bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
Molecular cloning of the cDNA coding for mouse aldehyde oxidase: tissue distribution and regulation in vivo by testosterone
Authors: KUROSAKI Mami , DEMONTIS Silvia , BARZAGO Maria Monica , GARATTINI Enrico , TERAO Mineko
Published: August 2015

The cDNA coding for mouse aldehyde oxidase (AO), a molybdoflavoprotein, has been isolated and characterized. The cDNA is 4347 nt long and consists of an open reading frame predicting a polypeptide of 1333 amino acid residues, with 5ʹ and 3ʹ untranslated regions of 13 and 335 nt respectively. The apparent molecular mass of the translation product in vitro derived from the corresponding cRNA is consistent with that of the monomeric subunit of the AO holoenzyme. The cDNA codes for a catalytically active form of AO, as demonstrated by transient transfection experiments conducted in the HC11 mouse mammary epithelial cell line. The deduced primary structure of the AO protein contains consensus sequences for two distinct 2Fe-2S redox centres and a molybdopterin-binding site. The amino acid sequence of the mouse AO has a high degree of similarity with the human and bovine counterparts, and a significant degree of relatedness to AO proteins of plant origin. Northern blot and in situ hybridization analyses demonstrate that hepatocytes, cardiocytes, lung endothelial or epithelial cells and oesophagus epithelial cells express high levels of AO mRNA. In the various tissues and organs considered, the level of AO mRNA expression is not strictly correlated with the amount of the corresponding protein, suggesting that the synthesis of the AO enzyme is under translational or post-translational control. In addition, we observed sex-related regulation of AO protein synthesis. In the liver of male animals, despite similar amounts of AO mRNA, the levels of the AO enzyme and corresponding polypeptide are significantly higher than those in female animals. Treatment of female mice with testosterone increases the amounts of AO mRNA and of the relative translation product to levels similar to those in male animals.
The DmpA aminopeptidase from Ochrobactrum anthropi LMG7991 is the prototype of a new terminal nucleophile hydrolase family
Authors: FANUEL Laurence , GOFFIN Colette , CHEGGOUR Abdellatif , DEVREESE Bart , VAN DRIESSCHE Gonzales , JORIS Bernard , VAN BEEUMEN Jozef , FRÈRE Jean-Marie
Published: August 2015

The DmpA (D-aminopeptidase A) protein produced by Ochrobactrum anthropi hydrolyses p-nitroanilide derivatives of glycine and D-alanine more efficiently than that of L-alanine. When regular peptides are utilized as substrates, the enzyme behaves as an aminopeptidase with a preference for N-terminal residues in an L configuration, thus exemplifying an interesting case of stereospecificity reversal. The best-hydrolysed substrate is L-Ala-Gly-Gly, but tetra- and penta-peptides are also efficiently hydrolysed. The gene encodes a 375-residue precursor, but the active enzyme contains two polypeptides corresponding to residues 2-249 (α-subunit) and 250-375 (β-subunit) of the precursor. Residues 249 and 250 are a Gly and a Ser respectively, and various substitutions performed by site-directed mutagenesis result in the production of an uncleaved and inactive protein. The N-terminal Ser residue of the β-subunit is followed by a hydrophobic peptide, which is predicted to form a β-strand structure. All these properties strongly suggest that DmpA is an N-terminal amidohydrolase. An exploration of the databases highlights the presence of a number of open reading frames encoding related proteins in various bacterial genomes. Thus DmpA is very probably the prototype of an original family of N-terminal hydrolases.
Identification of Tyr-703 and Tyr-936 as the primary association sites for Grb2 and Grb7 in the c-Kit/stem cell factor receptor
Authors: THÖMMES Kerstin , LENNARTSSON Johan , CARLBERG Monika , RÖNNSTRAND Lars
Published: August 2015

In this paper we demonstrate the presence of two novel in vivo autophosphorylation sites in the c-Kit/stem cell factor receptor (c-Kit/SCFR): Tyr-703 in the kinase insert and Tyr-936 in the C-terminal tail. We furthermore demonstrate that the adapter protein Grb2 is a specific binding partner for both phosphorylated Tyr-703 and phosphorylated Tyr-936, whereas the adapter protein Grb7 binds selectively to phosphorylated Tyr-936. It is shown that the association occurs through the Src homology 2 (SH2) domains of Grb2 and Grb7. Binding of Grb2 to Tyr-703 in the c-Kit/SCFR provides a link to the Ras/mitogen-activated protein kinase pathway.
Identification of pituitary adenylate cyclase-activating polypeptide1-38-binding factor in human plasma, as ceruloplasmin
Authors: TAMS Jeppe W. , JOHNSEN Anders H. , FAHRENKRUG Jan
Published: August 2015

125I-Pituitary adenylate cyclase-activating polypeptide (PACAP) 1-38 is able to bind a factor in human plasma, which can be displaced by unlabelled PACAP 1-38 and PACAP 28-38 but not by the other biologically active form, PACAP 1-27. Likewise, 125I-PACAP 28-38 binds this plasma factor, whereas 125I-PACAP 1-27 does not. Apparent Kd values were measured to be 12.0±1.3 and 3.4±1.5 nM for PACAP 1-38 and PACAP 28-38, respectively, using a competition assay with 125I-PACAP 28-38. Purification of the PACAP 1-38-binding factor from human blood was made by ethanol precipitation of serum followed by Ni2+-chelating and anion-exchange chromatography. A 120-kDa band on SDS/PAGE, as well as some proteolytic products, was blotted on to PVDF membrane and their N-terminal amino acid sequences determined. In combination with a mass-spectrometric fingerprinting of a tryptic digest of the 120-kDa band, this PACAP 1-38-binding factor was identified as ceruloplasmin. Purified commercial ceruloplasmin shows identical mobility on SDS/PAGE to the PACAP 1-38-binding factor and the same binding characteristics to PACAP 1-38, 1-27 and 28-38, using the same amount of ceruloplasmin as was expected to be found in the human plasma. Furthermore, the ability of plasma to bind 125I-PACAP 1-38 or 28-38 disappeared when ceruloplasmin was immunoprecipitated from plasma with rabbit anti-human ceruloplasmin Ig.
Cell polarization is required for ricin sensitivity in a Caco-2 cell line selected for ricin resistance
Authors: JACKMAN Mark R. , ELLIS Juliet A. , GRAY Sally R. , SHURETY Wenda , LUZIO J. Paul
Published: August 2015

