Amphipathic Alpha-helical Region Research Articles

Solution structure of a cathelicidin-derived antimicrobial peptide, CRAMP as determined by NMR spectroscopy.

CRAMP was identified from a cDNA clone derived from mouse femoral marrow cells as a member of cathelicidin-derived antimicrobial peptides. This peptide shows potent antimicrobial activity against gram-positive and gram-negative bacteria but no hemolytic activity against human erythrocytes. CRAMP was known to cause rapid permeabilization of the inner membrane of Escherichia coli. In this study, the structure of CRAMP in TFE/H2O (1 : 1, v/v) solution was determined by CD and NMR spectroscopy. CD spectra showed that CRAMP adopts a mainly alpha-helical conformation in TFE/H2O solution, DPC micelles, SDS micelles and liposomes, whereas it has a random structure in aqueous solution. The tertiary structure of CRAMP in TFE/H2O (1 : 1, v/v), as determined by NMR spectroscopy, consists of two amphipathic alpha-helices from Leu4 to Lys10 and from Gly16 to Leu33. These two helices are connected by a flexible region from Gly11 to Gly16. Previous analysis of series of fragments composed of various portion of CRAMP revealed that an 18-residue fragment with the sequence from Gly16 to Leu33 was found to retain antibacterial activity. Therefore, the amphipathic alpha-helical region from Gly16 to Leu33 of CRAMP plays important roles in spanning the lipid bilayers as well as its antibiotic activity. Based on this structure, novel antibiotic peptides having strong antibiotic activity, with no hemolytic effect will be developed.

Electrostatic and hydrophobic forces tether the proximal region of the angiotensin II receptor (AT1A) carboxyl terminus to anionic lipids.

The carboxyl terminus of the type-1 angiotensin II receptor (AT(1A)) is a focal point for receptor activation and deactivation. Synthetic peptides corresponding to the membrane-proximal, first 20 amino acids of the carboxyl terminus adopt an alpha-helical conformation in organic solvents, suggesting that the secondary structure of this region may be sensitive to hydrophobic environments. Using surface plasmon resonance, immobilized lipid chromatography, and circular dichroism, we examined whether this positively charged, amphipathic alpha-helical region of the AT(1A) receptor can interact with lipid components in the cell membrane and thereby modulate local receptor attachment and structure. A synthetic peptide corresponding to the proximal region of the AT(1A) receptor carboxyl terminus (Leu(305) to Lys(325)) was shown by surface plasmon resonance to bind with high affinity to the negatively charged lipid, dimyristoyl L-alpha-phosphatidyl-DL-glycerol (DMPG), but poorly to the zwitterionic lipid, dimyristoyl L-alpha-phosphatidylcholine (DMPC). In contrast, a peptide analogue possessing substitutions at four lysine residues (corresponding to Lys(307,308,310,311)) displayed poor association with either lipid, indicating a crucial anionic component to the interaction. Circular dichroism analysis revealed that both the wild-type and substituted peptides possessed alpha-helical propensity in methanol and trifluoroethanol, while the wild-type peptide also adopted partially inserted helical structure in DMPG and DMPC liposomes. In contrast, the substituted peptide exhibited spectra that suggested the presence of beta-sheet and alpha-helical structure in both liposomes. Immobilized lipid chromatography was used to characterize the hydrophobic component of the membrane interaction, and the results demonstrated that hydrophobic and electrostatic interactions mediated the binding of the wild-type peptide but that the substituted peptide bound to the model membranes mainly via hydrophobic forces. We propose that, in intact AT(1A) receptors, the proximal carboxyl terminus associates with the cytoplasmic face of the cell membrane via a high-affinity, anionic phospholipid-specific tethering that serves to increase the amphipathic helicity of this region. Such associations may be important for receptor function and common for G protein-coupled receptors.

Biogenesis of nanotubular network in Toxoplasma parasitophorous vacuole induced by parasite proteins.

