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Biomedical subjects

K E Allen

Publications and source records attributed to K E Allen.

At least 19 recordsLinked to original sources
PubMed2001

Stalk segment 5 of the yeast plasma membrane H+-ATPase: mutational evidence for a role in glucose regulation.

In P(2)-type ATPases, a stalk region connects the cytoplasmic part of the molecule, which binds and hydrolyzes ATP, to the membrane-embedded part through which cations are pumped. The present study has used cysteine scanning mutagenesis to examine structure-function relationships within stalk segment 5 (S5) of the yeast plasma-membrane H(+)-ATPase. Of 29 Cys mutants that were made and examined, two (G670C and R682C) were blocked in biogenesis, presumably due to protein misfolding. In addition, one mutant (S681C) had very low ATPase activity, and another (F685C) displayed a 40-fold decrease in sensitivity to orthovanadate, reflecting a shift in equilibrium from the E(2) conformational state toward E(1). By far the most striking group of mutants (F666C, L671C, I674C, A677C, I684C, R687C, and Y689C) were constitutively activated even in the absence of glucose, with rates of ATP hydrolysis and kinetic properties normally seen only in glucose-metabolizing cells. Previous work has suggested that activation of the wild-type H(+)-ATPase results from kinase-mediated phosphorylation in the auto-inhibitory C-terminal region of the 100-kDa polypeptide. The seven residues identified in the present study are located on one face of the S5 alpha-helix, consistent with the idea that mutations along this face serve to release the auto-inhibition.

Adenosine Triphosphate↗
PubMed2001

Older women's experiences with sternotomy.

While incision and subsequent scarring is a feature of all surgery, in cardiac surgery the sternotomy incision is significant and central to the body, separating the chest in half between the breasts. Increasingly older women count for a larger proportion of patients undergoing cardiac surgery each year in Australia yet there has been limited exploration of their experiences with sternotomy. A phenomenological approach was used to elicit the experiences of older women who had undergone cardiac surgery. In-depth interviews with four older women revealed a range of ways in which these women were affected by their sternotomy and their whole experience of cardiac surgery. Findings from this project provide insight into practical issues affecting these women and may assist nurses in the assessment and planning of care and education for older women having cardiac surgery, particularly in the areas of preparation for cardiac surgery and body image.

Aged↗
PubMed2000

Stalk segment 4 of the yeast plasma membrane H+-ATPase. Mutational evidence for a role in the E1-E2 conformational change.

In the P(2)-type ATPases, there is growing evidence that four alpha-helical stalk segments connect the cytoplasmic part of the molecule, responsible for ATP binding and hydrolysis, to the membrane-embedded part that mediates cation transport. The present study has focused on stalk segment 4, which displays a significant degree of sequence conservation among P(2)-ATPases. When site-directed mutants in this region of the yeast plasma membrane H(+)-ATPase were constructed and expressed in secretory vesicles, more than half of the amino acid substitutions led to a severalfold decrease in the rate of ATP hydrolysis, although they had little or no effect on the coupling between hydrolysis and transport. Strikingly, mutant ATPases bearing single substitutions of 13 consecutive residues from Ile-359 through Gly-371 were highly resistant to inorganic orthovanadate, with IC(50) values at least 10-fold above those seen in the wild-type enzyme. Most of the same mutants also displayed a significant reduction in the K(m) for MgATP and an increase in the pH optimum for ATP hydrolysis. Taken together, these changes in kinetic behavior point to a shift in equilibrium from the E(2) conformation of the ATPase toward the E(1) conformation. The residues from Ile-359 through Gly-371 would occupy three full turns of an alpha-helix, suggesting that this portion of stalk segment 4 may provide a conformationally active link between catalytic sites in the cytoplasm and cation-binding sites in the membrane.

Adenosine Triphosphate↗
PubMed2000

Functional role of charged residues in the transmembrane segments of the yeast plasma membrane H+-ATPase.

