Isolation, partial purification, and characterization of a novel petromyzonol sulfotransferase from Petromyzon marinus (lamprey) larval liver

We have isolated, partially purified, and characterized the 5 alpha-petromyzonol (5 alpha-PZ), (5 alpha-cholan- 3 alpha, 7 alpha, 12 alpha, 24-tetrahydroxy-) sulfotransferase (PZ-SULT) from larval lamprey liver. Crude liver extracts exhibited a PZ-SULT activity of 0.9120 pmol/min/mg in juvenile and 12.62 pmol/min/mg in larvae. Using crude larval liver extracts and various 5 beta-cholan substrates and allocholic acid there was negligible activity, however, with 5 alpha-PZ and 3-keto-5 alpha-PZ the SULT activity was 231.5 pmol/min/mg and 180.8 pmol/min/mg respectively. This established that the sulfotransferase of lamprey larval liver extracts prefers (5 alpha) substrates and it is selective for hydroxyl at C-24. PZ-SULT was purified through various chromatography procedures. Partially purified PZ-SULT exhibited a pH optimum of 8.0, a temperature optimum of 22 degrees C, and activity was linear for 1h. PZ-SULT exhibited a K(m) of 2.5 microM for PAPS and a K(m) of 8 microM for PZ. The affinity purified peak PZ-SULT exhibited a specific activity of 2,038 pmol/min/mg. The peak protein upon SDS-PAGE, correlated to an Mw 47 kDa. Photoaffinity labeling with PAP(35)S, specifically crosslinked the 47 kDa protein, further confirming the identity of PZ-SULT. Partial amino acid sequencing of the putative 47 kDa PZ-SULT protein yielded a peptide sequence (M)SISQAVDAAFXEI, which possessed an overall (approximately 35-40%) homology with mammalian SULT2B1a.     

Purification and characterization of a Z-pro-prolinal-insensitive Z-Gly-Pro-7-amino-4-methyl coumarin-hydrolyzing peptidase from bovine serum--a new proline-specific peptidase.

The study of a new proline-specific peptidase from bovine serum is presented. The enzyme readily cleaves the prolyl oligopeptidase (PO) substrate Z-Gly-Pro-MCA, liberating the fluorophore MCA, thus allowing quantification of enzyme activity. Unlike PO, however, this peptidase is completely insensitive to the PO-specific inhibitor Z-Pro-prolinal and has been designated Z-Pro-prolinal-insensitive Z-Gly-Pro-MCA-hydrolyzing peptidase (ZIP). The two peptidases were successfully separated from each other by phenyl Sepharose hydrophobic interaction chromatography and the subsequent purification focused on the isolation of ZIP from bovine serum. In addition to phenyl Sepharose, calcium phosphate cellulose and DEAE anion-exchange chromatography were employed in the purification, with an overall enzyme yield of 33% and a purification factor of 4023. SDS-PAGE and size-exclusion chromatography indicated a dimeric structure with a relative molecular mass of 174 kDa. The enzyme was stable over the pH range 2.5-10.0. Optimal activity was detected in the pH range 7.4-8.0. Isoelectric focusing revealed a pI of 5.68. Inhibition by AEBSF suggests the peptidase may be a serine protease and ZIP possibly contains a cysteine residue near the active site. alpha(2)M failed to inhibit activity, suggesting oligopeptidase specificity. HPLC analysis revealed a broad substrate specificity for proline-containing peptides. Kinetic analysis indicated that ZIP had a high affinity for Z-Gly-Pro-MCA with a K(m) of 54 microM deduced. Bovine serum ZIP exhibits biophysical characteristics both similar to and different from those of PO isolated from a number of sources and may serve an important physiological function in the degradation of bioactive oligopeptides.     

