Biomedical subjects

M A Parry

Publications and source records attributed to M A Parry.

At least 19 recordsLinked to original sources

PubMed2001

Efficacy of a growth hormone-releasing peptide mimetic in cardiac ischemia/reperfusion injury.

The cardioprotective efficacy of the pyrazolinone-piperidine dipeptide growth hormone secretagogue (GHS) CP-424,391 was studied in an in vivo rabbit model of ischemia and reperfusion. CP-424,391 was administered at 25 mg/kg p.o. x 7 days. Ischemia was induced by left coronary artery occlusion for 30 min, after which the heart was reperfused for 2 h. At the end of reperfusion, animals were euthanized and the infarct size was determined. The area at risk of infarct was not different between the control (45.8+/-3.7%, n=6) and CP-424,391-treated groups (36.9+/-4.3%, n=11). The infarct size of the control animals was 49.5+/-7.1% and was significantly (P<0.05) lower in the CP-424,391-treated group (infarct size=17.3+/-3.0). There was a trend, albeit not significant, for the left ventricular function to recover to a greater extent in CP-424,391-treated rabbits. Thus, the treatment of rabbits for 7 days with CP-424,391 was cardioprotective against ischemia/reperfusion injury.

Animals↗

PubMed2001

Mini-plasmin found in the epithelial cells of bronchioles triggers infection by broad-spectrum influenza A viruses and Sendai virus.

Extracellular cleavage of virus envelope fusion glycoproteins by host cellular proteases is a prerequisite for the infectivity of mammalian and nonpathogenic avian influenza viruses, and Sendai virus. Here we report a protease present in the airway that, like tryptase Clara, can process influenza A virus haemagglutinin and Sendai virus envelope fusion glycoprotein. This protease was extracted from the membrane fraction of rat lungs, purified and then identified as a mini-plasmin. Mini-plasmin was distributed predominantly in the epithelial cells of the upward divisions of bronchioles and potentiated the replication of broad-spectrum influenza A viruses and Sendai virus, even that of the plasmin-insensitive influenza A virus strain. In comparison with plasmin, its increased hydrophobicity, leading to its higher local concentrations on membranes, and decreased molecular mass may enable mini-plasmin to gain ready access to the cleavage sites of various haemagglutinins and fusion glycoproteins after expression of these viral proteins on the cell surface. These findings suggest that mini-plasmin in the airway may play a pivotal role in the spread of viruses and their pathogenicity.

Amino Acid Sequence↗

PubMed2001

Age-dependent transformation frequency in elite wheat varieties.

Wheat is a major world crop and as such is a primary target for improvement of agronomic characteristics via genetic engineering. Optimization of transformation is essential in order to overcome the relatively low transformation frequencies encountered with wheat. Transformation of elite wheat varieties is not always successful due to variability in regeneration and transformation frequencies between varieties. In this work, two elite wheat varieties with a relatively high embryogenic capacity were transformed by particle bombardment. A strong correlation between transformation frequency and the age of wheat donor plants was observed in both varieties. The mean transformation frequency rose from 0.7% to 5% when using immature embryos from old and young donor plants, respectively. This was observed in both varieties, the best bombardments achieving up to 7.3% frequency. Using explants at an optimal developmental stage from donor plants grown under environmentally-controlled conditions has improved the reproducibility of transformation efficiency of elite wheat varieties and leads to the production of apparently phenotypically normal, fertile, transgenic plants.

Base Sequence↗

PubMed2000

The contribution of residues 192 and 193 to the specificity of snake venom serine proteinases.

Snake venom serine proteinases, which belong to the subfamily of trypsin-like serine proteinases, exhibit a high degree of sequence identity (60-66%). Their stringent macromolecular substrate specificity contrasts with that of the less specific enzyme trypsin. One of them, the plasminogen activator from Trimeresurus stejnegeri venom (TSV-PA), which shares 63% sequence identity with batroxobin, a fibrinogen clotting enzyme from Bothrops atrox venom, specifically activates plasminogen to plasmin like tissue-type plasminogen activator (t-PA), even though it exhibits only 23% sequence identity with t-PA. This study shows that TSV-PA, t-PA, and batroxobin are quite different in their specificity toward small chromogenic substrates, TSV-PA being less selective than t-PA, and batroxobin not being efficient at all. The specificity of TSV-PA, with respect to t-PA and batroxobin, was investigated further by site-directed mutagenesis in the 189-195 segment, which forms the basement of the S(1) pocket of TSV-PA and presents a His at position 192 and a unique Phe at position 193. This study demonstrates that Phe(193) plays a more significant role than His(192) in determining substrate specificity and inhibition resistance. Interestingly, the TSV-PA variant F193G possesses a 8-9-fold increased activity for plasminogen and becomes sensitive to bovine pancreatic trypsin inhibitor.

