Correction

Phosphoribosylpyrophosphate synthetase (PRS; EC 2.7.6.1) from Hevea brasiliensis Mull. Arg. latex was located in the cytosol. After purification, its apparent molecular weight under nondenaturing conditions was estimated at 200,000 [plus or minus] 10,000; a single band at 57,000 [plus or minus] 3,000 was detected after sodium dodecyl sulfate-polyacrylamide gel electrophoresis. The enzyme seemed to be a homotetramer. Its affinity constants were estimated at 200 [plus or minus] 30 [mu]M for adenosine triphosphate and 40 [plus or minus] 2 [mu]M for ribose-5-phosphate. The purified enzyme proved to be functional in a paraphysiological medium (cytosol deproteinized by ultrafiltration). Optimum pH was 7.5 in buffer and 6.5 in a paraphysiological medium. No PRS activity was detected in the absence of the Mg2+ ion. Of the numerous compounds tested, only Mn2+, phosphoribosylpyrophosphate and inorganic phosphate affected the enzymatic reaction. Mn2+ (inhibitor constant = 20 [mu]M) and phosphoribosylpyrophosphate (inhibitor constant = 30 [mu]M) were inhibitors. PRS responded allosterically (Hill's coefficient = 2.3) to ribose-5-phosphate in the presence of a physiological concentration of inorganic phosphate (10 mM). These results are set in the physiological context of laticifers.     

Purification and Characterization of Phosphoribosylpyrophosphate Synthetase from Rubber Tree Latex

Phosphoribosylpyrophosphate synthetase (PRS; EC 2.7.6.1) from Hevea brasiliensis Mull. Arg. latex was located in the cytosol. After purification, its apparent molecular weight under nondenaturing conditions was estimated at 200,000 [plus or minus] 10,000; a single band at 57,000 [plus or minus] 3,000 was detected after sodium dodecyl sulfate-polyacrylamide gel electrophoresis. The enzyme seemed to be a homotetramer. Its affinity constants were estimated at 200 [plus or minus] 30 [mu]M for adenosine triphosphate and 40 [plus or minus] 2 [mu]M for ribose-5-phosphate. The purified enzyme proved to be functional in a paraphysiological medium (cytosol deproteinized by ultrafiltration). Optimum pH was 7.5 in buffer and 6.5 in a paraphysiological medium. No PRS activity was detected in the absence of the Mg2+ ion. Of the numerous compounds tested, only Mn2+, phosphoribosylpyrophosphate, and inorganic phosphate affected the enzymatic reaction. Mn2+ (inhibitor constant = 20 [mu]M) and phosphoribosylpyrophosphate (inhibitor constant = 30 [mu]M) were inhibitors. PRS responded allosterically (Hill's coefficient = 2.3) to ribulose-5-phosphate in the presence of a physiological concentration of inorganic phosphate (10 mM). These results are set in the physiological context of laticifers.     

Zn2+-dependent acid p-nitrophenylphosphatase from chicken liver. Purification, characterization and subcellular localization

1. Zn2+-dependent acid p-nitrophenylphosphatase from chicken liver was purified to homogeneity. 2. The purified enzyme moves as a single electrophoretic band at pH 8.3 in 7.5% acrylamide and was coincident with the enzyme activity. 3. Gel filtration on Sephadex G-200 gave an apparent molecular weight of 110,000 with two apparent identical subunits of 54,000-56,000 as determined by sodium dodecyl sulphate gel electrophoresis. 4. The maximum of enzyme activity was obtained in the presence of 3-5 mM ZnCl2 at pH 6-6.2, however, higher concentrations of metal are inhibitory. The enzyme hydrolyses p-nitrophenylphosphate, o-carboxyphenylphosphate and phenylphosphate, was insensitive to NaF and was inhibited by phosphate and ATP. The Km for p-nitrophenylphosphate was 0.28 x 10(-3)M at pH 6 in 50 mM sodium acetate/100 mM NaCl. 5. Phosphate is a competitive inhibitor (Ki = 0.5 x 10(-3)M) whereas ATP seems to be a non-competitive inhibitor (Ki = 0.35 x 10(-3)M). The isoelectric point determined by isoelectric focusing on polyacrylamide gel is 7.5. 6. Cell fractionation studies indicate that the Zn2+-dependent acid p-nitrophenylphosphatase of chicken liver is a soluble enzyme form.     

