The effect of calcium on the thermotropic properties of bovine blood coagulation factors IX and X and their activation intermediates and products

The thermotropic properties of bovine blood coagulation Factors IX and X, as well as the activation intermediates and products of these proteins, have been investigated by differential scanning microcalorimetry in the presence and absence of Ca²⁺. Bovine Factor IX displays a single thermal-denaturation transition characterized by a temperature midpoint (T_M) of 54.5 ± 0.5 °C and a calorimetric enthalpy (ΔH_c) of 105 ± 15 kcal/mol, in the absence of Ca²⁺. In the presence of Ca²⁺ concentrations sufficient to saturate its sites on Factor IX, the T_m value is increased to 57.0 ± 0.5 °C and the ΔH_c is virtually unchanged. When the activation intermediate, Factor IXα, is similarly analyzed in the absence of Ca²⁺, a broad, diffuse thermogram was obtained which did not lend itself to calculation of thermodynamic parameters. In the presence of Ca²⁺, Factor IXα displayed thermograms characterized by a T_M of 51.0 ± 0.5 °C and a ΔH_c of 109 ± 10 kcal/mol. The activated product, Factor IXaα, in the absence of Ca²⁺ (the values in the presence of saturating Ca²⁺ are given in parentheses), undergoes thermal denaturation with a T_M of 54.5 ± 0.5 °C (57.0 ± 0.5 °C) and a ΔH_c of 158 ±10 kcal/mol (156 ± 10 kcal/mol). Similarly, the terminal-activation product, Factor IXaβ, displays a T_M of 51.5 ± 0.5 °C (54.0 ± 0.5 °C) and a ΔH_c of 85 ± 5 kcal/mol (126 ± 10 kcal/mol). Bovine blood coagulation Factor X has been analyzed in this same fashion, and shows very similar thermal properties to Factor IX. The thermal denaturation of Factor X is represented by a T_M of 54.0 ± 0.5 °C (55.0 ± 0.5 °C) and a ΔH_c of 102 ± 10 kcal/mol (118 ± 10 kcal/mol), whereas its activated form, Factor Xaβ, possesses a T_M of 55.0 ± 0.5 °C (55.0 ± 0.5 °C) and a ΔH_c of 92.0 ± 5 kcal/mol (136 ± 10 kcal/mol). These studies indicate that, for many of these proteins, Ca²⁺ induces a conformational alteration to a more thermally stable form, which also requires the absorption of greater amounts of heat for thermal denaturation.     

Studies of the guanylate cyclase of the social amoeba Dictyostelium discoideum

Observations on the properties of the guanylate cyclase (GTP pyrophosphate-lyase (cyclizing), EC 4.6.1.2) of the social amoeba Dictyostelium discoideum are reported. On the basis of similarities in kinetic and fractionation properties, it is shown that the activity from vegetative cells and the sixfold higher activity from starved cells appear to be due to the same enzyme. Most of the activity is found to be soluble, and by gel exclusion chromatography a molecular weight of 250,000 has been estimated for this form. As the enzyme shows considerably more activity with Mn+2 than Mg+2, the Km for Mn+2 activation was determined (700 microM), and compared to the levels of total cell Mn+2 (10 microM) and Mg+2 (3mM). These data suggest that Mg+2 is probably the physiological cofactor. A previous report [J. M. Mato, (1979) Biochem. Biophys. Res. Commun. 88, 569-574] that the enzyme is activated about twofold by ATP was confirmed; but contrary to that report, activation by the ATP analog 5'-adenylyl-imidodiphosphate was also obtained. Since this analog does not donate its phosphate in kinase reactions, it is likely that ATP activates the guanylate cyclase by direct binding rather than by phosphorylation. The known in vivo agonist of the guanylate cyclase, cAMP, did not activate the enzyme in vitro, either alone or in various combinations with calcium, calmodulin, ATP, and phospholipids.     