Amino Acid Sequence↗

PubMed2000

Molecular mechanisms of plasminogen activation: bacterial cofactors provide clues.

Plasminogen activation is a key event in the fibrinolytic system that results in the dissolution of blood clots, and also promotes cell migration and tissue remodelling. The recent structure determinations of microplasmin in complex with the bacterial plasminogen activators staphylokinase and streptokinase have provided novel insights into the molecular mechanisms of plasminogen activation and cofactor function. These bacterial proteins are cofactor molecules that contribute to exosite formation and enhance the substrate presentation to the enzyme. At the same time, they modulate the specificity of plasmin towards substrates and inhibitors, making a 'specificity switch' possible.

Amino Acid Sequence↗

PubMed2000

Intron-mediated gusA expression in tritordeum and wheat resulting from particle bombardment.

The promoterless maize ubiquitin first exon and intron fragment can drive gusA expression in immature tritordeum inflorescences and immature wheat scutella. In fluorescence assays, this fragment induces gusA expression in tritordeum inflorescences to 50 times higher than background. The activity of the complete promoter, exon and intron cassette was up to 20000-fold higher than background but the maize ubiquitin promoter in isolation had very low activity. A construct with the maize alcohol dehydrogenase first exon and intron had low activity, visible in histochemical assays. Both intron sequences have promoter-like features and in the ubiquitin intron there is a sequence homologous to the opaque-2-binding box. We suggest that the combination of these elements may explain the promoter activity detected in these introns.

Alcohol Dehydrogenase↗

PubMed2000

Is there scope for improving balance between RuBP-regeneration and carboxylation capacities in wheat at elevated CO2?

Carboxylation and RuBP-regeneration capacities, which determine light-saturated photosynthetic rate, were analysed in leaves of spring wheat (Triticum aestivum L. cv. Minaret) grown under different atmospheric CO2 partial pressure (pCa) and N supply regimes. Capacities were estimated from a large number of gas exchange, Rubisco and ATP-synthase content measurements, and from these, the pCa at which the two capacities are equal was derived, to allow direct comparison with growth pCa. Acclimation of the balance between the two capacities to growth at elevated pCa in wheat was only partial and appears to occur mostly in older flag leaves and at low N. However, in contrast to conclusions drawn from previous analyses of these data, there was evidence of a specific effect of growth at 70 Pa pCa, where carboxylation capacity is reduced more than RuBP-regeneration capacity for a given leaf N content. A model was used to estimate the effects of fluctuations in PPFD and temperature in the growth environment on the optimal balance between these capacities. This showed that the observed balance between carboxylation and RuBP-regeneration capacities in young wheat leaves could be consistent with adaptation to the current, or even the preindustrial pCa.

Adenosine Triphosphate↗

PubMed1999

Structure of the complex of the antistasin-type inhibitor bdellastasin with trypsin and modelling of the bdellastasin-microplasmin system.

The serine proteinase plasmin is, together with tissue-type plasminogen activator (tPA) and urokinase-type plasminogen activator (uPA), involved in the dissolution of blood clots in a fibrin-dependent manner. Moreover, plasmin plays a key role in a variety of other activation cascades such as the activation of metalloproteinases, and has also been implicated in wound healing, pathogen invasion, cancer invasion and metastasis. The leech-derived (Hirudo medicinalis) antistasin-type inhibitor bdellastasin represents a specific inhibitor of trypsin and plasmin and thus offers a unique opportunity to evaluate the concept of plasmin inhibition. The complexes formed between bdellastasin and bovine as well as porcine beta-trypsin have been crystallised in a monoclinic and a tetragonal crystal form, containing six molecules and one molecule per asymmetric unit, respectively. Both structures have been solved and refined to 3.3 A and 2.8 A resolution. Bdellastasin turns out to have an antistasin-like fold exhibiting a bis-domainal structure like the tissue kallikrein inhibitor hirustasin. The interaction between bdellastasin and trypsin is restricted to the C-terminal subdomain of bdellastasin, particularly to its primary binding loop, comprising residues Asp30-Glu38. The reactive site of bdellastasin differs from other antistasin-type inhibitors of trypsin-like proteinases, exhibiting a lysine residue instead of an arginine residue at P1. A model of the bdellastasin-microplasmin complex has been created based on the X-ray structures. Our modelling studies indicate that both trypsin and microplasmin recognise bdellastasin by interactions which are characteristic for canonically binding proteinase inhibitors. On the basis of our three-dimensional structures, and in comparison with the tissue-kallikrein-bound and free hirustasin and the antistasin structures, we postulate that the binding of the inhibitors toward trypsin and plasmin is accompanied by a switch of the primary binding loop segment P5-P3. Moreover, in the factor Xa inhibitor antistasin, the core of the molecule would prevent an equivalent rotation of the P3 residue, making exosite interactions of antistasin with factor Xa imperative. Furthermore, Arg32 of antistasin would clash with Arg175 of plasmin, thus impairing a favourable antistasin-plasmin interaction and explaining its specificity.

