Browsing by Author "Bull, P"

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    Differences in expression of two endoxylanase genes (xynA and xynB) from Penicillium purpurogenum
    (2002) Chávez, R; Schachter, K; Navarro, C; Peirano, A; Aguirre, C; Bull, P; Eyzaguirre, J
    A number of xylanolytic microorganisms secrete to the medium several molecular forms of endoxylanases. The physiological function of these isoforms is not clears one possibility is that they are produced under different growth conditions. To study this problem, we have used two endoxylanases (XynA and XynB) produced by the fungus Penicillium purpurogenum. These enzymes have been previously purified and characterized; they belong to family 10 and 11 of the glycosyl hydrolases, respectively. The promoters of the xynA and xynB genes have been sequenced: both present consensus sequences for the binding of the carbon catabolite repressor CreA, but otherwise show substantial differences. The xynB promoter has eight boxes in tandem for the binding of the XlnR activator and lacks the consensus sequence for the PacC pH regulator. On the other hand, the xynA promoter contains one XlnR box and three PacC consensus sequences. To investigate if these differences are reflected in gene expression, Northern blot assays were carried out. The xynA gene is transiently expressed when oat spell xylan is used as carbon source, but negligible expression was observed with birchwood xylan, xylose or xylitol. In contrast, xynB is broadly induced by all these carbon sources; this may be related to the presence of several XlnR boxes. Similar results were obtained by zymogram analysis of the expressed proteins. The different induction capabilities of birchwood and oat spelt xylan may be due to differences in their composition and structure. Expression assays carried out at different pH reflects that, despite the lack of PacC binding sites in the xynB promoter, this gene is tightly regulated by pH. The findings described here illustrate new and important differences between endoxylanases from families 10 and 11 in P. purpurogenum. They may help explain the production of multiple endoxylanase forms by this organism. (C) 2002 Published by Elsevier Science B.V.
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    Extracellular histidine residues identify common structural determinants in the copper/zinc P2X2 receptor modulation
    (2005) Lorca, RA; Coddou, C; Gazitúa, MC; Bull, P; Arredondo, C; Huidobro-Toro, JP
    To assess the mechanism of P2X(2) receptor modulation by transition metals, the cDNA for the wild-type receptor was injected to Xenopus laevis oocytes and examined 48-72 h later by the two-electrode voltage-clamp technique. Copper was the most potent of the trace metals examined; at 10 mu M it evoked a 25-fold potentiation of the 10 mu M ATP-gated currents. Zinc, nickel or mercury required 10-fold larger concentrations to cause comparable potentiations, while palladium, cobalt or cadmium averaged only 12- and 3-fold potentiations, respectively. Platinum was inactive. The non-additive effect of copper and zinc at 10-100 mu M suggests a common site of action; these metals also shifted to the left the ATP concentration-response curves. To define residues necessary for trace metal modulation, alanines were singly substituted for each of the nine histidines in the extracellular domain of the rat P2X(2) receptor. The H120A and H213A mutants were resistant to the modulator action of copper, zinc and other metals with the exception of mercury. Mutant H192A showed a reduction but not an abrogation of the copper or zinc potentiation. H245A showed less affinity for copper while this mutant flattened the zinc-induced potentiation. Mutant H319A reduced the copper but not the zinc-induced potentiation. In contrast, mutants H125A, H146A, H152A and H174A conserved the wild-type receptor sensitivity to trace metal modulation. We propose that His120, His192, His213 and His245 form part of a common allosteric metal-binding site of the P2X(2) receptor, which for the specific coordination of copper, but not zinc, additionally involves His319.
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    Galectin-8 binds specific beta 1 integrins and induces polarized spreading highlighted by asymmetric lamellipodia in Jurkat T cells
    (ELSEVIER INC, 2006) Carcamo, C; Pardo, E; Oyanadel, C; Bravo Zehnder, M; Bull, P; Caceres, M; Martinez, J; Massardo, L; Jacobelli, S; Gonzalez, A; Soza, A
    Integrin-mediated encounters of T cells with extracellular cues lead these cells to adhere to a variety of substrates and acquire a spread phenotype needed for their tissue incursions. We studied the effects of galectin-8 (Gal-8), beta-galactoside binding lectin, on Jurkat T cells. Immobilized Gal-8 bound alpha 1 beta 1 and alpha 5 beta 1 but not alpha 2 beta 1 and alpha 4 beta 1 and adhered these cells with similar kinetics to immobilized fibronectin (FN). Function-blocking experiments with monoclonal anti-integrin antibodies suggested that alpha 5 beta 1 is the main mediator of cell adhesion to this lectin. Gal-8, but not FN, induced extensive cell spreading frequently leading to a polarized phenotype characterized by an asymmetric lamellipodial protrusion. These morphological changes involved actin cytoskeletal rearrangements controlled by PI3K, Rac-1 and ERK1/2 activity. Gal-8-induced Rac-1 activation and binding to alpha 1 and alpha 5 integrins have not been described in any other cellular system. Strikingly, Gal-8 was also a strong stimulus on Jurkat cells in suspension, triggering ERK1/2 activation that in most adherent cells is instead dependent on cell attachment. In addition, we found that patients with systemic lupus erythematosus (SLE), a prototypic autoimmune disorder, produce Gal-8 autoantibodies that impede both its binding to integrins and cell adhesion. These are the first function-blocking autoantibodies reported for a member of the galectin family. These results indicate that Gal-8 constitutes a novel extracellular stimulus for T cells, able to bind specific beta 1 integrins and to trigger signaling pathways conducive to cell spreading. Gal-8 could modulate a wide range of T cell-driven immune processes that eventually become altered in autoimmune disorders. (C) 2005 Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.