Purification and Properties of a Monofunctional Imidazoleglycerol-Phosphate Dehydratase from Wheat

Imidazoleglycerol-phosphate dehydratase (EC 4.2.1.19) activity was detected in extracts of several monocotyledonous and dicotyledonous plants using a newly developed assay method. The enzyme was purified 114,000-fold (to apparent homogeneity) from wheat germ by five chromatographic steps. Its native relative molecular weight (Mr) was determined to be 600,000 to 670,000, and it consists of identical subunits of Mr 25,500. In wheat germ, the dehydratase, unlike those of prokaryotic origin, is not associated with histidinol phosphatase activity. The reaction product was identified as imidazoleacetol phosphate (IAP) by comparing it with synthetic IAP as an authentic reference. The Km value for imidazoleglycerol phosphate was 0.36 mM at the optimal pH of 6.6. The enzyme required a reducing agent, such as 2-mercaptoethanol or dithiothreitol, and Mn2+ for maximal activity. 3-Amino-1,2,4-triazole competitively inhibited the activity with a Ki value of 46 [mu]M. The purification of imidazoleglycerol-phosphate dehydratase from wheat germ and histidinol dehydrogenase from cabbage (A. Nagai, A. Scheidegger [1991] Arch Biochem Biophys 284: 127-132) suggests that at least the second half of the histidine biosynthesis in plants is identical to that in microorganisms.     

6-Substituted 3,4-Dihydro-naphthalene-2-carboxylic Acids: Synthesis and Structure-Activity Studies in a Novel Class of Human 5α Reductase Inhibitors

Novel 3,4-dihydro-naphthalene-2-carboxylic acids were synthesized and evaluated for 5 α reductase inhibitory activity. This enzyme exists in two isoforms and is a pharmacological target for the treatment of benign prostatic hyperplasia, male pattern baldness and acne. In the present study non-steroidal compounds capable of mimicking the transition state of the steroidal substrates were prepared. The synthetic strategy for the preparation of compounds 1 - 6 consisted of triflation followed by subsequent Heck-type carboxylation or methoxy carbonylation for 6-phenyl-3,4-dihydro-naphthalen-2(1H)-one 1c. A Negishi-type coupling reaction between 6-(trifluoro-methanesulfonyloxy)-3,4-dihydro-naphthalene-2-carboxylic acid methyl ester 7b and various aryl bromides led, after further transformations, to 6-substituted 3,4-dihydro-naphthalene-2-carboxylic acids 7 - 15. In a similar way the corresponding naphthalene-2-carboxylic acids 16 and 17 were obtained. The DU 145 cell line and prostate homogenates served as enzyme sources for the human type 1 and type 2 isozymes, whereas ventral prostate was employed to evaluate rat isozyme inhibitory potency. The most active inhibitors identified in this study were 6-[4- (N, N -dicyclohexylaminocarbonyl)phenyl]-3,4-dihydro-naphthalene-2-carboxylic acid (3) (IC 50 =0.09 μM, rat type 1), 6-[3- (N, N -dicyclohexylaminocarbonyl)phenyl]-3,4-dihydro-naphthalene-2-carboxylic acid (13) (IC 50 =0.75 μM, human type 2; IC 50 =0.81 μM, human type 1) and 6-[4- (N, N -diisopropylamino-carbonyl)phenyl]naphthalene-2-carboxylic acid (16) (IC 50 =0.2 μM, human type 2). The latter compound was shown to deactivate the enzyme in an uncompetitive manner (Ki=90 nM; Km, Testosterone=0.8-1.0 μM) similar to the steroidal inhibitor Epristeride. Select inhibitors (13 and 16) were tested in vivo using testosterone propionate-treated, juvenile, orchiectomized SD-rats. None of the compounds was active at a dose of 25 mg/kg. This result might in part be ascribed to the relatively poor in vitro rat isozyme inhibitory potency.     

