Phosphate-independent glutaminase from rat kidney. Partial purification and identity with gamma-glutamyltranspeptidase.

Phosphate-independent glutaminase can be quantitatively solubilized from a microsomal preparation of rat kidney by treatment with papain. Subsequent gel filtration and chromatography on quaternary aminoethyl (QAE)-Sephadex and hydroxylapatite yield a 200-fold purified preparation of this glutaminase. The purified enzyme also hydrolyzes gamma-glutamylhydroxamate and exhibits substrate inhibition at high concentrations of either glutamine or gamma-glutamyhydroxamate, which is partially relieved by increasing concentrations of maleate. Rat kidney phosphate-independent glutaminase reaction is catalyzed by the same enzyme which catalyzes the gamma-glutamyltranspeptidase reaction. The ratio of glutaminase to transpeptidase activities remained constant throughout a 200-fold purification of this enzyme. The observation that the phosphate0independent glutaminase and gamma-glutamyltranspeptidase activities exhibit coincident mobilities during electrophoresis, both before and after extensive treatment with neuraminidase, strongly suggests that both reactions are catalyzed by the same enzyme. This conclusion is strengthened by the observation that maleate and various amino acids have reciprocal effects on the two activities. Maleate increases glutaminase activity and blocks transpeptidation, whereas amino acids activate the transpeptidase but inhibit glutaminase activity. In contrast, the addition of both maleate and alanine resulted in a strong inhibition of both activities. Both activities exhibit a similar distribution in the various regions of the kidney. Recovery of maximal activities in the outer stripe region of the medulla is consistent with previous quantitative microanalysis which indicated that this glutaminase activity is localized primarily in the proximal straight tubule cells. The glutaminase and transpeptidase activities have different pH optima. Examination of the product specificity suggests that decreasing pH also promotes glutaminase activity and that below pH 6.0, this enzyme functions strictly as a glutaminase. Because of the localization of this activity on the brush border membrane, these resuts are consistent with the possibility that the physiological conditions induced by metabolic acidosis could convert this enzyme from a broad specificity transpeptidase to a glutaminase. Therefore, this enzyme could contribute to the increased renal synthesis of ammonia from glutamine which is observed during metabolic acidosis.     

Phosphate-dependent glutaminase in enterocyte mitochondria and its regulation by ammonium and other ions

Summary.  The effects of ammonium and other ions on phosphate dependent glutaminase (PDG) activity in intact rat enterocyte mitochondria were investigated. Sulphate and bicarbonate activated the enzyme in absence and presence of added phosphate. In presence of 10 mM phosphate, ammonium at concentrations <1 mM inhibited the enzyme. This inhibition was reversed by increased concentration of phosphate or sulphate. The inhibition of PDG by ammonium in presence of 10 mM phosphate was biphasic with respect to glutamine concentration, its effect being through a lowering of V_max at glutamine concentration of ≤5 mM, and increased K_m for substrate concentration above 5 mM. The activation of the enzyme by bicarbonate was through an increase in V_max. Ammonium and bicarbonate ions may therefore be important physiological regulators of PDG. It is suggested that phosphate and other polyvalent ions may function by preventing product inhibition of the enzyme through promotion of PDG dimer formation. The dimerized enzyme may have a high affinity for glutamine and reduced sensitivity to inhibition by ammonium ions. Received August 10, 2001 Accepted April 1, 2002 Published online August 30, 2002 Acknowledgement This work was supported by University of Zimbabwe research grant to Dr. B. Masola. Authors' address: Dr. Bubuya Masola, Department of Biochemistry, University of Zimbabwe, P O Box MP167, Mount Pleasant, Harare, Zimbabwe, E-mail: masolab@yahoo.co.uk     

Identity of maleate-stimulated glutaminase with gamma-glutamyl transpeptidase in rat kidney.

