Effects of decreased muscle activity on developing axial musculature in nic b107 mutant zebrafish (Danio rerio)

NARCIS (Netherlands)

Meulen, van der T.; Schipper, H.; Leeuwen, van J.L.; Kranenbarg, S.

2005-01-01

The present paper discusses the effects of decreased muscle activity (DMA) on embryonic development in the zebrafish. Wild-type zebrafish embryos become mobile around 18 h post-fertilisation, long before the axial musculature is fully differentiated. As a model for DMA, the nicb107 mutant was used.

Characterization of a Weak Allele of Zebrafish cloche Mutant

Science.gov (United States)

Ma, Ning; Huang, Zhibin; Chen, Xiaohui; He, Fei; Wang, Kun; Liu, Wei; Zhao, Linfeng; Xu, Xiangmin; Liao, Wangjun; Ruan, Hua; Luo, Shenqiu; Zhang, Wenqing

2011-01-01

Hematopoiesis is a complicated and dynamic process about which the molecular mechanisms remain poorly understood. Danio rerio (zebrafish) is an excellent vertebrate system for studying hematopoiesis and developmental mechanisms. In the previous study, we isolated and identified a cloche 172 (clo 172) mutant, a novel allele compared to the original cloche (clo) mutant, through using complementation test and initial mapping. Here, according to whole mount in-situ hybridization, we report that the endothelial cells in clo 172 mutant embryos, although initially developed, failed to form the functional vascular system eventually. In addition, further characterization indicates that the clo 172 mutant exhibited weaker defects instead of completely lost in primitive erythroid cells and definitive hematopoietic cells compared with the clo s5 mutant. In contrast, primitive myeloid cells were totally lost in clo 172 mutant. Furthermore, these reappeared definitive myeloid cells were demonstrated to initiate from the remaining hematopoietic stem cells (HSCs) in clo 172 mutant, confirmed by the dramatic decrease of lyc in clo 172 runx1w84x double mutant. Collectively, the clo 172 mutant is a weak allele compared to the clo s5 mutant, therefore providing a model for studying the early development of hematopoietic and vascular system, as well as an opportunity to further understand the function of the cloche gene. PMID:22132109

Low Ascorbic Acid in the vtc-1 Mutant of Arabidopsis Is Associated with Decreased Growth and Intracellular Redistribution of the Antioxidant System1

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Veljovic-Jovanovic, Sonja D.; Pignocchi, Cristina; Noctor, Graham; Foyer, Christine H.

2001-01-01

Ascorbic acid has numerous and diverse roles in plant metabolism. We have used the vtc-1 mutant of Arabidopsis, which is deficient in ascorbate biosynthesis, to investigate the role of ascorbate concentration in growth, regulation of photosynthesis, and control of the partitioning of antioxidative enyzmes. The mutant possessed 70% less ascorbate in the leaves compared with the wild type. This lesion was associated with a slight increase in total glutathione but no change in the redox state of either ascorbate or glutathione. In vtc-1, total ascorbate in the apoplast was decreased to 23% of the wild-type value. The mutant displayed much slower shoot growth than the wild type when grown in air or at high CO2 (3 mL L−1), where oxidative stress is diminished. Leaves were smaller, and shoot fresh weight and dry weight were lower in the mutant. No significant differences in the light saturation curves for CO2 assimilation were found in air or at high CO2, suggesting that the effect on growth was not due to decreased photosynthetic capacity in the mutant. Analysis of chlorophyll a fluorescence quenching revealed only a slight effect on non-photochemical energy dissipation. Hydrogen peroxide contents were similar in the leaves of the vtc-1 mutant and the wild type. Total leaf peroxidase activity was increased in the mutant and compartment-specific differences in ascorbate peroxidase (APX) activity were observed. In agreement with the measurements of enzyme activity, the expression of cytosolic APX was increased, whereas that for chloroplast APX isoforms was either unchanged or slightly decreased. These data implicate ascorbate concentration in the regulation of the compartmentalization of the antioxidant system in Arabidopsis. PMID:11598218

Data supporting mitochondrial morphological changes by SPG13-associated HSPD1 mutants

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Yuki Miyamoto

2016-03-01

Full Text Available The data is related to the research article entitled “Hypomyelinating leukodystrophy-associated missense mutation in HSPD1 blunts mitochondrial dynamics” [1]. In addition to hypomyelinating leukodystrophy (HLD 4 (OMIM no. 612233, it is known that spastic paraplegia (SPG 13 (OMIM no. 605280 is caused by HSPD1’s amino acid mutation. Two amino acid mutations Val-98-to-Ile (V98I and Gln-461-to-Glu (Q461E are associated with SPG13 [2]. In order to investigate the effects of HSPD1’s V98I or Q461E mutant on mitochondrial morphological changes, we transfected each of the respective mutant-encoding genes into Cos-7 cells. Either of V98I or Q461E mutant exhibited increased number of mitochondria and short length mitochondrial morphologies. Using MitoTracker dye-incorporating assay, decreased mitochondrial membrane potential was also observed in both cases. The data described here supports that SPG13-associated HSPD1 mutant participates in causing aberrant mitochondrial morphological changes with decreased activities. Keywords: SPG13, HSPD1, Mitochondrion, Morphological change

Functional Loss of Bmsei Causes Thermosensitive Epilepsy in Contractile Mutant Silkworm, Bombyx mori

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Nie, Hongyi; Cheng, Tingcai; Huang, Xiaofeng; Zhou, Mengting; Zhang, Yinxia; Dai, Fangyin; Mita, Kazuei; Xia, Qingyou; Liu, Chun

2015-07-01

The thermoprotective mechanisms of insects remain largely unknown. We reported the Bombyx mori contractile (cot) behavioral mutant with thermo-sensitive seizures phenotype. At elevated temperatures, the cot mutant exhibit seizures associated with strong contractions, rolling, vomiting, and a temporary lack of movement. We narrowed a region containing cot to ~268 kb by positional cloning and identified the mutant gene as Bmsei which encoded a potassium channel protein. Bmsei was present in both the cell membrane and cytoplasm in wild-type ganglia but faint in cot. Furthermore, Bmsei was markedly decreased upon high temperature treatment in cot mutant. With the RNAi method and injecting potassium channel blockers, the wild type silkworm was induced the cot phenotype. These results demonstrated that Bmsei was responsible for the cot mutant phenotype and played an important role in thermoprotection in silkworm. Meanwhile, comparative proteomic approach was used to investigate the proteomic differences. The results showed that the protein of Hsp-1 and Tn1 were significantly decreased and increased on protein level in cot mutant after thermo-stimulus, respectively. Our data provide insights into the mechanism of thermoprotection in insect. As cot phenotype closely resembles human epilepsy, cot might be a potential model for the mechanism of epilepsy in future.

Multidrug resistance in Botrytis cinerea associated with decreased accumulation of the azole fungicide oxpoconazole and increased transcription of the ABC transporter gene BcatrD

NARCIS (Netherlands)

Hayashi, K.; Schoonbeek, H.; Sugiura, H.; Waard, De M.A.

2001-01-01

Azole-resistant mutants of Botrytis cinerea have a multidrug resistance phenotype since they exhibit cross-resistance to unrelated chemicals. These mutants also display resistance to the new azole fungicide oxpoconazole. Resistance to oxpoconazole is associated with decreased accumulation of the

Construction of Escherichia coli Mutant with Decreased Endotoxic Activity by Modifying Lipid A Structure

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Qiong Liu

2015-05-01

Full Text Available Escherichia coli BL21 (DE3 and its derivatives are widely used for the production of recombinant proteins, but these purified proteins are always contaminated with lipopolysaccharide (LPS. LPS is recognized by the toll-like receptor 4 and myeloid differentiation factor 2 complex of mammalian immune cells and leads to release of pro-inflammatory cytokines. It is a vital step to remove LPS from the proteins before use for therapeutic purpose. In this study, we constructed BL21 (DE3 ∆msbB28 ∆pagP38 mutant, which produces a penta-acylated LPS with reduced endotoxicity. The plasmids harboring pagL and/or lpxE were then introduced into this mutant to further modify the LPS. The new strain (S004 carrying plasmid pQK004 (pagL and lpxE produced mono-phosphoryated tetra-acylated lipid A, which induces markedly less production of tumor necrosis factor-α in the RAW264.7 and IL-12 in the THP1, but still retains ability to produce recombinant proteins. This study provides a strategy to decrease endotoxic activity of recombinant proteins purified from E. coli BL21 backgrounds and a feasible approach to modify lipid A structure for alternative purposes such as mono-phosphoryl lipid A (MPL as vaccine adjuvants.

Sterile mutant of Verbena hybrida induced by heavy ion beam irradiation and wild species V. peruviana exhibit self-incompatible phenotype

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Saito, H.; Hayashi, Y.; Abe, T.; Kanaya, T.; Suzuki, K.

2005-01-01

Full text: Garden verbenas (Verbena hybrida) belonging to the Verbenaceae family are originated from interspecific hybridization among several species, many cultivars frequently produce seeds. Recently, a sterile mutant has been isolated in the verbena cultivar 'Coral Pink' of Temari series (Suntory Flowers Ltd., Tokyo, Japan) by mutation induction using heavy-ion beams at RIKEN Accelarator Research Facility (RARF, Saitama, Japan). We investigated pollen and ovule fertility assessed by acetocarmin staining, seed-set following controlled-pollination tests and behavior of pollen tubes in pistils with the sterile mutant of 'Coral Pink' (SC) and its original fertile one (FC). As the results, although SC has functional male and female gametes, few self-pollinated flowers carry out seed-set, leading to sterile phenotype. Additionally, the sterile mechanism of SC was compared with the wild species V. peruviana (VP) which is one of origin of Temari series and exhibits sterility. Interestingly, similar phenotype was observed in PV. We further investigated, therefore, whether there are differences on self-incompatible reaction between SC and VP. (author)

Sterile mutant of Verbena hybrida induced by heavy ion beam irradiation and wild species V. peruviana exhibit self-incompatible phenotype

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Saito, H; Hayashi, Y; Abe, T [RIKEN, Wako (Japan); Kanaya, T; Suzuki, K [Suntory Flowers Ltd., Higashiomi (Japan)

2005-07-01

Full text: Garden verbenas (Verbena hybrida) belonging to the Verbenaceae family are originated from interspecific hybridization among several species, many cultivars frequently produce seeds. Recently, a sterile mutant has been isolated in the verbena cultivar 'Coral Pink' of Temari series (Suntory Flowers Ltd., Tokyo, Japan) by mutation induction using heavy-ion beams at RIKEN Accelarator Research Facility (RARF, Saitama, Japan). We investigated pollen and ovule fertility assessed by acetocarmin staining, seed-set following controlled-pollination tests and behavior of pollen tubes in pistils with the sterile mutant of 'Coral Pink' (SC) and its original fertile one (FC). As the results, although SC has functional male and female gametes, few self-pollinated flowers carry out seed-set, leading to sterile phenotype. Additionally, the sterile mechanism of SC was compared with the wild species V. peruviana (VP) which is one of origin of Temari series and exhibits sterility. Interestingly, similar phenotype was observed in PV. We further investigated, therefore, whether there are differences on self-incompatible reaction between SC and VP. (author)

Molecular Genetic Identification Of Some Flax Mutants

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

AMER, I.M.; MOUSTAFA, H.A.M.

2009-01-01

Five flax genotypes (Linum usitatissimum L.) i.e., commercial cultivar Sakha 2, the mother variety Giza 4 and three mutant types induced by gamma rays, were screened for their salinity tolerance in field experiments (salinity concentration was 8600 and 8300 ppm for soil and irrigation water, respectively). Mutation 6 was the most salt tolerant as compared to the other four genotypes.RAPD technique was used to detect some molecular markers associated with salt tolerance in flax (Mut 6), RAPD-PCR results using 12 random primers exhibited 149 amplified fragments; 91.9% of them were polymorphic and twelve molecular markers (8.1%) for salt tolerant (mutant 6) were identified with molecular size ranged from 191 to 4159 bp and only eight primers successes to amplify these specific markers. Concerning the other mutants, Mut 15 and Mut 25 exhibited 4.3% and 16.2% specific markers, respectively. The induced mutants exhibited genetic similarity to the parent variety were about 51%, 58.3% and 61.1% for Mut 25, Mut 6 and Mut 15, respectively. These specific markers (SM) are used for identification of the induced mutations and it is important for new variety registration.

Treatment with a Small Molecule Mutant IDH1 Inhibitor Suppresses Tumorigenic Activity and Decreases Production of the Oncometabolite 2-Hydroxyglutarate in Human Chondrosarcoma Cells

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Li, Luyuan; Paz, Ana C.; Wilky, Breelyn A.; Johnson, Britt; Galoian, Karina; Rosenberg, Andrew; Hu, Guozhi; Tinoco, Gabriel; Bodamer, Olaf; Trent, Jonathan C.

2015-01-01

Chondrosarcomas are malignant bone tumors that produce cartilaginous matrix. Mutations in isocitrate dehydrogenase enzymes (IDH1/2) were recently described in several cancers including chondrosarcomas. The IDH1 inhibitor AGI-5198 abrogates the ability of mutant IDH1 to produce the oncometabolite D-2 hydroxyglutarate (D-2HG) in gliomas. We sought to determine if treatment with AGI-5198 would similarly inhibit tumorigenic activity and D-2HG production in IDH1-mutant human chondrosarcoma cells. Two human chondrosarcoma cell lines, JJ012 and HT1080 with endogenous IDH1 mutations and a human chondrocyte cell line C28 with wild type IDH1 were employed in our study. Mutation analysis of IDH was performed by PCR-based DNA sequencing, and D-2HG was detected using tandem mass spectrometry. We confirmed that JJ012 and HT1080 harbor IDH1 R132G and R132C mutation, respectively, while C28 has no mutation. D-2HG was detectable in cell pellets and media of JJ012 and HT1080 cells, as well as plasma and urine from an IDH-mutant chondrosarcoma patient, which decreased after tumor resection. AGI-5198 treatment decreased D-2HG levels in JJ012 and HT1080 cells in a dose-dependent manner, and dramatically inhibited colony formation and migration, interrupted cell cycling, and induced apoptosis. In conclusion, our study demonstrates anti-tumor activity of a mutant IDH1 inhibitor in human chondrosarcoma cell lines, and suggests that D-2HG is a potential biomarker for IDH mutations in chondrosarcoma cells. Thus, clinical trials of mutant IDH inhibitors are warranted for patients with IDH-mutant chondrosarcomas. PMID:26368816

Treatment with a Small Molecule Mutant IDH1 Inhibitor Suppresses Tumorigenic Activity and Decreases Production of the Oncometabolite 2-Hydroxyglutarate in Human Chondrosarcoma Cells.

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Luyuan Li

Full Text Available Chondrosarcomas are malignant bone tumors that produce cartilaginous matrix. Mutations in isocitrate dehydrogenase enzymes (IDH1/2 were recently described in several cancers including chondrosarcomas. The IDH1 inhibitor AGI-5198 abrogates the ability of mutant IDH1 to produce the oncometabolite D-2 hydroxyglutarate (D-2HG in gliomas. We sought to determine if treatment with AGI-5198 would similarly inhibit tumorigenic activity and D-2HG production in IDH1-mutant human chondrosarcoma cells. Two human chondrosarcoma cell lines, JJ012 and HT1080 with endogenous IDH1 mutations and a human chondrocyte cell line C28 with wild type IDH1 were employed in our study. Mutation analysis of IDH was performed by PCR-based DNA sequencing, and D-2HG was detected using tandem mass spectrometry. We confirmed that JJ012 and HT1080 harbor IDH1 R132G and R132C mutation, respectively, while C28 has no mutation. D-2HG was detectable in cell pellets and media of JJ012 and HT1080 cells, as well as plasma and urine from an IDH-mutant chondrosarcoma patient, which decreased after tumor resection. AGI-5198 treatment decreased D-2HG levels in JJ012 and HT1080 cells in a dose-dependent manner, and dramatically inhibited colony formation and migration, interrupted cell cycling, and induced apoptosis. In conclusion, our study demonstrates anti-tumor activity of a mutant IDH1 inhibitor in human chondrosarcoma cell lines, and suggests that D-2HG is a potential biomarker for IDH mutations in chondrosarcoma cells. Thus, clinical trials of mutant IDH inhibitors are warranted for patients with IDH-mutant chondrosarcomas.

Assessment of Lupin Induced Mutants for Quality Traits and Susceptibility to Callosbruchus chinensis and Heliothis armigera insects

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Ragab, A.I.; Boshra, S.A.; Mehany, A.L.; Darwish, A.A.; Kharrab, M.M.

2008-01-01

This study was conducted to assess 23 induced mutants and two parental varieties Giza1 and Giza2 in the three generations (M3, M4, and M5) for seed quality traits, and susceptibility to two insects i.e C. chinnensis and H.armigera. The obtained results exhibited highly significant decrease for alkaloid content of mutants 20 and 23 as compared with the two local varieties. Most of mutants and Giza 2 showed marked increase for protein content as compared with Giza1, however, the increase did not reach the level of significance for the most mutants as compared with Giza2 in the three generations. Except of M4 generation. marked resistance for infestations with C.chinensis and H.armigera was obtained for mutants 1, 5 and 11 in the three generations. However, for total infestation with the two insects, resistance was obtained in mutants 4 and 10. Except of mutant lines 1, 5 and 11, all mutants showed higher loss percentage than that of the local varieties

Induction of short culm mutants for bread wheat by using gamma rays

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Sobieh, S.S.

2002-01-01

This investigation was conducted at the experimental farm of plant research department, nuclear research center, atomic energy authority, Inshas in order to select some short culm mutants from the local wheat varieties; Sid's-5, Sid's-6 and Sid's-7 after gamma irradiation. The obtained results indicated that: 1-M 4 mutants progenies retained the features of their M 3 selections. 2-Some short culm mutants exhibited high grain yield/plant as compared to their original varieties. 3-There were significant decreases in plant height varied from 21.4 to 35.4%. This reduction was due to the shorting of culm inter nods length. As well as, the reduction diameter/culm especially diameter of the inter nods/culm did not differed between original varieties and the mutants. 4-The correlation between grain yield/plant and number of spikes/plant was positive and highly significant for most mutants and the original varieties as well. Data also showed that there were positive relationship between grain yield/plant and number of grains/spike and and length of the inter nods/culm. Positive or negative association between grain yield/plant and plant height as well as diameters of inter nods/culm for mutants and original varieties were detected

A novel mouse Fgfr2 mutant, hobbyhorse (hob, exhibits complete XY gonadal sex reversal.

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Pam Siggers

Full Text Available The secreted molecule fibroblast growth factor 9 (FGF9 plays a critical role in testis determination in the mouse. In embryonic gonadal somatic cells it is required for maintenance of SOX9 expression, a key determinant of Sertoli cell fate. Conditional gene targeting studies have identified FGFR2 as the main gonadal receptor for FGF9 during sex determination. However, such studies can be complicated by inefficient and variable deletion of floxed alleles, depending on the choice of Cre deleter strain. Here, we report a novel, constitutive allele of Fgfr2, hobbyhorse (hob, which was identified in an ENU-based forward genetic screen for novel testis-determining loci. Fgr2hob is caused by a C to T mutation in the invariant exon 7, resulting in a polypeptide with a mis-sense mutation at position 263 (Pro263Ser in the third extracellular immunoglobulin-like domain of FGFR2. Mutant homozygous embryos show severe limb and lung defects and, when on the sensitised C57BL/6J (B6 genetic background, undergo complete XY gonadal sex reversal associated with failure to maintain expression of Sox9. Genetic crosses employing a null mutant of Fgfr2 suggest that Fgr2hob is a hypomorphic allele, affecting both the FGFR2b and FGFR2c splice isoforms of the receptor. We exploited the consistent phenotype of this constitutive mutant by analysing MAPK signalling at the sex-determining stage of gonad development, but no significant abnormalities in mutant embryos were detected.

Drosophila mutants of the autism candidate gene neurobeachin (rugose) exhibit neuro-developmental disorders, aberrant synaptic properties, altered locomotion, and impaired adult social behavior and activity patterns.

Science.gov (United States)

Wise, Alexandria; Tenezaca, Luis; Fernandez, Robert W; Schatoff, Emma; Flores, Julian; Ueda, Atsushi; Zhong, Xiaotian; Wu, Chun-Fang; Simon, Anne F; Venkatesh, Tadmiri

2015-01-01

Autism spectrum disorder (ASD) is a neurodevelopmental disorder in humans characterized by complex behavioral deficits, including intellectual disability, impaired social interactions, and hyperactivity. ASD exhibits a strong genetic component with underlying multigene interactions. Candidate gene studies have shown that the neurobeachin (NBEA) gene is disrupted in human patients with idiopathic autism ( Castermans et al., 2003 ). The NBEA gene spans the common fragile site FRA 13A and encodes a signal scaffold protein ( Savelyeva et al., 2006 ). In mice, NBEA has been shown to be involved in the trafficking and function of a specific subset of synaptic vesicles. ( Medrihan et al., 2009 ; Savelyeva et al., 2006 ). Rugose (rg) is the Drosophila homolog of the mammalian and human NBEA. Our previous genetic and molecular analyses have shown that rg encodes an A kinase anchor protein (DAKAP 550), which interacts with components of the epidermal growth factor receptor or EGFR and Notch-mediated signaling pathways, facilitating cross talk between these and other pathways ( Shamloula et al., 2002 ). We now present functional data from studies on the larval neuromuscular junction that reveal abnormal synaptic architecture and physiology. In addition, adult rg loss-of-function mutants exhibit defective social interactions, impaired habituation, aberrant locomotion, and hyperactivity. These results demonstrate that Drosophila NBEA (rg) mutants exhibit phenotypic characteristics reminiscent of human ASD and thus could serve as a genetic model for studying ASDs.

Bending patterns of chlamydomonas flagella: III. A radial spoke head deficient mutant and a central pair deficient mutant.

Science.gov (United States)

Brokaw, C J; Luck, D J

1985-01-01

Flash photomicrography at frequencies up to 300 Hz and computer-assisted image analysis have been used to obtain parameters describing the flagellar bending patterns of mutants of Chlamydomonas reinhardtii. All strains contained the uni1 mutation, to facilitate photography. The radial spoke head deficient mutant pf17, and the central pair deficient mutant, pf15, in combination with suppressor mutations that restore motility without restoring the ultrastructural or biochemical deficiencies, both generate forward mode bending patterns with increased shear amplitude and decreased asymmetry relative to the "wild-type" uni1 flagella described previously. In the reverse beating mode, the suppressed pf17 mutants generate reverse bending patterns with large shear amplitudes. Reverse beating of the suppressed pf15 mutants is rare. There is a reciprocal relationship between increased shear amplitude and decreased beat frequency, so that the velocity of sliding between flagellar microtubules is not increased by an increase in shear amplitude. The suppressor mutations alone cause decreased frequency and sliding velocity in both forward and reverse mode beating, with little change in shear amplitude or symmetry.

An ALS-linked mutant SOD1 produces a locomotor defect associated with aggregation and synaptic dysfunction when expressed in neurons of Caenorhabditis elegans.

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Jiou Wang

2009-01-01

Full Text Available The nature of toxic effects exerted on neurons by misfolded proteins, occurring in a number of neurodegenerative diseases, is poorly understood. One approach to this problem is to measure effects when such proteins are expressed in heterologous neurons. We report on effects of an ALS-associated, misfolding-prone mutant human SOD1, G85R, when expressed in the neurons of Caenorhabditis elegans. Stable mutant transgenic animals, but not wild-type human SOD1 transgenics, exhibited a strong locomotor defect associated with the presence, specifically in mutant animals, of both soluble oligomers and insoluble aggregates of G85R protein. A whole-genome RNAi screen identified chaperones and other components whose deficiency increased aggregation and further diminished locomotion. The nature of the locomotor defect was investigated. Mutant animals were resistant to paralysis by the cholinesterase inhibitor aldicarb, while exhibiting normal sensitivity to the cholinergic agonist levamisole and normal muscle morphology. When fluorescently labeled presynaptic components were examined in the dorsal nerve cord, decreased numbers of puncta corresponding to neuromuscular junctions were observed in mutant animals and brightness was also diminished. At the EM level, mutant animals exhibited a reduced number of synaptic vesicles. Neurotoxicity in this system thus appears to be mediated by misfolded SOD1 and is exerted on synaptic vesicle biogenesis and/or trafficking.

Defective Glycinergic Synaptic Transmission in Zebrafish Motility Mutants

OpenAIRE

Hirata, Hiromi; Carta, Eloisa; Yamanaka, Iori; Harvey, Robert J.; Kuwada, John Y.

2010-01-01

Glycine is a major inhibitory neurotransmitter in the spinal cord and brainstem. Recently, in vivo analysis of glycinergic synaptic transmission has been pursued in zebrafish using molecular genetics. An ENU mutagenesis screen identified two behavioral mutants that are defective in glycinergic synaptic transmission. Zebrafish bandoneon (beo) mutants have a defect in glrbb, one of the duplicated glycine receptor (GlyR) β subunit genes. These mutants exhibit a loss of glycinergic synaptic ...

Isolation of New Gravitropic Mutants under Hypergravity Conditions.

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Mori, Akiko; Toyota, Masatsugu; Shimada, Masayoshi; Mekata, Mika; Kurata, Tetsuya; Tasaka, Masao; Morita, Miyo T

2016-01-01

Forward genetics is a powerful approach used to link genotypes and phenotypes, and mutant screening/analysis has provided deep insights into many aspects of plant physiology. Gravitropism is a tropistic response in plants, in which hypocotyls and stems sense the direction of gravity and grow upward. Previous studies of gravitropic mutants have suggested that shoot endodermal cells in Arabidopsis stems and hypocotyls are capable of sensing gravity (i.e., statocytes). In the present study, we report a new screening system using hypergravity conditions to isolate enhancers of gravitropism mutants, and we also describe a rapid and efficient genome mapping method, using next-generation sequencing (NGS) and single nucleotide polymorphism (SNP)-based markers. Using the endodermal-amyloplast less 1 ( eal1 ) mutant, which exhibits defective development of endodermal cells and gravitropism, we found that hypergravity (10 g) restored the reduced gravity responsiveness in eal1 hypocotyls and could, therefore, be used to obtain mutants with further reduction in gravitropism in the eal1 background. Using the new screening system, we successfully isolated six ene ( enhancer of eal1 ) mutants that exhibited little or no gravitropism under hypergravity conditions, and using NGS and map-based cloning with SNP markers, we narrowed down the potential causative genes, which revealed a new genetic network for shoot gravitropism in Arabidopsis .

Rubisco mutants of Chlamydomonas reinhardtii enhance photosynthetic hydrogen production.

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Pinto, T S; Malcata, F X; Arrabaça, J D; Silva, J M; Spreitzer, R J; Esquível, M G

2013-06-01

Molecular hydrogen (H2) is an ideal fuel characterized by high enthalpy change and lack of greenhouse effects. This biofuel can be released by microalgae via reduction of protons to molecular hydrogen catalyzed by hydrogenases. The main competitor for the reducing power required by the hydrogenases is the Calvin cycle, and rubisco plays a key role therein. Engineered Chlamydomonas with reduced rubisco levels, activity and stability was used as the basis of this research effort aimed at increasing hydrogen production. Biochemical monitoring in such metabolically engineered mutant cells proceeded in Tris/acetate/phosphate culture medium with S-depletion or repletion, both under hypoxia. Photosynthetic activity, maximum photochemical efficiency, chlorophyll and protein levels were all measured. In addition, expression of rubisco, hydrogenase, D1 and Lhcb were investigated, and H2 was quantified. At the beginning of the experiments, rubisco increased followed by intense degradation. Lhcb proteins exhibited monomeric isoforms during the first 24 to 48 h, and D1 displayed sensitivity under S-depletion. Rubisco mutants exhibited a significant decrease in O2 evolution compared with the control. Although the S-depleted medium was much more suitable than its complete counterpart for H2 production, hydrogen release was observed also in sealed S-repleted cultures of rubisco mutated cells under low-moderate light conditions. In particular, the rubisco mutant Y67A accounted for 10-15-fold higher hydrogen production than the wild type under the same conditions and also displayed divergent metabolic parameters. These results indicate that rubisco is a promising target for improving hydrogen production rates in engineered microalgae.

Preliminary Study of the Characteristics of Several Glossy Cabbage (Brassica oleracea var. capitata L. Mutants

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Tang Jun

2015-09-01

Full Text Available To determine the characteristics and potential practical applications of glossy cabbage (Brassica oleracea var. capitata L. mutants, five different glossy mutants were studied. The amount of epicuticular wax covering the mutant leaves was only approximately 30% that of the wild-type (WT leaves. The wax crystals of WT plants were columnar and linear, while they were granular and rod-shaped in the mutants. Additionally, in WT cabbage, the primary wax components were alkanes, alcohols, fatty acids, ketones, and aldehydes. There was a significant decrease in the abundance of alkanes and ketones in the wax of the mutants. The glossy-green trait of the mutants may be the result of an inhibited alkane-forming pathway. Higher rates of chlorophyll leaching and water loss demonstrate that the mutant leaves were more permeable and sensitive to drought stress than the WT leaves. Growth curve results indicated that the growth rate of mutant-1 and mutant-3 was slower than that of the corresponding WT cabbage, resulting in shorter plants. However, the growth rate of mutant-2 was not influenced by the lack of coating wax. An investigation of the agronomic traits and heterosis of the glossy cabbage mutants indicated that all five mutants had glossy-green leaves, which was a favorable characteristic. The F1 plants derived from crosses involving mutant-2 exhibited obvious heterosis, suggesting the observed glossy-green trait is controlled by a dominant gene. Therefore, mutant-2 may be useful as a source of genetic material for future cabbage breeding experiments.

PBP deletion mutants of Escherichia coli exhibit irregular distribution of MreB at the deformed zones.

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Vijayan, Saptha; Mallick, Sathi; Dutta, Mouparna; Narayani, M; Ghosh, Anindya S

2014-02-01

MreB is a cytoskeletal protein, which is responsible for maintaining proper cellular morphology and is essential for cell survival. Likewise, penicillin-binding protein 5 (PBP5) helps in maintaining cell shape, though non-essential for survival. The contradicting feature of these two proteins paves the way for this study, wherein we attempt to draw a relation on the nature of distribution of MreB in PBP deletion mutants. The study revealed that the uniform MreB helices/patches were destabilized/disturbed at the zone of deformities of the PBP mutants, whereas the helical patterns were retained at the regions maintaining a rod shape. We interpret that MreB remains functional irrespective of its distribution being misguided by the aberrant shapes of PBP mutants.

Generation and characterization of pigment mutants of ...

African Journals Online (AJOL)

Compared to the wild CC-124, these mutants are characterized by a decrease in chlorophyll a & b content and an increase in carotenoids. The lowest decrease in chlorophyll a was 3 to 4 folds, while the highest increase in carotenoids was 2 to 4 folds. The result of bio-test, using the resulting pigment mutant of C. reinhardtii ...

Stress Tolerance in Doughs of Saccharomyces cerevisiae Trehalase Mutants Derived from Commercial Baker’s Yeast

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Shima, Jun; Hino, Akihiro; Yamada-Iyo, Chie; Suzuki, Yasuo; Nakajima, Ryouichi; Watanabe, Hajime; Mori, Katsumi; Takano, Hiroyuki

1999-01-01

Accumulation of trehalose is widely believed to be a critical determinant in improving the stress tolerance of the yeast Saccharomyces cerevisiae, which is commonly used in commercial bread dough. To retain the accumulation of trehalose in yeast cells, we constructed, for the first time, diploid homozygous neutral trehalase mutants (Δnth1), acid trehalase mutants (Δath1), and double mutants (Δnth1 ath1) by using commercial baker’s yeast strains as the parent strains and the gene disruption method. During fermentation in a liquid fermentation medium, degradation of intracellular trehalose was inhibited with all of the trehalase mutants. The gassing power of frozen doughs made with these mutants was greater than the gassing power of doughs made with the parent strains. The Δnth1 and Δath1 strains also exhibited higher levels of tolerance of dry conditions than the parent strains exhibited; however, the Δnth1 ath1 strain exhibited lower tolerance of dry conditions than the parent strain exhibited. The improved freeze tolerance exhibited by all of the trehalase mutants may make these strains useful in frozen dough. PMID:10388673

Probiotic features of Lactobacillus plantarum mutant strains.

Science.gov (United States)

Bove, Pasquale; Gallone, Anna; Russo, Pasquale; Capozzi, Vittorio; Albenzio, Marzia; Spano, Giuseppe; Fiocco, Daniela

2012-10-01

In this study, the probiotic potential of Lactobacillus plantarum wild-type and derivative mutant strains was investigated. Bacterial survival was evaluated in an in vitro system, simulating the transit along the human oro-gastro-intestinal tract. Interaction with human gut epithelial cells was studied by assessing bacterial adhesive ability to Caco-2 cells and induction of genes involved in innate immunity. L. plantarum strains were resistant to the combined stress at the various steps of the simulated gastrointestinal tract. Major decreases in the viability of L. plantarum cells were observed mainly under drastic acidic conditions (pH ≤ 2.0) of the gastric compartment. Abiotic stresses associated to small intestine poorly affected bacterial viability. All the bacterial strains significantly adhered to Caco-2 cells, with the ΔctsR mutant strain exhibiting the highest adhesion. Induction of immune-related genes resulted higher upon incubation with heat-inactivated bacteria rather than with live ones. For specific genes, a differential transcriptional pattern was observed upon stimulation with different L. plantarum strains, evidencing a possible role of the knocked out bacterial genes in the modulation of host cell response. In particular, cells from Δhsp18.55 and ΔftsH mutants strongly triggered immune defence genes. Our study highlights the relevance of microbial genetic background in host-probiotic interaction and might contribute to identify candidate bacterial genes and molecules involved in probiosis.

Analysis of triclosan-selected Salmonella enterica mutants of eight serovars revealed increased aminoglycoside susceptibility and reduced growth rates.

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Ulrike Rensch

Full Text Available The biocide triclosan (TRC is used in a wide range of household, personal care, veterinary, industrial and medical products to control microbial growth. This extended use raises concerns about a possible association between the application of triclosan and the development of antibiotic resistance. In the present study we determined triclosan mutant prevention concentrations (MPC for Salmonella enterica isolates of eight serovars and investigated selected mutants for their mechanisms mediating decreased susceptibility to triclosan. MPCTRC values were 8-64-fold higher than MIC values and ranged between 1-16 µg/ml. The frequencies at which mutants were selected varied between 1.3 x 10(-10-9.9 x 10(-11. Even if MIC values of mutants decreased by 3-7 dilution steps in the presence of the efflux pump inhibitor Phe-Arg-β-naphtylamide, only minor changes were observed in the expression of genes encoding efflux components or regulators, indicating that neither the major multidrug efflux pump AcrAB-TolC nor AcrEF are up-regulated in triclosan-selected mutants. Nucleotide sequence comparisons confirmed the absence of alterations in the regulatory regions acrRA, soxRS, marORAB, acrSE and ramRA of selected mutants. Single bp and deduced Gly93→Val amino acid exchanges were present in fabI, the target gene of triclosan, starting from a concentration of 1 µg/ml TRC used for MPC determinations. The fabI genes were up to 12.4-fold up-regulated. Complementation experiments confirmed the contribution of Gly93→Val exchanges and fabI overexpression to decreased triclosan susceptibility. MIC values of mutants compared to parent strains were even equal or resulted in a more susceptible phenotype (1-2 dilution steps for the aminoglycoside antibiotics kanamycin and gentamicin as well as for the biocide chlorhexidine. Growth rates of selected mutants were significantly lower and hence, might partly explain the rare occurrence of Salmonella field isolates exhibiting

Isolation of new gravitropic mutants under hypergravity conditions

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Akiko Mori

2016-09-01

Full Text Available Forward genetics is a powerful approach used to link genotypes and phenotypes, and mutant screening/analysis has provided deep insights into many aspects of plant physiology. Gravitropism is a tropistic response in plants, in which hypocotyls and stems sense the direction of gravity and grow upwards. Previous studies of gravitropic mutants have suggested that shoot endodermal cells in Arabidopsis stems and hypocotyls are capable of sensing gravity (i.e., statocytes. In the present study, we report a new screening system using hypergravity conditions to isolate enhancers of gravitropism mutants, and we also describe a rapid and efficient genome mapping method, using Next-Generation Sequencing (NGS and Single Nucleotide Polymorphism (SNP-based markers. Using the endodermal-amyloplast less 1 (eal1 mutant, which exhibits defective development of endodermal cells and gravitropism, we found that hypergravity (10 g restored the reduced gravity responsiveness in eal1 hypocotyls and could, therefore, be used to obtain mutants with further reduction in gravitropism in the eal1 background. Using the new screening system, we successfully isolated six ene (enhancer of eal1 mutants that exhibited little or no gravitropism under hypergravity conditions, and using NGS and map-based cloning with SNP markers, we narrowed down the potential causative genes, which revealed a new genetic network for shoot gravitropism in Arabidopsis.

Former Abusers of Anabolic Androgenic Steroids Exhibit Decreased Testosterone Levels and Hypogonadal Symptoms Years after Cessation

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Rasmussen, Jon Jarløv; Selmer, Christian; Østergren, Peter Busch

2016-01-01

training. Reproductive hormones (FSH, LH, testosterone, inhibin B and anti-Müllerian hormone (AMH)) were measured using morning blood samples. Symptoms of hypogonadism (depressive symptoms, fatigue, decreased libido and erectile dysfunction) were recorded systematically. RESULTS: Former AAS abusers...... exhibited significantly lower median (25th -75th percentiles) total and free testosterone levels than control participants (total testosterone: 14.4 (11.9-17.7) nmol/l vs. 18.8 (16.6-22.0) nmol/l) (P testosterone levels below...... the lower reference limit (12.1 nmol/l) whereas no control participants exhibited testosterone below this limit (P

Prevention of GABA reduction during dough fermentation using a baker's yeast dal81 mutant.

Science.gov (United States)

Ando, Akira; Nakamura, Toshihide

2016-10-01

γ-Aminobutyric acid (GABA) is consumed by yeasts during fermentation. To prevent GABA reduction in bread dough, a baker's yeast mutant AY77 deficient in GABA assimilation was characterized and utilized for wheat dough fermentation. An amber mutation in the DAL81 gene, which codes for a positive regulator of multiple nitrogen degradation pathways, was found in the AY77 strain. The qPCR analyses of genes involved in nitrogen utilization showed that transcriptional levels of the UGA1 and DUR3 genes encoding GABA transaminase and urea transporter, respectively, are severely decreased in the AY77 cells. The AY77 strain cultivated by fed-batch culture using cane molasses exhibited inferior gas production during dough fermentation compared to that of wild-type strain AY13. However, when fed with molasses containing 0.5% ammonium sulfate, the mutant strain exhibited gas production comparable to that of the AY13 strain. In contrast to the AY13 strain, which completely consumed GABA in dough within 5 h, the AY77 strain consumed no GABA under either culture condition. Dough fermentation with the dal81 mutant strain should be useful for suppression of GABA reduction in breads. Copyright © 2016 The Society for Biotechnology, Japan. Published by Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.

Temperature sensitive riboflavin mutants of Penicillium vermiculatum Dangeard

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Mitra, J.; Chaudhari, K.L.

1974-01-01

Two temperature sensitive UV induced riboflavin mutants rib 1 and rib 6 have been physiologically and genetically characterized. The two mutants behave differently with regard to their temperature sensitivity. The rib 1 mutant exhibits a leaky growth in minimal medium between 15 0 C and 30 0 C but grows well when the medium is supplemented with riboflavin. At 35 0 C the growth response of the mutant is at its max. and at 40 0 C and below 15 0 C it ceases to grow. The rib 6 mutant which is red brown in colour shows wild type character at temp. below 25 0 C in minimal medium but requires riboflavin at 30 0 C and above. Heterokaryotic analysis revealed the nonallelic nature of the two temperature mutants. Genetic tests of allelic relationship between riboflavin markers by crossing were also done. (author)

Gamma-radiation Mutagenesis in Genetically Unstable Barley Mutants. Pt. 1. Chlorophyll Mutations in Allelic tw Mutants and Their Revertants

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Vaitkuniene, V.

1995-01-01

Genotypical environment is an essential factor determining the mutability of mutants of the same type. Decreased chlorophyll mutant frequency was a common characteristic of all tested tw type (tw, tw 1 , tw 2 ) mutants induced in barley c. 'Auksiniai II'. The mutability of all the tested revertants was close to that of the initial c. 'Auksiniai II'. (author). 9 refs., 2 tabs

Modeling the dual pacemaker system of the tau mutant hamster.

Science.gov (United States)

Oda, G A; Menaker, M; Friesen, W O

2000-06-01

Circadian pacemakers in many animals are compound. In rodents, a two-oscillator model of the pacemaker composed of an evening (E) and a morning (M) oscillator has been proposed based on the phenomenon of "splitting" and bimodal activity peaks. The authors describe computer simulations of the pacemaker in tau mutant hamsters viewed as a system of mutually coupled E and M oscillators. These mutant animals exhibit normal type 1 PRCs when released into DD but make a transition to a type 0 PRC when held for many weeks in DD. The two-oscillator model describes particularly well some recent behavioral experiments on these hamsters. The authors sought to determine the relationships between oscillator amplitude, period, PRC, and activity duration through computer simulations. Two complementary approaches proved useful for analyzing weakly coupled oscillator systems. The authors adopted a "distinct oscillators" view when considering the component E and M oscillators and a "system" view when considering the system as a whole. For strongly coupled systems, only the system view is appropriate. The simulations lead the authors to two primary conjectures: (1) the total amplitude of the pacemaker system in tau mutant hamsters is less than in the wild-type animals, and (2) the coupling between the unit E and M oscillators is weakened during continuous exposure of hamsters to DD. As coupling strength decreases, activity duration (alpha) increases due to a greater phase difference between E and M. At the same time, the total amplitude of the system decreases, causing an increase in observable PRC amplitudes. Reduced coupling also increases the relative autonomy of the unit oscillators. The relatively autonomous phase shifts of E and M oscillators can account for both immediate compression and expansion of activity bands in tau mutant and wild-type hamsters subjected to light pulses.

Integrative Genomic Analysis of Cholangiocarcinoma Identifies Distinct IDH-Mutant Molecular Profiles

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Farshad Farshidfar

2017-03-01

Full Text Available Cholangiocarcinoma (CCA is an aggressive malignancy of the bile ducts, with poor prognosis and limited treatment options. Here, we describe the integrated analysis of somatic mutations, RNA expression, copy number, and DNA methylation by The Cancer Genome Atlas of a set of predominantly intrahepatic CCA cases and propose a molecular classification scheme. We identified an IDH mutant-enriched subtype with distinct molecular features including low expression of chromatin modifiers, elevated expression of mitochondrial genes, and increased mitochondrial DNA copy number. Leveraging the multi-platform data, we observed that ARID1A exhibited DNA hypermethylation and decreased expression in the IDH mutant subtype. More broadly, we found that IDH mutations are associated with an expanded histological spectrum of liver tumors with molecular features that stratify with CCA. Our studies reveal insights into the molecular pathogenesis and heterogeneity of cholangiocarcinoma and provide classification information of potential therapeutic significance.

Heterozygous inactivation of tsc2 enhances tumorigenesis in p53 mutant zebrafish

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Seok-Hyung Kim

2013-07-01

Tuberous sclerosis complex (TSC is a multi-organ disorder caused by mutations of the TSC1 or TSC2 genes. A key function of these genes is to inhibit mTORC1 (mechanistic target of rapamycin complex 1 kinase signaling. Cells deficient for TSC1 or TSC2 have increased mTORC1 signaling and give rise to benign tumors, although, as a rule, true malignancies are rarely seen. In contrast, other disorders with increased mTOR signaling typically have overt malignancies. A better understanding of genetic mechanisms that govern the transformation of benign cells to malignant ones is crucial to understand cancer pathogenesis. We generated a zebrafish model of TSC and cancer progression by placing a heterozygous mutation of the tsc2 gene in a p53 mutant background. Unlike tsc2 heterozygous mutant zebrafish, which never exhibited cancers, compound tsc2;p53 mutants had malignant tumors in multiple organs. Tumorigenesis was enhanced compared with p53 mutant zebrafish. p53 mutants also had increased mTORC1 signaling that was further enhanced in tsc2;p53 compound mutants. We found increased expression of Hif1-α, Hif2-α and Vegf-c in tsc2;p53 compound mutant zebrafish compared with p53 mutant zebrafish. Expression of these proteins probably underlies the increased angiogenesis seen in compound mutant zebrafish compared with p53 mutants and might further drive cancer progression. Treatment of p53 and compound mutant zebrafish with the mTORC1 inhibitor rapamycin caused rapid shrinkage of tumor size and decreased caliber of tumor-associated blood vessels. This is the first report using an animal model to show interactions between tsc2, mTORC1 and p53 during tumorigenesis. These results might explain why individuals with TSC rarely have malignant tumors, but also suggest that cancer arising in individuals without TSC might be influenced by the status of TSC1 and/or TSC2 mutations and be potentially treatable with mTORC1 inhibitors.

Alzheimer’s Disease Mutant Mice Exhibit Reduced Brain Tissue Stiffness Compared to Wild-type Mice in both Normoxia and following Intermittent Hypoxia Mimicking Sleep Apnea

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Maria José Menal

2018-01-01

Full Text Available BackgroundEvidence from patients and animal models suggests that obstructive sleep apnea (OSA may increase the risk of Alzheimer’s disease (AD and that AD is associated with reduced brain tissue stiffness.AimTo investigate whether intermittent hypoxia (IH alters brain cortex tissue stiffness in AD mutant mice exposed to IH mimicking OSA.MethodsSix-eight month old (B6C3-Tg(APPswe,PSEN1dE985Dbo/J AD mutant mice and wild-type (WT littermates were subjected to IH (21% O2 40 s to 5% O2 20 s; 6 h/day or normoxia for 8 weeks. After euthanasia, the stiffness (E of 200-μm brain cortex slices was measured by atomic force microscopy.ResultsTwo-way ANOVA indicated significant cortical softening and weight increase in AD mice compared to WT littermates, but no significant effects of IH on cortical stiffness and weight were detected. In addition, reduced myelin was apparent in AD (vs. WT, but no significant differences emerged in the cortex extracellular matrix components laminin and glycosaminoglycans when comparing baseline AD and WT mice.ConclusionAD mutant mice exhibit reduced brain tissue stiffness following both normoxia and IH mimicking sleep apnea, and such differences are commensurate with increased edema and demyelination in AD.

Molecular characterization of thymidine kinase mutants of human cells induced by densely ionizing radiation

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Kronenberg, A; Little, J B

1989-04-01

In order to characterize the nature of mutants induced by densely ionizing radiations at an autosomal locus, the authors have isolated a series of 99 thymidine kinase (tk) mutants of human TK6 lymphoblastoid cells iraadiated with either fast neutrons or accelerated argon ions. Individual muant clones were examined for alterations in their restriction fragment pattern after hybridization with a human cDNA probe for tk. A restriction fragment length polymorphism (RFLP) allowed identification of the active tk allele. Among the neutron-induced mutants, 34/52 exhibited loss of the previously active allele while 6/52 exhibited intragenic rearrangements. Among the argon-induced mutants 27/46 exhibited allele loses and 10/46 showed rearrangements within the tk locus. The remaining mutants had restriction patterns indistinguishable from the TK6 parent. Each of the mutant clones was further examined for structural alterations within the c-erbAl locus which has been localized to chromosome 17q11-q22, at some unknown distance from the human tk locus at chromosome 17q21-q22. A substantial proportion (54%) of tk mutants induced by densely ionizing radiation showed loss of the c-erb locus on the homologous chromosome, suggesting that the mutations involve large-scale genetic changes. (author). 51 refs.; 2 figs.; 6 tabs.

Repair of gamma radiation damage in wild type and a radiation sensitive mutant of Deinococcus radiodurans

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Mizuma, Nagayo

1989-01-01

In an effort to examine production and repair of radiation-induced single and double strand breaks in the DNA, a repair-deficient wild type and a repair-deficient mutant, UV17, of Deinococcus radiodurans were subjected to Co-60 gamma irradiation at a dose rate of 6.3 kGy/hr for wild type and 3.9 kGy/hr for UV17 mutant. The shoulder of the curve of UV17 mutant was narrow but existed with the intercept of 0.7 kGy and the corresponding value of the wild type was 4.2 kGy. Mutant cells exhibited about 6 fold increases in sensitivity for the shoulder relative to the wild type. The D 37 doses in the wild type and the mutant were 0.57 kGy and 0.25 kGy, respectively. From the survival curves, difference in the sensitivity between two strains was mainly due to difference of repair capacity than the number of radiation sensitive target. Sedimentation rate of the main component in the irradiated cells of UV17 mutant increased almost to the level of unirradiated control by the postincubation at 30deg C for 3 hrs. The results indicated that this sensitive mutant also exhibited an ability to restore single strand breaks after exposure to a sublethal dose of 0.6 kGy. When restitution of double strand breaks was analyzed by sedimentation in a neutral sucrose gradient, the wild type showed restitution to DNA-membrane complex from large part of the breaks. For UV17 mutant, the apparent increase in DNA-membrane complex formation was seen after 3 hours incubation. Large part of the decrease in the activities of peak 2 was recovered in the peak 1 for the wild type. For the mutant, there was little restitution to peak 1. Almost free DNA component in UV17 mutant, therefore, was merely degraded into shorter pieces. Restoration of DNA-membrane complex from free DNA derived from gamma-ray induced double strand scission involved closely in the repair of gamma-induced damage and survival. (N.K.)

The mTOR kinase inhibitor Everolimus decreases S6 kinase phosphorylation but fails to reduce mutant huntingtin levels in brain and is not neuroprotective in the R6/2 mouse model of Huntington's disease

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Frentzel Stefan

2010-06-01

Full Text Available Abstract Background Huntington's disease (HD is a progressive neurodegenerative disorder caused by a CAG repeat expansion within the huntingtin gene. Mutant huntingtin protein misfolds and accumulates within neurons where it mediates its toxic effects. Promoting mutant huntingtin clearance by activating macroautophagy is one approach for treating Huntington's disease (HD. In this study, we evaluated the mTOR kinase inhibitor and macroautophagy promoting drug everolimus in the R6/2 mouse model of HD. Results Everolimus decreased phosphorylation of the mTOR target protein S6 kinase indicating brain penetration. However, everolimus did not activate brain macroautophagy as measured by LC3B Western blot analysis. Everolimus protected against early declines in motor performance; however, we found no evidence for neuroprotection as determined by brain pathology. In muscle but not brain, everolimus significantly decreased soluble mutant huntingtin levels. Conclusions Our data suggests that beneficial behavioral effects of everolimus in R6/2 mice result primarily from effects on muscle. Even though everolimus significantly modulated its target brain S6 kinase, this did not decrease mutant huntingtin levels or provide neuroprotection.

BACHD rats expressing full-length mutant huntingtin exhibit differences in social behavior compared to wild-type littermates.

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Giuseppe Manfré

Full Text Available Huntington disease (HD is a devastating inherited neurodegenerative disorder characterized by progressive motor, cognitive, and psychiatric symptoms without any cure to slow down or stop the progress of the disease. The BACHD rat model for HD carrying the human full-length mutant huntingtin protein (mHTT with 97 polyQ repeats has been recently established as a promising model which reproduces several HD-like features. While motor and cognitive functions have been characterized in BACHD rats, little is known about their social phenotype.This study focuses especially on social behavior since evidence for social disturbances exists in human patients. Our objective was to compare social behavior in BACHD and wild-type (WT rats at different ages, using two different measures of sociability.Animals were tested longitudinally at the age of 2, 4 and 8 months in the social interaction test to examine different parameters of sociability. A separate cohort of 7 month old rats was tested in the three chamber social test to measure both sociability and social novelty. Gene expression analyses in 8 months old animals were performed by real time qRT-PCR to evaluate a potential involvement of D1 and D2 dopaminergic receptors and the contribution of Brain-derived neurotrophic factor (BDNF to the observed behavioral alterations.In the social interaction test, BACHD rats showed age-dependent changes in behaviour when they were-re introduced to their cagemate after a 24 hours-period of individual housing. The time spent on nape attacks increased with aging. Furthermore, a significant higher level of pinning at 2 months of age was shown in the BACHD rats compared to wild-types, followed by a reduction at 4 and 8 months. On the other hand, BACHD rats exhibited a decreased active social behaviour compared to wild-types, reflected by genotype-effects on approaching, following and social nose contact. In the three chamber social test, BACHD rats seemed to show a mild

BACHD rats expressing full-length mutant huntingtin exhibit differences in social behavior compared to wild-type littermates.

Science.gov (United States)

Manfré, Giuseppe; Novati, Arianna; Faccini, Ilaria; Rossetti, Andrea C; Bosch, Kari; Molteni, Raffaella; Riva, Marco A; Van der Harst, Johanneke E; Nguyen, Huu Phuc; Homberg, Judith R

2018-01-01

Huntington disease (HD) is a devastating inherited neurodegenerative disorder characterized by progressive motor, cognitive, and psychiatric symptoms without any cure to slow down or stop the progress of the disease. The BACHD rat model for HD carrying the human full-length mutant huntingtin protein (mHTT) with 97 polyQ repeats has been recently established as a promising model which reproduces several HD-like features. While motor and cognitive functions have been characterized in BACHD rats, little is known about their social phenotype. This study focuses especially on social behavior since evidence for social disturbances exists in human patients. Our objective was to compare social behavior in BACHD and wild-type (WT) rats at different ages, using two different measures of sociability. Animals were tested longitudinally at the age of 2, 4 and 8 months in the social interaction test to examine different parameters of sociability. A separate cohort of 7 month old rats was tested in the three chamber social test to measure both sociability and social novelty. Gene expression analyses in 8 months old animals were performed by real time qRT-PCR to evaluate a potential involvement of D1 and D2 dopaminergic receptors and the contribution of Brain-derived neurotrophic factor (BDNF) to the observed behavioral alterations. In the social interaction test, BACHD rats showed age-dependent changes in behaviour when they were-re introduced to their cagemate after a 24 hours-period of individual housing. The time spent on nape attacks increased with aging. Furthermore, a significant higher level of pinning at 2 months of age was shown in the BACHD rats compared to wild-types, followed by a reduction at 4 and 8 months. On the other hand, BACHD rats exhibited a decreased active social behaviour compared to wild-types, reflected by genotype-effects on approaching, following and social nose contact. In the three chamber social test, BACHD rats seemed to show a mild deficit in

BACHD rats expressing full-length mutant huntingtin exhibit differences in social behavior compared to wild-type littermates

Science.gov (United States)

Manfré, Giuseppe; Novati, Arianna; Faccini, Ilaria; Rossetti, Andrea C.; Bosch, Kari; Molteni, Raffaella; Riva, Marco A.; Van der Harst, Johanneke E.; Homberg, Judith R.

2018-01-01

Background Huntington disease (HD) is a devastating inherited neurodegenerative disorder characterized by progressive motor, cognitive, and psychiatric symptoms without any cure to slow down or stop the progress of the disease. The BACHD rat model for HD carrying the human full-length mutant huntingtin protein (mHTT) with 97 polyQ repeats has been recently established as a promising model which reproduces several HD-like features. While motor and cognitive functions have been characterized in BACHD rats, little is known about their social phenotype. Objective This study focuses especially on social behavior since evidence for social disturbances exists in human patients. Our objective was to compare social behavior in BACHD and wild-type (WT) rats at different ages, using two different measures of sociability. Methods Animals were tested longitudinally at the age of 2, 4 and 8 months in the social interaction test to examine different parameters of sociability. A separate cohort of 7 month old rats was tested in the three chamber social test to measure both sociability and social novelty. Gene expression analyses in 8 months old animals were performed by real time qRT-PCR to evaluate a potential involvement of D1 and D2 dopaminergic receptors and the contribution of Brain-derived neurotrophic factor (BDNF) to the observed behavioral alterations. Results In the social interaction test, BACHD rats showed age-dependent changes in behaviour when they were-re introduced to their cagemate after a 24 hours-period of individual housing. The time spent on nape attacks increased with aging. Furthermore, a significant higher level of pinning at 2 months of age was shown in the BACHD rats compared to wild-types, followed by a reduction at 4 and 8 months. On the other hand, BACHD rats exhibited a decreased active social behaviour compared to wild-types, reflected by genotype-effects on approaching, following and social nose contact. In the three chamber social test, BACHD rats

Hypermutability of a UV-sensitive aphidicolin-resistant mutant of Chinese hamster fibroblasts

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Liu, P.K.; Chang, C.; Trosko, J.E.

1982-01-01

An ultraviolet light (UV)-sensitive thymidine auxotroph of Chinese hamster V79 cells that exhibits pleiotropic effects such as a high level of deoxycytidine triphosphate, slow growth, sensitivity to cytidine, and high frequencies of site-specific bromodeoxyuridine-dependent chromosomal aberrations was selected by its resistance to aphidicolin. The UV-induced mutability of this mutant and one of its revertants, which retains some of the phenotypes listed above, was studied in 3 mutation assay systems. The results showed that the mutant was hypermutable for ouabain and diphtheria-toxin-resistant mutations compared to wild-type V79 cells at the same UV dose or the same survival level. The mutant exhibits a delayed expression of maximal frequency of induced 6-thioguanine-resistant mutants. When maximal frequencies are compared at the same UV dose, the mutant also has higher mutation frequencies at the hypoxanthine-guanine phosphoribosyl transferase locus. The revertant was similar to the wild-type in UV sensitivity and mutability. (orig./AJ)

X-ray-induced mutants resistant to 8-azaguanine

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Carver, J.H.; Dewey, W.C.; Hopwood, L.E.

1976-01-01

Asynchronous Chinese hamster ovary cells were irradiated and colony survival in Alpha MEM medium with dialyzed serum was determined with or without 15 μg/ml 8-Azaguanine (AG). Data indicated that a reproducible assay for the system was dependent upon controlling cell density at least two days prior to induction as well as throughout the expression period. Generally, spontaneous and radiation-induced mutant frequencies decreased when cell densities exceeded a critical density of 3-6 x 10 4 cells/cm 2 . Infrequently, the critical density was exceeded by a factor of two with no observed decrease, possibly correlated with a longer cell doubling time. Drug depletion artifacts can occur because of drug degradation, or because wild-type cells utilize the drug or produce conditions which reduce uptake of the drug. Thus, as the effective drug concentration is lowered, the observed mutant frequency increases because a spectrum of mutants resistant to only low concentrations can now survive. In fact, refeeding with AG at intervals during the incubation period lowered spontaneous and radiation-induced frequencies approx. 5-fold. Therefore, to standardize conditions, cells were trypsinized at the end of the expression time and replated at a constant cell number for mutant selection by AG. Over two generations of growth during the expression period were required for optimal manifestation of induced mutants, and when densities were kept below 4 x 10 4 cells/cm 2 at all times, observed mutant frequencies did not change significantly over a period between 80 and 140 h post-induction (over 4 generations for irradiated cells and over 6 generations for controls). Previous reports of observed mutant frequencies decreasing beyond three generations may be due to cell interaction prior to mutant selection

Mechanical touch responses of Arabidopsis TCH1-3 mutant roots on inclined hard-agar surface

Science.gov (United States)

Zha, Guodong; Wang, Bochu; Liu, Junyu; Yan, Jie; Zhu, Liqing; Yang, Xingyan

2016-01-01

The gravity-induced mechanical touch stimulus can affect plant root architecture. Mechanical touch responses of plant roots are an important aspect of plant root growth and development. Previous studies have reported that Arabidopsis TCH1-3 genes are involved in mechano-related events, how-ever, the physiological functions of TCH1-3 genes in Arabidopsis root mechanoresponses remain unclear. In the present study, we applied an inclined hard agar plate method to produce mechanical touch stimulus, and provided evidence that altered mechanical environment could influence root growth. Furthermore, tch1-3 Arabidopsis mutants were investigated on inclined agar surfaces to explore the functions of TCH1-3 genes on Arabidopsis root mechanoresponses. The results showed that two tch2 mutants, cml24-2 and cml24-4, exhibited significantly reduced root length, biased skewing, and decreased density of lateral root. In addition, primary root length and density of lateral root of tch3 (cml12-2) was significantly decreased on inclined agar surfaces. This study indicates that the tch2 and tch3 mutants are hypersensitive to mechanical touch stimulus, and TCH2 (CML24-2 and CML24-4) and TCH3 (CML12-2) genes may participate in the mechanical touch response of Arabidopsis roots.

Mutants of Escherichia coli K-12 with enhanced resistance to ionizing radiation. 4. Peculiarities of recombination in Gamsup(r) mutants

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Bresler, S.E.; Kalinin, V.L.; Laneeva, N.I.

1984-01-01

Radioresistant mutant Gam sup(r) 444 differs from a wild type and from Gam sup(r) 445 mutant in decreased frequency of long episome heritage ORF 1 (pur E + -tsx + -proC + -lac + ) and F 14 (ilv + -argE + ), containing hot points of RecRecF - depending recombination and in increased frequency of chromosome mobilization and integrative suppression of temperature sensitive dna A46 mutation by sexual factor F. In this respect Gam sup(r) 444 mutant resembles rec BC sbs B mutant with RecF - recombination type

Former Abusers of Anabolic Androgenic Steroids Exhibit Decreased Testosterone Levels and Hypogonadal Symptoms Years after Cessation: A Case-Control Study

Science.gov (United States)

Selmer, Christian; Østergren, Peter Busch; Pedersen, Karen Boje; Schou, Morten; Gustafsson, Finn; Faber, Jens; Juul, Anders; Kistorp, Caroline

2016-01-01

Aims Abuse of anabolic androgenic steroids (AAS) is highly prevalent among male recreational athletes. The objective of this study was to investigate the impact of AAS abuse on reproductive hormone levels and symptoms suggestive of hypogonadism in current and former AAS abusers. Methods This study had a cross-sectional case-control design and involved 37 current AAS abusers, 33 former AAS abusers (mean (95%CI) elapsed duration since AAS cessation: 2.5 (1.7; 3.7) years) and 30 healthy control participants. All participants were aged 18–50 years and were involved in recreational strength training. Reproductive hormones (FSH, LH, testosterone, inhibin B and anti-Müllerian hormone (AMH)) were measured using morning blood samples. Symptoms of hypogonadism (depressive symptoms, fatigue, decreased libido and erectile dysfunction) were recorded systematically. Results Former AAS abusers exhibited significantly lower median (25th –75th percentiles) total and free testosterone levels than control participants (total testosterone: 14.4 (11.9–17.7) nmol/l vs. 18.8 (16.6–22.0) nmol/l) (P < 0.01). Overall, 27.2% (13.3; 45.5) of former AAS abusers exhibited plasma total testosterone levels below the lower reference limit (12.1 nmol/l) whereas no control participants exhibited testosterone below this limit (P < 0.01). Gonadotropins were significantly suppressed, and inhibin B and AMH were significantly decreased in current AAS abusers compared with former AAS abusers and control participants (P < 0.01). The group of former AAS abusers had higher proportions of participants with depressive symptoms ((24.2%) (11.1; 42.2)), erectile dysfunction ((27.3%) (13.3; 45.6)) and decreased libido ((40.1%) (23.2; 57.0)) than the other two groups (trend analyses: P < 0.05). Conclusions Former AAS abusers exhibited significantly lower plasma testosterone levels and higher frequencies of symptoms suggestive of hypogonadism than healthy control participants years after AAS cessation

Former Abusers of Anabolic Androgenic Steroids Exhibit Decreased Testosterone Levels and Hypogonadal Symptoms Years after Cessation: A Case-Control Study.

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Jon Jarløv Rasmussen

Full Text Available Abuse of anabolic androgenic steroids (AAS is highly prevalent among male recreational athletes. The objective of this study was to investigate the impact of AAS abuse on reproductive hormone levels and symptoms suggestive of hypogonadism in current and former AAS abusers.This study had a cross-sectional case-control design and involved 37 current AAS abusers, 33 former AAS abusers (mean (95%CI elapsed duration since AAS cessation: 2.5 (1.7; 3.7 years and 30 healthy control participants. All participants were aged 18-50 years and were involved in recreational strength training. Reproductive hormones (FSH, LH, testosterone, inhibin B and anti-Müllerian hormone (AMH were measured using morning blood samples. Symptoms of hypogonadism (depressive symptoms, fatigue, decreased libido and erectile dysfunction were recorded systematically.Former AAS abusers exhibited significantly lower median (25th -75th percentiles total and free testosterone levels than control participants (total testosterone: 14.4 (11.9-17.7 nmol/l vs. 18.8 (16.6-22.0 nmol/l (P < 0.01. Overall, 27.2% (13.3; 45.5 of former AAS abusers exhibited plasma total testosterone levels below the lower reference limit (12.1 nmol/l whereas no control participants exhibited testosterone below this limit (P < 0.01. Gonadotropins were significantly suppressed, and inhibin B and AMH were significantly decreased in current AAS abusers compared with former AAS abusers and control participants (P < 0.01. The group of former AAS abusers had higher proportions of participants with depressive symptoms ((24.2% (11.1; 42.2, erectile dysfunction ((27.3% (13.3; 45.6 and decreased libido ((40.1% (23.2; 57.0 than the other two groups (trend analyses: P < 0.05.Former AAS abusers exhibited significantly lower plasma testosterone levels and higher frequencies of symptoms suggestive of hypogonadism than healthy control participants years after AAS cessation. Current AAS abusers exhibited severely decreased AMH

Benomyl-resistant mutant strain of Trichoderma sp. with increased mycoparasitic activity.

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Olejníková, P; Ondrusová, Z; Krystofová, S; Hudecová, D

2010-01-01

Application of UV radiation to the strain Trichoderma sp. T-bt (isolated from lignite) resulted in the T-brm mutant which was resistant to the systemic fungicide benomyl. The tub2 gene sequence in the T-brm mutant differed from the parent as well as the collection strain (replacing tyrosine with histidine in the TUB2 protein). Under in vitro conditions this mutant exhibited a higher mycoparasitic activity toward phytopathogenic fungi.

Arabidopsis thaliana ggt1 photorespiratory mutants maintain leaf carbon/nitrogen balance by reducing RuBisCO content and plant growth.

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Dellero, Younès; Lamothe-Sibold, Marlène; Jossier, Mathieu; Hodges, Michael

2015-09-01

Metabolic and physiological analyses of glutamate:glyoxylate aminotransferase 1 (GGT1) mutants were performed at the global leaf scale to elucidate the mechanisms involved in their photorespiratory growth phenotype. Air-grown ggt1 mutants showed retarded growth and development, that was not observed at high CO2 (3000 μL L(-1) ). When compared to wild-type (WT) plants, air-grown ggt1 plants exhibited glyoxylate accumulation, global changes in amino acid amounts including a decrease in serine content, lower organic acid levels, and modified ATP/ADP and NADP(+) /NADPH ratios. When compared to WT plants, their net CO2 assimilation rates (An ) were 50% lower and this mirrored decreases in ribulose-1,5-bisphosphate carboxylase/oxygenase (RuBisCO) contents. High CO2 -grown ggt1 plants transferred to air revealed a rapid decrease of An and photosynthetic electron transfer rate while maintaining a high energetic state. Short-term (a night period and 4 h of light) transferred ggt1 leaves accumulated glyoxylate and exhibited low serine contents, while other amino acid levels were not modified. RuBisCO content, activity and activation state were not altered after a short-term transfer while the ATP/ADP ratio was lowered in ggt1 rosettes. However, plant growth and RuBisCO levels were both reduced in ggt1 leaves after a long-term (12 days) acclimation to air from high CO2 when compared to WT plants. The data are discussed with respect to a reduced photorespiratory carbon recycling in the mutants. It is proposed that the low An limits nitrogen-assimilation, this decreases leaf RuBisCO content until plants attain a new homeostatic state that maintains a constant C/N balance and leads to smaller, slower growing plants. © 2015 The Authors The Plant Journal © 2015 John Wiley & Sons Ltd.

Abnormalities in brain structure and behavior in GSK-3alpha mutant mice

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Kaidanovich-Beilin Oksana

2009-11-01

Full Text Available Abstract Background Glycogen synthase kinase-3 (GSK-3 is a widely expressed and highly conserved serine/threonine protein kinase encoded by two genes that generate two related proteins: GSK-3α and GSK-3β. Mice lacking a functional GSK-3α gene were engineered in our laboratory; they are viable and display insulin sensitivity. In this study, we have characterized brain functions of GSK-3α KO mice by using a well-established battery of behavioral tests together with neurochemical and neuroanatomical analysis. Results Similar to the previously described behaviours of GSK-3β+/-mice, GSK-3α mutants display decreased exploratory activity, decreased immobility time and reduced aggressive behavior. However, genetic inactivation of the GSK-3α gene was associated with: decreased locomotion and impaired motor coordination, increased grooming activity, loss of social motivation and novelty; enhanced sensorimotor gating and impaired associated memory and coordination. GSK-3α KO mice exhibited a deficit in fear conditioning, however memory formation as assessed by a passive avoidance test was normal, suggesting that the animals are sensitized for active avoidance of a highly aversive stimulus in the fear-conditioning paradigm. Changes in cerebellar structure and function were observed in mutant mice along with a significant decrease of the number and size of Purkinje cells. Conclusion Taken together, these data support a role for the GSK-3α gene in CNS functioning and possible involvement in the development of psychiatric disorders.

Human GLTP and mutant forms of ACD11 suppress cell death in the Arabidopsis acd11 mutant

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Petersen, Nikolaj H T; McKinney, Lea V; Pike, Helen

2008-01-01

The Arabidopsis acd11 mutant exhibits runaway, programmed cell death due to the loss of a putative sphingosine transfer protein (ACD11) with homology to mammalian GLTP. We demonstrate that transgenic expression in Arabidopsis thaliana of human GLTP partially suppressed the phenotype of the acd11...

