Effect of acylphosphatase on human erythrocyte membrane Ca2(+)-ATPase

The inhibitory effect of the 5' untranslated region of muscle acylphosphatase mRNA on protein expression is relieved during cell differentiation

Previous experiments suggested that the upstream AUG triplet present in the 5' untranslated region (UTR) of muscle acylphosphatase mRNA is involved in the regulation of protein expression. In this paper, we study the involvement of the 5'UTR secondary structure and upstream peptide on mRNA stability and protein translation. Our data, obtained using deletion and frame-shift mutants, demonstrate that the 5'UTR controls protein expression regulating translation together with mRNA stability. Furthermore, we demonstrate that the inhibitory effect of the 5'UTR of muscle acylphosphatase is relieved during the differentiation process in agreement with previous data reporting an increase of acylphosphatase content during cell differentiation. Finally, UV cross-linking experiments show that specific mRNA-binding proteins are associated with the 5'UTR of the muscle acylphosphatase mRNA.

The 5'-untranslated region of the human muscle acylphosphatase mRNA has an inhibitory effect on protein expression

The cDNA of the human muscle type acylphosphatase was isolated and characterized. The mRNA presents a very long 5'-untranslated region, covering the first half of the molecule: 175 bases of this part were cloned and prediction of the possible secondary structure showed that a very stable stem-loop structure could be formed in that region. Moreover, an additional AUG triplet was found upstream of the start codon of the protein, defining an open reading frame of 60 codons which overlapped that of acylphosphatase. The possible regulatory effect on translation of this part of the mRNA molecule was studied by means of transient transfection experiments: a 10-fold decrease in the expression of a reporter protein and a dramatic decrease in the corresponding mRNA was observed, due to the presence of the 5'-untranslated region of acylphosphatase mRNA. Mutagenesis of the upstream AUG triplet eliminated mRNA instability, leading to the hypothesis that the product of the upstream open reading frame could play a role in this mechanism.

Ca(2+)-ATPase pump forms and an endogenous inhibitor in bovine brain synaptosomes

Two forms of Ca(2+)-pump were identified in bovine brain synaptic membranes as aspartylphosphate intermediates and were characterized. The 140 kDa and 97 kDa phosphoproteins were digested by calpain, producing two phosphorylated fragments, of M.W. 124 and 80 kDa respectively, not inhibited by thapsigargin, and displayed a trypsin digestion pattern with the formation of one phosphorylatable fragment of about 80 kDa. These results suggest that both pumps belong to the Plasma Membrane-type of Ca2+ ATPases, differing from the Sarco- or Endoplasmic Reticulum kind. A plasma membrane Ca(2+)-ATPase proteinaceous inhibitor with molecular weight between 6,000 and 10,000 Da was resolved from synaptic terminal cytosol, where it is enriched by fourfold with respect to frontal cortex brain cytosol. Such enrichment is already evident in the correspondent crude fractions. The presence of calcium pump and its proteinaceous inhibitor inside the synaptic terminals from bovine brain is discussed in terms of free calcium level regulation in neuron synaptoplasm.

Cloning and expression of the cDNA coding for the erythrocyte isoenzyme of human acylphosphatase

Three independent cDNAs coding for the erythrocyte isoform of human acylphosphatase were isolated and characterized. All the clones were incomplete at the 5' end, but Northern blot analysis using the cDNA as a probe showed the presence of an unusually long mRNA 5'-untranslated region. The transcript was present in a variety of human cell lines of different origins, although at different levels. Southern blot analysis on DNA from different individuals revealed a simple hybridization pattern. Large amounts of pure enzyme with kinetic characteristics very similar to those of the native protein were expressed in E. coli.

Properties of N-terminus truncated and C-terminus mutated muscle acylphosphatases

Enzymatic activity and structure of N-terminus truncated and C-terminus substituted muscle acylphosphatase mutants were investigated by kinetic studies under different conditions and 1H NMR spectroscopy, respectively. The N-terminus truncated mutant lacked the first six residues (delta 6), whereas arginine 97 and tyrosine 98 were replaced by glutamine giving two C-terminus substituted mutants (R97Q and Y98Q, respectively). All acylphosphatase forms were obtained by modifications of a synthetic gene coding for the human muscle enzyme which was expressed in E. coli. The delta 6 deletion mutant elicited a reduced specific activity and a native-like structure. The kinetic and structural properties of R97Q and Y98Q mutants indicate a possible role of Arg-97 in the stabilisation of the active site correct conformation, most likely via back-bone and side chain interactions with Arg-23, the residue involved in phosphate binding by the enzyme. This study also suggests a possible involvement of Tyr-98 in the stabilisation of the acylphosphatase overall structure.

