Isolation of glyoxalase II from bovine liver mitochondria

Bovine liver mitochondria contain about 10% of the total glyoxalase II activity in the homogenate. Electrophoresis and isoelectric focussing of either crude mitochondrial extract or the purified mitochondrial glyoxalase II resolved the enzyme activity into five forms (pl 6.3, 6.7, 7.1, 7.7, and 7.9). Since bovine liver cytosol contains a single form of glyoxalase II (pl 7.5), at least four forms are exclusively mitochondrial with no counterpart in the cytosol. The relative molecular mass of mitochondrial glyoxalase II is about 23-24 kDa, similar to the cytosolic form. The kinetic constants obtained using S-D-lactoyl, S-acetyl-, S-acetoacetyl-, and S-succinyl-glutathione as substrates are similar to those reported for glyoxalase II from rat liver mitochondria. S-D-Lactoyl- and S-acetoacetyl-glutathione are the best substrates. S-Acetylglutathione is the poorest substrate with respect to both Vmax and Km values.     

Primary structure of ferredoxin from bovine kidney mitochondria

Kidney mitochondrial ferredoxin (renodoxin) is a component of the cytochrome P-450-dependent enzymatic system whose main function is the hydroxylation of vitamin D₃ in the 1a- and 24-positions. The complete amino acid sequence of renodoxin was determined by protein chemistry and mass spectrometry. The mature renodoxin has 128 amino acid residues. The N- and C-terminal regions of renodoxin are subject to proteolytic modification, this being the origin of heterogeneous molecular mass (from 14,200 to 12,400 kD) of purified protein preparations. The antigenic structure of renodoxin was studied using antibodies to peptide fragments of a homologous protein, adrenodoxin.     

Comparative studies of purified and reconstituted monoamine oxidase from bovine liver mitochondria

Monoamine oxidase, a strictly membrane-bound flavoenzyme, has been purified using a modified procedure recently developed. Probably similarly to other preparations known from the literature, the enzyme solubilizes to a clear suspension, which represents large clusters ranging in size from 5 to 50 nm containing appreciable amounts of residual lipids. The purified and reconstituted enzymes are inhibited differently by deoxycholate. In contrast to deoxycholate, Triton X-100 does not inhibit the purified enzyme, but rather disintegrates the lipid-enzyme clusters to the smallest active units. However, removal of the detergent leads to reconglomeration to larger lipid-enzyme aggregates. Using the irreversible destruction of the enzyme by deoxycholate as assay, reconstitution of the enzyme with exogeneous lipids has been studied. All basic enzyme properties, such as stability, maximal activity ($\text{V}$), Michaelis constant ($\text{K}{}_{\mathrm{<mtext>m</mtext>}}$), pH- and temperature-dependence of the purified and reconstituted systems, are significantly different.     

Purification and properties of the soluble carnitine palmitoyltransferase from bovine liver mitochondria.

A new carnitine palmitoyltransferase (CPT) was purified to homogeneity from bovine liver mitochondria which were 96% free of peroxisomal contamination, as judged by catalase and glutamate dehydrogenase activities. The enzyme is easily removed from mitochondria, without the use of detergent. It is monomeric (Mr 63,500), unlike other preparations of CPT from mitochondria, and is most active with myristoyl-CoA and palmitoyl-CoA. The Km values are between 0.8 and 4 microM for a range of substrates from hexanoyl-CoA to stearoyl-CoA; these are much lower than values reported for other purified CPT preparations. The Km for L-carnitine is 185 microM measured with palmitoyl-CoA, and does not vary greatly with the chain length. This is also lower than the values reported for other CPT preparations, but higher than those cited for the medium-chain transferases. Kinetic and inhibitor studies were consistent with a rapid-equilibrium random-order mechanism. 2-Bromopalmitoyl-CoA, which is an inhibitor of the outer CPT, inhibited the enzyme competitively with palmitoyl-CoA as the variable substrate, when added without preincubation. If the enzyme was preincubated with 2-bromopalmitoyl-CoA and carnitine, the activity did not reappear after gel filtration of the protein. The inhibitor was bound in a 1:1 stoichiometry per subunit of enzyme.     

