Cell-free expression of natively folded hydrophobins.

Hydrophobins are a family of cysteine-rich proteins unique to filamentous fungi. The proteins are produced in a soluble form but self-assemble into organised amphipathic layers at hydrophilic:hydrophobic interfaces. These layers contribute to transitions between wet and dry environments, spore dispersal and attachment to surfaces for growth and infection. Hydrophobins are characterised by four disulphide bonds that are critical to their structure and function. Thus, obtaining correctly folded, soluble and functional hydrophobins directly from bacterial recombinant expression is challenging and in most cases, initial denaturation from inclusion bodies followed by oxidative refolding are required to obtain folded proteins. Here, we report the use of cell-free expression with E. coli cell lysate to directly obtain natively folded hydrophobins. All six of the hydrophobins tested could be expressed after optimisation of redox conditions. For some hydrophobins, the inclusion of the disulfide isomerase DsbC further enhanced expression levels. We are able to achieve a yield of up to 1 mg of natively folded hydrophobin per mL of reaction. This has allowed the confirmation of the correct folding of hydrophobins with the use of 15N-cysteine and 15N-1H nuclear magnetic resonance experiments within 24 h of starting from plasmid stocks.

Suppression of isotope scrambling in cell-free protein synthesis by broadband inhibition of PLP enymes for selective 15N-labelling and production of perdeuterated proteins in H2O.

Selectively isotope labelled protein samples can be prepared in vivo or in vitro from selectively labelled amino acids but, in many cases, metabolic conversions between different amino acids result in isotope scrambling. The best results are obtained by cell-free protein synthesis, where metabolic enzymes are generally less active, but isotope scrambling can never be suppressed completely. We show that reduction of E. coli S30 extracts with NaBH(4) presents a simple and inexpensive way to achieve cleaner selective isotope labelling in cell-free protein synthesis reactions. The purpose of the NaBH(4) is to inactivate all pyridoxal-phosphate (PLP) dependent enzymes by irreversible reduction of the Schiff bases formed between PLP and lysine side chains of the enzymes or amino groups of free amino acids. The reduced S30 extracts retain their activity of protein synthesis, can be stored as well as conventional S30 extracts and effectively suppress conversions between different amino acids. In addition, inactivation of PLP-dependent enzymes greatly stabilizes hydrogens bound to α-carbons against exchange with water, minimizing the loss of α-deuterons during cell-free production of proteins from perdeuterated amino acids in H(2)O solution. This allows the production of highly perdeuterated proteins that contain protons at all exchangeable positions, without having to back-exchange labile deuterons for protons as required for proteins that have been synthesized in D(2)O.

Cell division and endoreduplication: doubtful engines of vegetative growth.

Currently, there is little information to indicate whether plant cell division and development is the collective effect of individual cell programming (cell-based) or is determined by organ-wide growth (organismal). Modulation of cell division does not confirm cell autonomous programming of cell expansion; instead, final cell size seems to be determined by the balance between cells formed and subsequent tissue growth. Control of growth in regions of the plant therefore has great importance in determining cell, organ and plant development. Here, we question the view that formation of new cells and their programmed expansion is the driving force of growth. We believe there is evidence that division does not drive, but requires, cell growth and a similar requirement for growth is detected in the modified cycle termed endoreduplication.

Mutant T4 DNA polymerase for easy cloning and mutagenesis.

The advent of high-fidelity DNA polymerases that can be used to linearize and amplify whole plasmids by PCR opened the door to greatly simplified cloning and mutagenesis protocols. Commercially available kits work well, but often have been optimized using undisclosed or proprietory components. Here we show that a mutant T4 DNA polymerase (Y320A) with attenuated 3'-exonuclease activity is uniquely suited to generate single-stranded DNA overhangs of uniform length in a more easily controllable manner than the wild-type enzyme, and this can be used to increase the yields of colonies containing correctly modified plasmids in cloning and mutagenesis experiments, which is particularly useful when E. coli cells are of relatively low competency. Standard protocols using the mutant T4 DNA polymerase are provided for the sequence and ligation independent cloning (SLIC) method and a modified QuikChange method, where the mutant enzyme enhances the yield of correctly mutated plasmid and further suppresses parental plasmid during digestion with DpnI. Single-stranded DNA overhangs generated by the mutant T4 DNA polymerase facilitate subsequent plasmid circularization, annealing and ligation in E. coli.

Crystallization and diffraction data of 1H-3-hydroxy-4-oxoquinoline 2,4-dioxygenase: a cofactor-free oxygenase of the alpha/beta-hydrolase family.

