PFA, a novel mollusk agglutinin, is structurally related to the ribosome-inactivating protein superfamily.

The structural organization of PFA, a novel beta-galactose-specific agglutinin from the snail Pomacea flagellata, was partially characterized. Using mass spectrometry, the molecular weight of this glycoprotein was determined as 32,444 Da (7.4% carbohydrate). The agglutinin was found to form very large aggregates in solution, which were dissociated to monodisperse native-like dimers upon addition of polyethyleneglycol. The identity of the first 38 and the last 11 residues of the polypeptide chain was determined. It was found that PFA and the N-glycosidase subunit of ricin, a heterodimeric cytotoxin isolated from castor bean seeds, are homologous to each other in the N-terminal region. Furthermore, the far-UV circular dichroism spectra of these proteins were found to be nearly superimposable, evidencing that they share common general features in their secondary and tertiary structures. On the basis of these similarities, it can be concluded that PFA is structurally related to the ribosome-inactivating protein superfamily.

Purification and properties of a lipase from Cephaloleia presignis (Coleoptera, chrysomelidae).

A novel lipase from the insect Cephaloleia presignis was purified by a procedure involving ammonium sulphate precipitation, and Phenyl Toyopearl 650M, DEAE-5PW and hydrophobic-interaction column chromatographies. The purified lipase was homogeneous with a molecular mass of 31000 Da by SDS/PAGE and of 29000 Da by gel filtration on a Superose 12 column. The enzyme was identified as a glycoprotein with a pI of 6.9. The enzyme unspecifically liberated short-chain to long-chain fatty acids from p-nitrophenyl esters, methyl esters and triglycerides. The N-terminal 28 amino acid residues were determined as AGTLGYATRHVLPIFTLDDYTGSNEMWG, which showed no similarity with known proteins, suggesting that the purified lipase may belong to a novel class of hydrolases.

Metal content and conformation of the metalloprotease from the marine sponge Spheciospongia vesparia.

We have recently purified a protease from the marine sponge Spheciospongia vesparia. It consists of a single nonglycosylated polypeptide chain with a molecular weight of 29 600 and has one free thiol group. Metal analysis revealed the presence of zinc at 2.02 +/- 0.05 g-atoms per mole of protein, as measured by atomic absorption spectroscopy. The circular dichroism spectrum in the far UV region (183-259 nm) indicates that the sponge protease contains appreciable amounts of beta sheet. This enzyme resembles very much an aminopeptidase from Aeromonas proteolytica concerning activity and some physiochemical characteristics.

Isolation and characterization of a protease from the marine sponge Spheciospongia vesparia.

A protein that showed activity against proteic (casein and hide powder azure) and synthetic (BAEE and HLPA) substrates was isolated from the marine sponge Spheciospongia vesparia. The protease was purified from an aqueous extract by ammonium sulfate precipitation, gel filtration, hydrophobic and HPLC-anion exchange chromatographies. The purified protease showed a single band in SDS-PAGE minigels and had a molecular weight of 29,600, but when submitted to isoelectric focusing it showed 2 bands with isoelectric points of 4.56 and 4.43. Its catalytic action was inhibited by EDTA and 1,10-phenanthroline, so it seemed to be a metalloprotease.

Hevein: NMR assignment and assessment of solution-state folding for the agglutinin-toxin motif.

