S-Adenosylhomocysteine hydrolase from human placenta. Affinity purification and characterization.

S-Adenosylhomocysteine hydrolase (EC 3.3.1.1) was purified to homogeneity from human placenta by using S-adenosylhomocysteine-agarose affinity chromatography. The enzyme is a tetramer with a native Mr of 189 000 and subunit Mr of 47 000-48 000; there were nine cysteine residues per subunit and no disulphide bonds. The pI was 5.7. H.p.l.c. analysis revealed that the enzyme contained four molecules of tightly bound cofactor (NAD) per tetramer, of which 10-50% was in the reduced form. The enzyme had four binding sites per tetramer for adenosine, of which 10-35% were found to be occupied. Two types of adenosine-binding sites could be distinguished on the basis of differences in rates of dissociation of the enzyme-adenosine complex, and by examining binding of adenosine at 0 degree C and 37 degrees C. The enzyme catalysed the interconversion of adenosine and 4',5'-dehydroadenosine; the equilibrium constant for this reaction was 2.1 and favoured 4',5'-dehydroadenosine formation. Variability in the specific activity of preparations of S-adenosylhomocysteine hydrolase was related to the NAD+/NADH ratio of the preparation. The capacity to bind radioactively labelled adenosine depended on the adenosine content of the purified enzyme. The rate of adenosine binding and the sensitivity of S-adenosylhomocysteine hydrolase to inactivation by adenosine were both diminished in the absence of dithiothreitol.     

Polymorphism of S-adenosylhomocysteine hydrolase in Italy

S-adenosylhomocysteine hydrolase (SAHH) polymorphism has been investigated in the Italian population. Three common alleles, SAHH*1, SAHH*2 and SAHH*3, have been observed and the estimated gene frequencies are 0.968, 0.023 and 0.009, respectively. SAHH activity has been assayed in 50 healthy individuals and the mean activity was 0.043 +/- 0.017 mumol uric acid/min/g Hb at 37 degrees C. Five heterozygotes for adenosine deaminase deficiency and three heterozygotes for purine nucleoside phosphorylase deficiency showed SAHH within the range of the normal distribution. The effects of some thiol reagents on red blood cell SAHH electrophoretic pattern have been investigated.     

Myocardial S-adenosylhomocysteine hydrolase is important for adenosine production during normoxia

The coronary vasodilator adenosine can be formed in the heart by breakdown of AMP or S-adenosylhomocysteine (SAdoHcy). The purpose of this study was to get insight into the relative importance of these routes of adenosine formation in both the normoxic and the ischemic heart. A novel HPLC method was used to determine myocardial adenosine and SAdoHcy. Accumulation of SAdoHcy was induced in isolated rat hearts by perfusion with L-homocysteine thiolactone or L-homocysteine. The release of adenosine, inosine, hypoxanthine, xanthine and uric acid was determined. Additional in vitro experiments were performed to determine the kinetic parameters of S-adenosylhomocysteine hydrolase. During normoxia the thiolactone caused a concentration-dependent increase in SAdoHcy. At 2000 microM of the thiolactone an SAdoHcy accumulation of 0.49 nmol/min per g wet weight was found during normoxia. L-Homocysteine (200 microM) caused an increase of 0.37 and 4.17 nmol SAdoHcy/min per g wet weight during normoxia and ischemia, respectively. The adenosine concentration in ischemic hearts was significantly lower when homocysteine was infused (6.2 vs. 11.5 nmol/g; P less than 0.05). Purine release was increased 4-fold during ischemia. The Km for hydrolysis of SAdoHcy was about 12 microM. At in vitro conditions favoring near-maximal SAdoHcy synthesis (72 microM adenosine, 1.8 mM homocysteine), the synthesis rate in homogenates was 10 nmol/min per g wet weight. From the combined in vitro and perfusion studies, we conclude that S-adenosylhomocysteine hydrolase can contribute significantly to adenosine production in normoxic rat heart, but not during ischemia.     

