Hiromichi Terashima

Mapping of early firing origins on a replication profile of budding yeast

Background: Understanding of the firing time determination of replication origins in the entire genome will require a genome‐wide survey of replication origins and their mapping on chromosomes. A microarray technology was applied to obtain a genome‐wide profile of DNA replication and to classify early firing origins.

Amino Acid Sequence Requirement for Efficient Incorporation of Glycosylphosphatidylinositol-associated Proteins into the Cell Wall of Saccharomyces cerevisiae

During cell wall biogenesis inSaccharomyces cerevisiae, some glycosylphosphatidylinositol (GPI)-attached proteins are detached from GPI moieties and bound to β-1,6-glucan of the cell wall. The amino acid sequence requirement for the incorporation of GPI-attached proteins into the cell wall was studied by using reporter fusion proteins. Only the short ω-minus region composed of five amino acids, which is located upstream of the ω site for GPI attachment, determined the cellular localization of the GPI-associated proteins. Within the ω-minus region, amino acid residues at the ω-4 or -5 and ω-2 sites were important for the cell wall incorporation. Yap3p, a well characterized GPI-anchored plasma membrane aspartic protease, was localized in the cell wall when the ω-minus region was mutated to sequences containing Val or Ile at the ω-4 or -5 site and Val or Tyr at the ω-2 site.

Up-regulation of genes encoding glycosylphosphatidylinositol (GPI)-attached proteins in response to cell wall damage caused by disruption of FKS1 in Saccharomyces cerevisiae

Abstract FKS1 and FKS2 encode alternative catalytic subunits of the glucan synthases that are responsible for synthesis of β-1,3-glucan in the Saccharomyces cerevisiae cell wall. Disruption of FKS1 reduces the glucan content of the cell wall, increases chitin content and activates the expression of CWP1, which encodes a glycosylphosphatidylinositol (GPI)-dependent cell wall protein. These cellular responses have been regarded as compensating for cell wall damage in order to maintain cell wall integrity. Here, we report the identification, by genome-wide screening, of 22 genes that are transcriptionally up-regulated in fks1Δ cells. Among them, five genes were found to encode GPI-attached proteins, three of which are covalently associated with the cell wall. Deletion and replacement analysis of the promoter regions identified Rlm1-binding sequences as being responsible for the up-regulation following disruption of FKS1. Using the rlm1Δ tetOp-FKS1 strain, in which the expression of FKS1 can be repressed by doxycycline, we examined the requirement for Rlm1 for the transcriptional up-regulation of these five genes. Three of the five genes were not up-regulated by doxycycline, indicating that Rlm1 mediates their up-regulation when FKS1 is inactivated. The remaining two genes were up-regulated by doxycycline, suggesting that a transcription factor other than Rlm1 is involved in their response to disruption of FKS1.

Biotin derivatives of endothelin: utilization for affinity purification of endothelin receptor.

Three different types of biotinylated endothelin 1 (ET-1) derivatives, [Cys1]-biotinylated ET-1, [Lys9]-biotinylated ET-1, and [Cys1][Lys9]-dibiotinylated ET-1, were obtained when the biotinylation reaction was carried out with sulfosuccinimidyl-6-(biotinamido)hexanoate in an aqueous solvent. The binding of [Lys9]-biotinylated ET-1 to the ET receptor was as efficient as that of natural ET-1, whereas the binding of either [Cys1]-biotinylated ET-1 or [Cys1][Lys9]-dibiotinylated ET-1 was significantly reduced. When ET-1 was reacted with succinimidyl-6-(biotinamido)hexanoate in an organic solvent, ET-1 was exclusively modified at lysine 9. The ET receptor was then isolated from human placenta by affinity chromatography with [Lys9]-biotinylated ET-1 and avidin-agarose. The purified ET receptor was active in ET binding and was resolved by sodium dodecyl sulfate-polyacrylamide gel electrophoresis into two polypeptides with apparent molecular masses of 45 and 35 kDa. The NH2-terminal amino acid sequence indicated that the two polypeptides were from an identical subtype of the ET receptor (ETB, the ligand-nonselective type). A signal peptide from Met1 to Gly26 was missing from the 45-kDa ETB, whereas 64 amino acids at the NH2 terminus were missing from the 35-kDa ETB due to proteolytic cleavage which occurred between Arg64 and Ser65. Indeed, incubation of purified ETB with endopeptidase Arg-C resulted in degradation of the 45-kDa ETB, giving rise to the 35-kDa species by a specific cleavage at Arg64. The 35-kDa ETB was active in binding to ET-1, indicating that the NH2-terminal 64-amino-acid residues are not essential for ligand binding.(ABSTRACT TRUNCATED AT 250 WORDS)

A point mutation within each of two ATP-binding motifs inactivates the functions of elongation factor 3☆

We have investigated how point mutations in the two ATP-binding motifs (G(463)PNGCGK(469)ST and G(701)PNGAGK(707)ST) of elongation factor 3 (EF-3) affect ribosome-activated ATPase activity of EF-3, polyphenylalanine synthesis, and growth of Saccharomyces cerevisiae. The point mutation impaired the ribosome-activated ATPase activity of EF-3, when glycine(463 and 701) and lysine(469 and 707) were replaced with valine and arginine, respectively. Thus, each glycine and lysine residue in both ATP-binding motifs is indispensable for EF-3s binding with ATP and the ensuing generation of ribosome-activated ATPase activity. Additionally, the mutant EF-3s did not catalyze polyphenylalanine synthesis in vitro when each glycine(463 and 701) was replaced with valine. The mutant EF-3s did not support cell growth in TEF3-disrupted S. cerevisiae, when each lysine(469 and 707) and glycine(463) was replaced with arginine and valine, respectively. Thus, each of the two ATP-binding motifs of EF-3 is indispensable for the ribosome-activated ATPase activity of EF-3, which is required for protein synthesis and cell growth in S. cerevisiae.

Expression of non‐hepatic‐type S‐adenosylmethionine synthetase isozyme in rat hepatomas induced by 3′‐methyl‐4‐dimethylaminoazobenzene

It is known that a high incidence of hepatocellular carcinoma in rat liver can be induced by such azo dye carcinogens as 3′‐methyl‐4‐dimethylaminoazobenzene (3′‐MeDAB). Mammalian S‐adenosylmethionine (AdoMet) synthetase exists as two isozymes, non‐hepatic‐type and liver‐type enzymes, which are the products of two different genes. We have examined the expression of two AdoMet synthetase isozyme proteins and mRNAs in rat hepatomas induced by 3′‐Me‐DAB. The levels of non‐hepatic‐type enzyme protein and mRNA are clearly induced by 3′‐Me‐DAB feeding. On the other hand, the levels of liver‐type enzyme protein and mRNA are nearly the same or slightly decreased during hepatocarcinogenesis. These results indicate that the expression of the non‐hepatic‐type isozyme gene is obviously influenced with the progression of carcinogenesis and that the non‐hepatic‐type isozyme is useful as a oncodevelopmental marker in the liver.