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TAME stabilizes the cortex and mitotic apparatus of the sea urchin egg during isolation.

The synthetic substrate p-tosyl-L-arginine methyl ester (TAME) has been included in buffered EGTA media used for the isolation of the mitotic apparatus from clam eggs and also for the isolation of the cortex from sea urchin eggs. In the course of an investigation of the role of actin-fascin and actin-myosin interactions in cytokinesis, the isolation of the sea urchin egg cortex was re-examined and the stability of the cortex to lysis in a buffered EGTA medium near neutrality found to depend directly on the presence of TAME. Lysis of eggs at metaphase in this medium yielded a mixture of cortices and mitotic apparatuses (MA); MA stability under these conditions also required the presence of TAME, although a reduced pH allowed MA isolation in its absence. The action of TAME in stabilizing the actin-based structure of the cortex and the microtubule-based structure of the MA is not duplicated by other proteolysis inhibitors and this compound will also induce actin polymerization and gelation in extracts of the soluble cytoplasmic proteins of the egg under conditions where these are normally inhibited.

Actins↗

Relationship between in vivo activity and in vitro measures of function and stability of a protein.

The in vivo activities of mutant proteins are readily measured and can potentially be used to estimate changes in in vitro properties such as stability or function, but this connection has not been rigorously established. Gene V protein is a small protein produced by bacteriophage f1 that binds to single-stranded DNA and to RNA and for which fitness can be assayed both in vivo and in vitro. We have assembled a large number of temperature-sensitive mutants of the gene V protein of bacteriophage f1 and measured their ability to support phage growth and replication in vivo. We have also purified many of these mutant gene V proteins and measured their stabilities and ssDNA binding affinities in vitro. Mutations at surface residues frequently yielded temperature-sensitive mutants, but remarkably, no overall correlation between in vivo activity and in vitro measures of either stability or function was found for this group. Mutations at buried residues often lead to the temperature-sensitive phenotype. At buried sites temperature sensitivity was strongly correlated with in vitro stability changes, but not with in vitro ssDNA binding affinity. The implication of these observations for protein engineering efforts is that phenotypes conferred by amino acid substitutions at buried sites can be used to identify mutants whose stabilities fall into ranges of interest, while phenotypes of mutants with surface substitutions may be much less readily interpreted, even in the case of a single-stranded-DNA-binding protein.

Binding Sites↗

Estradiol and estrogen receptor-dependent stabilization of a minivitellogenin mRNA lacking 5,100 nucleotides of coding sequence.

We have developed a transfection assay to investigate the estrogen-mediated stabilization of cytoplasmic vitellogenin mRNA. A minivitellogenin (MV5) gene containing the 5' and 3' untranslated and coding regions but lacking 5,075 nucleotides of internal coding sequence was constructed. Cotransfection of the MV5 plasmid and a Xenopus estrogen receptor expression plasmid into Xenopus liver tissue culture cells yielded a 529-nucleotide MV5 mRNA, which was specifically stabilized by estrogen. MV5 mRNA exhibited the increased stability indicative of positive regulation when the estradiol-estrogen receptor complex was present and was not destabilized by unliganded estrogen receptor. Transfected estrogen receptor, estradiol, and 529 nucleotides of the 5,604-nucleotide vitellogenin B1 mRNA were sufficient for stabilization.

Animals↗

Hydroxyl groups in the betabeta sandwich of metallo-beta-lactamases favor enzyme activity: Tyr218 and Ser262 pull down the lid.

Metallo-beta-lactamases (MBLs) efficiently hydrolyze and thereby inactivate various beta-lactam antibiotics in clinical use. Their potential to evolve into more efficient enzymes threatens public health. Recently, we have identified the designed F218Y mutant of IMP-1 as an enzyme with superior catalytic efficiency compared to the wild-type. Thus, it may be found in clinical isolates in the future. In an effort to elucidate the molecular mechanisms involved in enhanced activity, we carried out molecular dynamics simulations of ten MBL variants in complex with a cefotaxime intermediate. The stability of these near-transition state enzyme-substrate intermediate complexes was modeled and compared to the experimental catalytic efficiencies k(cat)/K(M). For each of the ten complexes ten independent simulations were performed. In each simulation the temperature was gradually increased and determined upon breakdown of the complex. Rankings based on the experimental catalytic efficiencies and the data from computer simulations were in good agreement. From trajectory analysis of stable simulations, the combination of Tyr218 and Ser262 was found to lead to an altered hydrogen bonding network, which translates into a closing down movement of a beta-hairpin loop covering the active site. These observations may explain the significantly decreased K(M) and increased k(cat)/K(M) values of this variant toward all substrates recently tested in experiment. Previously, we have discovered that mutations G262S (yielding IMP-1) and G262A in IMP-6 stabilize the Zn(II) ligand His263 and thus the enzyme-substrate intermediate complex through a domino effect, which enhances conversion of drugs like ceftazidime, penicillins, and imipenem. Together, the domino effect and the altered beta-hairpin loop conformation explain how IMP-6 can evolve through mutations G262S and F218Y into an enzyme with up to one order of magnitude increased catalytic efficiencies toward these important antibiotics. Furthermore, the previously proposed binding of a third zinc ion close to the active site of IMP-6 mutant S121G was corroborated by our simulations.

