scholarly journals Cloning and characterization of a Schistosoma mansoni 1H and 30S clones as two tegumental vaccine candidate antigens.

2003 ◽  
Vol 50 (1) ◽  
pp. 269-278
Author(s):  
Amr M Shabaan ◽  
Magdy M Mohamed ◽  
Mohga S Abdallah ◽  
Hayat M Ibrahim ◽  
Amr M Karim
Keyword(s):  
Amino Acid ◽  
Fusion Protein ◽  
Schistosoma Mansoni ◽  
Molecular Mass ◽  
Vaccine Development ◽  
Complete Sequence ◽  
Cdna Clones ◽  
Western Blots ◽  
Calculated Molecular Mass ◽  
Reading Frame

Two Schistosoma mansoni cDNA clones 30S and 1H were identified by immunoscreening of sporocyst lambdagt11 library and by random sequencing of clones from lambdaZap libraries, respectively. Clone 30S was one of 30 clones identified by an antibody raised against tegument of 3-h schistosomules. The clone was found to encode an 81 amino-acid protein fragment. It was expressed in Escherichia coli as a fusion protein of calculated molecular mass of about 35 kDa with C-terminus of Schistosoma japonicum glutathione-S-transferase (Sj26; about 26 kDa). The recombinant fusion protein was specifically recognized by serum of rabbits immunized with irradiated cercariae. Clone 1H is one of 76 expressed sequence tags derived from an adult worm library. It encodes the complete sequence of a tegumental membrane protein, Sm13. The 104 amino-acid open reading frame encodes a protein with a calculated molecular mass of about 11.9 kDa. Clone 1H was expressed in E. coli as an insoluble fusion protein with Sj26 of about 40 kDa. In Western blots, the fusion protein was recognized by serum from rabbits vaccinated with irradiated cercariae but not by preimmune rabbit sera. The cloning, characterization and expression of those proteins are therefore potentially usefull for vaccine development.

scholarly journals Characterization of an Immunogenic Outer Membrane Autotransporter Protein, Arp, of Bartonella henselae

2007 ◽  
Vol 75 (11) ◽  
pp. 5255-5263 ◽  
Author(s):  
Christine M. Litwin ◽  
Mindy L. Rawlins ◽  
Erica M. Swenson
Keyword(s):  
Amino Acid ◽  
Molecular Mass ◽  
Outer Membrane ◽  
Dna Sequences ◽  
Bartonella Henselae ◽  
Cross Reactivity ◽  
Passenger Domain ◽  
Calculated Molecular Mass ◽  
Reading Frame

ABSTRACT Bartonella henselae is a recently recognized pathogenic bacterium associated with cat scratch disease, bacillary angiomatosis, and bacillary peliosis. This study describes the cloning, sequencing, and characterization of an antigenic autotransporter gene from B. henselae. A cloned 6.0-kb BclI-EcoRI DNA fragment expresses a 120-kDa B. henselae protein immunoreactive with 21.2% of sera from patients positive for B. henselae immunoglobulin G antibodies by indirect immunofluorescence, with 97.3% specificity and no cross-reactivity with antibodies against various other organisms. DNA sequencing of the clone revealed one open reading frame of 4,320 bp with a deduced amino acid sequence that shows homology to the family of autotransporters. The autotransporters are a group of proteins that mediate their own export through the outer membrane and consist of a passenger region, the α-domain, and an outer membrane transporter region, the β-domain. The passenger domain shows homology to a family of pertactin-like adhesion proteins and contains seven, nearly identical 48-amino-acid repeats not found in any other bacterial or Bartonella DNA sequences. The passenger α-domain has a calculated molecular mass of 117 kDa, and the transporter β-domain has a calculated molecular mass of 36 kDa. The clone expresses a 120-kDa protein and a protein that migrates at approximately 38 kDa exclusively in the outer membrane protein fraction, suggesting that the 120-kDa passenger protein remains associated with the outer membrane after cleavage from the 36-kDa transporter.

