Epsilon-amino Group Of Lysine Research Articles

A Non-Functional Carbon Dioxide-Mediated Post-Translational Modification on Nucleoside Diphosphate Kinase of Arabidopsis thaliana.

The carbamate post-translational modification (PTM), formed by the nucleophilic attack of carbon dioxide by a dissociated lysine epsilon-amino group, is proposed as a widespread mechanism for sensing this biologically important bioactive gas. Here, we demonstrate the discovery and in vitro characterization of a carbamate PTM on K9 of Arabidopsis nucleoside diphosphate kinase (AtNDK1). We demonstrate that altered side chain reactivity at K9 is deleterious for AtNDK1 structure and catalytic function, but that CO2 does not impact catalysis. We show that nucleotide substrate removes CO2 from AtNDK1, and the carbamate PTM is functionless within the detection limits of our experiments. The AtNDK1 K9 PTM is the first demonstration of a functionless carbamate. In light of this finding, we speculate that non-functionality is a possible feature of the many newly identified carbamate PTMs.

Sirtuin-Dependent Reversible Lysine Acetylation Controls the Activity of Acetyl Coenzyme A Synthetase in Campylobacter jejuni.

Posttranslational modifications are mechanisms for rapid control of protein function used by cells from all domains of life. Acetylation of the epsilon amino group (Nε) of an active-site lysine of the AMP-forming acetyl coenzyme A (acetyl-CoA) synthetase (Acs) enzyme is the paradigm for the posttranslational control of the activity of metabolic enzymes. In bacteria, this active-site lysine of Acs enzymes can be modified by a number of different GCN5-type N-acetyltransferases (GNATs). Acs activity is lost as a result of acetylation and is restored by deacetylation. Using a heterologous host, we show that Campylobacter jejuni NCTC11168 synthesizes enzymes that control Acs function by reversible lysine acetylation (RLA). This work validates the function of gene products encoded by the cj1537c, cj1715, and cj1050c loci, namely, the AMP-forming acetate-CoA ligase (CjAcs), a type IV GCN5-type lysine acetyltransferase (GNAT [CjLatA]), and a NAD+-dependent (class III) sirtuin deacylase (CjCobB), respectively. To our knowledge, these are the first in vivo and in vitro data on C. jejuni enzymes that control the activity of CjAcs. IMPORTANCE This work provides the experimental evidence needed to support the assignment of function to three key enzymes, two of which control the reversible posttranslational modification of an active-site lysyl residue of the central metabolic enzyme acetyl-CoA synthetase (CjAcs). We can now generate Campylobacter jejuni mutant strains defective in these functions, so we can establish the conditions in which this mode of regulation of CjAcs is triggered in this bacterium. Such knowledge may provide new therapeutic strategies for the control of this pathogen.

Detection of Protein Ubiquitination Sites by Peptide Enrichment and Mass Spectrometry.

The posttranslational modification of proteins by the small protein ubiquitin is involved in many cellular events. After tryptic digestion of ubiquitinated proteins, peptides with a diglycine remnant conjugated to the epsilon amino group of lysine ('K-ε-diglycine' or simply 'diGly') can be used to track back the original modification site. Efficient immunopurification of diGly peptides combined with sensitive detection by mass spectrometry has resulted in a huge increase in the number of ubiquitination sites identified up to date. We have made several improvements to this workflow, including offline high pH reverse-phase fractionation of peptides prior to the enrichment procedure, and the inclusion of more advanced peptide fragmentation settings in the ion routing multipole. Also, more efficient cleanup of the sample using a filter-based plug in order to retain the antibody beads results in a greater specificity for diGly peptides. These improvements result in the routine detection of more than 23,000 diGly peptides from human cervical cancer cells (HeLa) cell lysates upon proteasome inhibition in the cell. We show the efficacy of this strategy for in-depth analysis of the ubiquitinome profiles of several different cell types and of in vivo samples, such as brain tissue. This study presents an original addition to the toolbox for protein ubiquitination analysis to uncover the deep cellular ubiquitinome.

Staphylococcus aureus modulates the activity of acetyl-Coenzyme A synthetase (Acs) by sirtuin-dependent reversible lysine acetylation.

