Correlation of non-uniform protein expression with variation in transmitter release probability

The strength of synaptic transmission is highly variable between different synapses. The present study examined some factors that may contribute to this variation in the strength of neurotransmission in sympathetic varicosities of the mouse vas deferens. Transmitter release was measured using a focal macropatch electrode placed over pairs of visualised varicosities. By regulating the calcium concentration of the solutions inside the recording electrode and in the bath independently of each other, transmitter release was restricted to one or two surface varicosities at each recording site. Using this technique, transmitter release probability was shown to be highly variable, even between adjacent varicosities on single axon branches. Very little variation was observed in the calcium influx following single impulse nerve stimulation between adjacent Oregon Green BAPTA-1 loaded varicosities. However, the staining intensities of three vesicular proteins, SV2, synaptophysin, and synaptotagmin 1, showed considerable variation between adjacent varicosities on single axon branches. This variation in staining intensity may be partly explained by variation in the density of synaptic vesicles. However, double staining experiments using two vesicular antigens showed some varicosities staining for one vesicular antigen, but not for the second, suggesting that the expression of these release machinery proteins is regulated locally within the varicosities. The results of the present study strengthen suggestions that synaptic strength is at least in part, regulated by variation in the expression of vesicular proteins. (C) 2004 Wiley-Liss, Inc.

The crystal structure of a bacterial Class II ketol-acid reductolsomerase: Domain conservation and evolution

Ketol-acid reductoisomerase (KARI; EC 1.1.1.86) catalyzes two steps in the biosynthesis of branched-chain amino acids. Amino acid sequence comparisons across species reveal that there are two types of this enzyme: a short form (Class 1) found in fungi and most bacteria, and a long form (Class 11) typical of plants. Crystal structures of each have been reported previously. However, some bacteria such as Escherichia coli possess a long form, where the amino acid sequence differs appreciably from that found in plants. Here, we report the crystal structure of the E. coli enzyme at 2.6 A resolution, the first three-dimensional structure of any bacterial Class 11 KARI. The enzyme consists of two domains, one with mixed alpha/beta structure, which is similar to that found in other pyridine nucleotide-dependent dehydrogenases. The second domain is mainly alpha-helical and shows strong evidence of internal duplication. Comparison of the active sites between KARI of E. coli, Pseudomonas aeruginosa, and spinach shows that most residues occupy conserved positions in the active site. E. coli KARI was crystallized as a tetramer, the likely biologically active unit. This contrasts with P. aeruginosa KARI, which forms a dodecamer, and spinach KARI, a dimer. In the E. coli KARI tetramer, a novel subunit-to-subunit interacting surface is formed by a symmetrical pair of bulbous protrusions.

A role for the phagosome in cytokine secretion

Membrane traffic in activated macrophages is required for two critical events in innate immunity: proinflammatory cytokine secretion and phagocytosis of pathogens. We found a joint trafficking pathway linking both actions, which may economize membrane transport and augment the immune response. Tumor necrosis factor alpha (TNF alpha) is trafficked from the Golgi to the recycling endosome (RE), where vesicle-associated membrane protein 3 mediates its delivery to the cell surface at the site of phagocytic cup formation. Fusion of the RE at the cup simultaneously allows rapid release of TNF alpha and expands the membrane for phagocytosis.

Recombinant human activated protein C improves pulmonary function in ovine acute lung injury resulting from smoke inhalation and sepsis

