Subcellular localization and properties of glyoxylate cycle enzymes in the liver of rats with alloxan diabetes.

Key enzymes of the glyoxylate cycle (isocitrate lyase and malate synthetase) were found in the liver and kidney of rats suffering from alloxan diabetes. The activities of these enzymes in the liver were 0.080 and 0.0430 U/mg protein, respectively. Isocitrate lyase activity in the kidney was 0.030 U/mg protein, and that of the malate synthetase was 0.018 U/mg protein. Peroxisomal localization of the enzymes was shown. A novel malate dehydrogenase isoform was found in a liver of rats suffering from the alloxan diabetes. The isocitrate lyase was isolated by selective (NH4)2SO4 precipitation and DEAE-Toyopearl chromatography. The resulting enzyme preparation had specific activity 6.1 U/mg protein, corresponding to 76.25-fold purification with 32.6% yield. The isocitrate lyase was found to follow the Michaelis--Menten kinetic scheme (Km for isocitrate, 0.08 mM) and to be competitively inhibited by glucose 1-phosphate (Ki = 1. 25 mM), succinate (Ki = 1.75 mM), and citrate (Ki = 1.0 mM); the pH optimum of the enzyme was 7.5 in Tris-HCl buffer.     

The Glyoxylate Pathway in Acanthamoeba Sp.*

SYNOPSIS. Cell-free extracts of encysting Acanthamoeba were assayed for the key enzymes of the glyoxylate pathway, viz., isocitrate lyase and malate synthase. Both enzymes were present at the onset of encystment but their activities changed as cyst-wall formation proceeded to completion. Isocitrate lyase activity decreased during the first 4 hr of encystment to a minimum at 4 hr which was 70% of its initial activity. Activity then increased reaching a maximum at 9 hr which was 144% of its initial activity. After 9 hr a decrease in isocitrate lyase activity began which reached 70% of its initial activity at 35 hr. Malate synthase activity slowly decreased throughout encystment to 50% of its initial activity after 35 hr. From these data and others cited, it is concluded that this small soil amoeba has a functional glyoxylate pathway.     

Plant microbody proteins. Purification and glycoprotein nature of glyoxysomal isocitrate lyase from cucumber cotyledons.

1. Isocitrate lyase from cotyledons of cucumber seedlings (Cucumis sativus) has been purified 100-fold. Two methods of preparing the soluble glyoxylate cycle enzyme are described: an elaborated method which used crude extracts of cucumber cotyledons, and another procedure which started with purified glyoxysomes from 4-day-old cotyledons and included a separation of glyoxysomal matrix enzymes by zonal centrifugation. The product behaved as a single species when tested by (a) polyacrylamide gel electrophoresis in the presence of dodecyl sulfate, (b) zonal centrifugation, and (c) double immunodiffusion against rabbit antibody to isocitrate lyase. 2. Isocitrate lyase of cucumber glyoxysomes exhibited a molecular weight of 255,000 and was composed of four apparently identical subunits of Mr 64,000. An isoelectric point of 5.9 was determined. 3. It was shown that isocitrate lyase is a glycoprotein, (a) by Schiff stain on polyacrylamide gels, (b) by periodate oxidation of the enzyme, subsequent reduction with NaB[3H]4 and electrophoretic analysis of the labelled glycoprotein, and (c) by incorporation of [3H]glucosamine in vivo into a protein which could be precipitated with antibodies to isocitrate lyase and revealed a 64,000-Mr band upon electrophoresis.     

Purification and Characterization of Isocitrate Lyase from Ethanol-grown Euglena gracilis

Isocitrate lyase was purified to homogeneity from ethanol-grown Euglena gracilis. The specific activity was 0.26 μmol/min/mg protein. The molecular mass of the enzyme was calculated to be 380 kDa by gel filtration on a Superose 6 column. The subunit molecular mass of the enzyme was 116 kDa as determined by SDS-polyacrylamide gel electrophoresis. These results showed that the native form of this enzyme was a trimer composed of three identical subunits. The pH optimum for cleavage and condensation reactions was 6.5 and 7.0, respectively. The K_m values for isocitrate, glyoxylate and succinate were 3.8, 1.3 and 7.7 mM, respectively. Isocitrate lyase absolutely required Mg for enzymatic activity. This is the first report of the purification of isocitrate lyase to homogeneity from Euglena gracilis.     

