Characterization of beta-glucosidase isoenzymes possibly involved in lignification from chick pea (Cicer arietinum L.) cell suspension cultures.

Crude cell wall preparations from Cicer arietinum L. cell suspension cultures show high activity for the hydrolysis of coniferyl alcohol beta-D-glucoside (coniferin). Various beta-glucosidase activities could be solubilized from these preparations by 0.5 M NaCl treatment and one of these could be shown to possess a high activity for the hydrolysis of coniferin. The enzyme activities were purified to near homogeneity by Sephadex G-200 and CM-Sephadex chromatography. Isoelectric focussing indicated the occurrence of beta-glucosidase isoenzymes with identical catalytic activity (pI 8.5-10). Molecular weights were determined as 110 000, with two subunits of 63 000 and 43 000. Maximum hydrolytic activity is at pH 5. The beta-glucosidase isoenzymes catalyze the hydrolysis of various beta-glucosides with aromatic aglycone structure and different sugar moieties. However, coniferin has been found to be one of the best substrates (km = 0.8 mM; V = 6 mumol.min-1.mg protein-1) for these beta-glucosidase isoenzymes. The data suggest that beta-glucosidase-catalyzed reaction might be involved in lignification of these plant cell cultures.     

Characterization of glutamate dehydrogenase isoproteins purified from the cerebellum of normal subjects and patients with degenerative neurological disorders, and from human neoplastic cell lines

Glutamate dehydrogenase (GDH) was purified to homogeneity from cerebellar tissue of three normal subjects and seven patients with four distinct types of degenerative neurological disorders. Nonequilibrium pH gradient gel electrophoresis showed that the purified enzyme consists of four major isoproteins designated GDH 1, 2, 3, and 4. With one exception, the relative abundance and isoelectric points of the GDH isoproteins decrease and the molecular weights increase progressively going from isoprotein 1 to isoprotein 4. The enzyme isolated from the brain of one patient with a variant form of multiple system atrophy displayed marked reduction of GDH isoprotein 1. The Km values of the patients' GDH for alpha-ketoglutarate, glutamate, NADH, and NADPH were significantly increased as compared to GDH obtained from normal and neurologic control subjects. In addition, glutamate levels were reduced markedly in the patient's cerebellum. Pulse-chase studies have shown that both the human hepatoma HepG2 and the human glioma U373 cell lines synthesize exclusively GDH isoprotein 2. The different GDH isoproteins do not have a precursor-product relationship and may represent products of different GDH mRNA species.     

Characterization of nuclear glutamate dehydrogenase of chicken liver and brain

Glutamate dehydrogenase (GDH) enzyme is recently being reported to be present in the nucleus in addition to the mitochondria in a number of organisms. Here we investigated the distribution of GDH in liver and brain tissues of chicken. Polyclonal anti-GDH antibody against bovine GDH was raised by us, which was later shown to be immunereactive to chicken GDH. The nuclear and the mitochondrial extracts from liver and brain tissues of chicken were made as described. By quantitative immunoreactivity, it was revealed that the nuclear GDH expressed in comparable efficiencies in the liver and brain. However, the activity of the brain nuclear GDH was lower than the liver counterparts. The allosteric regulation pattern for the brain nuclear GDH was also different from the other corresponding fractions and it was speculated that the brain nuclear GDH was inactive. The liver and brain nuclear GDH were purified to homogeneity and comparison of specific activities of both the GDH ruled out the existence of any inhibitor in the brain nuclear GDH. It is hypothesized that the inactivation of the brain nuclear GDH in chicken could be due to some already known posttranslational modification. The present report throws light on the differential regulation pattern of GDH enzyme.     

Purification of an elicitor-induced glucan synthase (callose synthase) from suspension cultures of French bean (Phaseolus vulgaris L.): purification and immunolocation of a probable Mr-65 000 subunit of the enzyme

