The enzymic degradation of l-serine O-sulphate. Mechanism of the reaction

1. During the enzyme-catalysed degradation of l-serine O-sulphate no exchange occurs between the hydrogen atom attached to the alpha-carbon atom of the substrate and the tritiated water of the incubation medium. 2. The participation of an intermediate carbanion has been demonstrated in the degradation by performing the reaction in the presence of tetranitromethane. 3. Photo-oxidation of the enzyme in the presence of Rose Bengal led to a rapid inactivation of enzyme with the concomitant loss of four histidine residues/molecule. 4. Rose Bengal was also a non-competitive inhibitor of the enzyme.     

Studies on the enzymic degradation of L-serine O-sulphate by a rat liver preparation

1. The enzyme system of rat liver responsible for the degradation of l-serine O-sulphate was purified 300-fold and the optimum conditions for the activity were determined. 2. Inorganic sulphate, pyruvate and ammonia were found to be the products of enzyme action on lserine O-sulphate, being formed in equivalent amounts under all conditions examined. No free l-serine was detected as a product of enzyme action. 3. The enzyme preparation was free from other serine-metabolizing systems such as O-phospho-l-serine phosphatase and l-serine dehydratase. 4. The enzyme has a very narrow substrate specificity and is inactive towards a wide variety of related sulphate esters and amino acids. 5. Pyridoxal 5'-phosphate is capable of catalysing the non-enzymic breakdown of l-serine O-sulphate in the presence of metal salts to yield inorganic sulphate, pyruvate and ammonia as products. 6. The possible role of pyridoxal 5'-phosphate as a coenzyme in the enzymic degradation of l-serine O-sulphate is discussed.     

The Sulphation of p-hydroxyphenylpyruvic acid and related compounds by the rat liver cytosol.

Cytosol preparations of rat liver and kidney were examined for their ability to transfer sulphate from adenosine 3'-phosphate 5'-sulphatophosphate to p-hydroxyphenylpyruvic acid. Little activity towards this substrate was observed, and the main product detected in the reaction mixtures was identified as p-hydroxybenzyl alcohol O-sulphate. This was not formed from p-hydroxybenzaldehyde, a spontaneous oxidation product of p-hydroxyphenylpyruvic acid, by sulphation followed by a rapid enzyme-catalysed reduction of the intermediate phydroxybenzaldehyde O-sulphate. This product was formed mainly by this sequence of reactions, but the reverse, reduction followed by sulphation, also appeared possible. p-Hydroxybenzyl alcohol itself was very readily sulphated by both preparations, and the liver also produced a sulpho-conjugate of homogentisic acid. These observations are important in calculating the turnover of L-tyrosine O-sulphate in the mammalian system, and establish that p-hydroxyphenylpyruvic acid O-sulphate is an end product of its metabolism, rather than an intermediate in its synthesis by reversed transamination.     

The purification and properties of the l-serine O-sulphate-degrading system of pig liver

1. The enzyme system from pig liver responsible for the alphabeta-elimination of l-serine O-sulphate was purified 1000-fold. 2. Isoelectric focusing produced two enzymically active fractions with isoelectric points at pH5.6 and 5.9 respectively. 3. Osmometry and gel filtration showed both enzymes to possess molecular weights of approx. 54000. 4. The separate activities exhibited similar amino acid compositions.     

The inhibition of glutamate dehydrogenase by l-serine O-sulphate and related compounds and by photo-oxidation in the presence of Rose Bengal

1. Glutamate dehydrogenase was inhibited by l-serine O-sulphate, beta-chloro-l-alanine, O-phospho-l-serine and beta-chloro-l-alanine methyl ester. With the exception of beta-chloro-l-alanine methyl ester which was an irreversible inhibitor, it was possible to reverse the inhibitory effects by dialysis. 2. Both NAD(+) and glutamate afford some protection against the inhibition due to the methyl ester. No change in the normal stimulatory effect exhibited by ADP was observed in the presence of beta-chloro-l-alanine methyl ester but the effect due to GTP was modified. 3. Irradiation of glutamate dehydrogenase in the presence of Rose Bengal produced rapid inactivation. Amino acid analysis of the inactivated enzyme showed that eight histidine residues had been destroyed in the process.     