It has been proposed that killing of mammalian cells by ricin requires efficient endocytic delivery to the trans-Golgi network (TGN) prior to retrograde transport to the endoplasmic reticulum and entry to the cytosol. In polarized epithelial cells, an efficient membrane-traffic pathway to the TGN is present from the basolateral but not the apical plasma-membrane domain. Thus one can hypothesize that a ricin-resistant phenotype might be demonstrated by polarized cells that fail to differentiate and thus fail to develop an efficient membrane-traffic pathway from the basolateral plasma membrane to the TGN. We have isolated and studied a ricin-resistant Caco-2 cell clone (Caco-2-RCAr clone 2) which, when grown on plastic, was deficient in differentiation, measured by the development of polarized-cell-surface marker enzymes. The deficiency in differentiation was partially reversed, and ricin sensitivity was restored, when the cells were grown on filter supports. Our data provide the first evidence of a ricin-resistant cell line where resistance is due to the lack of development of polarized cell surfaces. The observed ricin resistance is consistent with the requirement that ricin is delivered to the TGN before its A chain enters the cytosol to mediate cell killing.
A shift in the equilibrium constant at the catalytic site of proton-translocating transhydrogenase: significance for a ‘binding-change’ mechanism
Authors: VENNING Jamie D. , JACKSON J. B
Published: August 2015

In mitochondria and bacteria, transhydrogenase uses the transmembrane proton gradient (δp) to drive reduction of NADP+ by NADH. We have investigated the pre-steady-state kinetics of NADP+ reduction by acetylpyridine adenine dinucleotide (AcPdADH, an analogue of NADH) in complexes formed from the two, separately prepared, recombinant, peripheral subunits of the enzyme: the dI component, which binds NAD+ and NADH, and the dIII component, which binds NADP+ and NADPH. In the stopped-flow spectrophotometer the reaction proceeds as a single-turnover burst of hydride transfer to NADP+ on dIII before product NADPH release becomes limiting in steady state. The burst is biphasic. The results indicate that the fast phase represents direct hydride transfer from AcPdADH to NADP+ in dI:dIII complexes, and that the slow phase, which predominates when [dI] < [dIII], corresponds to dissociation of the protein complexes during multiple turnovers of dI. Measurements on the amplitude of the burst, and on the apparent first-order rate constant of the fast phase, indicate that the equilibrium constant of the hydride-transfer step on the enzyme is shifted relative to that in solution. This has consequences for a model proposed earlier, in which δp is used, not at the hydride-transfer step, but to change the binding affinities of NADP+ and NADPH.
39-kDa receptor-associated protein (RAP) facilitates secretion and ligand binding of extracellular region of very-low-density-lipoprotein receptor: implications for a distinct pathway from low-density-lipoprotein receptor
Authors: SATO Atsushi , SHIMADA Yoshimi , HERZ Joachim , YAMAMOTO Tokuo , JINGAMI Hisato
Published: August 2015

We have expressed the extracellular regions of the low-density-lipoprotein (LDL) receptor and the very-low-density-lipoprotein (VLDL) receptor, along with the full-length forms of the receptors, in insect cells in a baculovirus system. The extracellular region of the LDL receptor has been secreted successfully into the culture medium, and it retained the capacities of binding 125I-labelled LDL and β-VLDL. In contrast, the extracellular region of the VLDL receptor remained intracellular and it did not bind 125I-β-VLDL. This difference in expression behaviour between the homologous regions of the two receptors suggests that the two receptor systems are different in receptor-protein maturation or protein targeting. Next we developed the co-expression system with 39-kDa receptor-associated protein (RAP). This co-expression facilitated the secretion of the extracellular region of the VLDL receptor into the culture medium and the secreted receptor bound 125I-β-VLDL. The VLDL receptor remaining intracellular that was co-expressed with RAP also showed binding capacity to 125I-β-VLDL, implying that the existence of RAP prevented receptor-protein aggregation or improved protein-folding status of the truncated VLDL receptor. On the other hand, expression of the extracellular region of the LDL receptor was not facilitated by RAP co-expression. Thus RAP plays an essential role in maintenance of the active conformation and secretion of the extracellular region of the VLDL receptor.
Evidence for the involvement of a small subregion of the endoplasmic reticulum in the inositol trisphosphate receptor-induced activation of Ca2+ inflow in rat hepatocytes
Authors: GREGORY Roland B. , WILCOX Robert A. , BERVEN Leise A. , STRATEN Nicole C. R. VAN , MAREL Gijs A. VAN DER , BOOM Jacques H. VAN , BARRITT Gregory J.
Published: August 2015

