One-step refolding and purification of disulfide-containing proteins with a C-terminal MESNA thioester.

BACKGROUND: Expression systems based on self-cleavable intein domains allow the generation of recombinant proteins with a C-terminal thioester. This uniquely reactive C-terminus can be used in native chemical ligation reactions to introduce synthetic groups or to immobilize proteins on surfaces and nanoparticles. Unfortunately, common refolding procedures for recombinant proteins that contain disulfide bonds do not preserve the thioester functionality and therefore novel refolding procedures need to be developed. RESULTS: A novel redox buffer consisting of MESNA and diMESNA showed a refolding efficiency comparable to that of GSH/GSSG and prevented loss of the protein's thioester functionality. Moreover, introduction of the MESNA/diMESNA redox couple in the cleavage buffer allowed simultaneous on-column refolding of Ribonuclease A and intein-mediated cleavage to yield Ribonuclease A with a C-terminal MESNA-thioester. The C-terminal thioester was shown to be active in native chemical ligation. CONCLUSION: An efficient method was developed for the production of disulfide bond containing proteins with C-terminal thioesters. Introduction of a MESNA/diMESNA redox couple resulted in simultaneous on-column refolding, purification and thioester generation of the model protein Ribonuclease A.

High performance liquid chromatography analysis of MESNA (2-mercaptoethane sulfonate) in biological samples using fluorescence detection.

MESNA is the sodium salt of 2-mercaptoethane sulfonate, a thiol-containing drug. It is an antioxidant used particularly in renal protection. Several studies have proved that MESNA has beneficial effects in ischemic acute renal failure where it scavenges reactive oxygen species (ROS), due to the presence of the thiol group. It also reduces the size of urinary bladder cancer. MESNA was proved to be effective in preventing hemorrhagic cystitis induced by high doses of several chemotherapeutic regimens such as cyclophosphamide and ifosfamide. It has been shown that MESNA functions as an uroprotective substance in drug-induced experimental bladder cancer models. Moreover, recent studies have suggested that it is also effective in reducing intestinal inflammation in colitis. Because of the increased level of interest in using MESNA for treating various disorders, a new and sensitive method was needed to understand the pharmacokinetics of this drug. Accordingly, we developed a new method for determining free MESNA in biological samples by using ThioGlo-3 [3H-Naphto [2,1-b] pyran, 9-acetoxy-2-(4-(2,5-dihydro-2, 5-dioxo-1H-pyrrol-1-yl) phenyl-3-oxo)] as the derivatizing agent. MESNA was detected fluorimetrically by reverse-phase HPLC using acetonitrile:water (75:25) along with acetic acid and phosphoric acid (1 mL/L each) as the mobile phase. The detection limit was 1.64 nm per 20 microL injection volume, with a linearity (r = 0.999) in the calibration curve extending over a range 2.5-2500 nm. The coefficients of variation for within-run and between-run precision were 0.43 and 3.31%, respectively. The relative recoveries in the biological samples were in the range 87 +/- 6 to 93 +/- 2.4%. The concentrations of MESNA in the biological samples (lungs, liver, kidney and brain) were determined. The highest concentration of MESNA was found in plasma. Of all the tissues, the kidney was found to have the highest concentration while the liver had the lowest concentration.

Incorporation of coenzyme M into component C of methylcoenzyme M methylreductase during in vitro methanogenesis.

Reduction of the methyl group of [methyl-3H,thio-35S]2-methylthioethanesulfonic acid to methane by a reconstituted enzyme system resulted in a slow incorporation of [thio-35S]2-mercaptoethanesulfonic acid (HS-CoM) into component C of the methylreductase system. Only 35S label was associated with component C. The ratio of incorporated HS-CoM to component C was 1.96 to 1. The ratio of HS-CoM to factor F430, the nickel-containing cofactor of component C, was 1.18 to 1. Extraction of factor F430 from the protein resulted in the release of 62 +/- 8% of the 35S label, but the label was not covalently bound to F430. The incorporation of label into component C was coupled to methyl group reduction; no label was found associated with component C from a reconstituted reaction containing unlabeled 2-methylthioethanesulfonic acid and [thio-35S]HS-CoM.

Methane formation from methyl-coenzyme M in a system containing methyl-coenzyme M reductase, component B and reduced cobalamin.

Purified methyl-CoM reductase of Methanobacterium thermoautotrophicum was found to catalyze the reduction of methyl-coenzyme M to methane at a specific rate of 100 nmol X min-1 X mg protein-1 in a system containing partially purified component B, cob(III)alamin (B-12a), and, as electron donors, dithiothreitol or SnCl2. Under these experimental conditions B-12a was reduced to cob(II)alamin (B-12r), which is known to disproportionate to cob(I)alamin (B-12s) and B-12a to a slight extent. Methane formation from methyl-CoM was inhibited by propyl iodide, methyl iodide, chloroform and carbon tetrachloride, which were shown to react with B-12s to the corresponding light-sensitive alkyl cobalamin. Inhibition by propyl iodide was less effective in light-exposed samples. From these findings it is concluded that in this assay system B-12s might serve as electron donor for the enzymatic reduction of methyl-CoM to methane.

Is coenzyme M bound to factor F430 in methanogenic bacteria? Experiments with Methanobrevibacter ruminantium.

Coenzyme M (2-mercaptoethane sulfonic acid) and factor F430 (a nickel porphinoid) are coenzymes found in methanogenic bacteria. Recently it has been proposed that in these bacteria a coenzyme MF430 also exists which plays a key role in methane formation and in which coenzyme M and F430 are bound to each other. To test this hypothesis Methanobrevibacter ruminantium, which requires coenzyme M as a vitamin, was grown in the presence of [2-14C]CoMSH. F430 and 'CoM' (mixture of CoMSH and its disulfides) were quantitatively extracted from these cells and from partially purified methyl-CoM reductase using various methods. The extracts were chromatographed on cellulose or Sephadex G-10. Under all conditions factor F430 and 'CoM' were completely (greater than 99%) separated. There was no indication for the existence of a protein-free F430 species containing covalently bound coenzyme M in Mb. ruminantium. The results support the structure previously assigned to coenzyme F430.

Identification of methyl coenzyme M as an intermediate in methanogenesis from acetate in Methanosarcina spp.

The transfer of the methyl group of acetate to coenzyme M (2-mercaptoethanesulfonic acid; HS-CoM) during the metabolism of acetate to methane was investigated in cultures of Methanosarcina strain TM-1. The organism metabolized CD3COO- to 83% CD3H and 17% CD2H2 and produced no CDH3 or CH4. The isotopic composition of coenzyme M in cells grown on CD3COO- was analyzed with a novel gas chromatography-mass spectrometry technique. The cells contained CD3-D-CoM and CD2H-S-CoM) in a proportion similar to that of CD3H to CD2H2. These results, in conjunction with a report (J.K. Nelson and J.G. Ferry, J. Bacteriol. 160:526-532, 1984) that extracts of acetate-grown strain TM-1 contain high levels of CH3-S-CoM methylreductase, indicate that CH3-S-CoM is an intermediate in the metabolism of acetate to methane in this organism.