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PubMed1996

Renaturation of recombinant human pro-urokinase expressed in Escherichia coli.

A synthetic gene encoding human pro-urokinase (pro-UK) with E. coli-favored codon usage was cloned into plasmid pET-3d and expressed in E. coli BL21(DE3) LysS strain. The expressed products, which accumulated as inactive inclusion bodies, were denatured and renatured in vitro. A broad range of parameters such as pH, protein concentration, denaturant concentration, the use of cosolvent polyethylene glycol and presence of basic or acidic amino acid was examined. At optimal renaturation condition, pro-UK activity of more than 1000I.U was obtained from 1 milliliter cell culture.

Cloning, Molecular↗
PubMed1992

Cloning and sequence determination of a cDNA encoding Aspergillus nidulans calmodulin-dependent multifunctional protein kinase.

A partial cDNA encoding Aspergillus nidulans calmodulin-dependent multifunctional protein kinase (ACMPK) was isolated from a lambda ZAP expression library by immunoselection using monospecific polyclonal antibodies to the enzyme. The sequence of both strands of the cDNA (CMKa) was determined. The deduced amino acid (aa) sequence contained all eleven consensus domains found in serine/threonine protein kinases [Hanks et al., Science 241 (1988) 42-52], as well as a putative calmodulin-binding domain. The cDNA contained an intron, lacked an in-frame start codon, and was not polyadenylated. A full-length copy of CMKa was subsequently isolated from a lambda gt10 library of A. nidulans cDNA using a restriction fragment of the first clone as a probe. It contained an in-frame start codon, an open reading frame (ORF) of 1242 bp and was polyadenylated. The ORF encoded a protein of 414 aa residues with an M(r) of 46,895 and an isoelectric point pI = 6.4. These values are in good agreement with that observed for the native enzyme [Bartelt et al., Proc. Natl. Acad. Sci. USA 85 (1988) 3279-3283]. When aligned to optimize homology, 29% of the predicted aa sequence of ACMPK is identical to that of the alpha-subunit of rat brain calmodulin-dependent protein kinase II. ACMPK shares 40 and 44% identity in aa sequence with YCMK1 and YCMK2, respectively, two Ca2+/calmodulin-dependent protein kinases recently cloned from Saccharomyces cerevisiae [Pausch et al., EMBO J. 10 (1991) 1511-1522]. Results of Southern analysis of restriction digests of genomic DNA indicate that ACMPK is encoded by a single-copy gene.

Amino Acid Sequence↗
PubMed2001

In vitro abzyme evolution to optimize antibody recognition for catalysis.

Enzymes have evolved their ability to use binding energies for catalysis by increasing the affinity for the transition state of a reaction and decreasing the affinity for the ground state. To evolve abzymes toward higher catalytic activity, we have reconstructed an enzyme-evolutionary process in vitro. Thus, a phage-displayed combinatorial library from a hydrolytic abzyme, 6D9, generated by the conventional in vivo method with immunization of the transition-state analog (TSA), was screened against a newly devised TSA to optimize the differential affinity for the transition state relative to the ground state. The library format successfully afforded evolved variants with 6- to 20-fold increases in activity (kcat) as compared with 6D9. Structural analysis revealed an advantage of the in vitro evolution over the in vivo evolution: an induced catalytic residue in the evolved abzyme arises from double mutations in one codon, which rarely occur in somatic hypermutation in the immune response.

Amino Acid Sequence↗
PubMed2006

Antiviral drug resistance: clinical consequences and molecular aspects.

