白喉毒素DT386片段的表达纯化及细胞毒性研究

基于白喉毒素 (diphtheriatoxin ,DT)的免疫毒素在临床试验中普遍发现毒性反应 ,但机制尚不清楚。据推测 ,免疫毒素的细胞毒性源自DT的酶活性区和跨膜转运区 (N端 386～ 388个氨基酸 ,DT₃₈₆)。为考察DT₃₈₆毒素片段与毒性反应的关系 ,将DT₃₈₆在E .coli中进行了表达、纯化 ,并初步观察了其细胞毒性。经Q SepharoseFF离子交换层析 ,获得纯度达 95 %的DT₃₈₆蛋白。DT₃₈₆杀伤HL60细胞的IC50 为 2× 1 0 -6mol L ,比免疫毒素的特异杀伤毒性低 1 0 0倍以上 ;但在高浓度下 ,DT₃₈₆可非特异性杀伤多种细胞。小鼠体内实验初步结果表明 ,给药剂量高则体内毒性反应强烈。结果提示免疫毒素的剂量限制毒性与DT₃₈₆的非特异细胞毒性有一定相关性 ,为进一步开展免疫毒素毒性相关研究提供了有益线索。     

人参总皂甙对人GM-CSF和GM-CSFR表达的调控

为探讨人参调控粒细胞发生的生物学机制,采用造血祖细胞和骨髓基质细胞体外培养、造血生长因子生物学活性检测、免疫细胞化学、核酸分子原位杂交、免疫沉淀和蛋白印迹等现代生物学技术,研究人参总皂甙(total saponins of Panax ginaeng,TSPG)对人粒-巨噬细胞集落刺激因子(granulocyte-macrophage colony-stimulating factor,GM-CSF)和粒-巨噬细胞集落刺激因子受体α(GM-CSFRα)表达的影响。结果：(1)经TSPG(50μg／m1)诱导制备的骨髓基质细胞、胸腺细胞、脾细胞、血管内皮细胞和单核细胞条件培养液可显著提高粒单系造血祖细胞(CFU-GM)的集落产率;(2)经TSPG(50μg/ml)诱导后,上述细胞的GM-CSF蛋白(诱导24h)和mRNA(诱导12h)表达显著提高;(3)经TSPG(50μg/ml)诱导24h骨髓造血细胞的GM-CSFRα蛋白表达增强;(4)经TSPG(50μg/ml)刺激后2min,GM-CSFRα和Shc发生酪氨酸磷酸化,5min时达高峰,随后去磷酸化。上述结果表明,TSPG可能通过直接和／或间接途径促进淋巴细胞与骨髓基质细胞合成与分泌GM-CSF,诱导骨髓造血细胞表达GM-CSFRα,并刺激GM-CSFRα和Shc的酪氨酸可逆磷酸化,从而通过调控GM-CSF的信号转导过程,促进CFU-GM的增殖。     

乙型肝炎病毒靶向核糖核酸酶及其突变体的原核表达和活性分析

目的：研究原核表达的乙型肝炎病毒（HBV）靶向核糖核酸酶（RNase）及其突变体（点突变失去RNase活性）的活性。方法：将构建的靶向核糖核酸酶及其突变体基因克隆入原核表达载体pET32a（＋）,转化大肠杆菌BL21（DE3）,以IPTG诱导融合蛋白（HBV核心蛋白与人嗜酸性粒细胞来源的神经毒素的融合蛋白）的表达;表达产物经包涵体纯化、SDS-PAGE和Western印迹鉴定,将纯化的蛋白用透析方法复性;以酵母tRNA为作用底物,应用复性的蛋白进行RNase活性分析。结果：纯化和复性了HBV靶向核糖核酸酶及其突变体;复性的HBV靶向核糖核酸酶可以降解酵母tRNA且具有剂量依赖性,而复性后的突变的靶向核糖核酸酶体不具有RNase活性。结论：原核表达的HBV靶向核糖核酸酶具有较强的RNase活性,为探索HBV靶向核糖核酸酶抑制乙肝病毒复制的机理奠定了基础。     

