Thermodynamic modeling of internal equilibria involved in the activation of trypsinogen

The effect of activating dipeptides, sequentially homologous to the Ile16-Val17N-terminus of bovine beta-trypsin (beta-trypsin), on equilibria involved in the binding of strong ligands (i.e., n-butylamine, the bovine basic pancreatic trypsin inhibitor (Kunitz-type inhibitor; BPTI) and the porcine pancreatic secretory trypsin inhibitor (Kazal-type inhibitor, type I; PSTI)) to bovine trypsinogen (trypsinogen) was investigated at pH 5.51 (I = 0.1 M) and T = 21.0 +/- 0.5 degrees C; under the same experimental conditions, thermodynamics for the binding of strong ligands to beta-trypsin was also obtained. The equilibria involved in the binding of activating dipeptides and/or inhibitors to beta-trypsin and to its zymogen are described according to an induced-fit formalism, taking into account ligand-linked interaction(s) between different functional and structural domains of the (pro)enzyme possibly involved in the trypsinogen-to-beta-trypsin activation pathway. The analysis of data is focussed on parameters describing interactions between the so-called Ile-Val pocket (where the Ile16-Val17 N-terminus of beta-trypsin or activating dipeptides bind) and the primary and/or secondary recognition subsite(s) (where strong ligands associate) present in the (pro)enzyme. Such an analysis allows to dissect the contributions due to the primary recognition subsite, where small mono-functional ligands (e.g., n-butylamine) bind, from those of the secondary subsite(s), which are additional recognition clefts for macromolecular inhibitors (e.g., BPTI and PSTI).     

Evidence for a kinetic heterogeneity in ligand binding to R-state haemoglobin Kempsey [Asp-G1(99) beta----Asn].

Thermodynamic and kinetic properties of O2 and CO binding to haemoglobin (Hb) Kempsey [Asp-G1(99) beta----Asn] were investigated and the activation parameters for the two ligands were determined. At every temperature the O2-binding isotherms display a weak co-operativity, n ranging between 1.1 and 1.2, and dissociation kinetics show a single-exponential behaviour. O2-binding kinetics were studied at 25 degrees C by temperature jump and are characterized at each saturation (from Y = 0.31 to Y = 1.0) by two processes, a fast bimolecular one and a slow monomolecular one (tau -1 = 20 s-1), which contributes to approx. 30% of the whole relaxation amplitude at every Y. CO-binding kinetics to Hb Kempsey were followed at several temperatures by flash photolysis and stopped flow. The process is biphasic, as reported elsewhere [Bunn, Wohl, Bradley, Cooley & Gibson (1974) J. Biol. Chem. 249, 7402-7409], and the relative contributions of the two bimolecular rates to the whole process are only slightly affected by temperature. On taking account for the fraction of dimers at every protein concentration, the slow phase corresponds to approx. 50% of the ligand binding to tetramers. Correlation of these results with previous spectroscopic data leads to the hypothesis that the biphasic time course of CO binding may be attributed to alpha/beta heterogeneity of the R-state of tetrameric Hb Kempsey.     

Interactions ofCandida albicans with bacteria and salivary molecules in oral biofilms

The yeastCandida albicans coaggregates with a variety of streptococcal species, an interaction that may promote oral colonization by yeast cells.C. albicans andCandida tropicalis are the yeasts most frequently isolated from the human oral cavity and our data demonstrate that both these species bind toStreptococcus gordonii NCTC 7869 while two otherCandida species (Candida krusei andCandida kefyr) do not. Adherence ofC. albicans was greatest when the yeast had been grown at 30° C to mid-exponential growth phase. For 21 strains ofC. albicans there was a positive correlation between the ability to adhere toS. gordonii and adherence to experimental salivary pellicle. Whole saliva either stimulated or slightly inhibited adherence ofC. albicans toS. gordonii depending on the streptococcal growth conditions. The results suggest that the major salivary adhesins and coaggregation adhesins ofC. albicans are co-expressed.     

Control of cell volume in the J774 macrophage by microtubule disassembly and cyclic AMP