Lysine acylation is a posttranslational modification used by cells of all domains of life to modulate cellular processes in response to metabolic stress. The paradigm for the role of lysine acylation in metabolism is the acetyl-coenzyme A synthetase (Acs) enzyme. In prokaryotic and eukaryotic cells alike, Acs activity is downregulated by acetylation and reactivated by deacetylation. Proteins belonging to the bacterial GCN5-related N-acetyltransferase (bGNAT) superfamily acetylate the epsilon amino group of an active site lysine, inactivating Acs. A deacetylase can remove the acetyl group, thereby restoring activity. Here we show the Acs from Staphylococcus aureus (SaAcs) activates acetate and weakly activates propionate, but does not activate >C3 organic acids or dicarboxylic acids (e.g. butyrate, malonate and succinate). SaAcs activity is regulated by AcuA (SaAcuA); a type-IV bGNAT. SaAcuA can acetylate or propionylate SaAcs reducing its activity by >90% and 95% respectively. SaAcuA also succinylated SaAcs, with this being the first documented case of a bacterial GNAT capable of succinylation. Inactive SaAcsAc was deacetylated (hence reactivated) by the NAD+ -dependent (class III) sirtuin protein deacetylase (hereafter SaCobB). In vivo and in vitro evidence show that SaAcuA and SaCobB modulate the level of SaAcs activity in S. aureus.

Abstract B074: Ubiquitin proteomics: profiling the landscape of ubiquitin modification by ubisite-omics

Abstract The ubiquitin pathway has emerged as a promising druggable target for cancer. Ubiquitylation regulates various cellular functions including cell cycle, differentiation, apoptosis, and stress response. Ubiquitylation of proteins is encrypted bya variety of chain-selective K48, K63, K6, K11 poly-ubiquitins as well as mono-ubiquitin attached to target proteins. Proteomics provides an effective approach for decoding the complex ubiquitin signals. Ubiquitylation is a very dynamic process and ubiquitylated proteins are low in abundance and stoichiometry. Enrichment of ubiquitylated proteins by affinity metrics TUBE (Tandem Ubiquitin Binding Entities) is essential to improve quantitative, reproducible, and sensitive proteomics analysis. The most common approach is to use antibody that pulls down DiGlyGly-lysine (C-terminal di-Gly of ubiquitin attached to epsilon amino group of lysine), the so-called “ubiquitin remnant.” However, ubiquitylation from ubiquitin-like proteins (UBLs) such as SUMO, NEDD8, and ISG15 that are undistinguishable by DiGlyGly-lysine antibody makes it impossible to assign a role for ubiquitin or UBLs. Here we demonstrate a novel ubiquitylation-specific proteomics approach. This method utilizes UbiSite antibody that recognizes the ubiquitin C-terminus (13 a.a.), which creates the specificity for ubiquitin remnant. HepG2 and Jurkat cells were chosen as model systems. The alteration in cellular protein ubiquitylation were promoted by treatment with the inhibitor of a proteasome-associated DUB, USP14, a USP7 DUB inhibitor that is an immune oncology target or bortezomib, a 26S proteasome inhibitor. Cell lysates were digested with Lys C and immuneprecipitated with UbiSite antibody. Enriched ubiquitylated peptides were further digested with trypsin and analyzed by LC-MS/MS. The total proteome and ubiquitome were compared among treated and untreated samples. In addition, the ubiquitome of proteins, the site-specific ubiquitylation levels, were also compared with other published studies. We have identified a number of novel ubiquitylated proteins using the UbiSite proteomics approach. We believe this approach will facilitate discovery of pharmacologic markers for drugs, uncover new substrates for DUBs and ubiquitin ligases, and open doors for cell biologists to specifically identify genome-wide patterns of poly-ubiquitylated proteins. Citation Format: Chengcheng Song, Vyacheslav Akimov, Peter Foote, Xiaolong Lu, Blagoy Blagoev, Rajesh Singh. Ubiquitin proteomics: profiling the landscape of ubiquitin modification by ubisite-omics [abstract]. In: Proceedings of the AACR-NCI-EORTC International Conference: Molecular Targets and Cancer Therapeutics; 2017 Oct 26-30; Philadelphia, PA. Philadelphia (PA): AACR; Mol Cancer Ther 2018;17(1 Suppl):Abstract nr B074.

Immunoglobulin-G Glycation by Fructose Leads to Structural Perturbations and Drop Off in Free Lysine and Arginine Residues.

