| 1. |
- Davies, Julia R., et al.
(author)
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Identification of MUC5B, MUC5AC and small amounts of MUC2 mucins in cystic fibrosis airway secretions
- 1999
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In: Biochemical Journal. - 0264-6021. ; 344:2, s. 321-330
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Journal article (peer-reviewed)abstract
- To investigate the genetic identities of the mucins secreted in cystic fibrosis (CF) airways, sputum was collected from five individuals. Samples were separated into gel and sol phases by high-speed centrifugation and the gel phase was extracted in 6 M guanidinium chloride. The 'insoluble' residue remaining after extraction of the gel phase was brought into solution by reduction/alkylation. Density-gradient centrifugation in CsCl revealed polydisperse distributions of sialic acid-containing mucins in the gel phase, insoluble residue and sol phase fractions and the degree of variation between the different individuals was low. Antibodies recognizing MUC5AC and MUC5B identified these mucins in each of the fractions. MUC2, however, was present only as a component of the insoluble residue from the gel which accounted for less than 4% by mass of the total mucins, MUC5B and MUC5AC from the gel phase were large oligomeric species composed of disulphide-bond linked subunits and MUC5B was present as two populations with different charge densities which are likely to correspond to MUC5B 'glycoforms'. The sol phase contained, in addition to MUC5AC and MUC5B mainly smaller mucins which did not react with the antisera and which were probably degraded. MUC5AC appeared to be enriched in the sol, suggesting that this mucin may be more susceptible to proteolytic degradation than MUC5B. The mucins present in sputum remained broadly similar during acute exacerbation and following antibiotic treatment, although the relative amount of an acidic MUC5B glycoform was decreased during infection.
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| 2. |
- Abrahamson, Magnus, et al.
(author)
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Human cystatin C: Role of the N-terminal segment in the inhibition of human cysteine proteinases and in its inactivation by leucocyte elastase
- 1991
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In: Biochemical Journal. - 0264-6021. ; 273:3, s. 621-626
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Journal article (peer-reviewed)abstract
- Leucocyte elastase in catalytic amounts was observed to rapidly cleave the Val-10-Gly-11 bond of the human cysteine-proteinase inhibitor cystatin C at neutral pH. The resulting modified inhibitor had size and amino acid composition consistent with a cystatin C molecule devoid of the N-terminal Ser-1-Val-10 decapeptide. Leucocyte-elastase-modified cystatin C had more than 240-fold lower affinity than native cystatin C for papain. Removal of the N-terminal decapeptide of human cystatin C also decreased inhibition of human cathepsins B and L by three orders of magnitude, but decreased inhibition of cathepsin H by only 5-fold. A tripeptidyldiazomethane analogue of of the N-terminal portion of cystatin C was a good inhibitor of cathepsins B and L but a poor inhibitor of cathepsin H. It therefore appears that amino acid side chains of the N-terminal segment of cystatin C bind in the substrate-binding pockets of cathepsins B and L but not in those of cathepsin H. It is argued that the N-terminal cystatin C interaction with cathepsin B is physiologically important and hence that leucocyte elastase could have a function as a regulator of extracellular cysteine-proteinase inhibitory activity at sites of inflammation.
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| 3. |
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| 4. |
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| 5. |
- Ben Nasr, Abdelhakim, et al.
(author)
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Absorption of kininogen from human plasma by Streptococcus pyogenes is followed by the release of bradykinin
- 1997
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In: Biochemical Journal. - : Portland Press Ltd.. - 0264-6021 .- 1470-8728. ; 326:3, s. 657-660
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Journal article (peer-reviewed)abstract
- H-kininogen (high-molecular-mass kininogen, HK) is the precursor of the vasoactive peptide hormone bradykinin (BK). Previous work has demonstrated that HK binds to Streptococcus pyogenes through M-proteins, fibrous surface proteins and important virulence factors of these bacteria. Here we find that M-protein-expressing bacteria absorb HK from human plasma. The HK bound to the bacteria was found to be cleaved, and analysis of the degradation pattern suggested that the cleavage of HK at the bacterial surface is associated with the release of BK. Moreover, addition of activated plasma prekallikrein to bacteria preincubated with human plasma, resulted in BK release. This mechanism, by which a potent vasoactive and proinflammatory peptide is generated at the site of infection, should influence the host-parasite relationship during S. pyogenes infections.
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| 6. |
- Ben Nasr, Abdelhakim, et al.
(author)
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Human kininogens interact with M protein, a bacterial surface protein and virulence determinant.
