Biology and therapeutic potential of cannabinoid CB2 receptor inverse agonists.

Evidence has emerged suggesting a role for the cannabinoid CB2 receptor in immune cell motility. This provides a rationale for a novel and generalized immunoregulatory role for cannabinoid CB2 receptor-specific compounds. In support of this possibility, we will review the biology of a class of cannabinoid CB2 receptor-specific inverse agonist, the triaryl bis-sulfones. We will show that one candidate, Sch.414319, is potent and selective for the cannabinoid CB2 receptor, based on profiling studies using biochemical assays for 45 enzymes and 80 G-protein coupled receptors and ion channels. We will describe initial mechanistic studies using this optimized triaryl bis-sulfone, showing that the compound exerts a broad effect on cellular protein phosphorylations in human monocytes. This profile includes the down regulation of a required phosphorylation of the monocyte-specific actin bundling protein L-plastin. We suggest that this observation may provide a mechanism for the observed activity of Sch.414319 in vivo. Our continued analysis of the in vivo efficacy of this compound in diverse disease models shows that Sch.414319 is a potent modulator of immune cell mobility in vivo, can modulate bone damage in antigen-induced mono-articular arthritis in the rat, and is uniquely potent at blocking experimental autoimmune encephalomyelitis in the rat.

Signaling by covalent heterodimers of interferon-gamma. Evidence for one-sided signaling in the active tetrameric receptor complex.

Interferon-gamma (IFN-gamma) and its receptor complex are dimeric and bilaterally symmetric. We created mutants of IFN-gamma that bind only one IFN-gammaR1 chain per dimer molecule (called a monovalent IFN-gamma) to see if the interaction of IFN-gamma with one-half of the receptor complex is sufficient for bioactivity. Mutating a receptor-binding sequence in either AB loop of a covalent dimer of IFN-gamma yielded two monovalent IFN-gammas, gamma(m)-gamma and gamma-gamma(m), which cross-link to only a single soluble IFN-gammaR1 molecule in solution and on the cell surface. Monovalent IFN-gamma competes fully with wild type IFN-gamma for binding to U937 cells but only at a greater than 100-fold higher concentration than wild type IFN-gamma. Monovalent IFN-gamma had anti-vesicular stomatitis virus activity and antiproliferative activity, and it induced major histocompatibility complex class I and class II (HLA-DR) expression. In contrast, the maximal levels of activated Stat1alpha produced by monovalent IFN-gammas after 15 min were never more than half of those produced by either wild type or covalent IFN-gammas in human cell lines. These data indicate that while monovalent IFN-gamma activates only one-half of a four-chain receptor complex, this is sufficient for Stat1alpha activation, major histocompatibility complex class I surface antigen induction, and antiviral and antiproliferative activities. Thus, while interaction with both halves of the receptor complex is required for high affinity binding of IFN-gamma and efficient signal transduction, interaction with only one-half of the receptor complex is sufficient to initiate signal transduction.

Structural characterization of nitric oxide synthase isoforms reveals striking active-site conservation.

Crystal structures of human endothelial nitric oxide synthase (eNOS) and human inducible NOS (iNOS) catalytic domains were solved in complex with the arginine substrate and an inhibitor S-ethylisothiourea (SEITU), respectively. The small molecules bind in a narrow cleft within the larger active-site cavity containing heme and tetrahydrobiopterin. Both are hydrogen-bonded to a conserved glutamate (eNOS E361, iNOS E377). The active-site residues of iNOS and eNOS are nearly identical. Nevertheless, structural comparisons provide a basis for design of isozyme-selective inhibitors. The high-resolution, refined structures of eNOS (2.4 A resolution) and iNOS (2.25 A resolution) reveal an unexpected structural zinc situated at the intermolecular interface and coordinated by four cysteines, two from each monomer.

Crystal structure of a complex between interferon-gamma and its soluble high-affinity receptor.

The crystal structure of interferon-gamma bound to the extracellular fragment of its high-affinity cell-surface receptor reveals the first view of a class-2 cytokine receptor-ligand complex. In the complex, one interferon-gamma homodimer binds two receptor molecules. Unlike the class-1 growth hormone receptor complex, the two interferon-gamma receptors do not interact with one another and are separated by 27 A. Upon receptor binding, the flexible AB loop of interferon-gamma undergoes a conformational change that includes the formation of a 3(10) helix.

