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Multiple subtypes (alpha1A, alpha1B, and alpha1D) of alpha1-adrenoreceptors (alpha1ARs) co-exist in the heart and mediate a variety of cellular functions. We studied alphaAR modulation of inward rectifier (IK1) and transient outward (Ito) K(+) currents in canine ventricular myocytes. Phenylephrine at 10 microM depressed only Ito without affecting IK1 and at 100 microM inhibited both Ito and IK1. The effect of phenylephrine on Ito was abolished by (+)niguldipine (10 nm) to inhibit alpha1AARs but not by chloroethyclonidine (10 microM) to inactivate alpha1BARs nor by BMY-7378 to antagonize alpha1DARs. In contrast, phenylephrine inhibition of IK1 was reversed only by BMY-7378 (1 nm). PDD (100 nm, phorbol ester activator of protein kinase C (PKC)) simulates and bisindolylmaleimide (50 nm, PKC inhibitor) weakens phenylephrine modulation of Ito but not IK1. Ca(2+)/calmodulin-dependent protein kinase II (CaMKII) inhibitor KN-93 and inhibitor peptides abolished the effects of phenylephrine on IK1. Enhancement of PKC or CaMKII activities was seen in alpha1aAR- or alpha1dAR-transfected HEK293 cells and in myocytes pretreated with 10 or 100 microM phenylephrine, respectively. Our data suggest that different subtypes of alpha1ARs selectively modulate different cardiac K(+) currents via different signal transduction mechanisms; alpha1AARs mediate Ito regulation via PKC, and alpha1DARs mediate IK1 regulation via CaMKII.

Hereditary non-X-linked nephrogenic diabetes insipidus (NDI) is caused by mutations in the aquaporin-2 (AQP2) water channel. In transfected cells, the human disease-causing mutant AQP2-T126M is retained at the endoplasmic reticulum (ER) where it is functional and targetable to the plasma membrane with chemical chaperones. A mouse knock-in model of NDI was generated by targeted gene replacement using a Cre-loxP strategy. Along with T126M, mutations H122S, N124S, and A125T were introduced to preserve the consensus sequence for N-linked glycosylation found in human AQP2. Breeding of heterozygous mice yielded the expected Mendelian distribution with 26 homozygous mutant offspring of 99 live births. The mutant mice appeared normal at 2-3 days after birth but failed to thrive and generally died by day 6 if not given supplemental fluid. Urine/serum analysis showed a urinary concentrating defect with serum hyperosmolality and low urine osmolality that was not increased by a V2 vasopressin agonist. Northern blot analysis showed up-regulated AQP2-T126M transcripts of identical size to wild-type AQP2. Immunoblots showed complex glycosylation of wild-type AQP2 but mainly endoglycosidase H-sensitive core glycosylation of AQP2-T126M indicating ER-retention. Biochemical analysis revealed that the AQP2-T126M protein was resistant to detergent solubilization. Kidneys from mutant mice showed collecting duct dilatation, papillary atrophy, and unexpectedly, some plasma membrane AQP2 staining. The severe phenotype of the AQP2 mutant mice compared with that of mice lacking kidney water channels AQP1, AQP3, and AQP4 indicates a critical role for AQP2 in neonatal renal function in mice. Our results establish a mouse model of human autosomal NDI and provide the first in vivo biochemical data on a disease-causing AQP2 mutant.

Aquaporin (AQP) water channel AQP3 has been proposed to be the major glycerol and non-AQP1 water transporter in erythrocytes. AQP1 and AQP3 are also expressed in the kidney where their deletion in mice produces distinct forms of nephrogenic diabetes insipidus. Here AQP1/AQP3 double knockout mice were generated and analyzed to investigate the functional role of AQP3 in erythrocytes and kidneys. 53 double knockout mice were born out of 756 pups from breeding double heterozygous mice. The double knockout mice had reduced survival and impaired growth compared with the single knockout mice. Erythrocyte water permeability was 7-fold reduced by AQP1 deletion but not further reduced in AQP1/AQP3 null mice. AQP3 deletion did not affect erythrocyte glycerol permeability or its inhibition by phloretin. Daily urine output in AQP1/AQP3 double knockout mice (15 ml) was 9-fold greater than in wild-type mice, and urine osmolality (194 mosm) was 8.4-fold reduced. The mice remained polyuric after DDAVP administration or water deprivation. The renal medulla in most AQP1/AQP3 null mice by age 4 weeks was atrophic and fluid-filled due to the severe polyuria and hydronephrosis. Our data provide direct evidence that AQP3 is not functionally important in erythrocyte water or glycerol permeability. The renal function studies indicate independent roles of AQP1 and AQP3 in countercurrent exchange and collecting duct osmotic equilibration, respectively.

