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PubMed2000

Peptide map procedure using immobilized protease cartridges in tandem for disulfide linkage identification of neu differentiation factor epidermal growth factor domain.

Immobilized proteolytic enzyme cartridges were used to rapidly digest neu differentiation factor EGF domain in order to obtain improved peptide maps useful for assignment of disulfide linkages. The procedure described here involves an on-line digestion of proteins using immobilized trypsin and endoproteinase Glu-C cartridges connected in series, followed by on-line RP-HPLC separation of the peptides. The entire process can be automated using a commercially available workstation; and the total time required for both proteolytic digestion and the HPLC separation can be shortened to within 1 h. Using these immobilized columns, we demonstrated that disulfide structure assignment of the EGF domains of recombinant human neu differentiation factor can be performed by isolation of individual disulfide-containing peptides followed by assignment of disulfide linkages with prompt fragmentation of peptides using matrix-assisted laser desorption/ionization time-of-flight mass spectrometry. The use of immobilized protease cartridges in tandem eliminates undesirable digestion artifacts associated with longer digestion time and higher protease-to-substrate ratio and results in the development of a reproducible and high quality peptide map.

Amino Acid Sequence↗
PubMed1999

A polyclonal antibody to protein disulfide isomerase induces platelet aggregation and secretion.

Monoclonal mouse antiplatelet antibodies against a variety of platelet surface components can activate platelets, causing platelet aggregation and secretion. The mechanism involves binding of the Fab domain to a platelet surface antigen, and the activation occurs through an interaction of the Fc domain with the platelet FcgammaRII receptor. There is almost no information on FcgammaRII receptor-dependent activation of platelets by polyclonal rabbit antibodies. We presently report that a polyclonal rabbit antibody to a platelet surface antigen, protein disulfide isomerase, induces platelet aggregation and secretion. These effects are seen with concentrations of the antiprotein disulfide isomerase antibody as low as 25 to 40 microg/mL. Fab and F(ab')2 preparations of the rabbit antiprotein disulfide isomerase antibody do not cause aggregation. Fab made from the rabbit antiprotein disulfide isomerase antibody as well as a monoclonal antibody to the FcgammaRII (IV.3) receptor block the aggregation and secretion responses. Aggregation and secretion are inhibited by an antiglycoprotein IIbIIIa antibody, which blocks fibrinogen binding and wortmannin, an inhibitor of phosphoinositide 3-kinase. Aspirin, prostaglandin E1, and Ethylenediamine-tetraacetic acid (EDTA) also block the platelet responses. These data suggest that activation of platelets by polyclonal antibodies occurs by mechanisms similar to those found with activating monoclonal antibodies.

Animals↗
PubMed2002

Disulfide reduction in major histocompatibility complex class II-restricted antigen processing by interferon-gamma-inducible lysosomal thiol reductase.

Constitutively expressed in antigen-presenting cells (APCs), interferon-gamma-inducible lysosomal thiol reductase (GILT) catalyzes disulfide bond reduction under acidic conditions. GILT contains a CXXC motif similar to the WCGH/PCK motif of proteins in the thioredoxin family. This class of enzymes catalyzes, at a neutral pH, dithiol oxidation, disulfide bond reduction, and disulfide bond isomerization. A well-established assay spectrophotometrically measures interchain disulfide bond reduction of insulin via the precipitation of aggregating free B chains. However, the insolubility of insulin at low pH limits the use of this assay. To assess the thiol reductase activity of GILT, we employed an assay that uses denatured [125I]F(ab')2 as a substrate, which is detailed in this article. In addition, we discuss approaches used to demonstrate the mechanism of action of GILT and to identify substrates.

Animals↗
PubMed2003

Disulfide-crosslinked hyaluronan-gelatin hydrogel films: a covalent mimic of the extracellular matrix for in vitro cell growth.

