Gene activation properties of a mouse DNA sequence isolated by expression selection

The organization and expression of the Saccharomyces cerevisiae L4 ribosomal protein genes and their identification as the homologues of the mammalian ribosomal protein gene L7a

A cDNA for the mouse ribosomal protein (rp) L7a, formerly called Surf-3, was used as a probe to isolate two homologous genes from Saccharomyces cerevisiae. The two yeast genes (L4-1 and L4-2) were identified as encoding S. cerevisiae L4 by 2D gel analysis of the product of the in vitro translation of hybrid-selected mRNA and additionally by direct amino acid sequencing. The DNA sequences of the two yeast genes were highly homologous (95%) over the 771 bp that encode the 256 amino acids of the coding regions but showed little homology outside the coding region. L4-1 differed from L4-2 by 7 out of the 256 amino acids in the coding region, which is the greatest divergence between the products of any two duplicated yeast ribosomal protein genes so far reported. There is strong homology between the mouse rpL7a/Surf-3 and the yeast L4 genes -57% at the nucleic acid level and also 57% at the amino acid level (though some regions reach as much as 80-90% homology). While most yeast ribosomal protein genes contain an intron in their 5' region both L4-1 and L4-2 are intronless. The mRNAs derived from each yeast gene contained heterogenous 5' and 3' ends but in each case the untranslated leaders were short. The L4-1 mRNA was found to be much more abundant than the L4-2 mRNA as assessed by cDNA and transcription analyses. Yeast cells containing a disruption of the L4-1 gene formed much smaller colonies than either wild-type or disrupted L4-2 strains. Disruption of both L4 genes is a lethal event, probably due to an inability to produce functional ribosomes.

One of the tightly clustered genes of the mouse surfeit locus is a highly expressed member of a multigene family whose other members are predominantly processed pseudogenes

The mouse surfeit locus is unusual in that it contains a number of closely clustered genes (Surf-1, -2, and -4) that alternate in their direction of transcription (T. Williams, J. Yon, C. Huxley, and M. Fried, Proc. Natl. Acad. Sci. USA 85:3527-3530, 1988). The heterogeneous 5' ends of Surf-1 and Surf-2 are separated by 15 to 73 base pairs (bp), and the 3' ends of Surf-2 and Surf-4 overlap by 133 bp (T. Williams and M. Fried, Mol. Cell. Biol. 6:4558-4569, 1986; T. Williams and M. Fried, Nature (London) 322:275-279, 1986). A fourth gene in this locus, Surf-3, which is a member of a multigene family, has been identified. The poly(A) addition site of Surf-3 lies only 70 bp from the poly(A) addition site of Surf-1. Transcription of Surf-3 has been studied in the absence of the other members of its multigene family after transfection of a cloned genomic mouse DNA fragment, containing the Surf-3 gene, into heterologous monkey cells. Surf-3 specifies a highly expressed 1.0-kilobase mRNA that contains a long open reading frame of 266 amino acids, which would encode a highly basic polypeptide (23% Arg plus Lys). The other members of the Surf-3 multigene family are predominantly, if not entirely, intronless pseudogenes with the hallmarks of being generated by reverse transcription. The role of the very tight clustering on regulation of expression of the genes in the surfeit locus is discussed.

One of the tightly clustered genes of the mouse surfeit locus is a highly expressed member of a multigene family whose other members are predominantly processed pseudogenes

The mouse surfeit locus is unusual in that it contains a number of closely clustered genes (Surf-1, -2, and -4) that alternate in their direction of transcription (T. Williams, J. Yon, C. Huxley, and M. Fried, Proc. Natl. Acad. Sci. USA 85:3527-3530, 1988). The heterogeneous 5' ends of Surf-1 and Surf-2 are separated by 15 to 73 base pairs (bp), and the 3' ends of Surf-2 and Surf-4 overlap by 133 bp (T. Williams and M. Fried, Mol. Cell. Biol. 6:4558-4569, 1986; T. Williams and M. Fried, Nature (London) 322:275-279, 1986). A fourth gene in this locus, Surf-3, which is a member of a multigene family, has been identified. The poly(A) addition site of Surf-3 lies only 70 bp from the poly(A) addition site of Surf-1. Transcription of Surf-3 has been studied in the absence of the other members of its multigene family after transfection of a cloned genomic mouse DNA fragment, containing the Surf-3 gene, into heterologous monkey cells. Surf-3 specifies a highly expressed 1.0-kilobase mRNA that contains a long open reading frame of 266 amino acids, which would encode a highly basic polypeptide (23% Arg plus Lys). The other members of the Surf-3 multigene family are predominantly, if not entirely, intronless pseudogenes with the hallmarks of being generated by reverse transcription. The role of the very tight clustering on regulation of expression of the genes in the surfeit locus is discussed.

