REGULATION OF PROTEOLYSIS IN BACILLUS SUBTILIS CELLS

研究的目的是了解细胞内的性质和控制， 蛋白质降解，特别是在生物发育过程中。 期间 芽孢发育枯草芽孢杆菌细胞经历蛋白质速率 降解的一级速率常数高达0.23 h-1 并且依赖于Ca 2+的流入。 我们建议研究管制 这种生物体的主要蛋白酶，一种依赖于Ca 2+的丝氨酸酶， 在孢子形成过程中经历了戏剧性的激活。 第一，提出 为了分离和制备针对该蛋白酶的抗体，测定其 酪蛋白切割的特异性位点，并筛选一系列 抑制剂的目的是找到一个高度具体的，这将是 用于评估蛋白酶在蛋白质降解中的作用。 我们一 建议分离和研究一种细胞质蛋白抑制剂， 已知在孢子形成期间活性下降的蛋白酶。 在 与最近在B中发现的钙调蛋白平行。subtilis以及 发现是一种蛋白酶的抑制剂，将被分离和研究。 其分子量、等电点、氨基酸组成和 将比较这两种蛋白质的氨基末端残基以确定 如果这些蛋白质是相同的。 将针对每种抗体制备抗血清 并用于通过火箭免疫电泳或放射免疫测定 蛋白质出现和消失的量和时间 在生长和孢子形成期间。 还将使用抗血清来观察 或者这两种蛋白质可以与来自细胞的蛋白酶共沉淀 孢子形成不同阶段制备的提取物。 最后一个方案是 拟从B中克隆钙调素基因。subtilis，第一个例子 将革兰氏阳性原核细胞中的钙调蛋白的DNA转移到质粒上， 氯霉素可诱导表达。 目的是确定 升高的细胞钙调素水平（由 氯霉素）对蛋白水解速率的影响。 一个可能的点 这项研究的医学相关性是，在肌营养不良症最近的工作， 提示Ca 2+内流可能是导致 肌原纤维的蛋白水解破坏。

Research is aimed at understanding the nature and control of intracellular protein degradation, especially during biological development. During spore development Bacillus subtilis cells undergo rates of protein degradation for which first order rate constants are as high as 0.23 h-1 and are dependent on an influx of Ca2+. We propose to study the control of the major proteinase of this organism, a Ca2+-dependent serine enzyme which undergoes a dramatic activation during sporulation. First, it is proposed to isolate and prepare antibodies against this protease, determine its sites of specificity for cleavage of casein and screen a series of inhibitors with the object of finding a highly specific one, which would be used to evaluate the protease's role in protein degradation. Second we propose to isolate and study a cytoplasmic protein inhibitor of the protease which is known to decline in activity during sporulation. In parallel a calmodulin protein, recently discovered in B. subtilis and also found to be an inhibitor of the protease, will be isolated and studies. The molecular weights, isoelectric points, amino acid compositions and amino terminal residues of these two proteins will be compared to determine if these proteins are identical. Antisera will be prepared against each and used to determine, by rocket immuno-electrophoresis or radioimmunoassay the amount and times of appearance and disappearance of the protein(s) during growth and sporulation. Antisera will also be used to see if either or both of these proteins can be coprecipitated with the protease from cell extracts prepared at different stages of sporulation. Finally a scheme is proposed to clone the calmodulin gene from B. subtilis, the first example of a calmodulin in a Gram positive procryote, onto a plasmid whose expression can be induced by chloramphenicol. The aim will be to determine the effect of elevated cellular calmodulin levels (induced by chloramphenicol) on the rates of proteolysis. One possible point of medical relevance of this study is that in muscular dystrophy recent work has suggested that the influx of Ca2+ is a possible cause of the elevated proteolytic destruction of the myofibrils.