Different proteomic strategies to identify genuine Small Ubiquitin-like MOdifier targets and their modification sites in Trypanosoma brucei procyclic forms.

SUMOylation is an important post-translational modification conserved in eukaryotic organisms. In Trypanosoma brucei, SUMO (Small Ubiquitin-like MOdifier) is essential in procyclic and bloodstream forms. Furthermore, SUMO has been linked to the antigenic variation process, as a highly SUMOylated focus was recently identified within chromatin-associated proteins of the active variant surface glycoprotein expression site. We aimed to establish a reliable strategy to identify SUMO conjugates in T. brucei. We expressed various tagged variants of SUMO from the endogenous locus. His-HA-TbSUMO was useful to validate the tag functionality but SUMO conjugates were not enriched enough over contaminants after affinity purification. A Lys-deficient SUMO version, created to reduce contaminants by Lys-C digestion, was able to overcome this issue but did not allow mapping many SUMOylation sites. This cell line was in turn useful to demonstrate that polySUMO chains are not essential for parasite viability. Finally, a His-HA-TbSUMO(T106K) version allowed the purification of SUMO conjugates and, after digestion with Lys-C, the enrichment for diGly-Lys peptides using specific antibodies. This site-specific proteomic strategy led us to identify 45 SUMOylated proteins and 53 acceptor sites unambiguously. SUMOylated proteins belong mainly to nuclear processes, such as DNA replication and repair, transcription, rRNA biogenesis and chromatin remodelling, among others.

Retention of glucose units added by the UDP-GLC:glycoprotein glucosyltransferase delays exit of glycoproteins from the endoplasmic reticulum.

It has been proposed that the UDP-Glc:glycoprotein glucosyltransferase, an endoplasmic reticulum enzyme that only glucosylates improperly folded glycoproteins forming protein-linked Glc1Man7-9-GlcNAc2 from the corresponding unglucosylated species, participates together with lectin-like chaperones that recognize monoglucosylated oligosaccharides in the control mechanism by which cells only allow passage of properly folded glycoproteins to the Golgi apparatus. Trypanosoma cruzi cells were used to test this model as in trypanosomatids addition of glucosidase inhibitors leads to the accumulation of only monoglucosylated oligosaccharides, their formation being catalyzed by the UDP-Glc:glycoprotein glucosyltransferase. In all other eukaryotic cells the inhibitors produce underglycosylation of proteins and/or accumulation of oliogosaccharides containing two or three glucose units. Cruzipain, a lysosomal proteinase having three potential N-glycosylation sites, two at the catalytic domain and one at the COOH-terminal domain, was isolated in a glucosylated form from cells grown in the presence of the glucosidase II inhibitor 1-deoxynojirimycin. The oligosaccharides present at the single glycosylation site of the COOH-terminal domain were glucosylated in some cruzipain molecules but not in others, this result being consistent with an asynchronous folding of glycoproteins in the endoplasmic reticulum. In spite of not affecting cell growth rate or the cellular general metabolism in short and long term incubations, 1-deoxynojirimycin caused a marked delay in the arrival of cruzipain to lysosomes. These results are compatible with the model proposed by which monoglucosylated glycoproteins may be transiently retained in the endoplasmic reticulum by lectin-like anchors recognizing monoglucosylated oligosaccharides.

Trypanosoma cruzi calreticulin is a lectin that binds monoglucosylated oligosaccharides but not protein moieties of glycoproteins.

