Mammalian mitochondrial ribosomal proteins. N-terminal amino acid sequencing, characterization, and identification of corresponding gene sequences.

The integrity of healthy mitochondria is supposed to depend largely on proper mitochondrial protein biosynthesis. Mitochondrial ribosomal proteins (MRPs) are directly involved in this process. To identify mammalian mitochondrial ribosomal proteins and their corresponding genes, we purified mature rat MRPs and determined 12 different N-terminal amino acid sequences. Using this peptide information, data banks were screened for corresponding DNA sequences to identify the genes or to establish consensus cDNAs and to characterize the deduced MRP open reading frames. Eight different groups of corresponding mammalian MRPs constituted from human, mouse, and rat origin were identified. Five of them show significant sequence similarities to bacterial and/or yeast mitochondrial ribosomal proteins. However, MRPs are much less conserved in respect to the amino acid sequence among species than cytoplasmic ribosomal proteins of eukaryotes and bacteria.

Identification and characterization of the genes for mitochondrial ribosomal proteins of Saccharomyces cerevisiae.

We have purified 13 large subunit proteins of the mitochondrial ribosome of the yeast Saccharomyces cerevisiae and determined their partial amino acid sequences. To elucidate the structure and function of these proteins, we searched for their genes by comparing our sequence data with those deduced from the genomic nucleotide sequence data of S. cerevisiae and analyzed them. In addition, we searched for the genes encoding proteins whose N-terminal amino acid sequences we have reported previously [Grohmann, L., Graack, H.-R., Kruft, V., Choli, T., Goldschmidt-Reisin, S. & Kitakawa, M. (1991) FEBS Lett. 284, 51-56]. Thus, we were able to identify and characterize 12 new genes for large subunit proteins of the yeast mitochondrial ribosome. Furthermore, we determined the N-terminal amino acid sequences of seven small subunit proteins and subsequently identified the genes for five of them, three of which were found to be new.

Cartography of ribosomal proteins of the 30S subunit from the halophilic Haloarcula marismortui and complete sequence analysis of protein HS26.

By two-dimensional polyacrylamide gel electrophoresis of 30S ribosomal subunit proteins (S proteins) from Haloarcula marismortui we identified 27 distinct spots and analyzed all of them by protein sequence analysis. We demonstrated that protein HmaS2 (HS2) is encoded by the open reading frame orfMSG and has sequence similarities to the S2 ribosomal protein family. The proteins HmaS5 and HmaS14 were identified as spots HS7 and HS21/HS22, respectively. Protein HS4 was characterized by amino-terminal sequence analysis. The spot HS25 was recognized as an individual protein and also characterized by sequence analysis. Furthermore, the complete primary sequence of HS26 is reported, showing similarity only to eukaryotic ribosomal proteins. The sequence data of a further basic protein shows a high degree of similarity to ribosomal protein S12, therefore, it was designated HmaS12. Slightly different results compared to published sequence data were obtained for the protein HS12 and HmaS19. The putative 'ribosomal' protein HSH could not be localized in the two-dimensional pattern of the total 30S ribosomal subunit proteins of H. marismortui. Therefore, it seems to be unlikely that this protein is a real constituent of the H. marismortui ribosome.

Amino acid sequence of the ribosomal protein HS23 from the halophilic Haloarcula marismortui and homology studies to other ribosomal proteins.

The ribosomal protein HS23 from the 30S subunit of the extreme halophilic Haloarcula marismortui, belonging to the group of archaea, was isolated either by RP-HLPLC or two-dimensional polyacrylamide gel electrophoresis. The complete amino acid sequence was determined by automated N-terminal microsequencing. The protein consists of 123 residues with a corresponding molecular mass of 12,552 Da as determined by electrospray mass spectroscopy; the pI is 11.04. Homology studies reveal similarities to the eukaryotic ribosomal protein S8 from Homo sapiens, Rattus norvegicus, Leishmania major, and Saccharomyces cerevisiae.

Determination of peptide regions exposed at the surface of the bacterial ribosome with antibodies against synthetic peptides.

