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Chronic stress resulting from prolonged exposure to negative life events increases the risk of mood and anxiety disorders. Although chronic stress can change gene expression relevant for behavior, molecular regulators of this change have not been fully determined. One process that could play a role is DNA methylation, an epigenetic process whereby a methyl group is added onto nucleotides, predominantly cytosine in the CpG context, and which can be induced by chronic stress. It is unknown to what extent chronic social defeat, a model of human social stress, influences DNA methylation patterns across the genome. Our study addressed this question by using a targeted-capture approach called Methyl-Seq to investigate DNA methylation patterns of the dentate gyrus at putative regulatory regions across the mouse genome from mice exposed to 14 days of social defeat. Findings were replicated in independent cohorts by bisulfite-pyrosequencing. Two differentially methylated regions (DMRs) were identified. One DMR was located at intron 9 of Drosha, and it showed reduced methylation in stressed mice. This observation replicated in one of two independent cohorts. A second DMR was identified at an intergenic region of chromosome X, and methylation in this region was increased in stressed mice. This methylation difference replicated in two independent cohorts and in Major Depressive Disorder (MDD) postmortem brains. These results highlight a region not previously known to be differentially methylated by chronic social defeat stress and which may be involved in MDD.

Proper actin cytoskeletal function requires actin's ability to generate a stable filament and requires that this reaction be regulated by actin-binding proteins via allosteric effects on the actin. A proposed ionic interaction in the actin filament interior between Lys(113) of one monomer and Glu(195) of a monomer in the apposing strand potentially fosters cross-strand stabilization and allosteric communication between the filament interior and exterior. We interrupted the potential interaction by creating either K113E or E195K actin. By combining the two, we also reversed the interaction with a K113E/E195K (E/K) mutant. In all cases, we isolated viable cells expressing only the mutant actin. Either single mutant cell displays significantly decreased growth in YPD medium. This deficit is rescued in the double mutant. All three mutants display abnormal phalloidin cytoskeletal staining. K113E actin exhibits a critical concentration of polymerization 4 times higher than WT actin, nucleates more poorly, and forms shorter filaments. Restoration of the ionic bond, E/K, eliminates most of these problems. E195K actin behaves much more like WT actin, indicating accommodation of the neighboring lysines. Both Bni1 and Bnr1 formin FH1-FH2 fragment accelerate polymerization of WT, E/K, and to a lesser extent E195K actin. Bni1p FH1-FH2 dramatically inhibits K113E actin polymerization, consistent with barbed end capping. However, Bnr1p FH1-FH2 restores K113E actin polymerization, forming single filaments. In summary, the proposed ionic interaction plays an important role in filament stabilization and in the propagation of allosteric changes affecting formin regulation in an isoform-specific fashion.

Exome sequence analysis can be instrumental in identifying the genetic etiology behind atypical disease. We report a patient presenting with microcephaly, dysmorphic features, and intellectual disability with a tentative diagnosis of Dubowitz syndrome. Exome analysis was performed on the patient and both parents. A de novo missense variant was identified in ACTB, c.349G>A, p.E117K. Recent work in Baraitser-Winter syndrome has identified ACTB and ACTG1 mutations in a cohort of individuals, and we rediagnosed the patient with atypical Baraitser-Winter syndrome. We performed functional characterization of the variant actin and show that it alters cell adhesion and polymer formation supporting its role in disease. We present the clinical findings in the patient, comparison of this patient to other patients with ACTB/ACTG1 mutations, and results from actin functional studies that demonstrate novel functional attributes of this mutant protein.