Purification of allivin,a novel antifungal protein from bulbs of the round-cloved garlic

A novel antifungal protein, designated allivin, was isolated from bulbs of the round-cloved garlic Allium sativum var. round clove with a procedure involving ion exchange chromatography on DEAE-cellulose, affinity chromatography on Affi-gel blue gel, ion exchange chromatography on CM-Sepharose and FPLC-gel filtration on Superdex 75. Allivin possessed an N-terminal sequence demonstrating very little similarity to sequences of Allium sativum chitinases and ribosome inactivating proteins. Allivin exhibited a molecular weight of 13 kDa in gel filtration and SDS-polyacrylamide gel electrophoresis. It displayed antifungal activity against Botrytis cinerea, Mycosphaerella arachidicola and Physalospora piricola. It inhibited translation in a cell-free rabbit reticulocyte system with an IC50 of 1.6 microM.     

Production of a recombinant hybrid hemoflavoprotein: engineering a functional NADH:cytochrome c reductase.

A gene has been constructed coding for a unique fusion protein, NADH:cytochrome c reductase, that comprises the soluble heme-containing domain of rat hepatic cytochrome b(5) as the amino-terminal portion of the protein and the soluble flavin-containing domain of rat hepatic cytochrome b(5) reductase as the carboxyl terminus. The gene has been expressed in Escherichia coli resulting in the highly efficient production of a functional hybrid hemoflavoprotein which has been purified to homogeneity by a combination of ammonium sulfate precipitation, affinity chromatography on 5'-ADP agarose, and size-exclusion chromatography. The purified protein exhibited a molecular mass of approximately 46 kDa by polyacrylamide gel electrophoresis and 40,875 Da, for the apoprotein, using mass spectrometry which also confirmed the presence of both heme and FAD prosthetic groups. The fusion protein showed immunological cross-reactivity with both anti-rat cytochrome b(5) and anti-rat cytochrome b(5) reductase antibodies indicating the conservation of antigenic determinants from both native domains. Spectroscopic analysis indicated the fusion protein contained both a b-type cytochrome and flavin chromophors with properties identical to those of the native proteins. Amino-terminal and internal amino acid sequencing confirmed the identity of peptides derived from both the heme- and flavin-binding domains with sequences identical to the deduced amino acid sequence. The isolated fusion protein retained NADH:ferricyanide reductase activity (k(cat) = 8.00 x 10(2) s(-1), K(NADH)(m) = 4 microM, K(FeCN(6))(m) = 11 microM) comparable to that of that of native NADH:cytochrome b(5) reductase and also exhibited both NADH:cytochrome c reductase activity (k(cat) = 2.17 x 10(2) s(-1), K(NADH)(m) = 2 microM, K(FeCN(6))(m) = 11 microM, K(Cyt.c)(m) = 1 microM) and NADH:methemoglobin reductase activity (k(cat) = 4.40 x 10(-1) s(-1), K(NADH)(m) = 3 microM, K(mHb)(m) = 47 microM), the latter two activities indicating efficient electron transfer from FAD to heme and retention of physiological function. This work represents the first successful bacterial expression of a soluble, catalytically competent, rat hepatic cytochrome b(5)-cytochrome b(5) reductase fusion protein that retains the functional properties characteristic of the individual heme and flavin domain.     

The purification and characterisation of novel dipeptidyl peptidase IV-like activity from bovine serum

