Identification of I137M and other mutations that modulate incubation periods for two human prion strains

We report here the transmission of human prions to 18 new transgenic (Tg) mouse lines expressing 8 unique chimeric human/mouse prion proteins (PrP). Extracts from brains of two patients, who died of sporadic Creutzfeldt-Jakob disease (sCJD), contained either sCJD(MM1) or sCJD(VV2) prion strains and were used for inocula. Mice expressing chimeric PrP showed a direct correlation between expression level and incubation period for sCJD(MM1) prions irrespective of whether the transgene encoded methionine (M) or valine (V) at polymorphic residue 129. Tg mice expressing chimeric transgenes encoding V129 were unexpectedly resistant to infection with sCJD(VV2) prions, and when transmission did occur, it was accompanied by a change in strain type. The transmission of sCJD(MM1) prions was modulated by single amino acid reversions of each human PrP residue in the chimeric sequence. Reverting human residue 137 in the chimeric transgene from I to M prolonged the incubation time for sCJD(MM1) prions by more than 100 days; structural analyses suggest a profound change in the orientation of amino acid side chains with the I→M mutation. These findings argue that changing the surface charge in this region of PrP greatly altered the interaction between PrP isoforms during prion replication. Our studies contend that strain-specified replication of prions is modulated by PrP sequence-specific interactions between the prion precursor PrP(C) and the infectious product PrP(Sc).     

Cerebrospinal fluid-optimized two-dimensional difference gel electrophoresis (2-D DIGE) facilitates the differential diagnosis of Creutzfeldt-Jakob disease

So far only the detection of 14-3-3 proteins in cerebrospinal fluid (CSF) is included in the diagnostic criteria for sporadic Creutzfeldt-Jakob disease (sCJD). However, this assay cannot be used for screening because of the high rate of false positive results in sCJD, and often negative results in variant CJD. To facilitate the differential diagnosis of CJD, we applied 2-D differential gel-electrophoresis (2-D DIGE) as a quantitative proteomic screening system for CSF proteins. We compared 36 patients suffering from sCJD with 30 patients suffering from other neurodegenerative diseases. Sample preparation was optimized in consideration of the fact that CSF is composed of blood- and brain-derived proteins, and an improved 2-D DIGE protocol was established. Using this method in combination with protein identification by MALDI-TOF-MS, several known surrogate markers of sCJD like 14-3-3 protein, neuron-specific enolase, and lactate dehydrogenase were readily identified. Moreover, a not yet identified protein with an approximate molecular mass of 85 kDa was found as marker for sCJD with high diagnostic specificity and sensitivity. We conclude that our proteomic approach is useful to differentiate CJD from other neurodegenerative diseases and expect that CSF-optimized 2-D DIGE will find broad application in the search for other brain derived proteins in CSF.     

A polymorphism in the YWHAH gene encoding 14-3-3 eta that is not associated with sporadic Creutzfeldt–Jakob disease (CJD)

14-3-3 proteins are abundantly expressed in the brain, particularly neuronal tissue and are thought to serve multiple biological functions involved in neuronal development and cell growth and death. Recent studies have shown associations of 14-3-3 genes with neurodegenerative disorders based on their chromosomal linkage to these diseases and to regulatory functions for the nervous system. Although the role of 14-3-3 proteins in the pathogenesis of prion diseases remains unknown, the detection of altered levels of isoforms of the 14-3-3 protein in the cerebrospinal fluid is considered a biomarker for diagnosis of sporadic Creutzfeldt–Jakob disease (sCJD). To identify other susceptibility genes for prion disease, we examined nucleotide variations in YWHAH, a gene encoding 14-3-3 eta. This case–control study included 182 sCJD patients and 206 healthy Koreans. Polymerase chain reaction was used to amplify open reading frame and some 3′-untranslated region (UTR) in exon 2, and direct sequencing was carried out. One polymorphism, 753 G/A, was detected in the 3′-UTR of exon 2 on the YWHAH. The genotype distribution and allele frequencies of the YWHAH 753 G/A polymorphism were not significantly different between controls and sCJD patients. This finding indicates that YWHAH 753 G/A polymorphism is unlikely to be linked to genetic susceptibility or have a modifying effect in sCJD. On analysis stratified by the prion protein gene 129 or 219 genotype, no significant relation was found in genotype and allele frequencies of the YWHAH 753G/A. This is the first genetic association study of YWHAH with sCJD populations.     

