Protein RNase

This enzyme (RNase A) is a single chain protein of 124 amino acid residues, cross-linked by four intrachain disulfide bonds. Limited proteolysis of the enzyme cuts a single peptide bond between residues 20 and 21 (Richards and Vithayathil, 1959). The derived protein, RNase S, retains enzymic activity although the N-terminal peptide of 20 amino acids (S-peptide) is no longer covalently attached to the balance of the molecule (S-protein). Removal of S-peptide from... 

One approach to the understanding of the relationship between the amino acid sequence of a protein and its three-dimensional structure consists of preparing fragments which reconstitute a functional nativelike structure by noncovalent association. Richards first demonstrated that the two fragments of bovine pancreatic ribonuelease, RNase-S-peptide (residues 1-20) and RNase-S-protein (residues 21-124), the latter with four intact disulfide bonds, bind noncovalently to form the original functional structure, RNase-S (73, 74)- The elucidation of the three-dimensional structure of RNase-S by X-ray crystallographic study confirmed these observations (75). The RNase-S-protein-RNase-S-peptide system also provided a way by which chemically synthesized fragments could be used to test the role of individual residues in the formation of the functional structure of the protein (76-79). 

All glycoforms show the same amino acid sequence but differ in the location, number or sequence of attached glycan, and importantly their bioactivities. For example, bovine pancreatic ribonuclease (RNase) occurs naturally as a mixture of the unglycosylated protein (RNase A) and five glycoforms (RNase B, Man 5-9), in which 5-9 mannose residues are attached to the di-A-acetylchitobiose core. These glycoforms differ in their enzyme activities, i.e. decreasing activities in the order of RNase A > RNase ManO = RNase Manl > RNase Man5 = RNase B (Rudd et al, 1994). 

The short length of a typical ASON facilitates cell internalization and increases hybridization efficiency by reducing base-mismatch errors. Once hybridization has occurred the ASON-mRNA complex becomes a substrate for intracellular RNAses (e.g., RNAse-H) that catalyze mRNA degradation and allow ASON to recycle for another base pairing with the next target mRNA molecule. The net result of this process is a sustained decrease of target mRNA translation and a lower intracellular level of the corresponding protein (Fig. 1). 

Recently, the related phenomenon of RNA interference (RNAi) has attracted much attention [5]. RNAi occurs when a short (generally 21 nucleotides in length) double-stranded RNA (dsRNA) catalyticaUy represses the translation of a fully complementary mRNA sequence. The process appears to proceed via a complex formed between the antisense RNA strand and a protein with RNase activity [6]. Upon binding to the target mRNA sequence, the ribonucleoprotein complex initiates cleavage of the mRNA transcript thus preventing translation of intact protein. After dissociation from the truncated mRNAs, the ribonucleoprotein complex is free to act on other intact mRNAs. Such small interfering RNAs (siRNAs) have... 

The crystal structure of one LRR protein, the RNAse inhibitor, has revealed that leucine-rich repeats correspond to p-a structural units. This units are arranged for a parallel p-sheet with one surface exposed to solvent so that the protein acquires an unusual non-globular shape, which may be responsible for proteinbinding functions [57]. 

Q-Sepharose was the separation medium chosen for preparative purification of plasmid pUC18.41 Cell proteins, fragments from RNase digestion of RNA, open coil plasmid and a denatured form of the plasmid were... 

However, there are a number of other miscellaneous biological roles played by this complex. The [Co(NH3)6]3+ ion has been shown to inhibit the hammerhead ribozyme by displacing a Mn2+ ion from the active site.576 However, [Co(NH3)6]3+ does not inhibit ribonuclease H (RNase),577 topoisomerase I,578 or hairpin ribozyme,579 which require activation by Mg2+ ions. The conclusions from these studies were that an outer sphere complex formation between the enzyme and Mgaq2+ is occuring rather than specific coordination of the divalent ion to the protein. These results are in contrast to DNase I inhibition by the same hexaammine complex. Inhibition of glucose-induced insulin secretion from pancreatic cells by [Co(NH3)6]3+ has been found.580 Intracellular injection of [Co(NH3)6]3+ into a neurone has been found to cause characteristic changes to the structure of its mitochondria, and this offers a simple technique to label neuronal profiles for examination of their ultrastructures.581... 

The studies of RNase Aand cytochrome c (Qi etal., 1998 Sosnick etal., 1997) show that caution is required in interpreting burst phenomena in protein folding. However, they do not require a reinterpretation of the cases in which the molten globule character of the burst-intermediate has been established (Arai and Kuwajima, 2000 Chamberlain and Marqusee, 2000). 

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