The early effects of chemical carcinogens on adult rat hepatocytes in primary culture: I. Quantitative changes in intracellular enzyme activities following a single dose of carcinogen.

The effects of exposure of adult rat hepatocytes to chemical carcinogens have been studied using a short-term maintenance culture system. Scanning microdensitometry was used to quantitate the observed changes in enzyme activity. The dose-response curves showed a biphasic response for all 4 enzymes studied (glucose-6-phosphate dehydrogenase, succinate dehydrogenase, NADPH oxidase and gamma-glutamyl transpeptidase) there being decreased enzyme activities at the higher dose levels used, possibly indicating cytotoxicity. The enhancement of enzyme activity at low dose levels was due to generalised increases occurring in every cell, rather than to selection of a cell species particularly high in enzyme activity. A culture period of 24 h was necessary for the complete adaptation of the cells to the culture environment as evidenced by the response of intracellular glucose-6-phosphate dehydrogenase activity to carcinogen treatment. These findings are discussed in relation to previously reported in vivo studies.     

Behaviour of some mitochondrial enzymes in ripening tomato fruit

The activities of four mitochondrial enzymes were studied in four stages of ripening tomato fruit. The highest enzyme activity was recorded for malate dehydrogenase followed by cytochrome c oxidase. Succinate dehydrogenase and NADH oxidase levels were low and could only be determined in the green stage of the fruit. However, peaks of various enzyme activities coincided in identical mitochondrial fractions on the sucrose density gradient. Moreover, the levels of malate dehydrogenase and cytochrome c oxidase were constant during the ripening process while the other two enzymes, succinate dehydrogenase and NADH oxidase, declined. This might indicate that mitochondria retain some of their essential functions through the ripening process.     

Effect of succinate on mitochondrial lipid peroxidation. 2. The protective effect of succinate against functional and structural changes induced by lipid peroxidation

The damaging effects of ADP/Fe/NADPH-induced lipid peroxidation were studied on the enzymes and membranes of rat liver mitochondria. Succinate, an inhibitor of mitochondrial lipid peroxidation, prevented or delayed most of the damage caused by the peroxidation on different mitochondrial structures and functions. There were marked abnormalities on the electrophoretic pattern of mitochondrial proteins during the course of lipid peroxidation. The disappearance of particular polypeptide bands and the accumulation of high-molecular-weight aggregates could be observed. Succinate was found to delay these effects. As a consequence of lipid peroxidation the succinate oxidase activity of mitochondria was decreased. The succinate dehydrogenase enzyme and the component(s) of the respiratory chain were inactivated. Succinate prevented the inactivation of succinate dehydrogenase but did not protect the other components of terminal oxidation chain. From the matrix enzymes the glutamate dehydrogenase retained its full activity but the NADP-linked isocitrate dehydrogenase was inactivated. The mitochondrial membranes became permeable to large protein molecules. Succinate prevented the inactivation of isocitrate dehydrogenase and delayed the release of protein molecules from mitochondria.     

Repression of oxalic acid-mediated mineral phosphate solubilization in rhizospheric isolates of Klebsiella pneumoniae by succinate

Two strains of Klebsiella (SM6 and SM11) were isolated from rhizospheric soil that solubilized mineral phosphate by secretion of oxalic acid from glucose. Activities of enzymes for periplasmic glucose oxidation (glucose dehydrogenase) and glyoxylate shunt (isocitrate lyase and glyoxylate oxidase) responsible for oxalic acid production were estimated. In presence of succinate, phosphate solubilization was completely inhibited, and the enzymes glucose dehydrogenase and glyoxylate oxidase were repressed. Significant activity of isocitrate lyase, the key enzyme for carbon flux through glyoxylate shunt and oxalic acid production during growth on glucose suggested that it could be inducible in nature, and its inhibition by succinate appeared to be similar to catabolite repression.     

