Purification and properties of the enzymes from Drosophila melanogaster that catalyze the conversion of dihydroneopterin triphosphate to the pyrimidodiazepine precursor of the drosopterins

The enzyme system responsible for the conversion of 2-amino-4-oxo-6-(D-erythro-1',2',3'-trihydroxypropyl)-7,8-dihyd roptridine triphosphate (dihydroneopterin triphosphate or H2-NTP) to 2-amino-4-oxo-6-acetyl-7,8-dihydro-3H,9H-pyrimido[4,5-b]-[1,4]diazepine (pyrimidodiazepine or PDA), a precursor to the red eye pigments, he drosopterins, has been purified from the heads of Drosophila melanogaster. The PDA-synthesizing system consists of two components, a heat-stable enzyme and a heat-labile enzyme. The heat-stable enzyme can be replaced by sepiapterin synthase A, a previously purified enzyme required for the Mg2+-dependent conversion of H2-NTP to an unstable compound that appears to be 6-pyruvoyltetrahydropterin (pyruvoyl-H4-pterin). The heat-labile enzyme, purified to near-homogeneity and termed PDA synthase (Mr = 48,000), catalyzes the conversion of pyruvoyl-H4-pterin to PDA in a reaction requiring the presence of reduced glutathione. Because PDA is two electrons more reduced than pyruvoyl-H4-pterin, the reducing power required for this transformation is probably supplied by glutathione. The PDA-synthesizing system requires the presence of another thiol-containing compound such as 2-mercaptoethanol when incubation conditions 2-mercaptoethanol is no longer required. Evidence is presented to indicate that the Drosophila eye color mutant, sepia, is missing PDA synthase.     

Bilin attachment sites in the alpha, beta, and gamma subunits of R-phycoerythrin. Structural studies on singly and doubly linked phycourobilins

Three unique bilin peptides, a beta subunit peptide bearing a doubly linked phycourobilin (PUB), and two gamma subunit peptides with singly linked PUB groups, were obtained by enzymatic degradation of Gastroclonium coulteri R-phycoerythrin. These peptides were shown to have the sequences (Klotz, A. V., and Glazer, A. N. (1985) J. Biol. Chem. 260, 4856-4863): (Formula: see text) The sequence of peptide beta-3T was identical to that previously established for a doubly linked phycoerythrobilin (PEB) peptide derived from a B-phycoerythrin (Lundell, D. J., Glazer, A. N., DeLange, R. J., and Brown, D. M. (1984) J. Biol. Chem. 259, 5472-5480). Secondary ion mass spectrometry of beta-3T yielded a protonated molecular ion of 1629 mass units, the same as that given by the doubly linked PEB peptide (Schoenleber, R. W., Lundell, D. J., Glazer, A. N., and Rapoport, H. (1984) J. Biol. Chem. 259, 5481-5484), indicating that the doubly linked PUB and PEB tetrapyrroles were isomeric structures. High resolution 1H NMR analyses of peptides beta-3T, gamma-BV8, and gamma-DP provided unambiguous structural assignments for the singly and doubly linked PUB chromophores and indicated that the peptides in gamma-BV8 and gamma-DP were linked to ring A. The determination of which peptide fragment is linked to ring A and which to ring D in peptide beta-3T was not achieved in this study. 1H NMR analyses of three PEB-peptides from G. coulteri R-phycoerythrin--alpha-1 Cys(PEB)-Tyr-Arg, alpha-2 Leu-Cys(PEB)-Val-Pro-Arg, and beta-1 Met-Ala-Ala-Cys(PEB)-Leu-Arg--showed that they were identical to previously described corresponding chromopeptides from Porphyridium cruentum B-phycoerythrin, with the peptide linked to ring A of PEB in each instance (Schoenleber, R. W., Lundell, D. J., Glazer, A. N., and Rapoport, H. (1984) J. Biol. Chem. 259, 5485-5489). This is the first documented report on the structure of singly or doubly linked phycourobilins.     