Azotobacter vinelandii ferredoxin I: cloning, sequencing, and mutant analysis.

The structure of Azotobacter vinelandii ferredoxin I (AvFdI) has been extensively characterized by a variety of techniques. Although its physiological function is unknown, it has long been implicated as being involved in electron donation to nitrogenase. Here we report that the AvFdI gene (fdxA) has been cloned from an EcoRI digest lambda library using a synthetic oligonucleotide probe and that its sequence has been determined. The amino acid sequence deduced from the DNA sequence is identical to the previously published protein sequence. Analysis of the promoter region indicates that AvFdI is not a nif specific gene product. A mutant of A. vinelandii has been constructed which is identical to the wild-type, at the DNA level, except that the fdxA gene has been interrupted by insertion of a kanamycin cartridge. This mutant, called LM100, does not synthesize AvFdI but does synthesize the Fe and MoFe proteins of nitrogenase and grows at wild-type rates under N2-fixing conditions. This demonstrates that AvFdI is not required for N2 fixation by A. vinelandii. There is a small acidic protein, which is present in wild-type A. vinelandii, whose level is dramatically increased in LM100. The nature of this protein is under further investigation.

Characterization of a cyanobacterial photosystem I complex.

A simple procedure is described for the preparation of photosystem I (PSI) particles from Triton X-100-solubilized thylakoid membranes of the unicellular cyanobacterium Synechococcus 6301. The purified PSI complex contained the full complement of antenna chlorophylls, 130 +/- 5/P700, displayed the electron paramagnetic resonance signals characteristic of iron-sulfur centers X, A, and B, and had a protein/chlorophyll ratio of 2.9. Determination of the polypeptide composition, utilizing a uniformly 14C-labeled complex, showed that it contained polypeptides of 70, 18, 17.7, 16, and 10 kDa, in a molar ratio of 4.0:0.7:1.0:0.5:1.6. The relative amount of the lower molecular weight polypeptides showed progressive decrease with increase in Triton X-100 concentration and time of exposure to detergent. Consequently, it is proposed that in vivo the composition of the complex is [70 kDa]4 [18 kDa]1 [17.7 kDa]1 [16 kDa]1 [10 kDa]2. Relative to 130 mol of chlorophyll a, the PSI complex contained 16 mol of carotenoids, 13.7 +/- 1.0 g atoms of Fe, and 12.2 +/- 1.1 g atoms of labile sulfide. The properties of complexes fully depleted of the low-molecular weight polypeptides by treatment with sodium dodecyl sulfate or with proteinase K are also described.

Bilin attachment sites in the alpha and beta subunits of B-phycoerythrin. Amino acid sequence studies.

The amino acid sequence about the sites of attachment of all of the bilin prosthetic groups of the alpha and beta subunits of Porphyridium cruentum B-phycoerythrin has been determined. The sequences of five unique tryptic peptides, each carrying one phycoerythrobilin, are as follows: alpha-1 Ile-Asx-Lys-Cys*-Tyr-Arg alpha-2 Asx-Arg-Leu-Cys*-Val-Pro-Arg beta-1 Met-Ala-Ala-Cys*-Leu-Arg beta-2 Met-Ser-Phe-Ala-Ala-Gly-Asp-Cys*-Thr-Ser-Leu-Ala-Ser-Glu-Val-Ala-Gln-Tyr - Phe-Asp-Arg beta-3 Leu-Asp-Ala-Val-Asn-Ser-Ile-Val-Ser-Asn-Ala-Ser-Cys*-Met-Val-Ser-Asp-Ala - Val-Ser-Gly-Met-Ile-Cys*-Glu-Asn-Pro-Gly-Leu-Ile-Ser-Pro-Gly-Gly-Asn-Cys -Tyr- Thr-Asn-Arg where the designations alpha and beta refer to the subunit from which the peptide was derived. Cysteinyl residues involved in bilin attachment are indicated with an asterisk. The bilins in peptides alpha-1, alpha-2, beta-1, and beta-2 are attached to the peptide through a single thioether linkage to a cysteinyl residue. In contrast, the phycoerythrobilin on peptide beta-3 is attached through two thioether linkages to cysteinyl residues 10 residues apart. This appears to be the first report of a prosthetic group covalently bound to a polypeptide through two linkages separated by such a considerable distance in the linear sequence. The visible absorption spectrum of peptide beta-3 is red-shifted by about 10 nm relative to the spectra of the other four bilin peptides. Comparison of the sequences from B-phycoerythrin to sequences of several other biliproteins has revealed the presence of a number of invariant tyrosyl and arginyl residues near bilin attachment sites.

