Properties of glutamate dehydrogenase purified from Bacteroides fragilis

The dual pyridine nucleotide-specific glutamate dehydrogenase [EC 1.4.1.3] was purified 37-fold from Bacteroides fragilis by ammonium sulfate fractionation, DEAE-Sephadex A-25 chromatography twice, and gel filtration on Sephacryl S-300. The enzyme had a molecular weight of approximately 300,000, and polymeric forms (molecular weights of 590,000 and 920,000) were observed in small amounts on polyacrylamide gel disc electrophoresis. The molecular weight of the subunit was 48,000. The isoelectric point of the enzyme was pH 5.1. This glutamate dehydrogenase utilized NAD(P)H and NAD(P)+ as coenzymes and showed maximal activities at pH 8.0 and 7.4 for the amination with NADPH and with NADH, respectively, and at pH 9.5 and 9.0 for the deamination with NADP+ and NAD+, respectively. The amination activity with NADPH was about 5-fold higher than that with NADH. The Lineweaver-Burk plot for ammonia showed two straight lines in the NADPH-dependent reactions. The values of Km for substrates were: 1.7 and 5.1 mM for ammonium chloride, 0.14 mM for 2-oxoglutarate, 0.013 mM for NADPH, 2.4 mM for L-glutamate, and 0.019 mM for NADP+ in NADP-linked reactions, and 4.9 mM for ammonium chloride, 7.1 mM for 2-oxoglutarate, 0.2 mM for NADH, 7.3 mM for L-glutamate, and 3.0 mM for NAD+ in NAD-linked reactions. 2-Oxoglutarate and L-glutamate caused substrate inhibition in the NADPH- and NADP+-dependent reactions, respectively, to some extent. NAD+- and NADH-dependent activities were inhibited by 50% by 0.1 M NaCl. Adenine nucleotides and dicarboxylic acids did not show remarkable effects on the enzyme activities.     

Properties of glutamate dehydrogenase from developing maize endosperm

Glutamate dehydrogenase (EC 1.4.1.3) activity was assayed in homogenates of maize ( Zea mays L. inbred lines Oh43 and Oh43o₂) endosperm during development. During the period 20–35 days after pollination anabolic (aminative) activities were higher than catabolic (deaminating) ones. In order to study the regulation of GDH activity, glutamine or glutamate were injected into the ear peduncle before sample harvesting. The amination and deamination reactions showed similar behaviour with different nitrogen sources: glutamine increased, whereas glutamate decreased, both aminative and deaminative reactions. Partially purified enzyme was active with NADH and NADPH in a ratio 9:1. In Tris-HCl buffer a broad optimum at pH 7.6–8.9 and pH 6.8–8.9 was observed with NADH and NADPH, respectively, NADH activity was activated by Ca²⁺. Saturation curves for (NH₄)₂SO₄ and NADH showed normal Michaelis-Menten kinetics in the presence of 1 m M Ca²⁺, but substrate inhibition occurred without Ca²⁺. The enzyme was inactivated by EDTA. The effect of EDTA was reversed by Ca²⁺ and Mn²⁺, but not by Cu₂₊ and Mg²⁺.     

Properties of glutamate dehydrogenase from Bacillus subtilis.

$\text{Bacillus subtilis}$ strain 168 possesses an NAD-dependent glutamate dehydrogenase. The level of this enzyme is influenced by the stage of growth, the source of nitrogen, and a high rate of tryptophan biosynthesis. The enzyme appears to serve an anabolic function and, therefore, must be considered as a possible route for the incorporation of inorganic nitrogen into an organic form.     