The intracellular parasite Toxoplasma gondii develops within a nonfusogenic vacuole containing a network of elongated nanotubules that form connections with the vacuolar membrane. Parasite secretory proteins discharged from dense granules (known as GRA proteins) decorate this intravacuolar network after invasion. Herein, we show using specific gene knockout mutants, that the unique nanotubule conformation of the network is induced by the parasite secretory protein GRA2 and further stabilized by GRA6. The vacuolar compartment generated by GRA2 knockout parasites was dramatically disorganized, and the normally tubular network was replaced by small aggregated material. The defect observed in Deltagra2 parasites was evident from the initial stages of network formation when a prominent cluster of multilamellar vesicles forms at a posterior invagination of the parasite. The secretory protein GRA6 failed to localize properly to this posterior organizing center in Deltagra2 cells, indicating that this early conformation is essential to proper assembly of the network. Construction of a Deltagra6 mutant also led to an altered mature network characterized by small vesicles instead of elongated nanotubules; however, the initial formation of the posterior organizing center was normal. Complementation of the Deltagra2 knockout with mutated forms of GRA2 showed that the integrity of both amphipathic alpha-helices of the protein is required for correct formation of the network. The induction of nanotubues by the parasite protein GRA2 may be a conserved feature of amphipathic alpha-helical regions, which have also been implicated in the organization of Golgi nanotubules and endocytic vesicles in mammalian cells.

Functional analysis of the enteropathogenic Escherichia coli type III secretion system chaperone CesT identifies domains that mediate substrate interactions.

In many Gram-negative bacteria, a key indicator of pathogenic potential is the possession of a specialized type III secretion system, which is utilized to deliver virulence effector proteins directly into the host cell cytosol. Many of the proteins secreted from such systems require small cytosolic chaperones to maintain the secreted substrates in a secretion-competent state. One such protein, CesT, serves a chaperone function for the enteropathogenic Escherichia coli (EPEC) translocated intimin receptor (Tir) protein, which confers upon EPEC the ability to alter host cell morphology following intimate bacterial attachment. Using a combination of complementary biochemical approaches, functional domains of CesT that mediate intermolecular interactions, involved in both chaperone-chaperone and chaperone-substrate associations, were determined. The CesT N-terminal is implicated in chaperone dimerization, whereas the amphipathic alpha-helical region of the C-terminal, is intimately involved in substrate binding. By functional complementation of chaperone domains using the Salmonella SicA chaperone to generate chaperone chimeras, we show that CesT-Tir interaction proceeds by a mechanism potentially common to other type III secretion system chaperones.

A small amphipathic alpha-helical region is required for transcriptional activities and proteasome-dependent turnover of the tyrosine-phosphorylated Stat5.

Cytokines induce the tyrosine phosphorylation and associated activation of signal transducers and activators of transcription (Stat). The mechanisms by which this response is terminated are largely unknown. Among a variety of inhibitors examined, the proteasome inhibitors MG132 and lactacystin affected Stat4, Stat5 and Stat6 turnover by significantly stabilizing the tyrosine-phosphorylated form. However, these proteasome inhibitors did not affect downregulation of the tyrosine-phosphorylated Stat1, Stat2 and Stat3. With Stat5 isoforms, we have observed that tyrosine-phosphorylated carboxyl-truncated forms of Stat5 proteins were considerably more stable than phosphorylated wild-type forms of the protein. Also, the C-terminal region of Stat5 could confer proteasome-dependent downregulation to Stat1. With a series of C-terminal deletion mutants, we have defined a relatively small, potentially amphipathic alpha-helical region that is required for the rapid turnover of the phosphorylated Stat5 proteins. The region is also required for transcriptional activation, suggesting that the functions are linked. The results are consistent with a model in which the transcriptional activation domain of activated Stat5 is required for its transcriptional activity and downregulation through a proteasome-dependent pathway.

