Studies on Plant Growth-regulating Activities of Anisomycin and Toyocamycin

A new enzyme, 2-methylisocitrate dehydratase, isolated from Yallowia lipolytica, functioning in the methylcitric acid cycle for propionate metabolism, had a pI of 4.4 and a M_r of 69,500. The enzyme was composed of 624 residues of amino acids per molecule. No cofactor was required for full enzyme activity. The enzyme was competitively inhibited by threo-D_s-isocitrate (K_i =68mM), but not by any other tested metabolites. The enzyme was weakly inhibited by some thiol reagents, but not by any metal-chelating reagents, differing from aconitase, which dehydrates 2-methylisocitrate. This difference between the enzymes made it possible to estimate the activity of the new enzyme even in crude cell-free extracts. The enzyme was constitutively synthesized, but had no regulatory function in the methylcitric acid cycle. The enzyme was supposed to have evolutionarily developed from a hypothetical and prototypical isocitrate dehydratase.     

Characterization of a New (R)-Hydroxynitrile Lyase from the Japanese Apricot Prunus mume and cDNA Cloning and Secretory Expression of One of the Isozymes in Pichia pastoris

PmHNL, a hydroxynitrile lyase from Japanese apricot ume (Prunus mume) seed was purified to homogeneity by ammonium sulfate fractionation and chromatographic steps. The purified enzyme was a monomer with molecular mass of 58 kDa. It was a flavoprotein similar to other hydroxynitrile lyases of the Rosaceae family. It was active over a broad temperature, and pH range. The N-terminal amino acid sequence (20 amino acids) was identical with that of the enzyme from almond (Prunus dulcis). Based on the N-terminal sequence of the purified enzyme and the conserved amino acid sequences of the enzymes from Pr. dulcis, inverse PCR method was used for cloning of a putative PmHNL (PmHNL2) gene from a Pr. mume seedling. Then the cDNA for the enzyme was cloned. The deduced amino acid sequence was found to be highly similar (95%) to that of an enzyme from Pr. serotina, isozyme 2. The recombinant Pichia pastoris transformed with the PmHNL2 gene secreted an active enzyme in glycosylated form.     

Purification and Some Properties of Dipeptidyl Carboxypeptidase from Bacillus pumilus

An intracellular protease from a bacterium, Bacillus pumilus HL721, was purified about 5000-fold by Chromatography with a Q-Sepharose Fast Flow column, TSK-gel HA-1000 glass column, and TSK-gel G3000SWXL column using Bz-Gly-Ala-Pro as a substrate. The enzyme was the most active at pH around 7.5 and stable from 4.5 and 8.0. The enzyme activity was inhibited by Cu²⁺, EDTA, N-ethylmaleimide, o-phenanthroline, and p-chloromercuribenzoic acid. The molecular weight of the enzyme was 155,000 by gel filtration. The enzyme removed dipeptide from the carboxyl end of some peptides used as substrates. From these results the enzyme seems to be a dipeptidyl carboxypeptidase.     

Purification and biochemical characterization of a fibrinolytic enzyme from Bacillus subtilis BK-17

A fibrinolytic enzyme from Bacillus subtilis BK-17 has been purified to homogeneity by gel-filtration and ion-exchange chromatography. Compared to the crude enzyme extract, the specific activity of the enzyme increased 929-fold with a recovery of 29%. The subunit molecular mass of the purified enzyme was estimated to be 31 kDa by SDS–PAGE. The N-terminal amino acid sequence of the purified fibrinolytic enzyme was: A-Q-S-V-P-Y-G-V-S-Q-I-K-A-P-A-A-H-N. The sequence was highly homologous to the fibrinolytic enzymes nattokinase, subtilisin J and subtilisin E from Bacillus spp. However, there was a substitution of three amino acid residues in the N-terminal sequence. The amidolytic activity of the purified enzyme for several substrates was assessed. In comparison with nattokinase and CK (fibrinolytic enzyme from a Bacillus spp.), which showed strong fibrinolytic activity, the amidolytic activity of the enzyme for the synthetic substrate, kallikrein (H-D-Val-Leu-Arg-pNA, S-2266) increased 2.4- and 11.8-fold, respectively.     

