Properties of delta5-3beta-hydroxysteroid oxidoreductase isolated from Streptomyces griseocarneus.

Delta5-3beta-hydroxysteroid oxidoreductase was extracted in magnesium-containing Tris buffer from sonicated Streptomyces griseocarneus cells. The enzyme was partially purified (150 X) by ion exchange chromatography and gel filtration following (NH4)2SO4 fractionation. Upon gel filtration on Sephadex G-75 to G-200, the greatest part of the activity gave a peak in the fractionation range. The enzyme obtained from the gel yielded small enzyme molecules on repeated chromatography. A molecular weight of 32 to 36 000 was calculated for the activity appearing in the fractionation range of Sephadex G-75 to G-200. The enzyme is highly specific for the irreversible oxidation of the 3beta-hydroxyl group in steroids with a trans-anellated A : B ring system with either C5 or C6 double bond. Delta5-3-ketosteroids are converted into delta5-3-ketosteroids at a high rate, but the isomerase activity cannot be separated from the oxidoreductase activity either by chromatography or by selective heat inactivation. NAD, NADP, FMN or FAD did not influence the activity, but the enzyme is inactive in the absence of molecular oxygen.     

The serine hydroxymethyltransferase of Plasmodium lophurae.

Plasmodium lophurae serine hydroxymethyltransferase (EC 2.1.2.1) was partially purified and characterized by (NH4)2SO4 fractionation and chromatography on Sephadex G-100. The enzyme, precipitated by 3.0.3.3 M (NH4)2SO4, had a molecular weight of 68,300 as estimated by exclusion chromatography on G-100. The pH optimum of the enzyme was 6.8-7.6 in sodium phosphate-citrate buffer. Citrate stabilized the enzyme during storage in phosphate buffer at 4 C. The Km was 4.3 X 10(-3) M for L-serine and 2.5 X 10(-4) M for tetrahydrofolate.     

Purification and some properties of alkaline pullulanase from a strain of bacillus no. 202-1, an alkalophilic microorganism.

Pullulanase (pullulan 6-glucanohydrolase EC 3.2.1.41) was purified about 290-fold from the culture fluid of Bacillus No. 202-1 by DEAE-cellulose adsorption, acetone fractionation, (NH4) 2SO4 precipitation and DEAE--cellulose column chromatography followed by Sephadex G-200 molecular sieve chromatography. The enzyme gave a single band of protein by disc polyacrylamide gel electrophoresis. The molecular weight was estimated as 92 000 by sodium dodecyl sulfate gel electrophoresis. The isolectric point was lower than pH 2.5. The optimum pH for enzyme action was about 8.5-9.0. The action of the enzyme on amylopectin and glycogen resulted in increase in the iodine coloration of 85% and 70%, respectively. The enzyme completely hydrolyzed 1,6-alpha-glucosidic linkages in amylopectin, glycogen and pullulan.     

Purification and characterization of a soluble phosphatidylinositol 4-kinase from the yeast Saccharomyces cerevisiae.

A phosphatidylinositol (PI) 4-kinase was purified 25,000-fold from the cytosolic fraction of extracts from the yeast Saccharomyces cerevisiae. The purification consisted of an ammonium sulfate fractionation followed by chromatography on sulfonated-agarose (S-Sepharose), phosphocellulose, threonine-agarose, and quaternary amino (Mono Q), and sulfonated (Mono S) beads. Major contaminants in the purification, Hsc82 and Hsp82 (yeast homologs of the mammalian heat shock protein Hsp90), were eliminated by using a combination of molecular genetics (to construct a null mutation in HSC82), altered growth conditions (to minimize expression from the inducible HSP82 gene), and high ionic strength fractionation conditions (to remove the residual Hsp82). The purified enzyme had an apparent subunit molecular weight of 125,000, much larger than any other well characterized PI-4-kinase reported previously. Like mammalian PI-4-kinases, the yeast enzyme specifically phosphorylated PI on position 4 of the inositol ring and was stimulated by Triton X-100. However, activity was not inhibited by adenosine, a potent inhibitor of certain (type II) mammalian PI-4-kinases. The enzyme displayed typical Michaelis-Menten kinetics with apparent Km values of 100 microM for ATP and 50 microM for PI. To date, this yeast enzyme is the first soluble PI-4-kinase purified from any source.     

