Purification and characterization of urease from dehusked pigeonpea (Cajanus cajan L) seeds

Urease has been purified from the dehusked seeds of pigeonpea (Cajanus cajan L.) to apparent electrophoretic homogeneity with approximately 200 fold purification, with a specific activity of 6.24 x10(3) U mg(-1) protein. The enzyme was purified by the sequence of steps, namely, first acetone fractionation, acid step, a second acetone fractionation followed by gel filtration and anion-exchange chromatographies. Single band was observed in both native- and SDS-PAGE. The molecular mass estimated for the native enzyme was 540 kDa whereas subunit values of 90 kDa were determined. Hence, urease is a hexamer of identical subunits. Nickel was observed in the purified enzyme from atomic absorption spectroscopy with approximately 2 nickel ions per enzyme subunit. Both jack bean and soybean ureases are serologically related to pigeonpea urease. The amino acid composition of pigeonpea urease shows high acidic amino acid content. The N-terminal sequence of pigeonpea urease, determined up to the 20th residue, was homologous to that of jack bean and soybean seed ureases. The optimum pH was 7.3 in the pH range 5.0-8.5. Pigeonpea urease shows K(m) for urea of 3.0+/-0.2 mM in 0.05 M Tris-acetate buffer, pH 7.3, at 37 degrees C. The turnover number, k(cat), was observed to be 6.2 x 10(4) s(-1) and k(cat)/K(m) was 2.1 x 10(7) M(-1) s(-1). Pigeonpea urease shows high specificity for its primary substrate urea.     

Structure and possible ureide degrading function of the ubiquitous urease of soybean

Ubiquitous soybean urease, as opposed to the seed-specific urease, designates the seemingly identical ureolytic activities of suspension cultures and leaves. It also appears to be the basal urease in developing seeds of a variety, Itachi, which lacks the seed-specific urease (Polacco, Winkler 1984 Plant Physiol 74: 800-804). On native polyacrylamide gels the ureolytic activities in crude extracts of these three tissues comigrate as determined by assays of gel slices. At this level of resolution the ubiquitous urease also migrates with or close to the fast (trimeric) form of the seed-specific urease.

The ubiquitous urease was purified approximately 100-fold from suspension cultures of two cultivars (Itachi and Prize) as well as from developing seeds of Itachi. These partially purified preparations allowed visualization of native urease on polyacrylamide gels by activity staining and of urease subunits on denaturing lithium dodecyl sulfate gels by electrophoretic transfer to nitrocellulose and immunological detection (“Western Blot”). The ubiquitous urease holoenzyme migrates slightly less rapidly than the fast seed urease in native gels; its subunit migrates slightly less rapidly than the 93.5 kilodaltons subunit of either the fast or slow (hexameric) seed enzyme. The ubiquitous urease elutes from an agarose A-0.5 meter column with the fast form of the seed urease species suggesting that the ubiquitous urease, like the fast seed urease, exists as a trimeric holoenzyme. The soybean cultivar, Prize, produces the hexameric seed urease; yet its ubiquitous urease (from leaf and suspension culture) is trimeric.

The pH dependence of the ureolytic activity of seed coats of both seed urease-negative (Itachi) and seed urease-positive (Williams) cultivars suggests that this activity is exclusively the ubiquitous urease. Its relatively higher levels in seed coats than in embryos of Itachi suggests that the ubiquitous urease is involved in degradation of urea derived from ureides. Consistent with a ureide origin for urea is the observation that addition of a urease inhibitor, phenylphosphordiamidate, to extracts of developing Itachi seeds (seed coat plus embryo) results in accumulation of urea from allantoic acid.

