The Journal of Biological Chemistry

Analysis of C. antarctica Lipase B in Organic Solvents [Computational Biology]

The conformational stability and activity of Candida antarctica lipase B (CALB) in the polar and nonpolar organic solvents were investigated by molecular dynamics and quantum mechanics/molecular mechanics simulations. The conformation change of CALB in the polar and nonpolar solvents was examined in two aspects: the overall conformation change of CALB and the conformation change of the active site. The simulation results show that the overall conformation of CALB is stable in the organic solvents. In the nonpolar solvents, the conformation of the active site keeps stable, whereas in the polar solvents, the solvent molecules reach into the active site and interact intensively with the active site. This interaction destroys the hydrogen bonding between Ser105 and His224. In the solvents, the activation energy of CALB and that of the active site region were further simulated by quantum mechanics/molecular mechanics simulation. The results indicate that the conformation change in the region of active sites is the main factor that influences the activity of CALB.

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Acetylenic Lipid Biosynthesis in a Basidiomycete [Lipids]

Acetylenic specialized metabolites containing one or more carbon-carbon triple bonds are widespread, being found in fungi, vascular and lower plants, marine sponges and algae, and insects. Plants, moss, and most recently, insects, have been shown to employ an energetically difficult, sequential dehydrogenation mechanism for acetylenic bond formation. Here, we describe the cloning and heterologous expression in yeast of a linoleoyl 12-desaturase (acetylenase) and a bifunctional desaturase with 12-/14-regiospecificity from the Pacific golden chanterelle. The acetylenase gene, which is the first identified from a fungus, is phylogenetically distinct from known plant and fungal desaturases. Together, the bifunctional desaturase and the acetylenase provide the enzymatic activities required to drive oleate through linoleate to crepenynate and the conjugated enyne (14Z)-dehydrocrepenynate, the branchpoint precursors to a major class of acetylenic natural products.

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18O Labeling in Chlorophyll d Biosynthesis [Plant Biology]

The cyanobacterium Acaryochloris marina was cultured in the presence of either H218O or 18O2, and the newly synthesized chlorophylls (Chl a and Chl d) were isolated using high performance liquid chromatography and analyzed by mass spectroscopy. In the presence of H218O, newly synthesized Chl a and d, both incorporated up to four isotopic 18O atoms. Time course H218O labeling experiments showed incorporation of isotopic 18O atoms originating from H218O into Chl a, with over 90% of Chl a 18O-labeled at 48 h. The incorporation of isotopic 18O atoms into Chl d upon incubation in H218O was slower compared with Chl a with ~50% 18O-labeled Chl d at 115 h. The rapid turnover of newly synthesized Chl a suggested that Chl a is the direct biosynthetic precursor of Chl d. In the presence of 18O2 gas, one isotopic 18O atom was incorporated into Chl a with approximately the same kinetic incorporation rate observed in the H218O labeling experiment, reaching over 90% labeling intensity at 48 h. The incorporation of two isotopic 18O atoms derived from molecular oxygen (18O2) was observed in the extracted Chl d, and the percentage of double isotopic 18O-labeled Chl d increased in parallel with the decrease of non-isotopic-labeled Chl d. This clearly indicated that the oxygen atom in the C31-formyl group of Chl d is derived from dioxygen via an oxygenase-type reaction mechanism.

