Spectroscopic and thermodynamic properties of Debaryomyces hansenii UFV-1 alpha-galactosidases.

Spectroscopic and thermodynamic properties were determined for Debaryomyces hansenii UFV-1 extracellular and intracellular alpha-galactosidases. alpha-Galactosidases showed similar secondary structure compositions (alpha-helix, beta-sheet parallel and beta-turn). Effects of pH and temperature on the structure of alpha-galactosidases were investigated using circular dichroism spectroscopy. It was more pronounced at low pH. Microcalorimetry was employed for the determination of thermodynamic parameters. Immediate thermal denaturation reversibility was not observed for alpha-galactosidases; it occurred as a thermodynamically driven process. Extracellular alpha-galactosidase, at pH 5.5, showed lower T(m) when compared to the intracellular enzyme. The CD and DSC data suggest that D. hansenii alpha-galactosidases have different behaviors although they possess some similar secondary structures.

Behavior of Brevibacterium linens and Debaryomyces hansenii as ripening flora in controlled production of soft smear cheese from reconstituted milk: protein degradation.

Model smear soft cheeses, prepared with Debaryomyces hansenii and Brevibacterium linens as ripening starters, were ripened under aseptic conditions. Results of the cheese-making trials, in triplicate, were similar and showed similar patterns of protein degradation. In all of the trials, the acid-soluble nitrogen and nonprotein nitrogen (NPN) indexes and NH3 concentrations of the rind were low until d 10. The acid-soluble nitrogen and NPN of the rind then increased to 100 and 18% of total nitrogen, respectively, at d 76. The NH3 concentrations remained low until d 24 and increased until d 70, reaching about 1.8 g of NH3/kg of DM, and then remained constant. The acid-soluble nitrogen and NPN indexes and NH3 concentrations in the inner cheese mass were lower than in the rind. They showed the same evolution, reaching about 18% for acid-soluble nitrogen, 10% for NPN, and 1.5 g of NH3/kg of DM. It was shown that the inner cheese pH and populations of D. hansenii and B. linens have an effect on proteolysis. Viable cell counts of D. hansenii and B. linens were correlated with the environmental conditions and with proteolytic products. The determining role of carbon source and NH3 diffusions on the cheese ripening process were confirmed.

Ribosomal protein L7 included in tuberculin purified protein derivative (PPD) is a major heat-resistant protein inducing strong delayed-type hypersensitivity.

The tuberculin purified protein derivative (PPD) is a widely used diagnostic antigen for tuberculosis. It consists of more than 100 denatured proteins in a culture filtrate of a heated culture of Mycobacterium tuberculosis. In two-dimensional electrophoretic analysis of PPDs from M. tuberculosis and M. bovis BCG, most proteins were diffusely separated and could not be seen as spots because of denaturation, whereas a few proteins showed relatively clear spots, indicating heat resistance. Two such proteins corresponded to ribosomal proteins L7 and L12. The mixture of these proteins L7/L2 induced a strong delayed-type hypersensitivity reaction. Another protein showing a clear spot was a GroES analogue, but this did not induce delayed-type hypersensitivity. There were a few other unidentified proteins. It is well known that L7 and L12 are encoded by the same gene and that they differ from each other only by an acetylic post-translational modification that occurs at the N-terminus of L12 converting it to L7 in Escherichia coli. L12, but not L7, was found in two-dimensional electrophoresis of BCG ribosomes, although we found two proteins corresponding to L7 and L12 in PPDs and a native culture filtrate of BCG. We compared the delayed-type hypersensitivity reaction elicited by L7/L12 derived from a culture filtrate of BCG and L12 derived from BCG ribosomes. L7/L12 from the culture filtrate could induce delayed-type hypersensitivity, but L12 from ribosomes could not, indicating that L7 was attributable to the induction of delayed-type hypersensitivity. The activity of L7/L12 was heat resistant. Neither glycosylation nor phosphorylation of L7/L12 from a culture filtrate could be detected. The acetylation at N-terminal of L12 was essential for the delayed-type hypersensitivity activity.

Dual multimodular class A penicillin-binding proteins in Mycobacterium leprae.

The ponA gene of cosmid L222 of the Mycobacterium leprae genome library encodes a multimodular class A penicillin-binding protein (PBP), PBP1. The PBP, labelled with a polyhistidine sequence, has been produced in Escherichia coli, extracted from the membranes with 3-[(3-cholamidopropyl)-dimethylammonio]-1-propane-sulfonate (CHAPS) and purified by Ni2(+)-nitrilotriacetic acid-agarose chromatography. In contrast to the pon1-encoded class A PBP1, PBP1 undergoes denaturation at temperatures higher than 25 degrees C, it catalyzes acyl transfer reactions on properly structured thiolesters, and it binds penicillin with high affinity.

Autoantibodies against cyclophilin in systemic lupus erythematosus and Lyme disease.

Autoantibodies against cyclophilin, a cyclosporin A binding protein, were detected in sera of 29 of 46 (63%) patients with systemic lupus erythematosus and 14 of 40 (35%) Lyme disease patients. The antibodies are directed against the denatured form of both the major and minor isoform of cyclophilin and can be demonstrated in Western blots. Some first-degree relatives of lupus patients also express these antibodies. They are specific for cyclophilin and are not the consequence of hypergammaglobulinaemia. Four monoclonal IgM antibodies from a patient with lepromatous leprosy also bound to cyclophilin. The generation of these antibodies may be of special interest because they are against a protein involved in the control of the immune system not known to be directly associated with DNA or RNA.