scholarly journals Protein aggregation. The effect of deuterium oxide on large protein aggregates of C-phycocyanin

1968 ◽  
Vol 110 (3) ◽  
pp. 465-470 ◽  
Author(s):  
J. J. Lee ◽  
D. S. Berns

The amount of 11s aggregate in phycocyanin, normally stimulated by hydrophobic forces, is dramatically increased by the presence of deuterium oxide. Proteins in which hydrophobic forces are not proposed as a mechanism for aggregation are unaffected by deuterium oxide. These observations are consistent with the lower critical micelle concentration reported for ionic detergents in deuterium oxide. Phycocyanin samples containing a majority of material sedimenting faster than 11s were also investigated in the presence of deuterium oxide with the following findings: the most rapidly sedimenting species in water buffer is 24s; in deuterium oxide more than 10% of the protein sediments at 67s and substantial amounts of other species with sedimentation coefficients larger than 24s are present. These large quantities of species sedimenting faster than 24s are found in deuterium oxide buffers from pD5·5 to 7·0. Sucrose-density-gradient studies in deuterium oxide at pD6·0 confirm the presence of large amounts of more rapidly sedimenting species. Spectrophotometric studies on fractions from the sucrose-density-gradient experiments indicate with the presence of higher aggregates a red shift of the visible-absorption maximum and an enhancement of the E620/E280 ratio. Fluorescence-emission studies show a greater relative fluorescence efficiency for these higher aggregates and are consistent with the suggested enhancement of higher aggregates in deuterium oxide. The existence of phycocyanin aggregates of such a large size is suggested to be of importance in vivo, with phycocyanin playing a role as a structural protein.

1968 ◽  
Vol 110 (3) ◽  
pp. 457-464 ◽  
Author(s):  
J. J. Lee ◽  
D. S. Berns

Aggregates of phycocyanin sedimenting at 17s, 22s and 27s are demonstrated to constitute more than 40% of crude blue–green-algal extracts, pH6·0 and I0·1, and are retained in highly purified preparations. Sedimentation-velocity studies of the large aggregates as a function of pH are reported. Sucrose-density-gradient experiments performed as a function of time of sedimentation indicate that: (1) with increasing time of sedimentation, the largest aggregates are dissipated at the leading protein boundary and the several phycocyanin species present are not completely resolved; (2) phycocyanin fractions with the largest aggregates exhibit the highest E620/E280 ratio and the largest relative fluorescence efficiency. Gel-filtration experiments with Sephadex G-200 do not resolve the species completely, and reapplication of phycocyanin gel-filtration fractions to the column results in an elution pattern similar to the original, except that there is an enhancement of the allophycocyanin fraction and the amount of denatured protein. Increasing the sedimentation times in a sucrose density gradient also enhances the allophycocyanin fraction. Fluorescence results demonstrate that there are possibly three excitation maxima, one corresponding to the monomer (approx. 600mμ), one for higher aggregates (625–630mμ) and one for the allophycocyanin fraction (approx. 650mμ). Only a single fluorescence-emission band is detected, which is fairly symmetrical and which has a red shift with higher aggregation and with the appearance of allophycocyanin. The appearance of allophycocyanin may be correlated with the irreversible disaggregation of the largest phycocyanin species. It is suggested that the largest protein aggregates are in the size range of the biliprotein aggregates reported in electron microscopy of algal cells.


1994 ◽  
Vol 49 (5-6) ◽  
pp. 331-336 ◽  
Author(s):  
Lothar Gottschalk ◽  
Friedrich Lottspeich ◽  
Hugo Scheer

Abstract Allophycocyanin (AP) was isolated from extracts of the cyanobacterium Mastigocladus laminosus. A fraction enriched in AP-associated polypeptides with apparent molecular masses of 21 -23 kD a in SDS-PAGE, was isolated on a preparative scale and identified as a homolo­gous mixture of C-terminal fragments of the core-membrane linker polypeptide Lcm. The complex (αAPβAP)3 ·21 -23 kD a was reconstituted and characterized by sucrose density gradient ultracentrifugation, absorption, fluorescence emission and circular dichroism spectroscopy. The 21 -23 kD a polypeptides were found to induce spectral changes in AP similar to those induced by the small core linker polypeptide Lc8.9. Possible functions of the complex in phycobilisomes are discussed.


