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A Revzin

Publications and source records attributed to A Revzin.

At least 19 recordsLinked to original sources
PubMed2001

Fabrication of poly(ethylene glycol) hydrogel microstructures using photolithography.

The fabrication of hydrogel microstructures based upon poly(ethylene glycol) diacrylates, dimethacrylates, and tetraacrylates patterned photolithographically on silicon or glass substrates is described. A silicon/silicon dioxide surface was treated with 3-(trichlorosilyl)propyl methacrylate to form a self-assembled monolayer (SAM) with pendant acrylate groups. The SAM presence on the surface was verified using ellipsometry and time-of-flight secondary ion mass spectrometry. A solution containing an acrylated or methacrylated poly(ethylene glycol) derivative and a photoinitiator (2,2-dimethoxy-2-phenylacetophenone) was spin-coated onto the treated substrate, exposed to 365 nm ultraviolet light through a photomask, and developed with either toluene, water, or supercritical CO2. As a result of this process, three-dimensional, cross-linked PEG hydrogel microstructures were immobilized on the surface. Diameters of cylindrical array members were varied from 600 to 7 micrometers by the use of different photomasks, while height varied from 3 to 12 micrometers, depending on the molecular weight of the PEG macromer. In the case of 7 micrometers diameter elements, as many as 400 elements were reproducibly generated in a 1 mm2 square pattern. The resultant hydrogel patterns were hydrated for as long as 3 weeks without delamination from the substrate. In addition, micropatterning of different molecular weights of PEG was demonstrated. Arrays of hydrogel disks containing an immobilized protein conjugated to a pH sensitive fluorophore were also prepared. The pH sensitivity of the gel-immobilized dye was similar to that in an aqueous buffer, and no leaching of the dye-labeled protein from the hydrogel microstructure was observed over a 1 week period. Changes in fluorescence were also observed for immobilized fluorophore labeled acetylcholine esterase upon the addition of acetyl acholine.

Acetylcholinesterase↗
PubMed2000

Glucose and lactate biosensors based on redox polymer/oxidoreductase nanocomposite thin films.

Glucose and lactate enzyme electrodes have been fabricated through the deposition of an anionic self-assembled monolayer and subsequent redox polymer/enzyme electrostatic complexation on gold substrates. These surfaces were functionalized with a negative charge using 11-mercaptoundecanoic acid (MUA), followed by alternating immersions in cationic redox polymer solutions and anionic glucose oxidase (GOX) or lactate oxidase (LAX) solutions to build the nanocomposite structure. The presence of the multilayer structure was verified by ellipsometry and sensor function characterized electrochemically. Reproducible analyte response curves from 2 to 20 mM (GOX) and 2-10 mM (LAX) were generated with the standard deviation between multiple sensors between 12 and 17%, a direct result of the reproducibility of the fabrication technique. In the case of glucose enzyme electrodes, the multilayer structure was further stabilized through the introduction of covalent bonds within and between the layers. Chemical cross-linking was accomplished by exposing the thin film to glutaraldehyde vapors, inducing linkage formation between lysine and arginine residues present on the enzyme periphery with amine groups present on a novel redox polymer, poly[vinylpyridine Os(bisbipyridine)2Cl]-co-allylamine. Finally, an initial demonstration of thin-film patterning was performed as a precursor to the development of redundant sensor arrays. Microcontact printing was used to functionalize portions of a gold surface with a blocking agent, typically 1-hexadecanethiol. This was followed by immersion in MUA to functionalize the remaining portions of gold with negative charges. The multilayer deposition process was then followed, resulting in growth only on the regions containing MUA, resulting in a "positive"-type pattern. This technique may be used for fabrication of thin-film redundant sensor arrays, with thickness under 100 angstrom and lateral dimensions on a micrometer scale.

Biosensing Techniques↗
PubMed1992

Cytochrome aa3 of Rhodobacter sphaeroides as a model for mitochondrial cytochrome c oxidase. The coxII/coxIII operon codes for structural and assembly proteins homologous to those in yeast.

