Purification and metal ion requirements of a candidate matrix metalloproteinase: a 41 kDa gelatinase activity in the sea urchin embryo

1996 ◽  
Vol 74 (2) ◽  
pp. 211-218 ◽  
Author(s):  
Janice Mayne ◽  
John J. Robinson

Using substrate gel zymography, the sea urchin embryo was found to express a dynamic pattern of gelatinase activities with a 41 kDa species persisting throughout the course of embryonic development. We have purified to near homogeneity the 41 kDa gelatinase in the sea urchin egg. In both qualitative and quantitative assays, the 41 kDa gelatinase activity was inhibited by ethylenediaminetetracetic acid but not the serine protease inhibitor, phenylmethylsulfonylfluoride, or the chelating agent, 1,10-phenanthroline. Activity could be restored to the inactivated gelatinase by each of several divalent cations: Ca2+ > Mn2+ > Mg2+ > Cu2+. Cadmium and Zn2+ were largely ineffective at reconstituting the inactivated enzyme. In metal ion binding assays, the relative apparent affinities of the metal ions for binding to the gelatinase were determined to be Zn2+ ≥ Cd2+ ≥ Ca2+ > Mn2+ > Mg2+ > Cu2+. While the gelatinase is clearly a metalloproteinase, metal ion binding per se is not sufficient for activity. The 41 kDa gelatinase exhibited selective substrate utilization, being most active with gelatin, substantially less active with casein, and inactive towards bovine haemoglobin and bovine serum albumin as substrates. The substrate specificity and metal ion requirements suggest that this species is a member of the matrix metalloproteinase class of extracellular matrix remodelling enzymes.Key words: gelatinase, metalloproteinase, sea urchin.

1989 ◽  
Vol 67 (11-12) ◽  
pp. 808-812 ◽  
Author(s):  
John J. Robinson

The interaction of metal ions with the sea urchin extraembryonic coat protein hyalin was investigated. Hyalin, immobilized on nitrocellulose membrane, bound Ca2+ and this interaction was disrupted by ruthenium red and selective metal ions. The divalent cations Cd2+ and Mn2+, when present at a concentration of 30 μM, displaced hyalin-bound Ca2+. In competition assays, 1 mM Cd2+ or 3 mM Mn2+ were effective competitors with Ca2+ for binding to hyalin. Cobalt, at a concentration of 30 μM, was unable to displace protein-bound Ca2+, but was effective in competition assays at a concentration of at least 10 mM. Magnesium and the monovalent cation Cs+ were unable to disrupt Ca2+–hyalin interaction. Interestingly, Cd2+, Mn2+, and Co2+ mimicked the biological effects of Ca2+ on the hyalin self-association reaction. These results clearly demonstrate that the Ca2+-binding sites on hyalin can selectively accommodate other divalent cations in a biologically active configuration.Key words: calcium, metal ion, binding, hyalin.


Zygote ◽  
1999 ◽  
Vol 8 (S1) ◽  
pp. S37-S38
Author(s):  
John J. Robinson ◽  
Janice Mayne

Protease activities have been recognised as important elements in controlling the composition of the extracellular matrix. Regulated remodelling of the matrix is required for a number of physiological processes including embryonic development. Excessive and unregulated remodelling has been associated with a number of pathological conditions including the metastatic phenotype of malignant cancer (Kim et al., 1998). We have begun a search for protease activities which utilise components of the sea urchin extracellular matrix as substrates. We have identified and purified a 41 kDa protease which is present in the sea urchin egg and embryo. This species possesses a non-specific gelatin-cleavage activity as well as a collagen cleavage activity which appears to be specific for echinoderm collagen (Mayne & Robinson, 1996, 1999).The 41 kDa collagenase/ gelatinase was inhibited by EGTA and reactivated by calcium. The calcium-concentration dependence for reactivation indicated an apparent kd of 3.7 mM and was coincident with the binding of 80 moles calcium/mole of protein. These results are interpretable in terms of the high concentration of calcium (10 mM) present in seawater. In addition to calcium, seawater also contains 50 mM magnesium. The substantial amounts of calcium bound to the 41 kDa protease suggest the existence of binding sites with both low affinity and specificity for binding metal ions. To determine whether high concentrations of magnesium could influence the interaction of calcium with the 41 kDa species we used both qualitative and quantitative gelatin-cleavage assays to examine protease activity in the presence of both calcium and magnesium.


2004 ◽  
Vol 69 (4) ◽  
pp. 885-896 ◽  
Author(s):  
Luisa Stella Dolci ◽  
Péter Huszthy ◽  
Erika Samu ◽  
Marco Montalti ◽  
Luca Prodi ◽  
...  

Enantiomerically pure dimethyl- and diisobutyl-substituted phenazino-18-crown-6 ligands bind metal and ammonium ions and also primary aralkylammonium perchlorates in acetonitrile with high affinity, causing pronounced changes in their luminescence properties. In addition, they show enantioselectivity towards chiral primary aralkylammonium perchlorates. The possibility to monitor the binding process by photoluminescence spectroscopy can gain ground for the design of very efficient enantioselective chemosensors for chiral species. The observed changes in the photophysical properties are also an important tool for understanding the interactions present in the adduct.


Viruses ◽  
2021 ◽  
Vol 13 (7) ◽  
pp. 1260
Author(s):  
Diego S. Ferrero ◽  
Michela Falqui ◽  
Nuria Verdaguer

RNA viruses typically encode their own RNA-dependent RNA polymerase (RdRP) to ensure genome replication and transcription. The closed “right hand” architecture of RdRPs encircles seven conserved structural motifs (A to G) that regulate the polymerization activity. The four palm motifs, arranged in the sequential order A to D, are common to all known template dependent polynucleotide polymerases, with motifs A and C containing the catalytic aspartic acid residues. Exceptions to this design have been reported in members of the Permutotetraviridae and Birnaviridae families of positive single stranded (+ss) and double-stranded (ds) RNA viruses, respectively. In these enzymes, motif C is located upstream of motif A, displaying a permuted C–A–B–D connectivity. Here we study the details of the replication elongation process in the non-canonical RdRP of the Thosea asigna virus (TaV), an insect virus from the Permutatetraviridae family. We report the X-ray structures of three replicative complexes of the TaV polymerase obtained with an RNA template-primer in the absence and in the presence of incoming rNTPs. The structures captured different replication events and allowed to define the critical interactions involved in: (i) the positioning of the acceptor base of the template strand, (ii) the positioning of the 3’-OH group of the primer nucleotide during RNA replication and (iii) the recognition and positioning of the incoming nucleotide. Structural comparisons unveiled a closure of the active site on the RNA template-primer binding, before rNTP entry. This conformational rearrangement that also includes the repositioning of the motif A aspartate for the catalytic reaction to take place is maintained on rNTP and metal ion binding and after nucleotide incorporation, before translocation.


Sign in / Sign up

Export Citation Format

Share Document