Glucose kinase of Streptomyces coelicolor A3(2): large-scale purification and biochemical analysis

Glucose kinase of Streptomyces coelicolor A3(2) is essential for glucose utilisation and is required for carbon catabolite repression (CCR) exerted through glucose and other carbon sources. The protein belongs to the ROK-family, which comprises bacterial sugar kinases and regulators. To better understand glucose kinase function, we have monitored the cellular activity and demonstrated that the choice of carbon sources did not significantly change the synthesis and activity of the enzyme. The DNA sequence of the Streptomyces lividans glucose kinase gene glkA was determined. The predicted gene product of 317 amino acids was found to be identical to S. coelicolor glucose kinase, suggesting a similar role for this protein in both organisms. A procedure was developed to produce pure histidine-tagged glucose kinase with a yield of approximately 10 mg/l culture. The protein was stable for several weeks and was used to raise polyclonal antibodies. Purified glucose kinase was used to explore protein-protein interaction by surface plasmon resonance. The experiments revealed the existence of a binding activity present in S. coelicolor cell extracts. This indicated that glucose kinase may interact with (an)other factor(s), most likely of protein nature. A possible cross-talk with proteins of the phosphotransferase system, which are involved in carbon catabolite repression in other bacteria, was investigated.     

Hydrogen production by methanogens under low-hydrogen conditions

Hydrogen production was studied in four species of methanogens (Methanothermobacter marburgensis, Methanosaeta thermophila, Methanosarcina barkeri, and Methanosaeta concilii) under conditions of low (sub-nanomolar) ambient hydrogen concentration using a specially designed culture apparatus. Transient hydrogen production was observed and quantified for each species studied. Methane was excluded as the electron source, as was all organic material added during growth of the cultures (acetate, yeast extract, peptone). Hydrogen production showed a strong temperature dependence, and production ceased at temperatures below the growth range of the organisms. Addition of polysulfides to the cultures greatly decreased hydrogen production. The addition of bromoethanesulfonic acid had little influence on hydrogen production. These experiments demonstrate that some methanogens produce excess reducing equivalents during growth and convert them to hydrogen when the ambient hydrogen concentration becomes low. The lack of sustained hydrogen production by the cultures in the presence of methane provides evidence against "reverse methanogenesis" as the mechanism for anaerobic methane oxidation.     

Insulin-like growth factor I prevents the development of sensitivity to kainate neurotoxicity in cerebellar granule cells

This study reports that insulin-like growth factor I (IGF-I) prevents cerebellar granule cells from developing sensitivity to kainate neurotoxicity. Sensitivity to kainate neurotoxicity normally develops 5-6 days after switching cultures to a serum-free medium containing 25 mM K(+). Addition of either IGF-I or insulin to the serum-free medium at the time of the switch prevented the development of sensitivity to kainate, whereas brain-derived neurotrophic factor, neurotrophin-3, neurotrophin-4, and nerve growth factor did not. The dose-response curves indicated IGF-I was more potent than insulin, favoring the assignment of the former as the physiological protective agent. The phosphatidylinositol 3-kinase (PI 3-K) inhibitors wortmannin (10-100 nM) and LY 294002 (0.3-1 microM) abolished the protection afforded by IGF-I. The p70 S6 kinase (p70(S6k)) inhibitor rapamycin (5-50 nM:) also abolished the protection afforded by IGF-I. The activities of both enzymes decreased in cultures switched to serum-free medium but increased when IGF-I was included; wortmannin (100 nM) lowered the activity of PI 3-K from 2 to 5 days after medium switch, whereas rapamycin (50 nM) prevented the increase observed for p70(S6k) activity over the same interval. The mitogen-activated protein kinase kinase inhibitor U 0126 and the mitogen-activated protein kinase inhibitor SB 203580 did not abolish IGF-I protection. Kainate neurotoxicity was not prevented by Joro spider toxin; therefore, the development of kainate neurotoxicity could not be explained by the formation of calcium-permeable alpha-amino-3-hydroxy-5-methylisoxazole-4-propionate receptors. These results indicate that IGF-I functions through a signal transduction pathway involving PI 3-K and p70(S6k) to prevent the development of sensitivity to kainate neurotoxicity in cerebellar granule cells.     

A culture apparatus for maintaining H2 at sub-nanomolar concentrations

We devised a microbial culture apparatus capable of maintaining sub-nanomolar H2 concentrations. This apparatus provides a method for study of interspecies hydrogen transfer by externally fulfilling the thermodynamic requirement for low H2 concentrations, thereby obviating the need for use of cocultures to study some forms of metabolism. The culture vessel is constructed of glass and operates by sparging a liquid culture with purified gases, thereby removing H2 as it is produced. We used the culture apparatus to decouple a syntrophic association in an ethanol-consuming, methanogenic enrichment culture, allowing ethanol oxidation to dominate methane production. We also used the culture apparatus to grow pure cultures of the ethanol-oxidizing, proton-reducing Pelobacter acetylenicus (WoAcy 1), and to study the bioenergetics of growth.     

