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PubMed1991

Identification of the disulfide bonds of human complement C1s.

C1s, one of the three subcomponents of C1, the first component of the complement system, is a complex serine protease. To determine the disulfide-bonding pattern, fragments of C1s were generated by cleavage with pepsin, thermolysin, or subtilisin. Disulfide bonds have been identified by several methods, for example, direct observation of the phenylthiohydantoin derivative of cystine during Edman degradation of isolated peptides and placement in the known cDNA sequence. All of the 26 half-cystines are linked in disulfide bonds occurring at positions 50-68, 120-132, 128-141, 143-156, 160-187, 219-236, 279-326, 306-339, 344-388, 371-406, 410-534, 580-603, and 613-644. All of the disulfide bonds of the earlier described substructures of C1s, the EGF-homologous part, the two SCR units, and the two domains typical for C1s and C1r are localized within these domains.

Amino Acid Sequence↗
PubMed1994

Relationship between the optimal temperature for oxidative refolding and the thermal stability of refolded state of hen lysozyme three-disulfide derivatives.

The temperature dependence of the efficiency of oxidative refolding was examined for hen lysozyme three-disulfide derivatives produced in Escherichia coli. Each derivative was designed to lack one of the four disulfide bridges in authentic lysozyme: delta 1 (Cys6-->Ser, Cys127-->Ser), delta 2 (Cys30-->Ser, Cys115-->Ser), delta 3 (Cys64-->Ser, Cys80-->Ser), delta 4 (Cys76-->Ser, Cys94-->Ser), delta 2Ala (Cys30-->Ala, Cys115-->Ala), and delta 4Ala (Cys76-->Ala, Cys94-->Ala). The optimal refolding temperature was lowest for delta 1 (19 degrees C) and highest for delta 4Ala (30 degrees C). The chromatographically purified, completely refolded three-disulfide species were not stable above the optimal refolding temperature in the presence of glutathione. The stability of each of them was determined from the far-UV CD thermal denaturation measurement at pH 3.9 in the absence of glutathione, where the denaturation was reversible. The transition temperature was lowest for delta 1 and highest for delta 4Ala. Precise values of difference in the transition temperature among the three-disulfide derivatives were found to correlate with those in the optimal refolding temperature. Next, the effect of glycerol, which has been shown to increase the refolding efficiency [Sawano et al. (1992) FEBS Lett. 303, 11-14], was examined for delta 1 in detail. The optimal temperature for refolding increased by 3-4 degrees C with the increase in glycerol concentration by 10%. The amount of increase in the optimal refolding temperature was nearly equal to the amount of the increase in thermal stability in the presence of glycerol of refolded and purified delta 1.(ABSTRACT TRUNCATED AT 250 WORDS)

Animals↗
PubMed1984

Vicinal dithiol-disulfide distribution in the Escherichia coli mannitol specific carrier enzyme IImtl.

Escherichia coli mannitol specific EII in membrane vesicles can be inhibited by the action of the oxidizable substrate-reduced phenazine methosulfate (PMS) in a manner similar to E. coli enzyme IIGlc [Robillard, G. T., & Konings, W. (1981) Biochemistry 20, 5025-5032]. The fact that reduced PMS and various oxidizing agents protect the enzyme from inactivation by the sulfhydryl reagents N-ethylmaleimide and bromopyruvate suggests that the active form possesses a dithiol which can be protected by conversion to a disulfide. The sulfhydryl-disulfide distribution has been examined in purified EIImtl by labeling studies with N-[1-14C]ethylmaleimide ( [14C]NEM). EIImtl can be alkylated at three positions per peptide chain. When alkylation takes place in 8 M urea, only two positions are labeled. The third position becomes labeled in urea only after treatment with DTT, suggesting that the native enzyme is composed of two subunits linked by a disulfide bridge. The remaining two sulfhydryl groups per peptide chain appear to undergo changes in oxidation state as indicated by the following results. (1) Treatment of the active enzyme with NEM leads to complete inactivation and incorporation of 1 mol of [14C]NEM per peptide chain. Oxidizing agents protect the activity and prevent labeling presumably by forming a disulfide. (2) Phosphorylating the enzyme (one phosphoryl group per peptide chain) fully protects the activity, but 1 mol of NEM per peptide chain is still incorporated. Subsequent dephosphorylation by adding mannitol causes a second mole of [14C]NEM to be incorporated and results in complete inactivation.(ABSTRACT TRUNCATED AT 250 WORDS)

Carbon Radioisotopes↗
PubMed1986

Reduction of the buried intrachain disulfide bond of the constant fragment of the immunoglobulin light chain: global unfolding under physiological conditions.

