Subunit Mass Research Articles

Methylcrotonyl-CoA and geranyl-CoA carboxylases are involved in leucine/isovalerate utilization (Liu) and acyclic terpene utilization (Atu), and are encoded by liuB/liuD and atuC/atuF, in Pseudomonas aeruginosa

Pseudomonas aeruginosa is able to grow on acyclic monoterpenes (citronellol, citronellate, geraniol and geranylate), and on other methyl-branched compounds such as leucine or isovalerate. The catabolic pathway of citronellol (Atu, acyclic terpene utilization) enters that of leucine/isovalerate (Liu, leucine and isovalerate utilization) at the level of methylcrotonyl-CoA. Key enzymes of the combined pathways are geranyl-CoA carboxylase (GCase) and methylcrotonyl-CoA carboxylase (MCase). In this study, isovalerate-grown cells specifically expressed MCase (apparent molecular mass of the biotin-containing subunit, 74 kDa) only, and the GCase biotin-containing subunit (71 kDa) was not detected. Citronellol- or citronellate-grown cells produced both carboxylases. Biotin-dependent proteins were purified from crude extracts by avidin-affinity chromatography, and assigned to the corresponding coding genes by trypsin fingerprint analysis. The two subunits of MCase corresponded to liuB/liuD (PA2014/PA2012) of the P. aeruginosa genome database, and atuC/atuF (PA2888/PA2891) encoded GCase subunits. This finding is contrary to that reported by others. The identified genes are part of two separate gene clusters [liuRABCDE (PA2011-PA2016) and atuABCDEFGH (PA2886-PA2893)] that are thought to encode most of the genes of the Atu and Liu pathways.

Purification and characterization of a β- d-mannosidase from the marine anaspidean Aplysia fasciata

A β- d-mannosidase was purified to homogeneity from visceral mass extract of Aplysia fasciata a mollusc belonging to the order Anaspidea. The purified enzyme is a homodimer with a subunit mass of 130 kDa. Temperature and pH optima of this enzyme were 45 °C and 4.5, respectively. Substrate specificity tests revealed that the enzyme exerts only β- d-mannosidase activity. The K M and V max values for p-nitrophenyl β- d-mannopyranoside were determined to be 2.4 mM and 50.3 μmol min −1 mg −1, respectively. The catalytic efficiency of this β-mannosidase (11,519 min −1) was significantly higher than those reported for β-mannosidases from other sources. It was verified that this is an exo-acting glycosyl hydrolase with transglycosidase activity. When the enzyme was incubated in the presence of p-nitrophenyl β- d-mannopyranoside, self-transfer of the mannosyl group was observed, and a 10–15% yield of a β-1-4 disaccharide was obtained. When the reaction was performed in the presence of o-nitrophenyl α- d-2-deoxy- N-acetyl glucopyranoside in 3:1 molar ratio with respect to the p-nitrophenyl β- d-mannopyranoside, two regioisomers (85:15, 12% yield) due to the β-mannosylation of the heteroacceptor in 4 and in 6 positions were formed.

High-level expression and characterization of the recombinant enzyme, and tissue distribution of human succinic semialdehyde dehydrogenase

The succinic semialdehyde dehydrogenase gene (SSADH; EC 1.2.1.24) from human brain was cloned and overexpressed in Escherichia coli. Based on SDS–PAGE, the apparent molecular mass of subunit was 54 kDa, in good agreement with the theoretical size. The purified SSADH appears to be a tetramer of identical subunits. The specific activity of the recombinant protein was 1.82 μmol NADH formed min −1 mg −1 and the optimal pH was found to be 8.5. The Michaelis constants K m for succinic semialdehyde and NAD + were 6.3 and 125 μM, respectively. Initial velocity studies show NADH to be a competitive inhibitor with respect to NAD +, but to be non-competitive inhibitor with respect to succinic semialdehyde. The overexpression of SSADH in E. coli and one-step purification of the highly active SSADH will facilitate further biochemical studies on this enzyme. In addition, an mRNA master dot-blot for multiple human tissues provided a complete map of the tissue distribution for SSADH. The major sites of SSADH expression are liver, skeletal muscle, kidney, and brain. The data indicate that mRNA expression of SSADH is ubiquitous, but highly regulated at the level of transcription in a tissue-specific manner.

