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Biomedical subjects

A Finkelstein

Publications and source records attributed to A Finkelstein.

At least 19 recordsLinked to original sources

Effects of mutations in proline 345 on insertion of diphtheria toxin into model membranes.

Translocation of the catalytic domain of diphtheria toxin (DT) across the endosomal membrane to the cytoplasm of mammalian cells requires the low-pH-dependent insertion of a hydrophobic helical hairpin (TH8-TH9) that is buried within the T domain of the native protein. Mutations of Pro345, which terminates helix TH8, have been reported to block toxicity for Vero cells. We found that mutant toxins in which Pro345 had been replaced by Cys, Glu, or Gly were profoundly defective at low pH in forming channels in planar phospholipid bilayers and in permeabilizing phospholipid vesicles to entrapped fluorophores. Experiments with isolated T domain containing a polarity-sensitive fluorophore attached to Cys at position 332 suggest that the P345E mutation blocks membrane insertion. None of the Pro345 mutations shifted the pH-dependence of binding in solution of the hydrophobic fluorophore, 2-p-toluidinyl-naphthalene 7-sulfonate. The results indicate that proline at position 345 is required for the T domain to insert into phospholipid bilayers or to adopt a functional conformation within the bilayer.

Animals

Translocation of inserted foreign epitopes by a channel-forming protein.

Certain bacterial protein toxins are able to insert themselves into, and at least partially across, lipid bilayer membranes in the absence of any auxiliary proteins, by using unknown mechanisms to overcome the high energy barrier presented by the hydrophobic bilayer core. We have previously shown that one such toxin, colicin Ia, translocates a large, hydrophilic part of itself completely across a lipid bilayer in conjunction with the formation of an ion-conducting channel. To address the question of whether the colicin can translocate any arbitrary amino acid sequence, we have altered the translocated segment by inserting, singly, two different foreign epitopes. Colicins containing either epitope retain significant bactericidal activity and form channels of normal conductance in planar bilayers. Furthermore, antibodies added on the side of the bilayer opposite that to which the colicin was added interact specifically with the corresponding epitopes, producing an inhibition of channel closing. Thus, the inserted epitopes are translocated along with the rest of the segment, suggesting that a surprisingly small part of colicin Ia, located elsewhere in the molecule, acts as a nonspecific protein translocator.

Amino Acid Sequence

Identification of residues lining the anthrax protective antigen channel.

In its activated 63 kDa form, the protective antigen (PA) component of anthrax toxin forms a heptameric prepore, which converts to a pore (channel) in endosomal membranes at low pH and mediates translocation of the toxin's enzymic moieties to the cytosol. It has been proposed that the prepore-to-pore conversion involves a conformational rearrangement of a disordered amphipathic loop (D2L2; residues 302-325), in which loops from the 7 protomers combine to form a transmembrane 14-stranded beta barrel. To test this model, we generated Cys substitutions in 24 consecutive residues of the D2L2 loop, formed channels in artificial bilayers with each mutant, and examined changes in channel conductance after adding the thiol-reactive, bilayer-impermeant reagent methanethiosulfonate ethyltrimethylammonium (MTS-ET) to the trans compartment. The rationale for these experiments is that reaction of MTS-ET with a Cys residue adds a positively charged group and therefore would likely reduce channel conductance if the residue were in the ion-conducting pathway. We found alternating reduction and absence of reduction of conductance in consecutive residues over two stretches (residues 302-311 and 316-325). This pattern is consistent with alternating polar and apolar residues of the two stretches projecting into the pore lumen and into the bilayer, respectively. Residues connecting these two stretches (residues 312-315) were responsive to MTS-ET, consistent with their being in a turn region. Single channels formed by selected mutants (H304C and N306C) showed multiple conductance step changes in response to MTS-ET, consistent with an oligomeric pore. We also found that the binding site for the channel-blocking tetraalkylammonium ions is located cis relative to the inserted D2L2 loops. These findings constitute strong evidence in favor of the model of conversion of the prepore to a 14-stranded beta barrel pore and solidify the foundation for studies to understand the mechanism of translocation by anthrax toxin.

Amino Acid Sequence

The diphtheria toxin channel-forming T domain translocates its own NH2-terminal region across planar bilayers.

