Molecular map of the desmosomal plaque.

Recent biochemical and molecular approaches have begun to establish the protein interactions that lead to desmosome assembly. To determine whether these associations occur in native desmosomes we have performed ultrastructural localisation of specific domains of the major desmosomal components and have used the results to construct a molecular map of the desmosomal plaque. Antibodies directed against the amino- and carboxy-terminal domains of desmoplakin, plakoglobin and plakophilin 1, and against the carboxy-terminal domains of desmoglein 3, desmocollin 2a and desmocollin 2b, were used for immunogold labelling of ultrathin cryosections of bovine nasal epidermis. For each antibody, the mean distance of the gold particles, and thus the detected epitope, from the cytoplasmic surface of the plasma membrane was determined quantitatively. Results showed that: (i) plakophilin, although previously shown to bind intermediate filaments in vitro, is localised extremely close to the plasma membrane, rather than in the region where intermediate filaments are seen to insert into the desmosomal plaque; (ii) while the 'a' form of desmocollin overlaps with plakoglobin and desmoplakin, the shorter 'b' form may be spatially separated from them; (iii) desmoglein 3 extends across the entire outer plaque, beyond both desmocollins; (iv) the amino terminus of desmoplakin lies within the outer dense plaque and the carboxy terminus some 40 nm distant in the zone of intermediate filament attachment. This is consistent with a parallel arrangement of desmoplakin in dimers or higher order aggregates and with the predicted length of desmoplakin II, indicating that desmoplakin I may be folded or coiled. Thus several predictions from previous work were borne out by this study, but in other cases our observations yielded unexpected results. These results have significant implications relating to molecular interactions in desmosomes and emphasise the importance of applying multiple and complementary approaches to biological investigations.

Identification of amino acid residues photolabeled with 8-azidoadenosine 5'-diphosphate in the catalytic site of sarcoplasmic reticulum Ca-ATPase.

The photoreactive ADP analogue 8-N3-ADP binds in the dark to the catalytic site of the sarcoplasmic reticulum Ca-ATPase. An apparent Kd value of 30 microM has been deduced from competition with ADP in the presence of EGTA. Photoirradiation of Ca-ATPase with 8-N3-[3H]ADP in the presence of calcium results in irreversible inhibition of ATPase activity with corresponding stoichiometries of covalently and specifically photolabeled Ca-ATPase. The site of photolabeling of the Ca-ATPase in the presence of calcium has been explored. Controlled trypsin digestion of the labeled protein shows that 8-azido-ADP is incorporated in the B subfragment. Extensive trypsin digestion of the labeled protein releases a small peptide as revealed by gel filtration chromatography (Sephadex G-50). Further HPLC purification on a reverse-phase column (C8) eluted with a water/acetonitrile gradient buffered at pH 6 or at pH 2 gives a single labeled peptide. Edman degradation of that isolated peptide, as well as the amino acid composition, shows that it contains five amino acid residues (Val-530-Arg-534) with the radioactivity localized on Thr-532 and Thr-533.

Tryptic cleavage inhibits but does not uncouple Ca2+ATPase of sarcoplasmic reticulum.

Sarcoplasmic reticulum Ca2+ATPase is cleaved by trypsin at two sites, T1 and T2. Cleavage at T1 is complete, whereas only about 50% of the Ca2+ATPase is digested at the T2 site. In the absence of Ca2+ ionophor, Ca2+-ATPase activity of the digested enzyme remains virtually unchanged. In the presence of Ca2+ ionophor, however, the calculated specific activity of the doubly cleaved Ca2+ATPase is decreased by about 40%. The decrease in Ca2+ transport activity is much more rapid than cleavage of the T2 site, and could be correlated with an increased leak of Ca2+ from the digested vesicles. We obtained evidence that this leakiness is independent of the digestion of the Ca2+ATPase itself and is presumably due to the digestion of some other components of the sarcoplasmic reticulum vesicles. Examination of steady-state phosphoenzyme levels resulting from phosphorylation by ATP and Pi, or dephosphorylation by ADP or ADP/EGTA revealed no difference between the digested and the undigested Ca2+ATPase indicating no change in the equilibria caused by the T2 cleavage. Analysis of the substrate concentration dependence of the Ca2+ATPase activity also led to the conclusion that the digestion at T2 reduced the Vmax of ATP hydrolysis but leaves the Km unchanged. The above results are consistent with the model that cleavage at the T2 site reduces the turnover rate of the Ca2+ATPase reaction cycle by about 40% by slowing down or altering the rate-limiting step without affecting the equilibrium constants of the examined steps. We found no evidence of true uncoupling of Ca2+ transport from ATP hydrolysis correlated with cleavage at the T2 site.