Purification and characterization of acetone cyanohydrin lyase from Linum usitatissimum

The hydroxynitrile lyase (EC 4.1.2.--) which catalyzes the dissociation of the cyanohydrins of acetone and 2-butanone has been isolated and purified from young seedlings of flax (Linum usitatissimum L.). The purification procedure involved precipitation with (NH4)2SO4, chromatofocusing, and chromatography on DEAE-cellulose, hydroxylapatite, Sephacryl 200, and Matrex Red A gel columns with a final recovery of 21%. Purification of 136-fold yielded an apparently homogeneous preparation that, in contrast to the lyases isolated from Prunus species, is not a flavoprotein. The subunit molecular weight of 42,000 was estimated by gel electrophoresis in the presence of sodium dodecyl sulfate. The native molecular weight of the enzyme was estimated by gel filtration (HPLC) to be 82,000. The enzyme has a narrow pH optimum around 5.5 and is highly stable at 4 degrees C.     

Purification and subunit analysis of wheat-germ ribonucleic acid polymerase II

A procedure is described for the purification of the alpha-amanitin-sensitive DNA-dependent RNA polymerase [EC 2.7.7.6] from wheat germ. Solubilization of the enzyme activity was achieved by sonication of a crude extract in a high-salt buffer. Purification involved precipitation with protamine sulphate and (NH(4))(2)SO(4), chromatography on DEAE-cellulose and phosphocellulose, and sucrose gradient centrifugation. Under denaturing conditions the enzyme dissociated into five polypeptides with molecular weights and molar ratios of 220000 (0.9), 170000 (0.1), 140000 (1.0), 45000 (0.2), and 40000 (0.4). Approx. 1mg of purified RNA polymerase was obtained as a routine from 100g of starting material.     

Induction of glyoxylate cycle enzymes in rat liver upon food starvation

The key enzymes of the glyoxylate cycle, isocitrate lyase and malate synthase, have been detected in liver of foodstarved rats. Activities became measurable 3 days and peaked 5 days after the beginning of starvation. Both enzymes were found in the peroxisomal cell fraction after organelle fractionation by isopycnic centrifugation. Isocitrate lyase was purified 112-fold by ammonium sulfate precipitation, and chromotography on DEAE-cellulose and Toyopearl HW-65. The specific activity of the purified enzyme was 9.0 units per mg protein. The K_m(isocitrate) was 68 μM and the pH optimum was at pH 7.4. Malate synthase was enriched 4-fold by ammonium sulfate precipitation. The enzyme had a K_m(acetyl-CoA) of 0.2 μM, a K_m(glyoxylate) of 3 mM and a pH optimum of 7.6.     

Isolation and properties of watermelon isocitrate lyase

The glyoxylate cycle enzyme, isocitrate lyase (EC 4.1.3.1) was purified from cotyledons of Citrullus vulgaris (watermelon). The final preparation, which had been 97-fold purified with a specific activity of 16.1 units/mg protein in a yield of 36%, was homogeneous by gel- and immunoelectrophoretic criteria. The tetrameric enzyme had: a molecular weight of 277 000, a sedimentation coefficient of 12.4 s, and a K_m for D_s-isocitrate equal to 0.25 mM. Isocitrate lyase from this source is not a glycoprotein as shown by total carbohydrate content after precipitation by trichloroacetic acid of the purified enzyme. Reduction of the enzyme with thiols increased activity and maximal activity was obtained with at least 5 mM dithiothreitol. EDTA partially substituted for thiol in freshly isolated enzyme. Watermelon isocitrate lyase was also protected against thermal denaturation at 60° for at least 1 hr by 5 mM Mg²⁺ plus 5 mM oxalate. Oxalate was a competitive inhibitor with respect to isocitrate (K_i: 1.5 μM, pH 7.5, 30°).     

Characterization of the isocitrate lyase gene from Corynebacterium glutamicum and biochemical analysis of the enzyme.

