scholarly journals The role of palmitoylation of the guanine nucleotide binding protein G11α in defining interaction with the plasma membrane

1995 ◽  
Vol 310 (3) ◽  
pp. 1021-1027 ◽  
Author(s):  
J F McCallum ◽  
A Wise ◽  
M A Grassie ◽  
A I Magee ◽  
F Guzzi ◽  
...  

Mutations of Cys-9 to serine, Cys-10 to serine and a combination of both alterations were produced in a cDNA encoding murine G11 alpha to potentially interfere with the ability of the expressed polypeptides to act as substrates for post-translational palmitoylation. Each of these mutants and the wild-type protein were expressed in simian COS-1 cells. Mutation of either cysteine-9 or cysteine-10 decreased the degree of palmitoylation of the protein by some 80% compared with the wild-type, while the double mutant totally failed to incorporate [3H]palmitate. By contrast, in all transfections the endogenously expressed simian G11 alpha incorporated [3H]palmitate to similar levels. Particulate and cytoplasmic fractions from these cells were subjected to SDS/PAGE under conditions which allow resolution of primate and rodent forms of G11 alpha. Immunoblotting of these fractions demonstrated that in all cases the endogenously expressed simian G11 alpha was exclusively associated with the particulate fraction, as was the transfected and expressed wild-type murine G11 alpha. By contrast, each of the mutated forms of murine G11 alpha displayed a distribution in which approx. 70% of the expressed protein was present in the particulate fraction and 30% in the supernatant. To examine the conformation of the particulate expressed forms of murine G11 alpha, these fractions were treated with various concentrations of sodium cholate and immunoblots were subsequently performed on the solubilized and remaining particulate proteins. Whereas essentially all of the endogenous simian G11 alpha was solubilized by treatment with 1% (w/v) sodium cholate and some 50% with 0.32% cholate, expressed wild-type murine G11 alpha was more recalcitrant to solubilization. However, that fraction of wild-type murine G11 alpha which was solubilized behaved identically to the endogenous simian G11 alpha on Superose-12 gel-exclusion chromatography. The particulate fraction of the C9S/C10S double mutant of murine G11 alpha was highly resistant to solubilization by sodium cholate, whereas the particulate fractions of the two single cysteine to serine mutants were intermediate to the wild-type and double mutant in their ability to be solubilized by this detergent. These data demonstrate that the palmitoylation status of the cysteine residues at positions 9 and 10 in murine G11 alpha plays a central role in defining membrane association of this G-protein and indicate that much of the particulate fraction of the expressed palmitoylation-resistant mutants is likely to represent non-functional rather than correctly folded protein.(ABSTRACT TRUNCATED AT 400 WORDS)

2006 ◽  
Vol 91 (8) ◽  
pp. 3071-3075 ◽  
Author(s):  
Luis G. Carvajal-Carmona ◽  
N. Afrina Alam ◽  
Patrick J. Pollard ◽  
Angela M. Jones ◽  
Ella Barclay ◽  
...  

Abstract Context: Leydig cell tumors (LCTs) are the most common non-germ-cell neoplasms of the testis. LCTs are often hormonally active and can result in precocious virilization or in adult feminization. We identified an LCT in an affected individual from a kindred with hereditary leiomyomatosis and renal cell cancer (HLRCC) and a germline fumarate hydratase (FH) mutation (N64T). Objective: Our objective was to investigate the role of FH mutations in predisposition to LCTs. Design: We tested for pathogenic effects of the N64T mutation and screened an additional 29 unselected adult LCTs for FH alterations. We also tested these LCTs for mutations in two genes, the LH/choriogonadotropin receptor (LHCGR) and the guanine nucleotide-binding protein α (GNAS) that had been implicated in LCT tumorigenesis. Results: No mutations were found in GNAS, and one tumor had a LHCGR somatic substitution. In addition to the HLRCC case with the N64T germline FH mutation, we identified one other LCT with a previously unreported FH mutation (M411I). Both LCTs from these patients showed loss of the wild-type FH allele. Immunohistochemical and in situ hybridization analyses demonstrated activation of the hypoxia/angiogenesis pathway not only in the tumors belonging to the FH mutation carriers but also in several other mutation-negative LCTs. Conclusions: Our study shows that some LCTs are caused by FH mutations and represents one of the first reports of germline mutations in any type of adult testicular tumor.


2002 ◽  
Vol 13 (11) ◽  
pp. 3811-3821 ◽  
Author(s):  
Pauli J. Ojala ◽  
Ville O. Paavilainen ◽  
Maria K. Vartiainen ◽  
Roman Tuma ◽  
Alan G. Weeds ◽  
...  

