Regulation of clustered gene expression by cofactor of BRCA1 (COBRA1) in breast cancer cells.

Eucaryotic genes that are coordinately expressed tend to be clustered. Furthermore, gene clusters across chromosomal regions are often upregulated in various tumors. However, relatively little is known about how gene clusters are coordinately expressed in physiological or pathological conditions. Cofactor of BRCA1 (COBRA1), a subunit of the human negative elongation factor, has been shown to repress estrogen-stimulated transcription of trefoil factor 1 (TFF1 or pS2) by stalling RNA polymerase II. Here, we carried out a genome-wide study to identify additional physiological target genes of COBRA1 in breast cancer cells. The study identified a total of 134 genes that were either activated or repressed upon small hairpin RNA-mediated reduction of COBRA1. Interestingly, many COBRA1-regulated genes reside as clusters on the chromosomes and have been previously implicated in cancer development. Detailed examination of two such clusters on chromosome 21 (21q22) and chromosome X (Xp11) reveals that COBRA1 is physically associated with a subset of its regulated genes in each cluster. In addition, COBRA1 was shown to regulate both estrogen-dependent and -independent transcription of the gene cluster at 21q22, which encompasses the previously identified COBRA1-regulated TFF1 (pS2) locus. Thus, COBRA1 plays a critical role in the regulation of clustered gene expression at preferred chromosomal domains in breast cancer cells.

The canine homeobox gene MSX2: sequence, chromosome assignment and genetic analysis in dogs of different breeds.

The MSX2 gene encodes a homeodomain transcription factor important for normal head and face morphogenesis. MSX2 is expressed in key craniofacial structures during development and mutations in the human gene give rise to various craniofacial abnormalities. We are interested in the genetic basis of non-pathogenic variation in skull and face shape. As part of this study we have analysed DNA from a panel of different dog breeds, selected for the differences they show in these traits and investigated MSX2 as a candidate gene. In this paper we describe the cloning of the canine homologue of MSX2, the determination of its structure, sequence and localization of the gene to dog chromosome 4q23. The DNAs from 11 individual domestic dogs belonging to 10 different breeds were sequenced in a search for genetic variation. Our studies show that variation in MSX2 does not contribute to the diversity of face shape observed in these domestic dogs and that the MSX2 sequence is strongly conserved between different dog breeds. The proximal promoter shows a high level of interspecies sequence conservation and several conserved transcription factor binding motifs have been identified and their significance discussed.

Mapping recombination hotspots in human phosphoglucomutase (PGM1).

Human phosphoglucomutase (PGM1) is a highly poly-morphic protein. Three mutations and four intragenic recombination events between the three mutation sites generate eight protein variants including the four universally common alleles, 1+, 1 -, 2+ and 2 -, and four others that are polymorphic in some Oriental populations, 3+, 3-, 7+ and 7-. The mutations 3/7, 2/1 and +/-are in exons 1A, 4 and 8, and are 40 and 18 kb apart, respectively. Using 12 polymorphic markers, including 2/1 and +/-, we have now obtained direct evidence for a high rate of intragenic recombination across this 58 kb region. From segregation analysis of PGM1 haplotypes in CEPH families, the recombination frequency was estimated to be 1.7%. We have also used a population genetics approach to map the patterns of linkage disequilibrium across the PGM1 gene in three diverse population samples (Caucasian, Chinese and Vietnamese). This has allowed us to compare indirect estimates of intragenic recombination with the meiotic data from family studies. Comprehensive pairwise allelic association analysis of the markers indicated the presence of two recombi-nation 'hotspots': one between exons 1A and 4 and the other in the region of exon 7. These locations are in keeping with the meiotic data and with the original hypothesis of intragenic recombination based on PGM1 isozyme analysis.

Identification and characterisation of polymorphisms in human phosphoglucomutase (PGM1).

