Receptor-mediated endocytosis and nuclear transport of a transfecting DNA construct

A soluble construct consisting of a plasmid carrying the gene of the SV40 large T-antigen and an insulin-poly-L-lysine conjugate is able to selectively transfect PLC/PRF/5 human hepatoma cells which possess insulin receptors. Transfection can be efficiently competed by excess free insulin. To examine intracellular transport of the construct, it was fluorescently labeled and its accumulation on and in cells visualized by video-enhanced microscopy and quantitative confocal laser scanning microscopy. After 2 h at 37 degrees C, the labeled construct was found predominantly in intracellular acidic compartments, with a substantial portion of fluorescence localized both near and in the cell nucleus. Binding, endocytosis, and nuclear localization of the labeled conjugate could all be competed by excess free insulin, thus indicating that entry of the conjugate into cells was specifically mediated by the insulin receptor.     

Novel Primers Reveal Wider Diversity among Marine Aerobic Anoxygenic Phototrophs

Aerobic anoxygenic phototrophic bacteria (AAnPs) were previously proposed to account for up to 11% of marine bacterioplankton and to potentially have great ecological importance in the world's oceans. Our data show that previously used primers based on the M subunit of anoxygenic photosynthetic reaction center genes (pufM) do not comprehensively identify the diversity of AAnPs in the ocean. We have designed and tested a new set of pufM-specific primers and revealed several new AAnP variants in environmental DNA samples and genomic libraries.     

Comparative analysis of cobalamin binding kinetics and ligand protection for intrinsic factor, transcobalamin, and haptocorrin.

Changes in the absorbance spectrum of aquo-cobalamin (Cbl x OH(2)) revealed that its binding to transcobalamin (TC) is followed by slow conformational reorganization of the protein-ligand complex (Fedosov, S. N., Fedosova, N. U., Nex?, E., and Petersen, T. E. (2000) J. Biol. Chem. 275, 11791-11798). Two phases were also observed for TC when interacting with a Cbl-analogue cobinamide (Cbi), but not with other cobalamins. The slow phase had no relation to the ligand recognition, since both Cbl and Cbi bound rapidly and in one step to intrinsic factor (IF) and haptocorrin (HC), namely the proteins with different Cbl specificity. Spectral transformations observed for TC in the slow phase were similar to those upon histidine complexation with Cbl x OH(2) and Cbi. In contrast to a closed structure of TC x Cbl x OH(2), the analogous IF and HC complexes revealed accessibility of Cbl's upper face to the external reagents. The binders decreased sensitivity of adenosyl-Cbl (Cbl x Ado) to light in the range: free ligand, IF x, HC x, TC x Cbl x Ado. The spectrum of TC x Cbl small middle dotAdo differed from those of IF and HC and mimicked Cbl x Ado participating in catalysis. The above data suggest presence of a histidine-containing cap shielding the Cbl-binding site in TC. The cap coordinates to certain corrinoids and, possibly, produces an incapsulated Ado-radical when Cbl small middle dotAdo is bound.     

Internal Cleavages of the Autoinhibitory Prodomain Are Required for Membrane Type 1 Matrix Metalloproteinase Activation,although Furin Cleavage Alone Generates Inactive Proteinase

The functional activity of invasion-promoting membrane type 1 matrix metalloproteinase (MT1-MMP) is elevated in cancer. This elevated activity promotes cancer cell migration, invasion, and metastasis. MT1-MMP is synthesized as a zymogen, the latency of which is maintained by its prodomain. Excision by furin was considered sufficient for the prodomain release and MT1-MMP activation. We determined, however, that the full-length intact prodomain released by furin alone is a potent autoinhibitor of MT1-MMP. Additional MMP cleavages within the prodomain sequence are required to release the MT1-MMP enzyme activity. Using mutagenesis of the prodomain sequence and mass spectrometry analysis of the prodomain fragments, we demonstrated that the intradomain cleavage of the PGD↓L⁵⁰ site initiates the MT1-MMP activation, whereas the ¹⁰⁸RRKR¹¹¹↓Y¹¹² cleavage by furin completes the removal and the degradation of the autoinhibitory prodomain and the liberation of the functional activity of the emerging enzyme of MT1-MMP.     

Substrate evokes translocation of both domains in the mitochondrial processing peptidase alpha-subunit during which the C-terminus acts as a stabilizing element

To determine whether the two domains of hepatitis C virus (HCV) NS3 and the NS4A interact with each other to regulate the RNA unwinding activity, this study compares the RNA unwinding, ATPase and RNA binding activities of three forms of NS3 proteins--the NS3H protein, containing only the helicase domain, the full-length NS3 protein, and the NS3-NS4A complex. The results revealed that NS3 displayed the weakest RNA helicase activity, not because it had lower ATPase or RNA binding activity than did NS3H or NS3-NS4A, but because it had the lowest RNA unwinding processivity. A mutant protein, R1487Q, which contained a mutation in the helicase domain, displayed a reduced protease activity as compared to the wild-type NS3-NS4A. Together, these results suggest the existence of interactions between the two domains of NS3 and the NS4A, which regulates the HCV NS3 protease and RNA helicase activities.     