     

Host plant urease in the hemolymph of the silkworm, Bombyx mori

Urease activity was detected in the hemolymph of the silkworm, Bombyx mori from the beginning of spinning to the pharate adult stage if the larvae were reared on mulberry leaves throughout the 5th-instar (the last larval instar). In contrast, no urease activity was detected in the hemolymph of insects fed artificial diets, resulting in accumulation of urea during the spinning stage. To identify the hemolymph urease, the enzyme was highly purified from the hemolymph of the spinning larvae that had been reared on mulberry leaves and the properties of the purified enzyme were compared with those of the mulberry leaf urease. Four out of six monoclonal antibodies raised against jack bean seed urease cross-reacted equally with the silkworm hemolymph urease and the mulberry leaf urease. Under reducing conditions, the hemolymph urease and the mulberry leaf urease migrated at 90.5 kDa on SDS-PAGE gels. The first 20 N-terminal sequence of the hemolymph urease revealed complete identity with that of the leaf urease. The optimum pH for activity and Km value for urea were almost the same for the two enzymes. In conclusion, these two ureases are very likely identical, strongly suggesting that the mulberry leaf urease passes through the larval gut wall into the hemolymph without being digested. In addition, oral administration of mulberry leaf urease just before spinning induced considerable urease activity in the hemolymph of the larvae, but the same treatment did not induce enzyme activity in the hemolymph of the larvae three days before the onset of spinning. These results suggest that the silkworm larvae acquire the host plant urease specifically at the end of the feeding stage in order to degrade urea accumulated in the hemolymph.     

Helicobacter pylori utilises urea for amino acid synthesis

Abstract Helicobacter pylori has one of the highest urease activities of all known bacteria. Its enzymatic production of ammonia protects the organism from acid damage by gastric juice. The possibility that the urease activity allows the bacterium to utilise urea as a nitrogen source for the synthesis of amino acids was investigated. H. pylori (NCTC 11638) was incubated with 50 mM urea, enriched to 5 atom% excess ¹⁵N, that is the excess enrichment of ¹⁵N above the normal background, in the presence of either NaCl pH 6.0, or 0.2M citrate pH 6.0. E. coli (NCTC 9001) was used as a urease-negative control. ¹⁵N enrichment was detected by isotope ratio mass spectrometry. H. pylori showed intracellular incorporation of ¹⁵N in the presence of citrate buffer pH 6.0 but there was no significant incorporation of ¹⁵N in unbuffered saline or by E. coli in either pH 6.0 citrate buffer or unbuffered saline. The intracellular fate of the urea-nitrogen was determined by means of gas chromatography/mass spectrometry following incubation with ¹⁵N enriched 5 mM urea in the presence of either 0.2 M citrate buffer pH 6.0 or 0.2 M acetate buffer pH 6.0. After 5 min incubation in either buffer the ¹⁵n label appeared in glutamate, glutamine, phenylalanine, aspartate and alanine. It appears, therefore, that at pH and urea concentrations typical of the gastric mucosal surface, H. pylori utilises exogenous urea as a nitrogen source for amino acid synthesis. The ammonia produced by H. pylori urease activity thus facilitates the organism's nitrogen metabolism at neutral pH as well as protecting it from acid damage at low pH.     

Pleiotropic soybean mutants defective in both urease isozymes

Summary Two new soybean [Glycine max (L.) Merr. cv. Williams] loci, designated Eu2 and Eu3, were identified in which ethyl methanesulfonate (EMS)-induced mutation eliminated urease activity. These loci showed no linkage to each other or to the Sun-Eul locus described in the accompanying paper (Meyer-Bothling and Polacco 1987). Unlike sun (seed urease-null) mutations those at Eu2 and Eu3 affected both urease isozymes: the embryo-specific (seed) and the ubiquitous (leaf) urease. The eu2/eu2 mutant had no leaf activity and 0.6% normal seed activity. Two mutant Eu3 alleles were recovered, eu3-e1 and Eu3-e3. The eu3-e1/eu3-e1 genotype lacked both activities while Eu3-e3/Eu3-e3 had coordinately reduced leaf (0.1%) and seed (0.1%) activities. Only the Eu3-e3 mutation showed partial dominance, yielding about 5%–10% normal activity for each urease in the heterozygous state. Each homozygous mutant contained normal levels of embryo-specific urease mRNA and protein subunit, both of normal size. However, urease polymerization was aberrant in all three mutants. In all cases where urease could be measured, it was found to be temperature sensitive and, in addition, the embryospecific urease of Eu3-e3/Eu3-e3 had an altered pH dependence. These mutants may be defective in a urease maturation function common to both isozymes as suggested by the normal levels of urease gene product, coordinately (or nearly so) reduced urease isozyme activities, temperature sensitivity in both ureases (Eu3-e3) and the non-linkage of Eu2 and Eu3 to the locus encoding embryo-specific urease (Sun-Eul). Ubiquitous urease activity is reduced in mutant seed coat and callus culture as well as in leaf and cotyledon tissue. No mutant callus utilized urea (5 to 10 nM) as sole nitrogen source. However, all mutant cell lines tolerated normally toxic levels of urea (25 to 250 mM) added to medium containing KNO₃/NH₄NO₃ as nitrogen source. Urea thus may be used in cell culture as a selection agent for phenotypes either lacking or regaining an active ubiquitous urease.     

