Crystal structure of the Y52F/Y73F double mutant of phospholipase A2: increased hydrophobic interactions of the phenyl groups compensate for the disrupted hydrogen bonds of the tyrosines.

The enzyme phospholipase A2 (PLA2) catalyzes the hydrolysis of the sn-2 ester bond of membrane phospholipids. The highly conserved Tyr residues 52 and 73 in the enzyme form hydrogen bonds to the carboxylate group of the catalytic Asp-99. These hydrogen bonds were initially regarded as essential for the interfacial recognition and the stability of the overall catalytic network. The elimination of the hydrogen bonds involving the phenolic hydroxyl groups of the Tyr-52 and -73 by changing them to Phe lowered the stability but did not significantly affect the catalytic activity of the enzyme. The X-ray crystal structure of the double mutant Y52F/Y73F has been determined at 1.93 A resolution to study the effect of the mutation on the structure. The crystals are trigonal, space group P3(1)21, with cell parameters a = b = 46.3 A and c = 102.95 A. Intensity data were collected on a Siemens area detector, 8,024 reflections were unique with an R(sym) of 4.5% out of a total of 27,203. The structure was refined using all the unique reflections by XPLOR to a final R-factor of 18.6% for 955 protein atoms, 91 water molecules, and 1 calcium ion. The root mean square deviation for the alpha-carbon atoms between the double mutant and wild type was 0.56 A. The crystal structure revealed that four hydrogen bonds were lost in the catalytic network; three involving the tyrosines and one involving Pro-68. However, the hydrogen bonds of the catalytic triad, His-48, Asp-99, and the catalytic water, are retained. There is no additional solvent molecule at the active site to replace the missing hydroxyl groups; instead, the replacement of the phenolic OH groups by H atoms draws the Phe residues closer to the neighboring residues compared to wild type; Phe-52 moves toward His-48 and Asp-99 of the catalytic diad, and Phe-73 moves toward Met-8, both by about 0.5 A. The closing of the voids left by the OH groups increases the hydrophobic interactions compensating for the lost hydrogen bonds. The conservation of the triad hydrogen bonds and the stabilization of the active site by the increased hydrophobic interactions could explain why the double mutant has activity similar to wild type. The results indicate that the aspartyl carboxylate group of the catalytic triad can function alone without additional support from the hydrogen bonds of the two Tyr residues.     

Centrin- and α-actinin-like immunoreactivity in the ciliary rootlets of insect sensilla

Summary Long ciliary rootlets are a characteristic feature of the dendritic inner segments of the sensory cells in insect sensilla. These rootlets are composed of highly ordered filaments and are regularly cross-striated. Collagenase digestion and immunohistochemistry reveal that the rootlets are probably not composed of collagen fibers. However, double-labeling experiments with phalloidin and anti--actinins show that antibodies to -actinin react with the ciliary rootlets of the sensilla, but do not stain the scolopale, which is composed of actin filaments as visualized by phalloidin. Antibodies to centrin, a contractile protein isolated from flagellar rootlets of green algae, also stain the ciliary rootlets. Within the ciliary rootlets of insect sensilla, -actinin may be associated with filaments other than actin filaments. The immunohistochemical localization of a centrin-like protein suggests that contractions probably occur within the rootlets. The centrin-like protein may play a role during the mechanical transduction or adaptation of the sensilla.     

Distribution of F-actin in the compound eye of the blowfly,Calliphora erythrocephala (Diptera,Insecta)

Summary Sexual stimulation of males has been reported to affect hypothalamic oxytocinergic systems. In the present study we used radioimmunoassays of micro-dissected forebrain regions and immunocytochemical analysis of Vibratome sections to study the oxytocin systems of naive males, males killed after one mating, and males mated daily with different receptive females for 3 weeks. In males that had mated once, less oxytocin-immunoreactive neurons were observed in the paraventricular (PVN), supraoptic (SON) and periventricular (NPE) nuclei than in naive males. However, after repeated matings, the number of immunoreactive neurons and their staining intensity was increased in these regions. Furthermore, additional oxytocinergic neurons could be found in the lateral subcommissural nucleus, the zona incerta and the ansa lenticularis of repeatedly mated males. Oxytocin-immunoreactive neurons were only occasionally seen in these areas in unmated males or in animals that had been killed after initial mating. Radio-immunoassays of microdissected PVN, SON, NPE and the lateral hypothalamus confirmed the reduction in oxytocin-immunoreactive levels after a first mating by a male and the increase after repeated matings. It is likely that oxytocin secretion into peripheral and portal circulation is stimulated by the endocrine conditions associated with initial mating. These immediate effects may be followed by the activation of synthesis in oxytocin neurons in several sites of the basal forebrain.     

Stability enhancement and circular dichroism spectral anomaly as an indication of non-covalent interactions in histidine- and tyrosine-containing ternary copper(II)—amino acid systems

Visible absorption and CD spectral and potentiometric studies on the His- and Tyr-containing ternary copper(II) complexes Cu(A)(L-B), where A refers to L-His, D-His, or L-Tyr and B to Lys, Tyr, Trp, Phe, Ala, Val, Arg, Glu, Asn, Gln, Ser, or Thr, were made to study ligand-ligand interactions in the complexes. While the CD spectral magnitudes in the d—d region are additive in the absence of side chain interactions and can be estimated from the magnitudes for the ternary systems involving DL-A or DL-B, deviation from the additivity was observed for Cu(L-His)(L-B) (B = LysH, Tyr, Trp, or Phe) and Cu(L-Tyr)(L-Trp). From the stability constants determined at 25 °C and I = 0.1 M (KNO₃), the equilibrium constants, K, for the following hypothetical equilibria were calculated to be large (0.14–0.60) for formation of Cu(L-/D-His)(L-B)(B = Tyr or Trp) and Cu(D-His)(L-Phe) with Cu(en)(L-Ala) as standard: $Cu(A)(L?Ala)+Cu(en)(L?b)\stackrel{K}{?}Cu(A)(L?B)+Cu(en)(L?Ala)$ The positive values indicate the stabilization due to the stacking between the imidazole ring of His and the aromatic side chain of L-B. Solvent dependence of the CD spectra for Cu(L-His)(L-LysH) and Cu(L-His) L-Trp) further supported the existence of the intramolecular electrostatic and hydrophobic interactions.     