Production of l-serine from glycine by Corynebacterium glycinophilum and properties of serine hydroxymethyltransferase,a key enzyme in l-serine production

Fermentative production of l-serine from glycine by Corynebacterium glycinophilum AJ-3413, an auxotrophic mutant of Leu and Met with increased productivity of l-serine using a one liter jar fermentor was carried out and the properties of serine hydroxymethyltransferase (SHMT), a key enzyme in l-serine synthesis, of the parental strain AJ-3170 were investigated. SHMT was effectively induced by the addition of glycine to the medium at an early stage of cultivation. Under optimal conditions, AJ-3413 produced 16.0 g/l of l-serine from 30 g/l of glycine with a molar yield of 38%. The partially purified SHMT catalyzed the l-allo-threonine degradation in addition to l-serine degradation, but could not catalyze l-threonine degradation. This enzyme showed an absolute tetrahydrofolic acid requirement for l-serine degradation to glycine and formaldehyde, but not for l-allo-threonine degradation. Pyridoxal 5′-phosphate appeared to be required for enzyme activity. The K_m values for glycine and formaldehyde in l-serine synthesis, and for l-serine in l-serine degradation were 1.85, 0.29 and 1.64 mM, respectively.     

Kinetic studies of the degradation of oxycarbonyloxymethyl prodrug of Adefovir and Tenofovir in solution

The decomposition kinetics of bis-POC PMEA and bis-POC PMPA followed pseudo-first order kinetics with the corresponding mono-POC ester detected as the only observable degradation product for all the pH values studied. The rates of hydrolysis of bis-POC PMEA over the pH range studied was described by [formula: see text] The 18O incorporation studies revealed that hydrolysis of bis-POC PMEA at pH 7.0 primarily proceeds via P-O cleavage with an additional minor pathway involving C-O bond cleavage. Hydrolysis of bis-POC PMPA was found to be about 2 fold slower than bis-POC PMEA at pH values above 6.0.     

Physiological comparison of L-serine dehydratase and tryptophanase from Bacillus alvei

Tryptophanase from Bacillus alvei also possesses serine dehydratase activity. A comparison of this enzyme with l-serine dehydratase [l-serine hydro-lyase (deaminating), EC 4.2.1.13] in toluene-treated whole cell preparations of the organism was undertaken. Tryptophanase is a constitutive enzyme in B. alvei. The dehydratase undergoes a repression-derepression-repression sequence as the l-serine level in the growth medium is increased from 0 to 0.1 m. Tryptophanase activity is decreased in organisms grown in medium containing glucose. Both enzymes are repressed in organisms grown in glycerol-containing medium. l-Serine dehydratase has a pH optimum of 7.5 in potassium phosphate buffer; tryptophanase functions optimally in this buffer at pH 8.2. Both enzymes lose activity in the presence of tris(hydroxymethyl)aminomethane buffer. Either K(+) or NH(4) (+) is required for full tryptophanase activity, but Na(+) is markedly inhibitory. These three cations are stimulatory to l-serine dehydratase activity. Both enzymes are subject to apparent substrate inhibition at high concentrations of their respective amino acids, but the inhibition of tryptophanase activity can be completely overcome by the removal of indole as it is formed. The dehydratase does not catalyze cleavage of d-serine, l-threonine, or alpha-substituted serine analogues at the concentrations tested. However, activity of the enzyme in cleaving l-serine is competitively inhibited by d-serine, indicating that the d-isomer can occupy an active site on the enzyme. The enzyme catalyzes cleavage of some beta-substituted serine analogues.     

Quantum chemical analysis of the deferiprone-iron binding reaction

To prevent side effects of excessive accumulation of iron in the body, chelation therapy is recommended in transfusion-dependent patients. The reaction between deferiprone and iron to form a complex red substance can be described as 3 molecules of the chelator, deferiprone, reacting with a molecule of iron. However, the actual mechanism of the deferiprone-iron binding reaction is not well understood. A quantum chemical analysis of the deferiprone-iron binding reaction was performed, focusing on the reaction between 1 molecule of deferiprone and I molecule of iron. The two main alternative pathways for the deferiprone-iron binding reaction were shown to be C-C cleavage and C-O cleavage. The required energy for complex formation in C-C cleavage was less than for C-O cleavage. The total energy requirement for C-C cleavage was negative, implying that this reaction can occur without any external energy source. The resulting complex fits the reported tertiary structure model for the deferiprone-iron complex.     

Efficient conversion of glycine to l-serine by a glycine-resistant mutant of a methylotroph using Co2+ as an inhibitor of l-serine degradation

A glycine-resistant mutant, no. 18, which was not lysed by glycine, was obtained from an l-serine-producing mutant, S395 (temperature-sensitive, O-methylserine-resistant), of a facultative methylotroph, Pseudomonas MS31. The mutant stably produced l-serine from glycine. The properties of the enzymes involved in the synthesis and degradation of l-serine were investigated in the wild-type strain MS31 and the l-serine-producing mutants. Mutant derivation had no effect on the activities of methanol dehydrogenase or serine hydroxymethyltransferase, which are involved in l-serine synthesis. On the other hand, the activity of l-serine dehydratase (SDH), which degrades l-serine, was reduced in the mutants. Cobalt (Co²⁺) inhibited SDH activity and its addition (6.5 mM) to the l-serine production culture significantly stimulated l-serine accumulation up to 14.9 mg/ml. The results suggest that blocking of SDH is important for the efficient production of l-serine from glycine by methylotrophs.     

