Structural role of pyridoxal 5'-phosphate, pyridoxal 5'-phosphate analogs, and other agents in the association of subunits of Bacillus alvei apotryptophanase.

Bacillus alvei apotryptophanase readily dissociates at low protein concentration and sediments at 5.7 S (dimer) in 0.01 M potassium phosphate (pH 7.8) from 9 to 33 degrees. With temperature held constant at 9 degrees, increasing the potassium, sodium, or ammonium phosphate buffer concentration increases the sedimentation value to 8.0 S. Increasing the monovalent cation concentration alone does not have the effect. Imidazole and pyridoxal compete with phosphate, preventing the effect. Raising the temperature to 26 degrees in the presence of high concentrations of potassium phosphate increases the sedimentation constant to 9.4 S. The addition of pyridoxal-P converts the dimer to a 9.4S tetramer. The conversion is dependent upon coenzyme concentration, temperature, and the nature of monovalent cation present. The Km for pyridoxal-P for the sodium form of the enzyme is more than tenfold greater than the Km for the potassium form of the enzyme. 2'-Methyl, 2'-hydroxyl, 6-methyl, and the N-oxide of pyridoxal-P are active in the association of dimer to tetramer but to differing extents. Analogs altered in the 4'-formyl position are also inactive structurally. Anthranilic acid, a competitive inhibitor of tryptophan, and 8-anilino-1-naphthalenesulfonic acid (ANS), a competitive inhibitor of pyridoxal-P binding, are both active in affecting the dimer to tetramer association but tryptophan is not. The dimer and tetramer are spectrally distinguishable through circular dichroic measurements, fluroescence quenching with pyridoxal-P or pyridoxal, and fluorescence enhancement with ANS. Pyridoxal-P causes the release of ANS from an ANS-apoenzyme complex.     

Inhibitory effects of histidine and their reversal. The roles of pyruvate carboxylase and N10-formyltetrahydrofolate dehydrogenase.

1. N10-Formyltetrahydrofolate dehydrogenase was purified to homogeneity from rat liver with a specific activity of 0.7--0.8 unit/mg at 25 degrees C. The enzyme is a tetramer (Mw = 413,000) composed of four similar, if not identical, substrate addition and give the Km values as 4.5 micron [(-)-N10-formyltetrahydrofolate] and 0.92 micron (NADP+) at pH 7.0. Tetrahydrofolate acts as a potent product inhibitor [Ki = 7 micron for the (-)-isomer] which is competitive with respect to N10-formyltetrahydrofolate and non-competitive with respect to NADP+. 3. Product inhibition by NADPH could not be demonstrated. This coenzyme activates N10-formyltetrahydrofolate dehydrogenase when added at concentrations, and in a ratio with NADP+, consistent with those present in rat liver in vivo. No effect of methionine, ethionine or their S-adenosyl derivatives could be demonstrated on the activity of the enzyme. 4. Hydrolysis of N10-formyltetrahydrofolate is catalysed by rat liver N10-formyltetrahydrofolate dehydrogenase at 21% of the rate of CO2 formation based on comparison of apparent Vmax. values. The Km for (-)-N10-folate is a non-competitive inhibitor of this reaction with respect to N10-formyltetrahydrofolate, with a mean Ki of 21.5 micron for the (-)-isomer. NAD+ increases the maximal rate of N10-formyltetrahydrofolate hydrolysis without affecting the Km for this substrate and decreases inhibition by tetrahydrofolate. The activator constant for NAD+ is obtained as 0.35 mM. 5. Formiminoglutamate, a product of liver histidine metabolism which accumulates in conditions of excess histidine load, is a potent inhibitor of rat liver pyruvate carboxylase, with 50% inhibition being observed at a concentration of 2.8 mM, but has no detectable effect on the activity of rat liver cytosol phosphoenolpyruvate carboxykinase measured in the direction of oxaloacetate synthesis. We propose that the observed inhibition of pyruvate carboxylase by formiminoglutamate may account in part for the toxic effect of excess histidine.     

