Expression, Glycosylation, and Secretion of an Aspergillus Glucoamylase by Saccharomyces cerevisiae.

A strain of Saccharomyces cerevisiae capable of simultaneous hydrolysis and fermentation of highly polymerized starch oligosaccharides was constructed. The Aspergillus awamori glucoamylase enzyme, form GAI, was expressed in Saccharomyces cerevisiae by means of the promoter and termination regions from a yeast enolase gene. Yeast transformed with plasmids containing an intron-free recombinant glucoamylase gene efficiently secreted glucoamylase into the medium, permitting growth of the transformants on starch as the sole carbon source. The natural leader sequence of the precursor of glucoamylase (preglucoamylase) was processed correctly by yeast, and the secreted enzyme was glycosylated through both N- and O-linkages at levels comparable to the native Aspergillus enzyme. The data provide evidence for the utility of yeast as an organism for the production, glycosylation, and secretion of heterologous proteins.

A human neutrophil-dependent pathway for generation of angiotensin II. Purification of the product and identification as angiotensin II.

A human neutrophil lysosomal protease interacts at physiologic pH with a 62,000--67,000-mol wt plasma protein substrate to generate a vasoactive, smooth muscle-contracting "neutral" peptide. The peptide product of this system, previously designated the "neutral" peptide-generating pathway, was generated from purified components and purified by Bio-Gel P2 gel filtration and reverse-phase high performance liquid chromatography with a 50--60% yield of starting activity. The purified peptide had an amino acid composition of Asx, Pro, Val, Ile, Tyr, Phe, His, Arg, a composition identical to that of angiotensin II. The peptide and synthetic angiotensin II each filtered at 48--52% bed volume on Bio-Gel P2, had an isoelectric point of Ph 7.8--8.1 at 4 degrees C, migrated 3 cm toward the cathode during pH 6.4 low-voltage paper electrophoresis, and had a retention time of 44.8 min during reverse-phase high-performance liquid chromatography. In addition, the functional activity of the peptide at each purification step correlated with angiotensin II content determined by specific radioimmunoassay. The amino acid sequence of 25 nmol of the peptide was Asp-Arg-Val-Try-Ile-His-Pro-Phe, the same covalent structure as that of angiotensin II. Therefore, under physiologic conditions, in the absence of renin or angiotensin converting enzyme, a human neutrophil neutral protease cleaves a plasma protein to yield angiotensin II. This pathway provides a mechanism through which the neutrophil may alter local blood flow during inflammation by generation of a potent vasoactive peptide.

Alteration of amino-terminal codons of human granulocyte-colony-stimulating factor increases expression levels and allows efficient processing by methionine aminopeptidase in Escherichia coli.

We have improved the expression of recombinant human granulocyte-colony-stimulating factor (G-CSF), produced by either pL or trpP expression vectors in Escherichia coli, by altering the sequence at the 5' end of the G-CSF-coding region. Initial attempts to express G-CSF resulted in neither detectable G-CSF mRNA nor protein in the trpP system, and only G-CSF mRNA was detectable in the pL system. We modified both expression vectors to decrease the G + C content of the 5' end of the coding region without altering the predicted amino acid sequence. This resulted in expression of detectable G-CSF mRNA and protein in both systems. Expression reached 17% and 6.5% of the total soluble cellular protein in the pL and trpP expression systems, respectively. The N-terminal sequence of the recombinant G-CSF from the pL system was Met-Thr-Pro-Leu-Gly-Pro-. G-CSF isolated from several human cell lines (including the LD-1 cell line reported here), does not have an N-terminal methionyl residue. Deletion of the threonine codon at the beginning of the coding region for the mature G-CSF resulted in efficient removal of the N-terminal methionine residue during expression in E. coli.

Hemoglobins of the tadpole of the bullfrog, Rana catesbeiana. Structure and function of isolated components.

Four major components of the hemoglobin of the bullfrog tadpole, Rana catesbeiana, have been isolated and characterized structurally and functionally. These components fall into two clear functional classes. Components I and II have substantially higher affinities for oxygen than do components III and IV. Components I and II predominate in very young tadpoles and are largely replaced by components III and IV in older tadpoles. The data (Broyles, R.H., and Frieden, E. (1973) Nature New Biol. 241, 207-209) indicate that component I arises in the kidney and components III and IV in the liver. The synchrony of appearance and functional similarity o components I and II suggest that component II probably also arises in the kidney. Thus the development of the tadpole is associated with the successive proliferation of three distinct populations of red cells, first from the kidney, then from the liver, and finally, after metamorphosis, from bone marrow...

