TL;DR: The results suggest that transforming ras proteins require membrane localization, guanosine nucleotide binding, and an additional undefined function that may represent interaction with their target.
Abstract: We used linker insertion-deletion mutagenesis to study the catalytic domain of the Harvey murine sarcoma virus v-rasH transforming protein, which is closely related to the cellular rasH protein. The mutants displayed a wide range of in vitro biological activity, from those that induced focal transformation of NIH 3T3 cells with approximately the same efficiency as the wild-type v-rasH gene to those that failed to induce any detectable morphologic changes. Correlation of transforming activity with the location of the mutations enabled us to identify three nonoverlapping segments within the catalytic domain that were dispensable for transformation and six other segments that were required for transformation. Segments that were necessary for guanosine nucleotide (GDP) binding corresponded to three of the segments that were essential for transformation; two of the three segments share strong sequence homology with other purine nucleotide-binding proteins. Loss of GDP binding was associated with apparent instability of the protein. Lesions in two of the three other required regions significantly reduced GDP binding, while small lesions in the last required region did not impair GDP binding or membrane localization. We speculate that this latter region interacts with the putative cellular target of ras. The results suggest that transforming ras proteins require membrane localization, guanosine nucleotide binding, and an additional undefined function that may represent interaction with their target.
TL;DR: The results suggest that, in the presence of Mg2+, GDP binding restricts the availability of eIF-2 for chain initiation and that SP relieves this restriction in a catalytic fashion, provided that the alpha subunit of eif-2 is not phosphorylated.
Abstract: Earlier, we isolated eukaryotic initiation factor 2 (eIF-2)-stimulating protein (SP) as a homogeneous complex with eIF-2 (eIF-2-SP) and showed that, in the presence of Mg2+, eIF-2-SP promotes formation of a ternary complex with GTP and eukaryotic initiator methionyl tRNA (Met-tRNAi) (eIF-2-GTP-Met-tRNAi) catalytically. We now show that SP-bound eIF-2 exchanges with eIF-2 (eIF-2 exchange). Furthermore, in the presence of Mg2+, eIF-2-SP catalyzes the exchange of eIF-2-bound [3H]GDP with unlabeled GDP or GTP (GDP exchange) and the release of [3H]GDP when the ternary complex is formed from eIF-2-[3H]GDP, GTP, and [35S]Met-tRNAi. All these reactions are blocked by alpha-subunit, but not by beta-subunit, phosphorylation of eIF-2. The eIF-2 and GDP exchanges are compatible with the reaction eIF-2-GDP + SP in equilibrium EIF-2-SP + GDP reminiscent of the exchange between the Tu and Ts components of prokaryotic elongation factor 1 (EF-Tu and EF-Ts, respectively) EF-Tu-GDP + EF-Ts in equilibrium EF-Tu-EF-Ts + GDP. Due to the high affinity of GDP (approximately 100 times greater than that of GDP) for eIF-2, 40S (eIF-2-GTP-Met-tRNAi-40S) to 80S (Met-tRNAi-mRNA-80S) initiation complex conversion, which is accompanied by GTP hydrolysis, probably releases eIF-2 as eIF-2-GDP. Our results suggest that, in the presence of Mg2+, GDP binding restricts the availability of eIF-2 for chain initiation and that SP relieves this restriction in a catalytic fashion, provided that the alpha subunit of eIF-2 is not phosphorylated.
TL;DR: It is concluded that the N terminus of Arf1 is a GTP-sensitive effector domain, and N-myristoylation is a critical component in the construction of this phospholipid- and G TP-dependent switch.
TL;DR: Mapping sequence conservation onto the molecular surface, combined with mutagenesis analysis, identified the eRF1 binding region, and revealed an essential function for the C terminus of eRF3, suggesting a novel mechanism for nucleotide exchange on e RF3 from that of other GTPases.
TL;DR: Purified Toc34 hydrolyses GTP at a low rate, which could regulate the receptor function, and the rate of hydrolysis is greatly stimulated by a precursor protein.
Abstract: Toc34 is a protein of the chloroplast outer envelope membrane that acts as receptor for preproteins containing a transit sequence. The recognition of preproteins by Toc34 is regulated by GTP binding and phosphorylation. The phosphorylation site of Toc34 is located at serine 113, close to the postulated triphosphate binding site. This can explain the down-regulation of Toc34 by phosphorylation, resulting in the loss of GTP binding. Vice versa, GTP but not GDP binding of Toc34 influences the phosphorylation. The nucleotide specificity of Toc34 is not only determined by the classical nucleotide binding domains but by a non-typical region at the N-terminus of the protein. As a result, the GTP binding properties are unusual, since the triphosphate moiety of GTP is bound with higher affinity than the purine base. Purified Toc34 hydrolyses GTP at a low rate, which could regulate the receptor function. The rate of hydrolysis is greatly stimulated by a precursor protein.