Characterization of a novel 23-kilodalton protein of unactive progesterone receptor complexes.

Immunoprecipitation of unactivated avian progesterone receptor results in the copurification of hsp90, hsp70, and three additional proteins, p54, p50, and p23. p23 is also present in immunoaffinity-purified hsp90 complexes along with hsp70 and another protein, p60. Antibody and cDNA probes for p23 were prepared in an effort to elucidate the significance and function of this protein. Antibodies to p23 detect similar levels of p23 in all tissues tested and cross-react with a protein of the same size in mice, rabbits, guinea pigs, humans, and Saccharomyces cerevisiae, indicating that p23 is a conserved protein of broad tissue distribution. These antibodies were used to screen a chicken brain cDNA library, resulting in the isolation of a 468-bp partial cDNA clone encoding a sequence containing four sequences corresponding to peptide fragments isolated from chicken p23. This partial clone was subsequently used to isolate a full-length human cDNA clone. The human cDNA encodes a protein of 160 amino acids that does not show homology to previously identified proteins. The chicken and human cDNAs are 88% identical at the DNA level and 96.3% identical at the protein level. p23 is a highly acidic phosphoprotein with an aspartic acid-rich carboxy-terminal domain. Bacterially overexpressed human p23 was used to raise several monoclonal antibodies to p23. These antibodies specifically immunoprecipitate p23 in complex with hsp90 in all tissues tested and can be used to immunoaffinity isolate progesterone receptor complexes from chicken oviduct cytosol.     

Constitutively expressed rat mRNA encoding a 70-kilodalton heat-shock-like protein.

A nearly full-length cDNA clone isolated from the rat pheochromocytoma cell line, PC12, revealed extensive nucleotide sequence similarity between the rat cDNA and the Drosophila melanogaster hsp70 gene. The rat recombinant clone encodes a 71,000-dalton protein that is 70% identical with the dipteran hsp70 protein. Remarkably, a truncated segment of this cDNA clone was originally isolated by immunoreactivity with antisera raised to catecholamine-synthesizing enzymes, suggesting that this heat shock protein and these catecholamine enzymes shared antigenic determinants. The rat hsp70-related mRNA is responsible for the production of a constitutive hsp70 protein, because it is present in abundant amounts in various tissues at normal growth temperatures and is only minimally induced by hyperthermia. The rat hsp70-related sequence is part of a multigene family that extends across species to mice and humans.     

Structure and Expression of a Heat-Shock Protein 83 Gene of Pharbitis nil

Four cDNA clones representing mRNAs whose levels were affected by a photoperiod that induces flowering in Pharbitis nil were isolated by a differential hybridization screening procedure. The level of mRNAs represented by three clones (12L, 15L, and 17L) increased following a photoperiod that induces flowering and that represented by the fourth clone (clone 27) increased under conditions in which flowering was inhibited. DNA sequence analysis showed that one cDNA, clone 17L, is homologous to members of the 83- to 90-kD heat-shock protein (hsp) gene family. The corresponding gene, hsp83A, was isolated and its DNA sequence was determined. hsp83A encodes a protein that exhibits 70% amino acid identity with Drosophila melanogaster HSP83. The P. nil hsp83A gene contains two introns within the coding region. hsp83A mRNA was not detectable in cotyledons of plants grown in continuous light, but its level increased transiently following a 14-h dark period and reached a maximum 2 h after the lights were turned on. A dramatic increase in the level of hsp83A mRNA was also found 2 h after an end-of-day dark treatment. Genomic Southern blot analysis demonstrated that the P. nil hsp83-90 gene family consists of at least six members, one of which appears to be constitutively expressed in the light.     

