bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
The transmembrane domain of diphtheria toxin improves molecular conjugate gene transfer
Authors: FISHER Krishna J. , WILSON James M.
Published: August 2015

Vectors based on the formation of a soluble DNA–polycation complex are being developed for the treatment of human diseases. These complexes are rapidly taken up by receptor-mediated endocytosis, but are inefficiently delivered to the nucleus owing to entrapment in membrane-bound vesicles. In this study we introduced the transmembrane domain of diphtheria toxin into a DNA–polycation conjugate complex in an effort to increase gene transfer by membrane perturbation. The transmembrane domain of diphtheria toxin was expressed in Escherichia coli as a maltose-binding protein fusion and chemically coupled to high-molecular-mass poly-l-lysine. Incorporation of this conjugate into a traditional complex formed with a luciferase-containing plasmid with an asialo-orosomucoid–polycation conjugate significantly increased transfection efficiency in vitro in a manner proportional to the amount of diphtheria toxin incorporated. The delivery of luciferase RNA transcript was similarly increased when complexed with similar polycation conjugates. This study uses the structural biology of a bacterial protein to improve polycation-based gene delivery.
Identification and characterization of the 2-enoyl-CoA hydratases involved in peroxisomal β-oxidation in rat liver
Authors: DIEUAIDE-NOUBHANI Martine , NOVIKOV Dmitry , VANDEKERCKHOVE Joël , VELDHOVEN Paul P. Van , MANNAERTS Guy P.
Published: August 2015

In this study we attempted to determine the number of 2-enoyl-CoA hydratases involved in peroxisomal β-oxidation. We therefore separated peroxisomal proteins from rat liver on several chromatographic columns and measured hydratase activities on the eluates with different substrates. The results indicate that rat liver peroxisomes contain two hydratase activities: (1) a hydratase activity associated with multifunctional protein 1 (MFP-1) (2-enoyl-CoA hydratase/Δ3,Δ2-enoyl-CoA isomerase/l-3-hydroxyacyl-CoA dehydrogenase) and (2) a hydratase activity associated with MFP-2 (17β-hydroxysteroid dehydrogenase/d-3-hydroxyacyl-CoA dehydrogenase/2-enoyl-CoA hydratase). MFP-1 forms and dehydrogenates l-3-hydroxyacyl-CoA species, whereas MFP-2 forms and dehydrogenates d-3-hydroxyacyl-CoA species. A portion of MFP-2 is proteolytically cleaved, most probably in the peroxisome, into a 34 kDa 17β-hydroxysteroid dehydrogenase/d-3-hydroxyacyl-CoA dehydrogenase and a 45 kDa d-specific 2-enoyl-CoA hydratase. Finally, the results confirm that MFP-1 is involved in the degradation of straight-chain fatty acids, whereas MFP-2 and its cleavage products seem to be involved in the degradation of the side chain of cholesterol (bile acid synthesis)
Role of cholesterol synthesis and esterification in the growth of CEM and MOLT4 lymphoblastic cells
Authors: DESSÌ Sandra , BATETTA Barbara , PANI Alessandra , SPANO Ornella , SANNA Francesca , PUTZOLU Marirosa , BONATESTA Rosa , PIRAS Simona , PANI Paolo
Published: August 2015

CEM and MOLT4 are human T-cell lines isolated from patients with acute cell leukaemia. In culture they show important differences in cholesterol metabolism, CEM being less efficient at synthesizing cholesterol and having a lower activity of 3-hydroxy-3-methylglutaryl-CoA (HMGCoA) reductase. To investigate further the relationship between regulation of intracellular cholesterol metabolism at various steps and rate of cell growth, cholesterol synthesis, esterification and efflux were evaluated in CEM and MOLT4 cells at different times during exponential and stationary growth in vitro. It was shown that, although CEM cells have a lower rate of cholesterol synthesis, they grow at a faster rate than MOLT4 cells. However, CEM cells exhibit an increased capacity to esterify cholesterol associated with a decreased efflux of newly synthesized cholesterol into the medium. These results provide evidence for an association between the capability to synthesize and retain cell cholesterol esters and the growth rate potential.
Osmoregulated taurine transport in H4IIE hepatoma cells and perfused rat liver
Authors: WARSKULAT Ulrich , WETTSTEIN Matthias , HÄUSSINGER Dieter
Published: August 2015

The effects of aniso-osmotic exposure on taurine transport were studied in H4IIE rat hepatoma cells. Hyperosmotic (405 mosmol/l) exposure of H4IIE cells stimulated Na+-dependent taurine uptake and led to an increase in taurine transporter (TAUT) mRNA levels, whereas hypo-osmotic (205 mosmol/l) exposure diminished both taurine uptake and TAUT mRNA levels when compared with normo-osmotic (305 mosmol/l) control incubations. Taurine uptake increased 30Ő40-fold upon raising the ambient osmolarity from 205 to 405 mosmol/l. When H4IIE cells and perfused livers were preloaded with taurine, hypo-osmotic cell swelling led to a rapid release of taurine from the cells. The taurine efflux, but not taurine uptake, was sensitive to 4,4ƀ-di-isothiocyanatostilbene-2,2ƀ-disulphonic acid (DIDS), suggestive of an involvement of DIDS-sensitive channels in mediating volume-regulatory taurine efflux. Whereas in both H4IIE rat hepatoma cells and primary hepatocytes TAUT mRNA levels were strongly dependent upon ambient osmolarity, mRNAs for other osmolyte transporters, i.e. the betaine transporter BGT-1 and the Na+/myo-inositol transporter SMIT, were not detectable. In line with this, myo-inositol uptake by H4IIE hepatoma cells was low and was not stimulated by hyperosmolarity. However, despite the absence of BGT-1 mRNA, a slight osmosensitive uptake of betaine was observed, but the rate was less than 10% of that of taurine transport. This study identifies a constitutively expressed and osmosensitive TAUT in H4IIE cells and the use of taurine as a main osmolyte, whereas betaine and myo-inositol play little or no role in the osmolyte strategy in these cells. This is in contrast with rat liver macrophages, in which betaine has been shown to be a major osmolyte.
Expression of leptin and β3-adrenergic receptors in rat adipose tissue in altered thyroid states
Authors: FAIN John N. , CORONEL Elizabeth C. , BEAUCHAMP Michael J. , BAHOUTH Suleiman W.
Published: August 2015