Purification and characterization of recombinant Escherichia coli-expressed Pichia etchellsii ?-glucosidase II with high hydrolytic activity on sophorose

Beta-glucosidase II (Bgl II), encoded by the betaglu2 gene of the thermo-tolerant yeast Pichia etchellsii, was purified from recombinant Escherichia coli pBG22:JM109. The enzyme had a molecular mass of 176 kDa and was a dimer with an apparent subunit mass of 83 kDa. It exhibited broad substrate specificity and hydrolyzed beta-linked gluco-disaccharides and oligosaccharides, salicin, and cyanogenic glucoside amygladin. The unusually high hydrolytic activity of 7,680 units min(-1) g(-1) protein was obtained on sophorose. Competition experiments performed using differently linked beta-disaccharides indicated these to be hydrolyzed at the same active site. Transglycosylation activity leading to the biosynthesis of several disaccharides and oligosaccharides was observed. The enzyme was placed in glycosyl hydrolase family 3, based on a statistical approach using amino acid composition data. The involvement of His as a catalytically important residue was confirmed by diethylpyrocarbonate modification. Pre-incubation of the purified enzyme with 5 mM p-nitrophenyl-beta-D-glucoside offered 2.5-fold higher residual activity compared with unbound enzyme, indicating protection at the active site. The feasibility of this enzyme as a biocatalyst of choice for the synthesis of glyco-conjugates is discussed.

Bacillus macyae sp. nov., an arsenate-respiring bacterium isolated from an Australian gold mine

A strictly anaerobic arsenate-respiring bacterium isolated from a gold mine in Bendigo, Victoria, Australia, belonging to the genus Bacillus is described. Cells are Gram-positive, motile rods capable of respiring with arsenate and nitrate as terminal electron acceptors using a variety of substrates, including acetate as the electron donor. Reduction of arsenate to arsenite is catalysed by a membrane-bound arsenate reductase that displays activity over a broad pH range. Synthesis of the enzyme is regulated; maximal activity is obtained when the organism is grown with arsenate as the terminal electron acceptor and no activity is detectable when it is grown with nitrate. Mass of the catalytic subunit was determined to be approximately 87 kDa based on ingel activity stains. The closest phylogenetic relative, based on 16S rRNA gene sequence analysis, is Bacillus arseniciselenatis, but DNA-DNA hybridization experiments clearly show that strain JMM-4(T) represents a novel Bacillus species, for which the name Bacillus macyae sp. nov. is proposed. The type strain is JMM-4(T) (=DSM 16346(T)=JCM 12340(T)).

Feedback Inhibition of Spinach l-Galactose Dehydrogenase by l-Ascorbate

We have studied the enzymological properties of L-galactose dehydrogenase (l-GalDH), a key enzyme in the biosynthetic pathway of l-ascorbate (AsA) in plants. L-GalDH was purified approximately 560-fold from spinach leaves. The enzyme was a homodimer with a subunit mass of 36 kDa. We also cloned the full-length cDNA of spinach L-GalDH, which contained an open reading frame encoding 322 amino acid residues with a calculated molecular mass of 35,261 Da. The deduced amino acid sequence of the cDNA showed 82, 79 and 75% homology to L-GalDH from kiwifruit, apple and Arabidopsis, respectively. Recombinant enzyme expressed from the cDNA in Escherichia coli showed L-GalDH activity. Southern blot analysis revealed that the spinach L-GalDH gene occurs in a single copy. Northern blot analysis suggests that L-GalDH is expressed in different organs of spinach. The purified native L-GalDH showed high specificity for L-galactose with a Km of 116.2+/-3.2 microM. Interestingly, spinach L-GalDH exhibited reversible inhibition by AsA, the end-product of the biosynthetic pathway. The inhibition kinetics indicated a linear-competitive inhibition with a Ki of 133.2+/-7.2 microM, suggesting feedback regulation in AsA synthesis in the plant.