Pyridoxal 5'-phosphate-dependent histidine decarboxylase. Inactivation by alpha-fluoromethylhistidine and comparative sequences at the inhibitor- and coenzyme-binding sites

Pyridoxal phosphate-dependent histidine decarboxylase from Morganella morganii AM-15 was inactivated by (S)-alpha-fluoromethylhistidine by a pseudo first-order reaction, with KI and k inact values of 0.1 mM and 32.2 min-1, respectively, and was most efficient at pH 6.5-7.0. Both L-histidine and the competitive inhibitor, L-histidine methyl ester, protected against inactivation. The apoenzyme was not inactivated. These findings indicate that inhibition is a mechanism-based process. Under optimal conditions a single molecule of alpha-fluoromethylhistidine inactivates one enzyme subunit, indicating that no escaping side reaction occurs during the inactivation process. The bound inactivator is not released by dialysis of the native protein but is released upon denaturation by heat or urea. This released product was not fully characterized, but it contains the tritium of ring-labeled alpha-fluoromethyl-[3H]histidine, exhibits the spectral properties of a 3-hydroxypyridine derivative, and does not yield any amino acids on hydrolysis. The label was much more stable following borohydride reduction of the inactivated protein, and a tryptic peptide containing the modified residue was isolated. Sequencing of this peptide and the corresponding peptide from the native enzyme revealed that the inactivator binds to a serine residue of the holoenzyme. Two P-pyridoxyl peptides from tryptic or CNBr digests of the NaBH4-reduced enzyme were also isolated. Sequence and compositional data obtained with these peptides showed that the serine residue to which the inhibitor binds is not near the lysine residue that binds pyridoxal-P in the primary sequence of the protein, although the two residues must be near one another in the three-dimensional structure to account for these results. A speculative mechanism for inactivation, consistent with the experimental findings, is presented.     

Stability and Activation of Glutamate Apodecarboxylase from Pig Brain

The stability and activation of glutamate apodecarboxylase was studied with three forms of the enzyme from pig brain (referred to as the alpha, beta, and gamma forms). Apoenzyme was prepared by incubating the holoenzyme with aspartate followed by chromatography on Sephadex G-25. Apoenzyme was much less stable than holoenzyme to inactivation by heat (for beta-glutamate decarboxylase (beta-GAD) at 30 degrees C, t1/2 values of apo- and holoenzyme were 17 and greater than 100 min). ATP protected holoenzyme and apoenzyme against heat inactivation. The kinetics of reactivation of apoenzyme by pyridoxal-P was consistent with a two-step mechanism comprised of a rapid, reversible association of the cofactor with apoenzyme followed by a slow conversion of the complex to active holoenzyme. The reactivation rate constant (kr) and apparent dissociation constant (KD) for the binding of pyridoxal-P to apoenzyme differed substantially among the forms (for alpha-, beta-, and gamma-GAD, kr = 0.032, 0.17, and 0.27 min-1, and KD = 0.014, 0.018, and 0.04 microM). ATP was a strong competitive inhibitor of activation (Ki = 0.45, 0.18, and 0.39 microM for alpha-, beta-, and gamma-GAD). In contrast, Pi stimulated activation at 1-5 mM but inhibited at much higher concentrations. The results suggest that ATP is important in stabilizing the apoenzyme in brain and that ATP, Pi, and other compounds regulate its activation.     

Histidine ammonia-lyase from rat liver. Purification, properties, and inhibition by substrate analogues.

Histidine ammonia-lyase (EC 4.3.1.3) from rat liver was purified more than 250-fold to near homogeneity. Electrophoretic determinations indicated a native molecular weight of approximately 200,000. The enzyme has a pH optimum of approximately pH 8.5. The minimum Km for L-histidine was 0.5 mM at pH 9.0. The Michaelis constant in the physiological pH range was, however, more than 2.0 mM. D-alpha-hydrazinoimidazolylpropionic acid was found to be a potent competitive inhibitor of liver histidine ammonia-lyase (Kis=75 muM); the L enantiomer of this compound was less effective in this regard. The enzyme was also inhibited competitively by L-histidine hydroxamate (Kis=0.4 mM), and to a lesser extent by L-histidinol, D-histidine, and glycine. Failure of a wide variety of other histidine analogues to inhibit the enzyme substantially indicates high specificity of the active site for L-histidine. No alternate substrates were identified for the enzyme. DL-alpha-Hydrazinophenylpropionic acid, the alpha-hydrzino analogue of phenylalanine, was similarly shown to be a very potent competitive inhibitor of a mechanistically similar L-phenylalanine ammonia-lyase purified from Rhodotorula glutinis. The properties of histidine ammonia-lyase from rat liver differ significantly from those of the enzyme from Pseudomonas fluorescens which has been studied most extensively to date.     