scholarly journals Characterization and Molecular Cloning of a Novel Enzyme, Inorganic Polyphosphate/ATP-Glucomannokinase, of Arthrobacter sp. Strain KM

2003 ◽  
Vol 69 (7) ◽  
pp. 3849-3857 ◽  
Author(s):  
Takako Mukai ◽  
Shigeyuki Kawai ◽  
Hirokazu Matsukawa ◽  
Yuhsi Matuo ◽  
Kousaku Murata
Keyword(s):  
Amino Acid ◽  
Molecular Mass ◽  
Cell Extract ◽  
Amino Acid Sequences ◽  
Nad Kinase ◽  
Inorganic Polyphosphate ◽  
Homologous Proteins ◽  
Gene Encoding ◽  
Calculated Molecular Mass ◽  
Reading Frame

ABSTRACT A bacterium exhibiting activities of several inorganic polyphosphate [poly(P)]- and ATP-dependent kinases, including glucokinase, NAD kinase, mannokinase, and fructokinase, was isolated, determined to belong to the genus Arthrobacter, and designated Arthrobacter sp. strain KM. Among the kinases, a novel enzyme responsible for the poly(P)- and ATP-dependent mannokinase activities was purified 2,200-fold to homogeneity from a cell extract of the bacterium. The purified enzyme was a monomer with a molecular mass of 30 kDa. This enzyme phosphorylated glucose and mannose with a high affinity for glucose, utilizing poly(P) as well as ATP, and was designated poly(P)/ATP-glucomannokinase. The K m values of the enzyme for glucose, mannose, ATP, and hexametaphosphate were determined to be 0.50, 15, 0.20, and 0.02 mM, respectively. The catalytic sites for poly(P)-dependent phosphorylation and ATP-dependent phosphorylation of the enzyme were found to be shared, and the poly(P)-utilizing mechanism of the enzyme was shown to be nonprocessive. The gene encoding the poly(P)/ATP-glucomannokinase was cloned from Arthrobacter sp. strain KM, and its nucleotide sequence was determined. This gene contained an open reading frame consisting of 804 bp coding for a putative polypeptide with a calculated molecular mass of 29,480 Da. The deduced amino acid sequence of the polypeptide exhibited homology to the amino acid sequences of the poly(P)/ATP-glucokinase of Mycobacterium tuberculosis H37Rv (level of homology, 45%), ATP-dependent glucokinases of Corynebacterium glutamicum (45%), Renibacterium salmoninarum (45%), and Bacillus subtilis (35%), and proteins of bacteria belonging to the order Actinomyces whose functions are not known. Alignment of these homologous proteins revealed seven conserved regions. The mannose and poly(P) binding sites of poly(P)/ATP-glucomannokinase are discussed.

scholarly journals Subunit VII of ubiquinol:cytochrome-c oxidoreductase from Neurospora crassa is functional in yeast and has an N-terminal extension that is not essential for mitochondrial targeting

1996 ◽  
Vol 320 (3) ◽  
pp. 769-775 ◽  
Author(s):  
Gisele LOBO-HAJDU ◽  
Hans-Peter BRAUN ◽  
Nancy ROMP ◽  
Leslie A. GRIVELL ◽  
Jan A. BERDEN ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Amino Acid ◽  
Neurospora Crassa ◽  
Direct Sequencing ◽  
Single Copy ◽  
Cdna Clones ◽  
Mitochondrial Targeting ◽  
Calculated Molecular Mass ◽  
Reading Frame ◽  
Isolated Mitochondria ◽  
Mitochondrial Intermediate Peptidase