Trypanosoma cruzi is a protozoan parasite that belongs to an early branch in evolution. Although it lacks several features of the pathway of protein N-glycosylation and oligosaccharide processing present in the endoplasmic reticulum of higher eukaryotes, it displays UDP-Glc:glycoprotein glucosyltransferase and glucosidase II activities. It is herewith reported that this protozoan also expresses a calreticulin-like molecule, the third component of the quality control of glycoprotein folding. No calnexin-encoding gene was detected. Recombinant T. cruzi calreticulin specifically recognized free monoglucosylated high-mannose-type oligosaccharides. Addition of anti-calreticulin serum to extracts obtained from cells pulse-chased with [35S]Met plus [35S]Cys immunoprecipitated two proteins that were identified as calreticulin and the lysosomal proteinase cruzipain (a major soluble glycoprotein). The latter but not the former protein disappeared from immunoprecipitates upon chasing cells. Contrary to what happens in mammalian cells, addition of the glucosidase II inhibitor 1-deoxynojirimycin promoted calreticulin-cruzipain interaction. This result is consistent with the known pathway of protein N-glycosylation and oligosaccharide processing occurring in T. cruzi. A treatment of the calreticulin-cruzipain complexes with endo-beta-N-acetylglucosaminidase H either before or after addition of anti-calreticulin serum completely disrupted calreticulin-cruzipain interaction. In addition, mature monoglucosylated but not unglucosylated cruzipain isolated from lysosomes was found to interact with recombinant calreticulin. It was concluded that the quality control of glycoprotein folding appeared early in evolution, and that T. cruzi calreticulin binds monoglucosylated oligosaccharides but not the protein moiety of cruzipain. Furthermore, evidence is presented indicating that glucosyltransferase glucosylated cruzipain at its last folding stages.

The histones of the insect trypanosomatid, Crithidia fasciculata.

The histone-like proteins of the monogenetic parasite Crithidia fasciculata were extracted with 0.2 M sulfuric acid either from purified nuclei, or from purified chromatin, in both cases in the presence of 1 mM tosyl lysylchloromethylketone and 2 mM phenyl methyl sulfonyl fluoride as proteinase inhibitors. The presence of histones in the flagellate, nonidentical with those from calf thymus used as controls, was shown by their electrophoretic patterns in three different polyacrylamide gel systems; their staining with Alkaline fast green, specific for basic proteins; their global amino acid composition and absorption spectrum and their molecular weights. The protein showing the slower mobility in SDS gels and the fastest mobility in the urea-acetic acid-Triton gels, seems to be an H1 histone, because of its metachromatic staining with Coomassie brilliant blue, solubility characteristics, differential destaining properties and amino acid composition. Band 5 in Triton-urea-acetic acid gels is probably an HMG protein. We conclude that C. fasciculata has a complete set of histones and that the lack of chromosome condensation during mitosis is not due to lack of histone H1.

Some kinetic properties of a cysteine proteinase (cruzipain) from Trypanosoma cruzi.

A cysteine proteinase, purified to homogeneity from epimastigotes of Trypanosoma cruzi, was strongly inhibited by L-trans-epoxysuccinylleucylamido(4-guanidino)butane (E-64). The second-order rate constant was 20,800 M-1.s-1, and the reagent could be used for active site titration. The enzyme hydrolysed chromogenic peptides at the carboxyl Arg or Lys; it required at least one more amino acid, preferably Arg, Phe, Val or Leu, between the terminal Arg or Lys and the amino-blocking group. Enzyme activity on azocasein at pH 5.0 was increased by urea, maximal activity being attained at 2 M, and was still as active at 5 M urea as in its absence. Guanidine hydrochloride and KSCN also activated at low concentrations, but caused a strong inhibition above 2 M and 1 M, respectively. When azocasein was tested as a substrate at pH 7.0, there was no activation, and when synthetic substrates were used all chaotropic agents tested were inhibitory. The results suggest that the enzyme, for which we propose the trivial name 'cruzipain', differs in some aspects from all other cysteine proteinases described so far, although it shares several of the properties of mammalian cathepsin L.

A fragment of the major histocompatibility complex class II-associated p41 invariant chain inhibits cruzipain, the major cysteine proteinase from Trypanosoma cruzi.

A peptide fragment derived from the p41 form of the invariant chain (Ii) associated with the major histocompatibility complex (MHC) class II molecule has been shown to inhibit the mammalian lysosomal cysteine proteinase, cathepsin L, and to be a novel cysteine proteinase inhibitor, distinct from cystatins. Here we report that this same fragment also binds to and inhibits cruzipain, the cathepsin L-like enzyme from the protozoan parasite Trypanosoma cruzi. The binding of the Ii fragment to cruzipain is fast (k(ass) = 2.4 x 10(7) M(-1) s(-1) and tight (Ki = 5.8 x 10(-11) M). The inhibition is competitive. These results suggest the possibility of using the invariant chain as a model for the specific inhibition of cruzipain in vivo, i.e. as a potential drug to combat Chagas' disease.

Substrate inhibition of cruzipain is not affected by the C-terminal domain.