Purification and characterization of vitamin B6-phosphate phosphatase from human erythrocytes.

Human erythrocytes rapidly convert vitamin B6 to pyridoxal-P and contain soluble phosphatase activity which dephosphorylates pyridoxal-P at a pH optimum of 6-6.5. This phosphatase was purified 51,000-fold with a yield of 39% by ammonium sulfate precipitation and chromatography on DEAE-Sepharose, Sephacryl S-200, hydroxylapatite, and reactive yellow 86-agarose. Sephacryl S-200 chromatography and sodium dodecyl sulfate-polyacrylamide gel electrophoresis revealed that the enzyme was a dimer with a molecular mass of approximately 64 kDa. The phosphatase required Mg2+ for activity. It specifically catalyzed the removal of phosphate from pyridoxal-P, pyridoxine-P, pyridoxamine-P, 4-pyridoxic acid-P, and 4-deoxypyridoxine-P at pH 7.4. Nucleotide phosphates, phosphoamino acids, and other phosphorylated compounds were not hydrolyzed significantly nor were they effective inhibitors of the enzyme. The phosphatase showed Michaelis-Menten kinetics with its substrates. It had a Km of 1.5 microM and a Vmax of 3.2 mumol/min/mg with pyridoxal-P. The Vmax/Km was greatest with pyridoxal-P greater than 4-pyridoxic acid-P greater than pyridoxine-P greater than pyridoxamine-P. The phosphatase was competitively inhibited by the product, inorganic phosphate, with a Ki of 0.8 mM, and weakly inhibited by pyridoxal. It was also inhibited by Zn2+, fluoride, molybdate, and EDTA, but was not inhibited by levamisole, L-phenylalanine, or L(+)-tartrate. These properties of the purified enzyme suggest that it is a unique acid phosphatase that specifically dephosphorylates vitamin B6-phosphates.     

Evidence for essential histidine and cysteine residues in calcium/calmodulin-sensitive cyclic nucleotide phosphodiesterase.

Ca/calmodulin-sensitive cyclic nucleotide phosphodiesterase (CaM-PDE) is an important enzyme regulating cGMP levels and relaxation of vascular smooth muscle. This modification study was conducted mostly with bovine brain CaM-PDE to identify essential functional groups involved in catalysis. The effect of pH on Vmax/Km indicates two essential residues with pKa values of 6.4 and 8.2. Diethyl pyrocarbonate (DEP), a histidine-modifying agent, inhibits CaM-PDE with a second-order rate constant of 130 M-1 min-1 at pH 7.0 and 30 degrees C. Activity is restored by NH2OH. The pH dependence of inactivation reveals that the essential residue modified by DEP has an apparent pKa of 6.5. The difference spectrum of the intact and DEP-treated enzyme shows a maximum between 230 and 240 nm, suggesting formation of carbethoxy derivatives of histidine. The enzyme is also inactivated by N-ethylmaleimide (NEM) and 5,5'-dithiobis-(2-nitrobenzoic acid), both sulfhydryl-modifying agents, with the latter effect reversed by dithiothreitol, which suggests inactivation resulting from modification of cysteine residue(s). Partial inactivation of the enzyme by DEP or NEM results in an apparent decrease in the Vmax without a change in the Km or the extent of CaM stimulation. The rate of inactivation by DEP is greater in the presence than in the absence of Ca/CaM. A substrate analogue, Br-cGMP, and the competitive inhibitor 3-isobutyl-1-methylxanthine partially protect the enzyme against inactivation by DEP or NEM, suggesting that the modification of histidine and cysteine residues occurs at or near the active site. DEP also inactivated porcine brain CaM-PDE.(ABSTRACT TRUNCATED AT 250 WORDS)     

Potent inhibition of angiotensin-converting enzyme by [des-Pro3]-bradykinin or "converstatin" in comparison with Captopril

