Structure and molecular organization of higher plant coated vesicles

1987 ◽  
Vol 88 (1) ◽  
pp. 35-45
Author(s):  
JULIAN COLEMAN ◽  
DAVID EVANS ◽  
CHRIS HAWES ◽  
DAVID HORSLEY ◽  
LOUISE COLE

Suspension-cultured cells of carrot contain three populations of coated vesicles, associated with the plasma membrane (84–91 nm diameter), Golgi dictyosomes and the partially coated reticulum (61–73 nm diameter). These were observed by thin sectioning, dry-cleaving and rapid-freeze deep-etching of cells. Dissociation of clathrin coats with Tris, released triskelions that were morphologically identical with those from mammalian tissue. The triskelion arm length of carrot clathrin was greater (61nm versus 44–50 nm), but packaging results in clathrin cages of pentagons and hexagons of similar size to those from mammalian cells. SDS-PAGE of Tris-released triskelion preparations revealed a complex of three polypeptides of 190, 60 and 57(x103)Mr. The 190x103Mr protein is the plant clathrin heavy chain, slightly larger than the mammalian heavy chain. The 60 and 57(x103)Mr bands showed the same sensitivities to protease treatment as mammalian light chains. Triskelion preparations containing these three proteins reassembled into polyhedral cages. These results are discussed in relation to the structural organization of coated vesicles and clathrin cages in other systems.

1996 ◽  
Vol 109 (4) ◽  
pp. 777-786 ◽  
Author(s):  
H.D. Blackbourn ◽  
A.P. Jackson

Clathrin-coated vesicles were isolated from soybean (Glycine max L.) cells in suspension culture and their purity was assessed using SDS-PAGE, peptide sequencing and electron microscopy. Antibodies raised to these coated vesicles were used to immunoscreen a soybean cDNA library in lambda gt11 and isolate a partial clone of the clathrin heavy chain (HC) gene. Full-length cDNA for soybean clathrin HC was deduced by 5′ and 3′ cDNA amplification. The cDNA encodes an amino acid sequence of 1,700 residues, which is slightly larger than rat clathrin HC and may account for the reduced mobility of plant clathrin on SDS-PAGE. Insertion of these extra residues is largely confined to the amino and carboxy termini. Other domains within the heavy chain arms, including those implicated in light chain binding and trimerisation, are relatively well conserved between eukaryotes. A computer algorithm to determine alpha-helical coiled-coil structures reveals that only one domain, aligning to residues 1,460-1,489 in rat clathrin HC, has a high probability for coiled-coil structure in all five eukaryotic clathrin HC sequences. This provides further evidence that the interaction between clathrin heavy and light chains is mediated by three bundles of coiled-coils near to the carboxy terminus. In analysing the role of plant clathrin in endocytotic trafficking, as against trafficking from the Golgi apparatus to the vacuole, our attention was focused on membrane recycling in tip-growing pollen tubes. These rapidly growing cells are highly secretory and require a high level of plasma membrane recycling to maintain the tube tip architecture. Monoclonal antibodies to plant clathrin HC confirmed that coated vesicles are relatively abundant in tip-growing pollen tubes of Lilium longiflorum. This analysis also demonstrated that a high proportion of the clathrin present is in an assembled state, suggesting a highly dynamic trafficking pathway. Immunofluorescence analysis of pollen tubes revealed that clathrin localises to the plasma membrane at the apex of the pollen tube tip, which is consistent with high levels of clathrin-mediated membrane recycling. The use of these reagents in conjunction with tip-growing pollen tubes has created a unique opportunity to examine the basis for constitutive endocytosis, so that the more complex question of receptor-mediated pathways in plants can also be assessed.


Author(s):  
G.P.A. Vigers ◽  
R.A. Crowther ◽  
B.M.F. Pearse

Clathrin forms the polyhedral cage of coated vesicles, which mediate the transfer of selected membrane components within eukaryotic cells. Clathrin cages and coated vesicles have been extensively studied by electron microscopy of negatively stained preparations and shadowed specimens. From these studies the gross morphology of the outer part of the polyhedral coat has been established and some features of the packing of clathrin trimers into the coat have also been described. However these previous studies have not revealed any internal details about the position of the terminal domain of the clathrin heavy chain, the location of the 100kd-50kd accessory coat proteins or the interactions of the coat with the enclosed membrane.