Purification and properties of protease F, a bacterial enzyme with chymotrypsin and elastase specificities

It has been previously demonstrated that commercial bacterial fibrinolysin (EC 3.4.21.7) selectively cleaves the bond between Met-53 and Ala-54 in ovine prolactin (199 amino acids). A one-step purification procedure on DEAE-cellulose for Protease F, which is the active component of bacterial fibrinolysin, and properties of the purified enzyme are reported. The enzyme is homogeneous as judged by acrylamide gel electrophoresis. Its molecular weight, calculated from gel filtration experiments on Sephadex G-100, is around 13,800. Amino acid analyses do not reveal the presence of any half-cystines. The presence of one tryptophan residue per enzyme molecule was resolved from the fluorescence spectrum. Amino terminal analysis showed that leucine was at the amino terminal position. Protease F hydrolyzes casein and synthetic specific substrates for chymotrypsin and elastase esterases but not for trypsin esterases. It is fully inhibited by phenylmethylsulfonyl fluoride, by chicken ovoinhibitor, and by Chymotrypsin Inhibitor I from potatoes but not by the trypsin-chymotrypsin inhibitors from soybeans and chick peas or by tosyl-L-phenylalanine chloromethyl ketone. The enzyme is stable at room temperature and in the cold, it is not affected by dialysis or by freezing and thawing, but it is inactivated during freeze-drying. The circular dichroism spectra of Protease F indicate an approximate 20% alpha-helix content of the enzyme with a considerable similarity to those of subtilisin, elastase, and beta-trypsin. The relatively low molecular weight of Protease F, the absence of intrachain disulfide bridges, and the fact that it is inhibited by several, but not all, chymotrypsin inhibitors suggest that it may differ phylogenetically from the known serine proteases.     

Adenylate cyclase activation by GTP analogs

Benznidazole (a nitroimidazole derivative used for the treatment of Chagas' disease) is reduced by rat liver microsomes to the nitro anion radical, as indicated by ESR spectroscopy. Addition of benznidazole to rat liver microsomes produced an increase of electron flow from NADPH to molecular oxygen, and generation of both superoxide anion and hydrogen peroxide. The benznidazole-stimulated O₂ consumption and O₂^? formation was greatly inhibited by NADP⁺ and p-chloromercuribenzoate but not by SKF-525-A and metyrapone. The former inhibitions indicated the involvement of NADPH-cytochrome P-450 (c) reductase, while the lack of inhibition by SKF-525-A and metyrapone ruled out any major role for cytochrome P-450 in benznidazole reduction. In contrast to nifurtimox, a nitrofuran derivative (R. Docampo and A. O. M. Stoppani, 1979, Arch. Biochem. Biophys.197, 317–321), benznidazole was not reduced to the nitro anion radical, nor did it stimulate oxygen consumption, O₂^? production, and H₂O₂ generation by Trypanosoma cruzi cells or microsomal fractions. A different mechanism of benznidazole toxicity in T. cruzi and the mammalian host is postulated.     

Purification of guanylate cyclase from human platelets and effect of arachidonic acid peroxide.

Guanylate cyclase of human platelets was separated from cyclic nucleotide and GTP hydrolytic activities with a 104-fold purification over the homogenate. The purified guanylate cyclase preparation requires neither the GTP regenerating system nor cyclic GMP but is stimulated by about 2-fold by 2.5 mM cyclic GMP. The molecular weight of the enzyme was estimated as 180,000 and the Km value for GTP was 95 μM. Arachidonic acid peroxide stimulated the purified enzyme by increasing maximum velocity without changing Km value.     

Purification, stabilization, and characterization of rat hepatic triglyceride lipase

Hepatic triglyceride lipase (H-TGL) was purified to near homogeneity from heparin-containing rat liver perfusates with the following column chromatography steps: heparin-Sepharose affinity chromatography, anion-exchange chromatography on DEAE-Sephacel, and gel filtration on Ultrogel AcA 34. A final specific activity of 45,000 μmol fatty acid/mg/h was obtained with an overall 31% recovery of catalytic activity. The heparin-Sepharose step resulted in a 20-fold purification, while the DEAE and gel filtration steps led to further purification with complete recovery of activity. An extensive survey of various detergents as potential stabilizers of H-TGL activity led to the selection of Triton N-101 for use in the column buffers of the DEAE and gel filtration steps. Relative to initial H-TGL activity upon dilution in buffer without detergent, recoveries between 90 and 100% were consistently obtained with Triton N-101-containing buffers following a 24-h incubation at 20°C. In contrast after a 24-h incubation at 20°C those control samples lacking detergent were at least 95% inactivated. The highly purified H-TGL exhibited a single major band by sodium dodecyl sulfate-electrophoresis. The use of DEAE chromatography and stabilization of H-TGL with Triton N-101 are the improvements in purification that resulted in an 8-fold enhancement in specific activity relative to the highest previous report of purification from rat liver perfusates.     

