A G protein gamma subunit shares homology with ras proteins

Guanine nucleotide binding proteins (G proteins) that transduce signals from cell surface receptors to effector molecules are made up of three subunits, alpha, beta, and gamma. A complementary DNA clone that encodes a 71-amino acid protein was isolated from bovine brain; this protein contains peptide sequences that were derived from the purified gamma subunit of Gi and Go. The primary sequence of this G protein gamma subunit (G gamma) has 55 percent homology to the gamma subunit of transducin (T gamma) and also has homology to functional domains of mammalian ras proteins. The probe for isolating the clone was generated with the use of the polymerase chain reaction (PCR). The extent of divergence between T gamma and G gamma, the isolation of homologous PCR-generated fragments, and the differences between the predicted amino acid sequence of G gamma and that derived from the gamma subunit of Gi and Go indicate that gamma subunits are encoded by a family of genes.     

Homologies between signal transducing G proteins and ras gene products

The guanosine triphosphate-binding proteins (G proteins) found in a variety of tissues transduce signals generated by ligand binding to cell surface receptors into changes in intracellular metabolism. Amino acid sequences of peptides prepared by partial proteolysis of the alpha subunit of a bovine brain G protein and the alpha subunit of rod outer-segment transducin were determined. The two proteins show regions of sequence identity as well as regions of diversity. A portion of the amino-terminal peptide sequence of each protein is highly homologous with the corresponding region in the ras protein (a protooncogene product). These similarities suggest that G proteins and ras proteins may have analogous functions.     

Nucleotide sequence and expression of the diphtheria tox228 gene in Escherichia coli

The complete nucleotide sequence of the diphtheria tox228 gene encoding the nontoxic serologically related protein CRM228 has been determined. A comparison of the predicted amino acid sequence with the available amino acid sequences from the wild-type toxin made it possible to deduce essentially the entire nucleotide sequence of the wild-type tox gene. The signal peptide of pro-diphtheria toxin and the putative tox promoter have been identified, a highly symmetrical nucleotide sequence downstream of the toxin gene has been detected; this region may be the corynebacteriophage beta attachment site (attP). The cloned toxin gene was expressed at a low level in Escherichia coli.     

A model for the tertiary structure of p21, the product of the ras oncogene

A model was developed for the structure of p21, the protein with a molecular weight of 21,000 that is produced by the ras genes. This model predicts that p21 consists of a central core of beta-sheet structure, connected by loops and alpha helices. Four of these loops comprise the guanine nucleotide binding site. The phosphoryl binding region is made up of amino acid sequences from 10 to 16 and from 57 to 63 of p21. The latter sequence may contain a site for magnesium binding. Amino acids defining guanine specificity are Asn-116 and Asp-119, and sequences around amino acid 145 may contribute to guanine binding. The model makes it possible to visualize how oncogenic mutations of p21 affect interaction with guanine nucleotides.     

枯草芽孢杆菌新抗病基因aiiA的克隆

枯草芽孢杆菌内生亚种BS-1aiiA基因测序结果表明,该基因(GenBank登录号DQ000640)由753个碱基组成,其编码的蛋白质含有250个氨基酸残基,与10个已报道的具有减弱欧文氏菌胡萝卜亚种致病力的AiiA蛋白酶氨基酸序列总的相似性为82%.它们均含有相同的氨基酸序列保守区.Signal P分析结果显示,BS-1 AiiA没有信号肽序列,并利用Swiss-model预测、分析了BS-1 AiiA蛋白的三维结构.     

