The Pseudomonas aeruginosa PAO1 genome has at least two genes, pvdQ and quiP, encoding acylhomoserine lactone (AHL) acylases. Two additional genes, pa1893 and pa0305, have been predicted to encode penicillin acylase proteins, but have not been characterized. Initial studies on a pa0305 transposon insertion mutant suggested that the gene is not related to the AHL growth phenotype of P. aeruginosa. The close similarity (67 %) of pa0305 to HacB, an AHL acylase of Pseudomonas syringae, prompted us to investigate whether the PA0305 protein might also function as an AHL acylase. The pa0305 gene has been cloned and the protein (PA0305) has been overproduced, purified and subjected to functional characterization. Analysis of the purified protein showed that, like b-lactam acylases, PA0305 undergoes post-translational processing resulting in a-and b-subunits, with the catalytic serine as the first amino acid of the b-subunit, strongly suggesting that PA0305 is a member of the N-terminal nucleophile hydrolase superfamily. Using a biosensor assay, PA0305his was shown to degrade AHLs with acyl side chains ranging in length from 6 to 14 carbons. Kinetics studies using N-octanoyl-L-homoserine lactone (C 8 -HSL) and N-(3-oxo-dodecanoyl)-L-homoserine lactone (3-oxo-C 12 -HSL) as substrates showed that the enzyme has a robust activity towards these two AHLs, with apparent K cat /K m values of 0.14¾10 4 M "1 s "1 towards C 8 -HSL and 7.8¾10 4 M "1 s "1 towards 3-oxo-C 12 -HSL. Overexpression of the pa0305 gene in P. aeruginosa showed significant reductions in both accumulation of 3-oxo-C 12 -HSL and expression of virulence factors. A mutant P. aeruginosa strain with a deleted pa0305 gene showed a slightly increased capacity to kill Caenorhabditis elegans compared with the P. aeruginosa PAO1 wild-type strain and the PAO1 strain carrying a plasmid overexpressing pa0305. The harmful effects of the Dpa0305 strain on the animals were most visible at 5 days post-exposure and the mortality rate of the animals fed on the Dpa0305 strain was faster than for the animals fed on either the wild-type strain or the strain overexpressing pa0305. In conclusion, the pa0305 gene encodes an efficient acylase with activity towards longchain homoserine lactones, including 3-oxo-C 12 -HSL, the natural quorum sensing signal molecule in P. aeruginosa, and we propose to name this acylase HacB.

Characterization of the binding of a tumor necrosis factor (TNF) ligand to its receptor(s) is pivotal to understand how these proteins initiate signal transduction pathways. Unfortunately, kinetic elucidation of these interactions is strongly hampered by the multivalent nature of the binding partners. The interaction between TNF-related apoptosis-inducing ligand and its death receptors was analyzed using in-depth applications of surface plasmon resonance technology. Variations in receptor density and sensor chip type allowed us to manipulate the stoichiometry of the formed complex, and the rate constants describing the binding of trimeric TNF-related apoptosisinducing ligand to only one receptor molecule were determined. Remarkably, the affinity of this trimer-monomer complex is in the picomolar range, and its dissociation very slow. Cytokines are signaling molecules involved in a range of biological processes and diseases. Cytokines and receptors belonging to the TNF superfamily have been a subject of interest for developing novel therapies for numerous diseases (1). These cytokines e.g. TNF␣, TRAIL, 1 RANKL, and BAFF are type II transmembrane proteins, and the extracellular C-terminal moiety can be released by specific proteases to form a soluble and active protein consisting of three subunits of each ϳ20 kDa (2). As one of the most promising anticancer therapeutic candidates, recombinant human TRAIL (rhTRAIL; comprising amino acids 114 -281) is able to kill a variety of cancer cells but not healthy cells. Currently, rhTRAIL is being tested in clinical phase II studies as an anticancer biopharmaceutical (3). Despite good progress on structural insight, analysis of the interactions between TNF ligand family members and their receptors lacks unambiguous results. This seems mainly caused by the multivalent character of these molecules, i.e. trimeric cytokines but also often dimeric receptor-Fc fusions, which lead to complex kinetic behavior. In a series of experiments, we obtained several indications that surface plasmon resonance (SPR) assays with rhTRAIL WT and receptor-specific variants (4 -6) offer opportunities to establish a better characterization of their interactions with receptor molecules. For this, we meticulously applied SPR technology to elucidate the dynamics of complex formation of this important group of cytokines. We used rhTRAIL WT; a DR5-specific mutant, rhTRAIL D269H/E195R ; and death receptors DR4 and DR5 to develop the method, but we show with examples of other members of the TNF family that the method is generally applicable. Apart from presenting a method allowing unambiguous affinity determination, our results demonstrate that the binding mechanism of these cytokines is initiated via a high affinity interaction with the first receptor molecule, bringing the cytokine to the membrane. EXPERIMENTAL PROCEDURESMaterials-SPR buffers, regeneration solutions, and sensor chips were purchased from GE Healthcare. Chemicals unless otherwise stated were from Sigma. The following proteins were purchas...

Bone is a dynamic tissue that is maintained by continuous renewal. An imbalance in bone resorption and bone formation can lead to a range of disorders, such as osteoporosis. The receptor activator of NF-jB (RANK)-RANK-ligand (RANKL) pathway plays a major role in bone remodeling. Here, we investigated the effect of mutations at position I248 in the DE-loop of murine RANKL on the interaction of RANKL with RANK, and subsequent activation of osteoclastogenesis. Two single mutants, RANKL I248Y and I248K, were found to maintain binding and have the ability to reduce wild-type RANKL-induced osteoclastogenesis. The generation of RANK-antagonists is a promising strategy for the exploration of new therapeutics against osteoporosis.

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