A new disulfide crosslinking method was developed for the preparation of blended hyaluronan (HA)-gelatin hydrogels to form a synthetic, covalently linked mimic of the extracellular matrix (ECM). The HA and gelatin were chemically modified using 3,3'-dithiobis(propionic hydrazide) (DTP). After reduction with dithiothreitol (DTT), the thiol derivatives of HA (HA-DTPH) and gelatin (gelatin-DTPH) were obtained and characterized. To minimize interference with biological function, the degree of substitution of HA-DTPH and gelatin-DTPH was kept below 50%. Solutions of HA-DTPH and gelatin-DTPH in varying blends (20%, 40%, 60%, 80% gelatin) were prepared in 1% w/v NaCl and crosslinked by disulfide bond formation in air. Hydrogel films were dried and further crosslinked with dilute hydrogen peroxide. Disulfide crosslinked HA-DTPH, gelatin-DTPH, and blends thereof, were degradable enzymatically by collagenase and by hyaluronidase (HAse). The rapid digestion of the crosslinked 100% gelatin-DTPH film by collagenase was significantly retarded by the presence of 20% or 40% HA-DTPH. Addition of at least 40% w/v gelatin into the 100% HA-DTPH films significantly improved the attachment and spreading of Balb/c 3T3 murine fibroblasts seeded on the surface of the hydrogel. These results demonstrate that disulfide-crosslinked HA-gelatin hydrogels, a new type of covalent synthetic ECM, constitute biocompatible and biodegradable substrata for cell culture in vitro.

3T3 Cells↗
PubMed2001

Discriminative disulfide-bonding affinity labeling of opioid receptor subtypes.

The affinity-labeling technique is an extremely important method in receptor biochemistry. The 3-nitro-2-pyridinesulfenyl (Npys) group, attached to a mercapto group, can react only with a free thiol group (the beta-mercapto group of cysteine residue) of the target receptor molecules, forming a disulfide bond. This disulfide bonding is mediated through the thiol-disulfide exchange reaction. Unlike other labeling methods, the approach utilizing such chemically activated thiol-containing ligands is able to reproduce an unlabeled protein by treatment with dithiothreitol, a reducing reagent. This provides several unique aspects for the studies elucidating the structure-function relationships between the peptide and the receptor. Based on the SNpys affinity technique, we have achieved the discriminative disulfide-bonding affinity labeling of the three different subtypes of opioid receptors: mu, delta and kappa. This article reviews our novel affinity techniques in the in vitro receptor biochemistry.

Amino Acid Sequence↗
PubMed1997

Fluoresceinthiocarbamyl-insulin: a potential analytical tool for the assay of disulfide bond reduction.

We describe the synthesis of fluorescent derivatives of bovine pancreas insulin and its use as substrates of disulfide bond reduction in a spectrofluorometric assay. Amino groups of insulin were chemically modified with fluorescein isothiocyanate and proteins bearing one, two and three fluorescent groups were purified by ion-exchange chromatography. Upon incubation with dithiothreitol, di- and tri-fluoresceinthiocarbamyl-insulin evinced the highest and the lowest enhancement of fluorescence emission, whereas the mono-substituted protein had intermediate enhancement. Using di-fluoresceinthiocarbamyl-insulin, the reliability of this novel feature for the estimation of disulfide bond cleavage was assessed by (i) the separation of two fluorescent bands using sodium dodecyl sulfate-polyacrylamide gel electrophoresis, (ii) the linear response of the fluorescence signal within a range from 0.04 to 1 microM, and (iii) the correlation of the rate of fluorescence enhancement with concentrations of dithiothreitol ranging from 0.1 to 5 mM. Moreover, di-fluoresceinthiocarbamyl-insulin was a sensitive oxidant when the catalytic capacity of thioredoxin and protein disulfide isomerase was analyzed in the presence of dithiothreitol or glutathione, as reductants. On this basis, di-fluoresceinthiocarbamyl-insulin constitutes an analytical tool to test the capacity of biochemical preparations in the reduction of disulfide bonds.

Animals↗
PubMed1997

Quantitative determination and reversible modification of thiols using imidazolidine biradical disulfide label.