Diversity in the immune system: “Preconceived ideas” or ideas preconceived?

Two concepts of the evolution and regulation of expression of the combining site repertoire of the immune system, are compared. One view is based on the Associative Recognition Theory as formulated by the author and the other is based on the Idiotype Network Idea as conceived by Jerne. The two concepts are analyzed from the point of view of their logic, internal consistency and factual support.     

氨基酰化酶中金属锌离子的功能作用

 氨基酰化酶是含锌金属酶。该酶每摩尔蛋白中含2摩尔Zn(Ⅱ)离子。金属鳌合剂与酶作用,通过竞争螯合Zn(Ⅱ)离子使酶活力下降。残余活力与残留金属含量呈正相关。竞争螯合的结果,生成不含金属的脱辅基酶蛋白,并导致酶活力的丧失。脱辅基酶由于加入Zn(Ⅱ)离子而恢复其活力。实验表明金属锌离子是氨基酰化酶催化活力所必需。与Zn(Ⅱ)离子相似,Co(Ⅱ)离子也可与脱辅基酶相结合并使之复活。 在190—240nm区域内对比了天然酶、脱辅基酶蛋白与Co(Ⅱ)置换氨基酰化酶的圆二色谱。远紫外圆二色谱表明,与天然酶相比,在脱辅基酶中由于金属离子的丧失导致主链构象发生变化,其中α螺旋增加约7％。因而锌离子(钴离子)对蛋白主链的反应最适构象有一定的稳定作用。脱辅基酶与Co(Ⅱ)离子结合,酶的主链构象恢复至与天然酶几近相同。可认为这是促使酶复活的内在因素。     

Lignans of Piper clusii

From the petrol extract of Piper clusii five lignans were isolated. One of the lignans (?)-clusin is assigned the structure (?)-2-furanol-4(1,3-benzodioxol-5-ylmethyl) tetrahydro-3(3,4,5-trimethoxyphenyl) methyl. This is the first report of this compound from a natural source. Asaronaldehyde and sitosterol were also present.     

A note on sequence-dependence of DNA structure

A circular dichroism study was conducted on the solution structure of several different oligonucleotides, whose X-ray structures have been solved. It is suggested that in aqueous solution the oligonucleotides can form structures that maintain geometrical elements which are typical of B-DNA, A-DNA, and their intermediate forms. It is shown that 5'GGATGGGAG:5'CTCCCATCC, which forms an A-DNA helix in the crystal state (McCall et al. 1986), in aqueous solution maintains an A-DNA like structure at temperatures below 10 degrees C. At temperatures between 10 degrees C and 25 degrees C it shows a tendency to form an intermediate structure between A-DNA and B-DNA. Also, it is shown that TFE does not cause a transition from B-DNA to A-DNA helix in short DNA fragments, but instead disrupts the helix.     

Lymphocyte subpopulations of regional lymph nodes in human colon and gastric adenocarcinomas

 In order to study the host immune response to tumours, previous knowledge of the cellular composition of regional draining lymph nodes is necessary. Enlarged regional lymph nodes are a common finding in colon and gastric adenocarcinomas. We have studied the cellular composition of normal non-reactive and of regional draining lymph nodes of colon and gastric adenocarcinomas. In normal non-reactive lymph nodes, T lymphocytes (CD2⁺, CD7⁺) constituted the largest fraction of the lymphoreticular cells. These lymphocytes were mainly CD4⁺, and there were more cells expressing the CD45RA isoform of the CD45 antigen than CD45RO. Reactive lymph nodes presented a decreased proportion of CD4⁺ CD45RA⁺ cells and an increased number of B cells. Although most of the T cells in the reactive nodes were CD4⁺ CD45RO⁺, their proportion was similar to that found in normal non-reactive nodes. We studied the presence of the molecules CD28 and CD80 involved in the processes of interaction and activation of T and B lymphocytes. The CD28 molecule was found in all the T lymphocytes, while the CD80 molecule was weakly expressed on the B lymphocyte membrane. Received: 4 January 1996 / Accepted: 28 May 1996     

Transient Expression of CD20 Antigen (Pan B Cell Marker) in Activated Lymph Node T Cells

In contrast to the case of peripheral T cells, the surface expression of CD20 antigen and the expression of CD20 mRNA in monkey lymph node (LN) T cells underwent a noticeable increase when they were cultured with mitogen and interleukin-2 (IL-2). To confirm in vivo regulation of CD20 expression during the activation of LN T cells, we examined LNs derived from monkeys experimentally inoculated with simian immunodeficiency virus (SIV). Significant expression of CD20 antigen was detected in the T cells of the LNs at the stage of lymphadenopathy. These findings suggest that lymphocyte activation in the LNs induced expression of the CD20 molecule in some T cells.