The level of leptin [the obese (ob) gene product] mRNA is markedly elevated in hypothyroid male rats. The administration of tri-iodothyronine (T3) to hypothyroid rats resulted in a 40% decrease in leptin mRNA at 8 h. This decrease in leptin mRNA was associated with a parallel decline in circulating leptin levels of about 50% at 24 h. Conversely, β3-adrenergic receptor mRNA levels were markedly decreased in epididymal adipose tissue from hypothyroid rats. T3 administration resulted in a 147% increase at 12 h in β3-adrenergic receptor mRNA. There was a corresponding increase due to T3 in the lipolytic response to the specific β3-adrenergic agonist CL 316,243 that paralleled the increase in β3-adrenergic receptor mRNA. T3-mediated changes in leptin and β3-adrenergic receptor mRNAs were blocked by cycloheximide, suggesting the involvement of short-lived proteins in these effects. The present results indicate that T3 has opposite effects to those of insulin on the white adipose tissue of rats with respect to leptin mRNA expression.
Pathways of peroxynitrite oxidation of thiol groups
Authors: QUIJANO Celia , ALVAREZ Beatriz , GATTI Reynaldo M. , AUGUSTO Ohara , RADI Rafael
Published: August 2015

Peroxynitrite mediates the oxidation of the thiol group of both cysteine and glutathione. This process is associated with oxygen consumption. At acidic pH and a cysteine/peroxynitrite molar ratio of ≤ 1.2, there was a single fast phase of oxygen consumption, which increased with increasing concentrations of both cysteine and oxygen. At higher molar ratios the profile of oxygen consumption became biphasic, with a fast phase (phase I) that decreased with increasing cysteine concentration, followed by a slow phase (phase II) whose rate of oxygen consumption increased with increasing cysteine concentration. Oxygen consumption in phase I was inhibited by desferrioxamine and 5,5-dimethyl-1-pyrroline N-oxide, but not by mannitol; superoxide dismutase also inhibited oxygen consumption in phase I, while catalase added during phase II decreased the rate of oxygen consumption. For both cysteine and glutathione, oxygen consumption in phase I was maximal at neutral to acidic pH; in contrast, total thiol oxidation was maximal at alkaline pH. EPR spin-trapping studies using N-tert-butyl-α-phenylnitrone indicated that the yield of thiyl radical adducts had a pH profile comparable with that found for oxygen consumption. The apparent second-order rate constants for the reactions of peroxynitrite with cysteine and glutathione were 1290ŷ30 M-1ƃs-1 and 281ŷ6 M-1ƃs-1 respectively at pH 5.75 and 37 ŶC. These results are consistent with two different pathways participating in the reaction of peroxynitrite with low-molecular-mass thiols: (a) the reaction of the peroxynitrite anion with the protonated thiol group, in a second-order process likely to involve a two-electron oxidation, and (b) the reaction of peroxynitrous acid, or a secondary species derived from it, with the thiolate in a one-electron transfer process that yields thiyl radicals capable of initiating an oxygen-dependent radical chain reaction.
Biosynthesis of ‘essential’ amino acids by scleractinian corals
Authors: FITZGERALD Lisa M. , SZMANT Alina M.
Published: August 2015

Animals rely on their diet for amino acids that they are incapable either of synthesizing or of synthesizing in sufficient quantities to meet metabolic needs. These are the so-called ‘essential amino acids’. This set of amino acids is similar among the vertebrates and many of the invertebrates. Previously, no information was available for amino acid synthesis by the most primitive invertebrates, the Cnidaria. The purpose of this study was to examine amino acid synthesis by representative cnidarians within the Order Scleractinia. Three species of zooxanthellate reef coral, Montastraea faveolata, Acropora cervicornis and Porites divaricata, and two species of non-zooxanthellate coral, Tubastrea coccinea and Astrangia poculata, were incubated with 14C-labelled glucose or with the 14C-labelled amino acids glutamic acid, lysine or valine. Radiolabel tracer was followed into protein amino acids. A total of 17 amino acids, including hydroxyproline, were distinguishable by the techniques used. Of these, only threonine was not found radiolabelled in any of the samples. We could not detect tryptophan or cysteine, nor distinguish between the amino acid pairs glutamic acid and glutamine, or aspartic acid and asparagine. Eight amino acids normally considered essential for animals were made by the five corals tested, although some of them were made only in small quantities. These eight amino acids are valine, isoleucine, leucine, tyrosine, phenylalanine histidine, methionine and lysine. The ability of cnidarians to synthesize these amino acids could be yet another indicator of a separate evolutionary history of the cnidarians from the rest of the Metazoa.
Formation of peroxide- and globin-derived radicals from the reaction of methaemoglobin and metmyoglobin with t-butyl hydroperoxide: an ESR spin-trapping investigation
Authors: ZEE Jolanda Van der
Published: August 2015

