Low reaction temperature increases the selectivity in an enzymatic reaction due to substrate solvation effects

Immobilized a-chymotrypsin was used as catalyst for studying temperature effects on acyl transfer reactions (acyl-donor: Bz-TyrOEt) in a water-immiscible organic solvent. The solubility of the two nucleophiles, Phe-NH and water, decreased with decreasing temperature. The relative decrease for the amide was larger (2.4-fold) than for water. Therefore the thermodynamic activity (estimated by the relative saturation) increased more for this substrate and hence the selectivity in the reaction was increased.     

New shuttle promoter-probe vectors forE. coli andStreptomycetes

Summary Two new shuttle promoter-probe vectors forE.coli andStreptomycetes were constructed. Plasmid vectors allow the cloning of promoter-carrying DNA fragments based on the resistance to neomycin and chloramphenicol both, inE.coli andStreptomycetes. Using these vectors several promoter regions active either inE.coli orS.lividans were identified from the actinophage DNA.     

Role of pagL and lpxO in Bordetella bronchiseptica Lipid A Biosynthesis

PagL and LpxO are enzymes that modify lipid A. PagL is a 3-O deacylase that removes the primary acyl chain from the 3 position, and LpxO is an oxygenase that 2-hydroxylates specific acyl chains in the lipid A. pagL and lpxO homologues have been identified in the genome of Bordetella bronchiseptica, but in the current structure for B. bronchiseptica lipid A the 3 position is acylated and 2-OH acylation is not reported. We have investigated the role of B. bronchiseptica pagL and lpxO in lipid A biosynthesis. We report a different structure for wild-type (WT) B. bronchiseptica lipid A, including the presence of 2-OH-myristate, the presence of which is dependent on lpxO. We also demonstrate that the 3 position is not acylated in the major WT lipid A structures but that mutation of pagL results in the presence of 3-OH-decanoic acid at this position, suggesting that lipid A containing this acylation is synthesized but that PagL removes most of it from the mature lipid A. These data refine the structure of B. bronchiseptica lipid A and demonstrate that pagL and lpxO are involved in its biosynthesis.     

In Vitro Intracellular Trafficking of Virulence Antigen during Infection by Yersinia pestis

Yersinia pestis, the causative agent of plague, encodes several essential virulence factors on a 70 kb plasmid, including the Yersinia outer proteins (Yops) and a multifunctional virulence antigen (V). V is uniquely able to inhibit the host immune response; aid in the expression, secretion, and injection of the cytotoxic Yops via a type III secretion system (T3SS)-dependent mechanism; be secreted extracellularly; and enter the host cell by a T3SS-independent mechanism, where its activity is unknown. To elucidate the intracellular trafficking and target(s) of V, time-course experiments were performed with macrophages (MΦs) infected with Y. pestis or Y. pseudotuberculosis at intervals from 5 min to 6 h. The trafficking pattern was discerned from results of parallel microscopy, immunoblotting, and flow cytometry experiments. The MΦs were incubated with fluorescent or gold conjugated primary or secondary anti-V (antibodies [Abs]) in conjunction with organelle-associated Abs or dyes. The samples were observed for co-localization by immuno-fluorescence and electron microscopy. For fractionation studies, uninfected and infected MΦs were lysed and subjected to density gradient centrifugation coupled with immunoblotting with Abs to V or to organelles. Samples were also analyzed by flow cytometry after lysis and dual-staining with anti-V and anti-organelle Abs. Our findings indicate a co-localization of V with (1) endosomal proteins between 10–45 min of infection, (2) lysosomal protein(s) between 1–2 h of infection, (3) mitochondrial proteins between 2.5–3 h infection, and (4) Golgi protein(s) between 4–6 h of infection. Further studies are being performed to determine the specific intracellular interactions and role in pathogenesis of intracellularly localized V.     