Evidence for a copper-dependent iron transport system in the marine, magnetotactic bacterium strain MV-1.

Cells of the magnetotactic marine vibrio, strain MV-1, produce magnetite-containing magnetosomes when grown anaerobically or microaerobically. Stable, spontaneous, non-magnetotactic mutants were regularly observed when cells of MV-1 were cultured on solid media incubated under anaerobic or microaerobic conditions. Randomly amplified polymorphic DNA analysis showed that these mutants are not all genetically identical. Cellular iron content of one non-magnetotactic mutant strain, designated MV-1nm1, grown anaerobically, was approximately 20- to 80-fold less than the iron content of wild-type (wt) MV-1 for the same iron concentrations, indicating that MV-1nm1 is deficient in some form of iron uptake. Comparative protein profiles of the two strains showed that MV-1nm1 did not produce several proteins produced by wt MV-1. To understand the potential roles of these proteins in iron transport better, one of these proteins was purified and characterized. This protein, a homodimer with an apparent subunit mass of about 19 kDa, was an iron-regulated, periplasmic protein (p19). Two potential 'copper-handling' motifs (MXM/MX(2)M) are present in the amino acid sequence of p19, and the native protein binds copper in a 1 : 1 ratio. The structural gene for p19, chpA (copper handling protein) and two other putative genes upstream of chpA were cloned and sequenced. These putative genes encode a protein similar to the iron permease, Ftr1, from the yeast Saccharomyces cerevisiae, and a ferredoxin-like protein of unknown function. A periplasmic, copper-containing, iron(II) oxidase was also purified from wt MV-1 and MV-1nm1. This enzyme, like p19, was regulated by media iron concentration and contained four copper atoms per molecule of enzyme. It is hypothesized that ChpA, the iron permease and the iron(II) oxidase might have analogous functions for the three components of the S. cerevisiae copper-dependent high-affinity iron uptake system (Ctr1, Ftr1 and Fet3, respectively), and that strain MV-1 may have a similar iron uptake system. However, iron(II) oxidase purified from both wt MV-1 and MV-1nm1 displayed comparable iron oxidase activities using O(2) as the electron acceptor, indicating that ChpA does not supply the multi-copper iron(II) oxidase with copper.

Evolution of Vitamin B 2 Biosynthesis. A Novel Class of Riboflavin Synthase in Archaea

The open reading frame MJ1184 of Methanococcus jannaschii with similarity to riboflavin synthase of Methanothermobacter thermoautotrophicus was cloned into an expression vector but was poorly expressed in an Escherichia coli host strain. However, a synthetic open reading frame that was optimized for expression in E.coli directed the synthesis of abundant amounts of a protein with an apparent subunit mass of 17.5 kDa. The protein was purified to apparent homogeneity. Hydrodynamic studies indicated a relative mass of 88 kDa suggesting a homopentamer structure. The enzyme was shown to catalyze the formation of riboflavin from 6,7-dimethyl-8-ribityllumazine at a rate of 24 nmol mg(-1) min(-1) at 40 degrees C. Divalent metal ions, preferably manganese or magnesium, are required for maximum activity. In contrast to pentameric archaeal type riboflavin synthases, orthologs from plants, fungi and eubacteria are trimeric proteins characterized by an internal sequence repeat with similar folding patterns. In these organisms the reaction is achieved by binding the two substrate molecules in an antiparallel orientation. With the enzyme of M.jannaschii, 13C NMR spectroscopy with 13C-labeled 6,7-dimethyl-8-ribityllumazine samples as substrates showed that the regiochemistry of the dismutation reaction is the same as observed in eubacteria and eukaryotes, however, in a non-pseudo-c2 symmetric environment. Whereas the riboflavin synthases of M.jannaschii and M.thermoautotrophicus are devoid of similarity with those of eubacteria and eukaryotes, they have significant sequence similarity with 6,7-dimethyl-8-ribityllumazine synthases catalyzing the penultimate step of riboflavin biosynthesis. 6,7-Dimethyl-8-ribityllumazine synthase and the archaeal riboflavin synthase appear to have diverged early in the evolution of Archaea from a common ancestor. Some Archaea have eubacterial type riboflavin synthases which may have been acquired by lateral gene transfer.

