scholarly journals The use of naturally occurring hybrid variants of chloramphenicol acetyltransferase to investigate subunit contacts

1981 ◽  
Vol 193 (2) ◽  
pp. 541-552 ◽  
Author(s):  
L C Packman ◽  
W V Shaw
Keyword(s):  
Chloramphenicol Acetyltransferase ◽  
Alpha Subunit ◽  
Type I ◽  
Chloramphenicol Resistance ◽  
Type Iii ◽  
Naturally Occurring ◽  
Alpha Beta ◽  
Beta 2

1. Hybrids of the tetrameric enzyme chloramphenicol acetyltransferase (EC 2.3.1.28) were formed in vivo in a strain of Escherichia coli which harbours two different plasmids, each of which normally confers chloramphenicol resistance and specifies an easily distinguished enzyme variant (type I or type III) which is composed of identical subunits. Cell-free extracts of the dual-plasmid strain were found to contain five species of active enzyme, two of which were the homomeric enzymes corresponding to the naturally occurring tetramers of the type-I (beta 4) and type-III (alpha 4) enzymes. The other three variants were judged to be the heteromeric hybrid variants (alpha 3 beta, alpha 2 beta 2, alpha beta 3). 2. The alpha 3 beta and alpha 2 beta 2 hybrids of chloramphenicol acetyltransferase were purified to homogeneity by combining the techniques of affinity and ion-exchange chromatography. The alpha beta 3 variant was not recovered and may be unstable in vitro. 3. The unique lysine residues that could not be modified with methyl acetimidate in each of the native homomeric enzymes were also investigated in the heteromeric tetramers. 4. Lysine-136 remains buried in each beta subunit of the parental (type I) enzyme and in each of the hybrid tetramers. Lysine-38 of each alpha subunit is similarly unreactive in the native type-III chloramphenicol acetyltransferase (alpha 4), but in the alpha 2 beta 2 hybird lysine-38 of each alpha subunit is fully exposed to solvent. Another lysine residue, fully reactive in the alpha 4 enzyme, was observed to be inaccessible to modification in the symmetrical hybrid. The results obtained for the alpha 3 beta enzyme suggest that lysine-38 in two subunits and a different lysine group (that identified in the alpha 2 beta 2 enzyme) in the third alpha subunit are buried. 5. A tentative model for the subunit interactions of chloramphenicol acetyltransferase is proposed on the basis of the results described.

A spectrin-like protein from mouse brain membranes: phosphorylation of the 235,000-dalton subunit

1984 ◽  
Vol 247 (1) ◽  
pp. C61-C73 ◽  
Author(s):  
S. R. Goodman ◽  
I. S. Zagon ◽  
C. F. Whitfield ◽  
L. A. Casoria ◽  
S. B. Shohet ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Mouse Brain ◽  
Beta Subunit ◽  
Beta Subunits ◽  
Mouse Erythrocyte ◽  
Alpha Beta ◽  
Beta 2 ◽  
Independent Protein ◽  
Brain Spectrin

A mouse brain spectrin-like protein, which was an immunoreactive analogue of erythrocyte spectrin, has been isolated from demyelinated membranes. This spectrin analogue was a 10.5 S, 972,000 molecular weight (Mr) (alpha beta)2 tetramer containing subunits of 240,000 (alpha) and 235,000 (beta) Mr. We demonstrated that in vivo only the 235,000 Mr beta subunit of the mouse brain spectrin-like protein was phosphorylated, which was an analogous situation to mouse erythrocyte spectrin in which only the 220,000 Mr beta subunit was phosphorylated. Incubation of isolated membrane fractions with [gamma-32P]ATP +/- adenosine 3',5'-cyclic monophosphate (cAMP) indicated that mouse brain spectrin-like protein, mouse erythrocyte spectrin, and human erythrocyte spectrin's beta subunits were all phosphorylated in vitro by membrane-associated cAMP-independent protein kinases.

scholarly journals Heavily Armed Ancestors: CRISPR Immunity and Applications in Archaea with a Comparative Analysis of CRISPR Types in Sulfolobales

Biomolecules ◽  
2020 ◽  
Vol 10 (11) ◽  
pp. 1523
Author(s):  
Isabelle Anna Zink ◽  
Erika Wimmer ◽  
Christa Schleper
Keyword(s):  
Comparative Analysis ◽  
Molecular Mechanisms ◽  
Model Organisms ◽  
Special Focus ◽  
Natural Environments ◽  
Type I ◽  
Accessory Proteins ◽  
Type Iii

