Interaction of L-amino Acids with the Fusion Structures of a Cysteine Proteinase/Cystatin Pair

In a basic investigation, the molecular interactions between 2 different fused products of Arabidopsis cysteine proteinase (CP) and cysteine proteinase inhibitor (CPI) pair “namely R1: H₂N-maltose-binding protein- CPI-CP-COOH and R2: H₂N-maltose binding protein-CP-CPI-COOH” and 4 different L-amino acids including L-Ala, L-Ser, L-Asp, and L-Phe were analyzed using experimental methods and computational tools. The activity of CP relatively increased in purified R2 product in which test L-amino acids tend to interact with CP/CPI pair. On the other hand, the functionality of R1 product (having no tendency to interact with CP/CPI pair) was not influenced by L-amino acids. Detection of the effect of L-enantiomers of amino acids on the fusion forms of 2 functionally related proteins such as CP and CPI is the first ever time work on this research area. As a research recommendation, manufacturing the switchable biological systems expressing the fused forms of CP/CPI pair was proposed to control the relative activities of proteolytic compounds in different environments in the future.     

Tailor-Made Ezrin Actin Binding Domain to Probe Its Interaction with Actin In-Vitro

Ezrin, a member of the ERM (Ezrin/Radixin/Moesin) protein family, is an Actin-plasma membrane linker protein mediating cellular integrity and function. In-vivo study of such interactions is a complex task due to the presence of a large number of endogenous binding partners for both Ezrin and Actin. Further, C-terminal actin binding capacity of the full length Ezrin is naturally shielded by its N-terminal, and only rendered active in the presence of Phosphatidylinositol bisphosphate (PIP2) or phosphorylation at the C-terminal threonine. Here, we demonstrate a strategy for the design, expression and purification of constructs, combining the Ezrin C-terminal actin binding domain, with functional elements such as fusion tags and fluorescence tags to facilitate purification and fluorescence microscopy based studies. For the first time, internal His tag was employed for purification of Ezrin actin binding domain based on in-silico modeling. The functionality (Ezrin-actin interaction) of these constructs was successfully demonstrated by using Total Internal Reflection Fluorescence Microscopy. This design can be extended to other members of the ERM family as well.     

Purification and Characterization of a Rice Cysteine Proteinase Inhibitor

A proteinaceous substance that inhibited the activity of papain (EC 3.4.22.2) was found in seeds of rice, Oryza sativa L. japonica. This cysteine proteinase inhibitor (CPI) was purified by a series of purification procedures including CM-Sephadex C-50, Sephadex G-75, and DEAE- Sephadex A-50 chromatography. The CPI was a single polypeptide with a molecular weight of about 12,000, with an isoelectric point at pH 5.3. The CPI was stable below 100°C and between pH 2.2 ~ 9.0. The inhibition of papain by the CPI was non-competitive, with a Ki value of 2.44 × 10^-8 m. The complete inhibition of papain was reached by an equimolar concentration of the CPI.     

Chicken scFvs with an Artificial Cysteine for Site-Directed Conjugation

For the site-directed conjugation of chemicals and radioisotopes to the chicken-derived single-chain variable fragment (scFv), we investigated amino acid residues replaceable with cysteine. By replacing each amino acid of the 157 chicken variable region framework residues (FR, 82 residues on V_H and 75 on V_L) with cysteine, 157 artificial cysteine mutants were generated and characterized. At least 27 residues on V_L and 37 on V_H could be replaced with cysteine while retaining the binding activity of the original scFv. We prepared three V_L (L5, L6 and L7) and two V_H (H13 and H16) mutants as scFv-C_kappa fusion proteins and showed that PEG-conjugation to the sulfhydryl group of the artificial cysteine was achievable in all five mutants. Because the charge around the cysteine residue affects the in vivo stability of thiol-maleimide conjugation, we prepared 16 charge-variant artificial cysteine mutants by replacing the flanking residues of H13 with charged amino acids and determined that the binding activity was not affected in any of the mutants except one. We prepared four charge-variant H13 artificial cysteine mutants (RCK, DCE, ECD and ECE) as scFv-C_kappa fusion proteins and confirmed that the reactivity of the sulfhydryl group on cysteine is active and their binding activity is retained after the conjugation process.     

