Characterization of the denaturation and renaturation of human plasma vitronectin. I. Biophysical characterization of protein unfolding and multimerization

A novel filter-assisted protein precipitation (FAPP) based sample pre-treatment method for LC-MS peptide mapping for biosimilar characterization

Establishing analytical and functional comparability serves as the foundation of biosimilar development. A critical part of this exercise is sequence similarity search and categorization of post-translational modifications (PTMs), often by peptide mapping using liquid chromatography-mass spectrometry (LC-MS). When performing bottom-up proteomic sample preparation, efficient digestion of the protein and extraction of peptides for subsequent mass spectrometric analysis can be a challenge. Conventional sample preparation strategies face the risk of allowing interference of chemicals which are essential for extraction but are likely to interfere with digestion, resulting in complex chromatographic profiles due to semi-cleavages, insufficient peptide cleavages, and other unwanted reactions. Further, peptide cleanup through commonly used immobilized C-18 pipette tips can cause significant peptide loss as well as variability in individual peptide yields, thereby causing artifacts of various product-related modifications. In this study, we proposed a simple enzymatic digestion technique by incorporating different molecular weight filters and protein precipitation, with the objective to minimize interference of denaturing, reducing, and alkylating agents throughout overnight digestion. As a result, the need for peptide cleanup is significantly reduced and results in higher peptide yield. The proposed FAPP approach outperformed the conventional method across multiple metrics including, 30% more peptides, 8.19% more fully digested peptides, 14% higher sequence coverage rate, and 11.82% more site-specific alterations. Quantitative and qualitative repeatability of the proposed approach have been demonstrated. It can be concluded that the filter-assisted protein precipitation (FAPP) protocol proposed in this study offers an effective substitute for the traditional approach.

Matricellular proteins in atherosclerosis development

The extracellular matrix (ECM) is an intricate network composed of various multi-domain macromolecules like collagen, proteoglycans, and fibronectin, etc., that form a structurally stable composite, contributing to the mechanical properties of tissue. However, matricellular proteins are non-structural, secretory extracellular matrix proteins, which modulate various cellular functions via interacting with cell surface receptors, proteases, hormones, and cell-matrix. They play essential roles in maintaining tissue homeostasis by regulating cell differentiation, proliferation, adhesion, migration, and several signal transduction pathways. Matricellular proteins display a broad functionality regulated by their multiple structural domains and their ability to interact with different extracellular substrates and/or cell surface receptors. The expression of these proteins is low in adults, however, gets upregulated following injuries, inflammation, and during tumor growth. The marked elevation in the expression of these proteins during atherosclerosis suggests a positive association between their expression and atherosclerotic lesion formation. The role of matricellular proteins in atherosclerosis development has remained an area of research interest in the last two decades and studies revealed these proteins as important players in governing vascular function, remodelling, and plaque formation. Despite extensive research, many aspects of the matrix protein biology in atherosclerosis are still unknown and future studies are required to investigate whether targeting pathways stimulated by these proteins represent viable therapeutic approaches for patients with atherosclerotic vascular diseases. This review summarizes the characteristics of distinct matricellular proteins, discusses the available literature on the involvement of matrix proteins in the pathogenesis of atherosclerosis and suggests new avenues for future research.

Prognostic utility of serum vitronectin levels in acute myocardial infarction

BACKGROUND

Vitronectin (VN) functions as a regulator of platelet adhesion and aggregation, coagulation, and fibrinolysis. The aim of this study was to assess the prognostic significance of serum VN levels in patients with acute myocardial infarction (MI).

METHODS

In this study 62 patients admitted with ST-elevation myocardial infarction (STEMI), or non-ST-elevation myocardial infarction (NSTEMI) were enrolled. Serum VN levels were measured within 6 h after onset of chest pains.

RESULTS

The VN serum levels were higher in MI patients with a mean of 2.257 µg/ml (range 1.541-4.493 µg/ml) in the STEMI group, 1.785 µg/ml (range 1.372-4.113 µg/ml) in the NSTEMI group, and 1.222 µg/ml (range 1.033-1.466 µg/ml) in the controls (p = 0.012). Major adverse cardiovascular events could be predicted at 6 months using VN levels independently of other variables [odds ratio (OR) 9.87, 95 % confidence interval (CI) 2.54-47.37, p = 0.001]. There was a significant positive correlation between VN levels and the Gensini score in NSTEMI patients (r = 0.436, p = 0.013).

CONCLUSION

The VN level may be relevant as a clinical biomarker for adverse cardiovascular outcomes not only in patients with ischemic heart disease undergoing coronary interventions, as previously reported, but also in coronary artery disease patients presenting with acute MI.

Transient limb ischemia alters serum protein expression in healthy volunteers: complement C3 and vitronectin may be involved in organ protection induced by remote ischemic preconditioning

The protective mechanism underlying remote ischemic preconditioning (RIPC) is unclear. This study aims to verify whether the protein expression profile in the serum could be altered by RIPC and to detect potential protein mediators. Transient limb ischemia consisting of three cycles of 5-min ischemia followed by 5-min reperfusion was performed on sixty healthy volunteers. Serum samples were collected at 30 min before transient limb ischemia and at 1 hour (h), 3 h, 8 h, 24 h, and 48 h after completion of three cycles. Changes in the serum protein profile were analyzed by two-dimensional gel electrophoresis and proteins were identified by MALDI-TOF/TOF mass spectrometry. Fourteen differentially expressed proteins were identified and, respectively, involved in immune system, lipid binding and metabolism, apoptosis, and blood coagulation. Complement C3, vitronectin, and apolipoprotein A-I were further confirmed by western blotting, and the results showed that their contents decreased significantly after transient limb ischemia. It is concluded that transient limb ischemia alters the serum protein expression profile in human being, and that reduction of serum contents of complement C3 and vitronectin may represent an important part of the mechanism whereby RIPC confers its protection.

Ovarian cancer ascites-derived vitronectin and fibronectin: combined purification, molecular features and effects on cell response

BACKGROUND

Intra-abdominal ascites is a complication of ovarian cancers and constitutes a permissive microenvironment for metastasis. Since fibronectin and vitronectin are key actors in ovarian cancer progression, we investigated their occurrence and molecular characteristics in various ascites fluids and the influence of these ascites-derived proteins on cell behavior.

METHODS

Fibronectin and vitronectin were investigated by immunoblotting within various ascites fluids. A combined affinity-based protocol was developed to purify both proteins from the same sample. Each purified protein was characterized with regard to its molecular features (molecular mass of isoforms, tryptophan intramolecular environment, hydrodynamic radii), and its influence on cell adhesion.

RESULTS

Fibronectin and vitronectin were found in all tested ascites. Several milligrams of purified proteins were obtained from ascites of varying initial volumes. Molecular mass isoforms and conformational lability of proteins differed according to the ascites of origin. When incorporated into the cancer cell environment, ascites-derived fibronectin and vitronectin supported cell adhesion and migration with various degrees of efficiency, and induced the recruitment of integrins into focal contacts.

CONCLUSIONS

To our knowledge, this is the first combined purification of two extracellular matrix proteins from a single pathological sample containing a great variety of bioactive molecules. This study highlights that ascites-derived fibronectin and vitronectin exhibit different properties depending on the ascites.

GENERAL SIGNIFICANCE

Investigating the relationships between the molecular properties of ascites components and ovarian cancer cell phenotype according to the ascites may be critical for a better understanding of the recurrence of this lethal disease and for further biomarker identification.

Haemophilus influenzae acquires vitronectin via the ubiquitous Protein F to subvert host innate immunity

Acquisition of the complement inhibitor vitronectin (Vn) is important for the respiratory tract pathogen nontypeable Haemophilus influenzae (NTHi) to escape complement-mediated killing. NTHi actively recruits Vn, and we previously showed that this interaction involves Protein E (PE). Here we describe a second Vn-binding protein, a 30 kDa Yersinia YfeA homologue designated as Protein F (PF). An isogenic NTHi 3655Δhpf mutant devoid of PF displayed a reduced binding of Vn, and was consequently more sensitive to killing by human serum compared with the wild type. Surface expression of PF on Escherichia coli conferred binding of Vn that resulted in a serum resistant phenotype. Molecular analyses revealed that the N-terminal of PF (Lys23-Glu48) bound to the C-terminal of Vn (Phe352-Ser374) without disrupting the inhibitory role of Vn on the membrane attack complex. The PF-Vn complex actively delayed C9 deposition on PF-expressing bacteria. Comparative studies of binding affinity and multiple mutants demonstrated that both PE and PF contribute individually to NTHi serum survival. PF was highly conserved and ubiquitously expressed in a series of randomly selected NTHi clinical isolates (n = 18). In conclusion, the multifaceted binding of Vn is beneficial for NTHi survival in serum and may contribute to successful colonization and consequently infection.