Prokaryotes are constantly coping with attacks by viruses in their natural environments and therefore have evolved an impressive array of defense systems. Clustered Regularly Interspaced Short Palindromic Repeats (CRISPR) is an adaptive immune system found in the majority of archaea and about half of bacteria which stores pieces of infecting viral DNA as spacers in genomic CRISPR arrays to reuse them for specific virus destruction upon a second wave of infection. In detail, small CRISPR RNAs (crRNAs) are transcribed from CRISPR arrays and incorporated into type-specific CRISPR effector complexes which further degrade foreign nucleic acids complementary to the crRNA. This review gives an overview of CRISPR immunity to newcomers in the field and an update on CRISPR literature in archaea by comparing the functional mechanisms and abundances of the diverse CRISPR types. A bigger fraction is dedicated to the versatile and prevalent CRISPR type III systems, as tremendous progress has been made recently using archaeal models in discerning the controlled molecular mechanisms of their unique tripartite mode of action including RNA interference, DNA interference and the unique cyclic-oligoadenylate signaling that induces promiscuous RNA shredding by CARF-domain ribonucleases. The second half of the review spotlights CRISPR in archaea outlining seminal in vivo and in vitro studies in model organisms of the euryarchaeal and crenarchaeal phyla, including the application of CRISPR-Cas for genome editing and gene silencing. In the last section, a special focus is laid on members of the crenarchaeal hyperthermophilic order Sulfolobales by presenting a thorough comparative analysis about the distribution and abundance of CRISPR-Cas systems, including arrays and spacers as well as CRISPR-accessory proteins in all 53 genomes available to date. Interestingly, we find that CRISPR type III and the DNA-degrading CRISPR type I complexes co-exist in more than two thirds of these genomes. Furthermore, we identified ring nuclease candidates in all but two genomes and found that they generally co-exist with the above-mentioned CARF domain ribonucleases Csx1/Csm6. These observations, together with published literature allowed us to draft a working model of how CRISPR-Cas systems and accessory proteins cross talk to establish native CRISPR anti-virus immunity in a Sulfolobales cell.

scholarly journals Esterases in Serum-Containing Growth Media Counteract Chloramphenicol Acetyltransferase Activity In Vitro

1999 ◽  
Vol 43 (3) ◽  
pp. 655-660 ◽  
Author(s):  
Charles D. Sohaskey ◽  
Alan G. Barbour
Keyword(s):  
Human Serum ◽  
Horse Serum ◽  
Chloramphenicol Acetyltransferase ◽  
Rabbit Serum ◽  
Growth Media ◽  
Chloramphenicol Resistance ◽  
E Coli ◽  
Cell Extracts

ABSTRACT The spirochete Borrelia burgdorferi was unexpectedly found to be as susceptible to diacetyl chloramphenicol, the product of the enzyme chloramphenicol acetyltransferase, as it was to chloramphenicol itself. The susceptibilities of Escherichia coli and Bacillus subtilis, as well as that ofB. burgdorferi, to diacetyl chloramphenicol were then assayed in different media. All three species were susceptible to diacetyl chloramphenicol when growth media were supplemented with rabbit serum or, to a lesser extent, human serum. Susceptibility ofE. coli and B. subtilis to diacetyl chloramphenicol was not observed in the absence of serum, when horse serum was used, or when the rabbit or human serum was heated first. In the presence of 10% rabbit serum, a strain of E. colibearing the chloramphenicol acetyltransferase (cat) gene had a fourfold-lower resistance to chloramphenicol than in the absence of serum. A plate bioassay for chloramphenicol activity showed the conversion by rabbit, mouse, and human sera but not bacterial cell extracts or heated serum of diacetyl chloramphenicol to an inhibitory compound. Deacetylation of acetyl chloramphenicol by serum components was demonstrated by using fluorescent substrates and thin-layer chromatography. These studies indicate that esterases of serum can convert diacetyl chloramphenicol back to an active antibiotic, and thus, in vitro findings may not accurately reflect the level of chloramphenicol resistance by cat-bearing bacteria in vivo.

scholarly journals The Involvement of Mycobacterium Type III-A CRISPR-Cas System in Oxidative Stress

2021 ◽  
Vol 12 ◽  
Author(s):  
Fan Yang ◽  
Lingqing Xu ◽  
Lujie Liang ◽  
Wanfei Liang ◽  
Jiachen Li ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Oxidative Stress ◽  
Cell Envelope ◽  
Reduction Process ◽  
Intracellular Survival ◽  
Host Immunity ◽  
Type I ◽  
Type Iii

