Chemical synthesis of biomimetic forms

The biogenic origin of the first traces of life is often based on the morphological analysis of microfossils. However life-like forms can also be obtained via chemical synthesis from purely inorganic precursors. Many examples can be found in literature that are mainly based on aqueous solution chemistry. Osmotic growth of gelatinous precipitates is observed during the formation of “chemical gardens”. Point defects in surfactant mesophases lead to mesoporous silica with curved shapes. The oriented attachment of nanocrystals via hydrophilic polymers leads to mesocrystals that exhibit a large variety of unusual shapes.     

Uridine diphosphate 2-deoxyglucose: Chemical synthesis,enzymic oxidation and epimerization

The paper describes chemical synthesis of uridine diphosphate 2-deoxyglucose (UDPdGlc) through reaction of uridine 5′-phosphomorpholidate with 2-deoxy-α-d-glucopyranosyl phosphate. The prepared analog of uridine diphosphate glucose (UDPGlc) served as a substrate for calf liver UDPGlc dehydrogenase (EC 1.1.1.22), the reaction product was identified as nucleotide deoxyhexuronic acid derivative. The apparent K_m for UDPdGlc was found to be 60 times that of UDPGlc, and the relative V value for the analog was 0.09. The peculiar lag-period in reaction kinetics has been observed for the analog, and is presumably connected with the slow rate of the initial stages of the reaction. UDPdGlc was found to be quite an efficient substrate for UDPGlc 4-epimerases (EC 5.1.3.2) from yeast, calf liver and mung bean seedlings.     

Chemical synthesis of tritium-labeled prostaglandins A, B and F

Formation of prostaglandins A, B and F from prostaglandin E has been studied. Synthesis of tritium-labelled prostaglandins A1, A2, B1, B2, F1 alpha, F2 alpha, F1 beta, F2 beta of high molar radioactivity from highly labelled PGE1 and PGE2 is described.     

In vitro synthesis and processing of a precursor to ornithine aminotransferase

Poly(A)+ RNA was isolated from liver-free polysomes of rats maintained on a 60% casein diet by sodium dodecyl sulfate-phenol-chloroform extraction and oligo(dT)-cellulose chromatography. Poly(A)+ RNA translated in a rabbit reticulocyte lysate system produced a polypeptide of 49,000 daltons that was immunoprecipitated by monospecific, affinity-purified IgG antibodies to ornithine aminotransferase (ornithine-oxo acid aminotransferase, EC 2.6.1.13). This polypeptide is 6,000 daltons larger than mature ornithine aminotransferase when electrophoresed on sodium dodecyl sulfate polyacrylamide gels. One-dimensional peptide mapping demonstrated that this 49,000-dalton polypeptide is structurally related to ornithine aminotransferase. Furthermore, it can be processed to a polypeptide of 43,000 daltons by a rat liver mitochondrial fraction. We have concluded that this polypeptide is a precursor to ornithine aminotransferase.     

A cellulase enzymic product: Industrial processing and possible applications

From the Engineering Biology Department of Sofia University' microbiological collection a Trichoderma species mutant strain was found to be most promissing on preparation of cellulase enzymic products. Based on solid-phase and submerged cultures laboratory and industrial scale procedures for obtaining cellulase products were developed. Different enzyme application possibilities were investigated and the results were presented.     

Initiation of poliovirus negative-strand RNA synthesis requires precursor forms of p2 proteins

The replication proteins encoded in the P2 region of the poliovirus genome induce extensive rearrangement of cellular membranes into vesicles and are a required component of viral RNA replication complexes. To identify distinct viral protein(s) from the P2 region of the genome that were required to form functional RNA replication complexes, the P2 proteins were expressed in addition to P3 in HeLa S10 translation-RNA replication reactions. Membrane-associated preinitiation replication complexes were isolated from these reactions and used to measure negative-strand synthesis. The formation of replication complexes capable of initiating negative-strand synthesis was observed when either P23 or when P2 and P3 were expressed in the HeLa S10 translation-replication reactions. The amount of negative-strand RNA synthesized with P2 and P3 was approximately 50% of that observed with P23. Negative-strand synthesis was not observed when the processed forms of the P2 proteins (e.g., 2A, 2B, 2C, 2AB, and 2BC) were used in various combinations in place of P2. In contrast, the expression of 2A and 2BCP3 supported negative-strand synthesis at the same level observed with P23. Therefore, functional replication complexes were formed in reaction mixtures that contained either 2A and 2BCP3 or P2 and P3. Genetic complementation analysis of P23 RNA that contained a lethal mutation in 2C confirmed these results. The expression of 2BCP3 in trans restored the replication of P23-2C(P131N) RNA to wild-type levels. The expression of P2 and P3 also complemented the replication of this mutant RNA, although very inefficiently. Complementation was not observed in reactions that contained P2 alone, 2BC, or 2C. Based on these results, we propose that RNA replication complexes are initially formed with the primary cleavage products of P23 (i.e., P2 and P3 or 2A and 2BCP3), and that 2A and 2BCP3 are preferentially used in this process.     

Cell-free synthesis and processing of a large precursor of glutamate dehydrogenase of rat liver

The mitochondrial matrix protein glutamate dehydrogenase of rat liver was synthesized in a cell-free reticulocyte lysate using mRNA from free or membrane-bound polysomes from rat liver. Immunoprecipitation of the (³⁵S)methionine labeled translation mixture was performed using rabbit anti-glutamate dehydrogenase serum. Analysis after electrophoresis of the immunoprecipitate by fluorography of a dried sodium dodecyl sulfate/polyacrylamide gel showed that the glutamate dehydrogenase is synthesized ‘in vitro’ as a large precursor. A mitochondrial extract from rat liver processed the precursor synthesized “in vitro” to the mature form.     

