scholarly journals Ponticulin plays a role in the positional stabilization of pseudopods.

1995 ◽  
Vol 131 (6) ◽  
pp. 1495-1506 ◽  
Author(s):  
D C Shutt ◽  
D Wessels ◽  
K Wagenknecht ◽  
A Chandrasekhar ◽  
A L Hitt ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Plasma Membrane ◽  
Time Course ◽  
Three Dimensional ◽  
Computer Assisted ◽  
Spatial Gradient ◽  
Actin Network ◽  
Wild Type ◽  
Cortical Actin ◽  
High Affinity

Ponticulin is a 17-kD glycoprotein that represents a major high affinity link between the plasma membrane and the cortical actin network of Dictyostelium. To assess the role of ponticulin in pseudopod extension and retraction, the motile behavior of two independently generated mutants lacking ponticulin was analyzed using computer-assisted two- and three-dimensional motion analysis systems. More than half of the lateral pseudopods formed off the substratum by ponticulin-minus cells slipped relative to the substratum during extension and retraction. In contrast, all pseudopods formed off the substratum by wild-type cells were positionally fixed in relation to the substratum. Ponticulin-minus cells also formed a greater proportion of both anterior and lateral pseudopods off the substratum and absorbed a greater proportion of lateral pseudopods into the uropod than wild-type cells. In a spatial gradient of cAMP, ponticulin-minus cells were less efficient in tracking the source of chemoattractant. Since ponticulin-minus cells extend and retract pseudopods with the same time course as wild-type cells, these behavioral defects in ponticulin-minus cells appear to be the consequence of pseudopod slippage. These results demonstrate that pseudopods formed off the substratum by wild-type cells are positionally fixed in relation to the substratum, that ponticulin is required for positional stabilization, and that the loss of ponticulin and the concomitant loss of positional stability of pseudopods correlate with a decrease in the efficiency of chemotaxis.

scholarly journals Human Rev1 relies on insert-2 to promote selective binding and accurate replication of stabilized G-quadruplex motifs

2021 ◽  
Author(s):  
Amit Ketkar ◽  
Lane Smith ◽  
Callie Johnson ◽  
Alyssa Richey ◽  
Makayla Berry ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Amino Acids ◽  
Mutation Frequency ◽  
Control Sequence ◽  
Wild Type ◽  
Binding Properties ◽  
High Affinity ◽  
G4 Dna ◽  
G Quadruplex ◽  
Forward Mutagenesis

Abstract We previously reported that human Rev1 (hRev1) bound to a parallel-stranded G-quadruplex (G4) from the c-MYC promoter with high affinity. We have extended those results to include other G4 motifs, finding that hRev1 exhibited stronger affinity for parallel-stranded G4 than either anti-parallel or hybrid folds. Amino acids in the αE helix of insert-2 were identified as being important for G4 binding. Mutating E466 and Y470 to alanine selectively perturbed G4 binding affinity. The E466K mutant restored wild-type G4 binding properties. Using a forward mutagenesis assay, we discovered that loss of hRev1 increased G4 mutation frequency >200-fold compared to the control sequence. Base substitutions and deletions occurred around and within the G4 motif. Pyridostatin (PDS) exacerbated this effect, as the mutation frequency increased >700-fold over control and deletions upstream of the G4 site more than doubled. Mutagenic replication of G4 DNA (±PDS) was partially rescued by wild-type and E466K hRev1. The E466A or Y470A mutants failed to suppress the PDS-induced increase in G4 mutation frequency. These findings have implications for the role of insert-2, a motif conserved in vertebrates but not yeast or plants, in Rev1-mediated suppression of mutagenesis during G4 replication.

scholarly journals Identification of Tyr residues that enhance folate substrate binding and constrain oscillation of the proton-coupled folate transporter (PCFT-SLC46A1)

2015 ◽  
Vol 308 (8) ◽  
pp. C631-C641 ◽  
Author(s):  
Michele Visentin ◽  
Ersin Selcuk Unal ◽  
Mitra Najmi ◽  
Andras Fiser ◽  
Rongbao Zhao ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Choroid Plexus ◽  
Rate Constant ◽  
Binding Pocket ◽  
Wild Type ◽  
Efflux Rate ◽  
High Affinity ◽  
Extracellular Compartment ◽  
Efflux Rate Constant ◽  
Opposite Compartment

