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Possible amino acid repetitive sequences in the proline-rich glycoprotein of human parotid saliva.

The amino acid sequence of the proline-rich glycoprotein from human parotid saliva was studied using different preparations: native glycoprotein, tryptic glycopeptides, and their chemically deglycosylated homologous derivatives. The results indicate very similar structural features of the proline-rich glycoprotein and the tryptic glycopeptides and suggest that the peptide backbone of the glycoprotein comprises several repetitive domains containing one carbohydrate-peptide linkage and a proline-rich sequence. These data are in fair agreement with a preceding circular dichroism study (Aubert, J.P., Porchet, N., Boersma, A., Loucheux-Lefevbre, M.H. and Degand, P. (1982) Biochim. Biophys. Acta 704, 361-365).

Amino Acid Sequence↗

Antigens of Mycobacterium tuberculosis expressed during preclinical tuberculosis: serological immunodominance of proteins with repetitive amino acid sequences.

Four antigens of Mycobacterium tuberculosis that are expressed in vivo after aerosol infection but prior to the development of clinical tuberculosis (TB) in rabbits were identified by immunoscreening of an expression library of M. tuberculosis genomic DNA with sera obtained 5 weeks postinfection. Three of the proteins identified, PirG (Rv3810), polymorphic GC-repetitive sequence (PE-PGRS; Rv3367), and proline-threonine repetitive protein (PTRP) (Rv0538), have multiple tandem repeats of unique amino acid sequences and have characteristics of surface or secreted proteins. The fourth protein, MtrA (Rv3246c), is a response regulator of a putative two-component signal transduction system, mtrA-mtrB, of M. tuberculosis. All four antigens were recognized by pooled sera from TB patients and not from healthy controls, confirming their in vivo expression during active infection in humans. Three of the antigens (PE-PGRS, PTRP, and MtrA) were also recognized by retrospective preclinical TB sera obtained, prior to the clinical manifestation of TB, from human immunodeficiency virus-TB patients, suggesting that they are potential candidates for devising diagnostic tests for active, preclinical TB.

Amino Acid Sequence↗

Dermal glands of Xenopus laevis contain a polypeptide with a highly repetitive amino acid sequence.

Mature dermal glands of Xenopus laevis contain storage granules with a characteristic ellipsoid shape. These granules contain, as a minor component, a heat-stable, acidic polypeptide with an apparent molecular mass of 75 kDa. Using antibodies against this protein, positive clones were isolated from a cDNA expression library prepared from skin of X. laevis. One of the cloned cDNAs encodes a pre-protein with a typical signal sequence and a mature part of 396 amino acids. The protein contains 33 copies of the sequence Gly-Gly/Glu-(Ala-Pro)2-4-Ala-Glu. Using the single-letter code for the four predominant amino acids, we have termed this polypeptide the APEG protein. Near its carboxy-terminus, one segment has been found with an amino acid sequence similar to that of spasmolytic polypeptide from porcine pancreas and to the human protein pS2.

Amino Acid Sequence↗

Tendency for local repetitiveness in amino acid usages in modern proteins.

Systematic analyses of human proteins show that neural and immune system-specific, and therefore, relatively "modern" proteins have a tendency for repetitive use of amino acids at a local scale ( approximately 1-20 residues), while ancient proteins (human homologues of Escherichia coli proteins) do not. Those protein subsegments which are unique based on homology search account for the repetitiveness. Simulation shows that such repetitiveness can be maintained by frequent duplication on a very short scale (one to two codons) in the presence of substitutive point mutation, while the latter tends to mitigate the repetitiveness. DNA analyses also show the presence of cryptic (i.e. "out of the codon frame") repetitiveness, which cannot fully be explained by features in protein sequences. Simulative modification of the amino acid sequences of immune system-specific proteins estimate that 2.4 duplication events occur during the period equivalent to ten events of substitution mutation. It is also suggested that the repetitiveness leads to longitudinal unevenness within a given peptide domain. Those peptide motifs which contain similarly charged residues are likely to be generated more frequently in the presence of the tendency for repetitiveness than in its absence. Therefore, the neutral propensity of DNA for duplication, which can also tend to generate repetitiveness in amino acid sequences, seems to be manifested primarily when the constraints on amino acid sequences are relatively weak, and yet may be positively contributing to generation of unevenness in modern proteins.

Algorithms↗

Global multiple-sequence alignment with repeats.

