-
[
Biochim Biophys Acta,
2001]
Apparent Ca2+-binding constant (K-app) of Caenorhabditis elegans troponin C (CeTnC) was determined by a fluorescence titration method. The K-app of the N-domain Ca2+-binding site of CeTnC was 7.9 +/- 1.6 x 10(5) M-1 and that of the C-domain site was 1.2 +/- 0.6 x 10(6) M-1, respectively. Mg2+-dependence of the K-app showed that both Ca2+-binding sites did not bind competitively Mg2+. The Ca2+ dissociation rate constant (k(off)) of CeTnC was determined by the fluorescence stopped-flow method. The k(off) of the N-domain Ca2+-binding site of CeTnC was 703 +/- 208 s(-1) and that of the C-domain site was 286 +/- 33 s(-1), respectively. From these values we could calculate the Ca2+-binding rate constant (k(on)) as to be 5.6 +/- 2.8 x 10(8) M-1 s(-1) for the N-domain site and 3.4 +/- 2.1 x 10(8) M (1) s(-1) for the C-domain site, respectively. These results mean that all Ca2+-binding sites of CeTnC are low affinity, fast dissociating and Ca2+-specific sites. Evolutional function of TnC between vertebrate and invertebrate and biological functions of wild type and mutant CeTnCs are discussed.
-
[
Nucleosides Nucleotides Nucleic Acids,
2007]
DcpS (scavenger decapping enzyme) from nematode C. elegans readily hydrolyzes both monomethyl- and trimethylguanosine cap analogues. The reaction was followed fluorimetrically. The marked increase of fluorescence intensity after the cleavage of pyrophosphate bond in dinucleotides was used to determine K(m) and V(max)values. Kinetic parameters were similar for both classes of substrates and only slightly dependent on pH. The hydrolysis was strongly inhibited by methylene cap analogues (m(7)Gp(CH(2))ppG and m(7)Gpp(CH(2))pG) and less potently by ARCA (m(7,3'' O)GpppG).
-
[
PLoS One,
2014]
Mycoplasma iowae is a well-established avian pathogen that can infect and damage many sites throughout the body. One potential mediator of cellular damage by mycoplasmas is the production of H2O2 via a glycerol catabolic pathway whose genes are widespread amongst many mycoplasma species. Previous sequencing of M. iowae serovar I strain 695 revealed the presence of not only genes for H2O2 production through glycerol catabolism but also the first documented mycoplasma gene for catalase, which degrades H2O2. To test the activity of M. iowae catalase in degrading H2O2, we studied catalase activity and H2O2 accumulation by both M. iowae serovar K strain DK-CPA, whose genome we sequenced, and strains of the H2O2-producing species Mycoplasma gallisepticum engineered to produce M. iowae catalase by transformation with the M. iowae putative catalase gene, katE. H2O2-mediated virulence by M. iowae serovar K and catalase-producing M. gallisepticum transformants were also analyzed using a Caenorhabditis elegans toxicity assay, which has never previously been used in conjunction with mycoplasmas. We found that M. iowae katE encodes an active catalase that, when expressed in M. gallisepticum, reduces both the amount of H2O2 produced and the amount of damage to C. elegans in the presence of glycerol. Therefore, the correlation between the presence of glycerol catabolism genes and the use of H2O2 as a virulence factor by mycoplasmas might not be absolute.
-
[
Biochemistry,
2012]
Decapping scavenger (DcpS) enzymes catalyze the cleavage of a residual cap structure following 3' 5' mRNA decay. Some previous studies suggested that both m(7)GpppG and m(7)GDP were substrates for DcpS hydrolysis. Herein, we show that mononucleoside diphosphates, m(7)GDP (7-methylguanosine diphosphate) and m(3)(2,2,7)GDP (2,2,7-trimethylguanosine diphosphate), resulting from mRNA decapping by the Dcp1/2 complex in the 5' 3' mRNA decay, are not degraded by recombinant DcpS proteins (human, nematode, and yeast). Furthermore, whereas mononucleoside diphosphates (m(7)GDP and m(3)(2,2,7)GDP) are not hydrolyzed by DcpS, mononucleoside triphosphates (m(7)GTP and m(3)(2,2,7)GTP) are, demonstrating the importance of a triphosphate chain for DcpS hydrolytic activity. m(7)GTP and m(3)(2,2,7)GTP are cleaved at a slower rate than their corresponding dinucleotides (m(7)GpppG and m(3)(2,2,7)GpppG, respectively), indicating an involvement of the second nucleoside for efficient DcpS-mediated digestion. Although DcpS enzymes cannot hydrolyze m(7)GDP, they have a high binding affinity for m(7)GDP and m(7)GDP potently inhibits DcpS hydrolysis of m(7)GpppG, suggesting that m(7)GDP may function as an efficient DcpS inhibitor. Our data have important implications for the regulatory role of m(7)GDP in mRNA metabolic pathways due to its possible interactions with different cap-binding proteins, such as DcpS or eIF4E.