Anti-dsDNA Antibodies Promote Initiation,and Acquired Loss of Renal Dnase1 Promotes Progression of Lupus Nephritis in Autoimmune (NZBxNZW)F1 Mice

Background

Lupus nephritis is characterized by deposition of chromatin fragment-IgG complexes in the mesangial matrix and glomerular basement membranes (GBM). The latter defines end-stage disease.

Methodology/Principals

In the present study we determined the impact of antibodies to dsDNA, renal Dnase1 and matrix metalloprotease (MMP) mRNA levels and enzyme activities on early and late events in murine lupus nephritis. The major focus was to analyse if these factors were interrelated, and if changes in their expression explain basic processes accounting for lupus nephritis.

Findings

Early phases of nephritis were associated with chromatin-IgG complex deposition in the mesangial matrix. A striking observation was that this event correlated with appearance of anti-dsDNA antibodies and mild or clinically silent nephritis. These events preceded down-regulation of renal Dnase1. Later, renal Dnase1 mRNA level and enzyme activity were reduced, while MMP2 mRNA level and enzyme activity increased. Reduced levels of renal Dnase1 were associated in time with deficient fragmentation of chromatin from dead cells. Large fragments were retained and accumulated in GBM. Also, since chromatin fragments are prone to stimulate Toll-like receptors in e.g. dendritic cells, this may in fact explain increased expression of MMPs.

Significance

These scenarios may explain the basis for deposition of chromatin-IgG complexes in glomeruli in early and late stages of nephritis, loss of glomerular integrity and finally renal failure.     

Distribution of glyphosate and methylphosphonate catabolism systems in soil bacteria <Emphasis Type="Italic">Ochrobactrum anthropi</Emphasis> and <Emphasis Type="Italic">Achromobacter</Emphasis> sp

Bacterial strains capable of utilizing methylphosphonic acid (MP) or glyphosate (GP) as the sole sources of phosphorus were isolated from soils contaminated with these organophosphonates. The strains isolated from MP-contaminated soils grew on MP and failed to grow on GP. One group of the isolates from GP-contaminated soils grew only on MP, while the other one grew on MP and GP. Strains Achromobacter sp. MPS 12 (VKM B-2694), MP degraders group, and Ochrobactrum anthropi GPK 3 (VKM B-2554D), GP degraders group, demonstrated the best degradative capabilities towards MP and GP, respectively, and were studied for the distribution of their organophosphonate catabolism systems. In Achromobacter sp. MPS 12, degradation of MP was catalyzed by C–P lyase incapable of degrading GP (C–P lyase I). Adaptation to growth on GP yielded the strain Achromobacter sp. MPS 12A, which retained its ability to degrade MP via C–P lyase I and was capable of degrading GP with formation of sarcosine, thus suggesting the involvement of a GP-specific C–P lyase II. O. anthropi GPK 3 also degraded MP via C–P lyase I, but degradation of GP in it was initiated by glyphosate oxidoreductase, which was followed by product transformation via the phosphonatase pathway.     

Biological activities of human interferon and 2′–5′ oligoadenylates in plants

Exogenous human interferon 2 (IFN) and 2–5 oligoadenylates (2–5A) have been shown to cause at least a dual physiological effect in tobacco and wheat: (i) increased cytokinin activity and (ii) induced synthesis of numerous proteins, among which members of two groups of stress proteins have been identified, namely pathogenesis-related (PR) and heat shock (HS) proteins. These effects were observed only by low concentrations of these substances: IFN at 0.1–1 u/ml and 2–5A at 1–10 nM.     

Stm1p alters the ribosome association of eukaryotic elongation factor 3 and affects translation elongation

Stm1p is a Saccharomyces cerevisiae protein that is primarily associated with cytosolic 80S ribosomes and polysomes. Several lines of evidence suggest that Stm1p plays a role in translation under nutrient stress conditions, although its mechanism of action is not yet known. In this study, we show that yeast lacking Stm1p (stm1Δ) are hypersensitive to the translation inhibitor anisomycin, which affects the peptidyl transferase reaction in translation elongation, but show little hypersensitivity to other translation inhibitors such as paromomycin and hygromycin B, which affect translation fidelity. Ribosomes isolated from stm1Δ yeast have intrinsically elevated levels of eukaryotic elongation factor 3 (eEF3) associated with them. Overexpression of eEF3 in cells lacking Stm1p results in a growth defect phenotype and increased anisomycin sensitivity. In addition, ribosomes with increased levels of Stm1p exhibit decreased association with eEF3. Taken together, our data indicate that Stm1p plays a complementary role to eEF3 in translation.