scholarly journals The poly(A)-poly(A)-binding protein complex is a major determinant of mRNA stability in vitro.

1989 ◽  
Vol 9 (2) ◽  
pp. 659-670 ◽  
Author(s):  
P Bernstein ◽  
S W Peltz ◽  
J Ross

Using an in vitro mRNA decay system, we investigated how poly(A) and its associated poly(A)-binding protein (PABP) affect mRNA stability. Cell extracts used in the decay reactions were depleted of functional PABP either by adding excess poly(A) competitor or by passing the extracts over a poly(A)-Sepharose column. Polyadenylated mRNAs for beta-globin, chloramphenicol acetyltransferase, and simian virus 40 virion proteins were degraded 3 to 10 times faster in reactions lacking PABP than in those containing excess PABP. The addition of purified Saccharomyces cerevisiae or human cytoplasmic PABP to PABP-depleted reactions stabilized the polyadenylated mRNAs. In contrast, the decay rates of nonpolyadenylated mRNAs were unaffected by PABP, indicating that both the poly(A) and its binding protein were required for maintaining mRNA stability. A nonspecific single-stranded binding protein from Escherichia coli did not restore stability to polyadenylated mRNA, and the stabilizing effect of PABP was inhibited by anti-PABP antibody. The poly(A) tract was the first mRNA segment to be degraded in PABP-depleted reactions, confirming that the poly(A)-PABP complex was protecting the 3' region from nucleolytic attack. These results indicate that an important function of poly(A), in conjunction with its binding protein, is to protect polyadenylated mRNAs from indiscriminate destruction by cellular nucleases. A model is proposed to explain how the stability of an mRNA could be affected by the stability of its poly(A)-PABP complex.

1989 ◽  
Vol 9 (2) ◽  
pp. 659-670
Author(s):  
P Bernstein ◽  
S W Peltz ◽  
J Ross

Using an in vitro mRNA decay system, we investigated how poly(A) and its associated poly(A)-binding protein (PABP) affect mRNA stability. Cell extracts used in the decay reactions were depleted of functional PABP either by adding excess poly(A) competitor or by passing the extracts over a poly(A)-Sepharose column. Polyadenylated mRNAs for beta-globin, chloramphenicol acetyltransferase, and simian virus 40 virion proteins were degraded 3 to 10 times faster in reactions lacking PABP than in those containing excess PABP. The addition of purified Saccharomyces cerevisiae or human cytoplasmic PABP to PABP-depleted reactions stabilized the polyadenylated mRNAs. In contrast, the decay rates of nonpolyadenylated mRNAs were unaffected by PABP, indicating that both the poly(A) and its binding protein were required for maintaining mRNA stability. A nonspecific single-stranded binding protein from Escherichia coli did not restore stability to polyadenylated mRNA, and the stabilizing effect of PABP was inhibited by anti-PABP antibody. The poly(A) tract was the first mRNA segment to be degraded in PABP-depleted reactions, confirming that the poly(A)-PABP complex was protecting the 3' region from nucleolytic attack. These results indicate that an important function of poly(A), in conjunction with its binding protein, is to protect polyadenylated mRNAs from indiscriminate destruction by cellular nucleases. A model is proposed to explain how the stability of an mRNA could be affected by the stability of its poly(A)-PABP complex.


1990 ◽  
Vol 10 (1) ◽  
pp. 75-83
Author(s):  
Y Berko-Flint ◽  
S Karby ◽  
D Hassin ◽  
S Lavi

An in vitro system to study carcinogen-induced amplification in simian virus 40 (SV40)-transformed Chinese hamster (CO60) cells is described. SV40 amplification in this system resembled in many aspects the viral overreplication observed in drug-treated CO60 cells. Cytosolic extracts from N-methyl-N'-nitro-N-nitrosoguanidine-treated cells supported de novo DNA synthesis in the presence of excess exogenous T antigen and the SV40-containing plasmid pSVK1. The pattern of viral replication in these extracts was unique, since only the 2.4-kilobase-pair region spanning the origin was overreplicated, whereas distal sequences were not replicated significantly. Extracts from control cells supported only marginal levels of replication. In HeLa extracts, complete SV40 DNA molecules were replicated efficiently. The overreplication of the origin region in CO60 cell extracts was bidirectional and symmetrical. A fraction of the newly synthesized DNA molecules underwent a second round of replication, yielding MboI-sensitive fragments representing the 2.4-kilobase-pair region around the origin. The mechanisms controlling the amplification of the viral origin region, the nature of the cellular factors induced in the carcinogen-treated cells, and their putative association with general drug-induced SOS-like responses are discussed.