The C27-steroid hydroxylating system from bovine liver mitochondria. Isolation of ferredoxin (hepatoredoxin) by affinity chromatography on cytochrome-c-sepharose

A technique for the isolation of highly purified hepatoredoxin involving the DE-32 cellulose chromatography of post-mitochondrial supernatant, ammonium-sulfate fractionation, Sephadex G-75 gel chromatography, 1-amino-2-hydroxypropyl-Sepharose ion-exchange chromatography and cytochrome-c-Sepharose affinity chromatography is described. The protein was purified 160-fold with a yield of 19%. The synthesis of cytochrome-c-Sepharose was carried out in a way preventing modification of the lysine-containing binding domain of the cytochrome c molecule. To achieve this, free carboxyl groups were modified with histamine to introduce imidazole residues in cytochrome c and the modified protein was immobilized on bromoacetyl-Sepharose.     

Purification and biochemical characterization of hepatic ferredoxin (hepatoredoxin) from bovine liver mitochondria

Hepatic ferredoxin (hepatoredoxin) was purified from bovine liver mitochondria. The monomeric molecular mass of the hepatoredoxin was larger than that of adrenocortical ferredoxin (adrenodoxin) from bovine adrenocortical mitochondria at 14 kDa. We studied the amino acid residues and NH2-terminal sequence of this protein. The hepatoredoxin was organ-specific protein. The optical absorption spectrum of oxidized hepatoredoxin had two peaks, at 414 and 455 nm in the visible region. Hepatoredoxin formed an immunoprecipitin line against anti-adrenodoxin immunoglobulin in Ouchterlony double diffusion, and an immunochemical staining band in Western blotting.     

Purification and characterization of renal ferredoxin from bovine renal mitochondria

A renal ferredoxin was purified from bovine renal mitochondria to electrophoretic purity. The molecular weight of the renal ferredoxin was estimated by gel filtration and SDS-polyacrylamide gel electrophoresis to be 12,500 and 13,000, respectively. The optical absorption spectrum of renal ferredoxin in the oxidized form showed two peaks at 416 and 457 nm in the visible region, and the EPR absorption spectrum showed peaks at gx = gy =1.94 and gz = 2.02 in the reduced form at 13K. These spectra were typical of the 2S-2Fe type ferredoxins. Dissimilarities were recognized in the amino acid composition and isoelectric point between bovine renal ferredoxin and bovine adrenodoxin, but not in the optical, magnetic, and immunochemical properties. The reconstitution of 25-hydroxyvitamin D3-1 alpha-hydroxylase system was performed with the three components of NADPH-adrenodoxin reductase from bovine adrenal mitochondria, renal ferredoxin, and cytochrome P-450(1) alpha from bovine renal mitochondria. The results showed that the renal ferredoxin was essential for the 1 alpha-hydroxylase activity of 25-hydroxyvitamin D3.     

Cross-linking studies of the cholesterol hydroxylation system from bovine adrenocortical mitochondria

Cytochrome P-450SCC and adrenodoxin were cross-linked with 1-ethyl-3-(3-dimethylaminopropyl)carbodiimide. The sample containing 94% of cross-linked complex and 6% of free cytochrome P-450SCC was obtained after purification on cholate-Sepharose. Cytochrome P-450SCC in cross-linked complex completely preserves its high-spin form in the presence of Tween 20 or pregnenolone. Utilization of radioactively labelled adrenodoxin, chemical cleavage of cytochrome P-450SCC from cross-linked complex with o-iodosobenzoic acid and HPLC for separation of peptides allow us to conclude that the complex of cytochrome P-450SCC with adrenodoxin was cross-linked through two amino acid sequences of cytochrome P-450SCC-Leu-88-Thr-107 and Leu-368-Gly-416. The cross-linked complex of adrenodoxin reductase, adrenodoxin and cytochrome P-450SCC with an apparent molecular mass of 114 kDa was obtained with N-succinimidyl-6-(4'-azido-2'-nitrophenylamino)hexanoate. The composition of cross-linked complex was determined by immunoblotting and by evaluation of radioactivity using preliminary N-ethyl[2,3-14C]maleimide-modified adrenodoxin. From this data it appears that the ternary complex may exist in solution.     