Characterization of induced mutants of Sesame (Sesamum indicum L) for confectionary and quality traits

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Masur, Shakuntala; Madhusudan, K.

2009-01-01

Sesame induced mutants were isolated from gamma irradiation of a local variety DS-1. The promising mutants for high yield and bold seed were utilized for assessing lignan profiles mainly sesamin, sesamolin and gamma tocopherol.mutant-1022 exhibited 146 per cent improvement over the parent, Since, the sesame possess numerous health benefits, the value added confectionary products were prepared. The studies revealed that, the biscuits prepared by using 100 per cent sesame flour exhibited very good spreading quality and baking strength. Organoleptic score indicated that 80% of the evaluators accepted biscuits prepared from pure sesame flour. (author)

Peramivir analogues bearing hydrophilic side chains exhibit higher activities against H275Y mutant than wild-type influenza virus.

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Chiu, Din-Chi; Lin, Tzu-Chen; Huang, Wen-I; Cheng, Ting-Jen; Tsai, Keng-Chang; Fang, Jim-Min

2017-11-29

Peramivir is an effective anti-influenza drug in the clinical treatment of influenza, but its efficacy toward the H275Y mutant is reduced. The previously reported cocrystal structures of inhibitors in the mutant neuraminidase (NA) suggest that the hydrophobic side chain should be at the origin of reduced binding affinity. In contrast, zanamivir having a hydrophilic glycerol side chain still possesses high affinity toward the H275Y NA. We thus designed five peramivir analogues (5-9) carrying hydrophilic glycol or glycerol side chains, and evaluated their roles in anti-influenza activity, especially for the H275Y mutant. The synthetic sequence involves a key step of (3 + 2) cycloaddition reactions between alkenes and nitrile oxides to construct the scaffold of peramivir carrying the desired hydrophilic side chains and other appropriate functional groups. The molecular docking experiments reveal that the hydrophilic side chain can provide extra hydrogen bonding with the translocated Glu-276 residue in the H275Y NA active site. Thus, the H275Y mutant may be even more sensitive than wild-type virus toward the peramivir analogues bearing hydrophilic side chains. Notably, the peramivir analogue bearing a glycerol side chain inhibits the H275Y mutant with an IC 50 value of 35 nM, which is better than the WSN virus by 9 fold.

Epilepsy, Behavioral Abnormalities, and Physiological Comorbidities in Syntaxin-Binding Protein 1 (STXBP1 Mutant Zebrafish.

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Brian P Grone

Full Text Available Mutations in the synaptic machinery gene syntaxin-binding protein 1, STXBP1 (also known as MUNC18-1, are linked to childhood epilepsies and other neurodevelopmental disorders. Zebrafish STXBP1 homologs (stxbp1a and stxbp1b have highly conserved sequence and are prominently expressed in the larval zebrafish brain. To understand the functions of stxbp1a and stxbp1b, we generated loss-of-function mutations using CRISPR/Cas9 gene editing and studied brain electrical activity, behavior, development, heart physiology, metabolism, and survival in larval zebrafish. Homozygous stxbp1a mutants exhibited a profound lack of movement, low electrical brain activity, low heart rate, decreased glucose and mitochondrial metabolism, and early fatality compared to controls. On the other hand, homozygous stxbp1b mutants had spontaneous electrographic seizures, and reduced locomotor activity response to a movement-inducing "dark-flash" visual stimulus, despite showing normal metabolism, heart rate, survival, and baseline locomotor activity. Our findings in these newly generated mutant lines of zebrafish suggest that zebrafish recapitulate clinical phenotypes associated with human syntaxin-binding protein 1 mutations.

Ceramides And Stress Signalling Intersect With Autophagic Defects In Neurodegenerative Drosophila blue cheese (bchs) Mutants.

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Hebbar, Sarita; Sahoo, Ishtapran; Matysik, Artur; Argudo Garcia, Irene; Osborne, Kathleen Amy; Papan, Cyrus; Torta, Federico; Narayanaswamy, Pradeep; Fun, Xiu Hui; Wenk, Markus R; Shevchenko, Andrej; Schwudke, Dominik; Kraut, Rachel

2015-12-07

Sphingolipid metabolites are involved in the regulation of autophagy, a degradative recycling process that is required to prevent neuronal degeneration. Drosophila blue cheese mutants neurodegenerate due to perturbations in autophagic flux, and consequent accumulation of ubiquitinated aggregates. Here, we demonstrate that blue cheese mutant brains exhibit an elevation in total ceramide levels; surprisingly, however, degeneration is ameliorated when the pool of available ceramides is further increased, and exacerbated when ceramide levels are decreased by altering sphingolipid catabolism or blocking de novo synthesis. Exogenous ceramide is seen to accumulate in autophagosomes, which are fewer in number and show less efficient clearance in blue cheese mutant neurons. Sphingolipid metabolism is also shifted away from salvage toward de novo pathways, while pro-growth Akt and MAP pathways are down-regulated, and ER stress is increased. All these defects are reversed under genetic rescue conditions that increase ceramide generation from salvage pathways. This constellation of effects suggests a possible mechanism whereby the observed deficit in a potentially ceramide-releasing autophagic pathway impedes survival signaling and exacerbates neuronal death.

Generation of a Mutant Mucor hiemalis Endoglycosidase That Acts on Core-fucosylated N-Glycans.

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Katoh, Toshihiko; Katayama, Takane; Tomabechi, Yusuke; Nishikawa, Yoshihide; Kumada, Jyunichi; Matsuzaki, Yuji; Yamamoto, Kenji

2016-10-28

Endo-β-N-acetylglucosaminidase M (Endo-M), an endoglycosidase from the fungus Mucor hiemalis, is a useful tool for chemoenzymatic synthesis of glycoconjugates, including glycoprotein-based therapeutics having a precisely defined glycoform, by virtue of its transglycosylation activity. Although Endo-M has been known to act on various N-glycans, it does not act on core-fucosylated N-glycans, which exist widely in mammalian glycoproteins, thus limiting its application. Therefore, we performed site-directed mutagenesis on Endo-M to isolate mutant enzymes that are able to act on mammalian-type core-α1,6-fucosylated glycans. Among the Endo-M mutant enzymes generated, those in which the tryptophan at position 251 was substituted with alanine or asparagine showed altered substrate specificities. Such mutant enzymes exhibited increased hydrolysis of a synthetic α1,6-fucosylated trimannosyl core structure, whereas their activity on the afucosylated form decreased. In addition, among the Trp-251 mutants, the W251N mutant was most efficient in hydrolyzing the core-fucosylated substrate. W251N mutants could act on the immunoglobulin G-derived core-fucosylated glycopeptides and human lactoferrin glycoproteins. This mutant was also capable of transferring the sialyl glycan from an activated substrate intermediate (sialyl glyco-oxazoline) onto an α1,6-fucosyl-N-acetylglucosaminyl biotin. Furthermore, the W251N mutant gained a glycosynthase-like activity when a N175Q substitution was introduced and it caused accumulation of the transglycosylation products. These findings not only give insights into the substrate recognition mechanism of glycoside hydrolase family 85 enzymes but also widen their scope of application in preparing homogeneous glycoforms of core-fucosylated glycoproteins for the production of potent glycoprotein-based therapeutics. © 2016 by The American Society for Biochemistry and Molecular Biology, Inc.

Biological changes in Barley mutants resistant to powdery mildew disease

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Amer, I. M.; Fahim, M. M.; Moustafa, N. A.

2012-12-01

physiological studies showed that all kinds of chlorophyll (a), (b) and (a + b) content in infected plant were decreased while, the carotenes pigment were increased. Infection generally reduced total sugars content of all resistant mutants. Infected resistant mutant showed more phenols content and peroxidase, polyphenoloxidase activities than healthy ones of the mutants. (Author)

Selection of high hectolitre weight mutants of winter wheat

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Crowley, C.; Jones, P.

1989-01-01

Grain quality in wheat includes hectolitre weight (HLW) besides protein content and thousand-grain weight (TGW). The British winter wheat variety ''Guardian'' has a very high yield potential. Although the long grain of ''Guardian'' results in a desirable high TGW the HLW is too low. To select mutants exhibiting increased HLW the character was first analyzed to identify traits that could more easily be screened for using M 2 seeds. In comparison of 6 wheat cultivars, correlation analyses with HLW resulted in coefficients of -0.86 (grain length, L:P 2 seeds for shorter, less prolate grains. Mutagenesis was carried out using EMS sulphonate (1.8 or 3.6%), sodium azide (2 or 20 mM) or X-rays (7.5 or 20 kR). 69 M 2 grains with altered shape were selected. Examination of the M 3 progeny confirmed 6 grain-shape mutants, most of them resulting from EMS treatment (Table). Two of the mutants showed TGW values significantly below the parental variety, but three mutants exhibited HLW and TGW values significantly greater than those of the parental variety. Microplot yield trails on selected M 3 lines are in progress. The influence of physical grain characteristics on HLW offers prospects for mechanical fractionation of large M 2 populations. The application of gravity separators (fractionation on the basis of grain density) and sieves (fractionation on the basis of grain length) in screening mutants possessing improved grain quality is being investigated

Evolved osmotolerant Escherichia coli mutants frequently exhibit defective N-acetylglucosamine catabolism and point mutations in cell shape-regulating protein MreB.

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Winkler, James D; Garcia, Carlos; Olson, Michelle; Callaway, Emily; Kao, Katy C

2014-06-01

Biocatalyst robustness toward stresses imposed during fermentation is important for efficient bio-based production. Osmotic stress, imposed by high osmolyte concentrations or dense populations, can significantly impact growth and productivity. In order to better understand the osmotic stress tolerance phenotype, we evolved sexual (capable of in situ DNA exchange) and asexual Escherichia coli strains under sodium chloride (NaCl) stress. All isolates had significantly improved growth under selection and could grow in up to 0.80 M (47 g/liter) NaCl, a concentration that completely inhibits the growth of the unevolved parental strains. Whole genome resequencing revealed frequent mutations in genes controlling N-acetylglucosamine catabolism (nagC, nagA), cell shape (mrdA, mreB), osmoprotectant uptake (proV), and motility (fimA). Possible epistatic interactions between nagC, nagA, fimA, and proV deletions were also detected when reconstructed as defined mutations. Biofilm formation under osmotic stress was found to be decreased in most mutant isolates, coupled with perturbations in indole secretion. Transcriptional analysis also revealed significant changes in ompACGL porin expression and increased transcription of sulfonate uptake systems in the evolved mutants. These findings expand our current knowledge of the osmotic stress phenotype and will be useful for the rational engineering of osmotic tolerance into industrial strains in the future. Copyright © 2014, American Society for Microbiology. All Rights Reserved.

Mildew resistant and less lodging wheat mutants induced in Iran

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Naghedi-Ahmadi, I.

1989-01-01

''Tabassi'' is a lodging and mildew susceptible cultivar. To induce mutations, seeds were gamma irradiated (50 to 150 Gy) in 1982 and selection for lodging resistance was carried out in M 2 . During field experiments with the mutant lines in 1985/86 there has been a heavy mildew epidemic under which mutant 63-5-I (derived from 50 Gy treatment) exhibited considerable resistance and as a consequence, higher yield. The control was 100% infected, the mutant only 40%. The mutant yielded 31% more grain, 7.5% less straw and 4.5% more protein than the control. Lodging of 63-5-I was only 60% in an experiment under rainfed conditions in the same season, resulting in a relative yield increase of about 11%. In 1986/87 there was no mildew epidemic and the mutant yielded the same as ''Tabassi''

Isolation and characterization of X-linked mutants of Drosophila melanogaster which are sensitive to mutagens

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Boyd, J.B.; Golino, M.D.; Nguyen, T.D.; Green, M.M.

1976-01-01

Thirteen X-linked mutants have been isolated in Drosophila melanogaster which render male and homozygous female larvae sensitive to the mutagen methyl methanesulfonate. Their characterization and preliminary assignment to functional groups is described. Four of these mutants are alleles of mei-41. Like previously isolated alleles of this locus, these mutants reduce fertility and increase loss and nondisjunction of the X-chromosome in homozygous females. The remaining mutants have been tentatively assigned to six functional groups (two mutants to the mus(1)101 locus, two to mus(1)102, two to mus(1)103, and one each to mus(1)104, mus(1)105, and mus(1)106. Several of the complementation groups can be distinguished on the basis of nondisjunction and cross sensitivity to mutagens. Females homozygous for the mei-41, mus(1)101 and mus(1)102 mutants exhibit elevated levels of nondisjunction. Mutants belonging to complementation groups mei-41, mus(1)101, and mus(1)104 are sensitive to nitrogen mustard (HN2) in addition to their MMS sensitivity. Among these mutants there is currently a direct correlation between sensitivity to HN2, sensitivity to 2-acetylaminofluorene and a deficiency in post-replication repair. Only the mei-41 mutants are hypersensitive to uv radiation, although several of the mutants exhibit sensitivity to γ-rays. Semidominance is observed in female larvae of the mei-41, mus(1)104, and mus(1)103 mutants after exposure to high concentrations of MMS. The properties of the mutants generally conform to a pattern which has been established for related mutants in yeast

Temperature-sensitive host range mutants of herpes simplex virus type 2

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Koment, R.W.; Rapp, F.

1975-01-01

Herpesviruses are capable of several types of infection of a host cell. To investigate the early events which ultimately determine the nature of the virus-host cell interaction, a system was established utilizing temperature-sensitive mutants of herpes simplex virus type 2. Four mutants have been isolated which fail to induce cytopathic effects and do not replicate at 39 C in hamster embryo fibroblast cells. At least one mutant is virus DNA negative. Since intracellular complementation is detectable between pairs of mutants, a virus function is known to be temperature sensitive. However, all four mutants induce cytopathic effects and replicate to parental virus levels in rabbit kidney cells at 39 C. This suggests that a host cell function, lacking or nonfunctional in HEF cells but present in rabbit kidney cells at 39 C, is required for the replication of these mutants in hamster embryo fibroblast cells at 39 C. Therefore, we conclude that these mutants are both temperature sensitive and exhibit host range properties

A flavonoid mutant of barley (Hordeum vulgare L.) exhibits increased sensitivity to UV-B radiation in the primary leaf

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Reuber, S.; Bornman, J.F.; Weissenböck, G.

1996-01-01

The aim of the present investigation was to define the role of soluble flavonoids as UV-B protectants in the primary leaf of barley (Hordeum vulgare L.). For this purpose we used a mutant line (Ant 287) from the Carlsberg collection of proanthocyanidin-free barley containing only 7% of total extractable flavonoids in the primary leaf as compared to the mother variety (Hiege 550/75). Seven-day-old leaves from plants grown under high visible light with or without supplementary UV-B radiation were used for the determination of UV-B sensitivity. UV-B-induced changes were assessed from parameters of chlorophyll fluorescence of photosystem II, including initial and maximum fluorescence, apparent quantum yield, and photochemical and non-photochemical quenching. A quartz fibre-optic microprobe was used to evaluate the amount of potentially harmful UV-B (310 nm radiation) penetrating into the leaf as a direct consequence of flavonoid deficiency. Our data indicate an essential role of flavonoids in UV-B protection of barley primary leaves. In leaves of the mutant line grown under supplementary UV-B, an increase in 310nm radiation in the mesophyll and a strong decrease in the quantum yield of photosynthesis were observed as compared to the corresponding mother variety. Primary leaves of liege responded to supplementary UV-B radiation with a 30% increase in the major flavonoid saponarin and a 500% increase in the minor compound lutonarin. This is assumed to be an efficient protective response since no changes in variable chlorophyll fluorescence were apparent. In addition, a further reduction in UV-B penetration into the mesophyll was recorded in these leaves

Lifespan decrease in a Caenorhabditis elegans mutant lacking TRX-1, a thioredoxin expressed in ASJ sensory neurons.

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Miranda-Vizuete, Antonio; Fierro González, Juan Carlos; Gahmon, Gabriele; Burghoorn, Jan; Navas, Plácido; Swoboda, Peter

2006-01-23

Thioredoxins are a class of small proteins that play a key role in regulating many cellular redox processes. We report here the characterization of the first member of the thioredoxin family in metazoans that is mainly associated with neurons. The Caenorhabditis elegans gene B0228.5 encodes a thioredoxin (TRX-1) that is expressed in ASJ ciliated sensory neurons, and to some extent also in the posterior-most intestinal cells. TRX-1 is active at reducing protein disulfides in the presence of a heterologous thioredoxin reductase. A mutant worm strain carrying a null allele of the trx-1 gene displays a reproducible decrease in both mean and maximum lifespan when compared to wild-type. The identification and characterization of TRX-1 paves the way to use C. elegans as an in vivo model to study the role of thioredoxins in lifespan and nervous system physiology and pathology.

Serrated leaf mutant in mungbean (Vigna radiata (L) Wilczek)

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Malik, I.A.; Ghulam, Sarwar; Yousaf, Ali; Saleem, M.

1988-01-01

Dry dormant seeds of mungbean (Vigna radiata (L) Wilczek) were treated with gamma rays (15, 30 and 60 kR). The serrated leaf mutation was noticed in M 2 of cultivar Pak 32 treated with 60 kR. Cf 14 plants, 3 showed the altered leaf structure and the others were normal. The feature of this mutant was the deep serration of leaflet margins. The mutant had large thick leaflets with prominent venation. The mutant bred true in the M 3 and successive generation. Details of the morphological characteristics of the mutant are presented. The mutant exhibited slower growth particularly during the early stages of development, flowered later and attained shorter height. There was an increase in the number of pods, in seed weight and in seed protein content, but number of seed per pod was considerably reduced. The seed coat colour showed a change from green to yellowish green. In the mutant's flowers the stamina were placed much below the stigma level and the stigma sometimes protruded the corolla. Outcrossing of 4% recorded in some of the mutant lines revealed a reduced cleistogamy. The low number of seeds per pod in the mutant could be due to reduced pollen fertility. The mutant behaved as monogenic recessive. The symbols SL/sl are proposed for this allelic pair. The mutant may have use as a green manure crop because of its large foliage and for the breeders as a genetic marker

Defective DNA cross-link removal in Chinese hamster cell mutants hypersensitive to bifunctional alkylating agents

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Hoy, C.A.; Thompson, L.H.; Mooney, C.L.; Salazar, E.P.

1985-01-01

DNA repair-deficient mutants from five genetic complementation groups isolated previously from Chinese hamster cells were assayed for survival after exposure to the bifunctional alkylating agents mitomycin C or diepoxybutane. Groups 1, 3, and 5 exhibited 1.6- to 3-fold hypersensitivity compared to the wild-type cells, whereas Groups 2 and 4 exhibited extraordinary hypersensitivity. Mutants from Groups 1 and 2 were exposed to 22 other bifunctional alkylating agents in a rapid assay that compared cytotoxicity of the mutants to the wild-type parental strain, AA8. With all but two of the compounds, the Group 2 mutant (UV4) was 15- to 60-fold more sensitive than AA8 or the Group 1 mutant (UV5). UV4 showed only 6-fold hypersensitivity to quinacrine mustard. Alkaline elution measurements showed that this compound produced few DNA interstrand cross-links but numerous strand breaks. Therefore, the extreme hypersensitivity of mutants from Groups 2 and 4 appeared specific for compounds the main cytotoxic lesions of which were DNA cross-links. Mutant UV5 was only 1- to 4-fold hypersensitive to all the compounds. Although the initial number of cross-links was similar for the three cell lines, the efficiency of removal of cross-links was lowest in UV4 and intermediate in UV5. These results suggest that the different levels of sensitivity are specifically related to different efficiencies of DNA cross-link removal. The phenotype of hypersensitivity to both UV radiation and cross-link damage exhibited by the mutants in Groups 2 and 4 appears to differ from those of the known human DNA repair syndromes

Disturbed secretion of mutant adiponectin associated with the metabolic syndrome.

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Kishida, Ken; Nagaretani, Hiroyuki; Kondo, Hidehiko; Kobayashi, Hideki; Tanaka, Sachiyo; Maeda, Norikazu; Nagasawa, Azumi; Hibuse, Toshiyuki; Ohashi, Koji; Kumada, Masahiro; Nishizawa, Hitoshi; Okamoto, Yoshihisa; Ouchi, Noriyuki; Maeda, Kazuhisa; Kihara, Shinji; Funahashi, Tohru; Matsuzawa, Yuji

2003-06-20

Adiponectin, an adipocyte-derived protein, consists of collagen-like fibrous and complement C1q-like globular domains, and circulates in human plasma in a multimeric form. The protein exhibits anti-diabetic and anti-atherogenic activities. However, adiponectin plasma concentrations are low in obese subjects, and hypoadiponectinemia is associated with the metabolic syndrome, which is a cluster of insulin resistance, type 2 diabetes mellitus, hypertension, and dyslipidemia. We have recently reported a missense mutation in the adiponectin gene, in which isoleucine at position 164 in the globular domain is substituted with threonine (I164T). Subjects with this mutation showed markedly low level of plasma adiponectin and clinical features of the metabolic syndrome. Here, we examined the molecular characteristics of the mutant protein associated with a genetic cause of hypoadiponectinemia. The current study revealed (1) the mutant protein showed an oligomerization state similar to the wild-type as determined by gel filtration chromatography and, (2) the mutant protein exhibited normal insulin-sensitizing activity, but (3) pulse-chase study showed abnormal secretion of the mutant protein from adipose tissues. Our results suggest that I164T mutation is associated with hypoadiponectinemia through disturbed secretion into plasma, which may contribute to the development of the metabolic syndrome.

Sensitive in situ monitoring of a recombinant bioluminescent Yersinia enterocolitica reporter mutant in real time on Camembert cheese.

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Maoz, Ariel; Mayr, Ralf; Bresolin, Geraldine; Neuhaus, Klaus; Francis, Kevin P; Scherer, Siegfried

2002-11-01

Bioluminescent mutants of Yersinia enterocolitica were generated by transposon mutagenesis using a promoterless, complete lux operon (luxCDABE) derived from Photorhabdus luminescens, and their production of light in the cheese environment was monitored. Mutant B94, which had the lux cassette inserted into an open reading frame of unknown function was used for direct monitoring of Y. enterocolitica cells on cheeses stored at 10 degrees C by quantifying bioluminescence using a photon-counting, intensified charge-coupled device camera. The detection limit on cheese was 200 CFU/cm(2). Bioluminescence of the reporter mutant was significantly regulated by its environment (NaCl, temperature, and cheese), as well as by growth phase, via the promoter the lux operon had acquired upon transposition. At low temperatures, mutant B94 did not exhibit the often-reported decrease of photon emission in older cells. It was not necessary to include either antibiotics or aldehyde in the food matrix in order to gain quantitative, reproducible bioluminescence data. As far as we know, this is the first time a pathogen has been monitored in situ, in real time, in a "real-product" status, and at a low temperature.

Zebrafish Lacking Circadian Gene per2 Exhibit Visual Function Deficiency

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Deng-feng Huang

2018-03-01

Full Text Available The retina has an intrinsic circadian clock, but the importance of this clock for vision is unknown. Zebrafish offer many advantages for studying vertebrate vision and circadian rhythm. Here, we explored the role of zebrafish per2, a light-regulated gene, in visual behavior and the underlying mechanisms. We observed that per2 mutant zebrafish larvae showed decreased contrast sensitivity and visual acuity using optokinetic response (OKR assays. Using a visual motor response (VMR assay, we observed normal OFF responses but abnormal ON responses in mutant zebrafish larvae. Immunofluorescence showed that mutants had a normal morphology of cone photoreceptor cells and retinal organization. However, electron microscopy showed that per2 mutants displayed abnormal and decreased photoreceptor ribbon synapses with arciform density, which resulted in retinal ON pathway defect. We also examined the expression of three cone opsins by quantitative real-time PCR (qRT-PCR, and the expression of long-wave-sensitive opsin (opn1lw and short-wave-sensitive opsin (opn1sw was reduced in mutant zebrafish larvae. qRT-PCR analyses also showed a down-regulation of the clock genes cry1ba and bmal1b in the adult eye of per2 mutant zebrafish. This study identified a mechanism by which a clock gene affects visual function and defined important roles of per2 in retinal information processing.

Production and characterization of radiation-sensitive meiotic mutants of Coprinus cinereus

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Zolan, M.E.; Tremel, C.J.; Pukkila, P.J.

1988-01-01

We have isolated four gamma-sensitive mutants of the basidiomycete Coprinus cinereus. When homozygous, two of these (rad 3-1 and rad 9-1) produce fruiting bodies with very few viable basidiospores, the products of meiosis in this organism. A less radiation-sensitive allele of RAD 3, rad 3-2, causes no apparent meiotic defect in homozygous strains. Quantitative measurements of oidial survival of rad 3-1;rad 9-1 double mutants compared to the single mutants indicated that rad 3-1 and rad 9-1 mutants are defective in the same DNA repair pathway. In the pew viable basidiospores that are produced by these two strains, essentially normal levels of meiotic recombination can be detected. None of the mutants exhibits increased sensitivity to UV radiation. Cytological examination of meiotic chromosomes from mutant and wild-type fruiting bodies showed that rad 3-1 homozygous strains fail to condense and pair homologous chromosomes during prophase I. Although rad 9-1 strains are successful at chromosome pairing, meiosis is usually not completed in these mutants

The N54-αs Mutant Has Decreased Affinity for βγ and Suggests a Mechanism for Coupling Heterotrimeric G Protein Nucleotide Exchange with Subunit Dissociation.

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Cleator, John H; Wells, Christopher A; Dingus, Jane; Kurtz, David T; Hildebrandt, John D

2018-05-01

Ser54 of G s α binds guanine nucleotide and Mg 2+ as part of a conserved sequence motif in GTP binding proteins. Mutating the homologous residue in small and heterotrimeric G proteins generates dominant-negative proteins, but by protein-specific mechanisms. For α i/o , this results from persistent binding of α to βγ , whereas for small GTP binding proteins and α s this results from persistent binding to guanine nucleotide exchange factor or receptor. This work examined the role of βγ interactions in mediating the properties of the Ser54-like mutants of G α subunits. Unexpectedly, WT- α s or N54- α s coexpressed with α 1B -adrenergic receptor in human embryonic kidney 293 cells decreased receptor stimulation of IP3 production by a cAMP-independent mechanism, but WT- α s was more effective than the mutant. One explanation for this result would be that α s , like Ser47 α i/o , blocks receptor activation by sequestering βγ ; implying that N54- α S has reduced affinity for βγ since it was less effective at blocking IP3 production. This possibility was more directly supported by the observation that WT- α s was more effective than the mutant in inhibiting βγ activation of phospholipase C β 2. Further, in vitro synthesized N54- α s bound biotinylated- βγ with lower apparent affinity than did WT- α s The Cys54 mutation also decreased βγ binding but less effectively than N54- α s Substitution of the conserved Ser in α o with Cys or Asn increased βγ binding, with the Cys mutant being more effective. This suggests that Ser54 of α s is involved in coupling changes in nucleotide binding with altered subunit interactions, and has important implications for how receptors activate G proteins. Copyright © 2018 by The American Society for Pharmacology and Experimental Therapeutics.

Ultraviolet light-induced mutants of Streptococcus lactis subspecies diacetylactis with enhanced acid- or flavor-producing abilities

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Kuila, R.K.; Ranganathan, B.

1978-01-01

A strain of Streptococcus lactis subspecies diacetylactis S 1 isolated from fresh milk was exposed to 7200 ergs/mm 2 of ultraviolet radiation. Over 8100 colonies surviving from 7.4 x 10 6 cells exposed to radiation were screened on citrate agar for detection and isolation of mutants with increased flavor and/or acid production. Of the survivors, 960 were type-I mutants that exhibited clear zone on citrate agar after 18 h (presumed to be high diacetyl producers), and 288 were type-II mutants which did not exhibit clear zones on citrate agar for up to 72 h (high acid producers). Type-II mutants produced an average .93 percent titratable acidity which was 34 percent more than the .69 percent of the parent. Reduction in titratable acidity (56 percent less) was considerable in type-I mutants, compared with the parent culture. Diacetyl + acetoin production by type-I mutants was 137.9 ppM which has 4.5 times more than that of the parental strain. Acetaldehyde production in the mutants varied from 1.5 to 34.5 ppM (parent culture 3.0 ppM). The mutants with increased acid and high acetoin plus diacetyl production were stable after 50 subcultures in milk

Phosphoribosylpyrophosphate synthetase of Escherichia coli, Identification of a mutant enzyme

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Hove-Jensen, Bjarne; Nygaard, Per

1982-01-01

, stimulated the mutant enzyme. The activity of PRib-PP synthetase in crude extract was higher in the mutant than in the parent. When starved for purines an accumulation of PRib-PP was observed in the parent strain, while the pool decreased in the mutant. During pyrimidine starvation derepression of PRib...

A yeast mutant specifically sensitive to bifunctional alkylation

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Ruhland, A.; Kircher, M.; Wilborn, F.; Brendel, M.

1981-01-01

A mutation that specifically confers sensitivity to bi- and tri-functional alkylating agents is presented. No or little cross-sensitivity to radiation or monofunctional agents could be detected. Sensitivity does not seem to be due to preferential alkylation of mutant DNA as parent and mutant strain exhibit the same amount of DNA alkylation and the same pattern of DNA lesions including interstrand crosslinks. The mutation is due to a defect in a nuclear gene which has been designated SNM1 (sensitive to nitrogen mustard); it may control an important step in the repair of DNA interstrand crosslinks (orig.(AJ)

Mesophyll conductance decreases in the wild type but not in an ABA-deficient mutant (aba1) of Nicotiana plumbaginifolia under drought conditions.

Science.gov (United States)

Mizokami, Yusuke; Noguchi, Ko; Kojima, Mikiko; Sakakibara, Hitoshi; Terashima, Ichiro

2015-03-01

Under drought conditions, leaf photosynthesis is limited by the supply of CO2 . Drought induces production of abscisic acid (ABA), and ABA decreases stomatal conductance (gs ). Previous papers reported that the drought stress also causes the decrease in mesophyll conductance (gm ). However, the relationships between ABA content and gm are unclear. We investigated the responses of gm to the leaf ABA content [(ABA)L ] using an ABA-deficient mutant, aba1, and the wild type (WT) of Nicotiana plumbaginifolia. We also measured leaf water potential (ΨL ) because leaf hydraulics may be related to gm . Under drought conditions, gm decreased with the increase in (ABA)L in WT, whereas both (ABA)L and gm were unchanged by the drought treatment in aba1. Exogenously applied ABA decreased gm in both WT and aba1 in a dose-dependent manner. ΨL in WT was decreased by the drought treatment to -0.7 MPa, whereas ΨL in aba1 was around -0.8 MPa even under the well-watered conditions and unchanged by the drought treatment. From these results, we conclude that the increase in (ABA)L is crucial for the decrease in gm under drought conditions. We discuss possible relationships between the decrease in gm and changes in the leaf hydraulics. © 2014 John Wiley & Sons Ltd.

Soya bean Gα proteins with distinct biochemical properties exhibit differential ability to complement Saccharomyces cerevisiae gpa1 mutant.

Science.gov (United States)

Roy Choudhury, Swarup; Wang, Yuqi; Pandey, Sona

2014-07-01

Signalling pathways mediated by heterotrimeric G-proteins are common to all eukaryotes. Plants have a limited number of each of the G-protein subunits, with the most elaborate G-protein network discovered so far in soya bean (Glycine max, also known as soybean) which has four Gα, four Gβ and ten Gγ proteins. Biochemical characterization of Gα proteins from plants suggests significant variation in their properties compared with the well-characterized non-plant proteins. Furthermore, the four soya bean Gα (GmGα) proteins exhibit distinct biochemical activities among themselves, but the extent to which such biochemical differences contribute to their in vivo function is also not known. We used the yeast gpa1 mutant which displays constitutive signalling and growth arrest in the pheromone-response pathway as an in vivo model to evaluate the effect of distinct biochemical activities of GmGα proteins. We showed that specific GmGα proteins can be activated during pheromone-dependent receptor-mediated signalling in yeast and they display different strengths towards complementation of yeast gpa1 phenotypes. We also identified amino acids that are responsible for differential complementation abilities of specific Gα proteins. These data establish that specific plant Gα proteins are functional in the receptor-mediated pheromone-response pathway in yeast and that the subtle biochemical differences in their activity are physiologically relevant.

Ibrutinib targets mutant-EGFR kinase with a distinct binding conformation.

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Wang, Aoli; Yan, Xiao-E; Wu, Hong; Wang, Wenchao; Hu, Chen; Chen, Cheng; Zhao, Zheng; Zhao, Peng; Li, Xixiang; Wang, Li; Wang, Beilei; Ye, Zi; Wang, Jinhua; Wang, Chu; Zhang, Wei; Gray, Nathanael S; Weisberg, Ellen L; Chen, Liang; Liu, Jing; Yun, Cai-Hong; Liu, Qingsong

2016-10-25

Ibrutinib, a clinically approved irreversible BTK kinase inhibitor for Mantle Cell Lymphoma (MCL) and Chronic Lymphocytic Leukemia (CLL) etc, has been reported to be potent against EGFR mutant kinase and currently being evaluated in clinic for Non Small Cell Lung Cancer (NSCLC). Through EGFR wt/mutant engineered isogenic BaF3 cell lines we confirmed the irreversible binding mode of Ibrutinib with EGFR wt/mutant kinase via Cys797. However, comparing to typical irreversible EGFR inhibitor, such as WZ4002, the washing-out experiments revealed a much less efficient covalent binding for Ibrutinib. The biochemical binding affinity examination in the EGFR L858R/T790M kinase revealed that, comparing to more efficient irreversible inhibitor WZ4002 (Kd: 0.074 μM), Ibrutinib exhibited less efficient binding (Kd: 0.18 μM). An X-ray crystal structure of EGFR (T790M) in complex with Ibrutinib exhibited a unique DFG-in/c-Helix-out inactive binding conformation, which partially explained the less efficiency of covalent binding and provided insight for further development of highly efficient irreversible binding inhibitor for the EGFR mutant kinase. These results also imply that, unlike the canonical irreversible inhibitor, sustained effective concentration might be required for Ibrutinib in order to achieve the maximal efficacy in the clinic application against EGFR driven NSCLC.

Molecular dynamics characterization of five pathogenic factor X mutants associated with decreased catalytic activity

KAUST Repository

Abdel-Azeim, Safwat; Oliva, Romina M.; Chermak, Edrisse; De Cristofaro, Raimondo; Cavallo, Luigi

2014-01-01

Factor X (FX) is one of the major players in the blood coagulation cascade. Upon activation to FXa, it converts prothrombin to thrombin, which in turn converts fibrinogen into fibrin (blood clots). FXa deficiency causes hemostasis defects, such as intracranial bleeding, hemathrosis, and gastrointestinal blood loss. Herein, we have analyzed a pool of pathogenic mutations, located in the FXa catalytic domain and directly associated with defects in enzyme catalytic activity. Using chymotrypsinogen numbering, they correspond to D102N, T135M, V160A, G184S, and G197D. Molecular dynamics simulations were performed for 1.68 μs on the wild-type and mutated forms of FXa. Overall, our analysis shows that four of the five mutants considered, D102N, T135M, V160A, and G184S, have rigidities higher than those of the wild type, in terms of both overall protein motion and, specifically, subpocket S4 flexibility, while S1 is rather insensitive to the mutation. This acquired rigidity can clearly impact the substrate recognition of the mutants.

Molecular dynamics characterization of five pathogenic factor X mutants associated with decreased catalytic activity

KAUST Repository

Abdel-Azeim, Safwat

2014-11-11

Factor X (FX) is one of the major players in the blood coagulation cascade. Upon activation to FXa, it converts prothrombin to thrombin, which in turn converts fibrinogen into fibrin (blood clots). FXa deficiency causes hemostasis defects, such as intracranial bleeding, hemathrosis, and gastrointestinal blood loss. Herein, we have analyzed a pool of pathogenic mutations, located in the FXa catalytic domain and directly associated with defects in enzyme catalytic activity. Using chymotrypsinogen numbering, they correspond to D102N, T135M, V160A, G184S, and G197D. Molecular dynamics simulations were performed for 1.68 μs on the wild-type and mutated forms of FXa. Overall, our analysis shows that four of the five mutants considered, D102N, T135M, V160A, and G184S, have rigidities higher than those of the wild type, in terms of both overall protein motion and, specifically, subpocket S4 flexibility, while S1 is rather insensitive to the mutation. This acquired rigidity can clearly impact the substrate recognition of the mutants.

Counteracting quasispecies adaptability: extinction of a ribavirin-resistant virus mutant by an alternative mutagenic treatment.

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Celia Perales

Full Text Available BACKGROUND: Lethal mutagenesis, or virus extinction promoted by mutagen-induced elevation of mutation rates of viruses, may meet with the problem of selection of mutagen-resistant variants, as extensively documented for standard, non-mutagenic antiviral inhibitors. Previously, we characterized a mutant of foot-and-mouth disease virus that included in its RNA-dependent RNA polymerase replacement M296I that decreased the sensitivity of the virus to the mutagenic nucleoside analogue ribavirin. METHODOLOGY AND PRINCIPAL FINDINGS: Replacement M296I in the viral polymerase impedes the extinction of the mutant foot-and-mouth disease virus by elevated concentrations of ribavirin. In contrast, wild type virus was extinguished by the same ribavirin treatment and, interestingly, no mutants resistant to ribavirin were selected from the wild type populations. Decreases of infectivity and viral load of the ribavirin-resistant M296I mutant were attained with a combination of the mutagen 5-fluorouracil and the non-mutagenic inhibitor guanidine hydrocloride. However, extinction was achieved with a sequential treatment, first with ribavirin, and then with a minimal dose of 5-fluorouracil in combination with guanidine hydrochloride. Both, wild type and ribavirin-resistant mutant M296I exhibited equal sensitivity to this combination, indicating that replacement M296I in the polymerase did not confer a significant cross-resistance to 5-fluorouracil. We discuss these results in relation to antiviral designs based on lethal mutagenesis. CONCLUSIONS: (i When dominant in the population, a mutation that confers partial resistance to a mutagenic agent can jeopardize virus extinction by elevated doses of the same mutagen. (ii A wild type virus, subjected to identical high mutagenic treatment, need not select a mutagen-resistant variant, and the population can be extinguished. (iii Extinction of the mutagen-resistant variant can be achieved by a sequential treatment of a

Sharing mutants and experimental information prepublication using FgMutantDb (https://scabusa.org/FgMutantDb).

Science.gov (United States)

Baldwin, Thomas T; Basenko, Evelina; Harb, Omar; Brown, Neil A; Urban, Martin; Hammond-Kosack, Kim E; Bregitzer, Phil P

2018-06-01

There is no comprehensive storage for generated mutants of Fusarium graminearum or data associated with these mutants. Instead, researchers relied on several independent and non-integrated databases. FgMutantDb was designed as a simple spreadsheet that is accessible globally on the web that will function as a centralized source of information on F. graminearum mutants. FgMutantDb aids in the maintenance and sharing of mutants within a research community. It will serve also as a platform for disseminating prepublication results as well as negative results that often go unreported. Additionally, the highly curated information on mutants in FgMutantDb will be shared with other databases (FungiDB, Ensembl, PhytoPath, and PHI-base) through updating reports. Here we describe the creation and potential usefulness of FgMutantDb to the F. graminearum research community, and provide a tutorial on its use. This type of database could be easily emulated for other fungal species. Published by Elsevier Inc.

Hyperoxia exposure induced hormesis decreases mitochondrial superoxide radical levels via Ins/IGF-1 signaling pathway in a long-lived age-1 mutant of Caenorhabditis elegans

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Yanase, Sumino; Ishii, Naoaki

2008-01-01

The hormetic effect, which extends the lifespan by various stressors, has been confirmed in Caenorhabditis elegans (C. elegans). We have previously reported that oxidative stress resistance in a long-lived mutant age-1 is associated with the hormesis. In the age-1 allele, which activates an insulin/insulin-like growth factor-1 (Ins/IGF-1) signaling pathway, the superoxide dismutase (SOD) and catalase activities increased during normal aging. We now demonstrate changes in the mitochondrial superoxide radical (O 2 - ) levels of the hormetic conditioned age-related strains. The O 2 - levels in age-1 strain significantly decreased after intermittent hyperoxia exposure. On the other hand, this phenomenon was not observed in a daf-16 null mutant. This hormesis-dependent reduction of the O 2 - levels was observed even if the mitochondrial Mn-SOD was experimentally reduced. Therefore, it is indicated that the hormesis is mediated by events that suppress the mitochondrial O 2 - production. Moreover, some SOD gene expressions in the hormetic conditioned age-1 mutant were induced over steady state messenger ribonucleic acid (mRNA) levels. These data suggest that oxidative stress-inducible hormesis is associated with a reduction of the mitochondrial O 2 - production by activation of the antioxidant system via the Ins/IGF-1 signaling pathway. (author)

Conserved role of unc-79 in ethanol responses in lightweight mutant mice.

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

David J Speca

2010-08-01

Full Text Available The mechanisms by which ethanol and inhaled anesthetics influence the nervous system are poorly understood. Here we describe the positional cloning and characterization of a new mouse mutation isolated in an N-ethyl-N-nitrosourea (ENU forward mutagenesis screen for animals with enhanced locomotor activity. This allele, Lightweight (Lwt, disrupts the homolog of the Caenorhabditis elegans (C. elegans unc-79 gene. While Lwt/Lwt homozygotes are perinatal lethal, Lightweight heterozygotes are dramatically hypersensitive to acute ethanol exposure. Experiments in C. elegans demonstrate a conserved hypersensitivity to ethanol in unc-79 mutants and extend this observation to the related unc-80 mutant and nca-1;nca-2 double mutants. Lightweight heterozygotes also exhibit an altered response to the anesthetic isoflurane, reminiscent of unc-79 invertebrate mutant phenotypes. Consistent with our initial mapping results, Lightweight heterozygotes are mildly hyperactive when exposed to a novel environment and are smaller than wild-type animals. In addition, Lightweight heterozygotes exhibit increased food consumption yet have a leaner body composition. Interestingly, Lightweight heterozygotes voluntarily consume more ethanol than wild-type littermates. The acute hypersensitivity to and increased voluntary consumption of ethanol observed in Lightweight heterozygous mice in combination with the observed hypersensitivity to ethanol in C. elegans unc-79, unc-80, and nca-1;nca-2 double mutants suggests a novel conserved pathway that might influence alcohol-related behaviors in humans.

Staphylococcus aureus β-Toxin Mutants Are Defective in Biofilm Ligase and Sphingomyelinase Activity, and Causation of Infective Endocarditis and Sepsis.

Science.gov (United States)

Herrera, Alfa; Vu, Bao G; Stach, Christopher S; Merriman, Joseph A; Horswill, Alexander R; Salgado-Pabón, Wilmara; Schlievert, Patrick M

2016-05-03

β-Toxin is an important virulence factor of Staphylococcus aureus, contributing to colonization and development of disease [Salgado-Pabon, W., et al. (2014) J. Infect. Dis. 210, 784-792; Huseby, M. J., et al. (2010) Proc. Natl. Acad. Sci. U.S.A. 107, 14407-14412; Katayama, Y., et al. (2013) J. Bacteriol. 195, 1194-1203]. This cytotoxin has two distinct mechanisms of action: sphingomyelinase activity and DNA biofilm ligase activity. However, the distinct mechanism that is most important for its role in infective endocarditis is unknown. We characterized the active site of β-toxin DNA biofilm ligase activity by examining deficiencies in site-directed mutants through in vitro DNA precipitation and biofilm formation assays. Possible conformational changes in mutant structure compared to that of wild-type toxin were assessed preliminarily by trypsin digestion analysis, retention of sphingomyelinase activity, and predicted structures based on the native toxin structure. We addressed the contribution of each mechanism of action to producing infective endocarditis and sepsis in vivo in a rabbit model. The H289N β-toxin mutant, lacking sphingomyelinase activity, exhibited lower sepsis lethality and infective endocarditis vegetation formation compared to those of the wild-type toxin. β-Toxin mutants with disrupted biofilm ligase activity did not exhibit decreased sepsis lethality but were deficient in infective endocarditis vegetation formation compared to the wild-type protein. Our study begins to characterize the DNA biofilm ligase active site of β-toxin and suggests β-toxin functions importantly in infective endocarditis through both of its mechanisms of action.

Fusion genetic analysis of jasmonate-signalling mutants in Arabidopsis

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Jensen, Anders Bøgh; Raventos, D.; Mundy, John Williams

2002-01-01

as two recessive mutants, designated joe1 and 2, that overexpress the reporter. Genetic analysis indicated that reporter overexpression in the joe mutants requires COI. joe1 responded to MeJA with increased anthocyanin accumulation, while joe2 responded with decreased root growth inhibition. In addition...... activity was also induced by the protein kinase inhibitor staurosporine and antagonized by the protein phosphatase inhibitor okadaic acid. FLUC bio-imaging, RNA gel-blot analysis and progeny analyses identified three recessive mutants that underexpress the FLUC reporter, designated jue1, 2 and 3, as well...

Uvm mutants of Escherichia coli K 12 deficient in UV mutagenesis. Pt. 1

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Steinborn, G.

1978-01-01

Selection for defective reversion induction, after UV treatment of E. coli K 12, yielded uvm mutants. These mutants exhibited highly reduced or no UV mutability for all loci tested although they were moderately and normally mutable by X-rays and EMS, respectively. Uvm mutations confer only a slight sensitivity to killing by UV and X-rays and no clear sensitivity to the lethal effect of HN2, EMS or MMS. Growth and viability of untreated uvm cells were normal. The properties of uvm mutants are discussed in relation to those of other relevant mutant types and to some actual problems of induced mutagenesis. (orig.) 891 AJ [de

Mutant fatty acid desaturase and methods for directed mutagenesis

Science.gov (United States)

Shanklin, John [Shoreham, NY; Whittle, Edward J [Greenport, NY

2008-01-29

The present invention relates to methods for producing fatty acid desaturase mutants having a substantially increased activity towards substrates with fewer than 18 carbon atom chains relative to an unmutagenized precursor desaturase having an 18 carbon chain length specificity, the sequences encoding the desaturases and to the desaturases that are produced by the methods. The present invention further relates to a method for altering a function of a protein, including a fatty acid desaturase, through directed mutagenesis involving identifying candidate amino acid residues, producing a library of mutants of the protein by simultaneously randomizing all amino acid candidates, and selecting for mutants which exhibit the desired alteration of function. Candidate amino acids are identified by a combination of methods. Enzymatic, binding, structural and other functions of proteins can be altered by the method.

Induced mutants of Streptococcus lactis by gamma irradiation and its effect on milk acidity

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Daowd, A.H.; Sabbour, M.M.; Newigy, N.A.; Wahab, G.A.M.

1988-01-01

Streptococus lactis was exposed to different doses of gamma-irradiation (10, 50, 100 and 150 Kr). The results of acidity production in sterilized milk inoculated by isolates from radiation treatments and control could be summarized in the following: 1. The mean acidity produced by S. lactis isolates after irradiation at 10 Kr increased to be 0.66% than that of control isolates (0.62%). The acidity produced by the isolates of the 50 Kr treatment showed more increment to reach the peak (0.7%). Thereafter, acidity production decreased by isolates of the 100 Kr (0.53%) and 150 Kr (0.51%) treatments. Heme, the 50 Kr treatment could be considered activation dose to S. lactis starter for acid production. 2. Two mutants were selected. Acidity production by mutant I (from 10 Kr treatment) was 0.95%, and that of mutant II (from 50 Kr treatment) was 1.0%, while acid production by the parent S. lactis culture was 0.62%. Concerning the stability of the isolates, it was found that acid production by mutant I and mutant II slightly decreased by time. The mutants were re-irradiated after 37 and 60 days at doses 10, 25 and 50 Kr. Acid production in milk by isolates of the radiation treatments was determined. The following results were obtained: -The re-irradiation of the mutants decreased the ability of the isolates for acid production than that of parent mutants. -The re-irradiation of the mutants after 60 days yielded isolates which showed more reduction in acid produced than of isolates obtained from re-irridation of the mutants after 37-days. -The higher the dose of the re-irradiation of the mutants, the lower the mean of acid production by isolates of the treatment

Enterocin A mutants identified by saturation mutagenesis enhance potency towards vancomycin-resistant Enterococci.

Science.gov (United States)

McClintock, Maria K; Kaznessis, Yiannis N; Hackel, Benjamin J

2016-02-01

Vancomycin-resistant Enterococci infections are a significant clinical problem. One proposed solution is to use probiotics, such as lactic acid bacteria, to produce antimicrobial peptides at the site of infection. Enterocin A, a class 2a bacteriocin, exhibits inhibitory activity against E. faecium and E. faecalis, which account for 86% of vancomycin-resistant Enterococci infections. In this study, we aimed to engineer enterocin A mutants with enhanced potency within a lactic acid bacterial production system. Peptide mutants resulting from saturation mutagenesis at sites A24 and T27 were efficiently screened in a 96-well plate assay for inhibition of pathogen growth. Several mutants exhibit increased potency relative to wild-type enterocin A in both liquid- and solid-medium growth assays. In particular, A24P and T27G exhibit enhanced inhibition of multiple strains of E. faecium and E. faecalis, including clinically isolated vancomycin-resistant strains. A24P and T27G enhance killing of E. faecium 8 by 13 ± 3- and 18 ± 4-fold, respectively. The engineered enterocin A/lactic acid bacteria systems offer significant potential to combat antibiotic-resistant infections. © 2015 Wiley Periodicals, Inc.

Genetics of leaf rust-resistant mutant WH 147-LM-1 in hexaploid wheat variety WH 147

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Reddy, V.R.K.; Viswanathan, P.

1999-01-01

By applying gamma rays, EMS and their combination in hexaploid wheat variety WH 147, a total of 20 mutants (0.0226%) exhibiting complete leaf rust resistance were isolated from segregating M2 rows.When one of the rust-resistant mutants, WH 147-LM-1 was crossed with the universally susceptible, suggesting that the mutant character is controlled by one dominant gene and one recessive gene.The F2 plants derived by crossing the mutant WH 147-LM with seven near-isogenic wheat lines showed segregation for susceptibility, indicating that the mutant character was indeed generated through induced mutations

Abnormal grooming activity in Dab1(scm) (scrambler) mutant mice.

Science.gov (United States)

Strazielle, C; Lefevre, A; Jacquelin, C; Lalonde, R

2012-07-15

Dab1(scm) mutant mice, characterized by cell ectopias and degeneration in cerebellum, hippocampus, and neocortex, were compared to non-ataxic controls for different facets of grooming caused by brief water immersions, as well as some non-grooming behaviors. Dab1(scm) mutants were strongly affected in their quantitative functional parameters, exhibiting higher starting latencies before grooming relative to non-ataxic littermates of the A/A strain, fewer grooming bouts, and grooming components of shorter duration, with an unequal regional distribution targeting almost totally the rostral part (head washing and forelimb licking) of the animal. Only bouts of a single grooming element were preserved. The cephalocaudal order of grooming elements appeared less disorganized, mutant and control mice initiating the grooming with head washing and forelimb licking prior to licking posterior parts. However, mutants differed from controls in that all their bouts were incomplete but uninterrupted, although intergroup difference for percentage of the incorrect transitions was not significant. In contrast to grooming, Dab1(scm) mice ambulated for a longer time. During walking episodes, they exhibited more body scratching than controls, possibly to compensate for the lack of licking different body parts. In conjunction with studies with other ataxic mice, these results indicate that the cerebellar cortex affects grooming activity and is consequently involved in executing various components, but not in its sequential organization, which requires other brain regions such as cerebral cortices or basal ganglia. Copyright © 2012 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.

physical, chemical, technological and biological properties of some mutant oil seeds induced by gamma radiation

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Ali, H.G.M.

2003-01-01

The present study has been undertaken to evaluated sesame, sunflower and safflower seeds induced by gamma rays, as plant breeding unit, plant research department, radioisotope application division, nuclear research center, atomic energy authority Inshas. the obtained results indicate the following : chemical composition of mutant seeds: the radiation mutation caused a significant increase in both oil and ash content total carbohydrates showed a significant decreased in sesame seeds. radiation mutation induced significant increase in oil and protein content of sunflower and safflower seeds. while the total carbohydrate showed a significant decrease. physiochemical properties of oils extracted mutant seeds: the radiation mutation had no real effect on the refractive index and A.V of oils extracted from control and mutant sesame, sunflower and safflower seeds. while it caused a slight increase in red color and P.V. of sesame oil, the thiobarbituric acid (TBA) value of mutant sesame oil was not alter upon radiation mutation, but it induced a slight decrease in TBA of mutant sunflower and safflower oils. the unsaponifiable matter percentage of oils extracted from mutant sesame, sunflower and safflower seeds were slightly increased by radiation mutation .radiation mutation of seeds had no real effect on the total SFA and USFA of sesame oil. however, radiation mutation induced a remarkable changes in fatty acid profiles of sunflower and safflower oil as total SFA decreased, while USFA increased. Uric acid was only detected in oil extracted from mutant sunflower seeds

Connexin mutants and cataracts

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Eric C Beyer

2013-04-01

Full Text Available The lens is a multicellular, but avascular tissue that must stay transparent to allow normal transmission of light and focusing of it on the retina. Damage to lens cells and/or proteins can cause cataracts, opacities that disrupt these processes. The normal survival of the lens is facilitated by an extensive network of gap junctions formed predominantly of connexin46 and connexin50. Mutations of the genes that encode these connexins (GJA3 and GJA8 have been identified and linked to inheritance of cataracts in human families and mouse lines. In vitro expression studies of several of these mutants have shown that they exhibit abnormalities that may lead to disease. Many of the mutants reduce or modify intercellular communication due to channel alterations (including loss of function or altered gating or due to impaired cellular trafficking which reduces the number of gap junction channels within the plasma membrane. However, the abnormalities detected in studies of other mutants suggest that they cause cataracts through other mechanisms including gain of hemichannel function (leading to cell injury and death and formation of cytoplasmic accumulations (that may act as light scattering particles. These observations and the anticipated results of ongoing studies should elucidate the mechanisms of cataract development due to mutations of lens connexins and abnormalities of other lens proteins. They may also contribute to our understanding of the mechanisms of disease due to connexin mutations in other tissues.

PNRI mutant variety: Cordyline 'Afable'

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Aurigue, Fernando B.

2012-01-01

Cordyline 'Afable', registered by the Philippine Nuclear Research Institute as NSIC 2009 Or-83, is an induced mutant developed from Cordyline 'Kiwi' by treating stem cuttings with acute gamma radiation from a Cobalt-60 source. The new mutant is identical to Cordyline 'Kiwi' in growth habit but differs in foliage color, and exhibits field resistance to Phytophthora sp., a fungus that causes leaf blight and rot in Ti plants. Results of this mutation breeding experiment showed that leaf color was altered by gamma irradiation and resistance to fungal diseases was improved. It also demonstrated how mutations that occur in nature may be generated artificially. Propagation of cordyline 'Afable' is true-to-type by vegetative propagation methods, such as separation of suckers and offshoots, shoot tip cutting, and top cutting. Aside from landscaping material, terrarium or dish-garden plant, it is ideal as containerized plant for indoor and outdoor use. The leaves or shoots may be harvested as cut foliage for flower arrangements. (author)

Absence-like and tonic seizures in aspartoacylase/attractin double-mutant mice.

Science.gov (United States)

Gohma, Hiroshi; Kuramoto, Takashi; Matalon, Reuben; Surendran, Sankar; Tyring, Stephen; Kitada, Kazuhiro; Sasa, Masashi; Serikawa, Tadao

2007-04-01

The Spontaneously Epileptic Rat (SER), a double-mutant for tremor and zitter mutations, shows spontaneous occurrences of absence-like and tonic seizures. Several lines of evidence suggest that the combined effect of Aspa and Atrn mutations is the most likely cause of the epileptic phenotype of the SER. To address this issue, we produced a new double-mutant mouse line carrying both homozygous Aspa-knockout and Atrn(mg-3J) mutant alleles. The Aspa/Atrn double-mutant mice exhibited absence-like and tonic seizures that were characterized by the appearance of 5-7 Hz spike-wave-like complexes and low voltage fast waves on EEGs. These results demonstrate directly that the simultaneous loss of the Aspa and Atrn gene functions causes epileptic seizures in the mouse and suggest that both Aspa and Atrn deficiencies might be responsible for epileptic seizures in the SER.

Mutant in tobacco anther culture induced by 60Co γ-rays

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Tong Daoru; Jia Xinghua

1991-01-01

The tobacco anthers at uninucleate eccentric stage were irradiated by 60 Co γ-rays for the purpose of inducing desirable mutants. The results showed that the induction frequency of plantlets increased following 1kR of 60 Co γ-rays treatment. However, the time of plantlet induction was delayed and the percentage of responding anthers as well as the number of plantlets induced per anther significantly decreased after 3kR of 60 Co γ-ray radiation which was considered as a semilethal exposure. The plantlet numbers induced per anther were extremely low following 6kR of 60 Co γ-ray radiation. A white flower mutant appeared in the induced progenies. The tobacco leaf quality of this mutant were significantly improved as compared with its parental line. The mutant line has been tested and proved to have commercial value though the resistance to the black shank of tobacco slightly decreased as compared with the parental line

Serine:glyoxylate aminotransferase mutant of barley

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Blackwell, R.; Murray, A.; Joy, K.; Lea, P.

1987-01-01

A photorespiratory mutant of barley (LaPr 85/84), deficient in both of the major peaks of serine:glyoxylate aminotransferase activity detected in the wild type, also lacks serine:pyruvate and asparagine:glyoxylate aminotransferase activities. Genetic analysis of the mutation demonstrated that these three activities are all carried on the same enzyme. The mutant, when placed in air, accumulated a large pool of serine, showed the expected rate (50%) of ammonia release during photorespiration but produced CO 2 at twice the wild type rate when it was fed [ 14 C] glyoxylate. Compared with the wild type, LaPr 85/84 exhibited abnormal transient changes in chlorophyll a fluorescence when the CO 2 concentration of the air was altered, indicating that the rates of the fluorescence quenching mechanisms were affected in vivo by the lack of this enzyme

Concurrent Increases and Decreases in Local Stability and Conformational Heterogeneity in Cu, Zn Superoxide Dismutase Variants Revealed by Temperature-Dependence of Amide Chemical Shifts.

Science.gov (United States)

Doyle, Colleen M; Rumfeldt, Jessica A; Broom, Helen R; Sekhar, Ashok; Kay, Lewis E; Meiering, Elizabeth M

2016-03-08

The chemical shifts of backbone amide protons in proteins are sensitive reporters of local structural stability and conformational heterogeneity, which can be determined from their readily measured linear and nonlinear temperature-dependences, respectively. Here we report analyses of amide proton temperature-dependences for native dimeric Cu, Zn superoxide dismutase (holo pWT SOD1) and structurally diverse mutant SOD1s associated with amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS). Holo pWT SOD1 loses structure with temperature first at its periphery and, while having extremely high global stability, nevertheless exhibits extensive conformational heterogeneity, with ∼1 in 5 residues showing evidence for population of low energy alternative states. The holo G93A and E100G ALS mutants have moderately decreased global stability, whereas V148I is slightly stabilized. Comparison of the holo mutants as well as the marginally stable immature monomeric unmetalated and disulfide-reduced (apo(2SH)) pWT with holo pWT shows that changes in the local structural stability of individual amides vary greatly, with average changes corresponding to differences in global protein stability measured by differential scanning calorimetry. Mutants also exhibit altered conformational heterogeneity compared to pWT. Strikingly, substantial increases as well as decreases in local stability and conformational heterogeneity occur, in particular upon maturation and for G93A. Thus, the temperature-dependence of amide shifts for SOD1 variants is a rich source of information on the location and extent of perturbation of structure upon covalent changes and ligand binding. The implications for potential mechanisms of toxic misfolding of SOD1 in disease and for general aspects of protein energetics, including entropy-enthalpy compensation, are discussed.

Defective glycinergic synaptic transmission in zebrafish motility mutants

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Hiromi Hirata

2010-01-01

Full Text Available Glycine is a major inhibitory neurotransmitter in the spinal cord and brainstem. Recently, in vivo analysis of glycinergic synaptic transmission has been pursued in zebrafish using molecular genetics. An ENU mutagenesis screen identified two behavioral mutants that are defective in glycinergic synaptic transmission. Zebrafish bandoneon (beo mutants have a defect in glrbb, one of the duplicated glycine receptor (GlyR β subunit genes. These mutants exhibit a loss of glycinergic synaptic transmission due to a lack of synaptic aggregation of GlyRs. Due to the consequent loss of reciprocal inhibition of motor circuits between the two sides of the spinal cord, motor neurons activate simultaneously on both sides resulting in bilateral contraction of axial muscles of beo mutants, eliciting the so-called ‘accordion’ phenotype. Similar defects in GlyR subunit genes have been observed in several mammals and are the basis for human hyperekplexia/startle disease. By contrast, zebrafish shocked (sho mutants have a defect in slc6a9, encoding GlyT1, a glycine transporter that is expressed by astroglial cells surrounding the glycinergic synapse in the hindbrain and spinal cord. GlyT1 mediates rapid uptake of glycine from the synaptic cleft, terminating synaptic transmission. In zebrafish sho mutants, there appears to be elevated extracellular glycine resulting in persistent inhibition of postsynaptic neurons and subsequent reduced motility, causing the ‘twitch once’ phenotype. We review current knowledge regarding zebrafish ‘accordion’ and ‘twitch once’ mutants, including beo and sho, and report the identification of a new α2 subunit that revises the phylogeny of zebrafish GlyRs.

Defective Glycinergic Synaptic Transmission in Zebrafish Motility Mutants

Science.gov (United States)

Hirata, Hiromi; Carta, Eloisa; Yamanaka, Iori; Harvey, Robert J.; Kuwada, John Y.

2009-01-01

Glycine is a major inhibitory neurotransmitter in the spinal cord and brainstem. Recently, in vivo analysis of glycinergic synaptic transmission has been pursued in zebrafish using molecular genetics. An ENU mutagenesis screen identified two behavioral mutants that are defective in glycinergic synaptic transmission. Zebrafish bandoneon (beo) mutants have a defect in glrbb, one of the duplicated glycine receptor (GlyR) β subunit genes. These mutants exhibit a loss of glycinergic synaptic transmission due to a lack of synaptic aggregation of GlyRs. Due to the consequent loss of reciprocal inhibition of motor circuits between the two sides of the spinal cord, motor neurons activate simultaneously on both sides resulting in bilateral contraction of axial muscles of beo mutants, eliciting the so-called ‘accordion’ phenotype. Similar defects in GlyR subunit genes have been observed in several mammals and are the basis for human hyperekplexia/startle disease. By contrast, zebrafish shocked (sho) mutants have a defect in slc6a9, encoding GlyT1, a glycine transporter that is expressed by astroglial cells surrounding the glycinergic synapse in the hindbrain and spinal cord. GlyT1 mediates rapid uptake of glycine from the synaptic cleft, terminating synaptic transmission. In zebrafish sho mutants, there appears to be elevated extracellular glycine resulting in persistent inhibition of postsynaptic neurons and subsequent reduced motility, causing the ‘twitch-once’ phenotype. We review current knowledge regarding zebrafish ‘accordion’ and ‘twitch-once’ mutants, including beo and sho, and report the identification of a new α2 subunit that revises the phylogeny of zebrafish GlyRs. PMID:20161699

Mutants induced in winter rye (Secale cereale L.): Short straw-mutant No. 2714 and late-senescence mutant

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Muszynski, S; Darlewska, M [Department of Plant Breeding and Seed Science, Warsaw Agricultural University, Warsaw (Poland)

1990-01-01

Full text: Mutants were induced by treating dormant seeds with ionizing radiation (fast neutrons) or chemicals (N-nitroso-N-ethyl urea or sodium azide). Among several mutants obtained, of special value is the short-straw mutant No. 2714 and a late senescent mutant. (author)

Bacillus subtilis mutants deficient in the adaptive response to simple alkylating agents

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Morohoshi, F.; Munakata, N.

1985-03-01

Three mutant strains exhibiting hyper-sensitivity to N-methyl-N'-nitro-N-nitrosoguanidine, but not to methyl methanesulfonate, were selected by a replica method from mutagenized spores of Bacillus subtilis. All three were totally deficient in the adaptive response to N-methyl-N'-nitro-N-nitrosoguanidine with regard to both lethality and mutagenesis. The activity to destroy O/sup 6/-methylguanine residues in the methylated DNA was not elevated in the mutant cells by the pretreatment with sublethal concentrations of N-methyl-N-nitro-N-nitrosoguanidine. This deficiency corresponded to the persistance of O/sup 6/-methylguanine residues in the DNA of both control and pretreated mutant cells challenged with the drug. The lethal and mutagenic sensitivity of the mutant strains were observed only for methyl- or ethyl-nitroso compounds that are thought to be active as inducers and are also active in O-alkylation. Except for the insensitivity to methyl methanesulfonate, the phenotypes of these mutants look very similar to those of ada mutants isolated previously in Escherichia coli.

Purification, gene cloning, gene expression, and mutants of Dps from the obligate anaerobe Porphyromonas gingivalis.

Science.gov (United States)

Ueshima, Junichi; Shoji, Mikio; Ratnayake, Dinath B; Abe, Kihachiro; Yoshida, Shinichi; Yamamoto, Kenji; Nakayama, Koji

2003-03-01

The periodontopathogen Porphyromonas gingivalis is an obligate anaerobe that is devoid of catalase but exhibits a relatively high degree of resistance to peroxide stress. In the present study, we demonstrate that P. gingivalis contains a Dps homologue that plays an important role in the protection of cells from peroxide stress. The Dps protein isolated from P. gingivalis displayed a ferritin-like spherical polymer consisting of 19-kDa subunits. Molecular cloning and sequencing of the gene encoding this protein revealed that it had a high similarity in nucleotide and amino acid sequences to Dps proteins from other species. The expression of Dps was significantly increased by exposure of P. gingivalis to atmospheric oxygen in an OxyR-dependent manner, indicating that it is regulated by the reactive oxygen species-regulating gene oxyR. The Dps-deficient mutants, including the dps single mutant and the ftn dps double mutant, showed no viability loss upon exposure to atmospheric oxygen for 6 h. In contrast to the wild type, however, these mutants exhibited the high susceptibility to hydrogen peroxide, thereby disrupting the viability. On the other hand, no significant difference in sensitivity to mitomycin C and metronidazole was observed between the wild type and the mutants. Furthermore, the dps single mutant, compared with the wild type, showed a lower viability in infected human umbilical vein endothelial cells.

Inactivation of carbenicillin by some radioresistant mutant strains

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Zahiera, T.S.; Mahmoud, M.I.; Bashandy, A.A.

1990-01-01

Sensitivity test of five bacterial species to carbenicillin was performed microbiologically. The bacterial species were previously isolated from high level radiation environment. All the studied species could either highly decrease the antibiotic activity or even inactivate it completely. Detailed study of the inactivation of carbenicillin by the radioresistant mutant strains B. Laterosporus, B. firmus and M. roseus was performed, in the present study. Using high performace liquid chromatography technique. The gram-positive m. roseus mutant strain seemed to be the most active mutant in degrading the antibiotic. The left over of the antibiotic attained a value of 9% of the original amount after 14 day incubation of the antibiotic with this mutant strain, while the value of the left over reached 36% and 32% after the same period of incubation with the mutants B. laterosporus and B. firmus respectively. In the case of bacillus species, the degradation of the antibiotic started at the same moment when it was added to the bacterial cultures. This fact may indicate that the inactivation of the studied antibiotic by these bacillus species was due to extracellular enzymes extracted rapidly in the surrounding medium. In the case of M. roseus the inactivation process started later. after the addition of the antibiotic to the mutant culture

Decreased internalisation of erbB1 mutants in lung cancer is linked with a mechanism conferring sensitivity to gefitinib.

Science.gov (United States)

Hendriks, B S; Griffiths, G J; Benson, R; Kenyon, D; Lazzara, M; Swinton, J; Beck, S; Hickinson, M; Beusmans, J M; Lauffenburger, D; de Graaf, D

2006-11-01

A majority of gefitinib (IRESSA)-responsive tumours in non-small cell lung cancer have been found to carry mutations in ErbB1. Previously, it has been observed that internalisation-deficient ErbB1 receptors are strong drivers of oncogenesis. Using a computational model of ErbB1 trafficking and signalling, it is found that a deficiency in ErbB1 internalisation is sufficient to explain the observed signalling phenotype of these gefitinib-responsive ErbB1 mutants in lung cancer cell lines. Experimental tests confirm that gefitinib-sensitive cell lines with and without ErbB1 mutations exhibit markedly slower internalisation rates than gefitinib-insensitive cell lines. Moreover, the computational model demonstrates that reduced ErbB1 internalisation rates are mechanistically linked to upregulated AKT signalling. Experimentally it is confirmed that impaired internalisation of ErbB1 is associated with increased AKT activity, which can be blocked by gefitinib. On the basis of these experimental and computational results, it is surmised that gefitinib sensitivity is a marker of a reliance on AKT signalling for cell survival that may be brought about by impaired ErbB1 internalisation.

Determination quercetin content, antioxidant and antimicrobial activity of genotype mutant Samosir shallots irradiated by gamma rays

Science.gov (United States)

Sinuraya, M.; Hanafiah, D. S.; Romulo, A.; Barus, A.

2018-02-01

The aim of the research was to study the variation in antioxidant and antimicrobial activity as well as the total quercetin content of the fifth generation genotypes mutant Samosir shallot irradiated by gamma rays. The studies conducted included the assessment of quercetin content, antioxidant and antimicrobial activity in shallot bulbs after long-term storage (6 months in the room temperature). Quercetin content of 20 selected genotype mutants of irradiated shallot bulbs along with untreated populations were calculated using quercetin (QU) as a standard. Antioxidant activities of 8 genotype mutant were determined using DPPH. Antimicrobial activity of bulb extracts were tested against six bacteria including Staphylococcus aurous, Enterococcus faecalis, Bacillus subtilis, Escherichia coli, Pseudomonas aeruginosa, and Klebsiella pneumoniae and oneyeastCandida albicans. The results showed that population of genotype mutants irradiated with dosage 2Gy, 4 Gy, 5 Gy and 6 Gy have higher quercetin content than control samples. None of the genotype mutants exhibited antibacterial inhibitory against all microorganism tested except for the sample number 2 and 6 (bulbs generated from the plants irradiated by gamma rays with dosage at 2 Gy and 6 Gy). There was also none of the genotypes observed exhibited significant antioxidant efficacy.

