Heat-induced thiol-disulfide interchange reaction on the third component of human complement, C3

The third component of human complement, C3 is composed of two disulfide-bridged polypeptide chains of Mr 120,000 (alpha chain) and Mr 70,000 (beta chain). C3 has a thioester bond that serves as a binding site for targets when C3 is activated. Heat treatment of C3 induces autolytic peptide bond cleavage at the thioester site in the alpha chain as well as rupture of the thioester bond. The alpha chain fragments are linked to each other and beta chain via disulfide bonds. This study, however, documented that prolonged heating gave rise to liberation of several fragments including beta and the larger fragment of alpha chain. Using a fluorescent thiol reagent and [14C]iodoacetamide, we analyzed thiol residues present on each fragment, and elucidated that the thiol residue exposed by rupture of the thioester bond shifts in turn to another fragment resulting in the liberation of the fragments. The results were compatible with those on C4, and suggested that the generated thiol residue induces thiol-disulfide interchange reaction. On heating of plasma, fragments of C3 were not released, while the cleavage of the alpha chain occurred more effectively. The heated C3 (56 degrees C, 15 min) became insusceptible to C3b inactivator (I) and factor H, suggesting that additional conformational change is accompanied with cleavage of the thioester bond.     

C-type lectin-like carbohydrate recognition of the hemolytic lectin CEL-III containing ricin-type -trefoil folds

CEL-III is a Ca(2+)-dependent hemolytic lectin, isolated from the marine invertebrate Cucumaria echinata. The three-dimensional structure of CEL-III/GalNAc and CEL-III/methyl alpha-galactoside complexes was solved by x-ray crystallographic analysis. In these complexes, five carbohydrate molecules were found to be bound to two carbohydrate-binding domains (domains 1 and 2) located in the N-terminal 2/3 portion of the polypeptide and that contained beta-trefoil folds similar to ricin B-chain. The 3-OH and 4-OH of bound carbohydrate molecules were coordinated with Ca(2+) located at the subdomains 1alpha, 1gamma, 2alpha, 2beta, and 2gamma, simultaneously forming hydrogen bond networks with nearby amino acid side chains, which is similar to carbohydrate binding in C-type lectins. The binding of carbohydrates was further stabilized by aromatic amino acid residues, such as tyrosine and tryptophan, through a stacking interaction with the hydrophobic face of carbohydrates. The importance of amino acid residues in the carbohydrate-binding sites was confirmed by the mutational analyses. The orientation of bound GalNAc and methyl alpha-galactoside was similar to the galactose moiety of lactose bound to the carbohydrate-binding site of the ricin B-chain, although the ricin B-chain does not require Ca(2+) ions for carbohydrate binding. The binding of the carbohydrates induced local structural changes in carbohydrate-binding sites in subdomains 2alpha and 2beta. Binding of GalNAc also induced a slight change in the main chain structure of domain 3, which could be related to the conformational change upon binding of specific carbohydrates to induce oligomerization of the protein.     

Amino acid sequences of the alpha and beta chains of adult hemoglobin of the brown lemur, Lemur fulvus fulvus.

Globin prepared from hemoglobin of the brown lemur (Lemur fulvus fulvus) was separated into alpha and beta chains by chromatography on a CM 52 column. The S-aminoethylated alpha and beta chains were each digested with trypsin and resulting peptides were isolated. The amino acid sequences of the tryptic peptides were established. The ordering of these peptides in the alpha and beta chains was deduced from the homology of their amino acid sequences with that of human adult hemoglobin. The primary structure of brown lemur hemoglobin thus obtained differs from that of human hemoglobin in 15 amino acids in the alpha chain and 26 in the beta chain.     

