Assay for the terminal enzyme of the stearoyl coenzyme A desaturase system using chick embryo liver microsomes.

The NADH-dependent stearoyl CoA desaturase of hepatic microsomes (EC 1.14.99.5) is an enzyme system consisting of cytochrome b5 reductase (EC 1.6.2.2), cytochrome b5, and the terminal desaturase. We have developed a simple method for routine assay of the terminal enzyme based on complementation of the enzyme with chick embryo liver microsomes lacking desaturase activity. Desaturation of [1-14C]stearoyl CoA by the enzyme-microsome mixture is then assayed by thin-layer chromatography of the reaction products and determination of the amount of oleate formed. Microsomes from the livers of starved-refed rats were used as the source of the stearoyl CoA desaturase. The enzyme alone, solubilized and free from cytocrome b5 reductase and cytochrome b5, was unable to catalyze the desaturation of stearoyl CoA. However, after preincubation with chick embryo liver microsomes in the presence of 1% Triton X-100, the enzyme was active. The enzyme activity was linear with time and desaturase protein under the conditions described and depended on the concentrations of Triton X-100 present in the preincubation and the assay. The optimum concentrations of Triton X-100 were 1% for the preincubation and 0.1-0.15% in the assay. The desaturation activity was dependent on NADH and O2, and was inhibited 95% by 1 mM KCN. The use of chick embryo liver microsomes in this method eliminates the need to use purified cytochrome b5 reductase, cytochrome b5, and liposomes for routine assays and greatly reduces the complexities of timing and order of addition encountered in the existing assays.     

Effects of membrane perturbants on UDP-glucuronosyltransferase activity in rat-liver microsomes. Circular dichroism studies.

Rat-liver microsomes were treated with two non-ionic detergents, Triton X-100 and Lubrol WX, with phospholipase A2, or with aqueous acetone solution. The activity of the membrane-bound UDP-glucoronosyltransferase (UDPGT, EC 2.4.1.17) was measured after the treatment with these perturbants. At the same time, modifications of the secondary structure of the microsomal proteins were followed and studied by circular dichroism (CD) spectroscopy. The detergents greatly activated UDPGT, maximally at a 1 mM concentration of either detergent. The maximally activating Triton X-100 treatment did not greatly change the ellipticity of the microsomes at 222 nm ((theta)222), whereas that with Lubrol WX affected the secondary structure of the membrane proteins more strongly. UDPGT activation also occurred in phospholipase A2-treated microsomes. Maximal activation was obtained after 1--5 min of incubation and was stable throughout the experiment. Phospholipase A2 at the ratio of microsomal protein to phospholipase 250 : 1 (w/w) slightly increased (theta)222 after 10 min of incubation and did not change it further even after 30 min of incubation. Treatment of liver microsomes with a 10 : 90 (v/v) aqueous acetone solution removed 90% of the total membrane phospholipids, particularly phosphatidylcholine and phosphatidylethanolamine. The UDPGT activity was decreased in lipid-depleted microsomes, and the enzyme was not reactivated when phosphatidylcholine-lysophosphatidylcholine liposomes were added at a low temperature. An even greater decrease was obtained when the lipid binding was carried out at 37 degree C. Lipid-depleted microsomes had a high (theta)222 associated with a red-shift of 2 nm, indicating partial aggregation of membrane proteins and an increase in the alpha-helical content of the protein after acetone extraction. However, this particular protein structure was partially reversible, since a binding of phospholipids to lipid-depleted microsomes gave a (theta)222 close to that found in control microsomes. The UDPGT activity was not dependent on the secondary structure of the membrane proteins.     

Characterization and partial purification of squalene-2,3-oxide cyclase from Saccharomyces cerevisiae.

