RESUMEN
The multifunctional signal transducer and activator of transcription (STAT) proteins relay signals from the cell membrane to the nucleus in response to cytokines and growth factors. STAT4 becomes activated when cells are treated with interleukin-12, a key cytokine regulator of cell-mediated immunity. Upon activation, dimers of STAT4 bind cooperatively to tandem interferon-gamma activation sequences (GAS elements) near the interferon-gamma gene and stimulate its transcription. The amino-terminal domain of STAT4 (STAT4(1-124)) is required for cooperative binding interactions between STAT4 dimers and activation of interferon-gamma transcription in response to interleukin-12. We have overproduced this domain of human STAT4 (hSTAT4(1-124)) in Escherichia coli and purified it to homogeneity for structural studies. The circular dichroism spectrum of hSTAT4(1-124) indicates that it has a well ordered conformation in solution. The translational diffusion constant of hSTAT4(1-124) was determined by nuclear magnetic resonance methods and found to be consistent with that of a dimer. The rotational correlation time (tauc) of hSTAT4(1-124) was estimated from 15N relaxation to be 16 ns; this value is consistent with a 29-kDa dimeric protein. These results, together with the number of signals observed in the two-dimensional 1H-15N heteronuclear single quantum coherence spectrum of uniformly 15N-labeled protein, indicate that hSTAT4(1-124) forms a stable, symmetric homodimer in solution. Cooperativity in native STAT4 probably results from a similar or identical interaction between the amino-terminal domains of adjacent dimers bound to DNA.
Asunto(s)
Proteínas de Unión al ADN/química , Transactivadores/química , Secuencia de Aminoácidos , Secuencia de Bases , Cromatografía por Intercambio Iónico , Dicroismo Circular , Clonación Molecular , Cartilla de ADN , Proteínas de Unión al ADN/genética , Proteínas de Unión al ADN/aislamiento & purificación , Escherichia coli/genética , Humanos , Espectroscopía de Resonancia Magnética , Datos de Secuencia Molecular , Conformación Proteica , Estructura Secundaria de Proteína , Factor de Transcripción STAT4 , Transactivadores/genética , Transactivadores/aislamiento & purificaciónRESUMEN
Aryl sulfotransferases catalyze the formation of sulfuric acid esters from a diverse group of endogenous and xenobiotic organic chemicals. The isoenzyme of aryl sulfotransferase in livers of male Sprague-Dawley rats that exhibits the most varied substrate specificity is aryl sulfotransferase IV. A new method for the purification to homogeneity of aryl sulfotransferase IV was developed that, when compared with previously described procedures, provided a greater than 10-fold increase in total yield of enzyme/g of tissue. Homogeneous aryl sulfotransferase IV was used to prepare polyclonal antibodies in male New Zealand White rabbits. Results of immunochemical analyses demonstrated that these antibodies reacted with only a single protein in rat hepatic 100,000 x g supernatant fractions and, further, that the immunoreactive protein had the isoelectric point and subunit molecular mass characteristic of aryl sulfotransferase IV. Immunohistochemical analyses demonstrated that aryl sulfotransferase IV is present in hepatocytes throughout the liver, although centrilobular cells contain a significantly greater (p less than 0.01) amount of aryl sulfotransferase IV than do either midzonal or periportal cells, in which similar levels of the enzyme are found.
