Comparison of Phosphoenolpyruvate-Carboxykinase from Autotrophically and Heterotrophically Grown Euglena and Its Role during Dark Anaerobiosis

Euglena gracilis (1224-5/9) contains phosphoenolpyruvate carboxykinase when grown autotrophic with CO₂ in the light. Its yield is higher when an additional carbon source like glucose has been added. The enzyme is lacking in cells provided with CO₂ alone and kept in the dark, whereas highest yields result if both glucose and CO₂ are provided together in the dark. The enzyme was purified by ammonium sulfate precipitation, gel filtration on Sephacryl S-300 and affinity chromatography on GMP-Sepharose. The latter step was most effective to protect the enzyme from inactivation. Its homogeneity was tested electrophoretically and immunologically. Enzymes from autotrophic and heterotrophically grown cells have identical pH optima and similar isoelectric points. The molecular weight was different: 761,000 for the enzyme from autotrophic and 550,000 for that from heterotrophic cells as determined by gel filtration. The subunit molecular weight of both enzymes is nearly the same. The kinetic data of the enzymes are slightly different. Glycolytic and tricarboxylic acid cycle intermediates are of limited influence on enzyme activity and inhibitory in unphysiological high concentrations. From Ouchterlony double immunodiffusion and enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay, it is evident that the enzyme is localized in the cytosol. With the latter quantification test the phosphoenolpyruvate carboxykinase protein content was found 10 times higher in heterotrophically grown cells than when cultivated under autotrophic conditions.     

Plastid Class I and Cytosol Class II Aldolase of Euglena gracilis (Purification and Characterization)

The plastidic class I and cytosolic class II aldolases of Euglena gracilis have been purified to apparent homogeneity. In autotrophically grown cells, up to 81% of the total activity is due to class I activity, whereas in heterotrophically grown cells, it is only 7%. The class I aldolase has been purified to a specific activity of 20 units/mg protein by anion-exchange chromatography, affinity chromatography, and gel filtration. The native enzyme (molecular mass 160 kD) consisted of four identical subunits of 40 kD. The class II aldolase was purified to a specific activity of 21 units/mg by (NH4)2SO4 fractionation, anion-exchange chromatography, chromatography on hydroxylapatite, and gel filtration. The native enzyme (molecular mass 80 kD) consisted of two identical subunits of 38 kD. The Km (fructose-1,6-bisphosphate) values were 12 [mu]M for the class I enzyme and 175 [mu]M for the class II enzyme. The class II aldolase was inhibited by 1 mM ethylenediaminetetraacetate (EDTA), 0.8 mM cysteine, 0.5 mM Zn2+, or 0.5 mM Cu2+. Na+, K+, Rb+, and NH4+ (but not Li+ or Cs+) enhanced the activity up to 7-fold. After inactivation by EDTA, the activity could be partially restored by Mn2+, Cu2+, or Co2+. A subclassification of class II aldolases is proposed based on (a) activation/inhibition by Cys and (b) activation or not by divalent ions.     

Purification and characterization of the recombinant human aldose reductase expressed in baculovirus system

Large quantities of recombinant human aldose reductase were produced using Spodoptera frugiperda cells and properties of the enzyme were characterized. Direct purification of the recombinant aldose reductase by affinity column chromatography using Matrex gel orange A yielded a single 36 kDa band, similar in size to the purified human muscle aldose reductase, on a sodium dodecyl sulfate-polyacrylamide gel after silver staining. The isoelectric point of the recombinant enzyme was 5.85 which is identical to the human muscle aldose reductase. Following the treatment with an acylamino-acid releasing enzyme, the blocked NH2-terminal amino acid was identified to be acetylalanine. The successive NH2-terminal sequence and that of the COOH-terminal peptide concurred with the expected translated sequence. Kinetic analyses of the recombinant enzyme activity for various substrates and the cofactor, NADPH, demonstrated a good agreement with the previously reported kinetic data on the purified human aldose reductase. A high concentration of (NH4)2SO4 elicited a significant increase in both Km and Kcat for DL-glyceraldehyde as well as D-glucose. Although IC50 values for most of the aldose reductase inhibitors with recombinant enzyme were found to fall within the comparable range of those obtained with nonhuman mammalian enzymes, the IC50 value for epalrestat was more than 10-fold higher in the recombinant enzyme. These results indicate that the recombinant human aldose reductase expressed in the baculovirus system possesses structurally and enzymatically similar properties as those reported for the native human enzyme and should serve as a superior enzyme preparation to nonhuman mammalian enzymes for the screening of the efficacy and potency of newly developed aldose reductase inhibitors.     

