Identification and role of the basal phosphorylation site on hormone-sensitive lipase

Phosphorylation site 2 on bovine hormone-sensitive lipase (HSL), which is phosphorylated in vitro by the AMP-activated protein kinase, has been found also to be phosphorylated in vitro by glycogen synthase kinase-4. Peptide mapping of HSL phosphorylated in vitro and in isolated adipocytes demonstrates that this site corresponds to the basal phosphorylation site on HSL, which is phosphorylated in intact adipocytes in the absence of lipolytic stimuli. Site 2 has been proposed to have an antilipolytic role in that phosphorylation at this site greatly reduces subsequent phosphorylation (at site 1) and activation of HSL by cyclic-AMP-dependent protein kinase. Further evidence for an antilipolytic role of site 2 has been obtained using a synthetic peptide based on the sequence around sites 1 and 2. Phosphorylation of the peptide at site 2 totally prevents the subsequent phosphorylation of site 1 and vice versa.     

Identification of the tryptophan residue located at the low-affinity saccharide binding site of ricin D

The saccharide binding ability of the low affinity (LA-) binding site of ricin D was abrogated by N-bromosuccinimide (NBS)-oxidation, while in the presence of lactose the number of tryptophan residues eventually oxidized decreased by 1 mol/mol and the saccharide binding ability was retained (Hatakeyama et al., (1986) J. Biochem. 99, 1049-1056). Based on these findings, the tryptophan residue located at the LA-binding site of ricin D was identified. Two derivatives of ricin D which were modified with NBS in the presence and absence of lactose were separated into their constituent polypeptide chains (A- and B-chains), respectively. The modified tryptophan residue or residues was/were found to be contained in the B-chain, but not in the A-chain. From lysylendopeptidase and chymotryptic digests, peptides containing oxidized tryptophan residues were isolated by gel filtration on Bio-Gel P-30 and HPLC. Analysis of the peptides containing oxidized tryptophan revealed that three tryptophan residues at positions 37, 93, and 160 on the B-chain were oxidized in the inactive derivative of ricin D, in which the saccharide binding ability of the LA-binding site was abrogated by NBS-oxidation. On the other hand, the modified residues were determined to be tryptophans at positions 93 and 160 in the active derivative of ricin D which was modified in the presence of lactose, indicating that upon binding with lactose, the tryptophan residue at position 37 of the B-chain was protected from NBS-oxidation. From these results, it is suggested that tryptophan at position 37 on the B-chain is the essential residue for saccharide binding at the LA-binding site of ricin D.     

Identification of a lipoprotein lipase cofactor-binding site by chemical cross-linking and transfer of apolipoprotein C-II-responsive lipolysis from lipoprotein lipase to hepatic lipase

To localize the regions of lipoprotein lipase (LPL) that are responsive to activation by apoC-II, an apoC-II peptide fragment was cross-linked to bovine LPL. Following chemical hydrolysis and peptide separation, a specific fragment of LPL (residues 65-86) was identified to interact with apoC-II. The fragment contains regions of amino acid sequence dissimilarity compared with hepatic lipase (HL), a member of the same gene family that is not responsive to apoC-II. Using site-directed mutagenesis, two sets of chimeras were created in which the two regions of human LPL (residues 65-68 and 73-79) were exchanged with the corresponding human HL sequences. The chimeras consisted of an HL backbone with the suspected LPL regions replacing the corresponding HL sequences either individually (HLLPL-(65-68) and HLLPL-(73-79)) or together (HLLPLD). Similarly, LPL chimeras were created in which the candidate regions were replaced with the corresponding HL sequences (LPLHL-(77-80), LPLHL-(85-91), and LPLHLD). Using a synthetic triolein substrate, the lipase activity of the purified enzymes was measured in the presence and absence of apoC-II. Addition of apoC-II to HLLPL-(65-68) and HLLPL-(73-79) did not significantly alter their enzyme activity. However, the activity of HLLPLD increased approximately 5-fold in the presence of apoC-II compared with an increase in native LPL activity of approximately 11-fold. Addition of apoC-II to LPLHL-(77-80) resulted in approximately 10-fold activation, whereas only approximately 6- and approximately 4-fold activation of enzyme activity was observed in LPLHL-(85-91) and LPLHLD, respectively. In summary, our results have identified 11 amino acid residues in the N-terminal domain of LPL (residues 65-68 and 73-79) that appear to act cooperatively to enable substantial activation of human LPL by apoC-II.     