Structure of hemocyanin II from the horseshoe crab, Limulus polyphemus. Sequences of the overlapping peptides, ordering the CNBr fragments, and the complete amino acid sequence

The amino acid sequence of the largest fragment, CNBr Ia (203 residues) has been reported (Yokota, E., and Riggs, A. F. (1984) J. Biol. Chem. 259, 4739-4749). The amino acid sequences of the second largest fragment, CNBr Ib (142 residues), and of the 12 smaller fragments are reported in accompanying papers (Moore, M. D., Behrens, P. Q., and Riggs, A. F. (1986) J. Biol. Chem. 261, 10511-10519; Behrens, P. Q., Nakashima, H., and Riggs, A. F. (1986) J. Biol. Chem. 261, 10520-10525). The complete amino acid sequence of hemocyanin component II has been established by isolation and analysis of 13 methionine-containing peptides from either a tryptic digest or a Staphylococcus aureus strain V8 protease digest of whole carboxamidomethylated hemocyanin II. Hemocyanin II is composed of 628 residues and has a molecular weight with two copper atoms of 72,946.     

Structures of the sialylated oligosaccharide chains in swine tracheal mucin glycoproteins

The structures of the major sialylated oligosaccharide chains in swine tracheal mucin glycoprotein were established. The oligosaccharide chains were released by treatment with alkaline borohydride and isolated by gel filtration on Bio-Gel P6 columns and chromatography on DEAE-cellulose. The neutral oligosaccharide chains in this glycoprotein have been characterized in previous studies (Rana, S.S., Chandrasekaran, E.V., Kennedy, J., and Mendicino, J. (1984) J. Biol. Chem. 259, 12899-12907; Chandrasekaran, E.V., Rana, S.S., Davila, M., and Mendicino, J. (1984) J. Biol. Chem. 259, 12908-12914). The present study reports the isolation of four monosialylated chains ranging in length from 6 to 14 sugar units, two disialylated chains containing 6 and 12 sugar units, and one trisialylated chain containing 9 sugar units. The structure of the sialylated oligosaccharides was determined by permethylation analysis and sequential hydrolysis with specific exoglycosidases. The following structures (where GalNAcol is N-acetylgalactosaminitol) were assigned to these oligosaccharides.     

Long-chain fatty acid transport in Escherichia coli. Cloning, mapping, and expression of the fadL gene

Transport of long-chain fatty acids across the inner membrane of Escherichia coli K-12 requires a functional fadL gene (Maloy, S. R., Ginsburgh, C. L., Simons, R. W., and Nunn, W. D. (1981) J. Biol. Chem. 256, 3735-3742). Mutants defective in the fadL gene lack a 33,000-dalton inner membrane protein as evaluated using two-dimensional pI/sodium dodecyl sulfate (SDS) polyacrylamide gel electrophoresis (Ginsburgh, C. L., Black, P. N., and Nunn, W. D. (1984) J. Biol. Chem. 259, 8437-8443). In an effort to determine whether the fadL gene is the structural gene for this 33,000-dalton protein, we have cloned, mapped, and analyzed the expression of the fadL gene. The fadL gene has been localized on a 2.8-kilobase EcoRV fragment of E. coli genomic DNA. Plasmids containing this gene (i) complement all fadL mutants, (ii) increase the long-chain fatty acid transport activity of fadL strains harboring them by 2- to 3-fold, and (iii) direct the synthesis of a membrane protein which has the same molecular weight and isoelectric point as that described by Ginsburgh et al. This is a heat-modifiable protein which has an apparent molecular weight of 43,000 daltons when solubilized at 100 degrees C in the presence of SDS and 33,000 daltons when solubilized at 50 degrees C in the presence of SDS.     

