In vitro disulfide-coupled folding of guanylyl cyclase-activating peptide and its precursor protein

A production platform for disulfide-bonded peptides in the periplasm of Escherichia coli

BACKGROUND

Recombinant peptide production in Escherichia coli provides a sustainable alternative to environmentally harmful and size-limited chemical synthesis. However, in-vivo production of disulfide-bonded peptides at high yields remains challenging, due to degradation by host proteases/peptidases and the necessity of translocation into the periplasmic space for disulfide bond formation.

RESULTS

In this study, we established an expression system for efficient and soluble production of disulfide-bonded peptides in the periplasm of E. coli. We chose model peptides with varying complexity (size, structure, number of disulfide bonds), namely parathyroid hormone 1-84, somatostatin 1-28, plectasin, and bovine pancreatic trypsin inhibitor (aprotinin). All peptides were expressed without and with the N-terminal, low molecular weight CASPON™ tag (4.1 kDa), with the expression cassette being integrated into the host genome. During BioLector™ cultivations at microliter scale, we found that most of our model peptides can only be sufficiently expressed in combination with the CASPON™ tag, otherwise expression was only weak or undetectable on SDS-PAGE. Undesired degradation by host proteases/peptidases was evident even with the CASPON™ tag. Therefore, we investigated whether degradation happened before or after translocation by expressing the peptides in combination with either a co- or post-translational signal sequence. Our results suggest that degradation predominantly happened after the translocation, as degradation fragments appeared to be identical independent of the signal sequence, and expression was not enhanced with the co-translational signal sequence. Lastly, we expressed all CASPON™-tagged peptides in two industry-relevant host strains during C-limited fed-batch cultivations in bioreactors. We found that the process performance was highly dependent on the peptide-host-combination. The titers that were reached varied between 0.6-2.6 g L-1, and exceeded previously published data in E. coli. Moreover, all peptides were shown by mass spectrometry to be expressed to completion, including full formation of disulfide bonds.

CONCLUSION

In this work, we demonstrated the potential of the CASPON™ technology as a highly efficient platform for the production of soluble peptides in the periplasm of E. coli. The titers we show here are unprecedented whenever parathyroid hormone, somatostatin, plectasin or bovine pancreatic trypsin inhibitor were produced in E. coli, thus making our proposed upstream platform favorable over previously published approaches and chemical synthesis.

The Molecular Basis of Heat-Stable Enterotoxin for Vaccine Development and Cancer Cell Detection

Heat-stable enterotoxin (ST_a) produced by Enterotoxigenic E. coli is responsible for causing acute diarrhea in infants in developing countries. However, the chemical synthesis of ST_a peptides with the native conformation and the correct intra-molecular disulfide bonds is a major hurdle for vaccine development. To address this issue, we herein report on the design and preparation of ST_a analogs and a convenient chemical method for obtaining ST_a molecules with the correct conformation. To develop an ST_a vaccine, we focused on a structure in a type II β-turn in the ST_a molecule and introduced a D-Lys residue as a conjugation site for carrier proteins. In addition, the -Glu-Leu- sequence in the ST_a molecule was replaced with a -Asp-Val- sequence to decrease the toxic activity of the peptide to make it more amenable for use in vaccinations. To solve several issues associated with the synthesis of ST_a, such as the formation of non-native disulfide isomers, the native disulfide pairings were regioselectively formed in a stepwise manner. A native form or topological isomer of the designed ST_a peptide, which possesses a right-handed or a left-handed spiral structure, respectively, were synthesized in high synthetic yields. The conformation of the synthetic ST_a peptide was also confirmed by CD and NMR spectroscopy. To further utilize the designed ST_a peptide, it was labeled with fluorescein for fluorescent detection, since recent studies have also focused on the use of ST_a for detecting cancer cells, such as Caco-2 and T84. The labeled ST_a peptide was able to specifically and efficiently detect 293T cells expressing the recombinant ST_a receptor (GC-C) protein and Caco-2 cells. The findings reported here provide an outline of the molecular basis for using ST_a for vaccine development and in the detection of cancer cells.

