Voltage-dependent InsP3-insensitive calcium channels in membranes of pancreatic endoplasmic reticulum vesicles.

Stimulus-secretion coupling in exocrine glands involves Ca2+ release from intracellular stores. In endoplasmic reticulum vesicle preparations from rat exocrine pancreas, an inositol 1,4,5-trisphosphate(InsP3)-sensitive, as well as an InsP3-insensitive, Ca2+ pool has been characterized. But Ca2+ channels in the endoplasmic reticulum of rat exocrine pancreas have not been demonstrated at the level of single-channel current. We have now used the patch-clamp technique on endoplasmic reticulum vesicles fused by means of the dehydration-rehydration method. In excised patches, single Ba2(+)- and Ca2(+)-selective channels were recorded. The channel activity was markedly voltage-dependent. Caffeine increased channel open-state probability, whereas ruthenium red and Cd2+ blocked single-channel currents. Ryanodine, nifedipine and heparin had no effect on channel activity. The channel activity was not dependent on the free Ca2+ concentration, the presence of InsP3, or pH. We conclude that this calcium channel mediates Ca2+ release from an intracellular store through an InsP3-insensitive mechanism.     

Expression of cystic fibrosis transmembrane conductance regulator corrects defective chloride channel regulation in cystic fibrosis airway epithelial cells.

The cystic fibrosis transmembrane conductance regulator (CFTR) was expressed in cultured cystic fibrosis airway epithelial cells and Cl- channel activation assessed in single cells using a fluorescence microscopic assay and the patch-clamp technique. Expression of CFTR, but not of a mutant form of CFTR (delta F508), corrected the Cl- channel defect. Correction of the phenotypic defect demonstrates a causal relationship between mutations in the CFTR gene and defective Cl- transport which is the hallmark of the disease.     

Expression and characterization of the cystic fibrosis transmembrane conductance regulator.

Cystic fibrosis (CF) is a common lethal genetic disease that manifests itself in airway and other epithelial cells as defective chloride ion absorption and secretion, resulting at least in part from a defect in a cyclic AMP-regulated, outwardly-rectifying Cl- channel in the apical surface. The gene responsible for CF has been identified and predicted to encode a membrane protein termed the CF transmembrane conductance regulator (CFTR). Identification of a cryptic bacterial promoter within the CFTR coding sequence led us to construct a complementary DNA in a low-copy-number plasmid, thereby avoiding the deleterious effects of CFTR expression on Escherischia coli. We have used this cDNA to express CFTR in vitro and in vivo. Here we demonstrate that CFTR is a membrane-associated glycoprotein that can be phosporylated in vitro by cAMP-dependent protein kinase. Polyclonal and monoclonal antibodies directed against distinct domains of the protein immunoprecipitated recombinant CFTR as well as the endogenous CFTR in nonrecombinant T84 cells. Partial proteolysis fingerprinting showed that the recombinant and non-recombinant proteins are indistinguishable. These data, which establish several characteristics of the protein responsible for CF, will now enable CFTR function to be studied and will provide a basis for diagnosis and therapy.     

Different voltage-dependent thresholds for inducing long-term depression and long-term potentiation in slices of rat visual cortex

In the hippocampus and neocortex, high-frequency (tetanic) stimulation of an afferent pathway leads to long-term potentiation (LTP) of synaptic transmission. In the hippocampus it has recently been shown that long-term depression (LTD) of excitatory transmission can also be induced by certain combinations of synaptic activation. In most hippocampal and all neocortical pathways studied so far, the induction of LTP requires the activation of N-methyl-D-aspartate (NMDA) receptor-gated conductances. Here we report that LTD can occur in neurons of slices of the rat visual cortex and that the same tetanic stimulation can induce either LTP or LTD depending on the level of depolarization of the postsynaptic neuron. By applying intracellular current injections or pharmacological disinhibition to modify the depolarizing response of the postsynaptic neuron to tetanic stimulation, we show that the mechanisms of induction of LTD and LTP are both postsynaptic. LTD is obtained if postsynaptic depolarization exceeds a critical level but remains below a threshold related to NMDA receptor-gated conductances, whereas LTP is induced if this second threshold is reached.     

A truncated human chromosome 16 associated with alpha thalassaemia is stabilized by addition of telomeric repeat (TTAGGG)n

The instability of chromosomes with breaks induced by X-irradiation led to the proposal that the natural ends of chromosomes are capped by a specialized structure, the telomere. Telomeres prevent end-to-end fusions and exonucleolytic degradation, enable the end of the linear DNA molecule to replicate, and function in cell division. Human telomeric DNA comprises approximately 2-20 kilobases (kb) of the tandemly repeated sequence (TTAGGG)n oriented 5'----3' in towards the end of the chromosome, interspersed with variant repeats in the proximal region. Immediately subtelomeric lie families of unrelated repeat motifs (telomere-associated sequences) whose function, if any, is unknown. In lower eukaryotes the formation and maintenance of telomeres may be mediated enzymatically (by telomerase) or by recombination; in man the mechanisms are poorly understood, although telomerase has been identified in HeLa cells. Here we describe an alpha thalassaemia mutation associated with terminal truncation of the short arm of chromosome 16 (within band 16p13-3) to a site 50 kb distal to the alpha globin genes, and show that (TTAGGG)n has been added directly to the site of the break. The mutation is stably inherited, proving that telomeric DNA alone is sufficient to stabilize the broken chromosome end. This mechanism may occur in any genetic disease associated with chromosome truncation.     

Localization of the human GM-CSF receptor gene to the X-Y pseudoautosomal region

Mammalian sex chromosomes share a small terminal region of homologous DNA sequences, which pair and recombine during male meiosis. Alleles in this region can be exchanged between X and Y chromosomes and are therefore inherited as if autosomal. Genes from this so-called pseudoautosomal region (PAR) are present in two doses in both males and females, and escape inactivation of the X chromosome in females. Indirect evidence suggests that there must be several pseudoautosomal genes, and several candidates have been proposed. Until now, the only gene that has been unequivocally located in the PAR is MIC2, which encodes a cell-surface antigen of unknown function. We now report the localization of a gene of known function to this region--the gene for the receptor of the haemopoietic regulator, granulocyte-macrophage colony stimulating factor. The chromosomal localization of this gene may be important in understanding the generation of M2 acute myeloid leukaemia.     

(Mg-ATP)-dependent self-assembly of molecular chaperone GroEL

The important Escherichia coli heat-shock protein GroEL of relative molecular mass 57,259 is a typical molecular chaperone. It possesses ATPase activity and interacts in ATP-driven reactions with non-folded proteins to stimulate their correct folding and/or assembly by preventing the formation of improper protein structures or aggregates. As GroEL is isolated and functions as a 20-25S tetradecameric particle (GroELp), the question arises--what is the mechanism of its own assembly? Here we show the (Mg-ATP)-dependent self-stimulation ('self-chaperoning') in vitro of GroELp reassembly from its monomeric state.