Purification and properties of human pancreatic deoxyribonuclease I.

Human pancreatic DNase I was purified extensively from duodenal juice of healthy subjects by a procedure including ammonium sulfate fractionation, ethanol fractionation, phosphocellulose fractionation, isoelectric focusing, and gel filtration. The final preparation was free of DNase II, pancreatic RNase, alkaline phosphatase, and protease. The enzyme had a molecular weight of approximately 30,000, as determined by gel filtration on Sephadex G-100, and showed maximum activity at pH 7.2-7.6. It required divalent cations for activity, and caused single-strand breaks by endonucleolytic attack on double- as well as single-stranded DNA molecules. The enzyme was inhibited by actin and bovine pancreatic DNase I antibody.     

Biosynthesis of glycogen in Neurospora crassa. Purification and properties of the UDPglucose:glycogen 4-alpha-glucosyltransferase.

The Neurospora crassa glycogen synthase (UDPglucose:glycogen 4-alpha-glucosyltransferase, EC 2.4.1.11) was purified to electrophoretic homogeneity by a procedure involving ultracentrifugation, DEAE-cellulose column chromatography, (NH4)2SO4 fractionation and 3-aminopropyl-Sepharose column chromatography. The final purified enzyme preparation was almost entirely dependent on glucose-6-P and had a specific activity of 6.9 units per mg of protein. The subunit molecular weight of the glycogen synthase was determined by electrophoresis in sodium dodecyl sulfate-polyacrylamide gel to be 88 000--90 000. The native enzyme was shown to have a molecular weight of 270 000 as determined by sucrose density gradient centrifugation. Thus, the glucose-6-P-dependent form of the N. crassa glycogen synthase can exist as trimer of the subunit. Limited proteolysis with trypsin or chymotrypsin converted the glucose-6-P-dependent form of the enzyme into an apparent glucose-6-P-independent form. The enzyme was shown to catalyze transfer of glucose from UDPglucose to glycogen as well as to its phosphorylase limit dextrin, but not to its beta-amylase limit dextrin. Moreover, glucose, maltose and maltotriose were not active as acceptors.     

Plastid enzymes of terpenoid biosynthesis. Purification and characterization of gamma-tocopherol methyltransferase from Capsicum chromoplasts

gamma-Tocopherol methyltransferase was solubilized and purified from Capsicum chromoplast membranes by a combination of standard fractionation techniques. The purified enzyme was electrophoretically homogeneous, and its molecular weight, determined by sodium dodecyl sulfate-polyacrylamide gel electrophoresis, was 33,000. In the absence of detergent, the enzyme formed high molecular weight aggregates. Several properties of the enzyme have been determined. The Km values were 2.5 and 13.7 microM for S-adenosylmethionine and gamma-tocopherol, respectively. The enzyme was able to transfer the methyl group S-adenosylmethionine to N-4-azido-2-nitrophenyl-beta-alanyl-gamma-tocopherol. The rate of transfer was less efficient compared to gamma-tocopherol. In the presence of ultraviolet light, this analog inhibited the gamma-tocopherol methyltransferase activity.     

Purification and some properties of trehalase from Chaetomium aureum MS-27

The trehalase of Chaetomium aureum was purified about 196-fold with a yield of 51% from the culture filtrate by ammonium sulfate fractionation, DEAE-cellulose column chromatography, acetone fractionation, and Sephadex G-100 gel filtration. The enzyme preparation was homogeneous on disc electrophoresis. The enzyme was most active at pH 4.0 and 50°C. The enzyme was stable from pH 4.0 to 9.0 on 12 h incubation at 37°C. The molecular weight of the enzyme was estimated to be 450,000 by gel filtration on a column of Sepharose 6B, and 115,000 by SDS polyacrylamide gel electrophoresis. This indicated that the enzyme might consist of 4 subunits. The isoelectric point of the enzyme was pH 4.0. The enzyme was active specifically on trehalose and not active on the other disaccharides tested.     

Purification and enzymatic properties of lysyl hydroxylase from fetal porcine skin.