Three-dimensional structure of an oncogene protein: catalytic domain of human c-H-ras p21

The crystal structure at 2.7 A resolution of the normal human c-H-ras oncogene protein lacking a flexible carboxyl-terminal 18 residue reveals that the protein consists of a six-stranded beta sheet, four alpha helices, and nine connecting loops. Four loops are involved in interactions with bound guanosine diphosphate: one with the phosphates, another with the ribose, and two with the guanine base. Most of the transforming proteins (in vivo and in vitro) have single amino acid substitutions at one of a few key positions in three of these four loops plus one additional loop. The biological functions of the remaining five loops and other exposed regions are at present unknown. However, one loop corresponds to the binding site for a neutralizing monoclonal antibody and another to a putative "effector region"; mutations in the latter region do not alter guanine nucleotide binding or guanosine triphosphatase activity but they do reduce the transforming activity of activated proteins. The data provide a structural basis for understanding the known biochemical properties of normal as well as activated ras oncogene proteins and indicate additional regions in the molecule that may possibly participate in other cellular functions.     

The DNA-binding properties of the major regulatory protein alpha 4 of herpes simplex viruses

The transition from the expression of alpha, the first set of five herpes simplex virus genes expressed after infection, to beta and gamma genes, expressed later in infection, requires the participation of infected cell protein 4 (alpha 4), the major viral regulatory protein. The alpha 4 protein is present in complexes formed by proteins extracted from infected cells and viral DNA fragments derived from promoter domains. This report shows that the alpha 4 protein forms specific complexes with DNA fragments derived from 5' transcribed noncoding domains of late (gamma 2) genes whose expression requires viral DNA synthesis as well as functional alpha 4 protein. Some of the DNA fragments to which alpha 4 binds do not contain homologs of the previously reported DNA binding site consensus sequence, suggesting that alpha 4 may recognize and interact with more than one type of DNA binding site. The alpha 4 proteins can bind to DNA directly. A posttranslationally modified form of the alpha 4 protein designated alpha 4c differs from the alpha 4a and alpha 4b forms with respect to its affinity for DNA fragments differing in the nucleotide sequences of the binding sites.     

Cloning of Thymidine Kinase Gene of Duck Plague Virus Using Degenerate PCR

The DNA of duck plague virus （DPV） thymidine kinase （TK） gene was cloned and sequenced from a vaccine virus in the study. Degenerate oligonucleotide primers for the consensus site of herpesvirus UL24, TK, and glycoprotein H（gH） gene were used in the polymerase chain reaction （PCR） to amplify DNA product with 3 741-base-pairs （bp） in size. DNA sequence analysis revealed a 1 077-base-pairs （bp） open reading frame （ORF） encoding a 358 amino acid polypeptide homologous to herpesvirus TK proteins. The predicted TK protein shared 31.2, 41.3, 35.7, 37.4, and 28.4% identity with herpes simplex virus typel, equine herpesvirus type 4, Marek＇s disease virus 2, herpesvirus turkey, and infectious laryngotracheitis virus, respectively. Comparison of the amino acid sequences of other herpesvirus TK proteins showed that these proteins were not conserved on the whole, otherwise the portion of the TK proteins corresponding to the nucleotide binding domain and the nucleoside binding site were highly conserved among herpesvirus. Comparison with the amino acid sequences of the conserved nucleotide and nucleoside binding domains of other eleven herpesvirus TK proteins to the predicted DPV peptide confirmed its identity as the DPV TK protein.     

Primary structure of v-raf: relatedness to the src family of oncogenes

A replication-defective, acute transforming retrovirus (murine sarcoma virus 3611) was isolated from mouse and molecularly cloned. The nucleotide sequence of 1.5 kilobases encompassing the transforming gene (v-raf) was determined. This sequence, which predicts the amino acid sequence of a gag-raf fusion protein, terminates 180 nucleotides from the 3' end of the acquired cellular sequence. Comparison of the predicted amino acid sequence of v-raf with the predicted amino acid sequences of other oncogenes reveals significant homologies to the src family of oncogenes. There is a lack of homology within the sequence of the tyrosine acceptor domain described for the phosphotyrosine kinase members of the src family of transforming proteins. Phylogenetic arrangement of this family of oncogenes suggests that tyrosine-specific phosphorylation may be a recently acquired activity.     