The roles of a subregion of the endoplasmic reticulum (ER) and the cortical actin cytoskeleton in the mechanisms by which Ins(1,4,5)P3 induces the activation of store-operated Ca2+ channels (SOCs) in isolated rat hepatocytes were investigated. Adenophostin A, a potent agonist at Ins(1,4,5)P3 receptors, induced ER Ca2+ release and the activation of Ca2+ inflow. The concentration of adenophostin A that gave half-maximal stimulation of Ca2+ inflow (10 nM) was substantially lower than that (20 nM) which gave half-maximal ER Ca2+ release. A low concentration of adenophostin A (approx. 13 nM) caused near-maximal stimulation of Ca2+ inflow but only 20% of maximal ER Ca2+ release. Similar results were obtained using another Ins(1,4,5)P3-receptor agonist, 2-hydroxyethyl-α-D-glucopyranoside 2,3′,4′-trisphosphate. Anti-type-1 Ins(1,4,5)P3-receptor monoclonal antibody 18A10 inhibited vasopressin-stimulated Ca2+ inflow but had no observable effect on vasopressin-induced ER Ca2+ release. Treatment with cytochalasin B at a concentration that partially disrupted the cortical actin cytoskeleton inhibited Ca2+ inflow and ER Ca2+ release induced by vasopressin by 73 and 45%, respectively. However, it did not substantially affect Ca2+ inflow and ER Ca2+ release induced by thapsigargin or 13 nM adenophostin A, intracellular Ca2+ release induced by ionomycin or Ins(1,4,5)P3P4(5)-1-(2-nitrophenyl)ethyl ester [‘caged’ Ins(1,4,5)P3] or basal Ca2+ inflow. 1-(5-Chloronaphthalene-1-sulphonyl)homopiperazine, HCl (ML-9), an inhibitor of myosin light-chain kinase, also inhibited vasopressin-induced Ca2+ inflow and ER Ca2+ release by 53 and 44%, respectively, but had little effect on thapsigargin-induced Ca2+ inflow and ER Ca2+ release. Neither cytochalasin B nor ML-9 inhibited vasopressin-induced Ins(1,4,5)P3 formation. It is concluded that the activation of SOCs in rat hepatocytes induced by Ins(1,4,5)P3 requires the participation of a small region of the ER, which is distinguished from other regions of the ER by a different apparent affinity for Ins(1,4,5)P3 analogues and is associated with the plasma membrane through the actin skeleton. This conclusion is discussed briefly in relation to current hypotheses for the activation of SOCs.
Sequencing and functional expression of the malonyl-CoA-sensitive carnitine palmitoyltransferase from Drosophila melanogaster
Authors: JACKSON Vicky N. , CAMERON Jacqueline M. , ZAMMIT Victor A. , PRICE Nigel T.
Published: August 2015

Using expressed sequence tag data, we obtained a cDNA for a carnitine palmitoyltransferase I (CPT I)-like molecule from Drosophila melanogaster. The cDNA encodes a 782-residue protein that shows 49% and 48% sequence identity with the rat liver and skeletal-muscle isoforms of CPT I respectively. The sequence has two predicted membrane-spanning regions, suggesting that it adopts the same topology as its mammalian counterparts. The sequence contains all the residues that have been shown to be characteristic of carnitine acetyltransferases. Expression in the yeast Pichia pastoris confirmed that the cDNA does encode a CPT enzyme. The activity was found to be associated with a mitochondria-enriched fraction. Kinetic analysis revealed a Km for carnitine of 406 μM and a Km for palmitoyl-CoA of 105 μM. The CPT activity was very sensitive to inhibition by malonyl-CoA, with an IC50 of 0.74 μM when the activity was assayed with 35 μM palmitoyl-CoA and 1% (w/v) albumin at pH 7.0. A histidine residue at position 140 in rat liver CPT I has been indicated to be important for inhibition by malonyl-CoA. The equivalent residue (position 136) in Drosophila CPT I is arginine, implying that any basic residue might be compatible with such sensitivity. Evidence is presented that, unlike in mammals, Drosophila has only a single CPT I gene. Sequences suggesting the existence of a splice variant in the 5′ untranslated region were found; this was consistent with the existence of two promoters for the CPT I gene.
Characterization of the high-affinity monocarboxylate transporter MCT2 in Xenopus laevis oocytes
Authors: BRÖER Stefan , BRÖER Angelika , SCHNEIDER Hans-Peter , STEGEN Carola , HALESTRAP Andrew P. , DEITMER Joachim W.
Published: August 2015

Observations on lactate transport in brain cells and cardiac myocytes indicate the presence of a high-affinity monocarboxylate transporter. The rat monocarboxylate transporter isoform MCT2 was analysed by expression in Xenopus laevisoocytes and the results were compared with the known characteristics of lactate transport in heart and brain. Monocarboxylate transport via MCT2 was driven by the H+ gradient over the plasma membrane. Uptake of lactate strongly increased with decreasing pH, showing half-maximal stimulation at pH 7.2. A wide variety of monocarboxylates and ketone bodies, including lactate, pyruvate, β-hydroxybutyrate, acetoacetate, 2-oxoisovalerate and 2-oxoisohexanoate, were substrates of MCT2. All substrates had a high affinity for MCT2. For lactate a Km value of 0.74±0.07 mM was determined at pH 7.0. For the other substrates, Ki values between 100 μM and 1 mM were measured for inhibition of lactate transport, which is about one-tenth of the corresponding values for the ubiquitously expressed monocarboxylate transporter isoform MCT1. Monocarboxylate transport via MCT2 could be inhibited by α-cyano-4-hydroxycinnamate, anion-channel inhibitors and flavonoids. It is suggested that cells which express MCT2 preferentially use lactate and ketone bodies as energy sources.
Influence of substrates on in vitro dephosphorylation of glycogen phosphorylase a by protein phosphatase-1
Authors: WANG Zhi-Xin
Published: August 2015

