bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
Quantification of a matrix metalloproteinase-generated aggrecan G1 fragment using monospecific anti-peptide serum
Authors: Lark M W , Williams H , Hoernner L A , Weidner J , Ayala J M , Harper C F , Christen A , Olszewski J , Konteatis Z , Webber R , Mumford R A
Published: August 2015

Several members of the matrix metalloproteinase family have been reported to cleave aggrecan in the interglobular domain between Asn-341 and Phe-342. An antiserum was prepared against a peptide conjugate corresponding to the C-terminal sequence of the matrix metalloproteinase-generated aggrecan G1 fragment (Phe335-Val-Asp-Ile-Pro-Glu-Asn341). A quantitative radioimmunoassay, with a limit of detection of about 80 pM, was developed using this antiserum. This antiserum requires the free carboxyl group of the C-terminal asparagine for optimal recognition. If the C-terminal asparagine is excised from the sequence, replaced with closely related amino acids, or extended across the matrix metalloproteinase cleavage site, there is a 40-10,000-fold loss in detection. Using peptides cleaved from the N-terminus, it was determined that the antiserum requires the entire Phe-Val-Asp-Ile-Pro-Glu-Asn sequence for optimal recognition. The radioimmunoassay detects matrix metalloproteinase-generated G1 fragments with similar sensitivity to the Phe-Val-Asp-Ile-Pro-Glu-Asn peptide, but it does not recognize intact aggrecan. Immunoreactive aggrecan G1 fragments of molecular mass 50 kDa are generated by the matrix metalloproteinases stromelysin and gelatinase A. In contrast, under identical conditions, the closely related metalloproteinases, gelatinase B and collagenase, as well as cathepsin G, cathepsin B and human leucocyte elastase, did not generate a G1 fragment recognized by the antiserum. The anti-Phe-Val-Asp-Ile-Pro-Glu-Asn serum detects stromelysin-generated aggrecan G1 fragments from mouse, guinea pig, rabbit and human, indicating that the detection is not species-specific. This antiserum and radio-immunoassay should be useful for quantifying and characterizing matrix metalloproteinase-generated aggrecan G1 fragments in articular cartilage and synovial fluids from humans and various animal models of articular-cartilage destruction.
Mechanism of inhibition of Ca2+-ATPase by myotoxin a
Authors: Baker K J , East J M , Lee A G
Published: August 2015

The peptide DCRQKWKCCKKGSG [myotoxin-(29-42)], corresponding to residues 29-42 of myotoxin a, inhibits the activity of the Ca(2+)-ATPase of skeletal muscle sarcoplasmic reticulum, with a Kd value of 19.4 microM at pH 7.5, in 100 mM KCl. The peptide YKQCHKKGGHCFPKEK, corresponding to residues 1-16 of myotoxin a, is a less potent inhibitor. Inhibition by myotoxin-(29-42) is reduced at low pH and at high ionic strength, suggesting that charge interactions are important in binding to the ATPase. Inhibition of the ATPase has been shown to follow from a decrease in the rate of dephosphorylation, with no effect on the rate of phosphorylation of the ATPase or on the rate of the Ca2+ transport step (E1PCa2-->E2P). Binding of myotoxin-(29-42) decreased the affinity of the ATPase for Ca2+ and Mg2+, and increased the rate of dissociation of the outer Ca2+ ion from the ATPase. Unlike the amphipathic peptide melittin, it is suggested that myotoxin-(29-42) does not bind significantly to the lipid bilayer portion of the sarcoplasmic reticulum. Fluorescence quenching studies suggest that it could bind to the ATPase in the vicinity of Cys-344 in the phosphorylation domain and Lys-515 in the nucleotide binding domain. Inhibition of the ATPase is observed when the ATPase is reconstituted in monomeric form in sealed vesicles, suggesting that aggregation of the ATPase is not involved in inhibition.
Increase in levels of polyubiquitin and proteasome mRNA in skeletal muscle during starvation and denervation atrophy
Authors: Medina R , Wing S S , Goldberg A L
Published: August 2015

Most of the increased protein degradation in muscle atrophy caused by starvation and denervation is due to activation of a non-lysosomal ATP-dependent proteolytic process. To determine whether expression of the ubiquitin-proteasome-dependent pathway is activated in atrophying muscles, we measured the levels of mRNA for ubiquitin (Ub) and proteasome subunits, and Ub content. After rats had been deprived of food for 1 or 2 days, the concentration of the two polyubiquitin (polyUb) transcripts increased 2-4-fold in the pale extensor digitorum longus muscle and 1-2.5-fold in the red soleus, whereas total muscle RNA and total mRNA content fell by 50%. After denervation of the soleus, there was a progressive 2-3-fold increase in polyUb mRNA for 1-3 days, whereas total RNA content fell. On starvation or denervation, Ub concentration in the muscles also rose by 60-90%. During starvation, polyUb mRNA levels also increased in heart, but not in liver, kidney, spleen, fat, brain or testes. Although the polyUb gene is a heat-shock gene that is induced in muscles under certain stressful conditions, the muscles of starving rats or after denervation did not express other heat-shock genes. On starvation or denervation, mRNA for several proteasome subunits (C-1, C-3, C-5, C-8 and C-9) also increased 2-4-fold in the atrophying muscles. When the food-deprived animals were re-fed, levels of Ub and proteasome mRNA in their muscles returned to control values within 1 day. In contrast, no change occurred in the levels of muscle mRNAs encoding cathepsin L, cathepsin D and calpain 1 on denervation or food deprivation. Thus polyUb and proteasome mRNAs increased in atrophying muscles in co-ordination with activation of the ATP-dependent proteolytic process.
Desensitization and resensitization of human platelets to 5-hydroxytryptamine at the level of signal transduction
Authors: Roevens P , de Chaffoy de Courcelles D
Published: August 2015

