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At least 757 records · Page 42Linked to original sources

Ligase-free subcloning: a versatile method to subclone polymerase chain reaction (PCR) products in a single day.

Often, it is convenient to subclone polymerase chain reaction (PCR) products into a plasmid vector for subsequent replication in bacteria, but conventional subcloning methods often fail. We report a rapid and versatile method to subclone PCR products directionally into a specific site of virtually any plasmid vector. The procedure requires only four primers, does not require DNA ligase, and may be accomplished in a single day. Ligase-free subcloning is performed by incorporating into the PCR primers sequences at the 5' ends that result in PCR products whose 3' ends are complementary to the 3' ends of the recipient linearized plasmid. The PCR product and the linearized plasmid are spliced together in a second PCR reaction in which Taq polymerase extends the complementary overlapping 3' ends (ligation by overlap extension). Denaturation followed by heterologous reannealing and cyclization results in a cyclic recombinant plasmid with two nicks that may be used directly to transform competent Escherichia coli. In our hands, ligase-free subcloning is rapid, and offers many advantages over existing strategies.

Bacteriophage lambda↗

Carbon catabolite regulation of phenylacetyl-CoA ligase from Pseudomonas putida.

Phenylacetyl-CoA ligase (PA-CoA ligase) from P. putida U is a newly described enzyme involved in the aerobic catabolism of phenylacetic acid. The enzyme was specifically induced when P. putida was grown in a chemically defined medium containing phenylacetic acid as the sole carbon source. The induction of PA-CoA ligase was delayed by adding easily metabolizable carbon sources to the medium; the effect was more drastic in the presence of glucose. Glucose did not cause catabolic inactivation but rather catabolic repression, this effect being reversed by cAMP.

Aerobiosis↗

Growth retardation and immunodeficiency in a patient with mutations in the DNA ligase I gene.

DNA ligases are required for the replication, repair, and recombination of DNA. A cell line derived from a young woman with growth retardation, sun sensitivity, and immunodeficiencies, who died aged 19 with lymphoma, showed two different miscoding mutations at the DNA ligase I locus on chromosome 19, one in each allele. One of the mutations was inherited from the mother and has also been detected in two healthy brothers. The patient had features similar to those of Bloom's syndrome (BS), but cell lines from BS patients do not have mutations in the DNA ligase I gene. This patient seems to represent a distinct genetic entity.

Cell Line↗

Chemical modification of bile acid: CoA ligase.

The effect of chemical modification of bile acid:CoA ligase on its enzymatic activity was examined. Reagents which modify tyrosine and carboxyl groups did not affect the activity of either the purified enzyme or the enzyme in its native microsomal environment. The modification of arginine residues with either diacetyl or phenylglyoxal resulted in a loss of activity for both the purified and microsomal forms of the enzyme. ATP was able to protect the enzyme from inactivation. Neither cholate nor CoA were able to alter the time-course of inactivation. The sulfhydryl reagent N-ethylmaleimide (MalNEt) produced a biphasic effect on both the purified and microsomal forms of the enzyme. At short reaction times ligase activity increased, but further reaction lead to nearly complete inactivation. With the purified enzyme, ATP increased the extent of activation by MalNEt and decreased the rate of inactivation. With microsomes, ATP did not affect the extent of activation by MalNEt, but did slow the rate of inactivation. For both the purified and microsomal forms cholate provided no protection. Treatment of both forms of the enzyme with the sulfhydryl reagent iodoacetic acid produced a similar biphasic activation/inactivation of the ligase. It was hypothesized that modification of a fast-reacting cysteine leads to activation while a slower-reacting cysteine leads to inactivation. This latter cysteine appeared to be in the ATP-binding site on the enzyme.

Adenosine Triphosphate↗

Solid-phase synthesis of oligoribonucleotides using T4 RNA ligase and T4 polynucleotide kinase.

