Comparison of the hydrolysis of Zn-PPi and the MgPPi as substrates and the effect of free cations upon membrane-bound pyrophosphatase of Rhodospirillum rubrum

The hydrolytic activity of chromatophore membrane-bound pyrophosphatase with Zn-PPi²⁻ as substrate was studied and compared with Mg-PPi²⁻ hydrolysis. The pH profile of Zn-PPi²⁻ hydrolysis is a bell shaped curve with an optimum at 5.25. This behavior is different from the sigmoidal profile obtained for Mg-PPi²⁻ hydrolysis, which has a plateau from pH 6.5 to 9.0. Zn-PPi²⁻ hydrolytic activity is inhibited by 1-butanol and methylene-diphosphate but not by NaF. The enzyme has no activity when free Zn²⁺ concentration is lower than 7.5 pM (at 0.9–1.2 mm Zn-PPi²⁻ and therefore free Zn²⁺ is an essential activator of Zn-PPi²⁻ hydrolytic activity. Free Mg²⁺, on the contrary, acts as an inhibitor of Zn-PPi²⁻ hydrolysis. The dependence of the reaction rate on the Zn-PPi²⁻ concentration is sigmoidal.     

荆皮癣湿酊对红色毛癣菌的抗菌作用机制

【目的】探讨荆皮癣湿酊(Jingpixian Tincture,JPXT)对红色毛癣菌(Trichophyton rubrum)的抗菌作用和机制。【方法】微量稀释法测定荆皮癣湿酊对红色毛癣菌的最低抑菌浓度(minimal inhibitory concentration,MIC);荧光显微镜观察荆皮癣湿酊对红色毛癣菌孢子萌发和菌丝生长的影响;山梨糖醇保护试验测定荆皮癣湿酊对红色毛癣菌细胞壁的影响;流式细胞仪检测红色毛癣菌细胞内活性氧(reactive oxygen species,ROS)水平;酶标仪测定细胞内核酸释放量;高效液相色谱法(high performance liquid chromatography,HPLC)检测细胞膜麦角甾醇含量;酶标仪检测β-1,3-葡聚糖合酶(β-1,3-glucan synthase,β-1,3-GS)、几丁质合成酶(chitin synthetase,CS)、角鲨烯环氧酶(squalene epoxidase,SQLE)、14α-去甲基化酶(14-alpha demethylase,CYP51)活性;实时荧光定量PCR (real-time q...     

荆皮癣湿酊诱导红色毛癣菌凋亡的机制研究北大核心

【目的】本研究旨在探讨复方中药荆皮癣湿酊(Jingpixian tincture,JPXT)对红色毛癣菌(Trichophyton rubrum)的凋亡诱导作用,以阐明其可能的抗真菌作用机制。【方法】采用细胞计数试剂盒-8(cell counting kit-8,CCK-8)评价荆皮癣湿酊对红色毛癣菌生长活力的影响;流式细胞仪检测红色毛癣菌细胞内活性氧(reactive oxygen species,ROS)水平和线粒体膜电位(mitochondrial membrane potential,MMP)变化;Annexin V-FITC/PI染色荧光显微镜观察红色毛癣菌细胞磷脂酰丝氨酸(phosphatidylserine,PS)外翻情况;流式细胞术检测红色毛癣菌细胞凋亡率;FITC-VAD-FMK染色观察红色毛癣菌偏半胱天冬酶(metacaspase)活性;紫外分光光度计测定红色毛癣菌细胞色素C氧化酶的活性。【结果】荆皮癣湿酊处理后的红色毛癣菌细胞活力与MMP水平均有所降低,ROS水平显著升高,PS外翻与凋亡率明显增加,偏半胱天冬酶活性显著升高,细胞色素C氧化酶活性降低。【结论】荆皮癣湿酊可通过诱导菌体凋亡的方式发挥对红色毛癣菌的抗菌作用。     

Oxygen exchange reactions catalyzed by vacuolar H-translocating pyrophosphatase Evidence for reversible formation of enzyme-bound pyrophosphate

Vacuolar membrane-derived vesicles isolated from Vigna radiata catalyze oxygen exchange between medium phosphate and water. On the basis of the inhibitor sensitivity and cation requirements of the exchange activity, it is almost exclusively attributable to the vacuolar H⁺-pyrophosphatase (V-PPase). The invariance of the partition coefficient and the results of kinetic modeling indicate that exchange proceeds via a single reaction pathway and results from the reversal of enzyme-bound pyrophosphate synthesis. Comparison of the exchange reactions catalyzed by V-PPase and soluble PPases suggests that the two classes of enzyme mediate P_i---HOH exchange by the same mechanism and that the intrinsic reversibility of the V-PPase is no greater than that of soluble PPases.     