Detection and characterization of sorbitol dehydrogenase from apple callus tissue

Sorbitol dehydrogenase (l-iditol:NAD(+) oxidoreductase, EC 1.1.1.14) has been detected and characterized from apple (Malus domestica cv. Granny Smith) mesocarp tissue cultures. The enzyme oxidized sorbitol, xylitol, l-arabitol, ribitol, and l-threitol in the presence of NAD. NADP could not replace NAD. Mannitol was slightly oxidized (8% of sorbitol). Other polyols that did not serve as substrate were galactitol, myo-inositol, d-arabitol, erythritol, and glycerol. The dehydrogenase oxidized NADH in the presence of d-fructose or l-sorbose. No detectable activity was observed with d-tagatose. NADPH could partially substitute for NADH.Maximum rate of NAD reduction in the presence of sorbitol occurred in tris(hydroxymethyl)aminomethane-HCl buffer (pH 9), or in 2-amino-2-methyl-1,3-propanediol buffer (pH 9.5). Maximum rates of NADH oxidation in the presence of fructose were observed between pH 5.7 and 7.0 with phosphate buffer. Reaction rates increased with increasing temperature up to 60 C. The K(m) for sorbitol and xylitol oxidation were 86 millimolar and 37 millimolar, respectively. The K(m) for fructose reduction was 1.5 molar.Sorbitol oxidation was completely inhibited by heavy metal ions, iodoacetate, p-chloromercuribenzoate, and cysteine. ZnSO(4) (0.25 millimolar) reversed the cysteine inhibition. It is suggested that apple sorbitol dehydrogenase contains sulfhydryl groups and requires a metal ion for full activity.     

Properties of glutamate dehydrogenase from Lemna minor

Sterile cultures of Lemna minor grown in the presence of either nitrate, ammonium or amino acids failed to show significant changes in glutamate dehydrogenase (GDH) levels in response to nitrogen source. Crude and partially purified GDH preparations exhibit NADH and NADPH dependent activities. The ratio of these activities remain ca 12:1 during various treatments. Mixed substrate and product inhibition studies as well as electrophoretic behaviour suggest the existence of a single enzyme which is active in the presence of both coenzymes. GDH activity was found to be localized mainly in mitochondria. Kinetic studies revealed normal Michaelis kinetics with most substrates but showed deviations with NADPH and glutamate. A Hill-coefficient of 1.9 determined with NADPH indicates positive cooperative interactions, whereas a Hill-coefficient of 0.75 found with glutamate may be interpreted in terms of negative cooperative interactions. NADH dependent activity decreases rapidly during gel filtration whereas the NAD⁺ and NADPH activities remain unchanged. GDH preparations which have been pretreated with EDTA show almost complete loss of NADH and NAD⁺ activities. NADPH activity again remains unaffected. NAD⁺ activity is fully restored by adding Ca²⁺ or Mg²⁺, whereas the NADH activity can only be recovered by Ca²⁺ but not at all by Mg²⁺. Moderate inhibition of GDH reactions observed with various adenylates are fully reversed by adding Ca²⁺, indicating that the adenylate inhibition is due solely to the chelating properties of these compounds.     

Properties of partially purified saccharopine dehydrogenase from human placenta.

Saccharopine dehydrogenase was previously purified 380-fold from human placenta. The enzyme was shown to catalyze the formation of α-aminoadipic-δ-semialdehyde and glutamate from saccharopine, to have a molecular weight of 480,000 on gel filtration, and not to be separable from l-lysine-α-ketoglutarate reductase. Additional properties of the saccharopine dehydrogenase are now described. The pH optimum for the conversion of saccharopine to glutamate and α-aminoadipic-δ-semialdehyde is 8.5 in Tris-HCl buffer and 8.9 in 2-amino-2-methyl-1,3-propanediol buffer. The specificity of the enzyme for Saccharopine and NAD and the inhibition by glutamate and product analogs were tested. It was found the NADP was the only cofactor that could replace NAD in the enzyme reaction and that several NAD analogs were reaction inhibitors. Glutamate was found to be only moderately effective as an inhibitor. Initial velocity studies revealed that the enzyme has an ordered reaction mechanism. The true K_m values for saccharopine and NAD are 1.15 mm and 0.0645 mm, respectively.     