Complete nucleotide and derived amino acid sequences of the fourth component of mouse complement (C4). Evolutionary aspects

The nucleotide sequence coding for the fourth component of mouse complement (C4) has been determined from a cloned genomic DNA fragment and a cloned cDNA fragment. The amino acid sequence of the protein was deduced. The single chain precursor protein (pro-C4) consists of 1719 amino acid residues. The mature beta, alpha, and gamma subunits contain 654, 766, and 291 amino acids, respectively. One potential carbohydrate attachment site is predicted for the beta chain, three for the alpha chain, and none for the gamma chain. From a comparison with human C4 cDNA sequence an extensive overall sequence homology, 79% in nucleotides and 76% in amino acids, is observed. There is conservation in both the position and number of cysteine residues in human and mouse C4. We compared the mouse C4 amino acid sequences with those of mouse C3 and human alpha 2-macroglobulin and the evolutionary relationship among these three proteins is discussed.     

Studies on camel hemoglobin. 1. Physico-chemical properties and some structural aspects of camel hemoglobin (Camelus dromedarius).

Hemoglobin from an adult camel (Camelus dromedarius) was prepared from the red cell lysate by CM- and DEAE-cellulose chromatography. The purified hemoglobin showed a lesser mobility on starch gel electrophoresis at pH 8.5 than that of human hemoglobin C. Native camel hemoglobin contains 95-99% alkali-resistant hemoglobin and in soluble in 2.94 M K2HPO4/KH2PO4 buffer. Different forms of camel hemoglobin show similar ammonium sulfate precipitation curves. Indirect evidence for the stability of camel hemoglobin solutions was obtained from several sources. Spontaneous met-hemoglobin formation is extremely slow and minimal quantities of degradation products appear on starch gel electrophoresis and on chromatographic separation. The alpha and beta chains of camel hemoglobin A were separated on a CM-23 column by the use of a pyridine formate gradient. Large peptide fragments were obtained by tryptic digestion of maleylated alpha and beta chains. The N-terminal structure of the alpha and beta chains and of tryptic maleylated peptides derived from alpha and beta chains are presented. Between adult camel hemoglobin and adult human hemoglobin six amino acid differences in the N-terminal 20 amino acid residues of the alpha chain, at residues: 4, 5, 12, 14, 17, and 19; eight amino acid substitutions were found in the beta chain at positions: 4, 5, 6, 9, 12, 13, 16, and 19. Substitutions at alpha5 Ala leads to Lys, and beta19 Asn leads to Lys, increase the net positive charge of camel hemoglobin by two, while other substitutions result in no charge differences. The molecular basis of the stability of camel adult hemoglobin is discussed.     

Structure of the alpha and beta heavy chains of the outer arm dynein from Chlamydomonas flagella. Masses of chains and sites of ultraviolet-induced vanadate-dependent cleavage

We report here on the UV-induced vanadate-dependent cleavage of the alpha and beta heavy chains of the outer arm dynein from Chlamydomonas flagella. Both polypeptides are cleaved at a single site (termed the V1 site) by UV irradiation in the presence of Mg2+, ATP, and vanadate. The alpha chain yields fragments of Mr 290,000 and 190,000. Fragments of Mr 255,000 and 185,000 are obtained from the beta chain. Ultraviolet irradiation of the alpha and beta chains in the presence of vanadate and Mn2+ (but no nucleotide) induces cleavage of both molecules at sites (termed the V2 sites) distinct from the V1 sites. The single V2 site within the beta chain is located 75,000 daltons from the site of V1 cleavage within the Mr 255,000 V1 fragment. The alpha chain contains three distinct sites of V2 cleavage; all are located within the Mr 290,000 V1 fragment, 60,000, 90,000, and 100,000 daltons from the site of V1 cleavage. From these studies, we estimate the masses of the alpha and beta heavy chains to be 480,000 and 440,000 daltons, respectively.     