The membrane nature of squalene oxide cyclase from Saccharomyces cerevisiae was investigated by comparing properties of the enzyme recovered from both microsomes and the soluble fraction of the yeast homogenate. The "apparent soluble" form and microsomal form of the enzyme were both stimulated by the presence of mammalian soluble cytoplasm and corresponded to one another in response to detergents Triton X-100 and Triton X-114. The observed strong dependence of the enzyme activity on the presence of detergents and the behavior of the enzyme after Triton X-114 phase separation were peculiar to a lipophilic membrane-bound enzyme. A study of the conditions required to extract the enzyme from microsomes confirmed the lipophilic character of the enzyme. Microsomes, exposed to ipotonic conditions to remove peripheral membrane proteins, retained most of the enzyme activity within the integral protein fraction. Quantitative dissociation of the enzyme from membranes occurred only if microsomes were treated with detergents (Triton X-100 or octylglucoside) at concentrations which alter membrane integrity. The squalene oxide cyclase was purified 140 times from yeast microsomes by (a) removal of peripheral proteins, (b) extraction of the enzyme from the integral protein fraction with octylglucoside, and (c) separation of the solubilized proteins by DEAE Bio-Gel A chromatography. Removal of the peripheral proteins seemed to be a key step necessary for obtaining high yields.     

Purification and Characterization of Neutral and Acid Sphingomyelinases from Rat Brain

Neutral and acid sphingomyelinases were copurified from a rat brain P2 fraction by extraction with 1% Triton X-100, followed by (NH4)2SO4 fractionation, acetone powdering, extraction with 1% Triton X-100, (NH4)2SO4 fractionation, Sepharose CL-6B chromatography, and chromatofocusing. The neutral sphingomyelinase was eluted with buffer containing 0.4 M NaCl after the acid sphingomyelinase had been eluted with Polybuffer at pH 5.3. The neutral sphingomyelinase exhibited specific activity of 48,300 nmol/h/mg of protein, with 254-fold purification; the corresponding value for acid sphingomyelinase was 25,300 nmol/h/mg protein, with 668-fold purification from the P2 fraction. The purified neutral sphingomyelinase had no acid sphingomyelinase activity, and vice versa. The properties of the two enzymes were examined. A single band corresponding to a molecular weight of 67,000 was obtained on sodium dodecyl sulfate-polyacrylamide gel electrophoresis (SDS-PAGE) for both enzymes. The pI was estimated to be 5.5 for both on isoelectric focusing. The native molecular weights of the neutral and acid sphingomyelinases were found to be 434,000 and 284,000, respectively, on gel filtration with Sepharose CL-6B. The single band obtained for each enzyme on SDS-PAGE was identified as an antigen with antibody raised against the purified neutral sphingomyelinase. Their amino acid compositions were very similar. The neutral and acid sphingomyelinases probably consist of common polypeptides and are immunologically cross-reactive.     

Glycosulfatase activity of Helicobacter pylori toward gastric mucin.

A glycosulfatase activity toward sulfated gastric mucus glycoprotein was identified in the extracellular material elaborated by H. pylori, a bacteria implicated in the etiology of gastric disease. Upon acetone precipitation, an active enzyme fraction at 64% acetone was obtained which on SDS-PAGE gave a major 30kDa protein band. The H. pylori glycosulfatase exhibited maximum activity (314.8 pmol/mg protein/h) at pH 5.7 in the presence of Triton X-100 and CaCl2, and was capable of removal of the sulfate ester groups situated at C-6 of N-acetylglucosamine, galactose and glucose. However, the enzyme was ineffective toward galactosylceramide and lactosylceramide sulfates which contain the sulfate ester group on C-3 of galactose. The results suggest that H. pylori is capable of overcoming the interference by sulfated mucus glycoprotein with its colonization of gastric mucosa.     

An improved procedure for the purification of ethanolaminephosphotransferase. Reconstitution of the purified enzyme with lipids

Ethanolaminephosphotransferase (CDPethanolamine:1,2-diacylglycerol ethanolaminephosphotransferase, EC 2.7.8.1) has been purified in active form from rat brain microsomes by a two-step chromatographic procedure. Enzyme preparations characterized by high specific activity and stability were obtained supplementing the solubilization and elution buffers, containing 1% Triton X-100, with 0.01% 2,6-di-tert-butyl-4-methylphenol. The specific activity of the purified enzyme was about 1200-times higher than that of the crude solubilized enzyme. The lipid dependence of ethanolaminephosphotransferase was studied both in the presence of Triton X-100 and in detergent-free enzyme preparations. The activity of the detergent-solubilized ethanolaminephosphotransferase was strongly modified by phospholipids. The kinetic behaviour of the enzyme was also dependent on the lipids contained in the aggregates obtained by removal of the detergent from detergent/lipid/protein suspensions. A regulatory role of phospholipids on the activity of the membrane-bound ethanolaminephosphotransferase is discussed.     

