Entropy Analysis of Protein Sequences Reveals a Hierarchical Organization

Background: Analyzing the local sequence content in proteins, earlier we found that amino acid residue frequencies differ on various distances between amino acid positions in the sequence, assuming the existence of structural units. Methods: We used informational entropy of protein sequences to find that the structural unit of proteins is a block of adjacent amino acid residues—“information unit”. The ANIS (ANalysis of Informational Structure) method uses these information units for revealing hierarchically organized Elements of the Information Structure (ELIS) in amino acid sequences. Results: The developed mathematical apparatus gives stable results on the structural unit description even with a significant variation in the parameters. The optimal length of the information unit is five, and the number of allowed substitutions is one. Examples of the application of the method for the design of protein molecules, intermolecular interactions analysis, and the study of the mechanisms of functioning of protein molecular machines are given. Conclusions: ANIS method makes it possible not only to analyze native proteins but also to design artificial polypeptide chains with a given spatial organization and, possibly, function

Novel Bradykinin-Potentiating Peptides and Three-Finger Toxins from Viper Venom: Combined NGS Venom Gland Transcriptomics and Quantitative Venom Proteomics of the Azemiops feae Viper

Feae’s viper Azemipos feae belongs to the Azemiopinae subfamily of the Viperidae family. The effects of Viperidae venoms are mostly coagulopathic with limited neurotoxicity manifested by phospholipases A2. From A. feae venom, we have earlier isolated azemiopsin, a novel neurotoxin inhibiting the nicotinic acetylcholine receptor. To characterize other A. feae toxins, we applied label-free quantitative proteomics, which revealed 120 unique proteins, the most abundant being serine proteinases and phospholipases A2. In total, toxins representing 14 families were identified, among which bradykinin-potentiating peptides with unique amino acid sequences possessed biological activity in vivo. The proteomic analysis revealed also basal (commonly known as non-conventional) three-finger toxins belonging to the group of those possessing neurotoxic activity. This is the first indication of the presence of three-finger neurotoxins in viper venom. In parallel, the transcriptomic analysis of venom gland performed by Illumina next-generation sequencing further revealed 206 putative venom transcripts. Together, the study unveiled the venom proteome and venom gland transciptome of A. feae, which in general resemble those of other snakes from the Viperidae family. However, new toxins not found earlier in viper venom and including three-finger toxins and unusual bradykinin-potentiating peptides were discovered

Novel long-chain neurotoxins from Bungarus candidus distinguish the two binding sites in muscle-type nicotinic acetylcholine receptors

αδ-Bungarotoxins, a novel group of long-chain α-neurotoxins, manifest different affinity to two agonist/competitive antagonist binding sites of muscle-type nicotinic acetylcholine receptors (nAChRs), being more active at the interface of α–δ subunits. Three isoforms (αδ-BgTx-1–3) were identified in Malayan Krait (Bungarus candidus) from Thailand by genomic DNA analysis; two of them (αδ-BgTx-1 and 2) were isolated from its venom. The toxins comprise 73 amino acid residues and 5 disulfide bridges, being homologous to α-bungarotoxin (α-BgTx), a classical blocker of muscle-type and neuronal α7, α8, and α9α10 nAChRs. The toxicity of αδ-BgTx-1 (LD50 = 0.17–0.28 µg/g mouse, i.p. injection) is essentially as high as that of α-BgTx. In the chick biventer cervicis nerve–muscle preparation, αδ-BgTx-1 completely abolished acetylcholine response, but in contrast with the block by α-BgTx, acetylcholine response was fully reversible by washing. αδ-BgTxs, similar to α-BgTx, bind with high affinity to α7 and muscle-type nAChRs. However, the major difference of αδ-BgTxs from α-BgTx and other naturally occurring α-neurotoxins is that αδ-BgTxs discriminate the two binding sites in the Torpedo californica and mouse muscle nAChRs showing up to two orders of magnitude higher affinity for the α–δ site as compared with α–ε or α–γ binding site interfaces. Molecular modeling and analysis of the literature provided possible explanations for these differences in binding mode; one of the probable reasons being the lower content of positively charged residues in αδ-BgTxs. Thus, αδ-BgTxs are new tools for studies on nAChRs

