Kinetic analysis of a cytoplasmic casein kinase II from Artemia sp.

• 1.1. A cytoplasmic casein kinase II (CKII) has been purified more than 10,000-fold from Artemia sp.
• 2.2. The reaction mechanism of the cytoplasmic CKII was determined to be random bi bi, using ATP and casein as substrates, which is in agreement with the results obtained for a DrosophilaCKII [Glover, Shelton and Brutlag (1983) J. biol. Chem.258, 3258–3265]. K_m values for ATP and casein are 8 μM and 0.2 mg/ml respectively. The binding of either substrate lowers the enzyme-affinity for the other by a factor α = 1.65.
• 3.3. In vitro, the enzyme is inhibited by poly(A)²-mRNA and 2,3-diphosphoglyceric acid (2,3-DPG). The inhibition by 2,3-DPG is due to competition with the protein substrate.
• 4.4. The possible in vivo effects of these inhibitors in CKII-mediated translational regulation is discussed.

     

Characteristics of Crassostrea virginica crystalline style chitin digestion

• 1.1. Fundamental chitin digestion characteristics of Crassostrea virginica crystalline style were investigated.
• 2.2. Optimum temperature and pH were 34°C and 4.8. respectively.
• 3.3. The colloidal regenerated chitin (0.56mol/0.5 ml: GlcNAc equivalents) was saturating under all enzyme levels encountered.
• 4.4. There was no evidence of end product inhibition, even after 100 hr incubation.
• 5.5. Calculated K_m for the chitinase complex was 1.19mM when determined using a 30 min assay, but was only 0.70 mM when determined using a 4.6 hr assay.
• 6.6. Both K_m values are lower than reported for similar assays in other molluscs and for most bacteria.
• 7.7. Effect of substrate preparation on the kinetics are discussed.
• 8.8. Eight peaks of chitinase activity were resolved by DEAE-Fractogel ion exchange chromatography.

     

Purification and some properties of an atypical alkaline p-nitrophenylphosphate phosphatase activity from Halobacterium halobium

• 1.1. An alkaline p-nitrophenylphosphate phosphatase has been purified 440-fold from extracts of Hatobacterium halobium.
• 2.2. The enzyme has an apparent molecular weight of 24,000.
• 3.3. A K_m value for p-nitrophenylphosphate of 1.12mM has been found under optimal conditions.
• 4.4. The enzyme is selectively activated and stabilized by Mn²⁺.
• 5.5. It requires high salt concentrations for stability and maximum activity.
• 6.6. It displays an unusual restricted substrate specificity of 25 phosphate esters tested, only phosphotyrosine and casein were hydrolysed besides p-nitrophenylphosphate.

     

Ostrich fructose-1,6-bisphosphatase: Kinetic characterization of the liver isoenzyme

• 1.1. Purified ostrich (Struthio camelus) liver fructose-1,6-bisphosphatase exhibited an absolute requirement for Mg²⁺.
• 2.2. The enzyme catalyzed the hydrolysis of fructose-1,6-bisphosphate, sedoheptulose-l,7-bisphosphate and ribulose-l,5-bisphosphate.
• 3.3. S_0.5 for substrate was 1.4 μM.
• 4.4. AMP was a potent non-competitive inhibitor with respect to substrate (K_i of 25 μM).
• 5.5. Fructose-2,6-bisphosphate was a potent competitive inhibitor of the enzyme (K_i of 4.8 μM).

     

Purification of endo- and exolaminarinase and partial characterization of the exoacting form from the copepod acartia clausi (Giesbrecht, 1889)

• 1.1. The copepod Acartia clausi exhibited two laminarinases (exo- and endo-acting forms) purified by gel chromatography followed by affinity chromatography. Specific antibodies have been raised against the purified exolaminarinase antigen.
• 2.2. A single band of protein appeared on a polyacrylamide disc gel electrophoresis; its mol. wt is 21,000.
• 3.3. Biochemical properties of the purified enzyme showed a maximum activity at pH 5.2 and a temperature of 40°C with laminarin as substrate. The thermal stability of the enzyme and the effect of various cations on its activity were examined. The enzyme hydrolyses specifically the β(1–3) linked polysaccharides and had no activity against the α(1–4) or β(1–4) disaccharides or polysaccharides.
• 4.4. The kinetic parameters V_m and K_m vary with the temperature; the affinity constant (K_a) was maximum between 25–30°C. The Arrhenius plot defined two values of energy of activation: 7980 cal/mole and 17,506 cal/mole.
• 5.5. From the purification scheme the exoacting form appears to be largely dominant over the endoacting form.

