Identification of novel SINEs from Cyprinidae and their evolutionary significance

Short interspersed nuclear elements (SINEs) are widespread among eukaryotic genomes. They are repetitive DNA sequences that have been amplified by retrotransposition. In this study, a class of SINEs were isolated from the Opsariichthys bidens genome, and named Opsar. Sequence analysis confirmed that Opsar is a new class of typical SINEs derived from tRNA molecules. With the tRNA-derived region of Opsar and through BLASTN search, we further identified Zb-SINEs from the zebrafish genome, which includes two groups: Zb-SINE-A and Zb-SINE-B. The Zb-SINE-A group comprises subfamilies of -A1—-A5, and the Zb-SINE-B group is a dimer of the tRNA^Ala-derived region and shares a similar dimeric composition to Alu. Zb-SINEs are composed of three distinct regions: a 5′end tRNA-derived region, a tRNA-unrelated region and a 3′end AT-rich region. The flanking regions are AT rich. The average length of Zb-SINEs elements is about 340 bp. Zb-SINEs account for as much as 0.1% of the whole zebrafish genome. About 70% of the Zb-SINEs are on chromosomes 11, 18, and 19. These Zb-SINEs were characterized by PCR and dot hybridization. The distribution pattern of Zb-SINEs in genome strongly supports the master genes model. The tRNA-derived regions of Opsar and Zb-SINEs were compared with the tRNA^Ala gene, and they showed 76% similarity, indicating that Opsar and Zb-SINEs originated from an inactive tRNA^Ala sequence or a tRNA^Ala—like sequence. In view of the evolutionary status of zebrafish in the Cyprinidae, we deduced that Zb-SINEs were a very old class of interspersed sequences.     

Identification of novel SINEs from Cyprinidae and their evolutionary significance

Short interspersed nuclear elements (SINEs) are widespread among eukaryotic genomes. They are repetitive DNA sequences that have been amplified by retrotransposition. In this study, a class of SINEs were isolated from the Opsariichthys bidens genome, and named Opsar. Sequence analysis confirmed that Opsar is a new class of typical SINEs derived from tRNA molecules. With the tRNA-derived region of Opsar and through BLASTN search, we further identified Zb-SINEs from the zebrafish genome, which includes two groups: Zb-SINE-A and Zb-SINE-B. The Zb-SINE-A. group comprises subfamilies of -Al--A5, and the Zb-SINE-B group is a dimer of the tRNA -derived region and shares a similar dimeric composition to Alu. Zb-SINEs are composed of three distinct regions: a 5' end tRNA-derived region, a tRNA-unrelated region and a 3' end AT-rich region. The flanking regions are AT rich. The average length of Zb-SINEs elements is about 340 bp. Zb-SINEs account for as much as 0.1 % of the whole zebrafish genome. About 70% of the Zb-SINEs are on chromosomes 11, 18, and 19. These Zb-SINEs were characterized by PCR and dot hybridization. The distribution pattern of Zb-SINEs in genome strongly supports the master genes model. The tRNA-derived regions of Opsar and Zb-SINEs were compared with the tRNAAla gene, and they showed 76% similarity, indicating that Opsar and Zb-SINEs originated from an inactive tRNA sequence or a tRNA -like sequence. In view of the evolutionary status of zebrafish in the Cyprinidae, we deduced that Zb-SINEs were a very old class of interspersed sequences.     

Crystal structure of the RNA component of bacterial ribonuclease P

Transfer RNA (tRNA) is produced as a precursor molecule that needs to be processed at its 3' and 5' ends. Ribonuclease P is the sole endonuclease responsible for processing the 5' end of tRNA by cleaving the precursor and leading to tRNA maturation. It was one of the first catalytic RNA molecules identified and consists of a single RNA component in all organisms and only one protein component in bacteria. It is a true multi-turnover ribozyme and one of only two ribozymes (the other being the ribosome) that are conserved in all kingdoms of life. Here we show the crystal structure at 3.85 A resolution of the RNA component of Thermotoga maritima ribonuclease P. The entire RNA catalytic component is revealed, as well as the arrangement of the two structural domains. The structure shows the general architecture of the RNA molecule, the inter- and intra-domain interactions, the location of the universally conserved regions, the regions involved in pre-tRNA recognition and the location of the active site. A model with bound tRNA is in agreement with all existing data and suggests the general basis for RNA-RNA recognition by this ribozyme.     