Structure-function relationship of antibacterial synthetic peptides homologous to a helical surface region on human lactoferrin against Escherichia coli serotype O111.

Lactoferricin includes an 11-amino-acid amphipathic alpha-helical region which is exhibited on the outer surface of the amino-terminal lobe of lactoferrin. Synthetic peptides homologous to this region exhibited potent antibacterial activity against a selected range of both gram-negative and gram-positive bacteria. An analog synthesized with methionine substituted for proline at position 26, which is predicted to disrupt the helical region, abolished antibacterial activity against Escherichia coli and considerably reduced antibacterial activity against Staphylococcus aureus and an Acinetobacter strain. The mode of action of human lactoferrin peptide (HLP) 2 against E. coli serotype O111 (NCTC 8007) was established by using flow cytometry, surface plasmon resonance, and transmission electron microscopy. Flow cytometry was used to monitor membrane potential, membrane integrity, and metabolic processes by using the fluorescent probes bis-1,3-(dibutylbarbituric acid)-trimethine oxonol, propidium iodide, and carbonyl cyanide m-chlorophenylhydrazone, respectively. HLP 2 was found to act at the cell membrane, causing complete loss of membrane potential after 10 min and of membrane integrity within 30 min, with irreversible damage to the cell as shown by rapid loss of viability. The number of particles, measured by light scatter on the flow cytometer, dropped significantly, showing that bacterial lysis resulted. The peptide was shown to bind to E. coli O111 lipopolysaccharide by using surface plasmon resonance. Transmission electron microscopy revealed bacterial distortion, with the outer membrane becoming detached from the inner cytoplasmic membrane. We conclude that HLP 2 causes membrane disruption of the outer membrane, resulting in lysis, and that structural considerations are important for antibacterial activity.

Conserved amphipathic helices near the N-terminus and C-terminus of the alpha subunit of cranin (dystroglycan).

Cranin (dystroglycan) is a ubiquitously expressed extracellular matrix receptor, synthesized as a single precursor, which is cleaved into an extracellular subunit (alpha) and a transmembrane subunit (beta). The primary sequence of cranin (dystroglycan) is known from cDNA cloning, and the protein has been strongly implicated in morphogenesis, cell adhesion and human disease. Nevertheless, the domain structure of the alpha subunit has not been well studied; although the protein binds to matrix proteins, to the beta subunit, to cell surfaces, and possibly to other membrane proteins such as sarcoglycans, the domains responsible for mediating these interactions remain unknown. Here I report computer analyses that identify two distinctive amphipathic alpha-helical regions near the N-terminus and C-terminus of the alpha subunit, which are conserved in all species for which sequence information is currently available. This finding should stimulate and guide experimental studies designed to understand how the alpha subunit is associated with the cell surface and with its various ligands.

The interaction of human serum albumin in the native and fully reduced states with apolipoprotein E, serum amiloid protein and very low density lipoproteins from human plasma

1. 1. Complex formation in a solution of apolipoprotein E (apoE) isolated from human plasma very low density lipoproteins (VLDL) and human serum albumin (HSA) in both native and fully reduced states was studied. The existence of a kinetically unstable complex of apoE and native albumin was shown. The complex became more stable with the reduction of the S—S links in the albumin molecules capable of forming aggregates under these conditions. 2. 2. The interaction between native HSA as opposed to a fully reduced one and isolated VLDL particles was more pronounced, probably, due to the existence of amphipathic alpha-helical regions. 3. 3. Dissociation of the serum amyloid protein (SAP) oligomeric form in solution and the interaction of the protein with fully reduced HSA owing to the provision with the additional hydrophobic surface was shown. ApoE displaced SAP from the complex with fully reduced albumin. 4. 4. It is suggested that the ability of the apolipoprotein to interact with albumin is determined by internal stability of the molecular structure of the latter and the complexes detected in vitro may be a new transport form of apolipoproteins in lipid-free form in serum. It is assumed that competitive interactions in the HSA-SAP-apoE system may be involved in the development of secondary amyloidosis.