-
[
Acta Biochim Pol,
2002]
Translation initiation factor eIF4E binds the m(7)G cap of eukaryotic mRNAs and mediates recruitment of mRNA to the ribosome during cap-dependent translation initiation. This event is the rate-limiting step of translation and a major target for translational control. In the nematode Caenorhabditis elegans, about 70% of genes express mRNAs with an unusual cap structure containing m(3)(2'2'7)G, which is poorly recognized by mammalian eIF4E. C. elegans expresses five isoforms of eIF4E (IFE-1, IFE-2, etc.). Three of these (IFE-3, IFE-4 and IFE-5) were investigated by means of spectroscopy and structural modelling based on mouse eIF4E bound to m(7) GDP. Intrinsic fluorescence quenching of Trp residues in the IFEs by iodide ions indicated structural differences between the apo and m(7)G cap bound proteins. Fluorescence quenching by selected cap analogues showed that only IFE-5 forms specific complexes with both m(7)G and m(3)(2,2,7)G-containing caps (K(as)2X10(6) M-1 to 7X10(6) M-1) wheras IFE-3 and IFE-4 discriminated strongly in favor of m(7)G-containing caps. These spectroscopic results quantitatively confirm earlier qualitative data derived from affinity chromatography. The dependence of K-as on pH indicated optimal cap binding of IFE-3, IFE-4 and IFE-5 at pH 7.2, lower by 0.4 pH units than that of eIF4E from human erythrocytes. These results provide insight into the molecular mechanism of recognition of structurally different caps by the highly homologous
-
[
J Biol Chem,
2003]
The contributions to substrate binding and catalysis of 13 amino acid residues of the Caenorhabditis elegans diadenosine tetraphosphate pyrophosphohydrolase (Ap(4)A hydrolase) predicted from the crystal structure of an enzyme-inhibitor complex have been investigated by site-directed mutagenesis. Sixteen glutathione S-transferase-Ap(4)A hydrolase fusion proteins were expressed and their k(cat) and K-m values determined after removal of the glutathione S-transferase domain. As expected for a Nudix hydrolase, the wild type k(cat) of 23 s(-1) was reduced by 10(5)-, 10(3)-, and 30-fold, respectively, by replacement of the conserved P-phosphate-binding catalytic residues Glu(56), Glu(52), and Glu(103) by Gln. K-m values were not affected, indicating a lack of importance for substrate binding. In contrast, mutating His(31) to Val or Ala and Lys(83) to Met produced 10- and 16-fold increases in K. compared with the wild type value of 8.8 muM. These residues stabilize the P-1-phosphate. H31V and H31A had a normal kcat but K83M showed a 37-fold reduction in k(cat). Lys(36) also stabilizes the P-1-phosphate and a K36M mutant had a 10-fold reduced kcat but a relatively normal K-m. Thus both Lys(36) and Lys(83) may play a role in catalysis. The previously suggested roles of Tyr(27), His(38), Lys(79), and Lys(81) in stabilizing the P-2 and P-3-phosphates were not confirmed by mutagenesis, indicating the absence of phosphate-specific binding contacts in this region. Also, mutating both Tyr(76) and Tyr(121), which clamp one substrate adenosine moiety between them in the crystal structure, to Ala only increased K-m 4-fold. It is concluded that interactions with the P-1- and P-4-phosphates are minimum and sufficient requirements for substrate binding by this class of enzyme, indicating that
-
[
J Infect Dis,
2015]
BACKGROUND: Elimination of onchocerciasis and lymphatic filariasis is targeted for 2020. Given the coincident Loa loa infections in Central Africa and the potential for drug resistance development, the need for new microfilaricides and macrofilaricides has never been greater. With the genomes of L. loa, Onchocerca volvulus, Wuchereria bancrofti, and Brugia malayi available, new drug targets have been identified. METHODS: The effects of the tyrosine kinase inhibitors imatinib, nilotinib, and dasatinib on B. malayi adult males, adult females, L3 larvae, and microfilariae were assessed using a wide dose range (0-100 M) in vitro. RESULTS: For microfilariae, median inhibitory concentrations (IC50 values) on day 6 were 6.06 M for imatinib, 3.72 M for dasatinib, and 81.35 M for nilotinib; for L3 larvae, 11.27 M, 13.64 M, and 70.98 M, respectively; for adult males, 41.6 M, 3.87 M, and 68.22 M, respectively; and for adult females, 42.89 M, 9.8 M, and >100 M, respectively. Three-dimensional modeling suggests how these tyrosine kinase inhibitors bind and inhibit filarial protein activity. CONCLUSIONS: Given the safety of imatinib in humans, plans are underway for pilot clinical trials to assess its efficacy in patients with filarial infections.