Type I and type II CRISPR-Cas systems are employed to evade host immunity by targeting interference of bacteria’s own genes. Although Mycobacterium tuberculosis (M. tuberculosis), the causative agent of tuberculosis, possesses integrated type III-A CRISPR-Cas system, its role in mycobacteria remains obscure. Here, we observed that seven cas genes (csm2∼5, cas10, cas6) were upregulated in Mycobacterium bovis BCG under oxidative stress treatment, indicating the role of type III-A CRISPR-Cas system in oxidative stress. To explore the functional role of type III-A CRISPR-Cas system, TCC (Type III-A CRISPR-Cas system, including cas6, cas10, and csm2-6) mutant was generated. Deletion of TCC results in increased sensitivity in response to hydrogen peroxide and reduced cell envelope integrity. Analysis of RNA-seq dataset revealed that TCC impacted on the oxidation-reduction process and the composition of cell wall which is essential for mycobacterial envelop integrity. Moreover, disrupting TCC led to poor intracellular survival in vivo and in vitro. Finally, we showed for the first time that TCC contributed to the regulation of regulatory T cell population, supporting a role of TCC in modulating host immunity. Our finding reveals the important role of TCC in cell envelop homeostasis. Our work also highlights type III-A CRISPR-Cas system as an important factor for intracellular survival and host immunoregulation in mycobacteria, thus may be a potential target for therapy.

scholarly journals Clathrin assembly protein AP-2 induces aggregation of membrane vesicles: a possible role for AP-2 in endosome formation.

1992 ◽  
Vol 119 (4) ◽  
pp. 787-796 ◽  
Author(s):  
K A Beck ◽  
M Chang ◽  
F M Brodsky ◽  
J H Keen
Keyword(s):  
Limited Proteolysis ◽  
Phospholipid Composition ◽  
Membrane Vesicles ◽  
Initial Step ◽  
Physiological Solution ◽  
Coated Vesicles ◽  
Alpha Subunit ◽  
Type I

We have examined the in vitro behavior of clathrin-coated vesicles that have been stripped of their surface coats such that the majority of the clathrin is removed but substantial amounts of clathrin assembly proteins (AP) remain membrane-associated. Aggregation of these stripped coated vesicles (s-CV) is observed when they are placed under conditions that approximate the pH and ionic strength of the cell interior (pH 7.2, approximately 100 mM salt). This s-CV aggregation reaction is rapid (t1/2 < or = 0.5 min), independent of temperature within a range of 4-37 degrees C, and unaffected by ATP, guanosine-5'-O-(3-thiophosphate), and in particular EGTA, distinguishing it from Ca(2+)-dependent membrane aggregation reactions. The process is driven by the action of membrane-associated AP molecules since partial proteolysis results in a full loss of activity and since aggregation is abolished by pretreatment of the s-CVs with a monoclonal antibody that reacts with the alpha subunit of AP-2. However, vesicle aggregation is not inhibited by PPPi, indicating that the previously characterized polyphosphate-sensitive AP-2 self-association is not responsible for the reaction. The vesicle aggregation reaction can be reconstituted: liposomes of phospholipid composition approximating that found on the cytoplasmic surfaces of the plasma membrane and of coated vesicles (70% L-alpha-phosphatidylethanolamine (type I-A), 15% L-alpha-phosphatidyl-L-serine, and 15% L-alpha-phosphatidylinositol) aggregated after addition of AP-2, but not of AP-1, AP-3 (AP180), or pure clathrin triskelions. Aggregation of liposomes is abolished by limited proteolysis of AP-2 with trypsin. In addition, a highly purified AP-2 alpha preparation devoid of beta causes liposome aggregation, whereas pure beta subunit does not, consistent with results obtained in the s-CV assay which also indicate the involvement of the alpha subunit. Using a fluorescence energy transfer assay we show that AP-2 does not cause fusion of liposomes under physiological solution conditions. However, since the fusion of membranes necessarily requires the close opposition of the two participating bilayers, the AP-2-dependent vesicle aggregation events that we have identified may represent an initial step in the formation and fusion of endosomes that occur subsequent to endocytosis and clathrin uncoating in vivo.

