Boronic acid functionalized fibrous cellulose for the selective enrichment of glycopeptides.

Enrichment of glycoproteins has been important because of their dynamicity and role in biological systems. Study of glycoproteins is complex because of the simultaneous glycosylation and deglycosylation inside the body. Often employed affinities for glycopeptides are hydrazide, boronic acid, or physiosorbed lectin on support materials. Cellulose, a natural polysaccharide, has rich surface chemistry, stable structure, low cost and availability in different variants. In present study, fibrous cellulose is oxidized using periodate to modify with boronic acid. Attachment of boronic acid is confirmed by Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy. Particle size and morphology of boronic acid@fibrous cellulose is studied by scanning electron microscopy. The enrichment efficiency is evaluated by using horseradish peroxidase as model protein. Boronic acid@fibrous cellulose is selective up to 1:250 for spiked horseradish peroxidase in bovine serum albumin digest, sensitive down to 0.1 femtomol and recovering 88.15% glycopeptides. Moreover, protein binding capacity is determined as 213 mg/g and 41% sequence coverage of horseradish peroxidase protein with all eight glycosylation sites detected. Total of 18 glycopeptides are enriched from immunoglobulin digest showing ability of boronic acid@fibrous cellulose to enrich glycoproteins from multiglycoforms. Enrichment from human serum recovers 18% extracellular and 72% secreted glycoproteins via bottom-up approach and online tools.

Escherichia coli Signal Peptidase Recognizes and Cleaves Archaeal Signal Sequence.

Tk1884, an open reading frame encoding α-amylase in Thermococcus kodakarensis, was cloned with the native signal sequence and expressed in Escherichia coli. Heterologous gene expression resulted in secretion of the recombinant protein to the extracellular culture medium. Extracellular α-amylase activity gradually increased after induction. Tk1884 was purified from the extracellular medium, and its molecular mass determined by electrospray ionization mass spectrometry indicated the cleavage of a few amino acids. The N-terminal amino acid sequence of the purified Tk1884 was determined, which revealed that the signal peptide was cleaved between Ala26 and Ala27 by E. coli signal peptidase. To the best of our knowledge, this is the first report describing an archaeal signal sequence recognized and cleaved by E. coli signal peptidase.

Characterization and bioassay of post-translationally modified interferon α-2b expressed in Escherichia coli.

Examples of N-terminal acetylation are rare in prokaryotic systems, but in this study, we report one such example in which N-terminal Cys residue of recombinant human interferon α-2b produced in Escherichia coli is a favourite site for N(α)-acetylation. The recombinant protein following Q-sepharose chromatography gave a single band on PAGE analysis. However, on reverse phase HPLC the material separated into three peaks. These were characterized by mass spectrometric techniques as: (a) the direct translation product of the gene retaining the N-terminal methionine, (b) a species from which the methionyl residue had been removed by E. coli methionyl aminopeptidase to give the native interferon α-2b and (c) in which the N-terminal Cys residue of the latter contained an acetyl group. Tryptic digestion of interferon α-2b gave fragments linking Cys(1) to Cys(98) and Cys(29) to Cys(138), while that of N(α)-acetyl-interferon α-2b gave the Cys(1)-Cys(98) fragment with an additional mass of 42 attributed to an acetylated N-terminal. Bioassay of the derivatives showed that N(α)-acetyl-interferon α-2b had 10% of the activity of interferon α-2b. The results suggest that the lower activity derivative seen here in E. coli may also be produced when the protein is produced in yeast.

Studies on the expression and processing of human proinsulin derivatives encoded by different DNA constructs.

A synthetic gene encoding human proinsulin, containing Escherichia coli preferred codons, with an additional N-terminal methionine, was used for the expression, of M-proinsulin and construction of nine derivatives. No improvement in expression was noted, relative to that of M-proinsulin, when the 5'- of the gene was appended to codons for seven amino acids of a well expressed E. coli protein (threonine dehydrogenase), or the constructs contained multiple copies of the proinsulin gene. That in the latter constructs only the gene adjacent to the prometer sequence is expressed, was shown by a construct containing a proinsulin gene followed by that for interferon α-2b. With the latter construct, the proinsulin was, predominantly, expressed. The availability of data on the constructs prompted, subjecting these to analysis by two models designed to predict the expression of proteins from the sequences, of putative mRNA, around the start of translation but no significant relationship was noted. In all cases the proteins were expressed as inclusion bodies, which were refolded to give products of desired masses and successfully converted into insulin derivatives. Of all the constructs containing a trypsin sensitive site before phenylalanine (F), the N-terminal sequence, MKR↓F, was most efficiently processed, by a cocktail of trypsin and buffalo carboxypeptidase B, to give insulin with the removal of the N-terminus linker as well as the C-peptide in a single step, without cleaving the trypsin sensitive K(29)T(30) peptide bond.

TK1299, a highly thermostable NAD(P)H oxidase from Thermococcus kodakaraensis exhibiting higher enzymatic activity with NADPH.

Seven nicotinamide adenine dinucleotide oxidase homologs have been found in the genome of Thermococcus kodakaraensis. The gene encoding one of them, TK1299, consisted of 1326 nucleotides, corresponding to a polypeptide of 442 amino acids. To examine the molecular properties of TK1299, the structural gene was cloned, expressed in Escherichia coli and the gene product was characterized. Molecular weight of the recombinant protein was 49,375 Da when determined by matrix-assisted laser desorption/ionization time-of-flight and 300 kDa when analyzed by gel filtration chromatography indicating that it existed in a hexameric form. The enzyme was highly thermostable even in boiling water where it exhibited more than 95% of the enzyme activity after incubation of 150 min. TK1299 catalyzed the oxidation of NADH as well as NADPH and predominantly converted O2 to H2O (more than 75%). K(m) value of the enzyme towards NADH and NADPH was almost same (24 ± 2 µM) where as specific activity was higher with NADPH compared to NADH. To our knowledge this is the most thermostable and unique NAD(P)H oxidase displaying higher enzyme activity with NADPH.

