Spastin, a new AAA protein, is altered in the most frequent form of autosomal dominant spastic paraplegia

Autosomal dominant hereditary spastic paraplegia (AD-HSP) is a genetically heterogeneous neurodegenerative disorder characterized by progressive spasticity of the lower limbs. Among the four loci causing AD-HSP identified so far, the SPG4 locus at chromosome 2p2-1p22 has been shown to account for 40-50% of all AD-HSP families. Using a positional cloning strategy based on obtaining sequence of the entire SPG4 interval, we identified a candidate gene encoding a new member of the AAA protein family, which we named spastin. Sequence analysis of this gene in seven SPG4-linked pedigrees revealed several DNA modifications, including missense, nonsense and splice-site mutations. Both SPG4 and its mouse orthologue were shown to be expressed early and ubiquitously in fetal and adult tissues. The sequence homologies and putative subcellular localization of spastin suggest that this ATPase is involved in the assembly or function of nuclear protein complexes.     

1-(substituted)benzyl-5-aminoimidazole-4-carboxamides are potent orally active inhibitors of Trypanosoma cruzi in mice

1-(Substituted)benzyl-5-aminoimidazole-4-carboxamides are potent orally active inhibitors of Trypanosoma cruzi infections in mice. The most active compounds are the 1-(4-chlorobenzyl)- and 1-(3,4-dichlorobenzyl)-analogs (L-153,094 [2] and L-153,153 [4], resp.) which are approximately 7-fold more potent upon oral administration than nifurtimox (Lampit) in suppressing parasite levels in the blood of mice with acute Trypanosoma cruzi infections.     

Glucose/galactose malabsorption caused by a defect in the Na+/glucose cotransporter

Glucose/galactose malabsorption (GGM) is an autosomal recessive disease manifesting within the first weeks of life and characterized by a selective failure to absorb dietary glucose and galactose from the intestine. The consequent severe diarrhoea and dehydration are usually fatal unless these sugars are eliminated from the diet. Intestinal biopsies of GGM patients have revealed a specific defect in Na(+)-dependent absorption of glucose in the brush border. Normal glucose absorption is mediated by the Na+/glucose cotransporter in the brush border membrane of the intestinal epithelium. Cellular influx is driven by the transmembrane Na+ electrochemical potential gradient; thereafter the sugar moves to the blood across the basolateral membrane via the facilitated glucose carrier. We have previously cloned and sequenced a Na+/glucose cotransporter from normal human ileum and shown that this gene, SGLT1, resides on the distal q arm of chromosome 22. We have now amplified SGLT1 complementary DNA and genomic DNA from members of a family affected with GGM by the polymerase chain reaction. Sequence analysis of the amplified products has revealed a single missense mutation in SGLT1 which cosegregates with the GGM phenotype and results in a complete loss of Na(+)-dependent glucose transport in Xenopus oocytes injected with this complementary RNA.     

Alopecia induced in young mice by exposure to excess dietary zinc

Summary Second generation mice were exposed to normal (50 ppm, Group I) or excess (2000 ppm, Group II) zinc in the maternal diet during gestation and lactation, then weaned and continued on the mother's diet until sacrifice at 8 weeks. Tibia zinc reflected dietary intake. Group II had reduced plasma copper, body weight, and hematocrit; the second coat of hair appeared late and was lighter in color than Group I, possibly as an effect of copper and pigmentation development and hair growth.     

Re-routing of a secretory protein by fusion with human growth hormone sequences

Cells with electron-dense secretory vesicles use them to store only specialized secretory products such as peptide hormones; other types of secreted proteins are externalized by an alternative, constitutive route. One possible mechanism for such segregation is that proteins destined for dense secretory vesicles contain unique 'sorting domains' that allow for selective targeting. Here, we set out to determine whether a constitutively secreted protein could be diverted to the dense secretory vesicles by attachment to a peptide hormone sequence. We made use of the ability of the mouse pituitary tumour cell, AtT-20, to correctly sort exogenous secretory proteins introduced into them by DNA transfection. We constructed a plasmid encoding a hybrid protein in which a constitutively secreted viral protein was fused to the carboxy terminus of human growth hormone (hGH). Cells expressing the hybrid protein were found to target it to dense secretory vesicles with an efficiency close to that observed for the parental hGH. These results support the hypothesis that sorting domains on peptide hormones direct their packaging into dense secretory vesicles. The results also suggest that proteins secreted by the constitutive pathway either do not contain any sorting domain, or their sorting signals can be overridden by those which direct peptide hormones.