Degradation-Suppressed Cocoonase for Investigating the Propeptide-Mediated Activation Mechanism

Cocoonase is folded in the form of a zymogen precursor protein (prococoonase) with the assistance of the propeptide region. To investigate the role of the propeptide sequence on the disulfide-coupled folding of cocoonase and prococoonase, the amino acid residues at the degradation sites during the refolding and auto-processing reactions were determined by mass spectrometric analyses and were mutated to suppress the numerous degradation reactions that occur during the reactions. In addition, the Lys⁸ residue at the propeptide region was also mutated to estimate whether the entire sequence is absolutely required for the activation of cocoonase. Finally, a degradation-suppressed [K8D,K63G,K131G,K133A]-proCCN protein was prepared and was found to refold readily without significant degradation. The results of an enzyme assay using casein or Bz-Arg-OEt suggested that the mutations had no significant effect on either the enzyme activity or the protein conformation. Thus, we, herein, provide the non-degradative cocoonase protein to investigate the propeptide-mediated protein folding of the molecule. We also examined the catalytic residues using the degradation-suppressed cocoonase. The point mutations at the putative catalytic residues in cocoonase resulted in the loss of catalytic activity without any secondary structural changes, indicating that the mutated residues play a role in the catalytic activity of this enzyme.

Topological Regulation of the Bioactive Conformation of a Disulfide-Rich Peptide, Heat-Stable Enterotoxin

Heat-stable enterotoxin (ST_a) produced by enterotoxigenic E. coli causes acute diarrhea and also can be used as a specific probe for colorectal cancer cells. ST_a contains three intra-molecular disulfide bonds (C1–C4, C2–C5, and C3–C6 connectivity). The chemical synthesis of ST_a provided not only the native type of ST_a but also a topological isomer that had the native disulfide pairings. Interestingly, the activity of the topological isomer was approximately 1/10–1/2 that of the native ST_a. To further investigate the bioactive conformation of this molecule and the regulation of disulfide-coupled folding during its chemical syntheses, we examined the folding mechanism of ST_a that occurs during its chemical synthesis. The folding intermediate of ST_a with two disulfide bonds (C1–C4 and C3–C6) and two Cys(Acm) residues, the precursor peptide, was treated with iodine to produce a third disulfide bond under several conditions. The topological isomer was predominantly produced under all conditions tested, along with trace amounts of the native type of ST_a. In addition, NMR measurements indicated that the topological isomer has a left-handed spiral structure similar to that of the precursor peptide, while the native type of ST_a had a right-handed spiral structure. These results indicate that the order of the regioselective formation of disulfide bonds is important for the regulation of the final conformation of disulfide-rich peptides in chemical synthesis.

Chemical methods and approaches to the regioselective formation of multiple disulfide bonds

Disulfide-bond formation plays an important role in the stabilization of the native conformation of peptides and proteins. In the case of multidisulfide-containing peptides and proteins, numerous folding intermediates are produced, including molecules that contain non-native and native disulfide bonds during in vitro folding. These intermediates can frequently be trapped covalently during folding and subsequently analyzed. The structural characterization of these kinetically trapped disulfide intermediates provides a clue to understanding the oxidative folding pathway. To investigate the folding of disulfide-containing peptides and proteins, in this unit, chemical methods are described for regulating regioselective disulfide formation (1) by using a combination of several types of thiol protecting groups, (2) by incorporating unique SeCys residues into a protein or peptide molecule, and (3) by combining with post-translational modification.

A novel inhibitor of α9α10 nicotinic acetylcholine receptors from Conus vexillum delineates a new conotoxin superfamily

Conotoxins (CTxs) selectively target a range of ion channels and receptors, making them widely used tools for probing nervous system function. Conotoxins have been previously grouped into superfamilies according to signal sequence and into families based on their cysteine framework and biological target. Here we describe the cloning and characterization of a new conotoxin, from Conus vexillum, named αB-conotoxin VxXXIVA. The peptide does not belong to any previously described conotoxin superfamily and its arrangement of Cys residues is unique among conopeptides. Moreover, in contrast to previously characterized conopeptide toxins, which are expressed initially as prepropeptide precursors with a signal sequence, a ‘‘pro’’ region, and the toxin-encoding region, the precursor sequence of αB-VxXXIVA lacks a ‘‘pro’’ region. The predicted 40-residue mature peptide, which contains four Cys, was synthesized in each of the three possible disulfide arrangements. Investigation of the mechanism of action of αB-VxXXIVA revealed that the peptide is a nicotinic acetylcholine receptor (nAChR) antagonist with greatest potency against the α9α10 subtype. ¹H nuclear magnetic resonance (NMR) spectra indicated that all three αB-VxXXIVA isomers were poorly structured in aqueous solution. This was consistent with circular dichroism (CD) results which showed that the peptides were unstructured in buffer, but adopted partially helical conformations in aqueous trifluoroethanol (TFE) solution. The α9α10 nAChR is an important target for the development of analgesics and cancer chemotherapeutics, and αB-VxXXIVA represents a novel ligand with which to probe the structure and function of this protein.

