Radioimmunoassay studies of intestinal calcium-binding protein in the pig. II. The distribution of intestinal CaBP in pig tissues.

Using a specific radioimmunoassay for porcine intestinal calcium-binding protein (CaBP), we have measured the concentration of CaBP in the various tissues and organs of normal pigs. Intestinal CaBP was present in highest concentration in the upper small intestine, with lower concentrations in the distal small intestine. Intestinal CaBP was also found, in lower concentrations, in kidney, liver, thyroid, pancreas, and blood. In all other tissues, including parathyroid, bone, skeletal muscle, and brain, CaBP immunoreactivity was undetectable or less than in blood. The elution profile of calcium-binding activity and immunoreactivity from gel filtration analysis of kidney and parathyroid extracts suggest that the calcium-binding protein in the parathyroid gland, and the major calcium-binding protein(s) in the kidney, are chemically and immunochemically different from intestinal CaBP.     

Structure of the mts271 gene, coding a new calcium-binding protein

A genomic copy of the mts271 gene which is specifically expressed in metastatic cells has been cloned and characterized. The gene consists of two exons and one intron and has an open-reading frame for the protein of 101 amino acids. The protein contains two helix-loop-helix calcium-binding domains, which is a common feature for the members of the large family of intracellular calcium-binding proteins (Ca B Ps). The primary structures of the mts271 gene products and other Ca B Ps were compared. High level of homology was found for S100 and calcium-binding protein of intestinal epithelium of rats. On the whole, the mts271 protein is a new calcium-binding protein which is specifically expressed in metastatic cells.     

A comprehensive system for protein purification and biochemical analysis based on antibodies to c-myc peptide.

The genomics revolution has created a need for increased speed and generality for recombinant protein production systems as well as general methods for conducting biochemical assays with the purified protein products. 9E10 is a well-known high-affinity antibody that has found use in a wide variety of biochemical assays. Here we present a standardized system for purifying proteins with a simple epitope tag based on c-myc peptide using an antibody affinity column. Antibodies with binding parameters suitable for protein purification have been generated and characterized. To purify these antibodies from serum-containing medium without carrying through contaminating immunoglobulin G, a peptide-based purification process was developed. A fluorescence polarization binding assay was developed to characterize the antigen-antibody interaction. Protein purification protocols were optimized using a fluorescein-labeled peptide as a surrogate "protein." Binding and elution parameters were evaluated and optimized and basic operating conditions were defined. Several examples using this procedure for the purification of recombinant proteins are presented demonstrating the generality of the system. In all cases tested, highly pure final products are obtained in good yields. The combination of the antibodies described here and 9E10 allow for almost any biochemical application to be utilized with a single simple peptide tag.     

Predicting calcium-binding sites in proteins - a graph theory and geometry approach

Identifying calcium-binding sites in proteins is one of the first steps towards predicting and understanding the role of calcium in biological systems for protein structure and function studies. Due to the complexity and irregularity of calcium-binding sites, a fast and accurate method for predicting and identifying calcium-binding protein is needed. Here we report our development of a new fast algorithm (GG) to detect calcium-binding sites. The GG algorithm uses a graph theory algorithm to find oxygen clusters of the protein and a geometric algorithm to identify the center of these clusters. A cluster of four or more oxygen atoms has a high potential for calcium binding. High performance with about 90% site sensitivity and 80% site selectivity has been obtained for three datasets containing a total of 123 proteins. The results suggest that a sphere of a certain size with four or more oxygen atoms on the surface and without other atoms inside is necessary and sufficient for quickly identifying the majority of the calcium-binding sites with high accuracy. Our finding opens a new avenue to visualize and analyze calcium-binding sites in proteins facilitating the prediction of functions from structural genomic information.     

A tissue culture system for studies of the regulation of ether-linked and ester-linked aliphatic moieties in glycerolipids

A protein has been detected in chick brain which is immunologically identical to the vitamin D-induced calcium-binding protein found in intestinal tissue. It is present in highest concentration in the cerebellum and at lower levels in the remainder of the brain. Brain calcium-binding protein has the same molecular weight and electrophoretic properties as intestinal calcium-binding protein. Although the synthesis of intestinal calcium-binding protein is totally dependent upon a source of vitamin D, this has not yet been shown for brain calcium-binding protein. The total calcium-binding protein content of the cerebellum of chicks fed a vitamin D-free diet continued to increase during growth from 1 to 5 weeks, and is not responsive to exogenous vitamin D or 1,25-dihydroxyvitamin D.     

