BIOPTERIN V. DE NOVO SYNTHESIS OF DIHYDROBIOPTERIN: EVIDENCE FOR ITS QUINONOID STRUCTURE AND LACK OF DEPENDENCE OF ITS REDUCTION TO TETRAHYDROBIOPTERIN ON DIHYDROFOLATE REDUCTASE

Samples of quinonoid-l -erythrodihydrobiopterin (q-BH₂) and quinonoid-6-methyl-dihydro-pterin (q-6-MPH₂) were prepared by oxidation of l -erythro-5,6,7,8-tetrahydrobiopterin (BH₄) and 5,6,7,8-tetrahydro-6-methylpterin (6-MPH₄) and separated from ^D-erythro-7,8-dihydrobiopterin (7,8-BH₂) and 6-methyl-7,8-dihydropterin (7,8-6-MPH₂) as well as from the tetrahydropterins on phosphocellulose column by high-pressure liquid chromatography. The quinonoid dihydropterins were identified and quantitated by scan of their ultraviolet absorption and fluorescence emission spectra through their rearrangement to their 7,8-tautomer and also by gas chromatography of their rapidly synthesized trimethylsilyl derivative. Identification was also achieved by the enzymatic reduction of [³H]q-BH²to [³H]BH₄ by dihydrofolate reductase (DHFR). Direct proof for the enzymatic synthesis of the q-BH² from GTP or from 2-amino-6-(5′-triphosphoribosyl)-amino-5- or -6-formamido-6-hydroxypyrimi-dine (FPyd-P₃) was obtained by isolation of the compound which was identical in all respects to the q-BH₂ obtained by chemical synthesis from BH₄. The reduction of enzymatically synthesized q-BH² by dihydropteridine reductase (DHPR) to BH⁴ was not inhibited by methotrexate (MTX). When the enzymatically synthesized q-BH² was converted to 7,8-BH₂, it was reduced only by DHFR. This reduction, however, was inhibited by MTX. On the biosynthetic pathway from GTP to dihydrobiopterin, the enzyme responsible for the appearance of the quinonoid structure is the d -erythro-dihydroneopterin triphosphate synthetase, the product of which (quinonoid d -erythro-dihydroneopterin triphosphate) is converted to quinonoid dihydrobiopterin by l -erythro-dihydrobiopterin synthetase. Experiments in vivo established that DHFR does not participate in the reduction of dihydrobiopterin to tetra-hydrobiopterin when the former is synthesized from GTP de novo. MTX at 5 × 10^?6M exerted no inhibition on the reduction of the biosynthetic dihydrobiopterin to tetrahydrobiopterin in vivo, yet completely inhibited the reduction of intraventricularly injected tritiated dihydrofolate ([³H]FH₂) to tritiated tetrahydrofolate ([³H]FH₄).     

Reduced 6,6,8-trimethylpterins. Preparation, properties and enzymic reactivities with dihydropteridine reductase, phenylalanine hydroxylase and tyrosine hydroxylase

The substrates of dihydropteridine reductase (EC 1.6.99.7), quinonoid 7,8-dihydro(6 H)pterins, are unstable and decompose in various ways. In attempting to prepare a more stable substrate, 6,6,8-trimethyl-5,6,7,8-tetrahydro(3 H)pterin was synthesised and the quinonoid 6,6,8-trimethyl-7,8-dihydro(6 H)pterin derived from it is extremely stable with a half-life in 0.1 M Tris/HCl (pH 7.6, 25 degrees C) of 33 h. Quinonoid 6,6,8-trimethyl-7,8-dihydro(6 H)pterin is not a substrate for dihydropteridine reductase but it is reduced non-enzymically by NADH at a significant rate and it is a weak inhibitor of the enzyme: I50 200 microM, pH 7.6, 25 degrees C when using quinonoid 6-methyl-7,8-dihydro(6 H)pterin as substrate. 6,6,8-Trimethyl-5,6,7,8-tetrahydropterin is a cofactor for phenylalanine hydroxylase (EC 1.14.16.1) with an apparent Km of 0.33 mM, but no cofactor activity could be detected with tyrosine hydroxylase (EC 1.14.16.2). Its phenylalanine hydroxylase activity, together with the enhanced stability of quinonoid 6,6,8-trimethyl-7,8-dihydro(6 H)pterin, suggest that it may have potential for the treatment of variant forms of phenylketonuria.     

