In Vitro Protein Import into Isolated Chloroplasts

Author(s):  
Maryse A. Block
2008 ◽  
Vol 183 (1) ◽  
pp. 87-99 ◽  
Author(s):  
Fei Wang ◽  
Birgit Agne ◽  
Felix Kessler ◽  
Danny J. Schnell

The majority of nucleus-encoded chloroplast proteins are targeted to the organelle by direct binding to two membrane-bound GTPase receptors, Toc34 and Toc159. The GTPase activities of the receptors are implicated in two key import activities, preprotein binding and driving membrane translocation, but their precise functions have not been defined. We use a combination of in vivo and in vitro approaches to study the role of the Toc159 receptor in the import reaction. We show that atToc159-A864R, a receptor with reduced GTPase activity, can fully complement a lethal insertion mutation in the ATTOC159 gene. Surprisingly, the atToc159-A864R receptor increases the rate of protein import relative to wild-type receptor in isolated chloroplasts by stabilizing the formation of a GTP-dependent preprotein binding intermediate. These data favor a model in which the atToc159 receptor acts as part of a GTP-regulated switch for preprotein recognition at the TOC translocon.


2019 ◽  
Vol 26 (5) ◽  
pp. 339-347 ◽  
Author(s):  
Dilani G. Gamage ◽  
Ajith Gunaratne ◽  
Gopal R. Periyannan ◽  
Timothy G. Russell

Background: The dipeptide composition-based Instability Index (II) is one of the protein primary structure-dependent methods available for in vivo protein stability predictions. As per this method, proteins with II value below 40 are stable proteins. Intracellular protein stability principles guided the original development of the II method. However, the use of the II method for in vitro protein stability predictions raises questions about the validity of applying the II method under experimental conditions that are different from the in vivo setting. Objective: The aim of this study is to experimentally test the validity of the use of II as an in vitro protein stability predictor. Methods: A representative protein CCM (CCM - Caulobacter crescentus metalloprotein) that rapidly degrades under in vitro conditions was used to probe the dipeptide sequence-dependent degradation properties of CCM by generating CCM mutants to represent stable and unstable II values. A comparative degradation analysis was carried out under in vitro conditions using wildtype CCM, CCM mutants and two other candidate proteins: metallo-β-lactamase L1 and α -S1- casein representing stable, borderline stable/unstable, and unstable proteins as per the II predictions. The effect of temperature and a protein stabilizing agent on CCM degradation was also tested. Results: Data support the dipeptide composition-dependent protein stability/instability in wt-CCM and mutants as predicted by the II method under in vitro conditions. However, the II failed to accurately represent the stability of other tested proteins. Data indicate the influence of protein environmental factors on the autoproteolysis of proteins. Conclusion: Broader application of the II method for the prediction of protein stability under in vitro conditions is questionable as the stability of the protein may be dependent not only on the intrinsic nature of the protein but also on the conditions of the protein milieu.


PLoS ONE ◽  
2009 ◽  
Vol 4 (4) ◽  
pp. e5185 ◽  
Author(s):  
A. Sesilja Aranko ◽  
Sara Züger ◽  
Edith Buchinger ◽  
Hideo Iwaï

2012 ◽  
Vol 60 (20) ◽  
pp. 5071-5075 ◽  
Author(s):  
Martin M. Lorenz ◽  
Christine Hayot Carbonero ◽  
Lydia Smith ◽  
Peter Udén

1976 ◽  
Vol 22 (2) ◽  
pp. 304-308
Author(s):  
C. T. Chow

An active in vitro protein-synthesizing system has been developed from Rhodospirillum rubrum grown under either photosynthetic or heterotrophic conditions. A protease activity has been found in both of these systems, and this activity can be readily inactivated by treating the cells with KCl and phenylmethyl sulfonylfluoride. The difference in protein-synthesizing activity between the photosynthetic and the heterotrophic systems has been tested in regard to the requirement of various chemicals and the response to protein synthesis inhibitors or various chemical compounds. It has been concluded that only minor differences in protein-synthesizing activity exist between these two systems.


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