Secretion of active subtilisin YaB by a simultaneous expression of separate pre-pro and pre-mature polypeptides in Bacillus subtilis

Propeptides as modulators of functional activity of proteases

Most proteases are synthesized in the cell as precursor-containing propeptides. These structural elements can determine the folding of the cognate protein, function as an inhibitor/activator peptide, mediate enzyme sorting, and mediate the protease interaction with other molecules and supramolecular structures. The data presented in this review demonstrate modulatory activity of propeptides irrespective of the specific mechanism of action. Changes in propeptide structure, sometimes minor, can crucially alter protein function in the living organism. Modulatory activity coupled with high variation allows us to consider propeptides as specific evolutionary modules that can transform biological properties of proteases without significant changes in the highly conserved catalytic domains. As the considered properties of propeptides are not unique to proteases, propeptide-mediated evolution seems to be a universal biological mechanism.

A new method for multiple gene inactivations in Bacillus subtilis 168, producing a strain free of selectable markers

This study describes a novel method for repeated gene inactivation in Bacillus subtilis 168. A B. subtilis strain (BS-PS) that is conditionally auxotrophic for lysine was obtained by replacing the PlysA promoter with the Pspac promoter. The homologous recombination integration vector PLC-T was constructed to contain lacI, which encodes a Pspac promoter repressor, and the chloromycetin resistance gene. Target genes were manipulated by generating an insertion sequence with two homologous arms and the target gene in PLC-T to create a specific integrating vector. Integration into the BS-PS chromosome occurred by a single crossover at either of the two homologous arms. The resulting transitional strain (BS-PS-PI) was chloromycetin resistant and lysine auxotrophic and had an unstable genome structure because of the duplication. Excision of lacI and chloromycetin resistance gene was achieved by a second single crossover at the duplication. Recovery of a lysine prototroph functioned as counter-selection and was identified by PCR. In this work, we inactivated nprE and aprE, two protease genes secreted by B. subtilis 168 free of selectable markers.

Identification and characterization of a surface-associated, subtilisin-like serine protease inTrichomonas vaginalis

Trichomonas vaginalisis a protozoan parasite causing trichomonosis, a sexually transmitted infection in humans. This parasite has numerous proteases, most of which are cysteine proteases that appear to be involved in adherence and cytotoxicity of host cells. In this report we identify and characterize a putative subtilisin-like serine protease (SUB1). Thesub1gene encodes a 101-kDa protein.In silicoanalyses predict signal and pro-peptides at the N-terminus, and a transmembrane helix at the carboxy-terminal region. Thesub1gene was found as single copy by Southern analysis, albeit additional serine protease related genes are annotated in theT. vaginalisgenome. The expression ofsub1could only be detected by RT-PCR and Ribonuclease Protection Assays, suggesting a low abundant mRNA. Thesub1gene transcription start site was correctly assigned by RPA. The transcript abundance was found to be modulated by the availability of iron in the growth medium. Antibodies raised to a specific SUB1 peptide recognized a single protein band (~82 kDa) in Western blots, possibly representing the mature form of the protein. Immunofluorescence showed SUB1 on the trichomonad surface, and in dispersed vesicles throughout the cytoplasm. A bioinformatic analysis of genes annotated as serine proteases in theT. vaginalisgenome is also presented. To our knowledge this is the first putative serine protease experimentally described forT. vaginalis.

Ca2+-dependent maturation of subtilisin from a hyperthermophilic archaeon, Thermococcus kodakaraensis: the propeptide is a potent inhibitor of the mature domain but is not required for its folding