Comparative activity of rat liver dihydrofolate reductase with 7,8-dihydrofolate and other 7,8-dihydropteridines

The various interactions of rat liver dihydrofolate reductase with two unconjugated 7,8-dihydropteridines, 7,8-dihydrobiopterin and 6-methyl-7,8-dihydropteridine, have been compared with those of 7,8-dihydrofolate and folate. Of particular interest was the reactivity demonstrated by 7,8-dihydrobiopterin because of the potential physiological significance of this reaction both in the regeneration of tetrahydrobiopterin, a cofactor for various biological hydroxylations, and as a step in the biosynthesis of this compound from GTP. Kinetic experiments gave Km values of 0.17, 6.42, and 10.2 microM for 7,8-dihydrofolate, 7,8-dihydrobiopterin, and 6-methyl-7,8-dihydropteridine, respectively, with Vmax = 6.22, 2.39, and 1.54 mumol min-1 mg-1. With folate the enzyme showed high affinity (Km = 0.88 microM) but low Vmax (0.20 mumol min-1 mg-1). The natural cofactor was NADPH and a Km of approximately 0.7 microM was measured with each substrate. The enzyme was activated by both p-hydroxymercuribenzoate and urea when assayed with 7,8-dihydrofolate but was inhibited when 7,8-dihydrobiopterin was the substrate. The pH optimum for dihydrofolate reduction was 4 with enhancement at pH greater than or equal to 5.5 in the presence of 1 M NaCl. Peak activity with 7,8-dihydrobiopterin occurred at pH 4.8; this was shifted to pH 5.3 but was not enhanced by 1 M NaCl. Inhibition with methotrexate was similar whether the enzyme was assayed with either the conjugated or unconjugated 7,8-dihydro derivatives. The rat liver enzyme, highly unstable after purification, was stabilized in the presence of the nonionic detergent, Tween-20 (0.1%); however, the comparative properties toward the conjugated and unconjugated substrates were not altered by this treatment.     

Isolation and characterization of tetrahydropterin oxidation products generated in the tyrosine 3-monooxygenase (tyrosine hydroxylase) reaction

The catalytic mechanism of tyrosine 3-monooxygenase (tyrosine hydroxylase, EC 1.14.16.2), isolated from the cytosolic fraction of bovine adrenal medulla, was studied by new techniques of product isolation and characterization. Using either (6R)-tetrahydrobiopterin, (6RS)-tetrahydroneopterin, or 6-methyl-tetrahydropterin, as the cofactors, three enzymatic oxidation products could be isolated and identified from the reaction mixture by high-performance liquid chromatography and rapid-scanning spectroscopy: (a) the 4a-hydroxy derivatives, (b) the quinonoid dihydropterins, and (c) the stable 7,8-dihydropterins. Stopped-flow spectroscopy revealed that the formation of the 4a-hydroxy-tetrahydropterins preceded the formation of the quinonoid forms with both L-tyrosine and L-phenylalanine as the substrate. The formations of 4a-hydroxy-tetrahydropterins and hydroxylated amino acids were tightly coupled as recently shown in the phenylalanine 4-monooxygenase reaction [Haavik, J., D?skeland, A. P. & Flatmark, T. (1986) Eur. J. Biochem. 160, 1-8]. No detectable carbinolamine dehydratase activity was present in the enzyme preparation.     

Peroxidase catalysed aerobic degradation of 5,6,7,8-tetrahydrobiopterin at physiological pH