Unusual features of respiration in mixotrophic green tobacco callus tissues

Respiratory activity of green tobacco callus tissue from thepith of Nicotiana tabacum var. Samsun was influenced by light.Interruption in the light period resulted in a decrease in respiratoryactivity after a lag period of about 2 hr. The respiration levelincreased on re-illumination and was restored to its originallevel after 2–3 hr. The light effect that increased respiratory activity was enhancedby sugar in the medium and by increasing the light intensity.However, the response to light was not affected by an inhibitorof photorespiration and was suppressed completely by an inhibitorof photosynthesis. (Received August 9, 1978; )     

Limitation of tobacco callus tissue growth by carbohydrate availability

Growth rate, maximum dry weight yield, and carbohydrate utilization were measured with pith callus derived from Nicotiana tabacum L. var. Wisconsin No. 38. Maximum tissue dry weights increased as carbohydrate (either glucose or sucrose) in the medium was increased. The time at which maximum growth was obtained coincided with the time at which carbohydrate was exhausted from the medium. The addition of carbohydrate to the medium before the end of log phase growth supported that amount of additional growth which would have been obtained if all of the carbohydrate had been added to the medium prior to planting the tissue. Maximum obtainable dry weights at logarithmic growth rates greater than 0.16 doubling per day depended on the amount of carbohydrate in the medium and not on a particular hormonal regime.     

Properties of pyranose dehydrogenase purified from the litter-degrading fungus Agaricus xanthoderma

We purified an extracellular pyranose dehydrogenase (PDH) from the basidiomycete fungus Agaricus xanthoderma using ammonium sulfate fractionation and ion-exchange and hydrophobic interaction chromatography. The native enzyme is a monomeric glycoprotein (5% carbohydrate) containing a covalently bound FAD as its prosthetic group. The PDH polypeptide consists of 575 amino acids and has a molecular mass of 65 400 Da as determined by MALDI MS. On the basis of the primary structure of the mature protein, PDH is a member of the glucose-methanol-choline oxidoreductase family. We constructed a homology model of PDH using the 3D structure of glucose oxidase from Aspergillus niger as a template. This model suggests a novel type of bi-covalent flavinylation in PDH, 9-S-cysteinyl, 8-alpha-N3-histidyl FAD. The enzyme exhibits a broad sugar substrate tolerance, oxidizing structurally different aldopyranoses including monosaccharides and oligosaccharides as well as glycosides. Its preferred electron donor substrates are D-glucose, D-galactose, L-arabinose, and D-xylose. As shown by in situ NMR analysis, D-glucose and D-galactose are both oxidized at positions C2 and C3, yielding the corresponding didehydroaldoses (diketoaldoses) as the final reaction products. PDH shows no detectable activity with oxygen, and its reactivity towards electron acceptors is rather limited, reducing various substituted benzoquinones and complexed metal ions. The azino-bis-(3-ethylbenzthiazolin-6-sulfonic acid) cation radical and the ferricenium ion are the best electron acceptors, as judged by the catalytic efficiencies (k(cat)/K(m)). The enzyme may play a role in lignocellulose degradation.     

Characterization of Peptostreptococcus asaccharolyticus glutamate dehydrogenase purified by dye-ligand chromatography

Glutamate dehydrogenase (L-glutamate:NAD+ oxidoreductase (deaminating); EC 1.4.1.2) has been purified from Peptostreptococcus asaccharolyticus in a single step using dye-ligand chromatography. The enzyme (GDH) was present in high yields and was stabilized in crude extracts. A subunit molecular weight of 49000 +/- 500 was determined by SDS polyacrylamide gel electrophoresis and six bands were obtained after cross-linking the subunits with dimethyl suberimidate. This bacterial GDH was predominantly NAD+-linked, but was able to utilize both NADP+ and NADPH at 4% of the rates with NAD+ and NADH, respectively. An investigation of the amino acid specificity revealed some similarities with GDH from mammalian sources and some clear differences. The values of apparent Km for the substrates ammonia, 2-oxoglutarate, NADH, NAD+ and glutamate were 18.4, 0.82, 0.066, 0.031 and 6 mM, respectively. The P. asaccharolyticus GDH was not regulated by purine nucleotides, but was subject to strong inhibition with increasing ionic strength.     

