Mol Of Subunit Research Articles

Purification and Characterisation of Rat Kidney Glutathione Reductase

Glutathione reductase [GR, E.C.1.8.1.7] catalyses NADPH dependent reduction of glutathione disulfide (GSSG) to reduced glutathione (GSH). Thus, it is the crucial enzyme to maintain high [GSH]/[GSSG] ratio and physiological redox status in cells. Kidney and liver tissues were considered as a rich source of GR. In this study, rat kidney GR was purified and some of its properties were investigated. The enzyme was purified 2,356 fold with a yield of 16% by using heat-denaturation and Sephadex G25 gel filtration, 2',5'-ADP Agarose 4B, PBE94 column chromatographies. The purified enzyme had a specific activity (Vm) of 250 U/mg protein and the ratio of absorbances at wavelengths of A (273)/A (463,) A (280)/A (460), A (365)/A (460), and A (379)/A (463), were 7.1, 6.8, 1.2 and 1.0, respectively. Each mol of GR subunit bound 0.97 mol of FAD. NADH was used as a coenzyme by rat kidney GR but with a lower efficiency (32.7%) than NADPH. Its subunit molecular weight was estimated as 53 kDa. An optimum pH of 6.5 and optimum temperature of 65 degrees C were found for rat kidney GR. Its activation energy (Ea) and temperature coefficient (Q(10)) were calculated as 7.02 kcal/mol and 1.42, respectively. The Km((NADPH)) and kcat/Km ((NADPH)) values were found to be 15.3 +/- 1.4 microM and 1.68 x 10(7) M(-1) s(-1) for the concentration range of 10-200 microM NADPH and when GSSG is the variable substrate, the Km((GSSG)) and the kcat/Km((GSSG)) values of 53.1 +/- 3.4 microM and 4.85 x 10(6) M(-1) s(-1) were calculated for the concentration range of 20-1,200 microM GSSG.

Quantitative analysis and functional evaluation of zinc ion in the d-hydantoinase from Pseudomonas putida YZ-26

D-hydantoinase (HDT) is a metal-dependent enzyme that is widely used in industrial bioconversion to D-amino acids as valuable intermediates in the fields of food, pharmaceutical industry and agriculture. In this report, we prepared apo-HDT (metal-removed HDT) and Zn(2+)-HDT (Zn(2+)-added HDT) in vitro from a recombinant HDT (re-HDT) expressed in E. coli. The Zn(2+)-HDT and re-HDT contain 2.17 and 0.95 mol Zn(2+) per mol subunit, respectively, and they have comparable enzymatic activities. In contrast, the apo-HDT only retains 0.04 mol Zn(2+) per mol subunit with less than 10% activity, compared with the re-HDT. When the apo-HDT was reconstituted with ZnCl(2), the enzymatic activity recovery was about 75%. Moreover, the fluorescence intensity, circular dichroism spectra and thermo-stability of the apo-HDT and Zn(2+)-HDT are quite different from those of the re-HDT. These data suggest that the re-HDT may have two Zn(2+)-binding sites, one is an intrinsic or tight-binding site (zinc-alpha) essential for its activity and the other is a vacant or loose-binding site (zinc-beta) possibly non-essential for the activity.

Characterization of an NADH oxidase of the flavin-dependent disulfide reductase family from Methanocaldococcus jannaschii

Methanocaldococcus jannaschii, a deeply rooted hyperthermophilic anaerobic methanarchaeon from a deep-sea hydrothermal vent, carries an NADH oxidase (Nox) homologue (MJ0649). According to the characteristics described here, MJ0649 represents an unusual member within group 3 of the flavin-dependent disulfide reductase (FDR) family. This FDR group comprises Nox, NADH peroxidases (Npx) and coenzyme A disulfide reductases (CoADRs); each carries a Cys residue that forms Cys-sulfenic acid during catalysis. A sequence analysis identified MJ0649 as a CoADR homologue. However, recombinant MJ0649 (rMJNox), expressed in Escherichia coli and purified to homogeneity an 86 kDa homodimer with 0.27 mol FAD (mol subunit)(-1), showed Nox but not CoADR activity. Incubation with FAD increased FAD content to 1 mol (mol subunit)(-1) and improved NADH oxidase activity 3.4-fold. The FAD-incubated enzyme was characterized further. The optimum pH and temperature were > or =10 and > or =95 degrees C, respectively. At pH 7 and 83 degrees C, apparent Km values for NADH and O2 were 3 microM and 1.9 mM, respectively, and the specific activity at 1.4 mM O2 was 60 micromol min(-1) mg(-1); 62 % of NADH-derived reducing equivalents were recovered as H2O2 and the rest probably generated H2O. rMjNox had poor NADPH oxidase, NADH peroxidase and superoxide formation activities. It reduced ferricyanide, plumbagin and 5,5'-dithiobis(2-nitrobenzoic acid), but not disulfide coenzyme A and disulfide coenzyme M. Due to a high Km, O2 is not a physiologically relevant substrate for MJ0649; its true substrate remains unknown.