The structure of hemocyanin II from the horseshoe crab, Limulus polyphemus. The amino acid sequence of the second largest cyanogen bromide fragment

Fourteen fragments have been isolated from hemocyanin component II of Limulus polyphemus by cleavage with CNBr. The amino acid sequence of the largest fragment, CNBr Ia has been reported (Yokota, E., and Riggs, A. F. (1984) J. Biol. Chem. 259, 4739-4749). The amino acid sequence of the 12 smaller fragments is reported in an accompanying paper (Moore, M. D., Behrens, P. Q., and Riggs, A. F. (1985) J. Biol. Chem. 261, 10511-10519). We have determined the amino acid sequence of the second largest fragment, CNBr Ib. The fragment contains 142 residues and has a molecular weight of 16,095.     

Identification, characterization, and crystal structure of the Omega class glutathione transferases

A new class of glutathione transferases has been discovered by analysis of the expressed sequence tag data base and sequence alignment. Glutathione S-transferases (GSTs) of the new class, named Omega, exist in several mammalian species and Caenorhabditis elegans. In humans, GSTO 1-1 is expressed in most tissues and exhibits glutathione-dependent thiol transferase and dehydroascorbate reductase activities characteristic of the glutaredoxins. The structure of GSTO 1-1 has been determined at 2.0-A resolution and has a characteristic GST fold (Protein Data Bank entry code ). The Omega class GSTs exhibit an unusual N-terminal extension that abuts the C terminus to form a novel structural unit. Unlike other mammalian GSTs, GSTO 1-1 appears to have an active site cysteine that can form a disulfide bond with glutathione.     

Identification of the site of acetyl-S-enzyme formation on avian liver mitochondrial 3-hydroxy-3-methylglutaryl-CoA synthase

Avian liver mitochondrial hydroxymethylglutaryl-CoA synthase contains an active-site cysteine involved in forming the labile acetyl-S-enzyme intermediate. Identification of and assignment of function to this cysteine have been accomplished by use of an experimental strategy that relies upon generation and rapid purification of the S-acetylcysteine-containing active-site peptide under mildly acidic conditions that stabilize the thioester adduct. Automated Edman degradation techniques indicate the peptide's sequence to be Arg-Glu-Ser-Gly-Asn-Thr-Asp-Val-Glu-Gly-Ile-Asp-Thr-Thr-Asn-Ala-Cys-Tyr. The acetylated cysteine corresponds to position 129 in the sequence deduced from cDNA data for the hamster cytosolic enzyme [Gil, G., Goldstein, J.L., Slaughter, C.A., & Brown, M.S. (1986) J. Biol. Chem. 261, 3710-3716]. The acetyl-peptide sequence overlaps that reported for a tryptic peptide that contains a cysteine targeted by the affinity label 3-chloropropionyl-CoA [Miziorko, H. M., & Behnke, C. E. (1985) J. Biol. Chem. 260, 13513-13516]. Thus, availability of these structural data allows unambiguous assignment of the acetylation site on the protein as well as a refinement of the mechanism explaining the previously observed affinity labeling of the enzyme.     

The kinetic mechanism of the release of nucleotide from elongation factor Tu promoted by elongation factor Ts determined by pressure relaxation studies

The release of a chromophoric analogue of GDP, 2-amino-6-mercaptopurine riboside 5'-diphosphate (thioGDP), from its complex with elongation factor Tu (EF-Tu) is catalyzed by elongation factor Ts (EF-Ts). The mechanism of this reaction includes a ternary complex; EF-Tu.thioGDP.EF-Ts (Eccleston, J. F. (1984) J. Biol. Chem. 259, 12997-13003). This mechanism has been further investigated using pressure relaxation techniques combined with spectrophotometric measurements. The equilibrium of a solution of EF-Tu, EF-Ts, and thioGDP over a range of concentrations is perturbed on increasing the pressure to 150 atm. Rapid decrease of the pressure back to 1 atm results in a biphasic relaxation process, an initial fast phase which is complete within 1 ms followed by a slower phase. This is interpreted as the result of an isomerization of the EF-Tu.thioGDP.EF-Ts ternary complex which occurs before the release of thioGDP. Such an isomerization process may be a general feature in the release of GDP from guanosine nucleotide-binding proteins.     