Direct identification of class II histocompatibility DR proteins in preparations of human T-cell lymphotropic virus type III

Class II histocompatibility DR antigen alpha and beta chains were isolated from preparations of human T-cell lymphotropic virus type III grown in human H-9 cells. The proteins were purified by reversed-phase high-pressure liquid chromatography and identified by direct N-terminal amino acid sequence analysis of each chain. The purified DR alpha chain had an N-terminal amino acid sequence identical to the known sequence of human DR alpha chain through the first 37 residues. The N-terminal amino acid sequence of the purified DR beta chain was identical to that of human DR4 beta chain. The DR alpha and beta chains appeared to be identical to the p34-36K and p30-32K proteins, respectively, concentrated in immunostimulatory complexes prepared from unfractionated virus and were the major immunogens in these complexes. These proteins represent a ready source of antigens which can cause false-positive enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay reactions in individuals previously exposed to allogenic histocompatibility antigens. The removal of the DR chains from virus preparations by use of available monoclonal antibodies or other means should result in a lower rate of initial false-positive enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay reactions.     

Nucleotide sequence of complementary DNA and derived amino acid sequence of murine complement protein C3

The nucleotide sequences coding for murine complement component C3 have been determined from a cloned genomic DNA fragment and several overlapping cloned complementary DNA fragments. The amino acid sequence of the protein was deduced. The mature beta and alpha subunits contain 642 and 993 amino acids respectively. Including a 24 amino acid signal peptide and four arginines in the beta-alpha transition region, which are probably not contained in the mature protein, the unglycosylated single chain precursor protein preproC3 would have a molecular mass of 186 484 Da and consist of 1663 amino acid residues. The C3 messenger RNA would be composed of a 56 +/- 2 nucleotide long 5' non-translated region, 4992 nucleotides of coding sequence, and a 3' non-translated region of 39 nucleotides, excluding the poly A tail. The beta chain contains only three cysteine residues, the alpha chain 24, ten of which are clustered in the carboxy terminal stretch of 175 amino acids. Two potential carbohydrate attachment sites are predicted for the alpha chain, none for the beta chain. From a comparison with human C3 cDNA sequence (of which over 80% has been determined) an extensive overall sequence homology was observed. Human and murine preproC3 would be of very similar length and share several noteworthy properties: the same order of the subunits in the precursor, the same basic residue multiplet in the beta-alpha transition region, and a glutamine residue in the thioester region. The equivalent position of the known factor I cleavage sites in human C3 alpha could be located in the murine C3 alpha chain and the size and sequence of the resulting peptide were deduced. A comparison of the amino acid sequences of murine C3 and human alpha 2-macroglobulin is given. Several areas of strong sequence homology are observed, and we conclude that the two genes must have evolved from a common ancestor.     

Amino acid sequence of human factor XI, a blood coagulation factor with four tandem repeats that are highly homologous with plasma prekallikrein

A lambda gtll cDNA library prepared from human liver poly(A) RNA has been screened with affinity-purified antibody to human factor XI, a blood coagulation factor composed of two identical polypeptide chains linked by a disulfide bond(s). A cDNA insert coding for factor XI was isolated and shown to contain 2097 nucleotides, including 54 nucleotides coding for a leader peptide of 18 amino acids and 1821 nucleotides coding for 607 amino acids that are present in each of the 2 chains of the mature protein. The cDNA for factor XI also contained a stop codon (TGA), a potential polyadenylation or processing sequence (AACAAA), and a poly(A) tail at the 3' end. Five potential N-glycosylation sites were found in each of the two chains of factor XI. The cleavage site for the activation of factor XI by factor XIIa was identified as an internal peptide bond between Arg-369 and Ile-370 in each polypeptide chain. This was based upon the amino acid sequence predicted by the cDNA and the amino acid sequence previously reported for the amino-terminal portion of the light chain of factor XI. Each heavy chain of factor XIa (369 amino acids) was found to contain 4 tandem repeats of 90 (or 91) amino acids plus a short connecting peptide. Each repeat probably forms a separate domain containing three internal disulfide bonds. The light chains of factor XIa (each 238 amino acids) contain the catalytic portion of the enzyme with sequences that are typical of the trypsin family of serine proteases. The amino acid sequence of factor XI shows 58% identity with human plasma prekallikrein.     