Purification and Gene Cloning of α-Methylserine Aldolase from Ralstonia sp. Strain AJ110405 and Application of the Enzyme in the Synthesis of α-Methyl- l -Serine

By screening microorganisms that are capable of assimilating alpha-methyl-DL-serine, we detected alpha-methylserine aldolase in Ralstonia sp. strain AJ110405, Variovorax paradoxus AJ110406, and Bosea sp. strain AJ110407. A homogeneous form of this enzyme was purified from Ralstonia sp. strain AJ110405, and the gene encoding the enzyme was cloned and expressed in Escherichia coli. The enzyme appeared to be a homodimer consisting of identical subunits, and its molecular mass was found to be 47 kDa. It contained 0.7 to 0.8 mol of pyridoxal 5'-phosphate per mol of subunit and could catalyze the interconversion of alpha-methyl-L-serine to L-alanine and formaldehyde in the absence of tetrahydrofolate. Formaldehyde was generated from alpha-methyl-L-serine but not from alpha-methyl-D-serine, L-serine, or D-serine. Alpha-methyl-L-serine synthesis activity was detected when L-alanine was used as the substrate. In contrast, no activity was detected when D-alanine was used as the substrate. In the alpha-methyl-L-serine synthesis reaction, the enzymatic activity was inhibited by an excess amount of formaldehyde, which was one of the substrates. We used cells of E. coli as a whole-cell catalyst to express the gene encoding alpha-methylserine aldolase and effectively obtained a high yield of optically pure alpha-methyl-L-serine using L-alanine and formaldehyde.

Gene Cloning of α-Methylserine Aldolase fromVariovorax paradoxusand Purification and Characterization of the Recombinant Enzyme

The alpha-methylserine aldolase gene from Variovorax paradoxus strains AJ110406, NBRC15149, and NBRC15150 was cloned and expressed in Escherichia coli. Formaldehyde release activity from alpha-methyl-L-serine was detected in the cell-free extract of E.coli expressing the gene from three strains. The recombinant enzyme from V. paradoxus NBRC15150 was purified. The Vmax and Km of the enzyme for the formaldehyde release reaction from alpha-methyl-L-serine were 1.89 micromol min(-1) mg(-1) and 1.2 mM respectively. The enzyme was also capable of catalyzing the synthesis of alpha-methyl-L-serine and alpha-ethyl-L-serine from L-alanine and L-2-aminobutyric acid respectively, accompanied by hydroxymethyl transfer from formaldehyde. The purified enzyme also catalyzed alanine racemization. It contained 1 mole of pyridoxal 5'-phosphate per mol of the enzyme subunit, and exhibited a specific spectral peak at 429 nm. With L-alanine and L-2-aminobutyric acid as substrates, the specific peak, assumed to be a result of the formation of a quinonoid intermediate, increased at 498 nm and 500 nm respectively.