Magnetic resonance spectroscopy and measurement of tau epitopes of autopsy proven sporadic Creutzfeldt-Jakob disease in a patient with non-specific initial EEG, MRI and negative 14-3-3 immunoblot

Limited potential of electroencephalogram (EEG), magnetic resonance images (MRI) and cerebrospinal fluid (CSF) test for 14-3-3 protein in the clinical diagnosis of sporadic Creutzfeldt-Jakob disease (sCJD) resulted in developments in diagnostic premortem tehniques. Recent studies provided evidence that magnetic resonance spectroscopy (MRS) and measurement of total-tau (T-tau) and phospho-tau (P-tau) may be useful to identify patients with CJD. We combined detected metabolic changes in the brain by MRS and measured T-tau and tau-pT181 by ELISA, and tau-pT231 by Westernblot in a patient with autopsy proven sCJD. Our results show that in contrast to negative CSF 14-3-3 protein, nonspecific EEG and MRI, MRS revealed metabolic alterations in regions of the brain that has appeared normal on MRI, and tau tests has shown measurable levels of phosphorylated and non-phosphorylated isoforms in CSF. We conclude that rapidly progressive dementia with negative 14-3-3 test and non-specific initial EEG and MRI must still be considered in the differential diagnosis of the sCJD. Combination of serial functional MRI along with MRS study and measurement of tau ratio could improve the early diagnosis of sCJD. The current case is the first attempt to study results of the use of MRS and tau tests in a case of sCJD with diagnostic dilemma.     

The heterodimeric subunit SRP9/14 of the signal recognition particle functions as permuted single polypeptide chain.

The targeting of nascent polypeptide chains to the endoplasmic reticulum is mediated by a cytoplasmic ribonucleoprotein, the signal recognition particle (SRP). The 9 kD (SRP9) and the 14 kD (SRP14) subunits of SRP are required to confer elongation arrest activity to the particle. SRP9 and SRP14 form a heterodimer which specifically binds to SRP RNA. We have constructed cDNAs that encode single polypeptide chains comprising SRP9 and SRP14 sequences in the two possible permutations linked by a 17 amino acid peptide. We found that both fusion proteins specifically bound to SRP RNA as monomeric molecules folded into a heterodimer-like structure. Our results corroborate the previous hypothesis that the authentic heterodimer binds to SRP RNA in equimolar ratio. In addition, both fusion proteins conferred elongation arrest activity to SRP(-9/14), which lacks this function, and one fusion protein could functionally replace the heterodimer in the translocation assay. Thus, the normal N-and C-termini of both proteins have no essential role in folding, RNA-binding and in mediating the biological activities. The possibility to express the heterodimeric complex as a single polypeptide chain facilitates the analysis of its functions and its structure in vivo and in vitro.     

Impact of the clinical context on the 14-3-3 test for the diagnosis of sporadic CJD

Background  

The 14-3-3 test appears to be a valuable aid for the clinical diagnosis of sporadic Creutzfeldt-Jakob disease (sCJD) in selected populations. However, its usefulness in routine practice has been challenged. In this study, the influence of the clinical context on the performance of the 14-3-3 test for the diagnosis of sCJD is investigated through the analysis of a large prospective clinical series.     