As defined by hydropathy analysis, the membrane-spanning segments of the yeast plasma membrane H(+)-ATPase contain seven negatively charged amino acids (Asp and Glu) and four positively charged amino acids (Arg and His). To explore the functional role of these residues, site-directed mutants at all 11 positions and at Glu-288, located near the cytoplasmic end of M3, have been constructed and expressed in yeast secretory vesicles. Substitutions at four of the positions (Glu-129, Glu-288, Asp-833, and Arg-857) had no significant effect on ATP hydrolysis or ATP-dependent proton pumping, substitutions at five additional positions (Arg-695, His-701, Asp-730, Asp-739, and Arg-811) led to misfolding of the ATPase and blockage at an early stage of biogenesis, and substitutions of Asp-143 allowed measurable biogenesis but nearly abolished ATP hydrolysis and proton transport. Of greatest interest were mutations of Glu-703 in M5 and Glu-803 in M8, which altered the apparent coupling between hydrolysis and transport. Three Glu-703 mutants (E703Q, E703L, E703D) showed significantly reduced pumping over a wide range of hydrolysis values and thus appeared to be partially uncoupled. At Glu-803, by contrast, one mutant (E803N) was almost completely uncoupled, while another (E803Q) pumped protons at an enhanced rate relative to the rate of ATP hydrolysis. Both Glu-703 and Glu-803 occupy positions at which amino acid substitutions have been shown to affect transport by mammalian P-ATPases. Taken together, the results provide growing evidence that residues in membrane segments 5 and 8 of the P-ATPases contribute to the cation transport pathway and that the fundamental mechanism of transport has been conserved throughout the group.

Adenosine Triphosphate↗
PubMed2000

Factor VIIa and thrombin induce the expression of Cyr61 and connective tissue growth factor, extracellular matrix signaling proteins that could act as possible downstream mediators in factor VIIa x tissue factor-induced signal transduction.

Extracellular interactions of plasma clotting factor VIIa (FVIIa) with tissue factor (TF) on cell surfaces trigger the intracellular signaling events. At present, it is unclear how these signals influence phenotype. To elucidate this, we have used cDNA microarray technology to examine changes in transcriptional program in human fibroblasts in response to exposure to FVIIa. cDNA microarrays revealed that FVIIa binding to TF up-regulated the expression of Cyr61 and CTGF (connective tissue growth factor), the genes that encode extracellular matrix signaling proteins Cyr61 and CTGF, respectively. Northern blot analysis confirmed that FVIIa binding to TF markedly increased the expression of Cyr61 and CTGF in a time- and dose-dependent manner. FVIIa catalytic activity is required for the gene induction. In addition to FVIIa, thrombin also induced the expression of Cyr61 and CTGF. Hirudin abolished the thrombin-induced expression of these mRNAs but not the FVIIa-induced expression. FVIIa-induced expression of Cyr61 appears not to involve the currently known protease-activated receptors (PARs), whereas thrombin-induced expression involves the activation of PAR1 and possibly an additional PAR. Various intracellular signaling pathway inhibitors exhibited different inhibitory pattern on FVIIa and thrombin-induced up-regulation of Cyr61. Cyr61 and CTGF could act as downstream mediators of FVIIa x TF in affecting various biological processes.

Cell Line↗
PubMed2000

Regulation of E2F transcription by cyclin E-Cdk2 kinase mediated through p300/CBP co-activators.