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Synergistic CYP2B6 Activation by C/EBP{alpha}, HNF4{alpha}, and CAR [Metabolism]

The transcription of tissue-specific and inducible genes is usually subject to the dynamic control of multiple activators. Dedifferentiated hepatic cell lines lose the expression of tissue-specific activators and many characteristic hepatic genes, such as drug-metabolizing cytochrome P450. Here we demonstrate that by combining adenoviral vectors for CCAAT/enhancer-binding protein (C/EBP), hepatocyte nuclear factor 4 (HNF4), and constitutive androstane receptor, the CYP2B6 expression and inducibility by CITCO are restored in human hepatoma HepG2 cells at levels similar to those in cultured human hepatocytes. Moreover, several other phase I and II genes are simultaneously activated, which suggests that this is an effective approach to endow dedifferentiated human hepatoma cells with a particular metabolic competence and response to inducers. In order to gain insight into the molecular mechanism, we examined the cooperation of these three transcription factors on the CYP2B6 5'-flanking region. We show new CYP2B6-responsive sequences for C/EBP and HNF4 and a novel synergistic regulatory mechanism whereby C/EBP, HNF4, and constitutive androstane receptor bind and cooperate through proximal and distal response elements to confer a maximal level of expression. The results obtained from human liver also suggest that important differences in the expression and binding of C/EBP and HNF4 could account for the large interindividual variability of the hepatic CYP2B6 enzyme, which metabolizes commonly used drugs.

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Curcumin Modulates APP Processing [Neurobiology]

Alzheimer disease (AD) is a devastating neurodegenerative disease with no cure. The pathogenesis of AD is believed to be driven primarily by amyloid-β (Aβ), the principal component of senile plaques. Aβ is an ~4-kDa peptide generated via cleavage of the amyloid-β precursor protein (APP). Curcumin is a compound in the widely used culinary spice, turmeric, which possesses potent and broad biological activities, including anti-inflammatory and antioxidant activities, chemopreventative effects, and effects on protein trafficking. Recent in vivo studies indicate that curcumin is able to reduce Aβ-related pathology in transgenic AD mouse models via unknown molecular mechanisms. Here, we investigated the effects of curcumin on Aβ levels and APP processing in various cell lines and mouse primary cortical neurons. We show for the first time that curcumin potently lowers Aβ levels by attenuating the maturation of APP in the secretory pathway. These data provide a mechanism of action for the ability of curcumin to attenuate amyloid-β pathology.

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His712, a Critical Residue for TRPV5 Internalization [Membrane Biology]

The epithelial Ca2+ channel TRPV5 constitutes the apical entry gate for Ca2+ transport in renal epithelial cells. Ablation of the trpv5 gene in mice leads to a reduced Ca2+ reabsorption. TRPV5 is tightly regulated by various calciotropic hormones, associated proteins, and other factors, which mainly affect channel activity via the C terminus. To further identify the role of the C terminus in TRPV5 regulation, we expressed channels harboring C-terminal deletions and studied channel activity by measuring intracellular Ca2+ concentration ([Ca2+]i) using fura-2 analysis. Removal of amino acid His712 elevated the [Ca2+]i, indicating enlarged TRPV5 activity. In addition, substitution of the positively charged His712 for a negative (H712D) or neutral (H712N) amino acid also stimulated TRPV5 activity. This critical role of His712 was confirmed by patch clamp analysis, which demonstrates increased Na+ and Ca2+ currents for TRPV5-H712D. Cell surface biotinylation studies revealed enhanced plasma membrane expression of TRPV5-H712D as compared with wild-type (WT) TRPV5. This elevated plasma membrane presence also was observed with the Ca2+-impermeable TRPV5-H712D and TRPV5-WT pore mutants, demonstrating that the elevation is not due to the increased [Ca2+]i. Finally, using an internalization assay, we demonstrated a delayed cell surface retrieval for TRPV5-H712D, likely causing the increase in plasma membrane expression. Together, these results demonstrate that His712 plays an essential role in plasma membrane regulation of TRPV5 via a constitutive endocytotic mechanism.