The influence of storage temperature on the transition, activation enthalpy, and activity of enzymes associated with inner mitochondrial membranes

The effects of storage at low temperature on the transition in enzyme function, Tf*, and the Arrhenius activation energy, Ea, were determined for several enzymes associated with the inner membrane of rat liver mitochondria. The enzymes studied were succinate:cytochrome c reductase, cytochrome c oxidase, beta-hydroxybutyrate dehydrogenase, and oligomycin-sensitive, Mg2+-activated ATPase. For freshly isolated mitochondria the Tf*, for succinate:cytochrome c reductase and cytochrome c oxidase, occurred at approximately 23 degrees C and was coincident with a transition in structure, Ts*, determined as the change in temperature coefficient of motion for a spin label intercalated with the membrane lipids. This suggest that the change in thermal response of the membrane-associated enzymes is related to a change in molecular ordering of the membrane lipids. When mitochondria were stored at -12 degrees C, the specific activities of succinate:cytochrome c reductase and cytochrome c oxidase decreased. Concomitant with these changes the Ea, above Tf*, increased. After 100 days storage at -12 degrees C, Ea above Tf* approached the value for Ea below Tf* such that the transition in thermal response could no longer be detected. In contrast, for mitochondria stored at -196 degrees C, although the specific activity declined over the 100 days storage, no changes in either Ea or Tf* were evident. The results indicate a need for caution in evaluating comparative studies of Tf and Ea, for membrane-associated enzymes, using mitochondria which have been frozen and stored.     

Oxidative and phosphorylative activity of mitochondria from pea cotyledons during maturation of the seed

Summary The respiration rate and the activity of some mitochondrial enzymes from pea cotyledons have been followed during the final phases of seed development, when the relative water content of the cotyledons dropped from 65 to 13%. Succinate, malate and -ketoglutarate oxidase activity, and succinate and malate dehydrogenase activity per cotyledon increased when the relative water content dropped from 65 to about 55%. A further drop of the relative water content was accompanied by a strong decrease of the activity of the succinate and malate oxidase system, but only a slight decrease of succinate and malate dehydrogenase activity. Mitochondrial fractions from air-dry, mature cotyledons showed a low activity of the succinate and malate oxidase system but their dehydrogenase activity was relatively high. The phosphorylation efficiency and respiratory control gradually decreased during maturation. These results indicate that during maturation of the pea seed certain mitochondrial enzymes partly lose their activity.     

Effects of plant flavonoids on Manduca sexta (tobacco hornworm) fifth larval instar midgut and fat body mitochondrial transhydrogenase

The reversible, membrane-associated transhydrogenase that catalyzes hydride-ion transfer between NADP(H) and NAD(H) was evaluated and compared to the corresponding NADH oxidase and succinate dehydrogenase activities in midgut and fat body mitochondria from fifth larval instar Manduca sexta. The developmentally significant NADPH-forming transhydrogenation occurs as a nonenergy- or energy-linked activity with energy for the latter derived from either electron transport-dependent NADH or succinate utilization, or ATP hydrolysis by Mg++-dependent ATPase. In general, the plant flavonoids examined (chyrsin, juglone, morine, quercetin, and myricetin) affected all reactions in a dose-dependent fashion. Differences in the responses to the flavonoids were apparent, with the most notable being inhibition of midgut, but stimulation of fat body transhydrogenase by morin, and myricetin as also noted for NADH oxidase and succinate dehydrogenase. Although quercetin inhibited or stimulated transhydrogenase activity depending on the origin of mitochondria, it was without effect on either midgut or fat body NADH oxidase or succinate dehydrogenase. Observed sonication-dependent increases in flavonoid inhibition may well reflect an alteration in membrane configuration, resulting in increased exposure of the enzyme systems to the flavonoids. The effects of flavonoids on the transhydrogenation, NADH oxidase, and succinate dehydrogenase reactions suggest that compounds of this nature may prove valuable in the control of insect populations by affecting these mitochondrial enzyme components.     