The mechanism of bradykinin-potentiating activity of [des-Proline3]-bradykinin, a kinin originally generated from human plasma protein by trypsin, was studied in terms of its inhibitory actions on angiotensin-converting enzyme and kininase II prepared from rat lung. The results were compared with those obtained with Captopril. [Des-Pro3]-bradykinin was found to have a potent inhibitory action against angiotensin-converting enzyme with a K1 of 4.5 X 10(-12) M, which is approximately 7 times more potent than Captopril. It was also inhibitory to kininase II with a Ki of 4 X 10(-11) M, which is approximately 2,300-fold more potent than Captopril. The pattern of inhibition was purely competitive with increased apparent Km but no change in apparent Vmax for both angiotensin-converting enzyme and kininase II. This is in contrast to Captopril, which showed a mixed competitive and non-competitive type of inhibition with increased apparent Km and decreased Vmax for both enzymes. Such a potent inhibitory activity of [des-Pro3]-bradykinin or Arg-Pro-Gly-Phe-Ser-Pro-Phe-Arg is noteworthy, and accordingly we propose the name "converstatin" for this peptide.     

Glutamate-Dependent Active-Site Labeling of Brain Glutamate Decarboxylase

A major regulatory feature of brain glutamate decarboxylase (GAD) is a cyclic reaction that controls the relative amounts of holoenzyme and apoenzyme [active and inactive GAD with and without bound pyridoxal 5'-phosphate (pyridoxal-P, the cofactor), respectively]. Previous studies have indicated that progression of the enzyme around the cycle should be stimulated strongly by the substrate, glutamate. To test this prediction, the effect of glutamate on the incorporation of pyridoxal-P into rat-brain GAD was studied by incubating GAD with [32P]pyridoxal-P, followed by reduction with NaBH4 to link irreversibly the cofactor to the enzyme. Adding glutamate to the reaction mixture strongly stimulated labeling of GAD, as expected. 4-Deoxypyridoxine 5'-phosphate (deoxypyridoxine-P), a close structural analogue of pyridoxal-P, was a competitive inhibitor of the activation of glutamate apodecarboxylase by pyridoxal-P (Ki = 0.27 microM) and strongly inhibited glutamate-dependent labeling of GAD. Analysis of labeled GAD by sodium dodecyl sulfate (SDS)-polyacrylamide gel electrophoresis showed two labeled proteins with apparent molecular masses of 59 and 63 kDa. Both proteins could be purified by immunoaffinity chromatography on a column prepared with a monoclonal antibody to GAD, and both were labeled in a glutamate-dependent, deoxypyridoxine-P-sensitive manner, indicating that both were GAD. Three peaks of GAD activity (termed peaks I, II, and III) were separated by chromatography on phenyl-Sepharose, labeled with [32P]pyridoxal-P, purified by immunoaffinity chromatography, and analyzed by SDS-polyacrylamide gel electrophoresis. Peak I contained only the 59-kDa labeled protein. Peaks II and III contained the both the 59- and 63-kDa proteins, but in differing proportions.(ABSTRACT TRUNCATED AT 250 WORDS)     

Nature of oxygen activation in glucose oxidase from Aspergillus niger: the importance of electrostatic stabilization in superoxide formation.

Glucose oxidase catalyzes the oxidation of glucose by molecular dioxygen, forming gluconolactone and hydrogen peroxide. A series of probes have been applied to investigate the activation of dioxygen in the oxidative half-reaction, including pH dependence, viscosity effects, 18O isotope effects, and solvent isotope effects on the kinetic parameter Vmax/Km(O2). The pH profile of Vmax/Km(O2) exhibits a pKa of 7.9 +/- 0.1, with the protonated enzyme form more reactive by 2 orders of magnitude. The effect of viscosogen on Vmax/Km(O2) reveals the surprising fact that the faster reaction at low pH (1.6 x 10(6) M-1 s-1) is actually less diffusion-controlled than the slow reaction at high pH (1.4 x 10(4) M-1 s-1); dioxygen reduction is almost fully diffusion-controlled at pH 9.8, while the extent of diffusion control decreases to 88% at pH 9.0 and 32% at pH 5.0, suggesting a transition of the first irreversible step from dioxygen binding at high pH to a later step at low pH. The puzzle is resolved by 18O isotope effects. 18(Vmax/Km) has been determined to be 1.028 +/- 0.002 at pH 5.0 and 1.027 +/- 0.001 at pH 9.0, indicating that a significant O-O bond order decrease accompanies the steps from dioxygen binding up to the first irreversible step at either pH. The results at high pH lead to an unequivocal mechanism; the rate-limiting step in Vmax/Km(O2) for the deprotonated enzyme is the first electron transfer from the reduced flavin to dioxygen, and this step accompanies binding of molecular dioxygen to the active site. In combination with the published structural data, a model is presented in which a protonated active site histidine at low pH accelerates the second-order rate constant for one electron transfer to dioxygen through electrostatic stabilization of the superoxide anion intermediate. Consistent with the proposed mechanisms for both high and low pH, solvent isotope effects indicate that proton transfer steps occur after the rate-limiting step(s). Kinetic simulations show that the model that is presented, although apparently in conflict with previous models for glucose oxidase, is in good agreement with previously published kinetic data for glucose oxidase. A role for electrostatic stabilization of the superoxide anion intermediate, as a general catalytic strategy in dioxygen-utilizing enzymes, is discussed.     