The mouse surfeit locus contains a very tight cluster of four "housekeeping" genes that is conserved through evolution

The four identified alternating transcription units (Surf-1 to Surf-4) in the mouse surfeit locus are very tightly clustered, no two neighboring units being separated by more than 73 base pairs and the Surf-2 and Surf-4 transcription units overlapping by 133 base pairs at their 3' ends. All four surfeit genes, which are unrelated by sequence similarity, were found to have the properties of "housekeeping" genes, being expressed in a variety of differentiated mouse cell lines and containing unmethylated CpG-rich islands in the vicinity of their 5' ends. The unusual organization of the four surfeit genes was found not to be unique to the mouse: the same juxtaposition of the genes was found to be conserved in a number of different mammals, including humans. The four human surfeit genes were also found to be transcriptionally active.

Polyomavirus early region alternative poly(A) site: 3'-end heterogeneity and altered splicing pattern

The position of an alternative polyadenylation [poly(A)] site at the 3' end of the polyomavirus middle T antigen (T-Ag) coding sequences suggests the possibility of a functional role for this site in early gene regulation. The fine structure of this alternative poly(A) site was determined by cDNA sequence and 3' S1 analyses. Cleavage-poly(A) was found to be heterogeneous, occurring at multiple CA dinucleotides downstream from the AATAAA signal sequence. About 50% of the alternative poly(A) takes place upstream from the middle T-Ag stop codon. In addition, the pattern of splicing of transcripts with the alternative poly(A) site differed from that with the major poly(A) site at the end of the early region. The ratio of the small and middle T-Ag splices to the large T-Ag splice for the alternative poly(A)+ mRNAs is about 2.5 times that found for mRNAs with the major poly(A) site. The altered splicing pattern and 3'-end heterogeneity of the alternative poly(A)+ mRNAs would result in preferential translation of small T-Ag (to a greater degree) and middle T-Ag over large T-Ag at later times in the polyomavirus lytic cycle.

Isolation and characterization of murine transcriptional control elements using a "shotgun" method

In an attempt to identify novel promoter/enhancer elements in cellular genomes, an experimental "shotgun" system was designed and tested. Fragments of mouse cellular DNA were cloned into various plasmid vectors whose common reporter gene facilitates the identification of regulatory sequences. Of 120 clones analyzed, we identified one whose insert markedly increases transcriptional activity of the constructions. This genomic fragment contains a promoter element and exhibits enhancer-like properties in fibroblast cell lines of different species. Genomic analysis shows the fragment is a member of a middle repetitive sequence family, containing a 170-bp sequence with extreme purine/pyrimidine asymmetry. This stretch of cellular DNA is very sensitive to S1 nuclease digestion when present in superhelical plasmids. Isolation and characterization of sequences homologous to this fragment suggest a relationship between transcriptional activity and S1 sensitivity.

The MES-1 murine enhancer element is closely associated with the heterogeneous 5' ends of two divergent transcription units

The location in the mouse genome of the 149-base pair MES-1 element, previously isolated by its ability to restore expression to an enhancerless selectable gene, was analyzed. The active moiety of the single-copy MES-1 element is located between the 5' ends of two divergent transcription units, SURF-1 and SURF-2, both of which specify more than one mRNA species by differential splicing. The heterogeneous 5' ends of the SURF transcripts are separated by only 50 to 75 base pairs, and this sequence possesses a high G + C content (65%) and contains neither the TATA and CAAT box motifs normally associated with many highly expressed genes nor the GC box motif (Sp1-binding site) associated with a number of housekeeping genes. Although MES-1 appears to have enhancerlike properties when linked to heterologous genes, its normal genomic location suggests that it functions as a bidirectional promoter. Thus, MES-1 may represent a new class of enhancer-promoter element.

The MES-1 murine enhancer element is closely associated with the heterogeneous 5' ends of two divergent transcription units

The location in the mouse genome of the 149-base pair MES-1 element, previously isolated by its ability to restore expression to an enhancerless selectable gene, was analyzed. The active moiety of the single-copy MES-1 element is located between the 5' ends of two divergent transcription units, SURF-1 and SURF-2, both of which specify more than one mRNA species by differential splicing. The heterogeneous 5' ends of the SURF transcripts are separated by only 50 to 75 base pairs, and this sequence possesses a high G + C content (65%) and contains neither the TATA and CAAT box motifs normally associated with many highly expressed genes nor the GC box motif (Sp1-binding site) associated with a number of housekeeping genes. Although MES-1 appears to have enhancerlike properties when linked to heterologous genes, its normal genomic location suggests that it functions as a bidirectional promoter. Thus, MES-1 may represent a new class of enhancer-promoter element.