scholarly journals Role of cationic amino acids in the Na+/dicarboxylate co-transporter NaDC-1

2000 ◽  
Vol 350 (3) ◽  
pp. 677-683 ◽  
Author(s):  
Ana M. PAJOR ◽  
Esther S. KAHN ◽  
Rama GANGULA

The role of cationic amino acids in the Na+/dicarboxylate co-transporter NaDC-1 was investigated by site-directed mutagenesis and subsequent expression of mutant transporters in Xenopus oocytes. Of the ten residues chosen for mutagenesis, eight (Lys-34, Lys-107, Arg-108, Lys-333, Lys-390, Arg-368, Lys-414 and Arg-541) were found to be non-essential for function or targeting. Only two conserved residues, Lys-84 (at the cytoplasmic end of helix 3) and Arg-349 (at the extracellular end of helix 7), were found to be important for transport. Both mutant transporters were expressed at the plasma membrane. The mutation of Lys-84 to Ala resulted in an increased Km for succinate of 1.8mM, compared with 0.3mM in the wild-type NaDC-1. The R349A mutant had Na+ and citrate kinetics that were similar to those of the wild type. However, succinate handling in the R349A mutant was altered, with evidence of inhibition at high succinate concentrations. In conclusion, charge neutralization of Lys-84 and Arg-349 in NaDC-1 affects succinate handling, suggesting that these residues might have roles in substrate binding.

2001 ◽  
Vol 12 (10) ◽  
pp. 2012-2018 ◽  
Author(s):  
NATASCHA A. WOLFF ◽  
BETTINA GRÜNWALD ◽  
BJÖRN FRIEDRICH ◽  
FLORIAN LANG ◽  
STEFAN GODEHARDT ◽  
...  

Abstract. Three conserved cationic amino acids in predicted transmembrane domains 1, 8, and 11, respectively, of the flounder renal organic anion transporter, fROAT, were changed by site-directed mutagenesis and the resulting mutants functionally characterized inXenopus laevisoocytes. Uptake ofp-aminohippurate (PAH) in oocytes that expressed mutant H34I, K394A, or R478D was markedly reduced compared with oocytes that expressed wild-type fROAT, but was still several-fold higher than that in water-injected control oocytes. Immunocytochemically, no decrease in cell surface expression of the mutants could be detected. Only mutant R478D appeared to have a lower PAH affinity than the wild type. Similar to wild-type—dependent PAH transport, uptake induced by mutant H34I was sensitive to glutarate (GA) cis-inhibition. In contrast, mutants K394A and R478D could not be significantly affected by up to 10 mM GA, although the cRNA-dependent PAH uptake could still be almost completely suppressed by probenecid. Moreover, again in contrast to the wild type, neither PAH influx nor PAH efflux mediated by these two mutants could be trans-stimulated by GA, nor did they induce GA transport. These data suggest that amino acids K394 and R478 in fROAT are required for dicarboxylate binding and PAH/dicarboxylate exchange.


1997 ◽  
Vol 326 (3) ◽  
pp. 861-866 ◽  
Author(s):  
Timothy P. O'CONNELL ◽  
Regina M. DAY ◽  
Ekaterina V. TORCHILIN ◽  
William W. BACHOVCHIN ◽  
J. Paul G. MALTHOUSE

By removing one of the hydrogen-bond donors in the oxyanion hole of subtilisin BPN, we have been able to determine how it affects the catalytic efficiency of the enzyme and the pKa of the oxyanion formed in a choloromethane inhibitor derivative. Variant 8397 of subtilisin BPN contains five mutations which enhance its stability. Site-directed mutagenesis was used to prepare the N155A mutant of this variant. The catalytic efficiencies of wild-type and variant 8397 are similar, but replacing Asn-155 with alanine reduces catalytic efficiency approx. 300-fold. All three forms of subtilisin were alkylated using benzyloxycarbonylglycylglycyl[2-13C]phenylalanylchloromethane and examined by 13C-NMR. A single signal due to the 13C-enriched carbon was detected in all the derivatives and it was assigned to the hemiketal carbon of a tetrahedral adduct formed between the hydroxy group of Ser-221 and the inhibitor. This signal had chemical shifts in the range 98.3–103.6 p.p.m., depending on the pH. The titration shift of 4.7–4.8 p.p.m. was assigned to oxyanion formation. The oxyanion pKa values in the wild-type and 8397 variants were 6.92 and 7.00 respectively. In the N155A mutant of the 8397 variant the oxyanion pKa increased to 8.09. We explain why such a small increase is observed and we conclude that it is the interaction between the oxyanion and the imidazolium cation of the active-site histidine that is the main factor responsible for lowering the oxyanion pKa.


1987 ◽  
Author(s):  
G A Vehar ◽  
K M Tate ◽  
D L Higgins ◽  
W E Holmes ◽  
H L Heyneker

