Purification and subunit structure of legumin of Vicia faba L. (broad bean)

Zonal isoelectric precipitation was shown to be an effective method for the preparation of legumin which was homogeneous as judged by ultracentrifugation and polyacrylamide-gel electrophoresis. The subunit structure of legumin was investigated by preparative sodium dodecyl sulphate-polyacrylamide-gel electrophoresis and ion-exchange chromatography in urea. Five distinct subunits, of which two were acidic (alpha) and had a molecular weight of 37000, and three were basic (beta) with molecular weights of 20100, 20900 and 23800, were identified. The alpha and beta subunits were present in equimolar amounts in the legumin molecule and, in view of this and molecular-weight considerations, an alpha(6)beta(6) subunit model was proposed for legumin.     

Purification and characterization of trypsin inhibitor from seeds of faba bean (Vicia faba L.)

A trypsin inhibitor from seeds of faba bean (Vicia faba L.) was purified to near homogeneity as judged by native-PAGE with about 11 % recovery using ammonium sulphate fractionation, ion-exchange chromatography on DEAE-cellulose and gel filtration through Sephadex G-100. The inhibitor had a molecular weight of 18 kD as determined by SDS-PAGE and Sephadex G-100. The inhibitor inhibited trypsin and chymotrypsin to the extent of 48 and 12 %, respectively. The inhibtion was of non-competitive type with dissociation constant for the enzyme inhibitor complex in the region of 0.07 mg·ml⁻¹. The inhibtor was stable between pH 4 and 5. It completely lost its activity when heated at 125 °C for 1 h or at 100 °C for 2 h. The inhibitor also lost its activity on exposure to 2-mercaptoethanol. Based on these properties, it could be concluded that Vicia faba trypsin inhibitor belongs to Bowman-Birk type of inhibitors, as it has molecular weight lower than generally observed for Kunitz type inhibitors.     

The amino acid sequence of plastocyanin from Vicia faba L. (broad bean)

The amino acid sequence of plastocyanin from broad bean was determined. It consists of a single polypeptide chain of 99 residues. The sequence was determined by using a Beckman 890C sequencer and by dansyl-phenyl isothiocyanate analysis of peptides obtained by the enzymic cleavage of purified cyanogen bromide fragments. Some parts of the sequence depend on the results of Edman degradation of peptides for which amino acid analyses were not obtained. The evidence for one overlap is not strong.     

N-Carbamoyl-2-(p-hydroxyphenyl)glycine from leaves of broad bean (Vicia faba L.)

1. dl-2-(p-Hydroxyphenyl)glycine was resolved through the bromocamphorsulphonate to give its d-isomer. The N-carbamoyl derivatives of these amino acids were synthesized. Circular-dichroism studies on these and related compounds, reported in a deposited Annex, helped to establish the optical configuration. 2. N-Carbamoyl-dl-2-(p-hydroxyphenyl)glycine was isolated from broad-bean leaves. It amounted to about 0.1% of the leaf dry matter. Racemization may or may not have occurred during the isolation. There were indications of the same compound in chicory and in savoy cabbage. Under weakly acidic conditions it was converted gradually into 5-(p-hydroxyphenyl)hydantoin. Both these compounds yielded 2-(p-hydroxyphenyl)glycine on acid hydrolysis. 3. The occurrence is discussed of 2-phenylglycine derivatives in Nature and of N-carbamoyl-amino acids and hydantoins in plants. 4. Gradient elution from anion-exchange resin with acetic acid, besides proving useful for the present work, gave useful separations of pyrrolidonecarboxylic acid and of some N-acetyl-amino acids. 5. Supplementary material (Annex 1: details of experimental work other than ultraviolet and circular-dichroism spectra; Annex 2: ultraviolet absorption and circular dichroism of d-2-phenylglycine and some related compounds) has been deposited as Supplementary Publication SUP 50003 at the National Lending Library for Science and Technology, Boston Spa, Yorks. LS23 7BQ, U.K., from whom copies can be obtained on the terms indicated in Biochem. J. (1971), 121, 7.     

Identification and characterization of NBS-LRR class resistance gene analogs in faba bean (Vicia faba L.) and chickpea (Cicer arietinum L.).

