Gamma-carboxyglutamic Acid Residues Research Articles

A New Member of Gamma-Conotoxin Family Isolated from Conus princeps Displays a Novel Molecular Target

A novel conotoxin, named as PiVIIA, was isolated from the venom of Conus princeps, a marine predatory cone snail collected in the Pacific Southern Coast of Mexico. Chymotryptic digest of the S-alkylated peptide in combination with liquid chromatography coupled to tandem mass spectrometry, were used to define the sequencing of this peptide. Eleven N-terminal amino acids were verified by automated Edman degradation. PiVIIA is a 25-mer peptide (CDAOTHYCTNYWγCCSGYCγHSHCW) with six cysteine residues forming three disulphide bonds, a hydroxyproline (O) and two gamma carboxyglutamic acid (γ) residues. Based on the arrangement of six Cys residues (C-C-CC-C-C), this conotoxin might belong to the O2-superfamily. Moreover, PiVIIA has a conserved motif (-γCCS-) that characterizes γ-conotoxins from molluscivorous Conus. Peptide PiVIIA has 45% sequence identity with γ-PnVIIA—the prototype of this family. Biological activity of PiVIIA was assessed by voltage-clamp recording in rat dorsal root ganglion neurons. Perfusion of PiVIIA in the µM range produces a significant increase in the Ca2+ currents, without significantly modifying the Na+, K+ or proton-gated acid sensing ionic currents. These results indicate that PiVIIA is a new conotoxin whose activity deserves further studies to define its potential use as a positive modulator of neuronal activity.

Carboxylation-dependent conformational changes of human osteocalcin

Osteocalcin (OCN) is a small noncollagenous protein mainly produced by osteoblasts and is highly represented in bones of most vertebrates. Human OCN contains up to three gamma-carboxyglutamic acid (Gla-OCN) residues at positions 17, 21 and 24 which are thought to increase calcium binding strength, improving mechanical properties of the bone matrix. Recent studies revealed that OCN exerts also important endocrine functions, affecting energy metabolism and male fertility. The latter effect seems to be mediated by the uncarboxylated form of OCN (Glu-OCN). We employed human and mouse OCN as models of fully carboxylated and uncarboxylated OCN forms to investigate, by the use of circular dichroism and molecular dynamics simulations, the respective conformational properties and Ca2+ affinity. Ca2+ binding was found to trigger a similar conformational transition in both Glu-OCN and Gla-OCN, from a disordered structure to a more compact/stable form. Notably, gamma-carboxylation increases the affinity of OCN for Ca2+ by > 30 fold suggesting that, in physiological conditions, Gla-OCN is essentially Ca2+-bound, whereas Glu-OCN circulates mainly in the Ca2+-free form.

Osteocalcin is a stress-responsive neuropeptide

Osteocalcin (OC) is a small, acidic extracellular protein synthesized by osteoblasts during bone formation. 3 residues of gamma-carboxy glutamic acid, formed in a vitamin K dependent process, enable highly specific binding to ionic or bone mineral calcium. Some OC is released to circulation (pOC) and can serve as a biomarker of bone turnover. A series of experiments indicated that OC is stress-responsive in ways that vary with the type of stressor. Those in which the HPA axis predominates slowly decrease OC synthesis and secretion while sympathetic neural activation rapidly increases pOC. The advent of an OC null mutant mouse (KO) led to discovery of several functions for the protein outside the skeleton, most notably in regulation of energy metabolism. The KO mouse also exhibits numerous behavioral traits that are characteristic of sensory impairment. The discovery of OC protein in sensory ganglia stimulated further investigation of the interaction of sensory responses and both OC gene expression and OC protein in trigeminal and dorsal root ganglia. A recently discovered G-coupled protein receptor has been suggested as a potential OC receptor in combination with calcium ions. Because of the importance of ionic calcium to signal transduction in the nervous system, the presence of this unique calcium binding protein in neurons led to the hypothesis that OC functions as a neuropeptide. Implications of this potential new function are discussed.

