Bactericidal Effect Of Ly49-Phospholipase A2 (Lys49-PLA2): The Role Of The C-Terminal Region In The activity of Bothropstoxin-I in Biological And Artificial Membranes

Author(s)

Elisângela Aparecida Aragão

• Document type: Master's Dissertation
• Press: Ribeirão Preto.
• Institution: Universidade de São Paulo (USP). Faculdade de Filosofia, Ciências e Letras de Ribeirão Preto (PCARP/BC)
• Defense date: 2005-03-02

Examining board members

Richard John Ward; Marcelo Brocchi; Maria Elisabete Darbello Zaniquelli

• Advisor: Richard John Ward

Abstract

Phospholipases A2 (PLA2 - EC 3.1.1.4) catalyze the hydrolysis of acid ester bonds at the sn-2 position of glycerophospholipids liberating fatty acids and lysophospholipids as catalysis products. Lysine 49 phospholipase A2 (Lys49-PLA2) are isolated from the venom of viperid snakes, and in these proteins, the aspartic acid at position 49 is replaced by a lysine, resulting in the elimination of hydrolytic activity against phospholipid substrates. Despite the absence of catalytic activity, these Lys49-PLA2s present various pharmacological properties and furthermore damage artificial membranes by a Ca2+-independent mechanism. Lys49- PLA2s form homodimers in solution, and crystallographic and spectroscopic studies of the bothropstoxin-I (BthTx-I), a Lys49-PLA2 isolated from venom of Bothrops jararacussu, reveal that a quaternary structure transition in the homodimer results in a change in the position of the C-terminal loop of the protein, suggesting the involvement of this region in the Ca2+- independent membrane damaging activity. A role for the C-terminal region of Lys49-PLA2 has also been suggested for the bactericidal activity of theses proteins, and using BthTx-I one as a model system, the present study investigates the possible correlation and between the Ca2+-independent membrane damaging and the bactericidal activities. The bactericidal effect of native BthTx-I and site-directed mutants of the C-terminal loop was evaluated using the Gram negative bacteria E. coli strain K12. Both the native and wild type recombinant BthTx-I presented a high bactericidal activity at a concentration of 5 mg/mL, whereas the mutants Y117W, Y119W, K122A and F125W showed significantly reduced the bactericidal effects, showing a correlation between the structural determinants of the bactericidal and membrane damaging activities. The fluorescent probe NPN was used to evaluate the integrity of the external membrane of the bacterial cells after exposure to the BthTx-I and mutants. The permeabilization of the external membrane is complete within 2 minutes, and neither the kinetics nor the extent of membrane damage was influenced by mutagenesis in the C-terminal region. The fluorescent probe Sytox Green (SG) was used to evaluate the integrity of the bacterial plasma membrane, an event which showed a significantly slower kinetic, with a maximum effect observed after two hours exposure to the BthTx-I. Furthermore, the extent of the membrane damage is influenced by mutagenesis in the C-terminal loop, and the structural determinants for the bactericidal activity of BthTx-I are the same as those that determine the permeabilization of the bacterial plasma membrane. Evidence obtained using flow cytometry and transmission electron microscopy support of the suggestion that the C-terminal region of BthTx-I is an important structural determinant of the plasma membrane damaging bactericidal activities. (AU)