Tetrahydrobiopterin,l-Arginine and Vitamin C Act Synergistically to Decrease Oxidant Stress and Increase Nitric Oxide That Increases Blood Flow Recovery after Hindlimb Ischemia in the Rat

Nitric oxide (NO) derived from endothelial nitric oxide synthase (eNOS) is a potent vasodilator and signaling molecule that plays essential roles in neovascularization. During limb ischemia, decreased NO bioavailability occurs secondary to increased oxidant stress, decreased l-arginine and tetrahydrobiopterin. This study tested the hypothesis that dietary cosupplementation with tetrahydrobiopterin (BH4), l-arginine and vitamin C acts synergistically to decrease oxidant stress, increase NO and thereby increase blood flow recovery after hindlimb ischemia. Rats were fed normal chow, chow supplemented with BH4 or l-arginine (alone or in combination) or chow supplemented with BH4 + l-arginine + vitamin C for 1 wk before induction of hindlimb ischemia. In the is-chemic hindlimb, cosupplementation with BH4 + l-arginine resulted in greater eNOS and phospho-eNOS (P-eNOS) expression, Ca²⁺-dependent NOS activity and NO concentration in the ischemic calf region (gastrocnemius), as well as greater NO concentration in the region of collateral arteries (gracilis). Rats receiving cosupplementation of BH4 + l-arginine led to greater recovery of foot perfusion and greater collateral enlargement than did rats receiving either agent separately. The addition of vitamin C to the BH4 + l-arginine regimen further increased these dependent variables. In addition, rats given all three supplements showed significantly less Ca²⁺-independent activity, less nitrotyrosine accumulation, greater glutathione (GSH)–to–glutathione disulfide (GSSG) ratio and less gastrocnemius muscle necrosis, on both macroscopic and microscopic levels. In conclusion, co-supplementation with BH4 + l-arginine + vitamin C significantly increased blood flow recovery after hindlimb ischemia by reducing oxidant stress, increasing NO bioavailability, enlarging collateral arteries and reducing muscle necrosis. Oral cosupplementation of BH4, l-arginine and vitamin C holds promise as a biological therapy to induce collateral artery enlargement.     

Mechanism of Allosteric Inhibition of N-Acetyl-L-glutamate Synthase by L-Arginine