Repeating fragments in biological sequences are often essential for structure and function. Over the years, many methods have been developed to recognize repeats or to multiply align protein sequences. However, the integration of these two methodologies has been largely unexplored to date. Here, we present a new method capable of globally aligning multiple input sequences under the constraints of a given repeat analysis. The method supports different stringency modes to adapt to various levels of detail and reliability of the repeat information available.

Amino Acid Sequence↗

Production and characterization of monoclonal antibodies to ARVCF.

We have generated the first monoclonal antibodies (MAbs) to Armadillo repeat gene deleted in velo-cardiofacial syndrome (ARVCF), a recently identified Armadillo repeat-containing protein closely related to the catenin p120ctn. Six ARVCF-specific MAbs were characterized for isotype, species cross-reactivity, and utility in assays including immunofluorescence, immunoprecipitation, and Western blotting. All six antibodies were isotyped as IgG1 and several cross-reacted with ARVCF from a variety of species including human, rat, dog, and monkey, but not mouse. Importantly, none of the ARVCF MAbs cross-reacted with p120ctn, despite the high homology between these proteins. MAbs 3B2 and 4B1 were consistently the best in all applications and will provide valuable tools for further study of the role of ARVCF in cells.

Abnormalities, Multiple↗

Molecular evolution of amelogenin in mammals.

An evolutionary analysis of mammalian amelogenin, the major protein of forming enamel, was conducted by comparison of 26 sequences (including 14 new ones) representative of the main mammalian lineages. Amelogenin shows highly conserved residues in the hydrophilic N- and C-terminal regions. The central hydrophobic region (most of exon 6) is more variable, but it has conserved a high amount of proline and glutamine located in triplets, PXQ, indicating that these residues play an important role. This region evolves more rapidly, and is less constrained, than the other well-conserved regions, which are subjected to strong constraints. The comparison of the substitution rates in relation to the CpG richness confirmed that the highly conserved regions are subjected to strong selective pressures. The amino acids located at important sites and the residues known to lead to amelogenesis imperfecta when substituted were present in all sequences examined. Evolutionary analysis of the variable region of exon 6 points to a particular zone, rich in either amino acid insertion or deletion. We consider this region a hot spot of mutation for the mammalian amelogenin. In this region, numerous triplet repeats (PXQ) have been inserted recently and independently in five lineages, while most of the hydrophobic exon 6 region probably had its origin in several rounds of triplet insertions, early in vertebrate evolution. The putative ancestral DNA sequence of the mammalian amelogenin was calculated using a maximum likelihood approach. The putative ancestral protein was composed of 177 residues. It already contained all important amino acid positions known to date, its hydrophobic variable region was rich in proline and glutamine, and it contained triplet repeats PXQ as in the modern sequences.

Amelogenin↗

Multiple coding sequences for the genome-linked virus protein (VPg) in dicistroviruses.

N-terminal Edman sequencing of the genome-linked viral protein (VPg) of Plautia stali intestine virus (PSIV, Dicistroviridae) detected heterologus residues. The VPg sequence determined was found to be triplicated in the nonstructural protein precursor. Multiple VPg-like sequences were also found in 10 of the 12 dicistroviruses with a maximum of six copies in Solenopsis invicta virus-1. We postulate that redundant VPg coding sequences facilitate multiplication of dicistroviruses, because fewer cycle of translation of the nonstructural protein precursor produces larger amounts of VPg proteins in parallel with the increased production of capsid proteins by the intergenic internal ribosome entry site mediated translation.

Amino Acid Sequence↗

The putative sponge aggregation receptor. Isolation and characterization of a molecule composed of scavenger receptor cysteine-rich domains and short consensus repeats.