Non-enzymatic glycation is the addition of free carbonyl group of reducing sugar to the free amino groups of proteins and leads to the formation of early glycation products and further into advanced glycation end products (AGEs). Fructose reacts rapidly with the free amino groups of proteins to form AGEs. AGEs are believed to be involved in the pathogenesis of several diseases, particularly in diabetic complications. In this study, IgG was glycated with fructose monosaccharide at 10 mM concentration for varying time interval. The reaction mixture was kept at 37ºC. The early glycation of IgG was done by nitroblue tetrazolium assay (NBT), and the generation of AGEs was done by the extent of side chain modifications (lysine and arginine), Nε-carboxymethyl lysine, pentosidine and carbonyl content. The decrease in free lysine and arginine residues suggests that protein 'IgG' has undergone modification specifically on epsilon amino groups of lysine and arginine. Additionally, their fluorescence and absorbance characteristics were also systematically studied. The results suggest that the maximum Amadori product (ketoamine content) was formed on sixth day of the incubation. The conformational structural perturbation was observed within the glycated IgG protein as studied by using various physicochemical techniques. This study reports structural perturbation, formation of various intermediates and AGEs.

Protein acetylation and acetyl coenzyme a metabolism in budding yeast.

Cells sense and appropriately respond to the physical conditions and availability of nutrients in their environment. This sensing of the environment and consequent cellular responses are orchestrated by a multitude of signaling pathways and typically involve changes in transcription and metabolism. Recent discoveries suggest that the signaling and transcription machineries are regulated by signals which are derived from metabolism and reflect the metabolic state of the cell. Acetyl coenzyme A (CoA) is a key metabolite that links metabolism with signaling, chromatin structure, and transcription. Acetyl-CoA is produced by glycolysis as well as other catabolic pathways and used as a substrate for the citric acid cycle and as a precursor in synthesis of fatty acids and steroids and in other anabolic pathways. This central position in metabolism endows acetyl-CoA with an important regulatory role. Acetyl-CoA serves as a substrate for lysine acetyltransferases (KATs), which catalyze the transfer of acetyl groups to the epsilon-amino groups of lysines in histones and many other proteins. Fluctuations in the concentration of acetyl-CoA, reflecting the metabolic state of the cell, are translated into dynamic protein acetylations that regulate a variety of cell functions, including transcription, replication, DNA repair, cell cycle progression, and aging. This review highlights the synthesis and homeostasis of acetyl-CoA and the regulation of transcriptional and signaling machineries in yeast by acetylation.

Characterisation of Maillard reaction products derived from LEKFD – A pentapeptide found in β-lactoglobulin sequence, glycated with glucose – By tandem mass spectrometry, molecular orbital calculations and gel filtration chromatography coupled with continuous photodiode array

Maillard reaction peptides (MRPs) contribute to taste, aroma, colour, texture and biological activity. However, peptide degradation or the cross-linking of MRPs in the Maillard reaction has not been investigated clearly. A peptide of LEKFD, a part of β-lactoglobulin, was heated at 110°C for 24h with glucose and the reaction products were analysed by HPLC with ODS, ESI-MS, ESI-MS/MS and HPLC with gel-filtration column and DAD detector. In the HPLC fractions, an imminium ion of LEK*FD, a pyrylium ion or a hydroxymethyl furylium ion of LEK*FD, and KFD and EK were detected by ESI-MS. Therefore, those products may be produced by the Maillard reaction. The molecular orbital of glycated LEKFD at the lysine epsilon-amino residue with Schiff base form was calculated by MOPAC. HPLC with gel-filtration column showed cross-linking and degradation of peptides.

