Computer-based characterization of epidermal growth factor precursor

The cDNA sequence of the precursor of mouse epidermal growth factor (EGFP) has recently been reported by two groups, both of whom noted the presence of repeated similar segments, each about 40 residues long. One of these repeat units overlaps with the sequence of epidermal growth factor itself. The sequence of epidermal growth factor has been reported to be similar to that of pancreatic secretory trypsin inhibitor (PSTI) and a somewhat better match has been found with part of the sequence of bovine factor X, one of the blood coagulating factors. We report here that there is an even stronger similarity between the sequences of some of the repeat units of epidermal growth factor precursor and certain segments in factor X. This sequence similarity is also apparent in comparisons with other blood coagulation factors. On the basis of these sequence comparisons we suggest a scheme for the evolution of the epidermal growth factor precursor. We have also identified certain structural features in the precursor sequence that bear on the way in which the mature epidermal growth factor is generated.     

Variation and Characterization Analysis of Partial Fragment of Fibroin Gene From Silkworm, Antheraea pernyi

A 1.4Kb DNA fragment containing 3‘ flanking sequence of fibroin gene of silkworm, Antheraea perny/, was obtained from the silk gland‘s mRNA of 5th larva. Analysis of this sequence with another A. pemyi fibroin protein (accession No. 1383241) revealed that it consists of a completely open reading frame (ORF), which includes 14 polyalanine-containing units (motifs) and 100bp 3‘-UTR. The sequence of the predicted amino acid reveals the highest level of overall iden-tity (90%) with 1383241. It was found that it loses a repeat region at the upstream of TAA codon and some mutations. A putative polyadenylation signal AATAAA tail was found in position 1300, which follows the termination codon.     

Characterization of 64-, 123- and 182-base-pair exons in the mouse alpha 2(IV) collagen gene

Genes encoding types I, II and III collagens (fibrillar collagens) contain many discrete-size exons, most of them 54 base pairs (bp) long, in addition to the 45-, 99-, 108- and 162-bp exons. It has been suggested that these collagen genes evolved from an ancestral coding unit of 54 bp. Type IV collagen is a specific component of basement membranes and contains two genetically distinct polypeptides, the alpha 1(IV) and alpha 2(IV) chains. It differs from the types I-III collagens in that it contains interruptions in the Gly-X-Y repeat sequence and does not form ordered fibrillar structures. We have isolated complementary DNA and genomic clones for the mouse alpha 2(IV) collagen chain and here characterize 64-, 123- and 182-bp exons in the Gly-X-Y coding domain of the gene. The data suggest that the alpha 2(IV) collagen gene may have evolved differently from those encoding the fibrillar collagens.     

Analysis of tandem repeats in the genome of Chinese shrimp Fenneropenaeus chinensis

Through random sequencing, we found a total of 884000 base-pairs （bp） of random genomic sequences in the genome of Chinese shrimp （Fenneropenaeus chinensis）.Using bio-soft Tandem Repeat Finder （TRF） software, 2159 tandem repeats were found, in which there were 1714 microsatellites and 445 minisatellites, accounting for 79.4% and 20.6% of repeat sequences, respectively. The cumulative length of repeat sequences was found to be 116685 bp, accounting for 13.2% of the total DNA sequence; the cumulative length of microsatellites occupied 9.78% of the total DNA sequence, and that of minisatellites occupied 3.42%. In decreasing order, the 20 most abundant repeat sequence classes were as follows： AT （557）, AC （471）, AG （274）, AAT（92）, A （56）, AAG （28）, ATC （27）, ATAG （27）, AGG （18）, ACT（15）, C （11）, AAC （11）, ACAT （11）, CAGA （10）, AGAA （9）,AGGG （7）, CAAA （7）, CGCA （6）, ATAA （6）, AGAGAA （6）.Dinucleotide repeats, not only in the aspect of the number,but also in cumulative length, were the preponderant repeat type. There were few classes and low copy numbers of repeat units of the pentanucleotide repeat type, which included only three classes： AGAGA, GAGGC and AAAGA. The classes and copy numbers of heptanucleotide, eleven-nucleotide and thirteen-nucleotide primer-number-composed repeats were distinctly less than that of repeat types beside them.     

