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H Bujo

Publications and source records attributed to H Bujo.

71 records · Page 4Linked to original sources

The chicken oocyte receptor for yolk precursors as a model for studying the action of receptor-associated protein and lactoferrin.

Receptor-associated protein (RAP) was originally described as a 39-kDa intracellular protein copurifying with mammalian low density lipoprotein (LDL) receptor-related protein/alpha 2-macroglobulin receptor (LRP/alpha 2MR). RAP has a high affinity for LRP/alpha 2MR and interferes with the receptor's ability to bind a variety of ligands. The laying hen expresses, in a tissue-specific manner, at least four different proteins which belong to the same family of receptors as LRP/alpha 2MR. Here we show that the chicken also produces RAP, so far thought to be expressed only in mammals. Studies on the interaction of recombinant human RAP with the LDL receptor family in the chicken revealed that RAP binds with high affinity to the abundant oocyte receptor for yolk precursors (OVR) as well as to the somatic cell-specific LRP/alpha 2MR. Significantly, RAP interacts with a lower affinity with the LDL receptor, but does not bind to the oocyte-specific form of LRP. Binding of RAP to OVR inhibits the interaction of the receptor with all known physiological ligands, i.e. the yolk precursors very low density lipoprotein, vitellogenin, and alpha 2-macroglobulin. In COS cells transfected with OVR, RAP is internalized and degraded in a concentration-dependent and saturable manner. Lactoferrin, another protein with a high affinity for mammalian LRP/alpha 2MR, also binds to OVR and abolishes its interaction with yolk precursors. Cross-competition experiments show that RAP and lactoferrin recognize sites different from those involved in yolk precursor binding. The availability of pure OVR and LDLR enable us to determine kinetic parameters for the binding of RAP and lactoferrin to these receptors by surface plasmon resonance. Taken together, our results strongly suggest that chicken OVR, which is easily accessible and highly abundant in growing oocytes, represents a superior system for studying mechanistic and structural aspects of the interaction of ligands and modulating proteins with members of the LDL receptor gene family.

Amino Acid Sequence↗

[Lecithin: cholesterol acyltransferase (LCAT)--the genetic analysis of familial LCAT deficiency and fish eye disease].

Lecithin: cholesterol acyltransferase (LCAT) is the enzyme that catalyze the esterification of free cholesterol in plasma proteins. The functional abnormalities of LCAT are known to cause two diseases characterized by severe corneal opacity; familial LCAT deficiency that is accompanied with anemia and frequently, though not invariably, renal failure, and fish eye disease (FED) without any other severe symptoms. Notably, it has been shown that the clinical symptoms and biochemical features are highly variable in each patient with the diseases. Recent genetic studies on the cases of LCAT deficiency or FED revealed both diseases to be caused by respective mutations of the LCAT gene. These findings suggest the abnormal or defective LCAT by each gene mutation underlies the heterogeneity in the biochemical and, possibly, clinical characteristics observed in LCAT deficiency and FED.

Corneal Opacity↗

Chicken oocyte growth is mediated by an eight ligand binding repeat member of the LDL receptor family.

Deposition of the yolk mass components of chicken oocytes, very low density lipoprotein (VLDL) and vitellogenin (VTG), is mediated by a 95 kDa plasma membrane protein, termed VLDL/VTG receptor (VLDL/VTGR). Molecular characterization of the VLDL/VTGR revealed that it is a member of the LDLR gene superfamily, and harbours eight complement-type, cysteine-rich ligand binding repeats at the N-terminus. This ligand binding domain structure is the hallmark of the recently discovered mammalian so-called VLDLRs, whose true physiological function remains to be elucidated. Northern blot analysis revealed that this receptor is expressed almost exclusively in oocytes, with very much lower levels of hybridizing transcripts present in heart and skeletal muscle. Heterologous expression of the cloned receptor demonstrated its ability to bind both VLDL and VTG. The receptor gene is located on the avian sex chromosome Z, in agreement with the sex linkage of a single-gene defect in animals that fail to reproduce because of the lack of expression of functional VLDL/VTGR. In situ hybridization analysis of oocytes suggested that VLDL/VTGR mRNA may relocalize during oocyte growth. Thus, the current study has identified and characterized the first non-mammalian VLDLR. Its key role in avian reproduction and extremely high evolutionary conservation shed new light on VLDLR function in mammals, which also express the gene in ovaries.

Amino Acid Sequence↗

A missense mutation in the cholesteryl ester transfer protein gene with possible dominant effects on plasma high density lipoproteins.

