Concanavalin A Receptors Associated with Rat Brain Synaptic Junctions Are High Mannose-Type Oligosaccharides

Abstract: Glycoproteins were isolated from a rat brain synaptic junction fraction by affinity chromatography on Concanavalin A-agarose. The isolated glycoproteins were digested with pronase and radiolabeled with ¹²⁵I-Bolton Hunter reagent, and ¹²⁵I-Concanavalin A-binding glycopeptides were isolated by chromatography on Concanavalin A-agarose. Treatment of the ¹²⁵I-Concanavalin A-binding glycopeptides with either α-mannosidase or endo-β- N -acetylglucosaminidase-C₁₁ abolished their interaction with Concanavalin A. The pronase digest was reacted with endo-β-N-acetylglucosaminidase-C₁₁ and released oligosaccharides were reduced with NaB³H₄. Following affinity chromatography on Concanavalin A-agarose, Concanavalin A-binding [³H]oligosaccharides were chromatographed on Biogel P₄. Two major oligosaccharides corresponding to standard carbohydrates containing eight and five mannose residues were identified. Treatment of these oligosaccharides with α-mannosidase converted them to smaller saccharides having a mobility on Biogel P₄ columns equal to the standard disaccharide mannose-β-1-4- N '-acetylglucosamine. These results demonstrate that the Concanavalin A receptor activity associated with CNS synaptic junctions resides in asparaginelinked oligosaccharides of the high-mannose type.     

伴刀豆蛋白A及其衍生物对培养软骨细胞蛋白多糖代谢的影响

观察了ＣｏｎＡ对培养软骨细胞ＰＧ合成代谢的影响。证实ＣｏｎＡ能够使培养的软骨细胞高分子硫酸化ＰＧ的合成增加３～４倍,其分子量、硫酸化部位和硫酸化程度与对照组相比无明显差异,是具有正常结构的软骨型ＰＧ。ＣｏｎＡ对低分子型ＰＧ的合成未见明显的影响。ＣｏｎＡ促进ＰＧ合成的作用可由ＭｅＭａｎ完全解除,比具有同样效应的激素、生长因子都强,并有明显的凝集素特异性。推测ＣｏｎＡ的作用可能与软骨细胞膜或细胞内的分化诱导因子的受体或软骨中存在的ＣｏｎＡ软骨细胞分化因子有关。     

Crystal Structure of the Complex of Concanavalin A and Hexapeptide

The X-ray structure analysis of a cross-linked crystal of concanavalin A soaked with a hexapeptide molecule as a probe molecule showed an electron density corresponding to full occupation in the binding pocket. The site lies on the surface of concanavalin A and is surrounded by three symmetry-related molecules. The crystal structure of the hexapeptide complex was refined at 1.93- resolution, to an R-factor of 19% (R _free factor of 25%), with an RMS deviation in bond distances of 0.01 . The model includes all 237 residues of concanavalin A, one manganese ion, one calcium ion, 95 water molecules, one glutaraldehyde molecule, one isopropanol molecule, and one hexapeptide molecule. This X-ray structure analysis also provides an approach to mapping the binding surface of crystalline protein with a probe molecule that is dissolved in the mixture of organic solvent with water or in neat organic solvent but is hardly dissolved in aqueous solution.     