Bilin attachment sites in the alpha and beta subunits of B-phycoerythrin. Structural studies on a doubly peptide-linked phycoerythrobilin.

A bilin-containing fragment of the beta subunit of Porphyridium cruentum B-phycoerythrin produced by cleavage with thermolysin was shown by sequence analysis (Lundell, D.J., Glazer, A.N., DeLange, R.J., and Brown, D.M. (1984) J. Biol. Chem. 259, 5472-5480) to have the following structure. (Formula: see text) Secondary ion mass spectrometry of this bilin-peptide yielded a protonated molecular ion of 1629 mass units corresponding to that predicted from the composition of the fragment, and indicated that the heptapeptide is linked to ring A and the tripeptide to ring D. NMR spectra provided definitive evidence for a thioether linkage at the C-3' carbon of ring A and a second thioether linkage at teh C-18' carbon of ring D of the bilin. This is the first documented report of a bilin linked through two thioether linkages to a polypeptide.

Bilin attachment sites in the alpha and beta subunits of B-phycoerythrin. Structural studies on the singly linked phycoerythrobilins.

Five unique phycoerythrobilin (PEB) peptides were prepared from Porphyridium cruentum B-phycoerythrin by a combination of tryptic and thermolytic digestion without alteration in the spectroscopic properties of the bilin (Lundell, D.J., Glazer, A.N., DeLange, R.J., and Brown, D.M. (1984) J. Biol. Chem. 259, 5472-5480). alpha-1 Cys(PEB)-Tyr-Arg alpha-2 Leu-Cys(PEB)-Val-Pro-Arg beta-1 Met-Ala-Ala-Cys(PEB)-Leu-Arg beta-2T Phe-Ala-Ala-Gly-Asp-Cys(PEB)-Thr-Ser (Formula: see text) where alpha and beta refer to the subunits from which the peptides were derived High resolution 1H NMR analysis of peptides alpha-2, beta-1, and beta-2T combined with earlier studies of peptide alpha-1 (Schoenleber, R.W., Leung, S.-L., Lundell, D.J., Glazer, A.N., and Rapoport, H. (1983) J. Am. Chem. Soc. 105, 4072-4076) has provided proof that all of the singly linked PEB peptides contain a thioether bond to the 3' position of ring A, and strong evidence in support of a trans-dihydro ring A in each of these chromopeptides. The circular dichroism spectra of the four singly linked PEB peptides show that the configuration at C-16 is R in each instance. The present study coupled with previously reported results on peptide beta-3T (Schoenleber, R.W., Lundell, D.J., Glazer, A.N., Rapoport, H. (1984) J. Biol. Chem. 259, 5481-5484 provides the first comprehensive analysis of the structure of all the polypeptide-linked prosthetic groups on the alpha and beta subunits of B-phycoerythrin.

Cyanobacterial photosystem I: Morphology and aggregation behavior.

A simple procedure is described for the preparation of cyanobacterial photosystem I particles with a full complement of antenna chlorophyll a from Triton X-100-solubilized thylakoid membranes. In the presence of >/=0.1% Triton X-100, photosystem I particles from Synechococcus 6301 were largely monodisperse. These particles, when negatively stained, appeared to approximate prolate ellipsoids 18 x 8 nm. A value of 4-5 x 10(-19) cm(3) was estimated for the volume of the stain-exclusion envelopes of the particles. At low concentrations of Triton X-100, photosystem I particles formed linear aggregates or sheets one-layer thick. The manner of aggregation was strongly dependent on protein concentration. Shadowed preparations of the sheets indicated a thickness of 8.0-8.5 nm.

The structure of a "simple" phycobilisome.