杀伤血管内皮生长因子受体 1 阳性细胞的靶向毒素

白喉毒素 (diphtheria toxin DT) 是棒状白喉杆菌被β噬菌体感染后分泌的一种外毒素. 它可以阻断真核细胞的蛋白质合成,杀死细胞. 血管内皮生长因子 (VEGF) 的 R82A, K84A, H86A 突变体可以和肿瘤血管上高表达的 VEGF 受体 1 (VEGFR-1) 特异性结合. 首先从白喉杆菌中提取基因组 DNA,扩增出白喉毒素 C 区、 T 区基因. 并运用点突变技术,制成 VEGF 的 R82A, K84A, H86A 突变体. 利用这个可以和肿瘤血管上特异性受体相结合的 VEGF 的突变体,代替白喉毒素上的受体结合区,制成了针对 VEGFR-1 的靶向融合毒素——— DT391-mVEGF. 以去除了受体结合区的 DT391 为阴性对照,细胞实验表明,融合毒素对 VEGFR-1 阳性的肿瘤细胞有特异性杀伤作用.     

藏药巴桑母酥油丸对放射线-化学复合损伤小鼠粒-巨噬系造血功能的影响及机理研究

目的探讨藏药巴桑母酥油丸对放射线-化学复合损伤小鼠粒-巨噬系造血功能的影响及可能机理。方法60Coγ射线照射和环磷酰胺腹腔注射方式制造放射线-化学复合损伤小鼠模型,采用外周血细胞计数、造血祖细胞集落分析、实时荧光定量PCR,检测灌胃不同浓度巴桑母酥油丸后不同时间放射线-化学复合损伤小鼠外周白细胞数、骨髓粒-巨噬系(CFU-GM)造血祖细胞集落产率、粒-巨噬系集落刺激因子(GM-CSF)和粒-巨噬系集落刺激因子受体(GM-CSF R)mRNA相对表达量。结果灌胃14 d后,中、高剂量组的白细胞数显著高于生理盐水组;中剂量巴桑母酥油丸灌胃14 d后,骨髓CFU-GM集落产率、GM-CSF mRNA和GM-CSFR mRNA也显著高于空白组、生理盐水组。结论适当浓度的巴桑母酥油丸可以通过上调骨髓GM-CSF、GM-CSFR mRNA表达、促进CFU-GM增殖分化,进而促进放射线-化学复合损伤后小鼠外周血白细胞数的提前恢复。     

人胰高血糖素样肽-1突变体融合蛋白在大肠杆菌中的自诱导表达优化

考察了在大肠杆菌中自诱导表达人胰高血糖素样肽-1突变体融合蛋白的可行性,并对自诱导培养条件及培养基成分进行优化,以提高蛋白产量。实验结果表明,最优培养基成分为蛋白胨19.17g/L,酵母膏9.59g/L,Na2HPO45.72g/L,KH2PO45.48g/L,(NH4)2SO42.66g/L,NaCl3.33g/L,甘油2%(V/V),葡萄糖0.68g/L,乳糖6.33g/L,MgSO40.24g/L。在温度33°C、接种量1%、pH7、装瓶量20mL/100mL培养条件下,用该最优培养基自诱导表达人胰高血糖素样肽-1突变体融合蛋白的产量可达348.6mg/L。     

抗肿瘤免疫毒素稳定性的研究进展

免疫毒素（immunotoxins)是由某些细菌和植物产生的毒素蛋白与抗体或生长因子等靶向分子连接而成,用于杀伤表面带有特定抗原或受体的细胞,在试验中,免疫毒素在肿瘤周围环境中的稳定性是影响其抗肿瘤效果的主要因素之一,本文主要对几种由不同形式的抗体Fv段构建的免疫毒素的稳定性进行了比较,并对定点突变和PEG化学修饰提高免疫毒素稳定性的方法做一简要介绍。     

