Electrochemical reduction and oxidation signals of angiotensin peptides. Role of individual amino acid residues

Tropomyosins (Tpms) have been described as master regulators of actin, with Tpm3 products shown to be involved in early developmental processes, and the Tpm3 isoform Tpm3.1 controlling changes in the size of neuronal growth cones and neurite growth. Here, we used primary mouse hippocampal neurons of C57/Bl6 wild type and Bl6Tpm3flox transgenic mice to carry out morphometric analyses in response to the absence of Tpm3 products, as well as to investigate the effect of C-terminal truncation on the ability of Tpm3.1 to modulate neuronal morphogenesis. We found that the knock-out of Tpm3 leads to decreased neurite length and complexity, and that the deletion of two amino acid residues at the C-terminus of Tpm3.1 leads to more detrimental changes in neurite morphology than the deletion of six amino acid residues. We also found that Tpm3.1 that lacks the 6 C-terminal amino acid residues does not associate with stress fibres, does not segregate to the tips of neurites, and does not impact the amount of the filamentous actin pool at the axonal growth cones, as opposed to Tpm3.1, which lacks the two C-terminal amino acid residues. Our study provides further insight into the role of both Tpm3 products and the C-terminus of Tpm3.1, and it forms the basis for future studies that aim to identify the molecular mechanisms underlying Tpm3.1 targeting to different subcellular compartments.

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Regulation of AE2-mediated Cl− Transport by Intracellular or by Extracellular pH Requires Highly Conserved Amino Acid Residues of the AE2 NH2-terminal Cytoplasmic Domain

The Journal of General Physiology ◽

10.1085/jgp.20028641 ◽

2002 ◽

Vol 120 (5) ◽

pp. 707-722 ◽

Cited By ~ 53

Author(s):

A.K. Stewart ◽

M.N. Chernova ◽

B.E. Shmukler ◽

S. Wilhelm ◽

S.L. Alper

Keyword(s):

Amino Acid ◽

Anion Exchange ◽

Cytoplasmic Domain ◽

Weak Acid ◽

Extracellular Ph ◽

Individual Amino Acid ◽

Amino Acid Residues ◽

General Importance ◽

Alanine Scan ◽

Intracellular Alkalinization

We reported recently that regulation by intracellular pH (pHi) of the murine Cl−/HCO3− exchanger AE2 requires amino acid residues 310–347 of the polypeptide's NH2-terminal cytoplasmic domain. We have now identified individual amino acid residues within this region whose integrity is required for regulation of AE2 by pH. 36Cl− efflux from AE2-expressing Xenopus oocytes was monitored during variation of extracellular pH (pHo) with unclamped or clamped pHi, or during variation of pHi at constant pHo. Wild-type AE2–mediated 36Cl− efflux was profoundly inhibited by acid pHo, with a value of pHo(50) = 6.87 ± 0.05, and was stimulated up to 10-fold by the intracellular alkalinization produced by bath removal of the preequilibrated weak acid, butyrate. Systematic hexa-alanine [(A)6]bloc substitutions between aa 312–347 identified the greatest acid shift in pHo(50) value, ∼0.8 pH units in the mutant (A)6342–347, but only a modest acid-shift in the mutant (A)6336–341. Two of the six (A)6 mutants retained normal pHi sensitivity of 36Cl− efflux, whereas the (A)6 mutants 318–323, 336–341, and 342–347 were not stimulated by intracellular alkalinization. We further evaluated the highly conserved region between aa 336–347 by alanine scan and other mutagenesis of single residues. Significant changes in AE2 sensitivity to pHo and to pHi were found independently and in concert. The E346A mutation acid-shifted the pHo(50) value to the same extent whether pHi was unclamped or held constant during variation of pHo. Alanine substitution of the corresponding glutamate residues in the cytoplasmic domains of related AE anion exchanger polypeptides confirmed the general importance of these residues in regulation of anion exchange by pH. Conserved, individual amino acid residues of the AE2 cytoplasmic domain contribute to independent regulation of anion exchange activity by pHo as well as pHi.

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Role of amino acid residues at the interface of α52asparginyl-N-glycosyl chain of human choriogonadotropin

Molecular and Cellular Endocrinology ◽

10.1016/s0303-7207(99)00026-x ◽

1999 ◽

Vol 150 (1-2) ◽

pp. 47-56 ◽

Cited By ~ 1

Author(s):

Kui Shao ◽

Sathyamangalam V. Balasubramanian ◽

Om P. Bahl

Keyword(s):

Amino Acid ◽

Amino Acid Residues ◽

Human Choriogonadotropin

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The functional dyad of scorpion toxin Pi1 is not itself a prerequisite for toxin binding to the voltage-gated Kv1.2 potassium channels

Biochemical Journal ◽

10.1042/bj20030115 ◽

2004 ◽

Vol 377 (1) ◽

pp. 25-36 ◽

Cited By ~ 50

Author(s):

Stéphanie MOUHAT ◽

Amor MOSBAH ◽

Violeta VISAN ◽

Heike WULFF ◽

Muriel DELEPIERRE ◽

...

Keyword(s):

Amino Acid ◽

Scorpion Toxin ◽

Xenopus Laevis Oocytes ◽

Amino Acid Residues ◽

Voltage Gated ◽

Toxin Binding ◽

Ic50 Values

Pi1 is a 35-residue scorpion toxin cross-linked by four disulphide bridges that acts potently on both small-conductance Ca2+-activated (SK) and voltage-gated (Kv) K+ channel subtypes. Two approaches were used to investigate the relative contribution of the Pi1 functional dyad (Tyr-33 and Lys-24) to the toxin action: (i) the chemical synthesis of a [A24,A33]-Pi1 analogue, lacking the functional dyad, and (ii) the production of a Pi1 analogue that is phosphorylated on Tyr-33 (P-Pi1). According to molecular modelling, this phosphorylation is expected to selectively impact the two amino acid residues belonging to the functional dyad without altering the nature and three-dimensional positioning of other residues. P-Pi1 was directly produced by peptide synthesis to rule out any possibility of trace contamination by the unphosphorylated product. Both Pi1 analogues were compared with synthetic Pi1 for bioactivity. In vivo, [A24,A33]-Pi1 and P-Pi1 are lethal by intracerebroventricular injection in mice (LD50 values of 100 and 40 µg/mouse, respectively). In vitro, [A24,A33]-Pi1 and P-Pi1 compete with 125I-apamin for binding to SK channels of rat brain synaptosomes (IC50 values of 30 and 10 nM, respectively) and block rat voltage-gated Kv1.2 channels expressed in Xenopus laevis oocytes (IC50 values of 22 µM and 75 nM, respectively), whereas they are inactive on Kv1.1 or Kv1.3 channels at micromolar concentrations. Therefore, although both analogues are less active than Pi1 both in vivo and in vitro, the integrity of the Pi1 functional dyad does not appear to be a prerequisite for the recognition and binding of the toxin to the Kv1.2 channels, thereby highlighting the crucial role of other toxin residues with regard to Pi1 action on these channels. The computed simulations detailing the docking of Pi1 peptides on to the Kv1.2 channels support an unexpected key role of specific basic amino acid residues, which form a basic ring (Arg-5, Arg-12, Arg-28 and Lys-31 residues), in toxin binding.

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