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Expanded utility of the native chemical ligation reaction.

The post-genomic era heralds a multitude of challenges for chemists and biologists alike, with the study of protein functions at the heart of much research. The elucidation of protein structure, localization, stability, post-translational modifications, and protein interactions will steadily unveil the role of each protein and its associated biological function in the cell. The push to develop new technologies has necessitated the integration of various disciplines in science. Consequently, the role of chemistry has never been so profound in the study of biological processes. By combining the strengths of recombinant DNA technology, protein splicing, organic chemistry, and the chemoselective chemistry of native chemical ligation, various strategies have been successfully developed and applied to chemoselectively label proteins, both in vitro and in live cells, with biotin, fluorescent, and other small molecule probes. The site-specific incorporation of molecular entities with unique chemical functionalities in proteins has many potential applications in chemical and biological studies of proteins. In this article, we highlight recent progress of these strategies in several areas related to proteomics and chemical biology, namely, in vitro and in vivo protein biotinylation, protein microarray technologies for large-scale protein analysis, and live-cell bioimaging.

Biochemical Phenomena↗

Galatosylation and sialylation of mammalian glycoproteins produced by baculovirus-madiated gene expression in insect cells.

The baculovirus expression vector system (BEVS) is used extensively for the production of proteins from exogenous cDNAs. However, BEVS is not ideal for pharmaceutical production of glycoproteins owing to the properties of the N-glycans in the expressed products and that insect cells lack several of the enzymes required for mammalian-type N-glycan synthesis. This study describes the effective mammalian-like production of glycoproteins, such as beta-1,4-galactosyltransferase and alpha-2,6-sialyltransferase, in the insect cell line Sf9.

Animals↗

Transit of hormonal and EGF receptor-dependent signals through cholesterol-rich membranes.

The functional consequences of changes in membrane lipid composition that coincide with malignant growth are poorly understood. Sufficient data have been acquired from studies of lipid binding proteins, post-translational modifications of signaling proteins, and biochemical inhibition of lipidogenic pathways to indicate that growth and survival pathways might be substantially re-directed by alterations in the lipid content of membranes. Cholesterol and glycosphingolipids segregate into membrane patches that exhibit a liquid-ordered state in comparison to membrane domains containing relatively lower amounts of these classes of lipids. These "lipid raft" structures, which may vary in size and stability in different cell types, both accumulate and exclude signaling proteins and have been implicated in signal transduction through a number of cancer-relevant pathways. In prostate cancer cells, signaling from epidermal growth factor receptor (EGFR) to the serine-threonine kinase Akt1, as well as from IL-6 to STAT3, have been demonstrated to be influenced by experimental interventions that target cholesterol homeostasis. The recent finding that classical steroid hormone receptors also reside in these microdomains, and thus may function within these structures in a signaling capacity independent of their role as nuclear factors, suggests a novel means of cross-talk between receptor tyrosine kinase-derived and steroidogenic signals. Potential points of intersection between components of the EGFR family of receptor tyrosine kinases and androgen receptor signaling pathways, which may be sensitive to disruptions in cholesterol metabolism, are discussed. Understanding the manner in which these pathways converge within cholesterol-rich membranes may present new avenues for therapeutic intervention in hormone-dependent cancers.

Cell Membrane↗

Prediction of human protein function according to Gene Ontology categories.

MOTIVATION: The human genome project has led to the discovery of many human protein coding genes which were previously unknown. As a large fraction of these are functionally uncharacterized, it is of interest to develop methods for predicting their molecular function from sequence. RESULTS: We have developed a method for prediction of protein function for a subset of classes from the Gene Ontology classification scheme. This subset includes several pharmaceutically interesting categories-transcription factors, receptors, ion channels, stress and immune response proteins, hormones and growth factors can all be predicted. Although the method relies on protein sequences as the sole input, it does not rely on sequence similarity, but instead on sequence derived protein features such as predicted post translational modifications (PTMs), protein sorting signals and physical/chemical properties calculated from the amino acid composition. This allows for prediction of the function for orphan proteins where no homologs can be found. Using this method we propose two novel receptors in the human genome, and further demonstrate chromosomal clustering of related proteins.

Algorithms↗

Elimination of abnormal sialylglycoproteins in fibroblasts with sialidosis and galactosialidosis by normal gene transfer and enzyme replacement.