The proton-coupled folate transporter (PCFT) mediates intestinal folate absorption and transport of folates across the choroid plexus. This study focuses on the role of Tyr residues in PCFT function. The substituted Cys-accessibility method identified four Tyr residues (Y291, Y362, Y315, and Y414) that are accessible to the extracellular compartment; three of these (Y291, Y362, and Y315) are located within or near the folate binding pocket. When the Tyr residues were replaced with Cys or Ala, these mutants showed similar (up to 6-fold) increases in influx Vmax and Kt/ Ki for [3H]methotrexate and [3H]pemetrexed. When the Tyr residues were replaced with Phe, these changes were moderated or absent. When Y315A PCFT was used as representative of the mutants and [3H]pemetrexed as the transport substrate, this substitution did not increase the efflux rate constant. Furthermore, neither influx nor efflux mediated by Y315A PCFT was transstimulated by the presence of substrate in the opposite compartment; however, substantial bidirectional transstimulation of transport was mediated by wild-type PCFT. This resulted in a threefold greater efflux rate constant for cells that express wild-type PCFT than for cells that express Y315 PCFT under exchange conditions. These data suggest that these Tyr residues, possibly through their rigid side chains, secure the carrier in a high-affinity state for its folate substrates. However, this may be achieved at the expense of constraining the carrier's mobility, thereby decreasing the rate at which the protein oscillates between its conformational states. The Vmax generated by these Tyr mutants may be so rapid that further augmentation during transstimulation may not be possible.

PUTRACER: A NOVEL METHOD FOR IDENTIFICATION OF CONTINUOUS-DOMAINS IN MULTI-DOMAIN PROTEINS

2013 ◽  
Vol 11 (01) ◽  
pp. 1340012 ◽  
Author(s):  
SEYED SHAHRIAR ARAB ◽  
MOHAMMADBAGHER PARSA GHARAMALEKI ◽  
ZAIDDODINE PASHANDI ◽  
REZVAN MOBASSERI
Keyword(s):  
Protein Structures ◽  
Three Dimensional ◽  
Accessible Surface Area ◽  
Computer Assisted ◽  
Correct Assignment ◽  
Critical Boundary ◽  
Novel Method ◽  
Accessible Surface ◽  
A Chain

Computer assisted assignment of protein domains is considered as an important issue in structural bioinformatics. The exponential increase in the number of known three dimensional protein structures and the significant role of proteins in biology, medicine and pharmacology illustrate the necessity of a reliable method to automatically detect structural domains as protein units. For this aim, we have developed a program based on the accessible surface area (ASA) and the hydrogen bonds energy in protein backbone (HBE). PUTracer (Protein Unit Tracer) is built on the features of a fast top-down approach to cut a chain into its domains (contiguous domains) with minimal change in ASA as well as HBE. Performance of the program was assessed by a comprehensive benchmark dataset of 124 protein chains, which is based on agreement among experts (e.g. CATH, SCOP) and was expanded to include structures with different types of domain combinations. Equal number of domains and at least 90% agreement in critical boundary accuracy were considered as correct assignment conditions. PUTracer assigned domains correctly in 81.45% of protein chains. Although low critical boundary accuracy in 18.55% of protein chains leads to the incorrect assignments, adjusting the scales causes to improve the performance up to 89.5%. We discuss here the success or failure of adjusting the scales with provided evidences. Availability: PUTracer is available at http://bioinf.modares.ac.ir/software/PUTracer/

Muscle development is independent of innervation during Drosophila embryogenesis

Development ◽  
1993 ◽  
Vol 119 (2) ◽  
pp. 533-543 ◽  
Author(s):  
K. Broadie ◽  
M. Bate
Keyword(s):  
Time Course ◽  
Muscle Development ◽  
Single Cells ◽  
Drosophila Embryo ◽  
Wild Type ◽  
Type Pattern ◽  
Motor Nerves ◽  
Embryonic Myogenesis ◽  
Peripheral Motor

We have examined the role of innervation in directing embryonic myogenesis, using a mutant (prospero), which delays the pioneering of peripheral motor nerves of the Drosophila embryo. In the absence of motor nerves, myoblasts fuse normally to form syncytial myotubes, myotubes form normal attachments to the epidermis, and a larval musculature comparable to the wild-type pattern is generated and maintained. Likewise, the twist-expressing myoblasts that prefigure the adult musculature segregate normally in the absence of motor nerves, migrate to their final embryonic positions and continue to express twist until the end of embryonic development. In the absence of motor nerves, myotubes uncouple at the correct developmental stage to form single cells. Subsequently, uninnervated myotubes develop the mature electrical and contractile properties of larval muscles with a time course indistinguishable from normally innervated myotubes. We conclude that innervation plays no role in the patterning, morphogenesis, maintenance or physiological development of the somatic muscles in the Drosophila embryo.