Regulation of divalent cations of the membrane-bound pyrophosphatase of Rhodospirillum rubrum,as shown by the hydrolysis of tripositive-pyrophosphate complexes

Tripositive-pyrophosphate [M(III)-PPi] complexes were used to investigate the role of free divalent cations on the membrane-bound pyrophosphatase. Divalent cations remain free and the M(III)-PPi complexes were employed as substrates. Formation of a La-PPi complex was studied by fluorescence, and the fact that Zn²⁺ and Mg²⁺ remain free in the solution was validated. Hydrolysis of La-PPi is stimulated by the presence of fixed concentrations of free Mg²⁺ or Zn²⁺ and this stimulation depends on the concentration of the cations when the La-PPi complex is fixed. The divalent cation stimulation order is Zn²⁺ > Co²⁺ > Mg²⁺ > Mn²⁺ > Ca²⁺ (at 0.5 mm of free cation). With different M(III)-PPi complexes, Zn²⁺ produces the same K _m, for all the complexes and Mg²⁺ stimulates with a different K _m. The results suggest that both Mg²⁺ and Zn²⁺ activate the membrane-bound pyrophosphatase but through different mechanisms.     

沙田柚无机焦磷酸酶基因的cDNA克隆及序列分析

植物自交不亲和性是植物生殖过程中普遍存在的一种现象,是植物特异性识别并拒绝自身花粉或亲缘关系很相近的花粉的一种遗传机制。无机焦磷酸酶(inorganic pyrophosphatase,IPPase)在植物生长发育方面起重要作用。该研究根据沙田柚花柱消减文库中EST序列(无机焦磷酸酶基因内部片段),设计了2对特异引物5'-GSP1,5'-n GSP1,3'-GSP2 and 3'-n GSP2,通过SMART-RACE PCR技术从所构建的沙田柚花柱抑制性消减文库中克隆了沙田柚无机焦磷酸酶基因的c DNA全长序列,利用Blastn、DNAman和Expasy软件对所克隆的基因进行同源性分析,以及基因编码的氨基酸的分子量、等电点、疏水性等理化性质分析。结果表明:IPPase基因c DNA全长为1 136 bp(Gen Bank登录号为KF990474),开放阅读框(ORF)全长为654 bp,共编码217个氨基酸,包括170 bp 5'UTR和312 bp的3'UTR;编码的蛋白质的分子量为24.4 k Da,等电点为5.96;蛋白结构域分析显示沙田柚IPPase与焦磷酸酶具有相同的保守结构域;对沙田柚IPPase蛋白质序列进行疏水性分析,结果表明沙田柚IPPase基因编码的肽链中疏水性最大值约为3.21,最小值约为-2.98,属于亲水性蛋白,无跨膜区域;Blastn搜索的结果显示,沙田柚IPPase基因序列与多种植物的IPP基因高度同源;序列分析表明,沙田柚IPPase基因核苷酸的同源性与毛果杨(Populus trichocarpa)和橡胶树(Hevea brasiliensis)IPPase基因均为87%;氨基酸序列与克莱门柚(Citrus clementina)无机焦磷酸酶完全一致。该研究结果可为深入研究无机焦磷酸酶在沙田柚自交不亲和中的作用机理提供基础。     

Nucleotide pyrophosphatase/phosphodiesterase from Euphorbia characias latex: Purification and characterization

