A novel amino acid substitution in the reactive site of a congenital variant antithrombin. Antithrombin pescara, ARG393 to pro, caused by a CGT to CCT mutation

Antithrombin is a plasma protein inhibitor that can be grouped within a serine proteinase inhibitor superfamily. Antithrombin Pescara is a functional variant of antithrombin found in a family with a high incidence of thrombosis. Preliminary functional analysis has suggested that the abnormality resides in the reactive site rather than in the heparin binding domain of the molecule. Accordingly, we have isolated the variant from plasma using heparin-Sepharose chromatography, followed by chromatography upon thrombin-Sepharose to remove the normal antithrombin that is present (the propositus is heterozygous for the variant). The variant protein was reduced, S-carboxy-methylated, and fragmented with CNBr. A pool ("CNBr pool 4") containing the reactive site region was isolated by reverse-phase high performance liquid chromatography and sequentially treated with trypsin and V8 protease. Fast atom bombardment-mass spectrometric analysis of this subdigest identified a novel peptide of mass 1708. Four steps of Edman degradation together with further analysis by fast atom bombardment-mass spectroscopy identified the NH2-terminal sequence of this peptide as Ala-Ala-Ala-Ser. The mass of the novel peptide and its changing mass in response to Edman degradation are only compatible with its identity as Ala382-Arg399, with the reactive site Arg393 replaced by Pro. Using specific oligonucleotide hybridization, we demonstrated that the molecular defect of antithrombin Pescara is caused by a CGT to CCT mutation in codon 393. These findings may be of broad interest, as other members of the serine protease inhibitor superfamily contain arginine at their reactive sites and may be expected to undergo a similar mutation.     

The ABRF Edman Sequencing Research Group 2008 Study: Investigation into Homopolymeric Amino Acid N-Terminal Sequence Tags and Their Effects on Automated Edman Degradation

The Edman Sequence Research Group (ESRG) of the Association of Biomolecular Resource designs and executes interlaboratory studies investigating the use of automated Edman degradation for protein and peptide analysis. In 2008, the ESRG enlisted the help of core sequencing facilities to investigate the effects of a repeating amino acid tag at the N-terminus of a protein. Commonly, to facilitate protein purification, an affinity tag containing a polyhistidine sequence is conjugated to the N-terminus of the protein. After expression, polyhistidine-tagged protein is readily purified via chelation with an immobilized metal affinity resin. The addition of the polyhistidine tag presents unique challenges for the determination of protein identity using Edman degradation chemistry. Participating laboratories were asked to sequence one protein engineered in three configurations: with an N-terminal polyhistidine tag; with an N-terminal polyalanine tag; or with no tag. Study participants were asked to return a data file containing the uncorrected amino acid picomole yields for the first 17 cycles. Initial and repetitive yield (R.Y.) information and the amount of lag were evaluated. Information about instrumentation and sample treatment was also collected as part of the study. For this study, the majority of participating laboratories successfully called the amino acid sequence for 17 cycles for all three test proteins. In general, laboratories found it more difficult to call the sequence containing the polyhistidine tag. Lag was observed earlier and more consistently with the polyhistidine-tagged protein than the polyalanine-tagged protein. Histidine yields were significantly less than the alanine yields in the tag portion of each analysis. The polyhistidine and polyalanine protein-R.Y. calculations were found to be equivalent. These calculations showed that the nontagged portion from each protein was equivalent. The terminal histidines from the tagged portion of the protein were demonstrated to be responsible for the high lag during N-terminal sequence analysis.     

Polyoxyethylene 9-lauryl ether-solubilized alkaline phosphatase: synergistic stimulation by zinc and magnesium ions.

1. Polidocanol-solubilized apoalkaline phosphatase could be stimulated either by zinc ions (Kd = 8.5 nM) or by magnesium ions alone (Kd = 3.8 microM). 2. Zinc and magnesium ions had synergistic effects on Polidocanol-solubilized apoalkaline phosphatase, leading to a fully active enzyme (700-800 U/mg). 3. Zinc ions inhibited non-competitively the Polidocanol-solubilized apoenzyme (Ki = 7.1 microM) by displacing magnesium ions from their binding sites. 4. A model for the action of zinc and magnesium ions on the modulation of the enzyme activity is proposed.     