scholarly journals The β-tail domain (βTD) regulates physiologic ligand binding to integrin CD11b/CD18

Blood ◽  
2006 ◽  
Vol 109 (8) ◽  
pp. 3513-3520 ◽  
Author(s):  
Vineet Gupta ◽  
Annette Gylling ◽  
José Luis Alonso ◽  
Takashi Sugimori ◽  
Petre Ianakiev ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Electron Microscopy ◽  
Ligand Binding ◽  
Conformational Changes ◽  
Divalent Cations ◽  
Contact Region ◽  
Allosteric Modulator ◽  
Tail Domain ◽  
Wild Type ◽  
High Affinity

Abstract Crystallographic and electron microscopy studies revealed genuflexed (bent) integrins in both unliganded (inactive) and physiologic ligandbound (active) states, suggesting that local conformational changes are sufficient for activation. Herein we have explored the role of local changes in the contact region between the membrane-proximal β-tail domain (βTD) and the ligand-binding βA domain of the bent conformation in regulating interaction of integrin CD11b/CD18 (αMβ2) with its physiologic ligand iC3b. We replaced the βTD CD loop residues D658GMD of the CD18 (β2) subunit with the equivalent D672SSG of the β3 subunit, with AGAA or with NGTD, expressed the respective heterodimeric receptors either transiently in epithelial HEK293T cells or stably in leukocytes (K562), and measured their ability to bind iC3b and to conformation-sensitive mAbs. In the presence of the physiologic divalent cations Ca2+ plus Mg2+ (at 1 mM each), the modified integrins showed increased (in HEK293) or constitutive (in K562) binding to iC3b compared with wild-type receptors. K562 expressing the βTD-modified integrins bound in Ca2+Mg2+ to the βA-directed high-affinity reporter mAb 24 but not to mAb KIM127, a reporter of the genu-straightened state. These data identify a role for the membrane proximal βTD as an allosteric modulator of integrin activation.

scholarly journals Basic Residues in the Mason-Pfizer Monkey Virus Gag Matrix Domain Regulate Intracellular Trafficking and Capsid-Membrane Interactions

2007 ◽  
Vol 81 (17) ◽  
pp. 8977-8988 ◽  
Author(s):  
Elizabeth Stansell ◽  
Robert Apkarian ◽  
Sarka Haubova ◽  
William E. Diehl ◽  
Ewan M. Tytler ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Amino Acids ◽  
Plasma Membrane ◽  
Intracellular Transport ◽  
Wild Type ◽  
Membrane Interactions ◽  
Cortical Actin ◽  
Basic Amino Acids ◽  
Gag Polyprotein ◽  
The Matrix ◽  
Arginine Residues

ABSTRACT Mason-Pfizer monkey virus (M-PMV) capsids that have assembled in the cytoplasm must be transported to and associate with the plasma membrane prior to being enveloped by a lipid bilayer during viral release. Structural studies have identified a positive-charge density on the membrane-proximal surface of the matrix (MA) protein component of the Gag polyprotein. To investigate if basic amino acids in MA play a role in intracellular transport and capsid-membrane interactions, mutants were constructed in which lysine and arginine residues (R10, K16, K20, R22, K25, K27, K33, and K39) potentially exposed on the capsid surface were replaced singly and in pairs by alanine. A majority of the charge substitution mutants were released less efficiently than the wild type. Electron microscopy of mutant Gag-expressing cells revealed four distinct phenotypes: K16A and K20A immature capsids accumulated on and budded into intracellular vesicles; R10A, K27A, and R22A capsid transport was arrested at the cellular cortical actin network, while K25A immature capsids were dispersed throughout the cytoplasm and appeared to be defective at an earlier stage of intracellular transport; and the remaining mutant (K33A and K39A) capsids accumulated at the inner surface of the plasma membrane. All mutants that released virions exhibited near-wild-type infectivity in a single-round assay. Thus, basic amino acids in the M-PMV MA define both cellular location and efficiency of virus release.