Three Types of Hereditary Antiterombin III Deficiency

1979 ◽  
Author(s):  
I. Nagy ◽  
H. Losonczy
Keyword(s):  
Antithrombin Iii ◽  
Clinical Signs ◽  
Type I ◽  
Type Ii ◽  
Type Iii ◽  
Basic Activity ◽  
At Iii ◽  
And Function

The authors detected in the last seven years 15 patients with hereditary antithrombin III/AT III/ abnormality. All of them had typical clinical signs of recurrent arterious and venous thromboembolie. The abnormality inherited as an autosomal trait. Three types of the abnormality could be observed. In Type I both quantity and function of AT III were extremely decreased. In type II AT III is normal in quantity but abnormal in function. In Type III AT III is quantitatively normal and also its function seems normal as far as its basic activity is concerned /activity measured in absence of heparin/, but its abnormality becomes manifest in the presence of heparin in vitro/and also in vivo/. 5 of the patients belonged to Type I, 4 to Type II and 6 to Type III. In 60 examined family members of the 15 patients an abnormal AT III could be observed in 44, clinical signs in 23.The examination of AT III activity in the presence of a given amount of heparin ia of great importance in recognition of the different types of antithrombin III abnormalities.

scholarly journals Basic fibroblast growth factor modulates proliferation and collagen expression in urinary bladder smooth muscle cells

2007 ◽  
Vol 293 (4) ◽  
pp. F1007-F1017 ◽  
Author(s):  
Masaaki Imamura ◽  
Akihiro Kanematsu ◽  
Shingo Yamamoto ◽  
Yu Kimura ◽  
Isao Kanatani ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Smooth Muscle ◽  
Type I Collagen ◽  
Type Iii Collagen ◽  
Type I ◽  
Fibroblast Growth ◽  
Bladder Smooth Muscle ◽  
Type Iii ◽  
Collagen Expression

Bladder hypertrophy is a general consequence of bladder outlet obstruction (BOO) and a typical phenomenon observed in clinical urologic diseases such as benign prostatic hyperplasia and neurogenic bladder. It is characterized by smooth muscle hyperplasia, altered extracellular matrix composition, and increased contractile function. Various growth factors are likely involved in hypertrophic pathophysiology, but their functions remain unknown. In this report, the role of basic fibroblast growth factor (bFGF) was investigated using a rat bladder smooth muscle cell (BSMC) culture system and an original animal model, in which bFGF was released from a gelatin hydrogel directly onto rat bladders. bFGF treatment promoted BSMC proliferation both in vitro and in vivo. In vitro, bFGF downregulated the expression of type I collagen, but upregulated type III collagen. ERK1/2, but not p38MAPK, was activated by bFGF, whereas inhibition of ERK1/2 by PD98059 reversed bFGF-induced BSMC proliferation, type I collagen downregulation, and type III collagen upregulation. In the in vivo release model, bFGF upregulated type III collagen and increased the contractile force of treated bladders. In parallel with these findings, hypertrophied rat bladders created by urethral constriction showed increased urothelial bFGF expression, BSMC proliferation, and increased type III collagen expression compared with sham-operated rats. These data suggest that bFGF from the urothelium could act as a paracrine signal that stimulates the proliferation and matrix production of BSMC, thereby contributing to the hypertrophic remodeling of the smooth muscle layer.

The In Vivo Source of Type I and Type III IFNs is Pathogen Dependent

2021 ◽  
Author(s):  
Marvin J. Sandoval ◽  
Hsiang-Chi Tseng ◽  
Heidi P. Risman ◽  
Sergey Smirnov ◽  
Qing Li ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Epithelial Cells ◽  
Virus Infection ◽  
Respiratory Tract ◽  
Influenza A ◽  
Influenza Infection ◽  
Type I ◽  
Protective Effects ◽  
Type Iii

Type I (-α, β) and type III (-λ) interferons (IFNs) are produced in response to virus infection and upregulate a largely overlapping set of IFN stimulated genes which mediate the protective effects of these antiviral cytokines. In vitro studies have demonstrated the redundancy of these two cytokine families which activate the same transcription factor, IFN stimulated gene factor 3 (ISGF3), via distinct ligands and receptors. However, in vivo, these IFN types do have distinct functions based on receptor distribution, but also ligand availability. Using a newly generated IFN-λ reporter mouse strain we have observed that both type I and type III IFNs are produced in response to respiratory tract infection by Newcastle disease virus (NDV) and influenza A virus (IAV). In the case of NDV these IFNs are synthesized by different cell types. Type I IFNs are produced primarily by alveolar macrophages, type III IFNs are made only by epithelial cells, and production of either is dependent on MAVS. While epithelial cells of the respiratory tract represent the primary target of IAV infection, we found that they did not significantly contribute to IFN-λ production, and IFN-λ protein levels were largely unaffected in the absence of MAVS. Instead we found that pDCs, a cell type known for robust IFN-α production via TLR/MyD88 signaling, were the major producers of IFN-λ during IAV infection, with pDC depletion during influenza infection resulting in significantly reduced levels of both IFN-α and IFN-λ. In addition, we were able to demonstrate that pDCs rely on type I IFN for optimal IFN-λ production. These studies therefore demonstrate that the in vivo producers of Type III IFNs in response to respiratory virus infection are pathogen dependent, a finding which may explain the varying levels of cytokine production induced by different viral pathogens.