Antiviral drug resistance now poses a major problem for the management of patients with chronic hepatitis B. In theory, resistance may be prevented if a sufficiently potent antiviral drug, or combination of antiviral agents, is used that prevents viral replication and thereby the ongoing selection of hepatitis B virus quasispecies. Emergence of drug resistance in patients with hepatitis B generally results in progression of liver disease and in some cases, significant clinical deterioration if hepatic reserve is compromised. Currently, there are two major patterns of resistance mutations found in the viral reverse transcriptase (rt) that can be selected during monotherapy: (1) those that include the codon rtM204, which is part of the catalytic domain (YMDD) of the enzyme; (2) and those that do not include the codon. The rtM204I/V is selected by lamivudine and L-nucleosides. It is also part of the entecavir resistance profile and the tenofovir-lamivudine combination resistance profile. In contrast, resistance to adefovir is associated with mutations at rtN236T +/- rtA181V. A reasonable clinical goal is to develop an overall strategy that prevents the selection of resistance. These strategies have yet to be optimized for hepatitis B, but may include multiple therapies such as immune-based therapies in combination with one or more nucleoside analogue treatments. Future treatment protocols can be modeled on the use of multiple agents comprising highly active anti-retroviral therapy regimens that have been developed for the successful management of patients infected with human immunodeficiency virus.

Antiviral Agents↗
PubMed2003

A bicistronic expression system for bacterial production of authentic human interleukin-18.

Interleukin-18 (IL-18) is activated and released from immune effector cells to stimulate acquired and innate immune responses involving T and natural killer (NK) cells. The release of IL-18 from mammalian cells is linked to its proteolytic activation by caspases including interleukin 1 converting enzyme (ICE). The absence of a signal peptide sequence and the requirement for coupled activation and cellular release have presented challenges for the large-scale recombinant production of IL-18. In this study, we have explored methods for the direct production of authentic human IL-18 toward the development of a large-scale production system. Expression of mature IL-18 directly in Escherichia coli with a methionine initiating codon leads to the production of MetIL-18 that is dramatically less potent in bioassays than IL-18 produced as a pro-peptide and activated in vitro. To produce an authentic IL-18, we have devised a bicistronic expression system for the coupled transcription and translation of ProIL-18 with caspase-1 (ICE) or caspase-4 (ICE-rel II, TX, ICH-2). Mature IL-18 with an authentic N-terminus was produced and has a biological activity and potency comparable to that of in vitro processed mature IL-18. Optimization of this system for the maximal production yields can be accomplished by modulating the temperature, to affect the rate of caspase activation and to favor the accumulation of ProIL-18, prior to its proteolytic processing by activated caspase. The effect of temperature is particularly profound for the caspase-4 co-expression process, enabling optimized production levels of over 150 mg/L in shake flasks at 25 degrees C. An alternative bicistronic expression design utilizing a precise ubiquitin IL-18 fusion, processed by co-expressed ubiquitinase, was also successfully used to generate fully active IL-18, thereby demonstrating that the pro-sequence of IL-18 is not required for recombinant IL-18 production.

Amino Acid Sequence↗
PubMed1979

Triphasic concentration effects of gentamicin on activity and misreading in protein synthesis.

Gentamicin is shown to exert a triphasic concentration effect on peptide synthesis in vitro with natural messengers. Low concentrations (up to 2 micron) caused slowing and a decrease in total synthesis, but little misreading (assayed with extracts lacking Glu-tRNA); the inhibition was greater with an initiating system (with phage RNA as messenger) than with pure chain elongation on purified endogenous polysomes of Escherichia coli. Moderate concentrations (up to 100 micron) slowed synthesis less, markedly increased its duration in the noninitiating system, and strongly stimulated misreading; at optimal concentrations total synthesis was even greater than normal. Moreover, with phage RNA these concentrations increased the synthesis of large polypeptides. We conclude that binding of gentamicin to its first site causes inhibition but little misreading; binding to additional site(s) partly reverses the inhibition by first-site binding and markedly stimulates misreading, and the misreading appears to favor "readthrough" of termination codons. In the third phase (greater than 100 micron) synthesis is slowed again but the pattern of misreading does not appear to be altered; this effect need not involve a specific further action on the ribosome.

Bacterial Proteins↗
PubMed2004

Measuring the fit of sequence data to phylogenetic model: allowing for missing data.