Comparison of Free-Living Amoebae in Hot Water Systems of Hospitals with Isolates from Moist Sanitary Areas by Identifying Genera and Determining Temperature Tolerance

Legionella-contaminated hot water systems and moist sanitary areas in six hospitals were sampled for amoebae by following a standardized collection protocol. Genus identifications and temperature tolerance determinations were made. Amoebae identified as Hartmannella vermiformis (65%), Echinamoebae spp. (15%), Saccamoebae spp. (12%), and Vahlkampfia spp. (9%) were detected in 29 of 56 (52%) hot water samples. Twenty-three of 49 (47%) swabs obtained from moist areas were amoeba positive. The following genera were identified: Acanthamoeba (22%), Naegleria (22%), Vahlkampfia (20%), Hartmannella (15%), and Vanella (7%). The temperature tolerance of amoebae from hot water systems was strikingly different from that of amoebae from moist areas. At 44°C on agar, 59% of amoebic isolates sampled from hot water systems showed growth. The corresponding value for isolates from moist areas was only 17%. Six Acanthamoeba isolates from the moist areas were considered potential pathogens. Four Hartmannella and two Saccamoeba isolates from hot water could be cultured at 53°C.     

Purification of the Pyruvate Dehydrogenase Multienzyme Complex of Zymomonas mobilis and Identification and Sequence Analysis of the Corresponding Genes

The pyruvate dehydrogenase (PDH) complex of the gram-negative bacterium Zymomonas mobilis was purified to homogeneity. From 250 g of cells, we isolated 1 mg of PDH complex with a specific activity of 12.6 U/mg of protein. Analysis of subunit composition revealed a PDH (E1) consisting of the two subunits E1α (38 kDa) and E1β (56 kDa), a dihydrolipoamide acetyltransferase (E2) of 48 kDa, and a lipoamide dehydrogenase (E3) of 50 kDa. The E2 core of the complex is arranged to form a pentagonal dodecahedron, as shown by electron microscopic images, resembling the quaternary structures of PDH complexes from gram-positive bacteria and eukaryotes. The PDH complex-encoding genes were identified by hybridization experiments and sequence analysis in two separate gene regions in the genome of Z. mobilis. The genes pdhAα (1,065 bp) and pdhAβ (1,389 bp), encoding the E1α and E1β subunits of the E1 component, were located downstream of the gene encoding enolase. The pdhB (1,323 bp) and lpd (1,401 bp) genes, encoding the E2 and E3 components, were identified in an unrelated gene region together with a 450-bp open reading frame (ORF) of unknown function in the order pdhB-ORF2-lpd. Highest similarities of the gene products of the pdhAα, pdhAβ, and pdhB genes were found with the corresponding enzymes of Saccharomyces cerevisiae and other eukaryotes. Like the dihydrolipoamide acetyltransferases of S. cerevisiae and numerous other organisms, the product of the pdhB gene contains a single lipoyl domain. The E1β subunit PDH was found to contain an amino-terminal lipoyl domain, a property which is unique among PDHs.     

Control of spindle orientation in Drosophila by the Par-3-related PDZ-domain protein Bazooka

Background: The orientation of the mitotic spindle influences the asymmetric distribution of cytoplasmic determinants and the positioning of the sibling cell, and therefore has important influences on cell-fate determination and patterning of the embryo. Both the establishment of an axis of polarity and the adjustment of this axis with respect to the coordinates of the embryo have to be controlled. None of the genes identified so far that are involved in these processes seems to have been conserved between flies and nematodes.Results: Here, we show that the bazooka gene encodes a protein with three putative protein-interaction motifs known as PDZ domains and is the first Drosophila representative of the par gene family of Caenorhabditis elegans, members of which are required for establishment of anterior–posterior polarity of the nematode embryo. The bazooka RNA and protein were found to be restricted to the apical cortical cytoplasm of epithelial cells and neuroblasts. Embryos that were mutant for bazooka frequently failed to coordinate the axis of cell polarity with that of the embryo. This was manifested as defective spindle orientation and mispositioning of the daughter cell after division.Conclusions: The Drosophila gene bazooka is likely to be part of a regulatory mechanism required to coordinate the axis of polarity of a cell with that of the embryo. The PDZ domains of Bazooka provide several protein–protein interfaces, which possibly participate in the assembly of a multiprotein complex at the apical pole.     

The Endogenous and Cell Cycle-dependent Phosphorylation of tau Protein in Living Cells: Implications for Alzheimer’s Disease

In Alzheimer’s disease the neuronal microtubule-associated protein tau becomes highly phosphorylated, loses its binding properties, and aggregates into paired helical filaments. There is increasing evidence that the events leading to this hyperphosphorylation are related to mitotic mechanisms. Hence, we have analyzed the physiological phosphorylation of endogenous tau protein in metabolically labeled human neuroblastoma cells and in Chinese hamster ovary cells stably transfected with tau. In nonsynchronized cultures the phosphorylation pattern was remarkably similar in both cell lines, suggesting a similar balance of kinases and phosphatases with respect to tau. Using phosphopeptide mapping and sequencing we identified 17 phosphorylation sites comprising 80–90% of the total phosphate incorporated. Most of these are in SP or TP motifs, except S214 and S262. Since phosphorylation of microtubule-associated proteins increases during mitosis, concomitant with increased microtubule dynamics, we analyzed cells mitotically arrested with nocodazole. This revealed that S214 is a prominent phosphorylation site in metaphase, but not in interphase. Phosphorylation of this residue strongly decreases the tau–microtubule interaction in vitro, suppresses microtubule assembly, and may be a key factor in the observed detachment of tau from microtubules during mitosis. Since S214 is also phosphorylated in Alzheimer’s disease tau, our results support the view that reactivation of the cell cycle machinery is involved in tau hyperphosphorylation.