A PCR approach with degenerate primers designed from conserved NBS-LRR (nucleotide binding site-leucine-rich repeat) regions of known disease-resistance (R) genes was used to amplify and clone homologous sequences from 5 faba bean (Vicia faba) lines and 2 chickpea (Cicer arietinum) accessions. Sixty-nine sequenced clones showed homologies to various R genes deposited in the GenBank database. The presence of internal kinase-2 and kinase-3a motifs in all the sequences isolated confirm that these clones correspond to NBS-containing genes. Using an amino-acid sequence identity of 70% as a threshold value, the clones were grouped into 10 classes of resistance-gene analogs (RGA01 to RGA10). The number of clones per class varied from 1 to 30. RGA classes 1, 6, 8, and 9 were comprised solely of clones isolated from faba bean, whereas classes 2, 3, 4, 5, and 7 included only chickpea clones. RGA10, showing a within-class identity of 99%, was the only class consisting of both faba bean and chickpea clones. A phylogenetic tree, based on the deduced amino-acid sequences of 12 representative clones from the 10 RGA classes and the NBS domains of 6 known R genes (I2 and Prf from tomato, RPP13 from Arabidopsis, Gro1-4 from potato, N from tobacco, L6 from flax), clearly indicated the separation between TIR (Toll/interleukin-1 receptor homology: Gro1-4, L6, N, RGA05 to RGA10)- and non-TIR (I2, Prf, RPP13, RGA01 to RGA04)-type NBS-LRR sequences. The development of suitable polymorphic markers based on cloned RGA sequences to be used in genetic mapping will facilitate the assessment of their potential linkage relationships with disease-resistance genes in faba bean and chickpea. This work is the first to report on faba bean RGAs.     

Allosteric nucleotide-binding site in the mitochondrial NADH:ubiquinone oxidoreductase (respiratory complex I)

The rotenone-insensitive NADH:hexaammineruthenium III (HAR) oxidoreductase reactions catalyzed by bovine heart and Yarrowia lipolytica submitochondrial particles or purified bovine complex I are stimulated by ATP and other purine nucleotides. The soluble fraction of mammalian complex I (FP) and prokaryotic complex I homolog NDH-1 in Paracoccus denitrificans plasma membrane lack stimulation of their activities by ATP. The stimulation appears as a decrease in apparent K(m) values for NADH and HAR. Thus, the "accessory" subunits of eukaryotic complex I bear an allosteric ATP-binding site.     

Deactivation of mitochondrial NADH:ubiquinone oxidoreductase (respiratory complex I): Extrinsically affecting factors

Mitochondrial NADH:ubiquinone oxidoreductase (proton translocating respiratory complex I) serves several essential functions in cell metabolism: it maintains the intramitochondrial NADH/NAD⁺ ratio, contributes to generation of the proton-motive force, and participates in physiological and/or pathophysiological production of so-called reactive oxygen species. A characteristic feature of complex I is a slow, compared with its catalytic turnover, transformation to its inactive (deactivated) state, a phenomenon operationally called A/D transition. Here we report data on several extrinsic factors affecting deactivation as observed in coupled or uncoupled bovine heart submitochondrial particles. The time course of the strongly temperature-dependent deactivation deviates from first-order kinetics, and this deviation is abolished in the presence of an SH-group-specific reagent. The residual fraction of activity attained upon extensive deactivation shows the same kinetics of NADH oxidation as the fully active enzyme does. The rate of complex I deactivation is only slightly pH dependent within the range of 7.0–8.5 and significantly increases at higher pH. ATP∙(Mg) decreases the rate of complex I deactivation in coupled SMP, and this effect is abolished if the proton-motive force generating ATPase activity of F_o∙F₁ is precluded. Taken together, the data show that an equilibrium between the A and D forms of complex I exists. Possible mechanistic aspects of the deactivation process are discussed.     

The inhibition of mitochondrial complex I (NADH:ubiquinone oxidoreductase) by Zn2+