The aerobic degradation of 5,6,7,8-tetrahydrobiopterin at neutral pH is catalysed by peroxidase (EC 1.11.1.7) and provides quinonoid 7,8-dihydro(6H)biopterin which readily loses the side chain to yield 7,8-dihydro(3H)pterin. The latter is in equilibrium with trace amounts of 6-hydroxy-5,6,7,8-tetrahydropterin (covalent hydrate) which is irreversibly oxidised to quinonoid 6-hydroxy-7,8-dihydro(6H)pterin, and this finally rearranges to 7,8-dihydroxanthopterin. Spectroscopic evidence (ultraviolet, 1H NMR and 13C NMR) is presented for the reversible addition of water across the 5,6-double bond of 7,8-dihydro(3H)pterin. The intermediate quinonoid 6-hydroxy-7,8-dihydro(6H)pterin is a good substrate for dihydropteridine reductase (EC 1.6.99.7) with a Km of 16.3 microM and kcat of 22.5 s-1. The rate of aerobic degradation (oxidation and loss of the side chain) of natural (6R)-5,6,7,8-tetrahydrobiopterin is several times slower than the rate for the unnatural (6S) isomer. By using a modified assay procedure the kinetic parameters for dihydropteridine reductase are as follows: with (6R)-7,8-dihydro(6H)biopterin Km = 1.3 microM and kcat = 22.8 s-1; with (6S)-7,8-dihydro(6H)biopterin Km = 13.5 microM and kcat = 51.6 s-1; and with (6RS)-7,8-dihydro(6H)neopterin Km = 19.2 microM and kcat = 116 s-1.     

Studies on the partially uncoupled oxidation of tetrahydropterins by phenylalanine hydroxylase

The uncoupled portion of the partially uncoupled oxidation of tetrahydropterins by phenylalanine hydroxylase can be described by the same model as we have recently derived for the fully uncoupled reaction (Davis, M.D. and Kaufman, S. (1989) J. Biol. Chem.264, 8585–8596). Although essentially no hydrogen peroxide is formed during the fully coupled oxidation of tetrahydrobiopterin or 6-methyltetrahydropterin by phenylalanine hydroxylase when phenylalanine is the amino acid substrate, significant amounts of hydrogen peroxide are formed during the partially uncoupled oxidation of 6-methyltetrahydropterin whenpara-fluorophenylalanine orpara-chlorophenylalanine are used in place of phenylalanine. Similarly, during the partially uncoupled oxidation of the unsubstituted pterin, tetrahydropterin, even in the presence of phenylalanine, hydrogen peroxide formation is detected. The 4a-carbinolamine tetrahydropterin intermediate has been observed during the fully uncoupled tyrosine-dependent oxidations of tetrahydropterin and 6-methyltetrahydropterin by lysolecithin-activated phenylalanine hydroxylase, suggesting that this species is also a common intermediate for uncoupled oxidations by this enzyme.Abbreviations BH₄ 6-[dihydroxypropyl-(L-erythro)-5,6,7,8-tetrahydropterin (tetrahydrobiopterin) - 6MPH₄ 6-methyl-5,6,7,8-tetrahydropterin - PH₄ 5,6,7,8-tetrahydropterin - BH₃OH 4a-hydroxytetrahydropterin (4a-carbinolamine) - qBH₂ quinonoid dihydrobiopterin - q6MPH₂ quinonoid dihydro-6-methylpterin - qPH₂ quinoid dihydropterin - PAH phenylalanine hydroxylase - DHPR dihydropteridine reductase - PHS phenylalanine hydroxylase stimulating enzyme which is 4a-carbinolamine dehydratase - SOD superoxide dismutase - HPLC high performance liquid chromatography - R.T. retention time Special issue dedicated to Dr. Santiago Grisolia.     

Non-K-region o-quinones as enzyme-generated inactivators of dihydrodiol dehydrogenase

Homogeneous 3 alpha-hydroxysteroid/dihydrodiol dehydrogenase from rat liver cytosol catalyzes the NAD(P)+-dependent oxidation of non-K-region trans-dihydrodiols of polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons, many of which are proximate carcinogens. These reactions proceed with Km values in the millimolar range to yield highly reactive o-quinones that can be trapped as thioether adducts [Smithgall, T. E., Harvey, R. G., & Penning, T. M. (1988) J. Biol. Chem. 263, 1814-1820]. The enzymatically generated o-quinones, e.g., naphthalene-1,2-dione and benzo[a]pyrene-7,8-dione are potent inhibitors of the dehydrogenase, yielding IC50 values of 5.0 and 10.0 microM, respectively. Naphthalene-1,2-dione was found to be an efficient irreversible inhibitor of the enzyme and can inactivate equimolar concentrations of the dehydrogenase, yielding a t 1/2 for the enzyme of 10 s or less. By contrast (+/-)-trans-1,2-dihydroxy-1,2-dihydronaphthalene promotes a slower inactivation of the dehydrogenase, yielding a Kd of 70 microM and a limiting rate constant that corresponds to a t 1/2 at saturation of 23.2 min. Inactivation by this dihydrodiol has an obligatory requirement for NADP+. Examination of the kcat for the oxidation of (+/-)-trans-1,2-dihydroxy-1,2-dihydronaphthalene yields a partition ratio for the dihydrodiol of 200,000, suggesting that alkylation from the parent dihydrodiol is a rare occurrence. Benzo[a]pyrene-7,8-dione, which is the product of the enzymatic oxidation of (+/-)-trans-7,8-dihydroxy-7,8-dihydrobenzo[a]pyrene, also promotes a time- and concentration-dependent inactivation of the dehydrogenase.(ABSTRACT TRUNCATED AT 250 WORDS)     

