Micro-spatial population differentiation in activity of glycerol-3-phosphate oxidase (GPO) from mitochondria of Drosophila melanogaster

Replicate mass-bred laboratory populations of D. melanogaster were derived from females collected in the Tahbilk winery cellar and from females collected outside but from within two kilometres of the cellar. When mitochondrial extracts from larvae were assayed for specific activity of glycerol-3-phosphate oxidase the cellar populations had levels only 50% of those from the outside area, confirming an earlier report of such a difference among isofemale lines derived from these same areas. This micro-spatial differentiation occurred when larvae were raised on a medium supplemented with both sucrose (5% w/v) and ethanol (4% v/v), known to effect high GPO activity, but was not detected when the larvae were raised on unsupplemented medium.A heritable basis for larval GPO activity variation was confirmed in a set of 32 isogenic second chromosome substitution lines and measured in a subset of 4 of these lines about 25 generations later. A reciprocal cross using two isogenic substitution lines with the highest and lowest activities suggested the difference was attributable to genes acting additively and that there were no maternal or paternal effects. The detection of a collection site difference in GPO enzyme activity in the isogenic lines suggests that polymorphic variation on the second chromosome is responsible for the differentiation at the winery.Variation in adult GPO activity did not show a dependence on the winery location from where the isogenic lines were derived nor was there an effect of line. Adult GPO activity was significantly higher than that detected in larval tissues and did not show a dependence on the sugar/ethanol level in the growth medium.     

Restriction enzyme digestion of heterochromatin inDrosophila nasuta

In situ digestion of metaphase and polytene chromosomes and of interphase nuclei in different cell types ofDrosophila nasuta with restriction enzymes revealed that enzymes like AluI, EcoRI, HaeIII, Sau3a and SinI did not affect Giemsa-stainability of heterochromatin while that of euchromatin was significantly reduced; TaqI and SalI digested both heterochromatin and euchromatin in mitotic chromosomes. Digestion of genomic DNA with AluI, EcoRI, HaeIII, Sau3a and KpnI left a 23 kb DNA band undigested in agarose gels while withTaqI, no such undigested band was seen. TheAluI resistant 23 kb DNA hybridized insitu specifically with the heterochromatic chromocentre. It appears that the digestibility of heterochromatin region in genome ofDrosophila nasuta with the tested restriction enzymes is dependent on the availability of their recognition sites.     

Effect of hibernation, thyroid hormones and dexamethasone on cytosolic and mitochondrial glycerol-3-phosphate dehydrogenase from jerboa (Jaculus orientalis)

Tissue distribution of the cytosolic and mitochondrial glycerol-3-phosphate dehydrogenase (cGPDH and mGPDH) activities in jerboa (Jaculus orientalis), a hibernator, shows the highest level of enzyme activity in skeletal muscle and brown adipose tissue, respectively. The effect of hibernation on cGPDH indicates an increase of activity in all tissues examined. In contrast, hibernation decreases mGPDH activity in all tissues, except skeletal muscle. The effect of thyroid hormones on GPDH activity was tissue specific: in kidneys, cGPDH activity doubled in euthermic jerboas treated with T4. In contrast, 6-n-propyl-2-thiouracil treatment provokes an increase of enzyme activity in brown adipose tissue, liver and brain. T4 treatment leads to a 2.7-fold increase in liver mGPDH activity. 6-n-propyl-2-thiouracil treatment decreases mGPDH activity in the skeletal muscle whereas the opposite effect was observed in brain. Dexamethasone stimulates cGPDH in all tissues examined, except skeletal muscle and kidneys. In the case of mGPDH activity, this increase was observed only for brown adipose tissue and brain. Our results suggest that hibernation, thyroid hormones and dexamethasone probably play a role in the regulation of cGPDH and mGPDH activities in jerboa. Our findings confirm that these enzymes are involved in metabolic adaptation to thermal stress in Jaculus orientalis.     