Immunochromatography on insolubilized antibodies of very low affinity: application to immunoadsorbence of bovine alpha-fetoprotein.

Cross-reactive antibodies were utilized to prepare immunoadsorbents possessing a very low affinity to bovine alpha-fetoprotein (AFP). A goat anti-human AFP serum cross-reactive with bovine AFP was first depleted of antibodies reactive with bovine AFP in immunodiffusion. The remaining antibodies from this serum and gamma-globulin from a sheep antiserum against rabbit AFP, without prior absorption, were coupled to Sepharose. Chromatography of fetal calf serum on these adsorbents resulted in retardation of bovine AFP relative to other proteins. A major part of the AFP eluted from the columns with phosphate-buffered saline. The rest eluted as a sharp peak with a small quantity of 4 or 6 M urea. The elution of AFP with the initial column buffer has made it possible to prepare pure AFP that has not been subjected to the chaotropic elution buffers usually employed in affinity chromatography. Elimination of the washing step and the ease of elution has allowed purification of gram amounts of AFP. The fact that immunoadsorbents prepared from antibodies with no detectable reactivity in immunodiffusion still caused delayed elution in chromatography suggests that this procedure may be useful in search of proteins cross-reactive with a known protein.     

Cellular and luminal forms of rat intestinal calcium-binding protein as studied by counter ion electrophoresis

A novel method, termed counter ion electrophoresis, has been developed to identify calcium-binding proteins. In this procedure labeled calcium (${}^{45}\text{CaCl}{}_2$) is added to the lower (anode) chamber reservoir, and the protein sample is applied to the polyacrylamide gel in the upper (cathode) chamber reservoir. As the calcium migrates toward the cathode and the proteins move toward the anode, calcium-binding sites in the gel become labeled and gel slices, containing these sites, can be identified by liquid scintillimetry after solubilization. Application of this procedure to a study of the vitamin D-dependent calcium-binding protein in growing rats has shown that calcium-binding protein occurs consistently as two protein bands in material from mucosal scrapings, but only as one band (band 1) in material from isolated intestinal cells. Bands 1 and 2 are shown to behave as charge isomers, with band 2 more negatively charged. In weanling rats, material from mucosal scrapings yielded only band 1. When calcium-binding protein from mucosal scrapings of growing rats was prepared in the presence of phenylmethylsufonyl fluoride, the amount of band 2 was reduced. Incubation for 2 h at 37 °C of partially purified calcium-binding protein from mucosal scrapings transformed band 1 to band 2, a conversion inhibited by phenylmethyl-sulfonyl fluoride. Similar treatment of partially purified calcium-binding protein from isolated cells had no effect on band 1. It is concluded that band 1 is the cellular and native form of calcium-binding protein which is transformed enzymatically to band 2 in the presence of luminal material.     

Amino acid sequence of vitamin D-dependent calcium-binding protein from bovine cerebellum

The amino acid sequence of vitamin D-dependent calcium-binding protein from bovine cerebellum has been determined. It is composed of 260 amino acid residues and its N-terminus is acetylated. The molecular mass is calculated to be 29 851 Da. The presence of six calcium-binding sites (I-VI) has been proposed, two of them (sites II and VI) have lost their calcium-binding function through amino acid replacements, and the other four are able to bind calcium. Six calcium-binding domains are supposed to be derived from two gene duplications of the two ancestral calcium-binding domains. In comparison with the sequence of chick intestinal calcium-binding protein deduced from a cDNA sequence [(1985) Nucleic Acids Res. 13, 8867-8881], the bovine calcium-binding protein is two amino acid residues shorter at the N-terminus and the other parts show 78.5% identity.     

The effect of calcium on the tryptic digestion of bovine intestinal calcium-binding protein.

