Background: Uracil-DNA glycosylases (UDGs) catalyze excision of uracil from DNA. Vaccinia virus, which is the prototype of poxviruses, encodes a UDG (vvUDG) that is significantly different from the UDGs of other organisms in primary, secondary and tertiary structure and characteristic motifs. It adopted a novel catalysis-independent role in DNA replication that involves interaction with a viral protein, A20, to form the processivity factor. UDG:A20 association is essential for assembling of the processive DNA polymerase complex. The structure of the protein must have provisions for such interactions with A20. This paper provides the first glimpse into the structure of a poxvirus UDG.

PDHK2 is a mitochondrial protein kinase that phosphorylates pyruvate dehydrogenase complex, thereby down-regulating the oxidation of pyruvate. Here, we present the crystal structure of PDHK2 bound to the inner lipoyl-bearing domain of dihydrolipoamide transacetylase (L2) determined with or without bound adenylyl imidodiphosphate. Both structures reveal a PDHK2 dimer complexed with two L2 domains. Comparison with apo-PDHK2 shows that L2 binding causes rearrangements in PDHK2 structure that affect the L2-and E1-binding sites. Significant differences are found between PDHK2 and PDHK3 with respect to the structure of their lipoyllysine-binding cavities, providing the first structural support to a number of studies showing that these isozymes are markedly different with respect to their affinity for the L2 domain. Both structures display a novel type II potassium-binding site located on the PDHK2 interface with the L2 domain. Binding of potassium ion at this site rigidifies the interface and appears to be critical in determining the strength of L2 binding. Evidence is also presented that potassium ions are indispensable for the cross-talk between the nucleotide-and L2-binding sites of PDHK2. The latter is believed to be essential for the movement of PDHK2 along the surface of the transacetylase scaffold.

Although a 22-kDa human growth hormone (hGH) is the predicted protein product of the hGH-N gene, a pleiotropic collection of uncharacterized molecular weight and charge isoforms is also produced. Using chromatography and preparative SDS-PAGE under reducing conditions we isolated an unusually stable mercaptoethanol-resistant (MER) 45-kDa hGH. A 5-h incubation at 100°C in the presence of 2-mercaptoethanol was required to convert approximately 90% of MER-45-kDa hGH into a 22-kDa hGH. Other reductants were not as effective in splitting MER-45-kDa hGH. After fracturing MER-45-kDa hGH, the 22-kDa hGH fragments would spontaneously reassociate if the reductant was removed; however, alkylation of cysteine residues prevented their reassociation. Identical amino acid sequences for the first six N-terminal residues were obtained for MER-45-kDa hGH and its 22-kDa hGH cleavage product. Structural identity of MER-45-kDa hGH and 22-kDa hGH was demonstrated by MALDI-TOF mass spectrometry of tryptic digests. MER-45-kDa hGH did not break up upon incubation with EDTA and EGTA. The significance of this work to our understanding of the structure of hGH isoforms is that it demonstrates that MER-45-kDa hGH is not a single chain polypeptide but is instead a homodimer of 22-kDa hGH monomers. The MER-45-kDa hGH dimer is held together by interchain disulfide bonds and not by divalent metal cation bridges. Additionally, MER-45-kDa hGH's interchain disulfide links are exceptionally resistant to reducing agents and thus confer extreme stability to the homodimer.Keywords: human growth hormone; isoform; dimer; mass spectrometry; preparative electrophoresis; purification; protein structure Pituitary GH is an important regulator of growth, metabolism, and development in humans and animals (Strobl and Thomas 1994;Ho et al. 1996;Okada and Kopchick 2001;Renaville et al. 2002;Waters and Kaye 2002). Growth hormones have long been known to stimulate body weight gain (Evans and Simpson 1931), increase the growth rate of animals (Brumby 1959;Machlin 1972), influence the metabolism of proteins, nucleic acids, lipids, and carbohydrates (Altszuler 1974;Cheek and Hill 1974;Goodman and Schwartz 1974;Kostyo and Nutting 1974), enhance the body's ratio of protein to fat (Brumby 1959;Machlin 1972;Muir et al. 1983;Chung et al. 1985), and influence the Reprint requests to: Luis S. Haro, Department of Biology, The University of Texas at San Antonio, 6900 N. Loop 1604 W., San Antonio, TX 78249-0609, USA; e-mail: luis.haro@utsa.edu; fax: (210) 458-5658.Abbreviations: SDS-PAGE, sodium dodecyl sulfate polyacrylamide gel electrophoresis; MER-45-kDa hGH, mercaptoethanol-resistant 45-kDa human growth hormone; TEMED, N, N, NЈ, EPPS,; CAPS, 3-[cyclohexylamino]-1-propanesulfonic acid; EGTA, ethylene glycolbis(␤-aminoethylether)-N, N, NЈ, NЈ-tetraacetic acid; EDTA, ethylenediaminetetraacetic acid; DTT, dithiothreitol; TCEP-HCl, tris(2-carboxyethyl)phosphine hydrochloride; hGH, human growth hormone; MALDI-TOF/ MS, matrix-assisted laser desorption/ionization time-of-fli...