Enzymes of vitamin B6 degradation. Purification and properties of 4- and 5-pyridoxolactonases

4-Pyridoxolactone and 5-pyridoxolactone, formed by dehydrogenation of pyridoxal or isopyridoxal during the bacterial degradation of vitamin B6 by Pseudomonas MA-1 and Arthrobacter Cr-7, respectively, are hydrolyzed to the corresponding acids by distinct inducible lactonases which were purified to homogeneity. 4-Pyridoxolactonase from Pseudomonas MA-1 has an Mr of 54,000 and contains two probably identical subunits of Mr = 28,600. It has a pH optimum of 7.0, a Km of 5.9 microM, and a Vmax at 25 degrees C of 35.2 mumol X min-1 X mg-1. 5-Pyridoxolactonase from Arthrobacter Cr-7 has an Mr of 65,200 and also contains two probably identical subunits of Mr = 32,800. It has a pH optimum of 7.1-7.7, a Km of 300 microM, and a Vmax at 25 degrees C of 21.5 mumol-1 X min-1 X mg-1. The two lactonases require no added cofactors or metal ions; their activities are inhibited by sulfhydryl reagents but are not affected by metal-chelating reagents. Although the two lactonases are entirely specific for their respective substrates, 4-pyridoxolactone is a competitive inhibitor (KI = 52 microM) for 5-pyridoxolactonase, and 5-pyridoxolactone is a competitive inhibitor (KI = 48 microM) for 4-pyridoxolactonase.     

Nucleoside hydrolase from Crithidia fasciculata. Metabolic role, purification, specificity, and kinetic mechanism

Crithidia fasciculata cells grown on complex medium with added [8-14C, 5'-3H]inosine or [8-14C,5'-3H]adenosine metabolize greater than 50% of the salvaged nucleosides through a pathway involving N-glycoside bond cleavage. Cell extracts contain a substantial nucleoside hydrolase activity but an insignificant purine nucleoside phosphorylase. The nucleoside hydrolase has been purified 1000-fold to greater than 99% homogeneity from kilogram quantities of C. fasciculata. The enzyme is a tetramer of Mr 34,000 subunits to give an apparent holoenzyme Mr of 143,000 by gel filtration. All of the commonly occurring nucleosides are substrates. The Km values vary from 0.38 to 4.7 mM with purine nucleosides binding more tightly than the pyrimidines. Values of Vmax/Km vary from 3.4 x 10(3) M-1 s-1 to 1.7 x 10(5) M-1 s-1 with the pyrimidine nucleosides giving the larger values. The turnover rate for inosine is 32 s-1 at 30 degrees C. The kinetic mechanism with inosine as substrate is rapid equilibrium with random product release. The hydrolytic reaction can be reversed to give an experimental Keq of 106 M with H2O taken as unity. The product dissociation constants for ribose and hypoxanthine are 0.7 and 6.2 mM, respectively. Deoxynucleosides or 5'-substituted nucleosides are poor substrates or do not react, and are poor inhibitors of the enzyme. The enzyme discriminates against methanol attack from solvent during steady-state catalysis, indicating the participation of an enzyme-directed water nucleophile. The pH profile for inosine hydrolysis gives two apparent pKa values of 6.1 with decreasing Vmax/Km values below the pKa and a plateau at higher pH values. These effects are due to the pH sensitivity of the Vmax values, since Km is independent of pH. The pH profile implicates two negatively charged groups which stabilize a transition state with oxycarbonium character.     