Endogenous and recombinant cruzipain, the major cysteine proteinase from the protozoan parasite Trypanosoma cruzi, exhibit differences in the protein and circular dichroism spectra probably attributed to the absence of the C-terminal domain in the recombinant enzyme. Substrate hydrolysis of both molecules at 25 degrees C and neutral pH obeyed Michaelis-Menten kinetics whereas significant substrate inhibition was observed above neutral pH. The results suggest that substrate inhibition of cruzipain is pH-dependent, and that the C-terminal domain does not play an essential role in this process.

High-molecular-weight kininogen binds two molecules of cysteine proteinases with different rate constants.

Fluorescence titrations showed that high-molecular-weight kininogen binds two molecules of papain, cruzipain and cathepsin S with high affinity. The 2:1 binding stoichiometry was confirmed by stopped-flow kinetic measurements of papain binding, which also revealed that the two sites bind the enzyme with different association rate constants (kass,1 = 23.0 x 10(6) M-1 s-1 and kass,2 = 3.4 x 10(6) M-1 s-1). As for low-molecular-weight kininogen, comparison of these kinetic constants with previous data for intact low- and high-molecular-weight kininogen and the separated domains indicated that the faster-binding site is also the tighter-binding site and is that of domain 3, whereas the slower-binding, lower-affinity site is on domain 2. The results further demonstrate that there is no appreciable steric interference between the two domains or by the kininogen light chain in the binding of proteinases. Similarly, the binding of kininogen via its light chain to a surface, as indicated by the binding to the model surface, heparin, did not affect the inhibitory properties of kininogen. The M(r) of high-molecular-weight kininogen was determined to be 83,500 by sedimentation equilibrium measurements, in agreement with the value calculated from amino acid sequence and carbohydrate analysis.

Inhibition of cruzipain, the major cysteine proteinase of the protozoan parasite, Trypanosoma cruzi, by proteinase inhibitors of the cystatin superfamily.

Cruzipain, the major cysteine proteinase from Trypanosoma cruzi epimastigotes, purified to a sequentially pure form, exists in multiple forms with pI values between 3.7 and 5.1, and an apparent molecular mass of 41 kDa. The enzyme is stable between pH 4.5-9.5. Cruzipain was found to be rapidly and tightly inhibited by various protein inhibitors of the cystatin superfamily (kass = 1.7-79 x 10(6) M-1s-1, Kd = 1.4-72 pM). These results suggest a possible defensive role for the host's cystatins after parasite infection, and may be of use for the design of new therapeutic drugs.

The high stability of cruzipain against pH-induced inactivation is not dependent on its C-terminal domain.

Unlike mammalian lysosomal cysteine proteases, the trypanosomal cysteine protease cruzipain contains a 130-amino acid residue C-terminal domain, in addition to the catalytic domain, and it is stable at neutral pH. The endogenous (with C-terminal domain) and recombinant (without C-terminal domain) cruzipains exhibit similar stabilities at both acid (k(inac)=3.1x10(-3) s(-1) and 4.4x10(-3) s(-1) at pH 2.75 for endogenous and recombinant cruzipain, respectively) and alkaline pH (k(inac)=3.0x10(-3) s(-1) and 3. 7x10(-3) s(-1) at pH 9.15 for endogenous and recombinant cruzipain, respectively). The pH-induced inactivation, which is a highly pH dependent first order process, is irreversible and accompanied by significant changes of secondary and tertiary structure as revealed by circular dichroism measurements. The different stability of cruzipain as compared to related proteases, is therefore due mainly to the different number, nature and distribution of charged residues within the catalytic domain and not due to addition of the C-terminal domain.

Glycosomal and mitochondrial malate dehydrogenases in epimastigotes of Trypanosoma cruzi.

