Indiana University-Purdue University Indianapolis (IUPUI) / Periodontal disease is the leading cause of tooth loss in adults. Bacterial biofilm on tooth surfaces is the primary initiator of periodontal disease. Various factors contribute to the severity of periodontal disease including the different virulence factors of the bacteria within the biofilm. In the progression of periodontal disease, the microflora evolves from a predominantly Gram positive microbial population to a mainly Gram negative population. Specific gram negative bacteria with pronounced virulence factors have been implicated in the etiology and pathogenesis of periodontal disease, namely Porphyromonas gingivalis, Tannerella forsythia and Treponema denticola which form the red complex of bacteria. The orange complex bacteria become more dominant in the maturation process of dental plaque and act to bridge the early colonizers of plaque with the later more dominant red complex bacterial and consists of such bacteria as Campylobacter showae, Campylobacter rectus, Fusobacterium nucleatum and Prevotella intermedia. Perhaps the most investigated contributing factor is the relationship between smoking and periodontal disease. When examining the association between cigarette smoking and interproximal bone loss, greater bone loss is associated with higher cigarette consumption, longer duration (i.e., pack year history) and higher lifetime exposure. The presence of various virulence factors such as the production of a capsular material, as well as the proteolytic activity of the various periopathodontic bacteria has been associated with the pathogenesis of periodontitis. Even though many different enzymes are produced in large quantities by these periodontal bacteria, trypsin-like enzymes, chymotrypsin-like enzymes and elastase-like enzymes, as well as dipeptidyl peptidase-like enzymes, have been thought to increase the destructive potential of the bacterium and mediate destruction of the periodontal apparatus. More specifically, it is hypothesized that the proteolytic activity of other clinically important periodontal pathogens, such as Fusobacterium nucleatum, Prevotella intermedia and Porphyromonas assacharolyticus, is increased in the presence of nicotine. The purpose of this study was to determine the effects of nicotine on F. nucleatum, P. intermedia and P. assacharolyticus proteolytic activity. Cultures were maintained on anaerobic blood agar plates containing 3% sheep blood. Bacterial cells were harvested from the plates and washed. Washed F. nucleatum, P. intermedia and P. assacharolyticus cells were incubated with 1 mg/ml of nicotine. Bacterial cells not incubated with nicotine were used as positive controls. Secreted enzymatic activity was measured using the synthetic chromogenic substrates glycyl-L-proline-p-nitroanilide (GPPNA), N-succinyl-L-alanyl-L-alanyl-L-alanyl-p-nitroanilide (SAAAPNA), N-succinyl-alanine-alanine-proline-phenylalanine-p-nitroanilide (SAAPPPNA) and N-α-benzoyl-L-arginine-p-nitroanilide (L-BAPNA) (Sigma-Aldrich Products, St. Louis, MO, USA). Appropriate means and standard deviations were determined for each of the enzymatic activities measured and analysis of variance (ANOVA) was used to compare the groups utilizing a 5% significance level for all comparisons. Results demonstrated that after 60 minutes of incubation of F. nucleatum, P. intermedia and P. assacharolyticus cells with 1 mg/ml of nicotine and the various synthetic substrates, had the following proteolytic activity for GPPNA: 0.83 ± 0.14, 0.72 ± 0.03 and 0.67 ± 0.10, respectively; SAAAPNA: 0.82 ± 0.06, 0.76 ± 0.05 and 0.68 ± 0.08, respectively; SAAPPPNA: 0.90 ± 0.13, 0.85 ± 0.17 and 0.72 ± 0.03, respectively; and BAPNA: 0.81 ± 0.15, 0.74 ± 0.13 and 0.74 ± 0.16, respectively. In conclusion, the results indicate that in the presence of 1 mg/ml of nicotine, the proteolytic activity of F. nucleatum and P. assacharolyticus was increased with all of the synthetic substrates (with statistical significance seen only in the increases with F. nucleatum and GPPNA, SAAAPNA and BAPNA). The proteolytic activity exhibited an increasing trend in activity for P. intermedia with SAAPPPNA and BAPNA but a decreasing trend in activity with GPPNA and SAAAPNA when incubated with 1 mg/ml of nicotine, once again demonstrating no statistical significance for any of the substrates. Therefore, it could be concluded that based on these results nicotine at a concentration of 1 mg/ml may increase the proteolytic activity of periodontal pathogens and thus may increase periodontal disease activity and subsequent periodontal breakdown. Further studies are needed to validate these results utilizing different concentrations of nicotine.