NADH:ubiquinone oxidoreductase (complex I) from bovine heart mitochondria is a highly complicated, membrane-bound enzyme. It is central to energy transduction, an important source of cellular reactive oxygen species, and its dysfunction is implicated in neurodegenerative and muscular diseases and in aging. Here, we describe the effects of Zn2+ on complex I to define whether complex I may contribute to mediating the pathological effects of zinc in states such as ischemia and to determine how Zn2+ can be used to probe the mechanism of complex I. Zn2+ inhibits complex I more strongly than Mg2+, Ca2+, Ba2+, and Mn2+ to Cu2+ or Cd2+. It does not inhibit NADH oxidation or intramolecular electron transfer, so it probably inhibits either proton transfer to bound quinone or proton translocation. Thus, zinc represents a new class of complex I inhibitor clearly distinct from the many ubiquinone site inhibitors. No evidence for increased superoxide production by zinc-inhibited complex I was detected. Zinc binding to complex I is mechanistically complicated. During catalysis, zinc binds slowly and progressively, but it binds rapidly and tightly to the resting state(s) of the enzyme. Reactivation of the inhibited enzyme upon the addition of EDTA is slow, and inhibition is only partially reversible. The IC50 value for the Zn2+ inhibition of complex I is high (10-50 microm, depending on the enzyme state); therefore, complex I is unlikely to be a major site for zinc inhibition of the electron transport chain. However, the slow response of complex I to a change in Zn2+ concentration may enhance any physiological consequences.     

Kinetics of the transhydrogenase reaction catalyzed by mitochondrial NADH:ubiquinone oxidoreductase (complex I)

The kinetics of the NADH3'-acetylpyridine adenine dinucleotide (APAD⁺) transhydrogenase reaction (DD-reaction) catalyzed by different preparations of mitochondrial NADH-dehydrogenase (submitochondrial particles (SMP), purified Complex I, and three-subunit fragment of Complex I (FP)) have been studied. Complex I (in SMP or in purified preparation) catalyzes two NADHAPAD⁺ reactions with different rates and nucleotide affinities. Reaction 1 has high affinity to APAD⁺ (K _m = 7 M, for SMP) and low rate (V _m = 0.2 mol/min per mg protein, for SMP) and occurs with formation of a ternary complex. Reaction 2 has much higher rate and considerably lower affinity for oxidized nucleotide (V _m = 1.7 mol/min per mg protein and K _m = 160 M, for SMP). FP catalyzes only reaction 1. ADP-ribose inhibits reaction 1 with mixed type inhibition (competitive with non-competitive) with respect to NADH and APAD⁺. Rhein competes with both substrates. The results suggest that at least two nucleotide-binding sites exist in Complex I.     

The polypeptide composition of the mitochondrial NADH: ubiquinone reductase complex from several mammalian species.

The polypeptide composition of isolated mitochondrial NADH:ubiquinone reductase (NADH dehydrogenase) is very similar to that of material immunoprecipitated from detergent-solubilized bovine heart submitochondrial particles by antisera to the holoenzyme. The specificity of the antisera for dehydrogenase polypeptides was determined by immunoblotting, which showed that antisera reacting with only a few proteins were able to immunoprecipitate all others in parallel. The polypeptide compositions of rat, rabbit and human NADH dehydrogenase were determined by immunoprecipitation of the enzyme from solubilized submitochondrial particles and proved to be very similar to that of the bovine heart enzyme, particularly in the high-Mr region. Further homologies in these and other species were explored by immunoblotting with antisera to the holoenzyme and monospecific antisera raised against iron-sulphur-protein subunits of the enzyme.     

Hydroperoxide-dependent epoxidation of unsaturated fatty acids in the broad bean (Vicia faba L.)

Incubation of linoleic acid with the 105,000g particle fraction of the homogenate of the broad bean (Vicia faba L.) led to the formation of the following products: 13(S)-hydroxy-9(Z),11(E)-octadecadienoic acid, 9,10-epoxy-12(Z)-octadecenoic acid (9(R),10(S)/9(S)/10(R), 80/20), 12,13-epoxy-9(Z)-octadecenoic acid (12(S),13(R)/12(R)/13(S), 64/36), and 9,10-epoxy-13(S)-hydroxy-11(E)-octadecenoic acid (9(S),10(R)/9(R),10(S), 91/9). Oleic acid incubated with the enzyme preparation in the presence of 13(S)-hydroperoxy-9(Z),11(E)-octadecadienoic acid or cumene hydroperoxide was converted into 9,10-epoxyoctadecanoic acid (9(R),10(S)/9(S),10(R), 79/21). Two enzyme activities were involved in the formation of the products, an omega 6-lipoxygenase and a hydroperoxide-dependent epoxygenase. The lipoxygenase, but not the epoxygenase, was inhibited by low concentrations of 5,8,11,14-eicosatetraynoic acid and nordihydroguaiaretic acid. In contrast, the epoxygenase, but not the lipoxygenase, was readily inactivated in the presence of 13(S)-hydroperoxy-9(Z),11(E)-octadecadienoic acid. Studies with 18O2-labeled 13(S)-hydroperoxy-9(Z),11(E)-octadecadienoic acid showed that the epoxide oxygens of 9,10-epoxyoctadecanoic acid and of 9,10-epoxy-13(S)-hydroxy-11(E)-octadecenoic acid were derived from hydroperoxide and not from molecular oxygen.     

