Characterization of the neuronal targeting protein spinophilin and its interactions with protein phosphatase-1.

Protein phosphatase-1 (PP1) plays an important role in a variety of cellular processes, including muscle contraction, cell-cycle progression, and neurotransmission. The localization and substrate specificity of PP1 are determined by a class of proteins known as targeting subunits. In the present study, the interaction between PP1 and spinophilin, a neuronal protein that targets PP1 to dendritic spines, has been characterized. Deletion analysis revealed that a high-affinity binding domain is located within residues 417-494 of spinophilin. This domain contains a pentapeptide motif (R/K-R/K-V/I-X-F) between amino acids 447 and 451 (R-K-I-H-F) that is conserved in other PP1 regulatory subunits. Mutation of phenylalanine-451 (F451A) or deletion of the conserved motif abolished the ability of spinophilin to bind PP1, as observed by coprecipitation, overlay, and competition binding assays. In addition, deletion of regions 417-442 or 474-494, either singly or in combination, impaired the ability of spinophilin to coprecipitate PP1. A comparison of the binding and inhibitory properties of spinophilin peptides suggested that distinct subdomains of spinophilin are responsible for binding and modulating PP1 activity. Mutational analysis of the modulatory subdomain revealed that spinophilin interacts with PP1 via a mechanism unlike those used by the cytosolic inhibitors DARPP-32 (dopamine- and cAMP-regulated phosphoprotein, Mr 32 000) and inhibitor-1. Finally, characterization of the interactions between spinophilin and PP1 has facilitated the design of peptide antagonists capable of disrupting spinophilin-PP1 interactions. These studies support the notion that spinophilin functions in vivo as a neuronal PP1 targeting subunit by directing the enzyme to postsynaptic densities and regulating its activity toward physiological substrates.

Antibody catalysis of peptidyl-prolyl cis-trans isomerization in the folding of RNase T1.

An antibody generated to an alpha-keto amide containing hapten 1 catalyzes the cis-trans isomerization of peptidyl-prolyl amide bonds in peptides and in the protein RNase T1. The antibody-catalyzed peptide isomerization reaction showed saturation kinetics for the cis-substrate, Suc-Ala-Ala-Pro-Phe-pNA, with a kcat/Km value of 883 s-1.M-1; the reaction was inhibited by the hapten analog 13 (Ki = 3. 0 +/- 0.4 microM). Refolding of denatured RNase T1 to its native conformation also was catalyzed by the antibody, with the antibody-catalyzed folding reaction inhibitable both by the hapten 1 and hapten analog 13. These results demonstrate that antibodies can catalyze conformational changes in protein structure, a transformation involved in many cellular processes.

Insights into antibody catalysis: structure of an oxygenation catalyst at 1.9-angstrom resolution.

The x-ray crystal structures of the sulfide oxidase antibody 28B4 and of antibody 28B4 complexed with hapten have been solved at 2.2-angstrom and 1.9-angstrom resolution, respectively. To our knowledge, these structures are the highest resolution catalytic antibody structures to date and provide insight into the molecular mechanism of this antibody-catalyzed monooxygenation reaction. Specifically, the data suggest that entropic restriction plays a fundamental role in catalysis through the precise alignment of the thioether substrate and oxidant. The antibody active site also stabilizes developing charge on both sulfur and periodate in the transition state via cation-pi and electrostatic interactions, respectively. In addition to demonstrating that the active site of antibody 28B4 does indeed reflect the mechanistic information programmed in the aminophosphonic acid hapten, these high-resolution structures provide a basis for enhancing turnover rates through mutagenesis and improved hapten design.