Focus on Molecules: Lysyl oxidase

1. StructureLysyl Oxidase (LOX, also called protein-lysine 6-oxidase)(Genbank accession numbers: Nucleotide NM_002317.5, ProteinNP_002308.2, EC 1.4.3.13) is one of the five LOX family members(LOX and LOX Like1-4). The human LOX gene is located onchromosome 5q23.2. LOX is synthesized as a 50 kDa pre-proteincontaining 3 domains; the N-terminal signal peptide sequence(aa1-21), the N-terminal pro-peptide domain (aa 22-162), and theC-terminal catalytic domain (aa 162-417). The signal peptide isremoved by cleavage at the Cys21-Ala22 bond and the pro-peptidedomain is N-glycosylated in the endoplasmic reticulum and Golgiapparatus yielding a pro-enzyme, which is then secreted fromcells as a catalytically inactive protein. The 32 kDa active enzyme(C-terminal domain) is released by proteolytic cleavage of thepro-peptide at Gly162eAsp163 by procollagen C-proteinase (bonemorphogenetic protein 1; BMP-1) (Kagan and Li, 2003)(Fig. 1).2. FunctionLOX belongs to a family of amine oxidases. LOX was initiallyreported to be expressed andsecreted by fibrogenic cells but is nowknown to be expressed in several other cell types. LOX oxidizespeptidyl lysine and hydroxylysine residues in collagen and lysineresidues in elastin to produce peptidyl alpha-aminoadipic-delta-semialdehydes. These aldehyde modifications can spontaneouslycombine with vicinal peptidyl aldehydes or with epsilon-aminogroups of peptidyl lysine to form covalent cross-links that stabilizeand cause collagen and elastin fibers to be insoluble in the extra-cellular matrix (ECM). The significance of LOX was demonstrated inthe LOX knockout mouse, which could not survive at birth, due torupture of the aorta and diaphragm from incomplete elastin cross-linking. LOX is also essential for development of the distal andproximal airways, and the formation of alveoli in the lungs. LOX isalso critical for notochord formation and muscle development. LOXaffects differentiation of osteoblasts by forming cross-links in thesurrounding collagen matrix. These results underline the impor-tance of LOX in the morphogenesis and repair of connective tissuesof the cardiovascular, respiratory, skeletal, and other organ systems(Fongetal.,2009).LOXcanalsoinducecross-linkingbetweenlysinesin histones in the nucleus (Kagan and Li, 2003). LOX has also beenreported as a potent chemotactic agent for monocytes and vascularsmooth muscle cells.3. Disease involvementDuetotherangeofLOXbiologicalfunctions,abnormalitiesofLOXexpression underlie the development of a number of pathologicalprocesses related with an imbalance in ECM synthesis/degradation.LOX is expressed in several ocular tissues, and the followingdiseases of the eye have been linked with LOX:A. Keratoconus: Keratoconus is a corneal degeneration in whichthe extracellular matrix of the cornea loses its integrity, slowlychanging from the normal round shape to a cone shape. Onestudy reported that corneal LOX mRNA expression was signif-icantly lower in keratoconus patients when compared to theirage-matched controls. Another study showed that reducingcopper levels in tears results in keratoconus in an animalmodel. Copper is an essential cofactor for LOX activity.B. Diabetic retinopathy (DR): There are a number of reports oflower expression of LOX co-factors in DR retina samples andlower LOX cross-linking activity in vitreous samples of patientswith DR. However, theeffectofhigh glucose onLOXexpressionand enzymatic activity in cultured human retinal endothelialcells is less clear, with conflicting evidence suggesting eitherincreased or decreased LOX expression. Although discrepant,these studies indicate a potential involvement of LOX in theobserved DR phenotype.

Inhibition of endothelial- and neuronal-type, but not inducible-type, nitric oxide synthase by the oxidized cholesterol metabolite secosterol aldehyde: Implications for vascular and neurodegenerative diseases

The cholesterol ozonolysis products secosterol-A and its aldolization product secosterol-B were recently detected in human atherosclerotic tissues and brain specimens, and have been postulated to play pivotal roles in the pathogenesis of atherosclerosis and neurodegenerative diseases. We examined several oxidized cholesterol metabolites including secosterol-A, secosterol-B, 25-hydroxycholesterol, 5β,6β-epoxycholesterol and 7-ketocholesterol for their effects on the activities of three nitric oxide synthases. In contrast to other oxidized metabolites, secosterol-A was found to be a potent inhibitor against the neuronal- and endothelial-type, but not the inducible-type nitric oxide synthase, with IC50 values of 22 ± 1 and 50 ± 5 µM, respectively. The calmodulin-binding regions of the neuronal- and endothelial-nitric oxide synthases contain lysine residues which are not present in the inducible-type nitric oxide synthase. Secosterol-A modifies proteins through the formation of a Schiff base with the lysine epsilon-amino group. It is possible that secosterol-A modifies lysine residues of constitutive nitric oxide synthases, leading to the inhibition of enzymatic activities. As nitric oxide is a critical signaling molecule in vascular function and in long-term potentiation, its reduced production through inhibition of constitutive nitric oxide synthases by secosterol-A may contribute to the development of atherosclerosis and memory impairment in particular neurodegenerative diseases.