Human liver cell trafficking mutants: characterization and whole exome sequencing.

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Fei Yuan

Full Text Available The HuH7 liver cell mutant Trf1 is defective in membrane trafficking and is complemented by the casein kinase 2α subunit CK2α''. Here we identify characteristic morphologies, trafficking and mutational changes in six additional HuH7 mutants Trf2-Trf7. Trf1 cells were previously shown to be severely defective in gap junction functions. Using a Lucifer yellow transfer assay, remarkable attenuation of gap junction communication was revealed in each of the mutants Trf2-Trf7. Electron microscopy and light microscopy of thiamine pyrophosphatase showed that several mutants exhibited fragmented Golgi apparatus cisternae compared to parental HuH7 cells. Intracellular trafficking was investigated using assays of transferrin endocytosis and recycling and VSV G secretion. Surface binding of transferrin was reduced in all six Trf2-Trf7 mutants, which generally correlated with the degree of reduced expression of the transferrin receptor at the cell surface. The mutants displayed the same transferrin influx rates as HuH7, and for efflux rate, only Trf6 differed, having a slower transferrin efflux rate than HuH7. The kinetics of VSV G transport along the exocytic pathway were altered in Trf2 and Trf5 mutants. Genetic changes unique to particular Trf mutants were identified by exome sequencing, and one was investigated in depth. The novel mutation Ile34Phe in the GTPase RAB22A was identified in Trf4. RNA interference knockdown of RAB22A or overexpression of RAB22AI34F in HuH7 cells caused phenotypic changes characteristic of the Trf4 mutant. In addition, the Ile34Phe mutation reduced both guanine nucleotide binding and hydrolysis activities of RAB22A. Thus, the RAB22A Ile34Phe mutation appears to contribute to the Trf4 mutant phenotype.

Structural basis for the changed substrate specificity of Drosophila melanogaster deoxyribonucleoside kinase mutant N64D

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Welin, M.; Skovgaard, T.; Knecht, Wolfgang

2005-01-01

The Drosophila melanogaster deoxyribonucleoside kinase (Dm-dNK) double mutant N45D/N64D was identified during a previous directed evolution study. This mutant enzyme had a decreased activity towards the natural substrates and decreased feedback inhibition with dTTP, whereas the activity with 3...

Induction of two mutants in birdsfoot trefoil (Lotus corniculatus) by x-rays and chemical mutagens

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Therrien, M.C.; Grant, W.F.

1982-01-01

The mutagenic effects of X-rays, ethyl methanesulfonate (EMS), 8-ethoxycaffeine (EOC), N-hydroxyurea (HU) and 2-aminopurine (2AP) on seed treatment of birdsfoot trefoil (Lotus corniculatus L. 'Mirabel') were assessed over four generations. Mutants were recovered in the M 2 , M 3 and M 4 generations from selfed lines, from crosses derived form selfed lines and from open pollination lines. Mutant plants exhibiting vestigial floret character were recovered from X-rays, EMS, EOC and HU treatments. Mutant chlorotica plants were obtained from EMS treatment only. No mutants were recovered from 2AP treatment, EMS, the most effective mutagen, produced nine vestigial floret and 12 chlorotica mutants. Mutants were obtained from only one exposure of X-rays (12 krad). There was evidence for preferential elimination of gametes. The chlorotica and vestigial floret mutants were inherited as tetrasomic recessives. Mutation frequencies of 0.4 - 3.1% in a tetrasomic background are indicative of the effectiveness of EMS in birdsfoot trefoil

Induction of two mutants in birdsfoot trefoil (Lotus corniculatus) by x-rays and chemical mutagens

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Therrien, M.C.; Grant, W.F. (McGill Univ., Ste. Anne de Bellevue, Quebec (Canada). Macdonald Coll.)

1982-10-01

The mutagenic effects of X-rays, ethyl methanesulfonate (EMS), 8-ethoxycaffeine (EOC), N-hydroxyurea (HU) and 2-aminopurine (2AP) on seed treatment of birdsfoot trefoil (Lotus corniculatus L. 'Mirabel') were assessed over four generations. Mutants were recovered in the M/sub 2/, M/sub 3/ and M/sub 4/ generations from selfed lines, from crosses derived form selfed lines and from open pollination lines. Mutant plants exhibiting vestigial floret character were recovered from X-rays, EMS, EOC and HU treatments. Mutant chlorotica plants were obtained from EMS treatment only. No mutants were recovered from 2AP treatment, EMS, the most effective mutagen, produced nine vestigial floret and 12 chlorotica mutants. Mutants were obtained from only one exposure of X-rays (12 krad). There was evidence for preferential elimination of gametes. The chlorotica and vestigial floret mutants were inherited as tetrasomic recessives. Mutation frequencies of 0.4 - 3.1% in a tetrasomic background are indicative of the effectiveness of EMS in birdsfoot trefoil.

'CM 88' - A multiple disease resistant chickpea mutant variety

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Haq, M.A.; Hassan, Mahmudul; Sadiq, M.

2001-01-01

Full text: Chickpea is the most important grain legume crop of Pakistan. Ascochyta blight (Ascochyta rabiei) and Fusarium wilt (Fusarium oxysporum F. sp cicer) are most serious diseases, having the potential to devastate a crop. A multiple disease resistant and high yielding mutant CM 88 has been developed through 100 Gy gamma irradiation treatment of variety 'C 727'. This was once a widely grown and popular variety, which lost its resistance to Ascochyta and was replaced. The selection of mutants was performed in the M2 generation grown in the Ascochyta blight nursery and sixteen mutants were selected. In the subsequent generations CM 88 proved resistant to both Ascochyta blight and Fusarium wilt, and exhibited superiority in agronomic characteristics. CM 88 was also tested for many years in the various yield trials on research stations and farmers fields throughout the country. In these trials it out yielded both the parent and standard varieties. The mutant CM 88 has been approved by the Punjab Seed Council on 27 October 1994 for general cultivation in the Punjab Province, especially the Thal area which accounts for more than 70% of the area under chickpea cultivation. (author)

Susceptibility of glucokinase-MODY mutants to inactivation by oxidative stress in pancreatic β-cells.

Science.gov (United States)

Cullen, Kirsty S; Matschinsky, Franz M; Agius, Loranne; Arden, Catherine

2011-12-01

The posttranslational regulation of glucokinase (GK) differs in hepatocytes and pancreatic β-cells. We tested the hypothesis that GK mutants that cause maturity-onset diabetes of the young (GK-MODY) show compromised activity and posttranslational regulation in β-cells. Activity and protein expression of GK-MODY and persistent hyperinsulinemic hypoglycemia of infancy (PHHI) mutants were studied in β-cell (MIN6) and non-β-cell (H4IIE) models. Binding of GK to phosphofructo-2-kinase, fructose-2,6-bisphosphatase (PFK2/FBPase2) was studied by bimolecular fluorescence complementation in cell-based models. Nine of 11 GK-MODY mutants that have minimal effect on enzyme kinetics in vitro showed decreased specific activity relative to wild type when expressed in β-cells. A subset of these were stable in non-β-cells but showed increased inactivation in conditions of oxidative stress and partial reversal of inactivation by dithiothreitol. Unlike the GK-MODY mutants, four of five GK-PHHI mutants had similar specific activity to wild type and Y214C had higher activity than wild type. The GK-binding protein PFK2/FBPase2 protected wild-type GK from oxidative inactivation and the decreased stability of GK-MODY mutants correlated with decreased interaction with PFK2/FBPase2. Several GK-MODY mutants show posttranslational defects in β-cells characterized by increased susceptibility to oxidative stress and/or protein instability. Regulation of GK activity through modulation of thiol status may be a physiological regulatory mechanism for the control of GK activity in β-cells.

Indy mutants: live long and prosper

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Stewart eFrankel

2012-02-01

Full Text Available Indy encodes the fly homologue of a mammalian transporter of di and tricarboxylatecomponents of the Krebs cycle. Reduced expression of fly Indy or two of the C. elegansIndy homologs leads to an increase in life span. Fly and worm tissues that play key roles inintermediary metabolism are also the places where Indy genes are expressed. One of themouse homologs of Indy (mIndy is mainly expressed in the liver. It has been hypothesizedthat decreased INDY activity creates a state similar to caloric restriction (CR. Thishypothesis is supported by the physiological similarities between Indy mutant flies on highcalorie food and control flies on CR, such as increased physical activity and decreases inweight, egg production, triglyceride levels, starvation resistance, and insulin signaling. Inaddition, Indy mutant flies undergo changes in mitochondrial biogenesis also observed inCR animals. Recent findings with mIndy knockout mice support and extend the findingsfrom flies. mIndy-/- mice display an increase in hepatic mitochondrial biogenesis, lipidoxidation and decreased hepatic lipogenesis. When mIndy-/- mice are fed high calorie foodthey are protected from adiposity and insulin resistance. These findings point to INDY as apotential drug target for the treatment of metabolic syndrome, type 2 diabetes and obesity.

A KAS2 cDNA complements the phenotypes of the Arabidopsis fab1 mutant that differs in a single residue bordering the substrate binding pocket

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Carlsson, A.S.; LaBrie, S.T.; Kinney, A.J.

2002-01-01

The fab1 mutant of Arabidopsis is partially deficient in activity of ß-ketoacyl-[acyl carrier protein] synthase II (KAS II). This defect results in increased levels of 16 : 0 fatty acid and is associated with damage and death of the mutants at low temperature. Transformation of fab1 plants with a c......DNA from Brassica napus encoding a KAS II enzyme resulted in complementation of both mutant phenotypes. The dual complementation by expression of the single gene proves that low-temperature damage is a consequence of altered membrane unsaturation. The fab1 mutation is a single nucleotide change...... chain to bend. For functional analysis the equivalent Leu207Phe mutation was introduced into the fabB gene encoding the E. coli KAS I enzyme. Compared to wild-type, the Leu207Phe protein showed a 10-fold decrease in binding affinity for the fatty acid substrate, exhibited a modified behavior during size...

A transcriptionally active estrogen receptor mutant is a novel type of dominant negative inhibitor of estrogen action.

Science.gov (United States)

McInerney, E M; Ince, B A; Shapiro, D J; Katzenellenbogen, B S

1996-12-01

We have characterized a human estrogen receptor (ER) mutant, V364E, which has a single amino acid substitution in its hormone-binding domain. This ER mutant is fully active or even superactive at saturating levels of estradiol (10(-8) M E2) yet has the capacity to act as a strong dominant negative inhibitor of the wild type ER. In transient transfection assays using ER-negative Chinese hamster ovary (CHO) cells and two different estrogen response element (ERE)-containing promoter reporter genes, V364E treated with 10(-8) M E2 exhibited approximately 250% and 100% of the activity of the wild type ER with these two promoter contexts, respectively. Despite the high activity of V364E when present alone in cells, coexpression of both V364E and wild type ER causes a significant decrease in overall ER-mediated transcriptional activity. On the TATA promoter, where V364E was more inhibitory, estrogen-stimulated activity was reduced by approximately 50% at a 1:1 ratio of mutant to wild type ER expression vector, and at a 10:1 ratio, 75% of ER activity was inhibited. V364E was expressed at lower levels than wild type ER and has a approximately 40-fold lower affinity for E2 compared with wild type ER. In promoter interference assays, V364E exhibited a strict dependence upon E2 for binding to an ERE. Surprisingly, even when V364E was unable to bind to ERE DNA (i.e. either at low E2 concentration or by mutation of its DNA-binding domain), this mutant retained full dominant negative activity. This highly active ER mutant is, thus, able to repress ER-mediated transcription when the mutant and wild type ER are present together in cells, even without DNA binding. Since competition for ERE binding and the formation of inactive heterodimers cannot fully account for the dominant negative activity of V364E, it is probable that altered interactions with proteins important in ER-mediated transcription play a key role in the repression of transcription by V364E. The properties and probable

Mutant matrix metalloproteinase-9 reduces postoperative peritoneal adhesions in rats.

Science.gov (United States)

Atta, Hussein; El-Rehany, Mahmoud; Roeb, Elke; Abdel-Ghany, Hend; Ramzy, Maggie; Gaber, Shereen

2016-02-01

Postoperative peritoneal adhesions continue to be a major source of morbidity and occasional mortality. Studies have shown that matrix metalloproteinase-9 (MMP-9) levels are decreased postoperatively which may limits matrix degradation and participate in the development of peritoneal adhesions. In this proof-of-principle study, we evaluated the effect of gene therapy with catalytically inactive mutant MMP-9 on postoperative peritoneal adhesions in rats. Adenovirus encoding mutant MMP-9 (Ad-mMMP-9) or saline was instilled in the peritoneal cavity after cecal and parietal peritoneal injury in rats. Expression of mutant MMP-9 transcript was verified by sequencing. Adenovirus E4 gene expression, adhesion scores, MMP-9, tissue plasminogen activator (tPA), plasminogen activator inhibitor-1 (PAI-1) and transforming growth factor-β1 (TGF-β1) expression were evaluated at sacrifice one week after treatment. Both mutant MMP-9 transcripts and adenovirus E4 gene were expressed in Ad-mMMP-9 treated adhesions. Adhesions severity decreased significantly (p = 0.036) in the Ad-mMMP-9-treated compared with saline-treated adhesions. Expression of MMP-9 mRNA and protein were elevated (p = 0.001 and p = 0.029, respectively) in the Ad-mMMP-9-treated adhesions compared with saline-treated adhesions. While tPA levels were increased (p = 0.02) in Ad-mMMP-9 treated adhesions compared with saline-treated adhesions, TGF-β1 and PAI-1 levels were decreased (p = 0.017 and p = 0.042, respectively). No difference in mortality were found between groups (p = 0.64). Mutant MMP-9 gene therapy effectively transduced peritoneal adhesions resulting in reduction of severity of primary peritoneal adhesions. Copyright © 2016 IJS Publishing Group Limited. Published by Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

Mitotic chromosome transmission fidelity mutants in Saccharomyces cerevisiae

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Spencer, F.; Gerring, S.L.; Connelly, C.; Hieter, P.

1990-01-01

The authors have isolated 136 independent EMS-induced mutations in haploid yeast strains that exhibit decreased chromosome transmission fidelity in mitosis. Eight-five percent of the mutations are recessive and 15% are partially dominant. Complementation analysis between MATa and MATα isolates identifies 11 chromosome transmission fidelity (CTF) complementation groups, the largest of which is identical to CHL1. For 49 independent mutations, no corresponding allele has been recovered in the opposite mating type. The initial screen monitored the stability of a centromere-linked color marker on a nonessential yeast chromosome fragment; the mitotic inheritance of natural yeast chromosome III is also affected by the ctf mutations. Of the 136 isolates identified, seven were inviable at 37 degree and five were inviable at 11 degree. In all cases tested, these temperature conditional lethalities cosegregated with the chromosome instability phenotype. Five additional complementation groups (ctf12 through ctf16) have been defined by complementation analysis of the mutations causing inviability at 37 degree. All of the mutant strains showed normal sensitivity to ultraviolet and γ-irradiation

Insight into the molecular mechanism of yeast acetyl-coenzyme A carboxylase mutants F510I, N485G, I69E, E477R, and K73R resistant to soraphen A

Science.gov (United States)

Gao, Jian; Liang, Li; Chen, Qingqing; Zhang, Ling; Huang, Tonghui

2018-02-01

Acetyl-coenzyme A carboxylases (ACCs) is the first committed enzyme of fatty acid synthesis pathway. The inhibition of ACC is thought to be beneficial not only for diseases related to metabolism, such as type-2 diabetes, but also for infectious disease like bacterial infection disease. Soraphen A, a potent allosteric inhibitor of BC domain of yeast ACC, exhibit lower binding affinities to several yeast ACC mutants and the corresponding drug resistance mechanisms are still unknown. We report here a theoretical study of binding of soraphen A to wild type and yeast ACC mutants (including F510I, N485G, I69E, E477R, and K73R) via molecular dynamic simulation and molecular mechanics/generalized Born surface area free energy calculations methods. The calculated binding free energies of soraphen A to yeast ACC mutants are weaker than to wild type, which is highly consistent with the experimental results. The mutant F510I weakens the binding affinity of soraphen A to yeast ACC mainly by decreasing the van der Waals contributions, while the weaker binding affinities of Soraphen A to other yeast ACC mutants including N485G, I69E, E477R, and K73R are largely attributed to the decreased net electrostatic (ΔE ele + ΔG GB) interactions. Our simulation results could provide important insights for the development of more potent ACC inhibitors.

Potency of carbapenems for the prevention of carbapenem-resistant mutants of Pseudomonas aeruginosa: the high potency of a new carbapenem doripenem.

Science.gov (United States)

Sakyo, Shihomi; Tomita, Haruyoshi; Tanimoto, Koichi; Fujimoto, Shuhei; Ike, Yasuyoshi

2006-04-01

The potencies of the carbapenems; doripenem (DRPM), meropenem (MEPM) and imipenem (IPM) in preventing the emergence of carbapenem-resistant mutants were examined in Pseudomonas aeruginosa strains. The carbapenems predominantly selected carbapenem-resistant mutants or carbapenem mutants with reduced susceptibilities that were specifically resistant to carbapenems and had arisen as a result of the reduced level of expression of the outer membrane protein with a molecular weight of about 48,000 (OprD). The potency of carbapenems in preventing the growth of the mutants differed for DRPM, MEPM and IPM. The isolation frequency of the mutant was examined on agar plates containing each of the carbapenems at a concentration of 1/2 or 1/4 MIC of each carbapenem for that mutant. Mutants were not selected on agar containing DRPM at a frequency of greater than 10(-9) per cell per generation, whereas mutants of each strain were selected on agar containing MEPM or IPM at frequencies of 10(-7) to 10(-9) per cell per generation. The drug concentrations and the drug concentration range for the selective increase of carbapenem resistant mutants in the broth culture containing each carbapenem differed for each carbapenem. DRPM exhibited both the lowest drug concentration and the narrowest range of drug concentration for selection of the carbapenem-resistant mutants. The results shown in this report indicated that DRPM exhibited the greatest ability to prevent the emergence of the mutant.

Rapid identification of lettuce seed germination mutants by bulked segregant analysis and whole genome sequencing.

Science.gov (United States)

Huo, Heqiang; Henry, Isabelle M; Coppoolse, Eric R; Verhoef-Post, Miriam; Schut, Johan W; de Rooij, Han; Vogelaar, Aat; Joosen, Ronny V L; Woudenberg, Leo; Comai, Luca; Bradford, Kent J

2016-11-01

Lettuce (Lactuca sativa) seeds exhibit thermoinhibition, or failure to complete germination when imbibed at warm temperatures. Chemical mutagenesis was employed to develop lettuce lines that exhibit germination thermotolerance. Two independent thermotolerant lettuce seed mutant lines, TG01 and TG10, were generated through ethyl methanesulfonate mutagenesis. Genetic and physiological analyses indicated that these two mutations were allelic and recessive. To identify the causal gene(s), we applied bulked segregant analysis by whole genome sequencing. For each mutant, bulked DNA samples of segregating thermotolerant (mutant) seeds were sequenced and analyzed for homozygous single-nucleotide polymorphisms. Two independent candidate mutations were identified at different physical positions in the zeaxanthin epoxidase gene (ABSCISIC ACID DEFICIENT 1/ZEAXANTHIN EPOXIDASE, or ABA1/ZEP) in TG01 and TG10. The mutation in TG01 caused an amino acid replacement, whereas the mutation in TG10 resulted in alternative mRNA splicing. Endogenous abscisic acid contents were reduced in both mutants, and expression of the ABA1 gene from wild-type lettuce under its own promoter fully complemented the TG01 mutant. Conventional genetic mapping confirmed that the causal mutations were located near the ZEP/ABA1 gene, but the bulked segregant whole genome sequencing approach more efficiently identified the specific gene responsible for the phenotype. © 2016 The Authors The Plant Journal © 2016 John Wiley & Sons Ltd.

Isolation and characterization of Tn917lac-generated competence mutants of Bacillus subtilis

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Hahn, J.; Albano, M.; Dubnau, D.

1987-01-01

The authors isolated 28 mutants of Bacillus subtilis deficient in the development of competence by using the transposon Tn917lacZ as a mutagen. The mutant strains were poorly transformable with plasmid and chromosomal DNAs but were normally transducible and exhibited wild-type resistance to DNA-damaging agents. The mutations were genetically mapped, and the mutants were characterized with respect to their abilities to bind and take up radiolabeled DNA. All were defective in uptake, and some failed to bind significantly amounts of DNA. The abilities of the mutant strains to resolve into two buoyant density classes on Renografin gradients were studied. Most resolved normally, but several banded in Renografin only at the buoyant density of noncompetent cells. The genetic mapping studies and the other analyses suggested that the mutations define a minimum of seven distinct com genes

Studies on induced partially resistant mutants of barley against powdery mildew

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Roebbelen, G.; Abdel-Hafez, A.G.; Reinhold, M.; Kwon, H.J.; Neuhaus-Steinmetz, J.P.; Heun, M.

1983-01-01

After mutagenic seed treatment of three partially resistant cultivars of spring barley with EMS and NaN 3 , 45 mutants in a first and 16 in a second experiment were selected in the M 2 -M 4 generations. The screening was done alternatively under natural infection in the field or controlled infection with a single pathotype in the greenhouse. These mutants exhibited a higher resistance and a higher susceptibility, respectively, than the initial cultivars Asse, Bomi and Vada. Some mutants expressed their altered resistance behaviour particularly during certain stages of development. High-level resistance was conditioned by mutation in the ml-o locus in three cases. For several Bomi mutants pathotype specificity with and without reversed ranking was proven as well as pathotype non-specificity in comparison with the reaction of the original cultivar. In 14 cases studied the inheritance of the involved mutants was monogenic recessive. The laevigatum locus responsible for the intermediate mildew resistance of Bomi was not affected by the mutations. Detection of groups of allelic mutants showed that there are at least two regions in the barley genome in which mutations for mildew resistance can occur rather frequently. In total, the past ten years of this mutation research have given convincing evidence that the strategies of mutant screening applied have yielded promising new material both for breeding and for progress in basic understanding of host-pathogen interactions. (author)

Influence of ultraviolet light on arising of induced mutants in Cercospora beticola sacc

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Brillova, D [Institute of Experimental Phytopathology and Entomology of the Slovak Academy of Sciences, Ivanka pri Dunaji (Czechoslovakia)

1976-01-01

Ultraviolet radiation of wavelengths of 254 and 350 nm respectively, applied for 30 to 480 seconds to the conidia of Cercospora beticola, induced a large number of mutants. According to their appearance, the occurring mutants can be considered as visible with effect on morphology and colour. A considerable part of the mutants lost its ability to form reproductive organs in in vitro conditions, as well as on the host plant; they became avirulent. Moreover, mutants occurred with decreased virulence, with a weak forming of conidia and prolonged incubation period. In few cases, also reverse mutations were induced characterized by increased virulence.

Overexpression of an Outer Membrane Protein Associated with Decreased Susceptibility to Carbapenems in Proteus mirabilis

Science.gov (United States)

Tsai, Yi-Lin; Wang, Min-Cheng; Hsueh, Po-Ren; Liu, Ming-Che; Hu, Rouh-Mei; Wu, Yue-Jin; Liaw, Shwu-Jen

2015-01-01

Proteus mirabilis isolates commonly have decreased susceptibility to imipenem. Previously, we found P. mirabilis hfq mutant was more resistant to imipenem and an outer membrane protein (OMP) could be involved. Therefore, we investigated the role of this OMP in carbapenem susceptibility. By SDS-PAGE we found this OMP (named ImpR) was increased in hfq mutant and LC-MS/MS revealed it to be the homologue of Salmonella YbfM, which is a porin for chitobiose and subject to MicM (a small RNA) regulation. We demonstrated that ImpR overexpression resulted in increased carbapenem MICs in the laboratory strain and clinical isolates. Chitobiose induced expression of chb (a chitobiose utilization operon). Real-time RT-PCR and SDS-PAGE were performed to elucidate the relationship of hfq, impR, chb and MicM in P. mirabilis. We found MicM RNA was decreased in hfq mutant and chbBC-intergenic region (chbBC-IGR) overexpression strain (chbIGRov), while impR mRNA was increased in hfq mutant, micM mutant and chbIGRov strain. In addition, mutation of hfq or micM and overexpression of chbBC-IGR increased ImpR protein level. Accordingly, chitobiose made wild-type have higher levels of ImpR protein and are more resistant to carbapenems. Hfq- and MicM-complemented strains restored wild-type MICs. Mutation of both impR and hfq eliminated the increase in carbapenem MICs observed in hfq mutant and ImpR-complementation of hfq/impR double mutant resulted in MICs as hfq mutant, indicating that the ImpR-dependent decreased carbapenem susceptibility of hfq mutant. These indicate MicM was antisense to impR mRNA and was negatively-regulated by chbBC-IGR. Together, overexpression of ImpR contributed to the decreased carbapenem susceptibility in P. mirabilis. PMID:25756370

Isolation and characterization of prophage mutants of the defective Bacillus subtilis bacteriophage PBSX

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Thurm, P.; Garro, A.J.

1975-01-01

Bacillus subtilis mutants with lesions in PBSX prophage genes have been isolated. One of these appears to be a regulatory mutant and is defective for mitomycin C-induced derepression of PBSX; the others are defective for phage capsid formation. All of the PBSX structural proteins are synthesized during induction of the capsid defective mutants; however, several of these proteins exhibit abnormal serological reactivity with anti-PBSX antiserum. The two head proteins X4 and X7 are not immunoprecipitable in a mutant which fails to assemble phage head structures. In the tail mutant, proteins X5 and X6 are not immunoprecipitable, tails are not assembled, and a possible tail protein precursor remains uncleaved. The noninducible mutant does not synthesize any PBSX structural proteins after exposure to mitomycin C. The mutation is specific for PBSX since phi 105 and SPO2 lysogens of the mutant are inducible. All of the known PBSX-specific mutations were shown to be clustered between argC and metC on the host chromosome. In addition, the metC marker was shown to be present in multiple copies in cells induced for PBSX replication. This suggests that the derepressed prophage replicates while still integrated and that replication extends into the adjacent regions of the host chromosome

Molecular Mechanisms Regulating Ocular Apoptosis in Zebrafish gdf6a Mutants

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Pant, Sameer D.; March, Lindsey D.; Famulski, Jakub K.

2013-01-01

intrinsic or extrinsic apoptotic mechanisms were involved, morpholino antisense oligonucleotides targeting baxa, baxb, and p53 were employed. Caspase-3 immunohistochemistry (IHC) was performed to assay apoptosis. Pharmacologic inhibition (using SB203580) and IHC were used to investigate the role of p38...... occurs 28 hours post fertilization (hpf) in gdf6a(-/-) mutants that is mediated independently of p53 by intrinsic mechanisms involving Bax proteins. Also, gdf6a(-/-) mutants exhibit markedly increased p38 MAP kinase activation that can be inhibited to significantly reduce retinal apoptosis. A reduction...... in retinal smad1 expression was also noted in gdf6a(-/-) mutants. CONCLUSIONS. gdf6a(-/-)-induced apoptosis is characterized by the involvement of intrinsic apoptotic pathways, p38 MAP kinases, and dysregulated smad expression. Modulation of key mediators can inhibit retinal apoptosis offering potential...

Altered depression-related behavior and neurochemical changes in serotonergic neurons in mutant R406W human tau transgenic mice.

Science.gov (United States)

Egashira, Nobuaki; Iwasaki, Katsunori; Takashima, Akihiko; Watanabe, Takuya; Kawabe, Hideyuki; Matsuda, Tomomi; Mishima, Kenichi; Chidori, Shozo; Nishimura, Ryoji; Fujiwara, Michihiro

2005-10-12

Mutant R406W human tau was originally identified in frontotemporal dementia and parkinsonism linked to chromosome 17 (FTDP-17) and causes a hereditary tauopathy that clinically resembles Alzheimer's disease (AD). In the current study, we examined the performance of R406W transgenic (Tg) mice in the forced swimming test, a test with high predictivity of antidepressant efficacy in human depression, and found an enhancement of the immobility time. In contrast, the motor function and anxiety-related emotional response of R406W Tg mice were normal. Furthermore, a selective serotonin reuptake inhibitor (SSRI), fluvoxamine (100 mg/kg, p.o.), significantly reduced this enhancement of the immobility time, whereas a noradrenaline reuptake inhibitor, desipramine, had no effect. In an in vivo microdialysis study, R406W Tg mice exhibited a significantly decreased extracellular 5-hydroxyindoleacetic acid (5-HIAA) level in the frontal cortex and also exhibited a tendency toward a decreased extracellular 5-hydroxytryptamine (5-HT) level. Moreover, fluvoxamine, which reduced the enhancement of the immobility time, significantly increased the extracellular 5-HT level in R406W Tg mice. These results suggest that R406W Tg mice exhibit changes in depression-related behavior involving serotonergic neurons and provide an animal model for investigating AD with depression.

Isolation and characteristics of minute plaque forming mutant of cyanophage AS-1

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Amla, D.V.

1981-01-01

Minute plaque forming mutant (m) of cyanophage AS-1 infecting unicellular blue-green algae was isolated spontaneously and after mutagenic treatment. Compared to wild type m mutant formed small plaques, adsorption rate was slow and the burst-size was significantly decreased with prolonged eclipse and latent period. The plaque forming ability of mutant phage was sensitive to pH, heat, EDTA shock, distilled water and photosensitisation with acriflavine whereas ultraviolet sensitivity of free and intracellular phage was identical to the parent. The spontaneous reversion frequencies of mutant phage to wild type were between 10 -5 to 10 -3 and appeared to be clonal property. Reversion studies suggested possibilities of frame-shift or base-pair substitution for m mutation. (author)

Induction of diphtheria toxin-resistant mutants in human cells by ultraviolet light

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Rocchi, P.; Ferreri, A.M.; Capucci, A.; Prodi, G.

1981-01-01

Stable spontaneous mutants resistant to the protein synthesis inhibitor diphtheria toxin (DT) have been selected in human cell line EUE at a very low frequency (less than 8 x 10(-6)). U.v.-induced mutation has been quantitatively measured: treatment of cells with u.v. light increased the frequencies of diphtheria toxin resistant (DTr) mutants up to 1000-fold. The maximum recovery of DTr mutants was observed after a short expression period, for all u.v. doses tested, and was followed by a decrease in mutation frequency on subsequent passages

Induction of diphtheria toxin-resistant mutants in human cells by ultraviolet light

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Rocchi, P.; Ferreri, A.M.; Capucci, A.; Prodi, G.

1981-01-01

Stable spontaneous mutants resistant to the protein synthesis inhibitor diphtheria toxin (DT) have been selected in human cell line EUE at a very low frequency ( -6 ). U.v.-induced mutation has been quantitatively measured: treatment of cells with u.v. light increased the frequencies of diphtheria toxin resistant (DTsup(r)) mutants up to 1000-fold. The maximum recovery of DTsup(r) mutants was observed after a short expression period, for all u.v. doses tested, and was followed by a decrease in mutation frequency on subsequent passages. (author)

Zebrafish enpp1 mutants exhibit pathological mineralization, mimicking features of generalized arterial calcification of infancy (GACI and pseudoxanthoma elasticum (PXE

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Alexander Apschner

2014-07-01

Full Text Available In recent years it has become clear that, mechanistically, biomineralization is a process that has to be actively inhibited as a default state. This inhibition must be released in a rigidly controlled manner in order for mineralization to occur in skeletal elements and teeth. A central aspect of this concept is the tightly controlled balance between phosphate, a constituent of the biomineral hydroxyapatite, and pyrophosphate, a physiochemical inhibitor of mineralization. Here, we provide a detailed analysis of a zebrafish mutant, dragonfish (dgf, which is mutant for ectonucleoside pyrophosphatase/phosphodiesterase 1 (Enpp1, a protein that is crucial for supplying extracellular pyrophosphate. Generalized arterial calcification of infancy (GACI is a fatal human disease, and the majority of cases are thought to be caused by mutations in ENPP1. Furthermore, some cases of pseudoxanthoma elasticum (PXE have recently been linked to ENPP1. Similar to humans, we show here that zebrafish enpp1 mutants can develop ectopic calcifications in a variety of soft tissues – most notably in the skin, cartilage elements, the heart, intracranial space and the notochord sheet. Using transgenic reporter lines, we demonstrate that ectopic mineralizations in these tissues occur independently of the expression of typical osteoblast or cartilage markers. Intriguingly, we detect cells expressing the osteoclast markers Trap and CathepsinK at sites of ectopic calcification at time points when osteoclasts are not yet present in wild-type siblings. Treatment with the bisphosphonate etidronate rescues aspects of the dgf phenotype, and we detected deregulated expression of genes that are involved in phosphate homeostasis and mineralization, such as fgf23, npt2a, entpd5 and spp1 (also known as osteopontin. Employing a UAS-GalFF approach, we show that forced expression of enpp1 in blood vessels or the floorplate of mutant embryos is sufficient to rescue the notochord

Characterization and fine mapping of a light-dependent leaf lesion mimic mutant 1 in rice.

Science.gov (United States)

Wang, Jing; Ye, Bangquan; Yin, Junjie; Yuan, Can; Zhou, Xiaogang; Li, Weitao; He, Min; Wang, Jichun; Chen, Weilan; Qin, Peng; Ma, Bintian; Wang, Yuping; Li, Shigui; Chen, Xuewei

2015-12-01

Plants that spontaneously produce lesion mimics or spots, without any signs of obvious adversity, such as pesticide and mechanical damage, or pathogen infection, are so-called lesion mimic mutants (lmms). In rice, many lmms exhibit enhanced resistance to pathogens, which provides a unique opportunity to uncover the molecular mechanism underlying lmms. We isolated a rice light-dependent leaf lesion mimic mutant 1 (llm1). Lesion spots appeared in the leaves of the llm1 mutant at the tillering stage. Furthermore, the mutant llm1 had similar agronomic traits to wild type rice. Trypan blue and diamiobenzidine staining analyses revealed that the lesion spot formation on the llm1 mutant was due to programmed cell death and reactive oxygen species. The chloroplasts were severely damaged in the llm1 mutant, suggesting that chloroplast damage was associated with the formation of lesion spots in llm1. More importantly, llm1 exhibited enhanced resistance to bacterial blight pathogens within increased expression of pathogenesis related genes (PRs). Using a map-based cloning approach, we delimited the LLM1 locus to a 121-kb interval between two simple sequence repeat markers, RM17470 and RM17473, on chromosome 4. We sequenced the candidate genes on the interval and found that a base mutation had substituted adenine phosphate for thymine in the last exon of LOC_Os04g52130, which led to an amino acid change (Asp(388) to Val) in the llm1 mutant. Our investigation showed that the putative coproporphyrinogen III oxidase (CPOX) encoded by LOC_Os04g52130 was produced by LLM1 and that amino acid Asp(388) was essential for CPOX function. Our study provides the basis for further investigations into the mechanism underlying lesion mimic initiation associated with LLM1. Copyright © 2015 Elsevier Masson SAS. All rights reserved.

Mutant IDH1 Promotes Glioma Formation In Vivo

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Beatrice Philip

2018-05-01

Full Text Available Summary: Isocitrate dehydrogenase 1 (IDH1 is the most commonly mutated gene in grade II–III glioma and secondary glioblastoma (GBM. A causal role for IDH1R132H in gliomagenesis has been proposed, but functional validation in vivo has not been demonstrated. In this study, we assessed the role of IDH1R132H in glioma development in the context of clinically relevant cooperating genetic alterations in vitro and in vivo. Immortal astrocytes expressing IDH1R132H exhibited elevated (R-2-hydroxyglutarate levels, reduced NADPH, increased proliferation, and anchorage-independent growth. Although not sufficient on its own, IDH1R132H cooperated with PDGFA and loss of Cdkn2a, Atrx, and Pten to promote glioma development in vivo. These tumors resembled proneural human mutant IDH1 GBM genetically, histologically, and functionally. Our findings support the hypothesis that IDH1R132H promotes glioma development. This model enhances our understanding of the biology of IDH1R132H-driven gliomas and facilitates testing of therapeutic strategies designed to combat this deadly disease. : Philip et al. show that mutant IDH1 cooperates with PDGFA and loss of Cdkn2a, Atrx, and Pten to promote gliomagenesis in vivo in a mouse model of glioma. These tumors resemble proneural human mutant IDH1 glioblastoma and exhibit enhanced sensitivity to PARP inhibition in combination with chemotherapy. Keywords: IDH1, Cdkn2a, Atrx, Pten, glioma, mouse model, RCAS/TVA

Repair-defective mutants of Alteromonas espejiana, the host for bacteriophage PM2

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Zerler, B.R.; Wallace, S.S.

1984-01-01

The in vivo repair processes of Alteromonas espejiana, the host for bacteriophage PM2, were characterized, and UV- and methyl methanesulfonate (MMS)-sensitive mutants were isolated. Wild-type A. espejiana cells were capable of photoreactivation, excision, recombination, and inducible repair. There was no detecttable pyrimidine dimer-DNA N-glycosylase activity, and pyrimidine dimer removal appeared to occur by a pathway analogous to the Escherichia coli Uvr pathway. The UV- and MMS-sensitive mutants of A. espejiana included three groups, each containing at least one mutation involved with excision, recombination, or inducible repair. One group that was UV sensitive but not sensitive to MMS or X rays showed a decreased ability to excise pyrimidine dimers. Mutants in this group were also sensitive to psoralen plus near-UV light and were phenotypically analogous to the E. coli uvr mutants. A second group was UV and MMS sensitive but not sensitive to X rays and appeared to contain mutations in a gene(s) involved in recombination repair. These recombination-deficient mutants differed from the E. coli rec mutants, which are MMS and X-ray sensitive. The third group of A. espejiana mutants was sensitive to UV, MMS, and X rays. These mutants were recombination deficient, lacked inducible repair, and were phenotypically similar to E. coli recA mutants

Activation of gibberellin 2-oxidase 6 decreases active gibberellin levels and creates a dominant semi-dwarf phenotype in rice (Oryza sativa L.).

Science.gov (United States)

Huang, Jian; Tang, Ding; Shen, Yi; Qin, Baoxiang; Hong, Lilan; You, Aiqing; Li, Ming; Wang, Xin; Yu, Hengxiu; Gu, Minghong; Cheng, Zhukuan

2010-01-01

Gibberellin (GA) 2-oxidase plays a key role in the GA catabolic pathway through 2beta-hydroxylation. In the present study, we isolated a CaMV 35S-enhancer activation tagged mutant, H032. This mutant exhibited a dominant dwarf and GA-deficient phenotype, with a final stature that was less than half of its wild-type counterpart. The endogenous bioactive GAs are markedly decreased in the H032 mutant, and application of bioactive GAs (GA(3) or GA(4)) can reverse the dwarf phenotype. The integrated T-DNA was detected 12.8 kb upstream of the OsGA2ox6 in the H032 genome by TAIL-PCR. An increased level of OsGA2ox6 mRNA was detected at a high level in the H032 mutant, which might be due to the enhancer role of the CaMV 35S promoter. RNAi and ectopic expression analysis of OsGA2ox6 indicated that the dwarf trait and the decreased levels of bioactive GAs in the H032 mutant were a result of the up-regulation of the OsGA2ox6 gene. BLASTP analysis revealed that OsGA2ox6 belongs to the class III of GA 2-oxidases, which is a novel type of GA2ox that uses C20-GAs (GA(12) and/or GA(53)) as the substrates. Interestingly, we found that a GA biosynthesis inhibitor, paclobutrazol, positively regulated the OsGA2ox6 gene. Unlike the over-expression of OsGA2ox1, which led to a high rate of seed abortion, the H032 mutant retained normal flowering and seed production. These results indicate that OsGA2ox6 mainly affects plant stature, and the dominant dwarf trait of the H032 mutant can be used as an efficient dwarf resource in rice breeding. Copyright 2010 Institute of Genetics and Developmental Biology and the Genetics Society of China. Published by Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

Mutations at the mei-41, mus(1)101, mus(1)103, mus(2)205 and mus(3)310 loci of Drosophila exhibit differential UDS responses with different DNA-damaging agents

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Dusenbery, R.L.

1987-01-01

5 mutagen-sensitive mutants of Drosophila melanogaster, reported to perform normal or only slightly reduced excision repair of UV damage, were examined by an unscheduled DNA synthesis (UDS) assay. 2 mutants, classified as completely or partially proficient for both excision and postreplication repair of UV damage, mus(1)103 and mus(2)205, were found to give positive UDS responses only for UV damage. These mutants exhibit no measurable UDS activity following DNA damage by several different alkylating agents and X-rays. 3 mutants, classified as having no defect in excision repair, but measurable defects in postreplication repair of UV damage, exhibit 3 different response patterns. The mutant mei-41 exhibits a highly positive UDS response following damage by all agents, consistent with its prior classification as excision-repair-proficient, but postreplication-repair-deficient for UV damage. The mutant mus(1)101, however, exhibits a strong positive UDS response following only UV damage and appears to be blocked in the excision repair of damage produced by both alkylating agents and X-irradiation. Finally, mus(3)310 exhibits no UDS response to alkylation, X-ray or UV damage. This is not consistent with its previous classification. Results obtained w0272the qualitative in vitro UDS assay are entirely consistent with the results from two separate in vivo measures of excision repair deficiency followign DNA damage, larval hypersensitivity to killing and hypermutability in the sex-linked recessive lethal test. (Auth.)

A mutant of a mutant of a mutant of a ...: Irradiation of progressive radiation-induced mutants in a mutation-breeding programme with Chrysanthenum morifolium RAM

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Broertjes, C.; Koene, P.; Veen, J.W.H. van.

1980-01-01

Radiation-induced sports in Chrysanthemum morifolium RAM. have been reported for several years. It has become an everyday practice to produce flower-colour mutants from outstanding cross-breeding products, even before they are distributed for the commercial production of cut flowers. One of the most successful and recent examples is that of cv. Horim, of which hundreds of mutants were produced by successive use of radiation-induced mutants in the mutation-breeding programme. Over about 4 years a variety of flower-colour mutants was obtained, not only largely including the outstanding characteristics of the original cultivar but sometimes even with an appreciable improvement in quality and yield. It is expected that the latter types, the Miros group, will soon completely supersede the spontaneous or raditation-induced Horim sports and mutants and take over the leading position of the Horim group in the production of all-year-round (AYR) cut-flowers. (orig.)

Polyploidy and chromosomal aberrations induced by mutagens in open flowering sterile mutants of spring barley

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Manzyuk, V T; Kozachenko, M R; Kirichenko, V V

1975-01-01

Two types of aberration in meiosis were observed which induced sterility in chemical and radiational mutations of spring wheat: asynapsis and absence of cytokinesis, and chromosomal aberrations in the form of bridges and fragments. Gamma-mutants have many more chromosomal aberrations in the form of fragments, bridges and cells with micronuclei than do chemical mutants. The percent of tetrads with micronuclei is 1.5-2 times greater than the number of dyads with such nuclei. We obtained an original gamma-mutant exhibiting depolyploidization and polyploidization in the mother cells; we also observed cells possessing chromosomal associations of n, 2n, 4n, 68, 8n and greater.

Molecular analyses of in vivo hprt mutant T cells from atomic bomb survivors

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Hakoda, M.; Hirai, Y.; Kyoizumi, S.; Akiyama, M.

1989-01-01

In vivo-derived hprt-deficient mutant T cells isolated from three nonirradiated controls and two atomic bomb survivors were studied by Southern blot analysis to investigate the molecular spectra of the mutations. Mutant frequencies for the three controls were 1.8, 2.3, and 7.3 x 10(-6), and those for the two survivors (who had received radiation doses of 2.46 and 2.15 Gy, based upon the revised atomic bomb shielded kerma estimates) were 9.3 and 14.4 x 10(-6), respectively. Fourteen (13%) of 105 mutant T-cell colonies from the controls showed various structural changes in the hprt gene. The frequency of mutants with hprt gene structural changes in one atomic bomb survivor, who exhibited a mutant frequency of 9.3 x 10(-6), was 26% (16/61), which was significantly higher than that of the controls. However, the frequency of structural changes in the other survivor (14%, 8/59) was not higher than that of the controls. Two sets of mutants (in total, eight mutants) from the survivor, who showed a significantly higher frequency of mutants with hprt gross alterations than did the controls, had the same hprt changes and the same rearrangements of T-cell receptor (TcR) beta- and gamma-chain genes, indicating a clonal expansion from one progenitor mutant. This phenomenon may reflect an in vivo recovery process of T cells in the periphery after exposure to atomic bomb radiation. However, when comparing the frequency of mutations, these two sets of mutants should be reduced. After reducing the total number of mutants from the number of gross hprt changes, the frequency was not significantly higher than that of the controls

Altered metabolism of growth hormone receptor mutant mice: a combined NMR metabonomics and microarray study.

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Horst Joachim Schirra

Full Text Available BACKGROUND: Growth hormone is an important regulator of post-natal growth and metabolism. We have investigated the metabolic consequences of altered growth hormone signalling in mutant mice that have truncations at position 569 and 391 of the intracellular domain of the growth hormone receptor, and thus exhibit either low (around 30% maximum or no growth hormone-dependent STAT5 signalling respectively. These mutations result in altered liver metabolism, obesity and insulin resistance. METHODOLOGY/PRINCIPAL FINDINGS: The analysis of metabolic changes was performed using microarray analysis of liver tissue and NMR metabonomics of urine and liver tissue. Data were analyzed using multivariate statistics and Gene Ontology tools. The metabolic profiles characteristic for each of the two mutant groups and wild-type mice were identified with NMR metabonomics. We found decreased urinary levels of taurine, citrate and 2-oxoglutarate, and increased levels of trimethylamine, creatine and creatinine when compared to wild-type mice. These results indicate significant changes in lipid and choline metabolism, and were coupled with increased fat deposition, leading to obesity. The microarray analysis identified changes in expression of metabolic enzymes correlating with alterations in metabolite concentration both in urine and liver. Similarity of mutant 569 to the wild-type was seen in young mice, but the pattern of metabolites shifted to that of the 391 mutant as the 569 mice became obese after six months age. CONCLUSIONS/SIGNIFICANCE: The metabonomic observations were consistent with the parallel analysis of gene expression and pathway mapping using microarray data, identifying metabolites and gene transcripts involved in hepatic metabolism, especially for taurine, choline and creatinine metabolism. The systems biology approach applied in this study provides a coherent picture of metabolic changes resulting from impaired STAT5 signalling by the growth hormone

Gamma rays induced bold seeded high yielding mutant in chickpea

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Wani, A.A.; Anis, M.

2001-01-01

In pulses especially in chickpea (Cicer arietinum L.), genetic variability has been exhausted due to natural selection and hence conventional breeding methods are not very fruitful. Mutation techniques are the best methods to enlarge the genetically conditioned variability of a species within a short time and have played a significant role in the development of many crop varieties. Investigations on the effects of ionizing radiations and chemical mutagens in induction of macro-mutations have received much attention owing to their utmost importance in plant breeding. The present study reports a bold seeded mutant in chickpea, the most dominating pulse crop on the Indian subcontinent. Fresh seeds of chickpea variety 'Pusa-212' were procured from IARI, New Delhi and treated with different doses/concentrations of gamma rays ( 60 Co source at NBRI, Lucknow) and ethyl methanesulphonate (EMS), individually as well as in combination, to raise the M1 generation. Seeds of M 1 plants were sown to raise M2 plant progenies. A bold seeded mutant was isolated from 400 Gy gamma ray treatments. The mutant was confirmed as true bred, all the mutant seeds gave rise to morphologically similar plants in M 3 , which were quite distinct from the control. The bold seeded mutant showed 'gigas' characteristics and vigorous growth. The plant remained initially straight but later on attained a trailing habit due to heavy secondary branching. The leaves, petioles, flowers, pods and seeds were almost double that of the parent variety, in size. The flowering occurred 10 days later than the parent and maturity was also delayed accordingly. Observations were recorded on various quantitative traits. Plant height and number of primary branches showed a significant improvement over the parent. It is interesting to note that the number of pods and number of seeds per pod significantly decreased. However, the hundred seed weight (31.73±0.59g) in the mutant plants was more than double in the parent

Engineering of plants with improved properties as biofuels feedstocks by vessel-specific complementation of xylan biosynthesis mutants

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Petersen Pia Damm

2012-11-01

Full Text Available Abstract Background Cost-efficient generation of second-generation biofuels requires plant biomass that can easily be degraded into sugars and further fermented into fuels. However, lignocellulosic biomass is inherently recalcitrant toward deconstruction technologies due to the abundant lignin and cross-linked hemicelluloses. Furthermore, lignocellulosic biomass has a high content of pentoses, which are more difficult to ferment into fuels than hexoses. Engineered plants with decreased amounts of xylan in their secondary walls have the potential to render plant biomass a more desirable feedstock for biofuel production. Results Xylan is the major non-cellulosic polysaccharide in secondary cell walls, and the xylan deficient irregular xylem (irx mutants irx7, irx8 and irx9 exhibit severe dwarf growth phenotypes. The main reason for the growth phenotype appears to be xylem vessel collapse and the resulting impaired transport of water and nutrients. We developed a xylan-engineering approach to reintroduce xylan biosynthesis specifically into the xylem vessels in the Arabidopsis irx7, irx8 and irx9 mutant backgrounds by driving the expression of the respective glycosyltransferases with the vessel-specific promoters of the VND6 and VND7 transcription factor genes. The growth phenotype, stem breaking strength, and irx morphology was recovered to varying degrees. Some of the plants even exhibited increased stem strength compared to the wild type. We obtained Arabidopsis plants with up to 23% reduction in xylose levels and 18% reduction in lignin content compared to wild-type plants, while exhibiting wild-type growth patterns and morphology, as well as normal xylem vessels. These plants showed a 42% increase in saccharification yield after hot water pretreatment. The VND7 promoter yielded a more complete complementation of the irx phenotype than the VND6 promoter. Conclusions Spatial and temporal deposition of xylan in the secondary cell wall of

Mutation of a vitelline membrane protein, BmEP80, is responsible for the silkworm "Ming" lethal egg mutant.

Science.gov (United States)

Chen, Anli; Gao, Peng; Zhao, Qiaoling; Tang, Shunming; Shen, Xingjia; Zhang, Guozheng; Qiu, Zhiyong; Xia, Dingguo; Huang, Yongping; Xu, Yunmin; He, Ningjia

2013-02-25

The egg stage is an important stage in the silkworm (Bombyx mori) life cycle. Normal silkworm eggs are usually short, elliptical, and laterally flattened, with a sometimes hollowed surface on the lateral side. However, the eggs laid by homozygous recessive "Ming" lethal egg mutants (l-e(m)) lose water and become concaved around 1h, ultimately exhibiting a triangular shape on the egg surfaces. We performed positional cloning, and narrowed down the region containing the gene responsible for the l-e(m) mutant to 360 kb on chromosome 10 using 2287 F(2) individuals. Using expression analysis and RNA interference, the best l-e(m) candidate gene was shown to be BmEP80. The results of the inverse polymerase chain reaction showed that an ~1.9 kb region from the 3' untranslated region of BmVMP23 to the forepart of BmEP80 was replaced by a >100 kb DNA fragment in the l-e(m) mutant. Several eggs laid by the normal moths injected with BmEP80 small interfering RNAs were evidently depressed and exhibited a triangular shape on the surface. The phenotype exhibited was consistent with the eggs laid by the l-e(m) mutant. Moreover, two-dimensional gel electrophoresis showed that the BmEP80 protein was expressed in the ovary from the 9th day of the pupa stage to eclosion in the wild-type silkworm, but was absent in the l-e(m) mutant. These results indicate that BmEP80 is responsible for the l-e(m) mutation. Copyright © 2012 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.

Potent inhibition of HIV-1 replication by a Tat mutant.

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Luke W Meredith

Full Text Available Herein we describe a mutant of the two-exon HIV-1 Tat protein, termed Nullbasic, that potently inhibits multiple steps of the HIV-1 replication cycle. Nullbasic was created by replacing the entire arginine-rich basic domain of wild type Tat with glycine/alanine residues. Like similarly mutated one-exon Tat mutants, Nullbasic exhibited transdominant negative effects on Tat-dependent transactivation. However, unlike previously reported mutants, we discovered that Nullbasic also strongly suppressed the expression of unspliced and singly-spliced viral mRNA, an activity likely caused by redistribution and thus functional inhibition of HIV-1 Rev. Furthermore, HIV-1 virion particles produced by cells expressing Nullbasic had severely reduced infectivity, a defect attributable to a reduced ability of the virions to undergo reverse transcription. Combination of these inhibitory effects on transactivation, Rev-dependent mRNA transport and reverse transcription meant that permissive cells constitutively expressing Nullbasic were highly resistant to a spreading infection by HIV-1. Nullbasic and its activities thus provide potential insights into the development of potent antiviral therapeutics that target multiple stages of HIV-1 infection.

Mutant frequency of radiotherapy technicians appears to be associated with recent dose of ionizing radiation

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Messing, K.; Ferraris, J.; Bradley, W.E.; Swartz, J.; Seifert, A.M. (Universite du Quebec a Montreal (Canada))

1989-10-01

The frequency of hypoxanthine phosphoribosyl transferase (HPRT) mutants among peripheral T-lymphocytes of radiotherapy technicians primarily exposed to 60Co was measured by the T-cell cloning method. Mutant frequencies of these technicians in 1984 and 1986 were significantly higher than those of physiotherapy technicians who worked in a neighboring service, and correlated significantly with thermoluminescence dosimeter readings recorded during the 6 mo preceding mutant frequency determination. Correlations decreased when related to dose recorded over longer time intervals. HPRT mutant frequency determination in peripheral lymphocytes is a good measure of recently received biologically effective radiation dose in an occupationally exposed population.

Mutant frequency of radiotherapy technicians appears to be associated with recent dose of ionizing radiation

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Messing, K.; Ferraris, J.; Bradley, W.E.; Swartz, J.; Seifert, A.M.

1989-01-01

The frequency of hypoxanthine phosphoribosyl transferase (HPRT) mutants among peripheral T-lymphocytes of radiotherapy technicians primarily exposed to 60Co was measured by the T-cell cloning method. Mutant frequencies of these technicians in 1984 and 1986 were significantly higher than those of physiotherapy technicians who worked in a neighboring service, and correlated significantly with thermoluminescence dosimeter readings recorded during the 6 mo preceding mutant frequency determination. Correlations decreased when related to dose recorded over longer time intervals. HPRT mutant frequency determination in peripheral lymphocytes is a good measure of recently received biologically effective radiation dose in an occupationally exposed population

Mutant Mice Lacking the p53 C-Terminal Domain Model Telomere Syndromes

NARCIS (Netherlands)

Simeonova, I.; Jaber, S.; Draskovic, I.; Bardot, B.; Fang, M.; Bouarich-Bourimi, R.; Lejour, V.; Charbonnier, L.; Soudais, C.; Bourdon, J.C.; Huerre, M.; Londono-Vallejo, A.; Toledo, F.

2013-01-01

Mutations in p53, although frequent in human cancers, have not been implicated in telomere-related syndromes. Here, we show that homozygous mutant mice expressing p53(Delta31), a p53 lacking the C-terminal domain, exhibit increased p53 activity and suffer from aplastic anemia and pulmonary fibrosis,

Novel siRNA formulation to effectively knockdown mutant p53 in osteosarcoma.

Science.gov (United States)

Kundu, Anup K; Iyer, Swathi V; Chandra, Sruti; Adhikari, Amit S; Iwakuma, Tomoo; Mandal, Tarun K

2017-01-01

The tumor suppressor p53 plays a crucial role in the development of osteosarcoma. The primary objective of this study is to develop and optimize lipid based nanoparticle formulations that can carry siRNA and effectively silence mutant p53 in 318-1, a murine osteosarcoma cell line. The nanoparticles were composed of a mixture of two lipids (cholesterol and DOTAP) and either PLGA or PLGA-PEG and prepared by using an EmulsiFlex-B3 high pressure homogenizer. A series of studies that include using different nanoparticles, different amount of siRNAs, cell numbers, incubation time, transfection media volume, and storage temperature was performed to optimize the gene silencing efficiency. Replacement of lipids by PLGA or PLGA-PEG decreased the particle size and overall cytotoxicity. Among all lipid-polymer nanoformulations, nanoparticles with 10% PLGA showed highest mutant p53 knockdown efficiency while maintaining higher cell viability when a nanoparticle to siRNA ratio equal to 6.8:0.66 and 75 nM siRNA was used. With long term storage the mutant p53 knockdown efficiency decreased to a greater extent. This study warrants a future evaluation of this formulation for gene silencing efficiency of mutant p53 in tissue culture and animal models for the treatment of osteosarcoma.

Novel siRNA formulation to effectively knockdown mutant p53 in osteosarcoma.

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Anup K Kundu

Full Text Available The tumor suppressor p53 plays a crucial role in the development of osteosarcoma. The primary objective of this study is to develop and optimize lipid based nanoparticle formulations that can carry siRNA and effectively silence mutant p53 in 318-1, a murine osteosarcoma cell line.The nanoparticles were composed of a mixture of two lipids (cholesterol and DOTAP and either PLGA or PLGA-PEG and prepared by using an EmulsiFlex-B3 high pressure homogenizer. A series of studies that include using different nanoparticles, different amount of siRNAs, cell numbers, incubation time, transfection media volume, and storage temperature was performed to optimize the gene silencing efficiency.Replacement of lipids by PLGA or PLGA-PEG decreased the particle size and overall cytotoxicity. Among all lipid-polymer nanoformulations, nanoparticles with 10% PLGA showed highest mutant p53 knockdown efficiency while maintaining higher cell viability when a nanoparticle to siRNA ratio equal to 6.8:0.66 and 75 nM siRNA was used. With long term storage the mutant p53 knockdown efficiency decreased to a greater extent.This study warrants a future evaluation of this formulation for gene silencing efficiency of mutant p53 in tissue culture and animal models for the treatment of osteosarcoma.

Concurrent Targeting of KRAS and AKT by MiR-4689 Is a Novel Treatment Against Mutant KRAS Colorectal Cancer

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Masayuki Hiraki

2015-01-01

Full Text Available KRAS mutations are a major cause of drug resistance to molecular-targeted therapies. Aberrant epidermal growth factor receptor (EGFR signaling may cause dysregulation of microRNA (miRNA and gene regulatory networks, which leads to cancer initiation and progression. To address the functional relevance of miRNAs in mutant KRAS cancers, we transfected exogenous KRASG12V into human embryonic kidney 293 and MRC5 cells with wild-type KRAS and BRAF genes, and we comprehensively profiled the dysregulated miRNAs. The result showed that mature miRNA oligonucleotide (miR-4689, one of the significantly down-regulated miRNAs in KRASG12V overexpressed cells, was found to exhibit a potent growth-inhibitory and proapoptotic effect both in vitro and in vivo. miR-4689 expression was significantly down-regulated in cancer tissues compared to normal mucosa, and it was particularly decreased in mutant KRAS CRC tissues. miR-4689 directly targets v-ki-ras2 kirsten rat sarcoma viral oncogene homolog (KRAS and v-akt murine thymoma viral oncogene homolog 1(AKT1, key components of two major branches in EGFR pathway, suggesting KRAS overdrives this signaling pathway through inhibition of miR-4689. Overall, this study provided additional evidence that mutant KRAS functions as a broad regulator of the EGFR signaling cascade by inhibiting miR-4689, which negatively regulates both RAS/mitogen-activated protein kinase (MAPK and phosphoinositide 3-kinase (PI3K/AKT pathways. These activities indicated that miR-4689 may be a promising therapeutic agent in mutant KRAS CRC.

Identification of key uric acid synthesis pathway in a unique mutant silkworm Bombyx mori model of Parkinson's disease.

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Hiroko Tabunoki

Full Text Available Plasma uric acid (UA levels decrease following clinical progression and stage development of Parkinson's disease (PD. However, the molecular mechanisms underlying decreases in plasma UA levels remain unclear, and the potential to apply mutagenesis to a PD model has not previously been discovered. We identified a unique mutant of the silkworm Bombyx mori (B.mori op. Initially, we investigated the causality of the phenotypic "op" by microarray analysis using our constructed KAIKO functional annotation pipeline. Consequently, we found a novel UA synthesis-modulating pathway, from DJ-1 to xanthine oxidase, and established methods for large-scale analysis of gene expression in B. mori. We found that the mRNA levels of genes in this pathway were significantly lower in B. mori op mutants, indicating that downstream events in the signal transduction cascade might be prevented. Additionally, levels of B.mori tyrosine hydroxylase (TH and DJ-1 mRNA were significantly lower in the brain of B. mori op mutants. UA content was significantly lower in the B. mori op mutant tissues and hemolymph. The possibility that the B. mori op mutant might be due to loss of DJ-1 function was supported by the observed vulnerability to oxidative stress. These results suggest that UA synthesis, transport, elimination and accumulation are decreased by environmental oxidative stress in the B. mori op mutant. In the case of B. mori op mutants, the relatively low availability of UA appears to be due both to the oxidation of DJ-1 and to its expenditure to mitigate the effects of environmental oxidative stress. Our findings are expected to provide information needed to elucidate the molecular mechanism of decreased plasma UA levels in the clinical stage progression of PD.

Adhesion defective BHK cell mutant has cell surface heparan sulfate proteoglycan of altered properties

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Couchman, J R; Austria, R; Woods, A

1988-01-01

In the light of accumulating data that implicate cell surface heparan sulfate proteoglycans (HSPGs) with a role in cell interactions with extracellular matrix molecules such as fibronectin, we have compared the properties of these molecules in wild-type BHK cells and an adhesion-defective ricin......-resistant mutant (RicR14). Our results showed that the mutant, unlike BHK cells, cannot form focal adhesions when adherent to planar substrates in the presence of serum. Furthermore, while both cell lines possess similar amounts of cell surface HSPG with hydrophobic properties, that of RicR14 cells had decreased...... sulfation, reduced affinity for fibronectin and decreased half-life on the cell surface when compared to the normal counterpart. Our conclusions based on this data are that these altered properties may, in part, account for the adhesion defect in the ricin-resistant mutant. Whether this results from...

Some biochemistry characteristics of soja (Glycine Max.L.) Tshibashi and its two mutants

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Botula, Manyala; Kasende, Mundeke; Kembola, Kejuni.

1978-01-01

Two mutants of a variety of soybeans (Thibashi) obtained by neutron irradiation in a reactor have been compared to their parents for their proteins and lipids contents. Analysis have been made by a modified micro-kjedhal method for proteins and by gaz chromatography for lipids converted into methylic esters. A slight lysine and hyptidine increase and a slight linolenic acid decrease are observed in the two mutants

Hemophilia B with mutations at glycine-48 of factor IX exhibited delayed activation by the factor VIIa-tissue factor complex.

Science.gov (United States)

Wu, P C; Hamaguchi, N; Yu, Y S; Shen, M C; Lin, S W

2000-10-01

Gly-48 is in the conserved DGDQC sequence (residues 47-51 of human factor IX) of the first EGF (EGF-1)-like domain of factor IX. The importance of the Gly-48 is manifested by two hemophilia B patients; factor IXTainan and factor IXMalmo27, with Gly-48 replaced by arginine (designated IXG48R) and valine (IXG48V), respectively. Both patients were CRM+ exhibiting mild hemophilic episodes with 25% (former) and 19% (latter) normal clotting activities. We characterize both factor IX variants to show the roles of Gly-48 and the conservation of the DGDQC sequence in factor IX. Purified plasma and recombinant factor IX variants exhibited approximately 26%-27% normal factor IX's clotting activities with G48R or G48V mutation. Both variants depicted normal quenching of the intrinsic fluorescence by increasing concentrations of calcium ions and Tb3+, indicating that arginine and valine substitution for Gly-48 did not perturb the calcium site in the EGF-1 domain. Activation of both mutants by factor XIa appeared normal. The reduced clotting activity of factors IXG48R and IXG48V was attributed to the failure of both mutants to cleavage factor X: in the presence of only phospholipids and calcium ions, both mutants showed a 4 to approximately 7-fold elevation in Km, and by adding factor VIIIa to the system, although factor VIIIa potentiated the activation of factor X by the mutants factor IXaG48R and factor IXaG48V, a 2 to approximately 3-fold decrease in the catalytic function was observed with the mutant factor IXa's, despite that they bound factor VIIIa on the phospholipid vesicles with only slightly reduced affinity when compared to wild-type factor IXa. The apparent Kd for factor VIIIa binding was 0.83 nM for normal factor IXa, 1.74 nM for IXaG48R and 1.4 nM for IXaG48V. Strikingly, when interaction with the factor VIIa-TF complex was examined, both mutations were barely activated by the VIIa-TF complex and they also showed abnormal interaction with VIIa-TF in bovine

Selection of gamma-ray induced salt tolerant rice mutants by in vitro mutagenesis

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Kim, Dong Sub; Chun, Jae Beom; Lee, Kyung Jun; Kim, Jin Baek; Kim, Sang Hoon; Yun, Song Jong; Kang, Si Yong

2010-01-01

The present study had been performed to select the salt tolerant rice mutant lines through an in vivo and in vitro mutagenesis with a gamma-ray. The physiological responses such as MDA and chlorophyll of the selected salt mutant lines were investigated under salt stress. For the selection of the salt tolerant rice mutants by in vitro mutagenesis with gamma-ray, we conducted a second selection procedure with 1,500 mutant lines induced from the original cv. Dongan (wild-type, WT): Ist, selection under a nutrient solution with 171 mM NaCI: 2nd, selection under in vitro conditions. Based on a growth comparison of the entries, out of mutant lines, the putative 2 salt tolerant rice mutant lines, ST-495 and ST-532, were selected. The 2 ST-lines had a lower malonaldehyde (MDA) contents than wild-type (WT) during salt stress. The survival rate of the WT, ST-495 and ST-532 were 36.6%, 70% and 50% in 171 mM NaCI, respectively. The chlorophyll and carotenoid contents were decreased more in a WT plant than the two selected mutant lines. These rice mutant lines will be released for cultivation at the reclaimed land and used as a control plot for genetic research about salt tolerance

Selection of gamma-ray induced salt tolerant rice mutants by in vitro mutagenesis

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Kim, Dong Sub; Chun, Jae Beom; Lee, Kyung Jun; Kim, Jin Baek; Kim, Sang Hoon; Yun, Song Jong; Kang, Si Yong [Korea Atomic Energy Research Institute, Jeongeup (Korea, Republic of)

2010-06-15

The present study had been performed to select the salt tolerant rice mutant lines through an in vivo and in vitro mutagenesis with a gamma-ray. The physiological responses such as MDA and chlorophyll of the selected salt mutant lines were investigated under salt stress. For the selection of the salt tolerant rice mutants by in vitro mutagenesis with gamma-ray, we conducted a second selection procedure with 1,500 mutant lines induced from the original cv. Dongan (wild-type, WT): Ist, selection under a nutrient solution with 171 mM NaCI: 2nd, selection under in vitro conditions. Based on a growth comparison of the entries, out of mutant lines, the putative 2 salt tolerant rice mutant lines, ST-495 and ST-532, were selected. The 2 ST-lines had a lower malonaldehyde (MDA) contents than wild-type (WT) during salt stress. The survival rate of the WT, ST-495 and ST-532 were 36.6%, 70% and 50% in 171 mM NaCI, respectively. The chlorophyll and carotenoid contents were decreased more in a WT plant than the two selected mutant lines. These rice mutant lines will be released for cultivation at the reclaimed land and used as a control plot for genetic research about salt tolerance.

Phenotypic, genetic and molecular characterization of a maize low phytic acid mutant (lpa241)

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Pilu, R.; Panzeri, D.; Gavazzi, G.

2003-01-01

-nutritional factor for animals, and isolation of maize low phytic acid (lpa) mutants provides a novel approach to study its biochemical pathway and to tackle the nutritional problems associated with it. Following chemical mutagenesis of pollen, we have isolated a viable recessive mutant named lpa 241 showing about...... 90% reduction of phytic acid and about a tenfold increase in seed-free phosphate content. Although germination rate was decreased by about 30% compared to wild-type, developement of mutant plants was apparentely unaffected. The results of the genetic, biochemical and molecular characterization...

The novel mouse mutant, chuzhoi, has disruption of Ptk7 protein and exhibits defects in neural tube, heart and lung development and abnormal planar cell polarity in the ear

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Paudyal Anju

2010-08-01

Full Text Available Abstract Background The planar cell polarity (PCP signalling pathway is fundamental to a number of key developmental events, including initiation of neural tube closure. Disruption of the PCP pathway causes the severe neural tube defect of craniorachischisis, in which almost the entire brain and spinal cord fails to close. Identification of mouse mutants with craniorachischisis has proven a powerful way of identifying molecules that are components or regulators of the PCP pathway. In addition, identification of an allelic series of mutants, including hypomorphs and neomorphs in addition to complete nulls, can provide novel genetic tools to help elucidate the function of the PCP proteins. Results We report the identification of a new N-ethyl-N-nitrosourea (ENU-induced mutant with craniorachischisis, which we have named chuzhoi (chz. We demonstrate that chuzhoi mutant embryos fail to undergo initiation of neural tube closure, and have characteristics consistent with defective convergent extension. These characteristics include a broadened midline and reduced rate of increase of their length-to-width ratio. In addition, we demonstrate disruption in the orientation of outer hair cells in the inner ear, and defects in heart and lung development in chuzhoi mutants. We demonstrate a genetic interaction between chuzhoi mutants and both Vangl2Lp and Celsr1Crsh mutants, strengthening the hypothesis that chuzhoi is involved in regulating the PCP pathway. We demonstrate that chuzhoi maps to Chromosome 17 and carries a splice site mutation in Ptk7. This mutation results in the insertion of three amino acids into the Ptk7 protein and causes disruption of Ptk7 protein expression in chuzhoi mutants. Conclusions The chuzhoi mutant provides an additional genetic resource to help investigate the developmental basis of several congenital abnormalities including neural tube, heart and lung defects and their relationship to disruption of PCP. The chuzhoi mutation

[Substrate specificities of bile salt hydrolase 1 and its mutants from Lactobacillus salivarius].