Characterization of physicochemical properties of ivy nanoparticles for cosmetic application

Background

Naturally occurring nanoparticles isolated from English ivy (Hedera helix) have previously been proposed as an alternative to metallic nanoparticles as sunscreen fillers due to their effective UV extinction property, low toxicity and potential biodegradability.

Methods

This study focused on analyzing the physicochemical properties of the ivy nanoparticles, specifically, those parameters which are crucial for use as sunscreen fillers, such as pH, temperature, and UV irradiation. The visual transparency and cytotoxicity of ivy nanoparticles were also investigated comparing them with other metal oxide nanoparticles.

Results

Results from this study demonstrated that, after treatment at 100°C, there was a clear increase in the UV extinction spectra of the ivy nanoparticles caused by the partial decomposition. In addition, the UVA extinction spectra of the ivy nanoparticles gradually reduced slightly with the decrease of pH values in solvents. Prolonged UV irradiation indicated that the influence of UV light on the stability of the ivy nanoparticle was limited and time-independent. Compared to TiO₂ and ZnO nanoparticles, ivy nanoparticles showed better visual transparency. Methylthiazol tetrazolium assay demonstrated that ivy nanoparticles exhibited lower cytotoxicity than the other two types of nanoparticles. Results also suggested that protein played an important role in modulating the three-dimensional structure of the ivy nanoparticles.

Conclusions

Based on the results from this study it can be concluded that the ivy nanoparticles are able to maintain their UV protective capability at wide range of temperature and pH values, further demonstrating their potential as an alternative to replace currently available metal oxide nanoparticles in sunscreen applications.

Recombinant hemangiopoietin promotes cell adhesion and binds heparin in its multimeric form

Hemangiopoietin (HAPO) is a novel growth factor stimulating the proliferation of hematopoietic and endothelial progenitor cells in vitro and in vivo. The native protein is a 294‑amino acid multimodular protein. The N‑terminus constitutes of two somatomedin B (SMB) homology domains that contain 14 cysteines. The central region is a putative heparin‑binding domain (pHBD) and the C‑terminus contains mucin‑like repeats. In the present study, we demonstrated that prokaryotic recombinant human HAPO (rhHAPO) self‑associates into a multimeric form with a mass weight of ~129 kDa, suggesting a homologous tetramer. rhHAPO in its multimeric form was found to be more stable and more potent in promoting HESS‑5 cell adhesion. Multimeric rhHAPO had a higher affinity to heparin compared with its dimeric form, although there was no significant conformational change. C‑terminal repeats-truncated rhHAPO (rhHAPOΔmucin) was also found to be assembled into a multimer, while deletion of pHBD (rhHAPOΔmucin‑pHBD) caused the protein to remain in a dimeric form, demonstrating that SMB domains participate in self‑aggregation of the molecule and that the pHBD region promotes the tetramerization.

Hysteresis as a Marker for Complex, Overlapping Landscapes in Proteins

Topologically complex proteins fold by multiple routes as a result of hard-to-fold regions of the proteins. Oftentimes these regions are introduced into the protein scaffold for function and increase frustration in the otherwise smooth-funneled landscape. Interestingly, while functional regions add complexity to folding landscapes, they may also contribute to a unique behavior referred to as hysteresis. While hysteresis is predicted to be rare, it is observed in various proteins, including proteins containing a unique peptide cyclization to form a fluorescent chromophore as well as proteins containing a knotted topology in their native fold. Here, hysteresis is demonstrated to be a consequence of the decoupling of unfolding events from the isomerization or hula-twist of a chromophore in one protein and the untying of the knot in a second protein system. The question now is- can hysteresis be a marker for the interplay of landscapes where complex folding and functional regions overlap?

Metals affect the structure and activity of human plasminogen activator inhibitor-1. I. Modulation of stability and protease inhibition

Human plasminogen activator inhibitor type 1 (PAI-1) is a serine protease inhibitor with a metastable active conformation. Under physiological conditions, half of the inhibitor transitions to a latent state within 1-2 h. The interaction between PAI-1 and the plasma protein vitronectin prolongs this active lifespan by ∼50%. Previously, our group demonstrated that PAI-1 binds to resins using immobilized metal affinity chromatography (Day, U.S. Pat. 7,015,021 B2, March 21, 2006). In this study, the effect of these metals on function and stability was investigated by measuring the rate of the transition from the active to latent conformation. All metals tested showed effects on stability, with the majority falling into one of two types depending on their effects. The first type of metal, which includes magnesium, calcium and manganese, invoked a slight stabilization of the active conformation of PAI-1. A second category of metals, including cobalt, nickel and copper, showed the opposite effects and a unique vitronectin-dependent modulation of PAI-1 stability. This second group of metals significantly destabilized PAI-1, although the addition of vitronectin in conjunction with these metals resulted in a marked stabilization and slower conversion to the latent conformation. In the presence of copper and vitronectin, the half-life of active PAI-1 was extended to 3 h, compared to a half-life of only ∼30 min with copper alone. Nickel had the largest effect, reducing the half-life to ∼5 min. Together, these data demonstrate a heretofore-unknown role for metals in modulating PAI-1 stability.

Recombinant adeno-associated virus-mediated gene transfer for the potential therapy of adenosine deaminase-deficient severe combined immune deficiency

Severe combined immune deficiency due to adenosine deaminase (ADA) deficiency is a rare, potentially fatal pediatric disease, which results from mutations within the ADA gene, leading to metabolic abnormalities and ultimately profound immunologic and nonimmunologic defects. In this study, recombinant adeno-associated virus (rAAV) vectors based on serotypes 1 and 9 were used to deliver a secretory version of the human ADA (hADA) gene to various tissues to promote immune reconstitution following enzyme expression in a mouse model of ADA deficiency. Here, we report that a single-stranded rAAV vector, pTR2-CB-Igκ-hADA, (1) facilitated successful gene delivery to multiple tissues, including heart, skeletal muscle, and kidney, (2) promoted ectopic expression of hADA, and (3) allowed enhanced serum-based enzyme activity over time. Moreover, the rAAV-hADA vector packaged in serotype 9 capsid drove partial, prolonged, and progressive immune reconstitution in ADA-deficient mice. Overview Summary Gene therapies for severe combined immune deficiency due to adenosine deaminase (ADA) deficiency (ADA-SCID) over two decades have exclusively involved retroviral vectors targeted to lymphocytes and hematopoietic progenitor cells. These groundbreaking gene therapies represented an unprecedented revolution in clinical medicine but in most cases did not fully correct the immune deficiency and came with the potential risk of insertional mutagenesis. Alternatively, recombinant adeno-associated virus (rAAV) vectors have gained attention as valuable tools for gene transfer, having demonstrated no pathogenicity in humans, minimal immunogenicity, long-term efficacy, ease of administration, and broad tissue tropism (Muzyczka, 1992 ; Flotte et al., 1993 ; Kessler et al., 1996 ; McCown et al., 1996 ; Lipkowitz et al., 1999 ; Marshall, 2001 ; Chen et al., 2003 ; Conlon and Flotte, 2004 ; Griffey et al., 2005 ; Pacak et al., 2006 ; Stone et al., 2008 ; Liu et al., 2009 ; Choi et al., 2010 ). Currently, rAAV vectors are being utilized in phase I/II clinical trials for cystic fibrosis, α-1 antitrypsin deficiency, Canavan's disease, Parkinson's disease, hemophilia, limb-girdle muscular dystrophy, arthritis, Batten's disease, and Leber's congenital amaurosis (Flotte et al., 1996 , 2004 ; Kay et al., 2000 ; Aitken et al., 2001 ; Wagner et al., 2002 ; Manno et al., 2003 ; Snyder and Francis, 2005 ; Maguire et al., 2008 ; Cideciyan et al., 2009 ). In this study, we present preclinical data to support the viability of an rAAV-based gene transfer strategy for cure of ADA-SCID. We report efficient transduction of a variety of postmitotic target tissues in vivo, subsequent human ADA (hADA) expression, and enhanced hADA secretion in tissues and blood, with increasing peripheral lymphocyte populations over time.