The pH-Dependent Changes of the Enzymic Activity and Spectroscopic Properties of Iron-Substituted Manganese Superoxide Dismutase

Manganese-containing superoxide dismutases (Mn-SODs) and iron-containing superoxide dismutases (Fe-SODS) from aerobic bacteria often show high metal specificity for their enzymic activities by a standard assay system using xanthine-xanthine oxidase and cytochrome c. In this study, we have attempted to characterize the structural basis of the metal specificity of manganese-containing SOD (Mn-SOD) using Fe-substituted Mn-SOD prepared from apo-Mn-SOD from Serratia marcescens. The Fe3+ content of the Fe-substituted enzyme was 1.71±0.14 mol/mol dimer and the specific activity was 34.8±4.8 units · mg protein-1· mol Fe3+−1· mol subunit−1. Fe-substituted Mn-SOD was found to react with the superoxide anion at pH 8.1 with a second-order rate constant of 6×106M−1 s−1, which is approximately 1% of that of native Mn-SOD at the same pH. However, the rate constant increased with decreasing pH to approximately 10% (5×107M−1 s−1) that of native Mn-SOD at pH 6.0 with a pK of 7.0. The visible absorption spectrum and EPR spectrum of Fe-substituted Mn-SOD also showed pH-dependent changes with pK values of 6.6 and 7.2, respectively. Similarly, the affinity of the azide ion, an analog of the superoxide ion, for iron of Fe-substituted Mn-SOD increased with decreasing pH, with a pK value of 7.0 (e.g. Kd =0.1 mM at pH 6.2 and 0.9 mM at pH 8.2). The similarity of these pK values suggests that the activity, the spectral changes and the affinity of the azide ion for iron are derived from the same change in the metal environment. After comparison with the reported pK values (around 9) of similar pH-dependent changes in the spectra, the enzymic activity and the affinity of azide for iron of Fe-SOD from Escherichia coli, we proposed that the difference in the pK values of a hydroxide ion binding to iron between Fe-substituted Mn-SOD and Fe-SOD may cause the different pH dependencies of these changes in each SOD.

Purification and Characterization of a Copper-Containing Amine Oxidase from Mycobacterium Sp. Strain JC1 DSM 3803 Grown on Benzylamine

A bacterial semicarbazide-sensitive amine oxidase (SSAO) was purified and characterized from Mycobacterium sp. strain JC1 DSM 3803 grown on benzylamine. During the purification procedures, the enzyme was tending to aggregate and exhibited heterogeneity in native PAGE. The heterogeneous forms having amine oxidase (AO) activity could be separated by their native molecular weights using gel-filtration chromatography. Most of the AOs behaved as dimers (M(r) 150,000) composed of a 75-kDa subunit, but some aggregated to form tetramers (M(r) 300,000). Besides their native molecular weight, subunit composition and V(max) value, both forms (dimer and tetramer) have almost identical biochemical properties (e.g. subunit size, optimum pH and temperature, activation energy, K(m) value on benzylamine, substrate and inhibitor specificities). When AO activity was observed by activity staining, the best-oxidized substrate was benzylamine, although the AO also oxidized tyramine and histamine. The AO was strongly inhibited by semicarbazide and isoniazid, but KCN did not affect its activity. The purified enzyme was shown to contain 2.39 mol of copper per mole of subunit, but there were no evidences of topaquinone co-factor involvement, when tested by absorption spectrum analysis and redox-cycling staining for quinoprotein detection.

Gene Identification and Characterization of the Pyridoxine Degradative Enzyme 4-Pyridoxic Acid Dehydrogenase from the Nitrogen-fixing Symbiotic Bacterium Mesorhizobium loti MAFF303099

The gene encoding 4-pyridoxic acid dehydrogenase was identified as mlr6792 in a chromosome of a nitrogen-fixing symbiotic bacterium Mesorhizobium loti MAFF303099. The enzyme is the fourth enzyme in the vitamin B(6) (pyridoxine)-degradation pathway I. The recombinant enzyme with a his-tag over-expressed in Escherichia coli cells was a membrane-bound protein, and purified to homogeneity. The enzyme was a monomeric protein with a molecular weight of 59,000, and a flavoprotein containing one mole of FAD per mole of subunit. The optimum pH and temperature, and K(m) for 4-pyridoxic acid were pH 8.5 and 30 degrees C, and 29 muM, respectively. The enzyme was a glucose-methanol-choline (GMC) family protein with two signature patterns, FAD-binding residues, a putative active site histidine residue and a probable transmembrane segment.