Extraction and partial purification of mouse uterine alkaline phosphatase.

Alkaline phosphatase in uterine homogenates from day 7 pregnant mice was solubilized using 0.2% (v/v) Triton X-100 and extracted wtih 20% (v/v) n-butanol. The procedure, which resulted in 182-fold purification, included ammonium sulfate precipitation, DEAE-cellulose anion exchange chromatography and Sephadex G200 gel filtration. Solubilization with Triton X-100 was an important step in the procedure since extraction with n-butanol alone only partially solubilized the enzyme and gave low extraction yields, much of the enzyme activity remaining in association with negatively charged residues. However, butanol extraction of Triton X-100-treated homogenates gave high yields of enzyme and eliminated p-nitrophenyl phosphatases which displayed activity in the pH range 3.0--7.5, together with a large proportion of inactive protein. The activity of the purified enzyme preparations was electrophoretically homogeneous on cellulose acetate membranes, suggesting that the alkaline phosphatase in the mouse uterus exists in a single isozymic form. Polyacrylamide-gel electrophoresis revealed that the purified preparations contained at least one protein as an impurity. Attempts to further purify the alkaline phosphatase by isoelectric focusing were unsuccessful since the enzyme was found to have an isoelectric point of about 5.0 and at this pH it was rapidly inactivated.     

Cholesterol ester hydrolase(s) in mammalian brain: Is there a myelin-specific cholesterol ester hydrolase?

The present study compared the properties of cholesterol ester hydrolase(s) in myelin and microsomes from rat, mouse and human brain. The results indicated that the enzyme activity in both myelin and microsomes from rat, mouse and human brain was optimal at pH 6.5 and required Triton X-100 for optimal activity. The enzyme activity in myelin was 3- to 4-fold higher in the presence of Trition X-100 than taurocholate. Addition of phosphatidyl serine enhanced (2 to 4 fold) the hydrolase activity in both myelin and microsomes. The properties of the enzyme in solubilized preparation of myelin were also similar to the properties of the enzyme in partially delipidated and solubilized preparations of microsomes. The activity was again optimal at pH 6.5, required Triton X-100 for optimal activity and was stimulated by phosphatidyl serine. These results indicate that the properties of cholesterol ester hydrolase in myelin are similar to those of the microsomal enzyme and that this is true for the fractions from both human and rodent brain. The data thus lead us to believe that the hydrolase activity in mammalian brain myelin and microsomes may reflect the distribution of a single enzyme in the two fractions rather than two distinct enzymes, one being specific to each fraction.     

Production, purification, and characterization of a novel thermostable serine protease from soil isolate, Streptomyces tendae

An isolate of Streptomyces tendae produced a extracellular protease which was purified to apparent homogeneity giving a single band on SDS-PAGE with a molecular mass of 21 kDa. Optimum activity was at 70 degrees C and pH 6. It was stable at 55 degrees C for 30 min and between pH 4 and 9. It was resistant to neutral detergents and organic solvents such as Triton X-100, Tween 80, methanol, ethanol, acetone, and 2-propanol at 5% (v/v). The enzyme was completely inhibited by 5 mM PMSF, indicating it to be a serine protease. N-terminal amino acid sequence did not show any homology with other known proteolytic enzymes. The protease may therefore be a novel neutral serine protease, which is stable at high temperature and over a broad range of pH.     

Purification and kinetic properties of a membrane-bound phosphatidylinositol kinase of the bovine adrenal medulla

