Superoxide formation in spinach chloroplasts: electron spin resonance detection by spin trapping.

The new technique of spin trapping has been applied to a biological system for the first time. The light induced generation of O₂^? by chloroplasts in the presence of oxygen has been shown by the production of the O₂^? adduct of the spin trap 5,5-dimethyl-1-pyrroline-1-oxide. The O₂^? adduct was detected by electron spin resonance spectroscopy. Methyl viologen enhanced the production of the O₂^? adduct thus providing support for the hypothes is that methyl viologen accepts electrons from the primary acceptor of photosystem I and subsequently reduces O₂ to O₂^?.     

Interaction of Mg2+ ions with nucleoside triphosphates by phosphorus magnetic resonance spectroscopy.

The interaction of Mg2+ with nucleoside triphosphates: ATP, GTP, CTP and UTP has been studied by phosphorus magnetic resonance spectroscopy in aqueous solution. The results show that these four nucleotides behave similarly. Purine and Purimidine bases have almost no effect on the phosphate groups even in the N7 pK region of ATP and GTP. The Mg2+ ion binds not to the alpha and alpha but only to the beta phosphate group. The fixation is stronger at neutral pH than at acid pH.     

Direct detection of circulating free radicals in the rat using electron spin resonance spectrometry.

We developed a new technique for directly observing in vivo free radical formation in the circulating blood of living rats using electron spin resonance (ESR) spectrometry without any labeling or trapping agents. It was found that a doublet peak spectrum was obtained following ferric citrate and ascorbic acid injection. The signals were confirmed in different ways to be due to ascorbic acid radicals. These results provide evidence to support the involvement of free radical intermediates in iron-ascorbic acid reactions, and further confirm the suggested mechanisms of both the adverse and protective effects of ascorbic acid in biological systems. Furthermore, this method of direct observation is a new application of ESR spectrometry to living animals.     

Determination of nucleoside triphosphates by use of combined reactions of hexokinase and glucose-6-phosphate dehydrogenase.

ATP is known to be easily determined fluorometrically after it is utilized to produce the corresponding amount of NADPH by combined reactions of hexokinase and glucose-6-phosphate dehydrogenase. We studied further whether nucleoside triphosphates other than ATP can be also determined in a similar manner if they were incubated for a longer period with an increased amount of hexokinase. It was shown that CTP, GTP, ITP, and UTP can be utilized to produce the corresponding amount of NADPH after an incubation of at least 60 min and that 0 to 50 nmols of these nucleotides were able to be determined fluorometrically.     

High-field electron spin resonance of spin labels in membranes

High-field electron spin resonance (ESR) spectroscopy is currently undergoing rapid development. This considerably increases the versatility of spin labelling which, at conventional field strengths, is already well established as a powerful physical technique in membrane biology. Among the unique advantages offered by high-field spectroscopy, particularly for spin-labelled lipids, are sensitivity to non-axial rotation and lateral ordering, a better orientational selection, an extended application to rotational dynamics, and an enhanced sensitivity to environmental polarity. These areas are treated in some depth, along with a detailed consideration of recent developments in the investigation of transmembrane polarity profiles.     

Lipid-gramicidin interactions using two-dimensional Fourier-transform electron spin resonance.

The application of two-dimensional Fourier-transform electron-spin-resonance (2D-FT-ESR) to the study of lipid/gramicidin A (GA) interactions is reported. It is shown that 2D-FT-ESR spectra provide substantially enhanced spectral resolution to changes in the dynamics and ordering of the bulk lipids (as compared with cw-ESR spectra), that result from addition of GA to membrane vesicles of dipalmitoylphosphatidylcholine (DPPC) in excess water containing 16-PC as the lipid spin label. The agreement between the theory of Lee, Budil, and Freed and experimental results is very good in the liquid crystalline phase. Both the rotational and translational diffusion rates of the bulk lipid are substantially decreased by addition of GA, whereas the ordering is only slightly increased, for a 1:5 ratio of GA to lipid. The slowing effect on the diffusive rates of adding GA in the gel phase is less pronounced. It is suggested that the spectral fits in this phase would be improved with a more detailed dynamic model. No significant evidence is found in the 2D-FT-ESR spectra for a second immobilized component upon addition of GA, which is in contrast to cw-ESR. It is shown from simulations of the observed 2D-FT-ESR spectra that the additional component seen in cw-ESR spectra, and usually attributed to "immobilized" lipid, is inconsistent with its being characterized by increased ordering, according to a model proposed by Ge and Freed, but it would be consistent with the more conventional model of a significantly reduced diffusional rate. This is because the 2D-FT-ESR spectra exhibit a selectivity, favoring components with longer homogeneous relaxation times, T2. The homogeneous linewidths of the 2D-FT-ESR autopeaks appear to broaden as a function of mixing time. This apparent broadening is very likely due to the process of cooperative order director fluctuations (ODF) of the lipids in the vesicle. This real-time observation of ODF is distinct from, but appears in reasonable agreement with, NMR results. It is found that addition of GA to give the 1:5 ratio has only a small effect on the ODF, but there is a significant temperature dependence.     