The H+/O ratio of proton translocation linked to the oxidation of succinate by mitochondria. Reply to a commentary

Costa, L.E., Reynafarje, B. and Lehninger, A.L. [(1984) J. Biol. Chem. 259, 4802-4811] have reported 'second-generation' measurements of the H+/O ratio approaching 8.0 for vectorial H+ translocation coupled to succinate oxidation by rat liver mitochondria. In a Commentary in this Journal [Krab, K., Soos, J. and Wikstr?m, M. (1984) FEBS Lett. 178, 187-192] it was concluded that the measurements of Costa et al. significantly overestimated the true H+/O stoichiometry. It is shown here that the mathematical simulation on which Krab et al. based this claim is faulty and that data reported by Costa et al. had already excluded the criticism advanced by Krab et al. Also reported are new data, obtained under conditions in which the arguments of Krab et al. are irrelevant, which confirm that the H+/O ratio for succinate oxidation extrapolated to level flow is close to 8.     

The oxidation of apomorphine and other catechol compounds by horseradish peroxidase: relevance to the measurement of dihydropteridine reductase activity

It has been reported by Shen et al. (Shen, R.-S., Smith, R.V., Davis, P.J. and Abell, C.W. (1984) J. Biol. Chem. 259, 8894-9000) that apomorphine and dopamine are potent, non-competitive inhibitors of quinonoid dihydropteridine reductase. In this paper we show that apomorphine, dopamine and other catechol-containing compounds are oxidized rapidly to quinones by the horseradish peroxidase-H2O2 system which is used to generate the quinonoid dihydropterin substrate. These quinones react non-enzymatically with reduced pyridine nucleotides, depleting the other substrate of dihydropteridine reductase. When true initial rates of dihydropteridine reductase-dependent reduction of quinonoid dihydropterins are measured, neither apomorphine nor any other catechol-containing compound that has been tested has been found to inhibit dihydropteridine reductase.     

Enzymatic degradation of succinyl-coenzyme A by rat liver homogenates.

When a dilute suspension of the mitochondrial fraction of rat liver homogenates was incubated with chemically synthesized succinyl-CoA, a product was rapidly formed which was retained at pH 3.9 on Dowex 50 (H+). Although its acid-base properties were indistinguishable from those of epsilon-aminolevulinic acid, the product did not form a pyrrole with acetylacetone, nor was its enzymatic formation dependent on added glycine. The enzyme which cleaved succinyl-CoA to the epsilon-aminolevulinic acid-like product was inhibited by phenylmethyl sulfonylfluoride. The first substance formed by the peptidase was the unstable thioester of succinic acid and cysteamine which underwent rearrangement to the more stable N-succinyl cysteamine above pH 4.0. It is apparent that the assay of epsilon-aminolevulinic acid synthetase (EC 2.3.1.37) by the ion-exchange method of Ebert et al. (Ebert, P.S., Tschudy, D.P., Choudhry, J.N. and Chirigos, M.A. (1970) Biochim. Biophys. Acta 208, 236--250) can yield erroneous results with succinyl-coenzyme A as substrate, especially when incubations are carried out for less than 25 min.     

A differential microdetermination for the various forms of biopterin.