Porifera (sponges) are the oldest extant metazoan phylum. Dissociated sponge cells serve as a classic system to study processes of cell reaggregation. The reaggregation of dissociated cells is mediated by an extracellularly localized aggregation factor (AF), based on heterophilic interactions of the third order; the AF bridges two cells by ligating a cell-surface-bound aggregation receptor (AR). In the present study we report cloning, expression and immunohistochemical localization of a polypeptide from the marine sponge Geodia cydonium, which very likely represents the AR. The presumed AR gene gives rise to at least three forms of alternatively spliced transcripts of 6.5, 4.9 and 3.9 kb, as detected by northern blotting. Two cDNA clones corresponding to the shorter forms were already reported earlier; here we present an analysis of the largest. All three putative polypeptides feature scavenger receptor cysteine-rich (SRCR) domains. The largest form, SRCR-SCR-Car, is a cell-surface receptor of molecular mass 220 kDa, which is assumed to be the cell-adhesion receptor AR; the second form, SRCR-Re, is also a putative receptor of 166 kDa, while the third form, SRCR-Mo, is a soluble molecule of 129 kDa. The SRCR-SCR-Car molecule consists of fourteen SRCR domains, six short consensus repeats (SCRs), a C-terminal transmembrane domain and a cytoplasmic tail; its fourteenth SRCR domain features an Arg-Gly-Asp tripeptide. To obtain monoclonal antibodies, a 170-amino-acid-long polypeptide that is found in all three forms of the SRCR-containing proteins was expressed in E. coli. In a western blot of sponge cells lysate the monoclonal antibody raised against the recombinant polypeptide recognized two major immuno-reacting polypeptides (220 and 117 kDa) and two minor bands (36 and 32 kDa). The antibody was found to react with antigen(s) predominantly localized on the plasma membranes of cells, especially those of spherulous cells. In a functional assay Fab' fragments of the antibodies suppressed AF-mediated cell-cell reaggregation. Additionally, a recombinant SRCR-soluble fragment effectively inhibited AF-mediated cell-cell reaggregation. We conclude that the 220 kDa SRCR-containing protein of the sponge G. cydonium is very likely the AR.

Amino Acid Sequence↗

Molecular cloning and functional characterization of chicken brain tau: isoforms with up to five tandem repeats.

Tau is a major microtubule-associated protein in mammalian brain, where it exists as multiple isoforms that are produced from a single gene by alternative mRNA splicing. Here we present the first report on the structure and function of tau protein from a nonmammalian vertebrate. In the adult chicken brain, five main tau isoforms are expressed. One isoform has three tandem repeats, two isoforms have four repeats each, and two isoforms have five repeats each. Similar to mammalian tau, some chicken tau isoforms contain an amino-terminal insert of 53 amino acids. Unlike mammalian tau, a 34 amino acid insert in the proline-rich region upstream of the repeats is alternatively spliced in chicken tau. It is preceded by a constitutively expressed sequence of 17 amino acids that is absent in tau from human and rodent brains. The expression of chicken tau isoforms and their phosphorylation are developmentally regulated, similar to what has been described in mammalian brain. Functionally, chicken tau isoforms with five repeats have the greatest ability to promote microtubule assembly, followed by isoforms with four and three repeats, respectively. The 34 amino acid insert positively influences both the rate and the extent of microtubule assembly, whereas the 53 amino acid insert only influences the extent of assembly.

Aging↗

Gene families encoding phase- and size-variable surface lipoproteins of Mycoplasma hyorhinis.

A prototype family of seven genes encoding the variable surface lipoproteins (Vlps) of Mycoplasma hyorhinis is characterized in the pathogenic SK76 strain, using long-range PCR to amplify and analyze the single chromosomal region containing expressed genes vlpA to -G, each of which is subject to phase and size variation. Smaller families of vlp genes in subclones of SK76 or in another strain of M. hyorhinis, GDL, can be attributed to deletions of specific vlp genes from the prototype array described here. Two genes, vlpA and the newly revealed vlpG, contain repeat motifs in their 3' coding regions that differ from the short tandem repeats in other vlp genes yet retain structural features common to all vlp gene products. SK76 and GDL vlp gene families are similarly organized and show sequence similarity between corresponding individual vlp genes. In light of the extensive potential for diversity within the vlp gene system, such conservation provides a provisional basis to hypothesize that vlp genes may exist in specific arrays that endow selected functions while retaining common structural features required during phase-variable expression of this set of gene products.

Amino Acid Sequence↗

Expansion of circulating V gamma 9/V delta 1 T cells in a patient with a syndrome of recurrent fever: evidence for an unusual antigen-driven process leading to selection of recurrent motifs within TCR junctional loops of diverse lengths.

Polyclonal expansions of human Vdelta1 T cells have been described in diverse physiopathological situations without strong TCR structural data for an antigen-driven selection. Here, we have analyzed the phenotype and TCR repertoire of gamma delta T cells obtained from the peripheral blood of a 19-year-old patient with a syndrome of recurrent fever, which accounted for up to 40% of CD3(+) T cells and expressed predominantly Vgamma9 and Vdelta1 TCR regions and a memory phenotype. Sequence analysis of Vdelta1-Jdelta1 transcripts derived from peripheral blood lymphocytes (PBL) indicated that, while Vdelta1-Jdelta1 junctional sequences were diverse in length, all but one contained several recurrent motifs at conserved positions from both the 5'- and 3'-ends of the complementarity-determining region (CDR)3 loop. Analysis of gamma delta T cell clones derived from patient PBL demonstrated that Vgamma9(+) but not Vgamma9(-) T cell clones frequently expressed Vdelta1 chains with these characteristics and unveiled a hierarchy between the constraints imposed on the 5'- vs. the 3' motifs of the Vdelta1 CDR3 loops. These results constitute the first strong evidence for a nominal antigen-driven selection of Vdelta1 T cells in vivo and also suggest that the hierarchy of the constraints imposed by antigens respectively on the length and amino acid composition of TCR CDR3 loops differs between alpha beta and gamma delta T cells.