We synthesized six peptides corresponding to regions that are predicted to be surface-exposed of the following ribosomal proteins: protein L2, positions (D263-K272); protein L5, positions (I136-G150); protein L25, positions (Q75-D90); protein S3, positions (Q222-K232) derived from Escherichia coli; and protein L2, positions (K257-K275), and protein S3, positions (R130-T150) from Bacillus stearothermophilus. These peptides were employed to raise ribosomal protein-cross-reactive antibodies. The anti-peptide antisera reacted specifically with their parent proteins, as demonstrated by immunoblotting experiments. In a competition assay proteins L2 from E. coli and B. stearothermophilus as well as proteins L5 and L25 from E. coli were found to be accessible to the respective anti-peptide antibodies in the 50S subunits, but not in 70S ribosomes, proving their location at the 50S interface which is covered by the 30S subunit in the 70S complex. Two of the anti-peptide antisera directed against sequences deduced from protein S3 of E. coli and B. stearothermophilus reacted with 30S subunits as well as with 70S ribosomes, demonstrating their location at the backside, which is exposed to solvent. Thus, by the strategy applied specific short peptide stretches were located at the surface of the ribosome.

Purification and characterization of the 30S ribosomal proteins from the bacterium Thermus thermophilus.

The total protein mixture of the 30S subunit (TP-30) of the bacterium Thermus thermophilus has been purified using reverse-phase HPLC and the proteins obtained were identified both by means of two-dimensional polyacrylamide gel electrophoresis as well as by amino-terminal amino acid microsequence analysis. The proteins are numbered according to their primary structural similarity with known prokaryotic ribosomal proteins. Eight of them, namely proteins S6, S7, S9, S10, S14, S15, S16 and S17 run at different positions in the two-dimensional gel electrophoresis system to those suggested [Sedelnikova, S. C., Agalarov, M. B., Garber, M. & Yusupov, M. M. (1987) FEBS Lett. 220, 227-230]. All characterized proteins are homologous to known ribosomal proteins from other species, except for a small basic protein which shows homology only to a ribosomal protein from spinach chloroplasts [Choli, T., Franceschi, F., Yonath, A. & Wittmann-Leibold, B. (1993) Biol. Chem. Hoppe-Seyler 374, 377-383; Subramanian, A.-R. (1984) Trends Biochem. Sci. 9, 491-494].

Complete amino acid sequence of ribosomal protein S14 from Bacillus stearothermophilus and homology studies to other ribosomal proteins.

The complete amino acid sequence of protein S14 from the small subunit of Bacillus stearothermophilus was determined by N-terminal sequence analysis and by sequencing of overlapping peptides obtained from enzymatic digestions. Protein S14 consists of 60 amino acid residues with a molecular mass of 7148 Da. It has a high content of basic amino acids and a predicted isoelectric point of 11.46. Protein S14 contains two pairs of cysteines in the carboxyl-terminal region, presumably linked by two sulphur bridges. A comparison between protein S14 of B. stearothermophilus and homologous proteins from other organisms revealed highly conserved carboxyl-termini for this protein in eubacteria, archaebacteria and eukaryotes.

Purification and characterization of seven chloroplast ribosomal proteins: evidence that organelle ribosomal protein genes are functional and that NH2-terminal processing occurs via multiple pathways in chloroplasts.

Putative genes for 21 ribosomal proteins (RPs) have been identified in the chloroplast DNA of four plants by nucleotide sequencing and homology comparison but few of the gene products have been characterized. Here we report the purification and N-terminal sequencing of seven proteins from the spinach chloroplast ribosome. The data show them to be the homologues of Escherichia coli RPs L20, L32, L33, L36, S12, S16 and S19, and thus support the view that their genes identified in the chloroplast DNA represent functional genes. The initiating methionine residue was not detected in the mature protein in most cases but it was present in S16, indicating that only the formyl group is removed in this case. This result and the previously reported finding of N-methyl alanine at the N-terminus of chloroplast L2 indicate the existence of multiple N-terminal processing pathways in the chloroplast.

Purification, characterization and partial amino acid sequences of a xylanase produced by Penicillium chrysogenum.

