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Biomedical subjects

L Kuehl

Publications and source records attributed to L Kuehl.

At least 19 recordsLinked to original sources

The degradation of guanidinated lysozyme in reticulocyte lysate.

Egg white lysozyme, treated with O-methylisourea to convert lysine to homoarginine residues, was used as a substrate for the ATP-dependent proteolytic pathway in rabbit reticulocyte lysates. Although guanidinated lysozyme was degraded by an ATP-dependent, hemin-sensitive process, ubiquitin conjugates of this protein were present at less than 5% the level of conjugates between ubiquitin and nonguanidinated lysozyme. When lysates were chromatographed on DEAE-cellulose to produce Fractions I and II of (Hershko et al. (1979) Proc. Natl. Acad. Sci. U.S.A. 76, 3107), ubiquitin-depleted Fraction II was capable of degrading nonguanidinated lysozyme, but the degradation of guanidinated lysozyme was markedly reduced or abolished. Glycerol-stabilized Fraction II, on the other hand, supported the degradation of both proteins in an ATP-dependent process stimulated by ubiquitin. The degradation of the two proteins differed, however, in that guanidinated lysozyme was more sensitive to competitive substrates, and higher concentrations of ubiquitin were required for its maximal proteolysis. Despite ubiquitin stimulation of guanidinated lysozyme degradation, only trace amounts of higher molecular weight species of guanidinated lysozyme attributable to ubiquitin conjugation were observed in ubiquitin-supplemented, glycerol-stabilized Fraction II even when special precautions were employed to preserve labile covalent bonds. These results indicate that covalent attachment of ubiquitin to the epsilon-amino group of substrate lysines is not mandatory for ATP-dependent proteolysis in rabbit reticulocyte lysates. The observation that ubiquitin stimulates proteolysis of guanidinated lysozyme, without extensive conjugation to it, suggests that ubiquitin may have essential functions for proteolysis other than direct marking of the protein substrate.

Adenosine Triphosphate↗

The occurrence of extended acidic sequences in nonhistone chromosomal proteins.

Nonhistone chromosomal proteins and soluble cytoplasmic proteins from rat liver were treated with a combination of proteases and chemical reagents which split a variety of peptide bonds but do not attack sequences consisting predominantly or exclusively of acidic amino acid residues. Analysis of the resulting digests by gel filtration chromatography and column electrophoresis demonstrated that, relative to cytoplasmic proteins, nonhistone chromosomal proteins are rich in highly charged, acidic peptides up to 12 residues in length, but rarely contain very long peptides consisting exclusively of acidic residues such as are found in the nonhistone chromosomal proteins HMG1 and HMG2.

Amino Acid Sequence↗

Dynamic behavior of histone H1 microinjected into HeLa cells.

Histone H1 was purified from bovine thymus and radiolabeled with tritium by reductive methylation or with 125I using chloramine-T. Red blood cell-mediated microinjection was then used to introduce the labeled H1 molecules into HeLa cells synchronized in S phase. The injected H1 molecules rapidly entered HeLa nuclei, and a number of tests indicate that their association with chromatin was equivalent to that endogenous histone H1. The injected molecules copurified with HeLa cell nucleosomes, exhibited a half-life of approximately 100 h, and were hyperphosphorylated at mitosis. When injected HeLa cells were fused with mouse 3T3 fibroblasts less than 10% of the labeled H1 molecules migrated to mouse nuclei during the next 48 h. Thus, the intracellular behavior of histone H1 differs markedly from that of high mobility group proteins 1 and 2 (HMG1 and HMG2), which rapidly equilibrate between human and mouse nuclei after heterokaryon formation (Rechsteiner, M., and L. Kuehl, 1979, Cell, 16:901-908; Wu, L., M. Rechsteiner, and L. Kuehl, 1981, J. Cell Biol, 91: 488-496). Despite their slow rate of migration between nuclei, the injected H1 molecules were evenly distributed on mouse and human genomes soon after mitosis of HeLa-3T3 heterokaryons. These results suggest that although most histone H1 molecules are stably associated with interphase chromatin, they undergo extensive redistribution after mitosis.