In vitro synthesis of precursor forms of pig heart aspartate aminotransferase isozymes

Precursor forms of the isozymes of aspartate aminotransferase from pig heart were synthesized in vitro and purified by binding to specific antibodies. Analysis by sodium dodecylsulfate polyacrylamide gel electrophoresis showed that the precursor of the cytosolic enzyme has a similar molecular weight to that of the mature protein whereas the precursor of the mitochondrial isozyme has a molecular weight greater than that of the corresponding mature protein (ΔMW ? 2500). Preliminary sequence studies seem to suggest that the precursor of the mitochondrial isozyme has an extra N-terminal peptide sequence while that of the cytosolic protein has only an extra N-terminal methionine residue.     

Characterization of two allelic forms of Neurospora crassa laccase. Amino- and carboxyl-terminal processing of a precursor

The complete structures of the laccase genes isolated from two different Neurospora crassa wild-type strains are described. The genes were cloned by screening partial genomic DNA libraries with a nick-translated laccase-specified 1.36-kilobase SalI fragment (Germann, U. A., and Lerch, K. (1986) Proc. Natl. Acad. Sci. U.S.A. 83, 8854-8858) as a hybridization probe. Nucleotide sequence analysis revealed the presence of two different allelic forms. They conform to the same structural organization, but show an overall divergence of 5.3% which is mainly the result of point mutations in the nontranslated regions. The coding parts are interrupted by a short intron. The encoded proteins differ in 12 out of 619 amino acid residues. A comparison of the primary structure deduced from the nucleotide sequence of the gene with a protein chemical analysis of the two terminal cyanogen bromide fragments of extracellular N. crassa laccase revealed that the enzyme is synthesized as a precursor. The precursor protein exceeds the mature protein by 49 amino acids at its amino terminus and by 13 amino acids at its carboxyl terminus, thus indicating a complex maturation pathway. The possible involvement of amino-terminal processing in secretion and of carboxyl-terminal processing in activation of the enzyme is discussed.     

In vitro processing of B. mori transfer RNA precursor molecules.

Ribonuclease P and 3'-5' nuclease, two enzymatic activities necessary for tRNA synthesis in E. coli, are also found in the silkgland cells of Bombyx mori. B. mori subcellular extracts containing RNAase P activity can cleave the E. coli tRNA precursor molecule endonucleolytically at the same site as the E. coli enzyme, and will also cleave in vitro all E. coli tRNA precursors (pre-tRNAs) which the bacterial enzyme recognizes. B. mori RNAase P will not cleave two E. coli RNAase P substrates that are structurally unrelated to tRNA. Pre-tRNAs from B. mori contain extra 5' and 3' nucleotides as judged by RNA fingerprinting and 5' terminal phosphate analysis. Crude silkgland extracts containing both RNAase P and 3'-5' nuclease can remove the 5' and 3' extra nucleotides from B. mori pre-tRNAs, whereas purified fractions containing RNAase P remove only 5' extra nucleotides. Only large silkworm pre-tRNAs were found to be susceptible to cleavage by B. mori RNAase P. This observation and sequence analysis of intermediates of in vitro processing reactions indicate a two-step process of pre-tRNA maturation in which extra 5' nucleotides are first removed by RNAase P and extra 3' nucleotides are then trimmed off by a 3'-5' nuclease.     

Chemical composition and enzymic activity of some worm casts

Summary An investigation was carried out to analyze the chemical composition and enzymatic activity of five worm casts obtained from various animal dungs and municipal waste. The E₄/E₆ values for humic and fulvic acids were higher in all worm casts than in a typical Umbrian soil. Comparisons between worm cast, substrate and soil IR and NMR spectra demonstrated the humifying capacity of worms. Enzyme activity was high in all casts and only dehydrogenase seemed to be affected by lead concentration.Research work supported by CNR, Italy. Special grant I.P.R.A.-Sub-project 1. Paper N. 94.     

Discriminatory processing of the precursor forms of cytochrome P-450scc and adrenodoxin by adrenocortical and heart mitochondria

The mitochondrial proteins involved in adrenocortical steroidogenesis are synthesized as higher molecular weight precursors which require processing by the mitochondria to their mature sizes. The post-translational maturation of two of these proteins has been examined: the cholesterol side chain cleavage cytochrome P-450 (P-450scc) and the iron-sulfur protein, adrenodoxin. Total translation products synthesized in a cell-free system programmed by bovine adrenocortical poly(A+) RNA were incubated with isolated bovine adrenocortical or heart mitochondria followed by immunoisolation of radiolabeled P-450scc or adrenodoxin. In the presence of adrenocortical mitochondria, the precursor form of P-450scc was converted into a trypsin-resistant form that had the same molecular weight as mature P-450scc. Unlike adrenocortical mitochondria, heart mitochondria were unable to process the P-450scc precursor which remained unaltered and trypsin-sensitive. In addition, a matrix fraction of heart mitochondria did not cleave the P-450scc precursor. In contrast, the adrenodoxin precursor did not exhibit similar specificity as it was processed to the mature form by both adrenocortical and heart mitochondria. Also, the adrenocortical mitochondria were not restricted to processing endogenous proteins as they imported and cleaved the precursor to ornithine transcarbamylase. The results indicate that some mitochondrial precursor proteins have tertiary structures which allow them to be recognized by all mitochondria while other mitochondrial precursor proteins have structures recognizable by only specialized mitochondria.