B. abortus is an intracellular facultative bacterial pathogen which causes abortion in cattle and undulant fever in humans. Cattle vaccines such as B. abortus strains 19 and RB51 are live vaccine strains which protect approximately 75% of the vaccinated animals. No effective vaccines are available for the prevention of brucellosis in humans. We are developing vaccinia virus recombinants expressing various B. abortus proteins to prevent brucellosis in susceptible mammalian species. In this work the B. abortus groEL gene encoding the antigenic heat shock protein GroEL was subcloned into vaccinia virus via homologous recombination. Expression of the GroEL protein in vaccinia infected cells in-vivo was confirmed by immunoblotting. Groups of 5 female BALB/C mice were injected with the vaccinia recombinant or appropriate positive and negative control vaccines. Mice were bled and their humoral immune responses assessed. In addition, mice were challenged with virulent B. abortus strain 2308 and protection measured by the rate of splenic clearance of live Brucella. In spite of demonstrating specific GroEL antibodies in recombinant vaccinia injected mice, no significant level of protection was demonstrable. Preliminary lymphocyte transformation assays were carried out to establish if a cell mediated immune response to GroEL was induced in the vaccinated animals. / Master of Science

In the cell, as in in vitro, the final conformation of a protein is determined by it's amino acid sequence (1). Some isolated proteins can be denatured and refolded in vitro in absence of extrinsic factors. However, in order to fold in the cell, the newly synthesized polypeptide chain has to negotiate an environment far more complex than that faced by the unfolded chain in vitro. Cells have evolved proteins called “chaperones” to assist folding and assembly of polypeptides (2). Thus, the linear sequence of a protein not only contains information that specifies the final three-dimensional functional form, but also recognition motifs, which can be recognized by the cellular folding machinery. The work reported in this thesis is aimed at understanding some aspects of recognition of target substrates by the cytosolic chaperone, SecB, which forms part of the protein translocation machinery in E. coli. The sec pathway is involved in both translocation of precursor proteins across and the insertion of integral membrane proteins into the cytoplasmic membrane (3). Chapter one discusses some general aspects of protein folding and briefly describes chaperone systems, which have been extensively characterized in literature. Chapter two discusses the effect of chaperone SecB on the refolding pathway of a model substrate protein barstar, whose folding pathway has been extensively characterized (4,5). The effect of SecB on the refolding kinetics of the small protein barstar (wild type) and fluorescein labeled C82A (single Cys mutant) in 1 M guanidine hydrochloride at pH 7.0 at 25 °C has been investigated using fluorescence spectroscopy. We show that SecB does not bind either the native or the unfolded states of barstar but binds to late near-native intermediate (s) along the folding pathway. ESR studies and fluorescence anisotropy measurements show that SecB forms stable complexes with the near-native intermediate (s). For barstar, polypeptide collapse and formation of a hydrophobic surface are required for binding to SecB. Steady state polarization measurements indicated the presence of stable complexes of barstar bound to SecB. Studies on the spin labeled C82A show an immobilization of the spin label adduct at the 40th position of barstar, suggesting that the binding of SecB to barstar occurs in that region. SecB does not change the apparent rate constant of barstar refolding. The kinetic data for SecB binding to barstar are not consistent with simple kinetic partitioning models (6). Chapter three discusses the energetics of substrate:SecB interactions using the following model protein substrates: unfolded RNase A, BPTI, partially folded disulfide intermediates of alpha-lactalbumin,. The thermodynamics of binding of unfolded polypeptides to the chaperone SecB were investigated in vitro by isothermal titration calorimetry and fluorescence spectroscopy. The heat capacity changes observed on binding the reduced and carboxamidomethylated forms of alpha-lactalbumin, BPTI, and RNase A were found to be -0.10, -0.29 and -0.41 kcal mol-1 K-1 respectively and suggest that between 7 and 29 residues are buried upon substrate binding to SecB. In all cases binding occurs with a stoichiometry of one polypeptide chain per monomer of SecB. The data are consistent with a model where SecB binds substrate molecules at an exposed hydrophobic cleft (7). Chapter four discusses the thermodynamics of unfolding to gain insights into the mechanism of assembly and stability of the tetrameric structure. The thermodynamics of unfolding of SecB was studied as a function of protein concentration, by using high sensitivity-differential scanning calorimetry and spectroscopic methods. The thermal unfolding of tetrameric SecB is reversible and can be well described as a two-state transition in which the folded tetramer is converted directly to unfolded monomers. The value of ACP obtained was 10.7 ± 0.7 kcal mol-1 K-1, which is amongst the highest measured for a multimeric protein. At 298 K, pH 7.4. the AG°U for the SecB tetramer is 27.9 ± 2 kcal mol-1. Denaturant mediated unfolding of SecB was found to be irreversible. The reactivity of the 4 solvent exposed free thiols in tetrameric SecB is salt dependent. The kinetics of reactivity suggests that these four Cysteines are in close proximity to each other and that these residues on each monomer are in chemically identical environments. The thermodynamic data suggest that SecB is a stable, well folded and tightly packed tetramer and that substrate binding occurs at a surface site rather than at an interior cavity (8). Chapter five discusses the bound state conformation of a model protein substrate of SecB, bovine pancreatic trypsin inhibitor (BPTI), as well as the conformation of SecB itself by using proximity relationships based on site-directed spin-labeling and pyrene fluorescence methods. BPTI is a 58 residue protein and contains 3 disulfide groups between residues 5 and 55, 14 and 38, and 30 and 51. Single