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The 39-loop of FIXa [Enzymology]

The activation of antithrombin (AT) by heparin facilitates the exosite-dependent interaction of the serpin with factors IXa (FIXa) and Xa (FXa), thereby improving the rate of reactions by 300- to 500-fold. Relative to FXa, AT inhibits FIXa with ~40-fold slower rate constant. Structural data suggest that differences in the residues of the 39-loop (residues 31–41) may partly be responsible for the differential reactivity of the two proteases with AT. This loop is highly acidic in FXa, containing three Glu residues at positions 36, 37, and 39. By contrast, the loop is shorter by one residue in FIXa (residue 37 is missing), and it contains a Lys and an Asp at positions 36 and 39, respectively. To determine whether differences in the residues of this loop contribute to the slower reactivity of FIXa with AT, we prepared an FIXa/FXa chimera in which the 39-loop of the protease was replaced with the corresponding loop of FXa. The chimeric mutant cleaved a FIXa-specific chromogenic substrate with normal catalytic efficiency, however, the mutant exhibited ~5-fold enhanced reactivity with AT specifically in the absence of the cofactor, heparin. Further studies revealed that the FIXa mutant activates factor X with ~4-fold decreased kcat and ~2-fold decreased Km, although the mutant interacted normally with factor VIIIa. Based on these results we conclude that residues of the 39-loop regulate the cofactor-independent interaction of FIXa with its physiological inhibitor AT and substrate factor X.

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Stimulation of Eukaryotic Okazaki Fragment Processing [Dna and Chromosomes]

Reconstitution of eukaryotic Okazaki fragment processing implicates both one- and two-nuclease pathways for processing flap intermediates. In most cases, FEN1 (flap endonuclease 1) is able to efficiently cleave short flaps as they form. However, flaps escaping cleavage bind replication protein A (RPA) inhibiting FEN1. The flaps must then be cleaved by Dna2 nuclease/helicase before FEN1 can act. Pif1 helicase aids creation of long flaps. The pathways were considered connected only in that the products of Dna2 cleavage are substrates for FEN1. However, results presented here show that Dna2, Pif1, and RPA, the unique proteins of the two-nuclease pathway from Saccharomyces cerevisiae, all stimulate FEN1 acting in the one-nuclease pathway. Stimulation is observed on RNA flaps representing the initial displacement and on short DNA flaps, subsequently displaced. Neither the RNA nor the short DNA flaps can bind the two-nuclease pathway proteins. Instead, direct interactions between FEN1 and the two-nuclease pathway proteins have been detected. These results suggest that the proteins are either part of a complex or interact successively with FEN1 because the level of stimulation would be similar either way. Proteins bound to FEN1 could be tethered to the flap base by the interaction of FEN1 with PCNA, potentially improving their availability when flaps become long. These findings also support a model in which cleavage by FEN1 alone is the preferred pathway, with the first opportunity to complete cleavage, and is stimulated by components of the backup pathway.

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Isolation and Characterization of Cytochrome c Mutants: the Work of Fred Sherman [Classics]

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MMP-14 Promotes Keratinocyte Aggregation [Cell Biology]

Membrane type 1-matrix metalloproteinase (MT1-MMP, MMP14), which is associated with extracellular matrix (ECM) breakdown in squamous cell carcinoma (SCC), promotes tumor formation and epithelial-mesenchymal transition. However, in this report we demonstrate that MT1-MMP, by cleaving the underlying ECM, causes cellular aggregation of keratinocytes and SCC cells. Treatment with an MMP inhibitor abrogated MT1-MMP-induced phenotypic changes, but decreasing E-cadherin expression did not affect MT1-MMP-induced cellular aggregation. As ROCK1/2 can regulate cell-cell and cell-ECM interaction, we examined its role in mediating MT1-MMP-induced phenotypic changes. Blocking ROCK1/2 expression or activity abrogated the cellular aggregation resulting from MT1-MMP expression. Additionally, blocking Rho and non-muscle myosin attenuated MT1-MMP-induced phenotypic changes. Moreover, SCC cells expressing only the catalytically active MT1-MMP protein demonstrated increased cellular aggregation and increased myosin II activity in vivo when injected subcutaneously into nude mice. Together, these results demonstrate that expression of MT1-MMP may be anti-tumorigenic in keratinocytes by promoting cellular aggregation.