2-Methoxybenzoyl phosphate: a new substrate for continuous fluorimetric and spectrophotometric acyl phosphatase assays

A new aromatic acyl phosphate, 2-methoxybenzoyl phosphate, has been synthesized. The compound shows an intrinsic fluorescence; it displays an intense emission band at 390 nm upon excitation in the near UV region. This band practically disappears after hydrolysis of the product. On the other hand, the product displays differences in the near UV absorption spectra measured before and after hydrolysis. The delta epsilon at 301 nm is 2720 M-1 cm-1, a value that is 4.3-fold higher than that of benzoyl phosphate (the usual substrate for acylphosphatase assay) at 283 nm. The main kinetic parameters of three different acylphosphatase molecular forms (the muscular isoenzyme and two subtypes of the organ common isoenzyme) were determined using both benzoyl phosphate and 2-methoxybenzoyl phosphate as substrates, and then compared. These kinetic data and the UV absorption and fluorescence properties of 2-methoxybenzoyl phosphate suggest that this compound has better substrate features than benzoyl phosphate, and can be used for both high sensitivity continuous fluorimetric and UV absorption spectrophotometric assays of acylphosphatase.

Arginine-23 is involved in the catalytic site of muscle acylphosphatase

Three mutants of human muscle acylphosphatase in which arginine-23 was replaced by glutamine, histidine and lysine, respectively, were prepared by oligonucleotide-directed mutagenesis of a synthetic gene coding for the enzyme. All mutants, purified by affinity chromatography, were almost completely unable to catalyze the hydrolysis of the substrate. 1H-NMR spectroscopy experiments showed the absence of any major conformational changes of the three mutants with respect to the wild-type recombinant enzyme. Equilibrium dialysis experiments demonstrated that the mutated proteins lost the ability of binding inorganic phosphate, a competitive inhibitor of the enzyme. These results strongly support an involvement of arginine-23 at the phosphate binding-site of acylphosphatase, confirming the hypothesis of the existence of a phosphate binding structural motif recently proposed by other authors.

Microinjection of acylphosphatase blocks Xenopus laevis oocytes maturation induced by ras-p21

Ras proteins induce germinal vesicle breakdown (GVBD) when microinjected into Xenopus laevis oocytes. The mechanism of action is still unresolved, although several hypotheses have been proposed. Acylphosphatase is a cytosolic enzyme that specifically catalyses the hydrolysis of the carboxylphosphate bond of acylphosphate for the removal of acylphosphate residues of various membrane pumps. A direct effect of acylphosphatase on the regulation of ionic balance of a cell by interaction with ionic membrane pumps has been proposed. We have analyzed the effect of microinjecting acylphosphatase, by itself or along with ras-p21 proteins or progesterone, into oocytes. The enzyme alone is unable to induce GVBD, but increases oocyte maturation induced by progesterone. By contrast, acylphosphatase blocked GVBD induced by microinjection of oncogenic ras-p21. These data suggest that acylphosphatase acts synergistically or antagonistically with factors involved in proliferating signals by altering the intracellular ionic conditions of the cell, conforming the hypothesis that the intracellular ionic condition of the cell is important in the induction of proliferating signals, and that its perturbation may have a serious effect on signal transduction.

Expression and turnover of acylphosphatase (muscular isoenzyme) in L6 myoblasts during myogenesis

Acylphosphatase (muscular isoenzyme) levels have been measured in L6J1 myoblasts either proliferating or differentiating into myotubes. Results indicated that the increase in enzyme levels during differentiation is very similar to that of creatine kinase, a specific muscular enzyme. The half-lives of acylphosphatase in myoblasts and myotubes were also determined; t1/2 values of 3 h 30 min (myoblasts), and 2 h 18 min (myotubes) were found. These results indicate that acylphosphatase could be considered a short-lived muscle-specific protein and that its increase in myotubes must be accompanied by an activation of its breakdown.

Preparation and properties of des-Tyr98 and des-Arg97-Tyr98 acylphosphatase (muscular isoenzyme)

Previous NMR reports indicated that Tyr98, the C-terminal residue of the muscular form of acylphosphatase, is likely to be part of the enzyme's active site. In addition, there is evidence that an arginine residue participates to the catalyzed reaction, possibly as phosphate binding site. Among all Arg residues present in the muscular forms of acylphosphatase, four, i.e. Arg23, Arg74, Arg77, and Arg97, appear to be conserved in all species checked thus far. We prepared the des-Tyr98 and des-Arg97-Tyr98 derivatives of the native acylphosphatase to investigate the properties of both modified enzymes. The enzyme lacking Tyr98 was found to be catalytically less effective than the native one, whereas the des-Arg97-Tyr98 acylphosphatase was completely inactive. This evidence suggests that Arg97 participates directly to the active site catalytic mechanism. Fluorescence and CD spectra revealed that the latter enzyme could have been undergone some conformational change that could account for the loss of activity; on the other hand, the one-dimensional NMR spectra of either native and des-Arg97-Tyr98 enzymes were strictly similar, thus demonstrating that the removal of the two C-terminal residues does not markedly affect the fold of the enzyme. The results reported are proof of a critical contribution of Arg97 to the acylphosphatase active site; however, we cannot exclude that the function of this residue is merely to stabilize the active site conformation and dynamics.