Lipopolysaccharide-sensitive serine-protease zymogen (factor C) of horseshoe crab hemocytes. Identification and alignment of proteolytic fragments produced during the activation show that it is a novel type of serine protease

The horseshoe crab clotting factor, factor C, present in the hemocytes is a serine-protease zymogen activated with lipopolysaccharide. It is a two-chain glycoprotein (Mr = 123,000) composed of a heavy chain (Mr = 80,000) and a light chain (Mr = 43,000) [T. Nakamura et al. (1986) Eur. J. Biochem. 154, 511-521]. In our continued study of this zymogen, we have now also found a single-chain form of factor C (Mr = 123,000) in the hemocyte lysate. The heavy chain had the NH2-terminal sequence of Ser-Gly-Val-Asp-, consistent with that of the single-chain factor C, indicating that the heavy chain is derived from the NH2-terminal part of the molecule. The light chain had an NH2-terminal sequence of Ser-Ser-Gln-Pro-. Incubation of the two-chain zymogen with lipopolysaccharide resulted in the cleavage of a Phe-Ile bond between residues 72 and 73 of the light chain. Concomitant with this cleavage, the A (72 amino acid residues) and B chains derived from the light chain were formed. The complete amino acid sequence of the A chain was determined by automated Edman degradation. The A chain contained a typical segment which is similar in sequence to a family of repeats in human beta 2-glycoprotein I, complement factors B, protein H, C4b-binding protein, and coagulation factor XIII b subunit. The NH2-terminal sequence of the B chain was Ile-Trp-Asn-Gly-. This chain contained the serine-active site sequence-Asp-Ala-Cys-Ser-Gly-Asp-Ser-Gly-Gly-Pro-. These results indicate that horseshoe crab factor C exists in the hemocytes in a single-chain zymogen form and is converted to an active serine protease by hydrolysis of a specific Phe-Ile peptide bond.     

Characterization of a novel collagen chain in human placenta and its relation to AB collagen.

A novel collagen chain, termed alpha C, has been isolated from human placenta by limited pepsin digestion. The collagen containing the alpha C chain copurifies with placental AB collagen during selective salt precipitation but is virtually absent from fetal birth membranes, which contain relatively larger amounts of AB. Both native AB and alpha C-containing collagens are resistant to human skin collagenase under conditions that support cleavage of type I by greater than 90%. The alpha C chain was separated from alpha B by phosphocellulose chromatography and subsequently from alpha P by chromatography on CM-cellulose. Its amino acid composition is distinct from alpha A and alha B although all three chains posses compositional features in common; the carbohydrate content of the alpha C chain was intermediate between those of alpha A and alpha B. Analysis by NaDodSO4-polyacrylamide gel electrophoresis of peptides produced by CNBr cleavage and by limited digestion with the enzyme mast cell protease indicated different and unique products for the alpha A, alpha B, and alpha C chains. The data support the existence of another collagen chain which is related to the alpha A and alpha B chains but which is structurally unique. The proteins containing these chains may in turn comprise a subfamily of collagen isotypes which represents a divergence from and/or specialization of the type IV basement membrane collagens.     