RNA splicing generates a variant light chain from an aberrantly rearranged kappa gene

Both C kappa regions in MPC 11 cells are rearranged into active transcripion units, one producing a normal kappa chain and the other an internally deleted kappa fragment lacking a V region. The gene coding for the kappa fragment mRNA is aberrantly rearranged and lacks a site for V leads to C kappa splicing. An alternative splicing event which deletes the V region from the nuclear RNA precursor generates the kappa fragment mRNA.     

灯盏花ITS2基因克隆及RNA二级结构预测

利用PCR方法扩增灯盏花ITS2基因并克隆,获得ITS2基因序列.用生物软件对ITS2序列进行分析并构建系统进化树和RNA二级结构,得到灯盏花的ITS2核苷酸序列为205 bp,基于ITS序列飞蓬属11种共分为5支,分支与地理分布情况基本一致.ITS2 RNA二级结构在飞蓬属种间表现基本一致,而TS2区结构表现出属间差异.利用r DNA ITS区序列一结构和二级结构相结合达到鉴定药用植物灯盏花分类的目的.     

人尿激酶原在大肠杆菌中表达的研究

用限制性内切酶将人尿激酶原cDNA酶切成一系列基因片段,并分别在大肠杆菌中表达。发现其中1个富含大肠杆菌稀有密码子AGG(精氨酸)的片段表达量低,成为人尿激酶原cDNA在E.coli中高效表达的限制因素。将富含AGG(精氨酸)的片段在E.coliBL21-CodonPlus^TM-RIL中表达,通过该菌株引入dnaY基因(即tRNA_agg/aga(Arg))使该片段的表达量提高了10倍。最后用同样的方法提高全长人尿激酶原cDNA在大肠杆菌中的表达量,使其表达量达到全菌蛋白的5%。     

Retroviral gag and DNA endonuclease coding sequences in IgE-binding factor gene

Immunoglobulin-binding factors are known to regulate the synthesis of B-cell-derived immunoglobulin heavy-chain isotypes. Cloning and nucleotide sequence determination of complementary DNA encoding rodent IgE-binding factors (IgE-BF) revealed that messenger RNA encodes a glycoprotein of 557 amino acids which is expressed as a precursor of relative molecular mass (Mr) 60,000 (60K) in COS7 monkey cells. We report here that the 3' two-thirds of the IgE-BF coding sequence shows a surprising homology (72%) at the DNA level with coding sequences of the gag and pol (DNA endonuclease) genes of the Syrian hamster intracisternal A particle (IAP H18), an endogenous retrovirus. This marked homology demonstrates that the rodent gene encoding IgE-BF is a hybrid gene which evolved very recently by integrating genes of viral origin, and that the encoded polypeptide comprises three separate domains: an IgE-BF domain and retrovirus-derived gag and DNA endonuclease-like domains. This may represent the first report of a cellular gene containing a virus-derived coding sequence.     

Mouse Cmu heavy chain immunoglobulin gene segment contains three intervening sequences separating domains

The IgM molecule is composed of subunits made up of two light chain and two heavy chain (mu) polypeptides. The mu chain is encoded by several gene segments--variable (V), joining (J) and constant (Cmu). The Cmu gene segment is of particular interest for several reasons. First, the mu chain must exist in two very different environments--as an integral membrane protein in receptor IgM molecules (micrometer) and as soluble serum protein in IgM molecules into the blood (mus). Second, the Cmu region in mus is composed of four homology units or domains (Cmu1, Cmu2, Cmu3 and Cmu4) of approximately 110 amino acid residues plus a C-terminal tail of 19 residues. We asked two questions concerning the organisation of the Cmu gene segment. (1) Are the homology units separated by intervening DNA sequences as has been reported for alpha (ref. 5), gamma 1 (ref. 6) and gamma 2b (ref. 7) heavy chain genes? (2) Is the C-terminal tail separated from the Cmu4 domain by an intervening DNA sequence? If so, DNA rearrangements or RNA splicing could generate hydrophilic and hydrophobic C-terminal tails for the mus and micrometer polypeptides, respectively. We demonstrate here that intervening DNA sequences separate each of the four coding regions for Cmu domains, and that the coding regions for the Cmu4 domains and the C-terminal tail are directly contiguous.     

Duplication and remoulding of tRNA genes during the evolutionary rearrangement of mitochondrial genomes

During the evolution of sea urchins, a transfer RNA gene lost its tRNA function and became part of a protein-coding gene. This functional loss of a tRNA with specificity for one group of leucine codons (CUN, where N is any base) was accompanied by the gain of a new tRNA with that specificity. The new tRNA gene for CUN codons appears to have evolved by duplication and divergence from a tRNA gene specific for another group of leucine codons (UUR, where R is a purine). These proposals account for (1) the strong sequence resemblance between the modern tRNA genes for CUN and UUR codons in Paracentrotus, (2) the altered location of the CUN gene in mitochondrial DNA of this urchin, and (3) the persistence of a 72-base pair sequence containing a trace of the old CUN gene at its original location. The old CUN gene now codes for an extra 24 amino acids at the amino end of subunit 5 in NADH dehydrogenase. Besides giving clues about the mechanisms by which tRNA genes move during mitochondrial DNA evolution, this finding leads us to propose a pathway relating the arrangements of other genes in mitochondrial DNAs from four animal phyla.     