Effect of quinolinate on aminotransferases

Quinolinate inhibits several aminotransferases (ornithine, alanine, and aspartate). However, it is considerably more potent as an inhibitor of liver and heart cytoplasmic aspartate aminotransferase. It is a much less potent inhibitor of mitochondrial aspartate aminotransferases. Quinolinate is bound to the active site of cytoplasmic aspartate aminotransferase. It has a much greater affinity for the pyridoximine-P than the pyridoxal-P form of the enzyme. According to kinetic results, the inhibition or dissociation constant of quinolinate is 0.2 and 20 mm, respectively, for the pyridoxamine-P and the pyridoxal-P forms of the enzyme. Since quinolinate is mainly bound to the pyridoxamine-P form: (a) it is a potent competitive inhibitor of α-ketoglutarate but has little effect when α-ketoglutarate is saturating even if the level of aspartate is low; (b) it decreases the effect of α-ketoglutarate on the absorption spectrum of the pyridoxamine-P form; and (c) it enhances the effect of glutamate on the absorption spectrum of the pyridoxal-P form. Quinolinate is also apparently bound to the apoenzyme since it inhibits reconstitution by either pyridoxamine-P or pyridoxal-P. Since quinolinate is a competitive inhibitor of α-ketoglutarate, it is possible that part of the inhibitory effect of quinolinate on hepatic gluconeogenesis could result from quinolinate inhibiting the conversion of aspartate to oxalacetate by the cytoplasmic aspartate aminotransferase. Quinolinate has no effect on either rat or bovine liver glutamate dehydrogenase or on kidney glutamate dehydrogenase.     

Relationship between microsomal membrane permeability and the inhibition of hepatic glucose-6-phosphatase by pyridoxal phosphate.

Arion et al; (Arion, W. J., Wallin, B. K., Lange A. J., and Ballas, L. M. (1975) Mol. Cell. Biochem. 6, 75-83) propsed a model for glucose-6-phosphatase in which the substrate was transported across the microsomal membrane by a carrier before hydrolysis on the cisternal side. Evidence to support this model has been obtained by studying the inhibition of the enzyme by pyridoxal-P. Pyridoxal-P was a linear noncompetitive inhibitor of glucose-6-phosphatase (EC 3.1.3.9) in freshly isolated ("intact") microsomes from rat liver. Pyridoxol-P was a much less effective inhibitor and no inhibition was observed with pyridoxamine-P. When microsomes were subjected to nitrogen cavitation, treatment with solium deoxycholate, or glutaraldehyde fixation, the Km of glucose-6-phosphatase for glucose-6 P decreased from approximately 6 mM to approximately 2.5 mM; the corresponding change in the Vmax ranged from-10% to +40%. The same procedures decreased the inhibition of glucose-6-phosphatase by pyridoxal-P several-fold. No inhibition by pyridoxal-P was observed in a preparation of glucose-6-phosphatase purified approximately 20 fold (on the basis of Vmax) from micoromes. A nondialyzable inhibitor was apparently formed when intact microsomes were reacted with pyridoxal-P and NaBH4; this inhibition was also reversed by procedures which changed the kinetic properties of glucose-6-phosphatase.     

Purification and characterization of a novel form of 20 alpha-hydroxysteroid dehydrogenase from Clostridium scindens.

We have purified a steroid-inducible 20 alpha-hydroxysteroid dehydrogenase from Clostridium scindens to apparent homogeneity. The final enzyme preparation was purified 252-fold, with a recovery of 14%. Denaturing and nondenaturing polyacrylamide gradient gel electrophoresis showed that the native enzyme (Mr, 162,000) was a tetramer composed of subunits with a molecular weight of 40,000. The isoelectric point was approximately pH 6.1. The purified enzyme was highly specific for adrenocorticosteroid substrates possessing 17 alpha, 21-dihydroxy groups. The purified enzyme had high specific activity for the reduction of cortisone (Vmax, 280 nmol/min per mg of protein; Km, 22 microM) but was less reactive with cortisol (Vmax, 120 nmol/min per mg of protein; Km, 32 microM) at pH 6.3. The apparent Km for NADH was 8.1 microM with cortisone (50 microM) as the cosubstrate. Substrate inhibition was observed with concentrations of NADH greater than 0.1 mM. The purified enzyme also catalyzed the oxidation of 20 alpha-dihydrocortisol (Vmax, 200 nmol/min per mg of protein; Km, 41 microM) at pH 7.9. The apparent Km for NAD+ was 526 microM. The initial reaction velocities with NADPH were less than 50% of those with NADH. The amino-terminal sequence was determined to be Ala-Val-Lys-Val-Ala-Ile-Asn-Gly-Phe-Gly-Arg. These results indicate that this enzyme is a novel form of 20 alpha-hydroxysteroid dehydrogenase.     

