Factor VIII-eGFP fusion proteins with preserved functional activity for the analysis of the early secretory pathway of factor VIII

2009 ◽  
Vol 102 (11) ◽  
pp. 925-935 ◽  
Author(s):  
Stefan Heinz ◽  
Jörg Schüttrumpf ◽  
Jeremy Simpson ◽  
Rainer Pepperkok ◽  
Gerry Nicolaes ◽  
...  

SummaryConsidering the difficulty in detecting factor (F)VIII in vivo, fluorescently labelled FVIII protein provides a tool to analyse the intracellular localisation, bio distribution, and pharmacokinetics of the protein in living organisms. Here, we report the use of FVIII full length and B-domain deleted proteins, fused to enhanced green fluorescent protein (eGFP) at the C-terminus of the coagulation protein via a nine amino acid spanning linker. Comparison of the FVIII-eGFP fusion proteins to their unlabelled counterparts showed no impairment with respect to recombinant expression levels, intracellular processing, specific coagulant activity and decay at physiological temperature. Confocal live cell imaging demonstrated ER-Golgi-transport of B-domain deleted FVIII-eGFP in vesicular tubular carriers. Using temperature blocks and release experiments, imaging of FVIII-eGFP fusion proteins enabled for the first time the visualisation of the early secretory pathway of B-domain deleted FVIII in living cells and in particular highlighted the apparent deficit of active transport carriers, an observation consistent with the low rates of FVIII secretion seen in recombinant expression systems.

2005 ◽  
Vol 389 (2) ◽  
pp. 355-364 ◽  
Author(s):  
Markus Napirei ◽  
Swantje Wulf ◽  
Dirk Eulitz ◽  
Hans Georg Mannherz ◽  
Thomas Kloeckl

Deoxyribonuclease 1 (DNASE1, DNase I) and deoxyribonuclease 1-like 3 (DNASE1L3, DNase γ, DNase Y, LS-DNase) are members of a DNASE1 protein family that is defined by similar biochemical properties such as Ca2+/Mg2+-dependency and an optimal pH of about 7.0 as well as by a high similarity in their nucleic acid and amino acid sequences. In the present study we describe the recombinant expression of rat Dnase1 and murine Dnase1l3 as fusion proteins tagged by their C-terminus to green fluorescent protein in NIH-3T3 fibroblasts and bovine lens epithelial cells. Both enzymes were translocated into the rough endoplasmic reticulum, transported along the entire secretory pathway and finally secreted into the cell culture medium. No nuclear occurrence of the nucleases was detectable. However, deletion of the N-terminal signal peptide of both nucleases resulted in a cytoplasmic and nuclear distribution of both fusion proteins. Dnase1 preferentially hydrolysed ‘naked’ plasmid DNA, whereas Dnase1l3 cleaved nuclear DNA with high activity. Dnase1l3 was able to cleave chromatin in an internucleosomal manner without proteolytic help. By contrast, Dnase1 was only able to achieve this cleavage pattern in the presence of proteases that hydrolysed chromatin-bound proteins. Detailed analysis of murine sera derived from Dnase1 knockout mice revealed that serum contains, besides the major serum nuclease Dnase1, an additional Dnase1l3-like nucleolytic activity, which, in co-operation with Dnase1, might help to suppress anti-DNA autoimmunity by degrading nuclear chromatin released from dying cells.


2018 ◽  
Vol 96 (5) ◽  
pp. 459-470 ◽  
Author(s):  
Xavier Charest-Morin ◽  
Robert Lodge ◽  
François Marceau

To support bradykinin (BK) B2 receptor (B2R) detection and therapeutic stimulation, we developed and characterized fusion proteins consisting of the BK homolog maximakinin (MK), or variants, positioned at the C-terminus of functional proteins (enhanced green fluorescent protein (EGFP), the peroxidase APEX2, or human serum albumin (HSA)). EGFP-MK loses its reactivity with anti-BK antibodies and molecular mass as it progresses in the endosomal tract of cells expressing rat B2Rs (immunoblots, epifluorescence microscopy). APEX2-(NG)15-MK is a bona fide agonist of the rat, but not of the human B2R (calcium and c-Fos signaling) and is compatible with the cytochemistry reagent TrueBlue (microscopy), a luminol-based reagent, or 3,3′,5,5′-tetramethylbenzidine (luminescence or colourimetric B2R detection, cell well plate format). APEX2-(NG)15-MK is a non-isotopic ligand suitable for drug discovery via binding competition. Affinity-purified secreted forms of HSA fused with peptides possessing the C-terminal MK or BK sequence failed to stimulate the rat B2R in the concentration range of 50–600 nmol/L. However, the non-secreted construction myc-HSA-MK is a B2R agonist, indicating that protein denaturation made the C-terminal sequence available for receptor binding. Fusion protein ligands of the B2R are stable but subjected to slow intracellular inactivation, strong species specificity, and possible steric hindrance between the receptor and large proteins.