The reaction of human methaemoglobin and horse metmyoglobin with t-butyl hydroperoxide (t-BuOOH) was investigated with the ESR spin-trapping technique. With the spin trap 5,5-dimethyl-1-pyrroline N-oxide (DMPO) the formation of peroxyl, alkoxyl and methyl radicals derived from t-BuOOH could be detected. The relative contributions of these radicals were determined at various DMPO concentrations by computer simulation. From these data it could be concluded that the alkoxyl radical was the initial radical produced, which indicates that the hydroperoxide is cleaved homolytically. Further investigations, with the nitroso spin trap 2-methyl-2-nitrosopropane (MNP), showed the formation of globin-centred radicals. Non-specific proteolysis of the MNP adducts revealed isotropic three-line spectra, which means that the radical adducts were centred on a tertiary carbon with no bonds to a hydrogen or nitrogen. Comparison with MNP adducts of several amino acids indicated that in methaemoglobin the radical adduct was most probably located on a valine residue. With metmyoglobin the same adduct was obtained, whereas an additional adduct could be assigned to a tyrosyl radical. These protein radicals most probably resulted from hydrogen abstraction by the metal–oxo species, formed by heterolytic cleavage of the hydroperoxide. These results therefore show that homolytic cleavage of the hydroperoxide leads to the formation of peroxide-derived radicals, whereas concurrent heterolytic cleavage results in protein-derived radicals.
Retinol and retinaldehyde specifically increase α1-proteinase inhibitor in the human cornea
Authors: BOŠKOVIĆ Goran , TWINING Sally S.
Published: August 2015

α1-Proteinase inhibitor is a serpin and can inhibit most serine proteinases. The cornea is one of several extrahepatic tissues that synthesizes this inhibitor. In the presence of retinol, corneal α1-proteinase inhibitor levels were increased 3.8-fold. The maximal response was achieved 2 h after the addition of retinol (1 μM final concentration) to the culture medium. A similar increase in α1-proteinase inhibitor was observed with retinaldehyde (1 nM final concentration). Concentrations of α1-proteinase inhibitor in other tested cells (Hep G2, CaCo 2, MCF-7, monocytes and macrophages) remained unchanged in the presence of retinol. Retinoic acid did not affect α1-proteinase inhibitor levels in the cornea or the other cells tested. The acute-phase cytokine, interleukin-6, increased α1-proteinase inhibitor levels in all tested tissues/cells except the cornea. These results demonstrate that α1-proteinase inhibitor levels are controlled differently in the cornea compared with other tissues/cells. α1-Proteinase inhibitor is the first protein identified whose levels are regulated by a mechanism supported by retinol and retinaldehyde but not retinoic acid.
Interactions of the zinc-regulated factor (ZiRF1) with the mouse metallothionein Ia promoter
Authors: REMONDELLI Paolo , LEONE Arturo
Published: August 2015

A mouse cDNA clone, M96, encoding a metal-regulating-element (MRE)-binding protein, was analysed for its ability to act as a metal-regulated transcription factor. The metal depletion of a glutathione S-transferase (GST)-M96 fusion protein showed that Zn2+ ions modulate the MRE-binding activity, suggesting that the M96-encoded protein is a Zn2+-regulated factor (ZiRF1). The methylation interference assay showed the specific interactions of ZiRF1 with the MRE, MREd/c, present on the mouse metallothionein Ia promoter. Point mutations of the MREd/c nullified the metal-regulatory properties of this region. In mouse L-cell nuclear extracts, mobility-shift assays revealed a Zn2+-dependent MRE-binding complex (MBC) with DNA-recognition properties similar to those of ZiRF1. Antibodies raised against purified GST-ZiRF1 were able to specifically recognize MBC in Western-blot analyses. Competition analysis of MRE-binding proteins from mouse NIH3T3 cells with oligonucleotide matching the binding sites for SP1 and MTF1 confirmed that both the basal SP1 and the metal-regulated MBC/ZiRF1 interact with the MREd/c region. The significance of mutual interactions with the metal-responsive promoter regions of either metal-regulated or basal transcription factors is discussed.
The flux control coefficient of carnitine palmitoyltransferase I on palmitate β-oxidation in rat hepatocyte cultures
Authors: SPURWAY Tracey D. , SHERRATT H. Stanley A. , POGSON Christopher I. , AGIUS Loranne
Published: August 2015

Two important factors that determine the flux of hepatic β-oxidation of long-chain fatty acids are the availability of fatty acid and the activity of carnitine palmitoyltransferase I (CPT I). Using Metabolic Control Analysis, the flux control coefficient of CPT I in rat hepatocyte monolayers was determined by titration with 2-[6-(4-chlorophenoxy)hexyl]oxirane-2-carboxylate (Etomoxir), which is converted to Etomoxir-CoA, an irreversible inhibitor of CPT I. We measured CPT I activity and flux through β-oxidation at 0.2 mM and 1.0 mM palmitate to simulate substrate concentrations in fed and fasted states. Rates of β-oxidation were 4.5-fold higher at 1.0 mM palmitate compared with 0.2 mM palmitate. Flux control coefficients of CPT I, estimated by two independent methods, were similar: 0.67 and 0.79 for 0.2 mM palmitate, and 0.68 and 0.77 for 1 mM palmitate. It is concluded that the regulatory potential of CPT I is similar at low and high physiological concentrations of palmitate.
Characterization of bovine endothelial nitric oxide synthase as a homodimer with down-regulated uncoupled NADPH oxidase activity: tetrahydrobiopterin binding kinetics and role of haem in dimerization
Authors: LIST Barbara M. , KLÖSCH Burkhard , VÖLKER Christof , GORREN Antonius C. F. , SESSA William C. , WERNER Ernst R. , KUKOVETZ Walter R. , SCHMIDT Kurt , MAYER Bernd
Published: August 2015