Isolation and characterization of R-phycoerythrin subunits and enzymatic digests

Subunits and enzymatic digests of the highly fluorescent phycobiliprotein R-phycoerythrin (R-PE) were analyzed by several separation and detection techniques including HPLC, sodium dodecyl sulfate-polyacrylamide gel electrophoresis (SDS-PAGE), CE, and HPLC-electrospray ionization (ESI) MS. R-PE subunits were isolated by HPLC and detected as single molecules by total internal reflection fluorescence microscopy. The results show efficient absorption and fluorescence of the R-PE subunits and digest peptides, originating from the incorporation of phycoerythrobilin and phycourobilin chromophores in them. In addition, HPLC-ESI-MS and SDS-PAGE were optimized to determine the molecular masses of phycobiliprotein subunits and the chromophore-containing peptides, as well as the amino acid sequences of the latter. Favorable spectroscopic and structural properties of R-PE subunits and enzymatic digests, even under denaturing conditions, make these molecules suitable for use as fluorescence labels for biomolecules.

Isolation and characterization of R-phycoerythrin subunits and enzymatic digests

Subunits and enzymatic digests of the highly fluorescent phycobiliprotein R-phycoerythrin (R-PE) were analyzed by several separation and detection techniques including HPLC, sodium dodecyl sulfate–polyacrylamide gel electrophoresis (SDS–PAGE), CE, and HPLC–electrospray ionization (ESI) MS. R-PE subunits were isolated by HPLC and detected as single molecules by total internal reflection fluorescence microscopy. The results show efficient absorption and fluorescence of the R-PE subunits and digest peptides, originating from the incorporation of phycoerythrobilin and phycourobilin chromophores in them. In addition, HPLC–ESI-MS and SDS–PAGE were optimized to determine the molecular masses of phycobiliprotein subunits and the chromophore-containing peptides, as well as the amino acid sequences of the latter. Favorable spectroscopic and structural properties of R-PE subunits and enzymatic digests, even under denaturing conditions, make these molecules suitable for use as fluorescence labels for biomolecules.

Purification, substrate specificity, and N-terminal amino acid sequence analysis of a beta-lactamase-free penicillin amidase from Alcaligenes sp.

A beta-lactamase-free penicillin amidase from Alcaligenes sp. active against various beta-lactams was purified to homogeneity. The enzyme can hydrolyze penicillin G to 6-amino penicillanic acid (6-APA) and furnish penicillin G from 6-APA and phenyl acetic acid by condensation. The penicillin amidase is a heterodimer of subunit masses of 63 kDa and 22 kDa, respectively. Its isoelectric point is at pH 8.5. Cephalothin was found to be the best substrate. This is a novel type II penicillin amidase which shares the properties of both type II and type III enzymes. It is thermostable and, unlike penicillin amidase from A. faecalis, its stability remains unperturbed even in presence of reductant. An inhibition study by 2-hydroxy-5-nitro benzylbromide indicated the involvement of tryptophan in catalysis by the enzyme.

Biochemical characterization of cytosolic fructose-1,6-bisphosphatase from apple (Malus domestica) leaves.