1990 ◽  
Vol 270 (1) ◽  
pp. 189-195 ◽  
Author(s):  
M Palacin ◽  
A Werner ◽  
J Dittmer ◽  
H Murer ◽  
J Biber

Poly(A)+ RNA (mRNA) isolated from rat liver was injected into Xenopus laevis oocytes, and expression of Na+/L-alanine transport was assayed by measuring Na(+)-dependent uptake of L-[3H]alanine. Expression of Na+/L-alanine transport was detected 3-7 days after mRNA injection, and was due to an increment of the Na(+)-dependent component. After injection of 40 ng of total mRNA, Na(+)-dependent uptake of L-alanine was 2.5-fold higher than in water-injected oocytes. In contrast with Na+/L-alanine transport by water-injected oocytes, expressed Na+/L-alanine transport was inhibited by N-methylaminoisobutyric acid, was inhibited by an extracellular pH of 6.5 and was saturated at approx. 1 mM-L-alanine. After sucrose-density-gradient fractionation, highest expression of Na+/L-alanine uptake was observed with mRNA of 1.9-2.5 kb in length. Compared with mRNA isolated from control rats, mRNA isolated from glucagon-treated rats showed a approx. 2-fold higher expression of Na+/L-alanine transport. The results demonstrate that both liver Na+/L-alanine transport systems (A and ASC) can be expressed in X. laevis oocytes. Furthermore, the data obtained with mRNA isolated from glucagon-treated rats suggest that glucagon regulates liver Na+/L-alanine transport (at least in part) via the availability of the corresponding mRNA.


1983 ◽  
Vol 50 (04) ◽  
pp. 848-851 ◽  
Author(s):  
Marjorie B Zucker ◽  
David Varon ◽  
Nicholas C Masiello ◽  
Simon Karpatkin

SummaryPlatelets deprived of calcium and incubated at 37° C for 10 min lose their ability to bind fibrinogen or aggregate with ADP when adequate concentrations of calcium are restored. Since the calcium complex of glycoproteins (GP) IIb and IIIa is the presumed receptor for fibrinogen, it seemed appropriate to examine the behavior of these glycoproteins in incubated non-aggregable platelets. No differences were noted in the electrophoretic pattern of nonaggregable EDTA-treated and aggregable control CaEDTA-treated platelets when SDS gels of Triton X- 114 fractions were stained with silver. GP IIb and IIIa were extracted from either nonaggregable EDTA-treated platelets or aggregable control platelets with calcium-Tris-Triton buffer and subjected to sucrose density gradient centrifugation or crossed immunoelectrophoresis. With both types of platelets, these glycoproteins formed a complex in the presence of calcium. If the glycoproteins were extracted with EDTA-Tris-Triton buffer, or if Triton-solubilized platelet membranes were incubated with EGTA at 37° C for 30 min, GP IIb and IIIa were unable to form a complex in the presence of calcium. We conclude that inability of extracted GP IIb and IIIa to combine in the presence of calcium is not responsible for the irreversible loss of aggregability that occurs when whole platelets are incubated with EDTA at 37° C.


1972 ◽  
Vol 58 (2) ◽  
pp. 71-94
Author(s):  
Ada Sacchi ◽  
Gianni Chinali ◽  
Susetta Pons ◽  
Michela Galdieri ◽  
Piero Cammarano

The size distribution of cytoplasmic messenger RNAs (m-RNA) has been studied in rat liver and in monodifferentiated cells (mouse reticulocytes and myelomas). It has been found that the RNA which exhibits a « rapid turnover » and a polydisperse profile of radioactivity is refractory to phenol extraction. This property has been exploited to selectively isolate m–RNA from the phenol residue by means of an extraction at an alkaline pH. The sucrose density gradient profiles of m–RNA isolated from monodifferentiated cells show monodisperse peaks having the sedimentation coefficients expected on the basis of the molecular weights of monocistronic messages for α and β chains of hemoglobin (reticulocytes) and L and H chains of immunoglobulin (myelomas). The sedimentation profile of cytoplasmic m–RNA associated with rat liver polysomes shows a much broader distribution, with sedimentation coefficients ranging from 8 S to 28 S.


1982 ◽  
Vol 37 (3-4) ◽  
pp. 256-259 ◽  
Author(s):  
F. Schuler ◽  
P. Brandt ◽  
W. Wießner

Abstract An improved method for isolation of (photosystem II)-particles from Euglena gracilis, strain Z was established. PS II-particles isolated by ultrasonic treatment and following differential centrifugation show fluorescence emission and absorption spectra identical with in vivo properties of Euglena gracilis. These PS II-particles have only PS II-activity and contain CP a, the typical chlorophyll-protein-complex of PS II. No contamination of PS I-components are detectable.