The tryptic hydrolysis of bivine intestinal calcium-binding protein in the presence and absence of excess calcium has been investigated. Calcium-binding activity and immunological reactivity of the protein were not significantly affected in the presence of 1.0 mM CaCl2 following 24 h incubation at 38 degrees C with trypsin at ratios of 1:9 of enzyme to calcium-binding protein. Some modification of the protein did occur under these conditions, however, since analysis by analytical acrylamide gel electrophoresis indicated the formation of a more rapidly-migrating species from the slower-moving original protein band. Omission of added calcium from the incubation medium resulted in rapid and essentially complete destruction of calcium-binding activity and immunological reactivity, and the formation of peptides of low molecular weight. This provides evidence that the conformation of the calcium-binding protein in the presence of calcium differs from that in its absence.     

Studies on the subcellular localization of the membrane-bound fraction of intestinal calcium-binding protein.

Sorbitol density gradient centrifugation applied to intestinal mucosa homogenates resulted in a complete separation of soluble calcium-binding protein from the bound fraction of calcium-binding protein, providing further documentation of the bound pool of calcium-binding protein. The peak of the bound calcium-binding protein was not associated with the major peaks of any of the markers used, but was associated with minor peaks of alkaline phosphatase, RNA, and glucose-6-phosphatase. Lack of association of bound calcium-binding protein with (Na+ + K+)-ATPase indicated that the bound calcium-binding protein is not on the basolateral membrane. Differential centrifugation fractionation indicated that the bound calcium-binding protein is not associated with nuclei or mitochondria. The bound calcium-binding protein also could not be detected in partially purified brush borders. Exclusion of the brush border and basolateral membranes as the location of the bound calcium-binding protein suggests an intracellular locale.     

Isolation and partial characterization of intestinal calcium-binding proteins from the cow, pig, horse, guinea pig, and chick.

1. Intestinal calcium-binding proteins have been isolated in high purity from mucosal tissue of the cow, pig, horse, guinea pig, and chick. The proteins from all species exhibit rapid, although not identical, electrophoretic mobilities and possesses high affinities for calcium. 2. The intestinal calcium-binding proteins of mammalian origin exhibit a molecular size of approx. 11 000 by calibrated gel filtration and 9000 on the basis of amino acid composition. The analogous chick protein was found to be about 27 000-28 000 molecular weight by these methods. 3. The amino acid composition of each intestinal calcium-binding protein has been determined and indicates a considerable degree of similarity, especially among the mammalian species. 4. Immunoassay procedures have failed to show any species cross-reactivity when tested against antiserum prepared in response to either the bovine or chick intestinal calcium-binding protein.     

Synthesis and secretion of retinol-binding protein by cultured rat Sertoli cells.

We report here that retinol-binding protein (RBP) is synthesized and secreted by rat Sertoli cells in culture. This was demonstrated in four ways. First, transthyretin (TTR) bound to Sepharose 4B retained a labeled protein from media collected from Sertoli cells provided with 35S-methionine, under the same conditions as authentic RBP is bound. The protein was co-eluted with authentic RBP by pure water. Second, this same radioactive protein co-eluted with pure RBP upon gel filtration. Third, when subjected to SDS-PAGE, the protein again migrated with pure RBP, as shown by radioautography. Finally, Sertoli cells were incubated with 35S-cysteine and the conditioned medium was put over a TTR-Sepharose column to isolate the radioactive protein, as characterized above. Cysteine residues were oxidized to cysteic acid residues, and the protein was submitted for sequencing through the first ten residues. Radioactivity was located only in the fourth residue, where a cysteine residue is found in rat RBP. This indicates that RBP is secreted by the Sertoli cell and may serve as the carrier of retinol to the developing germ cells, which are known to be dependent upon vitamin A.     