Conditions for the quantitative oxidation and destruction of tetrahydrobiopterin and quinoid dihydrobiopterin and the separation of biopterin from its reduced forms by ECTEOLA-Sephadex column chromatography are described. A procedure for the quantitation of tetrahydrobiopterin plus quinoid dihydrobiopterin, 7,8-dihydrobiopterin, and biopterin using a Crithidia bioassay is presented. Using these procedures it was found that tetrahydrobiopterin plus quinoid dihydrobiopterin are the prevalent forms in liver and blood of mice and that biopterin was the predominant form in the tails of tadpoles. In human urine, approximately half of the biopterin was found as tetrahydrobiopterin plus quinoid dihydrobiopterin and the other half was 7,8-dihydrobiopterin. The presence of tetrahydrobiopterin and quinoid dihydrobiopterin was confirmed by a coenzyme assay for the hydroxylation of phenylalanine.     

Hydantoin derivative formation from oxidation of 7,8-dihydro-8-oxo-2'-deoxyguanosine (8-oxodG) and incorporation of 14C-labeled 8-oxodG into the DNA of human breast cancer cells

One-electron oxidation of 7,8-dihydro-8-oxo-2'-deoxyguanosine (8-oxodG) yielded a guanidinohydantoin derivative (dGh) and a spiroiminodihydantoin derivative (dSp), both putatively mutagenic products that may be formed in vivo. The nucleoside dGh was the major product at room temperature, regardless of pH. The results are contrary to previously published model studies using 2',3',5'-triacetoxy-8-oxo-7,8-dihydroguanosine (Luo, W.; Miller, J. G.; Rachlin, E. M.; Burrows, C. J. Org. Lett. 2000, 2, 613; Luo, W.; Miller, J.G.; Rachlin, E.M.; Burrows, C.J. Chem. Res. Toxicol. 2001, 14, 927), who observed a spiroiminodihydantoin derivative as the major product at neutral pH. Clearly, the functional groups attached to the ribose moiety of 8-oxodG influence the oxidation chemistry of the nucleobase derivative. To explore this chemistry in vivo, (14)C-labeled 8-oxodG was synthesized and incubated with growing MCF-7 human breast cancer cells, resulting in the incorporation of the compound into cellular DNA as measured by a novel accelerator mass spectrometry assay.     

Thiazolidine-2-carboxylic acid, an adduct of cysteamine and glyoxylate, as a substrate for D-amino acid oxidase

A mixture of cysteamine and glyoxylate, proposed by Hamilton et al. to form the physiological substrate of hog kidney D-amino acid oxidase (Hamilton, G. A., Buckthal, D. J., Mortensen, R. M., and Zerby, K. W. (1979) Proc. Natl. Acad. Sci. U. S. A. 76, 2625-2629), was confirmed to act as a good substrate for the pure enzyme. As proposed by those workers, it was shown that the actual substrate is thiazolidine-2-carboxylic acid, formed from cysteamine and glyoxylate with a second order rate constant of 84 min-1 M-1 at 37 degrees C, pH 7.5. Steady state kinetic analyses reveal that thiazolidine-2-carboxylic acid is a better substrate at pH 8.5 than at pH 7.5. At both pH values, the catalytic turnover number is similar to that obtained with D-proline. D-Amino acid oxidase is rapidly reduced by thiazolidine-2-carboxylic acid to form a reduced enzyme-imino acid complex, as is typical with D-amino acid oxidase substrates. The product of oxidation was shown by NMR to be delta 2-thiazoline-2-carboxylic acid. Racemic thiazolidine-2-carboxylic acid is completely oxidized by the enzyme. The directly measured rate of isomerization of L-thiazolidine-2-carboxylic acid to the D-isomer was compared to the rate of oxidation of the L-isomer by D-amino acid oxidase. Their identity over the range of temperature from 2-30 degrees C established that the apparent activity with the L-amino acid can be explained quantitatively by the rapid, prior isomerization to D-thiazolidine-2-carboxylic acid.     

