Beiträge zur Steigerung der Genauigkeit bei astronomischen Messungen

Sonderabdruck aus den Verhandlungen der neunten Tagung der Baltischen geodätischen Kommissio

Improved mass spectrometry compatibility is afforded by ammoniacal silver staining

Sequence coverage in MS analysis of protein digestion-derived peptides is a key issue for detailed characterization of proteins or identification at low quantities. In gel-based proteomics studies, the sequence coverage greatly depends on the protein detection method. It is shown here that ammoniacal silver detection methods offer improved sequence coverage over standard silver nitrate methods, while keeping the high sensitivity of silver staining. With the development of 2D-PAGE-based proteomics, another burden is placed on the detection methods used for protein detection on 2-D-gels. Besides the classical requirements of linearity, sensitivity, and homogeneity from one protein to another, detection methods must now take into account another aspect, namely their compatibility with MS. This compatibility is evidenced by two different and complementary aspects, which are (i) the absence of adducts and artefactual modifications on the peptides obtained after protease digestion of a protein detected and digested in - gel, and (ii) the quantitative yield of peptides recovered after digestion and analyzed by the mass spectrometer. While this quantitative yield is not very important per se, it is however a crucial parameter as it strongly influences the S/N of the mass spectrum and thus the number of peptides that can be detected from a given protein input, especially at low protein amounts. This influences in turn the sequence coverage and thus the detail of the analysis provided by the mass spectrometer.Comment: website publisher http://www.interscience.wiley.co

Mitochondrial Membrane Potential in Human Neutrophils Is Maintained by Complex III Activity in the Absence of Supercomplex Organisation

textabstractBackground: Neutrophils depend mainly on glycolysis for their enegry provision. Their mitochondria maintain a membrace potential (ΔΨm), which is usually generated by the repiratory chain complexes. We investigated the source of ΔΨm in neutrophils, as compared to peripheral blood mononuclear leukocytes and HL-60 cells, and whether neutrophils can still utilise this ΔΨm for the generation of ATP. Methods and Principal Findings: Individual activity of the oxidative phosphorylation complexes was significantly reduced in neutrophils, except for complex II and V, but ΔΨm was still decreased byinhibition of complex III, confirming the role of the respiratory chain in maintaining ΔΨm. Complex V did not maintain ΔΨm by consumption of ATP, as has previously been suggested for eosinophils shuttle. Furthermore, respiratory supercomplexes, which contribute to efficient coupling of the respiratory chain to ATP synthesis, were ladding in neutrophil mitochondria. When HL-60 cells were differentiated to neutrophil-like cells, they lost mitochondrial supercimplex organisation while gaining increased aerobic glycolysis, just like neutrophils. Conclusions: We show that neutrophils can maintain ΔΨm via the glycerol-3-phosphate shuttle, wereby their mitochondria play an important role in the regulation of aerobic glycolysis, rather than producing energy themselves. This peculiar mitochondrial phenotype is acquired during differentiation from myeloid precursors

Identification of the N-terminal Peptide Binding Site of Glucose-regulated Protein 94

Because the stress protein GRP94 can augment presentation of peptides to T cells, it is important to define how it, as well as all other HSP90 family members, binds peptides. Having previously shown that the N-terminal half of GRP94 can account for the peptide binding activity of the full-length protein, we now locate this binding site by testing predictions of a molecular docking model. The best predicted site was on the opposite face of the β sheet from the pan-HSP90 radicicol-binding pocket, in close proximity to a deep hydrophobic pocket. The peptide and radicicol-binding sites are distinct, as shown by the ability of a radicicol-refractive mutant to bind peptide. When the fluorophore acrylodan is attached to Cys(117)within the hydrophobic pocket, its fluorescence is reduced upon peptide binding, consistent with proximity of the two ligands. Substitution of His(125), which contacts the bound peptide, compromises peptide-binding activity. We conclude that peptide binds to the concave face of the β sheet of the N-terminal domain, where binding is regulated during the action cycle of the chaperone