1H-3-Hydroxy-4-oxoquinoline 2,4-dioxygenase (QDO) from Pseudomonas putida 33/1 catalyses the oxygenolysis of 1H-3-hydroxy-4-oxoquinoline to form N-formylanthranilic acid and carbon monoxide without the aid of cofactors. Both N-terminally His6-tagged and native QDO were overexpressed in Escherichia coli and purified by conventional chromatographic procedures. Untagged QDO, but not His6-tagged QDO, was crystallized by the vapour-diffusion method, giving hexagonal bipyramid crystals belonging to space group P6(1)22. Selenomethionine-containing native QDO was prepared and crystallized under identical conditions. The unit-cell parameters were a = b = 90.1, c = 168.6 A, alpha = beta = 90, gamma = 120 degrees. Using synchrotron radiation, these crystals diffract to 2.5 A. The expression, purification and crystallization of QDO are reported here.

Preparation of multiple site-specific mutant proteins for NMR studies by PCR-directed cell-free protein synthesis.

Cell-free protein synthesis (CFPS) offers a fast and inexpensive approach to selectively label proteins with isotopes that can then be detected by nuclear magnetic resonance (NMR) spectroscopy directly in the translation mixture. We describe a PCR-based approach for production of protein-coding circularized DNA templates that can be expressed in Escherichia coli extract in CFPS dialysis system. This approach typically yields target protein concentrations close to 1 mg/mL, which is sufficient for subsequent analysis by 2D (1)H,(15)N-NMR. Furthermore, this PCR-based technique also enables parallel preparation of mutant proteins in a high-throughput mode, enabling rapid assignments of NMR signals. This chapter describes the general CFPS protocol that we used to rapidly assign residue-specific cross peaks from 2D (1)H,(15 N-NMR) spectra obtained from 12 Ile/Ala substituted mutants of the 40 kDa protein complex, αCTS:τc16.

NMR analysis of the dynamic exchange of the NS2B cofactor between open and closed conformations of the West Nile virus NS2B-NS3 protease.

BACKGROUND: The two-component NS2B-NS3 proteases of West Nile and dengue viruses are essential for viral replication and established targets for drug development. In all crystal structures of the proteases to date, the NS2B cofactor is located far from the substrate binding site (open conformation) in the absence of inhibitor and lining the substrate binding site (closed conformation) in the presence of an inhibitor. METHODS: In this work, nuclear magnetic resonance (NMR) spectroscopy of isotope and spin-labeled samples of the West Nile virus protease was used to investigate the occurrence of equilibria between open and closed conformations in solution. FINDINGS: In solution, the closed form of the West Nile virus protease is the predominant conformation irrespective of the presence or absence of inhibitors. Nonetheless, dissociation of the C-terminal part of the NS2B cofactor from the NS3 protease (open conformation) occurs in both the presence and the absence of inhibitors. Low-molecular-weight inhibitors can shift the conformational exchange equilibria so that over 90% of the West Nile virus protease molecules assume the closed conformation. The West Nile virus protease differs from the dengue virus protease, where the open conformation is the predominant form in the absence of inhibitors. CONCLUSION: Partial dissociation of NS2B from NS3 has implications for the way in which the NS3 protease can be positioned with respect to the host cell membrane when NS2B is membrane associated via N- and C-terminal segments present in the polyprotein. In the case of the West Nile virus protease, discovery of low-molecular-weight inhibitors that act by breaking the association of the NS2B cofactor with the NS3 protease is impeded by the natural affinity of the cofactor to the NS3 protease. The same strategy can be more successful in the case of the dengue virus NS2B-NS3 protease.

Expression of genomic AtCYCD2;1 in Arabidopsis induces cell division at smaller cell sizes: implications for the control of plant growth.

The Arabidopsis (Arabidopsis thaliana) CYCD2;1 gene introduced in genomic form increased cell formation in the Arabidopsis root apex and leaf, while generating full-length mRNA, raised CDK/CYCLIN enzyme activity, reduced G1-phase duration, and reduced size of cells at S phase and division. Other cell cycle genes, CDKA;1, CYCLIN B;1, and the cDNA form of CYCD2;1 that produced an aberrantly spliced mRNA, produced smaller or zero increases in CDK/CYCLIN activity and did not increase the number of cells formed. Plants with a homozygous single insert of genomic CYCD2;1 grew with normal morphology and without accelerated growth of root or shoot, not providing evidence that cell formation or CYCLIN D2 controls growth of postembryonic vegetative tissues. At the root apex, cells progressed normally from meristem to elongation, but their smaller size enclosed less growth and a 40% reduction in final size of epidermal and cortical cells was seen. Smaller elongated cell size inhibited endoreduplication, indicating a cell size requirement. Leaf cells were also smaller and more numerous during proliferation and epidermal pavement and palisade cells attained 59% and 69% of controls, whereas laminas reached normal size. Autonomous control of expansion was therefore not evident in abundant cell types that formed tissues of root or leaf. Cell size was reduced by a greater number formed in a tissue prior to cell and tissue expansion. Initiation and termination of expansion did not correlate with cell dimension or number and may be determined by tissue-wide signals acting across cellular boundaries.