Effects of fat content in the diet on hepatic peroxisomes of the rat

Effects of fat content in the diet on rat liver peroxisomes was examined. In the livers of rats fed for one week on the high-fat diet containing 30% fat, the cyanide-insensitive palmitoyl-CoA oxidation was accelerated to eight times that of control and the enzymic activities of catalase, carnitine acetyltransferase and carnitine palmitoyltransferase were elevated by the factors of 1.3, 5 and 2, respectively. In contrast, the activities of D-amino acid oxidase in addition to the three enzymes mentioned above were all lowered by 20% when the animals were maintained on a fat-free diet for the same period of time. It appears that the high-fat diet-induced increase in the activity of carnitine palmitoyltransferase is a result of the raised activity of this enzyme in mitochondria only while the apparent high activity reflects stimulation of carnitine acetyltransferase in all the subcellular fractions. Another notable effect of the high-fat diet was a remarkable increase in the quantity of a peroxisome-associated polypeptide which was separable by sodium dodecyl sulfate polyacrylamide gel electrophoresis. It is noteworthy that this effect of the high-fat diet resemble that of clofibrate. If the diet was deprived of fat, however, this polypeptide species, with an estimated molecular weight of 80 000, decreased to a level slightly lower than normal. On the basis of the electron micrographic criteria, the high-fat diet provoked a marked proliferation of hepatic peroxisomes.     

Characterization of Flavin-Containing Opine Dehydrogenase from Bacteria

Opines, in particular nopaline and octopine, are specific compounds found in crown gall tumor tissues induced by infections with Agrobacterium species, and are synthesized by well-studied NAD(P)H-dependent dehydrogenases (synthases), which catalyze the reductive condensation of α-ketoglutarate or pyruvate with L-arginine. The corresponding genes are transferred into plant cells via a tumor-inducing (Ti) plasmid. In addition to the reverse oxidative reaction(s), the genes noxB-noxA and ooxB-ooxA are considered to be involved in opine catabolism as (membrane-associated) oxidases; however, their properties have not yet been elucidated in detail due to the difficulties associated with purification (and preservation). We herein successfully expressed Nox/Oox-like genes from Pseudomonas putida in P. putida cells. The purified protein consisted of different α-, β-, and γ-subunits encoded by the OdhA, OdhB, and OdhC genes, which were arranged in tandem on the chromosome (OdhB-C-A), and exhibited dehydrogenase (but not oxidase) activity toward nopaline in the presence of artificial electron acceptors such as 2,6-dichloroindophenol. The enzyme contained FAD, FMN, and [2Fe-2S]-iron sulfur as prosthetic groups. On the other hand, the gene cluster from Bradyrhizobium japonicum consisted of OdhB ₁ -C-A-B ₂, from which two proteins, OdhAB₁C and OdhAB₂C, appeared through the assembly of each β-subunit together with common α- and γ-subunits. A poor phylogenetic relationship was detected between OdhB₁ and OdhB₂ in spite of them both functioning as octopine dehydrogenases, which provided clear evidence for the acquisition of novel functions by “subunit-exchange”. To the best of our knowledge, this is the first study to have examined flavin-containing opine dehydrogenase.     

Purification of a flavoprotein having NADPH-cytochrome c reductase and transhydrogenase activities from Nitrobacter winogradskyi and its molecular and enzymatic properties

A flavoenzyme which showed NADPH-cytochrome c reductase (NADPH-cytochrome c oxidoreductase EC 1.6.2.4) and transhydrogenase (NADPH-NAD⁺ oxidoreductase, EC 1.6.1.1) activities was purified to an electrophoretically homogeneous state from Nitrobacter winogradskyi. The reductase was a flavoprotein which contained one FAD per molecule but no FMN. The oxidized form of the enzyme showed absorption maxima at 272, 375 and 459 nm with a shoulder at 490 nm, its molecular weight was estimated to be 36,000 by SDS polyacrylamide gel electrophoresis, and the enzyme seemed to exist as a dimer in aqueous solution. The enzyme catalyzed reduction of cytochrome c, DCIP and benzylviologen by NADPH, oxidation of NADPH with menadione and duroquinone, and showed transhydrogenase activity. NADH was less effective than NADPH as the electron donor in the reactions catalyzed by the enzyme. The NADPH-reduction catalyzed by the enzyme of N. winogradskyi cytochrome c-550 and horse cytochrome c was stimulated by spinach ferredoxin. The enzyme reduced NADP⁺ with reduced spinach ferredoxin and benzylviologen radical.Abbreviations DCIP dichlorophenolindophenol - Tris trishydroxy-methylaminomethane - Mops 3-(N-morpholino) propanesulfonic acid - SDS sodium dodecylsufate     

Cloning and expression of a functional fucose-specific lectin from an orange peel mushroom, Aleuria aurantia

Aleuria aurantia lectin (AAL) shows sugar-binding specificity for L-fucose. A λgt11 expression library was constructed from A. aurantia poly(A) RNA and screened with a polyclonal antiserum directed against AAL. An immunopositive clone carrying 1.3-kb EcoRI fragment was obtained. The fragment encoded AAL, but lacked a nucleotide sequence corresponding to the two amino-terminal amino acids. The 5′-terminal part of the fragment was replaced with a chemically synthesized DNA fragment and inserted into an expression vector to yield a plasmid pKA-1. Escherichia coli carrying pKA-1 expressed functional AAL and the recombinant AAL showed the same immunological properties as those of natural AAL.     