<p>The aim of this study was to better understand the role of conditioned medium (CM) in Spodoptera frugiperda Sf9 insect cell proliferation and recombinant protein production using the baculovirus expression system.</p><p>CM was found to stimulate cell proliferation. Addition of CM and 10 kDa CM filtrate to an Sf9 culture decreased the lagphase and the maximum cell density was reached earlier than for cultures in fresh medium. The positive effect of 10 kDa CM filtrate showed that CM contains at least one small growth promoting factor. The effect was not eliminated by trypsin treatment. Addition of CM or 10 kDa CM filtrate to Sf9 cultures was found to have a negative effect on the recombinant protein production. The effect was thought to be indirect and most probably via the impact of CM on cell physiology. CM was also found to contain proteinase activity. The proteinase was identified as Sf9 cathepsin L. A proform with a molecular mass about 49 kDa and two active forms at about 39 and 22 kDa were found. The role of cathepsin L in Sf9 cultures is not yet clear. However, the knowledge of the presence of this proteinase in CM can be of great value for improving product quality and yield. Further, CM was found to have other properties as well: a concentrated fraction of CM exhibited strong antibacterial activity towards Bacillus megaterium and a weaker activity towards Escherichia coli. B. megaterium lysed rapidly after incubation in the CM fraction.</p><p>Repeated subculturing of Sf9 cells provoked a switch in growth kinetics. After 30-45 passages the cells started to proliferate earlier after inoculation and addition of CM had no longer a growth stimulating effect. However, CM still stimulated growth of a culture with low passage (LP) number (up to 45 passages). High passage cells (HP cells, over 100 passages) displayed a shorter lagphase than LP cells and the culture reached the maximum cell density 24-48 h earlier. Cell cycle analysis showed that the Sf9 cells were transiently synchronised in the G2/M phase 10 h after inoculation, before proliferation was initiated. This synchronisation was more pronounced for HP cells than for LP cells, which correlated to a higher recombinant protein production in baculovirus infected HP cells than in LP cells. Synchronisation of cells in G2/M by yeastolate-limitation before infection with baculoviruses suggested that the degree of synchronisation is connected to the cell density dependent decrease in recombinant protein production of Sf9 cultures.</p>

20S Proteasomen der Leber gehören ausschließlich zur Population der Intermediär-Proteasomen. Chromatographisch sind drei proteasomale Subpopulationen aufgrund unterschiedlicher Oberflächenhydrophobizität trennbar. Diese beinhalten unterschiedliche Mengen der Standard- und Immunountereinheiten und zeigen unterschiedliche spezifische Aktivitäten gegenüber kurzen fluorigenen Peptidsubstraten. Außerdem lassen sie sich deutlich anhand der Schnittfrequenzen bei Hydrolyse von Polypeptidsubstraten unterscheiden. Jede dieser Subpopulationen konnte aufgrund unterschiedlicher Oberflächenladung in bis zu 5 verschiedene 20S Proteasom-Subtypen unterteilt werden, die wiederum unterschiedliche Mengen an Standard- und Immununtereinheiten enthielten. Jeder dieser Subtypen zeigte unterschiedliche Eigenschaften bezüglich der spezifischen Aktivitäten und Hydrolysegeschwindigkeiten von Polypeptidsubstraten. Unterschiede wurden auch bezüglich ihrer Peptid-Spleiß-Aktivitäten nachgewiesen. In der vorliegenden Arbeit wurden darüber hinaus Veränderungen der Spektren proteasomaler Subtypen- und ihrer Eigenschaften im Lebergewebe von 2, 8 und 23 Monate alten Ratten nachgewiesen. Während die Gesamtmenge der Leber-Proteasomen mit steigendem Alter abnahm, nahm die Menge der Subtypen mit integrierten Immununtereinheiten zu. Gleichzeitig kam es zu einer altersabhängigen Zunahme der Hydrolysegeschwindigkeit gegenüber Polypeptide-Substraten sowie veränderten Schnitthäufigkeiten. Die altersabhängigen intramolekularen Umgestaltungen von Leberproteasomen könnten eine funktionelle Anpassung an die altersbedingten zellulären Veränderungen in Verbindung mit Veränderungen der MHC Klasse I Antigen-Präsentation darstellen. / 20S proteasomes isolated from rat liver belong to the population of intermediate type proteasomes. Three subpopulations were separated by chromatography due to their differences in surface hydrophobicity. These subpopulations contain different types of intermediate type proteasomes with standard- and immunosubunits exhibiting distinct specific activities towards short fluorogenic substrates. However, depending on the substrate their hydrolyzing activity of long polypeptide substrates was significantly different. Additional separation of the three 20S proteasome subpopulations due to their different surface charges allowed further resolution of each subpopulation to at least five 20S proteasome subtypes. The subunit composition of these subtypes varied with regard to the content of exchangeable subunits. The pattern of proteolytic activities measured with short fluorogenic peptides differed between the various subtypes as well as the ability to hydrolyze polypeptide substrate. Above all, each subtype displayed a specific pattern regarding the peptide-splice-activity. Furthermore, the present work showed age-dependent alterations in the subtype patterns, which were analyzed in livers of 2, 8 and 23 month old rats. While the total amount of proteasome declines with age, in all subtypes from aged animals standard subunits were widely replaced by immunosubunits. This resulted in a relative increase of immunosubunit-containing proteasomes, paralleled by age-dependent changes regarding the hydrolyzing activity of long polypeptide substrates. Such modifications could have implications on protein homeostasis as well as on MHC class I antigen presentation as part of the immunosenescence process.