Organisation of the genes coding for 5S RNA in the Chinese hamster.

Hybridisation of iodinated mouse 5S RNA with Chinese hamster DNA fractionated on a CsCl gradient, identifies two separate DNA components that hybridise with the labelled probe. One component is slightly, and one considerably heavier than the main band DNA. This suggests that the gene coding for 5S RNA in the Chinese hamster may constitute two distinct populations differing in G + C content of their adjacent spacer regions.     

Nucleotide sequence of the gene encoding human atrial natriuretic factor precursor

The mammalian atrium is an endocrine organ that may be involved in the control of blood pressure and extracellular fluid volume. A series of peptides, which seem to be associated with atrium-specific secretory granules, have potent natriuretic, diuretic and smooth muscle relaxant activities. Sequence determination of several of these peptides, which range from 21 to 126 amino acids long, shows that they form a family, derived from a common precursor. Rat and human complementary DNAs that encode the precursor to the various peptides, collectively called atrial natriuretic factors (ANFs), have been cloned. Nucleotide sequencing showed that the ANFs are located at the C-terminus of a polypeptide of relative molecular mass 13,000. We describe here the isolation and characterization of the corresponding human gene. Two introns interrupt the gene; one is located in the region coding for the N-terminus of the precursor and the other separates the codon for the C-terminal tyrosine from the rest of the peptide.     

Mechanism of transfer RNA maturation by CCA-adding enzyme without using an oligonucleotide template

Transfer RNA nucleotidyltransferases (CCA-adding enzymes) are responsible for the maturation or repair of the functional 3' end of tRNAs by means of the addition of the essential nucleotides CCA. However, it is unclear how tRNA nucleotidyltransferases polymerize CCA onto the 3' terminus of immature tRNAs without using a nucleic acid template. Here we describe the crystal structure of the Archaeoglobus fulgidus tRNA nucleotidyltransferase in complex with tRNA. We also present ternary complexes of this enzyme with both RNA duplex mimics of the tRNA acceptor stem that terminate with the nucleotides C74 or C75, as well as the appropriate incoming nucleoside 5'-triphosphates. A single nucleotide-binding pocket exists whose specificity for both CTP and ATP is determined by the protein side chain of Arg 224 and backbone phosphates of the tRNA, which are non-complementary to and thus exclude UTP and GTP. Discrimination between CTP or ATP at a given addition step and at termination arises from changes in the size and shape of the nucleotide binding site that is progressively altered by the elongating 3' end of the tRNA.     

RT-RAPD技术分析高温诱导双孢蘑菇相关基因片段

应用RT－RAPD技术，以6bp随机引物反转录双孢蘑菇（Agaricus bisporus)02菌株常温培养和高温诱导菌丝体的总RNA，10bp随机引物PCR扩增，得到几个高温诱导差异片段，对OPU13引物的差异片段02U13克隆并测序，发现该片段可能编码tRNA^Val (密码子GUC）基因。推测GUC可能是稀有密码子，在某些耐温基因中出现频率较高。识别该稀有密码子的tRNA^Val在常温条件下不表达或表达量很少，而在高温诱导下引发一定的调控机制促使它们大量的合成，进一步引发相关的耐温基因表达。     

马铃薯天冬氨酸蛋白酶抑制剂基因克隆和结构分析

以马铃薯基因组ＤＮＡ为模板并基于天冬氨酸蛋白酶抑制剂基因的ｃＤＮＡ序列所设计的两个引物，通过ＰＣＲ扩增得到６６６ｂｐ的天冬氨酸蛋白酶抑制剂基因编码区，并将此片段克隆到ｐＵＣ１８的ＳｍａＩ位点．序列分析结果表明该基因除去末端一终止密码子外其可译框架编码２２１个氨基酸残基，前导肽包括３２个氨基酸残基，故该抑制剂的成熟蛋白由１８９个氨基酸组成，第６７位的精氨酸为抑制胰蛋白酶的活性中心．与ｃＤＮＡ相比核苷酸的同源性为９４．３％，氨基酸的同源性为９０％．基因ＤＮＡ无内含子．