The constant (CL) fragment of the immunoglobulin light chain contains only one intrachain disulfide bond buried in the interior of the molecule. The kinetics of reduction with dithiothreitol of the disulfide bond were studied at various concentrations of guanidine hydrochloride at pH 8.0 and 25 degrees C. It was found that the disulfide bond is reduced even in the absence of guanidine hydrochloride. The results of the reduction kinetics were compared with those of the unfolding and refolding kinetics of the CL fragment previously reported [Goto, Y., & Hamaguchi, K. (1982) J. Mol. Biol. 156, 891-910]. It was shown that the reduction of the disulfide bond proceeds through a species with a conformation very similar to that of the fully unfolded one and that the CL fragment undergoes global unfolding transition even in water.

Disulfides↗
PubMed1987

An engineered disulfide bond in dihydrofolate reductase.

Substitution of cysteine for proline-39 in Escherichia coli dihydrofolate reductase by oligonucleotide-directed mutagenesis positions the new cysteine adjacent to already existing cysteine-85. When the mutant protein is expressed in the E. coli cytosol, the cysteine sulfur atoms are found, by X-ray crystallographic analysis, to be in van der Waals contact but not covalently bonded to one another. In vitro oxidation by dithionitrobenzoate results in formation of a disulfide bond between residues 39 and 85 with a geometry close to that of the commonly observed left-handed spiral. Comparison of 2.0-A-refined crystal structures of the oxidized (cross-linked) and reduced (un-cross-linked) forms of the mutant enzyme shows that the conformation of the enzyme molecule was not appreciably affected by formation of the disulfide bond but that details of the molecule's thermal motion were altered. The disulfide-cross-linked enzyme is at least 1.8 kcal/mol more stable with respect to unfolding, as measured by guanidine hydrochloride denaturation, than either the wild-type or the reduced (un-cross-linked) mutant enzyme. Nevertheless, the cross-linked form is not more resistant to thermal denaturation. Moreover, the appearance of intermediates in the guanidine hydrochloride denaturation profile and urea-gradient polyacrylamide gels indicates that the folding/unfolding pathway of the disulfide-cross-linked enzyme has changed significantly.

Amino Acid Sequence↗
PubMed1987

In vivo cross-linking of protein disulfide isomerase to immunoglobulins.

To test the proposed role of protein disulfide isomerase in the synthesis of immunoglobulins (Ig), intact lymphocytes were treated with a thiol-cleavable, bifunctional cross-linking agent and lysed, and the lysates were immunoprecipitated with antibodies to either Ig or enzyme. When the immunoprecipitates were analyzed on polyacrylamide-sodium dodecyl sulfate gels, protein disulfide isomerase was found to be cross-linked to immunoglobulins. The extent of cross-linking was dependent upon the concentration of cross-linker added and the class of Ig. For IgMs and high concentrations of cross-linker, approximately one molecule of Ig was coupled per two molecules of enzyme. For IgGs, the extent of cross-linking was less. Finally, depletion of the intracellularly reduced glutathione by diamide was found to also result in the linkage of protein disulfide isomerase to IgM. These results therefore support the hypothesis that protein disulfide isomerase functions in the in vivo synthesis of immunoglobulins.

Animals↗
PubMed1988

Subunits of human alpha 2-macroglobulin produced by specific reduction of interchain disulfide bonds with thioredoxin.

Disulfide bonds in alpha 2-macroglobulin (alpha 2M) were reduced with the thioredoxin system from Escherichia coli. Under the conditions selected, 3.5-4.1 disulfide bonds were cleaved in each alpha 2M molecule, as determined by the consumption of NADPH during the reaction and by the incorporation of iodo[3H]acetate into the reaction product. This extent of disulfide bond reduction, approximately corresponding to that expected from specific cleavage of all four interchain disulfide bonds of the protein, coincided with the nearly complete dissociation of the intact alpha 2M molecule to a species migrating as an alpha 2M subunit in gel electrophoresis, under both denaturing and nondenaturing conditions. The dissociation was accompanied by only small changes of the spectroscopic properties of the subunits, which thus retain a near-native conformation. Reaction of isolated subunits with methylamine or trypsin led to the appearance of approximately 0.55 mol of thiol group/mol of subunits, indicating that the thio ester bonds are largely intact. Moreover, the rate of cleavage of these bonds by methylamine was similar to that in the whole alpha 2M molecule. Although the bait region was specifically cleaved by nonstoichiometric amounts of trypsin, the isolated subunits had minimal proteinase binding ability. Reaction of subunits with methylamine or trypsin produced changes of farultraviolet circular dichroism and near-ultraviolet absorption similar to those induced in the whole alpha 2M molecule, although in contrast with whole alpha 2M no fluorescence change was observed. The methylamine- or trypsin-treated subunits reassociated to a tetrameric species, migrating as the "fast" form of whole alpha 2M in gradient gel electrophoresis.(ABSTRACT TRUNCATED AT 250 WORDS)