Sialidosis and galactosialidosis are lysosomal storage diseases caused by the genetic defects of lysosomal sialidase (neuraminidase-1; NEU1) and lysosomal protective protein/cathepsin A (PPCA), respectively, associated with a NEU1 deficiency, excessive accumulation of sialylglycoconjugates, and development of progressive neurosomatic manifestations; in addition, the latter disorder is accompanied by simultaneous deficiencies of beta-galactosidase and cathepsin A. We demonstrated that a few soluble N-glycosylated proteins carrying sialyloligosaccharides sensitive to glycopeptidase F (GPF) can be specifically detected in cultured fibroblasts from sialidosis and galactosialidosis cases by blotting with a Maackia amurensis (MAM) lectin. We also examined the therapeutic effects of normal gene transfer and enzyme replacement by evaluating the decreases in sialylglycoconjugates accumulated in fibroblasts with these NEU1 deficiencies. The specific N-glycosylated proteins detected on MAM lectin blotting as well as the granular lysosomal fluorescence due to an avidin-FITC/biotinylated MAM lectin conjugate in sialidosis and galactosialidosis fibroblasts disappeared in parallel with the restoration of the intracellular NEU1 activity after transfection of the recombinant NEU1 fused to HA tag sequence and the wild-type PPCA cDNA as well as administration of the recombinant PPCA precursor protein. The detection method for the abnormal sialylglycoproteins in cultured cells involving MAM lectin was demonstrated to be useful not only for biochemical and diagnostic analyses of NEU1 deficiencies but also for therapeutic evaluation of these conditions.

Cathepsin A↗

Stationary phase in Saccharomyces cerevisiae.

Like other microorganisms, the yeast Saccharomyces cerevisiae responds to starvation by arresting growth and entering stationary phase. Because most microorganisms exist under conditions of nutrient limitation, the ability to tolerate starvation is critical for survival. Molecular analyses have identified changes in transcription, translation, and protein modification in stationary-phase cells. At the level of translation, the pattern of newly synthesized proteins in stationary-phase cells is surprisingly similar to the pattern of proteins synthesized during exponential growth. When limited for different nutrients, yeast strains may not enter stationary phase but opt for pathways such as pseudohyphal growth. If nutrient limitation continues, the end-point is likely to be a stationary-phase cell. Based on the results of recent studies, we propose a model for entry into stationary phase in which G(o) arrest is separable from acquisition of the ability to survive long periods of time without added nutrients.

Carbon↗

Methylation-dependent T cell immunity to Mycobacterium tuberculosis heparin-binding hemagglutinin.

Although post-translational modifications of protein antigens may be important componenets of some B cell epitopes, the determinants of T cell immunity are generally nonmodified peptides. Here we show that methylation of the Mycobacterium tuberculosis heparin-binding hemagglutinin (HBHA) by the bacterium is essential for effective T cell immunity to this antigen in infected healthy humans and in mice. Methylated HBHA provides high levels of protection against M. tuberculosis challenge in mice, whereas nonmethylated HBHA does not. Protective immunity induced by methylated HBHA is comparable to that afforded by vaccination with bacille Calmette et Guérin, the only available anti-tuberculosis vaccine. Thus, post-translational modifications of proteins may be crucial for their ability to induce protective T cell-mediated immunity against infectious diseases such as tuberculosis.

Animals↗

The procyclic acidic repetitive proteins of Trypanosoma brucei. Purification and post-translational modification.

The procyclic acidic repetitive protein (PARP) of Trypanosoma brucei was purified by cell fractionation followed by ion-exchange and concanavalin A-Sepharose affinity chromatography. PARP is membrane-bound and comprises about 1% of the total procyclic trypanosome protein or 6 x 10(6) molecules per parasite. The results of NH2-terminal sequencing and amino acid analysis indicate that PARP is processed by removal of an N-terminal signal sequence and the hydrophobic COOH terminus. Metabolic labeling of PARP with [3H] ethanolamine is consistent with attachment of the protein to the membrane via a glycosylphosphatidylinositol anchor. The glycolipid can be removed by base hydrolysis or nitrous acid deamination but is not susceptible to bacterial phosphatidylinositol-specific phospholipase C.

Amino Acid Sequence↗

Ubiquitination and deubiquitination: targeting of proteins for degradation by the proteasome.

The post-translational modification of proteins by covalent attachment of ubiquitin targets these proteins for degradation by the proteasome. An astounding number of proteins are involved in ubiquitination and deubiquitination of proteins. The pathways are combinatorial, and selectivity of proteolysis will depend strongly on the exact combination of ubiquitinating and deubiquitinating enzymes present at any time. In addition to temporal control, it is likely that these modifications are also regulated spatially. In this review, we discuss the regulation of ubiquitination by enzymes of this pathway and highlight some of the outstanding problems in understanding this regulation.

Animals↗

Post-translational modification of the protein-synthesis initiation factor eIF-4D by spermidine in rat hepatoma cells.

