Person: Casals Carro, María Cristina
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First Name
María Cristina
Last Name
Casals Carro
Affiliation
Universidad Complutense de Madrid
Faculty / Institute
Ciencias Químicas
Department
Bioquímica y Biología Molecular
Area
Bioquímica y Biología Molecular
Identifiers
5 results
Search Results
Now showing 1 - 5 of 5
Item Effect of surfactant protein A on the physical properties and surface activity of KL4-surfactant(Biophysical Journal, 2007) Sáenz, Alejandra; Cañadas Benito, Olga; Bagatolli, Luís A.; Sánchez Barbero, Fernando; Johnson, Mark E.; Casals Carro, María CristinaSP-A, the major protein component of pulmonary surfactant, is absent in exogenous surfactants currently used in clinical practice. However, it is thought that therapeutic properties of natural surfactants improve after enrichment with SP-A. The objective of this study was to determine SP-A effects on physical properties and surface activity of a new synthetic lung surfactant based on a cationic and hydrophobic 21-residue peptide KLLLLKLLLLKLLLLKLLLLK, KL4. We have analyzed the interaction of SP-A with liposomes consisting of DPPC/POPG/PA (28:9:5.6, w/w/w) with and without 0.57 mol % KL4 peptide. We found that SP-A had a concentration-dependent effect on the surface activity of KL4-DPPC/POPG/PA membranes but not on that of an animal-derived LES. The surface activity of KL4-surfactant significantly improved after enrichment with 2.5–5 wt % SP-A. However, it worsened at SP-A concentrations $10 wt %. This was due to the fluidizing effect of supraphysiological SP-A concentrations on KL4-DPPC/POPG/PA membranes as determined by fluorescence anisotropy measurements, calorimetric studies, and confocal fluorescence microscopy of GUVs. High SP-A concentrations caused disappearance of the solid/fluid phase coexistence of KL4-surfactant, suggesting that phase coexistence might be important for the surface adsorption process.Item Physical properties and surface activity of surfactant-like membranes containing the cationic and hydrophobic peptide KL4(The FEBS Journal, 2006) Sáenz, Alejandra; Cañadas Benito, Olga; Bagatolli, Luís A.; Johnson, Mark E.; Casals Carro, María CristinaSurfactant-like membranes containing the 21-residue peptide KLLLLKLLLLKLLLLKLLLLK (KL4), have been clinically tested as a therapeutic agent for respiratory distress syndrome in premature infants. The aims of this study were to investigate the interactions between the KL4 peptide and lipid bilayers, and the role of both the lipid composition and KL4 structure on the surface adsorption activity of KL4-containing membranes. We used bilayers of three-component systems [1,2-dipalmitoyl-phosphatidylcholine ⁄ 1-palmitoyl-2-oleoyl-phosphatidylglycerol ⁄ palmitic acid (DPPC⁄POPG⁄ PA) and DPPC⁄ 1-palmitoyl-2-oleoyl-phosphatidylcholine (POPC) ⁄PA] and binary lipid mixtures of DPPC⁄POPG and DPPC⁄PA to examine the specific interaction of KL4 with POPG and PA. We found that, at low peptide concentrations, KL4 adopted a predominantly a-helical secondary structure in POPG- or POPC-containing membranes, and a b-sheet structure in DPPC⁄PA vesicles. As the concentration of the peptide increased, KL4 interconverted to a b-sheet structure in DPPC⁄POPG⁄PA or DPPC⁄POPC⁄PA vesicles. Ca2+ favored a«b interconversion. This conformational flexibility of KL4 did not influence the surface adsorption activity of KL4-containing vesicles. KL4 showed a concentration-dependent ordering effect on POPG- and POPC-containing membranes, which could be linked to its surface activity. In addition, we found that the physical state of the membrane had a critical role in the surface adsorption process. Our results indicate that the most rapid surface adsorption takes place with vesicles showing well-defined solid ⁄ fluid phase co-existence at temperatures below their gel to fluid phase transition temperature, such as those of DPPC⁄POPG⁄PA and DPPC⁄POPC⁄ PA. In contrast, more fluid (DPPC⁄POPG) or excessively rigid (DPPC⁄ PA) KL4-containing membranes fail in their ability to adsorb rapidly onto and spread at the air–water interface.Item Surfactant Protein A Prevents IFN-γ/IFN-γ Receptor Interaction and Attenuates Classical Activation of Human Alveolar Macrophages(Journal of Immunology, 2016) Minutti, Carlos; García-Fojeda García-Valdecasas, María Belén; Sáenz, Alejandra ; Casas-Engel, Mateo de las ; Guillamat-Prats, Raquel ; Lorenzo, Alba de ; Serrano-Mollar, Anna ; Corbí, Ängel; Casals Carro, María CristinaLung surfactant protein A (SP-A) plays an important function in modulating inflammation in the lung. However, the exact role of SP-A and the mechanism by which SP-A affects IFN-γ–induced activation of alveolar macrophages (aMϕs) remains unknown. To address these questions, we studied the effect of human SP-A on rat and human aMϕs stimulated with IFN-γ, LPS, and combinations thereof and measured the induction of proinflammatory mediators as well as SP-A’s ability to bind to IFN-γ or IFN-γR1. We found that SP-A inhibited (IFN-γ + LPS)–induced TNF-α, iNOS, and CXCL10 production by rat aMϕs. When rat macrophages were stimulated with LPS and IFN-γ separately, SP-A inhibited