scholarly journals Modified Rhodopsins From Aureobasidium pullulans Excel With Very High Proton-Transport Rates

2021 ◽  
Vol 8 ◽  
Author(s):  
Sabine Panzer ◽  
Chong Zhang ◽  
Tilen Konte ◽  
Celine Bräuer ◽  
Anne Diemar ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Proton Pump ◽  
Membrane Trafficking ◽  
Mammalian Cells ◽  
Aureobasidium Pullulans ◽  
Green Light ◽  
Maximal Activity ◽  
Site Directed Mutagenesis ◽  
Proton Pumps ◽  
C Terminus ◽  
Pump Activity

Aureobasidium pullulans is a black fungus that can adapt to various stressful conditions like hypersaline, acidic, and alkaline environments. The genome of A. pullulans exhibits three genes coding for putative opsins ApOps1, ApOps2, and ApOps3. We heterologously expressed these genes in mammalian cells and Xenopus oocytes. Localization in the plasma membrane was greatly improved by introducing additional membrane trafficking signals at the N-terminus and the C-terminus. In patch-clamp and two-electrode-voltage clamp experiments, all three proteins showed proton pump activity with maximal activity in green light. Among them, ApOps2 exhibited the most pronounced proton pump activity with current amplitudes occasionally extending 10 pA/pF at 0 mV. Proton pump activity was further supported in the presence of extracellular weak organic acids. Furthermore, we used site-directed mutagenesis to reshape protein functions and thereby implemented light-gated proton channels. We discuss the difference to other well-known proton pumps and the potential of these rhodopsins for optogenetic applications.

scholarly journals Protein localization to the nucleolus: a search for targeting domains in nucleolin

1993 ◽  
Vol 105 (3) ◽  
pp. 799-806 ◽  
Author(s):  
M.S. Schmidt-Zachmann ◽  
E.A. Nigg
Keyword(s):  
Mammalian Cells ◽  
Rna Binding ◽  
Protein Localization ◽  
Site Directed Mutagenesis ◽  
Rdna Transcription ◽  
Binding Motifs ◽  
Mutant Proteins ◽  
C Terminus ◽  
Localization Signal ◽  
Functional Nuclear Localization Signal

Nucleolin, a major nucleolar phosphoprotein, is presumed to function in rDNA transcription, rRNA packaging and ribosome assembly. Its primary sequence was highly conserved during evolution and suggests a multi-domain structure. To identify structural elements required for nuclear uptake and nucleolar accumulation of nucleolin, we used site-directed mutagenesis to introduce point- and deletion-mutations into a chicken nucleolin cDNA. Following transient expression in mammalian cells, the intracellular distribution of the corresponding wild-type and mutant proteins was determined by indirect immunofluorescence microscopy. We found that nucleolin contains a functional nuclear localization signal (KRKKEMANKSAPEAKKKK) that conforms exactly to the consensus proposed recently for a bipartite signal (Robbins, J., Dilworth, S.M., Laskey, R.A. and Dingwall, C. (1991) Cell 64, 615–623). Concerning nucleolar localization, we found that the N-terminal 250 amino acids of nucleolin are dispensible, but deletion of either the centrally located RNA-binding motifs (the RNP domain) or the glycine/arginine-rich C terminus (the GR domain) resulted in an exclusively nucleoplasmic distribution. Although both of these latter domains were required for correct subcellular localization of nucleolin, they were not sufficient to target non-nucleolar proteins to the nucleolus. From these results we conclude that nucleolin does not contain a single, linear nucleolar targeting signal. Instead, we propose that the protein uses a bipartite NLS to enter the nucleus and then accumulates within the nucleolus by virtue of binding to other nucleolar components (probably rRNA) via its RNP and GR domains.

scholarly journals Point mutations that inactivate MGAT4D-L, an inhibitor of MGAT1 and complex N-glycan synthesis

2020 ◽  
Vol 295 (41) ◽  
pp. 14053-14064
Author(s):  
Ayodele Akintayo ◽  
Joshua Mayoral ◽  
Masahiro Asada ◽  
Jian Tang ◽  
Subha Sundaram ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Amino Acids ◽  
Inhibitory Activity ◽  
Mammalian Cells ◽  
Point Mutations ◽  
Site Directed Mutagenesis ◽  
Mechanism Of Inhibition ◽  
C Terminus ◽  
Membrane Bound ◽  
Galanthus Nivalis ◽  
Glcnac Transferase

