scholarly journals Production of the Carboxylate Reductase from Nocardia otitidiscaviarum in a Soluble, Active Form for in vitro Applications

ChemBioChem ◽  
2021 ◽  
Author(s):  
Douglas Weber ◽  
David Patsch ◽  
Annika Neumann ◽  
Margit Winkler ◽  
Dörte Rother
Keyword(s):  
Active Form ◽  
Nocardia Otitidiscaviarum ◽  
Carboxylate Reductase

scholarly journals Engineering subtilisin proteases that specifically degrade active RAS

2021 ◽  
Vol 4 (1) ◽  
Author(s):  
Yingwei Chen ◽  
Eric A. Toth ◽  
Biao Ruan ◽  
Eun Jung Choi ◽  
Richard Simmerman ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Active Form ◽  
High Specificity ◽  
Kinetic Properties ◽  
Target Sequence ◽  
Reporter System ◽  
Human Cell Culture ◽  
Conserved Sequence ◽  
Cofactor Binding ◽  
Selective Proteolysis

AbstractWe describe the design, kinetic properties, and structures of engineered subtilisin proteases that degrade the active form of RAS by cleaving a conserved sequence in switch 2. RAS is a signaling protein that, when mutated, drives a third of human cancers. To generate high specificity for the RAS target sequence, the active site was modified to be dependent on a cofactor (imidazole or nitrite) and protease sub-sites were engineered to create a linkage between substrate and cofactor binding. Selective proteolysis of active RAS arises from a 2-step process wherein sub-site interactions promote productive binding of the cofactor, enabling cleavage. Proteases engineered in this way specifically cleave active RAS in vitro, deplete the level of RAS in a bacterial reporter system, and also degrade RAS in human cell culture. Although these proteases target active RAS, the underlying design principles are fundamental and will be adaptable to many target proteins.

scholarly journals DnaA, the Initiator of Escherichia coliChromosomal Replication, Is Located at the Cell Membrane

2000 ◽  
Vol 182 (9) ◽  
pp. 2604-2610 ◽  
Author(s):  
Gillian Newman ◽  
Elliott Crooke
Keyword(s):  
Cell Membrane ◽  
Spatial Organization ◽  
Active Form ◽  
Chromosomal Replication ◽  
E Coli ◽  
Dnaa Protein ◽  
Section Electron ◽  
Acidic Phospholipids

ABSTRACT Given the lack of a nucleus in prokaryotic cells, the significance of spatial organization in bacterial chromosome replication is only beginning to be fully appreciated. DnaA protein, the initiator of chromosomal replication in Escherichia coli, is purified as a soluble protein, and in vitro it efficiently initiates replication of minichromosomes in membrane-free DNA synthesis reactions. However, its conversion from a replicatively inactive to an active form in vitro occurs through its association with acidic phospholipids in a lipid bilayer. To determine whether the in situ residence of DnaA protein is cytoplasmic, membrane associated, or both, we examined the cellular location of DnaA using immunogold cryothin-section electron microscopy and immunofluorescence. Both of these methods revealed that DnaA is localized at the cell membrane, further suggesting that initiation of chromosomal replication in E. coli is a membrane-affiliated event.

scholarly journals Enzymic characterization in vitro of recombinant proprotein convertase PC4

1999 ◽  
Vol 343 (1) ◽  
pp. 29-37 ◽  
Author(s):  
Ajoy BASAK ◽  
Bakary B. TOURÉ ◽  
Claude LAZURE ◽  
Majambu MBIKAY ◽  
Michel CHRÉTIEN ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Synthetic Peptides ◽  
Serine Proteases ◽  
Active Form ◽  
Molecular Size ◽  
Maximal Activity ◽  
Transition Metal Ions ◽  
Proprotein Convertase ◽  
Major Band ◽  
Insulin Growth Factor

