PubMed · 12051037
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Mary Lord. 2002-05-27. Got calcium?. https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/12051037/
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The mitogen-stimulated protein kinase p70 ribosomal protein S6 kinase 1 (S6K1) is a key enzyme in the regulation of cell growth and proliferation. Activation of S6K1 requires a complex, ordered series of conformational changes and phosphorylation reactions. While the role of sequential, multi-site phosphorylation has been extensively detailed, characterization of the priming step required to initiate this cascade has remained elusive. In the present study we show for the first time that this priming process is dependent on calcium. Calcium-dependent regulation of S6K1 did not specifically target Thr-229 and Thr-389, the key regulatory phosphorylation sites; rather, calcium chelation resulted in a global inhibition of S6K1 phosphorylation. Mutation of individual phosphorylation sites in the auto-inhibitory and hydrophobic domains to acidic residues (to mimic phosphorylation) yields a kinase that remains sensitive to calcium chelation, while the combined mutations alleviate the requirement for calcium. Furthermore, deletion of the C-terminal residues (398-502) also renders the kinase insensitive to calcium. We hypothesize that the initial calcium-dependent process is required to release an inhibitory interaction between the C- and N-termini of S6K1, thus allowing phosphorylation of these key domains. The requirement for this priming step can only be overcome by mutations mimicking the phosphorylation of both the auto-inhibitory and hydrophobic domains. We further propose that the priming event involves formation of a calcium-dependent protein complex that releases the interaction between the N- and C-termini. S6K1 is then accessible for activation by the kinases that target the known regulatory phosphorylation sites. Consistent with this hypothesis, serum stimulation of S6K1 activity is associated with its incorporation into a calcium-dependent high-molecular-mass complex.
A detailed structural analysis has been performed of the outer bacterial membrane of Pseudomonas aeruginosa using a parameterized classical simulation model (R. D. Lins and T. P. Straatsma, Biophysical Journal, 2001, Vol. 81, pp. 1037-1046) with modest modifications. The structural analysis of the membrane is presented and newly discovered characteristics of the membrane are discussed. Simulations indicate that the relative contribution of different ligands to calcium ion coordination varies across the membrane, while maintaining a constant average coordination number of 6.1. Water penetrates the surface of the membrane to a depth of about 30 A. The hydration of ions and phosphate groups is shown to depend on location within the membrane. A measure of saccharide residue orientation is defined and average orientations are presented. Saccharide residues possess varying degrees of motion with a trend of greater mobility at the membrane surface. However, their motion is limited and even in the membrane outer core region the average structure appears fairly rigid over a period of 1 ns.
Dioctyldimethyl ammonium chloride (DODMAC) was used to form reverse micelles and to extract lysozyme from an aqueous solution into an organic phase. The solubilization behavior of lysozyme into a DODMAC reverse micellar phase was examined in terms of the temperature, the type of cations in the aqueous phase, and the surfactant concentration in the organic phase. Complete removal of lysozyme from the aqueous phase was obtained when the pH was set one unit higher than the pI of the protein. However, it was found that there is a solubilization limit of lysozyme in the organic phase. Not all the lysozyme extracted out of the initial aqueous phase was solubilized into the DODMAC reverse micellar phase, resulting in the formation of white precipitate at the aqueous-organic interface. Temperature has a negligible effect on the solubilization limit of lysozyme. The value of the solubilization limit is a strong function of the type of cations present in the aqueous phase, indicating an important role of lysozyme-cation interactions on the extraction process. An increase in the DODMAC concentration from 100-200 mM resulted in little change in the highest concentration of lysozyme obtained in the organic phase.