Enzymatic heme oxygenase activity in soluble extracts of the unicellular red alga, Cyanidium caldarium

Extracts of the phycocyanin-containing unicellular red alga, Cyanidium caldarium, catalyzed enzymatic cleavage of the heme macrocycle to form the linear tetrapyrrole bilin structure. This is the key first step in the branch of the tetrapyrrole biosynthetic pathway leading to phycobilin photosynthetic accessory pigments. A mixed-function oxidase mechanism, similar to the biliverdin-forming reaction catalyzed by animal cell-derived microsomal heme oxygenase, was indicated by requirements for O2 and a reduced pyridine nucleotide. To avoid enzymatic conversion of the bilin product to phycocyanobilins and subsequent degradation during incubation, mesoheme IX was substituted for the normal physiological substrate, protoheme IX. Mesobiliverdin IX alpha was identified as the primary incubation product by comparative reverse-phase high-pressure liquid chromatography and absorption spectrophotometry. The enzymatic nature of the reaction was indicated by the requirement for cell extract, absence of activity in boiled cell extract, high specificity for NADPH as cosubstrate, formation of the physiologically relevant IX alpha bilin isomer, and over 75% inhibition by 1 microM Sn-protoporphyrin, which has been reported to be a competitive inhibitor of animal microsomal heme oxygenase. On the other hand, coupled oxidation of mesoheme, catalyzed by ascorbate plus pyridine or myoglobin, yielded a mixture of ring-opening mesobiliverdin IX isomers, was not inhibited by Sn-protoporphyrin, and could not use NADPH as the reductant. Unlike the animal microsomal heme oxygenase, the algal reaction appeared to be catalyzed by a soluble enzyme that was not sedimentable by centrifugation for 1 h at 200,000g. Although NADPH was the preferred reductant, small amounts of activity were obtained with NADH or ascorbate. A portion of the activity was retained after gel filtration of the cell extract to remove low-molecular-weight components. Considerable stimulation of activity, particularly in preparations that had been subjected to gel filtration, was obtained by addition of ascorbate to the incubation mixture containing NADPH. The results indicate that C. caldarium possesses a true heme oxygenase system, with properties somewhat different from that catalyzing heme degradation in animals. Taken together with previous results indicating that biliverdin is a precursor to phycocyanobilin, the results suggest that algal heme oxygenase is a component of the phycobilin biosynthetic pathway.     

Guanine nucleotide activation and inhibition of adenylate cyclase as modified by islet-activating protein, pertussis toxin, in mouse 3T3 fibroblasts

Guanine nucleotide regulation of membrane adenylate cyclase activity was uniquely modified after exposure of 3T3 mouse fibroblasts to low concentrations of islet-activating protein (IAP), pertussis toxin. The action of IAP, which occurred after a lag time, was durable and irreversible, and was associated with ADP-ribosylation of a membrane Mr = 41,000 protein. GTP, but not Gpp(NH)p, was more efficient and persistent in activating adenylate cyclase in membranes from IAP-treated cells than membranes from control cells. GTP and Gpp(NH)p caused marked inhibition of adenylate cyclase when the enzyme system was converted to its highly activated state by cholera toxin treatment or fluoride addition, presumably as a result of their interaction with the specific binding protein which is responsible for inhibition of adenylate cyclase. This inhibition was totally abolished by IAP treatment of cells, making it very likely that IAP preferentially modulates GTP inhibitory responses, thereby increasing GTP-dependent activation and negating GTP-mediated inhibition of adenylate cyclase.     