The membrane-bound, long form of MGAT4D, termed MGAT4D-L, inhibits MGAT1 activity in transfected cells and reduces the generation of complex N-glycans. MGAT1 is the GlcNAc-transferase that initiates complex and hybrid N-glycan synthesis. We show here that Drosophila MGAT1 was also inhibited by MGAT4D-L in S2 cells. In mammalian cells, expression of MGAT4D-L causes the substrate of MGAT1 (Man5GlcNAc2Asn) to accumulate on glycoproteins, a change that is detected by the lectin Galanthus nivalis agglutinin (GNA). Using GNA binding as an assay for the inhibition of MGAT1 in MGAT4D-L transfectants, we performed site-directed mutagenesis to determine requirements for MGAT1 inhibition. Deletion of 25 amino acids (aa) from the C terminus inactivated MGAT4D-L, but deletion of 20 aa did not. Conversion of the five key amino acids (PSLFQ) to Ala, or deletion of PSLFQ in the context of full-length MGAT4D-L, also inactivated MGAT1 inhibitory activity. Nevertheless, mutant, inactive MGAT4D-L interacted with MGAT1 in co-immuno-precipitation experiments. The PSLFQ sequence also occurs in MGAT4A and MGAT4B GlcNAc-transferases. However, neither inhibited MGAT1 in transfected CHO cells. MGAT4D-L inhibitory activity could be partially transferred by attaching PSLFQ or the 25-aa C terminus of MGAT4D-L to the C terminus of MGAT1. Mutation of each amino acid in PSLFQ to Ala identified both Leu and Phe as independently essential for MGAT4D-L activity. Thus, replacement of either Leu-395 or Phe-396 with Ala led to inactivation of MGAT4D-L inhibitory activity. These findings provide new insights into the mechanism of inhibition of MGAT1 by MGAT4D-L, and for the development of small molecule inhibitors of MGAT1.

An immunocytochemical analysis of the vacuolar proton pump in Dictyostelium discoideum

1993 ◽  
Vol 105 (3) ◽  
pp. 849-859 ◽  
Author(s):  
K.V. Nolta ◽  
H. Padh ◽  
T.L. Steck
Keyword(s):  
Dictyostelium Discoideum ◽  
Proton Pump ◽  
Mammalian Cells ◽  
Proton Pumps ◽  
Multivesicular Bodies ◽  
Animal Cells ◽  
Intact Cells ◽  
Immunocytochemical Analysis ◽  
F1 Atpase ◽  
Vacuolar Proton Pump

Antisera were generated in rabbits against the vacuolar proton pump (V-H(+)-ATPase) purified from Dictyostelium discoideum. The antisera inhibited V-H(+)-ATPase but not F1-ATPase activity and immunoprecipitated and immunoblotted only the polypeptide subunits of the V-H(+)-ATPase from cell homogenates. Immunocytochemical analysis of intact cells and subcellular fractions showed that the predominant immunoreactive organelles were clusters of empty, irregular vacuoles of various sizes and shapes, which corresponded to the acidosomes. The cytoplasmic surfaces of lysosomes, phagosomes and the tubular spongiome of the contractile vacuole also bore the pump antigen. The lumina of multivesicular bodies were often stained intensely; the internalized antigen may have been derived from acidosomes by autophagy. Antibodies against V-H(+)-ATPases from plant and animal cells cross-reacted with the proton pumps of Dictyostelium. Antisera directed against the V-H(+)-ATPase of Dictyostelium decorated a profusion of small vacuoles scattered throughout the cytoplasm of hepatocytes, epithelial cells, macrophages and fibroblasts. The pattern paralleled that of the endocytic and acidic spaces; there was no clear indication of discrete acidosomes in these mammalian cells. We conclude that the V-H(+)-ATPase in Dictyostelium is distributed among diverse endomembrane organelles and is immunologically cross-reactive with the proton pumps on endocytic vacuoles in mammalian cells.

scholarly journals A Novel Nanobody Precisely Visualizes Phosphorylated Histone H2AX in Living Cancer Cells under Drug-Induced Replication Stress