Adapting Yeast as Model to Study Ricin Toxin A Uptake and Trafficking‡

The plant A/B toxin ricin represents a heterodimeric glycoprotein belonging to the family of ribosome inactivating proteins, RIPs. Its toxicity towards eukaryotic cells results from the depurination of 28S rRNA due to the N-glycosidic activity of ricin toxin A chain, RTA. Since the extention of RTA by a mammalian-specific endoplasmic reticulum (ER) retention signal (KDEL) significantly increases RTA in vivo toxicity against mammalian cells, we here analyzed the phenotypic effect of RTA carrying the yeast-specific ER retention motif HDEL. Interestingly, such a toxin (RTAHDEL) showed a similar cytotoxic effect on yeast as a corresponding RTAKDEL variant on HeLa cells. Furthermore, we established a powerful yeast bioassay for RTA in vivo uptake and trafficking which is based on the measurement of dissolved oxygen in toxin-treated spheroplast cultures of S. cerevisiae. We show that yeast spheroplasts are highly sensitive against external applied RTA and further demonstrate that its toxicity is greatly enhanced by replacing the C-terminal KDEL motif by HDEL. Based on the RTA resistant phenotype seen in yeast knock-out mutants defective in early steps of endocytosis (∆end3) and/or in RTA depurination activity on 28S rRNA (∆rpl12B) we feel that the yeast-based bioassay described in this study is a powerful tool to dissect intracellular A/B toxin transport from the plasma membrane through the endosomal compartment to the ER

Mrs2p Forms a High Conductance Mg2+ Selective Channel in Mitochondria

Members of the CorA-Mrs2-Alr1 superfamily of Mg2+ transporters are ubiquitous among pro- and eukaryotes. The crystal structure of a bacterial CorA protein has recently been solved, but the mode of ion transport of this protein family remained obscure. Using single channel patch clamping we unequivocally show here that the mitochondrial Mrs2 protein forms a Mg2+-selective channel of high conductance (155 pS). It has an open probability of ∼60% in the absence of Mg2+ at the matrix site, which decreases to ∼20% in its presence. With a lower conductance (∼45 pS) the Mrs2 channel is also permeable for Ni2+, whereas no permeability has been observed for either Ca2+, Mn2+, or Co2+. Mutational changes in key domains of Mrs2p are shown either to abolish its Mg2+ transport or to change its characteristics toward more open and partly deregulated states. We conclude that Mrs2p forms a high conductance Mg2+ selective channel that controls Mg2+ influx into mitochondria by an intrinsic negative feedback mechanism

Comparison of the α and β isomeric forms of the detergent n-dodecyl-D-maltoside for solubilizing photosynthetic complexes from pea thylakoid membranes

AbstractMild non-ionic detergents are indispensable in the isolation of intact integral membrane proteins and protein-complexes from biological membranes. Dodecylmaltoside (DM) belongs to this class of detergents being a glucoside-based surfactant with a bulky hydrophilic head group composed of two sugar rings and a non-charged alkyl glycoside chain. Two isomers of this molecule exist, differing only in the configuration of the alkyl chain around the anomeric center of the carbohydrate head group, axial in α-DM and equatorial in β-DM. In this paper, we have investigated the solubilizing properties of α-DM and β-DM on the isolation of photosynthetic complexes from pea thylakoids membranes maintaining their native architecture of stacked grana and stroma lamellae. Exposure of these stacked thylakoids to a single step treatment with increasing concentrations (5–100mM) of α-DM or β-DM resulted in a quick partial or complete solubilization of the membranes. Regardless of the isomeric form used: 1) at the lowest DM concentrations only a partial solubilization of thylakoids was achieved, giving rise to the release of mainly small protein complexes mixed with membrane fragments enriched in PSI from stroma lamellae; 2) at concentrations above 30mM a complete solubilization occurred with the further release of high molecular weight protein complexes identified as dimeric PSII, PSI-LHCI and PSII–LHCII supercomplexes. However, at concentrations of detergent which fully solubilized the thylakoids, the α and β isomeric forms of DM exerted a somewhat different solubilizing effect on the membranes: higher abundance of larger sized PSII–LHCII supercomplexes retaining a higher proportion of LHCII and lower amounts of PSI–LHCI intermediates were observed in α-DM treated membranes, reflecting the mildness of α-DM compared with its isomer. This article is part of a Special Issue entitled: Photosynthesis Research for Sustainability: from Natural to Artificial