Cloning, purification and characterisation of cystathionine gamma-synthase from Nicotiana tabacum

Cystathionine gamma-synthase, the enzyme catalysing the first reaction specific for methionine biosynthesis, has been cloned from Nicotiana tabacum, overexpressed in Escherichia coli and purified to homogeneity. The recombinant cystathionine gamma-synthase catalyses the pyridoxal 5'-phosphate dependent formation of L-cystathionine from L-homoserine phosphate and L-cysteine with apparent Km-values of 7.1+/-3.1 mM and of 0.23+/-0.07 mM, respectively. The enzyme was irreversibly inhibited by DL-propargylglycine (Ki = 18 microM, k(inact) = 0.56 min(-1)), while the homoserine phosphate analogues 3-(phosphonomethyl)pyridine-2-carboxylic acid, 4-(phosphonomethyl)pyridine-2-carboxylic acid, Z-3-(2-phosphonoethen-1-yl)pyridine-2-carboxylic acid, and DL-E-2-amino-5-phosphono-3-pentenoic acid acted as reversible competitive inhibitors with Ki values of 0.20, 0.30, 0.45, and 0.027 mM, respectively. In combination these results suggest a ping-pong mechanism for the cystathionine gamma-synthase reaction, with homoserine phosphate binding to the enzyme first. Large single crystals of cystathionine gamma-synthase diffracting to beyond 2.7 A resolution were obtained by the sitting drop vapour diffusion method. The crystals belong to the orthorhombic space group P2(1)2(1)2(1) with unit cell constants a = 120.0 A, b = 129.5 A, c = 309.8 A, corresponding to two tetramers per asymmetric unit.     

Biosynthesis of quinoxaline antibiotics: purification and characterization of the quinoxaline-2-carboxylic acid activating enzyme from Streptomyces triostinicus

A quinoxaline-2-carboxylic acid activating enzyme was purified to homogeneity from triostin-producing Streptomyces triostinicus. It could also be purified from quinomycin-producing Streptomyces echinatus. Triostins and quinomycins are peptide lactones that contain quinoxaline-2-carboxylic acid as chromophoric moiety. The enzyme catalyzes the ATP-pyrophosphate exchange reaction dependent on quinoxaline-2-carboxylic acid and the formation of the corresponding adenylate. Besides quinoxaline-2-carboxylic acid, the enzyme also catalyzes the formation of adenylates from quinoline-2-carboxylic acid and thieno[3,2-b]pyridine-5-carboxylic acid. No adenylates were seen from quinoline-3-carboxylic acid, quinoline-4-carboxylic acid, pyridine-2-carboxylic acid, and 2-pyrazinecarboxylic acid. Previous work [Gauvreau, D., & Waring, M. J. (1984) Can. J. Microbiol. 30, 439-450] revealed that quinoline-2-carboxylic acid and thieno[3,2-b]pyridine-5-carboxylic acid became efficiently incorporated into the corresponding quinoxaline antibiotic analogues in vivo. Together with the data described here, this suggests that the enzyme is part of the quinoxaline antibiotics synthesizing enzyme system. The enzyme displays a native molecular weight of 42,000, whereas in its denatured form it is a polypeptide of Mr 52,000-53,000. It resembles in its behavior actinomycin synthetase I, the chromophore activating enzyme involved in actinomycin biosynthesis [Keller, U., Kleinkauf, H., & Zocher, R. (1984) Biochemistry 23, 1479-1484].     

