Synthesis of mammalian profilin in Escherichia coli and its characterization

Polyproline binding is an essential function of human profilin in yeast

Structural analysis of human profilin has revealed two tryptophan residues, W3 and W31, which interact with polyproline. The codons for these residues were mutated to encode phenylalanine and the mutant proteins overexpressed in Eschericia coli. The isolated proteins were diminished in their ability to bind polyproline, whereas phosphatidylinositol 4,5-bisphosphate (PIP2) binding remained unchanged. In many strains of Saccharomyces cerevisiae, disruption of the gene encoding profilin, PFY1, is lethal. It was found that expression of the gene for human profilin is capable of suppressing this lethality. The polyproline-binding mutant alleles of the human gene were cloned into various yeast expression vectors. Each of the mutant genes resulted in suppression of the lethality of pfy1Delta. It was observed that the mutant protein expression levels paralleled the growth rates of the strains. The severity of various morphological abnormalities of the strains was also attenuated with increased protein levels, suggesting that profilin polyproline-binding mutations are deleterious to cell growth unless overexpressed. Both tryptophan mutations were combined to give a third mutant allele that was found both unable to bind polyproline and to suppress the lethality of a pfy1 deletion. Immunoprecipitation experiments suggested that the mutants were unaltered in their affinity for actin and PIP2. These data strongly suggest that polyproline binding is an essential function of profilin.

Site-directed mutagenesis enabled preparation of a functional fluorescent analog of profilin: biochemical characterization and localization in living cells

The preparation of fluorescent profilin analogs for binding and spectroscopic studies, in vitro and in vivo, has been hampered by the poor chemical reactivity of this protein in its native form. We have addressed this problem by labeling a mutant, chemically reactive form of profilin. Site-directed mutagenesis was first used to replace a serine residue in a non-essential domain with a reactive cysteine residue. The mutant protein was expressed in Escherichia coli and reacted with tetramethylrhodamine iodoacetamide. In vitro assays indicated that the fluorescent profilin maintained its ability to bind actin, polyproline, and PIP2, to inhibit actin polymerization, and to stimulate actin nucleotide exchange. Fluorescence spectroscopy showed that neither the excitation nor the emission of the analog was sensitive to the interaction with actin or polyproline. However, binding of PIP2 caused a 75% quenching of the fluorescent signal, suggesting a dramatic change in the immediate environment of the probe. When the fluorescent profilin was microinjected into living NRK cells, it became localized at cell-cell junctions and discrete sites near the anterior end, where it colocalized with aggregates of unpolymerized actin. Different engineered forms of profilin with fluorophores located at defined sites should greatly facilitate the study of its interactions with various ligands and cellular structures.

Interaction of plant profilin with mammalian actin

The mode of interaction of birch and bovine profilins with actin was compared using a number of techniques. Birch profilin was purified from pollen or as a recombinant protein from Escherichia coli, using poly(L-proline) affinity chromatography and a monoclonal antibody for the identification of the isolated product. On two-dimensional gels, the genuine and recombinant proteins were identical in molecular mass and isoelectric point and revealed that birch profilin, in contrast to the basic profilins found in mammals, is an acidic protein, analogous to maize profilins. Bovine profilin was obtained from calf thymus. In viscometric assays, the birch protein was seen to modulate actin filament formation analogous to animal profilin. Birch profilin increased the critical concentration required for muscle and brain actin polymerization in a concentration-dependent manner, supporting the notion of the formation of a heterologous complex between the plant protein and animal actin. The effect was Mg(2+)-sensitive, as had been described for homologous complexes. The dissociation constants obtained for the plant/vertebrate and the vertebrate/vertebrate system were both in the micromolar range. The affinity of birch profilin for muscle actin was slightly lower than that for nonmuscle (brain) actin. A binary complex of birch profilin and skeletal muscle actin could be isolated by gel chromatography. Cross-linking experiments with actin, birch profilin, the G-actin binding peptide thymosin beta 4 and gelsolin segment 1, the N-terminal fragment of an actin capping protein, showed that profilin competed with thymosin beta 4, but had no effect on segment 1 binding to actin. These data indicate that the actin-binding domains in plant and animal profilins are functionally highly conserved, although the overall sequence similarity is less than 25%.

Characterization of yeast-expressed beta-actins, site-specifically mutated at the tumor-related residue Gly245

The tumorigenic cell line HUT14 expresses a beta-actin carrying a mutation at position 245. In this study, two mutant beta-actins with amino acid changes at position 245 replacing the wild-type glycine by an aspartic acid and a lysine residue, respectively, were produced in the yeast Saccharomyces cerevisiae, purified to homogeneity and characterized with respect to polymerization behaviour and interaction with myosin. The major functional effect of these mutations appears to be an impaired polymerization, while the interaction with myosin seems less influenced. In addition, the results also suggest the presence of a Ca(2+)-binding site in the region of residue 245 in actin.

Effects of profilin and profilactin on actin structure and function in living cells

Previous studies have yielded conflicting results concerning the physiological role of profilin, a 12-15-kD actin- and phosphoinositide-binding protein, as a regulator of actin polymerization. We have addressed this question by directly microinjecting mammalian profilins, prepared either from an E. coli expression system or from bovine brain, into living normal rat kidney (NRK) cells. The microinjection causes a dose-dependent decrease in F-actin content, as indicated by staining with fluorescent phalloidin, and a dramatic reduction of actin and alpha-actinin along stress fibers. In addition, it has a strong inhibitory effect toward the extension of lamellipodia. However, the injection of profilin causes no detectable perturbation to the cell-substrate focal contact and no apparent depolymerization of filaments in either the nonlamellipodial circumferential band or the contractile ring of dividing cells. Furthermore, cytokinesis of injected cells occurs normally as in control cells. In contrast to pure profilin, high-affinity profilin-actin complexes from brain induce an increase in total cellular F-actin content and an enhanced ruffling activity, suggesting that the complex may dissociate readily in the cell and that there may be multiple states of profilin that differ in their ability to bind or release actin molecules. Our results indicate that profilin and profilactin can function as effective regulators for at least a subset of actin filaments in living cells.

Production, isolation and characterization of human profilin from Saccharomyces cerevisiae

The yeast Saccharomyces cerevisiae was used to express human profilin cDNA. The recombinant protein, isolated by affinity chromatography on poly(L-proline)-Sepharose followed by ion exchange chromatography, associates with non-muscle actin and phosphatidylinositol-(4,5)-bisphosphate as authentic profilin.