cDNA clones encoding subunit VII of the Neurospora crassa bc1 complex (ubiquinol:cytochrome-c oxidoreductase), which is homologous with subunit VIII of the complex from yeast (encoded by QCR8), were identified on the basis of functional complementation of a yeast QCR8 deletion strain. The clones contain an open reading frame encoding a protein with a calculated molecular mass of 11.8 kDa. The N-terminal eight residues of the amino acid sequence deduced from the cDNA clones are absent from the mature protein, as revealed by direct sequencing of the isolated protein. To investigate the potential role of the N-terminal octapeptide in mitochondrial targeting, constructs were made encoding the precursor and the mature form of subunit VII from Neurospora. Incubation of isolated mitochondria with the two proteins revealed that the N-terminal extension of the precursor is removed on import. However, the presequence does not encode information for targeting, as the proteins encoded by both constructs can be imported into isolated mitochondria with equal efficiency. In contrast, the octapeptide seems to have functional importance: the defect in the yeast qcr8-null mutant is not complemented on transformation with the construct encoding mature subunit VII from N. crassa in a single-copy plasmid. We therefore speculate that the N-terminal extension plays a role in intramitochondrial sorting of N. crassa subunit VII. This is supported by the fact that the subunit VII precursor is processed by a protease other than the general mitochondrial processing peptidase. Interestingly, the presequence of N. crassa subunit VII has an amino acid composition similar to the octapeptides cleaved off by the mitochondrial intermediate peptidase.

Expression of a novel cadherin (EP-cadherin) in unfertilized eggs and early Xenopus embryos

Development ◽  
1991 ◽  
Vol 111 (2) ◽  
pp. 315-325 ◽  
Author(s):  
D. Ginsberg ◽  
D. DeSimone ◽  
B. Geiger
Keyword(s):  
Amino Acid ◽  
Fusion Protein ◽  
Western Blot ◽  
Molecular Mass ◽  
Amino Acid Sequences ◽  
The Other ◽  
Relative Molecular Mass ◽  
Cdna Clones ◽  
Cleavage Stage ◽  
Neurula Stage

Two distinct cadherin cDNA clones of Xenopus laevis were isolated from a stage 17 embryo cDNA library. Analysis of the complete deduced amino acid sequences indicated that one of these molecules is closely homologous to chicken and mouse N-cadherin, while the other displays comparable homology to both E- and P-cadherins and was thus denoted EP-cadherin. This molecule has an apparent relative molecular mass of 125 × 10(3) (compared to approx. 138 × 10(3) or approx. 140 × 10(3) of E-cadherin and N-cadherins, respectively). Northern and Western blot analyses indicated that N-cadherin is first expressed at the neurula stage while EP-cadherin is the only cadherin detected in unfertilized eggs and cleavage stage embryos. Immunolabeling of Xenopus eggs with antibodies prepared against a fusion protein, containing a segment of EP-cadherin, indicated that the protein is highly enriched at the periphery of the animal hemisphere. EP-cadherin was also found in A6 epithelial cells derived from Xenopus kidneys, and was apparently localized in the intercellular adherens junctions.

scholarly journals Identification and Analysis of Genes Involved in Anaerobic Toluene Metabolism by Strain T1: Putative Role of a Glycine Free Radical

1998 ◽  
Vol 64 (5) ◽  
pp. 1650-1656 ◽  
Author(s):  
Peter W. Coschigano ◽  
Thomas S. Wehrman ◽  
L. Y. Young
Keyword(s):  
Free Radical ◽  
Amino Acid ◽  
Molecular Mass ◽  
Cysteine Residue ◽  
Open Reading Frames ◽  
Site Directed Mutagenesis ◽  
Pyruvate Formate Lyase ◽  
Calculated Molecular Mass ◽  
Acid Protein ◽  
Amino Acid Protein