The coxII/coxIII operon of Rhodobacter sphaeroides cytochrome c oxidase has been sequenced and characterized by insertional inactivation/complementation analysis. The organization of the genes in this locus (coxII.orf1.orf3.coxIII) is the same as that of the equivalent operon of Paracoccus denitrificans (ctaC.ctaB.ctaG.ctaE), but unlike that of other bacteria whose cytochrome oxidase genes have been characterized so far. The predicted amino acid sequence homology with eukaryotic oxidases is also higher for Rb. sphaeroides (and P. denitrificans) than for other bacterial versions of the enzyme. The inactivation of coxII results in loss of the characteristic cytochrome oxidase spectrum from membranes of the mutant strain. Full recovery requires introduction into the bacterium of the complete operon containing coxII.orf1.orf3.coxIII; partial complementation yielding a spectrally altered enzyme is achieved with a plasmid containing coxII or coxII.orf1.orf3. These results indicate that the peptides ORF1, ORF3, and COXIII are all required for assembly of native cytochrome c oxidase, suggesting an oxidase-specific assembly or chaperonin function for the ORFs in Rb. sphaeroides similar to that observed for the homologous gene products in yeast, COX10 and COX11.

Amino Acid Sequence↗
PubMed1991

The gene encoding cytochrome c oxidase subunit II from Rhodobacter sphaeroides; comparison of the deduced amino acid sequence with sequences of corresponding peptides from other species.

The gene (coxII) encoding subunit II of Rhodobacter sphaeroides cytochrome c oxidase (cytochrome aa3) has been isolated by screening a genomic DNA library in phage lambda with a probe derived from coxII of Paracoccus denitrificans. A 2-kb fragment containing coxII DNA was subcloned into the phage M13mp18 and the sequence determined. The 2-kb insert contains the entire coding region for coxII gene, including the ATG start codon and a TGA stop codon. The deduced amino acid (aa) sequence of subunit II of R. sphaeroides shows regions of substantial homology to the corresponding subunit of the bovine mitochondrial oxidase (63% overall) and P. denitrificans oxidase (68% overall). The postulated redox-active copper ion (CuA) binding site involving two Cys and two His residues (as well as an alternative Met residue) is conserved among these species, along with four invariant acidic aa residues (two Asp and two Glu) that may be involved in interactions with cytochrome c, and a region of aromatic residues (Tyr-Gln-Trp-Tyr-Trp-Gly-Tyr-Glu-Tyr) which is postulated to play a role in electron transfer. Hydropathy profile analysis suggests that while the bovine COXII secondary structure contains two transmembrane helices, the R. sphaeroides subunit II has a third such helix that may function as part of a signal sequence, as suggested for P. denitrificans.

Amino Acid Sequence↗
PubMed1991

Conversion of a mitochondrial gene for mammalian cytochrome c oxidase subunit II into its universal codon equivalent and expression in vivo and in vitro.

To begin to assess the independent structural and functional characteristics of the mitochondrially encoded subunits of mammalian cytochrome c oxidase, we have converted the cloned mitochondrial gene for rat subunit II (coxII) into its universal codon equivalent (ucoxII) by oligonucleotide-directed, site-specific mutagenesis. This involved synthesizing 12 oligodeoxynucleotides to achieve the 13 ATA to ATG and the 5 TGA to TGG changes needed. To express ucoxII in Escherichia coli, we used a number of different expression vectors in which the promoters and ribosome-binding sequences of the messenger RNA were varied. While ucoxII alone was expressed at a low level, a striking increase in the level of expression resulted when the ucoxII gene was fused to other E. coli genes. The COXII peptide was identified by proteolytic digestion, partial sequencing, and reaction with specific antisera. A cro-beta-galactosidase-COXII fusion protein has been purified, characterized, and used to produce polyclonal antibodies to the COXII peptide. The ucoxII gene was also expressed in a cell-free translation system and in Xenopus oocytes, yielding a nondenatured, membrane-associated peptide with the same apparent molecular weight as authentic subunit II. In oocytes and in a reticulocyte lysate in vitro system supplemented with microsomal membranes, the protein is glycosylated and coisolates with the washed membrane fraction. In both cases, the COXII peptide is soluble under mild conditions in a nonionic detergent and is precipitable by antibodies to subunit II. The production of subunit II in the in vitro translation system is stimulated as strongly by addition of soybean phospholipid vesicles as by microsomal membranes, providing further evidence of membrane insertion and stabilization.(ABSTRACT TRUNCATED AT 250 WORDS)

Amino Acid Sequence↗
PubMed1990

Specific sequences downstream from -6 are not essential for proper and efficient in vitro utilization of the Escherichia coli lactose promoter.

