• BMB Reports
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• v.29 no.1
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• pp.63-67
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• 1996

In order to elucidate the molecular mechanism of plasmid incompatibility of broad host-range plasmid R1162, the plasmid-encoded replication protein RepIB was purified and tested for binding to the 20 bp direct repeat (DR) DNA sequence which is reiterated 3 and 1/2 times within the replicative origin of the plasmid. The RepIB protein specifically binds to the DR DNA. Point mutations in the DR which affect expression of plasmid incompatibility also coordinately affect binding. These results indicate that the incompatibility of broad host-range plasmid R1162 is exerted by the DR DNA by titrating the essential replication protein RepIB.

• Animal cells and systems
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• v.2 no.4
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• pp.489-493
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• 1998

Various heterodimers of the thyroid hormone receptor (TR) with other nuclear hormone receptors confer a wide range of transcriptional activities on thyroid hormone response elements (TREs) in the presence of the thyroid hormone ($T_3$). The present study analyzed the potential roles of retinoid X receptor (RXR) isoforms $\alpha$ and $\beta$ in $T_3$-mediated transcription on a well characterized TRE, a direct repeat of AGGTCA separated by four nucleo-tides (DR4), using electrophoretic mobility shift assays and transient transfection in CV-1 cells. We demonstrated that RXR$\alpha$ supressed liganded $TR_{\alpha}$-induced transcription while $RXR_{\beta}$ did not although both $TR_{\alpha}/RXR_{\alpha}$ and $TR_{\alpha}/RXR_{\beta}$ heterodimers were the predominant forms bound to the TRE-DR4 in the presence of $T_3$. We further demonstrated using Scatchard analysis that the two heterodimers had similar affinities for the TRE-DR4. All these observations suggest that the TRE-DR4 accomodates different types of TR/RXR heterodimers for a more finely tuned transcriptional response to $T_3$.

• Molecules and Cells
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• v.26 no.4
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• pp.387-395
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• 2008

A novel Tc1-like transposable element has been identified as a new DNA transposon in the mud loach, Misgurnus mizolepis. The M. mizolepis Tc1-like transposon (MMTS) is comprised of inverted terminal repeats and a single gene that codes Tc1-like transposase. The deduced amino acid sequence of the transposase-encoding region of MMTS transposon contains motifs including DDE motif, which was previously recognized in other Tc1-like transposons. However, putative MMTS transposase has only 34-37% identity with well-known Tc1, PPTN, and S elements at the amino acid level. In dot-hybridization analysis used to measure the copy numbers of the MMTS transposon in genomes of the mud loach, it was shown that the MMTS transposon is present at about $3.36{\times}10^4$ copies per $2{\times}10^9$ bp, and accounts for approximately 0.027% of the mud loach genome. Here, we also describe novel MMTS-like transposons from the genomes of carp-like fishes, flatfish species, and cichlid fishes, which bear conserved inverted repeats flanking an apparently intact transposase gene. Additionally, BLAST searches and phylogenetic analysis indicated that MMTS-like transposons evolved uniquely in fishes, and comprise a new subfamily of Tc1-like transposons, with only modest similarity to Drosophila melanogaster (foldback element FB4, HB2, HB1), Xenopus laevis, Xenopus tropicalis, and Anopheles gambiae (Frisky).