Subtilisin from the hyperthermophilic archaeon Thermococcus kodakaraensis KOD1 is a member of the subtilisin family. T. kodakaraensis subtilisin in a proform (T. kodakaraensis pro-subtilisin), as well as its propeptide (T. kodakaraensis propeptide) and mature domain (T. kodakaraensis mat-subtilisin), were independently overproduced in E. coli, purified, and biochemically characterized. T. kodakaraensis pro-subtilisin was inactive in the absence of Ca2+ but was activated upon autoprocessing and degradation of propeptide in the presence of Ca2+ at 80 degrees C. This maturation process was completed within 30 min at 80 degrees C but was bound at an intermediate stage, in which the propeptide is autoprocessed from the mature domain (T. kodakaraensis mat-subtilisin*) but forms an inactive complex with T. kodakaraensis mat-subtilisin*, at lower temperatures. At 80 degrees C, approximately 30% of T. kodakaraensis pro-subtilisin was autoprocessed into T. kodakaraensis propeptide and T. kodakaraensis mat-subtilisin*, and the other 70% was completely degraded to small fragments. Likewise, T. kodakaraensis mat-subtilisin was inactive in the absence of Ca2+ but was activated upon incubation with Ca2+ at 80 degrees C. The kinetic parameters and stability of the resultant activated protein were nearly identical to those of T. kodakaraensis mat-subtilisin*, indicating that T. kodakaraensis mat-subtilisin does not require T. kodakaraensis propeptide for folding. However, only approximately 5% of T. kodakaraensis mat-subtilisin was converted to an active form, and the other part was completely degraded to small fragments. T. kodakaraensis propeptide was shown to be a potent inhibitor of T. kodakaraensis mat-subtilisin* and noncompetitively inhibited its activity with a Ki of 25 +/- 3.0 nM at 20 degrees C. T. kodakaraensis propeptide may be required to prevent the degradation of the T. kodakaraensis mat-subtilisin molecules that are activated later by those that are activated earlier.

Intracellular localization and trafficking of serine proteinase AhSub and cysteine proteinase AhCP of Acanthamoeba healyi

Proteinases have been proposed to play important roles in pathogenesis and various biologic actions in Acanthamoeba. Although genetic characteristics of several proteases of Acanthamoeba have been reported, the intracellular localization and trafficking of these enzymes has yet to be studied. In the present study, we analyzed the intracellular localization and trafficking of two proteinases, AhSub and AhCP, of Acanthamoeba healyi by transient transfection. Full-length AhSub-enhanced green fluorescent protein (EGFP) fusion protein was found in intracellular vesicle-like structures of transfected amoebae. Time-lapse photographs confirmed the secretion of the fluorescent material of the vesicle toward the extracellular space. The mutated AhSub, of which the pre or prepro region was deleted, was found to localize diffusely throughout the cytoplasm of the amoeba rather than concentrated in the secretory vesicle. Transfection of the construct containing the pre region only showed the same localization and trafficking of the full-length AhSub. A cysteine proteinase AhCP-EGFP fusion protein showed similar localization in the vesicle-like structure in the amoeba. However, using Lyso Tracker analysis, these vesicular structures of AhCP were confirmed to be lysosomes rather than secretory vesicles. The AhCP construct with a deletion of the prepro region showed a dispersed distribution of fluorescence in the cytoplasm of the cells. These results indicated that AhSub and AhCP would play different roles in Acanthameoba biology and that the pre region of AhSub and pro region of AhCP are important for proper intracellular localization and trafficking of each proteinase.

The C-terminal Domain of Aminopeptidase A Is an Intramolecular Chaperone Required for the Correct Folding, Cell Surface Expression, and Activity of This Monozinc Aminopeptidase

Aminopeptidase A (APA, EC 3.4.11.7) is a type II integral membrane glycoprotein responsible for the conversion of angiotensin II to angiotensin III in the brain. Previous site-directed mutagenesis studies and the recent molecular modeling of the APA zinc metallopeptidase domain have shown that all the amino acids involved in catalysis are located between residues 200 and 500. The APA ectodomain is cleaved in the kidney into an N-terminal fragment corresponding to the zinc metallopeptidase domain, and a C-terminal fragment of unknown function. We investigated the function of this C-terminal domain, by expressing truncated APAs in Chinese hamster ovary and AtT-20 cells. Deletion of the C-terminal domain abolished the maturation and enzymatic activity of the N-terminal domain, which was retained in the endoplasmic reticulum as an unfolded protein bound to calnexin. Expression in trans of the C-terminal domain resulted in association of the N- and C-terminal domains soon after biosynthesis, allowing folding rescue, maturation, cell surface expression, and activity of the N-terminal zinc metallopeptidase domain. We also show that the C-terminal domain is not required for the catalytic activity of APA but is essential for its activation. Moreover, we show that the C-terminal domain of aminopeptidase N (EC 3.4.11.2, APN) also promotes maturation and cell surface expression of the N-terminal domain of APN, suggesting a common role of the C-terminal domain in the monozinc aminopeptidase family. Our data provide the first demonstration that the C-terminal domain of an eukaryotic exopeptidase acts as an intramolecular chaperone.