Pyridine nucleotide transhydrogenase from Pseudomonas aeruginosa: Purification by affinity chromatography and physicochemical properties

Pyridine nucleotide transhydrogenase from Pseudomonas aeruginosa was purified 150-fold by affinity chromatography on immobilized 2′-AMP. The binding of the enzyme is pH dependent. Elution was achieved with 2′-AMP, NADP⁺, or NADPH but not with 5′-AMP, NAD⁺, or NADH. The enzyme preparations appeared to be homogeneous in gel chromatography and ultracentrifugation, but only if these procedures were carried out in the presence of 2′-AMP or NADP⁺. With 2′-AMP a sedimentation coefficient of 34 S, a molecular weight of 1.6–1.7 million, and a Stokes' radius of 11.7 nm were determined. In the presence of NADP⁺ the sedimentation coefficient was 42 S and the molecular weight was 6.4 million. Polyacrylamide gel electrophoresis in the presence of sodium dodecyl sulfate revealed one kind of subunit with a molecular weight of 54,000. This was consistent with results from amino acid analyses and paper chromatography of peptides. Eight molar urea inactivated the enzyme but did not dissociate it into subunits. Full activity was restored after dialysis against urea-free buffer by mercaptoethanol and flavin-adenine dinucleotide.     

Stimulation of adenylate cyclase by adenosine and other agonists in mesenteric artery smooth muscle cells in culture

An adenosine-sensitive adenylate cyclase has been characterized in cultured mesenteric artery smooth muscle cells. N-Ethylcarboxamide-adenosine (NECA), N-Methylcarboxamide-adenosine (MECA), L-N6-phenylisopropyladenosine (PIA) and 2-chloroadenosine (2-cl-Ado) all stimulated adenylate cyclase in a concentration dependent manner. NECA was the most potent analog (EC50, 1 microM), whereas PIA (EC50, 15 microM), 2-Cl-Ado (EC50, 15 microM) and MECA (EC50, 24 microM), were less potent and had efficacies relative to NECA of 0.61, 0.61 and 0.65, respectively. Adenosine showed a biphasic effect: stimulation at lower concentrations and inhibition at higher concentrations, whereas 2' deoxyadenosine only inhibited adenylate cyclase activity. The stimulatory effect of NECA on adenylate cyclase was dependent on metal ion concentration and was blocked by 3-isobutyl-l-methylxanthine (IBMX) and 8-phenyltheophylline (8-PT). Adenylate cyclase from these cultured cells was also stimulated by other agonists such as epinephrine, norepinephrine, prostaglandins, dopamine, NaF and forskolin. The stimulation of adenylate cyclase by isoproterenol, epinephrine and norepinephrine was blocked by propranolol but not by phentolamine. On the other hand, phentolamine, propranolol and flupentixol all inhibited dopamine-stimulated adenylate cyclase activity. In addition, the stimulation by an optimal concentration of PIA was additive or almost additive with maximal stimulation caused by catecholamines and prostaglandins. These data indicate the presence of adenosine (Stimulatory "Ra"), catecholamine and prostaglandin receptors in mesenteric artery smooth muscle cells and suggest that these agents may exert their physiological actions through their interaction with their respective receptors coupled to adenylate cyclase.     

The effects of ketone bodies,bicarbonate, and calcium on hepatic mitochondrial ketogenesis

The effect of various factors on hepatic mitochondrial ketogenesis was investigated in the rat. A comparison of three different incubation media revealed that bicarbonate ion inhibited the rate of ketone body production and decreased the ratio of 3-hydroxybutyrate/acetoacetate. The addition of 0.8 mm calcium caused significant inhibition of ketogenesis from both octanoate (40–50%) and palmitate (25–30%) and no change in the ratio of 3-hydroxybutyrate/acetoacetate. In the presence of components of the malate/aspartate shuttle, the inhibition by calcium was 80% or more with both substrates. Experimental alteration of the respiratory state of the mitochondria from state 3 to state 4 was associated with an enhanced rate of ketogenesis. The addition of ketone bodies themselves had marked effects on the rate of ketone body production. Increasing amounts of exogenously added acetoacetate were accompanied by increasing rates of total ketone body production reflecting enhanced 3-hydroxybutyrate synthesis. In the presence of added 3-hydroxybutyrate, there was striking inhibition of ketogenesis. Rotenone, which prevents oxidation of NADH₂ via the electron transport chain, almost completely inhibited ketone body synthesis. This inhibition was partially overcome by the addition of acetoacetate which regenerates NAD⁺ from NADH₂ during conversion to 3-hydroxybutyrate. These observations provide evidence for additional sites of metabolic control over hepatic ketogenesis.     