Cyclization of Peptides through a Urea Bond: Application to the Arg‐Gly‐Asp Tripeptide

Various synthetic cyclopeptides bind different cellular proteins with high affinity and specificity. In this study, we designed a new series of cyclic tetrapeptides containing the RGD sequence, a ligand for the alpha(v)beta(3) integrin receptor, in which the ring closure was performed through a urea bond between the alpha-amino group of the peptide and either the alpha- or the epsilon-amino group of an additional lysine. Interestingly, we showed that the urea-closed peptide had a higher affinity for alpha(v)beta(3) receptors than a reference pentacyclopeptide. Moreover, the synthetic strategy allows coupling of the resulting cyclic tetrapeptide through the carboxylic acid moiety of its lysine residue to fluorescent molecules or drugs. In addition, this strategy could be easily adapted for the cyclization of any other peptides.

Novel Polar Single Amino Acid Chelates for Technetium-99m Tricarbonyl-Based Radiopharmaceuticals with Enhanced Renal Clearance: Application to Octreotide

Single amino acid chelate (SAAC) systems for the incorporation of the M(CO)(3) moiety (M = Tc/Re) have been successfully incorporated into novel synthetic strategies for radiopharmaceuticals and evaluated in a variety of biological applications. However, the lipophilicity of the first generation Tc(CO)(3)-dipyridyl complexes has resulted in substantial hepatobiliary uptake when either examined as lysine derivatives or integrated into biologically active small molecules and peptides. Here we designed, synthesized, and evaluated novel SAAC systems that have been chemically modified to promote overall Tc(CO)(3)L(3) complex hydrophilicity with the intent of enhancing renal clearance. A series of lysine derived SAAC systems containing functionalized polar imidazole rings and/or carboxylic acids were synthesized via reductive alkylation of the epsilon amino group of lysine. The SAAC systems were radiolabeled with (99m)Tc, purified, and evaluated for radiochemical stability, lipophilicity, and tissue distribution in rats. The log P values of the (99m)Tc complexes were determined experimentally and ranged from -0.91 to -2.33. The resulting complexes were stable (>90%) for at least 24 h. Tissue distribution in normal rats of the lead (99m)Tc complexes demonstrated decreased liver (<1 %ID/g) and gastrointestinal clearance (<1.5%ID/g) and increased kidney clearance (>15 %ID/g) at 2 h after injection compared to the dipyridyl lysine complex (DpK). One of the new SAAC ligands, [(99m)Tc]bis-carboxymethylimidazole lysine, was conjugated to the N-terminus of Tyr-3 octreotide and evaluated for localization in nude mice bearing AR42J xenografts to examine tissue distribution, tumor uptake and retention, clearance, and route of excretion for comparison to (111)In-DOTA-Tyr-3-octreotide and (99m)Tc-DpK-Tyr-3-octreotide. (99m)Tc-bis-(carboxymethylimidazole)-lysine-Tyr-3-octreotide exhibited significantly less liver uptake and gastrointestinal clearance compared to (99m)Tc-DpK-Tyr-3-octreotide while maintaining tumor uptake in the same mouse model. These novel chelators demonstrate that lipophilicity can be controlled and organ distribution significantly altered, opening up broad application of these novel SAAC systems for radiopharmaceutical design.

Ubiquitin-like small archaeal modifier proteins (SAMPs) in Haloferax volcanii

SummaryArchaea, one of three major evolutionary lineages of life, encode proteasomes highly related to those of eukaryotes. In contrast, archaeal ubiquitin-like proteins are less conserved and not known to function in protein conjugation. This has complicated our understanding of the origins of ubiquitination and its connection to proteasomes. Here we report two small archaeal modifier proteins, SAMP1 and SAMP2, with a β-grasp fold and C-terminal diglycine motif similar to ubiquitin, that form protein-conjugates in the archaeon Haloferax volcanii. SAMP-conjugates were altered by nitrogen-limitation and proteasomal gene knockout and spanned various functions including components of the Urm1 pathway. LC-MS/MS-based collision-induced dissociation demonstrated isopeptide bonds between the C-terminal glycine of SAMP2 and the ε-amino group of lysines from a number of protein targets and Lys58 of SAMP2 itself, revealing poly-SAMP chains. The widespread distribution and diversity of pathways modified by SAMPylation suggest this type of protein-conjugation is central to the archaeal lineage.