Animals↗

Relationship between the structure of chromosomal protein HMG1 and its accumulation in the cell nucleus.

When microinjected into the cytoplasm of cultured mammalian cells, non-histone chromosomal protein HMG1 migrates into the nucleus and binds to the chromatin. To define the features of the HMG1 molecule which are essential for this activity, fragments of HMG1 and chemically modified HMG1 molecules were injected into HeLa cells and the capacity of each of these probes to accumulate in the nucleus was measured by an autoradiographic technique. Fragments representing the C-terminal and central portions of HMG1 did not concentrate in the nucleus; a fragment which consisted of the N-terminal two-thirds of the molecule and which lacked the 41 consecutive aspartate and glutamate residues located near the C-terminal end of the molecule accumulated to about the same extent as intact HMG1. When the amino groups of HMG1 were chemically modified, there was a progressive loss in the ability of the protein to accumulate in the nucleus; derivatization of one-fourth of the total amino groups reduced the concentration of microinjected protein in the nucleus relative to that in the cytoplasm to one-half of the original value. In contrast, modification of one-fourth of the total carboxyl groups did not significantly affect the capacity of HMG1 to accumulate in the nucleus, although further modification resulted in decreased nuclear accumulation. Iodination of tyrosine residues was without effect and modification of the cysteine residues had only a modest effect on the ability of HMG1 to concentrate in the nucleus.

Amino Acids↗

Concentrations of high-mobility-group proteins in the nucleus and cytoplasm of several rat tissues.

Nuclear and cytoplasmic fractions were isolated from various tissues of the rat by a nonaqueous technique. The high-mobility-group (HMG) proteins were extracted from these fractions with acid and separated by one- and two-dimensional PAGE. The concentrations of high-mobility-group proteins HMG1, HMG2, and HMG17 in the nucleus and cytoplasm were then estimated from the staining intensities of the electrophoretic bands. The cytoplasmic concentrations of these proteins were very low--usually less than 1/30 of those present in the corresponding nuclear fractions. For the tissues studied (liver, kidney, heart, and lung), the concentrations of HMG proteins in the nucleus did not differ significantly from one tissue to another. Averaged over the four tissues investigated, there were 0.28 molecule of HMG1, 0.18 molecule of HMG2, and 0.46 molecule of HMG17 per nucleosome. These values are considerably higher than those that have been reported previously.

Animals↗

Solubilization of nonhistone chromosomal proteins by carboxymethyldextran for chromatography.

Chromosomal proteins extracted from calf thymus by 0.35 M NaCl were insoluble at the low salt concentration needed initially for ion-exchange chromatography. However, the addition of high-affinity carboxymethyl-dextran rendered the precipitated proteins soluble, permitting them to be fractionated by elution from DEAE-Sephacel. In this way, the separation of HMG-1 from HMG-2 was achieved, as well as a partial fractionation of the low mobility group proteins, under conditions that did not disturb the native conformation of the proteins.

Animals↗

Conjugation of ubiquitin to denatured hemoglobin is proportional to the rate of hemoglobin degradation in HeLa cells.

Ubiquitin was radioiodinated and introduced into HeLa cells by the erythrocyte-mediated fusion procedure. Fractionation of injected HeLa cells and subsequent NaDodSO4/polyacrylamide gel electrophoresis showed that HeLa nuclei contained two major labeled proteins: ubiquitin and the histone H2A-ubiquitin conjugate, protein A24. HeLa cytosol contained ubiquitin and a series of ubiquitin-protein conjugates of diverse molecular weights. When injected HeLa cells were treated with phenylhydrazine to denature the cotransferred hemoglobin, a series of prominent ubiquitin-globin conjugates appeared. The identity of these conjugates was established by microinjection experiments in which both proteins were labeled. At low doses of phenylhydrazine, the intracellular concentration of globin-ubiquitin conjugates was proportional to the rate of hemoglobin degradation. This result, together with the observation that ubiquitin conjugation to globin is markedly enhanced by phenylhydrazine-induced denaturation of hemoglobin, provides support for the hypothesis that the covalent attachment of ubiquitin to proteins signals proteolysis.