scholarly journals Adipocytes support cAMP-dependent translocation of aquaporin-2 from intracellular sites distinct from the insulin-responsive GLUT4 storage compartment

2006 ◽  
Vol 290 (5) ◽  
pp. F985-F994 ◽  
Author(s):  
Giuseppe Procino ◽  
Donne Bennett Caces ◽  
Giovanna Valenti ◽  
Jeffrey E. Pessin
Keyword(s):  
Plasma Membrane ◽  
Three Dimensional ◽  
Dominant Negative ◽  
Cortical Actin ◽  
Aquaporin 2 ◽  
Confocal Immunofluorescence Microscopy ◽  
Dominant Negative Form ◽  
Confocal Immunofluorescence ◽  
Hormone Sensitive ◽  
Insulin Responsiveness

Aquaporin-2 (AQP2), when expressed in fully differentiated 3T3-L1 adipocytes, displays cAMP-dependent plasma membrane translocation in a manner similar to its behavior in renal epithelial cells. The translocation of AQP2 required phosphorylation at serine 256, as the expression of AQP2/S256D was constitutively plasma membrane localized, whereas AQP2/S256A was refractory to forskolin stimulation. Unlike GLUT4, this property is not inhibited by depolymerization of cortical actin. In addition, coexpression with the dominant negative form of TC10 (TC10/T31N) or inhibition of phosphatidylinositol 3-kinase did not abrogate the cAMP-mediated response. Under basal conditions, AQP2 is localized in both the perinuclear region and in punctate vesicles scattered within the periphery of the cell. Two- and three-dimensional confocal immunofluorescence microscopy demonstrated that the adipocyte AQP2 cAMP-responsive compartment was distinct from the GLUT4 insulin-responsive compartment. Consistent with this conclusion, insulin was an effective stimulator of GLUT4 translocation but had no effect on AQP2. Conversely, forskolin induced AQP2 translocation but not GLUT4. Colocalization studies with the early endosomal marker EEA1 and transferrin receptor suggested that the AQP2 compartment is mostly distinct from endosomal vesicles. Interestingly, however, the peripheral AQP2 vesicles significantly overlapped vesicle-associated membrane protein-2, underscoring the role of the latter in hormone-regulated exocytosis. To acquire insulin responsiveness following biosynthesis, GLUT4 undergoes a slow sorting step that requires 6–9 h. In contrast, AQP2 rapidly acquires forskolin responsiveness (3 h following biosynthesis) and directly enters the cAMP-regulated compartment without transiting the plasma membrane. Together, these data demonstrate that adipocytes display two different intracellular sorting mechanisms that direct distinct hormone-sensitive partitioning of GLUT4 and AQP2.

Distinct roles of PMCA isoforms in Ca2+ homeostasis of bladder smooth muscle: evidence from PMCA gene-ablated mice

2007 ◽  
Vol 292 (1) ◽  
pp. C423-C431 ◽  
Author(s):  
Li Liu ◽  
Yukisato Ishida ◽  
Gbolahan Okunade ◽  
Gail J. Pyne-Geithman ◽  
Gary E. Shull ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Signal Transduction ◽  
Smooth Muscle ◽  
Plasma Membrane ◽  
Contractile Response ◽  
Signal Transduction Pathway ◽  
Transduction Pathway ◽  
Wild Type ◽  
Bladder Smooth Muscle

We previously showed that plasma membrane Ca2+-ATPase (PMCA) activity accounted for 25–30% of relaxation in bladder smooth muscle ( 8 ). Among the four PMCA isoforms only PMCA1 and PMCA4 are expressed in smooth muscle. To address the role of these isoforms, we measured cytosolic Ca2+ ([Ca2+]i) using fura-PE3 and simultaneously measured contractility in bladder smooth muscle from wild-type (WT), Pmca1+/−, Pmca4+/−, Pmca4−/−, and Pmca1+/− Pmca4−/− mice. There were no differences in basal [Ca2+]i values between bladder preparations. KCl (80 mM) elicited both larger forces (150–190%) and increases in [Ca2+]i (130–180%) in smooth muscle from Pmca1+/− and Pmca1+/− Pmca4−/− bladders than those in WT or Pmca4−/−. The responses to carbachol (CCh: 10 μM) were also greater in Pmca1+/− (120–150%) than in WT bladders. In contrast, the responses in Pmca4−/− and Pmca1+/− Pmca4−/− bladders to CCh were significantly smaller (40–50%) than WT. The rise in half-times of force and [Ca2+]i increases in response to KCl and CCh, and the concomitant half-times of their decrease upon washout of agonist were prolonged in Pmca4−/− (130–190%) and Pmca1+/− Pmca4−/− (120–250%) bladders, but not in Pmca1+/− bladders with respect to WT. Our evidence indicates distinct isoform functions with the PMCA1 isoform involved in overall Ca2+ clearance, while PMCA4 is essential for the [Ca2+]i increase and contractile response to the CCh receptor-mediated signal transduction pathway.