N-Acetylglutamate synthase (NAGS) catalyzes the first committed step in l-arginine biosynthesis in plants and micro-organisms and is subject to feedback inhibition by l-arginine. This study compares the crystal structures of NAGS from Neisseria gonorrhoeae (ngNAGS) in the inactive T-state with l-arginine bound and in the active R-state complexed with CoA and l-glutamate. Under all of the conditions examined, the enzyme consists of two stacked trimers. Each monomer has two domains: an amino acid kinase (AAK) domain with an AAK-like fold but lacking kinase activity and an N-acetyltransferase (NAT) domain homologous to other GCN5-related transferases. Binding of l-arginine to the AAK domain induces a global conformational change that increases the diameter of the hexamer by ∼10 Å and decreases its height by ∼20Å_. AAK dimers move 5Å outward along their 2-fold axes, and their tilt relative to the plane of the hexamer decreases by ∼4°. The NAT domains rotate ∼109° relative to AAK domains enabling new interdomain interactions. Interactions between AAK and NAT domains on different subunits also change. Local motions of several loops at the l-arginine-binding site enable the protein to close around the bound ligand, whereas several loops at the NAT active site become disordered, markedly reducing enzymatic specific activity.l-Arginine biosynthesis in most micro-organisms and plants involves the initial acetylation of l-glutamate by N-acetylglutamate synthase (NAGS, EC 2.3.1.1)² to produce N-acetylglutamate (NAG). NAG is then converted by NAG kinase (NAGK, EC 2.7.2.8) to NAG-phosphate and subsequently to N-acetylornithine (1, 2). Two alternative reactions are used to remove the acetyl group from acetylornithine. The linear pathway uses N-acetylornithine deacetylase (EC 3.5.1.16) to catalyze the metal-dependent hydrolysis of the acetyl group to form l-ornithine and acetate, whereas the acetyl recycling pathway transfers the acetyl group from N-acetylornithine to l-glutamate, producing l-ornithine and NAG. This reaction is catalyzed by ornithine acetyltransferase (EC 2.3.1.35).In the linear pathway, NAGS is the only target of feedback inhibition by l-arginine. In contrast, in the acetyl cycling pathway l-arginine may inhibit NAGS and NAGK or ornithine acetyltransferase (3). Structure determinations of l-arginine-insensitive (4) and l-arginine-sensitive NAGKs (5) provided insights into the structural basis of l-arginine inhibition of NAGK. l-Arginine-insensitive Escherichia coli (ec) NAGK is a homodimer (4), whereas l-arginine-sensitive NAGKs from Thermotoga maritima (tm) and Pseudomonas aeruginosa (pa) are hexamers formed by pair-wise interlacing of the N-terminal helices of three ecNAGK-like dimers, to create a second type of dimer interface. l-Arginine binding to a site close to the C terminus induces global conformational changes that expands the ring by ∼8 Å and decreases the tilt of the ecNAGK-like dimers relative to the plane of the ring by ∼6°. The inhibition mechanism was proposed to involve the enlargement of an active site located close to the l-arginine-binding site.Because of the sequence similarity between NAGK and NAGS, it was speculated that they may have similar l-arginine-binding sites and hexameric ring structures (5). However, our recent structural determination of NAGS from Neisseria gonorrhoeae (ng) revealed the active site to be located in the NAT domain, >25 Å away from the proposed l-arginine-binding site (6). Therefore, the allosteric mechanism of NAGS is likely to be different from that of l-arginine-sensitive NAGKs. Here we compare the structures of ngNAGS in the inactive T-state with l-arginine bound and in the R-state complexed with CoA and l-glutamate and determine the structural basis for the allosteric inhibition of NAGS by l-arginine.     

The Effects of l-Arginine, Alone and Combined with Vitamin C, on Mineral Status in Relation to its Antidiabetic, Anti-Inflammatory, and Antioxidant Properties in Male Rats on a High-Fat Diet

The aim of this study was to evaluate the influence of the intake of l-arginine alone and of l-arginine with vitamin C on mineral concentration in rats fed with a high-fat diet, and to assess the lipid glucose, insulin, and total antioxidant status (TAS) and tumor necrosis factor (TNF) alpha serum levels that result. Wistar rats were assigned to groups fed with either a standard control diet (C), a diet high in fat (FD), a diet high in fat with l-arginine, or a diet high in fat with l-arginine and vitamin C. After 6 weeks, the length and weight of the rats were measured, and the animals were euthanized. The liver, spleen, kidneys, pancreas, heart, and gonads were collected, as were blood samples. The total serum cholesterol, triglyceride, fasting glucose, insulin, TAS, and TNF alpha levels were measured. The tissue calcium, magnesium, iron, zinc, and copper concentrations were determined. It was found that l-arginine supplementation diminished the effect of the modified diet on the concentration of iron in the liver and spleen and of copper in heart. At the same time, it was observed that l-arginine supplementation reduced the effect of the high-fat diet on insulin, TNF alpha, and TAS. The combination of l-arginine and vitamin C produced a similar effect on the mineral levels in the tissues as did l-arginine used alone. Moreover, positive correlations between serum insulin and iron in the liver, between TNF alpha and iron in the liver, and between TNF alpha and copper in the heart were observed. The level of TAS in serum was inversely correlated with the copper level in the heart and the iron level in the liver. We concluded that the beneficial influence of l-arginine on insulin, TAS, and TNF alpha serum level is associated with changes in the iron and copper status in rats fed with a high-fat diet. No synergistic effect of l-arginine and vitamin C in the biochemical parameters or in the mineral status in rats fed with the modified diet was observed.     