Ca2+-induced self-assembly in designed peptides with optimally spaced gamma-carboxyglutamic acid residues

We have previously elucidated a new paradigm for the metal ion-induced helix–helix assembly in the natural γ-carboxyglutamic acid (Gla)-containing class of conantokin (con) peptides, typified by con-G and a variant of con-T, con-T[K7Gla], independent of the hydrophobic effect. In these “metallo-zipper” structures, Gla residues spaced at i, i+4, i+7, i+11 intervals, which is similar to the arrangement of a and d residues in typical heptads of coiled-coils, coordinate with Ca2+ and form specific antiparallel helical dimers. In order to evaluate the common role of Gla residues in peptide self-assembly, we extend herein the same Gla arrangement to designed peptides: NH2–(γLSγEAK)3–CONH2 (peptide 1) and NH2–γLSγEAKγLSγQANγLSγKAE–CONH2 (peptide 2). Peptide 1 and peptide 2 exhibit no helicity alone, but undergo structural transitions to helical conformations in the presence of a variety of divalent cations. Sedimentation equilibrium ultracentrifugation analyses showed that peptide 1 and peptide 2 form helical dimers in the presence of Ca2+, but not Mg2+. Folding and thiol-disulfide rearrangement assays with Cys-containing peptide variants indicated that the helical dimers are mixtures of antiparallel and parallel dimers, which is different from the strict antiparallel strand orientations of con-G and con-T[K7γGla] dimers. These findings suggest that the Gla arrangement, i, i+4, i+7, i+11, i+14, plays a key role in helix formation, without a strict adherence to strand orientation of the helical dimer.

Vitamin K-dependent γ-glutamylcarboxylase in Atlantic salmon (Salmo salar L.)

Due to problems with bone deformities in farmed Atlantic salmon, there is a growing interest in the possible involvement of vitamin K in normal bone development, and sensitive biomarkers for evaluating vitamin K status are therefore needed. The vitamin K-dependent (VKD) enzyme gamma-glutamylcarboxylase (GGCX, EC 6.4.x.x) requires vitamin K as a cofactor for its post-translational modification of glutamic acid (Glu) residues to gamma-carboxyglutamic acid (Gla) residues in VKD proteins, and is required for their function in haemostasis and bone metabolism. The present study was designed to evaluate the enzyme assay for GGCX activity in isolated liver microsomes and its distribution in the tissues of Atlantic salmon. The effect of KH(2) and menadione on the GGCX activity in salmon liver was also compared. Results from the present study show a widespread tissue distribution and expression of GGCX in Atlantic salmon. The GGCX activity and ggcx expression in all bony tissues examined imply the presence of vitamin K, and suggest the involvement of vitamin K in bone metabolism of Atlantic salmon. We propose the GGCX assay as a sensitive marker for vitamin K status, and confirm that menadione does not work as a cofactor for GGCX in Atlantic salmon liver.

Characterization of conantokin Rl‐A: molecular phylogeny as structure/function study

A multidisciplinary strategy for discovery of new Conus venom peptides combines molecular genetics and phylogenetics with peptide chemistry and neuropharmacology. Here we describe application of this approach to the conantokin family of conopeptides targeting NMDA receptors. A new conantokin from Conus rolani, ConRl-A, was identified using molecular phylogeny and subsequently synthesized and functionally characterized. ConRl-A is a 24-residue peptide containing three gamma-carboxyglutamic acid residues with a number of unique sequence features compared to conantokins previously characterized. The HPLC elution of ConRl-A suggested that this peptide exists as two distinct, slowly exchanging conformers. ConRl-A is predominantly helical (estimated helicity of 50%), both in the presence and absence of Ca(++). The order of potency for blocking the four NMDA receptor subtypes by ConRl-A was NR2B > NR2D > NR2A > NR2C. This peptide has a greater discrimination between NR2B and NR2C than any other ligand reported so far. In summary, ConRl-A is a new member of the conantokin family that expands our understanding of structure/function of this group of peptidic ligands targeted to NMDA receptors. Thus, incorporating phylogeny in the discovery of novel ligands for the given family of ion channels or receptors is an efficient means of exploring the megadiverse group of peptides from the genus Conus.

