scholarly journals Hsp60 Is Targeted to a Cryptic Mitochondrion-Derived Organelle (“Crypton”) in the Microaerophilic Protozoan Parasite Entamoeba histolytica

1999 ◽  
Vol 19 (3) ◽  
pp. 2198-2205 ◽  
Author(s):  
Zhiming Mai ◽  
Sudip Ghosh ◽  
Marta Frisardi ◽  
Ben Rosenthal ◽  
Rick Rogers ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Amino Acid ◽  
Heat Shock ◽  
Entamoeba Histolytica ◽  
Protozoan Parasite ◽  
Coding Region ◽  
Amino Terminal ◽  
Chaperonin 60 ◽  
Carboxy Terminal ◽  
Alcohol Dehydrogenase 1

ABSTRACT Entamoeba histolytica is a microaerophilic protozoan parasite in which neither mitochondria nor mitochondrion-derived organelles have been previously observed. Recently, a segment of anE. histolytica gene was identified that encoded a protein similar to the mitochondrial 60-kDa heat shock protein (Hsp60 or chaperonin 60), which refolds nuclear-encoded proteins after passage through organellar membranes. The possible function and localization of the amebic Hsp60 were explored here. Like Hsp60 of mitochondria, amebic Hsp60 RNA and protein were both strongly induced by incubating parasites at 42°C. 5′ and 3′ rapid amplifications of cDNA ends were used to obtain the entire E. histolytica hsp60 coding region, which predicted a 536-amino-acid Hsp60. The E. histolytica hsp60 gene protected from heat shockEscherichia coli groEL mutants, demonstrating the chaperonin function of the amebic Hsp60. The E. histolyticaHsp60, which lacked characteristic carboxy-terminal Gly-Met repeats, had a 21-amino-acid amino-terminal, organelle-targeting presequence that was cleaved in vivo. This presequence was necessary to target Hsp60 to one (and occasionally two or three) short, cylindrical organelle(s). In contrast, amebic alcohol dehydrogenase 1 and ferredoxin, which are bacteria-like enzymes, were diffusely distributed throughout the cytosol. We suggest that the Hsp60-associated, mitochondrion-derived organelle identified here be named “crypton,” as its structure was previously hidden and its function is still cryptic.

scholarly journals SPM1 Stabilizes Subpellicular Microtubules in Toxoplasma gondii

2011 ◽  
Vol 11 (2) ◽  
pp. 206-216 ◽  
Author(s):  
Johnson Q. Tran ◽  
Catherine Li ◽  
Alice Chyan ◽  
Lawton Chung ◽  
Naomi S. Morrissette
Keyword(s):  
Amino Acid ◽  
Toxoplasma Gondii ◽  
Protozoan Parasite ◽  
Content Type ◽  
Amino Terminal ◽  
Novel Proteins ◽  
Amino Acid Repeats ◽  
The Stability ◽  
Carboxy Terminal ◽  
Amino Terminal Domain

ABSTRACTWe have identified two novel proteins that colocalize with thesubpellicularmicrotubules in the protozoan parasiteToxoplasma gondiiand named these proteins SPM1 and SPM2. These proteins have basic isoelectric points and both have homologs in other apicomplexan parasites. SPM1 contains six tandem copies of a 32-amino-acid repeat, whereas SPM2 lacks defined protein signatures. Alignment ofToxoplasmaSPM2 with apparentPlasmodiumSPM2 homologs indicates that the greatest degree of conservation lies in the carboxy-terminal half of the protein. Analysis ofPlasmodiumhomologs of SPM1 indicates that while the central 32-amino-acid repeats have expanded to different degrees (7, 8, 9, 12, or 13 repeats), the amino- and carboxy-terminal regions remain conserved. In contrast, although theCryptosporidiumSPM1 homolog has a conserved carboxy tail, the five repeats are considerably diverged, and it has a smaller amino-terminal domain. SPM1 is localized along the full length of the subpellicular microtubules but does not associate with the conoid or spindle microtubules. SPM2 has a restricted localization along the middle region of the subpellicular microtubules. Domain deletion analysis indicates that four or more copies of the SPM1 repeat are required for localization to microtubules, and the amino-terminal 63 residues of SPM2 are required for localization to the subpellicular microtubules. Gene deletion studies indicate that neither SPM1 nor SPM2 is essential for tachyzoite viability. However, loss of SPM1 decreases overall parasite fitness and eliminates the stability of subpellicular microtubules to detergent extraction.

scholarly journals Primary structure requirements for correct sorting of the yeast mitochondrial protein ADH III to the yeast mitochondrial matrix space.