The concept of solid-phase synthesis of oligoribonucleotides using T4 RNA ligase and T4 polynucleotide kinase has been proposed and tested with model homo-oligoribonucleotides. The method consists of the immobilization of the first oligomer block at the 3'-terminus on a solid support followed by a chain elongation in the 5'-direction with trinucleoside diphosphates using T4 RNA-ligase and phosphorylation using polynucleotide kinase. Hydrazides of Biogel P-300, Sepharose 4B and cellulose were tested as solid supports for immobilization of initial oligomers. The properties of supports were rated on reactivities of immobilized 5'-phosphorylated oligomers as phosphate donors in the solid phase reactions, hydrodynamical properties and capacity to eliminate donor molecules spontaneously during reactions. Hydrazide of Sepharose 4B appeared to be a more suitable support because of better hydrodynamic properties and highest reactivities of immobilized donors. Saturated concentrations of RNA ligase and polynucleotide kinase and optimal time of joining reaction were determined. In a model experiment ApApA was twice attached to the immobilized hydrazide of Sepharose 4B donor (pA)6pAox. The yield of (Ap)12 was 25%.

Animals↗

Cloning and molecular characterization of the DNA ligase gene (lig) from Zymomonas mobilis.

The Zymomonas mobilis lig gene that encodes DNA ligase was cloned from a cosmid library and identified by genetic complementation of a conditional-lethal Escherichia coli DNA ligase mutant. Nucleotide sequence analysis of the Z. mobilis lig region indicated that the gene is 2196 bp long, encoding a protein with a deduced molecular mass of 82,089. The primary amino acid sequence of the Z. mobilis ligase is 48% identical to the E. coli enzyme. Two genes located upstream of lig were identified as tgt, encoding tRNA guanine transglycosylase and uvrB, encoding the beta subunit of excision endonuclease. Computer searches did not reveal any transcriptional terminators in the 46-bp tgt-lig intergenic region, suggesting that lig may be cotranscribed with one or more upstream genes. Weak expression of lig is explained in part by frequent use of codons that are known to be rarely used in the highly expressed glycolytic gene set.

Amino Acid Sequence↗

Isolation and sequence of the t-RNA ligase-encoding gene of Candida albicans.

The gene encoding tRNA ligase from Candida albicans was isolated from a genomic library by complementation of a Saccharomyces cerevisiae strain containing a disrupted structural gene, RLG1, encoding tRNA ligase. The cloned gene also complements a temperature-sensitive allele of RLG1. Sequence analysis revealed a single 2499-nt coding region. The gene encodes a protein of 833 amino acids that is 42% identical to S. cerevisiae tRNA ligase. Hybridization to chromosomes of C. albicans separated by pulsed-field gel electrophoresis located the gene to chromosome 1, the smallest C. albicans chromosome.

Amino Acid Sequence↗

Mule/ARF-BP1, a BH3-only E3 ubiquitin ligase, catalyzes the polyubiquitination of Mcl-1 and regulates apoptosis.

The elimination of Mcl-1, an anti-apoptotic Bcl-2 family member, is an early and required step for DNA damage-induced apoptosis. The degradation of Mcl-1 can be blocked by proteasome inhibitors, suggesting a role for the ubiquitin proteasome pathway in apoptosis. Here, we demonstrate that Mcl-1 is ubiquinated at five lysines. Biochemical fractionation of cell extracts allowed us to identify a 482 kDa HECT-domain-containing ubiquitin ligase named Mule (Mcl-1 ubiquitin ligase E3) that is both required and sufficient for the polyubiquitination of Mcl-1. Mule also contains a region similar to the Bcl-2 homology region 3 (BH3) domain that allows Mule to specifically interact with Mcl-1. Elimination of Mule expression by RNA interference stabilizes Mcl-1 protein, resulting in an attenuation of the apoptosis induced by DNA-damage agents. Thus, Mule is a unique BH3-containing E3 ubiquitin ligase apical to Bcl-2 family proteins during DNA damage-induced apoptosis.

Amino Acid Sequence↗

The zinc finger of the CSN-associated deubiquitinating enzyme USP15 is essential to rescue the E3 ligase Rbx1.