Phosphatidylinositol (PI) kinase (EC 2.7.1.67), an integral membrane protein of chromaffin granule ghosts of the bovine adrenal medulla, was found to phosphorylate PI in the 4-position of the inositol ring. The PI kinase was purified about 200-fold from a membrane fraction containing chromaffin granules and microsomes by extraction with Triton X-114, followed by phase partition (clouding) and heparin Sepharose chromatography. The PI kinase preparation (specific activity of 5.1 nmol PIP/mg protein per min) was free from other enzymatic activities that metabolize polyphosphoinositides. Km values of 55 microM and 40 microM for ATP and PI, respectively, were estimated for the purified enzyme. Concentrations of Triton X-100 above the critical micellar concentration (0.01%, w/v) were necessary to support significant enzyme activity, which was optimal at about 0.1% (w/v). Its dependence of pH was similar to that of the membrane-bound enzyme, with a broad optimum around pH 7. Mes in the millimolar concentration range was found to strongly inhibit the activity of the purified PI kinase (I50 at about 4 mM). The enzyme was almost totally inhibited by low micromolar concentrations of free calcium, and stimulated by hydrophilic cations, e.g., Mg2+ and poly(L-lysine), with the same potencies as for the membrane-bound enzyme. The amphiphilic cation trifluoperazine, however, stimulated the activity of purified PI kinase less effectively than the membrane-bound enzyme (Husebye, E.S. and Flatmark, T. (1988) Biochem. Pharmacol. 37, 449-456), whereas the inhibitory effect of near millimolar concentrations of trifluoperazine was the same for the two forms of the enzyme. It is concluded that the membrane-bound PI kinase of this tissue is of type II according to the classification of Cantley and co-workers (Whitman et al. (1987) Biochem. J. 247, 165-174).     

Farnesyl pyrophosphate synthetase located in microsomes from pig liver

The microsomes from pig liver contained farnesyl pyrophosphate synthetase and it was solubilized with Triton X-100. The microsomal enzyme had a pH optimum of 6.5-7.0 and required Mg2+ or Mn2+ for maximum activity. Dimethylallyl-transferring activity of the enzyme was much lower compared with the geranyl-transferring activity. In the presence of Triton X-100, the geranyl-transferring activity was about two-fold activated whereas the dimethylallyl-transferring activity was almost the same.     

ISOLATION AND CHARACTERIZATION OF SOLUBLE ACIDIC LIPOPROTEINS FROM RAT BRAIN SYNAPTIC VESICLES

—Highly purified fractions of synaptic vesicles were prepared from rat cerebrum or cerebral cortex by density gradient centrifugation. Treatment of synaptic vesicle fractions by autoincubation, freeze-thawing and sonication in an isotonic alkaline-salt medium or in 0·1-0·3% (v/v) Triton X-100 released increasing quantities of synaptic vesicle protein and phospholipid into solution. When the soluble synaptic vesicle proteins were extracted with 0·1% (v/v) Triton X-100, the insoluble residue consisted mostly of 5–8 nm-thick membranes resembling the limiting membranes of intact synaptic vesicles. This finding, together with other considerations, suggested that the soluble proteins and accompanying phospholipids originated from the interior of the synaptic vesicles. A 0·3% (v/v) Triton X-100 extract of synaptic vesicle was fractionated by ultracentrifugal flotation and dialysis into three lipoprotein fractions: a low density lipoprotein (d < 1·21 g/ml), a high density lipoprotein (d = 1·21–1·35 g/ml) and a very high density lipoprotein (d > 1·35 g/ml). The phospholipid contents of the low, high and very high density lipoprotein fractions were 0·74, 0·38 and 0·20 mg/mg of protein, respectively. All three apolipoproteins had a high ratio of acidic to basic, and of polar to nonpolar, amino acids, and were rich in glycine, alanine and serine. Polyacrylamide gel electrophoresis of the alkaline-salt and Triton X-100 extracts of synaptic vesicles at pH 8·8 resolved a single anionic component which stained for protein, lipid (Sudan black B; iodine) and anionic groups (acridine orange). Polyacrylamide gel electrophoresis of synaptic vesicle extracts at pH 2·7 in 5 m urea and 0·25% (v/v) Triton X-100 resolved about 20 protein components. However, the protein profiles of electropherograms of the Triton X-100 and alkaline-salt extracts differed in certain respects, suggesting that these media to some extent solubilized different proteins. However, most of the protein bands in electropherograms of the Triton X-100 and alkaline-salt extracts also stained for lipid and anionic groups. In addition, two lipoprotein components in the alkaline-salt extract and four in the Triton X-100 extract contained carbohydrate. Isoelectric focusing of synaptic vesicle extracts resolved 6–8 protein fractions. The major fraction in Triton X-100 and alkaline-salt extracts had an apparent isoelectric point of approximately 4·2 and contained 0·24 mg of phospholipid per mg of protein. Soluble synaptic vesicle proteins released by incubating, freeze-thawing and sonicating in the alkaline-salt medium, and protein fractions of the latter obtained by electrofocusing had an absorption maximum of 260–265 nm which was enhanced in a cold 0·5 n perchloric acid extract, an observation suggesting the presence of a bound nucleotide. These findings demonstrate that rat brain synaptic vesicles contain a heterogenous array of soluble acidic lipoproteins which vary in buoyant density, lipid content, amino acid and carbohydrate composition and electrophoretic mobility in polyacrylamide gels. These acidic lipoproteins apparently comprise the bulk of the macromolecular contents of synaptic vesicles and probably serve as ‘carrier’ proteins for the binding and sequestration of the neurotransmitters.     