Nucleotide sequences and novel structural features of human and Chinese hamster hsp60 (chaperonin) gene families

A number of clones that specifically hybridize to the human hsp60 cDNA (chaperonin protein; GroEL homolog) were isolated from human and Chinese hamster ovary cell genomic libraries. DNA sequence analysis shows that one of these clones, pGem-10, is completely homologous to the human hsp60 cDNA (in both coding and noncoding regions) with no intervening sequences. The other human clones analyzed were all nonfunctional pseudogenes containing numerous small additions, deletions, and base substitutions, but no introns. On the basis of sequence data, six different hsp60 pseudogenes were identified in human cells. In addition, we also cloned and completely sequenced a genomic clone from CHO cells. This clone, which was also a pseudogene, contained a small 87-nucleotide intron near the 3' end. Southern blot analysis of human, mouse, and Chinese hamster DNA, digested with unique restriction enzymes (no sites in cDNA), indicates the presence of about 8-12 genes for hsp60 in the vertebrate genomes. The sequence data, however, suggest that most of these genes, except one (per haploid genome), are likely to be nonfunctional pseudogenes.     

Schistosoma mansoni heat shock protein 70 elicits an early humoral immune response in S. mansoni infected baboons

A study was undertaken to search for DNA recombinant Schistosoma mansoni proteins responsible for eliciting an antibody response from the host at a very early phase after infection. A S. mansoni adult worm cDNA expression library was screened using pooled sera from baboons with four weeks of infection. Based on their specific reactivity with the S. mansoni infected sera and no reactivity when tested against the pre-infection sera from the same baboons, four clones were selected for further studies. Sequence analysis revealed that they were homologous to the S. mansoni heat shock protein 70 (hsp70). The insert sizes of the four selected clones varied from 1150 to 2006 bp. The preliminary characterization for antibody reactivity against a panel of baboon sera showed that the longest clone was the most reactive, eight out of eight acute and three out of four chronic sera reacting positively to this clone. The shortest clone was the least reactive. Our results suggest that the S. mansoni hsp70 elicits an early and strong antibody response in baboons and that antibodies to this protein can be detected in chronically infected animals. Therefore S. mansoni hsp70 may be a valid target for immunodiagnosis. However further studies are needed to identify the portion of the hsp70 that best fits the requirements for a valuable diagnostic antigen.     

Isolation and expression of a pea vicilin cDNA in the yeast Saccharomyces cerevisiae.

A cDNA clone containing the complete coding sequence for vicilin from pea (Pisum sativum L.) was isolated. It specifies a 50,000-Mr protein that in pea is neither post-translationally processed nor glycosylated. The cDNA clone was expressed in yeast from a 2 micron plasmid by using the yeast phosphoglycerate kinase promoter and initiator codon. The resultant fusion protein, which contains the first 16 amino acid residues of phosphoglycerate kinase in addition to the vicilin sequence, was purified and subsequently characterized. It has slightly slower mobility on SDS/polyacrylamide-gel electrophoresis than standard pea vicilin and forms a mixture of multimers, some of which resemble the native protein.     

The glucose-regulated protein grp94 is related to heat shock protein hsp90

We report the sequence of a cDNA clone that encodes the C-terminal half of the hamster 94 X 10(3) Mr glucose-regulated protein, grp94. The amino acid sequence of this protein is about 50% homologous to Drosophila hsp83 and yeast hsp90, suggesting that grp94 and hsp90 have similar functional properties. Unlike hsp90, grp94 is associated with the endoplasmic reticulum. It has the same C-terminal tetrapeptide as two other luminal endoplasmic reticulum proteins, grp78 and protein disulphide isomerase. We suggest that this sequence forms part of a signal for retention of proteins in the lumen of the endoplasmic reticulum.     

