Characterization of proteins from Ascaris lumbricoides which bind specifically to carboxypeptidase.

Inhibitors of the peptidase and esterase activities of carboxypeptidases A and B have been isolated from extracts of Ascaris lumbricoides var suis. These proteins were obtained by treatment of the aqueous extracts at low pH, precipitation with ammonium sulfate, molecular sieving on Bio-Gel P-4, and chromatography on DEAE-cellulose. The inhibitors were resolved into three homogeneous peaks on CM-cellulose. These components, CM-A, CM-B, and CM-C, have constant specific activity and were recovered in a 41% yield. They moved as single bands when subjected to electrophoresis at high or low pH on polyacrylamide gels and they have similar amino acid compositions. Methionine, tyrosine, and cysteine are absent from each of the inhibitors. The 65 residues of CM-B suggest a minimum molecular weight of 7530, in close agreement to the value of 7600 +/- 200 determined on a Bio-Gel P-100 column. Each of the proteins has the same NH2-terminal residues, NH2-Asx-Glx-Val-Glx- and the same COOH-terminal residue, leucine. A plot of per cent acrylamide versus log relative mobility suggests that the three proteins are charge isomers. CM-B appears to be stable to high NaCl concentrations, extremes of pH, high temperatures, and digestion by intestinal proteases. Carboxypeptidase C, carboxypeptidase N, and yeast protease C are not inhibited by CM-B. However, the exopeptidase and esterase activities of human carboxypeptidase A are inhibited. The inhibitors appear to bind to bovine carboxypeptidase A with an atypical stoichiometry. Two moles of CM-B inhibitor bind to 1 mol of enzyme. The evidence is: (a) a demonstrated purity of bovine carboxypeptidase A, (b) minimal and maximal inhibitor molecular weights by different methods, of 7600 and 8300, and (c) a maximum specific activity of apparently homogeneous inhibitors which is 50% of that predicted for unit stoichiometry.     

Purification and biochemical characterization of proteins which bind to the H-box cis-elementimplicated in transcriptional activation of plant defense genes

The H-box (CCTACC(N)₇CT(N)₄A), which occurs three times within the −154 to −42 region of the bean chalcone synthase chs15 promoter, is important for developmental regulation of chs15 , and induction of chs15 and coordinately regulated defense genes by elicitors and other stress stimuli. Two protein factors, KAP-1 and KAP-2, which recognize conserved features in the H-box motif, were purified from bean cell suspension cultures by a combination of ion exchange chromatography and DNA affinity chromatography. KAP-1 is a 97 kDa polypeptide, whereas KAP-2 comprises two polypeptides of 76 and 56 kDa. KAP-1 and KAP-2 also differ in the sensitivity of their DNA-bound forms to trypsin. Dephosphorylation of KAP-1 or KAP-2 affects the mobility of the protein/H-box binding complex in gel shift assays but does not inhibit DNA binding. Elicitation of bean cell suspensions with glutathione does not affect the total cellular activities of KAP-1 or KAP-2, but causes a rapid increase in the specific activities of both factors in the nuclear fraction, consistent with a role for these factors in the signal pathway for elicitor induction of chs15 and related defense genes.     

Characterization of promoter elements of an interferon-inducible Ly-6E/A differentiation antigen, which is expressed on activated T cells and hematopoietic stem cells.