白喉毒素A片段的表达纯化与单克隆抗体制备

白喉毒素 (Diphtheriatoxin ,DT)A片段 (DTA)是白喉毒素的酶活性区 ,也是DT类免疫毒素的关键结构域。DTA蛋白及其单克隆抗体在免疫毒素的毒性机理、检测与纯化研究等方面具有重要价值。通过在E .coli中表达了DTA ,经Q SepharoseFF和Ni²⁺ Sepharose两步层析纯化 ,得到纯度约为 90 %的融合蛋白。以DTA为抗原免疫BalB c小鼠 ,获得了分泌抗DTA特异单抗的杂交瘤细胞株 3B6和 3B9。单抗为IgG1亚型 ,滴度达 1∶10⁶ 以上 ,与DTA的结合可被抗DT马血清竞争抑制。抗DTA单抗用于免疫印迹试验 ,或制备成免疫亲和柱纯化基于DT的重组免疫毒素 ,均获得较好效果 ,为免疫毒素的研究奠定了良好基础     

人胰高血糖素样肽-1与人血清白蛋白融合蛋白在毕赤酵母中的表达

目的：在巴斯德毕赤酵母中表达有降糖活性的人胰高血糖素样肽-1（hGLP-1）突变体（2Gly-hGLP-1）与人血清白蛋白（HSA）的融合蛋白。方法：为将GLP-1氨基酸序列第2位的丙氨酸（Ala）定点突变为甘氨酸（Gly）,根据毕赤酵母偏爱密码子合成编码2Gly-hGLP-1的基因;采用重叠PCR法拼接2Gly-hGLP-1和HSA的基因,使得2Gly-hGLP-1的C端与HSA的N端通过甘氨酸五肽接头连接;将该融合基因插入表达载体pPIC9构建为重组载体pPIC9/2Gly-hGLP-1-HSA,电击转化至毕赤酵母GS115细胞,通过表型筛选和诱导表达实验获得高效表达菌株;工程菌在5L发酵罐中培养后,对发酵产物进行分离纯化和生物学活性分析。结果：融合蛋白在5L发酵罐中的表达量约为200mg/L,经纯化后纯度可达95%以上;小鼠糖耐量实验表明该融合蛋白具有明显的控血糖活性。结论：在毕赤酵母中分泌表达的融合蛋白2Gly-hGLP-1-HSA具有降血糖活性。     

免疫毒素设计的新思路——基因免疫毒素

免疫毒素设计的新思路——基因免疫毒素严明张祖传（中国科学院上海生物化学研究所,上海２０００３１）关键词免疫毒素基因免疫毒素免疫毒素是一种导向性药物,它是由生物来源的毒蛋白和抗肿瘤抗体或某些细胞表面受体的配基偶联而成,以抗体或配基为载体,把毒素定向带到...     

Effect of Cleavage Mutants on Syncytium Formation Directed by the Wild-Type Fusion Protein of Newcastle Disease Virus

The effects of Newcastle disease virus (NDV) fusion (F) glycoprotein cleavage mutants on the cleavage and syncytium-forming activity of the wild-type F protein were examined. F protein cleavage mutants were made by altering amino acids in the furin recognition region (amino acids 112 to 116) in the F protein of a virulent strain of NDV. Four mutants were made: Q114P replaced the glutamine residue with proline; K115G replaced lysine with glycine; double mutant K115G, R113G replaced both a lysine and an arginine with glycine residues; and a triple mutant, R112G, K115G, F117L, replaced three amino acids to mimic the sequence found in avirulent strains of NDV. All mutants except Q114P were cleavage negative and fusion negative. However, addition of exogenous trypsin cleaved all mutant F proteins and activated fusion. As expected for an oligomeric protein, the fusion-negative mutants had a dominant negative phenotype: cotransfection of wild-type and mutant F protein cDNAs resulted in an inhibition of syncytium formation. The presence of the mutant F protein did not inhibit cleavage of the wild-type protein. Furthermore, evidence is presented that suggests that the mutant protein and the wild-type protein formed heterooligomers. By measuring the syncytium-forming activity of the wild-type protein at various ratios of expression of mutant and wild-type protein, results were obtained that are most consistent with the notion that the size of the functionally active NDV F protein in these assays is a single oligomer, likely a trimer. That a larger oligomer, containing a mix of both wild-type and mutant F proteins, has partial activity cannot, however, be ruled out.     