Cancers ◽  
2021 ◽  
Vol 13 (13) ◽  
pp. 3317
Author(s):  
Eric Moeglin ◽  
Dominique Desplancq ◽  
Audrey Stoessel ◽  
Christian Massute ◽  
Jeremy Ranniger ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Cancer Cells ◽  
Mammalian Cells ◽  
Chromatin Modification ◽  
Replication Stress ◽  
Living Cells ◽  
Single Step ◽  
Dna Double Strand Breaks ◽  
Drug Induced ◽  
Histone H2ax ◽  
C Terminus

Histone H2AX phosphorylated at serine 139 (γ-H2AX) is a hallmark of DNA damage, signaling the presence of DNA double-strand breaks and global replication stress in mammalian cells. While γ-H2AX can be visualized with antibodies in fixed cells, its detection in living cells was so far not possible. Here, we used immune libraries and phage display to isolate nanobodies that specifically bind to γ-H2AX. We solved the crystal structure of the most soluble nanobody in complex with the phosphopeptide corresponding to the C-terminus of γ-H2AX and show the atomic constituents behind its specificity. We engineered a bivalent version of this nanobody and show that bivalency is essential to quantitatively visualize γ-H2AX in fixed drug-treated cells. After labelling with a chemical fluorophore, we were able to detect γ-H2AX in a single-step assay with the same sensitivity as with validated antibodies. Moreover, we produced fluorescent nanobody-dTomato fusion proteins and applied a transduction strategy to visualize with precision γ-H2AX foci present in intact living cells following drug treatment. Together, this novel tool allows performing fast screenings of genotoxic drugs and enables to study the dynamics of this particular chromatin modification in individual cancer cells under a variety of conditions.

scholarly journals Cryo-EM structure and dynamics of the green-light absorbing proteorhodopsin

2021 ◽  
Vol 12 (1) ◽  
Author(s):  
Stephan Hirschi ◽  
David Kalbermatter ◽  
Zöhre Ucurum ◽  
Thomas Lemmin ◽  
Dimitrios Fotiadis
Keyword(s):  
Proton Translocation ◽  
Functional Characterization ◽  
Green Light ◽  
Proton Donor ◽  
Molecular Organization ◽  
Primary Proton ◽  
Proton Pumps ◽  
Model Protein ◽  
Dynamics Simulations ◽  
And Function

AbstractThe green-light absorbing proteorhodopsin (GPR) is the archetype of bacterial light-driven proton pumps. Here, we present the 2.9 Å cryo-EM structure of pentameric GPR, resolving important residues of the proton translocation pathway and the oligomerization interface. Superposition with the structure of a close GPR homolog and molecular dynamics simulations reveal conformational variations, which regulate the solvent access to the intra- and extracellular half channels harbouring the primary proton donor E109 and the proposed proton release group E143. We provide a mechanism for the structural rearrangements allowing hydration of the intracellular half channel, which are triggered by changing the protonation state of E109. Functional characterization of selected mutants demonstrates the importance of the molecular organization around E109 and E143 for GPR activity. Furthermore, we present evidence that helices involved in the stabilization of the protomer interfaces serve as scaffolds for facilitating the motion of the other helices. Combined with the more constrained dynamics of the pentamer compared to the monomer, these observations illustrate the previously demonstrated functional significance of GPR oligomerization. Overall, this work provides molecular insights into the structure, dynamics and function of the proteorhodopsin family that will benefit the large scientific community employing GPR as a model protein.

scholarly journals ADP-Ribosylation Factor (ARF) Interaction Is Not Sufficient for Yeast GGA Protein Function or Localization

2002 ◽  
Vol 13 (9) ◽  
pp. 3078-3095 ◽  
Author(s):  
Annette L. Boman ◽  
Paul D. Salo ◽  
Melissa J. Hauglund ◽  
Nicole L. Strand ◽  
Shelly J. Rensink ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Membrane Trafficking ◽  
Mammalian Cells ◽  
Fluorescent Protein ◽  
Protein Localization ◽  
Carboxypeptidase Y ◽  
Minor Role ◽  
Temperature Sensitive ◽  
Adp Ribosylation ◽  
And Function ◽  
Adp Ribosylation Factor