A series of deletion mutants of the wild-type Escherichia coli lactose promoter, with endpoints at +25, +19, +14, +1 and -6 (relative to the start of transcription at +1), was constructed and the deleted DNA replaced with non-lac DNA. These mutants were used to show that no specific DNA sequences downstream from -6 are required for efficient promoter utilization in vitro. In all cases transcription is dependent on the presence of the catabolite activator protein (CAP) and cAMP, and begins at +1 at a level indistinguishable from that at the wild-type promoter. A set of lac DNA fragments deleted to -6 was constructed, having an A, C, G or T residue at +1 and heterologous DNA downstream. These synthetic promoters allow systematic testing of the effect of the initiating nucleotide on the transcription process. Again, transcription occurs mainly from +1, at a level similar to the normal wild-type level. No substantial differences between these promoters are observed in the rates of formation of stable complexes, in the degree of complex formation, in the rate at which polymerase "escapes" from the complex or in abortive transcription products. Equivalent results are seen with a related set of constructs based on the CAP-insensitive lac UV5 promoter. Thus, lac promoter sequences including consensus hexamers at -10 and -35, plus the spacer region between them, provide specificity and efficiency both in initiation of transcription by RNA polymerase and in CAP-polymerase interactions. A question as to whether there is a third RNA polymerase binding site at lac, in addition to the known overlapping P1 and P2 regions, was not unambiguously answered. However, if a "P3" site does exist, it must lie between P1 and P2. Alternatively, the variety of polymerase interactions at wild-type lac may reflect different structural states of the enzyme. The results presented here indicate that DNA downstream from -6 plays little part in determining the conformation of the enzyme at the lactose promoter.

Base Sequence↗
PubMed1987

Interactions of the catabolite activator protein (CAP) at the galactose and lactose promoters of Escherichia coli probed by hydroxyl radical footprinting. The second CAP molecule which binds at gal and the one CAP at lac may act to stimulate transcription in the same way.

The catabolite activator protein (CAP) binding sites of the Escherichia coli galactose and lactose operons were probed by hydroxyl radical footprinting. This method reveals each base that is protected by the bound protein. The patterns of protection seen for the primary CAP sites at gal and lac were virtually identical. In the presence of RNA polymerase the footprint of the second CAP molecule at gal was found to be very similar to those at the other two sites. This upstream site in gal align's perfectly with the lac CAP site with respect to the start of P1 transcription. Replacing most of the gal second CAP site DNA with heterologous sequences did not abolish binding although it became noticeably weaker. In vitro transcription studies of this hybrid gal promoter DNA further demonstrated the reduced affinity of the second CAP. These results are consistent with molecular models proposed for specific CAP binding and suggest that the second CAP at gal may be responsible for overall stimulation of transcription at this operon. Thus, in spite of differences in stoichiometry, the mechanisms of activation by CAP at gal and lac may be quite similar.

Base Sequence↗
PubMed1986

Role of a second catabolite activator protein molecule in controlling initiation of transcription at the galactose operon of Escherichia coli.

The molecular mechanisms whereby RNA polymerase, catabolite activator protein (CAP), and cyclic AMP (cAMP) participate in transcriptional regulation at the galactose operon have been probed by a variety of in vitro techniques. Interactions between purified proteins and promoter-containing DNA fragments were assayed by gel electrophoresis, by resistance to restriction endonuclease digestion, and by monitoring runoff transcripts. The data bear on the multiple functions that CAP performs in gal control. A CAP-cAMP complex can exclude RNA polymerase from one of the two overlapping promoter regions (P2), thereby targeting the enzyme to the other (P1); this process is markedly influenced by the cAMP level. In addition, a second CAP molecule is involved in a cooperative process, which, at low cAMP, is required for efficient formation of transcriptionally competent complexes at P1. This second CAP may serve to stabilize the 1:1:1 CAP-polymerase-gal DNA intermediate under physiological conditions, thus enhancing initiation from P1 relative to P2. Kinetic analysis reveals that the modest effect of CAP on the rate of P1 open complex formation can be resolved into about a 4-fold increase in the binding of RNA polymerase to the P1 region, plus a 1.5-fold elevation in the rate of isomerization of enzyme-promoter complexes to the open state.

Cyclic AMP↗
PubMed1986

The binding of catabolite activator protein and RNA polymerase to the Escherichia coli galactose and lactose promoters probed by alkylation interference studies.

The Escherichia coli galactose and lactose promoter regions have been studied by alkylation interference experiments. The data reveal those bases or phosphate groups which, when modified, prevent the binding of the catabolite activator protein (CAP) or RNA polymerase and hence are presumably in contact with the proteins. Interference contacts made by CAP at its primary binding sites at gal and lac are quite similar, indicating that CAP-cAMP uses the same mode of binding at these two operons. RNA polymerase, when bound in the presence of CAP-cAMP, exhibits contacts at the gal and lac P1-10 regions very much like those of the lac UV5 and T7 A3 promoters (Siebenlist, U., Simpson, R. B., and Gilbert, W. (1980) Cell 20, 269-281). CAP, therefore, does not detectably alter the structure of the open complex. The binding sites for CAP and RNA polymerase at lac, as deduced from interference experiments, do not overlap. However, at gal a CAP molecule is found much closer to the enzyme, and there is competition for a set of mutual contacts. These experiments thus reveal both similarities and differences in the mechanisms whereby CAP activates transcription at catabolite-sensitive operons.