Imidazole,imidazolate, and hydroxide complexes of (protoporphyrin IX)iron(III) and its dimethyl ester as model systems for ferric hemoproteins: Electron paramagnetic resonance and electronic spectral study

The EPR and electronic spectral changes upon titration of systems consisting of (protoporphyrin IX)iron(III) chloride (Fe(PPIX)Cl) or its dimethyl ester (Fe-(PPIXDME)Cl) and imidazole derivatives with tetrabutylammonium hydroxide solution have been measured at 77 and 298 °K in various solvents. The EPR and electronic spectra of the melt of Fe(PPIXDME)Cl in imidazole derivatives have been also measured. The imidazole derivatives studied here were imidazole and 4-methyl-, 4-phenyl-, 2-methyl-, 2,4-dimethyl-, 1-methyl-, and 1-acetylimidazole. The spectral changes upon addition of hydroxide were markedly different between the systems containing NH imidazoles (BH), with a dissociable proton, and those containing NR imidazoles (BR), without it. In the former systems, five spectral species were successively formed at 77 °K and were assigned to following complexes: [Fe(P)(BH)₂]⁺, Fe(P)(BH)(B), [Fe(P)(B)₂]^?, Fe(P)(BH)(OH), and [Fe(P)(B)(OH)]^?, where P is PPIX or PPIXDME. In the latter systems, initial complex, [Fe(P)(BR)₂]⁺, was found to be changed to final complex, Fe(P)(BR)(OH), through an intermediate at 77 °K. At 298 °K, both systems were found to react with hydroxide to finally form Fe(P)(OH). The crystal field parameters were evaluated using the EPR g values in low-spin complexes studied here and in hemoproteins. The five regions corresponding to five low-spin complexes could be distinguished in crystal field diagrams.     

Human liver cytosolic malate dehydrogenase: Purification,kinetic properties,and role in ethanol metabolism

Cytosolic malate dehydrogenase from human liver was isolated and its physical and kinetic properties were determined. The enzyme had a molecular weight of 72,000 ± 2000 and an amino acid composition similar to those of malate dehydrogenases from other species. The kinetic behaviour of the enzyme was consistent with an Ordered Bi Bi mechanism. The following values (μm) of the kinetic parameters were obtained at pH 7.4 and 37 °C: K_a, 17; K_ia, 3.6; K_b, 51; K_ib, 68; K_p, 770; K_ip, 10,700; K_q, 42; K_iq, 500, where a, b, p, and q refer to NADH, oxalacetate, malate, and NAD⁺, respectively. The maximum velocity of the enzyme in human liver homogenates was 102 μmol/min/g wet wt of liver for oxalacetate reduction and 11.2 μmol/min/g liver for malate oxidation at pH 7.4 and 37 °C. Calculations using these parameters showed that, under conditions in vivo, the rate of NADH oxidation by the enzyme would be much less than the maximum velocity and could be comparable to the rate of NADH production during ethanol oxidation in human liver. The rate of NADH oxidation would be sensitive to the concentrations of NADH and oxalacetate; this sensitivity can explain the change in cytosolic $\text{NAD}{}^{\mathrm{+}}\text{NADH}$ redox state during ethanol metabolism in human liver.     

Malonyl-CoA Decarboxylase from Streptomyces erythreus: Purification,properties, and possible role in the production of erythromycin

