Molecular cloning of cDNA encoding Xenopus laevis deoxyribonuclease I

Inhibition of deoxyribonuclease I by actin is to protect cells from premature cell death

Deoxyribonuclease I (Dnase1) is the major extracellular endonuclease. It is secreted by digestive glands into the alimentary tract and into the plasma, lacrimal fluid and urine by hepatocytes, lacrimal glands and renal proximal tubular cells, respectively. In many species the activity of Dnase1 is inhibited by monomeric actin. However, the biological significance of this high affinity interaction is unknown. We generated a Dnase1 mutant with extremely reduced actin binding capacity. EGFP-constructs of wild-type and mutant Dnase1 were transfected into MCF-7 breast cancer cells and apoptosis or necrosis was induced by staurosporine or oxidative stress. During apoptosis faster chromatin fragmentation occurred in cells transfected with mutant Dnase1. When wt (wild-type)- or mutated Dnase1 were added to cells after induction of necrosis, faster chromatin degradation occurred in the presence of mutant Dnase1. Inclusion of actin under these conditions inhibited chromatin degradation by wt- but not by mutated Dnase1. Thus, inhibition of Dnase1 by actin may serve as a self-protection mechanism against premature DNA degradation during cell damage.

A single amino acid substitution can shift the optimum pH of DNase I for enzyme activity: biochemical and molecular analysis of the piscine DNase I family

We purified four piscine deoxyribonucleases I (DNases I) from Anguilla japonica, Pagrus major, Cryprus carpio and Oreochromis mossambica. The purified enzymes had an optimum pH for activity of approximately 8.0, significantly higher than those of mammalian enzymes. cDNAs encoding the first three of these piscine DNases I were cloned, and the sequence of the Takifugu rubripes enzyme was obtained from a database search. Nucleotide sequence analyses revealed relatively greater structural variations among the piscine DNase I family than among the other vertebrate DNase I families. From comparison of their catalytic properties, the vertebrate DNases I could be classified into two groups: a low-pH group, such as the mammalian enzymes, with a pH optimum of 6.5-7.0, and a high-pH group, such as the reptile, amphibian and piscine enzymes, with a pH optimum of approximately 8.0. The His residue at position 44 of the former group is replaced by Asp in the latter. Replacement of Asp44 of piscine and amphibian DNases I by His decreased their optimum pH to a value similar to that of the low-pH group. Therefore, Asp44His might be involved in an evolutionarily critical change in the optimum pH for the activity of vertebrate DNases I.

Screening for novel pancreatic genes from in vitro-induced pancreas in Xenopus

The processes of development and differentiation of the pancreas, an endoderm-derived vital organ that consists of both endocrine and exocrine cells, are highly conserved across most vertebrates. Recently, an in vitro system has been reported to induce embryonic pancreas using multipotent Xenopus ectodermal cells treated with activin and retinoic acid. In this study, this system was first modified to eliminate the mesoderm-derived pronephros. It was found that pronephros, which appeared with the use of low concentrations of activin, was eliminated at higher concentrations (400 ng/mL), while pancreas developed at a high frequency. Using this modified system, subtractive hybridization screening for novel pancreatic genes was done to better understand the molecular mechanisms of pancreas formation. Four novel genes were identified and characterized that were also found to be specifically expressed in the developing pancreas: carboxyl ester lipase, pancreatic elastase2, placental protein11 and protein disulfide isomerase A2 precursor. This in vitro pancreas-induction system may provide a useful model for analysis of the molecular mechanisms that function during pancreas development.

Amphibian DNases I are characterized by a C-terminal end with a unique, cysteine-rich stretch and by the insertion of a serine residue into the Ca2+-binding site

We purified four amphibian deoxyribonucleases I from the pancreases of one toad, two frog and one newt species, by using three different column chromatography methods in sequence. Each of the purified enzymes had a molecular mass of approx. 40 kDa and an optimal pH for activity of approx. 8.0. These values were significantly greater than those for other vertebrate DNases I. The full-length cDNA encoding each amphibian DNase I was constructed from the total RNA of the pancreas by using rapid amplification of cDNA ends. Nucleotide sequence analyses revealed two structural characteristics unique to amphibian DNases I: a stretch of approx. 70 amino acids with a high cysteine content (approx. 15%) in the C-terminal region, and the insertion of a serine residue at position 205 (in a domain containing an essential Ca2+-binding site). Expression analysis of a series of mutant constructs indicated that both of these structures are essential in generating the active form of the enzyme. 'DNase I signature sequences', which are well conserved in other vertebrate DNases I, could not be found in any of the amphibian DNases I tested, whereas a 'somatomedin B motif' was identified in the Cys-rich stretches of all four. Although DNase I has so far been considered to be a secretory glycoprotein, amphibian DNase I seems to be non-glycosylated. These structural findings indicate strongly that amphibian DNases I are situated in a unique position on the phylogenetic tree of the DNase I family.

Molecular, biochemical and immunological analyses of porcine pancreatic DNase I

Deoxyribonuclease I (DNase I) was purified 26500-fold in 39% yield from porcine pancreas to electrophoretic homogeneity using three-step column chromatography. The purified enzyme was inhibited by an antibody specific to the purified enzyme but not by G-actin. A 1303 bp cDNA encoding porcine DNase I was constructed from total RNA from porcine small intestine using a rapid amplification of cDNA ends method, followed by sequencing. Mature porcine DNase I protein was found to consist of 262 amino acids. Unlike all other mammalian DNase I enzymes that are inhibited by G-actin, porcine DNase I has H65 and S114 instead of Y65 and A114, which presumably results in the lack of inhibition. Porcine DNase I was more sensitive to low pH than rat or bovine enzymes. Compared with their primary structures, the amino acid at position 110 was N in porcine enzyme, but S in rat and bovine enzymes. A porcine mutant enzyme in which N was substituted by S alone at position 110 (N110S) became resistant to low pH to a similar extent as the rat and bovine enzymes.

DNase I: structure, function, and use in medicine and forensic science

In this review, available structural data of deoxyribonucleases I (DNases I) from several mammalian species, hen, snake and frog are summarized. Comparative studies on enzymatic and immunological properties and glycosylation are discussed, and several evolutionary conclusions are presented. Over the past decade, the availability of new investigative tools, including sensitive methods of electrophoresis, detection and determination, and genetically modified DNase I models has resulted in a clearer understanding of the molecular mechanisms that connect the function and usefulness of DNase I in medicine and forensic science.