海兔素对刀豆蛋白A诱导的化学性肝损伤保护作用

目的:探讨海兔素对刀豆蛋白A诱导的化学性肝损伤保护作用。方法:雄性Wistar大鼠随机分为4组。模型组与海兔素组给予15 mg/kg刀豆蛋白A尾静脉注射每周一次,制作化学性肝损伤模型,模型制作成功后,正常对照组、模型组每日给予大豆油灌胃,海兔素低、高剂量组给予100、150 mg/kg·d海兔素+大豆油灌胃。实验持续8周后,禁食12 h,处死大鼠。HE染色观察肝组织形态学改变;Masson Trichrome及天狼星红染色观察肝组织纤维化状况;全自动生化分析仪检测血清ALT、AST及LDH水平;ELISA实验测定血清TNF-α和TGF-β1水平。结果:与正常对照组相比,模型组大鼠肝小叶结构模糊紊乱,纤维组织增生明显,可见灶状坏死及炎性细胞浸润,胶原纤维明显增多,胶原指数明显升高。血清中ALT、AST、LDH及TNF-α和TGF-β1水平显著升高(P0.05)。海兔素干预后,肝小叶病变程度较模型组明显减轻,染色胶原显著减少,纤维增生明显改善,血清中ALT、AST、LDH及TNF-α和TGF-β1水平较模型组显著降低(P0.05),海兔素高剂量组与低剂量组相比,肝脏病变改善程度更为明显(P0.05)。结论:海兔素对刀豆蛋白A诱导的化学性肝损伤具有一定保护作用,其机制可能与下调TNF-α、TGF-β1水平有关。     

Immobilization of Ciliates by Concanavalin A*

SYNOPSIS. Interaction of several plant lectins with the ciliates Stylonychia mytilus, Euplotes aediculatus, and Tetrahymena pyriformis GL, was investigated. The motility of Stylonychia is specifically inhibited by treatment with concanavalin A, with which the 2 other ciliates react only weakly. Stylonychia can regain its motility by shedding the lectin-loaded surface components and rebuilding a new pellicle. Other lectins used in this study did not interact with these ciliates.     

Pretreatment of Cerebellar Granule Cells with Concanavalin A Potentiates Quisqualate-Stimulated Phosphoinositide Hydrolysis

The hydrolysis of phosphoinositides (PI) elicited in cerebellar granule cell cultures by agonists of metabolotropic glutamate receptors, glutmate and quisqualate, was enhanced when the cells were pretreated with concanavalin A (Con-A). A similar effect was produced by wheat germ agglutinin, but not by several other lectins tested. Con-A produced a dose-dependent effect (EC50 = 3 microM) and increased the efficacy but not the potency of the agonists. In contrast, Con-A failed to enhance PI hydrolysis evoked by N-methyl-D-aspartate, kainate, carbachol, the calcium ionophore A23187, or 50 mM K+. The Con-A stimulatory effect was prevented by simultaneous pretreatment with the agonists of ionotropic quisqualate receptors quisqualate, kainate, and alpha-amino-3-hydroxy-5-methyl-4-isoxazolepropionic acid, but not by the antagonist 6-cyano-7-nitroquioxaline-2,3-dione (CNQX). CNQX, which did not inhibit quisqualate-stimulated PI hydrolysis in untreated cells, abolished the component of quisqualate response enhanced by Con-A pretreatment. The pretreatment with Con-A also increased the influx of 45Ca2+ in granule cells stimulated by quisqualate. This increase was inhibited by CNQX. Moreover, the potentiation of PI hydrolysis by Con-A, but not the response to quisqualate alone, was abolished in the absence of Ca2+ and Na+. Pretreatment of granule cells with pertussis toxin inhibited PI hydrolysis stimulated by the metabolotropic quisqualate receptor and the Con-A-potentiated response by the same percentage, but Ca2+ influx induced by quisqualate was not affected.(ABSTRACT TRUNCATED AT 250 WORDS)     

