Two acid RNases from Dactylis glomerata seeds. Purification, properties and effect of polyamines and lectins on their activity

Abstract

Two glycoproteidic acid RNases (RNase I and RNase II) were obtained and purified from the seeds of <em>Dactylis glomerata</em> by extraction with acetate buffer, fractionation with ammonium sulfate, ion-exchange chromatography on DEAE-cellulose, DEAE-Sphadex, affinity chromatography on Con A-Sepharose and gel filtration on Bio-Gel P60. RNase I with a specific activity of 2582 U•mg<sup>-1</sup> protein and an optimum pH of 4.9 and RNase II with a specific activity of 1928 U• mg<sup>-1</sup> protein and optimum pH of 4.6, were isolated. They lacked nuclease, phosphodi- and monoesterase activities. Both forms of the enzyme hydrolyzed pyrimidine homopolymers with a preference for poly U and exhibited a low specificity for purine homopolymers (poly G and poly A). RNase I acted with a 3-fold higher hydrolytic activity on poly C homopolymer than RNase IL The hydrolytic activity of both enzymes was inhibited by Zn<sup>+2</sup>, Fe<sup>+2</sup>, Cu<sup>+2</sup> ions when yeast RNA was the substrate. The amines spermine, spermidine and tyramine at a concentration of 0.1 mM increased the enzymatic activity of both RNases by 20 to 60% of the relative activity. The hydrolytic activity of RNases I and II was stimulated by the presence of lentil lectin (LL), soybean lectin (SBA) and potato lectin (STA), and inhibited by the presence of concanavalin A. The 20-200% stimulation and 40-60% inhibition depended on the proportion, on a weight basis, of enzyme to lectin and were reversible in the presence of receptor sugars.