Amino Acid and vitamin requirements of several bacteroides strains

Nutritional studies were performed on nine Bacteroides strains, by use of the methodology and media of anaerobic rumen microbiology. Ristella perfoetens CCI required l-arginine hydrochloride, l-tryptophan, l-leucine, l-histidine hydrochloride, l-cysteine hydrochloride, dl-valine, dl-tyrosine, and the vitamin calcium-d-pantothenate, since scant turbidity developed in media without these nutrients. R. perfoetens was stimulated by glycine, dl-lysine hydrochloride, dl-isoleucine, l-proline, l-glutamic acid, dl-alanine, dl-phenylalanine, dl-methionine, and the vitamins nicotinamide and p-aminobenzoic acid, since maximal turbidity developed more slowly in media without these nutrients than in complete medium. Medium A-23, which was devised for R. perfoetens, contained salts, 0.0002% nicotinamide and calcium d-pantothenate, 0.00001% p-aminobenzoic acid, 0.044% l-tryptophan, 0.09% l-glutamic acid, and 0.1% of the other 13 amino acids listed above. Zuberella clostridiformis and seven strains of R. pseudoinsolita did not require vitamins, and showed no absolute requirement for any one amino acid. Various strains produced maximal turbidity more slowly in media deficient in l-proline, glycine, l-glutamic acid, dl-serine, l-histidine hydrochloride, dl-alanine, or l-cysteine hydrochloride, than in complete medium. These eight strains grew optimally in medium A-23 plus 0.1% dl-serine but without vitamins.     

Polyamines and root formation in mung bean hypocotyl cuttings : I. Effects of exogenous compounds and changes in endogenous polyamine content

The effect of several polyamines (putrescine, spermidine, and spermine), their precursors (l-arginine and l-ornithine), and some analogs and metabolic inhibitors (l-canavanine, l-canaline, and methylglyoxal-bis [guanylhydrazone]) on root formation have been studied in mung bean (Vigna radiata [L.] Wilczek) hypocotyl cuttings.     

A Nonproteolytic "Trypsin-like" Enzyme: Purification and Properties of Arachain

By the use of the proteolytic substrates benzoyl-dl-arginine-p-nitroanilide and benzoyl-l-arginine ethyl ester the enzyme arachain has been purified 325-fold from acetone powders of ungerminated peanuts. The pH optimum for the hydrolysis of benzoyl-dl-arginine-p-nitroanilide was 8.1 in tris buffer, and for benzoyl-l-arginine ethyl ester was 7.5 using N - 2 - hydroxyethylpiperazine - N′ - 2 - ethanesulfonic acid buffer. The purest fraction showed one main band with one to three minor bands on disc gel electrophoresis. The major protein component had an S_20,w of 6.20. The energy of activation for the hydrolysis of benzoyl-dl-arginine-p-nitroanilide was calculated to be 16 kilocalories. The Michaelis constant for benzoyl-dl-arginine-p-nitroanilide was 10 micromolar and for benzoyl-l-arginine ethyl ester was 110 micromolar. The enzyme showed essentially no activity with casein, dimethyl casein, or bovine serum albumin as substrates. A large number of peptides were hydrolyzed by the enzyme, only l-leucyl-l-tyrosine being resistant of the peptides tested. The results suggest that arachain is not a “trypsin-like” protease but is a peptide hydrolase.     