Vorkommen und Funktion sensibler Erregungssubstanzen und sie abbauender Fermente im Tierreich

Zusammenfassung Im Zentralnervensystem der Wirbeltiere wird die Erregung sensibler Nerven durch eine eigene, von ihnen gebildete Erregungssubstanz vermittelt, welche durch ein Ferment rasch wieder abgebaut wird (Hellauer und Umrath ⁴⁹). Das Ferment läßt sich durch Strychnin, Pikrotoxin, Brucin und Cardiazol hemmen (Hellauer und Umrath ⁵⁰). Diese Pharmaka bewirken daher Erregung und charakteristische Krämpfe.Durch einen neuen Test an Bienen konnte gezeigt werden, daß die sensiblen Nerven der Arthropoden eine von der der Wirbeltiere etwas verschiedene Erregungssubstanz bilden. Ihr fermentativer Abbau wird durch Pikrotoxin und Cardiazol gehemmt, nicht aber durch Strychnin.An einer großen Anzahl von Arten aus dem ganzen Tierreich wurden die Reaktionen auf Strychnin, Pikrotoxin und Cardiazol geprüft. Es zeigte sich, daß bestimmte Tiergruppen jeweils verschiedene sensible Erregungssubstanzen und dementsprechend verschiedene abbauende Fermente besitzen. Es ergaben sich interessante Beziehungen zur Systematik: Die Deuterostomier (Vertebraten, Tunikaten, Echinodermen, Chätognathen) erwiesen sich hinsichtlich der sensiblen Erregungssubstanz und des sie abbauenden Fermentes als einheitliche Gruppe (Hemmung des Abbaues durch Strychnin, Pikrotoxin und Cardiazol). Einheitlich sind auch die Arthropoden (Hemmung durch Pikrotoxin und Cardiazol). Bei Mollusken hemmt ausschließlich Strychnin, das auch bei verschiedenen anderen Gruppen der Protostomier diese Wirkung hat, wenn auch zum Teil schwächer. Pikrotoxin hemmt außer bei Deuterostomiern und Arthropoden nur noch bei Turbellarien und Nemertinen, bei denen auch Strychnin und Cardiazol wirksam sind.Die sensible Erregungssubstanz der Clitellaten ist Acetylcholin.Bei Cölenteraten erwiesen sich die Pharmaka als unwirksam. Bei Ciliaten ist das Vorkommen einer sensiblen Erregungssubstanz mit fermentativem Abbau (Hemmung durch Strychnin) möglich.Die Wirkungsweise von Strychnin, Pikrotoxin, Brucin und Cardiazol wird besprochen.     

Influence of chronic antigen exposure on the metabolism of PGH2 by microsomal preparations of airway and parenchymal tissues in the sheep

The effects of repeated antigen exposure on the synthesis of mediators by lung tissues are not well understood. To investigate the influence of antigen challenge on the synthesis of prostaglandins by central airway and peripheral lung tissues, fourteen sensitive sheep underwent biweekly exposure to aerosolized $\text{Ascaris suu}$ antigen (7) or saline (7). Following the fifth exposure, microsomal and high speed supernatant fractions were prepared from trachealis muscle and lung parenchyma. Synthesis of thromboxane (TX) A₂, prostaglandin (PG) D₂ and PGI₂ from the PG endoperoxide intermediate, PGH₂, was assayed over a range of substrate concentrations from 3–200 uM. Synthesis of PGI₂ by trachealis microsomes was approximately 5-fold greater than that of TXA₂. PGI₂ and TXA₂ production was identical in tracheal preparations from Ascaris- and saline-exposed animals. In parenchymal tissues, where TXA₂ production predominated over PGI₂ by 9-fold, preparations from Ascaris- exposed animals synthesized 50% more TXA₂ than controls at PGH₂ concentrations of 25 uM and above, whereas synthesis of PGI₂ and PGD₂ were similar in preparations from both groups of animals. The density of pulmonary mast cells was decreased by 21% in the Ascaris group, whereas polymorphonuclear leukocyte density was unchanged. These results demonstrate the differential synthesis of TXA₂ and PGI₂ in central airways and peripheral lung regions of the sheep. They further indicate that repeated exposure of the airways to antigen selectively enhances TXA₂ synthesis in the lung periphery of sensitized animals. The site of this increased enzymatic activity, whether in resident cells or newly-infiltrated cells, has not been determined.