An authentic soluble metallo-protein nucleotide pyrophosphatase/phosphodiesterase (ELNPP) was purified to homogeneity from Euphorbia characias latex. The native protein had a molecular mass of 80 ± 5 kDa and was shown to be formed by two apparently identical subunits, each containing 1 Ca²⁺ and 1 Mg²⁺ ion. Whereas Mg²⁺ was shown to be strongly bound to the enzyme, Ca²⁺ was easily removed by treatment with EDTA. Ca²⁺-demetalated enzyme was shown to be almost totally inactive and the activity was fully restored incubating the demetalated ELNPP with Ca²⁺ ions. ELNPP exhibited hydrolytic activities toward pyrophosphate/phosphodiester bonds of a broad range of substrates and very efficiently hydrolyzed the artificial substrate thymidine 5′-monophosphate 4-nitrophenyl ester generating 4-nitrophenolate as a final product, and it has been used for enzyme kinetic experiments. ELNPP represents the first example of a nucleotide pyrophosphatase/phosphodiesterase enzyme purified from the latex of a plant belonging to the large genus Euphorbia.     

灰绿藜液泡膜焦磷酸酶基因的克隆及表达分析

采用同源克隆的方法,获得盐生植物灰绿藜的液泡膜焦磷酸酶基因(VP1)全长cDNA,命名为CgVP1。生物信息学预测分析表明,CgVP1基因包含一个2 292bp的开放阅读框,编码763个氨基酸。CgVP1不仅具有与植物液泡膜焦磷酸酶共有的氨基酸序列DVGADLVGKVE,而且CgVP1与其它植物的VP1相似性达86%。跨膜结构域预测显示,CgVP1氨基酸序列含有12个跨膜螺旋区,可能定位于细胞膜系统上。RT-PCR检测表明,200mmol/L NaCl条件下萌发生长的灰绿藜,再进行800mmol/L NaCl胁迫处理24h后,CgVP1基因表达显著增强。不同浓度KCl、CaCl2、MgCl2分别处理24h,KCl和MgCl2浓度增高,CgVP1基因表达下降,CaCl2则不影响CgVP1基因表达。研究结果表明,灰绿藜CgVP1基因表达对不同种类盐胁迫响应不同,NaCl胁迫可以上调CgVP1基因表达。该研究结果有助于阐明盐胁迫对盐生植物灰绿藜CgVP1基因表达的调控作用。     

Evidence of an essential carboxyl residue in membrane-bound pyrophosphatase ofRhodospirillum rubrum

Chemical modifications with water-soluble carbodiimides (EDC and CMC) were performed to elucidate whether some carboxyl residues are involved in the catalytic activity of membrane-bound pyrophosphatase ofRhodospirillum rubrum. EDC and CMC cause a loss of hydrolytic activity following pseudo-first-order kinetics up to 10 min of reaction. The enzyme was completely protected against EDC inhibition by PPi or Mg²⁺, whereas PPi or Mg²⁺ gave partial protection against CMC inactivation. Mg-PPi protected completely against the inhibition caused by both carbodiimides. These data suggest that the carboxyl moiety modified by EDC is at the active site. At longer times of inactivation with both carbodiimides, we could not observe a linear relationship in semilogarithmic plots of residual activity versus time, indicating that at least two carboxyls are involved in the inactivation, which correlates with the partial protection against CMC inactivation by PPi. We found that the activator site for Mg²⁺ is apparently at or near the active site of the enzyme. This is supported by the fact that PPi protects completely the activator effect of this divalent cation.     

Rapid purification method for the 26S proteasome from the filamentous fungus Trichoderma reesei

We have developed a fast and simple two column chromatographic method for the purification of the 26S proteasome from the filamentous fungus Trichoderma reesei that simplifies the overall procedure and reduces the purification time from 5 to 2.5 days. The combination of only the anionic exchange POROS^® HQ column (Applied Biosystems) together with a size exclusion column has not been used previously for proteasome purification. The purified complex was analysed further by two-dimensional electrophoresis (2DE) and examined by transmission electron microscopy (TEM). A total of 102 spots separated by 2DE were identified by mass spectrometry using cross-species identification (CSI) or an in-house custom-made protein database derived from the T. reesei sequencing project. Fifty-one spots out of 102 represented unique proteins. Among them, 30 were from the 20S particle and eight were from the 19S particle. In addition, seven proteasome-interacting proteins as well as several non-proteasome related proteins were identified. Co-purification of the 19S regulatory particle was confirmed by TEM and Western blotting. The rapidity of the purification procedure and largely intact nature of the complex suggest that similar procedure may be applicable to the isolation and purification of the other protein complexes.     