Biosynthesis of the vitamin K-dependent matrix Gla protein (MGP) in chondrocytes: a fetuin–MGP protein complex is assembled in vesicles shed from normal but not from osteoarthritic chondrocytes

Mineralization has been observed in osteoarthritic cartilage but the mechanisms are incompletely understood. Vitamin K is an essential cofactor in post-translational modification of proteins where specific Glu residues become modified to Ca(++) binding gamma-carboxyglutamic acid residues (Gla). One such protein, matrix Gla protein (MGP), is a known mineralization inhibitor. This study determined if synthesis of MGP and formation of a fetuin-MGP protein complex was altered in chondrocytes and vesicles from osteoarthritis (OA) cartilage. Chondrocytes and vesicles were isolated from normal and OA human articular cartilage and lysates prepared. Specific antibodies were used in immunoblotting to detect the mature fully gamma-carboxylated form of MGP (cMGP) and non-gamma-carboxylated MGP (ucMGP) as well as fetuin and MGP-fetuin complexes. gamma-carboxylase activity was measured by (14)CO(2) incorporation into the carboxylase peptide substrate FLEEL. Immunocytochemistry was used to examine fetuin in cartilage sections and uptake of biotin-labeled fetuin by isolated chondrocytes. Chondrocytes and vesicles from osteoarthritic tissue produced significantly less cMGP compared to those from normal cartilage. This correlated with significantly less vitamin K-dependent gamma-carboxylase enzyme activity in OA chondrocytes. Fetuin was found to be present in articular cartilage and cultured chondrocytes were capable of fetuin uptake. A fetuin-MGP complex was identified in normal chondrocytes and in vesicles shed from these cells but not in OA cells or vesicles. The absence of cMGP and of the cMGP-fetuin complex in OA cells and OA vesicles may be an important mechanism for increased mineralization of osteoarthritic cartilage.

Metal ion determinants of conantokin dimerization as revealed in the X-ray crystallographic structure of the Cd(2+)/Mg (2+)-con-T[K7gamma] complex.

Predatory sea snails from the Conus family produce a variety of venomous small helical peptides called conantokins that are rich in gamma-carboxyglutamic acid (Gla) residues. As potent and selective antagonists of the N-methyl-D: -aspartate receptor, these peptides are potential therapeutic agents for a variety of neurological conditions. The two most studied members of this family of peptides are con-G and con-T. Con-G has Gla residues at sequence positions 3, 4, 7, 10, and 14, and requires divalent cation binding to adopt a helical conformation. Although both Ca(2+) and Mg(2+) can fulfill this role, Ca(2+) induces dimerization of con-G, whereas the Mg(2+)-complexed peptide remains monomeric. A variant of con-T, con-T[K7gamma] (gamma is Gla), contains Gla residues at the same five positions as in con-G and behaves very similarly with respect to metal ion binding and dimerization; each peptide binds two Ca(2+) ions and two Mg(2+) ions per helix. To understand the difference in metal ion selectivity, affinity, and the dependence on Ca(2+) for dimer formation, we report here the structure of the monomeric Cd(2+)/Mg(2+)-con-T[K7gamma] complex, and, by comparison with the previously published con-T[K7gamma]/Ca(2+) dimer structure, we suggest explanations for both metal ion binding site specificity and metal-ion-dependent dimerization.

An Anticoagulant RNA Aptamer That Inhibits Proteinase-Cofactor Interactions within Prothrombinase

The interaction of factor Xa with factor Va on membranes to form prothrombinase profoundly increases the rate of the proteolytic conversion of prothrombin to thrombin. We present the characterization of an RNA aptamer (RNA(11F7t)) selected from a combinatorial library based on its ability to bind factor Xa. We show that RNA(11F7t) inhibits thrombin formation catalyzed by prothrombinase without obscuring the active site of Xa within the enzyme complex. Selective inhibition of protein substrate cleavage arises from the ability of the aptamer to bind to factor Xa and exclude interactions between the proteinase and cofactor within prothrombinase. Competition for enzyme complex assembly results from the binding of RNA(11F7t) to factor Xa with nanomolar affinity in a Ca(2+)-dependent interaction. RNA(11F7t) binds equivalently to the zymogen factor X as well as derivatives lacking gamma-carboxyglutamic acid residues. We suggest that the ability of RNA(11F7t) to compete for the Xa-Va interaction with surprisingly high affinity likely reflects a significant contribution from its ability to indirectly impact regions of Xa that participate in the proteinase-cofactor interaction. Thus, despite the complexity of the macromolecular interactions that underlie the assembly of prothrombinase, efficient inhibition of enzyme complex assembly and thrombin formation can be achieved by tight binding ligands that target factor Xa in a discrete manner.