Cloning of the methionine regulatory gene, metJ, of Escherichia coli K12 and identification of its product

Both wild-type and mutant forms of the methionine regulatory gene, metJ, of Escherichia coli K12 have been cloned in derivatives of pBR322. In cells carrying plasmids with a functional copy of metJ, the methionine regulon appears to be repressed even under conditions of methionine limitation. Maxicell labeling experiments show that the plasmids code for a small peptide (12 kilodaltons) only when they carry a functional copy of metJ. The lesions in five independently isolated metJ mutants are located in, or slightly upstream from, a coding sequence proposed to be metJ by Saint-Girons, I., Duchange, N., Cohen, G. N., and Zakin, M. M. [1984) J. Biol. Chem. 259, 14282-14285).     

Hemin, chelatable iron, and the regulation of transferrin receptor biosynthesis

We have examined the mechanism by which hemin regulates the expression of the human transferrin receptor. Previous work led to the suggestion that the regulatory signal is provided by heme (Ward J. H., Jordan, I., Kushner, J. P., and Kaplan, J. (1984) J. Biol. Chem. 259, 13235-13240). We demonstrated that hemin regulates the expression of the receptor via alterations in the rate of receptor biosynthesis. However, this effect can be completely abolished by addition of desferrioxamine, an intracellular iron chelator. Competition curves demonstrate that desferrioxamine and hemin affect the same intracellular iron pool. Since the chelator cannot remove iron from heme, we propose that hemin acts simply by delivering iron to a chelatable iron pool and that levels of chelatable iron provide the regulatory signal for expression of the transferrin receptor gene.     

Biosynthesis of lipid A in Escherichia coli: identification of UDP-3-O-[(R)-3-hydroxymyristoyl]-alpha-D-glucosamine as a precursor of UDP-N2,O3-bis[(R)-3-hydroxymyristoyl]-alpha-D-glucosamine

The lipid A disaccharide of the Escherichia coli envelope is synthesized from the two fatty acylated glucosamine derivatives UDP-N2,O3-bis[(R)-3-hydroxytetradecanoyl]-alpha-D- glucosamine (UDP-2,3-diacyl-GlcN) and N2,O3-bis[(R)-3-hydroxytetradecanoyl]-alpha-D-glucosamine 1-phosphate (2,3-diacyl-GlcN-1-P) [Ray, B. L., Painter, G., & Raetz, C. R. H. (1984) J. Biol. Chem. 259, 4852-4859]. We have previously shown that UDP-2,3-diacyl-GlcN is generated in extracts of E. coli by fatty acylation of UDP-GlcNAc, giving UDP-3-O-[(R)-3-hydroxymyristoyl]-GlcNAc as the first intermediate, which is rapidly converted to UDP-2,3-diacyl-GlcN [Anderson, M. S., Bulawa, C. E., & Raetz, C. R. H. (1985) J. Biol. Chem. 260, 15536-15541; Anderson, M. S., & Raetz, C. R. H. (1987) J. Biol. Chem. 262, 5159-5169]. We now demonstrate a novel enzyme in the cytoplasmic fraction of E. coli, capable of deacetylating UDP-3-O-[(R)-3-hydroxymyristoyl]-GlcNAc to form UDP-3-O-[(R)-3-hydroxymyristoyl]glucosamine. The covalent structure of the previously undescribed UDP-3-O-[(R)-3-hydroxymyristoyl] glucosamine intermediate was established by 1H NMR spectroscopy and fast atom bombardment mass spectrometry. This material can be made to accumulate in E. coli extracts upon incubation of UDP-3-O-[(R)-3- hydroxymyristoyl]-GlcNAc in the absence of the fatty acyl donor [(R)-3-hydroxymyristoyl]-acyl carrier protein. However, addition of the isolated deacetylation product [UDP-3-O-[(R)-3-hydroxymyristoyl] glucosamine] back to membrane-free extracts of E. coli in the presence of [(R)-3-hydroxymyristoyl]-acyl carrier protein results in rapid conversion of this compound into the more hydrophobic products UDP-2,3-diacyl-GlcN, 2,3-diacyl-GlcN-1-P, and O-[2-amino-2-deoxy-N2,O3- bis[(R)-3-hydroxytetradecanoyl]-beta-D-glucopyranosyl]-(1----6)-2-amino- 2-deoxy-N2,O3-bis[(R)-3-hydroxytetradecanoyl]-alpha-D- glucopyranose 1-phosphate (tetra-acyldisaccharide-1-P), demonstrating its competency as a precursor. In vitro incubations using [acetyl-3H]UDP-3-O-[(R)-3-hydroxymyristoyl]-GlcNAc confirmed release of the acetyl moiety in this system as acetate, not as some other acetyl derivative. The deacetylation reaction was inhibited by 1 mM N-ethylmaleimide, while the subsequent N-acylation reaction was not. Our observations provide strong evidence that UDP-3-O-[(R)-3-hydroxymyristoyl]glucosamine is a true intermediate in the biosynthesis of UDP-2,3-diacyl-GlcN and lipid A.     

