Cellular damage signals promote sequential changes at the N-terminus and BH-1 domain of the pro-apoptotic protein Bak.

The pro-apoptotic protein Bak is converted from a latent to an active form by damage-induced signals. This process involves an early exposure of an occluded N-terminal epitope of Bak in intact cells. Here we report a subsequent damage-induced change in Bak, detected using an antibody to the central BH-1 domain. Bak co-immunoprecipitated with Bc1-x(L) both in undamaged cells and early after damage, when the N-terminal epitope was exposed but the BH-1 epitope remained occluded. A subsequent decrease in binding of Bak to Bc1-x(L) correlated with exposure of an epitope in the Bak BH-1 domain. Overexpression of Bc1-x(L) did not affect the kinetics of exposure of the Bak N-terminal epitope but delayed exposure of the BH-1 domain. Cytochrome c release from mitochondria facilitates the activation of apoptotic caspases. The majority of cells with exposed Bak BH-1 domains contained cytosolic cytochrome c. However, a small proportion of cells exhibited exposed Bak BH-1 domains that co-localized with mitochondrial cytochrome c. The data are consistent with a two-step model for the activation of Bak by drug-induced damage signals where dissociation of Bc1-x(L) from the BH-1 domain of Bak occurs immediately prior to or concomitantly with cytochrome c release.

Protein phosphorylation in pea root plastids.

Protein phosphorylation has been investigated in non-photosynthetic plastids of pea roots. Intact and lysed preparations of plastids were incubated with [gamma-(32)P]ATP and three stromal proteins of sizes 41, 58 and 62 kDa were phosphorylated on a serine residue. No other proteins were significantly labelled under the conditions used. The 62 kDa protein is probably phosphoglucomutase and represents a phosphoenzyme catalytic intermediate. The protein kinase(s) and phosphatase(s) acting on the other proteins were not sensitive to exogenous calcium but were sensitive to magnesium. The protein phosphatase which acts on the 41 kDa protein is possibly of type 2C, whereas that acting on the 58 kDa phosphoprotein did not fall into any class defined by mammalian systems. Metabolism of exogenous glucose 6-phosphate by the oxidative pentose phosphate pathway in intact plastids abolished the phosphorylation of the 58 kDa protein. Dihydroxyacetone phosphate, phosphoenolpyruvate and 3-phosphoglycerate also inhibited phosphorylation of the 58 kDa protein and had a time-dependent effect on the phosphorylation of the 41 kDa protein. The significance of these results in relation to a possible role for protein phosphorylation in these plastids is considered.

Bcl-2 regulates a caspase-3/caspase-2 apoptotic cascade in cytosolic extracts.

Apoptosis is accompanied by the activation of a number of apoptotic proteases (caspases) which selectively cleave specific cellular substrates. Caspases themselves are zymogens which are activated by proteolysis. It is widely believed that 'initiator' caspases are recruited to and activated within apoptotic signalling complexes, and then cleave and activate downstream 'effector' caspases. While activation of the effector caspase, caspase-3, has indeed been observed as distal to activation of several different initiator caspases, evidence for a further downstream proteolytic cascade is limited. In particular, there is little evidence that cellular levels of caspase-3 that are activated via one pathway are sufficient to cleave and activate other initiator caspases. To address this issue, the ability of caspase-3, activated upon addition to cytosolic extracts of cytochrome c, to cause cleavage of caspase-2 was investigated. It was demonstrated that cleavage of caspase-2 follows, and is dependent upon, activation of caspase-3. Moreover, the activation of both caspases was inhibited by Bcl-2. Together, these data indicate that Bcl-2 can protect cells from apoptosis by acting at a point downstream from release of mitochondrial cytochrome c, thereby preventing a caspase-3 dependent proteolytic cascade.

Bcl-2 regulates amplification of caspase activation by cytochrome c.

Caspases, a family of specific proteases, have central roles in apoptosis [1]. Caspase activation in response to diverse apoptotic stimuli involves the relocalisation of cytochrome c from mitochondria to the cytoplasm where it stimulates the proteolytic processing of caspase precursors. Cytochrome c release is controlled by members of the Bcl-2 family of apoptosis regulators [2] [3]. The anti-apoptotic members Bcl-2 and Bcl-xL may also control caspase activation independently of cytochrome c relocalisation or may inhibit a positive feedback mechanism [4] [5] [6] [7]. Here, we investigate the role of Bcl-2 family proteins in the regulation of caspase activation using a model cell-free system. We found that Bcl-2 and Bcl-xL set a threshold in the amount of cytochrome c required to activate caspases, even in soluble extracts lacking mitochondria. Addition of dATP (which stimulates the procaspase-processing factor Apaf-1 [8] [9]) overcame inhibition of caspase activation by Bcl-2, but did not prevent the control of cytochrome c release from mitochondria by Bcl-2. Cytochrome c release was accelerated by active caspase-3 and this positive feedback was negatively regulated by Bcl-2. These results provide evidence for a mechanism to amplify caspase activation that is suppressed at several distinct steps by Bcl-2, even after cytochrome c is released from mitochondria.

