulate relatively late during leaf development. We have now isolated and characterized two allelic mutants of OsSIG1, in which OsSIG1 is disrupted by insertion of the retrotransposon Tos17, in order to characterize the functions of OsSIG1. The OsSIG1-/- plants were found to be fertile but they manifested an approximately one-third reduction in the chlorophyll content of mature leaves. Quantitative RT-PCR and northern blot analyses of chloroplast gene expression revealed that the abundance of transcripts derived from the psaA operon was markedly reduced in OsSIG1-/- plants compared with that in wild-type homozygotes. This effect was accompanied by a reduction in the abundance of the core protein complex (PsaA-PsaB) of photosystem I. Analysis of chlorophyll fluorescence also revealed a substantial reduction in the rate of electron transfer from photosystem II to photosystem I in the OsSIG1 mutants. Our results thus indicate that OsSIG1 plays an important role in the maintenance of photosynthetic activity in mature chloroplasts of rice by regulating expression of chloroplast genes for components of photosystem I.
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PMID:The plastid sigma factor SIG1 maintains photosystem I activity via regulated expression of the psaA operon in rice chloroplasts. 1765 66

The chondroitin sulfate proteoglycan DSD-1-PG/phosphacan represents one of four splice variants of receptor-protein-tyrosine-phosphatase-beta/zeta (RPTPbeta/zeta). This receptor is expressed by glial cells and occurs in two isoforms, RPTPbeta(long) and RPTPbeta(short). The secreted forms phosphacan and phosphacan short isoform (PSI) bind to extracellular matrix and adhesion molecules and might mediate astroglial effects on neuronal differentiation. Phosphacan and RPTPbeta(long) both carry the DSD-1 epitope, a glycosaminoglycan modification that is involved in stimulating neurite outgrowth of embryonic rat mesencephalic and hippocampal neurons in a polycationic environment. Additionally, phosphacan inhibits neurite outgrowth of embryonic DRG neurons in the presence of laminin. In the light of these functional properties we examined the expression patterns of the DSD-1 epitope and phosphacan isoforms in the developing mouse visual system. During retinal development the DSD-1 epitope appears around embryonic day (E)13, peaks around postnatal day (P)6, and is downregulated from P9 to adolescence. By comparison, the phosphacan core protein is first detectable at E12, reaches maximal levels around P14, and persists, although at lower levels, to adulthood. The DSD-1 epitope is restricted to the nerve fiber and the inner plexiform layers. In contrast, the phosphacan core protein immunoreactivity extends from the nerve fiber layer to the outer plexiform layer. The level of expression of the phosphacan/RPTPbeta gene was investigated by reverse-transcriptase polymerase chain reaction. These experiments suggest that there is a shift in the expression patterns of the different phosphacan/RPTPbeta isoforms during late embryonic and postnatal development. In situ hybridization experiments support the conclusion that at least one of the phosphacan/RPTPbeta isoforms in the retina is expressed by neurons.
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PMID:Differential expression of phosphacan/RPTPbeta isoforms in the developing mouse visual system. 1772 31

Since the first report of frameshifting in HCV-1, its sequence has been the paradigm for examining the mechanism that directs alternative translation of the hepatitis C virus (HCV) genome. The region encoding the core protein from this strain contains a cluster of 10 adenines at codons 8-11, which is thought to direct programmed ribosomal frameshifting (PRF), but formal evidence for this process has not been established unequivocally. To identify the mechanisms of frameshifting, this study used a bicistronic dual luciferase reporter system in a coupled transcription/translation in vitro assay. This approach revealed +1 as well as -1 frameshifting, whereas point mutations, selectively introduced between codons 8 and 11, demonstrated that PRF did not readily account for frameshifting in strain HCV-1. Sequence analysis of cDNAs derived from RNA transcribed by T7 RNA polymerase in the dual luciferase reporter system, as well as in both a subgenomic replicon and an infectious clone derived from strain JFH1, identified additions and deletions of adenines between codons 8 and 11 due to transcriptional slippage (TS). Moreover, RNA isolated from cells infected with virus generated by JFH1 containing the A-rich tract also contained heterogeneity in the adenine sequence, strongly suggesting TS by the NS5B viral polymerase. These findings have important implications for insight into frameshifting events in HCV-1 and demonstrate for the first time the involvement of transcriptional slippage in this recoding event.
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PMID:Transcriptional slippage prompts recoding in alternate reading frames in the hepatitis C virus (HCV) core sequence from strain HCV-1. 1855 26