Analysis of thiolester bond cleavage-dependent conformational changes in binary alpha 2-macroglobulin-proteinase complexes

The structures of the two proteinase-binding sites in human alpha 2-macroglobulin (alpha 2M) were probed by treatment of alpha 2M with the serine proteinases thrombin and plasmin. Each proteinase forms an equimolar complex with alpha 2M (a binary alpha 2M-proteinase complex) which results in the activation and cleavage of two internal thiolester bonds in alpha 2M. Binary alpha 2M-proteinase complexes demonstrated an incomplete conformational change as determined by nondenaturing polyacrylamide gel electrophoresis and incomplete receptor recognition site exposure as determined by in vivo plasma elimination studies. Treatment of binary alpha 2M-proteinase complexes with CH3NH2, trypsin, or elastase resulted in cleavage of an additional one or two thiolester bonds in alpha 2M and complete receptor recognition site exposure, demonstrating that a limited conformational change had occurred. Treatment of the alpha 2M-thrombin complex with elastase resulted in the incorporation of approximately 0.5 mol proteinase/mol alpha 2M and completion of the conformational change in the complex. Similar treatment of the alpha 2M-plasmin complex resulted in the incorporation of less than 0.1 mol proteinase/mol alpha 2M. Unlike the alpha 2M-thrombin complex, the alpha 2M-plasmin complex did not undergo a complete conformational change following treatment with CH3NH2 or trypsin. Incubation of this complex with elastase resulted in proteolysis of the kringle 1-4 region of the alpha 2M-bound plasmin heavy chain, and following this treatment the alpha 2M-plasmin complex underwent a complete conformational change. The results of this investigation demonstrate that binary alpha 2M-proteinase complexes retain a relatively intact proteinase-binding site. In the case of the alpha 2M-plasmin complex, however, the heavy chain of alpha 2M-bound plasmin protrudes from the proteinase-binding site and prevents a complete conformational change in the complex despite additional thiolester bond cleavage.     

Cloning and expression of cDNAs for the alpha subunit of the murine lymphocyte-Peyer''s patch adhesion molecule

cDNA clones encoding the alpha chain of the murine lymphocyte-Peyer's patch adhesion molecule (LPAM), which is associated with lymphocyte homing, have been isolated by screening with the human VLA-4 (alpha 4h) probe. Several alpha 4 antigenic determinants were identified on COS-7 cells after transfection. From overlapping clones, approximately 5 kb of contiguous nucleotide sequence have been determined, encoding a protein sequence of 1039 amino acids for the LPAM alpha chain (alpha 4m). LPAM is a member of the integrin family of cell-surface heterodimers, and alpha 4m is the murine homologue of the human alpha 4 h chain. The two proteins have a total sequence similarity of 84%, with an almost perfect conservation (31/32 amino acids) in the cytoplasmic domain. Like alpha 4h, alpha 4m is distinct from other integrin alpha chains because it has neither an I-domain nor a COOH-terminal cleavage site. The positions of the characteristic Cysteine residues are conserved, and a putative protease cleavage site is located near the middle of the protein sequence. The NH2-terminal part of the protein contains seven homologous repeats, and three of them include putative divalent cation-binding sites. These sites are among the most conserved between the alpha 4m sequence and other alpha chains, and may therefore be involved in the binding of integrin alpha and beta chains. An additional cDNA clone was isolated which shares a sequence of perfect homology with the alpha 4m encoding cDNAs, but has a unique 3' poly-A end. This observation correlates with the fact that three discrete murine RNA bands are observed in Northern blot experiments using alpha 4m as a probe, whereas only two human RNA species are described for alpha 4h, indicating a higher complexity for murine than for human sequences.     

Purification and partial amino acid sequence of papain-solubilized class II transplantation antigens

Papain-solubilized human class II (HLA-DR) antigens have been purified from cadaveric spleens by ion-exchange chromatography, gel chromatography, and immunosorbent purification. The isolated papain-solubilized antigens comprised two subunits with apparent molecular weights of 23 000 and 30 000, respectively. The circular dichroism spectrum for the isolated class II antigens was similar to spectra recorded for HLA-A, -B, and -C antigens, immunoglobulins, and immunoglobulin fragments. Thus, class II antigens contain a considerable amount of beta structure. The small subunit (beta chain) exhibited extensive charge heterogeneity on two-dimensional isoelectric focusing polyacrylamide gel electrophoresis, whereas the large subunit (alpha chain) was more homogeneous. The structural heterogeneity of beta chains remained after neuraminidase treatment. The NH2-terminal amino acid sequence of the beta chains displayed multiple residues in several positions in accordance with the genetic polymorphism displayed by this chain. The alpha chain also displayed multiple residues in some positions, suggesting either that some of the genetic polymorphism of the class II antigens may be endowed in this chain or that multiple loci control the expression of several alpha chains. Papain-solubilized class II antigen subunits were homologous in their amino acid sequences with HLA-DR antigens of defined antigenic specificity as well as with murine I-E/C antigens.     