雷公藤甲素对Con A诱导小鼠急性肝损伤的保护作用及机制

摘要 目的：探究雷公藤甲素（Triptolide）对刀豆蛋白A（Concanavalin, Con A）诱导的小鼠急性肝损伤的保护机制。方法：雄性BALB/c小鼠30只,随机等分为正常对照组、Con A模型组和雷公藤甲素治疗组。通过尾静脉注射Con A构建小鼠急性肝损伤模型。微孔板法检测血清谷丙转氨酶（ALT）和谷草转氨酶（AST）水平,HE染色观察肝组织病理变化,免疫组化、实时荧光定量PCR（RT-qPCR）和酶联免疫吸附试验（ELISA）检测肝组织及血清中细胞因子水平。结果：与正常对照组比较,Con A诱导急性肝损伤小鼠血清ALT、AST水平显著增高（P<0.05）,肝组织呈局灶性炎性浸润、坏死。与Con A模型组比较,雷公藤甲素治疗组小鼠血清ALT、AST水平显著下降（P<0.05）;肝组织病理程度明显减轻;肝组织中CD4⁺T细胞的浸润降低,促炎细胞因子（IFN-γ、TNF-α、IL-1β、IL-2）的水平显著降低（P<0.05）。结论：雷公藤甲素可以通过抑制CD4⁺T细胞向肝脏募集,下调IFN-γ、TNF-α、IL-1β、IL-2的表达,有效防治Con A诱导的急性免疫性肝损伤。     

The influence of different glycosylation patterns on factor VII biological activity

In this study the bioactivity of three differently glycosylated blood coagulation factor VII (FVII) variants (human plasma FVII, recombinant human FVII produced in CHO and BHK cell cultures) were analyzed and compared. Surface plasmon resonance studies of FVII interaction with soluble and full length TF together with FVII autoactivation assays revealed that BHK-derived FVII has the highest bioactivity, while human plasma and CHO-derived FVII showed very similar bioactivity. The affinity of FVII variants to TF correlates with FVII autoactivation rates – the higher the affinity, the faster the autoactivation rate.     

Sensitive and Label-Free Detection of DNA by Surface Plasmon Resonance

While an array of technologies based on radioactive labels or luminescent tags are dominant in modern biomedical research on DNA, surface plasmon resonance (SPR) and SPR imaging measurements are sensitive, rapid, and label-free. This review summarizes recent advances in the development of SPR and coupled techniques and their applications in DNA research, including the gene analysis at trace levels and studies of DNA–protein and DNA–drug interactions.     

A surface plasmon resonance-based assay for small molecule inhibitors of human cyclophilin A

A simple protocol for generating a highly stable and active surface plasmon resonance (SPR) sensor surface of recombinant human hexahistidine cyclophilin A (His-CypA) is described. The sensor surface was sensitive and stable enough to allow, for the first time, the screening and ranking of several novel small-molecule (Mr approximately 250-500 Da) ligands in a competition binding assay with cyclosporin A (CsA). It also allowed us to accurately determine the kinetic rate constants for the interaction between His-CypA and CsA. His-CypA was first captured on a Ni2+-nitrilotriacetic acid (NTA) sensor chip and was then briefly covalently stabilized, coupling via primary amines. The significant baseline drift observed due to dissociation of weakly bound His-CypA from the Ni2+-NTA moiety was eliminated, resulting in a surface that was stable for at least 36 h. In addition, immobilized protein activity levels were high, typically between 85 and 95%, assayed by the interaction between His-CypA and CsA. The mean equilibrium dissociation constant for CsA (K(dCsA)) binding to the immobilized His-CypA was 23+/-6 nM, with on and off rates of 0.53+/-0.1 microM(-1) s(-1) and 1.2+/-0.1 (x 10(-2)) s(-1), respectively. These values agree well with the values for the corresponding binding constants determined from steady-state and kinetic fluorescence titrations in solution.     

Membrane mobility and the Concanavalin A binding system of the plasmalemma of higher plant protoplasts

The binding of a colloidal gold-Concanavalin A (ConA) complex to the plasmalemma of tobacco leaf protoplasts has been investigated using scanning electron microscopy. At 5° C the particles of gold-ConA appear to be randomly distributed over the surface of the protoplast. If the temperature is raised, the particles associate into clusters. Saturation of the membrane with particles can only occur when the weight of ConA in solution exceeds 1 g/10⁴ protoplasts in suspension, and when its concentration exceeds 15 g/ml. These results are discussed in terms of the properties of the ConA binding site and the mobility of such sites within the membrane surface.Abbreviations ConA Concanavalin A - AuConA Colloidal gold-Concanavalin A complex     