Purinergic signaling in wound healing and airway remodeling

Airway epithelia are continuously damaged by airborne pollutants, pathogens and allergens, and they rely on intrinsic mechanisms to restore barrier integrity. Epithelial repair is a multi-step process including cell migration into the wounded area, proliferation, differentiation and matrix deposition. Each step requires the secretion of various molecules, including growth factors, integrins and matrix metalloproteinases. Evidence is emerging that purinergic signaling promotes repair in human airway epithelia. An injury induces ATP release, which binds P2Y(2) receptors (P2Y(2)Rs) to initiate protein kinase C (PKC)-dependent oxidative activation of TNFα-converting enzyme (TACE), which then releases the membrane-bound ligands of the epidermal growth factor receptor (EGFR). The P2Y(2)R- and EGFR-dependent signaling cascades converge to induce mediator release, whereas the latter also induces cytoskeletal rearrangement for cell migration and proliferation. Similar roles for purinergic signaling are reported in pulmonary endothelial cells, smooth muscle cells and fibroblasts. In chronic airway diseases, the aberrant regulation of extracellular purines is implicated in the development of airway remodeling by mucus cell metaplasia and hypersecretion, excess collagen deposition, fibrosis and neovascularization. This chapter describes the crosstalk between these signaling cascades and discusses the impact of deregulated purinergic signaling in chronic lung diseases.

Interactions of plasminogen activator inhibitor-1 with vitronectin involve an extensive binding surface and induce mutual conformational rearrangements

In order to explore early events during the association of plasminogen activator inhibitor-1 (PAI-1) with its cofactor vitronectin, we have applied a robust strategy that combines protein engineering, fluorescence spectroscopy, and rapid reaction kinetics. Fluorescence stopped-flow experiments designed to monitor the rapid association of PAI-1 with vitronectin indicate a fast, concentration-dependent, biphasic binding of PAI-1 to native vitronectin but only a monophasic association with the somatomedin B (SMB) domain, suggesting that multiple phases of the binding interaction occur only when full-length vitronectin is present. Nonetheless, in all cases, the initial fast interaction is followed by slower fluorescence changes attributed to a conformational change in PAI-1. Complementary experiments using an engineered, fluorescently silent PAI-1 with non-natural amino acids showed that concomitant structural changes occur as well in native vitronectin. Furthermore, we have measured the effect of vitronectin on the rate of insertion of the reactive center loop into beta-sheet A of PAI-1 during reaction with target proteases. With a variety of PAI-1 variants, we observe that both full-length vitronectin and the SMB domain have protease-specific effects on the rate of loop insertion but that the two exhibit clearly different effects. These results support a model for PAI-1 binding to vitronectin in which the interaction surface extends beyond the region of PAI-1 occupied by the SMB domain. In support of this model are recent results that define a PAI-1-binding site on vitronectin that lies outside the somatomedin B domain (Schar, C. R., Blouse, G. E., Minor, K. H., and Peterson, C. B. (2008) J. Biol. Chem. 283, 10297-10309) and the complementary site on PAI-1 (Schar, C. R., Jensen, J. K., Christensen, A., Blouse, G. E., Andreasen, P. A., and Peterson, C. B. (2008) J. Biol. Chem. 283, 28487-28496).

Formation of soluble amyloid oligomers and amyloid fibrils by the multifunctional protein vitronectin

Background

The multifunctional protein vitronectin is present within the deposits associated with Alzheimer disease (AD), age-related macular degeneration (AMD), atherosclerosis, systemic amyloidoses, and glomerulonephritis. The extent to which vitronectin contributes to amyloid formation within these plaques, which contain misfolded, amyloidogenic proteins, and the role of vitronectin in the pathophysiology of the aforementioned diseases is currently unknown. The investigation of vitronectin aggregation is significant since the formation of oligomeric and fibrillar structures are common features of amyloid proteins.

Results

We observed vitronectin immunoreactivity in senile plaques of AD brain, which exhibited overlap with the amyloid fibril-specific OC antibody, suggesting that vitronectin is deposited at sites of amyloid formation. Of particular interest is the growing body of evidence indicating that soluble nonfibrillar oligomers may be responsible for the development and progression of amyloid diseases. In this study we demonstrate that both plasma-purified and recombinant human vitronectin readily form spherical oligomers and typical amyloid fibrils. Vitronectin oligomers are toxic to cultured neuroblastoma and retinal pigment epithelium (RPE) cells, possibly via a membrane-dependent mechanism, as they cause leakage of synthetic vesicles. Oligomer toxicity was attenuated in RPE cells by the anti-oligomer A11 antibody. Vitronectin fibrils contain a C-terminal protease-resistant fragment, which may approximate the core region of residues essential to amyloid formation.

Conclusion

These data reveal the propensity of vitronectin to behave as an amyloid protein and put forth the possibilities that accumulation of misfolded vitronectin may contribute to aggregate formation seen in age-related amyloid diseases.

Proteomic analysis of the serum in patients with idiopathic pulmonary arterial hypertension

Idiopathic pulmonary arterial hypertension (IPAH) is a rare disease of unknown etiology. The exact pathogenesis of pulmonary arterial hypertension is still not well known. In the past decades, many protein molecules have been found to be involved in the development of IPAH. With proteomic techniques, profiling of human plasma proteome becomes more feasible in searching for disease-related markers. In present study, we showed the protein expression profiles of the serum of IPAH and healthy controls after depleting a few high-abundant proteins in serum. Thirteen spots had changed significantly in IPAH compared with healthy controls and were identified by LC-MS/MS. Alpha-1-antitrypsin and vitronectin were down-regulated in IPAH and may be valuable candidates for further explorations of their roles in the development of IPAH.

Changes in glycosylation of vitronectin modulate multimerization and collagen binding during liver regeneration

Elucidating the mechanisms and factors regulating multimerization is biologically important in order to modulate the biological activities of functional proteins, especially adhesive proteins in the extracellular matrix (ECM). Vitronectin (VN) is a multifunctional glycoprotein present in plasma and ECM. Linkage of cellular adhesion and fibrinolysis by VN plays an essential role during tissue remodeling. Our previous study determined that the collagen-binding activity of VN was markedly enhanced with the decreased glycosylation during liver regeneration. This study demonstrated how alternations of glycans modulate the biological activity of VN. Human and rat VNs were used because of their similarities in structure and activities. The binding affinity of human VN to immobilized collagen was shown to be higher at pH 4.5 than at 7.5, at 37 degrees C than at 4 degrees C. Sedimentation velocity studies indicated that the greater the multimerization of human VN, the better it bound to collagen. The results indicate that the collagen binding of VN was modulated through its multimerization. Stepwise trimming of glycan with various exoglycosidases increased both the multimer size and the collagen binding of human VN, indicating that they are modulated by changes in glycosylation. The multimer sizes of VN purified from plasma of partially hepatectomized (PH) rats and sham-operated (SH) rats increased by about 45 and 31%, respectively, compared with those of nonoperated (NO) rats. In accordance with this, PH-VN exhibited remarkably enhanced collagen binding than SH-VN and NO-VN on surface plasmon resonance. In the PH rat sera, the multimer VN was increased in both amount and size compared with those in SH- and NO-sera. The results demonstrate that glycan alterations during tissue remodeling induce increased multimerization state to enhance the biological activity of VN.

Vitronectin in atherosclerotic disease

Atherosclerosis is characterized by the development of an intimal thickening that contains monocytes, T lymphocytes, and smooth muscle cells within an accumulation of lipid and extracellular matrix proteins. Vitronectin is a plasma glycoprotein implicated as a regulator of diverse physiological process, including blood coagulation, fibrinolysis, pericellular proteolysis, complement dependent immune responses, and cell attachment and spreading. Because of its ability to bind platelet glycoproteins and mediate platelet adhesion and aggregation at sites of vascular injury, vitronectin has become an important mediator in the pathogenesis of coronary atherosclerosis.