The E2F proteins form a family of transcription factors that regulate the transition from the G1 to the S phase in the cell cycle. E2F activity is regulated by members of the retinoblastoma protein (pRb) family, ensuring the tight control of E2F-responsive genes. During the G1 phase, phosphorylation of pRb by cyclin-dependent kinases (CDKs), most notably cyclin D-CDK complexes, releases pRb from E2F, facilitating cell-cycle progression by the timely induction of E2F-targeted genes such as cyclin E. However, it is not known whether E2F proteins are directly targeted by CDKs. Here we show that E2F-5 is phosphorylated by the cyclin E-Cdk2 complex, which functions in the late G1 phase, but not by the early-G1-phase-acting cyclin D-CDK complex. A phosphorylation site in the trans-activation domain of E2F-5 stimulates transcription and cell-cycle progression by the recruitment of the p300/CBP family of co-activators, whose binding to E2F-5 is stabilized upon phosphorylation by cyclin E-Cdk2. These results indicate that E2F activity may be directly regulated by cyclin E-Cdk2, and imply an autoregulatory mechanism for cell-cycle-dependent transcription through the CDK-stimulated interaction of E2F with p300/CBP co-activators.

Animals↗
PubMed2000

Epitope-tagged constructs of the yeast plasma-membrane H(+)-ATPase.

In this study, two different epitope tags (HA, c-myc) were introduced near the N terminus of the yeast PMA1 H(+)-ATPase. The resulting proteins were indistinguishable from the wild-type ATPase in their ability to travel through the secretory pathway, as judged by quantitative immunoblotting of isolated secretory vesicles. Furthermore, there were no significant abnormalities in ATPase activity (including K(m) for MgATP, Vmax, pH optimum, and IC50 for inhibition by vanadate) or in ATP-dependent proton pumping. Finally, the epitope-tagged ATPases could support normal growth and displayed the expected activation by glucose.

Adenosine Triphosphate↗
PubMed1999

Integration of a growth-suppressing BTB/POZ domain protein with the DP component of the E2F transcription factor.

Transcription factor E2F plays an important role in orchestrating early cell cycle progression through its ability to co-ordinate and integrate the cell cycle with the transcription apparatus. Physiological E2F arises when members of two distinct families of proteins interact as E2F-DP heterodimers, in which the E2F component mediates transcriptional activation and the physical interaction with pocket proteins, such as the tumour suppressor protein pRb. In contrast, a discrete role for the DP subunit has not been defined. We report the identification and characterization of DIP, a novel mammalian protein that can interact with the DP component of E2F. DIP was found to contain a BTB/POZ domain and shows significant identity with the Drosophila melanogaster germ cell-less gene product. In mammalian cells, DIP is distributed in a speckled pattern at the nuclear envelope region, and can direct certain DP subunits and the associated heterodimeric E2F partner into a similar pattern. DIP-dependent growth arrest is modulated by the expression of DP proteins, and mutant derivatives of DIP that are compromised in cell cycle arrest exhibit reduced binding to the DP subunit. Our study defines a new pathway of growth control that is integrated with the E2F pathway through the DP subunit of the heterodimer.

Amino Acid Sequence↗
PubMed1998

Evidence for a salt bridge between transmembrane segments 5 and 6 of the yeast plasma-membrane H+-ATPase.

The plasma-membrane H+-ATPase of Saccharomyces cerevisiae, which belongs to the P2 subgroup of cation-transporting ATPases, is encoded by the PMA1 gene and functions physiologically to pump protons out of the cell. This study has focused on hydrophobic transmembrane segments M5 and M6 of the H+-ATPase. In particular, a conserved aspartate residue near the middle of M6 has been found to play a critical role in the structure and biogenesis of the ATPase. Site-directed mutants in which Asp-730 was replaced by an uncharged residue (Asn or Val) were abnormally sensitive to trypsin, consistent with the idea that the proteins were poorly folded, and immunofluorescence confocal microscopy showed them to be arrested in the endoplasmic reticulum. Similar defects are known to occur when either Arg-695 or His-701 in M5 is replaced by a neutral residue (Dutra, M. B., Ambesi, A., and Slayman, C. W. (1998) J. Biol. Chem. 273, 17411-17417). To search for possible charge-charge interactions between Asp-730 and Arg-695 or His-701, double mutants were constructed in which positively and negatively charged residues were swapped or eliminated. Strikingly, two of the double mutants (R695D/D730R and R695A/D730A) regained the capacity for normal biogenesis and displayed near-normal rates of ATP hydrolysis and ATP-dependent H+ pumping. These results demonstrate that neither Arg-695 nor Asp-730 is required for enzymatic activity or proton transport, but suggest that there is a salt bridge between the two residues, linking M5 and M6 of the 100-kDa polypeptide.

