Oxidative folding and N-terminal cyclization of onconase

Linked production of pyroglutamate-modified proteins via self-cleavage of fusion tags with TEV protease and autonomous N-terminal cyclization with glutaminyl cyclase in vivo

Overproduction of N-terminal pyroglutamate (pGlu)-modified proteins utilizing Escherichia coli or eukaryotic cells is a challenging work owing to the fact that the recombinant proteins need to be recovered by proteolytic removal of fusion tags to expose the N-terminal glutaminyl or glutamyl residue, which is then converted into pGlu catalyzed by the enzyme glutaminyl cyclase. Herein we describe a new method for production of N-terminal pGlu-containing proteins in vivo via intracellular self-cleavage of fusion tags by tobacco etch virus (TEV) protease and then immediate N-terminal cyclization of passenger target proteins by a bacterial glutaminyl cyclase. To combine with the sticky-end PCR cloning strategy, this design allows the gene of target proteins to be efficiently inserted into the expression vector using two unique cloning sites (i.e., SnaB I and Xho I), and the soluble and N-terminal pGlu-containing proteins are then produced in vivo. Our method has been successfully applied to the production of pGlu-modified enhanced green fluorescence protein and monocyte chemoattractant proteins. This design will facilitate the production of protein drugs and drug target proteins that possess an N-terminal pGlu residue required for their physiological activities.

Structural and functional insights into Aeropyrum pernix OppA, a member of a novel archaeal OppA subfamily

In this study we gain insight into the structural and functional characterization of the Aeropyrum pernix oligopeptide-binding protein (OppA(Ap)) previously identified from the extracellular medium of an Aeropyrum pernix cell culture at late stationary phase. OppA(Ap) showed an N-terminal Q32 in a pyroglutamate form and C-terminal processing at the level of a threonine-rich region probably involved in protein membrane anchoring. Moreover, the OppA(Ap) protein released into the medium was identified as a "nicked" form composed of two tightly associated fragments detachable only under strong denaturing conditions. The cleavage site E569-G570 seems be located on an exposed surface loop that is highly conserved in several three-dimensional (3D) structures of dipeptide/oligopeptide-binding proteins from different sources. Structural and biochemical properties of the nicked protein were virtually indistinguishable from those of the intact form. Indeed, studies of the entire bacterially expressed OppA(Ap) protein owning the same N and C termini of the nicked form supported these findings. Moreover, in the middle exponential growth phase, OppA(Ap) was found as an intact cell membrane-associated protein. Interestingly, the native exoprotein OppA(Ap) was copurified with a hexapeptide (EKFKIV) showing both lysines methylated and possibly originating from an A. pernix endogenous stress-induced lipoprotein. Therefore, the involvement of OppA(Ap) in the recycling of endogenous proteins was suggested to be a potential physiological function. Finally, a new OppA from Sulfolobus solfataricus, SSO1288, was purified and preliminarily characterized, allowing the identification of a common structural/genetic organization shared by all "true" archaeal OppA proteins of the dipeptide/oligopeptide class.

Ribonucleases as potential modalities in anticancer therapy

Antitumor ribonucleases are small (10-28 kDa) basic proteins. They were found among members of both, ribonuclease A and T1 superfamilies. Their cytotoxic properties are conferred by enzymatic activity, i.e., the ability to catalyze cleavages of phosphodiester bonds in RNA. They bind to negatively charged cell membrane, enter cells by endocytosis and translocate to cytosol where they evade mammalian protein ribonuclease inhibitor and degrade RNA. Here, we discuss structures, functions and mechanisms of antitumor activity of several cytotoxic ribonucleases with particular emphasis to the amphibian Onconase, the only enzyme of this class that reached clinical trials. Onconase is the smallest, very stable, less catalytically efficient and more cytotoxic than most RNase A homologues. Its cytostatic, cytotoxic and anticancer effects were extensively studied. It targets tRNA, rRNA, mRNA as well as the non-coding RNA (microRNAs). Numerous cancer lines are sensitive to Onconase; their treatment with 10-100 nM enzyme leads to suppression of cell cycle progression, predominantly through G(1), followed by apoptosis or cell senescence. Onconase also has anticancer properties in animal models. Many effects of this enzyme are consistent with the microRNAs, one of its critical targets. Onconase sensitizes cells to a variety of anticancer modalities and this property is of particular interest, suggesting its application as an adjunct to chemotherapy or radiotherapy in treatment of different tumors. Cytotoxic RNases as exemplified by Onconase represent a new class of antitumor agents, with an entirely different mechanism of action than the drugs currently used in the clinic. Further studies on animal models including human tumors grafted on severe combined immunodefficient (SCID) mice and clinical trials are needed to explore clinical potential of cytotoxic RNases.

