The isolation of bacterial membrane ATPase and nectin

Involvement of a cryptic ATPase activity of UvrB and its proteolysis product, UvrB* in DNA repair

The incision of damaged DNA by the Escherichia coli UvrABC endonuclease requires ATP hydrolysis. Although the deduced sequence of the UvrB protein suggests a putative ATP binding site, no nucleoside triphosphatase activity is demonstrable with the purified UvrB protein. The UvrB protein is specifically proteolyzed in E. coli cell extracts to yield a 70 kD fragment, referred to as UvrB*, which has been purified and is shown to possess a single-strand DNA dependent ATPase activity. Substrate specificity and kinetic analyses of UvrB* catalyzed nucleotide hydrolysis indicate that the stimulation in DNA dependent ATPase activity following formation of the UvrAB complex results from the activation of the normally sequestered UvrB associated ATPase. Using nucleotide analogues, it can be shown that this activity is essential to the DNA incision reaction carried out by the UvrABC complex.

Photosensitization of wild and mutant strains of Escherichia coli by meso-tetra (N-methyl-4-pyridyl)porphine

Wild type Escherichia coli cells as well as some mutant strains lacking specific DNA repair systems are efficiently killed upon visible light-irradiation after 5 min-incubation with meso-tetra(4N-methyl-pyridyl)porphine (T4MPyP). The presence of oxygen is necessary for cell photoinactivation. The porphyrin appears to exert its phototoxic activity largely by impairing some enzymic and transport functions at the level of both the outer and cytoplasmic membrane. Thus, SDS-PAGE electrophoresis shows a gradual attenuation of some transport protein bands as the irradiation proceeds, while a complete loss of lactate and NADH dehydrogenase activities is caused by 15 min-exposure to light. On the other hand, DNA does not represent a critical target of T4MPyP photosensitization as suggested by the closely similar photosensitivity of the wild E. coli and E. coli strains defective for two different DNA repair mechanisms, as well as by the lack of any detectable alteration of the pUC19 plasmids extracted from photosensitized E. coli TG1 cells.

Water-soluble GTP-binding protein from rat olfactory epithelium

Rat olfactory epithelium and ciliar cytosol of olfactory cells contained the water-soluble 45 kDa protein which was revealed by antibodies against a peptide fragment of the alpha-subunits common to the G-proteins. No analogous proteins were found in other rat tissues. According to the photo-affinity labeling, the 45 kDa protein possessed a high affinity to GTP; it also exhibited a low GTP hydrolytic activity.

Involvement of a cryptic ATPase activity of UvrB and its proteolysis product, UvrB* in DNA repair

The incision of damaged DNA by the Escherichia coli UvrABC endonuclease requires ATP hydrolysis. Although the deduced sequence of the UvrB protein suggests a putative ATP binding site, no nucleoside triphosphatase activity is demonstrable with the purified UvrB protein. The UvrB protein is specifically proteolyzed in E. coli cell extracts to yield a 70 kD fragment, referred to as UvrB*, which has been purified and is shown to possess a single-strand DNA dependent ATPase activity. Substrate specificity and kinetic analyses of UvrB* catalyzed nucleotide hydrolysis indicate that the stimulation in DNA dependent ATPase activity following formation of the UvrAB complex results from the activation of the normally sequestered UvrB associated ATPase. Using nucleotide analogues, it can be shown that this activity is essential to the DNA incision reaction carried out by the UvrABC complex.

GTP-binding protein associated with amino acid binding proteins from olfactory epithelium of skate, Dasyatis pastinaca

Amino acid binding protein (98 kDa) from olfactory epithelium of skate, Dasyatis pastinaca, form a stable complex with the 56 kDa protein. This complex dissociates in the presence of 10 microM GTP gamma S and 2 mM MgCl2. The 56 kDa protein has a steady-state GTPase activity (15 nmol/min per mg). Binding of amino acids to the 98 kDa protein specifically stimulates GTPase activity of the 56 kDa protein; half-maximal stimulation of GTPase activity is observed at 0.1 microM amino acid.

Isolation of plasma membranes from Drosophila embryos

Cell surface components probably play an important role in early embryonic development. However, hardly any information is available on the structure or regulation of expression of the corresponding genes. As a first step in approaching this issue, we devised a procedure to obtain enriched plasma membranes from embryonic Drosophila cells. Membranes are fractionated according to two independent physical parameters: size, using velocity gradient centrifugation and density, using isopicnic gradient centrifugation. The final membrane fraction is enriched by 6 to 8 fold with respect to the plasma membrane enzyme marker Na+/K+ ATPase and substantially depleted of the mitochondrial enzyme marker cytochrome C oxidase. Two-dimensional polyacrylamide gel electrophoresis of the purified membranes reveals enrichment for specific proteins and electron microscopy reveals membrane vesicles in abundance. The enriched fraction should be suitable for the preparation of antibody probes that recognize cell surface components.