It is fundamentally important to assess the fit of data to model in phylogenetic and evolutionary studies. Phylogenetic methods using molecular sequences typically start with a multiple alignment. It is possible to measure the fit of data to model expectations of data, for example, via the likelihood-ratio (G) test or the X(2) test, if all sites in all sequences have an unambiguous residue. However, nearly all alignments of interest contain sites (columns of the alignment) with missing data, that is, ambiguous nucleotides, gaps, or unsequenced regions, which must presently be removed before using the above tests. Unfortunately, this is often either undesirable or impractical, as it will discard much of the data. Here, we show how iterative ML estimators may directly estimate the site-pattern probabilities for columns with missing data, given only standard i.i.d. assumptions. The optimization may use an EM or Newton algorithm, or any other hill-climbing approach. The resulting optimal likelihood under the unconstrained or multinomial model may be compared directly with the likelihood of the data coming from the model (a G statistic). Alternatively the modified observed and the expected frequencies of site patterns may be compared using a X(2) test. The distribution of such statistics is best assessed using appropriate simulations. The new method is applicable to models using codons or paired sites. The methods are also useful with Hadamard conjugations (spectral analysis) and are illustrated with these and with ML evolutionary models that allow site-rate variability.

Amino Acid Sequence↗
PubMed2004

Isolation and expression of the xynB gene and its product, XynB, a consistent component of the Clostridium cellulovorans cellulosome.

The nucleotide sequence of the Clostridium cellulovorans xynB gene, which encodes the XynB xylanase, consists of 1,821 bp and encodes a protein of 607 amino acids with a molecular weight of 65,976. XynB contains a typical N-terminal signal peptide of 29 amino acid residues, followed by a 147-amino-acid sequence that is homologous to the family 4-9 (subfamily 9 in family 4) carbohydrate-binding domain. Downstream of this domain is a family 10 catalytic domain of glycosyl hydrolase. The C terminus separated from the catalytic domain by a short linker sequence contains a dockerin domain responsible for cellulosome assembly. The XynB sequence from mass spectrometry and N-terminal amino acid sequence analyses agreed with that deduced from the nucleotide sequence. XynB was highly active toward xylan, but not active toward carboxymethyl cellulose. The enzyme was optimally active at 40 degrees C and pH 5.0. Northern hybridizations revealed that xynB is transcribed as a monocistronic 1.9-kb mRNA. RNA ligase-mediated rapid amplification of 5' cDNA ends by PCR (RLM-5'RACE PCR) analysis of C. cellulovorans RNA identified a single transcriptional start site of xynB located 47 bp upstream from the first nucleotide of the translation initiation codon. Alignment of the xynB promoter region provided evidence for highly conserved sequences that exhibited strong similarity to the sigmaA consensus promoter sequences of gram-positive bacteria. Expression of xynB mRNA increased from early to middle exponential phase and decreased during the early stationary phase when the cells were grown on cellobiose. No alternative promoter was observed by RLM-5'RACE PCR and reverse transcriptase PCR analyses during expression. The analysis of the products from xylan hydrolysis by thin-layer chromatography indicated its endoxylanase activity. The results suggest that XynB is a consistent and major cellulosomal enzyme during growth on cellulose or xylan.

Amino Acid Sequence↗
PubMed2005

Stabilization of the cold shock protein CspB from Bacillus subtilis by evolutionary optimization of Coulombic interactions.

The bacterial cold shock proteins (Csp) are used by both experimentalists and theoreticians as model systems for analyzing the Coulombic contributions to protein stability. We employ Proside, a method of directed evolution, to identify stabilized variants of Bs-CspB from Bacillus subtilis. Proside links the increased protease resistance of stabilized protein variants to the infectivity of a filamentous phage. Here, three cspB libraries were used for in vitro selections to explore the stabilizing potential of charged amino acids in Bs-CspB. In the first library codons for nine selected surface residues were partially randomized, in the second one random mutations were introduced non-specifically by error-prone PCR, and in the third one the spontaneous mutation rate of the phage in Escherichia coli was used. Stabilizing mutations were found at the surface positions 1, 3, 46, 48, 65, and 66. The contributions of these mutations to stability were characterized by analyzing them individually and in combination. The best combination (M1R, E3K, K65I, and E66L) increased the midpoint of thermal unfolding of Bs-CspB from 53.8 to 85.0 degrees C. The effects of most mutations are strongly context dependent. A good example is provided by the E3R mutation. It is strongly stabilizing (DeltaDeltaGD=11.1kJ mol(-1)) in the wild-type protein, but destabilizing (DeltaDeltaGD=-4.0kJ mol(-1)) in the A46K/S48R/E66L variant. The stabilizations by charge mutations did not correlate well with the corresponding changes in the protein net charge, and they could not be ascribed to the formation of ion pairs. Previous theoretical analyses did not identify the stabilization caused by the mutations at positions 1, 46, and 48. Also, electrostatics calculations based on protein net charge or charge asymmetry did not predict well the stability changes that occur when charged residues in Bs-CspB are mutated. It remains a challenge to model the Coulombic interactions of charged residues in a protein and to determine their contributions to the Gibbs free energy of protein folding.