Properties of Solubilized Microsomal Lipase from Germinating Brassica napus

Lipase (triacylglycerol acylhydrolase [EC 3.1.1.3.]) was extracted from the microsomal fraction of cotyledons of dark grown seedlings of Canola (Brassica napus L. cv Westar) by treatment with Triton X-100. The enzyme was partially purified by chromatography on Sephacryl S-300 and DEAE Bio-Gel and was stable when stored at −20°C in 50% (v/v) glycerol. The lipase aggregated readily but the distribution of species present in solution could be controlled by nonionic detergents. A species with an apparent M_r of about 250,000 was obtained by gel filtration chromatography in the presence of 1% (v/v) Triton X-100. Lipase activity was optimal near neutral pH, and the reaction approached maximum velocity at a concentration of 0.5 to 1 millimolar emulsified triolein. The reaction rate responded linearly to temperature up to about 40°C and the hydrolytic process had an activation energy of 18 kilocalories per mole. Microsomal lipase lost about 20% and 80% activity when heat-treated for 1 hour at 40°C and 60°C, respectively. At appropriate concentrations, the detergents Triton X-100, n-octyl-β-d-glucopyranoside, (3-[(3-cholamidopropyl-O-dimethylammonio]-1-propanesulfonate, cetyl trimethylammonium bromide, and sodium dodecyl sulfate all inhibited lipase activity. n-Octyl-β-d-glucopyranoside, however, was stimulatory in the 2 to 8 millimolar concentration range. The inhibitory effects of Triton X-100 were reversible.     

Characterization of a nuclear phosphatidylinositol 4-kinase in carrot suspension culture cells

We have shown previously that a nuclear phosphatidylinositol (PI) 4-kinase activity was present in intact nuclei isolated from carrot suspension culture cells (Daucus carota L.). Here, we further characterized the enzyme activity of the nuclear enzyme. We found that the pH optimum of the nuclear-associated PI kinase varied with assay conditions. The enzyme had a broad pH optimum between 6.5–7.5 in the presence of endogenous substrate. When the substrate was added in the form of phosphatidylinositol/phosphatidylserine (PI/PS) mixed micelles (1 mM PI and 400 μM PS), the enzyme had an optimum of pH 6.5. In comparison, the pH optimum was 7.0 when PI/Triton X-100 mixed micelles (1 mM PI in 0.025 %, v/v final concentration of Triton X-100) were used. The nuclear-associated PI kinase activity increased 5-fold in the presence of low concentrations of Triton X-100 (0.05 to 0.3 %, v/v); however, the activity decreased by 30 % at Triton X-100 concentrations greater than 0.3 % (v/v). Calcium at 10 μM inhibited 100 % of the nuclear-associated enzyme activity. The K_m for ATP was estimated to be between 36 and 40 μM. The nuclear-associated PI kinase activity was inhibited by both 50 μM ADP and 10 μM adenosine. Treatment of intact nuclei with DNase, RNase, phospholipase A₂ and Triton X-100 did not solubilize the enzyme activity. Based on sensitivity to calcium, ADP, detergent, pH optimum and the product analysis, the nuclear-associated PI 4-kinase was compared with previously reported PI kinases from plants, animals and yeast.     

Studies on the hydrophobic properties of sphingomyelinase.

