The Initiated Polypeptides

Following messenger formation, the amount and types of proteins can be modulated in additional ways. The initial polypeptide can be processed in various ways so that different polypeptides or proteins are expressed in different tissues. Such a situation exists for processing the precursor polypeptide preproopiomelanocortin (see fig. 24.7). This polypeptide is processed in different ways in the anterior and intermediate lobes of the pituitary gland to give rise to different hormones in these two tissues. 

Polypeptide Synthesis and Analysis. Sihca or controUed-pore glass supports treated with (chloromethyl)phenylethyltrimethoxysilane [68128-25-6] or its derivatives are replacing chloromethylated styrene—divinylbenzene (Merrifield resin) as supports in polypeptide synthesis. The sdylated support reacts with the triethyl ammonium salt of a protected amino acid. Once the initial amino acid residue has been coupled to the support, a variety of peptide synthesis methods can be used (34). At the completion of synthesis, the anchored peptide is separated from the support with hydrogen bromide in acetic acid (see Protein engineering Proteins). 

Antibiotic A201A. Antibiotic A201A (23), produced by S. capreolus is an /V -dimethyladenine nucleoside stmcturaHy similar to puromycin (19). Compound (23) which contains an aromatic acid and monosaccharide residues (1,4), inhibits the incorporation of amino acids into proteins but has no effect on RNA or DNA synthesis. Compound (23) does not accept polypeptides as does (19), and does appear to block formation of the initiation complex of the SOS subunit. It may block formation of a puromycin-reactive ribosome. 

The most recent advance in treating HIV infections has been to simultaneously attack the virus on a second front using a protease inhibitor. Recall from Section 27.10 that proteases are enzymes that catalyze the hydrolysis of proteins at specific points. When HIV uses a cell s DNA to synthesize its own proteins, the initial product is a long polypeptide that contains several different proteins joined together. To be useful, the individual proteins must be separated from the aggregate by protease-catalyzed hydrolysis of peptide bonds. Protease inhibitors prevent this hydrolysis and, in combination with reverse transcriptase inhibitors, slow the reproduction of HIV. Dramatic reductions in the viral load in HIV-infected patients have been achieved with this approach. 

The maturation of proteins into their final structural state often involves the cleavage or formation (or both) of covalent bonds, a process termed posttranslational modification. Many polypeptides are initially synthesized as larger precursors, called proproteins. The extra polypeptide segments in these proproteins often serve as leader sequences that target a polypeptide... 

Soon after the initial development of the heparin sensor, an electrode for the detection of the polycation protamine was proposed [38] based on a polymeric membrane doped with the cation exchanger tetrakis-(4-chlorophenyl)borate. Protamine is a polypeptide and usually administered as a heparin antidote. Protamine is a polycation with an average charge of +20 and is rich in arginine (Fig. 4.8). The response function of protamine-selective electrodes is similar to the heparin response function (Fig. 4.9b). 

In many cases where a receptor consists of multiple polypeptides, one of those polypeptides (which will be unique to that receptor) will interact directly with the ligand. The additional polypeptide(s), responsible for initiation of signal transduction, may be shared by a number of receptors (Figure 8.1). 

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