Rapid repression of vacuolar invertase in mungbean hypocotyl segments and regulation by sucrose, auxin and light

Two previously unrecorded endogenous cytokinin metabolites,6-[2-(-D-glucopyranosyloxy)benzylamino]purine and6-[2-(-D-glucopyranosyloxy)benzylamino]-2-methylthiopurine, wereidentified, together with 6-benzylamino-9--D-glucopyranosylpurine(BAP9G),from Chenopodium rubrum cells, grown autotrophically insuspension culture. The new metabolites belong to the aromatic class ofcytokinins, in which an aromatic side chain is attached at theN⁶-position of the adenine species. The identification was performedby capillary-liquid chromatography/frit-fast atom bombardment - massspectrometry (LC/FAB MS) after pre-column derivatisation and the structuralelucidation was confirmed by organic synthesis. Cytokinin activity of thecompounds was tested in an Amaranthus bioassay. Theendogenous synthesis of the identified compounds was verified byin vivo deuterium labelling of the analysed cytokininspecies, thereby for the first time providing absolute evidence for theendogenous origin of these compounds.     

红花檵木病害的研究进展

红花檵木为一种珍贵的彩叶园林观赏树种,被广泛应用于城市园林绿化中,近年来,红花檵木病害成为影响其观赏价值和苗木生产的重要因素之一。查阅整理了大量国内外相关研究的文献资料,从红花檵木已知的侵染性病害种类、表现症状及防治措施三个方面进行综述,指出了我国红花檵木病害研究目前存在的问题及研究发展趋势,为红花檵木致病机理、病害监测、科学防治等后续研究工作提供参考。     

A thermostable vacuolar-type membrane pyrophosphatase from the archaeon Pyrobaculum aerophilum: implications for the origins of pyrophosphate-energized pumps

Vacuolar-type H⁺-translocating pyrophosphatases (V-PPases) have been considered to be restricted to plants, a few species of phototrophic proteobacteria and protists. Here, we describe PVP, a thermostable, sequence-divergent V-PPase from the facultatively aerobic hyperthermophilic archaeon Pyrobaculum aerophilum. PVP shares only 38% sequence identity with both the prototypical V-PPase from Arabidopsis thaliana and the H⁺-PPi synthase from Rhodospirillum rubrum, yet possesses most of the structural features characteristic of V-PPases. Heterologous expression of PVP in Saccharomyces cerevisiae yields a M_r 64 000 membrane polypeptide that specifically catalyzes Mg²⁺-dependent PPi hydrolysis. The existence of PVP implies that PPi-energized H⁺-translocation is phylogenetically more deeply rooted than previously thought.     

Genes coding for the reversible ADP-ribosylation system of dinitrogenase reductase from Rhodospirillum rubrum

Summary Nitrogen fixation activity in the photosynthetic bacterium Rhodospirillum rubrum is controlled by the reversible ADP-ribosylation of the dinitrogenase reductase component of the nitrogenase enzyme complex. This report describes the cloning and characterization of the genes encoding the ADP-ribosyltransferase (draT) and the ADP-ribosylglycohydrolase (draG) involved in this regulation. These genes are shown to be contiguous on the R. rubrum chromosome and highly linked to the nifHDK genes. Sequence analysis revealed the use of TTG as the initiation codon of the draT gene as well as a potential open reading frame immediately downstream of draG. The mono-ADP-ribosylation system in R. rubrum is the first in which both the target protein and modifying enzymes as well as their structural genes have been isolated, making it the model system of choice for analysis of this post-translational regulatory mechanism.     