小麦蓝矮植原体免疫膜蛋白（Imp）基因的克隆和分子特性分析

 【目的】探讨小麦蓝矮植原体免疫膜蛋白在介体-病原-寄主互作的分子机理。【方法】通过植原体免疫膜蛋白基因序列两侧的保守区设计引物对Imp 1051/Imp 2265,用PCR方法扩增小麦蓝矮植原体免疫膜蛋白基因;对扩增片段的最大开放阅读框和基因的同源矩阵、系统发育树分析;对克隆基因所编码蛋白进行跨膜区、亲疏水区和前导信号序列分析。【结果】从小麦蓝矮病病株和接种长春花中均扩增到约1.0 kb的特异片段,其中小麦蓝矮植原体免疫膜蛋白基因长495 bp,推导的编码蛋白含有164个氨基酸。与10种植原体的免疫膜蛋白基因进行序列同源性分析,小麦蓝矮与三叶草绿变植原体同源性最高,核苷酸和编码的氨基酸序列的同源率分别为98.4％和95.1％。蛋白质结构分析结果表明：小麦蓝矮免疫膜蛋白N端有一个跨膜的前导信号序列,C端为跨膜锚定区,中间为膜外亲水区。【结论】小麦蓝矮植原体与三叶草绿变、翠菊黄化、洋葱黄化和泡桐丛枝植原体的免疫膜蛋白为同型蛋白。     

Pertussis toxin gene: nucleotide sequence and genetic organization

The current pertussis vaccines, although efficacious, in some instances produce undesirable side effects. Molecular engineering of pertussis toxin, the major protective antigen, could provide a safer, new generation of vaccines against whooping cough. As a first critical step in the development of such a vaccine, the complete nucleotide sequence of the pertussis toxin gene was determined and the amino acid sequences of the individual subunits were deduced. All five subunits are coded by closely linked cistrons. A promoter-like structure was found in the 5'-flanking region, suggesting that the toxin is expressed through a polycistronic messenger RNA. The order of the cistrons is S1, S2, S4, S5, and S3. All subunits contain signal peptides of variable length. The calculated molecular weights of the mature subunits are 26,024 for S1, 21,924 for S2, 21,873 for S3, 12,058 for S4, and 11,013 for S5. Subunits S2 and S3 share 70% amino acid homology and 75% nucleotide homology. Subunit S1 contains two regions of eight amino acids homologous to analogous regions in the A subunit of both cholera and Escherichia coli heat labile toxins.     

蜜蜂磷酸丙糖异构酶基因(AmTpi)全长cDNA的电子克隆及其验证

用电子克隆的方法获得蜜蜂(Apis mellifera)磷酸丙糖异构酶基因(triosephosphate isomerase,Tpi),对该基因序列进行克隆及生物信息学分析.结果表明,该基因全长1768 bp,具有完整的开放阅读框架(ORF),编码247个氨基酸的蛋白;其编码的氨基酸序列与果蝇(Drosophila melanogaster)、家蚕(Bombyxmori)、黄粉虫(Tenebrio molitor)、按蚊(Anopheles gambiae)、烟蚜夜蛾(Heliothis virescens)的磷酸丙糖异构酶的蛋白序列具有较高的保守性.     

3个品种鸡α干扰素基因的克隆与序列分析*

 根据GenBank中鸡α干扰素（IFN-α）基因序列设计1对引物,应用PCR技术直接从鸡肝组织基因组中扩增罗曼鸡、海兰鸡及固始鸡α干扰素基因,并进行克隆和测序。结果表明,获得了3个品种鸡IFN-α全基因序列,长度均为582bp,编码193个氨基酸残基。3个品种鸡IFN-α基因及推导的氨基酸序列比较结果显示,海兰鸡和罗曼鸡IFN-α基因序列完全一致,而固始鸡与海兰鸡和罗曼鸡IFN-α基因核苷酸同源性99.3%,有4个碱基发生非同义变异,氨基酸同源性为97.9％。克隆的3个品种鸡IFN-α基因序列与GenBank上发表的7条鸡IFN-α基因序列进行比较分析发现,核苷酸同源性在98.1%～100%之间,氨基酸同源性在96.9%～100%之间。     