狂犬病病毒重组免疫毒素的表达及其生物活性鉴定

将狂犬病病毒中和性单链抗体基因克隆入原核表达载体pET-PE40,经酶切鉴定及序列测定,成功构建了重组免疫毒素原核表达载体。IPTG诱导后目的蛋白获得高效表达,SDS-PAGE分析目的蛋白主要以不溶性包涵体的形式存在于菌体中,表达量占菌体总蛋白的32.29％。包涵体蛋白经体外复性及离子交换色谱柱、疏水作用色谱柱、Sephadex G200凝胶过滤层析柱三步纯化后获得纯度大于96％的目的蛋白,间接免疫荧光染色检测表明重组免疫毒素与狂犬病病毒感染细胞具有抗原结合活性,MTT试验显示,重组免疫毒素对狂犬病病毒感染细胞具有明显的杀伤作用,而对正常细胞无杀伤作用。     

On the nature of the activating enzyme of the inactive form of delta-aminolevulinate synthetase in Rhodopseudomonas spheroides.

The activating enzyme of the inactive form of Fraction I of delta-aminolevulinate (ALA) synthetase [EC 2.3.1.37] in Rhodopseudomonas (R.) spheroides was purified about 1,000-fold from an extract of R. spheroides cells grown anaerobically in the light. The purification of the activating enzyme was achieved by fractionating the 100,000 X g supernatant fraction of the crude extract with ammonium sulfate and acetone, followed by Sephadex G-200 chromatography, pyridoxamine phosphate-Sepharose 4B chromatography, and preparative gel electrophoresis. The final preparation of the activating enzyme still contained a minor contaminant (less than 20%) as judged by disc gel electrophoresis. The activating enzyme exhibited cystathionase [EC 4.4.1.1] activity throughout the purification. These two enzyme activities were not separated at all during any step of the purification. An apparently homogeneous preparation of cystathionase [EC 4.4.1.8] purified from rat liver also exhibited activating activity in the presence of L-cystine. It was concluded that the activating enzyme is a cystathionase.     

Characterization of a novel beta-galactosidase from Bifidobacterium adolescentis DSM 20083 active towards transgalactooligosaccharides

This paper reports on the effects of both reducing and nonreducing transgalactooligosaccharides (TOS) comprising 2 to 8 residues on the growth of Bifidobacterium adolescentis DSM 20083 and on the production of a novel beta-galactosidase (beta-Gal II). In cells grown on TOS, in addition to the lactose-degrading beta-Gal (beta-Gal I), another beta-Gal (beta-Gal II) was detected and it showed activity towards TOS but not towards lactose. beta-Gal II activity was at least 20-fold higher when cells were grown on TOS than when cells were grown on galactose, glucose, and lactose. Subsequently, the enzyme was purified from the cell extract of TOS-grown B. adolescentis by anion-exchange chromatography, adsorption chromatography, and size-exclusion chromatography. Beta-Gal II has apparent molecular masses of 350 and 89 kDa as judged by size-exclusion chromatography and sodium dodecyl sulfate-polyacrylamide gel electrophoresis, respectively, indicating that the enzyme is active in vivo as a tetramer. Beta-Gal II had an optimal activity at pH 6 and was not active below pH 5. Its optimum temperature was 35 degrees C. The enzyme showed highest V(max) values towards galactooligosaccharides with a low degree of polymerization. This result is in agreement with the observation that during fermentation of TOS, the di- and trisaccharides were fermented first. Beta-Gal II was active towards beta-galactosyl residues that were 1-->4, 1-->6, 1-->3, and 1 <--> 1 linked, signifying its role in the metabolism of galactooligosaccharides by B. adolescentis.     

