Identification and characterization of a 66–68-kDa protein as a methotrexate-binding protein in murine leukemia L1210 cells

We previously observed an unidentified, tyrosine-phosphorylated, membrane-associated, 66–68-kDa protein which was present in the L1210 murine leukemia cells but not present, at least in the tyrosine-phosphorylated form, in cisplatin–methotrexate (CDDP–MTX) cross-resistant L1210/DDP cells. We purified and characterized this 66–68-kDa protein by affinity chromatography purification using its two identified properties, tyrosine phosphorylation and MTX-binding, and yielded a single band of 66–68 kDa. The purified protein was subjected to trypsin digestion and the isolated peptide fragments were sequenced and yielded two partial peptide sequences: VEIIANDQ and VTNAVVTVPAYFNDSQRQA. The two peptide sequences were used to search for the mouse genome at the national center for biotechnology information (NCBI) database for Open Reading Frame Sequence (ORFs) containing these peptides using the TBLASTN function. A single gene was identified containing both sequences, the HSPa8 gene, which codes for the heat shock family protein, HSC70. We further demonstrated that HSC70 is a MTX-binding protein using a binding assay with MTX-agarose beads followed by Western blotting. The HSC70 also existed in various cancer cell lines and showed binding to MTX. Additionally, the HSC70 protein, cloned from the L1210 murine leukemia cells, was expressed and purified from E. coli cells using a polyhistidine-tag purification system and it also showed the binding properties with MTX. DnaK, the HSC70 homologue in E. coli, also binds to MTX. By using the purified truncated HSC70 domains, we identified the adenosine triphosphatase (ATPase) domain of HSC70 that can bind to MTX. Thus, we have tentatively characterized a new, novel property of HSC70 as a MTX-binding protein.     

Identification and characterization of the ATP·Mg-dependent protein phosphatase activator (F A) as a microtubule protein kinase in the brain

The activating factor of ATP·Mg-dependent protein phosphatase (F _A) has been identified in brain microtubules. When using purified MAP-2 (microtubule associated protein 2) and tau proteins as substrates,F _A could phosphorylate MAP-2 to 16 moles of phosphates per mole of protein with aK _m value of 0.4 µM, and tau proteins to 4 moles of phosphates per mole of proteins with aK _m value of about 3 µM. When using microtubules as substrates,F _A could enhance many-fold the endogenous phosphorylation of many microtubule-associated proteins including MAP-2, tau proteins, and several low-molecular-weight MAPs. In contrast to other reported MAP kinases, such as cAMP-dependent protein kinase and Ca⁺²/phospholipid-dependent protein kinase, theF _A-catalyzed phosphorylation of tau proteins could cause an electrophoretic mobility shift on sodium dodecyl sulfate polyacrylamide gel electrophoresis, suggesting that a dramatic conformational change of tau proteins was produced byF _A. Peptide mapping analysis of the phosphopeptides derived from SV8 protease digestion revealed thatF _A could phosphorylate MAP-2 and tau proteins on at least four specific sites distinctly different from those phosphorylated by cAMP-dependent and Ca⁺²/phospholipid-dependent MAP kinases. Quantitative analysis further indicated that approximately 19% of the total endogenous kinase activity in brain microtubules was due toF _A. Taken together, the results provide initial evidence that the ATP·Mg-dependent protein phosphatase activating factor (F _A) is a potent and unique MAP kinase, and may represent one of the major factors involved in phosphorylation of brain microtubules.     

Identification of a region of the polypeptide chain of Na,K-ATPase α-subunit interacting with 67-kDa melittin-like protein

It was shown earlier that a 67-kDa protein purified from mouse kidney using polyclonal antibodies against melittin (a peptide from bee venom) interacted with Na,K-ATPase from rabbit kidney. In this study, a 43-kDa proteolytic fragment of Na,K-ATPase α-subunit interacting with the 67-kDa melittin-like protein was found. The α-subunit was hydrolyzed by trypsin in the presence of 0.5 mM ouabain (E2-conformation of Na,K-ATPase). A proteolytic fragment interacting with the 67-kDa melittin-like protein that was identified by mass-spectrometry is a region of the cytoplasmic domain of Na,K-ATPase α-subunit located between amino acid residues 591 and 775. The fragment includes a conservative DPPRA motif that occurs in many P-type ATPases. It was shown earlier that this motif of H,K-ATPase from gastric mucosa binds to melittin. We suggest that namely this motif of P-type ATPases is able to interact with proteins containing melittin-like modules.     