PH dependence of the dissociation of multimeric hemoglobin probed by high hydrostatic pressure

We investigated the thermodynamic features of the classic alkaline dissociation of multimeric hemoglobin (3.1 MDa) from Glossoscolex paulistus (Annelidea) using high hydrostatic pressure. Light scattering measurements up to microscopic thermodynamic equilibrium indicated a high pH dependency of dissociation and association. Electron microscopy and gel filtration corroborated these findings. The volume change of dissociation decreased in absolute values from − 48.0 mL/mol of subunit at pH 6.0 to − 19.2 mL/mol at pH 9.0, suggesting a lack of protein interactions under alkaline conditions. Concomitantly, an increase in pH reduced the Gibbs free energy of dissociation from 37.7 to 27.5 kJ/mol of subunit. The stoichiometry of proton release calculated from the pressure-induced dissociation curves was + 0.602 mol of H +/mol of subunit. These results provide a direct quantification of proton participation in stabilizing the aggregated state of the hemoglobin, and contribute to our understanding of protein–protein interactions and of the surrounding conditions that modulate the process of aggregation.

Inhibition of Acetyl-CoA Carboxylase Isoforms by Pyridoxal Phosphate

Mammalian isoforms of acetyl-CoA carboxylase (ACC-1 and ACC-2) play important roles in synthesis, elongation, and oxidation of long-chain fatty acids, and the possible significance of ACC in the development of obesity has led to interest in the development of inhibitors. Here, we demonstrate that pyridoxal phosphate (PLP) is a linear and reversible inhibitor of ACC-1 and ACC-2. ACC from rat liver and white adipose tissue (largely ACC-1) exhibited an IC50 of approximately 200 microm, whereas ACC-2 from heart or skeletal muscle exhibited an IC50 exceeding 500 microm. ACC from rat liver was equally sensitive to PLP following extensive purification by avidin affinity chromatography. When added before citrate, PLP inhibited ACC with a Ki of approximately 100 microm, reducing maximal activity >90% and increasing the Ka for citrate approximately 5-fold but having little effect on substrate Km values. Pre-treatment with citrate increased the apparent Ki for ACC inhibition by PLP by approximately 4-fold. Inhibition of ACC was reversed by removal of PLP, either by washing or by reaction with hydroxylamine or amino-oxyacetate. ACC was irreversibly inhibited and radiolabeled, to a stoichiometry of approximately 0.4 mol[H]/mol subunit, in the presence of PLP plus [3H]borohydride. Studies with structurally related compounds demonstrated that the reactive aldehyde and negatively charged substituents of PLP contribute importantly to ACC inhibition. The studies reported here suggest a rationale to develop ACC inhibitors that are not structurally related to the substrates or products of the reaction and an approach to probe the citrate-binding site of the enzyme.

4-Pyridoxolactonase from a symbiotic nitrogen-fixing bacterium Mesorhizobium loti: Cloning, expression, and characterization

4-Pyridoxolactonase is involved in the degradation pathway for pyridoxine, a free form of vitamin B 6. The gene (mlr6805) encoding the putative 4-pyridoxolactonase of nitrogen fixing symbiotic microorganism Mesorhizobium loti MAFF303099 has been identified based on the genome database. The gene was cloned and overexpressed in a cotransformant Escherichia coli cell. The recombinant enzyme was dimeric protein and contained one mole of Zn 2+ per mole of subunit. The enzyme showed about 30% identity with various N-acylhomoserine lactone lactonases and metallo-β-lactamases. The phylogram made with ClustalW shows that 4-pyridoxolactonase makes a cluster with Agrobacterium tumefaciens acyl-homoserine lactone lactonase. The alignment of amino acid sequences suggests that 4-pyridoxolactonase has three histidine residues probably involved in binding of Zn 2+.