ABSTRACT The denitrifying strain T1 is able to grow with toluene serving as its sole carbon source. Two mutants which have defects in this toluene utilization pathway have been characterized. A clone has been isolated, and subclones which contain tutD and tutE, two genes in the T1 toluene metabolic pathway, have been generated. ThetutD gene codes for an 864-amino-acid protein with a calculated molecular mass of 97,600 Da. The tutE gene codes for a 375-amino-acid protein with a calculated molecular mass of 41,300 Da. Two additional small open reading frames have been identified, but their role is not known. The TutE protein has homology to pyruvate formate-lyase activating enzymes. The TutD protein has homology to pyruvate formate-lyase enzymes, including a conserved cysteine residue at the active site and a conserved glycine residue that is activated to a free radical in this enzyme. Site-directed mutagenesis of these two conserved amino acids shows that they are also essential for the function of TutD.

scholarly journals Isolation and characterization of PEP5, a gene essential for vacuolar biogenesis in Saccharomyces cerevisiae.

Genetics ◽  
1990 ◽  
Vol 125 (4) ◽  
pp. 739-752 ◽  
Author(s):  
C A Woolford ◽  
C K Dixon ◽  
M F Manolson ◽  
R Wright ◽  
E W Jones
Keyword(s):  
Saccharomyces Cerevisiae ◽  
Molecular Mass ◽  
Open Reading Frame ◽  
Relative Molecular Mass ◽  
Cell Fractionation ◽  
Calculated Molecular Mass ◽  
Reading Frame ◽  
Dna Library ◽  
Isolation And Characterization ◽  
Genomic Dna Library

Abstract pep5 mutants of Saccharomyces cerevisiae accumulate inactive precursors to the vacuolar hydrolases. The PEP5 gene was isolated from a genomic DNA library by complementation of the pep5-8 mutation. Deletion analysis localized the complementing activity to a 3.3-kb DNA fragment. DNA sequence analysis of the PEP5 gene revealed an open reading frame of 1029 codons with a calculated molecular mass for the encoded protein of 117,403 D. Deletion/disruption of the PEP5 gene did not kill the cells. The resulting strains grow very slowly at 37 degrees. The disruption mutant showed greatly decreased activities of all vacuolar hydrolases examined, including PrA, PrB, CpY, and the repressible alkaline phosphatase. Apparently normal precursors forms of the proteases accumulated in pep5 mutants, as did novel forms of PrB antigen. Antibodies raised to a fusion protein that contained almost half of the PEP5 open reading frame allowed detection by immunoblot of a protein of relative molecular mass 107 kD in extracts prepared from wild-type cells. Cell fractionation showed the PEP5 gene product is enriched in the vacuolar fraction and appears to be a peripheral vacuolar membrane protein.

scholarly journals The two major membrane skeletal proteins (articulins) of Euglena gracilis define a novel class of cytoskeletal proteins.

1992 ◽  
Vol 118 (6) ◽  
pp. 1465-1475 ◽  
Author(s):  
J A Marrs ◽  
G B Bouck
Keyword(s):  
Amino Acid ◽  
Fusion Protein ◽  
Euglena Gracilis ◽  
Cytoskeletal Proteins ◽  
Cdna Clones ◽  
Thin Sections ◽  
Core Domain ◽  
The Core ◽  
Amino Acid Repeats ◽  
Peptide Maps

60% of the peripheral membrane skeleton of Euglena gracilis consists of equimolar amounts of two proteins (articulins) with M(r)s in SDS gels of 80 and 86 kD. To understand eventually how these proteins assemble and function in maintaining cell form and membrane integrity we have undertaken a molecular characterization of articulins. A lambda gt11 expression library constructed from Euglena gracilis mRNAs was screened with antibodies against both articulins. Two sets of cDNAs were recovered, and evidence from three independent assays confirmed that both sets encoded articulins: (a) Anti-articulin antibodies recognized a high molecular weight beta-galactosidase (beta-gal) fusion protein expressed in bacteria infected with lambda gt11 cDNA clones. (b) Antibodies generated against the bacterially expressed beta-gal fusion protein identified one or the other articulin in Western blots of Euglena proteins. These antibodies also localized to the membrane skeletal region in thin sections of Euglena. (c) Peptide maps of the beta-gal fusion protein were similar to peptide maps of Euglena articulins. From the nucleotide sequence of the two sets of cDNAs an open reading frame for each articulin was deduced. In addition to 37% amino acid identity and overall structural similarity, both articulins exhibited a long core domain consisting of over 30 12-amino acid repeats with the consensus VPVPV--V--. Homology plots comparing the same or different articulins revealed larger, less regular repeats in the core domain that coincided with predicted turns in extended beta-sheets. Outside the core domain a short hydrophobic region containing four seven-amino acid repeats (consensus: APVTYGA) was identified near the carboxy terminus of the 80-kD articulin, but near the amino terminus of the 86-kD articulin. No extensive sequence similarities were found between articulins and other protein sequences in various databanks. We conclude that the two articulins are related members of a new class of membrane cytoskeletal proteins.