Myeloperoxidase-mediated inhibition of microbial respiration: damage to Escherichia coli ubiquinol oxidase

A microbicidal system, mediated by neutrophil myeloperoxidase, inhibits succinate-dependent respiration in Escherichia coli at rates that correlate with loss of microbial viability. Succinate dehydrogenase, the initial enzyme of the succinate oxidase respiratory pathway, catalyzes the reduction of ubiquinone to ubiquinol, which is reoxidized by terminal oxidase complexes. The steady-state ratio of ubiquinol to total quinone (ubiquinol + ubiquinone) reflects the balance between dehydrogenase-dependent ubiquinone reduction and terminal oxidase-dependent ubiquinol oxidation. Myeloperoxidase had no effect on total quinone content of E. coli but altered the steady-state ratio of ubiquinol to total quinone. The ratio doubled for organisms incubated with the myeloperoxidase system for 10 min, suggesting decreased ubiquinol oxidase activity, which was confirmed by observation of a 50% decrease in oxidation of the ubiquinol analogue 2,3-dimethoxy-5-methyl-6-decyl-1,4-benzoquinol. Despite inhibition of ubiquinol oxidase, overall succinate oxidase activity remained unchanged, suggesting that succinate dehydrogenase activity was preserved and that the dehydrogenase was rate limiting. Microbial viability was unaffected by early changes in ubiquinol oxidase activity. Longer (60 min) exposure of E. coli to the myeloperoxidase system resulted in only modest further inhibition of the ubiquinol oxidase, but the ubiquinol to total quinone ratio fell to 0%, reflecting complete loss of succinate dehydrogenase activity. Succinate oxidase activity was abolished, and there was extensive loss of microbial viability. Early myeloperoxidase-mediated injury to ubiquinol oxidase appeared to be compensated for by higher steady-state levels of ubiquinol which sustained electron turnover by mass effect. Later myeloperoxidase-mediated injuries eliminated succinate-dependent ubiquinone reduction, through inhibition of succinate dehydrogenase, with loss of succinate oxidase activity, effects which were associated with, although not clearly causal for, microbicidal activity.     

Studies on rat liver mitochondria: 4. Enzyme activities in mitochondria preserved at 0-4 degrees C

Rat liver mitochondria, stored with the energy-linked functions preserved or in aging conditions, were used to assay the activity of various enzymes during five days. The preservation of energy-linked functions was monitored by the respiratory control coefficient. ATPase, cytochrome oxidase and NADH dehydrogenase showed increased activity when the energy-linked functions were preserved. In aging conditions, cytochrome oxidase, NADH dehydrogenase and ATPase showed decreased activity. The ATPase activity increased only when mitochondria were stored in the presence of inhibitors of the electron transport chain. The activity of NADH oxidase did not change, and succinate oxidase and succinate dehydrogenase showed a small decrease in their activity. The enzymes of the matrix, alpha-ketoglutarate dehydrogenase, malate dehydrogenase and aspartate aminotransferase showed little decrease in activity under either of the conditions of storage. The total protein content decreased slightly under both conditions of storage. These results show that the activity of the enzymes analysed was maintained at reasonable levels, when the energy-linked functions of isolated mitochondria were preserved.     

Oscillations of enzyme activities during the cell-cycle of a glucose-repressed fission-yeast Schizosaccharomyces pombe 972h

1. Increased specific activities of cytochrome c oxidase, catalase, succinate dehydrogenase, succinate-cytochrome c oxidoreductase, NADH-cytochrome c oxidoreductase and malate dehydrogenase were observed during glucose de-repression of Schizosaccharomyces pombe. 2. The cell-cycle of this organism was analysed by three different methods: (a) harvesting of cells at intervals from a synchronous culture, (b) separation of cells by rate-zonal centrifugation into different size classes and (c) separation of cells by isopycnic-zonal centrifugation into different density classes. 3. Measurement of enzyme activities during the cell-cycle showed that all the enzymes assayed [cytochrome c oxidase, catalase, acid p-nitrophenylphosphatase, NADH-dehydrogenase, NADH-cytochrome c oxidoreductase, NADPH-cytochrome c oxidoreductase, succinate dehydrogenase, malate dehydrogenase, isocitrate dehydrogenase (NADP) and fumarate hydratase] show periodic expression as ;peaks'. 4. Cytochrome c oxidase shows a single maximum at 0.67 of a cycle, whereas succinate dehydrogenase exhibits two maxima separated by 0.5 of a cell-cycle. 5. All other enzymes assayed showed two distinct maxima per cell-cycle; for catalase, malate dehydrogenase and NADPH-cytochrome c oxidoreductase there is the possibility of multiple fluctuations. 6. The single maximum of cytochrome c oxidase appears at a similar time in the cycle to one maximum of each of the other enzymes studied, except for NADH dehydrogenase. 7. These results are discussed with reference to previous observations on the expression of enzyme activities during the cell-cycle of yeasts.     