Location of the Coenzyme Binding Site in the Porcine Mitochondrial NADP-dependent Isocitrate Dehydrogenase

The structure of crystalline porcine mitochondrial NADP-dependent isocitrate dehydrogenase (IDH) has been determined in complex with Mn2+-isocitrate. Based on structural alignment between this porcine enzyme and seven determined crystal structures of complexes of NADP with bacterial IDHs, Arg83, Thr311, and Asn328 were chosen as targets for site-directed mutagenesis of porcine IDH. The circular dichroism spectra of purified wild-type and mutant enzymes are similar. The mutant enzymes exhibit little change in Km for isocitrate or Mn2+, showing that these residues are not involved in substrate binding. In contrast, the Arg83 mutants, Asn328 mutants, and T311A exhibit 3-20-fold increase in the Km(NADP). We propose that Arg83 enhances NADP affinity by hydrogen bonding with the 3'-OH of the nicotinamide ribose, whereas Asn328 hydrogen bonds with N1 of adenine. The pH dependence of Vmax for Arg83 and Asn328 mutants is similar to that of wild-type enzyme, but for all the Thr311 mutants, pK(es) is increased from 5.2 in the wild type to approximately 6.0. We have previously attributed the pH dependence of Vmax to the deprotonation of the metal-bound hydroxyl of isocitrate in the enzyme-substrate complex, prior to the transfer of a hydride from isocitrate to NADP's nicotinamide moiety. Thr311 interacts with the nicotinamide ribose and is the closest of the target amino acids to the nicotinamide ring. Distortion of the nicotinamide by Thr311 mutation will likely be transmitted to Mn2+-isocitrate resulting in an altered pK(es). Because porcine and human mitochondrial NADP-IDH have 95% sequence identity, these results should be applicable to the human enzyme.

Glutamyl-tRNA reductase of Chlorobium vibrioforme is a dissociable homodimer that contains one tightly bound heme per subunit.

delta-Aminolevulinic acid, the biosynthetic precursor of tetrapyrroles, is synthesized from glutamate via the tRNA-dependent five-carbon pathway in the green sulfur bacterium Chlorobium vibrioforme. The enzyme glutamyl-tRNA reductase (GTR), encoded by the hemA gene, catalyzes the first committed step in this pathway, which is the reduction of tRNA-bound glutamate to produce glutamate 1-semialdehyde. To characterize the GTR protein, the hemA gene from C. vibrioforme was cloned into expression plasmids that added an N-terminal His(6) tag to the expressed protein. The His-tagged GTR protein was purified using Ni affinity column chromatography. GTR was observable as a 49-kDa band on sodium dodecyl sulfate-polyacrylamide gel electrophoresis (SDS-PAGE) gels. The native molecular mass, as determined by gel filtration chromatography, appeared to be approximately 40 kDa, indicating that native GTR is a monomer. However, when the protein was mixed with 5% (vol/vol) glycerol, the product had an apparent molecular mass of 95 kDa, indicating that the protein is a dimer under these conditions. Purified His(6)-GTR was catalytically active in vitro when it was incubated with Escherichia coli glutamyl-tRNA(Glu) and purified recombinant Chlamydomonas reinhardtii glutamate-1-semialdehyde aminotransferase. The expressed GTR contained 1 mol of tightly bound heme per mol of pep tide subunit. The heme remained bound to the protein throughout purification and was not removed by anion- or cation-exchange column chromatography. However, the bound heme was released during SDS-PAGE if the protein was denatured in the presence of beta-mercaptoethanol. Added heme did not inhibit the activity of purified expressed GTR in vitro. However, when the GTR was expressed in the presence of 3-amino-2,3- dihydrobenzoic acid (gabaculine), an inhibitor of heme synthesis, the purified GTR had 60 to 70% less bound heme than control GTR, and it was inhibited by hemin in vitro.

Exosite-interactive Regions in the A1 and A2 Domains of Factor VIII Facilitate Thrombin-catalyzed Cleavage of Heavy Chain

