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Biomedical subjects

A Menez

Publications and source records attributed to A Menez.

At least 19 recordsLinked to original sources
PubMed2000

Crystal structure of alkaline phosphatase from human placenta at 1.8 A resolution. Implication for a substrate specificity.

Human placental alkaline phosphatase (PLAP) is one of three tissue-specific human APs extensively studied because of its ectopic expression in tumors. The crystal structure, determined at 1.8-A resolution, reveals that during evolution, only the overall features of the enzyme have been conserved with respect to Escherichia coli. The surface is deeply mutated with 8% residues in common, and in the active site, only residues strictly necessary to perform the catalysis have been preserved. Additional structural elements aid an understanding of the allosteric property that is specific for the mammalian enzyme (Hoylaerts, M. F., Manes, T., and Millán, J. L. (1997) J. Biol. Chem. 272, 22781-22787). Allostery is probably favored by the quality of the dimer interface, by a long N-terminal alpha-helix from one monomer that embraces the other one, and similarly by the exchange of a residue from one monomer in the active site of the other. In the neighborhood of the catalytic serine, the orientation of Glu-429, a residue unique to PLAP, and the presence of a hydrophobic pocket close to the phosphate product, account for the specific uncompetitive inhibition of PLAP by l-amino acids, consistent with the acquisition of substrate specificity. The location of the active site at the bottom of a large valley flanked by an interfacial crown-shaped domain and a domain containing an extra metal ion on the other side suggest that the substrate of PLAP could be a specific phosphorylated protein.

Alkaline Phosphatase↗
PubMed2000

Do structural deviations between toxins adopting the same fold reflect functional differences?

Three-finger proteins form a structurally related family of compounds that exhibit a great variety of biological properties. To address the question of the prediction of functional areas on their surfaces, we tentatively conferred the acetylcholinesterase inhibitory activity of fasciculins on a short-chain curaremimetic toxin. For this purpose, we assimilated the three-dimensional structure of fasciculin 2 with the one of toxin alpha. This comparison revealed that the tips of the first and second loops, together with the C terminus residue, deviated most. A first recombinant fasciculin/toxin alpha chimera was designed by transferring loop 1 in its entirety together with the tip of loop 2 of fasciculin 2 into the toxin alpha scaffold. A second chimera (rChII) was obtained by adding the point Asn-61 --> Tyr substitution. Comparison of functional and structural properties of both chimeras show that rChII can accommodate the imposed modifications and displays nearly all the acetylcholinesterase-blocking activities of fasciculins. The three-dimensional structure of rChII demonstrates that rChII adopts a typical three-fingered fold with structural features of both parent toxins. Taken together, these results emphasize the great structural flexibility and functional adaptability of that fold and confirm that structural deviations between fasciculins and short-chain neurotoxins do indeed reflect functional diversity.

Amino Acid Sequence↗
PubMed1999

Structural and functional consequences of the presence of a fourth disulfide bridge in the scorpion short toxins: solution structure of the potassium channel inhibitor HsTX1.

We have determined the three-dimensional structure of the potassium channel inhibitor HsTX1, using nuclear magnetic resonance and molecular modeling. This protein belongs to the scorpion short toxin family, which essentially contains potassium channel blockers of 29 to 39 amino acids and three disulfide bridges. It is highly active on voltage-gated Kv1.3 potassium channels. Furthermore, it has the particularity to possess a fourth disulfide bridge. We show that HsTX1 has a fold similar to that of the three-disulfide-bridged toxins and conserves the hydrophobic core found in the scorpion short toxins. Thus, the fourth bridge has no influence on the global conformation of HsTX1. Most residues spatially analogous to those interacting with voltage-gated potassium channels in the three-disulfide-bridged toxins are conserved in HsTX1. Thus, we propose that Tyr21, Lys23, Met25, and Asn26 are involved in the biological activity of HsTX1. As an additional positively charged residue is always spatially close to the aromatic residue in toxins blocking the voltage-gated potassium channels, and as previous mutagenesis experiments have shown the critical role played by the C-terminus in HsTX1, we suggest that Arg33 is also important for the activity of the four disulfide-bridged toxin. Docking calculations confirm that, if Lys23 and Met25 interact with the GYGDMH motif of Kv1.3, Arg33 can contact Asp386 and, thus, play the role of the additional positively charged residue of the toxin functional site. This original configuration of the binding site of HsTX1 for Kv1.3, if confirmed experimentally, offers new structural possibilities for the construction of a molecule blocking the voltage-gated potassium channels.

