scholarly journals The Role of Arg13 in Protein Phosphatase M tPphA from Thermosynechococcus elongatus

2012 ◽  
Vol 2012 ◽  
pp. 1-7 ◽  
Author(s):  
Jiyong Su ◽  
Karl Forchhammer

A highly conserved arginine residue is close to the catalytic center of PPM/PP2C-type protein phosphatases. Different crystal structures of PPM/PP2C homologues revealed that the guanidinium side chain of this arginine residue can adopt variable conformations and may bind ligands, suggesting an important role of this residue during catalysis. In this paper, we randomly mutated Arginine 13 of tPphA, a PPM/PP2C-type phosphatase from Thermosynechococcus elongatus, and obtained 18 different amino acid variants. The generated variants were tested towards p-nitrophenyl phosphate and various phosphopeptides. Towards p-nitrophenyl phosphate as substrate, twelve variants showed 3–7 times higher Km values than wild-type tPphA and four variants (R13D, R13F, R13L, and R13W) completely lost activity. Strikingly, these variants were still able to dephosphorylate phosphopeptides, although with strongly reduced activity. The specific inability of some Arg-13 variants to hydrolyze p-nitrophenyl phosphate highlights the importance of additional substrate interactions apart from the substrate phosphate for catalysis. The properties of the R13 variants indicate that this residue assists in substrate binding.

2019 ◽  
Vol 116 (31) ◽  
pp. 15651-15660
Author(s):  
Qun Gao ◽  
Anchun Cheng ◽  
John S. Parkinson

Motile Escherichia coli cells use chemoreceptor signaling arrays to track chemical gradients with exquisite precision. Highly conserved residues in the cytoplasmic hairpin tip of chemoreceptor molecules promote assembly of trimer-based signaling complexes and modulate the activity of their CheA kinase partners. To explore hairpin tip output states in the serine receptor Tsr, we characterized the signaling consequences of amino acid replacements at the salt-bridge residue pair E385-R388. All mutant receptors assembled trimers and signaling complexes, but most failed to support serine chemotaxis in soft agar assays. Small side-chain replacements at either residue produced OFF- or ON-shifted outputs that responded to serine stimuli in wild-type fashion, suggesting that these receptors, like the wild-type, operate as two-state signaling devices. Larger aliphatic or aromatic side chains caused slow or partial kinase control responses that proved dependent on the connections between core signaling units that promote array cooperativity. In a mutant lacking one of two key adapter-kinase contacts (interface 2), those mutant receptors exhibited more wild-type behaviors. Lastly, mutant receptors with charged amino acid replacements assembled signaling complexes that were locked in kinase-ON (E385K|R) or kinase-OFF (R388D|E) output. The hairpin tips of mutant receptors with these more aberrant signaling properties probably have nonnative structures or dynamic behaviors. Our results suggest that chemoeffector stimuli and adaptational modifications influence the cooperative connections between core signaling units. This array remodeling process may involve activity-dependent changes in the relative strengths of interface 1 and 2 interactions between the CheW and CheA.P5 components of receptor core signaling complexes.


2010 ◽  
Vol 84 (14) ◽  
pp. 7039-7052 ◽  
Author(s):  
Barbara Kropff ◽  
Yvonne Koedel ◽  
William Britt ◽  
Michael Mach