Malonyl-CoA decarboxylase was purified (800-fold) from an erythromycin-producing strain of Streptomyces erythreus using DEAE-cellulose, Sephadex G-100, SP-Sephadex, and gel filtration with Sephadex G-75. The molecular weight of the native enzyme was 93,000 as determined by gel filtration and the subunit molecular weight was 45,000 as estimated by sodium dodecyl sulfate-polyacrylamide electrophoresis, suggesting an α₂ subunit composition for the native enzyme. Evidence is presented that during the purification procedure and storage a proteolytic cleavage occurred resulting in the formation of 30- and 15-kDa peptides. The enzyme showed a pH optimum of about 5.0 whereas the vertebrate enzyme showed an optimum at alkaline pH. The enzyme decarboxylated malonyl-CoA with a K_m of 143 μm and V of 250 nmol min^?1 mg^?1. For the decarboxylation of methylmalonyl-CoA this enzyme showed the opposite stereospecificity to that shown by vertebrate enzyme; the (R) isomer was decarboxylated at 3% of the rate observed with malonyl-CoA while the (S) isomer was not a substrate. Neither avidin nor biotin affected the rate of malonyl-CoA decarboxylation, suggesting that biotin is not involved in catalysis. Acetyl-CoA and free CoA were found to be competitive inhibitors. Propionyl-CoA, butyryl-CoA, succinyl-CoA, and methylmalonyl-CoA showed little inhibition, and neither thiol-directed reagents nor chelating agents inhibited the enzyme. High ionic strength and sulfate ions caused reversible inhibition of the enzymatic activity. Under two different cultural conditions the time course of appearance of malonyl-CoA decarboxylase was determined by measuring the enzyme activity and the level of the enzyme protein by an immunological method using rabbit antibodies prepared against the enzyme. In both cases the increase and decrease in the decarboxylase correlated with the rate of production of erythromycin, suggesting a possible role for this enzyme in the antibiotic production.     

cAMP-stimulated adenylate cyclase activation in Dictyostelium discoideum is inhibited by agents acting at the cell surface

The ability of Dictyostelium discoideum amoebae to synthesize and secrete cAMP in response to exogenous cAMP is called cAMP signaling. Concanavalin A is a potent, rapid, noncompetitive inhibitor of this response, with the rate of inhibition consistent with its rate of binding. The concanavalin A does not deplete cellular ATP, alter cAMP binding to its surface receptors, or affect basal adenylate cyclase activity, but blocks the cAMP-stimulated activation of adenylate cyclase. Therefore, concanavalin A appears to inhibit a step between the receptor and the adenylate cyclase which is necessary for the transduction of the cAMP signal. Wheat germ agglutinin, a polyclonal antibody against an 80-kDa glycoprotein, four monoclonal antibodies against the amoebal surface, and a chemical cross-linking agent which reacts with cell surface primary amines also inhibit signaling. To determine the importance of cross-linking in the inhibition, succinylated concanavalin A and the unlinked, reactive portion of the chemical cross-linker were tested and found to be relatively ineffective inhibitors. Thus it appears that ligands capable of cross-linking molecules on the external surface of D. discoideum amoebae inhibit cAMP signaling. It is proposed that these cross-linking agents prevent membrane or cytoskeletal rearrangement and that this rearrangement must occur before the adenylate cyclase is activated.     

Purification and properties of soybean nodule xanthine dehydrogenase

Xanthine dehydrogenase (EC 1.2.1.37), an essential enzyme for ureide metabolism was purified from the cytosol fraction of soybean nodules. The purified xanthine dehydrogenase was shown to be homogeneous by electrophoresis and a pI of 4.7 was determined by isoelectric focusing. The enzyme had a molecular weight of 285,000 and two subunits of molecular weight 141,000 each. The holoenzyme contained 1.7 (±0.7) mol Mo and 8.1 (±2.0) mol Fe/mol enzyme and the enzyme also contained FMN and is thus a molybdoironflavoprotein. Soybean xanthine dehydrogenase is the second enzyme in plants demonstrated to contain Mo and the first xanthine-oxidizing enzyme reported to contain FMN, rather than FAD as the flavin cofactor.     

Purification and properties of Paracoccus denitrificans azurin

The isolation of an azurin type Cu protein from Paracoccus denitrificans (ATCC 13543) is described and some properties are reported. The purified protein has a molecular weight of 13,790 in a single polypeptide chain and contains one Cu atom per molecule. Its spectrum is typical of Type I, “blue” Cu proteins in showing an intense band at 595 nm; but it also shows a weaker absorption band at 448 nm. Its standard reduction potential has been measured to be +230 mV, which is the lowest potential observed to date for azurins isolated from bacterial sources. The purified protein shows fivefold greater electron transport activity with membrane fragments than with the soluble nitrite reductase of Paracoccus. This argues against the latter as the primary physiological oxidase system for azurin.     