Toxic effects of ozone on murine L929 fibroblasts. Enzyme inactivation and glutathione depletion.

Exposure of L929 murine fibroblasts to ozone resulted in K+ leakage and inhibition of several enzymes. Most sensitive to ozone exposure were glyceraldehyde-3-phosphate dehydrogenase and pyruvate kinase. The activities of another cytosolic enzyme, lactate dehydrogenase, the mitochondrial enzymes glutamate dehydrogenase, succinate dehydrogenase, cytochrome c oxidase and the activity of the lysosomal enzymes acid phosphatase and beta-glucuronidase were, initially, not or only slightly affected. The localization of the lysosomal enzymes did not change during ozone exposure. After prolonged exposure complete deterioration of the cells was observed and all enzyme activities declined. The activity of the enzymes was also monitored during ozone exposure of a sonicated cell suspension and it was shown that all these enzymes are in fact susceptible to ozone. These observations clearly demonstrate that, besides the structure and amino acid composition of an enzyme, the localization in the cell plays an important role in its susceptibility to ozone. The intracellular levels of reduced and oxidized glutathione were affected as well. The ATP content, however, proved to be insensitive to ozone exposure.     

The tricarboxylic acid cycle of Helicobacter pylori.

The composition and properties of the tricarboxylic acid cycle of the microaerophilic human pathogen Helicobacter pylori were investigated in situ and in cell extracts using [1H]- and [13C]-NMR spectroscopy and spectrophotometry. NMR spectroscopy assays enabled highly specific measurements of some enzyme activities, previously not possible using spectrophotometry, in in situ studies with H. pylori, thus providing the first accurate picture of the complete tricarboxylic acid cycle of the bacterium. The presence, cellular location and kinetic parameters of citrate synthase, aconitase, isocitrate dehydrogenase, alpha-ketoglutarate oxidase, fumarate reductase, fumarase, malate dehydrogenase, and malate synthase activities in H. pylori are described. The absence of other enzyme activities of the cycle, including alpha-ketoglutarate dehydrogenase, succinyl-CoA synthetase, and succinate dehydrogenase also are shown. The H. pylori tricarboxylic acid cycle appears to be a noncyclic, branched pathway, characteristic of anaerobic metabolism, directed towards the production of succinate in the reductive dicarboxylic acid branch and alpha-ketoglutarate in the oxidative tricarboxylic acid branch. Both branches were metabolically linked by the presence of alpha-ketoglutarate oxidase activity. Under the growth conditions employed, H. pylori did not possess an operational glyoxylate bypass, owing to the absence of isocitrate lyase activity; nor a gamma-aminobutyrate shunt, owing to the absence of both gamma-aminobutyrate transaminase and succinic semialdehyde dehydrogenase activities. The catalytic and regulatory properties of the H. pylori tricarboxylic acid cycle enzymes are discussed by comparing their amino acid sequences with those of other, more extensively studied enzymes.     

Aspartate dehydrogenase,a novel enzyme identified from structural and functional studies of TM1643