The discovery of a potentially novel proline-specific peptidase from bovine serum is presented which is capable of cleaving the dipeptidyl peptidase IV (DPIV) substrate Gly-Pro-MCA. The enzyme was isolated and purified with the use of Phenyl Sepharose Hydrophobic Interaction, Sephacryl S-300 Gel Filtration, and Q-Sephacryl Anion Exchange, producing an overall purification factor of 257. SDS PAGE resulted in a monomeric molecular mass of 158kDa while size exclusion chromatography generated a native molecular mass of 328kDa. The enzyme remained active over a broad pH range with a distinct preference for a neutral pH range of 7-8.5. Chromatofocusing and isoelectric focusing (IEF) revealed the enzyme's isoelectric point to be 4.74. DPIV-like activity was not inhibited by serine protease inhibitors but was by the metallo-protease inhibitors, the phenanthrolines. The enzyme was also partially inhibited by bestatin. Substrate specificity studies proved that the enzyme is capable of sequential cleavage of bovine beta-Casomorphin and Substance P. The peptidase cleaved the standard DPIV substrate, Gly-Pro-MCA with a K(M) of 38.4 microM, while Lys-Pro-MCA was hydrolysed with a K(M) of 103 microM. The DPIV-like activity was specifically inhibited by both Diprotin A and B, non-competitively, generating a K(i) of 1.4 x 10(-4) M for both inhibitors. Ile-Thiazolidide and Ile-Pyrrolidide both inhibited competitively with an inhibition constant of 3.7 x 10(-7) and 7.5 x 10(-7) M, respectively. It is concluded that bovine serum DPIV-like activity share many biochemical properties with DPIV and DPIV-like enzymes but not exclusively, suggesting that the purified peptidase may play an important novel role in bioactive oligopeptide degradation.     

Purification and characterization of tripeptidyl peptidase I from Dictyostelium discoideum.

A tripeptidyl peptidase I from Dictyostelium discoideum was purified 744-fold to near homogeneity. The enzyme is 214 kDa in size and is composed of two monomers with a M(r) of 107 kDa. It has two pH optima at pH 4.5 and 5.9 and is a serine peptidase with no aminopeptidase or dipeptidyl peptidase activity. The enzyme was relatively specific showing activity on ala-ala-phe-p-nitroaniline but also acted on substrates with proline in the P1 position in contrast to mammalian TPP I. The K(m) values of the enzyme at pH 4.5 for ala-ala-phe-, ala-phe-pro- and ala-ala-pro-p-nitroanilines were 27 microM, 437 microM and 888 microM, respectively. The enzyme is most abundant during the amoeba stage of the life cycle but is present in the early stages of development and may therefore have a dual role in the organism in mobilizing amino acids or in processing specific peptides or proteins.     

Isolation of a novel N-acetylglucosamine-specific lectin from fresh sclerotia of the edible mushroom Pleurotus tuber-regium

An N-acetylglucosamine-binding lectin with a molecular mass of 32kDa was isolated from fresh sclerotia of the edible mushroom Pleurotus tuber-regium. Its N-terminal sequence exhibited some similarity to that of Agaricus bisporus lectin. The isolation procedure was simple, involving (NH(4))(2)SO(4) precipitation, ion exchange chromatography on DEAE-cellulose, affinity chromatography on N-acetyl-D-glucosamine-agarose, and gel filtration by fast protein liquid chromatography on Superdex 75. The lectin exhibited hemagglutinating activity toward trypsinized rabbit erythrocytes but not toward untrypsinized rabbit erythrocytes.     

A novel cysteine protease inhibitor with lectin activity from the epidermis of the Japanese eel Anguilla japonica

A novel cysteine protease inhibitor (Eel-CPI-1) was isolated from the epidermis of the eel. Eel-CPI-1 was shown to bind strongly to both lactose- and carboxymethylated papain-affinity gels. Its molecular mass under reducing condition was determined to be 18 kDa by SDS-polyacrylamide gel electrophoresis but approximately 30.5 kDa under non-reducing-conditions. Eel-CPI-1 inhibited papain (K(i)=18 nM) and ficin (K(i)=120 nM) competitively. Combined with the data on amino acid and sequence analysis, Eel-CPI-1 is identical to the eel lectin, AJL-2. This is the first report describing a cysteine protease inhibitor with lectin activity.     

Clusterin is a specific stabilizer and liberator of extracellular cathepsin K

The cysteine peptidase cathepsin K is a major player in extracellular proteolysis. Here we describe the identification of the multifunctional extracellular chaperone clusterin as a cathepsin K-binding protein. Clusterin increases the stability of cathepsin K in dilute solution and in the presence of high protein concentration. It does not alter the activity of the enzyme but acts as a liberator by preventing substrate inhibition. Kinetic measurements show that clusterin binds cathepsin K with high affinity (K(d) = 0.5-0.6 nM). Altogether these results provide novel insights into the mechanisms involved in the fine-tuning of cysteine cathepsin activity in the extracellular space.     