Bacterial Proteins↗
PubMed1988

Synthetic peptide models for the redox-active disulfide loop of glutaredoxin. Conformational studies.

Two cyclic peptide disulfides (Sequence: see text). (X = L-Tyr or L-Phe) have been synthesized as models for the 14-membered redox-active disulfide loop of glutaredoxin. 1H NMR studies at 270 MHz in chloroform solutions establish a type I beta-turn conformation for the Pro-X segment in both peptides, stabilized by a 4----1 hydrogen bond between the Cys(1) CO and Cys(4) NH groups. Nuclear Overhauser effects establish that the aromatic ring in the X = Phe peptide is oriented over the central peptide unit. In dimethyl sulfoxide solutions two conformational species are observed in slow exchange on the NMR time scale, for both peptides. These are assigned to type I and type II beta-turn structures with -Pro-Tyr(Phe)- as the corner residues. The structural assignments are based on correlation of NMR parameters with model 14-membered cyclic cystine peptides with Pro-X spacers. Circular dichroism studies based on the -S-S- n-omega* transition suggest a structural change in the disulfide bridge with changing solvent polarity, establishing conformational coupling between the peptide backbone and the disulfide linkage in these systems.

Bacterial Proteins↗
PubMed1988

Kinetics of disulfide exchange reactions of monomer and dimer loops of cysteine-valine-cysteine peptides.

Rate constants have been determined in 3 M guanidine hydrochloride for disulfide exchange reactions between glutathione and two synthetic peptides containing a cysteine-valine-cysteine region. Equilibrium experiments demonstrate the absence of noncovalent peptide aggregation in this solvent. Procedures are given for separating seven different components in quenched reactions, including the fully reduced cysteine cluster, the monomeric disulfide loop, parallel and antiparallel dimer loops, and the three monomers containing one or two mixed disulfides with glutathione. Intramolecular rate constants for (1) formation of a sterically strained monomer loop, (2) transfer of glutathione between the two cysteines on the same peptide chain, and (3) formation of unstrained dimer loops correspond to a series of processes forming rings of increasing size. In one sequence, these rate constants are 3, 6, and about 21 s-1, respectively. The larger loops are formed more easily. In the other sequence, rate constants for formation and opening of monomer loops are accelerated 180- and 1300-fold, respectively, relative to analogous reactions in a peptide containing eight residues between the two cysteines. This gives a 7-fold smaller equilibrium constant for ring closure in the cysteine cluster. Dimer formation occurs by a mechanism utilizing the accelerated opening of monomer loops. Results provide information assisting efforts to develop strategies for directing disulfide pairing in novel protein structures. Results also help define factors contributing to formation of undesired oligomers during efforts to refold cysteine-containing proteins obtained by bacterial expression of mammalian genes.

Chromatography, High Pressure Liquid↗
PubMed1989

Mutagenesis of the redox-active disulfide in mercuric ion reductase: catalysis by mutant enzymes restricted to flavin redox chemistry.