Metal/protein ratio determination in the Rhodobacter capsulatus cytoplasmic pyrophosphatase enzyme by particle induced X-ray emission

Inorganic pyrophosphatases are divided in two families, which differ both in structure and mechanism. All of them incorporate in its structure divalent metal cations. In 2003, it was reported for the first time that Rhodobacter capsulatus cytoplasmic pyrophosphatase belongs to family II. It is expected then, that this enzyme contains metal elements in its structure; however, this characterization has not been carried out yet. A fine application of accelerators is the use of proton beams to induce X-ray emission (PIXE) for analyzing the composition of biological macromolecules. The purpose of this work is to complement R. capsulatus cytoplasmic pyrophosphatase characterization by determining the presence of metal elements in its structure. Three different strategies were used: PAGE-PIXE, PAGE-Digestion-PIXE, and Dialysis-PIXE and when metals were found the metal/enzyme ratio was calculated. Only Cobalt was found to be associated to the enzyme chemical structure in a ratio 3 Co/enzyme.     

Heterologous expression of vacuolar H+-PPase enhances the electrochemical gradient across the vacuolar membrane and improves tobacco cell salt tolerance

Summary. The vacuolar H⁺-translocating inorganic pyrophosphatase (H⁺-PPase) uses pyrophosphate as substrate to generate the proton electrochemical gradient across the vacuolar membrane to acidify vacuoles in plant cells. The heterologous expression of H⁺-PPase genes (TsVP from Thellungiella halophila and AVP1 from Arabidopsis thaliana) improved the salt tolerance of tobacco plants. Under salt stress, the transgenic seedlings showed much better growth and greater fresh weight than wild-type plants, and their protoplasts had a normal appearance and greater vigor. The cytoplasmic and vacuolar pH in transgenic and wild-type cells were measured with a pH-sensitive fluorescence indicator. The results showed that heterologous expression of H⁺-PPase produced an enhanced proton electrochemical gradient across the vacuolar membrane, which accelerated the sequestration of sodium ions into the vacuole. More Na⁺ accumulated in the vacuoles of transgenic cells under salt (NaCl) stress, revealed by staining with the fluorescent indicator Sodium Green. It was concluded that the tonoplast-resident H⁺-PPase plays important roles in the maintenance of the proton gradient across the vacuolar membrane and the compartmentation of Na⁺ within vacuoles, and heterologous expression of this protein enhanced the electrochemical gradient across the vacuolar membrane, thereby improving the salt tolerance of tobacco cells. Correspondence: J.-R. Zhang, School of Life Science, Shandong University, 27 Shanda South Road, Jinan, People’s Republic of China 250100.     

Purification and properties of pyrophosphatase of Acinetobacter johnsonii 210A and its involvement in the degradation of polyphosphate

Inorganic pyrophosphatase (E.C. 3.6.1.1) of Acinetobacter johnsonii210A was purified 200-fold to apparent homogeneity. The enzyme catalyzedthe hydrolysis of inorganic pyrophosphate and triphosphate to orthophosphate.No activity was observed with other polyphosphates and a wide variety oforganic phosphate esters. The molecular mass of the enzyme was estimatedto be 141 kDa by gelfiltration. Sodium dodecyl sulfate-polyacrylamide gelelectrophoresis indicated a subunit composition of six identical polypeptideswith a molecular mass of 23 kDa. The cation Mg² was required foractivity, the activity with Mn², Co² and Zn² was 48, 48 and 182% of the activity observed with Mg², respectively. The enzyme was heat-stable and inhibited by fluoride and iodoacetamide. The analysis of the kinetic properties of the enzyme revealed an apparent K_m for pyrophosphate of 0.26 mM. In A. johnsonii 210A, pyrophosphatase may be involved in the degradation of high-molecular polyphosphates under anaerobic conditions: (i) it catalyses the further hydrolysis of pyrophosphate and triphosphate formed from high-molecular weight polyphosphates by the action of exopolyphosphatase, and (ii) it abolishes the inhibition of polyphosphate: AMP phosphotransferase-mediated degradation by pyrophosphate and triphosphate.     

Genetic and cell biological aspects of the yeast vacuolar H+-ATPase

The yeast vacuolar proton-translocating ATPase is a member of the third class of H⁺-pumping ATPase. A family of this type of H⁺-ATPase is now known to be ubiquitously distributed in eukaryotic vacuo-lysosomal organelles and archaebacteria. NineVMA genes that are indispensable for expression of the enzyme activity have been cloned and characterized in the yeastSaccharomyces cerevisiae. This review summarizes currently available information on theVMA genes and cell biological functions of theVMA gene products.