The T domain of diphtheria toxin, which extends from residue 202 to 378, causes the translocation of the catalytic A fragment (residues 1-201) across endosomal membranes and also forms ion-conducting channels in planar phospholipid bilayers. The carboxy terminal 57-amino acid segment (322-378) in the T domain is all that is required to form these channels, but its ability to do so is greatly augmented by the portion of the T domain upstream from this. In this work, we show that in association with channel formation by the T domain, its NH2 terminus, as well as some or all of the adjacent hydrophilic 63 amino acid segment, cross the lipid bilayer. The phenomenon that enabled us to demonstrate that the NH2-terminal region of the T domain was translocated across the membrane was the rapid closure of channels at cis negative voltages when the T domain contained a histidine tag at its NH2 terminus. The inhibition of this effect by trans nickel, and by trans streptavidin when the histidine tag sequence was biotinylated, clearly established that the histidine tag was present on the trans side of the membrane. Furthermore, the inhibition of rapid channel closure by trans trypsin, combined with mutagenesis to localize the trypsin site, indicated that some portion of the 63 amino acid NH2-terminal segment of the T domain was also translocated to the trans side of the membrane. If the NH2 terminus was forced to remain on the cis side, by streptavidin binding to the biotinylated histidine tag sequence, channel formation was severely disrupted. Thus, normal channel formation by the T domain requires that its NH2 terminus be translocated across the membrane from the cis to the trans side, even though the NH2 terminus is >100 residues removed from the channel-forming part of the molecule.

Amino Acid Sequence

Functions of the N- and C-terminal domains of human RAP74 in transcriptional initiation, elongation, and recycling of RNA polymerase II.

Transcription factor IIF (TFIIF) cooperates with RNA polymerase II (pol II) during multiple stages of the transcription cycle including preinitiation complex assembly, initiation, elongation, and possibly termination and recycling. Human TFIIF appears to be an alpha2beta2 heterotetramer of RNA polymerase II-associating protein 74- and 30-kDa subunits (RAP74 and RAP30). From inspection of its 517-amino-acid (aa) sequence, the RAP74 subunit appears to comprise separate N- and C-terminal domains connected by a flexible loop. In this study, we present functional data that strongly support this model for RAP74 architecture and further show that the N- and C-terminal domains and the central loop of RAP74 have distinct roles during separate phases of the transcription cycle. The N-terminal domain of RAP74 (minimally aa 1 to 172) is sufficient to deliver pol II into a complex formed on the adenovirus major late promoter with the TATA-binding protein, TFIIB, and RAP30. A more complete N-terminal domain fragment (aa 1 to 217) strongly stimulates both accurate initiation and elongation by pol II. The region of RAP74 between aa 172 and 205 and a subregion between aa 170 and 178 are critical for both accurate initiation and elongation, and mutations in these regions have similar effects on initiation and elongation. Based on these observations, RAP74 appears to have similar functions in initiation and elongation. The central region and the C-terminal domain of RAP74 do not contribute strongly to single-round accurate initiation or elongation stimulation but do stimulate multiple-round transcription in an extract system.

Amino Acid Sequence

Transmembrane insertion of the colicin Ia hydrophobic hairpin.

Colicin Ia is a bactericidal protein that forms voltage-dependent, ion-conducting channels, both in the inner membrane of target bacteria and in planar bilayer membranes. Its amino acid sequence is rich in charged residues, except for a hydrophobic segment of 40 residues near the carboxyl terminus. In the crystal structure of colicin Ia and related colicins, this segment forms an alpha-helical hairpin. The hydrophobic segment is thought to be involved in the initial association of the colicin with the membrane and in the formation of the channel, but various orientations of the hairpin with respect to the membrane have been proposed. To address this issue, we attached biotin to a residue at the tip of the hydrophobic hairpin, and then probed its location with the biotin-binding protein streptavidin, added to one side or the other of a planar bilayer. Streptavidin added to the same side as the colicin prevented channel opening. Prior addition of streptavidin to the opposite side protected channels from this effect, and also increased the rate of channel opening; it produced these effects even before the first opening of the channels. These results suggest a model of membrane association in which the colicin first binds with the hydrophobic hairpin parallel to the membrane; next the hairpin inserts in a transmembrane orientation; and finally the channel opens. We also used streptavidin binding to obtain a stable population of colicin molecules in the membrane, suitable for the quantitative study of voltage-dependent gating. The effective gating charge thus determined is pH-independent and relatively small, compared with previous results for wild-type colicin Ia.

