Affinity-specific protein separations using ligand-coupled particles in aqueous two-phase systems: I. Process concept and enzyme binding studies for pyruvate kinase and alcohol dehydrogenase from Saccharomyces cerevisiae

A process using ligand-coupled particles in aqueous polyethylene glycol-dextran two-phase polymer systems was developed to achieve a highly selective, scaleable biochemical separation process. Product protein is bound to the ligand-coupled particles that quantitatively distribute to the polyethylene glycol-rich upper phase. Other proteins and contaminants partition preferentially to the dextran-rich lower phase.The process offers significant advantages over affinity partitioning here the ligand is coupled to the backbone of a polyethylene glycol polymer. These advantages include a much wider diversity of ligands that can be coupled to particles and more effective confinement of the ligand in the process. Affinity partition with ligands coupled to particles is more amenable to scale-up than is affinity chromatography. A variety of commercially available Sepharose-based particles are suitable for this process. Homogenates from Saccharomyces cerevisiae, which is genetically altered to overproduce pyruvate kinase, and Cibacron blue F3G-A-coupled Sepharose particles are used as a model system for the process. Binding studies with/without aqueous two-phase systems show that the formation of a two-phase system after the adsorption equilibrium is reached does not affect the apparent dissociation constant. Binding of protein to ligand-coupled particles is more rapid in single-phase systems than in the polymer two-phase system. Single-phase binding eliminates the mass transfer resistance associated with redistribution of product protein from the dextran-rich bottom phase to the polyethylene glycol-rich top phase.     

Early inductive interactions are involved in restricting cell fates of mesomeres in sea urchin embryos

Isolated intact caps of animal blastomeres, obtained from either 8- or 16-cell embryos, differentiate as swollen ectodermal vesicles. These findings agree with earlier studies demonstrating that mesomeres contribute only to larval ectoderm during normal development. In contrast, we find that pairs of mesomeres isolated from 16-cell embryos can differentiate endodermal and mesenchymal cells in a substantial number of cases (23%). Thus, mesomeres have a greater developmental potential than is realized during normal development. Further results support hypotheses that graded distributions of morphogenetic determinants exist within these embryos, since the extent of differentiation of isolated mesomeres is related to the relative position of the third cleavage plane along the animal-vegetal axis. When the third cleavage plane is subequatorial and the resulting animal blastomeres inherit a fraction of the vegetal hemisphere, more cases (39%) differentiate endodermal and mesenchymal cell types. A significant number of mesomere pairs (9-14%), however, can still differentiate endodermal and mesenchymal cells when the mesomeres are formed within the animal hemisphere. Thus, putative vegetal morphogenetic determinants may extend into the animal hemisphere in some cases. Further results indicate a temporal restriction in the developmental potential of mesomeres or mesomere progenitor cells since their differentiative capability is greater if they are isolated earlier during development. Aggregates of isolated mesomere pairs also display a decreased developmental potential when compared to isolated mesomere pairs. These results suggest that associations with adjacent cells (vegetal cells as well as adjacent mesomeres) restrict the development of mesomeres between third and sixth cleavages.     

The spore coat of a fucosylation mutant in Dictyostelium discoideum

Strain HL250 of Dictyostelium discoideum cannot convert GDP-mannose to GDP-fucose, resulting in an inability to fucosylate protein. This affects a group of proteins which are normally fucosylated intracellularly and then secreted via prespore vesicles to become part of the outer lamina of the spore coat. We have found that strain HL250 nevertheless accumulates typical amounts of these proteins, stores them normally in prespore vesicles, and secretes them normally to become a part of the spore coat. However, affected proteins are proteolyzed after germination, the spore coat is more accessible to penetration by a macromolecular probe, and germination is inefficient in older spores. These findings can be explained by a dependence of the integrity of the outer layer of the spore coat on protein-linked fucose.     