1981 ◽  
Vol 1 (10) ◽  
pp. 919-931
Author(s):  
C L Cepko ◽  
U Hansen ◽  
H Handa ◽  
P A Sharp

Ribonucleic acids (RNAs) transcribed in vitro by using the whole-cell extract system of Manley et al. (Proc. Natl. Acad. Sci. U.S.A. 77:3855-3859, 1980) were tested for their efficiency and fidelity in directing protein synthesis in reticulocyte lysates. Simian virus 40 deoxyribonucleic acid (DNA), cleaved by various restriction endonucleases, was used as the template. Successful translation of the small tumor antigen t, as well as the capsid proteins VP1, VP2, and VP3, was detected by immunoprecipitation analysis. Although no synthesis of large T antigen was detected, use of this technology allows detection of large T synthesis resulting from the correct splicing of as little as 0.2% of the in vitro RNA transcripts, making it ideal for use as an in vitro splicing assay. Transcripts synthesized in vitro were used as messages at least as efficiently as were viral messenger RNA's (mRNA's) synthesized in vivo; and in the case of small t, there was more efficient translation of small t mRNA synthesized in vitro than of small t mRNA synthesized in vivo. The transcripts that served as mRNA's for the various polypeptides were identified by using the following two criteria. (i) The sensitivity of synthesis of a given protein to digestion of the template DNA with restriction enzymes allowed the localization of the promoter and coding regions. (ii) Translation of size-fractionated RNA allowed confirmation of the transcript-mRNA assignments. With these techniques we found that VP2, VP3 and, in some cases, VP1 synthesis resulted from the initiation of translation at internal AUG codons. In fact, families of polypeptides were produced by initiation of translation at AUG codons within sequences coding for VP1 and T, presumably as a result of transcription initiation events that generated 5' ends immediately upstream from these AUGs. Application of this technology for the identification of coding regions within cloned DNA fragments is discussed.


1988 ◽  
Vol 8 (10) ◽  
pp. 4484-4491 ◽  
Author(s):  
A Mayeda ◽  
Y Ohshima

We constructed SP6-human beta-globin derivative plasmids that included possible donor site (5' splice site) sequences at a specified position within the first intron. The runoff transcripts from these templates truncated in the second exon were examined for splicing in a nuclear extract from HeLa cells. In addition to the products from the authentic donor site, a corresponding set of novel products from the inserted, alternative donor site was generated. Thus, a short sequence inserted within an intron can be an active donor site signal in the presence of an authentic donor site. The active donor site sequences included a 9-nucleotide consensus sequence, 14- or 16-nucleotide sequences at the human beta-globin first or second donor, and those at simian virus 40 large T antigen or small t antigen donor. These included 3 to 8 nucleotides of an exon and 6 to 8 nucleotides of an intron. The activity of the inserted donor site relative to that of the authentic donor site depended on the donor sequence inserted. The relative activity also strongly depended on the concentrations of both KCl (40 to 100 mM) and MgCl2 (1.6 to 6.4 mM). At the higher KCl concentrations tested, all the inserted, or proximate, donor sites were more efficiently used. Under several conditions, some inserted donor sites were more active than was the authentic donor site. Our system provides an in vitro assay for donor site activity of a sequence to be tested.