Homologous aquaporin water channels utilize different folding pathways to acquire their transmembrane (TM) topology in the endoplasmic reticulum (ER). AQP4 acquires each of its six TM segments via cotranslational translocation events, whereas AQP1 is initially synthesized with four TM segments and subsequently converted into a six membrane-spanning topology. To identify sequence determinants responsible for these pathways, peptide segments from AQP1 and AQP4 were systematically exchanged. Chimeric proteins were then truncated, fused to a C-terminal translocation reporter, and topology was analyzed by protease accessibility. In each chimeric context, TM1 initiated ER targeting and translocation. However, AQP4-TM2 cotranslationally terminated translocation, while AQP1-TM2 failed to terminate translocation and passed into the ER lumen. This difference in stop transfer activity was due to two residues that altered both the length and hydrophobicity of TM2 (Asn(49) and Lys(51) in AQP1 versus Met(48) and Leu(50) in AQP4). A second peptide region was identified within the TM3-4 peptide loop that enabled AQP4-TM3 but not AQP1-TM3 to reinitiate translocation and cotranslationally span the membrane. Based on these findings, it was possible to convert AQP1 into a cotranslational biogenesis mode similar to that of AQP4 by substituting just two peptide regions at the N terminus of TM2 and the C terminus of TM3. Interestingly, each of these substitutions disrupted water channel activity. These data thus establish the structural basis for different AQP folding pathways and provide evidence that variations in cotranslational folding enable polytopic proteins to acquire and/or maintain primary sequence determinants necessary for function.

Measurements of CO(2) permeability in oocytes and liposomes containing water channel aquaporin-1 (AQP1) have suggested that AQP1 is able to transport both water and CO(2). We studied the physiological consequences of CO(2) transport by AQP1 by comparing CO(2) permeabilities in erythrocytes and intact lung of wild-type and AQP1 null mice. Erythrocytes from wild-type mice strongly expressed AQP1 protein and had 7-fold greater osmotic water permeability than did erythrocytes from null mice. CO(2) permeability was measured from the rate of intracellular acidification in response to addition of CO(2)/HCO(3)(-) in a stopped-flow fluorometer using 2',7'-bis-(2-carboxyethyl)-5-(and -6)-carboxyfluorescein (BCECF) as a cytoplasmic pH indicator. In erythrocytes from wild-type mice, acidification was rapid (t((1)/(2)), 7.3 +/- 0.4 ms, S.E., n = 11 mice) and blocked by acetazolamide and increasing external pH (to decrease CO(2)/HCO(3)(-) ratio). Apparent CO(2) permeability (P(CO(2))) was not different in erythrocytes from wild-type (0.012 +/- 0.0008 cm/s) versus null (0.011 +/- 0.001 cm/s) mice. Lung CO(2) transport was measured in anesthetized, ventilated mice subjected to a decrease in inspired CO(2) content from 5% to 0%, producing an average decrease in arterial blood pCO(2) from 77 +/- 4 to 39 +/- 3 mm Hg (14 mice) with a t((1)/(2)) of 1.4 min. The pCO(2) values and kinetics of decreasing pCO(2) were not different in wild-type versus null mice. Because AQP1 deletion did not affect CO(2) transport in erythrocytes and lung, we re-examined CO(2) permeability in AQP1-reconstituted liposomes containing carbonic anhydrase (CA) and a fluorescent pH indicator. Whereas osmotic water permeability in AQP1-reconstituted liposomes was >100-fold greater than that in control liposomes, apparent P(CO(2)) (approximately 10(-3) cm/s) did not differ. Measurements using different CA concentrations and HgCl(2) indicated that liposome P(CO(2)) is unstirred layer-limited and that HgCl(2) slows acidification because of inhibition of CA rather than AQP1. These results provide direct evidence against physiologically significant AQP1-mediated CO(2) transport and establish an upper limit to the CO(2) permeability through single AQP1 water channels.

Development of experimental models by genetic manipulation in mice has proven to be very useful in determining the significance of particular genes in the development of or susceptibility to hypertension. Advances in molecular genetics, transgenic mouse technology, and physiological measurements in mice provided an opportunity to go a step further and develop models to analyze the physiological significance of specific gene variants potentially causing hypertension. In this report, we describe the development of a human angiotensinogen transgenic mouse model generated by targeting the human angiotensinogen gene upstream of the mouse HPRT locus by homologous recombination. The main benefit of this transgenic mouse model is that the human angiotensinogen gene is inserted into the mouse genome as a single copy at a predefined locus and in a specific orientation-a process that can be repeated utilizing other variants of this gene. We establish the validity of this approach by showing that the hAGT(hprt) mice have normal tissue- and cell-specific expression of the human angiotensinogen gene and normally produce and process the hAGT protein at physiological levels.