Desensitization of platelets to 5-hydroxytryptamine (5HT) (1 microM), during active removal of the agonist by the platelet 5HT-uptake system, was studied at the level of signal transduction. Desensitization to 5HT was dose-dependent and homologous. Without occupation of the 5HT2 receptor, neither an increase in cytosolic [Ca2+] (30 nM ionomycin), nor a separate or simultaneous activation of protein kinase C (by 10 microM 1-oleoyl-2-acetylglycerol), could induce desensitization to 5HT (1 microM). During the early phase of desensitization, the 5HT2 receptor was coupled to phospholipase C, whereas during the late phase of desensitization this coupling was disconnected. However, after disappearance of the agonist, the coupling in the resting platelet recovered quickly, and was nearly complete (82%) after 30 min. During this resensitization, the 5HT-inducibility of activation of phospholipase C, of the increase in cytosolic [Ca2+] and of stimulation of protein kinase C were restored in parallel. The time course for resensitization of the 5HT-induced increase in cytosolic [Ca2+] was independent of the presence of extracellular Ca2+. It is concluded that, after dissociation of 5HT from the platelet 5HT2-receptor, 5HT-induced responses rapidly resensitize. Because of its short duration and the parallelism in recovery between the different ‘down-stream phospholipase C’ intracellular transduction signals, it is considered that desensitization arises from a reversible change in the transduction mechanism at a step up to or including the activation of phospholipase C. Neither desensitization nor resensitization to 5HT is dependent on the presence of extracellular Ca2+.
Cloning and analysis of monkey fertilin reveals novel α subunit isoforms
Authors: Perry A C F , Gichuhi P M , Jones R , Hall L
Published: August 2015

The fertilin complex, a heterodimeric surface membrane glycoprotein found on the head region of mammalian spermatozoa, has been reported to mediate membrane fusion with the egg plasma membrane during fertilization. We have employed PCR to generate products corresponding to monkey (Macaca fascicularis) fertilins from testis cDNA. These PCR products have been used to isolate full-length fertilin cDNA clones corresponding to both alpha and beta subunits. Both monkey fertilin alpha and beta cDNAs encode proteins which belong to an expanding family of metalloproteinase-like, disintegrin-like, cysteine-rich, mammalian proteins. Surprisingly, cDNAs for two fertilin alpha isoforms, alpha I and alpha II, were isolated, encoding proteins of 905 and 825 residues respectively. The predicted fertilin alpha isoforms share extensive identity, but differ significantly towards their N- and C-termini, suggesting the possibility of more than one type of fertilin complex in primates. Alignment of monkey alpha and beta fertilins with their respective guinea-pig counterparts suggests a high level of overall structural conservation throughout, whilst providing new insights into the domain function of each.
Time-course changes in content and fatty acid composition of phosphatidic acid from rat thymocytes during concanavalin A stimulation
Authors: el Bawab S , Macovschi O , Lagarde M , Prigent A F
Published: August 2015

Several studies have shown the potential role of phosphatidic acid (PA) as a second messenger in different cell types. Thus, PA has been shown to mimic physiological agonists leading to various cellular responses, such as neurotransmitter and hormone release, cell proliferation by modulating DNA or RNA synthesis, the expression of several proto-oncogenes and growth factors, and the stimulation of enzyme activities such as phospholipase C (PLC), protein kinases and cyclic AMP (cAMP) phosphodiesterase. Stimulation of [3H]arachidonate-labelled rat thymocytes with the mitogen lectin concanavalin A (con A) resulted in enhanced production of radiolabelled PA after only 5 min of activation. The radiolabelled PA increase corresponded to a real increase in PA mass as determined by GLC quantification of its fatty acid content. In the presence of ethanol (0.5%), formation of phosphatidylethanol was not observed after 5 min of con A activation. Pretreatment of cells with R 59022 (10 microM), a diacylglycerol (DAG) kinase inhibitor, showed an inhibition in the formation of radiolabelled PA and in PA mass. These results suggest that the PLC-DAG kinase may be the pathway for PA synthesis in the first minutes of mitogenic thymocyte activation. A detailed analysis of the fatty acid composition showed that the relative amount of unsaturated fatty acids was increased in PA from stimulated cells concomitantly with a decrease in saturated ones; in particular, arachidonic acid was increased approximately 2-fold only 2 min after con A addition whereas palmitic acid was decreased for the whole period investigated (20 min). These changes favour the hydolysis of phosphoinositides rather than phosphatidylcholines by PLC. As PA remains a minor phospholipid, these changes are unlikely to affect cell membrane fluidity; but PA being now well recognized as a potential second messenger, its increased content as well as its increased unsaturation in the fatty acyl moiety might modulate several signalling pathways or the activity of enzymes such as cyclic nucleotide phosphodiesterase, controlling in this way the cellular level of cAMP, a negative regulator of blastic transformation.
Use of ‘soluble lipids’ for biochemical processes: linoleic acid-cyclodextrin inclusion complexes in aqueous solutions
Authors: López-Nicolás J M , Bru R , Sánchez-Ferrer A , García-Carmona F
Published: August 2015