This study is part of our effort to map recombination hotspots in two regions (site A, 18 kb; site B, 40 kb) of the human phosphoglucomutase PGM1 gene. Twenty-two PCR amplified fragments comprising six groups, covering about 5.2 kb, were screened for single nucleotide polymorphisms (SNPs) using non-isotopic single stranded conformation polymorphism (SSCP) analysis. Fourteen fragments were variable and seven of these showed common polymorphism. Our strategy for screening for polymorphic sites in the PGM1 gene was based on the results of allelic association analysis between each new marker and the sites of the classical isozyme polymorphism (2/1 in exon 4 and +/- in exon 8). Samples from four populations (Caucasian, Chinese, Vietnamese and New Guinean) were typed for each of the seven polymorphic markers. Between two and four common alleles were found in each case, together with a few rare alleles. Co-dominant inheritance patterns were demonstrated by family studies. The molecular basis of each new marker was determined by direct sequencing of the PCR products: most were SNPs except two that were small insertions/deletions. Direct sequence analysis of a 2.1 kb segment in sixteen individuals revealed no additional nucleotide variation indicating a very high level of efficiency of the SSCP screening method used in this study. The overall nucleotide diversity (theta) for PGM1 was estimated as 0.9 x 10(-3) based on 33 segregating sites in a sequence of 5187 nt and a sample size of 614 individuals.

A phylogenetic approach to the identification of phosphoglucomutase genes.

The expanding molecular database provides unparalleled opportunities for characterizing genes and for studying groups of related genes. We use sequences drawn from the database to construct an evolutionary framework for examining the important glycolytic enzyme phosphoglucomutase (PGM). Phosphoglucomutase plays a pivotal role in the synthesis and utilization of glycogen and is present in all organisms. In humans, there are three well-described isozymes, PGMI, PGM2, and PGM3. PGM1 was cloned 5 years ago; however, repeated attempts using both immunological approaches and molecular probes designed from PGM1 have failed to isolate either PGM2 or PGM3. Using a phylogenetic strategy, we first identified 47 highly divergent prokaryotic and eukaryotic PGM-like sequences from the database. Although overall amino acid identity often fell below 20%, the relative order, position, and sequence of three structural motifs, the active site and the magnesium--and sugar-binding sites, were conserved in all 47 sequences. The phylogenetic history of these sequences was complex and marked by duplications and translocations; two instances of transkingdom horizontal gene transfer were identified. Nonetheless, the sequences fell within six well-defined evolutionary lineages, three of which contained only prokaryotes. Of the two prokaryotic/eukaryotic lineages, one contained bacterial, yeast, slimemold, invertebrate, and vertebrate homologs to human PGM1 and the second contained likely homologs to human PGM2. Indeed, an amino acid sequence, derived from a partial human cDNA, that fell within the second cross-kingdom lineage bears several characteristics expected for PGM2. A third lineage may contain homologs to human PGM3. On a general level, our phylogenetic-based approach shows promise for the further utilization of the extensive molecular database.

Molecular and cytological investigations of phosphoglucomutase (PGM1) in the K562 cell line.

Phosphoglucomutase 1 (PGM1) deficiency is a stable characteristic of the erythroleukaemic cell line, K562, whereas the activity of the isozymes of the other two PGM loci (PGM2 and PGM3) is slightly elevated. In this study the molecular basis of PGM1 deficiency was investigated by a combined approach utilising protein electrophoresis, immunodetection, cytogenetic techniques, and DNA and RNA analysis. Isoelectric focusing and activity staining confirmed that K562 has no detectable PGM1 activity. Immunoblot analysis of extracts, separated by isoelectric focusing, starch gel and SDS gel electrophoresis, using monospecific anti-PGM1 antibodies showed that K562 contained no detectable immunoreactive material. Karyotype analysis revealed the presence of two intact chromosomes 1 and a derivative chromosome 1, der(1)t(1;11), each of which carried a copy of the PGM1 gene as demonstrated by fluorescence in situ hybridization using a PGM1 cosmid as probe. Southern blot analysis using a PGM1 cDNA clone as probe suggested that the PGM1 genes had not been subject to any gross structural rearrangements. We were also able to determine that K562 is type PGM1 2+1+ by restriction endonuclease analysis of genomic DNA. Very low levels of PGM1 mRNA which appeared to be full length transcripts were detected in K562 using a reverse transcriptase PCR technique. We conclude that the most likely cause of PGM1 enzyme deficiency in K562 is abnormal regulation of transcription.

The human homolog T of the mouse T(Brachyury) gene; gene structure, cDNA sequence, and assignment to chromosome 6q27.

We have cloned the human gene encoding the transcription factor T. T protein is vital for the formation of posterior mesoderm and axial development in all vertebrates. Brachyury mutant mice, which lack T protein, die in utero with abnormal notochord, posterior somites, and allantois. We have identified human T genomic clones and derived the mRNA sequence and gene structure. There is 91% amino acid identity between human and mouse T proteins overall and complete identity across 77 amino acids of the T-box motif within the DNA-binding domain. Human T expression is very similar to that found for T in other vertebrate species and is confined to cells derived from the notochord. The human T gene maps to chromosome 6q27 and is only the second human member of the T-box gene family to be described.