Bacillus subtilis↗
PubMed2006

ICDS database: interrupted CoDing sequences in prokaryotic genomes.

Unrecognized frameshifts, in-frame stop codons and sequencing errors lead to Interrupted CoDing Sequence (ICDS) that can seriously affect all subsequent steps of functional characterization, from in silico analysis to high-throughput proteomic projects. Here, we describe the Interrupted CoDing Sequence database containing ICDS detected by a similarity-based approach in 80 complete prokaryotic genomes. ICDS can be retrieved by species browsing or similarity searches via a web interface (http://www-bio3d-igbmc.u-strasbg.fr/ICDS/). The definition of each interrupted gene is provided as well as the ICDS genomic localization with the surrounding sequence. Furthermore, to facilitate the experimental characterization of ICDS, we propose optimized primers for re-sequencing purposes. The database will be regularly updated with additional data from ongoing sequenced genomes. Our strategy has been validated by three independent tests: (i) ICDS prediction on a benchmark of artificially created frameshifts, (ii) comparison of predicted ICDS and results obtained from the comparison of the two genomic sequences of Bacillus licheniformis strain ATCC 14580 and (iii) re-sequencing of 25 predicted ICDS of the recently sequenced genome of Mycobacterium smegmatis. This allows us to estimate the specificity and sensitivity (95 and 82%, respectively) of our program and the efficiency of primer determination.

Bacillus↗
PubMed1992

The androgen receptor in LNCaP cells contains a mutation in the ligand binding domain which affects steroid binding characteristics and response to antiandrogens.

The human prostate tumor cell line LNCaP contains an abnormal androgen receptor system with broad steroid binding specificity. Progestagens, estradiol and several antiandrogens compete with androgens for binding to the androgen receptor in the cells to a higher extent than in other androgen sensitive systems. Optimal growth of LNCaP cells is observed after addition of the synthetic androgen R1881 (0.1 nM). In addition, estrogens, progestagens and several antiandrogens do not inhibit androgen responsive growth, but have striking growth stimulatory effects and increase EGF receptor level and acid phosphatase secretion. We have found that the androgen receptor in the LNCaP cells contains a single point mutation changing the sense of codon 868 (Thr to Ala) in the ligand binding domain. Expression vectors containing the normal or mutated androgen receptor sequence were transfected into COS or HeLa cells. Androgens, progestagens, estrogens and several antiandrogens bind the mutated androgen receptor protein and activate the expression of an androgen-regulated reporter gene (GRE-tk-CAT), indicating that the mutation directly affects both binding specificity and the induction of gene expression. Interestingly, the antiandrogen casodex showed antiandrogenic properties in growth studies of LNCaP cells and did not induce reporter gene activity in Hela cells transfected with the mutant receptor. The mutated androgen receptor of LNCaP cells is therefore a useful tool in the elucidation of different levels of action of steroids and antisteroids.

Binding Sites↗
PubMed1995

High-throughput method for determination of apolipoprotein E genotypes with use of restriction digestion analysis by microplate array diagonal gel electrophoresis.