Cystatin C as a potential cerebrospinal fluid marker for the diagnosis of Creutzfeldt-Jakob disease

The definite diagnosis of Creutzfeldt-Jakob disease (CJD), the most common form of human prion diseases, relies upon neuropathological data usually obtained at autopsy. In living patients, the diagnosis, based on suggestive clinical features and EEG abnormalities, can be aided by the detection of altered levels of isoforms of the 14-3-3 protein in the cerebrospinal fluid (CSF). However, the validity of this test has been recently challenged and the search for other, more reliable biomarkers for CJD remains highly desirable. The present study describes the identification of a new potential surrogate marker in the CSF of CJD-affected patients. A preliminary study employing surface-enhanced laser desorption/ionization-time of flight (SELDI-TOF) technology highlighted a protein at 13.4 kDa in a small group (n = 8) of CJD-affected patients. Further analysis aimed at identifying this protein using cationic exchange chromatography, sodium dodecyl sulfate-polyacrylamide gel electrophoresis (SDS-PAGE), and liquid chromatography-tandem mass spectrometry (LC-MS/MS) revealed it to be cystatin C. Additional immunoblot assays confirmed that the level of cystatin C was significantly increased (p 相似文献   

Temperature-sensitive mutants blocked in the folding or subunit assembly of the bacteriophage P22 tail spike protein: III. Inactive polypeptide chains synthesized at 39 °C

Salmonella typhimurium cells infected by temperature-sensitive mutants in gene 9 of bacteriophage P22 at the restrictive temperature (39 °C) fail to accumulate functional tail spike protein. We report here studies of the inactive mutant tail spike polypeptide chains synthesized at 39 °C by temperature-sensitive mutants at 15 different sites of gene 9. For all 15 mutants, the gene 9 polypeptide chains were synthesized at 39 °C at rates similar to wild type. The mutant polypeptide chains were stable within the infected cells.The inactive polypeptide chains were tested for three functions displayed by the mature tail spike protein: irreversible binding to phage heads, endorhamnosidase activity, and reaction with anti-tail antibody. The 15 mutant proteins that accumulated at 39 °C lacked all three functions. Since the amino acid substitutions do not affect these functions of the mature protein, the mutant polypeptide chains synthesized at 39 °C have a conformation very different from the wild type, and different from the same proteins when matured at 30 °C. The fact that amino acid substitutions throughout the 76,000 M_r polypeptide chain prevent all three functions suggests that the mutations prevent the correct folding of the gene 9 polypeptide chain at restrictive temperature. Thus, these mutations identify sites in the polypeptide chain critical for protein maturation.Many of the mutant proteins could be activated in the absence of new protein synthesis by shifting infected cells from restrictive to permissive temperature before cell lysis. For these mutants, the immature chains accumulating at high temperature must be reversibly related to intermediates in protein folding or subunit assembly.     

Urinary Exosomes: A Novel Means to Non-Invasively Assess Changes in Renal Gene and Protein Expression

Background

In clinical practice, there is a lack of markers for the non-invasive diagnosis and follow-up of kidney disease. Exosomes are membrane vesicles, which are secreted from their cells of origin into surrounding body fluids and contain proteins and mRNA which are protected from digestive enzymes by a cell membrane.

Methods

Toxic podocyte damage was induced by puromycin aminonucleoside in rats (PAN). Urinary exosomes were isolated by ultracentrifugation at different time points during the disease. Exosomal mRNA was isolated, amplified, and the mRNA species were globally assessed by gene array analysis. Tissue-specific gene and protein expression was assessed by RT-qPCR analysis and immunohistochemistry.

Results

Gene array analysis of mRNA isolated from urinary exosomes revealed cystatin C mRNA as one of the most highly regulated genes. Its gene expression increased 7.5-fold by day 5 and remained high with a 1.9-fold increase until day 10. This was paralleled by a 2-fold increase in cystatin C mRNA expression in the renal cortex. Protein expression in the kidneys also dramatically increased with de novo expression of cystatin C in glomerular podocytes in parts of the proximal tubule and the renal medulla. Urinary excretion of cystatin C increased approximately 2-fold.

Conclusion

In this proof-of-concept study, we could demonstrate that changes in urinary exosomal cystatin C mRNA expression are representative of changes in renal mRNA and protein expression. Because cells lining the urinary tract produce urinary exosomal cystatin C mRNA, it might be a more specific marker of renal damage than glomerular-filtered free cystatin C.     