Crystalline L-histidine ammonia-lyase of Achromobacter liquidum. Crystallization and enzymic properties.

Crystalline L-histidine ammonia-lyase of Achromobacter liquidum was prepared with a 24% recovery of the activity. The specific activity of the pure enzyme (63 mumol of urocanic acid min-1 mg-1) is similar to those so far reported for the enzyme from other sources. The purified enzyme appeared to be homogeneous by analytical disc electrophoresis and isoelectric focusing (pI = 4.95). The molecular weight determined by Sephadex G-200 gel filtration is 200000. The optimum pH is 8.2, and the optimum temperature is 50 degrees C. The enzyme showed strict specificity to L-histidine (Km = 3.6 mM). Several histidine derivatives are not susceptible to the enzyme but do inhibit the enzyme activity competitively; the most effective inhibitors are L-histidine methyl ester (Ki = 3.66 mM) and beta-imidazole lactic acid (Ki = 3.84 mM). L-Histidine hydrazide (Ki = 36 mM) and imidazole (Ki = 6 mM) noncompetitively inhibited the enzyme EDTA markedly inhibited enzyme activity and this inhibition were reversed by divalent metal ions such as Mn2+, Co2+ Zn2+, Ni2+, Mg2+, and Ca2+. These results suggest that the presence of divalent metal ions is necessary for the catalytic activity of histidine ammonia-lyase. Sodium borohydride and hydrogen peroxide inhibited the enzyme activity.     

2,4-Dichlorophenoxyacetic Acid and Related Chlorinated Compounds Inhibit Two Auxin-Regulated Type-III Tobacco Glutathione S-Transferases

Two auxin-inducible glutathione S-transferase (GST, EC 2.5.1.18) isozymes from tobacco (Nicotiana tabacum, White Burley) were partially characterized. GST1-1 and GST2-1 are members of a recently identified new type of plant GST isozymes that we will here refer to as type III. Both enzymes were active, with 1-chloro-2,4-dinitrobenzene as a substrate, when expressed in bacteria as fusion proteins. The apparent Km for 1-chloro-2,4-dinitrobenzene was found to be 0.85 [plus or minus] 0.25 mM for GST1-1 and 0.20 [plus or minus] 0.15 mM for GST2-1. The apparent Km for glutathione was similar for both enzymes, 0.40 [plus or minus] 0.15 mM. The in vitro activity of both enzymes could be inhibited by the synthetic auxin 2,4-dichlorophenoxyacetic acid, with an apparent Ki of 80 [plus or minus] 40 [mu]M for GST1-1 and 200 [plus or minus] 100 [mu]M for GST2-1. The GST1-1 was also inhibited by structurally related substances, such as 2,4-dichlorobenzoic acid, with a roughly similar Ki. The nonchlorinated structures benzoic acid and phenoxyacetic acid did not inhibit. p-Chloroisobutyric acid, or clofibric acid, an auxin-transport inhibitor, was found to be an active inhibitor as well. The strongest inhibitor identified, however, was a phenylacetic acid derivative, ethacrynic acid, which showed an apparent Ki of 5 [plus or minus] 5 [mu]M for both enzymes. This substance is a known inducer as well as a substrate of specific mammalian GSTs. The results presented here indicate that the type III plant GSTs might be involved in the metabolism or transport of chlorinated substances that are structurally related to auxins. The possibility that auxins are endogenous ligands or substrates for GSTs is discussed.     

Purification and properties of phosphorylated isocitrate dehydrogenase of Escherichia coli.