Spermidine biosynthesis in Saccharomyces cerevisiae. Biosynthesis and processing of a proenzyme form of S-adenosylmethionine decarboxylase

We have cloned and sequenced the Saccharomyces cerevisiae gene for S-adenosylmethionine decarboxylase. This enzyme contains covalently bound pyruvate which is essential for enzymatic activity. We have shown that this enzyme is synthesized as a Mr 46,000 proenzyme which is then cleaved post-translationally to form two polypeptide chains: a beta subunit (Mr 10,000) from the amino-terminal portion and an alpha subunit (Mr 36,000) from the carboxyl-terminal portion. The protein was overexpressed in Escherichia coli and purified to homogeneity. The purified enzyme contains both the alpha and beta subunits. About half of the alpha subunits have pyruvate blocking the amino-terminal end; the remaining alpha subunits have alanine in this position. From a comparison of the amino acid sequence deduced from the nucleotide sequence with the amino acid sequence of the amino-terminal portion of each subunit (determined by Edman degradation), we have identified the cleavage site of the proenzyme as the peptide bond between glutamic acid 87 and serine 88. The pyruvate moiety, which is essential for activity, is generated from serine 88 during the cleavage. The amino acid sequence of the yeast enzyme has essentially no homology with S-adenosylmethionine decarboxylase of E. coli (Tabor, C. W., and Tabor, H. (1987) J. Biol. Chem. 262, 16037-16040) and only a moderate degree of homology with the human and rat enzymes (Pajunen, A., Crozat, A., J?nne, O. A., Ihalainen, R., Laitinen, P. H., Stanley, B., Madhubala, R., and Pegg, A. E. (1988) J. Biol. Chem. 263, 17040-17049); all of these enzymes are pyruvoyl-containing proteins. Despite this limited overall homology the cleavage site of the yeast proenzyme is identical to the cleavage sites in the human and rat proenzymes, and seven of the eight amino acids adjacent to the cleavage site are identical in the three eukaryote enzymes.     

Mechanism-based fragmentation of coenzyme A transferase. Comparison of alpha 2-macroglobulin and coenzyme A transferase thiol ester reactions

The plasma proteins, alpha 2-macroglobulin and complement components 3 and 4, contain an internal thiol ester involving a glutamyl and cysteinyl residue. The thiol ester is susceptible to cyclization at greater than 37 degrees C and forms an unstable 5-oxyproline intermediate. The latter can be hydrolyzed to produce two peptide fragments. We propose that enzymes having activated glutamyl residues as part of their catalytic mechanisms may undergo an analogous cyclization and peptidyl cleavage. As a model, we have investigated pig heart succinyl-CoA:3-keto acid transferase. When the CoA-enzyme thiolester intermediate is heated at pH 7.4 and 70 degrees C for 1 h, approximately 60% of the Mr = 60,000 subunits are cleaved to give Mr = 40,000 and 20,000 fragments. We have shown that formation of the enzyme thiolester is an obligate precursor for the protein fragmentation. However, the reaction was incomplete with a maximum of approximately 65% cleavage at times greater than 60 min. These results suggest that there is a competing, deactivation reaction; namely, the thiol ester and oxyproline intermediates are hydrolyzed to regenerate the active site glutamic acid. Although the maximum rate of cleavage is at 70 degrees C, approximately 15% autolysis also occurs at 37 degrees C. The Mr = 40,000 fragment had the same amino terminal sequence as the Mr = 60,000 subunit, (Trp-Lys-Phe-Tyr-Thr-Asp-Ala-Val-Glu-Ala-). No amino terminal could be detected for the Mr = 20,000 fragment, even after digesting the fragment with pyroglutaminase. Peptide maps of the fragments and the uncleaved subunit indicate that the fragments are generated in parallel. The size of the fragments puts the active site about two-thirds of the way from the amino terminal of the protein.     

