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C Bernabeu

Publications and source records attributed to C Bernabeu.

65 records · Page 4Linked to original sources

Peptidyl transfer ribonucleic acid hydrolase activity of proteinase k.

Proteinase k, a seryl-protease obtained from Tritirachium album, is able to specifically hydrolyze N-blocked aminoacyl transfer ribonucleic acids (tRNAs). The blocked amino acid is released, and the tRNA molecule remains able to be recharged by its cogante amino acid. Aminoacyl-tRNAs are highly resistant to hydrolysis by the protease. This activity is not due to contamination of the protease preparation. A commercial protease from Streptomyces griseus displayed a similar activity, while trypsin, chymotrypsin, and papain unspecifically hydrolyzed all charged tRNAs tested. The characteristics of the hydrolysis performed by proteinase k closely resemble the peptidyl-tRNA hydrolase activity described in different cells as a scavenger for the peptidyl-tRNA that eventually falls from the polysomes. Out results warn about a hasty identification of any N-blocked aminoacyl-tRNA hydrolase activity in the cytoplasm as an independent peptidyl-tRNA hydrolase.

Endopeptidases↗

Comparative study between prokaryotes and eukaryotes by chemical iodination of ribosomal proteins.

Escherichia coli and Saccharomyces cerevisiae ribosomal proteins were chemically iodinated with 125I by chloramine T under conditions in which the proteins were denatured. The labelled proteins were subsequently separated by two-dimensional gel electrophoresis with an excess of untreated ribosomal proteins from the same species. The iodination did not change the electrophoretic mobility of the proteins as shown by the pattern of spots in the stained gel slabs and their autoradiography. The 125I radioactivity incorporated in the proteins was estimated by cutting out the gel spots from the two-dimensional electrophoresis gel slabs. The highest content of 125I was found in the ribosomal proteins L2, L11, L13, L20/S12, S4 and S9 from E. coli, and L2/L3, L4/L6/S7, L5, L19/L20, L22/S17, L29/S27, L35/L37 and S14/S15 from S. cerevisiae. Comparisons between the electrophoretic patterns of E. coli and S. cerevisiae ribosomal proteins were carried out by coelectrophoresis of labelled and unlabelled proteins from both species. E. coli ribosomal proteins L5, L11, L20, S2, S3 and S15/S16 were found to overlap with L15, L11/L16, L36/L37, S3, S10 and S33 from S. cerevisiae, respectively. Similar coelectrophoresis of E. coli 125I-labelled proteins with unlabelled rat liver and wheat germ ribosomal proteins showed the former to overlap with proteins L1, L11, L14, L16, L19, L20 and the latter with L2, L5, L6, L15, L17 from E. coli.

Animals↗

Peptidyl transferase of bacterial ribosome: resistance to proteinase K.

70-S ribosomes and 50-S ribosomal subunits from Escherichia coli D10 were treated with proteinase K for increasing periods of time. Peptidyl transferase activity and sparsomycin-induced binding of (U)C-A-C-C-A-[3H]Leu-Ac were tested in the treated particles, the binding of the substrate being more sensitive to the protease than peptide bond formation. Comparison of the amounts of proteins present in the treated particles with the residual activity indicates that only proteins L3 and L14 are released at a similar rate to that at which peptidyl transferase activity is lost. Proteins related to this ribosomal activity by other techniques are lost at a faster rate than the activity itself. In addition, the results indicate that sparsomycin stimulates the binding of the substrate by a different mechanism from that which inhibits peptide bond formation.

Acyltransferases↗

Proteins associated with rRNA in the Escherichia coli ribosome.

Ribosomal proteins located near the rRNA have been identified by cross linking to [14C]spermine with 1,5-difluoro-2,4-dinitrobenzene. The polyamine binds to double-stranded rRNA; those proteins showing radioactivity covalently bound after treatment with the bifunctional reagent should therefore be located in the vicinity of these regions of rRNA. Six proteins from the small subunit, S4, S5, S9, S18, S19 and S20 and ten proteins from the large subunit L2, L6, L13, L14, L16, L17, L18, L19, L22 and L27 preferentially take up the label. The results obtained with three proteins from the large subunit, L6, L16 and L27, show a high degree of variability that could reflect differences of conformation in the subunit population. Several proteins were drastically modified by the cross-linking agent but were not detected in the two-dimensional gel electrophoresis (e.g., S1, S11, S21, L7, L8 and L12) and therefore could not be studied.