Amino Acid Sequence↗

PubMed1999

Generation of catalytically active granzyme K from Escherichia coli inclusion bodies and identification of efficient granzyme K inhibitors in human plasma.

Granzymes are granule-stored lymphocyte serine proteases that are implicated in T- and natural killer cell-mediated cytotoxic defense reactions after target cell recognition. A fifth human granzyme (granzyme 3, lymphocyte tryptase-2), renamed as granzyme K (gene name GZMK), has recently been cloned from lymphocyte tissue. For its further characterization we successfully generated catalytically active enzyme in milligram quantities per liter of Escherichia coli culture. The natural proform of granzyme K with the amino-terminal propeptide Met-Glu was expressed as inclusion bodies and converted to its active enzyme by cathepsin C after refolding of precursor molecules. Recombinant granzyme K cleaves synthetic thiobenzyl ester substrates after Lys and Arg with k(cat)/K(m) values of 3.7 x 10(4) and 4.4 x 10(4) M(-1) s(-1), respectively. Granzyme K activity was shown to be inhibited by the synthetic compounds Phe-Pro-Arg-chloromethyl ketone, phenylmethylsulfonyl fluoride, PefablocSC, and benzamidine, by the Kunitz-type inhibitor aprotinin and by human blood plasma. The plasma-derived inter-alpha-trypsin inhibitor complex, its bikunin subunit, and the second carboxyl-terminal Kunitz-type domain of bikunin were identified as genuine physiologic inhibitors with K(i) values of 64, 50, and 22 nM, respectively. Inter-alpha-trypsin inhibitor and free bikunin have the potential to neutralize extracellular granzyme K activity after T cell degranulation and may thus control unspecific damage of bystander cells at sites of inflammatory reactions.

Alpha-Globulins↗

PubMed1999

The localisation of 2-carboxy-D-arabinitol 1-phosphate and inhibition of Rubisco in leaves of Phaseolus vulgaris L.

A recent controversial report suggests that the nocturnal inhibitor of Rubisco, 2-carboxy-D-arabinitol 1-phosphate (CAIP), does not bind to Rubisco in vivo and therefore that CA1P has no physiological relevance to photosynthetic regulation. It is now proved that a direct rapid assay can be used to distinguish between Rubisco-bound and free CA1P, as postulated in the controversial report. Application of this direct assay demonstrates that CA1P is bound to Rubisco in vivo in dark-adapted leaves. Furthermore, CA1P is shown to be in the chloroplasts of mesophyll cells. Thus, CA1P does play a physiological role in the regulation of Rubisco.

Binding Sites↗

PubMed1999

2'-carboxy-D-arabitinol 1-phosphate protects ribulose 1, 5-bisphosphate carboxylase/oxygenase against proteolytic breakdown.

Trypsin-catalysed cleavage of purified ribulose 1,5-bisphosphate carboxylase/oxygenase (Rubisco) and the resultant irreversible loss of carboxylase activity were prevented by prior incubation with the naturally occurring nocturnal Rubisco inhibitor 2'-carboxy-D-arabitinol 1-phosphate (CA1P), as well as with ribulose 1,5-bisphosphate (RuBP), Mg2+ and CO2. CA1P also protected Rubisco from loss of activity caused by carboxypeptidase A. When similar experiments were carried out using soluble chloroplast proteases, CA1P was again able to protect Rubisco against proteolytic degradation and the consequent irreversible loss of catalytic activity. Thus, CA1P prevents the proteolytic breakdown of Rubisco by endogenous and exogenous proteases. In this way, CA1P may affect the amounts of Rubisco protein available for photosynthetic CO2 assimilation. Rubisco turnover (in the presence of RuBP, Mg2+ and CO2) may confer similar protection against proteases in the light.

Carboxypeptidases↗

PubMed1998

Effect of mutation of lysine-128 of the large subunit of ribulose bisphosphate carboxylase/oxygenase from Anacystis nidulans.

