mastoparan-x and mastoparan

Ca(2+) binds to calmodulin (CaM) and triggers the interaction of CaM with its target proteins; CaM binding proteins (CaMBPs) can also regulate the metal binding to CaM. In the present paper, La(3+) binding to CaM was studied in the presence of the CaM binding peptides, Mastoparan (Mas) and Mas X, using ultrafiltration and titration of fluorescence. Ca(2+) binding was used as an analog to understand La(3+) binding in intact CaM and isolated N/C-terminal CaM domain of metal-CaM binary system and metal-CaM-CaMBPs ternary system. Mas/Mas X increased binding affinity of La(3+) to CaM by 0.5 approximately 3 orders magnitude. The metal ions binding affinity to the C-terminal or the N-terminal CaM domain suggested that in the first phase of binding process both Ca(2+) and La(3+) bind to C-terminal of CaM in the presence of Mas/Mas X. In the presence of CaM binding peptides, La(3+) binding preference was substantially altered from the metal-CaM binary system where La(3+) slightly preferred binding to the N-terminal sites of CaM. Our results will be helpful in understanding La(3+) interactions with CaM in the biological systems.

Topics: Calcium; Calmodulin; Calmodulin-Binding Proteins; Intercellular Signaling Peptides and Proteins; Lanthanum; Peptides; Wasp Venoms

The mechanism of dissociation reactions induced by calcium chelators has been studied for complexes of Drosophila calmodulin with target peptides, including four derived from the skeletal muscle myosin light chain kinase target sequence. Reactions were monitored by fluorescence stopped-flow techniques using a variety of intrinsic probes and the indicator Quin2. For most of the complexes, apparently biphasic kinetics were observed in several fluorescence parameters. The absence of any obvious relationship between dissociation rates and peptide affinities implies kinetic control of the dissociation pathway. A general mechanism for calcium and peptide dissociation was formulated and used in numerical simulation of the experimental data. Unexpectedly, the rate of the slowest step decreases with increasing [peptide]/[calmodulin] ratio. Numerical simulation shows this step could contain a substantial contribution from a reversible relaxation process (involving the species Ca2-calmodulin-peptide), convolved with the following step (loss of C-terminal calcium ions). The results indicate the potentially key kinetic role of the partially calcium-saturated intermediate species. They show that subtle changes in the peptide sequence can have significant effects on both the dissociation rates and also the dissociation pathway. Both effects could contribute to the variety of regulatory behavior shown by calmodulin with different target enzymes.

Topics: Aminoquinolines; Animals; Calcium; Calmodulin; Calmodulin-Binding Proteins; Drosophila melanogaster; Egtazic Acid; Intercellular Signaling Peptides and Proteins; Kinetics; Peptides; Spectrometry, Fluorescence; Wasp Venoms

Melittin is known to be a major hydrophobic peptide component in honeybee venom that can cause as much elevation of fertilization membrane of sea urchin eggs as normal fertilization. The action of melittin has been thought to be closely related with its ability to facilitate the phospholipase A2 activity on the eggs. However, another peptide "mastoparan" from wasp venom was not found here to cause any elevation of the membrane, although it can activate the enzyme as well as melittin. On the other hand, mastoparan was found to get the membrane-elevating activity only when its amino groups were modified with hydrophobic substituents. N epsilon-Substituted mastoparan with a dansyl group in Lys11 residue was most effective among the analogs examined here. Our findings indicate that the facilitation of phospholipase by the peptides have little relation with the membrane generation. Such hydrophobic moiety as the dansyl group in the peptides must cause the cortical reaction on the eggs in cooperation with peptide moiety. The dansylated peptide will be a useful tool to induce the artificial fertilization of sea urchin eggs.