Twinfilin is a ubiquitous and abundant actin monomer–binding protein that is composed of two ADF-H domains. To elucidate the role of twinfilin in actin dynamics, we examined the interactions of mouse twinfilin and its isolated ADF-H domains with G-actin. Wild-type twinfilin binds ADP-G-actin with higher affinity (K D = 0.05 μM) than ATP-G-actin (K D = 0.47 μM) under physiological ionic conditions and forms a relatively stable (k off = 1.8 s−1) complex with ADP-G-actin. Data from native PAGE and size exclusion chromatography coupled with light scattering suggest that twinfilin competes with ADF/cofilin for the high-affinity binding site on actin monomers, although at higher concentrations, twinfilin, cofilin, and actin may also form a ternary complex. By systematic deletion analysis, we show that the actin-binding activity is located entirely in the two ADF-H domains of twinfilin. Individually, these domains compete for the same binding site on actin, but the C-terminal ADF-H domain, which has >10-fold higher affinity for ADP-G-actin, is almost entirely responsible for the ability of twinfilin to increase the amount of monomeric actin in cosedimentation assays. Isolated ADF-H domains associate with ADP-G-actin with rapid second-order kinetics, whereas the association of wild-type twinfilin with G-actin exhibits kinetics consistent with a two-step binding process. These data suggest that the association with an actin monomer induces a first-order conformational change within the twinfilin molecule. On the basis of these results, we propose a kinetic model for the role of twinfilin in actin dynamics and its possible function in cells.


1985 ◽  
Vol 63 (9) ◽  
pp. 1582-1585 ◽  
Author(s):  
Leslie G. Hickok

Abscisic acid normally inhibits growth and male sexual differentiation (antheridia formation) in gametophytes of the fern Ceratopteris. Abscisic acid resistant mutants show increased growth and sexual differentiation in comparison with the wild type when cultured in the presence of abscisic acid. Two different mutants that confer resistance to the effects of abscisic acid have been fully characterized. One shows moderate resistance and the other strong resistance. The mutations involve separate but linked loci. Recombination between the loci yields double mutant (cis) recombinants that exhibit additive effects and show exceptional levels of abscisic acid resistance.


Author(s):  
Anna Orekhova ◽  
Balazs Csaba Nemeth ◽  
Zsanett Jancso ◽  
Andrea Geisz ◽  
Dora Mosztbacher ◽  
...  

The activation peptide of mammalian trypsinogens typically contains a tetra-aspartate motif (positions P2-P5 in Schechter-Berger numbering) that inhibits autoactivation and facilitates activation by enteropeptidase. This evolutionary mechanism protects the pancreas from premature trypsinogen activation while allowing physiological activation in the gut lumen. Inborn mutations that disrupt the tetra-aspartate motif cause hereditary pancreatitis in humans. A subset of trypsinogen orthologs, including the mouse cationic trypsinogen (isoform T7), harbor an extended penta-aspartate motif (P2-P6) in their activation peptide. Here, we demonstrate that deletion of the extra P6 aspartate residue (D23del) increased autoactivation of T7 trypsinogen 3-fold. Mutagenesis of the P6 position in wild-type T7 trypsinogen revealed that bulky hydrophobic side-chains are preferred for maximal autoactivation and deletion-induced shift of the P7 Leu to P6 explains the autoactivation increase in the D23del mutant. Accordingly, removal of the P6 Leu by N-terminal truncation with chymotrypsin C reduced autoactivation of the D23del mutant. Homozygous T7D23del mice carrying the D23del mutation did not develop spontaneous pancreatitis and severity of cerulein-induced acute pancreatitis was comparable to that of C57BL/6N controls. However, sustained stimulation with cerulein resulted in markedly increased histological damage in T7D23del mice relative to C57BL/6N mice. Furthermore, when the T7D23del allele was crossed to a chymotrypsin-deficient background, the double-mutant mice developed spontaneous pancreatitis at an early age. Taken together, the observations argue that evolutionary expansion of the poly-aspartate motif in mouse cationic trypsinogen contributes to the natural defenses against pancreatitis and validate the role of the P6 position in autoactivation control of mammalian trypsinogens.


1988 ◽  
Vol 255 (6) ◽  
pp. F1107-F1115
Author(s):  
W. B. Jeffries ◽  
R. Fallet ◽  
G. D. Gong ◽  
P. Van Dreal ◽  
W. A. Pettinger

The putative role of the inhibitory guanine nucleotide binding protein (Gi) in modulating the renal response to vasopressin was investigated using islet activating protein (IAP). IAP treatment in rats in vivo abolished the capacity of alpha 2-adrenoceptors to reverse vasopressin-induced adenosine 3',5'-cyclic monophosphate (cAMP) accumulation in microdissected cortical collecting tubule (CCT) segments. IAP pretreatment also caused a marked upward shift in the dose-response curve of vasopressin (10(-10) to 10(-4) M)-induced cAMP accumulation. Augmentation of the response to vasopressin in rat CCT was dependent on the in vivo dose of IAP and paralleled the loss in alpha 2-adrenoceptor responsiveness. In the isolated perfused kidney the antinatriuretic and antidiuretic effects of the V2-receptor agonist desamino-8-D-arginine vasopressin (DDAVP) (1 pM) were enhanced following IAP pretreatment. alpha 2-Adrenoceptor stimulation (30 nM epinephrine) inhibited the renal effects of DDAVP (1 pM) in kidneys from control but not IAP-pretreated rats. Interestingly, IAP pretreatment alone caused increased urine flow rate and enhanced excretion of sodium and chloride without affecting potassium excretion or renal hemodynamics in vitro. Our results suggest that an IAP substrate, probably Gi, 1) is required for signal transduction by renal alpha 2-adrenoceptors, 2) may tonically modulate the response to vasopressin in the CCT but not of parathyroid hormone in the proximal convoluted tubule, and 3) participates in renal water and electrolyte reabsorption independent of exogenous adenylate cyclase stimulation.


mBio ◽  
2015 ◽  
Vol 6 (2) ◽  
Author(s):  
Andrew G. Turner ◽  
Cheryl-lynn Y. Ong ◽  
Christine M. Gillen ◽  
Mark R. Davies ◽  
Nicholas P. West ◽  
...  