This report describes the properties of a relatively simple phycobilisome, Synechococcus 6301 (Anacystis nidulans). Morphology. -- Examination of wild type and mutant phycobilisomes by electron microscopy has shown them to have two morphologically differing substructures when seen in "face-view". There is a core consisting of two contiguous objects, disc-like in face-view projection, 115 A in diameter, and six rods, each composed of several stacked discs 60 A thick and 120 A in diameter, which radiate from the core in a hemidiscoidal arrangement. Each of the core components consists of four discs approximately 30 A thick. Rod substructures. -- Each of the discs in the rod substructure is a phycocyanin hexamer held together by interaction with a specific linker polypeptide, i. e., it has the composition (alpha beta)6 . X, where X is the linker polypeptide and alpha beta a phycocyanin monomer. The disc proximal to the core is an (alpha beta)6 . 27,000 complex. A small portion, Mr approximately 2,000,, of the Mr 27,000 polypeptide is essential to the attachment of this disc to the core. From studies of phycobilisomes from nitrogen-starved cells, and from mutants containing lowered amounts of phycocyanin relative to allophycocyanin, the second disc has been established to be an (alpha beta)6 . 33,000 complex. Either (alpha beta)6 . 33,000 or (alpha beta)6 . 30,000 complexes occupy the positions in the rods distal to the (alpha beta)6 .33,000 discs. Core substructure. -- Structural studies on the core and on core-rod junctions were greatly facilitated by the isolation of a mutant, strain AN112, which produces phycobilisomes with rods only one disc in length but with normal cores. Partial dissociation of these incomplete phycobilisomes under a variety of conditions, and separation and characterization of the resulting sub-complexes, has led to the determination of the composition of four distinct "trimeric" complexes, each of which is present in two copies per phycobilisome. These complexes, which account for the composition of the core, are as follows: (alpha beta)3AP . 10,500 with lambda maxF at 662 nm; (alpha beta)3AP with lambda maxF at 660 nm; (alpha 2AP alpha APB beta 3AP) . 10,500 with lambda maxF at 680 nm; where apha AP and alpha AFB are alpha subunits of allophycocyanin and allophycocyanin B, respectively, and beta AP is a subunit common to these two biliproteins; (alpha beta)2 AP . 18,300 . 40,000* . 11,000* with lambda maxF at 680 nm, where the Mr 40,000* and 11,000* polypeptides are derived from a Mr 75,000 polypeptide by tryptic digestion.(ABSTRACT TRUNCATED AT 400 WORDS)

Molecular architecture of a light-harvesting antenna. Quaternary interactions in the Synechococcus 6301 phycobilisome core as revealed by partial tryptic digestion and circular dichroism studies.

The core of the phycobilisomes of Synechococcus 6301 (Anacystis nidulans) strain AN112 consists of two cylindrical elements each made up of the same four distinct subcomplexes: A (alpha AP beta AP)3; B (alpha AP beta AP)2 . 18.3K . 75K; C (alpha 1APB alpha 2AP beta 3AP) . 10.5K; and D (alpha AP beta AP)3 . 10.5K, where alpha AP and beta AP are the subunits of allophycocyanin, alpha APB is the subunit of allophycocyanin B, and 18.3K, 75K, and 10.5K are polypeptides of 18,300, 75,000, and 10,500 Da, respectively. An 18 S subassembly containing subcomplexes A and B has previously been characterized (Yamanaka, G., Lundell, D. J., and Glazer, A. N. (1982) J. Biol. Chem. 257, 4077-4086; Lundell, D. J., and Glazer, A. N. (1983) J. Biol. Chem. 258, 894-901, 902-908). A ternary core subassembly, containing complexes A, B, and C, was isolated from a limited tryptic digest of AN112 phycobilisomes and characterized with respect to composition and spectroscopic properties. Isolation of this ternary subassembly also establishes that subcomplex D must occupy a terminal position in each of the two core cylinders. Spectroscopic studies of the individual complexes, A-D, of the subassemblies AB and ABC, and of intact AN112 phycobilisomes showed core assembly-dependent changes in the circular dichroism spectra indicative of changes in the environment and/or conformation of the bilin chromophores within the individual subcomplexes. Two terminal energy acceptors are present in the phycobilisome core, alpha APB and 75K. No indication of interaction between the chromophores on these polypeptides was detected by circular dichroism spectroscopy. This result indicates that the bilins on alpha APB and 75K act as independent energy acceptors rather than as exciton pairs.

Molecular architecture of a light-harvesting antenna. Structure of the 18 S core-rod subassembly of the Synechococcus 6301 phycobilisome.

