Purification and electron microscopic characterization of the membrane subunit (IICB(Glc)) of the Escherichia coli glucose transporter

The glucose transporter of the bacterial phosphotransferase system mediates sugar transport across the cytoplasmic membrane concomitant with sugar phosphorylation. It consists of a cytoplasmic subunit IIA(Glc) and the transmembrane subunit IICB(Glc). IICB(Glc) was purified to homogeneity by urea/alkali washing of membranes and nickel-chelate affinity chromatography. About 1.5 mg highly pure IICB(Glc) representing 77% of the total activity present in the membranes was obtained from 8g (wet weight) of cells. IICB(Glc) was reconstituted into lipid bilayers by temperature-controlled dialysis to yield small 2D crystals and by a rapid detergent-dilution procedure to yield densely packed vesicles. Electron microscopy and digital image processing of the negatively stained 2D crystals revealed a trigonal lattice with a unit cell size of a = b = 14.5 nm. The unit cell morphology exhibited three dimers of IICB(Glc) surrounding the threefold symmetry center. Single particle analysis of IICB(Glc) in proteoliposomes obtained by detergent dialysis also showed predominantly dimeric structures.     

Differential biological effects of 1,25-dihydroxyVitamin D3 on melanoma cell lines in vitro

1,25-DihydroxyVitamin D(3) and analogs have been shown to inhibit proliferation and to induce differentiation in different cell types, including human melanocytes. However, various tumor cell lines that fail to respond to the antiproliferative effects of Vitamin D analogs have also been reported. Using real-time PCR (LightCycler), we have compared mRNA expression of Vitamin D receptor (VDR), Vitamin D-25-hydroxylase (25-OHase), 25-hydroxyVitamin D-1alpha-hydroxylase (1alpha-OHase), and 1,25-dihydroxyVitamin D-24-hydroxylase (24-OHase) in a melanoma cell line that responds to antiproliferative effects of Vitamin D (MeWo) with a non-responsive melanoma cell line (SkMel5). Additionally, modulation of cell proliferation by calpain inhibitors, as well as regulation of mRNA expression of VDR, 1alpha-OHase, and 24-OHase genes by Vitamin D analogs were assessed in melanoma cell lines in vitro using a WST-1 based colorimetric assay and real-time PCR, respectively. RNA for VDR, 25-OHase, 1alpha-OHase, and 24-OHase was detected in melanoma cell lines. In contrast to SkMel5 cells, treatment of MeWo cells with calcitriol resulted in a dose-dependent increase in mRNA for VDR and 24-OHase as well as in a suppression of cell proliferation (up to approximately 50%). Our findings demonstrate that local synthesis or metabolism of Vitamin D metabolites may be of importance for growth regulation of MM and melanoma cell lines. Additionally, metastasizing MM represents a promising target for palliative treatment with new Vitamin D analogs that exert little calcemic side effects or for pharmacological modulation of calcitriol synthesis/metabolism in these tumors.     

High expression of green fluorescent protein in Pichia pastoris leads to formation of fluorescent particles

Wild type gene for green fluorescent protein (GFP) was stably integrated into the Pichia pastoris genome and yielded an expression level of over 40% of total cellular protein. The high cytoplasmic concentration of fluorescent (properly folded and processed) GFP caused the formation of fluorescent spherical structures, which could be observed by fluorescence or confocal microscopy after controlled permeabilization of the yeast cells with 0.2% N-lauroyl sarcosine (NLS). Fluorescent GFP particles were also isolated after removal of the cell wall and found to be quite resistant to 0.2% N-lauroyl sarcosine. SDS-PAGE analysis of the isolated fluorescent particles revealed the presence of an 80 kDa protein (alcohol oxidase) and GFP (30%). We conclude that GFP is able to enter spontaneously into the peroxisomes and is inserted into densely packed layers of alcohol oxidase. Consequently, the formation of similar fluorescent particles can also be expected in other organisms when using high-level expression systems. As GFP is widely used in fusion with other proteins as a reporter for protein localization and for many other applications in biotechnology, care must be taken to avoid false interpretations of targeting or trafficking mechanisms inside the cells. In addition, when whole cells or cytoplasmic fractions are used for the quantitative determination of GFP levels, incorrect and misleading values of GFP could be obtained due to the formation of fluorescent particles containing material inside which is not available for fluorescence measurements.     