1999 ◽  
Vol 19 (7) ◽  
pp. 4552-4560 ◽  
Author(s):  
Zuoren Wang ◽  
Nancy Day ◽  
Panayiota Trifillis ◽  
Megerditch Kiledjian

ABSTRACT The stable globin mRNAs provide an ideal system for studying the mechanism governing mammalian mRNA turnover. α-Globin mRNA stability is dictated by sequences in the 3′ untranslated region (3′UTR) which form a specific ribonucleoprotein complex (α-complex) whose presence correlates with mRNA stability. One of the major protein components within this complex is a family of two polycytidylate-binding proteins, αCP1 and αCP2. Using an in vitro-transcribed and polyadenylated α-globin 3′UTR, we have devised an in vitro mRNA decay assay which reproduces the α-complex-dependent mRNA stability observed in cells. Incubation of the RNA with erythroleukemia K562 cytosolic extract results in deadenylation with distinct intermediates containing a periodicity of approximately 30 nucleotides, which is consistent with the binding of poly(A)-binding protein (PABP) monomers. Disruption of the α-complex by sequestration of αCP1 and αCP2 enhances deadenylation and decay of the mRNA, while reconstitution of the α-complex stabilizes the mRNA. Similarly, PABP is also essential for the stability of mRNA in vitro, since rapid deadenylation resulted upon its depletion. An RNA-dependent interaction between αCP1 and αCP2 with PABP suggests that the α-complex can directly interact with PABP. Therefore, the α-complex is an mRNA stability complex in vitro which could function at least in part by interacting with PABP.


1996 ◽  
Vol 16 (1) ◽  
pp. 94-104 ◽  
Author(s):  
F Stadlbauer ◽  
C Voitenleitner ◽  
A Brückner ◽  
E Fanning ◽  
H P Nasheuer

Human cell extracts efficiently support replication of simian virus 40 (SV40) DNA in vitro, while mouse cell extracts do not. Since human DNA polymerase alpha-primase is the major species-specific factor, we set out to determine the subunit(s) of DNA polymerase alpha-primase required for this species specificity. Recombinant human, mouse, and hybrid human-mouse DNA polymerase alpha-primase complexes were expressed with baculovirus vectors and purified. All of the recombinant DNA polymerase alpha-primases showed enzymatic activity and efficiently synthesized the complementary strand on an M13 single-stranded DNA template. The human DNA polymerase alpha-primase (four subunits [HHHH]) and the hybrid DNA polymerase alpha-primase HHMM (two human subunits and two mouse subunits), containing human p180 and p68 and mouse primase, initiated SV40 DNA replication in a purified system. The human and the HHMM complex efficiently replicated SV40 DNA in mouse extracts from which DNA polymerase alpha-primase was deleted, while MMMM and the MMHH complex did not. To determine whether the human p180 or p68 subunit was required for SV40 DNA replication, hybrid complexes containing only one human subunit, p180 or p68, together with three mouse subunits (HMMM and MHMM) or three human subunits and one mouse subunit (MHHH and HMHH) were tested for SV40 DNA replication activity. The hybrid complexes HMMM and HMHH synthesized oligoribonucleotides in the SV40 initiation assay with purified proteins and replicated SV40 DNA in depleted mouse extracts. In contrast, the hybrid complexes containing mouse p180 were inactive in both assays. We conclude that the human p180 subunit determines host-specific replication of SV40 DNA in vitro.


1985 ◽  
Vol 5 (8) ◽  
pp. 2051-2060
Author(s):  
B W Stillman ◽  
Y Gluzman

Soluble extracts prepared from the nucleus and cytoplasm of human 293 cells are capable of efficient replication and supercoiling of added DNA templates that contain the origin of simian virus 40 replication. Extracts prepared from human HeLa cells are less active than similarly prepared extracts from 293 cells for initiation and elongation of nascent DNA strands. DNA synthesis is dependent on addition of purified simian virus 40 tumor (T) antigen, which is isolated by immunoaffinity chromatography of extracts from cells infected with an adenovirus modified to produce large quantities of this protein. In the presence of T antigen and the cytoplasmic extract, replication initiates at the origin and continues bidirectionally. Initiation is completely dependent on functional origin sequences; a plasmid DNA containing an origin mutation known to affect DNA replication in vivo fails to replicate in vitro. Multiple rounds of DNA synthesis occur, as shown by the appearance of heavy-heavy, bromodeoxyuridine-labeled DNA products. The products of this reaction are resolved, but are relaxed, covalently closed DNA circles. Addition of a nuclear extract during DNA synthesis promotes the negative supercoiling of the replicated DNA molecules.