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{beta}-d-Glucopyranoside Binding Site of hTAS2R16 [Protein Structure and Folding]

G-protein-coupled receptors mediate the senses of taste, smell, and vision in mammals. Humans recognize thousands of compounds as bitter, and this response is mediated by the hTAS2R family, which is one of the G-protein-coupled receptors composed of only 25 receptors. However, structural information on these receptors is limited. To address the molecular basis of bitter tastant discrimination by the hTAS2Rs, we performed ligand docking simulation and functional analysis using a series of point mutants of hTAS2R16 to identify its binding sites. The docking simulation predicted two candidate binding structures for a salicin-hTAS2R16 complex, and at least seven amino acid residues in transmembrane 3 (TM3), TM5, and TM6 were shown to be involved in ligand recognition. We also identified the probable salicin-hTAS2R16 binding mode using a mutated receptor experiment. This study characterizes the molecular interaction between hTAS2R16 and β-d-glucopyranoside and will also facilitate rational design of bitter blockers.

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5'-AUG Selection by Mammalian Mitochondrial Ribosomes [Rna]

Mammalian mitochondrial mRNAs are basically leaderless, having few or no untranslated nucleotides prior to the 5'-start codon. We demonstrate here that mammalian mitochondrial 55 S ribosomes preferentially form initiation complexes at a 5'-terminal AUG codon over an internal AUG. The preferential use of the 5'-start codon is also seen on mitochondrial 28 S small subunits, which suggests that mitochondrial translation initiation on leaderless mRNAs does not require the large ribosomal subunit. The selection of the 5'-AUG is dependent on the presence of fMet-tRNA and is enhanced by the presence of the mitochondrial initiation factor IF2mt. In prokaryotes, IF3 is believed to antagonize initiation on leaderless mRNAs. However, IF3mt stimulates initiation complex formation on leaderless mRNAs when tested with 55 S ribosomes. The addition of even a few nucleotides 5' to the AUG codon significantly reduces the efficiency of initiation, highlighting the importance of the leaderless or nearly leaderless nature of mitochondrial mRNAs. In addition, very few initiation complexes could form on a hybrid mRNA construct consisting of tRNAMet attached at the 5'-end of a mitochondrial protein-coding sequence. This observation demonstrates that post-transcriptional processing must occur prior to translation in mammalian mitochondria.

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Anti-infective C-terminal TFPI Peptides [Microbiology]

Tissue factor pathway inhibitor (TFPI) inhibits tissue factor-induced coagulation, but may, via its C terminus, also modulate cell surface, heparin, and lipopolysaccharide interactions as well as participate in growth inhibition. Here we show that C-terminal TFPI peptide sequences are antimicrobial against the Gram-negative bacteria Escherichia coli and Pseudomonas aeruginosa, Gram-positive Bacillus subtilis and Staphylococcus aureus, as well as the fungi Candida albicans and Candida parapsilosis. Fluorescence studies of peptide-treated bacteria, paired with analysis of peptide effects on liposomes, showed that the peptides exerted membrane-breaking effects similar to those seen for the "classic" human antimicrobial peptide LL-37. The killing of E. coli, but not P. aeruginosa, by the C-terminal peptide GGLIKTKRKRKKQRVKIAYEEIFVKNM (GGL27), was enhanced in human plasma and largely abolished in heat-inactivated plasma, a phenomenon linked to generation of antimicrobial C3a and activation of the classic pathway of complement activation. Furthermore, GGL27 displayed anti-endotoxic effects in vitro and in vivo in a mouse model of LPS shock. Importantly, TFPI was found to be expressed in the basal layers of normal epidermis, and was markedly up-regulated in acute skin wounds as well as wound edges of chronic leg ulcers. Furthermore, C-terminal fragments of TFPI were associated with bacteria present in human chronic leg ulcers. These findings suggest a new role for TFPI in cutaneous defense against infections.