Translation initiation of hepatitis C virus (HCV) occurs through an internal ribosome entry site (IRES) located at its 5'-end. As a positive-stranded RNA virus, HCV uses its genome as a common template for translation and replication, but the coordination between these two processes remains poorly characterized. Moreover, although genetic evidence of RNA-protein interactions for viral replication is accumulating because of subgenomic replicons and a recent culture system for HCV, such interactions are still contentious in the regulation of translation. To gain insight into such mechanisms, we addressed the involvement of cis and trans viral factors in HCV IRES activity by using a cell-based RNA reporter system. We found that the HCV 3' noncoding region (NCR) strongly stimulates IRES efficiency in cis, depending on the genotype and the cell line. Moreover, we confirmed the role of the core protein in viral gene expression as previously reported in vitro. Surprisingly, we observed a similar effect, i.e. a twofold increase under low amounts of NS5B RNA polymerase, followed by a decrease at higher concentrations. However, no contribution of NS5A to HCV IRES-mediated translation was noted and no cooperative effect could be detected between 3' NCR and viral proteins or between proteins. Collectively, these results suggest that HCV RNA translation is regulated, and that the switch from translation to replication might involve a sequential requirement for both cis and trans viral factors, because of their apparent lack of synergy, probably with the aid of host factors.
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PMID:Hepatitis C virus internal ribosome entry site-mediated translation is stimulated by cis-acting RNA elements and trans-acting viral factors. 1863 18

The vaccinia viral vector containing T7 promoter was used to construct the expression plasmids carrying HCV structural genes of C, El and E2/NS1. These genes were transiently expressed in mammalian cells in the presence of the T7 RNA polymerase which was provided by the recombinant vaccinia virus vTT7. Expression of mature core protein, envelope protein El and E2 was detected by Western blot using HCV patient sera as the primary antibodies. It was found that the sera from different HCV patients reacted differently with the expressed products, so did the sera collected at different times from the same patient, from whom the HCV structural genes were isolated. Among six mammalian cell lines, Vero and HeLa were the most suitable for the expression of C, El and E2-The recombinant vaccinia viruses have been constructed to constantly produce the C, El and E2 proteins for further research.
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PMID:Expression of structural proteins of hepatitis C virus (HCV) in mammalian cells. 1872 70

A minor core protein, VP6, of bluetongue virus (BTV) possesses nucleoside triphosphatase, RNA binding, and helicase activities. Although the enzymatic functions of VP6 have been documented in vitro using purified protein, its definitive role in BTV replication remains unclear. In this study, using a recently developed T7 transcript-based reverse genetics system for BTV, we examined the importance of VP6 in virus replication. We show that VP6 is active early in replication, consistent with a role as part of the transcriptase or packaging complex, and that its action can be provided in trans by a newly developed complementary cell line. Furthermore, the genomic segment encoding VP6 was mutated to reveal the cis-acting sequences required for replication or packaging, which subsequently enabled the construction of a chimeric BTV expressing enhanced green fluorescent protein. These data confirm that one of the 10 genome segments of BTV can be replaced with a chimeric RNA containing the essential packaging and replication signals of BTV and the coding sequence of a foreign gene.
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PMID:Bluetongue virus VP6 acts early in the replication cycle and can form the basis of chimeric virus formation. 1955 29