Mercuric reductase, a flavoenzyme that possess a redox-active cystine, Cys135Cys140, catalyzes the reduction of Hg(II) to Hg(0) by NADPH. As a probe of mechanism, we have constructed mutants lacking a redox-active disulfide by eliminating Cys135 (Ala135Cys140), Cys140 (Cys135Ala140), or both (Ala135Ala140). Additionally, we have made double mutants that lack Cys135 (Ala135Cys139Cys140) or Cys140 (Cys135Cys139Ala140) but introduce a new Cys in place of Gly139 with the aim of constructing dithiol pairs in the active site that do not form a redox-active disulfide. The resulting mutant enzymes all lack redox-active disulfides and are hence restricted to FAD/FADH2 redox chemistry. Each mutant enzyme possesses unique physical and spectroscopic properties that reflect subtle differences in the FAD microenvironment. These differences are manifested in a 23-nm range in enzyme-bound FAD lambda max values, an 80-nm range in thiolate to flavin charge-transfer absorbance maxima, and a ca. 100-mV range in FAD reduction potential. Preliminary evidence for the Ala135Cys139Cys140 mutant enzyme suggests that this protein forms a disulfide between the two adjacent Cys residues. Hg(II) titration experiments that correlate the extent of charge-transfer quenching with Hg(II) binding indicate that the Ala135Cys140 protein binds Hg(II) with substantially less avidity than does the wild-type enzyme. All mutant mercuric reductases catalyze transhydrogenation and oxygen reduction reactions through obligatory reduced flavin intermediates at rates comparable to or greater than that of the wild-type enzyme. For these activities, there is a linear correlation between log kappa cat and enzyme-bound FAD reduction potential. In a sensitive Hg(II)-mediated enzyme-bound FADH2 reoxidation assay, all mutant enzymes were able to undergo at least one catalytic event at rates 50-1000-fold slower than that of the wild-type enzyme. We have also observed the reduction of Hg(II) by free FADH2. In multiple-turnover assays which monitored the production of Hg(0), two of the mutant enzymes were observed to proceed through at least 30 turnovers at rates ca. 1000-fold slower than that of wild-type mercuric reductase. We conclude that the Cys135 and Cys140 thiols serve as Hg(II) ligands that orient the Hg(II) for subsequent reduction by a reduced flavin intermediate.

Disulfides↗
PubMed1989

A covalent angiogenin/ribonuclease hybrid with a fourth disulfide bond generated by regional mutagenesis.

Human angiogenin is a blood vessel inducing protein whose primary structure displays 33% identity to that of bovine pancreatic ribonuclease A (RNase A). Angiogenin catalyzes limited cleavage of 18S and 28S ribosomal RNA and is several orders of magnitude less potent than RNase A toward conventional substrates. A striking structural difference between angiogenin and RNase is the virtual absence of sequence similarity within the region of RNase that contains the Cys-65--Cys-72 disulfide bond. Indeed, angiogenin lacks this disulfide linkage. The present report describes the use of regional mutagenesis to generate a covalent angiogenin/RNase hybrid protein, ARH-I, where residues 58-70 of angiogenin have been replaced by the corresponding segment of RNase A (residues 59-73). The protein expressed in Escherichia coli readily folds at pH 8.5 to form the four expected disulfide bonds. The in vivo angiogenic potency of ARH-I is markedly diminished compared with that of angiogenin when examined using the chick chorioallantoic membrane assay. In contrast, its enzymatic activity is dramatically increased. With high molecular weight wheat germ RNA and tRNA, ARH-I is 660- and 300-fold more active than angiogenin, respectively, while with poly(uridylic acid), poly(cytidylic acid), cytidylyl(3'----5')adenosine (CpA), and uridylyl(3'----5')adenosine (UpA) activity is enhanced by about 200-fold. In addition, the specificity of ARH-I toward dinucleoside 3',5'-phosphates is qualitatively similar to RNase A; while angiogenin prefers cytidylyl(3'----5')guanosine (CpG) to UpA, both RNase and the hybrid prefer UpA to CpG. ARH-I also displays greater than 10-fold enhanced activity toward rRNA in intact ribosomes, while abolishing the capacity of the ribosome to support cell-free protein synthesis. The enhanced enzymatic properties of ARH-I parallel a 2-fold increase in chemical reactivity of active-site lysine and histidine residues based on rates of chemical modification. The data indicate that introduction of a region of RNase A containing the Cys-65--Cys-72 disulfide bond into angiogenin dramatically increases RNase-like enzymatic activity while reducing its angiogenicity.

Amino Acid Sequence↗
PubMed1989

Disulfide bonds are localized within the short consensus repeat units of complement regulatory proteins: C4b-binding protein.

Several plasma and membrane proteins belong to a superfamily of structurally related proteins that contain internal homology of a variable number (2-30) of repeating units. Each SCR (short consensus repeat) unit is approximately 60 amino acid residues in length, with the positions of 1 Trp, 2 Pro, and 4 Cys residues being conserved. The aim of this study was to provide experimental evidence that each SCR may exist as an independent structural domain maintained by disulfide bonds. The well-characterized C4b-binding protein (C4BP) with eight SCR units in each of its seven identical chains was chosen for this study. Analysis of the disulfide-bonding pattern indicated that intrachain disulfide bonds may be localized within each SCR unit, with the first and third and the second and fourth half-cystines in each unit being linked. This pattern of disulfides may confer to C4BP (and to other structurally related proteins) a conformation which apparently allows the assembly of the SCR units (4-30) in a tandem fashion. Such an arrangement of the polypeptide chain(s) may explain, in part, the elongated shape of these protein molecules. The structural motif of the SCR units of C4BP is discussed in relation to those previously described for the type II domain of fibronectin and the kringle structure present in various proteins of the coagulation system.