Contamination of oat mesophyll protoplasts by apoplastic polyamine oxidase

Mesophyll protoplasts isolated from peeled oat ( Avena sativa L. cv Victory) leaves with 1% (w/v) Cellulysin in 20 m M KPO₄, pH 5.5 and 0.6 M sorbitol retain about 6% of the polyamine oxidase (PAO, EC 1.4.3.4) activity of the whole peeled leaf. However, more than 99% of the oat leaf PAO activity is apoplastic and can be extracted by vacuum infiltration with 200 m M NaCl and this procedure extracts no activity for the cytoplasmic marker enzyme glucose-6-phosphate dehydrogenase (G6PD, EC 1.1.1.49). By these criteria we consider PAO in oat leaves to be totally apoplastic and PAO found in the isolated protoplast to be contamination. The degree of protoplast contamination by PAO depends on the pH and ionic strength of the isolating and washing medium. It can be eliminated by washing protoplasts in 0.6 M sorbitol with 100 m M KPO₄, pH 6.5. Pellets of lysed protoplasts incubated with dialyzed apoplastic enzymes in 5 m M KPO₄, pH 5.5 adsorb about 87% of the added PAO activity but only about 25% of the added peroxidase (EC 1.11.1.7) activity. The adsorbed activity can be solubilized from the pellet by extraction with 1 M NaCl. The results demonstrate that weakly ionically bound cell wall enzymes may contaminate protoplasts isolated and purified by conventional techniques.     

Biochemical characterization of nitrate and nitrite reduction in the wild-type and a nitrate reductase mutant of soybean

Enzyme activities involved in nitrate assimilation were analyzed from crude leaf extracts of wild-type (cv. Williams) and mutant ( nr₁ ) soybean [ Glycine max (L.) Merr.] plants lacking constitutive nitrate reductase (NR) activity. The nr₁ soybean mutant (formerly LNR-2), had decreased NADH-NR, FMNH₂-NR and cytochrome c reductase activities, all of which were associated with the loss of constitutive NR activity. Measurement of FMNH₂-NR activity, by nitrite determination, was accurate since nitrite reductase could not use FMNH₂ as a reductant source. Nitrite reductase activity was normal in the nr₁ plant type in the presence of reduced methyl viologen. Assuming that constitutive NR is similar in structure to nitrate reductases from other plants, presence of xanthine dehydrogenase activity and loss of cytochrome c reductase activity indicated that the apoprotein and not the molybdenum cofactor had been affected in the constitutive enzyme of the mutant. Constitutive NR from urea-grown wild-type plants had 1) greater ability to use FMNH₂ as an electron donor, 2) a lower pH optimum, and 3) decreased ability to distinguish between NO₃⁻ and HCO₃⁻, compared with inducible NR from NO₃⁻-grown nr₁ plants. The presence in soybean leaves of a nitrate reductase with a pH optimum of 7.5 is contrary to previous reports and indicates that soybean is not an exception among higher plants for this activity.     