Amino Acid Sequence↗
PubMed1994

Precursors of vertebrate peptide antibiotics dermaseptin b and adenoregulin have extensive sequence identities with precursors of opioid peptides dermorphin, dermenkephalin, and deltorphins.

The dermaseptins are a family of broad spectrum antimicrobial peptides, 27-34 amino acids long, involved in the defense of the naked skin of frogs against microbial invasion. They are the first vertebrate peptides to show lethal effects against the filamentous fungi responsible for severe opportunistic infections accompanying immunodeficiency syndrome and the use of immunosuppressive agents. A cDNA library was constructed from skin poly(A+) RNA of the arboreal frog Phyllomedusa bicolor and screened with an oligonucleotide probe complementary to the COOH terminus of dermaseptin b. Several clones contained a full-length DNA copy of a 443-nucleotide mRNA that encoded a 78-residue dermaseptin b precursor protein. The deduced precursor contained a putative signal sequence at the NH2 terminus, a 20-residue spacer sequence extremely rich (60%) in glutamic and aspartic acids, and a single copy of a dermaseptin b progenitor sequence at the COOH terminus. One clone contained a complete copy of adenoregulin, a 33-residue peptide reported to enhance the binding of agonists to the A1 adenosine receptor. The mRNAs encoding adenoregulin and dermaseptin b were very similar: 70 and 75% nucleotide identities between the 5'- and 3'-untranslated regions, respectively; 91% amino acid identity between the signal peptides; 82% identity between the acidic spacer sequences; and 38% identity between adenoregulin and dermaseptin b. Because adenoregulin and dermaseptin b have similar precursor designs and antimicrobial spectra, adenoregulin should be considered as a new member of the dermaseptin family and alternatively named dermaseptin b II. Preprodermaseptin b and preproadenoregulin have considerable sequence identities to the precursors encoding the opioid heptapeptides dermorphin, dermenkephalin, and deltorphins. This similarity extended into the 5'-untranslated regions of the mRNAs. These findings suggest that the genes encoding the four preproproteins are all members of the same family despite the fact that they encode end products having very different biological activities. These genes might contain a homologous export exon comprising the 5'-untranslated region, the 22-residue signal peptide, the 20-24-residue acidic spacer, and the basic pair Lys-Arg.

Amino Acid Sequence↗
PubMed1994

Biological activities of [Thr2]sarafotoxin-b, a synthetic analogue of sarafotoxin-b.

The 21 amino acid sarafotoxins (SRTX) c and d/e as well as endothelin-3 (ET-3) are known to be less toxic and weaker pharmacologically than the other isopeptides SRTX-a, SRTX-b and ET-1. Since SRTX-c, SRTX-d/e and ET-3 possess a Thr instead of a Ser at position 2, we investigated the possibility that this mutation could be responsible for the observed biological differences. Here we show that the synthetic [Thr2]SRTX-b has indeed a lower vasoconstriction efficacy (approximately 35%) in the rabbit aorta, but it is nearly as potent as SRTX-b in toxicity tests and in influencing contraction of the rat uterus. Using monoclonal antibodies directed against the structurally related endothelin-1, we also show that the antigenicity of the analogue is comparable to that of SRTX-b, suggesting that the overall structure of the two peptides is similar, despite the substitution at position 2. We suggest that the Thr2 substitution contributes to the lower activity of the 'weak' peptides in some systems; however, additional substitutions found in the 'weak' peptides of the ET/SRTX family most probably contribute to their low pharmacological activity.