Die Dicklegung der Milch, ausgehend von der hydrolytischen Spaltung des κ-Caseins, stellt den ersten essentiellen Schritt in der Käseherstellung dar. Dabei finden Gerinnungsenzyme verschiedener Herkunft Anwendung, deren neueste Varianten auf Grundlage des aktuellen Forschungsstandes umfassend charakterisiert werden. Verschiedene Kälberlabpräparate, mikrobielle Gerinnungsenzyme aus Rhizomucor miehei und mit Hilfe von gentechnisch modifizierten Mikroorganismen gewonnenes Chymosin (FPC) aus Rind und Kamel werden mittels HPLC und Elektrophorese hinsichtlich ihrer Zusammensetzung analysiert. Die neueste Generation mikrobieller Enzyme weist im Gegensatz zur herkömmlichen Variante keine Nebenkomponenten und damit einen höheren Aufreinigungsgrad auf. Die unspezifische proteolytische Aktivität wird durch fluorimetrische Quantifizierung der in 12 % TCA löslichen Stickstoffkomponenten bestimmt, die nach Inkubation rekonstituierter Magermilch bei 32 °C und pH 6,5 über 24 h mit den Enzymen freigesetzt werden. Mikrobielle Gerinnungsenzyme besitzen eine signifikant höhere unspezifische proteolytische Aktivität gegenüber chymosinbasierten Präparaten, deren Auswirkung sich bei Erhöhung der zugegebenen Enzymmenge besonders ausgeprägt darstellen. Oszillationsrheometrische Analysen lassen bei gleicher Enzymaktivität eine geringere Gelfestigkeit nach 40 min bei Einsatz von mikrobiellen Präparaten im Vergleich zu Kälberlab und bovinem FPC erkennen. Zusätzlich wird eine Abhängigkeit der Flockungszeit und der Gelfestigkeit vom eingesetzten Substrat beobachtet, die für Chymosin aus Kamel besonders stark ausgeprägt ist. Die Substratspezifität dieses Enzyms ist weder mit der des bovinen Chymosins noch mit der der mikrobiellen Gerinnungsenzyme identisch. Im Rahmen von Käsungsversuchen im Labor-, Pilot- und Industriemaßstab wird eine signifikant höhere Käseausbeute (0,50 - 1,19 %) bei Verwendung vom traditionellem Kälberlab im Vergleich zur neuesten Generation der kommerziellen mikrobiellen Substitute ermittelt. Im Verlaufe der Reifung von Schnittkäse wird durch mikrobielles Gerinnungsenzym gegenüber Kälberlab eine signifikant höhere Menge an Nichtproteinstickstoff freigesetzt sowie ein unterschiedliches Profil an Proteinabbauprodukten gebildet. Die höhere proteolytische Aktivität resultiert in einer signifikant stärker ausgeprägten Bitterkeit der mit mikrobiellem Gerinnungsenzym hergestellten Käse nach 12 Wochen Reifungszeit. / Clotting of milk caused by hydrolytic cleavage of κ-casein is the first important step in cheese milk processing. This cleavage is caused by clotting enzymes of different origin, which are comprehensively characterized by considering results of latest investigations. The composition of selected calf rennets, microbial coagulants derived from Rhizomucor miehei and genetically engineered chymosin (FPC) derived from cow and camel is analyzed by HPLC and electrophoresis. In contrast to conventional products, the latest generation of microbial coagulants does not show minor components in a detectable amount because of a sufficient purification. The unspecific proteolytic activity is determined by fluorimetric quantification of 12 % tricloric-acid-soluble nitrogen, which is released by the enzymes from reconstituted skim milk, pH 6.5, after incubation at 32 °C for 24 h. Microbial coagulants show a significantly higher unspecific proteolysis as compared to chymosin-based clotting enzymes, especially when the enzymes are added in amount higher than used during cheese-making. Small amplitude oscillation rheometry analysis showed a lower gel firmness after 40 min of gelling when microbial coagulants were applied instead of calf rennet or FPC. Furthermore, flocculation time, gel formation time and gel firmness additionally depends on the test substrate, and this dependency is exceptionally pronounced when camel chymosin was used. The substrate specificity of this enzyme is neither identical to that of bovine chymosin nor to that of microbial coagulants. Cheese making experiments in laboratory-, pilot- and commercial-scale revealed a significantly higher cheese yield (0.50 - 1.19 %) when using calf rennet instead of microbial coagulant of the latest generation. During ripening of semi-hard cheese a higher amount of non-protein-nitrogen was released and a different electrophoretic casein degradation profile was generated when using microbial enzymes. Enhanced proteolysis is responsible for a significantly higher pronounced bitterness of microbial produced cheese after 12 weeks of maturation.