Objective: To investigate the effects of recombinant human activated protein C (rhAPC) on pulmonary function in acute lung injury (ALI) resulting from smoke inhalation in association with a bacterial challenge. Design: Prospective, randomized, controlled, experimental animal study with repeated measurements. Setting: Investigational intensive care unit at a university hospital. Subjects: Eighteen sheep (37.2 +/- 1.0 kg) were operatively prepared and randomly allocated to either the sham, control, or rhAPC group (n = 6 each). After a tracheotomy had been performed, ALI was produced in the control and rhAPC group by insufflation of 4 sets of 12 breaths of cotton smoke. Then, a 30 mL suspension of live Pseudomonas aeruginosa bacteria (containing 2-5 x 10(11) colony forming units) was instilled into the lungs according to an established protocol. The sham group received only the vehicle, i.e., 4 sets of 12 breaths of room air and instillation of 30 mL normal saline. The sheep were studied in the awake state for 24 hrs and were ventilated with 100% oxygen. RhAPC (24 mu g/kg/hr) was intravenously administered. The infusion was initiated 1 hr post-injury and lasted until the end of the experiment. The animals were resuscitated with Ringer's lactate solution to maintain constant pulmonary artery occlusion pressure. Measurements and Main Results., In comparison with nontreatment in controls, the infusion of rhAPC significantly attenuated the fall in PaO2/FiO(2) ratio (control group values were 521 +/- 22 at baseline [BL], 72 +/- 5 at 12 hrs, and 74 +/- 7 at 24 hrs, vs. rhAPC group values of 541 +/- 12 at BL, 151 +/- 29 at 12 hours [p < .05 vs. control], and 118 +/- 20 at 24 hrs), and significantly reduced the increase in pulmonary microvascular shunt fraction (Qs/Qt; control group at BL, 0.14 +/- 0.02, and at 24 hrs, 0.65 +/- 0.08; rhAPC group at BL, 0.24 +/- 0.04, and at 24 hrs, 0.45 +/- 0.02 [p < .05 vs. control]) and the increase in peak airway pressure (mbar; control group at BL, 20 +/- 1, and at 24 hrs, 36 +/- 4; rhAPC group at BL, 21 +/- 1, and at 24 hrs, 28 +/- 2 [p < .05 vs. control]). In addition, rhAPC limited the increase in lung 3-nitrotyrosine (after 24 hrs [%]: sham, 7 +/- 2; control, 17 +/- 1; rhAPC, 12 +/- 1 [p < .05 vs. control]), a reliable indicator of tissue injury. However, rhAPC failed to prevent lung edema formation. RhAPC-treated sheep showed no difference in activated clotting time or platelet count but exhibited less fibrin degradation products (1/6 animals) than did controls (4/6 animals). Conclusions. Recombinant human activated protein C attenuated ALI after smoke inhalation and bacterial challenge in sheep, without bleeding complications.

Cytokine secretion via cholesterol-rich lipid raft-associated SNAREs at the phagocytic cup

Lipopolysaccharide-activated macrophages rapidly synthesize and secrete tumor necrosis factor alpha(TNF alpha) to prime the immune system. Surface delivery of membrane carrying newly synthesized TNF alpha is controlled and limited by the level of soluble N-ethylmaleimide-sensitive factor attachment protein receptor ( SNARE) proteins syntaxin 4 and SNAP-23. Many functions in immune cells are coordinated from lipid rafts in the plasma membrane, and we investigated a possible role for lipid rafts in TNF alpha trafficking and secretion. TNF alpha surface delivery and secretion were found to be cholesterol-dependent. Upon macrophage activation, syntaxin 4 was recruited to cholesterol-dependent lipid rafts, whereas its regulatory protein, Munc18c, was excluded from the rafts. Syntaxin 4 in activated macrophages localized to discrete cholesterol-dependent puncta on the plasma membrane, particularly on filopodia. Imaging the early stages of TNF alpha surface distribution revealed these puncta to be the initial points of TNF alpha delivery. During the early stages of phagocytosis, syntaxin 4 was recruited to the phagocytic cup in a cholesterol-dependent manner. Insertion of VAMP3-positive recycling endosome membrane is required for efficient ingestion of a pathogen. Without this recruitment of syntaxin 4, it is not incorporated into the plasma membrane, and phagocytosis is greatly reduced. Thus, relocation of syntaxin 4 into lipid rafts in macrophages is a critical and rate-limiting step in initiating an effective immune response.

Kinetic and structural evidence for the importance of Tyr236 for the integrity of the Mo active site in a bacterial sulfite dehydrogenase