Molecular epidemiological research has identified the association of a common apolipoprotein E (apo E) isoform (E4 as opposed to E3), with risk both of coronary artery disease and of Alzheimer dementia. In addition, the role of apo E genotype (usually E2/E2) in Type III hyperlipidemia is well known. However, both for diagnostic and research purposes, apo E genotyping is cumbersome. The preferred approach is electrophoretic sizing of restriction digestion fragments, enabling simultaneous analysis of the two codons (112 and 158) that represent the six common genotypes (E2/E2; E2/E3; E2/E4; E3/E3; E3/E4; E4/E4). However, the consequent demands of high-yield PCR, high-resolution, high-throughput electrophoresis, and sufficient detection sensitivity have left shortfalls in published protocols. In conjunction with a high-throughput electrophoresis system we described recently, microplate array diagonal gel electrophoresis (MADGE), we have constructed extensively optimized, simplified protocols for DNA isolation from mouthwash samples for PCR setup and high-yield PCR, for restriction digestion, and for subsequent MADGE gel image analysis. The integral system enables one worker to readily undertake apo E genotyping of as many as hundreds of DNA samples per day, without special equipment.

Apolipoproteins E↗
PubMed2000

Convergence of natural and artificial evolution on an RNA loop-loop interaction: the HIV-1 dimerization initiation site.

Loop-loop interactions among nucleic acids constitute an important form of molecular recognition in a variety of biological systems. In HIV-1, genomic dimerization involves an intermolecular RNA loop-loop interaction at the dimerization initiation site (DIS), a hairpin located in the 5' noncoding region that contains an autocomplementary sequence in the loop. Only two major DIS loop sequence variants are observed among natural viral isolates. To investigate sequence and structural constraints on genomic RNA dimerization as well as loop-loop interactions in general, we randomized several or all of the nucleotides in the DIS loop and selected in vitro for dimerization-competent sequences. Surprisingly, increasing interloop complementarity above a threshold of 6 bp did not enhance dimerization, although the combinations of nucleotides forming the theoretically most stable hexanucleotide duplexes were selected. Noncanonical interactions contributed significantly to the stability and/or specificity of the dimeric complexes as demonstrated by the overwhelming bias for noncanonical base pairs closing the loop and covariations between flanking and central loop nucleotides. Degeneration of the entire loop yielded a complex population of dimerization-competent sequences whose consensus sequence resembles that of wild-type HIV-1. We conclude from these findings that the DIS has evolved to satisfy simultaneous constraints for optimal dimerization affinity and the capacity for homodimerization. Furthermore, the most constrained features of the DIS identified by our experiments could be the basis for the rational design of DIS-targeted antiviral compounds.

Codon, Initiator↗
PubMed1989

Cloning and expression of the branching enzyme gene (glgB) from the cyanobacterium Synechococcus sp. PCC7942 in Escherichia coli.

Using the glgB gene from Escherichia coli as a hybridization probe, the gene encoding the branching enzyme of the cyanobacterium Synechococcus sp. PCC7942 has been identified on a 3.9-kb PstI fragment which was cloned into plasmid pUC9. Two types of plasmids have been isolated. Plasmid pKVN1 was expressing the Synechococcus sp. gene as was shown by complementation of the glgB mutation of E. coli KV832. Plasmid pKVN2, which carried the same insert in the opposite orientation was unable to complement E. coli KV832, indicating that the promoter of the cloned gene was either absent or was not recognized in E. coli. Determination of branching activity in extracts of Synechococcus sp. and E. coli KV832[pKVN1] showed that the enzyme was optimally active at approximately 35 degrees C. No significant activity was present at temperatures higher than 55 degrees C, reflecting the mesophilic nature of the cloned enzyme. In a cell-free coupled transcription-translation system the cloned gene specified two proteins of 84 kDa and 72 kDa, respectively, which are probably translated independently from the same gene by initiation at two different start codons.

1,4-alpha-Glucan Branching Enzyme↗
PubMed1997

Fetal mouse selenophosphate synthetase 2 (SPS2): characterization of the cysteine mutant form overproduced in a baculovirus-insect cell system.