     

Diffusion limited component of mitochondrial F1-ATPase

• 1.1. The possibility that the rate of ATP hydrolysis by F₁-ATPase approaches the diffusion-controlled limits was investigated by measuring the values of k_cat and k_l (k_cat/K_m) as a function of increasing viscosity.
• 2.2. The values of k_cat/K_m decrease significantly with increasing viscosity; further such decrease was lower when F₁-ATPase hydrolyzed poor substrate such as Ca- and Mg-ITP or when the hydrolysis rates were measured at temperatures below 20°C.
• 3.3. Viscosity also decreases _cat, but only at high concentrations of viscosogenic agents.
• 4.4. These results suggest that ATP hydrolysis is at least partly diffusion-controlled, although a general non-specific perturbation in the enzyme structure is also effected by viscosity.

     

Characterization and purification of biliverdin reductase from the liver of eel,Anguilla japonica

• 1.1. Biliverdin reductase from the liver of eel, Anguilla japonica was characterized and purified with a novel enzymatic staining method on polyacrylamide electrophoretic gel.
• 2.2. This enzyme could use both NADPH and NADH as coenzyme. The K_m of NADPH was 5.2 μM, while that of NADH was 5.50 μM.
• 3.3. The optimum reaction pH for using HADPH as coenzyme was 5.3. That for NADH was 6.1. The optimum reaction temperature is 37°C.
• 4.4. When NADPH was used as coenzyme, the K_m of biliverdin was 0.6 μM. When NADH was used as coenzyme, the K_m of biliverdin was 7.0 μM.
• 5.5. The activity of the enzyme was inhibited by the concentration of biliverdin. Also, the potency of the enzyme was much less than that of the analogous enzyme isolated from mammals.
• 6.6. This is a fairly stable enzyme with a mol. wt around 67,000. Its estimated pI was pH 3.5–4.0.
• 7.7. This is the first time biliverdin reductase has been isolated and characterized from a vertebrate other than mammals. The property of it is quite different from that of mammals.

     

Effect of bovine milk antigens and egg lysozyme on the binding of 59Fe-lactoferrin to platelet plasma membranes

• 1.1. Platelets bind specifically to lactoferrin. A significant similarity between human lactoferrin and some bovine milk proteins has been established.
• 2.2. Because of the structural homology of lactoferrin and cows milk proteins they are able to influence lactoferrins regulatory function on the level of its binding to membrane receptors on platelets.
• 3.3. An inhibitory effect of bovine α-lactalbumin and of β-lactoglobulin on lactoferrin-receptor interaction was shown.
• 4.4. Bovine α-lactalbumin competes with lactoferrin for the binding sites.
• 5.5. Scatchard plot analysis of data shows one binding site for lactoferrin in the presence of α-lactalbumin with an affinity constant, Ka = 0.46 × 10⁹ mol/1 and 335 receptors/cell.
• 6.6. The inhibitory effect of β-lactoglobulin reaches 62% and is different for the common fraction ⨿-lactoglobulin and the genetic variants β-lactoglobulin A and B.
• 7.7. β-lactoglobulin does not compete with lactoferrin for the membrane receptors.
• 8.8. Bovine casein and egg lysozyme stimulate ⁵⁹Fe-lactoferrin binding to the receptors. The mechanism of these effects is still unknown.
• 9.9. Tested alimentary antigens are able to interact with lactoferrin and also with some platelet membrane structures.
• 10.10. Established changes in lactoferrin binding to the platelet membrane might be in relation to lactoferrins regulatory function and (or) eliminating mechanisms of these alimentary antigens.