Protein Acetylation in Archaea, Bacteria, and Eukaryotes

Proteins can be acetylated at the alpha-amino group of the N-terminal amino acid (methionine or the penultimate amino acid after methionine removal) or at the epsilon-amino group of internal lysines. In eukaryotes the majority of proteins are N-terminally acetylated, while this is extremely rare in bacteria. A variety of studies about N-terminal acetylation in archaea have been reported recently, and it was revealed that a considerable fraction of proteins is N-terminally acetylated in haloarchaea and Sulfolobus, while this does not seem to apply for methanogenic archaea. Many eukaryotic proteins are modified by differential internal acetylation, which is important for a variety of processes. Until very recently, only two bacterial proteins were known to be acetylation targets, but now 125 acetylation sites are known for E. coli. Knowledge about internal acetylation in archaea is extremely limited; only two target proteins are known, only one of which—Alba—was used to study differential acetylation. However, indications accumulate that the degree of internal acetylation of archaeal proteins might be underestimated, and differential acetylation has been shown to be essential for the viability of haloarchaea. Focused proteomic approaches are needed to get an overview of the extent of internal protein acetylation in archaea.

On the Charge Partitioning Between c and z Fragments Formed After Electron-Capture Induced Dissociation of Charge-Tagged Lys-Lys and Ala-Lys Dipeptide Dications

Here we report on the charge partition between c and z fragments formed after femtosecond collisional electron-transfer from Cs atoms to charge-tagged peptide dications. Peptides chosen for study were Ala-Lys (AK) and Lys-Lys (KK) where one or both of the lysine epsilon-amino groups were trimethylated to provide one or two fixed charges. For peptides with only one charge tag, the other charge was obtained by protonation of an amino group. In some experiments the ammonium group was tagged by 18-crown-6-ether (CE). Since recombination energies decrease in the order: MeNH3+ > NMe4+ > MeNH3+(CE) > NMe4+(CE), it is possible to change the probability for the transferred electron to end up at either the N-terminal or the C-terminal residue by CE attachment. We find, however, that the individual recombination energies have little influence on the relative ratio between the yield of c and z ions as long as there are no mobile protons that can be transferred between the two fragments. Our results can be accounted for by the Utah-Washington model where the electron is captured into an amide pi* orbital that weakens the N-C(alpha) bond and causes its breakage, followed by proton, electron, or hydrogen transfer between the c and z fragments that stay together as an ion-molecule complex for some time. The data are also in accordance with the notion that an amide group competes with the charged groups for the electron. Electron capture by charged groups results in loss of small neutrals such as hydrogen and ammonia.

Mutation of the Active Site Carboxy-Lysine (K70) of OXA-1 β-Lactamase Results in a Deacylation-Deficient Enzyme

Class D beta-lactamases hydrolyze beta-lactam antibiotics by using an active site serine nucleophile to form a covalent acyl-enzyme intermediate and subsequently employ water to deacylate the beta-lactam and release product. Class D beta-lactamases are carboxylated on the epsilon-amino group of an active site lysine, with the resulting carbamate functional group serving as a general base. We discovered that substitutions of the active site serine and lysine in OXA-1 beta-lactamase, a monomeric class D enzyme, significantly disrupt catalytic turnover. Substitution of glycine for the nucleophilic serine (S67G) results in an enzyme that can still bind substrate but is unable to form a covalent acyl-enzyme intermediate. Substitution of the carboxylated lysine (K70), on the other hand, results in enzyme that can be acylated by substrate but is impaired with respect to deacylation. We employed the fluorescent penicillin BOCILLIN FL to show that three different substitutions for K70 (alanine, aspartate, and glutamate) lead to the accumulation of significant acyl-enzyme intermediate. Interestingly, BOCILLIN FL deacylation rates (t(1/2)) vary depending on the identity of the substituting residue, from approximately 60 min for K70A to undetectable deacylation for K70D. Tryptophan fluorescence spectroscopy was used to confirm that these results are applicable to natural (i.e., nonfluorescent) substrates. Deacylation by K70A, but not K70D or K70E, can be partially restored by the addition of short-chain carboxylic acid mimetics of the lysine carbamate. In conclusion, we establish the functional role of the carboxylated lysine in OXA-1 and highlight its specific role in acylation and deacylation.