Formation of cristae and crista junctions in mitochondria depends on antagonism between Fcj1 and Su e/g

Crista junctions (CJs) are important for mitochondrial organization and function, but the molecular basis of their formation and architecture is obscure. We have identified and characterized a mitochondrial membrane protein in yeast, Fcj1 (formation of CJ protein 1), which is specifically enriched in CJs. Cells lacking Fcj1 lack CJs, exhibit concentric stacks of inner membrane in the mitochondrial matrix, and show increased levels of F1FO–ATP synthase (F1FO) supercomplexes. Overexpression of Fcj1 leads to increased CJ formation, branching of cristae, enlargement of CJ diameter, and reduced levels of F1FO supercomplexes. Impairment of F1FO oligomer formation by deletion of its subunits e/g (Su e/g) causes CJ diameter enlargement and reduction of cristae tip numbers and promotes cristae branching. Fcj1 and Su e/g genetically interact. We propose a model in which the antagonism between Fcj1 and Su e/g locally modulates the F1FO oligomeric state, thereby controlling membrane curvature of cristae to generate CJs and cristae tips

A mosaic of RNA binding and protein interaction motifs in a bifunctional mitochondrial tRNA import factor from Leishmania tropica

Proteins that participate in the import of cytosolic tRNAs into mitochondria have been identified in several eukaryotic species, but the details of their interactions with tRNA and other proteins are unknown. In the kinetoplastid protozoon Leishmania tropica, multiple proteins are organized into a functional import complex. RIC8A, a tRNA-binding subunit of this complex, has a C-terminal domain that functions as subunit 6b of ubiquinol cytochrome c reductase (complex III). We show that the N-terminal domain, unique to kinetoplastid protozoa, is structurally similar to the appended S15/NS1 RNA-binding domain of aminoacyl tRNA synthetases, with a helix–turn–helix motif. Structure-guided mutagenesis coupled with in vitro assays showed that helix α1 contacts tRNA whereas helix α2 targets the protein for assembly into the import complex. Inducible expression of a helix 1-deleted variant in L. tropica resulted in formation of an inactive import complex, while the helix 2-deleted variant was unable to assemble in vivo. Moreover, a protein-interaction assay showed that the C-terminal domain makes allosteric contacts with import receptor RIC1 complexed with tRNA. These results help explain the origin of the bifunctionality of RIC8A, and the allosteric changes accompanying docking and release of tRNA during import

Ultrafast coelectrophoretic fluorescent staining of proteins with carbocyanines

Protein detection on SDS gels or on 2-D gels must combine several features, such as sensitivity, homogeneity from one protein to another, speed, low cost, and user-friendliness. For some applications, it is also interesting to have a nonfixing stain, so that proteins can be mobilized from the gel for further use (electroelution, blotting). We show here that coelectrophoretic staining by fluorophores of the oxacarbocyanine family, and especially diheptyloxacarbocyanine, offers several positive features. The sensitivity is intermediate between the one of colloidal CBB and the one of fluroescent ruthenium complexes. Detection is achieved within 1 h after the end of the electrophoretic process and does not use any fixing or toxic agent. The fluorescent SDS-carbocyanine-protein complexes can be detected either with a laser scanner with an excitation wavelength of 488 nm or with a UV table operating at 302 nm. Excellent sequence coverage in subsequent MS analysis of proteolytic peptides is also achieved with this detection method