Unusual regulatory properties of sucrose-phosphate synthase purified from soybean (Glycine max) leaves

Sucrose-phosphate (SPS) from source leaves of soybean ( Glycine max (L.) Merr. cv. Ransom II) was purified 74-fold to a final specific activity of 1.8 U (mg protein)¹. The partially purified preparation was free from phosphoglucoseisomerase (EC 5.3.1.9), pyrophosphatase (EC 3.6.1.1), phosphoenolpyruvate-phosphatase (EC 3.1.3.-), phosphofructokinase (EC 2.7.1.11), and uridine diphosphatase (EC 3.6.1.6), and was used for characterization of the kinetic and regulatory properties of the enzyme. The enzyme showed hyperbolic saturation kinetics for both fructose-6-phosphate (K_m=0.57 m M ) and UDPGlucose (UDPG) (K_m=4.8 m M ). The activity of SPS was inhibited by the product UDP. In vitro this inhibition could be partially overcome by the presence of Mg²⁺. Inorganic orthophosphate was only slightly inhibitory (35% inhibition at 25 m M phosphate). Glucose-6-phosphate (up to 20 m M ) had no effect on activity, and did not show any significant interaction with phosphate inhibition. A range of potential effectors was tested and had no effect on SPS activity: Glucose-1-phosphate, fructose-1, 6-bisphosphate, α-glycero-phosphate, dihydroxyacetone-phosphate, 3-phosphoglyceric acid, (all at 5 m M ), sucrose at 100 m M and pyrophosphate at 0.1 m M . The apparent lack of allosteric regulation of soybean SPS makes this enzyme markedly different from SPS previously characterized from spinach and maize.     

The presence of two types of β-cyanoalanine synthase in germinating seeds and their responses to ethylene

Germinating seeds of many species contain two types of β-cyanoalanine synthase (CAS, EC 4.4.1.9) that convert HCN to β-cyanoalanine. One is cytoplasmic CAS (cyt-CAS), which is precipitated by 50 to 60% (NH₄)₂SO₄ and has a pH optimum of 10.5. Cytoplasmic CAS is present at high levels in dry seed and its activity does not increase during imbibition. The activity of cyt-CAS is not affected by exogenously applied ethylene (C₂H₄), except in rice ( Oryza sativa cv. Sasanishiki). The second type of CAS found in seed is mitochondrial CAS (mit-CAS), which is precipitated by 60 to 70% (NH₄)₂SO₄ and has a pH optimum of 9.5. Mitochondrial CAS is present at low levels in dry seed, and its activity increases greatly during imbibition in the seeds of all species tested. Exposure to C₂H₄ stimulated mit-CAS activity in seeds of rice, barley ( Hordeum vulgare cv. Hadakamugi). cucumber ( Cucumis sativus cv. Kagafushinari) and cocklebur ( Xanthium pennsylvanicum ). The increase in the mit-CAS activity in cocklebur in response to C₂H₄ commenced alter a lag period of 2 to 3 h when the duration of soaking was short (16 h), but commenced without a lag period when the seeds were soaked for three months. Application of both chloramphenicol and cycloheximide to the axial and cotyledonary tissues of cocklebur seeds strongly inhibited growth as well as the increase in mit-CAS activity. It is postulated that the mit-CAS is synthesized de novo during imbibition and that its activity is regulated by C₂H₄, CO₂ which also promotes seed germination in some species, was ineffective m stimulating mit-CAS activity in cocklebur seeds.     

碳添加下黑钙土胞内、胞外脲酶活性变化及其机制

土壤脲酶作为能够催化尿素水解的最重要酶类,对草地生态系统氮素供应具有重要作用。目前探讨不同碳添加对草地土壤胞外脲酶影响的研究报道相对较多,但碳添加对土壤胞内脲酶的影响,以及胞内和胞外脲酶对碳添加的响应是否一致等尚需深入研究。本研究依托额尔古纳森林草原过渡带生态系统研究站开展的碳添加野外试验平台(以葡萄糖为碳源),选取无碳添加(C₀)、250(C₂₅₀)和500(C₅₀₀) kg C·hm^-2·a^-1处理为供试对象,探讨碳添加下黑钙土胞内、胞外脲酶活性响应及其与土壤性质的关系。结果表明: 碳添加显著提高了土壤胞内脲酶活性,增加了土壤胞内脲酶活性占总脲酶活性的比例,但对土壤胞外脲酶活性没有显著影响。土壤胞内脲酶活性与微生物生物量具有显著正相关关系,表明胞内脲酶活性增加主要是由微生物生物量增加引起的。结构方程模型(SEM)分析表明,碳添加通过影响土壤微生物生物量间接提高了土壤胞内脲酶活性。     

