The reductive enzymatic cleavage of thiosulfate

Summary Methods presently used for the enzymatic assay of the thiosulfate cleaving reaction in bacterial cell-free systems are critically examined. Conditions under which strong acids are used to terminate the reaction and to release H₂S proved to be unsuitable. A non-enzymatic production of H₂S under such conditions is demonstrated. A reliable procedure for the measurement of H₂S production from the enzymatic cleavage of thiosulfate is described. This method was used to measure the thiosulfate cleaving reaction catalyzed by cell-free extracts of phototrophic bacteria of the genusChromatium. As reductants, hydrogen-hydrogenase/methyl viologen system, reduced glutathione or dihydrolipoate were used. The same extract fraction catalyzed the rhodanese reaction.     

Oxidative and reductive cleavage of folates--a critical appraisal.

A critical analysis has been made of the oxidative and reductive techniques employedfor cleavage of the C⁹-N¹⁰ bond of folic acid and its derivaatives. The assumption has previously been made that these cleavage reactions reduce folates to a common family of p-aminobenzoylglutamate derivatives varying only in the lengths of γ-polyglutamyl peptide side chains which are readily subjected to quantitative and qualitative analysis. This assumption is incorrect. Oxidation by potassium permanganate effectively cleaved folic acid, dihydrofolic acid, tetrahydrofolic acid, and 5-formyltetrahydrofolic acid to yield p-aminobenzoylglutamate. 5-Methyltetrahydrofolic acid was merely oxidized to 5-methyldihydrofolic acid while 5,10-methenyltetrahydrofolic acid and 10-formyltetrahydrofolic acid were oxidized to 10-formylfolate which was stable to further attack. Of all the folate derivatives tested only folic acid and dihydrofolic acid were cleaved to p-aminobenzoylglutamate by the zinc-hydrochloric acid reduction method. Both tetrahydrofolic acid and 5-methyltetrahydrofolic acid were stable under fully reducing conditions. 5,10-Methenyl-,10-formyl-, and 5-formyltetrahydrofolic acid yielded N-methyl-p-aminobenzoylglutamate. It is evident, therefore, that not only is the dominant mammalian tissue folate derivative, 5-methyltetrahydrofolate, resistant to cleavage by either method, but that a common family of p-aminobenzoylglutamate derivatives is not the end product of those folate compounds that are susceptible. While this may not invalidate the reports of the relative polyglutamate chain lengths of tissue folates such data should be regarded with some caution.     

A new catalyst for reductive cleavage of methylated glycans

Several per-O-methylated D-glucans and D-fructans were used as models in an attempt to identify new catalysts for carrying out reductive cleavage. Included in these model studies were several D-glucans that contained 4-linked D-glucopyranosyl residues as well as one having a 4-linked D-glucitol residue, as both types of residue had previously been found to give rise to substantial proportions of artifactual products. These studies led to the development of a new catalyst for carrying out reductive cleavage, namely, a mixture of 5 equivalents of trimethylsilyl methanesulfonate (Me3SiOSO2Me) and 1 equivalent of boron trifluoride etherate (BF3 . Et2O) per equivalent of acetal. This new catalyst was found to accomplish the reductive cleavage of per-O-methylated, 4-linked D-glucopyranosyl residues and 4-linked D-glucitol residues, to give only the expected derivatives of 1,5-anhydro-D-glucitol and D-glucitol, respectively. The mixture of Me3SiOSO2Me and BF3 . Et2O also catalyzed reductive cleavage of the D-fructofuranosyl residues of per-O-methylated sucrose and inulin, to give only the expected derivatives of 2,5-anhydro-D-mannitol and 2,5-anhydro-D-glucitol. Indeed, when used alone, Me3SiOSO2Me also rapidly catalyzed the reductive cleavage of D-fructofuranosyl residues, but, under the same conditions, D-glucopyranosyl residues were unaffected. The results of these and other model studies demonstrated that catalysis of reductive cleavage by the mixture of Me3SiOSO2Me and BF3 . Et2O occurs in a synergistic manner. Examination of the mixture of Me3SiOSO2Me and BF3 . Et2O by 1H-n.m.r. spectroscopy demonstrated that a reaction occurs to generate trimethylsily fluoride and species of the type F2BOSO2Me, FB(OSO2Me)2, or B(OSO2Me)3 via ligand exchange.     