Gamma-Glutamyl transpeptidase was purified from rat kidney by a procedure involving Lubrol extraction, acetone precipitation, ammonium sulfate fractionation, treatment with bromelain, and column chromatography on DEAE-cellulose and Sephadex G-100. The final preparation (enzyme III), which exhibits a specific activity about 8-fold higher than that of the purified rat kidney transpeptidase previously obtained in this laboratory (enzyme I), was apparently homogeneous on polyacrylamide gel electrophoresis. Enzyme III is a glycoprotein containing 10% hexose, 7% aminohexose, and 1.5% sialic acid; a tentative molecular weight value of about 70,000 was obtained by gel filtration. Enzyme III has a much lower molecular weight and a different amino acid and carbohydrate content than the less active rat kidney transpeptidase preparation previously obtained, but obtained, but the catalytic properties of these preparations are virtually identical. It is suggested that bromelain treatment may liberate the transpeptidase from a brush border complex that contains other proteins. An improved method is described for the isolation of the higher molecular weight form of the enzyme (enzyme I) in which affinity chromatography on concanavalin A-Sephrose is employed. The purified transpeptidase (enzyme III) is similar to the phosphate-independent maleate-stimulated glutaminase preparation obtained from rat kidney by Katunuma and colleagues with respect to amino acid and carbohydrate content, apparent molecular weight, and relative transpeptidase and maleate-stimulated "glutaminase" activities. Both of these enzyme preparations are much more active in transpeptidation reactions with glutathione and related gamma-glutamyl compounds than with glutamine. In the absence of maleate, the enzyme catalyzes the utilization of glutamine (by conversion to gamma-glutamylglutamine, glutamate, and ammonia) at about 2% of the rate observed for catalysis of transpeptidation between glutathione and glycylglycine; the utilization of glutamine occurs about 8 times more rapidly in the presence of 0.1 M maleate. The transpeptidation and maleate-stimulated glutaminase reactions catalyzed by both enzyme preprations are inhibited by 5 mM L-serine in the presence of 5 mM sodium borate. Studies on gamma-glutamyl transpeptidase and maleate-stimulated glutaminase in the kidneys of fetal rats, newborn rats, and rats after weaning showed parallel development of these activities. The evidence reported here and earlier work in this laboratory strongly support the conclusion that maleate-stimulated glutaminase activity is a catalytic function of gamma-glutamyl transpeptidase. The studies on the ontogeny of gamma-glutamyl transpeptidase and other data are considered in relation to the proposal that this enzyme is involved in amino acid and peptide transport. Its possible role in renal formation of ammonia is also discussed.     

Comparison of the phosphate-dependent glutaminase obtained from rat brain and kidney.

A phosphate-dependent glutaminase was purified 1200-fold from rat brain. In the absence of a polyvalent anion, the glutaminase exists as an inactive protomer which has an estimated Mr of 126000. The addition of 100mM-phosphate causes maximal activation and a dimerization (Mr 249000) of the glutaminase. The phosphate activation is sigmoidal, with a K0.5 of 25mM and a Hill coefficient (h) of 1.5 Glutamate inhibition is competitive with respect to glutamine and is decreased by increasing the concentration of phosphate. Phosphate also decreases the Km for glutamine. The purified glutaminase contains a predominant peptide (Mr 65000) and a minor peptide (Mr 68000) that are present in an approximate ratio of 4:1 respectively. The glutaminase immunoprecipitated from freshly solubilized brain tissue or from synaptosomal and non-synaptosomal brain mitochondria contains the same distribution of the two peptides. In contrast, the glutaminase purified from rat kidney contains five to seven peptides that range in Mr value from 59000 to 48000, and immunoprecipitates derived from freshly solubilized renal tissue contain only the Mr-65000 peptide. Partial proteolysis and size fractionation of the three immunoprecipitated peptides indicate that they are structurally related. The series of peptides characteristic of the purified renal glutaminase is generated on storage of the solubilized extract of kidney tissue. The glutaminase contained in the solubilized brain extract is not degraded unless a renal extract is added. Thus the difference in the pattern of peptides associated with the two purified enzymes is due to an endogenous renal proteinase that is not present in brain.     

Cause of subunit heterogeneity in purified rat renal phosphate-dependent glutaminase.