Oligonucleotide synthesis by Escherichia coli dnaG primase in conjunction with phage P22 gene 12 protein

The phage P22 gene 12 protein was found to be like the Escherichia coli dnaB protein in that it stimulated phiX174 DNA synthesis in heat-inactivated extracts of dnaB temperature-sensitive cells (see preceding paper, Wickner, S. (1984) J. Biol. Chem. 259, 14038-14043). phiX174 replication catalyzed by the purified P22 12 protein also by-passed the normal requirement for dnaC protein. However, synthesis still required dnaG primase and the DNA polymerase III holoenzyme components. This DNA synthesis reaction has been reconstituted with purified proteins and found to require P22 12 protein, dnaG protein, DNA polymerase III holoenzyme components, 4 dNTPs, Mg2+, any one of ATP, GTP, UTP, or CTP and single-stranded DNA. The reaction has been dissected into partial reactions: (a) in a prepriming reaction, P22 12 protein binds to single-stranded DNA in an ATP-dependent reaction (Wickner, S. (1984) J. Biol. Chem. 259, 14038-14043); (b) in a priming reaction requiring at least one rNTP and the other dNTPs or rNTPs, dnaG primase catalyzes oligonucleotide synthesis dependent on the P22 12 protein-DNA complex; (c) finally, DNA polymerase III holoenzyme components catalyze DNA elongation of the primer.     

Coordinate induction of alcohol dehydrogenase 1, aldolase, and other anaerobic RNAs in maize

Anaerobiosis results in the selective synthesis of a particular set of polypeptides in the maize root including the two alcohol dehydrogenases (Sachs, M. M., Freeling, M., and Okimoto, R. (1980) Cell 20, 761-768), pyruvate decarboxylase (Wignarajah, K., and Greenway, H. (1976) New Phytol. 77, 575-584; Laszlo, A., and St. Lawrence, P. (1983) Mol. Gen. Genet. 192, 110-117), glucose phosphate isomerase (Kelley, P. M., and Freeling, M. (1984) J. Biol. Chem. 259, 673-677) and aldolase (Kelley, P. M., and Freeling, M. (1984) J. Biol. Chem. 259, 14180-14183). This report describes the identification and characterization of cDNA clones to five different mRNA species induced upon anaerobic shock. Immunoprecipitation of hybrid-selected translation polypeptides has determined the identity of the cDNA clone for fructose-1,6-diphosphate aldolase mRNA. Quantitative hybridization analysis of anaerobic mRNAs using the cDNA clones has shown that there is not a simultaneous accumulation of anaerobic mRNAs. Upon reintroduction of air, the anaerobic mRNAs disappear rapidly and at approximately the same rate. A translocation line that generates progeny that contain 1, 2, and 3 doses of the long arm of chromosome one (1L) allowed us to test for clustering of the anaerobic genes; two of the anaerobic genes tested do not reside with Adh 1 and Phi 1 on the long arm of chromosome 1.     