The sulfite dehydrogenase from Starkeya novella is the only known sulfite-oxidizing enzyme that forms a permanent heterodimeric complex between a molybdenum and a heme c-containing subunit and can be crystallized in an electron transfer competent conformation. Tyr236 is a highly conserved active site residue in sulfite oxidoreductases and has been shown to interact with a nearby arginine and a molybdenum-oxo ligand that is involved in catalysis. We have created a Tyr236 to Phe substitution in the SorAB sulfite dehydrogenase. The purified SDHY236F protein has been characterized in terms of activity, structure, intramolecular electron transfer, and EPR properties. The substituted protein exhibited reduced turnover rates and substrate affinity as well as an altered reactivity toward molecular oxygen as an electron acceptor. Following reduction by sulfite and unlike SDHWT, the substituted enzyme was reoxidized quickly in the presence of molecular oxygen, a process reminiscent of the reactions of the sulfite oxidases. SDHY236F also exhibited the pH-dependent CW-EPR signals that are typically observed in vertebrate sulfite oxidases, allowing a direct link of CW-EPR properties to changes caused by a single-amino acid substitution. No quantifiable electron transfer was seen in laser flash photolysis experiments with SDHY236F. The crystal structure of SDHY236F clearly shows that as a result of the substitution the hydrogen bonding network surrounding the active site is disturbed, resulting in an increased mobility of the nearby arginine. These disruptions underline the importance of Tyr236 for the integrity of the substrate binding site and the optimal alignment of Arg55, which appears to be necessary for efficient electron transfer.

Mechanisms underlying the diminished sensitivity to prolactin negative feedback during lactation: Reduced STAT5 signaling and up-regulation of cytokine-inducible SH2 domain-containing protein (CIS) expression in tuberoinfundibular dopaminergic neurons

Hyperprolactinaemia during lactation is a consequence of the sucking stimulus and in part due to reduced prolactin (PRL) negative feedback. To date, the mechanisms involved in this diminished sensitivity to PRL feedback are unknown but may involve changes in PRL signal transduction within tuberoinfundibular dopaminergic (TIDA) neurons. Therefore, we investigated signal transducers and activators of transcription (STAT) 5 signaling in the TIDA neurons of lactating rats. Dual-label confocal immunofluorescence studies were used to determine the intracellular distribution of STAT5 within TIDA neurons in the dorsomedial arcuate nucleus. In lactating rats with pups removed for 16 h, injection of ovine PRL significantly (P < 0.05) increased the STAT5 nuclear/cytoplasmic ratio compared with vehicle-treated mothers. In contrast, ovine PRL injection did not increase the STAT5 nuclear/cytoplasmic ratio in lactating mothers with pups, demonstrating that PRL signal transduction through STAT5 is reduced in TIDA neurons in the presence of pups. To investigate possible mechanisms involved in reduced PRL signaling, we examined the expression of suppressors of cytokine signaling (SOCS) proteins. Northern analysis on whole hypothalamus showed that CIS (cytokine-inducible SH2 domain-containing protein), but not SOCS1 or SOCS3, mRNA expression was significantly (P < 0.01) up-regulated in suckled lactating rats. Semiquantitative RT-PCR on arcuate nucleus micropunches also showed up-regulation of CIS transcripts. Immunofluorescence studies demonstrated that CIS is expressed in all TIDA neurons in the dorsomedial arcuate nucleus, and the intensity of CIS staining in these neurons is significantly (P < 0.05) increased in lactating rats with sucking pups. Together, these results support the hypothesis that loss of sensitivity to PRL-negative feedback during lactation is a result of increased CIS expression in TIDA neurons.

Mimicking the action of GroEL in molecular dynamics simulations: Application to the refinement of protein structures

Bacterial chaperonin, GroEL, together with its co-chaperonin, GroES, facilitates the folding of a variety of polypeptides. Experiments suggest that GroEL stimulates protein folding by multiple cycles of binding and release. Misfolded proteins first bind to an exposed hydrophobic surface on GroEL. GroES then encapsulates the substrate and triggers its release into the central cavity of the GroEL/ES complex for folding. In this work, we investigate the possibility to facilitate protein folding in molecular dynamics simulations by mimicking the effects of GroEL/ES namely, repeated binding and release, together with spatial confinement. During the binding stage, the (metastable) partially folded proteins are allowed to attach spontaneously to a hydrophobic surface within the simulation box. This destabilizes the structures, which are then transferred into a spatially confined cavity for folding. The approach has been tested by attempting to refine protein structural models generated using the ROSETTA procedure for ab initio structure prediction. Dramatic improvements in regard to the deviation of protein models from the corresponding experimental structures were observed. The results suggest that the primary effects of the GroEL/ES system can be mimicked in a simple coarse-grained manner and be used to facilitate protein folding in molecular dynamics simulations. Furthermore, the results Sur port the assumption that the spatial confinement in GroEL/ES assists the folding of encapsulated proteins.

