1. Development of a selective photoactivatable antagonist for corticotropin-releasing factor receptor, type 2 (CRF2)
Ines Bonk, Andreas Rühmann Eur J Biochem. 2002 Nov;269(21):5288-94. doi: 10.1046/j.1432-1033.2002.03246.x.
A novel photoactivatable analog of antisauvagine-30 (aSvg-30), a specific antagonist for corticotropin-releasing factor (CRF) receptor, type 2 (CRF2), has been synthesized and characterized. The N-terminal amino-acid d-Phe in aSvg-30 [d-Phe11,His12]Svg(11-40) was replaced by a phenyldiazirine, the 4-(1-azi-2,2,2-trifluoroethyl)benzoyl (ATB) residue. The photoactivatable aSvg-30 analog ATB-[His12]Svg was tested for its ability to displace [125I-Tyr0]oCRF or [125I-Tyr0]Svg from membrane homogenates of human embryonic kidney (HEK) 293 cells stably transfected with cDNA coding for rat CRF receptor, type 1 (rCRF1) or mouse CRF receptor, type 2beta (mCRF2beta). Furthermore, the ability of ATB-[His12]Svg(12-40) to inhibit oCRF- or Svg-stimulated cAMP production of transfected HEK 293 cells expressing either rCRF1 (HEK-rCRF1 cells) or mCRF2beta (HEK-mCRF2beta cells) was determined. Unlike astressin and photo astressin, ATB-[His12]Svg(12-40) showed high selective binding to mCRF2beta (Ki = 3.1 +/- 0.2 nm) but not the rCRF1 receptor (Ki = 142.5 +/- 22.3 nm) and decreased Svg-stimulated cAMP activity in mCRF2beta-expressing cells in a similar fashion as aSvg-30. A 66-kDa protein was identified by SDS/PAGE, when the radioactively iodinated analog of ATB-[His12]Svg(12-40) was covalently linked to mCRF2beta receptor. The specificity of the photoactivatable 125I-labeled CRF2beta antagonist was demonstrated with SDS/PAGE by the finding that this analog could be displaced from the receptor by antisauvagine-30, but not other unrelated peptides such as vasoactive intestinal peptide (VIP).
2. Identification of a melanocortin receptor expressed by murine brain microvascular endothelial cells in culture
E de Angelis, U G Sahm, A R Ahmed, G W Olivier, L J Notarianni, S K Branch, S H Moss, C W Pouton Microvasc Res. 1995 Jul;50(1):25-34. doi: 10.1006/mvre.1995.1035.
Microvascular endothelial cells were isolated from the brains of C57 mice and cultured in selective growth media. The isolation and culture techniques employed in this study minimised the contamination by nonendothelial cells such as astrocytes, pericytes, and smooth muscle cells. Microvascular endothelial cells examined using phase contrast light microscopy grew as small colonies of spindle-shaped cells which merged together to form typical contact-inhibited monolayers. The endothelial origin of these cells was determined using several established characterisation techniques. Preliminary receptor binding studies at 4 degrees using [125I-Tyr2, Nle4, D-Phe7]alpha-melanocyte-stimulating hormone ([125I-Tyr2, Nle4, D-Phe7]alpha-MSH) suggested the possibility that melanocortin receptors were present on the surface of brain microvascular endothelial cells. Subsequent binding isotherms confirmed that a small population of high-affinity melanocortin receptors was expressed. The existence of a specific binding site for alpha-MSH was confirmed by photoaffinity labeling with the 4-(1-azi-2,2,2,-trifluoroethyl)benzoic acid (ATB) derivative, [125I-Tyr2, Nle4, D-Phe7, (ATB)-Lys11] alpha-MSH. SDS-PAGE analysis identified the presence of a specific band with a molecular mass of approximately 45 kDa, which was consistent with previous data on melanoma melanocortin receptors, and represented a ligand-receptor complex. This study suggests that a receptor for alpha-MSH is expressed on the extracellular surface of murine brain microvascular endothelial cells; however, the physiological role of this receptor is as yet unknown.
3. Photoaffinity labeling of T4 endonuclease V with a substrate containing a phenyldiazirine derivative
N Hori, S Iwai, H Inoue, E Ohtsuka J Biol Chem. 1992 Aug 5;267(22):15591-4.
T4 endonuclease V recognizes thymine photodimers in DNA duplexes and, in a two-step reaction, cleaves the glycosyl linkage of the 5'-side thymidine and the phosphodiester linkage. To determine the amino acid residues responsible for binding thymine photodimers, a photoaffinity reagent, 4-(1-azi-2,2,2-trifluoroethyl)-benzoate, was linked to the aminoalkylphosphonate of a thymine photodimer in a 14-mer duplex. The reactive substrate was treated with the enzyme under UV light (365 nm). The nascent enzyme and the modified enzyme were treated with lysyl endopeptidase, and the peptide maps were compared. Three peptides from the C terminus were found to interact with the reactive oligonucleotide to various extents. The three modified peptides were isolated and analyzed by Edman degradation. The amino acid residues Gly-133, Tyr-129, and Thr-89 were partially linked with the reactive substrate and may be involved in the binding of thymine photodimers.
