A test for intron function in the yeast actin gene

Many eukaryotic genes contain intervening sequences (IVS), but the rationale for their existence remains a mystery. Previous studies done in our laboratory demonstrated that the intron in a yeast tRNATyr gene, SUP6, does have a function. We used the same approach to determine the role of introns in nuclear genes encoding messenger RNAs. A single actin gene with one intron exists in Saccharomyces cerevisiae. The level of actin in yeast appears to be crucial to viability: either too much or too little actin inhibits growth. Therefore, small effects on synthesis of actin protein resulting from the removal of the actin gene intron would be expected to cause measurable changes in cell growth. In the present study, an intron-deleted actin gene was constructed in vitro and was used to replace the single resident actin gene in a haploid strain. Analysis of the cells carrying the intron-deleted actin gene shows that the intervening sequence is not essential for actin gene expression.     

猪Klf4、Klf5和Egr2基因内含子的克隆及进化分析

从猪肝脏提取基因组作为模板,分别扩增了Klf4、Klf5和Egr2的第3、第2和第1内含子,长度分别为916、1027和1342bp,并通过其两端连接的部分外显子序列与Genbank序列比对加以确认,并和人相应基因内含子作长度和序列同源性比较。结果表明,由内含子比对得出的这些基因在人和猪间的保守程度与这些基因在氨基酸水平上比对得出的保守程度相一致。     

Self-splicing introns in tRNA genes of widely divergent bacteria.

The organization of eukaryotic genes into exons separated by introns has been considered as a primordial arrangement but because it does not exist in eubacterial genomes it may be that introns are relatively recent acquisitions. A self-splicing group I intron has been found in cyanobacteria at the same position of the same gene (that encoding leucyl transfer RNA, UAA anticodon) as a similar group I intron of chloroplasts, which indicates that this intron predates the invasion of eukaryotic cells by cyanobacterial endosymbionts. But it is not clear from this isolated example whether introns are more generally present in different genes or in more diverse branches of the eubacteria. Many mitochondria have intron-rich genomes and were probably derived from the alpha subgroup of the purple bacteria (or Proteobacteria), so ancient introns might also have been retained in these bacteria. We describe here the discovery of two small (237 and 205 nucleotides) self-splicing group I introns in members of two proteobacterial subgroups, Agrobacterium tumefaciens (alpha) and Azoarcus sp. (beta). The introns are inserted in genes for tRNA(Arg) and tRNA(Ile), respectively, after the third anticodon nucleotide. Their occurrence in different genes of phylogenetically diverse bacteria indicates that group I introns have a widespread distribution among eubacteria.     

何首乌中一种Ⅲ型PKS基因的克隆及生物信息学分析

Ⅲ型聚酮合酶即查耳酮合酶超家族,能催化生成一系列结构各异、具有不同生理活性、含有查耳酮合酶基本骨架的植物次生代谢产物。根据不同植物Ⅲ型PKSs基因的保守序列,设计简并引物,采用RT - PCR和RACE技术,首次从传统中药材何首乌(Polygonum multiflorum Thunb.)中克隆到一种Ⅲ型PKS基因,其cDNA全长1228bp, 编码379个氨基酸,命名为FmPKS (GenBank登录号: GQ411431)。该基因含有三个内含子, 与迄今报道的绝大部分Ⅲ型PKS含有一个内含子不同,而与最近报道的虎杖中克隆的PcPKS2基因相同。通过生物信息学方法对其编码蛋白的序列进行同源性分析,构建了系统进化树,并对其等电点、疏水性及二级结构、跨膜区域等理化性质进行了初步预测,为进一步研究其功能奠定了基础。     

Structure of the human immune interferon gene

Sequence determination of cloned cDNAs and genes of the three classes of interferon (IFN-alpha, -beta and -gamma) has revealed more than a dozen members of the human IFN-alpha gene family and a single gene for IFN-beta. These genes are found on chromosome 9 and contain no introns. We recently reported that the 146-amino acid sequence of mature IFN-gamma deduced from the nucleotide sequence of a cloned cDNA was quite unrelated to those of the other IFNs, and that the gene for IFN-gamma contains at least one intron. We now describe the isolation, characterization and DNA sequence of the human IFN-gamma gene. It contains three introns, a repetitive DNA element, and is not highly polymorphic. All our evidence to date and the present data suggest that this is the only gene for IFN-gamma and that the resolution of IFN-gamma into two components is probably the result of post-translational processing of the protein.     