Regulation of sulfate uptake by amino acids in cultured tobacco cells

The sulfur requirements of tobacco (Nicotiana tabacum L. var. Xanthi) XD cells grown in chemically defined liquid media can be satisfied by sulfate, thiosulfate, l-cyst(e)ine, l-methionine or glutathione, and somewhat less effectively by d-cyst (e) ine, d-methionine or dl-homocyst (e)ine. Sulfate uptake is inhibited after a 2 hr lag by l-cyst (e)ine, l-methionine, l-homocyst(e)ine or l-isoleucine, but not by any of the other protein amino acids, nor by d-cyst(e)ine. l-cyst(e)ine is neither a competitive nor a non-competitive inhibitor of sulfate uptake. Its action most closely resembles apparent uncompetitive inhibition. Inhibition of sulfate uptake by l-cyst(e)ine can be partially prevented by equimolar l-arginine, l-lysine, l-leucine, l-phenylalanine, l-tyrosine or l-tryptophan, but is little affected by any of the other protein amino acids. The effective amino acids are apparent competitive inhibitors of l-cyst(e)ine uptake after a 2 hr lag. Inhibition of sulfate uptake by l-methionine cannot be prevented, nor can uptake of l-methionine be inhibited by any single protein amino acid. The results suggest the occurrence of negative feedback control of sulfate assimilation by the end products, the sulfur amino acids, in cultured tobacco cells.     

Glutamate, glutamine, aspartate, asparagine, glucose and ketone-body metabolism in chick intestinal brush-border cells

1. Suspensions of isolated chick jejunal columnar absorptive (brush-border) cells respired on endogenous substrates at a rate 40% higher than that shown by rat brush-border cells. 2. Added d-glucose (5 or 10mm), l-glutamine (2.5mm) and l-glutamate (2.5mm) were the only individual substrates which stimulated respiration by chick cells; l-aspartate (2.5 or 6.7mm), glutamate (6.7mm), glutamine (6.7mm), l-alanine (1 or 10mm), pyruvate (1 or 2mm), l-lactate (5 or 10mm), butyrate (10mm) and oleate (1mm) did not stimulate chick cell respiration; l-asparagine (6.7mm) inhibited slightly; glucose (5mm) stimulated more than did 10mm-glucose. 3. Acetoacetate (10mm) and d-3-hydroxybutyrate (10mm) were rapidly consumed but, in contrast to rat brush-border cells, did not stimulate respiration. 4. Glucose (10mm) was consumed more slowly than 5mm-glucose; the dominant product of glucose metabolism during vigorous respiration was lactate; the proportion of glucose converted to lactate was greater with 10mm- than with 5mm-glucose. 5. Glutamate and aspartate consumption rates decreased, and alanine and glutamine consumption rates increased when their initial concentrations were raised from 2.5 to 6.7 or 10mm. 6. The metabolic fate of glucose was little affected by concomitant metabolism of any one of aspartate, glutamate or glutamine except for an increased production of alanine; the glucose-stimulated respiration rate was unaffected by concomitant metabolism of these individual amino acids. 7. Chick cells produced very little alanine from aspartate and, in contrast to rat cells, likewise produced very little alanine from glutamate or glutamine; in chick cells alanine appeared to be predominantly a product of transmination of pyruvate derived from glucose metabolism. 8. In chick cells, glutamate and glutamine were formed from aspartate (2.5 or 6.7mm); aspartate and glutamine were formed from glutamate (2.5mm) but only aspartate from 6.7mm-glutamate; glutamate was the dominant product formed from glutamine (6.7mm) but aspartate only was formed from 2.5mm-glutamine. 9. Chick brush-border cells can thus both catabolize and synthesize glutamine; glutamine synthesis is always diminished by concomitant metabolism of glucose, presumably by allosteric inhibition of glutamine synthetase by alanine. 10. Proline was formed from glutamine (2.5mm) but not from glutamine (2.5mm)+glucose (5mm) and not from 2.5mm-glutamate; ornithine was formed from glutamine (2.5mm)+glucose (5.0mm) but not from glutamine alone; serine was formed from glutamine (2.5mm)+glucose (5mm) and from these two substrates plus aspartate (2.5mm). 11. Total intracellular adenine nucleotides (22μmol/g dry wt.) remained unchanged during incubation of chick cells with glucose. 12. Intracellular glutathione (0.7–0.8mm) was depleted by 40% during incubation of respiring chick cells without added substrates for 75min at 37°C; partial restoration of the lost glutathione was achieved by incubating cells with l-glutamate+l-cysteine+glycine.     