Photoaffinity labeling of the monoamine transporter of bovine chromaffin granules and other monoamine storage vesicles using 7-azido-8-[125I]iodoketanserin

An iodinated azido derivative of ketanserin, 7-azido-8-[125I]iodoketanserin ( [125I]AZIK), has been used to label the monoamine transporter of bovine chromaffin granule membranes by the technique of photoaffinity labeling. In the dark, this derivative was found to bind reversibly to the membranes, with an equilibrium dissociation constant estimated to be 6 nM at 0 degrees C. As for ketanserin, binding occurred at the tetrabenazine site: (i) [125I]AZIK was displaced efficiently from its binding site by tetrabenazine, ketanserin, and 7-azidoketanserin, whereas serotonin, which is a substrate for the transporter but has a low affinity for tetrabenazine binding site, was a poor displacer; pipamperone and pyrilamine, two antagonists of respectively serotonin S2 and histamine H1 receptors, were inactive. (ii) 7-Azidoketanserin was a competitive inhibitor of [3H]dihydrotetrabenazine binding, and it inhibited the ATP-dependent uptake of serotonin by chromaffin granule ghosts. Irradiation of [125I]AZIK with long-wavelength UV light, followed by electrophoresis on sodium dodecyl sulfate/polyacrylamide gels and autoradiography, revealed irreversible labeling of a membrane component with an apparent molecular weight of 73,000. Tetrabenazine inhibited the labeling of this 73-kDa band in a manner parallel to the binding of [125I]AZIK in the dark. Such a labeling is totally compatible with previous results obtained through photolabeling with a tetrabenazine derivative or by target size analysis. Moreover, preliminary experiments showed that [125I]AZIK can label the tetrabenazine binding sites of various sources including rat striatum, rabbit platelets, human pheochromocytoma, and human adrenal medulla. Therefore, this molecule appears to be an excellent probe to label the monoamine transporter of different amine storage vesicles even without purification.     

Reserpine binding to chromaffin granules suggests the existence of two conformations of the monoamine transporter

The binding of [3H]reserpine ([3H]RES) to purified bovine chromaffin granule membranes has been studied at low membrane concentration. Saturation isotherms indicated a dissociation equilibrium constant KD of 30 pM and a density of binding sites of 8 pmol/mg of protein at 30 degrees C. The association rate constant was 4.0 X 10(5) M-1 s-1, and the calculated dissociation rate constant was 1.2 X 10(-5) s-1, corresponding to a half-lifetime of about 16 h. Although this dissociation was too low to be measured directly, [3H]RES binding was indeed reversible since it was lost after addition of the detergent Triton X-100. Dihydrotetrabenazine (TBZOH) inhibited [3H]RES binding in a time-dependent manner, EC50 varying from 37 nM after a 1-h incubation to 600 nM after 16 h. On the contrary, [3H]RES binding inhibition by the substrate noradrenaline was time independent. It is proposed that the transporter exists in two different conformations which bind exclusively either tetrabenazine (TBZ) or RES and which are in equilibrium. The effects of detergents were consistent with this two-conformation model. The transporter solubilized by cholate bound [3H]TBZOH, but not [3H]RES. On the other hand, addition of cholate to membrane-bound [3H]RES solubilized the membrane without releasing the ligand from its binding site. It is proposed that the TBZ-binding conformation is obtained by solubilization with cholate and that RES stabilizes the RES-binding conformation, allowing its solubilization by this detergent.     

Experimental evaluation of a minnow trap for small lotic fish

A minnow trap that operates in various flow regimes in streams and allows sampling of small fish from stream bed microhabitats was developed. In laboratory and field tests, the most efficient trap design for capturing and retaining various species of fish had one funnel oriented downstream, a plexiglass body, and commercial trout food as bait. These lightweight traps can be set in a wide range of current velocities and depths, and can be useful in investigations that examine the microhabitat use, diel activity patterns or population densities of small lotic fish. Guidelines for the trap's use and for quick verification of capture success in new situations are suggested.     