As a key element in the cytoskeleton, actin filaments are highly dynamic structures that constantly sustain forces. However, the fundamental question of how force regulates actin dynamics is unclear. Using atomic force microscopy force-clamp experiments, we show that tensile force regulates G-actin/G-actin and G-actin/F-actin dissociation kinetics by prolonging bond lifetimes (catch bonds) at a low force range and by shortening bond lifetimes (slip bonds) beyond a threshold. Steered molecular dynamics simulations reveal force-induced formation of new interactions that include a lysine 113(K113):glutamic acid 195 (E195) salt bridge between actin subunits, thus suggesting a molecular basis for actin catch-slip bonds. This structural mechanism is supported by the suppression of the catch bonds by the single-residue replacements K113 to serine (K113S) and E195 to serine (E195S) on yeast actin. These results demonstrate and provide a structural explanation for actin catch-slip bonds, which may provide a mechanoregulatory mechanism to control cell functions by regulating the depolymerization kinetics of force-bearing actin filaments throughout the cytoskeleton.

The dynamic turnover of the actin cytoskeleton is regulated cooperatively by force and biochemical signaling. We previously demonstrated that actin depolymerization under force is governed by catch-slip bonds mediated by force-induced K113:E195 salt-bridges. Yet, the biochemical regulation as well as the functional significance of actin catch bonds has not been elucidated. Using AFM force-clamp experiments, we show that formin controlled by RhoA switches the actin catch-slip bonds to slip-only bonds. SMD simulations reveal that the force does not induce the K113:E195 interaction when formin binds to actin K118 and E117 residues located at the helical segment extending to K113. Actin catch-slip bonds are suppressed by single residue replacements K113E and E195K that interrupt the force-induced K113:E195 interaction; and this suppression is rescued by a K113E/E195K double mutant (E/K) restoring the interaction in the opposite orientation. These results support the biological significance of actin catch bonds, as they corroborate reported observations that RhoA and formin switch force-induced actin cytoskeleton alignment and that either K113E or E195K induces yeast cell growth defects rescued by E/K. Our study demonstrates how the mechano-regulation of actin dynamics is modulated by biochemical signaling molecules, and suggests that actin catch bonds may be important in cell functions.

Twenty-two missense mutations in ACTA2, which encodes α-smooth muscle actin, have been identified to cause thoracic aortic aneurysm and dissection. Limited access to diseased tissue, the presence of multiple unresolvable actin isoforms in the cell, and lack of an animal model have prevented analysis of the biochemical mechanisms underlying this pathology. We have utilized actin from the yeast Saccharomyces cerevisiae, 86% identical to human α-smooth muscle actin, as a model. Two of the known human mutations, N115T and R116Q, were engineered into yeast actin, and their effect on actin function in vivo and in vitro was investigated. Both mutants exhibited reduced ability to grow under a variety of stress conditions, which hampered N115T cells more than R116Q cells. Both strains exhibited abnormal mitochondrial morphology indicative of a faulty actin cytoskeleton. In vitro, the mutant actins exhibited altered thermostability and nucleotide exchange rates, indicating effects of the mutations on monomer conformation, with R116Q the most severely affected. N115T demonstrated a biphasic elongation phase during polymerization, whereas R116Q demonstrated a markedly extended nucleation phase. Allele-specific effects were also seen on critical concentration, rate of depolymerization, and filament treadmilling. R116Q filaments were hypersensitive to severing by the actin-binding protein cofilin. In contrast, N115T filaments were hyposensitive to cofilin despite nearly normal binding affinities of actin for cofilin. The mutant-specific effects on actin behavior suggest that individual mechanisms may contribute to thoracic aortic aneurysm and dissection.

Filament formation is required for most of the functions of actin. However, the intermonomer interactions that stabilize F-actin have not been elucidated because of a lack of an F-actin crystal structure. The Holmes muscle actin model suggests that an ionic interaction between Arg-39 of one monomer and Glu-167 of an adjacent monomer in the same strand contributes to this stabilization. Yeast actin has an Ala-167 instead. F-actin molecular dynamics modeling predicts another interaction between Arg-39 of one monomer and Asp-275 of an opposing strand monomer. In Toxoplasma gondii actin, which forms short stubby filaments, the Asp-275 equivalent is replaced by Arg leading to a potential filament-destabilizing charge-charge repulsion. Using yeast actin, we tested the effect of A167E as a potential stabilizer and A167R and D275R as potential filament disruptors. All mutations caused abnormal growth and mitochondrial malfunction. A167E and D275R actins polymerize normally and form relatively normal appearing filaments. A167R nucleates filaments more slowly and forms filament bundles. The R39D/A167R double mutant, which re-establishes an ionic bond in the opposite orientation, reverses this polymerization and bundling defect. Stoichiometric amounts of yeast cofilin have little effect on wild-type and A167E filaments. However, D275R and A167R actin depolymerization is profound with cofilin. Although our results suggest that disruption of an interaction between Arg-39 and Asp-275 is not sufficient to cause fragmentation, it suggests that it changes filament stability thereby disposing it for enhanced cofilin depolymerizing effects. Ala-167 results demonstrate the in vivo and in vitro importance of another potential Arg-39 ionic interaction.