Hemoglobins of the tadpole of the bullfrog, Rana catesbeiana. Amino acid sequence of the alpha chain of a major component.

The complete amino acid sequence has been determined for the alpha chain of component III of the hemoglobin of the tadpole of the bullfrog, Rana catesbeiana. The chain comprises 141 residues of which 80 (57%) are identical to those in the corresponding positions of the human chain. Almost the same extent of similarity exists in the comparison with the sequenced part of the alpha chain of the adult bullfrog. The major features of this chain are: 1) each residue which is common to all other alpha chains of known sequence is also found in this alpha chain; 2) an acetylated NH2 terminus prevents formation of one of the salt bridges found in human hemoglobin which is responsible for part of the alkaline Bohr effect in mammalian hemoglobins; and 3) a prolyl residue at alpha 99 (G6) must distort the G helix.

Hemoglobins of the tadpole of the bullfrog, Rana catesbeiana. Amino acid sequence of the beta chain of a major component.

The amino acid sequence of the beta chain of component III of the hemoglobin of the tadpole of the bullfrog. Rana catesbeiana, has been determined. Comparison of this sequence with the 117 identified residues of the beta chain in the adult bullfrog shows that 50% (59 of 117) of the residues are identical; 55% (81 of 146) are identical in the comparison with the human beta chain. Tadpole hemoglobin lacks most of the residues believed responsible for the alkaline Bohr effect in human hemoglobin: the NH2 terminus is acetylated and histidine H5 (alpha 122) in the human alpha chain is replaced by glutamine in the tadpole. Although the tadpole beta chain has a COOH-terminal histidine, the hydrogen bond responsible in human hemoglobin for about one-half the normal alkaline Bohr effect cannot form, because asparagine rather than aspartate is present at position 94. However, histidyl residue H21 (beta 143), invoked to explain the reversed "acid" Bohr effect in human hemoglobin, is present in the tadpole chain and is adjacent to a seryl residue (beta 144) rather than lysyl residue, so that the pK of the beta 143 histidine should be higher than in human hemoglobin. This could explain the substantial acid Bohr effect in tadpole hemoglobin.

Hemoglobins of the tadpole of the bullfrog, Rana catesbeiana. Temperature dependence of oxygen binding and pH dependence of subunit dissociation.

The temperature dependence of the oxygen equilibrium of tadpole hemoglobin has been determined between 0 degrees and 32 degrees for the unfractionated but phosphate-free lysate and between 12 degrees and 32 degrees for each of the four isolated components between pH 6 and 10 in 0.05 M cacodylate, Tris, or glycine buffers containing 0.1 M NaCl and 1 mM EDTA. Under these conditions the Bohr effect (defined as deltalog p50/deltapH) of the unfractionated lysate is positive at low temperatures between pH 6 and 8.5 and is negative above pH 8.5 to 8.8 at any temperature. As the temperature rises the Bohr effect below pH 8.5 changes greatly. In the interval pH 7.0 to 7.5, the magnitude of the Bohr effect decreases from + 0.28 at 0 degrees to zero at about 24 degrees and becomes negative, as in mammalian hemoglobins, above this temperature. Measurements with the isolated components show that the temperature dependence of oxygen binding for Components I and II and for Components III and IV is very similar. For both sets of components the apparent overall enthalpy of oxygenation at pH 7.5 is about -16.4 kcal/mol and -12.6 kcal/mol at pH 9.5. The measured enthalpies include contributions from the active Bohr groups, the buffer ions themselves, the hemoglobin groups contributing buffering, and any pH-dependent, oxygenation-dependent binding of ions such as chloride by the hemoglobin. The apportioning of the total enthalpy among these various processes remains to be determined. Between pH 8 and 10.5 tadpole oxyhemoglobin undergoes a pH-dependent dissociation from tetramer to dimer. The pH dependence of the apparent tetramer-dimer dissociation constant indicates that at pH 9.5 the dissociation of each tetramer is accompanied by the release of approximately 2 protons. In this pH range the oxygen equilibrium measurements indicate that about 0.5 proton is released for each oxygen molecule bound. The results are consistent with the conclusion that one acid group per alphabeta dimer changes its pK from about 10 to 8 or below upon dissociation of the tetramer.