Identification and characterization of the ATP·Mg-dependent protein phosphatase activator (FA) as a microtubule protein kinase in the brain

The activating factor of ATP·Mg-dependent protein phosphatase (F _A) has been identified in brain microtubules. When using purified MAP-2 (microtubule associated protein 2) and tau proteins as substrates,F _A could phosphorylate MAP-2 to 16 moles of phosphates per mole of protein with aK _m value of 0.4 µM, and tau proteins to 4 moles of phosphates per mole of proteins with aK _m value of about 3 µM. When using microtubules as substrates,F _A could enhance many-fold the endogenous phosphorylation of many microtubule-associated proteins including MAP-2, tau proteins, and several low-molecular-weight MAPs. In contrast to other reported MAP kinases, such as cAMP-dependent protein kinase and Ca⁺²/phospholipid-dependent protein kinase, theF _A-catalyzed phosphorylation of tau proteins could cause an electrophoretic mobility shift on sodium dodecyl sulfate polyacrylamide gel electrophoresis, suggesting that a dramatic conformational change of tau proteins was produced byF _A. Peptide mapping analysis of the phosphopeptides derived from SV8 protease digestion revealed thatF _A could phosphorylate MAP-2 and tau proteins on at least four specific sites distinctly different from those phosphorylated by cAMP-dependent and Ca⁺²/phospholipid-dependent MAP kinases. Quantitative analysis further indicated that approximately 19% of the total endogenous kinase activity in brain microtubules was due toF _A. Taken together, the results provide initial evidence that the ATP·Mg-dependent protein phosphatase activating factor (F _A) is a potent and unique MAP kinase, and may represent one of the major factors involved in phosphorylation of brain microtubules.     

Identification of γ-glutamylserine, γ-glutamylalanine, γ-glutamylvaline and S-methylglutathione of bovine brain

Three γ-glutamyl dipeptides and a γ-glutamyl tripeptide were purified from bovine brain by a combination of ion-exchange chromatogaphic techniques. These were identified as γ-glutamylserine, γ-glutamylalanine, γ-glutamylvaline and S-methylglutathione by acid hydrolysis, terminal amino acid determination and comparison of paper chromatographic and paper electrophoretic properties of the isolated compounds with those of synthetized peptides.     

Identification of a disruptor of the MDM2-p53 protein–protein interaction facilitated by high-throughput in silico docking

NSC 333003 has been identified from the NCI Diversity Set as an inhibitor of the MDM2-p53 protein–protein interaction by in silico docking (virtual screening). Its potency and chemical characteristics render it well suited for lead optimization studies that can result in more potent analogs with improved drug-like properties. Its synthesis was achieved using an acid catalyzed condensation reaction from commercially available benzothiazole hydrazine and pyridyl phenyl ketone in refluxing methanol. Stereochemical implications for this compound are described.     

Identification of a 32–34-kilodalton polypeptide as a herbicide receptor protein in Photosystem II

Photosystem II particles which retained high rates of herbicide-sensitive activity were used to examine the site(s) of action of various herbicides. A polypeptide of 32–34 kdaltons was identified as the triazine-herbicide binding site based upon: (a) parallel loss of atrazine activity and the polypeptide during either trypsin treatment or selective detergent depletion of protein in the Photosystem II complex, and (b) covalent labeling of the polypeptide by a ¹⁴C-labeled photoaffinity triazine.In Photosystem II particles depleted of the 32–34-kdalton polypeptide, electron transport was still active and was slightly sensitive to DCMU and largely sensitive to dinoseb (urea and nitrophenol herbicides, respectively). On the basis of this result it is proposed that the general herbicide binding site common to atrazine, DCMU and dinoseb is formed by a minimum of two polypeptides which determine affinity and/or mediate herbicide-induced inhibition of electron transport on the acceptor side of Photosystem II.     

Identification of nucleolin as a lipid-raft-dependent β1-integrin-interacting protein in A375 cell migration

Lipid rafts are related to cell surface receptor function. Integrin is a major surface receptor protein in cell adhesion and migration on the extracellular matrix (ECM). Here, we showed that lipid rafts played a critical role in human melanoma A375 cell spreading and migration on fibronectin; an important component of the ECM that interacts with β1 integrin. We found that the disruption of lipid rafts did not markedly inhibit the expression and activation of β1 integrin. By coimmunoprecipitation and mass spectrometry, we investigated the influence of lipid rafts on the β1 integrin complex and identified nucleolin as a potential lipid-raft-dependent β1-integrin-interacting protein. Upon confirmation of the interaction between β1 integrin and nucleolin, further studies revealed that nucleolin colocalized with β1 integrin in lipid rafts and raft disruption interrupted their association. In addition, knockdown of nucleolin markedly attenuated A375 cell spreading and migration on fibronectin. Taken together, we demonstrated that nucleolin is a critical lipid-raft-dependent β1-integrin-interacting protein in A375 cell spreading and migration on fibronectin.     