DNA sequences of telomeres maintained in yeast

Telomeres, the ends of eukaryotic chromosomes, have long been recognized as specialized structures. Their stability compared with broken ends of chromosomes suggested that they have properties which protect them from fusion, degradation or recombination. Furthermore, a linear DNA molecule such as that of a eukaryotic chromosome must have a structure at its ends which allows its complete replication, as no known DNA polymerase can initiate synthesis without a primer. At the ends of the relatively short, multi-copy linear DNA molecules found naturally in the nuclei of several lower eukaryotes, there are simple tandemly repeated sequences with, in the cases analysed, a specific array of single-strand breaks, on both DNA strands, in the distal portion of the block of repeats. In general, however, direct analysis of chromosomal termini presents problems because of their very low abundance in nuclei. To circumvent this problem, we have previously cloned a chromosomal telomere of the yeast Saccharomyces cerevisiae on a linear DNA vector molecule. Here we show that yeast chromosomal telomeres terminate in a DNA sequence consisting of tandem irregular repeats of the general form C1-3A. The same repeat units are added to the ends of Tetrahymena telomeres, in an apparently non-template-directed manner, during their replication on linear plasmids in yeast. Such DNA addition may have a fundamental role in telomere replication.     

rDNA片断序列分析技术及其在植物系统与进化研究中的应用

根据PCR-RFLP分析、微卫星序列分析、SSCP分析和核酸序列分析的原理及技术要点及其在rDNA序列分析中的具体运用，以及nrDNA在植物分类学、植物系统发育、中药材道地性鉴定及5SrDNA在鉴定体细胞杂种方面的研究进展，确认核rDNA是一个优良的分子标记，主要体现在：序列能够提供足够多的具有系统发育信息的核苷酸位点，且该序列易于排序，在植物分类、系统发育等方面应用前景广阔。     

DNA self-recognition in the structure of Pot1 bound to telomeric single-stranded DNA

Telomeres, specialized protein-DNA complexes that cap the ends of linear chromosomes, are essential for protecting chromosomes from degradation and end-to-end fusions. The Pot1 (protection of telomeres 1) protein is a widely distributed eukaryotic end-capping protein, having been identified in fission yeast, microsporidia, plants and animals. Schizosaccharomyces pombe Pot1p is essential for telomere maintenance, and human POT1 has been implicated in telomerase regulation. Pot1 binds telomeric single-stranded DNA (ssDNA) with exceptionally high sequence specificity, the molecular basis of which has been unknown. Here we describe the 1.9-A-resolution crystal structure of the amino-terminal DNA-binding domain of S. pombe Pot1p complexed with ssDNA. The protein adopts an oligonucleotide/oligosaccharide-binding (OB) fold with two loops that protrude to form a clamp for ssDNA binding. The structure explains the sequence specificity of binding: in the context of the Pot1 protein, DNA self-recognition involving base-stacking and unusual G-T base pairs compacts the DNA. Any sequence change disrupts the ability of the DNA to form this structure, preventing it from contacting the array of protein hydrogen-bonding groups. The structure also explains how Pot1p avoids binding the vast excess of RNA in the nucleus.     

Histone genes are clustered with a 15-kilobase repeat in the chicken genome.

Histone mRNA isolated from 5-day-old chick embryos has been used as a template for complementary DNA (cDNA) synthesis. The resultant cDNA, after removal of sequences complementary to rRNA, was used to detect histone genes in adult chicken genomal DNA. Hybridisation data indicate that the histone genes are repeated about 10-fold in the chicken genome. Restriction endonuclease analysis reveals some sequence heterogeneity in these genes. However, the results show that chicken histone genes are clustered with a basic repeat unit of 15 kilobases.     

非嵌插类DNA结合药物的碱基序列特异性

本文讨论了非嵌插类DNA结合药物的碱基序列特异性,这对于探讨药物与DNA相互作用的分子机制是很有意义的。通过这些探索,得到了一些有意义的结果。     

Role of poly(ADP-ribose) formation in DNA repair.

The abundant nuclear enzyme poly(ADP-ribose) polymerase catalyses the synthesis of poly(ADP-ribose) from nicotinamide adenine dinucleotide (NAD+). This protein has an N-terminal DNA-binding domain containing two zinc-fingers, which is linked to the C-terminal NAD(+)-binding domain by a short region containing several glutamic acid residues that are sites of auto-poly(ADP-ribosyl)ation. The intracellular production of poly(ADP-ribose) is induced by agents that generate strand interruptions in DNA. The branched homopolymer chains may attain a size of 200-300 residues but are rapidly degraded after synthesis. The function of poly(ADP-ribose) synthesis is not clear, although it seems to be required for DNA repair. Here we describe a human cell-free system that enables the role of poly(ADP-ribose) synthesis in DNA repair to be characterized. The results indicate that unmodified polymerase molecules bind tightly to DNA strand breaks; auto-poly(ADP-ribosyl)ation of the protein then effects its release and allows access to lesions for DNA repair enzymes.