Studies on the elongation factor Tu from Streptomyces aureofaciens producing tetracycline.
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Biomedical subjects
Publications and source records attributed to L Bosch.
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The molecular properties of two mutant species of the elongation factor Tu (EF-Tu), derived from either tuf A or tuf B, have been studied. One, designated EF-TuAR, is the product of a kirromycin-resistant tufA gene. The other designated EF-TuBO is a tuf B product and is present in a kirromycin-resistant mutant of Escherichia coli (LBE 2012) also harbouring the EF-TuAR species. EF-TuAR has been isolated in homogeneous form as a single gene product from the mutant strain LBE 2045, in which the tuf B gene has been inactivated by an insertion of the bacteriophage Mu. EF-TuBO has been isolated from LBE 2012 together with EF-TuAR in a 1:1 mixture. Fractionation of this mixture of DEAE-Sephadex A-50 resulted in an enrichment of EF-TuBO of about 80%. The properties of EF-TuAR and EF-TuBO have been compared to those of a kirromycin-sensitive species designated EF-TuAS, which was isolated from LBE 2045 by transduction of wild-type tuf A. We show here that all three EF-Tu species are fully competent to sustain polypeptide synthesis. All also appear to interact normally with guanine nucleotides and EF-Ts. Only in the presence of the antibiotic do the following differences appear. (a) Kirromycin causes EF-TuAS (wild-type tuf A gene product) to be retained on, and thus block, the ribosome. (b) EF-TuAR fails to bind the antibiotic and thus is capable of protein synthesis in its presence. (c) EF-TuBO fails to sustain polypeptide synthesis upon binding of kirromycin. It does not, however, block the ribosome, so the strain harbouring both this protein and EF-TuAR (LBE 2012) is kirromycin resistant.
In the accompanying paper we have shown that polypeptide synthesis sustained by the mutant elongation factor EF-TuBO is inhibited by kirromycin. Here we have searched for the primary site of inhibition in the elongation cycle. It is demonstrated that in the presence of the antibiotic EF-TuBO can form a complex with aminoacyl-tRNA and GTP and that the complex is able to bind to ribosomes programmed with poly(U). Like its wild-type counterpart, EF-TuBO . GDP can form a quaternary complex with aminoacyl-tRNA and kirromycin but, unlike the wild-type quaternary complex, the mutant complex fails to associate with the ribosome. This explains the recessive nature of the tuf B mutation in cells producing kirromycin-resistant EF-TuA and EF-TuBO. It also suggests a mechanism for the inhibition by kirromycin of EF-TuBO-dependent polypeptide synthesis.
The protein synthesis elongation factor EF-Tu, complexed with EF-Ts, forms part of Q beta RNA replicase. In an effort to determine its function in the RNA synthesis reaction, we have developed procedures which allow us to replace the endogenous EF-Tu in purified Q beta replicase with EF-Tu from a variety of sources. In this communication we report purification of EF-Tu from strains containing (a) a wild type tufA gene only, (b) a kirromycin-resistant mutant tufA gene only, and (c) a kirromycin-resistant mutant tufA gene and a mutant tufB gene which codes for EF-Tu that does not bind ribosomes. When each of these EF-Tu preparations is inserted in Q beta replicase, the wild type tufA gene product and and the tufB gene product function appearently normally, but the kirromycin-resistant tufA gene product causes the formation of an altered enzyme. The Q beta replicase containing kirromycin-resistant EF-Tu is unstable; it is rapidly inactivated in the reaction mixture, even at temperatures as low as 20 degrees C. This property results in an apparent increase in template specificity; while wild type Q beta replicase will transcribe poly(C) and other synthetic RNA species, the mutant enzyme will do so only in the presence of Mn2+, which reduces template specificity. The kirromycin-resistant Q beta replicase will also transcribe Q beta RNA. The results imply that EF-Tu is involved in maintenance of enzyme structure, which, in turn, is implicated in template specificity.
