Search

Skin inflammation and dermal injuries are a major clinical problem because current therapies are limited to treating established scars, and there is a poor understanding of healing mechanisms. Mussel adhesive proteins (MAPs) have great potential in many tissue engineering and biomedical applications. It has been successfully demonstrated that the redesigned hybrid type MAP (fp-151) can be utilized as a promising adhesive biomaterial. The aim of this study was to develop a novel recombinant protein using fp-151 and vitronectin (VT) and to elucidate the anti-inflammatory effects of this recombinant protein on macrophages and keratinocytes.Lipopolysaccharide (LPS) was used to stimulate macrophages and UVB was used to stimulate keratinocytes. Inducible nitric oxide synthase (iNOS) and cyclooxygenase (COX)-2 were analyzed by Western Blot. Inflammatory cytokines and NO and ROS production were analyzed.In macrophages stimulated by LPS, expression of the inflammatory factors iNOS, COX-2, and NO production increased, while the r-fp-151-VT-treated groups had suppressed expression of iNOS, COX-2, and NO production in a dose-dependent manner. In addition, keratinocytes stimulated by UVB and treated with r-fp-151-VT had reduced expression of iNOS and COX-2. Interestingly, in UVB-irradiated keratinocytes, inflammatory cytokines, such as interleukin (IL)-1b, IL-6, and tumor necrosis factor (TNF)-a, were significantly reduced by r-fp-151-VT treatment.These results suggest that the anti-inflammatory activity of r-fp-151-VT was more effective in keratinocytes, suggesting that it can be used as a therapeutic agent to treat skin inflammation.

The crystal structure of the urease gamma subunit (UreA) from Mycobacterium tuberculosis, Rv1848, has been determined at 1.8 A resolution. The asymmetric unit contains three copies of Rv1848 arranged into a homotrimer that is similar to the UreA trimer in the structure of urease from Klebsiella aerogenes. Small-angle X-ray scattering experiments indicate that the Rv1848 protein also forms trimers in solution. The observed homotrimer and the organization of urease genes within the M. tuberculosis genome suggest that M. tuberculosis urease has the (alphabetagamma)(3) composition observed for other bacterial ureases. The gamma subunit may be of primary importance for the formation of the urease quaternary structure.

Lactobacillus salivarius, a probiotic bacterium, encounters acidic conditions in its passage through the gastrointestinal tract of human and animal hosts. We studied the effect of a rapid downshift in extracellular pH from 6.5 to 4 on cell growth. The maximum growth rate was higher in low pH medium with glutathione supplementation than without. Cells developed a GSH-mediated acid-tolerance response and, when grown with 0.5 mM GSH, reached a higher final density than with other conditions. These findings suggest that the increased growth rate is caused by uptake of GSH which acts as a nutrient source as well as having protective functions, allowing for continued growth.

A thiol peroxidase (Tpx) from Mycobacterium tuberculosis was functionally analyzed. The enzyme shows NADPH-linked peroxidase activity using a thioredoxin-thioredoxin reductase system as electron donor, and anti-oxidant activity in a thiol-dependent metal-catalyzed oxidation system. It reduces H2O2, t-butyl hydroperoxide, and cumene hydroperoxide, and is inhibited by sulfhydryl reagents. Mutational studies revealed that the peroxidatic (Cys60) and resolving (Cys93) cysteine residues are critical amino acids for catalytic activity. The X-ray structure determined to a resolution of 1.75 A shows a thioredoxin fold similar to that of other peroxiredoxin family members. Superposition with structural homologues in oxidized and reduced forms indicates that the M. tuberculosis Tpx is a member of the atypical two-Cys peroxiredoxin family. In addition, the short distance that separates the Calpha atoms of Cys60 and Cys93 and the location of these cysteine residues in unstructured regions may indicate that the M. tuberculosis enzyme is oxidized, though the side-chain of Cys60 is poorly visible. It is solely in the reduced Streptococcus pneumoniae Tpx structure that both residues are part of two distinct helical segments. The M. tuberculosis Tpx is dimeric both in solution and in the crystal structure. Amino acid residues from both monomers delineate the active site pocket.