Phosphorylated NADP+-isocitrate dehydrogenase (EC 1.1.1.42) has been purified to electrophoretic homogeneity from in vivo 32P-labeled Escherichia coli. The cells used as the source of phosphorylated enzyme were harvested 1 h after the addition of 5 mCi of [32P]orthophosphoric acid and 25 mM sodium acetate to cultures grown to early stationary phase on a low phosphate medium with limiting glucose. Double immunodiffusion and autoradiography demonstrated immunological identity between the 32P-labeled NADP+-isocitrate dehydrogenase and the enzyme isolated from glucose-grown E. coli. The phosphoenzyme had an apparent subunit molecular weight of 51,000 as determined by denaturing acrylamide gel electrophoresis in the presence of sodium dodecyl sulfate, and the radioactivity co-electrophoresed with NADP+-isocitrate dehydrogenase activity when purified enzyme was subjected to nondenaturing gel electrophoresis. [32P]Phosphoserine was identified following partial acid hydrolysis of the purified phosphoenzyme.     

In vitro inhibition of stable 1,3-beta-D-glucan synthase activity from Neurospora crassa.

Glucan synthase activity of Neurospora crassa was isolated by treatment of protoplast lysates with 0.1% 3-[(3-cholamidopropyl)-dimethylammonio]-1-propanesulfonate and 0.5% octylglucoside in 25 mM 4-(2-hydroxyethyl)-1-piperazineethanesulfonic acid buffer, pH 7.4, containing 5 mM EDTA, 1 mM phenylmethylsulfonylfluoride, 200 mM inorganic phosphate, 10 microM GTP, 1 mM DTT, 10 mM sodium fluoride, and 600 mM glycerol. Resulting activity was partially purified by sucrose gradient density sedimentation. Approximately 70% of enzyme activity in the sucrose gradient peak fraction was soluble and enzyme activity was purified 7.3-fold. Partially purified enzyme activity had a half-life of several weeks at 4 degrees C, and a Km(app) of 1.66 +/- 0.28 mM. Inhibitors (Cilofungin, papulacandin B, aculeacin A, echinocandin B, sorbose and UDP) of 1,3-beta-D-glucan synthase activity were tested against crude particulate and detergent treated enzyme fractions and the Ki(app) of each inhibitor determined. It seems likely that this stable preparation of glucan synthase activity may be useful for in vitro enzyme screens for new glucan synthase inhibitors.     

Purification and Characterization of 1-Aminocyclopropane-1-Carboxylic Acid N-Malonyltransferase from Tomato Fruit

1-Aminocyclopropane-1-carboxylic acid (ACC) can be oxidized to ethylene or diverted to the conjugate 1-(malonylamino)cyclopropane-1-carboxylic acid (MACC) by an ACC N-malonyltransferase. We developed a facile assay for the ACC N-malonyltransferase that resolved [14C]MACC from [14C]ACC by thin-layer chromatography and detected and quantified them using a radioisotope-imaging system. Using this assay, we showed that ACC N-malonyltransferase activity has developmental and tissue-specific patterns of expression in tomato (Lycopersicon esculentum) fruit. In the pericarp, activity was elevated for several days postanthesis, subsequently declined to a basal level, increased 3-fold at the onset of ripening, and again declined in overripe fruit. In the seed, activity increased throughout embryogenesis, maturation, and desiccation. Treatment of fruit with ethylene increased activity 50- to 100-fold in the pericarp. ACC N-malonyltransferase was purified 22,000-fold to a specific activity of 22,000 nmol min-1 mg-1 protein using ammonium sulfate precipitation, DyeMatrex Green A affinity, anion-exchange, Cibacron Blue 3GA affinity, hydrophobic interaction, and molecular filtration chromatography. Native and sodium dodecyl sulfate-denatured enzyme showed molecular masses of 38 kD, indicating that the enzyme exists as a monomer. The enzyme exhibited a Km for ACC of 500 [mu]M, was not inhibited by D- or L-amino acids, and did not conjugate [alpha]-aminoisobutyric acid or L-amino acids.     