Golgi-localized γ-ear homology domain, ADP-ribosylation factor (ARF)-binding proteins (GGAs) facilitate distinct steps of post-Golgi traffic. Human and yeast GGA proteins are only ∼25% identical, but all GGA proteins have four similar domains based on function and sequence homology. GGA proteins are most conserved in the region that interacts with ARF proteins. To analyze the role of ARF in GGA protein localization and function, we performed mutational analyses of both human and yeast GGAs. To our surprise, yeast and human GGAs differ in their requirement for ARF interaction. We describe a point mutation in both yeast and mammalian GGA proteins that eliminates binding to ARFs. In mammalian cells, this mutation disrupts the localization of human GGA proteins. Yeast Gga function was studied using an assay for carboxypeptidase Y missorting and synthetic temperature-sensitive lethality between GGAs andVPS27. Based on these assays, we conclude that non-Arf-binding yeast Gga mutants can function normally in membrane trafficking. Using green fluorescent protein-tagged Gga1p, we show that Arf interaction is not required for Gga localization to the Golgi. Truncation analysis of Gga1p and Gga2p suggests that the N-terminal VHS domain and C-terminal hinge and ear domains play significant roles in yeast Gga protein localization and function. Together, our data suggest that yeast Gga proteins function to assemble a protein complex at the late Golgi to initiate proper sorting and transport of specific cargo. Whereas mammalian GGAs must interact with ARF to localize to and function at the Golgi, interaction between yeast Ggas and Arf plays a minor role in Gga localization and function.

Sterol and lipid trafficking in mammalian cells

2006 ◽  
Vol 34 (3) ◽  
pp. 335-339 ◽  
Author(s):  
F.R. Maxfield ◽  
M. Mondal
Keyword(s):  
Membrane Trafficking ◽  
Mammalian Cells ◽  
Intracellular Transport ◽  
Vesicular Transport ◽  
Cholesterol Content ◽  
Cellular Functions ◽  
Lipid Trafficking ◽  
Sterol Transport ◽  
A Cell ◽  
Asymmetrically Distributed

The pathways involved in the intracellular transport and distribution of lipids in general, and sterols in particular, are poorly understood. Cholesterol plays a major role in modulating membrane bilayer structure and important cellular functions, including signal transduction and membrane trafficking. Both the overall cholesterol content of a cell, as well as its distribution in specific organellar membranes are stringently regulated. Several diseases, many of which are incurable at present, have been characterized as results of impaired cholesterol transport and/or storage in the cells. Despite their importance, many fundamental aspects of intracellular sterol transport and distribution are not well understood. For instance, the relative roles of vesicular and non-vesicular transport of cholesterol have not yet been fully determined, nor are the non-vesicular transport mechanisms well characterized. Similarly, whether cholesterol is asymmetrically distributed between the two leaflets of biological membranes, and if so, how this asymmetry is maintained, is poorly understood. In this review, we present a summary of the current understanding of these aspects of intracellular trafficking and distribution of lipids, and more specifically, of sterols.

scholarly journals The C Terminus of Foamy Retrovirus Gag Contains Determinants for Encapsidation of Pol Protein into Virions

2008 ◽  
Vol 82 (21) ◽  
pp. 10803-10810 ◽  
Author(s):  
Eun-Gyung Lee ◽  
Maxine L. Linial
Keyword(s):  
Site Directed Mutagenesis ◽  
Rna Packaging ◽  
Interaction Domain ◽  
Virus Particles ◽  
Charged Amino Acids ◽  
C Terminus ◽  
Foamy Viruses ◽  
Substitution Mutations ◽  
Gag Assembly ◽  
Positively Charged

ABSTRACT Foamy viruses (FV) differ from orthoretroviruses in many aspects of their replication cycle. A major difference is in the mode of Pol expression, regulation, and encapsidation into virions. Orthoretroviruses synthesize Pol as a Gag-Pol fusion protein so that Pol is encapsidated into virus particles through Gag assembly domains. However, as FV express Pol independently of Gag from a spliced mRNA, packaging occurs through a distinct mechanism. FV genomic RNA contains cis-acting sequences that are required for Pol packaging, suggesting that Pol binds to RNA for its encapsidation. However, it is not known whether Gag is directly involved in Pol packaging. Previously our laboratory showed that sequences flanking the three glycine-arginine-rich (GR) boxes at the C terminus of FV Gag contain domains important for RNA packaging and Pol expression, cleavage, and packaging. We have now shown that both deletion and substitution mutations in the first GR box (GR1) prevented neither the assembly of particles with wild-type density nor packaging of RNA genomes but led to a defect in Pol packaging. Site-directed mutagenesis of GR1 indicated that the clustered positively charged amino acids in GR1 play important roles in Pol packaging. Our results suggest that GR1 contains a Pol interaction domain and that a Gag-Pol complex is formed and binds to RNA for incorporation into virions.