Primary structure and microtubule-interacting domain of the SP-H antigen: a mitotic MAP located at the spindle pole and characterized as a homologous protein to NuMA

1993 ◽  
Vol 105 (2) ◽  
pp. 589-600 ◽  
Author(s):  
T. Maekawa ◽  
R. Kuriyama
Keyword(s):  
Amino Acid ◽  
Nucleotide Sequence ◽  
Functional Organization ◽  
Spindle Pole ◽  
Predicted Amino Acid Sequence ◽  
Cdna Clones ◽  
Globular Domain ◽  
Calculated Molecular Mass ◽  
Mammalian Cell Lines ◽  
Cell Biol

Using a human autoantibody, SP-H, we identified a 200–230 kDa mitotic MAP in a variety of mammalian cell lines which shows affinity for the minus end of microtubules and also becomes associated with the spindle pole during mitosis. To examine the detailed structure and functional organization of the protein, the gene coding for the end-specific MAP was isolated and characterized by screening a human placenta lambda gt11 expression library using SP-H as a probe. Overlapping cDNA clones, which covered the entire length of the coding region of the SP-H antigen, were obtained. Polyclonal antibodies raised against fusion proteins generated from non-overlapping cDNA fragments stained the HeLa SP-H antigen in interphase and mitotic cells, and recognized a single 215 kDa band on immunoblots, as did the original SP-H antibody. Analysis of the nucleotide sequence revealed a 7,091 nucleotide sequence with an open reading frame of 6,345 nucleotides encoding a 2,115 amino acid polypeptide with a calculated molecular mass of 238,376 Da. The predicted amino acid sequence showed the protein to be composed of an alpha-helical domain, flanked by globular domains located at the amino and carboxy termini. The sequence contained five repeats of the hypothetical leucine zipper motif: one is in the N-terminal globular domain, and four are in the central alpha-helical stalk. Comparison with other sequences in the database shows that the SP-H antigen is identical to the NuMA protein reported by Yang et al. (1992) J. Cell Biol. 116, 1303–1317, but there are differences between the SP-H antigen and NuMA sequence reported by Compton et al. (1992) J. Cell Biol. 116, 1395–1408. cDNA inserts of the truncated SP-H antigen were expressed in both insect Sf9 cells and in cultured mammalian cells. The recombinant protein corresponding to the C-terminal half of the protein was restricted to the nucleus, whereas the N-terminal half of the protein was localized in the cytoplasm, suggesting the presence of a nuclear translocation signal(s) in the C-terminal domain. The C-terminal polypeptide expressed in mitotic COS cells was shown to specifically localize at the spindle pole. Microtubule-binding assays using in vitro transcribed/translated polypeptide products from different domains of the SP-H antigen further suggested that the SP-H antigen interacts with microtubules through the globular domain at the C-terminus.