Science.gov (United States)

Bi, Jie; Fang, Fang; Qiu, Yuying; Yang, Qingli; Chen, Jian

2014-03-01

In order to analyze the correlation between critical residues in the catalytic centre of BSH and the enzyme substrate specificity, seven mutants of Lactobacillus salivarius bile salt hydrolase (BSH1) were constructed by using the Escherichia coli pET-20b(+) gene expression system, rational design and site-directed mutagenesis. These BSH1 mutants exhibited different hydrolytic activities against various conjugated bile salts through substrate specificities comparison. Among the residues being tested, Cys2 and Thr264 were deduced as key sites for BSH1 to catalyze taurocholic acid and glycocholic acid, respectively. Moreover, Cys2 and Thr264 were important for keeping the catalytic activity of BSH1. The high conservative Cys2 was not the only active site, other mutant amino acid sites were possibly involved in substrate binding. These mutant residues might influence the space and shape of the substrate-binding pockets or the channel size for substrate passing through and entering active site of BSH1, thus, the hydrolytic activity of BSH1 was changed to different conjugated bile salt.

Effects of Light Intensity on Development and Chlorophyll Content in the Arabidopsis Mutant Plants with Defects in Photosynthesis

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E.Yu. Garnik

2015-12-01

Full Text Available The developmental stages and adaptability to different light intensity (150 µmol*m-2*s-1 and 100 µmol*m-2*s-1 in Arabidopsis mutant lines with defects of photosynthetic apparatus were analyzed. Plant development in the mutant lines depended on the light intensity to varying degrees. Lines ch1-1 (lack of the chlorophyllide a oxygenase and rtn16 (decreased chlorophyll a and b amounts were the most susceptible to the light decrease. No one of the investigated lines demonstrated chlorophyll a/b rate alteration under the different light conditions. The depleted chlorophyll content has had the major effect on the mutant plants development under the different light conditions. The different chlorophyll a/b rate correlated with the different adaptability of mutant plants to low light.

Matching NLR Immune Receptors to Autoimmunity in camta3 Mutants Using Antimorphic NLR Alleles

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Lolle, Signe; Greeff, Christiaan; Petersen, Klaus

2017-01-01

result from inappropriate NLR activation because mutations in plant guardees could trigger corresponding NLR guards. To explore these hypotheses, we expressed 108 dominant-negative (DN) Arabidopsis NLRs in various lesion mimic mutants, including camta3, which exhibits autoimmunity. CAMTA3 was previously...

Production of a Marfan cellular phenotype by expressing a mutant human fibrillin allele on a normal human or murine genetic background

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Eldadah, Z.A.; Dietz, H.C. [Johns Hopkins Univ. School of Medicine, Baltimore, MD (United States); Brenn, T. [Stanford Univ. Medical Center, CA (United States)] [and others

1994-09-01

The Marfan Syndrome (MFS) is a heritable disorder of connective tissue caused by defects in fibrillin (FBN1), a 350 kD glycoprotein and principal component of the extracellular microfibril. Previous correlations of mutant transcript level and disease severity suggested a dominant negative model of MFS pathogenesis. To address this hypothesis we assembled an expression construct containing the mutant allele from a patient with severe MFS. This mutation causes skipping of FBN1 exon 2 and a frame shift, leading to a premature termination codon in exon 4. The predicted peptide would thus consist of 55 wild type and 45 missense amino acids. The construct was stably transfected into cultured human and mouse fibroblasts, and several clonal cell populations were established. Human and mouse cells expressing the truncated peptide exhibited markedly diminished fibrillin deposition and disorganized microfibrillar architecture by immunofluorescence. Pulse-chase analysis of these cells demonstrated normal levels of fibrillin synthesis but substantially decreased fibrillin deposition into the extracellular matrix. These data illustrate that expression of a mutant FBN1 allele, on a background of two normal alleles, is sufficient to disrupt normal fibrillin aggregation and reproduce the MFS cellular phenotype. This provides confirmation of a dominant negative model of MFS pathogenesis and may offer mutant allele knockout as a strategy for gene therapy. In addition, these data underscore the importance of the FBN1 amino-terminus in normal multimer formation and suggest that expression of the human extreme 5{prime} FBN1 coding sequence may be sufficient, in isolation, to produce an animal model of MFS. Indeed, transgenic mice harboring this mutant allele have been produced, and phenotype analysis is currently in progress.

Determination of the catalytic activity of LEOPARD syndrome-associated SHP2 mutants toward parafibromin, a bona fide SHP2 substrate involved in Wnt signaling

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Noda, Saori; Takahashi, Atsushi; Hayashi, Takeru; Tanuma, Sei-ichi; Hatakeyama, Masanori

2016-01-01

SHP2, encoded by the PTPN11 gene, is a protein tyrosine phosphatase that plays a key role in the proliferation of cells via RAS-ERK activation. SHP2 also promotes Wnt signaling by dephosphorylating parafibromin. Germline missense mutations of PTPN11 are found in more than half of patients with Noonan syndrome (NS) and LEOPARD syndrome (LS), both of which are congenital developmental disorders with multiple common symptoms. However, whereas NS-associated PTPN11 mutations give rise to gain-of-function SHP2 mutants, LS-associated SHP2 mutants are reportedly loss-of-function mutants. To determine the phosphatase activity of LS-associated SHP2 more appropriately, we performed an in vitro phosphatase assay using tyrosine-phosphorylated parafibromin, a biologically relevant substrate of SHP2 and the positive regulator of Wnt signaling that is activated through SHP2-mediated dephosphorylation. We found that LS-associated SHP2 mutants (Y279C, T468M, Q506P, and Q510E) exhibited a substantially reduced phosphatase activity toward parafibromin when compared with wild-type SHP2. Furthermore, each of the LS-associated mutants displayed a differential degree of decrease in phosphatase activity. Deviation of the SHP2 catalytic activity from a certain range, either too strong or too weak, may therefore lead to similar clinical outcomes in NS and LS, possibly through an imbalanced Wnt signal caused by inadequate dephosphorylation of parafibromin. - Highlights: • LS-associated SHP2 mutants dephosphorylate parafibromin on Y290, Y293, and Y315. • LS-associated SHP2 mutants display a reduced tyrosine phosphatase activity. • LS-specific SHP2-Y279C is catalytically less active than LS-specific SHP2-T468M. • NS/LS-associated SHP2-Q506P has both hyper- and hypomorphic enzymatic properties.

Determination of the catalytic activity of LEOPARD syndrome-associated SHP2 mutants toward parafibromin, a bona fide SHP2 substrate involved in Wnt signaling

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Noda, Saori [Division of Microbiology, Graduate School of Medicine, The University of Tokyo, Tokyo (Japan); Department of Biochemistry, Faculty of Pharmaceutical Sciences, Tokyo University of Science, Chiba (Japan); Takahashi, Atsushi; Hayashi, Takeru [Division of Microbiology, Graduate School of Medicine, The University of Tokyo, Tokyo (Japan); Tanuma, Sei-ichi [Department of Biochemistry, Faculty of Pharmaceutical Sciences, Tokyo University of Science, Chiba (Japan); Hatakeyama, Masanori, E-mail: mhata@m.u-tokyo.ac.jp [Division of Microbiology, Graduate School of Medicine, The University of Tokyo, Tokyo (Japan)

2016-01-22

SHP2, encoded by the PTPN11 gene, is a protein tyrosine phosphatase that plays a key role in the proliferation of cells via RAS-ERK activation. SHP2 also promotes Wnt signaling by dephosphorylating parafibromin. Germline missense mutations of PTPN11 are found in more than half of patients with Noonan syndrome (NS) and LEOPARD syndrome (LS), both of which are congenital developmental disorders with multiple common symptoms. However, whereas NS-associated PTPN11 mutations give rise to gain-of-function SHP2 mutants, LS-associated SHP2 mutants are reportedly loss-of-function mutants. To determine the phosphatase activity of LS-associated SHP2 more appropriately, we performed an in vitro phosphatase assay using tyrosine-phosphorylated parafibromin, a biologically relevant substrate of SHP2 and the positive regulator of Wnt signaling that is activated through SHP2-mediated dephosphorylation. We found that LS-associated SHP2 mutants (Y279C, T468M, Q506P, and Q510E) exhibited a substantially reduced phosphatase activity toward parafibromin when compared with wild-type SHP2. Furthermore, each of the LS-associated mutants displayed a differential degree of decrease in phosphatase activity. Deviation of the SHP2 catalytic activity from a certain range, either too strong or too weak, may therefore lead to similar clinical outcomes in NS and LS, possibly through an imbalanced Wnt signal caused by inadequate dephosphorylation of parafibromin. - Highlights: • LS-associated SHP2 mutants dephosphorylate parafibromin on Y290, Y293, and Y315. • LS-associated SHP2 mutants display a reduced tyrosine phosphatase activity. • LS-specific SHP2-Y279C is catalytically less active than LS-specific SHP2-T468M. • NS/LS-associated SHP2-Q506P has both hyper- and hypomorphic enzymatic properties.

Genomic data reveal Toxoplasma gondii differentiation mutants are also impaired with respect to switching into a novel extracellular tachyzoite state.

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Pamela J Lescault

2010-12-01

Full Text Available Toxoplasma gondii pathogenesis includes the invasion of host cells by extracellular parasites, replication of intracellular tachyzoites, and differentiation to a latent bradyzoite stage. We present the analysis of seven novel T. gondii insertional mutants that do not undergo normal differentiation to bradyzoites. Microarray quantification of the variation in genome-wide RNA levels for each parasite line and times after induction allowed us to describe states in the normal differentiation process, to analyze mutant lines in the context of these states, and to identify genes that may have roles in initiating the transition from tachyzoite to bradyzoite. Gene expression patterns in wild-type parasites undergoing differentiation suggest a novel extracellular state within the tachyzoite stage. All mutant lines exhibit aberrant regulation of bradyzoite gene expression and notably some of the mutant lines appear to exhibit high proportions of the intracellular tachyzoite state regardless of whether they are intracellular or extracellular. In addition to the genes identified by the insertional mutagenesis screen, mixture model analysis allowed us to identify a small number of genes, in mutants, for which expression patterns could not be accounted for using the three parasite states--genes that may play a mechanistic role in switching from the tachyzoite to bradyzoite stage.

Biotransformation of L-tyrosine to Dopamine by a Calcium Alginate Immobilized Mutant Strain of Aspergillus oryzae.

Science.gov (United States)

Ali, Sikander; Nawaz, Wajeeha

2016-08-01

The present research work is concerned with the biotransformation of L-tyrosine to dopamine (DA) by calcium alginate entrapped conidiospores of a mutant strain of Aspergillus oryzae. Different strains of A. oryzae were isolated from soil. Out of 13 isolated strains, isolate-2 (I-2) was found to be a better DA producer. The wild-type I-2 was chemically improved by treating it with different concentrations of ethyl methyl sulfonate (EMS). Among seven mutant variants, EMS-6 exhibiting maximal DA activity of 43 μg/ml was selected. The strain was further exposed with L-cysteine HCl to make it resistant against diversion and environmental stress. The conidiospores of selected mutant variant A. oryzae EMS-6 strain were entrapped in calcium alginate beads. Different parameters for immobilization were investigated. The activity was further improved from 44 to 62 μg/ml under optimized conditions (1.5 % sodium alginate, 2 ml inoculum, and 2 mm bead size). The best resistant mutant variable exhibited over threefold increase in DA activity (62 μg/ml) than did wild-type I-2 (21 μg/ml) in the reaction mixture. From the results presented in the study, it was observed that high titers of DA activity in vitro could effectively be achieved by the EMS-induced mutagenesis of filamentous fungus culture used.

Further studies on O2-resistant photosynthesis and photorespiration in a tobacco mutant with enhanced catalase activity

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Zelitch, I.

1990-01-01

The increase in net photosynthesis in M 4 progeny of an O 2 -resistant tobacco (Nicotiana tabacum) mutant relative to wild-type plants at 21 and 42% O 2 has been confirmed and further investigated. Self-pollination of an M 3 mutant produced M 4 progeny segregating high catalase phenotypes (average 40% greater than wild type) at a frequency of about 60%. The high catalase phenotype cosegregated precisely with O 2 -resistant photosynthesis. About 25% of the F 1 progeny of reciprocal crosses between the same M 3 mutant and wild type had high catalase activity, whether the mutant was used as the maternal or paternal parent, indicating nuclear inheritance. In high-catalase mutants the activity of NADH-hydroxypyruvate reductase, another peroxisomal enzyme, was the same as wild type. The mutants released 15% less photorespiratory CO 2 as a percent of net photosynthesis in CO 2 -free 21% O 2 and 36% less in CO 2 -free 42% O 2 compared with wild type. The mutant leaf tissue also released less 14 CO 2 per [1- 14 C]glycolate metabolized than wild type in normal air, consistent with less photorespiration in the mutant. The O 2 -resistant photosynthesis appears to be caused by a decrease in photorespiration especially under conditions of high O 2 where the stoichiometry of CO 2 release per glycolate metabolized is expected to be enhanced. The higher catalase activity in the mutant may decrease the nonenzymatic peroxidation of keto-acids such as hydroxypyruvate and glyoxylate by photorespiratory H 2 O 2

Characterization of a mutant of Escherichia coli B/R defective in mutation frequency decline

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

George, D.L.

1974-01-01

A mutant of Escherichia coli B/r designated mfd is very deficient in the ability to exhibit mutation frequency decline (MFD), the characteristic loss of potential suppressor mutations which occurs when protein synthesis is briefly inhibited after irradiation with ultraviolet light (uv). This mutant is known to excise pyrimidine dimers very slowly, although it is as uv-resistant as its mfd + B/r parent strain. We have found that the mfd mutant performs the initial incision step of excision repair normally, but repairs the resulting single-strand breaks much more slowly than the mfd + strain. In spite of the slow dimer excision in the mfd mutant, single-strand DNA breaks do not accumulate during postirradiation incubation, implying that incision and excision are well corrdinated. the prolonged postirradiation lag in cell division and DNA synthesis which accompany slow excision in the mfd strain indicates that resumption of these processes of optimal rates is linked to the timing of excision repair. The normal uv-resistance of the mfd mutant also suggests such coordination and shows that the rate of excision repair is independent of its ultimate efficiency in the removal of potentially lethal uv-induced damage. (U.S.)

MT-ND5 Mutation Exhibits Highly Variable Neurological Manifestations at Low Mutant Load

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Yi Shiau Ng

2018-04-01

Full Text Available Mutations in the m.13094T>C MT-ND5 gene have been previously described in three cases of Leigh Syndrome (LS. In this retrospective, international cohort study we identified 20 clinically affected individuals (13 families and four asymptomatic carriers. Ten patients were deceased at the time of analysis (median age of death was 10 years (range: 5·4 months−37 years, IQR = 17·9 years. Nine patients manifested with LS, one with mitochondrial encephalomyopathy, lactic acidosis and stroke-like episodes (MELAS, and one with Leber hereditary optic neuropathy. The remaining nine patients presented with either overlapping syndromes or isolated neurological symptoms. Mitochondrial respiratory chain activity analysis was normal in five out of ten muscle biopsies. We confirmed maternal inheritance in six families, and demonstrated marked variability in tissue segregation, and phenotypic expression at relatively low blood mutant loads. Neuropathological studies of two patients manifesting with LS/MELAS showed prominent capillary proliferation, microvacuolation and severe neuronal cell loss in the brainstem and cerebellum, with conspicuous absence of basal ganglia involvement. These findings suggest that whole mtDNA genome sequencing should be considered in patients with suspected mitochondrial disease presenting with complex neurological manifestations, which would identify over 300 known pathogenic variants including the m.13094T>C. Keywords: Mitochondrial encephalomyopathy, Lactic acidosis and stroke-like episodes (MELAS, Leigh syndrome (LS, Mitochondrial DNA, Heteroplasmy, Neuropathology

Isolation and Characterization of a Catabolite Repression-Insensitive Mutant of a Methanol Yeast, Candida boidinii A5, Producing Alcohol Oxidase in Glucose-Containing Medium

OpenAIRE

Sakai, Yasuyoshi; Sawai, Tohru; Tani, Yoshiki

1987-01-01

Mutants exhibiting alcohol oxidase (EC 1.1.3.13) activity when grown on glucose in the presence of methanol were found among 2-deoxyglucose-resistant mutants derived from a methanol yeast, Candida boidinii A5. One of these mutants, strain ADU-15, showed the highest alcohol oxidase activity in glucose-containing medium. The growth characteristics and also the induction and degradation of alcohol oxidase were compared with the parent strain and mutant strain ADU-15. In the parent strain, initia...

Steady-state fluorescence and phosphorescence spectroscopic studies of bacterial luciferase tryptophan mutants.

Science.gov (United States)

Li, Z; Meighen, E A

1994-09-01

Bacterial luciferase, which catalyzes the bioluminescence reaction in luminous bacteria, consists of two nonidentical polypeptides, α and β. Eight mutants of luciferase with each of the tryptophans replaced by tyrosine were generated by site-directed mutagenesis and purified to homogeneity. The steady-state tryptophan fluorescence and low-temperature phosphorescence spectroscopic properties of these mutants were characterized. In some instances, mutation of only a single tryptophan residue resulted in large spectral changes. The tryptophan residues conserved in both the α and the β subunits exhibited distinct fluorescence emission properties, suggesting that these tryptophans have different local enviroments. The low-temperature phosphorescence data suggest that the tryptophans conserved in bot the α and the β subunits are not located at the subunit interface and/or involved in subunit interactions. The differences in the spectral properties of the mutants have provided useful information on the local environment of the individual tryptophan residues as well as on the quaternary structure of the protein.

Effect of abscisic acid on stomatal opening in isolated epidermal strips of abi mutants of Arabidopsis thaliana

NARCIS (Netherlands)

Roelfsema, MRG; Prins, HBA

Abscisic acid-insensitive mutants of Arabidopsis thaliana L. var. Landsberg erecta were selected for their decreased sensitivity to ABA during germination. Two of these mutants, abi-1 and abi-2, display a wilty phenotype as adult plants, indicating disturbed water relations. Experiments were

An extra early mutant of pigeonpea

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Ravikesavan, R.; Kalaimagal, T.; Rathnaswamy, R.

2001-01-01

The redgram (Cajanus cajan (L.) Huth) variety 'Prabhat DT' was gamma irradiated with 100, 200, 300 and 400 Gy doses. Several mutants have been identified viz., extra early mutants, monostem mutants, obcordifoliate mutants and bi-stigmatic mutants. The extra early mutant was obtained when treated with 100 Gy dose. The mutant was selfed and forwarded from M 2 to M 4 generation. In the M 4 generation the mutant line was raised along with the parental variety. Normal cultural practices were followed and the biometrical observations were recorded. It was observed that for the characters viz., total number of branches per plant, number of pods per plants, seeds per pod, 100 seed weight and seed yield per plant there was no difference between the mutant and parent variety. Whereas, regarding the days to flowering and maturity the mutants were earlier than the parents. The observation was recorded from two hundred plants each. The mutant gives the same yield in 90 days as that of the parent variety in 107 days, which make it an economic mutant

Evaluation of dwarf mutant of cowpea (Vigna Unguiculata L. Walp.) developed through gamma irradiation for nitrogen fixation characters

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Anjana, G.; Thimmaiah, S.K.

2002-01-01

A dwarf mutant developed through gamma-irradiation and mutation breeding of its parent cowpea variety, namely KBC-1 has been characterized for nitrogen-fixation characters such as root nodule acetylene reduction activity (ARA) and legthemoglobin content at different days after sowing (DAS). Significant variations in these characters were noticed among the varieties and for interactions between the varieties and DAS. The ARA was nearly one-and-a half fold higher in the mutant at both 30 (12.69 μmoles)C 2 H 4 formed/h/g fr.wt. of nodules) and 50 DAS (6.74 μmoles) over its parent (9.20 and 4.46 μmoles at 30 and 50 DAS, respectively). Further, the ARA in the mutant decreased linearly with an increase in the DAS. The leghemoglobin (Lb) content was also higher in the mutant over the parent at all the DAS. However, it decreased linearly with an increase in the DAS in both the mutant and the parent. The highest leghemoglobin content was noticed at 30 DAS in both mutant (2.1 mg/g fr. wt. of nodules) and the parent (1.45 mg/g). Thus, the dwarf cowpea mutant was found to be associated with higher nitrogen-fixing ability which could be exploited in future breeding programmes. (author)

Mutant heterosis in rice

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

1987-01-01

In the variety TKM6 a high yielding semidwarf mutant has been induced. This TKM6 mutant was used in test crosses with a number of other varieties and mutants to examine the extent of heterosis of dwarfs in rice and to select superior crosses. An excerpt of the published data is given. It appears from the backcross of the mutant with its original variety, that an increase in number of productive tillers occurs in the hybrid, leading to a striking grain yield increase, while the semi-dwarf culm length (the main mutant character) reverts to the normal phenotype. In the cross with IR8 on the other hand, there is only a minimal increase in tiller number but a substantial increase in TGW leading to more than 30% yield increase over the better parent

Mutants of Venturia ineaqualis (Cook) Wint. apple scar resistant to fungicides

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Bedianashvili, Ts.V.; D'yakov, Yu.T.

1987-01-01

Mutants of apple scab resistant to zineb and bayleton fungicides have been obtained upon action of UV irradiation and nitrosome-thylurea. Using tetrade analysis, two zineb resistence genes have been found. The mutations are pleiotropic and lead to increase in resistance to other fungicides, decrease in growth rate on artificial media, increase in spore size, sporulation, and aggressiveness, decrease in competitiveness at in vitro growth. The resistance is supposed to be determined by decrease in membrane permeability for fungicides

Genetic background of Prop1(df) mutants provides remarkable protection against hypothyroidism-induced hearing impairment.

Science.gov (United States)

Fang, Qing; Giordimaina, Alicia M; Dolan, David F; Camper, Sally A; Mustapha, Mirna

2012-04-01

Hypothyroidism is a cause of genetic and environmentally induced deafness. The sensitivity of cochlear development and function to thyroid hormone (TH) mandates understanding TH action in this sensory organ. Prop1(df) and Pou1f1(dw) mutant mice carry mutations in different pituitary transcription factors, each resulting in pituitary thyrotropin deficiency. Despite the same lack of detectable serum TH, these mutants have very different hearing abilities: Prop1(df) mutants are mildly affected, while Pou1f1(dw) mutants are completely deaf. Genetic studies show that this difference is attributable to the genetic backgrounds. Using embryo transfer, we discovered that factors intrinsic to the fetus are the major contributor to this difference, not maternal effects. We analyzed Prop1(df) mutants to identify processes in cochlear development that are disrupted in other hypothyroid animal models but protected in Prop1(df) mutants by the genetic background. The development of outer hair cell (OHC) function is delayed, but Prestin and KCNQ4 immunostaining appear normal in mature Prop1(df) mutants. The endocochlear potential and KCNJ10 immunostaining in the stria vascularis are indistinguishable from wild type, and no differences in neurofilament or synaptophysin staining are evident in Prop1(df) mutants. The synaptic vesicle protein otoferlin normally shifts expression from OHC to IHC as temporary afferent fibers beneath the OHC regress postnatally. Prop1(df) mutants exhibit persistent, abnormal expression of otoferlin in apical OHC, suggesting delayed maturation of synaptic function. Thus, the genetic background of Prop1(df) mutants is remarkably protective for most functions affected in other hypothyroid mice. The Prop1(df) mutant is an attractive model for identifying the genes that protect against deafness.

How Life History Can Sway the Fixation Probability of Mutants

Science.gov (United States)

Li, Xiang-Yi; Kurokawa, Shun; Giaimo, Stefano; Traulsen, Arne

2016-01-01

In this work, we study the effects of demographic structure on evolutionary dynamics when selection acts on reproduction, survival, or both. In contrast to the previously discovered pattern that the fixation probability of a neutral mutant decreases while the population becomes younger, we show that a mutant with a constant selective advantage may have a maximum or a minimum of the fixation probability in populations with an intermediate fraction of young individuals. This highlights the importance of life history and demographic structure in studying evolutionary dynamics. We also illustrate the fundamental differences between selection on reproduction and selection on survival when age structure is present. In addition, we evaluate the relative importance of size and structure of the population in determining the fixation probability of the mutant. Our work lays the foundation for also studying density- and frequency-dependent effects in populations when demographic structures cannot be neglected. PMID:27129737

Analysis of Lysophospholipid Content in Low Phytate Rice Mutants.

Science.gov (United States)

Tong, Chuan; Chen, Yaling; Tan, Yuanyuan; Liu, Lei; Waters, Daniel L E; Rose, Terry J; Shu, Qingyao; Bao, Jinsong

2017-07-05

As a fundamental component of nucleic acids, phospholipids, and adenosine triphosphate, phosphorus (P) is critical to all life forms, however, the molecular mechanism of P translocation and distribution in rice grains are still not understood. Here, with the use of five different low phytic acid (lpa) rice mutants, the redistribution in the main P-containing compounds in rice grain, phytic acid (PA), lysophospholipid (LPL), and inorganic P (Pi), was investigated. The lpa mutants showed a significant decrease in PA and phytate-phosphorus (PA-P) concentration with a concomitant increase in Pi concentration. Moreover, defects in the OsST and OsMIK genes result in a great reduction of specific LPL components and LPL-phosphorus (LPL-P) contents in rice grain. In contrast, defective OsMRP5 and Os2-PGK genes led to a significant increase in individual LPL components. The effect of the Os2-PGK gene on the LPL accumulation was validated using breeding lines derived from a cross between KBNT-lpa (Os2-PGK mutation) and Jiahe218. This study demonstrates that these rice lpa mutants lead to the redistribution of Pi in endosperm and modify LPL biosynthesis. Increase LPLs in the endosperm in the lpa mutants may have practical applications in rice breeding to produce "healthier" rice.

A Medicago truncatula tobacco retrotransposon insertion mutant collection with defects in nodule development and symbiotic nitrogen fixation.

Science.gov (United States)

Pislariu, Catalina I; Murray, Jeremy D; Wen, JiangQi; Cosson, Viviane; Muni, RajaSekhara Reddy Duvvuru; Wang, Mingyi; Benedito, Vagner A; Andriankaja, Andry; Cheng, Xiaofei; Jerez, Ivone Torres; Mondy, Samuel; Zhang, Shulan; Taylor, Mark E; Tadege, Million; Ratet, Pascal; Mysore, Kirankumar S; Chen, Rujin; Udvardi, Michael K

2012-08-01

A Tnt1-insertion mutant population of Medicago truncatula ecotype R108 was screened for defects in nodulation and symbiotic nitrogen fixation. Primary screening of 9,300 mutant lines yielded 317 lines with putative defects in nodule development and/or nitrogen fixation. Of these, 230 lines were rescreened, and 156 lines were confirmed with defective symbiotic nitrogen fixation. Mutants were sorted into six distinct phenotypic categories: 72 nonnodulating mutants (Nod-), 51 mutants with totally ineffective nodules (Nod+ Fix-), 17 mutants with partially ineffective nodules (Nod+ Fix+/-), 27 mutants defective in nodule emergence, elongation, and nitrogen fixation (Nod+/- Fix-), one mutant with delayed and reduced nodulation but effective in nitrogen fixation (dNod+/- Fix+), and 11 supernodulating mutants (Nod++Fix+/-). A total of 2,801 flanking sequence tags were generated from the 156 symbiotic mutant lines. Analysis of flanking sequence tags revealed 14 insertion alleles of the following known symbiotic genes: NODULE INCEPTION (NIN), DOESN'T MAKE INFECTIONS3 (DMI3/CCaMK), ERF REQUIRED FOR NODULATION, and SUPERNUMERARY NODULES (SUNN). In parallel, a polymerase chain reaction-based strategy was used to identify Tnt1 insertions in known symbiotic genes, which revealed 25 additional insertion alleles in the following genes: DMI1, DMI2, DMI3, NIN, NODULATION SIGNALING PATHWAY1 (NSP1), NSP2, SUNN, and SICKLE. Thirty-nine Nod- lines were also screened for arbuscular mycorrhizal symbiosis phenotypes, and 30 mutants exhibited defects in arbuscular mycorrhizal symbiosis. Morphological and developmental features of several new symbiotic mutants are reported. The collection of mutants described here is a source of novel alleles of known symbiotic genes and a resource for cloning novel symbiotic genes via Tnt1 tagging.

[Biofilm Formation by the Nonflagellated flhB1 Mutant of Azospirillum brasilense Sp245].

Science.gov (United States)

Shelud'ko, A V; Filip'echeva, Yu A; Shumiliva, E M; Khlebtsov, B N; Burov, A M; Petrova, L P; Katsy, E I

2015-01-01

Azospirillum brasilense Sp245 with mixed flagellation are able to form biofilms on various surfaces. A nonflagellated mutant of this strain with inactivated chromosomal copy of the flhB gene (flhB1) was shown to exhibit specific traits at the later stages of biofilm formation on a hydrophilic (glass) surface. Mature biofilms of the flhB1::Omegon-Km mutant Sp245.1063 were considerably thinner than those of the parent strain Sp245. The biofilms of the mutant were more susceptible to the forces of hydrodynamic shear. A. brasilense Sp245 cells in biofilms were not found to possess lateral flagella. Cells with polar flagella were, however, revealed by atomic force microscopy of mature native biofilms of strain Sp245. Preservation of a polar flagellum (probably nonmotile) on the cells of A. brasilense Sp245 may enhance the biofilm stability.

Photoproduct formation and repair capacity in a mutant of Bacillus cereus 569 producing UV-sensitive spores

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Weinberger, S.; Evenchik, Z.; Hertman, I.; Bar-Ilan Univ., Ramat-Gan

1982-01-01

A mutant of Bacillus cereus 569 UV sensitive in both vegetative and sporal stages was isolated by N-methyl-N'-nitro-N-nitrosoguanidine (NTG) mutagenesis followed by selection on mitomycin C. The UV-sensitive mutant designated as B. cereus 2422 exhibited normal content of dipicolinic acid (DPA) and resistance to X-rays and ethyl methanesulphonate. The photoproduct type and amount, induced by a given UV dose, was similar in either cells or spores of both the mutant 2422 and the wild-type ancestor. The mutant 2422 excised cyclobutane thymine dimers only to a limited extent (20%) as compared with 80% removal in the wild type. Removal of a spore-specific photoproduct (TDHT) during germination proceeded to a similar extent in B. cereus 2422 and the wild-type parent. However, under growing conditions, an additional removal of the TDHT was observed only in the wild-type strain. Liquid holding recovery occurred in irradiated wild-type cells, but not in mutant cells. Spontaneous revertants were isolated that regained UV resistance simultaneously in both the vegetative and sporal stage. (orig./AJ)

Selection of Mycoplasma hominis PG21 deletion mutants by cultivation in the presence of monoclonal antibody 552

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Jensen, L T; Ladefoged, S; Birkelund, S

1995-01-01

characterized. The mutants showed deletions of a various number of repeats. The deletions were accompanied by a decrease in size of the proteins. With increasing size of deletions, agglutination and growth inhibition by MAb 552 became less pronounced. Spontaneous aggregation of the mutant M. hominis cells...

The Arabidopsis mutant iop1 exhibits induced over-expression of the plant defensin gene PDF1.2 and enhanced pathogen resistance

NARCIS (Netherlands)

Penninckx, I.A.M.A.; Eggermont, K.; Schenk, P.M.; Ackerveken, van den G.; Cammue, B.P.A.; Thomma, B.P.H.J.

2003-01-01

Jasmonate and ethylene are concomitantly involved in the induction of the Arabidopsis plant defensin gene PDF1.2. To define genes in the signal transduction pathway leading to the induction of PDF1.2, we screened for mutants with induced over-expression of a β-glucuronidase reporter, under the

Evaluation of Some Chemical Characteristics of barley Mutants induced by Gamma Irradiation

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Abdeldaiem, M.H.; Ali, H.G.M.

2011-01-01

This study aims to evaluate the antioxidant activity of acetonic extract from some barley mutations (P1, P2 and P3 varieties) induced by gamma irradiation as compared with local barley variety (Hordeum vulgare L.) as control. Barley samples were obtained from Plant Breeding Unit, Plant Research Department, Nuclear Research Centre, Atomic Energy Authority, Egypt. The measurements of the antioxidant activity using a radical scavenging capacity against 2,2-diphenyl-1-picrylhydrazyl (DPPH) and ?-carotene bleaching assay were assessed in the barley acetonic extract. Furthermore, amino acids composition of barley mutant samples was determined. The results indicated that the acetonic extract of barley varieties under investigation possess marked antioxidant and anti radical capacities. The data showed that the acetonic extract of barley mutant P1 possessed the higher antioxidant activity as compared with the antioxidant activities of acetonic extract from control and other barley mutant samples. Meanwhile, the flour of barley mutations under investigation contained trace elements of iron, copper and manganese. GC and mass analyses were used to identify the active compound of extract of control and mutant barley samples. The results illustrated that the main components of the control sample of barely extract was pentane, 3 methyl (47.73%) while gamma irradiation caused noticeable change in the relative percentage of some components of acetonic extract from barley mutant samples. Moreover, the results presented that changes were disappeared, and some compounds of the acetonic extract from mutant barley samples were appeared. Furthermore, the results exhibited that barley flour supplemented with wheat flour at 30% level produced acceptable cookies. Accordingly, the phenolic constituents of barley acetonic extract induced by gamma irradiation, especially samples of P1 mutant, may have a future role as ingredients in the development of functional foods.

Evaluation on selected dwarf and semidwarf mutants of upland rice

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Riyanti Sumanggono, A.M.

1984-01-01

Seratus malam local upland rice variety was irradiated with gamma-rays at doses of O.1, 0.2, 0.3, 0.4 and 0.5 kGy. Observation of radiation effect was carried out on root and shoot length of M 1 seedlings; plant height, panicle length and number of tiller and seed sterility in M 1 plants. Selection for dwarf and semi-dwarf characteristics were done in M 2 plants, and selected again in M 3 . Observation on radiation effect indicated that 'Seratus Malam' seems to be more resistant than the lowland rice varieties. Increasing doses of radiation caused increasing frequency of chlorophyll mutations as well as chlorophyll mutants. Whereas, selection of dwarf or semi-dwarf in M 2 plants seems that mutant and mutation frequencies decreased as the dose increased. Dose of 0.2 kGy was suitable for selection of dwarf or semi-dwarf plants. Plant height could be influenced by environmental condition. Many of the selected M 2 plants were not really dwarf or semi-dwarf mutants. M 3 evaluation of the selected M 2 plants was really beneficial in the mutant selection. (author)

Loss of Catalytic Activity in the E134D, H67A, and H349A Mutants of DapE: Mechanistic Analysis with QM/MM Investigation.

Science.gov (United States)

Dutta, Debodyuti; Mishra, Sabyashachi

2016-11-17

In the fight against bacterial infections and antibiotic resistance, the dapE-encoded N-succinyl-l,l-diaminopimelic acid desuccinylase (DapE) is a potentially safe target enzyme. The role of the Glu134, His67, and His349 residues in the binding and hydrolysis of N-succinyl-l,l-diaminopimelic acid (SDAP) is investigated by employing molecular dynamics simulation and hybrid quantum mechanical-molecular mechanical (MM) calculations of the E134D, H67A, and H349A mutants of DapE. The free energy of substrate binding obtained from the MM-Poisson-Boltzmann surface area approach correctly reproduced the experimentally observed ordering of substrate affinity, that is, E134D > wt > H67A > H349A. The mechanism of catalytic action by the E134D mutant is elucidated by structurally and energetically characterizing the intermediates and the transition states along the reaction pathway. The rate-determining step in the general acid-base hydrolysis reaction by the E134D mutant is found to be the nucleophilic attack step, which involves an activation energy barrier 10 kcal/mol greater than that in the wild-type (wt)-DapE. This explains the 3 orders of magnitude decrease in the experimentally determined k cat value for the E134D mutant compared to that of wt-DapE. In the H67A and H349A mutants, the Glu134 residue undergoes a conformational change and exhibits a strong coordination with the metal centers. This not only results in a weaker substrate binding in the two histidine mutants but also hinders the activation of the catalytic water molecule, which constitutes the first step of the substrate hydrolysis by DapE. This leads to an effective quenching of the catalytic activity in the H67A and H349A mutants.

Nonselective enrichment for yeast adenine mutants by flow cytometry

Science.gov (United States)

Bruschi, C. V.; Chuba, P. J.

1988-01-01

The expression of certain adenine biosynthetic mutations in the yeast Saccharomyces cerevisiae results in a red colony color. This phenomenon has historically provided an ideal genetic marker for the study of mutation, recombination, and aneuploidy in lower eukaryotes by classical genetic analysis. In this paper, it is reported that cells carrying ade1 and/or ade2 mutations exhibit primary fluorescence. Based on this observation, the nonselective enrichment of yeast cultures for viable adenine mutants by using the fluorescence-activated cell sorter has been achieved. The advantages of this approach over conventional genetic analysis of mutation, recombination, and mitotic chromosomal stability include speed and accuracy in acquiring data for large numbers of clones. By using appropriate strains, the cell sorter has been used for the isolation of both forward mutations and chromosomal loss events in S. cerevisiae. The resolving power of this system and its noninvasiveness can easily be extended to more complex organisms, including mammalian cells, in which analogous metabolic mutants are available.

Defective processing of methylated single-stranded DNA by E. coli alkB mutants

Science.gov (United States)

Dinglay, Suneet; Trewick, Sarah C.; Lindahl, Tomas; Sedgwick, Barbara

2000-01-01

Escherichia coli alkB mutants are very sensitive to DNA methylating agents. Despite these mutants being the subject of many studies, no DNA repair or other function has been assigned to the AlkB protein or to its human homolog. Here, we report that reactivation of methylmethanesulfonate (MMS)-treated single-stranded DNA phages, M13, f1, and G4, was decreased dramatically in alkB mutants. No such decrease occurred when using methylated λ phage or M13 duplex DNA. These data show that alkB mutants have a marked defect in processing methylation damage in single-stranded DNA. Recombinant AlkB protein bound more efficiently to single- than double-stranded DNA. The single-strand damage processed by AlkB was primarily cytotoxic and not mutagenic and was induced by SN2 methylating agents, MMS, DMS, and MeI but not by SN1 agent N-methyl-N-nitrosourea or by γ irradiation. Strains lacking other DNA repair activities, alkA tag, xth nfo, uvrA, mutS, and umuC, were not defective in reactivation of methylated M13 phage and did not enhance the defect of an alkB mutant. A recA mutation caused a small but additive defect. Thus, AlkB functions in a novel pathway independent of these activities. We propose that AlkB acts on alkylated single-stranded DNA in replication forks or at transcribed regions. Consistent with this theory, stationary phase alkB cells were less MMS sensitive than rapidly growing cells. PMID:10950872

Transgenic mice display hair loss and regrowth overexpressing mutant Hr gene.

Science.gov (United States)

Zhu, Kuicheng; Xu, Cunshuan; Zhang, Jintao; Chen, Yingying; Liu, Mengduan

2017-10-30

Mutations in the hairless (Hr) gene in both mice and humans have been implicated in the development of congenital atrichia, but the role of Hr in skin and hair follicle (HF) biology remains unknown. Here, we established transgenic mice (TG) overexpressing mutant Hr to investigate its specific role in the development of HF. Three transgenic lines were successfully constructed, and two of them (TG3 and TG8) displayed a pattern of hair loss and regrowth with alternation in the expression of HR protein. The mutant Hr gene inhibited the expression of the endogenous gene in transgenic individuals, which led to the development of alopecia. Interestingly, the hair regrew with the increase in the endogenous expression levels resulting from decreased mutant Hr expression. The findings of our study indicate that the changes in the expression of Hr result in hair loss or regrowth.

Enhanced mucosal delivery of antigen with cell wall mutants of lactic acid bacteria.

Science.gov (United States)

Grangette, Corinne; Müller-Alouf, Heide; Hols, Pascal; Goudercourt, Denise; Delcour, Jean; Turneer, Mireille; Mercenier, Annick

2004-05-01

The potential of recombinant lactic acid bacteria (LAB) to deliver heterologous antigens to the immune system and to induce protective immunity has been best demonstrated by using the C subunit of tetanus toxin (TTFC) as a model antigen. Two types of LAB carriers have mainly been used, Lactobacillus plantarum and Lactococcus lactis, which differ substantially in their abilities to resist passage through the stomach and to persist in the mouse gastrointestinal tract. Here we analyzed the effect of a deficiency in alanine racemase, an enzyme that participates in cell wall synthesis, in each of these bacterial carriers. Recombinant wild-type and mutant strains of L. plantarum NCIMB8826 and L. lactis MG1363 producing TTFC intracellularly were constructed and used in mouse immunization experiments. Remarkably, we observed that the two cell wall mutant strains were far more immunogenic than their wild-type counterparts when the intragastric route was used. However, intestinal TTFC-specific immunoglobulin A was induced only after immunization with the recombinant L. plantarum mutant strain. Moreover, the alanine racemase mutant of either LAB strain allowed induction of a much stronger serum TTFC-specific immune response after immunization via the vagina, which is a quite different ecosystem than the gastrointestinal tract. The design and use of these mutants thus resulted in a major improvement in the mucosal delivery of antigens exhibiting vaccine properties.

Che-1 gene silencing induces osteosarcoma cell apoptosis by inhibiting mutant p53 expression

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Liu, Ming; Wang, Dan, E-mail: danwangwdd@163.com; Li, Ning

2016-04-22

The transcriptional cofactor Che-1 is an RNA polymerase II (Pol II) which is involved in tumorigenesis, such as breast cancer and multiple myeloma. Che-1 can also regulate mutant p53 expression, which plays roles in many types of cancer. In this study, we aimed to investigate the effects and specific mechanism of Che-1 in the regulation of osteosarcoma (OS) cell growth. We found that Che-1 is highly expressed in several kinds of OS cells compared with osteoblast hFOB1.19 cells. MTT and flow cytometry assays showed that Che-1 depletion by siRNA markedly suppressed MG-63 and U2OS cell proliferation and promoted apoptosis. The chromatin immunoprecipitation (ChIP) assay verified the presence of Che-1 on the p53 promoter in MG-63 and U2OS cells carrying mutant p53. Further studies showed that Che-1 depletion inhibited mutant p53 expression. Notably, our study showed that the loss of Che-1 inhibits proliferation and promotes apoptosis in MG-63 cells by decreasing the level of mutant p53. Therefore, these findings open the possibility that silencing of Che-1 will have therapeutic benefit in OS. - Highlights: • Che-1 is highly expressed in several kinds of OS cells. • Che-1 depletion suppressed MG-63 and U2OS cell growth. • Che-1 is existed in the p53 promoter in MG-63 and U2OS cells. • Che-1 depletion inhibited mutant p53 expression. • Che-1 depletion inhibits cell growth by decreasing the level of mutant p53.

Modified Starch of Sorghum Mutant Line Zh-30 for High Fiber Muffin Products

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D.D.S. Santosa

2009-01-01

Full Text Available Sorghum mutant line Zh-30 is a breeding line developed at the Center for the Application of Isotope and Radiation Technology, BATAN by using mutation techniques. Gamma irradiation with the dose of 300 Gy was used to induce sorghum genetic variation. Through selection processes in several generations, the mutant line Zh-30 was identified to have better agronomic characteristics, better grain quality and higher grain yield than the original variety. Research on modified starch quality of this mutant line was done to identify its potential use in food industry. Functionality of pregelatinized, hydroxypropyl and crosslinked starch of this mutant line (Mutant TexInstant 30 has been studied for its use in high fiber muffin products. Characteristics of high fiber muffins containing 1.50; 3.50 and 5.50% of Mutant Tex-Instant 30 replacement levels to wheat flour were evaluated using both sensory panel and physical test methods. With regard to the sensory parameters, the high fiber muffins containing 1.50 - 5.50 % Mutant Tex-Instant 30 in general were not significantly different compared to the standard reference muffin. Results of physical evaluations showed that all Mutant Tex-Instant 30 containing products retained more moisture during baking than the standard reference. Tenderness of all products decreased at similar rate following 24 and 48 hr of room temperature storage and seven days at freezer temperature. These results suggested that sorghum mutant line Zh-30 starch could be modified and potentially used in food industry as a subtitute of wheat flour.

Modified Starch of Sorghum Mutant Line Zh-30 For High Fiber Muffin Products

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Santosa, D. D. S; Human, S

2009-01-01

Sorghum mutant line Zh-30 is a breeding line developed at the Center for the Application of Isotope and Radiation Technology, BATAN by using mutation techniques. Gamma irradiation with the dose of 300 Gy was used to induce sorghum genetic variation. Through selection processes in several generations, the mutant line Zh-30 was identified to have better agronomic characteristics, better grain quality and higher grain yield than the original variety. Research on modified starch quality of this mutant line was done to identify its potential use in food industry. Functionality of pregelatinized, hydroxypropyl and crosslinked starch of this mutant line (Mutant TexInstant 30) has been studied for its use in high fiber muffin products. Characteristics of high fiber muffins containing 1.50; 3.50 and 5.50% of Mutant Tex-Instant 30 replacement levels to wheat flour were evaluated using both sensory panel and physical test methods. With regard to the sensory parameters, the high fiber muffins containing 1.50 - 5.50 % Mutant Tex-Instant 30 in general were not significantly different compared to the standard reference muffin. Results of physical evaluations showed that all Mutant Tex-Instant 30 containing products retained more moisture during baking than the standard reference. Tenderness of all products decreased at similar rate following 24 and 48 hr of room temperature storage and seven days at freezer temperature. These results suggested that sorghum mutant line Zh-30 starch could be modified and potentially used in food industry as a subtitute of wheat flour (author)

Genetic Segregation Analysis of a Rapeseed Dwarf Mutant

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Xiang, G.; Yu, S.; Zhang, T.; Zhao, J.; Lei, S.; Du, C.

2016-01-01

Dwarf resources in Brassica napus are very important for developing high-yield cultivars through dwarf-type and lodging-resistant breeding. However, few dwarf varieties have been available for this species. Here, we reported a new rapeseed dwarf mutant GRC1157, which exhibits obvious phenotypic variations on dwarf. Six generations (P /sub 1/, P/sub 1/, F/sub 1/, F/sub 1/, B/sub 1/, and B/sub 1/) were produced from a cross between dwarf mutant GRC1157 and an elite tall-type line XR16 to analyze genetic inheritances of plant height (PH), numbers of the 1st valid branch (VBN), main inflorescence length (MIL), pod numbers per main inflorescence (MPN), pod length (PL) and seed numbers per pod (PSN) using the mixed major gene plus polygene inheritance model. The genetic analysis shows different traits were controlled by different inheritance models: PH and PL by two pairs of additive-dominant-epistatic major genes plus additive-dominant-epistatic polygenes, MPN and PSN by two-pair additive-dominant-epistatic major genes plus additive-dominant polygenes, MIL by two-pair additive-dominant-epistatic major genes and VBN by one-pair additive-dominant major genes plus additive-dominant-epistatic polygenes. Furthermore, positive correlations between PH and some other traits were observed, suggesting that some traits may be co-regulated by several linkage or same loci/genes. In addition, high heritability (40.35-93.7 percent) were found for five traits (except VBN) in different segregating generations, indicating these traits were mainly affected by hereditary factors and suitable for early artificial selection. In sum, the dwarf mutant GRC1157 can serve as a valuable resource for rapeseed dwarf breeding and the genetic analysis in this study provided a foundation for further mapping and cloning dwarf genes in mutant GRC1157. (author)

Impaired insulin secretion and glucose intolerance in synaptotagmin-7 null mutant mice

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Gustavsson, Natalia; Lao, Ye; Maximov, Anton

2008-01-01

and insulin release. Here, we show that synaptotagmin-7 is required for the maintenance of systemic glucose tolerance and glucose-stimulated insulin secretion. Mutant mice have normal insulin sensitivity, insulin production, islet architecture and ultrastructural organization, and metabolic and calcium...... secretion in pancreatic beta-cells. Of these other synaptotagmins, synaptotagmin-7 is one of the most abundant and is present in pancreatic beta-cells. To determine whether synaptotagmin-7 regulates Ca(2+)-dependent insulin secretion, we analyzed synaptotagmin-7 null mutant mice for glucose tolerance...... responses but exhibit impaired glucose-induced insulin secretion, indicating a calcium-sensing defect during insulin-containing secretory granule exocytosis. Taken together, our findings show that synaptotagmin-7 functions as a positive regulator of insulin secretion and may serve as a calcium sensor...

Trehalose, glycogen and ethanol metabolism in the gcr1 mutant of Saccharomyces cerevisiae

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Seker, Tamay; Hamamci, H.

2003-01-01

Since Gcr1p is pivotal in controlling the transcription of glycolytic enzymes and trehalose metabolism seems to be one of the control points of glycolysis, we examined trehalose and glycogen synthesis in response to 2 % glucose pulse during batch growth in gcr1 (glucose regulation-1) mutant lacking...... fully functional glycolytic pathway and in the wild-type strain. An increase in both trehalose and glycogen stores was observed 1 and 2 h after the pulse followed by a steady decrease in both the wild-type and the gcr1 mutant. The accumulation was faster while the following degradation was slower in gcr......1 cells compared to wild-type ones. Although there was no distinct glucose consumption in the mutant cells it seemed that the glucose repression mechanism is similar in gcr1 mutant and in wild-type strain at least with respect to trehalose and glycogen metabolism....

The phenotype of FancB-mutant mouse embryonic stem cells

OpenAIRE

Kim, Tae Moon; Ko, Jun Ho; Choi, Yong Jun; Hu, Lingchuan; Hasty, Paul

2011-01-01

Fanconi anemia (FA) is a rare autosomal recessive disease characterized by bone marrow failure, developmental defects and cancer. There are multiple FA genes that enable the repair of interstrand crosslinks (ICLs) in coordination with a variety of other DNA repair pathways in a way that is poorly understood. Here we present the phenotype of mouse embryonic stem (ES) cells mutated for FancB. We found FancB-mutant cells exhibited reduced cellular proliferation, hypersensitivity to the crosslink...

Tolerance of some Potato Mutants Induced with Gamma Irradiation to Drought in Vitro

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Al-Safadi, B.; Al-Ayyoubi, Z.

2007-01-01

An in vitro selection program was conducted in order to improve potato (Solanum tuberosum,L.) tolerance to drought. Potato mutant plants were obtained through a previously conducted mutation breeding program on three potato cultivars (Draga, Spunta, and Diamant) aimed to improve potato tolerance to salinity and resistance to late blight disease. In order to apply selection pressure, growth media (MS based) were prepared with the addition of 1%, 2%, 3% concentrations of Poly Ethylene Glycol (PEG). As a result, three mutants were selected that were tolerant to water stress (i.e. drought tolerant), two of them were derived from the cultivar Draga and one came from Spunta. Physiological growth parameters (plant length, leaf number, branch number, roots number, leaf area, stomata number, and chlorophyll concentration content) were determined on the growing plantlets. The selected mutants were distinguished based on some characteristics which being associated with in their tolerance to drought. Such as an increases in leaf number, root number, and a decrease in stomata number. However a reduction in chlorophyll content was observed as compared with the control. This is considered a negative parameter which may result in a decrease in number and size of tubers. Thus it is important to continue selection for higher chlorophyll content. Also, these mutant lines will need further selection in the field for plants with larger tubers before they can be considered as certified lines.

Gamma-radiation Mutagenesis in Genetically Unstable Barley Mutants. Pt. 2. Comparison of Various Mutants

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Balchiuniene, L.

1995-01-01

Spontaneous and gamma-induced mutability was compared in two groups of genetically unstable barley ear structure mutants - tweaky spike (tw) and branched ear (be). Instability in different loci causes different levels of spontaneous and gamma-induced mutability. A high spontaneous level of chlorophyll mutations is peculiar to be-ust mutants. It is suggested that the high level of induced chlorophyll mutations in allelic tw mutants is a result of better surviving of chlorophyll mutation carriers in the genotypical-physiological environment created by mutant tw alleles. (author). 6 refs., 2 tabs

Promising rice mutants

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Hakim, L.; Azam, M.A.; Miah, A.J.; Mansur, M.A.; Akanda, H.R.

1988-01-01

Two induced mutants namely, Mut NS 1 (tall) and Mut NS 5 (semi-dwarf) derived from rice variety Nizersail were evaluated for various agronomic characters at four locations in Bangladesh. Both the mutants matured about three weeks earlier and yielded significantly higher than the parent variety Nizersail. (author). 3 tabs., 9 refs

Characteristics and genetic mapping of a lesion mimic mutant pl(t) in japonica rice variety zhejing 22

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Chen Pingping; Zhang Xiaoming; Ye Shenghai; Zhao Ningchun; Lu Yanting; Liu Heqin; Jin Qingsheng; Yang Ling

2010-01-01

A lesion mimic mutant,obtained by radiation mutagenesis on the seeds of a japonica rice variety Zhejing 22, exhibited a lesion mimic phenotype during the whole growth stage under different environments. Genetic analysis indicated that the mutant trait was controlled by a single recessive gene named spl (t). Relying on simple sequence repeat (SSR) and recessive class analysis method to map the spl (t) gene with a F 2 population was constructed by crossing the mutant spl (t) with Zhenshan 97B.spl (t) was mapped in the interval of 0.8cM between RM7195 and RM27929 near centromere region on the short arm of chromosome 12.Blue trypan dye analyses indicated that the lesion mimic trait of the mutant was caused by the programmer cell death. Further study showed that the programmer cell death was caused by H 2 O 2 oxidative burst. By inoculation of bacterial leaf blight and blast strains, the resistances of the mutant were similar to the wild variety Zhejing 22. (authors)

Molecular Determinants of Mutant Phenotypes, Inferred from Saturation Mutagenesis Data.

Science.gov (United States)

Tripathi, Arti; Gupta, Kritika; Khare, Shruti; Jain, Pankaj C; Patel, Siddharth; Kumar, Prasanth; Pulianmackal, Ajai J; Aghera, Nilesh; Varadarajan, Raghavan

2016-11-01

Understanding how mutations affect protein activity and organismal fitness is a major challenge. We used saturation mutagenesis combined with deep sequencing to determine mutational sensitivity scores for 1,664 single-site mutants of the 101 residue Escherichia coli cytotoxin, CcdB at seven different expression levels. Active-site residues could be distinguished from buried ones, based on their differential tolerance to aliphatic and charged amino acid substitutions. At nonactive-site positions, the average mutational tolerance correlated better with depth from the protein surface than with accessibility. Remarkably, similar results were observed for two other small proteins, PDZ domain (PSD95 pdz3 ) and IgG-binding domain of protein G (GB1). Mutational sensitivity data obtained with CcdB were used to derive a procedure for predicting functional effects of mutations. Results compared favorably with those of two widely used computational predictors. In vitro characterization of 80 single, nonactive-site mutants of CcdB showed that activity in vivo correlates moderately with thermal stability and solubility. The inability to refold reversibly, as well as a decreased folding rate in vitro, is associated with decreased activity in vivo. Upon probing the effect of modulating expression of various proteases and chaperones on mutant phenotypes, most deleterious mutants showed an increased in vivo activity and solubility only upon over-expression of either Trigger factor or SecB ATP-independent chaperones. Collectively, these data suggest that folding kinetics rather than protein stability is the primary determinant of activity in vivo This study enhances our understanding of how mutations affect phenotype, as well as the ability to predict fitness effects of point mutations. © The Author 2016. Published by Oxford University Press on behalf of the Society for Molecular Biology and Evolution.

Diminished self-chaperoning activity of the DeltaF508 mutant of CFTR results in protein misfolding.

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Adrian W R Serohijos

2008-02-01

Full Text Available The absence of a functional ATP Binding Cassette (ABC protein called the Cystic Fibrosis Transmembrane Conductance Regulator (CFTR from apical membranes of epithelial cells is responsible for cystic fibrosis (CF. Over 90% of CF patients carry at least one mutant allele with deletion of phenylalanine at position 508 located in the N-terminal nucleotide binding domain (NBD1. Biochemical and cell biological studies show that the DeltaF508 mutant exhibits inefficient biosynthetic maturation and susceptibility to degradation probably due to misfolding of NBD1 and the resultant misassembly of other domains. However, little is known about the direct effect of the Phe508 deletion on the NBD1 folding, which is essential for rational design strategies of cystic fibrosis treatment. Here we show that the deletion of Phe508 alters the folding dynamics and kinetics of NBD1, thus possibly affecting the assembly of the complete CFTR. Using molecular dynamics simulations, we find that meta-stable intermediate states appearing on wild type and mutant folding pathways are populated differently and that their kinetic accessibilities are distinct. The structural basis of the increased misfolding propensity of the DeltaF508 NBD1 mutant is the perturbation of interactions in residue pairs Q493/P574 and F575/F578 found in loop S7-H6. As a proof-of-principle that the S7-H6 loop conformation can modulate the folding kinetics of NBD1, we virtually design rescue mutations in the identified critical interactions to force the S7-H6 loop into the wild type conformation. Two redesigned NBD1-DeltaF508 variants exhibited significantly higher folding probabilities than the original NBD1-DeltaF508, thereby partially rescuing folding ability of the NBD1-DeltaF508 mutant. We propose that these observed defects in folding kinetics of mutant NBD1 may also be modulated by structures separate from the 508 site. The identified structural determinants of increased misfolding propensity of

Excision-repair in mutants of Escherichia coli deficient in DNA polymerase I and/or its associated 5'. -->. 3' exonuclease

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Cooper, P [Stanford Univ., Calif. (USA). Dept. of Biological Sciences

1977-01-01

The UV sensitivity of E.coli mutants deficient in the 5'..-->..3' exonuclease activity of DNA polymerase I is intermediate between that of pol/sup +/ strains and mutants which are deficient in the polymerizing activity of pol I (polA1). Like polA1 mutants, the 5'-econuclease deficient mutants exhibit increased UV-induced DNA degradation and increased repair synthesis compared to a pol/sup +/ strain, although the increase is not as great as in polA1 or in the conditionally lethal mutant BT4113ts deficient in both polymerase I activities. When dimer excision was measured at UV doses low enough to avoid interference from extensive DNA degradation, all three classes of polymerase I deficient mutants were found to remove dimers efficiently from their DNA. We conclude that enzymes alternative to polymerase I can operate in both the excision and resynthesis steps of excision repair and that substitution for either of the polymerase I functions results in longer patches of repair. A model is proposed detailing the possible events in the alternative pathways.

Enhanced lipid productivity and photosynthesis efficiency in a Desmodesmus sp. mutant induced by heavy carbon ions.

Science.gov (United States)

Hu, Guangrong; Fan, Yong; Zhang, Lei; Yuan, Cheng; Wang, Jufang; Li, Wenjian; Hu, Qiang; Li, Fuli

2013-01-01

The unicellular green microalga Desmodesmus sp. S1 can produce more than 50% total lipid of cell dry weight under high light and nitrogen-limitation conditions. After irradiation by heavy (12)C(6+) ion beam of 10, 30, 60, 90 or 120 Gy, followed by screening of resulting mutants on 24-well microplates, more than 500 mutants were obtained. One of those, named D90G-19, exhibited lipid productivity of 0.298 g L(-1)⋅d(-1), 20.6% higher than wild type, likely owing to an improved maximum quantum efficiency (Fv/Fm) of photosynthesis under stress. This work demonstrated that heavy-ion irradiation combined with high-throughput screening is an effective means for trait improvement. The resulting mutant D90G-19 may be used for enhanced lipid production.

Estimation of genetic variability, mutagenic effectiveness and efficiency in M2 flower mutant lines of Capsicum annuum L. treated with caffeine and their analysis through RAPD

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Rumana Aslam

2017-07-01

Full Text Available In the present investigation healthy and certified seeds of Capsicum annuum were treated with five concentrations of caffeine i.e. 0.10%, 0.25%, 0.50%, 0.75% and 1.0%. Germination percentage, plants survival and pollen fertility were decreased with the increase of caffeine concentrations. Similarly root length and shoot length were decreased as the concentrations increased in M1 generation. Different mutants were isolated in M1 generation. In M2 generation, various flower mutants with changes in number of sepals, petals, anther size colour i.e. Trimerous, tetramerous, pentamerous with fused petals, hexamerous etc were segregated. Heptamerous and anther change was not observed in lower concentration viz. 0.1%. All these mutants showed significant changes in morphological characters and good breeding values at lower and intermediate concentrations. Mutagenic effectiveness and efficiency was observed on the basis of M2 flower mutant frequency. It was generally decreased with the increase of mutagen concentrations. Cytological aberrations in mutants showed the decreasing trend at meiotic final stages. These mutants were further analysed through RAPD method and on the basis of appearance of polymorphic DNA bands, they distinguished these flower mutants genotypically. Among 93 bands 44 bands were polymorphic which showed great genetic variation produced by caffeine. As an outcome of that the above caffeine concentrations are good for the induction of genetic variability in Capsicum genotype.

Mutant PIK3CA Induces EMT in a Cell Type Specific Manner.

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Divya Bhagirath

Full Text Available Breast cancer is characterized into different molecular subtypes, and each subtype is characterized by differential gene expression that are associated with distinct survival outcomes in patients. PIK3CA mutations are commonly associated with most breast cancer subtypes. More recently PIK3CA mutations have been shown to induce tumor heterogeneity and are associated with activation of EGFR-signaling and reduced relapse free survival in basal subtype of breast cancer. Thus, understanding what determines PIK3CA induced heterogeneity and oncogenesis, is an important area of investigation. In this study, we assessed the effect of mutant PIK3CA together with mutant Ras plus mutant p53 on oncogenic behavior of two distinct stem/progenitor breast cell lines, designated as K5+/K19- and K5+/K19+. Constructs were ectopically overexpressed in K5+/K19- and K5+/K19+ stem/progenitor cells, followed by various in-vitro and in-vivo analyses. Oncogene combination m-Ras/m-p53/m-PIK3CA efficiently transformed both K5+/K19- and K5+/K19+ cell lines in-vitro, as assessed by anchorage-independent soft agar colony formation assay. Significantly, while this oncogene combination induced a complete epithelial-to-mesenchymal transition (EMT in K5+/K19- cell line, mostly epithelial phenotype with minor EMT component was seen in K5+/K19+ cell line. However, both K5+/K19- and K5+/K19+ transformed cells exhibited increased invasion and migration abilities. Analyses of CD44 and CD24 expression showed both cell lines had tumor-initiating CD44+/CD24low cell population, however transformed K5+/K19- cells had more proportion of these cells. Significantly, both cell types exhibited in-vivo tumorigenesis, and maintained their EMT and epithelial nature in-vivo in mice tumors. Notably, while both cell types exhibited increase in tumor-initiating cell population, differential EMT phenotype was observed in these cell lines. These results suggest that EMT is a cell type dependent

A thermo-sensitive purple leaf rice mutant--PLM12 and its genetical study

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Wu Guanting; Wang Xianyu; Jin Wei

2001-01-01

PLM12 was a thermo-sensitive purple leaf mutant selected from Indica rice variety Luqingzao 1 treated with pingyangmycin in combination with γ-rays, and for display of its mutant character, a relatively high temperature was required. Compared with its original parent, many major agronomic traits of PLM12 changed to varied extents. Based on spikelet cutting experiment, it was believed that significant decreases in number of filled grains per panicle, fertility, and 1000-grain weight in PLM12 resulted mainly from a great decline in photosynthetic capacity and serious lack of photosynthate in purple leaves. It was indicated by genetic analysis that expression of the mutant phenotype in PLM12 was conditioned by a single recessive major nuclear gene and modified by several minor genes

Arabidopsis thaliana cdd1 mutant uncouples the constitutive activation of salicylic acid signalling from growth defects.

Science.gov (United States)

Swain, Swadhin; Roy, Shweta; Shah, Jyoti; Van Wees, Saskia; Pieterse, Corné M; Nandi, Ashis K

2011-12-01

Arabidopsis genotypes with a hyperactive salicylic acid-mediated signalling pathway exhibit enhanced disease resistance, which is often coupled with growth and developmental defects, such as dwarfing and spontaneous necrotic lesions on the leaves, resulting in reduced biomass yield. In this article, we report a novel recessive mutant of Arabidopsis, cdd1 (constitutive defence without defect in growth and development1), that exhibits enhanced disease resistance associated with constitutive salicylic acid signalling, but without any observable pleiotropic phenotype. Both NPR1 (NON-EXPRESSOR OF PATHOGENESIS-RELATED GENES1)-dependent and NPR1-independent salicylic acid-regulated defence pathways are hyperactivated in cdd1 mutant plants, conferring enhanced resistance against bacterial pathogens. However, a functional NPR1 allele is required for the cdd1-conferred heightened resistance against the oomycete pathogen Hyaloperonospora arabidopsidis. Salicylic acid accumulates at elevated levels in cdd1 and cdd1 npr1 mutant plants and is necessary for cdd1-mediated PR1 expression and disease resistance phenotypes. In addition, we provide data which indicate that the cdd1 mutation negatively regulates the npr1 mutation-induced hyperactivation of ethylene/jasmonic acid signalling. © 2011 The Authors. Molecular Plant Pathology © 2011 BSPP and Blackwell Publishing Ltd.

Genetic analysis and gene mapping of a low stigma exposed mutant gene by high-throughput sequencing.

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Xiao Ma

Full Text Available Rice is one of the main food crops and several studies have examined the molecular mechanism of the exposure of the rice plant stigma. The improvement in the exposure of the stigma in female parent hybrid combinations can enhance the efficiency of hybrid breeding. In the present study, a mutant plant with low exposed stigma (lesr was discovered among the descendants of the indica thermo-sensitive sterile line 115S. The ES% rate of the mutant decreased by 70.64% compared with the wild type variety. The F2 population was established by genetic analysis considering the mutant as the female parent and the restorer line 93S as the male parent. The results indicated a normal F1 population, while a clear division was noted for the high and low exposed stigma groups, respectively. This process was possible only by a ES of 25% in the F2 population. This was in agreement with the ratio of 3:1, which indicated that the mutant was controlled by a recessive main-effect QTL locus, temporarily named as LESR. Genome-wide comparison of the SNP profiles between the early, high and low production bulks were constructed from F2 plants using bulked segregant analysis in combination with high-throughput sequencing technology. The results demonstrated that the candidate loci was located on the chromosome 10 of the rice. Following screening of the recombinant rice plants with newly developed molecular markers, the genetic region was narrowed down to 0.25 Mb. This region was flanked by InDel-2 and InDel-2 at the physical location from 13.69 to 13.94 Mb. Within this region, 7 genes indicated base differences between parents. A total of 2 genes exhibited differences at the coding region and upstream of the coding region, respectively. The present study aimed to further clone the LESR gene, verify its function and identify the stigma variation.

Saccharomyces cerevisiae mutants with enhanced induced mutation and altered mitotic gene conversion.

Science.gov (United States)

Ivanov, E L; Kovaltzova, S V; Korolev, V G

1989-08-01

We have developed a method to isolate yeast (Saccharomyces cerevisiae) mutants with enhanced induced mutagenesis based on nitrous acid-induced reversion of the ade2-42 allele. Six mutants have been isolated and designated him (high induced mutagenesis), and 4 of them were studied in more detail. The him mutants displayed enhanced reversion of the ade2-42 allele, either spontaneous or induced by nitrous acid, UV light, and the base analog 6-N-hydroxylaminopurine, but not by gamma-irradiation. It is worth noting that the him mutants turned out not to be sensitive to the lethal effects of the mutagens used. The enhancement in mutation induced by nitrous acid, UV light, and 6-N-hydroxylaminopurine has been confirmed in a forward-mutation assay (induction of mutations in the ADE1, ADE2 genes). The latter agent revealed the most apparent differences between the him mutants and the wild-type strain and was, therefore, chosen for the genetic analysis of mutants, him mutations analyzed behaved as a single Mendelian trait; complementation tests indicated 3 complementation groups (HIM1, HIM2, and HIM3), each containing 1 mutant allele. Uracil-DNA glycosylase activity was determined in crude cell extracts, and no significant differences between the wild-type and him strains were detected. Spontaneous mitotic gene conversion at the ADE2 locus is altered in him1 strains, either increased or decreased, depending on the particular heteroallelic combination. Genetic evidence strongly suggests him mutations to be involved in a process of mismatch correction of molecular heteroduplexes.

Gamma ray induced mutants in Coleus

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Vasudevan, K; Jos, J S [Central Tuber Crops Research Institute, Trivandrum, Kerala (India)

1988-07-01

The germplasm collection of Chinese potato (Coleus parviflorus Benth) contains almost no variation for yield contributing traits. The crop does not produce seeds. Treatment of underground tubers with 1 kR, 2 kR, 3 kR and 4 kR gamma rays resulted in 50 morphologically different mutants which are maintained as mutant clones. In the M{sub 1}V{sub 1} generation, suspected mutant sprouts, were carefully removed and grown separately. The most interesting mutant types are the following: (i) erect mutant with spoon shaped light green leaves, 30 cm long inflorescences against 20 cm in the control, cylindrical tubers measuring ca. 7.0 cm long and 3 cm girth against 4 cm and 2.5 cm in the control (ii) early mutants 1 and 2, one having less leaf serration, the other having light green small leaves and dwarf type (iii) fleshy leaf mutant, dark green, thick and smooth leaves. Control plants spread almost in 1 m{sup 2} area and bear tubers from the nodes of branches. In the early mutants tuber formation is mainly restricted to the base of the plant, which makes harvest easier. The crop usually matures within 150 - 160 days, the early mutants are ready for harvest 100 days after planting. As the mutants are less spreading, the yield could be increased by closer spacing.