Studies on the regioselectivity and kinetics of the action of trypsin on proinsulin and its derivatives using mass spectrometry.

Human M-proinsulin was cleaved by trypsin at the R(31)R(32)-E(33) and K(64)R(65)-G(66) bonds (B/C and C/A junctions), showing the same cleavage specificity as exhibited by prohormone convertases 1 and 2 respectively. Buffalo/bovine M-proinsulin was also cleaved by trypsin at the K(59)R(60)-G(61) bond but at the B/C junction cleavage occurred at the R(31)R(32)-E(33) as well as the R(31)-R(32)E(33) bond. Thus, the human isoform in the native state, with a 31 residue connecting C-peptide, seems to have a unique structure around the B/C and C/A junctions and cleavage at these sites is predominantly governed by the structure of the proinsulin itself. In the case of both the proinsulin species the cleavage at the B/C junction was preferred (65%) over that at the C/A junction (35%) supporting the earlier suggestion of the presence of some form of secondary structure at the C/A junction. Proinsulin and its derivatives, as natural substrates for trypsin, were used and mass spectrometric analysis showed that the k(cat.)/K(m) values for the cleavage were most favourable for the scission of the bonds at the two junctions (1.02±0.08×10(5)s(-1)M(-1)) and the cleavage of the K(29)-T(30) bond of M-insulin-RR (1.3±0.07×10(5)s(-1)M(-1)). However, the K(29)-T(30) bond in M-insulin, insulin as well as M-proinsulin was shielded from attack by trypsin (k(cat.)/K(m) values around 1000s(-1)M(-1)). Hence, as the biosynthetic path follows the sequence; proinsulin→insulin-RR→insulin, the K(29)-T(30) bond becomes shielded, exposed then shielded again respectively.

Mechanistic and stereochemical studies of glycine oxidase from Bacillus subtilis strain R5.

Glycine oxidase gene from a strain of Bacillus subtilis was cloned and expressed in Escherichia coli. The purified enzyme was found, by mass spectrometry, to have a protein M(r) of 40763 (value of 40761.6 predicted from DNA sequence) and a FAD prosthetic group M(r) of 785.1 (theoretical value of 785.5). Glycine oxidase optimally catalyzes the conversion of glycine and oxygen into glyoxylate, hydrogen peroxide, and ammonia. Using samples of [2-RS-(3)H(2),2-(14)C]-, [2-R-(3)H,2-(14)C]-, and [2-S-(3)H,2-(14)C]glycine, we found that in the overall process H(Si) is removed. Incubation of the enzyme with [2-RS-(3)H(2),2-(14)C]glycine under anaerobic conditions, when only the reducing half of the reaction can occur, led to the recovery of 98.5% of the original glycine, which had the same (3)H:(14)C ratio as the starting substrate. The primary isotope effect was studied using [2-(2)H(2)]glycine, and we found that the specificity constants, k(cat)/K(M), for the protio and deuterio substrates were 1.46 x 10(3) and 1.05 x 10(2) M(-1) s(-1), respectively. Two alternative mechanisms for FAD-containing oxidases that involve either the intermediacy of a FADH(2)-imino acid complex or an amino acid covalently linked to FAD, formed via a carbanion, have been considered. The current knowledge of the mechanisms is reviewed, and we argue that a mechanism involving the FADH(2)-imino acid complex can be dissected to satisfactorily explain some of puzzling observations for which the carbanion mechanism was originally conceived. Furthermore, our results, together with observations in the literature, suggest that the interaction of glycine with the enzyme occurs within a tight ternary complex, which is protected from the protons of the medium.

Inventory of 'slow exchanging' hydrogen atoms in human proinsulin and its derivatives: observations on the mass spectrometric analysis of deuterio-proteins in D(2)O.

Secondary structure elements of human proinsulin and of its tryptic products were compared by H/D exchange, in a single-pot, using mass spectrometry. Human proinsulin containing an N-terminal methionine, M-proinsulin, was engineered and converted into a perdeuterio derivative, which using an optimized mass spectrometric protocol and manual calculations gave a mass of 9669.6 (+/-1) Da showing the replacement, with deuterium of 146.4 from a total of 149 exchangeable hydrogen atoms (83 from amides and 66 from side-chains). Tryptic digestion of the perdeuterio-M-proinsulin, followed by the transfer of the digest from a deuterio- into a protio-medium showed, at the earliest time of analysis, that of the 27 (+/-1) D atoms retained in M-proinsulin, 24 (+/-1) were found in the insulin nucleus, M-insulin-RR, and 4.2 (+/-1) in the C-peptide-KR. A temporal analysis of the fate of D atoms in these species showed that whereas the C-peptide-KR rapidly exchanged its deuterium, losing all by 6 h, the loss of D atoms from M-proinsulin and M-insulin-RR was gradual and in each case, 12 deuterium atoms survived exchange for 72 h. At all time intervals the loss of D atoms from M-proinsulin mirrored that from M-insulin-RR plus the C-peptide-KR, suggesting that the secondary-structure elements of M-proinsulin are largely conserved in its two component parts.