Antitumour activities of levans produced by Zymomonas mobilis strains

Levans produced by four Zymomonas mobilis strains showed antitumour activity against sarcoma 180 and Ehrlich carcinoma in Swiss albino mice. Levans from two strains (ZAP and CP4) had the highest effects. NMR analysis showed that the polymers were composed only of fructose units. The results suggested that the antineoplasic effect is associated to the polysaccharide molecular weight and that a particular molecular weight range may be responsible for this effect.     

Efficient degradationin vitro of all intermediate filament subunit proteins by the Ca2+-activated neutral thiol proteinase from Ehrlich ascites tumor cells and porcine kidney

Vimentin, desmin, glial fibrillary acidic protein, neurofilament triplet proteins, and a mixture of cytokeratins were digested with Ca²⁺-activated neutral thiol proteinase isolated from Ehrlich ascites tumor (EAT) cells and porcine kidney. All intermediate filament proteins were degraded by the proteinase, although with different rates and Ca²⁺ optima. These results are in part at variance with our previous statement that the Ca²⁺-activated proteinase from EAT cells is specific for vimentin and desmin.     

The interaction in vitro of the intermediate filament protein vimentin with naturally occurring RNAs and DNAs

The binding of the intermediate filament protein vimentin to a variety of naturally occurring RNAs and DNAs was studied. The relative capacities of the various nucleic acids to associate with pure [3H]vimentin were determined in competition experiments with 28 S rRNA from Ehrlich ascites tumor cells. The reaction products were analyzed by sucrose gradient centrifugation at low ionic strength and in the presence of EDTA. Under these ionic conditions, vimentin reacted preferentially with single-stranded nucleic acids, particularly with those of high (G + C) content. The vimentin binding potentials of single-stranded RNAs and DNAs were largely comparable. However, when the concentrations of mono- and divalent cations were raised to physiological and higher values, only single-stranded DNA retained its vimentin binding capacity. With increasing KCl concentrations at 0 to 1 mM Mg2+, increasing amounts of vimentin were detected in complexes which sedimented considerably faster than the bulk of the DNA, suggesting cooperative binding of vimentin. The salt optimum of this cooperativity was at 200 mM KCl. Thus, the capability of vimentin to discriminate between single-stranded RNA and DNA under physiological ionic conditions points to specificity of the interaction of vimentin with nucleic acids.     

Variation in the ribosomal internal transcribed spacers (ITS1 and ITS2) among eight taxa of the Mimulus guttatus species complex

The internal transcribed spacer region (ITS1 and ITS2) of the 18S-25S nuclear ribosomal DNA sequence and the intervening 5.8S region were sequenced from three individuals in each of eight taxa of the Mimulus guttatus species complex. Three discrete variants, or "types," of ITS sequences were found, among which 30%-40% of sites differed, compared with 1%-2% within types. Dot plots indicate that these types were not related by conspicuous rearrangements or inversions. More than one ITS type was often found in the same taxon, and two of three ITS types span species boundaries, indicating their presence prior to speciation. These ITS sequences showed essentially no positional homology with the nearest sequenced relative, tomato. In contrast, the 5.8S region was relatively unvaried, with 8 of 162 sites varied in the sample among all eight taxa. The phylogeny inferred by the most common ITS sequence type, rooted by the two other ITS types, agreed with isozymes in showing the distinctness of M. nudatus, M. laciniatus, and M. tilingii from the other five taxa.      

Variation in heat shock proteins within tropical and desert species of poeciliid fishes

The 70-kilodalton heat shock protein (hsp70) family of molecular chaperones, which contains both stress-inducible and normally abundant constitutive members, is highly conserved across distantly related taxa. Analysis of this protein family in individuals from an outbred population of tropical topminnows, Poeciliopsis gracilis, showed that while constitutive hsp70 family members showed no variation in protein isoforms, inducibly synthesized hsp70 was polymorphic. Several species of Poeciliopsis adapted to desert environments exhibited lower levels of inducible hsp70 polymorphism than the tropical species, but constitutive forms were identical to those in P. gracilis, as they were in the confamilial species Gambusia affinis. These differences suggest that inducible and constitutive members of this family are under different evolutionary constraints and may indicate differences in their function within the cell. Also, northern desert species of Poeciliopsis synthesize a subset of the inducible hsp70 isoforms seen in tropical species. This distribution supports the theory that ancestral tropical fish migrated northward and colonized desert streams; the subsequent decrease in variation of inducible hsp70 may have been due to genetic drift or a consequence of adaptation to the desert environment. Higher levels of variability were found when the 30- kilodalton heat shock protein (hsp30) family was analyzed within different strains of two desert species of Poeciliopsis and also in wild-caught individuals of Gambusia affinis. In both cases the distribution of hsp30 isoform diversity was similar to that seen previously with allozyme polymorphisms.      