Membrane preparations from suspension-cultured cells of French bean (Phaseolus vulgaris L.) contained callose synthase (EC 2.4.1.34) activity which was preserved upon solubilisation. Following elicitor treatment of cell cultures, increased activity could be extracted and this increase was maintained during purification. The enzyme was purified by high-pressure liquid chromatography and active fractions showed a variable association of two polypeptides of relative molecular masses (M_r) 55 000 and 65 000, the latter being in excess. The M_r-65 000 polypeptide was purified to homogeneity and an antibody raised to it. This antibody showed complex effects on callose synthase activity when incubated with membrane and soluble extracts. In comparison with other systems, the M_r-55 000 subunit is likely to represent the catalytic subunit while the M_r-65 000 polypeptide is a possible regulatory subunit. The M_r-65 000 polypeptide was immunolocated in membranes at sites of callose synthesis in the plant, in cell plates, in sieve plates, at the plasma membrane-wall interface of wounded cells and in papillae in infected cells. Received: 18 January 1997 / Accepted: 8 May 1997     

Purification and characteristics of glutamate dehydrogenase (GDH) from triticale roots

In the investigated 14 day old triticale seedlings a much higher GDH activity was observed in roots than in leaves. The enzyme from the roots was purified up to the state of homogeneity (about 400 fold). The purified enzyme showed a higher activity in the presence of reduced coenzyme forms (NAD(P)H) than their oxidated forms. In the presence of NAD(P)H the enzyme showed absolute specificity to 2-oxoglutarate and in cooperation with NAD(P)⁺ to L-glutamate. The Km values determined for particular substrates indicate a high affinity of NADPH-GDH to ammonium ions. Optimum pH, temperature and thermostability of GDH depended on the type and form of the coenzyme. Molecular mass of purified enzyme was 257 kDa. It seems that native GDH is composed of six identical subunits of the molecular mass 42.5 kDa.     

Properties of purified calf thymus poly(adenosine diphosphate ribose) polymerase. Comparison of the DNA-independent and the DNA-dependent enzyme.

The physicochemical properties of the purified calf thymus poly(ADP-ribose) polymerase were investigated. The enzyme purified to homogeneity was shown to contain about 10% DNA on a weight basis and its activity to be DNA independent. After removing this fragment of DNA, called the sDNA fraction, the enzyme becomes DNA dependent. The activity of this enzyme preparation was entirely dependent on, and completely restored by, added calf thymus DNA or sDNA. However, the calf thymus DNA concentration needed was a hundred times higher than that of sDNA. The properties of the two enzyme preparations, DNA independent and DNA dependent, were essentially the same. They both reacted against the specific antibody obtained with the DNA-independent poly(ADP-ribose) polymerase. The pH optimum was around 8; the activity was stimulated by Mg2+, Mn2+ and Ca2+, and inhibited by high ionic strength, p-chloromercuribenzoate, ADP-ribose, AMP and polylysine. Nicotinamide, thymidine and NADP were shown to be competitive inhibitors. The enzymatic activity was stimulated by histone H1 when the ratio of DNA to histone H1 was 2. Histones H2A, H2B, H3 and H4 had little effect on the DNA-independent enzyme activity, but were strongly inhibitory for the DNA-dependent enzyme. This inhibitory effect could be reversed by allowing the DNA-dependent enzyme to react with the sDNA fraction before adding histone subfractions. The apparent Km for NAD of the DNA-dependent poly(ADP-ribose) polymerase was shown to vary with the DNA concentration. It was minimum when the amount of sDNA was 10% of that of the enzyme. The ratio of the apparent Km for sDNA to the enzyme concentration was constant at any enzyme concentration. The minimum estimation of the number of base pairs of sDNA required for maximal activation of one enzyme molecule was 16. For calf thymus DNA, this estimation was of 640. These results suggest that the activation of the enzyme needs the formation of some complex between the protein and a specific part of the DNA. This complex was preserved in the DNA-independent enzyme preparation.     