A mechanism for assembly of complexes of vitronectin and plasminogen activator inhibitor-1 from sedimentation velocity analysis

Plasminogen activator inhibitor-1 (PAI-1) and vitronectin are cofactors involved in pathological conditions such as injury, inflammation, and cancer, during which local levels of PAI-1 are increased and the active serpin forms complexes with vitronectin. These complexes become deposited into surrounding tissue matrices, where they regulate cell adhesion and pericellular proteolysis. The mechanism for their co-localization has not been elucidated. We hypothesize that PAI-1-vitronectin complexes form in a stepwise and concentration-dependent fashion via 1:1 and 2:1 intermediates, with the 2:1 complex serving a key role in assembly of higher order complexes. To test this hypothesis, sedimentation velocity experiments in the analytical ultracentrifuge were performed to identify different PAI-1-vitronectin complexes. Analysis of sedimentation data invoked a novel multisignal method to discern the stoichiometry of the two proteins in the higher-order complexes formed (Balbo, A., Minor, K. H., Velikovsky, C. A., Mariuzza, R. A., Peterson, C. B., and Schuck, P. (2005) Proc. Natl. Acad. Sci. U. S. A. 102, 81-86). Our results demonstrate that PAI-1 and vitronectin assemble into higher order forms via a pathway that is triggered upon saturation of the two PAI-1-binding sites of vitronectin to form the 2:1 complex. This 2:1 PAI-1-vitronectin complex, with a sedimentation coefficient of 6.5 S, is the key intermediate for the assembly of higher order complexes.

A Model for the Three-Dimensional Structure of Human Plasma Vitronectin from Small-Angle Scattering Measurements

Small-angle X-ray scattering (SAXS) measurements were used to characterize vitronectin, a circulatory protein found in human plasma that functions in regulating cell adhesion and migration, as well as proteolytic cascades that affect blood coagulation, fibrinolysis, and pericellular proteolysis. SAXS measurements were taken over a 3-fold range of protein concentrations, yielding data that characterize a monodisperse system of particles with an average radius of gyration of 30.3 +/- 0.6 A and a maximum linear dimension of 110 A. Shape restoration was applied to the data to produce two models of the solution structure of the ligand-free protein. A low-resolution model of the protein was generated that indicates the protein to be roughly peanut-shaped. A better understanding of the domain structure of vitronectin resulted from low-resolution models developed from available high-resolution structures of the domains. These domains include the N-terminal domain that was determined experimentally by NMR [Mayasundari, A., Whittemore, N. A., Serpersu, E. H., and Peterson, C. B. (2004) J. Biol. Chem. 279, 29359-29366] and the docked structure of the central and C-terminal domains that were determined by computational threading [Xu, D., Baburaj, K., Peterson, C. B., and Xu, Y. (2001) Proteins: Struct., Funct., Genet. 44, 312-320]. This model provides an indication of the disposition of the central domain and C-terminal heparin-binding domains of vitronectin with respect to the N-terminal somatomedin B (SMB) domain. This model constructed from the available domain structures, which agrees with the low-resolution model produced from the SAXS data, shows the SMB domain well separated from the central and heparin-binding domains by a disordered linker (residues 54-130). Also, binding sites within the SMB domain are predicted to be well exposed to the surrounding solvent for ease of access to its various ligands.

Activity of MMP-19 inhibits capillary-like formation due to processing of nidogen-1

Matrix metalloproteinase 19 (MMP-19) is able to process various proteins of the basement membrane. To investigate the impact of MMP-19 activity on endothelial cells in the context of tumor extracellular matrix (ECM), we treated Matrigel matrix with an active recombinant MMP-19 and analyzed its effect on capillary-like formation. Human microvascular endothelial cells (HMEC-1) could not form capillary-like formation on Matrigel treated with recombinant MMP-19. Analyzing the Matrigel proteins, we found that MMP-19 preferentially cleaved nidogen-1. The cleavage site of nidogen-1 was mapped to Thr867-Leu868. This cleavage separates the G3 globular domain containing the binding site for the gamma1 chain of laminin-1 and collagen IV and thus abolishes the capacity of nidogen-1 to cross-link ECM proteins. Anti-nidogen antibodies directed against the G3 domain of nidogen-1 inhibited the capillary-like structure formation to a similar extent as MMP-19. Since nidogen-1 is thought to stabilize microvessels, MMP-19 might be one of the enzymes that interferes with stabilization or maturation of nascent vasculature.

The Solution Structure of the N-terminal Domain of Human Vitronectin

The three-dimensional structure of an N-terminal fragment comprising the first 51 amino acids from human plasma vitronectin, the somatomedin B (SMB) domain, has been determined by two-dimensional NMR approaches. An average structure was calculated, representing the overall fold from a set of 20 minimized structures. The core residues (18-41) overlay with a root mean square deviation of 2.29 +/- 0.62 A. The N- and C-terminal segments exhibit higher root mean square deviations, reflecting more flexibility in solution and/or fewer long-range NOEs for these regions. Residues 26-30 form a unique single-turn alpha-helix, the locus where plasminogen activator inhibitor type-1 (PAI-1) is bound. This structure of this helix is highly homologous with that of a recombinant SMB domain solved in a co-crystal with PAI-1 (Zhou, A., Huntington, J. A., Pannu, N. S., Carrell, R. W., and Read, R. J. (2003) Nat. Struct. Biol. 10, 541-544), although the remainder of the structure differs. Significantly, the pattern of disulfide cross-links observed in this material isolated from human plasma is altogether different from the disulfides proposed for recombinant forms. The NMR structure reveals the relative orientation of binding sites for cell surface receptors, including an integrin-binding site at residues 45-47, which was disordered and did not diffract in the co-crystal, and a site for the urokinase receptor, which overlaps with the PAI-1-binding site.

Caldesmon binding to actin is regulated by calmodulin and phosphorylation via different mechanisms

Smooth muscle caldesmon (CaD) binds F-actin and inhibits actomyosin ATPase activity. The inhibition is reversed by Ca2+/calmodulin (CaM). CaD is also phosphorylated upon stimulation at sites specific for mitogen-activated protein kinases (MAPKs). Because of these properties, CaD is thought to be involved in the regulation of smooth muscle contraction. The molecular mechanism of the reversal of inhibition is not well understood. We have expressed His6-tagged fragments containing the sequence of the C-terminal region of human (from M563 to V793) and chicken (from M563 to P771) CaD as well as a variant of the chicken isoform with a Q766C point mutation. By cleavages with proteases, followed by high-speed cosedimentation with F-actin and mass spectrometry, we found that within the C-terminal region of CaD there are multiple actin contact points forming two clusters. Intramolecular fluorescence resonance energy transfer between probes attached to cysteine residues (the endogenous C595 and the engineered C766) located in these two clusters revealed that the C-terminal region of CaD is elongated, but it becomes more compact when bound to actin. Binding of CaM restores the elongated conformation and facilitates dissociation of the C-terminal CaD fragment from F-actin. When the CaD fragment was phosphorylated with a MAPK, only one of the two actin-binding clusters dissociated from F-actin, whereas the other remained bound. Taken together, these results demonstrate that while both Ca2+/CaM and MAPK phosphorylation govern CaD's function via a conformational change, the regulatory mechanisms are different.