Expression and immunologic characterization of recombinant heat shock protein 58 of Leptospira species: a major target antigen of the humoral immune response

A clone of Leptospira interrogans serovar lai that was isolated by immunoscreening of a genomic lambda library with sera from convalescent patients with leptospirosis directed expression of a unique 62-kDa protein in Escherichia coli. When examined by SDS-PAGE, the protein comigrated with an immunodominant protein present in leptospiral cell lysate. Determination of the nucleotide sequence of the 2.7-kb insert DNA identified two genes homologous to the hsp58 and hsp10 of L. interrogans serovar copenhageni reported previously. The overexpressed recombinant Hsp58 protein was purified and used to immunize a rabbit to produce a polyclonal antibody. Immunoblot analysis using the rabbit anti-Hsp58 G antibodies showed that the 62-kDa protein was commonly present in lysates of other serovars of leptospires, consistent with the strong sequence conservation between the hsp58 genes of the two serovars. Immunoglobulin G antibodies to the Hsp58 were specifically detected by ELISA in 82% of sera (18/22) from patients with leptospirosis. Deletion analysis of the recombinant Hsp58 protein indicated that a strong antigenic determinant for humoral immune response is located between amino acids 360 and 380 (DREKLQERLAKLAGGVAVIHV) of Hsp58, which are highly conserved among the GroEL family. The strong sequence conservation of the Hsp58 among leptospires and its importance as a major target for the humoral immune response warrant further studies of its potential pathogenetic role.     

Heat-shock proteins, Hsp84 and Hsp86, of mice and men: two related genes encode formerly identified tumour-specific transplantation antigens

Mouse cDNA clones have been isolated with the help of Drosophila melanogaster 82-kDa heat-shock protein (Hsp82)-coding sequences as hybridization probe. Sequencing of the overlapping mouse clones reveals a long open reading frame (ORF) that encodes a polypeptide of 83.3 kDa which shows about 80% similarity to the respective Drosophila Hsp82 amino acid sequence. The N-terminal half of this cDNA cross-hybridizes to a different class of mouse cDNA clones indicating a related gene. Northern blot hybridization experiments reveal a 2.6-kb poly(A)+RNA when probed with the hsp84 clone and a 2.85-kb signal with the hsp84-related cDNA. The amino acid sequences deduced from the contiguous ORF of the hsp84 and the hsp84-related cDNA coincide with the N-terminal sequence of formerly identified 84-kDa and 86-kDa tumour-specific transplantation antigens (Ullrich et al., 1986). In addition, the amino acid composition of the putative 84-kDa mouse Hsp described here is very similar to that of the 84-kDa tumour antigen described by Ullrich et al. (1986). Both observations corroborate the assumption that these Hsps are identical to the described 84-kDa and 86-kDa tumour-specific transplantation antigens. Using these mouse hsp gene clones as hybridization probes we also isolated the corresponding pair of human cDNA clones. Comparison of the respective sequences reveals a strong evolutionary constraint on these two genes in mouse and man.     

A head-to-tail tandem organization of hsp70 genes in Trypanosoma cruzi.

We describe the isolation and characterization of the T. cruzi hsp 70 DNA coding region which was found to be formed by multigene copies organized in a tandem array in a head-to-tail manner. The restriction pattern of one of the repetition units within the largest clone obtained from the genomic library, clone Tc70.6, shows that the hsp70 coding region should be formed by at least seven identical copies of 2.5 kb. We have found, however, the presence of restriction polymorphisms (Pvu II) within these repeats. Subsequent analysis of the time course of nuclear DNA digestion has revealed that the copy number per haploid genome could be as greater as 10. The analysis of the DNA and amino acid sequence of a fragment (70%) of one of the repetition units has shown the existence of a high homology with all the hsp70 genes of other organisms. The protein sequence homology of the fragment analyzed is as high as 88% when compared with that of the T. brucei hsp70. On the other hand, there are significant restriction site variations between both. The T. cruzi hsp70 contains at the C-terminal end a tetrapeptide repeat of the structure (GMPG)9.     