Catalysis↗

Role of Silicone Surfactant in Flexible Polyurethane Foam.

Grafted copolymers which consist of a polydimethylsiloxane backbone and polyethylene oxide-co-propylene oxide pendant groups are used as surfactants to stabilize the foam cells in the flexible polyurethane foaming process. The mechanical properties of the cured polyurethane foam such as air permeability and foam cell size are affected significantly by the structure of the silicone surfactant used in the formulation. It is shown that silicone surfactant has an important impact on both the bubble generation and the cell window stabilization stage. A series of silicone surfactants with different structures was tested. Surfactants with higher silicone content will provide lower surface tension and thus help increase the number of air bubbles introduced during mixing. These air bubbles serve as the starting point for foam cell growth. As a result, the cured polyurethane foam made with higher silicone content surfactant has a smaller bubble size. It is also shown that silicone surfactant can reduce the cell window drainage rate due to the surface tension gradient along the cell window. The Gibbs film elasticity, the dynamic film elasticity, and the film drainage rate were measured for the first time versus surfactant composition. Surfactants with longer siloxane backbones are shown to give higher film elasticity. Using the vertical film drainage and foam column tests, it is shown that surfactants with higher film elasticity will yield slower drainage rate and better foam cell stability. Copyright 1999 Academic Press.

Journal Article↗

Effects of detergent on ornithine decarboxylase from rat liver. Stabilization and renaturation.

Ornithine decarboxylase was purified approximately 37000-fold with a 15% yield from livers of rats pretreated with thioacetamide. The specific activity of the final preparation, 1039 units/mg protein, was about four-times higher than the highest yet reported for the rat liver enzyme. The partially purified enzyme was quite labile but the labile enzyme was dramatically stabilized by the presence of either ethylene glycol or Tween 80. The detergent appeared to serve not only stabilization of the enzyme but also renaturation of the denatured enzyme.

Animals↗

Evaluation of an automated spectrophotometric assay for reactive oxygen metabolites in serum.

The in vivo assessment of free radicals concentration is hampered by their instability and extremely short half-life. The Diacron Reactive Oxygen Metabolites (D-ROM) test is a recently introduced method to evaluate the peroxidation of organic compounds. Since the manual performance of the test provides excessive analytical imprecision, the aim of this study was to evaluate the automation of this test. Within- and between-run imprecision and interference were assessed according to the guidelines proposed by the NCCLS. The reactive oxygen metabolites' (ROM) stability was evaluated in different physical conditions. For within-run and between-run imprecision the coefficients of variation were consistently lower than 5%. The maximum allowable concentration was 28.2 mmol/l, 0.068 mmol/l and 171 mmol/l for triglycerides, haemoglobin and bilirubin, respectively. Serum storage at -20 degrees C provided adequate ROM stability for up to 3 months, whereas storage at 4 degrees C yielded non-reproducible results. In conclusion, our data provide evidence that the D-ROM assay has both an acceptable stability and an adequate imprecision. The automated assay may be regarded as a fast and reproducible method for the quantitative evaluation of oxidative stress. Since it is easily performed, the method is suitable for routine in clinical laboratories and may provide an accurate estimation of oxidative stress in vivo.

Automation↗

Orally active, antimalarial, anticancer, artemisinin-derived trioxane dimers with high stability and efficacy.

