scholarly journals Posttranslational Processing of Methanococcus voltae Preflagellin by Preflagellin Peptidases of M. voltae and Other Methanogens

2000 ◽  
Vol 182 (3) ◽  
pp. 855-858 ◽  
Author(s):  
Jason D. Correia ◽  
Ken F. Jarrell

ABSTRACT Methanococcus voltae is a mesophilic archaeon with flagella composed of flagellins that are initially made with 11- or 12-amino-acid leader peptides that are cleaved prior to incorporation of the flagellin into the growing filament. Preflagellin peptidase activity was demonstrated in immunoblotting experiments with flagellin antibody to detect unprocessed and processed flagellin subunits.Escherichia coli membranes containing the expressedM. voltae preflagellin (as the substrate) were combined in vitro with methanogen membranes (as the enzyme source). Correct processing of the preflagellin to the mature flagellin was also shown directly by comparison of the N-terminal sequences of the two flagellin species. M. voltae preflagellin peptidase activity was optimal at 37°C and pH 8.5 and in the presence of 0.4 M KCl with 0.25% (vol/vol) Triton X-100.

2003 ◽  
Vol 185 (20) ◽  
pp. 5936-5942 ◽  
Author(s):  
Sandy Y. M. Ng ◽  
Ken F. Jarrell

ABSTRACT Archaeal protein trafficking is a poorly characterized process. While putative type I signal peptidase genes have been identified in sequenced genomes for many archaea, no biochemical data have been presented to confirm that the gene product possesses signal peptidase activity. In this study, the putative type I signal peptidase gene in Methanococcus voltae was cloned and overexpressed in Escherichia coli, the membranes of which were used as the enzyme source in an in vitro peptidase assay. A truncated, His-tagged form of the M. voltae S-layer protein was generated for use as the substrate to monitor the signal peptidase activity. With M. voltae membranes as the enzyme source, signal peptidase activity in vitro was optimal between 30 and 40°C; it was dependent on a low concentration of KCl or NaCl but was effective over a broad concentration range up to 1 M. Processing of the M. voltae S-layer protein at the predicted cleavage site (confirmed by N-terminal sequencing) was demonstrated with the overexpressed archaeal gene product. Although E. coli signal peptidase was able to correctly process the signal peptide during overexpression of the M. voltae S-layer protein in vivo, the contribution of the E. coli signal peptidase to cleavage of the substrate in the in vitro assay was minimal since E. coli membranes alone did not show significant activity towards the S-layer substrate in in vitro assays. In addition, when the peptidase assays were performed in 1 M NaCl (a previously reported inhibitory condition for E. coli signal peptidase I), efficient processing of the substrate was observed only when the E. coli membranes contained overexpressed M. voltae signal peptidase. This is the first proof of expressed type I signal peptidase activity from a specific archaeal gene product.


2006 ◽  
Vol 188 (16) ◽  
pp. 5775-5782 ◽  
Author(s):  
Prabhat Mallik ◽  
Brian J. Paul ◽  
Steven T. Rutherford ◽  
Richard L. Gourse ◽  
Robert Osuna

ABSTRACT DksA is a critical transcription factor in Escherichia coli that binds to RNA polymerase and potentiates control of rRNA promoters and certain amino acid promoters. Given the kinetic similarities between rRNA promoters and the fis promoter (Pfis), we investigated the possibility that DksA might also control transcription from Pfis. We show that the absence of dksA extends transcription from Pfis well into the late logarithmic and stationary growth phases, demonstrating the importance of DksA for growth phase-dependent regulation of fis. We also show that transcription from Pfis increases with steady-state growth rate and that dksA is absolutely required for this regulation. In addition, both DksA and ppGpp are required for inhibition of Pfis promoter activity following amino acid starvation, and these factors act directly and synergistically to negatively control Pfis transcription in vitro. DksA decreases the half-life of the intrinsically short-lived fis promoter-RNA polymerase complex and increases its sensitivity to the concentration of CTP, the predominant initiating nucleotide triphosphate for this promoter. This work extends our understanding of the multiple factors controlling fis expression and demonstrates the generality of the DksA requirement for regulation of kinetically similar promoters.