Horseradish peroxidase catalyzed oxidation of thiocyanate by hydrogen peroxide: comparison with lactoperoxidase-catalysed oxidation and role of distal histidine

Horseradish peroxidase-catalysed oxidation of thiocyanate by hydrogen peroxide has been studied by 15N-NMR and optical spectroscopy at different concentrations of thiocyanate and hydrogen peroxide and at different pH values. The extent of the oxidation and the identity of the oxidized product of the thiocyanate has been investigated in the SCN-/H2O2/HRP system and compared with the corresponding data on the SCN-/H2O2/LPO system. The NMR studies show that (SCN)2 is the oxidation product of thiocyanate in the SCN-/H2O2/HRP system, and its formation is maximum at pH less than or equal to 4 and that the oxidation does not take place at pH greater than or equal to 6. Since thiocyanate does not bind to HRP at pH greater than or equal to 6 (Modi et al. (1989) J. Biol. Chem. 264, 19677-19684), the binding of thiocyanate to HRP is considered to be a prerequisite for the oxidation of thiocyanate. It is further observed that at [H2O2]/[SCN-] = 4, (SCN)2 decomposes very slowly back to thiocyanate. The oxidation product of thiocyanate in the SCN-/H2O2/LPO system has been shown to be HOSCN/OSCN- which shows maximum inhibition of uptake by Streptococcus cremoris 972 bacteria when hydrogen peroxide and thiocyanate are present in equimolar amounts (Modi et al. (1991) Biochemistry 30, 118-124). However, in case of HRP no inhibition of oxygen uptake by this bacteria was observed. Since thiocyanate binds to LPO at the distal histidine while to HRP near 1- and 8-CH3 heme groups, the role of distal histidine in the activity of SCN-/H2O2/(LPO, HRP) systems is indicated.     

Enzymatic degradation of succinyl-coenzyme A by rat liver homogenates

When a dilute suspension of the mitochondrial fraction of rat liver homogenates was incubated with chemically synthesized succinyl-CoA, a product was rapidly formed which was retained at pH 3.9 on Dowex 50 (H⁺). Although its acid-base properties were indistinguishable from those of δ-aminolevulinic acid, the product did not form a pyrrole with acetylacetone, nor was its enzymatic formation dependent on added glycine. The enzyme which cleaved succinyl-CoA to the δ-aminolevulinic acid-like product was inhibited by phenylmethyl sulfonylfluoride. The first substance formed by the peptidase was the unstable thioester of succinic acid and cysteamine which underwent rearrangement to the more stable N-succinyl cysteamine above pH 4.0.It is apparent that the assay of δ-aminolevulinic acid synthetase (EC 2.3.1.37) by the ion-exchange method of Ebert et al. (Ebert, P.S., Tschudy, D.P., Choudhry, J.N. and Chirigos, M.A. (1970) Biochim. Biophys. Acta 208, 236–250) can yield erroneous results with succinyl-coenzyme A as substrate, especially when incubations are carried out for less than 25 min.     

pH dependence of 13C-15N coupling constants of highly 14N-enriched amino acids isolated from mass cultivation of algae.

The alga Ankistrodesmus braunii was grown with [14N]nitrate under optimized conditions of a large-scale mass cultivation. 19.7% of the dried algae were isolated as a mixture of amino acids. The 15N-labelled amino acids (15N content up to 98%) were separated by ion exchange chromatography using pyridine acetate gradients. The 15N cotent of the analytically pure amino acid was determined by combined gas-liquid chromatography-mass spectrometry of the trifluoroacetylated methylesters and by emission spectroscopy in the 15N analysator. Using pulse Fourier transform 13C nuclear magnetic resonance, the pH dependence of the 13C-15N coupling constants of Asp, Pro, Ser, Glu, Gly, Ala, Val, Ile and Leu was determined in aqueous solutions. Increasing coupling constants were found with pH and decreasing electron density, respectively. The relation of Binsch et al. (Binsch, G., Lambert, J.B., Roberts, B.W. and Roberts, J.D. (1964) J.Am. Chem. Soc. 86,5564-5570) between the coupling constant and the product of the S-part of the 13C and 15N hybridization SC - SN = 80 - J (13C-45X) fits best in acidic medium. The magnitude of coupling constants correlates well with the electron densities calculated by Del Re et al. (Del Re, G., Pullman, B. and Yonezawa, T. (1963) Biochim. Biophys. Acta 75, 153-182). The recording of 13C nuclear magnetic resonance spectra over the entire pH range revealed no change in the sign of the 13C-15N coupling constants of the amino acids.     