A major factor in profilin regulation of actin cytoskeletal dynamics is its facilitation of G-actin nucleotide exchange. However, the mechanism of this facilitation is unknown. We studied the interaction of yeast (YPF) and human profilin 1 (HPF1) with yeast and mammalian skeletal muscle actins. Homologous pairs (YPF and yeast actin, HPF1 and muscle actin) bound more tightly to one another than heterologous pairs. However, with saturating profilin, HPF1 caused a faster etheno-ATP exchange with both yeast and muscle actins than did YPF. Based on the -fold change in ATP exchange rate/K(d), however, the homologous pairs are more efficient than the heterologous pairs. Thus, strength of binding of profilin to actin and nucleotide exchange rate are not tightly coupled. Actin/HPF interactions were entropically driven, whereas YPF interactions were enthalpically driven. Hybrid yeast actins containing subdomain 1 (sub1) or subdomain 1 and 2 (sub12) muscle actin residues bound more weakly to YPF than did yeast actin (K(d) = 2 microm versus 0.6 microm). These hybrids bound even more weakly to HPF than did yeast actin (K(d) = 5 microm versus 3.2 microm). sub1/YPF interactions were entropically driven, whereas the sub12/YPF binding was enthalpically driven. Compared with WT yeast actin, YPF binding to sub1 occurred with a 5 times faster k(off) and a 2 times faster k(on). sub12 bound with a 3 times faster k(off) and a 1.5 times slower k(on). Profilin controls the energetics of its interaction with nonhybrid actin, but interactions between actin subdomains 1 and 2 affect the topography of the profilin binding site.

Methyl-Seq was recently developed as a targeted approach to assess DNA methylation (DNAm) at a genome-wide level in human. We adapted it for mouse and sought to examine DNAm differences across liver and 2 brain regions: cortex and hippocampus. A custom hybridization array was designed to isolate 99 Mb of CpG islands, shores, shelves, and regulatory elements in the mouse genome. This was followed by bisulfite conversion and sequencing on the Illumina HiSeq2000. The majority of differentially methylated cytosines (DMCs) were present at greater than expected frequency in introns, intergenic regions, near CpG islands, and transcriptional enhancers. Liver-specific enhancers were observed to be methylated in cortex, while cortex specific enhancers were methylated in the liver. Interestingly, commonly shared enhancers were differentially methylated between the liver and cortex. Gene ontology and pathway analysis showed that genes that were hypomethylated in the cortex and hippocampus were enriched for neuronal components and neuronal function. In contrast, genes that were hypomethylated in the liver were enriched for cellular components important for liver function. Bisulfite-pyrosequencing validation of 75 DMCs from 19 different loci showed a correlation of r = 0.87 with Methyl-Seq data. We also identified genes involved in neurodevelopment that were not previously reported to be differentially methylated across brain regions. This platform constitutes a valuable tool for future genome-wide studies involving mouse models of disease.