Membrane-binding amphipathic alpha-helical peptide derived from CTP:phosphocholine cytidylyltransferase.

A peptide corresponding to a portion of the amphipathic alpha-helical region of CTP:phosphocholine cytidylyltransferase was synthesized. This region of the enzyme was proposed to be the membrane-binding domain [Kalmar, G.B., Kay, R.J., Lachance, A., Aebersold, R., & Cornell, R.B. (1990) Proc. Natl. Acad. Sci. U.S.A. 87, 6029]. We have shown that the peptide is physically associated with PG vesicles. CD of the peptide in buffer suggested a primarily random structure, while, in the presence of trifluoroethanol, the peptide was alpha-helical. Anionic lipid vesicles promoted an alpha-helical conformation, whereas neutral or cationic lipid vesicles did not alter the random structure of the peptide, suggesting a selective stabilization of the alpha-helix by anionic membranes. The fluorescence of the single tryptophan residue, which lies on the hydrophobic face of the amphipathic alpha-helix, was studied. Anionic lipid vesicles specifically induced a shift in the fluorescence to a lower wavelength. Fluorescence quenching by the aqueous-phase quencher, I-, and the lipid-phase quencher 9,10-dibromo-PC was used to determine the accessibility of the tryptophan to each of these environments. The presence of anionic lipid vesicles, but not nonanionic lipid vesicles, decreased the quenching by I- suggesting that, in the presence of anionic lipids, the tryptophan residue is poorly accessible to the aqueous I-. Dibromo-PC significantly quenched the fluorescence only when present in anionic vesicles, confirming the membrane location of the tryptophan residue and the lipid specificity of this interaction.(ABSTRACT TRUNCATED AT 250 WORDS)

Cytolytic and antibacterial activity of synthetic peptides derived from amoebapore, the pore-forming peptide of Entamoeba histolytica.

The pore-forming peptide amoebapore is considered part of the cytolytic armament of pathogenic Entamoeba histolytica. Amoebapore is composed of 77 amino acid residues arranged in four alpha-helical domains. For structure-function analysis, synthetic peptides were constructed corresponding to these four domains: H1 (residues 1-22), H2 (25-39), H3 (40-64), and H4 (67-77). The peptides H1 and H3, representing two highly amphipathic alpha-helical regions of amoebapore, possessed pore-forming activity. Peptide H3 displayed cytolytic and antibacterial functions similar to those of natural amoebapore. The most potent antibacterial activity and the broadest activity spectrum were expressed by H1-Mel, a hybrid molecule composed of the N-terminal alpha-helix of amoebapore and the C-terminal hexapeptide of melittin from the venom of Apis mellifera.

Apolipoprotein A-I domains involved in lecithin-cholesterol acyltransferase activation. Structure:function relationships.

A series of mutant apolipoprotein (apoA-I) constructs were designed and then expressed in cell culture to identify structural domains within the mature native apoA-I protein that participate in the activation of the plasma enzyme, lecithin-cholesterol acyltransferase (LCAT). Evolutionary conservation analysis has shown previously that apoA-I contains eight repeats containing 22 amino acids and two repeats containing 11 amino acids that are highly conserved among species as well as within the apolipoprotein supergene family. These tandem repeats begin at residue 44 and are usually marked by a proline residue, with six of the 22-mer repeats showing high amphipathic alpha-helical character. To determine if specific 11- or 22-amino acid domains are essential for maximal LCAT activation within the entire native protein, each of the 10 repeats was sequentially deleted using a polymerase chain reaction based method of mutagenesis. The wild-type and mutant apoA-I gene constructs were expressed in Chinese hamster ovary (CHO) cells and stable lines established. Wild-type and mutant apoA-I protein were purified from 48-96-h conditioned serum-free medium and characterized by SDS-polyacrylamide gel electrophoresis and Western blot analysis. Wild-type apoA-I showed a single migrating band of 28,000 daltons that corresponded to the mobility of human plasma apoA-I, whereas apoA-I deletion mutants (lacking 22- or 11-mer repeats) showed the corresponding shift to lower molecular size. To measure the relative LCAT activation of all deletion mutant apoA-I proteins relative to wild-type apoA-I, an assay system utilizing small unilamellar vesicles as the lipid substrate was used. The results of these studies suggest that several central amphipathic alpha-helical regions within the mature protein are critical in LCAT activation.