Non-muscle alpha-actinin-4 interacts with plasminogen activator inhibitor type-1 (PAI-1)

PAI-1 modulates many biological processes involving fibrinolysis, cell migration or tissue remodelling. In addition to inhibiting serine proteases (mainly tPA and uPA), PAI-1 interacts with vitronectin (Vn), fibrin or alpha(1)-acid glycoprotein, interactions which are important for PAI-1-mediated effects in inflammation, tumor invasion and metastasis. To further identify proteins interacting with PAI-1, the yeast two-hybrid strategy was employed. Screening of a human placenta cDNA library identified--in addition to the C-terminal region of cytokeratin 18 (CK18(182-430))--a large C-terminal fragment of alpha-actinin-4 (Act-4) as a binding partner for PAI-1. Two different cDNA clones encoding Act-4(287-911) and Act-4(330-911) respectively, were isolated. An Act-4(330-911)/GST-fusion protein, but not GST alone, was immunoprecipitated together with active PAI-1. In solid phase binding assays, active wild-type PAI-1 as well as the PAI-1 variant Q123K (which does not interact with multimeric Vn) was found to bind to Act-4(330-911)/GST. Latent PAI-1, latent Q123K, and the inactive PAI-1 variant Q55P did not display any binding activity. Act-4 is mainly present intracellularly and is involved in cellular motility via interaction with the actin cytoskeleton, thus probably affecting the metastatic potential of tumor cells. However, an extracellular Act-4-derived fragment (mactinin) has previously been identified, which (i) is generated by proteolytic action of uPA, (ii) displays significant chemotactic activity for monocytes, and (iii) promotes monocyte/macrophage maturation. We suggest that PAI-1, via interaction with both Act-4 and uPA, may function as a modulator of this mononuclear phagocyte response, not only in inflammation but also in tumor invasion and metastasis.     

Formin homology 2 domains occur in multiple contexts in angiosperms

Background  

Involvement of conservative molecular modules and cellular mechanisms in the widely diversified processes of eukaryotic cell morphogenesis leads to the intriguing question: how do similar proteins contribute to dissimilar morphogenetic outputs. Formins (FH2 proteins) play a central part in the control of actin organization and dynamics, providing a good example of evolutionarily versatile use of a conserved protein domain in the context of a variety of lineage-specific structural and signalling interactions.     

Apoptotic cascade initiated by angiotensin II in neonatal cardiomyocytes: role of DNA damage

Angiotensin II contributes to ventricular remodeling by promoting both cardiac hypertrophy and apoptosis; however, the mechanism underlying the latter phenomenon is poorly understood. One possibility that has been advanced is that angiotensin II activates NADPH oxidase, generating free radicals that trigger apoptosis. In apparent support of this notion, it was found that angiotensin II-mediated apoptosis in the cardiomyocyte is blocked by the NADPH oxidase inhibitor diphenylene iodonium. However, three lines of evidence suggest that peroxynitrite, rather than superoxide, is responsible for angiotensin II-mediated DNA damage and apoptosis. First, the inducible nitric oxide inhibitor aminoguanidine prevents angiotensin II-induced DNA damage and apoptosis. Second, based on ligation-mediated PCR, the pattern of angiotensin II-induced DNA damage resembles peroxynitritemediated damage rather than damage caused by either superoxide or nitric oxide. Third, angiotensin II activates p53 through the phosphorylation of Ser15 and Ser20, residues that are commonly phosphorylated in response to DNA damage. It is proposed that angiotensin II promotes the oxidation of DNA, which in turn activates p53 to mediate apoptosis.     

Constitutive versus thermoinducible expression of heterologous proteins in Escherichia coli based on strong PR,PL promoters from phage lambda

Constitutive and thermoinducible expression plasmids based on strong P(R),P(L) promoters from phage lambda were compared for production of TNF-alpha and its analogs under various conditions. Much higher accumulation of TNF was obtained in a constitutive system, so the wider applicability of such systems was studied. In constitutive systems, proteolytically susceptible proteins can be produced easily at low cultivation temperatures and the addition of expensive or toxic chemical inducers is not required. On the other hand, toxic proteins cannot be produced and selection pressure must be strictly maintained to ensure segregational stability of plasmids. Accumulation of TNF-alpha and various analogs at levels up to 25% of total soluble protein was repeatedly achieved, which was 2-3-fold higher than in a thermoinducible system. The stable behavior of the constitutive system in laboratory fermentors was also confirmed. We propose the constitutive system described here as a general model for many currently used expression systems containing strong but not completely repressed promoters. Such systems may be considered as constitutive ones with reduced promoter strengths, but still exhibiting all the intrinsic properties of constitutive expression systems. Although all modern expression systems are inducible, wider use of a constitutive system is evidently possible.