An altered DNA sequence encompassing the ras gene of Harvey murine sarcoma virus

AIB1/SRC-3 deficiency affects insulin-like growth factor I signaling pathway and suppresses v-Ha-ras-induced breast cancer initiation and progression in mice

Although the amplified in breast cancer 1 (AIB1) coactivator is amplified and overexpressed in breast cancers, its role in mammary carcinogenesis remains unknown. We demonstrate that during mammary development and tumorigenesis, the elevation of AIB1 level and its nuclear localization correlate with normal and transformed mammary epithelial proliferation, whereas its lower expression and cytoplasmic localization correlate with mammary epithelial quiescence and differentiation. In this study, the role of AIB1 in breast tumor initiation, progression, and metastasis was studied by generating AIB1(+/+), AIB1(+/-), and AIB1(-/-) mice harboring the mouse mammary tumor virus/v-Ha-ras (ras) transgene that induces breast tumors. Breast tumor incidence was reduced dramatically in the intact AIB1(-/-)-ras virgin mice and inhibited completely in the ovariectomized AIB1(-/-)-ras mice. Breast tumor latency was delayed significantly in AIB1(-/-)-ras virgin mice with natural estrous cycles, multiparous mice with cyclically elevated reproductive hormones, and virgin mice bearing pituitary isografts with persistently elevated hormones. Although AIB1 deficiency significantly suppressed mammary tumorigenesis under all of the concentrations of ovarian hormones, it did not affect the promotional role of ovarian hormones on mammary tumorigenesis, suggesting that AIB1 and ovarian hormones contribute to mammary carcinogenesis through different pathways. AIB1 deficiency did not alter the expression of estrogen and progesterone-responsive genes in the mammary gland, but it caused partial resistance to the insulin-like growth factor I because of a significant reduction in the insulin receptor substrates. The impaired insulin-like growth factor I pathway in AIB1(-/-)-ras mammary epithelium and tumor cells was responsible in part for the suppression of mammary tumorigenesis and metastasis caused by inhibition of cell proliferation and migration. These results suggest that a more effective strategy to control breast cancer is to target AIB1-mediated and ovarian hormone-initiated pathways.

Identification of a novel human Rho protein with unusual properties: GTPase deficiency and in vivo farnesylation

We have identified a human Rho protein, RhoE, which has unusual structural and biochemical properties that suggest a novel mechanism of regulation. Within a region that is highly conserved among small GTPases, RhoE contains amino acid differences specifically at three positions that confer oncogenicity to Ras (12, 59, and 61). As predicted by these substitutions, which impair GTP hydrolysis in Ras, RhoE binds GTP but lacks intrinsic GTPase activity and is resistant to Rho-specific GTPase-activating proteins. Replacing all three positions in RhoE with conventional amino acids completely restores GTPase activity. In vivo, RhoE is found exclusively in the GTP-bound form, suggesting that unlike previously characterized small GTPases, RhoE may be normally maintained in an activated state. Thus, amino acid changes in Ras that are selected during tumorigenesis have evolved naturally in this Rho protein and have similar consequences for catalytic function. All previously described Rho family proteins are modified by geranylgeranylation, a lipid attachment required for proper membrane localization. In contrast, the carboxy-terminal sequence of RhoE predicts that, like Ras proteins, RhoE is normally farnesylated. Indeed, we have found that RhoE in farnesylated in vivo and that this modification is required for association with the plasma membrane and with an unidentified cellular structure that may play a role in adhesion. Thus, two unusual structural features of this novel Rho protein suggest a striking evolutionary divergence from the Rho family of GTPases.

A novel gene encoding a smooth muscle protein is overexpressed in senescent human fibroblasts

In order to identify genes that may be causally involved in replicative senescence, we have isolated several gene sequences that are overexpressed in senescent human fibroblasts by differential screening of a cDNA library derived from mRNA of a subject with Werner syndrome of premature aging (Murano, S., et al., Molec. Cell. Biol., 3905-3914, 1991). Herein, we describe the sequence and expression of one of these genes, WS3-10, which encodes a novel human cytoplasmic protein of 22.5 kilodaltons. The steady-state mRNA levels of WS3-10 mRNA were higher in WS and late-passage normal cells compared to early-passage normal cells following serum depletion and subsequent repletion. Computer analysis showed similarities between WS3-10 and certain proteins in other species, indicating that WS3-10 represents the human homolog of a smooth muscle protein involved in calcium interactions that may contribute to replicative senescence.