2001 ◽  
Vol 183 (18) ◽  
pp. 5364-5370 ◽  
Author(s):  
Caroline Hyland ◽  
Laurent Vuillard ◽  
Colin Hughes ◽  
Vassilis Koronakis

ABSTRACT The 1,024-amino-acid acylated hemolysin of Escherichia coli subverts host cell functions and causes cell lysis. Both activities require insertion of the toxin into target mammalian cell membranes. To identify directly the principal toxin sequences dictating membrane binding and insertion, we assayed the lipid bilayer interaction of native protoxin, stably active toxin, and recombinant peptides. Binding was assessed by flotation of protein-liposome mixtures through density gradients, and insertion was assessed by labeling with a photoactivatable probe incorporated into the target lipid bilayer. Both the active acylated hemolysin and the inactive unacylated protoxin were able to bind and also insert. Ca2+binding, which is required for toxin activity, did not influence the in vitro interaction with liposomes. Three overlapping large peptides were expressed separately. A C-terminal peptide including residues 601 to 1024 did not interact in either assay. An internal peptide spanning residues 496 to 831, including the two acylation sites, bound to phospholipid vesicles and showed a low level of insertion-dependent labeling. In vitro acylation had no effect on the bilayer interaction of either this peptide or the full-length protoxin. An N-terminal peptide comprising residues 1 to 520 also bound to phospholipid vesicles and showed strong insertion-dependent labeling, ca. 5- to 25-fold that of the internal peptide. Generation of five smaller peptides from the N-terminal region identified the principal determinant of lipid insertion as the hydrophobic sequence encompassing residues 177 to 411, which is conserved among hemolysin-related toxins.


1999 ◽  
Vol 289 (1) ◽  
pp. 1-7 ◽  
Author(s):  
Nobukazu Nameki ◽  
Toshimasa Tadaki ◽  
Akira Muto ◽  
Hyouta Himeno

1995 ◽  
Vol 306 (1) ◽  
pp. 285-291 ◽  
Author(s):  
D L Mykles ◽  
M F Haire

The multicatalytic proteinase (MCP or proteasome) is a large proteolytic complex that contains at least five catalytic components: the trypsin-like, chymotrypsin-like, peptidylglutamyl-peptide hydrolase (PGPH), branched-chain-amino-acid-preferring (BrAAP) and small-neutral-amino-acid-preferring activities. We have shown that brief heating of the lobster muscle proteasome activates a proteolytic activity that degrades casein and myofibrillar proteins and is distinct from the trypsin-like, chymotrypsin-like and PGPH components. Here we identify the BrAAP activity as a catalytic component involved in the initial degradation of myofibrillar proteins in vitro. This conclusion is based on the following. (1) The BrAAP component was activated by heat-treatment, whereas the other four peptidase activities were not. (2) The BrAAP and proteolytic activities showed similar sensitivities to cations and protease inhibitors: both were inhibited by 3,4-dichloroisocoumarin, chymostatin, N-ethylmaleimide and Mg2+, but were not affected by leupeptin, phenylmethanesulphonyl fluoride or Li+. (3) The BrAAP activity was inhibited most strongly by casein substrates and troponin; conversely, the troponin-degrading activity was inhibited by the BrAAP substrate. Another significant finding was that incubation of the heat-activated MCP in the presence of chymostatin resulted in the limited cleavage of troponin-T2 (45 kDa) to two fragments of 41 and 42 kDa; this cleavage was completely suppressed by leupeptin. These results suggest that under certain conditions the trypsin-like component can cleave endogenous protein.


Microbiology ◽  
2010 ◽  
Vol 156 (9) ◽  
pp. 2796-2806 ◽  
Author(s):  
Vivienne Mahon ◽  
Cyril J. Smyth ◽  
Stephen G. J. Smith

The pathogenesis of diarrhoeal disease due to human enterotoxigenic Escherichia coli absolutely requires the expression of fimbriae. The expression of CS1 fimbriae is positively regulated by the AraC-like protein Rns. AraC-like proteins are DNA-binding proteins that typically contain two helix–turn–helix (HTH) motifs. A program of pentapeptide insertion mutagenesis of the Rns protein was performed, and this revealed that both HTH motifs are required by Rns to positively regulate CS1 fimbrial gene expression. Intriguingly, a pentapeptide insertion after amino acid C102 reduced the ability of Rns to transactivate CS1 fimbrial expression. The structure of Rns in this vicinity (NACRS) was predicted to be disordered and thus might act as a flexible linker. This hypothesis was confirmed by deletion of this amino acid sequence from the Rns protein; a truncated protein that lacked this sequence was no longer functional. Strikingly, this sequence could be functionally substituted in vivo and in vitro by a flexible seven amino acid sequence from another E. coli AraC-like protein RhaS. Our data indicate that HTH motifs and a flexible sequence are required by Rns for maximal activation of fimbrial gene expression.