A higher plant enzyme exhibiting broad acceptance of stereoisomers

An arginase, purified from the leaf of the jack bean, Canavalia ensiformis, can effectively hydrolyze both l- and d-arginine. Arginases, examined from a number of other plant and animal sources, exhibit marked substrate stereospecificity and fail to catabolize d-arginine. In order to provide essential nitrogen, jack bean leaf arginase also catabolizes l-canavanine, an arginine analog that is a predominant nitrogen-storing metabolite of this legume. The ability of arginase to metabolize both stereoisomers of arginine may result from the requirement for this enzyme to exhibit limited substrate specificity in order to hydrolyze both arginine and canavanine.     

Biosynthesis of (+)-Tartaric Acid from l-[4-C]Ascorbic Acid in Grape and Geranium

The metabolic fate of l-[4-¹⁴C]ascorbic acid has been examined in the grape (Vitis labrusca L.) and lemon geranium (Pelargonium crispum L. L'Hér. cv. Prince Rupert) under conditions comparable to data from l-[1-¹⁴C]ascorbic acid and l-[6-¹⁴C]ascorbic acid experiments. In detached grape leaves and immature berries, l-[4-¹⁴C]ascorbic acid and l-[1-¹⁴C]ascorbic acid were equivalent precursors to carboxyl labeled (+)-tartaric acid. In geranium apices, l-[4-¹⁴C]ascorbic acid yielded internal labeled (+)-tartaric acid while l-[6-¹⁴C]ascorbic acid gave an equivalent conversion to carboxyl labeled (+)-tartaric acid. These findings clearly show that two distinct processes for the synthesis of (+)-tartaric acid from l-ascorbic acid exist in plants identified as (+)-tartaric acid accumulators. In grape leaves and immature berries, (+)-tartaric acid synthesis proceeds via preservation of a four-carbon fragment derived from carbons 1 through 4 of l-ascorbic acid while carbons 3 through 6 yield (+)-tartaric acid in geranium apices.     

l-Lysine Catabolism Is Controlled by l-Arginine and ArgR in Pseudomonas aeruginosa PAO1

