Characterization of Alu family repetitive sequences which flank human beta-type globin genes.

Heteroduplex mapping has determined the size, location, and orientation of three Alu family sequences from the human beta-type globin gene cluster. Two of these sequences have the same orientation. One (231 bp long) is 2 kb to the 5' side of the B gamma-globin gene and the other (222 bp) is l kb 5' to the pseudo-beta-l-globin gene. The third (300 bp), 3-4 kb 3' to the pseudo-beta-l-globin gene, has the opposite orientation. Their orientations relative to five previously characterized Alu sequences from this cluster have been established. One of these, 2.5 kb 5' to the epsilon-globin gene, was shown by Southern blot hybridization to be similar but not identical to other family members, whereas the region separating it from a neighbouring inverted repeat is not widely distributed in the human genome.

R-loop mapping of RNA transcripts from bovine papillomavirus type 4.

RNA isolated from bovine oesophageal warts was hybridised to BPV-4 genomic DNA cloned in a plasmid vector. In R-loop preparations, six major classes of transcripts were mapped. Class I, due to an unspliced transcript encompassing the E4/E5 ORF region, is most common. In Class II the E4/E5 region is spliced at its 5' end to the E6 ORF region, and the RNAs appear to have different transcription start points in the E6 ORF. Some Class I R-loops may represent shorter Class II-type transcripts not hybridised to the E6 region. Transcripts that form Class III R-loops have not been previously described for BPV-4 and contain the E4/E5 ORF exon spliced at its 3' end to the LI ORF. In Class IV, transcripts map to the 3' end of the EI exon, artificially truncated by the Bam HI site used for cloning the BPV-4 genome, and are spliced to the 5' end of the exon containing the E4/E5 ORF. Class V transcripts are ambiguously located in the cloned BPV-4 genome, and could be derived from the EI or LI ORF. The former case may represent the remainder of the transcript from Class IV R-loops. The rare Class VI R-loops are due to the L2 ORF spliced at its 3' end to the LI ORF.

Sequence homologies between bovine papillomavirus genomes mapped by a novel low-stringency heteroduplex method.

The bovine papillomaviruses (BPVs) types 1, 2, and 5 cause fibropapillomas whereas BPVs types 3, 4, and 6 cause true papillomas. A novel method of heteroduplex mapping at low stringency of hybridisation has identified the position and relative orientation of distantly related sequences in the genomes of these viruses. The genomes of BPV-1 and BPV-2 are closely related but both show a high degree of sequence divergence from the BPV-5 genome. A 1.25-kb sequence adjacent to the unique BamHI site of the BPV-5 genome hybridised to BPV-1 and to the equivalent region of BPV-2. The hybridising sequence in the BPV-1 genome mapped to the C-terminal region of the E1 open reading frame (ORF) and the N-terminal region of the E2 ORF. The BPV-3, BPV-4, and BPV-6 genomes show moderate homology to each other but minimal homology to the fibropapillomavirus genomes. Low-stringency heteroduplex mapping revealed that overlapping sequences in the BPV-1 E1 and L1 ORFs (or the equivalent regions in BPV-2) hybridised to sequences in BPV-3, BPV-4, and BPV-6. Hybrid regions were less than 1 kb long and were sometimes interrupted by short nonhybridising segments. The hybridising sequences in BPV-3 and BPV-4 are positioned in a way that parallels the spacing of the E1 and L1 ORFs in BPV-1. These data suggest that the bovine fibropapilloma viruses and true papilloma viruses share a similar genomic organization, but have undergone extensive sequence divergence.

Effect of amino acid deprivation on DNA synthesis in BHK-21/C13 cells.

Removal of serum from BHK-21/C13 cells in culture results in a decline in thymidine incorporation extending over five days. Additional removal of any of several amino acids results in a rapid decrease in incorporation of thymidine to negligible levels by 24 hours. Replacement by complete medium then provokes a synchronous wave of DNA synthesis after only ten hours with DNA synthesis first increased at six hours. Starvation for glutamine results in a rapid decline in protein synthesis over the 24 hour period when DNA synthesis is falling. However, there is considerable degradation of total protein during this period, and RNA degradation is also greatly increased. Concurrently, synthesis of RNA falls to less than 10% of that in control cells.

Incorporation of 6-thioguanosine and 4-thiouridine into RNA. Application to isolation of newly synthesised RNA by affinity chromatography.

Isolation of newly synthesised RNA can be achieved by treatment of cells in culture with 6-thioguanosine or 4-thiouridine followed by separation of thiol-containing RNA by affinity chromatography on mercurated cellulose columns. After short periods of treatment with 6-thioguanosine the proportion of RNA retained on mercurated cellulose is the same for both poly(A)-containing and poly(A)-free RNA, indicating similar incorporation of the drug into mRNA and rRNA. However, after longer periods of exposure, the cytotoxic effect of 6-thioguanosine results in diminished incorporation of radioactive uridine into RNA and of radioactive leucine into protein; this suggests that synthesis of both RNA and protein are impaired. On the other hand, even after long exposure to high concentrations of 4-thiouridine, the syntheses of RNA and protein are not significantly affected. Proteins synthesised after treatment of cells with 6-thioguanosine are less stable than proteins synthesised after treatment of cells with 4-thiouridine.

Repetitive DNA sequences near three human beta-type globin genes.

Five repetitive DNA sequences, of average length 259 bp, have been identified in the intergenic regions which flank three human beta-tupe globin genes. A pair of inverted repeat sequences, separated by 919 bp, was found 1.0 kb to the 5' side of the epsiln-globin gene. Each contains a homologous Alu I site. Another repetitive sequence, with the same orientation as the inverted repeat sequence closest to the epsilon-globin gene, lies about 2.2 kb to the 5' side of the delta-globin gene. A pair of inverted repeat sequences, with the same relative orientations as the other pair and separated by about 800 bp, was found about 1.5 kb to the 3' side of the beta-globin gene.

The genomes of bovine papillomaviruses types 3 and 4 are colinear.

The 7.2 kb genomic DNA of bovine papillomavirus type 3 (BPV-3) was molecularly cloned using its unique EcoRI site, and the 7.3 kb genome of BPV-4 was cloned using its single BamHI site. The viral genomes were compared by liquid hybridization, Southern blot hybridization and heteroduplex mapping. Low stringency hybridization conditions revealed that the genomes are colinear but the sequences are extensively mismatched. The relative alignment of the restriction endonuclease maps of the two viral genomes has been determined. It was found that the genomes as linearized for cloning are out of phase by 1.7 kb, so that the single EcoRI site of BPV-3 appears to coincide with the BPV-4 EcoRI site at 0.22 map units. It is concluded that the genomes of BPV-3 and BPV-4, both of which cause true epithelial warts, share the same physical organization but exhibit sequence divergence.