Bacterial Proteins

Probing the structure of the diphtheria toxin channel. Reactivity in planar lipid bilayer membranes of cysteine-substituted mutant channels with methanethiosulfonate derivatives.

Previous work has established that the 61 amino acid stretch from residue 322 to 382 in the T-domain of diphtheria toxin forms channels indistinguishable in ion-conducting properties from those formed by the entire T-domain. In the crystal structure of the toxin's water-soluble form, the bulk of this stretch is an alpha-helical hairpin, designated TH8-9. The present study was directed at determining which residues in TH8-9 line the ion-conducting pathway of the channel; i.e., its lumen or entrances. To this end, we singly mutated 49 of TH8-9's 51 residues (328-376) to cysteines, formed channels with the mutant T-domain proteins in planar lipid bilayers, and then determined whether they reacted with small, charged, lipid-insoluble, sulfhydryl-specific methanethiosulfonate (MTS) derivatives added to the bathing solutions. The indication of a reaction, and that the residue lined the ion-conducting pathway, was a sudden change in single-channel conductance and/or flickering behavior. The results of this study were surprising in two respects. First, of the 49 cysteine-substituted residues in TH8-9 tested, 23 reacted with MTS derivatives in a most unusual pattern consisting of two segments: one extending from 329 to 341 (11 of 13 reacted), and the other from 347 to 359 (12 of 13 reacted); none of the residues outside of these two segments appeared to react. Second, in every cysteine mutant channel manifesting an MTS effect, only one transition in single-channel conductance (or flickering behavior) occurred, not the several expected for a multimeric channel. Our results are not consistent with an alpha-helical or beta-strand model for the channel, but instead suggest an open, flexible structure. Moreover, contrary to common sense, they indicate that the channel is not multimeric but is formed from only one TH8-9 unit of the T-domain.

Amino Acid Sequence

Roles of Glu 349 and Asp 352 in membrane insertion and translocation by diphtheria toxin.

Acidic conditions within the endosomal lumen induce the T domain of receptor-bound diphtheria toxin (DT) to insert into the endosomal membrane and mediate translocation of the toxin's catalytic domain to the cytosol. A conformational rearrangement in the toxin occurring near pH5 allows a buried apolar helical hairpin of the native T domain (helices TH8 and TH9) to undergo membrane insertion. If the inserted hairpin spans the bilayer, as hypothesized, then the two acidic residues within the TL5 interhelical loop, Glu 349 and Asp 352, should become exposed at the neutral cytosolic face of the membrane and reionize. To investigate the roles of these residues in toxin action, we characterized mutant toxins in which one or both acidic residues had been replaced with nonionizable ones. Each of two double mutants examined showed a several-fold reduction in cytotoxicity in 24-h Vero cell assays (sixfold for E349A + D352A and fourfold for E349Q + D352N), whereas the individual E349Q and D352N mutations caused smaller reductions in toxicity. The single and double mutations also attenuated the toxin's ability to permeabilize Vero cells to Rb+ at low pH and decreased channel formation by the toxin in artificial planar bilayers. Neither of the double mutations affected the pH-dependence profile of the toxin's conformational rearrangement in solution, as measured by binding of the hydrophobic fluorophore, 2-p-toluidinyl-naphthalene 6-sulfonate. The results demonstrate that, although there is no absolute requirement for an acidic residue within the TL5 loop for toxicity, Glu 349 and Asp 352 do significantly enhance the biological activity of the protein. The data are consistent with a model in which ionization of these residues at the cytosolic face of the endosomal membrane stabilizes the TH8/TH9 hairpin in a transmembrane configuration, thereby facilitating channel formation and translocation of the toxin's catalytic chain.

Animals

Major transmembrane movement associated with colicin Ia channel gating.