Thrombin catalyzes the proteolytic activation of factor VIII, cleaving two sites in the heavy chain and one site in the light chain of the procofactor. Evaluation of thrombin binding the reaction products from heavy chain cleavage by steady state fluorescence energy transfer using a fluorophore-labeled, active site-modified thrombin as well as by solid phase binding assays using a thrombin Ser(205) --> Ala mutant indicated a high affinity site in the A1 subunit (K(d) approximately 5 nm) that was dependent upon the Na(+)-bound form of thrombin, whereas a moderate affinity site in the A2 subunit (K(d) approximately 100 nm) was observed for both Na(+)-bound and -free forms. The solid phase assay also indicated that hirudin blocked thrombin interaction with the A1 subunit and had little, if any, effect on its interaction with the A2 subunit. Conversely, heparin blocked thrombin interaction with the A2 subunit and showed a marginal effect on A1 binding. Evaluation of the A2 sequence revealed two regions rich in acidic residues that are localized close to the N and C termini of this domain. Peptides encompassing these clustered acidic regions, residues 373-395 and 719-740, blocked thrombin cleavage of the isolated heavy chain at Arg(372) and Arg(740) and inhibited A2 binding to thrombin Ser(205) --> Ala, suggesting that both A2 domain regions potentially support interaction with thrombin. A B-domainless, factor VIII double mutant Asp(392) --> Ala/Asp(394) --> Ala was constructed, expressed, and purified and possessed specific activity equivalent to a severe hemophilia phenotype. This mutant was resistant to cleavage at Arg(740), whereas cleavage at Arg(372) was not affected. These data suggest the acidic region comprising residues 389-394 in factor VIII A2 domain interacts with thrombin via its heparin-binding exosite and facilitates cleavage at Arg(740) during procofactor activation.

Role of Lys-226 in the Catalytic Mechanism of Bacillus Stearothermophilus Serine HydroxymethyltransferaseCrystal Structure and Kinetic Studies,

Serine hydroxymethyltransferase (SHMT), a pyridoxal 5'-phosphate (PLP)-dependent enzyme catalyzes the reversible conversion of l-Ser and tetrahydropteroylglutamate (H(4)PteGlu) to Gly and 5,10-methylene tetrahydropteroylglutamate (CH(2)-H(4)PteGlu). Biochemical and structural studies on this enzyme have implicated several residues in the catalytic mechanism, one of them being the active site lysine, which anchors PLP. It has been proposed that this residue is crucial for product expulsion. However, in other PLP-dependent enzymes, the corresponding residue has been implicated in the proton abstraction step of catalysis. In the present investigation, Lys-226 of Bacillus stearothermophilus SHMT (bsSHMT) was mutated to Met and Gln to evaluate the role of this residue in catalysis. The mutant enzymes contained 1 mol of PLP per mol of subunit suggesting that Schiff base formation with lysine is not essential for PLP binding. The 3D structure of the mutant enzymes revealed that PLP was bound at the active site in an orientation different from that of the wild-type enzyme. In the presence of substrate, the PLP ring was in an orientation superimposable with that of the external aldimine complex of wild-type enzyme. However, the mutant enzymes were inactive, and the kinetic analysis of the different steps of catalysis revealed that there was a drastic reduction in the rate of formation of the quinonoid intermediate. Analysis of these results along with the crystal structures suggested that K-226 is responsible for flipping of PLP from one orientation to another which is crucial for H(4)PteGlu-dependent Calpha-Cbeta bond cleavage of l-Ser.

Involvement of a Flavosemiquinone in the Enzymatic Oxidation of Nitroalkanes Catalyzed by 2-Nitropropane Dioxygenase

2-Nitropropane dioxygenase (EC 1.13.11.32) catalyzes the oxidation of nitroalkanes into their corresponding carbonyl compounds and nitrite. In this study, the ncd-2 gene encoding for the enzyme in Neurospora crassa was cloned, expressed in Escherichia coli, and the resulting enzyme was purified. Size exclusion chromatography, heat denaturation, and mass spectroscopic analyses showed that 2-nitropropane dioxygenase is a homodimer of 80 kDa, containing a mole of non-covalently bound FMN per mole of subunit, and is devoid of iron. With neutral nitroalkanes and anionic nitronates other than propyl-1- and propyl-2-nitronate, for which a non-enzymatic free radical reaction involving superoxide was established using superoxide dismutase, substrate oxidation occurs within the enzyme active site. The enzyme was more specific for nitronates than nitroalkanes, as suggested by the second order rate constant k(cat)/K(m) determined with 2-nitropropane and primary nitroalkanes with alkyl chain lengths between 2 and 6 carbons. The steady state kinetic mechanism with 2-nitropropane, nitroethane, nitrobutane, and nitrohexane, in either the neutral or anionic form, was determined to be sequential, consistent with oxygen reacting with a reduced form of enzyme before release of the carbonyl product. Enzyme-monitored turnover with ethyl nitronate as substrate indicated that the catalytically relevant reduced form of enzyme is an anionic flavin semiquinone, whose formation requires the substrate, but not molecular oxygen, as suggested by anaerobic substrate reduction with nitroethane or ethyl nitronate. Substrate deuterium kinetic isotope effects with 1,2-[(2)H(4)]nitroethane and 1,1,2-[(2)H(3) ethyl nitronate at pH 8 yielded normal and inverse effects on the k(cat)/K(m) value, respectively, and were negligible on the k(cat) value. The k(cat)/K(m) and k(cat) pH profiles with anionic nitronates showed the requirement of an acid, whereas those for neutral nitroalkanes were consistent with the involvement of both an acid and a base in catalysis. The kinetic data reported herein are consistent with an oxidasestyle catalytic mechanism for 2-nitropropane dioxygenase, in which the flavin-mediated oxidation of the anionic nitronates or neutral nitroalkanes and the subsequent oxidation of the enzyme-bound flavin occur in two independent steps.