The COP9 signalosome (CSN) is a conserved protein complex found in all eukaryotic cells and involved in the regulation of the ubiquitin (Ub)/26S proteasome system. It binds numerous proteins, including the Ub E3 ligases and the deubiquitinating enzyme Ubp12p, the S. pombe ortholog of human USP15. We found that USP15 copurified with the human CSN complex. Isolated CSN complex exhibited protease activity that deubiquitinated poly-Ub substrates and was completely inhibited by o-phenanthroline (OPT), a metal-chelating agent. Surprisingly, the recombinant USP15 was also not able to cleave isopeptide bonds of poly-Ub chains in presence of OPT. Detailed analysis of USP sequences led to the discovery of a novel zinc (Zn) finger in USP15 and related USPs. Mutation of a single conserved cysteine residue in the predicted Zn binding motif resulted in the loss of USP15 capability to degrade poly-Ub substrates, indicating that the Zn finger is essential for the cleavage of poly-Ub chains. Moreover, pulldown experiments demonstrated diminished binding of tetra-Ub to mutated USP15. Cotransfection of USP15 and the Ub ligase Rbx1 revealed that the wild-type deubiquitinating enzyme, but not the USP15 mutant with a defective Zn finger, stabilized Rbx1 toward the Ub system, most likely by reversing poly/autoubiquitination. In summary, a functional Zn finger of USP15 is needed to maintain a conformation essential for disassembling poly-Ub chains, a prerequisite for rescuing the E3 ligase Rbx1.

Amino Acid Sequence↗

The p53-inducible E3 ubiquitin ligase p53RFP induces p53-dependent apoptosis.

Recently, it has been shown that really interesting new gene (RING)-in between ring finger (IBR)-RING domain-containing proteins, such as Parkin and Parc, are E3 ubiquitin ligases and are involved in regulation of apoptosis. In this report, we show that p53-inducible RING-finger protein (p53RFP), a p53-inducible E3 ubiquitin ligase, induces p53-dependent but caspase-independent apoptosis. p53RFP contains an N-terminal RING-IBR-RING domain and an uncharacterized, evolutionally highly conserved C-terminal domain. p53RFP interacts with E2 ubiquitin-conjugating enzymes UbcH7 and UbcH8 but not with UbcH5, and this interaction is mediated through the RING-IBR-RING domain of p53RFP. Interestingly, the conserved C-terminal domain of p53RFP is required and sufficient for p53RFP-mediated apoptosis, suggesting p53RFP-mediated apoptosis does not require its E3 ubiquitin ligase activity. Together with a recent report showing that p53RFP is involved in ubiquitination and degradation of p21, a p53 downstream protein promoting growth arrest and antagonizing apoptosis, our findings suggest that p53RFP is involved in switching a cell from p53-mediated growth arrest to apoptosis.

Amino Acid Sequence↗

Mutational analyses of the thermostable NAD+-dependent DNA ligase from Thermus filiformis.

The crystal structure of NAD+-dependent DNA ligase from Thermus filiformis (Tfi) revealed that the protein comprised four structural domains. In order to investigate the biochemical activities of these domains, seven deletion mutants were constructed from the Tfi DNA ligase. The mutants Tfi-M1 (residues 1-581), Tfi-M2 (residues 1-448), Tfi-M3 (residues 1-403) and Tfi-M4 (residues 1-314) showed the same adenylation activity as that of wild-type. This result indicates that only the adenylation domain (domain 1) is essential for the formation of enzyme-AMP complex. It was found that the zinc finger and helix-hairpin-helix (HhH) motif domain (domain 3) and the oligomer binding (OB)-fold domain (domain 2) are important for the formation of enzyme-DNA complex. The mutant Tfi-M1 alone showed the activities for in vitro nick-closing and in vivo complementation in Escherichia coli as those of wild-type. These results indicate that the BRCT domain (domain 4) of Tfi DNA ligase is not essential for the enzyme activity. The enzymatic properties of Tfi-M1 mutant (deleted the BRCT domain) were slightly different from those of wild-type and the nick-closing activity of Tfi-M1 mutant was approximately 50% compared with that of wild-type.

Adenosine Monophosphate↗

Structure of a putative lipoate protein ligase from Thermoplasma acidophilum and the mechanism of target selection for post-translational modification.

