Mutant murine leukemia virus Gag proteins lacking proline at the N-terminus of the capsid domain block infectivity in virions containing wild-type Gag.

We have investigated the properties of murine leukemia virus Gag mutants in which the p12-CA cleavage site is altered. In one mutant, the cleavage is blocked; in the other, the conserved proline at the N-terminus of CA has been replaced with glycine. No infectivity was detected in either mutant. Mutant particles cannot synthesize full-length DNA upon infecting permissive cells. Particles composed of a mixture of wild-type and mutant proteins have severely impaired infectivity. These mixed particles are defective in their ability to synthesize DNA upon infection, but this defect is less severe than the loss of infectivity. Thus, proteins lacking the correct N-terminus of CA inhibit DNA synthesis and also interfere with formation or integration of a full-length, normal provirus. The results imply that CA proteins function as part of a large, highly organized structure in reverse transcription and apparently at a later step as well.

Site-directed mutagenesis of cation coordinating residues in the gastric H,K-ATPase.

Site-mutations were introduced into putative cation binding site 1 of the H,K-ATPase at glu-797, thr-825, and glu-938. The side chain oxygen of each was not essential but the mutations produced different activation and inhibition kinetics. Site mutations thr-825 (ala, leu) and glu-938 (ala, gln) modestly decreased the apparent affinity to K+, while glu-797 (gln) was equivalent to wild type. As expected of competitive inhibition, mutations of thr-825 and glu-938 that decreased the apparent affinity for K+ also increased the apparent affinity for SCH28080. This is consistent with the participation of thr-825 and glu-938 in a cation binding domain. The sidechain geometry, but not the sidechain charge of glu-797, is essential to ATPase function as the site mutant glu-797 (gly) inactivated the H,K-ATPase, while glu-797 (gln) was active but the apparent affinity to SCH 28080 was decreased by four-fold. Lys-793, a unique residue of the H,K-ATPase, was essential for ATPase function. Since this residue is adjacent to site 1, the result suggests that charge pairing between lys-793 and residues at or near this site may be essential to ATPase function.

Glu-857 moderates K+-dependent stimulation and SCH 28080-dependent inhibition of the gastric H,K-ATPase.

The rabbit H,K-ATPase alpha- and beta-subunits were transiently expressed in HEK293 T cells. The co-expression of the H,K-ATPase alpha- and beta-subunits was essential for the functional H,K-ATPase. The K+-stimulated H,K-ATPase activity of 0.82 +/- 0.2 micromol/mg/h saturated with a K0.5 (KCl) of 0.6 +/- 0.1 mM, whereas the 2-methyl-8-(phenylmethoxy)imidazo[1,2a]pyridine-3-acetonitrile (SCH 28080)-inhibited ATPase of 0.62 +/- 0.07 micromol/mg/h saturated with a Ki (SCH 28080) of 1.0 +/- 0.3 microM. Site mutations were introduced at the N,N-dicyclohexylcarbodiimide-reactive residue, Glu-857, to evaluate the role of this residue in ATPase function. Variations in the side chain size and charge of this residue did not inhibit the specific activity of the H,K-ATPase, but reversal of the side chain charge by substitution of Lys or Arg for Glu produced a reciprocal change in the sensitivity of the H,K-ATPase to K+ and SCH 28080. The K0.5 for K+stimulated ATPase was decreased to 0.2 +/-.05 and 0.2 +/-.03 mM, respectively, in Lys-857 and Arg-857 site mutants, whereas the Ki for SCH 28080-dependent inhibition was increased to 6.5 +/- 1.4 and 5.9 +/- 1.5 microM, respectively. The H,K-ATPase kinetics were unaffected by the introduction of Ala at this site, but Leu produced a modest reciprocal effect. These data indicate that Glu-857 is not an essential residue for cation-dependent activity but that the residue influences the kinetics of both K+ and SCH 28080-mediated functions. This finding suggests a possible role of this residue in the conformational equilibrium of the H,K-ATPase.