In comparison to other pseudomonads, Pseudomonas aeruginosa grows poorly in l-lysine as a sole source of nutrient. In this study, the ldcA gene (lysine decarboxylase A; PA1818), previously identified as a member of the ArgR regulon of l-arginine metabolism, was found essential for l-lysine catabolism in this organism. LdcA was purified to homogeneity from a recombinant strain of Escherichia coli, and the results of enzyme characterization revealed that this pyridoxal-5-phosphate-dependent decarboxylase takes l-lysine, but not l-arginine, as a substrate. At an optimal pH of 8.5, cooperative substrate activation by l-lysine was depicted from kinetics studies, with calculated K_m and V_max values of 0.73 mM and 2.2 μmole/mg/min, respectively. Contrarily, the ldcA promoter was induced by exogenous l-arginine but not by l-lysine in the wild-type strain PAO1, and the binding of ArgR to this promoter region was demonstrated by electromobility shift assays. This peculiar arginine control on lysine utilization was also noted from uptake experiments in which incorporation of radioactively labeled l-lysine was enhanced in cells grown in the presence of l-arginine but not l-lysine. Rapid growth on l-lysine was detected in a mutant devoid of the main arginine catabolic pathway and with a higher basal level of the intracellular l-arginine pool and hence elevated ArgR-responsive regulons, including ldcA. Growth on l-lysine as a nitrogen source can also be enhanced when the aruH gene encoding an arginine/lysine:pyruvate transaminase was expressed constitutively from plasmids; however, no growth of the ldcA mutant on l-lysine suggests a minor role of this transaminase in l-lysine catabolism. In summary, this study reveals a tight connection of lysine catabolism to the arginine regulatory network, and the lack of lysine-responsive control on lysine uptake and decarboxylation provides an explanation of l-lysine as a poor nutrient for P. aeruginosa.Decarboxylation of amino acids, including lysine, arginine, and glutamate, is important for bacterial survival under low pH (2, 7, 19). Lysine is abundant in the rhizosphere where fluorescent Pseudomonas preferentially resides, and serves as a nitrogen and carbon source to these organisms (28). In microbes, lysine catabolism can be initiated either through monooxygenase, decarboxylase, or transaminase activities. The monooxygenase pathway has been considered the major route for l-lysine utilization in Pseudomonas putida, and davBATD encoding enzymes for the first four steps of the pathway have been characterized (25, 26). In contrast, Pseudomonas aeruginosa cannot use exogenous l-lysine efficiently for growth (5, 24). It has been reported that enzymatic activities for the first two steps of the monooxygenase pathway are not detectable in P. aeruginosa, and no davBA orthologs can be identified from this organism (24, 25).Mutants of P. aeruginosa with improved growth on l-lysine and a high level of lysine decarboxylase activity can be isolated by repeated subcultures in l-lysine (5). This suggests that in P. aeruginosa, l-lysine utilization might be mediated by the lysine decarboxylase pathway with cadaverine and 5-aminovalerate as intermediates (Fig. ​(Fig.1).1). Alternatively, conversion of l-lysine into 5-aminovalerate may also be accomplished by a coupled reaction catalyzed by AruH and AruI. The AruH and AruI enzymes were reported as arginine:pyruvate transaminase and 2-ketoarginine decarboxylase, respectively (36). Interestingly, transamination by AruH using l-lysine as an amino group donor can also be detected in vitro (35). The reaction product α-keto-ɛ-aminohexanonate can potentially be decarboxylated into 5-aminovalerate by AruI, providing an alternative route for lysine degradation.Open in a separate windowFIG. 1.Lysine catabolic pathways. l-lysine decarboxylase pathway is shown at center. Broken arrows represent lysine monooxygenase pathway from P. putida which is not present in P. aeruginosa.In this study, we showed that the lysine decarboxylase pathway is the main route for lysine utilization under arginine control. Expression of the ldcAB operon encoding l-lysine decarboxylase and a putative lysine/cadaverine antiporter was analyzed regarding its response to l-lysine, l-arginine, and the arginine-responsive regulator ArgR. Enzyme characterization was performed to verify the function of LdcA as l-lysine decarboxylase. Arginine control on lysine incorporation was also investigated by genetic studies and uptake experiments. The peculiar role of ArgR controlling arginine and lysine uptake and catabolism provides the explanation for poor growth in lysine, and it implies a higher level of complexity in metabolic networks of pseudomonads.     

Promotion of crown-gall tumor growth by lysopine, octopine, nopaline, and carnosine

The growth of crown-gall tumors on primary bean leaves (Phaseolus vulgaris L. cv. “Pinto”) was promoted by the addition of d-lysopine, d-octopine, l-carnosine, or nopaline. Assayed on tumors induced by Agrobacterium tumefaciens strain B6, the relative activity was octopine = carnosine > lysopine nopaline; assayed on tumors induced by A. tumefaciens strain T-37, which induces tumors which form nopaline, the relative activity was nopaline = octopine = carnosine > lysopine. From one to three applications of carnosine or octopine gave equal additive increments in tumor growth, showing that a continual supply of these substances is required to maintain an increased rate of growth. At concentrations above 0.1 mm, pairs of these growth-promoting substances were less active than when applied singly. Inhibition of octopine-induced growth was obtained by applying 0.01 mm carnosine with 1 mm octopine and partial inhibition was obtained when carnosine was added 10 hr after octopine. Equimolar mixtures of lysopine, octopine, and carnosine, however, were at least as active in promoting tumor growth as any of the compounds added singly at equivalent concentrations. The activity of 0.1 to 0.5 mm lysopine, octopine, and carnosine was inhibited, respectively, by 1 mml-lysine, l-arginine, and l-histidine and this inhibition was limited in each case to the basic amino acid corresponding to that of the growth factor. Arginine fully inhibited octopine-induced tumor growth when applied as much as 6 hr after octopine, indicating that this inhibition was not due to prevention of octopine uptake. Although four separate substances were found which promoted tumor growth, the molecular specificity required for activity of each compound was high. Evidence is presented which suggests that a tumor growth-promoting substance extracted from tumorous leaves is a carnosine-like derivative of l-histidine.     