The degradation of glucose by Trypanosoma cruzi leads to the excretion of succinate. Malate dehydrogenase (MDH) participates in this process by reducing to malate the oxaloacetate synthesized by the glycosomal enzyme, phosphoenolpyruvate carboxykinase. The best coupling for these two sequential reactions would be attained if both enzymes were placed in the same subcellular compartment. The intracellular distribution of the MDH activity in epimastigotes of T. cruzi was studied by two methods. Selective disruption of cellular membranes with increasing concentrations of digitonin, indicated that trypanosomal MDH is particulate. Isopycnic centrifugation in a sucrose gradient of a large granule fraction, obtained by grinding the cells with silicon carbide, showed the presence of two MDH activities: one banding together with the glycosomal marker phosphoenolpyruvate carboxykinase, the other with the mitochondrial marker citrate synthase. Isoelectrofocusing of cell-free extracts led to the separation of two enzyme forms, with pI values of about 3.5 (MDHa) and 9.4 (MDHb). These forms had similar molecular weights (approx. 60 000) and apparent Km values, but showed a small but consistent difference in their pH optima (9.23 for MDHa and 9.05 for MDHb), and in their activation by inorganic phosphate (apparent Ka values of 33 mM and 87 mM, for MDHa and MDHb, respectively). Determination of the pH optima of the enzyme forms separated by isopycnic centrifugation suggests that the glycosomal enzyme form is MDHa, and the mitochondrial one is MDHb.

Mg2+-activated adenosine triphosphatase from Crithidia fasciculata: purification and inhibition by suramin and efrapeptin.

The mitochondrial Mg2+-activated adenosine triphosphatase (ATPase; EC 3.6.1.4) from the insect flagellate Crithidia fasciculata ATCC 11745 has been extracted from the membrane by chloroform treatment and purified to electrophoretic homogeneity by a method involving ammonium sulphate fractionation, gel filtration on Sephadex G-200 and DEAE-cellulose chromatography. The molecular weight of the native enzyme, determined by gel filtration, was about 350 000. Five subunits were detected by polyacrylamide gel electrophoresis in the presence of sodium dodecyl sulphate, with molecular weights of 54 000, 45 000, 35 000, 20 000 and 10 000. The membrane-bound, but not the soluble (F1) ATPase was inhibited by oligomycin and leucinostatin. Both forms of the enzyme were strongly inhibited by the antibiotic efrapeptin and the trypanocidal drug suramin. The inhibition by efrapeptin was of the mixed type, with double-reciprocal plots intersecting below the abscissa, as in the case of the enzyme present in beef heart submitochondrial particles. Suramin, on the other hand, acted as a non-competitive inhibitor of the membrane-bound ATPase and as a strictly competitive inhibitor of the purified F1 ATPase.

Purification and regulatory properties of the NADP-linked malic enzyme for Crithidia fasciculata.

The NADP-linked malic enzyme (EC 1.1.1.40) from the insect flagellate Crithidia fasciculata has been purified to electrophoretic homogeneity by a procedure involving ammonium sulphate fractionation, gel filtration on Sephadex G-200, and column chromatography on DEAE-cellulose and hydroxylapatite. The regulatory properties of the purified enzyme have been studied, and compared with those of the two forms malic enzyme (I and II) present in Trypanosoma cruzi. The enzyme from C. fasciculata, like malic enzyme II from T. cruzi was activated by L-aspartate and succinate, which decreased the apparent Km values for both substrates, L-malate and NADP; L-aspartate in addition increased the apparent Vmax. The enzyme from C. fasciculata was inhibited by oxaloacetate, which was strictly competitive towards L-malate, with an apparent Ki (26 microM) intermediate between those reported for the two enzyme forms from T. cruzi. The C. fasciculata enzyme, like malic enzyme II from T. cruzi, was inhibited by adenine nucleotides, which were competitive towards both substrates; in addition, it was inhibited by acetyl-CoA, glyoxylate and NADH, which affected very little the activity of both enzyme froms forms T. cruzi. Thus the malic enzyme from C. fasciculata showed a regulatory pattern even more complex than that of the same enzyme from T. cruzi, despite the fact that there seems to be only one enzyme, present in the cytosol, in the insect trypanosomatid.

Self-proteolysis of the cysteine proteinase, cruzipain, from Trypanosoma cruzi gives a major fragment corresponding to its carboxy-terminal domain.