The contribution of lysine-128 within the active site of Anacystis nidulans d-ribulose 1,5-bisphosphate carboxylase/oxygenase (Rubisco; EC 4.1.1.39) was investigated by the characterization of mutants in which lysine-128 was replaced with arginine, glycine, glutamine, histidine or aspartic acid. Mutated genes encoding the Rubisco large subunit were expressed in Escherichia coli and the resultant polypeptides assembled into active complexes. All of the mutant enzymes had a lower affinity for ribulose 1,5-bisphosphate (RuBP) and lower rates of carboxylation. Substitution of lysine-128 with glutamine, histidine or aspartic acid decreased the specificity factor and led to the production of an additional monophosphate reaction product. We show that this product results from the loss of the phosphate from C-1 of RuBP, most probably by beta-elimination from the 2,3-enediolate derivative of RuBP. The results confirm that lysine-128 is important in determining the position of the essential epsilon-amino group of lysine-334 within the active site and in loop dynamics. This further demonstrates that residues remote from the active site can be manipulated to modify catalytic function.

Catalytic Domain↗

PubMed1998

The crystal structure of the novel snake venom plasminogen activator TSV-PA: a prototype structure for snake venom serine proteinases.

BACKGROUND: Trimeresurus stejnejeri venom plasminogen activator (TSV-PA) is a snake venom serine proteinase that specifically activates plasminogen. Snake venom serine proteinases form a subfamily of trypsin-like proteinases that are characterised by a high substrate specificity and resistance to inhibition. Many of these venom enzymes specifically interfere with haemostatic mechanisms and display a long circulating half-life. For these reasons several of them have commercial applications and are potentially attractive pharmacological tools. RESULTS: The crystal structure of TSV-PA has been determined to 2.5 A resolution and refined to an R factor of 17.8 (R free, 24.4). The enzyme, showing the overall polypeptide fold of trypsin-like serine proteinases, displays unique structural elements such as the presence of a phenylalanine at position 193, a C-terminal tail clamped via a disulphide bridge to the 99-loop, and a structurally conserved Asp97 residue. The presence of a cis proline at position 218 is in agreement with evolutionary relationships to glandular kallikrein. CONCLUSIONS: We postulate that Phe 193 accounts for the high substrate specificity of TSV-PA and renders it incapable of forming a stable complex with bovine pancreatic trypsin inhibitor and other extended substrates and inhibitors. Mutational studies previously showed that Asp97 is crucial for the plasminogenolytic activity of TSV-PA, here we identify the conservation of Asp97 in both types of mammalian plasminogen activator - tissue-type (tPA) and urokinase-type (uPA). It seems likely that Asp97 of tPA and uPA will have a similar role in plasminogen recognition. The C-terminal extension of TSV-PA is conserved among snake venom serine proteinases, although its function is unknown. The three-dimensional structure presented here is the first of a snake venom serine proteinase and provides an excellent template for modelling other homologous family members.

Amino Acid Chloromethyl Ketones↗

PubMed1998

Effect of mutations of residue 340 in the large subunit polypeptide of Rubisco from Anacystis nidulans.

Residues 338-342 at the C-terminal end of loop 6 in the large subunit beta/alpha barrel structure of Rubisco influence specificity towards CO2 and O2. In Anacystis nidulans Rubisco, replacement of alanine 340 by tyrosine or histidine increased the specificity factor by 12-13%, accompanied by a 25-33% fall in Vc, the rate of carboxylation, while replacement by asparagine increased the specificity factor by 9% and Vc by 19%. Other mutations did not significantly alter specificity. Alanine 340 does not interact directly with the bisphosphate substrate, thus replacing it with other residues must have indirect effects on the specificity factor and rate of carboxylation.

Bacterial Proteins↗

PubMed1998

The ternary microplasmin-staphylokinase-microplasmin complex is a proteinase-cofactor-substrate complex in action.

The serine proteinase plasmin is the key fibrinolytic enzyme that dissolves blood clots and also promotes cell migration and tissue remodeling. Here, we report the 2.65 A crystal structure of a ternary complex of microplasmin-staphylokinase bound to a second microplasmin. The staphylokinase 'cofactor' does not affect the active-site geometry of the plasmin 'enzyme', but instead modifies its subsite specificity by providing additional docking sites for enhanced presentation of the plasminogen 'substrate' to the 'enzymes's' active site. The activation loop of the plasmin 'substrate', cleaved in these crystals, can be reconstructed to show how it runs across the active site of the plasmin 'enzyme' prior to activation cleavage. This is the first experimental structure of a productive proteinase-cofactor-macromolecular substrate complex. Furthermore, it provides a template for the design of improved plasminogen activators and plasmin inhibitors with considerable therapeutical potential.

