Interaction of the N-terminal domain of Escherichia coli heat-shock protein ClpB and protein aggregates during chaperone activity

The Escherichia coli heat-shock protein ClpB reactivates protein aggregates in cooperation with the DnaK chaperone system. The ClpB N-terminal domain plays an important role in the chaperone activity, but its mechanism remains unknown. In this study, we investigated the effect of the ClpB N-terminal domain on malate dehydrogenase (MDH) refolding. ClpB reduced the yield of MDH refolding by a strong interaction with the intermediate. However, the refolding kinetics was not affected by deletion of the ClpB N-terminal domain (ClpBDeltaN), indicating that MDH refolding was affected by interaction with the N-terminal domain. In addition, the MDH refolding yield increased 50% in the presence of the ClpB N-terminal fragment (ClpBN). Fluorescence polarization analysis showed that this chaperone-like activity is explained best by a weak interaction between ClpBN and the reversible aggregate of MDH. The dissociation constant of ClpBN and the reversible aggregate was estimated as 45 muM from the calculation of the refolding kinetics. Amino acid substitutions at Leu 97 and Leu 110 on the ClpBN surface reduced the chaperone-like activity and the affinity to the substrate. In addition, these residues are involved in stimulation of ATPase activity in ClpB. Thus, Leu 97 and Leu 110 are responsible for the substrate recognition and the regulation of ATP-induced ClpB conformational change.     

Predominant role of basicity of leaving group in alpha-effect for nucleophilic ester cleavage

It has been found that alpha-effects in nucleophilic reactions, unexpectedly large nucleophilicity due to adjacent unpaired electrons, are strongly dependent on the structure of substrate. The nucleophilic cleavages of 4-nitrobenzoate esters and 4-methylbenzoate esters by HOO- have been systematically investigated in detail. When the leaving groups of substrates are sufficiently good (aryl, 2,2,2-trifluoroethyl, and 2,2-dichloroethyl esters), alpha-effect is evident. However, this effect drastically decreases as the leaving group gets poorer, and is only marginal for the cleavages of 2-fluoroethyl and methyl esters. In the nucleophilic cleavages by salicylaldoxime and acetohydroxamic acid, alpha-effect is also notable only for the esters having good leaving groups. These enormous dependences of alpha-effects on the substrate-structure have been interpreted in terms of the difference in the position of transition-state in the reaction coordinate.     

Distribution and phylogenetic analysis of family 19 chitinases in Actinobacteria

In organisms other than higher plants, family 19 chitinase was first discovered in Streptomyces griseus HUT6037, and later, the general occurrence of this enzyme in Streptomyces species was demonstrated. In the present study, the distribution of family 19 chitinases in the class Actinobacteria and the phylogenetic relationship of Actinobacteria family 19 chitinases with family 19 chitinases of other organisms were investigated. Forty-nine strains were chosen to cover almost all the suborders of the class Actinobacteria, and chitinase production was examined. Of the 49 strains, 22 formed cleared zones on agar plates containing colloidal chitin and thus appeared to produce chitinases. These 22 chitinase-positive strains were subjected to Southern hybridization analysis by using a labeled DNA fragment corresponding to the catalytic domain of ChiC, and the presence of genes similar to chiC of S. griseus HUT6037 in at least 13 strains was suggested by the results. PCR amplification and sequencing of the DNA fragments corresponding to the major part of the catalytic domains of the family 19 chitinase genes confirmed the presence of family 19 chitinase genes in these 13 strains. The strains possessing family 19 chitinase genes belong to 6 of the 10 suborders in the order Actinomycetales, which account for the greatest part of the Actinobacteria: Phylogenetic analysis suggested that there is a close evolutionary relationship between family 19 chitinases found in Actinobacteria and plant class IV chitinases. The general occurrence of family 19 chitinase genes in Streptomycineae and the high sequence similarity among the genes found in Actinobacteria suggest that the family 19 chitinase gene was first acquired by an ancestor of the Streptomycineae and spread among the Actinobacteria through horizontal gene transfer.     

Site-directed mutagenesis establishes aspartic acids-227 and -342 as essential for enzyme activity in an isomalto-dextranase from Arthrobacter globiformis

Isomalto-dextranase, from Arthrobacter globiformis T6, is a member of the glycoside hydrolase family 27. However, the alignments of the whole amino acid sequence are distinct from other members of this family. The enzymes cleave the glycosidic bond of the substrate in two different manners: either retaining or inverting the anomeric configuration. We believe that a retaining enzyme is involved in a two-step, double-displacement mechanism utilizing active site carboxylic acids as the nucleophile and general acid/base catalysts in the hydrolytic reaction. The critical amino acid residues at the isomalto-dextranase active site that catalyzes the hydrolysis reaction of dextran have been identified and the roles of nine amino acid residues (D107, D163, D227, D295, D340, D342, D373, D396, and E420) in the isomalto-dextranase from A. globiformis analyzed by site-directed mutagenesis. Of 15 mutant enzymes that were prepared, eight had reduced activities for dextran hydrolysis. Aspartic acids-227 and -342, which are part of the apparent catalytic dyad, were essential for hydrolase activity toward dextran.     