Opioid-binding protein (OBCAM) is rich in β-sheets

Based on circular dichroism (CD) and the sequence-predictive method, the opioid-binding cell adhesion molecule (OBCAM) consisted of one half -sheets and one fourth -helices. This is consistent with significant sequence homology of the protein to several members of the immunoglobulin (Ig) superfamily, particularly cell adhesion molecules, which are rich in -sheets. Hydropathy analysis suggests that hydrophobic and hydrophilic regions were evenly distributed along the sequence, but the NH₂- and COOH-termini were hydrophobic. Hydrophobic moments and Fourier-transform amphipathic analyses further suggest that residues 23–30 and 83–93 were amphiphathie -sheets. The overall conformation of OBCAM was unaltered by adding linoleic acid, which is required for opioid ligand binding.     

Unusual features of intercellular junctions in the larvacean Oikopleura dioica

Summary In the pelagic larvacean Oikopleura dioica, the epithelium lining the alimentary tract consists of ciliated and unciliated cell types. The ciliated cells also exhibit an apical border of long microvilli. Between the microvilli, the cellular membrane often projects deeply down into the cytoplasm; the membranes of these invaginations and those of apicolateral interdigitations may be associated with one another by tight junctions. Some of these junctions may be autocellular. The tight junctions are seen by freeze-fracture to be very simple in construction, composed of a single row of intramembranous particles, which may be fused into a P-face ridge. There is a dense cytoplasmic fuzz associated with these tight junctions which may extend into adjoining zonula adhaerens-like regions. The invaginations of the apical membranes are, in addition, associated by gap junctions which may also be autocellular. More conventional homocellular and heterocellular tight and gap junctions occur along the lateral borders of ciliated cells and between ciliated and unciliated cells. These gap junctions possess a reduced intercellular cleft and typical P-face connexons arranged in macular plaques, with complementary E-face pits. Both cell types exhibit extensive stacks of basal and lateral interdigitations. The tight junctions found here are unusual in that they are associated with a dense cytoplasmic fuzz which is normally more characteristic of zonulae adhaerentes.     

Phosphorylation influences the binding of the yeast RAP1 protein to the upstream activating sequence of the PGK gene.

Yeast repressor activator protein 1 (RAP1) binds in vitro to specific DNA sequences that are found in diverse genetic elements. Expression of the yeast phosphoglycerate kinase gene (PGK) requires the binding of RAP1 to the activator core sequence within the upstream activating sequence (UAS) of PGK. A DNA fragment Z+ which contains the activator core sequence of the PGK(UAS) has been shown to bind RAP1. Here we report that phosphatase treatment of RAP1 affected its binding to the PGK(UAS) but that this depended on the nature of the sequence flanking the 5' end of the activator core sequence. When the sequence flanking the 5' end of the activator core sequence was different from the PGK RAP1-binding site, phosphatase treatment of RAP1 decreased its binding to the DNA. When the 5' end of the binding site was a match to the PGK RAP1-binding site dephosphorylation of RAP1 increased RAP1 binding to the DNA. These observations were reproduced when the minimal functional DNA-binding domain of the RAP1 protein was used, implicating a phosphorylation-dependent binding of RAP1. This is the first evidence for phosphorylation-dependent binding of RAP1.     

Intercellular structure in a many-celled magnetotactic prokaryote

A many-called magnetotactic prokaryote obtained from brackish water was observed to possess intercellular connections at points of contact between the outer membranes of constituent cells. Each aggregate organism consisted of 10 to 30 individual Gram-negative cells containing material with the appearance of poly--hydroxybutyrate and magnetosomes of unusual arrangement, structure and composition. The aggregate, which possessed prokaryotic-type flagella arranged at the outwards surfaces of each cell, showed motility indicative of co-ordination between individual component cells. These results suggest that this organism could be a multicellular prokaryote.