Mutational analysis of the autoprocessing site of subtilisin YaB-G124A

The potential residue at the autoprocessing site for improving processing efficiency was evaluated from hydrolysis of 19 cleavage-site-mimicking octapeptides, VTTXQTVP (-4 to +4), by the mature subtilisin YaB and YaB-G124A mutants. Both enzymes cleaved the octapeptides mainly at two sites, X-Q (A-site) and Q-T (B-site), at varied preferences. Based on the results above, Met(-1) of YaB-G124A was mutated and, as expected, extracellular enzyme production increased with Gln or Ala replacement, but decreased with Ile or Asp substitution. Together with previous structural studies, our results suggest that autoprocessing is dependent on not only the primary structure, but also the peptide flexibility around the processing site. Cleavage at the B-site resulted in a novel YaB mutant lacking the N-terminus Gln 1, which led the mutant enzyme to less enzymatic activity by 80% and less thermal stability by 20 degrees C, perhaps due to its ligation to the high-affinity calcium ion.

The Kex2p proregion is essential for the biosynthesis of an active enzyme and requires a C-terminal basic residue for its function

The Saccharomyces cerevisiae prohormone-processing enzyme Kex2p is biosynthesized as an inactive precursor extended by its N-terminal proregion. Here we show that deletion of the proregion renders Kex2p inactive both in vivo and in vitro. Absence of the proregion impaired glycosylation and stability and resulted in the retention of the enzyme in the endoplasmic reticulum. These phenotypes were partially complemented by expression of the proregion in trans. Trans complementation was specific to Kex2p proregion because expression of any of the seven mammalian prohormone convertase propeptides had no effect. These data are consistent with a model whereby Kex2p proregion functions as an intramolecular chaperone and indicate that covalent linkage to the protein is not an absolute requirement for proregion function. Furthermore, extensive mutagenesis revealed that, in addition to their function as proteolytic recognition sites, C-terminal basic residues play an active role in proregion-dependent Kex2p activation.

A vector for systematic gene inactivation in Bacillus subtilis

To study the functions of the uncharacterized open reading frames identified in the Bacillus subtilis genome, several vectors were constructed to perform insertional mutagenesis in the chromosome. All the pMUTIN plasmids carry a lacZ reporter gene and an inducible Pspac promoter, which is tightly regulated and can be induced about 1000-fold. The integration of a pMUTIN vector into the target gene has three consequences: (1) the target gene is inactivated; (2) lacZ becomes transcriptionally fused to the gene, allowing its expression pattern to be monitored; (3) the Pspac promoter controls the transcription of downstream genes in an IPTG-dependent fashion. This last feature is important because B. subtilis genes are often organized in operons. The potential polar effects generated by the integration of the vectors can be alleviated by addition of IPTG. Also, conditional mutants of essential genes can be obtained by integrating pMUTIN vectors upstream of the target gene. The vectors are currently being used for systematic inactivation of genes without known function within the B. subtilis European consortium. pMUTIN characteristics and the inactivation of eight genes in the resA-serA region of the chromosome are presented.

Steady-state and time-resolved fluorescence of Esperase: comparison with the X-ray structure in the region of the two tryptophans

Fluorescence emission properties of the alkaline protease Esperase have been investigated using steady-state and time-resolved fluorescence spectroscopy. The local polarity and solvent accessibility of the tryptophyl chromophores is characterized. Quenching studies demonstrated that Trp 6 and Trp 113 are 'buried' to acrylamide, iodide ions and caesium ions. An abnormally low tryptophan quantum yield was calculated showing that the emission of the two indole rings is significantly quenched by nearby side chains or peptide bonds. The fluorescence decay of PMS-Esperase was well fitted by two exponentials with lifetimes of 2.7 and 0.35 ns. X-ray data for Esperase (S. Klupsch, Ph.D. Thesis, University of Hamburg, Hamburg, Germany) in the region of the two tryptophans were used to explain the observed emission properties. Gln 182 and Asn 204 as well as Asn 117 and Met 119 are the most likely quenchers, respectively, of the Trp 6 and Trp 113 fluorescence. The two tryptophans in Esperase are 'buried' in hydrophobic regions and are excellent intrinsic probes to study folding-unfolding reactions. Experiments in the presence and absence of added calcium ions demonstrated the stabilizing role of the Ca(2+)-binding sites.