Effects of positively charged redox molecules on disulfide-coupled protein folding

In vitro folding of disulfide-containing proteins is generally regulated by redox molecules, such as glutathione. However, the role of the cross-disulfide-linked species formed between the redox molecule and the protein as a folding intermediate in the folding mechanism is poorly understood. In the present study, we investigated the effect of the charge on a redox molecule on disulfide-coupled protein folding. Several types of aliphatic thiol compounds including glutathione were examined for the folding of disulfide-containing-proteins, such as lysozyme and prouroguanylin. The results indicate that the positive charge and its dispersion play a critical role in accelerating disulfide-coupled protein folding.

A chemical method for investigating disulfide-coupled peptide and protein folding

Investigations of protein folding have largely involved studies using disulfide-containing proteins, as disulfide-coupled folding of proteins permits the folding intermediates to be trapped and their conformations determined. Over the last decade, a combination of new biotechnical and chemical methodology has resulted in a remarkable acceleration in our understanding of the mechanism of disulfide-coupled protein folding. In particular, expressed protein ligation, a combination of native chemical ligation and an intein-based approach, permits specifically labeled proteins to be easily produced for studies of protein folding using biophysical methods, such as NMR spectroscopy and X-ray crystallography. A method for regio-selective formation of disulfide bonds using chemical procedures has also been established. This strategy is particularly relevant for the study of disulfide-coupled protein folding, and provides us not only with the native conformation, but also the kinetically trapped topological isomer with native disulfide bonds. Here we review recent developments and applications of biotechnical and chemical methods to investigations of disulfide-coupled peptide and protein folding. Chemical additives designed to accelerate correct protein folding and to avoid non-specific aggregation are also discussed.

Acceleration of disulfide-coupled protein folding using glutathione derivatives

Protein folding occurs simultaneously with disulfide bond formation. In general, the in vitro folding of proteins containing disulfide bond(s) is carried out in the presence of redox reagents, such as glutathione, to permit native disulfide pairing to occur. It is well known that the formation of a disulfide bond and the correct tertiary structure of a target protein are strongly affected by the redox reagent used. However, little is known concerning the role of each amino acid residue of the redox reagent, such as glutathione. Therefore, we prepared glutathione derivatives - glutamyl-cysteinyl-arginine (ECR) and arginyl-cysteinyl-glycine (RCG) - and examined their ability to facilitate protein folding using lysozyme and prouroguanylin as model proteins. When the reduced and oxidized forms of RCG were used, folding recovery was greater than that for a typical glutathione redox system. This was particularly true when high protein concentrations were employed, whereas folding recovery using ECR was similar to that of the glutathione redox system. Kinetic analyses of the oxidative folding of prouroguanylin revealed that the folding velocity (K(RCG) = 3.69 × 10(-3) s(-1)) using reduced RCG/oxidized RCG was approximately threefold higher than that using reduced glutathione/oxidized glutathione. In addition, folding experiments using only the oxidized form of RCG or glutathione indicated that prouroguanylin was converted to the native conformation more efficiently in the case of RCG, compared with glutathione. The findings indicate that a positively charged redox molecule is preferred to accelerate disulfide-exchange reactions and that the RCG system is effective in mediating the formation of native disulfide bonds in proteins.

Uroguanylin, an intestinal natriuretic peptide, is delivered to the kidney as an unprocessed propeptide

Orally delivered salt stimulates renal salt excretion more effectively than does iv delivered salt. Although the mechanisms that underlie this "postprandial natriuresis" are poorly understood, the peptide uroguanylin (UGn) is thought to be a key mediator. However, the lack of selective assays for UGn gene products has hindered rigorous testing of this hypothesis. Using peptide-specific assays, we now report surprisingly little UGn in rat intestine or plasma. In contrast, prouroguanylin (proUGn), the presumed-inactive precursor of UGn, is plentiful (at least 40 times more abundant than UGn) in both intestine and plasma. The intestine is the likely source of the circulating proUGn because: 1) the proUGn portal to systemic ratio is approximately two under normal conditions, and 2) systemic proUGn levels decrease rapidly after intestinal resection. Together, these data suggest that proUGn itself is actively involved in enterorenal signaling. This is strongly supported by our observation that iv infusion of proUGn at a physiological concentration produces a long-lasting renal natriuresis, whereas previously reported natriuretic effects of UGn have required supraphysiological concentrations. Thus, our data point to proUGn as an endocrine (i.e. circulating) mediator of postprandial natriuresis, and suggest that the propeptide is secreted intact from the intestine into the circulation and processed to an active form at an extravascular site.