Proton dependence of tobacco mosaic virus dissociation by pressure

Tobacco mosaic virus (TMV) is an intensely studied model of viruses. This paper reports an investigation into the dissociation of TMV by pH and pressure up to 220 MPa. The viral solution (0.25 mg/ml) incubated at 277 K showed a significant decrease in light scattering with increasing pH, suggesting dissociation. This observation was confirmed by HPLC gel filtration and electron microscopy. The calculated volume change of dissociation (Δ V) decreased (absolute value) from −49.7 ml/mol of subunit at pH 3.8 to −21.7 ml/mol of subunit at pH 9.0. The decrease from pH 9.0 to 3.8 caused a stabilization of 14.1 kJ/mol of TMV subunit. The estimated proton release calculated from pressure-induced dissociation curves was 0.584 mol H +/mol of TMV subunit. These results suggest that the degree of virus inactivation by pressure and the immunogenicity of the inactivated structures can be optimized by modulating the surrounding pH.

Characterization of the corrinoid iron-sulfur protein tetrachloroethene reductive dehalogenase of Dehalobacter restrictus.

The membrane-bound tetrachloroethene reductive dehalogenase (PCE-RDase) (PceA; EC 1.97.1.8), the terminal component of the respiratory chain of Dehalobacter restrictus, was purified 25-fold to apparent electrophoretic homogeneity. Sodium dodecyl sulfate-polyacrylamide gel electrophoresis revealed a single band with an apparent molecular mass of 60 +/- 1 kDa, whereas the native molecular mass was 71 +/- 8 kDa according to size exclusion chromatography in the presence of the detergent octyl-beta-D-glucopyranoside. The monomeric enzyme contained (per mol of the 60-kDa subunit) 1.0 +/- 0.1 mol of cobalamin, 0.6 +/- 0.02 mol of cobalt, 7.1 +/- 0.6 mol of iron, and 5.8 +/- 0.5 mol of acid-labile sulfur. Purified PceA catalyzed the reductive dechlorination of tetrachloroethene and trichloroethene to cis-1,2-dichloroethene with a specific activity of 250 +/- 12 nkat/mg of protein. In addition, several chloroethanes and tetrachloromethane caused methyl viologen oxidation in the presence of PceA. The K(m) values for tetrachloroethene, trichloroethene, and methyl viologen were 20.4 +/- 3.2, 23.7 +/- 5.2, and 47 +/- 10 micro M, respectively. The PceA exhibited the highest activity at pH 8.1 and was oxygen sensitive, with a half-life of activity of 280 min upon exposure to air. Based on the almost identical N-terminal amino acid sequences of PceA of Dehalobacter restrictus, Desulfitobacterium hafniense strain TCE1 (formerly Desulfitobacterium frappieri strain TCE1), and Desulfitobacterium hafniense strain PCE-S (formerly Desulfitobacterium frappieri strain PCE-S), the pceA genes of the first two organisms were cloned and sequenced. Together with the pceA genes of Desulfitobacterium hafniense strains PCE-S and Y51, the pceA genes of Desulfitobacterium hafniense strain TCE1 and Dehalobacter restrictus form a coherent group of reductive dehalogenases with almost 100% sequence identity. Also, the pceB genes, which may code for a membrane anchor protein of PceA, and the intergenic regions of Dehalobacter restrictus and the three desulfitobacteria had identical sequences. Whereas the cprB (chlorophenol reductive dehalogenase) genes of chlorophenol-dehalorespiring bacteria are always located upstream of cprA, all pceB genes known so far are located downstream of pceA. The possible consequences of this feature for the annotation of putative reductive dehalogenase genes are discussed, as are the sequence around the iron-sulfur cluster binding motifs and the type of iron-sulfur clusters of the reductive dehalogenases of Dehalobacter restrictus and Desulfitobacterium dehalogenans identified by electron paramagnetic resonance spectroscopy.