Alkylation↗
PubMed1986

Solutions of RNA polymerase plus linear wild type E. coli lac DNA fragments contain a mixture of stable P1 and P2 promoter complexes.

The lac promoter is known to have overlapping, mutually exclusive, binding sites for RNA polymerase. A number of techniques have been used to probe solutions of polymerase and linear lac DNA fragments, including gel electrophoresis binding assays, transcription experiments, and exonuclease III digestions. The data indicate that mixing RNA polymerase with the wild type lac promoter leads to formation of more than one kind of complex; a typical solution contains enzyme in heparin resistant, "open" complexes at the P2 site, while other DNA molecules have polymerase bound in a heparin sensitive, "closed" complex at P1. There may be other rather stable complexes as well. The presence of more than one type of complex has obvious implications for in vitro physical studies of this system. The data suggest that using truncated DNA fragments which eliminate the P2 site may allow isolation and study of P1 closed complexes. Quantitative analysis of the fractions of polymerase found at P1 and P2 implies that P2 can have only a limited effect on lac transcription in the cell.

DNA, Bacterial↗
PubMed1986

Comparison of nucleic acid-protein interactions in solution and in polyacrylamide gels.

The properties of nucleic acid-protein complexes in polyacrylamide gels and in solution have been compared. Transcription by RNA polymerase from a lac DNA template within a gel yields products which are the same as those obtained in solution. Likewise the dissociation rates of DNA-protein complexes in a gel are found to be identical to the solution values. Thus complexes existing in bands during gel electrophoresis behave quite normally. There seems to be no "caging" effect, at least not in a typical 5% polyacrylamide gel (30:1, acrylamide: bisacrylamide); the gel matrix does not hinder separation of DNA and protein molecules which have dissociated.

Acrylic Resins↗
PubMed1984

The functional and physical form of mammalian cytochrome c oxidase determined by gel filtration, radiation inactivation, and sedimentation equilibrium analysis.

When solubilized in laurylmaltoside, cytochrome oxidases from beef heart and rat liver mitochondria exist as monodisperse populations that are stable, highly active, and have apparent molecular weights of 300,000 to 350,000, as measured by gel filtration. To determine whether these are monomeric (2 heme A, 2 Cu) or dimeric forms of the enzyme, we performed radiation inactivation and sedimentation equilibrium analyses. From radiation inactivation experiments under two different sets of conditions, we obtained estimates for the functional molecular weight of beef heart cytochrome oxidase of 114,000 and 99,000, much less than a dimer and significantly smaller than a 200,000 molecular weight monomer containing one copy of each of the 12 subunits normally present in the complex. The same functional size is obtained for a rat liver oxidase preparation depleted of subunit III. The physical molecular weight of cytochrome oxidase was determined by sedimentation equilibrium measurements in solvents of different densities using mixtures of H2O and D218O. Estimates of Mr = 194,000 +/- 9,000 for the beef heart oxidase and Mr = 152,000 +/- 6,000 for the rat liver enzyme were obtained, consistent with the size predicted for monomers of their subunit composition. From these results we conclude that mammalian cytochrome oxidases from beef heart and rat liver exist in laurylmaltoside as monomers capable of high rates of electron transfer and normal substrate binding. Further, these functions appear to be associated with a subset of the peptides present in the monomer, mainly composed of subunits I and II.

Animals↗
PubMed1984

Kinetics of RNA polymerase-promoter complex formation: effects of nonspecific DNA-protein interactions.

The rates of formation of RNA polymerase-promoter open complexes at the galactose P2 and lactose UV5 promoters of E. coli were studied using polyacrylamide gels to separate the heparin-resistant complexes from unbound DNA. Both the apparent rate and extent of reaction at these promoters are inhibited at excess RNA polymerase. This inhibition, which can be relieved by the addition of non-promoter DNA, is interpreted to be the result of occlusion of the promoter site by nonspecifically bound polymerase. Additionally, biphasic kinetics are observed at both gal P2 and lac UV5, but not at the PR promoter of phage lambda. This behavior disappears when the concentration of RNA polymerase in the binding reaction is less than that of the promoter fragment. It is proposed that at excess enzyme nonspecifically bound polymerase molecules sliding along the DNA may "bump" closed complexes from the promoter site thereby reducing the rate of open complex formation. Kinetics mechanisms quantifying both the occlusion and bumping phenomena are presented.