Factor XI Binding to Platelets

Platelets are crucial in supporting coagulation reactions. The classical view is that platelets bind the vitamin K-dependent factors (VII, IX, X, II, protein C, S, and Z) via their gamma carboxyglutamic acid (gla) residues, and in this way localize coagulation factor complexes to the platelet membrane.1 For binding of gla-containing proteins to the platelet surface to occur, the platelet needs to be activated after which negatively charged phospholipids, including phosphatidylserine, are translocated from the inner to the outer leaflet of the platelet membrane. Exposure of negatively charged lipids enables a Ca2+-dependent interaction of gla-containing proteins with the negatively charged platelet membrane. See accompanying article on page 1602 In addition to the gla-containing coagulation factors, multiple coagulation factors lacking a gla-domain, including thrombin,2 factor XI(a),3 factor XII(a),4 and high-molecular-weight kininogen5 interact with platelets, and the interaction of all these proteins has been shown to be (in part) mediated by glycoprotein Ibα (GPIbα). Recent work has demonstrated that also some of the gla-containing coagulation factors, factor VII(a),6 factor IX(a),7 and both zymogen and activated protein C8 interact with GPIbα. These findings indicate that localization of coagulation factors to the platelet surface is much more complicated than anticipated by the model in which the interaction with negatively charged phospholipids was considered required and sufficient for gla-containing proteins to bind to platelets. Indeed, it has been demonstrated that the thrombin-generating capacity of activated platelets from different …

Use of a Bacterially Expressed Human Factor IX Light Chain to Develop Polyclonal Antibody Anti-hFIX

Hemophilia B is an X-linked recessive bleeding disorder caused by deficiency or malfunctioning of human coagulation factor IX (hFIX). Hemophilia B patients are treated at present by infusion of plasma derived hFIX which is not always efficient, because development of anti-hFIX antibodies (alloantibodies) in some cases inhibits the activity of the infused hFIX. The hFIX alloantibodies are directed against gamma-carboxyglutamic acid residues (Gla-domain) or protease domain in hFIX light chain. An epitope-containing fragment of hFIX light-chain was expressed in a T7-based Escherichia coli expression system and after purification, it was used for the immunization of rabbit to develop specific antibodies anti-hFIX. The plasma, derived from the immunized rabbit, was shown to be able to detect the normal hFIX, which indicates for the presence of a specific anti-hFIX antibody and supporting that a bacterially expressed hFIX subfragment might be able to neutralize the alloantibodies. Considering the importance of hFIX and its related investigations, both the produced hFIX antigen and its corresponding antibody will play important roles for experiments dealing with the production of hFIX and studies involved in the neutralization of the hFIX inhibitors in hFIX-related disorders and other clinical applications.

Fonctions nouvelles de Gas-6 et de la protéine S

The gamma-carboxyglutamate-containing proteins are a family of secreted vitamin K-dependent proteins in which some glutamyl residues are post-translationally modified to gamma-carboxyglutamic acid residues. A vitamin K-dependent gamma-glutamyl carboxylase enzyme catalyses this post-translational modification. The gamma-carboxylase reaction requires vitamin K in its reduced form, vitamin K hydroquinone, and generates gamma-carboxyglutamate and vitamin K 2,3,-epoxide which is then recycled back to the hydroquinone form by a vitamin K reductase system. Warfarin blocks the vitamin K cycle and hence inhibits the gamma-carboxylase reaction, and this property of Warfarin has led to its wide use in anticoagulant therapy. Until recently, interest in vitamin K-dependent proteins was mostly restricted to the field of hematology. However, the discovery that the anti-coagulant factor protein S and its structural homologue Gas6 (growth arrest-specific gene 6), two vitamin K-dependent proteins, are ligands for the Tyro3/Axl/Mer family of related tyrosine kinase receptors has opened up a new area of research. Moreover, the phenotypes associated with the invalidation of genes encoding vitamin K-dependent proteins or their receptors revealed their implication in regulating phagocytosis during many cell differentiation phenomena such as retinogenesis, neurogenesis, osteogenesis, and spermatogenesis. Additionally, protein S was identified as the major factor responsible for serum-stimulated phagocytosis of apoptotic cells. Therefore, the elucidation of the molecular mechanisms underlying the role of vitamin K-dependent proteins in regulating apoptotic cell phagocytosis may lead to a better understanding of the physiopathology of cell differentiation and could form the framework of new therapeutic strategies aiming at a selective targeting of cell phagocytosis associated pathologies.