Proton NMR and spin lattice relaxation study of nucleoside di- and triphosphates in neutral aqueous solutions

The average conformations of adenosine, inosine and guanosine di- and triphosphates in neutral aqueous solution have been investigated by 1H vicinal couplings, chemical shifts and T1 relaxation time measurements at 250 MHz. Comparison of chemical shifts with those of the corresponding nucleotide monophosphates suggests that the beta-phosphate group is in all cases oriented towards the base and close to H3'. The vicinal coupling constants indicate that the proportion of the S conformer of the ribose moiety is 55--60% and that the gauche-gauche rotamer of the CH2-OP exocyclic group is predominant. The preferential orientations of the base have been determined by minimization of the standard deviation about the mean of the molecular reorientation correlation times derived from the H8, H1', H2' and H3' relaxation times and computed interproton distances. The problem of the correlation between the syn-anti equilibrium and the N equilibrium S interconversion has been examined. Typical magnetization recovery curves after a 180 degree pulse have been simulated in the case of ATP, taking into account cross relaxation effects. It is shown that in most of the molecules under consideration the syn orientation of the base is predominant whereas for ATP the syn and anti are equivalent.     

Proton NMR and spin lattice relaxation study of nucleoside di- and triphosphates in neutral aqueous solutions

The average conformations of adenosine, inosine and guanosine di- and triphosphates in neutral aqueous solution have been investigated by ¹H vicinal couplings, chemical shifts and T₁ relaxation time measurements at 250 MHz. Comparison of chemical shifts with those of the corresponding nucleotide monophosphates suggests that the β-phosphate group is in all cases oriented towards the base and close to H3′. The vicinal coupling constants indicate that the proportion of the S conformer of the ribose moiety is 55–60% and that the gauche-gauche rotamer of the CH₂-OP exocyclic group is predominant.The preferential orientations of the base have been determined by minimization of the standard deviation about the mean of the molecular reorientation correlation times derived from the H8, H1′, H2′ and H3′ relaxation times and computed interproton distances. The problem of the correlation between the syn-anti equilibrium and the N S interconversion has been examined. Typical magnetization recovery curves after a 180° pulse have been simulated in the case of ATP, taking into account cross relaxation effects. It is shown that in most of the molecules under consideration the syn orientation of the base is predominant whereas for ATP the syn and anti are equivalent.     

Stimulation of protocollagen proline hydroxylase activity by nucleoside triphosphates.

Activity of purified protocollagen proline hydroxylase was enhanced several fold by addition of nucleoside triphosphates (3 mM) to the assay medium, but nucleoside mono-and diphosphates were almost inactive. Pyrimidine nucleotides were less effective compared with purine nucleotides, among which GTP was the most effective. dATP and ATP analogues such as adenosine 5′-(β,γ-imino) triphosphate (AMP-PNP), adenosine 5′-(β,γ-methylene) triphosphate (AMP-PCP), etc. were inactive. ATP or GTP showed no additive effect on enzyme activity stimulated by dithiothreitol or bovine serum albumin.     

Inhibitory effects of nucleoside triphosphates on nucleolar RNA synthesis.

Studies on the effects of substrates on RNA polymerase I [EC 2.7.7.6] in vitro showed that nucleolar RNA synthesis was inhibited by an excess of substrate nucleoside triphosphates in the presence of Mg2+. GTP and UTP were more inhibitory than CTP and ATP. These compounds specfically inhibited nucleolar RNA synthesis and a concentration of GTP that strongly inhibited nucleolar RNA synthesis did not inhibit RNA synthesis by partially purified RNA polymerase I. The inhibition of nucleolar RNA synthesis disappeared at pH 9.0 without any change in the apparent Km for GTP or the Vmax of RNA synthesis.     