Purification and properties of human intestine alanine aminopeptidase

Human intestinal alanine aminopeptidase has been purified to greater than 90% homogeneity. The enzyme was released from mucosal cell membranes by Triton X-100 treatment. The native enzyme had a molecular weight of 206,000 in dilute buffer and 108,000 in the presence of sodium dodecyl sulfate. The enzyme was inhibited by chelators suggesting the presence of a metal ion in the enzyme. The most potent chelator inhibitor tested, o-phenanthroline, gave mixed kinetics (Ki = 67 micro M). Activity was restored by removal of the chelator. The enzyme was inhibited competitively by amino acids having hydrophobic side chains such as L-phenylalanine (Ki = 0.67 mM). Puromycin and methicillin also inhibited the enzyme in the competitive (Ki = 12.5 micro M) and noncompetitive (Ki = 4.6 mM) manner, respectively. Kinetic analysis of several amino acid beta-naphthylamides as substrates demonstrated the preference for substrates having hydrophobic or basic amino terminal residues with no beta-branching. L-Methionyl-beta-naphthylamide was the most tightly bound with L-alanyl-beta-naphthylamide was the most rapidly hydrolyzed.     

Purification and Characterization of a Soluble Phosphatidylinositol 4-Kinase from Carrot Suspension Culture Cells

Previously we reported the presence of a soluble phosphatidylinositol 4-kinase (PI 4-Kinase) in carrot (Daucus carota L.) suspension culture cells (C.M. Okpodu, W. Gross, W.F. Boss [1990] Plant Physiol 93: S-63). We have purified the enzyme over 1000-fold using Q-Sepharose ion exchange, hydroxylapatite, and G-100 gel filtration column chromatography. The Mr of the enzyme was estimated to be 83,000 by gel filtration. PI 4-kinase activity was recovered after renaturation of the 80-kD region of polyacrylamide gels, and an 80-kD peptide cross-reacted with antibodies to the yeast 55-kD membrane-associated PI 4-kinase on western blots. The isolated lipid kinase phosphorylated PI but not lysophosphatidylinositol or phosphatidylinositol monophosphate. Maximal PI kinase activity occurred when the substrate was added as Triton X-100/PI mixed micelles at pH 8. The enzyme required divalent cations. At low concentrations (1-5 mM), Mn2+ was more effective than Mg2+ in increasing enzyme activity; however, maximal activity occurred at 25 to 40 mM Mg2+. Calcium from 0.01 [mu]M to 1 mM had no effect on the enzyme activity. The Km of the enzyme for ATP was estimated to be between 400 and 463 [mu]M. The enzyme was inhibited by adenosine (100 [mu]M); however, ADP (up to 100 [mu]M) had no effect on the activity. The biochemical characteristics of the carrot soluble PI 4-kinase are compared with the previously reported PI 4-kinases from animals and yeast.     

Purification and characterization of leukotriene A4 epoxide hydrolase from dog lung

Leukotriene A4 epoxide hydrolase from dog lung, a soluble enzyme catalyzing the hydrolysis of leukotriene A4 (LTA4) to leukotriene B4 (LTB4) was partially purified by anion exchange HPLC. The enzymatic reaction obeys Michaelis- Menten kinetics. The apparent Km ranged between 15 and 25 microM and the enzyme exhibited an optimum activity at pH 7.8. An improved assay for the epoxide hydrolase has been developed using bovine serum albumin and EDTA to increase the conversion of LTA4 to LTB4. This method was used to produce 700 mg of LTB4 from LTA4 methyl ester. The partial by purified enzyme was found to be uncompetitively inhibited by divalent cations. Ca+2, Mn+2, Fe+2, Zn+2 and Cu+2 were found to have inhibitor constants (Ki) of 89 mM, 3.4 mM, 1.1 mM, 0.57 mM, and 28 microM respectively Eicosapentaenoic acid was shown to be a competitive inhibitor of this enzyme with a Ki of 200 microM. From these inhibition studies, it can be theorized that the epoxide hydrolase has at least one hydrophobic and one hydrophilic binding site.     