The kinetic theory of the substrate reaction during modification of enzyme activity has been applied to a study of the dephosphorylation of phosphorylase a by protein phosphatase-1 (ppase-1). On the basis of the kinetic equation of the substrate reaction in the presence of ppase-1, all the inactivation rate constants for the free enzyme and the enzyme-substrate(s) complexes have been determined. Binding of the allosteric substrate, glucose 1-phosphate, to one subunit of phosphorylase a protects completely against ppase-1 action on either the same subunit or the adjacent subunit, whereas binding of the non-allosteric substrate, glycogen, to one subunit protects this subunit partially, but has no effect on the modification on the neighbouring subunit. Analysis of the data suggests that the allosteric behaviour of phosphorylase a can be interpreted in terms of a modified concerted model. The present method also provides a novel approach for studying dephosphorylation reactions. Since the experimental conditions used resemble more closely the in vivo situation where the substrate is constantly being turned over while the enzyme is being modified, this new method would be particularly useful when the regulatory mechanism of the reversible phosphorylation reaction toward certain enzymes is being assessed.
Active isoprenoid pathway in the intra-erythrocytic stages of Plasmodium falciparum: presence of dolichols of 11 and 12 isoprene units
Authors: COUTO Alicia S. , KIMURA Emilia A. , PERES Valnice J. , UHRIG Maria L. , KATZIN Alejandro M.
Published: August 2015

N-glycosylation of proteins is required for the intra-erythrocytic schizogony of Plasmodium falciparum. In eukaryotic cells, this process involves the transfer of oligosaccharides from a dolichyl pyrophosphate derivative to asparagine residues. We have identified dolichol, dolichyl phosphate and dolichyl pyrophosphate species of 11 and 12 isoprenoid residues by metabolic labelling with [3H]farnesyl pyrophosphate, [3H]geranylgeranyl pyrophosphate and [14C]acetate in the different intra-erythrocytic stages of P. falciparum. This is the first demonstration of short-chain dolichols in the phylum Apicomplexa. The results demonstrate the presence of an active isoprenoid pathway in the intra-erythrocytic stages of P. falciparum. Parasites treated with mevastatin, a 3-hydroxy-3-methylglutaryl-CoA reductase inhibitor, show depressed biosynthesis of dolichol, dolichyl phosphate and isoprenoid pyrophosphate. This effect is observed in all intra-erythrocytic stages of the parasite life cycle, but is most pronounced in the ring stage. N-linked glycosylation of proteins was inhibited in the ring and young-trophozoite stages after mevastatin treatment of parasite cultures. Therefore the isoprenoid pathway may represent a different approach to the development of new anti-malarial drugs.
Apolipoprotein B mRNA and lipoprotein secretion are increased in McArdle RH-7777 cells by expression of betaine-homocysteine S-methyltransferase
Authors: SOWDEN Mark P. , COLLINS Heidi L. , SMITH Harold C. , GARROW Timothy A. , SPARKS Janet D. , SPARKS Charles E.
Published: August 2015

The cDNA encoding rat betaine-homocysteine S-methyltransferase (BHMT) was isolated through production of monoclonal antibodies against protein fractions enriched with apolipoprotein B (apo B)-mRNA-editing complexes. BHMT mRNA was expressed predominantly in liver, and also in kidney, but not in small intestine. In stable McArdle RH-7777 (McA) cell lines expressing differing levels of BHMT, the editing efficiency of apo B mRNA was unchanged. Evaluation of apo B-mRNA expression revealed that steady-state levels were increased significantly and in parallel with BHMT protein expression. The highest levels of BHMT mRNA and BHMT enzyme activity expressed in stably transfected McA cells were comparable with those found in rat hepatocytes. In contrast to the changes in apo B-mRNA abundance, levels of other apolipoprotein-encoding mRNAs and several liver-specific and ubiquitously expressed mRNAs were unchanged by BHMT expression. In the cell line expressing the highest level of BHMT, apo B-containing lipoprotein secretion was increased, indicating utilization of increased endogenous message. Results suggest that apo B-mRNA abundance in McA cells is related to the expression of BHMT, an enzyme important in homocysteine metabolism.
Protein and gene structure of a blue laccase from Pleurotus ostreatus
Authors: GIARDINA Paola , PALMIERI Gianna , SCALONI Andrea , FONTANELLA Bianca , FARACO Vincenza , CENNAMO Giovanna , SANNIA Giovanni
Published: August 2015

A new laccase isoenzyme (POXA1b, where POX is phenol oxidase), produced by Pleurotus ostreatus in cultures supplemented with copper sulphate, has been purified and fully characterized. The main characteristics of this protein (molecular mass in native and denaturing conditions, pI and catalytic properties) are almost identical to the previously studied laccase POXA1w. However, POXA1b contains four copper atoms per molecule instead of one copper, two zinc and one iron atom per molecule of POXA1w. Furthermore, POXA1b shows an unusually high stability at alkaline pH. The gene and cDNA coding for POXA1b have been cloned and sequenced. The gene coding sequence contains 1599 bp, interrupted by 15 introns. Comparison of the structure of the poxa1b gene with the two previously studied P. ostreatus laccase genes (pox1 and poxc) suggests that these genes belong to two different subfamilies. The amino acid sequence of POXA1b deduced from the cDNA sequence has been almost completely verified by means of matrix-assisted laser desorption ionization MS. It has been demonstrated that three out of six putative glycosylation sites are post-translationally modified and the structure of the bound glycosidic moieties has been determined, whereas two other putative glycosylation sites are unmodified.
Cloning of a galactose-binding lectin from the venom of Trimeresurus stejnegeri
Authors: XU Qiang , WU Xiang-Fu , XIA Qi-Chang , WANG Ke-Yi
Published: August 2015