Entropy Analysis of Protein Sequences Reveals a Hierarchical Organization

Background: Analyzing the local sequence content in proteins, earlier we found that amino acid residue frequencies differ on various distances between amino acid positions in the sequence, assuming the existence of structural units. Methods: We used informational entropy of protein sequences to find that the structural unit of proteins is a block of adjacent amino acid residues—“information unit”. The ANIS (ANalysis of Informational Structure) method uses these information units for revealing hierarchically organized Elements of the Information Structure (ELIS) in amino acid sequences. Results: The developed mathematical apparatus gives stable results on the structural unit description even with a significant variation in the parameters. The optimal length of the information unit is five, and the number of allowed substitutions is one. Examples of the application of the method for the design of protein molecules, intermolecular interactions analysis, and the study of the mechanisms of functioning of protein molecular machines are given. Conclusions: ANIS method makes it possible not only to analyze native proteins but also to design artificial polypeptide chains with a given spatial organization and, possibly, function

Quantitative Proteomic Analysis of Venoms from Russian Vipers of Pelias Group: Phospholipases A2 are the Main Venom Components

Venoms of most Russian viper species are poorly characterized. Here, by quantitative chromato-mass-spectrometry, we analyzed protein and peptide compositions of venoms from four Vipera species (V. kaznakovi, V. renardi, V. orlovi and V. nikolskii) inhabiting different regions of Russia. In all these species, the main components were phospholipases A2, their content ranging from 24% in V. orlovi to 65% in V. nikolskii. Altogether, enzyme content in venom of V. nikolskii reached ~85%. Among the non-enzymatic proteins, the most abundant were disintegrins (14%) in the V. renardi venom, C-type lectin like (12.5%) in V. kaznakovi, cysteine-rich venom proteins (12%) in V. orlovi and venom endothelial growth factors (8%) in V. nikolskii. In total, 210 proteins and 512 endogenous peptides were identified in the four viper venoms. They represented 14 snake venom protein families, most of which were found in the venoms of Vipera snakes previously. However, phospholipase B and nucleotide degrading enzymes were reported here for the first time. Compositions of V. kaznakovi and V. orlovi venoms were described for the first time and showed the greatest similarity among the four venoms studied, which probably reflected close relationship between these species within the “kaznakovi” complex

Identification and Characterization of a Novel Lectin from the Clam Glycymeris yessoensis and Its Functional Characterization under Microbial Stimulation and Environmental Stress

Lectin from the bivalve Glycymeris yessoensis (GYL) was purified by affinity chromatography on porcine stomach mucin–Sepharose. GYL is a dimeric protein with a molecular mass of 36 kDa, as established by SDS-PAGE and MALDI-TOF analysis, consisting of 18 kDa subunits linked by a disulfide bridge. According to circular dichroism data, GYL is a β/α-protein with the predominance of β-structure. GYL preferentially agglutinates enzyme-treated rabbit erythrocytes and recognizes glycoproteins containing O-glycosidically linked glycans, such as porcine stomach mucin (PSM), fetuin, thyroglobulin, and ovalbumin. The amino acid sequences of five segments of GYL were acquired via mass spectrometry. The sequences have no homology with other known lectins. GYL is Ca2+-dependent and stable over a range above a pH of 8 and temperatures up to 20 °C for 30 min. GYL is a pattern recognition receptor, as it binds common pathogen-associated molecular patterns, such as peptidoglycan, LPS, β-1,3-glucan and mannan. GYL possesses a broad microbial-binding spectrum, including Gram-positive (Bacillus subtilis, Staphylococcus aureus) and Gram-negative bacteria (Escherichia coli, Vibrio proteolyticus), but not the fungus Candida albicans. Expression levels of GYL in the hemolymph were significantly upregulated after bacterial challenge by V. proteolyticus plus environmental stress (diesel fuel). Results indicate that GYL is probably a new member of the C-type lectin family, and may be involved in the immune response of G. yessoensis to bacterial attack

Mts1 (S100A4) and Its Peptide Demonstrate Cytotoxic Activity in Complex with Tag7 (PGLYRP1) Peptide