The equilibria of linoleic acid (LA)-cyclodextrin (CD) complexes were studied to investigate the behaviour of ‘soluble lipids’ in solution as a function of factors that typically affect biochemical processes, such as pH, temperature and CD structure. The above complexes are formed with a stoicheiometry of 1:2 in solution. The first CD molecule interacts with LA through hydrogen bonds when the pH is below the fatty acid pK; hydrophobic interactions may also play an important role at high pH. The second CD molecule makes only hydrophobic contact with the LA hydrocarbon chain. The formation of hydrogen bonds is dependent on the inner diameter of the CD whereas the strength of the hydrophobic interactions between CD and LA can be related to the presence of hydrophobic groups in the CD. The first CD molecule interacts more strongly with LA at increased temperatures. The quantitative description of the LA-CD interaction allows absolute control of the effects produced by the lipid on biochemical processes.
Endoproteolytic processing of recombinant proalbumin variants by the yeast Kex2 protease
Authors: Ledgerwood E C , George P M , Peach R J , Brennan S O
Published: August 2015

The yeast Kex2 protease is regarded as the prototype of the eukaryotic family of subtilisin-like serine proteases involved in processing after dibasic amino acid sequences. Here we investigate the specificity of Kex2 using recombinant human proalbumin variants. Proalbumins with the processing site sequences Arg-Arg and Lys-Arg were cleaved after the dibasic sequence at approximately the same rate by Kex2 in vitro, and yeast expressing either of these sequences secreted mature albumin into the culture medium. As expected, the Arg-Gly-Val-Phe-His-Arg-albumin (proalbumin Lille) was not a substrate for Kex2 and neither was the Arg-Gly-Arg-Phe-His-Arg-albumin. In contrast to the mammalian endoproteases furin and the hepatic proalbumin convertase, the Kex2 protease was adversely affected by a P4 arginine. There was an 85% decrease in the cleavage of Arg-Gly-Arg-Phe-Arg-Arg-albumin compared with normal; also chicken proalbumin with an Arg-Phe-Ala-Arg processing site sequence was not a substrate for Kex2. A P1′ arginine had a marked negative effect on processing and N-terminal sequence analysis confirmed that cleavage was occurring at the P1-P1′ bond. The sequence context surrounding the classical dibasic site is critical in determining susceptibility to cleavage by the Kex2 protease.
Metabolic response of sheep skin to a chronic infusion of a variant of insulin-like growth factor I
Authors: Hocking Edwards J E , Khalaf S K , Sinclaire B R , Lee J , Prosser C G , Harris P M
Published: August 2015

The effects of a chronic (21-day) skin infusion of a variant of insulin-like growth factor I (IGF-I) (long-Arg3-IGF-I; LR3IGF-I) on short-term (48 h) responses of skin metabolism and 21-day plasma hormone concentration, wool-follicle characteristics and wool production were investigated in well-fed castrated Romney sheep. A bilateral arteriovenous preparation was used to infuse LR3IGF-I continuously into the skin on one abdominal flank and saline into the other abdominal flank of six sheep; a further six sheep had one flank infused with saline (controls). LR3IGF-I caused an initial (4-24 h) reduction in the plasma concentrations of amino acids, especially tyrosine, valine and lysine, and, after 24 h, significant (P < 0.05) reductions in blood oxygen and plasma glucose concentrations. After 4 h of LR3IGF-I infusion, there was a significant increase in blood flow (P < 0.05) and oxygen uptake (P < 0.05), and net uptake of amino acids [which was significant (P < 0.05) for valine and phenylalanine] by the LR3IGF-I-infused skin was increased. Total uptake of phenylalanine for skin protein synthesis, measured using [3H]phenylalanine uptake, was also significantly increased after 4 and 24 h of infusion. After 48 h of infusion all LR3IGF-I-dependent measurements of metabolic parameters had fallen to preinfusion values. By day 7 of the 21-day infusion there was a significant (P < 0.05) decrease in circulating endogenous IGF-I in plasma of treated sheep compared with that of control sheep, followed by a significant (P < 0.05) increase between day 7 and 21. Plasma insulin levels followed a similar pattern. There was no change at any stage of infusion in IGF-binding proteins in the plasma of the two LR3IGF-I-infused sheep tested, and it is concluded that LR3IGF-I caused a down-regulation of the type-I IGF-I receptors followed by a rise in endogenous IGF-I concentration consequent on lack of feedback regulation. After 21 days of infusion there was no effect of LR3IGF-I on wool-follicle-bulb-cell mitotic rate, bulb diameter or wool production.(ABSTRACT TRUNCATED AT 400 WORDS)
Mechanism of reaction of allylamine with the quinoprotein methylamine dehydrogenase
Authors: Davidson V L , Graichen M E , Jones L H
Published: August 2015

Allylamine did not serve as an efficient substrate for methylamine dehydrogenase (EC 1.4.99.3) in a steady-state assay of activity and appeared to act as a competitive inhibitor of methylamine oxidation by methylamine dehydrogenase. Transient kinetic studies, however, revealed that allylamine rapidly reduced the tryptophan tryptophylquinone (TTQ) cofactor of methylamine dehydrogenase. The rate of TTQ reduction by allylamine was 322 s-1, slightly faster than the rate of reduction by methylamine. These data were explained by a kinetic mechanism in which allylamine and methylamine are alternative substrates for methylamine dehydrogenase. The apparent competitive inhibition by allylamine is due to a very slow rate of release of the aldehyde product, 0.28 s-1, relative to a rate of 18.6 s-1 for the release of the aldehyde product of methylamine oxidation. A reaction mechanism is proposed for the oxidative deamination of allylamine by methylamine dehydrogenase. This mechanism is discussed in relation to the reaction mechanisms of topa-bearing quinoprotein amine oxidases, the flavoprotein monoamine oxidase and the mammalian semicarbazide-sensitive amine oxidase.
The complete amino acid sequence confirms the presence of pseudoazurin in Thiosphaera pantotropha
Authors: Chan C , Willis A C , Robinson C V , Aplin R T , Radford S E , Ferguson S J
Published: August 2015

