The role of two conserved amino acids, glutamine 90 and asparagine 137, in O6-methylguanine-DNA methyltransferase stability, activity and substrate specificity

1994 ◽  
Vol 15 (9) ◽  
pp. 1895-1902 ◽  
Author(s):  
Russell O. Pieper ◽  
Susan E. Morgan ◽  
Mark R. Kelley
Keyword(s):  
Amino Acids ◽  
Substrate Specificity ◽  
Dna Methyltransferase ◽  
Methylguanine Dna Methyltransferase ◽  
Conserved Amino Acids

scholarly journals Impact of Temozolomide on Immune Response during Malignant Glioma Chemotherapy

2012 ◽  
Vol 2012 ◽  
pp. 1-7 ◽  
Author(s):  
Sadhak Sengupta ◽  
Jaclyn Marrinan ◽  
Caroline Frishman ◽  
Prakash Sampath
Keyword(s):  
Immune Response ◽  
Malignant Glioma ◽  
Dna Methyltransferase ◽  
Opportunistic Infections ◽  
Immune Surveillance ◽  
Drug Resistant ◽  
Methylguanine Dna Methyltransferase ◽  
Drug Resistant Mutation ◽  
Resistant Mutation

Malignant glioma, or glioblastoma, is the most common and lethal form of brain tumor with a median survival time of 15 months. The established therapeutic regimen includes a tripartite therapy of surgical resection followed by radiation and temozolomide (TMZ) chemotherapy, concurrently with radiation and then as an adjuvant. TMZ, a DNA alkylating agent, is the most successful antiglioma drug and has added several months to the life expectancy of malignant glioma patients. However, TMZ is also responsible for inducing lymphopenia and myelosuppression in malignant glioma patients undergoing chemotherapy. Although TMZ-induced lymphopenia has been attributed to facilitate antitumor vaccination studies by inducing passive immune response, in general lymphopenic conditions have been associated with poor immune surveillance leading to opportunistic infections in glioma patients, as well as disrupting active antiglioma immune response by depleting both T and NK cells. Deletion of O6-methylguanine-DNA-methyltransferase (MGMT) activity, a DNA repair enzyme, by temozolomide has been determined to be the cause of lymphopenia. Drug-resistant mutation of the MGMT protein has been shown to render chemoprotection against TMZ. The immune modulating role of TMZ during glioma chemotherapy and possible mechanisms to establish a strong TMZ-resistant immune response have been discussed.

Clostridium thermocellumXyn10B Carbohydrate-Binding Module 22-2:  The Role of Conserved Amino Acids in Ligand Binding†,‡

Biochemistry ◽  
2001 ◽  
Vol 40 (31) ◽  
pp. 9167-9176 ◽  
Author(s):  
Hefang Xie ◽  
Harry J. Gilbert ◽  
Simon J. Charnock ◽  
Gideon J. Davies ◽  
Michael P. Williamson ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Amino Acids ◽  
Ligand Binding ◽  
Carbohydrate Binding ◽  
Carbohydrate Binding Module ◽  
Conserved Amino Acids

scholarly journals Type II Secretion-Dependent Aminopeptidase LapA and Acyltransferase PlaC Are Redundant for Nutrient Acquisition duringLegionella pneumophilaIntracellular Infection of Amoebas

mBio ◽  
2018 ◽  
Vol 9 (2) ◽  
pp. e00528-18 ◽  
Author(s):  
Richard C. White ◽  
Felizza F. Gunderson ◽  
Jessica Y. Tyson ◽  
Katherine H. Richardson ◽  
Theo J. Portlock ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Amino Acids ◽  
Substrate Specificity ◽  
Transcriptional Analysis ◽  
Type Ii Secretion ◽  
Major Advance ◽  
Type Ii ◽  
Content Type ◽  
Broad Substrate Specificity ◽  
First Time