Purification and characteristics of photoreceptor light-activated guanosinetriphosphatase

We describe a reconstitution of light-activated vertebrate photoreceptor GTPase and a purification of the GTP-binding protein (G protein), which is a component of the GTPase and modulates the light-activated phosphodiesterase (PDE) enzyme system. Rod outer segments (ROS) of bull frogs were treated with ethylenediaminetetraacetic acid (EDTA), and the GTPase and PDE fractions were solubilized (EDTA supernatant). When the EDTA supernatant and EDTA-treated membrane fraction (EDTA-washed membranes) were recombined, light-dependent GTPase activity appeared. In the reconstituted system, the Km for GTP as substrate was 0.5 microM; the optimum pH was 7.5-8.0. The isoelectric point of GTPase in EDTA supernatant was 4.8. G protein was purified 400-fold from ROS, and the molecular weight of G protein was determined to be 40 000 by polyacrylamide gel electrophoresis. The amount of G protein in ROS was calculated as at least 1 molecule per 400 rhodopsin molecules. By recombining (in the presence or absence of GTP) purified G protein, PDE, H fraction (an additional component of GTPase), and illuminated or unilluminated EDTA-washed membranes (as a source of rhodopsin), we showed that illuminated rhodopsin, G protein, PDE, and GTP are the minimum requirements for light-dependent PDE activity. We discuss the significance of these findings in the regulation of the light-activated GTPase and PDE activities, especially with regard to the mechanism of activation.

Purification and characterization of the membrane adenosine triphosphatase complex from the wild-type and N,N'-dicyclohexylcarbodiimide-resistant strains of Streptococcus faecalis

We have purified the F1-F0 adenosine triphosphatase complex from wild-type Streptococcus faecalis ATCC 9790 and an N,N'-dicyclohexylcarbodiimide (DCCD)-resistant mutant strain, SF-dcc-8. For preliminary purification of the complex, reconstituted F1-F0, prepared from isolated F1 adenosine triphosphatase and depleted membranes, was extracted with sodium deoxycholate and fractionated by salt precipitation. By means of two-dimensional gel electrophoresis, the F1-F0 complex was purified as a single, catalytically active band in the first dimension and then resolved into constituent subunits under denaturing conditions in the second dimension. The electrophoretic purification of F1-F0 removed a delta-less form of F1 as well as other impurities, including lipoteichoic acid. Both the DCCD-sensitive and the DCCD-resistant F1-F0 adenosine triphosphatase appeared to consist of eight proteins, five of which corresponded to the F1 subunits alpha, beta,, gamma, delta, and epsilon. The F0 sector proteins, designated M27, M15, and M6, had Mr values of 27,000, 15,000, and 6,000, respectively. There appear to be multiple copies of M6 in the complex. [14C]DCCD reacted specifically and covalently with M6 in the wild-type F1-F0 but failed to label the M6 protein in the complex from the DCCD-resistant strain. It is suggested that DCCD resistance in the SF-dcc-8 mutant may be due to a modification of the M6 protein which hinders access of DCCD to the reactive site.

Additional component required for activity and reconstitution of light-activated vertebrate photoreceptor GTPase

A light-activated GTPase that functions as a component of the rhodopsin-linked, light-activated phosphodiesterase (PDEase) system in vertebrate photoreceptors has been reported. In our efforts to purify photoreceptor GTPase we encountered another component (which we call "helper" or "H" component) whose presence is required for expression of light-activated GTPase activity. We report here the characterization of this heat-labile, macromolecular factor and that the presence of helper is absolutely required for light- and rhodopsin-dependent activation of photoreceptor GTPase. Of equal importance, we find that the "G" component (which requires the presence of H for expression of GTPase activity) can bind GTP and can support light- and GTP-dependent PDEase activation in the absence of H component. These data support a model in which GTP binding to G component is a necessary condition for PDEase activation. Hydrolysis of GTP at the G activator locus (an H-dependent activity) is a regulatory event which reverses PDEase activation. The complexity of this regulatory mechanism provides opportunities for signal modulation and amplification.