The fatty-acylation-deficient bovine endothelial NO synthase (eNOS) mutant (Gly-2 to Ala-2, G2AeNOS) was purified from a baculovirus overexpression system. The purified protein was soluble and highly active (0.2-0.7 μmol of l-citrulline· mg-1·min-1), contained 0.77±0.01 equivalent of haem per subunit, showed a Soret maximum at 396 nm, and exhibited only minor uncoupling of NADPH oxidation in the absence of l-arginine or tetrahydrobiopterin. Radioligand binding studies revealed KD values of 147±24.1 nM and 52±9.2 nM for specific binding of tetrahydrobiopterin in the absence and presence of 0.1 mM l-arginine respectively. The positive co-operative effect of l-arginine was due to a pronounced decrease in the rate of tetrahydrobiopterin dissociation (from 1.6±0.5 to 0.3±0.1 min-1). Low-temperature SDS gel electrophoresis showed that approx. 80% of the protein migrated as haem-containing dimer after preincubation with l-arginine and tetrahydrobiopterin. Gel-filtration chromatography yielded one peak with a Stokes radius of 6.8±0.04 nm, corresponding to a hydrodynamic volume of 1.32×10-24 m3, whereas haem-deficient preparations (approx. 0.3 equivalent per subunit) contained an additional protein species with a hydrodynamic radius of 5.1±0.2 nm and a corresponding volume of 0.55×10-24 m3, suggesting that haem availability regulates eNOS dimerization.
N-terminal binding domain of Gα subunits: involvement of amino acids 11–14 of Gα0 in membrane attachment
Authors: BUSCONI Liliana , BOUTIN Paula M. , DENKER Bradley M.
Published: August 2015

Heterotrimeric guanine nucleotide binding proteins (G-proteins) transmit signals from membrane receptors to a variety of intracellular effectors. G-proteins reversibly associate with components of the signal transduction system, yet remain membrane attached throughout the cycle of activation. The Gα subunits remain attached to the plasma membrane through a combination of factors that are only partially defined. We now demonstrate that amino acids within the N-terminal domain of Gα subunits are involved in membrane binding. We used in vitro translation, a technique widely utilized to characterize functional aspects of G-proteins, and interactions with donor-acceptor membranes to demonstrate that amino acids 11-14 of Gαo contribute to membrane binding. The membrane binding of Gαo lacking amino acids 11-14 (D[11-14]) was significantly reduced at all membrane concentrations in comparison with wild-type Gαo. Several other N-terminal mutants of Gαo were characterized as controls, and these results indicate that differences in myristoylation, palmitoylation and βγ interactions do not account for the reduced membrane binding of D[11-14]. Furthermore, when membrane attachment of Gαo and mutants was characterized in transiently transfected 35S-labelled and [3H]myristate-labelled COS cells, amino acids 11-14 contributed to membrane binding. These studies reveal that membrane binding of Gα subunits occurs by a combination of factors that include lipids and amino acid sequences. These regions may provide novel sites for interaction with membrane components and allow additional modulation of signal transduction.
A zinc-dependent DNA-binding activity co-operates with cAMP-responsive-element-binding protein to activate the human thyroglobulin enhancer
Authors: BERG Véronique , VASSART Gilbert , CHRISTOPHE Daniel
Published: August 2015

Footprinting experiments involving the human thyroglobulin gene enhancer and thyroid nuclear extracts revealed a protected region called X2, containing an incomplete cAMP-responsive element (CRE). Band-shift experiments identified two binding activities recognizing the X2 element: a CRE-binding protein (CREB)/activating transcription factor (ATF) relative that binds the half CRE motif and a second factor that interacts with a G-rich motif located just upstream from the CRE. The first factor appears to be CREB itself, as indicated by the supershifting when using an antibody directed against CREB, and the second DNA-binding activity involved was shown to be zinc-dependent and exhibited an apparent molecular mass of 42–44 kDa in South-Western blotting experiments. This factor may represent a novel entity, which we named CAF, for ‘CREB Associated Factor’. Three copies of X2 sequence conferred a strong cAMP-dependent transcriptional activation to a heterologous promoter in transient transfection assay in cAMP-stimulated primary thyrocytes and HeLa cells. Transfection experiments of constructs containing the X2 element mutated in either the CRE or the G-rich site showed that both motifs were required for this transcription activating function. Moreover, the combination of several individual X2 elements mutated in either the CRE or the G-rich motif did not exhibit full transcriptional activity. This suggests that, in the context of the X2 element, CREB requires a close interaction with CAF to achieve both basal and cAMP-dependent transcriptional activation.
Rapid Ca2+ influx induced by the action of dibutylhydroquinone and glucagon in the perfused rat liver
Authors: APPLEGATE Tanya L. , KARJALAINEN Ari , BYGRAVE Fyfe L.
Published: August 2015

Glucagon induces a slight Ca2+ efflux when administered to the perfused rat liver. However, the hormone promotes rapid and significant Ca2+ influx after the prior administration of 2,5-di(t-butyl)-1,4-hydroquinone (BHQ), an agent that promotes Ca2+ release from the endoplasmic reticulum (ER). The concentrations of glucagon that promote Ca2+ influx are similar to those that promote glycogenolysis and gluconeogenesis in isolated hepatocytes. The permeable analogue of cAMP, but not that of cGMP, is able to duplicate the Ca2+-mobilizing effects of glucagon. The influx of Ca2+ into liver is blocked by Ni2+. Administration of sodium azide, an inhibitor of mitochondrial electron transport, also blocks the BHQ plus glucagon-induced Ca2+ influx and this is reversed when azide administration is terminated. The actions of azide are evident within 60 s after administration or withdrawal, and also occur when either oligomycin or fructose is co-administered; this provides evidence for an effect of azide independent of cellular ATP depletion. Measurement of total calcium in mitochondria that were isolated rapidly from perfused livers after the combined administration of glucagon and BHQ confirmed that large quantities of extracellular Ca2+ had entered these organelles. These experiments provide evidence that in the perfused rat liver the artificial emptying of the ER Ca2+ pool allows glucagon to promote rapid and sustained Ca2+ influx that seems to terminate in mitochondria.
Binding of Aβ to α- and β-synucleins: identification of segments in α-synuclein/NAC precursor that bind Aβ and NAC
Authors: JENSEN Poul H. , HØJRUP Peter , HAGER Henrik , NIELSEN Morten S. , JACOBSEN Linda , OLESEN Ole F. , GLIEMANN Jørgen , JAKES Ross
Published: August 2015