ABSTRACTLegionella pneumophilagenes encoding LapA, LapB, and PlaC were identified as the most highly upregulated type II secretion (T2S) genes during infection ofAcanthamoeba castellanii, although these genes had been considered dispensable on the basis of the behavior of mutants lacking eitherlapAandlapBorplaC. AplaCmutant showed even higher levels oflapAandlapBtranscripts, and alapA lapBmutant showed heightening ofplaCmRNA levels, suggesting that the role of the LapA/B aminopeptidase is compensatory with respect to that of the PlaC acyltransferase. Hence, we made double mutants and found thatlapA plaCmutants have an ~50-fold defect during infection ofA. castellanii. These data revealed, for the first time, the importance of LapA in any sort of infection; thus, we purified LapA and defined its crystal structure, activation by another T2S-dependent protease (ProA), and broad substrate specificity. When the amoebal infection medium was supplemented with amino acids, the defect of thelapA plaCmutant was reversed, implying that LapA generates amino acids for nutrition. Since the LapA and PlaC data did not fully explain the role of T2S in infection, we identified, via proteomic analysis, a novel secreted protein (NttD) that promotes infection ofA. castellanii. AlapA plaC nttDmutant displayed an even greater (100-fold) defect, demonstrating that the LapA, PlaC, and NttD data explain, to a significant degree, the importance of T2S. LapA-, PlaC-, and NttD-like proteins had distinct distribution patterns within and outside theLegionellagenus. LapA was notable for having as its closest homologue anA. castellaniiprotein.IMPORTANCETransmission ofL. pneumophilato humans is facilitated by its ability to grow inAcanthamoebaspecies. We previously documented that type II secretion (T2S) promotesL. pneumophilainfection ofA. castellanii. Utilizing transcriptional analysis and proteomics, double and triple mutants, and crystal structures, we defined three secreted substrates/effectors that largely clarify the role of T2S during infection ofA. castellanii. Particularly interesting are the unique functional overlap between an acyltransferase (PlaC) and aminopeptidase (LapA), the broad substrate specificity and eukaryotic-protein-like character of LapA, and the novelty of NttD. Linking LapA to amino acid acquisition, we defined, for the first time, the importance of secreted aminopeptidases in intracellular infection. Bioinformatic investigation, not previously applied to T2S, revealed that effectors originate from diverse sources and distribute within theLegionellagenus in unique ways. The results of this study represent a major advance in understandingLegionellaecology and pathogenesis, bacterial secretion, and the evolution of intracellular parasitism.

scholarly journals Restoration of high-level transport activity by human reduced folate carrier/ThTr1 thiamine transporter chimaeras: role of the transmembrane domain 6/7 linker region in reduced folate carrier function

2003 ◽  
Vol 369 (1) ◽  
pp. 31-37 ◽  
Author(s):  
Xiang Y. LIU ◽  
Teah L. WITT ◽  
Larry H. MATHERLY
Keyword(s):  
Amino Acids ◽  
Amino Acid ◽  
Plasma Membranes ◽  
Transmembrane Domain ◽  
K562 Cells ◽  
Reduced Folate Carrier ◽  
Wild Type ◽  
Linker Region ◽  
Conserved Amino Acids

The reduced folate carrier (RFC; SLC19A1) is closely related to the thiamine transporter, SLC19A2 (ThTr1). Hydropathy models for these homologous transporters predict up to 12 transmembrane domains (TMDs), with internally oriented N- and C-termini and a large central loop between TMDs 6 and 7. The homologies are localized mostly in the TMDs. However, there is little similarity in their N- and C-terminal domains and the central peptide linkers connecting putative TMDs 1—6 and TMDs 7—12. To explore the functional role of the 61-amino acid central linker in the human RFC (hRFC), we introduced deletions of 49 and 60 amino acids into this region, differing by the presence of a stretch of 11 highly conserved amino acids between the human and rodent RFCs (positions 204—214). An additional hRFC construct was prepared in which only the 11 conserved amino acids were deleted. The resulting hRFCD215—R263Δ, hRFCK204—R263Δ and hRFCK204—R214Δ proteins were transfected into transport-impaired K562 cells. The deletion constructs were all expressed in plasma membranes; however, they were completely inactive for methotrexate and (6S)5-formyl tetrahydrofolate transport. Insertion of non-homologous 73- and 84-amino acid fragments from the structurally analogous ThTr1 linker region into position 204 of hRFCK204—R263Δ restored low levels of transport (16—21% of the wild type). Insertion of the ThTr1 linkers into hRFCD215—R263Δ at position 215 restored 60—80% of wild-type levels of transport. Collectively, our results suggest that the role of the hRFC linker peptide is to provide the proper spatial orientation between the two halves of the hRFC protein for optimal function, and that this is largely independent of amino acid sequence. Our results also demonstrate a critical transport role for the stretch of 11 conserved amino acids starting at position 204 of hRFC.

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