Lysyl hydroxylase from fetal porcine skin is shown to bind in a highly specific manner to aminoethyl-Sepharose 4B. When coupled to ammonium sulfate fractionation and DEAE-cellulose chromatography, chromatography of lysyl hydroxylase preparations on aminoethyl-Sepharose 4B has yielded a highly purified (greater than 95%) preparation of lysyl hydroxylase. The enzyme consists of two subunits with molecular weights of 70 000 and 115 000. The overall recovery of activity was 2.5%, yielding approximately to 3.5 mg of purified enzyme from 900 g of fetal porcine skin. The enzyme is more active at 30 degrees C than at 37 degrees C and has a pH optimum near 8.0. Both catalase and bovine serum albumin are required by the enzyme for maximum activity. The sulfhydryl reagents p-(chloromercuri)-benzoate, N-ethylmaleimide, and iodoacetamide are potent inhibitors of the enzyme, whereas dithiothreitol appears to be an activator.     

Further evidence for the concept of bovine plasma arylesterase as a lipoprotein.

Purified preparations of bovine plasma arylesterase were obtained by isoelectric focusing of enzyme prepared by (NH4)2SO4 fractionation of plasma and chromatography on DEAE-cellulose and Sephadex G-200. Although the high-density-lipoprotein fraction (HDL2) of serum provides an alternative source of enzyme, the enzymic activity of preparations made from it is much less stable. The purified arylesterase preparation has a molecular weight of 440000 and a partial specific volume of 0.91 ml/g, properties indistinguishable from those of the less highly purified enzyme. Extraction with acetone and ether removes neutral lipids from the enzyme, but the resulting lipid-depleted preparation retains most of the phospholipid present initially. A partial specific volume of 0.81 ml/g and a minimum molecular weight of approx. 100000 were determined for the lipid-depleted preparations of arylesterase. The present results support the concept of bovine plasma arylesterase as a lipoprotein in its own right, rather than as an enzymic polypeptide that is loosely associated with the HDL2 fraction of serum.     

Purification and properties of oestrogen-induced uterine peroxidase.

1. An enzyme that can be induced in rat uteri by oestrogens and that catalyses the oxidation of guaiacol and the metabolism and binding of [4-14C]oestradiol to protein in the presence of H2O2 was partially purified by (NH4)2SO4 fractionation and polyacrylamide-gel chromatography. 2. The molecular weight of this uterine peroxidase was estimated to be about 40 000 and thus shown to differ from that of eosinophil peroxidase. 3. Cycloheximide, which blocks the increase in peroxidase activity brought about by oestrogen, was used to determine the half-life (about 4h) of the induced uterine enzyme.     

Polyadenylate polymerase from cytoplasm and nuclei of N.I.H.-Swiss mouse embryos.

Poly (A) polymerase activity from cytoplasm and nuclei of 12-16-day-old mouse embryos has been partially purified by (NH4)2SO4 fractionation, DEAE-cellulose, phosphocellulose and tRNA-Sepharose affinity chromatography, and their properties have been compared. The nuclear and cytoplasmic enzymes exhibit similar chromatographic elution profiles, and similar biochemical and physical properties. Poly(A) polymerase has an absolute requirement for a divalent cation, ATP and an oligo- or polyribonucleotide primer. With tRNA, the divalent salt concentrations for optimum enzyme activity are 1 mM MnCl2 or 10 mM MgCl2. The enzyme activity with MnCl2 is 10-15-fold higher than that with MgCl2. The molecular weight of the native enzyme is about 65 000 and its sedimentation coefficient is around 4.5 S. The average chain length synthesized by the enzyme is between 10 and 13 nucleotides. The inhibitors of RNA polymerase do not affect poly (A) polymerase activity; however, some synthetic rifamycin SV derivatives are potent inhibitors of this enzyme.     

Purification and properties of human placental aminopeptidase B.

