Nucleocytoplasmic transit of human α1‐antichymotrypsin in tobacco leaf epidermal cells†

Recently, we have observed a nuclear localization for human α₁‐antichymotrypsin (AACT) expressed in the cytosol of transgenic Bright Yellow‐2 (BY‐2) tobacco cultured cells (see accompanying paper: Benchabane, M., Saint‐Jore‐Dupas, C., Bardor, M., Faye, L., Michaud, D. and Gomord, V. (2008a) Targeting and post‐translational processing of human α₁‐antichymotrypsin in BY‐2 tobacco cultured cells. Plant Biotechnol. J. doi: 10.1111/j.1467‐7652.2008.00382.x). In the present article, we assess whether the intrinsic DNA‐binding activity of AACT can explain its nuclear localization, and whether this same activity has an impact on its protease inhibitory potency and stability in planta. An engineered form of AACT with no DNA‐binding activity, rAACTΔK, was compared with the wild‐type polypeptide, rAACT, in terms of chymotrypsin inhibitory potency, stability in planta and distribution in tobacco cells. In accordance with available data reporting distinct sites for protease inhibition and DNA binding, rAACT and rAACTΔK showed similar antichymotrypsin activity, similar to the activity of native AACT purified from human plasma. As observed for AACT in BY‐2 tobacco cells, a green fluorescent protein (GFP)‐AACT fusion transiently expressed in the cytosol of tobacco leaf epidermal cells was detected mainly in the nucleus by confocal laser microscopy. By contrast, rAACTΔK expressed as a GFP fusion showed a balanced distribution between the cytosol and the nucleus, similar to the distribution pattern of free GFP exhibiting no DNA‐binding affinity. In line with immunodetection data showing higher accumulation levels for GFP‐AACT in tobacco leaf cells, rAACTΔK was more susceptible than rAACT to tryptic digestion in the presence of DNA. Overall, these observations suggest the following: (i) a retention effect of DNA on AACT in the nucleus; and (ii) a stabilizing effect of the AACT–DNA interaction on rAACT challenged with non‐target proteases, which, possibly, may be useful in protecting this protein in plant expression platforms.