Purification and Properties of Uricase from Enterobacter cloacae

Uricase activity was found in Enterobacter cloacae KY3074 grown on guanine, hypoxanthine, uric acid, and xanthine media. The enzyme was purified from cells grown on uric acid as a source of nitrogen. The purification procedure included ammonium sulfate fractionation, gel filtration on Sephadex G-150, and column chromatography on DEAE-cellulose and DEAE-Sephadex. The enzyme had a molecular weight of about 105,000 and was specific for uric acid. The optimum pH was around 9.5, and the activity was inhibited by the presence of potassium cyanide, Ag⁺ or Cu²⁺. This uricase can be used for estimation of uric acid.     

Purification and properties of Saccharomyces cerevisiae acetolactate synthase from recombinant Escherichia coli

The yeast ilv2 gene, encoding acetolactate synthase, was subcloned in an Escherichia coli expression vector. Although a major part of the acetolactate synthase synthesized by E. coli cells harbouring this vector was packaged into protein inclusion bodies, we used these recombinant E. coli cells to produce large quantities of the yeast enzyme. The yeast acetolactate synthase was purified to homogeneity using first streptomycin and ammonium sulfate precipitations, followed by T-gel thiophilic interaction, Sephacryl S-300 gel filtration, Mono Q anion exchange, and Superose 12 gel filtration chromatography. SDS/PAGE and gel filtration of the purified enzyme showed that it is a dimer composed of two subunits, each with the molecular mass of 75 kDa. The purified yeast acetolactate synthase was further characterized with respect to pH optimum, dependence of the substrate, pyruvate, and requirements of the cofactors, thiamin diphosphate, Mg2+, and FAD.     

Distribution of hexokinase isoenzymes depending on a carbon source in Saccharomyces cerevisiae.

DEAE cellulose chromatography and agar gel electrophoresis of glucose-phosphorylating enzymes in Saccharomyces cerevisiae showed the existence of glucokinase and two hexokinase isoenzymes ( designated as hexokinase I and II ). The distribution of hexokinase isoenzymes was dependent on a carbon source in the medium, while that of glucokinase was not dependent. The cells grown on 3 % ethanol as carbon source showed the isoenzyme pattern with predominant hexokinase I and a little hexokinase II. The isoenzyme pattern of the cells grown on 6 % glucose, which was differnt from that of the cells grown on ethanol, showed that hexokinase I and II were minor and major parts respectively. When the cells grown on 3 % ethanol were incubated on the medium containing 6 % glucose, hexokinase I was repressed and hexokinase II inducted. These facts suggest that two hexokinase isoenzymes, but not glucokinase, are adaptive enzyme.     

Alkaline and acid phosphatases from the extensively halotolerant bacteriumHalomonas elongata

Alkaline and acid phosphatases (EC 3.1.3.1 and EC 3.1.3.2, respectively) ofHalomonas elongata were cytochemically localized on the cell envelope. These enzymes were then isolated and partially purified by sonication, ammonium sulfate precipitation, and column chromatography from cells grown in alanine defined medium at 0.05, 1.37, and 3.4M NaCl. Enzyme assays were conducted at pH 5.0 and 9.0 with varying concentrations of NaCl, KCl, and LiCl in the assay buffer. Results showed higher acid phosphatase activity compared with that of alkaline phosphatase; and all enzyme activities were optimal at NaCl concentrations similar to the medium NaCl concentrations for the cells grown at 1.37 and 3.4M. However, minimum enzyme activities were observed for cells grown at the low salt concentration (0.05M). Although samples showed strong activities at some KCl concentrations, generally the enzyme activities decreased significantly when KCl or LiCl was substituted for NaCl. Polyacrylamide gel electrophoresis followed by histochemical staining for the phosphatases showed only one band for both enzymes for each cell sample grown at the different NaCl concentrations.     