Molecular mass determination of plasma-derived glycoproteins by ultraviolet matrix-assisted laser desorption/ionization time-of-flight mass spectrometry with internal calibration

Human plasma-derived antithrombin III (AT-III), factor IX (FIX) and vitronectin (VN) were characterized as native glycoproteins and in their de-N-glycosylated form by means of MALDI mass spectrometry. The average molecular masses of the three complex glycoproteins were determined applying internal calibration with high-mass, well-defined protein calibrants. Internal calibration generated for the 47 kDa yeast protein enolase a mass precision in the continuous and delayed extraction mode of +/-0.12 and +/-0.022%, respectively. The achievable mass accuracy for such a high-mass, unmodified protein was in the range of 0.02% in the continuous mode, which turned out to be better than in the delayed extraction mode. Purification of all (glyco) proteins (even the calibration proteins) by means of ZipTip technology and direct elution with a solvent system containing the appropriate MALDI matrix turned out to be a prerequisite to measure the exact molecular masses with an internal calibration. The average molecular masses of the two different forms of AT-III, namely AT-III(alpha) and AT-III(beta), were shown to be 57.26 and 55.04 kDa, respectively. The 2.22 kDa mass difference is attributed to the known difference in carbohydrate content at one specific site (Asn-135). After exhaustive de-N-glycosylation (by means of PNGase F) of the alpha- and beta-form and subsequent MALDI-MS analysis, average molecular masses of 48.96 and 48.97 kDa, respectively, were obtained. These values are in good agreement (-0.15%) with the calculated molecular mass (49.039 kDa) of the protein part based on SwissProt data. The molecular mass of the heavily post-translational modified glycoprotein FIX was found to be 53.75 kDa with a peak width at 10% peak height of 4.5 kDa, because of the presence of many different posttranslational modifications (N- and O-glycosylation at multiple sites, sulfation, phosphorylation, hydroxylation and numerous gamma-carboxyglutamic acids). MALDI-MS molecular mass determination of the native, size-exclusion chromatography-purified, VN sample revealed that the glycoprotein was present as dimer with molecular mass of 117.74 kDa, which could be corroborated by non-reducing SDS-PAGE. After sample treatment with guanidine hydrochloride and mass spectrometric analysis, a single, new main component was detected. The molecular mass turned out to be 59.45 kDa, representing the monomeric form of VN, known as V75. The determined molecular mass value was shown to be on one hand lower than from SDS-PAGE and on the other higher than the calculated amino acid sequence molecular mass (52 277 Da), pointing to the well-known SDS-PAGE bias and to considerable post-translational modifications. Further treatment of the sample with a reducing agent and subsequent MALDI-MS revealed two new components with molecular masses of 49.85 and 9.41 kDa, corresponding to V65 and V10 subunits of VN. PNGase F digest of the V75 and V65 units and MS analysis, exhibiting a molecular mass reduction of 6.37 kDa in both cases, verified the presence of a considerable amount of N-glycans.

New insights into heparin binding to vitronectin: studies with monoclonal antibodies

Vitronectin is a plasma glycoprotein that binds to a variety of ligands. There is considerable debate regarding the dependency of these binding interactions upon the conformational status of vitronectin, the role of multimerization and how the binding of different ligands can change vitronectin's conformational state. We have developed a method of capturing vitronectin directly from fresh plasma using solid-phase monoclonal antibodies. Various biotin-labelled secondary monoclonal antibodies were used to quantify the bound vitronectin and to measure its degree of denaturation. Using these tools we demonstrated that one monoclonal antibody partially denatured vitronectin without direct multimerization. Treatment of vitronectin in plasma with soluble heparin produced a similar degree of denaturation. These results led to a proposed adaptation of the unfolding/refolding pathways for chemically denatured vitronectin originally presented by Zhuang and co-workers in 1996 [Zhuang, Blackburn and Peterson (1996) J. Biol. Chem. 271, 14323-14332 and Zhuang, Li, Williams, Wagner, Seiffert and Peterson (1996) J. Biol. Chem. 271, 14333-14343]. The adapted version allows for the production of a more stable partially unfolded intermediate, resulting from the binding of particular ligands. We also demonstrated that the avidity of heparin binding to vitronectin is governed by both the conformational state of the monomer and multimerization of the molecule.

Guanidinium chloride- and urea-induced unfolding of the dimeric enzyme glucose oxidase

We have carried out a systematic study on the guanidinium chloride- and urea-induced unfolding of glucose oxidase from Aspergillus niger, an acidic dimeric enzyme, using various optical spectroscopic techniques, enzymatic activity measurements, glutaraldehyde cross-linking, and differential scanning calorimetry. The urea-induced unfolding of GOD was a two-state process with dissociation and unfolding of the native dimeric enzyme molecule occurring in a single step. On the contrary, the GdmCl-induced unfolding of GOD was a multiphasic process with stabilization of a conformation more compact than the native enzyme at low GdmCl concentrations and dissociation along with unfolding of enzyme at higher concentrations of GdmCl. The GdmCl-stabilized compact dimeric intermediate of GOD showed an enhanced stability against thermal and urea denaturation as compared to the native GOD dimer. Comparative studies on GOD using GdmCl and NaCl demonstrated that binding of the Gdm(+) cation to the enzyme results in stabilization of the compact dimeric intermediate of the enzyme at low GdmCl concentrations. An interesting observation was that a slight difference in the concentration of urea and GdmCl associated with the unfolding of GOD was observed, which is in violation of the 2-fold rule for urea and GdmCl denaturation of proteins. This is the first report where violation of the 2-fold rule has been observed for a multimeric protein.

Incorporation of vitronectin into fibrin clots. Evidence for a binding interaction between vitronectin and gamma A/gamma' fibrinogen

Vitronectin is an abundant plasma protein that regulates coagulation, fibrinolysis, complement activation, and cell adhesion. Recently, we demonstrated that plasma vitronectin inhibits fibrinolysis by mediating the interaction of type 1 plasminogen activator inhibitor with fibrin (Podor, T. J., Peterson, C. B., Lawrence, D. A., Stefansson, S., Shaughnessy, S. G., Foulon, D. M., Butcher, M., and Weitz, J. I. (2000) J. Biol. Chem. 275, 19788-19794). The current studies were undertaken to further examine the interactions between vitronectin and fibrin(ogen). Comparison of vitronectin levels in plasma with those in serum indicates that approximately 20% of plasma vitronectin is incorporated into the clot. When the time course of biotinylated-vitronectin incorporation into clots formed from (125)I-fibrinogen is monitored, vitronectin incorporation into the clot parallels that of fibrinogen in the absence or presence of activated factor XIII. Vitronectin binds specifically to fibrin matrices with an estimated K(d) of approximately 0.6 microm. Additional vitronectin subunits are assembled on fibrin-bound vitronectin multimers through self-association. Confocal microscopy of fibrin clots reveals the globular vitronectin aggregates anchored at intervals along the fibrin fibrils. This periodicity raised the possibility that vitronectin interacts with the gamma A/gamma' variant of fibrin(ogen) that represents about 10% of total fibrinogen. In support of this concept, the vitronectin which contaminates fibrinogen preparations co-purifies with the gamma A/gamma' fibrinogen fraction, and clots formed from gamma A/gamma' fibrinogen preferentially bind vitronectin. These studies reveal that vitronectin associates with fibrin during coagulation, and may thereby modulate hemostasis and inflammation.

Model for the three-dimensional structure of vitronectin: predictions for the multi-domain protein from threading and docking

The structure of vitronectin, an adhesive protein that circulates in high concentrations in human plasma, was predicted through a combination of computational methods and experimental approaches. Fold recognition and sequence-structure alignment were performed using the threading program PROSPECT for each of three structural domains, i.e., the N-terminal somatomedin B domain (residues 1-53), the central region that folds into a four-bladed beta-propeller domain (residues 131-342), and the C-terminal heparin-binding domain (residues 347-459). The atomic structure of each domain was generated using MODELLER, based on the alignment obtained from threading. Docking experiments between the central and C-terminal domains were conducted using the program GRAMM, with limits on the degrees of freedom from a known inter-domain disulfide bridge. The docked structure has a large inter-domain contact surface and defines a putative heparin-binding groove at the inter-domain interface. We also docked heparin together with the combined structure of the central and C-terminal domains, using GRAMM. The predictions from the threading and docking experiments are consistent with experimental data on purified plasma vitronectin pertaining to protease sensitivity, ligand-binding sites, and buried cysteines.

