Several self-compatible species of higher plants, such as Arabidopsis thaliana, have recently been found to contain S-like RNases. These S-like RNases are homologous to the S-RNases that have been hypothesized to control selfincompatibility in Solanaceous species. However, the relationship of the S-like RNases to the S-RNases is unknown, and their roles in self-compatible plants are not understood. To address these questions, we have investigated the RNS2 gene, which encodes an S-like RNase (RNS2) of Arabidopsis. Amino acid sequence comparisons indicate that RNS2 and other S-like RNases make up a subclass within an RNase superfamily, which is distinct from the subclass formed by the S-RNases. RNS2 is most similar to RNase LE [Jost, W., Bak, H., Glund, K., Terpstra, P., Beintema, J. J. (1991) Eur. J. Biochem. 198,[1][2][3][4][5][6], an S-like RNase from Lycopersicon esculentum, a Solanaceous species. The fact that RNase LE is more similar to RNS2 than to the S-RNases from other Solanaceous plants indicates that the S-like RNases diverged from the S-RNases prior to speciation. Like the S-RNase genes, RNS2 is most highly expressed in flowers, but unlike the S-RNase genes, RNS2 is also expressed in roots, stems, and leaves of Arabidopsis. Moreover, the expression of RNS2 is increased in both leaves and petals of Arabidopsis during senescence. Phosphate starvation can also induce the expression ofRNS2. On the basis of these observations, we suggest that one role of RNS2 in Arabidopsis may be to remobilize phosphate, particularly when cells senesce or when phosphate becomes limiting.Fundamental insights into the relationship between protein structure and function and gene evolution have been gained from the study of members of the pancreatic RNase superfamily typified by RNase A (1). Another RNase family has recently been identified in the plant kingdom (2). RNases in this family are not homologous to the pancreatic RNase superfamily but rather share homology with a class of fungal RNases that includes RNase T2 ofAspergillus oryzae (3). The plant members of this family include the S-RNases, proteins associated with a self-recognition response known as selfincompatibility (SI) in certain species of higher plants. In Nicotiana alata and other members of the Solanaceae, pollen carrying a particular allele at the S locus, which controls SI, are unable to fertilize plants carrying the same S allele. The mechanism by which S-RNases may participate in the rejection of incompatible pollen is unknown; however, their genes cosegregate with the S locus (4).Initially it seemed plausible that the S-RNases were highly specialized polymorphic enzymes, without homologs in selfcompatible species. However, several recent studies have shown that this is not the case. Among these are dataThe publication costs of this article were defrayed in part by page charge payment. This article must therefore be hereby marked "advertisement" in accordance with 18 U.S.C. §1734 solely to indicate this fact.obtained from PCR experiments perform...
SummaryTwo stimuli that have been associated with nutrient remobilization in plants are phosphate (P=) atarvation and senescence. Little is known about how the nutrient remobilization machinery is Induced at the molecular level, but in the case of P, starvation, ribonucleases are considered to play important roles in the remobilization process. Here, the control of two closely related ribonuclease genes of Arabidopsis, RNS1 and RNS3 is investigated. The RNS1 gene is sharply induced during starvation for Pi, an effect specific among the major macronutrients, whereas RNS3 transcript levels remain relatively constant. RNS1 and RNS3 produced in yeast co-migrate with
The S-like ribonucleases (RNases) RNS1 and RNS2 of Arabidopsis are members of the widespread T 2 ribonuclease family, whose members also include the S-RNases, involved in gametophytic selfincompatibility in plants. Both RNS1 and RNS2 mRNAs have been shown previously to be induced by inorganic phosphate (Pi) starvation. In our study we examined this regulation at the protein level and determined the effects of diminishing RNS1 and RNS2 expression using antisense techniques. The Pi-starvation control of RNS1 and RNS2 was confirmed using antibodies specific for each protein. These specific antibodies also demonstrated that RNS1 is secreted, whereas RNS2 is intracellular. By introducing antisense constructs, mRNA accumulation was inhibited by up to 90% for RNS1 and up to 65% for RNS2. These plants contained abnormally high levels of anthocyanins, the production of which is often associated with several forms of stress, including Pi starvation. This effect demonstrates that diminishing the amounts of either RNS1 or RNS2 leads to effects that cannot be compensated for by the actions of other RNases, even though Arabidopsis contains a large number of different RNase activities. These results, together with the differential localization of the proteins, imply that RNS1 and RNS2 have distinct functions in the plant.