     

Malate dehydrogenase isoforms from ribbed mussel (Modiolus demissus) gill tissue

• 1.1. The malate dehydrogenase (MHD) activity from the ribbed mussel gill is polymorphic with two distinct mitochondrial forms (M1 and M2) and five forms that could be resolved from cytosolic extracts (C1 to C5) by DEAE-cellulose chromatography and starch gel electrophoresis.
• 2.2. Two of the cytosolic forms (C3 and C4) may represent interchangeable conformational states.
• 3.3. With kinetic analysis there appear to be three distinct cytosolic forms (C1, C2 and C3–C4), with C2 possibly behaving as a heterodimer.
• 4.4. The identity of C5 is uncertain.
• 5.5. The forms isolated from the mitochondria (M1 and M2) exhibited lower apparent K_ms for oxaloacetate (OAA) than the cytosolic forms.
• 6.6. For all isozymic forms, the apparent K_ms for OAA increased as the pH increased between pH 6 and 9
• 7.7. Increasing the salt concentration raised the K_m for OAA for all forms.
• 8.8. The mMDHs were more sensitive to inhibition by NaCl than the cMDHs.
• 9.9. Representative cMDH (C1) and mMDH (M2) isozymes exhibited substrate inhibition by high concentrations of OAA with the mMDH possessing lower K_is for substrate inhibition than the cMDH at each pH tested.
• 10.10. Differences and similarities in K_m app. for OAA at the different pHs and salt concentrations indicated that C1, C2 and C3–C4 and C5 were distinct forms, that M1 and M2 were distinct but very similar to each other, and that C1, C2, C3–C4 and C5 were distinct from M1 and M2.

     

A peptide inhibitor for S-adenosyl-l-methionine-dependent transmethylation reactions: Purification and characterization

• 1.1. A proteinaceous inhibitor for S-adenosyl-l-methionine (AdoMet)-dependent transmethylation reactions has been purified to apparent homogeneity from rat liver cytosolic fraction.
• 2.2. The peptide was made up of 29 amino acid residues with a molecular weight of 2,584. Glycine accounted for 52% of the total amino acids.
• 3.3. Employing AdoMet: protein-carboxyl O-methyltransferase (Protein methylase II) and bovine serum γ-globulin as in vitro substrate, the mode of inhibition was found to be non-competitive with K_i value of 1.9 × 10⁻⁸ M.
• 4.4. When the inhibitor was present in the reaction mixture together with S-adenosyl-l-homocysteine (AdoHcy), which is a competitive inhibitor for AdoMet, the extent of inhibition exceeded that exerted by each individual inhibitor alone, suggesting that the sites of the inhibitors on the enzyme molecule are different.
• 5.5. Almost a stoichiometric relationship exists between the enzyme and the inhibitor molecule, the ratio being approx one.

     

Purification and properties of hydroxypyruvate reductase from Lemna minor L

• 1.1. Hydroxypyruvate reductase has been purified 193-fold from Lemna minor L. by affinity chromatography on Blue Sepharose.
• 2.2. The enzyme has activity over a broad pH range (optimum pH 6), a K_m hydroxypyruvate of 59 μ M and K_m NADH of 12μM.
• 3.3. Crude extracts of Lemna exhibit substrate inhibition of activity above 1 mM hydroxypyruvate, a property which is lost on purification.
• 4.4. Oxaloacetate inhibits purified preparations of the enzyme and a possible role for such regulation in vivo is discussed.

     

IDentification of a microsomal retinoic acid synthase as a microsomal cytochrome P-450-linked monooxygenase system