CBL Linker Region and RING Finger Mutations Lead to Enhanced Granulocyte-Macrophage Colony-stimulating Factor (GM-CSF) Signaling via Elevated Levels of JAK2 and LYN

Juvenile myelomonocytic leukemia (JMML) is characterized by hypersensitivity to granulocyte-macrophage colony-stimulating factor (GM-CSF). SHP2, NF-1, KRAS, and NRAS are mutated in JMML patients, leading to aberrant regulation of RAS signaling. A subset of JMML patients harbor CBL mutations associated with 11q acquired uniparental disomy. Many of these mutations are in the linker region and the RING finger of CBL, leading to a loss of E3 ligase activity. We investigated the mechanism by which CBL-Y371H, a linker region mutant, and CBL-C384R, a RING finger mutant, lead to enhanced GM-CSF signaling. Expression of CBL mutants in the TF-1 cell line resulted in enhanced survival in the absence of GM-CSF. Cells expressing CBL mutations displayed increased phosphorylation of GM-CSF receptor βc subunit in response to stimulation, although expression of total GM-CSFR βc was lower. This suggested enhanced kinase activity downstream of GM-CSFR. JAK2 and LYN kinase expression is elevated in CBL-Y371H and CBL-C384R mutant cells, resulting in enhanced phosphorylation of CBL and S6 in response to GM-CSF stimulation. Incubation with the JAK2 inhibitor, TG101348, abolished the increased phosphorylation of GM-CSFR βc in cells expressing CBL mutants, whereas treatment with the SRC kinase inhibitor dasatinib resulted in equalization of GM-CSFR βc phosphorylation signal between wild type CBL and CBL mutant samples. Dasatinib treatment inhibited the elevated phosphorylation of CBL-Y371H and CBL-C384R mutants. Our study indicates that CBL linker and RING finger mutants lead to enhanced GM-CSF signaling due to elevated kinase expression, which can be blocked using small molecule inhibitors targeting specific downstream pathways.     

The importance of valine 114 in ligand binding in β2‐adrenergic receptor

G‐protein coupled receptors (GPCRs) are transmembrane signaling molecules, with a majority of them performing important physiological roles. β₂‐Adrenergic receptor (β₂‐AR) is a well‐studied GPCRs that mediates natural responses to the hormones adrenaline and noradrenaline. Analysis of the ligand‐binding region of β₂‐AR using the recently solved high‐resolution crystal structures revealed a number of highly conserved amino acids that might be involved in ligand binding. However, detailed structure‐function studies on some of these residues have not been performed, and their role in ligand binding remains to be elucidated. In this study, we have investigated the structural and functional role of a highly conserved residue valine 114, in hamster β₂‐AR by site‐directed mutagenesis. We replaced V114 in hamster β₂‐AR with a number of amino acid residues carrying different functional groups. In addition to the complementary substitutions V114I and V114L, the V114C and V114E mutants also showed significant ligand binding and agonist dependent G‐protein activation. However, the V114G, V114T, V114S, and V114W mutants failed to bind ligand in a specific manner. Molecular modeling studies were conducted to interpret these results in structural terms. We propose that the replacement of V114 influences not only the interaction of the ethanolamine side‐chains but also the aryl‐ring of the ligands tested. Results from this study show that the size and orientation of the hydrophobic residue at position V114 in β₂‐AR affect binding of both agonists and antagonists, but it does not influence the receptor expression or folding.     