To determine the reason for the inviability of Saccharomyces cerevisiae with skeletal muscle actin, we introduced into yeast actin the first variant muscle residue from the C-terminal end, H372R. Arg is also found at this position in non-yeast nonmuscle actins. The substitution caused retarded growth on glucose and an inability to use glycerol as a sole carbon source. The mitochondria were clumped and had lost their DNA, the vacuole appeared hypervesiculated, and the actin cytoskeleton became somewhat depolarized. Introduction of the second muscle actin-specific substitution, S365A, rescued these defects. Suppression was also achieved by introducing the four acidic N-terminal residues of muscle actin in place of the two found in yeast actin. The H372R substitution results in an increase in polymerization-dependent fluorescence of Cys-374 pyrene-labeled actin. H372R actin polymerizes slightly faster than wild-type (WT) actin. Yeast actin-related proteins 2 and 3 (Arp2/3) accelerates the polymerization of H372R actin to a much greater extent than WT actin. The two suppressors did not affect the rate of H372R actin polymerization in the absence of an Arp2/3 complex. In contrast, the S365A substitution dampened the rate of Arp2/3 complex-stimulated H372R actin polymerization, and the addition of the four acidic N-terminal residues caused this rate to decrease below that observed with WT actin in the presence of Arp2/3. Structural analysis of the mutations suggests the presence of stringent steric and ionic requirements for the bottom of actin subdomain 1 and also suggests that there is allosteric communication through subdomain 1 within the actin monomer between the N and C termini.

Background DNA methylation (DNAm) is a critical epigenetic mark impacting gene expression, and differential DNAm in the brain is associated with a number of psychiatric diseases. However, access to brain tissues to assess DNAm is essentially limited to post-mortem samples. The use of surrogate tissues, such as blood and saliva, has become common in identifying methylation changes associated with psychiatric disease. However, there is no literature showing direct association of DNAm between brain and peripheral tissues within individuals to support the validity of such surrogate tissues. In this study, we determined the extent to which these peripheral tissues can be used as surrogates for DNAm in the brain. Methods DNA from blood, saliva, and live brain tissue samples from 12 treatment refractory epilepsy patients undergoing brain resection were collected. Genome-wide methylation was assessed with the Infinium HumanMethylation450 BeadChip array. Data were processed and analyzed with the R package RnBeads. Tissue relatedness was analyzed with Pearson correlation. Subsets of CpGs within different genomic regions, including promoter, genic, and intergenic regions, were evaluated for their degree of DNAm similarity. Results Blood and saliva showed a high degree of correlation for DNAm (r2=0.97), and saliva DNAm was revealed to be more similar to brain DNAm (r2=0.86) than was blood (r2=0.82; p Discussion Genome-wide analysis of DNAm from both saliva and blood revealed a high degree of correlation with live brain DNAm within individuals, but saliva was more highly correlated. This indicates that saliva is a suitable surrogate for DNAm in the brain.

Mutations in actin cause a range of human diseases due to specific molecular changes that often alter cytoskeletal function. In this study, imaging of fluorescently tagged proteins using total internal fluorescence (TIRF) microscopy is used to visualize and quantify changes in cytoskeletal dynamics. TIRF microscopy and the use of fluorescent tags also allows for quantification of the changes in cytoskeletal dynamics caused by mutations in actin. Using this technique, quantification of cytoskeletal function in live cells valuably complements in vitro studies of protein function. As an example, missense mutations affecting the actin residue R256 have been identified in three human actin isoforms suggesting this amino acid plays an important role in regulatory interactions. The effects of the actin mutation R256H on cytoskeletal movements were studied using the yeast model. The protein, Aip1, which is known to assist cofilin in actin depolymerization, was tagged with green fluorescent protein (GFP) at the N-terminus and tracked in vivo using TIRF microscopy. The rate of Aip1p movement in both wild type and mutant strains was quantified. In cells expressing R256H mutant actin, Aip1p motion is restricted and the rate of movement is nearly half the speed measured in wild type cells (0.88 ± 0.30 μm/sec in R256H cells compared to 1.60 ± 0.42 μm/sec in wild type cells, p < 0.005).