Earlier we reported an ESR method of quantitative determination of sulfhydryl groups. The method is based on the application of the imidazoline biradical disulfide label, R1S-SR1, which participates in the reaction of thiol-disulfide exchange followed by dramatic changes in ESR spectra. One of the disadvantages of the application of R1S-SR1 at physiological conditions is the requirement of excess of the biradical compared with thiol content which results in the consumption of the thiols and irreversible damage of the system under study. In the present paper we propose imidazolidine biradical disulfide reagent, R2S-SR2, for ESR determination of thiols and provide an experimental basis for its application. This label has the advantages of the previously used biradical disulfide, R1S-SR1, such as high sensitivity down to 1 microM of thiols even in opaque samples and could possibly be used for reversible modification of proteins and enzymes. The particular properties of the R2S-SR2 are pH-sensitivity of its ESR spectrum, higher stability of the imidazolidine radical fragment towards biological reductants and low concentration of the label sufficient for thiol determination at physiological conditions. The latter makes it possible to use ESR spectroscopy for non-invasive thiol measurements in biological systems, in vivo applications included.

Animals↗
PubMed1998

Thiol-disulfide redox buffers maintain a structure of immunoglobulin A that is essential for optimal in vitro binding to secretory component.

We have shown that human secretory component (SC) binds in vitro to different samples of human and murine dimeric immunoglobulin A (IgA). The binding ratio in the IgA/SC complex is 1:1. IgA which is stably bound to SC is separated from unreacted IgA by anion exchange chromatography. A part of IgA/SC complexes formed in vitro is unstable to this elution; the proportion varies between different samples of IgA; it increases following prolonged incubation of IgA at 37 degrees C. Incubation of IgA with glutathione/glutathione disulfide (GSH/GSSG) redox buffers increases the proportion able to form a stable complex with SC to approximately 90%. The presence of bound SC is not essential for this process but does allow it to occur at a lower GSH/GSSG concentration. The stable IgA/SC complex consists of a structure with a disulfide bond between IgA and SC apparently in equilibrium with a structure in which this bond is absent. The proportion bound covalently is similar for different samples of IgA and is insensitive to incubation with GSH/GSSG. It is significantly greater for secretory IgA (sIgA) and for IgA and SC incubated together with a starting mixture of cysteine/cystine. Monoclonal, antigen-specific IgA, all of which is optimally bound to SC in essentially the same way as in native sIgA, can be isolated in high yield. Our results support a mechanism for optimal binding of IgA to SC, that can occur both in vitro and in vivo, in which a thiol disulfide interchange occurs between a free IgA thiol and a sensitive SC disulfide following the initial non-covalent interaction.

Anion Exchange Resins↗
PubMed1999

Determination of the site of disulfide linkage between heavy and light chains of silk fibroin produced by Bombyx mori.

The analysis of fibroin secretion-deficient 'naked-pupa' mutant silkworms has suggested that the disulfide linkage between heavy (H) and light (L) chains of fibroin, produced by the silkworm, Bombyx mori, is essential in its efficient large-scale secretion from the posterior silk gland cells. However, the site of disulfide-linkage between H- and L-chains has not been determined. In this study, cysteine residues involved in the single disulfide linkage between H- and L-chains were identified as the twentieth residue from the carboxyl terminus of H-chain (Cys-c20) and Cys-172 of L-chain by sequencing of genomic clones and peptide analysis. Furthermore, Cys-c4 (fourth residue from the carboxyl terminus) and Cys-c1 at the carboxyl terminus of H-chain were shown to form an intramolecular disulfide bond.

Amino Acid Sequence↗
PubMed2000

Local interactions and the role of the 6-120 disulfide bond in alpha-lactalbumin: implications for formation of the molten globule state.