Identification of small clusters of divergent amino acids that mediate the opposing effects of ras and Krev-1

Krev-1 is an anti-oncogene that was originally identified by its ability to induce morphologic reversion of ras-transformed cells that continue to express the ras gene. The Krev-1-encoded protein is structurally related to Ras proteins. The biological activities of a series of ras-Krev-1 chimeras were studied to test the hypothesis that Krev-1 may directly interfere with a ras function. The ras-specific and Krev-1-specific amino acids immediately surrounding residues 32 to 44, which are identical between the two proteins, determined whether the protein induced cellular transformation or suppressed ras transformation. Because this region in Ras proteins has been implicated in effector function, the results suggest that Krev-1 suppresses ras-induced transformation by interfering with interaction of Ras with its effector.

Isolation and characterization of the 5' flanking region of the mouse c-Harvey-ras gene

The complete 5' flanking region of the murine c-Ha-ras gene was cloned and sequenced. An untranslated exon (-1) was identified and the promoter region of the gene located. Like the rat and human homologues, the murine promoter is GC rich and contains several GC boxes together with a CAAT element, but lacks a TATA box, an arrangement similar to that found in many housekeeping genes. From primer extension studies, the gene was shown to have three transcriptional start sites, whose positions differ from those previously found for the human gene. No alterations in these start sites were detected between the normal gene and activated Ha-ras genes from mouse skin tumors. A region of strong homology between mouse, rat, and human Ha-ras genes exists within the large intron separating exon (-1) from the first coding exon. In addition, from chloramphenicol acetyltransferase assays, the upstream region has promoter activity which appears to be enhanced by the inclusion of sequences within this intron.

Biologic and molecular characterization of two newly isolated ras-containing murine leukemia viruses

A murine sarcoma virus (MSV) was recovered from an (NFS X NS.C58v-1) F1 mouse which developed splenic sarcoma and erythroleukemia 6 months after inoculation with a mink cell focus-inducing murine leukemia virus (MuLV) isolated from an NFS mouse infected with a wild mouse ecotropic MuLV. The MSV, designated NS.C58 MSV-1, induced foci of transformation in mouse and rat fibroblasts, and inoculation of mice of various strains 2 weeks of age or younger resulted in erythroleukemia and sarcomatous lesions in spleen, lymph node, and brain. The MSV provirus was molecularly cloned from a genomic library prepared from transformed non-producer rat cells. The 8.8-kilobase proviral DNA contained a 1.0-kilobase p21 ras coding segment which replaced most of the gp70-encoding portion of an MuLV, most likely the endogenous C58v-1 ecotropic virus. The ras oncogene is closely related to v-Ha-ras by hybridization, expression of p21 protein, and nucleotide sequence. It is nearly identical in sequence to v-bas, the only previously described transduced, activated mouse c-ras. At position 12 in the p21 coding region, arginine is substituted for the naturally occurring glycine present in c-ras. A second MSV isolate is described which is similar to NS.C58 MSV-1 except for a 100- to 200-base-pair deletion in the noncoding region of the ras-containing insert.

Mutational analysis of a ras catalytic domain

We used linker insertion-deletion mutagenesis to study the catalytic domain of the Harvey murine sarcoma virus v-rasH transforming protein, which is closely related to the cellular rasH protein. The mutants displayed a wide range of in vitro biological activity, from those that induced focal transformation of NIH 3T3 cells with approximately the same efficiency as the wild-type v-rasH gene to those that failed to induce any detectable morphologic changes. Correlation of transforming activity with the location of the mutations enabled us to identify three nonoverlapping segments within the catalytic domain that were dispensable for transformation and six other segments that were required for transformation. Segments that were necessary for guanosine nucleotide (GDP) binding corresponded to three of the segments that were essential for transformation; two of the three segments share strong sequence homology with other purine nucleotide-binding proteins. Loss of GDP binding was associated with apparent instability of the protein. Lesions in two of the three other required regions significantly reduced GDP binding, while small lesions in the last required region did not impair GDP binding or membrane localization. We speculate that this latter region interacts with the putative cellular target of ras. The results suggest that transforming ras proteins require membrane localization, guanosine nucleotide binding, and an additional undefined function that may represent interaction with their target.