disulfide mutants of BPTI were reduced and the free cysteines were labeled with either thiol-specific spin labels or pyrene maleimide. The relative proximity of labeled residues was studied using either electron spin resonance spectroscopy or fluorescence spectroscopy. The data suggest that SecB binds a collapsed coil of reduced unfolded BPTI, which then undergoes a structural rearrangement to a more extended state upon binding to SecB. Binding occurs at multiple sites on the substrate and the binding site on each SecB monomer accommodates less than 21 substrate residues. In addition, we have labeled four, solvent accessible cysteine residues in the SecB tetramer and have investigated their relative spatial arrangement in the presence and absence of the substrate protein. The ESR data suggest that these cysteine residues are in close proximity when no substrate protein is bound, but move away from each other when SecB binds substrate. This is the first direct evidence of a conformational change in SecB upon binding of a substrate protein. Chapter six discusses the mechanism of dissaggregation of a model peptide aggregate by chaperone SecB. The Hspl04, Hsp70 and Hsp40 chaperone system are capable of dissociating aggregated state(s) of substrate proteins, though little is known of the mechanism of the process. The interaction of the B chain of insulin with chaperone SecB was investigated using light scattering, pyrene excimer fluorescence and electron spin resonance spectroscopy. We show that SecB prevents aggregation of the B chain of insulin. We show that SecB is capable of dissociating soluble B chain aggregate as monitored by pyrene fluorescence spectroscopy. The kinetics of dissociation of the B chain aggregate by SecB has also been investigated to understand the mechanism of dissociation. The data suggests that SecB does not act as a catalyst in dissociation of the aggregate to individual B chains, rather it binds the small population of free B chains with high affinity, thereby shifting the equilibrium from the ensemble of the aggregate towards the individual B chains. Thus SecB can rescue aggregated, partially folded /misfolded states of target proteins by a thermodynamic coupling mechanism when the free energy of binding to SecB is greater than the stability of the aggregate. Pyrene excimer fluorescence and ESR methods have been used to gain insights on the bound state conformation of the B chain to chaperone SecB. The data suggests that the B chain is bound to SecB in a flexible extended state in a hydrophobic cleft on SecB and that the binding site accommodates approximately 10 residues of substrate (9).

Diss. (sammanfattning) Stockholm : Karol. inst., 2003. / Härtill 4 uppsatser.

Les chaperonines sont des chaperonnes moléculaires indispensables pour le repliement de certaines protéines dans les cellules. La taille et la complexité de ces machineries biologiques rendent complexes l'étude de leurs propriétés structurales et fonctionnelles. La spectroscopie RMN permet de suivre des changements structuraux et dynamiques en temps réel avec une résolution atomique. Cependant, l'étude par RMN de protéines ou de complexes de haut poids moléculaires a été un challenge pendant de nombreuses années. Dans la première partie de cette thèse, il a été montré que la combinaison de marquage spécifique des groupements méthyles, d'expériences RMN optimisées et de microscopie électronique peut être utilisée pour suivre différents états du cycle fonctionnel d'une chaperonine de 1 MDa. Pour étudier ce mécanisme, la chaperonine native a été reconstituée avec un marquage des groupements méthyles des méthionines et valines. Les résidus méthionines ont pu être utilisés comme des sondes pour identifier les spectres RMN correspondant aux états intermédiaires et aux espèces actives du cycle fonctionnel. Grâce à ces sondes il a été possible de suivre en temps réel les réarrangements structuraux correspondant aux différentes conformations de la chaperonine durant son cycle fonctionnel. La seconde partie traite de la caractérisation de l'interaction de la chaperonine avec une protéine cliente dépliée. L'observation de la stabilisation de l'état déplié de la protéine par la chaperonine a permis de mettre en évidence une activité de "holdase" de la chaperonine. En utilisant une combinaison astucieuse de différents marquages de groupements méthyles et d'expériences RMN optimisés pour des assemblages de haut poids moléculaire, il a été possible d'observer le repliement de cette protéine par la chaperonine et les effets de la présence d'une protéine dépliée sur le cycle fonctionnel de la chaperonine en action. / Chaperonins are essential molecular chaperons for the refolding of proteins in the cells. Size and complexity of these biological machineries make complex the study of their structural and functional properties. NMR spectroscopy offers an unique ability to monitor structural and dynamic changes in real-time and at atomic resolution. However, the NMR studies of large proteins and complexes has been a real challenge for a long time. In the first part of this thesis, it has been shown that the combination of methyl specific labeling, optimized NMR spectroscopy for large assemblies and electron microscopy can be used to monitor the different states of the functional cycle of a 1 MDa chaperonin. To study this mechanism, the native chaperonin was reconstituted with a labeling of the methionines and valines methyl groups. Methionines residues have been used as probes to identify the NMR spectra corresponding to intermediates states and active species of the functional cycle. Thanks to theses probes, it has been possible to follow in real time the structural rearrangements corresponding to the different conformations of the chaperonin during its functional cycle. The second part deals with the characterization of the interaction between the chaperonin and an unfolded protein. Observation of the stabilization of the unfolded protein by the chaperonin allowed to identify the holdase activity of the chaperonin. Using a clever combination of a differential methyl labeling and optimized NMR spectroscopy for large assemblies, it has been possible to follow the refolding of the unfolded protein by the chaperonin and the effects of the unfolded protein on the functional cycle of the chaperonin in action.