A heme binding site on myelin basic protein: characterization, location, and significance

Myelin basic protein (MBP), an extrinsic membrane protein from the myelin sheath, binds dicyanohemin. The binding generates absorption bands in the Soret region and quenches the fluorescence emitted by the sole tryptophan residue. The absorption titration curves in the Soret demonstrate that the binding is stoichiometric, one heme per protein, with a large value of the extinction coefficient (8 X 10(4) M-1 cm-1 at 420 nm). Fluorescence quenching titration curves indicate an identical stoichiometry and a low quenching efficiency of 20%. From the heme titration curve the association constant between dicyanohemin and MBP is estimated to be greater than or equal to 10 nM-1 in 50 mM 4-morpholinepropanesulfonic acid buffer, pH 7.0, at 20 degrees C. Digestion of MBP by Staphylococcus aureus V8 protease yields a peptide (38-118) whose heme binding properties are identical to those of MBP. In contrast, peptides obtained by digestion of MBP with cathepsin D do not exhibit any specific binding of dicyanohemin. The cleavage of the Phe-Phe (42-43) bond appears to be critical in this respect. A comparison of the sequence immediately preceding, including these residues with a probable heme binding site of a mitochondrial cytochrome b, reveals a high degree of homology. The possible significance of heme binding is discussed.     

Guanidoacetate methyltransferase from rat liver: Purification,properties, and evidence for the involvement of sulfhydryl groups for activity

Guanidoacetate methyltransferase (EC 2.1.1.2) has been purified about 800-fold from rat liver. The purified preparation shows a single protein band on polyacrylamide gel electrophoresis in the presence and absence of sodium dodecyl sulfate. The molecular weight of the enzyme is estimated to be 25,000 and 26,000 by Sephadex gel molecular-exclusion chromatography and by electrophoresis in polyacrylamide gradient gel, respectively. The sodium dodecyl sulfate-denatured enzyme also has a molecular weight of 26,000; thus, the enzyme is a monomeric protein. Guanidoacetate methyltransferase as isolated is catalytically inactive, but is readily reactivated by incubation with a thiol. The reactivated enzyme, which contains 3 mol of sulfhydryl groups/mol of enzyme, is again inactivated by oxidized glutathione. This inactivation is accompanied by the disappearance of two sulfhydryl residues. The relationship between the loss of enzyme activity and the number of residues disappeared indicates that the integrity of these sulfhydryl residues is critical for activity. The oxidized enzyme fails to bind the substrate S-adenosylmethionine as evidenced by the equilibrium dialysis study. Alkylation of the nonoxidizable sulfhydryl by N-ethylmaleimide shows that this residue is also essential for activity. UV absorption, fluorescence, and CD spectra show no difference between the reduced and oxidized enzymes, but the former is more susceptible to proteolytic attack by trypsin. The enzyme has an isoelectric pH of 5.3, and is most active at pH 9.0. From the CD spectrum, an α helix content of 15% is calculated. The K_m values for guanidoacetate and S-adenosylmethionine are 97.5 and 6.73 μm, respectively, at pH 8.0 and 37 °C.     

Purification and characterization of the soluble form of mitochondrial adenosine triphosphatase from sweet potato

The soluble form of mitochondrial adenosine triphosphatase was purified in an electrophoretically and immunologically pure form from sweet potato root tissue. The enzyme consisted of six kinds of subunits with different molecular weights (52,500, 51,500, 35,500, 26,000, 23,000, and 12,000), and its molecular weight was about 370,000. Adenosine triphosphatase associated with the submitochondrial particles was oligomycin-sensitive and heat-labile, whereas the soluble form of the enzyme was oligomycin-insensitive and cold-labile. The enzyme in either the membrane-bound or the soluble form showed negative cooperativity. Both experiments with polyacrylamide gel electrophoresis and immunological methods suggest that some of the subunits, probably those with molecular weights of 52,500 and 51,500, are dissociated from the enzyme protein during storage of the enzyme preparations.