When electrophoresed on polyacrylamide gels in the presence of sodium lauryl sulfate, highly purified rat renal phosphate-dependent glutaminase exhibits subunits which range in molecular weight from 57,000 to 75,000. Peptide mapping of the separated subunits following limited proteolysis in the presence of sodium lauryl sulfate shows that all of the various subunits are related in structure. The glutaminase, immunoprecipitated from Triton X-100-solubilized mitochondria, is composed primarily of subunits which have molecular weights of 83,000. In addition, the series of smaller subunits is generated during storage of the Triton-solubilized glutaminase at 4 degrees C. These results indicate that the heterogeneity of subunit size found in the purified glutaminase results from a noninactivating partial proteolysis of the native form of the enzyme.     

Immunoblot analysis of glutaminase peptides in intact and solubilized mitochondria isolated from various rat tissues.

Antibodies were prepared against isolated rat renal glutaminase and affinity-purified against the 65 kDa peptide contained in the purified rat brain glutaminase. The affinity-purified IgGs were then used to compare the glutaminase immunoreactive peptides contained in samples that had been subjected to SDS/polyacrylamide-gel electrophoresis and transferred to nitrocellulose. The purified brain glutaminase and isolated brain mitochondria contain 68 and 65 kDa peptides that exhibit nearly equivalent immunostaining. Partial proteolysis of the isolated 68 and 65 kDa peptides with Staphylococcus aureus V8 proteinase produced an identical pattern of immunoreactive proteolytic fragments. However, digestion of the two peptides with chymotrypsin resulted in similar, but slightly different, patterns. The pattern of immunostaining was unaltered even when the brain mitochondria were solubilized with Triton X-100 and stored for 2 days at 4 degrees C. A very similar pattern was observed when intact renal mitochondria were subjected to immunoblot analysis. However, when renal mitochondria were solubilized, the 68 kDa peptide was rapidly degraded to the 65 kDa form. At 4 degrees C this reaction occurs with apparent first-order kinetics and a t1/2 of 35 min. Degradation of the 65 kDa form of the renal glutaminase occurs with much slower kinetics, but is nearly complete after 24 h. Solubilization of mitochondria isolated from various zones of the kidney indicated that the responsible endogenous proteinase was localized primarily in the cortex. Mitochondria isolated from intestinal or renal papillary tissue contain four glutaminase immunoreactive peptides (Mr 68,000, 65,000, 61,000 and 58,000). The smallest of these peptides is identical in size with the single immunoreactive peptide observed in liver tissue.     

Inhibition by glutamate of phosphate-dependent glutaminase of rat kidney.

A membrane-associated form of phosphate-dependent glutaminase was derived from sonicated mitochondria and purified essentially free of gamma-glutamyl transpeptidase activity. Increasing concentrations of phosphate cause a sigmoidal activation of the membrane-bound glutaminase. Phosphate also causes a similar effect on the rate of glutaminase inactivation by the two affinity labels, L-2-amino-4-oxo-5-chloropentanoic acid and 6-diazo-5-oxo-L-norleucine, as observed previously for the solubilized and purified enzyme. Therefore the two forms of glutaminase undergo similar phosphate-induced changes in conformation. A sensitive radioactive assay was developed and used to determine the kinetics of glutamate inhibition of the membrane-associated glutaminase. The Km for glutamine decreases from 36 to 4 mM when the phosphate concentration is increased from 5 to 100 mM. Glutamate is a competitive inhibitor with respect to glutamine at both high and low concentrations of phosphate. However, the Ki for glutamate is increased from 5 to 52 mM with increasing phosphate concentration. Therefore glutamine and glutamate interact with the same site on the glutaminase, but the specificity of the site is determined by the available phosphate concentration.     