Crystallographic and mutational analyses of cystathionine β‐synthase in the H2S‐synthetic gene cluster in Lactobacillus plantarum

Cystathionine β‐synthase (CBS) catalyzes the formation of l ‐cystathionine from l ‐serine and l ‐homocysteine. The resulting l ‐cystathionine is decomposed into l ‐cysteine, ammonia, and α‐ketobutylic acid by cystathionine γ‐lyase (CGL). This reverse transsulfuration pathway, which is catalyzed by both enzymes, mainly occurs in eukaryotic cells. The eukaryotic CBS and CGL have recently been recognized as major physiological enzymes for the generation of hydrogen sulfide (H₂S). In some bacteria, including the plant‐derived lactic acid bacterium Lactobacillus plantarum, the CBS‐ and CGL‐encoding genes form a cluster in their genomes. Inactivation of these enzymes has been reported to suppress H₂S production in bacteria; interestingly, it has been shown that H₂S suppression increases their susceptibility to various antibiotics. In the present study, we characterized the enzymatic properties of the L. plantarum CBS, whose amino acid sequence displays a similarity with those of O‐acetyl‐l ‐serine sulfhydrylase (OASS) that catalyzes the generation of l ‐cysteine from O‐acetyl‐l ‐serine (l ‐OAS) and H₂S. The L. plantarum CBS shows l ‐OAS‐ and l ‐cysteine‐dependent CBS activities together with OASS activity. Especially, it catalyzes the formation of H₂S in the presence of l ‐cysteine and l ‐homocysteine, together with the formation of l ‐cystathionine. The high affinity toward l ‐cysteine as a first substrate and tendency to use l ‐homocysteine as a second substrate might be associated with its enzymatic ability to generate H₂S. Crystallographic and mutational analyses of CBS indicate that the Ala70 and Glu223 residues at the substrate binding pocket are important for the H₂S‐generating activity.     

Transient expression of <Emphasis Type="Italic">Human papillomavirus</Emphasis> type 16 L2 epitope fused to N- and C-terminus of coat protein of <Emphasis Type="Italic">Potato virus X</Emphasis> in plants

Transient expression of foreign genes based on plant viral vectors is a suitable system for the production of relevant immunogens that can be used for the development of a new generation of vaccines against a variety of infectious diseases. In the present study the epitope derived from HPV-16 L2 minor capsid protein (amino acids 108–120) was expressed from Potato virus X (PVX)-based vector pGR106 as N- or C-terminal fusion with the PVX coat protein (PVX CP) in transgenic Nicotiana benthamiana plants. The fusion protein L2_108-120-PVX CP was successfully expressed in plants at a level of 170 mg/kg of fresh leaf tissue. The C-terminal fusion protein PVX CP- L2_108-120 was expressed using mutated vector sequence to avoid homologous recombination at a level of 8 mg/kg of fresh leaf tissue. Immunogenicity of L2_108-120-PVX CP virus-like particles was tested after immunization of mice by subcutaneous injection or tattoo administration. In animal sera the antibodies against the PVX CP and the L2_108-120 epitope were found after both methods of vaccine delivery.     

High activity,soluble, bacterially expressed human vitamin D receptor and its ligand binding domain

The effects of 1α,25(OH)₂vitamin D₃ on cell growth and differentiation are primarily mediated by the nuclear vitamin D receptor (VDR). In order to study aspects of receptor function and ultimately the structural basis of the VDR-ligand interaction, it is necessary to produce large quantities of purified VDR. To achieve this, we have expressed the human VDR and its ligand binding domain in E. coli as fusion proteins with the maltose binding protein using the expression vector pMal-c2. In this system high level expression of both fusion proteins in a soluble form was achieved, whereas previous attempts to express the VDR in E. coli have resulted in an insoluble product. After affinity purification on amylose resin, the fusion proteins were isolated with yields of 10–20 mg/l of culture. Both forms of the recombinant receptor bound 1α,25(OH)₂vitamin D₃ with high affinity; estimated K_d values from Scatchard analysis for the purified full-length receptor and the ligand binding domain were 0.16 ± 0.07 nM and 0.04 ± 0.02 nM, respectively. The nonhypercalcemic analogs of vitamin D, MC903 and Δ22-1,25S,26(OH)₃vitamin D₃, bound the recombinant fusion proteins with a similar affinity to the native ligand, 1α,25(OH)₂vitamin D₃. In addition, the full-length VDR fusion protein was shown by gel shift analysis to bind weakly to the human osteocalcin gene vitamin D response element, an interaction greatly facilitated by addition of RXRα. These results show that the bacterial expression system detailed here is readily able to produce soluble and functional VDR and its ligand binding domain in high yield. These proteins are easily purified and should be suitable for further structural and functional analysis. © 1996 Wiley-Liss, Inc.     