Gamma ray induced mutants in Coleus

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Vasudevan, K.; Jos, J.S.

1988-01-01

The germplasm collection of Chinese potato (Coleus parviflorus Benth) contains almost no variation for yield contributing traits. The crop does not produce seeds. Treatment of underground tubers with 1 kR, 2 kR, 3 kR and 4 kR gamma rays resulted in 50 morphologically different mutants which are maintained as mutant clones. In the M 1 V 1 generation, suspected mutant sprouts, were carefully removed and grown separately. The most interesting mutant types are the following: (i) erect mutant with spoon shaped light green leaves, 30 cm long inflorescences against 20 cm in the control, cylindrical tubers measuring ca. 7.0 cm long and 3 cm girth against 4 cm and 2.5 cm in the control (ii) early mutants 1 and 2, one having less leaf serration, the other having light green small leaves and dwarf type (iii) fleshy leaf mutant, dark green, thick and smooth leaves. Control plants spread almost in 1 m 2 area and bear tubers from the nodes of branches. In the early mutants tuber formation is mainly restricted to the base of the plant, which makes harvest easier. The crop usually matures within 150 - 160 days, the early mutants are ready for harvest 100 days after planting. As the mutants are less spreading, the yield could be increased by closer spacing

RNaseT2 knockout rats exhibit hippocampal neuropathology and deficits in memory.

Science.gov (United States)

Sinkevicius, Kerstin W; Morrison, Thomas R; Kulkarni, Praveen; Cagliostro, Martha K Caffrey; Iriah, Sade; Malmberg, Samantha; Sabrick, Julia; Honeycutt, Jennifer A; Askew, Kim L; Trivedi, Malav; Ferris, Craig F

2018-05-10

RNASET2 deficiency in humans is associated with infant cystic leukoencephalopathy, which causes psychomotor impairment, spasticity, and epilepsy. A zebrafish mutant model suggests that loss of RNASET2 function leads to neurodegeneration due to the accumulation of non-degraded RNA in the lysosomes. The goal of this study was to characterize the first rodent model of RNASET2 deficiency. The brains of 3- and 12-month-old RNaseT2 knockout rats were studied using multiple magnetic resonance imaging modalities and behavioral tests. While T1 and T2 weighted images of RNaseT2 knockout rats exhibited no evidence of cystic lesions, the prefrontal cortex and hippocampal complex were enlarged in knockout animals. Diffusion weighted imaging showed altered anisotropy and putative gray matter changes in the hippocampal complex of the RNaseT2 knockout rats. Immunohistochemistry for glial fibrillary acidic protein (GFAP) showed the presence of hippocampal neuroinflammation. Decreased levels of lysosome-associated membrane protein 2 (LAMP2) and elevated acid phosphatase and β-N-Acetylglucosaminidase (NAG) activities indicated that the RNASET2 knockout rats likely had altered lysosomal function and potential defects in autophagy. Object recognition tests confirmed the RNaseT2 knockout rats exhibited memory deficits. However, the Barnes maze, and balance beam and rotarod tests, indicated there were no differences in spatial memory or motor impairments, respectively. Overall, patients with RNASET2 deficiency exhibited a more severe neurodegeneration phenotype than was observed in the RNaseT2 knockout rats. However, the vulnerability of the knockout rat hippocampus as evidenced by neuroinflammation, altered lysosomal function, and cognitive defects indicates this is still a useful in vivo model to study RNASET2 function. © 2018. Published by The Company of Biologists Ltd.

Evaluation of Chemical Changes in Some Soybean Mutants Induced by Gamma Irradiation

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Abd-Elkalik, K.; Mekkawy, S.H.; El-Demerdash, H.M.

2010-01-01

The Egyptian soybean cultivar Giza-22 was used to induce genetic variability by using gamma rays at dose levels of 100, 150 and 200 Gy. Sixteen mutants (including parental cultivar) were evaluated in M3 generation for their agronomic traits and chemical analysis was done in seeds of M3 generation. Four mutants A21 (150 Gy), A22, A23 and A24 (200 Gy) showed superiority in their agronomic traits compared with parental cultivar. The results of chemical analysis of seeds of M3 generation showed that, oil and energy contents were unaffected by irradiation treatments while protein contents were significantly increased at doses 150 and 200 Gy. Phenolic and tannin contents in seeds of M3 generation showed no significant changes in their percentages due to irradiation treatments. Gamma irradiation significantly increased in linoleic acid content in most of the mutants compared with the control (Giza-22), whereas, there were decreases in linolenic acid content. Investigation of amino acid composition of mutants of M3 generation revealed significant increases in the essential amino acids in most mutants induced by gamma irradiation at 150 and 200 Gy. It could be suggested that the use of gamma irradiation can induce an improvement of the oil and protein composition in soybean

A New Bacillus licheniformis Mutant Strain Producing Serine Protease Efficient for Hvdrolvqis of Sov Meal Proteins.

Science.gov (United States)

Kostyleva, E V; Sereda, A S; Velikoretskaya, I A; Nefedova, L I; Sharikov, A Yu; Tsurikova, N V; Lobanov, N S; Semenova, M V; Sinitsyn, A P

2016-07-01

Induced mutagenesis with y-irradiation of the industrial strain Bacillus licheniformis-60 VKM B-2366,D was used to obtain a new highly active producer of an extracellular serine protease, Bacillus licheni- formis7 145. Samples of dry.concentrated preparations of serine protease produced by the original and mutant strains were obtained, and identity of their protein composition was'established. Alkaline serine protease sub- tilisin DY was the main component of the preparations. The biochemical and physicochemical properties of the Protolkheterm-145 enzyme preparation obtained from the mutant strain were studied. It exhibited pro- teolytic activity (1.5 times higher than the preparation from the initial strain) within broad ranges of pH (5- 11) and temperature (30-70'C).-Efficient hydrolysis of extruded soy meal protein at high concentrations (2 to 50%) in-the reaction mixture was.the main advantage of the Protolikheterm 145 preparation. Compared to,. the preparation obtained using the initial strain, the new preparation with increased proteolytic-activity pro- vided for more complete hydrolysis of the main non-nutritious soy,proteins.(glycinin and 0-conglycinin) with the yield of soluble protein increased by 19-28%, which decreased the cost of bioconversion of the protein- aceous material and indicated promise of the new preparation in resource-saving technologies for processing soy meals and cakes.

Examination of WF9 mutant sublines for lodging and fusarium resistance

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Balint, A.; Bedo, Z.; Kiss, E.

1977-01-01

The mutants produced from the maize line WF9 in our department between 1961-67 were considered regarding stem-strength and Fusarium resistance. The treatments have essentially improved the stem strength of the original line in a great many (11 cases out of 29), and the lodging rate has considerably decreased. Regarding the Fusarium contamination, the changes are mostly disadvantageous, but we achieved definite positive changes in the cases of four mutants. This improvement is also interesting because it coincides with the improvement of the step strength in all cases, and with the considerable increase in protein content in three of the four sublines. (author)

DNA binding properties of dioxin receptors in wild-type and mutant mouse hepatoma cells

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Cuthill, S.; Poellinger, L.

1988-01-01

The current model of action of 2,3,7,8-tetrachlorodibenzo-p-dioxin (dioxin) entails stimulation of target gene transcription via the formation of dioxin-receptor complexes and subsequent accumulation of the complexes within the cell nucleus. Here, the authors have analyzed the DNA binding properties of the dioxin receptor in wild-type mouse hepatoma (Hepa 1c1c7) cells and a class of nonresponsive mutant cells which fail to accumulate dioxin-receptor complexes within the nucleus in vivo. In vitro, both the wild-type and mutant [ 3 H]dioxin-receptor complexes exhibited low affinity for DNA-cellulose (5-8% and around 4% retention, respectively) in the absence of prior biochemical manipulations. However, following chromatography on heparin-Sepharose, the wild-type but not the mutant dioxin receptor was transformed to a species with an increased affinity for DNA (40-50% retention on DNA-cellulose). The gross molecular structure of the mutant, non DNA binding dioxin receptor did not appear to be altered as compared to that of the wild-type receptor. These results imply that the primary deficiency in the mutant dioxin receptor form may reside at the DNA binding level and that, in analogy to steroid hormone receptors, DNA binding of the receptor may be an essential step in the regulation of target gene transcription by dioxin

Screening of allyl alcohol resistant mutant of Rhizopus oryzae and ...

African Journals Online (AJOL)

Ethanol is a main by-product in the fermentation broth of Rhizopus oryzae during the production of high-optical purity L-lactic acid. By screening the lower activity of alcohol dehydrogenase (ADH) mutant, thus decreasing the flux of pyruvic acid to ethanol may be a virtual method for increasing the conversion rate of glucose ...

Recombination Phenotypes of Escherichia coli greA Mutants

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Poteete Anthony R

2011-03-01

Full Text Available Abstract Background The elongation factor GreA binds to RNA polymerase and modulates transcriptional pausing. Some recent research suggests that the primary role of GreA may not be to regulate gene expression, but rather, to promote the progression of replication forks which collide with RNA polymerase, and which might otherwise collapse. Replication fork collapse is known to generate dsDNA breaks, which can be recombinogenic. It follows that GreA malfunction could have consequences affecting homologous recombination. Results Escherichia coli mutants bearing substitutions of the active site acidic residues of the transcription elongation factor GreA, D41N and E44K, were isolated as suppressors of growth inhibition by a toxic variant of the bacteriophage lambda Red-beta recombination protein. These mutants, as well as a D41A greA mutant and a greA deletion, were tested for proficiency in recombination events. The mutations were found to increase the efficiency of RecA-RecBCD-mediated and RecA-Red-mediated recombination, which are replication-independent, and to decrease the efficiency of replication-dependent Red-mediated recombination. Conclusion These observations provide new evidence for a role of GreA in resolving conflicts between replication and transcription.

Apoc2 loss-of-function zebrafish mutant as a genetic model of hyperlipidemia

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Chao Liu

2015-08-01

Full Text Available Apolipoprotein C-II (APOC2 is an obligatory activator of lipoprotein lipase. Human patients with APOC2 deficiency display severe hypertriglyceridemia while consuming a normal diet, often manifesting xanthomas, lipemia retinalis and pancreatitis. Hypertriglyceridemia is also an important risk factor for development of cardiovascular disease. Animal models to study hypertriglyceridemia are limited, with no Apoc2-knockout mouse reported. To develop a genetic model of hypertriglyceridemia, we generated an apoc2 mutant zebrafish characterized by the loss of Apoc2 function. apoc2 mutants show decreased plasma lipase activity and display chylomicronemia and severe hypertriglyceridemia, which closely resemble the phenotype observed in human patients with APOC2 deficiency. The hypertriglyceridemia in apoc2 mutants is rescued by injection of plasma from wild-type zebrafish or by injection of a human APOC2 mimetic peptide. Consistent with a previous report of a transient apoc2 knockdown, apoc2 mutant larvae have a minor delay in yolk consumption and angiogenesis. Furthermore, apoc2 mutants fed a normal diet accumulate lipid and lipid-laden macrophages in the vasculature, which resemble early events in the development of human atherosclerotic lesions. In addition, apoc2 mutant embryos show ectopic overgrowth of pancreas. Taken together, our data suggest that the apoc2 mutant zebrafish is a robust and versatile animal model to study hypertriglyceridemia and the mechanisms involved in the pathogenesis of associated human diseases.

The Swedish mutant barley collection

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

NONE

1989-07-01

Full text: The Swedish mutation research programme in barley began about 50 years ago and has mainly been carried out at Svaloev in co-operation with the institute of Genetics at the University of Lund. The collection has been produced from different Swedish high-yielding spring barley varieties, using the following mutagens: X-rays, neutrons, several organic chemical compounds such as ethyleneimine, several sulfonate derivatives and the inorganic chemical mutagen sodium azide. Nearly 10,000 barley mutants are stored in the Nordic Gene Bank and documented in databases developed by Udda Lundquist, Svaloev AB. The collection consists of the following nine categories with 94 different types of mutants: 1. Mutants with changes in the spike and spikelets; 2. Changes in culm length and culm composition; 3. Changes in growth types; 4. Physiological mutants; 5. Changes in awns; 6. Changes in seed size and shape; 7. Changes in leaf blades; 8. Changes in anthocyanin and colour; 9. Resistance to barley powdery mildew. Barley is one of the most thoroughly investigated crops in terms of induction of mutations and mutation genetics. So far, about half of the mutants stored at the Nordic Gene Bank, have been analysed genetically; They constitute, however, only a minority of the 94 different mutant types. The genetic analyses have given valuable insights into the mutation process but also into the genetic architecture of various characters. A number of mutants of two-row barley have been registered and commercially released. One of the earliest released, Mari, an early maturing, daylength neutral, straw stiff mutant, is still grown in Iceland. The Swedish mutation material has been used in Sweden, but also in other countries, such as Denmark, Germany, and USA, for various studies providing a better understanding of the barley genome. The collection will be immensely valuable for future molecular genetical analyses of clone mutant genes. (author)

The Swedish mutant barley collection

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

1989-01-01

Full text: The Swedish mutation research programme in barley began about 50 years ago and has mainly been carried out at Svaloev in co-operation with the institute of Genetics at the University of Lund. The collection has been produced from different Swedish high-yielding spring barley varieties, using the following mutagens: X-rays, neutrons, several organic chemical compounds such as ethyleneimine, several sulfonate derivatives and the inorganic chemical mutagen sodium azide. Nearly 10,000 barley mutants are stored in the Nordic Gene Bank and documented in databases developed by Udda Lundquist, Svaloev AB. The collection consists of the following nine categories with 94 different types of mutants: 1. Mutants with changes in the spike and spikelets; 2. Changes in culm length and culm composition; 3. Changes in growth types; 4. Physiological mutants; 5. Changes in awns; 6. Changes in seed size and shape; 7. Changes in leaf blades; 8. Changes in anthocyanin and colour; 9. Resistance to barley powdery mildew. Barley is one of the most thoroughly investigated crops in terms of induction of mutations and mutation genetics. So far, about half of the mutants stored at the Nordic Gene Bank, have been analysed genetically; They constitute, however, only a minority of the 94 different mutant types. The genetic analyses have given valuable insights into the mutation process but also into the genetic architecture of various characters. A number of mutants of two-row barley have been registered and commercially released. One of the earliest released, Mari, an early maturing, daylength neutral, straw stiff mutant, is still grown in Iceland. The Swedish mutation material has been used in Sweden, but also in other countries, such as Denmark, Germany, and USA, for various studies providing a better understanding of the barley genome. The collection will be immensely valuable for future molecular genetical analyses of clone mutant genes. (author)

Knockin mouse with mutant Gα11 mimics human inherited hypocalcemia and is rescued by pharmacologic inhibitors

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Roszko, Kelly L; Bi, Ruiye; Gorvin, Caroline M

2017-01-01

in patients with autosomal-dominant hypocalcemia type 2 (ADH2), an inherited disorder of hypocalcemia, low parathyroid hormone (PTH), and hyperphosphatemia. We have generated knockin mice harboring the point mutation GNA11 c.C178T (p.Arg60Cys) identified in ADH2 patients. The mutant mice faithfully replicated...... human ADH2. They also exhibited low bone mineral density and increased skin pigmentation. Treatment with NPS 2143, a negative allosteric modulator of the calcium-sensing receptor (CASR), increased PTH and calcium concentrations in WT and mutant mice, suggesting that the gain-of-function effect of GNA11...

Ensemble-based computational approach discriminates functional activity of p53 cancer and rescue mutants.

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Özlem Demir

2011-10-01

Full Text Available The tumor suppressor protein p53 can lose its function upon single-point missense mutations in the core DNA-binding domain ("cancer mutants". Activity can be restored by second-site suppressor mutations ("rescue mutants". This paper relates the functional activity of p53 cancer and rescue mutants to their overall molecular dynamics (MD, without focusing on local structural details. A novel global measure of protein flexibility for the p53 core DNA-binding domain, the number of clusters at a certain RMSD cutoff, was computed by clustering over 0.7 µs of explicitly solvated all-atom MD simulations. For wild-type p53 and a sample of p53 cancer or rescue mutants, the number of clusters was a good predictor of in vivo p53 functional activity in cell-based assays. This number-of-clusters (NOC metric was strongly correlated (r(2 = 0.77 with reported values of experimentally measured ΔΔG protein thermodynamic stability. Interpreting the number of clusters as a measure of protein flexibility: (i p53 cancer mutants were more flexible than wild-type protein, (ii second-site rescue mutations decreased the flexibility of cancer mutants, and (iii negative controls of non-rescue second-site mutants did not. This new method reflects the overall stability of the p53 core domain and can discriminate which second-site mutations restore activity to p53 cancer mutants.

Mutants of alfalfa mosaic virus

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Roosien, J.

1983-01-01

In this thesis the isolation and characterization of a number of mutants of alfalfa mosaic virus, a plant virus with a coat protein dependent genome, is described. Thermo-sensitive (ts) mutants were selected since, at least theoretically, ts mutations can be present in all virus coded functions. It was found that a high percentage of spontaneous mutants, isolated because of their aberrant symptoms, were ts. The majority of these isolates could grow at the non-permissive temperature in the presence of a single wild type (wt) component. To increase the mutation rate virus preparations were treated with several mutagens. After nitrous acid treatment or irradiation with ultraviolet light, an increase in the level of mutations was observed. UV irradiation was preferred since it did not require large amounts of purified viral components. During the preliminary characterization of potential ts mutants the author also obtained one structural and several symptom mutants which were analysed further (chapter 7, 8 and 9). The properties of the ts mutants are described in chapter 3-7. (Auth.)

A Caulobacter MreB mutant with irregular cell shape exhibits compensatory widening to maintain a preferred surface area to volume ratio

Science.gov (United States)

Harris, Leigh K.; Dye, Natalie A.; Theriot, Julie A.

2014-01-01

Summary Rod-shaped bacteria typically elongate at a uniform width. To investigate the genetic and physiological determinants involved in this process, we studied a mutation in the morphogenetic protein MreB in Caulobacter crescentus that gives rise to cells with a variable-width phenotype, where cells have regions that are both thinner and wider than wild-type. During growth, individual cells develop a balance of wide and thin regions, and mutant MreB dynamically localizes to poles and thin regions. Surprisingly, the surface area to volume ratio of these irregularly-shaped cells is, on average, very similar to wild-type. We propose that, while mutant MreB localizes to thin regions and promotes rod-like growth there, wide regions develop as a compensatory mechanism, allowing cells to maintain a wild-type-like surface area to volume ratio. To support this model, we have shown that cell widening is abrogated in growth conditions that promote higher surface area to volume ratios, and we have observed individual cells with high ratios return to wild-type levels over several hours by developing wide regions, suggesting that compensation can take place at the level of individual cells. PMID:25266768

Isolation of a spontaneous CHO amino acid transport mutant by a combination of tritium suicide and replica plating

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Dantzig, A.H.; Slayman, C.W.; Adelberg, E.A.

1982-01-01

A spontaneous transport mutant of Chinese hamster ovary cells, CHY-1, was isolated by a combination of [ 3 H]proline suicide and replica plating. The mutant took up less tritium than the parent, resulting in a lower killing rate during storage. Transport by four separate amino acid transport systems (A, ASC, L, Ly+) was examined. The CHY-1 mutant exhibited normal uptake via the ASC, L, and Ly+ systems. By contrast, uptake of the most specific substrate of the A system, 2-(methylamino)-isobutyric acid, was significantly reduced at low, but not high, concentrations, due to a 3.5-fold increase in Km and a 1.5-fold increase in Vmax. Taken together, these data suggest that the CHY-1 mutation may be in the structural gene coding for the A transport protein. The tritium suicide procedure is discussed, and general equations are derived to predict the maximum storage time for the survival of one mutant cell and the optimum size of the cell population for maximum mutant enrichment

Competitive Interactions Between Incompatible Mutants of the Social Bacterium Myxococcus xanthus DK1622

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Ya Gong

2018-06-01

Full Text Available Due to the high similarity in their requirements for space and food, close bacterial relatives may be each other's strongest competitors. Close bacterial relatives often form visible boundaries to separate their swarming colonies, a phenomenon termed colony-merger incompatibility. While bacterial species are known to have many incompatible strains, it is largely unclear which traits lead to multiple incompatibilities and the interactions between multiple incompatible siblings. To investigate the competitive interactions of closely related incompatible strains, we mutated Myxococcus xanthus DK1622, a predatory bacterium with complex social behavior. From 3392 random transposon mutations, we obtained 11 self-identification (SI deficient mutants that formed unmerged colony boundaries with the ancestral strain. The mutations were at nine loci with unknown functions and formed nine independent SI mutants. Compared with their ancestral strain, most of the SI mutants showed reduced growth, swarming and development abilities, but some remained unchanged from their monocultures. When pairwise mixed with their ancestral strain for co-cultivation, these mutants exhibited improved, reduced or unchanged competitive abilities compared with the ancestral strain. The sporulation efficiencies were affected by the DK1622 partner, ranging from almost complete inhibition to 360% stimulation. The differences in competitive growth between the SI mutants and DK1622 were highly correlated with the differences in their sporulation efficiencies. However, the competitive efficiencies of the mutants in mixture were inconsistent with their growth or sporulation abilities in monocultures. We propose that the colony-merger incompatibility in M. xanthus is associated with multiple independent genetic loci, and the incompatible strains hold competitive interaction abilities, which probably determine the complex relationships between multiple incompatible M. xanthus strains and

Mitochondrial uncoupler exerts a synthetic lethal effect against β-catenin mutant tumor cells.

Science.gov (United States)

Shikata, Yuki; Kiga, Masaki; Futamura, Yushi; Aono, Harumi; Inoue, Hiroyuki; Kawada, Manabu; Osada, Hiroyuki; Imoto, Masaya

2017-04-01

The wingless/int-1 (Wnt) signal transduction pathway plays a central role in cell proliferation, survival, differentiation and apoptosis. When β-catenin: a component of the Wnt pathway, is mutated into an active form, cell growth signaling is hyperactive and drives oncogenesis. As β-catenin is mutated in a wide variety of tumors, including up to 10% of all sporadic colon carcinomas and 20% of hepatocellular carcinomas, it has been considered a promising target for therapeutic interventions. Therefore, we screened an in-house natural product library for compounds that exhibited synthetic lethality towards β-catenin mutations and isolated nonactin, an antibiotic mitochondrial uncoupler, as a hit compound. Nonactin, as well as other mitochondrial uncouplers, induced apoptosis selectively in β-catenin mutated tumor cells. Significant tumor regression was observed in the β-catenin mutant HCT 116 xenograft model, but not in the β-catenin wild type A375 xenograft model, in response to daily administration of nonactin in vivo. Furthermore, we found that expression of an active mutant form of β-catenin induced a decrease in the glycolysis rate. Taken together, our results demonstrate that tumor cells with mutated β-catenin depend on mitochondrial oxidative phosphorylation for survival. Therefore, they undergo apoptosis in response to mitochondrial dysfunction following the addition of mitochondrial uncouplers, such as nonactin. These results suggest that targeting mitochondria is a potential chemotherapeutic strategy for tumor cells that harbor β-catenin mutations. © 2017 The Authors. Cancer Science published by John Wiley & Sons Australia, Ltd on behalf of Japanese Cancer Association.

Gr and hp-1 tomato mutants unveil unprecedented interactions between arbuscular mycorrhizal symbiosis and fruit ripening.

Science.gov (United States)

Chialva, Matteo; Zouari, Inès; Salvioli, Alessandra; Novero, Mara; Vrebalov, Julia; Giovannoni, James J; Bonfante, Paola

2016-07-01

Systemic responses to an arbuscular mycorrhizal fungus reveal opposite phenological patterns in two tomato ripening mutants depending whether ethylene or light reception is involved. The availability of tomato ripening mutants has revealed many aspects of the genetics behind fleshy fruit ripening, plant hormones and light signal reception. Since previous analyses revealed that arbuscular mycorrhizal symbiosis influences tomato berry ripening, we wanted to test the hypothesis that an interplay might occur between root symbiosis and fruit ripening. With this aim, we screened seven tomato mutants affected in the ripening process for their responsiveness to the arbuscular mycorrhizal fungus Funneliformis mosseae. Following their phenological responses we selected two mutants for a deeper analysis: Green ripe (Gr), deficient in fruit ethylene perception and high-pigment-1 (hp-1), displaying enhanced light signal perception throughout the plant. We investigated the putative interactions between ripening processes, mycorrhizal establishment and systemic effects using biochemical and gene expression tools. Our experiments showed that both mutants, notwithstanding a normal mycorrhizal phenotype at root level, exhibit altered arbuscule functionality. Furthermore, in contrast to wild type, mycorrhization did not lead to a higher phosphate concentration in berries of both mutants. These results suggest that the mutations considered interfere with arbuscular mycorrhiza inducing systemic changes in plant phenology and fruits metabolism. We hypothesize a cross talk mechanism between AM and ripening processes that involves genes related to ethylene and light signaling.

Properties of adenyl cyclase and cyclic adenosine 3',5'-monophosphate receptor protein-deficient mutants of Escherichia coli

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Kumar, S.

1976-01-01

Several spontaneous cya and crp mutants of Escherichia coli have been selected as clones simultaneously resistant to phage lambda and nalidixic acid and characterized. Both cya and crp mutants have been found to grow as cocci with increased doubling times. They have increased resistance to some mutagens (methylmethanesulfonate, ultraviolet light, gamma rays), antibiotics (nalidixic acid, ampicillin), phages (lambda, T6), sublethal heat and hypotonic shock, and decreased resistance to neutral detergents (sodium dodecyl sulfate, sodium deoxycholate), a protein synthesis inhibitor (streptomycin), and a respiratory inhibitor (sodium azide). The nature of changes in cell parameters indicate fundamental alterations in the envelope structure of the cya and crp mutant cells. The new cya and crp mutants have been found to be multiply carbohydrate negative and nonmotile in conformity with similar previously isolated mutants. Studies of revertants and phi 80 cya + and phi 80 cya transductants indicated that the pleiotropic phenotype is related to a single mutational event at the cya or the crp locus in the mutants

Transcriptomic analysis of swarm motility phenotype of Salmonella enterica serovar Typhimurium mutant defective in periplasmic glucan synthesis

Science.gov (United States)

Movement of food-borne pathogens on moist surfaces enables them to migrate towards more favorable niches and facilitate their survival for extended periods of time. Salmonella enterica serovar Typhimurium mutants defective in OPG synthesis are unable to exhibit motility on moist surfaces (swarming) ...

Genetic fingerprinting of mutant rose cultivars

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Kumar, S; Prasad, K V; Singh, K P; Singh, A.P. [Division of Floriculture and Landscaping, Indian Agricultural Research Institute, Pusa, New Delhi (India)], E-mail: kvprasad66@gmail.com

2008-07-01

Six rose mutants evolved at the Indian Agricultural Research Institute, New Delhi from four parent cultivars were characterized based on RAPD markers. Contrary to the earlier findings our effort has conclusively proven that the RAPD markers are indeed robust tools to discern the mutants from their parents. Among 40 primers screened, 7 primers produced inconsistent banding pattern. The number of polymorphic bands varied between 4 (OPA 14) and 10 (OPA1) with an average of 6.5 bands per primer. The percentage polymorphism ranged from 62.5 (OPM 9) to 100 percent (OPA 1). Most of the primers produced monomorphic bands between parent and mutant rose cultivars. When primer OPA 2 was used a specific band of 2.5 kb was noticed in mutant cv. Pusa Urmil and cv. Pusa Abhishek but was absent in parent cv. Jantar Mantar. A polymorphic band of 750 bp was noticed in the parent Kiss of Fire and helped in differentiating the parent from its mutant when amplified with OPK 3. Primer OPS 16 produced discriminatory band of 800 bp in mutant cv. Pink Sport of Montezuma while it was absent in its parent cv. Montezuma. Another specific band of 650 bp was present in parent cv. Montezuma and absent in its mutant cv. Pink Sport of Montezuma signifying the uniqueness of the mutant. Primer OPM 5 brought out distinct polymorphism among the parent Jantar Mantar and its three mutants with absence of a specific band of 1.5 kb in the parent. The four parents and 6 mutants were divided into four distinct groups in the Dendogram constructed by UPGMA method. The most genetically similar cultivar among the 10 cultivars analyzed are Montezuma and its pink sport of Montezuma whereas Abhisarika a mutant of cv. Kiss of Fire was distinctly different and formed a separate cluster. (author)

From one body mutant to one cell mutant. A progress of radiation breeding in crops

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Nagatomi, Shigeki

1996-01-01

An effective method was established to obtain non-chimeral mutants with wide spectrum of flower colors, regenerated from floral organs on which mutated sectors were come out on chronic irradiated plants. By this way, six mutant varieties of flower colors have been selected from one pink flower of chrysanthemum, and cultivated for cut-flower production. By the same method, 3 mutant varieties with small and spray type flowers were selected in Eustoma. Mutant varieties such as a rust disease resistant in sugarcane, 6 dwarfs in Cytisus and pure-white mushroom in velvet shank have been selected successively for short period. (J.P.N.)

Genetic Analysis and Molecular Mapping of a Novel Chlorophyll-Deficit Mutant Gene in Rice

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Xiao-qun HUANG

2008-03-01

Full Text Available A rice etiolation mutant 824ys featured with chlorophyll deficiency was identified from a normal green rice variety 824B. It showed whole green-yellow plant from the seedling stage, reduced number of tillers and longer growth duration. The contents of chlorophyll, chlorophyll a, chlorophyll b and net photosynthetic rate in leaves of the mutant obviously decreased, as well as the number of spikelets per panicle, seed setting rate and 1000-grain weight compared with its wild-type parent. Genetic analyses on F1 and F2 generations of 824ys crossed with three normal green varieties showed that the chlorophyll-deficit mutant character was controlled by a pair of recessive nuclear gene. Genetic mapping of the mutant gene was conducted by using microsatellite markers and F2 mapping population of 495R/824ys, and the mutant gene of 824ys was mapped on the short arm of rice chromosome 3. The genetic distances from the target gene to the markers RM218, RM282 and RM6959 were 25.6 cM, 5.2 cM and 21.8 cM, respectively. It was considered to be a new chlorophyll-deficit mutant gene and tentatively named as chl11(t.

Differential effects of lesion mimic mutants in barley on disease development by facultative pathogens

Science.gov (United States)

McGrann, Graham R. D.; Steed, , Andrew; Burt, Christopher; Nicholson, Paul; Brown, James K. M.

2015-01-01

Lesion mimic mutants display spontaneous necrotic spots and chlorotic leaves as a result of mis-regulated cell death programmes. Typically these mutants have increased resistance to biotrophic pathogens but their response to facultative fungi that cause necrotrophic diseases is less well studied. The effect of altered cell death regulation on the development of disease caused by Ramularia collo-cygni, Fusarium culmorum and Oculimacula yallundae was explored using a collection of barley necrotic (nec) lesion mimic mutants. nec8 mutants displayed lower levels of all three diseases compared to nec9 mutants, which had increased R. collo-cygni but decreased F. culmorum disease symptoms. nec1 mutants reduced disease development caused by both R. collo-cygni and F. culmorum. The severity of the nec1-induced lesion mimic phenotype and F. culmorum symptom development was reduced by mutation of the negative cell death regulator MLO. The significant reduction in R. collo-cygni symptoms caused by nec1 was completely abolished in the presence of the mlo-5 allele and both symptoms and fungal biomass were greater than in the wild-type. These results indicate that physiological pathways involved in regulation of cell death interact with one another in their effects on different fungal pathogens. PMID:25873675

Thermosensitive mutant of Bacillus subtilis deficient in uracil and cell division

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Nagai, K; Some, H; Tamura, G

1976-01-01

Thermonsensitive division mutants were derived from Bacillus subtilis Marburg 168 thy trp/sub 2/ by means of membrane filtration after nitrosoguanidine mutagenesis. Among them, ts42 requiring uracil for normal growth at 48/sup 0/C was investigated. In the absence of uracil, the mutant cells grew normally at 37/sup 0/C and stopped dividing after temperature shift to 48/sup 0/C resulting in filaments of two to four times length of normal rods. The total cell number after the temperature shift increased two to three fold in 90 min and remained constant thereafter. The viable count after the temperature shift to 48/sup 0/C, increased 1.5 to 2 fold in initial 60 min and then decreased exponentially. A rapid restoration of colony forming ability was shown when the mutant cells were shifted back to the permissive temperature after 120 to 180 min of incubation at 48/sup 0/C or when uracil was introduced to the culture at 48/sup 0/C. This recovery of viability was partly observed even in the presence of chloramphenicol. The synthesis of RNA of this mutant was shown to decline 20 min after the temperature shift to 48/sup 0/C whereas the syntheses of DNA and protein proceeded for more than 80 min at that temperature. No newly isolated uracil requiring mutants formed filaments in the medium lacking uracil or showed growth pattern like ts42.

Progranulin is neurotrophic in vivo and protects against a mutant TDP-43 induced axonopathy.

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Angela S Laird

Full Text Available Mislocalization, aberrant processing and aggregation of TAR DNA-binding protein 43 (TDP-43 is found in the neurons affected by two related diseases, amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS and frontotemporal lobe dementia (FTLD. These TDP-43 abnormalities are seen when TDP-43 is mutated, such as in familial ALS, but also in FTLD, caused by null mutations in the progranulin gene. They are also found in many patients with sporadic ALS and FTLD, conditions in which only wild type TDP-43 is present. The common pathological hallmarks and symptomatic cross over between the two diseases suggest that TDP-43 and progranulin may be mechanistically linked. In this study we aimed to address this link by establishing whether overexpression of mutant TDP-43 or knock-down of progranulin in zebrafish embryos results in motor neuron phenotypes and whether human progranulin is neuroprotective against such phenotypes. Mutant TDP-43 (A315T mutation induced a motor axonopathy characterized by short axonal outgrowth and aberrant branching, similar, but more severe, than that induced by mutant SOD1. Knockdown of the two zebrafish progranulin genes, grna and grnb, produced a substantial decrease in axonal length, with knockdown of grna alone producing a greater decrease in axonal length than grnb. Progranulin overexpression rescued the axonopathy induced by progranulin knockdown. Interestingly, progranulin also rescued the mutant TDP-43 induced axonopathy, whilst it failed to affect the mutant SOD1-induced phenotype. TDP-43 was found to be nuclear in all conditions described. The findings described here demonstrate that progranulin is neuroprotective in vivo and may have therapeutic potential for at least some forms of motor neuron degeneration.

Functional rescue of mutant ABCA1 proteins by sodium 4-phenylbutyrate.

Science.gov (United States)

Sorrenson, Brie; Suetani, Rachel J; Williams, Michael J A; Bickley, Vivienne M; George, Peter M; Jones, Gregory T; McCormick, Sally P A

2013-01-01

Mutations in the ATP-binding cassette transporter A1 (ABCA1) are a major cause of decreased HDL cholesterol (HDL-C), which infers an increased risk of cardiovascular disease (CVD). Many ABCA1 mutants show impaired localization to the plasma membrane. The aim of this study was to investigate whether the chemical chaperone, sodium 4-phenylbutyrate (4-PBA) could improve cellular localization and function of ABCA1 mutants. Nine different ABCA1 mutants (p.A594T, p.I659V, p.R1068H, p.T1512M, p.Y1767D, p.N1800H, p.R2004K, p.A2028V, p.Q2239N) expressed in HEK293 cells, displaying different degrees of mislocalization to the plasma membrane and discrete impacts on cholesterol efflux, were subject to treatment with 4-PBA. Treatment restored localization to the plasma membrane and increased cholesterol efflux function for the majority of mutants. Treatment with 4-PBA also increased ABCA1 protein expression in all transfected cell lines. In fibroblast cells obtained from low HDL-C subjects expressing two of the ABCA1 mutants (p.R1068H and p.N1800H), 4-PBA increased cholesterol efflux without any increase in ABCA1 expression. Our study is the first to investigate the effect of the chemical chaperone, 4-PBA on ABCA1 and shows that it is capable of restoring plasma membrane localization and enhancing the cholesterol efflux function of mutant ABCA1s both in vitro and ex vivo. These results suggest 4-PBA may warrant further investigation as a potential therapy for increasing cholesterol efflux and HDL-C levels.

The Arabidopsis defence response mutant esa1 as a tool to discover novel resistance traits against Fusarium diseases

NARCIS (Netherlands)

Hemelrijck, van W.; Wouters, P.F.J.; Brouwer, M.; Windelinckx, A.; Goderis, I.J.W.M.; Bolle, De M.F.C.; Thomma, B.P.H.J.; Cammue, B.P.A.; Delauré, S.L.

2006-01-01

The Arabidopsis thaliana mutant esa1 was previously shown to exhibit enhanced susceptibility to the necrotrophic fungal pathogens Alternaria brassicicola, Botrytis cinerea and Plectosphaerella cucumerina. In this work, we tried to elaborate on this susceptibility by investigating whether the esa1

Water-deficit tolerant classification in mutant lines of indica rice

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Suriyan Cha-um

2012-04-01

Full Text Available Water shortage is a major abiotic stress for crop production worldwide, limiting the productivity of crop species, especially in dry-land agricultural areas. This investigation aimed to classify the water-deficit tolerance in mutant rice (Oryza sativa L. spp. indica genotypes during the reproductive stage. Proline content in the flag leaf of mutant lines increased when plants were subjected to water deficit. Relative water content (RWC in the flag leaf of different mutant lines dropped in relation to water deficit stress. A decrease RWC was positively related to chlorophyll a degradation. Chlorophyll a , chlorophyll b , total chlorophyll , total carotenoids , maximum quantum yield of PSII , stomatal conductance , transpiration rate and water use efficiency in mutant lines grown under water deficit conditions declined in comparison to the well-watered, leading to a reduction in net-photosynthetic rate. In addition, when exposed to water deficit, panicle traits, including panicle length and fertile grains were dropped. The biochemical and physiological data were subjected to classify the water deficit tolerance. NSG19 (positive control and DD14 were identified as water deficit tolerant, and AA11, AA12, AA16, BB13, BB16, CC12, CC15, EE12, FF15, FF17, G11 and IR20 (negative control as water deficit sensitive, using Ward's method.

Induction of Mutants in Durum Wheat

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

AL-Ubaidi, M.; Ibrahim, I.; AL-Hadithi, A.

2002-01-01

This investigation presents a breeding program for induction and development of a new genotype of durum wheat, resistant to lodging with high yield, by irradiation durum wheat hybrids (F2) with gamma rays 100 Gy, during 1990-1997 cultivation seasons. This program involves: induction of variability, selection evaluation of the mutants at three locations: Twaitha (Baghdad) Latifya ( Babylon) and Swari (Kutt). All mutants showed resistance to lodging and there was a significant reduction in plant height. Mutant SIXIZ-22 surpassed other mutants and its origin in lodging resistance and plant height (83.5,82.8 and 89.4 cm) in the three locations at generation M5 and M6, respectively. Also, there were significant differences between mutant and their origin in the number of spikes/M 2 and grain yild during the two successive generation. On the other hand, mutant IZxCO-105 surpassed other mutants in the number of spikes/M 2 (231.8,242.3 and 292) and grain yield (4336,3376 and 5232 kg/ha) in all testing location, respectively . (authors) 14 refs., 4 tabs

Clavulanic acid production by the MMS 150 mutant obtained from wild type Streptomyces clavuligerus ATCC 27064

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Eliton da Silva Vasconcelos

2013-12-01

Full Text Available Clavulanic acid (CA is a powerful inhibitor of the beta-lactamases, enzymes produced by bacteria resistants to penicillin and cefalosporin. This molecule is produced industrially by strains of Streptomyces clavuligerus in complex media which carbon and nitrogen resources are supplied by inexpensive compounds still providing high productivity. The genetic production improvement using physical and chemical mutagenic agents is an important strategy in programs of industrial production development of bioactive metabolites. However, parental strains are susceptible to loss of their original productivity due genetic instability phenomenona. In this work, some S. clavuligerus mutant strains obtained by treatment with UV light and with MMS are compared with the wild type (Streptomyces clavuligerus ATCC 27064. The results indicated that the random mutations originated some strains with different phenotypes, most divergent demonstrated by the mutants strains named AC116, MMS 150 and MMS 54, that exhibited lack of pigmentation in their mature spores. Also, the strain MMS 150 presented a larger production of CA when cultivated in semi-synthetics media. Using other media, the wild type strain obtained a larger CA production. Besides, using the modifed complex media the MMS 150 strain showed changes in its lipolitic activity and a larger production of CA. The studies also allowed finding the best conditions for a lipase activity exhibited by wild type S. clavuligerus and the MMS150 mutant.

Clavulanic acid production by the MMS 150 mutant obtained from wild type Streptomyces clavuligerus ATCC 27064.

Science.gov (United States)

da Silva Vasconcelos, Eliton; de Lima, Vanderlei Aparecido; Goto, Leandro Seiji; Cruz-Hernández, Isara Lourdes; Hokka, Carlos Osamu

2013-12-01

Clavulanic acid (CA) is a powerful inhibitor of the beta-lactamases, enzymes produced by bacteria resistants to penicillin and cefalosporin. This molecule is produced industrially by strains of Streptomyces clavuligerus in complex media which carbon and nitrogen resources are supplied by inexpensive compounds still providing high productivity. The genetic production improvement using physical and chemical mutagenic agents is an important strategy in programs of industrial production development of bioactive metabolites. However, parental strains are susceptible to loss of their original productivity due genetic instability phenomenona. In this work, some S. clavuligerus mutant strains obtained by treatment with UV light and with MMS are compared with the wild type (Streptomyces clavuligerus ATCC 27064). The results indicated that the random mutations originated some strains with different phenotypes, most divergent demonstrated by the mutants strains named AC116, MMS 150 and MMS 54, that exhibited lack of pigmentation in their mature spores. Also, the strain MMS 150 presented a larger production of CA when cultivated in semi-synthetics media. Using other media, the wild type strain obtained a larger CA production. Besides, using the modifed complex media the MMS 150 strain showed changes in its lipolitic activity and a larger production of CA. The studies also allowed finding the best conditions for a lipase activity exhibited by wild type S. clavuligerus and the MMS150 mutant.

Yield and Quality Traits of some Rice Mutant Lines as Affected by Different Nitrogen Levels

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Sobieh, S.El-S.S.

2007-01-01

Two field experiments were carried out during two growing seasons (2004 and 2005) at a farm located in Sahafa village, Sharkia Governorate, to evaluate newly rice mutants comparing with the local cultivar Sakha 104 for yield and quality characteristics as affected by nitrogen fertilizer levels. The obtained results showed that: 1- Rice grain yield and yield attributes were significantly increased with increasing N levels from 23 to 69 kg N fed '. 2- Both mutant MG 16 and MS 6 exhibited highly significant increases in mean values for yield attributes except for number of panicles/m2, as compared with the local cultivar Sakha 104. 3- Percentage of yield increases were 26.85 and 16.21 % for mutant MG16 and MS6 comparing with the local variety Sakha 104, respectively. Mutant MG 16 showed the highest mean values for plant height, panicle length, number of grains per panicle, panicle weight, 1000-grain weight, grain yield/fed, and straw yield/fed, as compared with the mutant MS 6 and Sakha 104. 4- Hulling and milling % were significantly increased as increasing of nitrogen levels from 23 to 69 kg N fed 1 , whereas head rice, gel consistency and amylose content were not significantly affect. 5- Significant differences were obtained between the three rice genotypes for hulling %, milling %, head rice %, amylose content and gel consistency

Root hair mutants of barley

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Engvild, K.C.; Rasmussen, K.

2005-01-01

Barley mutants without root hairs or with short or reduced root hairs were isolated among M 2 seeds of 'Lux' barley (Hordeum vulgare L.) after acidified sodium azide mutagenesis. Root hair mutants are investigated intensively in Arabidopsis where about 40 genes are known. A few root hair mutants are known in maize, rice, barley and tomato. Many plants without root hairs grow quite well with good plant nutrition, and mutants have been used for investigations of uptake of strongly bound nutrients like phosphorus, iron, zinc and silicon. Seed of 'Lux' barley (Sejet Plant Breeding, Denmark) were soaked overnight, and then treated with 1.5-millimolarsodium azide in 0.1 molar sodium phosphate buffer, pH 3, for 2.5 hours according to the IAEA Manual on Mutation Breeding (2nd Ed.). After rinsing in tap water and air-drying, the M 2 seeds were sown in the field the same day. Spikes, 4-6 per M 1 plant, were harvested. The mutation frequency was similar to that obtained with other barley cultivars from which low-phytate mutants were isolated [5]. Seeds were germinated on black filter paper in tap water for 3 or 4 days before scoring for root hair mutants

Effect of CCS on the accumulation of FALS SOD1 mutant-containing aggregates and on mitochondrial translocation of SOD1 mutants: implication of a free radical hypothesis.

Science.gov (United States)

Kim, Ha Kun; Chung, Youn Wook; Chock, P Boon; Yim, Moon B

2011-05-15

Missense mutations of SOD1 are linked to familial amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (FALS) through a yet-to-be identified toxic-gain-of-function. One of the proposed mechanisms involves enhanced aggregate formation. However, a recent study showed that dual transgenic mice overexpressing both G93A and CCS copper chaperone (G93A/CCS) exhibit no SOD1-positive aggregates yet show accelerated FALS symptoms with enhanced mitochondrial pathology compared to G93A mice. Using a dicistronic mRNA to simultaneously generate hSOD1 mutants, G93A, A4V and G85R, and hCCS in AAV293 cells, we revealed: (i) CCS is degraded primarily via a macroautophagy pathway. It forms a stable heterodimer with inactive G85R, and via its novel copper chaperone-independent molecular chaperone activity facilitates G85R degradation via a macroautophagy-mediated pathway. For active G93A and A4V, CCS catalyzes their maturation to form active and soluble homodimers. (ii) CCS reduces, under non-oxidative conditions, yet facilitates in the presence of H(2)O(2), mitochondrial translocation of inactive SOD1 mutants. These results, together with previous reports showing FALS SOD1 mutants enhanced free radical-generating activity, provide a mechanistic explanation for the observations with G93A/CCS dual transgenic mice and suggest that free radical generation by FALS SOD1, enhanced by CCS, may, in part, be responsible for the FALS SOD1 mutant-linked aggregation, mitochondrial translocation, and degradation. Published by Elsevier Inc.

Over-expression of p53 mutants in LNCaP cells alters tumor growth and angiogenesis in vivo

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Perryman, L.A.; Blair, J.M.; Kingsley, E.A.; Szymanska, B.; Ow, K.T.; Wen, V.W.; MacKenzie, K.L.; Vermeulen, P.B.; Jackson, P.; Russell, P.J.

2006-01-01

This study has investigated the impact of three specific dominant-negative p53 mutants (F134L, M237L, and R273H) on tumorigenesis by LNCaP prostate cancer cells. Mutant p53 proteins were associated with an increased subcutaneous 'take rate' in NOD-SCID mice, and increased production of PSA. Tumors expressing F134L and R273H grew slower than controls, and were associated with decreased necrosis and apoptosis, but not hypoxia. Interestingly, hypoxia levels were increased in tumors expressing M237L. There was less proliferation in F134L-bearing tumors compared to control, but this was not statistically significant. Angiogenesis was decreased in tumors expressing F134L and R273H compared with M237L, or controls. Conditioned medium from F134L tumors inhibited growth of normal human umbilical-vein endothelial cells but not telomerase-immortalized bone marrow endothelial cells. F134L tumor supernatants showed lower levels of VEGF and endostatin compared with supernatants from tumors expressing other mutants. Our results support the possibility that decreased angiogenesis might account for reduced growth rate of tumor cells expressing the F134L p53 mutation

Comparative metabolic profiling of mce1 operon mutant vs wild-type Mycobacterium tuberculosis strains.

Science.gov (United States)

Queiroz, Adriano; Medina-Cleghorn, Daniel; Marjanovic, Olivera; Nomura, Daniel K; Riley, Lee W

2015-11-01

Mycobacterium tuberculosis disrupted in a 13-gene operon (mce1) accumulates free mycolic acids (FM) in its cell wall and causes accelerated death in mice. Here, to more comprehensively analyze differences in their cell wall lipid composition, we used an untargeted metabolomics approach to compare the lipid profiles of wild-type and mce1 operon mutant strains. By liquid chromatography-mass spectrometry, we identified >400 distinct lipids significantly altered in the mce1 mutant compared to wild type. These lipids included decreased levels of saccharolipids and glycerophospholipids, and increased levels of alpha-, methoxy- and keto mycolic acids (MA), and hydroxyphthioceranic acid. The mutant showed reduced expression of mmpL8, mmpL10, stf0, pks2 and papA2 genes involved in transport and metabolism of lipids recognized to induce proinflammatory response; these lipids were found to be decreased in the mutant. In contrast, the transcripts of mmpL3, fasI, kasA, kasB, acpM and RV3451 involved in MA transport and metabolism increased; MA inhibits inflammatory response in macrophages. Since the mce1 operon is known to be regulated in intracellular M. tuberculosis, we speculate that the differences we observed in cell wall lipid metabolism and composition may affect host response to M. tuberculosis infection and determine the clinical outcome of such an infection. © FEMS 2015. All rights reserved. For permissions, please e-mail: journals.permissions@oup.com.

Characterization of D-myo-inositol 3-phosphate synthase gene expression in two soybean low phytate mutants

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Yuan Fengjie; Dong Dekun; Li Baiquan; Yu Xiaomin; Fu Xujun; Zhu Danhua; Zhu Shenlong; Yang Qinghua

2013-01-01

1D-myo-inositol 3-phosphate synthase (MIPS) gene plays a significant role in phytic acid biosynthesis. In this study, we used two low phytic acid mutants Gm-lpa-TW-1, Gm-lpa-ZC-2 and their respective wild type parents Taiwan75 and Zhechun No.3 to analyze the expression pattern and characterization of MIPS1 gene. The results showed that there was a common expression pattern of MIPS1 in soybean developing seeds. Expression was weak as detected by RT-PCR in initial stage, increased in the following stages, and the peak expression was appeared in 22 day after flowering (DAF). The expression of MIPS1 gene of non-seed tissues in mutant Gm-lpa-TW-1 and its wildtype Taiwan75 was very weak. In the developing seeds, the MIPS1 expression by qRT-PCR revealed a significant reduction in 22 DAF in mutant Gm-lpa-TW-1 as compared with the wildtype. Similarly, the expression of MIPS1 gene in non-seed tissue of Zhenchun No.3 and Gm-lpa-ZC-2 was very weak. However, stronger expression in developing seeds of the mutant Gm-lpa-ZC-2 than Zhechun No.3 was found. We concluded that the MIPS1 gene expression in the developing seed exhibited an up-regulation pattern in mutant Gm-lpa-ZC-2, but a down-regulation pattern in the mutant Gm-lpa-TW-1. (authors)

Herpes simplex virus type 1 gene UL14: phenotype of a null mutant and identification of the encoded protein.

Science.gov (United States)

Cunningham, C; Davison, A J; MacLean, A R; Taus, N S; Baines, J D

2000-01-01

Herpes simplex virus type 1 (HSV-1) gene UL14 is located between divergently transcribed genes UL13 and UL15 and overlaps the promoters for both of these genes. UL14 also exhibits a substantial overlap of its coding region with that of UL13. It is one of the few HSV-1 genes for which a phenotype and protein product have not been described. Using mass spectrometric and immunological approaches, we demonstrated that the UL14 protein is a minor component of the virion tegument of 32 kDa which is expressed late in infection. In infected cells, the UL14 protein was detected in the nucleus at discrete sites within electron-dense nuclear bodies and in the cytoplasm initially in a diffuse distribution and then at discrete sites. Some of the UL14 protein was phosphorylated. A mutant with a 4-bp deletion in the central region of UL14 failed to produce the UL14 protein and generated small plaques. The mutant exhibited an extended growth cycle at low multiplicity of infection and appeared to be compromised in efficient transit of virus particles from the infected cell. In mice injected intracranially, the 50% lethal dose of the mutant was reduced more than 30,000-fold. Recovery of the mutant from the latently infected sacral ganglia of mice injected peripherally was significantly less than that of wild-type virus, suggesting a marked defect in the establishment of, or reactivation from, latent infection.

Defective pairing and synaptonemal complex formation in a Sordaria mutant (spo44) with a translocated segment of the nucleolar organizer.

Science.gov (United States)

Zickler, D; de Lares, L; Moreau, P J; Leblon, G

1985-01-01

The recessive meiotic mutant spo44 of Sordaria macrospora, with 90% ascospore abortion, exhibits striking effects on recombination (67% decrease), irregular segregation of the almost unpaired homologues, and a decrease in chiasma frequency in the few cases where bivalents are formed. Three-dimensional reconstructions of ten prophase nuclei indicate that pairing, as judged by the absence of fully formed synaptonemal complexes (SC), is not achieved although lateral elements (LE) assemble. The pairing failure is attributable to defects in the alignment of homologous chromosomes. The leptotene alignment seen in the wild type before SC formation was not observed in the spo44 nuclei. Dense material, considered to be precursor of SC central elements, was found scattered among the LE in two nuclei. The behaviour of spo44 substantiates the hypothesis that chromosome matching and SC formation are separable events. - The total length of the LE in the mutant is the same as in the wild type, but due to variable numbers and length of the individual LE, homologues cannot be lined up. Light microscopic observations indicate that the irregular length and number of LE is due to extensive chromosome breakage. The wild-type function corresponding to spo44 is required for both LE integrity and chromosome matching. Reconstructions of heterozygous nuclei reveal the presence of a supernumerary nucleolar organizer in one arm of chromosome 7. It is suggested that rDNA has been inserted into a gene whose function is involved in pairing or into a controlling sequence that interacts with the pairing process.

A Medicago truncatula Tobacco Retrotransposon Insertion Mutant Collection with Defects in Nodule Development and Symbiotic Nitrogen Fixation1[W][OA

Science.gov (United States)

Pislariu, Catalina I.; D. Murray, Jeremy; Wen, JiangQi; Cosson, Viviane; Muni, RajaSekhara Reddy Duvvuru; Wang, Mingyi; A. Benedito, Vagner; Andriankaja, Andry; Cheng, Xiaofei; Jerez, Ivone Torres; Mondy, Samuel; Zhang, Shulan; Taylor, Mark E.; Tadege, Million; Ratet, Pascal; Mysore, Kirankumar S.; Chen, Rujin; Udvardi, Michael K.

2012-01-01

A Tnt1-insertion mutant population of Medicago truncatula ecotype R108 was screened for defects in nodulation and symbiotic nitrogen fixation. Primary screening of 9,300 mutant lines yielded 317 lines with putative defects in nodule development and/or nitrogen fixation. Of these, 230 lines were rescreened, and 156 lines were confirmed with defective symbiotic nitrogen fixation. Mutants were sorted into six distinct phenotypic categories: 72 nonnodulating mutants (Nod−), 51 mutants with totally ineffective nodules (Nod+ Fix−), 17 mutants with partially ineffective nodules (Nod+ Fix+/−), 27 mutants defective in nodule emergence, elongation, and nitrogen fixation (Nod+/− Fix−), one mutant with delayed and reduced nodulation but effective in nitrogen fixation (dNod+/− Fix+), and 11 supernodulating mutants (Nod++Fix+/−). A total of 2,801 flanking sequence tags were generated from the 156 symbiotic mutant lines. Analysis of flanking sequence tags revealed 14 insertion alleles of the following known symbiotic genes: NODULE INCEPTION (NIN), DOESN’T MAKE INFECTIONS3 (DMI3/CCaMK), ERF REQUIRED FOR NODULATION, and SUPERNUMERARY NODULES (SUNN). In parallel, a polymerase chain reaction-based strategy was used to identify Tnt1 insertions in known symbiotic genes, which revealed 25 additional insertion alleles in the following genes: DMI1, DMI2, DMI3, NIN, NODULATION SIGNALING PATHWAY1 (NSP1), NSP2, SUNN, and SICKLE. Thirty-nine Nod− lines were also screened for arbuscular mycorrhizal symbiosis phenotypes, and 30 mutants exhibited defects in arbuscular mycorrhizal symbiosis. Morphological and developmental features of several new symbiotic mutants are reported. The collection of mutants described here is a source of novel alleles of known symbiotic genes and a resource for cloning novel symbiotic genes via Tnt1 tagging. PMID:22679222

Isozyme differences in barley mutants

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

AI-Jibouri, A.A.M.; Dham, K.M.

1990-01-01

Full text: Thirty mutants (M 11 ) of barley (Hordeum vulgare L.) induced by physical and chemical mutagens were analysed for isozyme composition using polyacrylamide gel electrophoresis. Results show that these mutants were different in the isozymes leucine aminopeptidase, esterase and peroxidase. The differences included the number of forms of each enzyme, relative mobility value and their intensity on the gel. Glutamate oxaloacetate transaminase isozyme was found in six molecular forms and these forms were similar in all mutants. (author)

The yeast complex I equivalent NADH dehydrogenase rescues pink1 mutants.

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Sven Vilain

2012-01-01

Full Text Available Pink1 is a mitochondrial kinase involved in Parkinson's disease, and loss of Pink1 function affects mitochondrial morphology via a pathway involving Parkin and components of the mitochondrial remodeling machinery. Pink1 loss also affects the enzymatic activity of isolated Complex I of the electron transport chain (ETC; however, the primary defect in pink1 mutants is unclear. We tested the hypothesis that ETC deficiency is upstream of other pink1-associated phenotypes. We expressed Saccaromyces cerevisiae Ndi1p, an enzyme that bypasses ETC Complex I, or sea squirt Ciona intestinalis AOX, an enzyme that bypasses ETC Complex III and IV, in pink1 mutant Drosophila and find that expression of Ndi1p, but not of AOX, rescues pink1-associated defects. Likewise, loss of function of subunits that encode for Complex I-associated proteins displays many of the pink1-associated phenotypes, and these defects are rescued by Ndi1p expression. Conversely, expression of Ndi1p fails to rescue any of the parkin mutant phenotypes. Additionally, unlike pink1 mutants, fly parkin mutants do not show reduced enzymatic activity of Complex I, indicating that Ndi1p acts downstream or parallel to Pink1, but upstream or independent of Parkin. Furthermore, while increasing mitochondrial fission or decreasing mitochondrial fusion rescues mitochondrial morphological defects in pink1 mutants, these manipulations fail to significantly rescue the reduced enzymatic activity of Complex I, indicating that functional defects observed at the level of Complex I enzymatic activity in pink1 mutant mitochondria do not arise from morphological defects. Our data indicate a central role for Complex I dysfunction in pink1-associated defects, and our genetic analyses with heterologous ETC enzymes suggest that Ndi1p-dependent NADH dehydrogenase activity largely acts downstream of, or in parallel to, Pink1 but upstream of Parkin and mitochondrial remodeling.

Ascertainment of the effect of differential growth rates of mutants on observed mutant frequencies in X-irradiated mammalian cells

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Knaap, A.G.A.C.; Simons, J.W.I.M.

1983-01-01

As it is not known to what extent differential growth rates of induced mutants lead to over- and under-representation of mutants in treated populations and thereby affect the determination of mutant frequencies, the mutation induction in X-irradiated L5178Y mouse lymphoma cells was determined via two methods. The first method involves the standard protocol which may suffer from the effect of differential growth rates, while the second method is based upon the fluctuation test in which the differential growth rates can be actually measured. It appeared that the standard protocol led to a mutant frequency that was similar to the mutant frequency determined in the fluctuation test. Therefore, the standard protocol appears to lead to only a minor under-estimation if any. Substantial heterogeneity in growth rates of induced mutants was observed, but the mutants with a selective advantage appear largely to compensate for the mutants that are lost because of selective disadvantage. It was calculated that the chance for isolating the same mutant twice from a treated population had been increased 2.2-fold because of the observed differential growth rates. (orig./AJ)

Mutant Mice Lacking the p53 C-Terminal Domain Model Telomere Syndromes

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Iva Simeonova

2013-06-01

Full Text Available Mutations in p53, although frequent in human cancers, have not been implicated in telomere-related syndromes. Here, we show that homozygous mutant mice expressing p53Δ31, a p53 lacking the C-terminal domain, exhibit increased p53 activity and suffer from aplastic anemia and pulmonary fibrosis, hallmarks of syndromes caused by short telomeres. Indeed, p53Δ31/Δ31 mice had short telomeres and other phenotypic traits associated with the telomere disease dyskeratosis congenita and its severe variant the Hoyeraal-Hreidarsson syndrome. Heterozygous p53+/Δ31 mice were only mildly affected, but decreased levels of Mdm4, a negative regulator of p53, led to a dramatic aggravation of their symptoms. Importantly, several genes involved in telomere metabolism were downregulated in p53Δ31/Δ31 cells, including Dyskerin, Rtel1, and Tinf2, which are mutated in dyskeratosis congenita, and Terf1, which is implicated in aplastic anemia. Together, these data reveal that a truncating mutation can activate p53 and that p53 plays a major role in the regulation of telomere metabolism.

Mutant p53 protein localized in the cytoplasm inhibits autophagy.

Science.gov (United States)

Morselli, Eugenia; Tasdemir, Ezgi; Maiuri, Maria Chiara; Galluzzi, Lorenzo; Kepp, Oliver; Criollo, Alfredo; Vicencio, José Miguel; Soussi, Thierry; Kroemer, Guido

2008-10-01

The knockout, knockdown or chemical inhibition of p53 stimulates autophagy. Moreover, autophagy-inducing stimuli such as nutrient depletion, rapamycin or lithium cause the depletion of cytoplasmic p53, which in turn is required for the induction of autophagy. Here, we show that retransfection of p53(-/-) HCT 116 colon carcinoma cells with wild type p53 decreases autophagy down to baseline levels. Surprisingly, one third among a panel of 22 cancer-associated p53 single amino acid mutants also inhibited autophagy when transfected into p53(-/-) cells. Those variants of p53 that preferentially localize to the cytoplasm effectively repressed autophagy, whereas p53 mutants that display a prominently nuclear distribution failed to inhibit autophagy. The investigation of a series of deletion mutants revealed that removal of the DNA-binding domain from p53 fails to interfere with its role in the regulation of autophagy. Altogether, these results identify the cytoplasmic localization of p53 as the most important feature for p53-mediated autophagy inhibition. Moreover, the structural requirements for the two biological activities of extranuclear p53, namely induction of apoptosis and inhibition of autophagy, are manifestly different.

Towards a "Golden Standard" for computing globin stability: Stability and structure sensitivity of myoglobin mutants.

Science.gov (United States)

Kepp, Kasper P

2015-10-01

Fast and accurate computation of protein stability is increasingly important for e.g. protein engineering and protein misfolding diseases, but no consensus methods exist for important proteins such as globins, and performance may depend on the type of structural input given. This paper reports benchmarking of six protein stability calculators (POPMUSIC 2.1, I-Mutant 2.0, I-Mutant 3.0, CUPSAT, SDM, and mCSM) against 134 experimental stability changes for mutations of sperm-whale myoglobin. Six different high-resolution structures were used to test structure sensitivity that may impair protein calculations. The trend accuracy of the methods decreased as I-Mutant 2.0 (R=0.64-0.65), SDM (R=0.57-0.60), POPMUSIC2.1 (R=0.54-0.57), I-Mutant 3.0 (R=0.53-0.55), mCSM (R=0.35-0.47), and CUPSAT (R=0.25-0.48). The mean signed errors increased as SDMMean absolute errors increased as I-Mutant 2.0Mutant 3.0Mutant 3.0 (0.05)Mutant 2.0 (0.09)Mutant 2.0 is proficient for this purpose, as further validated against a data set of related cytochrome c like proteins. The results also emphasize the importance of high-quality crystal structures and reveal structure-dependent effects even in the near-atomic resolution limit. Copyright © 2015 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.

Isozyme differences in barley mutants

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

AI-Jibouri, A A.M.; Dham, K M [Department of Botany, Nuclear Research Centre, Baghdad (Iraq)

1990-01-01

Full text: Thirty mutants (M{sub 11}) of barley (Hordeum vulgare L.) induced by physical and chemical mutagens were analysed for isozyme composition using polyacrylamide gel electrophoresis. Results show that these mutants were different in the isozymes leucine aminopeptidase, esterase and peroxidase. The differences included the number of forms of each enzyme, relative mobility value and their intensity on the gel. Glutamate oxaloacetate transaminase isozyme was found in six molecular forms and these forms were similar in all mutants. (author)

Mutant p97 exhibits species-specific changes of its ATPase activity and compromises the UBXD9-mediated monomerisation of p97 hexamers.

Science.gov (United States)

Rijal, Ramesh; Arhzaouy, Khalid; Strucksberg, Karl-Heinz; Cross, Megan; Hofmann, Andreas; Schröder, Rolf; Clemen, Christoph S; Eichinger, Ludwig

2016-01-01

p97 (VCP) is a homo-hexameric triple-A ATPase that exerts a plethora of cellular processes. Heterozygous missense mutations of p97 cause at least five human neurodegenerative disorders. However, the specific molecular consequences of p97 mutations are hitherto widely unknown. Our in silico structural models of human and Dictyostelium p97 showed that the disease-causing human R93C, R155H, and R155C as well as Dictyostelium R154C, E219K, R154C/E219K p97 mutations constitute variations in surface-exposed locations. In-gel ATPase activity measurements of p97 monomers and hexamers revealed significant mutation- and species-specific differences. While all human p97 mutations led to an increase in ATPase activity, no changes could be detected for the Dictyostelium R154C mutant, which is orthologous to human R155C. The E219K mutation led to an almost complete loss of activity, which was partially recuperated in the R154C/E219K double-mutant indicating p97 inter-domain communication. By means of co-immunoprecipitation experiments we identified an UBX-domain containing Dictyostelium protein as a novel p97 interaction partner. We categorized all UBX-domain containing Dictyostelium proteins and named the interaction partner UBXD9. Pull-down assays and surface plasmon resonance analyses of Dictyostelium UBXD9 or the human orthologue TUG/ASPL/UBXD9 demonstrated direct interactions with p97 as well as species-, mutation- and ATP-dependent differences in the binding affinities. Sucrose density gradient assays revealed that both human and Dictyostelium UBXD9 proteins very efficiently disassembled wild-type, but to a lesser extent mutant p97 hexamers into monomers. Our results are consistent with a scenario in which p97 point mutations lead to differences in enzymatic activities and molecular interactions, which in the long-term result in a late-onset and progressive multisystem disease. Copyright © 2016 The Authors. Published by Elsevier GmbH.. All rights reserved.

Citric acid fermentation by gamma ray induced mutants of Aspergillus niger in different carbohydrate media

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Anjuman Ara Begum; Naiyyum Choudhury; Mohammad Serajul Islam (Institute of Food and Radiation Biology, Dacca (Bangladesh))

1990-01-01

A natural isolate of Aspergillus niger, CA16, and two of its second step mutants, 136/40 and 277/30, grown on different sugar substrates gave maximum citric acid yields of 34, 70, and 126 mg/ml respectively in sucrose medium. Combination of two sugars in the medium at 50% of each improved the yields of citric acid for the sucrose: glucose, glucose: sorbitol, glucose: xylose, and xylose: sorbitol combinations with the mutant strains. Inclusion of galactose in combinations decreased the citric acid yield. (author).

Citric acid fermentation by gamma ray induced mutants of Aspergillus niger in different carbohydrate media

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Anjuman Ara Begum; Naiyyum Choudhury; Mohammad Serajul Islam

1990-01-01

A natural isolate of Aspergillus niger, CA16, and two of its second step mutants, 136/40 and 277/30, grown on different sugar substrates gave maximum citric acid yields of 34, 70, and 126 mg/ml respectively in sucrose medium. Combination of two sugars in the medium at 50% of each improved the yields of citric acid for the sucrose: glucose, glucose: sorbitol, glucose: xylose, and xylose: sorbitol combinations with the mutant strains. Inclusion of galactose in combinations decreased the citric acid yield. (author)

Auxin-dependent microtubule responses and seedling development are affected in a rice mutant resistant to EPC

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Nick, P.; Yatou, O.; Furuya, M.; Lambert, A.M.

1994-01-01

Mutants in rice (Oryza sativa L. cv. japonica) were used to study the role of the cytoskeleton in signal-dependent morphogenesis. Mutants obtained by gamma ray irradiation were selected that failed to show inhibition of coleoptile elongation by the anti microtubular drug ethyl-N-phenylcarbamate (EPC). The mutation EPC-Resistant 31 (ER31), isolated from such a screen, caused lethality in putatively homozygous embryos. Heterozygotes exhibited drug resistance, impaired development of crown roots, and characteristic changes in the pattern of cell elongation: cell elongation was enhanced in mesocotyls and leaf sheaths, but inhibited in coleoptiles. The orientation of cortical microtubules changed correspondingly: for etiolated seedlings, compared with the wild-type, they were more transverse with respect to the long cell axis in mesocotyls and leaf sheaths, but more longitudinal in coleoptiles. In mutant coleoptiles, in contrast to wild-type, microtubules did not reorient in response to auxin, and their response to microtubule-eliminating and microtubule-stabilizing drugs was conspicuously reduced. In contrast, they responded normally to other stimuli such as gibberellins or red light. Auxin sensitivity as assayed by the dose-response for callus induction did not show any significant differences between wild-type and mutant. The mutant phenotype is interpreted in terms of an interrupted link between auxin-triggered signal transduction and microtubule reorientation. (author)

Inhibition of cell division in hupA hupB mutant bacteria lacking HU protein.

