Keap1 perceives stress via three sensors for the endogenous signaling molecules nitric oxide, zinc, and alkenals.

Recognition and repair of cellular damage is crucial if organisms are to survive harmful environmental conditions. In mammals, the Keap1 protein orchestrates this response, but how it perceives adverse circumstances is not fully understood. Herein, we implicate NO, Zn(2+), and alkenals, endogenously occurring chemicals whose concentrations increase during stress, in this process. By combining molecular modeling with phylogenetic, chemical, and functional analyses, we show that Keap1 directly recognizes NO, Zn(2+), and alkenals through three distinct sensors. The C288 alkenal sensor is of ancient origin, having evolved in a common ancestor of bilaterans. The Zn(2+) sensor minimally comprises H225, C226, and C613. The most recent sensor, the NO sensor, emerged coincident with an expansion of the NOS gene family in vertebrates. It comprises a cluster of basic amino acids (H129, K131, R135, K150, and H154) that facilitate S-nitrosation of C151. Taken together, our data suggest that Keap1 is a specialized sensor that quantifies stress by monitoring the intracellular concentrations of NO, Zn(2+), and alkenals, which collectively serve as second messengers that may signify danger and/or damage.

Comparative analysis of the excretory-secretory proteome of the muscle larva of Trichinella pseudospiralis and Trichinella spiralis.

The nematodes Trichinella spiralis and Trichinella pseudospiralis are both intracellular parasites of skeletal muscle cells and induce profound alterations in the host cell resulting in a re-alignment of muscle-specific gene expression. While T. spiralis induces the production of a collagen capsule surrounding the host-parasite complex, T. pseudospiralis exists in a non-encapsulated form and is also characterised by suppression of the host inflammatory response in the muscle. These observed differences between the two species are thought to be due to variation in the proteins excreted or secreted (ES proteins) by the muscle larva. In this study, we use a global proteomics approach to compare the ES protein profiles from both species and to identify individual T. pseudospiralis proteins that complement earlier studies with T. spiralis. Following two-dimensional gel electrophoresis, tandem mass spectrometry was used to identify the peptide spots. In many cases identification was aided by the determination of partial peptide sequence from selected mass ions. The T. pseudospiralis spots identified included the major secreted glycoproteins and the secreted 5'-nucleotidase. Furthermore, two major groups of T. spiralis-specific proteins and several T. pseudospiralis-specific proteins were identified. Our results demonstrate the value of proteomics as a tool for the identification of ES proteins that are differentially expressed between Trichinella species and as an aid to identifying key parasite proteins that are involved in the host-parasite interaction. The value of this approach will be further enhanced by data arising out the current T. spiralis genome sequencing project.

Proteins interacting with Saccharomyces cerevisiae type 1 protein phosphatase catalytic subunit identified by single-step affinity purification and mass spectrometry.

The catalytic subunit of type 1 protein phosphatase (PP1C) interacts with a large number of polypeptides in eukaryotic cells from yeast to man and these regulatory subunits can both modulate the activity of PP1C and target it to different subcellular locations. Thus, PP1 is really a family of protein phosphatases that share a common catalytic subunit, and identifying and characterizing the PP1-associated proteins is therefore critical to understanding the cellular roles of PP1 and its ability to dephosphorylate specific substrates. Here we describe methods for affinity isolation of PP1C-containing protein complexes in the yeast Saccharomyces cerevisiae and the identification of the associated polypeptides by mass spectrometry. The basic method we describe could be easily adapted to study PP1C-associated proteins in other lower or higher eukaryotes and for characterizing the protein-protein interactions of other protein phosphatases in yeast.

Laboratory studies of dissolved radiolabelled microcystin-LR in lake water.