A role for branchpoints in splicing in vivo

The nucleotides immediately surrounding intron/exon junctions of genes transcribed by RNA polymerase B can be derived from 'consensus' sequences for donor and acceptor splice sites by only a few base changes. Studies in vivo have underlined the importance of these junction nucleotides for splicing. In higher eukaryotes, no evidence has been found for specific internal intron sequences involved in splicing. However, the recent discovery that, in vitro, introns are excised in a lariat form where the 5' end of the intron is joined via a 2'-5'-phosphodiester linkage to an A residue (branchpoint acceptor) close to the 3' end of the intron, suggests that internal intron sequences may nonetheless be important for splicing. Indeed, in yeast nuclear genes, the internal sequence 5'-TACTAAC-3' (or close homologue) is essential for splicing in vivo. A proposed consensus sequence for branchpoints in mammalian introns is 5'-CT(A/G)A(C/T)-3'. This sequence resembles the essential yeast internal sequence. Are branchpoints involved in the splicing of introns of higher eukaryotes in vivo? We show here that a branchpoint sequence from a human globin gene (5'-CTGACTCTCTCTG-3') greatly enhances the efficiency of splicing of a 'synthetic' intron in HeLa cells. A mutated branchpoint sequence, 5'-CTCCTCTCTCTG-3', in which the branchpoint acceptor nucleotide A has been deleted and the neighbouring purine G mutated to a C, does not exhibit this enhancing capability. We conclude that branchpoints have an important function in the splicing process in vivo.     

Introns in higher plant genes

The intron is an important component of eukaryotic gene. Extensive studies have been conducted to get a better understanding of its structure and function. This paper presents a brief review of the structure and function of introns in higher plant genes. It is shown that higher plant introns possess structural properties shared by all eukaryotic introns, however, they also exhibit a striking degree of diversity. The process of intron splicing in higher plant genes involves interaction between multiple cis-acting elements and trans-acting factors, such as 5′ splicing site, 3′ splicing site and many protein factors. The process of intron splicing is an important level at which gene expression is regulated. Especially alternative splicing of intron can regulate time and space of gene expression. In addition, some introns in higher plant genes also regulate gene expression by affecting the pattern of gene expression, enhancing the level of gene expression and driving the gene expression.     

Unusual sequences in the murine immunoglobulin mu-delta heavy-chain region

The delta heavy (H) chain of mouse immunoglobulin D (IgD) is unusual both in its structure and in its differential expression relative to immunoglobulin M (IgM; reviewed in ref. 1). The region of DNA between IgM and IgD H-chain constant-region genes is probably implicated in this control. So far only fragments of the area have been sequenced. Now, however, we present the complete sequence as well as the sequence of the introns of the C delta gene. We have found several interesting features (Fig. 1), including an open reading frame (ORF) between Cmu and C delta which encodes 146 amino acids that might represent a previously unsuspected domain-like protein; three blocks of simple repetitive sequences; a 162-base pair (bp) unique-sequence inverted repeat; and a domain-like pseudogene in the large intron of C delta. We have not found, however, any sequence 5' of C delta resembling the switch (S) recombination sequences associated with class switching in other heavy chains. Moreover, we have determined the 3' deletion end point of an IgD-producing myeloma and find no sequences reminiscent of switch sites nearby.     

New yeast actin-like gene required late in the cell cycle.

Actin, a major cytoskeletal component of all eukaryotic cells, is one of the most highly conserved proteins. It is involved in various cellular processes such as motility, cytoplasmic streaming, chromosome segregation and cytokinesis. The actin from the yeast Saccharomyces cerevisiae, encoded by the essential ACT1 gene, is 89% identical to mouse cytoplasmic actin and is involved in the organization and polarized growth of the cell surface. We report here the characterization of ACT2, a previously undescribed yeast split gene encoding a putative protein (391 amino acids, relative molecular mass (Mr) 44,073) that is 47% identical to yeast actin. The requirement of the ACT2 gene for vegetative growth of yeast cells and the existence of related genes in other eukaryotes indicate an important and conserved role for these actin-like proteins. Superimposition of the Act2 polypeptide onto the three-dimensional structure of known actins reveals that most of the divergence occurred in loops involved in actin polymerization, DNase I and myosin binding, leaving the core domain mainly unaffected. To our knowledge, the Act2 protein from S. cerevisiae is the first highly divergent actin molecule described. Structural and physiological data suggest that the Act2 protein might have an important role in cytoskeletal reorganization during the cell cycle.     