Science.gov (United States)

Dri, A M; Rouviere-Yaniv, J; Moreau, P L

1991-01-01

Escherichia coli hupA hypB double mutants that lack HU protein have severe cellular defects in cell division, DNA folding, and DNA partitioning. Here we show that the sfiA11 mutation, which alters the SfiA cell division inhibitor, reduces filamentation and production of anucleate cells in AB1157 hupA hupB strains. However, lexA3(Ind-) and sfiB(ftsZ)114 mutations, which normally counteract the effect of the SfiA inhibitor, could not restore a normal morphology to hupA hupB mutant bacteria. The LexA repressor, which controls the expression of the sfiA gene, was present in hupA hupB mutant bacteria in concentrations half of those of the parent bacteria, but this decrease was independent of the specific cleavage of the LexA repressor by activated RecA protein. One possibility to account for the filamentous morphology of hupA hupB mutant bacteria is that the lack of HU protein alters the expression of specific genes, such as lexA and fts cell division genes. Images PMID:2019558

Problem-Solving Test: Tryptophan Operon Mutants

Science.gov (United States)

Szeberenyi, Jozsef

2010-01-01

This paper presents a problem-solving test that deals with the regulation of the "trp" operon of "Escherichia coli." Two mutants of this operon are described: in mutant A, the operator region of the operon carries a point mutation so that it is unable to carry out its function; mutant B expresses a "trp" repressor protein unable to bind…

Xyloketal-derived small molecules show protective effect by decreasing mutant Huntingtin protein aggregates in Caenorhabditis elegans model of Huntington’s disease

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Zeng YX

2016-04-01

Full Text Available Yixuan Zeng,1,2,* Wenyuan Guo,1,* Guangqing Xu,3 Qinmei Wang,4 Luyang Feng,1,2 Simei Long,1 Fengyin Liang,1 Yi Huang,1 Xilin Lu,1 Shichang Li,5 Jiebin Zhou,5 Jean-Marc Burgunder,6 Jiyan Pang,5 Zhong Pei1,2 1Department of Neurology, National Key Clinical Department and Key Discipline of Neurology, Guangdong Key Laboratory for Diagnosis and Treatment of Major Neurological Disease, The First Affiliated Hospital, Sun Yat-sen University, 2Guangzhou Center, Chinese Huntington’s Disease Network, 3Department of Rehabilitation, The First Affiliated Hospital, 4Key laboratory on Assisted Circulation, Ministry of Health, Department of Cardiovascular Medicine of the First Affiliated Hospital, 5School of Chemistry and Chemical Engineering, Sun Yat-sen University, Guangzhou, Guangdong, People’s Republic of China; 6Swiss Huntington’s Disease Center, Department of Neurology, University of Bern, Bern, Switzerland *These authors contributed equally to this work Abstract: Huntington’s disease is an autosomal-dominant neurodegenerative disorder, with chorea as the most prominent manifestation. The disease is caused by abnormal expansion of CAG codon repeats in the IT15 gene, which leads to the expression of a glutamine-rich protein named mutant Huntingtin (Htt. Because of its devastating disease burden and lack of valid treatment, development of more effective therapeutics for Huntington’s disease is urgently required. Xyloketal B, a natural product from mangrove fungus, has shown protective effects against toxicity in other neurodegenerative disease models such as Parkinson’s and Alzheimer’s diseases. To identify potential neuroprotective molecules for Huntington’s disease, six derivatives of xyloketal B were screened in a Caenorhabditis elegans Huntington’s disease model; all six compounds showed a protective effect. Molecular docking studies indicated that compound 1 could bind to residues GLN369 and GLN393 of the mutant Htt protein, forming a

PET imaging of HSV1-tk mutants with acquired specificity toward pyrimidine- and acycloguanosine-based radiotracers

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Likar, Yury; Dobrenkov, Konstantin; Olszewska, Malgorzata; Shenker, Larissa; Hricak, Hedvig; Ponomarev, Vladimir [Memorial Sloan-Kettering Cancer Center, Molecular Imaging Laboratory, Department of Radiology, New York, NY (United States); Cai, Shangde [Memorial Sloan-Kettering Cancer Center, Radiochemistry/Cyclotron Core Facility, New York, NY (United States)

2009-08-15

The aim of this study was to create an alternative mutant of the herpes simplex virus type 1 thymidine kinase (HSV1-tk) reporter gene with reduced phosphorylation capacity for acycloguanosine derivatives, but not pyrimidine-based compounds that will allow for successful PET imaging. A new mutant of HSV1-tk reporter gene, suitable for PET imaging using pyrimidine-based radiotracers, was developed. The HSV1-tk mutant contains an arginine-to-glutamine substitution at position 176 (HSV1-R176Qtk) of the nucleoside binding region of the enzyme. The mutant-gene product showed favorable enzymatic characteristics toward pyrimidine-based nucleosides, while exhibiting reduced activity with acycloguanosine derivatives. In order to enhance HSV1-R176Qtk reporter activity with pyrimidine-based radiotracers, we introduced the R176Q substitution into the more active HSV1-sr39tk mutant. U87 human glioma cells transduced with the HSV1-R176Qsr39tk double mutant reporter gene showed high {sup 3}H-FEAU pyrimidine nucleoside and low {sup 3}H-penciclovir acycloguanosine analog uptake in vitro. PET imaging also demonstrated high {sup 18}F-FEAU and low {sup 18}F-FHBG accumulation in HSV1-R176Qsr39tk+ xenografts. The feasibility of imaging two independent nucleoside-specific HSV1-tk mutants in the same animal with PET was demonstrated. Two opposite xenografts expressing the HSV1-R176Qsr39tk reporter gene and the previously described acycloguanosine-specific mutant of HSV1-tk, HSV1-A167Ysr39tk reporter gene, were imaged using a short-lived pyrimidine-based {sup 18}F-FEAU and an acycloguanosine-based {sup 18}F-FHBG radiotracer, respectively, administered on 2 consecutive days. We conclude that in combination with acycloguanosine-specific HSV1-A167Ysr39tk reporter gene, a HSV1-tk mutant containing the R176Q substitution could be used for PET imaging of two different cell populations or concurrent molecular biological processes in the same living subject. (orig.)

[Intragenic mitotic recombination induced by ultraviolet and gamma rays in radiosensitive mutants of Saccharomyces cerevisiae yeasts].

Science.gov (United States)

Zakharov, I A; Kasinova, G V; Koval'tsova, S V

1983-01-01

The effect of UV- and gamma-irradiation on the survival and intragenic mitotic recombination (gene conversion) of 5 radiosensitive mutants was studied in comparison with the wild type. The level of spontaneous conversion was similar for RAD, rad2 and rad15, mutations xrs2 and xrs4 increasing and rad54 significantly decreasing it. The frequency of conversion induced by UV-light was greater in rad2, rad15 and xrs2 mutants and lower in xrs4, as compared to RAD. Gamma-irradiation caused induction of gene conversion with an equal frequency in RAD, rad2, rad15. Xrs2 and xrs4 mutations slightly decreased gamma-induced conversion. In rad54 mutant, UV-and gamma-induced conversion was practically absent. In the wild type yeast, a diploid strain is more resistant than a haploid, whereas in rad54 a diploid strain has the same or an increased sensitivity, as compared to a haploid strain (the "inverse ploidy effect"). This effect and also the block of induced mitotic recombination caused by rad54 indicate the presence in the yeast Saccharomyces cerevisiae of repair pathways of UV- and gamma-induced damages acting in diploid cells and realised by recombination. The data obtained as a result of many years' investigation of genetic effects in radiosensitive mutants of yeast are summarised and considered.

CD44+CD24+ subset of PANC-1 cells exhibits radiation resistance via decreased levels of reactive oxygen species.

Science.gov (United States)

Wang, Lei; Li, Pengping; Hu, Wei; Xia, Youyou; Hu, Chenxi; Liu, Liang; Jiang, Xiaodong

2017-08-01

Emerging evidence has suggested that pancreatic adenocarcinoma is sustained by pancreatic cancer stem cells. The present study aimed to investigate the expression patterns of the pancreatic cancer stem cell surface markers cluster of differentiation CD44 and CD24 in a pancreatic adenocarcinoma cell line, and to investigate the possible mechanisms for their radiation resistance. Flow cytometry was used to analyze the expression patterns of CD44 and CD24 in the pancreatic adenocarcinoma PANC-1 cell line. In addition, a multi-target click model was used to fit cell survival curves and determine the sensitizer enhancement ratio. The apoptosis and cycle distribution of the four cell subsets was determined using flow cytometry, and the level of reactive oxygen species (ROS) was determined using the 2',7'-dichlorofluorescin diacetate probe. The present results identified that the ratios of CD44 + and CD24 + in the sorted PANC-1 cell line were 92.0 and 4.7%, respectively. Prior to radiation, no statistically significant differences were observed among the four groups. Following treatment with 6 MV of X-rays, the rate of apoptosis was decreased in the CD44 + CD24 + group compared with other subsets. The percentage of G0/G1 cells was highest in the CD44 + CD24 + group compared with the three other groups, which exhibited increased radiosensitivity. In addition, the level of ROS in the CD44 + CD24 + group was reduced compared with the other groups. In summary, the results of the present study indicated that CD44 + CD24 + exhibited stem cell properties. The lower level of ROS and apoptosis in CD44 + CD24 + cells may contribute to their resistance to radiation in pancreatic adenocarcinoma.

Dwarf mutant of rice variety Seratus Malam

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Mugiono, P. S.; Soemanggono, A.M.R.

1989-01-01

Full text: Seeds of 'Seratus Malam', a local tall upland variety with long panicles and high yield potential were irradiated with 10-50 krad gamma rays in 1983. From 50,000 M 2 plants, 130 semidwarf mutants and 1 dwarf mutant were selected. The dwarf mutant M-362 was obtained from the 10 krad treatment. The mutant shows about 50% reduction in plant height, but also in number of productive tillers. Thus the yield per plant is also significantly less. However, the mutant gene is not allelic to DGWG and therefore may be useful in cross breeding. (author)

ALS mutant SOD1 interacts with G3BP1 and affects stress granule dynamics.

Science.gov (United States)

Gal, Jozsef; Kuang, Lisha; Barnett, Kelly R; Zhu, Brian Z; Shissler, Susannah C; Korotkov, Konstantin V; Hayward, Lawrence J; Kasarskis, Edward J; Zhu, Haining

2016-10-01

Amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS) is a fatal neurodegenerative disease. Mutations in Cu/Zn superoxide dismutase (SOD1) are responsible for approximately 20 % of the familial ALS cases. ALS-causing SOD1 mutants display a gain-of-toxicity phenotype, but the nature of this toxicity is still not fully understood. The Ras GTPase-activating protein-binding protein G3BP1 plays a critical role in stress granule dynamics. Alterations in the dynamics of stress granules have been reported in several other forms of ALS unrelated to SOD1. To our surprise, the mutant G93A SOD1 transgenic mice exhibited pathological cytoplasmic inclusions that co-localized with G3BP1-positive granules in spinal cord motor neurons. The co-localization was also observed in fibroblast cells derived from familial ALS patient carrying SOD1 mutation L144F. Mutant SOD1, unlike wild-type SOD1, interacted with G3BP1 in an RNA-independent manner. Moreover, the interaction is specific for G3BP1 since mutant SOD1 showed little interaction with four other RNA-binding proteins implicated in ALS. The RNA-binding RRM domain of G3BP1 and two particular phenylalanine residues (F380 and F382) are critical for this interaction. Mutant SOD1 delayed the formation of G3BP1- and TIA1-positive stress granules in response to hyperosmolar shock and arsenite treatment in N2A cells. In summary, the aberrant mutant SOD1-G3BP1 interaction affects stress granule dynamics, suggesting a potential link between pathogenic SOD1 mutations and RNA metabolism alterations in ALS.

Evaluation of Yield and Chemical Characteristics of some Peanut Mutants Induced by Gamma Irradiation

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Abd El-daem, G.A.; Anwar, M.M.

2013-01-01

This study was conducted to evaluate some promising mutants in peanut for yielding ability over three generation (M5, M6 and M7) and to evaluate yield attributes as will as chemical characteristics of these mutants in M7 generation induced by 100 Gy gamma radiation. The obtained results showed that the increase of yield / plot over three generation as a percentage of control was 5% for mutant 7, 10.2 % for mutant 10; 22% for mutant 9 and 22.9% for mutant 8. This increase in yield may be due to increase of one or more of yield attributes for most mutant lines. The significant increase for. No .of pods and seeds/ plant, weight of pods and seeds/ plant and 100- seed weight in M7 as compared to the control. For saturated fatty acid composition, results revealed that total saturated fatty acids ranged from 17.79% for mutant 8 to 21.75 for mutant 2 compared to 24.21% for control. Reduction of total saturated fatty acid was noticed for different mutants compared to that of the original variety. However, for total unsaturated fatty acids, results indicated that total unsaturated fatty acid composition ranged from 77.95% for mutant 9 to 82.09% for mutant 8 compared to 75.49% for control. Higher total unsaturated fatty acids for all mutant lines were obtained than that of the control, however, total saturated (TS)/ total unsaturated (TU) ratio was decreased for all mutants compared to control. The physical and chemical contents of Peanut oils showed that the refractive indices were ranged from 1.4620 to 1.4718 specific gravity were in range of 0.9146 to 0.9177. Acid value was range from 0.54 to 0.89% lodine value was ranged from 94.56 to 101.85. Saponification value was ranged from 185.2 to 190.7 and unsaponifiable matter was ranged from 0.98 to 1.33. The peroxide values ranged from 1.15 to 2.33 meq/kg oil. Also, fortified yoghurt made with replaced mutant peanut oil by 50% as milk fat substitute. Data showed that chemical composition and organolyptic properties had the

Design of Trypanosoma rangeli sialidase mutants with improved trans-sialidase activity

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Nyffenegger, Christian; Nordvang, Rune Thorbjørn; Jers, Carsten

2017-01-01

were analyzed via kinetics for their ability to carry out trans-sialidase reaction using CGMP and D-lactose as substrates. The sialidase variants with 15 and 16 mutations, respectively, exhibited significantly improved trans-sialidase activity for D-lactose sialylation. Our results corroborate......, that computational studies of trans-glycosylation can be a valuable input in the design of novel trans-glycosidases, but also highlight the importance of experimental validation in order to assess the performance. In conclusion, two of the seven mutants displayed a dramatic switch in specificity from hydrolysis...

Mutant power: using mutant allele collections for yeast functional genomics.

Science.gov (United States)

Norman, Kaitlyn L; Kumar, Anuj

2016-03-01

The budding yeast has long served as a model eukaryote for the functional genomic analysis of highly conserved signaling pathways, cellular processes and mechanisms underlying human disease. The collection of reagents available for genomics in yeast is extensive, encompassing a growing diversity of mutant collections beyond gene deletion sets in the standard wild-type S288C genetic background. We review here three main types of mutant allele collections: transposon mutagen collections, essential gene collections and overexpression libraries. Each collection provides unique and identifiable alleles that can be utilized in genome-wide, high-throughput studies. These genomic reagents are particularly informative in identifying synthetic phenotypes and functions associated with essential genes, including those modeled most effectively in complex genetic backgrounds. Several examples of genomic studies in filamentous/pseudohyphal backgrounds are provided here to illustrate this point. Additionally, the limitations of each approach are examined. Collectively, these mutant allele collections in Saccharomyces cerevisiae and the related pathogenic yeast Candida albicans promise insights toward an advanced understanding of eukaryotic molecular and cellular biology. © The Author 2015. Published by Oxford University Press. All rights reserved. For permissions, please email: journals.permissions@oup.com.

Aggregation of ALS-linked FUS mutant sequesters RNA binding proteins and impairs RNA granules formation

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Takanashi, Keisuke; Yamaguchi, Atsushi, E-mail: atsyama@restaff.chiba-u.jp

2014-09-26

Highlights: • Aggregation of ALS-linked FUS mutant sequesters ALS-associated RNA-binding proteins (FUS wt, hnRNP A1, and hnRNP A2). • Aggregation of ALS-linked FUS mutant sequesters SMN1 in the detergent-insoluble fraction. • Aggregation of ALS-linked FUS mutant reduced the number of speckles in the nucleus. • Overproduced ALS-linked FUS mutant reduced the number of processing-bodies (PBs). - Abstract: Protein aggregate/inclusion is one of hallmarks for neurodegenerative disorders including amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS). FUS/TLS, one of causative genes for familial ALS, encodes a multifunctional DNA/RNA binding protein predominantly localized in the nucleus. C-terminal mutations in FUS/TLS cause the retention and the inclusion of FUS/TLS mutants in the cytoplasm. In the present study, we examined the effects of ALS-linked FUS mutants on ALS-associated RNA binding proteins and RNA granules. FUS C-terminal mutants were diffusely mislocalized in the cytoplasm as small granules in transiently transfected SH-SY5Y cells, whereas large aggregates were spontaneously formed in ∼10% of those cells. hnRNP A1, hnRNP A2, and SMN1 as well as FUS wild type were assembled into stress granules under stress conditions, and these were also recruited to FUS mutant-derived spontaneous aggregates in the cytoplasm. These aggregates stalled poly(A) mRNAs and sequestered SMN1 in the detergent insoluble fraction, which also reduced the number of nuclear oligo(dT)-positive foci (speckles) in FISH (fluorescence in situ hybridization) assay. In addition, the number of P-bodies was decreased in cells harboring cytoplasmic granules of FUS P525L. These findings raise the possibility that ALS-linked C-terminal FUS mutants could sequester a variety of RNA binding proteins and mRNAs in the cytoplasmic aggregates, which could disrupt various aspects of RNA equilibrium and biogenesis.

denV gene of bacteriophage T4 restores DNA excision repair to mei-9 and mus201 mutants of Drosophila melanogaster

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Banga, S.S.; Boyd, J.B.; Valerie, K.; Harris, P.V.; Kurz, E.M.; de Riel, J.K.

1989-01-01

The denV gene of bacteriophage T4 was fused to a Drosophila hsp70 (70-kDa heat shock protein) promoter and introduced into the germ line of Drosophila by P-element-mediated transformation. The protein product of that gene (endonuclease V) was detected in extracts of heat-shocked transformants with both enzymological and immunoblotting procedures. That protein restores both excision repair and UV resistance to mei-9 and mus201 mutants of this organism. These results reveal that the denV gene can compensate for excision-repair defects in two very different eukayotic mutants, in that the mus201 mutants are typical of excision-deficient mutants in other organisms, whereas the mei-9 mutants exhibit a broad pleiotropism that includes a strong meiotic deficiency. This study permits an extension of the molecular analysis of DNA repair to the germ line of higher eukaryotes. It also provides a model system for future investigations of other well-characterized microbial repair genes on DNA damage in the germ line of this metazoan organism

Respiration-dependent proton translocation in alkalophilic Bacillus firmus RAB and its non-alkalophilic mutant derivative.

Science.gov (United States)

Lewis, R J; Krulwich, T A; Reynafarje, B; Lehninger, A L

1983-02-25

Obligately alkalophilic Bacillus firmus RAB had a higher molar growth yield on L-malate (Ymal = 38 mg, dry weight/mmol of L-malate) than its non-alkalophilic mutant derivative, strain RABN (Ymal = 12 mg, dry weight/mmol of L-malate). Measurements of respiration dependent proton translocation by the two strains in the presence of K+ and valinomycin showed that the alkalophile also has much higher H+/O stoichiometries (at pH 9.0) than does the mutant (at pH 7.0). H+/O ratios for B. firmus RAB at pH 9.0 were as high as 13, with a frequently observed value of 9. These high values were observed in the first phase of a set of biphasic curves for both oxygen consumption and proton ejection. At pH 7.0, both the wild type and the mutant exhibited H+/O ratios near 4 in a single phase of oxygen consumption and proton ejection. The results are consistent with suggestions that the alkalophilic respiratory chain is especially well adapted for effective energy transduction at alkaline but not neutral pH.

Masking responses to light in period mutant mice.

Science.gov (United States)

Pendergast, Julie S; Yamazaki, Shin

2011-10-01

Masking is an acute effect of an external signal on an overt rhythm and is distinct from the process of entrainment. In the current study, we investigated the phase dependence and molecular mechanisms regulating masking effects of light pulses on spontaneous locomotor activity in mice. The circadian genes, Period1 (Per1) and Per2, are necessary components of the timekeeping machinery and entrainment by light appears to involve the induction of the expression of Per1 and Per2 mRNAs in the suprachiasmatic nuclei (SCN). We assessed the roles of the Per genes in regulating masking by assessing the effects of light pulses on nocturnal locomotor activity in C57BL/6J Per mutant mice. We found that Per1(-/-) and Per2(-/-) mice had robust negative masking responses to light. In addition, the locomotor activity of Per1(-/-)/Per2(-/-) mice appeared to be rhythmic in the light-dark (LD) cycle, and the phase of activity onset was advanced (but varied among individual mice) relative to lights off. This rhythm persisted for 1 to 2 days in constant darkness in some Per1(-/-)/Per2(-/-) mice. Furthermore, Per1(-/-)/Per2(-/-) mice exhibited robust negative masking responses to light. Negative masking was phase dependent in wild-type mice such that maximal suppression was induced by light pulses at zeitgeber time 14 (ZT14) and gradually weaker suppression occurred during light pulses at ZT16 and ZT18. By measuring the phase shifts induced by the masking protocol (light pulses were administered to mice maintained in the LD cycle), we found that the phase responsiveness of Per mutant mice was altered compared to wild-types. Together, our data suggest that negative masking responses to light are robust in Per mutant mice and that the Per1(-/-)/Per2(-/-) SCN may be a light-driven, weak/damping oscillator.

The Effect of Vitamin E on the Survival Rate of unc-13 Caenorhabditis elegans mutants under Oxidative Stress

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Jessica Porcelan

2012-01-01

Full Text Available Caenorhabditis elegans unc-13 mutants express decreased neuronal activity and thus are a good model strain for examining defective nervous systems. These unc-13 mutants as well as wild type N2 strains, show rapid mortality when under oxidative stress. However, the antioxidant vitamin E may prolong survival in unc-13 mutant and N2 strains under oxidative stress. The addition of vitamin E to organisms under oxidative stress has a protective effect in both N2 and unc-13 C. elegans strains. Interestingly, vitamin E resulted in a greater increase in survival rate in N2 worms than with unc-13 mutant worms. While both strains displayed lower mortality rates with the addition of vitamin E, this finding suggests that vitamin E more efficiently increases survival rates of C. elegans with typical nervous system function. The efficacy of vitamin E implies that use of antioxidants may lessen the damage caused by oxidative stress in both N2 and mutant worms.

Lipid composition of cAMP-dependent protein kinase mutants of Aspergillus niger.

Science.gov (United States)

Jernejc, Katarina; Bencina, Mojca

2003-08-29

Lipid composition of cAMP-dependent protein kinase (PKA) Aspergillus niger mutants with overexpressed or deleted genes for either regulatory and/or the catalytic subunit of PKA was analyzed. Disruption of the gene encoding the PKA regulatory subunit resulted in 20% less total lipids, 30% less neutral lipids, four times more glycolipids and two-fold higher triacylglycerol lipase activity compared to the control strain. Concomitantly a five-fold decrease in phosphatidylcholine, accompanied with 1.5-, 1.8- and 2.8-fold increases in phosphatidylethanolamine, lysophosphatidylethanolamine and phosphatidylinositol, was determined, respectively. The lack of PKA activity, due to the disruption of a gene encoding the PKA catalytic subunit, resulted in a 1.6-times increase in total lipids with two times more neutral lipids associated with lower triacylglycerol lipase activity and a decrease in phospholipids. The mutants with unrestricted PKA activity synthesized twice as much citric acid as the control strain and three times more than strains lacking PKA activity. The results indicate the involvement of cAMP-mediated PKA activity in regulation of lipid biosynthesis as well as citric acid synthesis.

Mineral phosphate solubilization by wild type and radiation induced mutants of pantoea dispersa and pantoea terrae

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Murugesan, Senthilkumar; Lee, Young Keun; Kim, Jung Hun

2009-01-01

Three mineral phosphate solubilizing (MPS) bacteria where isolated from rhizosphere soil samples of common bean and weed plants. 16S rDNA analysis indicated that the isolate P2 and P3 are closely related to Pantoea dispersa while isolate P4 is closely related to Pantoea terrae. Islates P2 and P3 recorded 381.60 μg ml -1 of tricalcium phosphate (TCP) solubilization respectively on 3 days incubation. Isolate P4 recorded the TCP solubilization of 215.85 μg ml -1 and the pH was dropped to 4.44 on 24 h incubation. Further incubation of P4 sharply decreased the available phosphorous to 28.94 μg ml -1 and pH level was raised to 6.32. Gamma radiation induced mutagenesis was carried out at LD 99 dose of the wild type strains. The total of 14 mutant clones with enhanced MPS activity and 4 clones with decreased activity were selected based on solubilization index (SI) and phosphate solubilization assay. Mutant P2-M1 recorded the highest P-solubilizing potential among any other wild or mutnat clones by releasing 504.21 μg ml -1 of phosphorous i.e. 35% higher than its wild type by the end of day 5. A comparative evaluation of TCP solubilization by wild type isolates of Pantoea and their mutants, led to select three MPS mutant clones such as P2-M1, P3-M2 and P3-M4 with a potential to release >471.67 μg ml 1 of phosphorous from TCP. These over expressing mutant clones are considered as suitable candidates for biofertilization

Automated N-glycan profiling of a mutant Trypanosoma rangeli sialidase expressed in Pichia pastoris, using tandem mass spectrometry and bioinformatics

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Li, Haiying; Rasmussen, Morten I; Larsen, Martin R

2015-01-01

A mutant Trypanosoma rangeli sialidase, Tr7, expressed in Pichia pastoris, exhibits significant trans-sialidase activity, and has been used for analytical-scale production of sialylated human milk oligosaccharides. Mass spectrometry-based site-specific N-glycoprofiling of Tr7 showed that heteroge...

Diabetes and exocrine pancreatic insufficiency in E2F1/E2F2 double-mutant mice.

Science.gov (United States)

Iglesias, Ainhoa; Murga, Matilde; Laresgoiti, Usua; Skoudy, Anouchka; Bernales, Irantzu; Fullaondo, Asier; Moreno, Bernardino; Lloreta, José; Field, Seth J; Real, Francisco X; Zubiaga, Ana M

2004-05-01

E2F transcription factors are thought to be key regulators of cell growth control. Here we use mutant mouse strains to investigate the function of E2F1 and E2F2 in vivo. E2F1/E2F2 compound-mutant mice develop nonautoimmune insulin-deficient diabetes and exocrine pancreatic dysfunction characterized by endocrine and exocrine cell dysplasia, a reduction in the number and size of acini and islets, and their replacement by ductal structures and adipose tissue. Mutant pancreatic cells exhibit increased rates of DNA replication but also of apoptosis, resulting in severe pancreatic atrophy. The expression of genes involved in DNA replication and cell cycle control was upregulated in the E2F1/E2F2 compound-mutant pancreas, suggesting that their expression is repressed by E2F1/E2F2 activities and that the inappropriate cell cycle found in the mutant pancreas is likely the result of the deregulated expression of these genes. Interestingly, the expression of ductal cell and adipocyte differentiation marker genes was also upregulated, whereas expression of pancreatic cell marker genes were downregulated. These results suggest that E2F1/E2F2 activity negatively controls growth of mature pancreatic cells and is necessary for the maintenance of differentiated pancreatic phenotypes in the adult.

Identification and genetic assay of a high-chlorophyll-content mutant in Rice

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Liu Baofu; Chen Xifeng; Jin Yang; Gu Zhimin; Ma Bojun; Zhu Xudong

2011-01-01

A deep rice mutant ZM1120 was screened from the γ-rays irradiation mutation library of Zhonghua 11. Compared to the wild-type control, this mutant were darker (greener) in shoots and leaves, and after sowing 60 and 90 d, the content of chlorophyll were increased by 16.0% and 7.2%, respectively, and the content of carotenoid also increased by 23.1% and 24.2%, respectively. After sowing 90 d the net photosynthetic rate and transpiration rate were increased by 16.3% and 11.4%, respectively. The agronomical traits of this mutant significantly changed, and the traits of plant height, flag-leaf length, flag-leaf width, tiller number per plant, panicle length and setting rate decreased, but the grain length and 1000-grain weight increased by 7.9% and 2.6%. Genetic analysis revealed that the mutation phenotype was controlled by a single recessive nuclear gene, and further cloning and function assay will be useful for understanding the mechanism of photosynthesis and for rice breeding in future. (authors)

Allosteric Mutant IDH1 Inhibitors Reveal Mechanisms for IDH1 Mutant and Isoform Selectivity

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Xie, Xiaoling; Baird, Daniel; Bowen, Kimberly; Capka, Vladimir; Chen, Jinyun; Chenail, Gregg; Cho, YoungShin; Dooley, Julia; Farsidjani, Ali; Fortin, Pascal; Kohls, Darcy; Kulathila, Raviraj; Lin, Fallon; McKay, Daniel; Rodrigues, Lindsey; Sage, David; Touré, B. Barry; van der Plas, Simon; Wright, Kirk; Xu, Ming; Yin, Hong; Levell, Julian; Pagliarini, Raymond A. (Novartis)

2017-03-01

Oncogenic IDH1 and IDH2 mutations contribute to cancer via production of R-2-hydroxyglutarate (2-HG). Here, we characterize two structurally distinct mutant- and isoform-selective IDH1 inhibitors that inhibit 2-HG production. Both bind to an allosteric pocket on IDH1, yet shape it differently, highlighting the plasticity of this site. Oncogenic IDH1R132H mutation destabilizes an IDH1 “regulatory segment,” which otherwise restricts compound access to the allosteric pocket. Regulatory segment destabilization in wild-type IDH1 promotes inhibitor binding, suggesting that destabilization is critical for mutant selectivity. We also report crystal structures of oncogenic IDH2 mutant isoforms, highlighting the fact that the analogous segment of IDH2 is not similarly destabilized. This intrinsic stability of IDH2 may contribute to observed inhibitor IDH1 isoform selectivity. Moreover, discrete residues in the IDH1 allosteric pocket that differ from IDH2 may also guide IDH1 isoform selectivity. These data provide a deeper understanding of how IDH1 inhibitors achieve mutant and isoform selectivity.

Semi-dwarf mutants for rice improvement

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Othman, Ramli; Osman, Mohammad; Ibrahim, Rusli

1990-01-01

Full text: MARDI and the National University of Malaysia embarked on a programme to induce resistance against blast in rice in 1978. MARDI also obtained semi dwarf mutants of cvs 'Mahsuri', 'Muda', 'Pongsu seribu' and 'Jarum Mas', which are under evaluation. The popular local rice variety 'Manik' was subjected to gamma irradiation (15-40 krad) and 101 promising semidwarf mutants have been obtained following selection in M 2 -M 6 . 29 of them show grain yields of 6.0-7.3 t/ha, compared with 5.7t for 'Manik'. Other valuable mutants were found showing long grain, less shattering, earlier maturity, and glutinous endosperm. One mutant, resistant to brown plant hopper yields 6.3t/ha. (author)

Regulatory Mechanisms of a Highly Pectinolytic Mutant of Penicillium occitanis and Functional Analysis of a Candidate Gene in the Plant Pathogen Fusarium oxysporum

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Gustavo Bravo-Ruiz

2017-09-01

Full Text Available Penicillium occitanis is a model system for enzymatic regulation. A mutant strain exhibiting constitutive overproduction of different pectinolytic enzymes both under inducing (pectin or repressing conditions (glucose was previously isolated after chemical mutagenesis. In order to identify the molecular basis of this regulatory mechanism, the genomes of the wild type and the derived mutant strain were sequenced and compared, providing the first reference genome for this species. We used a phylogenomic approach to compare P. occitanis with other pectinolytic fungi and to trace expansions of gene families involved in carbohydrate degradation. Genome comparison between wild type and mutant identified seven mutations associated with predicted proteins. The most likely candidate was a mutation in a highly conserved serine residue of a conserved fungal protein containing a GAL4-like Zn2Cys6 binuclear cluster DNA-binding domain and a fungus-specific transcription factor regulatory middle homology region. To functionally characterize the role of this candidate gene, the mutation was recapitulated in the predicted orthologue Fusarium oxysporum, a vascular wilt pathogen which secretes a wide array of plant cell wall degrading enzymes, including polygalacturonases, pectate lyases, xylanases and proteases, all of which contribute to infection. However, neither the null mutant nor a mutant carrying the analogous point mutation exhibited a deregulation of pectinolytic enzymes. The availability, annotation and phylogenomic analysis of the P. occitanis genome sequence represents an important resource for understanding the evolution and biology of this species, and sets the basis for the discovery of new genes of biotechnological interest for the degradation of complex polysaccharides.

Gravity-dependent differentiation and root coils in Arabidopsis thaliana wild type and phospholipase-A-I knockdown mutant grown on the International Space Station.

Science.gov (United States)

Scherer, G F E; Pietrzyk, P

2014-01-01

Arabidopsis roots on 45° tilted agar in 1-g grow in wave-like figures. In addition to waves, formation of root coils is observed in several mutants compromised in gravitropism and/or auxin transport. The knockdown mutant ppla-I-1 of patatin-related phospholipase-A-I is delayed in root gravitropism and forms increased numbers of root coils. Three known factors contribute to waving: circumnutation, gravisensing and negative thigmotropism. In microgravity, deprivation of wild type (WT) and mutant roots of gravisensing and thigmotropism and circumnutation (known to slow down in microgravity, and could potentially lead to fewer waves or increased coiling in both WT and mutant). To resolve this, mutant ppla-I-1 and WT were grown in the BIOLAB facility in the International Space Station. In 1-g, roots of both types only showed waving. In the first experiment in microgravity, the mutant after 9 days formed far more coils than in 1-g but the WT also formed several coils. After 24 days in microgravity, in both types the coils were numerous with slightly more in the mutant. In the second experiment, after 9 days in microgravity only the mutant formed coils and the WT grew arcuated roots. Cell file rotation (CFR) on the mutant root surface in microgravity decreased in comparison to WT, and thus was not important for coiling. Several additional developmental responses (hypocotyl elongation, lateral root formation, cotyledon expansion) were found to be gravity-influenced. We tentatively discuss these in the context of disturbances in auxin transport, which are known to decrease through lack of gravity. © 2013 German Botanical Society and The Royal Botanical Society of the Netherlands.

Sequential super-stereotypy of an instinctive fixed action pattern in hyper-dopaminergic mutant mice: a model of obsessive compulsive disorder and Tourette's

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Houchard Kimberly R

2005-02-01

Full Text Available Abstract Background Excessive sequential stereotypy of behavioral patterns (sequential super-stereotypy in Tourette's syndrome and obsessive compulsive disorder (OCD is thought to involve dysfunction in nigrostriatal dopamine systems. In sequential super-stereotypy, patients become trapped in overly rigid sequential patterns of action, language, or thought. Some instinctive behavioral patterns of animals, such as the syntactic grooming chain pattern of rodents, have sufficiently complex and stereotyped serial structure to detect potential production of overly-rigid sequential patterns. A syntactic grooming chain is a fixed action pattern that serially links up to 25 grooming movements into 4 predictable phases that follow 1 syntactic rule. New mutant mouse models allow gene-based manipulation of brain function relevant to sequential patterns, but no current animal model of spontaneous OCD-like behaviors has so far been reported to exhibit sequential super-stereotypy in the sense of a whole complex serial pattern that becomes stronger and excessively rigid. Here we used a hyper-dopaminergic mutant mouse to examine whether an OCD-like behavioral sequence in animals shows sequential super-stereotypy. Knockdown mutation of the dopamine transporter gene (DAT causes extracellular dopamine levels in the neostriatum of these adult mutant mice to rise to 170% of wild-type control levels. Results We found that the serial pattern of this instinctive behavioral sequence becomes strengthened as an entire entity in hyper-dopaminergic mutants, and more resistant to interruption. Hyper-dopaminergic mutant mice have stronger and more rigid syntactic grooming chain patterns than wild-type control mice. Mutants showed sequential super-stereotypy in the sense of having more stereotyped and predictable syntactic grooming sequences, and were also more likely to resist disruption of the pattern en route, by returning after a disruption to complete the pattern from the

Isolation of a novel UVB-tolerant rice mutant obtained by exposure to carbon-ion beams.

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Takano, Nao; Takahashi, Yuko; Yamamoto, Mitsuru; Teranishi, Mika; Yamaguchi, Hiroko; Sakamoto, Ayako N; Hase, Yoshihiro; Fujisawa, Hiroko; Wu, Jianzhong; Matsumoto, Takashi; Toki, Seiichi; Hidema, Jun

2013-07-01

UVB radiation suppresses photosynthesis and protein biosynthesis in plants, which in turn decreases growth and productivity. Here, an ultraviolet-B (UVB)-tolerant rice mutant, utr319 (UV Tolerant Rice 319), was isolated from a mutagenized population derived from 2500 M1 seeds (of the UVB-resistant cultivar 'Sasanishiki') that were exposed to carbon ions. The utr319 mutant was more tolerant to UVB than the wild type. Neither the levels of UVB-induced cyclobutane pyrimidine dimers (CPDs) or (6-4) pyrimidine-pyrimidone photodimers [(6-4) photoproducts], nor the repair of CPDs or (6-4) photoproducts, was altered in the utr319 mutant. Thus, the utr319 mutant may be impaired in the production of a previously unidentified factor that confers UVB tolerance. To identify the mutated region in the utr319 mutant, microarray-based comparative genomic hybridization analysis was performed. Two adjacent genes on chromosome 7, Os07g0264900 and Os07g0265100, were predicted to represent the mutant allele. Sequence analysis of the chromosome region in utr319 revealed a deletion of 45 419 bp. RNAi analysis indicated that Os07g0265100 is most likely the mutated gene. Database analysis indicated that the Os07g0265100 gene, UTR319, encodes a putative protein with unknown characteristics or function. In addition, the homologs of UTR319 are conserved only among land plants. Therefore, utr319 is a novel UVB-tolerant rice mutant and UTR319 may be crucial for the determination of UVB sensitivity in rice, although the function of UTR319 has not yet been determined.

Isolation of a novel UVB-tolerant rice mutant obtained by exposure to carbon-ion beams

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Takano, Nao; Takahashi, Yuko; Yamamoto, Mitsuru; Teranishi, Mika; Yamaguchi, Hiroko; Sakamoto, Ayako N.; Hase, Yoshihiro; Fujisawa, Hiroko; Wu, Jianzhong; Matsumoto, Takashi; Toki, Seiichi; Hidema, Jun

2013-01-01

UVB radiation suppresses photosynthesis and protein biosynthesis in plants, which in turn decreases growth and productivity. Here, an ultraviolet-B (UVB)-tolerant rice mutant, utr319 (UVTolerantRice319), was isolated from a mutagenized population derived from 2500 M 1 seeds (of the UVB-resistant cultivar ‘Sasanishiki’) that were exposed to carbon ions. The utr319 mutant was more tolerant to UVB than the wild type. Neither the levels of UVB-induced cyclobutane pyrimidine dimers (CPDs) or (6-4) pyrimidine-pyrimidone photodimers [(6-4) photoproducts], nor the repair of CPDs or (6-4) photoproducts, was altered in the utr319 mutant. Thus, the utr319 mutant may be impaired in the production of a previously unidentified factor that confers UVB tolerance. To identify the mutated region in the utr319 mutant, microarray-based comparative genomic hybridization analysis was performed. Two adjacent genes on chromosome 7, Os07g0264900 and Os07g0265100, were predicted to represent the mutant allele. Sequence analysis of the chromosome region in utr319 revealed a deletion of 45 419 bp. RNAi analysis indicated that Os07g0265100 is most likely the mutated gene. Database analysis indicated that the Os07g0265100 gene, UTR319, encodes a putative protein with unknown characteristics or function. In addition, the homologs of UTR319 are conserved only among land plants. Therefore, utr319 is a novel UVB-tolerant rice mutant and UTR319 may be crucial for the determination of UVB sensitivity in rice, although the function of UTR319 has not yet been determined

Development and characterization of mutant winter wheat (Triticum aestivum L.) accessions resistant to the herbicide quizalofop.

Science.gov (United States)

Ostlie, Michael; Haley, Scott D; Anderson, Victoria; Shaner, Dale; Manmathan, Harish; Beil, Craig; Westra, Phillip

2015-02-01

New herbicide resistance traits in wheat were produced through the use of induced mutagenesis. While herbicide-resistant crops have become common in many agricultural systems, wheat has seen few introductions of herbicide resistance traits. A population of Hatcher winter wheat treated with ethyl methanesulfonate was screened with quizalofop to identify herbicide-resistant plants. Initial testing identified plants that survived multiple quizalofop applications. A series of experiments were designed to characterize this trait. In greenhouse studies the mutants exhibited high levels of quizalofop resistance compared to non-mutant wheat. Sequencing ACC1 revealed a novel missense mutation causing an alanine to valine change at position 2004 (Alopecurus myosuroides reference sequence). Plants carrying single mutations in wheat's three genomes (A, B, D) were identified. Acetyl co-enzyme A carboxylase in resistant plants was 4- to 10-fold more tolerant to quizalofop. Populations of segregating backcross progenies were developed by crossing each of the three individual mutants with wild-type wheat. Experiments conducted with these populations confirmed largely normal segregation, with each mutant allele conferring an additive level of resistance. Further tests showed that the A genome mutation conferred the greatest resistance and the B genome mutation conferred the least resistance to quizalofop. The non-transgenic herbicide resistance trait identified will enhance weed control strategies in wheat.

A Simple and Rapid Gene Disruption Strategy in Mycobacterium abscessus: On the Design and Application of Glycopeptidolipid Mutants.

Science.gov (United States)

Viljoen, Albertus; Gutiérrez, Ana Victoria; Dupont, Christian; Ghigo, Eric; Kremer, Laurent

2018-01-01

Little is known about the disease-causing genetic determinants that are used by Mycobacterium abscessus , increasingly acknowledged as an important emerging pathogen, notably in cystic fibrosis. The presence or absence of surface exposed glycopeptidolipids (GPL) conditions the smooth (S) or rough (R) M. abscessus subsp. abscessus ( M. abscessus ) variants, respectively, which are characterized by distinct infective programs. However, only a handful of successful gene knock-out and conditional mutants have been reported in M. abscessus , testifying that genetic manipulation of this mycobacterium is difficult. To facilitate gene disruption and generation of conditional mutants in M. abscessus , we have designed a one-step single cross-over system that allows the rapid and simple generation of such mutants. Cloning of as small as 300 bp of the target gene allows for efficient homologous recombination to occur without additional exogenous recombination-promoting factors. The presence of tdTomato on the plasmids allows easily sifting out the large background of mutants spontaneously resistant to antibiotics. Using this strategy in the S genetic background and the target gene mmpL4a , necessary for GPL synthesis and transport, nearly 100% of red fluorescent clones exhibited a rough morphotype and lost GPL on the surface, suggesting that most red fluorescent colonies obtained after transformation incorporated the plasmid through homologous recombination into the chromosome. This system was further exploited to generate another strain with reduced GPL levels to explore how the presence of these cell wall-associated glycolipids influences M. abscessus hydrophobicity as well as virulence in the zebrafish model of infection. This mutant exhibited a more pronounced killing phenotype in zebrafish embryos compared to its S progenitor and this effect correlated with the production of abscesses in the central nervous system. Overall, these results suggest that the near

Microbial production of squalene by a nicotinic acid-resistant mutant derived from Fusarium sp. No.5-128B

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Ogawa, T.; Kojima, I.; Takeda, N.; Fukuda, H.

1994-01-01

A nicotinic acid-resistant mutant, designated NA201, was obtained from Fusarium sp. no.5-128B by treatment with ultraviolet light. This mutant strain could grow in the presence of up to 500mM nicotinic acid in the culture medium, although the parent strain could not grow at concentrations of nicotinic acid above 200 mM. The Na201 strain exhibited morphological mutations, neither forming aerial hyphae nor secreting a red-brown pigment. However, it retained the resistance to kabicidin at 25 mg-l(-1) of the parent strain. The mutant NA201 cells contained high levels of squalene and low levels of ergosterol, about 53 times higher and five to six times lower, respectively, than those of the parent strain under standard culture conditions. The volumetric oxygen transfer coefficient (Kd) affected the level of squalene in the mutant cells. The Kd for the maximum production of squalene by the mutant was 24 mmol O2 l(-1)h(-1)atm(-1) and the level of squalene in the mutant cells was 26 mg (g cell)(-1) on a dry weight basis. The greatest accumulation of squalene by the Na201 strain, corresponding to 323 mg per liter of culture medium and 35 mg (g cell)(-1) on a dry weight basis, was achieved in a culture in which the Kd was changed from a high to a low value on the third day, with the simultaneous addition of 3% glucose (w/v)

Evaluation of tall rice mutant

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Hakim, L.; Azam, M.A.; Miah, A.J.; Mansur, M.A.; Akanda, H.R.

1989-01-01

One tall mutant (Mut NS1) of rice variety Nizersail was put to multilocation on-farm trial. It showed improvement over the parent in respect of by earlier maturity and higher grain yield at all locations and thus it appears as an improved mutant of Nizersail. (author). 6 refs

An extensive allelic series of Drosophila kae1 mutants reveals diverse and tissue-specific requirements for t6A biogenesis

Science.gov (United States)

Lin, Ching-Jung; Smibert, Peter; Zhao, Xiaoyu; Hu, Jennifer F.; Ramroop, Johnny; Kellner, Stefanie M.; Benton, Matthew A.; Govind, Shubha; Dedon, Peter C.; Sternglanz, Rolf; Lai, Eric C.

2015-01-01

N6-threonylcarbamoyl-adenosine (t6A) is one of the few RNA modifications that is universally present in life. This modification occurs at high frequency at position 37 of most tRNAs that decode ANN codons, and stabilizes cognate anticodon–codon interactions. Nearly all genetic studies of the t6A pathway have focused on single-celled organisms. In this study, we report the isolation of an extensive allelic series in the Drosophila ortholog of the core t6A biosynthesis factor Kae1. kae1 hemizygous larvae exhibit decreases in t6A that correlate with allele strength; however, we still detect substantial t6A-modified tRNAs even during the extended larval phase of null alleles. Nevertheless, complementation of Drosophila Kae1 and other t6A factors in corresponding yeast null mutants demonstrates that these metazoan genes execute t6A synthesis. Turning to the biological consequences of t6A loss, we characterize prominent kae1 melanotic masses and show that they are associated with lymph gland overgrowth and ectopic generation of lamellocytes. On the other hand, kae1 mutants exhibit other phenotypes that reflect insufficient tissue growth. Interestingly, whole-tissue and clonal analyses show that strongly mitotic tissues such as imaginal discs are exquisitely sensitive to loss of kae1, whereas nonproliferating tissues are less affected. Indeed, despite overt requirements of t6A for growth of many tissues, certain strong kae1 alleles achieve and sustain enlarged body size during their extended larval phase. Our studies highlight tissue-specific requirements of the t6A pathway in a metazoan context and provide insights into the diverse biological roles of this fundamental RNA modification during animal development and disease. PMID:26516084

Homologous series of induced early mutants in indican rice. Pt.1. The production of homologous series of early mutants

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Chen Xiulan; Yang Hefeng; He Zhentian; Han Yuepeng; Liu Xueyu

1999-01-01

The percentage of homologous series of early mutants induced from the same Indican rice variety were almost the same (1.37%∼1.64%) in 1983∼1993, but the ones from the different eco-typical varieties were different. The early variety was 0.73%, the mid variety was 1.51%, and the late variety was 1.97%. The percentage of homologous series of early mutants from the varieties with the same pedigree and relationship were similar, but the one from the cog nation were lower than those from distant varieties. There are basic laws and characters in the homologous series of early mutants: 1. The inhibited phenotype is the basic of the homologous series of early mutants; 2. The production of the homologous series of early mutants is closely related with the growing period of the parent; 3. The parallel mutation of the stem and leaves are simultaneously happened with the variation of early or late maturing; 4. The occurrence of the homologous series of early mutants is in a state of imbalance. According to the law of parallel variability, the production of homologous series of early mutants can be predicted as long as the parents' classification of plant, pedigree and ecological type are identified. Therefore, the early breeding can be guided by the law of homologous series of early mutants

Mathematical modeling of mutant transferrin-CRM107 molecular conjugates for cancer therapy.

Science.gov (United States)

Yoon, Dennis J; Chen, Kevin Y; Lopes, André M; Pan, April A; Shiloach, Joseph; Mason, Anne B; Kamei, Daniel T

2017-03-07

The transferrin (Tf) trafficking pathway is a promising mechanism for use in targeted cancer therapy due to the overexpression of transferrin receptors (TfRs) on cancerous cells. We have previously developed a mathematical model of the Tf/TfR trafficking pathway to improve the efficiency of Tf as a drug carrier. By using diphtheria toxin (DT) as a model toxin, we found that mutating the Tf protein to change its iron release rate improves cellular association and efficacy of the drug. Though this is an improvement upon using wild-type Tf as the targeting ligand, conjugated toxins like DT are unfortunately still highly cytotoxic at off-target sites. In this work, we address this hurdle in cancer research by developing a mathematical model to predict the efficacy and selectivity of Tf conjugates that use an alternative toxin. For this purpose, we have chosen to study a mutant of DT, cross-reacting material 107 (CRM107). First, we developed a mathematical model of the Tf-DT trafficking pathway by extending our Tf/TfR model to include intracellular trafficking via DT and DT receptors. Using this mathematical model, we subsequently investigated the efficacy of several conjugates in cancer cells: DT and CRM107 conjugated to wild-type Tf, as well as to our engineered mutant Tf proteins (K206E/R632A Tf and K206E/R534A Tf). We also investigated the selectivity of mutant Tf-CRM107 against non-neoplastic cells. Through the use of our mathematical model, we predicted that (i) mutant Tf-CRM107 exhibits a greater cytotoxicity than wild-type Tf-CRM107 against cancerous cells, (ii) this improvement was more drastic with CRM107 conjugates than with DT conjugates, and (iii) mutant Tf-CRM107 conjugates were selective against non-neoplastic cells. These predictions were validated with in vitro cytotoxicity experiments, demonstrating that mutant Tf-CRM107 conjugates is indeed a more suitable therapeutic agent. Validation from in vitro experiments also confirmed that such whole

Studies on reduced height mutants in rice

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Narahari, P.; Bhagwat, S.G.

1984-01-01

Two cross-bred derivatives of the mutant TR5xTR17 and TR21 continued to show promise and were advanced to wider scale testing. TR5 was found to carry a semi-dwarfing gene different from that in IR8. New semi-dwarf mutants were screened from M 2 through M 4 from two separate radiation experiments. The gibberellin response of seedlings of mutant and tester strains was evaluated and crosses of tester stocks and mutant semi-dwarfs were made for genetic analyses. (author)

Tolerance of some potato mutants induced with gamma irradiation to drought in vitro

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Al-Safadi, B.; Ayyoubi, Z.

2006-04-01

An in vitro selection program was conducted in order to improve potato (Solanum tuberosum) tolerance to drought. Potato mutant plants were obtained through a previously conducted mutation breeding program on three potato cultivars (Draga, Spunta, and Diamant) aimed at improving potato tolerance to salinity and resistance to late blight disease. In order to apply selection pressure, growth media (MS based) were prepared with the addition of 1%, 2%, 3% concentrations of Poly Ethylene Glycol (PEG). As a result, three mutants were selected that were tolerant to water stress (i.e. drought tolerant) two of which came from the cultivar Draga and one from Spunta. Physiological growth parameters (plant length, leaf number, branch number, roots number, leaf area, stomata number, and chlorophyll concentration content) were taken on the growing plantlets. The selected mutants were distinguished with some characteristics which can help in their tolerance to drought. Some of these characteristics were an increase in leaf number, root number, and a decrease in stomata number. However a reduction in chlorophyll content was observed as compared with the control. These mutant lines will need further selection in the field for plants with larger tubers before they can be considered as certified lines. (author)

Biofilm formation and binding specificities of CFA/I, CFA/II and CS2 adhesions of enterotoxigenic Escherichia coli and Cfae-R181A mutant.

Science.gov (United States)

Liaqat, Iram; Sakellaris, Harry

2012-07-01

Enterotoxigenic Escherichia coli (ETEC) strains are leading causes of childhood diarrhea in developing countries. Adhesion is the first step in pathogenesis of ETEC infections and ETEC pili designated colonization factor antigens (CFAs) are believed to be important in the biofim formation, colonization and host cell adhesions. As a first step, we have determined the biofilm capability of ETEC expressing various types of pili (CFA/I, CfaE-R181A mutant/CfaE tip mutant, CFA/II and CS2). Further, enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay (ELISA) assay were developed to compare the binding specificity of CFA/I, CFA/II (CS1 - CS3) and CS2 of ETEC, using extracted pili and piliated bacteria. CFA/II strain (E24377a) as well as extracted pili exhibited significantly higher binding both in biofilm and ELISA assays compared to non piliated wild type E24377a, CFA/I and CS2 strains. This indicates that co-expression of two or more CS2 in same strain is more efficient in increasing adherence. Significant decrease in binding specificity of DH5αF'lacI (q)/∆cotD (CS2) strain and MC4100/pEU2124 (CfaE-R181A) mutant strain indicated the important contribution of tip proteins in adherence assays. However, CS2 tip mutant strain (DH5αF'lacI (q)/pEU5881) showed that this specific residue may not be important as adhesions in these strains. In summary, our data suggest that pili, their minor subunits are important for biofilm formation and adherence mechanisms. Overall, the functional reactivity of strains co expressing various antigens, particularly minor subunit antigen observed in this study suggest that fewer antibodies may be required to elicit immunity to ETEC expressing a wider array of related pili.

Microevolution of Candida albicans in macrophages restores filamentation in a nonfilamentous mutant.

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Anja Wartenberg

2014-12-01

Full Text Available Following antifungal treatment, Candida albicans, and other human pathogenic fungi can undergo microevolution, which leads to the emergence of drug resistance. However, the capacity for microevolutionary adaptation of fungi goes beyond the development of resistance against antifungals. Here we used an experimental microevolution approach to show that one of the central pathogenicity mechanisms of C. albicans, the yeast-to-hyphae transition, can be subject to experimental evolution. The C. albicans cph1Δ/efg1Δ mutant is nonfilamentous, as central signaling pathways linking environmental cues to hyphal formation are disrupted. We subjected this mutant to constant selection pressure in the hostile environment of the macrophage phagosome. In a comparatively short time-frame, the mutant evolved the ability to escape macrophages by filamentation. In addition, the evolved mutant exhibited hyper-virulence in a murine infection model and an altered cell wall composition compared to the cph1Δ/efg1Δ strain. Moreover, the transcriptional regulation of hyphae-associated, and other pathogenicity-related genes became re-responsive to environmental cues in the evolved strain. We went on to identify the causative missense mutation via whole genome- and transcriptome-sequencing: a single nucleotide exchange took place within SSN3 that encodes a component of the Cdk8 module of the Mediator complex, which links transcription factors with the general transcription machinery. This mutation was responsible for the reconnection of the hyphal growth program with environmental signals in the evolved strain and was sufficient to bypass Efg1/Cph1-dependent filamentation. These data demonstrate that even central transcriptional networks can be remodeled very quickly under appropriate selection pressure.

Decreased catalytic activity and altered activation properties of PDE6C mutants associated with autosomal recessive achromatopsia

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Grau, Tanja; Artemyev, Nikolai O; Rosenberg, Thomas

2011-01-01

study on PDE6C mutations including the mutation spectrum, its prevalence in a large cohort of ACHM/cone dysfunction patients, the clinical phenotype and the functional characterization of mutant PDE6C proteins. Twelve affected patients from seven independent families segregating PDE6C mutations were......Mutations in the gene encoding the catalytic subunit of the cone photoreceptor phosphodiesterase (PDE6C) have been recently reported in patients with autosomal recessive inherited achromatopsia (ACHM) and early-onset cone photoreceptor dysfunction. Here we present the results of a comprehensive...... identified in our total patient cohort of 492 independent families. Eleven different PDE6C mutations were found including two nonsense mutations, three mutations affecting transcript splicing as shown by minigene assays, one 1 bp-insertion and five missense mutations. We also performed a detailed functional...

Genetic requirements for high constitutive SOS expression in recA730 mutants of Escherichia coli.

Science.gov (United States)

Vlašić, Ignacija; Šimatović, Ana; Brčić-Kostić, Krunoslav

2011-09-01

The RecA protein in its functional state is in complex with single-stranded DNA, i.e., in the form of a RecA filament. In SOS induction, the RecA filament functions as a coprotease, enabling the autodigestion of the LexA repressor. The RecA filament can be formed by different mechanisms, but all of them require three enzymatic activities essential for the processing of DNA double-stranded ends. These are helicase, 5'-3' exonuclease, and RecA loading onto single-stranded DNA (ssDNA). In some mutants, the SOS response can be expressed constitutively during the process of normal DNA metabolism. The RecA730 mutant protein is able to form the RecA filament without the help of RecBCD and RecFOR mediators since it better competes with the single-strand binding (SSB) protein for ssDNA. As a consequence, the recA730 mutants show high constitutive SOS expression. In the study described in this paper, we studied the genetic requirements for constitutive SOS expression in recA730 mutants. Using a β-galactosidase assay, we showed that the constitutive SOS response in recA730 mutants exhibits different requirements in different backgrounds. In a wild-type background, the constitutive SOS response is partially dependent on RecBCD function. In a recB1080 background (the recB1080 mutation retains only helicase), constitutive SOS expression is partially dependent on RecBCD helicase function and is strongly dependent on RecJ nuclease. Finally, in a recB-null background, the constitutive SOS expression of the recA730 mutant is dependent on the RecJ nuclease. Our results emphasize the importance of the 5'-3' exonuclease for high constitutive SOS expression in recA730 mutants and show that RecBCD function can further enhance the excellent intrinsic abilities of the RecA730 protein in vivo. Copyright © 2011, American Society for Microbiology. All Rights Reserved.

Stability Test For Sorghum Mutant Lines Derived From Induced Mutations with Gamma-Ray Irradiation

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S. Human

2011-12-01

Full Text Available Sorghum breeding program had been conducted at the Center for the Application of Isotopes and Radiation Technology, BATAN. Plant genetic variability was increased through induced mutations using gamma-ray irradiation. Through selection process in successive generations, some promising mutant lines had been identified to have good agronomic characteristics with high grain yield. These breeding lines were tested in multi location trials and information of the genotypic stability was obtained to meet the requirements for officially varietal release by the Ministry of Agriculture. A total of 11 sorghum lines and varieties consisting of 8 mutant lines derived from induced mutations (B-100, B-95, B-92, B-83, B-76, B-75, B-69 and Zh-30 and 3 control varieties (Durra, UPCA-S1 and Mandau were included in the experiment. All materials were grown in 10 agro-ecologically different locations namely Gunungkidul, Bantul, Citayam, Garut, Lampung, Bogor, Anyer, Karawaci, Cianjur and Subang. In each location, the local adaptability test was conducted by randomized block design with 3 replications. Data of grain yield was used for evaluating genotypic stability using AMMI approach. Results revealed that sorghum mutation breeding had generated 3 mutant lines (B-100, B-76 and Zh-30 exhibiting grain yield significantly higher than the control varieties. These mutant lines were genetically stable in all locations so that they would be recommended for official release as new sorghum varieties to the Ministry of Agriculture

A recombinant hypoallergenic parvalbumin mutant for immunotherapy of IgE-mediated fish allergy.

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Swoboda, Ines; Bugajska-Schretter, Agnes; Linhart, Birgit; Verdino, Petra; Keller, Walter; Schulmeister, Ulrike; Sperr, Wolfgang R; Valent, Peter; Peltre, Gabriel; Quirce, Santiago; Douladiris, Nikolaos; Papadopoulos, Nikolaos G; Valenta, Rudolf; Spitzauer, Susanne

2007-05-15

IgE-mediated allergy to fish is a frequent cause of severe anaphylactic reactions. Parvalbumin, a small calcium-binding protein, is the major fish allergen. We have recently isolated a cDNA coding for carp parvalbumin, Cyp c 1, and expressed in Escherichia coli a recombinant Cyp c 1 molecule, which contained most IgE epitopes of saltwater and freshwater fish. In this study, we introduced mutations into the calcium-binding domains of carp parvalbumin by site-directed mutagenesis and produced in E. coli three parvalbumin mutants containing amino acid exchanges either in one (single mutants; Mut-CD and Mut-EF) or in both of the calcium-binding sites (double mutant; Mut-CD/EF). Circular dichroism analyses of the purified derivatives and the wild-type allergen showed that Mut-CD/EF exhibited the greatest reduction of overall protein fold. Dot blot assays and immunoblot inhibition experiments performed with sera from 21 fish-allergic patients showed that Mut-CD/EF had a 95% reduced IgE reactivity and represented the derivative with the least allergenic activity. The latter was confirmed by in vitro basophil histamine release assays and in vivo skin prick testing. The potential applicability for immunotherapy of Mut-CD/EF was demonstrated by the fact that mouse IgG Abs could be raised by immunization with the mutated molecule, which cross-reacted with parvalbumins from various fish species and inhibited the binding of fish-allergic patients' IgE to the wild-type allergen. Using the hypoallergenic carp parvalbumin mutant Mut-CD/EF, it may be possible to treat fish allergy by immunotherapy.

Arg156 in the AP2-domain exhibits the highest binding activity among the 20 individuals to the GCC box in BnaERF-B3-hy15, a mutant ERF transcription factor from Brassica napus

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Jing Zhuang

2016-10-01

Full Text Available To develop mutants of the ERF factor with more binding activities to the GCC box, we performed in vitro directed evolution by using DNA shuffling and screened mutants through yeast one-hybrid assay. Here, a series of mutants were obtained and used to reveal key amino acids that induce changes in the DNA binding activity of the BnaERF-B3 protein. With the BnaERF-B3-hy15 as the template, we produced 12 mutants which host individual mutation of potential key residues. We found that amino acid 156 is the key site, and the other 18 mutants host the 18 corresponding individual amino acid residues at site 156. Among the 20 individuals comprising WT (Gly156, Mu3 (Arg156, and 18 mutants with other 18 amino acid residues, Arg156 in the AP2-domain is the amino acid residue with the highest binding activity to the GCC box. The structure of the α-helix in the AP2-domain affects the binding activity. Other residues within AP2-domain modulated binding activity of ERF protein, suggesting that these positions are important for binding activity. Comparison of the mutant and wild-type transcription factors revealed the relationship of protein function and sequence modification. Our result provides a potential useful resource for understanding the trans-activation of ERF proteins.

Diet-induced obesity increases the frequency of Pig-a mutant erythrocytes in male C57BL/6J mice.

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Wickliffe, Jeffrey K; Dertinger, Stephen D; Torous, Dorothea K; Avlasevich, Svetlana L; Simon-Friedt, Bridget R; Wilson, Mark J

2016-12-01

Obesity increases the risk of a number of chronic diseases in humans including several cancers. Biological mechanisms responsible for such increased risks are not well understood at present. Increases in systemic inflammation and oxidative stress, endogenous production of mutagenic metabolites, altered signaling in proliferative pathways, and increased sensitivity to exogenous mutagens and carcinogens are some of the potential contributing factors. We hypothesize that obesity creates an endogenously mutagenic environment in addition to increasing the sensitivity to environmental mutagens. To test this hypothesis, we examined two in vivo genotoxicity endpoints. Pig-a mutant frequencies and micronucleus frequencies were determined in blood cells in two independent experiments in 30-week old male mice reared on either a high-fat diet (60% calories from fat) that exhibit an obese phenotype or a normal-fat diet (10% calories from fat) that do not exhibit an obese phenotype. Mice were assayed again at 52 weeks of age in one of the experiments. N-ethyl-N-nitrosourea (ENU) was used as a positive mutation control in one experiment. ENU induced a robust Pig-a mutant and micronucleus response in both phenotypes. Obese, otherwise untreated mice, did not differ from non-obese mice with respect to Pig-a mutant frequencies in reticulocytes or micronucleus frequencies. However, such mice, had significantly higher and sustained Pig-a mutant frequencies (increased 2.5-3.7-fold, p obese mice (based on measurements collected at 30 weeks or 30 and 52 weeks of age). This suggests that obesity, in the absence of exposure to an exogenous mutagen, is itself mutagenic. Environ. Mol. Mutagen. 57:668-677, 2016. © 2016 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. © 2016 Wiley Periodicals, Inc.

Comprehensive behavioral analysis of ENU-induced Disc1-Q31L and -L100P mutant mice

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Shoji Hirotaka

2012-02-01

Full Text Available Abstract Background Disrupted-in-Schizophrenia 1 (DISC1 is considered to be a candidate susceptibility gene for psychiatric disorders, including schizophrenia, bipolar disorder, and major depression. A recent study reported that N-ethyl-N-nitrosourea (ENU-induced mutations in exon 2 of the mouse Disc1 gene, which resulted in the amino acid exchange of Q31L and L100P, caused an increase in depression-like behavior in 31 L mutant mice and schizophrenia-like behavior in 100P mutant mice; thus, these are potential animal models of psychiatric disorders. However, remaining heterozygous mutations that possibly occur in flanking genes other than Disc1 itself might induce behavioral abnormalities in the mutant mice. Here, to confirm the effects of Disc1-Q31L and Disc1-L100P mutations on behavioral phenotypes and to investigate the behaviors of the mutant mice in more detail, the mutant lines were backcrossed to C57BL/6JJcl through an additional two generations and the behaviors were analyzed using a comprehensive behavioral test battery. Results Contrary to expectations, 31 L mutant mice showed no significant behavioral differences when compared with wild-type control mice in any of the behavioral tests, including the Porsolt forced swim and tail suspension tests, commonly used tests for depression-like behavior. Also, 100P mutant mice exhibited no differences in almost all of the behavioral tests, including the prepulse inhibition test for measuring sensorimotor gating, which is known to be impaired in schizophrenia patients; however, 100P mutant mice showed higher locomotor activity compared with wild-type control mice in the light/dark transition test. Conclusions Although these results are partially consistent with the previous study in that there was hyperactivity in 100P mutant mice, the vast majority of the results are inconsistent with those of the previous study; this discrepancy may be explained by differences in the genetic background of the

Molecular analysis of waxy mutants in rice

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Yatou, O.; Amano, E.

1990-01-01

Full text: The 'waxy' gene is a structural gene coding a glycosyl transferase which synthesises amylose in the endosperm tissue. 'Non-waxy' rice cultivars have an active gene and their amylose content is 18-25% depending upon gene performance and modifier genes. In 'waxy' rice, no amylose is found because the enzyme is absent. In mutants induced by gamma rays, neutrons, EI or EMS, amylose content ranged from 0 to 20%, i.e. there are intermediate phenotypes as well. Some of them had the same amount of the enzyme as a 'non-waxy' cultivar, even fully 'waxy' mutants showed a certain amount of the enzyme. This suggests that in mutants there may be no structural change in the enzyme gene but the enzyme produced might be less active. By molecular analysis of the mutants' genes it was found that only two mutants induced by thermal neutrons show structural alterations, the changes in other mutants are either too small to be detected by Southern analysis or are outside the structural gene in question. (author)

X-rays sensitive mammalian cell mutant

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Utsumi, Hiroshi

1982-01-01

A phenomenon that in x-ray-sensitive mammalian-cell mutants, cellular death due to x-ray radiation was not increased by caffeine, but on the contrary, the dead cells were resuscitated by it was discussed. The survival rate of mutant cells increased by caffein in a low concentration. This suggested that caffeine may have induced some mechanism to produce x-ray resistant mutant cells. Postirradiation treatment with caffeine increased considerably the survival rate of the mutant cells, and this suggested the existence of latent caffeine-sensitive potentially lethal damage repair system. This system, after a few hours, is thought to be substituted by caffeine-resistant repair system which is induced by caffeine, and this may be further substituted by x-ray-resistant repair system. The repair system was also induced by adenine. (Ueda, J.)

Energetic basis for drug resistance of HIV-1 protease mutants against amprenavir

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Kar, Parimal; Knecht, Volker

2012-02-01

Amprenavir (APV) is a high affinity (0.15 nM) HIV-1 protease (PR) inhibitor. However, the affinities of the drug resistant protease variants V32I, I50V, I54V, I54M, I84V and L90M to amprenavir are decreased 3 to 30-fold compared to the wild-type. In this work, the popular molecular mechanics Poisson-Boltzmann surface area method has been used to investigate the effectiveness of amprenavir against the wild-type and these mutated protease variants. Our results reveal that the protonation state of Asp25/Asp25' strongly affects the dynamics, the overall affinity and the interactions of the inhibitor with individual residues. We emphasize that, in contrast to what is often assumed, the protonation state may not be inferred from the affinities but requires pKa calculations. At neutral pH, Asp25 and Asp25' are ionized or protonated, respectively, as suggested from pKa calculations. This protonation state was thus mainly considered in our study. Mutation induced changes in binding affinities are in agreement with the experimental findings. The decomposition of the binding free energy reveals the mechanisms underlying binding and drug resistance. Drug resistance arises from an increase in the energetic contribution from the van der Waals interactions between APV and PR (V32I, I50V, and I84V mutant) or a rise in the energetic contribution from the electrostatic interactions between the inhibitor and its target (I54M and I54V mutant). For the V32I mutant, also an increased free energy for the polar solvation contributes to the drug resistance. For the L90M mutant, a rise in the van der Waals energy for APV-PR interactions is compensated by a decrease in the polar solvation free energy such that the net binding affinity remains unchanged. Detailed understanding of the molecular forces governing binding and drug resistance might assist in the design of new inhibitors against HIV-1 PR variants that are resistant against current drugs.

Viral CTL escape mutants are generated in lymph nodes and subsequently become fixed in plasma and rectal mucosa during acute SIV infection of macaques.