1987 ◽  
Vol 7 (1) ◽  
pp. 294-304 ◽  
Author(s):  
D Pilgrim ◽  
E T Young
Keyword(s):  
Amino Acids ◽  
Enzyme Activity ◽  
Amino Acid ◽  
Proteolytic Processing ◽  
Mitochondrial Matrix ◽  
Wild Type ◽  
Mature Form ◽  
Amino Terminal ◽  
The Matrix

Alcohol dehydrogenase isoenzyme III (ADH III) in Saccharomyces cerevisiae, the product of the ADH3 gene, is located in the mitochondrial matrix. The ADH III protein was synthesized as a larger precursor in vitro when the gene was transcribed with the SP6 promoter and translated with a reticulocyte lysate. A precursor of the same size was detected when radioactively pulse-labeled proteins were immunoprecipitated with anti-ADH antibody. This precursor was rapidly processed to the mature form in vivo with a half-time of less than 3 min. The processing was blocked if the mitochondria were uncoupled with carbonyl cyanide m-chlorophenylhydrazone. Mutant enzymes in which only the amino-terminal 14 or 16 amino acids of the presequence were retained were correctly targeted and imported into the matrix. A mutant enzyme that was missing the amino-terminal 17 amino acids of the presequence produced an active enzyme, but the majority of the enzyme activity remained in the cytoplasmic compartment on cellular fractionation. Random amino acid changes were produced in the wild-type presequence by bisulfite mutagenesis of the ADH3 gene. The resulting ADH III protein was targeted to the mitochondria and imported into the matrix in all of the mutants tested, as judged by enzyme activity. Mutants containing amino acid changes in the carboxyl-proximal half of the ADH3 presequence were imported and processed to the mature form at a slower rate than the wild type, as judged by pulse-chase studies in vivo. The unprocessed precursor appeared to be unstable in vivo. It was concluded that only a small portion of the presequence contains the necessary information for correct targeting and import. Furthermore, the information for correct proteolytic processing of the presequence appears to be distinct from the targeting information and may involve secondary structure information in the presequence.

Distinct domains of a nucleolar protein mediate protein kinase binding, interaction with nucleic acids and nucleolar localization

1998 ◽  
Vol 111 (17) ◽  
pp. 2615-2623 ◽  
Author(s):  
A. Das ◽  
J.H. Park ◽  
C.B. Hagen ◽  
M. Parsons
Keyword(s):  
Protein Kinase ◽  
Nucleic Acids ◽  
Protozoan Parasite ◽  
In Vitro Transcription ◽  
Nucleic Acid Binding ◽  
Binding Interaction ◽  
Amino Terminal ◽  
Amino Acid Region ◽  
Carboxy Terminal

Nopp44/46 is a phosphoprotein of the protozoan parasite Trypanosoma brucei that is localized to the nucleolus. Based on the primary sequence, Nopp44/46 appears to be a protein composed of distinct domains. This communication describes the relationship of these domains to the known functional interactions of the molecule and suggests that the amino-terminal region defines a novel homology region that functions in nucleolar targeting. We have previously shown that Nopp44/46 is capable of interacting with nucleic acids and associating with a protein kinase. Using in vitro transcription and translation, we now demonstrate that the nucleic acid binding function maps to the carboxy-terminal domain of the molecule, a region rich in arginine-glycine-glycine motifs. Our experiments reveal that a central region containing a high proportion of acidic residues is required for association with the protein kinase. Analysis of transfectants expressing epitope-tagged Nopp44/46 deletion constructs showed that the amino-terminal 96 amino acids allowed nuclear and nucleolar accumulation of the protein. This region of the molecule shows homology to several recently described nucleolar proteins. Deletion of a 27-amino-acid region within this domain abrogated nucleolar, but not nuclear, localization. These studies show that Nopp44/46 is composed of distinct modules, each of which plays a different role in molecular interactions. We suggest that this protein could facilitate interactions between sets of nucleolar molecules.