Complete nucleotide and encoded amino acid sequence of a mammalian myosin heavy chain gene. Evidence against intron-dependent evolution of the rod

The complete nucleotide sequence and exon/intron structure of the rat embryonic skeletal muscle myosin heavy chain (MHC) gene has been determined. This gene comprises 24 X 10(3) bases of DNA and is split into 41 exons. The exons encode a 6035 nucleotide (nt) long mRNA consisting of 90 nt of 5' untranslated, 5820 nt of protein coding and 125 nt of 3' untranslated sequence. The rat embryonic MHC polypeptide is encoded by exons 3 to 41 and contains 1939 amino acid residues with a calculated Mr of 223,900. Its amino acid sequence displays the structural features typical for all sarcomeric MHCs, i.e. an amino-terminal "globular" head region and a carboxy-terminal alpha-helical rod portion that shows the characteristics of a coiled coil with a superimposed 28-residue repeat pattern interrupted at only four positions by "skip" residues. The complex structure of the rat embryonic MHC gene and the conservation of intron locations in this and other MHC genes are indicative of a highly split ancestral sarcomeric MHC gene. Introns in the rat embryonic gene interrupt the coding sequence at the boundaries separating the proteolytic subfragments of the head, but not at the head/rod junction or between the 28-residue repeats present within the rod. Therefore, there is little evidence for exon shuffling and intron-dependent evolution by gene duplication as a mechanism for the generation of the ancestral MHC gene. Rather, intron insertion into a previously non-split ancestral MHC rod gene consisting of multiple tandemly arranged 28-residue-encoding repeats, or convergent evolution of an originally non-repetitive ancestral MHC rod gene must account for the observed structure of the rod-encoding portion of present-day MHC genes.

Mutational analysis of a ras catalytic domain

We used linker insertion-deletion mutagenesis to study the catalytic domain of the Harvey murine sarcoma virus v-rasH transforming protein, which is closely related to the cellular rasH protein. The mutants displayed a wide range of in vitro biological activity, from those that induced focal transformation of NIH 3T3 cells with approximately the same efficiency as the wild-type v-rasH gene to those that failed to induce any detectable morphologic changes. Correlation of transforming activity with the location of the mutations enabled us to identify three nonoverlapping segments within the catalytic domain that were dispensable for transformation and six other segments that were required for transformation. Segments that were necessary for guanosine nucleotide (GDP) binding corresponded to three of the segments that were essential for transformation; two of the three segments share strong sequence homology with other purine nucleotide-binding proteins. Loss of GDP binding was associated with apparent instability of the protein. Lesions in two of the three other required regions significantly reduced GDP binding, while small lesions in the last required region did not impair GDP binding or membrane localization. We speculate that this latter region interacts with the putative cellular target of ras. The results suggest that transforming ras proteins require membrane localization, guanosine nucleotide binding, and an additional undefined function that may represent interaction with their target.

Expression of p21 proteins in Escherichia coli and stereochemistry of the nucleotide-binding site

v-Ha-ras encoded p21 protein (p21V), the cellular c-Ha-ras encoded protein (p21C) and its T24 mutant form p21T were produced in Escherichia coli under the control of the tac promoter. Large amounts of the authentic proteins in a soluble form can be extracted and purified without the use of denaturants or detergents. All three proteins are highly active in GDP binding, GTPase and, for p21V, autokinase activity. Inhibition of [3H]GDP binding to p21C by regio- and stereospecific phosphorothioate analogs of GDP and GTP was investigated to obtain a measure of the relative affinities of the three diphosphate and five triphosphate analogs of guanosine. p21 has a preference for the Sp isomers of GDP alpha S and GTP alpha S. It has low specificity for the Sp isomer of GTP beta S. Together with the data for GDP beta S and GTP gamma S these results are compared with those obtained for elongation factor (EF)Tu and transducin. This has enabled us to probe the structural relatedness of these proteins. We conclude that p21 seems to be more closely related to EF-Tu than to transducin.