Isolation of active mitochondria from tomato fruit

An improved method for isolating mitochondria from tomato fruit (Lycopersicon esculentum Mill.) is described. The fruit is chilled, and the tissue of the fruit wall cut by hand into very thin slices with a razor blade while immersed in a buffer containing 0.4 m sucrose, 2 mm MgCl₂, 8 mm EDTA, 4 mm cysteine, 10 mm KCl, 0.5 mg per ml bovine serum albumin 50 mm tris-HCl, pH 7.6. The pH is monitored and kept within the range of 7.0 to 7.2 by dropwise addition of 1 n KOH during cutting. The tissue is strained through 8 layers of cheesecloth and centrifuged at 2000 × g for 15 minutes. The supernatant is then centrifuged at 11,000 × g for 20 minutes, and the sediment is washed once with a medium containing 0.4 m sucrose, 10 mm KCl, 1 mm MgCl₂, 10 mm tris-HCl, 10 mm KH₂PO₄ and bovine serum albumin (0.5 mg per ml), pH 7.2. Electron microscope studies show that this method gives homogeneous, relatively intact mitochondria; they have a higher respiratory control ratio than those reported by other workers. The method was also tested successfully on fruits of cantaloupe and `Honey Dew' melon.     

Kinetics of the reconstituted 2-oxoglutarate carrier from bovine heart mitochondria

The 2-oxoglutarate carrier from the inner membrane of bovine heart mitochondria was purified by chromatography on hydroxyapatite/celite and reconstituted with egg yolk phospholipid vesicles by the freeze-thaw-sonication technique. In the reconstituted system the incorporated 2-oxoglutarate carrier catalyzed a first-order reaction of 2-oxoglutarate/2-oxoglutarate exchange. The substrate affinity for 2-oxoglutarate was determined to be 65 +/- 18 microM (15 determinations) and the maximum exchange rate at 25 degrees C reaches 4000-22,000 mumol/min per g protein, in dependence of the particular reconstitution conditions. The activation energy of the exchange reaction is 54.3 kJ/mol. The transport is independent of pH in the range between 6 and 8. When the first fraction of the hydroxyapatite/celite column eluate was used for reconstitution, besides the 2-oxoglutarate/2-oxoglutarate exchange, a significant activity of unidirectional uptake was observed. This activity may be due to a population of the carrier protein which is in a different state.     

Kinetics of the reconstituted 2-oxoglutarate carrier from bovine heart mitochondria

The 2-oxoglutarate carrier from the inner membrane of bovine heart mitochondria was purified by chromatography on hydroxyapatite / celite and reconstituted with egg yolk phospholipid vesicles by the freeze-thaw-sonication technique. In the reconstituted system the incorporated 2-oxoglutarate carrier catalyzed a first-order reaction of 2-oxoglutarate / 2-oxoglutarate exchange. The substrate affinity for 2-oxoglutarate was determined to be 65 ± 18 μM (15 determinations) and the maximum exchange rate at 25°C reaches 4000–22000 μmol / min per g protein, in dependence of the particular reconstitution conditions. The activation energy of the exchange reaction is 54.3 kJ / mol. The transport is independent of pH in the range between 6 and 8. When the first fraction of the hydroxyapatite / celite column eluate was used for reconstitution, besides the 2-oxoglutarate / 2-oxoglutarate exchange, a significant activity of unidirectional uptake was observed. This activity may be due to a population of the carrier protein which is in a different state.     