Antibody-drug conjugates (ADC) have emerged as potent antitumor drugs that provide increased efficacy, specificity, and tolerability over chemotherapy for the treatment of cancer. ADCs generated by targeting cysteines and lysines on the antibody have shown efficacy, but these products are heterogeneous, and instability may limit their dosing. Here, a novel technology is described that enables site-specific conjugation of toxins to antibodies using chemistry to produce homogeneous, potent, and highly stable conjugates. We have developed a cell-based mammalian expression system capable of site-specific integration of a non-natural amino acid containing an azide moiety. The azide group enables click cycloaddition chemistry that generates a stable heterocyclic triazole linkage. Antibodies to Her2/neu were expressed to contain N6-((2-azidoethoxy)carbonyl)-l-lysine at four different positions. Each site allowed over 95% conjugation efficacy with the toxins auristatin F or a pyrrolobenzodiazepine (PBD) dimer to generate ADCs with a drug to antibody ratio of >1.9. The ADCs were potent and specific in in vitro cytotoxicity assays. An anti Her2/neu conjugate demonstrated stability in vivo and a PBD containing ADC showed potent efficacy in a mouse tumor xenograph model. This technology was extended to generate fully functional ADCs with four toxins per antibody. The high stability of the azide-alkyne linkage, combined with the site-specific nature of the expression system, provides a means for the generation of ADCs with optimized pharmacokinetic, biological, and biophysical properties.
Remorins form a superfamily of plant-specific plasma membrane/lipid-raft-associated proteins of unknown structure and function. Using specific antibodies, we localized tomato remorin 1 to apical tissues, leaf primordia and vascular traces. The deduced remorin protein sequence contains a predicted coiled coil-domain, suggesting its participation in protein-protein interactions. Circular dichroism revealed that recombinant potato remorin contains an alpha-helical region that forms a functional coiled-coil domain. Electron microscopy of purified preparations of four different recombinant remorins, one from potato, two divergent isologs from tomato, and one from Arabidopsis thaliana , demonstrated that the proteins form highly similar filamentous structures. The diameters of the negatively-stained filaments ranged from 4.6-7.4 nm for potato remorin 1, 4.3-6.2 nm for tomato remorin 1, 5.7-7.5 nm for tomato remorin 2, and 5.7-8.0 nm for Arabidopsis Dbp. Highly polymerized remorin 1 was detected in glutaraldehyde-crosslinked tomato plasma membrane preparations and a population of the protein was immunolocalized in tomato root tips to structures associated with discrete regions of the plasma membrane.
The T2 family of nonspecific endoribonucleases (EC 3.1.27.1) is a widespread family of RNases found in every organism examined thus far. Most T 2 enzymes are secretory RNases and therefore are found extracellularly or in compartments of the endomembrane system that would minimize their contact with cellular RNA. Although the biological functions of various T 2 RNases have been postulated on the basis of enzyme location or gene expression patterns, the cellular roles of these enzymes are generally unknown. In the present work, we characterized Rny1, the only T2 RNase in Saccharomyces cerevisiae. Rny1 was found to be an active, secreted RNase whose gene expression is controlled by heat shock and osmotic stress. Inactivation of RNY1 leads to unusually large cells that are temperature-sensitive for growth. These phenotypes can be complemented not only by RNY1 but also by both structurally related and unrelated secretory RNases. Additionally, the complementation depends on RNase activity. When coupled with a recent report on the effect of specific RNAs on membrane permeability [Khvorova, A., Kwak, Y-G., Tamkun
scite is a Brooklyn-based organization that helps researchers better discover and understand research articles through Smart Citations–citations that display the context of the citation and describe whether the article provides supporting or contrasting evidence. scite is used by students and researchers from around the world and is funded in part by the National Science Foundation and the National Institute on Drug Abuse of the National Institutes of Health.
hi@scite.ai
10624 S. Eastern Ave., Ste. A-614
Henderson, NV 89052, USA
Copyright © 2024 scite LLC. All rights reserved.
Made with 💙 for researchers
Part of the Research Solutions Family.