Plasma HDL are a negative risk factor for atherosclerosis. Cholesteryl ester transfer protein (CETP; 476 amino acids) transfers cholesteryl ester from HDL to other lipoproteins. Subjects with homozygous CETP deficiency caused by a gene splicing defect have markedly elevated HDL; however, heterozygotes have only mild increases in HDL. We describe two probands with a CETP missense mutation (442 D:G). Although heterozygous, they have threefold increases in HDL concentration and markedly decreased plasma CETP mass and activity, suggesting that the mutation has dominant effects on CETP and HDL in vivo. Cellular expression of mutant cDNA results in secretion of only 30% of wild type CETP activity. Moreover, coexpression of wild type and mutant cDNAs leads to inhibition of wild type secretion and activity. The dominant effects of the CETP missense mutation during cellular expression probably explains why the probands have markedly increased HDL in the heterozygous state, and suggests that the active molecular species of CETP may be multimeric.

Aged↗

[Molecular defects in familial LCAT deficiency].

Lecithin: cholesterol acyltransferase (LCAT) is the enzyme that catalyzes the esterification of free cholesterol in plasma lipoproteins. Familial LCAT deficiency, which is a rare hereditary disorder of lipid metabolism, inherited as an autosomal recessive trait, is characterized by corneal opacity, anemia and frequently, though not invariably, renal failure. Recently, LCAT cDNA and gene have been cloned. Studies on DNA samples from unrelated patients with familial LCAT deficiency and fish eye disease, which is characterized by severe corneal opacity alone, revealed both diseases to be caused by respective mutations of the LCAT gene. It is suspected that defect or functional abnormality of LCAT, caused by these genetic defects, underlie the various clinical and biochemical characteristics observed in LCAT deficiency or fish eye disease.

Amino Acid Sequence↗

Molecular defect in familial lecithin:cholesterol acyltransferase (LCAT) deficiency: a single nucleotide insertion in LCAT gene causes a complete deficient type of the disease.

Familial lecithin:cholesterol acyltransferase (LCAT) deficiency is a hereditary disorder with clinical manifestations including corneal opacity, premature atherosclerosis and renal failure. In this study, we analyzed the molecular base underlying a case of Japanese LCAT deficiency, in which both LCAT mass and activity of the proband were nearly absent. DNA blot hybridization analysis showed no gross rearrangement in the LCAT gene of the proband. The nucleotide sequence analysis of the cloned LCAT gene demonstrated only an extra nucleotide "C" insertion at the first exon, when compared to the sequence of wild type. This single base insertion caused a shift of the following reading frame, probably resulting in a truncated abnormal LCAT polypeptide that consist of only 16 amino acids. The direct sequence analysis of PCR-amplified DNA showed only the same insertion, indicating that the LCAT-deficient proband is a homozygote for the mutant allele. These results indicate that the clinical and biochemical feature of the patient is mainly caused by a complete deficiency of the enzyme based on a homozygous abnormality of LCAT gene.

Adult↗

Functional expression from cloned cDNAs of glutamate receptor species responsive to kainate and quisqualate.

The complete amino acid sequences of two mouse glutamate receptor subunits (GluR1 and GluR2) have been deduced by cloning and sequencing the cDNAs. Xenopus oocytes injected with mRNA derived from the GluR1 cDNA exhibit current responses both to kainate and to quisqualate as well as to glutamate, whereas oocytes injected with mRNA derived from the GluR2 cDNA show little response. Injection of oocytes with both the mRNAs produces current responses larger than those induced by the GluR1-specific mRNA and the dose-response relations indicate a positively cooperative interaction between the two subunits. These results suggest that kainate and quisqualate can activate a common glutamate receptor subtype and that glutamate-gated ionic channels are hetero-oligomers of different subunits.

Amino Acid Sequence↗

Selective effector coupling of muscarinic acetylcholine receptor subtypes.

Attempts have been made by means of recombinant DNA technology to understand the molecular basis of the functional heterogeneity of the muscarinic acetylcholine receptor (mAChR). Molecularly defined mAChR subtypes have been produced from the cloned DNAs in Xenopus oocytes and NG108-15 neuroblastoma-glioma hybrid cells as transient and stable expression systems, respectively, and agonist-induced cellular responses have been examined. The results obtained provide evidence that mAChR subtypes are selectively coupled with different effector systems, albeit not exclusively.

Animals↗

Location of a region of the muscarinic acetylcholine receptor involved in selective effector coupling.

Chimaeric muscarinic acetylcholine receptors (mAChR) in which corresponding portions of mAChR I and mAChR II are replaced with each other have been produced in Xenopus oocytes by expression of cDNA constructs encoding them. Functional analysis of the chimaeric mAChRs indicates that a region mostly comprising the putative cytoplasmic portion between the proposed transmembrane segments V and VI is involved in selective coupling of mAChR I and mAChR II with different effector systems. In contrast, the exchange of this region between mAChR I and mAChR II does not significantly affect the antagonist binding properties of the two mAChR subtypes.