1976 ◽  
Vol 153 (3) ◽  
pp. 533-541 ◽  
Author(s):  
R A Clegg

1. Nitrate reductase was purified 134-fold from Escherichia coli K12. The purification procedure involves the release by Triton X-100 of the enzyme from the cell envelope. i. The purified enzyme exists in aqueous solution either as a monomer (mol. wt. about 220 000) or as an associated form (probably a tetramer; mol.wt. about 880 000). 3. The purified enzyme has three subunits with apparent mol.wts. of 150 000, 67000 and 65000. An additional subunit of apparent mol.wt. 20000 is present in a haem-containing fraction that is also produced by the preparative procedure described. 4. None of the enzyme subunits is present in the cell envelope of cells grown in the absence of nitrate. 5. Reversible changes in the activity of nitrate reductase in vitro with FMNH2 as reductant can be induced under circumstances which are without effect on the reduced Benzyl Viologen-NO3-activity.


Chemotherapy ◽  
2021 ◽  
Author(s):  
Lluvia Itzel López-López ◽  
Ernesto Rivera-Ávalos ◽  
Cecilia Villarreal-Reyes ◽  
Fidel Martínez-Gutiérrez ◽  
Denisse de Loera

Background: The synthesis and biological evaluation of 1,4-naphthoquinone derivatives are of great interest since these compounds exhibit strong antibacterial, antifungal, antimalarial, and anticancer activities. The electronic properties of naphthoquinones are usually modulated by attaching functional groups containing nitrogen, oxygen and sulfur atoms, which tune their biological potency and selectivity. Methods: A series of 13 amino acid 1,4-naphthoquinone derivatives were synthesized under assisted microwave and ultrasound conditions. The antibacterial activity compounds was tested against American type Culture Collection (ATCC): Escherichia coli, Pseudomonas aeruginosa, Staphylococcus aureus and Enterococcus faecalis, as well two multidrug resistant pathogens: Escherichia coli and Staphylococcus aureus from clinical isolated. Minimal inhibitory concentration (MIC) was determined using the broth microdilution method. Results: MIC of derivatives 4–11, 14 and 16 showed antimicrobial activity against gram-positive and gram-negative bacteria. Antimicrobial activities of the compounds 4–8 and 14 were ≤MIC 24.7 μg∙mL-1 against all the reference strain, even more the compound 6 showed the most potent activity with a MIC of 3.9 μg∙mL-1 on S. aureus. On the clinical isolated the compounds 7, 8 and 14 showed a MIC of 49.7 and 24.7 μg∙mL-1 against S. aureus y E. coli respectively. About ADME properties and Osiris analysis, the compounds 4-16 presented high gastrointestinal absorption and good characteristics for oral bioavailability and the compound 14 was the less toxic. Conclusion: amino acid 1,4-naphthoquinone derivatives showed good in vitro antibacterial activity against clinical strains, and modifications on C-3 with cloride atom enhanced the efficiency against same pathogens.


1992 ◽  
Vol 282 (3) ◽  
pp. 781-788 ◽  
Author(s):  
B Granier ◽  
C Duez ◽  
S Lepage ◽  
S Englebert ◽  
J Dusart ◽  
...  

As derived from gene cloning and sequencing, the 489-amino-acid DD-peptidase/penicillin-binding protein (PBP) produced by Actinomadura R39 has a primary structure very similar to that of the Escherichia coli PBP4 [Mottl, Terpstra & Keck (1991) FEMS Microbiol. Lett. 78, 213-220]. Hydrophobic-cluster analysis of the two proteins shows that, providing that a large 174-amino-acid stretch is excluded from the analysis, the bulk of the two polypeptide chains possesses homologues of the active-site motifs and secondary structures found in the class A beta-lactamase of Streptomyces albus G of known three-dimensional structure. The 174-amino-acid insert occurs at equivalent places in the two PBPs, between helices alpha 2 and alpha 3, away from the active site. Such an insert is unique among the penicilloyl serine transferases. It is proposed that the Actinomadura R39 PBP and E. coli PBP4 form a special class, class C, of low-Mr PBPs/DD-peptidases. A vector has been constructed and introduced by electrotransformation in the original Actinomadura R39 strain, allowing high-level expression and secretion of the DD-peptidase/PBP (250 mg.l-1). The gene encoding the desired protein is processed differently in Actinomadura R39 and Streptomyces lividans. Incorrect processing in Streptomyces lividans leads to a secreted protein which is inert in terms of DD-peptidase activity and penicillin-binding capacity.


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