ABSTRACT Streptococcus pyogenes (group A Streptococcus [GAS]) is an obligate human pathogen responsible for a spectrum of human disease states. Metallobiology of human pathogens is revealing the fundamental role of metals in both nutritional immunity leading to pathogen starvation and metal poisoning of pathogens by innate immune cells. Spy0980 (MntE) is a paralog of the GAS zinc efflux pump CzcD. Through use of an isogenic mntE deletion mutant in the GAS serotype M1T1 strain 5448, we have elucidated that MntE is a manganese-specific efflux pump required for GAS virulence. The 5448ΔmntE mutant had significantly lower survival following infection of human neutrophils than did the 5448 wild type and the complemented mutant (5448ΔmntE::mntE). Manganese homeostasis may provide protection against oxidative stress, explaining the observed ex vivo reduction in virulence. In the presence of manganese and hydrogen peroxide, 5448ΔmntE mutant exhibits significantly lower survival than wild-type 5448 and the complemented mutant. We hypothesize that MntE, by maintaining homeostatic control of cytoplasmic manganese, ensures that the peroxide response repressor PerR is optimally poised to respond to hydrogen peroxide stress. Creation of a 5448ΔmntE-ΔperR double mutant rescued the oxidative stress resistance of the double mutant to wild-type levels in the presence of manganese and hydrogen peroxide. This work elucidates the mechanism for manganese toxicity within GAS and the crucial role of manganese homeostasis in maintaining GAS virulence. IMPORTANCE Manganese is traditionally viewed as a beneficial metal ion to bacteria, and it is also established that most bacteria can tolerate high concentrations of this transition metal. In this work, we show that in group A Streptococcus, mutation of the mntE locus, which encodes a transport protein of the cation diffusion facilitator (CDF) family, results in accumulation of manganese and sensitivity to this transition metal ion. The toxicity of manganese is indirect and is the result of a failure of the PerR regulator to respond to oxidative stress in the presence of high intracellular manganese concentrations. These results highlight the importance of MntE in manganese homeostasis and maintenance of an optimal manganese/iron ratio in GAS and the impact of manganese on resistance to oxidative stress and virulence.


Microbiology ◽  
2003 ◽  
Vol 149 (9) ◽  
pp. 2455-2462 ◽  
Author(s):  
Masaru Nagai ◽  
Maki Kawata ◽  
Hisayuki Watanabe ◽  
Machiko Ogawa ◽  
Kumiko Saito ◽  
...  

A laccase (EC 1.10.3.2) was isolated from the fully browned gills of Lentinula edodes fruit bodies. The enzyme was purified to a homogeneous preparation using hydrophobic, cation-exchange and size-exclusion chromatography. SDS-PAGE analysis showed the purified laccase, Lcc 2, to be a monomeric protein of 58·0 kDa. The enzyme had an isoelectric point of around pH 6·9. The optimum pH for enzyme activity was around 3·0 against 2,2′-azino-bis(3-ethylbenzothiazoline-6-sulfonic acid)diammonium salt (ABTS), and it was most active at 40 °C and stable up to 50 °C. The enzyme contained 8·6 % carbohydrate and some copper atoms. The enzyme oxidized ABTS, p-phenylenediamine, pyrogallol, guaiacol, 2,6-dimethoxyphenol, catechol and ferulic acid, but not veratryl alcohol and tyrosine. β-(3,4-Dihydroxyphenyl)alanine (l-DOPA), which was not oxidized by a laccase previously reported from the culture filtrate of L. edodes, was also oxidized by Lcc 2, and the oxidative product of l-dopa was identified as l-DOPA quinone by HPLC analysis. Lcc 2 was able to oxidize phenolic compounds extracted from fresh gills to brown-coloured products, suggesting a role for laccase in melanin synthesis in this strain.


2004 ◽  
Vol 48 (8) ◽  
pp. 3203-3206 ◽  
Author(s):  
George A. Jacoby ◽  
Debra M. Mills ◽  
Nancy Chow

ABSTRACT High-level resistance to ertapenem was produced by β-lactamases of groups 1, 2f, and 3 in a strain of Klebsiella pneumoniae deficient in Omp35 and Omp36. From a wild-type strain producing ACT-1 β-lactamase, ertapenem-resistant mutants for which the ertapenem MICs were up to 128 μg/ml and expression of outer membrane proteins was diminished could be selected.


Sign in / Sign up

Export Citation Format

Share Document