Modulation by weak bases or weak acids of the pH of cell sap and phosphoenolpyruvate carboxylase activity in leaf discs of C4 plants

When leaf discs of a C₄ species, Alternanthera pungens (L.) H.B. and K. or Amaranthus hypochondriacus L., were preincubated in 7.5 m M NH₄Cl, the pH of the cell sap increased by nearly 0.3 unit, while the activity of phosphoenolpyruvate carboxylase (PEPC) about doubled compared to the cell sap from control leaf discs (preincubated in 5 m M Tricine‐KOH, pH 8.5). The sensitivity of PEPC to L ‐malate (a feedback inhibitor) decreased marginally as a result of cytosolic alkalization. The pH of the cell sap and PEPC activity decreased by nearly 0.4 unit and 50%, respectively, when leaf discs were incubated in weak organic acids such as propionic, butyric or salicylic acid. Thus, our results demonstrate a marked modulation in vivo of cell sap pH and PEPC activity in leaf discs from C₄ plants by external alkalizing or acidifying reagents. The rise in PEPC activity due to alkalization of leaf discs was not sensitive to cycloheximide, implying that cytosolic protein synthesis was not involved in the activation of PEPC. Despite the marked increase in the PEPC activity due to the base‐loading of leaf discs, the change in malate sensitivity of the enzyme was only marginal, indicating that there was no significant increase in the extent of PEPC‐phosphorylation. Besides the physiological significance, the technique of acid/ base‐loading may be an important tool for studying the regulation of PEPC in leaf discs of C₄ species, since the activity of PEPC could be enhanced apparently without phosphorylation of the enzyme.     

GTP-specific pyrophosphorylation of thiamin in dark-grown soybean (Glycine max) seedling axes

ATP:thiamin pyrophosphotransferase (TPT: EC 2.7.6.2) was purified 5 900-fold from 48 h dark-grown soybean [ Glycine max (L.), Merr. cv. Ransom II] seedling axes. TPT activity was monitored during purification by measuring the formation of thiamin pyrophosphate (TPP) from [2-¹⁴C]-thiamin at optimal pH (7.3). Although other nucleoside triophosphates were active as pyrophosphate donors (apparent K_ms from 21 to 138 m M ), GTP was the preferred nucleotide with an apparent K_m of 0.021 m M . TPT activity was extremely sensitive to TPP formation, suggesting product feedback inhibition of TPT activity in vivo. Sulfhydryl, H⁺ and Mg²⁺ concentrations, either independently or in concert, were found to affect TPT activity.     

Properties and localization of the homoglutathione synthetase from Phaseolus coccineus leaves

The synthesis of homoglutathione (hGSH) by several plants of the tribe Phaseoleae is shown to be catalysed by a β-alanine-specific hGSH synthetase, Properties of the enzyme from Phaseolus coccineus L. cv. Preisgewinner were studied, using ammonium sulfate precipitates of primary leaf extracts. The hGSH synthetase showed a broad pH optimum at pH 8–9, an absolute requirement for Mg²⁺, a stimulation by K⁺, and a high affinity for γ-glutamylcysteine [K_m(app.) 73 μ M ]. The enzyme exhibited a high specificity for β-alanine [K_m(app.) 1.34 m M ] compared to glycine [K_m(app.) 98 m M ]. Chloroplasts, isolated from the leaves of Phaseolus coccineus , contained about 17% of the hGSH synthetase activity in the leaf cells.     