NAC, a 35-residue peptide derived from the neuronal protein α-synuclein/NAC precursor, is tightly associated with Aβ fibrils in Alzheimer's disease amyloid, and α-synuclein has recently been shown to bind Aβ in vitro. We have studied the interaction between Aβ and synucleins, aiming at determining segments in α-synuclein that can account for the binding, as well as identifying a possible interaction between Aβ and the β-type synuclein. We report that Aβ binds to native and recombinant α-synuclein, and to β-synuclein in an SDS-sensitive interaction (IC50 approx. 20 μM), as determined by chemical cross-linking and solid-phase binding assays. α-Synuclein and β-synuclein were found to stimulate Aβ-aggregation in vitro to the same extent. The synucleins also displayed Aβ-inhibitable binding of NAC and they were capable of forming dimers. Using proteolytic fragmentation of α-synuclein and cross-linking to 125I-Aβ, we identified two consecutive binding domains (residues 1–56 and 57–97) by Edman degradation and mass spectrometric analysis, and a synthetic peptide comprising residues 32–57 possessed Aβ-binding activity. To test further the possible significance in pathology, α-synuclein was biotinylated and shown to bind specifically to amyloid plaques in a brain with Alzheimer's disease. It is proposed that the multiple Aβ-binding sites in α-synuclein are involved in the development of amyloid plaques.
Arabinanase A from Pseudomonas fluorescens subsp. cellulosa exhibits both an endo- and an exo- mode of action
Authors: McKIE Vincent A. , BLACK Gary W. , MILLWARD-SADLER Sarah J. , HAZLEWOOD Geoffrey P. , LAURIE Judith I. , GILBERT Harry J.
Published: August 2015

Pseudomonas fluorescens subsp. cellulosa expressed arabinanase activity when grown on media supplemented with arabinan or arabinose. Arabinanase activity was not induced by the inclusion of other plant structural polysaccharides, and was repressed by the addition of glucose. The majority of the Pseudomonas arabinanase activity was extracellular. Screening of a genomic library of P. fluorescens subsp. cellulosa DNA constructed in Lambda ZAPII, for recombinants that hydrolysed Red-dyed arabinan, identified five arabinan-degrading plaques. Each of the phage contained the same Pseudomonas arabinanase gene, designated arbA, which was present as a single copy in the Pseudomonas genome. The nucleotide sequence of arbA revealed an open reading frame of 1041 bp encoding a protein, designated arabinanase A (ArbA), of Mr 39438. The N-terminal sequence of ArbA exhibited features typical of a prokaryotic signal peptide. Analysis of the primary structure of ArbA indicated that, unlike most Pseudomonas plant cell wall hydrolases, it did not contain linker sequences or have a modular structure, but consisted of a single catalytic domain. Sequence comparison between the Pseudomonas arabinanase and proteins in the SWISS-PROT database showed that ArbA exhibits greatest sequence identity with arabinanase A from Aspergillus niger, placing the enzyme in glycosyl hydrolase Family 43. The significance of the differing substrate specificities of enzymes in Family 43 is discussed. ArbA purifed from a recombinant strain of Escherichia coli had an Mr of 34000 and an N-terminal sequence identical to residues 32–51 of the deduced sequence of ArbA, and hydrolysed linear arabinan, carboxymethylarabinan and arabino-oligosaccharides. The enzyme displayed no activity against other plant structural polysaccharides, including branched sugar beet arabinan. ArbA produced almost exclusively arabinotriose from linear arabinan and appeared to hydrolyse arabino-oligosaccharides by successively releasing arabinotriose. ArbA and the Aspergillus arabinanase mediated a decrease in the viscosity of linear arabinan that was associated with a significant release of reducing sugar. We propose that ArbA is an arabinanase that exhibits both an endo- and an exo- mode of action.
Carrier-mediated transport of uridine diphosphoglucuronic acid across the endoplasmic reticulum membrane is a prerequisite for UDP-glucuronosyltransferase activity in rat liver
Authors: BOSSUYT Xavier , BLANCKAERT Norbert
Published: August 2015

