The enzyme peptidyl-prolyl cis-trans isomerase (PPIase) was recently discovered in mammalian tissues and purified from porcine kidney. It catalyses the slow cis-trans isomerization of proline peptide (Xaa-Pro) bonds in oligopeptides and accelerates slow, rate-limiting steps in the folding of several proteins. Here, we report the N-terminal sequence of PPIase together with further chemical and enzymatic properties. The results indicate that this enzyme is probably identical to cyclophilin, a recently discovered mammalian protein which binds tightly to cyclosporin A (CsA). Cyclophilin is thought to be linked to the immunosuppressive action of CsA. The first 38 amino-acid residues of porcine PPIase and of bovine cyclophilin are identical and the two proteins both have a relative molecular mass of about 17,000 (ref. 7). The catalysis of prolyl isomerization in oligopeptides and of protein folding by PPIase are strongly inhibited in the presence of low levels of CsA. The activities of both PPIase and cyclophilin depend on a single sulphydryl group. At present it is unknown whether the inhibition of prolyl isomerase activity is related with the immunosuppressive action of CsA.

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Gramicidin S synthetase 1 and 2 were affinity-labeled at their thiolation centers either by thioesterification with the amino acid substrate or by specific alkylation with the thiol reagent N-ethylmaleimide in combination with a substrate protection technique. The labeled proteins were digested either chemically by cyanogen bromide or by proteases. An efficient multistep high pressure liquid chromatography methodology was developed and used to isolate the active site peptide fragments of all five thiolation centers of gramicidin S synthetase in pure form. The structures of these fragments are investigated by N-terminal sequencing, mass spectrometry, and amino acid analysis. Each of the active site peptide fragments contains the consensus motif LGG(H/D)S(L/I), which is specific for thioester formation in nonribosomal peptide biosynthesis. It was demonstrated that a 4'-phosphopantetheine cofactor is attached to the central serine of the thiolation motif in each amino acid-activating module of the gramicidin S synthetase multienzyme system forming the thioester binding sites for the amino acid substrates and catalyzing the elongation process. Our data are strong support for a "multiple carrier model" of nonribosomal peptide biosynthesis at multifunctional templates, which is discussed in detail.

Apoptosis or programmed cell death is essential in the process of controlling lymphocyte growth and selection. We identified proteins that are involved in anti-IgM antibody-mediated apoptosis using a subclone of the human Burkitt lymphoma cell line BL60. Apoptosis-associated proteins were detected by high resolution twodimensional gel electrophoresis on a micropreparative scale. Comparison of the high resolution two-dimensional gel electrophoresis protein patterns from apoptotic and non-apoptotic cells showed differences in ϳ80 spots including protein modifications. Analysis of the predominantly altered proteins was performed by internal Edman microsequencing and/or by peptide mass fingerprinting using matrix-assisted laser desorption/ionization mass spectrometry. Analysis was significantly improved by using new micropreparative high resolution two-dimensional gels employing high protein concentrations. The following 12 apoptosis-associated proteins were identified: heterogeneous nuclear ribonucleoprotein (hnRNP) A1, hnRNP C1/C2, FUSE-binding protein, dUTPase, lymphocyte-specific protein LSP1, UV excision repair protein RAD23 homologue B (HHR23B), 60 S acidic ribosomal protein P0 (L10E), heterochromatin protein 1 homologue ␣ (HP1␣), nucleolin, lamin, neutral calponin, and actin. Fragmentation of actin, hnRNP A1, hnRNP C1/C2, 60 S acidic ribosomal protein P0, lamin, and nucleolin could be inhibited by benzyloxycarbonyl-Asp(OMe)-Glu(OMe)-Val-Asp(OMe)-fluoromethyl ketone, a selective irreversible inhibitor of CPP32 (caspase 3).Apoptosis or programmed cell death plays a major role during development, homeostasis, and immune response in multicellular organisms. Inappropriate apoptosis may contribute to the pathology of many human diseases, including cancer, acquired immunodeficiency syndrome, and neurodegenerative disorders. Substantial progress has been made in understanding the control and mechanisms of apoptosis (1, 2). Nevertheless, major aspects of the apoptotic pathway remain undefined, and little is known about the molecular events controlling this process. It has proven difficult to identify the molecules involved in apoptosis by conventional biochemical and molecular approaches at the mRNA level. However, the process of apoptosis can be initiated by a variety of stimuli and results in defined morphological and biochemical changes (3) that may be easier studied at the protein level. Apoptosis is characterized by cellular and nuclear shrinkage, cytoplasmic blebbing, condensation of nuclear chromatin, and fragmentation of nuclear DNA (3, 4). Analysis of the apoptotic pathway in lymphocytes revealed several molecules as key controllers in the execution of apoptosis (5). Anti-IgM antibody-mediated apoptosis is thought to be controlled on at least two levels by the members of the bcl-2 gene family and the interleukin-1␤-converting enzyme/Ced3-like cysteine proteases now called caspases. A large number of caspases have been described (6 -8), but the individual roles of most intracellular proteases and their substra...

We have investigated protein‐rRNA cross‐links formed in 30S and 50S ribosomal subunits of Escherichia coli and Bacillus stearothermophilus at the molecular level using UV and 2‐iminothiolane as cross‐linking agents. We identified amino acids cross‐linked to rRNA for 13 ribosomal proteins from these organisms, namely derived from S3, S4, S7, S14, S17, L2, L4, L6, L14, L27, L28, L29 and L36. Several other peptide stretches cross‐linked to rRNA have been sequenced in which no direct cross‐linked amino acid could be detected. The cross‐linked amino acids are positioned within loop domains carrying RNA binding features such as conserved basic and aromatic residues. One of the cross‐linked peptides in ribosomal protein S3 shows a common primary sequence motif–the KH motif–directly involved in interaction with rRNA, and the cross‐linked amino acid in ribosomal protein L36 lies within the zinc finger‐like motif of this protein. The cross‐linked amino acids in ribosomal proteins S17 and L6 prove the proposed RNA interacting site derived from three‐dimensional models. A comparison of our structural data with mutations in ribosomal proteins that lead to antibiotic resistance, and with those from protein‐antibiotic cross‐linking experiments, reveals functional implications for ribosomal proteins that interact with rRNA.

Mitochondrial ribosomal proteins (MRPs) are the counterparts in that organelle of the cytoplasmic ribosomal proteins in the host. Although the MRPs fulfil similar functions in protein biosynthesis, they are distinct in number, features and primary structures from the latter. Most progress in the eludication of the properties of individual MRPs, and in the characterization of the corresponding genes, has been made in baker's yeast (Saccharomyces cerevisiae). To date, 50 different MRPs have been determined, although biochemical data and mutational analysis propose a total number which is substantially higher. Surprisingly, only a minority of the MRPs that have been characterized show significant sequence similarities to known ribosomal proteins from other sources, thus limiting the deduction of their functions by simple comparison of amino acid sequences. Further, individual MRPs have been characterized functionally by mutational studies, and the regulation of expression of MRP genes has been described. The interaction of the mitochondrial ribosomes with transcription factors specific for individual mitochondrial mRNAs, and the communication between mitochondria and the nucleus for the co-ordinated expression of ribosomal constituents, are other aspects of current MRP research. Although the mitochondrial translational system is still far from being described completely, the yeast MRP system serves as a model for other organisms, including that of humans.

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