Heat-shock stress causes inactivation and aggregation of various cellular proteins which become further insoluble. Previous studies have shown that the interferon-induced p68 kinase activity was greatly reduced in extracts of heat-shocked HeLa cells, and that the loss of activity was due to a decreased solubility of the enzyme. Here we show that the p68 kinase which is normally evenly distributed in the cytoplasm, aggregates as a thick ring around the nucleus in heat-shocked cells. The 70-kDa constitutive heat-shock proteins are major insolubilized proteins during stress and we find them to colocalize with the p68 kinase after stress. Treatments of cells with drugs which disrupt the cytoskeleton, such as colcemid and cytochalasin E, do not hinder the enzyme insolubilization during heat-shock. On the contrary, heat-protectors such as glycerol and deuterium oxide (D2O) keep the p68 kinase under a soluble and active form during heat-shock stress. Similarly, an attenuation of the insolubilization of this enzyme is observed in cells rendered thermo-tolerant by a previous heat-shock, suggesting that heat-shock proteins may also contribute to the protection. During the recovery period at normal temperature after heat-shock, resolubilization occurs and most of the enzyme is again recovered under an active soluble form.
Comparative studies between two measles virus strains isolated from patients with subacute sclerosing panencephalitis (SSPE) and a prototype low tissue culture passage Edmonston measles virus are described. Differences were noted in several properties. The findings described in this report suggest that strains of measles virus associated with SSPE have different biological properties and apparently cannot be distinguished from laboratory and field strains of the virus.
SUMMARY Mouse cells (MSV-IF +) are completely non-permissive to NDV; however, they produce interferon when NDV is used as an inducer. Eight h after infection these cells synthesize a virus ‘minus’ strand RNA which anneals to the extent of 57 to 97% with virus ‘plus’ strand RNA. This synthesis disappears gradually up to 48 h after infection, and is not modified by the incubation temperature (37 °C or 40 °C) of the infected cells.
Encephalomyocarditis (EMC) virus replicates to high titre in permissive mouse kidney (MKS) cells but poorly in monkey kidney (CV1) cells. The permissiveness of monkey-mouse hybrid cells varies according to their chromosomal content. In monkey cells, the synthesis of both single-stranded and double-stranded virus RNA is restricted; in semi-permissive hybrid clones, the double-stranded RNA is synthesized normally, whereas the synthesis of the single-stranded RNA is inhibited. Thus, it seems that more than one restrictive event is responsible for the low permissiveness of monkey cells to EMC virus.
Summary Encephalomyocarditis (EMC) virus replication was investigated in permissive mouse MKS cells, semi-permissive monkey CV1 cells, and in somatic monkey-mouse MKCVIII hybrid cells whose permissiveness is under the negative control of the simian genome. We found that in CV1 cells the synthesis of both single- and double-stranded virus RNAs was restricted. In contrast, in semi-permissive hybrid Cl4/3 cells only the single-stranded virus RNA was synthesized in small amounts, whereas the double-stranded virus RNA accumulated late after infection. The synthesis of virus polyribosomes and virus polypeptides was lowered in semi-permissive conditions. In the presence of quaternary ammonium ions, the synthesis of EMC virus was partially relieved in CV1 cells. Thus, it can be postulated that a defective function in the replication complex is involved in the restrictive event.
Reversible phosphorylation of the C-terminal domain (CTD) of the largest RNA polymerase II (RNAP II) subunit plays a key role in gene expression. Stresses such as heat shock result in marked changes in CTD phosphorylation as well as in major alterations in gene expression. CTD kinases and CTD phosphatase(s) contribute in mediating differential CTD phosphorylation. We now report that heat shock of HeLa cells at temperatures as mild as 41°C results in a decrease in CTD phosphatase activity in cell extracts. The observation that this CTD phosphatase interacts with the RAP74 subunit of the general transcription factor TFIIF suggests that it corresponds to the previously characterized major CTD phosphatase. This conclusion is also supported by the finding that the distribution of the 150 kDa subunit of CTD phosphatase in cells is altered by heat shock. Although CTD phosphatase is found predominantly in low salt extracts in unstressed cells, immunofluorescence microscopy indicates that its intracellular localization is nuclear. The decrease in CTD phosphatase activity correlates with a decrease in amount of 150 kDa phosphatase subunit in the extracts. During heat shock, CTD phosphatase switches to an insoluble form which remains aggregated to the nuclear matrix fraction. In contrast, heat shock did not result in a redistribution of RAP74, indicating that not all nuclear proteins aggregate under these conditions. Accordingly, the heat-inactivation of both the CTD phosphatase and the TFIIH-associated CTD kinase might contribute to the selective synthesis of heatshock mRNAs.
The phosphorylation of the RNA polymerase II (RNAP II) carboxy-terminal domain (CTD) plays a key role in mRNA metabolism. The relative ratio of hyperphosphorylated RNAP II to hypophosphorylated RNAP II is determined by a dynamic equilibrium between CTD kinases and CTD phosphatase(s). The CTD is heavily phosphorylated in meiotic Xenopus laevis oocytes. In this report we show that the CTD undergoes fast and massive dephosphorylation upon fertilization. A cDNA was cloned and shown to code for a full-length xFCP1, the Xenopus orthologue of the FCP1 CTD phosphatases in humans and Saccharomyces cerevisiae. Two critical residues in the catalytic site were identified. CTD phosphatase activity was observed in extracts prepared from Xenopus eggs and cells and was shown to be entirely attributable to xFCP1. The CTD dephosphorylation triggered by fertilization was reproduced upon calcium activation of cytostatic factor-arrested egg extracts. Using immunodepleted extracts, we showed that this dephosphorylation is due to xFCP1. Although transcription does not occur at this stage, phosphorylation appears as a highly dynamic process involving the antagonist action of Xp42 mitogen-activated protein kinase and FCP1 phosphatase. This is the first report that free RNAP II is a substrate for FCP1 in vivo, independent from a transcription cycle.
