The nucleotide sequence of SV40 DNA was determined, and the sequence was correlated with known genes of the virus and with the structure of viral messenger RNA's. There is a limited overlap of the coding regions for structural proteins and a complex pattern of leader sequences at the 5' end of late messenger RNA. The sequence of the early region is consistent with recent proposals that the large early polypeptide of SV40 is encoded in noncontinguous segments of DNA.
Recently a number of nonclass I genes were discovered in the human MHC class I region. One of these, FAT10, encodes a protein consisting of two domains with homology to ubiquitin. FAT10 mRNA is expressed constitutively in some lymphoblastoid lines and dendritic cells and in certain other cells after ␥-interferon induction. FAT10 protein expression is controlled at several levels including transcription, translation, and protein stability. Yeast two-hybrid screening of a human lymphocyte library and immunoprecipitation studies revealed that FAT10 noncovalently associated with MAD2, a protein implicated in a cell-cycle checkpoint for spindle assembly during anaphase. Thus, FAT10 may modulate cell growth during B cell or dendritic cell development and activation.
Hereditary persistance of fetal haemoglobin (HPFH) is a benign condition characterized by the production in adulthood of more than 1% fetal haemoglobin (HbF, alpha 2 gamma 2) in the absence of erythropoietic stress. Several genetic types have been discerned based on the level of HbF produced, the relative contributions of the duplicated fetal (G gamma and A gamma) globin genes, and the presence or absence of deletions involving the beta and delta genes in cis to the mutation. Greek HPFH is a non-deletion variety in which heterozygotes produce 10-20% HbF, predominantly due to overproduction of the A gamma chain. We have cloned a 40-kilobase (kb) region of the beta-globin cluster from a Greek HPFH allele and report here that a point mutation (G----A) occurs 117 base pairs (bp) 5' to the cap site of the A gamma-globin gene, just upstream of the distal CCAAT sequence. The corresponding region of the G gamma-globin gene is normal. We discuss the implications of this finding for the developmental regulation of globin gene expression.
The template for RNA polymerase III in vitro transcription found on the human DNA clone pJP53 was shown in the previous paper to enclose a member of the Alu famiy of interspersed repetitive DNA sequences. We have mapped this transcript onto its template in greater detail by comparison of the template DNA sequence to the base composition of the Tl ribonuclease digestion products of the in vitro transcript. We find that the 5' end of the transcript lies in close proximity to the 5' end of the conserved Alu family sequence as analyzed in the preceding paper. The 3' end of the transcript appears to terminate in a U-rich region beyond the region of Alu family sequence conservation. Analysis of cellular RNA by Northern blotting and hybridization with a DNA probe derived from another Alu family transcription template demonstrates abundant representation of sequences homologous to the reiterated DNA. Cytoplasmic, nonpolyadenylated RNA from human and murine cells contains a monodisperse, 300 nucleotide species, recently determined by Weiner (4) to be the 7S RNA. In contrast, the Alu-homologous transcripts are heterodisperse in mRNA and hnRNA, with the highest specific representation of Alu family sequences being found in oligo(dT)-retained hnRNA.
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