Animals↗

Different sensitivities to agonist of muscarinic acetylcholine receptor subtypes.

Muscarinic acetylcholine receptor (mAChR) III expressed in Xenopus oocytes, like mAChR I, mediates activation of a Ca2+-dependent Cl- current, whereas mAChR IV, like mAChR II, principally induces activation of Na+ and K+ currents in a Ca2+-independent manner. mAChR III has a sensitivity to agonist of about one order of magnitude higher than that of mAChR I in mediating the Ca2+-dependent current response in Xenopus oocytes and in stimulating phosphoinositide hydrolysis in NG108-15 neuroblastoma-glioma hybrid cells. The agonist-binding affinity of mAChR III is also about one order of magnitude higher than that of mAChR I.

Acetylcholine↗

Rings of negatively charged amino acids determine the acetylcholine receptor channel conductance.

The structure-function relationship of the nicotinic acetylcholine receptor (AChR) has been effectively studied by the combination of complementary DNA manipulation and single-channel current analysis. Previous work with chimaeras between the Torpedo californica and bovine AChR delta-subunits has shown that the region comprising the hydrophobic segment M2 and its vicinity contains an important determinant of the rate of ion transport through the AChR channel. It has also been suggested that this region is responsible for the reduction in channel conductance caused by divalent cations and that segment M2 contributes to the binding site of noncompetitive antagonists. To identify those amino acid residues that interact with permeating ions, we have introduced various point mutations into the Torpedo AChR subunit cDNAs to alter the net charge of the charged or glutamine residues around the proposed transmembrane segments. The single-channel conductance properties of these AChR mutants expressed in Xenopus laevis oocytes indicate that three clusters of negatively charged and glutamine residues neighbouring segment M2 of the alpha-, beta-, gamma- and delta-subunits, probably forming three anionic rings, are major determinants of the rate of ion transport.

Amino Acid Sequence↗

Selective coupling with K+ currents of muscarinic acetylcholine receptor subtypes in NG108-15 cells.

The primary structures of two muscarinic acetylcholine receptor (mAChR) species, designated as mAChR I and mAChR II, have been elucidated by cloning and sequence analysis of DNAs complementary to the porcine cerebral and cardiac messenger RNAs, respectively. mAChR I and mAChR II expressed in Xenopus oocytes differ from each other both in acetylcholine-induced response and in antagonist binding properties. These results, together with the differential tissue location of the two mAChR mRNAs, have indicated that pharmacologically distinguishable subtypes of the mAChR represent distinct gene products. The primary structures of two additional mammalian mAChR species, designated as mAChR III and mAChR IV, have subsequently been deduced from the nucleotide sequences of the cloned cDNAs or genomic DNAs. We report here that mAChR I and mAChR III expressed in NG108-15 neuroblastoma-glioma hybrid cells, but not mAChR II and mAChR IV, efficiently mediate phosphoinositide hydrolysis, activation of a Ca2+-dependent K+ current and inhibition of the M-current, a voltage-dependent K+ current sensitive to muscarinic agonists.

Acetylcholine↗

Proliferation and LDL binding of cultured intimal smooth muscle cells from rabbits.

Cultured intimal smooth muscle cells (SMC) were prepared from rabbits in which a cannula had been inserted into the abdominal aorta 4 weeks previously. The patterns of growth proliferative rates, and lipoprotein metabolism of cultures of intimal and medial SMC from intact aortic media were compared. Intimal SMC proliferated more rapidly than medial SMC. Both low density lipoprotein (LDL) and acetylated LDL bound to intimal SMC, whereas only LDL bound to medial SMC. These findings suggest a phenotypic difference between intimal and medial SMC.

Animals↗

Location of a delta-subunit region determining ion transport through the acetylcholine receptor channel.

The combination of complementary DNA expression and single-channel current analysis provides a powerful tool for studying the structure-function relationship of the nicotinic acetylcholine receptor (AChR) (refs 1-5). We have previously shown that AChR channels consisting of subunits from different species, expressed in the surface membrane of Xenopus oocytes, can be used to relate functional properties to individual subunits. Here we report that, in extracellular solution of low divalent cation concentration, the bovine AChR channel has a smaller conductance than the Torpedo AChR channel. Replacement of the delta-subunit of the Torpedo AChR by the bovine delta-subunit makes the channel conductance similar to that of the bovine AChR channel. To locate the region in the delta-subunit responsible for this difference, we have constructed chimaeric delta-subunit cDNAs with different combinations of the Torpedo and bovine counterparts. The conductances of AChR channels containing chimaeric delta-subunits suggest that a region comprising the putative transmembrane segment M2 and the adjacent bend portion between segments M2 and M3 is involved in determining the rate of ion transport through the open channel.

Animals↗