Identification of the adenine binding site in the ricin toxin A-chain by fluorescence,CD, and electron spin resonance spectroscopy

CD, electron spin resonance, and fluorescence spectroscopy have been utilized to study the adenine binding site of ricin and its toxic A-subunit. At acidic (4.5) and physiological (7.3) pH, adenine or a spin-labeled analogue of adenine, N⁶-(2,2,6,6-tetramethyl-1-oxypiperidin-4-yl) adenine, alters the near uv CD spectra of the ricin A-chain as well as intact ricin, whereas the far uv CD spectra of all proteins remain unchanged. Electron spin resonance data show that the adenine spin-labeled analogue interacts strongly with the A-chain both at pH 4.5 and 7.3, but no or very weak binding is observed for the intact ricin or the isolated B-chain. The adenine spin label gets highly immobilized (2A_II = 65.5G) by the A-chain. The apparent dissociation constant K_d for the toxic A-chain ligand complex is 1.55 × 10^?4 M and 5.6 × 10^?5 M at pH 7.3 and 4.5, respectively. Fluorescence intensity of ricin A-chain bound 1,8-anilinonaphthalenesulfonic acid (ANS) decreases by ～55% at pH 4.5 with the addition of the spin-labeled analogue of adenine, implying that both the ANS and adenine spin label (ADSL) bind to the hydrophobic domain of the A-chain. Fluorescence of the only intrinsic tryptophan probe of the A-chain is also efficiently quenched by ADSL, indicating that the tryptophan residue and the hydrophobic adenine binding site are closely located. All spectroscopic measurements indicate that adenine or its spin-labeled analogue has a single binding site adjacent to the TRP211 residue in the A-chain. Expansion of the A-chain globule and subsequent exposure of the hydrophobic binding site seem to be responsible for the increased binding of adenine at pH 4.5. © 1993 John Wiley & Sons, Inc.     

Identification of mouse and human macrophages as a site of synthesis of hepatic lipase

Hepatic lipase (HL) is synthesized by the liver and is also present in steroidogenic tissues. As both a lipolytic enzyme and a ligand that facilitates the cellular uptake of lipoproteins, HL plays a major role in lipoprotein metabolism and may modulate atherogenic risk. However, HL has not been directly implicated in lesion development. In the present study we demonstrate that HL is also synthesized by mouse and human macrophages. Northern analysis and real time RT-PCR showed that HL mRNA is present in mouse peritoneal macrophages, RAW-264.7, and IC-21 cells. The levels of HL mRNA in mouse peritoneal macrophages were approximately 10-30% that of mouse liver. HL protein was identified by Western blot analyses in human monocyte-derived macrophages, THP, RAW-264.7, and mouse peritoneal macrophages following fractionation by heparin-sepharose affinity chromatography. These combined findings establish that HL is synthesized de novo by macrophages as well as liver, and raises the possibility that HL may have a direct role in the pathogenesis of atherosclerosis.     

The intersubunit disulfide bridge of ricin is essential for cytotoxicity

Alkylation of the cysteine residues which link the A and B chains of ricin through a disulfide bridge produces a molecule which still binds to HeLa cells and is toxic toward in vitro ribosome-directed translation, but which has little or no cytotoxicity toward cells in culture. This and similar observations on diphtheria toxin implicate the intersubunit disulfide bridge in the transport of the toxic subunits of these toxins into the cytoplasm.     

X-ray analysis of substrate analogs in the ricin A-chain active site.

Ricin A-chain is an N-glycosidase that hydrolyzes the adenine ring from a specific adenosine of rRNA. Formycin monophosphate (FMP) and adenyl(3'-->5')guanosine (ApG) were bound to ricin A-chain and their structures elucidated by X-ray crystallography. The formycin ring stacks between tyrosines 80 and 123 and at least four hydrogen bonds are made to the adenine moiety. A residue invariant in this enzyme class, Arg180, appears to hydrogen bond to N-3 of the susceptible adenine. Three hypothetical models for binding a true hexanucleotide substrate, CGAGAG, are proposed. They incorporate adenine binding, shown by crystallography, but also include geometry likely to favor catalysis. For example, efforts have been made to orient the ribose ring in a way that allows solvent attack and oxycarbonium stabilization by the enzyme. The favored model is a simple perturbation of the tetraloop structure determined by nuclear magnetic resonance for similar polynucleotides. The model is attractive in that specific roles are defined for conserved protein residues. A mechanism of action is proposed. It invokes oxycarbonium ion stabilization on ribose by Glu177 in the transition state. Arg180 stabilizes anion development on the leaving adenine by protonation at N-3 and may activate a trapped water molecule that is the ultimate nucleophile in the depurination.     