Colicin Ia, a bacterial protein toxin of 626 amino acid residues, forms voltage-dependent channels in planar lipid bilayer membranes. We have exploited the high affinity binding of streptavidin to biotin to map the topology of the channel-forming domain (roughly 175 residues of the COOH-terminal end) with respect to the membrane. That is, we have determined, for the channel's open and closed states, which parts of this domain are exposed to the aqueous solutions on either side of the membrane and which are inserted into the bilayer. This was done by biotinylating cysteine residues introduced by site-directed mutagenesis, and monitoring by electrophysiological methods the effect of streptavidin addition on channel behavior. We have identified a region of at least 68 residues that flips back and forth across the membrane in association with channel opening and closing. This identification was based on our observations that for mutants biotinylated in this region, streptavidin added to the cis (colicin-containing) compartment interfered with channel opening, and trans streptavidin interfered with channel closing. (If biotin was linked to the colicin by a disulfide bond, the effects of streptavidin on channel closing could be reversed by detaching the streptavidin-biotin complex from the colicin, using a water-soluble reducing agent. This showed that the cysteine sulfur, not just the biotin, is exposed to the trans solution). The upstream and downstream segments flanking the translocated region move into and out of the bilayer during channel opening and closing, forming two transmembrane segments. Surprisingly, if any of several residues near the upstream end of the translocated region is held on the cis side by streptavidin, the colicin still forms voltage-dependent channels, indicating that a part of the protein that normally is fully translocated across the membrane can become the upstream transmembrane segment. Evidently, the identity of the upstream transmembrane segment is not crucial to channel formation, and several open channel structures can exist.

Bacterial Proteins

Enhancement of recombinant tissue-type plasminogen activator thrombolysis with a selective factor Xa inhibitor derived from the leech Hirudo medicinalis: comparison with heparin and hirudin in a rabbit thrombosis model.

OBJECTIVE: To compare the efficacy of Yagin, a factor Xa inhibitor derived from the leech Hirudo medicinalis, with those of heparin and hirudin as adjuncts to recombinant tissue-type plasminogen activator (rTPA) thrombolysis in a rabbit thrombosis model. METHODS: Thirty-one animals were allocated randomly to three groups, all administered four boluses of 0.25 mg/kg rTPA every 10 min for 30 min, 17 mg/kg aspirin intravenously, and heparin (as a 100 IU/kg bolus followed by infusion of 50 IU/kg heparin per h), hirudin (as a 2 mg/kg bolus followed by infusion of 1 mg/kg hirudin per h), or Yagin (as an 80 micrograms/kg bolus followed by infusion of 43 micrograms/kg Yagin per h). RESULTS: Administration of Yagin was associated with a significant acceleration of the reflow time, this time being 14.5 +/- 1.2 min with Yagin, 25.8 +/- 5.2 min with heparin (P < 0.0001, versus Yagin), and 28.7 +/- 16.0 min with hirudin (P = 0.012, versus Yagin). Overall patency did not differ significantly among the three groups. CONCLUSIONS: At the indicated single doses, inhibition of factor Xa by a relatively low concentration of Yagin was found to be superior than that with either heparin or hirudin for accelerating rTPA thrombolysis.

Animals

Paf1p, an RNA polymerase II-associated factor in Saccharomyces cerevisiae, may have both positive and negative roles in transcription.

Regulated transcription initiation requires, in addition to RNA polymerase II and the general transcription factors, accessory factors termed mediators or adapters. We have used affinity chromatography to identify a collection of factors that associate with Saccharomyces cerevisiae RNA polymerase II (P. A. Wade, W. Werel, R. C. Fentzke, N. E. Thompson, J. F. Leykam, R. R. Burgess, J. A. Jaehning, and Z. F. Burton, submitted for publication). Here we report identification and characterization of a gene encoding one of these factors, PAF1 (for RNA polymerase-associated factor 1). PAF1 encodes a novel, highly charged protein of 445 amino acids. Disruption of PAF1 in S. cerevisiae leads to pleiotropic phenotypic traits, including slow growth, temperature sensitivity, and abnormal cell morphology. Consistent with a possible role in transcription, Paf1p is localized to the nucleus. By comparing the abundances of many yeast transcripts in isogenic wild-type and paf1 mutant strains, we have identified genes whose expression is affected by PAF1. In particular, disruption of PAF1 decreases the induction of the galactose-regulated genes three- to fivefold. In contrast, the transcript level of MAK16, an essential gene involved in cell cycle regulation, is greatly increased in the paf1 mutant strain. Paf1p may therefore be required for both positive and negative regulation of subsets of yeast genes. Like Paf1p, the GAL11 gene product is found associated with RNA polymerase II and is required for regulated expression of many yeast genes including those controlled by galactose. We have found that a gal11 paf1 double mutant has a much more severe growth defect than either of the single mutants, indicating that these two proteins may function in parallel pathways to communicate signals from regulatory factors to RNA polymerase II.