Post-translational modifications regulate matrix Gla protein function: importance for inhibition of vascular smooth muscle cell calcification.

Matrix Gla protein (MGP) is a small vitamin K-dependent protein containing five gamma-carboxyglutamic acid (Gla) residues that are believed to be important in binding Ca(2+), calcium crystals and bone morphogenetic protein. In addition, MGP contains phosphorylated serine residues that may further regulate its activity. In vivo, MGP has been shown to be a potent inhibitor of vascular calcification; however, the precise molecular mechanism underlying the function of MGP is not yet fully understood. We investigated the effects of MGP in human vascular smooth muscle cell (VSMC) monolayers that undergo calcification after exposure to an increase in Ca(2+) concentration. Increased calcium salt deposition was found in cells treated with the vitamin K antagonist warfarin as compared to controls, whereas cells treated with vitamin K(1) showed decreased calcification as compared to controls. With conformation-specific antibodies, it was confirmed that warfarin treatment of VSMCs resulted in uncarboxylated (Gla-deficient) MGP. To specifically test the effects of MGP on VSMC calcification, we used full-length synthetic MGP and MGP-derived peptides representing various domains in MGP. Full length MGP, the gamma-carboxylated motif (Gla) (amino acids 35-54) and the phosphorylated serine motif (amino acids 3-15) inhibited calcification. Furthermore, we showed that the peptides were not taken up by VSMCs but bound to the cell surface and to vesicle-like structures. These data demonstrate that both gamma-glutamyl carboxylation and serine phosphorylation of MGP contribute to its function as a calcification inhibitor and that MGP may inhibit calcification via binding to VSMC-derived vesicles.

Activated protein C.

Protein C is a vitamin K-dependent plasma protein zymogen whose genetic mild or severe deficiencies are linked with risk for venous thrombosis or neonatal purpura fulminans, respectively. Studies over past decades showed that activated protein C (APC) inactivates factors (F) Va and VIIIa to down-regulate thrombin generation. More recent basic and preclinical research on APC has characterized the direct cytoprotective effects of APC that involve gene expression profile alterations, anti-inflammatory and anti-apoptotic activities and endothelial barrier stabilization. These actions generally require endothelial cell protein C receptor (EPCR) and protease activated receptor-1. Because of these direct cytoprotective actions, APC reduces mortality in murine endotoxemia and severe sepsis models and provides neuroprotective benefits in murine ischemic stroke models. Furthermore, APC reduces mortality in patients with severe sepsis (PROWESS clinical trial). Although much remains to be clarified about mechanisms for APC's direct effects on various cell types, it is clear that APC's molecular features that determine its antithrombotic action are partially distinct from those providing cytoprotective actions because we have engineered recombinant APC variants with selective reduction or retention of either anticoagulant or cytoprotective activities. Such APC variants can provide relatively enhanced levels of either cytoprotective or anticoagulant activities for various therapeutic applications. We speculate that APC variants with reduced anticoagulant action but normal cytoprotective actions hold the promise of reducing bleeding risk because of attenuated anticoagulant activity while reducing mortality based on direct cytoprotective effects on cells.

Expression of a Two Chain Gamma-Glutamyl Carboxylase: Importance of Disulfide Bond Formation and Transmembrane Domain Interactions.

