scholarly journals Site-directed mutagenesis of class I HLA genes. Role of glycosylation in surface expression and functional recognition.

1987 ◽  
Vol 166 (5) ◽  
pp. 1329-1350 ◽  
Author(s):  
J A Barbosa ◽  
J Santos-Aguado ◽  
S J Mentzer ◽  
J L Strominger ◽  
S J Burakoff ◽  
...  

We have investigated the role of the carbohydrate moiety on the HLA-B7 molecule in mAb and CTL recognition using oligonucleotide-directed mutagenesis and gene transfer techniques. A conservative substitution of asparagine to glutamine at amino acid 86 in HLA-B7 was created to abolish the unique glycosylation site present on all HLA molecules. A second mutant B7 molecule was made by substituting asparagine-aspartic acid-threonine for the resident lysine-aspartic acid/lysine tripeptide at amino acids 176-178, thus creating an N-linked glycan at amino acid 176, which is additionally present on all known murine H-2 class I antigens. Upon gene transfer into mouse and human cell recipients, the HLA-B7M176+ mutant and normal HLA-B7 expressed identical levels of surface protein. However, the binding of two mAbs (MB40.2 and MB40.3) thought to recognize different epitopes of the HLA-B7 molecule was completely eliminated. In contrast, the HLA-B7M86- mutant displayed no surface expression (mouse L cells) or minimal surface expression (human RD cells or mouse L cells coexpressing human beta 2 microglobulin [beta 2m]) after indirect immunofluorescence (IIF) and flow cytometric analysis with a panel of 12 HLA-B7 mAb reactive with monomorphic and polymorphic determinants. Immunoprecipitation analysis demonstrated that intracellular denatured mutant protein was present. Tunicamycin treatment did not rescue the expression of HLA-B7M86- antigens to the cell surface; while interferon did induce higher levels of surface expression. Tunicamycin treatment also did not allow binding of the mAbs MB40.2 or MB40.3 to HLA-B7M176+ mutant antigens, suggesting that the carbohydrate moiety itself was not directly involved in the recognition or conformation of these mAb epitopes. Further mutation of the B7M86- molecule to create a glycan moiety at amino acid position 176 (B7M86-/176+) did not rescue normal levels of surface expression. Finally, neither mutation was seen to affect recognition by a panel of 12 allospecific CTL clones. The low expression of HLA-B7M86- on the surface of human cell transfectants was sufficient to achieve lysis, albeit at a reduced efficiency, and lysis could be increased by interferon induction of higher levels of expression. Thus, the carbohydrate moiety on HLA antigens plays a minimal or nonexistent role in recognition by available mAb and allospecific CTL clones.

2007 ◽  
Vol 53 (6) ◽  
pp. 710-719
Author(s):  
Sanela Begic ◽  
Elizabeth A. Worobec

Serratia marcescens is a nosocomial bacterium with natural resistance to a broad spectrum of antibiotics, making treatment challenging. One factor contributing to this natural antibiotic resistance is reduced outer membrane permeability, controlled in part by OmpF and OmpC porin proteins. To investigate the direct role of these porins in the diffusion of antibiotics across the outer membrane, we have created an ompF–ompC porin-deficient strain of S. marcescens. A considerable similarity between the S. marcescens porins and those from other members of Enterobacteriaceae was detected by sequence alignment, with the exception of a change in a conserved region of the third external loop (L3) of the S. marcescens OmpC protein. Serratia marcescens OmpC has aspartic acid instead of glycine in position 112, methionine instead of aspartic acid in position 114, and glutamine in position 124, while in S. marcescens OmpF this is a glycine at position 124. To investigate the role of amino acid positions 112, 114, and 124 and how the observed changes within OmpC porin may play a part in pore permeability, 2 OmpC sites were altered in the Enterobacteriaceae consensus (D112G and M114D) through site-directed mutagenesis. Also, Q124G in OmpC, G124Q in OmpF, and double mutants of these amino acid residues were constructed. Antibiotic accumulation assays and minimal inhibitory concentrations of the strains harboring the mutated porins were performed, while liposome swelling experiments were performed on purified porins. Our results demonstrate that the amino acid at position 114 is not responsible for either antibiotic size or ionic selection, the amino acid at position 112 is responsible for size selection only, and position 124 is involved in both size and ionic selection.