UDP-glucuronosyltransferases (EC 2.4.1.17) is an isoenzyme family located primarily in the hepatic endoplasmic reticulum (ER) that displays latency of activity both in vitro and in vivo, as assessed respectively in microsomes and in isolated liver. The postulated luminal location of the active site of UDP-glucuronosyltransferases (UGTs) creates a permeability barrier to aglycone and UDP-GlcA access to the enzyme and implies a requirement for the transport of substrates across the ER membrane. The present study shows that the recently demonstrated carrier-mediated transport of UDP-GlcA across the ER membrane is required and rate-limiting for glucuronidation in sealed microsomal vesicles as well as in the intact ER of permeabilized hepatocytes. We found that in both microsomes and permeabilized hepatocytes a gradual inhibition by N-ethylmaleimide (NEM) of UDP-GlcA transport into the ER produced a correspondingly increasing inhibition of 4-methylumbelliferone glucuronidation. That NEM selectively inhibited the UDP-GlcA transporter, without affecting intrinsic UGT activity, was demonstrated by showing that NEM had no effect on glucuronidation in microsomes or hepatocytes with permeabilized ER membrane. Additional evidence that UDP-GlcA transport is rate-limiting for glucuronidation in sealed microsomal vesicles as well as in the intact ER of permeabilized hepatocytes was obtained by showing that gradual selective trans-stimulation of UDP-GlcA transport by UDP-GlcNAc, UDP-Xyl or UDP-Glc in each case produced correspondingly enhanced glucuronidation. Such stimulation of transport and glucuronidation was inhibited completely by NEM, which selectively inhibited UDP-GlcA transport.
Identification of critical residues in the colicin E9 DNase binding region of the Im9 protein
Authors: OSBORNE Michael J. , WALLIS Russell , LEUNG Kit-Yi , WILLIAMS Glyn , LIAN Lu-Yun , JAMES Richard , KLEANTHOUS Colin , MOORE Geoffrey R.
Published: August 2015

1H–15N NMR studies, in conjunction with mutagenesis experiments, have been used to delineate the DNase-binding surface of the colicin E9 inhibitor protein Im9 (where Im stands for immunity protein). Complexes were formed between the 15 kDa unlabelled E9 DNase domain and the 9.5 kDa Im9 protein uniformly labelled with 15N. Approx. 90% of the amide resonances of the bound Im9 were assigned and spectral parameters obtained from 1H–15N heteronuclear single quantum coherence (HSQC) spectra were compared with those for the free Im9 assigned previously. Many of the amide resonances were shifted on complex formation, some by more than 2 p.p.m. in the 15N dimension and more than 0.5 p.p.m. in the 1H dimension. Most of the strongly shifted amides are located on the surfaces of two of the four helices, helix II and helix III. Whereas helix II had already been identified through genetic and biochemical investigations as an important determinant of biological specificity, helix III had not previously been implicated in binding to the DNase. To test the robustness of the NMR-delineated DNase-binding site, a selection of Im9 alanine mutants were constructed and their dissociation rate constants from E9 DNase-immunity protein complexes quantified by radioactive subunit exchange kinetics. Their off-rates correlated well with the NMR perturbation analysis; for example, residues that were highly perturbed in HSQC experiments, such as residues 34 (helix II) and 54 (helix III), had a marked effect on the DNase–immunity protein dissociation rate when replaced by alanine. The NMR and mutagenesis data are consistent with a DNase-binding region on Im9 composed of invariant residues in helix III and variable residues in helix II. The relationship of this binding site model to the wide range of affinities (Kd values in the range 10-4 to 10-16 M) that have been measured for cognate and non-cognate colicin DNase–immunity protein interactions is discussed.
Glutathione S-transferases from the white-rot fungus, Phanerochaete chrysosporium
Authors: DOWD Caitriona A. , BUCKLEY Catherine M. , SHEEHAN David
Published: August 2015

A glutathione S-transferase (GST) was purified to homogeneity from the white-rot fungus, Phanerochaete chrysosporium, by affinity chromatography on glutathione–agarose followed by Mono-Q ion-exchange FPLC. This protein immunoblotted with antisera to rat Theta class GST 5-5 and also showed N-terminal sequence similarity to the Theta class, including the presence of a conserved serine residue that has been specifically implicated in catalysis in this class [Wilce, Board, Feil and Parker (1995) EMBO J. 14, 2133–2143] and other residues conserved in plant sequences. Catalytic activity was found to be highly labile in the purified protein, although preliminary evidence for activity (approx. 120 m-units/mg) with 1,2-epoxy-3-(p-nitrophenoxy)propane was obtained in some preparations. The enzyme seems to be a dimer with a subunit molecular mass of 25 kDa by SDS/PAGE. The native molecular masses estimated by non-denaturing electrophoresis and by Superose-12 gel filtration were 58 and 45 kDa respectively. A second protein purified in this study also gave low level of activity with 1,2-epoxy-3-(p-nitrophenoxy)propane and had a subunit molecular mass of 28 kDa (native size 62–63 kDa), but did not immunoblot with any GST class and seemed to be N-terminally blocked.
Activation of mitogen-activated protein kinase and p70S6 kinase is not correlated with cerebellar granule cell survival
Authors: GUNN-MOORE Frank J. , WILLIAMS Alan G. , TOMS Nicholas J. , TAVARÉ Jeremy M.
Published: August 2015

We have investigated the role of mitogen-activated protein (MAP) kinase in the survival of cerebellar granule cells in primary culture. Brain-derived neurotrophic factor (BDNF) and insulin, but not epidermal growth factor (EGF), promoted the survival of P6 cerebellar granule neurons. BDNF promoted a sustained activation of MAP kinase, whereas that induced by EGF was only transient. Insulin promoted a small but transient activation of MAP kinase that was completely blocked by PD98059, an inhibitor of MAP kinase kinase activation. PD98059 had no effect on the insulin- or BDNF-induced survival of cerebellar granule cells. We also investigated the role of p70S6 kinase in survival. The activation of p70S6 kinase by EGF was transient, whereas BDNF and insulin promoted a sustained activation of p70S6 kinase. Rapamycin, which blocked p70S6 kinase activation, had no effect on the BDNF- or insulin-induced survival of cerebellar granule cells. We conclude that sustained activation of MAP kinase is not correlated with the survival response of cerebellar granule cells; indeed insulin-mediated survival is independent of MAP kinase. Survival of cerebellar granule cells is also independent of the activation of p70S6 kinase.
Lipid kinase and protein kinase activities of G-protein-coupled phosphoinositide 3-kinase γ: structure–activity analysis and interactions with wortmannin
Authors: STOYANOVA Stefka , BULGARELLI-LEVA Ginette , KIRSCH Cornelia , HANCK Theodor , KLINGER Reinhard , WETZKER Reinhard , WYMANN Matthias P.
Published: August 2015