The rates of synthesis and turnover of the rare amino acid hypusine [N6-(4-amino-2-hydroxybutyl)-2,6-diaminohexanoic acid] in protein were studied in relationship to polyamine metabolism and growth rates in rat hepatoma tissue-culture (HTC) cells. Hypusine is selectively formed in the eukaryotic translation initiation factor eIF-4D, by a post-translational mechanism involving spermidine [Cooper, Park, Folk, Safer & Braverman (1983) Proc. Natl. Acad. Sci. U.S.A. 80, 1854-1857]. The half-life of the hypusine-containing protein was longer than 24 h. In cells whose intracellular spermidine pools had been initially depleted, by using DL-alpha-difluoromethylornithine (DFMO), maximum synthesis rates of hypusine in protein were 5-10 times higher, on restoration of endogenous spermidine contents by exogenous addition, than those observed in untreated exponential-phase cultures. In cells pretreated with DFMO, the rate of hypusine synthesis was constant for up to 1 h after the addition of 5 microM-spermidine, whereas endogenous spermidine contents varied from less than 1 to more than 10 nmol/mg of protein. However, the overall amount of hypusine formed, during the first 1 h after the addition of various concentrations of spermidine (0.05-10 microM) to the culture medium, was markedly dependent on the final endogenous spermidine content achieved at the end of the 1 h measurement interval. Early in exponential-phase growth, protein-bound hypusine was synthesized at a rate of 1-2 pmol/h per mg of protein. This rate decreased to less than 0.5 pmol/h per mg of protein when cell growth rates decreased as cultures reached high cell densities. Analysis of the polyamine substrate specificity for hypusine formation showed that N1-acetylspermidine did not compete with spermidine in the reaction, nor did N1-(buta-2,3-dienyl)-N2-methylbutane-1,4-diamine, and irreversible inhibitor of polyamine oxidase, block the reaction. On the basis of comparative radiolabelling experiments, spermine was either a poor substrate, or not a substrate, for hypusine formation. These results confirm that spermidine is the likely precursor of the aminohydroxybutyl moiety of hypusine, and show that overall hypusine formation, but not necessarily the synthesis rate, is dependent on the endogenous spermidine concentration, especially under conditions where spermidine concentrations are initially low, as is the case after DFMO treatment, and then increase.

Animals↗

Palmitoylation: a post-translational modification that regulates signalling from G-protein coupled receptors.

Protein acylation is a post-translational modification that has seized much attention in the last few years. Depending on the nature of the fatty acid added, protein acylation can take the form of palmitoylation, myristoylation, or prenylation. Palmitoylation has been implicated in the modification of several different proteins and is particularly prevalent in G-protein coupled receptors and their cognate G-proteins, where it is thought to have an important regulatory function. Given that palmitoylation of these proteins is a dynamic phenomenon in which turnover rate is modulated by agonist activation, it is thought to be implicated in processes such as receptor phosphorylation and desensitization as well as in G-protein membrane translocation. A better understanding of the regulation of signal transduction mediated by G-protein coupled receptors will require the identification and characterization of those enzymes implicated in the palmitoylation and depalmitoylation process of this large class of receptors and their signalling allies.

Amino Acid Sequence↗

Selective cytotoxicity of farnesylamine to pancreatic carcinoma cells and Ki-ras-transformed fibroblasts.

Farnesyl protein transferase (FPTase) catalyses the post-translational modification of proteins by a farnesyl pyrophosphate. One of the substrates of this enzyme is p21ras, the product of the ras oncogene. We examined whether farnesylamine, one of the FPTase inhibitors (FTI), is selectively cytotoxic in pancreatic carcinoma cells and Ki-ras-transformed fibroblasts. Furthermore, we investigated whether the cytotoxicity of farnesylamine is caused by the induction of apoptosis in these cells. Using the FPTase assay, we found that farnesylamine inhibited FPTase in vitro. Immunoprecipitation showed that farnesylamine inhibited farnesylation of p21ras in vivo. In addition, 24 and 5 microM farnesylamine were required to achieve 50% cytotoxicity in pancreatic carcinoma cells containing activated Ki-ras and Ki-ras-transformed NIH/3T3 cells, respectively. The parental NIH/3T3 cells were resistant to the cytotoxic effect of farnesylamine at concentrations less than 100 microM. After incubation with farnesylamine, DNA fragmentation was observed in both pancreatic carcinoma cells and Ki-ras-transformed fibroblasts at cytotoxic doses of this compound but not in NIH/3T3 cells. These results indicate that the mechanism of cell death induced by farnesylamine is apoptosis, and this apoptosis occurred specifically in pancreatic carcinoma cells containing mutated Ki-ras and the Ki-ras-transformed cells. Because raf is downstream of ras (p21ras) in the ras-raf-mitogen-activated protein kinase signaling pathway, we used c-raf-1-transformed fibroblasts, which proved to be resistant to apoptosis induced by farnesylamine. This supports the theory that inhibition of ras signaling may be related to the induction of apoptosis. These data further suggest that farnesylamine could be useful as a chemotherapeutic agent in cancers that very frequently contain a Ki-ras oncogene mutation, e.g., pancreatic cancer.

