The complete amino acid sequence of calf chymosin (rennin) (EC 3.4.23.4) has been determined. The sequence consists of a single peptide chain of 323 amino acid residues. The primary structure of the precursor part of calf prochymosin was published previously (Pedersen, V.B., and Foltmann, B. (1975) Eur. J. Biochem. 55, 95-103), thus we are now able to account for the total 365 amino acid residues of calf prochymosin. Comparison of the sequence of calf prochymosin with that of pig pepsinogen A (EC 3.4.23.1) shows extensive homology. In the precursor part of the sequence, 15 residues are located at identical positions, as compared to 189 identical residues in the respective enzymes. Furthermore comparison to Penicillium janthinellum acid proteinase (penicillopepsin) (EC 3.4.23.7) shows that 76 residues are common to this enzyme and to the two gastric proteinases. These homologies in sequence further suggest that the folding of the peptide chain in chymosin is very similar to that of other acid proteinases. (+info)
A 1H-n.m.r. study of casein micelles.
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The 1H-n.m.r. spectrum of casein micelles consists of a small number of moderately sharp (linewidth approx. 60 Hz) resonances superimposed on the envelope of very broad lines expected for particles of this size. These sharp lines resemble, in chemical shift and relative intensity, the spectrum of the isolated 'macropeptide' released from the micelles by treatment with chymosin. The sharp lines in the casein micelle spectrum are further sharpened by addition of chymosin and broadened markedly by addition of ethanol. These observations are consistent with the proposal that the 'macropeptide' (the C-terminal 64 residues of K-casein) forms flexible 'hairs' on the surface of the micelles. (+info)
Examination of calf prochymosin accumulation in Escherichia coli: disulphide linkages are a structural component of prochymosin-containing inclusion bodies.
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Recent reports have shown that synthesis of certain recombinant proteins in Escherichia coli results in the production of intracellular inclusion bodies. These studies have not analyzed the structure of the inclusion body especially regarding the intermolecular forces holding it together. We have examined structural aspects of inclusion bodies made in E. coli as a result of high level expression of the eukaryotic protein, calf prochymosin. Prochymosin is a monomeric protein containing three disulfide bridges. It was expressed at up to 20% of cell protein from a plasmid containing the E. coli tryptophan promoter, operator and ribosome binding site. Proteins in the inclusion bodies were analysed by Western blotting of SDS-polyacrylamide gels. When experiments were done using conditions which preserved the in vitro state of thiol groups, inclusions were shown to be composed of multimers of prochymosin molecules which were interlinked partly by disulfide bonds. The inclusion bodies also contained a high concentration of reduced prochymosin. The presence of intermolecular disulfides probably contributes to the difficulty of solubilizing recombinant prochymosin during its purification from E. coli. (+info)
The effect of capping and polyadenylation on the stability, movement and translation of synthetic messenger RNAs in Xenopus oocytes.
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Synthetic RNAs coding for chicken lysozyme, calf preprochymosin and Xenopus globin were transcribed in vitro using Sp6 RNA polymerase. The effects of capping and adding a poly(A) tail on the stability, movement and translation of these RNAs in Xenopus oocytes was examined. Capping and polyadenylation increased stability of the transcripts, with at least 40% remaining intact 48 h after injection into oocytes. Capped poly(A)- transcripts moved more rapidly in oocytes than either capped poly(A)+ transcripts or naturally occurring mRNAs. The translational efficiency of most of the synthetic RNAs in oocytes increased with both capping and polyadenylation. The exception was one Xenopus globin transcript which had an unusual 3' end of 20As and 30Cs, where further polyadenylation decreased translational efficiency. Polyadenylation was essential for detectable expression of the synthetic RNAs in cultured cells, but decreased translation of the synthetic RNAs in vitro. (+info)
Investigation of the instability of plasmids directing the expression of Met-prochymosin in Escherichia coli.