The hard tick Ixodes ricinus is an important blood-feeding parasite that transmits tick- borne diseases, such as tick-borne encephalitis and Lyme disease. Ticks employ a battery of proteolytic enzymes, including cathepsins, to digest their bloodmeal. These proteins are potential targets for the development of anti-tick vaccines. This work is focused on cathepsin L from I. ricinus (IrCL), namely its isoenzymes IrCL1 and IrCL3. IrCL1 was expressed in Pichia pastoris and chromatographically purified. Its substrate specifity was determined by the cleavage of (a) peptide fluorogenic substrates and (b) protein substrates analyzed by mass spectrometry. The proteolytic activity of IrCL1 was modulated by its interaction with glycosaminoglycans, which affected the pH optimum value. Futhermore, a proteolytically active mutant of IrCL1 with reduced number of N-glycosylation sites was prepared; this form will be used for crystallization experiments. IrCL3 was expressed in Escherichia coli, refolded and activated to its active form. The proteolytic activity of IrCL3 is in many ascpects similar to that of IrCL1, including substrate specifity, acidic pH optimum and activity modulation by glycosaminoglycans. Key words: cysteine proteases, cathepsin L, hard tick I. ricinus, substrate specifity, proteolytic activity...

Die Dicklegung der Milch, ausgehend von der hydrolytischen Spaltung des κ-Caseins, stellt den ersten essentiellen Schritt in der Käseherstellung dar. Dabei finden Gerinnungsenzyme verschiedener Herkunft Anwendung, deren neueste Varianten auf Grundlage des aktuellen Forschungsstandes umfassend charakterisiert werden. Verschiedene Kälberlabpräparate, mikrobielle Gerinnungsenzyme aus Rhizomucor miehei und mit Hilfe von gentechnisch modifizierten Mikroorganismen gewonnenes Chymosin (FPC) aus Rind und Kamel werden mittels HPLC und Elektrophorese hinsichtlich ihrer Zusammensetzung analysiert. Die neueste Generation mikrobieller Enzyme weist im Gegensatz zur herkömmlichen Variante keine Nebenkomponenten und damit einen höheren Aufreinigungsgrad auf. Die unspezifische proteolytische Aktivität wird durch fluorimetrische Quantifizierung der in 12 % TCA löslichen Stickstoffkomponenten bestimmt, die nach Inkubation rekonstituierter Magermilch bei 32 °C und pH 6,5 über 24 h mit den Enzymen freigesetzt werden. Mikrobielle Gerinnungsenzyme besitzen eine signifikant höhere unspezifische proteolytische Aktivität gegenüber chymosinbasierten Präparaten, deren Auswirkung sich bei Erhöhung der zugegebenen Enzymmenge besonders ausgeprägt darstellen. Oszillationsrheometrische Analysen lassen bei gleicher Enzymaktivität eine geringere Gelfestigkeit nach 40 min bei Einsatz von mikrobiellen Präparaten im Vergleich zu Kälberlab und bovinem FPC erkennen. Zusätzlich wird eine Abhängigkeit der Flockungszeit und der Gelfestigkeit vom eingesetzten Substrat beobachtet, die für Chymosin aus Kamel besonders stark ausgeprägt ist. Die Substratspezifität dieses Enzyms ist weder mit der des bovinen Chymosins noch mit der der mikrobiellen Gerinnungsenzyme identisch. Im Rahmen von Käsungsversuchen im Labor-, Pilot- und Industriemaßstab wird eine signifikant höhere Käseausbeute (0,50 - 1,19 %) bei Verwendung vom traditionellem Kälberlab im Vergleich zur neuesten Generation der kommerziellen mikrobiellen Substitute ermittelt. Im Verlaufe der Reifung von Schnittkäse wird durch mikrobielles Gerinnungsenzym gegenüber Kälberlab eine signifikant höhere Menge an Nichtproteinstickstoff freigesetzt sowie ein unterschiedliches Profil an Proteinabbauprodukten gebildet. Die höhere proteolytische Aktivität resultiert in einer signifikant stärker ausgeprägten Bitterkeit der mit mikrobiellem Gerinnungsenzym hergestellten Käse nach 12 Wochen Reifungszeit. / Clotting of milk caused by hydrolytic cleavage of κ-casein is the first important step in cheese milk processing. This cleavage is caused by clotting enzymes of different origin, which are comprehensively characterized by considering results of latest investigations. The composition of selected calf rennets, microbial coagulants derived from Rhizomucor miehei and genetically engineered chymosin (FPC) derived from cow and camel is