Arginine residues are critical for the heparin-cofactor activity of antithrombin III.

A dilution/quench technique was used to monitor the time course of chemical modification on the heparin-cofactor (a) and progressive thrombin-inhibitory (b) activities of human antithrombin III. Treatment of antithrombin III (AT III) with 2,4,6-trinitrobenzenesulphonate at pH 8.3 and 25 degrees C leads to the loss of (a) at 60-fold more rapid rate than the loss of (b). This is consistent with previous reports [Rosenberg & Damus (1973) J. Biol. Chem. 248, 6490-6505; Pecon & Blackburn (1984) J. Biol. Chem. 259, 935-938] that lysine residues are involved in the binding of heparin to AT III, but not in thrombin binding. Treatment of AT III with phenylglyoxal at pH 8.3 and 25 degrees C again leads to a more rapid loss of (a) than of (b), with the loss of the former proceeding at a 4-fold faster rate. The presence of heparin during modification with phenylglyoxal significantly decreases the rate of loss of (a). Full loss of (a) correlates with the modification of seven arginine residues per inhibitor molecule, whereas loss of (b) does not commence until approximately four arginine residues are modified and is complete upon the modification of approximately eleven arginine residues per inhibitor molecule. This suggests that (the) arginine residue(s) in AT III are involved in the binding of heparin in addition to the known role of Arg-393 at the thrombin-recognition site [Rosenberg & Damus (1973) J. Biol. Chem. 248, 6490-6505; Jörnvall, Fish & Björk (1979) FEBS Lett. 106, 358-362].     

Reconstitution of Saccharomyces cerevisiae phosphatidylserine synthase into phospholipid vesicles. Modulation of activity by phospholipids

Membrane-associated phosphatidylserine synthase was purified from Saccharomyces cerevisiae (Bae-Lee, M., and Carman, G. M. (1984) J. Biol. Chem. 259, 10857-10862) and reconstituted into phospholipid vesicles containing phosphatidylcholine/phosphatidylethanolamine/ phosphatidylinositol/phosphatidylserine. Reconstitution was performed by removing detergent from an octyl glucoside/phospholipid/Triton X-100/enzyme mixed micelle by Sephadex G-50 super-fine chromatography. The average diameter of the vesicles was 90 nm, and the enzyme was reconstituted asymmetrically with the active site facing outward. The enzymological properties of reconstituted phosphatidylserine synthase were determined in the absence of detergent. The enzyme was reconstituted into vesicles with phospholipid compositions approximating those of wild type and mutant strains of S. cerevisiae. Reconstituted activity was modulated by the phosphatidylinositol/phosphatidylserine ratio in the vesicles. The modulation of activity observed in the vesicles is enough to account for some of the fluctuations in the phosphatidylserine content in vivo.     

Electrostatic association of glutathione transferase to the nuclear membrane. Evidence of an enzyme defense barrier at the nuclear envelope

The possible nuclear compartmentalization of glutathione S-transferase (GST) isoenzymes has been the subject of contradictory reports. The discovery that the dinitrosyl-diglutathionyl-iron complex binds tightly to Alpha class GSTs in rat hepatocytes and that a significant part of the bound complex is also associated with the nuclear fraction (Pedersen, J. Z., De Maria, F., Turella, P., Federici, G., Mattei, M., Fabrini, R., Dawood, K. F., Massimi, M., Caccuri, A. M., and Ricci, G. (2007) J. Biol. Chem. 282, 6364-6371) prompted us to reconsider the nuclear localization of GSTs in these cells. Surprisingly, we found that a considerable amount of GSTs corresponding to 10% of the cytosolic pool is electrostatically associated with the outer nuclear membrane, and a similar quantity is compartmentalized inside the nucleus. Mainly Alpha class GSTs, in particular GSTA1-1, GSTA2-2, and GSTA3-3, are involved in this double modality of interaction. Confocal microscopy, immunofluorescence experiments, and molecular modeling have been used to detail the electrostatic association in hepatocytes and liposomes. A quantitative analysis of the membrane-bound Alpha GSTs suggests the existence of a multilayer assembly of these enzymes at the outer nuclear envelope that could represent an amazing novelty in cell physiology. The interception of potentially noxious compounds to prevent DNA damage could be the possible physiological role of the perinuclear and intranuclear localization of Alpha GSTs.     