In vivo and in vitro phosphorylation of Candida albicans 20S proteasome

In this paper we demonstrate that the Candida albicans 20S proteasome is in vivo phosphorylated and is a good in vitro substrate (S 0.5 14 nM) of homologous protein kinase CK2 (CK2). We identify α6/C2, α3/C9, and α5/Pup2 proteasome subunits as the main in vivo phosphorylated and in vitro CK2-phosphorylatable proteasome components. In vitro phosphorylation by homologous CK2 holoenzyme occurs only in the presence of polylysine, a characteristic that distinguishes the yeast proteasomes from mammalian proteasomes which are phosphorylated by CK2 in the absence of polycations. The major in vivo phosphate acceptor is the α3/C9 subunit, being phosphorylated in serine, both in vivo and in vitro. The phosphopeptides generated by endoproteinase Glu-C digestion from in vivo labeled α3/C9 subunit, from in vitro phosphorylation by homologous CK2 holoenzyme, and from the recombinant α3/C9 subunit phosphorylated by recombinant human CK2-α subunit are identical, suggesting that CK2 is likely responsible for in vivo phosphorylation of this subunit. Direct mutational analysis shows that serine 248 is the residue of the α3/C9 subunit phosphorylated by CK2. The in vitro stoichiometry of phosphorylation of the α6/C2 and α3/C9 proteasome subunits by CK2 can be estimated as 0.7–0.8 and 0.4–0.5 mol of phosphate per mole of subunit, respectively. These results are consistent with the relative abundance of the unphosphorylated and phosphorylated isoforms of these subunits present in the purified 20S proteasome preparation. Our demonstration of phosphorylation of C. albicans proteasome suggests that phosphorylation might be a general mechanism of regulation of proteasome activity.

Localization and regulation of bovine eye calmodulin-dependent cyclic nucleotide phosphodiesterase by cyclic AMP-dependent protein kinase

Calmodulin-dependent cyclic nucleotide phosphodiesterase is one of the key enzymes involved in the complex interactions, which occur between the cyclic nucleotide and Ca2+ second-messenger systems. In eye, cAMP regulation is important in a variety of physiological processes such as aqueous humor regulation, photoreceptor signal transduction and retinal blood flow. Bovine eye calmodulin-dependent cyclic nucleotide phosphodiesterase was purified to apparent homogeneity and the isolated enzyme had a significantly higher affinity for calmodulin and Ca2+. Immunohistology revealed calmodulin-dependent cyclic nucleotide phospho-diesterase expression in corneal epithelium, retina and optic nerve of the eye. The cAMP-dependent protein kinase was found to catalyze the phosphorylation of bovine eye calmodulin-dependent cyclic nucleotide phosphodiesterase and the following observations were made. Firstly, the phosphorylation resulted in the incorporation of 1 mol of phosphate per mol of subunit, resulting in higher calmodulin and Ca2+ concentration requirement for calmodulin-dependent cyclic nucleotide phosphodiesterase activation. Secondly, Ca2+ and calmodulin prevented the phosphorylation. Thirdly, the phosphorylation of calmodulin-dependent cyclic nucleotide phosphodiesterase could be reversed by the calmodulin-dependent phosphatase, calcineurin. Analysis of the complex regulatory properties of the calmodulin-dependent cyclic nucleotide phosphodiesterase in the eye has led to the suggestion that fluxes of cAMP and Ca2+ during cell activation are closely coupled and that calmodulin-dependent cyclic nucleotide phosphodiesterase plays a key role in this signal coupling phenomenon.