Purification of cytochrome b-559 from oxygen-evolving Photosystem II preparations of spinach and maize

A rapid and simple procedure is presented for the purification of chloroplast cytochrome b-559. The method is based on the protocol devised by Garewal and Wasserman (Garewal, H.S. and Wasserman, A.R. (1974) Biochemistry 13, 4063–4071), which we have modified to eliminate the requirement for a lengthy electrophoretic step. Novel features of our method include: the use of oxygen-evolving Photosystem II preparations (Kuwabara, T. and Murata, N. (1982) Plant Cell Physiol. 23, 533–539) as the starting material; isocratic elution of cytochrome b-559 from a DEAE-cellulose column (yielding the protein in a pure state); and a simple column procedure for removal of excess Triton X-100. The procedure has been applied to both spinach and maize (Zea mays L.). Purified cytochromes b-559 from these species have similar optical spectra and mobility during gel electrophoresis under native conditions. Lithium dodecyl sulfate polyacrylamide gel electrophoresis of cytochrome b-559 from both spinach and maize reveals a major polypeptide band (apparent molecular mass = 9 kDa), and two minor bands (apparent molecular masses = 10 kDa and 6 kDa).     

Biosynthesis of glycosaminoglycans in peritoneal macrophages from the guinea pig

The majority of glycosaminoglycans synthezied in peritoneal macrophages from the guinea pig in vitro were secreted into culture medium. The secreted glycosaminoglycans were reduced in size with alkali treatment, indicating that the glycosaminoglycanas existed in the form of proteoglycans. After the glycosaminoglycans were digested with chondroitinase AC and ABC, the high voltage paper electrophoretic analysis and the descending paper chromatographic analysis indicated the presence of a considerable amount of unsaturated disulfated disaccharides. Based on the enzymatic assay with chondro-4- and 6-sulfatase, the positions of sulfation in the disulfated disaccharide have been identified as the 4- and 6-position of N-acetylgalactosamine, Moreover, the results of the ion-exchange chromatography and the chondroitinase AC and ABC digestion indicate that ΔDi-diS_E derived from dermatan sulfate. This suggests that peritoneal macrophages are capable of synthesizing oversulfated proteodermatan sulfate as main component. The proportion of synthesized oversulfated dermatan sulfate to the total glycosaminoglycans was independent of the incubation time, and the distribution of oversulfated dermatan sulfate in cell and incubation medium also did not change. After exposure of macrophages to Escherichia coli for 15 min, the incorporation of [³⁵S]sulfate and [³H]glucosamine into the glycosaminoglycans was increased by about 40% with no significant change in the proportion of synthesized oversulfated dermatan sulfate, but the relese of glycosaminoglycans into the culture medium remains essentially unchanged. The difference of the existence of oversulfated dermatan sulfate is not yet understood.     

Purification and some properties of an Mg2+-, Ca2+- and calmodulin-stimulated ATPase from spinach chloroplast envelope membranes

Spinach chloroplasts display an ATPase activity which is associated with the envelope. This envelope-bound activity is stimulated by Ca²⁺, Mg²⁺ and calmodulin (Nguyen, T.D. and Siegenthaler, P.A. (1983) FEBS Lett. 164, 67–70). The Triton X-100-solubilized enzyme was retained specifically on a calmodulin-Sepharose affinity column in the presence of calcium. The fractions eluted by EGTA contained two proteins characterized by pI values of 7.3 and 6.0 (isoelectric focusing). Both proteins, separated by sodium dodecyl sulphate-polyacrylamide gel electrophoresis (SDS-polyacrylamide gel electrophoresis), were resolved into a single polypeptide having and identical apparent M_rmr of 65 000. This suggests that the two initial proteins might be isoelectric variants. However, the amount of the enzyme fraction obtained by the calmodulin-Sepharose column was small and the ATPase activity was very labile. A linear glycerol gradient allowed the recovery of a greater amount of the enzyme which was, however, only partially purified, but the activity of which was much more stable. Electrophoresis of the ATPase-containing fractions in a native polyacrylamide gradient gel permitted the separation of a 260 kDa protein which was resolved by SDS-polyacrylamide gel electrophoresis into a single polypeptide of 65 kDa. Thus, the chloroplast envelope-bound ATPase might be a tetramer (260 kDa) consisting of 4 identical monomers (65 kDa). The purified ATPase had properties similar to that of the envelope-bound enzyme. TheK_m value for ATP was 0.45 mM. The activity was stimulated by Ca²⁺ and Mg²⁺, and further enhanced by calmodulin. The physiological significance of the chloroplast envelope-bound ATPase is discussed.     