Amino Acid Sequence↗
PubMed1993

Synthesis of charybdotoxin and of two N-terminal truncated analogues. Structural and functional characterisation.

Charybdotoxin and two N-terminal truncated peptides, corresponding to the 2-37 and 7-37 sequences, were obtained by stepwise solid-phase synthesis using N alpha-t-butyloxycarbonyl and benzyltype side-chain protection. While this strategy was generally useful, the S-acetamidomethyl protecting group used for the six cysteines was not completely stable under HF treatment and its subsequent removal by mercury(II) treatment was neither complete nor devoid of side reactions. The completely deprotected native and truncated sequences were folded efficiently in the presence of glutathione and were finally purified by high-pressure liquid chromatography with overall yields of 4.0-5.0%. Each protein was characterised chemically, structurally and functionally. 1H-NMR spectroscopy was used and a complete assignment of all the protons of the three synthetic proteins was achieved. NMR data show that synthetic charybdotoxin is indistinguishable from the natural protein. The two truncated proteins contain the same elements of secondary structure and a similar overall three-dimensional structure, in agreement with circular dichroic measurements. The shortest analogue, however, may have local structural perturbations and/or higher flexibility. Biological activity on dog epithelial Ca(2+)-activated K+ channels and on rat brain synaptosomal voltage-dependent K+ channels show that synthetic charybdotoxin was as potent as the natural toxin on both channels. For both channels, deletion of the first amino acid, 5-oxoproline (pyroglutamic acid) decreased only slightly the potency of the inhibitor, while deletion of the entire 1-6 segment reduced potency much more. We conclude that the N-terminal region of charybdotoxin plays a functional role in tuning the toxin's biological activity but is not essential for the folding and stability of the structure. The structure of the shortest analogue represents an interesting example of how a well organised and stable alpha/beta fold can be engineered with only 31 amino acid residues.

Amino Acid Sequence↗
PubMed1993

Purification and characterization of a scorpion defensin, a 4kDa antibacterial peptide presenting structural similarities with insect defensins and scorpion toxins.

Insect defensins are a group of inducible small-sized antibacterial peptides with three intramolecular disulfide bridges. NMR studies have recently shown that they share striking structural similarities with scorpion toxins. We have investigated in a scorpion species, Leiurus quinquestriatus, the potential presence of antibacterial molecules and report the isolation and structural characterization of a novel insect defensin homologue, which we refer to as scorpion defensin. This peptide shows a remarkably high degree of sequence homology with a defensin recently characterized in a species belonging to the ancient insect order of the Odonata with which it defines a novel ancient subclass of defensins. The scorpion defensin has in common with the scorpion toxins a consensus sequence Cys-[...]-Cys-Xaa-Xaa-Xaa-Cys-[...]-Gly-Xaa-Cys-[...]-Cys-Xaa-Cys present in all scorpion toxins characterized so far.

Amino Acid Sequence↗
PubMed1993

Production of recombinant notechis 11'2L, an enzymatically active mutant of a phospholipase A2 from Notechis scutatus scutatus venom, as directly generated by cleavage of a fusion protein produced in Escherichia coli.