Effects of Heating and Glycation of β-Lactoglobulin on Its Recognition by IgE of Sera from Cow Milk Allergy Patients

beta-Lactoglobulin (beta-LG) is one of the cow's major milk proteins and the most abundant whey protein. This globular protein of about 18 kDa is folded, forming a beta-barrel (or calyx) structure. This structure is stabilized by two disulfide bonds and can be altered by heating above 65 degrees C. beta-LG is also one of the major allergens in milk. Heating is one of the most common technologic treatments applied during many milk transformations. During heating in the presence of reducing sugars, beta-LG is also submitted to the Maillard reaction, which at the first stage consists of the covalent fixation of sugars on the epsilon-amino groups of lysyl residues. The following steps are condensation and polymerization reactions leading to the formation of melanoidins (brown pigments). Despite the frequency of use of heating during milk transformation, the effects of heat-induced denaturation and of glycation of beta-LG on its recognition by IgE from cow's milk allergy (CMA) patients are not fully understood. The objectives of our work were to evaluate the effect of heat-induced denaturation of bovine beta-LG on binding of IgE from CMA patients and to determine the effect of moderate glycation on the degree of recognition by IgE. We showed that heat-induced denaturation (loss of tertiary and secondary structures) of beta-LG is associated with weaker binding of IgE from CMA patients. It was also shown that moderate glycation of beta-LG in early stages of Maillard reaction has only a small effect on its recognition by IgE, whereas a high degree of glycation has a clear "masking" effect on the recognition of epitopes. This demonstrates the importance of epsilon-amino groups of lysines in the definition of epitopes recognized by IgE.

Methods of the site-selective solid phase synthesis of peptide-derived Amadori products

Two procedures of glycated peptides' synthesis have been developed. The first method involves reductive alkylation of the epsilon-amino groups of lysine with 2,3:4,5-di-O-isopropylidene-beta-D-arabino-hexos-2-ulo-2,6-pyranose in the presence of sodium cyanoborohydride on solid support. The second one uses a new fully protected lysine derivative, which is a building block designed for direct introduction of the glycated lysine moiety into a peptide, according to the standard solid phase synthesis protocol. The applicability of the proposed methods for the synthesis of peptide-derived Amadori products is discussed. The structure of the synthesized glycated peptides was confirmed by high-resolution mass spectrometry and enzymatic hydrolysis. Circular dichroism studies, performed in water solution, revealed that the formation of the Amadori rearrangement product in the lysine side chain does not influence significantly the conformational preferences of the peptides studied. However, when the solvent was changed to trifluoroethanol, the glycated peptides preferred beta-turn conformation.

Unraveling the biochemistry and provenance of pupylation: a prokaryotic analog of ubiquitination

Recently Mycobacterium tuberculosis was shown to possess a novel protein modification, in which a small protein Pup is conjugated to the epsilon-amino groups of lysines in target proteins. Analogous to ubiquitin modification in eukaryotes, this remarkable modification recruits proteins for degradation via archaeal-type proteasomes found in mycobacteria and allied actinobacteria. While a mycobacterial protein named PafA was found to be required for this conjugation reaction, its biochemical mechanism has not been elucidated. Using sensitive sequence profile comparison methods we establish that the PafA family proteins are related to the γ-glutamyl-cysteine synthetase and glutamine synthetase. Hence, we predict that PafA is the Pup ligase, which catalyzes the ATP-dependent ligation of the terminal γ-carboxylate of glutamate to lysines, similar to the above enzymes. We further discovered that an ortholog of the eukaryotic PAC2 (e.g. cg2106) is often present in the vicinity of the actinobacterial Pup-proteasome gene neighborhoods and is likely to represent the ancestral proteasomal chaperone. Pup-conjugation is sporadically present outside the actinobacteria in certain lineages, such as verrucomicrobia, nitrospirae, deltaproteobacteria and planctomycetes, and in the latter two lineages it might modify membrane proteins.ReviewersThis article was reviewed by M. Madan Babu and Andrei Osterman

The first preparative solution phase synthesis of melanotan II

Melanotan II is a synthetic cyclic heptapeptide used to prevent a sunlight-induced skin cancer by stimulating the skin tanning process. In this paper we report the first solution phase synthesis of the title compound. The hexapeptide sequence has been assembled by [(2+2)+1+1] scheme. After removing the orthogonal protection, a carbodiimide mediated lactamization, involving the ε-amino group of lysine and γ-carboxy group of aspartic acid, led to a cyclic intermediate. Appending N-acetylnorleucine concluded the assembly of melanotan II molecule. Protection of the lateral groups in arginine and tryptophan was omitted for atom and step economy reasons. The total synthesis of melanotan II was accomplished in 12 steps with 2.6% overall yield, affording >90% pure peptide without using preparative chromatography.