The vitamin K-dependent carboxylase is an integral membrane protein with five transmembrane domains (TMDs). It catalyzes the post-translational modification of specific glutamic acid residues of vitamin K-dependent proteins to gamma-carboxyglutamic acid residues. This posttranslational modification is critical for the biological functions of blood coagulation. The native enzyme is a single chain molecule with one disulfide bond. In this study, we have expressed carboxylase as two chains: residues 1–345 and 346–758 in the same insect cells. Our results show that these two fragments are assembled into a fully active enzyme and are joined by a disulfide. Affinity purification of the carboxylase C-terminal fragment (346–758) results in co-purification of the N-terminal fragment (1–345) even under reducing condition. This indicates that, in addition to the disulfide linkage between these two fragments, they are also linked by non-covalent interactions. One possibility is that the hydrophobic interactions between the TMDs play a role. According to carboxylase membrane topology, there are four TMDs (1–4) in the N-terminal fragment and one TMD (fifth) in the C-terminal fragment. The C-terminal fragment contains all glycosylation sites. When we introduced two prolines to disrupt the transmembrane helix in the wild type carboxylase's fifth TMD, glycosylation was eliminated. This indicates that the domain is not inserted into the lumen of the ER, but remains in the cytoplasm. Therefore, as our results demonstrate, in the two chain carboxylase with its fifth TMD disrupted, the two chains do not form a disulfide bound nor do they associate through essential non-covalent TMD interactions. While proline residues can disrupt membrane helices as described above, they often occur at the interface between the membrane and the lumenal surface of ER; these prolines appear to affect the chain orientation as it exits the membrane. There is a proline at residue 378 near the lumenal surface of the fifth TMD helix of carboxylase. To examine P378's effect on disulfide bond formation, we mutated it to leucine. Results show that less disulfide bond formed in the two chain mutant carboxylase and the protein was significantly degraded when compared to the unmutated two chain molecule. Based on our results, we conclude the following:1) the two chain carboxylase is assembled into a single molecule in vivo and the two chains are joined by a disulfide bond, the enzyme carboxylates gla-containing substrates and binds propeptide with affinity similar to that of wild type enzyme. Therefore, this molecule is a good model for structural studies of TMD interactions and disulfide bond formation;2) TMD association in the membrane is important for the orientation of the N- and C-terminal portions of carboxylase to be assembled into the active enzyme;3) and finally proline residue 378 at the lumenal interface of the fifth TMD plays a key role in the conformation which promotes disulfide formation.

Decreased inhibitory activity of prothrombin to calcium oxalate crystallization by specific chemical modification of its gamma-carboxyglutamic acid residues

Objectives To investigate the inhibitory role of gamma (γ)-carboxyglutamic acid (Gla) in the Gla domain of urinary prothrombin in the formation of calcium oxalate crystals. Methods Morpholine and formaldehyde at different concentrations were added to the solution of prothrombin to cause the conversion of Gla to γ-methyleneglutamic acid (MGlu). The extent of the modification was controlled by the relative amount of modification reagents to prothrombin. The 100-fold molar excess of modification reagents to prothrombin produced the prothrombin molecule containing 2γ-MGlu residues, and the 10,000-fold molar excess produced the molecule containing 8γ-MGlu residues. The inhibitory activities of prothrombin and modified prothrombin to calcium oxalate crystallization were evaluated by the seeded crystallization technique. Results The inhibitory index of Gla prothrombin to calcium oxalate crystallization was 14.2%, that of 2γ-MGlu prothrombin was 12.8%, decreased by about 10%, and that of 8γ-MGlu prothrombin was 5.0%, decreased by about 65%. Conclusions The Gla in the Gla domain of urinary prothrombin may play an important role in inhibiting the formation of renal calcium oxalate calculus.

Molecular mechanisms of vitamin K action in the bone homeostasis

Vitamin K is used as an anti-osteoporosis drug in Japan. Moreover, vitamin K intake has been found to decrease hip fracture risk. In the bone homeostasis, vitamin K action is mediated through two molecular mechanisms: posttranslational modification of proteins, and regulation of gene expression. The former is vitamin K-dependent carboxylation, in which vitamin K functions as an essential cofactor for modification of glutamic acid residues to gamma-carboxyglutamic acid residues. The latter is a novel mechanism that regulates the transcription of target genes by vitamin K through activation of steroid and xenobiotic receptor (SXR). The two mechanisms may coordinately contribute to vitamin K function in the bone metabolism.

Conantokins: Peptide Antagonists of NMDA Receptors

Conantokins are small peptides (17-27 amino acids) found in the venoms of cone snails (Conus sp.) that inhibit the activity of N-methyl-D-aspartate (NMDA) receptors. Unlike most of the peptides characterized from cone snail venom that contain multiple disulfide bridges, conantokins are linear peptides that possess a high degree of alpha-helicity in the presence of divalent cations, and contain gamma-carboxyglutamic acid residues. Four naturally occurring conantokins have been identified and characterized to date, conantokin-G, conantokin-T, conantokin-R, and conantokin-L. The most extensively characterized, conantokin-G, is selective for subtypes of NMDA receptors containing the NR2B subunit. The conantokins have been synthesized and characterized in a number of animal models of human pathologies including pain, convulsive disorders, stroke, and Parkinson's disease. The potential pharmacological selectivity of the conantokins, coupled with their efficacy in preclinical models of disease and favorable safety profiles indicate that these peptides represent both novel probes for NMDA receptor function as well as an important class of compounds for continued investigation as human therapeutics.