• 1.1. To characterize an enzyme which metabolizes retinal in liver microsomes, several properties of the enzymatic reaction from retinal to retinoic acid were investigated using rabbit liver microsomes.
• 2.2. The maximum pH of the reaction in the liver microsomes was 7.6.
• 3.3. The K_m and V_max values for all-trans, 9-cis and 13-cis-retinals were determined.
• 4.4. The reaction proceeded in the presence of NADPH and molecular oxygen.
• 5.5. The incorporation of one atom of molecular oxygen into retinal was confirmed by using oxygen-18, showing that the reaction comprised monooxygenation, not dehydrogenation.
• 6.6. The monooxygenase activity was inhibited by carbon monoxide, phenylisocyanide and antiNADPH-cytochrome P-450 reductase IgG, but not by anti-cytochrome b₅ IgG.
• 7.7. The enzymatic activity inhibited by carbon monoxide was photoreversibly restored by light of a wavelength of around 450 nm.
• 8.8. The retinal-induced spectra of liver microsomes with three isomeric retinals were type I spectra.
• 9.9. The microsomal monooxygenase activity induced by phenobarbital or ethanol were more effective than that by 3-methylcholanthrene, clotrimazole or β-naphthoflavone.
• 10.10. These results showed that the monooxygenase reaction from retinal to retinoic acid in liver microsomes is catalyzed by a cytochrome P-450-linked monooxygenase system.

     

Kinetic and regulatory properties of phenylalanine ammonia-lyase from Citrus sinensis

• 1.1. The kinetic and regulatory properties of phenylalanine ammonia-lyase from Citrus sinensis fruit tissue were investigated. The substrate specificity of the enzyme was determined as well as the effects of pH and temperature on the catalytic activity.
• 2.2. The enzyme exhibits negative homotropic effects between the substrate binding centra.
• 3.3. Binding of l-phenylalanine to the enzyme is characterized by two K_m-values; K_m^L = 13 μM and K_m^H = 52 μM; with a Hill-interaction coefficient of 0.75.
• 4.4. The enzyme is subject to product inhibition by trans-cinnamate, but the effects of allosteric effectors and inhibitors seem to be of much greater importance in the short-term regulation of phenylpropanoid metabolism in Citrus sinensis.
• 5.5. The enzyme activity was found to be modulated by end-products of diverging metabolic pathways, viz. umbelliferone, scopoletin, naringenin, quercetin, kaempferol, benzoic acid and gallic acid.

     

The regulation of glucose 6-phosphate dehydrogenase from Dicentrarchus labrax (bass) liver

• 1.1. Kinetic constant values of the reaction catalyzed by bass liver glucose 6-phosphate dehydrogenase show to be modified between 10 and 40°C.
• 2.2. The Arrhenius plot between 10 and 50°C shows two slopes with different activation energies.
• 3.3. These results suggest a regulation of this enzyme by environmental temperature.
• 4.4. Kinetics of ATP inhibition were examined between pH 6.2 and 7.8: patterns and K_i values obtained are affected by the pH variation.
• 5.5. NADH is an effective inhibitor of bass glucose 6-phosphate dehydrogenase but this enzyme does not show NAD-linked activity.
• 6.6. Kinetics of pyridoxal 5′-phosphate inhibition have indicated the presence of a lysine in the catalytic site for NADP⁺.

     

A kinetic study of inosine nucleosidase from Azotobacter vinelandii

• 1.1. Inhibition of inosine nucleosidase from Azotobacter vinelandii by ATP and bases can be qualitatively and quantitatively accounted for by the partial noncompetitive inhibition mechanism with ligand exclusion model.
• 2.2. The enzyme has two binding sites for the substrate with equal affinity in the absence of the inhibitor. and two species of the inhibitor sites: I₁- and I₂-sites. The I₁-site may overlap part of each substrate binding sites, and the I₂-site is separated from the substrate sites.
• 3.3. ATP binds to the I₁-site of the enzyme, and prevents the substrate from binding to either of two identical sites, producing the cooperativity with inosine, whereas binding of ATP to the I₂-site causes a noncompetitive inhibition.
• 4.4. Adenine and hypoxanthine bind to the I₂-site of the enzyme, and the EIS complex is partially active, resulting in a partial noncompetitive inhibition with Michaelis-Menten kinetics.

     

Some kinetic properties of pyruvate kinase from Phycomyces blakesleeanus

• 1.1. Pyruvate kinase from mycelium of Phycomyces blakesleeanus NRRL 1555(−) has been partially purified and some kinetic properties has been investigated at pH 7.5.
• 2.2. Positive homotropic interactions were observed with phosphoenolpyruvate and Mg²⁺, showing Hill coefficient values of 2.8 and 2.5, respectively, whereas hyperbolic kinetics are found when ADP was the variable substrate.
• 3.3. Fructose 1,6-bisphosphate acts as a heterotropic allosteric activator, markedly decreasing the S_0.5 value for phosphoenolpyruvate saturation curve from a sigmoidal to a hyperbolic form.
• 4.4. ATP inhibits pyruvate kinase from mycelium of Phycomyces blakesleeanus. ATP appears to be a non-competitive inhibitor with respect PEP and competitive inhibitor with respect ADP.