Neplanocin A. Actions on S-adenosylhomocysteine hydrolase and on hormone synthesis by GH4C1 cells

We have investigated the biochemical actions of Neplanocin A (Nepl A), a carbocyclic adenosine analog, on purified calf liver S-adenosylhomocysteine hydrolase and in the GH4C1 strain of functional rat pituitary cells. Addition of 1 mol of Nepl A/2 mol of S-adenosylhomocysteine hydrolase subunit led to rapid and complete inactivation. Concomitant with inactivation, half of the enzyme-bound NAD was reduced and adenine was released stoichiometrically from Nepl A. In GH4C1 cells Nepl A caused a dose-dependent rapid (within 5 min) and irreversible inactivation of S-adenosylhomocysteine hydrolase and concomitant increase in intracellular S-adenosylhomocysteine. In cells treated with Nepl A for 4-5 days, methylation of DNA cytosine was depressed approximately 50%, and the level of cytoplasmic prolactin mRNA was elevated 2-fold. While acute (30 min) release of prolactin from intracellular stores was unaffected, Nepl A acted in a dose- and time-dependent manner to increase the production of both prolactin and growth hormone, the two hormones synthesized and secreted by GH4C1 cells. The lowest effective dose was 0.12 microM, the concentration required to decrease S-adenosylhomocysteine hydrolase activity by 50%. By 4-7 days the production of both hormones in Nepl A-treated cells was increased 2-3 times above control. The action on hormone production persisted for at least 7 days after removal of Nepl A from the culture medium. We conclude that Nepl A inhibits S-adenosylhomocysteine hydrolase, raises cellular S-adenosylhomocysteine, decreases bulk DNA methylation, and increases hormone synthesis in GH4C1 cells.     

Differential Distribution of Purine Metabolizing Enzymes Between Glia and Neurons

Abstract: Previous studies showed that in cultured chick ciliary ganglion neurons and CNS glia, adenosine can be synthesized by hydrolysis of 5'-AMP and that the accumulation of the adenosine degradative products inosine and hypoxanthine was significantly greater in glial than in neuronal cultures. Furthermore, previous immunochemical and histochemical studies in brain showed that adenosine deaminase and nucleoside phosphorylase are localized in endothelial and glial cells but are absent in neurons; however, adenosine deaminase may be found in a few neurons in discrete brain regions. These results suggested that adenosine degradative pathways may be more active in glia. Thus, we have determined if there is a differential distribution of adenosine deaminase, nucleoside phosphorylase, and xanthlne oxidase enzyme fluxes in glia, comparing primary cultures of central and ciliary ganglion neurons and glial cells from chick embryos. Hypoxanthine-guanine phosphoribosyltransferase and production of adenosine by S-adenosylhomocysteine hydrolase activity were also examined. Our results show that there is a distinct profile of purine metabolizing enzymes for glia and neurons in culture. Both cell types have an S-adenosylhomocysteine hydrolase, but it was more active in neurons than in glia. In contrast, in glia the enzymatic activities of xanthine oxidase (443 ± 61 pmol/min/10⁷ cells), nucleoside phosphorylase (187 ± B pmol/min/10⁷ cells), and adenosine deaminase (233 ± 32 pmol/min/10⁷ cells) were more active at least 100, 20, and five times, respectively, than in ciliary ganglion neurons and 100, 100, and nine times, respectively, than in central neurons.     

Adenine nucleoside dialdehydes: potent inhibitors of bovine liver S-adenosylhomocysteine hydrolase

Various ribonucleoside 2',3'-dialdehydes, including adenosine dialdehyde, S-adenosylhomocysteine (AdoHcy) dialdehyde, and 5-(methylthio)-5'-deoxyadenosine (MTA) dialdehyde, were shown to be potent inhibitors of bovine liver AdoHcy hydrolase (EC 3.3.1.1). These ribonucleoside 2',3'-dialdehydes produce both time-dependent and concentration-dependent inactivation of the AdoHcy hydrolase. The inactivation appears to be irreversible since the enzyme activity cannot be recovered after prolonged dialysis against phosphate buffer. However, a substantial percentage of the enzyme activity could be recovered when the inactivated enzyme was dialyzed against a nitrogen buffer [e.g., tris(hydroxymethyl)aminomethane (Tris)]. This reversal of inhibition could be prevented, however, by pretreatment of the ligand-enzyme complex with sodium borohydride prior to dialysis in Tris buffer. Inclusion of substrates (e.g., adenosine or AdoHcy) afforded protection of the enzyme from the inactivation induced by the ribonucleoside 2',3'-dialdehydes. These data suggest that the bond formed between the enzyme and the inhibitor is probably a Schiff base linkage between the aldehydic functionality of the inhibitor and a protein lysinyl residue in or around the adenosine-AdoHcy binding site. When [2,8-3H]adenosine dialdehyde was used, a stoichiometry of 1.73 nmol of inhibitor bound per nmol of AdoHcy hydrolase was determined. Analysis of the kinetics of enzyme inactivation using the Ackermann-Potter approach indicates that adenosine dialdehyde is a tight-binding inhibitor, exhibiting a stoichiometry of one to two molecules of inhibitor bound to one molecule (tetramer) of enzyme and a Ki = 2.39 nM.     