Certain high molecular weight heparin chains have high affinity for vitronectin

Vitronectin is a 70-kDa protein that is found in both the extracellular matrix as well as serum. Vitronectin is one of the few proteins that regulates both the complement and the coagulation systems. Heparin is known to bind to vitronectin. Review of the literature reveals apparently conflicting outcomes of the interaction of heparin, vitronectin, and the complement system. Previous studies demonstrated that heparin diminishes vitronectin inhibition of complement activity. Numerous studies have also demonstrated that heparin exerts a net inhibitory effect on complement. We used two dimensional affinity resolution electrophoresis (2DARE) to examine this apparent paradox. 2DARE allowed simultaneous determination of binding affinity of heparin for vitronectin as well as the M(r) of the heparin species. In the 2DARE experiment, the interaction of heparin with vitronectin caused retardation of the movement of the heparin through the tube gel in the first dimension. The degree of the retardation of movement was used to calculate the approximate K(d) of that interaction. The heparin from the tube gel was then subjected to a second dimension electrophoresis to determine the M(r) of the heparin. 2DARE analysis of the interaction of heparin with vitronectin clearly demonstrated that a sub-population of heparin chains with M(r) > 8000 bound vitronectin with high affinity whereas most high M(r) chains and all lower M(r) chains showed little to no affinity for vitronectin. Our findings are consistent with the hypothesis that a unique binding domain exists in certain heparin chains for vitronectin.

Influence of the oligomeric state of yeast hexokinase isozymes on inactivation and unfolding by urea

The effect of the association-dissociation equilibrium on the urea-induced inactivation and unfolding of the yeast hexokinase isoforms, PI and PII, showed that these enzymes are more stable as dimers. For the monomeric PII, the inactivation and unfolding processes occurred in parallel. However, inactivation precedes the unfolding of monomeric PI or dimeric PI and PII. The unfolding transitions are biphasic for PI indicating stable intermediates, whereas for the PII isoform the unfolding occurs in a single step. Our data suggests that although PI and PII present a 78% identity in their amino acid sequences, they probably have distinct inactivation and unfolding by urea behavior.

Full-length and truncated forms of vitronectin provide insight into effects of proteolytic processing on function

A genetic polymorphism in the vitronectin allele directs the production of two distinct forms of the 459 amino acid glycoprotein. A methionine present at position 381 favors production of the single-chain form of vitronectin, while threonine at this position increases the susceptibility of vitronectin to cleavage just beyond its heparin-binding domain at residue 379. This reaction gives rise to a disulfide-bonded, two-chain form of vitronectin. In order to investigate the functional significance of the vitronectin polymorphism, the baculovirus system has been used to express recombinant full-length vitronectin and a truncated form of the molecule that represents the 62-kDa fragment of two-chain vitronectin. Both forms of vitronectin bind and neutralize heparin anticoagulant activity. The proteins also bind PAI-1 and stabilize its active conformation. These experiments suggest that the C-terminal 80 amino acids do not confer a functional difference in the two allelic variants. Immunoassays and gel filtration experiments indicate that both full-length and truncated recombinant forms of vitronectin are multimeric. Together with other reports from this laboratory, these results provide information regarding the primary binding sites for two vitronectin ligands and further define regions that may be involved in multimerization of the protein.

The changes in glycosylation after partial hepatectomy enhance collagen binding of vitronectin in plasma

Vitronectin is a multifunctional glycoprotein present in the extracellular matrix and plasma. Changes in rat vitronectin were studied during liver regeneration after partial hepatectomy. Carbohydrate concentrations of vitronectin decreased to 2/3 of sham-operated rats at 24 h after partial hepatectomy. Carbohydrate composition and lectin reactivity indicated that N-glycosylation and sialylation of vitronectin changed markedly after partial hepatectomy, while amino acid composition did not change significantly. We previously showed that deN-glycosylation of vitronectin in vitro affects collagen binding among various ligands (Yoneda et al., Biochemistry (1998) 37, 6351-6360). Vitronectins from partially hepatectomized rats at 24 h were found to exhibit markedly enhanced binding to type I collagen. The effect of sialylation on collagen binding was further examined using enzymatically deglycosylated vitronectin of nonoperated rats. Collagen binding increased by 1.2 times after deN-glycosylation of vitronectin, while it increased more than 2.9 times after desialylation. Various glycosyltransferases in liver are known to change after partial hepatectomy, including the attenuation of N-oligosaccharide transferase. The findings therefore suggest that the collagen binding of vitronectin is modulated by the alteration of peptide glycosylation caused by postoperative physiological changes of glycosyltransferases and that the change may contribute to tissue remodeling processes.

New insights into the size and stoichiometry of the plasminogen activator inhibitor type-1.vitronectin complex

Plasminogen activator inhibitor-type 1 (PAI-1) is the primary inhibitor of endogenous plasminogen activators that generate plasmin in the vicinity of a thrombus to initiate thrombolysis, or in the pericellular region of cells to facilitate migration and/or tissue remodeling. It has been shown that the physiologically relevant form of PAI-1 is in a complex with the abundant plasma glycoprotein, vitronectin. The interaction between vitronectin and PAI-1 is important for stabilizing the inhibitor in a reactive conformation. Although the complex is clearly significant, information is vague regarding the composition of the complex and consequences of its formation on the distribution and activity of vitronectin in vivo. Most studies have assumed a 1:1 interaction between the two proteins, but this has not been demonstrated experimentally and is a matter of some controversy since more than one PAI-1-binding site has been proposed within the sequence of vitronectin. To address this issue, competition studies using monoclonal antibodies specific for separate epitopes confirmed that the two distinct PAI-1-binding sites present on vitronectin can be occupied simultaneously. Analytical ultracentrifugation was used also for a rigorous analysis of the composition and sizes of complexes formed from purified vitronectin and PAI-1. The predominant associating species observed was high in molecular weight (M(r) approximately 320,000), demonstrating that self-association of vitronectin occurs upon interaction with PAI-1. Moreover, the size of this higher order complex indicates that two molecules of PAI-1 bind per vitronectin molecule. Binding of PAI-1 to vitronectin and association into higher order complexes is proposed to facilitate interaction with macromolecules on surfaces.

Function of murine adenosine deaminase in the gastrointestinal tract

Adenosine deaminase (ADA) deficiency in humans leads to a combined immunodeficiency characterized by severe T and B cell lymphopenia. ADA-deficient humans also display defective development of gut-associated lymphoid tissues (GALT). They lack lymphoid cells, and the Peyer's patches are without germinal centers. In mice, ADA-deficient fetuses die perinatally due to liver damage, but they also exhibit pathology in the thymus, spleen, and the small intestine. The GI phenotype associated with ADA-deficient humans prompted us to examine the effect of ADA-deficiency on mouse small intestine tissue. The work presented here focuses on understanding the physiological role of ADA in the GI tract, using ADA-deficient mice rescued from perinatal lethality by restoring Ada expression to trophoblast cells. Histologically and immunologically, the GALT was compromised at all sites in ADA-/- mice, with the most dramatic changes seen in the Peyer's patches. Profound disturbances in purine metabolism were detected in all the gastrointestinal tissues. In particular, adenosine and deoxyadenosine, the ADA substrates, increased markedly while the product inosine decreased. The activity of S-adenosylhomocysteine hydrolase decreased throughout the GI tract, indicating a possible disruption of cellular transmethylation and activation of apoptotic pathways. There were also disturbances in the purine metabolic pathway with a decrease in the production of downstream nucleosides hypoxanthine and xanthine.

Orientation of heparin-binding sites in native vitronectin. Analyses of ligand binding to the primary glycosaminoglycan-binding site indicate that putative secondary sites are not functional

A primary heparin-binding site in vitronectin has been localized to a cluster of cationic residues near the C terminus of the protein. More recently, secondary binding sites have been proposed. In order to investigate whether the binding site originally identified on vitronectin functions as an exclusive and independent heparin-binding domain, solution binding methods have been used in combination with NMR and recombinant approaches to evaluate ligand binding to the primary site. Evaluation of the ionic strength dependence of heparin binding to vitronectin according to classical linkage theory indicates that a single ionic bond is prominent. It had been previously shown that chemical modification of vitronectin using an arginine-reactive probe results in a significant reduction in heparin binding (Gibson, A., Baburaj, K., Day, D. E., Verhamme, I. , Shore, J. D., and Peterson, C. B. (1997) J. Biol. Chem. 272, 5112-5121). The label has now been localized to arginine residues within the cyanogen bromide fragment-(341-380) that contains the primary heparin-binding site on vitronectin. One- and two-dimensional NMR on model peptides based on this primary heparin-binding site indicate that an arginine residue participates in the ionic interaction and that other nonionic interactions may be involved in forming a complex with heparin. A recombinant polypeptide corresponding to the C-terminal 129 amino acids of vitronectin exhibits heparin-binding affinity that is comparable to that of full-length vitronectin and is equally effective at neutralizing heparin anticoagulant activity. Results from this broad experimental approach argue that the behavior of the primary site is sufficient to account for the heparin binding activity of vitronectin and support an exposed orientation for the site in the structure of the native protein.

