Impairment of ribosome biogenesis leads to p53 induction and cell cycle arrest, a checkpoint involved in human disease. Induction of p53 is attributed to the binding and inhibition of human double minute 2 (Hdm2) by a subset of ribosomal proteins (RPs): RPS7, RPL5, RPL11, and RPL23. However, we found that only RPL11 or RPL5, in a mutually dependent manner, elicit this response.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFWe adapted the method of epitope mapping by site-directed masking, which was described for purified soluble antigens [Paus,D. and Winter,G. (2006) Proc.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFThe study and therapeutic modulation of purinergic signaling is hindered by a lack of specific inhibitors for NTP diphosphohydrolases (NTPDases),which are the terminating enzymes for these processes. In addition, little is known of the NTPDase protein structural elements that affect enzymatic activity and which could be used as targets for inhibitor design. In the present study, we report the first inhibitory monoclonal antibodies specific for an NTPDase, namely human NTPDase3 (EC 3.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFEcto-nucleoside triphosphate diphosphohydrolases, NTPDase1 (CD39) and NTPDase3, are integral plasma membrane proteins that hydrolyze extracellular nucleotides, thereby modulating the function of purinergic receptors. During processing in the secretory pathway, the active sites of ecto-nucleotidases are located in the lumen of vesicular compartments, thus raising the question whether the ecto-nucleotidases affect the ATP-dependent processes in these compartments, including protein folding in the endoplasmic reticulum (ER). It has been reported (J.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFCell-surface nucleotidases (NTPDases) contain 10 invariant cysteine residues in their extracellular regions. To investigate disulfide structure in human NTPDase3, we made single and double mutants of these 10 cysteines, and analyzed their enzymatic activity, glycosylation pattern, trafficking to the cell membrane, and sensitivity to reduction. The mutants constituted five distinct phenotypes, thus, strongly suggesting disulfide bonds between C92-C116 (first bond), C261-C308 (second bond), C289-C334 (third bond), C347-C353 (fourth bond), and C399-C422 (fifth bond).
View Article and Find Full Text PDFThe ectonucleoside triphosphate diphosphohydrolases (NTPDases) control extracellular nucleotide concentrations, thereby modulating many important biological responses, including blood clotting and pain perception. NTPDases1-4 are oligomeric integral membrane proteins, whereas NTPDase5 (CD39L4) and NTPDase6 (CD39L2) are soluble monomeric enzymes, making them more amenable to thorough structural and functional analyses than the membrane-bound forms. Therefore, we report here the bacterial expression, refolding, purification, and biochemical characterization of the soluble portion of human NTPDase6.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFA newly discovered human analogue of a bed bug apyrase, which we named hSCAN-1 for human soluble calcium-activated nucleotidase-1, was expressed in bacteria, refolded from inclusion bodies, purified, and characterized. This apyrase, which is distinct from the eNTPDases exemplified by the endothelial CD39 (NTPDase1) apyrase, is a 38 kDa monomeric enzyme capable of hydrolyzing a variety of nucleoside di- and triphosphates, but not monophosphates. Preferred substrates include GDP, UDP, and IDP, with a pH optimum for activity between 6 and 7.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFCysteine-to-serine mutations were constructed to test the functional and structural significance of the three non-extracellular cysteine residues in ecto-nucleoside-triphosphate diphosphohydrolase 3 (eNTPDase3). None of these cysteines were found to be essential for enzyme activity. However, Cys(10), located on the short N-terminal cytoplasmic tail, was found to be responsible for dimer formation occurring via oxidation during membrane preparation as well as for dimer cross-linking resulting from exogenously added sulfhydryl-specific cross-linking agents.
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