The complete amino acid sequence, obtained by direct protein sequencing, of the pseudoazurin from Thiosphaera pantotropha is reported. It shows sequence identities varying from 46 to 66% with previously sequenced pseudoazurins. Previously identified conserved residues with key functions in pseudoazurins are found in the protein from T. pantotropha with the exception of glycine-39, the carbonyl group of which has been considered as a ligand to the copper, which is replaced by a serine residue. Electrospray-ionization MS (ESI-MS) has shown that pseudoazurin from T. pantotropha often contains two polypeptide species differing in molecular mass by 16 Da, presumably owing to oxidation of a methionine residue to a sulphoxide derivative. These two species have different endoproteinase Arg-C digestion patterns. Conditions for ESI-MS were identified that permitted either the retention or the loss of the single copper ion associated with the pseudoazurin. The aberrant tendency of T. pantotropha pseudoazurin to form a disulphide-bridged dimer on SDS/PAGE under some conditions is described.
The haem b558 component of the cytochrome bd quinol oxidase complex from Escherichia coli has histidine-methionine axial ligation
Authors: Spinner F , Cheesman M R , Thomson A J , Kaysser T , Gennis R B , Peng Q , Peterson J
Published: August 2015

The cytochrome bd ubiquinol oxidase from Escherichia coli is induced when the bacteria are cultured under microaerophilic or low-aeration conditions. This membrane-bound respiratory oxidase catalyses the two-electron oxidation of ubiquinol and the four-electron reduction of dioxygen to water. The oxidase contains three haem prosthetic groups: haem b558, haem b595 and haem d. Haem d is the oxygen binding site, and it is likely that haem d and b595 form a bimetallic site in the enzyme. Haem b558 has been previously characterized spectroscopically as being low spin and has been shown to be located within subunit I (CydA) of this two-subunit enzyme. It is likely that haem b558 is associated with the quinol oxidation site, which has also been shown to be within subunit I. In a previous effort to locate the specific amino acids axially ligated to haem b558, all six histidines within subunit I were altered by site-directed mutagenesis. Only one, histidine-186, was identified as a likely ligand to haem b558. Hence it was suggested that haem b558 could not have bis(histidine) ligation. In the current work, a combination of low-temperature near-infrared magnetic circular dichroism (NIR-MCD) and EPR spectroscopies have been employed to identify the nature of the haem b558 axial ligands. The NIR-MCD spectrum at cryogenic temperatures is dominated by the low-spin haem b558 component of the complex, and the low-energy band near 1800 nm is strong evidence for histidine-methionine ligation. It is concluded that haem b558 is ligated to histidine-186 plus one of the methionines located within subunit I of the oxidase.
Characterization of the rat vasoactive intestinal polypeptide receptor gene 5′ region
Authors: Pei L , Melmed S
Published: August 2015

The broad spectrum of vasoactive intestinal polypeptide (VIP) cellular functions are mediated by high-affinity binding sites. To determine regulation of the VIP receptor gene expression, we have isolated and characterized two genomic clones that contain the first three exons and the 5′ flanking region of the VIP receptor gene. Using RNase protection assays, receptor gene expression was detected in adult rat lung, liver and intestine, but not in fetal lung, indicating that VIP receptor is expressed in diverse tissues, and its expression is differentially regulated during lung development. The transcription start site of the gene was mapped to a cytosine residue, 76 bp upstream from the ATG initiation codon. Transfection into rat lung cell lines shows that although 126 bp of the VIP receptor 5′ DNA sequences are capable of activating VIP receptor gene basal transcription 30-fold over a promoterless control, 488 bp of the 5′ sequences further induce this activation to 97-fold over control. However, inclusion of up to 859 bp 5′ sequences results in a decrease in basal promoter activity (31-fold over control), indicating that while sequences between -126 and -488 bp contain potential enhancer sequences, sequences between -488 and -859 bp may include a transcriptional repressor sequence. Deletion analysis shows that transcription factor Sp1 plays an important role in activating basal promoter of the VIP receptor gene. DNase I footprinting and gel-mobility-shift assays show that Sp1 binds to its consensus binding sites in the VIP receptor promoter, suggesting that interaction of Sp1 with VIP receptor promoter transactivates this gene.
Hsp-70 is closely associated with the transferrin receptor in exosomes from maturing reticulocytes
Authors: Mathew A , Bell A , Johnstone R M
Published: August 2015

The presence of the heat shock protein (hsp-70) has been detected in exocytosed vesicles (which are named exosomes) from mammalian and avian immature red cells (i.e. reticulocytes) as well as from a differentiating avian erythroleukaemic cell line. The close, but non-covalent, association of hsp-70 with the transferrin receptor (TFR) in exosomes is demonstrated by: (1) the ability to cross-link hsp-70 to TFR; (2) the co-immunoprecipitation of hsp-70 and TFR with an antibody against TFR, and the co-immunoprecipitation of TFR and hsp-70 with antibody against hsp-70; and (3) the retention of TFR by hsp-70 bound to ATP-agarose and the simultaneous elution of both proteins by excess ATP. Semi-quantitative analysis of the relative efficiency of cross-linking of these proteins in exosomes versus plasma membranes shows that TFR in exosomes is preferentially bound to hsp-70. From an analysis of the relative amounts of hsp-70 and TFR regenerated from the cross-linked complex, the ratio of TFR monomer bound to hsp-70 is approximately 1.5 to 1. Given the presence of hsp-70 in exosomes from several species and its close association with TFR (the major protein lost during reticulocyte maturation) it is proposed that hsp-70 plays a role in exosome formation and/or release in immature red cells.
Probing the ionization state of substrate α-d-glucopyranosyl phosphate bound to glycogen phosphorylase b
Authors: Street I P , Withers S G
Published: August 2015