Molten globule states are partially folded states of proteins which are compact and contain a high degree of secondary structure but which lack many of the fixed tertiary interactions associated with the native state. A set of peptides has been prepared in order to probe the role of local interactions in the vicinity of the Cys(6)-Cys(120) disulfide bond in stabilizing the molten globule state of human alpha-lactalbumin. Peptides derived from the N-terminal and C-terminal regions of human alpha-lactalbumin have been analyzed using nuclear magnetic resonance, circular dichroism, fluorescence spectroscopy and sedimentation equilibrium experiments. A peptide corresponding to the first helical region in the native protein, residues 1-13, is only slightly helical in isolation. Extending the peptide to include residues 14-18 results in a modest increase in helicity. A peptide derived from the C-terminal 12 residues, residues 112-123, is predominantly unstructured. Crosslinking the N- and C-terminal peptides by the native disulfide bond results in almost no increase in structure and there is no evidence for any significant cooperative structure formation over the range of pH 2.2-11.7. These results demonstrate that there is very little enhancement of local structure due to the formation of the Cys(6)-Cys(120) disulfide bond. This is in striking contrast to peptides derived from the region of the Cys(28)-Cys(111) disulfide.

Amino Acid Sequence↗
PubMed1997

Mutant human protein disulfide isomerase assists protein folding in a chaperone-like fashion.

Human protein disulfide isomerase with an extra 10 amino acid residues of AEITRIDPAM at the N-terminal was expressed in E. coli as a soluble protein comprising 20% of total cell proteins, and was purified to near homogeneity through one step of DEAE-Sephacel chromatography. The mutant enzyme, which had the same CD spectrum and comparable disulfide isomerase and thiol-protein oxidoreductase activities with that of the wild type human and bovine protein disulfide isomerases, also showed chaperone-like activity in stimulating the refolding of proteins containing no disulfide bond. The overall yield of the active product is about 20 mg 1-1 culture.

Amino Acid Sequence↗
PubMed2003

A simultaneous liquid chromatography/mass spectrometric assay of glutathione, cysteine, homocysteine and their disulfides in biological samples.

A liquid chromatography/mass spectrometric (LC/MS) method was developed for simultaneous detection and quantitation of glutathione (GSH), glutathione disulfide (GSSG), cysteine (CysSH), homocysteine (HCysSH) and homocystine in biological samples (rat brain, lung, liver, heart, kidneys, erythrocytes and plasma). Thiols were derivatized with a large excess of Ellman's reagent, a thiol-specific reagent, to ensure an instantaneous and complete derivatization. The derivatization blocked the oxidation of the thiols to disulfides, preventing errors caused by thiol oxidation. The samples were then analyzed by LC/MS. The method provides a highly selective and sensitive assay for these endogenous thiols and their corresponding disulfides. The detection limits for GSH, GSSG, CysSH, HCysSH and homocystine were 3.3, 3.3, 16.5, 29.6 and 14.9 pmol, respectively. An attempt for cystine analysis was unsuccessful due to earlier elution of the compound and strong interferences caused by other endogenous compounds. This method will be a useful tool in the investigation of the roles of these important thiol-containing compounds and their corresponding disulfides in physiological and pathological processes.

Animals↗
PubMed1998

Paradoxical effect of reagents for sulfhydryl and disulfide groups on human sperm capacitation and superoxide production.

Spermatozoa must undergo capacitation prior to fertilization. In humans, this process appears regulated by oxidoreduction reactions. We investigated the possibility that these reactions involved the sulfhydryl-disulfide pair, which offers a reversible regulation of cellular processes. The effects of reagents targeted for sulfhydryl and disulfide groups on human sperm capacitation, superoxide (O2-.) generation and protein tyrosine phosphorylation were evaluated. The sulfhydryl targeted agents, phenylarsine oxide (PAO), diamide, dithiopyridine (DTP), N-ethylmaleimide (NEM), maleimidylpropionyl biocytin (MPB), p-chloromercuribenzoic acid (PCMB), and bromobimane analogs (mBBr and qBBr) triggered sperm capacitation to levels comparable to those observed with a biological inducer, fetal cord serum ultrafiltrate (FCSu). Capacitation induced by NEM, MPB, PCMB, and PAO was prevented by superoxide dismutase (SOD) and associated with an increased sperm production of O2-.. However, SOD did not affect the increase in protein tyrosine phosphorylation of spermatozoa treated with NEM, PAO, or MPB. Disulfide reductants, dithiothreitol (DTT), thioredoxin (TRX), glutathione (GSH), tris-(2-carboxyethyl) phosphine (TCEP), and tris-(2-cyanoethyl) phosphine (TCP) partially to totally inhibited FCSu-induced sperm capacitation and O2-. production. TCEP, DTT, and TRX decreased the capacitation-associated tyrosine phosphorylation of sperm proteins. The strong time-dependent increase of sperm membrane sulfhydryl groups exposed to the extracellular space occurring during the first hour of capacitation could indicate an important rearrangement of sulfhydryl carrying proteins during the initiation of capacitation. Therefore, protein sulfhydryl-disulfide status may be important for the regulation of human sperm capacitation and the mechanisms involved may be complex and multifactorial.