Kinetics of pulmonary angiotensin-converting enzyme and 5'-nucleotidase in vivo

Angiotensin-converting enzyme and 5'-nucleotidase line the luminal surface of pulmonary microvascular endothelium and participate in the synthesis and/or degradation of potent vasoactive substances. We applied Michaelis-Menten kinetics in simultaneous estimations of apparent constants Km and Amax (product of Vmax and microvascular plasma volume) of these two enzymes for the substrates 3H-labeled benzoyl-Phe-Ala-Pro and 14C-labeled 5'-AMP, respectively, in vivo. Values of angiotensin-converting enzyme for benzoyl-Phe-Ala-Pro (Km = 10-11 microM; Amax = 12-13 mumol X min-1) were somewhat higher than published estimates in vitro and changed predictably in response to the known enzyme inhibitor captopril. Kinetic values of 5'-nucleotidase for 5'-AMP (Km = 3-4 microM; Amax = 3-4 mumol/min) were substantially lower than those reported in vitro but also responded predictably to the competitive inhibitor of 5'-nucleotidase, adenosine 5'-[alpha, beta-methylene]diphosphate. These data offer in vivo estimates of enzyme kinetics that are useful in revealing enzyme behavior in their normal physiological environment and provide means of evaluating the action of pharmacological, physiological, and pathological modulators of enzyme activity, in vivo.     

Purification of the putative hormone-sensitive cyclic AMP phosphodiesterase from rat adipose tissue using a derivative of cilostamide as a novel affinity ligand

A "low Km" cAMP phosphodiesterase with properties of a peripheral membrane protein accounts for approximately 90% of total cAMP phosphodiesterase activity in particulate (100,000 X g) fractions from rat fat cells. Incubation of fat cells with insulin for 10 min increased particulate (but not soluble) cAMP phosphodiesterase activity, with a maximum increase (approximately 100%) at 1 nM insulin. Most of the increase in activity was retained after solubilization (with non-ionic detergent and NaBr) and partial purification (approximately 20-fold) on DEAE-Sephacel. The solubilized enzyme from adipose tissue was purified approximately 65,000-fold to apparent homogeneity (yield approximately 20%) by chromatography on DEAE-Sephacel and Sephadex G-200 and affinity chromatography on aminoethyl agarose conjugated with the N-(2-isothiocyanato)ethyl derivative of the phosphodiesterase inhibitor cilostamide (OPC 3689). A 63,800 +/- 200-Da polypeptide (accounting for greater than 90% of the protein eluted from the affinity column) was identified by polyacrylamide gel electrophoresis in sodium dodecyl sulfate (with or without reduction). Enzyme activity was associated with the single protein band after electrophoresis under nondenaturing conditions. On gel permeation, Mr(app) was 100,000-110,000, suggesting that the holoenzyme is a dimer. A pI of 4.9-5.0 was estimated by isoelectric focusing. At 30 degrees C, the purified enzyme hydrolyzed both cAMP and cGMP with normal Michaelis-Menten kinetics; the pH optimum was 7.5. The Km(app) for cAMP was 0.38 microM and Vmax, 8.5 mumol/min/mg; for cGMP, Km(app) was 0.28 microM and Vmax, 2.0 mumol/min/mg. cGMP competitively inhibited cAMP hydrolysis with a Ki of approximately 0.15 microM. The enzyme was also inhibited by several OPC derivatives and "cardiotonic" drugs, but not by RO 20-1724. It was very sensitive to inhibition by agents which covalently modify protein sulfhydryls, but not by diisopropyl fluorophosphate. The activation by insulin and other findings indicate that the purified enzyme, which seems to belong to a subtype of low Km cAMP phosphodiesterases that is specifically and potently inhibited by cGMP, cilostamide, other OPC derivatives, and certain cardiotonic drugs, is likely to account for the hormone-sensitive particulate low Km cAMP phosphodiesterase activity of rat adipocytes.     