The ionization state of the substrate alpha-D-glucopyranosyl phosphate bound at the active site of glycogen phosphorylase has been probed by a number of techniques. Values of Ki determined for a series of substrate analogue inhibitors in which the phosphate moiety bears differing charges suggest that the enzyme will bind both the monoanionic and dianionic substrates with approximately equal affinity. These results are strongly supported by 31P- and 19F-NMR studies of the bound substrate analogues alpha-D-glucopyranosyl 1-methylenephosphonate and 2-deoxy-2-fluoro-alpha-D-glucopyranosyl phosphate, which also suggest that the substrate can be bound in either ionization state. The pH-dependences of the inhibition constants K1 for these two analogues, which have substantially different phosphate pK2 values (7.3 and 5.9 respectively), are found to be essentially identical with the pH-dependence of K(m) values for the substrate, inhibition decreasing according to an apparent pKa value of 7.2. This again indicates that there is no specificity for monoanion or dianion binding and also reveals that binding is associated with the uptake of a proton. As the bound substrate is not protonated, this proton must be taken up by the proton.
Modulation of the phosphorylation state of tau in situ: the roles of calcium and cyclic AMP
Authors: Fleming L M , Johnson G V W
Published: August 2015

Alterations in situ in the phosphorylation state of the microtubule-associated protein tau were examined in response to increasing intracellular levels of Ca2+ through N-methyl-D-aspartate (NMDA)-receptor activation, or activating cyclic AMP (cAMP)-dependent protein kinase (cAMP-PK), in rat cerebral-cortical slices. Increasing intracellular concentrations of Ca2+ by treatment of the brain slices with the glutamate analogue NMDA in depolarizing conditions (55 mM KCl) resulted in dephosphorylation of tau. Addition of KCl+NMDA to the slices resulted in a 40% decrease in 32P incorporation into tau, whereas addition of KCl or NMDA alone had no effect on tau phosphorylation. The KCl+NMDA-induced dephosphorylation of tau was blocked by the non-competitive NMDA-receptor antagonist MK801. Determine the involvement of the Ca2+/calmodulin-dependent phosphatase, calcineurin, in the KCl+NMDA-induced dephosphorylation of tau, slices were pretreated with the calcineurin inhibitor Cyclosporin A. Pretreatment of the rat brain slices with Cyclosporin A completely abolished the dephosphorylation of tau induced by the addition of KCl+NMDA. The dephosphorylation of tau in situ was site-selective, as indicated by the loss of 32P label from only a few select peptides. Activation of cAMP-PK by stimulating adenylate cyclase in rat cerebral-cortical slices with forskolin resulted in a 73% increase over control levels in 32P incorporation into immunoprecipitated tau. Two-dimensional phosphopeptide mapping revealed that most of the sites on tau phosphorylated in brain slices in response to increased cAMP levels were the same as those phosphorylated on isolated tau by purified cAMP-PK. Although the state of tau phosphorylation is certainly regulated by many protein phosphatases and kinases in vivo, to our knowledge this study provides the first direct evidence of a specific protein phosphatase and kinase that modulate the phosphorylation state of tau in situ.
Stimulation of creatine kinase activity in rat skeletal tissue in vivo and in vitro by protease-resistant variants of parathyroid hormone fragments
Authors: Sömjen D , Vargas V , Waisman A , Wingender E , Tegge W , Kaye A M
Published: August 2015

We have reported that mid-region fragments of human parathyroid hormone (hPTH), exemplified by hPTH-(28-48), stimulated [3H]thymidine incorporation into DNA and increased the specific activity of the brain-type isoenzyme of creatine kinase (CK) in both skeletal-derived cell cultures (ROS 17/2.8 cells) and immature rat epiphyseal cartilage and diaphyseal bone, without stimulating cyclic AMP synthesis which is a prerequisite for bone resorption. In the present study, substitution of amino acids in hPTH-(28-48), which resulted in increased resistance to proteolysis, produced variants that stimulated skeletal systems at two orders of magnitude lower concentration than the wild-type fragment. We modified hPTH-(28-48) at Leu-37 by replacement with Met, Thr or Val. Under conditions in which 20% of the native hPTH-(28-48) resisted proteolysis by cathepsin D for 6 h, approx. 40% of the L37V mutant and 70% of the L37T mutant remained intact. Substitution of Met for Phe-34 in addition to Thr for Leu-37, or the substitution of Met for Phe-34 alone, produced 100%-resistant fragments. These variants at residue 34 caused maximal stimulation of CK in ROS 17/2.8 cells at 0.24 nM compared with 24 nM for hPTH-(28-48). The double mutant stimulated CK activity significantly in immature rats, at a minimum dose of 12.5 ng/rat, and caused maximal stimulation at 125 ng/rat, a 10-fold lower dose than for hPTH-(28-48). The effect of the double mutant lasted up to 24 h which differs from the stimulation by hPTH-(28-48) in which CK specific activity returns to the control level at 24 h. This same dose also significantly stimulated CK activity in gonadectomized rats. These results show the advantage of using protease-resistant mid-region variants of hPTH-(28-48) to stimulate bone cells, in terms of lower doses and longer duration of effectiveness, both in vitro and in vivo.
Studies on the activation by ATP of the 26 S proteasome complex from rat skeletal muscle
Authors: Dahlmann B , Kuehn L , Reinauer H
Published: August 2015