In only two steps and in 70% overall yield, naturally occurring trioxane artemisinin (1) was converted on a gram scale into C-10-carba trioxane dimer 3. This new, very stable dimer was then transformed easily in one additional step into four different dimers 4-7. Alcohol and diol dimers 4 and 5 and ketone dimer 7 are 10 times more antimalarially potent in vitro than artemisinin (1), and alcohol and diol dimers 4 and 5 are strongly growth inhibitory but not cytotoxic toward several human cancer cell lines. Water-soluble carboxylic acid derivatives 8aand 9 were easily prepared in one additional step from dimers 4 and 5. Carboxylic acid dimers 8a and 9 are thermally stable even at 60 degrees C for 24 h, are more orally efficacious as antimalarials in rodents than either artelinic acid or sodium artesunate, and are strongly inhibitory but not cytotoxic toward several human cancer cell lines.

Administration, Oral↗

Analyzing stability of equilibrium points in neural networks: a general approach.

Networks of coupled neural systems represent an important class of models in computational neuroscience. In some applications it is required that equilibrium points in these networks remain stable under parameter variations. Here we present a general methodology to yield explicit constraints on the coupling strengths to ensure the stability of the equilibrium point. Two models of coupled excitatory-inhibitory oscillators are used to illustrate the approach.

Computer Simulation↗

Comparative thermal denaturation of Thermus aquaticus and Escherichia coli type 1 DNA polymerases.

Thermal denaturations of the type 1 DNA polymerases from Thermus aquaticus (Taq polymerase) and Escherichia coli (Pol 1) have been examined using differential scanning calorimetry and CD spectroscopy. The full-length proteins are single-polypeptide chains comprising a polymerase domain, a proofreading domain (inactive in Taq) and a 5' nuclease domain. Removal of the 5' nuclease domains produces the 'large fragment' domains of Pol 1 and Taq, termed Klenow and Klentaq respectively. Although the high temperature stability of Taq polymerase is well known, its thermal denaturation has never been directly examined previously. Thermal denaturations of both species of polymerase are irreversible, precluding rigorous thermodynamic analysis. However, the comparative melting behaviour of the polymerases yields information regarding domain structure, domain interactions and also the similarities and differences in the stabilizing forces for the two species of polymerase. In differential scanning calorimetry, Klenow and Klentaq denature as single peaks, with a melting temperature T(m) of 37 and 100 degrees C respectively at pH 9.5. Both full-length polymerases are found to be comprised of two thermodynamic unfolding domains with the 5' nuclease domains of each melting separately. The 5' nuclease domain of Taq denatures as a separate peak, 10 degrees C before the Klentaq domain. Melting of the 5' nuclease domain of Pol 1 overlaps with the Klenow fragment. Presence of the 5' nuclease domain stabilizes the large fragment in Pol 1, but destabilizes it in Taq. Both Klentaq and Klenow denaturations have a very similar dependence on pH and methanol, indicating similarities in the hydrophobic forces and protonation effects stabilizing the proteins. Melting monitored by CD yields slightly lower T(m) values, but almost identical van't Hoff enthalpy Delta H values, consistent with two-state unfolding followed by an irreversible kinetic step. Analysis of the denaturation scan rate dependences with Arrhenius formalism estimates a kinetic barrier to irreversible denaturation for Klentaq that is significantly higher than that for Klenow.

Calorimetry, Differential Scanning↗

A systematic study of the effect of physiological factors on beta2-microglobulin amyloid formation at neutral pH.

Beta(2)-microglobulin (beta(2)m) forms amyloid fibrils that deposit in the musculo-skeletal system in patients undergoing long-term hemodialysis. How beta(2)m self-assembles in vivo is not understood, since the monomeric wild-type protein is incapable of forming fibrils in isolation in vitro at neutral pH, while elongation of fibril-seeds made from recombinant protein has only been achieved at low pH or at neutral pH in the presence of detergents or cosolvents. Here we describe a systematic study of the effect of 11 physiologically relevant factors on beta(2)m fibrillogenesis at pH 7.0 without denaturants. By comparing the results obtained for the wild-type protein with those of two variants (DeltaN6 and V37A), the role of protein stability in fibrillogenesis is explored. We show that DeltaN6 forms low yields of amyloid-like fibrils at pH 7.0 in the absence of seeds, suggesting that this species could initiate fibrillogenesis in vivo. By contrast, high yields of amyloid-like fibrils are observed for all proteins when assembly is seeded with fibril-seeds formed from recombinant protein at pH 2.5 stabilized by the addition of heparin, serum amyloid P component (SAP), apolipoprotein E (apoE), uremic serum, or synovial fluid. The results suggest that the conditions within the synovium facilitate fibrillogenesis of beta(2)m and show that different physiological factors may act synergistically to promote fibril formation. By comparing the behavior of wild-type beta(2)m with that of DeltaN6 and V37A, we show that the physiologically relevant factors enhance fibrillogenesis by stabilizing fibril-seeds, thereby allowing fibril extension by rare assembly competent species formed by local unfolding of native monomers.