scholarly journals The Differential Effects of pp120 (Ceacam 1) on the Mitogenic Action of Insulin and Insulin-Like Growth Factor 1 Are Regulated by the Nonconserved Tyrosine 1316 in the Insulin Receptor

2000 ◽  
Vol 20 (11) ◽  
pp. 3896-3905 ◽  
Author(s):  
Payal Soni ◽  
Montaha Lakkis ◽  
Matthew N. Poy ◽  
Mats A. Fernström ◽  
Sonia M. Najjar
Keyword(s):  
Growth Factor ◽  
Insulin Receptor ◽  
Site Directed Mutagenesis ◽  
Insulin Like Growth Factor ◽  
Β Subunit ◽  
Conserved Domain ◽  
C Terminus ◽  
Mitogenic Action ◽  
The Difference ◽  
Differential Phosphorylation

ABSTRACT pp120 (Ceacam 1) undergoes ligand-stimulated phosphorylation by the insulin receptor, but not by the insulin-like growth factor 1 receptor (IGF-1R). This differential phosphorylation is regulated by the C terminus of the β-subunit of the insulin receptor, the least conserved domain of the two receptors. In the present studies, deletion and site-directed mutagenesis in stably transfected hepatocytes derived from insulin receptor knockout mice (IR−/−) revealed that Tyr1316, which is replaced by the nonphosphorylatable phenylalanine in IGF-1R, regulated the differential phosphorylation of pp120 by the insulin receptor. Similarly, the nonconserved Tyr1316 residue also regulated the differential effect of pp120 on IGF-1 and insulin mitogenesis, with pp120 downregulating the growth-promoting action of insulin, but not that of IGF-1. Thus, it appears that pp120 phosphorylation by the insulin receptor is required and sufficient to mediate its downregulatory effect on the mitogenic action of insulin. Furthermore, the current studies revealed that the C terminus of the β-subunit of the insulin receptor contains elements that suppress the mitogenic action of insulin. Because IR−/− hepatocytes are derived from liver, an insulin-targeted tissue, our observations have finally resolved the controversy about the role of the least-conserved domain of insulin and IGF-1Rs in mediating the difference in the mitogenic action of their ligands, with IGF-1 being more mitogenic than insulin.

Identification of a di-leucine motif within the C terminus domain of the Menkes disease protein that mediates endocytosis from the plasma membrane

1999 ◽  
Vol 112 (11) ◽  
pp. 1721-1732 ◽  
Author(s):  
M.J. Francis ◽  
E.E. Jones ◽  
E.R. Levy ◽  
R.L. Martin ◽  
S. Ponnambalam ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Plasma Membrane ◽  
Golgi Apparatus ◽  
Transmembrane Domain ◽  
Menkes Disease ◽  
Cytoplasmic Domain ◽  
Endocytic Pathway ◽  
Site Directed Mutagenesis ◽  
Trans Golgi Network ◽  
C Terminus ◽  
Golgi Network

The protein encoded by the Menkes disease gene (MNK) is localised to the Golgi apparatus and cycles between the trans-Golgi network and the plasma membrane in cultured cells on addition and removal of copper to the growth medium. This suggests that MNK protein contains active signals that are involved in the retention of the protein to the trans-Golgi network and retrieval of the protein from the plasma membrane. Previous studies have identified a signal involved in Golgi retention within transmembrane domain 3 of MNK. To identify a motif sufficient for retrieval of MNK from the plasma membrane, we analysed the cytoplasmic domain, downstream of transmembrane domain 7 and 8. Chimeric constructs containing this cytoplasmic domain fused to the reporter molecule CD8 localised the retrieval signal(s) to 62 amino acids at the C terminus. Further studies were performed on putative internalisation motifs, using site-directed mutagenesis, protein expression, chemical treatment and immunofluorescence. We observed that a di-leucine motif (L1487L1488) was essential for rapid internalisation of chimeric CD8 proteins and the full-length Menkes cDNA from the plasma membrane. We suggest that this motif mediates the retrieval of MNK from the plasma membrane into the endocytic pathway, via the recycling endosomes, but is not sufficient on its own to return the protein to the Golgi apparatus. These studies provide a basis with which to identify other motifs important in the sorting and delivery of MNK from the plasma membrane to the Golgi apparatus.

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