The 26 S proteasome complex is thought to catalyse the breakdown of ubiquitinated proteins within eukaryotic cells. In addition it has been found that the complex also degrades short-lived proteins such as ornithine decarboxylase in a ubiquitin-independent manner. Both proteolytic processes are paralleled by the hydrolysis of ATP. Here we show that ATP also affects the hydrolytic activity towards fluorigenic peptide substrates by the 26 S proteasome complex from rat skeletal muscle tissue. Low concentrations of ATP (about 25 microM) optimally activate the so-called chymotryptic and tryptic activity by increasing the rate of peptide hydrolysis but not peptidylglutamylpeptide hydrolysis. Activation of the enzyme by ATP is transient but this effect can be enhanced and prolonged by including in the assay an ATP-regenerating system, indicating that ATP is hydrolysed by the 26 S proteasome complex. Although ATP cannot be substituted for by adenosine 5′-[beta,gamma-methylene]triphosphate or AMP, hydrolysis of the phosphoanhydride bond of ATP seems not to be necessary for the activation process of the proteasome complex, a conclusion drawn from the findings that ATP analogues such as adenosine 5′-[beta,gamma-imido]triphosphate, adenosine 5′-O-[gamma-thio]triphosphate, adenosine 5′-O-[beta-thio]-diphosphate and adenosine 5′-[alpha,beta-methylene]triphosphate give the same effect as ATP, and vanadate does not prevent ATP activation. These effects are independent of the presence of Mg2+. Thus, ATP and other nucleotides may act as allosteric activators of peptide-hydrolysing activities of the 26 S proteasome complex as has also been found with the lon protease from Escherichia coli.
Human ciliary neurotrophic factor: a structure-function analysis
Authors: Krüttgen A , Grötzinger J , Kurapkat G , Weis J , Simon R , Thier M , Schröder M , Heinrich P , Wollmer A , Comeau M , Müllberg J , Rose-John S
Published: August 2015

Ciliary neurotrophic factor (CNTF) promotes survival in vitro and in vivo of several neuronal cell types including sensory and motor neurons. The primary structure of CNTF suggests it to be a cytosolic protein with strong similarity to the alpha-helical cytokine family which is characterized by a bundle of four anti-parallel helices. CNTF exerts its activity via complexation with CNTF receptor (CNTF-R). This complex consists of a CNTF-binding protein (CNTF-R) and two proteins important for signal transduction [gp130 and leukaemia inhibitory factor receptor (LIF-R)]. We have shortened the cDNA coding for CNTF at both the 5′ and the 3′ end and expressed the truncated proteins in bacteria. Biological activities of the protein preparations were determined by their ability to induce proliferation of BAF/3 cells that were stably transfected with CNTF-R, gp130 and LIF-R cDNAs. CNTF proteins with 14 amino acid residues removed from the N-terminus were biologically active whereas the removal of 23 amino acids resulted in an inactive protein. In addition, 18 amino acid residues could be removed from the C-terminus of the CNTF protein without apparent loss of bioactivity, but further truncation at the C-terminus yielded biologically inactive proteins. The introduction of two point mutations into the CNTF protein at a site that presumably interacts with one of the two signal-transducing proteins resulted in a CNTF mutant with no measurable bioactivity. In addition, a model of the three-dimensional structure of human CNTF was constructed using the recently established structural co-ordinates of the related cytokine, granulocyte colony-stimulating factor. CD spectra of CNTF together with our mutational analysis and our three-dimensional model fully support the view that CNTF belongs to the family of alpha-helical cytokines. It is expected that our results will facilitate the rational design of CNTF mutants with agonistic or antagonistic properties.
Vitamin B6 modulates expression of albumin gene by inactivating tissue-specific DNA-binding protein in rat liver
Authors: Oka T , Komori N , Kuwahata M , Okada M , Natori Y
Published: August 2015

The level of albumin mRNA in the liver of vitamin B6-deficient rats was found to be 7-fold higher than that of control rats. Since the transcriptional activity of the albumin gene, as measured by a nuclear run-on assay, was increased 5-fold in vitamin B6 deficiency, the higher concentration of albumin mRNA in the liver of vitamin-deficient rats could be attributed to the enhanced rate of transcription. The promoter proximal sequences of the albumin gene interact with a number of tissue-specific transcription factors including HNF-1 and C/EBP. We determined the binding activities of liver nuclear extracts to the HNF-1- and C/EBP-binding sites by gel mobility-shift assay and found that the activities of the extract prepared from liver of vitamin B6-deficient rats were greater than those of controls. As the concentrations of C/EBP in nuclear extracts from control and vitamin-deficient rats, estimated by Western-blot analysis, were essentially the same, the lower binding activity of the extract from control liver is probably due to inactivation of tissue-specific factors by pyridoxal phosphate and/or its analogues. We therefore examined the effect of pyridoxal phosphate and its analogues on the binding activity of nuclear extract in vitro and found that only pyridoxal phosphate effectively inhibited the binding. These observations indicate that vitamin B6 modulates albumin gene expression through a novel mechanism that involves inactivation of tissue-specific transcription factors by direct interaction with pyridoxal phosphate.
Lack of association of G-protein β2- and γ2-subunit N-terminal fragments provides evidence against the coiled-coil model of subunit-βγ assembly
Authors: Marin E P , Neubig R R
Published: August 2015

The association between peptides from bovine G-protein beta 2- and gamma 2-subunits was studied by CD spectroscopy and cross-linking. Both peptides had approximately 25% stable alpha-helical structure at 25 degrees C, but there was no increase on mixing subunits as expected for coiled-coil formation. Also, disulphide cross-linking gave more beta 2 beta 2 homodimer than beta 2 gamma 2 heterodimer. These data do not support the proposed N-terminal coiled-coil model of beta gamma-subunit association.
The effect of salt and site-directed mutations on the iron(III)-binding site of human serum transferrin as probed by EPR spectroscopy
Authors: Grady J K , Mason A B , Woodworth R C , Chasteen N D
Published: August 2015