scholarly journals Dual binding motifs underpin the hierarchical association of perilipins1–3 with lipid droplets

2019 ◽  
Vol 30 (5) ◽  
pp. 703-716 ◽  
Author(s):  
Dalila Ajjaji ◽  
Kalthoum Ben M'barek ◽  
Michael L. Mimmack ◽  
Cheryl England ◽  
Haya Herscovitz ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Lipid Droplets ◽  
Tissue Type ◽  
Binding Motifs ◽  
Amino Terminal ◽  
A Cell ◽  
Oil Water ◽  
Carboxy Terminal ◽  
Hierarchical Manner

Lipid droplets (LDs) in all eukaryotic cells are coated with at least one of the perilipin (Plin) family of proteins. They all regulate key intracellular lipases but do so to significantly different extents. Where more than one Plin is expressed in a cell, they associate with LDs in a hierarchical manner. In vivo, this means that lipid flux control in a particular cell or tissue type is heavily influenced by the specific Plins present on its LDs. Despite their early discovery, exactly how Plins target LDs and why they displace each other in a “hierarchical” manner remains unclear. They all share an amino-terminal 11-mer repeat (11mr) amphipathic region suggested to be involved in LD targeting. Here, we show that, in vivo, this domain functions as a primary highly reversible LD targeting motif in Plin1–3, and, in vitro, we document reversible and competitive binding between a wild-type purified Plin1 11mr peptide and a mutant with reduced binding affinity to both “naked” and phospholipid-coated oil–water interfaces. We also present data suggesting that a second carboxy-terminal 4-helix bundle domain stabilizes LD binding in Plin1 more effectively than in Plin2, whereas it weakens binding in Plin3. These findings suggest that dual amphipathic helical regions mediate LD targeting and underpin the hierarchical binding of Plin1–3 to LDs.

scholarly journals Organizational analysis of elav gene and functional analysis of ELAV protein of Drosophila melanogaster and Drosophila virilis.

1991 ◽  
Vol 11 (6) ◽  
pp. 2994-3000 ◽  
Author(s):  
K M Yao ◽  
K White
Keyword(s):  
Amino Acids ◽  
Amino Acid ◽  
Rna Binding ◽  
Terminal Region ◽  
Drosophila Virilis ◽  
Functional Domain ◽  
Amino Terminal ◽  
Binding Domains ◽  
Rna Binding Domains

Drosophila virilis genomic DNA corresponding to the D. melanogaster embryonic lethal abnormal visual system (elav) locus was cloned. DNA sequence analysis of a 3.8-kb genomic piece allowed identification of (i) an open reading frame (ORF) with striking homology to the previously identified D. melanogaster ORF and (ii) conserved sequence elements of possible regulatory relevance within and flanking the second intron. Conceptual translation of the D. virilis ORF predicts a 519-amino-acid-long ribonucleoprotein consensus sequence-type protein. Similar to D. melanogaster ELAV protein, it contains three tandem RNA-binding domains and an alanine/glutamine-rich amino-terminal region. The sequence throughout the RNA-binding domains, comprising the carboxy-terminal 346 amino acids, shows an extraordinary 100% identity at the amino acid level, indicating a strong structural constraint for this functional domain. The amino-terminal region is 36 amino acids longer in D. virilis, and the conservation is 66%. In in vivo functional tests, the D. virilis ORF was indistinguishable from the D. melanogaster ORF. Furthermore, a D. melanogaster ORF encoding an ELAV protein with a 40-amino-acid deletion within the alanine/glutamine-rich region was also able to supply elav function in vivo. Thus, the divergence of the amino-terminal region of the ELAV protein reflects lowered functional constraint rather than species-specific functional specification.