Recognition and interaction of small rings with the ricin A-chain binding site

Ricin A-chain is an N-glucosidase that attacks ribosomal RNA at a highly conserved adenine residue. Our recent crystallographic studies show that not only adenine and formycin, but also pterin-based rings can bind in the active site of ricin. For a better understanding of the means by which ricin recognizes adenine rings, the geometries and interaction energies were calculated for a number of complexes between ricin and tautomeric modifications of formycin, adenine, pterin, and guanine. These were studied by molecular mechanics, semi-empirical quantum mechanics, and ab initio quantum mechanical methods. The calculations indicate that the formycin ring binds better than adenine and pterin better than formycin, a result that is consistent with the crystallographic data. A tautomer of pterin that is not in the low energy form in either the gas phase or in aqueous solution has the best interaction with the enzyme. The net interaction energy, defined as the interaction energy calculated in vacuo between the receptor and an inhibitor minus the solvation energy of the inhibitor, provides a good prediction of the ability of the inhibitor to bind to the receptor. The results from experimental and molecular modeling work suggest that the ricin binding site is not flexible and may only recognize a limited range of adenine-like rings. Proteins 31:33–41, 1998. Published 1998 Wiley-Liss, Inc.

1 This article is a US Government work and, as such, is in the public domain in the United States of America.

     

Identification of three oligosaccharide binding sites in ricin.

The galactoside-binding sites of ricin B chain can be blocked by affinity-directed chemical modification using a reactive ligand derived from asialoglycopeptides containing triantennary N-linked oligosaccharides. The terminal galactosyl residue of one branch of the triantennary oligosaccharide is modified to contain a reactive dichlorotriazine moiety. Two separate galactoside-binding sites have been clearly established in the ricin B chain by X-ray crystallography [Rutenber, E., and Robertus, J. D. (1991) Proteins 10, 260-269], and it is necessary to covalently attach two such reactive ligands to the B chain to block its binding to galactoside affinity matrixes. A method was developed using thiol-specific labeling of the ligand combined with subsequent immunoaffinity chromatography which allowed the isolation of ricin B chain peptides covalently linked to the ligand from proteolytic digests of purified blocked ricin. The sites of covalent attachment of the two ligands in blocked ricin were inferred from sequence analysis to be Lys 62 in domain 1 of the B chain and Tyr 148 in domain 2. A minor species of blocked ricin contains a third covalently attached ligand. From the analysis of peptides derived from blocked ricin enriched in this species, it is inferred that Tyr 67 in domain 1 is the specific site on the ricin B chain where a third reactive ligand becomes covalently linked to the protein. These results are interpreted as providing support for the notion that the ricin B chain has three oligosaccharide binding sites.     

Kinetic comparison of ricin immunotoxins: biricin conjugate has potentiated cytotoxicity

The plant toxin ricin was chemically coupled to an anti-Thy-1.1 antibody, and the resultant conjugates were fractionated by gel filtration. The cytotoxicity of the conjugate possessing two ricin molecules per immunoglobulin, yielding a first-order inactivation rate of protein synthesis of -0.4 log/h at 200 ng/mL, was well above that expected just from the increase in ricin per unit mass of conjugate, when compared to a conjugate possessing only one ricin per immunoglobulin. On a conjugate molar scale the biricin immunotoxin was determined to be 8 times more potent than the monoricin conjugate; thus, relative to the number of ricin molecules, the coupling of a second ricin to the immunoglobulin quadrupled the observed potency. The concentration of immunotoxin and the resultant inactivation rates of protein synthesis were found to be related through a power function. Additionally, the inactivation kinetics of these conjugates were found to be similar to those of native ricin.     