Cytosolic fructose-1,6-bisphosphatase was purified to apparent homogeneity from the leaves of apple, a sorbitol synthesizing species. The enzyme was a homotetramer with a subunit mass of 37 kDa, and was highly specific for fructose 1,6-bisphosphate (F1,6BP) with a Km of 3.1 micro M and a Vmax of 48 units (mg protein)(-1). Either Mg2+ or Mn2+ was required for its activity with a Km of 0.59 mM and 62 micro M, respectively. Li+, Ca2+, Zn2+, Cu2+ and Hg2+ inhibited whereas Mn2+ enhanced the Mg2+ activated enzyme activity. Fructose 6-phosphate (F6P) was found to be a mixed type inhibitor with a Ki of 0.47 mM. Fructose 2,6-bisphosphate (F2,6BP) competitively inhibited the enzyme activity and changed the substrate saturation curve from hyperbolic to sigmoidal. AMP was a non-competitive inhibitor for the enzyme. F6P interacted with F2,6BP and AMP in a synergistic way to inhibit the enzyme activity. Dihydroxyacetone phosphate slightly inhibited the enzyme activity in the presence or absence of F2,6BP. Sorbitol increased the susceptibility of the enzyme to the inhibition by high concentrations of F1,6BP. High concentrations of sorbitol in the reaction mixture led to a reduction in the enzyme activity.

Molecular cloning, expression, purification, and characterization of fructose 1,6-bisphosphate aldolase from Mycobacterium tuberculosis—a novel Class II A tetramer

The Class II fructose 1,6-bisphosphate aldolase ( fda, Rv0363c) from the pathogen Mycobacterium tuberculosis H 37R V was subcloned in the Escherichia coli vector pT7-7 and purified to near homogeneity. The specific activity (35 U/mg) is ∼9 times higher than previously reported for the enzyme partially purified from the pathogen. Attempts to express the enzyme with an N-terminal fusion tag yielded inactive, mostly insoluble protein. The native recombinant enzyme is zinc-dependent and has a catalytic efficiency for fructose 1,6-bisphosphate cleavage higher than most Class II aldolases characterized to date. The aldolase has a K m of 20 μM, a k cat of 21 s −1, and a pH optimum of 7.8. The molecular mass of the enzyme subunits as determined by mass spectrometry is in agreement with the mass calculated on the basis of its gene sequence minus the terminal methionine, 36,413 Da. The enzyme is a homotetramer and retains only two zinc ions per tetramer when transferred to a metal-free buffer, as determined by ICP-MS and by a colorimetric assay using 4-(2-pyridylazo)-resorcinol (PAR) as a chelator. The E. coli expression system reported in this study will facilitate the further characterization of this enzyme and the screening for potential inhibitors.

Regulatory Properties of Apple Leaf Cytosolic Fructose-1,6-bisphosphatase

Cytosolic fructose-1,6-bisphosphatase (cytoFBPase) (EC 3.1.3.11) occupies a strategic site in sucrose synthesis and has been demonstrated to play a key role in carbon partitioning between sucrose and starch in non-sorbitol forming plants. In addition to sucrose and starch, Sorbitol is the primary photosynthetic end product in the leaves of many tree fruit species in the Rosaceae family. To understand the biochemical regulation of photosynthetic carbon partitioning between sorbitol, sucrose and starch in sorbitol synthesizing species, we purified cytoFB-Pase to apparent homogeneity from apple leaves. The enzyme was a homotetramer with a subunit mass of 37 kDa. It was highly specific for fructose-1,6-bisphosphate with a Km of 3.1 μm and a Vmax of 48 units/mg protein. Either Mg2+ or Mn2+ was required for its activity with a Km of 0.59 mm and 62 μM, respectively. Li+, Ca2+, Zn2+, Cu2+ and Hg2+ inhibited whereas Mn2+ enhanced the Mg2+-activated enzyme activity. Fructose-6-phosphate was found to be a mixed type inhibitor with a Ki of 0.47 mm. Fructose 2,6-bisphosphate (F2,6BP) competitively inhibited the enzyme activity and changed the substrate saturation curve from hyperbolic to sigmoidal. Adenosine monophosphate (AMP) was a non-competitive inhibitor for the enzyme. F2,6BP interacted with AMP to inhibit the enzyme in a synergistic way. Dihydroxyacetone phosphate did not have inhibitory effect on apple leaf cytosolic FBPase activity. Sorbitol increased the susceptibility of the enzyme to the inhibition by F1,6BP. The presence of sorbitol in the reaction mixture led to a reduction in the enzyme activity.