Crystallization and preliminary X-ray structural studies of human prouroguanylin

Uroguanylin, which serves as an endogenous ligand of guanylyl cyclase C, is initially secreted in the form of a precursor, prouroguanylin. The N-terminal region of prouroguanylin interacts with the mature portion of prouroguanylin during the folding pathway. Here, a preliminary X-ray crystallographic study of prouroguanylin is presented. Prouroguanylin was refolded, purified and crystallized using the hanging-drop vapour-diffusion method. Prouroguanylin crystals were cryocooled and used for data collection. The diffraction data showed that the crystals belonged to space group P6(1)22, with unit-cell parameters a = b = 55.6, c = 157.7 A, and diffracted to 2.5 A resolution. The structure is currently being analyzed.

The pro-peptide of proNGF: structure formation and intramolecular association with NGF

The pro-peptide of human nerve growth factor (NGF) functions as an intramolecular chaperone during oxidative renaturation of proNGF in vitro and interacts intramolecularly with the mature part of native proNGF. Here, we analyzed the structure formation and stability of the pro-peptide in the context of proNGF and its intramolecular interaction with the native mature part. Folding and unfolding of the NGF-coupled pro-peptide, as analyzed by fluorescence, were biphasic reactions with both phases depending on the interaction with the mature part. This interaction was characterized by an overall stability of DeltaG = 20.9 kJ/mol that was subdivided into two reactions, native <--> intermediate state (14.8 kJ/mol) and intermediate <--> unfolded state (6.1 kJ/mol). An additional very fast unfolding reaction was observed using circular dichroism (CD), indicating the presence of at least two kinetically populated intermediates in the unfolding of proNGF. The part of the pro-peptide involved in the intramolecular association with mature NGF comprised the peptide Trp(-83)-Ala(-63) as determined by H/D exchange experiments. Spectroscopic analyses revealed that on the NGF side, a surface area around Trp(21) interacted with the pro-peptide. Trp(21) also participates in binding to TrkA and p75 receptors. These overlapping binding sites of the pro-peptide and the NGF receptors might explain the previously observed lower affinity of proNGF to its receptors as compared to NGF.

The beta-defensin gallinacin-6 is expressed in the chicken digestive tract and has antimicrobial activity against food-borne pathogens

Food-borne pathogens are responsible for most cases of food poisoning in developed countries and are often associated with poultry products, including chicken. Little is known about the role of beta-defensins in the chicken digestive tract and their efficacy. In this study, the expression of chicken beta-defensin gallinacin-6 (Gal-6) and its antimicrobial activity against food-borne pathogens were investigated. Reverse transcription-PCR analysis showed high expression of Gal-6 mRNA in the esophagus and crop, moderate expression in the glandular stomach, and low expression throughout the intestinal tract. Putative transcription factor binding sites for nuclear factor kappa beta, activator protein 1, and nuclear factor interleukin-6 were found in the Gal-6 gene upstream region, which suggests a possible inducible nature of the Gal-6 gene. In colony-counting assays, strong bactericidal and fungicidal activity was observed, including bactericidal activity against food-borne pathogens Campylobacter jejuni, Salmonella enterica serovar Typhimurium, Clostridium perfringens, and Escherichia coli. Treatment with 16 mug/ml synthetic Gal-6 resulted in a 3 log unit reduction in Clostridium perfringens survival within 60 min, indicating fast killing kinetics. Transmission electron microscopy examination of synthetic-Gal-6-treated Clostridium perfringens cells showed dose-dependent changes in morphology after 30 min, including intracellular granulation, cytoplasm retraction, irregular septum formation in dividing cells, and cell lysis. The high expression in the proximal digestive tract and broad antimicrobial activity suggest that chicken beta-defensin gallinacin-6 plays an important role in chicken innate host defense.