scholarly journals A Carboxy-Terminal 16-Amino-Acid Region of ς38 ofEscherichia coli Is Important for Transcription under High-Salt Conditions and Sigma Activities In Vivo

2000 ◽  
Vol 182 (16) ◽  
pp. 4628-4631 ◽  
Author(s):  
Mio Ohnuma ◽  
Nobuyuki Fujita ◽  
Akira Ishihama ◽  
Kan Tanaka ◽  
Hideo Takahashi
Keyword(s):  
Amino Acid ◽  
Bacterial Species ◽  
High Potassium ◽  
Transcription Analysis ◽  
Amino Acid Region ◽  
Sigma Subunit ◽  
Carboxy Terminal ◽  
Acid Region

ABSTRACT ς38 (or ςS, the rpoS gene product) is a sigma subunit of RNA polymerase in Escherichia coli and directs transcription from a number of stationary-phase promoters as well as osmotically inducible promoters. In this study, we analyzed the function of the carboxy-terminal 16-amino-acid region of ς38 (residues 315 to 330), which is well conserved among the rpoS gene products of enteric bacterial species. Truncation of this region was shown to result in the loss of sigma activity in vivo using promoter-lacZ fusion constructs, but the mutant ς38 retained the binding activity in vivo to the core enzyme. The in vitro transcription analysis revealed that the transcription activity of ς38 holoenzyme under high potassium glutamate concentrations was significantly decreased by the truncation of the carboxy-terminal tail element.

scholarly journals Casein Kinase I Regulates Membrane Binding by ARF GAP1

2002 ◽  
Vol 13 (8) ◽  
pp. 2559-2570 ◽  
Author(s):  
Sidney Yu ◽  
Michael G. Roth
Keyword(s):  
Amino Acid ◽  
Secretory Pathway ◽  
Protein Transport ◽  
Membrane Binding ◽  
Casein Kinase ◽  
Protein Domain ◽  
Amino Terminal ◽  
Early Secretory Pathway

ARF GAP1, a 415-amino acid GTPase activating protein (GAP) for ADP-ribosylation factor (ARF) contains an amino-terminal 115-amino acid catalytic domain and no other recognizable features. Amino acids 203–334 of ARF GAP1 were sufficient to target a GFP-fusion protein to Golgi membranes in vivo. When overexpressed in COS-1 cells, this protein domain inhibited protein transport between the ER and Golgi and, in vitro, competed with the full-length ARF GAP1 for binding to membranes. Membrane binding by ARF GAP1 in vitro was increased by a factor in cytosol and this increase was inhibited by IC261, an inhibitor selective for casein kinase Iδ (CKIδ), or when cytosol was treated with antibody to CKIδ. The noncatalytic domain of ARF GAP1 was phosphorylated both in vivo and in vitro by CKI. IC261 blocked membrane binding by ARF GAP1 in vivo and inhibited protein transport in the early secretory pathway. Overexpression of a catalytically inactive CKIδ also inhibited the binding of ARF GAP1 to membranes and interfered with protein transport. Thus, a CKI isoform is required for protein traffic through the early secretory pathway and can modulate the amount of ARF GAP1 that can bind to membranes.

scholarly journals Autoantibodies from patients with primary biliary cirrhosis recognize a restricted region within the cytoplasmic tail of nuclear pore membrane glycoprotein Gp210.

1993 ◽  
Vol 178 (6) ◽  
pp. 2237-2242 ◽  
Author(s):  
R E Nickowitz ◽  
H J Worman
Keyword(s):  
Amino Acids ◽  
Amino Acid ◽  
Primary Biliary Cirrhosis ◽  
Antigenic Determinants ◽  
Nuclear Pore ◽  
Biliary Cirrhosis ◽  
Amino Terminal ◽  
Terminal Domain ◽  
Carboxy Terminal ◽  
Amino Terminal Domain