Lipoyl-lysine swinging arms are crucial to the reactions catalysed by the 2-oxo acid dehydrogenase multienzyme complexes. A gene encoding a putative lipoate protein ligase (LplA) of Thermoplasma acidophilum was cloned and expressed in Escherichia coli. The recombinant protein, a monomer of molecular mass 29 kDa, was catalytically inactive. Crystal structures in the absence and presence of bound lipoic acid were solved at 2.1 A resolution. The protein was found to fall into the alpha/beta class and to be structurally homologous to the catalytic domains of class II aminoacyl-tRNA synthases and biotin protein ligase, BirA. Lipoic acid in LplA was bound in the same position as biotin in BirA. The structure of the T.acidophilum LplA and limited proteolysis of E.coli LplA together highlighted some key features of the post-translational modification. A loop comprising residues 71-79 in the T.acidophilum ligase is proposed as interacting with the dithiolane ring of lipoic acid and discriminating against the entry of biotin. A second loop comprising residues 179-193 was disordered in the T.acidophilum structure; tryptic cleavage of the corresponding loop in the E.coli LplA under non-denaturing conditions rendered the enzyme catalytically inactive, emphasizing its importance. The putative LplA of T.acidophilum lacks a C-terminal domain found in its counterparts in E.coli (Gram-negative) or Streptococcus pneumoniae (Gram-positive). A gene encoding a protein that appears to have structural homology to the additional domain in the E.coli and S.pneumoniae enzymes was detected alongside the structural gene encoding the putative LplA in the T.acidophilum genome. It is likely that this protein is required to confer activity on the LplA as currently purified, one protein perhaps catalysing the formation of the obligatory lipoyl-AMP intermediate, and the other transferring the lipoyl group from it to the specific lysine residue in the target protein.

Amino Acid Sequence↗

Structure, function and dynamics in the mur family of bacterial cell wall ligases.

For bacteria, the structural integrity of its cell wall is of utmost importance for survival, and to this end, a rigid scaffold called peptidoglycan, comprised of sugar molecules and peptides, is synthesized and located outside the cytoplasmic membrane of the cell. Disruption of this peptidoglycan layer has for many years been a prime target for effective antibiotics, namely the penicillins and cephalosporins. Because this rigid layer is synthesized by a multi-step pathway numerous additional targets also exist that have no counterpart in the animal cell. Central to this pathway are four similar ligase enzymes, which add peptide groups to the sugar molecules, and interrupting these steps would ultimately prove fatal to the bacterial cell. The mechanisms of these ligases are well understood and the structures of all four of these ligases are now known. A detailed comparison of these four enzymes shows that considerable conformational changes are possible and that these changes, along with the recruitment of two different N-terminal binding domains, allows these enzymes to bind a substrate which at one end is identical and at the other has the growing polypeptide tail. Some insights into the structure-function relationships in these enzymes is presented.

Adenosine Triphosphate↗

Zebrafish Mib and Mib2 are mutual E3 ubiquitin ligases with common and specific delta substrates.

It was already known that both mind bomb (mib) and mind bomb-2 (mib2) encode E3 ubiquitin ligases that target Delta in Notch activation. Here we further demonstrated that zebrafish Mib and Mib2, similar to their mouse orthologs, have a C-terminal-most RING finger-dependent E3 ubiquitin ligase activity. Mib and Mib2 are reciprocal E3 ubiquitin ligases and substrates. They function similarly in Notch signaling by using DeltaC as a common substrate. However, Mib2 behaves differently from Mib in DeltaD internalization. In addition, Mib and Mib2 bind differently to extracellular and intracellular parts of DeltaA and DeltaC. Finally, mutant Mibs, Mib(ta52b) with a missense mutation in the C-terminal-most RING finger (M1013R) and Mib(m132) with a premature stop codon that leads to a deletion of three RING fingers (C785stop), act dominant-negatively and compete with Mib2 in DeltaC ubiquitylation and internalization, suggesting a molecular basis for the antimorphic phenotypes (stronger than the null phenotypes) observed in zebrafish mib(ta52b) and mib(m132) alleles.

Amino Acid Sequence↗

Targeted and proximity-dependent promiscuous protein biotinylation by a mutant Escherichia coli biotin protein ligase.