Cancer-related diseases of the eye: the role of calcium and calcium-binding proteins

The eye provides unique opportunities to study complex biochemical pathways and to describe how components of these pathways contribute to the molecular basis of disease. In this article, the role of calcium-binding proteins in cancer-related diseases of the eye is reviewed. First, paraneoplastic syndromes, or so-called remote effects of cancer, arise from damage to tissues distant from any tumor or its metastases. Many of these syndromes are believed to be immune-mediated. Cancer-associated retinopathy (CAR), a blinding disease due to the degeneration of retinal photoreceptor cells, is one of the best characterized of the paraneoplastic syndromes. The CAR autoantigen has been identified as recoverin, a calcium-binding protein of the EF-hand superfamily. Its features as a calcium-binding protein, along with its function in photoreceptor cells and its role as the CAR autoantigen, are discussed. Next, unlike visual symptoms instigated by a distant tumor, ocular melanoma is the primary malignancy originating in the eye. ALG-2 encodes a pro-apoptotic calcium-binding protein that is down-regulated in ocular melanoma, thus providing these tumor cells with a selective advantage. In addition to background discussion of ALG-2, data describing the expression, cellular localization, and dimerization characteristics of ALG-2 in melanoma cells are presented. Biochemical studies of ALG-2 and its interactions with its target Alix/AIP1 also are presented. Finally, the function of ALG-2 in calcium-induced cell death is discussed. Additional calcium-binding proteins in retina and in ocular tumors are described in relation to different disease entities. Such proteins and their expression in the eye provide valuable examples bridging studies of protein chemistry, cellular function, and human disease.     

Synthesis of novel calcium-dependent proteins associated with mammary epithelial cell migration and differentiation

A class of proteins from mouse mammary epithelial cells has been isolated which, like the calcium-binding protein calmodulin (CaM), binds to phenothiazine in a calcium-dependent manner. These proteins do not bind to phenothiazine through binding to CaM; we infer that they are calcium-binding proteins, and that they may be related to the similarly isolated 'calcimedins' of Moore, P D & Dedman, J, J biol chem 257 (1982) 9663 [8]. In primary cultures of mouse mammary cells on collagen gels, synthesis of certain of these proteins is associated with the spreading of cells to form monolayers; failure of cells to spread and differentiate, through omission of serum from culture medium, results in the inhibition of calcium-binding protein synthesis, with the exception of CaM and a 15 kD species. The CaM/15 kD pair are prominent during all phases of culture, and are secreted during the secretory differentiation phase of culture (floating gels). We propose that these calcium-binding proteins play a specific role in the motility of mammary epithelial cells and that they may also be involved in mammary secretory differentiation.     

Studies on the subcellular localization of the membrane-bound fraction of intestinal calcium-binding protein

Sorbitol density gradient centrifugation applied to intestinal mucosa homogenates resulted in a complete separation of soluble calcium-binding protein from the bound fraction of calcium-binding protein, providing further documentation of the bound pool of calcium-binding protein. The peak of the bound calcium-binding protein was not associated with the major peaks of any of the markers used, but was associated with minor peaks of alkaline phosphatase, RNA, and glucose-6-phosphatase. Lack of association of bound calcium-binding protein with (Na⁺ + K⁺)-ATPase indicated that the bound calcium-binding protein is not on the basolateral membrane. Differential centrifugation fractionation indicated that the bound calcium-binding protein is not associated with nuclei or mitochondria. The bound calcium-binding protein also could not be detected in partially pyrified brush borders. Exclusion of the brush border and basolateral membranes as the location of the bound calcium-binding protein suggests an intracellular locate.     

Evidence for a membrane-bound fraction of chick intestinal calcium-binding protein

After homogenization of intestinal mucosa from vitamin D-replete chicks and high speed centrifugation, the major proportion of the vitamin D-induced calcium-binding protein is present in the supernatant fraction. However, the centrifugate, after repeated washing, contains significant amounts of bound calcium-binding protein that can be solubilized by Triton X-100. The bound calcium-binding protein is identical to soluble calcium-binding protein by the criteria of immunological identity, electrophoretic mobility, and molecular size, as determined by gel filtration chromatography. The bound calcium-binding protein is only partially released by sonication, osmotic shock or by ribonuclease treatment Bound and soluble calcium-binding protein are not present in rachitic chick intestine. The addition of calcium-binding protein to rachitic mucosa prior to homogenization does not yield a Triton X-100 solubilizable form, indicating that bound calcium-binding protein in vitamin D-replete intestine is not due to adsorption of vesicular entrapmetn of soluble calcium-binding protein. The overall evidence suggests that part of the intestinal calcium-binding protein is membrane-bound.     

Recoverin, a novel calcium-binding protein from vertebrate photoreceptors.