-
[
J Biol Chem,
2004]
Choline kinase catalyzes the phosphorylation of choline by ATP, the first committed step in the CDP-choline pathway for phosphatidylcholine biosynthesis. To begin to elucidate the mechanism of catalysis by this enzyme, choline kinase A-2 from Caenorhabditis elegans was analyzed by systematic mutagenesis of highly conserved residues followed by analysis of kinetic and structural parameters. Specifically, mutants were analyzed with respect to K-m and k(cat) values for each substrate and Mg2+, inhibitory constants for Mg2+ and Ca2+, secondary structure as monitored by circular dichroism, and sensitivity to unfolding in guanidinium hydrochloride. The most severe impairment of catalysis occurred with the modification of Asp-255 and Asn-260, which are located in the conserved Brenner's phosphotransferase motif, and Asp-301 and Glu-303, in the signature choline kinase motif. For example, mutation of Asp-255 or Asp-301 to Ala eliminated detectable catalytic activity, and mutation of Asn-260 and Glu-303 to Ala decreased k(cat) by 300- and 10-fold, respectively. Additionally, the K-m for Mg2+ for mutants N260A and E303A was approximately 30-fold higher than that of wild type. Several other residues (Ser-86, Arg-111, Glu-125, and Trp-387) were identified as being important: Catalytic efficiencies (k(cat)/K-m) for the enzymes in which these residues were mutated to Ala were reduced to 2-25% of wild type. The high degree of structural similarity among choline kinase A-2, aminoglycoside phosphotransferases, and protein kinases, together with the results from this mutational analysis, indicates it is likely that these conserved residues are located at the
-
[
Biochem Biophys Res Commun,
2007]
We have cloned, expressed, purified and characterised ceFKB-6, the only large tetratricopeptide repeat motif-containing immunophilin in Caenorhabditis elegans which is similar to the human orthologues FKBP51 and FKBP52. It shows increased peptidyl prolyl isomerase activity, the measured k(cat)/K(m) of 1.3x10(6)M(-1)s(-1)is twofold greater than that of hFKBP12 and hFKBP51. NMR studies of the interaction between FKB-6 and the C-terminal DAF-21 pentapeptide MEEVD show interactions consistent with those found between the large human immunophilin TPR domains and human Hsp90. In vivo localisation studies show that the
fkb-6 gene is expressed in all stages from embryo to adult with predominant expression being noted in the adult dorsal and ventral nerve cords.
-
[
J Biol Chem,
2001]
Rab proteins are small GTPases that are essential elements of the protein transport machinery of eukaryotic cells. Each round of membrane transport requires a cycle of Rab protein nucleotide binding and hydrolysis. We have recently characterized a protein, Yip1p, which appears to play a role in Rab-mediated membrane transport in Saccharomyces cerevisiae. In this study, we report the identification of a Yip1p-associated protein, Yop1p. Yop1p is a membrane protein with a hydrophilic region at its N terminus through which it interacts specifically with the cytosolic domain of Yip1p. Yop1p could also be coprecipitated with Rab proteins from total cellular lysates. The TB2 gene is the human homolog of Yop1p (Kinzler, K. W., Nilbert, M. C., Su, L.-K., Vogelstein, B., Bryan, T. M., Levey, D. B., Smith, K. J., Preisinger, A. C., Hedge, P., McKechnie, D., Finniear, R., Markham, A., Groffen, J., Boguski, M. S., Altschul, S. F., Horii, A., Ando, H. M., Y., Miki, Y., Nishisho, I., and Nakamura, Y. (1991) Science 253, 661-665). Our data demonstrate that Yop1p negatively regulates cell growth. Disruption of YOP1 has no apparent effect on cell viability, while overexpression results in cell death, accumulation of internal cell membranes, and a block in membrane traffic. These results suggest that Yop1p acts in conjunction with Yip1p to mediate a common step in membrane traffic.