Amyloid↗

Generational variation and stabilization in resynthesized allotetraploid Brassica juncea derived from diploid progenitors B. rapa and B. nigra.

BACKGROUND: Polyploidy is a major driver of plant evolution and crop improvement, generating novel variation in morphology, physiology, and agronomic traits. Brassica juncea (AABB, 2n = 36), a natural allotetraploid derived from B. rapa (AA) and B. nigra (BB), is an important oilseed and vegetable crop; however, its narrow genetic base limits further breeding gains. Resynthesized B. juncea (RBJ), developed from known progenitors, provides a tractable system to investigate polyploid stabilization, trait diversification, and generational variation. This study evaluated RBJ across nine generations (F1-S8) to elucidate generational variation in morphological, molecular, cytological, and oil content traits during progressive stabilization. RESULTS: Substantial variation was observed for key yield-related traits, including siliqua length, seeds per siliqua, and thousand-seed weight. High estimates of heritability, genotypic variance, and genetic advance indicated their potential utility in selection based improvement. Comparative analyses revealed a clear generational progression, characterized by relatively enhanced performance in early generations, increased recombination-driven variability in intermediate generations, and the partial stabilization of several traits in later generations. Generation mean analysis suggested the involvement of additive, dominance, and epistatic gene effects in trait inheritance. Molecular analysis using SSR markers confirmed the amphidiploid origin and genomic integrity of RBJ generations. Cytological assessments, pollen viability assays, and flow cytometric analysis collectively demonstrated stable chromosome numbers, improved fertility, and maintenance of ploidy stability across successive generations. CONCLUSIONS: The study provides valuable insights into the generational variation and stabilization of morphological, molecular, and oil content traits in resynthesized B. juncea. The findings suggest that variability arising from polyploidization and interspecific hybridization undergoes gradual reorganization across successive generations, leading to increased trait stabilization and more consistent expression of selected agronomic characteristics. Collectively, these results contribute to the understanding of early stabilization processes in RBJ, highlighting resynthesized polyploids as useful systems for studying variation and stabilization in allopolyploid crops.

Mustard Plant↗

Intramolecular glycosylation to form 4-methoxy-2,6-dioxopyrimidine nucleosides via O6,5'-cyclonucleosides.

Lewis-acid promoted intramolecular N1 glycosylation to form the novel O6,5'-cyclonucleoside 1a occurs in high yield from the corresponding acyclic thiophenyl-glycoside 12. The relative stability of the O6,5' tether compared with O2,5' and O2,3' tethers is reported. Cleavage of the anhydro bond was effected with aqueous base to yield the 4-methoxybarbituric acid nucleoside analogue 14.

Glycosylation↗

High pressure reveals that the stability of interdimeric contacts in the R- and T-state of HbA is influenced by allosteric effectors: Insights from computational simulations.

The molecular details of the mechanism of action of allosteric effectors on hemoglobin oxygen affinity are not clearly understood. The global allostery model proposed by Yonetani et al. suggests that the binding of allosteric effectors can take place both in the R and T states and that they influence oxygen affinity through inducing global tertiary changes in the subunits. Recently published high pressure studies yielded dissociation constants at atmospheric pressure that showed a stabilizing effect of heterotropic allosteric effectors on the dimer interface in the R state, and a more pronounced destabilizing effect in a T state model. In the present work, we report on computational modeling used to interpret the high pressure experimental data. We show structural changes in the hemoglobin interdimeric interfaces, indicative of a global tertiary structural change induced by the binding of allosteric effectors. We also show that the number of water molecules bound at the interface is significantly influenced by binding effectors in the T state in accordance with the experimental data. Our results suggest that the binding of effectors at definite sites leads to tertiary changes that propagate to the interfaces and results in overall structural re-organizations.

Allosteric Regulation↗

High level production of functional antibody Fab fragments in an oxidizing bacterial cytoplasm.