A novel gene detected in mouse embryonic sites of hematopoiesis was cloned and shown to be a eukaryotic analog of the Escherichia coli selenophosphate synthetase gene. Unlike the E. coli enzyme, which is not a selenoprotein, the presence of selenocysteine in the mouse enzyme is indicated by a TGA codon in the open reading frame of the gene in a position corresponding to the essential cysteine of the E. coli enzyme. An ionized selenol group in place of a cysteine sulfhydryl group could render this mammalian selenocysteine-containing enzyme a more active catalyst. The native cDNA clone and also a mutant form containing a TGC (cysteine) codon in place of TGA were expressed in a baculovirus-insect cell system. Based on recovery of purified proteins, expression of the mutant enzyme was about 40 times higher than wild-type enzyme. The cysteine mutant enzyme exhibited selenophosphate synthetase activity in the assay that measures selenide-dependent AMP formation from ATP. Although expression of wild-type enzyme has not been optimized, the mutant form of the fetal mouse enzyme can be produced in amounts sufficient for isolation in homogeneous form and precise physicochemical and mechanistic studies allowing direct comparison with the analogous cysteine-containing prokaryotic enzyme.

Adenylate Kinase↗
PubMed1987

A standardized vector system for manipulation and enhanced expression of genes in Escherichia coli.

Different families of cloning and expression vectors were engineered on a standard plasmid. They contain several regulatory signals for transcription and/or translation initiation and termination. The plasmids in each series differ only in the number, type, and order of unique restriction cleavage sites clustered in front of a transcription terminator. The pLK30 plasmids are general cloning vectors and the corresponding pLK50 plasmids carry the lambda pL promoter. The pLK60 vectors carry the lambda pR promoter and translation initiation signals of the cro gene containing the Shine-Dalgarno sequence and initiation codon. The pLK70 series is similar to pLK60 except that additional 5'-translated cro sequences are included. The pLK80 plasmids have a lacZ gene fragment suitable for the construction of hybrid genes. The presence of translational stop signals in the pLK90 series facilitates the manipulation of genes truncated at the 3' end. This standardized pLK vector system offers great versatility in gene manipulation and in optimization of gene expression under the control of strong regulatable promoters. Measurement of expression levels under repressed conditions permits the identification of optimal promoter-gene configurations in constructions directing high-level expression.

Base Sequence↗
PubMed1994

Functional characterization of residues in the P-loop motif of the RecA protein ATP binding site.

We have introduced a large number of single amino acid substitutions at six positions that lie within the P-loop motif of the ATP binding site in the Escherichia coli RecA protein. The activity of each recA mutant was determined using genetic assays which assess the catalytic proficiency of the RecA protein for both homologous genetic recombination and recombinational repair of damaged DNA. The six residues displayed unique patterns of allowed versus non-allowed substitutions that define the functional and structural constraints at each position. Our results show that while the restricted mutability of Gly66 and Ser70 conform to expectations based on their positions in the RecA crystal structure, strict constraints are in effect at positions 68 and 69 that are not apparent in the RecA structure but would be compatible with the proximity of these side-chains to bound DNA. Thr74 shows a rather unexpected pattern of allowed substitutions that may reflect two distinct structural solutions to optimal stabilization of bound nucleotide. In addition, specific substitutions at Pro67 result in mutant RecA proteins that appear to discriminate between homologous genetic recombination and recombinational DNA repair.

Adenosine Triphosphate↗
PubMed2000

Optimization of coding potentials using positional dependence of nucleotide frequencies.

We study the coding potential of human DNA sequences, using the positional asymmetry function (D(p)) and the positional information function (I(q)). Both D(p)and I(q)are based on the positional dependence of single nucleotide frequencies. We investigate the accuracy of D(p)and I(q)in distinguishing coding and non-coding DNA as a function of the parameters p and q, respectively, and explore at which parameters p(opt)and q(opt)both D(p)and I(q)distinguish coding and non-coding DNA most accurately. We compare our findings with classically used parameter values and find that optimized coding potentials yield comparable accuracies as classical frame-independent coding potentials trained on prior data. We find that p(opt)and q(opt)vary only slightly with the sequence length.

Codon↗