Plasma membrane NADH dehydrogenase and Ca2+-dependent potassium transport in erythrocytes of several animal species

Ca²⁺-dependent K⁺ transport and plasma membrane NADH dehydrogenase activities have been studied in several ‘high-K⁺’ (human, rabbit and guinea pig) and ‘low-K⁺’ (dog, cat and sheep) erythrocytes. All the species except sheep showed Ca²⁺-dependent K⁺ transport. NADH-ferricyanide reductase was detected in all the species and showed positive correlation with the flavin contents of the membranes. NADH-cytochrome $\text{c}$ reductase was very low or absent in dog, sheep and guinea pig membranes. No correlation was found between NADH dehydrogenase and Ca²⁺-dependent K⁺ channel activities in the species studied. Nor were any of the above activities correlated with $\text{(}\text{Na}{}^{\mathrm{+}}\text{+}\text{K}{}^{\mathrm{+}}\text{)-}\text{ATPase}$ activity.     

Properties of the solvent-stimulated ATPase activity of chloroplast coupling factor 1 from Chlamydomonas reinhardii

The effects of solvents on the ATPase activity of chloroplast coupling factor 1 (CF₁) isolated from wild-type Chlamydomonas reinhardii have been studied. Of the solvents examined, the following order summarizes their maximal ability to stimulate the ATPase activity of CF₁: ethanol > methanol>allyl alcohol >n-propanol > acetone≈dioxane > ethylene glycol. Glycerol inhibits the CF₁ activity at all concentrations. In the absence of organic solvents, 50% of the activity of the enzyme is irreversibly lost after a 10 min incubation at 65–70°C. Ethanol (23%) causes a 30°C drop in the temperature required for 50% inactivation. ATP partially stabilizes the CF₁ in the presence, but not in the absence, of ethanol. In the absence of organic solvents, both free Mg²⁺ and ADP inhibit the CF₁-ATPase. Mg²⁺ is a noncompetitive inhibitor with respect to MgATP, and the kinetic constants are: V, 6.3 μmol ATP hydrolyzed/mg protein per min; K_m(MgATP), 0.23 mM; K_ii(Mg²⁺), 27 μM; and K_is(Mg²⁺), 50 μM. In the presence of ethanol, double-reciprocal plots are no longer linear and have a Hill coefficient of about 1.8±0.1. V increases about 10–12-fold. The pattern of inhibition by Mg²⁺ appears to change from noncompetitive to competitive with respect to MgATP. In addition, ADP no longer inhibits the MgATPase activity of CF₁.     

Activation of phosphodiesterase in frog rod outer segment by an intermediate of rhodopsin photolysis. I.

Guanosine 3′,5′-cyclic monophosphate phosphodiesterase (EC 3.1.4.1) in frog rod outer segment prepared by a sucrose stepwise density gradient method was activated by light in the presence of GTP. Rhodopsin in rod outer segment was solubilized with sucrose laurylmonoester and then purified by concavanalin A-Sepharose column. Addition of photo-bleached preparation of the purified rhodopsin to the rod outer segment, which had been prepared by 43% (w/w) sucrose floatation, caused the activation of phosphodiesterase in the dark, while each component of the photo-product eluted from the column (all-trans retinal and opsin) did not. Regenerated rhodopsin prepared from 11-cis retinal and purified opsin activated phosphosdiesterase when it was bleached. From these facts it is suggested that an intermediate or a process of photolysis of rhodopsin causes activation of phosphodiesterase.     

Biochemical characterization of a highly active O2-evolving Photosystem II preparation from maize