Novel serine proteases encoded by two cytotoxic T lymphocyte-specific genes

Genes that are expressed exclusively in cytotoxic T cells should encode proteins that are essential for target cell lysis in cell-mediated immune responses. The sequences of two cytotoxic T lymphocyte-specific complementary DNA's (cDNA's) suggest that the two genes encode serine proteases. A full-length cDNA corresponding to one of the genes was isolated and sequenced. The predicted protein resembles serine proteases in that it includes all the residues that form the catalytic triad of the active site of serine proteases. Moreover, it has sequence characteristics thought to occur only in rat mast cell protease type II. These results are in accord with the view that a protease cascade plays a key role in cytotoxic T-cell activation.     

苏云金芽胞杆菌酰基高丝氨酸内酯酶基因的克隆及分析

利用pMD18-T克隆载体从苏云金芽胞杆菌菌株WB12中克隆了酰基高丝氨酸内酯酶基因(AHL-lactonase,aiiA).测序结果表明,该基因(GenBank登录号为DQ000642)由753个碱基组成,编码含有250个氨基酸残基的蛋白质.推测该蛋白质分子质量为28 ku,等电点为4.2,不含信号肽序列.利用DNAMAN软件构建同源关系树.结果表明,该蛋白与已报道具有减弱欧文氏菌胡萝卜亚种致病力的11个A iiA蛋白酶氨基酸序列总相似性为81.2%,并含有相同的氨基酸序列保守区.核苷酸序列的BLAST分析结果表明,与之同源性较高的基因均为蜡质芽孢杆菌组aiiA基因(86%-99%).     

DNA sequences mediating class switching in alpha-immunoglobulins

Immunoglobulin class switching involves specific DNA rearrangements of the gene segments coding for heavy chain constant regions (CH) during B lymphocyte differentiation. In two different cases of C mu to C alpha switching examined here (T15 and M603) and one taken from the literature (MC101), three different sites on the 5' side of C mu and three different sites on the 5' side of C alpha are joined together in the process of CH switching. The sequences surrounding the three germ-line C alpha sites of recombination are highly conserved blocks of 30 nucleotides that may serve as recognition sequences for CH switching to the C alpha gene. This putative recognition sequence is repeated 17 times in approximately 1400 nucleotides of the germ-line Calpha 5' flanking sequence. The lack of homology between this C alpha sequence and sequences reported for the C gamma 1 and C gamma 2b switch sites suggests that heavy chain switching is mediated by class-specific recognition sequences and, presumably, class-specific regulatory mechanisms. In addition, it appears that in one example (MC101) CH switching progressed from C mu to C alpha to C gamma 1. This switching pathway may present difficulties for the simple deletional model of CH switching.     

Isolation and characterization of a novel protein (X-ORF product) from SIV and HIV-2

A protein designated p14 was purified from a simian immunodeficiency virus (SIVMne) and was shown by amino acid sequence analysis to be nearly identical to the predicted translational product of a unique open reading frame (X-ORF) in the nucleotide sequences of SIVmac and human immunodeficiency virus type 2 (HIV-2). Thus the X-ORF is proven to be a new retroviral gene. The p14 is present in SIVMne in molar amounts equivalent to those of the gag proteins. This is the first example of a retrovirus that contains a substantial quantity of a viral protein that is not a product of the gag, pro, pol, or env genes. SIV p14 and its homolog in HIV-2 may function as nucleic acid binding proteins since purified p14 binds to single-stranded nucleic acids in vitro. Antisera to the purified protein detected p14 in SIVMne, SIVmac, and a homologous protein (16 kilodaltons) in HIV-2 but did not react with HIV-1. Diagnostic procedures based on this novel protein will distinguish between HIV-1 and HIV-2.