Diagnostic accuracy of cerebrospinal fluid protein markers for sporadic Creutzfeldt-Jakob disease in Canada: a 6-year prospective study

Background  

To better characterize the value of cerebrospinal fluid (CSF) proteins as diagnostic markers in a clinical population of subacute encephalopathy patients with relatively low prevalence of sporadic Creutzfeldt-Jakob disease (sCJD), we studied the diagnostic accuracies of several such markers (14-3-3, tau and S100B) in 1000 prospectively and sequentially recruited Canadian patients with clinically suspected sCJD.     

Identification of the amyloid β-protein precursor and cystatin C as novel epidermal growth factor receptor regulated secretory proteins in nasopharyngeal carcinoma by proteomics

The epidermal growth factor receptor (EGFR) is usually overexpressed in nasopharyngeal carcinoma (NPC) and is associated with pathogenesis of NPC. However, while EGFR-modulated intracellular proteins have been extensively studied, little is known concerning their extracellular counterparts. To identify EGFR-regulated secreted proteins in NPC, we compared the secretome profiles of TGF-α-stimulated and unstimulated NPC cell line CNE-2. CNE-2 cells were cultured in the absence or presence of TGF-α for 24 h, and secreted proteins were obtained from conditioned serum-free media and enriched by ultrafiltration centrifugation. Using 2-DE and subsequent mass spectrometry, we identified 16 differential secreted proteins, among which the amyloid β-protein precursor (APP) was up-regulated and cystatin C was down-regulated after TGF-α stimulation. We further showed that the secretory changes of APP and cystatin C in CNE-2 after TGF-α stimulation could be abrogated by pretreatment of EGFR tyrosine kinase inhibitor PD153035 and PI3 kinase inhibitor Wortmannin, validating that APP and cystatin C are EGFR-regulated secreted proteins in NPC cells. Immunohistochemistry showed that the expression level of EGFR was positively correlated with the expression level of APP and negatively correlated with the expression level of cystatin C in NPC tissues, indicating that EGFR also regulates expression of APP and cystatin C in clinical NPC tissues. Furthermore, functional analysis showed that the growth and migration of CNE-2 cells decreased after neutralization of secretory APP in the medium using the anti-APP antibody. Our data provide substantial evidence that APP and cystatin C are target secreted proteins of EGFR in NPC, and upregulation of secretory APP by EGFR may be involved in the pathogenesis of NPC.     

Mechanism of compartmentation of secretory proteins: transport of exocrine pancreatic proteins across the microsomal membrane

The mechanism by which secretory proteins are segregated within the cisternal space of microsomal vesicles was studied using dog pancreas mRNA which directs the synthesis of 14 well-characterized nonglycosylated pancreatic exocrine proteins. In the absence of microsomal membranes, each of the proteins was synthesized as larger polypeptide chains (presecretory proteins). 1,000-2,000 daltons larger than their authentic counterparts as judged by polyacrylamide gel electrophoresis in SDS. Conditions optimal for the study of reconstituted rough microsomes in the reticulocyte lysate system were examined in detail using mRNA and microsomal membranes isolated from dog pancreas. Functional reconstitution of rough microsomes was considerably more efficient in the presence of micrococcal nuclease- treated membranes than in the presence of EDTA-treated membranes. Analysis for segregation of nascent secretory proteins by microsomal vesicles, using post-translational incubation in the presence of trypsin and chymotrypsin, 50 μg/ml each, was shown to be inadequate, because of the disruption of vesicles by protease activity. Addition of 1-3 mM tetracaine or 1 mM dibucaine stabilized microsomal membranes incubated in the presence of trypsin and chymotrypsin at either 0 degrees or 22 degrees C. Each of the pancreatic presecretory proteins studied was correctly processed to authentic secretory proteins by nuclease-treated microsomal membranes, as judged by both one-dimensional and two-dimensional gel electophoresis. Post-translational addition of membranes did not result in either segregation or processing of nascent polypeptide chains. Post- translational proteolysis, carried out in the presence of 3 mM tetracaine, indicated that each of the 14 characterized dog pancreas secretory proteins was quantitatively segregated by nuclease-treated microsomal vesicles. Segregation of nascent secretory proteins was irreversible, since radioactive amylase, as well as the other labeled secretory proteins, remained quantitatively sequestered in microsomal vesicles during a 90-min incubation at 22 degrees C after the cessation of protein synthesis. Studies employing synchronized protein synthesis and delayed addition of membranes indicated that all pancreatic presecretory proteins contain amino terminal peptide extensions. These peptide extensions are shown to mediate the cotranslational binding of presecretory proteins to microsomal membranes and the transport of nascent secretory proteins to the vesicular space. The maximum chain lengths which, during synthesis, allow segregation of nascent polypeptide chains varied between 61 (pretrypsinogen 2 + 3) and 88 (preprocarboxypeptidase A1) amino acid residues among dog pancreas presecretory proteins. Reconstitution studies using homologous and heterologous mixtures of mRNA (dog, guinea pig, and rat pancreas; rat liver) and micrococcal nuclease-treated microsomal membranes (dog, guinea pig, and rat liver; dog pancreas), in the presence of placental ribonuclease inhibitor, suggest that the translocation mechanism described is common to the rough endoplasmic reticulum of all mammalian tissues.     

