Detection and functional characterization of early appearing antibodies in rabbits with experimental syphilis

1985 ◽  
Vol 31 (1) ◽  
pp. 62-67 ◽  
Author(s):  
Marianne Rice ◽  
T. J. Fitzgerald
Keyword(s):  
Functional Role ◽  
Functional Characterization ◽  
Treponema Pallidum ◽  
Enzyme Linked Immunosorbent Assay ◽  
Host Defenses ◽  
Culture Cells ◽  
Tissue Culture Cells ◽  
Testicular Lesions ◽  
Surface Antibodies

Following testicular infection of rabbits with Treponema pallidum, different antibodies become detectable initially at the time of healing. Experiments were performed to determine a functional role for these antibodies. Rabbits were sacrificed after 4–8 days. Treponemal numbers steadily increased for 10–12 days. Thereafter, host defenses were sufficiently stimulated to begin clearing the organisms. Antibodies in serum and antibodies localized at the site of infection were quantitated using radioimmunoassay and enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay (ELISA) techniques. Anti-treponemal lgG was detected as early as day 4. Quantities of antibody correspondingly increased with time following infection. Treponema pallidum was harvested 7 and 14 days postinfection and tested for surface antibodies. With increasing days postinfection, more antibody was found on the organisms. Two functional properties of these antibodies were shown. Sera from 24 of 45 rabbits infected for 14 days immobilized T. pallidum in the presence of complement and 14-day sera blocked the attachment of T. pallidum to tissue culture cells. We suggest that antibody-mediated, complement-dependent immobilization of T. pallidum and blockage of attachment are at least partially responsible for healing of testicular lesions.

scholarly journals Isolation of Functional Golgi-derived Vesicles with a Possible Role in Retrograde Transport

1998 ◽  
Vol 140 (3) ◽  
pp. 541-551 ◽  
Author(s):  
Harold D. Love ◽  
Chung-Chih Lin ◽  
Craig S. Short ◽  
Joachim Ostermann
Keyword(s):  
Golgi Apparatus ◽  
Functional Characterization ◽  
Retrograde Transport ◽  
Secretory Proteins ◽  
Golgi Stack ◽  
Culture Cells ◽  
Golgi Membranes ◽  
Tissue Culture Cells ◽  
Transport Vesicles

Secretory proteins enter the Golgi apparatus when transport vesicles fuse with the cis-side and exit in transport vesicles budding from the trans-side. Resident Golgi enzymes that have been transported in the cis-to-trans direction with the secretory flow must be recycled constantly by retrograde transport in the opposite direction. In this study, we describe the functional characterization of Golgi-derived transport vesicles that were isolated from tissue culture cells. We found that under the steady-state conditions of a living cell, a fraction of resident Golgi enzymes was found in vesicles that could be separated from cisternal membranes. These vesicles appeared to be depleted of secretory cargo. They were capable of binding to and fusion with isolated Golgi membranes, and after fusion their enzymatic contents most efficiently processed cargo that had just entered the Golgi apparatus. Those results indicate a possible role for these structures in recycling of Golgi enzymes in the Golgi stack.

scholarly journals Structural and functional analysis of two di-domain aromatase/cyclases from type II polyketide synthases

2015 ◽  
Vol 112 (50) ◽  
pp. E6844-E6851 ◽  
Author(s):  
Grace Caldara-Festin ◽  
David R. Jackson ◽  
Jesus F. Barajas ◽  
Timothy R. Valentic ◽  
Avinash B. Patel ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Functional Analysis ◽  
Functional Role ◽  
Functional Characterization ◽  
Polyketide Synthases ◽  
Type Ii ◽  
Aromatic Polyketides ◽  
Linear Poly ◽  
Bacterial Type

