Coordinate expression of Ca2+-ATPase slow-twitch isoform and of beta calmodulin-dependent protein kinase in phospholamban-deficient sarcoplasmic reticulum of rabbit masseter muscle.

Modulation of sarcoplasmic reticulum (SR) Ca(2+) transport by endogenous calmodulin-dependent protein kinase II (CaM K II) involves covalent changes of regulatory protein phospholamban (PLB), as a common, but not the only mechanism, in limb slow-twitch muscles of certain mammalian species, such as the rabbit. Here, using immunofluorescent techniques in situ, and biochemical and immunological methods on the isolated SR, we have demonstrated that rabbit masseter, a muscle with a distinct embryological origin, lacks PLB. Accommodating embryological heterogeneity in the paradigm of neural-dependent expression of specific isogenes in skeletal muscle fibers, our results provide novel evidence for the differential expression in the SR of 72 kDa beta components of CaM K II, together with the expression of a slow-twitch sarcoendoplasmic reticulum Ca(2+)-ATPase isoform, both in limb muscle and in the masseter.

Identity elements in bovine tRNA(Trp) required for the specific stimulation of gelonin, a plant ribosome-inactivating protein.

Ribosome-inactivating proteins (RIPs) are RNA-N-glycosidases widely present in plants that depurinate RNA in ribosomes at a specific universally conserved position, A4324, in the rat 28S rRNA. A small group of RIPs (cofactor-dependent RIPs) require ATP and tRNA to reach maximal activity on isolated ribosomes. Among cofactor-dependent RIPs, gelonin is specifically and uniquely stimulated by tRNA(Trp). The active species are avian (chicken) and mammalian (beef, rat, and rabbit) tRNA(Trp), whereas yeast tRNA(Trp) is completely devoid of stimulating activity. In the present article, bovine and yeast tRNA(Trp) with unmodified bases were prepared by assembly of the corresponding genes from synthetic oligonucleotides followed by PCR and T7 RNA polymerase transcription of the amplified products. The two synthetic tRNAs were fully active (bovine) or inactive (yeast) as the wild-type tRNAs. Construction of chimeric tRNA(Trp) transcripts identified the following bovine nucleotides as recognition elements for gelonin-stimulating activity: G26 and bp G12-C23 in the D arm and G57, A59, and bp G51-C63 and U52-A62 in the T arm. Among single-stranded nucleotides, A59 has a prominent role, but full expression of the gelonin-stimulating activity requires an extensive cooperation between nucleotides in both arms.

Identification of the tRNAs which up-regulate agrostin, barley RIP and PAP-S, three ribosome-inactivating proteins of plant origin.

Ribosome-inactivating proteins (RIP) are RNA-N-glycosidases widely diffused in plants which depurinate ribosomal RNA at a specific universally conserved position, A4324 in rat ribosomes. A small group of RIPs (cofactor-dependent RIPs) require ATP and tRNA to reach maximal activity on isolated ribosomes. The tRNA which stimulates gelonin was identified as tRNA(Trp). The present paper reports the identification of three other tRNAs which stimulate agrostin (tRNA(Ala)), barley RIP (tRNA(Ala), tRNA(Val)) and PAP-S (tRNA(Gly)), while for tritin-S no particular stimulating tRNA emerged. The sequences of tRNA(Val) and tRNA(Gly) correspond to the already known ones (rabbit and man, respectively). The tRNA(Ala) (anticodon IGC) identifies a new isoacceptor. Only the stimulating activity of the tRNA(Ala) for agrostin approaches the specificity previously observed for the couple gelonin-tRNA(Trp).

Uncompetitive inhibition by adenine of the RNA-N-glycosidase activity of ribosome-inactivating proteins.