Identification of a labelled peptide after stoicheiometric reaction of fluorescein isothiocyanate with the Ca2+ -dependent adenosine triphosphatase of sarcoplasmic reticulum.

Incorporation of 4.5 nmol fluorescein isothiocyanate/mg rabbit sarcoplasmic reticulum, or of 7.4 nmol/mg purified ATPase, was sufficient to inhibit the activity completely. These results are not consistent with the suggestion (Pick, U. and Karlish, S.J.D. (1980) Biochim. Biophys. Acta 626, 255-261) that 2 mol ATPase were inhibited by each mole of reagent incorporated. A single labelled peptide was purified from the inhibited ATPase and it was shown that Lys 3/190, 10 residues from the N-terminus of tryptic fragment B, was the reactive lysine residue. This site is close to a potential nucleotide-binding fold in the ATPase sequence. A similar peptide showing only 2 conservative replacements was isolated from the sarcoplasmic reticulum of the lobster.

Primary structure of the calcium ion-transporting adenosine triphosphatase from rabbit skeletal sarcoplasmic reticulum. Some peptic, thermolytic, tryptic and staphylococcal-proteinase peptides.

The soluble peptides from the peptic digest of the reduced S-carboxymethylated 3-carboxypropionylated adenosine triphosphatase protein have been isolated and most of their structures have been determined. About 397 residues of the protein were represented in these peptides. The reduced S-carboxymethylated protein was digested with thermolysin, and peptides containing arginine or carboxymethylcysteine were isolated and characterized. Some peptides isolated from tryptic and staphylococcal-proteinase digests of the protein are described. The information contained within the structures of these peptides has been used to reconstruct long stretches of the sequence of the ATPase protein that constitute most of the protein structure external to the lipid bilayer (Allen, Trinnaman and Green (1980) Biochem. J. 187, 591-616). The details of some of the chromatographic steps used in the isolation of the peptides and the properties of the peptides are contained in Supplementary Publication SUP 50104 (45 pages), which has been deposited with the British Library Lending Division, Boston Spa, Wetherby, West Yorkshire LS23 7BQ, U.K., from whom copies can be obtained on the terms indicated in Biochem. J. (1978) 169, 5.

The primary structure of the calcium ion-transporting adenosine triphosphatase protein of rabbit skeletal sarcoplasmic reticulum. Peptides derived from digestion with cyanogen bromide, and the sequences of three long extramembranous segments.

The isolation and characterization of the soluble peptides from the CNBr digest of the calcium ion-transporting adenosine triphosphatase protein of rabbit skeletal sarcoplasmic reticulum are described. The 562 unique residues of the protein were placed in sequences. The remaining part of the protein (about 500 residues) yielded long hydrophobic sequences that contained all but one of the tryptophan residues of the protein and that were probably derived largely from the intramembranous parts of the protein. Three long stretches of primary structure, constituting half of the protein, have been reconstructed from the information presented here together with the sequences found in peptides from other digests of the protein. The secondary structures of these sequences have been predicted. A model for the primary structure of the protein is presented and the implications discussed. Details of the isolation of peptides are contained in Supplementary Publication, SUP 50105 (29 pages), which has been deposited with the British Library Lending Division, Boston Spa, Wetherby, West Yorkshire LS23 7BQ, U.K., from whom copies can be obtained on the terms indicated in Biochem. J. (1978) 169, 5.