both LPS-induced signaling and IFN-γ–elicited STAT1 phosphorylation. SP-A also decreased TNF-α and CXCL10 secretion by ex vivo–cultured human aMϕs and M-CSF–derived macrophages stimulated by either LPS or IFN-γ or both. Hence, SP-A inhibited upregulation of IFN-γ–inducible genes (CXCL10, RARRES3, and ETV7) as well as STAT1 phosphorylation in human M-CSF–derived macrophages. In addition, we found that SP-A bound to human IFN-γ (KD = 11 ± 0.5 nM) in a Ca2+-dependent manner and prevented IFN-γ interaction with IFN-γR1 on human aMϕs. We conclude that SP-A inhibition of (IFN-γ + LPS) stimulation is due to SP-A attenuation of both inflammatory agents and that the binding of SP-A to IFN-γ abrogates IFN-γ effects on human macrophages, suppressing their classical activation and subsequent inflammatory response.Item Folding and Intramembraneous BRICHOS Binding of the Prosurfactant Protein C Transmembrane Segment(Journal of Biological Chemistry, 2015) Sáenz, Alejandra ; Presto. Jenny ; Lara, Patricia ; Akinyi-Oloo, Laura ; García-Fojeda García-Valdecasas, María Belén; Nilsson, IngMarie; Johansson, Jan ; Casals Carro, María CristinaSurfactant protein C (SP-C) is a novel amyloid protein found in the lung tissue of patients suffering from interstitial lung disease (ILD) due to mutations in the gene of the precursor protein pro-SP-C. SP-C is a small α-helical hydrophobic protein with an unusually high content of valine residues. SP-C is prone to convert into β-sheet aggregates, forming amyloid fibrils. Nature's way of solving this folding problem is to include a BRICHOS domain in pro-SP-C, which functions as a chaperone for SP-C during biosynthesis. Mutations in the pro-SP-C BRICHOS domain or linker region lead to amyloid formation of the SP-C protein and ILD. In this study, we used an in vitro transcription/translation system to study translocon-mediated folding of the WT pro-SP-C poly-Val and a designed poly-Leu transmembrane (TM) segment in the endoplasmic reticulum (ER) membrane. Furthermore, to understand how the pro-SP-C BRICHOS domain present in the ER lumen can interact with the TM segment of pro-SP-C, we studied the membrane insertion properties of the recombinant form of the pro-SP-C BRICHOS domain and two ILD-associated mutants. The results show that the co-translational folding of the WT pro-SP-C TM segment is inefficient, that the BRICHOS domain inserts into superficial parts of fluid membranes, and that BRICHOS membrane insertion is promoted by poly-Val peptides present in the membrane. In contrast, one BRICHOS and one non-BRICHOS ILD-associated mutant could not insert into membranes. These findings support a chaperone function of the BRICHOS domain, possibly together with the linker region, during pro-SP-C biosynthesis in the ER.Item Cooperative action of SP-A and its trimeric recombinant fragment with polymyxins against Gram-negative respiratory bacteria(Frontiers in Immunology, 2022) Coya, Juan Manuel ; Fraile Ágreda, Víctor; Tapia, Lidia de; García-Fojeda García-Valdecasas, María Belén; Sáenz, Alejandra ; Bengoechea, José; Kronqvist, Nina ; Johansson, Jan ; Casals Carro, María CristinaThe exploration of therapies combining antimicrobial lung proteins and conventional antibiotics is important due to the growing problem of multidrug-resistant bacteria. The aim of this study was to investigate whether human SP-A and a recombinant trimeric fragment (rfhSP-A) have cooperative antimicrobial activity with antibiotics against pathogenic Gram-negative bacteria. We found that SP-A bound the cationic peptide polymyxin B (PMB) with an apparent dissociation constant (KD) of 0.32 ± 0.04 µM. SP-A showed synergistic microbicidal activity with polymyxin B and E, but not with other antibiotics, against three SP-A-resistant pathogenic bacteria:Klebsiella pneumoniae, non-typable Haemophilus influenzae (NTHi), and Pseudomonas aeruginosa. SP-A was not able to bind toK. pneumoniae, NTHi, or to mutant strains thereof expressing long-chain lipopolysaccharides (or lipooligosaccharides) and/or polysaccharide capsules. In the presence of PMB, SP-A induced the formation of SP-A/PMB aggregates that enhance PMB-induced bacterial membrane permeabilization. Furthermore, SP-A bound to a molecular derivative of PMB lacking the acyl chain (PMBN) with aKDof 0.26 ± 0.02 μM, forming SP-A/PMBN aggregates. PMBN has no bactericidal activity but can bind to the outer membrane of Gram-negative bacteria. Surprisingly, SP-A and PMBN showed synergistic bactericidal activity against Gram-negative bacteria. Unlike native supratrimeric SP-A, the trimeric rfhSP-A fragment had small but significant direct bactericidal activity against K. pneumoniae, NTHi, and P. aeruginosa. rfhSP-A did not bind to PMB under physiological conditions but acted additively with PMB and other antibiotics against these pathogenic bacteria. In summary, our results significantly improve our understanding of the antimicrobial actions of SP-A and its synergistic action with PMB. A peptide based on SP-A may aid the therapeutic use of PMB, a relatively cytotoxic antibiotic that is currently being reintroduced into clinics due to the global problem of antibiotic resistance.