Identification of lipocalin-2 as a PKCδ phosphorylation substrate in neutrophils

Background

PKCδ expressed in neutrophils is implicated in promoting reperfusion injury after ischemic stroke. To understand the molecular and cellular actions of PKCδ, we employed a chemical-genetics approach to identify PKCδ substrates in neutrophils.

Results

We recently generated knock-in mice endogenously expressing analog-specific PKCδ (AS-PKCδ) that can utilize ATP analogs as phosphate donors. Using neutrophils isolated from the knock-in mice, we identified several PKCδ substrates, one of which was lipocalin-2 (LCN2), which is an iron-binding protein that can trigger apoptosis by reducing intracellular iron concentrations. We found that PKCδ phosphorylated LCN2 at T115 and this phosphorylation was reduced in Prkcd^−/− mice. PKCδ colocalized with LCN2 in resting and stimulated neutrophils. LCN2 release from neutrophils after cerebral ischemia was reduced in PKCδ null mice.

Conclusions

These findings suggest that PKCδ phosphorylates LCN2 and mediates its release from neutrophils during ischemia-reperfusion injury.     

Identification of the Microsporidian Encephalitozoon cuniculi as a New Target of the IFNγ-Inducible IRG Resistance System

The IRG system of IFNγ-inducible GTPases constitutes a powerful resistance mechanism in mice against Toxoplasma gondii and two Chlamydia strains but not against many other bacteria and protozoa. Why only T. gondii and Chlamydia? We hypothesized that unusual features of the entry mechanisms and intracellular replicative niches of these two organisms, neither of which resembles a phagosome, might hint at a common principle. We examined another unicellular parasitic organism of mammals, member of an early-diverging group of Fungi, that bypasses the phagocytic mechanism when it enters the host cell: the microsporidian Encephalitozoon cuniculi. Consistent with the known susceptibility of IFNγ-deficient mice to E. cuniculi infection, we found that IFNγ treatment suppresses meront development and spore formation in mouse fibroblasts in vitro, and that this effect is mediated by IRG proteins. The process resembles that previously described in T. gondii and Chlamydia resistance. Effector (GKS subfamily) IRG proteins accumulate at the parasitophorous vacuole of E. cuniculi and the meronts are eliminated. The suppression of E. cuniculi growth by IFNγ is completely reversed in cells lacking regulatory (GMS subfamily) IRG proteins, cells that effectively lack all IRG function. In addition IFNγ-induced cells infected with E. cuniculi die by necrosis as previously shown for IFNγ-induced cells resisting T. gondii infection. Thus the IRG resistance system provides cell-autonomous immunity to specific parasites from three kingdoms of life: protozoa, bacteria and fungi. The phylogenetic divergence of the three organisms whose vacuoles are now known to be involved in IRG-mediated immunity and the non-phagosomal character of the vacuoles themselves strongly suggests that the IRG system is triggered not by the presence of specific parasite components but rather by absence of specific host components on the vacuolar membrane.     

Expression of a bovine κ-CN cDNA in the mammary gland of transgenic mice utilizing a genomic milk protein gene as an expression cassette

Transgenic mice were produced by microinjection of a DNA construct composed of the bovine -casein (-CN) cDNA under the control of the goat -CN 5 promoter elements and 3 flanking regions into pronuclear-stage embryos. The gene construct targeted the expression of bovine -CN RNA to the mammary gland and secretion of bovine -CN in the milk. In the three lines studied (BC-7, BC-31 and BC-67) the transgene was stably integrated and propagated as a Mendelian locus. Expression of the bovine protein in lactating mice from the three transgenic lines was demonstrated by northern and western blots. In ten different tissues analysed by northern blotting, expression was confined to the mammary gland of lactating transgenic mice from line BC-7, with low-level expression also observed in the salivary gland of lines BC-31 and BC-67. Transgene expression in the mammary gland paralleled normal casein gene expression during lactation and was not observed in virgin females. The level of bovine -CN mRNA expression on day 10 of lactation in hemizygous transgenic females in relation to endogenous mRNA of whey acid protein (WAP) gene expression was 14%, 69% and 127% in lines BC-7, BC-31 and BC-67, respectively. No association between transgene copy number and expression was observed. The bovine -CN concentration in milk on day 10 of lactation ranged from 0.94 to 3.85 mg of protein per ml of milk. The bovine -CN expressed in mouse milk had the same molecular mass and immunoactivity with polyclonal antibodies as did -CN from bovine milk. A high degree of variation in the production of bovine -CN within each of the transgenic lines was observed.     