Selection and characterization of a murine lymphoid cell line partially deficient in S-adenosylhomocysteine hydrolase

The exact role of S-adenosylhomocysteine hydrolase (EC 3.3.1.1) in mediating the toxic effects of adenosine toward mammalian cells has not been ascertained. The selection and characterization of S-adenosylhomocysteine hydrolase-deficient cell lines offers a biochemical genetic approach to this problem. In the present experiments, a mutant clone (Sahn 12) with 11-13% of wild-type S-adenosylhomocysteine hydrolase activity was selected from the murine T lymphoma cell line R 1.1 after mutagenesis and culture in adenosine, deoxycoformycin, uridine and homocysteine thiolactone-supplemented medium. In the presence of 0.5 mM homocysteine thiolactone and 10-200 microM adenosine, wild-type and mutant cells synthesized S-adenosylhomocysteine intracellularly at markedly different rates, and excreted the compound extracellularly. Thus, at time points up to 10 h, the S-adenosylhomocysteine hydrolase-deficient lymphoblasts required 5-10-fold higher concentrations of adenosine in the medium to achieve the same intracellular S-adenosylhomocysteine levels as wild-type cells. Similarly, the Sahn 12 lymphoblasts were 5-10-fold more resistant than R 1.1 cells to the toxic effects of adenosine plus homocysteine thiolactone. These results establish that (i) 11-13% of wild-type S-adenosylhomocysteine hydrolase activity is compatible with normal growth, (ii) in medium supplemented with both adenosine and homocysteine thiolactone, intracellular S-adenosylhomocysteine is synthesized by S-adenosylhomocysteine hydrolase, (iii) the net intracellular level of S-adenosylhomocysteine is determined by both the rate of S-adenosylhomocysteine synthesis and its rate of excretion, (iv) under such conditions the accumulation of S-adenosylhomocysteine is related to cytotoxicity, (v) in the absence of an exogenous homocysteine source, S-adenosylhomocysteine derives from endogenous sources, and the accumulation of S-adenosylhomocysteine is not the primary cause of adenosine induced cytotoxicity.     

Folic acid deaminase activity during development in Dictyostelium discoideum.

Folic acid attracts vegetative amoebae of Dictyostelium discoideum. Secreted by bacteria, it may act as a food-seeking device. The inactivation of this attractant is catalyzed by a deaminase. As assay has been developed to measure the folic acid deaminase activity. In addition to cell-surface an intracellular deaminase, the amoebae of D. discoideum release the enzyme into the medium. The pH optimum of the extracellular enzyme was 6.0, and higher for the cell-associated deaminases. The extracellular enzyme was secreted maximally by vegetative amoebae, and its activity diminished during cell differentiation. The cell-surface bound enzyme was less active than the extracellular enzyme, and its activity decreased twofold during a 6-h starvation period. The enzyme activity of homogenates and 48,000 x g pellets diminished during this period 35 to 40%. The supernatant of a homogenate had a higher deaminase activity than the homogenate itself or its pellet; this suggests the presence of an inhibitor in the particulate fraction. The underlying mechanism for inactivation of folic acid has similar characteristics as that for inactivation of cyclic adenosine monophosphate.     

Role of S-adenosylhomocysteine hydrolase in adenosine metabolism in mammalian heart.