Mechanism of the reductive cleavage reaction of permethylated methyl -glycopyranosides

The mechanism of the reductive cleavage reaction of permethylated methyl -glycopyranosides was investigated by measuring the rate of reaction. Glycosides employed were of α-Glc, β-Glc, α-Man, α-Gal, and β-Gal. Seven silanes were used to explore the reactivities of the reducing agents as well as to examine the stereoelectronic effects of the agents. Trimethylsilyl trifluoromethanesulfonate was employed as catalyst. In general, the rates of β anomers were about twice as fast as those of the α anomers. The rates of anomerization were about five to ten times lower than those of reduction. A cyclic oxonium ion has been proposed as a sole intermediate for the reductive cleavage of the α-glycoside linkage, but the attack of the reducing agent on both cyclic and acyclic forms as well as on the substrate–Lewis acid complex seems to be involved for the β anomer.     

Bioactivatable reductive cleavage of azobenzene for controlling functional dumbbell oligodeoxynucleotides

Application of stimuli-responsive bioactive molecules is an attractive strategy due to use for target special tissues and cells. Here, we reported synthesis of an azo-linker, 2,2′-dimethoxyl-4,4′-dihydroxymethylazobenzene (mAzo), which was more effectively recognized and cleaved by reducing glutathione (GSH) via comparing with 4,4′-dihydroxymethylazobenzene (Azo). In addition, mAzo is further exploited to engineer dumbbell asODNs, which could result in the release of asODNs and thus modulate their hybridization to target nucleic acids. The present study is the first example to disclose efficient reductive cleavage of azobenzene by GSH to generate aromatic amine. This would provide a valuable strategy for tunable cell-specific release of ODNs and modulation of known disease-causing gene expression in cancer cells.     

4-Dimethylaminoazobenzenes: carcinogenicities and reductive cleavage by microsomal azo reductase

Twenty-four 4-dimethylaminoazobenzenes (DABs) in which systematic structural modifications have been made in the prime ring have been studied for substrate specificity for microsomal azo reductase. The DABs were also evaluated for carcinogenicity and it was found that there was no correlation between carcinogenicity and extent of azo bond cleavage by azo reductase. While any substituent in the prime ring reduces the rate of cleavage of the azo bond relative to the unsubstituted dye, there is a correlation between substituent size and susceptibility to the enzyme. Substituent size was also found to be a significant factor in the induction of hepatomas by the dyes. Preliminary studies have shown that there appears to be a positive correlation between microsomal riboflavin content and the activity of the azo reductase.     

Nitrobenzene reduction and reductive cleavage of azobenzenes in two species of Arachnida

The metabolism of [¹⁴C]-nitrobenzene and [¹⁴C]-4-dimethyl-aminoazobenzene was examined in a tick, $\text{Boophilus microplus}$, and a spider, $\text{Nephila plumipes}$. The reduction of both compounds to aniline is reported in both species. N-Dealkylation of DAB is also recorded.     

Different susceptibility of inter- and intra-chain disulfide bonds to reductive cleavage in native fibronectin and effect of their cleavage on conformation

The two thread-like subunits (Mr approximately equal to 250 000) of the multidomain protein fibronectin are connected by a pair of inter-chain disulfide bridges in their C-terminal regions. In addition each chain contains 29 intra-chain disulfide bonds which are located in 12 type I and 2 type II structural domains in the N-terminal and C-terminal regions of the strands. The 15 to 17 type III domains in the central portion of the strands do not contain disulfide bonds. The susceptibility of inter-chain disulfide bonds to 10mM 1,4-dithiothreitol at pH 7.8 as quantitated by the rate of reductive cleavage of fibronectin into its subunits was found to be only 8-fold larger than that of the intra-chain bonds. Consequently at 90% completion of chain separation 30% of the intra-chain disulfides are also cleaved. The rate of inter-chain disulfide cleavage was found to be identical for fibronectin and a 140-kDa fragment comprising the C-terminal portions of the two subunits. This shows that the relatively high protection of the inter-chain disulfide bonds must originate from interactions between C-terminal domains which are probably also responsible for the V shaped arrangement of the two subunit strands. Changes of circular dichroism and thermal transition profiles for fibronectin and its C-terminal 140-kDa fragment indicated that already partial reduction of the intra-chain disulfide bonds alters the conformations of type I and II domains without affecting the type III domains.(ABSTRACT TRUNCATED AT 250 WORDS)     