3T3 Cells↗

Mass spectrometry in aging research.

This review covers the application of mass spectrometric techniques to aging research. Modern proteomic strategies will be discussed as well as the targeted analysis of specific proteins for the correlation of post-translational modifications with protein function. Selected examples will show both the power and also current limitations of the respective techniques. Experimental results and strategies are discussed in view of current theories of the aging process.

Aging↗

Protein semisynthesis and expressed protein ligation: chasing a protein's tail.

The adaptation of native chemical ligation to protein semisynthesis has become a powerful way to address problems in the analysis of protein structure and function. In particular, the exploitation of nature's inteins in expressed protein ligation is now a standard approach in the study of proteins. Site-specific incorporation of unnatural amino acids, biophysical probes and post-translational modifications in proteins have led to new insights into enzyme mechanisms, protein folding, ion channel function, translation and signaling.

Amino Acids↗

Redox regulation of protein tyrosine phosphatases during receptor tyrosine kinase signal transduction.

In addition to protein phosphorylation, redox-dependent post-translational modification of proteins is emerging as a key signaling system that has been conserved throughout evolution and that influences many aspects of cellular homeostasis. Both systems exemplify dynamic regulation of protein function by reversible modification, which, in turn, regulates many cellular processes such as cell proliferation, differentiation and apoptosis. In this article we focus on the interplay between phosphorylation- and redox-dependent signaling at the level of phosphotyrosine phosphatase-mediated regulation of receptor tyrosine kinases (RTKs). We propose that signal transduction by oxygen species through reversible phosphotyrosine phosphatase inhibition, represents a widespread and conserved component of the biochemical machinery that is triggered by RTKs.

Animals↗

Regulating the p53 pathway: in vitro hypotheses, in vivo veritas.

Mutations in TP53, the gene that encodes the tumour suppressor p53, are found in 50% of human cancers, and increased levels of its negative regulators MDM2 and MDM4 (also known as MDMX) downregulate p53 function in many of the rest. Understanding p53 regulation remains a crucial goal to design broadly applicable anticancer strategies based on this pathway. This Review of in vitro studies, human tumour data and recent mouse models shows that p53 post-translational modifications have modulatory roles, and MDM2 and MDM4 have more profound roles for regulating p53. Importantly, MDM4 emerges as an independent target for drug development, as its inactivation is crucial for full p53 activation.

Animals↗

Post-translational modification of the tegument proteins (VP13 and VP14) of herpes simplex virus type 1 by glycosylation and phosphorylation.

VP13 and VP14, major tegument proteins of herpes simplex virus type 1 (HSV-1) and the products of the UL47 gene, have been shown by partial proteolytic mapping to have closely related protein sequences. These proteins are phosphorylated in virus-infected cells, but not in preparations of purified virus. They also contain O-linked oligosaccharide units which include beta-1,4-N-acetyl galactosamine residues, as demonstrated by the binding of Dolichos biflorus lectin. This modification was detected only in purified virus and appears to be restricted to VP13/14 and VP22, another HSV-1 tegument protein.

Electrophoresis, Polyacrylamide Gel↗

Regulation of post-translational modifications of muskelin by protein kinase C.

Muskelin is a member of the kelch-repeat superfamily of proteins, identified as an intracellular protein involved in cell spreading responses to thombospondin-1. Muskelin is expressed by many adult tissues and has an evolutionarily conserved, multidomain architecture consisting of an amino-terminal discoidin-like domain, a central alpha-helical region and six kelch-repeats that are predicted to form a beta-propeller structure. We previous demonstrated that muskelin molecules undergo head-to-tail association, however the physiological, post-translational regulation of muskelin is not well understood. Here, we have examined the expression of muskelin during mouse embryonic development and report widespread expression that includes muscle tissues, multiple epithelia and the brain. In cultured skeletal myoblasts and vascular smooth muscle cells, muskelin exists as a complex set of isoelectric variants. Five potential sites for phosphorylation by protein kinase C (PKC), are conserved between vertebrate and Drosophila muskelins, therefore we examined the hypothesis that muskelin is regulated post-translationally by PKC activity. We demonstrate that PKC activation or inhibition regulates the profile of endogenous muskelin isoelectric variants and that muskelin is a substrate for PKCalphain vitro. Wild-type GFP-muskelin and a panel of alanine point mutations were used to test the sensitivity of self-association to PKC activation. Mutation of two of the sites, S324 and T515, partially inhibited the ability of muskelin to self-associate in cells and inhibited responsiveness to activated PKC. Interestingly, both sites are predicted to lie in surface-exposed loops on the same side of the beta-propeller, implicating a common binding interface.

Animals↗