Catalytic properties of cytochrome c oxidase purified from Nitrosomonas europaea

Cytochrome c oxidase of Nitrosomonas europaea reacts with not only the native cytochrome c (N. europaea cytochrome c-552) but also horse and yeast cytochromes c. The effects on its reactivity of various reagents were very different between the reactions with the native and eukaryotic cytochromes c as the electron donors. The oxidation of eukaryotic ferrocytochrome c by the oxidase was activated by addition of anionic detergents such as sodium dodecyl sulfate and sodium cholate, and anionic phospholipids such as cardiolipin, phosphatidylserine, phosphatidylinositol, and phosphatidylethanolamine, while the reaction was not activated by Triton X-100, Tween 20, or phosphatidylcholine. However, the reaction with the native cytochrome c of the enzyme was hardly affected by any of the detergents and phospholipids mentioned above, while it was activated by the presence of poly-L-lysine.     

Purification,primary structure,and evolution of cytochrome c-550 from the magnetic bacterium,Magnetospirillum magnetotacticum

Cytochrome c-550 was purified from Magnetospirillum magnetotacticum to an electrophoretically homogeneous state, and some of its properties were determined. The cytochrome showed absorption peaks at 528 and 409 nm in the oxidized form, and at 550, 521, and 414 nm in the reduced form. Its midpoint redox potential at pH 7.0 was determined to be +289 mV. The primary structure of cytochrome c-550 was determined. Cytochrome c is composed of 97 amino acid residues, and its molecular weight was calculated to be 10,873, including heme c. Its primary structure is very similar to those of Rhodospirillum fulvum and Rhodospirillum molischianum cytochromes c ₂, suggesting that M. magnetotacticum is phylogenetically related to photosynthetic bacteria.     

Nitrobacter agilis Cytochrome c-550: Isolation, Physicochemical and Enzymatic Properties, and Primary Structure

Nitrobacter agilis cytochrome c-550 was purified to an electrophoreticallyhomogeneous state, and some of its properties were determined.The cytochrome showed an absorption peak at 410 nm in the oxidizedform, and peaks at 416, 521 and 550 nm in the reduced form.Its isoelectric point was 8.1 at 5?C. Analysis of the aminoacid composition showed that the cytochrome molecule was composedof 108 amino acid residues, 16 of which were lysine residues. The cytochrome reacted rapidly with N. agilis cytochrome c oxidaseand yeast cytochrome c peroxidase and more slowly with Pseudomonasaeruginosa nitrite reductase and bovine cytochrome c oxidase.The reactivities with these redox enzymes suggested that thecytochrome might be an evolutionary stage between bacterialand eukaryotic cytochromes c. The primary structure of the cytochrome from the N-terminusto the 85th residue was determined. The N-terminal sequencewas homologous to the corresponding portion of the primary structureof horse cytochrome c. ¹ Present adress: Department of Chemistry, Faculty of Science,Tokyo Institute of Technology, O-okayama, Meguro-ku, Tokyo,152, Japan. (Received December 3, 1981; Accepted January 28, 1982)     

Effect of disulfiram on turnover of 5-hydroxytryptamine in rat brain.

Effect of disulfiram on 5-hydroxytryptamine (5-HT) turnover was studied. Treatment with disulfiram caused increases in 5-HT and 5-hydroxyindoleacetic acid (5-HIAA) in rat brain. Under the same condition, activity of brain mitochondrial aldehyde dehydrogenase was reduced, however, supernatant aldehyde dehydrogenase and monoamine oxidase activities remained unchanged. Disulfiram had no effect on synthesis rate of 5-HT, but decreased metabolism of 5-HT. Moreover, disulfiram impaired transport of 5-HIAA from brain tissue.     

Construction and characterization of the chimeric enzymes between the Bacillus subtilis cellulase and an alkalophilic Bacillus cellulase

The amino acid sequences of cellulase from Bacillus subtilis (BSC) and that from an alkalophilic Bacillus sp. N-4 (NK1) show significant homology in most parts except for the C-terminal portions. Despite the high homology, the pH activity profiles of the two enzymes are quite different; BSC has its optimum pH at 6-6.5, whereas NK1 is active over a broad pH range from 6 to 10.5. In order to identify the structural features which determine such pH activity profiles, chimeric cellulases between BSC and NK1 were constructed using four restriction sites commonly present within the homologous coding sequences, and were produced in Escherichia coli. The chimeric cellulases showed various chromatographic behaviors, reflecting the origins of their C-terminal regions. The pH activity profiles of the chimeric enzymes in the alkaline range could be classified into either the BSC or NK1 type mainly depending on the origins of the fifth C-terminal regions. In the acidic range, the profile was determined only by the origin of the fourth enzyme region from the N terminus. Comparison of the kinetic parameters between pH 5 and 6 using p-nitrophenyl cellobioside as a substrate indicated that the fourth region is responsible for the pH-dependent change of the kcat value. Only a limited number of amino acids in the fourth region may affect on deprotonation of catalytic residues of the cellulases and modulate the catalytic activity in the acidic pH values.     

A novel terminal oxidase, cytochrome baa3 purified from aerobically grown Pseudomonas aeruginosa: it shows a clear difference between resting state and pulsed state.

A novel type of cytochrome c oxidase was purified to homogeneity from Pseudomonas aeruginosa which was grown aerobically. The purified oxidase contained two molecules of heme a, two atoms of copper, and one molecule of protoheme per molecule. One of the two heme a molecules in the oxidase reacted with carbon monoxide, so that the enzyme was of baa3-type. The oxidase molecule was composed of three subunits with molecular weights of 38,000, 57,000, and 82,000. Although the oxidase oxidized ferrocytochrome c-550 obtained from the bacterial cells grown aerobically, the oxidizing activity was not high. The "resting form" and the "pulsed form" of the oxidase were observed clearly with this enzyme, and the transition from the resting form to the pulsed form was accompanied by a distinct change of the enzymatic activity. The difference in the kinetics of the catalytic reactions between the two forms is discussed.