2000 ◽  
Vol 182 (1) ◽  
pp. 221-224 ◽  
Author(s):  
Christina Wilson Bowers ◽  
Andrea McCracken ◽  
Alicia J. Dombroski

ABSTRACT Amino acid substitutions in Escherichia coliς70 were generated and characterized in an analysis of the role of region 1.1 in transcription initiation. Several acidic and conserved residues are tolerant of substitution. However, replacement of aspartic acid 61 with alanine results in inactivity caused by structural and functional thermolability.


Biochimie ◽  
2007 ◽  
Vol 89 (12) ◽  
pp. 1498-1508 ◽  
Author(s):  
Muriel Crouvoisier ◽  
Geneviève Auger ◽  
Didier Blanot ◽  
Dominique Mengin-Lecreulx

2010 ◽  
Vol 84 (14) ◽  
pp. 7039-7052 ◽  
Author(s):  
Barbara Kropff ◽  
Yvonne Koedel ◽  
William Britt ◽  
Michael Mach

ABSTRACT Envelopment of a herpesvirus particle is a complex process of which much is still to be learned. We previously identified the glycoprotein gpUL132 of human cytomegalovirus (HCMV) as an envelope component of the virion. In its carboxy-terminal portion, gpUL132 contains at least four motifs for sorting of transmembrane proteins to endosomes; among them are one dileucine-based signal and three tyrosine-based signals of the YXXØ and NPXY (where X stands for any amino acid, and Ø stands for any bulky hydrophobic amino acid) types. To investigate the role of each of these trafficking signals in intracellular localization and viral replication, we constructed a panel of expression plasmids and recombinant viruses in which the signals were rendered nonfunctional by mutagenesis. In transfected cells wild-type gpUL132 was mainly associated with the trans-Golgi network. Consecutive mutation of the trafficking signals resulted in increasing fractions of the protein localized at the cell surface, with gpUL132 mutated in all four trafficking motifs predominantly associated with the plasma membrane. Concomitant with increased surface expression, endocytosis of mutant gpUL132 was reduced, with a gpUL132 expressing all four motifs in mutated form being almost completely impaired in endocytosis. The replication of recombinant viruses harboring mutations in single trafficking motifs was comparable to replication of wild-type virus. In contrast, viruses containing mutations in three or four of the trafficking signals showed pronounced deficits in replication with a reduction of approximately 100-fold. Moreover, recombinant viruses expressing gpUL132 with three or four trafficking motifs mutated failed to incorporate the mutant protein into the virus particle. These results demonstrate a role of endocytosis of an HCMV envelope glycoprotein for incorporation into the virion and optimal virus replication.


Author(s):  
A. Meléndez-López ◽  
M. F. García-Hurtado ◽  
J. Cruz-Castañeda ◽  
A. Negrón-Mendoza ◽  
S. Ramos-Bernal ◽  
...  

Aspartic acid is an amino acid present in the modern proteins, however, is considered a primitive amino acid hence its importance in prebiotic chemistry experiments studies. In some works of prebiotic chemistry have been studied the synthesis and the stability of organic matter under high energy sources, and the role of clays has been highlighted due to clays that can affect the reaction mechanisms in the radiolytic processes. The present work is focused on the study of the role of Namontmorillonite in the gamma radiolysis processes of L-aspartic acid. Gamma radiolysis processes were carried out in three different systems a) L-aspartic acid in aqueous solution; b) L-aspartic acid in solid-state; and c) L-aspartic acid adsorbed into Na-montmorillonite. L-aspartic acid was analyzed by high-performance liquid chromatography−electrospray ionization−mass spectrometry (HPLCESI-MS). The results showed that the decomposition of L-aspartic acid considerably decreased in the presence of clay thus highlighting the protector role of clays and favors the stability of organic matter even under the possible high energy conditions of primitive environments. The principal product ofgamma radiolysis of L-aspartic acid was succinic acid produced by deamination reaction. On the other hand, when aspartic acid was irradiated in solid-state the main product was the L-aspartic acid dimer. Both radiolysis products are important for chemical evolution processes for L-aspartic acid in primitive environments.


2006 ◽  
Vol 203 (3) ◽  
pp. 647-659 ◽  
Author(s):  
Jingbo Yan ◽  
Vrajesh V. Parekh ◽  
Yanice Mendez-Fernandez ◽  
Danyvid Olivares-Villagómez ◽  
Srdjan Dragovic ◽  
...  