S-Adenosylhomocysteine hydrolase of mammalian hearts from different species is exclusively a cytosolic enzyme. The apparent Km for the guinea-pig enzyme was 2.9 microM (synthesis) and 0.39 microM (hydrolysis). Perfusion of isolated guinea-pig hearts for 120 min with L-homocysteine thiolactone (0.23 mM) and adenosine (0.1 mM), in the presence of erythro-9-(2-hydroxynon-3-yl)adenine to inhibit adenosine deaminase, caused tissue contents of S-adenosylhomocysteine to increase from 3.5 to 3600 nmol/g. When endogenous adenosine production was accelerated by perfusion of hearts with hypoxic medium (30% O2), L-homocysteine thiolactone (0.23 mM) increased S-adenosyl-homocysteine 17-fold to 64.3 nmol/g within 15 min. In the presence of 4-nitro-benzylthioinosine (5 microM), an inhibitor of adenosine transport, S-adenosylhomocysteine further increased to 150 nmol/g. L-Homocysteine thiolactone decreased the hypoxia-induced augmentation of adenosine, inosine and hypoxanthine in the tissue and the release of these purines into the coronary system by more than 50%. Our findings indicate that L-homocysteine can profoundly alter adenosine metabolism in the intact heart by conversion of adenosine into S-adenosylhomocysteine. Adenosine formed during hypoxia was most probably generated within the myocardial cell.     

Basis for resistance to 3-deazaaristeromycin, an inhibitor of S-adenosylhomocysteine hydrolase, in human B-lymphoblasts

Clones resistant to 3-deazaaristeromycin, a potent inhibitor of S-adenosylhomocysteine hydrolase, were selected from a nucleoside kinase-deficient derivative of the WIL-2 human B-lymphoblastoid cell line. The resistant clones took up 3-deazaaristeromycin and showed no alteration in the level of S-adenosylhomocysteine hydrolase activity or in the sensitivity of the enzyme to inhibition by 3-deazaaristeromycin. However, they displayed markedly elevated S-adenosylmethionine content during growth in 3-deazaaristeromycin and, following prolonged selection, enhanced export of S-adenosylhomocysteine. As a result they maintained a high ratio of S-adenosylmethionine to S-adenosylhomocysteine and thus were resistant to the inhibition of S-adenosylmethionine turnover and transmethylation caused by 3-deazaaristeromycin. Expanded S-adenosylmethionine pools declined over several weeks of nonselective growth, suggesting a metabolic adaptation rather than a mutational mechanism. No alterations in S-adenosylmethionine synthetase activity were found in the 3-deazaaristeromycin-resistant clones. S-Adenosylhomocysteine export appeared to be carrier-mediated and largely unidirectional. The resistant clones showed a 5-fold increased rate of S-adenosylhomocysteine export compared with parental cells, but a similar Km for intracellular S-adenosylhomocysteine, estimated to be approximately 1 mM. Our results highlight the opposing effects of S-adenosylmethionine and S-adenosylhomocysteine on transmethylation and suggest that the ability to elevate S-adenosylmethionine pools and to export S-adenosylhomocysteine may provide for homeostatic control of transmethylation in lymphoid cells when S-adenosylhomocysteine hydrolase activity is limited.     

Chemical modification of S-adenosylhomocysteinase by a water-soluble carbodiimide

S-Adenosylhomocysteinase (EC 3.3.1.1) from rat liver is inactivated by 1-cyclohexyl-3-(2-morpholinoethyl)carbodiimide metho-p-toluenesulfonate (CMC) in a pseudo-first-order fashion. The rate of inactivation is linearly related to the concentration of the reagent, and a second-order rate constant of 4.94 +/- 0.27 M-1 min-1 is obtained at pH 5.5 and 25 degrees C. The inactivation does not involve change in the quaternary structure of the enzyme nor modification or release of the enzyme-bound NAD. Lack of modification at tyrosine, serine, cysteine, histidine, and lysine residues and the fact that the inactivation is favored at low pH suggest that the inactivation is caused by the modification of a carboxyl group. Statistical analysis of the relationship between the residual enzyme activity and the extent of modification, and comparison of the number of residues modified in the presence and absence of the substrate adenosine show that, among four reactive residues per enzyme subunit, only one residue which reacts more rapidly with the reagent than the rest is critical for activity. The CMC-modified enzyme binds adenosine and S-adenosylhomocysteine and is able to oxidize the 3' hydroxyl of these substrates, but apparently fails to catalyze the abstraction of the 4' proton of adenosine.     

Twenty-four-hour changes of S-adenosylmethionine, S-adenosylhomocysteine adenosine and their metabolizing enzymes in rat liver; possible physiological significance in phospholipid methylation.