Kinetics of bovine milk lipoprotein lipase and the mechanism of enzyme activation by apolipoprotein C-II

The kinetics of bovine milk lipoprotein lipase (LPL) were studied in order to determine the reaction mechanism of this enzyme. Reaction velocities were determined at varying concentrations of emulsified trioleoylglycerol (TG) and different fixed concentrations of apolipoprotein C-II (C-II) or at varying C-II concentrations and different fixed concentrations of TG. Neither the apparent Km(TG) nor the apparent Km(C-II) was affected by varying the concentrations of C-II or TG, respectively. However, C-II increased the apparent Vmax for the enzyme about 20-fold. The following kinetic parameters were calculated from Lineweaver-Burk plots: Km(C-II) = 2.5 X 10(-8) M and Km (TG) = 2.5 X 10(-3) M. The dissociation constant (KS) of the enzyme-TG binary complex was determined from Scatchard plots to be 7.6 X 10(-8) M. Heparin was found to be a competitive dead-end inhibitor against both TG and C-II. Tricapryloylglycerol represented a competitive inhibitor against TG but a noncompetitive inhibitor against C-II. C-II was shown to interact with dansylated bovine milk LPL, increasing its fluorescent emission by inducing a conformational change in the enzyme. Based on these studies, it was concluded that the LPL-catalyzed reaction follows a random, bireactant, rapid-equilibrium mechanism and the role of C-II in the activation process involves an increase in the catalytic rate constant (Kp) resulting from conformational changes of LPL induced by C-II.     

Effects of temperature and monovalent cations on activity and quaternary structure of tryptophanase

Effects of temperature and monovalent cations on the activity and the quaternary structure of tryptophanase of Escherichia coli were studied. The conversion of the apoenzyme into the active holoenzyme was attained at 30 degrees C in Tris-HCl buffer (pH 8.0) containing pyridoxal-P and K+, while no conversion occurred at 5 degrees C. The active holoenzyme thus formed was stable even at 5 degrees C, as long as the cation was present. When K+ was absent, however, the active enzyme gradually lost the activity upon chilling to 5 degrees C. The HPLC gel filtration analysis of the active holoenzyme and the low temperature-inactivated enzyme species revealed that the tetrameric holoenzyme dissociated into the dimeric apoenzyme concomitant with the low temperature-induced inactivation at 5 degrees C. The results of HPLC experiments together with other available evidence also suggest that the inactive tetrameric holoenzyme was first formed from the dimeric apoenzyme and pyridoxal-P prior to the formation of the active holoenzyme and that the cation promoted the conversion of the inactive holoenzyme into the active holoenzyme rather than being involved in the conversion of the apoenzyme and pyridoxal-P into the holoenzyme. Among various cations tested for the above effects, NH4+ exhibited the largest effect and K+ the second.     

An essential arginine residue at the binding site of pig kidney 3,4-dihydroxyphenylalanine decarboxylase

Pig kidney 3,4-dihydroxyphenylalanine (Dopa) decarboxylase is inactivated by the arginine-specific reagent phenylglyoxal. Under these experimental conditions, the reaction follows pseudo-first-order kinetics with a second-order rate constant of 25 m-1 min-1. Holo- and apo-enzyme were inactivated at the same rate. However, inactivation seems to be related to modification of 1 and 2 arginyl residues per mol of holo- and apo-enzyme, respectively. Only one of these two residues was essential to decarboxylase activity of the enzyme. Phenylglyoxal-modified apo-Dopa decarboxylase retained the capacity to bind pyridoxal-P. Neither this reconstituted species nor the phenylglyoxal-modified holoenzyme were able to form Schiff base intermediates with aromatic amino acids in L and D forms. These data together with protection experiments suggest that the susceptible arginine residue in holoenzyme may somehow perturb the substrate binding site. However, unlike in other pyridoxal-P enzymes, this critical arginine in Dopa decarboxylase does not seem to behave as an anionic recognition site for the phosphate group of the coenzyme or the carboxy group of the substrate. It is speculated that this guanidyl group could function in hydrogen bonding of substrate side chain.