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Biomedical subjects

T C Vanaman

Publications and source records attributed to T C Vanaman.

At least 19 recordsLinked to original sources

The effects of calcium site occupancy and reagent length on reactivity of calmodulin lysyl residues with heterobifunctional aryl azides. Mapping interaction domains with specific calmodulin photoprobe derivatives.

The relationship of structural and functional moieties on calmodulin is important in all venues of cell activity. In this study, we investigate the effect of lysine modification on calmodulin function. Azidosalicylate reagents containing different "linker arm" lengths, between the photoactive terminus and an amine-reactive N-hydroxysuccinimidyl ester moiety were used to modify calmodulin lysines at three different positions in a calcium-dependent manner. The short cross-linker, (ASNE-2 (where ASNE represents azidosalicylate N-hydroxysuccinimidyl ester), modifies Lys-75, whereas the longer reagent, ASNE-6, modifies lysines 21, 75, and 94. The modification of these different lysines is shown to be calcium-dependent. At 1-100 microM levels of calcium, only Lys-94 is modified, suggesting that modification of this residue is directed by both the binding of calcium to calcium-binding loops III and IV and the hydrophobic pocket exposed between these two loops as a result of calcium binding. At higher calcium concentrations (> 200 microM), where sites I and II become filled, modification of Lys-21 or Lys-75 also was observed. All the modified calmodulins were able to stimulate 3',5'-cyclic-nucleotide phosphodiesterase fully although the Kact for the Lys-75 and Lys-21 derivatives increased 10- and 50-fold, respectively. None of the modifications affected the activation of erythrocyte plasma membrane Ca(2+)-ATPase. Only the ASNE-6 Lys-75 derivative showed efficient (40%) photocross-linking to the Ca(2+)-ATPase. The ASNE-2 Lys-75 derivative as well as the ASNE-6 Lys-21 and Lys-94 derivatives did not show efficient calcium-dependent photocross-linking to this enzyme.

3',5'-Cyclic-AMP Phosphodiesterases

Analysis of the tissue-specific distribution of mRNAs encoding the plasma membrane calcium-pumping ATPases and characterization of an alternately spliced form of PMCA4 at the cDNA and genomic levels.

The plasma membrane Ca(2+)-pumping ATPase (Ca(2+)-ATPase) mRNAs are encoded on four different genes designated PMCA1-PMCA4. The primary transcripts from some of these genes are known to be alternately spliced in the region encoding the regulatory domains of the enzymes. The known alternately spliced forms of these Ca(2+)-ATPase mRNAs and a new spliced variant of PMCA4 (PMCA4b), presented here, represent at least nine different mRNAs encoding the Ca(2+)-ATPases. In this report, the examination of the tissue-specific distribution of these alternately spliced mRNAs using polymerase chain reaction amplification of cDNA coupled with Southern blotting revealed that each spliced variant had a unique tissue distribution. PMCA1b and PMCA4a were present in all tissues examined. PMCA1a, PMCA1b, and PMCA4b were expressed in excitable tissues, whereas PMCA1d was expressed only in muscle tissues. PMCA2 was found in liver, adrenal gland, spinal cord, and brain. PMCA3a was present in spinal cord, and PMCA3b in thymus, adrenal gland, spinal cord, and brain. The mRNA for a new spliced variant of PMCA4 (PMCA4b) was detected in this study. Complementary DNAs for this isoform were isolated and characterized from human and bovine brain. This alternately spliced form of the PMCA4 mRNA contained an exon inserted at the splice junction immediately following the sequence encoding the calmodulin-binding domain. As has also been shown for PMCA1a, this insertion produced a shift in the reading frame at the 3'-end of the PMCA4 mRNA that yielded a sequence encoding a Ca(2+)-ATPase lacking a large portion of the C-terminal regulatory domain. When the human PMCA4 gene spanning this region of variable exon splicing was sequenced, it confirmed the intron-exon boundaries where alternate splicing occurs to produce PMCA4a and PMCA4b.