Purification and characterization of cytosolic glycerol-3-phosphate dehydrogenase from skeletal muscle of jerboa (Jaculus orientalis)

Cytosolic glycerol-3-phosphate dehydrogenase was purified from jerboa (Jaculus orientalis) skeletal muscle and its physical and kinetic properties investigated. The purification method consisted of a multi-step procedure and this procedure is presented. The specific activity of the purified enzyme is 53.6 U/mg of protein, representing a 77-fold increase in specific activity. The apparent Michaelis constant (K_m) for dihydroxyacetone is 137.39 (± 25.56) M whereas the K_m for glycerol-3-phosphate is 468.66 (±27.59) M. The kinetic mechanism of purified enzyme is ordered Bi-Bi and this result is confirmed by the product inhibition pattern. Under the conditions of assay, the pH optimum occurs at pH 7.7 for the reduction of dihydroxyacetone phosphate and at pH 9.0 for glycerol-3-phosphate oxidation. In the direction of dihydroxyacetone phosphate, the optimal temperature is 35°C. The molecular weight of the purified enzyme determined by sodium dodecyl sulfate-polyacrylamide gel electrophoresis is 33,000 (±1,000), whereas non-denaturing polyacrylamide gel yields a molecular weight of 72,000 (±2,000), suggesting that the enzyme may exist as a dimer. A polyclonal antiserum raised against the purified enzyme was used to localize the enzyme in different jerboa tissues by Western blot method. The purified enzyme is sensitive to N-ethylmaleimide, and incubation of the enzyme with 20 mm N-ethylmaleimide resulted in a complete loss of catalytic activity. The purified enzyme is inhibited by several metal ions including Zn²⁺ and by 2,4-dichlorophenoxyacetic acid.     

Associations of esterase 6 allozyme and activity variation with reproductive fitness inDrosophila melanogaster

Previous studies have shown that the esterase 6 (EST6) enzyme ofD. melanogaster is mainly produced in the sperm ejaculatory duct of the adult male and comparisons of wild-type males with laboratory null mutants have suggested that the enzyme plays a role in reproductive fitness. In this study we have compared 18 field-derived lines each isoallelic forEst6 for differences in five components of male reproductive fitness. No consistent fitness differences were found among lines differing in respect of the two major allozyme classes EST6-F and EST6-S, despite other evidence that these two classes are not selectively equivalent in the field. However, differences in reproductive fitness were found among lines differing in the minor mobility variants that segregate within EST6-F and EST6-S. A failure to distinguish among these minor forms may explain the discrepancies in previous studies on the effects of the major EST6 allozymes on reproductive fitness. The most significant associations we have found between EST6 and reproductive fitness were due to variation in EST6 activity levels. Male EST6 activity levels were found to be positively correlated with their time to first mating, negatively correlated with the numbers of eggs laid and progeny produced by their mates, and negatively correlated with the frequency with which their mates remate. We conclude that some EST6 variants differ in components of male reproductive fitness operative in laboratory cultures. However, the evidence for fitness differences is stronger for variants affecting the amount, rather than the structure of the enzyme, and the direction of the differences varies between some of the fitness components tested.     

Glycerol-3-phosphate dehydrogenase (G-3-PDH; EC 1.1.1.8) variation in Brazilian stingless bees and in wasp species

In only 1 bee species(Tetragona clavipes) of 24 sampled in 145 colonies (0.69%) did we detect the presence of more than one allele for glycerol-3-phosphate dehydrogenase (EC 1.1.1.8), an enzyme that is involved in flight. In 34 colonies containing 9 wasp species, 5 colonies of only 2 species(Polybia paulista andP. sericea) showed variation in larval G-3-PDH (14.7%). The small amount of variation observed for theG-3-PDH-1 locus in the bee and wasp species analyzed in the present study agrees with that reported for the G-3-PDH system in other insects.Research supported by FAPESP and CNPq-PIG IV.     

The expression of human glycerol-3-phosphate dehydrogenase in human/rodent somatic-cell hybrids

Our previous studies using rodent/human somatic-cell hybrids suggested that the expression of human mitochondrial glycerol-3-phosphate dehydrogenase (GPDM) is dependent on the presence of human mitochondria. This has now been tested directly by analysis of GPDM activity in a series of nine hybrid-cell lines, four segregating human chromosomes and five losing rodent chromosomes (reverse segregants). The chromosome composition of the hybrids was deduced from analysis of biochemical markers and examination of G- and G11-banded metaphase spreads and the mitochondrial content was determined by Southern blot analysis, using cloned mouse and human mtDNA sequences as probes. We found that the mtDNA species present in these hybrids correlated exactly with the pattern of chromosome segregation such that the conventional hybrids contained rodent mtDNA and the reverse segregants human mtDNA. However, the pattern of GPDM expression was not directly correlated with the species of chromosomes or mitochondria present: all the hybrids showed strong rodem GPDM activity and two from each class of hybrid also showed human GPDM activity but the other hybrids were negative for human GPDM. We conclude that rodent GPDM readily integrates into human mitochondria, that the expression of rodent GPDM is not dependent on the presence of rodent mitochondria, and that GPDM is not coded by mtDNA. Human GPDM either is not capable of being inserted into the rodent mitochondrial membrane or is regulated in some way in the hybrid cells by an unidentified rodent factor.     