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Thomas H Vanderford

2011-05-01

Full Text Available SIV(mac239 infection of rhesus macaques (RMs results in AIDS despite the generation of a strong antiviral cytotoxic T lymphocyte (CTL response, possibly due to the emergence of viral escape mutants that prevent recognition of infected cells by CTLs. To determine the anatomic origin of these SIV mutants, we longitudinally assessed the presence of CTL escape variants in two MamuA*01-restricted immunodominant epitopes (Tat-SL8 and Gag-CM9 in the plasma, PBMCs, lymph nodes (LN, and rectal biopsies (RB of fifteen SIV(mac239-infected RMs. As expected, Gag-CM9 did not exhibit signs of escape before day 84 post infection. In contrast, Tat-SL8 escape mutants were apparent in all tissues by day 14 post infection. Interestingly LNs and plasma exhibited the highest level of escape at day 14 and day 28 post infection, respectively, with the rate of escape in the RB remaining lower throughout the acute infection. The possibility that CTL escape occurs in LNs before RBs is confirmed by the observation that the specific mutants found at high frequency in LNs at day 14 post infection became dominant at day 28 post infection in plasma, PBMC, and RB. Finally, the frequency of escape mutants in plasma at day 28 post infection correlated strongly with the level Tat-SL8-specific CD8 T cells in the LN and PBMC at day 14 post infection. These results indicate that LNs represent the primary source of CTL escape mutants during the acute phase of SIV(mac239 infection, suggesting that LNs are the main anatomic sites of virus replication and/or the tissues in which CTL pressure is most effective in selecting SIV escape variants.

Alcohol-tolerant mutants of cyanobacterium Synechococcus elongatus PCC 7942 obtained by single-cell mutant screening system.

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Arai, Sayuri; Hayashihara, Kayoko; Kanamoto, Yuki; Shimizu, Kazunori; Hirokawa, Yasutaka; Hanai, Taizo; Murakami, Akio; Honda, Hiroyuki

2017-08-01

Enhancement of alcohol tolerance in microorganisms is an important strategy for improving bioalcohol productivity. Although cyanobacteria can be used as a promising biocatalyst to produce various alcohols directly from CO 2 , low productivity, and low tolerance against alcohols are the main issues to be resolved. Nevertheless, to date, a mutant with increasing alcohol tolerance has rarely been reported. In this study, we attempted to select isopropanol (IPA)-tolerant mutants of Synechococcus elongatus PCC 7942 using UV-C-induced random mutagenesis, followed by enrichment of the tolerant candidates in medium containing 10 g/L IPA and screening of the cells with a high growth rate in the single cell culture system in liquid medium containing 10 g/L IPA. We successfully acquired the most tolerant strain, SY1043, which maintains the ability to grow in medium containing 30 g/L IPA. The photosynthetic oxygen-evolving activities of SY1043 were almost same in cells after 72 h incubation under light with or without 10 g/L IPA, while the activity of the wild-type was remarkably decreased after the incubation with IPA. SY1043 also showed higher tolerance to ethanol, 1-butanol, isobutanol, and 1-pentanol than the wild type. These results suggest that SY1043 would be a promising candidate to improve alcohol production using cyanobacteria. Biotechnol. Bioeng. 2017;114: 1771-1778. © 2017 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. © 2017 Wiley Periodicals, Inc.

GPNMB ameliorates mutant TDP-43-induced motor neuron cell death.

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Nagahara, Yuki; Shimazawa, Masamitsu; Ohuchi, Kazuki; Ito, Junko; Takahashi, Hitoshi; Tsuruma, Kazuhiro; Kakita, Akiyoshi; Hara, Hideaki

2017-08-01

Glycoprotein nonmetastatic melanoma protein B (GPNMB) aggregates are observed in the spinal cord of amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS) patients, but the detailed localization is still unclear. Mutations of transactive response DNA binding protein 43kDa (TDP-43) are associated with neurodegenerative diseases including ALS. In this study, we evaluated the localization of GPNMB aggregates in the spinal cord of ALS patients and the effect of GPNMB against mutant TDP-43 induced motor neuron cell death. GPNMB aggregates were not localized in the glial fibrillary acidic protein (GFAP)-positive astrocyte and ionized calcium binding adaptor molecule-1 (Iba1)-positive microglia. GPNMB aggregates were localized in the microtubule-associated protein 2 (MAP-2)-positive neuron and neurofilament H non-phosphorylated (SMI-32)-positive neuron, and these were co-localized with TDP-43 aggregates in the spinal cord of ALS patients. Mock or TDP-43 (WT, M337V, and A315T) plasmids were transfected into mouse motor neuron cells (NSC34). The expression level of GPNMB was increased by transfection of mutant TDP-43 plasmids. Recombinant GPNMB ameliorated motor neuron cell death induced by transfection of mutant TDP-43 plasmids and serum-free stress. Furthermore, the expression of phosphorylated ERK1/2 and phosphorylated Akt were decreased by this stress, and these expressions were increased by recombinant GPNMB. These results indicate that GPNMB has protective effects against mutant TDP-43 stress via activating the ERK1/2 and Akt pathways, and GPNMB may be a therapeutic target for TDP-43 proteinopathy in familial and sporadic ALS. © 2016 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. © 2016 Wiley Periodicals, Inc.

Radiation induced mutants in cassava (Manihot esculenta Crantz)

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Nayar, G.G.; Rajendran, P.G.

1987-01-01

Full text: Stem cuttings and true seeds of three promising cultivars of cassava were exposed respectively to 1 to 5 kR and 10 to 50 kR acute gamma rays from a 60 Co source. Treatments of stem cuttings beyond 5 kR and seeds beyond 50 kR were lethal. One mutant each in the cultivars M4, H-165 and H-2304 was obtained from the stem irradiated populations. Another mutant was found in the seed irradiated progeny of H-2304. The mutant of M4 is characterised by light green (chlorina) leaves. The mutant of H-165 shows significantly shorter petiole (22,5 against 35.2 cm) and narrow leaf lobes, while the H-2304 mutant shows speckled leaves, branching and early flowering. The mutant found in the seed irradiated progeny of H-2304 is having yellow tuber flesh indicating the presence of carotene. The mutants may be useful in studies related to basic information as well as in practical breeding. The chlorina mutant in M4 showed slow growth and high HCN content in leaves. Late branching may be a useful trait in the traditionally non-branching clones of cassava to maintain the desirable leaf area index during high leaf fall period. Early flowering could be useful in a recombinant breeding programme. The tuber yield of the short petiole mutant in H-165 increased by 20% - 25% through closer planting. The narrow leaf lobes of this mutant permit better light penetration to lower leaves. (author)

Transcriptome Analysis of Polyhydroxybutyrate Cycle Mutants Reveals Discrete Loci Connecting Nitrogen Utilization and Carbon Storage in Sinorhizobium meliloti.

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D'Alessio, Maya; Nordeste, Ricardo; Doxey, Andrew C; Charles, Trevor C

2017-01-01

Polyhydroxybutyrate (PHB) and glycogen polymers are produced by bacteria as carbon storage compounds under unbalanced growth conditions. To gain insights into the transcriptional mechanisms controlling carbon storage in Sinorhizobium meliloti , we investigated the global transcriptomic response to the genetic disruption of key genes in PHB synthesis and degradation and in glycogen synthesis. Under both nitrogen-limited and balanced growth conditions, transcriptomic analysis was performed with genetic mutants deficient in PHB synthesis ( phbA , phbB , phbAB , and phbC ), PHB degradation ( bdhA , phaZ , and acsA2 ), and glycogen synthesis ( glgA1 ). Three distinct genomic regions of the pSymA megaplasmid exhibited altered expression in the wild type and the PHB cycle mutants that was not seen in the glycogen synthesis mutant. An Fnr family transcriptional motif was identified in the upstream regions of a cluster of genes showing similar transcriptional patterns across the mutants. This motif was found at the highest density in the genomic regions with the strongest transcriptional effect, and the presence of this motif upstream of genes in these regions was significantly correlated with decreased transcript abundance. Analysis of the genes in the pSymA regions revealed that they contain a genomic overrepresentation of Fnr family transcription factor-encoding genes. We hypothesize that these loci, containing mostly nitrogen utilization, denitrification, and nitrogen fixation genes, are regulated in response to the intracellular carbon/nitrogen balance. These results indicate a transcriptional regulatory association between intracellular carbon levels (mediated through the functionality of the PHB cycle) and the expression of nitrogen metabolism genes. IMPORTANCE The ability of bacteria to store carbon and energy as intracellular polymers uncouples cell growth and replication from nutrient uptake and provides flexibility in the use of resources as they are available to

Elucidating the Mechanism of Gain of Toxic Function From Mutant C1 Inhibitor Proteins in Hereditary Angioedema

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2017-10-01

antibodies to 5 specifically blot wild-type C1INH in the pathologic polymers.. A FLAG tag was placed into the wild-type C1INH cDNA located immediately...resulted in decreased secretion of the 3x-FLAG-WT-C1INH when cotransfected with the mutant cDNA . This was an important confirmation of our...C1INH plus mutant C1INH cDNA in the presence or absence of a lactacystin, a proteasome inhibitor. As shown in figure 2, blocking degradation of

Alanine racemase mutants of Burkholderia pseudomallei and Burkholderia mallei and use of alanine racemase as a non-antibiotic-based selectable marker.

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Sheryl L W Zajdowicz

Full Text Available Burkholderia pseudomallei and Burkholderia mallei are category B select agents and must be studied under BSL3 containment in the United States. They are typically resistant to multiple antibiotics, and the antibiotics used to treat B. pseudomallei or B. mallei infections may not be used as selective agents with the corresponding Burkholderia species. Here, we investigated alanine racemase deficient mutants of B. pseudomallei and B. mallei for development of non-antibiotic-based genetic selection methods and for attenuation of virulence. The genome of B. pseudomallei K96243 has two annotated alanine racemase genes (bpsl2179 and bpss0711, and B. mallei ATCC 23344 has one (bma1575. Each of these genes encodes a functional enzyme that can complement the alanine racemase deficiency of Escherichia coli strain ALA1. Herein, we show that B. pseudomallei with in-frame deletions in both bpsl2179 and bpss0711, or B. mallei with an in-frame deletion in bma1575, requires exogenous D-alanine for growth. Introduction of bpsl2179 on a multicopy plasmid into alanine racemase deficient variants of either Burkholderia species eliminated the requirement for D-alanine. During log phase growth without D-alanine, the viable counts of alanine racemase deficient mutants of B. pseudomallei and B. mallei decreased within 2 hours by about 1000-fold and 10-fold, respectively, and no viable bacteria were present at 24 hours. We constructed several genetic tools with bpsl2179 as a selectable genetic marker, and we used them without any antibiotic selection to construct an in-frame ΔflgK mutant in the alanine racemase deficient variant of B. pseudomallei K96243. In murine peritoneal macrophages, wild type B. mallei ATCC 23344 was killed much more rapidly than wild type B. pseudomallei K96243. In addition, the alanine racemase deficient mutant of B. pseudomallei K96243 exhibited attenuation versus its isogenic parental strain with respect to growth and survival in murine

Alanine Racemase Mutants of Burkholderia pseudomallei and Burkholderia mallei and Use of Alanine Racemase as a Non-Antibiotic-Based Selectable Marker

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Zajdowicz, Sheryl L. W.; Jones-Carson, Jessica; Vazquez-Torres, Andres; Jobling, Michael G.; Gill, Ronald E.; Holmes, Randall K.

2011-01-01

Burkholderia pseudomallei and Burkholderia mallei are category B select agents and must be studied under BSL3 containment in the United States. They are typically resistant to multiple antibiotics, and the antibiotics used to treat B. pseudomallei or B. mallei infections may not be used as selective agents with the corresponding Burkholderia species. Here, we investigated alanine racemase deficient mutants of B. pseudomallei and B. mallei for development of non-antibiotic-based genetic selection methods and for attenuation of virulence. The genome of B. pseudomallei K96243 has two annotated alanine racemase genes (bpsl2179 and bpss0711), and B. mallei ATCC 23344 has one (bma1575). Each of these genes encodes a functional enzyme that can complement the alanine racemase deficiency of Escherichia coli strain ALA1. Herein, we show that B. pseudomallei with in-frame deletions in both bpsl2179 and bpss0711, or B. mallei with an in-frame deletion in bma1575, requires exogenous d-alanine for growth. Introduction of bpsl2179 on a multicopy plasmid into alanine racemase deficient variants of either Burkholderia species eliminated the requirement for d-alanine. During log phase growth without d-alanine, the viable counts of alanine racemase deficient mutants of B. pseudomallei and B. mallei decreased within 2 hours by about 1000-fold and 10-fold, respectively, and no viable bacteria were present at 24 hours. We constructed several genetic tools with bpsl2179 as a selectable genetic marker, and we used them without any antibiotic selection to construct an in-frame ΔflgK mutant in the alanine racemase deficient variant of B. pseudomallei K96243. In murine peritoneal macrophages, wild type B. mallei ATCC 23344 was killed much more rapidly than wild type B. pseudomallei K96243. In addition, the alanine racemase deficient mutant of B. pseudomallei K96243 exhibited attenuation versus its isogenic parental strain with respect to growth and survival in murine peritoneal macrophages

GH and IGF1: Roles in Energy Metabolism of Long-Living GH Mutant Mice

OpenAIRE

Brown-Borg, Holly M.; Bartke, Andrzej

2012-01-01

Of the multiple theories to explain exceptional longevity, the most robust of these has centered on the reduction of three anabolic protein hormones, growth hormone (GH), insulin-like growth factor, and insulin. GH mutant mice live 50% longer and exhibit significant differences in several aspects of energy metabolism as compared with wild-type mice. Mitochondrial metabolism is upregulated in the absence of GH, whereas in GH transgenic mice and dwarf mice treated with GH, multiple aspects of t...

Developmental impairment of compound action potential in the optic nerve of myelin mutant taiep rats.

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Roncagliolo, Manuel; Schlageter, Carol; León, Claudia; Couve, Eduardo; Bonansco, Christian; Eguibar, José R

2006-01-05

The taiep rat is a myelin mutant with an initial hypomyelination, followed by a progressive demyelination of the CNS. The neurological correlates start with tremor, followed by ataxia, immobility episodes, epilepsy and paralysis. The optic nerve, an easily-isolable central tract fully myelinated by oligodendrocytes, is a suitable preparation to evaluate the developmental impairment of central myelin. We examined the ontogenic development of optic nerve compound action potentials (CAP) throughout the first 6 months of life of control and taiep rats. Control optic nerves (ON) develop CAPs characterized by three waves. Along the first month, the CAPs of taiep rats showed a delayed maturation, with lower amplitudes and longer latencies than controls; at P30, the conduction velocity has only a third of the normal value. Later, as demyelination proceeds, the conduction velocity of taiep ONs begins to decrease and CAPs undergo a gradual temporal dispersion. CAPs of control and taiep showed differences in their pharmacological sensitivity to TEA and 4-AP, two voltage dependent K+ channel-blockers. As compared with TEA, 4-AP induced a significant increase of the amplitudes and a remarkable broadening of CAPs. After P20, unlike controls, the greater sensitivity to 4-AP exhibited by taiep ONs correlates with the detachment and retraction of paranodal loops suggesting that potassium conductances could regulate the excitability as demyelination of CNS axons progresses. It is concluded that the taiep rat, a long-lived mutant, provides a useful model to study the consequences of partial demyelination and the mechanisms by which glial cells regulate the molecular organization and excitability of axonal membranes during development and disease.

Mutant DD genotype of NFKB1 gene is associated with the susceptibility and severity of coronary artery disease.

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Luo, Jun-Yi; Li, Xiao-Mei; Zhou, Yun; Zhao, Qiang; Chen, Bang-Dang; Liu, Fen; Chen, Xiao-Cui; Zheng, Hong; Ma, Yi-Tong; Gao, Xiao-Ming; Yang, Yi-Ning

2017-02-01

Nuclear factor κappa B (NF-κB) is an important transcription factor in the development and progression of coronary artery disease (CAD). Recent evidence suggests that -94 ATTG ins/del mutant in the promoter of NFKB1 gene is an essential functional mutant. The present study demonstrated the frequencies of the del/del (DD) genotype and del (D) allele were significantly higher in CAD patients than in controls. CAD patients carrying mutant DD genotype had worse stenosis of diseased coronary arteries compared to those carrying ins/ins (II) or ins/del (ID) genotype. Plasma levels of endothelial nitric oxide synthase (eNOS) were lower, while inflammatory cytokine incnterlukin-6 (IL-6) was higher in CAD patients with DD genotype than those with II or ID genotype (both PDD genotype HUVECs) were more susceptible to H 2 O 2 -induced apoptosis, which was accompanied with a decreased Bcl-2 expression. Further, mutant HUVECs had lower eNOS but higher IL-6 mRNA levels and decreased phosphorylation of eNOS under H 2 O 2 -stimulation (both PDD genotype of NFKB1 gene is associated with the risk and severity of CAD. Dwonregulation of NF-κB p50 subunit leads to exacerbated endothelial dysfunction and apoptosis and enhanced inflammatory response that is the potential underlying mechanism. Copyright © 2017 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

Officially released mutant varieties in China

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Liu, L.; Van Zanten, L.; Shu, Q.Y.; Maluszynski, M.

2004-01-01

The use of mutation techniques for crop improvement in China has a long and well-established tradition of more than 50 years. As the result of intensive research in many institutes dealing with application of nuclear technologies more than 620 cultivars of 44 crop species have been released. Numerous mutant varieties have been grown on a large scale bringing significant economic impact, sustaining crop production and greatly contributing to increase of food production also in stress prone areas of the country. However, there is still missing information not only on the number of mutant varieties released in particular crop species but also on mutagens applied, selection approaches and on the use of mutants in cross breeding. Numerous Chinese scientists collected and systematized this information. Results of their work were often published in local scientific journals in the Chinese language and as such were unavailable to breeders from other countries. Having this in mind, we requested Dr. Liu Luxiang, the Director of the Department of Plant Mutation Breeding and Genetics, Institute for Application of Atomic Energy, Chinese Academy of Agricultural Sciences in Beijing to help us in finding as much information as possible on mutant varieties officially released in China. The data has been collected in close collaboration with his colleagues from various institutions all over the country and then evaluated, edited and prepared for publication by our team responsible for the FAO/IAEA Database of Officially Released Mutant Varieties. We would like to thank all Chinese colleagues who contributed to this list of Chinese mutant varieties. We hope that this publication will stimulate plant breeders in China to collect more information on released mutant varieties and especially on the use of mutated genes in cross breeding. (author)

Regulation of 1, 4, 5-triphosphate receptor channel gating dynamics by mutant presenilin in Alzheimer's disease cells

Science.gov (United States)

Wei, Fang; Li, Xiang; Cai, Meichun; Liu, Yanping; Jung, Peter; Shuai, Jianwei

2017-06-01

In neurons of patients with Alzheimer's disease, the intracellular Ca2+ concentration is increased by its release from the endoplasmic reticulum via the inositol 1, 4, 5-triphosphate receptor (IP3R). In this paper, we discuss the IP3R gating dynamics in familial Alzheimer's disease (FAD) cells induced with presenilin mutation PS1. By fitting the parameters of an IP3R channel model to experimental data of the open probability, the mean open time and the mean closed time of IP3R channels, in control cells and FAD mutant cells, we suggest that the interaction of presenilin mutation PS1 with IP3R channels leads the decrease in the unbinding rates of IP3 and the activating Ca2+ from IP3Rs. As a result, the increased affinities of IP3 and activating Ca2+ for IP3R channels induce the increase in the Ca2+ signal in FAD mutant cells. Specifically, the PS1 mutation decreases the IP3 dissociation rate of IP3R channels significantly in FAD mutant cells. Our results suggest possible novel targets for FAD therapeutic intervention.

Identification and Characterization of Spontaneous Auxotrophic Mutants in Fusarium langsethiae

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Olga Gavrilova

2017-03-01

Full Text Available Analysis of 49 strains of Fusarium langsethiae originating from northern Europe (Russia, Finland, Sweden, UK, Norway, and Latvia revealed the presence of spontaneous auxotrophic mutants that reflect natural intraspecific diversity. Our investigations detected that 49.0% of F. langsethiae strains were auxotrophic mutants for biotin, and 8.2% of the strains required thiamine as a growth factor. They failed to grow on vitamin-free media. For both prototrophic and auxotrophic strains, no growth defect was observed in rich organic media. Without essential vitamins, a significant reduction in the growth of the auxotrophic strains results in a decrease of the formation of T-2 toxin and diacetoxyscirpenol. In addition, all analysed F. langsethiae strains were distinguished into two subgroups based on PCR product sizes. According to our results, 26 and 23 strains of F. langsethiae belong to subgroups I and II respectively. We determined that the deletion in the intergenic spacer (IGS region of the rDNA of F. langsethiae belonging to subgroup II is linked with temperature sensitivity and causes a decrease in strain growth at 30 °C. Four thiamine auxotrophic strains were found in subgroup I, while 21 biotin auxotrophic strains were detected in subgroups II. To the best of our knowledge, the spontaneous mutations in F. langsethiae observed in the present work have not been previously reported.

Molybdenum x-ray absorption studies of the mutant Kp nifV of nitrogenase MO-FE protein

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Eidsness, M.K.; Smith, B.E.; Flood, A.C.; Garner, C.D.; Cramer, S.P.

1985-01-01

The nifV mutant nitrogenase enzyme of Klebsiella pheumoniae exhibits altered substrate reducing activity. This nitrogenase mutant cannot fix N 2 in vivo but can reduce C 2 H 2 to C 2 H 4 . The nifV mutant enzyme differs further from the wild-type enzyme by CO inhibition of its H 2 evolution activity, up to 80%. The NifV - phenotype (NifV - Kp1) has been shown to be associated with the iron-molybdenum cofactor (FeMoco) in the Mo Fe protein which is generally accepted as the site for substrate reduction. An X-Ray absorption study of the Mo site in this mutant may reveal a difference in its FeMoco structure. The authors report here a comparison of Mo X-Ray absorption data from the nitrogenase enzymes of the wild-type and NifV - strains in three different forms: (1) as isolated, (2) dye-oxidized, and (3) fixing enzyme systems. Mo edge structure of NifV - Kp1 and wild-type enzymes are nearly identical. Small shifts to higher energies are observed in the oxidized and fixing states. Mo EXAFS of NifV - Kp1 and wild-type in the ''as isolated'' state appear indistinguishable. Curve fitting results best describe the molybdenum in FeMoco as bound by 4-5 S atoms at 2.36 A ,3 Fe atoms at 2.69 A, and 0-2 O(N) atoms at 2.19 A. The spectral similarity of these results concerning the nifV mutant FeMoco structure is discussed

Low-energy N-ion beam biotechnology application in the induction of Thai jasmine rice mutant with improved seed storability

Science.gov (United States)

Semsang, Nuananong; Techarang, Jiranat; Yu, Liangdeng; Phanchaisri, Boonrak

2018-06-01

Low-energy heavy-ion beam is a novel biotechnology used for mutation induction in plants. We used a low-energy N-ion beam to induce mutations in Thai jasmine rice (Oryza sativa L. cv. KDML 105) to improve the yield and seed quality. Seeds of BKOS6, a Thai jasmine rice mutant previously induced by ion beams, were re-bombarded with 60-kV-accelerated N-ions (N++N2+) to fluences of 1-2 × 1016 ions/cm2. The resulting mutant, named HyKOS21, exhibited photoperiod insensitivity, semi-dwarfness, and high yield potential. Seed storability of the mutant was studied in natural and accelerated ageing conditions and compared to that of KDML 105 and six other Thai rice varieties. In both testing conditions, HyKOS21 mutant had the highest seed storability among the tested varieties. After storage in the natural condition for 18 months, HyKOS21 had a seed germination percentage nearly two times as that of the original KDML 105. Biochemical analysis showed that the lipid peroxidation level of the mutant seeds was the lowest among those of the tested varieties. Furthermore, an expression analysis of genes encoding lipoxygenase isoenzyme (lox1, lox2, and lox3) revealed that the mutant lacked expression of lox1 and lox2 and expressed only lox3 in seeds. These results may explain the improved seed longevity of the mutant after storage. This work provides further evidence of the modification of biological materials using a low-energy ion beam to produce rice mutants with improved yield and seed storability. The benefits of this technology, to create new varieties with improved values, could serve for local economic development.

Regulation of hippocampal synaptic plasticity thresholds and changes in exploratory and learning behavior in dominant negative NPR-B mutant rats

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Gleb eBarmashenko

2014-12-01

Full Text Available The second messenger cyclic GMP affects synaptic transmission and modulates synaptic plasticity and certain types of learning and memory processes. The impact of the natriuretic peptide receptor B (NPR-B and its ligand C-type natriuretic peptide (CNP, one of several cGMP producing signalling systems, on hippocampal synaptic plasticity and learning is, however, less well understood. We have previously shown that the NPR-B ligand CNP increases the magnitude of long-term depression (LTD in hippocampal area CA1, while reducing the induction of long-term potentiation (LTP. We have extended this line of research to show that bidirectional plasticity is affected in the opposite way in rats expressing a dominant-negative mutant of NPR-B (NSE-NPR-BdeltaKC lacking the intracellular guanylyl cyclase domain under control of a promoter for neuron-specific enolase. The brain cells of these transgenic rats express functional dimers of the NPR-B receptor containing the dominant-negative NPR-BdeltaKC mutant, and therefore show decreased CNP-stimulated cGMP-production in brain membranes. The NPR-B transgenic rats display enhanced LTP but reduced LTD in hippocampal slices. When the frequency-dependence of synaptic modification to afferent stimulation in the range of 1-100 Hz was assessed in transgenic rats the threshold for LTP induction was raised, but LTD induction was facilitated. In parallel, NPR-BdeltaKC rats exhibited an enhancement in exploratory and learning behavior. These results indicate that bidirectional plasticity and learning and memory mechanism are affected in transgenic rats expressing a dominant-negative mutant of NPR-B. Our data substantiate the hypothesis that NPR-B-dependent cGMP signalling has a modulatory role for synaptic information storage and learning.

High yielding mutants of blackgram variety 'PH-25'

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Misra, R.C.; Mohapatra, B.D.; Panda, B.S.

2001-01-01

Seeds of blackgram (Vigna mungo L.) variety 'PH-5' were treated with chemical mutagens ethyl methanesulfonate (EMS), nitrosoguanidine (NG), maleic hydrazide (MH) and sodium azide (NaN 3 ), each at 3 different concentrations. Thirty six mutant lines developed from mutagenic treatments along with parent varieties were tested in M 4 generation. The mutants showed wide variation in most of the traits and multivariante D 2 analysis showed genetic divergence among themselves. Twenty of the thirty mutants showed genetic divergence from parent. Ten selected high yielding mutants were tested in M 5 . Yield and other productive traits of five high yielding mutants in M 4 and M 5 are presented

Noonan syndrome-causing SHP2 mutants impair ERK-dependent chondrocyte differentiation during endochondral bone growth.

Science.gov (United States)

Tajan, Mylène; Pernin-Grandjean, Julie; Beton, Nicolas; Gennero, Isabelle; Capilla, Florence; Neel, Benjamin G; Araki, Toshiyuki; Valet, Philippe; Tauber, Maithé; Salles, Jean-Pierre; Yart, Armelle; Edouard, Thomas

2018-04-12

Growth retardation is a constant feature of Noonan syndrome (NS) but its physiopathology remains poorly understood. We previously reported that hyperactive NS-causing SHP2 mutants impair the systemic production of insulin-like growth factor 1 (IGF1) through hyperactivation of the RAS/extracellular signal-regulated kinases (ERK) signalling pathway. Besides endocrine defects, a direct effect of these mutants on growth plate has not been explored, although recent studies have revealed an important physiological role for SHP2 in endochondral bone growth. We demonstrated that growth plate length was reduced in NS mice, mostly due to a shortening of the hypertrophic zone and to a lesser extent of the proliferating zone. These histological features were correlated with decreased expression of early chondrocyte differentiation markers, and with reduced alkaline phosphatase staining and activity, in NS murine primary chondrocytes. Although IGF1 treatment improved growth of NS mice, it did not fully reverse growth plate abnormalities, notably the decreased hypertrophic zone. In contrast, we documented a role of RAS/ERK hyperactivation at the growth plate level since 1) NS-causing SHP2 mutants enhance RAS/ERK activation in chondrocytes in vivo (NS mice) and in vitro (ATDC5 cells) and 2) inhibition of RAS/ERK hyperactivation by U0126 treatment alleviated growth plate abnormalities and enhanced chondrocyte differentiation. Similar effects were obtained by chronic treatment of NS mice with statins.In conclusion, we demonstrated that hyperactive NS-causing SHP2 mutants impair chondrocyte differentiation during endochondral bone growth through a local hyperactivation of the RAS/ERK signalling pathway, and that statin treatment may be a possible therapeutic approach in NS.

Phenotypic, fermentation characterization, and resistance mechanism analysis of bacteriophage-resistant mutants of Lactobacillus delbrueckii ssp. bulgaricus isolated from traditional Chinese dairy products.

Science.gov (United States)

Deng, Kaibo; Fang, Wei; Zheng, Baodong; Miao, Song; Huo, Guicheng

2018-03-01

Bacteriophage infection is a large factor in dairy industrial production failure on the basis of pure inoculation fermentation, and developing good commercial starter cultures from wild dairy products and improving the environmental vigor of starter cultures by enhancing their phage resistance are still the most effective solutions. Here we used a spontaneous isolation method to obtain bacteriophage-resistant mutants of Lactobacillus delbrueckii ssp. bulgaricus strains that are used in traditional Chinese fermented dairy products. We analyzed their phenotypes, fermentation characteristics, and resistance mechanisms. The results showed that bacteriophage-insensitive mutants (BIM) BIM8 and BIM12 had high bacteriophage resistance while exhibiting fermentation and coagulation attributes that were as satisfying as those of their respective parent strains KLDS1.1016 and KLDS1.1028. According to the attachment receptor detection, mutants BIM8 and BIM12 exhibited reduced absorption to bacteriophage phiLdb compared with their respective bacteriophage-sensitive parent strains because of changes to the polysaccharides or teichoic acids connected to their peptidoglycan layer. Additionally, genes, including HSDR, HSDM, and HSDS, encoding 3 subunits of a type I restriction-modification system were identified in their respective parent strains. We also discovered that HSDR and HSDM were highly conserved but that HSDS was variable because it is responsible for the DNA specificity of the complex. The late lysis that occurred only in strain KLDS1.1016 and not in strain KLDS1.1028 suggests that the former and its mutant BIM8 also may have an activatable restriction-modification mechanism. We conclude that the L. bulgaricus BIM8 and BIM12 mutants have great potential in the dairy industry as starter cultures, and their phage-resistance mechanism was effective mainly due to the adsorption interference and restriction-modification system. Copyright © 2018 American Dairy Science

Molecular analysis of mutants of the Neurospora adenylosuccinate ...

Indian Academy of Sciences (India)

2012-08-07

Aug 7, 2012 ... and mutants induced with X-ray, UV or chemical mutagens. ... We have sequenced the ad-8 locus from 13 of these mutants and identified the molecular nature ..... mutants in yeast by selection for constitutive behavior in pig-.

Gamma-ray induced mutants in castor (Ricinus communis L.)

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Janila, P.; Ashok Kumar, A.; Rajashekar Reddy, N.; Hemalatha, V.

2007-01-01

We report isolation of three recessive mutants in castor using dry seed irradiation with gamma rays. The crinkled leaf mutant (crf) was identified in K-55-112 M2 family and leafy mutant (lea) in H-55-577 M2 family; both are recessive lethal and thus maintained as heterozygotes. The cri mutant has highly wrinkled leaves resembling finger millet head and failed to enter reproductive phase, consequently did not produce seeds. The number of leaf lobes is reduced in lea mutant and though it produced spikes, the male and female flowers are converted to leafy appendages. The third mutant, fused (Ius) stem identified in H-55-617 M2 family is a recessive mutant. The branches of which are fused at the base and though each branch terminates in to monoceous spike like normal plant, the spike is highly condensed. The three mutants under report are valuable genetic stocks for development of linkage maps in castor, which is at infancy. (author)

Productive mutants of niger

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Misra, R.C.

2001-01-01

Seeds of six niger (Guizotia abyssinica Cass.) varieties ('GA-10', 'ONS-8', 'IGP-72', 'N-71', 'NB-9' and 'UN-4') were treated with 0.5, 0.75 and 1% ethyl methanesulphonate. After four generations of selection, 29 mutant lines were developed and those were evaluated from 1990-92 during Kharif (July to October) and Rabi (December to March) seasons. Average plant characteristics and yield data of four high yielding mutants along with 'IGP-76' (National Check), GA-10 (Zonal Check) and 'Semiliguda Local' (Local Check) are presented

Proteomic Analysis of Anti-Cancerous Scopularide Production by a Marine Microascus brevicaulis Strain and Its UV Mutant

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Kramer, Annemarie; Beck, Hans Christian; Kumar, Abhishek

2015-01-01

The marine fungus Microascus brevicaulis strain LF580 is a non-model secondary metabolite producer with high yields of the two secondary metabolites scopularides A and B, which exhibit distinct activities against tumour cell lines. A mutant strain was obtained using UV mutagenesis, showing faster...... for optimisation on strain and process level. The linkage between nutrient limitation and pellet formation in the non-model fungus M. brevicaulis is in consensus with the knowledge on model organisms like Aspergillus niger and Penicillium chrysogenum....... growth and differences in pellet formation besides higher production levels. Here, we show the first proteome study of a marine fungus. Comparative proteomics were applied to gain deeper understanding of the regulation of production and of the physiology of the wild type strain and its mutant...... in the mutant strain: 189 were down- and 129 upregulated. Proteomics are a powerful tool for the understanding of regulatory aspects: The differences on proteome level could be attributed to limited nutrient availability in the wild type strain due to a strong pellet formation. This information can be applied...

Isolation and characterization of MMS-sensitive mutants of Saccharomyces cerevisiae

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Prakash, L.; Prakash, S.

1977-01-01

We have isolated mutants sensitive to methyl methanesulfonate (MMS) in Saccharomyces cerevisiae. Alleles of rad1, rad4, rad6, rad52, rad55 and rad57 were found among these mms mutants. Twenty-nine of the mms mutants which complement the existing radiation-sensitive (rad and rev) mutants belong to 22 new complementation groups. Mutants from five complementation groups are sensitive only to MMS. Mutants of 11 complementation groups are sensitive to uv or x rays in addition to MMS, mutants of six complementation groups are sensitive to all three agents. The cross-sensitivities of these mms mutants to uv and x rays are discussed in terms of their possible involvement in DNA repair. Sporulation is reduced or absent in homozygous diploids of mms mutants from nine complementation groups

Stress-tolerant mutants induced by heavy-ion beams

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Abe, Tomoko; Yoshida, Shigeo; Bae, Chang-Hyu; Ozaki, Takuo

2000-01-01

Comparative study was made on mutagenesis in tobacco embryo induced by exposure to EMS (ethyl methane-sulfonate) ion beams during the fertilization cycle. Tobacco embryo cells immediately after pollination were exposed to heavy ion beam and the sensitivity to the irradiation was assessed in each developmental stage and compared with the effects of EMS, a chemical mutagen. Morphologically abnormality such as chlorophyll deficiency was used as a marker. A total of 17 salt-tolerant plants were selected from 3447 M 1 seeds. A cell line showed salt resistance. The cell growth and chlorophyll content were each two times higher than that of WT cells in the medium containing 154 mM NaCl. Seven strains of M 3 progeny of 17 salt-tolerant plants, showed strong resistance, but no salt tolerant progeny were obtained from Xanthi or Ne-ion irradiation. This shows that the sensitivity of plant embryo to this irradiation technique may vary among species. When exposed to 14 N ion beam for 24-108 hours after pollination, various morphological mutants appeared at 18% in M 1 progeny and herbicide tolerant and salt tolerant mutants were obtained. A strong Co-tolerant strain was obtained in two of 17 salt-tolerant strains and a total of 46 tolerant strains (0.2%) were obtained from 22,272 grains of M 1 seeds. In these tolerant strains, the absorption of Co was slightly decreased, but those of Mg and Mn were increased. Mutants induced with ion-beam irradiation have potential not only for practical use in the breeding of stress-tolerant plants but also for gene analysis that will surely facilitate the molecular understanding of the tolerance mechanisms. (M.N.)

Isoenzymes performance of some rice varieties and their mutants

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Winarno, Ermin; Suliwarno, Ambyah; Ismachin, M.

1992-01-01

Isoenzymes performance of some rice varieties and their mutants. Genetics studies on alcohol dehydrogenase, malic enzyme, peroxidase, acid phosphase, and aminopeptidase isoenzymes were carried out on several groups of rice varieties and their mutant lines. The first groups consisted of Atomita I, Pelita I/1, A227/5, Mudgo, TN-1, and IR-26. The second group was Cisadane variety and its five mutants, namely OBS 18, OBS 208, OBS 297, OBS 306, and OBS 330. The third group was mutants line 627-10-3 and its mutants, namely 1063, 1066, 1067, 1076, and 1090. Isoenzymes extracts of the rice leaves were fractionated using polyacrylamide gel disc electrophoresis. The pattern of acid phosphate isoenzyme shows the specific character of rice mutants susceptible to brown plant hopper biotype 1. The gene(s) controlling malic enzyme in Cisadane's mutants is (are) estimated more resistant toward gamma irradiation than gene(s) responsible for controlling the other enzymes. Generally, the isoenzymes zymograms show that gene(s) controlling the mutants enzyme have undergone mutation. This case is shown by the changes of Rm value, as well as the amount and intensity of mutants bands. (authors). 7 refs., 7 figs

A comprehensive dataset of genes with a loss-of-function mutant phenotype in Arabidopsis.

Science.gov (United States)

Lloyd, Johnny; Meinke, David

2012-03-01

Despite the widespread use of Arabidopsis (Arabidopsis thaliana) as a model plant, a curated dataset of Arabidopsis genes with mutant phenotypes remains to be established. A preliminary list published nine years ago in Plant Physiology is outdated, and genome-wide phenotype information remains difficult to obtain. We describe here a comprehensive dataset of 2,400 genes with a loss-of-function mutant phenotype in Arabidopsis. Phenotype descriptions were gathered primarily from manual curation of the scientific literature. Genes were placed into prioritized groups (essential, morphological, cellular-biochemical, and conditional) based on the documented phenotypes of putative knockout alleles. Phenotype classes (e.g. vegetative, reproductive, and timing, for the morphological group) and subsets (e.g. flowering time, senescence, circadian rhythms, and miscellaneous, for the timing class) were also established. Gene identities were classified as confirmed (through molecular complementation or multiple alleles) or not confirmed. Relationships between mutant phenotype and protein function, genetic redundancy, protein connectivity, and subcellular protein localization were explored. A complementary dataset of 401 genes that exhibit a mutant phenotype only when disrupted in combination with a putative paralog was also compiled. The importance of these genes in confirming functional redundancy and enhancing the value of single gene datasets is discussed. With further input and curation from the Arabidopsis community, these datasets should help to address a variety of important biological questions, provide a foundation for exploring the relationship between genotype and phenotype in angiosperms, enhance the utility of Arabidopsis as a reference plant, and facilitate comparative studies with model genetic organisms.

Comparative Global Gene Expression Profiles of Wild-Type Yersinia pestis CO92 and Its Braun Lipoprotein Mutant at Flea and Human Body Temperatures

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Cristi L. Galindo

2010-01-01

Full Text Available Braun/murein lipoprotein (Lpp is involved in inflammatory responses and septic shock. We previously characterized a Δlpp mutant of Yersinia pestis CO92 and found that this mutant was defective in surviving in macrophages and was attenuated in a mouse inhalation model of plague when compared to the highly virulent wild-type (WT bacterium. We performed global transcriptional profiling of WT Y. pestis and its Δlpp mutant using microarrays. The organisms were cultured at 26 and 37 degrees Celsius to simulate the flea vector and mammalian host environments, respectively. Our data revealed vastly different effects of lpp mutation on the transcriptomes of Y. pestis grown at 37 versus 26C. While the absence of Lpp resulted mainly in the downregulation of metabolic genes at 26C, the Y. pestis Δlpp mutant cultured at 37C exhibited profound alterations in stress response and virulence genes, compared to WT bacteria. We investigated one of the stress-related genes (htrA downregulated in the Δlpp mutant relative to WT Y. pestis. Indeed, complementation of the Δlpp mutant with the htrA gene restored intracellular survival of the Y. pestis Δlpp mutant. Our results support a role for Lpp in Y. pestis adaptation to the host environment, possibly via transcriptional activation of htrA.

Masking Responses to Light in Period Mutant Mice

Science.gov (United States)

Pendergast, Julie S.; Yamazaki, Shin

2013-01-01

Masking is an acute effect of an external signal on an overt rhythm and is distinct from the process of entrainment. In the current study, we investigated the phase dependence and molecular mechanisms regulating masking effects of light pulses on spontaneous locomotor activity in mice. The circadian genes, Period1 (Per1) and Per2, are necessary components of the timekeeping machinery and entrainment by light appears to involve the induction of the expression of Per1 and Per2 mRNAs in the suprachiasmatic nuclei (SCN). We assessed the roles of the Per genes in regulating masking by assessing the effects of light pulses on nocturnal locomotor activity in C57BL/6J Per mutant mice. We found that Per1−/− and Per2−/− mice had robust negative masking responses to light. In addition, the locomotor activity of Per1−/−/Per2−/− mice appeared to be rhythmic in the light-dark (LD) cycle, and the phase of activity onset was advanced (but varied among individual mice) relative to lights off. This rhythm persisted for 1 to 2 days in constant darkness in some Per1−/−/Per2−/− mice. Furthermore, Per1−/−/Per2−/− mice exhibited robust negative masking responses to light. Negative masking was phase dependent in wild-type mice such that maximal suppression was induced by light pulses at zeitgeber time 14 (ZT14) and gradually weaker suppression occurred during light pulses at ZT16 and ZT18. By measuring the phase shifts induced by the masking protocol (light pulses were administered to mice maintained in the LD cycle), we found that the phase responsiveness of Per mutant mice was altered compared to wild-types. Together, our data suggest that negative masking responses to light are robust in Per mutant mice and that the Per1−/−/Per2−/− SCN may be a light-driven, weak/damping oscillator. PMID:21793695

A sorghum (Sorghum bicolor mutant with altered carbon isotope ratio.

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Govinda Rizal

Full Text Available Recent efforts to engineer C4 photosynthetic traits into C3 plants such as rice demand an understanding of the genetic elements that enable C4 plants to outperform C3 plants. As a part of the C4 Rice Consortium's efforts to identify genes needed to support C4 photosynthesis, EMS mutagenized sorghum populations were generated and screened to identify genes that cause a loss of C4 function. Stable carbon isotope ratio (δ13C of leaf dry matter has been used to distinguishspecies with C3 and C4 photosynthetic pathways. Here, we report the identification of a sorghum (Sorghum bicolor mutant with a low δ13C characteristic. A mutant (named Mut33 with a pale phenotype and stunted growth was identified from an EMS treated sorghum M2 population. The stable carbon isotope analysis of the mutants showed a decrease of 13C uptake capacity. The noise of random mutation was reduced by crossing the mutant and its wildtype (WT. The back-cross (BC1F1 progenies were like the WT parent in terms of 13C values and plant phenotypes. All the BC1F2 plants with low δ13C died before they produced their 6th leaf. Gas exchange measurements of the low δ13C sorghum mutants showed a higher CO2 compensation point (25.24 μmol CO2.mol-1air and the maximum rate of photosynthesis was less than 5μmol.m-2.s-1. To identify the genetic determinant of this trait, four DNA pools were isolated; two each from normal and low δ13C BC1F2 mutant plants. These were sequenced using an Illumina platform. Comparison of allele frequency of the single nucleotide polymorphisms (SNPs between the pools with contrasting phenotype showed that a locus in Chromosome 10 between 57,941,104 and 59,985,708 bps had an allele frequency of 1. There were 211 mutations and 37 genes in the locus, out of which mutations in 9 genes showed non-synonymous changes. This finding is expected to contribute to future research on the identification of the causal factor differentiating C4 from C3 species that can be used

Arabidopsis brassinosteroid biosynthetic mutant dwarf7-1 exhibits slower rates of cell division and shoot induction

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Schulz Burkhard

2010-12-01

Full Text Available Abstract Background Plant growth depends on both cell division and cell expansion. Plant hormones, including brassinosteroids (BRs, are central to the control of these two cellular processes. Despite clear evidence that BRs regulate cell elongation, their roles in cell division have remained elusive. Results Here, we report results emphasizing the importance of BRs in cell division. An Arabidopsis BR biosynthetic mutant, dwarf7-1, displayed various characteristics attributable to slower cell division rates. We found that the DWARF4 gene which encodes for an enzyme catalyzing a rate-determining step in the BR biosynthetic pathways, is highly expressed in the actively dividing callus, suggesting that BR biosynthesis is necessary for dividing cells. Furthermore, dwf7-1 showed noticeably slower rates of callus growth and shoot induction relative to wild-type control. Flow cytometric analyses of the nuclei derived from either calli or intact roots revealed that the cell division index, which was represented as the ratio of cells at the G2/M vs. G1 phases, was smaller in dwf7-1 plants. Finally, we found that the expression levels of the genes involved in cell division and shoot induction, such as PROLIFERATING CELL NUCLEAR ANTIGEN2 (PCNA2 and ENHANCER OF SHOOT REGENERATION2 (ESR2, were also lower in dwf7-1 as compared with wild type. Conclusions Taken together, results of callus induction, shoot regeneration, flow cytometry, and semi-quantitative RT-PCR analysis suggest that BRs play important roles in both cell division and cell differentiation in Arabidopsis.

Probing the remarkable thermal kinetics of visual rhodopsin with E181Q and S186A mutants

Science.gov (United States)

Guo, Ying; Hendrickson, Heidi P.; Videla, Pablo E.; Chen, Ya-Na; Ho, Junming; Sekharan, Sivakumar; Batista, Victor S.; Tully, John C.; Yan, Elsa C. Y.

2017-06-01

We recently reported a very unusual temperature dependence of the rate of thermal reaction of wild type bovine rhodopsin: the Arrhenius plot exhibits a sharp "elbow" at 47 °C and, in the upper temperature range, an unexpectedly large activation energy (114 ± 8 kcal/mol) and an enormous prefactor (1072±5 s-1). In this report, we present new measurements and a theoretical model that establish convincingly that this behavior results from a collective, entropy-driven breakup of the rigid hydrogen bonding networks (HBNs) that hinder the reaction at lower temperatures. For E181Q and S186A, two rhodopsin mutants that disrupt the HBNs near the binding pocket of the 11-cis retinyl chromophore, we observe significant decreases in the activation energy (˜90 kcal/mol) and prefactor (˜1060 s-1), consistent with the conclusion that the reaction rate is enhanced by breakup of the HBN. The results provide insights into the molecular mechanism of dim-light vision and eye diseases caused by inherited mutations in the rhodopsin gene that perturb the HBNs.

Commercialization Of Orchid Mutants For Floriculture Industry

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Sakinah Ariffin; Zaiton Ahmad

2014-01-01

Orchids are the main contributors to cut flower industry in Malaysia with an existing good market and a huge business potential. Orchid industry has been established in Malaysia since 1960s but only started to develop and expand since 1980s. Continuous development of new orchid varieties is essential to meet customers' demands. Orchid mutagenesis research using gamma irradiation at Malaysian Nuclear Agency has successfully generated a number of new orchid varieties with commercial potentials. Therefore, Nuclear Malaysia has collaborated with an industrial partner, Hexagon Green Sdn Bhd (HGSB), to carry out commercialization research on these mutants under a Technofund project entitled 'Pre-Commercialization of Mutant Orchids for Cut Flowers Industry' from July 2011 to July 2014. Through this collaboration, Dendrobium orchid mutant plants developed by Nuclear Malaysia were transferred to HGSB's commercial orchid nursery at Bukit Changgang Agrotechnology Park, Banting, Selangor, for mass-propagation. The activities include evaluations on plant growth performance, flower quality, post harvest and market potential of these mutants. Mutants with good field performance have been identified and filed for Plant Variety Protection (PVP) with Department of Agriculture Malaysia. This paper describes outputs from this collaboration and activities undertaken in commercializing these mutants. (author)

Specific TP53 Mutants Overrepresented in Ovarian Cancer Impact CNV, TP53 Activity, Responses to Nutlin-3a, and Cell Survival

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Lisa K. Mullany

2015-10-01

Full Text Available Evolutionary Action analyses of The Cancer Gene Atlas data sets show that many specific p53 missense and gain-of-function mutations are selectively overrepresented and functional in high-grade serous ovarian cancer (HGSC. As homozygous alleles, p53 mutants are differentially associated with specific loss of heterozygosity (R273; chromosome 17; copy number variation (R175H; chromosome 9; and up-stream, cancer-related regulatory pathways. The expression of immune-related cytokines was selectively related to p53 status, showing for the first time that specific p53 mutants impact, and are related to, the immune subtype of ovarian cancer. Although the majority (31% of HGSCs exhibit loss of heterozygosity, a significant number (24% maintain a wild-type (WT allele and represent another HGSC subtype that is not well defined. Using human and mouse cell lines, we show that specific p53 mutants differentially alter endogenous WT p53 activity; target gene expression; and responses to nutlin-3a, a small molecular that activates WT p53 leading to apoptosis, providing “proof of principle” that ovarian cancer cells expressing WT and mutant alleles represent a distinct ovarian cancer subtype. We also show that siRNA knock down of endogenous p53 in cells expressing homozygous mutant alleles causes apoptosis, whereas cells expressing WT p53 (or are heterozygous for WT and mutant p53 alleles are highly resistant. Therefore, despite different gene regulatory pathways associated with specific p53 mutants, silencing mutant p53 might be a suitable, powerful, global strategy for blocking ovarian cancer growth in those tumors that rely on mutant p53 functions for survival. Knowing p53 mutational status in HGSC should permit new strategies tailored to control this disease.

Global regulatory roles of the cAMP/PKA pathway revealed by phenotypic, transcriptomic and phosphoproteomic analyses in a null mutant of the PKA catalytic subunit in Candida albicans.

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Cao, Chengjun; Wu, Mei; Bing, Jian; Tao, Li; Ding, Xuefen; Liu, Xiaoyun; Huang, Guanghua

2017-07-01

The conserved cAMP-dependent protein kinase (PKA) plays critical roles in the regulation of morphological transitions and virulence in the human fungal pathogen Candida albicans. It has long been thought that the PKA catalytic subunit is essential for cell viability in this fungus. Paradoxically, the single adenylyl cyclase-encoding gene, CYR1, which is required for the production of cAMP in C. albicans, is not essential for cell growth. Here, a double mutant of TPK1 and TPK2 (tpk2/tpk2 tpk1/tpk1, t2t1), which encode two isoforms of the PKA catalytic subunit was successfully generated, suggesting that this subunit is not essential for cell viability. Inactivation of the PKA catalytic subunit blocked filamentation and dramatically attenuated white-to-opaque switching, but promoted sexual mating. Comparative transcriptomic analyses demonstrated that the t2t1 and cyr1/cyr1 mutants exhibited similar global gene expression profiles. Compared with the WT strain, the general transcriptional activity and metabolism were significantly decreased in both the t2t1 and cyr1/cyr1 mutants. Using combined phosphoproteomic and bioinformatic analyses, we identified 181 potential PKA phosphorylation targets, which represent 148 unique proteins involved in a wide spectrum of biological processes. The study sheds new insights into the global regulatory features of the cAMP/PKA pathway in C. albicans. © 2017 John Wiley & Sons Ltd.

GH and IGF1: roles in energy metabolism of long-living GH mutant mice.

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Brown-Borg, Holly M; Bartke, Andrzej

2012-06-01

Of the multiple theories to explain exceptional longevity, the most robust of these has centered on the reduction of three anabolic protein hormones, growth hormone (GH), insulin-like growth factor, and insulin. GH mutant mice live 50% longer and exhibit significant differences in several aspects of energy metabolism as compared with wild-type mice. Mitochondrial metabolism is upregulated in the absence of GH, whereas in GH transgenic mice and dwarf mice treated with GH, multiple aspects of these pathways are suppressed. Core body temperature is markedly lower in dwarf mice, yet whole-body metabolism, as measured by indirect calorimetry, is surprisingly higher in Ames dwarf and Ghr-/- mice compared with normal controls. Elevated adiponectin, a key antiinflammatory cytokine, is also very likely to contribute to longevity in these mice. Thus, several important components related to energy metabolism are altered in GH mutant mice, and these differences are likely critical in aging processes and life-span extension.

klf2ash317 Mutant Zebrafish Do Not Recapitulate Morpholino-Induced Vascular and Haematopoietic Phenotypes.

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Peter Novodvorsky

Full Text Available The zinc-finger transcription factor Krϋppel-like factor 2 (KLF2 transduces blood flow into molecular signals responsible for a wide range of responses within the vasculature. KLF2 maintains a healthy, quiescent endothelial phenotype. Previous studies report a range of phenotypes following morpholino antisense oligonucleotide-induced klf2a knockdown in zebrafish. Targeted genome editing is an increasingly applied method for functional assessment of candidate genes. We therefore generated a stable klf2a mutant zebrafish and characterised its cardiovascular and haematopoietic development.Using Transcription Activator-Like Effector Nucleases (TALEN we generated a klf2a mutant (klf2ash317 with a 14bp deletion leading to a premature stop codon in exon 2. Western blotting confirmed loss of wild type Klf2a protein and the presence of a truncated protein in klf2ash317 mutants. Homozygous klf2ash317 mutants exhibit no defects in vascular patterning, survive to adulthood and are fertile, without displaying previously described morphant phenotypes such as high-output cardiac failure, reduced haematopoetic stem cell (HSC development or impaired formation of the 5th accessory aortic arch. Homozygous klf2ash317 mutation did not reduce angiogenesis in zebrafish with homozygous mutations in von Hippel Lindau (vhl, a form of angiogenesis that is dependent on blood flow. We examined expression of three klf family members in wildtype and klf2ash317 zebrafish. We detected vascular expression of klf2b (but not klf4a or biklf/klf4b/klf17 in wildtypes but found no differences in expression that might account for the lack of phenotype in klf2ash317 mutants. klf2b morpholino knockdown did not affect heart rate or impair formation of the 5th accessory aortic arch in either wildtypes or klf2ash317 mutants.The klf2ash317 mutation produces a truncated Klf2a protein but, unlike morpholino induced klf2a knockdown, does not affect cardiovascular development.

Comprehensive MALDI-TOF biotyping of the non-redundant Harvard Pseudomonas aeruginosa PA14 transposon insertion mutant library.

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Oumeraci, Tonio; Jensen, Vanessa; Talbot, Steven R; Hofmann, Winfried; Kostrzewa, Markus; Schlegelberger, Brigitte; von Neuhoff, Nils; Häussler, Susanne

2015-01-01

Pseudomonas aeruginosa is a gram-negative bacterium that is ubiquitously present in the aerobic biosphere. As an antibiotic-resistant facultative pathogen, it is a major cause of hospital-acquired infections. Its rapid and accurate identification is crucial in clinical and therapeutic environments. In a large-scale MALDI-TOF mass spectrometry-based screen of the Harvard transposon insertion mutant library of P. aeruginosa strain PA14, intact-cell proteome profile spectra of 5547 PA14 transposon mutants exhibiting a plethora of different phenotypes were acquired and analyzed. Of all P. aeruginosa PA14 mutant profiles 99.7% were correctly identified as P. aeruginosa with the Biotyper software on the species level. On the strain level, 99.99% of the profiles were mapped to five different individual P. aeruginosa Biotyper database entries. A principal component analysis-based approach was used to determine the most important discriminatory mass features between these Biotyper groups. Although technical replicas were consistently categorized to specific Biotyper groups in 94.2% of the mutant profiles, biological replicas were not, indicating that the distinct proteotypes are affected by growth conditions. The PA14 mutant profile collection presented here constitutes the largest coherent P. aeruginosa MALDI-TOF spectral dataset publicly available today. Transposon insertions in thousands of different P. aeruginosa genes did not affect species identification from MALDI-TOF mass spectra, clearly demonstrating the robustness of the approach. However, the assignment of the individual spectra to sub-groups proved to be non-consistent in biological replicas, indicating that the differentiation between biotyper groups in this nosocomial pathogen is unassured.

Bacterio-opsin mutants of Halobacterium halobium

Science.gov (United States)

Betlach, Mary; Pfeifer, Felicitas; Friedman, James; Boyer, Herbert W.

1983-01-01

The bacterio-opsin (bop) gene of Halobacterium halobium R1 has been cloned with about 40 kilobases of flanking genomic sequence. The 40-kilobase segment is derived from the (G+C)-rich fraction of the chromosome and is not homologous to the major (pHH1) or minor endogenous covalently closed circular DNA species of H. halobium. A 5.1-kilobase Pst I fragment containing the bop gene was subcloned in pBR322 and a partial restriction map was determined. Defined restriction fragments of this clone were used as probes to analyze the defects associated with the bop gene in 12 bacterio-opsin mutants. Eleven out of 12 of the mutants examined had inserts ranging from 350 to 3,000 base pairs either in the bop gene or up to 1,400 base pairs upstream. The positions of the inserts were localized to four regions in the 5.1-kilobase genomic fragment: within the gene (one mutant), in a region that overlaps the 5′ end of the gene (seven mutants), and in two different upstream regions (three mutants). Two revertants of the mutant with the most distal insert had an additional insert in the same region. The polar effects of these inserts are discussed in terms of inactivation of a regulatory gene or disruption of part of a coordinately expressed operon. Given the defined nature of the bop mRNA—i.e., it has a 5′ leader sequence of three ribonucleotides—these observations indicate that the bop mRNA might be processed from a large mRNA transcript. Images PMID:16593291

Discovery of AG-120 (Ivosidenib): A First-in-Class Mutant IDH1 Inhibitor for the Treatment of IDH1 Mutant Cancers.

Science.gov (United States)

Popovici-Muller, Janeta; Lemieux, René M; Artin, Erin; Saunders, Jeffrey O; Salituro, Francesco G; Travins, Jeremy; Cianchetta, Giovanni; Cai, Zhenwei; Zhou, Ding; Cui, Dawei; Chen, Ping; Straley, Kimberly; Tobin, Erica; Wang, Fang; David, Muriel D; Penard-Lacronique, Virginie; Quivoron, Cyril; Saada, Véronique; de Botton, Stéphane; Gross, Stefan; Dang, Lenny; Yang, Hua; Utley, Luke; Chen, Yue; Kim, Hyeryun; Jin, Shengfang; Gu, Zhiwei; Yao, Gui; Luo, Zhiyong; Lv, Xiaobing; Fang, Cheng; Yan, Liping; Olaharski, Andrew; Silverman, Lee; Biller, Scott; Su, Shin-San M; Yen, Katharine

2018-04-12

Somatic point mutations at a key arginine residue (R132) within the active site of the metabolic enzyme isocitrate dehydrogenase 1 (IDH1) confer a novel gain of function in cancer cells, resulting in the production of d-2-hydroxyglutarate (2-HG), an oncometabolite. Elevated 2-HG levels are implicated in epigenetic alterations and impaired cellular differentiation. IDH1 mutations have been described in an array of hematologic malignancies and solid tumors. Here, we report the discovery of AG-120 (ivosidenib), an inhibitor of the IDH1 mutant enzyme that exhibits profound 2-HG lowering in tumor models and the ability to effect differentiation of primary patient AML samples ex vivo. Preliminary data from phase 1 clinical trials enrolling patients with cancers harboring an IDH1 mutation indicate that AG-120 has an acceptable safety profile and clinical activity.

Inactivation of JAK2/STAT3 Signaling Axis and Downregulation of M1 mAChR Cause Cognitive Impairment in klotho Mutant Mice, a Genetic Model of Aging

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Park, Seok-Joo; Shin, Eun-Joo; Min, Sun Seek; An, Jihua; Li, Zhengyi; Hee Chung, Yoon; Hoon Jeong, Ji; Bach, Jae-Hyung; Nah, Seung-Yeol; Kim, Won-Ki; Jang, Choon-Gon; Kim, Yong-Sun; Nabeshima, Yo-ichi; Nabeshima, Toshitaka; Kim, Hyoung-Chun

2013-01-01

We previously reported cognitive dysfunction in klotho mutant mice. In the present study, we further examined novel mechanisms involved in cognitive impairment in these mice. Significantly decreased janus kinase 2 (JAK2) and signal transducer and activator of transcription3 (STAT3) phosphorylation were observed in the hippocampus of klotho mutant mice. A selective decrease in protein expression and binding density of the M1 muscarinic cholinergic receptor (M1 mAChR) was observed in these mice. Cholinergic parameters (ie, acetylcholine (ACh), choline acetyltransferase (ChAT), and acetylcholinesterase (AChE)) and NMDAR-dependent long-term potentiation (LTP) were significantly impaired in klotho mutant mice. McN-A-343 (McN), an M1 mAChR agonist, significantly attenuated these impairments. AG490 (AG), a JAK2 inhibitor, counteracted the attenuating effects of McN, although AG did not significantly alter the McN-induced effect on AChE. Furthermore, AG significantly inhibited the attenuating effects of McN on decreased NMDAR-dependent LTP, protein kinase C βII, p-ERK, p-CREB, BDNF, and p-JAK2/p-STAT3-expression in klotho mutant mice. In addition, k252a, a BDNF receptor tyrosine kinase B (TrkB) inhibitor, significantly counteracted McN effects on decreased ChAT, ACh, and M1 mAChR and p-JAK2/p-STAT3 expression. McN-induced effects on cognitive impairment in klotho mutant mice were consistently counteracted by either AG or k252a. Our results suggest that inactivation of the JAK2/STAT3 signaling axis and M1 mAChR downregulation play a critical role in cognitive impairment observed in klotho mutant mice. PMID:23389690

Free energy calculations give insight into the stereoselective hydroxylation of α-ionones by engineered cytochrome P450 BM3 mutants.

Science.gov (United States)

de Beer, Stephanie B A; Venkataraman, Harini; Geerke, Daan P; Oostenbrink, Chris; Vermeulen, Nico P E

2012-08-27

Previously, stereoselective hydroxylation of α-ionone by Cytochrome P450 BM3 mutants M01 A82W and M11 L437N was observed. While both mutants hydroxylate α-ionone in a regioselective manner at the C3 position, M01 A82W catalyzes formation of trans-3-OH-α-ionone products whereas M11 L437N exhibits opposite stereoselectivity, producing trans-(3S,6S)-OH-α-ionone and cis-(3S,6R)-OH-α-ionone. Here, we explore the stereoselective C3 hydroxylation of α-ionone by Cytochrome P450 BM3 mutants M01 A82W and M11 L437N using molecular dynamics-based free energy calculations to study the interaction between the enzyme and both the substrates and the products. The one-step perturbation approach is applied using an optimized reference state for substrates and products. While the free energy differences between the substrates free in solution amount to ~0 kJ mol(-1), the differences in mutant M01 A82W agree with the experimentally obtained dissociation constants K(d). Moreover, a correlation with experimentally observed trends in product formation is found in both mutants. The trans isomers show the most favorable relative binding free energy in the range of all four possible hydroxylated diastereomers for mutant M01 A82W, while the trans product from (6S)-α-ionone and the cis product from (6R)-α-ionone show highest affinity for mutant M11 L437N. Marcus theory is subsequently used to relate the thermodynamic stability to transition state energies and rates of formation.

Mutants of Yarrowia lipolytica NCIM 3589 grown on waste cooking oil as a biofactory for biodiesel production.

Science.gov (United States)

Katre, Gouri; Ajmera, Namasvi; Zinjarde, Smita; RaviKumar, Ameeta

2017-10-24

higher heating values than the wild type strain. The chemical mutagenesis strategy adopted in this study resulted in the successful isolation of three stable high SCO yielding mutants. The mutants, namely, YlB6, YlC7 and YlE1 exhibited a 1.22, 1.33 and 1.49-fold increase in lipid contents when grown on 100 g L -1 waste cooking oil than the parental yeast strain. The fatty acid methyl ester (FAME) profiles of all the three mutants was determined to be suitable for biodiesel suggesting their potential applicability while simultaneously addressing the management of waste cooking oil.

Quality characteristics of soybean pasted (Doenjang) manufactured with 2 soybean mutant lines derived from cv. baekwon

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Lee, Kyung Jun; Kang, Si Yong; Choi, Hong Il; Kim, Jin Baek

2016-01-01

In order to identification of the possibility of manufacturing soybean paste (doenjang) with soybean mutant lines induced from gamma-ray mutagenesis, this study was performed to investigate the quality characteristics of doenjang using two soybean mutant lines, Baekwon-1 (BW-1) and Baekwon-2 (BW-2) and their original cultivar (cv. Baekwon, BW) for 8 weeks. The BW and two mutant lines (BW-1 and BW-2) were showed higher content of amino type nitrogen than control (cv. Taegwang). The pH decreased and the titratable acidity increased all the samples during aging period. The lightness, redness and yellowness of doenjang were the lowest in BW. Total free sugar content of doenjang was the highest in control (10.43%) after 4 weeks and composed mainly fructose and glucose. The order of the free amino acid content was Glutamic acid>Leucine>Lysine>Phenylalanine>Aspartic acid in control, Glutamic acid>Leucine >Arginine>Lysine>Phenylalanine in BW, Glutamic acid>Lysine>Phenylalanine>Aspartic acid>Valine in BW-1 and Glutamic acid>Arginine>Lysine>Phenylalanine>Aspartic acid in BW-2, respectively. Our results showed that it is possible to increase the quality of doenjang using soybean mutant lines in manufacturing soybean paste

Quality characteristics of soybean pasted (Doenjang) manufactured with 2 soybean mutant lines derived from cv. baekwon

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Lee, Kyung Jun; Kang, Si Yong; Choi, Hong Il; Kim, Jin Baek [Advanced Radiation Technology Institute, Korea Atomic Energy Research Institute, Jeongeup (Korea, Republic of)

2016-11-15

In order to identification of the possibility of manufacturing soybean paste (doenjang) with soybean mutant lines induced from gamma-ray mutagenesis, this study was performed to investigate the quality characteristics of doenjang using two soybean mutant lines, Baekwon-1 (BW-1) and Baekwon-2 (BW-2) and their original cultivar (cv. Baekwon, BW) for 8 weeks. The BW and two mutant lines (BW-1 and BW-2) were showed higher content of amino type nitrogen than control (cv. Taegwang). The pH decreased and the titratable acidity increased all the samples during aging period. The lightness, redness and yellowness of doenjang were the lowest in BW. Total free sugar content of doenjang was the highest in control (10.43%) after 4 weeks and composed mainly fructose and glucose. The order of the free amino acid content was Glutamic acid>Leucine>Lysine>Phenylalanine>Aspartic acid in control, Glutamic acid>Leucine >Arginine>Lysine>Phenylalanine in BW, Glutamic acid>Lysine>Phenylalanine>Aspartic acid>Valine in BW-1 and Glutamic acid>Arginine>Lysine>Phenylalanine>Aspartic acid in BW-2, respectively. Our results showed that it is possible to increase the quality of doenjang using soybean mutant lines in manufacturing soybean paste.

The application of shortened upper leaf mutant in barley breeding

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Jin Hua

2004-01-01

The shortened upper leaf mutant was induced from Fuji Nigo by γ-ray irradiation. Fuji Nigo, the mutant, cross-cut F 1 , F 2 and back-cross F 1 , F 2 were used to analyze mutant heredity by comparative study. The yield, chlorophyll content, light intensity, dry matter of mutant were investigated. The results showed that (1) the mutant character was controlled by a couple of nuclear genes which were partial dominance; (2) the transmittance of the mutant colony was better than that of Fuji Nigo and bottom dry matter was much more than that of Fuji Nigo; (3) under the condition of high fertilizer and high plant population , the yield of mutant was higher than that of Fuji Nigo; (4) the content of chlorophyll a in the mutant was higher than that in Fuji Nigo

Optimisation of nutritional requirements for dopamine synthesis by calcium alginate-entrapped mutant strain of Aspergillus oryzae EMS-6.

Science.gov (United States)

Ali, Sikander; Nawaz, Wajeeha

2017-02-01

The optimisation of nutritional requirements for dopamine (DA) synthesis by calcium alginate-entrapped mutant variant of Aspergillus oryzae EMS-6 using submerged fermentation technique was investigated. A total of 13 strains were isolated from soil. Isolate I-2 was selected as a better producer of DA and improved by exposing with ethyl methylsulphonate (EMS). EMS-6 was selected as it exhibited 43 μg/mL DA activity. The mutant variable was further treated with low levels of l-cysteine HCl to make it resistant against diversion and environmental stress. The conidiospores of mutant variant were entrapped in calcium alginate beads for stable product formation. EMS-6 gave maximum DA activity (124 μg/mL) when supplemented with 0.1% peptone and 0.2% sucrose, under optimised parameters viz. pH 3, temperature of 55 °C and incubation time of 70 min. The study involves the high profile of DA activity and is needed, as DA is capable to control numerous neurogenic disorders.

Immersive Exhibitions

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Achiam, Marianne

2015-01-01

The immersive exhibition is a specialized exhibition genre in museums, which creates the illusion of time and place by representing key characteristics of a reference world and by integrating the visitor in this three-dimensionally reconstructed world (Mortensen 2010). A successful representation...... of the reference world depends on three criteria: whether the exhibition is staged as a coherent whole with all the displayed objects supporting the representation, whether the visitor is integrated as a component of the exhibition, and whether the content and message of the exhibition become dramatized...

Genetical, cytological and physiological studies on the induced mutants with special regard to effective methods for obtaining useful mutants in perennial woody plants

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Kukimura, H.; Ikeda, F.; Fujita, H.; Maeta, T.; Nakajima, K.; Katagiri, K.; Nakahira, K.; Somegou, M.

1975-01-01

The study was aimed at elucidating the biological aspects of artificially induced mutations in perennial tree crops and at promoting the utilization of such mutations in a practical breeding programme. A number of mutants obtained particularly in Cryptomeria and mulberry (Morus spp.) by means of gamma radiation were examined for their practical usefulness. Doses from 7.5 to 15.0 kR were used. In mulbery, some mutant strains showed increased shoot growth, and one mutant strain showed a remarkable increase also in rooting ability. Entire leaf mutants were investigated for their breeding behaviour. None of the mutant strains showed acquired disease resistance. Changes in the number of isozyme bands and different staining intensity was observed in all the mutant strains compared to the original strains

Phenotypical and biochemical characterisation of resistance for parasitic weed (Orobanche foetida Poir.) in radiation-mutagenised mutants of chickpea.