Biochemical characterization of Bacillus subtilis type II isopentenyl diphosphate isomerase, and phylogenetic distribution of isoprenoid biosynthesis pathways.

An open reading frame (Acc. no. P50740) on the Bacillus subtilis chromosome extending from bp 184,997-186,043 with similarity to the idi-2 gene of Streptomyces sp. CL190 specifying type II isopentenyl diphosphate isomerase was expressed in a recombinant Escherichia coli strain. The recombinant protein with a subunit mass of 39 kDa was purified to apparent homogeneity by column chromatography. The protein was shown to catalyse the conversion of dimethylallyl diphosphate into isopentenyl diphosphate and vice versa at rates of 0.23 and 0.63 micromol.mg(-1).min(-1), respectively, as diagnosed by 1H spectroscopy. FMN and divalent cations are required for catalytic activity; the highest rates were found with Ca2+. NADPH is required under aerobic but not under anaerobic assay conditions. The enzyme is related to a widespread family of (S)-alpha-hydroxyacid oxidizing enzymes including flavocytochrome b2 and L-lactate dehydrogenase and was shown to catalyse the formation of [2,3-13C2]lactate from [2,3-13C2]pyruvate, albeit at a low rate of 1 nmol.mg(-1).min(-1). Putative genes specifying type II isopentenyl diphosphate isomerases were found in the genomes of Archaea and of certain eubacteria but not in the genomes of fungi, animals and plants. The analysis of the occurrence of idi-1 and idi-2 genes in conjunction with the mevalonate and nonmevalonate pathway in 283 completed and unfinished prokaryotic genomes revealed 10 different classes. Type II isomerase is essential in some important human pathogens including Staphylococcus aureus and Enterococcus faecalis where it may represent a novel target for anti-infective therapy.

Increased levels of insulin and insulin-like growth factor-1 hybrid receptors and decreased glycosylation of the insulin receptor alpha- and beta-subunits in scrapie-infected neuroblastoma N2a cells.

We have previously shown that ScN2a cells (scrapie-infected neuroblastoma N2a cells) express 2-fold- and 4-fold-increased levels of IR (insulin receptor) and IGF-1R (insulin-like growth factor-1 receptor) respectively. In addition, the IR alpha- and beta-subunits are aberrantly processed, with apparent molecular masses of 128 and 85 kDa respectively, as compared with 136 and 95 kDa in uninfected N2a cells. Despite the 2-fold increase in IR protein, the number of (125)I-insulin-binding sites was slightly decreased in ScN2a cells [Ostlund, Lindegren, Pettersson and Bedecs (2001) Brain Res. 97, 161-170]. In order to determine the cellular localization of IR in ScN2a cells, surface biotinylation was performed, showing a correct IR trafficking and localization to the cell surface. The present study shows for the first time that neuroblastoma N2a cells express significant levels of IR-IGF-1R hybrid receptors, and in ScN2a cells the number of hybrid receptors was 2-fold higher than that found in N2a cells, potentially explaining the apparent loss of insulin-binding sites due to a lower affinity for insulin compared with the homotypic IR. Furthermore, the decreased molecular mass of IR subunits in ScN2a cells is not caused by altered phosphorylation or proteolytic processing, but rather by altered glycosylation. Enzymic deglycosylation of immunoprecipitated IR from N2a and ScN2a cells with endoglycosidase H, peptide N-glycosidase F and neuraminidase all resulted in subunits with increased electrophoretic mobility; however, the 8-10 kDa shift remained. Combined enzymic or chemical deglycosylation using anhydrous trifluoromethane sulphonic acid treatment ultimately showed that the IR alpha- and beta-subunits from ScN2a cells are aberrantly glycosylated. The increased formation of IR-IGF-1R hybrids in ScN2a cells may be part of a neuroprotective response to prion infection. The degree and functional significance of aberrantly glycosylated proteins in ScN2a cells remain to be determined.