We have constructed an expression vector to produce, in Escherichia coli, a fusion protein containing successively two IgG binding domains from staphyloccocal protein A, a nine-amino-acid linker peptide terminating in a methionine residue and the phospholipase A2 notechis 11'2L, an isoform of notexin of Notechis scutatus scutatus venom. Notechis 11'2L is a mutant of the naturally occurring notechis 11'2 [Bouchier, C., Boyot, P., Tesson, F., Trémeau, O., Bouet, F., Hodgson, D., Boulain, J. C. & Ménez, A. (1991) Eur. J. Biochem. 202, 493-500] in which Met8 has been replaced by Leu. The fusion protein was recovered in the periplasmic extract with a yield of 0.25 mg/l culture. It was hydrolyzed with cyanogen bromide, yielding a protein having the molecular mass, amino acid composition and N-terminal sequence of notechis 11'2L. Notechis 11'2L and the wild notechis 11'2 displayed identical circular dichroic spectra and shared similar enzymatic, myotoxic and antigenic properties, suggesting that the recombinant notechis 11'2L was directly generated in a correctly folded form.

Base Sequence↗
PubMed1991

Three-dimensional structure of natural charybdotoxin in aqueous solution by 1H-NMR. Charybdotoxin possesses a structural motif found in other scorpion toxins.

A 600-MHz proton NMR study of natural charybdotoxin, a toxin acting on K+ channels, is reported. The unambiguous sequential assignment of all the protons of the toxin was achieved. The analysis of NOEs and of backbone coupling constants showed the existence of an alpha-helix (residues 10-19) and of an antiparallel beta-sheet in the 26-35 part. Three-dimensional structures were generated by distance geometry, using a set of 114 interresidual calibrated constraints (63 sequential, 47 medium and long range, 4 hydrogen bonds) and 29 phi angles. These structures show that charybdotoxin is composed of a beta-sheet linked to an alpha-helix by two disulphide bridges and to an extended fragment by the third disulphide bridge. Comparison with the other known structures of long and short scorpion toxins shows that this structural motif is common to all these proteins.

Amino Acid Sequence↗
PubMed1991

Neuromuscular effects of nigexine, a basic phospholipase A2 from Naja nigricollis venom.

Nigexine is a basic phospholipase A2 from the venom of the spitting cobra Naja nigricollis. In addition to its anticoagulant and cytolytic properties, nigexine also affects neuromuscular transmission in vitro. On chick biventer cervicis preparations, 1.5 microM nigexine caused a slowly developing block of responses to nerve stimulation, and a progressive loss of postjunctional sensitivity. Nigexine was at least 10 times less potent than notexin. On frog cutaneous pectoris preparations, nigexine caused a transient facilitation of evoked acetylcholine release, followed by a block. Spontaneous release was not abolished, and nigexine induced the release of abnormally large packets of transmitter. Nigexine also caused contracture of muscle fibres, accompanied by depolarization and degeneration. Nigexine appears to be able to cause prejunctional blockade and direct muscle damage to isolated skeletal muscle preparations.

Action Potentials↗
PubMed1990

Structure of the snake short-chain neurotoxin, erabutoxin c, precursor gene.

A 2.4-kb genomic clone, which encodes the precursor of a snake neurotoxin, erabutoxin c, was isolated from the liver of the sea snake, Laticauda semifasciata. The erabutoxin c gene is about 1.2 kb long and consists of three exons and two introns. The first intron is found at the position corresponding to the signal peptide between amino acid residues 18(Leu) and 19(Gly). The second intron is located at the position corresponding to the central loop of the mature toxin, between amino acid residues 33(Arg) and 34(Gly). A TATA box consensus sequence, characteristic of promoter regions, is identified 29-33 nucleotides upstream from the transcription-initiation site identified by nuclease S1 analysis. The erabutoxin c cDNA nucleotide sequence, deduced from the present work, is compared with the cDNA sequences of erabutoxins a and b reported previously. Replacements are found at three positions, two of which correspond to the amino acid replacements found among the toxins, while the other is silent.

Amino Acid Sequence↗
PubMed1989

Evidence that the anti-coagulant and lethal properties of a basic phospholipase A2 from snake venom are unrelated.