The 40-60 pituitary human growth hormone (hGH) isoforms are so similar in their physico-chemical properties (charge, size, hydrophobicity) that the limited resolutions of chromatographic separation methodologies have not permitted most of them to be isolated. However, application of high-resolution preparative alkaline urea gradient PAGE has facilitated isolation of a disulfide-linked mercaptoethanol-resistant (MER) 45 kDa hGH dimer. Human pituitary extracts were separated by Sephadex G-100 chromatography under alkaline conditions. Pooled fractions containing MER-45 kDa hGH, as determined by SDS-PAGE, were then separated by Sephadex G-100 chromatography under acidic conditions followed by diethylaminoethyl (DEAE) anion-exchange chromatography. Pooled DEAE fractions containing MER-45 kDa hGH and other hGH isoforms were then separated by preparative electrophoresis in an alkaline polyacrylamide gradient (5-20%) slab gel containing 8 M urea into five distinct protein zones. One electroeluted zone contained pure MER-45 kDa hGH. The dimeric hGH isoform was immunoreactive at low concentrations (effective dose to produce 50% response (ED(50)) +/- S.E. = 58 +/- 5.00 pM) in a hGH radioimmunoassay, similar to that of standard monomeric hGH (ED(50) +/- S.E. = 22.93 +/- 3.90 pM), indicating that is was conformationally intact. Alkaline urea gradient PAGE is a valuable tool for preparative separation of structurally similar proteins such as isoforms of the hGH family.

Background Human growth hormone (hGH) is a complex mixture of molecular isoforms. Gaps in our knowledge exist regarding the structures and biological significances of the uncharacterized hGH molecular variants. Mercaptoethanol-resistant 45-kDa human growth hormone (MER-45kDa hGH) is an extraordinarily stable disulfide-linked hGH homodimer whose biological significance is unknown. Objectives To elucidate the pharmacokinetic abilities of dimeric MER-45-kDa hGH to bind to GH and prolactin (PRL) receptors and to elucidate its abilities to stimulate cell-proliferation in lactogen-induced and somatogen-induced in vitro cell proliferation bioassays. Design The binding of MER-45-kDa hGH to GH and PRL receptors was tested in radioreceptorassays (RRAs). Competitive displacements of [125I]-bovine GH from bovine liver membranes, [125I]-ovine PRL from lactating rabbit mammary gland membranes and [125I]-hGH from human IM-9 lymphocytes by unlabelled GHs, PRLs or dimeric MER-45-kDa hGH were evaluated. The abilities of dimeric MER-45-kDa hGH to stimulate proliferation of lactogen-responsive Nb2 lymphoma cells and to stimulate proliferation of somatogen-responsive T47-D human breast cancer cells was assessed by incubation of cells with GHs or PRLs and subsequently measuring growth using the MTS cell proliferation assay. Results Dimeric MER-45-kDa hGH, compared to monomeric hGH, had reduced binding affinities to both GH and prolactin receptors. In a bovine liver GH radioreceptorassay its ED50 (197.5 pM) was 40.8% that of monomeric hGH. In a human IM-9 lymphocyte hGH RRA its ED50 (2.96 nM) was 26.2% that of monomeric hGH. In a lactating rabbit mammary gland prolactin RRA its ED50 (3.56 nM) was 16.8% that of a monomeric hGH. Dimeric MER-45-kDa hGH, compared to monomeric hGH, had a diminished capacity to stimulate proliferation of cells in vitro. In a dose-response relationship assessing proliferation of Nb2 lymphoma cells its ED50 (191 pM) was 18.0% that of monomeric hGH. While monomeric hGH stimulated a 2.2-fold proliferation of T47-D human breast cancer cells above vehicle control, dimeric MER-45-kDa hGH was unable to stimulate the cells to proliferate and slightly inhibited their proliferation to 77.6% that of control. Conclusions The topological arrangement of monomeric hGHs to form an unusually stable disulfide-linked dimer markedly diminishes hGH’s binding affinities to both GH and PRL receptors and also drastically attenuates its ability to stimulate proliferation of cells in vitro.