The open reading frame TM1643 of Thermotoga maritima belongs to a large family of proteins, with homologues in bacteria, archaea, and eukaryotes. TM1643 is found in an operon with two other genes that encode enzymes involved in the biosynthesis of NAD. In several bacteria, the gene in the position occupied by TM1643 encodes an aspartate oxidase (NadB), which synthesizes iminoaspartate as a substrate for NadA, the next enzyme in the pathway. The amino acid sequence of TM1643 does not share any recognizable homology with aspartate oxidase or with other proteins of known functions or structures. To help define the biological functions of TM1643, we determined its crystal structure at 2.6A resolution and performed a series of screens for enzymatic function. The structure reveals the presence of an N-terminal Rossmann fold domain with a bound NAD(+) cofactor and a C-terminal alpha+beta domain. The structural information suggests that TM1643 may be a dehydrogenase and the active site of the enzyme is located at the interface between the two domains. The enzymatic characterization of TM1643 revealed that it possesses NAD or NADP-dependent dehydrogenase activity toward l-aspartate but no aspartate oxidase activity. The product of the aspartate dehydrogenase activity is also iminoaspartate. Therefore, our studies demonstrate that two different enzymes, an oxidase and a dehydrogenase, may have evolved to catalyze the first step of NAD biosynthesis in prokaryotes. TM1643 establishes a new class of amino acid dehydrogenases.     

Localization of some enzymes in the main venom glands of viperid snakes

Several secretory and nonsecretory enzymes were localized histochemically in the main venom gland of 13 viperid snakes. All secretory cells show the intracellular oxidative enzymes succinate dehydrogenase and monoamine oxidase. The granular reactions obtained for both enzymes resemble mitochondria in distribution. Distinctive cells with a very high succinate dehydrogenase activity are dispersed among the secretory cells of all species except Atractaspis. Nonspecific acid phosphatase activity is found in the supranuclear region of the secretory cells in species that do not secrete this enzyme and throughout the cytoplasm in snakes that secrete the enzyme. Nonspecific alkaline phosphatase activity occurs in the secretory cells of those snakes whose venom shows this activity. Leucine amino peptidase (aryl amidase) activity is found in the venom and in the secretory cells of all the species. In Vipera palaestinae both the venom and the secretory cells of the main venom gland contain nonspecific esterase, L-amino acid oxidase and phosphodiesterase activities. The localization of phosphodiesterase and L-amino acid oxidase do not show major differences between glands at different intervals from an initial milking. Adenosine-monophosphate phosphatase activity is localized in the supranuclear region of the secretory cells in the glands of Vipera palaestinae and Aspis cerastes. Its activity is found in the venom of Aspis only.     

Biochemical effects of mild iron deficiency and cold acclimatization on rat skeletal muscle

Most of the previous studies on the effects of iron deficiency on skeletal muscle respiratory capacity and work performance have been investigated in severe or moderate iron-deficiency anemia. We report here that even in mild iron deficiency where the hemoglobin concentration was 10 g/dl and the iron stores in livers and spleen were not completely depleted, a marked reduction in succinate dehydrogenase was observed in skeletal muscles but not in heart. Similarly, cytochrome oxidase activities were reduced. Although no significant change in glycerophosphate dehydrogenase was detected in the iron-deficient rats, exposure to cold in this group greatly reduced this enzyme activity. As cold acclimatization accelerates marrow erythropoiesis (20) which in turn, demands more iron, it seems that in the iron-insufficient state, this iron demand for marrow activity may persist at the expense of the tissue iron pool, resulting in a marked reduction in glycerophosphate dehydrogenase activities. Since succinate dehydrogenase plays a significant role in the impairment of mitochondrial function and early fatigue of iron-deficient muscle (11), the present study shows that even in mild iron deficiency, some loss of muscle functions could result as succinate dehydrogenase activities were greatly reduced.     

Histochemical study on the distribution of some enzyme activities in the vagal and facial lobes of the goldfish, Carassius auratus.

The histochemical localization of six enzymic activities (acetylcholinesterase, pseudocholinesterase, monoamine oxidase, lactate dehydrogenase, succinate dehydrogenase and glucose-6-phosphate dehydrogenase) has been studied in the vagal and facial lobes of the goldfish, Carassius auratus. These encephalic centers are hypertrophic in Cyprinidae, corresponding to the dominance of gustatory function. Acetylcholinesterase shows a complex laminar distribution in the vagal lobes and a peculiar cellular localization in vagal motor neurons. Monoamine oxidase activity is mainly evident in fibrous tracts coming to or leaving from the lobes. Among oxidative enzymes examined, lactate dehydrogenase and succinate dehydrogenase exhibit distribution patterns respectively similar to those observed for acetylcholinesterase and monoamine oxidase. Some features on enzymes distribution in the gustatory centers of Carassius are in agreement with the enzymatic patterns well known in higher vertebrates.     

