Equilibrium unfolding of the retinoid X receptor ligand binding domain and characterization of an unfolding intermediate.

The retinoid X receptor (RXR) is a ligand-activated transcription factor that plays an important role in growth and development and the maintenance of cellular homeostasis. A thermodynamic ultraviolet circular dichroism, tryptophan fluorescence and ligand binding activity with guanidine as a chemical denaturant are consistent with a two step mechanism. The dimeric LBD equilibrates with a monomeric intermediate (DeltaG(0)(H(2)O) equal to 8.

Structural characterization of zinc-deficient human superoxide dismutase and implications for ALS.

Over 130 mutations to copper, zinc superoxide dismutase (SOD) are implicated in the selective death of motor neurons found in 25% of patients with familial amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS). Despite their widespread distribution, ALS mutations appear positioned to cause structural and misfolding defects. Such defects decrease SOD's affinity for zinc, and loss of zinc from SOD is sufficient to induce apoptosis in motor neurons in vitro.

Calmodulin potentiates G beta gamma activation of phospholipase C-beta3.

Phospholipase C-beta (PLC-beta) isozymes (EC 3.1.4.

Selective production of rat mutant selenoprotein W with and without bound glutathione.

Matrix-assisted laser desorption/ionization mass spectrometry (MALDI MS) and electrospray ionization mass spectrometry (ESI MS) analysis of a 6x His-tagged recombinant form of rat mutant selenoprotein W (RMSW) reveals that aerobic growth conditions primarily produce a form of RMSW without bound glutathione (10,305 Da) whereas anaerobic conditions produce a glutathione-bound (305 Da) form (10,610 Da). Purification of RMSW was achieved with a procedure employing acetone precipitation and DEAE-cellulose chromatography, in addition to Ni-NTA agarose chromatography. Additional steps, including polyvalent metal ion binding (PMIB) resin chromatography and CM-cellulose chromatography, were necessary after elution from the Ni-NTA agarose column, in order to maintain solubility of the purified protein.

Dityrosine as a product of oxidative stress and fluorescent probe.

Dityrosine can be a natural component of protein structure, a product of environmental stress, or a product of in vitro protein modification. It is both a cross-link and a fluorescent probe that reports structural and functional information on the cross-linked protein molecule. Diverse reactions produce tyrosyl radicals, which in turn may couple to yield dityrosine.

Binding of 9-anthroylcholine monitors the interactions of adenosine cyclic 3',5'-phosphate-dependent protein kinase with MgATP, substrates, and regulatory subunits.

The isolated catalytic subunit of cAMP-dependent protein kinase and smooth muscle myosin light chain kinase undergo interactions with the fluorescent dye 9-anthroylcholine (9AC) that are responsive to the two enzymes' associations with substrates and effectors. Additionally, the binding of 9AC is highly sensitive to subtle structural or functional differences among closely related protein kinases. Skeletal muscle myosin light chain kinase and the catalytically active chymotryptic fragment of the gamma-subunit of phosphorylase kinase do not associate with 9AC.

Flexibility involving the intermolecular dityrosyl cross-links of enzymatically polymerized calmodulin.

The role of dityrosine as a fluorescent crossbridge between adjacent calmodulin molecules within the high molecular mass polymers that are generated by Arthromyces peroxidase-catalyzed cross-linking [Malencik, D. A., and Anderson, S.

Identification of a new phosphorylation site in cardiac muscle phosphofructokinase.

The novel phosphorylation site (Ser376) that we discovered during in vitro studies of the troponin C- or calmodulin-induced phosphorylation of rabbit muscle phosphofructokinase [Zhao, Z., Malencik, D.A.

Dityrosine: preparation, isolation, and analysis.

This article describes chromatographic and spectroscopic techniques that have multiple applications in the preparation, isolation, and analysis of dityrosine. A three-step chromatographic procedure facilitates the preparation of 120 mg or more (yield > 26% of theoretical maximum) of dityrosine from the enzyme-catalyzed oxidation of tyrosine. DEAE-cellulose chromatography performed in a boric acid-sodium borate buffer removes most of the contaminating pigments.