Active human tissue plasminogen activator secreted from insect cells using a baculovirus vector

A baculovirus expression vector was constructed with the tissue plasminogen activator (TPA) cDNA under the control of the viral polyhedrin promoter. After infection of insect cells with the recombinant baculovirus, active TPA was secreted into the medium in which these cells were grown. TPA was isolated from the conditioned media using metal chelate affinity chromatography followed by immunoaffinity purification using mouse monoclonal anti-human TPA coupled to Sepharose. Sodium dodecyl sulfate-gel electrophoresis under reducing conditions and sequence analysis of recombinant human TPA have revealed a two-chain form of the enzyme. The N-terminal amino acid was identified to be serine, indicating that it was processed at its N-terminus by the insect cell culture in a manner similar to that observed for mammalian cells. The relative specific activity of recombinant TPA from insect cells is comparable to that of Bowes melanoma TPA standard. Its activity is stimulated in the presence of fibrinogen fragments, but by a factor about 2.3-fold lower than the Bowes melanoma TPA. The apparent molecular weight of recombinant TPA from insect cells was about 60K by fibrin agar activity gels, suggesting less complex glycosylation than recombinant TPA from mammalian cells.     

Molecular cloning and characterization of pentachlorophenol-degrading monooxygenase genes of Pseudomonas sp. from the chemostat.

Pseudomonas sp. strain IST 103 (PCP103) capable of utilizing pentachlorophenol (PCP) was determined by utilization of a carbon source and release of the hydroxylating enzyme PCP-4 monooxygenase. The metabolites were extracted from the culture medium and analyzed by high-performance liquid chromatography. The enzyme purified to apparent homogeneity from an extract of PCP-grown cells indicated that a fraction of DEAE-cellulose ion exchange chromatography of molecular size of 30,000 kDa determined by gel filtration chromatography and SDS-polyacrylamide gel electrophoresis was responsible for dechlorination of PCP. The plasmid isolated from the bacterium was subjected to Shotgun cloning by restriction digestion by BamHI, HindIII, and SalI, ligated to pUC19 vector, and transformed into Escherichia coli XLBlue1alpha. The recombinant clones having higher potentiality to degrade PCP were selected by utilization of a carbon source and release of intermediary metabolites during degradation of PCP as the sole source of carbon and energy. The recombinant clones, which contained an insert of 3.0 kb of SalI and HindIII sites, were sequenced and compared with gene sequences deposited in GenBank by BLAST search; this indicated homology with the thdf gene of monooxygenase of thiophene and furan. Southern blot analysis performed by developing gene probes indicated the presence of the PCP monooxygenase gene in plasmids of the bacterium.     

Purification and properties of an alginate lyase from a marine bacterium.

An unidentified pseudomonad isolated by enrichment procedures from decomposing seaweed was grown in defined medium containing sodium alginate as the sole carbon source. The alginate lyase recovered from disrupted bacterial cells was purified by a procedure of (NH4)2SO4 precipitation, gel filtration and ion-exchange chromatography. From sodium dodecyl sulphate/polyacrylamide-gel-electrophoresis experiments a mol.wt. of about 50 000 was determined. The enzyme was active against both algal and bacterial alginate preparations. Kinetic studies together with analysis of the unsaturated oligouronide products of alginate lyase action indicated the enzyme was specific for guluronic acid-containing regions of the macromolecular substrate. The specificity of the enzyme can be used to give information about the primary composition of alginate samples.     

Xylan-degrading enzymes of the yeast Cryptococcus albidus. Identification and cellular localization

During growth on wood beta-1,4-xylans the yeast Cryptococcus albidus produced at least two enzymes which convert the polysaccharide to xylose catabolized by the cells. The enzyme almost completely secreted into culture fluid was identified as an endo-1,4-beta-xylanase. The function of the extracellular beta-xylanase is to hydrolyze xylan to oligosaccharides, mainly to xylobiose and xylotriose, which enter the cell where they are split by the second identified enzyme, a cell-bound beta-xylosidae (xylobiase). Aryl beta-xylosidase activity detected in the culture fluid was snown to be due to low affinity of beta-xylanase for p-nitrophenyl beta-D-xylopyranoside. This property of beta-xylanase was preserved after purification of the enzyme by chromatography on DEAE-cellulose, CM-Sephadex and Biogel A 1.5 m or Biogel P 100. Purified beta-xylanase exhibited certain microheterogeneity after polyacrylamide gel electrophoresis. Both extracellular beta-xylanase and intracellular beta-xylosidase were produced in much lower amounts by the cells grown on glucose than by the cells grown on xylan. This suggested that they are not produced constitutively. The investigated strain was not able to grow on cellulose and the crude and purified beta-xylanase were unable to hydrolyze cellulose or its soluble derivatives.     