Catalytic properties of 26 S and 20 S proteasomes and radiolabeling of MB1, LMP7, and C7 subunits associated with trypsin-like and chymotrypsin-like activities.

20 and 26 S proteasomes were isolated from rat liver. The procedure developed for the 26 S proteasome resulted in greatly improved yields compared with previously published methods. A comparison of the kinetic properties of 20 and 26 S proteasomes showed significant differences in the kinetic characteristics with certain substrates and differences in the effects of a protein substrate on peptidase activity. Observed differences in the kinetics of peptidylglutamyl peptide hydrolase activity suggest that the 26 S complex cannot undergo the conformational changes of 20 S proteasomes at high concentrations of the substrate benzyloxycarbonyl (Z) -Leu-Leu-Glu-beta-naphthylamide. Various inhibitors that differentially affect the trypsin-like and chymotrypsin-like activities have been identified. Ala-Ala-Phe-chloromethyl (CH2Cl) inhibits chymotrypsin-like activity assayed with succinyl (Suc) -Leu-Leu-Val-Tyr-AMC, but surprisingly not hydrolysis of Ala-Ala-Phe-7-amido4-methylcoumarin (AMC). Tyr-Gly-Arg-CH2Cl inhibits Suc-Leu-Leu-Val-Tyr-AMC hydrolysis as well as trypsin-like activity measured with t-butoxycarbonyl (Boc) -Leu-Ser-Thr-Arg-AMC, while Z-Phe-Gly-Tyr-diazomethyl (CHN2) was found to inhibit only the two chymotrypsin-like activities. Radiolabeled forms of peptidyl chloromethane and peptidyl diazomethane inhibitors, [3H]acetyl-Ala-Ala-Phe-CH2Cl, [3H]acetyl- and radioiodinated Tyr-Gly-Arg-CH2Cl, and Z-Phe-Gly-Tyr-(125I-CHN2), have been used to identify catalytic components associated with each of the three peptidase activities. In each case, incorporation of the label could be blocked by prior treatment of the proteasomes with known active site-directed inhibitors, calpain inhibitor 1 or 3, 4-dichloroisocoumarin. Subunits of labeled proteasomes were separated either by reverse phase-HPLC and SDS-polyacrylamide gel electrophoresis or by two-dimensional polyacrylamide gel electrophoresis followed by autoradiography/fluorography and immunoblotting with subunit-specific antibodies. In each case, label was found to be incorporated into subunits C7, MB1, and LMP7 but in different relative amounts depending on the inhibitor used, consistent with the observed effects on the different peptidase activities. The results strongly suggest a relationship between trypsin-like activity and chymotrypsin-like activity. They also help to relate the different subunits of the complex to the assayed multicatalytic endopeptidase activities.

Catalytic components of proteasomes and the regulation of proteinase activity.

The proteasome (multicatalytic proteinase complex) is a large multimeric complex which is found in the nucleus and cytoplasm of eukaryotic cells. It plays a major role in both ubiquitin-dependent and ubiquitin-independent nonlysosomal pathways of protein degradation. Proteasome subunits are encoded by members of the same gene family and can be divided into two groups based on their similarity to the alpha and beta subunits of the simpler proteasome isolated from Thermoplasma acidophilum. Proteasomes have a cylindrical structure composed of four rings of seven subunits. The 26S form of the proteasome, which is responsible for ubiquitin-dependent proteolysis, contains additional regulatory complexes. Eukaryotic proteasomes have multiple catalytic activities which are catalysed at distinct sites. Since proteasomes are unrelated to other known proteases, there are no clues as to which are the catalytic components from sequence alignments. It has been assumed from studies with yeast mutants that beta-type subunits play a catalytic role. Using a radiolabelled peptidyl chloromethane inhibitor of rat liver proteasomes we have directly identified RC7 as a catalytic component. Interestingly, mutants in Pre1, the yeast homologue of RC7, have already been reported to have defective chymotrypsin-like activity. These results taken together confirm a direct catalytic role for these beta-type subunits. Proteasome activities are sensitive to conformational changes and there are several ways in which proteasome function may be modulated in vivo.(ABSTRACT TRUNCATED AT 250 WORDS)

Reaction of proteasomes with peptidylchloromethanes and peptidyldiazomethanes.