Amino Acid Sequence

In vitro enzyme activation with calbindin-D28k, the vitamin D-dependent 28 kDa calcium binding protein.

Purified porcine erythrocyte membrane Ca(2+)-ATPase and 3':5'-cyclic nucleotide phosphodiesterase were stimulated in a dose-dependent, saturable manner with the vitamin D-dependent calcium binding protein from rat kidney, calbindin-D28k (CaBP-D28k). The concentration of CaBP-D28k required for half-maximal activation (K0.5 act.) of the Ca(2+)-ATPase was 28 nM compared to 2.2 nM for calmodulin (CaM), with maximal activation equivalent upon addition of either excess CaM or CaBP-D28k. 3':5'-Cyclic nucleotide phosphodiesterase (PDE) also showed equivalent maximum saturable activation by calbindin (K0.5 act. = 90 nM) or calmodulin (K0.5 act. = 1.2 nM). CaBP-D28k was shown to effectively compete with CaM-Sepharose for PDE binding. Immunoprecipitation with CaBP-D28k antiserum completely inhibited calbindin-mediated activation of PDE but had no effect on calmodulin's ability to activate PDE. While the physiological significance of these results remains to be established, they do suggest that CaBP-D28k can activate enzymes and may be a regulator of yet to be identified target enzymes in certain tissues.

3',5'-Cyclic-AMP Phosphodiesterases

A phosphatase resistant substrate for the assay of protein kinase C in crude tissue extracts.

Protein kinase C (PKC) is routinely assayed, after it is partially purified over DEAE-cellulose chromatography to eliminate any interfering protein kinases and phosphatases, by measuring the transfer of gamma-phosphate of [gamma-32P]ATP to H1 histone. Recently, it has been shown that a synthetic peptide, comprising residues 4-14 of myelin basic protein (MBP4-14), is a very selective PKC substrate which is not phosphorylated effectively by cyclic AMP-dependent protein kinase, casein kinase I and II, Ca2+/calmodulin dependent protein kinase II or phosphorylase kinase [Yasuda, I., Kishimoto, A., Tanaka, S-I., Tominaga, M., Sakurai, A. and Nishizuka, Y. (1990) BBRC 166, 1220-1227]. We report here that once MBP4-14 is phosphorylated, it is not dephosphorylated by okadaic acid-sensitive phosphatases (protein phosphatases 1, 2A and 3) or other protein phosphatases such as calcineurin and/or PP 2C present in hippocampal homogenates. Therefore, MBP4-14 can be used for PKC assay in crude extracts of neural tissue.

Adenosine Triphosphate

Spin labeling studies of wheat germ calmodulin in solution.

Electron paramagnetic resonance was used to investigate the physical state of plant calmodulin in solution. Wheat germ calmodulin contains a single cysteine residue (Cys-27) on the first of four calcium binding loops. In this study the nitroxide spin label 2,2,6,6-tetramethyl-4-maleimidopiperidine-1-oxyl (MAL-6) was covalently attached to Cys-27 to produce a Ca(2+)-sensitive, biologically-active, labeled protein. The rotational correlation time of the spin label, a measure of its rotational mobility and reflective of the physical state of this region of the protein, was calculated under various conditions. Relative to control, changes in the physical state of the protein reflected by increased motion of the spin label were observed at high pH, low ionic strength and upon addition of Ca2+. These results extend knowledge of the structure of the protein, previously known from solid state and biochemical studies, to calmodulin in solution.

Calmodulin

Presence of calmodulin in Tetrahymena.