1. The metabolic control of adenosine concentration in the rat liver through the 24-hr cycle is related to the activity of adenosine-metabolizing enzymes [5'-nucleotidase (5'N), adenosine deaminase (A.D.), adenosine kinase (A.K.) and S-adenosylhomocysteine hydrolase (SAH-H)]. 2. Two peaks of adenosine were observed, one at 12:00 hr caused by high activity of 5'N and SAH-H, and the other at 02:00 hr, caused by a decrease in purine catabolism and purine utilization, low activity of SAH-H and de novo purine formation. 3. The similarity of the adenosine and S-adenosylmethionine (SAM) profiles through the 24-hr cycle suggests a role of adenosine in transmethylation reactions, because, during the night (02:00 hr), the metabolic conditions favor the formation and accumulation of S-adenosylhomocysteine (SAH), with consequent inhibition of transmethylation reactions. 4. In the 24-hr variation of phosphatidylcholine (PC) and phosphatidylethanolamine (PE), the lowest ratio of PC/PE was observed at 24:00-02:00 hr when SAH concentration is high, whereas the highest PC/PE ratio occurs at the same time as one of the SAM/SAH ratio maxima.     

Metabolism of S-adenosylhomocysteine and S-tubercidinylhomocysteine in neuroblastoma cells.

The metabolism of the methylase product inhibitor S-adenosylhomocysteine and its 7-deaza analogue S-tubercidinylhomocysteine has been studied in cultured N-18 neuroblastoma cells. The latter compound, designed to resist metabolic degradation, has been shown to be inert under the same conditions where S-adenosylhomocysteine is rapidly and extensively degraded. The product analyses elucidated by high-performance liquid chromatography indicate that the primary route of S-[8-(14)C]adenosylhomocysteine metabolism in these cells leads to adenosine. This product does not accumulate but is rapidly converted to nucleotides or oxypurines by the action of adenosine kinase and adenosine deaminase, respectively. The presence of the potent adenosine deaminase inhibitor coformycin leads to a pronounced inhibition of oxypurine formation, an increase in nucleotide formation, and a slight accumulation of the primary metabolic products adenosine and adenine.     

Partial purification and characterization of S-adenosylhomocysteine hydrolase isolated from Saccharomyces cerevisiae

S-Adenosylhomocysteine (SAH) hydrolase was purified 25-fold from bakers' yeast by chemical methods and column chromatography. The purified enzyme could readily synthesize SAH from adenosine and homocysteine, but could hydrolyze only negligible amounts of SAH. The purified enzyme showed no activity towards S-adenosylmethionine, methylthioadenosine, or adenosine. Several nucleotides, sulfhydryl compounds, and ribose could not replace adenosine or homocysteine in the reaction mixture. SAH could be hydrolyzed by SAH hydrolase if commercial adenosine deaminase was included in the reaction mixture. Under these conditions l-homocysteine could act as a product inhibitor. A number of compounds structurally similar to adenosine and homocysteine were found to inhibit synthesis of SAH from adenosine and homocysteine. The strongest inhibitors were adenine, adenosine-3'-monophosphate, adenosine-2'-monophosphate, adenosine diphosphate, adenosine triphosphate, and adenosine-5'-monophosphate. The biosynthetic and hydrolytic activity of SAH hydrolase in yeast cell ghosts was similar to the activity of the enzyme in vitro.     

Studies of new intracellular proteases in various organs of rats. Participation of proteases in degradation of ornithine aminotransferase in vitro and in vivo.

Homogenates of the muscle layer of rat small intestine irreversibly inactivated endogenous ornithine aminotransferase at 37 degrees C. Addition to the homogenate of coenzymes and the various keto-acids which act as substrate inhibited conversion of the holoenzyme to the apoenzyme and its subsequent degradation. Addition of protease inhibitors including soybean trypsin inhibitor, chymostatin and phenylmethylsulfonyl fluoride almost completely prevented inactivation of he enzyme. Immunological activity decreased during inactivation of the enzyme, but its rate of decrease was much slower than that of loss of enzyme activity. Antigen-antibody precipitates from homogenates containing inactivated enzyme, were separated by electrophoresis on sodium dodecylsulfate-polyacrylamide gels. In this way breakdown products of the enzyme were found, indicating that the enzyme in homogenates was inactivated by limited proteolysis. These results obtained in vitro support our previous suggestion (1975) of a stepwise mechanism for degradation of pyridoxal enzymes.     