Science.gov (United States)

Brahmi, Ines; Mabrouk, Yassine; Brun, Guillaume; Delavault, Philippe; Belhadj, Omrane; Simier, Philippe

2016-12-01

Some radiation-mutagenised chickpea mutants potentially resistant to the broomrape, Orobanche foetida Poir., were selected through field trials. The objectives of this work were to confirm resistance under artificial infestation, in pots and mini-rhizotron systems, and to determine the developmental stages of broomrape affected by resistance and the relevant resistance mechanisms induced by radiation mutagenesis. Among 30 mutants tested for resistance to O. foetida, five shared strong resistance in both pot experiments and mini-rhizotron systems. Resistance was not complete, but the few individuals that escaped resistance displayed high disorders of shoot development. Results demonstrated a 2-3-fold decrease in stimulatory activity of root exudates towards broomrape seed germination in resistant mutants in comparison with non-irradiated control plants and susceptible mutants. Resistance was associated with an induction of broomrape necrosis early during infection. When infested, most of the resistant mutants shared enhanced levels of soluble phenolic contents, phenylalanine ammonia lyase activity, guaiacol peroxidase activity and polyphenol oxidase activity, in addition to glutathione and notably ascorbate peroxidase gene expression in roots. Results confirmed enhanced resistance in chickpea radiation-mutagenised mutants, and demonstrated that resistance is based on alteration of root exudation, presumed cell-wall reinforcement and change in root oxidative status in response to infection. © 2016 Society of Chemical Industry. © 2016 Society of Chemical Industry.

Increased BRAF Heterodimerization Is the Common Pathogenic Mechanism for Noonan Syndrome-Associated RAF1 Mutants

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Wu, Xue; Yin, Jiani; Simpson, Jeremy; Kim, Kyoung-Han; Gu, Shengqing; Hong, Jenny H.; Bayliss, Peter; Backx, Peter H.

2012-01-01

Noonan syndrome (NS) is a relatively common autosomal dominant disorder characterized by congenital heart defects, short stature, and facial dysmorphia. NS is caused by germ line mutations in several components of the RAS–RAF–MEK–extracellular signal-regulated kinase (ERK) mitogen-activated protein kinase (MAPK) pathway, including both kinase-activating and kinase-impaired alleles of RAF1 (∼3 to 5%), which encodes a serine-threonine kinase for MEK1/2. To investigate how kinase-impaired RAF1 mutants cause NS, we generated knock-in mice expressing Raf1D486N. Raf1D486N/+ (here D486N/+) female mice exhibited a mild growth defect. Male and female D486N/D486N mice developed concentric cardiac hypertrophy and incompletely penetrant, but severe, growth defects. Remarkably, Mek/Erk activation was enhanced in Raf1D486N-expressing cells compared with controls. RAF1D486N, as well as other kinase-impaired RAF1 mutants, showed increased heterodimerization with BRAF, which was necessary and sufficient to promote increased MEK/ERK activation. Furthermore, kinase-activating RAF1 mutants also required heterodimerization to enhance MEK/ERK activation. Our results suggest that an increased heterodimerization ability is the common pathogenic mechanism for NS-associated RAF1 mutations. PMID:22826437

Brief report on development of indigofera pseudotinctoria mats high flavonoid mutant and anti-oxidation of its exacts

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Shen Xiaoxia; Mei Shufang; Shu Xiaoli; Wu Dianxing

2010-01-01

Mutant high in flavonoid was successfully developed after the dry seeds of Indigofera pseudotinctoria Mats were irradiated by 300 Gy 60 Co gamma rays. The contents of flavonoid in different tissues of mutant line MJ-HF1 were all higher than that of the wild type, especially in the seeds and leaves, which was 5.89 and 1.46 times of the wild type. Anti-oxidation testing showed that the flavonoid exacts from MJ-HF1 could decrease the contents of malondialdehyde(MDA) and increase the activities of superoxide dismutase (SOD) in the aged white mice in a 30-day feeding test. (authors)

Semi-dwarf mutants in triticale and wheat breeding

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Driscoll, C.J.

1984-01-01

The triticale lines Beagle and DR-IRA have been subjected to ionizing irradiation and chemical mutagenesis in order to produce semi-dwarf mutants. Beagle is 100 cm tall and DR-IRA 80 cm under average field conditions. A bulk then pedigree method is currently represented by 158 single plots of M 6 (or in some cases M 7 ) mutants that are from 5 to 35 cm shorter than the control variety. The shortest mutants are 65 cm in height. Forty of these mutants are also earlier flowering than the control varieties. Replicated yield testing will be conducted on confirmed mutants in 1983. Response to gibberellic acid of these mutants will also be determined. The Cornerstone male-sterility mutant (ms1c) on chromosome arm 4Aα has been combined with the GA-insensitive/reduced height gene Gai/Rht1 which is also on chromosome arm 4Aα. The ms1c mutant has also been combined with Gai/Rht2 on chromosome 4D and with both Gai/Rht1 and Gai/Rht2. The combination ms1c and Gai/Rht1 has been chosen as the basis of a composite cross. Thirteen varieties were tested with GA 3 and seven (Warigal, Aroona, Oxley, Banks, Avocet, Matipo and Toquifen) which contain Gai/Rht1 were crossed with ms1c Gai/Rht1 and entered into an interpollinating F 2 . The entire composite is homozygous for this semi-dwarf allele and selection will be practiced for increased height on a GA-insensitive background. (author)

Biochemical studies of the macromolecular matrix of long bones in the Op/Orl mutant rat strain

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Moczar, E; Berenholc, S; Phan-Dinh-Tuy, B; Robert, A M

1978-01-01

The long bones of normal and Op/Orl mutant rats were incubated with /sup 14/C-glucose and fractionated by EDTA and urea extraction. The analytical results of the various extracts suggested an increase in structural glycoprotein content and a decrease in collagen solubility in the long bones of mutants. Significant differences were found in the organic matrix composition of male and female bones of the two strains. /sup 14/C-glucose incorporation was stronger in males than in females. The presence of a glycosaminoglycan different from the chondroitinesulfate was shown in males. Basic amino acid content (lysine, arginine, histidine) was clearly higher in the insoluble residue of male bones .

Biochemical studies of the macromolecular matrix of long bones in the Op/Orl mutant rat strain

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Moczar, E.; Berenholc, S.; Phan-Dinh-Tuy, B.; Robert, A.M.

1978-01-01

The long bones of normal and Op/Orl mutant rats were incubated with 14 C-glucose and fractionated by EDTA and urea extraction. The analytical results of the various extracts suggested an increase in structural glycoprotein content and a decrease in collagen solubility in the long bones of mutants. Significant differences were found in the organic matrix composition of male and female bones of the two strains. 14 C-glucose incorporation was stronger in males than in females. The presence of a glycosaminoglycan different from the chondroitinesulfate was shown in males. Basic amino acid content (lysine, arginine, histidine) was clearly higher in the insoluble residue of male bones

Stress-tolerant mutants induced by heavy-ion beams

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Abe, Tomoko; Yoshida, Shigeo [Institute of Physical and Chemical Research, Wako, Saitama (Japan); Bae, Chang-Hyu [Sunchon National University, Sunchon (Korea); Ozaki, Takuo [Japan Atomic Energy Research Inst., Tokai, Ibaraki (Japan). Tokai Research Establishment; Wang, Jing Ming [Akita Prefectural Univ. (Japan)

2000-07-01

Comparative study was made on mutagenesis in tobacco embryo induced by exposure to EMS (ethyl methane-sulfonate) ion beams during the fertilization cycle. Tobacco embryo cells immediately after pollination were exposed to heavy ion beam and the sensitivity to the irradiation was assessed in each developmental stage and compared with the effects of EMS, a chemical mutagen. Morphologically abnormality such as chlorophyll deficiency was used as a marker. A total of 17 salt-tolerant plants were selected from 3447 M{sub 1} seeds. A cell line showed salt resistance. The cell growth and chlorophyll content were each two times higher than that of WT cells in the medium containing 154 mM NaCl. Seven strains of M{sub 3} progeny of 17 salt-tolerant plants, showed strong resistance, but no salt tolerant progeny were obtained from Xanthi or Ne-ion irradiation. This shows that the sensitivity of plant embryo to this irradiation technique may vary among species. When exposed to {sup 14}N ion beam for 24-108 hours after pollination, various morphological mutants appeared at 18% in M{sub 1} progeny and herbicide tolerant and salt tolerant mutants were obtained. A strong Co-tolerant strain was obtained in two of 17 salt-tolerant strains and a total of 46 tolerant strains (0.2%) were obtained from 22,272 grains of M{sub 1} seeds. In these tolerant strains, the absorption of Co was slightly decreased, but those of Mg and Mn were increased. Mutants induced with ion-beam irradiation have potential not only for practical use in the breeding of stress-tolerant plants but also for gene analysis that will surely facilitate the molecular understanding of the tolerance mechanisms. (M.N.)

Meningococcal factor H-binding protein vaccines with decreased binding to human complement factor H have enhanced immunogenicity in human factor H transgenic mice.

Science.gov (United States)

Rossi, Raffaella; Granoff, Dan M; Beernink, Peter T

2013-11-04

Factor H-binding protein (fHbp) is a component of a meningococcal vaccine recently licensed in Europe for prevention of serogroup B disease, and a second vaccine in clinical development. The protein specifically binds human factor H (fH), which down-regulates complement activation and enhances resistance to bactericidal activity. There are conflicting data from studies in human fH transgenic mice on whether binding of human fH to fHbp vaccines decreases immunogenicity, and whether mutant fHbp vaccines with decreased fH binding have enhanced immunogenicity. fHbp can be classified into two sub-families based on sequence divergence and immunologic cross-reactivity. Previous studies of mutant fHbp vaccines with low fH binding were from sub-family B, which account for approximately 60% of serogroup B case isolates. In the present study, we evaluated the immunogenicity of two mutant sub-family A fHbp vaccines containing single substitutions, T221A or D211A, which resulted in 15- or 30-fold lower affinity for human fH, respectively, than the corresponding control wild-type fHbp vaccine. In transgenic mice with high serum concentrations of human fH, both mutant vaccines elicited significantly higher IgG titers and higher serum bactericidal antibody responses than the control fHbp vaccine that bound human fH. Thus, mutations introduced into a sub-family A fHbp antigen to decrease fH binding can increase protective antibody responses in human fH transgenic mice. Collectively the data suggest that mutant fHbp antigens with decreased fH binding will result in superior vaccines in humans. Copyright © 2013 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

Fine Mapping of a Degenerated Abdominal Legs Mutant (Edl in Silkworm, Bombyx mori.

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Honglei Wang

Full Text Available In insects, abdominal appendages, also called prolegs, vary due to adaptive evolution. Mutations on prolegs within species provide insights to better understand the mechanisms underlying appendage development and diversity. In silkworm Bombyx mori, extra-crescents and degenerated abdominal legs (Edl mutant, belonging to the E pseudoallele group, is a spontaneous mutation that adds crescents and degenerates prolegs on the third abdominal segment (A3. This mutation may be a homeotic transformation of A3 to A2. In this study, the Edl locus was mapped within approximately a 211 Kb region that is 10 Kb upstream of Bmabdominal-A (Bmabd-A. RT-quantitative PCR (RT-qPCR and Western blot analysis of Bmabd-A expression showed a slight but significant decrease, while the expression of BmUltrabithorax (BmUbx was up-regulated in the Edl mutant compared to wildtype (Dazao. Moreover, we also found that BmDistal-less (BmDll, which regulated the development of distal proleg structures, was missing at the tips of the A3 prolegs in the Edl mutant compared to BmDll expression in normally developed prolegs in both the wildtype and mutant. Collectively, we identified approximately a 211 Kb region in the Edl locus that regulates BmUbx and Bmabd-A expression and found that changes in BmUbx and Bmabd-A expression may lead to the loss of distal proleg structures in B. mori.

Whole-Genome Sequencing of Sordaria macrospora Mutants Identifies Developmental Genes.

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Nowrousian, Minou; Teichert, Ines; Masloff, Sandra; Kück, Ulrich

2012-02-01

The study of mutants to elucidate gene functions has a long and successful history; however, to discover causative mutations in mutants that were generated by random mutagenesis often takes years of laboratory work and requires previously generated genetic and/or physical markers, or resources like DNA libraries for complementation. Here, we present an alternative method to identify defective genes in developmental mutants of the filamentous fungus Sordaria macrospora through Illumina/Solexa whole-genome sequencing. We sequenced pooled DNA from progeny of crosses of three mutants and the wild type and were able to pinpoint the causative mutations in the mutant strains through bioinformatics analysis. One mutant is a spore color mutant, and the mutated gene encodes a melanin biosynthesis enzyme. The causative mutation is a G to A change in the first base of an intron, leading to a splice defect. The second mutant carries an allelic mutation in the pro41 gene encoding a protein essential for sexual development. In the mutant, we detected a complex pattern of deletion/rearrangements at the pro41 locus. In the third mutant, a point mutation in the stop codon of a transcription factor-encoding gene leads to the production of immature fruiting bodies. For all mutants, transformation with a wild type-copy of the affected gene restored the wild-type phenotype. Our data demonstrate that whole-genome sequencing of mutant strains is a rapid method to identify developmental genes in an organism that can be genetically crossed and where a reference genome sequence is available, even without prior mapping information.

Isolation and genetic analysis of Aspergillus niger mutants with reduced extracellular glucoamylase

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Valent, G.U.; Calil, M.R.; Bonatelli Junior, R.

1992-01-01

Mutants with impaired production of extracellular glucoamylase were isolated at a high frequency (2% of survivors) from an Aspergillus niger strain treated with UV light. These were designated as low glucoamylase producers (lgp, up to 30% of the parental yield) and medium producers (mgp, a 35 to 50% decrease in enzyme level). All the mutants were shown to be recessive; one strain segregated two unlinked genes. Complementation tests, and segregation from heterozygous diploid, suggested at least three to four unlinked genes, each able to impair glucoamylase production. There is evidence of a single structural gene for glucoamylase in A. niger. Therefore, as production of extracellular enzymes is normally the final result of several steps at intracellular and membrane levels, including regulation of enzyme synthesis, we suggest intergenic interaction that controls extracellular enzyme accumulation and that mutation in any of these genes would result in impaired production. (author)

UV-induced mitotic recombination and its dependence on photoreactivation and liquid holding in the rad6-1 mutant of Saccharomyces cerevisiae

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Haladus, E.; Zuk, J.

1980-01-01

Spontaneous and UV-induced mitotic recombination was compared in diploids homozygous for rad6-1 mutation and in the wild-type strain carrying heterozygous markers for detecting gene conversion (hom 2-1, hom 2-2) and crossing over (ade 1, ade 2). Diploids homozygous for rad6-1 mutation were characterised by an elevated level of spontaneous and UV-induced mitotic recombination, particularly the intergenic events. Exposure of UV-irradiated strains to visible light resulted in an increased survival and decreased level of mitotic recombination. Liquid holding (LH) differentially affected frequency of mitotic intergenic and intragenic recombination in mutant and wild-type strains, being without any significant effect on cell survival. In a mutant strain intragenic recombination is significantly increased, intergenic only slightly. In the wild-type strain intragenic recombination is slightly decreased but intergenic is not changed by LH. Visible light applied after LH had no effect on survival and mitotic recombination in the wild type, while in the mutant strain photoreactivability of survival was fully preserved and accompanied by a decrease in the frequency of intragenic and intergenic recombination. The results suggest that metabolic pathways responsible for restoring cell survival are independent of or only partly overlapping with those concerning recombination events. (orig.) [de

Cytogenetic characteristics of soft wheat mutants under x-irradiation

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Shakaryan, Zh.O.; Avakyan, V.A.; Amirbekyan, V.A.

1981-01-01

Radiosensitivity of induced mutants of soft wheat is studied by criteria of frequency and character of changes in 1 and 2 divisions of meiosis. Two constant induced mutant forms of soft wheat were investigated. Mutant lines of squareheads with red ear (re) and erectoids 37/1 were obtained by X-ray irradiating hydride seeds F 1 of hybride combination of Alty-Agach Awnless 1. Seeds of mutants and initial kinds were exposed to X-rays at a dose of 10 kR. A conclusion may be drawn on the basis of studying the meiosis process in mutants and initial kinds of soft wheat on X-ray radiation that the mutants are more radiosensitive. This testifies to that that the induced mutants of soft wheat represent new genotypes in comparison with the initial kinds and differ from the latter not only in morphological characters but in the reaction norm with respect to external medium factors, i.e. the limit of possible changeability of the genotype has been extended [ru

Genetics of Ustilago violacea. I. Carotenoid mutants and carotenogenesis

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Garber, E.D.; Baird, M.L.; Chapman, D.J.

1975-01-01

Wild-type strains of Ustilago violacea produce pink colonies on laboratory medium and yield white, orange, pumpkin, and yellow colonies after uv mutagenesis. The wild-type strains contain neurosporene and lycopene; one orange mutant, γ-carotene; and one yellow mutant, β-carotene. One white mutant had no detectable carotenoids. Diploid colonies heterozygous for wild type and orange, pumpkin, yellow, or white are phenotypically wild type. Diploid colonies heterozygous for yellow and orange are also phenotypically wild type. Diploid colonies heterozygous for white and orange; white and yellow; and white, yellow, and orange are phenotypically light orange, light yellow, and orange-yellow, respectively. The white mutants give a circular complementation map; the color mutants fit a linear complementation map. We propose a multienzyme of four identical dehydrogenases and one or two identical cyclases for carotenogenesis in this species. The white and color mutants represent structural mutations altering the conformation of the dehydrogenase or cyclase, respectively. Furthermore, cyclases may or may not aggregate in association with the dehydrogenase aggregate to form the multienzyme aggregate responsible for the color mutants

[The development of pollen grains and formation of pollen tubes in higher plants : I. Quantitative measurements of the DNA-content of generative and vegetative nuclei in the pollen grain and pollen tube of Petunia hybrida mutants].

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Hesemann, C U

1971-01-01

The DNA-content of generative and vegetative nuclei in mature pollen grains of four Petunia hybrida mutants was determined by cytophotometry. In addition the DNA-content of generative and vegetative nuclei in the pollen tube of two of these four mutants (virescens-2 n and ustulata-2 n) was cytophotometrically measured.The DNA-values found in the generative nuclei indicate that the DNA-replication continues in the mature pollen grain and comes to an end only after the migration of the nuclei into the pollen tube. These data are in disagreement with the results of DNA-measurements described for a limited number of other species which all show completion of DNA-synthesis during the maturation stage of the pollen grains.The vegetative nuclei of the four Petunia mutants studied show significant differences in the onset of the degenerative phase. Extreme variation is manifested in the ustulata-2 n mutant in which the degeneration of nuclei may reach the final stage in the maturing pollen grain. However in this mutant vegetative nuclei with an unaltered DNA-content may also be demonstrated in the pollen tube. Some of the vegetative nuclei in the pollen tube of ustulata-2 n exhibit an increased amount of DNA which could be the result of differential DNA-replication in the vegetative nuclei. The decrease of the DNA-content in a certain fraction of the vegetative nuclei in the maturing pollen grain does not agree with observations made in other species by several authors who report DNA constancy until the pollen grain is fully mature.The data obtained from the analysis of the four Petunia hybrida mutants point to an important role of the vegetative nucleus in the development of the pollen tube. The Petunia hybrida mutants may be regarded as especially favourable material for investigations concerning the function of the vegetative cell in the development of the pollen grain and pollen tube.

Transcriptional and proteomic analysis of the Aspergillus fumigatus ΔprtT protease-deficient mutant.

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Hagag, Shelly; Kubitschek-Barreira, Paula; Neves, Gabriela W P; Amar, David; Nierman, William; Shalit, Itamar; Shamir, Ron; Lopes-Bezerra, Leila; Osherov, Nir

2012-01-01

Aspergillus fumigatus is the most common opportunistic mold pathogen of humans, infecting immunocompromised patients. The fungus invades the lungs and other organs, causing severe damage. Penetration of the pulmonary epithelium is a key step in the infectious process. A. fumigatus produces extracellular proteases to degrade the host structural barriers. The A. fumigatus transcription factor PrtT controls the expression of multiple secreted proteases. PrtT shows similarity to the fungal Gal4-type Zn(2)-Cys(6) DNA-binding domain of several transcription factors. In this work, we further investigate the function of this transcription factor by performing a transcriptional and a proteomic analysis of the ΔprtT mutant. Unexpectedly, microarray analysis revealed that in addition to the expected decrease in protease expression, expression of genes involved in iron uptake and ergosterol synthesis was dramatically decreased in the ΔprtT mutant. A second finding of interest is that deletion of prtT resulted in the upregulation of four secondary metabolite clusters, including genes for the biosynthesis of toxic pseurotin A. Proteomic analysis identified reduced levels of three secreted proteases (ALP1 protease, TppA, AFUA_2G01250) and increased levels of three secreted polysaccharide-degrading enzymes in the ΔprtT mutant possibly in response to its inability to derive sufficient nourishment from protein breakdown. This report highlights the complexity of gene regulation by PrtT, and suggests a potential novel link between the regulation of protease secretion and the control of iron uptake, ergosterol biosynthesis and secondary metabolite production in A. fumigatus.

A knockout mutation of a constitutive GPCR in Tetrahymena decreases both G-protein activity and chemoattraction.

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Thomas J Lampert

Full Text Available Although G-protein coupled receptors (GPCRs are a common element in many chemosensory transduction pathways in eukaryotic cells, no GPCR or regulated G-protein activity has yet been shown in any ciliate. To study the possible role for a GPCR in the chemoresponses of the ciliate Tetrahymena, we have generated a number of macronuclear gene knockouts of putative GPCRs found in the Tetrahymena Genome database. One of these knockout mutants, called G6, is a complete knockout of a gene that we call GPCR6 (TTHERM_00925490. Based on sequence comparisons, the Gpcr6p protein belongs to the Rhodopsin Family of GPCRs. Notably, Gpcr6p shares highest amino acid sequence homologies to GPCRs from Paramecium and several plants. One of the phenotypes of the G6 mutant is a decreased responsiveness to the depolarizing ions Ba²⁺ and K⁺, suggesting a decrease in basal excitability (decrease in Ca²⁺ channel activity. The other major phenotype of G6 is a loss of chemoattraction to lysophosphatidic acid (LPA and proteose peptone (PP, two known chemoattractants in Tetrahymena. Using microsomal [³⁵S]GTPγS binding assays, we found that wild-type (CU427 have a prominent basal G-protein activity. This activity is decreased to the same level by pertussis toxin (a G-protein inhibitor, addition of chemoattractants, or the G6 mutant. Since the basal G-protein activity is decreased by the GPCR6 knockout, it is likely that this gene codes for a constitutively active GPCR in Tetrahymena. We propose that chemoattractants like LPA and PP cause attraction in Tetrahymena by decreasing the basal G-protein stimulating activity of Gpcr6p. This leads to decreased excitability in wild-type and longer runs of smooth forward swimming (less interrupted by direction changes towards the attractant. Therefore, these attractants may work as inverse agonists through the constitutively active Gpcr6p coupled to a pertussis-sensitive G-protein.

Nimotuzumab enhances temozolomide-induced growth suppression of glioma cells expressing mutant EGFR in vivo

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Nitta, Yusuke; Shimizu, Saki; Shishido-Hara, Yukiko; Suzuki, Kaori; Shiokawa, Yoshiaki; Nagane, Motoo

2016-01-01

A mutant form of epidermal growth factor receptor (EGFR), EGFRvIII, is common in glioblastoma (GBM) and confers enhanced tumorigenic activity and drug resistance. Nimotuzumab, an anti-EGFR antibody, has shown preclinical and clinical activity to GBM, but its specific activity against EGFRvIII has not been fully investigated. Human glioma U87MG or LNZ308 cells overexpressing either wild-type (wt) EGFR or EGFRvIII were treated with nimotuzumab, temozolomide, or both. Expression and phosphorylation status of molecules were determined by Western blot analysis. Methylation status of promoter region of O 6 -methylguanine-DNA methyltransferase (MGMT) was detected by methylation-specific PCR. Antitumor activity was tested using nude mice bearing either subcutaneous or intracerebral xenografts along with analyses of EGFR phosphorylation status, proliferation, apoptosis, and vessel density. Nimotuzumab treatment resulted in reduction of EGFRvIII tyrosine phosphorylation with a decrease in Akt phosphorylation that was greater than that of wtEGFR. Correspondingly, antitumor effects, growth suppression and survival elongation, were more significant in mice bearing either subcutaneous or intracerebral tumor expressing EGFRvIII than in those expressing wtEGFR. These effects were markedly increased when temozolomide was combined with nimotuzumab. The post-treatment recurrent brain tumors exhibited a decrease in expression of the mismatch repair (MMR) proteins, MSH6 and MLH1, but their methylated MGMT status did not changed. Nimotuzumab has in vivo antitumor activity against GBM, especially those expressing EGFRvIII, when combined with temozolomide. This could provide a basis for preselection of patients with GBM by EGFR status who might benefit from the nimotuzumab and temozolomide combination therapy

Induction of expression and co-localization of heat shock polypeptides with the polyalanine expansion mutant of poly(A)-binding protein N1 after chemical stress

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Wang Qishan; Bag, Jnanankur

2008-01-01

Formation of nuclear inclusions consisting of aggregates of a polyalanine expansion mutant of nuclear poly(A)-binding protein (PABPN1) is the hallmark of oculopharyngeal muscular dystrophy (OPMD). OPMD is a late onset autosomal dominant disease. Patients with this disorder exhibit progressive swallowing difficulty and drooping of their eye lids, which starts around the age of 50. Previously we have shown that treatment of cells expressing the mutant PABPN1 with a number of chemicals such as ibuprofen, indomethacin, ZnSO 4 , and 8-hydroxy-quinoline induces HSP70 expression and reduces PABPN1 aggregation. In these studies we have shown that expression of additional HSPs including HSP27, HSP40, and HSP105 were induced in mutant PABPN1 expressing cells following exposure to the chemicals mentioned above. Furthermore, all three additional HSPs were translocated to the nucleus and probably helped to properly fold the mutant PABPN1 by co-localizing with this protein

Reversion of autocrine transformation by a dominant negative platelet-derived growth factor mutant.

Science.gov (United States)

Vassbotn, F S; Andersson, M; Westermark, B; Heldin, C H; Ostman, A

1993-07-01

A non-receptor-binding mutant of the platelet-derived growth factor (PDGF) A chain, PDGF-0, was generated by exchanging 7 amino acids in the sequence. The mutant chains formed dimers that were similar to wild-type PDGF-AA with regard to stability and rate of processing to the mature 30-kDa secreted forms. Moreover, the mutant chains formed disulfide-bonded heterodimers with the PDGF B chain in NIH 3T3 cells heterodimer underwent the same processing and secretion as PDGF-AB. Transfection of c-sis-expressing 3T3 cells with PDGF-0 significantly inhibited the transformed phenotype of these cells, as determined by the following criteria. (i) Compared with PDGF-0-negative clones, PDGF-0-producing clones showed a reverted morphology. (ii) Clones producing PDGF-0 grew more slowly than PDGF-0-negative clones, with a fivefold difference in cell number after 14 days in culture. (iii) The expression of PDGF-0 completely inhibited the ability of the c-sis-expressing 3T3 cells to form colonies in soft agar; this inhibition was overcome by the addition of recombinant PDGF-BB to the culture medium, showing that the lack of colony formation of these cells was not due to a general unresponsiveness to PDGF. The specific expression of a PDGF-0/PDGF wild-type heterodimer in COS cells revealed that the affinity of the mutant heterodimer for the PDGF alpha receptor was decreased by approximately 50-fold compared with that of PDGF-AA. Thus, we show that a non-receptor-binding PDGF A-chain mutant neutralizes in a trans-dominant manner the autocrine transforming potential of the c-sis/PDGF B chain by forming low-affinity heterodimers with wild-type PDGF chains. This method of specifically antagonizing the effect of PDGF may be useful in investigations of the role of PDGF in normal and pathological conditions.

Analysis of a Ferric Uptake Regulator (Fur) Mutant ofDesulfovibrio vulgaris Hildenborough

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Bender, Kelly S.; Yen, Huei-Che Bill; Hemme, Christopher L.; Yang, Zamin K.; He, Zhili; He, Qiang; Zhou, Jizhong; Huang, Katherine H.; Alm, Eric J.; Hazen, Terry C.; Arkin, Adam P.; Wall, Judy D.

2007-09-21

Previous experiments examining the transcriptional profileof the anaerobe Desulfovibrio vulgaris demonstrated up-regulation of theFur regulon in response to various environmental stressors. To test theinvolvement of Fur in the growth response and transcriptional regulationof D. vulgaris, a targeted mutagenesis procedure was used for deletingthe fur gene. Growth of the resulting ?fur mutant (JW707) was notaffected by iron availability, but the mutant did exhibit increasedsensitivity to nitrite and osmotic stresses compared to the wild type.Transcriptional profiling of JW707 indicated that iron-bound Fur acts asa traditional repressor for ferrous iron uptake genes (feoAB) and othergenes containing a predicted Fur binding site within their promoter.Despite the apparent lack of siderophore biosynthesis genes within the D.vulgaris genome, a large 12-gene operon encoding orthologs to TonB andTolQR also appeared to be repressed by iron-bound Fur. While other genespredicted to be involved in iron homeostasis were unaffected by thepresence or absence of Fur, alternative expression patterns that could beinterpreted as repression or activation by iron-free Fur were observed.Both the physiological and transcriptional data implicate a globalregulatory role for Fur in the sulfate-reducing bacterium D.vulgaris.

Spectrum of induced floral mutants in Petunia

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Padmaja, V.; Sudhakar, P.

1987-01-01

A total of six floral mutants of garden Petunia isolated from the populations raised from the seed treatment with γ-rays, 2, 4-D and sodium azide are described. Five of the mutants viz. stellata, Campyloflora, Rubriflora mixed, Grandiflora and Albiflora mixed originated as segregants in M 2 generation while the chimeral floral phenotype was expressed in M 1 generation itself. Breeding behaviour of these horticulturally interesting altered floral phenotypes were studied in subsequent generations and appropriate conclusions were drawn regarding mode of inheritance of the mutant traits. 15 refs., 4 figures, 1 table. (author)

Ligase-deficient yeast cells exhibit defective DNA rejoining and enhanced gamma ray sensitivity

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Moore, C.W.

1982-01-01

Yeast cells deficient in DNA ligase were also deficient in their capacity to rejoin single-strand scissions in prelabeled nuclear DNA. After high-dose-rate gamma irradiation (10 and 25 krads), cdc9-9 mutant cells failed to rejoin single-strand scissions at the restrictive temperature of 37 0 C. In contrast, parental (CDC9) cells (incubated with mutant cells both during and after irradiation) exhibited rapid medium-independent DNA rejoining after 10 min of post-irradiation incubation and slower rates of rejoining after longer incubation. Parental cells were also more resistant than mutant cells to killing by gamma irradiation. Approximately 2.5 +- 0.07 and 5.7 +- 0.6 single-strand breaks per 10 8 daltons were detected in DNAs from either CDC9 or cdc9-9 cells converted to spheroplasts immediately after 10 and 25 krads of irradiation, respectively. At the permissive temperature of 23 0 C, the cdc9-9 cells contained 2 to 3 times the number of DNA single-strand breaks as parental cells after 10 min to 4 h of incubation after 10 krads of irradiation, and two- to eightfold more breaks after 10 min to 2.5 h of incubation after 25 krads of irradiation. Rejoining of single-strand scissions was faster in medium. After only 10 min in buffered growth medium after 10 krads of irradiation, the number of DNA single-strand breaks was reduced to 0.32 +- 0.3 (at 23 0 C) or 0.21 +- 0.05 (at 37 0 C) per 10 8 daltons in parental cells, but remained at 2.1 +- 0.06 (at 23 0 C) or 2.3 +- 0.07 (at 37 0 C) per 10 8 daltons in mutant cells. After 10 or 25 krads of irradiation plus 1 h of incubation in medium at 37 0 C, only DNA from CDC9 cells was rejoined to the size of DNA from unirradiated cells, whereas at 23 0 C, DNAs in both strains were completely rejoined

Chemotaxis-defective mutants of the nematode Caenorhabditis elegans.

Science.gov (United States)

Dusenbery, D B; Sheridan, R E; Russell, R L

1975-06-01

The technique of countercurrent separation has been used to isolate 17 independent chemotaxis-defective mutants of the nematode Caenorhabditis elegans. The mutants, selected to be relatively insensitive to the normally attractive salt NaCl, show varying degrees of residual sensitivity; some are actually weakly repelled by NaCl. The mutants are due to single gene defects, are autosomal and recessive, and identify at least five complementation groups.

Maximization of Intracellular Lipase Production in a Lipase-Overproducing Mutant Derivative of Rhizopus oligosporus DGM 31: A Kinetic Study

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Tehreema Iftikhar

2008-01-01

Full Text Available Regulation and maximization of lipase production in a mutant derivative of R. oligosporus has been investigated using different substrates, inoculum sizes, pH of the medium, temperature, and nitrogen sources in shake flask experiments and batch fermentation in a fermentor. The production of intracellular lipase was improved 3 times following medium optimization involving one-at-a-time approach and aeration in the fermentor. Interestingly, intracellular lipase was poorly induced by oils, instead its production was induced by sugars, mainly starch, lactose, sucrose, xylose, glucose and glycerol. Dependent variables studied were cell mass, lipase activity, lipase yield, lipase specific and volumetric rate of formation. It was confirmed that lipase production in the derepressed mutant is sufficiently uncoupled from catabolite repression. The results of average specific productivities at various temperatures worked out according to the Arrhenius equation revealed that mutation decreased the magnitude of enthalpy and entropy demand in the inactivation equilibrium during product formation, suggesting that mutation made the metabolic network of the organism thermally more stable. The highest magnitudes of volumetric productivity (QP=490 IU/(L·h and other product attributes of lipase formation occurring on optimized medium in the fermentor are greater than the values reported by other workers. The purified enzyme is monomeric in nature and exhibits stability up to 80 °C and pH=6.0–8.0. Activation energy, enthalpy and entropy of catalysis at 50 °C, and magnitudes of Gibbs free energy for substrate binding, transition state stabilization and melting point indicated that this lipase is highly thermostable.

Stress Marker Signatures in Lesion Mimic Single and Double Mutants Identify a Crucial Leaf Age-Dependent Salicylic Acid Related Defense Signal.

Science.gov (United States)

Kaurilind, Eve; Brosché, Mikael

2017-01-01

Plants are exposed to abiotic and biotic stress conditions throughout their lifespans that activates various defense programs. Programmed cell death (PCD) is an extreme defense strategy the plant uses to manage unfavorable environments as well as during developmentally induced senescence. Here we investigated the role of leaf age on the regulation of defense gene expression in Arabidopsis thaliana. Two lesion mimic mutants with misregulated cell death, catalase2 (cat2) and defense no death1 (dnd1) were used together with several double mutants to dissect signaling pathways regulating defense gene expression associated with cell death and leaf age. PCD marker genes showed leaf age dependent expression, with the highest expression in old leaves. The salicylic acid (SA) biosynthesis mutant salicylic acid induction deficient2 (sid2) had reduced expression of PCD marker genes in the cat2 sid2 double mutant demonstrating the importance of SA biosynthesis in regulation of defense gene expression. While the auxin- and jasmonic acid (JA)- insensitive auxin resistant1 (axr1) double mutant cat2 axr1 also led to decreased expression of PCD markers; the expression of several marker genes for SA signaling (ISOCHORISMATE SYNTHASE 1, PR1 and PR2) were additionally decreased in cat2 axr1 compared to cat2. The reduced expression of these SA markers genes in cat2 axr1 implicates AXR1 as a regulator of SA signaling in addition to its known role in auxin and JA signaling. Overall, the current study reinforces the important role of SA signaling in regulation of leaf age-related transcript signatures.

p53 inactivation decreases dependence on estrogen/ERK signalling for proliferation but promotes EMT and susceptility to 3-bromopyruvate in ERα+ breast cancer MCF-7 cells.

Science.gov (United States)

Rieber, Manuel; Strasberg-Rieber, Mary

2014-03-15

Most breast cancers express the estrogen receptor alpha (ERα(+)), harbor wt TP53, depend on estrogen/ERK signalling for proliferation, and respond to anti-estrogens. However, concomittant activation of the epidermal growth factor receptor (EGFR)/MEK pathway promotes resistance by decreasing estrogen dependence. Previously, we showed that retroviral transduction of mutant p53 R175H into wt TP53 ERα(+) MCF-7 cells induces epidermal growth factor (EGF)-independent proliferation, activation of the EGF receptor (p-EGFR) and some characteristics of epithelial-mesenchymal transition (EMT). To investigate whether p53 inactivation augments ERα(+) cell proliferation in response to restrictive estradiol, chemical MEK inhibition or metabolic inhibitors. Introduction of mutant p53 R175H lowered expression of p53-dependent PUMA and p21WAF1, decreased E-cadherin and cytokeratin 18 associated with EMT, but increased the % of proliferating ERα(+)/Ki67 cells, diminishing estrogen dependence. These cells also exhibited higher proliferation in the presence of MEK-inhibitor UO126, reciprocally correlating with preferential susceptibility to the pyruvate analog 3-bromopyruvate (3-BrPA) without a comparable response to 2-deoxyglucose. p53 siRNA silencing by electroporation in wt TP53 MCF-7 cells also decreased estrogen dependence and response to MEK inhibition, while also conferring susceptibility to 3-BrPA. (a) ERα(+) breast cancer cells dysfunctional for TP53 which proliferate irrespective of low estrogen and chemical MEK inhibition are likely to increase metabolic consumption becoming increasingly susceptible to 3-BrPA; (b) targeting the pyruvate pathway may improve response to endocrine therapy in ERα(+) breast cancer with p53 dysfunction. Copyright © 2014 The Authors. Published by Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

Purkinje Cell Compartmentation in the Cerebellum of the Lysosomal Acid Phosphatase 2 Mutant Mouse (Nax - Naked-Ataxia Mutant Mouse)

Science.gov (United States)

Bailey, Karen; Rahimi Balaei, Maryam; Mannan, Ashraf; Del Bigio, Marc R.; Marzban, Hassan

2014-01-01

The Acp2 gene encodes the beta subunit of lysosomal acid phosphatase, which is an isoenzyme that hydrolyzes orthophosphoric monoesters. In mice, a spontaneous mutation in Acp2 results in severe cerebellar defects. These include a reduced size, abnormal lobulation, and an apparent anterior cerebellar disorder with an absent or hypoplastic vermis. Based on differential gene expression in the cerebellum, the mouse cerebellar cortex can normally be compartmentalized anteroposteriorly into four transverse zones and mediolaterally into parasagittal stripes. In this study, immunohistochemistry was performed using various Purkinje cell compartmentation markers to examine their expression patterns in the Acp2 mutant. Despite the abnormal lobulation and anterior cerebellar defects, zebrin II and PLCβ4 showed similar expression patterns in the nax mutant and wild type cerebellum. However, fewer stripes were found in the anterior zone of the nax mutant, which could be due to a lack of Purkinje cells or altered expression of the stripe markers. HSP25 expression was uniform in the central zone of the nax mutant cerebellum at around postnatal day (P) 18–19, suggesting that HSP25 immunonegative Purkinje cells are absent or delayed in stripe pattern expression compared to the wild type. HSP25 expression became heterogeneous around P22–23, with twice the number of parasagittal stripes in the nax mutant compared to the wild type. Aside from reduced size and cortical disorganization, both the posterior zone and nodular zone in the nax mutant appeared less abnormal than the rest of the cerebellum. From these results, it is evident that the anterior zone of the nax mutant cerebellum is the most severely affected, and this extends beyond the primary fissure into the rostral central zone/vermis. This suggests that ACP2 has critical roles in the development of the anterior cerebellum and it may regulate anterior and central zone compartmentation. PMID:24722417

Promising semi-dwarf mutant in wheat variety K68

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Kumar, D [Banaras Hindu Univ. (India). Dept. of Genetics and Plant Breeding

1977-04-01

A semi-dwarf mutant (HUW-SDf 1) was induced from common wheat Var. K68 through the exposure of /sup 60/Co ..gamma..-rays at 15 kR. This mutant along with other induced mutants and control was assessed for yield components, yield and grain quality (M/sub 4/ generation); internode length reduction pattern and the yielding ability at three levels of nitrogen (M/sub 5/ generation). The mutant was significantly shorter in height and almost equal in tillers per plant and grains per spike to K68. However, it showed marked reduction in spike length and spikelets per spike. On the other hand, it possessed significantly higher (50.04 g) 1000-grain weight against control (41.15 g). The mutant gave 56.0% higher yield than the control. Grain quality studies indicated that the mutant possessed significantly higher (14.15%) total protein than K68. It was equally as good as K68 in lysine content. Pelshenke value (62.5 min) of the mutant indicated medium hard nature of gluten as compared to hard nature (198.0) of the control. The mutant showed 24.0% reduction in total culm length compared to K68. Reduction occurred due to maximum and almost equal reduction in 5th and 4th internodes (ca 34.0%) followed by 3rd, 2nd and 1st. The mutant showed similar yield and yield response to increasing nitrogen levels (80 to 160 kg per ha.) as for current commercial semi-dwarf varieties.

Spectrum of mutant characters utilized in developing improved cultivars

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Donini, B.; Kawai, T.; Micke, A.

1984-01-01

Although about 500 cultivars are known to have been developed by using induced mutations, the range of mutant traits seems to be rather narrow. Mutant traits have mostly been used that can be detected visually on an individual plant basis. However, in the background of such mutants other valuable mutations have been found in later generations. In cross-breeding with mutants valuable characteristics occurred, which could not be predicted from the phenotypes of the parents. It is concluded that improved attributes in the released mutant varieties do not comprise the entire genetic variation that could derive from mutagenesis. Current selection techniques are inadequate to exploit the full potential of mutagenesis for plant breeding. (author)

Poliovirus Mutants Resistant to Neutralization with Soluble Cell Receptors

Science.gov (United States)

Kaplan, Gerardo; Peters, David; Racaniello, Vincent R.

1990-12-01

Poliovirus mutants resistant to neutralization with soluble cellular receptor were isolated. Replication of soluble receptor-resistant (srr) mutants was blocked by a monoclonal antibody directed against the HeLa cell receptor for poliovirus, indicating that the mutants use this receptor to enter cells. The srr mutants showed reduced binding to HeLa cells and cell membranes. However, the reduced binding phenotype did not have a major impact on viral replication, as judged by plaque size and one-step growth curves. These results suggest that the use of soluble receptors as antiviral agents could lead to the selection of neutralization-resistant mutants that are able to bind cell surface receptors, replicate, and cause disease.

Circulation of Pneumocystis dihydropteroate synthase mutants in France.

Science.gov (United States)

Le Gal, Solène; Damiani, Céline; Perrot, Maëla; Rouillé, Amélie; Virmaux, Michèle; Quinio, Dorothée; Moalic, Elodie; Saliou, Philippe; Berthou, Christian; Le Meur, Yann; Totet, Anne; Nevez, Gilles

2012-10-01

Data on the prevalence of Pneumocystis jirovecii (P. jirovecii) dihydropteroate synthase (DHPS) mutants in France are still limited. In this study, mutant prevalence in the Brest region (western France) was determined. Archival pulmonary specimens from 85 patients infected with P. jirovecii and admitted to our institution (University Hospital, Brest) from October 2007 to February 2010 were retrospectively typed at the DHPS locus using a polymerase chain reaction-restriction fragment length polymorphism assay. Type identification was successful in 66 of 85 patients. Sixty-four patients were infected with a wild type, whereas mutants were found in 2 patients (2/66, 3%). Medical chart analysis revealed that these 2 patients usually lived in Paris. Another patient usually lived on the French Riviera, whereas 63 patients were from the city of Brest. Thus, the corrected prevalence of mutants in patients who effectively lived in our geographic area was 0% (0/63). Taking into account that i) Paris is characterized by a high prevalence of mutants from 18.5% to 40%, ii) infection diagnoses were performed in the 2 Parisians during their vacation Paris to Brest through infected vacationers. The study shows that the usual city of patient residence, rather than the city of infection diagnosis, is a predictor of mutants and that P. jirovecii infections involving mutants do not represent a public health issue in western France. Copyright © 2012 Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

Design and introduction of a disulfide bridge in firefly luciferase: increase of thermostability and decrease of pH sensitivity.

Science.gov (United States)

Imani, Mehdi; Hosseinkhani, Saman; Ahmadian, Shahin; Nazari, Mahboobeh

2010-08-01

The thermal sensitivity and pH-sensitive spectral properties of firefly luciferase have hampered its application in a variety of fields. It is proposed that the stability of a protein can be increased by introduction of disulfide bridge that decreases the configurational entropy of unfolding. A disulfide bridge is introduced into Photinus pyralis firefly luciferase to make two separate mutant enzymes with a single bridge. Even though the A103C/S121C mutant showed remarkable thermal stability, its specific activity decreased, whereas the A296C/A326C mutant showed tremendous thermal stability, relative pH insensitivity and 7.3-fold increase of specific activity. Moreover, the bioluminescence emission spectrum of A296C/A326C was resistant against higher temperatures (37 degrees C). Far-UV CD analysis showed slight secondary structure changes for both mutants. Thermal denaturation analysis showed that conformational stabilities of A103C/S121C and A296C/A326C are more than native firefly luciferase. It is proposed that since A296 and A326 are situated in the vicinity of the enzyme active site microenvironment in comparison with A103 and S121, the formation of a disulfide bridge in this region has more impact on enzyme kinetic characteristics.

Site-directed mutagenesis of HIV-1 vpu gene demonstrates two clusters of replication-defective mutants with distinct ability to down-modulate cell surface CD4 and tetherin

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Masako Nomaguchi

2010-11-01

Full Text Available HIV-1 Vpu acts positively on viral infectivity by mediating CD4 degradation in endoplasmic reticulum and enhances virion release by counteracting a virion release restriction factor, tetherin. In order to define the impact of Vpu activity on HIV-1 replication, we have generated a series of site-specific proviral vpu mutants. Of fifteen mutants examined, seven exhibited a replication-defect similar to that of a vpu-deletion mutant in a lymphocyte cell line H9. These mutations clustered in narrow regions within transmembrane domain (TMD and cytoplasmic domain (CTD. Replication-defective mutants displayed the reduced ability to enhance virion release from a monolayer cell line HEp2 without exception. Upon transfection with Vpu expression vectors, neither TMD mutants nor CTD mutants blocked CD4 expression at the cell surface in another monolayer cell line MAGI. While TMD mutants were unable to down-modulate cell surface tetherin in HEp2 cells, CTD mutants did quite efficiently. Confocal microscopy analysis revealed the difference of intracellular localization between TMD and CTD mutants. In total, replication capability of HIV-1 carrying vpu mutations correlates well with the ability of Vpu to enhance virion release and to impede the cell surface expression of CD4 but not with the ability to down-modulate cell surface tetherin. Our results here suggest that efficient viral replication requires not only down-regulation of cell surface tetherin but also its degradation.

Wild-type catalase peroxidase vs G279D mutant type: Molecular basis of Isoniazid drug resistance in Mycobacterium tuberculosis.

Science.gov (United States)

Singh, Aishwarya; Singh, Aditi; Grover, Sonam; Pandey, Bharati; Kumari, Anchala; Grover, Abhinav

2018-01-30

Mycobacterium tuberculosis katG gene is responsible for production of an enzyme catalase peroxidase that peroxidises and activates the prodrug Isoniazid (INH), a first-line antitubercular agent. INH interacts with catalase peroxidase enzyme within its heme pocket and gets converted to an active form. Mutations occurring in katG gene are often linked to reduced conversion rates for INH. This study is focussed on one such mutation occurring at residue 279, where glycine often mutates to aspartic acid (G279D). In the present study, several structural analyses were performed to study the effect of this mutation on functionality of KatG protein. On comparison, mutant protein exhibited a lower docking score, smaller binding cavity and reduced affinity towards INH. Molecular dynamics analysis revealed the mutant to be more rigid and less compact than the native protein. Essential dynamics analysis determined correlated motions of residues within the protein structure. G279D mutant was found to have many residues that showed related motions and an undesirable effect on the functionality of protein. Copyright © 2017 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.

Mutant number distribution in an exponentially growing population

Science.gov (United States)

Keller, Peter; Antal, Tibor

2015-01-01

We present an explicit solution to a classic model of cell-population growth introduced by Luria and Delbrück (1943 Genetics 28 491-511) 70 years ago to study the emergence of mutations in bacterial populations. In this model a wild-type population is assumed to grow exponentially in a deterministic fashion. Proportional to the wild-type population size, mutants arrive randomly and initiate new sub-populations of mutants that grow stochastically according to a supercritical birth and death process. We give an exact expression for the generating function of the total number of mutants at a given wild-type population size. We present a simple expression for the probability of finding no mutants, and a recursion formula for the probability of finding a given number of mutants. In the ‘large population-small mutation’ limit we recover recent results of Kessler and Levine (2014 J. Stat. Phys. doi:10.1007/s10955-014-1143-3) for a fully stochastic version of the process.

Characteristics of mutant lines of sweet potato flour

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Aryanti

2012-01-01

Research on mutation induction of sweet potato Sari variety has been conducted. Flour mutant lines were obtained from selection of M1V5 tubers irradiated by gamma rays at the dose of 10 Gy. Flour was made by peeling of tubers, then dried, blended and sieved. The quality test of flour have been done by measuring degree of whiteness, proximate, amylose contents, water content, soluble water, swelling power, and flour characteristics. The result of this work showed that flour of C6.26.13 mutant line had higher protein content than the parent plant with concentration of 3.62 % and its amylose content was also higher than the other mutant lines. The soluble water value of mutant lines were significant different compared to the parent plant from 1.82 to 2.25 % and swelling power from 4.28 to 5.55 %. The flour granule of the mutant line was different compared to the parent plant. (author)

Early transcriptional responses of internalization defective Brucella abortus mutants in professional phagocytes, RAW 264.7.

Science.gov (United States)

Cha, Seung Bin; Lee, Won Jung; Shin, Min Kyoung; Jung, Myung Hwan; Shin, Seung Won; Yoo, An Na; Kim, Jong Wan; Yoo, Han Sang

2013-06-27

Brucella abortus is an intracellular zoonotic pathogen which causes undulant fever, endocarditis, arthritis and osteomyelitis in human and abortion and infertility in cattle. This bacterium is able to invade and replicate in host macrophage instead of getting removed by this defense mechanism. Therefore, understanding the interaction between virulence of the bacteria and the host cell is important to control brucellosis. Previously, we generated internalization defective mutants and analyzed the envelope proteins. The present study was undertaken to evaluate the changes in early transcriptional responses between wild type and internalization defective mutants infected mouse macrophage, RAW 264.7. Both of the wild type and mutant infected macrophages showed increased expression levels in proinflammatory cytokines, chemokines, apoptosis and G-protein coupled receptors (Gpr84, Gpr109a and Adora2b) while the genes related with small GTPase which mediate intracellular trafficking was decreased. Moreover, cytohesin 1 interacting protein (Cytip) and genes related to ubiquitination (Arrdc3 and Fbxo21) were down-regulated, suggesting the survival strategy of this bacterium. However, we could not detect any significant changes in the mutant infected groups compared to the wild type infected group. In summary, it was very difficult to clarify the alterations in host cellular transcription in response to infection with internalization defective mutants. However, we found several novel gene changes related to the GPCR system, ubiquitin-proteosome system, and growth arrest and DNA damages in response to B. abortus infection. These findings may contribute to a better understanding of the molecular mechanisms underlying host-pathogen interactions and need to be studied further.

Detailed conformation dynamics and activation process of wild type c-Abl and T315I mutant

Science.gov (United States)

Yang, Li-Jun; Zhao, Wen-Hua; Liu, Qian

2014-10-01

Bcr-Abl is an important target for therapy against chronic myelogenous leukemia (CML) and acute lymphocytic leukemia (ALL). The synergistic effect between myristyl pocket and the ATP pocket has been found. But its detailed information based on molecular level still has not been achieved. In this study, conventional molecular dynamics (CMD) and target molecular dynamics (TMD) simulations were performed to explore the effect of T315I mutation on dynamics and activation process of Abl containing the N-terminal cap (Ncap). The CMD simulation results reveal the increasing flexibility of ATP pocket in kinase domain (KD) after T315I mutation which confirms the disability of ATP-pocket inhibitors to the Abl-T315I mutant. On the contrary, the T315I mutation decreased the flexibility of remote helix αI which suggests the synergistic effect between them. The mobility of farther regions containing Ncap, SH3, SH2 and SH2-KD linker were not affected by T315I mutation. The TMD simulation results show that the activation process of wild type Abl and Abl-T315I mutant experienced global conformation change. Their differences were elucidated by the activation motion of subsegments including A-loop, P-loop and Ncap. Besides, the T315I mutation caused decreasing energy barrier and increasing intermediate number in activation process, which results easier activation process. The TMD and CMD results indicate that a drug targeting only the ATP pocket is not enough to inhibit the Abl-T315I mutant. An effective way to inhibit the abnormal activity of Abl-T315I mutant is to combine the ATP-pocket inhibitors with inhibitors binding at non-ATP pockets mainly related to Ncap, SH2-KD linker and myristyl pocket.

Exhibit Engineering

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Mortensen, Marianne Foss

Science museums define the objectives of their exhibitions in terms of visitor learning outcomes. Yet, exhibit designers lack theoretical and empirical research findings on which to base the creation of such educational environments. Here, this shortcoming is addressed through the development...... of tools and processes to guide the design of educational science exhibits. The guiding paradigm for this development is design-based research, which is characterised by an iterative cycle of design, enactment, and analysis. In the design phase, an educational intervention is planned and carried out based...... on the generation of theoretical ideas for exhibit design is offered in a fourth and parallel research undertaking, namely the application of the notion of cultural border-crossing to a hypothetical case of exhibit design....

Three Herpes Simplex Virus Type 1 Latency-Associated Transcript Mutants with Distinct and Asymmetric Effects on Virulence in Mice Compared with Rabbits

Science.gov (United States)

Perng, Guey-Chuen; Esmaili, Daniel; Slanina, Susan M.; Yukht, Ada; Ghiasi, Homayon; Osorio, Nelson; Mott, Kevin R.; Maguen, Barak; Jin, Ling; Nesburn, Anthony B.; Wechsler, Steven L.

2001-01-01

Herpes simplex virus type 1 latency-associated transcript (LAT)-null mutants have decreased reactivation but normal virulence in rabbits and mice. We report here on dLAT1.5, a mutant with LAT nucleotides 76 to 1667 deleted. Following ocular infection of rabbits, dLAT1.5 reactivated at a lower rate than its wild-type parent McKrae (6.1 versus 11.8%; P = 0.0025 [chi-square test]). Reactivation was restored in the marker-rescued virus dLAT1.5R (12.6%; P = 0.53 versus wild type), confirming the importance of the deleted region in spontaneous reactivation. Compared with wild-type or marker-rescued virus, dLAT1.5 had similar or slightly reduced virulence in rabbits (based on survival following ocular infection). In contrast, in mice, dLAT1.5 had increased virulence (P Wechsler, J. Virol. 73:920–929, 1999), had decreased virulence in mice (P = 0.03). In addition, we also found that dLAT371, a LAT mutant that we previously reported to have wild-type virulence in rabbits (G. C. Perng, S. M. Slanina, H. Ghiasi, A. B. Nesburn, and S. L. Wechsler, J. Virol. 70:2014–2018, 1996), had decreased virulence in mice (P < 0.05). Thus, these three mutants, each of which encodes a different LAT RNA, have different virulence phenotypes. dLAT1.5 had wild-type virulence in rabbits but increased virulence in mice. In contrast, LAT2.9A had increased virulence in rabbits but decreased virulence in mice, and dLAT371 had wild-type virulence in rabbits but decreased virulence in mice. Taken together, these results suggest that (i) the 5′ end of LAT and/or a gene that overlaps part of this region is involved in viral virulence, (ii) this virulence appears to have species-specific effects, and (iii) regulation of this virulence may be complex. PMID:11533165

Characterization of a New Pink-Fruited Tomato Mutant Results in the Identification of a Null Allele of the SlMYB12 Transcription Factor.

Science.gov (United States)

Fernandez-Moreno, Josefina-Patricia; Tzfadia, Oren; Forment, Javier; Presa, Silvia; Rogachev, Ilana; Meir, Sagit; Orzaez, Diego; Aharoni, Aspah; Granell, Antonio

2016-07-01

The identification and characterization of new tomato (Solanum lycopersicum) mutants affected in fruit pigmentation and nutritional content can provide valuable insights into the underlying biology, as well as a source of new alleles for breeding programs. To date, all characterized pink-pigmented tomato fruit mutants appear to result from low SlMYB12 transcript levels in the fruit skin. Two new mutant lines displaying a pink fruit phenotype (pf1 and pf2) were characterized in this study. In the pf mutants, SlMYB12 transcripts accumulated to wild-type levels but exhibited the same truncation, which resulted in the absence of the essential MYB activation domain coding region. Allelism and complementation tests revealed that both pf mutants were allelic to the y locus and showed the same recessive null allele in homozygosis: Δy A set of molecular and metabolic effects, reminiscent of those observed in the Arabidopsis (Arabidopsis thaliana) myb11 myb12 myb111 triple mutant, were found in the tomato Δy mutants. To our knowledge, these have not been described previously, and our data support the idea of their being null mutants, in contrast to previously described transcriptional hypomorphic pink fruit lines. We detected a reduction in the expression of several flavonol glycosides and some associated glycosyl transferases. Transcriptome analysis further revealed that the effects of the pf mutations extended beyond the flavonoid pathway into the interface between primary and secondary metabolism. Finally, screening for Myb-binding sites in the candidate gene promoter sequences revealed that 141 of the 152 co-down-regulated genes may be direct targets of SlMYB12 regulation. © 2016 American Society of Plant Biologists. All Rights Reserved.

The Putative PAX8/PPARγ Fusion Oncoprotein Exhibits Partial Tumor Suppressor Activity through Up-Regulation of Micro-RNA-122 and Dominant-Negative PPARγ Activity.

Science.gov (United States)

Reddi, Honey V; Madde, Pranathi; Milosevic, Dragana; Hackbarth, Jennifer S; Algeciras-Schimnich, Alicia; McIver, Bryan; Grebe, Stefan K G; Eberhardt, Norman L

2011-01-01

In vitro studies have demonstrated that the PAX8/PPARγ fusion protein (PPFP), which occurs frequently in follicular thyroid carcinomas (FTC), exhibits oncogenic activity. However, paradoxically, a meta-analysis of extant tumor outcome studies indicates that 68% of FTC-expressing PPFP are minimally invasive compared to only 32% of those lacking PPFP (χ(2) = 6.86, P = 0.008), suggesting that PPFP favorably impacts FTC outcomes. In studies designed to distinguish benign thyroid neoplasms from thyroid carcinomas, the previously identified tumor suppressor miR-122, a major liver micro-RNA (miR) that is decreased in hepatocellular carcinoma, was increased 8.9-fold (P negative PPARγ mutant in WRO cells was less effective than PPFP at inhibiting xenograft tumor progression (1.8-fold [P negative PPARγ activity. Up-regulation of miR-122 negatively regulates ADAM-17, a known downstream target, in thyroid cells, suggesting an antiangiogenic mechanism in thyroid carcinoma. This latter inference is directly supported by reduced CD-31 expression in WRO xenografts expressing PPFP, miR-122, and DN-PPARγ. We conclude that, in addition to its apparent oncogenic potential in vitro, PPFP exhibits paradoxical tumor suppressor activity in vivo, mediated by multiple mechanisms including up-regulation of miR-122 and dominant-negative inhibition of PPARγ activity.

The research progress on plant mutant germplasm resources in China

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

He Cexi; Ji Linzhen; Zhao Shirong

1991-07-01

Mutants induced by nuclear radiation or other mutagens are new artificial germplasm resources. Some mutants have been applied in plant breeding and great achievements have been reached. The status and progress on the collection, identification and utilization of mutants in China are introduced. A proposal for developing mutant germplasm resources with good agronomic characters is suggested

Radiation studies in Cajanus cajan: meiotic behaviour in some M/sub 2/ mutants

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Sinha, S.S.N.; Akhaury, S.B. (Ranchi Univ. (India). Dept. of Botany)

1982-01-01

A qualitative study of the mutants produced in M/sub 2/ generation has been made. The mutants were classified as: (1) chlorophyll mutant, (2) morphological mutant, (3) pollen mutant, (4) semi-sterile and (5) sterile mutant. Cytological investigations of pollen mutants, sterile and semi-sterile mutants have revealed that these mutants generally arise at higher dose levels (20 Kr and 25 Kr).

Biochemical Analysis of Two Single Mutants that Give Rise to a Polymorphic G6PD A-Double Mutant

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Edson Jiovany Ramírez-Nava

2017-10-01

Full Text Available Glucose-6-phosphate dehydrogenase (G6PD is a key regulatory enzyme that plays a crucial role in the regulation of cellular energy and redox balance. Mutations in the gene encoding G6PD cause the most common enzymopathy that drives hereditary nonspherocytic hemolytic anemia. To gain insights into the effects of mutations in G6PD enzyme efficiency, we have investigated the biochemical, kinetic, and structural changes of three clinical G6PD variants, the single mutations G6PD A+ (Asn126AspD and G6PD Nefza (Leu323Pro, and the double mutant G6PD A− (Asn126Asp + Leu323Pro. The mutants showed lower residual activity (≤50% of WT G6PD and displayed important kinetic changes. Although all Class III mutants were located in different regions of the three-dimensional structure of the enzyme and were not close to the active site, these mutants had a deleterious effect over catalytic activity and structural stability. The results indicated that the G6PD Nefza mutation was mainly responsible for the functional and structural alterations observed in the double mutant G6PD A−. Moreover, our study suggests that the G6PD Nefza and G6PD A− mutations affect enzyme functions in a similar fashion to those reported for Class I mutations.

Phanerochaete mutants with enhanced ligninolytic activity

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Kakar, S.N.; Perez, A.; Gonzales, J.

1994-01-01

In addition to lignin, the white rot fungus Phanerochaete chrysosporium has the ability to degrade a wide spectrum of recalcitrant organo pollutants in soils and aqueous media. Most of the organic compounds are degraded under ligninolytic conditions with the involvement of the extracellular enzymes, lignin peroxidases, and manganese-dependent peroxidases, which are produced as secondary metabolites triggered by conditions of nutrient starvation (e.g., nitrogen limitation). The fungus and its enzymes can thus provide alternative technologies for bioremediation, bio pulping, bio bleaching, and other industrial applications. The efficiency and effectiveness of the fungus can be enhanced by increasing production and secretion of the important enzymes in large quantities and as primary metabolites under enriched conditions. One way this can be achieved is through isolation of mutants that are deregulated, or are hyper producers or super secretors of key enzymes under enriched conditions. Through UV-light and γ-ray mutagenesis, we have isolated a variety of mutants, some of which produce key enzymes of the ligninolytic system under high-nitrogen growth conditions. One of the mutants, 76UV, produced 272 U of lignin peroxidases enzyme activity/L after 9 d under high nitrogen (although the parent strain does not produce this enzyme under these conditions). The mutant and the parent strains produced up to 54 and 62 U/L, respectively, of the enzyme activity under low nitrogen growth conditions during this period. In some experiments, the mutant showed 281 U/L of enzyme activity under high nitrogen after 17 d

Agronomic performance of old soybean variety 'Altona' derived mutants

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Hodosne, K.G.; Heszky, L.E.

2001-01-01

An induced mutation program has been initiated at the Department of Genetics and Plant Breeding to develop early maturing cultivars with good yielding capacity. Some new mutants have been produced by irradiation of variety Altona with 60 Co gamma rays. Ten years of breeding resulted in two new mutant varieties named 'Noventa' and 'Gate 511'. The present study deals with agronomic performance of these mutants. Registered soybean varieties Altona and 'McCall' as well as Altona derived mutants (Gate 511 and Noventa) have been compared

Analysis of AtCry1 and Mutants

Science.gov (United States)

Burdick, Derek; Purvis, Adam; Ahmad, Margaret; Link, Justin J.; Engle, Dorothy

Cryptochrome is an incredibly versatile protein that influences numerous biological processes such as plant growth, bird migration, and sleep cycles. Due to the versatility of this protein, understanding the mechanism would allow for advances in numerous fields such as crop growth, animal behavior, and sleep disorders. It is known that cryptochrome requires blue light to function, but the exact processes in the regulation of biological activity are still not fully understood. It is believed that the c-terminal domain of the protein undergoes a conformational change when exposed to blue light which allows for biological function. Three different non-functioning mutants were tested during this study to gain insight on the mechanism of cryptochrome. Absorbance spectra showed a difference between two of the mutants and the wild type with one mutant showing little difference. Immunoprecipitation experiments were also conducted to identify the different c-terminal responses of the mutants. By studying non functioning mutants of this protein, the mechanism of the protein can be further characterized. This two-month research experience in Paris allowed us to experience international and interdisciplinary collaborations in science and immerse in a different culture. The Borcer Fund for Student Research, Xavier University, Cincinnati, OH, and John Hauck Foundation.

Evaluation of Brown Midrib Sorghum Mutants as a Potential Biomass Feedstock for 2,3-Butanediol Biosynthesis.

Science.gov (United States)

Guragain, Yadhu N; Srinivasa Rao, P; Vara Prasad, P V; Vadlani, Praveen V

2017-11-01

Three sorghum backgrounds [Atlas, Early Hegari (EH), and Kansas Collier (KC)] and two bmr mutants (bmr6 and bmr12) of each line were evaluated and compared for grain and biomass yield, biomass composition, and 2,3-butanediol production from biomass. The data showed that the bmr6 mutation in EH background led to a significant decrease in stover yield and increase in grain yield, whereas the stover yield was increased by 64% without affecting grain yield in KC background. The bmr mutants had 10 to 25% and 2 to 9% less lignin and structural carbohydrate contents, respectively, and 24 to 93% more non-structural sugars than their parents in all sorghum lines, except EH bmr12. The total fermentable sugars released were 22 to 36% more in bmr mutants than in parents for Atlas and KC, but not for EH. The bmr6 mutation in KC background produced the most promising feedstock, among the evaluated bmr mutants, for 2,3-butanediol production without affecting grain yield, followed by KC bmr12 and Atlas bmr6, but the bmr mutation had an adverse effect in EH background. This indicated that the genetic background of the parent line and type of bmr mutation significantly affect the biomass quality as a feedstock for biochemical production.

Biochemical characteristics of mutant lines of currant tomato

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Gorbatenko, I.Yu.; Khrustaleva, V.V.; Shcherbakov, V.K.

1988-01-01

The currant tomato is used in breeding for fruit quality. It contains up to 50 mg% ascorbic acid, a large quantity of sugar and 8-10% of dry matter. The weight of the fruit, however, does not exceed 1.2-1.5 g. The plants have long, spreading and very branchy stems. Gamma ray induced mutants of currant tomato were used, as initial material in breeding for fruit quality in varieties suitable for mechanized harvesting. The research was carried out mainly at the Department of Vegetable Growing Ukrainian Scientific Research Institute of Irrigation Farming. The regional variety Lebyazhinskij (suitable for mechanized harvesting) was adopted as the standard. Its fruits contain: 5.6% dry matter, 2.7% sugars, 0.543% titrated acidity, 26.6 mg/100 g ascorbic acid, 0.425 mg% carotene and 0.35% cellulose. The biochemical characteristics of the tomato mutants are shown. In terms of fruit dry matter, all mutants surpassed the standard. The acidity and the ascorbic acid content varied considerably. Most noteworthy in terms of carotene were the lines GP-5, GP-9 and GP-12. An important factor in the production of tomato paste is the fruit cellulose content. The lowest cellulose content is found in mutant GP-3. As shown, all of the mutants were early ripening. The mutants surpassed the standard in simultaneous fruit ripening. Mutant lines GP-3, GP-6, GP-9 and GP-12 will be used in the breeding programme for improving fruit quality of varieties suitable for mechanized harvesting

Reduced starch granule number per chloroplast in the dpe2/phs1 mutant is dependent on initiation of starch degradation.

Science.gov (United States)

Malinova, Irina; Fettke, Joerg

2017-01-01

An Arabidopsis double knock-out mutant lacking cytosolic disproportionating enzyme 2 (DPE2) and the plastidial phosphorylase (PHS1) revealed a dwarf-growth phenotype, reduced starch content, an uneven distribution of starch within the plant rosette, and a reduced number of starch granules per chloroplast under standard growth conditions. In contrast, the wild type contained 5-7 starch granules per chloroplast. Mature and old leaves of the double mutant were essentially starch free and showed plastidial disintegration. Several analyses revealed that the number of starch granules per chloroplast was affected by the dark phase. So far, it was unclear if it was the dark phase per se or starch degradation in the dark that was connected to the observed decrease in the number of starch granules per chloroplast. Therefore, in the background of the double mutant dpe2/phs1, a triple mutant was generated lacking the initial starch degrading enzyme glucan, water dikinase (GWD). The triple mutant showed improved plant growth, a starch-excess phenotype, and a homogeneous starch distribution. Furthermore, the number of starch granules per chloroplast was increased and was similar to wild type. However, starch granule morphology was only slightly affected by the lack of GWD as in the triple mutant and, like in dpe2/phs1, more spherical starch granules were observed. The characterized triple mutant was discussed in the context of the generation of starch granules and the formation of starch granule morphology.

Tumor suppressor PTEN affects tau phosphorylation: deficiency in the phosphatase activity of PTEN increases aggregation of an FTDP-17 mutant Tau

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Zhang Xue

2006-07-01