1989 ◽  
Vol 62 (03) ◽  
pp. 902-905 ◽  
Author(s):  
Brian S Greffe ◽  
Marilyn J Manco-Johnson ◽  
Richard A Marlar

SummaryProtein C (PC) is a vitamin K-dependent protein which functions as both an anticoagulant and profibrinolytic. It is synthesized as a single chain protein (SC-PC) and post-transla-tionally modified into a two chain form (2C-PC). Two chain PC consists of a light chain (LC) and a heavy chain (HC). The present study was undertaken to determine the composition of the molecular forms of PC in plasma. PC was immunoprecipitated, subjected to SDS-PAGE and Western blotting. The blots were scanned by densitometry to determine the distribution of the various forms. The percentage of SC-PC and 2C-PC was found to be 10% and 90% respectively. This is in agreement with previous work. SC-PC and the heavy chain of 2C-PC consisted of three molecular forms (“alpha”, “beta”, and “gamma”). The “alpha” form of HC is the standard 2C form with a MW of 40 Kd. The “beta” form of HC has also been described and has MW which is 4 Kd less than the “alpha” form. The “gamma” species of the SC and 2C-PC has not been previously described. However, its 3 Kd difference from the “beta” form could be due to modification of the “beta” species or to a separate modification of the alpha-HC. The LC of PC was shown to exist in two forms (termed form 1 and form 2). The difference between these two forms is unknown. The molecular forms of PC are most likely due to a post-translational modification (either loss of a carbohydrate or a peptide) rather than from plasma derived degradation.


Metabolites ◽  
2021 ◽  
Vol 11 (2) ◽  
pp. 117
Author(s):  
Thekla Cordes ◽  
Christian M. Metallo

Itaconate is a small molecule metabolite that is endogenously produced by cis-aconitate decarboxylase-1 (ACOD1) in mammalian cells and influences numerous cellular processes. The metabolic consequences of itaconate in cells are diverse and contribute to its regulatory function. Here, we have applied isotope tracing and mass spectrometry approaches to explore how itaconate impacts various metabolic pathways in cultured cells. Itaconate is a competitive and reversible inhibitor of Complex II/succinate dehydrogenase (SDH) that alters tricarboxylic acid (TCA) cycle metabolism leading to succinate accumulation. Upon activation with coenzyme A (CoA), itaconyl-CoA inhibits adenosylcobalamin-mediated methylmalonyl-CoA (MUT) activity and, thus, indirectly impacts branched-chain amino acid (BCAA) metabolism and fatty acid diversity. Itaconate, therefore, alters the balance of CoA species in mitochondria through its impacts on TCA, amino acid, vitamin B12, and CoA metabolism. Our results highlight the diverse metabolic pathways regulated by itaconate and provide a roadmap to link these metabolites to potential downstream biological functions.


2020 ◽  
Author(s):  
Jordi Keijzer ◽  
Bauke Albada

<div>Synthetic DNA that forms various G-quadruplex nanostructures, in combination with hemin, <i>N</i>-methyl luminol derivatives, and H2O2 can site-specifically modify proteins (i.e. evidence is provided for lysozyme and human alpha-thrombin). The catalytic modification is completed in 15-30 mins, and the site-specificity is influenced by the G-quadruplex topology (a total of 22 G-quadruplex forming sequences was tested). We also show that the heavy chain of the therapeutic antibody trastuzumab is modified, which facilitates the preparation of antibody-drug conjugates. Furthermore, a trigger can be programmed into this synthetic DNA so that the protein modification chemistry is made dependent on an external trigger.</div><div><br></div>Techniques used: HPLC, SDS-PAGE, LC-MS/MS, NMR.


eLife ◽  
2020 ◽  
Vol 9 ◽  
Author(s):  
Lingna Xu ◽  
Xi Wang ◽  
Jia Zhou ◽  
Yunyi Qiu ◽  
Weina Shang ◽  
...  