Role of S-adenosylhomocysteine hydrolase in adenosine-induced apoptosis in HepG2 cells

Adenosine has been shown to initiate apoptosis through different mechanisms: (i) activation of adenosine receptors, (ii) intracellular conversion to AMP and stimulation of AMP-activated kinase, (iii) conversion to S-adenosylhomocysteine (AdoHcy), which is an inhibitor of S-adenosylmethionine (AdoMet)-dependent methyltransferases. Since the pathways involved are still not completely understood, we further investigated the role of AdoHcy hydrolase in adenosine-induced apoptosis. In HepG2 cells, adenosine induced caspase-like activity and DNA fragmentation, a marker of apoptosis. These effects were potentiated by co-incubation with homocysteine or adenosine deaminase inhibitor, pentostatin, and were mimicked by inhibition of AdoHcy hydrolase by adenosine-2',3'-dialdehyde (Adox). Adenosine-induced effects were significantly inhibited by dipyridamole, an inhibitor of adenosine transporter, whereas inhibitors of adenosine kinase did not affect adenosine-induced changes. Various adenosine receptor agonists and AICAR, an activator of AMP-activated kinase, did not mimic the effect of adenosine. Thus, adenosine-induced apoptosis is likely due to intracellular action of AdoHcy and independent of AMP-activated kinase and adenosine receptors. Because elevated AdoHcy levels are associated with reduced mRNA methylation, we studied mRNA expression in Adox-treated cells by microarray analysis. Since several p53-target genes and other apoptosis-related genes were up-regulated by Adox, we conclude that AdoHcy is involved in adenosine-induced apoptosis by altering gene expression.     

Purification and characterization of S-adenosylhomocysteine deaminase from streptonigrin-producing Streptomyces flocculus.

An S-adenosylhomocysteine deaminase has been isolated and purified from streptonigrin-producing Streptomyces flocculus ATCC 13257. Deamination represents the major metabolic route of S-adenosylhomocysteine in this organism. The protein was found to be monomeric with a molecular weight of 56,100 +/- 1,600. The activity was optimal at pH 7.0 and 37 degrees C, and the deaminase was inactivated by p-chloromercuribenzoate but not by metal chelators. The Km for S-adenosylhomocysteine is 2.5 mM, and the Ki for inhibition by deoxycoformycin is 1.6 nM.     

Effects of adenosine deaminase on cyclic adenosine monophosphate accumulation, lipolysis, and glucose metabolism of fat cells.

In fat cells isolated from the parametrial adipose tissue of rats, the addition of purified adenosine deaminase increased lipolysis and cyclic adenosine 3':5'-monophosphate (cyclic AMP) accumulation. Adenosine deaminase markedly potentiated cyclic AMP accumulation due to norepinephrine. The increase in cyclic AMP due to adenosine deaminase was as rapid as that of theophylline with near maximal effects seen after only a 20-sec incubation. The increases in cyclic AMP due to crystalline adenosine deaminase from intestinal mucosa were seen at concentrations as low as 0.05 mug per ml. Further purification of the crystalline enzyme preparation by Sephadex G-100 chromatography increased both adenosine deaminase activity and cyclic AMP accumulation by fat cells. The effects of adenosine deaminase on fat cell metabolism were reversed by the addition of low concentrations of N6-(phenylisopropyl)adenosine, an analog of adenosine which is not deaminated. The effects of adenosine deaminase on cyclic AMP accumulation were blocked by coformycin which is a potent inhibitor of the enzyme. These findings suggest that deamination of adenosine is responsible for the observed effects of adenosine deaminase preparations. Protein kinase activity of fat cell homogenates was unaffected by adenosine or N6-(phenylisopropyl)adenosine. Norepinephrine-activated adenylate cyclase activity of fat cell ghosts was not inhibited by N6-(phenylisopropyl)adenosine. Adenosine deaminase did not alter basal or norepinephrine-activated adenylate cyclase activity. Cyclic AMP phosphodiesterase activity of fat cell ghosts was also unaffected by adenosine deaminase. Basal and insulin-stimulated glucose oxidation were little affected by adenosine deaminase. However, the addition of adenosine deaminase to fat cells incubated with 1.5 muM norepinephrine abolished the antilipolytic action of insulin and markedly reduced the increase in glucose oxidation due to insulin. These effects were reversed by N6-(phenylisopropyl)adenosine. Phenylisopropyl adenosine did not affect insulin action during a 1-hour incubation. If fat cells were incubated for 2 hours with phenylisopropyl adenosine prior to the addition of insulin for 1 hour there was a marked potentiation of insulin action. The potentiation of insulin action by prior incubation with phenylisopropyl adenosine was not unique as prostaglandin E1, and nicotinic acid had similar effects.     