Naphthalene metabolism by pseudomonads: purification and properties of 1,2-dihydroxynaphthalene oxygenase.

1,2-Dihydroxynaphthalene oxygenase was purified from Pseudomonas putida NCIB 9816 grown on naphthalene as the sole source of carbon and energy. The enzyme had a subunit molecular weight of 19,000 and in a medium containing phosphate buffer, 1 mM mercaptoethanol, and 10% (vol/vol) ethanol had a native molecular weight greater than 275,000. The enzyme required Fe2+ for activity. It was inactivated slowly on standing, and inactivation was accelerated by dilution with aerated buffers and by H2O2. Bathophenanthroline sulfonate, o-phenanthroline, 8-hydroxyquinoline, and 2,2'-dipyridyl also inhibited the enzyme. The inactive enzyme was reactivated by anaerobic incubation with ferrous sulfate and ferrous ammonium sulfate. Thiol reagents and acetone, ethanol, or glycerol decreased the rate of loss of activity. The enzyme was most active with 1,2-dihydroxynaphthalene, for which the Km was 2.8 X 10(-4) M. 3-Methyl- and 4-methylcatechols were oxidized at 3 and 1.5%, respectively, of the rate of 1,2-dihydroxynaphthalene, and the Km for 3-methylcatechol was 1.5 X 10(-4) M. Purified 1,2-dihydroxynaphthalene oxygenase catalyzed the oxidation of 1,2-dihydroxynaphthalene, leading to the appearance of 2-hydroxychromene-2-carboxylic acid, but 3-methylcatechol was oxidized by this enzyme to 2-hydroxy-6-oxoheptadienoic acid. Thus, a product structurally analogous to 2-hydroxychromene-2-carboxylic acid was not observed when 3-methylcatechol was oxidized. This may indicate that 2-hydroxychromene-2-carboxylic acid results from cyclization of a ring fission product before release from the enzyme.     

Purification and Characterization of Acetyl-Coenzyme A Carboxylase from Diclofop-Resistant and -Susceptible Lolium multiflorum

Acetyl-coenzyme A carboxylase (ACCase) was purified >100-fold (specific activity 3.5 units mg-1) from leaf tissue of diclofopresistant and -susceptible biotypes of Lolium multiflorum. As determined by sodium dodecyl sulfate-polyacrylamide gel electrophoresis, the purified fractions from both biotypes contained a single 206-kD biotinylated polypeptide. The molecular mass of the native enzyme from both biotypes was approximately 520 kD. In some cases the native dimer from both biotypes dissociated during gel filtration to form a subunit of approximately 224 kD. The inclusion of 5% (w/v) polyethylene glycol 3350 (PEG) in the elution buffer prevented this dissociation. Steady-state substrate kinetics were analyzed in both the presence and absence of 5% PEG. For ACCase from both biotypes, addition of PEG increased the velocity 22% and decreased the apparent Km values for acetyl-coenzyme A (acetyl-CoA), but increased the Km values for bicarbonate and ATP. In the presence of PEG, the Km values for bicarbonate and ATP were approximately 35% higher for the enzyme from the susceptible biotype compared with the resistant enzyme. In the absence of PEG, no differences in apparent Km values were observed for the enzymes from the two biotypes. Inhibition constants (Ki app) were determined for CoA, malonyl-CoA, and diclofop. CoA was an S-hyperbolic (slope replots)-I-hyperbolic (intercept replots) noncompetitive inhibitor with respect to acetyl-CoA, with Ki app values of 711 and 795 [mu]M for enzymes from the resistant and susceptible biotypes, respectively. Malonyl-CoA competitively inhibited both enzymes (versus acetyl-CoA) with Ki app values of 140 and 104 [mu]M for ACCase from resistant and susceptible biotypes, respectively. Diclofop was a linear noncompetitive inhibitor of ACCase from the susceptible biotype and a nonlinear, or S-hyperbolic-I-hyperbolic, noncompetitive inhibitor of ACCase from the resistant biotype. For ACCase from the susceptible biotype the slope (Kis) and intercept (Kii) inhibition constants for diclofop versus acetyl-CoA were 0.08 and 0.44 [mu]M, respectively. ACCase from the resistant biotype had a Ki app value of 6.5 [mu]M. At a subsaturating acetyl-CoA concentration of 50 [mu]M, the Hill coefficients for diclofop binding were 0.61 and 1.2 for ACCase from the resistant and susceptible biotypes, respectively. The Hill coefficients for diclofop binding and the inhibitor replots suggest that the resistant form of ACCase exhibits negative cooperativity in binding diclofop. However, the possibility that the nonlinear inhibition of ACCase activity by diclofop in the enzyme fraction isolated from the resistant biotype is due to the presence of both resistant and susceptible forms of ACCase cannot be excluded.     