Efficient strategy for the detection of mutations in acrogeric Ehlers-Danlos syndrome type IV.

cDNA encoding the C-terminal domain (nt2283 to 3714) of type III collagen was amplified by PCR in five overlapping products and examined for mutations in 13 patients with Ehlers-Danlos syndrome type IV (EDS IV) with uncharacterised lesions and in five control patients with known single base mutations. Six different point mutations were detected by denaturing gradient gel electrophoresis (DGGE), in addition to those in the known controls. Four of seven patients who had no point mutations in this region were shown to lack complete exons from their amplified cDNA. Mutations were detected in all patients with typical or acrogeric EDS IV, but only in one of four individuals with the atypical form of the disease.

'SZ like' alpha 1-antitrypsin phenotypes in PI ZZ children with liver disease.

Using high resolution isoelectric focusing, alpha 1-antitrypsin phenotypes were studied in 106 individuals of the PI ZZ genotype including 71 with liver disease, 22 with chest disease and 13 healthy subjects. The resulting Z patterns were found to be highly variable. In the majority of cases (89/106) the maximum staining intensity was either in the most basic isoform or shared equally between two basic isoforms of the Z phenotype. However, in 17 cases there was a marked intensification of the more acidic isoforms resulting in a pattern which closely resembled the SZ phenotype. This 'SZ like' pattern occurred more frequently in the liver group (16/71) than the chest group (0/22) or healthy (1/13) controls. One possible consequence of the 'SZ like' pattern is confusion with the genuine SZ phenotype leading to misclassification. If this were so, there could be an erroneous exaggeration of the actual incidence of childhood liver disease associated with PI SZ.

Phosphoglucomutase 1: a gene with two promoters and a duplicated first exon.

In view of its central role in glycolysis and gluconeogenesis and its polymorphic genetic variability, the phosphoglucomutase 1 (PGM1) gene in man has been the target of protein structural studies and genetic analysis for more than 25 years. We have now isolated genomic clones containing the complete PGM1 gene and have shown that it spans over 65 kb and contains 11 exons. We have also shown that the sites of the two mutations which form the molecular basis for the common PGM1 protein polymorphism lie in exons 4 and 8 and are 18 kb apart. Within this region there is a site of intragenic recombination. We have discovered two alternatively spliced first exons, one of which, exon 1A, is transcribed in a wide variety of cell types; the other, exon 1B, is transcribed in fast muscle. Exon 1A is transcribed from a promoter which has the structural hallmarks of a housekeeping promoter but lies more than 35 kb upstream of exon 2. Exon 1B lies 6 kb upstream of exon 2 within the large first intron of the ubiquitously expressed PGM1 transcript. The fast-muscle form of PGM1 is characterized by 18 extra amino acid residues at its N-terminal end. Sequence comparisons show that exons 1A and 1B are structurally related and have arisen by duplication.

ABO genotyping of complete hydatidiform moles.

It has been suggested that the ABO blood group of a patient and her partner influence the clinical outcome for patients having a pregnancy with a complete hydatidiform mole (CHM). Since CHM lack red blood cells, it has not previously been possible to type CHM serologically and investigate the relationship between the blood group of the CHM and that of the patient. In the present study we have demonstrated the feasibility of using molecular genotyping to determine the ABO genotype of CHM, the ABO genotype being consistent with the androgenetic origin of CHM in all cases. In the series of 48 cases of CHM, the requirement for chemotherapy was not significantly different in those patients with a CHM of like blood group compared with those with a CHM of unlike blood group.

The classical human phosphoglucomutase (PGM1) isozyme polymorphism is generated by intragenic recombination.