An O₂-evolving Photosystem (PS) II preparation was isolated from maize by a Triton X-100 procedure (Kuwabara, T. and Murata, N. (1982) Plant Cell Physiol. 23, 533–539). A highly active O₂-evolving preparation was obtained which evolved O₂ at 76% the rate of fresh chloroplasts (H₂O → 2,6-dichloro-p-benzoquinone) and was very sensitive to 3-(3,4-dichlorophenyl)-1,1-dimethylurea. There was no detectable PS I activity in the preparation (2,3,5,6-tetramethyl-p-phenylenediamine → methyl viologen). When analyzed by lithium dodecyl sulfate (LDS) polyacrylamide gel electrophoresis the O₂-evolving preparation was shown to be highly depleted in CP I, CF₁, and devoid of cytochromes f and b-563 (the absence of which was confirmed by difference spectroscopy). The preparation was enriched in the PS II reaction center polypeptides I and II, the 34 kDa polypeptide (Metz, J., Wong, J. and Bishop, N.I. (1980) FEBS Lett. 114, 61–66), the Coomassie blue-stainable 32 kDa polypeptide (Kuwabara, T. and Murata, N. (1979) Biochim. Biophys. Acta 581, 228–236), LHCP-associated polypeptides and cytochrome b-559. Polypeptides of unknown function at 40.5, 25, 24, 22, 16.6 and 14 kDa were also present in the O₂-evolving preparation. Triton X-114 phase partitioning (Bricker, T.M. and Sherman, L.A. (1982) FEBS Lett. 149, 197–202) indicated that the majority of these polypeptides were intrinsic. Only the polypeptides at 32, 25, 24 and 14 kDa were extrinsic. When examined by the octylglucoside procedure of Camm and Green (Camm, E.L. and Green, B.R. (1980) Plant Physiol. 66, 428–432) the PS II O₂-evolving preparation was shown to contain the chlorophyll-proteins CP 27, CP 29, CP II1, D, and CP a-1 and CP a-2. Chlorophyll-proteins associated with PS I were highly depleted. The visible absorption spectra indicated an enrichment of chlorophyll b and carotenoids in the preparation. The 77 K fluorescence emission spectrum (excitation wavelength = 435 nm) exhibits a strong F-686 with little F-695 shoulder and a broad, low-intensity F-735 emission.     

Rotational dynamics of immunoglobulins with fluorescent haptens on a membrane surface

The rotational dynamics of rabbit immunoglobulin G with fluorescent lipid haptens on a membrane surface has been studied by nanosecond fluorescence emission anisotropic spectroscopy. It has been found that the rotational angles of the antibody are very restricted on the membrane, but that the rotation rate itself is not appreciably lower than that in solution, and is independent of the membrane fluidity.     

Effect of concanavalin A on the activity of membrane-bound and detergent-solubilized Mg2+-ATPase

Plasma membranes were isolated after binding liver and hepatoma cells to polylysine-coated polyacrylamide beads, and the effect of concanavalin A on the membrane-bound Mg²⁺-ATPase and the Mg²⁺-ATPase solubilized by octaethylene glycol monododecyl ether (C₁₂E₈) was studied. In the experiment of membranebound Mg²⁺-ATPase, plasma membranes were pretreated with Concanavalin A and the activity was assayed. Concanavalin A stimulated the activity of both liver and hepatoma enzymes assayed above 20°C. Concanavalin A abolished the negative temperature dependency characteristic of liver plasma membrane Mg²⁺-ATPase. On the other hand, Concanavalin A prevented the rapid inactivation due to storage at ?20°C, which was characteristic of hepatoma plasma membrane Mg²⁺-ATPase. With solubilized Mg²⁺-ATPase from liver plasma membranes, the negative temperature dependency was not observed. Concanavalin A, which was added to the assay medium, stimulated the activity of the enzyme solubilized in C₁₂E₈ at a high ionic strength. However, Concanavalin A failed to show any effect on the enzyme solubilized in C₁₂E₈ at a low ionic strength. With solubilized Mg²⁺-ATPase from hepatoma plasma membranes, Concanavalin A could not prevent the inactivation of the enzyme during incubation at ?20°C.     

Effect of temperature on membrane fluidity and calcium conductance of the excitable ciliary membrane from Paramecium

Fluorescence anisotropy and average fluorescence lifetime of diphenylhexatriene were measured in artificial lipid membrane vesicles. Within the temperature range investigated (15–52°C) both parameters correlate and can be used interchangeably to measure membrane fluidity. Fluorescence anisotropy of DPH in membrane vesicles of cilia from the protozoan Paramecium tetraurelia decreased slightly from 5 to 37°C, yet, no phase transition was observed. An estimated flow activation energy of approx. 2 kcal/mol indicated that the ciliary membrane is very rigid and not readily susceptible to environmental stimuli. The ciliary membrane contains two domains of different membrane fluidity as indicated by two distinct fluorescence lifetimes of diphenylhexatriene of 7.9 and 12.4 ns, respectively. Ca²⁺ flux into ciliary membrane vesicles of Paramecium as measured with the Ca²⁺ indicator dye arsenazo III showed a nonlinear temperature dependency from 5 to 35°C with a minimum around 15°C and increasing flux rates at higher and lower temperatures. The fraction of vesicles permeable for Ca²⁺ remained unaffected by temperature. The differences in temperature dependency of Ca²⁺ conductance and membrane fluidity indicate that the Ca²⁺ permeability of the ciliary membrane is a membrane property which is not directly affected by the fluidity of its lipid environment.     

