Development of a Listeria monocytogenes EGDe partial proteome reference map and comparison with the protein profiles of food isolates

A partially annotated proteome reference map of the food pathogen Listeria monocytogenes was developed for exponentially growing cells under standardized, optimal conditions by using the sequenced strain EGDe (serotype 1/2a) as a model organism. The map was developed by using a reproducible total protein extraction and two-dimensional (2-D) polyacrylamide gel electrophoresis analysis procedure, and it contained 33 identified proteins representing the four main protein functional classes. In order to facilitate analysis of membrane proteins, a protein compartmentalization procedure was assessed. The method used provided partial fractionation of membrane and cytosolic proteins. The total protein 2-D profiles of three serotype 1/2a strains and one serotype 1/2b strain isolated from food were compared to the L. monocytogenes EGDe proteome. An average of 13% of the major protein spots in the food strain proteomes were not matched in the strain EGDe proteome. The variation was greater for the less intense spots, and on average 28% of these spots were not matched. Two of the proteins identified in L. monocytogenes EGDe were missing in one or more of the food isolates. These two proteins were proteins involved in the main glycolytic pathway and in metabolism of coenzymes and prosthetic groups. The two corresponding genes were found by PCR amplification to be present in the four food isolates. Our results show that the L. monocytogenes EGDe reference map is a valuable starting point for analyses of strains having various origins and could be useful for analyzing the proteomes of different isolates of this pathogen.Articl

Characterization of the Hansenula polymorpha CPY Gene Encoding Carboxypeptidase Y

We have isolated the Hansenula polymorpha CPY gene encoding carboxypeptidase Y (Hp-CPY). The deduced amino acid sequence revealed that Hp-CPY consists of 541 amino acids and has a calculated Mr of 60,793. The protein is highly similar to Saccharomyces cerevisiae CPY (61.8% identity). At the N-terminus of Hp-CPY signals for the entry into the secretory pathway and subsequent sorting to the vacuole were identified. Immunocytochemically, using monospecific antibodies raised against Hp-CPY, the protein was localized to the vacuole. On Western blots, a diffuse protein band was observed in extracts of H. polymorpha cells, suggesting that the protein is glycosylated. This was confirmed by endoglycosidase H treatment, which resulted in a strong reduction of the apparent Mr of the protein. We have investigated the effect of CPY deletion on the degradation of peroxisomes, an autophagous process that occurs when the organelles become redundant for growth. In Δcpy cells peroxisomal proteins were degraded in the vacuole as efficiently as in wild-type H. polymorpha cells, indicating that CPY is not a major proteinase in this pathway.

The Hansenula polymorpha per6 mutant is affected in two adjacent genes which encode dihydroxyacetone kinase and a novel protein, Pak1p, involved in peroxisome integrity

The Hansenula polymorpha per6-210 mutant is impaired in respect of growth on methanol (Mut–) and is characterized by aberrant peroxisome formation. The functionally complementing DNA fragment contains two open reading frames. The first encodes dihydroxyacetone kinase (DAK), a cytosolic enzyme essential for formaldehyde assimilation; the second ORF codes for a novel protein (Pak1p). We have demonstrated that per6-210 cells lack DAK activity, causing the Mut– phenotype, and have strongly reduced levels of Pak1p, resulting in peroxisomal defects. Sequence analysis revealed that per6-210 contains a mutation in the 3' end of the DAK coding region, which overlaps with the promoter region of PAK1. Possibly this mutation also negatively affects PAK1 expression

The Hansenula polymorpha per6 mutant is affected in two adjacent genes which encode dihydroxyacetone kinase and a novel protein, Pak1p, involved in peroxisome integrity

The Hansenula polymorpha per6-210 mutant is impaired in respect of growth on methanol (Mut–) and is characterized by aberrant peroxisome formation. The functionally complementing DNA fragment contains two open reading frames. The first encodes dihydroxyacetone kinase (DAK), a cytosolic enzyme essential for formaldehyde assimilation; the second ORF codes for a novel protein (Pak1p). We have demonstrated that per6-210 cells lack DAK activity, causing the Mut– phenotype, and have strongly reduced levels of Pak1p, resulting in peroxisomal defects. Sequence analysis revealed that per6-210 contains a mutation in the 3' end of the DAK coding region, which overlaps with the promoter region of PAK1. Possibly this mutation also negatively affects PAK1 expression

A mitochondrial-like targeting signal on the hydrogenosomal malic enzyme from the anaerobic fungus Neocallimastix frontalis:Support for the hypothesis that hydrogenosomes are modified mitochondria

The hydrogenosomal malic enzyme (ME) was purified from the anaerobic fungus Neocallimastix frontalis. Using reverse genetics, the corresponding cDNA was isolated and characterized. The deduced amino acid sequence of the ME showed high similarity to ME from metazoa, plants and protists. Putative functional domains for malate and NAD(+)/NADP(+) binding were identified. Phylogenetic analysis of the deduced amino acid sequence of the new ME suggests that it is homologous to reference bacterial and eukaryotic ME. Most interestingly, the cDNA codes for a protein which contains a 27-amino-acid N-terminus which is not present on the purified mature protein. This presequence shares features with known mitochondrial targeting signals, including an enrichment in Ala, Leu, Ser, and Arg, and the presence of an Arg at position -2 relative to amino acid 1 of the mature protein. This is the first report of a mitochondrial-like targeting signal on a hydrogenosomal enzyme from an anaerobic fungus and provides support for the hypothesis that hydrogenosomes in Neocallimastix frontalis might be modified mitochondria