Examination of the role of the amphipathic .alpha.-helix in the interaction of neuropeptide Y and active cyclic analogs with cell membrane receptors and dimyristoylphosphatidylcholine

To test the potential importance of the putative C-terminal amphipathic alpha-helical region of neuropeptide Y (NPY) in receptor binding, the interactions of porcine NPY and several peptide analogues with lipid and cell membrane receptors were compared. Cyclic analogues were designed to constrain the N- and C-terminal regions of the peptide and to retain the folded conformation of NPY predicted from its sequence analogy with pancreatic polypeptide and its similar spectral behavior. The three cyclic peptides were [Cys2, 8-aminooctanoic acid5-24, D-Cys27]-NPY (C2-NPY), [Cys5, 8-aminooctanoic acid7-20, D-Cys24]-NPY (C5-NPY), and [D-Cys7, 8-aminooctanoic acid8-17, Cys20]-NPY (C7-NPY). All of the peptides bind with high affinity to pig spleen membranes, but only NPY and [Glu16, Ser18, Ala22, Leu28,31]-NPY (ESALL-NPY) bind quantitatively to dimyristoylphosphatidylcholine (DMPC) liposomes. C7-NPY and NPY20-36 bind with moderate affinity to liposomes, but only NPY and C7-NPY bind with high affinity to mouse brain receptors. Thus, lipid binding and receptor binding are not correlated in this series of peptides, and binding to the pig spleen receptor appears to require only the C-terminal region of the peptide. Simple lipid binding, as in NPY20-36, is insufficient for binding to the mouse brain receptor, suggesting that the N-terminal region of the peptide is required for high-affinity binding to this receptor. Data from fluorescence, differential scanning calorimetry, and liposome clearing experiments suggest that, although the interaction of NPY with lipid is consistent with formation of an amphipathic alpha-helix, a simple amphipathic alpha-helical model for the interaction with the high-affinity NPY receptor is insufficient to explain the data.(ABSTRACT TRUNCATED AT 250 WORDS)

T cell autoreactivity to insulin in diabetic and related non-diabetic individuals.

T cell autoreactivity to insulin in type I diabetic and related non-diabetic individuals was analyzed. Peripheral T lymphocytes from both insulin-treated diabetic and untreated non-diabetic members of four families were found to proliferate in vitro in response to human insulin. T cell autoreactivity to insulin therefore does not appear to be diagnostic of the onset of type I diabetes. Highest T cell responses to human insulin were usually detected in insulin-dependent type I diabetes patients treated with a mixture of beef and pork insulin than with self insulin, the greater the dose of animal insulin the higher the T cell response. The T cell repertoires for self insulin appear to be similar in diabetics and non-diabetics based on their patterns of T cell reactivity to beef insulin, port insulin, human insulin, and various peptide of human insulin. The autoreactive T cells analyzed recognize two conformational epitopes of human insulin formed by interactions between A chain and B chain residues. One epitope is associated with the A chain loop and is present in the A1-A14/B1-B16 peptide, and the other epitope consists mainly of B chain residues located in the A16-A21/B10-B25 peptide. These two epitopes are present in amphipathic alpha-helical regions of insulin. HLA-DR (DR3, DR4, and DR5) and HLA-DQ (DQw2/DQw3) Ag can restrict these T cell responses to human insulin epitopes. The ability to detect insulin-specific autoreactive T cells in healthy non-diabetic individuals supports the hypothesis that autoreactive lymphocytes do not necessarily elicit autoimmune disease if present in an environment in which their activity is immunoregulated.