The effects of mutations of --10 T:A to A:T, C:G, or G:C in the lambda P(R) promoter on formation of transcriptionally competent open complexes were studied by DNAse I footprinting, KMnO(4)-sensitivity, and abortive initiation kinetic analysis. The mutations --10A (T:A --> A:T) and --10C significantly reduce k(f), the composite rate constant for conversion of closed complexes (RP(c)) to open complexes (RP(o)) but do not affect K(B), the equilibrium constant for formation of closed complexes. Unlike the other mutants or wild-type P(R), the mutation with the largest effect on open complex formation, --10G (T:A --> G:C), substantially decreases the occupancy of the promoter. When reduced occupancy is taken into account, the calculated effect of the mutation on k(f) is a 20-fold reduction. Analysis of open complex formation by a three-step pathway that includes an additional intermediate, RP(i), indicates that the primary effect of all three mutations is a reduction in the rate of isomerization of RP(c) to RP(i), which precedes DNA strand separation. Thus, RNA polymerase holoenzyme must recognize specific base pairs in the --10 region of P(R) while the DNA is still double-stranded. Comparison of the observed level of stable complexes (RP(i) plus RP(o)) with the level of productive complexes (RP(o)) indicates that the --10G mutation may also affect the equilibrium between RP(i) and RP(o) at 37 degrees. Open complexes formed at the three mutant promoters are approximately 3-5 times less stable at 37 degrees than those formed at wild-type P(R).

Tau plots and temperature-shift experiments were used to determine which step in the formation of transcriptionally-competent open complexes is affected by changing the length of the 17 bp spacer separating the -10 and -35 consensus regions of the P(R) promoter of bacteriophage lambda. Abortive initiation assays at 37 degrees C indicate that the primary effect of insertion of a base-pair, thereby increasing spacer length to 18 bp, is a decrease in k(f), the rate constant for conversion from closed (RP(c)) to open (RP(o)) complexes, by approximately a factor of 4. The mutation did not significantly affect K(B), the equilibrium constant for formation of closed complexes, and decreased K(B)k(f) by a factor of 3. Deletion of a bp to create a 16 bp spacer had a much greater effect, decreasing the measured value of k(f) by a factor of about 25 to 30, and K(B)k(f) by a factor of 7 to 8. When the values of the parameters for the deletion mutant were corrected for incomplete occupancy of RP(o) at equilibrium, the effects of the deletion were even greater. In particular, the corrected value of K(B)k(f) was about 15 times lower than the corresponding value for two promoters with wild-type spacing. Based on temperature shift experiments, the changes in spacer length did not affect the equilibrium at 20 degrees C between RP(i), a stable intermediate in which DNA strands are not separated, and RP(o). Although differential sensitivity of single-stranded bases to KMnO(4) indicated that in about 20% of the open complexes at 20 degrees C the DNA strands are not fully separated (RP(o1)), the distribution between these complexes and RP(o2) (DNA strands fully separated) was also not affected significantly by changes in spacer length. Thus, changes in spacer length primarily affect k(2), the rate constant for conversion of RP(c) to RP(i), which corresponds to a nucleation of DNA strand-separation. Application of published data and/or algorithms for determining effects of nucleotide sequence on twist angle or rise at individual bp steps does not provide a simple explanation of the difference in promoter strength between P(R) derivatives with 16 bp spacing and those with 18 bp spacing.

Chromosomal DNA from several Escherichia coli reference (ECOR) strains was transduced by bacteriophage P1 into E. coli strain K12 W3110 trpA33. Recombination patterns of the transductants were determined by restriction fragment length polymorphism over a 40-kb region centering on a single marker (trpA+) in the tryptophan operon. These experiments demonstrate that transduction between different strains of E. coli can result in recombinational replacements that are small in comparison to the entrant molecule (replacements average 8-14 kb, whereas P1 packages approximately 100 kb) often in a series of discrete segments. The transduction patterns generated resemble the natural mosaic sequence patterns of the ECOR strains described in previous work. Extensive polymorphisms in the restriction-modification systems of the ECOR strains are a possible explanation for the sequence patterns in nature. To test this possibility two transductants were back-transduced into strain K12 W3110 trpA33. The resulting patterns were strikingly different from the original transductions. The size of the replacements was greater, and no multiple replacements were observed, suggesting a role for restriction-modification systems in the transduction patterns and perhaps for the mosaic sequence patterns in nature.