Structural basis for histone N-terminal recognition by human peptidylarginine deiminase 4

Histone arginine methylation is a posttranslational modification linked to the regulation of gene transcription. Unlike other posttranslational modifications, methylation has generally been regarded as stable, and enzymes that demethylate histone arginine residues have not been identified. However, it has recently been shown that human peptidylarginine deiminase 4 (PAD4), a Ca(2+)-dependent enzyme previously known to convert arginine residues to citrulline in histones, can also convert monomethylated arginine residues to citrulline both in vivo and in vitro. Citrullination of histone arginine residues by the enzyme antagonizes methylation by histone arginine methyltransferases and is thus a novel posttranslational modification that regulates the level of histone arginine methylation and gene activity. Here we present the crystal structures of a Ca(2+)-bound PAD4 mutant in complex with three histone N-terminal peptides, each consisting of 10 amino acid residues that include one target arginine residue for the enzyme (H3/Arg-8, H3/Arg-17, and H4/Arg-3). To each histone N-terminal peptide, the enzyme induces a beta-turn-like bent conformation composed of five successive residues at the molecular surface near the active site cleft. The remaining five residues are highly disordered. The enzyme recognizes each peptide through backbone atoms of the peptide with a possible consensus recognition motif. The sequence specificity of the peptide recognized by this enzyme is thought to be fairly broad. These observations provide structural insights into target protein recognition by histone modification enzymes and illustrate how PAD4 can target multiple arginine sites in the histone N-terminal tails.

The two cysteine-rich head domains of minicollagen from Hydra nematocysts differ in their cystine framework and overall fold despite an identical cysteine sequence pattern

Synthetic replicates of naturally occurring cysteine-rich peptides such as hormones, neurotransmitters, growth factors, enzyme inhibitors, defensins and toxins often can be oxidatively folded in high yields to their native structure in simple redox buffers. Thereby, identical cysteine patterns in the sequence were found to generate identical disulfide connectivities and homologous spatial structures despite significant variability in the non-cysteine positions. Minicollagen-1 from the nematocysts of Hydra is a trimeric protein that contains cysteine-rich domains at the N and C termini, which are involved in the assembly of an intermolecular disulfide network. Determination of the three-dimensional structures of peptides corresponding to the N-terminal and C-terminal domains by NMR spectroscopy revealed a remarkable exception from the general rule. Despite an identical cysteine pattern, the two domains of minicollagen-1 form different disulfide bridges and exhibit distinctly different folds, both of which are not found in the current structural databases. To our knowledge, this is the first case where two relatively short peptides with the abundant cysteine residues in identical sequence positions fold uniquely and with high yields into defined, but differing, structures. Therefore, the cysteine-rich domains of minicollagen constitute ideal model systems for studies of the interplay between folding and oxidation in proteins.

Heterologous gene expression using self-assembled supra-molecules with high affinity for HSP70 chaperone

Contrary to the results of direct expression, various human proteins (ferritin light-chain, epithermal growth factor, interleukin-2, prepro-ghrelin, deletion mutants of glutamate decarboxylase and arginine deiminase, and mini-proinsulin) were all soluble in Escherichia coli cytoplasm when expressed with the N-terminus fusion of ferritin heavy-chain (FTN-H). Through systematic investigations, we have found that a specific peptide motif within FTN-H has a high affinity to HSP70 chaperone DnaK, and that the peptide motif was composed of a hydrophobic core of three residues (Ile, Phe and Leu) and two flanking regions enriched with polar residues (Gly, Gln and Arg). It was also observed that all the recombinant proteins expressed with the fusion of FTN-H formed spherical nanoparticles with diameters of 10–15 nm, as confirmed by the transmission electron microscopy image. The protein nanoparticles are non-covalently cross-linked supra-molecules formed by the self-assembly function of FTN-H. Upon the formation of the supra-molecule, its size is likely to be limited by the assembly properties of FTN-H, thereby keeping the self-assembled particles soluble. This study reports on the dual function of FTN-H for fusion expression and solubility enhancement of heterologous proteins: (i) high-affinity interaction with DnaK and (ii) formation of self-assembled supra-molecules with limited and constant sizes, thereby avoiding the undesirable formation of insoluble macro-aggregates of heterologous proteins.