Amino acid sequence of the beta chain of human fibrinogen: homology with the gamma chain.

The beta chain of human fibrinogen is composed of 452 +/- 5 amino acid residues, 14 of which are methionines. Consistent with these findings we have isolated and characterized 15 fragments after cyanogen bromide digestion of carboxymethylated beta chains. The arrangement of several of these peptides was deduced on the basis of overlapping peptides isolated from the fragments D and E produced by the plasmic digestion of fibrinogen and/or from a tryptic digest of citraconylated beta chains. Most of the other cyanogen bromide fragments can be aligned by homology with the alpha and/or gamma chains from human fibrinogen, although the positioning of a few of the smallest peptides is still ambiguous. The homology of the beta chain with the gamma chain is especially strong in certain regions of the domain that includes fragment D.

A human platelet angiotensin I-processing system. Identification of components and inhibition of angiotensin-converting enzyme by product.

Mechanisms controlling the local generation of angiotensin II by vascular tissue are incompletely understood. Human platelets were examined for their ability to metabolize angiotensin I. Platelet-dependent angiotensin I metabolism was detected by a high performance liquid chromatography assay which allowed quantitation of angiotensin I substrate utilized and products formed. The major product of platelet-dependent angiotensin I metabolism was identified as des-Leu10-angiotensin I. The platelet des-Leu10-angiotensin I-generating activity had a pH optimum of 6.0-6.5 and was inhibited 100% by mersalyl acid (10(-4) M), 86% by leupeptin (10(-4) M), and 95% by iodoacetamide (10(-2) M). The activity had an approximate Mr = 70,000 as determined by Sephacryl S-200 gel filtration. Intact human platelets stimulated with calcium ionophore (1-10 microM) released 13.7-30.8% of the des-Leu10-angiotensin I-generating activity. Des-Leu10-angiotensin I, the major product of platelet angiotensin I metabolism, inhibited human serum and purified rabbit lung angiotensin-converting enzymes with an I50 of 3.7 X 10(-6) and 2.0 X 10(-6) M, respectively. These results suggest that the platelet may control local angiotensin II formation at vascular sites both by metabolism of the precursor peptide angiotensin I and by generation of an endogenous angiotensin-converting enzyme inhibitor, des-Leu10-angiotensin I. This platelet-dependent pathway may contribute to the control of local levels of vasoactive peptides, such as bradykinin and angiotensin II, so as to alter local tissue blood flow.

Isolation of two polypeptides comprising the neutrophil-immobilizing factor of human leucocytes.

Human leucocyte lysosomal polypeptides of mol. wt 4000-5000, which constitute the neutrophil-immobolizing factor (NIF), were isolated from the 22,000 g supernate of sonicates of human neutrophils by filtration on Sephadex G-75. The larger (NIF-1) and smaller (NIF-2) of the polypeptides were resolved by filtration on Bio-Gel P6 and purified to homogeneity by sequential reverse-phase high performance liquid chromatography and paper electrophoresis. The results of analyses of amino acid composition indicated that NIF-1 and NIF-2 are distinct polypeptides composed of an apparent total of 41 and 38 amino acids, respectively. Both NIF polypeptides contain one cysteine and one methionine, lack isoleucine, tyrosine and phenylalanine, and are rich in histidine and proline. The sequence of 20 of the amino-terminal amino acids of both NIF polypeptides is identical, but NIF-2 possesses an additional alanine at the amino-terminus. Highly purified NIF-1 and NIF-2 inhibited human neutrophil random migration and chemotaxis to diverse stimuli in a concentration-dependent manner, with 50% inhibition of chemotaxis by 0.31-1 x 10(-8) M NIF-1 and 1-3 x 10(-7) M NIF-2. Neither NIF polypeptide was cytotoxic for neutrophils, altered neutrophil phagocytosis or release of lysosomal enzymes, or inhibited mononuclear leucocyte chemotaxis. The leucocyte and functional specificity of the NIF polypeptides and the quantitites released upon stimulation of the human leucocytes suggest that the transition to a mononuclear leucocyte population in chronic inflammation may be attributable in part to the NIF derived from the leucocyte infiltrates of acute responses.

Amino acid sequence of the beta chain of human fibrinogen.