The 18 S subassembly particles obtained by partial dissociation of phycobilisomes from Synechococcus 6301 (Anacystis nidulans) strain AN 112 contain approximately one-half of the mass of the phycobilisome and include core-rod junctions (Yamanaka, G., Lundell, D. J., and Glazer, A. N. (1982) J. Biol. Chem. 257, 4077-4086). The polypeptide composition of 18 S complexes, determined by analysis of uniformly 14C-labeled phycobilisomes, gave the following stoichiometry: 75K:27K:18.3K:alpha beta allophycocyanin monomer: alpha beta phycocyanin monomer of 1:2:1:5:6; where 75K, 27K, etc. represent polypeptides of 75, 27 kilodaltons, etc. The 18.3K polypeptide is a hitherto underscribed biliprotein bearing a single phycocyanobilin. The NH2-terminal sequence of this subunit was determined to be homologous to that of the beta subunit of allophycocyanin. Chromatography of products resulting from limited trypsin treatment of the 18 S complex led to the isolation of three subcomplexes: a mixture of (alpha beta)3 . 22K and (alpha beta)3 . 24K phycocyanin complexes, an (alpha beta)3 allophycocyanin trimer, and an (alpha beta)2 . 18.3K.40K.11K allophycocyanin-containing complex. The 22K and 24K components were products of the degradation of the 27K polypeptides, whereas the 40K and 11K components were derived from the 75K polypeptide. The subcomplexes accounted for the composition of the 18 S complex. Determination of the composition, stoichiometry, and spectroscopic properties of the subcomplexes has led to a model of the polypeptide arrangement within the 18 S complex and of the pathway of energy transfer among these polypeptides.

Molecular architecture of a light-harvesting antenna. Core substructure in Synechococcus 6301 phycobilisomes: two new allophycocyanin and allophycocyanin B complexes.

Two new allophycocyanin-containing complexes were found among the products of partial dissociation of the phycobilisomes of Synechococcus 6301 strain AN112. These complexes were purified to homogeneity and characterized with respect to composition, stability, and spectroscopic properties. The structures of the complexes were established to be (alpha AP beta AP)3 . 10.5K and (alpha 1APB alpha 2AP beta 3AP) . 10.5 K, where alpha AP and beta AP are subunits of allophycocyanin, and alpha APB is the subunit of allophycocyanin B (see Lundell, D. J., and Glazer, A. N. (1981) J. Biol. Chem. 256, 12600-12606), and 10.5K is an uncolored polypeptide of 10.5-kilodaltons. These complexes are derived from the core substructure of the phycobilisome. Electron microscopic studies of the morphology of the core of strain AN112 phycobilisomes (Yamanaka, G., Glazer, A. N., and Williams, R. C. (1980) J. Biol. Chem. 255, 11004-11010) as well as structural studies of an 18 S subassembly derived from the phycobilisomes by partial dissociation (Yamanaka, G., Lundell, D. J., and Glazer, A. N. (1982) J. Biol. Chem. 257, 4077-4086) indicated that the core assembly consisted of two cylindrical elements each made up of the same four distinct "trimeric" biliprotein-containing complexes. Two such core components, (alpha AP beta AP)3 and alpha 2AP beta 2AP. 18.3K . 75K (where 18.3K and 75K are polypeptides of 18.3- and 75-kilodaltons), were shown to be contained within the 18 S subassembly (Lundell, D. J., and Glazer, A. N. (1983) J. Biol. Chem. 258, 894-901). The isolation of the two allophycocyanin-containing complexes described here completes the characterization of the four types of components in the Synechococcus 6301 phycobilisome core. Two lines of evidence indicate that each of the four complexes is present twice in the core: comparison of the compositions (and yields) of the complexes with that of the intact AN112 phycobilisome, and near-coincidence of the molar absorption spectrum of the phycobilisome with that generated by summing the spectra of the constituent complexes taken in appropriate molar proportions.

Core substructure in cyanobacterial phycobilisomes.

The tricylindrical core of Synechocystis 6701 phycobilisomes is made up of four types of allophycocyanin-containing complexes: A, (alpha AP beta AP)3; B, (alpha AP beta AP)3 .10K; C, (alpha APB1 alpha AP2 beta AP3).10K; D, (alpha AP beta AP)2.18.5K.99K; where AP is allophycocyanin, APB is allophycocyanin B, and 10K, 18.5K, and 99K are polypeptides of 10,000, 18,500, and 99,000 daltons, respectively. The 18.5K polypeptide is a hitherto unrecognized biliprotein subunit with a single phycocyanobilin prosthetic group. The tricylindrical core is made up of 12 subcomplexes in the molar ratio of A:B:C:D: of 4:4:2:2. Complexes C and D act as terminal energy acceptors. From these results and previous analysis of the bicylindrical core of Synechococcus 6301 phycobilisomes [14,15] it is proposed that the two cylinders of the Synechocystis 6701 core, proximal to the thylakoid membrane, each have the composition ABCD, and that the distal cylinder has the composition A2B2.