Ca-dependent affinity chromatography on phenothiazine-Sepharose 4B has been used to isolate a pure protein from the ciliate Tetrahymena pyriformis. This protein has been identified as calmodulin by demonstrating three of the Ca-dependent activities attributed to calmodulins. Tetrahymena calmodulin also has physicochemical properties similar to those of the previously characterized mammalian, coelenterate, and plant proteins, except for a lower molecular weight (15,000) and slightly different CNBr fragments compared to bovine brain calmodulin. Calmodulin is a constituent of demembranated Tetrahymena cilia from which it can be extracted with the crude dynein fraction. Sucrose density gradient fractionation indicated its presence in fractions containing the 14S dynein ATPase. It is concluded that the essential properties of calmodulin have been highly conserved during much of eukaryotic evolution, and it is suggested that calmodulin plays a role in the control of ciliary motility in Tetrahymena.

Amino Acids

Amino acid sequence of the small core protein from bacteriophage phiX174.

The amino acid sequence of small core protein of bacteriophage phiX174 has been determined by a combination of automated Edman degradation of the intact polypeptide and by analysis of tryptic and thermolytic peptides. The six lysyl and six arginyl residues of this 37-residue polypeptide are concentrated in two structurally homologous 12-residue segments of the sequence. The hydrophobic residues of valine, tryptophan, tyrosine, and phenylalanine are contained in the carboxyl-terminal nine residues of the protein, together with one of the two leucyl residues and two of the three glutaminyl residues. The single free carboxyl group in the protein is the alpha-COOH of the C-terminal phenylalanyl residue. The overall sequence of this small core protein suggests that it may function as a DNA-condensing protein. The protein sequence presented here corresponds exactly to the DNA base sequence of the cistron J region of the phiX174 genome determined in another laboratory.

Amino Acid Sequence

Structural similarities between the Ca2+-dependent regulatory proteins of 3':5'-cyclic nucleotide phosphodiesterase and actomyosin ATPase.

Results of studies of the Ca2+-dependent protein modulator of 3':5'-cyclic nucleotide phosphodiesterase isolated from bovine brain are presented which show its structural similarity to the Ca2+-binding subunit of muscle troponin. Both proteins have blocked NH2 termini, similar and characteristic ultraviolet absorption spectra, similar Ca2+-binding properties, very similar amino acid compositions, and co-migrate on sodium dodecyl sulfate-polyacrylamide gels. The primary structures of selected tryptic peptides isolated from bovine brain modulator protein are similar or identical with regions of the primary sequences of rabbit skeletal muscle and bovine cardiac muscle troponin C. Bovine brain modulator protein contains and unidentified ninhydrin-positive basic compound not found in muscle troponin C. An improved procedure is presented which yields 40 to 70 mg of modulator protein per kg of bovine brain.

3',5'-Cyclic-AMP Phosphodiesterases

Calcium-dependent regulatory protein of cyclic nucleotide metabolism in normal and transformed chicken embryo fibroblasts.

The concentration of a calcium-binding protein modulator of 3':5'-cyclic-nucleotide phosphodiesterase (EC 3.1.4.17; 3':5'-cyclic-nucleotide 5'-nucleotidohydrolase) activity is increased in chicken embryo fibroblasts upon transformation by Rous sarcoma virus. This modulator protein from fibroblasts, which has roughly the same molecular size, charge, and functional properties as that isolated from chicken brain, comprises approximately 1.32% of the soluble protein in homogenates of fibroblasts infected and transformed by Rous sarcoma virus. In comparison, the modulator comprises approximately 0.30% of the soluble protein in homogenates of normal fibroblasts from confluent cultures and 0.36% of the soluble protein in homogenates of fibroblasts infected with a transformation-defective mutant of Rous sarcoma virus. Modulator levels in normal fibroblasts at subconfluent cell densities are 0.42-0.76% of the homogenate soluble protein, i.e., between that found in confluent normal fibroblasts and in fibroblasts transformed by Rous sarcoma virus. These observations suggest that the levels of the modulator protein are elevated under conditions in which chicken embryo fibroblasts are undergoing rapid growth and have decreased adenosine 3':5'-cyclic monophosphate levels.

3',5'-Cyclic-AMP Phosphodiesterases