Receptors of cytokines are major regulators of the immune response. In this work, we have discovered two new ligands that can activate the TNFR1 (tumor necrosis factor receptor 1) receptor. Earlier, we found that the peptide of the Tag (PGLYRP1) protein designated 17.1 can interact with the TNFR1 receptor. Here, we have found that the Mts1 (S100A4) protein interacts with this peptide with a high affinity (Kd = 1.28 × 10−8 M), and that this complex is cytotoxic to cancer cells that have the TNFR1 receptor on their surface. This complex induces both apoptosis and necroptosis in cancer cells with the involvement of mitochondria and lysosomes in cell death signal transduction. Moreover, we have succeeded in locating the Mts1 fragment that is responsible for protein–peptide interaction, which highly specifically interacts with the Tag7 protein (Kd = 2.96 nM). The isolated Mts1 peptide M7 also forms a complex with 17.1, and this peptide–peptide complex also induces the TNFR1 receptor-dependent cell death. Molecular docking and molecular dynamics experiments show the amino acids involved in peptide binding and that may be used for peptidomimetics’ development. Thus, two new cytotoxic complexes were created that were able to induce the death of tumor cells via the TNFR1 receptor. These results may be used in therapy for both cancer and autoimmune diseases

Epinephrine Affects Ribosomes, Cell Division, and Catabolic Processes in <i>Micrococcus luteus</i> Skin Strain C01: Revelation of the Conditionally Extensive Hormone Effect Using Orbitrap Mass Spectrometry and Proteomic Analysis

In the current study, extensive Orbitrap mass spectrometry analysis was conducted for skin strain Micrococcus luteus C01 planktonic cultures and biofilms after 24 h and 72 h of incubation either in the presence of epinephrine or without any implementations. The investigation revealed the complex and conditionally extensive effect of epinephrine at concentrations closer to normal blood plasma concentrations on both planktonic cultures and biofilms of skin strain M. luteus C01. The concentrations of hundreds of proteins changed during the shift from planktonic growth mode to biofilm and hundreds of proteins were downregulated or upregulated in the presence of epinephrine. Ribosomal, TCA, and cell division proteins appear to be the most altered in their amounts in the presence of the hormone. Potentially, the regulatory mechanism of this process is connected with c-di-GMP and histidine kinases, which were affected by epinephrine in different samples. The phenomenon of epinephrine-based biofilm regulation in M. luteus C01 has wide implications for microbial endocrinology and other research areas

The Role of O-Antigen in LPS-Induced Activation of Human NK Cells

NK cells can be stimulated by bacterial lipopolysaccharides (LPS). Unlike macrophages, human NK cells do not express or express very low level of surface TLR4 receptor normally required for the LPS stimulation. This has led to the assumption that the mechanisms of stimulating action of LPS on macrophages and NK cells differs. In this work, we investigated the effects of different forms of E. coli LPS, including mutants lacking O-antigen structures, and deacylated LPS on IFNγ production by purified human NK cells. The main findings were the following: (1) NK cells were more sensitive to the S-forms of LPS than the R-forms (LPS lacking O-antigen); (2) LPS triggered a significant increase in IFNγ production by NK cells in concentrations about 1000 times higher than those that can induce cytokine production by macrophages; (3) the composition and structure of saccharide part of LPS have a strong influence on its observed effects on NK cells; and (4) LPS fully retained the ability to trigger cytokine production in NK cells in serum-free media. The acquired data demonstrated that the presence and structure of O-antigen affects the LPS-induced activation of human NK cells

Reprogramming Extracellular Vesicles for Protein Therapeutics Delivery

Delivering protein therapeutics specifically into target cells and tissues is a promising avenue in medicine. Advancing this process will significantly enhance the efficiency of the designed drugs. In this regard, natural membrane-based systems are of particular interest. Extracellular vesicles (EVs), being the bilayer lipid particles secreted by almost all types of cells, have several principal advantages: biocompatibility, carrier stability, and blood–brain barrier penetrability, which make them a perspective tool for protein therapeutic delivery. Here, we evaluate the engineered genetically encoded EVs produced by a human cell line, which allow efficient cargo loading. In the devised system, the protein of interest is captured by self-assembling structures, i.e., “enveloped protein nanocages” (EPN). In their turn, EPNs are encapsulated in fusogenic EVs by the overexpression of vesicular stomatitis virus G protein (VSV-G). The proteomic profiles of different engineered EVs were determined for a comprehensive evaluation of their therapeutic potential. EVs loading mediated by bio-safe Fos–Jun heterodimerization demonstrates an increased efficacy of active cargo loading and delivery into target cells. Our results emphasize the outstanding technological and biomedical potential of the engineered EV systems, including their application in adoptive cell transfer and targeted cell reprogramming