Differences in the hydrophobic properties of discrete alpha-helical domains of rat and human apolipoprotein A-IV

The primary structure of human apolipoprotein A-IV has been analyzed to identify amphipathic alpha-helical regions and compare their hydrophobic properties with analogous segments of rat apolipoprotein A-IV. Significant differences were found in the mean hydrophobicity and/or mean helical hydrophobic moment of several discrete alphα-helical domains of rat and human apolipoprotein A-IV, which may determine the differences in their biophysical and biological behavior.

T cell clones specific for an amphipathic alpha-helical region of sperm whale myoglobin show differing fine specificities for synthetic peptides. A multiview/single structure interpretation of immunodominance.

The T cell response to sperm whale myoglobin in the H-2d haplotype has been shown to be largely focused on a limited region around glutamic acid 109 recognized in association with I-Ad. T cell clones 9.27 and 1.2 have been previously (4, 5) shown to reflect this specificity and MHC restriction. In this study we have used a panel of synthetic peptides from the region 102-118 of myoglobin to characterize the specificities of these representative clones. The segment from 106-118 was found to represent a consensus region for recognition by both clones. However, we saw significant differences between clones in the hierarchy of responsiveness to peptides within the panel. In as much as the peptide and the I-Ad molecule remain constant, these differences derive from differences in how each T cell receptor interacts with the antigen. This peptide segment is an amphipathic alpha helix in native myoglobin, meaning that one side is hydrophobic and the other hydrophilic. It is one of the prototype cases that led us to find that amphipathic helices constitute the majority of immunodominant sites recognized by helper T cells (1). It is likely that the peptide will refold into an amphipathic helix stabilized by the interface at the surface of the presenting cell. When such secondary conformation is considered, these data are consistent with a model of multiple T cell specificities arising from multiple views of a single antigen conformation at a single Ia-binding site and do not require postulation of multiple conformations or binding sites. Additionally, the finding of distinct specificities suggests that the immunodominance of this site depends not on the dominance of a single clone, but on the focusing of a polyclonal response on a single region of the molecule in association with I-Ad. The immunodominance of this particular region of the protein may thus depend on intrinsic features of the site, such as potential to form an amphipathic helix, as well as extrinsic factors such as binding properties of the I-A molecule.

Drug-protein interactions: isolation and characterization of covalent adducts of phenoxybenzamine and calmodulin.

Phenoxybenzamine, an alpha-adrenergic antagonist containing a (chloroethyl)amine group, labels calmodulin in the presence of calcium. The covalent interaction is inhibited by chlorpromazine in a concentration-dependent manner. Adducts of calmodulin and phenoxybenzamine were separated by high-performance liquid chromatography into four major fractions: two containing 0.6 and 1.2 mol of drug per mol of protein and two different fractions each containing 2.0 mol/mol. Each adduct had a reduced ability to activate cyclic nucleotide phosphodiesterase and myosin light chain kinase, and the chlorpromazine binding capacities of the phenoxybenzamine-calmodulin adducts were diminished to the extent of phenoxybenzamine incorporation into each adduct. Isolation and characterization of labeled peptides from phenoxybenzamine-modified calmodulins indicated that peptides encompassing residues 38-75, 107-126, and 127-148 contained phenoxybenzamine label. These studies directly demonstrate the relatedness between the binding activities of two structurally dissimilar calmodulin antagonists, demonstrate that covalent adducts of calmodulin and drugs with equal stoichiometries of labeling can have quantitative differences in activity and sites of modification, and provide direct evidence of distinct drug binding regions in calmodulin located in the amphipathic alpha-helical regions of the second and fourth domains.