ABSTRACT Envelopment of a herpesvirus particle is a complex process of which much is still to be learned. We previously identified the glycoprotein gpUL132 of human cytomegalovirus (HCMV) as an envelope component of the virion. In its carboxy-terminal portion, gpUL132 contains at least four motifs for sorting of transmembrane proteins to endosomes; among them are one dileucine-based signal and three tyrosine-based signals of the YXXØ and NPXY (where X stands for any amino acid, and Ø stands for any bulky hydrophobic amino acid) types. To investigate the role of each of these trafficking signals in intracellular localization and viral replication, we constructed a panel of expression plasmids and recombinant viruses in which the signals were rendered nonfunctional by mutagenesis. In transfected cells wild-type gpUL132 was mainly associated with the trans-Golgi network. Consecutive mutation of the trafficking signals resulted in increasing fractions of the protein localized at the cell surface, with gpUL132 mutated in all four trafficking motifs predominantly associated with the plasma membrane. Concomitant with increased surface expression, endocytosis of mutant gpUL132 was reduced, with a gpUL132 expressing all four motifs in mutated form being almost completely impaired in endocytosis. The replication of recombinant viruses harboring mutations in single trafficking motifs was comparable to replication of wild-type virus. In contrast, viruses containing mutations in three or four of the trafficking signals showed pronounced deficits in replication with a reduction of approximately 100-fold. Moreover, recombinant viruses expressing gpUL132 with three or four trafficking motifs mutated failed to incorporate the mutant protein into the virus particle. These results demonstrate a role of endocytosis of an HCMV envelope glycoprotein for incorporation into the virion and optimal virus replication.


2017 ◽  
Vol 95 (6) ◽  
pp. 634-643
Author(s):  
Juliano Alves ◽  
Miguel Garay-Malpartida ◽  
João M. Occhiucci ◽  
José E. Belizário

Procaspase-7 zymogen polypeptide is composed of a short prodomain, a large subunit (p20), and a small subunit (p10) connected to an intersubunit linker. Caspase-7 is activated by an initiator caspase-8 and -9, or by autocatalysis after specific cleavage at IQAD198↓S located at the intersubunit linker. Previously, we identified that PEST regions made of amino acid residues Pro (P), Glu (E), Asp (D), Ser (S), Thr (T), Asn (N), and Gln (Q) are conserved flanking amino acid residues in the cleavage sites within a prodomain and intersubunit linker of all caspase family members. Here we tested the impact of alanine substitution of PEST amino acid residues on procaspase-7 proteolytic self-activation directly in Escherichia coli. The p20 and p10 subunit cleavage were significantly delayed in double caspase-7 mutants in the prodomain (N18A/P26A) and intersubunit linker (S199A/P201A), compared with the wild-type caspase-7. The S199A/P201A mutants effectively inhibited the p10 small subunit cleavage. However, the mutations did not change the kinetic parameters (kcat/KM) and optimal tetrapeptide specificity (DEVD) of the purified mutant enzymes. The results suggest a role of PEST-amino acid residues in the molecular mechanism for prodomain and intersubunit cleavage and caspase-7 self-activation.


2009 ◽  
Vol 133 (2) ◽  
pp. 131-138 ◽  
Author(s):  
Hyun-Ho Lim ◽  
Christopher Miller

CLC-ec1, a bacterial homologue of the CLC family’s transporter subclass, catalyzes transmembrane exchange of Cl− and H+. Mutational analysis based on the known structure reveals several key residues required for coupling H+ to the stoichiometric countermovement of Cl−. E148 (Gluex) transfers protons between extracellular water and the protein interior, and E203 (Gluin) is thought to function analogously on the intracellular face of the protein. Mutation of either residue eliminates H+ transport while preserving Cl− transport. We tested the role of Gluin by examining structural and functional properties of mutants at this position. Certain dissociable side chains (E, D, H, K, R, but not C and Y) retain H+/Cl− exchanger activity to varying degrees, while other mutations (V, I, or C) abolish H+ coupling and severely inhibit Cl− flux. Transporters substituted with other nonprotonatable side chains (Q, S, and A) show highly impaired H+ transport with substantial Cl− transport. Influence on H+ transport of side chain length and acidity was assessed using a single-cysteine mutant to introduce non-natural side chains. Crystal structures of both coupled (E203H) and uncoupled (E203V) mutants are similar to wild type. The results support the idea that Gluin is the internal proton-transfer residue that delivers protons from intracellular solution to the protein interior, where they couple to Cl− movements to bring about Cl−/H+ exchange.