The multicatalytic endopeptidase complex (proteasome) has multiple distinct peptidase activities. These activities have often been referred to as 'chymotrypsin-like', 'trypsin-like' and 'peptidylglutamyl-peptide hydrolase' activities according to the type of residue in the P1 position, although it is now clear that mammalian proteasomes have at least five distinct catalytic sites. In the present study, potential affinity-labelling reagents (peptidylchloromethanes, peptidyldiazomethanes, a peptidylfluoromethane and peptidylsulphonium salts) containing hydrophobic, basic or acidic amino acid residues in the P1 position have been tested for inhibition of the different activities of the rat liver proteinase complex. The results show that individual peptidase activities of proteasomes can be inhibited by a variety of peptidylchloromethanes and peptidyldiazomethanes. Although the rate of inactivation of proteasomes by even the most effective peptidylchloromethanes and peptidyldiazomethanes are often quite slow (k(obs)/[I] in the range 0.1-10 M-1 x s-1) compared with the reaction of similar compounds with some other proteinases, the results provide useful information concerning the specificity of the distinct catalytic centres of proteasomes, and some selective affinity-labelling reagents have been identified. Tyr-Gly-Arg-chloromethane was found to be a useful inhibitor of trypsin-like activity. Inhibition of the other peptidase activities was often incomplete, even after repeated addition of inhibitor, and it proved to be difficult to predict the effect of different reagents. For example, Cbz-Tyr-Ala-Glu-chloromethane was found to inhibit 'chymotrypsin-like' activity (assayed with Ala-Ala-Phe-7-amino-4-methylcoumarin or succinyl-Leu-Leu-Val-Tyr-7-amino-4-methylcoumarin), while the best inhibitors of 'peptidylglutamyl-peptide hydrolase' activities (assayed with benzyloxycarbonyl-Leu-Leu-Glu beta-naphthylamide) were peptidyldiazomethanes containing hydrophobic amino acid residues. These results suggest that the original nomenclature of proteasome activities is misleading, because the residue in the P1 position is not the only determinant of specificity.

Leupeptin-binding site(s) in the mammalian multicatalytic proteinase complex.

The multicatalytic proteinase (MCP) complex is a major nonlysosomal proteinase which plays an important role in non-lysosomal pathways of protein degradation and which has recently been implicated in antigen processing. The mammalian MCP complex is composed of more than 20 different types of polypeptide, but it is not yet clear which of these components are responsible for its proteolytic activities. The complex has at least three distinct types of proteolytic activity. One of these, the so-called 'trypsin-like' activity, which involves cleavage on the carboxy side of basic amino acid residues, can be selectively and completely inhibited by peptidyl arginine aldehydes (such as leupeptin and antipain), and is also the most sensitive to inhibition by thiol-reactive reagents. In the present study N-[ethyl-1-14C]ethylmaleimide has been used to specifically label thiol groups protected by leupeptin binding. The results suggest that one or two polypeptide components within the complex can be protected against modification by N-ethylmaleimide. These components may be responsible for the 'trypsin-like' activity of the complex or may be adjacent to the catalytic component(s) and play an important role in substrate binding.

Use of serine-protease inhibitors as probes for the different proteolytic activities of the rat liver multicatalytic proteinase complex.

The multicatalytic proteinase (MCP) complex catalyses cleavage of bonds on the carboxy-group side of basic, hydrophobic or acidic amino acid residues. Originally, it was proposed that the complex contained three distinct types of catalytic component. MCP from rat liver has been assayed for so-called trypsin-like activity with Boc-Leu-Ser-Thr-Arg-NH-Mec (Mec, 4-methylcoumarin; Boc, t-butoxycarbonyl), for chymotrypsin-like activity with Ala-Ala-Phe-NH-Mec and Suc-Leu-Leu-Val-Tyr-NH-MEc (Suc, succinyl), and peptidyl-glutamylpeptide hydrolase activity with Cbz-Leu-Leu-Glu-Nap (Nap, naphthylamide; Cbz, benzyloxycarbonyl). Results of these studies suggest that as many as five distinct components can be distinguished, one for the trypsin-like activity and two for each of the others. The activities were tested with a variety of serine-protease inhibitors, and other novel effectors have also been identified. The two most effective inhibitors were 4-(2-amino-ethyl)benzenesulphonyl fluoride, which selectivity inactivates the trypsin-like activity, and 3,4-dichloroisocoumarin which inhibits chymotrypsin-like activity and the second, cooperative component [Djaballah, H. & Rivett, A. J. (1992) Biochemistry 31, 4133-4141] of peptidylglutamylpeptide hydrolase activity. The three activities inhibited by 3,4-dichloroisocoumarin can easily be distinguished by the effects of chymostatin analogues, diisopropylfluorophosphate, guanidine/HCl and casein. The results support the view that the enzyme is a novel type of serine protease and suggest that it may contain at least five distinct catalytic components. Marked differences in the reactivities of the different catalytic sites with different reagents can be used to distinguish between them.