Conditions for activity of glutaminase in kidney mitochondria

1. Rat kidney mitochondria oxidize glutamate very slowly. Addition of glutamine stimulates this respiration two- to three-fold. Addition of glutamate also stimulates respiration in the presence of glutamine. 2. By measuring mitochondrial swelling in iso-osmotic solutions of glutamine or of ammonium glutamate it was shown that glutamine penetrates the mitochondrial membrane rapidly whereas ammonium glutamate penetrates very slowly. 3. Experiments in which reduction of NAD(P)⁺ was measured in preparations of intact and broken mitochondria indicated that glutamate dehydrogenase shows the phenomenon of `latency'. On the addition of glutamine rapid reduction of nicotinamide nucleotides in intact mitochondria was obtained. 4. During the action of glutaminase there is an accumulation of glutamate inside the mitochondria. 5. When the mitochondria were suspended in a medium containing glutamine, P_i and rotenone the rate of production of ammonia was stimulated by the addition of a substrate, e.g. succinate. Addition of an uncoupler or antimycin A abolished this stimulation. 6. The effects of succinate and uncoupler were especially pronounced in the presence of glutamate, which is an inhibitor of glutaminase activity by competition with P_i. 7. Determination of the enzyme activity in media at different pH values showed that the optimum pH for glutaminase activity in the preparation of broken mitochondria was 8, whereas for intact mitochondria it was dependent on the energy state. In the presence of succinate as an energy source it was pH 8.5, but in the presence of uncoupler or antimycin A it was 9. This displacement of the pH optimum to a higher value was especially pronounced in the presence of both glutamate and uncoupler. 8. If nigericin was present in potassium chloride medium the pH optimum for enzyme activity in intact non-respiring mitochondria was nearly the same as in the preparation of broken mitochondria; however, its presence in K⁺-free medium displaced the pH optimum for glutaminase activity to a very high value. 9. It is postulated that because of low permeability of the kidney mitochondrial membrane to glutamate the latter accumulates inside the mitochondria, and that this leads to the inhibition of the enzyme by competition with P_i and also by lowering the pH of the intramitochondrial space. With succinate as substrate for respiration there is an outward translocation of H⁺ ions, which together with accumulation of P_i increases glutaminase activity. Translocation of K⁺ ions inward increases the enzyme activity, perhaps by increasing the pH of the internal spaces and causing an accumulation of P_i. 10. The importance of the location of the enzyme in the mitochondria in relation to its biological function and conditions for activity is discussed.     

Activation of oxoglutarate dehydrogenase in the kidney in response to acute acidosis.

1. Activation by H+ and by Ca2+ of 2-oxoglutarate dehydrogenase extracted from mitochondria of normal or acidotic rat kidney is described. This effect, first shown for the enzyme from heart by McCormack & Denton [Biochem. J. (1979) 180, 533--544], is of a regulatory importance in kidney, in which organ, in contrast with heart, increased flux occurs during acute acidosis. 2. In renal-cortical tubules, 2-oxoglutarate concentration fell within 1 min of decreasing the pH and rose again 1--3 min after increasing the pH of the medium. The extent of the decrease in 2-oxoglutarate was directly related to the decrease in pH. A similar fall in the oxoglutarate concentration in the whole perfused kidney was noted within 5 min of inducing acidosis. 3. In tubules, the rates of gluconeogenesis and ammoniagenesis from 1 mM-glutamine were increased by 64 and 33% respectively on decreasing pH to 7.0, the increase in rates being proportional to the fall in pH between 7.4 and 7.0. 4. The increased rates of renal ammoniagenesis and gluconeogenesis seen in acute acidosis in vitro can be accounted for by the increased activity of 2-oxoglutarate dehydrogenase and the tissue concentrations of 2-oxoglutarate when calculated from the Km determined at normal and acidotic pH. 5. The decrease in 2-oxoglutarate concentration seen in acute acidosis implies a fall in intramitochondrial pH in kidney, and is the result of two phenomena, accelerated disposal via 2-oxoglutarate dehydrogenase and maintenance of near equilibrium of glutamate dehydrogenase.     

Guanylate cyclase activity in rat liver and other tissues with starvation and streptozotocin-induced diabetes mellitus.

Guanylate cyclase activities in supernatant and particulate fractions of homogenates from various rat tissues were examined in fed and fasted normal animals and in those with diabetes mellitus induced with streptozotocin. With fasting guanylate cyclase activity in supernatant fractions increased in liver and epididymal fat, decreased in kidney and lung, and was unchanged in cerebral cortex and skeletal muscle. Lung particulate activity also decreased with fasting while particulate activities in other tissues were unchanged. In diabetic animals soluble but not particulate activity was less in several tissues and the effect of fasting on soluble liver guanylate cyclase was absent. The effect of fasting on soluble liver guanylate cyclase reversed with refeeding animals and was associated with a decrease in the apparent K_m for GTP as well as an increase in V. An inhibitory material was found in livers from fed but not fasted animals. The inhibitory material had properties of a nucleotide and inhibited guanylate cyclase in a competitive manner. Thus, soluble and particulate guanylate cyclase activities can be influenced independently of one another in the same and different tissues with fasting, refeeding, and diabetes mellitus. Some of these effects may be attributable to altered levels of small heat-stable inhibitory materials such as nucleotides.     