- 1995
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In: Biochemical Journal. - 0264-6021. ; 305:1, s. 80-173
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Journal article (peer-reviewed)abstract
- Streptococcus pyogenes, the most significant streptococcal species in clinical medicine, expresses surface proteins with affinity for several human plasma proteins. Here we report that kininogens, the precursors to the vasoactive kinins, bind to the surface of S. pyogenes. M protein, a surface molecule and a major virulence factor-in these bacteria, occurs in > 80 different serotypes. Among 49 strains of S. pyogenes, all of different M serotypes, 41 bound radiolabelled kininogens, whereas 6 M protein-negative mutant strains showed no affinity. M protein of most serotypes bind fibrinogen, and among the 55 strains tested, binding of kininogens was closely correlated to fibrinogen binding (r = 0.88, P < 0.0001). Western blotting, slot binding and enzyme immunoassay experiments demonstrated that M proteins isolated from S. pyogenes of three different M protein serotypes (M1, M6 and M46) bound kininogens. The affinity between kininogens and M1 protein was determined to be 5 x 10(7) M-1 and < or = 10(6) M-1 for high molecular weight (H-kininogen) and low molecular weight kininogen, respectively. The kininogen binding site was tentatively mapped to the N-terminal portion of M1 protein, and this site does not overlap the specific and separate binding sites for albumin, IgG and fibrinogen using monoclonal antibodies to, and synthetic peptides of, the kininogen sequence, the major M protein-binding site(s) was mapped to the C-terminal portion of the H-kininogen light chain. We anticipate that the kininogen-M protein interaction contributes to the host-parasite relationship in S. pyogenes infections.
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| 7. |
- Berggren Söderlund, Maria, et al.
(author)
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Expression of human all-trans-retinoic acid receptor beta and its ligand-binding domain in Escherichia coli
- 1995
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In: Biochemical Journal. - 0264-6021. ; 308:Pt 1, s. 353-359
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Journal article (peer-reviewed)abstract
- all-trans-Retinoic acid, one of the hormonally active derivatives of vitamin A, occurs physiologically in plasma at a concentration below 10 nmol/l. The methods currently used for its quantification are based on HPLC, need about 1 ml of serum, are relatively laborious and thus not well suited for mass analysis. The affinity and specificity of retinoic acid receptors for all-trans-retinoic acid encouraged us to express both the entire human retinoic acid receptor beta (RAR-beta) and two versions of its retinoic acid-binding domain in Escherichia coli in the hope that these recombinant proteins might be used as binders in a ligand-binding assay for all-trans-retinoic acid. The recombinant receptors, the whole receptor [RAR-beta-(V7-Q448)], corresponding to domains A-F, and the ligand-binding domain [RAR-beta-(E149-Q448)], corresponding to domains D-F, were expressed in the vector pET 3d/BL21 (DE3) as inclusion bodies, solubilized with guanidinium chloride, renatured and purified by ion-exchange chromatography. RAR-beta-(P193-Q448), corresponding to domains E-F, was expressed in the vector pET 3d/BL21(DE3)pLysS, and purified by reversed-phase chromatography. Under non-denaturing conditions, the expressed whole receptor [RAR-beta-(V7-Q448)] and the D-F construct (RAR-beta-(E149-Q448)] behaved chromatographically as monomeric proteins whereas the E-F construct [RAR-beta-(P193-Q448)] had a strong tendency to aggregate. RAR-beta-(V7-Q448) and RAR-beta-(E149-Q448) had similar Kd values for all-trans-retinoic acid (1.4 and 0.6 nmol/l respectively) whereas RAR-beta-(P193-Q448) bound all-trans-retinoic acid less avidly (Kd 9.6 nmol/l). 9-cis-Retinoic acid bound to RAR-beta-(E149-Q448) and RAR-beta-(V7-Q448) as avidly as all-trans-retinoic acid. Competition experiments showed weak or no binding of 4-oxo-all-trans-retinoic acid, 4-oxo-13-cis-retinoic acid, 13-cis-retinoic acid, acitretin and retinol by RAR-beta-(E149-Q448).
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| 8. |
- Bjork, I, et al.