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In a previous paper we described a number of Escherichia coli mutants resistant to the antibiotic kirromycin. These mutants are altered in both tufA and tufB, the genes coding for elongation factor Tu (EF-Tu). We have now isolated EF-Tu in a homogeneous form from the mutant strains and have studied its function in polypeptide synthesis. These EF-Tu preparations were examined in renaturation studies of Qbeta RNA replicase, described in another paper. In order to characterize the factor we have inactivated the tufB gene by insertion of bacteriophage Mu or by an amber mutation. This enabled us to isolate EF-Tu as a single gene product derived from tufA (designated EF-TuA in contrast to the tufB product, which is called EF-TuB). Kirromycin-resistant EF-TuA did not respond to addition of the antibiotic in three assays: [(3)H]GDP exchange with EF-Tu-GDP at 0 degrees C, in vitro translation of poly(U), and kirromycin-induced GTPase activity of EF-Tu. In contrast, wild-type EF-TuA responded normally to the antibiotic in these assays. One of our mutants (LBE 2012) harbors the kirromycin-resistant EF-TuA and an EF-TuB that is able to bind kirromycin. This binding does not cause inhibition of protein synthesis, indicating that EF-TuB from LBE 2012 is unable to reach the ribosome under these conditions. The two types of EF-Tu from this mutant are equal in size but differ by 0.1 pH unit in isoelectric point. In the soluble fractions of LBE 2012 cells they are present in approximately equal amounts. Our results also show that the tufB gene is not necessary for bacterial growth.
Substantial evidence is provided to corroborate our previous finding that Escherichia coli ribosomes recognize two binding sites on the 5' end of alfalfa mosaic virus (AMV) RNA 4 [for a preliminary report see Castel, A., Kraal, B., Kerklaan, P. R. M., Klok, J., and Bosch, L. (1977) Proc. Natl Acad. Sci. U.S.A. 74, 5509--5513]. Translation can start at either site using AcPhe-tRNA or fMet-RNA as initiator and takes place in the same reading frame along the monocistronic mRNA. The size and composition of the isolated extra NH2-terminal fragment of the acetylphenylalanyl product were found to be in agreement with the 5' non-coding region of the messenger. Removal of the 5'-terminal cap structure of AMV RNA 4 did not influence significantly both initiation reactions. Ribosomal protein S1 was essential for binding as well as incorporation of both fMet-tRNA and AcPhe-tRNA. A similar interaction on the ribosome was found for AcPhe-tRNA directed by AMV RNA 4 as for fMet-tRNA directed by either AMV RNA 4 or MS2 RNA with respect to the influence of initiation factors. It is concluded that the heterologous plant viral messenger is reliably translated in the E. coli system and that E. coli ribosomes recognize with high specificity an extra initiation site close to the 5' extremity of the messenger. The relationship of this site to a hypothetical entry site involved in the early recognition in the initiation mechanism between ribosome and messenger is discussed.
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Late after infection of KB cells with adenovirus 5 an extra protein becomes associated with messenger ribonucleoprotein particles present in the polysomes. This protein has a molecular weight of 100000 and is identical to the virus coded '100K' protein found previously. The extra protein is firmly attached to the messenger ribonucleoprotein complexes. Its binding resists exposure to high salt concentrations as used in puromycin/high-salt dissociation and equilibrium centrifugation in Cs2SO4 gradients. In this respect it resembles the binding of two other proteins of Mr 74000 and 48000 which are commonly found in messenger ribonucleoprotein particles of various eukaryotic cells. The identity between the messenger ribonucleoprotein protein of Mr 100000 and the "100K' protein present in the soluble part of the cytoplasm was established by sodium dodecylsulphate/polyacrylamide gel electrophoresis, isoelectric focusing and peptide mapping after limited proteolysis with Staphylococcus aureus protease.
The complete primary structure of the coat protein of strain VRU of alfalfa mosaic virus (AMV) is reported. The strain is morphologically different from all other AMV strains as it contains large amounts of unusually long virus particles. This is caused by structural differences in the coat protein chain. The amino acid sequence has mainly been established by the characterization of peptides obtained after cleavage with cyanogen bromide and digestion with trypsin, chymotrypsin, thermolysin or Staphylococcus aureus protease. The major sequencing technique used was the dansyl-Edman procedure. The VRU coat protein consists of 219 amino acid residues corresponding to a molecular weight of 24056. Compared to the coat protein of strain 425 [Van Beynum et al. (1977) Eur. J. Biochem. 72, 63-78], 15 amino acid substitutions were localized. Most of them have a conservative character and may be explained by single-point mutations. A correction is given for the AMV 425 coat protein: Asn-216 was shown to be Asp-216. The prediction of the secondary structure for the two viral coat proteins was not significantly influenced by the various amino acid substitutions except for the region containing residues 65-100. This led us to the hypothesis that the AMV coat protein may occur in two different conformations favouring its incorporation into either a pentagonal or hexagonal quasi-equivalent position in the lattice of the protein shell. The substitutions in the above-mentioned region of the VRU coat protein may have caused a strong preference for the hexagonal lattice conformation. The model is supported by preliminary sequence data of the same coat protein region in AMV 15/64, a strain morphologically intermediate between 425 and VRU.