A method for general protein biotinylation by enzymatic means has been developed. A mutant form (R118G) of the biotin protein ligase (BirA) of Escherichia coli is used and biotinylation is thought to proceed by chemical acylation of protein lysine side chains by biotinoyl-5'-AMP released from the mutant protein. Bovine serum albumin, chloramphenicol acetyltransferase, immunoglobulin chains and RNAse A as well as a large number of E. coli proteins have been biotinylated. The biotinylation reaction is proximity dependent in that the extent of biotinylation is much greater when the ligase is coupled to the acceptor protein than when the acceptor is free in solution. This is presumably due to rapid hydrolysis of the acylation agent, biotinoyl-5'-AMP. Therefore, when the mutant ligase is attached to one partner involved in a protein-protein interaction, it can be used to specifically tag the other partner with biotin, thereby permitting facile detection and recovery of the proteins by existing avidin/streptavidin technology.

Adenosine Monophosphate↗

The E3 SUMO ligase PIASy is a regulator of cellular senescence and apoptosis.

Cellular senescence and apoptosis have evolved to restrain unwarranted proliferation of potentially tumorigenic cells. Here we show that overexpression of the E3 SUMO ligase PIASy in normal human fibroblasts recruits the p53 and Rb tumor suppressor pathways to provoke a senescence arrest. By contrast, in Rb-deficient fibroblasts, expression of PIASy leads to p53-dependent apoptosis. Induction of senescence requires PIASy E3 activity and is specific for this member of the PIAS ligase family. PIASy stimulates sumoylation and transcriptional activity of p53 and increases Rb-dependent corepression through recruitment to E2F-responsive promoters. Viral oncoprotein E6 suppresses both PIASy-induced senescence and sumoylation of PIASy substrates. Finally, we show that fibroblasts lacking PIASy exhibit a highly reduced propensity to undergo senescence in response to a prosenescence stimulus. Altogether, these data provide the first evidence for a direct role of an E3 SUMO ligase, and by implication of the SUMO pathway, in cellular senescence and apoptosis.

Apoptosis↗

Cullin-containing E3 ubiquitin ligases in plant development.

In eukaryotes, the ubiquitin-proteasome system participates in the control of signal transduction events by selectively eliminating regulatory proteins. E3 ubiquitin ligases specifically bind degradation substrates and mediate their poly-ubiquitylation, a prerequisite for their degradation by the 26S proteasome. On the basis of the analysis of the Arabidopsis genome sequence, it is predicted that there are more than 1000 E3 ubiquitin ligases in plants. Several types of E3 ubiquitin ligases have already been characterized in eukaryotes. Recently, some of these E3 enzymes have been implicated in specific plant signaling pathways.

Arabidopsis↗

Cloning, expression and rapid purification of active recombinant mycothiol ligase as B1 immunoglobulin binding domain of streptococcal protein G, glutathione-S-transferase and maltose binding protein fusion proteins in Mycobacterium smegmatis.

Mycothiol ligase (MshC) is a key enzyme in the biosynthesis of mycothiol, a small molecular weight thiol found in Mycobacteria spp. and other actinomycetes. Mycothiol plays a fundamental role in these organisms by helping to provide protection from the effects of reactive oxygen species and electrophiles, including many antibiotics. It has recently been demonstrated that the MshC gene and more generally the production of mycothiol are essential to Mycobacterium tuberculosis, indicating that MshC may represent a novel target for new classes of antituberculars. Because MshC cannot be expressed heterologously in Escherichia coli and isolation from Mycobacterium smegmatis is impractical, we have optimized the E. coli-M. smegmatis shuttle vector pACE for cloning and recombinant expression of MshC (under control of an acetamidase-inducible promoter). To improve expression levels and simplify purification, we further constructed three N-terminal-MshC fusion proteins where N-terminal tags included the B1 domain of streptococcal protein G (to give GB1-MshC), glutathione-S-transferase (to give GST-MshC) and maltose binding protein (to give MBP-MshC), for expression in M. smegmatis. By expressing all three fusion proteins in a mutant strain of M. smegmatis mc(2)155, namely I64 L205P MshC M. smegmatis which lacks mycothiol ligase activity, we demonstrate in vivo mycothiol ligase activity for each construct. Recombinant GST-MshC and MBP-MshC were isolated in one step by affinity chromatography in a yield of 0.7 and 1.2 mg fusion protein/L and exhibited specific activities of 9 nmolmin(-1)mg(-1) and 25 nmolmin(-1)mg(-1), respectively.

Bacterial Proteins↗