Studies of glutamate dehydrogenase: analysis of functional areas and functional groups.

1. It is shown by limited tryptic digestion of beef liver glutamate dehydrogenase under native conditions that the amino terminus of the polypeptide chain is located at the surface of the molecule. End-group analysis after trypsin treatment yields aspartic acid as the new N-terminal amino acid while the C-terminal threonine remains unchanged. 2. NADH, especially in the presence of 2-oxoglutarate, protects the enzyme against tryptic degradation. In the absence of the coenzyme, glutamate dehydrogenase is rapidly inactivated. 3. The regulatory effects of ADP and GTP are only slightly altered by trypsin. A small shift of the pH dependence of the activation by ADP is observed. 4. The quaternary structure of the unimer of the enzyme is not affected by limited tryptic digestion indicating that the N-terminal part of the polypeptide chain is not located in the contact domains between the polypeptide chains. The association of the hexamer to large associated particles is reduced but not abolished. 5. It is shown by treatment of the enzyme with iodo[2(-14)C]acetic acid as well as with Ellman's reagent that the six - SH groups of the polypeptide chain are buried and not accessible to these reagents in phosphate buffer. In Tris buffer they become exposed and react in the order 89, 55, 197, 115, 270, 319. This together with the result that in Tris buffer the rat of inactivation caused by trypsin is higher than in phosphate buffer indicates that Tris buffer changes drastically the properties of the enzyme. 6. Cross-linking of the enzyme molecule with bifunctional reagents and subsequent dodecylsulfate-polyacrylamide electrophoresis shows that the six identical polypeptide chains are arranged in two groups of three. 7. The implications of these results for the tertiary and quaternary structure of beef liver glutamate dehydrogenase are discussed.     

Location of the sulfhydryl groups involved in disulfide interaction between the neighboring proteins L6 and L29 in mammalian ribosomes. S-cleavage of the cyanylated proteins in polyacrylamide gels after separation by dodecylsulfate gel electrophoresis

Proteins L6 and L29 occupy closely adjacent sites in mammalian 60-S ribosomal subparticles and are easily cross-linked by intermolecular disulfide bond formation. For locating the interacting thiols within the polypeptide chains the dissociated proteins L6 and L29 obtained from the isolated disulfide complex were subjected to S-cleavage following [14C]cyanylation of the two cysteine residues. Four split products of the [14C]cyanylated proteins were isolated by dodecylsulfate gel electrophoresis. Two of these could be identified by autoradiography as the selectively labeled C-terminal fragments. For unequivocal assignment of the fragments to the parent proteins, a simple and generally applicable method of cleaving cyanylated proteins in polyacrylamide gel for subsequent diagonal analysis was developed. The experiments indicated that the sulfhydryl group of L6 interacting with L29 is located at a distance of approximately 80 amino acid residues from the N-terminus. In the intact ribosome this sequence contains a clostripain-sensitive and trypsin-sensitive portion of the protein more or less exposed at the ribosomal surface. In the case of protein L29, the interacting sulfhydryl group was located at a distance of approximately 40 amino acid residues from the C-terminal.     