Structure of murine complement component C3. II. Nucleotide sequence of cloned complementary DNA coding for the alpha chain

From the inserts of two recombinant plasmids isolated from a murine liver cDNA library, the nucleotide sequence coding for the C3 alpha chain was obtained and the corresponding amino acid sequence was derived. The alpha chain portion of the mRNA is 2979 nucleotides long, specifying a polypeptide of 993 amino acids. The molecular weight of the alpha chain, in the absence of carbohydrate, was calculated from the sequence data to be 112,933. Two possible carbohydrate attachment sites were predicted at residues 269 (Asn) and 947 (Asn). In addition, the positions for two putative factor I cleavage sites were predicted from a comparison with the cleavage sites in the human C3 alpha chain. The C3 alpha chain contains 24 cysteine residues, 10 of these clustered in the C-terminal 175 amino acids of the alpha chain. Together with the accompanying report (Lundwall, A, Wetsel, R.A., Domdey, H., Tack, B.F., and Fey, G.H. (1984) J. Biol. Chem. 259, 13851-13856), this study completes the nucleotide and amino acid structure of the murine precursor prepro-C3 molecule.     

Trypanosoma lewisi: restriction of alternative complement pathway C3/C5 convertase activity

The rat parasite Trypanosoma lewisi was incubated in vitro with rat or human serum, washed, and extracted in detergent. Extracts were fractionated by electrophoresis in denaturing gels, transferred to nitrocellulose, allowed to renature, then immunoblotted with polyclonal antibodies to rat complement component C3 and human complement components C3, C5, and factor B. Molecules that reacted with these antibodies were detected in the extracts. Fragments of rat C3 were detected in extracts of parasites that had not been exposed to serum in vitro. Additional complement deposition occurred during in vitro incubations; human complement components deposited in vitro could be distinguished from rat components deposited in vivo. Complement deposition in vitro required magnesium ions and did not occur when heat inactivated serum was used. Components reacting with antibodies to human C3 included a group of bands with molecular weights higher than C3 alpha or beta chains. Blotting with affinity purified, chain specific antibodies demonstrated that a 68 kDa component on parasites is C3 beta and that a 44 kDa molecule is derived from C3 alpha. A 73 kDa component that was difficult to resolve from C3 beta is probably also a C3 alpha fragment. This suggests that an inactive iC3b-like molecule is present on parasites. Kinetic studies showed that cleavage of C3 alpha is rapid and that the amount of C3 alpha fragments and C3 beta on intact parasites reached a steady state after 15 min. When parasites were trypsinized prior to incubation in C5 or C6 deficient serum, the rate and extent of C3 and C5 deposition increased. Unprocessed C3 alpha' and C5 alpha' chains were detected. Trypsinized parasites were lysed by the alternative complement pathway in normal serum. Intact parasites could be lysed by complement in the presence of antibody. The data support our previous suggestion that trypsin sensitive surface proteins on intact T. lewisi limit alternative pathway activity by restricting C3/C5 convertase activity.     