2005 ◽  
Vol 71 (12) ◽  
pp. 7888-7896 ◽  
Author(s):  
Sang-Jae Lee ◽  
Dong-Woo Lee ◽  
Eun-Ah Choe ◽  
Young-Ho Hong ◽  
Seong-Bo Kim ◽  
...  

ABSTRACT The araA gene encoding l-arabinose isomerase (AI) from the thermoacidophilic bacterium Alicyclobacillus acidocaldarius was cloned, sequenced, and expressed in Escherichia coli. Analysis of the sequence revealed that the open reading frame of the araA gene consists of 1,491 bp that encodes a protein of 497 amino acid residues with a calculated molecular mass of 56,043 Da. Comparison of the deduced amino acid sequence of A. acidocaldarius AI (AAAI) with other AIs demonstrated that AAAI has 97% and 66% identities (99% and 83% similarities) to Geobacillus stearothermophilus AI (GSAI) and Bacillus halodurans AI (BHAI), respectively. The recombinant AAAI was purified to homogeneity by heat treatment, ion-exchange chromatography, and gel filtration. The purified enzyme showed maximal activity at pH 6.0 to 6.5 and 65°C under the assay conditions used, and it required divalent cations such as Mn2+, Co2+, and Mg2+ for its activity. The isoelectric point (pI) of the enzyme was about 5.0 (calculated pI of 5.5). The apparent Km values of the recombinant AAAI for l-arabinose and d-galactose were 48.0 mM (V max, 35.5 U/mg) and 129 mM (V max, 7.5 U/mg), respectively, at pH 6 and 65°C. Interestingly, although the biochemical properties of AAAI are quite similar to those of GSAI and BHAI, the three AIs from A. acidocaldarius (pH 6), G. stearothermophilus (pH 7), and B. halodurans (pH 8) exhibited different pH activity profiles. Based on alignment of the amino acid sequences of these homologous AIs, we propose that the Lys-269 residue of AAAI may be responsible for the ability of the enzyme to act at low pH. To verify the role of Lys-269, we prepared the mutants AAAI-K269E and BHAI-E268K by site-directed mutagenesis and compared their kinetic parameters with those of wild-type AIs at various pHs. The pH optima of both AAAI-K269E and BHAI-E268K were rendered by 1.0 units (pH 6 to 7 and 8 to 7, respectively) compared to the wild-type enzymes. In addition, the catalytic efficiency (k cat/Km ) of each mutant at different pHs was significantly affected by an increase or decrease in V max. From these results, we propose that the position corresponding to the Lys-269 residue of AAAI could play an important role in the determination of the pH optima of homologous AIs.


2003 ◽  
Vol 369 (1) ◽  
pp. 31-37 ◽  
Author(s):  
Xiang Y. LIU ◽  
Teah L. WITT ◽  
Larry H. MATHERLY

The reduced folate carrier (RFC; SLC19A1) is closely related to the thiamine transporter, SLC19A2 (ThTr1). Hydropathy models for these homologous transporters predict up to 12 transmembrane domains (TMDs), with internally oriented N- and C-termini and a large central loop between TMDs 6 and 7. The homologies are localized mostly in the TMDs. However, there is little similarity in their N- and C-terminal domains and the central peptide linkers connecting putative TMDs 1—6 and TMDs 7—12. To explore the functional role of the 61-amino acid central linker in the human RFC (hRFC), we introduced deletions of 49 and 60 amino acids into this region, differing by the presence of a stretch of 11 highly conserved amino acids between the human and rodent RFCs (positions 204—214). An additional hRFC construct was prepared in which only the 11 conserved amino acids were deleted. The resulting hRFCD215—R263Δ, hRFCK204—R263Δ and hRFCK204—R214Δ proteins were transfected into transport-impaired K562 cells. The deletion constructs were all expressed in plasma membranes; however, they were completely inactive for methotrexate and (6S)5-formyl tetrahydrofolate transport. Insertion of non-homologous 73- and 84-amino acid fragments from the structurally analogous ThTr1 linker region into position 204 of hRFCK204—R263Δ restored low levels of transport (16—21% of the wild type). Insertion of the ThTr1 linkers into hRFCD215—R263Δ at position 215 restored 60—80% of wild-type levels of transport. Collectively, our results suggest that the role of the hRFC linker peptide is to provide the proper spatial orientation between the two halves of the hRFC protein for optimal function, and that this is largely independent of amino acid sequence. Our results also demonstrate a critical transport role for the stretch of 11 conserved amino acids starting at position 204 of hRFC.


