Today's Hours: 8:00am - 10:00pm

Search

Did You Mean:

Search Results

  • Article
    Fanning AS, Jameson BJ, Jesaitis LA, Anderson JM.
    J Biol Chem. 1998 Nov 06;273(45):29745-53.
    The tight junction protein ZO-1 belongs to a family of multidomain proteins known as the membrane-associated guanylate kinase homologs (MAGUKs). ZO-1 has been demonstrated to interact with the transmembrane protein occludin, a second tight junction-specific MAGUK, ZO-2, and F-actin, although the nature and functional significance of these interactions is poorly understood. To further elucidate the role of ZO-1 within the epithelial tight junction, we have introduced epitope-tagged fragments of ZO-1 into cultured MDCK cells and identified domains critical for the interaction with ZO-2, occludin, and F-actin. A combination of in vitro and in vivo binding assays indicate that both ZO-2 and occludin interact with specific domains within the N-terminal (MAGUK-like) half of ZO-1, whereas the unique proline-rich C-terminal half of ZO-1 cosediments with F-actin. Consistent with these observations, we found that a construct encoding the N-terminal half of ZO-1 is specifically associated with tight junctions, whereas the unique C-terminal half of ZO-1 is distributed over the entire lateral surface of the plasma membrane and other actin-rich structures. In addition, we have identified a 244-amino acid domain within the N-terminal half of ZO-1, which is required for the stable incorporation of ZO-1 into the junctional complex of polarized MDCK cells. These observations suggest that one functional role of ZO-1 is to organize components of the tight junction and link them to the cortical actin cytoskeleton.
    Digital Access Access Options
  • Article
    Doroudgar S, Thuerauf DJ, Marcinko MC, Belmont PJ, Glembotski CC.
    J Biol Chem. 2009 Oct 23;284(43):29735-45.
    Stresses that perturb the folding of nascent endoplasmic reticulum (ER) proteins activate the ER stress response. Upon ER stress, ER-associated ATF6 is cleaved; the resulting active cytosolic fragment of ATF6 translocates to the nucleus, binds to ER stress response elements (ERSEs), and induces genes, including the ER-targeted chaperone, GRP78. Recent studies showed that nutrient and oxygen starvation during tissue ischemia induce certain ER stress response genes, including GRP78; however, the role of ATF6 in mediating this induction has not been examined. In the current study, simulating ischemia (sI) in a primary cardiac myocyte model system caused a reduction in the level of ER-associated ATF6 with a coordinate increase of ATF6 in nuclear fractions. An ERSE in the GRP78 gene not previously shown to be required for induction by other ER stresses was found to bind ATF6 and to be critical for maximal ischemia-mediated GRP78 promoter induction. Activation of ATF6 and the GRP78 promoter, as well as grp78 mRNA accumulation during sI, were reversed upon simulated reperfusion (sI/R). Moreover, dominant-negative ATF6, or ATF6-targeted miRNA blocked sI-mediated grp78 induction, and the latter increased cardiac myocyte death upon simulated reperfusion, demonstrating critical roles for endogenous ATF6 in ischemia-mediated ER stress activation and cell survival. This is the first study to show that ATF6 is activated by ischemia but inactivated upon reperfusion, suggesting that it may play a role in the induction of ER stress response genes during ischemia that could have a preconditioning effect on cell survival during reperfusion.
    Digital Access Access Options
  • Article
    Zhou JQ, Tan CK, So AG, Downey KM.
    J Biol Chem. 1996 Nov 22;271(47):29740-5.
    The catalytic subunit of human DNA polymerase delta has been overexpressed in insect cells by a recombinant baculovirus. The recombinant protein has a Mr = approximately 125,000 and is recognized by polyclonal antisera against N-terminal and C-terminal peptides of the catalytic subunit of human DNA polymerase delta. The recombinant protein was purified to near homogeneity (approximately 1200-fold) from insect cells by chromatography on DEAE-cellulose, phosphocellulose, heparin-agarose, and single-stranded DNA-cellulose. The purified protein had both DNA polymerase and 3'-5' exonuclease activities. The properties of the recombinant catalytic subunit were compared with those of the native heterodimeric DNA polymerase delta isolated from fetal calf thymus, and the enzymes were found to differ in several respects. Although the native heterodimer is equally active with either Mn2+ or Mg2+ as divalent cation activator, the recombinant catalytic subunit is approximately 5-fold more active in Mn2+ than in Mg2+. The most striking difference between the two proteins is the response to the proliferating cell nuclear antigen (PCNA). The activity and processivity of native DNA polymerase delta are markedly stimulated by PCNA whereas it has no effect on the recombinant catalytic subunit. These results suggest that the small subunit of DNA polymerase delta is essential for functional interaction with PCNA.