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    Histidine 140 plays a key role in the inhibitory modulation of the P2X4 nucleotide receptor by copper but not zinc
    (2003) Coddou, C; Morales, B; González, J; Grauso, M; Gordillo, F; Bull, P; Rassendren, F; Huidobro-Toro, JP
    To elucidate the role of extracellular histidines in the modulation of the rat P2X(4) receptor by trace metals, we generated single, double, and triple histidine mutants for residues 140, 241, and 286, replacing them with alanines. cDNAs for the wild-type and receptor mutants were expressed in Xenopus laevis oocytes and in human embryonic kidney 293 cells and examined by the two electrode and patch clamp techniques, respectively. Whereas copper inhibited concentration-dependently the ATP-gated currents in the wild-type and in the single or double H241A and H286A receptor mutants, all receptors containing H140A were insensitive to copper in both cell systems. The characteristic bell-shaped concentration-response curve of zinc observed in the wildtype receptor became sigmoid in both oocytes and human embryonic kidney cells expressing the H140A mutant; in these mutants, the zinc potentiation was 2.5-4-fold larger than in the wild-type. Results with the H140T and H140R mutants further support the importance of a histidine residue at this position. We conclude that His-140 is critical for the action of copper, indicating that this histidine residue, but not His-241 or His-286, forms part of the inhibitory allosteric metal-binding site of the P2X4 receptor, which is distinct from the putative zinc facilitator binding site.
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    Increased expression of c-rel, from the NF-κB/Rel family, in T cells from patients with systemic lupus erythematosus
    (2000) Burgos, P; Metz, C; Bull, P; Pincheira, R; Massardo, L; Errázuriz, C; Bono, MR; Jacobelli, S; González, A
    Objective. To explore the role of the NF-kappa B/Rel transcription factor family in autoimmunity, we investigated whether peripheral blood mononuclear cells (PBMC) and T cells from the blood of patients with systemic lupus erythematosus (SLE) exhibit abnormal expression of c-rel, both when recently isolated and/or during in vitro activation.
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    Secretion of endoxylanase A from Penicillium purpurogenum by Saccharomyces cerevisiae transformed with genomic fungal DNA
    (2002) Chávez, R; Navarro, C; Calderón, I; Peirano, A; Bull, P; Eyzaguirre, J
    Saccharomyces cerevisiae was transformed with a genomic library from Penicillium purpurogenum, and an endoxylanase-producing yeast clone (named 44A) that grows on xylose or xylan as sole carbon source was isolated. This yeast synthesizes xynA mRNA and secretes endoxylanase A to culture media when grown on xylan or xylose, but not glucose. Analysis by pulse-field gel electrophoresis and sequencing indicates that xynA, including its eight introns, has been inserted into the yeast genome. It was shown by sequencing that clone 44A is able to correctly splice xynA introns. This is the first successful attempt to express a fungal endoxylanase gene in yeast with correct intron splicing. (C) 2002 Federation of European Microbiological Societies. Published by Elsevier Science B.V. All rights reserved.
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    Structure analysis of the endoxylanase A gene from Penicillium purpurogenum
    (2001) Chávez, R; Almarza, C; Schachter, K; Peirano, A; Bull, P; Eyzaguirre, J
    Penicillium purpurogenum produces several endoxylanases, two of which (XynA and XynB) have been purified and characterized. XynB has been sequenced, and it belongs to glycosyl hydrolase family 11. In this publication we report the structure of the xynA gene, The amino terminal sequence of the protein was determined and this allowed the design of oligonucleotides for use in polymerase chain reactions. Different polymerase chain reaction strategies were used to amplify and sequence the entire cDNA and the gene. The gene has an open reading frame of 1450 base pairs, including 8 introns with an average length of 56 base pairs each. Only one copy of this gene is present in the P. purpurogenum genome as shown by Southern blot. The gene encodes a protein of 329 residues (including the signal peptide), and the calculated molecular mass of the mature protein is 31,668 Da. Immunodetection assays of the expressed gene positively identified it as xynA, and sequence alignments indicate a high degree of similarity with family 10 endoxylanases. It is concluded that P. purpurogenum produces endoxylanases of family 10 and 11. The complementary action of endoxylanases of both families may be important for an efficient degradation of xylan by the fungus.
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    The acetyl xylan esterase II gene from Penicillium purpurogenum is differentially expressed in several carbon sources, and tightly regulated by pH
    (2004) Chávez, R; Schachter, K; Navarro, C; Peirano, A; Bull, P; Eyzaguirre, J
    The expression of the acetyl xylan esterase II (axell) gene from Penicillium purpurogenum is repressed by glucose and induced by xylan, as well as to a small degree by xylose and xylitol. This gene is expressed at neutral pH, but not tinder alkaline or acidic conditions, in agreement with previous findings for other xylanolytic genes of this organism. This is the first report showing pH regulation of an axe gene.