Production, purification, and luminometric analysis of recombinant Saccharomyces cerevisiae MET3 adenosine triphosphate sulfurylase expressed in Escherichia coli

ATP sulfurylase cDNA from MET3 on chromosome X of Saccharomyces cerevisiae was amplified and cloned, and recombinant ATP sulfurylase was expressed in Escherichia coli. The synthesis of ATP sulfurylase was directed by an expression system that employs the regulatory genes of the luminous bacterium Vibrio fischeri. A soluble, biologically active form was purified to electrophoretic homogeneity from lysates of recombinant E. coli by ammonium sulfate fractionation, ion-exchange chromatography, and gel filtration. The specific activity of the purified enzyme was estimated to 140 U/mg. The apparent molecular mass of the recombinant enzyme was determined by gel filtration to be 470 kDa, which indicates that the active enzyme is an octamer of identical subunits (the molecular mass of a single subunit is 59.3 kDa). The ATP sulfurylase activity was monitored in real time by a very sensitive bioluminometric method.     

嗜热厌氧乙醇杆菌α-葡萄糖苷酶基因的表达及酶学性质的研究

用PCR方法从嗜热厌氧乙醇杆菌(Thermoanaerobacter ethanolicus)JW200中扩增出编码a-葡萄糖苷酶的基因,将其克隆到大肠杆菌(Escherichia coli)表达载体pTrc99A上并获得表达a-葡萄糖苷酶的大肠杆菌重组菌。重组菌经IPTG诱导表达,SDS-PAGE检测出蛋白相对分子量约89kDa,经阴离子交换层析和凝胶层析纯化后的a-葡萄糖苷酶最适反应温度为70℃,最适反应pH为5～5.5,且在pH 5.5～6.5之间有较高的稳定性。重组a-葡萄糖苷酶在70℃下105 min后酶活仍达到80%。     

Expression and purification of Escherichia coli beta-glucuronidase

A strong and constitutive expression vector of Escherichia coli beta-glucuronidase with the isocitrate dehydrogenase promoter has been developed for producing a large amount of recombinant protein. More than 95% pure enzyme was obtained by a four step purification procedure-ammonium sulfate precipitation, DEAE ion-exchange chromatography, Superose 12 gel filtration, and hydroxyapatite steric ion-exchange chromatography. The overexpressed gene can produce 23 mg of pure enzyme from one liter of bacterial culture.     

Purification of NAD-dependent mannitol dehydrogenase from celery suspension cultures.

Mannitol dehydrogenase, a mannitol:mannose 1-oxidoreductase, constitutes the first enzymatic step in the catabolism of mannitol in nonphotosynthetic tissues of celery (Apium graveolens L.). Endogenous regulation on the enzyme activity in response to environmental cues is critical in modulating tissue concentration of mannitol, which, importantly, contribute to stress tolerance of celery. The enzyme was purified to homogeneity from celery suspension cultures grown on D-mannitol as the carbon source. Mannitol dehydrogenase was purified 589-fold to a specific activity of 365 mumol h-1 mg-1 protein with a 37% yield of enzyme activity present in the crude extract. A highly efficient and simple purification protocol was developed involving polyethylene glycol fractionation, diethylaminoethyl-anion-exchange chromatography, and NAD-agarose affinity chromatography using NAD gradient elution. Sodium dodecylsulfate gel electrophoresis of the final preparation revealed a single 40-kD protein. The molecular mass of the native protein was determined to be approximately 43 kD, indicating that the enzyme is a monomer. Polyclonal antibodies raised against the enzyme inhibited enzymatic activity of purified mannitol dehydrogenase. Immunoblots of crude protein extracts from mannitol-grown celery cells and sink tissues of celery, celeriac, and parsley subjected to sodium dodecyl sulfate gel electrophoresis showed a single major immuno-reactive 40-kD protein.