The effects of site-directed mutation and salt on the iron(III)-binding site of the recombinant half-molecule of the N-terminal lobe (hTf/2N) of human transferrin was studied by EPR spectroscopy. Changes were observed in the EPR spectra of all variants investigated (D63S, D63C, G65R, K206Q, H207E, H249E, H249Q, K296E and K296Q) compared with that of the wild-type protein. The most pronounced changes in the metal site were caused by replacement of the coordinating residues, Asp-63 and His-249, and the non-coordinating residue Lys-296, which is located in the hinge region of the iron-binding cleft. The EPR spectral changes from replacement of other non-coordinating residues were more subtle, indicating small changes in Fe3+ coordination to the protein. The EPR spectrum of variant G65R suggests that it adopts two distinct conformations in solution, one in which the two domains forming the iron-binding cleft are closed and one in which they are open; in the latter instance Asp-63 is no longer coordinated to the Fe3+. Chloride-binding studies on hTf/2N, K206Q, H207E, K296Q and K296E showed similar binding isotherms, indicating that none of the hinge region residues replaced, i.e. Lys-206, His-207 or Lys-296, are the sites of chloride binding. The results show that the coordination environment of the Fe3+ is sensitive to structural changes from site-directed mutation of both remote and coordinated residues and also to chloride-binding and ionic strength effects.
Mistranslation of a TGA termination codon as tryptophan in recombinant platelet-derived growth factor expressed in Escherichia coli
Authors: Lu K V , Rohde M F , Thomason A R , Kenney W C , Lu H S
Published: August 2015

The mature 109-amino-acid human platelet-derived growth factor B (PDGF-B) peptide is derived by intracellular processing from a 241-amino-acid precursor synthesized in mammalian cells, with removal of 81 N-terminal and 51 C-terminal amino acids. In order to produce directly the mature 109-amino acid PDGF-B peptide as a recombinant protein in Escherichia coli, a CGA codon at position 110 of a DNA sequence encoding the full-length precursor form of PDGF-B was converted into the translation termination codon TGA by in vitro mutagenesis. Expression of this DNA via a plasmid vector in E. coli resulted in production of two distinct PDGF-B proteins having apparent molecular masses of 15 and 19 kDa, with the latter species predominating. Structural characterization employing N- and C-terminal amino acid sequencing and MS analyses indicated that the 15 kDa protein is the expected 109-amino-acid PDGF-B, and that the 19 kDa protein represents a C-terminal extended PDGF-B containing 160 amino acids. Characterization of a unique tryptic peptide derived from the 19 kDa protein revealed that this longer form of PDGF-B results from mistranslation of the introduced TGA termination codon at position 110 as tryptophan, with translation subsequently proceeding to the naturally occurring TAG termination codon at position 161. Owing to the high rate of translation readthrough of TGA codons in this and occasionally other proteins, it appears that the use of TGA as a translation termination codon for proteins to be expressed in E. coli should be avoided when possible.
Processing of iduronate 2-sulphatase in human fibroblasts
Authors: Froissart R , Millat G , Mathieu M , Bozon D , Maire I
Published: August 2015

Iduronate 2-sulphatase (IDS) is a lysosomal enzyme involved in degradation of dermatan sulphate and heparan sulphate. Antigenic material was obtained either by purification of placental IDS (A and B forms) or by expression of three different fusion peptides in Escherichia coli allowing the production of five specific antibodies. Pulse-chase-labelling experiments in over-expressing fibroblasts showed poor IDS processing but large amounts of precursors were secreted into the medium. The endocytosis of the 35S- or 33P-labelled precursors by deleted fibroblasts together with glycosylation studies and proteolysis inhibition by leupeptin allowed better elucidation of IDS maturation. The initial 73-78 kDa form is converted into a phosphorylated 90 kDa precursor after modification of its oligosaccharide chains in the Golgi apparatus. This precursor is processed by proteolytic cleavage through various intermediates to a major 55 kDa intermediate, with the release of an 18 kDa polypeptide. Further proteolytic cleavage by a thiol protease gives the 45 kDa mature form containing hybrid and complex-type oligosaccharide chains.
Characterization of l-carnitine transport by rat kidney brush-border-membrane vesicles
Authors: Stieger B , O′Neill B , Krähenbühl S
Published: August 2015

In the presence of a 100 mM Na+ gradient, transport of L-carnitine into rat renal brush-border-membrane vesicles was linear over 30 s and showed an overshoot at 5 min. The uptake of L-carnitine was clearly less active in the presence of other cations such as Li+, K+, Cs+ or choline. In the presence of a Na+ gradient, L-carnitine uptake after 20 s was much higher for chloride as an anion than for SCN-, NO3-, gluconate or SO4(2-). In comparison with conditions with inside positive or no membrane potential, transport was higher in vesicles with an inside negative membrane potential, suggesting an electrogenic mechanism. The kinetic characterization of the Na(+)-dependent portion of L-carnitine transport revealed two transport systems with Km values of 17.4 +/- 3.9 microM and 15.0 +/- 6.0 mM, respectively. The transport could be inhibited in a concentration-dependent fashion by structural analogues such as butyrobetaine, L-acetylcarnitine, trimethyl-lysine and D-carnitine, but not by L-arginine or glycinebetaine.
Possible domains responsible for intracellular targeting and insulin-dependent translocation of glucose transporter type 4
Authors: Ishii K , Hayashi H , Todaka M , Kamohara S , Kanai F , Jinnouchi H , Wang L , Ebina Y
Published: August 2015