Analysis of intron sequence variability of the conservative HMG-box of Sox9 genes in allotetraploids and their original parents

The Sox genes of allotetraploids and their original maternal red crucian carp （Carassius caassius red var.） and original paternal common carp (Cyprinus carpio L.) were detected by PCR with the designed primers based on the conserved HMG-box sequence in different species. Sequencing of Sox genes indicated that two Sox9 genes (Atsox9a and Atsox9b) existed in allotetraploids, while only one Sox9 gene existed in red crucian carp (Rcsox9a) and common carp (Ccsox9b). All of the four Sox9 genes contained an intron in the HMG-box, with the sizes of 413 bp, 703 bp, 401 bp and 714 bp, respectively. Moreover, the introns obeyed the rule of “GT-AG”. A high similarity was observed between introns of Atsox9a and Rcsox9a (94.4%), Atsox9b and Ccsox9b (97.8%). Interestingly, the deduced amino acid sequences of their corresponding exons all shared 100% identity. Thus, introns of the HMG-domain of Sox9s in allotetraploids and their original parents have not only the length polymorphism but also intron variability. Our results provide significant molecular evidence for the origin and evolution of allotetraploids.     

海甘蓝硫甙合成关键酶S—GT基因克隆及种子特异性hpRNAi载体构建

根据甘蓝型油菜S-GT（thiohydroximate S-glucosyltransferase）基因cDNA序列设计引物,以海甘蓝总DNA为模板进行PCR扩增,获得S-GT基因全长。克隆的海甘蓝S—GT序列与甘蓝型油菜序列相比,除74bp的内含予部分外有92个碱基的差别,相似性高达93．4％。分析显示该序列均有完整的开放阅读框,并表明所克隆的海甘蓝S-GT序列编码465个氨基酸,在第10个位点上比甘蓝型油菜序列少一个丙氨酸（A）,总共有23个氨基酸不同,相似性为95．06％。根据获得的基因序列设计引物扩增出同一基因序列相同但是带有不同酶切位点的两个片段,将两个片段反向插入到已构建的带有种子特异表达载体内含子的两端,成功构建了海甘蓝S-GT基因的种子特异性hpRNAi载体,为特异性降低海甘蓝的种子硫甙奠定了基础。     

Analysis of intron sequence variability of the conservative HMG-box of Sox9 genes in allotetraploids and their original parents

The Sox genes of allotetraploids and their original maternal red crucian carp (Carassius caassius red var.) and original paternal common carp (Cyprinus carpio L.) were detected by PCR with the designed primers based on the conserved HMG-box sequence in different species. Sequencing of Sox genes indicated that two Sox9 genes (Atsox9a and Atsox9b) existed in allotetraploids, while only one Sox9 gene existed in red crucian carp (Rcsox9a) and common carp (Ccsox9b) . All of the four Sox9 genes contained an intron in the HMG-box. with the sizes of 413 bp, 703 bp, 401 bp and 714 bp, respectively. Moreover, the introns obeyed the rule of "GT-AG" . A high similarity was observed between introns of Atsox9a and Rcsox9a (94.4%), Atsox9b and Ccsox9b (97.8%). Interestingly, the deduced amino acid sequences of their corresponding exons all shared 100% identity. Thus, introns of the HMG-domain of Sox9s in allotetraploids and their original parents have not only the length polymorphism but also intron variability. Our results provide significant molecular evidence for the origin and evolution of allotetraploids.     

Intron-dependent evolution of chicken glyceraldehyde phosphate dehydrogenase gene

The function of introns in the evolution of genes can be explained in at least two ways: either introns appeared late in evolution and therefore could not have participated in the construction of primordial genes, or RNA splicing and introns existed in the earliest organisms but were lost during the evolution of the modern prokaryotes. The latter alternative allows the possibility of intron participation in the formation of primordial genes before the divergence of modern prokaryotes and eukaryotes. Blake suggested that evidence for intron-facilitated evolution of a gene might be found by comparing the borders of functional protein domains with the placement of introns. We therefore examined glyceraldehyde phosphate dehydrogenase (GAPDH), a glycolytic enzyme, because it is the first protein for which the following data are available: X-ray crystallographic studies demonstrating structurally independent protein 'domains' which were highly conserved during the divergence of prokaryotes and eukaryotes; and a study of genomic organization which mapped introns in the gene. Sequencing of the chicken GAPDH gene revealed 11 introns. We report here that sites of three of the introns (IV, VI and XI) correspond closely with the borders of the NAD-binding, catalytic and helical tail domains of the enzyme, supporting the hypothesis that introns did have a role in the evolution of primitive genes. In addition, other biochemical and structural data were used to construct a model of the intron-mediated assembly of the GAPDH gene that explains the existence of 10 introns.     