Crosslinking of platelet glycoprotein Ib by N-succinimidyl(4-azidophenyldithio)propionate and 3,3′-dithiobis(sulfosuccinimidyl propionate)

To examine the relationship between glycoprotein Ib and other proteins in the platelet membrane and the interaction of this protein with thrombin, platelets were crosslinked by two cleavable reagents, SADP (N-succinimidyl(4-azidophenyldithio)propionate) and DTSSP (3,3′-dithiobis(sulfosuccinimidyl propionate)). Two-dimensional, unreduced-reduced sodium dodecyl sulphate (SDS)-polyacrylamide electrophoresis and staining by silver or wheat germ agglutinin-conjugated peroxidase, after protein transfer to nitrocellulose, demonstrated that SADP intramolecularly crosslinked glycoprotein Ib and formed intermolecular complexes of glycoprotein IIb and some high molecular weight proteins. DTSSP intermolecularly crosslinked glycoprotein Ib, glycoprotein IIb, and other high molecular weight proteins. With a low concentration of ¹²⁵I-labeled TLCK-thrombin (6 nM), crosslinking with SADP yielded a 200 000 Da complex containing radioactive-labeled thrombin, and high TLCK-thrombin concentration (0.1 μM) gave the complex and a 167 000 band. α- and TLCK-thrombin crosslinking with DTSSP also yielded the 200 000 complex, with the remaining radioactivity in a band corresponding to a highly crosslinked complex. The 200 000 complex formed by reaction with SADP or DTSSP was markedly reduced by preincubation of platelets with excess unlabeled TLCK-thrombin and had a pI similar to glycoprotein Il. These results suggest that glycoprotein Il is one of the proteins composing the high affinity receptor for thrombin.     

Cytochromes and prenylquinones in preparations of cytoplasmic and thylakoid membranes from the cyanobacterium (blue-green alga) Anacystis nidulans

The cytochrome and prenylquinone compositions were compared for cytoplasmic membranes and thylakoid membranes from the cyanobacterium (blue-green alga) Anacystis nidulans. Reduced-minus-oxidized difference absorption spectra at ?196°C indicated that the thylakoid membranes contained photosynthetic cytochromes such as cytochrome ?, cytochrome b-559 and cytochrome b₆, while cytochromes c-549 and c-552 were detected spectrophotometrically only after their release by sonic oscillation. The cytoplasmic membrane preparation contained one or two low-potential cytochrome(s) with α-band maxima at 553 and 559 nm at ?196°C, which differed from the cytochromes in the thylakoid membranes. A cytochrome specific to the cytoplasmic membranes was also found by heme-staining after lithium dodecyl sulfate-polyacrylamide gel electrophoresis. Both types of membranes contained the three prenylquinones plastoquinone-9, phylloquinone and 5′-monohydroxyphylloquinone, but in different proportions.     

Steady-state measurements of ΔpH and Δψ in Rhodospirillum rubrum chromatophores by two different methods. Comparison with phosphorylation potential

The pH gradient, ΔpH, and the membrane potential, Δψ, formed during light-induced electron transport in Rhodospirillum rubrum chromatophores were measured by two independent methods: (a) using specific electrodes to monitor light-dependent uptake of NH₄Cl and SCN^? at chromatophore concentrations of about 0.1 mg bacteriochlorophyll/ml and (b) using 9-aminoacridine and 8-anilinonaphthalenesulfonic acid as fluorescent probes for ΔpH and Δψ, respectively, at chromatophore concentrations of about 0.01 mg bacteriochlorophyll/ml. The light intensity was measured and set at a level which saturated the highest bacteriochlorophyll concentration used. The steady-state values obtained with each method under phosphorylating conditions were compared with the phosphorylation potential maintained by the chromatophores under identical conditions. The results indicate that under all conditions employed the ratio $\text{H}{}^{\mathrm{+}}\text{ATP}$ is greater than 2, and varies between 2.4 and 3.4 depending on the method used for estimation of the electrochemical proton gradient.     