analyzed by HPLC and electrophoresis. In contrast to conventional products, the latest generation of microbial coagulants does not show minor components in a detectable amount because of a sufficient purification. The unspecific proteolytic activity is determined by fluorimetric quantification of 12 % tricloric-acid-soluble nitrogen, which is released by the enzymes from reconstituted skim milk, pH 6.5, after incubation at 32 °C for 24 h. Microbial coagulants show a significantly higher unspecific proteolysis as compared to chymosin-based clotting enzymes, especially when the enzymes are added in amount higher than used during cheese-making. Small amplitude oscillation rheometry analysis showed a lower gel firmness after 40 min of gelling when microbial coagulants were applied instead of calf rennet or FPC. Furthermore, flocculation time, gel formation time and gel firmness additionally depends on the test substrate, and this dependency is exceptionally pronounced when camel chymosin was used. The substrate specificity of this enzyme is neither identical to that of bovine chymosin nor to that of microbial coagulants. Cheese making experiments in laboratory-, pilot- and commercial-scale revealed a significantly higher cheese yield (0.50 - 1.19 %) when using calf rennet instead of microbial coagulant of the latest generation. During ripening of semi-hard cheese a higher amount of non-protein-nitrogen was released and a different electrophoretic casein degradation profile was generated when using microbial enzymes. Enhanced proteolysis is responsible for a significantly higher pronounced bitterness of microbial produced cheese after 12 weeks of maturation.

The aim of this study was to better understand the role of conditioned medium (CM) in Spodoptera frugiperda Sf9 insect cell proliferation and recombinant protein production using the baculovirus expression system. CM was found to stimulate cell proliferation. Addition of CM and 10 kDa CM filtrate to an Sf9 culture decreased the lagphase and the maximum cell density was reached earlier than for cultures in fresh medium. The positive effect of 10 kDa CM filtrate showed that CM contains at least one small growth promoting factor. The effect was not eliminated by trypsin treatment. Addition of CM or 10 kDa CM filtrate to Sf9 cultures was found to have a negative effect on the recombinant protein production. The effect was thought to be indirect and most probably via the impact of CM on cell physiology. CM was also found to contain proteinase activity. The proteinase was identified as Sf9 cathepsin L. A proform with a molecular mass about 49 kDa and two active forms at about 39 and 22 kDa were found. The role of cathepsin L in Sf9 cultures is not yet clear. However, the knowledge of the presence of this proteinase in CM can be of great value for improving product quality and yield. Further, CM was found to have other properties as well: a concentrated fraction of CM exhibited strong antibacterial activity towards Bacillus megaterium and a weaker activity towards Escherichia coli. B. megaterium lysed rapidly after incubation in the CM fraction. Repeated subculturing of Sf9 cells provoked a switch in growth kinetics. After 30-45 passages the cells started to proliferate earlier after inoculation and addition of CM had no longer a growth stimulating effect. However, CM still stimulated growth of a culture with low passage (LP) number (up to 45 passages). High passage cells (HP cells, over 100 passages) displayed a shorter lagphase than LP cells and the culture reached the maximum cell density 24-48 h earlier. Cell cycle analysis showed that the Sf9 cells were transiently synchronised in the G2/M phase 10 h after inoculation, before proliferation was initiated. This synchronisation was more pronounced for HP cells than for LP cells, which correlated to a higher recombinant protein production in baculovirus infected HP cells than in LP cells. Synchronisation of cells in G2/M by yeastolate-limitation before infection with baculoviruses suggested that the degree of synchronisation is connected to the cell density dependent decrease in recombinant protein production of Sf9 cultures. / QC 20101222