Purification and Properties of a Pectin trans-Eliminase in Erwin aroideae Formed in the Presence of Nalidixic Acid

A strain of Erwinia aroideae produces a remarkable amount of pectolytic enzyme when the organism was induced by nalidixic acid for the bacteriocin production. This pectolytic enzyme was purified approximately 60-fold from the induced medium by carboxymethyl-cellulose and Sephadex G–75 gel column chromatographies after batchwise treatment with carboxymethyl- and diethylaminoethyl-celluloses. The purified enzyme was almost homogeneous on sodium dodecyl sulfate (SDS)-polyacrylamide gel electrophoresis, a molecular weight of about 28,000 to 32,000 was determined for this enzyme. The optimum pH of the enzyme activity was about 8.0 to 8.2. The purified enzyme produced reaction products from pectin and methoxylated pectic acid which had a strong absorption at 235 nm indicating a trans-eliminase reaction. Pectin or pectic acid with higher methoxyl content was a good substrate for this enzyme, while no significant activity was observed when pectic acid was a substrate. The limit of degradation of pectin and pectic acid with higher methoxyl content (90% esterified) by the enzyme were 6.5% and 43%, respectively. It was concluded that the enzyme is a new endo-pectin trans-eliminase from bacterial origin.     

Immobilization of Bacillus licheniformis 5A1 milk-clotting enzyme and characterization of its enzyme properties

Milk-clotting enzyme from Bacillus licheniformis 5A1 was immobilized on Amberlite IR-120 by ionic binding. Almost all the enzyme activity was retained on the support. The immobilized milk-clotting enzyme was repeatedly used to produce cheese in a batch reactor. The production of cheese was repeated 5 times with no loss of activity. The specific activity calculated on a bound-protein basis was slightly higher than that of free enzyme. The free and immobilized enzyme were highly tolerant to repeated freezing and thawing. The optimum temperature for milk-clotting activity was 70 °C with the free enzyme whereas, it was ranged from 70 to 80 °C with the immobilized milk-clotting enzyme. The activation energy (E _A) of the immobilized milk-clotting enzyme was lower than the free enzyme (E _A = 1.59 and 1.99 Kcal mol⁻¹ respectively). The immobilized milk-clotting enzyme exhibited great thermal stability. The milk-clotting optimum pH was 7.0 for both free and immobilized enzyme. The Michaelis constant K _m of the immobilized milk-clotting enzyme was slightly lower than the free enzyme.     

Purification and Characterization of an Endo-Polygalacturonase from a Mutant of Saccharomyces cerevisiae

An extracellular endo-polygalacturonase (PGase) produced by a mutant of Saccharomyces cerevisiae was isolated. The enzyme was regarded, immunologically, as a PGase belonging to the Kluyveromyces marxianus group. The enzyme had properties similar to the PGase from K. marxianus in heat and pH stability, and N-terminal amino acid sequence. However, the enzyme showed different properties in optimum pH and temperature, molecular weight, and reactivity in antiserum against PGase from K. marxianus, indicating that the enzyme has a different molecular structure from the PGase from K. marxianus.     

Biochemical analysis of a fibrinolytic enzyme purified from <Emphasis Type="Italic">Bacillus subtilis</Emphasis> strain A1

A fibrinolytic enzyme from Bacillus subtilis strain Al was purified by chromatographic methods, including DEAE Sephadex A-50 column chromatography and Sephadex G-50 column gel filtration. The purified enzyme consisted of a monomeric subunit and was estimated to be approximately 28 kDa in size by SDS-PAGE. The specific activity of the fibrinolytic enzyme was 1632-fold higher than that of the crude enzyme extract. The fibrinolytic activity of the purified enzyme was approximately 0.62 and 1.33 U/ml in plasminogen-free and plasminogen-rich fibrin plates, respectively. Protease inhibitors PMSF, DIFP, chymostatin, and TPCK reduced the fibrinolytic activity of the enzyme to 13.7, 35.7, 15.7, and 23.3%, respectively. This result suggests that the enzyme purified from B. subtilis strain Al was a chymotrypsin-like serine protease. In addition, the optimum temperature and pH range of the fibrinolytic enzyme were 50°C and 6.0–10.0, respectively. The N-terminal amino acid sequence of the purified enzyme was identified as Q-T-G-G-S-I-I-D-P-I-N-G-Y-N, which was highly distinguished from other known fibrinolytic enzymes. Thus, these results suggest a fibrinolytic enzyme as a novel thrombolytic agent from B. subtilis strain Al.     