Methylation of the guanidino group of arginine residues prevents citrullination by peptidylarginine deiminase IV

Peptidylarginine deiminase IV (PAD IV) catalyzes the citrullination of Arg residues of proteins, such as histones. Suzuki et al. recently reported that haplotypes of the PAD IV gene are associated with susceptibility to rheumatoid arthritis. To investigate the mechanism of substrate specificity and inhibitors of PAD IV, a series of the Arg derivatives were synthesized and their reactivity to PAD IV examined. The results suggest that both imino and carboxyl groups are important in the molecular recognition of PAD IV and that methylation of the guanidino group prevents citrullination. In addition, the findings herein show that Bz-N(G)-monomethyl-Arg and Bz-N(G),N(G)-dimethyl-Arg specifically inhibit citrullination.

Engineering disulfide bonds of the novel human beta-defensins hBD-27 and hBD-28: differences in disulfide formation and biological activity among human beta-defensins

Human beta-defensins comprise a large number of peptides that play a functional role in the innate and adaptive immune system. Recently, clusters of new beta-defensin genes with predominant expression in testicular tissue have been discovered on different chromosomes by bioinformatics. beta-Defensins share a common pattern of three disulfides that are essential for their biological effects. Here we report for the first time the chemical synthesis of the new fully disulfide-bonded beta-defensins hBD-27 and hBD-28, and compare the results with synthetic procedures to obtain the known hBD-2 and hBD-3. While hBD-27 was readily converted into a product with the desired disulfide pattern by oxidative folding, hBD-28 required a selective protective group strategy to introduce the three disulfide bonds. The established synthetic processes were applied to the synthesis of hBD-2, which, like hBD-27, was accessible by oxidative folding, whereas hBD-3 required a selective strategy comparable to hBD-28. Experimental work demonstrated that trityl, acetamidomethyl, and t-butyl are superior to other protection strategies. However, the suitable pairwise arrangement of the protective groups can be different, as shown here for hBD-3 and hBD-28. Determination of the minimum inhibitory concentration against different bacteria revealed that hBD-27, in contrast to other beta-defensins tested, has virtually no antimicrobial activity. Compared to the other peptides tested, hBD-27 showed almost no cytotoxic activity, measured by hemoglobin release of erythrocytes. This might be due to the low positive net charge, which is significantly higher for hBD-2, hBD-3, and hBD-28.

Total chemical synthesis and oxidative folding of delta-conotoxin PVIA containing an N-terminal propeptide

Small disulfide-rich peptides are translated as larger precursors typically containing an N-terminal prepro sequence. In this study, we investigated the role of a propeptide in the oxidative folding of an extremely hydrophobic delta-conotoxin, PVIA. delta-Conotoxin PVIA (delta-PVIA) is a 29-amino acid neurotoxin stabilized by three disulfide bridges. Previous folding studies on delta-conotoxins revealed that their poor folding properties resulted from their hydrophobicity. However, low folding yields of delta-PVIA could be improved by the presence of a nonionic detergent, which acted as a chemical chaperone. delta-PVIA provided an attractive model to investigate whether the hydrophilic propeptide region could function as an intramolecular chaperone. A 58-amino acid precursor for delta-PVIA (pro-PVIA), containing the N-terminal propeptide covalently attached to the mature conotoxin, was synthesized using native chemical ligation. Oxidative folding of pro-PVIA resulted in a very low accumulation of the correctly folded form, comparable to that for the mature conotoxin delta-PVIA. Our results are in accord with the relevant data previously observed for alpha- and omega-conotoxins, indicating that conotoxin prepro sequences are so-called class II propeptides, which are not directly involved in the oxidative folding. We hypothesize that these propeptide regions may be important for interactions with protein folding catalysts and sorting receptors during the secretory process.

Antibacterial activity and mechanism of action of tick defensin against Gram-positive bacteria

Defensins are a major group of antimicrobial peptides and are found widely in vertebrates, invertebrates and plants. Invertebrate defensins have been identified from insects, scorpions, mussels and ticks. In this study, chemically synthesized tick defensin was used to further investigate the activity spectrum and mode of action of natural tick defensin. Synthetic tick defensin showed antibacterial activity against many Gram-positive bacteria but not Gram-negative bacteria and low hemolytic activity, characteristic of invertebrate defensins. Furthermore, bactericidal activity against pathogenic Gram-positive bacteria including Bacillus cereus, Enterococcus faecalis and methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus was observed. However, more than 30 min was necessary for tick defensin to completely kill bacteria. The interaction of tick defensin with the bacterial cytoplasmic membrane and its ability to disrupt the membrane potential was analyzed. Tick defensin was able to disrupt the membrane potential over a period of 30-60 min consistent with its relatively slow killing. Transmission electron microscopy of Micrococcus luteus treated with tick defensin showed lysis of the cytoplasmic membrane and leakage of cellular cytoplasmic contents. These findings suggest that the primary mechanism of action of tick defensin is bacterial cytoplasmic membrane lysis. In addition, incomplete cell division with multiple cross-wall formation was occasionally seen in tick defensin-treated bacteria showing pleiotropic secondary effects of tick defensin.