The molecular basis of the classical human phosphoglucomutase 1 (PGM1) isozyme polymorphism has been established. In 1964, when this genetic polymorphism was first described, two common allelozymes PGM1 and PGM1 2 were identified by starch gel electrophoresis. The PGM1 2 isozyme showed a greater anodal electrophoretic mobility than PGM1 1. Subsequently, it was found that each of these allelozymes could be split, by isoelectric focusing, into two subtypes; the acidic isozymes were given the suffix + and the basic isozymes were given the suffix -. Hence, four genetically distinct isozymes 1+, 1-, 2+, and 2- were identified. We have now analyzed the whole of the coding region of the human PGM1 gene by DNA sequencing in individuals of known PGM1 protein phenotype. Only two mutations have been found, both C to T transitions, at nt 723 and 1320. The mutation at position 723, which changes the amino acid sequence from Arg to Cys at residue 220, showed complete association with the PGM1 2/1 protein polymorphism: DNA from individuals showing the PGM1 1 isozyme carried the Arg codon CGT, whereas individuals showing the PGM1 2 isozyme carried the Cys codon TGT. Similarly, the mutation at position 1320, which leads to a Tyr to His substitution at residue 419, showed complete association with the PGM1+/- protein polymorphism: individuals with the + isozyme carried the Tyr codon TAT, whereas individuals with the - isozyme carried the His codon CAT. The charge changes predicted by these amino acid substitutions are entirely consistent with the charge intervals calculated from the isoelectric profiles of these four PGM1 isozymes. We therefore conclude that the mutations are solely responsible for the classical PGM1 protein polymorphism. Thus, our findings strongly support the view that only two point mutations are involved in the generation of the four common alleles and that one allele must have arisen by homologous intragenic recombination between these mutation sites.

Genetic polymorphism in the 3' untranslated region of human phosphoglucomutase-1.

A 317-bp segment of DNA from the 3' region of the human phosphoglucomutase-1 (PGM1) gene has been examined by a non-radioactive technique for the occurrence of single-strand conformation polymorphism (SSCP). Eight phenotypes were detected and attributed to the presence of four alleles. Genetic analysis of 75 unrelated individuals and six CEPH families whose PGM1 protein phenotypes were known revealed strong association between the PGM1 '+' and '-' isozyme phenotypes and the variation detected in this region, but no association with the PGM1 1 and PGM1 2 isozyme phenotypes. DNA sequence analysis demonstrated the presence of three nucleotide substitutions underlying the alleles, which were located in the untranslated region of the PGM1 gene. There was complete correlation between the nucleotide sequence and the phenotype detected by SSCP analysis. This study provides support for the model that the PGM1 isozyme polymorphism is determined at two distinct sites in the coding sequence, one coding for the '1' and '2' alleles and the other coding for the '+' and '-' alleles, separated by a region where intragenic recombination occurs.

Detection of ABO blood group polymorphism by denaturing gradient gel electrophoresis.

We report the use of a polymerase chain reaction (PCR) format together with denaturing gradient gel electrophoresis (DGGE) which allows rapid identification of the 6 major genotypes (AA, AO, BB, BO, AB and OO) of the human ABO blood group polymorphism in a single amplification. The procedure also distinguishes hitherto undescribed polymorphisms associated with the O and B alleles. Thus in testing 95 unrelated European individuals 4 different O alleles, 2 B alleles and 1 A allele were identified by DGGE and the level of recognisable heterozygosity, and hence the information content of the locus as a genetic marker, was raised from 3/95 (3%) to 66/95 (70%). The procedure is robust, genotyping is rapid and clear-cut, and has immediate implications for the use of the ABO locus in linkage analysis on chromosome 9q, the investigation of disease associations and forensic identification.

Prenatal diagnosis of alpha-1-antitrypsin deficiency by PCR of linked polymorphisms: a study of 17 cases.

We describe our experiences of prenatal diagnosis of alpha-1-antitrypsin deficiency using closely linked polymorphisms detected by Southern blotting and the polymerase chain reaction. Prenatal diagnosis was carried out for 17 pregnancies from 15 couples.

Phosphoglucomutase 1: complete human and rabbit mRNA sequences and direct mapping of this highly polymorphic marker on human chromosome 1.

A cDNA clone encoding the mRNA for the highly polymorphic human enzyme phosphoglucomutase 1 (PGM1; EC 5.4.2.2) has been isolated and characterized. This was achieved indirectly by first isolating a rabbit cDNA from an expression library using anti-rabbit PGM antibodies. A comparison of the nucleotide sequences shows that the homologies between human and rabbit PGM1 mRNAs are 92% and 97% for the coding nucleotide sequence and the amino acid sequence, respectively. The derived rabbit amino acid sequence is in complete agreement with the published protein sequence for rabbit muscle PGM. A physical localization of the human PGM1 gene to chromosome 1p31 has been determined by in situ hybridization. Analysis of DNA from a wide variety of vertebrates indicates a high level of PGM1 sequence conservation during evolution.