Amino Acid Sequence↗
PubMed1998

Analysis of the interaction between c-Jun and c-Jun N-terminal kinase in vivo.

Regulation of c-Jun transcriptional activity is believed to depend on a physical interaction with c-Jun N-terminal kinase (JNK) that facilitates signal-regulated phosphorylation of multiple regulatory phosphoacceptor sites within the activation domain. Here we have investigated the structural requirements and consequences of regulatory phosphorylation for the interaction between c-Jun and JNK in vivo. We show that binding of JNK to c-Jun in vivo does not require JNK catalytic activity or the presence of the potential phosphoacceptor sites within c-Jun and that JNK retains the capacity to bind to a pseudo-phosphorylated mutant of c-Jun where these sites are replaced by phospho-mimetic aspartic acid residues. The c-Jun delta region docking site is essential for interaction with JNK in vivo but is not sufficient, because a c-Jun mutant that retains this region but that lacks the C-terminal DNA-binding domain fails to interact. Experiments using purified recombinant c-Jun and JNK proteins show that the c-Jun DNA-binding domain harbors an auxiliary interaction domain that has the potential to bind to JNK independently. Our results suggest that JNK can be tethered passively to c-Jun in situ through multiple interacting regions and, when activated, can stimulate c-Jun phosphorylation without necessarily dissociating from its substrate. Auxiliary interactions mediated by the DNA-binding domain could play a role in targeting JNK preferentially to c-Jun in specific homo- or heterodimeric complexes.

Amino Acid Substitution↗
PubMed1998

Phosphorylation region of the yeast plasma-membrane H+-ATPase. Role in protein folding and biogenesis.

Mutations at the phosphorylation site (Asp-378) of the yeast plasma-membrane H+-ATPase have been shown previously to cause misfolding of the ATPase, preventing normal movement along the secretory pathway; Asp-378 mutations also block the biogenesis of co-expressed wild-type ATPase and lead to a dominant lethal phenotype. To ask whether these defects are specific for Asp-378 or whether the phosphorylation region as a whole is involved, alanine-scanning mutagenesis has been carried out to examine the role of 11 conserved residues flanking Asp-378. In the sec6-4 expression system (Nakamoto, R. K., Rao, R., and Slayman, C. W. (1991) J. Biol. Chem. 266, 7940-7949), the mutant ATPases displayed varying abilities to reach the secretory vesicles that deliver plasma-membrane proteins to the cell surface. Indirect immunofluorescence of intact cells also gave evidence for a spectrum of behavior, ranging from mutant ATPases completely arrested (D378A, K379A, T380A, and T384A) or partially arrested in the endoplasmic reticulum to those that reached the plasma membrane in normal amounts (C376A, S377A, and G381A). Although the extent of ER retention varied among the mutants, the endoplasmic reticulum appeared to be the only secretory compartment in which the mutant ATPases accumulated. All of the mutant proteins that localized either partially or fully to the ER were also malfolded based on their abnormal sensitivity to trypsin. Among them, the severely affected mutants had a dominant lethal phenotype, and even the intermediate mutants caused a visible slowing of growth when co-expressed with wild-type ATPase. The effects on growth could be traced to the trapping of the wild-type enzyme with the mutant enzyme in the ER, as visualized by double label immunofluorescence. Taken together, the results indicate that the residues surrounding Asp-378 are critically important for ATPase maturation and transport to the cell surface.