Complete amino-acid sequence of bovine seminal ribonuclease, a dimeric protein from seminal plasma

The complete amino-acid sequence of BS-RNAse, a dimeric ribonuclease isolated from bovine seminal plasma, was determined. The reduced and S-carboxymethylated subunit chain of the enzyme was cleaved by trypsin and chymotrypsin. The resulting peptides, purified by cation-exchange chromatography were sequenced by dansyl-Edman, subtractive Edman degradation and carboxypeptidase A and B digestion. Chymotryptic peptides were used for the alignment. Automated Edman degradation of the native protein, through the N-terminal 41 amino-acid residues, completed the sequence information. The subunit chain of BS-RNAse, composed of 124 amino-acid residues, with a molecular mass of 13,610 Da, is highly homologous (81%) to pancreatic ribonuclease A. A good degree of homology (31%) was also found with human angiogenin. No N-linked carbohydrate-attachment sites, such as Asn-X-Ser/Thr, were found in the protein.     

Disease intervention specialists as a resource in a public health emergency

With the current shortage of qualified staff at state and local public health departments, a flexible public health workforce could fill critical gaps in staffing. Disease intervention specialists (DISs) are public health outreach workers who are responsible for finding and counseling people with sexually transmitted diseases and their contacts. DIS skills and job duties parallel those that would be needed to respond quickly and efficiently to urgent public health problems, including bioterrorism. Including DISs in public health preparedness planning could be a practical way of providing surge capacity for departments of public health. In many states, DISs are already being used for functions that fall outside their traditional duties. However, planning and DIS training are essential for effective utilization of DIS skills in a public health emergency. North Carolina has included DISs in their bioterrorism response plans and currently deploys them on an as-needed basis for nonroutine activities.     

Keratinocyte growth factor receptor ligands target the receptor to different intracellular pathways

The keratinocyte growth factor receptor (KGFR)/fibroblast growth factor receptor 2b is activated by high-affinity-specific interaction with two different ligands, keratinocyte growth factor (KGF)/fibroblast growth factor (FGF)7 and FGF10/KGF2, which are characterized by an opposite requirement of heparan sulfate proteoglycans and heparin for binding to the receptor. We investigated here the possible different endocytic trafficking of KGFR, induced by the two ligands. Immunofluorescence and immunoelectron microscopy analysis showed that KGFR internalization triggered by either KGF or FGF10 occurs through clathrin-coated pits. Immunofluorescence confocal microscopy using endocytic markers as well as tumor susceptibility gene 101 (TSG101) silencing demonstrated that KGF drives KGFR to the degradative pathway, while FGF10 targets the receptor to the recycling endosomes. Biochemical analysis showed that KGFR is ubiquitinated and degraded after KGF treatment but not after FGF10 treatment, and that the alternative fate of KGFR might depend on the different ability of the receptor to phosphorylate the fibroblast growth factor receptor substrate 2 (FRS2) substrate and to recruit the ubiquitin ligase c-Cbl. The recycling endocytic pathway followed by KGFR upon FGF10 stimulation correlates with the higher mitogenic activity exerted by this ligand on epithelial cells compared with KGF, suggesting that the two ligands may play different functional roles through the regulation of the receptor endocytic transport.     

Dominating Energy Losses in NiO p‐Type Dye‐Sensitized Solar Cells

Nickel oxide based p‐type dye‐sensitized solar cells (DSCs) are limited in their efficiencies by poor fill factors (FFs). This work explores the origins of this limitation. Transient absorption spectroscopy identifies fast recombination between the injected hole and the dye anion under applied load as one of the predominant reasons for the poor FF of NiO‐based DSCs. A reduced hole injection efficiency, η_INJ, under applied load is found to play an equally important role. Both, the dye regeneration yield, Φ_REG, and η_INJ decrease by approximately 40%–50% when moving from short‐ to open‐circuit conditions. Spectroelectrochemical measurements reveal that the electrochromic properties of NiO are a further limiting factor for the device performance leading to variable light‐harvesting efficiencies, η_LH, under applied load. The peak light‐harvesting efficiency decreases from 63% at short circuit to 57% at 600 mV reducing the FF of NiO DSCs by 5%. This effect is expected to be more pronounced for future devices with higher operating voltages. Incident, photon‐to‐electron conversion efficiency front–back analysis at applied bias is utilized to characterize the interfacial charge recombination. It is found that the recombination between the injected hole and the redox mediator has a surprisingly small effect on the FF.