Cloning and sequence analysis of the glyceraldehyde-3-phosphate dehydrogenase gene from the zygomycetes fungus Rhizomucor miehei

Rhizomucor miehei is important from a biotechnological aspect in consequence of its content of aspartic proteinase, which has high milk-clotting activity. A genomic library of R. miehei NRRL 5901 has been constructed in a phage (Lambda Fix II) vector. The glyceraldehyde-3-phosphate dehydrogenase (gpd) gene was isolated from this library by hybridization of the recombinant phage clones with a gpd-specific gene probe generated by polymerase chain reaction. The complete nucleotide sequence encodes a putative polypeptide chain of 336 amino acids interrupted by 5 introns. The predicted amino acid sequence of this gene shows a high degree of sequence similarity to the glyceraldehyde-3-phosphate dehydrogenase proteins from yeast and filamentous fungi. The promoter region, containing a consensus TATA box, and 246-bp downstream from the putative stop codon were also determined. The possibility of using the gpd promoter in the construction of new transformation vectors is discussed.     

Neuronal uptake and metabolism of glycerol and the neuronal expression of mitochondrial glycerol-3-phosphate dehydrogenase

Glycerol is effective in the treatment of brain oedema but it is unclear if this is due solely to osmotic effects of glycerol or whether the brain may metabolize glycerol. We found that intracerebral injection of [14C]glycerol in rat gave a higher specific activity of glutamate than of glutamine, indicating neuronal metabolism of glycerol. Interestingly, the specific activity of GABA became higher than that of glutamate. NMR spectroscopy of brains of mice given 150 micromol [U-13C]glycerol (0.5 m i.v.) confirmed this predominant labelling of GABA, indicating avid glycerol metabolism in GABAergic neurones. Uptake of [14C]glycerol into cultured cerebellar granule cells was inhibited by Hg2+, suggesting uptake through aquaporins, whereas Hg2+ stimulated glycerol uptake into cultured astrocytes. The neuronal metabolism of glycerol, which was confirmed in experiments with purified synaptosomes and cultured cerebellar granule cells, suggested neuronal expression of glycerol kinase and some isoform of glycerol-3-phosphate dehydrogenase. Histochemically, we demonstrated mitochondrial glycerol-3-phosphate dehydrogenase in neurones, whereas cytosolic glycerol-3-phosphate dehydrogenase was three to four times more active in white matter than in grey matter, reflecting its selective expression in oligodendroglia. The localization of mitochondrial and cytosolic glycerol-3-phosphate dehydrogenases in different cell types implies that the glycerol-3-phosphate shuttle is of little importance in the brain.     

Sequence and evolution of the Drosophila pseudoobscura glycerol-3-phosphate dehydrogenase locus

The Gpdh genomic region has been cloned and sequenced in Drosophila pseudoobscura. A total of 6.8 kb of sequence was obtained, encompassing all eight exons of the gene. The exons have been aligned with the sequence from D. melanogaster, and the rates of synonymous and nonsynonymous substitution have been compared to those of other genes sequenced in these two species. Gpdh has the lowest rate of nonsynonymous substitution yet seen in genes sequenced in both D. pseudoobscura and D. melanogaster. No insertion/deletion events were observed, and the overall architecture of the gene (i.e., intron sites, etc.) is conserved. An interesting amino acid reversal was noted between the D. melanogaster Fast allele and the D. pseudoobscura gene.     