     

A study of glycerolphosphate acyltransferase in rat liver mitochondria-submitochondrial localization and some properties of the solubilized enzyme

• 1.1. Glycerolphosphate acyltransferase (GPAT) was solubilized from the rat liver mitochondrial membranes using sodium cholate. Dithiothreitol was necessary to stabilize the solubilized enzyme on storage.
• 2.2. Unlike the enzyme in situ in mitochondrial membranes, the solubilized mitochondrial GPAT was susceptible to inhibition by N-ethylmaleimide; a property more characteristic of the distinct microsomal form of GPAT.
• 3.3. Solubilized mitochondrial GPAT retained its very high preference for saturated acyl-CoA substrate (palmitoyl-CoA) and had no activity whatever with any tested concentration of the unsaturated substrate oleoyl-CoA.
• 4.4. Solubilization increased the affinity of mitochondrial GPAT for palmitoyl-CoA whilst decreasing the K_m for glycerol phosphate.
• 5.5. After separation of liver mitochondrial outer and inner membranes and estimation of cross-contamination by appropriate markers it was concluded that the mitochondrial inner membrane contains significant GPAT activity. This was established with preparations from fed, 48 hr-starved and streptozotocin-diabetic rats.

     

Isolation and characterization of glutamine synthetase from the diazotroph Azospirillum brasilense

• 1.1. Glutamine synthetase was purified from the diazotroph Azospirillum brasilense.
• 2.2. The holoenzyme with a M_r of 630,000 is composed of 12 subunits of M_r 52,000.
• 3.3. A modified subunit of M_r 53,000 was also found by electrophoresis under denaturing conditions.
• 4.4. It is shown that the M_r 53,000 species is the adenylylated subunit.
• 5.5. The apparent K_m values for glutamate, ATP and ammonia were 2.5 ± 0.3 mM, 200 ± 20 μM and42 ± 2 μM, respectively.
• 6.6. Levels of glutamine synthetase activity in A. brasilense cells varied by a factor of 8 depending on the nitrogen source and its concentration in the growth medium.

     

Conversion of a NADPH-dependent aldehyde reducing enzyme into aldose reductase

• 1.1. Aldose reductase, aldehyde reductase and high-K_m, aldose reductase were purified from the inner medulla of dog kidney.
• 2.2. Compared with aldose reductase, high-K_m aldose reductase had a lower isoelectric point, a lower activity for aldo-sugars and a lower sensitivity for aldose reductase inhibitors, and it was not activated by sulfate ions. Both reductases had the same molecular weight (38,500) and immunochemical properties.
• 3.3. High-K_m aldose reductase was easily converted into an aldose reductase-like enzyme, namely a generated reductase upon incubation in neutral buffer solution.
• 4.4. The generated reductase was identical with aldose reductase with respect to the isoelectric point, substrate specificity, activation by sulfate ions and IC₅₀ values for aldose reductase inhibitors. The generated reductase revealed immunochemical identity with aldose reductase as well as high-K_m aldose reductase.

     

Purification and characterization of arylsulfatase from sea urchin (Hemicentrotus pulcherrimus) embryos

• 1.1. Arylsulfatase was extracted from sea urchin (Hemicentrotus pulcherrimus) plutei and purified to electrophoretical homogeneity by means of DEAE-cellulose, acetone fractionation and Sepharose CL-6B, successively.
• 2.2. The molecular weight of this enzyme was approx, 670,000. The molecular weight of a single subunit was approx. 63,000. The K_m value for p-nitrophenyl sulfate was 0.59 mM.
• 3.3. This enzyme was competitively inhibited by the sulfate ion and was classified as the type II arylsulfatase. The pH optimum was between 5.0 and 6.0.