Upregulation of cystatin SN promotes hepatocellular carcinoma progression and predicts a poor prognosis

Cystatin SN, a specific cysteine protease inhibitor, is thought to be involved in various malignant tumors. Therefore, we evaluated the role of cystatin SN in hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC). Notably, cystatin SN was elevated in tumorous samples and cells. Moreover, overexpression of cystatin SN was correlated with tumor diameter and TNM stage. Cox multivariate analysis displayed that cystatin SN was an independent prognosis indicator and that high cystatin SN level was associated with a dismal prognosis. Moreover, cystatin SN enhancement facilitated the proliferation, migratory, and invasive potential of Huh7 and HCCLM3 cells, whereas cystatin SN knockdown caused the opposite effect. Cystatin SN also modulated the epithelial-mesenchymal transition progression through the PI3K/AKT pathway. In vivo cystatin SN promoted HCCLM3 cell growth and metastasis in xenograft mice model. Thus, cystatin SN was involved in HCC progression and could be a latent target for HCC treatment.     

Influence of autonomic agonists on the in vitro incorporation of [3H]leucine and N-acetyl[14C]mannosamine into submandibular action of the mouse

The influence of isoproterenol and pilocarpine on the in vitro incorporation of [3H]leucine and N-acetyl[14C]mannosamine into the proteins of the submandibular glands of the mouse has been investigated during a 10 h period. The total uptake of both labelled precursors into the glands was hardly affected by isoproterenol and pilocarpine during the first 2 h of incubation, thereafter both agonists decreased the uptake slightly. The incorporation of [3H]leucine into secreted proteins was largely similar for the control, isoproterenol and pilocarpine during an incubation of 10 h. [14C]ManNAc incorporation showed a lag period of about 2 h and could be observed in the secreted proteins after 2 h. Particularly after 6 h a strong increase was observed for the control and isoproterenol, whereas pilocarpine showed a much lower increase. The secreted protein components were separated by electrophoresis to study the incorporation of the labelled precursors in separate secretory proteins such as submandibular mucin. Apparently, both agonists increased the incorporation of [14C]ManNAc relative to [3H]leucine into submandibular mucin of the mouse. During a period of 10 h the [14C]ManNAc incorporation into the mucin was enhanced 2-3-fold by isoproterenol and 3-4-fold by pilocarpine. A non-radioactive experiment in vitro showed that the molar ratio of the sugar residues did not change. However, the total amount of sugars relative to the amino acids increased by 50%, pointing to an increase in the degree of glycosylation. This suggests that both adrenergic and cholinergic agonists regulate the total number of carbohydrate chains attached to one and the same polypeptide core of the submandibular mucin of the mouse.     

An amino acid sequence in the active site of lipoamide dehydrogenase from pig heart

1. The two cysteine residues forming the disulphide bridge that comprises part of the active site of lipoamide dehydrogenase from pig heart were specifically labelled with iodo[2-(14)C]acetic acid. 2. A tryptic peptide containing these carboxymethylcysteine residues was isolated from digests of reduced and S-carboxymethylated lipoamide dehydrogenase and its amino acid sequence of 23 residues was determined. 3. The sequence is highly homologous with a similar sequence containing the active-site disulphide bridge of lipoamide dehydrogenase derived from the 2-oxoglutarate dehydrogenase complex of Escherichia coli (Crookes strain) and it is probable that, as in the bacterial enzyme, the disulphide bridge forms an intrachain loop containing six residues. The results indicate that the bacterial and mammalian proteins have a common genetic origin. 4. Amino acid sequences containing six other unique carboxymethylcysteine residues were also partly determined. 5. The analysis of the primary structure thus far is consistent with the view that the enzyme (mol.wt. approx. 110000) is composed of two identical polypeptide chains.     