The three-dimensional structure of Rv2607, a putative pyridoxine 5'-phosphate oxidase (PNPOx) from Mycobacterium tuberculosis, has been determined by X-ray crystallography to 2.5 A resolution. Rv2607 has a core domain similar to known PNPOx structures with a flavin mononucleotide (FMN) cofactor. Electron density for two FMN at the dimer interface is weak despite the bright yellow color of the protein solution and crystal. The shape and size of the putative binding pocket is markedly different from that of members of the PNPOx family, which may indicate some significant changes in the FMN binding mode of this protein relative to members of the family.

Glutathione (GSH) is an abundant nonprotein thiol that plays numerous roles within the cell. Previously, we showed that Lactobacillus salivarius has the capacity to mount a glutathione-mediated acid-tolerance response. In the present work we provide evidence of a requirement for GSH by Lactobacillus reuteri and have studied the role of GSH during cell growth. Medium supplementation with 0.5 mM GSH as the sole sulfur source enhanced cell growth, resulting in an increase in glucose consumption, and increased cell GSH and protein contents compared with levels seen in the absence of supplementation. Moreover, L. reuteri showed enhanced amino acid consumption when grown with 0.5 mM GSH. These findings indicate that glutathione is a nutrient for bacterial growth.

Lactobacillus plantarum, a probiotic organism that plays an important role in the microbial fermentation of alkaline materials in fermenting foods, faces alkaline stress during the fermentation process. Here, we report the patterns of protein expression in L. plantarum subjected to transient (1h) alkaline stress at pH 7.7, 8.7 or 9.7. Thirty-three alkaline-responsive proteins were identified by two-dimensional electrophoresis and matrix-assisted laser desorption/ionization-time-of-flight-mass spectrometry (MALDI-TOF-MS). Identification of proteins showing differential expression in response to alkaline stress revealed that the alkaline stress response of L. plantarum is a complex process. Some proteins appear to be induced, others repressed. These proteins could be clustered into nine groups based on their probable functions: energy metabolism, transport system, purine/pyrimidine metabolism, amino acid metabolism, proteolytic activity, transcription-translation, stress-related, general function, and unknown functions. These proteomic analyses are expected to prove useful in understanding the adaptive response of L. plantarum strains to alkaline stress and may facilitate future investigations into the genetic and physiological aspects of this response.

The Mycobacterium tuberculosis pyrR gene (Rv1379) encodes a protein that regulates the expression of pyrimidine-nucleotide biosynthesis (pyr) genes in a UMP-dependent manner. Because pyrimidine biosynthesis is an essential step in the progression of TB, the gene product pyrR is an attractive antitubercular drug target. The 1.9 A native structure of Mtb pyrR determined by the TB Structural Genomics Consortium facilities in trigonal space group P3(1)21 is reported, with unit-cell parameters a = 66.64, c = 154.72 A at 120 K and two molecules in the asymmetric unit. The three-dimensional structure and residual uracil phosphoribosyltransferase activity point to a common PRTase ancestor for pyrR. However, while PRPP- and UMP-binding sites have been retained in Mtb pyrR, a distinct dimer interaction among subunits creates a deep positively charged cleft capable of binding pyr mRNA. In silico screening of pyrimidine-nucleoside analogs has revealed a number of potential lead compounds that, if bound to Mtb pyrR, could facilitate transcriptional attenuation, particularly cyclopentenyl nucleosides.

Structural genomics has the ambitious goal of delivering three-dimensional structural information on a genome-wide scale. Yet only a small fraction of natural proteins are suitable for structure determination because of bottlenecks such as poor expression, aggregation, and misfolding of proteins, and difficulties in solubilization and crystallization. We propose to overcome these bottlenecks by producing soluble, highly expressed proteins that are derived from and closely related to their natural homologs. Here we demonstrate the utility of this approach by using a green fluorescent protein (GFP) folding reporter assay to evolve an enzymatically active, soluble variant of a hyperthermophilic protein that is normally insoluble when expressed in Escherichia coli, and determining its structure by X-ray crystallography. Analysis of the structure provides insight into the substrate specificity of the enzyme and the improved solubility of the variant.