Signalling via seven transmembrane helix receptors can lead to a massive increase in cellular PtdIns(3,4,5)P3, which is critical for the induction of various cell responses and is likely to be produced by a trimeric G-protein-sensitive phosphoinositide 3-kinase (PI3Kγ). We show here that PI3Kγ is a bifunctional lipid kinase and protein kinase, and that both activities are inhibited by wortmannin at concentrations equal to those affecting the p85/p110α heterodimeric PI3K (IC50 approx. 2 nM). The binding of wortmannin to PI3Kγ, as detected by anti-wortmannin antisera, closely followed the inhibition of the kinase activities. Truncation of more than the 98 N-terminal amino acid residues from PI3Kγ produced proteins that were inactive in wortmannin binding and kinase assays. This suggests that regions apart from the core catalytic domain are important in catalysis and inhibitor interaction. The covalent reaction of wortmannin with PI3Kγ was prevented by preincubation with phosphoinositides, ATP and its analogues adenine and 5′-(4-fluorosulphonylbenzoyl)adenine. Proteolytic analysis of wortmannin-prelabelled PI3Kγ revealed candidate wortmannin-binding peptides around Lys-799. Replacement of Lys-799 by Arg through site-directed mutagenesis aborted the covalent reaction with wortmannin and the lipid kinase and protein kinase activities completely. The above illustrates that Lys-799 is crucial to the phosphate transfer reaction and wortmannin reactivity. Parallel inhibition of the PI3Kγ-associated protein kinase and lipid kinase by wortmannin and by the Lys-799 → Arg mutation reveals that both activities are inherent in the PI3Kγ polypeptide.
Mode of inhibition of HIV reverse transcriptase by 2-hexaprenylhydroquinone, a novel general inhibitor of RNA-and DNA-directed DNA polymerases
Authors: LOYA Shoshana , RUDI Amira , KASHMAN Yoel , HIZI Amnon
Published: August 2015

A natural compound from the Red Sea sponge Ircinia sp., 2-hexaprenylhydroquinone (HPH), has been shown to be a general inhibitor of retroviral reverse transcriptases (from HIV-1, HIV-2 and murine leukaemia virus) as well as of cellular DNA polymerases (Escherichia coli DNA polymerase I, and DNA polymerases α and β). The pattern of inhibition was found to be similar for all DNA polymerases tested. Thus the mode of inhibition was studied in detail for HIV-1 reverse transcriptase. HPH is a non-competitive inhibitor and binds the enzyme irreversibly with high affinity (Ki = 0.62 μM). The polar hydroxy groups have been shown to be of key importance. A methylated derivative, mHPH, which is devoid of these polar moieties, showed a significantly decreased capacity to inhibit all DNA polymerases tested. Like the natural product, mHPH binds the enzyme independently at an allosteric site, but with reduced affinity (Ki = 7.4 μM). We show that HPH does not interfere with the first step of the polymerization process, i.e. the physical formation of the reverse-transcriptase–DNA complex. Consequently, we suggest that the natural inhibitor interferes with the subsequent steps of the overall reaction. Since HPH seems not to affect the affinity of dNTP for the enzyme (the Km is unchanged under conditions where the HPH concentration is increased), we speculate that its inhibitory capacity is derived from its effect on the nucleotidyl-transfer catalytic reaction. We suggest that such a mechanism of inhibition is typical of an inhibitor whose mode of inhibition should be common to all RNA- and DNA-directed polymerases.
Purification and characterization of guinea-pig liver microsomal deacetylase involved in the deacetylation of the O-glucoside of N-hydroxyacetanilide
Authors: SUZUKI-KURASAKI Mika , YOSHIOKA Tadao , UEMATSU Takayoshi
Published: August 2015

A microsomal deacetylase that catalyses the deacetylation of the O-glucoside of N-hydroxyacetanilide (GHA) was purified from guinea-pig liver. The activity was located exclusively in the microsomes and not detected in the cytosol. The purified GHA deacetylase was a trimeric protein with a molecular mass of 160±10 (S.D.) kDa composed of subunits of 53±2 kDa; its pI was 4.7. The N-terminal amino acid sequence of GHA deacetylase was similar to those reported for guinea-pig and rat liver microsomal carboxylesterases. The GHA deacetylase showed a comparable hydrolytic activity towards p-nitrophenyl acetate (PNPA), although the activities towards N-hydroxyacetanilide, acetanilide and some endogenous acylated compounds were very low or not detectable. The deacetylase activity towards GHA was inhibited by organophosphates but not by p-chloromercuribenzoate, suggesting that GHA deacetylase can be classified as a B-esterase. The enzyme exhibited a positive homotropic co-operativity towards GHA. The values of the Hill coefficient, the half-saturating concentration ([S]0.5) for GHA, and Vmax were 1.59±0.03, 5.51±0.07 mM and 32.5±1.4 μmol/min per mg respectively, at the optimum pH of 8.5. The bell-shaped pH dependence of the Vmax/[S]0.5 profile indicated pKa values attributed to histidine and lysine residues. The study of stoichiometric inhibition by di-isopropyl fluorophosphate and kinetic analysis with the Monod–Wyman–Changeux model suggests that GHA deacetylase has six substrate binding sites and three catalytically essential serine residues per enzyme molecule.
The cluster of basic amino acids in vitronectin contributes to its binding of plasminogen activator inhibitor-1: evidence from thrombin-, elastase- and plasmin-cleaved vitronectins and anti-peptide antibodies
Authors: GECHTMAN Zeev , BELLELI Adina , LECHPAMMER Stanislav , SHALTIEL Shmuel
Published: August 2015