Isocitrate lyase is a key enzyme in the glyoxylate cycle and is essential as an anaplerotic enzyme for growth on acetate as a carbon source. It is assumed to be of major importance in carbon flux control in the amino acid-producing organism Corynebacterium glutamicum. In crude extracts of C. glutamicum, the specific activities of isocitrate lyase were found to be 0.01 U/mg of protein after growth on glucose and 2.8 U/mg of protein after growth on acetate, indicating tight regulation. The isocitrate lyase gene, aceA, was isolated, subcloned, and characterized. The predicted gene product of aceA consists of 432 amino acids (M(r), 47,228) and shows up to 57% identity to the respective enzymes from other organisms. Downstream of aceA, a gene essential for thiamine biosynthesis was identified. Overexpression of aceA in C. glutamicum resulted in specific activities of 0.1 and 7.4 U/mg of protein in minimal medium containing glucose and acetate, respectively. Inactivation of the chromosomal aceA gene led to an inability to grow on acetate and to the absence of any detectable isocitrate lyase activity. Isocitrate lyase was purified to apparent homogeneity and subjected to biochemical analysis. The native enzyme was shown to be a tetramer of identical subunits, to exhibit an ordered Uni-Bi mechanism of catalysis, and to be effectively inhibited by 3-phosphoglycerate, 6-phosphogluconate, phosphoenolpyruvate, fructose-1,6-bisphosphate, and succinate.     

Escherichia coli isocitrate lyase: properties and comparisons

The glyoxylate cycle was first discovered during studies on bacteria and fungi with the ability to grow on acetate or ethanol as the sole carbon source. Isocitrate lyase, the first enzyme unique to the glyoxylate cycle, has been studied in numerous prokaryotic and eukaryotic organisms. However, information on this enzyme from Escherichia coli is limited. We have recently reported the purification and in vitro phosphorylation of this enzyme. In the present study we have examined and characterized a variety of inhibitors, the divalent cation requirement and the amino acid composition of E. coli isocitrate lyase and compared these results to those obtained with other organisms.     

GLYOXYLATE CYCLE ENZYME ACTIVITIES IN THE CYANOBACTERIUM ANACYSTIS NIDULANS1

The enzymes of the glyoxylate cycle, isocitrate lyase (EC.4.1.3.1) and malate synthase (EC.4.1.3.2), were measured in cell-free extracts from the cyanobacterium Anacystis nidulans Drouet during photoautotrophic growth in medium aerated with ordinary air (0.03% CO₂). Isocitrate lyase had an average specific activity of 112 nmoles·min^?1·mg protein^?1 whereas malate synthase had an average specific activity of 12.5 nmoles·min^?1·mg protein^?1. Unpurified isocitrate lyase showed classical Michaelis kinetics with a K_m of 8 mM. Isocitrate lyase activity was strongly inhibited by numerous cellular metabolites at 10 mM concentration. The previously reported low specific activity for isocitrate lyase may be due to metabolite inhibition caused by growth in high CO₂ concentrations. The activities reported for isocitrate lyase and malate synthase suggest the operation of the glyoxylate cycle in Anacystis nidulans under CO₂-limiting growth conditions.     

An isocitrate lyase of higher plants: analysis and comparison of some molecular properties

A new purification procedure for isocitrate lyase from Pinus pinea is reported. The final preparation shows charge homogeneity and a purity degree higher than 95%. It is possible to remove catalase completely by exploiting the high hydrophobicity of isocitrate lyase. The enzyme has a Mr of 264,000 and is likely composed of four subunits, each with a Mr of 66,000. The binding of radioactively labeled oxalate revealed four catalytic sites per oligomer. These data suggest that isocitrate lyase subunits are similar, if not identical. The Michaelis constant for isocitrate is equal to 33 microM; molecular activity is about 2670 mol X min-1 X mol of enzyme-1. The amino acid composition of the enzyme was also determined. Isocitrate lyase appears resistant to proteolysis by carboxypeptidase A. Hydrazinolysis, Edman degradation, and dansyl chloride treatment indicate that both carboxy and amino terminals are probably inaccessible or blocked.     

Solubilization by lysolecithin and purification of the plasma membrane ATPase of the yeast Schizosaccharomyces pombe.