Unfolding of Plasmodium falciparum triosephosphate isomerase in urea and guanidinium chloride: evidence for a novel disulfide exchange reaction in a covalently cross-linked mutant

The conformational stability of Plasmodium falciparum triosephosphate isomerase (TIMWT) enzyme has been investigated in urea and guanidinium chloride (GdmCl) solutions using circular dichroism, fluorescence, and size-exclusion chromatography. The dimeric enzyme is remarkably stable in urea solutions. It retains considerable secondary, tertiary, and quaternary structure even in 8 M urea. In contrast, the unfolding transition is complete by 2.4 M GdmCl. Although the secondary as well as the tertiary interactions melt before the perturbation of the quaternary structure, these studies imply that the dissociation of the dimer into monomers ultimately leads to the collapse of the structure, suggesting that the interfacial interactions play a major role in determining multimeric protein stability. The Cm(urea)/Cm(GdmCl) ratio (where Cm is the concentration of the denaturant required at the transition midpoint) is unusually high for triosephosphate isomerase as compared to other monomeric and dimeric proteins. A disulfide cross-linked mutant protein (Y74C) engineered to form two disulfide cross-links across the interface (13-74') and (13'-74) is dramatically destablized in urea. The unfolding transition is complete by 6 M urea and involves a novel mechanism of dimer dissociation through intramolecular thiol-disulfide exchange.

Ionic strength effect on the thermal unfolding of alpha-spectrin peptides

In previous work, we have shown that the ionic strength-mediated differences found for the hydrodynamic dimensions of the human erythrocyte spectrin are not caused by secondary structural changes, but are caused more probably by subtle changes in tertiary interactions (LaBrake, C. C., Wang, L., Keiderling, T. A., and Fung, L. W.-M. (1993) Biochemistry 32, 10296-10302.). The substructure of spectrin has been suggested to be composed largely of triple alpha-helical bundle structural domains in tandem. In the present study, we used fluorescence and circular dichroism methods to study ionic strength effects on intact spectrin dimers and on recombinant peptides of spectrin domains of different lengths. We observed little ionic strength effect on the thermal unfolding temperature, Tm, values in these systems. However, we found that ionic strength-induced cooperativity in the unfolding processes was similar for the spectrin dimer and for peptides with two or three domains, as measured by entropy changes (DeltaSm). Although single-domain peptides exhibited rather variable DeltaSm values, depending on the specific domain, they showed little salt effects on the DeltaSm values themselves. This suggests that spectrin undergoes subtle ionic strength-induced conformational changes, probably near the interdomain regions of the molecule. These conformational changes may be responsible for the observed hydrodynamic and unfolding properties in intact spectrin under different ionic strength conditions. We suggest that recombinant peptides of various lengths may serve as models for studying the structural flexibility in spectrin.

Degradation of distinct forms of multimeric vitronectin by human fibroblasts

The plasma protein vitronectin is thought to be an important regulator of extravascular plasminogen activation. In previous studies we have shown that a disulfide stabilized multimeric form of vitronectin is endocytosed and degraded by fibroblast cells (T.S. Panetti, P.J. McKeown-Longo, J. Biol. Chem. 268 (1993) 11988-11993; P.J. McKeown-Longo, T.S. Panetti, in: K.T. Preissner, S. Rosenblatt, C. Kost, J. Wegerhoff, D.F. Mosher (Eds.), Biology of Vitronectins and their Receptors, Elsevier Science Publishers, Amsterdam, 1993, pp. 111-118). The preparation of multimeric vitronectin used in these earlier studies was in the form of high molecular weight disulfide-bonded aggregates which were stable in sodium dodecyl sulfate (SDS). To address the question of whether vitronectin needed to be in the form of disulfide stabilized multimers in order to be endocytosed, a multimeric vitronectin, which was not disulfide stabilized, was prepared from vitronectin that had been treated with reducing agent and alkylated with iodoacetamide. The resulting protein migrated as a 65/75 kDa protein on SDS gels in the absence of reducing agent, confirming that this form of vitronectin was no longer stabilized into disulfide-bonded aggregates. However, the protein was still multimeric when analyzed by native gels and could be converted to SDS stable multimers by cross-linking agents. This result demonstrated that reduced and alkylated vitronectin aggregates into multimeric forms which are not stable in SDS. Similar to disulfide stabilized multimers, alkylated multimers of vitronectin bound to sulfated proteoglycans in the extracellular matrix and were endocytosed and degraded. Degradation of both forms of vitronectin was inhibited with arginine-glycine-aspartic acid peptides, an anti-alphavbeta5 antibody and heparin. Chloroquine and wortmannin were also able to inhibit degradation of both forms of vitronectin, indicating that both multimeric forms were following the same endocytic and degradative pathway. These results suggest that the organization of vitronectin into a multimeric form which will be recognized for endocytosis does not require disulfide bond stabilization. This study further suggests that recognition of vitronectin for endocytosis is dependent upon its conversion from a monomeric to a multivalent form (C.E. Wilkins-Port, P.J. McKeown-Longo, Mol. Biol. Cell 8:S:64A (1997).

Characterization of the ligand binding activities of vitronectin: interaction of vitronectin with lipids and identification of the binding domains for various ligands using recombinant domains

Vitronectin is a multifunctional plasma glycoprotein which may regulate the systems related to protease cascades such as the coagulation, fibrinolysis, and complement systems as well as cell adhesion. Solid-phase assays and affinity chromatography on immobilized glycolipids indicated that vitronectin purified under denaturing conditions bound to sulfatide (Gal(3-SO4)beta1-1ceramide), cholesterol 3-sulfate, and various phospholipids, but not gangliosides. Only the unfolded or multimeric form of vitronectin bound to sulfatide, suggesting a conformational dependency of the binding activity, while vitronectin bound to cholesterol 3-sulfate regardless of its conformational state. The recombinant domains of human vitronectin and mutants with certain domains deleted were separately expressed in E. coli as fusion proteins. Using the recombinants, sulfatide-, phosphatidylserine-, cholesterol 3-sulfate-, Type I collagen-, heparin-, and beta-endorphin-binding activities were found to be attributable to hemopexin domain 2 and hemopexin domain 1. The possibility was suggested that the presence of a somatomedin domain and/or connecting region flanking hemopexin domain 1 inactivated its heparin binding. De-N-glycosylation of plasma vitronectin significantly affected the cholesterol sulfate- and collagen-binding activities, although its effects were opposite. These findings suggest that diverse ligand-binding activities could be attributed to pexin family motifs but that the interdomain interactions and glycosylations modulate the ligand binding activities of vitronectin.

Ecto-enzyme and signaling functions of lymphocyte CD73

CD73 or ecto-5'-nucleotidase (5'-NT) is a widely expressed ecto-enzyme which catalyzes the dephosphorylation of AMP and other nucleoside monophosphates. CD73 participates in purine salvage through this enzymatic activity, supplying cells with precursors for energy metabolism and nucleic acid biosynthesis. As an enzyme that produces adenosine, CD73 can also regulate adenosine receptor engagement in many tissues. However, CD73 also has functions independent of its enzyme activity. Like many glycosyl phosphatidylinositol (GPI)-anchored molecules, it transmits potent activation signals in T cells when ligated by antibodies. Less compelling evidence suggests that CD73 may function as a cell adhesion molecule. In the human immune system, CD73 is expressed on subsets of T and B cells, on germinal center follicular dendritic cells, and on thymic medullary reticular fibroblasts and epithelial cells. Many challenging areas remain to be explored before the role of CD73 in the immune system will be fully understood. These include an evaluation of the role of adenosine receptors in lymphoid development, the identification of physiological CD73 ligands, a functional assessment of the GPI anchor, and an analysis of the intricate cell-type-specific and developmental regulation of CD73 expression.

