Cardiomyopathy (CM) is a primary degenerative disease of myocardium and is traditionally categorized into hypertrophic and dilated CMs (HCM and DCM) according to its gross appearance. Cardiomyopathic hamster (CM hamster), a representative model of human hereditary CM, has HCM and DCM inbred sublines, both of which descend from the same ancestor. Herein we show that both HCM and DCM hamsters share a common defect in a gene for ␦-sarcoglycan (␦-SG), the functional role of which is yet to be characterized. A breakpoint causing genomic deletion was found to be located at 6.1 kb 5 upstream of the second exon of ␦-SG gene, and its 5 upstream region of more than 27.4 kb, including the authentic first exon of ␦-SG gene, was deleted. This deletion included the major transcription initiation site, resulting in a deficiency of ␦-SG transcripts with the consequent loss of ␦-SG protein in all the CM hamsters, despite the fact that the protein coding region of ␦-SG starting from the second exon was conserved in all the CM hamsters. We elucidated the molecular interaction of dystrophin-associated glycoproteins including ␦-SG, by using an in vitro pull-down study and ligand overlay assay, which indicates the functional role of ␦-SG in stabilizing sarcolemma. The present study not only identifies CM hamster as a valuable animal model for studying the function of ␦-SG in vivo but also provides a genetic target for diagnosis and treatment of human CM.Cardiomyopathy (CM) manifests dyspnea, cardiac failure, or sudden death, causing serious morbidity and mortality. Clinical features and molecular genetic studies of CM demonstrate a wide variety of possible genetic causes of this disease but the causative genes and pathogenesis are poorly understood (1-3). Medical treatment for this progressive disease are only palliative with poor prognosis. Syrian hamsters with CM are known to inherit both CM and muscular dystrophy as an autosomal recessive trait but the genetic cause still remains to be elucidated (4-6). Recent studies on muscular dystrophy revealed the genetic importance of sarcoglycans (SGs), a subcomplex of dystrophin-associated glycoprotein complex (DAGC), in this disease (7-10).Distinct sublines of Syrian hamster manifesting hypertrophic CM (HCM; BIO 14.6 and its descendant UMX7.1) or dilated CM (DCM; TO-2) have been established from the original line BIO1.50 (5, 6). We have reported to the DDBJ (DNA Data Base of Japan) that no mutation exists in the coding regions of cDNAs of BIO14.6 for ␣-, ␤-, or ␥-SGs, all of which are lost in cardiac and skeletal muscles of this animal, where dystrophin is normally expressed (11). Our latest study revealed that these SGs are also deficient in UMX7.1 and TO-2 (vide infra), suggesting a hypothesis that both HCM and DCM share the loss of SG subcomplex as a common causative feature in hamster. In addition, ␦-SG, which was identified recently, seemed to constitute DAGC together with ␣-, ␤-, and ␥-SGs (12). These facts prompted us to identify the causative gene common to HCM and DCM wit...

A complementary DNA encoding DNA-dependent ATPase Q1 possessing DNA helicase activity, which is the major DNA-dependent ATPase in human cell extracts, was cloned from a cDNA library of human KB cells. The predicted amino acid sequence has seven consecutive motifs conserved in the RNA and DNA helicase super family and DNA helicase Q1 belongs to DEXH helicase family. A homology search indicated that helicase Q1 had 47% homology in the seven conserved regions with Escherichia coli RecQ protein. Three RNA bands of 4.0, 3.3, and 2.2 kilobases were detected in HeLa cells by Northern blotting. Analysis of the genomic DNA indicated the presence of a homologous gene in mouse cells. The DNA helicase Q1 gene was localized on the short arm of human chromosome 12 at 12p12.

In vitro replication of DNA containing the polyoma (Py) virus orign of replication has been carried out with cell-free extracts prepared from mouse FM3A cells. The in vitro system required the Py virus-encoded large tumor (T) antigen, DNA containing the Py virus origin of replication, ATP, and an ATP-regenerating system. The replication reaction was inhibited by aphidicolin, suggesting the involvement of DNA polymerase a in this system. Simian virus 40 (SV40) T antigen could not substitute for the Py T antigen. Cell extracts prepared from HeLa cells, a source that replicates SV40 DNA in the presence of SV40 T antigen, replicated Py DNA poorly. Cell-free extracts of monkey and human cells that replicate SV40 DNA have been described (4-7). The in vitro replication of SV40 DNA requires, in addition to suitably prepared cell extracts, circular DNA containing the viral replication origin (ori) and purified SV40 large tumor (T) antigen. Since SV40 T antigen and DNA containing the SV40 replication origin are the only viral components required, this system should be useful for identifying and characterizing the eukaryotic proteins involved in DNA replication. In previous reports (7-9), it was shown that DNA polymerase a (pol a) and DNA primase are essential for the replication of SV40 DNA in vitro and that the source of these enzymes is important in determining whether SV40 DNA replication will occur. In contrast to extracts of human cells, mouse cell extracts supplemented with SV40 T antigen did not support replication of DNA containing the SV40 origin unless supplemented with the pol a-primase complex from HeLa cells.In this report we describe the establishment of a system that replicates Py DNA in vitro; it requires mouse cell extract, the Py replication origin, and Py T antigen. In addition, we have confirmed and further defined the important role played by pol a-primase in determining the species specificity of papovavirus DNA replication. MATERIALS AND METHODSPurification of Py T Antigen. Py T antigen was purified from CV-1 cells infected with the helper-dependent recombinant adenovirus vector Ad-SVR587 (10) as follows. Cells were infected with wild-type adenovirus [2-5 plaque-forming units (pfu) per cell] and Ad-SVR587 recombinant virus (a gift from S. Mansour, T. Grodzicker, and R. Tjian) (5-10 pfu per cell). After incubation for 36 hr at 370C, cells were scraped from thirty 150-mm plates into -3 ml of cold Dulbecco's phosphate-buffered saline (PBS: Ca2+-and Mg2+-free), washed twice with cold PBS, suspended in 10 volumes of pH 9.0 buffer [20 mM Tris HCl, pH 9.0/0.2 M NaCl/1 mM EDTA/1 mM dithiothreitol/10% (vol/vol) glycerol/1% (vol/vol) Nonidet P-40 (NP-40)/1 mM phenylmethylsulfonyl fluoride (PMSF)], and lysed on ice for 10: min. The lysate was centrifuged for 10 min at 2000 rpm in a Sorvall H-6000A rotor, and the supernatant was then centrifuged for 10 min at 20,000 rpm in a Sorvall SS34 rotor. The supernatant was mixed with 0.5 volume of pH 6.8 buffer (0.1 M Tris'HCl, pH 6.8/1 mM EDTA/1 mM dithiothre...