The Ly-6E/A antigen is expressed on activated murine T cells. Using probes made from the previously characterized cDNA, we have isolated a genomic DNA clone encoding the Ly-6A antigen. We determined the DNA sequence of the genomic clone and conducted a functional analysis of the promoter region. Mouse fibroblast BALB/3T3 cells transfected with this genomic clone constitutively expressed Ly-6A antigen on their cell surface. This expression was inducible by alpha/beta and gamma interferons. The Ly-6E 5'-flanking region was analyzed by chloramphenicol acetyltransferase assays in fibroblast cells for cis-acting elements. At least two positive elements were found to be needed for maximum constitutive promoter activity in L cells. One of the positive elements was specifically bound by a CCAAT box-binding protein from crude nuclear extract, as shown by electrophoretic mobility shift assays and footprinting. The other element, which contains a GGAAA motif and has homology to various known enhancers, also showed a specific binding activity. This second positive element when multimerized became a very powerful enhancing element. Interferon treatment could enhance expression of the chloramphenicol acetyltransferase gene fused to the Ly-6E 5'-flanking region in stably transfected BALB/3T3 cells. The elements responsible for this enhancement lie, at least in part, between positions -1760 and -900 of the gene. Surprisingly, there is no sequence homology between this region of Ly-6E and the established consensus for the interferon-stimulated response element, which has been shown functionally important to all previously characterized alpha/beta interferon-inducible promoters. The Ly-6E gene may prove to be a novel system for the study of interferon induction.     

Characterization of rat liver nuclear proteins which recognize the cAMP responsive element.

1. The data herein reveal the existence of cAMP-responsive element (CRE)-binding factors (CRF) in the nuclear extracts from cAMP-treated rat liver. 2. DNAase I and DMS footprinting analysis showed that the CRFs protected the CRE (-77 to -92) in the phosphoenolpyruvate carboxykinase (PEPCK) promoter and the TGACGTCA motif in a consensus oligodeoxynucleotide based on the sequence of the CRE's of 6 cAMP-regulated genes (C32mer). 3. Competition assays indicate that the CRF(s) is a CGTCA-specific, ATF/CREB-like factor(s). 4. Southwestern (SW) blot analysis detected 2 apparent CRFs which have molecular weights of about 30 and 32 kDa, respectively. 5. Based on the comparison of the size and binding specificity of the CRFs with the CREBs reported to date, the CRFs appear to be novel CRE-binding nuclear factors.     

Chlamydia trachomatis elementary bodies possess proteins which bind to eucaryotic cell membranes.

Chlamydia trachomatis proteins were electrophoresed and then transferred to nitrocellulose paper to detect chlamydial proteins which bind to eucaryotic cell membranes. Resolved polypeptides of C. trachomatis serovars J and L2 were reacted with iodinated HeLa cell membranes and autoradiographed. Infectious elementary bodies of both serovars possess 31,000- and 18,000-dalton proteins which bind to HeLa cells. In contrast, noninfectious reticulate bodies do not possess eucaryotic cell-binding proteins. Both proteins are antigenic when reacted with hyperimmune rabbit antisera in immunoblots and antisera raised against the 31,000- and 18,000-dalton proteins are inhibitory to chlamydia-host cell association. In addition, these antisera exhibit neutralizing activity. Our data suggest that these putative chlamydial adhesins play a key role in the early steps of chlamydia-host cell interaction and that antibody directed against them may be protective.     

Serine repeat antigen peptides which bind specifically to red blood cells

It has been reported that serine repeat antigen (SERA) binds directly to human erythrocyte membranes, inside-out vesicles and intact mouse erythrocytes. Similarly, mAbs specific against SERA are effective in blocking red blood cell (RBC) invasion by P. falciparum merozoites. Furthermore, the N-terminal recombinant SERA fragment inhibits the merozoite invasion of erythrocyte. In this study of 49 non-overlapping 20-residue-long peptides encompassing the whole SERA protein FCR3 strain, seven peptides having high RBC binding activity were found. Six of these peptides (three from the SERA N-terminal domain) are located in conserved regions and show affinity constants between 150 and 1100 nM, Hill coefficients between 1.5 and 3.0 and 30000-120000 binding sites per cell. Some of these peptides inhibited in vitro merozoite invasion of erythrocyte and intra-erythrocytic development. Residues which are critical in the binding to erythrocytes (in bold face), i.e. 6725 (YLKETNNAISFESNSGSLEKK), 6733 (YALGSDIPEKCDTLASNCFLS), 6737 (YDNILVKMFKTNENNDKSELI), 6746 (DQGNCDTSWIFASKYHLETI), 6754 (YKKVQNLCGDDTADHAVNIVG) and 6762 (NEVSERVHVYHILKHIKDGK), were determined by means of competition assays with high-binding peptide glycine analogues. The identification of peptides which bind to erythrocyte membrane is important in understanding the process of RBC invasion by P. falciparum merozoites.     