Construction of a robust and sensitive arginine biosensor through ancestral protein reconstruction

Biosensors for signaling molecules allow the study of physiological processes by bringing together the fields of protein engineering, fluorescence imaging, and cell biology. Construction of genetically encoded biosensors generally relies on the availability of a binding “core” that is both specific and stable, which can then be combined with fluorescent molecules to create a sensor. However, binding proteins with the desired properties are often not available in nature and substantial improvement to sensors can be required, particularly with regard to their durability. Ancestral protein reconstruction is a powerful protein-engineering tool able to generate highly stable and functional proteins. In this work, we sought to establish the utility of ancestral protein reconstruction to biosensor development, beginning with the construction of an l-arginine biosensor. l-arginine, as the immediate precursor to nitric oxide, is an important molecule in many physiological contexts including brain function. Using a combination of ancestral reconstruction and circular permutation, we constructed a Förster resonance energy transfer (FRET) biosensor for l-arginine (cpFLIPR). cpFLIPR displays high sensitivity and specificity, with a K_d of ∼14 µM and a maximal dynamic range of 35%. Importantly, cpFLIPR was highly robust, enabling accurate l-arginine measurement at physiological temperatures. We established that cpFLIPR is compatible with two-photon excitation fluorescence microscopy and report l-arginine concentrations in brain tissue.     

l-Canavanine Transport and Utilization in Developing Jack Bean, Canavalia ensiformis (L.) DC. [Leguminosae

l-Canavanine, the guanidinooxy structural analog of l-arginine, is an important nonprotein amino acid of many leguminous plants with nitrogen storage a major proported role. l-[Guanidinooxy-¹⁴C]canavanine, [¹⁴C] urea, and [¹⁵N]urea were injected separately into the fleshy, green cotyledons of 9-day old jack bean plants, Canavalia ensiformis (L.) DC. [Leguminosae]. There was significant transport of canavanine from the cotyledons to the aboveground portions of the plant, but not to the roots. Within 1.5 hours of isotope administration, the remaining labeled canavanine was divided equally between the cotyledons and the aboveground portions of the plant. During the 48-hour postinjection period, the contribution of l-[guanidinooxy-¹⁴C]canavanine to the total ¹⁴carbon of the cotyledons decreased rapidly while it increased in the aboveground portions of the plant.     

The effects on plasma L-arginine levels of combined oral L-citrulline and L-arginine supplementation in healthy males

We investigated the effects of combining 1 g of l-citrulline and 1 g of l-arginine as oral supplementation on plasma l-arginine levels in healthy males. Oral l-citrulline plus l-arginine supplementation more efficiently increased plasma l-arginine levels than 2 g of l-citrulline or l-arginine, suggesting that oral l-citrulline and l-arginine increase plasma l-arginine levels more effectively in humans when combined.     

