The CMS-associated 16 kDa protein encoded by orfH522 in the PET1 cytoplasm is also present in other male-sterile cytoplasms of sunflower.

In sunflower plants carrying the PET1 cytoplasm male sterility (CMS) is associated with a new open reading frame (orfH522) in the 3'-flanking region of the atpA gene and an additional 16 kDa protein. Twenty-seven male-sterile cytoplasms of different origin were studied for the expression of the 16 kDa protein. In addition to the PET1 cytoplasm nine other male-sterile cytoplasms express the CMS-associated protein. These CMS sources originate from different interspecific crosses, from spontaneously occurring male-sterile plants in wild sunflower and from induced mutagenesis. Polyclonal antisera were raised against fusion proteins which contain 421 bp of the 3'-coding region of orfH522 to verify by immunological methods the identity of the other CMS cytoplasms. The anti-ORFH522 antiserum showed a positive reaction in the immunoblot with all CMS cytoplasms which expressing the 16 kDa protein. Investigations of the mitochondrial DNA demonstrated that all ten CMS cytoplasms which express the 16 kDa protein have the same organization at the atpA locus. OrfH522 as probes gave the same transcript pattern for the investigated CMS cytoplasms, just as for PET1. The MAX1 cytoplasm has an orfH522-related sequence but does not synthesize the 16 kDa protein. Using the sodium carbonate treatment the 16 kDa protein proved to be membrane-bound. Computer analyses predict that the hydrophobic N-terminal region of ORFH522 may form a transmembrane helix functioning as membrane anchor.

Affinity labeling of a sulfhydryl group in the cardiacglycoside receptor site of Na+/K(+)-ATPase by N-hydroxysuccinimidyl derivatives of digoxigenin.

Na+/K(+)-ATPase from pig kidney is inactivated by protein-reactive N-hydroxysuccinimidyl derivatives of digoxigenin. Like digoxigenin, its protein-reactive derivatives N-hydroxysuccinimidyl digoxigenin-3-methylcarbonyl-epsilon-aminocaproate (HDMA), 3-amino-3-deoxydigoxigenin hemisuccinimide succinimidyl ester (ADHS), 3-iodoacetylamino-3-deoxydigoxigenin (IAD) and digoxigenin-3-O-succinyl-[2-(N-maleimido)]ethylamide (DSME) inhibited the sodium pump in the presence of Na+, Mg2+ and ATP. At 37 degrees C, half-maximal inhibition of Na+/K(+)-ATPase was seen by HDMA at 0.47 microM, by ADHS at 5.8 microM, by IAD at 8 microM and by DSME at 94 microM. Thus, all compounds bind to the cardiac steroid receptor site of Na+/K(+)-ATPase. Affinity labeling of the alpha subunit by 'front door' or 'back door' phosphorylation was only seen with HDMA or ADHS in the range 0.1 microM. Excess of ouabain protected against affinity labeling. All the other protein-reactive derivatives of digoxigenin labeled the enzyme independent of the formation of a phosphointermediate at much higher concentrations. This labeling was not suppressed by an excess of ouabain. Tryptic hydrolysis of the HDMA-modified Na+/K(+)-ATPase gave peptides of the apparent molecular masses 20, 12.5 and 11.2 kDa. The 11.2-kDa and 12.5-kDa peptides started amino-terminally with Asp68, and the 20-kDa peptide with Asp24. Thus, the HDMA-labeled peptides originate from the cardioactive steroid-binding site formed by the first and second transmembrane helix. N-Hydroxysuccinimidyl esters such as HDMA are normally thought to modify lysine and arginine residues covalently. Since such residues do not exist in the putative cardiac glycoside-binding site, the possibility of a thioester formation of the digoxigenin derivatives HDMA and ADHS with Cys104 in the H1 transmembrane domain was tested. In fact, hydroxylaminolysis led to the release of the covalently bound HDMA, and the formation of a free sulfhydryl group. This could be labeled by [2-14C]ICH2COOH. We therefore propose, consistent with a recent conclusion from a site-directed mutagenesis experiment [Canessa, C. M., Horisberger, J.-D., Louvard, D. & Rossier, B. C. (1992) EMBO J. 11, 1681-1687], that a cysteine residue (probably Cys104) participates in the structure and function of the cardiac glycoside binding.

Computer-aided studies on the spatial structure of the small hepatitis B surface protein.

Hepatitis B surface proteins play a central role in the assembly of the virus and in the infection of the host cells. Whereas some functional aspects of the proteins have been studied in detail, little is known about their structure. Since X-ray analysis of these proteins appear unlikely in the near future, we chose to use a variety of computer-aided methods to improve the model for the major surface protein (SHBs). We here describe the model, discuss it in light of current results in the literature and discuss new functional implications of SHBs.

Comparative studies on the dynamics of crosslinked insulin.

Molecular dynamics simulations were carried out on an insulin crosslinked between the N-terminal A chain and the C-terminal B chain to form a so-called mini-proinsulin: N alpha-A1-N epsilon-B29-diaminosuberoyl insulin (DASI). To investigate the influence of crosslinking on the dynamics of the insulin moiety, the bridge was removed from a transient DASI structure and simulation was carried on independently with the then unlinked (ULKI) as well as with the crosslinked species. The effects of crystal packing and quaternary interactions were checked by simulating both types of monomers and dimers known from the hexamer structure. All simulations were compared to previous ones of native insulin. DASI shows general similarity to the native simulations in most parts of the structure. Deviations are visible in the segments to which the bridge is directly connected, i.e. their flexibility is reduced. Upon removal of the bridge the ULKI simulations reapproach those of native insulin. The influence of the bridge spreads over the whole molecule, but all of its main structural features remain intact. The simulations suggest that the displacement of the C-terminal B chain of native insulin, considered important for receptor interaction, is prevented by the bridge, which also partially shields some binding residues. This is in accordance with the poor biological potency of A1-B29-crosslinked insulins.