Mutations in cardiac actin (ACTC) have been associated with different cardiac abnormalities in humans, including dilated cardiomyopathy and septal defects. However, it is still poorly understood how altered ACTC structure affects cardiovascular physiology and results in the development of distinct congenital disorders. A zebrafish mutant (s434 mutation) was identified that displays blood regurgitation in a dilated heart and lacks endocardial cushion (EC) formation. We identified the mutation as a single nucleotide change in the alpha-cardiac actin 1a gene (actc1a), resulting in a Y169S amino acid substitution. This mutation is located at the W-loop of actin, which has been implicated in nucleotide sensing. Consequently, s434 mutants show loss of polymerized cardiac actin. An analogous mutation in yeast actin results in rapid depolymerization of F-actin into fragments that cannot reanneal. This polymerization defect can be partially rescued by phalloidin treatment, which stabilizes F-actin. In addition, actc1a mutants show defects in cardiac contractility and altered blood flow within the heart tube. This leads to downregulation or mislocalization of EC-specific gene expression and results in the absence of EC development. Our study underscores the importance of the W-loop for actin functionality and will help us to understand the structural and physiological consequences of ACTC mutations in human congenital disorders.

More than 30 mutations in ACTA2, which encodes α-smooth muscle actin, have been identified to cause autosomal dominant thoracic aortic aneurysm and dissection. The mutation R256H is of particular interest because it also causes patent ductus arteriosus and moyamoya disease. R256H is one of the more prevalent mutations and, based on its molecular location near the strand-strand interface in the actin filament, may affect F-actin stability. To understand the molecular ramifications of the R256H mutation, we generated Saccharomyces cerevisiae yeast cells expressing only R256H yeast actin as a model system. These cells displayed abnormal cytoskeletal morphology and increased sensitivity to latrunculin A. After cable disassembly induced by transient exposure to latrunculin A, mutant cells were delayed in reestablishing the actin cytoskeleton. In vitro, mutant actin exhibited a higher than normal critical concentration and a delayed nucleation. Consequently, we investigated regulation of mutant actin by formin, a potent facilitator of nucleation and a protein needed for normal vascular smooth muscle cell development. Mutant actin polymerization was inhibited by the FH1-FH2 fragment of the yeast formin, Bni1. This fragment strongly capped the filament rather than facilitating polymerization. Interestingly, phalloidin or the presence of wild type actin reversed the strong capping behavior of Bni1. Together, the data suggest that the R256H actin mutation alters filament conformation resulting in filament instability and misregulation by formin. These biochemical effects may contribute to abnormal histology identified in diseased arterial samples from affected patients.

In the Saccharomyces cerevisiae actin-profilin interface, Ala(167) of the actin barbed end W-loop and His(372) near the C terminus form a clamp around a profilin segment containing residue Arg(81) and Tyr(79). Modeling suggests that altering steric packing in this interface regulates actin activity. An actin A167E mutation could increase interface crowding and alter actin regulation, and A167E does cause growth defects and mitochondrial dysfunction. We assessed whether a profilin Y79S mutation with its decreased mass could compensate for actin A167E crowding and rescue the mutant phenotype. Y79S profilin alone caused no growth defect in WT actin cells under standard conditions in rich medium and rescued the mitochondrial phenotype resulting from both the A167E and H372R actin mutations in vivo consistent with our model. Rescue did not result from effects of profilin on actin nucleotide exchange or direct effects of profilin on actin polymerization. Polymerization of A167E actin was less stimulated by formin Bni1 FH1-FH2 fragment than was WT actin. Addition of WT profilin to mixtures of A167E actin and formin fragment significantly altered polymerization kinetics from hyperbolic to a decidedly more sigmoidal behavior. Substitution of Y79S profilin in this system produced A167E behavior nearly identical to that of WT actin. A167E actin caused more dynamic actin cable behavior in vivo than observed with WT actin. Introduction of Y79S restored cable movement to a more normal phenotype. Our studies implicate the importance of the actin-profilin interface for formin-dependent actin and point to the involvement of formin and profilin in the maintenance of mitochondrial integrity and function.

