Expression in Escherichia coli of fragments of the coiled-coil rod domain of rabbit myosin: influence of different regions of the molecule on aggregation and paracrystal formation

1991 ◽  
Vol 99 (4) ◽  
pp. 823-836
Author(s):  
S.J. Atkinson ◽  
M. Stewart

We have expressed in Escherichia coli a cDNA clone corresponding broadly to rabbit light meromyosin (LMM) together with a number of modified polypeptides and have used this material to investigate the role of different aspects of molecular structure on the solubility properties of LMM. The expressed material was characterized biochemically and structurally to ensure that it retained the coiled-coil conformation of the native molecule. Full-length recombinant LMM retained the general solubility properties of myosin and, although soluble at high ionic strength, precipitated when the ionic strength was reduced below 0.3 M. Constructs in which the ‘skip’ residues (that disrupt the coiled-coil heptad repeat) were deleted had solubility properties indistinguishable from the wild type, which indicated that the skip residues did not play a major role in determining the molecular interactions involved in assembly. Deletions from the N terminus of LMM did not alter the solubility properties of the expressed material, but deletion of 92 residues from the C terminus caused a large increase in solubility at low ionic strength, indicating that a determinant important for interaction between LMM molecules was located in this region. The failure of deletions from the molecule's N terminus to alter its solubility radically suggested that the periodic variation of charge along the myosin rod may not be as important as proposed for determining the strength of binding between molecules and thus the solubility of myosin.

Microbiology ◽  
2004 ◽  
Vol 150 (7) ◽  
pp. 2055-2068 ◽  
Author(s):  
Daniel V. Zurawski ◽  
Murry A. Stein

SseA, a key Salmonella virulence determinant, is a small, basic pI protein encoded within the Salmonella pathogenicity island 2 and serves as a type III secretion system chaperone for SseB and SseD. Both SseA partners are subunits of the surface-localized translocon module that delivers effectors into the host cell; SseB is predicted to compose the translocon sheath and SseD is a putative translocon pore subunit. In this study, SseA molecular interactions with its partners were characterized further. Yeast two-hybrid screens indicate that SseA binding requires a C-terminal domain within both partners. An additional central domain within SseD was found to influence binding. The SseA-binding region within SseB was found to encompass a predicted amphipathic helix of a type participating in coiled-coil interactions that are implicated in the assembly of translocon sheaths. Deletions that impinge upon this putative coiled-coiled domain prevent SseA binding, suggesting that SseA occupies a portion of the coiled-coil. SseA occupancy of this motif is envisioned to be sufficient to prevent premature SseB self-association inside bacteria. Domain mapping on the chaperone was also performed. A deletion of the SseA N-terminus, or site-directed mutations within this region, allowed stabilization of SseB, but its export was disrupted. Therefore, the N-terminus of SseA provides a function that is essential for SseB export, but dispensable for partner binding and stabilization.


2008 ◽  
Vol 190 (15) ◽  
pp. 5517-5521 ◽  
Author(s):  
Edan R. Hosking ◽  
Michael D. Manson

ABSTRACT MotA contains a conserved C-terminal cluster of negatively charged residues, and MotB contains a conserved N-terminal cluster of positively charged residues. Charge-altering mutations affecting these residues impair motility but do not diminish Mot protein levels. The motility defects are reversed by second-site mutations targeting the same or partner protein.


2013 ◽  
Vol 94 (2) ◽  
pp. 443-452 ◽  
Author(s):  
Gültekin Tamgüney ◽  
Kurt Giles ◽  
Abby Oehler ◽  
Natrina L. Johnson ◽  
Stephen J. DeArmond ◽  
...  

Chronic wasting disease (CWD) of deer and elk is a highly communicable neurodegenerative disorder caused by prions. Investigations of CWD are hampered by slow bioassays in transgenic (Tg) mice. Towards the development of Tg mice that will be more susceptible to CWD prions, we created a series of chimeric elk/mouse transgenes that encode the N terminus of elk PrP (ElkPrP) up to residue Y168 and the C terminus of mouse PrP (MoPrP) beyond residue 169 (mouse numbering), designated Elk3M(SNIVVK). Between codons 169 and 219, six residues distinguish ElkPrP from MoPrP: N169S, T173N, V183I, I202V, I214V and R219K. Using chimeric elk/mouse PrP constructs, we generated 12 Tg mouse lines and determined incubation times after intracerebral inoculation with the mouse-passaged RML scrapie or Elk1P CWD prions. Unexpectedly, one Tg mouse line expressing Elk3M(SNIVVK) exhibited incubation times of <70 days when inoculated with RML prions; a second line had incubation times of <90 days. In contrast, mice expressing full-length ElkPrP had incubation periods of >250 days for RML prions. Tg(Elk3M,SNIVVK) mice were less susceptible to CWD prions than Tg(ElkPrP) mice. Changing three C-terminal mouse residues (202, 214 and 219) to those of elk doubled the incubation time for mouse RML prions and rendered the mice resistant to Elk1P CWD prions. Mutating an additional two residues from mouse to elk at codons 169 and 173 increased the incubation times for mouse prions to >300 days, but made the mice susceptible to CWD prions. Our findings highlight the role of C-terminal residues in PrP that control the susceptibility and replication of prions.


