Amino acid substitution in the C-terminal arm domain of HU-2 results in an enhanced affinity for DNA.

Three mutants of the Escherichia coli hupA gene, encoding the HU-2 protein, were constructed by synthetic oligodeoxyribonucleotide-directed, site-specific mutagenesis on M13mp18 vectors. The resulting HupAN10, HupAN11 and HupAN12 proteins contained Thr59-->Lys, Gln64-->Lys and Asn53-->Arg substitutions, respectively. These amino acid (aa) changes increased the positive charge of the N-terminal half of the two-strand, antiparallel beta-ribbon of the arm structure, which is believed to be a domain for DNA binding. The three mutant proteins bound to DNA more tightly than wild-type HU-2, and their affinities for DNA increased in the order of HupAN10, HupAN11, HupAN12. The mutant proteins showed a slightly increased HU activity for supporting Mu phage development. A mutant HU-2 protein with increased basicity, but with an altered aa sequence in the arm region due to a frameshift mutation, was also constructed. This mutant protein showed a reduced affinity to DNA and was unable to support Mu growth, suggesting that a unique aa sequence of the arm domain, rather than mere basicity of this domain, is required for efficient binding to DNA.     

Antifouling Brominated Diterpenoids from Japanese Marine Red Alga Laurencia venusta Yamada

The marine red algal genus Laurencia has abundant halogenated secondary metabolites, which exhibit novel structural types and possess various unique biological potentials, including antifouling activity. In this study, we report the isolation, structure elucidation, and antifouling activities of two novel brominated diterpenoids, aplysin-20 aldehyde ( 1 ), 13-dehydroxyisoaplysin-20 ( 2 ), and its congeners. We screened marine red alga Laurencia venusta Yamada for their antifouling activity against the mussel Mytilus galloprovincialis. Ethyl acetate extracts of L. venusta from Hiroshima and Chiba, Japan, were isolated and purified, and the compound structures were identified using 1D and 2D NMR, HR-APCI-MS, IR, and chemical synthesis. Seven secondary metabolites were identified, and their antifouling activities were evaluated. Compounds 1 , 2 , and aplysin-20 ( 3 ) exhibited strong activities against M. galloprovincialis. Therefore, these compounds can be explored as natural antifouling drugs.     

Targeting of Chrolamphenicol Acetyltransferase to Human Immunodeficiency Virus Particles via Vpr and Vpx

Vpr and Vpx are the auxiliary proteins of human immunodeficiency viruses (HIVs) selectively incorporated into mature viral particles. We showed that the bacterial chloramphenicol acetyltransferase (CAT) fused to the N-terminus of HIV-1 Vpr, HIV-2 Vpr, or HIV-2 Vpx was incorporated into mature virions in a type-selective manner. By using chimeric proteins between HIV-1 Vpr and HIV-2 Vpx, we found that the N-terminal side of these proteins was mainly important for type-selective virion incorporation. The C-terminal arginine-rich region of HIV-1 Vpr was also found to transport CAT fusion proteins into virions but without any type selectivity. Furthermore, the corresponding regions of HIV-2 Vpr and HIV-2 Vpx had no such activity. This region of HIV-1 Vpr may interact nonspecifically with viral genomic RNA. Collectively, Vpr and Vpx may provide a means to introduce foreign proteins and other molecules into HIV virions for therapeutic purposes.