The beta chain of human fibrinogen contains 461 amino acid residues, 15 of which are methionines. The calculated molecular weight, independent of a single carbohydrate cluster, is 52 230. In this regard, we have isolated and characterized all 16 cyanogen bromide fragments. In one case (CNI), we have concentrated on a disputed portion of a previously reported fragment. The arrangement of the cyanogen bromide peptides was deduced by the use of overlap fragments obtained from the tryptic digestion of modified and unmodified beta-chains and from digestions with staphylococcal protease, as well as by considerations involving the plasmic digestion products of fibrinogen. In one case two adjacent fragments were aligned by homology with the corresponding segments of the gamma chain. The homology of the beta chain with the gamma chain is especially strong over the course of the carboxy-terminal two-thirds of the sequence. Neither of these chains appears to be homologous with the alpha chain in these regions. With a few minor exceptions, the sequence reported in this article is in agreement with data reported by other groups in Stockholm and Munich.

The amino acid sequence of the alpha-chain of human fibrinogen.

The amino acid sequence of the human fibrinogen alpha-chain reveals a structure that can be divided into three zones of unique amino acid composition. The middle of these contains the two primary alpha-chain cross-linking acceptor sites and consists of a remarkable series of internal duplications.

Human prostate-specific antigen: structural and functional similarity with serine proteases.

The complete amino acid sequence of the prostate-specific antigen (PA) from human seminal plasma has been determined from analyses of the peptides generated by cyanogen bromide, hydroxylamine, endoproteinases Arg-C and Lys-C. The single polypeptide chain of PA contains 240-amino acid residues and has a calculated Mr of 26,496. An N-linked carbohydrate side chain is predicted at asparagine-45, and O-linked carbohydrate side chains are possibly attached to serine-69, threonine-70, and serine-71. The primary structure of PA shows a high degree of sequence homology with other serine proteases of the kallikrein family. The active site residues of histidine, aspartic acid, and serine comprising the charge-relay system of typical serine proteases were found in similar positions in PA (histidine-41, aspartic acid-96, and serine-192). At pH 7.8, PA hydrolyzed insulin A and B chains, recombinant interleukin 2, and--to a lesser extent--gelatin, myoglobin, ovalbumin, and fibrinogen. The cleavage sites of these proteins by PA were chemically analyzed as the alpha-carboxyl side of some hydrophobic residues, tyrosine, leucine, valine, and phenylalanine, and of basic residues histidine, lysine, and arginine. The chymotrypsin-like activity of PA exhibited with the chromogenic substrate N-succinyl-L-alanyl-L-alanyl-L-prolyl-L-phenylalanine p-nitroanilide yielded a specific activity of 9.21 microM per min per mg of PA and Km and kcat values of 15.3 mM and 0.075s-1, respectively. "Trypsin-like" activity of PA was also detected with N alpha-benzoyl-DL-arginine p-nitroanilide and gave a specific activity of 1.98 microM per min per mg of PA. Protease inhibitors such as phenylmethylsulfonyl fluoride, diisopropyl fluorophosphate, L-1-tosylamido-2-phenylethyl chloromethyl ketone, aprotinin, leupeptin, soybean trypsin inhibitor as well as Zn2+ and spermidine were effective inhibitors of PA enzymatic activity.

PAS IV, an integral membrane protein of mammary epithelial cells, is related to platelet and endothelial cell CD36 (GP IV).

PAS IV is a 78-kDa (bovine) to 80-kDa (human) integral membrane glycoprotein of unknown function which is found in mammary epithelial cells. We now report the purification of human PAS IV and native bovine PAS IV from the milk fat globule membrane (MFGM), a preparation of apical plasmalemma from epithelial cells of lactating mammary tissue. N-Terminal sequence analyses of human and bovine PAS IV revealed homology to the N-terminal sequence of the 88-kDa human endothelial and platelet glycoprotein CD36. The similarity of MFGM PAS IV to platelet CD36 was further established by immunoblots of purified platelet CD36 and MFGM PAS IV with MFGM PAS IV specific antiserum. The removal of N-linked oligosaccharides from PAS IV and CD36 by treatment with endoglycosidase F reduced the apparent Mr of both proteins to approximately 57,000. These data suggest that PAS IV and CD36 are similar if not identical polypeptides that undergo cell type specific glycosylation.

Structural, functional, and antigenic differences between bovine heart endothelial CD36 and human platelet CD36.