Amino Acid Sequence↗
PubMed1998

Substitutions of aspartate 378 in the phosphorylation domain of the yeast PMA1 H+-ATPase disrupt protein folding and biogenesis.

There is strong evidence that Asp-378 of the yeast PMA1 ATPase plays an essential role in ATP hydrolysis by forming a covalent beta-aspartyl phosphate reaction intermediate. In this study, Asp-378 was replaced by Asn, Ser, and Glu, and the mutant ATPases were expressed in a temperature-sensitive secretion-deficient strain (sec6-4) that allowed their properties to be examined. Although all three mutant proteins were produced at nearly normal levels and remained stable for at least 2 h at 37 degrees C, they failed to travel to the vesicles that serve as immediate precursors of the plasma membrane; instead, they became arrested at an earlier step of the secretory pathway. A closer look at the mutant proteins revealed that they were firmly inserted into the bilayer and were not released by washing with high salt, urea, or sodium carbonate (pH 11), treatments commonly used to strip nonintegral proteins from membranes. However, all three mutant ATPases were extremely sensitive to digestion by trypsin, pointing to a marked abnormality in protein folding. Furthermore, in contrast to the wild-type enzyme, the mutant ATPases could not be protected against trypsinolysis by ligands such as MgATP, MgADP, or inorganic orthovanadate. Thus, Asp-378 functions in an unexpectedly complex way during the acquisition of a mature structure by the yeast PMA1 ATPase.

Amino Acid Substitution↗
PubMed1997

Mutations which alter the DNA binding properties of the herpes simplex virus type 1 transactivating protein Vmw175 also affect its ability to support virus replication.

The crucial role of herpes simplex virus type 1 immediate early protein Vmw175 (ICP4) in the regulation of all classes of viral genes has been established by extensive analysis of temperature-sensitive, insertion and deletion mutants. It has long been known that Vmw175 binds to selected DNA sequences, and recent studies have shown that it interacts with components of the basal transcription machinery. However, the role of DNA binding in its mechanism of action has been controversial. Despite the presence of Vmw175 recognition sites at numerous locations throughout the viral genome, it has proved difficult to establish that these sites are important for the activation of early and late promoters. In this study we have analysed the ability of a large number of insertion and single point mutant derivatives of Vmw175 to bind to DNA and to support virus replication. Vmw175 mutants which were unable to bind to DNA were also incapacitated in terms of their ability to activate gene expression in transfection assays and to complement the growth of a Vmw175 deletion mutant virus. These results strongly support the hypothesis that interaction with DNA is an essential feature of the mechanism of action of Vmw175.

Amino Acid Sequence↗
PubMed1997

Distinct mechanisms of nuclear accumulation regulate the functional consequence of E2F transcription factors.

Transcription factor E2F plays an important role in coordinating and integrating early cell cycle progression with the transcription apparatus. It is known that physiological E2F arises when a member of two families of proteins, E2F and DP, interact as E2F/DP heterodimers and that transcriptional activity is regulated through the physical association of pocket proteins such as pRb. However, little information is available regarding the mechanisms which control the levels of functional E2F. In this study, we have characterised one such mechanism which regulates the nuclear accumulation and activity of E2F. Specifically, we show that E2F proteins fall into two distinct categories according to their ability to accumulate in nuclei, one being exemplified by E2F-1 and the other by E2F-4 and -5. Thus, E2F-1 possesses an intrinsic nuclear localization signal whereas E2F-4 and -5 are devoid of such a signal. Furthermore, we find for E2F-4 and -5 that two distinct processes govern their nuclear accumulation whereby the nuclear localization signal is supplied in trans from either a DP heterodimer partner or a physically associated pocket protein. It is consistent with the role of pocket proteins in regulating nuclear accumulation that we find E2F-5 to be nuclear during early cell cycle progression with an increased cytoplasmic concentration in cycling cells. Our data show that the mechanism of nuclear accumulation determines the functional consequence of E2F on cell cycle progression: pocket protein-mediated accumulation impedes cell cycle progression, whereas DP-regulated nuclear accumulation promotes cell cycle progression. Moreover, the inactivation of pocket proteins by the adenovirus Ela protein, and subsequent release of E2F, failed to displace nuclear E2F. Our study identifies a new level of regulation in the control of E2F activity exerted at the level of nuclear accumulation where subunit composition and interaction with pocket proteins dictates the functional consequence on cell cycle progression.