Derivatives of vitronectin obtained by specific cleavage at its cluster of basic amino acids with thrombin, elastase and plasmin are shown to have a decreased ability to bind plasminogen activator inhibitor-1 (PAI-1). The identification and localization of the segment involved in the binding of PAI-1 (Lys348–Arg379) were carried out by purification of these cleaved vitronectins and their subsequent structural characterization (sequence analysis, phosphorylation of Ser378 with cAMP-dependent protein kinase and immunostaining with peptide-specific antibodies), then measurement of the vitronectin–PAI-1 interaction by (a) a two-phase system (ELISA); (b) co-precipitation of the vitronectin–PAI-1 complex out of solution, and (c) analysis of the stereospecific interaction between the active conformation of PAI-1 and a peptide derived from the above-mentioned cluster; this interaction occurs when the peptide is composed of all-L-amino acids but not when it is composed of all-D-amino acids. Our results explain why workers who have used immobilized vitronectin to study this interaction could not have observed the involvement of the cluster of basic amino acids in PAI-1 binding, since the immobilization of vitronectin is shown to render this cluster inaccessible for interaction. We propose that vitronectin binds active PAI-1 by interaction via amino acid residues that originate from distal locations in the N- and C-termini of vitronectin.
Influence of systematic error on the shape of the Scatchard plot of tRNAPhe binding to eukaryotic ribosomes
Authors: NEKHAI Sergei A. , BELETZKIJ Vladimir E. , GRAIFER Dmitri M.
Published: August 2015

Scatchard plots of tRNAPhe binding to poly(U)-programmed human 80 S ribosomes can be curved, either concave upwards or concave downwards, depending on the experimental conditions. The influence of a systematic error on the shape of the Scatchard plots has been analysed in a model experiment where the binding proceeds at two independent sites. The Scatchard plot for this binding model has a concave-upwards shape. When the concentration of the ribosomes is kept constant, a small systematic error in tRNA concentration changes this Scatchard plot markedly to a concave-downwards plot as though a co-operative interaction occurred. In contrast, when the tRNA concentration exceeds the ribosomal concentration and their concentration ratio is constant, the Scatchard plot is stable with respect to the systematic error. We suggest the latter type of experiment to be more appropriate. The results also imply a non-co-operative interaction of tRNAPhe with the 80 S ribosome.
Stimulation of DNA synthesis by natural ceramide 1-phosphate
Authors: GOMEZ-MUÑOZ Antonio , FRAGO Laura M. , ALVAREZ Luis , VARELA-NIETO Isabel
Published: August 2015

We found that natural (long-chain) ceramide 1-phosphate can be dispersed into aqueous solution when dissolved in an appropriate mixture of methanol/dodecane (49:1, v/v). This solvent mixture facilitates the interaction of this phosphosphingolipid with cells. Under these conditions, incubation of EGFR T17 fibroblasts with natural ceramide 1-phosphate caused a potent stimulation of DNA synthesis. This effect was accompanied by an increase in the levels of proliferating-cell nuclear antigen. Concentrations of natural ceramide 1-phosphate that stimulated the synthesis of DNA did not inhibit adenylate cyclase activity, nor did they stimulate phospholipase D. Natural ceramide 1-phosphate did not alter the cellular phosphorylation state of tyrosine residues or of mitogen-activated protein kinase. Furthermore, natural ceramide 1-phosphate failed to induce the expression of the proto-oncogenes c-myc and c-fos. Both the stimulation of DNA synthesis and the induction of proliferating-cell nuclear antigen by natural ceramide 1-phosphate were inhibited by natural ceramides. This work suggests that the use of methanol and dodecane to deliver natural ceramide 1-phosphate to cells may be useful for elucidation of the biological function(s) and mechanism(s) of action of ceramide 1-phosphate.
Molecular characterization and expression of Onchocerca volvulus glutathione reductase
Authors: MÜLLER Sylke , GILBERGER Tim-Wolf , FAIRLAMB Alan H. , WALTER Rolf D.
Published: August 2015

Glutathione metabolism represents a potential target for anti-parasite drug design. The central role of glutathione reductase (GR) in maintenance of the thiol redox state and in anti-oxidative defence has to be evaluated in more detail in order to establish the essential function of this enzyme for the survival of the filarial parasite Onchocerca volvulus. The O. volvulus GR (OvGR) gene was cloned and sequenced. The gene is composed of 13 exons and 12 introns and spans 4065 bp. The first intron is located within the 5′-untranslated region of the gene, 16 nucleotides upstream of the translation initiation codon. Southern-blot analysis and structural characterization of the genomic sequence indicate that OvGR is encoded by a single-copy gene. Isolation of various cDNA clones revealed a polymorphism of polyadenylation initiation with no consensus polyadenylation sites in any of the cDNAs analysed. The entire cDNA is 1977 bp long and carries the nematode-specific spliced leader sequence SL1 at its 5′ end, 236 nucleotides upstream of the first in-frame methionine. The cDNA codes for a polypeptide of 462 amino acids with 53.5% sequence identity with human GR (HsGR). A total of 18 out of 19 residues contributing to glutathione binding are identical in OvGR and HsGR. However, one of the arginine residues (Arg-224 in HsGR) involved in discrimination between NADPH and NADH in all known GRs is substituted by tryptophan (Trp-207 in OvGR). The coding region of OvGR was expressed in Escherichia coli as a histidine-fusion protein, and it was established that the parasite protein still favours the binding of NADPH (Km 10.9 μM) over NADH (Km 108 μM). The histidine-fusion protein has a subunit size of 54 kDa and is active as a homodimer of 110 kDa.