Disruption of a silencer domain by a retrotransposon.

A galactose-inducible Ty element carrying the HIS3 gene has been used as an insertional mutagen to generate alpha-factor resistant mutants. This collection of Ty-induced mutations includes insertions into the gene for the alpha-factor receptor (STE2), several nonspecific STE genes, and mutations that lead to the expression of the normally silent HML alpha locus. The hml alpha "on" mutations fall into two classes, those that disrupt trans-acting regulators involved in silencing HML alpha and a novel class of mutations that activate HML alpha by insertion at that locus. The hml alpha::Ty "on" mutations illustrate the unusual ability of these retrotransposons to activate genes by overcoming gene silencing mechanisms. The hml alpha::Ty "on" mutations include examples of multimeric Ty arrays. Single Ty and solo delta insertion derivatives of these Ty multimers restore the ability of the silencing mechanism to repress HML alpha.

Proteolytic processing of pol-TYB proteins from the yeast retrotransposon Ty1.

Using antibodies directed against the TYB1 protein of the transpositionally competent retrotransposon Ty1-H3, we have identified three mature proteins of 23, 60, and 90 kDa and processing intermediates of 140 and 160 kDa that are derived from the 190-kDa TYA1-TYB1 polyprotein. Mature proteins and variable amounts of the precursors cofractionate with Ty viruslike particles. The map locations and precursor-product relationships of mature TYB1 polypeptides suggest that p23 is Ty1 protease, p90 is integrase, and p60 contains reverse transcriptase and RNase H. Immunoprecipitation and immunoblot analyses of Ty1 proteins show that p190 is cleaved to form p160. The p160 intermediate is cleaved to form p23 and p140, and p140 is cleaved to form p90 and p60. Processing of TYB1 proteins is dependent on Ty1 protease. Immunoblot analysis of TYB proteins from different Ty1 isolates reveal that correct processing of TYB1 proteins is a characteristic of functional Ty1 elements, whereas aberrant processing is a common defect found in transposition-incompetent elements.

Ty RNA levels determine the spectrum of retrotransposition events that activate gene expression in Saccharomyces cerevisiae.

To learn more about the variety of Ty elements capable of activating gene expression, we characterized 206 spontaneous Ty transpositions that activate the promoterless gene his3 delta 4. Most of the Ty elements appear to be full-length, although a few deleted elements were recovered. Over 95% of the insertions belong to the Ty1 family, and the rest are Ty2 elements. The excessive number of Ty1 transpositions was unexpected because there are only 2-fold more Ty1 than Ty2 elements in the yeast strains used in the selection. However, there is 20-fold more Ty1 than Ty2 RNA present in these yeast strains. This difference in RNA level explains the greater number of Ty1 verses Ty2 transpositions at his3 delta 4, because Ty elements transpose through an RNA intermediate. A similar association between the Ty transcript level and transpositional activation of his3 delta 4 is obtained in cells expressing GAL1-promoted Ty2-H556 or Ty2-917 elements, but only if the element does not contain a marker. Genetically marked Ty2-H556NEO and -917NEO elements transpose into and activate his3 delta 4 with the same efficiency as the previously characterized Ty1-H3NEO element, but are underrepresented relative to the levels of TyNEO transcript. We also found that chromosomal Ty transcripts are even more abundant than previously estimated and comprise about 1% of total cellular RNA.

The trk oncogene abrogates growth factor requirements and transforms hematopoietic cells.

Oncogenes may cause transformation by altering the requirements of cells for growth factors which normally regulate growth. This type of transformation is particularly evident in the ability of oncogenes of the tyrosine protein kinase gene family to abrogate the requirement of hematopoietic cells for growth factors such as interleukin-3 (IL-3). We have used this property to study the effect of the human trk oncogene on hematopoietic cells. This oncogene was generated by a genetic rearrangement that fused a non-muscle tropomyosin gene to a tyrosine protein kinase with structural features characteristic of growth factor receptors. The results presented here demonstrate that a replication-defective murine retrovirus expressing the human trk oncogene can abrogate the growth factor requirements of hematopoietic cells through a non-autocrine mechanism. In these trk-transformed cells, many of the cellular proteins which are phosphorylated on tyrosine residues following IL-3 stimulation are constitutively phosphorylated, with the notable exception of a 140 kDa membrane, IL-3-binding protein. The 140 kDa protein becomes phosphorylated only following stimulation with IL-3 in these trk oncogene-transformed hematopoietic cells.

Studies of molecular species of the human androgen receptor (AR): comparison of the physicochemical properties of the [3H]methyltrienolone-AR complex formed in cytosol to the complex produced in intact genital skin fibroblasts.