Crude liver lysosomal sphingomyelinase (EC 3.1.4.12) displays a heterogeneous electrofocusing profile. The majority of the enzyme resolves into two major components with acidic pI values near pH 4.6 and 4.8. Several additional minor peaks of activity are seen at more basic pH values (up to pH 8.0). In the presence of 0.1% Triton X-100 (or Cutscum), the location of sphingomyelinase is shifted by about 1 pH unit to more basic pH values. Triton X-100 also increases the apparent heterogeneity of sphingomyelinase. Removal of detergent by treatment with Bio Beads SM-2 restores the acidic pI profile. This behaviour appears to be specific, since it was not shared by six glycosidases several of which hydrolyse sphingolipids. The electrofocusing profile of 3H-labelled Triton X-100 was distinct and separate from sphingomyelinase, suggesting that only a small fraction of detergent interacted directly with the enzyme. To study this behaviour in more detail we examined the effect of detergents on elution of sphingomyelinase from sphingosylphosphocholine-Sepharose. Sphingosylphosphocholine is a competitive inhibitor of sphingomyelinase (Ki 0.5 mM). Binding of enzyme was pH-dependent. Triton X-100, Cutscum and Tween 20 eluted significant amounts of enzyme at 0.01-0.02%. Total elution was achieved with up to 0.1% detergent. These data suggest that sphingomyelinase binds to neutral detergent monomers with a high degree of affinity. In excess detergent (5-7 times the critical micellar concentration) the surface charge on the protein is changed, leading to a pI shift. This behaviour probably does not occur at the active site of the enzyme, since there is no appreciable effect on substrate hydrolysis and substrate analogues were ineffective in eluting the enzyme.     

Characterization and solubilization of membrane bound diacylglycerol lipases from bovine brain

Bovine brain contains two diacylglycerol lipases. One is localized in purified microsomes and the other is found in the plasma membrane fraction. The microsomal enzyme is markedly stimulated by the non-ionic detergent, Triton X-100, and Ca2+, whereas the plasma membrane diacylglycerol lipase is strongly inhibited by Triton X-100 and Ca2+ has no effect on its enzymic activity. Both enzymes were solubilized using 0.25% Triton X-100. The solubilized enzymes followed Michaelis-Menten kinetics. The apparent Km values for microsomal and plasma membrane enzymes are 30.5 and 12.0 microM respectively. Both lipases are strongly inhibited by RHC 80267, with Ki values for microsomal and plasma membrane diacylglycerol lipases of 70 and 43 microM, respectively. The retention of microsomal diacylglycerol lipase on a concanavalin A-Sepharose column and its elution by methyl alpha-D-mannoside indicates the glycoprotein nature of this enzyme.     

Isoelectric focusing analysis of detergent extracted renal 11 beta-hydroxysteroid dehydrogenase

11 beta-hydroxysteroid dehydrogenase (11-HSD, EC 1.1.1.146) from rat renal cortex microsomes was solubilized using several detergents, the most effective being Zwittergent 3-10 and Triton X-100. The activity ratio oxidation/reduction of the reversible reaction corticosterone in equilibrium 11-dehydrocoticosterone varied depending on the detergent used. We attribute this variation to direct effects of different detergents on enzyme kinetics. In contrast, comparable results obtained with liver 11-HSD have been attributed to the possibility of spatially separated 11-oxidase and 11-reductase activities. In order to test whether renal 11-HSD represents a uniform oxido-reductase as generally assumed, or a dual enzyme system as has been recently proposed an attempt was made to characterize 11-HSD solubilized from renal microsomal fractions using isoelectric focusing (IEF). When 11-HSD was extracted with 1% Triton X-100 (= partially solubilized fraction) a heterogenous peak pattern was obtained. In contrast, IEF of 11-HSD extracted with 10% Triton X-100 (= delipidated fraction) resulted in a single peak at about pH 5.9 with both oxidative and reductive activity at practically identical positions within the gels. From this observation we conclude that the degree of detergent solubilization of a membrane bound protein affects its amphoteric properties and that removal of membranous lipids is a prerequisite for the analysis of its behaviour. Since the more delipidated fraction of 11-HSD revealed only one activity peak the data are compatible with the uniform enzyme concept since oxidative and reductive activities of renal cortical 11-HSD could not be separated.     

Identification of gastric mucosal mucus glycoprotein sulfotransferase.