Triazinic dye ligand selection by surface plasmon resonance for recombinant lactoferricin purification

Bovine lactoferricin (Lfcin B) belongs to the antimicrobial peptide family, which is the first line of defense against pathogens in many organisms. Lfcin B has important applications due to its antiviral, antifungal, antiparasitic, anticancer/tumor and antibacterial activity.In this work, we tested five triazine dyes for Lfcin B affinity interactions using surface plasmon resonance (SPR) technology. Recombinant Lfcin B was expressed as a fusion protein with GST (Lfcin B-GST) by using the baculovirus expression vector system and the dye-Sepharose matrices were assayed for Lfcin B-GST adsorption and subsequent elution.Red HE-3B and Yellow HE-4R dyes were selected and immobilized on a Sepharose-4B matrix for further purification studies. The Yellow HE-4R-Sepharose matrix was specific for Lfcin B and allowed adsorption of Lfcin B-GST directly from the culture medium even at high salt concentration.This novel application of SPR to screen possible dye–peptide interactions could be relevant to purify other peptides or proteins by using low-cost dye-affinity chromatography.     

Biosensor detection of triplex formation by modified oligonucleotides

Due to the instability of DNA oligonucleotides in biological solutions, antisense or antigene therapies aimed at modulation of specific gene expression will most likely require the use of oligonucleotides with modified backbones. Here, we examine the use of a surface plasmon resonance biosensor (BIAcore) to compare triplex-directed binding of modified oligonucleotides targeted to a region of the murine c-myc promoter. We describe optimization of experimental conditions to minimize nonspecific interactions between the oligonucleotides and the sensor chip surface, and the limitations imposed by certain backbones and sequence types. The abilities of pyrimidine oligonucleotides with various modified backbones to form specific triple helices with an immobilized hairpin duplex were readily determined using the biosensor. Modification of the third-strand oligonucleotide with RNA or 2(')-O-methyl RNA was found to enhance triplex formation, whereas phosphorothioate or phosphotriester substitutions abrogated it. A comparison of these results to DNase I footprinting experiments using the same oligonucleotides showed complete agreement between the two sets of data.     

表面等离子体共振技术在分子生物学中的应用

表面等离子体共振(SPR)技术可以实时、原位地测定生物分子间的相互作用而无需任何标记,可以连续监测吸附和解离过程,并可以进行多组分复合物的相互作用的研究。SPR技术在DNA的复制和转录、DNA的修复、核酸与药物的作用以及肽库和抗体库的筛选等分子生物学领域的应用研究取得了令人瞩目的进展,显示了常规技术无法比拟的优越性。     

Asymmetric distribution of Concanavalin A binding sites on yeast plasmalemma and vacuolar membrane

Isolated vacuoles of Saccharomyces cerevisiae did not bind Concanavalin A (labelled with tritium or with a fluorescent dye) unless the vacuoles were rendered permeable and their inner membrane surface made accessible. Yeast protoplasts, on the other hand, bound large amounts of Concanavalin A on their surface, and the number of binding sites was not increased after a gentle lysis expected to expose also the inner surface of the plasmalemma. It is concluded that both the plasmalemma and the vacuolar membrane carry Concanavalin A binding sites exclusively on the surface opposite to the cytoplasmic matrix.Non-Standard Abbreviations ConA concanavalin A - MDPF 2-methoxy-2,4-diphenyl-3(2H)-furanone - -MM -methyl-D-mannopyranoside - Pipes piperazine-N,N-bis-2-ethanesulfonic acid - DNP potassium dinitrophenolate     

A yeast glycolipid biosurfactant, mannosylerythritol lipid, shows high binding affinity towards lectins on a self-assembled monolayer system