We reported that several aquaporin-2 (AQP2) point mutants that cause nephrogenic diabetes insipidus (NDI) are retained in the endoplasmic reticulum (ER) of transfected mammalian cells and degraded but can be rescued by chemical chaperones to function as plasma membrane water channels (Tamarappoo, B. K., and Verkman, A. S. (1998) J. Clin. Invest. 101, 2257-2267). To test whether mutant AQP2 proteins are misfolded, AQP2 folding was assessed by comparative detergent extractability and limited proteolysis, and AQP2 degradation kinetics was measured by label-pulse-chase and immunoprecipitation. In ER membranes from transfected CHO cells containing [(35)S]methionine-labeled AQP2, mutants T126M and A147T were remarkably detergent-resistant; for example wild-type AQP2 was >95% solubilized by 0.5% CHAPS whereas T126M was <10% solubilized. E258K, an NDI-causing AQP2 mutant which is retained in the Golgi, is highly detergent soluble like wild-type AQP2. The mutants and wild-type AQP2 were equally susceptible to digestion by trypsin, thermolysin, and proteinase K. Stopped-flow light scattering measurements indicated that T126M AQP2 at the ER was fully functional as a water channel. Pulse-chase studies indicated that the increased degradation rates for T126M (t((1)/(2)) 2.5 h) and A147T (2 h) compared with wild-type AQP2 (4 h) involve a brefeldin A-resistant, ER-dependent degradation mechanism. After growth of cells for 48 h in the chemical chaperone glycerol, AQP2 mutants T126M and A147T became properly targeted and relatively detergent-soluble. These results provide evidence that NDI-causing mutant AQP2 proteins are misfolded, but functional, and that chemical chaperones both correct the trafficking and folding defects. Strategies to facilitate protein folding might thus have therapeutic efficacy in NDI.

The SNARE hypothesis proposes that membrane trafficking specificity is mediated by preferential high affinity interactions between particular v (vesicle membrane)- and t (target membrane)-SNARE combinations. The specificity of interactions among a diverse set of SNAREs, however, is unknown. We have tested the SNARE hypothesis by analyzing potential SNARE complexes between five proteins of the vesicle-associated membrane protein (VAMP) family, three members of the synaptosome-associated protein-25 (SNAP-25) family and three members of the syntaxin family. All of the 21 combinations of SNAREs tested formed stable complexes. Sixteen were resistant to SDS denaturation, and most complexes thermally denatured between 70 and 90 degreesC. These results suggest that the specificity of membrane fusion is not encoded by the interactions between SNAREs.

Intracellular membrane traffic is thought to be regulated in part by soluble N-ethylmaleimide-sensitive factor-attachment protein receptors (SNAREs) through the formation of complexes between these proteins present on vesicle and target membranes. All known SNARE-mediated fusion events involve members of the syntaxin and vesicle-associated membrane protein families. The diversity of mammalian membrane compartments predicts the existence of a large number of different syntaxin and vesicle-associated membrane protein genes. To further investigate the spectrum of SNAREs and their roles in membrane trafficking we characterized three novel members of the syntaxin and SNAP-25 (synaptosome-associated protein of 25 kDa) subfamilies. The proteins are broadly expressed, suggesting a general role in vesicle trafficking, and localize to distinct membrane compartments. Syntaxin 8 co-localizes with markers of the endoplasmic reticulum. Syntaxin 17, a divergent member of the syntaxin family, partially overlaps with endoplasmic reticulum markers, and SNAP-29 is broadly localized on multiple membranes. SNAP-29 does not contain a predicted membrane anchor characteristic of other SNAREs. In vitro studies established that SNAP-29 is capable of binding to a broad range of syntaxins.