Patients with primary biliary cirrhosis (PBC) frequently have autoantibodies against a 210-kD integral glycoprotein of the nuclear envelope pore membrane. This protein, termed gp210, has a 1,783-amino acid amino-terminal domain located in the perinuclear space, a 20-amino acid transmembrane segment, and a 58-amino acid cytoplasmic carboxy-terminal tail. We now demonstrate that autoantibodies from 25 patients with PBC that recognize gp210 react with the cytoplasmic carboxy-terminal tail while none react with unmodified linear epitopes in the amino-terminal domain. The epitope(s) recognized by autoantibodies from all 25 patients is contained within a stretch of 15 amino acids. The recognized amino acid sequence is homologous to the protein products of the Escherichia coli mutY gene and Salmonella typhimurium mutB gene with an exact identity of six consecutive amino acids, suggesting that anti-gp210 antibodies may arise by molecular mimicry of bacterial antigenic determinants.

scholarly journals Identification and characterization of PF4varl, a human gene variant of platelet factor 4.

1989 ◽  
Vol 9 (4) ◽  
pp. 1445-1451 ◽  
Author(s):  
C J Green ◽  
R S Charles ◽  
B F Edwards ◽  
P H Johnson
Keyword(s):  
Amino Acid ◽  
Terminal Region ◽  
Leader Sequence ◽  
Platelet Factor 4 ◽  
Heparin Binding ◽  
Platelet Factor ◽  
Coding Sequences ◽  
Amino Terminal ◽  
Arginine Residues ◽  
Carboxy Terminal

A synthetic DNA probe designed to detect coding sequences for platelet factor 4 and connective tissue-activating peptide III (two human platelet alpha-granule proteins) was used to identify several similar sequences in total human DNA. Sequence analysis of a corresponding 3,201-base-pair EcoRI fragment isolated from a human genomic library demonstrated the existence of a variant of platelet factor 4, designated PF4var1. The gene for PF4var1 consisted of three exons and two introns. Exon 1 coded for a 34-amino-acid hydrophobic leader sequence that had 70% sequence homology with the leader sequence for PF4 but, in contrast, contained a hydrophilic amino-terminal region with four arginine residues. Exon 2 coded for a 42-amino-acid segment that was 100% identical with the corresponding segment of the mature PF4 sequence containing the amino-terminal and disulfide-bonded core regions. Exon 3 coded for the 28-residue carboxy-terminal region corresponding to a domain specifying heparin-binding and cellular chemotaxis. However, PF4var1 had amino acid differences at three positions in the lysine-rich carboxy-terminal end that were all conserved among human, bovine, and rat PF4s. These differences should significantly affect the secondary structure and heparin-binding properties of the protein based on considerations of the bovine PF4 crystal structure. By comparing the PF4var1 genomic sequence with the known human cDNA and the rat genomic PF4-coding sequences, we identified potential genetic regulatory regions for PF4var1. Rat PF4 and human PF4var1 genes had identical 18-base sequences 5' to the promoter region. The intron positions appeared to correspond approximately to the boundaries of the protein functional domains.

scholarly journals Extending the Cytoplasmic Tail of the Influenza A Virus M2 Protein Leads to Reduced Virus Replication In Vivo but Not In Vitro

2007 ◽  
Vol 82 (2) ◽  
pp. 1059-1063 ◽  
Author(s):  
Wai-Hong Wu ◽  
Andrew Pekosz
Keyword(s):  
Influenza A Virus ◽  
Influenza A ◽  
Mdck Cells ◽  
Cytoplasmic Tail ◽  
M2 Protein ◽  
Coding Region ◽  
Epitope Tag ◽  
Carboxy Terminal

ABSTRACT A carboxy-terminal epitope tag introduced into the coding region of the A/WSN/33 M2 protein resulted in a recombinant virus (rWSN M2myc) which replicated to titers similar to those of the parental virus (rWSN) in MDCK cells. The rWSN M2myc virus was attenuated in its ability to induce mortality and weight loss after the intranasal inoculation of BALB/c mice, indicating that the M2 cytoplasmic tail plays a role in virus virulence. Mice infected with rWSN M2myc were completely protected from subsequent challenge with rWSN, suggesting that epitope tagging of the M2 protein may be a useful way of attenuating influenza A virus strains.

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