2009 ◽  
Vol 29 (01) ◽  
pp. 17-20 ◽  
Author(s):  
I. Marx ◽  
I. Badirou ◽  
R. Pendu ◽  
O. Christophe ◽  
C. V. Denis

SummaryVon Willebrand factor (VWF) structure-function relationship has been studied only through in vitro approaches. The VWF-deficient mouse model has been extremely useful to examine the in vivo function of VWF but does not allow a more subtle analysis of the relative importance of its different domains. However, considering the large size of VWF and its capacity to interact with various ligands in order to support platelet adhesion and aggregation, the necessity to evaluate independently these interactions appeared increasingly crucial. A recently developed technique, known as hydrodynamic injection, which allows transient expression of a transgene by mouse hepatocytes, proved very useful in this regard. Indeed, transient expression of various VWF mutants in VWF-deficient mice contributed to improve our knowledge about the role of VWF interaction with subendothelial collagens and with platelets receptors in VWF roles in haemostasis and thrombosis. These findings can provide new leads in the development of anti-thrombotic therapies.


2021 ◽  
Vol 20 ◽  
pp. 153303382110365
Author(s):  
Lin Qiu ◽  
Shuwen Zhou ◽  
Ying Li ◽  
Wen Rui ◽  
Pengfei Cui ◽  
...  

Bifunctional magnetic/fluorescent core-shell silica nanospheres (MNPs) encapsulated with the magnetic Fe3O4 core and a derivate of 8-amimoquinoline (N-(quinolin-8-yl)-2-(3-(triethoxysilyl) propylamino) acetamide) (QTEPA) into the shell were synthesized. These functional MNPs were prepared with a modified stöber method and the formed Fe3O4@SiO2-QTEPA core-shell nanocomposites are biocompatible, water-dispersible, and stable. These prepared nanoparticles were characterized by X-ray power diffraction (XRD), transmission electron microscopy (TEM), thermoelectric plasma Quad II inductively coupled plasma mass spectrometry (ICP-MS), superconducting quantum interference device (SQUID), TG/DTA thermal analyzer (TGA) and Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy (FTIR). Further application of the nanoparticles in detecting Zn2+ was confirmed by the fluorescence experiment: the nanosensor shows high selectivity and sensitivity to Zn2+ with a 22-fold fluorescence emission enhancement in the presence of 10 μM Zn2+. Moreover, the transverse relaxivity measurements show that the core-shell MNPs have T2 relaxivity (r2) of 155.05 mM−1 S−1 based on Fe concentration on the 3.0 T scanner, suggesting that the compound can be used as a negative contrast agent for MRI. Further in vivo experiments showed that these MNPs could be used as MRI contrast agent. Therefore, the new nanosensor provides the dual modality of magnetic resonance imaging and optical imaging.


2021 ◽  
Vol 22 (16) ◽  
pp. 8392
Author(s):  
Reiner Noschka ◽  
Fanny Wondany ◽  
Gönül Kizilsavas ◽  
Tanja Weil ◽  
Gilbert Weidinger ◽  
...  

Granulysin is an antimicrobial peptide (AMP) expressed by human T-lymphocytes and natural killer cells. Despite a remarkably broad antimicrobial spectrum, its implementation into clinical practice has been hampered by its large size and off-target effects. To circumvent these limitations, we synthesized a 29 amino acid fragment within the putative cytolytic site of Granulysin (termed “Gran1”). We evaluated the antimicrobial activity of Gran1 against the major human pathogen Mycobacterium tuberculosis (Mtb) and a panel of clinically relevant non-tuberculous mycobacteria which are notoriously difficult to treat. Gran1 efficiently inhibited the mycobacterial proliferation in the low micro molar range. Super-resolution fluorescence microscopy and scanning electron microscopy indicated that Gran1 interacts with the surface of Mtb, causing lethal distortions of the cell wall. Importantly, Gran1 showed no off-target effects (cytokine release, chemotaxis, cell death) in primary human cells or zebrafish embryos (cytotoxicity, developmental toxicity, neurotoxicity, cardiotoxicity). Gran1 was selectively internalized by macrophages, the major host cell of Mtb, and restricted the proliferation of the pathogen. Our results demonstrate that the hypothesis-driven design of AMPs is a powerful approach for the identification of small bioactive compounds with specific antimicrobial activity. Gran1 is a promising component for the design of AMP-containing nanoparticles with selective activity and favorable pharmacokinetics to be pushed forward into experimental in vivo models of infectious diseases, most notably tuberculosis.


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