Photoreceptor guanylyl cyclase activity is modulated by an endogenous calcium-binding protein called recoverin. A modified isolation procedure for recoverin using gel-filtration chromatography instead of a heat denaturation step is presented. The elution volume of recoverin corresponds to a monomer. Recoverin exhibits a calcium-dependent mobility shift in a native gel electrophoresis. Isoelectric focusing revealed a pI of 5.25. No subspecies of recoverin were detected.     

Engineering a reversible, high-affinity system for efficient protein purification based on the cohesin-dockerin interaction

Efficient degradation of cellulose by the anaerobic thermophilic bacterium, Clostridium thermocellum, is carried out by the multi-enzyme cellulosome complex. The enzymes on the complex are attached in a calcium-dependent manner via their dockerin (Doc) module to a cohesin (Coh) module of the cellulosomal scaffoldin subunit. In this study, we have optimized the Coh-Doc interaction for the purpose of protein affinity purification. A C. thermocellum Coh module was thus fused to a carbohydrate-binding module, and the resultant fusion protein was applied directly onto beaded cellulose, thereby serving as a non-covalent "activation" procedure. A complementary Doc module was then fused to a model protein target: xylanase T-6 from Geobacillus stearothermophilus. However, the binding to the immobilized Coh was only partially reversible upon treatment with EDTA, and only negligible amounts of the target protein were eluted from the affinity column. In order to improve protein elution, a series of truncated Docs were designed in which the calcium-coordinating function was impaired without appreciably affecting high-affinity binding to Coh. A shortened Doc of only 48 residues was sufficient to function as an effective affinity tag, and highly purified target protein was achieved directly from crude cell extracts in a single step with near-quantitative recovery of the target protein. Effective EDTA-mediated elution of the sequestered protein from the column was the key step of the procedure. The affinity column was reusable and maintained very high levels of capacity upon repeated rounds of loading and elution. Reusable Coh-Doc affinity columns thus provide an efficient and attractive approach for purifying proteins in high yield by modifying the calcium-binding loop of the Doc module.     

Cloning and Expression of a cDNA Encoding a Vorticella convallaria Spasmin: an EF-Hand Calcium-Binding Protein

The stalked, ciliated protozoan Vorticella convallaria possesses a highly contractile cytoskeleton consisting of spasmonemes and myonemes. The major component of these contractile organelles is the calcium-binding protein(s) called spasmin. Cloning and characterization of spasmin would help elucidate this contractile system. Therefore, enriched spasmoneme protein preparations from these contractile stalks were used to produce a monoclonal antibody to spasmin. A monoclonal antibody, 1F5, was obtained that immunolocalized specifically to the spasmonemes and the myonemes and recognized a 20-kD calcium-binding protein in spasmoneme protein preparations. A putative spasmin cDNA was obtained from a V. convallaria cDNA library and the derived amino acid sequence of this cDNA revealed an acidic, 20-kD protein with calcium-binding helix-loop-helix domains. The physical properties of the putative spasmin were assessed by characterization of a recombinantly-produced spasmin protein. The recombinant spasmin protein was shown to bind calcium using calcium gel-shift assays and was recognized by the anti-spasmin antibody. Therefore, a V. convallaria spasmin was cloned and shown to be a member of the EF-hand superfamily of calcium-binding proteins.     

Human 27-kDa calbindin complementary DNA sequence. Evolutionary and functional implications

Human 27-kDa calbindin cDNA clones were selected by antibody screening from lambda gt11 brain libraries. The sequence revealed an open reading frame coding for a protein of 261 amino acids, containing four active calcium-binding domains, and two modified domains that had presumably lost their calcium-binding capability. Comparison with chick and bovine calbindins showed that the protein was highly conserved in evolution (evolutionary rate: 0.3 x 10(-9) amino acid-1 year-1) and that active and inactive domains were equally conserved. From the data we postulate that calbindin has an important physiological function involving protein--protein interactions. Comparison of calcium-binding domains from various proteins suggested that all members of the troponin C superfamily derive from a common two-domained ancestor, but that duplications leading to calbindin and to the four-domained calcium-binding proteins took place independently on different branches of the evolutionary tree. Preliminary data showed that another calcium-binding protein, homologous to calbindin, is present in the brain and encoded by a different gene.