Photoactivation of the latent water-oxidizing complex in photosystem II membranes isolated from dark-grown spruce seedlings

Photosystem II membranes (D-PSII) were isolated from dark-grown spruce seedlings. All major PSII proteins except the 17- and 23-kDa extrinsic proteins were present in D-PSII. O₂ evolution and Mn content in D-PSII were negligible, while PSII-donor activity showed a value comparable to that of NH₂OH-treated PSII membranes (NH₂OH-L-PSII) from light-grown seedlings. Light incubation of D-PSII with 1 m M MnCl₂, 50 m M CaCl₂ and 100 μ M DCIP at pH 5.3 resulted in activation of the latent water-oxidizing complex. Accomplishment of photoactivation of PSII membranes from dark-grown spruce seedlings clearly indicates that only ligation of Mn²⁺ to the apo-water oxidizing complex is required for expression of O₂ evolution, and that protein synthesis is not involved in the photoactivation process. There was no essential difference between 'photoactivation' of naturally Mn-free PSII membranes and 'photoreactivation' of artificially Mn-depleted PSII membranes on kinetics, pH dependence, Mn²⁺-concentration dependence. However, kinetics and pH dependence of photoactivation were appreciably different in spruce PSII membranes and in PSII membranes of angiosperms such as wheat and spinach.     

Salicylhydroxamic acid-stimulated NADH oxidation by purified plasmalemma vesicles from wheat roots

Purified, right side-out plasmalemma vesicles were isolated from 7-day-old roots of dark-grown wheat ( Triticum aestivum L. cv. Drabant) by aqueous polymer two-phase partitioning. The oxygen consumption by these vesicles at pH 6.5 in the presence of 1 m M NADH [12–29 nmol (mg protein)⁻¹min⁻¹] was 66% inhibited by 1 m M KCN and ca 40% by 1 m M EDTA. It was unaffected by rotenone, antimycin A, carbonyl cyanide trifluoromethoxyphenylhydrazone (FCCP), mersalyl, chlorotetracycline + Ca²⁺, and EGTA. Salicylhydroxamic acid (SHAM) and its analogue, m -chlorobenzhydroxamic acid, stimulated the rate of oxygen consumption 10–20 fold in the presence of 1 m M NAD(P)H with an apparent K_m (SHAM) of ca 40 μ M (with NADH). The dependence of O₂ consumption on NADH concentration in the presence of SHAM (2 m M ) was sigmoidal, possibly due to endogenous catalase activity, and half-maximal rate was obtained at 1.5 m M . In the absence of SHAM the rate increased with increasing acidity and no pH optimum was detectable between pH 4.5 and 8.5. In the presence of SHAM an optimum was observed at pH 6.5 and 0.8 mol of H₂O₂ was produced for every 1 mol O₂ consumed. Endogenous catalase converted this H₂O₂ to O₂ and after complete conversion the stoichiometry was 2 mol NADH consumed for every mol O₃. SHAM was not consumed in the reaction. The possible involvement of a cytochrome P-450/420 system is discussed.     

The occurrence of inorganic pyrophosphate: d-fructose-6-phosphate 1-phosphotransferase in higher plants. I. Initial characterization of partially purified enzyme from Sanseviera trifasciata leaves

Among 30 plant species examined, the PPi-phosphofructokinase (EC 2.7.1.90) was found in leaves of 21 plants. Some of the plants exhibit no activity of ATP-dependent phosphofructokinase but display only activity of PPi-phosphofructokinase. A partly purified preparation of PPi-phosphofructokinase with specific activity of 8.4 Hmol (mg protein)⁻¹ min⁻¹ was obtained from Sanseviera trifasciata leaves. The enzyme is restricted to the cytoplasm, it exhibits pronounced substrate specifity, requires Mg²⁺ ions, is inhibited by AMP, PEP, methylenediphosphonate and stabilized by mercaptoethanol. At pH 7.8 with 1.5 m M MgCl₂ the following K_M values were observed: pyrophosphate, 0.58 m M ; fructose 6-phosphate, 0.8 m M . The K_M values for substrates of reverse reaction (pH 7.3; 2 m M MgCl₂) are of the same order of magnitude: 0.83 m M for fructose 1,6-diphosphate, and 0.14 m M for orthophosphate. The molecular weight of the studied enzyme is about 125 000 dalton as estimated by gel filtration.     