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An Escherichia coli cell-free translational system, deprived of initiation factor IF-3, has been used to study the role of the factor in protein synthesis. In this system, 30-S ribosomal subunits are preincubated together with MS2 phage RNA in a small volume in the presence of 10 mM Mg(Ac)2; the missing components required for protein synthesis are then added and assembly of elongating ribosomes is allowed to occur. This stepwise assembly process permits formation of functional complexes which can carry out protein synthesis in the complete absence of IF-3. The translational products, obtained in the absence of IF-3, have been analysed and shown to be similar to those synthesized in the presence of the factor. The main product observed is the phage coat protein.
The formation of 30-S initiation complexes depends strongly on initiation factor IF-3; at molar ratios of IF-3 to 30-S ribosomes up to one a stimulation is observed, whereas at ratios higher than one, initiation complex formation declines strongly. The target of the observed inhibition of fMet-tRNA binding at high concentrations of IF-3 is the 30-S initiation complex itself. On the one hand addition of IF-3 to preformed 30-S initiation complexes leads to a release of bound fMet-tRNA which is linear with the amount of factor added, whereas no effect on isolated 70-S initiation complexes is seen. The release of fMet-tRNA from preformed 30-S initiation complexes is accompanied by a release of IF-2 in a one-to-one molar ratio which is in agreement with our previous findings showing that binding of fMet-tRNA takes place via a binary complex: IF-2 . fMet-tRNA (Eur. J. Biochem. 66, 181--192 and 77, 69--75). On the other hand increasing amounts of both IF-2 and fMet-tRNA relieve the IF-3-induced inhibition of 30-S initiation complex formation. From these findings it is concluded that IF-3 and the IF-2 . fMet-tRNA complex are mutually exclusive on the 30-S ribosome. This implies that under our experimental conditions MS2 RNA binding precedes fMet-tRNA binding if one accepts that the presence of IF-3 on the 30-S subunit is obligatory for messenger binding.
The binding of labeled initiation factor IF-1 to ribosomal particles has been studied in relation to the mode of action of this factor in the dissociation of 70-S ribosomes. It is demonstrated that IF-1 interacts specifically with active 70-S tight couples and free 30-S subunits. The binding of IF-1 to both 70-S and 30-S particles is not influenced by the Mg2+ concentration and the affinity of the factor for both particles is about the same. The interaction of IF-1 with these particles is highest at low Tris-HCl concentrations. Under these conditions IF-1 shows a slight dissociating activity. Using 3H-labeled IF-1 and 14C-labeled IF-3 the formation of a 30-S-subunit.IF-1 . IF-3 complex from 70-S ribosomes is demonstrated. Our studies show that IF-3 enhances the binding of IF-1 to the 30-S subunit. In contrast to IF-1, which binds about equally well to 70-S and 30-S particles in the absence of IF-3, 14C-labeled IF-3 binds predominantly to the 30-S subunit. This finding confirms the view that IF-3 acts as an anti-association factor. On the other hand, IF-1 enhances the supply of 30-S subunits in the presence of IF-3 by acting on the 30-S moiety of the 70-S ribosome.
The effect of bacteriocin (cloacin DF13) treatment of Escherichia coli ribosomes on initiation of protein synthesis has been studied in detail. In agreement with our previous findings [Baan et al. (1976) Proc. Natl Acad. Sci. U.S.A. 73, 702--706] it is shown that 70-S initiation complexes can be formed with cloacin-treated ribosomes, but that the initiation factor IF-1 does not function properly. The following pleiotropic effects of this factor have been studied: (a) the acceleration of ribosomal subunit exchange with 70-S couples; (b) the stimulation of the IF-3-mediated dissociation of 70-S ribosomes; (c) the stimulation of 30-S initiation complex formation; (d) the enhancement of the rate of release of IF-2 from 70-S initiation complexes. The effects (a) and (b) are virtually abolished after cleavage of 16-S rRNA. The effect (d) is only partially reduced whereas effect (c) seems to be unimpaired. It is concluded that 70-S initiation complex formation with cloacin-treated ribosomes suffers from improper functioning of IF-1 in the generation of active subunits from 70-S tight couples. This is the only effect on initiation. It can be compensated for by adding more IF-3. The data provide functional evidence that 16-S rRNA is involved in ribosomal subunit interaction.
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