Differential fusion expression and purification of a cystatin in two different bacterial strains

To date, the identification of the novel multifunctional properties of cysteine proteinase inhibitors “known as cystatins” is the great of interests for molecular biologists. The efficient production, purification and correctly folded form of these proteins are the most important requirements for their any basic research. To the best of our knowledge, maltose-binding protein (MBP) fusion tags are being used to overcome the impediment to their heterologous recombinant expression in Escherichia coli as insoluble and bio-inactive inclusion bodies. In the present work, to evaluate the expression efficiency of a cystatin molecule in E. coli cells by using MBP tags, the expression of Celosia cystatin was studied in two different strains of this bacterium. The quantitative analysis results based on the one-step purification yield of the fused product showed the excellency of the E. coli TB1 strain in comparison to E. coli DH5α for the high-level production of active product.     

Regulation of seed germination and seedling growth by an <Emphasis Type="Italic">Arabidopsis</Emphasis> phytocystatin isoform, <Emphasis Type="Italic">AtCYS6</Emphasis>

Phytocystatins are cysteine proteinase inhibitors in plants that are implicated in the endogenous regulation of protein turnover and defense mechanisms against insects and pathogens. A cDNA encoding a phytocystatin called AtCYS6 (Arabidopsis thaliana phytocystatin6) has been isolated. We show that AtCYS6 is highly expressed in dry seeds and seedlings and that it also accumulates in flowers. The persistence of AtCYS6 protein expression in seedlings was promoted by abscisic acid (ABA), a seed germination and post-germination inhibitory phytohormone. This finding was made in transgenic plants bearing an AtCYS6 promoter–β-glucuronidase (GUS) reporter construct, where we found that expression from the AtCYS6 promoter persisted after ABA treatment but was reduced under control conditions and by gibberellin₄₊₇ (GA₄₊₇) treatment during the germination and post-germinative periods. In addition, constitutive over-expression of AtCYS6 retarded germination and seedling growth, whereas these were enhanced in an AtCYS6 knock-out mutant (cys6-2). Additionally, cysteine proteinase activities stored in seeds were inhibited by AtCYS6 in transgenic Arabidopsis. From these data, we propose that AtCYS6 expression is enhanced by the germination inhibitory phytohormone ABA and that it participates in the control of germination rate and seedling growth by inhibiting the activity of stored cysteine proteinases.     

Characterization of two divergently transcribed Dictyostelium gene pairs and identification of G-rich sequence element lying between them with the characteristics of a basal promoter element

The cysteine proteinase 1 (CP1) and cysteine proteinase 2 (CP2) genes of Dictyostelium discoideum encode coordinately expressed mRNA sequences that are inducible by extracellular cAMP. Both genes form part of divergently transcribed gene pairs. The gene proximal to CP1 is coordinately regulated and encodes a protein containing several potential zinc binding domains of the kind found in DNA binding proteins. The gene proximal to CP2 is a constitutively transcribed gene of unknown function. There are multiple, short, G-rich sequence elements between both gene pairs, and deletion of the pair of elements 200 nucleotides upstream from the CP2 gene abolishes cAMP-inducibility. A synthetic oligonucleotide, containing two copies of the G-rich element from the CP1 gene, will reconstitute cAMP-inducibility in the deletion mutant of the CP2 gene. This shows that the elements in the two genes are functionally homologous. Efficient induction requires at least two copies of the CP1 element, but their relative orientation is unimportant. Two copies in an inverted orientation are, however, inactive when moved upstream of their normal position and are incapable of conferring cAMP-inducibility on a heterologous gene. These observations suggest that these sequences are either essential promoter elements, not themselves interacting with the inducer, or that their interaction with a separate class of control sequences is necessary for inducible expression.     