A family of molecular urea transporters (UTs) has been identified whose members appear to have an exceptionally high transport turnover rate. To test the hypothesis that urea transport involves passage through an aqueous channel, osmotic water permeability was measured in Xenopus oocytes expressing UTs. The UT3 class of urea transporters functioned as efficient water channels. Quantitative measurement of single channel water permeability (pf) using epitope-tagged rat UTs gave pf (in cm3/s x 10(-14)) of 0.14 +/- 0.11 (UT2) and 1.4 +/- 0.2 (UT3), compared with 6.0 and 2.3 for water channels AQP1 and AQP3, respectively. Relative single channel urea permeabilities (purea) were 1.0 (UT2), 0.44 (UT3), and 0.0 (AQP1). UT3-mediated water and urea transport were weakly temperature-dependent (activation energy <4 kcal/mol), inhibited > 75% by the urea transport inhibitor 1,3-dimethylthiourea, but not inhibited by the water transport inhibitor HgCl2. To test for a common water/urea pore, the urea reflection coefficient (sigmaurea) was measured by independent induced osmosis and solvent drag methods. In UT3-expressing oocytes, the time course of oocyte volume in response to different urea gradients (induced osmosis) gave sigmaurea approximately 0.3 for the UT3 pathway, in agreement with sigmaurea determined by the increase in uptake of [14C]urea during osmotic gradient-induced oocyte swelling (solvent drag). In oocytes of comparable water and urea permeability coexpressing AQP1 (permeable to water, not urea) and UT2 (permeable to urea, not water), sigmaurea = 1. These results indicate that UT3 functions as a urea/water channel utilizing a common aqueous pathway. The water transporting function and low urea reflection coefficient of UT3 in vasa recta may be important for the formation of a concentrated urine by countercurrent exchange in the kidney.

Water channel aquaporin-1 (AQP1) is strongly expressed in kidney in proximal tubule and descending limb of Henle epithelia and in vasa recta endothelia. The grossly normal phenotype in human subjects deficient in AQP1 (Colton null blood group) and in AQP4 knockout mice has suggested that aquaporins (other than the vasopressin-regulated water channel AQP2) may not be important in mammalian physiology. We have generated transgenic mice lacking detectable AQP1 by targeted gene disruption. In kidney proximal tubule membrane vesicles from knockout mice, osmotic water permeability was reduced 8-fold compared with vesicles from wild-type mice. Although the knockout mice were grossly normal in terms of survival, physical appearance, and organ morphology, they became severely dehydrated and lethargic after water deprivation for 36 h. Body weight decreased by 35 +/- 2%, serum osmolality increased to >500 mOsm, and urinary osmolality (657 +/- 59 mOsm) did not change from that before water deprivation. In contrast, wild-type and heterozygous mice remained active after water deprivation, body weight decreased by 20-22%, serum osmolality remained normal (310-330 mOsm), and urine osmolality rose to >2500 mOsm. Urine [Na+] in water-deprived knockout mice was <10 mM, and urine osmolality was not increased by the V2 agonist DDAVP. The results suggest that AQP1 knockout mice are unable to create a hypertonic medullary interstitium by countercurrent multiplication. AQP1 is thus required for the formation of a concentrated urine by the kidney.

The goal of this study was to compare single channel water and glycerol permeabilities of mammalian aquaporins (AQP) 1-5 and the major intrinsic protein of lens fiber (MIP). Each of the six cloned cDNAs from rat was left untagged or was epitope-tagged with c-Myc or FLAG at either the N or C terminus so that results would not depend on epitope identity or location. The constructs were expressed in Xenopus oocytes for measurement of osmotic water permeability (Pf), [3H]glycerol uptake, and protein expression. Each of the 30 epitope-tagged constructs was expressed strongly at the oocyte plasma membrane. The 10-min uptake of [3H]glycerol was increased significantly (range of 4.5-8-fold over control) in oocytes expressing untagged AQP3 (GLIP) and each of the four tagged AQP3 constructs; [3H]glycerol uptake was not increased in oocytes expressing AQP1, AQP2, AQP4, AQP5, or MIP. In oocytes microinjected with 5 ng of cRNA, average Pf values (in cm/s x 10(-3)) were 0.67 +/- 0.06 (control), 19 +/- 2 (AQP1), 10 +/- 1 (AQP2), 8 +/- 2 (AQP3), 29 +/- 1 (AQP4), 10 +/- 1 (AQP5), and 1.3 +/- 0.2 (MIP), and they were relatively insensitive to the presence, identity, or location of the epitope tag. Pf values were not affected by protein kinase A or C activation. After normalization for plasma membrane expression by immunoprecipitation of microdissected plasma membranes, single channel water permeabilities (pf, referenced to the AQP1 pf of 6 x 10(-14) cm3/s) were (in cm3/s x 10(-14)) 3.3 +/- 0.2 (AQP2), 2.1 +/- 0.3 (AQP3), 24 +/- 0.6 (AQP4), 5.0 +/- 0.4 (AQP5), and 0.25 +/- 0.05 (MIP); pf values were insensitive to epitope identity and location. These results indicate very different intrinsic water permeabilities for the mammalian aquaporin homologs, with the pf value for AQP4 remarkably higher than those for the others. The pf values establish limits on aquaporin tissue densities required for physiological function and suggest significant structural and functional differences among the aquaporins.