Spin-label saturation-transfer electron spin resonance detection of transient association of rhodopsin in reconstituted membranes

Rotational diffusion of rhodopsin in reconstituted membranes of phosphatidylcholines of various alkyl chain lengths has been measured by using saturation-transfer electron spin resonance spectroscopy as a function of temperature and lipid/rhodopsin mole ratio. For dipalmitoyl-phosphatidylcholine, the rotational correlation time is 20 microseconds at physiological concentration, the same as in rod outer segment (ros) membranes. Dilution reduces the time to 10 microseconds, a value that is ascribed to well-dispersed monomeric rhodopsin. Use of phospholipids with longer or shorter chains results in sharply increased rotational correlation times. It is concluded that rhodopsin molecules are transiently associated in both reconstituted and ros membranes and that the nature of the association is determined by lipid type and composition.     

Association kinetics and binding constants of nucleoside triphosphates with G-actin.

The dissociation of the complex between 1:N6-ethenoadenosine, 5'-triphosphate (xiATP) and G-actin was initiated by dilution to concentrations between 1 micronM and 5 nM and monitored by the fluorescence change of xiATP. The results were quantitatively explained by a two-step mechanism: a reversible dissociation of the actin-nucleotide complex followed by a fast irreversible inactivation of nucleotide-free G-actin. Under normal conditions (0.8 mM CaCl2, pH 8.2,21 degrees C), the rate-limiting step was the dissociation of the nucleotide-G-actin complex. The half-time of the dissociation of xiATP from G-actin was 290 s as compared to only 13 s for the following denaturation step of nucleotide-free actin. 1 mM EDTA highly accelerated the dissociation step and, regardless of its concentration, the complex dissociated quantitatively within 1 min. Addition of Ca2+ within 20 s after EDTA addition induced a re-association of xiATP with nucleotide-free but still native G-actin. This reversal was kinetically resolved by means of a multimixing stopped-flow apparatus. The association rate constant was 6 X 10(6) M-1s-1. From the association and dissociation rate constant, a value of 2.5 X (10(9) M-1 was calculated for the binding constant of xiATP to G-actin. The binding constant of ATP (1.4 X 10(10) M-1) was derived from the relative binding constant of xiATP and ATP as determined by fluorescence titration of xiATP-G-actin with ATP. These binding constants are 10(3)-10(4) times higher than values reported earlier on the basis of more indirect data.     

Impact of chromium ions on nucleoside triphosphates and nucleic acids.

Chromatography on hydroxyapatite, polarography, and spectroscopy have been used to evaluate the interactions of Cr(III) and Cr(VI) with DNA and nucleoside triphosphates. Cr(III) catalyzes the removal of pyrophosphate from nucleoside triphosphate (NTP) molecules. It also causes extensive aggregations of DNA through DNA-DNA cross-linking. Cr(VI) does not affect the DNA structure unless reduced to lower oxidation states.     

Recognition of nucleoside triphosphates during RNA-catalyzed primer extension

In support of the idea that certain RNA molecules might be able to catalyze RNA replication, a ribozyme was previously generated that synthesizes short segments of RNA in a reaction modeled after that of proteinaceous RNA polymerases. Here, we describe substrate recognition by this polymerase ribozyme. Altering base or sugar moieties of the nucleoside triphosphate only moderately affects its utilization, provided that the alterations do not disrupt Watson-Crick pairing to the template. Correctly paired nucleotides have both a lower K(m) and a higher k(cat), suggesting that differential binding and orientation each play roles in discriminating matched from mismatched nucleotides. Binding of the pyrophosphate leaving group appears weak, as evidenced by a very inefficient pyrophosphate-exchange reaction, the reverse of the primer-extension reaction. Indeed, substitutions at the gamma-phosphate can be tolerated, although poorly. Thio substitutions of oxygen atoms at the reactive phosphate exert effects similar to those seen with cellular polymerases, leaving open the possibility of an active site analogous to those of protein enzymes. The polymerase ribozyme, derived from an efficient RNA ligase ribozyme, can achieve the very fast k(cat) of the parent ribozyme when the substrate of the polymerase (GTP) is replaced by an extended substrate (pppGGA), in which the GA dinucleotide extension corresponds to the second and third nucleotides of the ligase. This suggests that the GA dinucleotide, which had been deleted when converting the ligase into a polymerase, plays an important role in orienting the 5'-terminal nucleoside. Polymerase constructs that restore this missing orientation function should achieve much more efficient and perhaps more accurate RNA polymerization.