NADH/NAD+ interaction with NADH: ubiquinone oxidoreductase (complex I)

The quantitative data on the binding affinity of NADH, NAD(+), and their analogues for complex I as emerged from the steady-state kinetics data and from more direct studies under equilibrium conditions are summarized and discussed. The redox-dependency of the nucleotide binding and the reductant-induced change of FMN affinity to its tight non-covalent binding site indicate that binding (dissociation) of the substrate (product) may energetically contribute to the proton-translocating activity of complex I.     

环磷酰胺诱发蚕豆体细胞遗传损伤的研究

利用蚕豆根尖研究环磷酰胺的遗传毒性效应, 结果表明:环磷酰胺(0.1~5.0 mg/mL)能够降低蚕豆根尖细胞有丝分裂指数, 使根尖细胞中具有微核、核出芽及核固缩的细胞明显增多, 并诱发染色体结构和行为异常, 产生染色体断片、滞后和桥。环磷酰胺处理组根尖中具有核固缩和微核的细胞数呈剂量依赖性增加, 且与作用时间呈正相关, 而分裂指数的降低也具有剂量和时间效应关系。研究结果表明, 低浓度长时间接触或高浓度短时间接触环磷酰胺均可产生遗传毒害, 因此, 有关的作业人员应注意防护。     

Inhibitors of the quinone-binding site allow rapid superoxide production from mitochondrial NADH:ubiquinone oxidoreductase (complex I)

Neither the route of electron transport nor the sites or mechanism of superoxide production in mitochondrial complex I has been established. We examined the rates of superoxide generation (measured as hydrogen peroxide production) by rat skeletal muscle mitochondria under a variety of conditions. The rate of superoxide production by complex I during NADH-linked forward electron transport was less than 10% of that during succinate-linked reverse electron transport even when complex I was fully reduced by pyruvate plus malate in the presence of the complex III inhibitor, stigmatellin. This asymmetry was not explained by differences in protonmotive force or its components. However, when inhibitors of the quinone-binding site of complex I were added in the presence of ATP to generate a pH gradient, there was a rapid rate of superoxide production by forward electron transport that was as great as the rate seen with reverse electron transport at the same pH gradient. These observations suggest that quinone-binding site inhibitors can make complex I adopt the highly radical-producing state that occurs during reverse electron transport. Despite complete inhibition of NADH: ubiquinone oxidoreductase activity in each case, different classes of quinone-binding site inhibitor (rotenone, piericidin, and high concentrations of myxothiazol) gave different rates of superoxide production during forward electron transport (the rate with myxothiazol was twice that with rotenone) suggesting that the site of rapid superoxide generation by complex I is in the region of the ubisemiquinone-binding sites and not upstream at the flavin or low potential FeS centers.     

Rhizobium leguminosarum inoculation decreases damage to faba bean (Vicia faba) caused by broad bean mottle bromovirus and bean yellow mosaic potyvirus

Faba bean (Vicia faba) plants were inoculated with rhizobia and then their sap was infected with broad bean mottle bromovirus (BBMV) or bean yellow mosaic potyvirus (BYMV) in a field experiment. Both viral infections significantly decreased shoot and root dry weight, number of nodules, nodule dry weight, numbers of flowers and pods/plant, total plant N, grain yield and N₂ fixation. However, inoculation withRhizobium leguminosarum significantly increased all these parameters, both in healthy and virus-infected plants. Although BYMV was more destructive than BBMV, inoculation with rhizobia could be used, with other control measures, to limit damage by both viruses.The authors are with the Department of Biochemistry and Soil Science, Faculty of Agriculture, Shambat, Sudan.     

Structure of the respiratory NADH:ubiquinone oxidoreductase (complex I)

Three-dimensional structures of NADH:ubiquinone oxidoreductase (or complex I) from the respiratory chain of mitochondria and bacteria have been recently studied by electron microscopy. The low-resolution structures all reveal a characteristic L shape for complex I; however, some of the differences among these structures may have important implications for the location of the functional elements of complex I, for example, the ubiquinone-binding site.