Inhibition of adenylate cyclase activity in the goldfish melanophore is mediated by α 2-adrenoceptors and a pertussis toxin-sensitive GTP-binding protein

The signal-transduction system that mediates the melanosome-aggregating response in melanophores of the black-moor goldfish, Carassius auratus, was investigated by examining the inhibition of adenylate cyclase activity mediated by -adrenoceptors in cultured cells. When the melanophores were incubated with 1 mmol·l^-1 3-isobutyl-1-methylxanthine for 5 min, the intracellular level of cyclic adenosine-3,5-monophosphate increased two- to three-fold. Norepinephrine at 100 nmol·l^-1 and naphazoline at 1 mol·l^-1 inhibited the 3-isobutyl-1-methylxanthine-induced accumulation of cyclic adenosine-3,5-monophosphate in the cells in both the presence and the absence of isoproterenol, a -adrenergic agonist. Methoxamine and phenylephrine also reduced the extent of accumulation of cyclic adenosine-3,5-monophosphate, but only when they were present at relatively high concentrations (above 100 mol·l^-1). The range of concentrations at which norepinephrine inhibited the accumulation of cyclic adenosine-3,5-monophosphate was consistent with the range at which it induced the aggregation of melanosomes. Pretreatment of the cells with pertussis toxin (1 g·ml^-1) for 15 h or treatment with 100 nmol·l^-1 yohimbine (an ₂-adrenergic antagonist) inhibited the effects of the -adrenergic agonists on both the aggregation of melanosomes and the 3-isobutyl-1-methylxanthine-induced accumulation of cyclic adenosine-3,5-monophosphate, but prazosin (an ₁adrenergic antagonist) at 100 nmol·l^-1 was not inhibitory. These results indicate that the melanosome-aggregating response of the goldfish melanophore is induced mainly via inhibition of the activity of adenylate cyclase, which occurs as result of stimulation of a pathway that involves ₁adrenergic and a inhibitory GTP-binding protein.Abbreviations A-kinase cAMP-dependent protein kinase - BSS balanced salts solution - CaM calmodulin - cAMP cyclic adenosine-3,5-monophosphate - Clo clonidine - EDTA ethylenediaminetetra-acetic acid - G-protein GTP-binding protein - HEPES N-2-hydroxyethylpiperazine-N'-2-ethanesulfonic acid - IBMX 3-isobutyl-1-methylxanthine - IP₃ inositol 1,4,5-trisphosphate Mex, methoxamine - MSH melanocyte-stimulating hormone - Nap naphazoline - NE norepinephrine - Oxy oxymetazoline - Phe phenylephrine - PTX pertussis toxin     

Identification of the ATP·Mg-dependent protein phosphatase activator (Fa) as a synapsin I kinase that inhibits cross-linking of synapsin I with brain microtubules

The ATP·Mg-dependent protein phosphatase activating factor (Fa) has been identified and purified to near homogeneity from brain. In this report, as evidenced on SDS-polyacrylamide gel electrophoresis followed by autoradiography, factorFa has further been identified as a cAMP and Ca²⁺-independent brain kinase that could phosphorylate synapsin I, a neuronal protein that coats synaptic vesicles, binds to cytoskeleton, and is believed to be involved in the modulation of neurotransmission. Kinetic study further indicated that factorFa could phosphorylate synapsin I with a lowK _m value of about 2 µM and with a molar ratio of 1 mol of phosphate per mole of protein. Peptide mapping analysis revealed that factorFa specifically phosphorylated the tail region of synapsin I but on a unique site distinct from those phosphorylated by Ca²⁺/calmodulin-dependent protein kinase II and cAMP-dependent protein kinase, the two well-established synapsin I kinases. Functional study further revealed that factorFa could phosphorylate this unique specific site on the tail region of synapsin I and thereby inhibit cross-linking of synapsin I with microtubules. The results further suggest the possible involvement of factorFa as a synapsin I kinase in the regulation of axonal transport process of synaptic vesicles via the promotion of vesicles motility during neurotransmission.