Photosensitized cleavage of dynein heavy chains. Cleavage at the V2 site by irradiation at 365 NM in the presence of oligovanadate

Irradiation of the outer-arm dynein ATPase from sea urchin sperm flagella at 365 nm in the presence of 50-200 microM vanadate (Vi) and 1 mM manganese acetate, in the absence of ATP, cleaves the alpha and beta heavy chains at a specific site, termed the V2 site, to form discrete peptides of Mr approximately 260,000 and 170,000 from the alpha chain and of Mr approximately 255,000 and 175,000 from the beta chain, with a yield of 80%. This cleavage at the V2 site is not correlated with any direct effect on the dynein ATPase activity. In the presence of 100 microM Vi, the half-times for cleavage of the alpha and beta chains are about 12 and 50 min, respectively. The rate of heavy chain cleavage shows a sigmoidal dependence upon Vi concentration, with half-maximal rate occurring at 58 +/- 7 microM, consistent with the chromophore responsible for cleavage being tri-vanadate. Addition of 10 microM ATP or ADP, or of 100 microM CTP or UTP, to the irradiation medium inhibits cleavage at the V2 site, and results in a slow cleavage occurring at the V1 site described previously. The peptides produced by sequential cleavage at the V2 and then the V1 sites indicate that the sites are separated by about 100,000 Da along the length of each heavy chain. Photoaffinity labeling with [alpha-32P] 8-azidoadenosine 5'-triphosphate (8-N3ATP) gives specific incorporation of 32P into both the Mr 255,000 and 175,000 peptides of the beta chain but into only the Mr 260,000 peptide of the alpha chain. These results suggest that V2 cleavage occurs on a loop of the heavy chain that forms part of the ATP-binding site, close to the locus of 8-N3ATP attachment.     

Proteolytic processing of pro-alpha and pro-beta precursors from human beta-hexosaminidase. Generation of the mature alpha and beta a beta b subunits

There are two major isozymes of human lysosomal beta-hexosaminidase (beta-N-acetylhexosaminidase, EC 3.2.1.52), hexosaminidase A, alpha(beta a beta b), and hexosaminidase B, 2(beta a beta b). The alpha subunit contains a single polypeptide chain, while the beta subunit is composed of two nonidentical chains (beta a and beta b) derived from a common pro-beta precursor. The mature subunits, like those of most lysosomal enzymes, are produced through the proteolytic processing of propolypeptides once they enter the lysosome. In order to define the structure of the alpha and beta subunits generated in the lysosome, the alpha, beta a, and beta b polypeptides of hexosaminidase A and B were separated by a combination of molecular sieve and ion exchange high performance liquid chromatography, and amino-terminal sequences were determined. These were localized to the deduced amino acid sequences of previously isolated cDNAs coding for the prepro-alpha and beta polypeptides. From this analysis, the sites of hydrolysis generating the mature alpha, beta a, and beta b chains from hexosaminidase A and B could be determined. First, the signal peptide, required for processing of the pre-propolypeptides through the rough endoplasmic reticulum was predicted from the first in-frame Met residue on the cDNA. Second, amino acid sequencing defined the amino termini of the mature polypeptide chains and identified the pro-sequences removed from both the pro-alpha and pro-beta polypeptides. Third, an internal cleavage resulted in the removal of a tetrapeptide, Arg-Gln-Asn-Lys, and tripeptide, Arg-Gln-Asn, from the pro-beta chain of hexosaminidase A and B, respectively , to generate the beta b and beta a chains. This result localized the beta b and beta a chains to the amino-terminal and carboxyl-terminal halves of the pro-beta sequence, respectively. Finally, we previously reported minimal or no carboxyl-terminal processing of the pro-beta chain in the lysosome. On the other hand, we suggest that there is trimming at the carboxyl terminus of the pro-alpha chain based on comparison of molecular weights of deglycosylated alpha with the isolated beta b and beta a chains comprising the mature beta subunit with those predicted from the cDNA. Thus, in the lysosome the pro forms of hexosaminidase A and B undergo extensive proteolytic processing which, while specific in nature, has the appearance of removing easily accessible, nonessential domains, rather than contributing to biosynthetic maturation of function.