(author)
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Differential changes in the association and dissociation rate constants for binding of cystatins to target proteinases occurring on N-terminal truncation of the inhibitors indicate that the interaction mechanism varies with different enzymes
- 1994
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In: Biochemical Journal. - 0264-6021. ; 299, s. 219-225
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Journal article (peer-reviewed)abstract
- The importance of the N-terminal region of human cystatin C or chicken cystatin for the kinetics of interactions of the inhibitors with four cysteine proteinases was characterized. The association rate constants for the binding of recombinant human cystatin C to papain, ficin, actinidin and recombinant rat cathepsin B were 1.1 x 10(7), 7.0 x 10(6), 2.4 x 10(6) and 1.4 x 10(6) M-1.s-1, whereas the corresponding dissociation rate constants were 1.3 x 10(-7), 9.2 x 10(-6), 4.6 x 10(-2) and 3.5 x 10(-4) s-1. N-Terminal truncation of the first ten residues of the inhibitor negligibly affected the association rate constant with papain or ficin, but increased the dissociation rate constant approx. 3 x 10(4)- to 2 x 10(6)-fold. In contrast, such truncation decreased the association rate constant with cathepsin B approx. 60-fold, while minimally affecting the dissociation rate constant. With actinidin, the truncated cystatin C had both an approx. 15-fold lower association rate constant and an approx. 15-fold higher dissociation rate constant than the intact inhibitor. Similar results were obtained for intact and N-terminally truncated chicken cystatin. The decreased affinity of human cystatin C or chicken cystatin for cysteine proteinases after removal of the N-terminal region is thus due to either a decreased association rate constant or an increased dissociation rate constant, or both, depending on the enzyme. This behaviour indicates that the contribution of the N-terminal segment of the two inhibitors to the interaction mechanism varies with the target proteinase as a result of structural differences in the active-site region of the enzyme.
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| 9. |
- Björk, Ingemar, et al.
(author)
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Probing the functional role of the N-terminal region of cystatins by equilibrium and kinetic studies of the binding of Gly-11 variants of recombinant human cystatin C to target proteinases
- 1995
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In: Biochemical Journal. - 0264-6021. ; 306:2, s. 513-518
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Journal article (peer-reviewed)abstract
- The interaction between cystatin C variants, in which the evolutionarily conserved Gly-11 residue was substituted by Ala, Glu or Trp, and the cysteine proteinases, papain, ficin, actinidin and cathepsin B, was characterized. The substitutions reduced the affinity of binding in a manner consistent with the Gly residue of the wild-type inhibitor, allowing the N-terminal region to adopt a conformation that was optimal for interaction with target proteinases. Replacement of Gly-11 by Ala resulted in only a 5- to 100-fold reduction in binding affinity. Comparison with the affinities of wild-type cystatin C lacking the N-terminal region indicated that even this small structural change affects the conformation of this region sufficiently to largely abolish its interaction with the weakly binding proteinases, actinidin and cathepsin B. However, the substitution allows interactions of appreciable strength between the N-terminal region and the tightly binding enzymes, papain or ficin. Replacement of Gly-11 with the larger Glu and Trp residues substantially decreased the affinity of binding to all enzymes, from 10(3)- to 10(5)-fold. These substitutions further affect the conformation of the N-terminal region, so that interactions of this region with papain and ficin are also essentially eliminated. The decreased affinities of the three cystatin C variants for papain, ficin and actinidin were due exclusively to increased dissociation rate constants. In contrast, the decreased affinity between cathepsin B and the Ala-11 variant, the only one for which rate constants could be determined with this enzyme, was due almost entirely to a decreased association rate constant. This behaviour is analogous to that observed for forms of cystatin C lacking the N-terminal region and supports the conclusion that the mode of interaction of this region with target proteinases varies with the enzyme as a result of structural differences in the active-site region of the latter.
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| 10. |
- Buttle, David J, et al.
(author)
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Human sputum cathepsin B degrades proteoglycan, is inhibited by a2-macroglobulin and modulated by neutrophil elastase cleavage of cathepsin B precursor and cystatin C
- 1991
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In: Biochemical Journal. - 0264-6021. ; 276, s. 325-331
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Journal article (peer-reviewed)abstract
- The high-Mr alkali-stable form of cathepsin B was purified from purulent human sputum. It was shown to solubilize proteoglycan monomer entrapped in polyacrylamide at a rate comparable with that of human lysosomal cathepsin B. Like the enzyme from lysosomes, sputum cathepsin B was bound by human alpha 2-macroglobulin, which inhibited its action on proteoglycan. Cystatin C in purulent sputum was shown to be the N-terminally truncated form generated by neutrophil elastase cleavage, and sputum cathepsin B was only weakly inhibited by recombinant cystatin C that had been cleaved by neutrophil elastase in vitro. Addition of neutrophil elastase to mucoid sputum led to a 5-fold increase in cathepsin B activity concomitant with a lowering in Mr of the cysteine proteinase from 40,000 to 37,000, i.e. the size of the active enzyme purified from purulent sputum. It is concluded that the high-Mr form of cathepsin B present in purulent sputum is a functional proteinase, unlike similar forms of the enzyme secreted by mammary gland in organ culture. The activity of cathepsin B in sputum is modulated by neutrophil elastase, by a combination of inhibitor inactivation and zymogen activation.
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