Solution structure of human proguanylin: the role of a hormone prosequence

The endogenous ligand of guanylyl cyclase C, guanylin, is produced as the 94-amino-acid prohormone proguanylin, with the hormone guanylin located at the COOH terminus of the prohormone. The solution structure of proguanylin adopts a new protein fold and consists of a three-helix bundle, a small three-stranded beta-sheet of two NH2-terminal strands and one COOH-terminal strand, and an unstructured linker region. The sequence corresponding to guanylin is fixed in its bioactive topology and is involved in interactions with the NH2-terminal beta-hairpin: the hormone region (residues 80-94) partly wraps around the first 4 NH2-terminal residues that thereby shield parts of the hormone surface. These interactions provide an explanation for the negligible bioactivity of the prohormone as well as the important role of the NH2-terminal residues in the disulfide-coupled folding of proguanylin. Since the ligand binding region of guanylyl cyclase C is predicted to be located around an exposed beta-strand, the intramolecular interactions observed between guanylin and its prosequence may be comparable with the guanylin/receptor interaction.

Occurrence and localization of uroguanylin in the aging human prostate

Uroguanylin, a peptide hormone highly expressed in the gastrointestinal tract, is implicated in the regulation of epithelial salt and water transport processes. Since little is known about a possible role of uroguanylin in the reproductive system, we investigated for the first time the occurrence of this peptide in the human prostate using specimens of benign prostatic hyperplasia. Northern blot analyses detected a single uroguanylin transcript of approximately 600 bp in prostate RNA. The uroguanylin expression was further investigated by reverse transcriptase polymerase chain reaction of prostate RNA with uroguanylin-specific primers. Sequencing of the fragments obtained indicated the presence of a uroguanylin molecule with a sequence identical to its intestinal counterpart. Furthermore, in situ hybridization and immunohistochemistry revealed that uroguanylin mRNA and peptide are confined to epithelial cells of the prostate glands. Comparison with the distribution pattern of immunoreactivity for prostate-specific antigen (PSA) showed a high degree of colocalization of uroguanylin- and PSA-immunoreactive cells. In addition, by western blotting techniques we detected the presence of high molecular weight uroguanylin-immunoreactive material in prostatic fluid. In conclusion, our study indicates that the human prostate glands synthesize and secrete (pro-)uroguanylin. We hypothesize that this hormone may play a novel role in the male reproductive tract.

The micro domain responsible for ligand-binding of guanylyl cyclase C

Guanylyl cyclase C (GC-C), a member of membrane-bound guanylyl cyclases, is a receptor protein for guanylin and uroguanylin. The binding of a ligand to the extracellular domain of GC-C (ECD(GC-C)) triggers signal transduction, resulting in the regulation of intestinal fluids and electrolytes. A previous study proposed that a ligand-binding site on GC-C is localized near the transmembrane region. To further investigate the mechanism by which GC-C is activated, the C-terminal polypeptide (Met341-Gln407) of ECD(GC-C) (the micro domain), which includes the ligand-binding site, was over-expressed in Escherichia coli and its ligand-binding ability was examined. The micro domain showed ligand-binding activity (IC(50)=1 x 10(-8) M). This result clearly indicates that a ligand-binding site is located in close proximity to the membrane-bound region, and that the micro domain is capable of independently binding the ligand, without assistance from other domains. The use of this micro binding domain in the study of interactions between GC-C and ligands could be a useful tool and could lead to a better understanding of GC-C signal transduction.