Aminopeptidase B (EC 3.4.11.6; L-arginyl-beta-naphthylamidase) was purified 1,800-fold from human placental cytoplasm and characterized. The enzyme was subjected to ammonium sulfate fractionation and a series of chromatographies on DE-52, hydroxylapatite, Bio-gel A 0.5 m and L-arginine-Sepharose. The native molecular mass of the enzyme was estimated to be 220,000 by gel filtration. The molecular mass was estimated to be about 83,000 by SDS/PAGE in the absence of 2-mercaptoethanol, suggesting that the enzyme exists in a polymeric form. The isoelectric point of the enzyme was 5.4. The purified enzyme was most active at pH 7.2 with L-arginyl-beta-naphthylamide as substrate and the Km value for this enzyme was 0.3 mmol/l. Human placental aminopeptidase B was markedly activity by Cl-. Bestatin and arphamenin, low molecular weight peptides, showed appreciable inhibition of this enzyme. However, amastatin and puromycin did not inhibit the enzyme. Bacitracin markedly activated this enzyme.     

Rat liver alcohol dehydrogenase. Purification and properties

Alcohol dehydrogenase (EC 1.1.1.1) from the rat liver supernatant fraction has been purified 200-fold and partially characterized. The isolation procedure involved ammonium sulphate fractionation, DEAE-Sephadex chromatography and gel filtration. The purified enzyme behaved as a homogeneous preparation as evaluated by cellulose acetate and polyacrylamide-gel disc electrophoresis. Sulphoethyl-Sephadex chromatography and immunoelectrophoresis with rabbit antiserum indicated the presence of a minor component. Rat liver alcohol dehydrogenase appears to contain 4mol of zinc/mol, has an estimated molecular weight of 65000 and consists of two subunits of similar molecular weight. Heavy-metal ions, thiol-blocking reagents, urea at concentrations below 8m, low pH (5.5) and chelating agents deactivate the enzyme but do not dissociate it into subunits. Deactivated enzyme could not be reactivated. The enzyme is strictly specific for NAD(+) and has a broad specificity for alcohols, which are bound at a hydrophobic site. Inhibition occurred with the enzyme equilibrated with Zn(2+) at concentrations above 0.1mm.     

Beta-glucuronidase of rat preputial gland. Crystallization, properties, carbohydrate composition, and subunits.

Rat preputial gland beta-glucuronidase [ED 3.2.1.31] was purified by ammonium sulfate precipitation, ethanol fractionation, gel filtration on Sephadex G-200 and crystallization. The purified enzyme appeared homogeneous on electrophoresis in polyacrylamide gel, and on analytical ultracentrifugation and had a molecular weight of approximately 320,000, and a sedimentation coefficient of 12S. SDS polyacrylamide gel electrophoresis indicated that the enzyme consisted of subunits with molecular weight of 79,000, so the native enzyme appeared to be a tetramer. The Km with p-nitrophenyl beta-D-glucosiduronic acid as substrate was about 0.53 mM. The enzyme had a single pH optimum at 4.5. The enzyme had a very low content of sulphur-containing amino acid and contained 5.7 per cent carbohydrate, consisting of mannose, glucose, fucose, galactose, and glucosamine in a ratio of 44;9;6;2;41. Sialic acid was not detected in the crystallized enzyme.     

Production and characterization of N-acyl-D-glutamate amidohydrolase from Pseudomonas sp. strain 5f-1.

N-Acyl-D-glutamate amidohydrolase from Pseudomonas sp. strain 5f-1 was inducibly produced by D isomers of N-acetylglutamate, glutamate, aspartate, and asparagine. The enzyme has been purified to homogeneity by DEAE-cellulose, (NH4)2SO4 fractionation, and chromatofocusing followed by gel filtration on a Sephadex G-100 column. The enzyme was a monomer with molecular weight of 55,000. The enzyme activity was optimal at pH 6.5 to 7.5 and 45 degrees C. The isoelectric point and the pH stability were 8.8 and 9.0, respectively. N-Formyl, N-acetyl, N-butyryl, N-propionyl, N-chloroacetyl derivatives of D-glutamate and glycyl-D-glutamate were substrates for the enzyme. At pH 6.5 in 100 mM N-2-hydroxyethylpiperazine-N'-2-ethanesulfonic acid (HEPES) buffer at 30 degrees C, a Km of 6.67 mM and a Vmax of 662 mumol/min/mg of protein for N-acetyl-D-glutamate were obtained. None of the metal ions stimulated the enzyme activity. Na+, K+, Mg2+, and Ba2+ acted as stabilizers. Hg2+, Cu2+, Zn2+, Fe3+, and EDTA were strongly inhibitory.     