Interaction of plasminogen activator inhibitor type-1 (PAI-1) with vitronectin.

The serpin plasminogen activator inhibitor type 1 (PAI-1) plays an important role in physiological processes such as thrombolysis and fibrinolysis, as well as pathophysiological processes such as thrombosis, tumor invasion and metastasis. In addition to inhibiting serine proteases, mainly tissue-type (tPA) and urokinase-type (uPA) plasminogen activators, PAI-1 interacts with different components of the extracellular matrix, i.e. fibrin, heparin (Hep) and vitronectin (Vn). PAI-1 binding to Vn facilitates migration and invasion of tumor cells. The most important determinants of the Vn-binding site of PAI-1 appear to reside between amino acids 110-147, which includes alpha helix E (hE, amino acids 109-118). Ten different PAI-1 variants (mostly harboring modifications in hE) as well as wild-type PAI-1, the previously described PAI-1 mutant Q123K, and another serpin, PAI-2, were recombinantly produced in Escherichia coli containing a His(6) tag and purified by affinity chromatography. As shown in microtiter plate-based binding assays, surface plasmon resonance and thrombin inhibition experiments, all of the newly generated mutants which retained inhibitory activity against uPA still bound to Vn. Mutant A114-118, in which all amino-acids at positions 114-118 of PAI-1 were exchanged for alanine, displayed a reduced affinity to Vn as compared to wild-type PAI-1. Mutants lacking inhibitory activity towards uPA did not bind to Vn. Q123K, which inhibits uPA but does not bind to Vn, served as a control. In contrast to other active PAI-1 mutants, the inhibitory properties of A114-118 towards thrombin as well as uPA were significantly reduced in the presence of Hep. Our results demonstrate that the wild-type sequence of the region around hE in PAI-1 is not a prerequisite for binding to Vn.     

血管内皮细胞生长抑制因子N端部分缺失对生物活性的影响

血管内皮细胞生长抑制因子 (vascularendothelialcellgrowthinhibitor,VEGI)是近年来发现的一类TNF家族新成员 ,具有抑制内皮细胞增殖与新血管生成的作用。为了探讨VEGI蛋白N端对其活性的影响 ,进行了VEGI与TNF家族成员基于结构知识的一级结构序列联配 ,在此基础上构建、表达了N端缺失 43与 5 1个氨基酸的VEGI突变体。N端缺失 43个氨基酸的VEGI(VEGI131)表达量占总菌体蛋白质的 2 5 .2 % ,N端缺失 5 1个氨基酸的VEGI(VE GI12 3)表达量为 2 7.8% ,纯化后纯度分别为 92 .5 % (VEGI131)和 91.6 % (VEGI12 3)。VEGI131可明显抑制人脐静脉内皮细胞 (HUVEC)增殖 ,IC50 约为 35mg/L ,而VEGI12 3在同样条件下几乎无抑制作用 ,野生型VEGI即N端缺失 2 3个氨基酸的VEGI(VEGI151,由作者实验室制备 )IC50 约为 2 7mg/L。鸡胚绒毛尿囊膜血管生成实验证明 ,VEGI151可使主血管数显著减少 ,VEGI131可使主血管变细 ,毛细血管数减少 ,而VEGI12 3 与对照组相比无明显变化。体内外研究显示VEGI活性从高到低依次为 :VEGI151>VEGI131>VEGI12 3。结果提示 :VEGI的N端前 43个氨基酸对活性无明显影响 ,而第 44～ 5 1位氨基酸对其生物活性的发挥具有重要作用。     

In vitro and in vivo activities of T4 endonuclease V mutants altered in the C-terminal aromatic region