Endothelial cell CD36 (glycoprotein IV) has been purified from bovine heart tissue by detergent partitioning and immunoaffinity chromatography. Bovine CD36 differs from human CD36 in its apparent mass (85 versus 88 kDa), primary structure, and immunological cross-reactivity. Of the 18 N-terminal residues identified, 17 conformed to the human CD36 sequence. Mouse monoclonal antibodies E-1 and 8A6 defined bovine- and human-specific epitopes, respectively. Because human CD36 has been identified as a receptor for erythrocytes infected with the malaria parasite Plasmodium falciparum, we examined the ability of bovine CD36 to bind infected erythrocytes. Bovine CD36, unlike human CD36, did not bind infected erythrocytes, suggesting that human CD36-specific structural features are responsible for recognition of the infected erythrocyte ligand.

The proteolytic activity of human prostate-specific antigen.

Human prostate-specific antigen has been found to exhibit a mild activity of protease at neutral pH. This finding is based on two observations: a proteolytic activity was always associated with the antigen fractions during purification, and the proteolytic activity and the antigen were precipitated with specific antibody to the antigen. In comparison with physico-chemical and catalytic properties of known proteases, human prostate-specific antigen is a distinct neutral protease.

Amino acid sequence studies on the alpha chain of human fibrinogen. Complete sequence of the largest cyanogen bromide fragment.

The largest fragment produced by complete cyanogen bromide digestion of the alpha chain of human fibrinogen contains 236 residues and has a calculated molecular weight of 23,949. The complete amino acid sequence of the fragment was determined by the isolation of peptides generated by plasmin, trypsin (including digestion of citraconylated material), staphylococcal protease, and chymotrypsin. In addition, some key subfragmentation was achieved by selective chemical cleavage at tryptophan residues. The fragment has an unusual amino acid composition, more than half of its residues being glycine, serine, threonine, and proline. There are very few nonpolar residues, although 7 of the alpha-chain's 10 tryptophans occur in this fragment. The fragment contains 2 cysteine residues located 30 residues apart which are connected by an intrachain disulfide bond in the native molecule. The tryptophans occur with a definite periodicity that highlights a series of 13-residue homology repeats. The fragment also contains the two principal alpha-chain cross-linking sites.

Amino acid sequence studies on the alpha chain of human fibrinogen. Exact location of cross-linking acceptor sites.

Human fibrinogen was clotted under conditions that promote latent factor XIII activity and in the presence of a radioactive substitute cross-linking donor ([14C]glycine ethyl ester). The labeled fibrin was reduced and alkylated in the presence of 6 M guanidinium chloride. After dialysis and freeze-drying, the preparation was separated into its constituent polypeptide subunits by chromatography on (carboxymethyl)cellulose in the presence of 8 M urea. Under the incorporation conditions used, the radioactivity was limited to gamma chains (one donor molecule/chain) and alpha chains (two donor molecules/chain). The labeled alpha chains were digested with cyanogen bromide and fractionated on Sephadex G-50. All the radioactivity was found in a fragment previously designated H alpha CNI, the largest of the cyanogen bromide fragments in the alpha chain. The fragment was further fragmented by digestion with plasmin, trypsin, chymotrypsin, and/or staphylococcal protease. The incorporated radioactivity was found to reside in equal amounts at two different sites located 38 residues apart. These were determined to be positions 88 and 126 in H alpha CNI, which correspond to glutamine-328 and glutamine-366 in the alpha chain.

Amino acid sequence studies on the alpha chain of human fibrinogen. Overlapping sequences providing the complete sequence.

The complete amino acid sequence of the alpha chain of human fibrinogen has been determined. It contains 610 amino acid residues and has a calculated molecular weight of 66,124. The chain has 10 methionines, and fragmentation with cyanogen bromide yields 11 peptides [Doolittle, R.F., Cassman, K.G., Cottrell, B.A., Friezner, S.J., Hucko, J.T., & Takagi, T. (1977) Biochemistry 16, 1703]. The arrangement of the 11 fragments was determined by the isolation of peptide overlaps from plasmic and staphylococcal protease digests of fibrinogen and/or alpha chains. In addition, certain of the cyanogen bromide fragments, preliminary reports of whose sequences have appeared previously, have been reexamined in order to resolve several discrepancies. The alpha chain is homologous with the beta and gamma chains of fibrinogen, although a large repetitive segment of unusual composition is absent from the latter two chains. The existence of this unusual segment divides the sequence of the alpha chain into three zones of about 200 residues each that are readily distinguishable on the basis of amino acid composition alone.