Development of the γ-Aminobutyric Acid Neurotransmitter System in the Rat Cerebral Cortex During Repeated Administration of the GABA-Transaminase Inhibitor Ethanolamine O-Sulphate

Ethanolamine O-sulphate (400 mg/kg, i.p.) was administered to rat pups at 9 days of age and on alternate days up to 17 days of age. At 18 days of age, gamma-aminobutyric acid (GABA) concentration was increased (three- to fourfold), glutamic acid decarboxylase (GAD) activity reduced to 55% of control, and the number of GABAA and GABAB binding sites increased in the cerebral cortex. This is the same pattern of change as seen previously with oral administration of ethanolamine O-sulphate to the adult rat but the changes occur more rapidly in the developing rat. A lower dose of ethanolamine O-sulphate (100 mg/kg, i.p.), administered according to the same schedule, caused a twofold increase in cortical GABA at 18 days of age whereas GAD activity and GABAA binding were not significantly altered.     

l-Serine Production by a Mutant of Sarcina albida Defective in l-Serine Degradation

For improved l-serine production, an l-serine dehydratase-defective mutant of Sarcina albida IAM 1012 was obtained. In the mutant, the activities of the enzymes responsible for l-serine production were as high as those in the parent strain, and, at a low glycine concentration, the mutant accumulated l-serine more efficiently than the parent. Under optimum conditions, 21 mg of l-serine per ml accumulated from 100 mg of glycine per ml. l-Serine was isolated from a reaction mixture as l-serine m-xylene-4-sulfonate, and free amino acid was obtained in high yields by use of an ion-exchange resin. Residual glycine was recovered at a yield of 61%.     

Non-enzymatic excision of pre-tRNA introns?

We used human tRNA(Tyr) precursor as a substrate to study self-excision of a pre-tRNA intron. This RNA was synthesized in vitro in a HeLa cell extract. It contains a 5' leader, an intron of 20 nucleotides and a 3' trailer. Self-cleavage of pre-tRNA(Tyr) occurs in 100 mM NH4OAc at a pH ranging from 6 to 8.5 in the presence of spermine, MgCl2 and Triton X-100 under conditions very similar to enzymatic intron excision. The reaction is temperature-dependent, relatively fast as compared to the enzyme-catalysed reaction and leads to fragments which resist further degradation. The detailed structure of all major and minor cleavage products was established by fingerprint analyses. Non-enzymatic cleavage occurs predominantly at the 3' splice site and to a minor extent at the 5' splice site. Other minor cleavage sites are located within the intron and in the 3' trailer. Putative 5' and 3' tRNA halves resulting from pre-tRNA(Tyr) self-cleavage are substrates for wheat germ RNA ligase, suggesting that the cleavage reaction yields 2',3'-cyclic phosphate and 5'-hydroxyl termini. Pre-tRNA splicing endonuclease is believed to cleave both the 5' and the 3' splice site. However, on the basis of our results we propose that this enzyme may support the formation of a pre-tRNA tertiary structure favourable for autocatalytic intron excision and impair unspecific self-cleavage.     

Degradation of ribonucleic acids in yeast cells during desiccation

From 26 to 43% of RNA undergoes degradation in yeast cells when they pass into the state of anabiosis. Most of the degradation was found to occur at the first stage of cell dehydration when free water was removed from the cells. The mechanism of RNA degradation is supposed to involve enzyme-catalysed processes which are realised in the cell at the early stages of its dehydration.     

Production of l-serine from methanol and glycine by resting cells of a methylotroph under automatically controlled conditions

Serine production from methanol and glycine was tried using frozen-thawed resting cells of a methylotroph, Protomonas extorquens NR-1 under multi-variable controlled conditions. The conditions for l-serine formation were optimized at 30°C. The production of l-serine in 0.4% CaCl₂ solution (initial pH 8.2) was the same as in 0.1 M Tris-HCl buffer (initial pH 8.3). Increasing the initial glycine concentration promoted l-serine formation. A high aeration rate decreased l-serine production. The optimum concentrations of dissolved oxygen and methanol were 0.5 ppm and 10 g/l, respectively. The highest l-serine, 24.9 g/l, was obtained at 24 h from 30.94 gl (as dry weight) resting cells using 100 g/l initial glycine with controlled pH. The relationship between the initial rate of l-serine formation and cell concentration indicated an unusual curve due to the effects of the added NaOH which was used for controlling the pH. In similar experiments without control of pH, a normal profile was observed with respect to the relationship between the initial rate of l-serine formation and cell concentration. The highest l-serine, 54.5 g/l, was obtained at 48 h by 36.4 g/l (as dry weight) resting cells. The yield (mol of l-serine/mol of added substrate) of l-serine from methanol and glycine were 8.3% and 39.3%, respectively. The selectivity of l-serine (mol of l-serine/mol of glycine consumed) was 67.9%. The stoichiometry of the maximum l-serine formation showed that the resting cells carried the highly active methanol dehydrogenase while serine transhydroxymethylase was rather low. Serine glyoxalate aminotransferase was not completely inhibited by the high concentration of glycine (about 68% of synthesized l-serine was detected in the supernatant.     