Ricin is a member of the ribosome-inactivating protein (RIP) family with RNA-N-glycosidase activity which inactivates eukaryotic ribosomes by specifically removing adenine from the first adenosine of a highly conserved GAGA loop present in 28S rRNA. Free adenine protects ribosomes in cell-free systems from inactivation by ricin. Protection by adenine is highly specific, since AMP, adenosine and modified adenines (1-methyladenine and ethenoadenine) were completely ineffective. Kinetic analysis of the behaviour of adenine as inhibitor of the RNA-N-glycosidase reaction catalysed by ricin, Shiga-like toxin I and momordin, two other members of the RIP family, established that inhibition was of the uncompetitive type, the inhibitor binding to the enzyme-substrate complex. Adenine did not protect ribosomes from alpha-sarcin, an RNAase that inactivates ribosomes by cleaving the phosphodiester bond located in the GAGA loop at one nucleotide distance from the adenosine depurinated by the RNA-N-glycosidases. Adenine at the concentration of 1 mM lowered 1.5-fold the toxicity of ricin and 3.7-fold that of Shiga-like toxin I on Vero cells in culture. The same concentration of adenine decreased 2.4-fold the inactivation of isolated ribosomes by ricin, 2.8-fold the inactivation by Shiga-like toxin I and 20-fold that by momordin.

tRNA(Trp) as cofactor of gelonin, a ribosome-inactivating protein with RNA-N-glycosidase activity. Features required for the cofactor activity.

Purified beef and rabbit liver tRNA(Trp), but not yeast tRNA(Trp), increase the in vitro inactivation of eukaryotic ribosomes by gelonin, a ribosome-inactivating protein with RNA-N-glycosidase activity on 28S rRNA. Aminoacylation and stepwise trimming of the 3'-end of bovine tRNA(Trp) affect the cofactor activity, the most active species being that shortened by the last two nucleotides. ATP only moderately increases the activity of purified mammalian tRNA(Trp) and in this increase the cognate aminoacyl-tRNA synthetase apparently has no role. Mobility shift experiments indicate that bovine tRNA(Trp) binds both to ribosomes and to gelonin and favours the dissociation of gelonin from ribosomes.

Differential up-regulation by tRNAs of ribosome-inactivating proteins.

Some plant ribosome-inactivating proteins (RIPs) with RNA-N-glycosidase activity on 28S RNA require, for the inactivation of ribosomes, the presence of macromolecular cofactors present in post-ribosomal supernatants. In the case of gelonin one of the cofactors is tRNATrp lacking one or two nucleotides at the 3'-CCA end [Brigotti, M., Carnicelli, D., Alvergna, P., Pallanca, A., Lorenzetti, R., Denaro, M., Sperti, S. and Montanaro, L. (1995) Biochem. J. 310, 249-253]. In the present study it is shown that tRNAs are involved in the up-regulation of all the cofactor-requiring RIPs up to now identified (agrostin, barley RIP, PAP and tritin, besides gelonin). Polyacrylamide gel electrophoresis shows that tRNA fractions with different mobilities stimulate different RIPs. With the identification of agrostin, the cofactor-requiring RIPs (italics) add to five out of a total of thirteen investigated: barley RIP, bryodin-R, gelonin, lychnin, momordin, momorcochin-S, PAP, saporin-6, tritin [Carnicelli, D., Brigotti, M., Montanaro, L. and Sperti, S. (1992) Biochem. Biophys. Res. Commun. 182, 579-582], agrostin, luffin, trichokirin and trichosanthin (present study).

3'-immature tRNA(Trp) is required for ribosome inactivation by gelonin,a plant RNA N-glycosidase.

Inactivation of ribosomes by gelonin, a ribosome-inactivating protein with RNA N-glycosidase activity on 28 S rRNA, requires macromolecular cofactors present in post-ribosomal supernatants. One of these cofactors has been purified from a rat liver extract and identified as an RNA about 70 nt long which in sequence analysis shows a high level of similarity with mammalian (bovine) tRNA(Trp). The pattern of the sequencing gel is consistent with the co-existence in the preparation of two 3'-immature tRNA(Trp) species, missing only A75, or both A75 and C74. In the presence of ATP, CTP and tRNA nucleotidyltransferase, the gelonin-stimulating RNA is a good acceptor of tryptophan. An oligodeoxynucleotide complementary to positions 55 to 72 of mammalian (bovine) tRNA(Trp) hybridizes with the gelonin-stimulating RNA as demonstrated by gel mobility shift and ribonuclease H digestion. The oligodeoxynucleotide-directed ribonuclease H treatment also abolishes the gelonin-promoting activity of crude preparations of RNA, giving strong evidence that the only active RNA is a tRNA(Trp)-like molecule.