Photoaffinity labeling of brush-border membrane proteins which bind phosphonoformic acid.

Identification and characterization of the Na+/Pi co-transporter in the renal brush-border membrane (BBM) has proved to be difficult in part because of the lack of a specific covalent label. NAD is a competitive inhibitor of Na+/Pi co-transport, and we have explored its potential use as a specific label. We describe the synthesis and use of a highly reactive azido derivative of NAD. This derivative (AB-NAD), like the parent NAD molecule, acts as a competitive inhibitor of Na+/Pi co-transport by isolated BBM vesicles. After photoirradiation, the inhibition changes to noncompetitive, as would be expected if the label was bound covalently. This was confirmed by use of [3H]AB-NAD. Photoirradiation produced a 4-fold increase in acid-stable incorporation of 3H into BBM vesicles compared to controls which were not exposed to light. Polyacrylamide gel electrophoresis in the presence of sodium dodecyl sulfate revealed that photoirradiation with [32P]AB-NAD produced labeling of several different protein bands, but almost one-half of the 32P was recovered in two bands corresponding to molecular masses of 97 and 70 kDa. Labeling of these bands was markedly reduced in the presence of Na+ and phosphonoformic acid, a specific inhibitor of Na+/Pi co-transport. Chromatography of solubilized BBM proteins indicated that the protein fraction which is photolabeled by AB-NAD is co-eluted with the protein fraction which exhibits Na(+)-dependent binding of phosphonoformic acid. The 97- and 70-kDa polypeptide bands may contain components of the intact Na+/Pi co-transport system.     

Characterisation of chicken erythroid nuclear proteins which bind to the nuclease hypersensitive regions upstream of the beta A- and beta H-globin genes.

Chicken erythrocyte sequence-specific nuclear DNA-binding proteins, which bind to the 5'-flanking DNAseI hypersensitive sites of the erythrocyte chromosomal beta A- and beta H-globin genes, have been fractionated by HPLC gel filtration. Three beta A-globin gene DNA binding activities (to sites A, B and B' (10-12)) were separated. The erythroid precursor cell line HD3 has beta A-globin gene sites B and B' binding activities, but binding to site A is detected only after the HD3 cells are induced to differentiate. The fractionated protein binds to a redefined site B', which contains at its center the globin CACCC consensus sequence. The chromosomal beta H-globin gene has two 5'-flanking DNAseI hypersensitive sites which bracket two sequences (H and H') bound by erythrocyte and HD3 nuclear protein in vitro. The beta H- and beta A-globin gene binding sites (H and B) contain variants of the sequences bound by Nuclear Factor 1 and the TGGCA-binding protein, and their protein binding activity(ies) co-purify after HPLC gel filtration.     

Characterization of nuclear matrix proteins of Physarum polycephalum and mammalian cells

Analysis of the nuclear matrix of Physarum polycephalum and renal epithelial cells in culture (LLC-PK1) reveals a complex protein pattern. Applying various experimental protocols we observe only negligible differences in the final nuclear matrix protein pattern, in Physarum as well as in LLC-PK1 cells. Immunoblotting with a variety of antibodies against intermediate filament proteins and with antinuclear autoantibodies demonstrates the presence of intermediate filament proteins as components of the nuclear matrix. Preparation of type I and type II matrix structures does not yield different protein compositions, neither in Physarum nor in differentiated LLC-PK1 cells; therefore in both systems a distinction between these two types of matrices is questionable.