Protein disulfide isomerase: the structure of oxidative folding

Cellular functions hinge on the ability of proteins to adopt their correct folds, and misfolded proteins can lead to disease. Here, we focus on the proteins that catalyze disulfide bond formation, a step in the oxidative folding pathway that takes place in specialized cellular compartments. In the endoplasmic reticulum of eukaryotes, disulfide formation is catalyzed by protein disulfide isomerase (PDI); by contrast, prokaryotes produce a family of disulfide bond (Dsb) proteins, which together achieve an equivalent outcome in the bacterial periplasm. The recent crystal structure of yeast PDI has increased our understanding of the function and mechanism of PDI. Comparison of the structure of yeast PDI with those of bacterial DsbC and DsbG reveals some similarities but also striking differences that suggest directions for future research aimed at unraveling the catalytic mechanism of disulfide bond formation in the cell.

Type III secretion contact-dependent model for the intracellular development of Chlamydia

The medically significant genus Chlamydia is a class of obligate intracellular bacterial pathogens that replicate within vacuoles in host eukaryotic cells termed inclusions. Chlamydia's developmental cycle involves two forms; an infectious extracellular form, known as an elementary body (EB), and a non-infectious form, known as the reticulate body (RB), that replicates inside the vacuoles of the host cells. The RB surface is covered in projections that are in intimate contact with the inclusion membrane. Late in the developmental cycle, these reticulate bodies differentiate into the elementary body form. In this paper, we present a hypothesis for the modulation of these developmental events involving the contact-dependent type III secretion (TTS) system. TTS surface projections mediate intimate contact between the RB and the inclusion membrane. Below a certain number of projections, detachment of the RB provides a signal for late differentiation of RB into EB. We use data and develop a mathematical model investigating this hypothesis. If the hypothesis proves to be accurate, then we have shown that increasing the number of inclusions per host cell will increase the number of infectious progeny EB until some optimal number of inclusions. For more inclusions than this optimum, the infectious yield is reduced because of spatial restrictions. We also predict that a reduction in the number of projections on the surface of the RB (and as early as possible during development) will significantly reduce the burst size of infectious EB particles. Many of the results predicted by the model can be tested experimentally and may lead to the identification of potential targets for drug design. © Society for Mathematical Biology 2006.

A sensitive HPLC method for measuring bacterial proteolysis and proteinase activity in UHT milk

A sensitive quantitative reversed-phase HPLC method is described for measuring bacterial proteolysis and proteinase activity in UHT milk. The analysis is performed on a TCA filtrate of the milk. The optimum concentration of TCA was found to be 4%; at lower concentrations, non-precipitated protein blocked the HPLC while higher concentrations yielded lower amounts of peptides. The method showed greater sensitivity and reproducibility than a fluorescamine-based method. Quantification of the HPLC method was achieved by use of an external dipeptide standard or a standard proteinase. (c) 2006 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

Effect of site-specific mutations in different phosphotransfer domains of the chemosensory protein ChpA on Pseudomonas aeruginosa motility

The virulence of Pseudomonas aeruginosa and other surface pathogens involves the coordinate expression of a wide range of virulence determinants, including type IV pili. These surface filaments are important for the colonization of host epithelial tissues and mediate bacterial attachment to, and translocation across, surfaces by a process known as twitching motility. This process is controlled in part by a complex signal transduction system whose central component, ChpA, possesses nine potential sites of phosphorylation, including six histidine-containing phosphotransfer (HPt) domains, one serine-containing phosphotransfer domain, one threonine-containing phosphotransfer domain, and one CheY-like receiver domain. Here, using site-directed mutagenesis, we show that normal twitching motility is entirely dependent on the CheY-like receiver domain and partially dependent on two of the HPt domains. Moreover, under different assay conditions, point mutations in several of the phosphotransfer domains of ChpA give rise to unusual "swarming" phenotypes, possibly reflecting more subtle perturbations in the control of P. aeruginosa motility that are not evident from the conventional twitching stab assay. Together, these results suggest that ChpA plays a central role in the complex regulation of type IV pilus-mediated motility in P. aeruginosa