Galactose-induced dimerization of blocked ricin at acidic pH: evidence for a third galactose-binding site in ricin B-chain

Blocked ricin is a glycoconjugate formed by covalent modificationof each of the two galactose-binding sites of ricin with affinityligands derived by modification of glycopeptides containinggalactose-terminated, triantennary, N-linked oligosaccharides.Blocked ricin undergoes a pH-dependent reversible self-association,being predominantly dimeric at neutral pH and monomeric at acidicpH. The shift in the monomer-dimer equilibrium towards the monomericform at acidic pH (pH 4) is inhibited by lactose, as shown bysize-exclusion chromatography. This behavior of blocked ricincan be reproduced in studies with isolated blocked B-chain.The effect, which is dependent on the concentration of the sugar,is specific for sugars having terminal galactose moieties, orsugars having the same orientation of hydroxyl groups at C2and C4 as galactose. These results are interpreted as providingfurther support for the notion that ricin B-chain has a thirdgalactosebinding site, which may be important for the intracellulartrafficking of ricin during intoxication of cells. blocked ricin galactose-binding lectin ricin     

Real-time cytotoxicity assay for rapid and sensitive detection of ricin from complex matrices

Background

In the context of a potential bioterrorist attack sensitive and fast detection of functionally active toxins such as ricin from complex matrices is necessary to be able to start timely countermeasures. One of the functional detection methods currently available for ricin is the endpoint cytotoxicity assay, which suffers from a number of technical deficits.

Methodology/Findings

This work describes a novel online cytotoxicity assay for the detection of active ricin and Ricinus communis agglutinin, that is based on a real-time cell electronic sensing system and impedance measurement. Characteristic growth parameters of Vero cells were monitored online and used as standardized viability control. Upon incubation with toxin the cell status and the cytotoxic effect were visualized using a characteristic cell index–time profile. For ricin, tested in concentrations of 0.06 ng/mL or above, a concentration-dependent decrease of cell index correlating with cytotoxicity was recorded between 3.5 h and 60 h. For ricin, sensitive detection was determined after 24 h, with an IC50 of 0.4 ng/mL (for agglutinin, an IC50 of 30 ng/mL was observed). Using functionally blocking antibodies, the specificity for ricin and agglutinin was shown. For detection from complex matrices, ricin was spiked into several food matrices, and an IC50 ranging from 5.6 to 200 ng/mL was observed. Additionally, the assay proved to be useful in detecting active ricin in environmental sample materials, as shown for organic fertilizer containing R. communis material.

Conclusions/Significance

The cell-electrode impedance measurement provides a sensitive online detection method for biologically active cytotoxins such as ricin. As the cell status is monitored online, the assay can be standardized more efficiently than previous approaches based on endpoint measurement. More importantly, the real-time cytotoxicity assay provides a fast and easy tool to detect active ricin in complex sample matrices.     

Studies on the galactose-binding site of ricin and the hybrid toxin man6P-ricin

N-acetylimidazole (NAI) was used to O-acetylate the plant seed toxin ricin. O-acetylation of one to two tyrosine residues per molecule of ricin inhibited ricin binding to Sepharose 4B and decreased toxicity by 90% in a protein synthesis inhibition assay in HeLa cells. Lactose, known to block the binding site on the ricin B subunit, protected ricin from NAI modification of binding or toxicity. Thus NAI, under these conditions, can be a lactose site-specific inhibitor. The lactose site-specific modification of the hybrid toxin, Man6P-ricin, performed under the same conditions, exhibited the same 90% inhibition of Man6P receptor-mediated toxicity as the galactose-containing receptor-mediated toxicity of either Man6P-ricin or ricin. Thus the ricin B chain lactose-binding site appears to be essential for the high potency of Man6P-ricin via the new cell type-specific Man6P receptor. Treatment of fibroblasts with neuraminidase exposes galactose residues, thus increasing the sensitivity to ricin eight fold. The Man6P receptor-mediated toxicity of Man6P-ricin is not affected by this treatment, although the galactose-inhibited route is potentiated eight fold. The Man6P-ricin hybrid appears to require the ricin B chain galactose-binding site to enter the cytosol after initially binding to the Man6P receptor. These data provide some insights into the proper design of hybrid toxins. We discuss a number of possible models for hybrid toxin entry.     

The specific cytotoxicity of immunoconjugates containing blocked ricin is dependent on the residual binding capacity of blocked ricin: evidence that the membrane binding and A-chain translocation activities of ricin cannot be separated.

Recently we have developed blocked ricin, a derivative of native ricin in which the galactose-binding sites of the B-chain are blocked by covalent modification with affinity ligands. This modification impedes the binding function of the B-chain, while sparing its ability to facilitate the entry of the toxic subunit of ricin, the A-chain, into the cytoplasm. Immunotoxins prepared with blocked ricin approach the cytotoxic potency of native ricin with antibody-dependent specificity. Here we report that the high cytotoxic potency of these immunoconjugates, which is attributed to the preserved translocation function of the ricin B-chain, is dependent on the minimal residual lectin activity of blocked ricin. Our findings support the notion that two functions of ricin, membrane binding and translocation, cannot be separated.     