Prevention of domain swapping inhibits dimerization and amyloid fibril formation of cystatin C: use of engineered disulfide bridges, antibodies, and carboxymethylpapain to stabilize the monomeric form of cystatin C

Amyloidogenic proteins like cystatin C and prion proteins have been shown to form dimers by exchange of subdomains of the monomeric proteins. This process, called "three-dimensional domain swapping," has also been suggested to play a part in the generation of amyloid fibrils. One variant of cystatin C, L68Q cystatin C, is highly amyloidogenic, and persons carrying the corresponding gene suffer from massive cerebral amyloidosis leading to brain hemorrhage and death in early adult life. The present work describes the production of two variants of wild type and L68Q cystatin C with disulfide bridges at positions selected to inhibit domain swapping without affecting the biological function of the four cystatin C variants as cysteine protease inhibitors. The capacity of the four variant proteins to form dimers was tested and compared with that of wild type and L68Q cystatin C. In contrast to the latter two proteins, all four protein variants stabilized by disulfide bridges were resistant toward the formation of dimers. The capacity of the two stabilized variants of wild type cystatin C to form amyloid fibrils was investigated and found to be reduced by 80% compared with that of wild type cystatin C. In an effort to investigate whether exogenous agents could also suppress the formation of dimers of wild type and L68Q cystatin C, a monoclonal antibody or carboxymethylpapain, an inactivated form of a cysteine protease, was added to systems inducing dimerization of wild type and L68Q cystatin C. It was observed that catalytic amounts of both the monoclonal antibody and carboxymethylpapain could suppress dimerization.     

Regulated expression and intracellular localization of cystatin F in human U937 cells.

Cystatin F is a cysteine peptidase inhibitor recently discovered in haematopoietic cells by cDNA cloning. To further investigate the expression, distribution and properties of the native human inhibitor the promyeloid cell line U937 has been studied. The cells expressed relatively large quantities of cystatin F, which was found both secreted and intracellularly. The intracellular levels were unusually high for a secreted cystatin ( approximately 25% of the cystatin F in 2- or 4-day culture medium). By contrast, U937 cells contained only 3-4% of the related inhibitor, cystatin C. Cystatin F purified from lysates of U937 cells showed three major forms carrying two, one or no carbohydrate chains. Immunocytochemistry demonstrated a marked cytoplasmic cystatin F staining in a granular pattern. Double staining with a marker for endoplasmic reticulum revealed no colocalization for cystatin F. Analysis of the promoter region of the cystatin F gene (CST7) showed that it, like that of the cystatin C gene (CST3), is devoid of typical TATA- and CAAT-box elements. In contrast to the cystatin C promoter, it does not contain multiple Sp1 binding sites, but has a unique site for C/EBPalpha, possibly explaining the restricted expression of the cystatin F gene. Cells stimulated with all-trans retinoic acid to differentiate them towards a granulocytic pathway, showed a strong ( approximately 18-fold) down-regulation of intracellular cystatin F and almost abolished secreted levels of the inhibitor. Stimulation with tetradecanoyl phorbol acetate, causing monocytic differentiation, also resulted in down-regulation (two fold to threefold) of cystatin F expression, whereas the cystatin C expression was essentially unaltered in both experiments. The results suggest that cystatin F as an intracellular cysteine peptidase inhibitor with readily regulated expression, may be a candidate to control the cysteine peptidase activity known to be essential for antigen presentation in different blood cell lineages.     

Evolutionary conservation of the 14-3-3 protein.

The novel family of 14-3-3 proteins may be involved in the regulation of neuronal activity. During our search for proteins coordinately expressed with the prohormone proopiomelanocortin in the melanotrope cells of the Xenopus intermediate pituitary gland, we cloned and sequenced a pituitary cDNA encoding a Xenopus 14-3-3 protein. Alignment of the Xenopus protein with known mammalian, Drosophila and plant 14-3-3 polypeptide and with a mammalian protein kinase C inhibitor protein revealed that the neuron-specific 14-3-3-related proteins are highly conserved (60-88%) throughout eukaryotic evolution.