A galactose-binding lectin isolated from the venom of Trimeresurus stejnegeri is a homodimer C-type lectin. The cloned cDNA encoding the monomer of Trimeresurus stejnegerilectin (TSL) was sequenced and found to contain a 5′-end non-coding region, a sequence which encodes 135 amino acids, including a typical 23 amino acid signal peptide followed by the mature protein sequence, a 3′-end non-coding region, a polyadenylation signal, and a poly(A) region. To completely characterize the deduced amino acid sequence, on-line HPLC-MS and tandem MS were used to analyse the intact monomer and its proteolytic peptides. A modified peptide fragment was also putatively identified by HPLC-MS analysis. The deduced amino acid sequence was found to contain a carbohydrate-recognition domain homologous with those of some known C-type animal lectins. Thus TSL belongs to group VII of the C-type animal lectins as classified by Drickamer [(1993) Prog. Nucleic Acid Res. Mol. Biol. 45, 207-232]. At present, a number of C-type lectins have been purified from snake venom, but most of them have been characterized only at the protein level. To our knowledge, this is the first known cDNA sequence of a true C-type lectin from snake venom.
Transcripts encoding the sperm surface protein tMDC II are non-functional in the human
Authors: FRAYNE Jan , DIMSEY Elizabeth A. C. , JURY Jenny A. , HALL Len
Published: August 2015

Five members of the MDC (metalloproteinase-like,disintegrin-like cysteine-rich domain) family of proteins (fertilin α, fertilin β, tMDC I, tMDC II and tMDC III) are expressed on the surface of macaque (Macaca fascicularis) sperm, where they have been proposed to play a role in sperm-egg binding via an interaction between their disintegrin-like domain and one or more integrins on the egg plasma membrane. Of these, two (fertilin α and tMDC I) have recently been shown to be non-functional in the human. Here we report the existence of multiple isoforms of human tMDC II transcripts in the human, all of which are also non-functional owing to the presence of deletions and in-frame termination codons, when compared with the macaque orthologue, a finding which is further supported by the lack of immunoreactivity on Western blots of human testis and sperm extracts probed with a macaque anti-tMDC II polyclonal antiserum. These results are discussed in the context of our proposed model for multiple proteins implicated in sperm-egg interactions.
Enhanced purinoceptor-mediated Ca2+ signalling in L-fibroblasts overexpressing type 1 inositol 1,4,5-trisphosphate receptors
Authors: DAVIS Richard J. , John CHALLISS R. A. , NAHORSKI Stefan R.
Published: August 2015

Mouse L-fibroblast cells stably transfected with either type 1 Ins(1,4,5)P3 receptor (InsP3R) cDNA (L15) or the vector control (Lvec) have been used to investigate the functional consequences of increased InsP3R density on receptor-mediated Ca2+ signalling. L15 cells express approx. 8-fold higher levels of the type 1 InsP3R compared with Lvec cells, which endogenously express essentially only the type 1 InsP3R protein. Stimulation of Lvec and L15 cells with UTP or ATP increased cytosolic Ca2+ concentration to a greater extent in L15 cells at all agonist concentrations. UTP and ATP were equipotent, suggestive of the presence of endogenous cell-surface metabotropic P2Y2-purinoceptors. In both cell clones the purinoceptors were coupled via pertussis-toxin-insensitive G-protein(s) to phospholipase C activation, resulting in similar concentration-dependent accumulations of InsP3. Single-cell microfluorimetry revealed that overexpression of InsP3Rs reduced the threshold for purinoceptor-mediated Ca2+ signalling. L-fibroblasts also exhibited temporally complex sinusoidal cytosolic Ca2+ oscillations in response to submaximal agonist concentrations, with significant increases in oscillatory frequencies exhibited by cells overexpressing InsP3Rs. Sustainable oscillatory responses were dependent on Ca2+ entry and, at higher agonist concentrations, cytosolic Ca2+ oscillations were superseded by biphasic peak-and-plateau Ca2+ responses. Overexpression of InsP3Rs in L15 cells resulted in a 4-fold reduction in the threshold for this change in the temporal pattern of Ca2+ mobilization. These data provide the first direct evidence demonstrating that altering the expression of the type 1 InsP3R significantly affects receptor-mediated InsP3-induced Ca2+ mobilization.
Multiple forms of p55PIK, a regulatory subunit of phosphoinositide 3-kinase, are generated by alternative initiation of translation
Authors: XIA Xianmin , SERRERO Ginette
Published: August 2015

A cDNA encoding p55PIK, one of the regulatory subunits of phosphoinositide (phosphatidylinositol) 3-kinase, was cloned from a cDNA library derived from the mouse mammary epithelial cell line C57MG. The cDNA coding for full-length p55PIK was transiently expressed in COS-7 cells. Western blot analysis of p55PIK expression using a specific antibody against p55PIK revealed that multiple protein products with different molecular masses were detected in COS-7 cell extracts. Experiments presented here demonstrate that multiple forms of p55PIK detected in COS-7 cells were produced by alternative initiation of translation. We also show that at least two in-frame start codons (AUG#2 and AUG#5) in p55PIK mRNA are used in COS-7 cells for the initiation of translation of p55PIK into proteins of 54 kDa and 50 kDa respectively. p55PIK mRNA was also alternatively translated into two proteins in PC cells, a mouse teratoma cell line, indicating that the alternative initiation of translation of p55PIK is not restricted to COS-7 cells. Results from immunoprecipitation and Western blot analysis showed that two forms (54 kDa and 50 kDa protein species) of p55PIK were detected in C57MG cells. Interestingly, when C57MG cells were treated with insulin, only p55PIK, but not p50PIK, bound to insulin receptor substrate-1 protein, providing evidence that different forms of p55PIKs may have specific distinct roles in signal transduction pathways.
Production in vitro by the cytochrome P450 CYP94A1 of major C18 cutin monomers and potential messengers in plant–pathogen interactions: enantioselectivity studies
Authors: PINOT Franck , BENVENISTE Irène , SALAüN Jean-Pierre , LOREAU Olivier , NOËL Jean-Pierre , SCHREIBER Lukas , DURST Francis
Published: August 2015

