Agonist-induced functional desensitization of recombinant human 5-HT2 receptors expressed in CHO-K1 cells

The desensitization characteristics of recombinant human 5-HT(2A), 5-HT(2B), and 5-HT(2C) receptors (VSV and INI isoforms) stably expressed in CHO-K1 (Chinese hamster ovary) cells was investigated by calcium fluorimetry. Comparative desensitization characteristics of the agonists 5-HT, m-chlorophenylpiperazine (mCPP), and 2,5-dimethoxy-4-iodoamphetamine hydrobromide (DOI) were performed. Human 5-HT(2C (INI)) receptors exhibited a greater degree of desensitization to all agonists tested than edited 5-HT(2C (VSV)) receptors. A 2-hr exposure to 5-HT resulted in a significantly larger reduction in response upon re-exposure to 5-HT at 5-HT(2C (INI)) receptors, as compared to 5-HT(2C (VSV)) receptors (72% and 47% respectively, P < 0.01). Both receptor isoforms were expressed at similar densities. Human 5-HT(2B) receptors exhibited the most dramatic degree of desensitization, with prior exposure to 5-HT reducing subsequent response to 5-HT by 80%, with an extremely rapid time-course (t(1/2) < 5 min). The response at 5-HT(2A) receptors was reduced by 54%. The partial agonists mCPP and DOI also elicited desensitization, generally in line with their relative efficacies at each receptor, but exhibited more rapid kinetic profiles than 5-HT. Heterologous desensitization of an endogenously expressed G(q/11)-coupled purinergic receptor was also examined following preincubation of the cell lines with 10 microM 5-HT. Only stimulation of 5-HT(2C (VSV)) receptors resulted in a profound attenuation of subsequent ATP mediated responses. These results demonstrate differing degrees of both homologous and heterologous desensitization of 5-HT(2) receptors. Additionally, the different desensitization profiles of 5-HT(2C (INI)) and 5-HT(2C (VSV)) receptor may be due to signal transduction differences caused by RNA editing.

Functional characterization of agonists at recombinant human 5-HT2A, 5-HT2B and 5-HT2C receptors in CHO-K1 cells

1. The goal of this study was to characterize the agonist pharmacology of human 5-HT2A, 5-HT2B and 5-HT2C (VSV) receptors expressed in CHO-K1 (Chinese hamster ovary) cells. 2. We used a fluorometric imaging plate reader (FLIPR) which allows rapid detection of rises in intracellular calcium levels upon the addition of agonists. 3. Stimulation of all three receptors by 5-HT caused a robust concentration dependent increase in intracellular calcium levels. No such effect was observed from non-transfected control CHO-K1 cells. 4. The rank order of potency of agonists at the different receptor subtypes varied. Tryptamines, BW-723C86, d-norfenfluramine, Ro 60-0175 and LSD exhibited the following rank order of potency; 5-HT2B>5-HT2C>5-HT2A. Piperazines such as m-Chlorophenylpiperazine (mCPP), ORG-12962, MK-212 and also ORG-37684 exhibited a rank order of potency of 5-HT2C>5-HT2B>5-HT2A. The phenylisopropylamines DOI and DOB had a rank order of 5-HT2A>5-HT2B>5-HT2C. 5. Many agonists tested had partial agonist actions when compared to 5-HT, and a wide range of relative efficacies were exhibited, which was cell line dependent. For example, mCPP had a relative efficacy of 65% at 5-HT2C receptors but <25% at either 5-HT2A or 5-HT2B receptors. 6. Interpretation of literature values of functional assays using different cell lines, different receptor expression levels and different receptor isoforms, is complex. Species differences and the previous use of antagonist radioligands to characterize agonist potency in binding assays emphasizes the importance of studying agonists in the same experiment using the same assay conditions and parental cell lines.

Expression, purification and initial characterization of the recombinant storage protein precursor of Theobroma cacao

The gene encoding the 67-kDa cocoa storage protein precursor has been cloned from Theobroma cacao and expressed in Escherichia coli using the pET expression system. The recombinant storage protein has been renatured from inclusion bodies at 30 degrees C using 20 mM glycine-NaOH buffer, pH 10.0, containing 1 mM oxidized glutathione and 0.1% Brij. The renatured protein was purified and demonstrated to adopt a stable native conformation by optical spectroscopy. Secondary structure analysis from circular dichroism indicated the protein to be 23% alpha-helix and 38% beta-sheet, in close agreement with values obtained using a secondary structure prediction program.