Proprotein convertase PC4A, a member of the subtilisin/kexin family of serine proteases, was obtained in enzymically active form following expression of vaccinia virus recombinant rat (r)PC4A in GH4C1 cells. It displayed maximal activity at pH 7.0 and a Ca2+ concentration of 2.0 mM. Using PC4-specific antibodies, Western blot analysis of the medium revealed a major band at ≈ 54 kDa, corresponding to the molecular size of mature rPC4A. Among the various peptidyl-[4-methylcoumarin 7-amide (MCA)] substrates tested, the one that was preferred the most by rPC4A was acetyl (Ac)-Arg-Lys-Lys-Arg-MCA, which is cleaved 9 times faster (as judged from Vmax/Km measurements) than the best furin and PC1 substrate, pGlu-Arg-Thr-Lys-Arg-MCA. Recombinant rPC4A, along with human (h)furin and hPC1, cleaved a 17-amino-acid synthetic peptide, YQTLRRRVKR↓ SLVVPTD (where ↓ denotes site of cleavage, and the important basic residues are shown in bold), encompassing the junction between the putative pro-segment of rPC4A and the active enzyme, suggesting a possible auto-activation of the enzyme. In an effort to identify potential physiological substrates for PC4, studies were performed with pro-[insulin-growth-factor (IGF)]-derived synthetic peptides, namely Ac-PAKSAR↓ SVRA (IGF-I66-75) and Ac-PAKSER↓ DVST (IGF-II63-72), as well as two lysine mutants [(IGF-I66-75Lys70) and (IGF-II63-72Lys67)]. Unlike PC1 and furin, rPC4A cleaved efficiently both IGF-I66-75 and IGF-II63-72, suggesting a possible role of PC4 in the maturation of IGF-I and -II. In contrast, the peptides with a position 2 (P2) lysine mutation, IGF-I66-75Lys70 and IGF-II63-72Lys67, were cleaved more efficiently by PC1 and furin compared with rPC4A. Furthermore, using synthetic peptides containing the processing sites of pituitary adenylate-cyclase-activating polypeptide (PACAP)-38, we were able to confirm that, of the two testicular enzymes PC4 and PC7, PC4 is the best candidate enzyme for maturation of PACAP. Our data suggest that rPC4A is a functionally active convertase, with a substrate specificity somewhat different from that of other convertases, namely KXXR↓ (where X denotes any other residue). As expected, p-chloromercuribenzoic acid and metal chelators such as EDTA, EGTA and trans-1,2-diaminocyclohexane-N,N,N′,N′-tetraacetic acid inhibit the proteolytic activity of rPC4A, whereas it is activated by dithiothreitol. PC4A was also inhibited by transition-metal ions (Cu2+>Hg2+>Zn2+ Ni2+>Co2+), as well as by small peptide semicarbazones (SCs), such as Arg-Lys-Lys-Arg-SC (Ki 0.75 μM) and Arg-Ser-Lys-Arg-SC (Ki 11.4 μM).

scholarly journals Calcitriol Promotes Differentiation of Glioma Stem-Like Cells and Increases Their Susceptibility to Temozolomide

Cancers ◽  
2021 ◽  
Vol 13 (14) ◽  
pp. 3577
Author(s):  
Julia Gerstmeier ◽  
Anna-Lena Possmayer ◽  
Süleyman Bozkurt ◽  
Marina E. Hoffmann ◽  
Ivan Dikic ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Vitamin D3 ◽  
Ex Vivo ◽  
Active Form ◽  
Treatment Resistance ◽  
Serum Levels ◽  
Disease Recurrence ◽  
Primary Brain Tumor ◽  
High Rate ◽  
Therapeutic Doses

Glioblastoma (GBM) is the most common and most aggressive primary brain tumor, with a very high rate of recurrence and a median survival of 15 months after diagnosis. Abundant evidence suggests that a certain sub-population of cancer cells harbors a stem-like phenotype and is likely responsible for disease recurrence, treatment resistance and potentially even for the infiltrative growth of GBM. GBM incidence has been negatively correlated with the serum levels of 25-hydroxy-vitamin D3, while the low pH within tumors has been shown to promote the expression of the vitamin D3-degrading enzyme 24-hydroxylase, encoded by the CYP24A1 gene. Therefore, we hypothesized that calcitriol can specifically target stem-like glioblastoma cells and induce their differentiation. Here, we show, using in vitro limiting dilution assays, quantitative real-time PCR, quantitative proteomics and ex vivo adult organotypic brain slice transplantation cultures, that therapeutic doses of calcitriol, the hormonally active form of vitamin D3, reduce stemness to varying extents in a panel of investigated GSC lines, and that it effectively hinders tumor growth of responding GSCs ex vivo. We further show that calcitriol synergizes with Temozolomide ex vivo to completely eliminate some GSC tumors. These findings indicate that calcitriol carries potential as an adjuvant therapy for a subgroup of GBM patients and should be analyzed in more detail in follow-up studies.

scholarly journals Identification of NAD+ Synthetase from Streptococcus sobrinus as a B-Cell-Stimulatory Protein

2004 ◽  
Vol 186 (2) ◽  
pp. 419-426 ◽  
Author(s):  
Isabel Veiga-Malta ◽  
Margarida Duarte ◽  
Márcia Dinis ◽  
Pedro Madureira ◽  
Paula Ferreira ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
B Cell ◽  
Active Form ◽  
Lymphocyte Activation ◽  
Amino Acid Residues ◽  
Streptococcus Sobrinus ◽  
Reading Frame ◽  
High Sequence Homology ◽  
Culture Supernatants ◽  
Nad Synthetase