Molecular architecture of a light-harvesting antenna. Isolation and characterization of phycobilisome subassembly particles.

Synechococcus 6301 mutant, strain AN112, produces phycobilisomes containing two major biliproteins, phycocyanin and allophycocyanin, and two major linker polypeptides of 27 and 75 kilodaltons (27K and 75K). These phycobilisomes have a molecular weight of approximately 2.5 X 10(6) and are the smallest of these particles known to date. Sucrose density gradient centrifugation of AN112 phycobilisomes partially dissociated in 50 mM N-[tris(hydroxymethyl)methyl]glycine, 5 mM CaCl2, 10% (w/v) glycerol, pH 7.8, separated three distinct fractions: (1) free trimeric biliproteins, (2) hexameric complexes of phycocyanin with 27K (11 S particles), and (3) phycobilisome subassemblies equivalent in mass to approximately 25% of the intact phycobilisome (18 S particles). The 18 S particles contained equimolar amounts of phycocyanin and allophycocyanin, which represented approximately 30 and 50%, respectively, of the content of these biliproteins in the AN112 phycobilisome. The 18 S particles also contained 75% and 100%, respectively, of 27K and 75K polypeptides; i.e. 75K was present in a 2-fold higher amount than in the intact phycobilisome. The absorption spectrum (lambda max 648 nm) of the 18 S particles was similar to that of allophycocyanin. Upon excitation at 580 nm, these particles exhibited a fluorescence emission spectrum consisting of 680 and 660 nm components, identical with that of intact phycobilisomes. The circular dichroism spectra of AN112 phycobilisomes and of the 18 S particles, in the region between 650 and 700 nm, were also very similar. Allophycocyanin B, which fluoresces at 680 nm, was found in fraction 1, and was totally absent from the 18 S particle. Thus, the long wavelength emission of the 18 S particle must have arisen from another terminal energy acceptor. The most probable candidate is the 75K polypeptide, which has been shown to carry a bilin chromophore and emit near 680 nm (Lundell, D. J., Yamanaka, G., and Glazer, A. N. (1980) J. Cell Biol. 91, 315-319). The 27K polypeptide, present in both fractions 2 and 3, was a component of different complexes in the two fractions. Fraction 2 displayed the physical and spectroscopic properties characteristic of the phycocyanin-linker complex, (alpha beta)6.27K. However, in the 18 S particle, 27K functioned in the assembly and attachment of phycocyanin trimers to a core domain. Based on the analysis of the components in fractions 1-3, a model is proposed which describes the structure of the AN112 phycobilisome, with emphasis on the roles of the linker polypeptides in the assembly of the core.

Allophycocyanin B. A common beta subunit in Synechococcus allophycocyanin B (lambda max 670 nm) and allophycocyanin (lambda max 650 nM).

In cyanobacterial phycobilisomes, light energy absorbed by phycocyanin (lambda max 620 nm) is transferred to allophycocyanin (AP; lambda max 650 nm) and allophycocyanin B (AP-B; lambda max 670 nm) and emitted primarily at 680 nm. This emission maximum coincides with that of pure AP-B. Previous studies have shown that Synechococcus 6301 AP and AP-B are both (alpha beta)3 trimers with a number of similar properties. Here, we show that the beta subunits of AP and AP-B have identical molecular weights, isoelectric points, absorption spectra, NH2-terminal sequences, yield almost indistinguishable tryptic peptide maps, and can substitute for each other in hybridization with the alpha subunits. We conclude that the beta subunits are identical polypeptides. By the same criteria, the alpha subunits of these two proteins are clearly unique polypeptides. The alpha subunits carry the information which determines the absorption and fluorescence emission spectra of the proteins, e.g. the hybrid of the alpha subunits of AP-B with the beta subunits of AP has a lambda max of 670 nm and an emission maximum of 680 nm. In mixtures of AP-B and AP, heterologous trimers are formed in a near-statistical manner by subunit exchange. In such trimers, AP-B alpha beta monomers act as terminal energy acceptors.