2004 ◽  
Vol 15 (4) ◽  
pp. 2027-2037 ◽  
Author(s):  
Beatrice M. Tam ◽  
Orson L. Moritz ◽  
David S. Papermaster

Protein targeting is essential for domain specialization in polarized cells. In photoreceptors, three distinct membrane domains exist in the outer segment: plasma membrane, disk lamella, and disk rim. Peripherin/retinal degeneration slow (rds) and rom-1 are photoreceptor-specific members of the transmembrane 4 superfamily of transmembrane proteins, which participate in disk morphogenesis and localize to rod outer segment (ROS) disk rims. We examined the role of their C termini in targeting by generating transgenic Xenopus laevis expressing green fluorescent protein (GFP) fusion proteins. A GFP fusion containing residues 317-336 of peripherin/rds localized uniformly to disk membranes. A longer fusion (residues 307-346) also localized to the ROS but exhibited higher affinity for disk rims than disk lamella. In contrast, the rom-1 C terminus did not promote ROS localization. The GFP-peripherin/rds fusion proteins did not immunoprecipitate with peripherin/rds or rom-1, suggesting this region does not form intermolecular interactions and is not involved in subunit assembly. Presence of GFP-peripherin/rds fusions correlated with disrupted incisures, disordered ROS tips, and membrane whorls. These abnormalities may reflect competition of the fusion proteins for other proteins that interact with peripherin/rds. This work describes novel roles for the C terminus of peripherin/rds in targeting and maintaining ROS structure and its potential involvement in inherited retinal degenerations.


FEBS Letters ◽  
2000 ◽  
Vol 478 (1-2) ◽  
pp. 72-76 ◽  
Author(s):  
Cahit Akgul ◽  
Dale A Moulding ◽  
M.R.H White ◽  
Steven W Edwards

1997 ◽  
Vol 136 (4) ◽  
pp. 747-759 ◽  
Author(s):  
Naïma Belgareh ◽  
Valérie Doye

To follow the dynamics of nuclear pore distribution in living yeast cells, we have generated fusion proteins between the green fluorescent protein (GFP) and the yeast nucleoporins Nup49p and Nup133p. In nup133− dividing cells that display a constitutive nuclear pore clustering, in vivo analysis of GFP-Nup49p localization revealed changes in the distribution of nuclear pore complex (NPC) clusters. Furthermore, upon induction of Nup133p expression in a GAL-nup133 strain, a progressive fragmentation of the NPC aggregates was observed that in turn led to a wild-type nuclear pore distribution. To try to uncouple Nup133p- induced NPC redistribution from successive nuclear divisions and nuclear pore biogenesis, we devised an assay based on the formation of heterokaryons between nup133− mutants and cells either expressing or overexpressing Nup133p. Under these conditions, the use of GFP-Nup133p and GFP-Nup49p fusion proteins revealed that Nup133p can be rapidly targeted to the clustered nuclear pores, where its amino-terminal domain is required to promote the redistribution of preexisting NPCs.


2004 ◽  
Vol 279 (19) ◽  
pp. 20028-20034 ◽  
Author(s):  
Michael J. Hendzel ◽  
Melody A. Lever ◽  
Ellen Crawford ◽  
John P. H. Th'ng

We have used a combination of kinetic measurements and targeted mutations to show that the C-terminal domain is required for high-affinity binding of histone H1 to chromatin, and phosphorylations can disrupt binding by affecting the secondary structure of the C terminus. By measuring the fluorescence recovery after photo-bleaching profiles of green fluorescent protein-histone H1 proteins in living cells, we find that the deletion of the N terminus only modestly reduces binding affinity. Deletion of the C terminus, however, almost completely eliminates histone H1.1 binding. Specific mutations of the C-terminal domain identified Thr-152 and Ser-183 as novel regulatory switches that control the binding of histone H1.1in vivo. It is remarkable that the single amino acid substitution of Thr-152 with glutamic acid was almost as effective as the truncation of the C terminus to amino acid 151 in destabilizing histone H1.1 bindingin vivo. We found that modifications to the C terminus can affect histone H1 binding dramatically but have little or no influence on the charge distribution or the overall net charge of this domain. A comparison of individual point mutations and deletion mutants, when reviewed collectively, cannot be reconciled with simple charge-dependent mechanisms of C-terminal domain function of linker histones.