Animals↗

Comparative studies on microinjected high-mobility-group chromosomal proteins, HMG1 and HMG2.

The nonhistone chromosomal proteins, HMG1 and HMG2, were iodinated and introduced into HeLa cells, bovine fibroblasts, or mouse 3T3 cells by erythrocyte-mediated microinjection. Autoradiographic analysis of injected cells fixed with glutaraldehyde consistently showed both molecules concentrated within nuclei. Fixation with methanol, on the other hand, resulted in some leakage of the microinjected proteins from the nuclei so that more autoradiographic grains appeared over the cytoplasm or outside the cells. Both injected and endogenous HMG1 and HMG2 partitioned unexpectedly upon fractionation of bovine fibroblasts, HeLa, or 3T3 cells, appearing in the cytoplasmic fractions. However, in calf thymus, HMG1 and HMG2 molecules appeared in the 0.35 M NaCl extract of isolated nuclei, as expected. These observations show that the binding of HMG1 and HMG2 to chromatin differs among cell types or that other tissue-specific components can influence their binding. Coinjection of [125I]HMG1 and [131I]HMG2 into HeLa cells revealed that the two molecules display virtually equivalent distributions upon cell fractionation, identical stability, identical intracellular distributions, and equal rates of equilibration between nuclei. In addition, HMG1 and HMG2 did not differ in their partitioning upon fractionation nor in their stability in growing vs. nongrowing 3T3 cells. Thus, we have not detected any significant differences in the intracellular behavior of HMG1 and HMG2 after microinjection into human, bovine, or murine cells.

Animals↗

Binding of the high mobility group protein, H6, to trout testis chromatin.

When 125I-labeled H6 was incubated with trout testis nuclei under conditions of pH and ionic strength approximating those in vivo, the radioactivity bound nearly quantitatively to the chromatin. Under comparable conditions, most non-nuclear proteins do not bind. Binding was neither tissue- nor species-specific, and HMG-17, a mammalian homolog of H6, behaved similarly to H6. The labeled and the endogenous H6 molecules were equivalent by several criteria: 1) Both were released nearly quantitatively upon treatment of the chromatin with DNase I, whereas neither was released by digestion with micrococcal nuclease, suggesting that the labeled molecules, like those of endogenous H6, were bound primarily to the core particles in transcriptionally competent portions of the genome. 2) Salt extraction curves were similar for both the labeled and unlabeled proteins, although about 15% of the labeled molecules were bound to the chromatin more loosely than those of the endogenous H6. Taken together, these results suggest that chromatin contains specific, well defined sites to which H6 binds. Upon increasing the concentration of H6 in the incubation mixture, progressively greater numbers of low affinity, presumably nonspecific binding sites become occupied. This observation has important implications for studies in which nucleases are employed to probe chromatin structure, since they suggest that H6 molecules released from specific, high affinity sites by the action of the nuclease might rebind more loosely to other regions of the chromatin.

Animals↗

The release of high mobility group protein H6 and protamine gene sequences upon selective DNase I degradation of trout testis chromatin.

Limited digestion of trout testis nuclei with DNase I selectively degrades the protamine genes. Concomitant with the degradation of transcribed DNA sequences a series of chromosomal proteins are released; among these, the major species corresponds to the high mobility group protein H6. The amounts of H6 released from chromatin by limited DNase I action and that in the residual nuclear pellet have been determined. A very high proportion of H6 is associated with DNase I sensitive chromatin regions.

Animals↗

Distribution of high mobility group proteins among domains of trout testis chromatin differing in their susceptibility to micrococcal nuclease.

Trout testis nuclei were treated with micrococcal nuclease, an enzyme which is known to digest preferentially the linker regions in transcriptionally competent portions of the chromatin. The digested nuclei were fractionated by two different methods, and the distribution of histones and high mobility group proteins among the various fractions was quantitated. The results obtained indicate that the linker regions of transcriptionally active nucleosomes are depleted in H1 and enriched in HMG (high mobility group)-T and ubiquitin. The core particles in transcribed regions of the chromatin are depleted in unacetylated H4 and enriched in the highly acetylated forms of H4 and also in the small basic non-histone, H6. Our results also suggest that one-fourth of the total H6 and one-half of the total HMG-T of chromatin are present in a different domain probably comprising nontranscribed regions.