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UL2 Joins the Replisome Crew{diamondsuit}: Association between the Herpes Simplex Virus-1 DNA Polymerase and Uracil DNA Glycosylase [Papers Of The Week]

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An Open-faced Chaperonin{diamondsuit}: Crystal Structures of a Group II Chaperonin Reveal the Open and Closed States Associated with the Protein Folding Cycle [Papers Of The Week]

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AKIP1 as a Molecular Determinant of PKA in NF-{kappa}B Signaling [Gene Regulation]

The cAMP-dependent protein kinase (PKA) signaling pathway plays a crucial role in the pathogenesis of many NF-B-related diseases. However, there have been controversial reports with regard to the PKA actions in the regulation of NF-B activity. In this study, we have demonstrated the effect of PKA on NF-B activity in view of AKIP1 action; and in 293 and HeLa cells, where the endogenous AKIP1 expression is minimal, PKA-activating agents inhibited the NF-B-dependent reporter gene expression, blocked the interaction of PKAc and p65 subunit of NF-B, and attenuated PKA-dependent phosphorylation of p65 on Ser-276. This inhibitory function of PKAc in NF-B signaling was reversed by overexpression of AKIP1 in 293 cells. In the breast cancer cell line, MDA-MB231 cells and MCF7 cells, where the endogenous AKIP1 is abundant, the PKA signal was found to be synergized with NF-B activation; PKA-activating agents enhanced NF-B-dependent transcriptional activity and the interaction between p65 and PKAc and augmented the phosphorylation of p65 on Ser-276. After RNAi knockdown of AKIP1 in these breast cancer cells, we observed that PKA-activating agents antagonized NF-B-dependent activation. Meanwhile, PKA inhibitor suppressed NF-B-induced breast cancer cell proliferation and multiple NF-B-dependent anti-apoptotic gene expression. It is likely that expression of AKIP1 determines the relationship between these two signal transduction pathways. These findings explained controversial results from various independent groups regarding the action of PKA signaling on the NF-B activation cascade and suggested a possible therapeutic potential of PKA inhibitor in developing anti-cancer strategies.

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Pol {gamma}A Mutants That Destroy Processivity and Proofreading [Dna and Chromosomes]

Common causes of human mitochondrial diseases are mutations affecting DNA polymerase (Pol) , the sole polymerase responsible for DNA synthesis in mitochondria. Although the polymerase and exonuclease active sites are located on the catalytic subunit Pol A, in holoenzyme both activities are regulated by the accessory subunit Pol B. Several patients with severe neurological and muscular disorders were reported to carry the Pol A substitutions R232G or R232H, which lie outside of either active site. We report that Arg232 substitutions have no effect on independent Pol A activities but show major defects in the Pol A-Pol B holoenzyme, including decreased polymerase and increased exonuclease activities, the latter with decreased selectivity for mismatches. We show that Pol B facilitates distinguishing mismatched from base-paired primer termini and that Pol A Arg232 is essential for mediating this regulatory function of the accessory subunit. This study provides a molecular basis for the disease symptoms exhibited by patients carrying those substitutions.

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Linker-defined Ca2+ Occlusion at CBD Tandem of NCX1 [Membrane Biology]