Intramolecular allosteric interactions responsible for actin conformational regulation are largely unknown. Previous work demonstrated that replacing yeast actin Val-76 with muscle actin Ile caused decreased nucleotide exchange. Residue 76 abuts Trp-79 in a six-residue linear array beginning with Lys-118 on the surface and ending with His-73 in the nucleotide cleft. To test if altering the degree of packing of these two residues would affect actin dynamics, we constructed V76I, W79F, and W79Y single mutants as well as the Ile-76/Phe-79 and Ile-76/Tyr-79 double mutants. Tyr or Phe should decrease crowding and increase protein flexibility. Subsequent introduction of Ile should restore packing and dampen changes. All mutants showed decreased growth in liquid medium. W79Y alone was severely osmosensitive and exhibited vacuole abnormalities. Both properties were rescued by Ile-76. Phe-79 or Tyr decreased the thermostability of actin and increased its nucleotide exchange rate. These effects, generally greater for Tyr than for Phe, were reversed by introduction of Ile-76. HD exchange showed that the mutations caused propagated conformational changes to all four subdomains. Based on results from phosphate release and light-scattering assays, single mutations affected polymerization in the order of Ile, Phe, and Tyr from least to most. Introduction of Ile-76 partially rescued the polymerization defects caused by either Tyr-79 or Phe-79. Thus, alterations in crowding of the 76–79 residue pair can strongly affect actin conformation and behavior, and these results support the theory that the amino acid array in which they are located may play a central role in actin regulation.

Muscle and yeast actins display distinct behavioral characteristics. To better understand the allosteric interactions that regulate actin function, we created a muscle/yeast hybrid actin containing a muscle-specific outer domain (subdomains 1 and 2) and a yeast inner domain (subdomains 3 and 4). Actin with muscle subdomain 1 and the two yeast N-terminal negative charges supported viability. The four negative charge muscle N terminus in a muscle subdomain 1 background caused death, but in the same background actin with three N-terminal acidic residues (3Ac/Sub1) led to sick but viable cells. Addition of three muscle subdomain 2 residues (3Ac/Sub12) produced no further deleterious effects. These hybrid actins caused depolarized cytoskeletons, abnormal vacuoles, and mitochondrial and endocytosis defects. 3Ac/Sub1 G-actin exchanged bound epsilonATP more slowly than wild type actin, and the exchange rate for 3Ac/Sub12 was even slower, similar to that for muscle actin. The mutant actins polymerized faster and produced less stable and shorter filaments than yeast actin, the opposite of that expected for muscle actin. Unlike wild type actin, in the absence of unbound ATP, polymerization led to ADP-F-actin, which rapidly depolymerized. Like yeast actin, the hybrid actins activated muscle myosin S1 ATPase activity only about one-eighth as well as muscle actin, despite having essentially a muscle actin-specific myosin-binding site. Finally, the hybrid actins behaved abnormally in a yeast Arp2/3-dependent polymerization assay. Our results demonstrate a unique sensitivity of yeast to actin N-terminal negative charge density. They also provide insight into the role of each domain in the control of the various functions of actin.