Amino Acid Sequence↗

PubMed1996

Cleavage of the thrombin receptor: identification of potential activators and inactivators.

The kinetic parameters were determined for the hydrolysis of a peptide based on the activation site of the thrombin receptor (residues 38-60) by thrombin and 12 other proteases. The kcat and Km values for the cleavage of this peptide (TR39-40) by thrombin were 107 s-1 and 1.3 microM; the kcat/Km of TR39-40 is among the highest observed for thrombin. A model is presented that reconciles the parameters for cleavage of the peptide with the concentration dependence of cellular responses to thrombin. Cleavage of TR39-40 was not specific for thrombin. The pancreatic proteases trypsin and chymotrypsin hydrolysed TR39-40 efficiently (kcat/Km > 10(6) M-1.s-1). Whereas trypsin cleaved TR39-40 at the thrombin activation site (Arg41-Ser42), chymotrypsin hydrolysed the peptide after Phe43. This chymotryptic cleavage would result in inactivation of the receptor. The efficient cleavage of TR39-40 by chymotrypsin (kcat/Km approximately 10(6) M-1.s-1) was predominantly due to a low Km value (2.8 microM). The proteases factor Xa, plasmin, plasma kallikrein, activated protein C and granzyme A also hydrolysed TR39-40 at the Arg41-Ser43 bond, but exhibited kcat/Km values that were at least 10(3)-fold lower than that observed with thrombin. Both tissue and urokinase plasminogen activators as well as granzyme B and neutrophil elastase were unable to cleave TR39-60 at appreciable rates. However, neutrophil cathepsin G hydrolysed the receptor peptide after Phe55. Like the chymotryptic cleavage, this cleavage would lead to inactivation of the receptor, but the cathepsin G reaction was markedly less efficient; the kcat/K(m) value was almost four orders of magnitude lower than that for thrombin. In addition to the above cleavage sites, a secondary site for thrombin and other arginine-specific proteases was identified at Arg46, but the cleavage at this site only occurred at very low rates and is unlikely to be significant in vivo.

Amino Acid Sequence↗

PubMed1996

Conversion of D-hamamelose into 2-carboxy-D-arabinitol and 2-carboxy-D-arabinitol 1-phosphate in leaves of Phaseolus vulgaris L.

[1-14C]Hamamelose (2-hydroxymethyl-D-ribose) was synthesized by reaction of ribulose 5-phosphate with potassium [14C]cyanide, catalytic hydrogenation of the resulting cyanohydrin, and dephosphorylation of the product. Its identity was established by a chromatographic comparison with hamamelose isolated from the bark of witch hazel (Hamamelis virginiana L.). Following vacuum infiltration of the [1-14C]hamamelose into leaf discs from Phaseolus vulgaris L., 14C-labeled 2carboxy-D-arabinitol (CA) and 2-carboxy-D-arabinitol 1-phosphate (CA1P) were formed, in the dark. Conversion of hamamelose to both CA and CA1P in the leaf discs was inhibited by dithiothreitol and sodium fluoride, although at high concentrations of these inhibitors conversion into CA was still evident when conversion into CA1P was totally inhibited. Wheat (Triticum aestivum L.) leaves converted hamamelose into CA without formation of CA1P. Leaves from P. vulgaris contained 68 nmol.g-1 fresh weight of hamamelose in the light and 35 nmol.g-1 fresh weight in the dark. A pathway for the biosynthesis of CA1P from Calvin cycle intermediates is proposed which includes the sequence: hamamelose --> CA --> CA1P.

Anions↗

PubMed1996

2-Carboxyarabinitol 1-phosphate (CA1P) formation through a phosphate exchange reaction catalysed by the CA1P phosphatase from French bean (Phaseolus vulgaris L.).

Transfer of the phosphate group of 2-carboxy-D-arabinitol 1-phosphate (CA1P) to 14C-labelled 2-carboxy-D-arabinitol (CA) was catalysed by extracts from leaves of Phaseolus vulgaris. This phosphotransferase activity co-purified with CA1P phosphatase, described previously. This activity was increased, up to 16-fold, by addition of bicarbonate ions at pH 9-10, suggesting rate enhancement by enzyme carbamylation. A V(max) of 1.5 mumol/min per mg of protein and a K(m) (for CA) of 1.8 mM were estimated for the exchange reaction, with the purified phosphatase. 2-Carboxy-D-arabinitol 1,5-bisphosphate and 2-carboxy-D-ribitol 1,5-bisphosphate, but not D-ribulose 1,5-bisphosphate, could replace CA1P as phosphate donor to [14C]CA.

Cell Extracts↗