ERp99, an abundant, conserved glycoprotein of the endoplasmic reticulum, is homologous to the 90-kDa heat shock protein (hsp90) and the 94-kDa glucose regulated protein (GRP94)

We have isolated an expressible full-length cDNA clone encoding murine ERp99, an abundant, conserved transmembrane glycoprotein of the endoplasmic reticulum membrane. ERp99 is synthesized as a 92,475-kDa precursor containing 802 amino acids. It possesses a signal peptide of 21 amino acids which is cleaved cotranslationally. Analysis of the amino acid sequence deduced from the nucleotide sequence of the cDNA clone led us to propose a model for the orientation of ERp99 in the endoplasmic reticulum membrane. In this model, ERp99 possesses one membrane-spanning, stop transfer segment in the N-terminal region. The protein chain passes through the membrane only once, and approximately 75% of the protein remains on the cytoplasmic side of the ER membrane. Comparison of the ERp99 sequence to the sequence of other proteins revealed that ERp99 has extensive homology with the 90-kDa heat shock protein of Saccharomyces cerevisiae (hsp90) and the 83-kDa heat shock protein of Drosophila melanogaster. In addition, the N terminus of mature ERp99 is identical to that of the 94-kDa glucose regulated protein (GRP94) of mammalian cells.     

A Kinetic Analysis on the Enhancement of Superoxide Generation from Rice Leaf Disks Stimulated with Proteoglucomannan after Pretreatment with Concanavalin A

We have identified by differential plaque hybridization, human cDNA clones encooding a member of a heat-shock protein family (hsp 90α) in the cDNA library of Adenovirus Type 12 E1A transfected HeLa cells. The complete nucleotide sequence of one of the clones (pHB76–114A) was identified. The sequence of 2912 base pairs had a single reading frame with a coding potential for an 84,672-Da protein. The amino acid sequence was highly homologous, but not identical, to that of the human hsp 90α gene isolated from human peripheral blood lymphocytes [M. Yamazaki, K. Akaogi, T. Miwa, T. Imai, E. Soeda and K. Yokoyama, Nucleic Acids Res., 17, 7108 (1989)]. This cDNA hybridized with RNA species which increased 5- to 20-fold upon heat shock and more than 5-fold in the differentiation stage of human Tera 2 cells.     

Structure and expression of a human gene coding for a 71 kd heat shock ''cognate'' protein.

In all eukaryotes examined so far, hsp70 gene families include cognate genes (hsc70) encoding proteins of about 70 Kd which are expressed constitutively during normal growth and development. We have investigated the structural relationship of heat-inducible and cognate members of the human hsp70 gene family. Among several human genomic clones isolated using Drosophila hsp/hsc70 probes, one contained an hsc70 gene. Its complete sequence is reported here. It is split by eight introns and encodes a predicted protein of 70899 d that would be 81% homologous to hsp70. Structural comparisons with corresponding genes from other species provide one of the most striking examples of gene conservation. Isolation of a corresponding cDNA clone, RNA-mapping and in vitro translation data demonstrate that the gene is expressed constitutively and directs the synthesis of a 71 kd protein. The latter is very likely to be identical to a clathrin uncoating ATPase recently identified as a member of the hsp70-like protein family.     

Cloning and regulation by glucocorticoid receptor ligands of a rat hsp90

We have isolated a full length cDNA that encodes a heat shock protein, hsp90, from a rat brain library and present the nucleotide sequence and deduced amino acid sequence. Comparison of the entire nucleotide sequence with mouse hsp84 and human hsp90β cDNAs reveal sequence similarities of 92 and 87%, respectively. The coding region of 2172 nucleotides corresponds to a polypeptide chain of 724 amino acids. Comparison with mouse hsp84 and human hsp90β amino acid sequences indicates a similarity of 97%, respectively. Characterization of the constitutive expression of this cDNA both by RNA blot hybridization and immunoblotting, reveals that it is expressed in all rat tissues examined. Hsp90 has been shown to form a transient complex with steroid hormone receptors. In order to further elucidate the role of hsp90 in the endocrine response of cells, we have examined the effects of dexamethasone and RU38486 on the level of hsp90 mRNA in a system in which glucocorticoids down-regulate glucocorticoid receptor mRNA levels. In this system, a subtle but reproducible approx. 2-fold decrease in hsp90 mRNA levels is observed after 48 h treatment with dexamethasone.