Anti-lipid deposition effect of HMG-CoA reductase inhibitor, pitavastatin, in a rat model of hypertension and hypercholesterolemia

Since the rat is an atherosclerosis-resistant species, the study of atherosclerosis using rats is limited. The present study was undertaken to develop an atherosclerotic model in rats, to investigate the effect of nitric oxide (NO) inactivation and hyperlipidemia, and to evaluate the effect of pitavastatin, a 3-hydroxy-3-methylglutaryl coenzyme A reductase (HMG-CoA reductase) inhibitor, on NO inactivation and on hyperlipidemia-induced changes in the cardiovascular system. Four-month-old male spontaneously hypertensive hyperlipidemic rats (SHHR) and Sprague-Dawley (SD) rats were used to study 1) the effect of the period of treatment with N(G)-nitro-L-arginine methyl ester (L-NAME, 100 mg/L) on high fat diet (HFD)-treated SHHR and SD rats, and 2) the effect of pitavastatin (Pit, 0.3 mg/kg/day) on the changes in the aorta of L-NAME- and HFD-treated SHHR and SD rats. L-NAME administration for 1 month then HFD feeding for 2 months markedly increased the deposition of lipids and the thickness of the endothelium in SHHR. Continuous L-NAME treatment with HFD produced severe injury and stripped of endothelium in both strains. The plasma total cholesterol of L-NAME + HFD-treated and L-NAME + HFD + Pit-treated SHHR was significantly higher than that of control SHHR. Lipid deposition, however, was comparatively less in the aorta of L-NAME + HFD + Pit-treated SHHR. The concentration of cholesterol in the aorta of control SHHR was significantly lower than that in the aorta of L-NAME + HFD-treated SHHR, whereas that of L-NAME + HFD + Pit-treated SHHR was the same as that in control SHHR. These data indicated that Pit blocked lipid deposition in the aorta of L-NAME + HFD treated SHHR without changing plasma lipid profiles. In conclusion, NO inactivation and HFD induce lipid deposition in the endothelium, and the HMG-CoA reductase inhibitor blocks the deposition in SHHR.     

Temporal and spatial patterns of mass flowerings on the Malay Peninsula

We propose a hypothesis to explain the temporal and spatial patterns of mass flowerings in dipterocarp tree species on the Malay Peninsula. The literature on these mass flowerings reveals that during 1980-2002 at least 11 flowerings occurred at irregular intervals of 1-6 yr in a lowland rain forest. Five of them were typical mass flowerings-a high density of flowering trees and the characteristic sequential flowering of Shorea species. The 11 flowerings were classified into two flowering times: spring and autumn. There is evidence that low temperature and drought triggered the flowerings. Therefore, the seasonality of mass flowerings is characterized by the annual patterns of rainfall and low temperature. In addition, changes in El Ni?o-Southern Oscillation (ENSO) may play important roles in determining the supra-annual occurrence of mass flowerings. Flowering surveys on the Malay Peninsula implied that regions with spring or autumn mass flowerings corresponded geographically to those regions that had one cool season (December-February) or two (December-February and June-August), respectively. This finding anticipates the seasonal pattern and geographical distribution of mass flowerings on the Malay Peninsula.     

Structure determination and conformational change induced by tyrosine phosphorylation of the N-terminal domain of the alpha-chain of pig gastric H+/K+-ATPase

It has been well established that phosphorylation is an important reaction for the regulation of protein functions. In the N-terminal domain of the alpha-chain of pig gastric H(+)/K(+)-ATPase, reversible sequential phosphorylation occurs at Tyr 10 and Tyr 7. In this study, we determined the structure of the peptide involving the residues from Gly 2 to Gly 34 of pig gastric H(+)/K(+)-ATPase and investigated the tyrosine phosphorylation-induced conformational change using CD and NMR experiments. The solution structure showed that the N-terminal fragment has a helical conformation, and the peptide adopted two alpha-helices in 50% trifluoroethanol (TFE) solvent, suggesting that the peptide has a high helical propensity under hydrophobic conditions. Furthermore, the CD and NMR data suggested that the structure of the N-terminal fragment becomes more disordered as a result of phosphorylation of Tyr 10. This conformational change induced by the phosphorylation of Tyr 10 might be an advantageous reaction for sequential phosphorylation and may be important for regulating the function of H(+)/K(+)-ATPase.     

Carboxyhemoglobin formation following smoke inhalation injury in sheep is interrelated with pulmonary shunt fraction

Carboxyhemoglobin (COHb) formation is triggered by the inducible isoform of heme oxygenase (HO-1) catalyzing carbon monoxide (CO) production through breakdown of heme molecules, exposure to CO or both. In the setting of CO poisoning, COHb is regarded as a reliable marker characterizing both severity of injury and efficacy of treatment strategies. This study was designed as a prospective laboratory experiment to elucidate potential interdependencies between COHb generation, oxygenation, and pulmonary shunt fraction (Qs/Qt) in an ovine model of smoke inhalation injury. Chronically instrumented ewes (n=15) were repeatedly subjected to cotton smoke (4 x 12 breaths) according to an established protocol. This approach resulted in a progressive increase in COHb formation that was interrelated with the degree of Qs/Qt (P<0.001) and inversely correlated with both arterial and mixed venous HbO(2) saturation (r=-0.96 and -0.93). Although the arteriovenous COHb gradient successively decreased over time, COHb determined in venous blood underestimated the arterial content.