Genes encoding mutants of the thymine photodimer repair enzyme from bacteriophage T4 (T4 endonuclease V) having an amino acid substitution (T127M, W128A, W128S, Y129A, K130L, Y131A, Y132A) were constructed by use of a previously obtained synthetic gene and expressed in Escherichia coli under the control of the E. coli tryptophan promoter. An in vitro assay of partially fractionated mutant proteins for glycosylase activity was performed with chemically synthesized substrates containing a thymine photodimer. T127M and K130L showed almost the same activity as the wild-type protein. Although W128S, Y131A, and Y132A were slightly active, W128A and Y129A lost activity. The results indicated that the aromatic amino acids around position 130 may be important for the glycosylase activity. Mutant T127M was purified, and the Km value was found to be of the same order as that of the wild type (10(-8) M). In vivo activities for all mutants were characterized with UV-sensitive E. coli. The results showed that substitution of Thr-127 with Met or Lys-130 with Leu did not have an effect on the survival of the bacteria but substitution of aromatic amino acids (128-132) had various effects on survival.     

The thermostability of DNA-binding protein HU from mesophilic, thermophilic, and extreme thermophilic bacteria

Based on primary structure comparison between four highly homologous DNA-binding proteins (HUs) displaying differential thermostability, we have employed in vitro site-directed mutagenesis to decipher their thermostability mechanism at the molecular level. The contribution of the 11 amino acids that differ between the thermophilic HUBst from Bacillus stearothermophilus (Tm = 61.6 degrees C) and the mesophilic HUBsu from Bacillus subtilis (Tm = 39.7 degrees C) was evaluated by replacing these amino acids in HUBst with their mesophilic counterparts. Among 11 amino acids, three residues, Gly-15, Glu-34, and Val-42, which are highly conserved in the thermophilic HUs, have been found to be responsible for the thermostability of HUBst. These amino acids in combination (HUBst-G15E/E34D/V42I) reduce the thermostability of the protein (Tm = 45.1 degrees C) at the level of its mesophilic homologue HUBsu. By replacing these amino acids in HUBsu with their thermophilic counterparts, the HUBsu-E15G/D34E/142V mutant was generated with thermostability (Tm = 57.8 degrees C) at the level of thermophilic HUBst. Employing the same strategy, we generated several mutants in the extremely thermophilic HUTmar from Thermotoga maritima (Tm = 80.5 degrees C), and obtained data consistent with the previous results. The triplet mutant HUTmar-G15E/E34D/V421 (Tm = 35.9 degrees C) converted the extremely thermophilic protein HUTmar to mesophilic. The various forms of HU proteins were overproduced in Escherichia coli, highly purified, and the thermostability of the mutants confirmed by circular dichroism spectroscopy. The results presented here were elucidated on the basis of the X-ray structure of HUBst and HUTmar (our unpublished results), and their mechanism was proposed at the molecular level. The results clearly show that three individual local interactions located at the helix-turn-helix part of the protein are responsible for the stability of HU proteins by acting cooperatively in a common mechanism for thermostability.     

A diphtheria toxin receptor deficient in epidermal growth factor-like biological activity

Targeted cell ablation in animals is a powerful method for analyzing the physiological function of cell populations and generating various animal models of organ dysfunction. To achieve more specific and conditional ablation of target cells, we have developed a method termed Toxin Receptor mediated Cell Knockout (TRECK). A potential shortcoming of this method, however, is that overexpression of human heparin-binding epidermal growth factor-like growth factor (hHB-EGF) as a diphtheria toxin (DT) receptor in target cells or tissues may cause abnormalities in transgenic mice, since hHB-EGF is a member of the EGF growth factor family. To create novel DT receptors that are defective in growth factor activity and resistant to metalloprotease-cleavage, we mutated five amino acids in the extracellular EGF-like domain of hHB-EGF, which contains both DT-binding and protease-cleavage sites. Two of the resultant hHB-EGF mutants, I117A/L148V and I117V/L148V, possessed little growth factor activity but retained DT receptor activity. Furthermore, these mutants were resistant to metalloprotease-cleavage by 12-O-tetradecanoylphorbol-13-acetate stimulation, which is expected to enhance DT receptor activity. These novel DT receptors should be useful for the generation of transgenic mice by TRECK.     