The major C18 cutin monomers are 18-hydroxy-9,10-epoxystearic and 9,10,18-trihydroxystearic acids. These compounds are also known messengers in plant-pathogen interactions. We have previously shown that their common precursor 9,10-epoxystearic acid was formed by the epoxidation of oleic acid in Vicia sativa microsomes (Pinot, Salaün, Bosch, Lesot, Mioskowski and Durst (1992) Biochem. Biophys. Res. Commun. 184, 183-193). Here we determine the chirality of the epoxide produced as (9R,10S) and (9S,10R) in the ratio 90:10 respectively. We further show that microsomes from yeast expressing the cytochrome P450 CYP94A1 are capable of hydroxylating the methyl terminus of 9,10-epoxystearic and 9,10-dihydroxystearic acids in the presence of NADPH to form the corresponding 18-hydroxy derivatives. The reactions were not catalysed by microsomes from yeast transformed with a void plasmid or in absence of NADPH. After incubation of a synthetic racemic mixture of 9,10-epoxystearic acid with microsomes of yeast expressing CYP94A1, the chirality of the residual epoxide was shifted to 66:34 in favour of the (9S,10R) enantiomer. Both enantiomers were incubated separately and Vmax/Km values of 16 and 3.42 ml/min per nmol of P450 for (9R,10S) and (9S,10R) respectively were determined, demonstrating that CYP94A1 is enantioselective for the (9R,10S) enantiomer, which is preferentially formed in V. sativa microsomes. Compared with the epoxide, the diol 9,10-dihydroxystearic acid was a much poorer substrate for the ω-hydroxylase, with a measured Vmax/Km of 0.33 ml/min per nmol of P450. Our results indicate that the activity of CYP94A1 is strongly influenced by the stereochemistry of the 9,10-epoxide and the nature of substituents on carbons 9 and 10, with Vmax/Km values for epoxide ≫ oleic acid > diol.
Acylation-stimulating protein (ASP): structure–function determinants of cell surface binding and triacylglycerol synthetic activity
Authors: MURRAY Ian , KÖHL Jörg , CIANFLONE Katherine
Published: August 2015

Acylation-stimulating protein (ASP or C3adesArg) is a potent lipogenic factor in human and murine adipocytes and fibroblasts. The arginated form of ASP, i.e. complement C3a (C3a), stimulates immunological responses in human granulocytes, mast cells, guinea pig platelets and guinea pig macrophages; however, ASP is inactive in stimulating these responses. Thus both ASP and C3a are bioactive across species but are not functionally interchangeable. Tertiary structure of both proteins by X-ray crystallography and NMR spectroscopy predicts a tightly linked core region consisting of three α-helices linked via three disulphide bonds, with one of the α-helices extending out from the core and terminating in a flexible conformationally irregular carboxy-tail region. The present studies were undertaken in order to define the functionally active domains of ASP, distinctive from those of C3a, using chemical modifications, enzymic cleavage and synthetic peptide fragments. The results indicate that: (i) the N-terminal region (< 10 amino acids) plays little role in ASP receptor binding and triacylglycerol synthesis stimulation; (ii) the native C-terminal region had no activity, but modifications which increased hydrophobicity increased receptor binding, and led to some activation of triacylglycerol synthesis stimulation; (iii) an intact disulphide-linked core region is essential for triacylglycerol synthesis stimulation activity but not for receptor interaction. Finally, basic charges in the carboxy region (His) are essential for ASP triacylglycerol synthesis stimulation but not for receptor binding, whereas both functions are eliminated by the modification of Lys in the disulphide-linked core region. The present results suggest that there are two functional domains in ASP, one that is responsible for the initial binding to the cell surface receptor, and a second domain that activates and increases triacylglycerol synthesis stimulation. This contrasts markedly with the structure-function studies of C3a where both binding competency and function were dependent on the C-terminal Arg. Thus ASP demonstrates distinct bioactivity.
Novel phosphorylation sites of human tumour suppressor protein p53 at Ser20 and Thr18 that disrupt the binding of mdm2 (mouse double minute 2) protein are modified in human cancers
Authors: CRAIG Ashley L. , BURCH Lindsay , VOJTESEK Borek , MIKUTOWSKA Jaroslava , THOMPSON Alastair , HUPP Ted R.
Published: August 2015

The ability to separate the isoforms of human tumour suppressor protein p53 expressed in insect cells using heparin-Sepharose correlates with differences in the isoelectric point of p53, demonstrating that p53 can be heterogeneously modified and providing support for the use of insect cells as a model system for identifying novel signalling pathways that target p53. One p53 isoform that was reduced in its binding to the monoclonal antibody DO-1 could be stimulated in its binding to DO-1 by prior incubation with protein phosphatases, suggesting the presence of a previously unidentified N-terminal phosphorylation site capable of masking the DO-1 epitope. A synthetic peptide from the N-terminal domain of p53 containing phosphate at Ser20 inhibited DO-1 binding, thus identifying the phosphorylation site responsible for DO-1 epitope masking. Monoclonal antibodies overlapping the DO-1 epitope were developed that are specific for phospho-Thr18 (adjacent to the DO-1 epitope) and phospho-Ser20 (within the DO-1 epitope) to determine whether direct evidence could be obtained for novel phosphorylation sites in human p53. A monoclonal antibody highly specific for phospho-Ser20 detected significant phosphorylation of human p53 expressed in insect cells, whereas the relative proportion of p53 modified at Thr18 was substantially lower. The relevance of these two novel phosphorylation sites to p53 regulation in human cells was made evident by the extensive phosphorylation of human p53 at Thr18 and Ser20 in a panel of human breast cancers with a wild-type p53 status. Phospho-Ser20 or phospho-Thr18 containing p53 peptides are as effective as the phospho-Ser15 peptide at reducing mdm2 (mouse double minute 2) protein binding, indicating that the functional effects of these phosphorylation events might be to regulate the binding of heterologous proteins to p53. These results provide evidence in vivo for two novel phosphorylation sites within p53 at Ser20 and Thr18 that can affect p53 protein-protein interactions and indicate that some human cancers might have amplified one or more Ser20 and Thr18 kinase signalling cascades to modulate p53 activity.
Biosynthesis of inositol trisphosphate receptors: selective association with the molecular chaperone calnexin
Authors: JOSEPH Suresh K. , BOEHNING Darren , BOKKALA Shaila , WATKINS Richard , WIDJAJA Johan
Published: August 2015