scholarly journals Role of CheB and CheR in the Complex Chemotactic and Aerotactic Pathway of Azospirillum brasilense

2006 ◽  
Vol 188 (13) ◽  
pp. 4759-4768 ◽  
Author(s):  
Bonnie B. Stephens ◽  
Star N. Loar ◽  
Gladys Alexandre
Keyword(s):  
Escherichia Coli ◽  
Steady State ◽  
Azospirillum Brasilense ◽  
Model Organism ◽  
Spatial Gradient ◽  
Wild Type ◽  
Temporal Gradient ◽  
E Coli ◽  
Significant Difference

ABSTRACT It has previously been reported that the alpha-proteobacterium Azospirillum brasilense undergoes methylation-independent chemotaxis; however, a recent study revealed cheB and cheR genes in this organism. We have constructed cheB, cheR, and cheBR mutants of A. brasilense and determined that the CheB and CheR proteins under study significantly influence chemotaxis and aerotaxis but are not essential for these behaviors to occur. First, we found that although cells lacking CheB, CheR, or both were no longer capable of responding to the addition of most chemoattractants in a temporal gradient assay, they did show a chemotactic response (albeit reduced) in a spatial gradient assay. Second, in comparison to the wild type, cheB and cheR mutants under steady-state conditions exhibited an altered swimming bias, whereas the cheBR mutant and the che operon mutant did not. Third, cheB and cheR mutants were null for aerotaxis, whereas the cheBR mutant showed reduced aerotaxis. In contrast to the swimming bias for the model organism Escherichia coli, the swimming bias in A. brasilense cells was dependent on the carbon source present and cells released methanol upon addition of some attractants and upon removal of other attractants. In comparison to the wild type, the cheB, cheR, and cheBR mutants showed various altered patterns of methanol release upon exposure to attractants. This study reveals a significant difference between the chemotaxis adaptation system of A. brasilense and that of the model organism E. coli and suggests that multiple chemotaxis systems are present and contribute to chemotaxis and aerotaxis in A. brasilense.

scholarly journals Exophilin8 transiently clusters insulin granules at the actin-rich cell cortex prior to exocytosis

2011 ◽  
Vol 22 (10) ◽  
pp. 1716-1726 ◽  
Author(s):  
Kouichi Mizuno ◽  
José S. Ramalho ◽  
Tetsuro Izumi
Keyword(s):  
Plasma Membrane ◽  
Secretory Granules ◽  
Small Gtpase ◽  
Cell Cortex ◽  
Cortical Actin ◽  
Insulin Granules ◽  
Myosin Va ◽  
Exogenous Expression ◽  
Mutation Analyses

Exophilin8/MyRIP/Slac2-c is an effector protein of the small GTPase Rab27a and is specifically localized on retinal melanosomes and secretory granules. We investigated the role of exophilin8 in insulin granule trafficking. Exogenous expression of exophilin8 in pancreatic β cells or their cell line, MIN6, polarized (exophilin8-positive) insulin granules at the cell corners, where both cortical actin and the microtubule plus-end–binding protein, EB1, were present. Mutation analyses indicated that the ability of exophilin8 to act as a linker between Rab27a and myosin Va is essential for its granule-clustering activity. Moreover, exophilin8 and exophilin8-associated insulin granules were markedly stable and immobile. Total internal reflection fluorescence microscopy indicated that exophilin8 restricts the motion of insulin granules at a region deeper than that where another Rab27a effector, granuphilin, accumulates docked granules directly attached to the plasma membrane. However, the exophilin8-induced immobility of insulin granules was eliminated upon secretagogue stimulation and did not inhibit evoked exocytosis. Furthermore, exophilin8 depletion prevents insulin granules from being transported close to the plasma membrane and inhibits their fusion. These findings indicate that exophilin8 transiently traps insulin granules into the cortical actin network close to the microtubule plus-ends and supplies them for release during the stimulation.

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