111 research outputs found
Human mitochondrial RNA turnover caught in flagranti: involvement of hSuv3p helicase in RNA surveillance
The mechanism of human mitochondrial RNA turnover and surveillance is still a matter of debate. We have obtained a cellular model for studying the role of hSuv3p helicase in human mitochondria. Expression of a dominant-negative mutant of the hSUV3 gene which encodes a protein with no ATPase or helicase activity results in perturbations of mtRNA metabolism and enables to study the processing and degradation intermediates which otherwise are difficult to detect because of their short half-lives. The hSuv3p activity was found to be necessary in the regulation of stability of mature, properly formed mRNAs and for removal of the noncoding processing intermediates transcribed from both H and L-strands, including mirror RNAs which represent antisense RNAs transcribed from the opposite DNA strand. Lack of hSuv3p function also resulted in accumulation of aberrant RNA species, molecules with extended poly(A) tails and degradation intermediates truncated predominantly at their 3ā²-ends. Moreover, we present data indicating that hSuv3p co-purifies with PNPase; this may suggest participation of both proteins in mtRNA metabolism
Estimation and comparison of the contents of blood group B antigens in selected human tissues by microphotometric quantification of Griffonia simplicifolia agglutinin 1-B, staining with or without prior a-galactosidase digestion
Griffonia simplicifolia agglutinin 1-B4
(GSAI-B4) has broader specificity for B antigen variants
and can recognize the antigens in a wide variety of
human tissues. Thus, the concentration range of GSAIB4
required for staining and the susceptibility of staining
to a-galactosidase digestion is presumed to correlate
well with the density of B antigens in tissue sections. By
microphotometric quantification of staining intensity at
different concentrations of GSAI-B4 with or without agalactosidase
digestion, concentration of B antigens in
selected tissues was evaluated and compared. Based on
the present results and the previous ones of direct
measurement of galactose of B antigens in sublingual
glands and red blood cells (Ito et al., 1993), the order of
concentration of B antigens in tissues examined was
estimated as follows; mucous cells of sublingual glands
from German nonsecretors < red blood cells and
vascular endothelial cells (=2.7x10-3nmole/cm2), thyroid
papillary carcinomas and Hassall's corpuscles from
nonsecretors < mucous cells of sublingual gland from
Japanese nonsecretors < pancreatic acinar cells from
both secretor and nonsecretors, Hassall's corpuscles and
kidney collecting tubules form secretors < mucous cells
of sublingual gland from secretors (>8.5-11.7
nmole/cm2) and mucous cells of Brunner 'S gland from
nonsecretors < mucous cells of Brunner's gland from
secretors. From the above estimation, it is apparent that
the expression of B antigen in Brumer's gland is partly
dependent on the secretor status of individuals and that
Japanese nonsecretors secrete substantial amounts of B
antigens from sublingual gland while German nonsecretors
do not. The present results also revealed an
unexpected staining behavior of GSAI-B4 in some
tissues, i.e. in mucous cells of sublingual glands and
collecting tubules of kidney from secretors, staining
olrprint reguests to: Nobuaki Ito, Ph.D., Department of Legal Medicine,
Nara Medical University, Kashihara Nara 834, Japan
intensity was markedly depressed at higher
concentration of the lectin and this depression was
recovered by prior a-galactosidase digestion. In
addition, the present method was successfully applied
for the estimation of the content of B antigens neoexpressed
in thyroid papillary carcinomas, showing that
the content of B antigen had a similar leve1 to that of red
blood cells and vascular endothelial cells
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