title: The longer isoform and Cys-1 disulfide bridge of rat surfactant protein A are not essential for phospholipid and type II cell interactions.
abstract: Rat SP-A is a heterooligomer of two closely related isoforms, that requires interchain disulfide linkage for several functions including SP-A-mediated phospholipid vesicle aggregation and modulation of surfactant secretion and uptake by isolated alveolar type II cells. While the Cys6 disulfide bond of rat SP-A is known to be critical for function, the importance of the second interchain disulfide linkage within the N-terminal Isoleucine-3-Lysine-Cysteine-1 (IKC) sequence of the alternatively processed isoform is not clear. To examine the role of the Cys-1-dependent multimerization in SP-A function, we disrupted the Cys-1 disulfide bond by deletion of the IKC sequence (SP-Ahyp, DeltaIKC) or the substitution Cys-1 to Ser (SP-Ahyp,C-1S) in mutant recombinant proteins produced in insect cells. N-terminal sequence analyses revealed that the mutations influenced signal peptidase cleavage specificity, resulting in an increase in the abundance of the longer isoform of SP-Ahyp,C-1S and in N-terminal truncation of a fraction of the SP-Ahyp,DeltaIKC polypeptides at Gly8. On nonreducing SDS-PAGE analysis, both mutant proteins migrated as monomers and dimers but not the higher multimers that are characteristic of the wild-type recombinant protein (SP-Ahyp). Cross-linking analyses demonstrated that the association between trimeric SP-A subunits remained intact despite disruption of the Cys-1 bond. The SP-Ahyp,C-1S eluted in the same volume as SP-Ahyp from the gel sizing column with an apparent mass of 440 kDa, indicative of association of at least 9-10 monomers. The phospholipid binding and aggregation activities of the SP-Ahyp,C-1S were approximately 75% and 55% of the SP-Ahyp, respectively, but the SP-Ahyp,DeltaIKC was functionally comparable to SP-Ahyp. Similarly, both mutant proteins regulated the secretion and uptake of surfactant from isolated type II cells, but the SP-Ahyp,DeltaIKC was somewhat more potent than the SP-Ahyp,C-1S. Competitive binding to the SP-A receptor on type II cells was reduced by both Cys-1 mutations. We conclude that neither Cys-1-dependent multimerization nor the longer SP-A isoform is absolutely required for oligomeric association of trimeric SP-A subunits, SP-A/phospholipid interactions, or the regulation of surfactant secretion or uptake from type II cells by rat SP-A.
authors.affiliation: Division of Pulmonary/Critical Care Medicine, Department of Internal Medicine, University of Cincinnati College of Medicine, Ohio 45267, USA.
authors.forename: M
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Zhang
authors.forename: M
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Damodarasamy
authors.forename: B M
authors.initials: BM
authors.lastname: Elhalwagi
authors.forename: F X
authors.initials: FX
authors.lastname: McCormack
mesh_terms: D015060:1,2-Dipalmitoylphosphatidylcholine / Q000378:metabolism; D000818:Animals; D001667:Binding, Competitive / Q000235:genetics; D002450:Cell Communication / Q000235:genetics; D002478:Cells, Cultured; D003545:Cysteine / Q000235:genetics / Q000378:metabolism*; D004220:Disulfides / Q000378:metabolism*; D006909:Hydroxyproline / Q000172:deficiency / Q000235:genetics; D008081:Liposomes / Q000378:metabolism; D008297:Male; D011485:Protein Binding / Q000235:genetics; D020033:Protein Isoforms / Q000235:genetics / Q000378:metabolism; D011510:Proteolipids / Q000235:genetics / Q000378:metabolism*; D011650:Pulmonary Alveoli / Q000166:cytology / Q000378:metabolism*; D037662:Pulmonary Surfactant-Associated Protein A; D037661:Pulmonary Surfactant-Associated Proteins; D011663:Pulmonary Surfactants / Q000235:genetics / Q000378:metabolism*; D051381:Rats; D017207:Rats, Sprague-Dawley; D011956:Receptors, Cell Surface / Q000378:metabolism; D011994:Recombinant Proteins / Q000096:biosynthesis / Q000737:chemistry / Q000378:metabolism; D017384:Sequence Deletion
chemical_list: D004220:Disulfides; D008081:Liposomes; D020033:Protein Isoforms; D011510:Proteolipids; D037662:Pulmonary Surfactant-Associated Protein A; D037661:Pulmonary Surfactant-Associated Proteins; D011663:Pulmonary Surfactants; D011956:Receptors, Cell Surface; D011994:Recombinant Proteins; C067774:surfactant protein A receptor; D015060:1,2-Dipalmitoylphosphatidylcholine; D003545:Cysteine; D006909:Hydroxyproline