Cloning, Overexpression and Purification of Bacillus subtilis Elongation Factor Tu in Escherichia coli

To establish the overexpression and one-step purification system of Bacillus subtilis elongation factor-Tu (EF-Tu), the EF-Tu gene was amplified with or without own ribosome binding site (rbs) by PCR and the only PCR product without rbs was subcloned successfully. For the expression of the EF-Tu gene cloned after PCR amplification, a constitutive expression system and inducible expression system with His₆ tag at N-terminus or C-terminus, or glutathione-S-transferase (GST) fusion system were examined in E. coli and B. subtilis. Except GST fusion system in E. coli, however, all other trials were unsuccessful at the step of plasmid construction for the EF-Tu expression. The GST/EF-Tu fusion proteins were highly expressed by IPTG induction and obtained as both soluble and insoluble form. From the soluble GST/EF-Tu fusion protein, EF-Tu was obtained to near homogeneity by one-step purification with glutathione-sepharose affinity column chromatography followed by factor Xa treatment. The purified EF-Tu showed high GDP binding activity. These results indicate that the GST/EF-Tu fusion system is favorable to overexpression and purification of B. subtilis EF-Tu.     

Role of cysteine proteinase inhibitors in preference of Japanese beetles (<Emphasis Type="Italic">Popillia japonica</Emphasis>) for soybean (<Emphasis Type="Italic">Glycine max</Emphasis>) leaves of different ages and grown under elevated CO<Subscript>2</Subscript>

Elevated levels of CO₂, equivalent to those projected to occur under global climate change scenarios, increase the susceptibility of soybean foliage to herbivores by down-regulating the expression of genes related to the defense hormones jasmonic acid and ethylene; these in turn decrease the gene expression and activity of cysteine proteinase inhibitors (CystPIs), the principal antiherbivore defenses in foliage. To examine the effects of elevated CO₂ on the preference of Japanese beetle (JB; Popillia japonica) for leaves of different ages within the plant, soybeans were grown at the SoyFACE facility at the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign. When given a choice, JB consistently inflicted greater levels of damage on older leaves than on younger leaves, and there was a trend for a greater preference for young leaves grown under elevated CO₂ compared to those grown under ambient CO₂. More heavily damaged older leaves and those grown under elevated CO₂ had reduced CystPI activity, and JB that consumed leaves with lower CystPI activity had correspondingly greater gut proteinase activity. Younger leaves with higher CystPI activity and photosynthetic rates may contribute disproportionately to plant fitness and are more protected against herbivore attack than older foliage. Cysteine proteinase inhibitors are potent defenses against JB, and the effectiveness of this defense is modulated by growth under elevated CO₂ as well as leaf position.     

The effects of nitric oxide-oxidase and putative glutathione-peroxidase activities of ceruloplasmin on the viability of cardiomyocytes exposed to hydrogen peroxide

Ceruloplasmin (CP), a ferroxidase (EC 1.16.3.1) and a scavenger of reactive oxygen species, is an important extracellular antioxidant. Bovine CP indeed protects the isolated heart under ischemia–reperfusion conditions. Human CP has been shown to also exhibit, in vitro, glutathione (GSH)-peroxidase and nitric oxide (NO)-oxidase/S-nitrosating activities. This work tested, using bovine CP, the hypothesis that both activities could provide cytoprotection during oxidative stress induced by hydrogen peroxide (H₂O₂), the former activity by consuming H₂O₂ and the latter by shielding thiols from irreversible oxidation. In acellular assays, bovine CP stimulated the generation of the nitrosating NO⁺ species from the NO donors propylaminepropylamine-NONOate (PAPA/NO), S-nitroso-N-acetylpenicillamine, and S-nitrosoglutathione. This NO-oxidase activity S-nitrosated GSH as well as CP itself and was not affected by H₂O₂. In contrast to human CP, bovine CP consumed H₂O₂ in an additive rather than synergistic manner in the presence of GSH. A nonenzymatic scavenging of H₂O₂ could have masked the GSH-peroxidase activity. Cytoprotection was evaluated using neonatal rat cardiomyocytes. CP and PAPA/NO were not protective against the H₂O₂-induced loss of viability. In contrast, GSH provided a slight protection that increased more than additively in the presence of CP. This increase was canceled by PAPA/NO. CP's putative GSH-peroxidase activity can thus provide cytoprotection but is possibly affected by the S-nitrosation of a catalytically important cysteine residue.