A prominent labelled polypeptide having the same mobility as type-I inositol trisphosphate receptor (IP3R) was immunoprecipitated from WB-cell lysates by antibodies to calnexin, an ER integral membrane chaperone. The identity of this polypeptide was confirmed by re-immunoprecipitation of the radioactive polypeptides released from calnexin-antibody immunoprecipitates with type-I IP3R antibody. The interaction of calnexin with newly synthesized type-I IP3R was transient and inhibited by treatment of the cells with dithiothreitol or the glucosidase inhibitor N-methyldeoxynojirimicin. In similar experiments, there was no evidence for the binding of type-I IP3R to calreticulin, an ER luminal chaperone. Calnexin (but not calreticulin) associated with newly synthesized FLAG (DYKDDDDK epitope)-tagged type-III IP3R expressed in COS-7 cells. In order to further define the mechanism of interaction of nascent IP3R with chaperones, we have utilized an in vitro rabbit reticulocyte translation assay programmed with RNA templates encoding the six putative transmembrane (TM) domains of IP3Rs. In accordance with the known preference of calnexin for monoglucosylated oligosaccharide chains, calnexin antibody preferentially immunoprecipitated a proportion of glycosylated type-I translation product. Addition of glucosidase inhibitors prevented the association of calnexin with in vitro translated type-I TM construct. Using truncated RNA templates we found that calnexin did not associate with the first four TM domains but retained affinity for the construct encoding TM domains 5 and 6, which contains the glycosylation sites. We propose that calnexin is a key chaperone involved in the folding, assembly and oligomerization of newly synthesized IP3 receptors in the ER.
Lyn is activated during late G1 of stem-cell-factor-induced cell cycle progression in haemopoietic cells
Authors: MOU Sherry , LINNEKIN Diana
Published: August 2015

Stem cell factor (SCF) binds the receptor tyrosine kinase c-Kit and is critical in haemopoiesis. Recently we found that the Src family member Lyn is highly expressed in SCF-responsive cells, associates with c-Kit and is activated within minutes of the addition of SCF. Here we show that SCF activates Lyn a second time, hours later, during SCF-induced cell cycle progression. In cells arrested at specific phases of the cell cycle with the drugs mimosine, aphidicolin and nocodazole, maximal Lyn kinase activity occurred in late G1 and through the G1/S transition. Similarly, kinetic studies of SCF-induced cell cycle progression found that activation of Lyn preceded the G1/S transition and was maintained into early S-phase. Activation of Lyn was paralleled by two events critical for the G1/S transition, increases in cyclin-dependent kinase 2 (Cdk2) activity and phosphorylation of the retinoblastoma gene product (Rb). Lyn was associated with Cdk2; Cdk2-associated Lyn was heavily phosphorylated on serine and threonine residues both in vitro and in situ during S-phase. Inhibition of Lyn activity with PP1 disrupted association with Cdk2 and decreased the numbers of cells entering S-phase. The degree of phosphorylation of Rb in PP1-treated cells suggested an increased number of cells arrested in the middle of G1. These findings demonstrate that SCF activates the Src family member Lyn before the G1/S transition of the cell cycle and suggest that Lyn is involved in SCF-induced cell cycle progression.
Modification of ryanodine receptor/Ca2+ release channel with dinitrofluorobenzene
Authors: HADAD Nurit , FENG Wei , SHOSHAN-BARMATZ Varda
Published: August 2015

Modification of the ryanodine receptor (RyR)/Ca2+ release channel with 2,4-dinitrofluorobenzene (DNFB) indicated that two classes of amino group interact with the reagent, as can be distinguished on the basis of their reactivity/accessibility and the effects on ryanodine binding and single channel activities. One group interacted very rapidly (t½ < 30 s) at 25 °C with low concentrations of DNFB [C50 (concentration of DNFB required for 50% inhibition or stimulation of ryanodine binding) = 5 μM], and at pH values of 6.2 and higher. This interaction resulted in the marked stimulation of ryanodine binding and the complete inhibition of a single Ca2+ release channel incorporated into planar lipid bilayer. The second group is accessible at higher temperatures (37 °C); at pH values higher than 7.4 it reacted slowly (t½ = 20 min) with high concentrations of DNFB (C50 = 70 μM). This interaction led to the inhibition of ryanodine binding and single channel activity. Modification of RyR with DNFB under the stimulatory conditions resulted in 3.6-fold and 6-fold increases in ryanodine-binding and Ca2+-binding affinities respectively. Modification with DNFB under the inhibitory conditions resulted in a decrease in the total ryanodine-binding sites. The exposure of the RyR single channel to DNFB under both inhibitory and stimulatory conditions led to the complete closure of the channel. However, when modified under the stimulatory conditions, but not under the inhibitory ones, the DNFB-modified closed channel could be re-activated by sub-micromolar concentrations of ryanodine, in the presence of nanomolar concentrations of Ca2+. The DNFB-modified ryanodine-activated RyR channel showed fast transitions between open, closed and several sub-conductance states, and was completely closed by Ruthenium Red. ATP re-activated the DNFB-modified closed channel or, if present during modification, prevented the inhibition of RyR channel activity by DNFB. Neither the stimulation nor the inhibition of ryanodine binding by modification with DNFB was affected by the presence of ATP. By using the photoreactive ATP analogue 3′-O-(4-benzoyl)benzoyl-[α-32P]ATP we found that DNFB modification had no effect on the ATP-binding site of RyR. The results are discussed with regard to the involvement of amino group residues in channel gating, ryanodine association/dissociation and occlusion, and the relationship between the open/closed state of the RyR and its capacity to bind ryanodine.
Large-scale production and purification of functional recombinant bovine rhodopsin with the use of the baculovirus expression system
Authors: KLAASSEN Corné H. W. , BOVEE-GEURTS Petra H. M. , DECALUWÉ Godelieve L. J. , DEGRIP Willem J.
Published: August 2015