2002 ◽  
Vol 363 (3) ◽  
pp. 737-744 ◽  
Author(s):  
Sandra PAIVA ◽  
Arthur L. KRUCKEBERG ◽  
Margarida CASAL

Green fluorescent protein (GFP) from Aequorea victoria was used as an in vivo reporter protein when fused to the C-terminus of the Jen1 lactate permease of Saccharomyces cerevisiae. The Jen1 protein tagged with GFP is a functional lactate transporter with a cellular abundance of 1670 molecules/cell, and a catalytic-centre activity of 123s−1. It is expressed and tagged to the plasma membrane under induction conditions. The factors involved in proper localization and turnover of Jen1p were revealed by expression of the Jen1p—GFP fusion protein in a set of strains bearing mutations in specific steps of the secretory and endocytic pathways. The chimaeric protein Jen1p—GFP is targeted to the plasma membrane via a Sec6-dependent process; upon treatment with glucose, it is endocytosed via END3 and targeted for degradation in the vacuole. Experiments performed in a Δdoa4 mutant strain showed that ubiquitination is associated with the turnover of the permease.


Microbiology ◽  
2006 ◽  
Vol 152 (11) ◽  
pp. 3271-3280 ◽  
Author(s):  
Jan Hänisch ◽  
Marc Wältermann ◽  
Horst Robenek ◽  
Alexander Steinbüchel

In Ralstonia eutropha, the H16 phasin PhaP1 represents the major phasin that binds to the surface of polyhydroxyalkanoate (PHA) inclusions. In this study, C-terminal fusions of PhaP1 with enhanced green fluorescent protein (eGFP) and with Escherichia coli β-galactosidase (LacZ) were expressed separately in the triacylglycerol (TAG)-accumulating actinomycetes Rhodococcus opacus PD630 and Mycobacterium smegmatis mc2155, employing the M. smegmatis acetamidase (ace) promoter of the Escherichia–Mycobacterium/Rhodococcus shuttle plasmid pJAM2. PhaP1 and the PhaP1 fusion proteins were expressed stably in the recombinant strains. Western blot analysis of cell fractions of Rh. opacus revealed that PhaP1 and the PhaP1–eGFP fusion protein were associated with the TAG inclusions, whereas no phasin or phasin fusion protein was detected in the soluble and membrane fractions. Additional electron microscopy/immunocytochemistry studies demonstrated that PhaP1 was mainly located on the surface of intracellular TAG inclusions; in addition, some PhaP1 also occurred at the plasma membrane. Fluorescence microscopic investigations of the subcellular distribution of the PhaP1–eGFP fusion protein in vivo and on isolated TAG inclusions revealed that the fusion protein was bound to TAG inclusions at all stages of their formation, and to some extent at the cytoplasmic membrane. The PhaP1–LacZ fusion protein also bound to the TAG inclusions, and could be separated together with the inclusions from Rh. opacus crude extracts, thus demonstrating the immobilization of β-galactosidase activity on the inclusions. This is believed to be the first report demonstrating the ability of PhaP1 to bind to lipid inclusions in addition to PHA inclusions. Furthermore, it was demonstrated that this non-specificity of PhaP1 can be utilized to anchor enzymically active fusion proteins to a matrix of bacterial TAG inclusions.


2002 ◽  
Vol 13 (8) ◽  
pp. 2571-2584 ◽  
Author(s):  
Anjan G. Thakurta ◽  
William A. Whalen ◽  
Jin Ho Yoon ◽  
Anekella Bharathi ◽  
Libor Kozak ◽  
...  

The export of mRNA from the nucleus to the cytoplasm involves interactions of proteins with mRNA and the nuclear pore complex. We isolated Crp79p, a novel mRNA export factor from the same synthetic lethal screen that led to the identification of spMex67p inSchizosaccharomyces pombe. Crp79p is a 710-amino-acid-long protein that contains three RNA recognition motif domains in tandem and a distinct C-terminus. Fused to green fluorescent protein (GFP), Crp79p localizes to the cytoplasm. Like Mex67p, Crp79-GFP binds poly(A)+ RNA in vivo, shuttles between the nucleus and the cytoplasm, and contains a nuclear export activity at the C-terminus that is Crm1p-independent. All of these properties are essential for Crp79p to promote mRNA export. Crp79p import into the nucleus depends on the Ran system. A domain of spMex67p previously identified as having a nuclear export activity can functionally substitute for the nuclear export activity at the C-terminus of Crp79p. Although both Crp79p and spMex67p function to export mRNA, Crp79p does not substitute for all of spMex67p functions and probably is not a functional homologue of spMex67p. We propose that Crp79p is a nonessential mRNA export carrier in S. pombe.


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