Les chaperonines sont des machines moléculaires impliquées dans la protection des protéines contre le mauvais repliement et l’agrégation. Ces macromolécules de tailleimportante (environ 1 MDa) sont présentes dans tous les domaines du vivant et sontorganisées en deux anneaux concentriques et empilés l’un sur l’autre, possèdent chacun une cavité en leur centre. Les chaperonines sont particulièrement intéressantes car peu caractérisées par rapport aux autres chaperones, notamment dû à leur grande taille et à leur complexité intrinsèque. Leur mécanisme d’action reste donc assez flou.Ce travail de thèse est centré sur l’étude de PhCPN, la chaperonine de Pyrococcushorikoshii, et son interaction avec différentes protéines substrats, grâce à une combinaison d’outils biochimiques et biophysiques tels que la RMN. En effet, la spectroscopie RMN est un outil particulièrement adapté à l’étude des interactions moléculaires transitoires à l’échelle atomique. L’utilisation dans ce cadre du marquage isotopique spécifique des groupements méthyles permet d’étudier des ensembles protéiques de taille importante tels que PhCPN, tandis que la RMN plus classique reste limitée à des poidsmoléculaires inférieurs à 30 kDa. Afin d’étudier le repliement des protéines à l’intérieur des cavités de PhCPN, deux protéines substrats de taille hétérogène et d’activité différentes ont été sélectionnées.En particulier, l’un de ces deux substrats (laMalate Synthase G ou MSG), formedes agrégats amorphes lorsqu’elle elle chauffée tandis que la seconde (l’Amyline) est capable de s’auto associer de manière plus organisée, créant des fibres amyloïdes de haut poids moléculaire. J’ai observé lors de cette étude que PhCPN est capable d’empêcher l’agrégation de ces deux substrats.En effet, la Chaperonine PhCPN est capable de se lier de manière irreversible à laproteine MSG, dépliée par une augmentation de la temperature, dans un ratio stoechiométrique 1/1. Le complexMSG/PhCPN a été isolé et characterisé. En particulier, la surface d’interaction entre PhCPN et cette large protéine substrat a été déterminée grâce à la RMN et la mciroscopie électronique.De plus, l’inhibition de la formation de fibres amyloïdes issues de l’Amyline parla Chaperonine a été étudiée par RMN et fluorescence de la ThT. Il a été notammentmontré que la Chaperonine retarde l’apparition des fibres amyloïdes, quelque soit l’état oligomerique de PhCPN. Le rôle de la Chaperonine sur les méchanismes de nucléation et d’élongation des fibres amyloïdes de l’Amylin a également été étudié. / Chaperonins are molecular machineries involved in the prevention of protein misfolding. These large macromolecules (approximately 1 MDa) are present in all domains of life and globally organized in two stacked rings on top of one another, hosting a cavity in their respective centers. By hydrolyzing ATP within their cavities, these rings can switch between twomajor structural states, an open and a closed conformation, to trap and refold misfolded proteins. Among the different types of molecular chaperones, chaperonins are of particular interest because their mechanism of action is not yet totally understood.This thesis focused on the study of PhCPN, the Chaperonin fromPyrococcus horikoshii,and its interaction with substrate proteins by various biochemical and biophysical techniques including NMR. In fact, NMR spectroscopy is a powerful tool to probe transient interactions in solution, at atomic resolution. Especially, specific isotope labeling of methyl groups is a technique of choice to study huge protein assemblies such as PhCPN chaperonin because they overcome the liquid-state NMR size limitation. To study the protein folding within the cavities of PhCPN, two different model substrate of various sizes and biological functions were selected. Particularly, one of these substrates (Malate Synthase G /MSG) forms amorphous aggregates when submitted to heat while the other (Amylin) is able to self-associate into amyloid fibrils. During this thesis, I have demonstrated that the Chaperonin PhCPN can prevent the aggregation of the chosen substrates.In fact, the PhCPN Chaperonin is able to irreversibly bind thermally unfoldedMSGin a 1/1 ratio. TheMSG/PhCPN complex was isolated and characterized. Especially, theinteraction surface between PhCPN and this large substrate protein was investigated using a combination of NMR and EM.In addition, the inhibition of the Amylin fibrillation by the Chaperonin was investigated using NMR and ThT fluorescence assays. It was shown that the Chaperonin delays the fibrils formation, no matter its oligomeric state. The role of the Chaperonin on the Amylin nucleation and fibril elongation mechanisms was investigated.