Rabbit liver phosphofructokinase: rapid purification and phosphorylation site identification.

Liver phosphofructokinase can be selectively precipitated by the addition of protamine sulfate to a heat-treated crude extract and redissolved, giving nearly full recovery of catalytic activity in combination with a 67-fold increase in specific activity. We have incorporated protamine sulfate precipitation into a five step purification procedure that can be completed in one day--giving 47% recovery of electrophoretically homogeneous liver phosphofructokinase having a specific activity of 50 units/mg. The radio-labeled fragment isolated from a CNBr digest of liver phosphofructokinase that has undergone in vitro phosphorylation catalyzed by the cAMP-dependent protein kinase has the sequence AEYVSGELEHVTRRSLS.

Dityrosine formation in calmodulin: cross-linking and polymerization catalyzed by Arthromyces peroxidase.

We employ bovine brain calmodulin, a protein that is subject to photoactivated dityrosine formation [Malencik, D. A., & Anderson, S.

Dityrosine formation in calmodulin: conditions for intermolecular cross-linking.

The pattern and extent of photoactivated dityrosine formation in bovine brain calmodulin are strongly affected by the presence of superoxide dismutase during UV irradiation. The addition of the enzyme to Ca(2+)-containing solutions of calmodulin results in an altered distribution of the dityrosine-containing photoproducts, from a predominance of cross-linked monomer to a mixture of products with inter- and intramolecular cross-linking. When Ca2+ is absent, significant dityrosine formation occurs only in the presence of superoxide dismutase.

Preparation and functional characterization of a catalytically active fragment of phosphorylase kinase.

Limited proteolysis of rabbit muscle phosphorylase kinase catalyzed by chymotrypsin generates a 33 kD product whose kinase activity is independent of both calcium and pH over the range of 6.8 to 8.3 (Malencik, D.

Analytical sedimentation studies of turkey gizzard myosin light chain kinase and telokin.

Sedimentation equilibrium and velocity studies were performed with turkey gizzard myosin light chain kinase (MLCK) and telokin, a small protein apparently corresponding to the sequence of the COOH-terminal end of MLCK. The measurements carried out with MLCK give values for the monomer molecular weight (M(r)), sedimentation coefficient (S20 degrees,w), and virial coefficient (A2) of 108,000, 3.74 S, and -1.

Continuous spectrophotometric assay of protein tyrosine phosphatase using phosphotyrosine.

A continuous activity assay for protein tyrosine phosphatases (PTPs), employing phosphotyrosine (P-Tyr) as a substrate, has been developed and applied to measure the activities of two purified enzymes, namely, the full length T-cell protein tyrosine phosphatase (TC PTP) and its truncated form (TC delta C11 PTP). The reaction was followed by changes in ultraviolet absorption and fluorescence resulting from the dephosphorylation of P-Tyr. Both enzymes obey Michaelis-Menten kinetics, with Km = 304 microM, Vmax = 62,000 units/mg for TC PTP and Km = 194 microM, Vmax = 73,000 units/mg for TC delta C11 PTP.

Fluorometric characterization of dityrosine: complex formation with boric acid and borate ion.

Borate/boric acid solutions have distinctive effects on the absorption and fluorescence emission spectra of dityrosine. In the presence of excess borate/boric acid, the fluorescence emission maximum of the singly ionized dityrosine chromophore shifts from 407 nm (quantum yield = 0.80) to 374 nm (quantum yield = 0.

Characterization of a new substrate for protein kinase C: assay by continuous fluorometric monitoring and high performance liquid chromatography.

A synthetic peptide derived from the phosphorylation site in the beta-subunit of phosphorylase kinase (RTKRSGSVYEPLKI) is an efficient substrate for rat brain protein kinase C: Km = 18 +/- 2 microM and Vmax = 2.1 +/- 0.1 mumol/min/mg.