Aromatic polyketides make up a large class of natural products with diverse bioactivity. During biosynthesis, linear poly-β-ketone intermediates are regiospecifically cyclized, yielding molecules with defined cyclization patterns that are crucial for polyketide bioactivity. The aromatase/cyclases (ARO/CYCs) are responsible for regiospecific cyclization of bacterial polyketides. The two most common cyclization patterns are C7–C12 and C9–C14 cyclizations. We have previously characterized three monodomain ARO/CYCs: ZhuI, TcmN, and WhiE. The last remaining uncharacterized class of ARO/CYCs is the di-domain ARO/CYCs, which catalyze C7–C12 cyclization and/or aromatization. Di-domain ARO/CYCs can further be separated into two subclasses: “nonreducing” ARO/CYCs, which act on nonreduced poly-β-ketones, and “reducing” ARO/CYCs, which act on cyclized C9 reduced poly-β-ketones. For years, the functional role of each domain in cyclization and aromatization for di-domain ARO/CYCs has remained a mystery. Here we present what is to our knowledge the first structural and functional analysis, along with an in-depth comparison, of the nonreducing (StfQ) and reducing (BexL) di-domain ARO/CYCs. This work completes the structural and functional characterization of mono- and di-domain ARO/CYCs in bacterial type II polyketide synthases and lays the groundwork for engineered biosynthesis of new bioactive polyketides.

scholarly journals Identification of septin-interacting proteins and characterization of the Smt3/SUMO-conjugation system inDrosophila

2002 ◽  
Vol 115 (6) ◽  
pp. 1259-1271 ◽  
Author(s):  
Hsin-Pei Shih ◽  
Karen G. Hales ◽  
John R. Pringle ◽  
Mark Peifer
Keyword(s):  
Cell Cortex ◽  
Interacting Proteins ◽  
Conjugation System ◽  
Sumo Conjugation ◽  
Culture Cells ◽  
Tissue Culture Cells ◽  
Immunofluorescence Studies ◽  
Blastoderm Stage ◽  
Two Hybrid

The septins are a family of proteins involved in cytokinesis and other aspects of cell-cortex organization. In a two-hybrid screen designed to identify septin-interacting proteins in Drosophila, we isolated several genes, including homologues (Dmuba2 and Dmubc9) of yeast UBA2 and UBC9. Yeast Uba2p and Ubc9p are involved in the activation and conjugation, respectively, of the ubiquitin-like protein Smt3p/SUMO, which becomes conjugated to a variety of proteins through this pathway. Uba2p functions together with a second protein, Aos1p. We also cloned and characterized the Drosophila homologues of AOS1(Dmaos1) and SMT3 (Dmsmt3). Our biochemical data suggest that DmUba2/DmAos1 and DmUbc9 indeed act as activating and conjugating enzymes for DmSmt3, implying that this protein-conjugation pathway is well conserved in Drosophila. Immunofluorescence studies showed that DmUba2 shuttles between the embryonic cortex and nuclei during the syncytial blastoderm stage. In older embryos, DmUba2 and DmSmt3 are both concentrated in the nuclei during interphase but dispersed throughout the cells during mitosis, with DmSmt3 also enriched on the chromosomes during mitosis. These data suggest that DmSmt3 could modify target proteins both inside and outside the nuclei. We did not observe any concentration of DmUba2 at sites where the septins are concentrated, and we could not detect DmSmt3 modification of the three Drosophila septins tested. However, we did observe DmSmt3 localization to the midbody during cytokinesis both in tissue-culture cells and in embryonic mitotic domains, suggesting that DmSmt3 modification of septins and/or other midzone proteins occurs during cytokinesis in Drosophila.

scholarly journals Biochemical Characterization of the Drosophila Wingless Signaling Pathway Based on RNA Interference

2004 ◽  
Vol 24 (5) ◽  
pp. 2012-2024 ◽  
Author(s):  
Hiroko Matsubayashi ◽  
Sonoka Sese ◽  
Jong-Seo Lee ◽  
Tadaoki Shirakawa ◽  
Takeshi Iwatsubo ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Rna Interference ◽  
Biochemical Characterization ◽  
The Other ◽  
Protein Levels ◽  
Culture Cells ◽  
Tissue Culture Cells ◽  
Mediated Priming ◽  
Kinase A

