Molecular cloning and characterization of arginine-specific ADP-ribosyltransferases from chicken bone marrow cells

Among a number of tissues and peripheral blood cells in chicken, leukocytes, bone marrow cells, liver and spleen showed high ADP-ribosyltransferase activity, with leukocytes having the highest. Density gradient centrifugation of the leukocytes revealed that the leukocyte ADP-ribosyltransferase originates in the polymorphonuclear cells, so called heterophils. Subcellular distribution of the cells showed the localization of the enzyme in the granule fraction. Based on the obtained amino acid sequences of arginine-specific ADP-ribosyltransferase purified from chicken peripheral heterophils, two arginine-specific ADP-ribosyltransferase cDNAs (designated AT1 and AT2) were obtained from chicken bone marrow cells. Each cDNA encodes a different peptide of 312 amino acid residues. Homology of the deduced amino acid sequences between AT1 and AT2 was 78.3%. Arginine-specific ADP-ribosyltransferase activity was detected in culture medium of COS 7 cells transiently transfected with AT1 cDNA, while activity from the cells transfected with AT2 cDNA was found in both culture medium and cell lysate. AT1 transferase required 2-mercaptoethanol (MSH) for the activity and in the presence of NaCl, the activity was inhibited while the AT2 enzyme was activated by either agent. Highly conserved regions were observed among the deduced amino acid sequences of AT1, AT2, chicken erythroblast and rabbit and human skeletal muscle ADP-ribosyltransferases, and rodent T-cell surface antigen RT6. Two forms of the transferase with much the same properties as AT1 and AT2 proteins, regarding the effect of NaCl and MSH, were detected in bone marrow cells. Based on these results it seems that AT1 and AT2 cDNAs encode the two forms of arginine-specific ADP-ribosyltransferase detected in chicken bone marrow cells.