Disulfides↗
PubMed1995

Solution structure of human thioredoxin in a mixed disulfide intermediate complex with its target peptide from the transcription factor NF kappa B.

BACKGROUND: Human thioredoxin is a 12 kDa cellular redox protein that plays a key role in maintaining the redox environment of the cell. It has recently been shown to be responsible for activating the DNA-binding properties of the cellular transcription factor, NF kappa B, by reducing a disulfide bond involving Cys62 of the p50 subunit. Using multidimensional heteronuclear-edited and hetero-nuclear-filtered NMR spectroscopy, we have solved the solution structure of a complex of human thioredoxin and a 13-residue peptide extending from residues 56-68 of p50, representing a kinetically stable mixed disulfide intermediate along the reaction pathway. RESULTS: The NF kappa B peptide is located in a long boot-shaped cleft on the surface of human thioredoxin delineated by the active-site loop, helices alpha 2, alpha 3 and alpha 4, and strands beta 3 and beta 4. The peptide adopts a crescent-like conformation with a smooth 110 degrees bend centered around residue 60 which permits it to follow the path of the cleft. CONCLUSIONS: In addition to the intermolecular disulfide bridge between Cys32 of human thioredoxin and Cys62 of the peptide, the complex is stabilized by numerous hydrogen-bonding, electrostatic and hydrophobic interactions which involve residues 57-65 of the NF kappa B peptide and confer substrate specificity. These structural features permit one to suggest the specificity requirements for human thioredoxin-catalyzed disulfide bond reduction of proteins.

Amino Acid Sequence↗
PubMed2003

Mass spectrometric characterization of transferrins and their fragments derived by reduction of disulfide bonds.

Mass spectrometry, proteomics, and protein chemistry methods are used to characterize the cleavage products of 79 kDa transferrin proteins induced by iron-catalyzed oxidation, including a novel C-terminal polypeptide released upon disulfide reduction. Top-down electrospray ionization tandem mass spectrometry (ESI-MS/MS) of intact multiply-charged transferrin from a variety of species (human, bovine, rabbit, chicken) performed on a quadrupole time-of-flight mass spectrometer yields multiply-charged b(n)-products originating near residues 56-69 from the N-terminal region, in addition to their complementary y(n)-products. Incubation of transferrin with reductants, such as dithiothreitol (DTT) or tris(2-carboxyethyl)-phosphine (TCEP), yields an increase in multiple charging observed by ESI-MS and an increase in molecular weight consistent with disulfide reduction. However, mammalian transferrins release a 6-8 kDa fragment upon disulfide reduction. Protein acetylation and MS/MS sequencing demonstrate that the fragment originates from the C-terminus of the protein, and that it is a separate polypeptide linked via three disulfide bonds to the main transferrin chain. The existence of a separate C-terminal chain is not annotated in protein sequence databases and, to date, has not been reported in the literature. Iron-catalyzed cleavage induces fragments originating from both the N- and C-terminus of transferrin.

Amino Acid Sequence↗
PubMed2002

A fusion protein system for the recombinant production of short disulfide-containing peptides.