Total chemical synthesis and NMR characterization of the glycopeptide tx5a, a heavily post‐translationally modified conotoxin, reveals that the glycan structure is α‐d‐Gal‐(1→3)‐α‐d‐GalNAc

The 13-amino acid glycopeptide tx5a (Gla-Cys-Cys-Gla-Asp-Gly-Trp*-Cys-Cys-Thr*-Ala-Ala-Hyp-OH, where Trp* = 6-bromotryptophan and Thr* = Gal-GalNAc-threonine), isolated from Conus textile, causes hyperactivity and spasticity when injected intracerebral ventricularly into mice. It contains nine post-translationally modified residues: four cysteine residues, two gamma-carboxyglutamic acid residues, and one residue each of 6-bromotryptophan, 4-trans-hydroxyproline and glycosylated threonine. The chemical nature of each of these has been determined with the exception of the glycan linkage pattern on threonine and the stereochemistry of the 6-bromotryptophan residue. Previous investigations have demonstrated that tx5a contains a disaccharide composed of N-acetylgalactosamine (GalNAc) and galactose (Gal), but the interresidue linkage was not characterized. We hypothesized that tx5a contained the T-antigen, beta-D-Gal-(1-->3)-alpha-D-GalNAc, one of the most common O-linked glycan structures, identified previously in another Conus glycopeptide, contalukin-G. We therefore utilized the peracetylated form of this glycan attached to Fmoc-threonine in an attempted synthesis. While the result-ing synthetic peptide (Gla-Cys-Cys-Gla-Asp-Gly-Trp*-Cys-Cys-Thr*-Ala-Ala-Hyp-OH, where Trp* =6-bromotryptophan and Thr* = beta-D-Gal-(1-->3)-alpha-D-GalNAc-threonine) and the native peptide had almost identical mass spectra, a comparison of their RP-HPLC chromatograms suggested that the two forms were not identical. Two-dimensional 1H homonuclear and 13C-1H heteronuclear NMR spectroscopy of native tx5a isolated from Conus textile was then used to determine that the glycan present on tx5a indeed is not the aforementioned T-antigen, but rather alpha-D-Gal-(1-->3)-alpha-D-GalNAc.

Identification of Residues Asn89, Ile90, and Val107 of the Factor IXa Second Epidermal Growth Factor Domain That Are Essential for the Assembly of the Factor X-activating Complex on Activated Platelets

Activated platelets promote intrinsic factor X-activating complex assembly by presenting high affinity, saturable binding sites for factor IXa mediated by two disulfide-constrained loop structures (loop 1, Cys88-Cys99; loop 2, Cys95-Cys109) within the second epidermal growth factor (EGF2) domain. To identify amino acids essential for factor X activation complex assembly, recombinant factor IXa point mutants in loop 1 (N89A, I90A, K91A, and R94A) and loop 2 (D104A, N105A, and V107A) were prepared. All seven mutants were similar to the native factor IXa by SDS-PAGE, active site titration, and content of gamma-carboxyglutamic acid residues. Kinetic constants obtained by either titrating factor X or factor VIIIa on SFLLRN-activated platelets or phospholipid vesicles revealed near normal values of Km(app) and Kd(app)FVIIIa for all mutants, indicating normal substrate and cofactor binding. In a factor Xa generation assay in the presence of activated platelets and cofactor factor VIIIa, compared with native factor IXa (Kd(app)FIXa approximately 1.1 nm, Vmax approximately 12 nm min(-1)), N89A displayed an increase of approximately 20-fold in Kd(app)FIXa and a decrease of approximately 20-fold in Vmax; I90A had an increase of approximately 5-fold in Kd(app)FIXa and approximately 10-fold decrease in Vmax; and V107A had an increase of approximately 3-fold in Kd(app)FIXa and approximately 4-fold decrease in Vmax. We conclude that residues Asn89, Ile90, and Val107 within loops 1 and 2 (Cys88-Cys109) of the EGF2 domain of factor IXa are essential for normal interactions with the platelet surface and for the assembly of the factor X-activating complex on activated platelets.