The fate of dissolved microcystin-LR was studied in laboratory experiments using surface water taken from a eutrophic lake. Based on initial range finding, a concentration of 50 microg l(-1) dissolved 14C-microcystin-LR was selected for subsequent time-course experiments. The first was performed in May before the cyanobacterial bloom season and low increases in the radioactivity of particulate fractions occurred with an approx. halving of the cyano-toxin during 4 days. The radioactivity of the dissolved fraction remained stable and there was no significant formation of radiolabelled inorganic carbon. A second time-course experiment was performed in September during the cyanobacterial bloom season. At the end of the four-day incubation period, the microcystin-LR concentration had decreased to an undetectable level and 24% of the added radiolabelled substance was found in different particulate fractions. The study demonstrated that biodegradation of dissolved microcystin-LR occurred in water collected at a lake surface with carbon dioxide as a major end-product.

Comparative effects and metabolism of two microcystins and nodularin in the brine shrimp Artemia salina.

The toxicity and metabolism of the cyanobacterial toxins microcystin-LR (MCLR), Dhb-microcystin-HtyR and nodularin were investigated in the cysts, nauplii and adults of the brine shrimp Artemia salina. The presence of the phase II detoxication system glutathione S-transferase (sGST) in these stages was shown using different substrates. Exposure of adult A. salina to the toxins led to an elevation of GST activity in vivo. All three toxins were conjugated to glutathione via GST, which has been shown as an initial step of microcystin and nodularin detoxication.

Cell homeostasis in a Leishmania major mutant overexpressing the spliced leader RNA is maintained by an increased proteolytic activity.

Although several stage-specific genes have been identified in Leishmania, the molecular mechanisms governing developmental gene regulation in this organism are still not well understood. We have previously reported an attenuation of virulence in Leishmania major and L. braziliensis carrying extra-copies of the spliced leader RNA gene. Here, we surveyed the major differences in proteome and transcript expression profiles between the spliced leader RNA overexpressor and control lines using two-dimensional gel electrophoresis and differential display reverse transcription PCR, respectively. Thirty-nine genes related to stress response, cytoskeleton, proteolysis, cell cycle control and proliferation, energy generation, gene transcription, RNA processing and post-transcriptional regulation have abnormal patterns of expression in the spliced leader RNA overexpressor line. The evaluation of proteolytic pathways in the mutant revealed a selective increase of cysteine protease activity and an exacerbated ubiquitin-labeled protein population. Polysome profile analysis and measurement of cellular protein aggregates showed that protein translation in the spliced leader RNA overexpressor line is increased when compared to the control line. We found that L. major promastigotes maintain homeostasis in culture when challenged with a metabolic imbalance generated by spliced leader RNA surplus through modulation of intracellular proteolysis. However, this might interfere with a fine-tuned gene expression control necessary for the amastigote multiplication in the mammalian host.

Novel interactions of Saccharomyces cerevisiae type 1 protein phosphatase identified by single-step affinity purification and mass spectrometry.

The catalytic subunit of Saccharomyces cerevisiae type 1 protein phosphatase (PP1(C)) is encoded by the essential gene GLC7 and is involved in regulating diverse cellular processes. To identify potential regulatory or targeting subunits of yeast PP1(C), we tagged Glc7p at its amino terminus with protein A and affinity-purified Glc7p protein complexes from yeast. The purified proteins were separated by sodium dodecyl sulfate-polyacrylamide gel electrophoresis (SDS-PAGE) and identified by peptide mass fingerprint analysis using matrix-assisted laser desorption/ionization (MALDI) mass spectrometry. To confirm the accuracy of our identifications, peptides from some of the proteins were also sequenced using high-performance liquid chromatography (HPLC) coupled to tandem mass spectrometry. Only four of the Glc7p-associated proteins that we identified (Mhp1p, Bni4p, Ref2p, and Sds22p) have previously been shown to interact with Glc7p, and multiple components of the CPF (cleavage and polyadenylation factor) complex involved in messenger RNA 3'-end processing were present as major components in the Glc7p-associated protein fraction. To confirm the interaction of Glc7p with this complex, we used the same approach to purify and characterize the components of the yeast CPF complex using protein A-tagged Pta1p. Six known components of the yeast (CPF) complex, together with Glc7p, were identified among the Pta1p-associated polypeptides using peptide mass fingerprint analysis. Thus Glc7p is a novel component of the CPF complex and may therefore be involved regulating mRNA 3'-end processing.