    Digital Access Access Options
  • Article
    Jung JE, Karoor V, Sandbaken MG, Lee BJ, Ohama T, Gesteland RF, Atkins JF, Mullenbach GT, Hill KE, Wahba AJ.
    J Biol Chem. 1994 Nov 25;269(47):29739-45.
    The UGA selenocysteine (Sec) codon in glutathione peroxidase mRNA and in selenoprotein P and the UGA stop codon in rabbit beta-globin mRNA were employed to study the utilization of Sec-tRNA[Ser]Sec and Ser-tRNA[Ser]Sec in protein synthesis. In vitro Ser-tRNA[Ser]Sec served as a suppressor of the UGA Sec codon as well as the UGA stop codon, while Sec-tRNA[Ser]Sec did not. However, in vivo Sec-tRNA[Ser]Sec did donate Sec to glutathione peroxidase in Xenopus oocytes microinjected with glutathione peroxidase mRNA and Sec-tRNA. A ribosome binding assay was devised to investigate the interaction of aminoacyl-tRNA, rabbit reticulocyte ribosomes, and eukaryotic elongation factor 1 (eEF-1) in response to the appropriate trinucleoside diphosphate template. Ser-tRNA[Ser]Sec bound weakly to ribosomes in the presence of eEF-1 and UGA as compared to Phe-tRNA, Ser-tRNAIGA, and Met-tRNAm which bound more efficiently in the presence of eEF-1 and the appropriate template. No increase in the binding of Sec-tRNA[Ser]Sec was observed under the same conditions as Ser-tRNA[Ser]Sec. The ribosome binding studies substantiated the finding that Ser-tRNA[Ser]Sec serves as a suppressor of UGA codons in protein synthesis, but Sec-tRNA[Ser]Sec does not. In addition, these studies provide strong evidence that a specific elongation factor is required in mammalian cells for insertion of Sec into protein from Sec-tRNA[Ser]Sec.
    Digital Access Access Options
  • Article
    Thompson RE, Morrical SW, Campbell DP, Carper WR.
    Biochim Biophys Acta. 1983 Jun 29;745(3):279-84.
    The conformational changes in glucose dehydrogenase are studied as a function of temperature and guanidinium chloride (GdmCl) concentration. The data were analyzed assuming a two-conformer model which gave similar results using either circular dichroism or enzyme activity. The free energy of denaturation was 0.94 kcal/mol from specific activity and 1.64 kcal/mol from circular dichroism measurements. The mid-point of the denaturation curve was 0.65 or 0.63 M GdmCl, as determined by specific activity or circular dichroism, respectively. The transition temperature, 6.4 degrees C, is close to that of a microsomal membrane phase change, a result that is consistent with the fact that glucose dehydrogenase contains lipid materials when isolated with a non-ionic detergent such as Triton X-114. As the temperature increased, the amount of beta-pleated sheet increased, and the alpha-helical content decreased, suggested that glucose dehydrogenase contains a stable core of beta-pleated sheet.
    Digital Access Access Options
  • Article
    Kubilus J, Baden HP.
    Biochim Biophys Acta. 1983 Jun 29;745(3):285-91.
    The deimination of guanidyl groups of peptides, proteins and other arginine-containing compounds is catalyzed by enzymes found in mammalian brain and epidermis. In cow, the brain and epidermal enzymes differ kinetically and physically, but both may be quantitated by measuring the production of benzoyl citrulline ethyl ester from benzoyl-arginine ethyl ester. The brain enzyme has been purified to apparent homogeneity, as judged by the presence of only one 85,000 dalton band in purified preparations when examined by SDS-polyacrylamide gel electrophoresis. An antibody raised to this band precipitates pure and partially purified brain enzyme but not partially purified epidermal enzyme, using the Ouchterlony technique. The antibody bound to an insoluble matrix removes brain enzyme activity from solution but not epidermal enzyme activity. The Km of the brain enzyme for benzoyl-arginine ethyl ester is about 0.33 mM.