Purified plasma membranes of Schizosaccharomyces pombe were obtained by precipitation at pH 5.2 of a crude particulate fraction, followed by differential centrifugations and isopycnic centrifugation in a discontinuous sucrose gradient. The specific activity of the Mg2+-requiring plasma membrane ATPase activity (EC 3.6.1.3) was enriched from 0.3 mumol min-1 x mg-1 of protein in the homogenate to 26 in the purified membranes. The optimal conditions for solubilization of the ATPase activity by lysolecithin were found to be: 2 mg/ml of lysolecithin, a lysolecithin to protein ratio of 8 at pH 7.5, and 15 degrees C in the presence of 1 mM ATP and 1 mM ethylenediaminetetraacetic acid. A 6- to 7-fold purification of the solubilized ATPase activity was obtained by centrifugation of the lysolecithin extract in sucrose gradient. Part of the ATPase activity which was inactivated during the centrifugation in the sucrose gradient could be restored by addition of a micellar solution of 50 microgram of lysolecithin/ml during the assay. Polyacrylamide gel electrophoresis in the presence of sodium dodecyl sulfate of the purified enzyme showed only one band of Mr = 105,000 stained with Coomassie blue. Another ATPase component of apparent molecular weight lower than 10,000 was stained by periodic Schiff reagent but not colored by Coomassie blue. The purified enzyme was 85% inhibited by 50 micrometer N,N'-dicyclohexylcarbodiimide and 94% inhibited by 53 microgram of Dio-9/ml.     

Purification and Properties of Isocitrate Lyase from Pupas of the Butterfly Papilio machaon L.

Key enzymes of the glyoxylate cycle, isocitrate lyase and malate synthase, were identified in pupas of the butterfly Papilio machaon L. The activities of these enzymes in pupas were 0.056 and 0.108 unit per mg protein, respectively. Isocitrate lyase was purified by a combination of various chromatographic steps including ammonium sulfate fractionation, ion-exchange chromatography on DEAE-Toyopearl, and gel filtration. The specific activity of the purified enzyme was 5.5 units per mg protein, which corresponded to 98-fold purification and 6% yield. The enzyme followed Michaelis-Menten kinetics (Km for isocitrate, 1.4 mM) and was competitively inhibited by succinate (Ki = 1.8 mM) and malate (Ki = 1 mM). The study of physicochemical properties of the enzyme showed that it is a homodimer with a subunit molecular weight of 68 +/- 2 kD and a pH optimum of 7.5 (in Tris-HCl buffer).     

Acetate-nonutilizing Mutants of Neurospora crassa II. Biochemical Deficiencies and the Roles of Certain Enzymes

The levels of Krebs cycle, glyoxylate cycle, and certain other enzymes were measured in a wild-type strain and in seven groups of acetate-nonutilizing (acu) mutants of Neurospora crassa, both after growth on a medium containing sucrose and after a subsequent 6-hr incubation in a similar medium, containing acetate as the sole source of carbon. In the wild strain, incubation in acetate medium caused a rise in the levels of isocitrate lyase, malate synthase, phosphoenolpyruvate carboxykinase, acetyl-coenzyme A synthetase, nicotinamide adenine dinucleotide phosphate-linked isocitrate dehydrogenase, citrate synthase, and fumarate hydratase. Isocitrate lyase activity was absent in acu-3 mutants; acu-5 mutants lacked acetyl-coenzyme A synthetase activity; and no oxoglutarate dehydrogenase activity (or only low levels) could be detected in acu-2 and acu-7 mutants. In acu-6 mutants, phosphoenolpyruvate carboxykinase activity was either very low or absent. No specific biochemical deficiencies could be attributed to the acu-1 and acu-4 mutations. The role of several of these enzymes during growth on acetate is discussed.     

Purification and properties of an alginate lyase from a marine bacterium.

An unidentified pseudomonad isolated by enrichment procedures from decomposing seaweed was grown in defined medium containing sodium alginate as the sole carbon source. The alginate lyase recovered from disrupted bacterial cells was purified by a procedure of (NH4)2SO4 precipitation, gel filtration and ion-exchange chromatography. From sodium dodecyl sulphate/polyacrylamide-gel-electrophoresis experiments a mol.wt. of about 50 000 was determined. The enzyme was active against both algal and bacterial alginate preparations. Kinetic studies together with analysis of the unsaturated oligouronide products of alginate lyase action indicated the enzyme was specific for guluronic acid-containing regions of the macromolecular substrate. The specificity of the enzyme can be used to give information about the primary composition of alginate samples.     

