RNA polymerase II elongator holoenzyme is composed of two discrete subcomplexes.

Elongator is a histone acetyltransferase complex that associates with the elongating form of RNA polymerase II. We purified Elongator to virtual homogeneity via a rapid three-step procedure based largely on affinity chromatography. The purified factor, holo-Elongator, is a labile six-subunit factor composed of two discrete subcomplexes: one comprised of the previously identified Elp1, Elp2, and Elp3 proteins and another comprised of three novel polypeptides, termed Elp4, Elp5, and Elp6. Disruption of the yeast genes encoding the new Elongator proteins confers phenotypes indistinguishable from those previously described for the other elp mutants, and concomitant disruption of genes encoding proteins in either subcomplex does not confer new phenotypes. Taken together, our results indicate that holo-Elongator is a functional entity in vitro as well as in vivo. Metazoan homologues of Elp1 and Elp3 have previously been reported. We cloned the human homologue of yeast ELP4 and show that this gene is ubiquitously expressed in human tissues.

Cloning and characterization of mouse deoxyguanosine kinase. Evidence for a cytoplasmic isoform.

Deoxyguanosine kinase (dGK) is a nuclear gene product that catalyzes the phosphorylation of purine deoxyribonucleosides and their analogues. The human enzyme is located predominantly in the mitochondria, as shown by biochemical fractionation studies and in situ localization of the overexpressed recombinant protein. Here we describe the cloning of mouse dGK cDNA and the identification of a novel amino-terminally truncated isoform that corresponds to about 14% of the total dGK mRNA population in mouse spleen. In situ fluorescence assays suggest that the new isoform cannot translocate into the mitochondria and thus may represent a cytoplasmic enzyme. Expression of mouse dGK mRNA was highly tissue-specific and differed from the tissue distribution observed in humans. Recombinant mouse dGK showed similar specific activity and substrate specificity as compared with the human enzyme. The broad specificity, restricted tissue distribution, and location of mouse dGK in multiple cellular compartments raise new considerations with respect to the role of the individual deoxynucleoside kinases in nucleotide metabolism.

The intracellular localization of deoxycytidine kinase.

Deoxycytidine kinase (dCK) catalyzes the rate-limiting step of the deoxynucleoside salvage pathway in mammalian cells and plays a key role in the activation of several pharmacologically important nucleoside analogs. Using a highly specific polyclonal antibody raised against a C-terminal peptide of the human dCK, we analyzed its subcellular localization by Western blots of biochemically fractionated nuclear and cytoplasmic fractions as well as by in situ immunochemistry. Native dCK was found to be located mainly in the cytoplasm in several cell types, and the enzyme was more concentrated in the perinuclear and cellular membrane area. In contrast, when dCK was overexpressed in the cells, it was mainly located in the nucleus. The results demonstrate that native dCK is a cytoplasmic enzyme. However, it has the ability to enter the nucleus under certain conditions, suggesting the existence of a cytoplasmic retention mechanism that may have an important function in the regulation of the deoxynucleoside salvage pathway.

Combination therapy with recombinant human soluble CD4-immunoglobulin G and zidovudine in patients with HIV infection: a phase I study.

To determine the effect of zidovudine (ZDV) on the pharmacokinetic disposition of recombinant soluble CD4 immunoglobulin G (rCD4-IgG) and to evaluate the safety and preliminary activity of concurrent administration of ZDV with rCD4-IgG, we undertook an open-label, dose-escalating, 12-week study. The regimens of intravenous rCD4-IgG and oral ZDV we used were (a) 300 micrograms/kg rCD4-IgG twice per week and 300 mg ZDV per day, (b) 300 micrograms/kg rCD4-IgG twice per week and 600 mg ZDV per day, (c) 1,000 micrograms/kg rCD4-IgG twice per week and 300 mg ZDV per day, (d) 1,000 micrograms/kg rCD4-IgG twice per week and 600 mg ZDV per day, and (e) 3,000 micrograms/kg rCD4-IgG twice per week and 300 mg ZDV per day. Subjects were recruited from three AIDS clinical trials units. Forty-one patients with HIV infection who had CD4 cell counts < or = 500 cells/mm3 and < 120 days of previous ZDV therapy participated. Pharmacokinetic interactions were assessed with the second regimen. Mean calculated peak serum rCD4-IgG concentrations were 5.47 micrograms/ml with ZDV and 8.28 micrograms/ml without ZDV, with serum half-lives of 34.2 and 32.0 h, respectively. Antibodies to rCD4-IgG were not detected. Seven episodes of severe adverse events occurred in five patients: one episode each of severe nausea, fever, or abnormal liver function tests and four episodes of severe neutropenia. Mean hemoglobin and neutrophil counts decreased, and mean platelet counts increased in all regimens, but there were no significant differences among regimens, rCD4-IgG dose, or ZDV dose.(ABSTRACT TRUNCATED AT 250 WORDS)