Animals↗

Synthesis of high mobility group proteins in regenerating rat liver.

Incorporation of [3H]lysine into the non-histone chromosomal proteins HMG1, HMG2, and HMG17 and into each of the five major classes of histones was measured in rat liver at various times after partial hepatectomy. Histone synthesis was closely coupled temporally to that of DNA, although a small amount of histone was shown to be produced before DNA replication began. In contrast, the incorporation curves for the high mobility group (HMG) proteins showed little correlation with that for DNA. At 4 h after partial hepatectomy, protein synthesis had virtually ceased. Thereafter, the rates of synthesis of the HMG proteins rose steadily so that by 12 h, well before the onset of DNA replication they had reached about two-thirds of the maximum rates attained during the first cell division cycle. Histones had only reached about one-sixth of their maximum rates at this time. The lack of coupling betweeen the synthesis of the HMG proteins and DNA was confirmed by experiments with inhibitors of DNA replication. Reduction of DNA synthesis to less than 10% of the uninhibited rate had little or no effect on incorporation into the HMG proteins, whereas, under similar conditions, the rate of synthesis of histones was reduced by more than 50%.

Animals↗

Peptidyl-puromycin synthesis by free and membrane-bound ribosomes.

The peptidyl transferase reaction, as measured by the formation of peptidyl-puromycin, was compared for free ribosomes and ribosomes bound to two types of membrane, the endoplasmic reticulum and the outer nuclear membrane. In most respects the reaction catalyzed by the three types of ribosome was similar, demonstrating that interaction of the 60 S ribosomal subunit with the membrane has little effect on the functioning of peptidyl transferase, a 60 S protein. However, both the rate and extent of synthesis of peptidyl puromycin were lower for ribosomes bound to the nuclear membrane than for free or microsome-bound ribosomes. This difference appears to be a direct consequence of the ribosome-membrane interaction, since ribosomes stripped from the nuclear membrane could not be distinguished from the other classes of ribosome.

Acyltransferases↗

Microinjection of the nonhistone chromosomal protein HMG1 into bovine fibroblasts and HeLa cells.

The nonhistone chromosomal protein HMG1 associated rapidly with the nuclei of HeLa cells and bovine fibroblasts following its introduction into the cytoplasm by red cell-mediated microinjection. A number of non-nuclear proteins, on the other hand, failed to concentrate in HeLa or bovine fibroblast nuclei. Autoradiography of thin sections showed that 125I-labeled HMG1 localized within nuclei, and further established that it remained associated with metaphase chromosomes at mitosis. When uninjected HeLa cells were fused with 125I-HMG1-injected HeLa cells, the labeled molecules equilibrated between nuclei within 12 hr. Similar results were obtained with bovine fibroblasts, indicating that a dynamic equilibrium exists between HMG1 and chromatin within living cells. Electrophoresis of 125I-HMG1 retrieved from HeLa cells or bovine fibroblasts up to 48 hr after injection showed that more than 80% of the molecules were intact. Autoradiographic analysis of cells fixed over a period of several days after injection produced apparent half-lives for 125I-HMG1 of 80 hr in HeLa cells and 100 hr in bovine fibroblasts.

Cell Fusion↗

Adenosine triphosphate: nicotinamide mononucleotide adenylyltransferase of pig liver. Purification and properties.

Adenosine triphosphate : nicotinamide mononucleotide adenylyltransferase (EC 2.7.7.1) has been purifiec approximately 3500-fold from an extract of pig liver nuclei to a specific activity of 40 mumol of NAD+ per min per mg protein. The enzyme was found to have a molecular weight of 203 000, a frictional ratio of 1.6 and an isoelectric point of approximately 5. Michaelis constants for ATP and NMN were 0.11 mM and 0.12 mM, respectively.

Adenosine Triphosphate↗