Selenoproteins exhibit diverse biological functions, most of which are associated with redox control. However, the functions of approximately half of mammalian selenoproteins are not known. One such protein is Selenoprotein O (SelO), the largest mammalian selenoprotein with orthologs found in a wide range of organisms, including bacteria and yeast. Here, we report characterization of mammalian ...

Polyomavirus middle T antigen (MT) is phosphorylated on serine residues. Partial proteolytic mapping and Edman degradation identified serine 257 as a major site of phosphorylation. This was confirmed by site-directed mutagenesis. Isoelectric focusing of immunoprecipitated MT from transfected 293T cells showed that phosphorylation on wild-type MT occurred at near molar stoichiometry at S257. MT ...

Alpha-2a interferon (IFN-alpha2a) has beneficial clinical effects on human T-cell leukemia virus type 1 (HTLV-1) infection, but its antiviral mechanism of action is unknown. Antiviral effects of IFN-alpha2a were studied in 293T cells expressing HTLV-1 proviral DNA and in HTLV-1-infected cells (HOS/PL, MT2, and HUT102). In 293T cells, an 50% inhibitory concentration of 10 U of IFN-alpha2a/ml was...

The ORF29 gene of varicella-zoster virus encodes a single-stranded DNA binding protein that is predominantly nuclear during lytic infection but appears to be restricted to the cytoplasm of latently infected neurons. Following reactivation, ORF29p accumulates in the nuclei of neurons, suggesting that its confinement to the cytosol may be critical for maintaining quiescence. When autonomously exp...

The transmembrane proteins TMEM16A and -16F each carry eight transmembrane regions with cytoplasmic N and C termini. TMEM16A carries out Ca(2+)-dependent Cl(-) ion transport, and TMEM16F is responsible for Ca(2+)-dependent phospholipid scrambling. Here we established assay systems for the Ca(2+)-dependent Cl(-) channel activity using 293T cells and for the phospholipid scramblase activity using...

Increasing evidence indicates that microRNAs (miRNAs) play important roles in mouse brain development. We and several other reports recently have demonstrated that Wnt1-cre-mediated loss of Dicer, the key enzyme for miRNA biosynthesis, results in malformation of the midbrain and cerebellum and failure of neural crest and dopaminergic differentiation. The underlying mechanisms, however, remain p...

OBJECTIVE This study aimed to investigate the effect of Katanin p60 on the neurite growth and collateral formation in the hippocampus. METHODS Gene cloning was performed to construct the Katanin p60 eukaryotic vector. The microtubule cutting effect and protein expression of Katanin p60 were investigated in 293T cells. Then, these vectors were transfected into hippocampal neurons of rats, and ...

On the basis of transfection experiments using a dominant-negative approach, our previous studies suggested that PKB (protein kinase B) was not involved in heart PFK-2 (6-phosphofructo2-kinase) activation by insulin. Therefore we first tested whether SGK3 (serum- and glucocorticoid-induced protein kinase 3) might be involved in this effect. Treatment of recombinant heart PFK-2 with [γ-32P]ATP a...