Cloning, sequencing, and functional expression in Escherichia coli of chaperonin (groESL) genes from Vibrio cholerae.

Using a series of oligonucleotides synthesized on the basis of conserved nucleotide motifs in heat-shock genes, the groESL heat-shock operon from a Vibrio cholerae TSI-4 strain has been cloned and sequenced, revealing that the presence of two open reading frames (ORFs) of 291 nucleotides and 1,632 nucleotides separated by 54 nucleotides. The first ORF encoded a polypeptide of 97 amino acids, GroES homologue, and the second ORF encoded a polypeptide of 544 amino acids, GroEL homologue. A comparison of the deduced amino acid sequences revealed that the primary structures of the V. cholerae GroES and GroEL proteins showed significant homology with those of the GroES and GroEL proteins of other bacteria. Complementation experiments were performed using Escherichia coli groE mutants which have the temperature-sensitive growth phenotype. The results showed that the groES and groEL from V. cholerae were expressed in E. coli, and groE mutants harboring V. cholerae groESL genes regained growth ability at high temperature. The evolutionary analysis indicates a closer relationship between V. cholerae chaperonins and those of the Haemophilus and Yersinia species.     

Role of individual amino acids of apolipoprotein A-I in the activation of lecithin:cholesterol acyltransferase and in HDL rearrangements

The central region of apolipoprotein A-I (apoA-I), spanning residues 143--165, has been implicated in lecithin:cholesterol acyltransferase (LCAT) activation and also in high density lipoprotein (HDL) structural rearrangements. To examine the role of individual amino acids in these functions, we constructed, overexpressed, and purified two additional point mutants of apoA-I (P143R and R160L) and compared them with the previously studied V156E mutant. These mutants have been reported to occur naturally and to affect HDL cholesterol levels and cholesterol esterification in plasma. The P143R and R160L mutants were effectively expressed in Escherichia coli as fusion proteins and were isolated in at least 95% purity. In the lipid-free state, the mutants self-associated similarly to wild-type protein. All the mutants, including V156E, were able to lyse dimyristoylphosphatidylcholine liposomes. In the lipid-bound state, the major reconstituted HDL (rHDL) of the mutants had diameters similar to wild type (96--98 A). Circular dichroism and fluorescence methods revealed no major differences among the structures of the lipid-free or lipid-bound mutants and wild type. In contrast, the V156E mutant had exhibited significant structural, stability, and self-association differences compared with wild-type apoA-I in the lipid-free state, and formed rHDL particles with larger diameters. In this study, limited proteolytic digestion with chymotrypsin showed that the V156E mutant, in lipid-free form, has a distinct digestion pattern and surface exposure of the central region, compared with wild type and the other mutants. Reactivity of rHDL with LCAT was highest for wild type (100%), followed by P143R (39%) and R160L (0.6%). Tested for their ability to rearrange into 78-A particles, the rHDL of the two mutants (P143R and R160L) behaved normally, compared with the rHDL of V156E, which showed no rearrangement after the 24-h incubation with low density lipoprotein (LDL). Similarly, the rHDL of V156E was resistant to rearrangement in the presence of apoA-I or apoA-II. These results indicate that structural changes are absent or modest for the P143R and R160L mutants, especially in rHDL form; that these mutants have normal conformational adaptability; and that LCAT activation is obliterated for R160L.Thus, individual amino acid changes may have markedly different structural and functional consequences in the 143--165 region of apoA-I. The R160L mutation appears to have a direct effect in LCAT activation, while the P143R mutation results in only minor structural and functional effects. Also, the processes for LCAT activation and hinge mobility appear to be distinct even if the same region of apoA-I is involved. -- Cho, K-H., D. M. Durbin, and A. Jonas. Role of individual amino acids of apolipoprotein A-I in the activation of lecithin:cholesterol acyltransferase and in HDL rearrangements. J. Lipid Res. 2001. 42: 379--389.