Gene Literature Dashboard

X-irradiated oxymyoglobin (MbO2) exhibits electron spin resonance (ESR) spectra at 77 K due to two distinct [FeO2]-centers formed by electron addition to the dioxygen. In single crystals with 17O and 57Fe isotope enrichment in the heme-ligand complex, the full set of spectral parameters is analyzed for one of the centers (gmax = 2.23, gint = 2.13, gmin = 1.97; HOmax = 2.66 mT, HOint = 1.61 mT, HOmin = 0.57 mT; HFe max = 1.62 mT, HFe int = 0.57 mT, HFe min = 0.49 mT) and the iron-dioxygen spin-density distribution and bonding geometry is derived. The g-tensor is evaluated for the second species at 77 K (gmax = 2.25, gint = 2.11, gmin = 1.95). Both centers transform into secondary species at 180 K for which the g-tensor elements are analyzed (gmax = 2.31, gint = 2.18, gmin = 1.93; gmax = 2.35, gint = 2.21, gmin = 1.91).

Demyelination induced by Theiler's virus was examined in mouse strains with congeneic recombinant haplotypes. Light and electron microscopy of spinal cord sections from mice with s, q, v, p, and f H-2D alleles showed perivascular inflammation and primary demyelination. The presence of susceptible haplotypes in the K or I region did not correlate with pathologic abnormalities. The Qa, Tla, PgK, and UpG genes did not appear to be critical in determining susceptibility to disease. However, mutation in the H-2D genes altered the susceptibility to virus-induced demyelination. B10.D2dm1 mice, which have deletions in the 3' end of Dd and the 5' end of Ld, showed prominent demyelination and clinical deficits. In contrast, BALB/c-dm2, which have a deletion of the entire L gene, showed no pathologic changes. Central nervous system virus titers correlated with susceptibility to demyelination; both resistant and susceptible strains had a strong humoral immune response to the virus. The findings in the congeneic recombinant mice and in mice mutant in the H-2D region strongly suggest that at least one of the genes critical for determining virus-induced demyelination maps to the 3' end of the H-2D gene.

The movement of the bacterial insertion sequence IS50 and of composite elements containing direct terminal repeats of IS50 involves the two ends of IS50, designated O (outside) and I (inside), which are weakly matched in DNA sequence, and an IS50 encoded protein, transposase, which recognizes the O and I ends and acts preferentially in cis. Previous data had suggested that, initially, transposase interacts preferentially with the O end sequence and then, in a second step, with either an O or an I end. To better understand the cis action of transposase and how IS50 ends are selected, we generated a series of composite transposons which contain direct repeats of IS50 elements. In each transposon, one IS50 element encoded transposase (tnp+), and the other contained a null (tnp-) allele. In each of the five sets of composite transposons studied, the transposon for which the tnp+ IS50 element contained its O end was more active than a complementary transposon for which the tnp- IS50 element contained its O end. This pattern of O end use suggests models in which the cis action of transposase and its choice of ends is determined by protein tracking along DNA molecules.

Studies of the genomic structure of human T-lymphotropic virus type III (HTLV-III) and related viruses, implicated as the causal agent of acquired immune deficiency syndrome (AIDS), have identified a sixth open reading frame in addition to the five previously known within the genome (gag, pol, sor, env and 3'orf). This gene, called tat-III, lies between the sor and env genes and is able to mediate activation, in a trans configuration, of the genes linked to HTLV-III long terminal repeat (LTR) sequences. We now present evidence that the product of tat-III is an absolute requirement for virus expression. We show that derivatives of a biologically competent molecular clone of HTLV-III, in which the tat-III gene is deleted or the normal splicing abrogated, failed to produce or expressed unusually low levels of virus, respectively, when transfected into T-cell cultures. The capacity of these tat-III-defective genomes was transiently restored by co-transfection of a plasmid clone containing a functional tat-III gene or by introducing the TAT-III protein itself. As HTLV-III and related viruses are the presumed causal agents of AIDS and associated conditions, the observation that tat-III is critical for HTLV-III replication has important clinical implications, and suggests that specific inhibition of the activity of tat-III could be a novel and effective therapeutic approach to the treatment of AIDS.

The soybean (Glycine max (L.) Merrill) seed leucine aminopeptidase locus (Lap1) was found to be linked to the Kunitz trypsin inhibitor locus (Ti) with a recombination frequency of 15.3 percent +/- 0.9 percent. The two loci are in linkage group 9. Both Lap1 and Ti loci are inherited independently of the flower color locus (W1) in linkage group 8.

Antithrombin III (ATIII) is an anticoagulant protein which binds and inactivates thrombin and other serine proteinases. Little is known about regulation of its synthesis. We confirm that ATIII is synthesized by isolated rat hepatocytes, and that its synthesis is not altered by direct feedback of its complexes with proteinases. Neither is hepatocyte synthesis of ATIII altered by supernatants from macrophages cultured in the presence of ATIII-proteinase complexes. However, culture of macrophages with fibrinogen fragment D results in production of a factor(s) in the macrophage supernatants which stimulates hepatic fibrinogen synthesis, as previously described, and also stimulates the synthesis of ATIII and alpha 1-proteinase inhibitor (alpha 1PI). Synthesis of albumin and rat alpha 2-macroglobulin (alpha 2M) is not (alpha 2M) is not altered. Culture of macrophages in the presence of bacterial endotoxin also results in release of a factor(s) into the medium which stimulates the same changes in hepatocyte protein synthesis. These results show for the first time a mechanism by which synthesis of ATIII can be regulated during coagulation and fibrinolysis.

No abstract available.

The course of the activation of 3'-acetylthymidine 5'-phosphate by TPS and DCC were followed up by 31P FT nmr. The fact that the "metaphosphate" (delta-5.1) first becomes detectable only at later stage of the activation and does coexist with pyrophosphate and triphosphate suggests that the pyridinium derivative of "metaphosphate" is most probably not directly formed from the hypothetical mixed anhydride or active "pseudourea" right at the beginning of the reaction of pdTac with TPS or DCC, but rather formed at later stage of the activation reaction from the degradation of the pyro- and triphosphates by the activating agent. The mixed anhydride or the active "pseudourea" is most possibly the active key intermediate.