Amino Acid Sequence↗
PubMed1990

Disulfide bond reduction in fibrinogen: calcium protection and effect on clottability.

Fibrinogen contains 29 disulfide bonds. Limited reduction in buffers containing calcium led to cleavage of three of them: the two A alpha 442Cys-A alpha 472Cys intrapeptide disulfide bonds and the symmetrical A alpha 28Cys-A alpha 28Cys bond. The limited reduction did not affect clotting by thrombin. However, a prolongation of the thrombin clotting time occurred when the limited reduction took place in the absence of calcium. The bonds reduced under this condition included the three already mentioned and also the two gamma 326Cys-gamma 339Cys intrapeptide disulfide bonds located in the C-terminal ends of the gamma-chain. N-Terminal analysis of thrombin-treated samples showed that thrombin cleavage occurred at the normal A alpha 16-A alpha 17 site in fibrinogen that was partially reduced in the presence of calcium. By contrast, thrombin cleaved at the A alpha 19-A alpha 20 site in fibrinogen that was partially reduced in the absence of calcium, rendering the protein unclottable by removing the A alpha 17Gly-18Pro-19Arg peptide. The loss of thrombin clottability may have also come from gamma 326Cys-gamma 339Cys disulfide bond reduction since the structure supported by this bond may be important for the function of the C-terminal polymerization site. In samples of the partially reduced fibrinogen lacking the A alpha 17-19 residues, gel formation occurred through an oligomerization mechanism catalyzed by factor XIII.

Alkylation↗
PubMed1990

Role of extracellular disulfide-bonded cysteines in the ligand binding function of the beta 2-adrenergic receptor.

Evidence is presented for a role of disulfide bridging in forming the ligand binding site of the beta 2-adrenergic receptor (beta AR). The presence of disulfide bonds at the ligand binding site is indicated by "competitive" inhibition by dithiothreitol (DTT) in radioligand binding assays, by specific protection by beta-adrenergic ligands of these effects, and by the requirement of disulfide reduction for limit proteolysis of affinity ligand labeled receptor. The kinetics of binding inhibition by DTT suggest at least two pairs of disulfide-bonded cysteines essential for normal binding. Through site-directed mutagenesis, we indeed were able to identify four cysteines which are critical for normal ligand binding affinities and for the proper expression of functional beta AR at the cell surface. Unexpectedly, the four cysteines required for normal ligand binding are not those located within the hydrophobic transmembrane domains of the receptor (where ligand binding is presumed to occur) but lie in the extracellular hydrophilic loops connecting these transmembrane segments. These findings indicate that, in addition to the well-documented involvement of the membrane-spanning domains of the receptor in ligand binding, there is an important and previously unsuspected role of the hydrophilic extracellular domains in forming the ligand binding site.

Animals↗
PubMed1979

Studies on prolactin. Selective reduction of the disulfide bonds of the ovine hormone.

Methods for selective reduction of the disulfide bonds in ovine prolactin are reported. Cleavage of all three disulfide bonds abolishes biological activity and denatures the hormone. Reduction-carbamidomethylation of one or two of the disulfide bridges does not diminish the biological activities in the pigeon crop-sac and mouse mammary gland bioassays. When compared to the native hormone, monomers of these two partially reduced-carbamidomethylated derivatives also show only modest changes in properties measured by exclusion chromatography, circular dichroism, and immunological cross-reactivities. However, cleavage of cystine-4--11 and cystine-191--199, followed by carbamidomethylation, destroys the biological activity of this derivative in a teleost fish bioassay (Gillichthys urinary bladder). In contrast, reduction of cystine-4--11 actually increased the teleost potency of this derivative compared to the intact hormone. Since teleost prolactin appears to lack a homologue to the cystine-4--11 disulfide bond in the amino-terminal loop of the ovine hormone, selective reduction of this bond in ovine prolactin may produce a derivative whose properties more closely resemble the fish hormone.