The mercurial insensitive water channel (MIWC, AQP-4) is a water-selective transporter expressed at the basolateral plasma membrane of principal cells in kidney collecting duct, airway epithelium, and gastric parietal cells, as well as in astrocytes and skeletal muscle plasmalemma. Because these sites correspond to membranes where orthogonal arrays of particles (OAPs) have been observed by freeze-fracture electron microscopy, we tested the hypothesis that MIWC forms OAPs. Chinese hamster ovary cells were stably transfected with the coding sequence of rat MIWC under a cytomegalovirus promoter. Immunostaining of clonal cell populations showed MIWC expression at the plasma membrane. A single band at 31 kDa was detected on immunoblot. Cell fractionation by sucrose gradient centrifugation indicated strong MIWC expression in plasma membrane fractions with lesser expression in Golgi. Functional analysis by stopped-flow light scattering showed high mercurial insensitive water permeability in plasma membrane vesicles. Freeze-fracture electron microscopy showed distinct OAPs on the plasma membrane P-face of MIWC-expressing cells with morphology indistinguishable from that in basolateral membrane of kidney collecting duct; the E-face showed corresponding linear grooves (spacing, approximately 8 nm) in transfected cells and collecting duct. OAPs were not observed in control (empty vector-transfected) cells or CHIP28 (AQP1)-transfected cells in which disorganized intramembrane particle aggregates were found. These results provide direct evidence that a molecular water channel can spontaneously assemble in regular arrays.

Dystrophin, the product of the Duchenne muscular dystrophy gene, is tightly associated with the sarcolemmal membrane to a large glycoprotein complex. One function of the dystrophin-glycoprotein complex is to link the cytoskeleton to the extracellular matrix in skeletal muscle. However, the molecular interactions of dystrophin with the membrane components of the dystrophin-glycoprotein complex are still elusive. Here, we demonstrate and characterize a specific interaction between beta-dystroglycan and dystrophin. We show that skeletal muscle and brain dystrophin as well as brain dystrophin isoforms specifically bind to beta-dystroglycan. To localize and characterize the dystrophin and beta-dystroglycan interaction domains, we reconstituted the interaction in vitro using dystrophin fusion proteins and in vitro translated beta-dystroglycan. We demonstrated that the 15 C-terminal amino acids of beta-dystroglycan constituted a unique binding site for the second half of the hinge 4 and the cysteine-rich domain of dystrophin (amino acids 3054-3271). This dystrophin binding site is located in a proline-rich environment of beta-dystroglycan within amino acids 880-895. The identification of the interaction sites in dystrophin and beta-dystroglycan provides further insight into the structure and the molecular organization of the dystrophin-glycoprotein complex at the sarcolemma membrane and will be helpful for studying the pathogenesis of Duchenne muscular dystrophy.

Two distinct cDNAs encoding a human mercurial insensitive water channel (hMIWC) were cloned from a fetal brain cDNA library. The longest open reading frame of cDNA clone hMIWC1 encoded 301 amino acids with 94% identity to rat MIWC (Hasegawa, H., Ma, T., Skach, W., Matthay, M. M., and Verkman, A. S. (1994) J. Biol. Chem. 269, 5497-5500). A second cDNA (hMIWC2) had a distinct 5'-sequence upstream from base pair (bp) -34 in clone hMIWC1 and contained two additional inframe translation start codons. Expression of hMIWC cRNAs in Xenopus oocytes increased osmotic water permeability by 10-20-fold in a mercurial insensitive manner. Cell-free translation in a reticulocyte lysate/microsome system generated single protein bands at 30 kDa (hMIWC1) and 32-34 kDa (hMIWC2) without glycosylation. Northern blot and polymerase chain reaction/Southern blot analysis showed expression of mRNA encoding hMIWC in human brain - muscle >> heart, kidney, lung, and trachea. Analysis of hMIWC genomic clones indicated two distinct but overlapping transcription units from which multiple hMIWC mRNAs are transcribed. The promoter region of hMIWC1 was identified and contained TATA, CAAT, AP-1, and other regulatory elements. Primer extension revealed hMIWC1 transcription initiation at 46 bp downstream from the TATA box. There were three introns (lengths 0.9, 0.2, and 6 kilobases) in the hMIWC1 coding sequence at bp 381, 546, and 627. A distinct 5'-sequence in clone hMIWC2 suggested an alternative upstream transcription initiation site. Two alternatively spliced, nonfunctional hMIWC transcripts with exon 3 deletion and partial exon 4 deletion were identified. A poly(A)+ signal sequence was identified at 138 bp downstream of the translation stop codon. Genomic Southern blot analysis indicated the presence of a single copy hMIWC gene; chromosome-specific polymerase chain reaction and in situ hybridization localized hMIWC to human chromosome 18q22. The structural organization of the hMIWC gene represents a first step in definition of hMIWC differential expression, regulation, and possible role in human disease.