Three differentially expressed survivin cDNA variants encode proteins with distinct antiapoptotic functions

Blood ◽  
2000 ◽  
Vol 95 (4) ◽  
pp. 1435-1442 ◽  
Author(s):  
Edward M. Conway ◽  
Saskia Pollefeyt ◽  
Jan Cornelissen ◽  
Inky DeBaere ◽  
Marta Steiner-Mosonyi ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Amino Acid ◽  
Amino Acid Residue ◽  
Messenger Rna ◽  
Coiled Coil ◽  
Cdna Clones ◽  
Exon 2 ◽  
Reading Frame ◽  
Coiled Coil Domain ◽  
Acid Protein ◽  
Apoptosis Protein

Survivin is a member of the inhibitor of apoptosis protein (IAP) family that is believed to play a role in oncogenesis. To elucidate further its physiologic role(s), we have characterized the murinesurvivin gene and complementary DNA (cDNA). The structural organization of the survivin gene, located on chromosome 11E2, is similar to that of its human counterpart, both containing 4 exons. Surprisingly, 3 full-length murine survivin cDNA clones were isolated, predicting the existence of 3 distinct survivin proteins. The longest open reading frame, derived from all 4 exons, predicts a 140-amino acid residue protein, survivin140, similar to human survivin, which contains a single IAP repeat and a COOH-terminal coiled-coil domain that links its function to the cell cycle. A second cDNA, which retains intron 3, predicts the existence of a 121-amino acid protein, survivin121 that lacks the coiled-coil domain. Removal of exon 2-derived sequences by alternative pre-messenger RNA (mRNA) splicing results in a third 40-amino acid residue protein, survivin40, lacking the IAP repeat and coiled-coil structure. Predictably, only recombinant survivin140 and survivin121 inhibited caspase-3 activity. All 3 mRNA species were variably expressed during development from 7.5 days postcoitum. Of the adult tissues surveyed, thymus and testis accumulated high levels of survivin140 mRNA, whereas survivin121-specific transcripts were detected in all tissues, while those representing survivin40 were absent. Human counterparts to the 3 survivin mRNA transcripts were identified in a study of human cells and tissues. The presence of distinct isoforms of survivin that are expressed differentially suggests that survivin plays a complex role in regulating apoptosis.

scholarly journals Cloning, sequencing and heterologous expression of a cDNA encoding pigeon liver carnitine acetyltransferase

1995 ◽  
Vol 305 (2) ◽  
pp. 439-444 ◽  
Author(s):  
T M Johnson ◽  
H P Kocher ◽  
R C Anderson ◽  
G M Nemecek
Keyword(s):  
Amino Acid ◽  
Amino Acid Sequence ◽  
Heterologous Expression ◽  
Stop Codon ◽  
Expression System ◽  
Breast Muscle ◽  
Cdna Clones ◽  
Carnitine Acetyltransferase ◽  
Western Blots ◽  
Pigeon Liver

Two overlapping cDNA clones encoding pigeon liver carnitine acetyltransferase (EC 2.3.1.7) (CAT) were isolated from a pigeon liver lambda gt11 cDNA library by gene amplification using oligonucleotide primers based on the N-terminal amino acid sequence of the enzyme. The two clones, which represent the 5′ and 3′ ends of the gene, were spliced together to form a single cDNA construct containing the entire coding sequence for CAT, with an in-frame TGA stop codon 42 bases before the first ATG start site and a 3′-untranslated segment of 1057 bases. The largest open reading frame of 1942 nucleotides predicted a polypeptide of 627 amino acids and a molecular mass of 71.1 kDa. The N-terminus and four internal peptides from the amino acid sequence of pigeon breast muscle CAT were identified in the predicted sequence of the liver cDNA clone. The identity of the CAT cDNA was confirmed by heterologous expression of active recombinant CAT (rCAT) in insect cells using the baculovirus expression system. Western blots of rCAT from infected insect cell lysates and immunodetection with a rabbit anti-CAT polyclonal serum showed an immunoreactive protein band similar in size to native CAT from pigeon breast muscle. Like the native enzyme, rCAT was capable of acylating carnitine with a preference for small-chain acyl-CoAs of carbon chain lengths C2-C4.

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