Protocatechuate 3,4-Dioxygenase from Nocardia erythropolis†

Protocatechuate 3,4-dioxygenase was isolated from a gram-positive bacterium, Nocardia erythropolis, the enzyme participates in the phthalate ester metabolism in the bacterium. Cultural conditions for production of the enzyme, the purification procedure, and some properties of the enzyme were studied. A bouillon (beef) medium was the most effective among those tested for cell growth and enzyme formation. The effect was due to the ring closure type of creatine compounds. Protocatechuate 3,4-dioxygenase was purified from the cell-free extract ca. 1,400-fold and it gave a single band on polyacrylamide gel electrophoresis. The molecular weight was estimated to be ca. 150,000. The optimal pH and temperature were pH 8.0 and 40°C, respectively. The enzyme was stable in a pH range from 7.6 to 8.6 and below 42°C. The enzyme was inhibited by several metals such as Pb²⁺ , Cd²⁺ and Hg²⁺ . The enzyme was active on a wide range of o-dihydroxyphenyl compounds, in contrast to the high specificity of similar enzymes from gram-negative bacteria (Pseudomonas). The enzyme had a broad absorption band in the visible region with a peak around 450 nm, suggesting the presence of non-heme ion(s) bound to the enzyme as a cofactor. The spectrum changed markedly upon addition of the substrate, possibly showing the formation of an enzyme-substrate complex.     

Characterization of cytochrome oxidase purified from rat liver

The purpose of this study was to characterize the physical properties of cytochromec oxidase from rat liver. The enzyme was extracted from isolated mitochondria with nonionic detergents and further purified by ion-exchange chromatography on DEAE Bio-Gel A. The purified enzyme contained 9.64 nmol heme a/mg protein and one iron atom plus one copper atom for each heme a. The specific activity of the final preparation was 146 µmol of ferrocytochromec oxidized/min · mg protein, measured at pH 5.7. The spectral properties of the enzyme were characteristic of purified cytochrome oxidase and indicated that the preparation was free of cytochromesb, c, andc ₁. In analytical ultracentrifugation studies, the enzyme sedimented as a single component with anS ^20,w of5.35S. The Stokes radius of the enzyme was determined by gel filtration chromatography and was equal to 75 Å. The molecular weight of the oxidase calculated from its sedimentation coefficient and Stokes' radius was 180,000, indicating that the active enzyme contained two heme a groups. The purified cytochrome oxidase was also subjected to dodecyl sulfate-polyacrylamide gel electrophoresis in order to determine its components. The enzyme was resolved into five polypeptides with the molecular weights of I, 27,100; II, 15,000; III, 11,900; IV 9800; and V, 9000.     

Crystalline 2-Ketogluconate Reductase from Acetobacter ascendens,the Second Instance of Crystalline Enzyme in Genus Acetobacter

Crystalline 2-ketogluconate reductase in genus Acetobacter was prepared from cell free extract of Acetobacter ascendens. Crystalline enzyme was purified 13,000-fold with a yield of 15%. Affinity chromatography on blue-dextran Sepharose 4B column successfully purified the enzyme. The enzyme was composed of three identical subunits with a molecular weight of 40,000. Substrate specificity of 2-ketogluconate reductase from two genera of acetic acid bacteria was compared using highly purified enzyme preparations, and it was confirmed that gluconate oxidation activity of the enzyme was intrinsically weak or absent in genus Acetobacter and intense in Gluconobacter. This fact must be a useful criterion for classification of acetic acid bacteria.     

A novel fibrinolytic enzyme from <Emphasis Type="Italic">Cordyceps militaris</Emphasis>, a Chinese traditional medicinal mushroom

A novel fibrinolytic enzyme from Cordyceps militaris was purified and partially characterized for the first time, which was designated C. militaris fibrinolytic enzyme (CMase). This extracellular enzyme from C. militaris was isolated by ammonium sulphate fraction, and purified to electrophoretic homogeneity using gel filtration chromatography. The apparent molecular mass of the purified enzyme was estimated to be 27.3 kDa by SDS-PAGE. The optimum pH and temperature for the enzyme activity were pH 6.0 and 25 °C, respectively. In the presence of metal ions such as Mg²⁺ and Fe²⁺ ions the activity of the enzyme increased, whereas EDTA and Cu²⁺ ion inhibited the enzyme activity. Interestingly the N-terminal amino acid sequences of the enzyme is extremely similar to those of the trypsin proteinases from insects, and has no significant homology with those of the fibrinolytic enzyme from other medicinal mushroom. In conclusion, C. militaris produces a strong fibrinolytic enzyme CMase and may be considered as a new source for thrombolytic agents.     