The first high-resolution solution-state structure of a member of the toxin-agglutinin folding motif with the WGA disulfide linkage is presented. The 1H NMR spectrum of hevein has been 100% assigned from residue 2 through residue 43, the C-terminus, using two-dimensional correlation and NOE spectroscopy. During the course of the NOESY analysis, the three-dimensional structural features of hevein were derived, using nonstereospecific distance constraints (with tight bounds) for XPLOR simulated annealing followed by unconstrained relaxation in the CHARMm force field, at two levels of long-range constraint density. In addition, a large number of low-bound-only constraints, corresponding to unobserved NOE's, were used in both refinements. The first structure elucidation employed a total of 180 distance constraints (60 of which were medium or long range, i/i+n with n < or = 2). The second refinement employed 244 (101 medium or long range) constraints: some conformation-insensitive intraresidue constraints were deleted, two misassigned long-range constraints were corrected, and 41 new i/i+n (n > or = 2) constraints were added. The average bounds precisions of the two refinements were comparable (+/- 0.44 A) and significantly tighter than those that result when a universal low bound corresponding to the sum of the van der Waals radii was used. (The more conservative treatment of NOE's gave the same final structure but required a higher constraint density before assignment errors would stand out during the refinement.) Constraint density also has a significant influence on convergence and accuracy using tight constraints. The study demonstrates that convergence within an ensemble of solution structures is not a dependable criterion for either the accuracy or precision of the derived structure. The best fitting conformers from the refinement at the higher constraint density bear a greater similarity to the solid-state structure of the domains of wheat germ agglutinin (0.95 A rmsd over residues 2-32) than to the recently reported 2.8-A X-ray structure of hevein (1.25 A rmsd over residues 2-32, 2.83 A rmsd over residues 2-42). The consensus conformer from the solution data is defined to a backbone rmsd of < 0.6 A over the full sequence for which NMR data could be collected.(ABSTRACT TRUNCATED AT 400 WORDS)

Comparative study of electrophoretic patterns of latex proteins from clones of Hevea brasiliensis.

Latex serum proteins from Hevea brasiliensis were studied by sodium dodecyl sulfate-polyacrylamide gel electrophoresis. Proteins from whole serum and fractions isolated by gel chromatography on Ultrogel AcA 44 were analyzed. No qualitative clonal differences were found in the protein patterns of whole latex or in the fractions but laser densitometry revealed reliable quantitative differences in protein composition. Reproducible mobilities and molecular weights of selected bands were obtained both within single gels as well as in different gels, analyzing several lots of latex received at various times from a Hevea experimental field station. The clones compared were IAN 710, GV 31, GV 42; the first one had the highest rubber yields.

Preliminary x-ray investigation of an orthorhombic crystal of hevein.

Hevein, a small protein from the latex of Hevea brasiliensis, has been crystallized by the vapor diffusion method using 2-methyl-2,4-pentanediol and CaCl2 as the precipitant agents. The crystals are orthorhombic space group P21212 with a = 21.88, b = 31.90, and c = 51.24 A and one molecule in the asymmetric unit. The crystals are quite stable to x-rays and suitable for a high resolution three-dimensional structure determination.

Effects of abscisic Acid and ethylene on the gibberellic Acid-induced synthesis of alpha-amylase by isolated wheat aleurone layers.

Gibberellic acid-induced alpha-amylase synthesis in wheat aleurone layers (Triticum aestivum L. var Potam S-70) escaped from transcriptional control 30 h after addition of the hormone, as evidenced by the tissue's loss of susceptibility to cordycepin. Abscisic acid inhibited the accumulation of alpha-amylase activity when added to the tissue during this cordycepin-insensitive phase of enzyme induction. alpha-Amylase synthesis was not restored by the addition of cordycepin, indicating that the response to abscisic acid was not dependent upon the continuous synthesis of a short lived RNA. When ethylene was added simultaneously or some time after abscisic acid, the accumulation of alpha-amylase activity was sustained or quickly restored. The loss of susceptibility to cordycepin was completely prevented when aleurone layers were incubated with a combination of gibberellic and abscisic acids from the start of the induction period. This effect of abscisic acid was not reversed by ethylene. On the basis of these observations, it is suggested that abscisic acid inhibits both the transcription and translation of alpha-amylase mRNA, and that only the latter site of action is susceptible to reversal by ethylene.The rate of incorporation of [methyl-(14)C]choline into phospholipids was also inhibited by abscisic acid. Ethylene reversed this effect. The effects of abscisic acid and ethylene on phospholipid synthesis were not dependent upon the presence of gibberellic acid. No direct relationship was found between the control of alpha-amylase synthesis and membrane formation by abscisic acid and ethylene.