Interaction of gentamicin and spermine with bilayer membranes containing negatively charged phospholipids

We measured the electrophoretic mobility of multilamellar phospholipid vesicles, the 31P NMR spectra of both sonicated and multilamellar vesicles, and the conductance of planar bilayer membranes to study the binding of spermine and gentamicin to membranes. Spermine and gentamicin do not bind significantly to the zwitterionic lipid phosphatidylcholine. We measured the concentrations of gentamicin and spermine that reverse the charge on vesicles formed from a mixture of phosphatidylcholine and either phosphatidylserine or phosphatidylinositol. From these measurements, we determined that the intrinsic association constants of the cations with these negative lipids are all about 10 M-1. This value is orders of magnitude lower than the apparent binding constants reported in the literature by other groups because the negative electrostatic surface potential of the membranes and the resultant accumulation of these cations in the aqueous diffuse double layer adjacent to the membranes have not been explicitly considered in previous studies. Our main conclusion is that the Gouy-Chapman-Stern theory of the aqueous diffuse double layer can describe surprisingly well the interaction of gentamicin and spermine with bilayer membranes formed in a 0.1 M NaCl solution if the negative phospholipids constitute less than 50% of the membrane. Thus, the theory should be useful for describing the interactions of these cations with the bilayer component of biological membranes, which typically contain less than 50% negative lipids. For example, our results support the suggestion of Sastrasinh et al. [Sastrasinh, M., Krauss, T. C., Weinberg, J. M., & Humes, H. D. (1982) J. Pharmacol. Exp. Ther. 222, 350-358] that phosphatidylinositol is the major binding site for gentamicin in renal brush border membranes.     

Electrochemistry of pterin cofactors and inhibitors of nitric oxide synthase.

Tetrahydrobiopterin (BH4) is an essential cofactor of nitric oxide synthase (NOS), but its function is not fully understood. Specifically, it is unclear whether BH4 participates directly in electron transfer. We investigated the redox properties of BH4 and several other pteridines with cyclic voltammetry and Osteryoung square wave voltammetry. BH4 was oxidized at a potential of +0.27 V vs normal hydrogen electrode (NHE); the corresponding reductive signal after the reversal of the scan direction was very small. Instead, reduction occurred at a potential of -0.16 V vs NHE; there was no corresponding oxidative signal. These two transitions were interdependent, indicating that the reductive wave at -0.16 V represented the regeneration of BH4 from its product of oxidation at +0.27 V. Similar voltammograms were obtained with tetrahydroneopterin and 6,7-dimethyltetrahydropterin, both of which can substitute for BH4 in NOS catalysis. Completely different voltammograms were obtained with 7,8-dihydrobiopterin, sepiapterin, 2'-deoxysepiapterin, and autoxidized BH4. These 7,8-dihydropterins, which do not sustain NOS catalysis, were oxidized at much higher potentials (+0.82-1.04 V vs NHE), and appreciable reduction did not occur between +1.2 and -0.8 V, in line with the concept of a redox role for BH4 in NOS catalysis. However, the electrochemical properties of the potent pterin-site NOS inhibitor 4-amino-BH4 resembled those of BH4, whereas the active pterin cofactor 5-methyl-BH4 was not re-reduced after oxidation. We conclude that the 2-electron redox cycling of the pterin cofactor between BH4 and quinonoid dihydrobiopterin is not essential for NO synthesis. The data are consistent with 1-electron redox cycling between BH4 and the trihydrobiopterin radical BH3(*).     

Hydrogen transfer in catalysis by adenosylcobalamin-dependent diol dehydratase.

Studies [bachovchin, W. W., et al. (1978) Biochemistry 17, 2218] of the mechanism of inactivation of adenosylcobalamin-dependent diol dehydratase have led to the development of a general method to describe the kinetics of a reaction pathway containing a reservoir of mobile hydrogen. Analysis by this method of catalytic rate measurements for mixtures of 1,2-propanediol and 1,1-dideuterio-1,2-propanediol supports a mechanism involving an intermediate with three equivalent hydrogens, in which hydrogen transfer from this intermediate to product is the major rate-contributing step. Other results using tritium as a trace label [essenberg, M. K., et al. (1971) J. Am. Chem. Soc. 93, 1242] are considered in light of these deuterium isotope studies.