The significance of the cleavage at arginine-275 of human t-PA has been the subject of debate. It has been reported, as expected for a member of the serine protease family, that the single chain form is a zymogen and that generation of catalytic activity is dependent upon cleavage at arginine-275. Other groups, in contrast, have found considerable enzyme activity associated with the one-chain form of t-PA. To clarify the functional significance of this proteolysis and circumvent cleavage of one-chain t-PA by itself or plasmin, site-directed mutagenesis was employed to change the codon of arginine-275 to specify a glutamic acid. The resulting plasmid was used to transfect CHO cells. The single chain mutant [Glu-275 t-PA] was expressed in CHO cells and the protein purified by conventional techniques. The mutant enzyme could be converted to the two-chain form by V8 protease, but not by plasmin. Glu-275 t-PA was 8 times less active in the cleavage of a tripeptide substrate and 20-50 times less active in the activation of plasminogen in the absence of firbrin(ogen) than its two-chain form. In the presence of fibrin(ogen), in contrast, the one and two-chain forms of Glu-275 t-PA were equal in their ability to activate plasminogen in the presence of fibrin(ogen). The activity in these assays was equal to the activity of wild type t-PA. In addition, it was observed that fibrin bound considerably more of the one-chain form of t-PA than the two chain forms of t-PA and the Glu-275 mutant. The one and two-chain forms of the wild type and mutated t-PA were found to slowly form complexes with plasma protease inhibitors in vitro, although the one-chain forms were less reactive with alpha-2-macroglobulin. It can be concluded that the one-chain form of t-PA appears to be fully functional under physiologic conditions and has an increased affinity for fibrin compared to two-chain t-PA.


1994 ◽  
Vol 301 (2) ◽  
pp. 477-483 ◽  
Author(s):  
J M Wilkin ◽  
A Dubus ◽  
B Joris ◽  
J M Frère

The side chains of residues Thr299 and Thr301 in the Streptomyces R61 DD-peptidase have been modified by site-directed mutagenesis. These amino acids are part of a beta-strand which forms a wall of the active-site cavity. Thr299 corresponds to the second residue of the Lys-Thr(Ser)-Gly triad, highly conserved in active-site beta-lactamases and penicillin-binding proteins (PBPs). Modification of Thr301 resulted only in minor alterations of the catalytic and penicillin-binding properties of the enzyme. No selective decrease of the rate of acylation was observed for any particular class of compounds. By contrast, the loss of the hydroxy group of the residue in position 299 yielded a seriously impaired enzyme. The rates of inactivation by penicillins were decreased 30-50-fold, whereas the reactions with cephalosporins were even more affected. The efficiency of hydrolysis against the peptide substrate was also seriously decreased. More surprisingly, the mutant was completely unable to catalyse transpeptidation reactions. The conservation of an hydroxylated residue in this position in PBPs is thus easily explained by these results.


2011 ◽  
Vol 300 (5) ◽  
pp. C1055-C1064 ◽  
Author(s):  
Jun-Jie Tong ◽  
Peter J. Minogue ◽  
Wenji Guo ◽  
Tung-Ling Chen ◽  
Eric C. Beyer ◽  
...  

Gap junction channels, which are made of connexins, are critical for intercellular communication, a function that may be disrupted in a variety of diseases. We studied the consequences of two cataract-associated mutations at adjacent positions at the first extracellular boundary in human connexin50 (Cx50), W45S and G46V. Both of these mutants formed gap junctional plaques when they were expressed in HeLa cells, suggesting that they trafficked to the plasma membrane properly. However, their functional properties differed. Dual two-microelectrode voltage-clamp studies showed that W45S did not form functional intercellular channels in paired Xenopus oocytes or hemichannel currents in single oocytes. When W45S was coexpressed with wild-type Cx50, the mutant acted as a dominant negative inhibitor of wild-type function. In contrast, G46V formed both functional gap junctional channels and hemichannels. G46V exhibited greatly enhanced currents compared with wild-type Cx50 in the presence of physiological calcium concentrations. This increase in hemichannel activity persisted when G46V was coexpressed with wild-type lens connexins, consistent with a dominant gain of hemichannel function for G46V. These data suggest that although these two mutations are in adjacent amino acids, they have very different effects on connexin function and cause disease by different mechanisms: W45S inhibits gap junctional channel function; G46V reduces cell viability by forming open hemichannels.


Biochemistry ◽  
2003 ◽  
Vol 42 (29) ◽  
pp. 8818-8830 ◽  
Author(s):  
Jun Li ◽  
Artur Osyczka ◽  
Richard C. Conover ◽  
Michael K. Johnson ◽  
Hong Qin ◽  
...  

1993 ◽  
Vol 295 (2) ◽  
pp. 485-491 ◽  
Author(s):  
G Zapata ◽  
P P Roller ◽  
J Crowley ◽  
W F Vann

N-Acetylneuraminic acid cytidyltransferase (CMP-NeuAc synthase) of Escherichia coli K1 is sensitive to mercurials and has cysteine residues only at positions 129 and 329. The role of these residues in the catalytic activity and structure of the protein has been investigated by site-directed mutagenesis and chemical modification. The enzyme is inactivated by the thiol-specific reagent dithiodipyridine. Inactivation by this reagent is decreased in the presence of the nucleotide substrate CTP, suggesting that a thiol residue is at or near the active site. Site-directed mutagenesis of either residue Cys-129 to serine or Cys-329 to selected amino acids has minor effects on the specific activity of the enzyme, suggesting that cysteine is not essential for catalysis and that a disulphide bond is not an essential structural component. The limited reactivity of the enzyme to other thiol-blocking reagents suggests that its cysteine residues are partially exposed. The accessibility and role of the cysteine residues in enzyme structure were investigated by fluorescence, c.d. and denaturation studies of wild-type and mutant enzymes. The mutation of Cys-129 to serine makes the enzyme more sensitive to heat and chemical denaturation, but does not cause gross changes in the protein structure as judged by the c.d. spectrum. The mutant containing Ser-129 instead of Cys-129 had a complex denaturation pathway similar to that of wild-type E. coli K1 CMP-NeuAc synthase consisting of several partially denatured states. Cys-329 reacts more readily with N-[14C]ethylmaleimide when the enzyme is in a heat-induced relaxed state. Cys-129 is less reactive and is probably a buried residue.


Sign in / Sign up

Export Citation Format

Share Document