Biomaterial Database

Ribonuclease A variants with potent cytotoxic activity. 1998

P A Leland, and L W Schultz, and B M Kim, and R T Raines

Departments of Biochemistry and Chemistry, University of Wisconsin, Madison, WI 53706, USA.

Select members of the bovine pancreatic ribonuclease A (RNase A) superfamily are potent cytotoxins. These cytotoxic ribonucleases enter the cytosol, where they degrade cellular RNA and cause cell death. Ribonuclease inhibitor (RI), a cytosolic protein, binds to members of the RNase A superfamily with inhibition constants that span 10 orders of magnitude. Here, we show that the affinity of a ribonuclease for RI plays an integral role in defining the potency of a cytotoxic ribonuclease. RNase A is not cytotoxic and binds RI with high affinity. Onconase, a cytotoxic RNase A homolog, binds RI with low affinity. To disrupt the RI-RNase A interaction, three RNase A residues (Asp-38, Gly-88, and Ala-109) that form multiple contacts with RI were replaced with arginine. Replacing Asp-38 and Ala-109 with an arginine residue has no effect on the RI-RNase interaction. In addition, these variants are not cytotoxic. In contrast, replacing Gly-88 with an arginine residue yields a ribonuclease (G88R RNase A) that retains catalytic activity in the presence of RI and is cytotoxic to a transformed cell line. Replacing Gly-88 with aspartate also yields a ribonuclease (G88D RNase A) with a decreased affinity for RI and cytotoxic activity. The cytotoxic potency of onconase, G88R RNase A, and G88D RNase A correlate with RI evasion. We conclude that ribonucleases that retain catalytic activity in the presence of RI are cytotoxins. This finding portends the development of a class of chemotherapeutic agents based on pancreatic ribonucleases.

UI	MeSH Term	Description	Entries
D007700	Kinetics	The rate dynamics in chemical or physical systems.
D011994	Recombinant Proteins	Proteins prepared by recombinant DNA technology.	Biosynthetic Protein,Biosynthetic Proteins,DNA Recombinant Proteins,Recombinant Protein,Proteins, Biosynthetic,Proteins, Recombinant DNA,DNA Proteins, Recombinant,Protein, Biosynthetic,Protein, Recombinant,Proteins, DNA Recombinant,Proteins, Recombinant,Recombinant DNA Proteins,Recombinant Proteins, DNA
D002417	Cattle	Domesticated bovine animals of the genus Bos, usually kept on a farm or ranch and used for the production of meat or dairy products or for heavy labor.	Beef Cow,Bos grunniens,Bos indicus,Bos indicus Cattle,Bos taurus,Cow,Cow, Domestic,Dairy Cow,Holstein Cow,Indicine Cattle,Taurine Cattle,Taurus Cattle,Yak,Zebu,Beef Cows,Bos indicus Cattles,Cattle, Bos indicus,Cattle, Indicine,Cattle, Taurine,Cattle, Taurus,Cattles, Bos indicus,Cattles, Indicine,Cattles, Taurine,Cattles, Taurus,Cow, Beef,Cow, Dairy,Cow, Holstein,Cows,Dairy Cows,Domestic Cow,Domestic Cows,Indicine Cattles,Taurine Cattles,Taurus Cattles,Yaks,Zebus
D002470	Cell Survival	The span of viability of a cell characterized by the capacity to perform certain functions such as metabolism, growth, reproduction, some form of responsiveness, and adaptability.	Cell Viability,Cell Viabilities,Survival, Cell,Viabilities, Cell,Viability, Cell
D004791	Enzyme Inhibitors	Compounds or agents that combine with an enzyme in such a manner as to prevent the normal substrate-enzyme combination and the catalytic reaction.	Enzyme Inhibitor,Inhibitor, Enzyme,Inhibitors, Enzyme
D004795	Enzyme Stability	The extent to which an enzyme retains its structural conformation or its activity when subjected to storage, isolation, and purification or various other physical or chemical manipulations, including proteolytic enzymes and heat.	Enzyme Stabilities,Stabilities, Enzyme,Stability, Enzyme
D000818	Animals	Unicellular or multicellular, heterotrophic organisms, that have sensation and the power of voluntary movement. Under the older five kingdom paradigm, Animalia was one of the kingdoms. Under the modern three domain model, Animalia represents one of the many groups in the domain EUKARYOTA.	Animal,Metazoa,Animalia
D012259	Ribonuclease, Pancreatic	An enzyme that catalyzes the endonucleolytic cleavage of pancreatic ribonucleic acids to 3'-phosphomono- and oligonucleotides ending in cytidylic or uridylic acids with 2',3'-cyclic phosphate intermediates. EC 3.1.27.5.	RNase A,Ribonuclease A,Pancreatic RNase,RNase I,Ribonuclease (Pancreatic),Ribonuclease I,Pancreatic Ribonuclease,RNase, Pancreatic
D014407	Tumor Cells, Cultured	Cells grown in vitro from neoplastic tissue. If they can be established as a TUMOR CELL LINE, they can be propagated in cell culture indefinitely.	Cultured Tumor Cells,Neoplastic Cells, Cultured,Cultured Neoplastic Cells,Cell, Cultured Neoplastic,Cell, Cultured Tumor,Cells, Cultured Neoplastic,Cells, Cultured Tumor,Cultured Neoplastic Cell,Cultured Tumor Cell,Neoplastic Cell, Cultured,Tumor Cell, Cultured