Phosphoenolpyruvate carboxylase in root nodules of Vicia faba: Partial purification and properties

Phosphoenolpyruvate carboxylase (PEPC, EC 4.1.1.31) was purified 56-fold from Vicia faba root nodules to a specific activity of 24.8 units mg^-1 protein. Native molecular mass was determined to be 443 kDa by gel permeation chromatography, whereas a molecular mass of 113 kDa was obtained for the subunit by means of SDS-PAGE, indicating that the enzyme is a homotetramer. One peak of activity was obtained by ion-exchange chromatography or gel filtration, and thus there was no evidence of isoenzymes. The effect of pH on PEPC activity was studied, the pH optimum found at 8.25. The effect of substrate (phosphoenolpyruvate, PEP) on the enzyme activity was studied at five different pH values from 6.5 to 9.5. The K_m(PEP) at pH 8.25 proved to be 0.064 m M. Inhibition by malate or activation by glucose-6-phosphate was dependent on the pH of the reaction mixture. Malate behaved as a non-competitive mixed-type inhibitor with a K_i of 0.76 m M , a K_i(s) of 1.15 m M and a K_i(i) of 0.72 m M , at pH 7.0 while at pH 8.25 K_i was about 140 m M. Activation by glucose-6-P was 70% with 4 m M PEP at pH 7, whereas no effect was found at pH 8.25. Experiments with mixed effectors at pH 7 and 1 m M PEP, showed that glucose-6-P can reverse the inhibition caused by L-malate on the PEPC activity.     

Purification and properties of urease from the leaf of mulberry, Morus alba

Urease was purified from leaves of mulberry (Morus alba, L.) by ammonium sulfate fractionation, acetone fractionation and sequential column chromatography including Q-Sepharose HP, Phenyl-Sepharose HP, Superdex 200 HR and Mono Q. The enzyme was purified 5700-fold to apparent homogeneity with a recovery of 3.6%. The molecular mass of the enzyme was determined to be 90.5 kDa by sodium dodecyl sulfate-polyacrylamide gel electrophoresis analysis and 175 kDa by gel filtration, indicating that the enzyme was a homodimer. In the western blot analysis, 90.5 kDa subunit of the mulberry leaf urease cross-reacted with antiserum raised against jack bean seed urease. The N-terminal sequence of the first 20 residues of the enzyme revealed that it has a high similarity (80-90%) to ureases from other plant sources, suggesting that the mulberry leaf urease is closely related to other plant ureases. However, the mulberry leaf enzyme showed an optimum pH for activity of 9.0, while the optimum pH of most ureases isolated from plants and bacterial is neutral. In addition, the K(m) value for urea was 0.16 mM, which is lower than those of ureases from other sources. It is also proposed that urease activity ingested by browsing silkworm releases ammonia that is subsequently used in silkworm protein synthesis.     

Characteristics of ammonium absorption by excised root and leaf tissues of maize

Absorption of ammonium from solutions of ammonium chloride by maize ( Zea mays L. cv. GS-2) tissue was studied. In contrast to an initial rapid phase of absorption in root tissue, a one hour lag period was recorded in leaf tissue. The maximum rate of uptake was observed at 5–10 m M NH₄Cl in both tissues. Roots had a K_m value of 1.0 m M and V_max of 24.3 μmol ammonium (g fresh weight)⁻¹ h⁻¹, whereas the leaf tissue had a higher K_m (4.1 m M ) and a lower V_max (8.7 μmol). There was a concentration dependent increase in ethanol soluble and insoluble fractions of organic nitrogen during ammonium supply. The optimum pH for ammonium absorption for both tissues was 7.4. The optimal concentration of CaCl₂ for ammonium absorption was 5 m M whereas that of KCl was only 1 m M . In both tissues, the absorption was inhibited substantially by DCMU, DNP, cycloheximide, lincomycin, sodium tungstate, sodium arsenate and to some extent also by the anions nitrate and sulfate. It is suggested that a carrier is involved in an active uptake of ammonium in the leaf tissues.