The mechanism of inhibition of Alcaligenes faecalis S-adenosylhomocysteine hydrolase by neplanocin A

Neplanocin A, a cyclopentenyl analog of adenosine, has been reported by S. Yaginuma, N. Muto, M. Tsujino, Y. Sudate, M. Hayashi, and M. Otari (1981) J. Antibiot. 34, 359-366 to exhibit antibacterial activity against Alcaligenes faecalis. Since neplanocin A (NpcA) is a known inhibitor of eukaryotic S-adenosylhomocysteine (AdoHcy) hydrolase (EC 3.3.1.1) (R. T. Borchardt, B. T. Keller, and U. Patel-Thombre (1984) J. Biol. Chem. 259, 4353-4358), the present study was undertaken to determine the effects of this carbocyclic nucleoside on AdoHcy hydrolase isolated from a prokaryotic source (A. faecalis). AdoHcy hydrolase was purified to homogeneity by affinity chromatography on an AdoHcy-agarose matrix from A. faecalis. Neplanocin A inactivated the purified AdoHcy hydrolase in a time- and concentration-dependent manner and the enzyme activity could not be recovered by dialysis. The inactivation of this bacterial enzyme by neplanocin A is accompanied by a reduction of three of the six enzyme-bound NAD+s to NADHs. These results suggest that the prokaryotic enzyme, like the eukaryotic AdoHcy hydrolase, is susceptible to inhibition by neplanocin A. The mechanism of inactivation in both cases appears to be a Kcat mechanism involving the reduction of the enzyme-bound NAD+ to NADH. The fact that total inhibition of the prokaryotic AdoHcy hydrolase by NpcA results in a reduction of only three of the six enzyme-bound NAD+s to NADHs suggests that the enzyme shows half-site reactivity (i.e., only three of the six subunits are catalytically active).     

Oxidative inactivation of an extramitochondrial acetyl-CoA hydrolase by autoxidation of L-ascorbic acid

The activity of acetyl-CoA hydrolase (dimeric form) purified from the supernatant fraction of rat liver was shown to have a half-life (t1/2) of 3 min at 0 degree C, but to stable at 37 degrees C (t1/2 = 34 h) [Isohashi, F., Nakanishi, Y. & Sakamoto, Y. (1983) Biochemistry 22, 584-590]. Incubation of the purified enzyme with L-ascorbic acid (AsA) at 37 degrees C resulted in inactivation of the enzyme (t1/2 = 90 min at 2 mM AsA). The extent of inactivation was greatly enhanced by addition of transition metal ions (Cu2+, Fe2+, and Fe3+). Thiol reducing agents, such as reduced glutathione and DL-dithiothreitol, protected the hydrolase from inactivation by AsA. However, these materials did not restore the catalytic activity of the enzyme inactivated by AsA. When AsA solution containing Cu2+ was preincubated under aerobic conditions at 37 degrees C for various times in the absence of enzyme, and then aliquots were incubated with the enzyme solution for 20 min, remaining activity was found to decrease with increase in the preincubation time, reaching a minimum at 60 min. However, further preincubation reduced the potential for inactivation. Catalase, a hydrogen peroxide (H2O2) scavenger, almost completely prevented inactivation of the enzyme by AsA plus Cu2+. Superoxide dismutase and tiron, which are both superoxide (O2-) scavengers, also prevented inactivation of the enzyme. A high concentration of mannitol, a hydroxyl radical (OH) scavenger, partially protected the enzyme from inactivation. These results suggest that inactivation of the enzyme by AsA in the presence of Cu2+ was due to the effect of active oxygen species (H2O2, O2-, OH) that are known to be autoxidation products of AsA. Valeryl-CoA, a competitive inhibitor of acetyl-CoA hydrolase, greatly protected the enzyme from inactivation by AsA plus Cu2+, but ATP and ADP, which are both effectors of this enzyme, had only slight protective effects. These results suggest that inactivation of this enzyme by addition of AsA plus Cu2+ was mainly due to attack on its active site.