Amino Acid Sequence↗

PEX12 interacts with PEX5 and PEX10 and acts downstream of receptor docking in peroxisomal matrix protein import.

Peroxisomal matrix protein import requires PEX12, an integral peroxisomal membrane protein with a zinc ring domain at its carboxy terminus. Mutations in human PEX12 result in Zellweger syndrome, a lethal neurological disorder, and implicate the zinc ring domain in PEX12 function. Using two-hybrid studies, blot overlay assays, and coimmunoprecipitation experiments, we observed that the zinc-binding domain of PEX12 binds both PEX5, the PTS1 receptor, and PEX10, another integral peroxisomal membrane protein required for peroxisomal matrix protein import. Furthermore, we identified a patient with a missense mutation in the PEX12 zinc-binding domain, S320F, and observed that this mutation reduces the binding of PEX12 to PEX5 and PEX10. Overexpression of either PEX5 or PEX10 can suppress this PEX12 mutation, providing genetic evidence that these interactions are biologically relevant. PEX5 is a predominantly cytoplasmic protein and previous PEX5-binding proteins have been implicated in docking PEX5 to the peroxisome surface. However, we find that loss of PEX12 or PEX10 does not reduce the association of PEX5 with peroxisomes, demonstrating that these peroxins are not required for receptor docking. These and other results lead us to propose that PEX12 and PEX10 play direct roles in peroxisomal matrix protein import downstream of the receptor docking event.

Alleles↗

Amino acid repetitions in the dihydropteroate synthase of Streptococcus pneumoniae lead to sulfonamide resistance with limited effects on substrate K(m).

Sulfonamide resistance in Streptococcus pneumoniae is due to changes in the chromosomal folP (sulA) gene coding for dihydropteroate synthase (DHPS). The first reported laboratory-selected sulfonamide-resistant S. pneumoniae isolate had a 6-bp repetition, the sul-d mutation, leading to a repetition of the amino acids Ile(66) and Glu(67) in the gene product DHPS. More recently, clinical isolates showing this and other repetitions have been reported. WA-5, a clinical isolate from Washington State, contains a 6-bp repetition in the folP gene, identical to the sul-d mutation. The repetition was deleted by site-directed mutagenesis. Enzyme kinetic measurements showed that the deletion was associated with a 35-fold difference in K(i) for sulfathiazole but changed the K(m) for p-aminobenzoic acid only 2.5-fold and did not significantly change the K(m) for 2-amino-4-hydroxy-6-hydroxymethyl-7,8-dihydropteridine pyrophosphate. The enzyme characteristics of the deletion variant were identical to those of DHPS from a sulfonamide-susceptible strain. DHPS from clinical isolates with repetitions of Ser(61) had very similar enzyme characteristics to the DHPS from WA-5. The results confirm that the repetitions are sufficient for development of a resistant enzyme and suggest that the fitness cost to the organism of developing resistance may be very low.

Adolescent↗

Avoiding proteasomal processing: the case of EBNA1.

Ubiquitin/proteasome-dependent proteolysis is involved in the regulation of a large variety of cellular processes including cell cycle progression, tissue development and atrophy, flux of substrates through metabolic pathways, selective elimination of abnormal proteins and processing of intracellular antigens for major histocompatibility complex (MHC) class I-restricted T-cell responses. Many viruses tamper with this proteolytic machinery by encoding proteins that interact with various components of the pathway. A particularly interesting example of a viral protein that interferes with proteasomal processing is the Epstein-Barr virus (EBV) nuclear antigen-1 (EBNA1). EBNA1 contains an internal repeat exclusively composed of glycines and alanines that inhibits in cis the presentation of MHC class I-restricted T-cell epitopes and prevents ubiquitin/proteasome-dependent proteolysis in vitro and in vivo. The glycine-alanine repeat acts as a transferable element on a variety of proteasomal substrates and may therefore provide a new approach to the modification of cellular proteins for therapeutic purposes.

Alanine↗