Amino Acid Sequence

Improvement of cardiac performance by intravenous infusion of L-arginine in patients with moderate congestive heart failure.

OBJECTIVES: The aim of this study was to evaluate the hemodynamic effect of L-arginine infusion in patients with congestive heart failure. BACKGROUND: Endothelium-dependent vasodilation is impaired in patients with congestive heart failure. Nitric oxide, which was identified as endothelium-derived relaxing factor, is generated by nitric oxide synthase from L-arginine. Our hypothesis was that administration of L-arginine in patients with congestive heart failure may increase nitric oxide production and have a beneficial hemodynamic effect. METHODS: Twelve patients with congestive heart failure (New York Heart Association class II or III) due to coronary artery disease (left ventricular ejection fraction < 35%) were given 20 g of L-arginine by intravenous infusion over 1 h at a constant rate. Stroke volume, cardiac output and left ventricular ejection fraction were determined with Doppler echocardiography at baseline and at 30 and 60 min and 1 h after the end of infusion. Blood and urinary levels of nitrite/nitrate (NO2/NO3), stable metabolites of nitric oxide, were measured and clearance was calculated. RESULTS: One hour of infusion of L-arginine resulted in a significant increase in stroke volume (from 68 +/- 18 ml to 76 +/- 23 ml [mean +/- SD], p = 0.014) and cardiac output (from 4.07 +/- 1.22 liters/min to 4.7 +/- 1.42 liters/min, p = 0.006) without a change in heart rate. Mean arterial blood pressure decreased (from 102 +/- 11 mm Hg to 89 +/- 9.5 mm Hg, p < 0.002), and systemic vascular resistance decreased significantly. Within 1 h after cessation of L-arginine infusion, blood pressure, stroke volume, cardiac output and systemic vascular resistance were statistically not different from baseline values. Clearance of NO2/NO3 increased significantly during L-arginine administration (from 13.28 +/- 0.42 ml/min to 29.97 +/- 1.09 ml/min, p < 0.001). CONCLUSIONS: Infusion of L-arginine in patients with congestive heart failure results in increased production of nitric oxide, peripheral vasodilation and increased cardiac output, suggesting a beneficial hemodynamic and possibly therapeutic profile.

Aged

Intensive home-care surveillance prevents hospitalization and improves morbidity rates among elderly patients with severe congestive heart failure.

The purpose of this study was to examine the impact of intensive home-care surveillance on morbidity rates of elderly patients with severe congestive heart failure. Forty-two patients aged 78 +/- 8 years who had severe congestive heart failure (New York Heart Association functional classes III through IV, mean ejection fraction 27% +/- 6%), were examined at least once a week at home by internists from the district hospital and by a trained paramedical team. The year before entry to the home-care program was compared to the first year of home surveillance. The mean total hospitalization (hosp) rate was reduced from 3.2 +/- 1.5 hosp/yr to 1.2 +/- 1.6 hosp/yr and duration from 26 +/- 14 days/yr to 6 +/- 7 days/yr (p < 0.001 for both). Cardiovascular admissions decreased from 2.9 +/- 1.5 hosp/yr to 0.8 +/- 1.1 hosp/yr and duration from 23 +/- 13 days/yr to 4 +/- 4 days/yr (p < 0.001). The vital status (ability to perform daily activities, expressed in a 1 to 4 scale) was improved from 1.4 +/- 0.9 to 2.3 +/- 0.7 (p < 0.001). In conclusion, an intensive home-care program was associated with a marked decrease in the need for hospitalization and improved the functional status of elderly patients with severe congestive heart failure. Such a service might also have a cost-effective advantage and a major impact on health expenditure.

Activities of Daily Living

Pulmonary artery aneurysm presenting as a lung mass.

We describe a case of pulmonary artery aneurysm in which clinical clues and conventional imaging suggested a lung tumor, and the actual nature of the lesion was discovered at the time of thoracotomy. This case shows the importance of an awareness of this condition in the formulation of a differential diagnosis for a lung mass.