Single-step purification of lipase from Burkholderia multivorans using polypropylene matrix

Lipase from Burkholderia multivorans was purified with high yields directly from fermentation broth by a single-step purification protocol involving adsorption and desorption. The crude enzyme (lyophilized powder) from B. multivorans was loaded on Accurel (Membrana, Germany), a polypropylene matrix, using butanol as the solvent in a buffer at pH 9.0 and ambient temperature for a period of 12 h. The enzyme adsorbed onto the matrix with high specific activity (33 units mg^–1 protein). This was followed by desorption of the enzyme from the matrix using Triton X-100 as the eluent. The enzyme was finally recovered by precipitation with acetone (50%, v/v). Thus, an overall enzyme yield of 66% with a 3.0-fold purification was obtained. The purity of the enzyme was ascertained by SDS-PAGE. The phenomenon of adsorption and desorption on Accurel was studied for three more lipases, viz. Mucor meihei lipase (Sigma–Aldrich Co.), Lipolase (Novo Nordisk, Denmark) and Pseudomonas aeruginosa lipase (laboratory isolate).     

Purification,characterization and gene cloning of isoeugenol-degrading enzyme from <Emphasis Type="Italic">Pseudomonas putida</Emphasis> IE27

An isoeugenol-degrading enzyme was purified to homogeneity from Pseudomonas putida IE27, an isoeugenol-assimilating bacterium. The purified enzyme was a 55 kDa monomer and catalyzed the initial step of isoeugenol degradation, the oxidative cleavage of the side chain double-bond of isoeugenol, to form vanillin. Another reaction product of isoeugenol degradation besides vanillin was identified to be acetaldehyde. The values of Km and k _cat for isoeugenol were 175 μM and 5.18 s^–1, respectively. The purified enzyme catalyzed the incorporation of an oxygen atom from either molecular oxygen or water into vanillin, suggesting that the isoeugenol-degrading enzyme is a kind of monooxygenase. The gene encoding the isoeugenol-degrading enzyme and its flanking regions were isolated from P. putida IE27. The amino acid sequence of the enzyme was similar to those of lignostilbene-α,β-dioxygenases, carotenoid monooxygenases and 9-cis-epoxycarotenoid dioxygenases.     

Purification and Some Properties of Chlorogenic Acid Oxidase from Apple (Malus pumila)

Chlorogenic acid oxidase was extensively purified to homogeneity from apple flesh (Malus pumila cv. Fuji). The enzyme was purified 470-fold, with a total yield close to 70% from the plastid fraction by ammonium sulfate precipitation, gel filtration and ion-exchange chromatography. The molecular weight was determined to be 65,000 by both SDS-PAGE and gel filtration chromatography. The optimum pH for the enzyme activity was around 4.0, and the enzyme was stable in the range of pH 6–8. The pI obtained by isoelectrofocusing was 5.4, and the N-terminal amino acid sequence was N-Asp-Pro-Leu-Ala-Pro-Pro-. The reaction rate of the purified enzyme was much larger for chlorogenic acid than for other o-diphenols such as (+)-catechin, (?)-epicatechin and 4-methylcatechol, and the enzyme lacked both cresolase activity and p-diphenol oxidase activity. The K_m value for the enzyme was found to be 122μM toward chlorogenic acid. The purified enzyme had far less thermal stability than the enzyme of the plastid fraction. Diethyl-dithiocarbamate, sodium azide, o-phenanthroline and sodium fluoride markedly inhibited the enzyme activity.     

Studies on Transglycosidation to Vitamin B6 by Microorganisms

The enzyme activity to synthesize pyridoxine glucoside was demonstrated in intact cells and cell extracts of genera, Sarcina and Micrococcus. The isolated and identified strain, Micrococcus sp. No. 431 was found to have high activity of this enzyme in its cell extract.

The enzyme activity reached to a maximum after 20 hr of cultivation.

The enzyme which synthesized pyridoxine glucoside via transglucosidation from sucrose to pyridoxine was purified from Micrococcus sp. No. 431 by means of ammonium sulfate fractionation, DEAE-Sephadex, hydroxylapatite and Sephadex G–100 column chromatographies. The enzyme was purified about 354–fold and confirmed to be homogenous in polyacrylamide-gel electrophoresis and ultracentrifugation.     