Selenium distribution in a Se-enriched mushroom species of the genus Ganoderma.

Data reported here show that Ganoderma lucidum could biotransform inorganic selenite in the substrate into organic forms by intergrating Se into proteins (56-61%) and polysaccharides (11-18%) and other components. Furthermore, water- and alkaline-soluble protein components were mainly responsible for the storage of organic Se, and Se-Met accounts for only a minor (8.2-18.3%) amount of the selenocompounds present in proteins. The molecular mass of most proteins or protein subunits containing Se was no more than 16 kDa. A low concentration of Se (<100 microg/g) in the substrate facilitated the synthesis of total protein and amino acids in G. lucidum, but a high concentration of Se (>150 microg/g) played a reverse role. Additionally, Se concentration in the culture had no significant effect on the distribution of the amino acids and proteins.

Biochemical properties of bone and scale collagens isolated from the subtropical fish black drum ( Pogonia cromis) and sheepshead seabream ( Archosargus probatocephalus)

Acid-soluble collagen (ASC) and pepsin-solubilized collagen (PSC) were isolated from the bones and scales of black drum ( Pogonia cromis) and sheepshead seabream ( Archosargus probatocephalus) caught in the Gulf of Mexico. ASC and PSC were analyzed for molecular weight by SDS–PAGE, amino acid composition, secondary structure, and denaturation temperature. The molecular masses of the collagen subunits were about 130 kDa for α 1 and 110 kDa for α 2, respectively. The amino acid composition of the PSCs was closer to that of calf skin ASC than to that of cod skin ASC. The melting temperatures of ASC and PSC were >34 °C. Intrinsic viscosity of the PSCs was similar to the intrinsic viscosity of collagen from fish species such as hake, cod, and catfish. Black drum and sheepshead bone and scale collagens were typical type-I collagens and may find applications in the functional food, cosmetic, biomedical, and pharmaceutical industries.

AMP-deaminase from hen stomach smooth muscle--physico-chemical properties of the enzyme.

AMP-deaminase from hen stomach smooth muscle was isolated and physico-chemical properties of the purified enzyme were investigated. The enzyme had an activity optimum at pH 6.5, and poorly deaminated the substrate analogues tested. At optimum pH (6.5), in the absence of regulatory ligands (control conditions), the enzyme manifested hyperbolic substrate-saturation kinetics with half-saturation constant (S(0.5)) of about 4.5 mM. Additions of adenine nucleotide effectors (ATP, ADP) activated the enzyme strongly at all the concentrations tested, diminishing significantly the value of S(0.5) constant. In contrast, the regulatory effect of orthophosphate was variable, and depended on the orthophosphate concentration used. The molecular mass of the enzyme subunit determined in SDS/PAG electrophoresis was about of 37kDa. The obtained results suggest that in different types of hen muscle, similarly as in humans and rats, expression of AMP-deaminase is under the control of independent genes.

AMP-deaminase from hen stomach smooth muscle--physico-chemical properties of the enzyme.

AMP-deaminase from hen stomach smooth muscle was isolated and physico-chemical properties of the purified enzyme were investigated. The enzyme had an activity optimum at pH 6.5, and poorly deaminated the substrate analogues tested. At optimum pH (6.5), in the absence of regulatory ligands (control conditions), the enzyme manifested hyperbolic substrate-saturation kinetics with half-saturation constant (S(0.5)) of about 4.5 mM. Additions of adenine nucleotide effectors (ATP, ADP) activated the enzyme strongly at all the concentrations tested, diminishing significantly the value of S(0.5) constant. In contrast, the regulatory effect of orthophosphate was variable, and depended on the orthophosphate concentration used. The molecular mass of the enzyme subunit determined in SDS/PAG electrophoresis was about of 37kDa. The obtained results suggest that in different types of hen muscle, similarly as in humans and rats, expression of AMP-deaminase is under the control of independent genes.