Mannosylerythritol lipids (MEL), which are glycolipid biosurfactants secreted by the Pseudozyma yeasts, show not only excellent surface-active properties but also versatile biochemical actions including antitumor and cell-differentiation activities. In order to address the biochemical actions, interactions between MEL-A, the major component of MEL, and different lectins were investigated using the surface plasmon resonance spectroscopy. The monolayer of MEL-A showed high binding affinity to concanavalin A (ConA) and Maackia amurensis lectin-I (MAL-I). The observed affinity constants for ConA and MAL-I were estimated to be 9.48 ± 1.31 × 10⁶ and 3.13 ± 0.274 × 10⁶ M⁻¹, respectively; the value was comparable to that of Manα1–6(Manα1–3)Man, which is one of the most specific probe to ConA. Significantly, α-methyl-D-mannopyranoside (1 mM) exhibited no binding inhibition between MEL-A and ConA. MEL-A is thus likely to self-assemble to give a high affinity surface, where ConA binds to the hydrophilic headgroup in a different manner from that generally observed in lectin-saccharide interactions. The binding manner should be related with the biochemical actions of MEL toward mammalian cells via protein-carbohydrate interactions.     

Effects of succinylation on thermal induced amyloid formation in Concanavalin A

We have recently shown that upon slight thermal destabilization the legume lectin Concanavalin A may undergo two different aggregation processes, leading, respectively, to amyloid fibrils at high pH and amorphous aggregates at low pH. Here we present an experimental study on the amyloid aggregation of Succinyl Concanavalin A, which is a dimeric active variant of Concanavalin. The results show that, as for the native protein, the fibrillation process appears to be favoured by alkaline pH, far from the isoelectric point of the protein. Moreover, it strongly depends on temperature and requires large conformational changes both at secondary and tertiary structure level. With respect to the native protein, the succinyl derivative forms amyloid fibrils in considerably longer times and with a minor exposure of hydrophobic regions. At physiological conditions, Concanavalin A still displays a sizeable tendency to form amyloid fibril, while the succinyl variant does not. A close correlation was observed between the progress of amyloid formation and a narrowing of the tryptophans fluorescence emission band, indicating a reduction of protein conformational heterogeneity in amyloid fibrils. Proceedings of the XVIII Congress of the Italian Society of Pure and Applied Biophysics (SIBPA), Palermo, Sicily, September 2006.     

Comparative analysis of 10 small molecules binding to carbonic anhydrase II by different investigators using Biacore technology

In this benchmark study, 26 investigators were asked to characterize the kinetics and affinities of 10 sulfonamide inhibitors binding to the enzyme carbonic anhydrase II using Biacore optical biosensors. A majority of the participants collected data that could be fit to a 1:1 interaction model, but a subset of the data sets obtained from some instruments were of poor quality. The experimental errors in the k(a), k(d), and K(D) parameters determined for each of the compounds averaged 34, 24, and 37%, respectively. As expected, the greatest variation in the reported constants was observed for compounds with exceptionally weak affinity and/or fast association rates. The binding constants determined using the biosensor correlated well with solution-based titration calorimetry measurements. The results of this study provide insight into the challenges, as well as the level of experimental variation, that one would expect to observe when using Biacore technology for small molecule analyses.     

A study of the sites of glycosylation of zein proteins using the lectin concanavalin A

The sites of glycosylation of zeins, the maize (Zea mays L.) storage proteins, were studied using the affinity of the lectin Concanavalin A (Con A) for certain glycosides. Zeins which were extracted from kernels of Illinois High Protein (IHP), W22, W64A and Oh43 were separated by isoelectric focusing and analyzed with a radiolabeled Con A binding technique. Certain sub-groups of the zein proteins contained carbohydrate moities which bound Con A while others did not. Zeins extracted from Oh43 kernels had a higher relative affinity for Con A than those of other maize lines. Further analyses of the zeins of Oh43 by gas chromatography demonstrated the presence of fucose, mannose and glucose.