Function of the heart begins long before its formation is complete. Analyses in mouse and zebrafish have shown that myocardial function is not required for early steps of organogenesis, such as formation of the heart tube or chamber specification. However, whether myocardial function is required for later steps of cardiac development, such as endocardial cushion (EC) formation, has not been established. Recent technical advances and approaches have provided novel inroads toward the study of organogenesis, allowing us to examine the effects of both genetic and pharmacological perturbations of myocardial function on EC formation in zebrafish. To address whether myocardial function is required for EC formation, we examined silent heart (sih−/−) embryos, which lack a heartbeat due to mutation of cardiac troponin T (tnnt2), and observed that atrioventricular (AV) ECs do not form. Likewise, we determined that cushion formation is blocked in cardiofunk (cfk−/−) embryos, which exhibit cardiac dilation and no early blood flow. In order to further analyze the heart defects in cfk−/− embryos, we positionally cloned cfk and show that it encodes a novel sarcomeric actin expressed in the embryonic myocardium. The Cfks11 variant exhibits a change in a universally conserved residue (R177H). We show that in yeast this mutation negatively affects actin polymerization. Because the lack of cushion formation in sih- and cfk-mutant embryos could be due to reduced myocardial function and/or lack of blood flow, we approached this question pharmacologically and provide evidence that reduction in myocardial function is primarily responsible for the defect in cushion development. Our data demonstrate that early myocardial function is required for later steps of organogenesis and suggest that myocardial function, not endothelial shear stress, is the major epigenetic factor controlling late heart development. Based on these observations, we postulate that defects in cardiac morphogenesis may be secondary to mutations affecting early myocardial function, and that, in humans, mutations affecting embryonic myocardial function may be responsible for structural congenital heart disease., Cardiac anomolies can result from very early defects in heart development. In zebrafish, such defects have been shown to be caused by a new gene called cardiofunk

DNA sequences have been compared in a 4,400-bp region for Escherichia coli K12 and 36 ECOR strains. Discontinuities in degree of similarity, previously inferred, are confirmed in detail. Three clonal frames are described on the basis of the present local high-resolution data, as well as previous analyses of restriction fragment length polymorphism (RFLP) and of multilocus enzyme electrophoresis (MLEE) covering small regions more widely dispersed on the chromosome. These three approaches show important consistency. The data illustrate the fact that, in the limited context of intraspecific genomic sequence variation, clonality and homology are synonymous. Two estimable quantitative properties are defined: recency of common ancestry (the reciprocal of the log10 of the number of generations since the most recent common ancestor), and the number of nucleotide pairs over which a given recency of common ancestry applies. In principle, these parameters are measures of the degree and physical extent of homology. The small size of apparent recombinational replacements, together with the observation that they occasionally occur in discontinuous series, raises the question of whether they result from the superimposition of replacements of much larger size (as expected from an elementary interpretation of conjugation and transduction in experimental E. coli systems) or via an alternative mechanism. Length polymorphisms of several sorts are described.

Remarkable sequence similarities in the trp region among Escherichia coli strains of diverse natural origins imply the existence of worldwide clones of very recent origin. This in turn implies a low rate of fixation of new universally favorable alleles, which carry adjacent stretches of chromosome to high frequency. These clonal segments begin as entire chromosomes; recombination shortens them progressively by substituting less closely related homologous DNA. The rate of this recombination, comprising the introduction of a homologous chromosomal fragment to a cell and the replacement of part of the original chromosome, is estimated from observations.

SUMMARYThe nuclear DNA ofTrypanosoma congolensecontains a family of highly conserved 369 base pair (bp) repeats. The sequences of three cloned copies of these repeats were determined. An unrelated family of 177 bp repeats has previously been shown to occur in the nuclear DNA ofTrypanosoma brucei brucei(Sloofet al.1983a). Oligonucleotides were synthesized which prime the specific amplification of each of these repetitive DNAs by the polymerase chain reaction (PCR). Amplification of 10% of the DNA in a single parasite ofT. congolenseorT. bruceispp. produced sufficient amplified product to be visible as a band in an agarose gel stained with ethidium bromide. This level of detection, which does not depend on the use of radioactivity, is about 100 times more sensitive than previous detection methods based on radioactive DNA probes. The oligonucleotides did not prime the amplification of DNA sequences in other trypanosome species nor inLeishmania, mouse or human DNAs. Amplification of DNA from the blood of animals infected withT. congolenseand/orT. bruceispp. permitted the identification of parasite levels far below that detectable by microscopic inspection. Since PCR amplification can be conducted on a large number of samples simultaneously, it is ideally suited for large-scale studies on the prevalence of African trypanosomes in both mammalian blood and insect vectors.