An extracellular xylanase (1,4-beta-D-xylan xylanohydrolase, EC 3.2.1.8, endo 1,4-beta-xylanase) was found to be the major protein in the culture filtrate of Penicillium chrysogenum when grown on 1% xylan. In contrast to other microorganism no xylanase multiplicity was found in P. chrysogenum under the conditions used. This enzyme was purified to homogeneity by high performance anion-exchange and size-exclusion chromatography. It had an M(r) of 35,000 as estimated by SDS-PAGE and was shown to be active as a monomer. No glycosylation of the protein could be detected neither by a sensitive glycostain nor by enzymatic deglycosylation studies. The enzyme hydrolyzed oat spelt and birchwood xylan randomly, yielding xylose and xylobiose as major end products. It had no cellulase, CMCase, beta-xylosidase or arabinogalactanase activity but acted on p-nitrophenylcellobioside. The pH and temperature optima for its activity were pH 6.0 and 40 degrees C, respectively. Eight peptides obtained after endoproteinase LysC digestion of xylanase have been sequenced, six of them showed considerable amino acid similarity to glucanases and high M(r)/acidic xylanases from different bacteria, yeasts and fungi.

The amino-acid sequences of the Bacillus stearothermophilus ribosomal proteins S17 and S21 and their comparison to homologous proteins of other ribosomes.

Ribosomal proteins S17 and S21 from the moderate thermophile Bacillus stearothermophilus were purified by one-step high-performance liquid chromatography from the 30S-subunit protein mixture employing a semi-preparative reversed-phase C4 column. The complete amino-acid sequences of these proteins were determined by a combination of N-terminal sequencing in picomole quantities of the protein and of appropriate peptide fragments. Proteins S17 and S21 consist of 86 and 55 amino-acid residues, corresponding to molecular masses of 10074 and 6593 Da, respectively. They are homologous to proteins S17 and S21 from the Escherichia coli ribosome, showing 50 and 55% identities in the corresponding regions, respectively. The C-terminal region of protein S21 from B. stearothermophilus has a deletion of 15 residues as compared to the E. coli S21 protein. The evolutionary relationships of the Bacillus proteins to various other members of the S17 and S21 ribosomal protein families are discussed.

Microsequencing of proteins and peptides in the Knauer sequencer with and without covalent attachment to polyvinylidene difluoride membranes by the wet-phase degradation technique.

Proteins and large peptides were degraded with phenylisothiocyanate (PITC) in the horizontal flow-through-reactor of the Modular Knauer Sequencer (Fischer, S., Reimann, F. & Wittmann-Liebold, B. (1989) in Methods in Protein Sequence Analysis (Wittmann-Liebold, B., ed.) Springer-Verlag, Berlin, pp. 98-107) by the wet-phase filter technique (Wittmann-Liebold, B. (1988) J. Prot. Chem. 7, 224-225) employing polyvinylidene difluoride (PVDF) membranes without polybrene. In order to prevent losses of small peptides during solvent washes at the degradation, 1.4-phenylene diisothiocyanate (DITC) derivatized PVDF support (MilliGen, Burlington, MA) was used to covalently attach the peptide via its lysine groups in situ within the cross-flow reaction chamber onto this membrane (Herfurth, E., Pilling, U. & Wittmann-Liebold, B. (1990) J. Prot. Chem. 9, 267). We found these membranes very suitable for peptide degradations in the Knauer sequencer. In almost all cases we were able to identify the amino-acid residues of the peptide up to its last covalent fixation point to the membrane.

Reactions of the intracellular NADpool in the yeast S. cerevisiae after UV-C- or X-ray irradiation.

The reaction of the intracellular NADpool after irradiation of cells either with UV-C light or with X-rays was studied in four different strains of the yeast S. cerevisiae. We found neither in wildtype strains nor in radiation sensitive mutants remarkable changes in the NADpool within 2 h after irradiation. Preculture of cells in medium enriched with nicotinic acid, a precursor of NAD, influenced the intracellular NAD concentration only to a small extend in all strains, but enhanced the radiation resistance against UV-C significantly in one rad6 mutant strain. The uptake of NAD and NAC by all strains before and after irradiation with UV-C and X-ray was tested also. NAD generally is taken up by the cells to a very low extent before and after irradiation without irradiation-dose dependency. NAC is taken up by all strains before and after irradiation. Only the rad6 mutant exhibited an irradiation-dose dependent NAC-uptake after UV-C irradiation.