Dystroglycan is a novel laminin receptor that links the extracellular matrix and sarcolemma in skeletal muscle. The dystroglycan complex containing alpha- and beta-dystroglycan also serves as an agrin receptor in muscle, where it may regulate agrin-induced acetylcholine receptor clustering at the neuromuscular junction. beta-Dystroglycan has now been expressed in vitro and shown to directly interact with Grb2, an adapter protein involved in signal transduction and cytoskeletal organization. Protein binding assays with two Grb2 mutants, Grb2/P49L and Grb2/G203R, which correspond to the loss-of-function mutants in the Caenorhabditis elegans sem-5, demonstrated that the dystroglycan-Grb2 association is through beta-dystroglycan C-terminal proline-rich domains and Grb2 Src homology 3 domains. Affinity chromatography has also shown endogenous skeletal muscle Grb2 interacts with beta-dystroglycan. Immunoprecipitation experiments have demonstrated that Grb2 associates with alpha/beta-dystroglycan in vivo in both skeletal muscle and brain. The specific dystroglycan-Grb2 interaction may play an important role in extracellular matrix-mediated signal transduction and/or cytoskeleton organization in skeletal muscle that may be essential for muscle cell viability.

Syntrophin represents three cytoplasmic components of the dystrophin-glycoprotein complex that links the cytoskeleton to the extracellular matrix in skeletal muscle. alpha-Syntrophin has now been translated in vitro and shown to associate directly with all three components of the syntrophin triplet and with dystrophin. The in vitro translated 71-kDa non-muscle dystrophin isoform, containing the cystein-rich/C-terminal domain, can also interact with the syntrophin triplet. The syntrophin binding motif in dystrophin was localized to exons 73 and 74 including amino acids 3447-3481 by comparing the interactions of alpha-syntrophin and seven overlapping human dystrophin fusion proteins. More than one syntrophin interaction site in this binding motif was suggested. alpha-Syntrophin also interacts directly with a C-terminal utrophin fusion protein. alpha-Syntrophin is localized to the muscle sarcolemma as well as to the neuromuscular junction in control mouse muscle. However, similar to utrophin, alpha-syntrophin is only present at the neuromuscular junction in mdx mouse muscle in which dystrophin is absent. Our data suggest that alpha-syntrophin binds all syntrophin isoforms, and syntrophin directly interacts with dystrophin through more than one binding site in dystrophin exons 73 and 74 including amino acids 3447-3481.

In order to locate the promoter region of the human terminal deoxynucleotidyl transferase gene, serially truncated segments of the 5'-flanking region of the gene were cloned into a chloramphenicol acetyltransferase reporter vector. Transient transfection analyses of the terminal transferase-reporter gene constructs identified the basal promoter region within -34 to +40 base pairs relative to the transcription start site. Three promoter elements were defined in this region. The primary element is within 34 base pairs upstream of the transcription start site. The CAP site is 62 base pairs upstream of the translation start site. The secondary element involves sequences around the transcription start site. The third is located 25 base pairs downstream from the initiation site (+25 to +40). This tripartite basal promoter was not tissue specific; similar patterns of promoter activity were observed in terminal transferase expressing and non-expressing cells. Transfection analyses also indicated the presence of negative regulatory elements upstream of the basal promoter region, and these elements were preferentially active in cells expressing terminal transferase.

Human terminal deoxynucleotidyl transferase (TdT) was overexpressed in a baculovirus system. The pure recombinant enzyme was identical in size, activity, kinetic constants, and metal effects to native enzyme. Three amino acids, within either the putative nucleotide binding domain and part of a DNA polymerase consensus sequence, YGDTDSLF, or a TdT consensus sequence, GGFRRGK, were altered by site-directed mutagenesis. The four mutant forms of terminal transferase were also overexpressed in the baculovirus expression system and purified from Trichoplusia ni larvae by a monoclonal antibody affinity column and compared with wild-type enzyme with respect to thermostabilities, secondary structure, metal effects, and kinetic parameters. Three of the four mutants retained 3-16% of wild-type activity under varying metal conditions, and one of the mutants, D343E, consistently exhibited less than 0.2% of wild-type TdT activity with dATP and no activity with dGTP. All mutants had alterations in the Km for dATP. Variations in Km for dGTP were not as consistent. The Km for the other substrate, DNA initiator (dA)50) in the presence of dATP remained essentially the same as that of wild-type TdT for all mutants except D343E. The enzyme activity of all mutants was stimulated by Zn2+ at low concentrations, and this effect was diminished and reversed at higher concentrations of ZnSO4. All mutants still retained significant amounts of the secondary structure as measured by circular dichroism. These results indicated that the aspartic acid residue at position 343 is located at or near the active site and is critical for the nucleotide binding and catalytic activity.