ABSTRACT Streptococcus sobrinus, one agent of dental caries, secretes a protein that induces lymphocyte polyclonal activation of the host as a mechanism of immune evasion. We have isolated from culture supernatants of this bacterium a protein with murine B-cell-stimulatory properties and subsequently cloned the relevant gene. It contains an open reading frame of 825 bp encoding a polypeptide with 275 amino acid residues and a molecular mass of 30 kDa. The protein displays high sequence homology with NAD+ synthetases from several organisms, including a conserved fingerprint sequence (SGGXD) characteristic of ATP pyrophosphatases. The polypeptide was expressed in Escherichia coli as a hexahistidine-tagged protein and purified in an enzymatically active form. The recombinant NAD+ synthetase stimulates murine B cells after in vitro treatment of spleen cell cultures, as demonstrated by its ability to induce up-regulation of the expression of CD69, an early marker of lymphocyte activation. Stimulation with the recombinant NAD+ synthetase was also observed with other B-cell markers, such as CD19+, B220+, and CD21+. Cell proliferation follows the activation induced by the recombinant NAD+ synthetase.

scholarly journals Increased Phosphorylation of Myosin Light Chain Prevents in Vitro Decidualization

Endocrinology ◽  
2007 ◽  
Vol 148 (7) ◽  
pp. 3176-3184 ◽  
Author(s):  
Ivanna Ihnatovych ◽  
WenYang Hu ◽  
Jody L. Martin ◽  
Asgerally T. Fazleabas ◽  
Primal de Lanerolle ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Light Chain ◽  
Myosin Light Chain ◽  
Smooth Muscle Actin ◽  
Myosin Ii ◽  
Active Form ◽  
Adenoviral Infection ◽  
Decidual Cells ◽  
Cytoskeletal Dynamics ◽  
Mlc20 Phosphorylation

Differentiation of stromal cells into decidual cells, which is critical to successful pregnancy, represents a complex transformation requiring changes in cytoskeletal architecture. We demonstrate that in vitro differentiation of human uterine fibroblasts into decidual cells includes down-regulation of α-smooth muscle actin and β-tubulin, phosphorylation of focal adhesion kinase, and redistribution of vinculin. This is accompanied by varied adhesion to fibronectin and a modified ability to migrate. Cytoskeletal organization is determined primarily by actin-myosin II interactions governed by the phosphorylation of myosin light chain (MLC20). Decidualization induced by cAMP [with estradiol-17β (E) and medroxyprogesterone acetate (P)] results in a 40% decrease in MLC20 phosphorylation and a 55% decline in the long (214 kDa) form of myosin light-chain kinase (MLCK). Destabilization of the cytoskeleton by inhibitors of MLCK (ML-7) or myosin II ATPase (blebbistatin) accelerates decidualization induced by cAMP (with E and P) but inhibits decidualization induced by IL-1β (with E and P). Adenoviral infection of human uterine fibroblast cells with a constitutively active form of MLCK followed by decidualization stimuli leads to a 30% increase in MLC20 phosphorylation and prevents decidualization. These data provide evidence that the regulation of cytoskeletal dynamics by MLC20 phosphorylation is critical for decidualization.

scholarly journals Cathepsin L inhibition suppresses drug resistance in vitro and in vivo: a putative mechanism

2009 ◽  
Vol 296 (1) ◽  
pp. C65-C74 ◽  
Author(s):  
Xin Zheng ◽  
Fei Chu ◽  
Pauline M. Chou ◽  
Christine Gallati ◽  
Usawadee Dier ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Drug Resistance ◽  
Cancer Cell ◽  
Trichostatin A ◽  
Cathepsin L ◽  
Active Form ◽  
Cancer Resistance ◽  
Protease Inhibition ◽  
Resistance To Chemotherapy