We have studied myoblasts from a patient with a severe autosomal dominant Emery-Dreifuss muscular dystrophy (AD-EDMD) caused by an arginine 545 to cystein point mutation (p.R545C) in the carboxy-terminal domain of the lamin A/C gene. This mutation has pleiotropic cellular effects on these myoblasts as demonstrated by nuclear structural defects, exhibiting lobulations which increase with cell passages in culture. The organization of both lamin A/C and its inner nuclear membrane partner emerin are altered, eventually showing a honeycomb pattern upon immunofluorescence microscopy. In addition, the distribution of histone H3 trimethylated at lysine 27 and of phosphorylated RNA polymerase II, markers of inactive and active chromatin domains, respectively, are altered suggesting an impact on gene expression. Patient myoblasts also presented a high index of senescence in ex vivo culture. Moreover, our data show for the first time in an AD-EDMD context that the 20S core particle of the proteasome was inactivated. With cell passages, the 20S core protein progressively accumulated into discrete nuclear foci that largely colocalized with promyelocytic leukemia (PML) bodies while p21 accumulated throughout the nuclear compartment. Proteasome inactivation has been linked to normal cellular ageing. Our data indicate that it may also contribute to premature senescence in AD-EDMD patient myoblasts. Finally, when transferred to low-serum medium, patient myoblasts were deficient in ex vivo differentiation, as assessed by the absence of myotube formation and myogenin induction. Altogether, these data suggest that the LMNA mutation p.R545C impairs both proliferation and differentiation capacities of myoblasts as part of the pathogenesis of AD-EDMD.
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PMID:Impaired nuclear functions lead to increased senescence and inefficient differentiation in human myoblasts with a dominant p.R545C mutation in the LMNA gene. 1958 17

Mitochondrial RNA polymerase (POLRMT) is a core protein for mitochondrial DNA (mtDNA) transcription. In addition, POLRMT is assumed to be involved in replication, although its exact role is not yet clearly elucidated. We have found novel properties of human POLRMT using a reconstituted transcription system. Various lengths of RNA molecules were synthesized from templates even without a defined promoter sequence, when we used supercoiled circular double-stranded DNA as a template. This promoter-independent activity was as strong as the promoter-dependent one. Promoter-independent DNA conformation-dependent transcription required TFB2M. On supercoiled templates, the promoter-independent activity was strongly suppressed by a putatively physiological amount of TFAM, while promoter-dependent transcription was inhibited to a lesser extent. These different inhibition patterns by TFAM may be important for prevention of random RNA synthesis in vivo. Promoter-independent activity was also observed on relaxed circular single-stranded DNA, where its activity no longer required TFB2M. RNA synthesis on single-stranded DNA was weakly suppressed by a putatively physiological amount of TFAM but restored by the addition of mitochondrial single-stranded DNA binding protein. We suggest that these properties of POLRMT could explain the characteristic features of mammalian mtDNA transcription and replication.
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PMID:DNA conformation-dependent activities of human mitochondrial RNA polymerase. 1962 53

There are two recognized poxviruses that are associated with disease in tree squirrels: squirrel fibroma virus (SQFV), Leporipoxvirus, which affects eastern grey squirrels (Sciurus carolinensis) in eastern North America, and squirrelpox virus (SQPV), a member of a newly identified poxvirus genus, which affects European red squirrels (Sciurus vulgaris) in the United Kingdom. In August 2008, a cutaneous poxvirus-associated disease was identified in a North American red squirrel (Tamiasciurus hudsonicus) from the Yukon Territory, Canada. The gross and microscopic appearance of the skin lesions was more consistent with SQPV than SQFV, and electron microscopy revealed poxvirions only within epithelial cells. Polymerase chain reaction (PCR) was used to identify poxvirus core protein encoding DNA in skin samples, and phylogenetic analysis showed that the inferred amino acid sequence was distinct from all other poxvirus species for which the core protein gene has been sequenced, including those of the genus Leporipoxvirus. Although the core protein sequence of SQPV was not available, comparison of the constructed phylogenetic tree to other published trees, based on major outer envelope proteins, revealed that the identified sequence occupies a position similar to SQPV in terms of its relationship to other poxviruses. However, PCR primers designed to amplify gene sequences encoding the SQPV major envelope protein and RNA polymerase did not amplify any sequences from infected tissues. These findings suggest that the virus present in this squirrel is a novel poxvirus of North American red squirrels. To our knowledge, this is the first case of poxvirus infection in Canadian squirrels outside of Ontario.
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PMID:Poxvirus infection in an American red squirrel (Tamiasciurus hudsonicus) from northwestern Canada. 1990 87


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