scholarly journals Resistance to fusidic acid in Escherichia coli mediated by the type I variant of chloramphenicol acetyltransferase. A plasmid-encoded mechanism involving antibiotic binding

1983 ◽  
Vol 215 (1) ◽  
pp. 29-38 ◽  
Author(s):  
A D Bennett ◽  
W V Shaw
Keyword(s):  
Escherichia Coli ◽  
Fusidic Acid ◽  
Acid Resistance ◽  
Chloramphenicol Acetyltransferase ◽  
Chain Elongation ◽  
Type I ◽  
Structural Constraints ◽  
Binding Studies ◽  
Chloramphenicol Resistance

Plasmid-encoded fusidic acid resistance in Escherichia coli is mediated by a common variant of chloramphenicol acetyltransferase (EC 2.3.1.28), an enzyme which is an effector of chloramphenicol resistance. Resistance to chloramphenicol is a consequence of acetylation of the antibiotic catalysed by the enzyme and the failure of the 3-acetoxy product to bind to bacterial ribosomes. Cell-free coupled transcription and translation studies are in agreement with genetic studies which indicated that the entire structural gene for the type I chloramphenicol acetyltransferase is necessary for the fusidic acid resistance phenotype. The mechanism of resistance does not involve covalent modification of the antibiotic. The other naturally occurring enterobacterial chloramphenicol acetyltransferase variants (types II and III) do not cause fusidic acid resistance. Steady-state kinetic studies with the type I enzyme have shown that the binding of fusidic acid is competitive with respect to chloramphenicol. The inhibition of polypeptide chain elongation in vitro which is observed in the presence of fusidic acid is relieved by addition of purified chloramphenicol acetyltransferase, and equilibrium dialysis experiments with [3H]fusidate and the type I enzyme have defined the stoichiometry and apparent affinity of fusidate for the type I enzyme. Further binding studies with fusidate analogues, including bile salts, have shown some of the structural constraints on the steroidal skeleton of the ligand which are necessary for binding to the enzyme. Determinations of antibiotic resistance levels and estimates of intracellular chloramphenicol acetyltransferase concentrations in vivo support the data from experiments in vitro to give a coherent mechanism for fusidic acid resistance based on reversible binding of the antibiotic to the enzyme.

scholarly journals Functionally diverse heteromeric traps for ligands of the transforming growth factor-β superfamily

2021 ◽  
Vol 11 (1) ◽  
Author(s):  
Ravindra Kumar ◽  
Asya V. Grinberg ◽  
Huiming Li ◽  
Tzu-Hsing Kuo ◽  
Dianne Sako ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Growth Factor ◽  
Transforming Growth Factor ◽  
Transforming Growth Factor Β ◽  
Type I ◽  
Systematic Analysis ◽  
Activin Receptor ◽  
Naturally Occurring ◽  
Functionally Diverse

AbstractLigands of the transforming growth factor-β (TGF-β) superfamily are important targets for therapeutic intervention but present challenges because they signal combinatorially and exhibit overlapping activities in vivo. To obtain agents capable of sequestering multiple TGF-β superfamily ligands with novel selectivity, we generated soluble, heterodimeric ligand traps by pairing the extracellular domain (ECD) of the native activin receptor type IIB (ActRIIB) alternately with the ECDs of native type I receptors activin receptor-like kinase 4 (ALK4), ALK7, or ALK3. Systematic analysis of these heterodimeric constructs by surface plasmon resonance, and comparison with their homodimeric counterparts, revealed that each type I receptor partner confers a distinct ligand-binding profile to the heterodimeric construct. Additional characterization in cell-based reporter gene assays confirmed that the heterodimeric constructs possessed different profiles of signaling inhibition in vitro, which translated into altered patterns of pharmacological activity when constructs were administered systemically to wild-type mice. Our results detail a versatile platform for the modular recombination of naturally occurring receptor domains, giving rise to inhibitory ligand traps that could aid in defining the physiological roles of TGF-β ligand sets or be directed therapeutically to human diseases arising from dysregulated TGF-β superfamily signaling.

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