Purification and Characterization of the polygalacturo nase from Tomato Fruits

The polygalacturonase (PG) isolated fron the pericarp of fully ripe tomato fruits was purified by (NH4)2SO4 precipitation, carboxyme-thylsepharose ion-exchang column and sephadex G-75 gel filtration. Specific activity of purified PG was 1.5 μmol galacturonic acid mg-1 protein min-1, which was 30 times as high as that of the crude extract with 1.7mol NaC1. When the elution separated by second sephadex G-75 column was analyzed by SDS-PAGE, only a single protein band was detected. It was shown by heat and pH experiments of the purified enzyme that the enzyme activity retained 50%, after treatment with heat at 50℃ for 10 min, and that the optimal pH was 4.6.     

Regulation of Glyoxysomal Enzymes during Germination of Cucumber: 2. Isolation and Immunological Detection of Isocitrate Lyase and Catalase

The glyoxysomal enzymes isocitrate lyase and catalase have been isolated from etiolated cucumber (Cucumis sativus) cotyledons. The enzymes co-purified through polyethyleneimine precipitation and (NH₄)₂SO₄ precipitation, and were resolved by gel filtration on Sepharose 6B followed by chromatography on diethylaminoethyl-cellulose (isocitrate lyase) or hydroxylapatite (catalase). Purity of the isolated enzymes was assessed by sodium dodecyl sulfate-polyacrylamide electrophoresis, isoelectric focusing, and immunoelectrophoresis. Antibodies raised to both enzymes in rabbits and in tumor-bearing mice were shown to be monospecific by immunoelectrophoresis against total homogenate protein. Isocitrate lyase and catalase represent about 0.56% and 0.1%, respectively, of total extractable cotyledonary protein. Both enzymes appear to be present in a single form. Molecular weights of the native enzymes and its subunits are 225,000 and 54,500 for catalase, and 325,000 and 63,500 for isocitrate lyase. The pH optimum for isocitrate lyase is about 6.75 in morpholinopropane sulfonic acid buffer, but varies significantly with buffer used. The K_m for d-isocitrate is 39 micromolar. A double antibody technique (rabbit anti-isocitrate lyase followed by ¹²⁵I-labeled goat anti-rabbit immunoglobulin G) has been used to visualize isocitrate lyase subunit protein on sodium dodecyl sulfate-polyacrylamide with high specificity and sensitivity.     

Characterization of the plasma membrane ATPase of Candida tropicalis

1) Plasma membrane vesicles from Candida tropicalis were isolated from protoplasts by differential centrifugation and purified in a continuous sucrose gradient. 2) The plasma membrane bound ATPase was characterized. It is highly specific for ATP and requires Mg2+. It is stimulated by K+, Na+ and NH4+. Lineweaver-Burk plots for ATPase activity are linear with a Vmax of 4.2 mumoles of ATP hydrolyzed min-1.mg-1 protein and a Km for ATP of 0.76 mM. The ATPase activity is inhibited competitively by ADP with a Ki of 1.7 mM and non competitively by vanadate with a Ki of 3 microM. The activity is unaffected by oligomycin or azide but is sensitive to DCCD.     

Changes in Activity of Glyoxylate Cycle Enzymes During Myxospore Development in Myxococcus xanthus

Activities of the glyoxylate cycle enzymes isocitrate lyase (EC 4.1.3.1) and malate synthase (EC 4.1.3.2) were assayed in extracts prepared at different stages of myxospore formation in liquid cultures of Myxococcus xanthus. Activities of both enzymes attained peak values during conversion of rods to spheres. Isocitrate lyase activity decreased after reaching its peak value. Malate synthase activity also declined but at a much slower rate. The loss of isocitrate lyase activity could be prevented by the addition of chloramphenicol to cultures early in myxospore formation (during the initial rise in enzyme activity), but not by such addition at later stages of myxospore formation. The increase in glyoxylate cycle enzymes was not observed in a mutant unable to form myxospores in liquid culture under conditions suitable for morphological conversion of the wild type, or in wild-type cells incubated in the absence of an inducer for myxospore formation. It is concluded that the changes in the glyoxylate cycle enzymes represent regulatory phenomena associated with the development of the myxospore.