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The causes of the instability of a multicopy plasmid, pCT70, which directs the expression of calf prochymosin in Escherichia coli, were investigated. Plasmid pAT153 and its derivative, pCT54, were stable for more than 90 generations in continuous culture with glucose limitation. The multicopy plasmid pCT66, which expressed very low levels of prochymosin due to poor translational efficiency, and low copy number plasmids which efficiently expressed the prochymosin gene, were also stable. These results indicated that high level translation of the recombinant gene was the cause of the instability of pCT70. The maximum specific growth rate of E. coli(pCT70) was reduced by 30% compared with E. coli(pCT66). To fulfil the requirements of a production system, a dual origin plasmid with controllable copy number was developed. Both this plasmid (pMG165) and a derivative which contained the prochymosin gene (pMG168) were stable when maintained at low copy number. When the copy number of plasmid pMG168 was increased by putting replication under the control of the lambda PR promoter and the cI857 temperature sensitive repressor, expression of prochymosin was achieved. This strategy enables large-scale production of prochymosin without the need for antibiotic selection or other methods of preventing plasmid loss. (+info)
The disulphide bridges and soluble tryptic peptides of calf rennin.
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1. Cysteic acid peptides from various digests of calf rennin were purified by diagonal paper electrophoresis. 2. The amino acid sequence of these peptides accounts for 38 amino acids around three unique disulphide bridges in rennin. 3. One bridge connects two acidic regions of the chain, one forms a loop of five residues and the other a loop of six residues. 4. These bridges are homologous with those of hog pepsin. 5. Tryptic peptides from the C-terminus of rennin account for 22 residues, 17 of which are homologous with the C-terminus of pepsin. 6. Altogether, sequences accounting for 94 of the 270 residues in rennin are described and the degree of homology with pepsin approximates to 70%. (+info)
Rennin enzyme of Endothia parasitica.
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A microbiological screening program was instituted to search for an animal rennet substitute. Among 381 bacteria and 540 fungi tested, only one organism, Endothia parasitica, yielded a suitable enzyme substitute. The fungal rennin enzyme was crystallized and some of its properties were studied. It was found to be water-soluble, nondialyzable, precipitable with (NH(4))(2)SO(4) and organic solvents (e.g., acetone and isopropanol), and destroyed by heating for 5 min at 60 C. It was determined to be most stable in water at pH 4.5 and to have an isoelectric point of pH 5.5. On acid hydrolysis, it yielded: alanine, ammonia, arginine, aspartic acid, cysteic acid, cystine, glutamic acid, glycine, histidine, isoleucine, leucine, phenylalanine, proline, serine, threonine, tyrosine, and valine. No tryptophan was detected after alkaline hydrolysis. Its molecular weight was estimated to be in the range of 34,000 to 39,000. The milk-clotting activities of the fungal and animal rennins proved to be essentially identical in milk containing various concentrations of CaCl(2). Both rennins manifested comparable clotting activities in milk at pH 6.0 to 7.0. (+info)
Studies on the preparation of water-insoluble derivatives of rennin and chymotrypsin and their use in the hydrolysis of casein and the clotting of milk.
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1. Enzymically active insoluble derivatives of chymotrypsin and rennin were prepared by coupling each enzyme to agarose as described by Porath, Axen & Ernback (1967) and rennin to aminoethylcellulose by the method of Habeeb (1967). 2. Agarose-chymotrypsin was stable over the range pH2-9, but agarose-rennin released active enzyme into solution at above pH2 and aminoethylcellulose-rennin was similarly unstable at certain pH values. 3. Each derivative appeared to catalyse the clotting of milk at 30 degrees , but this was probably entirely due to enzyme released into solution from the carrier. 4. The presence of a competitive inhibitor of chymotrypsin during its coupling to agarose had no effect on the activity or stability of the resulting derivative. 5. The characteristics of agarose and cellulose render them not entirely suitable for use in a continuous system with milk. (+info)