We have explored the possibilities that cell volume is regulated by the status of microtubule assembly and cyclic AMP metabolism and may be coordinated with shape change. Treatment of J774.2 mouse macrophages with colchicine caused rapid microtubule disassembly and was associated with a striking increase (from 15-20 to more than 90 percent) in the proportion of cells with a large protuberance at one pole. This provided a simple experimental system in which shape changes occurred in virtually an entire cell population in suspension. Parallel changes in cell volume could then be quantified by isotope dilution techniques. We found that the shape change caused by colchicine was accompanied by a decrease in cell volume of approximately 20 percent. Nocodozole, but not lumicolchicine, caused identical changes in both cell shape and cell volume. The volume loss was not due to cell lysis nor to inhibition of pinocytosis. The mechanism of volume loss was also examined. Colchicine induced a small but reproducible increase in activity of the ouabain-sensitive Na(+), K(+)-dependent ATPase. However, inhibition of this enzyme/transport system by ouabain did not change cell volume nor did it block the colchicines-induced decrease in volume. One the other hand, SITS (4’acetamido, 4-isothiocyano 2,2’ disulfonic acid stilbene), an inhibitor of anion transport, inhibited the effects of colchicines, thus suggesting a role for an anion transport system in cell volume regulation. Because colchicine is known to activate adenylate cyclase in several systems and because cell shape changes are often induced by hormones that elevate cyclic AMP, we also examined the effects of cyclic AMP on cell volume. Agents that act to increase syclic AMP (cholera toxin, which activates adenylate cyclase; IBMX, and inhibitor of phosphodiesterase; and dibutyryl cyclic AMP) all caused a volume decrease comparable to that of colchicine. To define the effective metabolic pathway, we studied two mutants of J774.2, one deficient in adenylate cyclase and the other exhibiting markedly reduced activity of cyclic AMP-dependent protein kinase. Cholera toxin did not produce a volume change in either mutant. Cyclic AMP produced a decrease in the cyclase-deficient line comparable to that in wild type, but did not cause a volume change in the kinase- deficient line. This analysis established separate roles for cyclic AMP and colchicine. The volume decrease induced by cyclic AMP requires the action of a cyclic AMP-dependent protein kinase. Colchicine, on the other hand, induced a comparable volume change in both mutants and wild type, and thus does not require the kinase.     

Membrane behavior of exocytic vesicles: II in fate of the trichocyst membranes in paramecium after induced trichocyst discharge

A specific exocytic process, the discharge of spindle trichocysts of paramecium caudatum was examined by means of the electron microscope. This exocytosis is induced by an electric shock simultaneously in nearly all of the trichocysts (ca. 6,000-8,0000 of a single cell. Single paramecia were subjected to the shock and then fixed at defined times after the shock so that the temporal sequence of the pattern of changes of the trichocyst membranes after exocytosis could be studied. The trichocyst vacuoles fuse with the plasma membrane only for that length of time required for expulsion to take place. After exocytosis, the membrane of the vacuole does not become incorporated into the plasma membrane; rather, the collapsed vacuole is pinched off and breaks up within the cytoplasm. The membrane vesiculates into small units which can no longer be distinguished from vesicles of the same dimensions that exist normally within the cell's cytoplasm. the entire process is completed within 5-10 min. These results differ from the incorporation of mucocyst membranes into the plasma membrane as proposed for tetrahymena.     

Functional and structural roles of the N-terminal extension in Methanosarcina acetivorans protoglobin

Functional and structural properties of protoglobin from Methanosarcina acetivorans, whose Cys(101)E20 residue was mutated to Ser (MaPgb*), and of mutants missing either the first 20 N-terminal amino acids (MaPgb*-ΔN20 mutant), or the first 33 N-terminal amino acids [N-terminal loop of 20 amino acids and a 13-residue Z-helix, preceding the globin fold A-helix; (MaPgb*-ΔN20Z mutant)] have been investigated. In keeping with the MaPgb*-ΔN20 mutant crystal structure, here reported at 2.0 Å resolution, which shows an increased exposure of the haem propionates to the solvent, the analysis of ligand binding kinetics highlights high accessibility of ligands to the haem pocket in ferric MaPgb*-ΔN20. CO binding to ferrous MaPgb*-ΔN20 displays a marked biphasic behavior, with a fast binding process close to that observed in MaPgb* and a slow carbonylation process, characterized by a rate-limiting step. Conversely, removal of the first 33 residues induces a substantial perturbation of the overall MaPgb* structure, with loss of α-helical content and potential partial collapse of the protein chain. As such, ligand binding kinetics are characterized by very slow rates that are independent of ligand concentration, this being indicative of a high energy barrier for ligand access to the haem, possibly due to localized misfolding. This article is part of a Special Issue entitled: Oxygen Binding and Sensing Proteins.     

Eight new microsatellite markers in Atlantic cod (Gadus morhua L.) derived from an enriched genomic library

One hundred and fifty random clones from an enriched genomic library of Atlantic cod were sequenced. Primer pairs were designed for 15 microsatellites containing perfect di‐, tri‐, tetra‐ and hexanucleotide repeats and characterized in 96 unrelated fish. Eight markers were successfully amplified, with the number of alleles ranging from two to nine per locus and observed heterozygosity ranging from 0.341 to 0.977. Loci Gmo‐G13 and Gmo‐G14 had a significant excess of homozygotes. All loci conformed to the Hardy–Weinberg equilibrium. Genetic linkage disequilibrium analysis between all pairs of the loci showed no significant departure from the null hypothesis between any of the loci.