Dual function of the propeptide of prouroguanylin in the folding of the mature peptide: disulfide-coupled folding and dimerization

Guanylyl cyclase activating peptide II (GCAP-II), an endogenous ligand of guanylyl cyclase C, is produced via the processing of the precursor protein (prepro-GCAP-II). We have previously shown that the propeptide in pro-GCAP-II functions as an intramolecular chaperone in the proper folding of the mature peptide, GCAP-II (Hidaka, Y., Ohno, M., Hemmasi, B., Hill, O., Forssmann, W.-G., and Shimonishi, Y. (1998) Biochemistry 37, 8498-8507). Here, we report an essential region in pro-GCAP-II for the correct disulfide pairing of the mature peptide, GCAP-II. Five mutant proteins, in which amino acid residues were sequentially deleted from the N terminus, and three mutant proteins of pro-GCAP-II, in which N-terminal 6, 11, or 17 amino acid residues were deleted, were overproduced using Escherichia coli or human kidney 293T cells, respectively. Detailed analysis of in vivo or in vitro folding of these mutant proteins revealed that one or two amino acid residues at the N terminus of pro-GCAP-II are critical, not only for the chaperone function in the folding but also for the net stabilization of pro-GCAP-II. In addition, size exclusion chromatography revealed that pro-GCAP-II exists as a dimer in solution. These data indicate that the propeptide has two roles in proper folding: the disulfide-coupled folding of the mature region and the dimerization of pro-GCAP-II.

Role of the prosequence of guanylin

Guanylin is a guanylyl cyclase (GC)-activating peptide that is mainly secreted as the corresponding prohormone of 94 amino acid residues. In this study, we show that the originally isolated 15-residue guanylin, representing the COOH-terminal part of the prohormone, is released from the prohormone by cleavage of an Asp-Pro amide bond under conditions applied during the isolation procedures. Thus, the 15-residue guanylin is probably a non-native, chemically induced GC-activating peptide. This guanylin molecule contains two disulfide bonds that are absolutely necessary for receptor activation. We demonstrate that the folding of the reduced 15-residue guanylin results almost completely in the formation of the two inactive disulfide isomers. In contrast, the reduced form of proguanylin containing the entire prosequence folds to a product with the native cysteine connectivity. Because proguanylin lacking the 31 NH2-terminal residues of the prosequence folds only to a minor extent to guanylin with the native disulfide bonds, it is evident that this NH2-terminal region contributes significantly to the correct disulfide-coupled folding. Structural studies using CD and NMR spectroscopy show that native proguanylin contains a considerable amount of alpha-helical and, to a lesser extent, beta-sheet structural elements. In addition, a close proximity of the NH2- and the COOH-terminal regions was found by NOESY. It appears that this interaction is important for the constitution of the correct conformation and provides an explanation of the minor guanylyl cyclase activity of proguanylin by shielding the bioactive COOH-terminal domain from the receptor.

Guanylin regulatory peptides: structures, biological activities mediated by cyclic GMP and pathobiology

The guanylin family of bioactive peptides consists of three endogenous peptides, including guanylin, uroguanylin and lymphoguanylin, and one exogenous peptide toxin produced by enteric bacteria. These small cysteine-rich peptides activate cell-surface receptors, which have intrinsic guanylate cyclase activity, thus modulating cellular function via the intracellular second messenger, cyclic GMP. Membrane guanylate cyclase-C is an intestinal receptor for guanylin and uroguanylin that is responsible for stimulation of Cl- and HCO3- secretion into the intestinal lumen. Guanylin and uroguanylin are produced within the intestinal mucosa to serve in a paracrine mechanism for regulation of intestinal fluid and electrolyte secretion. Enteric bacteria secrete peptide toxin mimics of uroguanylin and guanylin that activate the intestinal receptors in an uncontrolled fashion to produce secretory diarrhea. Opossum kidney guanylate cyclase is a key receptor in the kidney that may be responsible for the diuretic and natriuretic actions of uroguanylin in vivo. Uroguanylin serves in an endocrine axis linking the intestine and kidney where its natriuretic and diuretic actions contribute to the maintenance of Na+ balance following oral ingestion of NaCl. Lymphoguanylin is highly expressed in the kidney and myocardium where this unique peptide may act locally to regulate cyclic GMP levels in target cells. Lymphoguanylin is also produced in cells of the lymphoid-immune system where other physiological functions may be influenced by intracellular cyclic GMP. Observations of nature are providing insights into cellular mechanisms involving guanylin peptides in intestinal diseases such as colon cancer and diarrhea and in chronic renal diseases or cardiac disorders such as congestive heart failure where guanylin and/or uroguanylin levels in the circulation and/or urine are pathologically elevated. Guanylin peptides are clearly involved in the regulation of salt and water homeostasis, but new findings indicate that these novel peptides have diverse physiological roles in addition to those previously documented for control of intestinal and renal function.