The effect of metabolic acidosis on the synthesis and turnover of rat renal phosphate-dependent glutaminase.

Regulation of the mitochondrial phosphate-dependent glutaminase activity is an essential component in the control of renal ammoniagenesis. Alterations in acid-base balance significantly affect the amount of the glutaminase that is present in rat kidney, but not in brain or small intestine. The relative rates of glutaminase synthesis were determined by comparing the amount of [35S]methionine incorporated into specific immunoprecipitates with that incorporated into total protein. In a normal animal, the rate of glutaminase synthesis constitutes 0.04% of the total protein synthesis. After 7 days of metabolic acidosis, the renal glutaminase activity is increased to a value that is 5-fold greater than normal. During onset of acidosis, the relative rate of synthesis increases more rapidly than the appearance of increased glutaminase activity. The increased rate of synthesis reaches a plateau within 5 days at a value that is 5.3-fold greater than normal. Recovery from chronic acidosis causes a rapid decrease in the relative rate of glutaminase synthesis, but a gradual decrease in glutaminase activity. The former returns to normal within 2 days, whereas the latter requires 11 days. The apparent half-time for glutaminase degradation was found to be 5.1 days and 4.7 days for normal and acidotic rats respectively. These results indicate that the increase in renal glutaminase activity associated with metabolic acidosis is due primarily to an increase in its rate of synthesis. From the decrease in activity that occurs upon recovery from acidosis, the true half-life for the glutaminase was estimated to be 3 days.     

Tyrosine protein kinase activity of rat spleen and other tissues

Using a synthetic peptide (Glu-Asp-Ala-Glu-Tyr-Ala-Ala-Arg-Arg-Arg-Gly) as a substrate, various normal tissues from the rat were probed for tyrosine protein kinase activity. Spleen was shown to contain much higher tyrosine protein kinase activity than other rat tissues (lung, brain, testes, liver, kidney, heart, and thymus, in decreasing order of specific activity). Most of the tyrosine protein kinase activity of the various rat tissues (greater than 80%) was present in the particulate fraction, and Nonidet P-40, a nonionic detergent, could activate the particulate form of the enzyme 2-20-fold in many of the tissues. Epidermal growth factor (1 microgram/ml), cyclic AMP, cyclic GMP, or Ca2+ did not increase spleen tyrosine protein kinase activity. Half-maximal enzyme activity was observed at 60-80 microM MgATP and at 2.2 mM peptide, and both Mg2+ (10 mM) and Mn2+ (0.5-1.0 mM) were effective divalent metal ions for the expression of activity. When the particulate fraction of spleen was incubated with [gamma-32P]ATP followed by polyacrylamide gel electrophoresis in the presence of Na dodecyl SO4, a number of alkali-stable bands were identified by autoradiography. Two major bands at Mr = 53,000 and 56,000 were shown to contain phosphotyrosine. Two similar alkali-stable bands containing phosphotyrosine but with lower amounts of 32P labeling were also observed in the particulate fractions of various other tissues (lung, brain, kidney, and testes). The particulate form of tyrosine protein kinase of rat spleen could be solubilized by using high concentrations of Nonidet P-40 (5%) at an alkaline pH (pH 9.0). Partial purification and subsequent filtration on Sephacryl S-200 yielded a peak of tyrosine protein kinase activity with an apparent molecular weight of 55,000. The two major phosphorylated bands of Mr = 53,000 and 56,000 co-migrated with the peak of enzyme activity. The solubilized and partially purified enzyme preparation phosphorylated only tyrosine residues when either endogenous proteins or casein were used as substrates. These results suggest that relatively high activities of tyrosine protein kinase exist in a normal tissue (rat spleen). Major endogenous substrates of the enzyme(s) appear to be represented by two proteins of Mr = 53,000 and 56,000; one or both of these substrates may be the tyrosine protein kinase itself.