X-ray structures of ferritins and related proteins

Ferritins are members of a much larger superfamily of proteins, which are characterised by a structural motif consisting of a bundle of four parallel and anti-parallel α helices. The ferritin superfamily itself is widely distributed across all three living kingdoms, in both aerobic and anaerobic organisms, and a considerable number of X-ray structures are available, some at extremely high resolution. We describe first of all the subunit structure of mammalian H and L chain ferritins and then discuss intersubunit interactions in the 24-subunit quaternary structure of these ferritins. Bacteria contain two types of ferritins, FTNs, which like mammalian ferritins do not contain haem, and the haem-containing BFRs. The characteristic carboxylate-bridged di-iron ferroxidase sites of H chain ferritins, FTNs and BFRs are compared, as are the potential entry sites for iron and the ‘nucleation’ site of L chain ferritins. Finally we discuss the three-dimensional structures of the 12-subunit bacterial Dps (DNA-binding protein from starved cells) proteins as well as their intersubunit di-iron ferroxidase site.     

Separation of peptides by reverse-phase high-performance liquid chromatography using propyl- and cyanopropylsilyl supports

The separation of peptides and proteins by reverse-phase high-performance liquid chromatography with cyanopropylsilyl and large-pore propylsilyl supports, together with aqueous trifluoroacetic acid/acetonitrile gradients, was studied. Operating parameters (trifluoroacetic acid concentration, flow rate, and gradient slope) were evaluated using different enzymatic digests of horse cytochrome c and bovine serum albumin. Peptides ranging in size from five amino acids to 68 kDa could be separated on the propylsilyl column in a single chromatographic run. The cyanopropylsilyl column is suitable as a supplement to the use of the large-pore column for medium size (5-20 amino acids) peptides. The chromatographic supports and conditions presented here offer a simple, sensitive, and rapid separation system for a wide size range of peptides and proteins. They extend the versatility of separation methodology for these molecules.     

Phenotype frequencies of vitamin D binding protein (Gc) and of posttransferrin-2 (Ptf-2) in Belgian cattle breeds*

The vitamin D binding protein (Gc) and posttransferrin-2 (Ptf-2) phenotypes have been determined in a number of Belgian cattle breeds. A very slow migrating variant of the Gc protein — Gc C — has been found in White and Red East Flemish breed. This variant was absent from the other breeds studied. This slow variant was identified as a vitamin D binding protein by autoradiography. The Gc C protein was shown to be controlled by a codominant autosomal allele Gc C at the Gclocus. The Gc C protein is probably identical with a fraction previously described in buffalo and an Italian cattle breed. The allele frequencies for the Gc and Pft-2 systems are reported for several Belgian breeds of cattle.     

Purification and characterization of an inhibitor protein with cytochalasin-like acitvity from bovine adrenal medulla

A protein preparation with cytochalasin-like activity has been obtained from bovine adrenal medulla. Analysis by electrophoresis in SDS-polyacrylamide gels and chromatography in a Sephacryl S-200 column indicated that the inhibitor activity coincided with a 90 000 dalton polypeptide. The inhibitor decreased high-affinity binding of [³H]cytochalasin B to actin nuclei, apparently by competing with the drug for thesame binding site. At substoichometric levels, the inhibitor had a potent effect on actin filament elongation and on actin-dependent gelation of cell extracts in vitro. These results suggest that the inhibitor may be involved in the control of actin filament assembly and interaction in the adrenal medulla.     

Quantitative assay of deoxyribonuclease activity after isoelectric focusing in polyacrylamide gels: pH control and effects of enzyme diffusion

A method for the quantitative assay of nuclease activity in crude cell lysates after isoelectric focusing (IEF) in polyacrylamide slab gels is described. After IEF, an agarose overlay gel containing DNA is placed on the IEF gel and the nuclease activity quantified by the loss of ethidium bromide fluorescence of the DNA. With this method a linear response was obtained for 1 to 10 ng of DNase I. Various methods of pH equilibration after IEF were also evaluated. The use of a high buffer concentration in the overlay gel is recommended to control the pH during the enzyme reaction. An analytical solution for the diffusion of enzymes from the IEF gel to the overlay gel is also presented and an equation that may be used to choose optimum times for transfer of the enzyme from the IEF gel to the overlay gel is given.     

Fractionation techniques in a hydro-organic environment. I. Sulfolane as a solvent for hydrophobic proteins

Sulfolane (thiophene, tethrahydro-1,1-dioxide), at concentrations of 4 M or above, is an efficient solubilizing agent for water-insoluble proteins (e.g., zein or globin chains). In comparison with urea, it appears indefinitely stable in aqueous solutions and does not chemically modify proteins upon storage. Moreover, it favors protein structure, i.e., it increases their alpha-helix content, while urea decreases it. Sulfolane is compatible with electrophoretic techniques (it only slightly reduces polyacrylamide polymerization efficiency and it does not interfere with protein and peptide detection methods) and with chromatographic methods (it has negligible A280 nm). With hydrophilic proteins, sulfolane behaves as a mild denaturant and precipitates them at concentrations between 5 and 7 M.     

