The Impact of Host Factors on Retroviral Evolution and the Identification of a Novel Receptor That Was Used by an Ancient Primate Retrovirus

The resurrection of inactive endogenous retroviruses allows us to learn about interactions between extinct pathogens and their hosts that occurred millions of years ago. Two of these paleoviruses, chimpanzee endogenous retrovirus 1 and 2 (CERV1 and CERV2), are relatives of modern murine leukemia viruses that are found in the genomes of a variety of old world primates, but are absent from the human genome. The nonexistence of human CERV1 and CERV2 homologues is peculiar given the numerous apparent cross-species transmissions that occurred between ancestors of old world monkeys, gorillas, and chimpanzees. It is possible that antiviral proteins were able to protect human ancestors from colonization by CERV1 and CERV2. Indeed, sequence analyses of modern primate restriction factors has suggested that these genes have evolved under positive selection, presumably due to their combat with invading pathogens throughout primate history. Here we investigate whether TRIM5 and APOBEC3 antiviral factors were able to restrict the replication of CERV1 and CERV2. Such an interaction would imply a potential involvement of these proteins in the limited host range and, perhaps, even the extinction of CERV1 and CERV2. Reciprocally, activity against CERV1 and CERV2 would suggest that archaic gammaretroviruses contributed to the positive selection observed in TRIM5 and APOBEC3 genes. Our analyses suggest that TRIM5 proteins did not pose a major barrier to the cross-species transmission or contributed to the extinction of CERV1 and CERV2. However, we uncovered extensive evidence for the inactivation of endogenous gammaretroviruses by the action of APOBEC3 cytidine deaminases. Both CERV1 and CERV2, as well as their homologues in the rhesus macaque, bore mutational scars that are characteristic of APOBEC3 activity. A reconstructed CERV2 Gag was used in vitro to confirm that APOBEC3G was capable of restricting CERV2 infection. Therefore, it appears that primate APOBEC3 proteins were capable of targeting ancient primate gammaretroviruses. It remains possible that APOBEC3 proteins were able to limit the cross-species transmission and cause the inactivation of these viruses

Adenylate effects on protein phosphorylation in the interenvelope lumen of pea chloroplasts

A 64-kilodalton (kDa) protein, situated in the lumen between the inner and outer envelopes of pea (Pisum sativum L.) chloroplasts (Soll and Bennett 1988, Eur. J. Biochem., 175, 301–307) is shown to undergo reversible phosphorylation in isolated mixed envelope vesicles. It is the most conspicuously labelled protein after incubation of envelopes with 33 nmol·1-1 [-32P]ATP whereas incubation with 50 mol·1-1 [-32P]ATP labels most prominently two outer envelope proteins (86 and 23 kDa). Half-maximum velocity for phosphorylation of the 64-kDa protein occurs with 200 nmol·1-1 ATP, and around 40 mol·1-1 ATP for phosphorylation of the 86- and 23-kDa proteins, indicating the operation of two distinct kinases. GGuanosine-, uridine-, cytidine 5-triphosphate and AMP are poor inhibitors of the labelling of the 64-kDa protein with [-32P]ATP. On the other hand, ADP has a potent influence on the extent of labelling (half-maximal inhibition at 1–5 mol·1-1). The ADP-dependent appearance of 32P in ATP indicates that ADP acts by reversal of kinase activity and not as a competitive inhibitor. However, the most rapid loss of 32P from pre-labelled 64-kDa protein occurs when envelope vesicles are incubated with ATP t1/2=15 s at 20 molsd1-1 ATP). This induced turnover of phosphate appears to be responsible for the rapid phosphoryl turnover seen in situ

The chloroplast import receptor Toc34 functions as preprotein-regulated GTPase

Toc34 is a protein of the chloroplast outer envelope membrane that acts as receptor for preproteins containing a transit sequence. The recognition of preproteins by Toc34 is regulated by GTP binding and phosphorylation. The phosphorylation site of Toc34 is located at serine 113, close to the postulated triphosphate binding site. This can explain the down-regulation of Toc34 by phosphorylation, resulting in the loss of GTP binding. Vice versa, GTP but not GDP binding of Toc34 influences the phosphorylation. The nucleotide specificity of Toc34 is not only determined by the classical nucleotide binding domains but by a non-typical region at the N-terminus of the protein. As a result, the GTP binding properties are unusual, since the triphosphate moiety of GTP is bound with higher affinity than the purine base. Purified Toc34 hydrolyses GTP at a low rate, which could regulate the receptor function. The rate of hydrolysis is greatly stimulated by a precursor protein

A guanosine 5′-triphosphate-dependent protein kinase is localized in the outer envelope membrane of pea chloroplasts

A guanosine 5-triphosphate (GTP)-dependent protein kinase was detected in preparations of outer chloroplast envelope membranes of pea (Pisum sativum L.) chloroplasts. The protein-kinase activity was capable of phosphorylating several envelope-membrane proteins. The major phosphorylated products were 23- and 32.5-kilo-dalton proteins of the outer envelope membrane. Several other envelope proteins were labeled to a lesser extent. Following acid hydrolysis of the labeled proteins, most of the label was detected as phosphoserine with only minor amounts detected as phosphothreonine. Several criteria were used to distinguish the GTP-dependent protein kinase from an ATP-dependent kinase also present in the outer envelope membrane. The ATP-dependent kinase phosphorylated a very different set of envelope-membrane proteins. Heparin inhibited the GTP-dependent kinase but had little effect upon the ATP-dependent enzyme. The GTP-dependent enzyme accepted phosvitin as an external protein substrate whereas the ATP-dependent enzyme did not. The outer membrane of the chloroplast envelope also contained a phosphotransferase capable of transferring labeled phosphate from [-32P]GTP to ADP to yield (-32P]ATP. Consequently, addition of ADP to a GTP-dependent protein-kinase assay resulted in a switch in the pattern of labeled products from that seen with GTP to that typically seen with ATP

Phosphoproteins and protein-kinase activity in isolated envelopes of pea (Pisum sativum L.) chloroplasts

A protein kinase was found in envelope membranes of purified pea (Pisum sativum L.) chloroplasts. Separation of the two envelope membranes showed that most of the enzyme activity was localized in the outer envelope. The kinase was activated by Mg2+ and inhibited by ADP and pyrophosphate. It showed no response to changes in pH in the physiological range (pH 7-8) or conventional protein substrates. Up to ten phosphorylated proteins could be detected in the envelope-membrane fraction. The molecular weights of these proteins, as determined by polyacrylamide-gel electrophoresis were: two proteins higher than 145 kDa, 97, 86, 62, 55, 46, 34 and 14 kDa. The 86-kDa band being the most pronounced. Experiments with separated inner and outer envelopes showed that most labeled proteins are also localized in the outer-envelope fraction. The results indicate a major function of the outer envelope in the communication between the chloroplast and the parent cell

Protein import machineries in endosymbiotic organelles

Abstract.: Chloroplast and mitochondria, the two organelles with an accepted endosymbiotic origin, have developed multiple translocation pathways to ensure the subcellular allocation of proteins synthesized by cytosolic ribosomes, and to guarantee their assembly into functional complexes in coordination also with organellar-encoded subunits. The evolution of different protein import machineries was thus essential for the development of these two organelles within cells. A general overview of the translocation machineries in chloroplast and mitochondrial membranes involved in targeting and import of nuclearencoded proteins, with special focus on plant cells where the two organelles coexist, is expounde