Cloning and characterisation of the glyceraldehyde 3-phosphate dehydrogenase gene of Candida bombicola and use of its promoter

The glyceraldehyde-3-phosphate dehydrogenase gene (GPD) of the sophorolipid producing yeast Candida bombicola was isolated using degenerated PCR and genome walking. The obtained 3,740 bp contain the 1,008 bases of the coding sequence and 1,613 and 783 bp of the upstream and downstream regions, respectively. The corresponding protein shows high homology to the other known GPD genes and is 74% identical to the gyceraldehyde-3-phosphate dehydrogenase of Yarrowia lipolytica. The particular interest in the C. bombicola GPD gene sequence originates from the potential use of its promoter for high and constitutive expression of homologous and heterologous genes. Southern blot analysis did not give any indication for the presence of multiple GPD genes and it can therefore be expected that the promoter can be used for efficient and high expression. This hypothesis was further confirmed by the biased codon usage in the GPD gene. GDP promoter fragments of different lengths were used to construct hygromycin resistance cassettes. The constructs were used for the transformation of C. bombicola and all of them, even the ones with only 190 bp of the GPD promoter, were able to render the cells resistant to hygromycin. The efficacy of a short GPD promoter can be a convenient characteristic for the construction of compact expression cassettes or vectors for C. bombicola. The GenBank accession number of the sequence described in this article is EU315245.     

Sevoflurane modulates the activity of glyceraldehyde 3-phosphate dehydrogenase

The mechanism of inhalation anesthesia remains to be fully elucidated. While certain neuronal membrane proteins are considered sites of action, cytosolic proteins may also be targets. We hypothesize that inhaled anesthetics may act via glyceraldehyde 3-phosphate dehydrogenase (GAPDH), which has recently been shown to participate in neuronal inhibition. We examined the effects of sevoflurane, a halogenated ether anesthetic, on the catalytic and fluorescence properties of GAPDH. Initial rates of oxidoreductase activity decreased approximately 30% at saturating levels of sevoflurane. NADH-stimulated oxidoreductase activity (25 μM NADH; 0.8 mM NAD⁺) increased with sevoflurane. Sevoflurane quenched tryptophan fluorescence emission and increased polarization. Additionally, sevoflurane increased the susceptibility of GAPDH to thermal denaturation suggesting an effect on conformation. Our findings warrant further research on sevoflurane's effect on GAPDH and indicate that this approach may lead to delineation of a novel contribution to the mechanism of anesthesia.     

Characterization of the glyceraldehyde 3-phosphate dehydrogenase from the extremely halophilic archaebacterium Haloarcula vallismortis

Glyceraldehyde 3-phosphate dehydrogenase (EC 1.2.1.12) from the extremely halophilic archaebacterium Haloarcula vallismortis has been purified in a four step procedure to electrophoretic homogeneity. The enzyme is a tetramer with a relative molecular mass of 160000. It is strictly NAD⁺-dependent and exhibits its highest activity in 2 mol/l KCl at 45°C. Amino acid analysis and isoelectric focusing indicate an excess of acidic amino acids. Two parts of the primary sequence are reported. These peptides have been compared with glyceraldehyde 3-phosphate dehydrogenases from other archaebacteria, eubacteria and eucaryotes. The peptides show a high grade of similarity to glyceraldehyde 3-phosphate dehydrogenase from eucaryotes.Abbreviations BCA bicinchoninic acid - CTAB cetyltrimethyl ammonium bromide - DTE dithioerythritol - DTT dithiothreitol - GAP glyccraldehyde 3-phosphate - GAPDH glyceraldehyde 3-phosphate dehydrogenase     

Chromosomal effects on peptidase activities inDrosophila melanogaster

The peptidase system inDrosophila melanogaster (dipeptidase-A, -B, and -C and leucine aminopeptidases G and P) was used as a model to study the effects of modifier genes on activity of enzymes with similar functions. A screen of X, second, and third chromosome substitution isogenic lines revealed the presence of activity modifiers for peptidases on all three chromosomes. Correlation analyses indicated that covariation between some of the peptidase activities is independent of genetic background, while others are associated with variable second chromosomes. Chromosome-specific effects onK _m ,V _max, and specific activity of partially purified peptidases were also detected. Moreover, a repeatable technique using anion-exchange column chromatography allowed the characterization of possibly two putative peptidic enzymes, glycyl-l-isoleucine-ase andl-leucyl-l-proline-ase, whose kinetic properties differ from the dipeptidases and the leucine aminopeptidases. These findings confirm the existence of activity modifiers for peptidases, much like other enzymes inDrosophila melanogaster. These studies were supported by grants from the National Institutes of Health (GM42-115-01A1), the Whitaker Foundation of the Research Corporation (C-2560), and the National Science Foundation (USE 8951018) to Kazuo Hiraizumi.     