Endoplasmic reticulum (ER)-associated aminopeptidase (ERAP)1 has been implicated in the final proteolytic processing of peptides presented by major histocompatibility complex (MHC) class I molecules. To evaluate the in vivo role of ERAP1, we have generated ERAP1-deficient mice. Cell surface expression of the class Ia molecules H-2Kb and H-2Db and of the class Ib molecule Qa-2 was significantly reduced in these animals. Although cells from mutant animals exhibited reduced capacity to present several self- and foreign antigens to Kb-, Db-, or Qa-1b–restricted CD8+ cytotoxic T cells, presentation of some antigens was unaffected or significantly enhanced. Consistent with these findings, mice generated defective CD8+ T cell responses against class I–presented antigens. These findings reveal an important in vivo role of ER-associated peptidase activity in tailoring peptides for presentation by MHC class Ia and class Ib molecules.


2004 ◽  
Vol 186 (6) ◽  
pp. 1747-1757 ◽  
Author(s):  
Adrian J. Lloyd ◽  
Philip E. Brandish ◽  
Andrea M. Gilbey ◽  
Timothy D. H. Bugg

ABSTRACT Phospho-N-acetyl-muramyl-pentapeptide translocase (translocase 1) catalyzes the first of a sequence of lipid-linked steps that ultimately assemble the peptidoglycan layer of the bacterial cell wall. This essential enzyme is the target of several natural product antibiotics and has recently been the focus of antimicrobial drug discovery programs. The catalytic mechanism of translocase 1 is believed to proceed via a covalent intermediate formed between phospho-N-acetyl-muramyl-pentapeptide and a nucleophilic amino acid residue. Amino acid sequence alignments of the translocase 1 family and members of the related transmembrane phosphosugar transferase superfamily revealed only three conserved residues that possess nucleophilic side chains: the aspartic acid residues D115, D116, and D267. Here we report the expression and partial purification of Escherichia coli translocase 1 as a C-terminal hexahistidine (C-His6) fusion protein. Three enzymes with the site-directed mutations D115N, D116N, and D267N were constructed, expressed, and purified as C-His6 fusions. Enzymatic analysis established that all three mutations eliminated translocase 1 activity, and this finding verified the essential role of these residues. By analogy with the structural environment of the double aspartate motif found in prenyl transferases, we propose a model whereby D115 and D116 chelate a magnesium ion that coordinates with the pyrophosphate bridge of the UDP-N-acetyl-muramyl-pentapeptide substrate and in which D267 therefore fulfills the role of the translocase 1 active-site nucleophile.


2021 ◽  
Vol 11 ◽  
Author(s):  
Marina Alfosea-Simón ◽  
Silvia Simón-Grao ◽  
Ernesto Alejandro Zavala-Gonzalez ◽  
Jose Maria Cámara-Zapata ◽  
Inmaculada Simón ◽  
...  

Agriculture is facing a great number of different pressures due to the increase in population and the greater amount of food it demands, the environmental impact due to the excessive use of conventional fertilizers, and climate change, which subjects the crops to extreme environmental conditions. One of the solutions to these problems could be the use of biostimulant products that are rich in amino acids (AAs), which substitute and/or complement conventional fertilizers and help plants adapt to climate change. To formulate these products, it is first necessary to understand the role of the application of AAs (individually or as a mixture) in the physiological and metabolic processes of crops. For this, research was conducted to assess the effects of the application of different amino acids (Aspartic acid (Asp), Glutamic acid (Glu), L-Alanine (Ala) and their mixtures Asp + Glu and Asp + Glu + Ala on tomato seedlings (Solanum lycopersicum L.). To understand the effect of these treatments, morphological, physiological, ionomic and metabolomic studies were performed. The results showed that the application of Asp + Glu increased the growth of the plants, while those plants that received Ala had a decreased dry biomass of the shoots. The greatest increase in the growth of the plants with Asp + Glu was related with the increase in the net CO2 assimilation, the increase of proline, isoleucine and glucose with respect to the rest of the treatments. These data allow us to conclude that there is a synergistic effect between Aspartic acid and Glutamic acid, and the amino acid Alanine produces phytotoxicity when applied at 15 mM. The application of this amino acid altered the synthesis of proline and the pentose-phosphate route, and increased GABA and trigonelline.


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