Extended binding site of ricin B lectin for oligosaccharide recognition

The plant lectin ricin B chain binds oligosaccharide with more affinity than the mono- or disaccharide ligands. The experiments indicated that a biantennary oligosaccharide could bind itself to any of the crystallographically established 1st or 2nd binding sites. After manual docking of either terminal galactose residues of the oligosaccharide in the 1st and 2nd binding sites of Ricin B and simulating the systems over nanosecond trajectories in implicit solvent, it was observed that the protein bound the oligosaccharide strongly through both its 1st and 2nd binding sites. Not only were the terminal galactose residues, several other residues of the oligosaccharide were involved in the binding scheme. Average gas phase energies were calculated molecular mechanically, solvation energies were calculated by Generalized Born model and the normal mode analysis was used to calculate the entropic contribution of binding. The entropy/enthalpy compensation has been observed for the protein-oligosaccharide interactions. The binding was found to be enthalpically favorable and compensating for the unfavorable entropic contribution. Comparison of the calculated free energy with the experimental data clearly suggests that binding is mono-dentate rather than bi-dentate through a single Gal-containing antenna.     

Fragment-based identification of determinants of conformational and spectroscopic change at the ricin active site

Background  

Ricin is a potent toxin and known bioterrorism threat with no available antidote. The ricin A-chain (RTA) acts enzymatically to cleave a specific adenine base from ribosomal RNA, thereby blocking translation. To understand better the relationship between ligand binding and RTA active site conformational change, we used a fragment-based approach to find a minimal set of bonding interactions able to induce rearrangements in critical side-chain positions.     

Exploring the active site cavity of human pancreatic lipase

Within the scope of improving the efficiency of pancreatic enzyme replacement therapy in cystic fibrosis, the feasibility of shifting the pH-activity profile of pancreatic lipase toward acidic values was investigated by site specific mutagenesis in different regions of the catalytic cavity. We have shown that introducing a negative charge close to the catalytic histidine induced a shift of the pH optimum toward acidic values but strongly reduced the lipase activity. On the other hand, a negative charge in the entrance of the catalytic cleft gives rise to a lipase with improved properties and twice more active than the native enzyme at acidic pH.     

Evidence for involvement of tryptophan residue in the low-affinity saccharide binding site of ricin D

The nature of the saccharide-binding site of ricin D, which is a galactose- and N-acetylgalactosamine-specific lectin, was studied by chemical modification and spectroscopy. With excitation at 290 nm, ricin D displayed a fluorescence spectrum with a maximum at 335 nm. Upon binding of the specific saccharides, the spectrum shifted to shorter wavelength by 3 nm. However, binding of galactosamine and N-acetylgalactosamine failed to induce such a change in the fluorescence spectrum. The interaction of ricin D with its specific saccharides was analyzed in terms of the variation of the intensity at 320 nm as a function of saccharide concentration. The results indicate that the change in the fluorescence spectrum induced by saccharide binding is attributable to the binding of saccharide to the low-affinity (LA-) binding site of ricin D. The cytoagglutinating activity of ricin D decreased to 2% upon modification of two tryptophan residues/mol with N-bromosuccinimide at pH 4.0, but in the presence of galactose or lactose one tryptophan residue/mol remained unmodified, and a fairly high cytoagglutinating activity was retained. Galactosamine and N-acetylgalactosamine did not show such a protective effect. Spectroscopic analyses indicate that the decrease in the cytoagglutinating activity of ricin D upon tryptophan modification is principally due to the loss of the saccharide binding activity of the LA-binding site. The results suggest that one tryptophan residue is essential for saccharide binding at the LA-binding site, which can bind galactose and lactose but lacks the ability to bind N-acetylgalactosamine and galactosamine.     

Identification and characterization of Chromobacterium viscosum lipase

Separation of a commercial preparation of Chromobacterium viscosum by hydrophobic interaction chromatography yields two active fractions, one corresponding to a lipase of 33.0 ± 1.0 kDa by SDS-PAGE and the other to a high molecular weight aggregate (> 250 kDa) of the lipase with some impurities absorbing at 436 nm. Partial disaggregation of this complex occurs on gel filtration chromatography in the presence of 1% (w/v) CHAPS. On gel filtration under non reducing conditions the lipase behaves like a 17 kDa protein; in the presence of a strong denaturant and of a reducing agent a molecular size of 36 kDa is obtained, in accordance with SDS-PAGE results.