Modification of logarithmic growth rates of tobacco callus tissue by gibberellic Acid

Logarithmic growth rates (either fresh or dry weight basis) of tobacco callus tissues grown on 10⁻⁴ to 10⁻¹ μm cytokinin are increased if gibberellic acid (10⁻³-2 μm) is incorporated into the medium. At higher (1-10 μm) cytokinin concentrations gibberellic acid has little effect on growth rate but extends the duration of logarithmic growth. The gibberellic acid effect is noticeable only after one weight doubling, is dependent on concentration, and occurs when either glucose or sucrose is used as carbon source. The gibberellic acid response includes a decrease in percentage of dry weight relative to control tissues. The maximum dry weight yield, although achieved sooner than controls, does not differ appreciably from yields of tissue not treated with gibberellic acid.     

Ethylene influences green plant regeneration from barley callus

The plant hormone ethylene is involved in numerous plant processes including in vitro growth and regeneration. Manipulating ethylene in vitro may be useful for increasing plant regeneration from cultured cells. As part of ongoing efforts to improve plant regeneration from barley (Hordeum vulgare L.), we investigated ethylene emanation using our improved system and investigated methods of manipulating ethylene to increase regeneration. In vitro assays of regeneration from six cultivars, involving 10 weeks of callus initiation and proliferation followed by 8 weeks of plant regeneration, showed a correlation between regeneration and ethylene production: ethylene production was highest from ‘Golden Promise’, the best regenerator, and lowest from ‘Morex’ and ‘DH-20’, the poorest regenerators. Increasing ethylene production by addition of 1-aminocyclopropane 1-carboxylic acid (ACC) during weeks 8–10 increased regeneration from Morex. In contrast, adding ACC to Golden Promise cultures during any of the tissue culture steps reduced regeneration, suggesting that Golden Promise may produce more ethylene than needed for maximum regeneration rates. Blocking ethylene action with silver nitrate during weeks 5–10 almost doubled the regeneration from Morex and increased the Golden Promise regeneration 1.5-fold. Silver nitrate treatment of Golden Promise cultures during weeks 8–14 more than doubled the green plant regeneration. These results indicate that differential ethylene production is related to regeneration in the improved barley tissue culture system. Specific manipulations of ethylene were identified that can be used to increase the green plant regeneration from barley cultivars. The timing of ethylene action appears to be critical for maximum regeneration.     

Features of glutamate dehydrogenase in fetal and adult rumen tissue

Glutamate dehydrogenase (GDH) from rumen mucosa of cow fetus, liver and two forms from mucosa (bacterial and tissue) of the adult animal were partly purified and characterized. The activity of the bacterial glutamate dehydrogenase was shown to depend on qualities of a biomass of microbes, adhered on surface of rumen mucosa. All enzymes from tissues (GDHTRF, TRC, TLC), revealed the hypersensibility to increase in the concentration medium of Zn2+, guanosine triphosphate (GTP), acting here in a role of negative modulators, and also adenosine monophosphate (AMP) and leucine, which acted as activators. However, in the same concentrations these effectors do not influence the activity of the bacterial glutamate dehydrogenase. And if all tissues enzymes are highly specific to coenzyme NADH, the bacterial ones almost in 3 times is more active at NADPH use.     

Isozymes of glutamate dehydrogenase from oat leaves: Properties and light effect on synthesis

Ammonium-dependent induction of a GDH isozyme in oat leaveswas proportional to light intensity and inhibited by DCMU. Thestimulation of GDH synthesis in response to ammonia was partiallyrepressed by benzimidazole. The inducible (no. 1) and noninducible(no. 2) GDH isozymes wereseparated and purified by approximately54 and 24 fold respectively. The two isozymes were highly specificfor NAD and the rate of NADH oxidation was 7 to 9 times higherthan NAD reduction. Both isozymes showed similar Km values forsubstrates of the reductive amination reaction and pH optimafor NADH oxidation. The pH optima for NAD reduction were 9 and8.2 for isozymes1 and 2 respectively. The two isozymes had asimilar molecular weight, 2.2–2.4 x 10⁵ but differed intheir isoelectric point and temperature sensitivity. Resultssuggest that the GDH isozymes in oat leaves are two differententities but might possess a similar metabolic function. (Received January 6, 1976; )