Intact vitronectin induces matrix metalloproteinase-2 and tissue inhibitor of metalloproteinases-2 expression and enhanced cellular invasion by melanoma cells

The initial site of melanoma cell metastasis is frequently the regional lymph nodes, and the appearance of lymph node metastasis correlates with poor prognosis. Lymph node adhesion is mediated by an interaction between the tumor cell integrin alphavbeta3 and lymph node vitronectin. In this study, we explored the relationship between adhesion and proteolysis by examining the direct effect of vitronectin receptor ligation on matrix metalloproteinase-2 (MMP-2) production by B16F1 and B16F10 melanoma cells. We report a dose-dependent increase in secretion of both MMP-2 and tissue inhibitor of metalloproteinases-2 (TIMP-2) in response to vitronectin. Cellular invasiveness was also enhanced by vitronectin, as shown by the increased ability of vitronectin-treated cells to invade a synthetic basement membrane (Matrigel). Both the vitronectin-induced MMP-2 production and vitronectin-enhanced invasion were blocked by the peptide ligand Arg-Gly-Asp-Ser (RGDS). Furthermore, neither plasmin-degraded vitronectin nor the peptide ligand RGDS stimulated MMP-2 secretion or invasiveness, indicating that a multivalent ligand-receptor interaction rather than simple receptor occupancy was required for MMP-2 induction. MMP-2 and MMP-2/TIMP-2 interaction with the plasma membrane of melanoma cells resulted in enhanced catalytic activity against 14C-labeled gelatin, suggesting that membrane association may function in posttranslational regulation of MMP-2 activity. This is supported by data showing increased cellular invasion by cells containing membrane-bound MMP-2. Binding of proMMP-2 and proMMP-2/TIMP-2 to melanoma cells was not inhibited by RGDS, and melanoma cell adhesion to vitronectin was unaffected by pro- or active MMP-2, indicating that MMP-2 did not interact with the murine vitronectin receptor. Together, these data provide evidence for a functional link between adhesion and proteolysis and suggest a potential mechanism whereby adhesion of an invasive cell to the extracellular matrix regulates subsequent invasive behavior.

Arrangement of the COOH-terminal and NH2-terminal domains of caldesmon bound to actin

Smooth muscle caldesmon is a single polypeptide chain with its NH2- and COOH-terminal domains separated by a long alpha-helix. Caldesmon was labeled at either Cys-153 in the NH2 domain or Cys-580 in the COOH domain with a variety of fluorescence probes. Fluorescence intensity, peak position, and polarization of probes on Cys-580 were very sensitive to the binding to actin (with or without tropomyosin), whereas for probes on Cys-153, there was a lack of response, in reconstituted or native actin thin filaments. From fluorescence resonance energy transfer from donor labels on either caldesmon cysteine to acceptor labels on Cys-374 of actin, the distance between the donor and acceptor was estimated to be 27 A for the donor at Cys-580 and 65-80 A for the donor at Cys-153. These findings were the same for caldesmon prepared with or without heat treatment and with striated or smooth muscle actin. These results, together with previous knowledge that COOH-terminal fragments of caldesmon bind to actin whereas NH2-terminal fragments do not, indicate that, while the COOH domain of caldesmon is bound to actin, the NH2 domain is largely dissociated. Fluorescence quenching studies showed that actin binding to caldesmon greatly decreased the accessibility of probes at caldesmon Cys-580 to the quencher, whereas for probes at Cys-153, actin afforded much less, but significant, protection from quenching. Consequently, it appears that, although the NH2 domain is mostly dissociated, it spends some time in the vicinity of actin, through either a weak interaction with actin or collisions with actin and/or because of restricted flexibility which constrains the NH2 domain to be close to the actin filament. Since the NH2 domain of caldesmon binds to the neck region of myosin, a dissociated NH2 domain may account for caldesmon's ability to link myosin and actin filaments.

Native and multimeric vitronectin exhibit similar affinity for heparin. Differences in heparin binding properties induced upon denaturation are due to self-association into a multivalent form

For many years, the concept that the heparin-binding sequence is sequestered within vitronectin and exposed upon denaturation of the protein has guided experimental design and interpretation of related structure-function studies on the protein. To evaluate binding of heparin to both native and denatured/renatured vitronectin, methods for monitoring binding in solution have been developed. A fluorescence method based on changes in an extrinsic probe attached to heparin has been used to evaluate heparin binding to native and denatured/renatured vitronectin. This approach indicates that there are not major differences in intrinsic heparin-binding affinities between native and renatured protein and invalidate the currently accepted model for a cryptic heparin-binding sequence in the protein. Denaturation and renaturation of vitronectin under near physiological solution conditions is accompanied invariably by self-association of the protein into a multimeric form (Zhuang, P., Blackburn, M. N., and Peterson, C. B. (1996) J. Biol. Chem. 271, 14323-14332), resulting in exposure of multiple heparin-binding sites on the surface of the oligomer. On the basis of the binding data from solution studies and interaction of the native monomer and the denatured multimeric form of vitronectin with a heparin column, along with evaluation of the ionic strength dependence of heparin binding to these vitronectin forms in solution, an alternative model is favored to account for the altered heparin binding properties of vitronectin associated with denaturation of the protein. This model proposes that multivalent interactions between heparin and multimeric vitronectin are responsible for differences in heparin affinity chromatography and ionic strength dependence compared with the native protein.

The use of fluorescent probes to characterize conformational changes in the interaction between vitronectin and plasminogen activator inhibitor-1

Plasminogen activator inhibitor-1 (PAI-1), the primary inhibitor of tissue-type plasminogen activator and urokinase, is known to convert readily to a latent form by insertion of the reactive center loop into a central beta-sheet. Interaction with vitronectin stabilizes PAI-1 and decreases the rate of conversion to the latent form, but conformational effects of vitronectin on the reactive center loop of PAI-1 have not been documented. Mutant forms of PAI-1 were designed with a cysteine substitution at either position P1' or P9 of the reactive center loop. Labeling of the unique cysteine with a sulfhydryl-reactive fluorophore provides a probe that is sensitive to vitronectin binding. Results indicate that the scissile P1-P1' bond of PAI-1 is more solvent exposed upon interaction with vitronectin, whereas the N-terminal portion of the reactive loop does not experience a significant change in its environment. These results were complemented by labeling vitronectin with an arginine-specific coumarin probe which compromises heparin binding but does not interfere with PAI-1 binding to the protein. Dissociation constants of approximately 100 nM are calculated for the vitronectin/PAI-1 interaction from titrations using both fluorescent probes. Furthermore, experiments in which PAI-1 failed to compete with heparin for binding to vitronectin argue for separate binding sites for the two ligands on vitronectin.

Characterization of the denaturation and renaturation of human plasma vitronectin. II. Investigation into the mechanism of formation of multimers

Unfolding and refolding of plasma vitronectin appear irreversible under near physiological conditions, with rearrangements of disulfides and self-association to a multimeric form observed as prominent structural alterations which accompany denaturation. A mechanism for the folding reactions of vitronectin has been proposed (Zhuang, P., Blackburn, M. N., and Peterson, C. B.(1996) J. Biol. Chem. 270, 14323-14332) in which vitronectin acquires a partially folded intermediate structure which is highly prone to oligomerize into a multimeric form. Strongly oxidizing conditions adopted for refolding from urea were effective at preventing disulfide rearrangement which disrupts distal disulfides near the C terminus of the protein. Prohibiting disulfide rearrangement under these conditions, however, was not sufficient to achieve reversibility in folding. In contrast, variations in the ionic strength of the refolding medium affect the partitioning of species so that refolded monomers are obtained at high ionic strength, and self-association is precluded. The effects of ionic strength on the partially folded intermediate in the vitronectin folding pathway appear to favor intramolecular hydrophobic collapse to form a stable hydrophobic core for the monomer versus intermolecular hydrophobic interactions which stabilize multimeric vitronectin. Although both ionic and hydrophobic interactions presumably contribute to subunit interfaces within the multimer, the basic heparin-binding region near the C terminus of the protein does not provide binding interactions which are important for self-association of vitronectin.