    Digital Access Access Options
  • Article
    Craven PA, DeRubertis FR.
    Biochim Biophys Acta. 1983 Jun 29;745(3):310-21.
    Guanylate cyclase activity was purified to apparent homogeneity from rat liver (7700-fold) and bovine lung (8600-fold) soluble fractions by ammonium sulfate precipitation, DEAE-cellulose chromatography, agarose gel filtration and isoelectric focussing. The purified enzymes did not contain heme and did not respond to NO, nitroprusside or NO-cysteine in the absence of exogenous hematin. By contrast, preformed NO-hemoglobin increased enzyme activity 10-12-fold or 60-80-fold when 4 mM MnCl2 or 4 mM MgCl2, respectively, were employed as the metal ion co-factor. Addition of hematin to the enzyme preparations restored responsiveness to NO, nitroprusside or NO-cysteine to levels seen with NO-hemoglobin. Partial purification of guanylate cyclase from the soluble fraction of bovine lung (2400-fold) by ammonium sulfate precipitation, DEAE-cellulose chromatography, agarose gel filtration and high pressure liquid chromatography (HPLC) resulted in a preparation which contained endogenous heme as indicated by absorbance at 436 nm and responded to NO, nitroprusside and NO-cysteine in the absence of added hematin. By contrast, guanylate cyclase purified from the hepatic supernatant by the identical procedure, did not contain detectable absorption due to heme and did not respond or responded poorly to NO, nitroprusside or NO-cysteine in the absence of exogenous hematin. Analogous to hepatic guanylate cyclase purified by isoelectric focussing, the HPLC purified hepatic enzyme was activated 14-fold by NO-hemoglobin in assays which contained 4 mM MnCl2 and 60-fold in assays with 4 mM MgCl2. Further, addition of hematin to the HPLC purified enzyme restored responsiveness to NO, nitroprusside and NO-cysteine to levels seen with NO-hemoglobin. These effects of hematin were specific for hematin and were not mimicked by albumin, sucrose or dithiothreitol. Moreover, the failure to observe stimulation of purified hepatic guanylate cyclase was not explained by a shift in the concentration response relationship between NO and guanylate cyclase activity. Several observations indicated that neither NO-thiol complexes nor [Fe(CN)5NO]-3 were the proximate moieties responsible for activation of guanylate cyclase by nitroprusside and related agents, as has been previously suggested. These results strongly support the proposal that activation of guanylate cyclase by NO and related agents specifically requires formation of an NO-heme complex.
    Digital Access Access Options
  • Article
    Dreyer JL, Beinert H, Keana JF, Hankovszky OH, Hideg K, Eaton SS, Eaton GR.
    Biochim Biophys Acta. 1983 Jun 29;745(3):229-36.
    It has been reported by Johnson et al. ((1977) Biochem. Biophys. Res. Commun. 74, 384-389) that phenacyl bromide reacts with a single reactive sulfhydryl group of aconitase, abolishing enzyme activity. Substrate or analogs have a protective effect. This group is therefore at the catalytic site of the enzyme. Aconitase is also known to be an Fe-S protein, paramagnetic as obtained on purification (Ruzicka and Beinert (1978) J. Biol. Chem. 253, 2514-2517). We have attempted to obtain information on the location of the Fe-S cluster of aconitase with respect to the catalytically active site by attaching nitroxide-labelled sulfhydryl reagents of the bromoacyl and maleimide type to the sensitive sulfhydryl group. The EPR signals of those spin-labelled sulfhydryl reagents that abolish enzyme activity disappear during reaction with aconitase. EPR spectra at 13 K of the product obtained by reaction of three spin labels (two maleimides and one bromoacyl) with aconitase included a half-field transition at g approximately equal to 4.0 which is characteristic of spin-spin interaction. On the basis of calculations of the dependence of the intensity of the half-field transition on the distance between two interacting unpaired electrons (Eaton and Eaton, (1982) J. Am. Chem. Soc. 104, 5002-5003) the distances between the nitroxide N-O bond and the center of the Fe-S cluster for the three spin labels were calculated to be 10.5, 11 and 13 A. Combined distance and orientation data for the three spin labels indicate that the reactive sulfhydryl group is about 12 A from the center of the Fe-S cluster.
    Digital Access Access Options