A rapid method for the large scale purification of the intermediate filament protein vimentin by single-stranded DNA-cellulose affinity chromatography

A new method is described for the purification of the intermediate filament protein vimentin from Ehrlich ascites tumor cells using single-stranded DNA-cellulose affinity chromatography. The procedure is rapid and allows the large scale isolation of the protein. Partial characterization of vimentin shows that it has a molecular weight of 58000 and an apparent pI of 5.3. It can be degraded by the vimentin-specific, Ca²⁺-activated proteinase which results in the production of a characteristic set of degradation products. The vimentin also cross-reacts with the intermediate filament protein monoclonal antibody, α-IFA.     

PCR performance of the B-type DNA polymerase from the thermophilic euryarchaeon Thermococcus aggregans improved by mutations in the Y-GG/A motif

The effect of mutations in the highly conserved Y-GG/A motif of B-type DNA polymerases was studied in the DNA polymerase from the hyperthermophilic euryarchaeon Thermococcus aggregans. This motif plays a critical role in the balance between the synthesis and degradation of the DNA chain. Five different mutations of the tyrosine at position 387 (Tyr387→Phe, Tyr387→Trp, Tyr387→His, Tyr387→Asn and Tyr387→Ser) revealed that an aromatic ring system is crucial for the synthetic activity of the enzyme. Amino acids at this position lacking the ring system (Ser and Asn) led to a significant decrease in polymerase activity and to enhanced exonuclease activity, which resulted in improved enzyme fidelity. Exchange of tyrosine to phenylalanine, tryptophan or histidine led to phenotypes with wild-type-like fidelity but enhanced PCR performance that could be related to a higher velocity of polymerisation. With the help of a modelled structure of T.aggregans DNA polymerase, the biochemical data were interpreted proposing that the conformation of the flexible loop containing the Y-GG/A motif is an important factor for the equilibrium between DNA polymerisation and exonucleolysis.     

Molecular organization of the alkali-insoluble fraction of Aspergillus fumigatus cell wall

Physical and biological properties of the fungal cell wall are determined by the composition and arrangement of the structural polysaccharides. Cell wall polymers of fungi are classically divided into two groups depending on their solubility in hot alkali. We have analyzed the alkali-insoluble fraction of the Aspergillus fumigatus cell wall, which is the fraction believed to be responsible for fungal cell wall rigidity. Using enzymatic digestions with recombinant endo-beta-1,3-glucanase and chitinase, fractionation by gel filtration, affinity chromatography with immobilized lectins, and high performance liquid chromatography, several fractions that contained specific interpolysaccharide covalent linkages were isolated. Unique features of the A. fumigatus cell wall are (i) the absence of beta-1,6-glucan and (ii) the presence of a linear beta-1, 3/1,4-glucan, never previously described in fungi. Galactomannan, chitin, and beta-1,3-glucan were also found in the alkali-insoluble fraction. The beta-1,3-glucan is a branched polymer with 4% of beta-1,6 branch points. Chitin, galactomannan, and the linear beta-1, 3/1,4-glucan were covalently linked to the nonreducing end of beta-1, 3-glucan side chains. As in Saccharomyces cerevisiae, chitin was linked via a beta-1,4 linkage to beta-1,3-glucan. The data obtained suggested that the branching of beta-1,3-glucan is an early event in the construction of the cell wall, resulting in an increase of potential acceptor sites for chitin, galactomannan, and the linear beta-1,3/1,4-glucan.     

Phosphorylation of CK1delta: identification of Ser370 as the major phosphorylation site targeted by PKA in vitro and in vivo

The involvement of CK1 (casein kinase 1) delta in the regulation of multiple cellular processes implies a tight regulation of its activity on many different levels. At the protein level, reversible phosphorylation plays an important role in modulating the activity of CK1delta. In the present study, we show that PKA (cAMP-dependent protein kinase), Akt (protein kinase B), CLK2 (CDC-like kinase 2) and PKC (protein kinase C) alpha all phosphorylate CK1delta. PKA was identified as the major cellular CK1deltaCK (CK1delta C-terminal-targeted protein kinase) for the phosphorylation of CK1delta in vitro and in vivo. This was implied by the following evidence: PKA was detectable in the CK1deltaCK peak fraction of fractionated MiaPaCa-2 cell extracts, PKA shared nearly identical kinetic properties with those of CK1deltaCK, and both PKA and CK1deltaCK phosphorylated CK1delta at Ser370 in vitro. Furthermore, phosphorylation of CK1delta by PKA decreased substrate phosphorylation of CK1delta in vitro. Mutation of Ser370 to alanine increased the phosphorylation affinity of CK1delta for beta-casein and the GST (gluthatione S-transferase)-p53 1-64 fusion protein in vitro and enhanced the formation of an ectopic dorsal axis during Xenopus laevis development. Anchoring of PKA and CK1delta to centrosomes was mediated by AKAP (A-kinase-anchoring protein) 450. Interestingly, pre-incubation of MiaPaCa-2 cells with the synthetic peptide St-Ht31, which prevents binding between AKAP450 and the regulatory subunit RII of PKA, resulted in a 6-fold increase in the activity of CK1delta. In summary, we conclude that PKA phosphorylates CK1delta, predominantly at Ser370 in vitro and in vivo, and that site-specific phosphorylation of CK1delta by PKA plays an important role in modulating CK1delta-dependent processes.