Characteristics of Cytidine Aminohydrolase Activity in Trypanosoma cruzi and Crithidia fasciculata1

Cytidine deaminase (cytidine aminohydrolase, 3.5.4.5) is present in Crithidia fasciculata (a mosquito parasite) and in Trypanosoma cruzi (a human pathogen). The enzyme from C. fasciculata deaminated both cytidine and deoxycytidine, the affinity for the former being much lower than the latter. Affinities for both substrates are equal for the T. cruzi enzyme. The production of the enzyme in C. fasciculata was significantly stimulated by the addition of a number of pyrimidine nucleosides (cytidine, uridine, 5-bromouridine, thymidine, orotidine) to the culture media. Only cytidine stimulated enzyme production in T. cruzi. The enzyme from both organisms was unstable in air, even in the frozen state. Stabilization was achieved under anaerobic conditions.     

Purification and characterization of fibrinolytic alkaline protease from <Emphasis Type="Italic">Fusarium</Emphasis> sp. BLB

Fusarium sp. BLB, which produces a strongly fibrinolytic enzyme, was isolated from plant leaf (Hibiscus). Fibrinolytic alkaline protease was purified from a culture filtrate of Fusarium sp. BLB by precipitation with (NH₄)₂SO₄ and column chromatography with CM-Toyopearl 650M and Superdex 75. The purified enzyme was homogeneous on sodium dodecyl sulfate polyacrylamide gel electrophoresis (SDS-PAGE). The molecular weight was 27,000 by SDS-PAGE. Maximum activity of protease was observed at pH 9.5 and 50°C. Purified protease was active between pH 2.5 and 11.5 and was found to be stable up to 50°C. The enzyme derived from Fusarium sp. BLB is useful for thrombolytic therapy because this enzyme showed pH resistance. The activity was inhibited by diisopropylfluorophosphate and phenylmethylsulfonyl fluoride. The N-terminal amino acid sequence of the enzyme showed a similarity to those of proteases from Fusarium sp., Streptomyces griseus, Bos taurus bovine, Katsuwo pelamis digestive tract, and Lumbricus rubellus.     

Biochemical Studies on Ricin Part X Effect of the Two Constituent Polypeptide Chains of Ricin D toward Mouse Sarcoma Ascite Tumor Cells

A maltotetraose-forming amylase from Pseudomonas stutzeri was highly purified by adsorption on starch granules and by chromatographies on Sephadex G-100 and DEAE-cellulose. The purified enzyme showed a single band in polyacrylamide gel electrophoreses with or without sodium dodecylsulfate. The optimum pH for enzyme action on starch was 6.0-6.5, and the optimum temperature was 45°C. The purified enzyme attacked starch from the non-reducing end to produce α-anomer oligosaccharides. This indicated that the enzyme was an exo-α-amylase which had not hitherto been found. The enzyme activity was markedly inhibited by the addition of Cu²⁺, Hg²⁺, N-bromosuccinimide and 2,3-butanedione. The molecular weight of the enzyme determined by the method of Weber and Osborn was about 5.7 × 10⁴. The isoelectric point of the enzyme was estimated to be 5.3 by polyacrylamide gel electrofocusing. The Km and k₀ values of this enzyme for starch, glycogen, short chain amylose and some maltooligosaccharides were calculated from Lineweaver-Burk plots.     

Comparative Studies on Dihydrofolate Reductases from Plasmodium falciparum and Aotus trivirgatus*

SYNOPSIS Dihydrofolate reductase (E.C. 1.5.1.3) from Plasmodium falciparum and from its host, the owl monkey (Aotus trivirgatus). were partially purified and characterized. The molecular weight of the parasite enzyme was estimated to be over 10 times as high as that of the host enzyme. The host enzyme had 2 pH optima whereas the parasite enzyme only one. The activity of the host enzyme was greatly stimulated by KCI and urea, while that of the parasite enzyme was inhibited at high concentrations of such chaotropic agents. Km of the parasite enzyme was significantly higher than that of the host enzyme. The parasite enzyme had much lower K_i for pyrimethamine than the host enzyme. Dihydrofolate reductases isolated from pyrimethamine-resistant and pyrimethaminesensitive strains of P. falciparum were found to be similar.