Protein polymorphism in a feral population of the pigeon Columba livia domestica

Sixteen enzymatic and non-enzymatic proteins of the pigeon Columba livia domestica were examined electrophoretically. These proteins were presumed to be under control by 22 loci. Of the 22 loci, 6 were defined as polymorphic and 15 as monomorphic. Another locus was variable, but the variation was not genetically interpretable. Average heterozygosity calculated over 21 loci was 0.075.     

Golgi apparatus activity and membrane flow during scale biogenesis in the green flagellateScherffelia dubia (Prasinophyceae). II: Cell wall secretion and assembly

Summary Secretion of the cell wall (theca) in the scaly green flagellateScherffelia dubia (Prasinophyceae) has been examined by electron microscopy during cytokinesis. The bi-laminate wall forms by the extracellular amalgamation of two layers of scales produced in the Golgi apparatus (GA). Each mature GA cisterna contains ca. 12,000 scales of two distinct varieties arranged in two layers on the cisternal membrane. GA cisternae undergo turnover and one scale containing cisterna matures from thetransface of each dictyosome every 3–4 minutes. Cisternae then fuse with the plasma membrane at the anterior end of the cell releasing the scales onto the cell surface. The two layers of wall scales integrate on the cell surface in a time-dependent self-assembly process. The first scales deposited commence assembly at the cell posterior and the wall develops anteriorly by edge growth. The daughter cell wall is composed of ca. 1.2 million scales deposited in about 3 hours. Calculations of net membrane flow strongly indicate extensive endocytosis during wall deposition.     

Iron-sulfur centers in the photosynthetic reaction center complex fromChlorobium vibrioforme. Differences from and similarities to the iron-sulfur centers in Photosystem I

The photosynthetic reaction center complex from the green sulfur bacteriumChlorobium vibrioforme has been isolated under anaerobic conditions. Sodium dodecyl sulfate-polyacrylamide gel electrophoresis reveals polypeptides with apparent molecular masses of 80, 40, 30, 18, 15, and 9 kDa. The 80- and 18-kDa polypeptides are identified as the reaction center polypeptide and the secondary donor cytochromec ₅₅₁ encoded by thepscA andpscC genes, respectively. N-terminal amino acid sequences identify the 40-kDa polypeptide as the bacteriochlorophylla-protein of the baseplate (the Fenna-Matthews-Olson protein) and the 30-kDa polypeptide as the putative 2[4Fe-4S] protein encoded bypscB. Electron paramagnetic resonance (EPR) analysis shows the presence of an iron-sulfur cluster which is irreversibly photoreduced at 9K. Photoaccumulation at higher temperature shows the presence of an additional photoreduced cluster. The EPR spectra of the two iron-sulfur clusters resemble those of F_A and F_B of Photosystem I, but also show significantly differentg-values, lineshapes, and temperature and power dependencies. We suggest that the two centers are designated Center I (with calculatedg-values of 2.085, 1.898, 1.841), and Center II (with calculatedg-values of 2.083, 1.941, 1.878). The data suggest that Centers I and II are bound to thepscB polypeptide.     

Cell density-dependent regulation of cell surface expression of two types of human tumor necrosis factor receptors and its effect on cellular response

Tumor necrosis factor (TNF) is a multipotential cytokine known to regulate the growth of a wide variety of normal and tumor cells. It has been shown that the density of cells in culture can modulate the growth regulatory activities of TNF, the mechanism of which, however, is not understood. In this report, we investigated the effect of cell density on the expression of TNF receptors. The receptors were examined on epithelial cells (e.g., HeLa), which primarily express the p60 form, and on myeloid cells (e.g., HL-60) known to express mainly the p80 form. We observed that binding of TNF to both cell lines decreased with increase in cell density. Scatchard analysis of binding on HeLa and HL-60 cells revealed a 4- to 5-fold reduction in the number of TNF receptors without any significant change in receptor affinity in both cell types at high density. The decrease in TNF receptor numbers at high cell density was also observed in several other epithelial and myeloid cell lines. The downmodulation at high cell density was unique to TNF receptors, since minimum change in other cell surface proteins was observed as revealed by fluorescent activated cell sorter analysis. Neutralization of binding with antibodies specific to each type of the receptors revealed that both the p60 and p80 forms of the TNF receptor were equally downmodulated. A decrease in leucine incorporation into proteins was observed with increase in cell density, suggesting a reduction in protein synthesis. Since inhibition of protein synthesis by cycloheximide also leads to a decrease in TNF receptors, it is possible that the density-dependent reduction in TNF receptor number is due to an overall decrease in protein synthesis. The density-dependent decrease in TNF receptors was accompanied by a decrease in intracellular reduced glutathione levels. A reduction in the number of receptors on TNF sensitive tumor cells induced by cell-density correlated with increase in resistance to the cytokine.