A recombinant fusion protein system for the production, oxidation, and purification of short peptides containing a single disulfide bond is described. The peptides are initially expressed in Escherichia coli as a fusion to an engineered mutant of the N-terminal SH2 domain of the intracellular phosphatase, SHP-2. This small protein domain confers several important properties which facilitate the production of disulfide-containing peptides: (i) it is expressed at high levels in E. coli; (ii) it can be purified via a hexahistidine tag and reverse-phase HPLC; (iii) it contains no endogenous cysteine residues, allowing the formation of an intrapeptide disulfide bond while still attached to the fusion partner; (iv) it is highly soluble in native buffers, facilitating the production of very hydrophobic peptides and the direct use of fusion products in biochemical assays; (v) it contains a unique methionine residue at the junction of the peptide and fusion partner to facilitate peptide cleavage by treatment with cyanogen bromide (CNBr). This method is useful for producing peptides, which are otherwise difficult to prepare through traditional chemical synthesis approaches, and this has been demonstrated by preparing a number of hydrophobic disulfide-containing peptides derived from phage-display libraries.

Amino Acid Sequence↗
PubMed1996

Unfolded BPTI variants with a single disulfide bond have diminished non-native structure distant from the crosslink.

BACKGROUND: NMR studies of denatured states, both fully unfolded and partially folded, give insight into the conformations and interactions favored in initial stages of folding, and in early intermediates formed during folding. We have characterized non-random structures favored in unfolded, reduced BPTI [1], and in partially folded BPTI [2]. Here, we report NMR-detected structure of two analogs of unfolded BPTI with one native 14-38 disulfide bond. RESULTS: Analogs Y21A[14-38]Abu and Y23A[14-38]Abu, obtained by chemical synthesis of [14-38]Abu with Y21 or Y23 replaced by alanine, are models for unfolded BPTI with 14-38 the only disulfide. Compared to unfolded BPTI with all three disulfides broken, the unfolded 14-38 BPTI analogs have numerous differences, including loss of non-native, turn-like conformations for beta 2 residues, diminished non-native aromatic-aliphatic NOEs, and increased intermediate chemical exchange of residues that have native-like conformations in partially folded BPTI. Although the Y21A and Y23A analogs have similar CD and NMR properties, specific differences in NOE patterns and in exchange broadening are observed. CONCLUSIONS: Changes in unfolded BPTI associated with formation of the 14-38 disulfide bond are consistent with less non-native structure, and more native-like structure, in residues composing the stable core of antiparallel beta-sheet in partially folded BPTI. Specific differences between Y21A[14-38]Abu and Y23A[14-38]Abu indicate that replacement of Y23 results in less ordered structure than replacement of Y21.

Amino Acid Sequence↗
PubMed2006

De novo sequencing and disulfide mapping of a bromotryptophan-containing conotoxin by Fourier transform ion cyclotron resonance mass spectrometry.

T-1-family conotoxins belong to the T-superfamily and are composed of 10-17 amino acids. They share a common cysteine framework and disulfide connectivity and exhibit unusual posttranslational modifications, such as tryptophan bromination, glutamic acid carboxylation, and threonine glycosylation. We have isolated and characterized a novel peptide, Mo1274, containing 11 amino acids, that shows the same cysteine pattern, -CC-CC, and disulfide linkage as those of the T-1-family members. The complete sequence, GNWCCSARVCC, in which W denotes bromotryptophan, was derived from MS-based de novo sequencing. The FT-ICR MS/MS techniques of electron capture dissociation (ECD), infrared multiphoton dissociation, and collision-induced dissociation served to detect and localize the tryptophan bromination. The bromine contributes a distinctive isotopic distribution in all fragments that contain bromotryptophan. ECD fragmentation results in the loss of bromine and return to the normal isotopic distribution. Disulfide connectivity of Mo1274, between cysteine pairs 1-3 and 2-4, was determined by mass spectrometry in combination with chemical derivatization employing tris(2-carboxyethyl)phosphine, followed by differential alkylation with N-ethylmaleimide and iodoacetamide. The ECD spectra of the native and partially modified peptide reveal a loss of bromine in a process that requires the presence of a disulfide bond.

Amino Acid Sequence↗