The basic phospholipase A2 (PLA2) from venom of the African elapid Naja nigricollis was previously shown to have anti-coagulant and lethal properties, both of which were abolished by treatment with p-bromophenacyl bromide (pBP). In the present paper we first report that pBP-treated PLA2 is capable of inhibiting the anti-coagulant activity but not the lethal activity of native PLA2, thus suggesting that both properties might be independent. We then confirm this evidence using PLA2-specific monoclonal immunoglobulins. One of these, called HSF, neutralized the lethal activity but not the anti-coagulant activity, whereas another antibody, called HSP2, inhibited the anti-coagulant activity but not the lethal activity of the PLA2. The data presented in this paper are taken as evidence that the anti-coagulant activity is not implicated in the lethal effects of basic PLA2 from Naja nigricollis.

Acetophenones↗
PubMed1988

Reversal of snake neurotoxin binding to mammalian acetylcholine receptor by specific antiserum.

Snake curaremimetic toxins are known to bind to the nicotinic acetylcholine receptor (AcChoR) [Changeux et al. (1970) Proc. Natl Acad. Sci. USA, 67, 1241-1247], thus blocking neuromuscular transmission, and producing respiratory failure in mammals. In the present paper we show that the toxic effects of Naja nigricollis toxin alpha to mammals can be efficiently reversed by toxin-alpha-specific antibodies. In vivo we observed that return to normal breathing in toxin-alpha-intoxicated and ventilated rats was 12 times faster after injection of specific antiserum or monoclonal antibody (M-alpha 1) as compared with control animals. Ex vivo we observed that return to normal contraction of a toxin-alpha-blocked phrenic nerve-hemidiaphragm preparation was 14 times more rapid after treatment with specific antiserum than after washings. In vitro we observed that antibodies accelerated the reversal of binding of [3H]toxin alpha to AcChoR prepared from rat diaphragm. The observation made in vitro furthermore indicates that antibodies are capable of destabilizing the [3H]toxin-AcChoR complex. A similar destabilization phenomenon occurs also in vivo, as inferred from measurements of receptor occupancy by [3H]toxin alpha in diaphragm of anaesthetized rats in the presence or absence of antibodies. The property of antibodies to reverse neurotoxin binding to AcChoR may be considered as a critical test for evaluation of the quality of a neurotoxin-specific antisera.

Animals↗
PubMed1981

[Binding of a tritiated enkephalinergic analog (FK 33-824) to a mitochondrial fraction of rat brain].

FK-33-824 (Try-D-Ala-Gly-MePhe-Met(O)ol) is a potent enkephalin analog which has been tritium labelled with a high specific radioactivity (41 Ci/mmole). The labelled drug exhibits specific and saturable binding to rat brain crude mitochondrial fraction. Specific binding is inhibited by low concentrations of morphine, levallorphan and beta-endorphin, suggesting that FK 33-824 [3H] binds preferentially to mu opiate sites. Binding studies at equilibrium and kinetics of formation and dissociation of the labelled ligand-receptor complex indicate that FK 33-824 [3H] binds to two classes of specific sites. Their affinities are distinguishable at 0 degree (KD = 1.3 and 5.8 nM) and very close to each other at 37 degree (KD = 1.9 nM).

Animals↗
PubMed1980

Molecular dynamics of two homologous neurotoxins revealed by 1H-2H exchange: an infrared spectrometry study.

Temperature effects on the hydrogen exchange kinetics and the infrared spectra of two homologous snake neurotoxins (Laticauda semifasciata erabutoxin b and Naja nigricollis toxin alpha) were investigated between 10 and 40 degrees C, at their isoionic pH. (1) Erabutoxin b is more accessible to the solvent than toxin alpha. (2) With increasing temperature, both toxin molecules undergo a global transition affecting the most accessible as well as the most buried hydrogens: the overall accessibility changes are more important for erabutoxin b than for toxin alpha. The different conformational stabilities of the toxins are also qualitatively supported by the temperature-induced shifts which affect the infrared amide I band of toxin alpha only. The existence of two conformer families could be responsible for the different conformational stability of these proteins.

Animals↗