Animals↗
PubMed1995

Molecular and functional characterisation of E2F-5, a new member of the E2F family.

The transcription factor DRTF1/E2F is implicated in the control of cellular proliferation due to its interaction with key regulators of cell cycle progression, such as the retinoblastoma tumour suppressor gene product and related pocket proteins, cyclins and cyclin-dependent kinases. DRTF1/E2F DNA binding activity arises when a member of two distinct families of proteins, DP and E2F, interact as DP/E2F heterodimers. Here, we report the isolation and characterisation of a new member of the E2F family of proteins, called E2F-5. E2F-5 was isolated through a yeast two hybrid assay in which a 14.5 d.p.c. mouse embryo library was screened for molecules capable of binding to murine DP-1, but also interacts with all known members of the DP family of proteins. E2F-5 exists as a physiological heterodimer with DP-1 in the generic DRTF1/E2F DNA binding activity present in mammalian cell extracts, an interaction which results in co-operative DNA binding activity and transcriptional activation through the E2F site. A potent transcriptional activation domain, which functions in both yeast and mammalian cells and resides in the C-terminal region of E2F-5, is specifically inactivated upon pocket protein binding. Comparison of the sequence with other members of the family indicates that E2F-5 shows a greater level of similarity with E2F-4 than to E2F-1, -2 and -3. The structural and functional similarity of E2F-5 and E2F-4 defines a subfamily of E2F proteins.

3T3 Cells↗
PubMed1994

Mutation of a single lysine residue severely impairs the DNA recognition and regulatory functions of the VZV gene 62 transactivator protein.

The product of varicella-zoster virus gene 62 (VZV 140k) is a potent transactivator protein. We have identified a region within the DNA binding domain of VZV 140k that shows a striking similarity to the DNA recognition helix of the homeodomain, with an especially highly conserved quartet of residues, WLQN. The 140k protein has functional counterparts within the other alphaherpesviruses, which include the major transcriptional regulatory protein of HSV-1, (ICP4), and the WLQN region is highly conserved among the members of this family of viral transactivators. Substitution of VZV 140k residue lysine 548, just adjacent to the WLQN region, drastically reduces the DNA binding activity of the 140k DNA binding domain and the intact 140k mutant protein fails to activate gene expression. Substitutions of two other VZV 140k residues in this conserved WLQN region result in alterations to the DNA binding interaction and reduced transactivation activities. All three mutations act at the level of DNA recognition, as they have no apparent effect on the dimerization state, solubility or efficiency of expression of the mutant peptides.

Amino Acid Sequence↗
PubMed1994

Influence of Losartan, an angiotensin receptor antagonist, on neointimal proliferation in cultured human saphenous vein.

An organ culture of human saphenous vein was used as a model of vein graft intimal hyperplasia and the potential of Losartan, an angiotensin II receptor antagonist, to inhibit neointimal proliferation was investigated. Median (range) neointimal thickness was reduced from 17 (16-19) to 11 (8-18) microns in veins cultured with Losartan (median difference 5 (95 per cent confidence interval 2-8) microns). A similar decrease in the median neointimal proliferation index was seen from 21 (range 14-47) to 15 (range 5-31) per cent (median difference 8 per cent (95 per cent confidence interval 5-11 per cent)). These results demonstrate that angiotensin II receptor antagonists may be of therapeutic value for the modulation of vein graft intimal hyperplasia.

Angiotensin Receptor Antagonists↗