Inhibition of protein synthesis by the cordycepin analog of (2'-5')ppp(Ap)nA, (2'-5')ppp(3'dAp)n3'dA, in intact mammalian cells

The introduction of the cordycepin analog of (2'-5')An, (2'-5')ppp(3'dAp)n3'dA [referred to as (2'-5')p33'dAn], into mouse L929 cells and cultured human fibroblasts resulted in a dose-dependent inhibition of protein synthesis which was comparable to the inhibition observed by (2'-5')ppp(Ap)nA [referred to as (2'-5')p3An]. The inhibition of protein synthesis by (2'-5')p33'dAn was much more persistent than that of the naturally occurring (2'-5')p3An following prolonged incubation of cells. Furthermore, the (2'-5')p3An was cytotoxic to mammalian cells in culture, whereas the (2'-5')p33'dAn was not.     

Titles of related papers in other sections

(i) Purified bovine heart mitochondrial cytochrome b-c₁ complex (ubiquinone-cytochrome c oxidoreductase) and photosynthetic reaction centres isolated from Rhodopseudomonas sphaeroides strain R-26 have been incorporated into lipid vesicles. In the presence of cytochrome c and ubiquinone-2, light activation caused a cyclic electron transfer involving both components. (2) Since cytochrome c is added outside the vesicles, it is both reduced by the cytochrome b-c₁ complex and oxidised by the reaction centre on the outside of the vesicles. Ubiquinone-2, however, is reduced by the reaction centres at a site in contact with the inside of the vesicles, but the reduced form, ubiquinol-2, is oxidised by the cytochrome b-c₁ complex at a site in contact with the outer aqueous phase. (3) In the presence of valinomycin plus K⁺, initiation of cyclic electron flow causes protons to move from inside the vesicles to the outer medium and the $\text{H}{}^{\mathrm{+}}\text{2}\text{e}{}^{\mathrm{?}}$ ratio was calculated to be close to 4.     

Energy status,growth and nitrogenase activity in continuous cultures of Rhizobium sp. strain CB756 supplied with NH+4 and various rates of aeration

Continuous cultures of the cowpea-type Rhizobium sp., strain CB756, were grown in the presence of NH⁺₄ at automatically controlled concentrations of dissolved O₂ and rates of aeration. Nitrogenase activity of steady-state cultures was only detected under microaeration conditions (dissolved O₂ typically <0.03 μM; aeration rate typically 0.6 μmol O₂/ml per h), when the cellular ATP pool size was 0.8–1.8 nmol/mg dry wt., (optimum 1.1) and the energy charge 0.6–0.7. At twice this aeration rate and dissolved O₂ concentration of about 0.15 μM, the yield of bacteria doubled, the ATP pool increased and energy charge increased to 0.8. With similar rates of O₂ supply but high concentration of dissolved O₂ (approx. 150 μM), cultures were NH⁺₄-limited and the ATP pool and energy charge were slightly reduced. Amongst all of these O₂ supply conditions the total pool of adenosine phosphates was not significantly different (2.6 S.D. 0.7 nmol/mg dry wt.). In steady-state, O₂-limited cultures, concentrations of cyclic GMP were higher when nitrogenase was present. When rates of O₂ supply to steady-state cultures were changed, oscillations in bacterial energy status and growth rate were induced decreasing in amplitude until a new steady state was reached. This made it difficult to discern precisely the energy status in which nitrogenase activity was derepressed or repressed. However, generally, increases in nitrogenase activity followed decreases in ATP and energy charge and decreased nitrogenase activity accompanied increases in these energy parameters. These results are discussed in relation to the possible involvement of adenylation or deadenylation of glutamine synthetase and to the control of nitrogenase synthesis in the presence of NH⁺₄. It is concluded that the small ATP pool size is responsible for failure of adenylylation of glutamine synthetase and is related to nitrogenase synthesis at microaeration rates.     

Determination of the coupling ratio for Na+-H+ exchange in renal microvillus membrane vesicles

We evaluated the H⁺:Na⁺ coupling ratio of the Na⁺-H⁺ exchanger present in microvillus membrane vesicles isolated from the rabbit renal cortex. Our approach was to impose transmembrane Na⁺ and H⁺ gradients of varying magnitude and then to measure the net flux of Na⁺ over the subsequent 5-s period. The Na⁺-H⁺ exchanger was observed to be at equilibrium (i.e. no significant net Na⁺ flux) whenever [Na⁺]_i/[Na⁺]_o was equal to [H⁺]_i/[H⁺]_o. Moreover, under all conditions the magnitude and direction of net Na⁺ flux was independent of changes in the transmembrane electrical potential difference. These results are consistent with a value of 1.0 for the coupling ratio of Na⁺-H⁺ exchange in renal microvillus membrane vesicles.