Kinetics of the reconstituted dicarboxylate carrier from rat liver mitochondria

The dicarboxylate carrier from rat liver mitochondria was purified by the Amberlite/hydroxyapatite procedure and reconstituted in egg yolk phospholipid vesicles by removing the detergent with Amberlite. The efficiency of reconstitution was optimized with respect to the ratio of detergent/phospholipid, the concentration of phospholipid and the number of Amberlite column passages. In the reconstituted system the incorporated dicarboxylate carrier catalyzed a first-order reaction of malate/phosphate exchange. V of the reconstituted malate/phosphate exchange was determined to be 6000 mumol/min per g protein at 25 degrees C. This value was independent of the type of substrate present at the external or internal space of the liposomes (malate, phosphate or malonate). The half-saturation constant was 0.49 mM for malate, 0.54 mM for malonate and 1.41 mM for phosphate. The activation energy of the exchange reaction was determined to be 95.8 kJ/mol. The transport was independent of the external pH in the range between pH 6 and 8.     

Probing the active site of the reconstituted aspartate/glutamate carrier from bovine heart mitochondria: carbodiimide-catalyzed acylation of a functional lysine residue.

Upon modification of the reconstituted aspartate/glutamate carrier by various amino acid-reactive chemicals a functional lysine residue at the exofacial binding site was identified. The inactivation of transport function by the lysine-specific reagents pyridoxal phosphate (PLP, IC50 400 microM) and 4-acetamido-4'-isothiocyanostilbene-2,2'-disulfonate (SITS, IC50 300 microM) could specifically be suppressed by the substrates aspartate and glutamate; a 50% substrate protection was observed at half-saturation of the external binding site. The same held true for 1-ethyl-3-(3-dimethylaminopropyl)carbodiimide (EDC, IC50 500 microM) and diethyl pyrocarbonate (DEPC, IC50 20 microM), two reagents known to modify carboxylic or histidinyl side-chains, respectively. EDC, however, turned out to catalyze an acylation of the active site lysine by activating carboxyls that had to be present in the incubation medium. This special mechanism, which was proven by protein labelling using EDC/[14C]succinate, necessitates a lysine side-chain of high reactivity and low pK, since the modification had to occur at pH less than or equal to 6.5, i.e. not too far from the pK of the carboxyl to be activated. All reagents applied, additionally including 4,4'-diisothiocyanostilbene-2,2'-disulfonate (DIDS, IC50 10 microM), were effective at this pH. Competition experiments revealed interaction of EDC, PLP, SITS and probably DIDS at the same active site lysine. For DEPC a lysine modification could not be ruled out. Yet, a model comprising a histidine juxtaposed to the lysine seems to be appropriate.     

Isolation and characterization of mucopolysaccharides from rat liver mitochondria.

Mucopolysaccharides were isolated from rat liver mitochondria which had been labeled with 35S-sulfate. They were prepared from trichloroacetic acid (TCA)-insoluble and -soluble fractions of lipid-free mitochondria. These fractions were digested with pronase exhaustively, and the mucopolysaccharides were recovered in the void volume fractions of gel filtration of the pronase digests on Sephadex G-50, monitored by radioactivity determination. Identification of these mucopolysaccharides was based on electrophoresis on cellulose acetate film using three different media, enzymatic and chemical degradations specific to each type of mucopolysaccharide, using chondroitinases, heparitinase, and nitrous acid. From the TCA-insoluble fraction, chondroitin sulfate A and dermatan sulfate were obtained in a ratio of about 1 : 2, based on 35S-radioactivities, whereas the TCA-soluble fraction yielded chondroitin sulfates A/C, dermatan sulfate, and heparan sulfate in a ratio of about 1 : 3 : 12. The total amount of mitochondrial mucopolysaccharides was about 3 mg/g protein, distributed between the TCA-insoluble and -soluble fractions in a ratio of about 1 : 3.