Cathepsin B from human renal cortex.

Cysteine-proteinase activity was observed in homogenates of human-cadaver renal cortex. This activity co-purified with renin enzymic activity until separation by aminohexyl-Sepharose--pepstatin affinity chromatography. The cysteine proteinase was purified 1780-fold after the following successive chromatographic procedures: Sephadex G-75, DEAE-cellulose DE-52, and an organomercurial affinity resin. The proteinase activity was dependent upon activation by thiol-containing compounds such as dithiothreitol, as well as by EDTA, and was inhibited by the thiol-group-specific alkylating reagents iodoacetic acid and N-ethylmaleimide. DE-52 cellulose chromatography resolved the cysteine proteinase into two components. On the basis of molecular size (26 000 daltons), activity as a function of pH, stability as a function of pH, substrate specificity and thermal lability, the major component (95%) has been identified as cathepsin B. The DE-52 cellulose elution pattern of the minor component (5%) is suggestive of cathepsin H [Schwartz & Barrett (1980) Biochem. J. 191, 487-497] Enzymic activity was determined with synthetic substrates, in particular alpha-N-benzoyl-DL-arginine 2-naphthylamide (Bz-Arg-NNap), thus precluding the detection of cathepsin L [Kirschke, Langner, Wiederanders, Ansorge, Bohley & Broghammer (1976) Acta Biol. Med. Germ. 35, 285-299]. Inhibition by dimethyl sulphoxide was observed in the determination of Km = 7.0 +/- 0.4 mM for the substrate Bz-Arg-NNap, and care must therefore be taken in the preparation of substrate solutions.     

Involvement of the galactosyl-1-phosphate transferase encoded by the Salmonella enterica rfbP gene in O-antigen subunit processing.

rfbT of Salmonella enterica LT2 was previously thought, together with rfaL, to be involved in the ligation of polymerized O antigen to core-lipid A, and three mutants were known. We report the mapping of the mutations to rfbP, the galactosyl-1-phosphate transferase gene, which is now shown to encode a bifunctional protein. The mutations which have the former rfbT phenotype are referred to as rfbP(T). We also show that rfbP(T) mutants are not blocked in the ligation step as previously believed but in an earlier step, possibly in flipping the O-antigen subunit on undecaprenyl pyrophosphate from the cytoplasmic to periplasmic face of the cytoplasmic membrane.     

Recipient competence in F''lac matings of Escherichia coli K-12.

We studied recipient mating ability in the presence of excess F'lac donors. Ninety-five percent of recipients were able to receive F'lac in 30-min matings. Competition between an F'-lac donor and an F'lac traI donor, which mobilized a ColE1 derivative (pML2), showed that each recipient mated with an average of two to three donors in 30 min. Experiments in which the competing donor was added at different times showed that some competition occurred throughout the 30-min mating period, which suggested that aggregate formation was spread over this time.     

A statistical method for correlating tRNA sequence with amino acid specificity.

A statistical method for finding the nucleotide positions in tRNA sequences that correlate with amino acid specificity has been developed. The procedure involves finding the subset of nucleotide positions and groups of positions where the marginal density of one amino acid tRNA class does not overlap that of any other amino acid class. The procedure is an application of a statistical method known as the Expectation Maximization algorithm.     

Coordinate regulation of ribosomal protein mRNA level in regenerating rat liver. Study with the corresponding mouse cloned cDNAs.

Cloned mouse ribosomal protein (rp) cDNAs exhibit extensive homology with the corresponding rat sequences. The size of the rp-mRNAs and complexity of the rp-genes are very similar in the two species. Using the mouse rp-recombinant DNAs we find that the relative abundance of rat L7, L13, L18, L30, L32/33 and S16 mRNAs increases after partial hepatectomy. Their maximal level is about twice that of normal rat liver, and is achieved 12-18 h after the operation, while the relative abundance of albumin mRNA decreases to half the normal values 12 h after partial hepatectomy. This concomitant increase in the relative content of these rp-mRNAs indicates coordinate regulation of their level in the rat. The dissimilar behavior of L10 and L19 rp-mRNA suggests additional control mechanisms of rp-mRNA levels in the regenerating rat liver.     

Disturbance of cytokine networks in Sj?gren's syndrome

The difficulty in predicting the consequences of interactions between different cytokine networks has increased with the expansion of the T helper (Th) cell universe and the discovery of numerous B lymphocyte-derived cytokines. Consequently, it is now difficult to conceptualize a straightforward view of the contribution of these disturbances to the pathogenesis of primary Sj?gren's syndrome (SS). Th1 cells, which produce interferon-γ and IL-2, and Th17 cells, which make IL-17 and TNF-α, have been cast in the leading roles of the play. However, the complex role of T-cell subsets in SS is accentuated by the reciprocal effects of Th17 cells and regulatory T cells found in salivary glands of SS patients. Furthermore, B lymphocyte polarization into type-1 B effector (Be1) and Be2 cells and B-cell modulating factors of the TNF family, most notably the B-cell-activating factor (BAFF), and their prominent role in SS are additional complicating factors. Whereas Th17 cells orchestrate autoreactive germinal centers, local BAFF would repress the generation of Th17 cells. Such new insights into interconnected cytokines in primary SS may lead to new treatments for these patients.