Listeriolysin O (LLO) is a cytolysin capable of forming pores in cholesterol-rich lipid membranes of host cells. It is conveniently suited for engineering a pH-governed responsiveness, due to a pH sensor identified in its structure that was shown before to affect its stability. Here we introduced a new level of control of its hemolytic activity by making a variant with hemolytic activity that was pH-dependent. Based on detailed structural analysis coupled with molecular dynamics and mutational analysis, we found that the bulky side chain of Tyr406 allosterically affects the pH sensor. Molecular dynamics simulation further suggested which other amino acid residues may also allosterically influence the pH-sensor. LLO was engineered to the point where it can, in a pH-regulated manner, perforate artificial and cellular membranes. The single mutant Tyr406Ala bound to membranes and oligomerized similarly to the wild-type LLO, however, the final membrane insertion step was pH-affected by the introduced mutation. We show that the mutant toxin can be activated at the surface of artificial membranes or living cells by a single wash with slightly acidic pH buffer. Y406A mutant has a high potential in development of novel nanobiotechnological applications such as controlled release of substances or as a sensor of environmental pH.
Correlation between tumor size, stage of MTC at diagnosis in view of patient's age, and specific genotype were indicated in our limited series and were more evident in female patients with codon 790 mutations. Later onset and a probably less aggressive course of MTC in these patients than in patients with other mutations should be considered in planning prophylactic thyroid surgery. MEN2A syndrome was related solely to codon 634 mutations.
Listeria monocytogenes is a food and soil-borne pathogen that secretes a pore-forming toxin listeriolysin O (LLO) as its major virulence factor. We tested the effects of LLO on an intestinal epithelial cell line Caco-2 and compared them to an unrelated pore-forming toxin equinatoxin II (EqtII). Results showed that apical application of both toxins causes a significant drop in transepithelial electrical resistance (TEER), with higher LLO concentrations or prolonged exposure time needed to achieve the same magnitude of response than with EqtII. The drop in TEER was due to pore formation and coincided with rearrangement of claudin-1 within tight junctions and associated actin cytoskeleton; however, no significant increase in permeability to fluorescein or 3 kDa FITC-dextran was observed. Influx of calcium after pore formation affected the magnitude of the drop in TEER. Both toxins exhibit similar effects on epithelium morphology and physiology. Importantly, LLO action upon the membrane is much slower and results in compromised epithelium on a longer time scale at lower concentrations than EqtII. This could favor listerial invasion in hosts resistant to E-cadherin related infection.
In memory of prof. dr. Janko Jamnik.
AbstractPhysical and functional interactions between molecules in living systems are central to all biological processes. Identification of protein complexes therefore is becoming increasingly important to gain a molecular understanding of cells and organisms. Several powerful methodologies and techniques have been developed to study molecular interactions and thus help elucidate their nature and role in biology as well as potential ways how to interfere with them. All different techniques used in these studies have their strengths and weaknesses and since they are mostly employed in in vitro conditions, a single approach can hardly accurately reproduce interactions that happen under physiological conditions. However, complementary usage of as many as possible available techniques can lead to relatively realistic picture of the biological process. Here we describe several proteomic, biophysical and structural tools that help us understand the nature and mechanism of these interactions.
Ring-opening polymerization of N-carboxyanhydrides was performed in oil-in-oil high internal phase emulsion to obtain well-defined macroporous synthetic polypeptides.
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