The major cysteine proteinase (cruzipain) purified from Trypanosoma cruzi epimastigotes catalyzes its own degradation in the presence of beta-mercaptoethanol, at 56 degrees C and pH 6. The reaction is affected by the same inhibitors which inhibit the azocaseinase activity, and yields a major 25-kDa fragment, which contains carbohydrate, few, if any, aromatic amino acids, and presents a proline-rich N-terminus (GPGPXPEP...), in addition to a number of small peptides, which can be isolated by reversed-phase HPLC, but are lost during electrophoresis. The results, together with recently published evidence of Mottram et al. and Eakin et al., are compatible with a structure for cruzipain consisting of a conventional cysteine proteinase moiety, linked to a long C-terminal extension including the 25-kDa fragment, which would contain a high proportion of the carbohydrate and the proline residues present in the original 60-kDa molecule.

Isolation and partial characterization of a broad specificity aminotransferase from Leishmania mexicana promastigotes.

A broad specificity aminotransferase (BSAT), with high activity with both, aromatic amino acids and aspartate as substrates, was purified to homogeneity from promastigotes of Leishmania mexicana by a method involving chromatography on DEAE-cellulose, Red-120-Sepharose and Mono Q, and gel filtration on Sephacryl S-200. The purified enzyme showed a single band in SDS-polyacrylamide gel electrophoresis, with an apparent molecular mass of 45 kDa. Since the apparent molecular mass of the native enzyme, determined by gel filtration, was 90 kDa, the native enzyme is a dimer of similar subunits. The amino acid composition was determined, as well as the sequence of four internal peptides obtained by tryptic digestion. Two of these peptides, consisting of 49 amino acid residues in total, showed high similarity (57%) with corresponding sequences of plant aspartate aminotransferases, whereas they had only 33% identity with the aromatic aminotransferase of Escherichia coli, and 16% identity with the tyrosine aminotransferase from the related parasite Trypanosoma cruzi. The BSAT contained only one 1/2 Cys residue per monomer. The optimal pH for the enzyme reaction, with tyrosine and alpha-oxoglutarate as substrates, was 7.0. The apparent Km values for tyrosine, phenylalanine, tryptophan and glutamate, with oxaloacetate as co-substrate, were 1.3, 0.9, 0.9 and 171.8 mM, respectively; the value for aspartate with alpha-oxoglutarate as co-substrate was 2.5 mM, and that for alanine with alpha-oxoglutarate as co-substrate was 216 mM. The values for pyruvate, alpha-oxoglutarate and oxaloacetate, with tyrosine as co-substrate, were 5.6, 0.71 and 0.12 mM, respectively. These results suggest that the enzyme is a broad-specificity aminotransferase, able to transaminate the aromatic amino acids, aspartate, and to a lower extent alanine, with high sequence similarity to aspartate aminotransferases.

Subcellular localization of a cysteine proteinase from Trypanosoma cruzi.

Epimastigotes of Trypanosoma cruzi, Tulahuén strain, Tul 2 stock, contain a cysteine proteinase able to degrade azocasein at pH 5. This enzyme activity was extracted from whole cells by digitonin concentrations higher than those required for cytosolic markers, lower than those required for glycosomal and mitochondrial markers, and very similar to those required for solubilization of the acidic alpha-mannosidase. Both, the azocasein-degrading proteinase and the alpha-mannosidase, showed similar latency and distribution in subcellular fractions (the large granule fraction was the most active), and the same behavior in isopycnic sucrose gradient centrifugation; a broad peak centered at an equilibrium density of about 1.15 g cm-3, with a shoulder between 1.07 and 1.10 g cm-3, was obtained for both enzymes. The results suggest that the cysteine proteinase activity is placed in the lysosomes.

The presence of complex-type oligosaccharides at the C-terminal domain glycosylation site of some molecules of cruzipain.

Cruzipain is a lysosomal enzyme of the flagellate Trypanosoma cruzi. It has three potential asparagine-glycosylation sites, two in the catalytic domain and one in the C-terminal domain. The latter appeared to have both high mannose- and complex-type oligosaccharides, whereas the catalytic domain only had compounds of the former type. The partial susceptibility of the complex-type compounds to endo-beta-N-acetylglucosaminidase H and their relative mannose and galactose content indicate that they had hybrid/monoantennary and biantennary structures. The same pattern of high mannose-type compounds was found at both domains, thus indicating that in cruzipain molecules having only high mannose-type compounds, all oligosaccharides were equally exposed to processing glycosidases and glycosyltransferases. As heterogenity of the protein C-terminal domain has already been detected, it is suggested that this feature might elicit an increased accessibility to processing enzymes responsible for complex-type oligosaccharide formation in certain cruzipain molecules or, alternatively, that a second glycosylation site with increased accessibility might be present in certain cruzipain molecules. Furthermore, the presence of complex-type oligosaccharides strongly suggests that, as in mammalian cells, T. cruzi lysosomal enzymes traverse the entire Golgi apparatus up to the trans-Golgi cisternae and the trans-Golgi network before reaching lysosomes.

