The complete primary structure of mouse 20S proteasomes.

The proteasome is a large multicatalytic proteinase that plays a role in the generation of peptides for presentation by major histocompatibility complex class I molecules. The 20S proteolytic core of mammalian proteasomes is assembled from a group of 17 protein subunits that generate a distinctive pattern of spots upon two-dimensional gel electrophoresis. The genes for most of these subunits have been cloned from humans and rats. We isolated cDNA clones for the mouse orthologues of ten of the subunits [PSMA1 (C2), PSMA2 (C3), PSMA3 (C8), PSMA4 (C9), PSMA5 (ZETA), PSMA6 (IOTA), PSMA7 (C6-I), PSMB2 (C7-I), PSMB3 (C10-II), and PSMB5 (X)] to complete the cloning of all of the mouse subunits. Using antisera raised against these subunits or their orthologues, we verified the identity of these proteins by two-dimensional NEPHGE-PAGE.

gamma1 heavy chain transgenes are responsive to IFN-gamma repression and CD40 ligation.

The cis-acting elements that regulate production of germ-line transcripts from Ig heavy chain genes and subsequent switch recombination to those genes are poorly defined. We reported that a 17-kb transgene that includes Igamma1, Sgamma1, and Cgamma1 is regulated for germ-line transcription like the endogenous gamma1 gene. Transcripts from such transgenes are expressed only in B cells treated with both LPS and IL-4, and not in B cells treated with LPS alone or in thymocytes or nonlymphoid tissues. We have now found that transcripts from these transgenes are induced by treatment of transgenic B cells by IL-4 alone. As reported by others, IFN-gamma acts to inhibit the IL-4-mediated induction of germ-line transcripts of the endogenous gamma1 gene. We have found that LPS-plus IL-4-induced germ-line transcription of gamma1 transgenes is likewise inhibited by treatment of B cells with IFN-gamma, so the gamma1 gene must include the cis-acting element(s) that confers this inhibition. It is also known that CD40 ligation induces a modest amount of germ-line transcripts from the endogenous gamma1 gene and synergizes with IL-4 to induce large amounts of germ-line transcripts. The gamma1 transgenes are likewise induced by CD40 ligation, suggesting that the response element(s) for CD40 ligation can be found in the gamma1 gene. The promoter region for the germ-line transcripts and the I exon are likely to include some of these cis-acting elements. A series of transgenic mice with the promoter/Igamma1 region conferred low level, lymphoid-specific, RNA expression to a reporter gene, including significant expression in thymocytes. However, the promoter/Igamma1 transgenes were not regulated like the endogenous gamma1 gene, in that transcription in splenic B cells was not increased by LPS plus IL-4.

DNA sequence, chromosomal localization, and tissue expression of the mouse proteasome subunit lmp10 (Psmb10) gene.

Proteasomes are nonlysosomal multicatalytic proteases involved in antigen processing. Three of the 10 mammalian proteasome beta subunits (LMP2, LMP7, and LMP10) are induced by IFN-gamma. Two of these (LMP2 and LMP7) are encoded in the major histocompatibility complex of both human (chromosome 6) and mouse (chromosome 17). However, the human homologue of Lmp10, MECL1, is found on chromosome 16. Here we show that in mice, Lmp10 is a single-copy gene localized to chromosome 8, in a region of conserved synteny with human chromosome 16. Sequencing of a 129/SvJ strain genomic clone revealed that the gene has eight exons spanning 2.3 kb. Characterization of a full-length mouse cDNA clone indicates that Lmp10 encodes a protein of 273 amino acids with a calculated molecular weight of 29 kDa and an isoelectric point of 6.86. Northern analysis of Lmp2, Lmp7, and Lmp10 showed expression in heart, liver, thymus, lung, and spleen, but not in brain, kidney, skeletal muscle, or testis.

The gamma 1 heavy chain gene includes all of the cis-acting elements necessary for expression of properly regulated germ-line transcripts.

The regulation of heavy chain switch recombination and the production of germ-line transcripts are highly correlated. IL-4 induces the production of murine gamma 1 germ-line transcripts, and much, if not all, of the regulation is transcriptional. We have investigated the cis-acting elements involved in the regulation of expression of germ-line transcripts by preparing transgenes with the gamma 1 locus. A construct that includes 5' flanking regions, I gamma 1, S gamma 1, and C gamma 1, is regulated like the endogenous gene. Deletion of either most of S gamma 1 or most of C gamma 1 does not alter the correctly regulated expression of the transgenes. An element common to these three different gamma 1 transgenes confers insertion-site independence and copy-number dependence on the transgenes. Finally, the absolute amount of gamma 1-line transcripts is regulated, as transgenic mice with more than 30 gamma 1 genes express no more germ-line transcripts than nontransgenic mice.

Nuclear protein binding to octamer motifs in the immunoglobulin gamma 1 switch region.

Initiation of the immunoglobulin heavy chain switch DNA rearrangement event is thought to involve conversion of the target switch region DNA to an accessible state. Accessibility is likely to be mediated by the binding of regulatory proteins to sequences in or near switch regions. A DNase hypersensitivity assay was used to recognize possible regions of protein binding in the gamma 1 switch region of the B cell hybridoma 470.25. A strong DNase hypersensitive site was identified 5' of the tandemly repeated S gamma 1 sequences. Data from other laboratories suggest that this hypersensitive site is associated with switch recombination to gamma 1. However, the 470.25 cell does hypersensitive sites within the repetitive portion of the gamma 1 switch region was also identified. A gel retardation assay for protein--DNA interaction revealed a sequence present in several copies in the gamma 1 switch region that specifically binds nuclear proteins. This binding sequence, SG1BS, contains the octanucleotide sequence ATGCAAAA, a 7/8 match to the transcriptional enhancer octamer motif found in immunoglobulin promoters and the heavy chain enhancer. Binding competition studies of SG1BS demonstrate that both the octamer and flanking sequences are critical for binding. By size- and tissue-distribution, the factors that bind SG1BS are not distinguishable from the previously identified octamer-binding factors OTF-1 and OTF-2. The ability of proteins to bind the S gamma 1 octamer motif is increased 2.3-fold upon IL-4 induction of lipopolysaccharide-stimulated B cells.

Two subfamilies of murine retrotransposon ETn sequences.

Early transposon (ETn) elements are 5.7-kb retrotransposons found in the murine genome. We have sequenced large portions of two ETn elements that have apparently transposed within the DNA of a murine myeloma cell line, P3.26Bu4. One of the transposed ETn elements has 5' and 3' long terminal repeats (LTRs) that are exact duplicates of each other and has a 6-bp target site duplication. These results suggest that this element, which inserted into an immunoglobulin gamma 1 switch region, moved by a retrotransposition process. Our nucleotide sequences confirm that individual ETn elements are very similar to one another and lack open reading frames. However, the ETn sequences reported here and those previously described differ significantly near their 5' LTRs, including 200 bp of weak similarity and 240 bp of complete disparity. Southern hybridization analysis suggests that both subfamilies of ETn sequences are represented many times in the mouse genome. The possibility that the disparate sequences have a role in transposition by ETn elements is discussed.