Topics: Amino Acid Sequence; Animals; Dose-Response Relationship, Drug; Female; Fertilization; In Vitro Techniques; Intercellular Signaling Peptides and Proteins; Melitten; Molecular Sequence Data; Ovum; Peptides; Phospholipases A; Phospholipases A2; Sea Urchins; Structure-Activity Relationship; Wasp Venoms

Mastoparan, a basic tetradecapeptide from wasp venom, has been considered to be unfolded under aqueous conditions. On the basis of the far-UV circular dichroism spectrum, we found that sodium perchlorate at molar concentrations stabilizes an alpha-helical structure of mastoparan. To understand the mechanism of the perchlorate-induced stabilization of the alpha-helical structure, we synthesized a dimeric form of mastoparan derivative, which was linked at the C terminal by a disulfide bond. The linkage decreased the concentration of perchlorate required to stabilize the alpha-helical structure by 30-fold. With the dimeric mastoparan derivative, we measured the effects of several salts such as sodium trichloroacetate, sodium trifluoroacetate, and sodium chloride. The concentration of salts required to induce the conformational transition varied and the order of effectiveness of different salts was consistent with the electroselectivity series of anions toward anion-exchange resins, indicating that the anion binding to the positively charged amino groups is responsible for the transition. These results suggest that the salt-induced formation of the alpha-helical state of mastoparan can be explained by a mechanism similar to that proposed for the salt-induced conformational transition of melittin.

Topics: Amino Acid Sequence; Chemical Phenomena; Chemistry, Physical; Circular Dichroism; Disulfides; Drug Stability; Intercellular Signaling Peptides and Proteins; Kinetics; Molecular Sequence Data; Osmolar Concentration; Peptides; Perchlorates; Protein Conformation; Protein Structure, Secondary; Salts; Sodium Compounds; Wasp Venoms

We have investigated the conformational properties of a truncated analogue of mastoparan and of mastoparan X, both peptides from wasp venom. The electrostatically driven Monte Carlo method was used to explore the conformational space of these short peptides. The initial conformations used in this study, mainly random ones, led to alpha-helical conformations. The alpha-helical conformations thus found exhibit an amphipathic character. These results are in accord with experimental data from NMR and CD spectroscopy.

Topics: Amino Acid Sequence; Intercellular Signaling Peptides and Proteins; Magnetic Resonance Spectroscopy; Molecular Sequence Data; Monte Carlo Method; Oligopeptides; Peptides; Protein Conformation; Spectrum Analysis; Wasp Venoms

In differentiated HL-60 cells the amphiphilic peptide mastoparan induces a dose-dependent stimulation of phosphoinositide breakdown with an EC50 value of 9 microM. Such stimulation can be markedly reduced by pretreatment of the cells with pertussis toxin (100 ng/ml, 2 h). In membranes obtained from differentiated HL-60 cells, guanine nucleotides stimulate the formation of IP2 and IP3. Calcium ions also induce phosphoinositide breakdown in this preparation independent of the presence of guanine nucleotides. In HL-60 cell membranes, mastoparan inhibited GTP gamma S-stimulation of phosphoinositide breakdown with an IC50 value of 3 microM. Such inhibitory activity of mastoparan also was present in membranes from cells pretreated with pertussis toxin. Calcium-induced stimulation of phosphoinositide breakdown was not significantly inhibited by mastoparan. The analogs mastoparan-X and polistes mastoparan had similar inhibitory activity, whereas the analog des-Ile1-Asn2-mastoparan was inactive. In permeabilized HL-60 cells mastoparan also inhibited phosphoinositide breakdown. Another amphiphilic peptide, melittin, was inactive in HL-60 intact cells, but similar to mastoparan, inhibited guanine nucleotide-induced phosphoinositide breakdown in HL-60 cell membranes and permeabilized cells. Thus, mastoparan peptides can stimulate phosphoinositide breakdown in intact HL-60 cells, probably through the interaction with a guanine nucleotide binding protein. In permeabilized cells and in cell membranes, mastoparan induces inhibition of guanine nucleotide-mediated phosphoinositide breakdown presumably through an interaction with an intracellular site. The inhibitory action of mastoparan and melittin is probably related to the amphiphilic character of these peptides.

Topics: Cell Membrane; Cell Membrane Permeability; Cell-Free System; Guanine Nucleotides; Humans; Intercellular Signaling Peptides and Proteins; Leukemia, Experimental; Melitten; Peptides; Phosphatidylinositols; Tumor Cells, Cultured; Type C Phospholipases; Wasp Venoms