Aneurysm, Infected

Dynamic transitions of the transmembrane domain of diphtheria toxin: disulfide trapping and fluorescence proximity studies.

Translocation of the catalytic domain of diphtheria toxin across the endosomal membrane to the cytosolic compartment depends on low-pH-triggered insertion of the toxin's T (transmembrane) domain into the membrane. The T domain, consisting of nine alpha-helices arranged in three layers, was cloned and expressed as a discrete protein in Escherichia coli, and mutant forms were prepared and characterized. To investigate the relative movements of the three layers under various conditions, we generated two mutant forms of the domain, each containing an artificial intramolecular disulfide bridge linking the buried apolar hairpin (TH8-TH9) to one of the other two layers. Both disulfides inhibited exposure of the domain's apolar regions in solution at low pH, as determined by 2-p-toluidinylnaphthalene-6-sulfonate binding, and blocked its ability to form channels in artificial bilayers. Reduction of the bridges abolished these effects. Reduced forms of the mutant proteins were reacted with pyrenylmaleimide, a fluorescent probe, to monitor separation of the layers. Strong excimer bands seen in both mutants at neutral pH were undiminished at pH 5, indicating the retention of gross conformation in solution under acidic conditions. The addition of phospholipid vesicles at pH 5, but not at pH 7.5, quenched excimer fluorescence, reflecting the physical separation of the TH8-TH9 hairpin from the other layers upon the T domain's interaction with the bilayer. The results indicate that (i) the conformation of the isolated T domain closely resembles that seen in the whole toxin, (ii) the TH8-TH9 hairpin separates from both of the other layers of the domain as an essential step of membrane insertion, and (iii) this separation is triggered by contact of the domain with the membrane under acidic conditions.

Amino Acid Sequence

Mutational analysis of the helical hairpin region of diphtheria toxin transmembrane domain.

Entry of the catalytic domain of diphtheria toxin into the cytoplasma of eukaryotic cells depends on insertion of the T (transmembrane) domain into the endosomal membrane, a process triggered by low pH. To probe the mechanism of insertion, we mutated ionizable residues within the helical hairpin region of the T domain. Only three mutations caused significant effects on cytotoxicity, D295K, E349K, and D352K. Each of these represents a substitution of a basic for an acidic residue at the tip of a helical hairpin. Substitution of Lys for Glu349 or Asp352, in the TH8/9 hairpin, reduced toxicity for Vero cells > 100-fold, whereas a Lys substitution for Asp295, one of 3 acidic residues in the TH5/6/7 hairpin, caused a less marked reduction. All three mutations also altered the pH-dependent formation, and/or ion conductance, of channels formed by the toxin in artificial bilayers or the plasma membrane. E349K or D352K did not alter the pH dependence of conformational changes in the toxin occurring near pH 5. Our findings support the hypothesis that the TH8/9 hairpin inserts into the endosomal membrane after low pH-mediated partial unfolding of the T domain. A positive residue at the tip of this hairpin apparently inhibits insertion and blocks toxin action. The ion-conducting properties of channels formed by selected mutants, described elsewhere, are consistent with this model. The status of the TH5/6/7 hairpin in the integral membrane form of the T domain remains uncertain.

Amino Acid Sequence

Identification of a translocated protein segment in a voltage-dependent channel.

Voltage-gated channels undergo a conformational change in response to changes in transmembrane voltage. Here we use site-directed biotinylation to create conformation-sensitive sites on colicin Ia, a bacteriocidal protein that forms a voltage-sensitive membrane channel, which can be monitored by electrophysiological methods. We investigated a model of gating developed for the partly homologous colicin E1 that is based on the insertion of regions of the protein into the membrane in response to cis-positive voltages. Site-directed cysteine mutagenesis, followed by chemical modification, was used to attach a biotin molecule covalently to a series of unique sites on colicin Ia. The modified protein was incorporated into planar lipid membranes, where the introduced biotin moiety served as a site to bind the water-soluble protein streptavidin, added to one side of the membrane or the other. Our results show that colicin gating is associated with the translocation across the membrane of a segment of the protein of at least 31 amino acids.

Amino Acid Sequence