A terminal energy acceptor of the phycobilisome: the 75,000-dalton polypeptide of Synechococcus 6301 phycobilisomes--a new biliprotein.

A rapid procedure is described for the isolation of "linker" polypeptides (Lundell, D. J., R. C. Williams, and A. N. Glazer. 1981. J. Biol. Chem. 256:3580-3592) of cyanobacterial phycobilisomes. The 75,000-dalton component of the core of Synechococcus 6301 phycobilisomes isolated by this procedure has been shown to carry a bilin similar in spectroscopic properties to phycocyanobilin. "Renatured" 75,000-dalton polypeptide has absorption maxima at 610 and 665 nm and a fluorescence emission maximum at 676 nm, similar to that of intact phycobilisomes. A complex of allophycocyanin and a 40,000-dalton bilin-carrying fragment of the 75,000-dalton polypeptide, obtained by limited tryptic digestion, is described. This complex, which lacks allophycocyanin B, shows a fluorescence emission maximum at 676 nm. The above data indicate that the 75,000-dalton polypeptide functions as a terminal energy acceptor in the phycobilisome.

Isolation and sequences of the cysteinyl tryptic peptides from the MoFe-protein of Azotobacter vinelandii nitrogenase.

The cysteinyl residues in the alpha and beta subunits of the MoFe-protein from Azotobacter vinelandii nitrogenase were radiolabeled by carboxymethylation with iodo[14C]acetic acid. The tryptic peptides from the isolated subunits were separated by ion-exchange chromatography on DEAE-Sephadex and SP-Sephadex. The radiolabeled (cysteinyl) peptides were sequenced by Edman degradation. The isolation procedure and sequences of the peptides provide a method for the identification of the potential cysteinyl ligands for the protein Fe:S and Mo:Fe:S centers. Although the cysteinyl peptides account for approximately 20% of the total sequence, little sequence homology was observed between the peptides from the two subunits. In contrast to the ferredoxins, the cysteinyl residues are not grouped within the protein. Only one peptide from the beta subunit has sequence homology with other Fe:S proteins. This peptide has 15 of 22 residues identical or conservative with residues 11 to 32 of the bacterial ferredoxins. The conservation of this region suggests that it may contain an important secondary structure unique to 4Fe:4S proteins, namely, the sequence (formula, see text) where (formula, see text) represents a variable residue. One peptide from the alpha subunit has a sequence identical with the conserved residues 7 to 11 of the bacterial ferredoxins. This alpha-peptide has the correct sequence, -Glu-Pro-Val-Ser-Cys-Val-Ser-Asp-Ser-, for the glutamyl, cysteinyl, and aspartyl residues to ligand a single 4Fe:4S cluster.

Molecular architecture of a light-harvesting antenna. In vitro assembly of the rod substructures of Synechococcus 6301 phycobilisomes.

The 75-, 33-, 30-, and 27-kilodalton polypeptide components ("linker polypeptides") of the phycobilisome of the unicellular cyanobacterium Synechococcus 6301 have been purified and characterized. In 0.6 M NaK phosphate buffer at pH 8, the 33-, 30-, and 27-kilodalton polypeptides assemble phycocyanin into ordered aggregates, whereas the 75-kilodalton polypeptide does not interact with phycocyanin. In the presence of the 33- and 30-kilodalton polypeptides, phycocyanin is assembled into hexameric discs and rods of stacked discs with the ultrastructural characteristics of the rod elements of intact phycobilisomes. Interaction of phycocyanin with only the 27-kilodalton polypeptide leads solely to the formation of discs that do not assemble into rods. Rods formed by interaction of phycocyanin with the 30- and 33-kilodalton polypeptides in the presence of the 27-kilodalton polypeptide are much shorter than those formed in its absence. This suggests that addition to growing rods of discs formed from phycocyanin and the 27-kilodalton polypeptide terminates rod assembly. Ordered structures formed upon interaction of phycocyanin with individual linker polypeptides contain at least 1 eq of linker polypeptide/(alpha beta)6 hexamer of phycocyanin. Complexes of phycocyanin with different linker polypeptides have distinctive spectroscopic properties that suggest a polar energy transfer along rod substructures toward the core. The linker polypeptides show no absorbance in the visible region of the spectrum. Peptide mapping shows that they are not related to each other by proteolytic processing.