Pore formation by tetanus toxin, its chain and fragments in neuronal membranes and evaluation of the underlying motifs in the structure of the toxin molecule.

The pore-forming activity of tetanus toxin, its chains and fragments was studied on membrane patches from spinal cord neurons of fetal mice using the outside-out patch-clamp configuration. 1. The dichain tetanus toxin forms pores at pH 5, but not at pH 7.4. The elementary pore conductance is 38.4 +/- 1.1 pS and nonselective for small cations. The open probability of the pores is voltage-dependent and increases with membrane depolarisation. The pores activate at +80 mV with a time constant of about 20 ms and deactivate at -80 mV with two time constants of about 2 ms and 10 ms. Besides the elementary pore conductance, larger pore conductances which are multiples of the elementary conductance were observed. With increasing conductances, their frequency of occurrence decreases exponentially. 2. The light chain of tetanus toxin alone does not form pores in neuronal membranes at pH 5 or at pH 7.4. 3. The heavy chain of tetanus toxin forms pores at pH 5 as well as at pH 7.4. The single pore conductance increases from 35.0 +/- 1.2 pS at pH 5 to 43.2 +/- 1.8 pS at pH 7.4. The pores allow mono- and divalent cations and chloride ions to pass. Only at pH 5 do they have a voltage dependence with time constants identical to those obtained with tetanus toxin. 4. Secondary structure predictions show a high density of presumably helically organized elements in fragment beta 2 (45 kDa) of the heavy chain between residues 700-850.(ABSTRACT TRUNCATED AT 250 WORDS)

Interaction of bumetanide derivatives with hepatocellular bile acid uptake.

The loop diuretic bumetanide is an organic monocarboxylic organic anion assumed to be transported into hepatocytes by a transport system for bile acids. The structural requirements of 22 bumetanide analogues were analyzed for an interaction with bile acid uptake into isolated rat hepatocytes. Whereas bumetanide inhibited the hepatocellular uptake of [14C]cholate to the same degree as its own uptake, derivatization altered affinity and specificity and yielded compounds that selectively inhibited either cholate or taurocholate uptake or uptake of both. No correlation was found between the diuretic potency of bumetanide derivatives, reflecting the affinity to the Na(+)-K(+)-Cl- cotransporter, and their affinity to hepatic bile salt transport. Computer-aided model building combined with the calculation of potential energy maps showed a strictly amphipathic charge separation in bumetanide analogues as in bile acids. Ranking bumetanide compounds by their mean inhibitory concentration values, inhibition constants, and their type of competition, we conclude that at least three binding domains in the proteins are essential for recognition by bile acid transporters, namely two hydrophobic and an anionic side, and that for the anionic binding region a carbonyl atom in the ligands as an electron donor group is sufficient for ligand interaction.

Definition, distribution, and use of a conserved Bovidae retroposon element sequence motif.

Based on a data-base search, the sequences of 32 Bovidae retroposon elements have been compared. Two conserved areas are identified, and one of the corresponding sequences of the derived bovine consensus was used to design oligonucleotides as primer molecules for random DNA amplification of Bovidae DNA. Such a primer binding site should occur on average every 10,000 bp in the bovine genome, as suggested by a survey of published sequences. This estimate about the distribution of these possible primer binding sites was experimentally substantiated by mapping four of these primer binding sites within 40 kb of contiguous bovine DNA, carrying the heretofore undescribed bovine lactoferrin gene. Furthermore, these conserved, ubiquitous sequence motifs prove to be useful for mapping of bovine DNA.

Localization of the intrachain disulfide bonds of the envelope glycoprotein 71 from Friend murine leukemia virus.

Envelope glycoprotein 71 from Friend murine leukemia virus was purified to homogeneity by reversed-phase HPLC. It could be shown that all 20 cysteine residues of the molecule are linked by disulfide bonds. After complete tryptic digestion, peptides containing cystine were identified by comparison of the reversed-phase HPLC profile of the digest with that of a reduced aliquot which had been subjected to affinity chromatography on thiol-Sepharose. The locations of the 10 disulfide bonds were determined by isolation, further digestion and analysis of peptides containing cystine. The first cysteine residue of the sequence (Cys46) was shown to be coupled to the sixth (Cys98), leading to a large loop containing four additional cysteine residues. Computer model building and energy calculations led to the assignment of Cys72 to Cys87 and Cys73 to Cys83. The following four cysteine residues of the sequence also constitute a structural unit, with Cys121 bonded to Cys141 and Cys133 to Cys146, and the last two cysteine residues in the amino-terminal domain of glycoprotein 71 form a small loop (Cys178 to Cys184). The first two cysteine residues of the carboxy-terminal domain produce a very small hydrophobic loop (Cys312-Cys315). Cys361 is bound to Cys373, Cys342 to Cys396 and Cys403 to Cys416. A model for the folding pattern of the viral glycoprotein is proposed.