Cathepsin L is a lysosomal enzyme thought to play a key role in malignant transformation. Recent work from our laboratory has demonstrated that this enzyme may also regulate cancer cell resistance to chemotherapy. The present study was undertaken to define the relevance of targeting cathepsin L in the suppression of drug resistance in vitro and in vivo and also to understand the mechanism(s) of its action. In vitro experiments indicated that cancer cell adaptation to increased amounts of doxorubicin over time was prevented in the presence of a cathepsin L inhibitor, suggesting that inhibition of this enzyme not only reverses but also prevents the development of drug resistance. The combination of the cathepsin L inhibitor with doxorubicin also strongly suppressed the proliferation of drug-resistant tumors in nude mice. An investigation of the underlying mechanism(s) led to the finding that the active form of this enzyme shuttles between the cytoplasm and nucleus. As a result, its inhibition stabilizes and enhances the availability of cytoplasmic and nuclear protein drug targets including estrogen receptor-α, Bcr-Abl, topoisomerase-IIα, histone deacetylase 1, and the androgen receptor. In support of this, the cellular response to doxorubicin, tamoxifen, imatinib, trichostatin A, and flutamide increased in the presence of the cathepsin L inhibitor. Together, these findings provided evidence for the potential role of cathepsin L as a target to suppress cancer resistance to chemotherapy and uncovered a novel mechanism by which protease inhibition-mediated drug target stabilization may enhance cellular visibility and, thus, susceptibility to anticancer agents.

scholarly journals BorreliaSpirochetes Upregulate Release and Activation of Matrix Metalloproteinase Gelatinase B (MMP-9) and Collagenase 1 (MMP-1) in Human Cells

2001 ◽  
Vol 69 (1) ◽  
pp. 456-462 ◽  
Author(s):  
Joseph A. Gebbia ◽  
James L. Coleman ◽  
Jorge L Benach
Keyword(s):  
Lyme Disease ◽  
Matrix Metalloproteinase ◽  
Human Peripheral Blood ◽  
Umbilical Vein ◽  
Active Form ◽  
Human Neutrophils ◽  
Blood Monocytes ◽  
Gelatinase B ◽  
Matrix Metalloproteinase 1

ABSTRACT Borrelia burgdorferi, the spirochetal agent of Lyme disease, stimulated human peripheral blood monocytes to release pro-matrix metalloproteinase-9 (gelatinase B; pro-MMP-9) and active matrix metalloproteinase-1 (collagenase-1; MMP-1). Human neutrophils also released pro-MMP-9 and a 130-kDa protein with gelatinolytic activity in response to live B. burgdorferi. In addition, U937 cells and human keratinocyte cells were also stimulated to release pro-MMP-9 under the same conditions. However, human umbilical vein endothelial cells (HUVECs) released pro-MMP-9 and pro-MMP-2 in a constitutive manner and were not influenced by live spirochetes. MMPs produced by human monocytes also enhanced the penetration of B. burgdorferi through extracellular matrix component barriers in vitro. Plasmin stabilized on the surface of the Lyme disease spirochete was shown to activate pro-MMP-9 to its active form. This active form was also observed in the plasma of mice infected with a relapsing fever borrelia. These results suggest that borreliae can upregulate MMPs and possibly mediate an activation cascade initiated by plasmin bound to the microbial surface. MMPs may play a role in dissemination of the Lyme disease spirochete and in the pathogenesis ofBorrelia infection.

scholarly journals Expression of Active Human Tissue-Type Plasminogen Activator in Escherichia coli

1998 ◽  
Vol 64 (12) ◽  
pp. 4891-4896 ◽  
Author(s):  
Ji Qiu ◽  
James R. Swartz ◽  
George Georgiou
Keyword(s):  
Escherichia Coli ◽  
Plasminogen Activator ◽  
Disulfide Bonds ◽  
Specific Activity ◽  
Active Form ◽  
Tissue Type ◽  
Heterologous Proteins ◽  
E Coli ◽  
Disulfide Isomerases

ABSTRACT The formation of native disulfide bonds in complex eukaryotic proteins expressed in Escherichia coli is extremely inefficient. Tissue plasminogen activator (tPA) is a very important thrombolytic agent with 17 disulfides, and despite numerous attempts, its expression in an active form in bacteria has not been reported. To achieve the production of active tPA in E. coli, we have investigated the effect of cooverexpressing native (DsbA and DsbC) or heterologous (rat and yeast protein disulfide isomerases) cysteine oxidoreductases in the bacterial periplasm. Coexpression of DsbC, an enzyme which catalyzes disulfide bond isomerization in the periplasm, was found to dramatically increase the formation of active tPA both in shake flasks and in fermentors. The active protein was purified with an overall yield of 25% by using three affinity steps with, in sequence, lysine-Sepharose, immobilized Erythrina caffra inhibitor, and Zn-Sepharose resins. After purification, approximately 180 μg of tPA with a specific activity nearly identical to that of the authentic protein can be obtained per liter of culture in a high-cell-density fermentation. Thus, heterologous proteins as complex as tPA may be produced in an active form in bacteria in amounts suitable for structure-function studies. In addition, these results suggest the feasibility of commercial production of extremely complex proteins inE. coli without the need for in vitro refolding.

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