Cloning and characterization of a NAD+-dependent glycerol-3-phosphate dehydrogenase gene from Candida glycerinogenes, an industrial glycerol producer

The osmotolerant yeast Candida glycerinogenes produces glycerol as a major metabolite on an industrial scale, but the underlying molecular mechanisms are poorly understood. We cloned and characterized a 4900-bp genomic fragment containing the CgGPD gene encoding a glycerol-3-phosphate dehydrogenase homologous to GPD genes in other yeasts using degenerate primers in conjunction with inverse PCR. Sequence analysis revealed a 1167-bp open reading frame encoding a putative peptide of 388 deduced amino acids with a molecular mass of 42 695 Da. The CgGPD gene consisted of an N-terminal NAD⁺-binding domain and a central catalytic domain, whereas seven stress response elements were found in the upstream region. Functional analysis revealed that Saccharomyces cerevisiae gpd1 Δ and gpd1 Δ/ gpd2 Δ osmosensitive mutants transformed with CgGPD were restored to the wild-type phenotype when cultured in high osmolarity media, suggesting that it is a functional GPD protein. Transformants also accumulated glycerol intracellularly and GPD-specific activity increased significantly when stressed with NaCl, whereas the S. cerevisiae mutants transformed with the empty plasmid showed only slight increases. The full-length CgGPD gene sequence including upstream and downstream regions has been deposited in GenBank under accession no. EU186536 .     

An inherited variant of mouse sn-glycerol-3-phosphate dehydrogenase detected by isoelectric focusing: Genetical and biochemical analyses

An electrophoretically detectable mutant of sn-glycerol-3-phosphate dehydrogenase (GPDH) has been found in the offspring of 1-ethyl-1-nitrosourea-treated mice. The banding alteration was detected by isoelectric focusing (IEF) of crude liver extract on polyacrylamide gels. The GPDH alteration is not organ specific. The mutant protein is more positively charged than the wild type. The mutation is codominantly expressed. Heterozygous and homozygous mutants have distinguishable IEF banding patterns. The specific activity of GPDH is not altered by the mutation. The mutated allele causes a greater heat stability to the GPDH protein. Enzymes extracted from the three genotypes are indistinguishable in terms of their pH optima. Gdc-1^e is proposed as the allele symbol for the new mutation.     

Immunolocalization of glyceraldehyde-3-phosphate dehydrogenase inArabidopsis thaliana

Summary NAD-dependent glyceraldehyde-3-phosphate dehydrogenase (NAD-dependent GAPDH) was purified to homogeneity and injected into a rabbit to induce a polyclonal antibody. The antibody was judged to be of high specificity and high affinity. This antibody was used to probe sections ofArabidopsis leaf, stem or roots which were fixed using either paraformaldehyde or a high-pressure freezing method. Our results show that the NAD-dependent GAPDH localizes in the nucleus as well as in the cytosol. In phloem tissue, the NAD-dependent GAPDH was found in companion cells but not in the sieve element.     

Cloning, gene expression and characterization of a novel bacterial NAD-dependent non-phosphorylating glyceraldehyde-3-phosphate dehydrogenase from Neisseria meningitidis strain Z2491

Alignment of the amino acid sequence of some archaeal, bacterial and eukaryotic non-phosphorylating glyceraldehydes-3-phosphate dehydrogenases (GAPNs) and aldehyde dehydrogenases (ALDHs) with the sequence of a putative GAPN present in the genome of the Gram-negative bacterium Neisseria meningitidis strain Z2491 demonstrated the conservation of residues involved in the catalytic activity. The predicted coding sequence of the N. meningitidis gapN gene was cloned in Escherichia coli XL1-blue under the expression of an inducible promoter. The IPTG-induced GAPN was purified ca. 48-fold from E. coli cells using a procedure that sequentially employed conventional ammonium sulfate fractionation as well as anion-exchange and affinity chromatography. The purified recombinant enzyme was thoroughly characterized. The protein is a homotetramer with a 50-kDa subunit, exhibiting absolute specificity for NAD and a broad spectrum of aldehyde substrates. Isoelectric focusing analysis with the purified fraction showed the presence of an acidic polypeptide with an isoelectric point of 6.3. The optimum pH of the purified enzyme was between 9 and 10. Studies on the effect of increasing temperatures on the enzyme activity revealed an optimal value ca. 64 °C. Molecular phylogenetic data suggest that N. meningitidis GAPN has a closer relationship with archaeal GAPNs and glyceraldehyde dehydrogenases than with the typical NADP-specific GAPNs from Gram-positive bacteria and photosynthetic eukaryotes.