Recombinant human prorenin from CHO cells: Expression and purification

The gene for human preprorenin was obtained from total RNA prepared from primary human chorion cells. An expression vector was constructed containing an SV40 early promoter, a human preprorenin cDNA, bovine growth hormone poly-A addition signal, and a dihydrofolate reductase (dhfr) expression cassette. This vector was inserted into the DXB-11 Chinese hamster ovary (CHO) cell line. The recombinant protein was exported by CHO cells into the tissue culture media. At harvest the prorenin levels ranged from 1–5 mg/L. For prorenin isolation the cell culture supernatants were processed by filtration, concentration, dialysis, and batch extraction. Preparative-scale isolation of prorenin was accomplished using blue-dye chromatography and size-exclusion chromatography. The isolated prorenin yielded a single SDS-gel band with Mr 40,000. The proprotein was characterized with respect to N-terminal sequence and N-linked sugar composition. Trypsin-activated renin prepared from the proprotein was characterized with respect to N-terminal sequence andpH-activity profile. Enzyme activity was measured with a newly developed fluorogenic peptide substrate containing the P₆-P₃ sequence of human angiotensinogen.     

Characterization of recombinant human renin: Kinetics,pH-stability, and peptidomimetic inhibitor binding

The kinetic behavior andpH-stability of recombinant human renin was analyzed using a new fluorogenic substrate based on the normal P₆-P₃ renin cleavage sequence in human angiotensinogen. The design of this fluorogenic substrate makes possible, for the first time, direct monitoring of the kinetics of proteolytic conversion of prorenin to renin. ThepH-stability profile for renin, measured with the substrate at 25°C, indicated a broad plateau of stability betweenpH 6.0 and 10.0. Analysis of thepH-activity profile of renin for the substrate indicated a minimumK _m (1.8 µM) atpH 7.4 and a maximumV _m betweenpH 7.4 and 8.0. The thermodynamics of the binding of a novel, soluble, peptidomimetic inhibitor to renin indicated it is possible to retain the tight-binding characteristics and enthalpy contributions to binding of larger peptide-derived inhibitors, while reducing inhibitor size and entropic contributions to binding. A novel derivative of the fluorogenic substrate, containing a 3-methyl histidine substitution at the P₂ site, was used to test the recent hypothesis that renin functions by virtue of substrate-directed catalysis.     

Potassium channel gene therapy can prevent neuron death resulting from necrotic and apoptotic insults

Necrotic insults such as seizure are excitotoxic. Logically, membrane hyperpolarization by increasing outwardly conducting potassium channel currents should attenuate hyperexcitation and enhance neuron survival. Therefore, we overexpressed a small-conductance calcium-activated (SK2) or voltage-gated (Kv1.1) channel via viral vectors in cultured hippocampal neurons. We found that SK2 or Kv1.1 protected not only against kainate or glutamate excitotoxicity but also increased survival after sodium cyanide or staurosporine. In vivo overexpression of either channel in dentate gyrus reduced kainate-induced CA3 lesions. In hippocampal slices, the kainate-induced increase in granule cell excitability was reduced by overexpression of either channel, suggesting that these channels exert their protective effects during hyperexcitation. It is also important to understand any functional disturbances created by transgene overexpression alone. In the absence of insult, overexpression of Kv1.1, but not SK2, reduced baseline excitability in dentate gyrus granule cells. Furthermore, while no behavioral disturbances during spatial acquisition in the Morris water maze were observed with overexpression of either channel, animals overexpressing SK2, but not Kv1.1, exhibited a memory deficit post-training. This difference raises the possibility that the means by which these channel subtypes protect may differ. With further development, potassium channel vectors may be an effective pre-emptive strategy against necrotic insults.     

Barrier function at HMR

The silenced HMR domain is restricted from spreading by barrier elements, and the right barrier is a unique t-RNA(THR) gene. We show that sequences immediately flanking the silenced domain were enriched in acetylated, but not methylated, histones, whereas the barrier element was associated with a nucleosome-free region. Surprisingly, the SAGA acetyltransferase resided across the entire region. We further demonstrate that a mutation in the barrier eliminated the nucleosome-free gap but only subtly altered the distribution of SAGA. Interestingly, neither reformation of the nucleosome nor mutations in chromatin-modifying enzymes alone led to an unrestricted spread of silenced chromatin. Double mutations in the t-RNA barrier and these complexes, on the other hand, led to a significant spread of Sir proteins. These results suggest two overlapping mechanisms function to restrict the spread of silencing: one of which involves a DNA binding element, whereas the other mechanism involves specific chromatin-modifying activities.     

Schizosaccharomyces pombe Hst4 functions in DNA damage response by regulating histone H3 K56 acetylation

The packaging of eukaryotic DNA into chromatin is likely to be crucial for the maintenance of genomic integrity. Histone acetylation and deacetylation, which alter chromatin accessibility, have been implicated in DNA damage tolerance. Here we show that Schizosaccharomyces pombe Hst4, a homolog of histone deacetylase Sir2, participates in S-phase-specific DNA damage tolerance. Hst4 was essential for the survival of cells exposed to the genotoxic agent methyl methanesulfonate (MMS) as well as for cells lacking components of the DNA damage checkpoint pathway. It was required for the deacetylation of histone H3 core domain residue lysine 56, since a strain with a point mutation of its catalytic domain was unable to deacetylate this residue in vivo. Hst4 regulated the acetylation of H3 K56 and was itself cell cycle regulated. We also show that MMS treatment resulted in increased acetylation of histone H3 lysine 56 in wild-type cells and hst4Delta mutants had constitutively elevated levels of histone H3 K56 acetylation. Interestingly, the level of expression of Hst4 decreased upon MMS treatment, suggesting that the cell regulates access to the site of DNA damage by changing the level of this protein. Furthermore, we find that the phenotypes of both K56Q and K56R mutants of histone H3 were similar to those of hst4Delta mutants, suggesting that proper regulation of histone acetylation is important for DNA integrity. We propose that Hst4 is a deacetylase involved in the restoration of chromatin structure following the S phase of cell cycle and DNA damage response.     

Dyskerin,tRNA genes,and condensin tether pericentric chromatin to the spindle axis in mitosis

Condensin is enriched in the pericentromere of budding yeast chromosomes where it is constrained to the spindle axis in metaphase. Pericentric condensin contributes to chromatin compaction, resistance to microtubule-based spindle forces, and spindle length and variance regulation. Condensin is clustered along the spindle axis in a heterogeneous fashion. We demonstrate that pericentric enrichment of condensin is mediated by interactions with transfer ribonucleic acid (tRNA) genes and their regulatory factors. This recruitment is important for generating axial tension on the pericentromere and coordinating movement between pericentromeres from different chromosomes. The interaction between condensin and tRNA genes in the pericentromere reveals a feature of yeast centromeres that has profound implications for the function and evolution of mitotic segregation mechanisms.