Primary structure and subcellular localization of the knob-associated histidine-rich protein of Plasmodium falciparum.

Plasmodium falciparum-infected erythrocytes bind to venular endothelial cells by means of electron-dense deformations (knobs) on the parasitized erythrocyte surface. The primary structure of a parasite-derived histidine-rich protein associated with the knob structure was deduced from cDNA sequence analysis. The 634 amino acid sequence is rich in lysine and histidine and contains three distinct, tandemly repeated domains. Indirect immunofluorescence, using affinity-purified monospecific antibodies directed against recombinant protein synthesized in Escherichia coli, localized the knob-associated histidine-rich protein to the membrane of knobby infected erythrocytes. Immunoelectron microscopy established that the protein is clustered on the cytoplasmic side of the erythrocyte membrane and is associated with the electron-dense knobs. A role for this histidine-rich protein in knob structure and cytoadherence is suggested based upon these data.

Structural heterogeneity and functional domains of murine immunoglobulin G Fc receptors.

Binding of antibodies to effector cells by way of receptors to their constant regions (Fc receptors) is central to the pathway that leads to clearance of antigens by the immune system. The structure and function of this important class of receptors on immune cells is addressed through the molecular characterization of Fc receptors (FcR) specific for the murine immunoglobulin G isotype. Structural diversity is encoded by two genes that by alternative splicing result in expression of molecules with highly conserved extracellular domains and different transmembrane and intracytoplasmic domains. The proteins encoded by these genes are members of the immunoglobulin supergene family, most homologous to the major histocompatibility complex molecule E beta. Functional reconstitution of ligand binding by transfection of individual FcR genes demonstrates that the requirements for ligand binding are encoded in a single gene. These studies demonstrate the molecular basis for the functional heterogeneity of FcR's, accounting for the possible transduction of different signals in response to a single ligand.

Primary structure and genomic organization of the histidine-rich protein of the malaria parasite Plasmodium lophurae.

The nucleotide sequence of a complete genomic clone for the histidine-rich protein of Plasmodium lophurae has been determined. The deduced amino acid sequence of the mature protein shows numerous tandemly repeated units preceded by a signal and a pro peptide. The gene is interrupted by an intron with a separate exon coding for the signal peptide. The signal peptide-encoding exon detects multiple cross-hybridizing sequences in the parasite genome.

Elevated expression of an endogenous retroviral long terminal repeat in a mouse colon tumor.

We have previously identified a number of cloned poly(A)+ RNA sequences in a cDNA library, each of whose expression is markedly altered in a dimethylhydrazine-induced mouse colon tumor as compared to the normal colon. Transcripts which hybridize to one of the cloned cDNAs, pMCT-1, have now been shown to be elevated in expression in three mouse leukemia cell lines as well, and induction of differentiation in one of these lines (DS-19) is associated with a substantial decrease in expression of these transcripts. By hybridization and sequence analysis, pMCT-1 has been found to contain a region homologous to a long terminal repeat of an intracisternal A particle sequence. Intracisternal A sequences are endogenous, retroviral genomes repeated several thousandfold and dispersed in the mouse genome. The data show that the transcripts which are homologous to this long terminal repeat are highly heterogeneous, suggesting that many intracisternal type A particle transcriptional units may be expressed in the colon tumor and leukemia cell lines.

Mechanism of inhibition of hepatic protein synthesis in rats by the carcinogen, methylazoxymethanol acetate.

Treatment of rats with the carcinogen, methylazoxymethanol acetate, results in a rapid, marked inhibition of hepatic protein synthesis and disaggregation of polysomes. Studies were undertaken to learn the mechanism by which this carcinogen induces these effects in rat liver. The data show that the inhibition of endogenous protein synthesis is not due to an effect on the high speed supernatant 'factors' but rather at the level of the polysome, and that both free and membrane-bound polysomes are affected. Poly(U)-directed polyphenylalanine synthesis by native ribosomal subunits is greater in preparations isolated from rats treated with carcinogen than it is in controls. Moreover, the native ribosomal subunit fraction from treated livers in response to added rabbit globin mRNA is able to synthesize a protein similar in molecular weight to globin. These studies show that methylazoxymethanol acetate does not induce significant alterations of ribosomal subunits or of initiation factors and suggest that the inhibition of protein synthesis and disaggregation of polysomes may be the results of an alteration of cytoplasmic mRNA, or its association with ribosomes.

The use of guanidine-HCl for the isolation of both RNA and protein from RNA tumour viruses.

The RNA components of two C-type RNA viruses, avian myeloblastosis virus and Friend leukaemia virus, have been isolated by treatment of the viruses with 6 M-guanidine-HCl and precipitation with ethanol. The virus proteins were recovered by lyophilization of the guanidine-HCl-ethanol supernatant after thorough dialysis against 0.5 mM-dithiothreitol. This simple method yielded RNA of similar quality to the phenol and sodium dodecyl sulphate (SDS) extraction methods, and the same amount of 60-70S RNA, although a fraction of the smaller (4S) species remained in the protein fraction. The sedimentation patterns of heat-denatured RNA extracted by either method were similar. Electrophoretic analyses of the extracted proteins in polyacrylamide gel gradients containing SDS gave patterns that were very similar to those obtained by direct analysis of SDS disrupted viruses.