Protein-induced inactivation and phosphorylation of rabbit muscle phosphofructokinase.

Several previously untested proteins promote the reversible inactivation of rabbit skeletal muscle phosphofructokinase. Grouped in decreasing order of effectiveness, they include the following: skeletal muscle troponin C greater than troponin, the two smooth muscle myosin light chains, alpha-actinin, and S-100 much greater than parvalbumin and soybean trypsin inhibitor. The efficiency of troponin C in this process may even exceed that previously reported for calmodulin.

Phosphorylase kinase: development of a continuous fluorometric assay for the determination of catalytic activity.

The preferential binding of 1-anilinonaphthalene-8-sulfonate by rabbit muscle phosphorylase a is the basis of a continuous fluorometric assay for phosphorylase kinase. The maximum rate of change in fluorescence (d delta F/dt) is dependent on both the concentration of phosphorylase kinase and on conditions, such as pH and calcium ion concentration, which affect the enzyme. Parallel measurements of the increases in fluorescence and of 32P incorporation demonstrate the existence of a distinct intermediate in the conversion of phosphorylase b to a.

Purification and characterization of catalytic fragments of phosphorylase kinase gamma subunit missing a calmodulin-binding domain.

A catalytic fragment preparation of rabbit muscle phosphorylase kinase produced by limited chymotryptic digestion was isolated and identified as the NH2-terminal region of the gamma subunit by Edman degradation. Mass spectral analysis, gas phase sequence analysis, and amino acid analysis of the active fragment carboxyl-terminal peptides revealed multiple COOH termini generated at residues Tyr290, Arg296, and Phe298 in the gamma subunit sequence. These active fragment species are about 24% smaller than the gamma subunit (Mr 44,673) and range in size from Mr 33,279 to Mr 34,275.

Determination of dityrosine, phosphotyrosine, phosphothreonine, and phosphoserine by high-performance liquid chromatography.

4'-Dimethylaminoazobenzene-4-sulfonyl chloride is a chromophoric reagent commonly used to detect amino acids at picomole levels. This article describes a single-column reverse-phase high-performance liquid chromatography system which allows the resolution and analysis of the dabsyl chloride derivatives of several modified amino acids. Highly derivatized C18 (22 and 31%) columns from Phenomenex are run at pH 8.

Turkey gizzard caldesmon: molecular weight determination and calmodulin binding studies.

Sedimentation equilibrium and sedimentation velocity measurements demonstrate that turkey gizzard caldesmon is an elongated molecule of molecular mass 75 +/- 2 kDa. The frictional ratio (2.14) is consistent with a prolate ellipsoid of axial ratio 24, corresponding to an apparent length and width of 516 and 21.

Association of melittin with the isolated myosin light chains.

Melittin is a 26-residue peptide which undergoes high-affinity calcium-dependent binding by calmodulin [Barnette, M.S., Daly, R.

Peptide cross-linking to calmodulin: attachment of [Tyr8]substance P.

Ultraviolet irradiation of calmodulin in the presence of calcium results in either the intramolecular cross-linking of Tyr99 and Tyr138 [Malencik, D.A., & Anderson, S.

Phosphorylation of the porcine atrial muscarinic acetylcholine receptor by cyclic AMP dependent protein kinase.

cAMP-dependent protein kinase, protein kinase C, cGMP-dependent protein kinase, smooth muscle myosin light-chain kinase, and phosphorylase kinase were examined with respect to their ability to phosphorylate porcine atrial muscarinic receptors (mAcChRs). Experiments were performed both in detergent solution and in a reconstituted system containing the mAcChR alone or in the presence of the purified porcine atrial inhibitor guanine nucleotide binding protein (Gi). Only cAMP-dependent protein kinase was capable of phosphorylating the receptor under any of the experimental conditions examined.