Endoplasmic reticulum (ER)–mitochondria contact sites (ERMCSs) are crucial for multiple cellular processes such as calcium signaling, lipid transport, and mitochondrial dynamics. However, the molecular organization, functions, regulation of ERMCS, and the physiological roles of altered ERMCSs are not fully understood in higher eukaryotes. We found that Miga, a mitochondrion located protein, markedly increases ERMCSs and causes severe neurodegeneration upon overexpression in fly eyes. Miga interacts with an ER protein Vap33 through its FFAT-like motif and an amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS) disease related Vap33 mutation considerably reduces its interaction with Miga. Multiple serine residues inside and near the Miga FFAT motif were phosphorylated, which is required for its interaction with Vap33 and Miga-mediated ERMCS formation. The interaction between Vap33 and Miga promoted further phosphorylation of upstream serine/threonine clusters, which fine-tuned Miga activity. Protein kinases CKI and CaMKII contribute to Miga hyperphosphorylation. MIGA2, encoded by the miga mammalian ortholog, has conserved functions in mammalian cells. We propose a model that shows Miga interacts with Vap33 to mediate ERMCSs and excessive ERMCSs lead to neurodegeneration.


Blood ◽  
1997 ◽  
Vol 90 (3) ◽  
pp. 1065-1074 ◽  
Author(s):  
John A. Samis ◽  
Marilyn Garrett ◽  
Reginald P. Manuel ◽  
Michael E. Nesheim ◽  
Alan R. Giles

The effect of human neutrophil elastase (HNE) on human factor V (F.V) or α-thrombin–activated human factor V (F.Va) was studied in vitro by prothrombinase assays, sodium dodecyl sulfate-polyacrylamide gel electrophoresis (SDS-PAGE), and NH2 -terminal sequence analysis. Incubation of F.V (600 nmol/L) with HNE (2 nmol/L) in the presence of Ca2+ resulted in a time-dependent increase in its cofactor activity. In contrast, treatment of F.Va (600 nmol/L) with HNE (60 nmol/L) in the presence of Ca2+ resulted only in a time-dependent decrease in its cofactor activity. Under the conditions of these experiments, the maximum extent of F.V activation accomplished by incubation with HNE was approximately 65% to 70% of that observed with α-thrombin in presence of Ca2+. The extent of both the HNE-dependent enhancement in F.V cofactor activity and the HNE-dependent decrease in F.Va cofactor activity was not influenced by the addition of phosphatidylcholine/phosphatidylserine (PCPS) vesicles (50 μmol/L). The HNE-derived cleavage products of F.V, which correlated with increased cofactor activity, as demonstrated by SDS-PAGE under reducing conditions, were different from those generated using α-thrombin. Treatment of F.V (600 nmol/L) with HNE (2 nmol/L) in the presence of Ca2+ resulted in the production of three closely spaced doublets of: 99/97, 89/87, and 76/74 kD whose appearance over time correlated well with the increased cofactor activity as judged by densitometry. Treatment of F.Va (600 nmol/L) with HNE (60 nmol/L) in the presence of Ca2+ resulted in the cleavage of both the 96 kD heavy chain and the 74/72 kD light chain into products of: 56, 53, 35, 28, 22, and 12 kD. Although densitometry indicated that both the heavy and light chains of F.Va were hydrolyzed by HNE, cleavage of the 96 kD heavy chain was more extensive during the time period (10 to 30 minutes) of the greatest loss of F.Va cofactor activity. NH2 -terminal sequence analysis of F.V treated with HNE indicated cleavage at Ile819 and Ile1484 under conditions during which the procofactor expressed enhanced cofactor activity in the prothrombinase complex. NH2 -terminal sequence analysis of F.Va treated with HNE indicated cleavage at Ala341, Ile508, and Thr1767 under conditions, which the cofactor became inactivated, as measured by prothrombinase activity. The activation and inactivation cleavage sites are close to those cleaved by the physiological activator and inactivator of F.V and F.Va, namely α-thrombin (Arg709 and Arg1545) and Activated Protein C (APC) (Arg306 and Arg506), respectively. These results indicate that HNE can generate proteolytic products of F.V, which initially express significantly enhanced procoagulant cofactor activity similar to that observed following activation with α-thrombin. In contrast, HNE treatment of F.Va resulted only in the loss of its cofactor activity, but again, this is similar to that observed following inactivation by APC.