1998 ◽  
Vol 180 (23) ◽  
pp. 6424-6428 ◽  
Author(s):  
Xuan-Chuan Yu ◽  
Elizabeth K. Weihe ◽  
William Margolin

1984 ◽  
Vol 223 (1) ◽  
pp. 23-29 ◽  
Author(s):  
E Rowatt

The need for Ca2+ in the inactivation of bacteriophage phi X174 by lipopolysaccharide from Escherichia coli C was confirmed. Ca2+ could be replaced almost completely by Na+, but the concentration of Na+ needed was greater by more than an order of magnitude. Other bivalent ions caused inactivation in the same way as Ca2+, and the degree of inactivation varied according to the ion. At 50% inactivation of bacteriophage, the relation between the concentrations of NaCl and of bivalent or tervalent ions (Mx+) fitted the conception that NaCl was neutralizing electrostatic repulsion between virus and lipopolysaccharide by an ionic-strength effect: that is, log[Mx+] varies inversely with square root[NaCl]. The variation in effect of bi- and ter-valent ions and the low concentration needed show that this is not an ionic-strength effect but likely to involve binding to more than one site.


Author(s):  
D. Rittschof ◽  
C.M. Kratt ◽  
A.S. Clare

Gastropod shells are essential to most hermit crabs. Shell availability limits hermit crab populations. Shells provide protection and the degree of shell-fit controls crab growth and fecundity. Crabs locate new gastropod shells from a distance under water by molecules released from gastropod flesh during predation events. Here we test the hypothesis that the salivary glands of the predatory gastropod are the source of enzymes that digest muscle proteins and release peptide attractants. We describe the anatomy of both the acinous salivary glands and the tubular accessory salivary glands of Busycon contrarium which are similar to those of B. carica. The salivary gland ducts empty at the mouth, suggesting a role in the primary digestion of food. We show that gastropod muscle proteins, extracted by salt solutions with the ionic strength of sea water and purified by precipitation in low ionic strength can be digested by gastropod salivary gland enzymes to generate peptides attractive to the hermit crab, Clibanarius vittatus, in field assays.


1991 ◽  
Vol 279 (3) ◽  
pp. 787-792 ◽  
Author(s):  
D M Poole ◽  
A J Durrant ◽  
G P Hazlewood ◽  
H J Gilbert

The N-terminal 160 or 267 residues of xylanase A from Pseudomonas fluorescens subsp. cellulosa, containing a non-catalytic cellulose-binding domain (CBD), were fused to the N-terminus of the catalytic domain of endoglucanase E (EGE') from Clostridium thermocellum. A further hybrid enzyme was constructed consisting of the 347 N-terminal residues of xylanase C (XYLC) from P. fluorescens subsp. cellulosa, which also constitutes a CBD, fused to the N-terminus of endoglucanase A (EGA) from Ruminococcus albus. The three hybrid enzymes bound to insoluble cellulose, and could be eluted such that cellulose-binding capacity and catalytic activity were retained. The catalytic properties of the fusion enzymes were similar to EGE' and EGA respectively. Residues 37-347 and 34-347 of XYLC were fused to the C-terminus of EGE' and the 10 amino acids encoded by the multiple cloning sequence of pMTL22p respectively. The two hybrid proteins did not bind cellulose, although residues 39-139 of XYLC were shown previously to constitute a functional CBD. The putative role of the P. fluorescens subsp. cellulosa CBD in cellulase action is discussed.


2002 ◽  
Vol 75 (5) ◽  
pp. 773-794 ◽  
Author(s):  
Dale W. Schaefer ◽  
Chunyan Chen

Abstract In an attempt to elucidate the role of filler morphology in elastomer reinforcement, we use x-ray, light and neutron scattering to determine the structure of precipitated silica powders. We find the signatures of at least three levels of structure: primary particles, aggregates and agglomerates. By observing the evolution of the scattering profile during solution synthesis, we are able to identify when these structures appear. We also investigate the effect of ionic strength on morphology and find evidence for the interpenetration of aggregates on drying of powders prepared at low ionic strength. Using a reinforcement model by Witten, Rubinstein and Colby, we conclude that the ideal filler will consist of soft agglomerates made up of hard aggregates. Based on the dependence of morphology on synthetic protocol, we present strategies for design of efficient reinforcing fillers.


1997 ◽  
Vol 323 (3) ◽  
pp. 661-669 ◽  
Author(s):  
Manoj K. RAMJEE ◽  
Ulrich GENSCHEL ◽  
Chris ABELL ◽  
Alison G. SMITH

The Escherichia coli panD gene, encoding l-aspartate-α-decarboxylase, was cloned by PCR, and shown to complement apanD mutant defective in β-alanine biosynthesis. Aspartate decarboxylase is a pyruvoyl-dependent enzyme, and is synthesized initially as an inactive proenzyme (the π-protein), which is proteolytically cleaved at a specific X–Ser bond to produce a β-subunit with XOH at its C-terminus and an α-subunit with a pyruvoyl group at its N-terminus, derived from the serine. The recombinant enzyme, as purified, is a tetramer, and comprises principally the unprocessed π-subunit (of 13.8 kDa), with a small proportion of the α- and β-subunits (11 kDa and 2.8 kDa respectively). Incubation of the purified enzyme at elevated temperatures for several hours results in further processing. Using fluorescein thiosemicarbazide, the completely processed enzyme was shown to contain three pyruvoyl groups per tetrameric enzyme. The presence of unchanged serine at the N-terminus of some of the α-subunits was confirmed by electrospray mass spectrometry (ESMS) and N-terminal amino acid sequencing. A novel HPLC assay for aspartate decarboxylase was established and used to determine the Km and kcat for l-aspartate as 151±16 μM and 0.57 s-1 respectively. ESMS was also used to observe substrate and product adducts trapped on the pyruvoyl group by sodium cyanoborohydride treatment.


Oncogene ◽  
1998 ◽  
Vol 16 (6) ◽  
pp. 809-816 ◽  
Author(s):  
Angela Greco ◽  
Lisa Fusetti ◽  
Claudia Miranda ◽  
Riccardo Villa ◽  
Simona Zanotti ◽  
...  

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