The 59-kDa dystrophin-associated protein triplet (59-DAP) is a component of the dystrophin-glycoprotein complex which may directly associate with dystrophin. The cDNA encoding one component (59-1 DAP) of the 59-DAP triplet has now been cloned from rabbit skeletal muscle. The deduced amino acid sequence of 59-1 DAP predicts a 505-amino acid polypeptide containing nine potential phosphorylation sites and no predicted transmembrane domains. This is consistent with the 59-1 DAP being a peripheral membrane protein associated with the cytoplasmic face of the dystrophin-glycoprotein complex. Affinity-purified antibodies against rabbit 59-1 DAP fusion proteins only recognize the lowest band of the 59-DAP triplet in skeletal muscle sarcolemma and isolated dystrophin-glycoprotein complex. The tissue-specific expression of 59-1 DAP mRNA, which is most prominent in skeletal and cardiac muscle and is also detected in brain, parallels that of dystrophin but not of utrophin. Levels of 59-1 DAP mRNA are unaffected in mdx mouse skeletal and cardiac muscles, although all dystrophin-associated proteins, including 59-DAP, are greatly reduced in mdx mouse skeletal muscle. However, in mdx mouse cardiac muscle, the up-regulation of utrophin preserves all dystrophin-associated proteins except 59-DAP. Our results suggest that the 59-DAP triplet may contain different protein species and that the 59-1 DAP may associate more specifically with dystrophin than with utrophin.

The gene for an NAD-specific glutamate dehydrogenase (NAD-GDH) that is allosterically activated by NADP+ (non-substrate) was cloned, and its physical structure and nucleotide sequence was determined. The gene consists of 9 introns and 10 exons; the 10th and largest exon, which is 1863 nucleotides long, is at the 3'-end of the gene. The shortest exon of 33 base pairs is the first and is located at the 5'-end of the gene. The large exon is in perfect register along the complementary strand with a heat shock 70 (HSP)-like protein gene. The NAD-GDH gene is inducible with L-glutamine, just as the HSP 70-like protein gene (LéJohn, H.B., Cameron, L.E., Yang, B., MacBeath, G., Barker, D.S., and Williams, S.A. (1994) J. Biol. Chem. 269, 4513-4522). The phenomenon of anti-parallel coupling of two genes is named antisense gene pair. By Northern and Western blotting techniques, we obtained indirect evidence that the gene is expressed in vivo. The gene encodes a protein of M(r) 118,740 which consists of 1063 amino acid residues. The 5' and 3' borders of the gene display typical but unproven promoter motifs of CCAAT, TATAAT, and AAATAAAA polyadenylation signal bounded by a pyrimidine-rich transcription termination-type format. Restriction endonuclease site mapping of all the genomic clones isolated that carry most or all of the gene, and of the genome itself, gave hybridization patterns that are consistent with the interpretation that the organism, Achlya klebsiana, has only one form of the gene. 3'-End-labeling of a 5.2-kb XbaI DNA fragment (carrying the antisense gene pair) that was then asymmetrically cleaved to produce two single 3'-end-labeled pieces that were used as probes on L-glutamine-induced cell poly(A)+ RNA, showed that the end-labeled DNA equivalent to the HSP 70-like protein mRNA hybridized to a 3.4-kb transcript and the end-labeled DNA equivalent to the NAD-GDH mRNA hybridized to a 2.4-kb transcript.

An intronless gene encoding a protein of 652 amino acid residues with an M(r) of 71,266, showing between 79% and 59% identity in nucleotide sequence with heat shock protein 70 (HSP 70) genes of Bremia lactucae (a parasitic Oomycete of lettuce) and a wide range of organisms that include humans, was isolated from the nonparasitic Oomycete Achlya klebsiana. While the gene appears to be constitutively expressed, L-glutamine augmented its expression particularly under conditions of nutritional stress. L-Glutamine enhanced the transcription of a 2.4-kilobase poly(A)+ RNA simultaneously in the same way as it elevated the cellular level of the HSP 70-like protein. A polyclonal antibody (affinity-purified) raised in rabbit against the purified monomeric (M(r) 120,000) form of an NAD-specific glutamate dehydrogenase (Yang, B., and LéJohn, H.B. (1994) J. Biol. Chem. 269, 4506-4512) immunoprecipitated the HSP 70-like protein, and it was used to study the kinetics of induction of this stress-related protein and the effect of proteinase inhibitors on its metabolism. By using as probes four partial length cDNA clones, nine overlapping DNA fragments of the organism's genome carrying the HSP 70-like protein gene were isolated from a genomic library. The nucleotide sequence of the gene, including its boundaries, was determined by using these genomic clones. The 5'-untranslated boundary of the gene displayed the classical nucleotide arrangement of heat shock elements as well as CCAAT and TATA box motifs. Within the coding region are the typical conserved amino acid heat shock protein signatures 1 and 2 at the predicted locations. By primer extension and S1 nuclease protection mapping system, we estimated that the gene is probably transcribed into a message of 2.2 kilobases.