In NCX proteins CBD1 and CBD2 domains are connected through a short linker (3 or 4 amino acids) forming a regulatory tandem (CBD12). Only three of the six CBD12 Ca2+-binding sites contribute to NCX regulation. Two of them are located on CBD1 (Kd = ~0.2 µm), and one is on CBD2 (Kd = ~5 µm). Here we analyze how the intrinsic properties of individual regulatory sites are affected by linker-dependent interactions in CBD12 (AD splice variant). The three sites of CBD12 and CBD1 + CBD2 have comparable Kd values but differ dramatically in their Ca2+ dissociation kinetics. CBD12 exhibits multiphasic kinetics for the dissociation of three Ca2+ ions (kr = 280 s–1, kf = 7 s–1, and ks = 0.4 s–1), whereas the dissociation of two Ca2+ ions from CBD1 (kf = 16 s–1) and one Ca2+ ion from CBD2 (kr = 125 s–1) is monophasic. Insertion of seven alanines into the linker (CBD12–7Ala) abolishes slow dissociation of Ca2+, whereas the kinetic and equilibrium properties of three Ca2+ sites of CBD12–7Ala and CBD1 + CBD2 are similar. Therefore, the linker-dependent interactions in CBD12 decelerate the Ca2+ on/off kinetics at a specific CBD1 site by 50–80-fold, thereby representing Ca2+ "occlusion" at CBD12. Notably, the kinetic and equilibrium properties of the remaining two sites of CBD12 are "linker-independent," so their intrinsic properties are preserved in CBD12. In conclusion, the dynamic properties of three sites are specifically modified, conserved, diversified, and integrated by the linker in CBD12, thereby generating a wide range dynamic sensor.

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NEK6 Induces Cell Transformation [Molecular Bases Of Disease]

NEK6 (NIMA-related kinase 6) is a homologue of the Aspergillus nidulans protein NIMA (never in mitosis, gene A). We demonstrate that overexpression of NEK6 induces anchorage-independent transformation of JB6 Cl41 mouse epidermal cells. Tissue arrays and Western immunoblot analysis show that NEK6 is overexpressed in malignant tissues and several cancer cell lines. Our data also show that NEK6 interacts with STAT3, an oncogenic transcription factor, and phosphorylates STAT3 on Ser727, which is important for transcriptional activation. Additional studies using NEK6 mutants suggested that the phosphorylation on both Ser206 and Thr210 of NEK6 is critical for STAT3 phosphorylation and anchorage-independent transformation of mouse epidermal cells. Notably, knockdown of NEK6 decreased colony formation and STAT3 Ser727 phosphorylation. Based on our findings, the most likely mechanism that can account for this biological effect involves the activation of STAT3 through the phosphorylation on Ser727. Because of the critical role that STAT3 plays in mediating oncogenesis, the stimulatory effects of NEK6 on STAT3 and cell transformation suggest that this family of serine/threonine kinases might represent a novel chemotherapeutic target.

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Maturation Mechanism of SARS-CoV 3CLpro [Enzymology]

The 3C-like proteinase (3CLpro) of the severe acute respiratory syndrome (SARS) coronavirus plays a vital role in virus maturation and is proposed to be a key target for drug design against SARS. Various in vitro studies revealed that only the dimer of the matured 3CLpro is active. However, as the internally encoded 3CLpro gets matured from the replicase polyprotein by autolytic cleavage at both the N-terminal and the C-terminal flanking sites, it is unclear whether the polyprotein also needs to dimerize first for its autocleavage reaction. We constructed a large protein containing the cyan fluorescent protein (C), the N-terminal flanking substrate peptide of SARS 3CLpro (XX), SARS 3CLpro (3CLP), and the yellow fluorescent protein (Y) to study the autoprocessing of 3CLpro using fluorescence resonance energy transfer. In contrast to the matured 3CLpro, the polyprotein, as well as the one-step digested product, 3CLP-Y-His, were shown to be monomeric in gel filtration and analytic ultracentrifuge analysis. However, dimers can still be induced and detected when incubating these large proteins with a substrate analog compound in both chemical cross-linking experiments and analytic ultracentrifuge analysis. We also measured enzyme activity under different enzyme concentrations and found a clear tendency of substrate-induced dimer formation. Based on these discoveries, we conclude that substrate-induced dimerization is essential for the activity of SARS-3CLpro in the polyprotein, and a modified model for the 3CLpro maturation process was proposed. As many viral proteases undergo a similar maturation process, this model might be generally applicable.

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