Phosphoenolpyruvate carboxykinase from Trypanosoma cruzi. Purification and physicochemical and kinetic properties.

Phospho enolpyruvate carboxykinase (PEPCK) has been purified to homogeneity from epimastigotes of the Tul 0 strain of Trypanosoma cruzi. The physicochemical parameters determined allowed the calculation of an average molecular mass of 120 kDa; the subunit molecular mass, about 61 kDa, is in good agreement with the value of 58.6 kDa recently determined from the sequence by Sommer et al. (FEBS Lett. 359 (1994) 125-129). The PEPCK from T. cruzi presented, in addition to its molecular mass, typical properties of other ATP-linked PEPCKs, namely strict specificity for ADP in the carboxylation reaction and lower specificity in the decarboxylation and exchange reactions, and synergistic activation by CdCl2 or MgCl2 when added in addition to MnCl2. The enzyme presented hysteretic behaviour, shown by a lag period in the carboxylation reaction, which was affected by dilution and preincubation. The decarboxylation reaction catalyzed by the T. cruzi PEPCK was not inhibited by excess of ATP-Mn. The apparent Km values for the carboxylation reaction, including the low value for PEP (0.035 mM) are compatible with an important role of PEPCK, as suggested by previous NMR experiments, on the CO2 fixation in vivo which leads to succinate excretion during aerobic fermentation of glucose.

Tetrameric and dimeric malate dehydrogenase isoenzymes in Trypanosoma cruzi epimastigotes.

Two malate dehydrogenase isoforms, named MDH1 and MDH2, have been purified to homogeneity from Trypanosoma cruzi epimastigotes. Both enzymes consist of subunits with a molecular mass close to 33 kDa; native molecular mass determination by gel filtration, however, indicated that MDH1 is a dimer, whereas MDH2 is a tetramer. Both isoforms did not cross-react immunologically. The N-termini of both MDH isoforms and several tryptic peptides of MDH1 (amounting to about one third of the complete molecule) have been sequenced by automated Edman degradation. The tryptic digests of both enzymes have also been analysed by mass spectrometry (MALDI-TOF MS). The apparent Km values in both directions of the reaction have been determined, as well as the possible inhibition by excess of the substrate oxaloacetate. The sequence data, together with the pI values and the presence or absence of oxaloacetate inhibition indicate that the dimeric MDH1 is the mitochondrial isoenzyme, whereas the tetrameric MDH2 is the glycosomal isoenzyme. No evidence was found for the presence of a cytosolic isoform.

Amino acid and carbohydrate composition of a lysosomal cysteine proteinase from Trypanosoma cruzi. Absence of phosphorylated mannose residues.

The size of a lysosomal cysteine proteinase from epimastigotes of Trypanosoma cruzi decreased from 60 to 54 kDa upon treatment with endo beta-N-acetylglucosaminidase H. A lower-molecular weight component (30-35 kDa), which usually accompanies the 60-kDa protein also increased its electrophoretic mobility, and seems to consist of a mixture of degradation products of the enzyme, since both the larger and the smaller components had the same N-terminal sequence as the 60-kDa protein. The amino acid composition of the protein moiety and the composition of the oligosaccharide chains have been determined. The oligosaccharide chains are of the high-mannose type, and contain 6, 7, 8 or 9 mannose residues, as shown both by in vivo labeling with [U-14C]glucose, and by labeling the endo-beta-N-acetylglucosaminidase H-sensitive oligosaccharides of the purified enzyme with tritiated sodium borohydride. The oligosaccharide chains did not contain phosphate residues. Further studies with [U-14C]-labeled total glycoproteins of T. cruzi and enzyme assays, suggest that T. cruzi and other trypanosomatids do not target their lysosomal enzymes to the organelle through the mannose-6-phosphate marker pathway.