Translocation of the type 4 glucose transporter (GLUT4) to the cell surface from an intracellular pool is the major mechanism of insulin-stimulated glucose uptake in insulin-target cells. We developed a highly sensitive and quantitative method to detect GLUT4 immunologically on the surface of intact cells, using c-myc epitope-tagged GLUT4 (GLUT4myc). We constructed c-myc epitope-tagged glucose transporter type 1 (GLUT1myc) and found that the GLUT1myc was also translocated to the cell surface of Chinese hamster ovary cells, 3T3-L1 fibroblasts and NIH 3T3 cells, in response to insulin, but the degree of translocation was less than that of GLUT4myc. Since GLUT1 and GLUT4 have different intracellular distributions and different degrees of insulin-stimulated translocation, we examined the domains of GLUT4, using c-myc epitope-tagged chimeric glucose transporters between these two isoforms. The results indicated that, (1) all the cytoplasmic N-terminal region, middle intracellular loop and cytoplasmic C-terminal region of GLUT4 have independent intracellular targeting signals, (2) these sequences for intracellular targeting of GLUT4 were not sufficient to determine GLUT4 translocation in response to insulin, and (3) the N-terminal half of GLUT4 devoid both of cytoplasmic N-terminus and of middle intracellular loop seems to be necessary for insulin-stimulated GLUT4 translocation.
Regulation of skeletal-muscle AMP deaminase: involvement of histidine residues in the pH-dependent inhibition of the rabbit enzyme by ATP
Authors: Ranieri-Raggi M , Ronca F , Sabbatini A , Raggi A
Published: August 2015

Reaction of rabbit skeletal-muscle AMP deaminase with a low molar excess of diethyl pyrocarbonate results in conversion of the enzyme into a species with one or two carbethoxylated histidine residues per subunit that retains sensitivity to ATP at pH 7.1 but, unlike the native enzyme, it is not sensitive to regulation by ATP at pH 6.5. This effect mimics that exerted on the enzyme by limited proteolysis with trypsin, which removes the 95-residue N-terminal region from the 80 kDa enzyme subunit. These observations suggest involvement of some histidine residues localized in the region HHEMQAHILH (residues 51-60) in the regulatory mechanism which stabilizes the binding of ATP to its inhibitory site at acidic pH. Carbethoxylation of two histidine residues per subunit abolishes the inhibition by ATP of the proteolysed enzyme at pH 7.1, suggesting the obligatory participation of a second class of histidine residues, localized in the 70 kDa subunit core, in the mechanism of the pH-dependent inhibition of the enzyme by ATP. At a slightly acidic pH, these histidine residues would be positively charged, resulting in a desensitized form of the enzyme similar to that obtained with the carbethoxylation reaction.
Oxygen free radicals enhance the nitric oxide-induced covalent NAD+-linkage to neuronal glyceraldehyde-3-phosphate dehydrogenase
Authors: Marin P , Maus M , Bockaert J , Glowinski J , Prémont J
Published: August 2015

Nitric oxide (NO) induces a covalent modification of glyceraldehyde-3-phosphate dehydrogenase (GAPDH) from various tissues. This phenomenon, which has previously been interpreted as an auto-ADP-ribosylation, is in fact a covalent binding of NAD+ to the enzyme. In the present study, we show that 3-morpholino-sydnonimine (SIN-1) is much more efficient than sodium nitroprusside (SNP) in stimulating the covalent labelling of GAPDH from cultured striatal neurones in the presence of [adenylate-32P]NAD+ (877 +/- 110 and 266 +/- 33% increase in NAD(+)-labelling induced by maximally effective concentrations of SIN-1 and SNP respectively). The difference in the efficacy of both NO-generating compounds could be due to the additional release of superoxide by SIN-1, since superoxide dismutase and the nitrone 5,5′-dimethyl pyrroline-1-oxide markedly inhibited the SIN-1-induced covalent binding of NAD+ to GAPDH. Catalase and selective scavengers of hydroxyl radicals, mannitol and dimethyl sulphoxide, did not alter the SIN-1-induced covalent modification of GAPDH, ruling out the involvement of hydroxyl radicals in this phenomenon. Supporting further a role of oxygen free radicals in the NAD+ linkage to GAPDH, pyrogallol, a superoxide generator, which alone was ineffective, potentiated the SNP-evoked response. The NAD+ linkage to neuronal GAPDH measured in the presence of NO and superoxide probably involves sulphydryl groups, since the radiolabelling of the protein was reversed by exposure to HgCl2 and prevented by pretreatment with the alkylating agent N-ethylmaleimide. Moreover, the NO-induced inhibition of GAPDH activity was enhanced by pyrogallol, which was ineffective alone. In conclusion, the present study indicates that superoxide anions potentiate NO-induced covalent NAD(+)-linkage to GAPDH and enzyme inactivation.
Expression of cell-surface proteoglycan mRNA by human articular chondrocytes
Authors: Grover J , Roughley P J
Published: August 2015

The expression of six cell-surface proteoglycans (syndecan, fibroglycan, amphiglycan, glypican, betaglycan and CD44) was studied at the mRNA level. Analysis was performed by Northern blotting using total RNA preparations from freshly isolated articular chondrocytes obtained from both juveniles and adults. Similar results were obtained for both age groups. By far the most abundant message was that for amphiglycan, CD44 message was next in relative abundance, and the messages for fibroglycan, glypican and betaglycan were all expressed at low levels. Syndecan message could not be detected by this technique. This pattern of expression was different to that observed in cultured skin fibroblasts, where the messages for amphiglycan, CD44, fibroglycan and glypican were all expressed at a similar level. In contrast with the fibroblasts, where the amphiglycan message exhibits no size polymorphism, the chondrocyte amphiglycan message is present in three polymorphic forms, due to the use of alternative polyadenylation signals. When the newly isolated chondrocytes are maintained in monolayer culture for several passages, the amphiglycan message heterogeneity reverts to that characteristic of the fibroblasts. Thus human articular chondrocytes are characterized by both their high level of amphiglycan message expression and their use of alternative polyadenylation signals.