Dinitrofluorobenzene↗

The involvement of protein L16 on ribosomal peptidyl transferase activity.

Radioactive ribosomes from Escherichia coli were treated with increasing concentrations of NH4Cl in the presence of 50% ethanol. The resulting particles were tested for peptidyl transferase activity as well as for the binding of (U)C-A-C-C-A-Leu-Ac, (U)C-A-C-C-A-Leu, chloramphenicol, lincomycin and erythromycin. At the same time the proteins present in the particles were quantitatively estimated and the amount of each related to the residual activity displayed by the treated ribosomes. It was found that the loss of protein L16 closely paralleled the inactivation of the particles implying an important role for this protein in the structure of the peptidyl transferase center.

Acyltransferases↗

Activities of protein-deficient particles derived from 50-S ribosomal subunits by NH4Cl/ethanol treatment.

Protein-deficient ribosomal particles obtained by treatment of 50-S subunits from Escherichia coli ribosomes with 1 M NH4Cl and 50% ethanol contain less than 3% of proteins L7 and L12 and about 7% of proteins L10 and L11. Proteins L1, L5, L8/9 and L25 are also released during the treatment but in amounts accounting for less than 40%. The particles are able to form peptide bonds in different systems, such as 'fragment reaction', puromycin reaction and formation of dipeptides. They also bind N-acetylphenylalanyl-tRNA and phenylalanyl-tRNA non-enzymically but are unable to support any of the elongation-factor-dependent reactions tested. However, when methanol is present, they display up to 20% of the control EF-G-dependent GTP activities such as GTP hydrolysis and formation of the ternary complex EF-G-GuoPP(CH2)P-ribosome. The first activity is totally sensitive to the antibiotic thiostrepton while the formation of the ternary complex is unaffected by the drug. When measured by equilibrium dialysis the core particles are shown to be able to bind radioactive thiostrepton. The results show that protein L11 is not an absolute requirement either for peptidyl transferase activity or for the binding of thiostrepton, although in the last case the protein strongly enhances the ribosome affinity for the antibiotic.

Ammonium Chloride↗

Construction, expression and recognition of an H-2 molecule lacking its carboxyl terminus.

A mouse major histocompatibility antigen (H-2) gene, encoding a novel H-2Ld molecule lacking its intracytoplasmic domain, has been constructed and introduced into mouse L-cells. The novel H-2 molecule is found on the surface of the transfected cells at the same level as L-cells transfected with the native H-2Ld gene. Allo- and influenza-specific cytotoxic T lymphocytes can recognize the truncated H-2 gene product nearly as efficiently as the normal H-2Ld gene product. However, vesicular stomatitis virus-specific cytotoxic T lymphocytes recognize the truncated H-2Ld molecule less efficiently than the complete H-2Ld product. The rate of capping of the truncated H-2Ld molecule was investigated and found to be the same as that of the complete H-2Ld gene product.

Amino Acid Sequence↗

Beta 2-microglobulin from serum associates with MHC class I antigens on the surface of cultured cells.

Beta 2-microglobulin (beta 2-m) is a highly conserved polypeptide (12,000 molecular weight; 12K) noncovalently associated with the heavy chain (45-48K) of the major histocompatibility complex (MHC) class I antigens. Its synthesis is required for expression of the HLA-A/B and H-2K/D heavy chains at the cell surface; beta 2-m is also associated with the human cell-surface antigens T6 and M241 isolated from thymocytes. However, on the T leukaemic cell line MOLT-4 some of the T6 antigens contain a different 12K subunit, termed beta t (refs 3, 7, 8). Purified human beta 2-m can exchange partially both with human beta 2-m associated with HLA-antigens, and with mouse beta 2-m associated with murine alloantigens. As MOLT-4 cells were grown in the presence of fetal calf serum (FCS) and as serum is known to contain some free beta 2-m, we examined whether beta t was bovine beta 2-m which had replaced endogenous beta 2-m on the surface of the cell. Here we show both that beta 2-m from FCS or human serum (HuS) used in cell culture can exchange with beta 2-m on the cell surface, and that beta t is in fact bovine beta 2-m.

Animals↗