Recombinant pro-regions from papain and papaya proteinase IV-are selective high affinity inhibitors of the mature papaya enzymes

Proteolytic enzymes require the presence of their pro-regions for correct folding. Of the four proteolytic enzymes from Carica papaya, papain and papaya proteinase IV (PPIV) have 68% sequence identity. We find that their pro-regions are even more similar, exhibiting 73.6% identity. cDNAs encoding the pro-regions of these two proteinases have been expressed in Escherichia coli independently from their mature enzymes. The recombinant pro-regions of papain and PPIV have been shown to be high affinity inhibitors of all four of the mature native papaya cysteine proteinases. Their inhibition constants are in the range 10(-6) - 10(-9) M. PPIV was inhibited two to three orders of magnitude less effectively than papain, chymopapain and caricain. The pro-region of PPIV, however, inhibited its own mature enzyme more effectively than did the pro-region of papain. Alignment of the sequences of the four papaya enzymes shows that there is a highly variable section towards the C-terminal of the pro-region. This region may therefore confer selectivity to the pro-regions for the individual proteolytic enzymes.

Nucleotide sequence and expression in Escherichia coli of cDNAs encoding papaya proteinase omega from Carica papaya

We have cloned and sequenced two similar, but distinct, cDNAs from both fruit and leaf tissues of Carica papaya. The C-terminal portion of the predicted amino acid (aa) sequence of one of the clones has complete identity with the mature enzyme sequence of the cysteine proteinase papaya proteinase omega (Pp omega). The second clone contains ten individual bp changes compared with the first and encodes a protein with three single-aa substitutions, only one of which is located in the mature sequence, but most noticeably carries an additional 19-aa C-terminal extension. The clones encode pre-pro precursor isoforms of Pp omega. The former of these clones has been expressed in Escherichia coli using a T7 polymerase expression system to produce insoluble pro-enzyme which has been solubilized and refolded to yield auto-activable pro-Pp omega.

Alternative modes of mRNA processing in a 3' splice site mutant of Neurospora crassa

The am8 mutant of Neurospora crassa is shown to have a double base-pair change, GTG for the normal TAG, at the 3' end of the second intron of the am (NADP-specific glutamate dehydrogenase, GDH) gene. The greater part of the mutant am transcript accumulates as two fragments hybridising to probes for sequences respectively upstream and downstream of the 5' end of the intron. Two processed transcripts approximating to normal full length mRNA were identified. In one the second intron was intact; in the other the second intron was spliced out through the use of an AAG sequence, 20 base-pairs into the third exon, as a 3' acceptor site. A GAG sequence, only four base-pairs downstream from the normal acceptor site, does not appear to be used.

Active papain renatured and processed from insoluble recombinant propapain expressed in Escherichia coli

For the first time the pro-form of a recombinant cysteine proteinase has been expressed at a high level in Escherichia coli. This inactive precursor can subsequently be processed to yield active enzyme. Sufficient protein can be produced using this system for X-ray crystallographic structure studies of engineered proteinases. A cDNA clone encoding propapain, a precursor of the papaya proteinase, papain, was expressed in E. coli using a T7 polymerase expression system. Insoluble recombinant protein was solubilized in 6 M guanidine hydrochloride and 10 mM dithiothreitol, at pH 8.6. A protein-glutathione mixed disulphide was formed by dilution into oxidized glutathione and 6 M GuHCl, also at pH 8.6. Final refolding and disulphide bond formation was induced by dilution into 3 mM cysteine at pH 8.6. Renatured propapain was processed to active papain at pH 4.0 in the presence of excess cysteine. Final processing could be inhibited by the specific cysteine proteinase inhibitors E64 and leupeptin, but not by pepstatin, PMSF or EDTA. This indicates that final processing was due to a cysteine proteinase and suggests that an autocatalytic event is required for papain maturation.