1991 ◽  
Vol 11 (10) ◽  
pp. 5312-5320 ◽  
Author(s):  
Z W Qian ◽  
J Wilusz

We have identified an RNA-binding protein which interacts with the downstream element of the simian virus 40 late polyadenylation signal in a sequence-specific manner. A partially purified 50-kDa protein, which we have named DSEF-1, retains RNA-binding specificity as assayed by band shift and UV cross-linking analyses. RNA footprinting assays, using end-labeled RNA ladder fragments in conjunction with native gel electrophoresis, have identified the DSEF-1 binding site as 5'-GGGGGAGGUGUGGG-3'. This 14-base sequence serves as an efficient DSEF-1 binding site when placed within a GEM4 polylinker-derived RNA. Finally, the DSEF-1 binding site restored efficient in vitro 3' end processing to derivatives of the simian virus 40 late polyadenylation signal in which it substituted for the entire downstream region. DSEF-1, therefore, may be a sequence-specific binding factor which regulates the efficiency of polyadenylation site usage.


1999 ◽  
Vol 73 (2) ◽  
pp. 1099-1107 ◽  
Author(s):  
Utz Herbig ◽  
Klaus Weisshart ◽  
Poonam Taneja ◽  
Ellen Fanning

ABSTRACT Simian virus 40 (SV40) large tumor (T) antigen is the major regulatory protein that directs the course of viral infection, primarily by interacting with host cell proteins and modulating their functions. Initiation of viral DNA replication requires specific interactions of T antigen bound to the viral origin of DNA replication with cellular replication proteins. Transcription factors are thought to stimulate initiation of viral DNA replication, but the mechanism of stimulation is poorly understood. Since the transcription factor TATA-binding protein (TBP) binds to sequences within the origin of replication and interacts specifically with T antigen, we examined whether TBP complexes stimulate SV40 DNA replication in vitro. On the contrary, we found that depletion of TBP complexes from human cell extracts increased their ability to support viral DNA replication, and readdition of TBP complexes to the depleted extracts diminished their activity. We have mapped the sites of interaction between the proteins to residues 181 to 205 of T antigen and 184 to 220 of TBP. Titration of fusion proteins containing either of these peptides into undepleted cell extracts stimulated their replication activity, suggesting that they prevented the T antigen-TBP interaction that interfered with replication activity. TBP complexes also interfered with origin DNA unwinding by purified T antigen, and addition of either the T antigen or the TBP fusion peptide relieved the inhibition. These results suggest that TBP complexes associate with a T-antigen surface that is also required for origin DNA unwinding and viral DNA replication. We speculate that competition among cellular proteins for T antigen may play a role in regulating the course of viral infection.


1998 ◽  
Vol 18 (7) ◽  
pp. 3926-3935 ◽  
Author(s):  
Blossom Damania ◽  
Paul Lieberman ◽  
James C. Alwine

ABSTRACT Large T antigen (T antigen), the early gene product of simian virus 40 (SV40), is a potent transcriptional activator of both cellular and viral genes. Recently we have shown that T antigen is tightly associated with TFIID and, in this position, performs a TATA-binding protein (TBP)-associated factor (TAF)-like function. Based on this observation, we asked whether T antigen affected steps in preinitiation complex assembly. Using purified components in in vitro complex assembly assays, we found that T antigen specifically enhances the formation of the TBP-TFIIA complex on the TATA element. T antigen accomplishes this by increasing the rate of formation of the TBP-TFIIA complex on the TATA element and by stabilizing the complexes after they are formed on the promoter. In addition, DNA immunoprecipitation experiments indicate that T antigen is associated with the stabilized TBP-TFIIA complexes bound to the DNA. In this regard, it has previously been shown that T antigen interacts with TBP; in the present study, we show that T antigen also interacts with TFIIA in vitro. In testing the ability of T antigen to stabilize the TBP-TFIIA complex, we found that stabilization is highly sensitive to the specific sequence context of the TATA element. Previous studies showed that T antigen could activate simple promoters containing the TATA elements from thehsp70 and c-fos gene promoters but failed to significantly activate similar promoters containing the TATA elements from the promoters of the SV40 early and adenovirus E2a genes. We find that the ability to stabilize the TBP-TFIIA complex on thehsp70 and c-fos TATA elements, and not on the SV40 early and E2A TATA elements, correlates with the ability or inability to activate promoters containing these TATA elements.


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