1981 ◽  
Vol 1 (7) ◽  
pp. 584-593 ◽  
Author(s):  
P Niederberger ◽  
G Miozzari ◽  
R Hütter

The biological role of the "general control of amino acid biosynthesis" has been investigated by analyzing growth and enzyme levels in wild-type, bradytrophic, and nonderepressing mutant strains of Saccharomyces cerevisiae. Amino acid limitation was achieved by using either bradytrophic mutations or external amino acid imbalance. In the wild-type strain noncoordinate derepression of enzymes subject to the general control has been found. Derepressing factors were in the order of 2 to 4 in bradytrophic mutant strains grown under limiting conditions and only in the order of 1.5 to 2 under the influence of external amino acid imbalance. Nonderepressing mutations led to slower growth rates under conditions of amino acid limitation, and no derepression of enzymes under the general control was observed. The amino acid pools were found to be very similar in the wild type and in nonderepressing mutant strains under all conditions tested. Our results indicate that the general control affects all branched amino acid biosynthetic pathways, namely, those of the aromatic amino acids and the aspartate family, the pathways for the basic amino acids lysine, histidine, and arginine, and also the pathways of serine and valine biosyntheses.


Biopolymers ◽  
2009 ◽  
Vol 91 (5) ◽  
pp. 373-383 ◽  
Author(s):  
Sylwia Rodziewicz-Motowidło ◽  
Justyna Iwaszkiewicz ◽  
Renata Sosnowska ◽  
Paulina Czaplewska ◽  
Emil Sobolewski ◽  
...  

2016 ◽  
Vol 311 (6) ◽  
pp. G998-G1008 ◽  
Author(s):  
Leon A. Sokulsky ◽  
Adam M. Collison ◽  
Scott Nightingale ◽  
Anna Le Fevre ◽  
Elizabeth Percival ◽  
...  

Food antigens are common inflammatory triggers in pediatric eosinophilic esophagitis (EoE). TNF-related apoptosis-inducing ligand (TRAIL) promotes eosinophilic inflammation through the upregulation of the E3 ubiquitin ligase Midline (MID)-1 and subsequent downregulation of protein phosphatase 2A (PP2A), but the role of this pathway in EoE that is experimentally induced by repeated food antigen challenges has not been investigated. Esophageal mucosal biopsies were collected from children with EoE and controls and assessed for TRAIL and MID-1 protein and mRNA transcript levels. Wild-type and TRAIL-deficient (Tnfsf10−/−) mice were administered subcutaneous ovalbumin (OVA) followed by oral OVA challenges. In separate experiments, OVA-challenged mice were intraperitoneally administered salmeterol or dexamethasone. Esophageal biopsies from children with EoE revealed increased levels of TRAIL and MID-1 and reduced PP2A activation compared with controls. Tnfsf10−/− mice were largely protected from esophageal fibrosis, eosinophilic inflammation, and the upregulation of TSLP, IL-5, IL-13, and CCL11 when compared with wild-type mice. Salmeterol administration to wild-type mice with experimental EoE restored PP2A activity and also prevented esophageal eosinophilia, inflammatory cytokine expression, and remodeling, which was comparable to the treatment effect of dexamethasone. TRAIL and PP2A regulate inflammation and fibrosis in experimental EoE, which can be therapeutically modulated by salmeterol.


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