A Novel Type of Peptidoglycan-binding Domain Highly Specific for Amidated d-Asp Cross-bridge,Identified in Lactobacillus casei Bacteriophage Endolysins

Peptidoglycan hydrolases (PGHs) are responsible for bacterial cell lysis. Most PGHs have a modular structure comprising a catalytic domain and a cell wall-binding domain (CWBD). PGHs of bacteriophage origin, called endolysins, are involved in bacterial lysis at the end of the infection cycle. We have characterized two endolysins, Lc-Lys and Lc-Lys-2, identified in prophages present in the genome of Lactobacillus casei BL23. These two enzymes have different catalytic domains but similar putative C-terminal CWBDs. By analyzing purified peptidoglycan (PG) degradation products, we showed that Lc-Lys is an N-acetylmuramoyl-l-alanine amidase, whereas Lc-Lys-2 is a γ-d-glutamyl-l-lysyl endopeptidase. Remarkably, both lysins were able to lyse only Gram-positive bacterial strains that possess PG with d-Ala⁴→d-Asx-l-Lys³ in their cross-bridge, such as Lactococcus casei, Lactococcus lactis, and Enterococcus faecium. By testing a panel of L. lactis cell wall mutants, we observed that Lc-Lys and Lc-Lys-2 were not able to lyse mutants with a modified PG cross-bridge, constituting d-Ala⁴→l-Ala-(l-Ala/l-Ser)-l-Lys³; moreover, they do not lyse the L. lactis mutant containing only the nonamidated d-Asp cross-bridge, i.e. d-Ala⁴→d-Asp-l-Lys³. In contrast, Lc-Lys could lyse the ampicillin-resistant E. faecium mutant with 3→3 l-Lys³-d-Asn-l-Lys³ bridges replacing the wild-type 4→3 d-Ala⁴-d-Asn-l-Lys³ bridges. We showed that the C-terminal CWBD of Lc-Lys binds PG containing mainly d-Asn but not PG with only the nonamidated d-Asp-containing cross-bridge, indicating that the CWBD confers to Lc-Lys its narrow specificity. In conclusion, the CWBD characterized in this study is a novel type of PG-binding domain targeting specifically the d-Asn interpeptide bridge of PG.     

Endogenous Inactivators of Arginase, l-Arginine Decarboxylase, and Agmatine Amidinohydrolase in Evernia prunastri Thallus

Arginase (EC 3.5.3.1), l-arginine decarboxylase (EC 4.1.1.19), and agmatine amidinohydrolase (EC 3.5.3.11) activities spontaneously decay in Evernia prunastri thalli incubated on 40 millimolar l-arginine used as inducer of the three enzymes if dithiothreitol is not added to the media. Lichen thalli accumulate both chloroatranorin and evernic acid in parallel to the loss of activity. These substances behave as inactivators of the enzymes at a range of concentrations between 2 and 20 micromolar, whereas several concentrations of dithiothreitol reverse, to some extent, the in vitro inactivation.     

d-Glucosone and l-Sorbosone, Putative Intermediates of l-Ascorbic Acid Biosynthesis in Detached Bean and Spinach Leaves

d-[6-¹⁴C]Glucosone that had been prepared enzymically from d-[6-¹⁴C]glucose was used to compare relative efficiencies of these two sugars for l-ascorbic acid (AA) biosynthesis in detached bean (Phaseolus vulgaris L., cv California small white) apices and 4-week-old spinach (Spinacia oleracea L., cv Giant Noble) leaves. At tracer concentration, ¹⁴C from glucosone was utilized by spinach leaves for AA biosynthesis much more effectively than glucose. Carbon-14 from [6-¹⁴C]glucose underwent considerable redistribution during AA formation, whereas ¹⁴C from [6-¹⁴C]glucosone remained almost totally in carbon 6 of AA. In other experiments with spinach leaves, l-[U-¹⁴C]sorbosone was found to be equivalent to [6-¹⁴C]glucose as a source of ¹⁴C for AA. In the presence of 0.1% d-glucosone, conversion of [6-¹⁴C] glucose into labeled AA was greatly repressed. In a comparable experiment with l-sorbosone replacing d-glucosone, the effect was much less. The experiments described here give substance to the proposal that d-glucosone and l-sorbosone are putative intermediates in the conversion of d-glucose to AA in higher plants.