The antigen-binding fragments (Fab) of antibodies are powerful tools in clinical therapy, molecular diagnostics and basic research. However, their principal applications require pure recombinant molecules in large amounts, which are challenging to obtain. Severe limitations in yield, folding and functionality are commonly encountered in bacterial production of Fab fragments. Secretion into the oxidizing periplasm generally results in low yield, whereas expression in the reducing cytoplasmic environment produces unfolded or non-functional protein. We hypothesized that an impaired reducing environment of the cytoplasm would permit correctly folded, functional cytoplasmic expression of Fabs with high yield. We used the Escherichia coli strain FA113, which has no activity of both thioredoxin and glutathione reductase, and thus has an oxidizing cytoplasmic environment. With the newly constructed vector pFAB1 we tested the cytoplasmic expression of two Fab fragments, which recognize the integral membrane protein NhaA, a bacterial Na(+)/H(+) antiporter. These antibodies differ in terms of DNA sequence and stability. Both antibody fragments were produced to very high yields (10-30 mg/l from bacterial cultures at an A(600 nm)=1.2-1.3). This is a factor 50-250 times higher than any other reported over-expression strategy for Fab fragments and currently represents the highest production rate ever been reported for antibody Fab fragments in bacteria grown to similar cell densities. The fragments are fully functional and can be efficiently purified by His-tag chromatography. Expression of active Fab fragments in the bacterial cytoplasm unlocks the possibility of using antibody specific targeting in an intracellular environment. Such a capacity opens new perspectives for investigating metabolic and regulatory pathways in vivo and also provides a powerful selection system for functional genomics.

Animals↗

Use of different adsorbents for sorption and Bacillus polymyxa protease immobilization.

Proteases constitute one of the most important groups of industrial enzymes, accounting for at least 25% of the total enzyme sales, with two-thirds of the proteases produced commercially being of microbial origin. Immobilized enzymes are currently the subject of considerable interest because of their advantages over soluble enzymes or alternative technologies, and the steadily increasing number of applications for immobilized enzymes. The general application of immobilized proteins and enzymes has played a central role in the expansion of biotechnology and synthesis-related industries. Proteases have been immobilized on natural and synthetic supports. In the present work, a protease from Bacillus polymyxa was partially purified with 80% ammonium sulfate precipitation followed by dialysis and chromatography using a diethylaminoethyl (DEAE)-cellulose ion exchange column. Immobilizaiton was evaluated by using different adsorbents (chitin, chitosan, alginate, synthetic zeolite, and raw zeolite) and the storage stability and recycle of the immobilized protease determined. Immobilization yields were estimated to be 96% and 7.5%, by using alginate and chitosan, respectively, after 24 h. The yield of the immobilization was 17% for alginate at 16 h and the enzyme did not adsorb on the chitin, chitosan, synthetic zeolite, and raw zeolite.

Adsorption↗

Effects of homogenization pressure and stabilizers on some physical characteristics of a beverage prepared from partially defatted, roasted peanuts.

A low-fat beverage with roasted peanut flavor was developed from peanuts. The potential milk substitute contained 11.8% total solids, 2.0% fat and 3.7% protein, and was whitish orange-yellow in color. The effects of stabilizing additives and homogenization pressure (13.8 x 10(6) Pa or 41.4 x 10(6) Pa) on selected physical characteristics were determined. Suspension stability was improved by addition of carrageenan [Benlacta CM61-B (CM), 0.02-0.04%] or a hydrogenated mono- and diglyceride [Emuldan HV52K (HV, 0.2-0.4%)]. Homogenizing at 41.4 x 10(6) Pa increased viscosity of all samples except that of the controls but did not improve the suspension stability (top:bottom solids) of the beverage. The most viscous formulations (17.5 +/- 0.95 cps) were those containing 0.04% CM. Treatments yielding the best combination, compared to cow's milk values, of high suspension stability (0.5 +/- 0.03, where 1.0 = maximum stability) and low viscosity (3.7 +/- 0.89 cps) were those containing 0.2% HV which were homogenized at 13.8 x 10(6) Pa.

Animals↗

Design concepts and early utilization of a new femoral interlocking nail.

Interlocking nails provide excellent stability and control of femoral fractures from the hip to the supracondylar regions, yielding excellent clinical results. Advances in femoral nail design have provided for increased variability in their applications, allowing surgeons to stabilize a wide variety of fractures through either antegrade or retrograde nail insertion methods. In the past, nails were manufactured to be implanted with a specified insertion technique, requiring the surgeon to become facile with multiple nail systems to care for the entire spectrum of femoral injuries. A new femoral intramedullary nail system is being introduced with the capability of stabilizing both right- and left-sided femoral fractures in all 3 modes of interlocking--that is, first-generation antegrade nailing, second-generation reconstruction nailing, and retrograde nailing. The design and rationale of this system are discussed, and clinical examples of use of this new device are provided.

Bone Nails↗