Sulfation of mucus glycoproteins, reaction catalyzed by Golgi resident sulfotransferase, is an important event in posttranslational processing of gastric mucins. Here we report the purification of mucus glycoprotein sulfotransferase enzyme from the microsomal fraction of rat gastric mucosa. The enzyme was released from the membrane with 0.5% Triton X-100 and precipitated from the 100,000xg supernatant with 90% ice-cold acetone. The enzyme activity (44.7 pmol/mg/45 min) in the precipitate was enriched nearly 10-fold compared to Triton X-100 extract of microsomal membrane (4.2 pmol/mg/45 min). On SDS-PAGE, the enzyme gave a single 43 kDa protein band, which was active towards mucin, but did not catalyze the sulfation of galactosylceramide. The study is the first to report the characteristics of a sulfotransferase enzyme specific for gastric mucin.     

Purification of phosphatidylethanolamine N-methyltransferase from rat liver

Phosphatidylethanolamine (PE) N-methyltransferase catalyzes the synthesis of phosphatidylcholine by the stepwise transfer of methyl groups from S-adenosylmethionine to the amino head group of PE. PE N-methyltransferase was solubilized from a microsomal membrane fraction of rat liver using the nonionic detergent Triton X-100 and purified to apparent homogeneity. Specific activities of PE N-methyltransferase with PE, phosphatidyl-N-monomethylethanolamine (PMME), and phosphatidyl-N,N-dimethylethanolamine (PDME) as substrates were 0.63, 8.59, and 3.75 mumol/min/mg protein, respectively. The purified enzyme was composed of a single subunit with a molecular mass of 18.3 kDa as determined by sodium dodecyl sulfate-polyacrylamide gel electrophoresis. Methylation activities dependent on the presence of PE, PMME, and PDME and the 18.3-kDa protein co-eluted when purified PE N-methyltransferase was subjected to gel filtration on Sephacryl S-300 in the presence of 0.1% Triton X-100. All three methylation activities eluted with a Stokes radius 2.1 A greater than that determined for pure Triton micelles (molecular mass difference of 27.4 kDa). Two-dimensional analysis of PE N-methyltransferase employing nonequilibrium pH gradient gel electrophoresis and sodium dodecyl sulfate-polyacrylamide gel electrophoresis indicates that the enzyme is composed of a single isoform. Analysis of enzyme activity using PE, PMME, and PDME at various Triton X-100 concentrations indicated the enzyme follows the "surface dilution" model proposed for other enzymes that act at the surface of mixed micelle substrates. Initial velocity data for all three lipid substrates (at fixed concentrations of Triton X-100) were highly cooperative in nature. Hill numbers for PMME and PDME ranged from 3 at 0.5 mM Triton to 6 at 2.0 mM Triton. All three methylation activities had a pH optimum of 10. These results provide evidence that a single membrane-bound enzyme catalyzes all three methylation steps for the conversion of PE to phosphatidylcholine.     

Extraction and detergent/lipid activation of dolichol kinase

The CTP-dependent dolichol kinase from bovine liver microsomes was optimally extracted using either 0.5% sodium deoxycholate or 0.5% Triton X-100 containing 0.5 M NH4Cl. All activity was found in the supernatant fraction following high-speed centrifugation. This fraction was depleted of phospholipid (phospholipid remaining, less than 5% of total) by gel chromatography of the 0.5% deoxycholate extract. This partially purified enzyme was maximally activated 9- or 53-fold over controls in the presence of 0.1% deoxycholate or 0.1% Triton X-100, respectively. Stimulation of the kinase was also observed with mixtures of dimyristoylphosphatidylcholine and deoxycholate. The level of stimulation by these mixtures was up to 20-fold higher than that observed in controls having deoxycholate alone. Dimyristoylphosphatidylcholine alone was not stimulatory. A 1:1 molar ratio of Triton X-100 or deoxycholate to dimyristoylphosphatidylcholine was optimal for enzyme activation. The half-maximum velocity of the dephospholipidated enzyme at 1:1 molar ratio of detergent to dimyristoylphosphatidylcholine was obtained at 150 or 550 microM CTP in the presence of deoxycholate or Triton X-100, respectively. It has been observed, therefore, that dolichol kinase may be extracted from liver microsomes, depleted of endogenous phospholipids and activated by specific molar ratios of detergent to phospholipid.