The reductive cleavage of myeloperoxidase in half, producing enzymically active hemi-myeloperoxidase

Reduction and alkylation of human myeloperoxidase under nondenaturing conditions results in the cleavage of this enzyme. Sedimentation equilibrium data is presented which shows that the molecular weight of the cleavage product (78,000 +/- 2,000) is half that of the native enzyme (153,000 +/- 4,000). We conclude that the cleavage product is the half-enzyme hemi-myeloperoxidase. Hemi-myeloperoxidase retains both heme groups and contains both subunit types (Mr = 57,500 and 14,000) in the same ratio as native myeloperoxidase. The two halves of native myeloperoxidase are apparently not dependent upon one another for peroxidatic activity, as the specific activity of the half-enzyme is the same as that of the native enzyme. Analytical ultracentrifugation studies show native myeloperoxidase has a sedimentation coefficient of 8.0 and an axial ratio of 5:1, while hemi-myeloperoxidase has a sedimentation coefficient of 4.3 and an axial ratio of 10:1. When [3H]iodoacetic acid was used to prepare hemi-myeloperoxidase, the label incorporated with a stoichiometry of 1.2 [3H]carboxymethyl groups per hemi-myeloperoxidase, with 90% of this label associated with the heavy subunit. From these observations we conclude that native myeloperoxidase contains two heavy-light protomers, which are joined along their long axes by a single disulfide bond between the heavy subunits. Selective reduction of this disulfide bond by the use of nondenaturing conditions results in the formation of hemi-myeloperoxidase, a catalytically active heavy-light protomer of native myeloperoxidase.     

Analysis of pyruvic acid acetal containing polysaccharides by methanolysis and reductive cleavage methods.

The mass spectra of permethylated methyl 4,6-O-(1-carbomethoxyethylidene)-D-hexopyranoside and 1,5-anhydro-D-hexitol of glucose, galactose, and mannose and permethylated methyl 5,6-O-(1-carbomethoxyethylidene)-D-galactofuranoside and 1,4-anhydro-D-galactitol have been determined. The stability of each compound toward methanolysis and reductive cleavage is discussed. These techniques permit the identification of the acetalic linkages of pyruvic acid present in polysaccharides.     

4-Hydroxyphenylacetate decarboxylase activating enzyme catalyses a classical S-adenosylmethionine reductive cleavage reaction

4-Hydroxyphenylacetate decarboxylase (4Hpad) is an Fe/S cluster containing glycyl radical enzyme (GRE), which catalyses the last step of tyrosine fermentation in clostridia, generating the bacteriostatic p-cresol. The respective activating enzyme (4Hpad-AE) displays two cysteine-rich motifs in addition to the classical S-adenosylmethionine (SAM) binding cluster (RS cluster) motif. These additional motifs are also present in other glycyl radical activating enzymes (GR-AE) and it has been postulated that these orthologues may use an alternative SAM homolytic cleavage mechanism, generating a putative 3-amino-3-carboxypropyl radical and 5′-deoxy-5′-(methylthio)adenosine but not a 5′-deoxyadenosyl radical and methionine. 4Hpad-AE produced from a codon-optimized synthetic gene binds a maximum of two [4Fe–4S]^2+/+ clusters as revealed by EPR and Mössbauer spectroscopy. The enzyme only catalyses the turnover of SAM under reducing conditions, and the reaction products were identified as 5′-deoxyadenosine (quenched form of 5′-deoxyadenosyl radical) and methionine. We demonstrate that the 5′-deoxyadenosyl radical is the activating agent for 4Hpad through p-cresol formation and correlation between the production of 5′-deoxyadenosine and the generation of glycyl radical in 4Hpad. Therefore, we conclude that 4Hpad-AE catalyses a classical SAM-dependent glycyl radical formation as reported for GR-AE without auxiliary clusters. Our observation casts doubt on the suggestion that GR-AE containing auxiliary clusters catalyse the alternative cleavage reaction detected for glycerol dehydratase activating enzyme.     

Partial purification and characterization of a bacterial enzyme catalyzing reductive cleavage of anthracycline glycosides.