An NAD(+)-specific glutamate dehydrogenase (NAD-GDH) that is inducible by L-glutamine was isolated from Achlya klebsiana and purified to electrophoretic homogeneity. The enzyme is only partially active in vitro unless NADP+ (an activator) is present in both its oxidative deamination and reductive amination reactions. This type of enzyme was reported (LéJohn, H.B. (1971) Nature 231, 164-168) to be widespread among the amorphous group of algae-related fungi classified as Oomycota. The enzyme retained its dependence on NADP+ at all stages of its purification. NADP+ decreased the Km of substrates 3-fold and increased the Vmax 4-fold. M(r) of the undernatured enzyme was 480,000, and, denatured, only a single subunit of M(r) 120,000 was seen. A polyclonal antibody raised in rabbit against purified enzyme subunit excised from SDS-polyacrylamide gel electrophoresis gels immunoprecipitated the M(r) 120,000 polypeptide, the undenatured enzyme, and a physically distinct polypeptide of M(r) 74,000. The antibody, purified against the M(r) 120,000 enzyme subunit as anchored antigen on Sepharose, still immunoprecipitated the M(r) 74,000 polypeptide. The M(r) 74,000 polypeptide was found to be a subunit of a M(r) 220,000 native protein.

We have identified two discrete hyaluronan- (HA) binding domains in the HA receptor RHAMM (Receptor for HA-Mediated Motility) that mediates the locomotion of H-ras transformed fibroblasts. A complete RHAMM cDNA (1.43 kilobases (kb)) was expressed as a fusion protein with pGEX-2T in Escherichia coli HB101 and was shown to bind specifically to both biotin-labeled HA in a transblot assay and to HA-Sepharose. The complete cDNA was truncated with restriction endonucleases from the 3' end resulting in 1.30-, 1.02-, 0.71-, and 0.41-kb cDNAs which were then expressed in HB101. Only the fusion peptide expressed from the complete cDNA and the 1.30-kb cDNA bound to HA indicating that the region located between 1.02-1.30 kb of RHAMM cDNA was critical for recognition of this glycosaminoglycan. Deletion of 114 bases in this region virtually eliminated HA binding activity thus defining the major glycosaminoglycan binding region to amino acids 400-434 located near the carboxyl terminus of RHAMM. Two domains containing clusters of basic amino acids were identified within this region. Synthetic peptides mimicking these two domains both inhibited HA binding to the complete 1.43-kb expressed glutathione s-transferase-RHAMM fusion protein, and also directly bound to HA-Sepharose. Random peptides and peptides mimicking other regions in RHAMM did not inhibit HA-RHAMM interactions and bound weakly to HA-Sepharose. Oligonucleotides encoding either of these two peptides were linked to the NH2-terminal 0.71 kb of RHAMM which encoded a peptide that did not contain HA binding activity. Fusion proteins containing either of these recombinant peptides acquired HA binding activity as assessed with a transblot assay. Thus, we have identified two domains within RHAMM that are responsible for its HA binding activity.

When the coding sequence for human transferrin receptors was expressed in a Chinese hamster ovary cell line lacking endogenous transferrin receptors, 86-kDa molecules containing three N-glycosidically linked oligosaccharides were synthesized. These rapidly dimerized to form 172-kDa molecules which increased in size to 190 kDa. After site-directed mutagenesis of all three N-glycosylation sites, 80-kDa receptors were synthesized and only a few dimers were formed. 84-kDa monomers were synthesized in the absence of the oligosaccharide attached to Asn727 or Asn317. Dimerization and maturation through the Golgi body of the Asn727 mutant receptors were much slower than the wild type whereas the Asn317 mutant receptors behaved more similarly to the wild type. Lack of the oligosaccharide at Asn251 gave rise to 73-kDa monomers because of proteolytic processing (Hoe, M. H., and Hunt, R. C. (1992) J. Biol. Chem. 267, 4916-4923), but a second mutation at a potential cleavage site allowed the formation of 84-kDa receptors. These also dimerized at a similar rate to wild type receptors. The three-site mutant receptors were degraded in the endoplasmic reticulum but all three 84-kDa single site mutant receptor species migrated to the cell surface. However, receptors lacking the oligosaccharide at Asn727 bound and internalized little transferrin as a result of reduced affinity.