Effects of l-serine dehydratase activity on l-serine production by Corynebacterium glycinophilum and an examination of the properties of the enzyme

The results with Corynebacterium glycinophilum AJ-3170 and various mutants from AJ-3170 indicated that l-serine production was almost inversely proportional to l-serine degrading activity. The crude extract of the parental strain, AJ-3170, showed l-serine and l-threonine degrading activities. The 2 activities were completely separated from each other by gel-filtration, indicating that each activity comes from a different enzyme. The l-serine degrading enzyme, l-serine dehydratase (SD), was purified 30-fold from AJ-3170. Molecular weight of SD was 130,000. The enzyme was specific for l-serine, activated slightly by FeCl₂ and inhibited by MnCl₂. The double reciprocal plots of SD rate against substrate concentration gave an upwards-curved line. The value of [S]_0.5 was 35 mM.     

Effect of serine hydroxamate on the growth of Escherichia coli

The structural analogue of l-serine, l-serine hydroxamate, inhibited the growth of Escherichia coli K-12. Of the other amino acid hydroxamates tested, only l-lysine hydroxamate reduced the rate of growth. Inhibition of growth by l-serine hydroxamate was rapidly reversed by the addition of l-serine to the bacterial culture or by removal of the analogue by filtration. The reversal of inhibition was specific for l-serine. l-Alanine, glycine, or adenine had no effect on an inhibited culture. No evidence for active transport of the analogue was obtained.     

The effect of oral inorganic sulphate on the metabolism of 4-hydroxyphenethylamine (tyramine) in man: tyramine O-sulphate measurement in human urine (Short Communication)

1. Urinary excretion of tyramine O-sulphate in six normal human subjects after an oral dose of 125mg of tyramine hydrochloride alone, and with a supplement of Na(2)SO(4), was determined by using chromatographic and electrophoretic separations followed by spectrophotofluorimetry. 2. In every case the excretion of tyramine O-sulphate was increased significantly after sulphate supplementation.     

Enzymatic methods for the determination of L-serine concentration and L-[14C]serine specific radioactivity in blood plasma

Methods are desribed for the use of l-serine dehydratase purified from Clostridium acidiurici for the determination of l-serine concentration and l[¹⁴C]serine specific radioactivity in sheep plasma. A spectrophotometric assay using this enzyme accurately measured the concentration of l-serine in standard solutions and in a commercially available mixture of amino acids and related compounds. This assay was shown to be suitable for measurement of plasma l-serine concentrations in excess of 30 μm. The reverse isotope dilution method was used for plasma l-[¹⁴C]serine specific radioactivity measurements. Carrier l-serine was added to plasma and separated from neutral and anionic compounds using ion-exchange chromatography. The l-serine was then converted to pyruvate with l-serine dehydratase and this was purified as the phenylhydrazone derivative. After recrystallization, drying and weighing, the derivative was assayed for radioactivity. The accuracy of this method was verified by adding l-[U-¹⁴C]serine to plasma and comparing the experimentally determined l-[¹⁴C]serine specific radioactivity with the calculated value. The method yielded a value which was 98.6 ± 0.8% (5) of this calculated value.     

Nature of sulphated macromolecules in mouse Reichert''s membrane. Evidence for tyrosine O-sulphate in basement-membrane proteins.

Seven different sulphated macromolecules were detected in 6 M-guanidinium chloride extracts of metabolically [35S]sulphate-labelled mouse Reichert's membrane and were partially separated. Polypeptide bands of apparent Mr 50 000, 150 000 (tentatively identified as entactin) and 170 000 contained essentially tyrosine O-sulphate as the labelled component. Most of the radioactive sulphate was incorporated into three different proteoglycans, which could be separated by chromatography and density-gradient centrifugation before and after enzymic degradation. Enzymic analysis of glycosaminoglycans and of protein cores by immunoassays identified these components as low-density and high-density forms of heparan sulphate proteoglycan and a high-density form of chondroitin sulphate or dermatan sulphate proteoglycan.