Alteration in crossbridge kinetics caused by mutations in actin

The generation of force during muscle contraction results from the interaction of myosin and actin. The kinetics of this force generation vary between different muscle types and within the same muscle type in different species. Most attention has focused on the role of myosin isoforms in determining these differences. The role of actin isoforms has received little attention, largely because of the lack of a suitable cell type in which the myosin isoform remains constant yet the actin isoforms vary. An alternative approach would be to examine the effect of actin mutations, however, most of these cause such gross disruption of muscle structure that mechanical measurements are impossible. We have now identified two actin mutations which, despite involving conserved amino acids, can assemble into virtually normal myofibrils. These amino-acid changes in actin significantly affect the kinetics of force generation by muscle fibres. One of the mutations is not in the putative myosin-binding site, demonstrating the importance of long-range effects of amino acids on actin function.     

海甘蓝硫甙合成关键酶S-GT基因克隆及种子特异性hpRNAi载体构建

根据甘蓝型油菜S-GT(thiohydroximate S-glucosyltransferase)基因cDNA序列设计引物,以海甘蓝总DNA为模板进行PCR扩增.获得S-GT基因全长.克隆的海甘蓝S-GT序列与甘蓝型油菜序列相比,除74 bp的内含子部分外有92个碱基的差别,相似性高达93.4%.分析显示该序列均有完整的开放阅读框,并表明所克隆的海甘蓝S-GT序列编码465个氨基酸,在第10个位点上比甘蓝型油菜序列少一个丙氨酸(A),总共有23个氨基酸不同,相似性为95.06%.根据获得的基因序列设计引物扩增出同一基因序列相同但是带有不同酶切位点的两个片段,将两个片段反向插入到已构建的带有种子特异表达载体内含子的两端,成功构建了海甘蓝S-GT基因的种子特异性hpRNAi载体,为特异性降低海甘蓝的种子硫甙奠定了基础.     

Independent evolution of structural and coding regions in a Neurospora mitochondrial intron

The discovery of intervening sequences (introns) in eukaryotic genes has raised questions about the origin and evolution of these sequences. Hypotheses concerning these topics usually consider the intron as a unit that could be lost or gained over time, or as a region within which recombination can occur to facilitate the production of new proteins by exon shuffling. Additional complexities are observed in introns of mitochondrial and chloroplast genes which contain secondary structures required for messenger RNA splicing and open-reading frames encoding proteins. Here we describe differences in the organization of protein-coding sequences in the intron of the mitochondrial ND1 gene in two closely related species of Neurospora. These differences show that intron sequences involved in secondary structure formation and in protein coding can evolve as physically distinct elements. Indeed, the secondary structure elements of the ND1 intron can contain two different coding sequences located at two different positions within the intron.     

Spontaneous shuffling of domains between introns of phage T4

The three self-splicing introns in phage T4 (in the td, sunY and nrdB genes) (Fig. 1a) each have the conserved group I catalytic RNA core structure (Fig. 1b), out of which is looped an open reading frame. Although the core sequences are very similar (approximately 60% identity), the open reading frames seem to be unrelated. Single crossover recombination events between homologous core sequences in the closely linked td and nrdB introns have led to 'exon shuffling. Here we describe spontaneous double crossovers between the unlinked td and sun Y introns that result in shuffling of an intron structure element, P7.1 (refs 3 and 4). The intron domain-switch variants were isolated as genetic suppressors of a splicing-defective P7.1 deletion in the td intron. This unprecedented example of suppression through inter-intron sequence substitution indicates that the introns are in a state of genetic flux and implies the functional interchangeability of the two analogous but nonidentical P7.1 elements. The implications of such recombination events are discussed in the light of the evolution of the introns themselves as well as that of their host genomes.     

Tissue-specific expression of rat myosin light-chain 2 gene in transgenic mice

One approach to determining how the differential expression of specific genes is regulated in higher organisms is to introduce cloned copies of the genes (or parts of the genes) into the genomes of individual organisms from the very beginning of their development. The way in which the exogenous genetic information behaves during the development of the experimental organisms can then provide a means of defining the DNA sequences that restrict the expression of the gene to specific cell types and times of development. So far, several different genes have been introduced into the genomes of mice, but in only a few cases have the exogenous genes retained the tissue specificity of expression of the equivalent endogenous genes. I report here that in two out of three 'transgenic' mice carrying copies of the rat gene for skeletal muscle myosin light chain 2, the exogenous gene is expressed specifically in skeletal muscle cells. The sequences contained in the cloned copy of the myosin light-chain 2 gene used in these experiments are thus sufficient to confer a tissue-specific pattern of expression.