2020 ◽  
Vol 48 (2) ◽  
pp. 357-365
Author(s):  
Chalmers Chau ◽  
Paolo Actis ◽  
Eric Hewitt

The manipulation of cultured mammalian cells by the delivery of exogenous macromolecules is one of the cornerstones of experimental cell biology. Although the transfection of cells with DNA expressions constructs that encode proteins is routine and simple to perform, the direct delivery of proteins into cells has many advantages. For example, proteins can be chemically modified, assembled into defined complexes and subject to biophysical analyses prior to their delivery into cells. Here, we review new approaches to the injection and electroporation of proteins into cultured cells. In particular, we focus on how recent developments in nanoscale injection probes and localized electroporation devices enable proteins to be delivered whilst minimizing cellular damage. Moreover, we discuss how nanopore sensing may ultimately enable the quantification of protein delivery at single-molecule resolution.


1996 ◽  
Vol 319 (3) ◽  
pp. 977-983 ◽  
Author(s):  
Jeong Heon KO ◽  
Cheorl Ho KIM ◽  
Dae-Sil LEE ◽  
Yu Sam KIM

An extremely thermostable ADP-glucose pyrophosphorylase (AGPase) has been purified from Thermus caldophilus GK-24 to homogeneity by chromatographic methods, including gel filtration and ion-exchange and affinity chromatography. The specific activity of the enzyme was enriched 134.8-fold with a recovery of 10.5%. The purified enzyme was a single band by SDS/PAGE with a molecular mass of 52 kDa. The homotetrameric structure of the native enzyme was determined by gel filtration analysis, which showed a molecular mass of 230 kDa on a Superose-12 column, indicating that the structure of the enzyme is different from the heterotetrameric structures of higher-plant AGPases. The enzyme was most active at pH 6.0. The activity was maximal at 73–78 °C and its half-life was 30 min at 95 °C. Kinetic and regulatory properties were characterized. It was found that AGPase activity could be stimulated by a number of glycolytic intermediates. Fructose 6-phosphate, fructose 1,6-bisphosphate, phenylglyoxal and glucose 6-phosphate were effective activators, of which fructose 1,6-bisphosphate was the most effective. The enzyme was inhibited by phosphate, AMP or ADP. ATP and glucose 1-phosphate gave hyperbolic-shaped rate-concentration curves in the presence or absence of activator. A remarkable aspect of the amino acid composition was the existence of the hydrophobic and Ala+Gly residues. The N-terminal and internal peptide sequences were determined and compared with known sequences of various sources. It was apparently similar to those of AGPases from other bacterial and plant sources, suggesting that the enzymes are structurally related.


1989 ◽  
Vol 93 (1) ◽  
pp. 123-131
Author(s):  
NANCY J. LANE ◽  
STEPHEN M. DILWORTH

Septate junctions are found only in invertebrate tissues, and are almost ubiquitous within them. In arthropods, the two major types are the ‘pleated’ and the ‘smooth’ varieties. Using tissues from different species, including the cockroach Periplaneta americana, procedures have been established for obtaining membrane fractions selectively enriched in septate junctions. The junctions have been identified in pellets of these fractions by both thin sectioning and freeze-fracturing. SDS-PAGE of these membrane fractions reveals two major polypeptide species with apparent molecular weights of 22000–24000 and 17000–18000. Consistent differences in these apparent molecular weights are observed between the pleated and smooth varieties of septate junction. These polypeptides are probably integral membrane components, as they remain associated after treatment with high concentrations of urea. Evidence suggests a plane of weakness in the mid-line of the extracellular septal ribbons.


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