A bacterial enzyme catalyzing the NADH-dependent reductive cleavage of certain anthracycline glycosides has been partially purified. The enzyme is acidic, stable in solution and has an estimated molecular weight of 35,000. The enzyme activity is strongly inhibited by molecular oxygen but not by cyanide or EDTA. No evidence has been found for an enzyme system or associated elements of electron transport.     

Photolytic depolymerization of alginate

A photochemical reaction has been developed for the partial de-polymerization of sodium alginate, a polysaccharide utilized in medicine, pharmacy, basic sciences and foods. An aqueous solution of sodium alginate was photochemically depolymerized to ∼40% of its average molecular weight using ultraviolet light in the presence of titanium dioxide catalyst at pH 7 over a period of 3 h. The products were separated giving four fractions all having an average molecular weight that was smaller than that of the starting material. Characterization of the guluronate (G) and mannuronate (M) contents, and determination of the M/G ratio of photochemically depolymerized alginate, were accomplished using ¹H NMR spectroscopy. The resulting M/G ratio was compared to that obtained for alginate fractions produced by acid hydrolysis. The M and G content, of each alginate fraction, was also assigned with regards to their occurrence in G-rich, M-rich or M/G heteropolymeric domains. This new depolymerization method might also be applicable in the preparation of alginate oligosaccharides for use in the food and pharmaceutical industries.     

DNA-directed coupling of organic modules by multiple parallel reductive aminations and subsequent cleavage of selected DNA sequences

A new method for DNA-directed assembly of organic modules by multiple parallel reductive aminations is presented. Linear oligonucleotide-functionalized modules (LOMs) consist of a rigid oligo(phenylene ethynylene) backbone with two salicylaldehyde termini, and each terminus is conjugated with an oligonucleotide sequence. The stability of the tetrahydrosalen-linked modules toward elevated temperature, low pH, nucleophiles, and metal chelators is studied and compared to the analogous metal-salen-linked modules. A linear oligonucleotide-functionalized disulfide-linked module (LOSM) containing cleavable linkers between the organic module and the two DNA sequences is coupled by DNA-directed reductive aminations to non-modified LOM modules. This enables selective cleavage of the DNA strands of a central module in a structure consisting of three modules, and the reactions are analyzed by electrophoresis and 32P-labeling of one of the DNA sequences of the central LOSM.     

A pulse--radiolysis approach to fast reductive cleavage of a disulfide bond to uncage enzyme activity

The essential thiol of the enzyme papain has been caged by linking to an aromatic thiol. The resulting caged protein is inactive but enzymatic activity is fully restored upon chemical cleavage of the protective disulfide bond. We have exploited the chemistry of this disulfide bond to uncage papain by pulse radiolysis. We have shown that up to 10% of the enzyme activity can be restored by reductive pulse radiolysis. This approach has been tested on a small-molecule model system, and experiments on this model compound show that pulse radiolysis of the mixed cysteine-aromatic disulfide results in selective reduction of the disulfide bond to generate a thiol in 10-20% yield, consistent with the radiolytically restored activity of the caged papain quantified by the biochemical assay.     

Photolytic cleavage of DNA by nitrobenzamido ligands linked to 9-aminoacridines gives DNA polymerase substrates in a wavelength-dependent reaction.

A series of reagents containing 3- or 4-nitrobenzamido ligands tethered to 9-aminoacridine via variable-length linkers have been prepared and their properties as photochemical DNA cleavers (photonucleases) examined. When irradiated with approximately 300-nm light, where the nitrobenzamido ligand can absorb, they cleave DNA in an oxygen-independent reaction presumably involving oxygen transfer from the nitro group to the deoxyribose units of the DNA backbone (Nielsen et al., 1988b). This reaction is pH independent and only slightly affected by the linker length, and the DNA fragments are not substrates for DNA polymerase. When approximately 420-nm light is used, were only the 9-aminoacridinyl ligands absorb, the DNA cleavage is also oxygen-independent but pH dependent, requires DNA saturation with the reagent (base pair:reagent less than or equal to 2), and is most efficient with the longer linkers. The cleavage is specific for guanine residues and results in 5'-phosphate termini and heterogeneous (more than four products) 3'-termini. One of the products is presumably 3'-hydroxy since DNA photocleaved with nitrobenzamido acridine reagents and 420-nm radiation are substrates for DNA polymerase in a nick translation assay as well as for the Klenow fragment. An electron-transfer mechanism is suggested.