Base Composition↗
PubMed1983

Two catabolite activator protein molecules bind to the galactose promoter region of Escherichia coli in the presence of RNA polymerase.

The catabolite activator protein (CAP) of Escherichia coli, complexed with cAMP, is required for efficient initiation of transcription from the galactose P1 promoter (start site at +1) but not from the overlapping P2 promoter (start site at -5) [Musso, R. E., DiLauro, R., Adhya, S. & deCrombrugghe, B. (1977) Cell 12, 847-854]. We investigated the interactions between CAP/cAMP and the gal promoter region in the presence of RNA polymerase. DNase I protection experiments of gal promoter restriction fragments revealed that CAP/cAMP protects the DNA from digestion between positions -50 and -25 and that RNA polymerase protects it from -35 to +10; however, gal DNA in the presence of both CAP/cAMP and RNA polymerase is protected from DNase I digestion between positions -68 and +15. Results of exonuclease III protection experiments show that RNA polymerase alone protects the gal DNA from -30 to +15; when both CAP/cAMP and RNA polymerase are present in the reaction, protection is afforded from -65 to +20. We directly quantified the amount of cAMP and CAP bound to gal promoter DNA in the presence of RNA polymerase by selectively pelleting the ternary complexes (CAP/cAMP-RNA polymerase-gal promoter DNA) in a Beckman Airfuge. We found two CAP molecules specifically bound to the gal promoter, although only one cAMP molecule was found in the complex at low cAMP concentrations (but sufficient to support P1 transcription). Thus, both the DNA protection experiments and the centrifugation results indicate that RNA polymerase induces the binding of a second CAP molecule to the gal promoter in forming stable initiation complexes. It appears that the second CAP molecule is needed to stimulate initiation from the P1 promoter; this may be involved in regulating the relative rates at which transcription begins from the two gal start sites.

Binding Sites↗
PubMed1981

The light-activated GTP-dependent cyclic GMP phosphodiesterase complex of bovine retinal rod outer segments. Dark resolution of the catalytic and regulatory proteins.

A cyclic GMP phosphodiesterase associated with retinal rod outer segment (ROS) membranes is fully activated only in the presence of light and GTP. Activity can be easily depleted from the membranes by hypotonic washing, which in darkness removes two major soluble proteins. One of these has cGMP phosphodiesterase activity which is no longer activated by light or GTP. The other lacks phosphodiesterase activity but copurifies with the catalytic protein unless special measures are taken. In the present report, these 2 proteins removed from the ROS in darkness were resolved in a manner which was qualitatively and quantitatively dependent upon concentrations of 2-mercaptoethanol and EDTA. We designated the catalytic protein as P and the other protein G, because it has been reported to exhibit GTP-related activities. The unresolved P and G proteins behaved as a single complex on native gels, analytical ultracentrifugation, sucrose gradient sedimentation, and gel filtration. The P:G complex had the same Mr as purified P and more stable phosphodiesterase activity. Removal of G from P destabilized the catalytic activity and allowed aggregation of P. With loss of activity by purified P, multiple slow migrating protein bands appeared upon native gel electrophoresis. Destabilization of P could be partially prevented by addition of Mg2+ before physical separation of P from G. If 2-mercaptoethanol was removed simultaneously, dissociation of the P:G complex and destabilization of P were prevented. These findings imply that the G protein is essential to the catalytic stability of P when both are removed in darkness from the ROS membrane.

3',5'-Cyclic-GMP Phosphodiesterases↗
PubMed1981

A gel electrophoresis method for quantifying the binding of proteins to specific DNA regions: application to components of the Escherichia coli lactose operon regulatory system.

The use of gel electrophoresis for quantitative studies of DNA-protein interactions is described. This rapid and simple technique involves separation of free DNA from DNA-protein complexes based on differences in their electrophoretic mobilities in polyacrylamide gels. Under favorable conditions both unbound DNA and DNA associated with protein can be quantified. This gel method is applied to the study of the E. coli lactose operon regulatory system. At ionic strengths in the physiological range, the catabolite activator protein (CAP) is shown to form a long-lived complex with the wild type lac promotor, but not with a CAP-insensitive mutant. Formation of a stable "open" or "melted-in" complex of RNA polymerase with the wild type promoter requires the participation of CAP and cyclic AMP. Further, it is demonstrated that even when pre-formed in the presence of CAP-cAMP, the polymerase-promoter open complex becomes unstable if CAP is then selectively removed.

Carrier Proteins↗