Purification and characterization of a lectin from wild sunflower (Helianthus tuberosus L.) tubers

A lectin (HTTL) was isolated from Helianthus tuberosus L. (wild sunflower) tubers using ion-exchange chromatography, gel filtration, and affinity chromatography. The lectin agglutinated both untreated and trypsin-treated rabbit erythrocytes and did not agglutinate human blood cells of groups A, B, and O. The gel filtration showed the native molecular mass of 72 kDa and subunit molecular masses of 17 and 18.5 kDa on 12% SDS-PAGE. The lectin activity was inhibited by D-mannose. The tetrameric protein revealed a unique characteristic by forming a broad zone of protein in native PAGE at pH 8.3, which dissociated into seven subunits of varying e/m ratios on acid gel at pH 4.3. These seven bands revealed two polypeptide species of molecular masses 17 and 18.5 kDa on 12% SDS-PAGE, as in the case of the native protein. The result indicated that of the seven subunits, three were homotetramers of 17 kDa, one was a homotetramer of 18.5 kDa, and three were heterotetramers of 17 and 18.5 kDa. The lectin was thermostable with broad pH optima (pH 4-8) and had no requirement for divalent metal cations for its activity. The amino acid composition showed that the lectin contained higher amounts of glycine, alanine, and lysine, but no methionine. The sugar content was estimated to be 5.3% mannose equivalent. The HTTL was mitogenic to mouse spleen (total) cells at 25 microg/ml concentration. The lectin showed characteristics different from those of the earlier reported H. tuberosus tuber lectins and hence opens up a new avenue to investigate the structure-function relationship of lectin in Helianthus species.     

Purification and molecular characterization of a sialic acid specific lectin from the phytopathogenic fungus Macrophomina phaseolina

A lectin was isolated and purified from the culture filtrate of the plant pathogenic fungus Macrophomina phaseolina by a combination of ammonium sulfate precipitation, affinity chromatography on fetuin-Sepharose 4B and ion-exchange chromatography on DEAE-A 50. The lectin designated MPL was homogeneous by PAGE and HPLC and a monomeric protein with a molecular weight of approximately 34 kDa as demonstrated by SDS-PAGE. It is a glycoprotein and agglutinated human erythrocytes regardless of the human blood type. Neuraminidase treatment of erythrocytes reduced the agglutination activity of the lectin. It is thermally stable and exhibits maximum activity between pH 6 and 7.2. Its carbohydrate binding specificity was investigated both by hapten inhibition of hemagglutination and by enzyme-conjugated lectin inhibition assay. Although, M. phaseolina lectin bound sialic acid, it exhibited binding affinity towards neuraminyl oligosaccharides of N-linked glycoproteins, alpha-Neu5Ac-(2-->3)-beta-Gal-(1-->4)-GlcNAc being maximum.     

Purification and carbohydrate-binding specificities of a blood type B binding lectin from hemolymph of a crab (Charybdis japonica)

A blood type B binding lectin (CJA-B) was isolated from the hemolymph of the crab Charybdis japonica by affinity chromatography on Sephadex G-200. The molecular mass of the native lectin was determined to be 300 kDa by gradient polyacrylamide gel electrophoresis under nondenaturing conditions. On SDS-polyacrylamide gel electrophoresis, the lectin gave a single protein band with molecular masses of 19 and 38 kDa in the presence and absence of 2-mercaptoethanol, respectively. CJA-B contained mannose, N-acetylglucosamine, xylose, and fucose in the molar ratio of 3.0:1.6:1.2:1.1. The protein required calcium ions for hemagglutinating activity and showed specificities for alpha-galactosyl and alpha-glucosyl residues. Studies on hemagglutination inhibition by Synsorbs, which are synthetic oligosaccharides coupled chemically to crystalline silica, showed that the lectin mainly interacts with Gal alpha 1-3Gal.     