ABSTRACT Regulation of Armadillo (Arm) protein levels through ubiquitin-mediated degradation plays a central role in the Wingless (Wg) signaling. Although zeste-white3 (Zw3)-mediated Arm phosphorylation has been implicated in its degradation, we have recently shown that casein kinase Iα (CKIα) also phosphorylates Arm and induces its degradation. However, it remains unclear how CKIα and Zw3, as well as other components of the Arm degradation complex, regulate Arm phosphorylation in response to Wg. In particular, whether Wg signaling suppresses CKIα- or Zw3-mediated Arm phosphorylaytion in vivo is unknown. To clarify these issues, we performed a series of RNA interference (RNAi)-based analyses in Drosophila S2R+ cells by using antibodies that specifically recognize Arm phosphorylated at different serine residues. These analyses revealed that Arm phosphorylation at serine-56 and at threonine-52, serine-48, and serine-44, is mediated by CKIα and Zw3, respectively, and that Zw3-directed Arm phosphorylation requires CKIα-mediated priming phosphorylation. Daxin stimulates Zw3- but not CKIα-mediated Arm phosphorylation. Wg suppresses Zw3- but not CKIα-mediated Arm phosphorylation, indicating that a vital regulatory step in Wg signaling is Zw3-mediated Arm phosphorylation. In addition, further RNAi-based analyses of the other aspects of the Wg pathway clarified that Wg-induced Dishevelled phosphoylation is due to CKIα and that presenilin and protein kinase A play little part in the regulation of Arm protein levels in Drosophila tissue culture cells.

scholarly journals Analysis of formin functions during cytokinesis using specific inhibitor SMIFH2

2021 ◽  
Author(s):  
Laining Zhang ◽  
Tetyana Smertenko ◽  
Deirdre Fahy ◽  
Nuria Koteyeva ◽  
Natalia Moroz ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Tissue Culture ◽  
Functional Characterization ◽  
Specific Inhibitor ◽  
Cell Plate ◽  
Microtubule Organization ◽  
Culture Cells ◽  
Microtubule Polymerization ◽  
Tissue Culture Cells ◽  
Molecule Inhibitor ◽  
Related Proteins

AbstractThe phragmoplast separates daughter cells during cytokinesis by constructing the cell plate, which depends on interaction between cytoskeleton and membrane compartments. Proteins responsible for these interactions remain unknown, but formins can link cytoskeleton with membranes and several members of formin protein family localize to the cell plate. Progress in functional characterization of formins in cytokinesis is hindered by functional redundancies within the large formin gene family. We addressed this limitation by employing Small Molecular Inhibitor of Formin Homology 2 (SMIFH2), a small-molecule inhibitor of formins. Treatment of tobacco (Nicotiana tabacum) tissue culture cells with SMIFH2 perturbed localization of actin at the cell plate; slowed down both microtubule polymerization and phragmoplast expansion; diminished association of dynamin-related proteins with the cell plate independently of actin and microtubules; and caused cell plate swelling. Another impact of SMIFH2 was shortening of the END BINDING1b (EB1b) and EB1c comets on the growing microtubule plus ends in N. tabacum tissue culture cells and Arabidopsis thaliana cotyledon epidermis cells. The shape of the EB1 comets in the SMIFH2-treated cells resembled that of the knockdown mutant of plant Xenopus Microtubule-Associated protein of 215 kDa (XMAP215) homolog MICROTUBULE ORGANIZATION 1/GEMINI 1 (MOR1/GEM1). This outcome suggests that formins promote elongation of tubulin flares on the growing plus ends. Formins AtFH1 (A. thaliana Formin Homology 1) and AtFH8 can also interact with EB1. Besides cytokinesis, formins function in the mitotic spindle assembly and metaphase to anaphase transition. Our data suggest that during cytokinesis formins function in: (1) promoting microtubule polymerization; (2) nucleating F-actin at the cell plate; (3) retaining dynamin-related proteins at the cell plate; and (4) remodeling of the cell plate membrane.

Further characterization of the antigen defined by the monoclonal antibody M27

1989 ◽  
Vol 94 (4) ◽  
pp. 725-731
Author(s):  
M.E. Bramwell ◽  
S.M. Humm
Keyword(s):  
Monoclonal Antibody ◽  
Culture Cells ◽  
Tissue Culture Cells ◽  
Reducing Conditions ◽  
Rat Lymphocytes ◽  
Foetal Liver ◽  
Cultivation In Vitro

Using immunoblotting techniques, the antigen that binds the monoclonal antibody M27 has been clearly defined in terms of apparent molecular mass and distribution. In reducing conditions it has an apparent mass of 178K (K = 10(3) Mr) and is present in the cytoplasm and membranes of all mammalian tissue culture cells so far examined. It is absent from lines derived from avian, piscine and amphibian sources. It is also absent from foetal liver of both rat and mouse, but subsequently appears after cultivation in vitro. Similarly, it can be detected on rat lymphocytes only after mitogenic stimulation. However, it is found on both hepatoma and lymphoma cells in vitro, and on in vivo tumours from murine sources. It thus appears to be associated with cell proliferation.

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