Two forms of the human genital skin fibroblast (GSF) androgen receptor (AR) complexed with [3H]17 alpha-methyltrienolone were compared: 1) the intact complex formed in cytosol at 4 C (broken cell or B/C complex); and 2) the complex formed in the whole cell at 37 C (W/C complex). The intact form of the B/C complex was distinguished from partly degraded forms by the gel filtration profile in 0.5 M KCl. The W/C complex was considered to represent the transformed state of the receptor. The W/C complex had a smaller molecular radius than the B/C complex by gel filtration (Kav = 0.26-0.28 vs. 0.11-0.18). By low salt density gradient centrifugation, the B/C complex sedimented at 8.8S and the W/C complex at 6.6S. However, in 0.5 M KCl, each sedimented at 5.1S, and they were homogeneous, indicating that the monomeric forms differed markedly in molecular radius, but by only about 20,000 daltons in calculated mol wt (134,500 vs. 114,300 daltons). The complexes were separated from DNA, desalted, and compared by chromatography on DEAE-Sephacel and hydroxylapatite (HAP). The B/C complex bound readily to both column matrices and eluted from each as a sharp homogeneous peak: from DEAE at 172-190 mM KCl and from HAP at 123 mM phosphate. The W/C complex, however, was heterogeneous. One component did not bind to DEAE, and one eluted at 22-40 mM KCl. The W/C complex eluted from HAP as a peak at 42 mM, with a shoulder at 102 mM phosphate. Thus, transformation of the human genital skin fibroblast androgen receptor involves a major decrease in molecular radius and loss of negative charge with a possible loss of a 20,000-dalton macromolecular component.

Expression of the v-mos gene alters a Mr 55,000 protein during acute infection by Moloney murine sarcoma virus.

Infection of the rat myoblast cell line, L6E9, with Moloney murine sarcoma virus (Mo-MuSV) clone 124, altered a cellular protein of Mr 55,000 (P55) within 2 days of infection. The alteration of P55 was observed as a reduction in its steady-state level in cell extracts. The reduction of P55 correlated with the appearance of p37mos in infected cells. Except for P55 and one other protein, no change was detected in the total protein pattern of infected cells compared to uninfected cells, as judged by either immunoblots of one-dimensional NaDodSO4 gels or direct two-dimensional gel analysis. P55 levels were unchanged when L6E9 cells were infected with Moloney murine leukemia virus or several different transforming retroviruses. To determine the specificity of this v-mos-induced effect on P55, L6E9 cells were acutely infected with a temperature-sensitive variant (ts110) of Mo-MuSV. When these cells were shifted from 39 degrees C to 33 degrees C, which activates the gag-mos gene product, the P55 level dropped by greater than 50% within 2-3 hr. Conversely, with a shift in temperature from 33 degrees C to 39 degrees C, the cells' P55 level returned to normal within 5 hr, starting at 30 min after shift. These results clearly show that v-mos expression in acutely infected L6E9 cells alters the cellular protein, P55.

Cytosol androgen receptor (AR) in human skin fibroblasts: characterization of the binding reaction and differentiation from androgen binding molecules of lower affinity.

Androgen binding was studied in cytosol of human fibroblasts at 4 degrees C. When 5 alpha-dihydrotestosterone (DHT) was the ligand, a curvilinear Scatchard plot was seen, which was resolved into two components: I the androgen receptor (AR), Kd = 0.12-0.44 nM, and II a low affinity species, Kd = 6.3-28 nM. The same cytosol demonstrated only type I binding for 3H-methyltrienolone (MTr), Kd = 0.10-0.40 nM. The AR, i.e., 3H-MTr binding activity, eluted at 440,000 d by gel filtration chromatography in pre-labeling and post-labeling experiments. When the ligand was 3H-DHT, binding activity in the 10,000-45,000 d range was seen in addition to AR. Thus, saturable nonreceptor steroid binding was seen for DHT but not for MTr. The latter is the preferred ligand for the study of the AR in this system.

Alterations in lysosomes, catalase-containing organelles, mitochondria and plasma membrane fragments from hypertensive rat aorta and caudal artery.

Vascular smooth muscle (VSM) cells from hypertensive and normotensive rat aortae and caudal arteries were isolated by enzymatic techniques, homogenized, and fractionated by differential pelleting. By these techniques, only mitochondria could be enriched more than fivefold in any one fraction. The other organelles were distributed heterogeneously in almost all fractions. Hypertensive smooth muscle enzyme distribution patterns were different from the normotensive, suggesting that changes in sedimentation characteristics had occurred. Activity of the enzyme 5'-nucleotidase increased in whole tissue homogenates and in the 'microsomal' fraction of aortic and caudal artery of hypertensive VSM. The lysosomal protease, cathepsin D, of hypertensive animals decreased in activity for both vascular smooth muscles while N-acetyl-beta-glucosaminidase and pNPPase (acid phosphatase) increased. The possibility of a functional deficiency in protein degradation causing lysosomal overloading is discussed.