ABSTRACT
We have recently purified from meconium-instilled rabbit lungs a novel serine proteinase inhibitor, with an apparent molecular mass of 50 kDa, which we assign to be alpha1-antitripsin. We hypothesize that serpin may attenuate pulmonary inflammation and improve surfactant function after meconium aspiration. Alpha1-antitripsin is a member of the proteinase inhibitor (serpin) superfamily and inhibitor of neutrophil elastase, and it can be identified as a member of the family by its amino acid sequence due to the high degree of conserved residues. Alpha1-antitripsin is synthesized by epithelial cells, macrophages, monocytes, and neutrophils. Deficiency in alpha1-antitripsin leads to exposure of lungs to uncontrolled proteolytic attack from neutrophil elastase or other damaging factors culminating in lung destruction and cell apoptosis. We hypothesize that accumulation of alpha1-antitripsin in the lungs serves as a predisposed protection against meconium-induced lung injury. In this paper, we show how this knowledge can lead to the development of novel therapeutic approaches for treatment of MAS.
Subject(s)
Lung/physiology , alpha 1-Antitrypsin/chemistry , alpha 1-Antitrypsin/physiology , Animals , Bronchoalveolar Lavage Fluid/chemistry , Cysteine Proteinase Inhibitors/chemistry , Cysteine Proteinase Inhibitors/physiology , Meconium , Rabbits , Sequence Analysis, Protein , Serine Proteinase Inhibitors/chemistry , Serine Proteinase Inhibitors/physiology , Spectroscopy, Fourier Transform InfraredABSTRACT
The Bacteroides fragilis conjugal plasmid pBFTM10 contains two genes, btgA and btgB, and a putative oriT region necessary for transfer in Bacteroides fragilis and Escherichia coli. The BtgA protein was predicted to contain a helix-turn-helix motif, indicating possible DNA binding activity. DNA sequence analysis of the region immediately upstream of btgA revealed three sets of inverted repeats, potentially locating the oriT region. A 304-bp DNA fragment comprising this putative oriT region was cloned and confirmed to be the functional pBFTM10 oriT by bacterial conjugation experiments using E. coli and B. fragilis. btgA was cloned and overexpressed in E. coli, and the purified protein was used in electrophoretic mobility shift assays, demonstrating specific binding of BtgA protein to its cognate oriT. DNase I footprint analysis demonstrated that BtgA binds apparently in a single-stranded fashion to the oriT-containing fragment, overlapping inverted repeats I, II, and III and the putative nick site.
Subject(s)
Bacterial Proteins/metabolism , Bacteroides fragilis/genetics , DNA/metabolism , Genes, Bacterial , Bacteroides fragilis/metabolism , Base Sequence , Cloning, Molecular , Conjugation, Genetic , Deoxyribonuclease I/pharmacology , Molecular Sequence DataABSTRACT
The influence of ionic strength on DNA-histone and histone-histone interactions in reconstituted nucleosomes was studied by measuring the parameters of histone tyrosine fluorescence: fluorescence intensity and lambda(max) position. The first parameter is sensitive to histone-DNA interactions. The changes of the second one accrue due to hydrogen bond formation/disruption between tyrosines in the histone H2A-H2B dimer and the (H3-H4)2 tetramer. The simultaneous measurement of these parameters permits the recording of both the dissociation of histone complexes from DNA, as well as changes in histone-histone interactions. As ionic strength is increased, the H2A-H2B histone dimer dissociated first, followed by dissociation of the (H3-H4)2 tetramer [Yager, T.G., McMurray, C.T. and Van Holde, K.E. (1989) Biochemistry 28, 2271-2276]. The H2A-H2B dimer is dissociated in two stages: first, the ionic bonds with DNA were disrupted, followed by the dissociation of the histone dimer from the tetramer. And secondly, the disruption of dimer-tetramer specific H-bonds. It was established that the energy of electrostatic interactions of the histone dimer with DNA within the nucleosome is much less than the energy of interaction of the histone dimer with the tetramer.
Subject(s)
DNA-Binding Proteins/metabolism , DNA/metabolism , Histones/metabolism , Nucleosomes/metabolism , Dimerization , Models, Chemical , Models, Structural , Nucleosomes/drug effects , Osmolar Concentration , Protein Binding , Protein Conformation , Sodium Chloride/pharmacology , Spectrometry, Fluorescence , Thermodynamics , Tyrosine/chemistryABSTRACT
DNA topoisomerase was isolated from pea leaf chloroplasts. The relaxation activity of this topoisomerase was Mg2+ dependent and sensitive to ethidium bromide and novobiocin, a gyrase inhibitor. Chloroplast topoisomerase (Topo I) was ATP independent, as shown by the characteristic gel distribution of topoisomers. Topoisomerase, compared with the known eucaryotic topoisomerase I, was not stimulated by polyamines as are spermidine, spermine, and cadaverine. Ethidium bromide, DAPI, heparin, nalidixic acid, and m-AMSA (but not camptothecin) were able to inhibit the relaxation activity of chloroplast topo I. Nalidixic acid, novobiocin, m-AMSA, camptothecin, and amiloride were tested for their effects on the topoisomerase-catalyzed "cleavage complex" between DNA and chloroplast DNA topoisomerase I.