Onconase cytotoxicity relies on the distribution of its positive charge

Onconase (ONC) is a member of the ribonuclease A superfamily that is toxic to cancer cells in vitro and in vivo. ONC is now in Phase IIIb clinical trials for the treatment of malignant mesothelioma. Internalization of ONC to the cytosol of cancer cells is essential for its cytotoxic activity, despite the apparent absence of a cell-surface receptor protein. Endocytosis and cytotoxicity do, however, appear to correlate with the net positive charge of ribonucleases. To dissect the contribution made by the endogenous arginine and lysine residues of ONC to its cytotoxicity, 22 variants were created in which cationic residues were replaced with alanine. Variants with the same net charge (+2 to +5) as well as equivalent catalytic activity and conformational stability were found to exhibit large (> 10-fold) differences in toxicity for the cells of a human leukemia line. In addition, a more cationic ONC variant could be either much more or much less cytotoxic than a less cationic variant, again depending on the distribution of its cationic residues. The endocytosis of variants with widely divergent cytotoxic activity was quantified by flow cytometry using a small-molecule fluorogenic label, and was found to vary by twofold or less. This small difference in endocytosis did not account for the large difference in cytotoxicity, implicating the distribution of cationic residues as being critical for lipid-bilayer translocation subsequent to endocytosis. This finding has fundamental implications for understanding the interaction of ribonucleases and other proteins with mammalian cells.

Ribonucleases as novel chemotherapeutics : the ranpirnase example

Ranpirnase, a cytotoxic ribonuclease from the frog Rana pipiens, is the archetype of a novel class of cancer chemotherapeutic agents based on homologs and variants of bovine pancreatic ribonuclease (RNase A). Ranpirnase in combination with doxorubicin is in clinical trials for the treatment of unresectable malignant mesothelioma and other cancers. The putative mechanism for ranpirnase-mediated cytotoxicity involves binding to anionic components of the extracellular membrane, cytosolic internalization, and degradation of transfer RNA leading to apoptosis. The maintenance of ribonucleolytic activity in the presence of the cytosolic ribonuclease inhibitor protein is a key aspect of the cytotoxic activity of ranpirnase. The basis for its specific toxicity for cancer cells is not known. This review describes the development of ranpirnase as a cancer chemotherapeutic agent.

Onconase and amphinase, the antitumor ribonucleases from Rana pipiens oocytes

Rana pipiens oocytes contain two homologues of pancreatic ribonuclease A that are cytostatic and cytotoxic to human cancer cells. Extensively studied Onconase is in advanced Phase IIIb clinical trials against malignant mesothelioma, while Amphinase is a novel enzyme in pre-clinical development. Onconase is the smallest (104 amino acid residues) member of the ribonuclease A superfamily while Amphinase (114 residues) is the largest among amphibian ribonucleases. Both enzymes share the characteristic frog ribonucleases C-terminal disulfide bond but another signature of this group, the N-terminal pyroglutamate, an integral part of Onconase active site is not conserved in Amphinase. Although Onconase and Amphinase are weak catalysts their enzymatic activities are required for cytostatic and cytotoxic activity. While it was postulated that tRNA is the primary substrate of Onconase in vivo there is also extensive indirect evidence that suggests other RNA species, in particular micro RNAs, may actually be the critical target of these ribonucleases. The cytostatic effects of Onconase and Amphinase are manifested as cell arrest in the G(1) cell cycle phase. Apoptosis then follows involving activation of endonucleases(s), caspases, serine proteases and transglutaminase. Onconase was shown to be strongly synergistic when combined with numerous other antitumor modalities. Onconase and Amphinase are highly cationic molecules and their preferential toxicity towards cancer cells (having distinctly higher negative charge compared to normal cells) may depend on increased binding efficiency to the cell surface by electrostatic interactions.

Dissimilarity in the oxidative folding of onconase and ribonuclease A, two structural homologues

The oxidative folding of frog onconase (ONC), a member of the ribonuclease A family, was examined and shows markedly different behavior compared to its structural homologue bovine pancreatic ribonuclease A (RNase A) under similar conditions. Application of a reduction pulse (using a small amount of reduced dithiothreitol) during the oxidative regeneration of ONC indicated the survival of the native protein along with three other (structured) species, I(1), I(2) and I(3), with the rest of the unstructured species being converted to fully reduced protein. Mass spectrometry indicates that I(1) has two disulfide bonds, whereas I(2) and I(3) have three disulfide bonds each. A disulfide mapping method, based on cyanylation, was used to identify I(2) and I(3) as des-[30-75] and des-[19-68], respectively. On enzymatic digestion using trypsin, I(1) was identified as des-[19-68, 30-75]. Differences in the intermediates that are generated during the oxidative folding of the two structural homologues, RNase A and ONC, demonstrate that regenerative pathways are not necessarily influenced by tertiary structure. This indicates that the lack of a disulfide bond in ONC, analogous to the (65-72) disulfide bond in RNase A which plays an important role in its oxidative regeneration, does not adversely affect the oxidative folding of ONC.