Amino Acid Sequence↗
PubMed1975

Subunit location of sulfhydryl groups of myosin labeled with a purine disulfide analog of adenosine triphosphate.

A purine disulfide analog of ATP, 6,6'-dithiobis(inosinyl imidodiphosphate), forms mixed disulfides with cysteine residues at what are believed to be ATP regulatory sites of myosin. Blocking these sites causes inactivation of the ATPase activity at the active sites. Two cysteine residues per head are specifically modifed by this disulfide analog. The thiopurine nucleotides can be stoichiometrically displaced from myosin by [14-C]cyanide to give a more stable thiocyanato derivative of the enzyme. [14-C]Thiocyanatomyosin (3.7 14-CN/myosin) was dissociated in 4 M urea and the individual subunits were isolated. The heavy chains each had 0.78 14-CN bound per 200,000 molecular weight unit. The light chain with molecular weight of 20,700 had 1.00 14-CN bound and the 16,500 molecular weight light chain had 0.65 14-CN bound. The two 19,000 molecular weight light chains were not labeled. The two labeled light chains have only a single cysteine which is stoichiometrically modified. These two light chains show a high degree of homology and presumably perform identical functions in myosin. Their specific modification by the purine disulfide analog and their other known properties suggest that they contribute directly to the ATP regulatory sites and may, in fact, function as regulatory subunits.

Adenosine Triphosphatases↗
PubMed2001

Coupling of conformational folding and disulfide-bond reactions in oxidative folding of proteins.

The oxidative folding of proteins consists of conformational folding and disulfide-bond reactions. These two processes are coupled significantly in folding-coupled regeneration steps, in which a single chemical reaction (the "forward" reaction) converts a conformationally unstable precursor species into a conformationally stable, disulfide-protected successor species. Two limiting-case mechanisms for folding-coupled regeneration steps are described. In the folded-precursor mechanism, the precursor species is preferentially folded at the moment of the forward reaction. The (transient) native structure increases the effective concentrations of the reactive thiol and disulfide groups, thus favoring the forward reaction. By contrast, in the quasi-stochastic mechanism, the forward reaction occurs quasi-stochastically in an unfolded precursor; i.e., reactive groups encounter each other with a probability determined primarily by loop entropy, albeit modified by conformational biases in the unfolded state. The resulting successor species is initially unfolded, and its folding competes with backward chemical reactions to the unfolded precursors. The folded-precursor and quasi-stochastic mechanisms may be distinguished experimentally by the dependence of their kinetics on factors affecting the rates of thiol--disulfide exchange and conformational (un)folding. Experimental data and structural and biochemical arguments suggest that the quasi-stochastic mechanism is more plausible than the folded-precursor mechanism for most proteins.

Disulfides↗
PubMed2001

Membrane immunoglobulins are stabilized by interchain disulfide bonds occurring within the extracellular membrane-proximal domain.

Membrane-bound immunoglobulins have, in addition to the transmembrane and cytoplasmic portions, an extracellular membrane-proximal domain (EMPD), absent in the secretory forms. EMPDs of immunoglobulin isotypes alpha, gamma, and epsilon contain cysteines whose role has so far not been elucidated. Using a genetic strategy, we investigated the ability of these cysteines to form disulfide bridges. Shortened versions of human membrane immunoglobulins, depleted of cysteines known to form intermolecular disulfide bonds, were constructed and expressed on the surface of a B-cell line. The resulting membrane proteins contain a single chain fragment of variable regions (scFv) linked to the dimerizing domain from the immunoglobulin heavy chains (CH3 for alpha and gamma or CH4 for epsilon isotypes), followed by the corresponding EMPD and the transmembrane and cytoplasmic domains. The two functional membrane versions of the epsilon chain, containing the short and long EMPD, were analyzed. Our results show that the single cysteine within alpha1L and gamma1 EMPD and the short version of epsilon EMPD form an interchain disulfide bond. Conversely, the cysteine resident in the epsilon transmembrane domain remains unreacted. epsilon-long EMPD contains four cysteines; two are involved in interchain bonds while the remaining two are likely forming an intrachain bridge. Expression of a full-length membrane epsilon heavy chain mutant, in which Cys(121) and Cys(209) within domain CH2 (involved in interchain bridges) were mutated to alanines, confirmed that, within the complete IgE, EMPD cysteines form interchain disulfide bonds. In conclusion, we unveil evidence for additional covalent stabilization of membrane-bound immunoglobulins.

Amino Acid Sequence↗