Here we describe a generic procedure for the expression and purification of milligram quantities of functional recombinant eukaryotic integral membrane proteins, exemplified by hexahistidine-tagged bovine rhodopsin. These quantities were obtained with the recombinant baculovirus/Sf9 insect cell-based expression system in large-scale bioreactor cultures with the use of a serum-free and protein-free growth medium. After optimization procedures, expression levels up to 4 mg/l were established. The recombinant rhodopsin could be purified with high overall yield by using immobilized-metal-affinity chromatography on Ni2+-agarose. After reconstitution into a native lipid environment, the purified protein was functionally indistinguishable from native rhodopsin with regard to the following parameters: spectral absorbance band, structural changes after photoactivation, and G-protein activation. The procedures developed can be adapted to other membrane proteins. The ability to produce and purify tens of milligrams of functional recombinant eukaryotic membrane protein meets the ever-increasing demand of material necessary to perform detailed biochemical and structural biophysical studies that are essential in unravelling their working mechanism at a molecular level.
Cell-biological assessment of human glucokinase mutants causing maturity-onset diabetes of the young type 2 (MODY-2) or glucokinase-linked hyperinsulinaemia (GK-HI)
Authors: BURKE Charlotte V. , BUETTGER Carol W. , DAVIS Elizabeth A. , MCCLANE Steven J. , MATSCHINSKY Franz M. , RAPER Steven E.
Published: August 2015

Mutations in the glucokinase (GK) gene cause type-2 maturity-onset diabetes of the young type 2 (MODY-2) and GK-linked hyperinsulinaemia (GK-HI). Recombinant adenoviruses expressing the human wild-type islet GK or one of four mutant forms of GK, (the MODY-2 mutants E70K, E300K and V203A and the GK-HI mutant V455M) were transduced into glucose-responsive insulin-secreting β-HC9 cells and tested functionally in order to initiate the first analysis in vivoof recombinant wild-type and mutant human islet GK. Kinetic analysis of wild-type human GK showed that the glucose S0.5 and Hill coefficient were similar to previously published data in vitro (S0.5 is the glucose level at the half-maximal rate). E70K had half the glucose affinity of wild-type, but similar enzyme activity. V203A demonstrated decreased catalytic activity and an 8-fold increase in glucose S0.5 when compared with wild-type human islet GK. E300K had a glucose S0.5 similar to wild-type but a 10-fold reduction in enzyme activity. E300K mRNA levels were comparable with wild-type GK mRNA levels, but Western-blot analyses demonstrated markedly reduced levels of immunologically detectable protein, consistent with an instability mutation. V455M was just as active as wild-type GK, but with a markedly reduced S0.5. The effects of the different GK mutants on glucose-stimulated insulin release support the kinetic and expression data. These experiments show the utility of a combined genetic, biochemical and cell-biological approach to the quantification of functional and structural changes of human GK that result from MODY-2 and GK-HI mutations.
Rab6 is phosphorylated in thrombin-activated platelets by a protein kinase C-dependent mechanism: effects on GTP/GDP binding and cellular distribution
Authors: FITZGERALD Michael L. , REED Guy L.
Published: August 2015

In platelets and other secretory cells, protein kinase C (PKC) plays a role in exocytosis stimulated by physiological extracellular signals, although its linkage to the secretory machinery is poorly understood. We investigated whether Rab6, a GTP-binding protein that fractionates with platelet α-granules, may be involved in linking these processes. We found that Rab6 contains two PKC consensus phosphorylation sites that are evolutionarily conserved. In platelets metabolically labelled with [32P]Pi, Rab6 phosphorylation was induced by phorbol esters or by thrombin. This phosphorylation was blocked by a specific PKC inhibitor (Ro-31-8220), but not by a p38 mitogen-activated protein kinase inhibitor (PD-169316). Physiological stimulation of platelets caused a PKC-dependent translocation of Rab6 from platelet particulate fractions, nearly doubling the fraction of Rab6 in the cytosol. A human Rab6 isoform (Rab6C) that is preferentially expressed in human platelet RNA was cloned and its phosphorylation by PKC was characterized. Rab6C incorporated up to 2 mol of [32P]Pi per mol of active protein. Rab6C bound GDP and GTP with Kd values of 113±12 and 119±27 nM respectively, and hydrolysed GTP at a rate of 100±15 μmol of GTP/mol of Rab6C per min. PKC phosphorylation of Rab6C increased the affinity for GTP by 3-fold, although it had lesser effects on GDP (1.6-fold). Phosphorylation did not alter the GTPase activity. In summary, thrombin activation of platelets leads to PKC-dependent phosphorylation of Rab6 and a translocation of Rab6 to the cytosol. We suggest that PKC phosphorylation may be an important mechanism through which Rab functional interactions in vesicle trafficking and secretion can be altered in response to an external stimulus.