Purification and characterization of a phytase from Pseudomonas syringae MOK1

A phytase (EC 3.1.3.8) from Pseudomonas syringae MOK1 was purified to apparent homogeneity in two steps employing cation and an anion exchange chromatography. The molecular weight of the purified enzyme was estimated to be 45 kDa by sodium dodecyl sulfate-polyacrylamide gel electrophoresis analysis. The optimal activity occurred at pH 5.5 and 40 degrees C. The Michaelis constant (Km) and maximum reaction rate (Vmax) for sodium phytate were 0.38 mM and 769 U/mg of protein, respectively. The enzyme was strongly inhibited by Cu2+, Cd2+, Mn2+, and ethylenediaminetetraacetic acid (EDTA). It showed a high substrate specificity for sodium phytate with little or no activity on other phosphate conjugates. The enzyme efficiently released orthophosphate from wheat bran and soybean meal.     

Purification and some properties of L-glutamate decarboxylase from human brain

Glutamate decarboxylase (EC 4.1.1.15) from human brain has been purified 8000-fold with respect to the initial homogenate. The molecular weight of the native enzyme was found to be 140000 by electrophoresis on a polyacrylamide gradient gel slab. The presence of a single protein band (Mr 67000) on sodium dodecylsulphate/polyacrylamide gel and the existence of only one N-terminal amino acid suggest that the enzyme consists of two similar if not identical polypeptide chains. The Km of the enzyme at the optimum pH of 6.8 is about 1.3 x 10(-3) M for glutamate and 0.13 x 10(-6) M for pyridoxal phosphate. The analysis of the effects of various inhibitors of mouse brain glutamate decarboxylase on the human enzyme confirms the strong competitive inhibition caused by 3-mercaptopropionic acid (Ki = 2.7 x 10(-6) M) while the Ki values for allylglycine and chloride ion are 1.8 x 10(-2) M and 2.2 x 10(-2) M, respectively.     

Nucleoside Oxidase, a Hydrogen Peroxide-Forming Oxidase, from Flavobacterium meningosepticum

A novel enzyme which catalyzes the oxidation of nucleosides to nucleoside-5(prm1)-carboxylic acids, forming hydrogen peroxide, was purified to homogeneity from Flavobacterium meningosepticum T-2799. The enzyme has a molecular weight of about 500,000, and four nonidentical subunits (molecular weights of 81,000, 69,000, 33,000, and 16,000) were detected on sodium dodecyl sulfate-polyacrylamide gel electrophoresis. On the basis of visible absorption spectra of the purified enzyme, the enzyme is concluded to be a hemoprotein. It also contains covalently bound flavin adenine dinucleotide. The various nucleosides, such as adenosine (K(infm) = 48 (mu)M), inosine (K(infm) = 66 (mu)M), guanosine (K(infm) = 21 (mu)M), thymidine (K(infm) = 50 (mu)M), uridine (K(infm) = 80 (mu)M), and cytidine (K(infm) = 50 (mu)M), were oxidized by the enzyme, but nucleotides, bases, and ribose were not.