A novel carbohydrate binding activity of annexin V toward a bisecting N-acetylglucosamine

A bisecting GlcNAc-binding protein was purified from a Triton X-100 extract of a porcine spleen microsomal fraction using affinity chromatography, in conjunction with an agalacto bisected biantennary sugar chain-immobilized Sepharose. Since the erythroagglutinating phytohemagglutinin (E-PHA) lectin preferentially binds to sugar chains which contain the bisecting GlcNAc, during purification the binding activity of the protein was evaluated by monitoring the inhibition of lectin binding to the N-acetylglucosaminyltransferase III (GnT-III)-transfected K562 cells which express high levels of the bisecting GlcNAc. The molecular mass of the purified protein was found to be 33 kDa, as determined by sodium dodecyl sulfate-polyacrylamide gel electrophoresis. By sequencing analysis, the isolated protein was identified as annexin V. Flow cytometric analysis showed that fluorescein-labeled annexin V binds to the GnT-III-transfected cells but not to mock cells, and that the binding was not affected by the addition of phospholipids. Furthermore, surface plasmon resonance measurements indicated that annexin V binds to the agalacto bisected biantennary sugar chain with a K(d) of 200 microM while essentially no binding was observed in the case of the corresponding non-bisected sample. These results suggest that annexin V has a novel carbohydrate binding activity and may serve as an endogenous lectin for mediating possible signals of bisecting GlcNAc, which have been implicated in a variety of biological functions.     

Solenin, a novel protein with translation-inhibiting activity from the traditional Chinese medicinal fish, the sea dragon Solenognathus hardwickii

A single-chained protein designated solenin was isolated from Solenognathus hardwickii, a fish used as traditional Chinese medicinal material. Solenin was capable of inhibiting translation in a cell-free rabbit reticulocyte lysate system with an IC(50) of 2 microM and expressing a ribonuclease activity of 0.8U/mg toward yeast transfer RNA, but it lacked N-glycosidase activity characteristic of ribosome inactivating proteins Solenin exhibited a molecular weight of 18kDa and possessed an N-terminal sequence AHDAEVNEVKAQVAA. The protein was adsorbed on three types of chromatographic media: Affi-gel blue gel, CM-Sepharose and Mono S. It was devoid of antifungal and lectin activities.     

Expression, purification, and kinetic characterization of full-length human fibroblast activation protein

Human fibroblast activation protein (FAP), an integral membrane serine protease, was produced in insect cells as a hexa-His-tagged protein using a recombinant baculovirus expression system. Two isoforms of FAP, glycosylated and nonglycosylated, were identified by Western blotting using an anti-His-tag antibody and separated by lectin chromatography. The glycosylated FAP was purified to near homogeneity using immobilized metal affinity chromatography and was shown to have both postprolyl dipeptidyl peptidase and postgelatinase activities. In contrast, the nonglycosylated isoform demonstrated no detectable gelatinase activity by either zymography or a fluorescence-based gelatinase activity assay. The kinetic parameters of the dipeptidyl peptidase activity for glycosylated FAP were determined using dipeptide Ala-Pro-7-amino-trifluoromethyl-coumarin as the substrate. The k(cat) is 2.0 s(-1) and k(cat)/K(m) is 1.0 x 10(4) M(-1) s(-1) at pH 8.5. The pH dependence of k(cat) reveals two ionization groups with pK(a1) of 7.0 and pK(a2) of 11.0. The pH profile of k(cat)/K(m) yields similar results with pK(a1) 6.2 and pK(a2) 11.0. The neutral pK(a1) is associated with His at the active site. The basic pK(a2) might be contributed from an ionization group that is not involved directly in catalysis, instead associated with the stability of the active site structure.