The LEC11 Chinese hamster ovary mutant synthesizes N-linked carbohydrates containing sialylated, fucosylated lactosamine units. Analysis by one- and two-dimensional 1H NMR spectroscopy

Glycoproteins synthesized by the Chinese hamster ovary cell mutants LEC11 and LEC12 carry the Lex determinant (Gal beta 1,4(Fuc alpha 1,3)GlcNAc), while those synthesized by LEC11 cells also carry the sialyl-Lex determinant (NeuAc alpha 2,3Gal beta 1,4(Fuc alpha 1,3)GlcNAc), and both mutants have been shown to possess a distinct alpha(1,3)-fucosyltransferase of the appropriate specificity to synthesize these determinants (Campbell, C., and Stanley, P. (1983) Cell 35, 303-309; Campbell, C., and Stanley, P. (1984), J. Biol. Chem. 259, 11208-11214; Howard, D. R., Fukuda, M., Fukuda, M. N., and Stanley, P. (1987) J. Biol. Chem. 262, 16830-16837). The LEC11 cells therefore provide a source of carbohydrates terminating in sialylated, fucosylated lactosamine, a relatively rare structure not previously characterized by 1H NMR spectroscopy when in association with an N-linked carbohydrate. In this paper we use a monoclonal antibody specific for Lex to show that the G glycoprotein of vesicular stomatitis virus (VSV) grown in LEC11 and LEC12 cells possesses the Lex determinant and that G from LEC11/VSV also possesses sialylated Lex. Biantennary carbohydrates purified from LEC11/VSV and LEC12/VSV were therefore used to examine the effects on the 1H NMR spectrum of the presence of alpha(1,3)-fucose residues on sialylated and unsialylated lactosamine units. Comparisons of one-dimensional spectra obtained at 500 MHz from LEC11/VSV and LEC12/VSV glycopeptides before and after neuraminidase treatment with spectra of biantennary carbohydrates lacking alpha(1,3)-fucose allowed the assignment of several new resonances. Resolution of certain signals and determinations of coupling constants were achieved by two-dimensional correlation spectroscopy (COSY) at 400 MHz and allowed the assignment of several more resonances in the one-dimensional spectrum.     

The Drosophila genes CG14593 and CG30106 code for G-protein-coupled receptors specifically activated by the neuropeptides CCHamide-1 and CCHamide-2

Recently, a novel neuropeptide, CCHamide, was discovered in the silkworm Bombyx mori (L. Roller et al., Insect Biochem. Mol. Biol. 38 (2008) 1147–1157). We have now found that all insects with a sequenced genome have two genes, each coding for a different CCHamide, CCHamide-1 and -2. We have also cloned and deorphanized two Drosophila G-protein-coupled receptors (GPCRs) coded for by genes CG14593 and CG30106 that are selectively activated by Drosophila CCH-amide-1 (EC₅₀, 2 × 10⁻⁹ M) and CCH-amide-2 (EC₅₀, 5 × 10⁻⁹ M), respectively. Gene CG30106 (symbol synonym CG14484) has in a previous publication (E.C. Johnson et al., J. Biol. Chem. 278 (2003) 52172–52178) been wrongly assigned to code for an allatostatin-B receptor. This conclusion is based on our findings that the allatostatins-B do not activate the CG30106 receptor and on the recent findings from other research groups that the allatostatins-B activate an unrelated GPCR coded for by gene CG16752. Comparative genomics suggests that a duplication of the CCHamide neuropeptide signalling system occurred after the split of crustaceans and insects, about 410 million years ago, because only one CCHamide neuropeptide gene is found in the water flea Daphnia pulex (Crustacea) and the tick Ixodes scapularis (Chelicerata).