Adenosine deaminase from bovine brain: purification and partial characterization.

Bovine brain adenosine deaminase cytoplasmatic form was purified about 450 fold by salt fractionation, column chromatography on DEAE-cellulose, octyl-sepharose 4B and affinity chromatography on CH-sepharose 4B 9-(p-aminobenzyl)adenine. The purified enzyme was homogeneous on disc gel electrophoresis; the enzyme had a molecular mass of about 65 kDa with an isoelectric point at pH 4.87. The Km values for adenosine and 2'-deoxyadenosine were 4 x 10(-5) and 5.2 x 10(-5) M, respectively. The enzyme showed a great stability to temperature with a half life of 15 hours at 53 degrees C significantly different compared to that known for other mammalian forms of this enzyme. Aza and deaza analogs of adenosine and erythro-9-(2-hydroxy-3-nonyl) adenine were good inhibitors of the bovine brain enzyme with little difference with respect to those reported for the adenosine deaminases purified from other sources. Kinetic constants for the association and dissociation of coformycin and 2'-deoxycoformycin with the bovine brain adenosine deaminase are reported.     

Purification and characterization of rat liver glycosylasparaginase.

1. Rat liver glycosylasparaginase [N4-(beta-N-acetylglucosaminyl)-L-asparaginase, EC 3.5.1.26] was purified to homogeneity by using salt fractionation, CM-cellulose and DEAE-cellulose chromatography, gel filtration on Ultrogel AcA-54, concanavalin A-Sepharose affinity chromatography, heat treatment at 70 degrees C and preparative SDS/polyacrylamide-gel electrophoresis. The purified enzyme had a specific activity of 3.8 mumol of N-acetylglucosamine/min per mg with N4-(beta-N-acetylglucosaminyl)-L-asparagine as substrate. 2. The native enzyme had a molecular mass of 49 kDa and was composed of two non-identical subunits joined by strong non-covalent forces and having molecular masses of 24 and 20 kDa as determined by SDS/polyacrylamide-gel electrophoresis. 3. The 20 kDa subunit contained one high-mannose-type oligosaccharide chain, and the 24 kDa subunit had one high-mannose-type and one complex-type oligosaccharide chain. 4. N-Terminal sequence analysis of each subunit revealed a frayed N-terminus of the 24 kDa subunit and an apparent N-glycosylation of Asn-15 in the same subunit. 5. The enzyme exhibited a broad pH maximum above 7. Two major isoelectric forms were found at pH 6.4 and 6.6. 6. Glycosylasparaginase was stable at 75 degrees C and in 5% (w/v) SDS at pH 7.0.     

Partial purification and properties of phosphatidate phosphatase in Saccharomyces cerevisiae

Using an aqueous dispersion of [32P]phosphatidate as substrate we detected phosphatidate phosphatase (EC 3.1.3.4) activity in a cell-free extract of the yeast, Saccharomyces cerevisiae. The activity was found in both the membrane and the soluble fractions. The enzyme was purified from the soluble fraction about 600-fold. The purification procedure involved (NH4)2SO4 fractionation, poly(ethylene glycol) 6000 fractionation and column chromatography on DEAE-Sepharose, Sephadex G-100 and Blue-Sepharose. The purified enzyme almost absolutely required Mg2+ for activity. The molecular weight of the enzyme was estimated by analytical gel filtration on Sephadex G-100 to be approx. 75000. The enzyme was highly specific for phosphatidate. The apparent Km for phosphatidate was approx. 0.05 mM. The optimum pH was between 7.0 and 8.0.     

Purification of Cytosine Deaminase from Pseudomonas aureofaciens

Cytosine deaminase from Pseudomonas aureofaciens was purified about 480-fold by means of ammonium sulfate fractionation, ethyl alcohol fractionation, chromatography on columns of DEAE-Sephadex A–50 and hydroxylapatite and by gel filtration on a Sephadex G–200 column. The enzyme was homogeneous by the criteria of sedimentation and electrophoretic analysis. The molecular weight of the purified enzyme was estimated to be 630,000 by gel filtration and consisted of twelve to sixteen identical subunits having a molecular weight of about 45,000. The enzyme catalyzed the deamination of cytosine and 5-methylcytosine.