Effects of cortisone, starvation, and rickets on oxidative enzyme activities of epiphyseal cartilage from rats

Epiphyseal cartilage fractions from rats have been shown to have the enzymatic complement for oxidizing a wide variety of substrates though at relatively low rates compared to tissues such as liver and heart. In contrast to previous data for glycolytic enzymes, mitochondrial oxidative enzyme levels do not appear to be specifically affected by dietary rickets, starvation, or cortisone treatment and do not correlate with the oxidative activity of cartilage slices. These findings give added emphasis to our earlier suggestion that control of glycolytic enzyme levels plays a central role in regulation of cartilage cell economy.A marked difference in the relative distribution between supernatant and pellet fractions of glycerol-3-P oxidase compared to other typical mitochondrial enzymes including succinate dehydrogenase is interpreted as evidence for two classes of mitochondria in cartilage. According to this hypothesis, there is a class of more readily sedimented mitochondria which contain relatively much more glycerol-3-P oxidase. Although this enzyme is thought to play a role in regulation of glycolysis, the control of synthetic-degradative mechanisms for it does not appear to be coordinated with those for the glycolytic enzymes and glycerol-3-P dehydrogenase of the cartilage cytoplasm. It is suggested that the oxidase may have a special role in Ca²⁺ accumulation by mitochondria.     

Membrane enzymes associated with the dissimilation of some citric acid cycle substrates and production of extracellular oxidation products in chemostat cultures of Pseudomonas fluorescens

Enzyme activities forming extracellular products from succinate, fumarate, and malate were examined using washed cell suspensions of Pseudomonas fluorescens from chemostat cultures. Membrane-associated enzyme activities (glucose, gluconate, and malate dehydrogenases), producing large accumulations of extracellular oxidation products in carbon-excess environments, have previously been found in P. fluorescens. Investigations carried out here have demonstrated the presence in this microorganism of a malic enzyme activity which produces extracellular pyruvate from malate in carbon-excess environments. Although the three membrane dehydrogenase enzymes decrease significantly in carbon-limited chemostat cultures, malic enzyme activity was found to increase fourfold under these conditions. The regulation of malate dehydrogenase and malic enzyme by malate or succinate was similar. Malate dehydrogenase increased and malic enzyme decreased in carbon-excess cultures. The opposite effect was observed in carbon-limited cultures. When pyruvate or glucose was used as the carbon source, malate dehydrogenase was regulated similarly by the available carbon concentration, but malic enzyme activity producing extracellular pyruvate was not detected. While large accumulations of extracellular oxalacetate and pyruvate were produced in malate-excess cultures, no extracellular oxidation products were detected in succinate-excess cultures. This may be explained by the lack of detectable activity for the conversion of added external succinate to extracellular fumarate and malate in cells from carbon-excess cultures. In cells from carbon-limited (malate or succinate) cultures, very active enzymes for the conversion of succinate to extracellular fumarate and malate were detected. Washed cell suspensions from these carbon-limited cultures rapidly oxidized added succinate to extracellular pyruvate through the sequential action of succinate dehydrogenase, fumarase, and malic enzyme. Succinate dehydrogenase and fumarase activities producing extracellular products were not detected in cells from chemostat cultures using pyruvate or glucose as the carbon source. Uptake activities for succinate, malate, and pyruvate also were found to increase in carbon-limited (malate or succinate) and decrease in carbon-excess cultures. The role of the membrane-associated enzymes forming different pathways for carbon dissimilation in both carbon-limited and carbon-excess environments is discussed.     

A histochemical study of the rediae and cercariae of Fasciola hepatica.

Histochemical studies have revealed hydrolytic enzyme activity in the redial tegument and caecal epithelium of Fasciola hepatica. A number of the hydrolases are known to be lysosomal marker enzymes and it is thought that they may be involved in intracellular digestion. The larval stages have also been shown to be reactive for succinate dehydrogenase and phosphorylase, but not for glucose-6-phosphatase.