Analysis of cyclic nucleotide phosphodiesterase(s) by radioimmunoassay

A high-affinity form of cyclic AMP phosphodiesterase, purified to apparent homogeneity from dog kidney, was labeled with ¹²⁵I using a solid-state lactoperoxidaseglucose oxidase system and its purity confirmed by acrylamide gel electrophoresis and isoelectric focusing. Sheep anti-cyclic AMP phosphodiesterase immunoglobulin fraction was analyzed for ¹²⁵I-enzyme binding and covalently bound to agarose A 1.5m for isotopically labeled antigen displacement. Anti-phosphodiesterase antiserum was purified by Sepharose 4B-cAPDE affinity chromatography and used for a radioimmunoassay employing second-antibody precipitation. The specificity of the anti-cyclic AMP phosphodiesterase antibody was established by its use as a covalently bound affinity ligand for cyclic AMP phosphodiesterase purification and analysis of sodium dodecyl sulfate-gel extracts of partially purified and purified dog kidney supernatants. Radioimmunoassay using a monospecific antibody preparation demonstrated the similarity of high-affinity cyclic AMP phosphodiesterase forms of different tissues and species that had been separated by DEAE-cellulose chromatography. Various purified preparations of calmodulin, as well as brain calcineurin, did not cross-react in the high-affinity cyclic AMP phosphodiesterase radioimmunoassay. However, higher molecular weight cyclic GMP/lower affinity cyclic AMP phosphodiesterase enzyme forms, partially purified by anion-exchange chromatography, gel filtration, and Cibacron blue adsorption, were shown to cross-react in the high-affinity cAMP phosphodiesterase radioimmunoassay. These studies suggest immunological similarities between the major forms of this enzyme system and the possibility of higher molecular weight complexes containing both cyclic GMP and cyclic AMP hydrolytic sites.     

Synthesis of Nitrate Reductase in Chlorella: II. EVIDENCE FOR SYNTHESIS IN AMMONIA-GROWN CELLS

Antiserum was prepared against nitrate reductase (EC 1.6.6.1) purified to homogeneity from Chlorella vulgaris Beijerinck. Both crude antiserum and anti-nitrate reductase antibodies prepared from it were used as re-agents to study the synthesis of nitrate reductase. Cell extracts from cultures which were grown with ammonia salts as the sole source of nitrogen contained almost no active enzyme. These extracts did contain material which binds to antibody and is thus immunologically related to purified nitrate reductase. The presence of this cross reacting material in cell extracts was detected by the ability of these extracts to (a) lower the titer of antisera; (b) form a biphasic precipitin curve with purified antibody; and (c) increase the peak height of a standard amount of purified nitrate reductase in rocket immunoelectrophoresis assay. These results suggest that ammonia-grown cells contain nitrate reductase precursor protein.     

A monoclonal antibody to rat liver ornithine decarboxylase

A monoclonal antibody was obtained against rat liver ornithine decarboxylase by using hybridoma technology with a small amount of partially purified enzyme. The antibody, IgG1 of kappa-type, was affinity-purified to homogeneity from culture supernatants of hybridoma cells. While the antibody had no inhibitory effect on ornithine decarboxylase activity when tested alone, it precipitated up to 87 units (60 ng) of the enzyme per microgram in the presence of formalin-fixed Staphylococcus aureus Cowan I bacteria. Immunoadsorption on a column of the monoclonal antibody-Sepharose 4B was shown to be useful for the removal of ornithine decarboxylase from antizyme inhibitor preparations, an essential procedure for the accurate assay of either ornithine decarboxylase-antizyme complex or antizyme inhibitor. It was also shown that antizyme could be affinity-purified by using a column of the monoclonal antibody-Affi-Gel 10 to which ornithine decarboxylase had been bound.     

Purification of endopeptidase-24.11 (''enkephalinase'') from pig brain by immunoadsorbent chromatography.

Membrane preparations from striatum of pig brain contain endopeptidase activity towards iodoinsulin B-chain. Only 50% of the hydrolysis of insulin B-chain is inhibitable by phosphoramidon, and DEAE-cellulose chromatography can resolve the phosphoramidon-sensitive and -insensitive activities. The former activity (now designated 'endopeptidase-24.11') is responsible for hydrolysis of [D-Ala2,Leu5]enkephalin and is identical with an enzyme in brain that has previously been referred to as 'enkephalinase'. Pig striatal endopeptidase-24.11 has now been purified to homogeneity in a single step by immunoadsorbent chromatography using a monoclonal antibody. The overall purification was 23 000-fold, with a yield of 30%. The brain enzyme appears to be identical with kidney endopeptidase-24.11 in amino acid composition as well as by immunological and kinetic criteria. However, it differs slightly in apparent subunit size (Mr = 87 000), attributable to differences in glycosylation.     

Purification and characterization of S-adenosyl-L-methionine: caffeic acid 3-O-methyltransferase from suspension cultures of alfalfa (Medicago sativa L.)

Caffeic acid O-methyltransferase (COMT) is one of a group of proteins present in alfalfa cell cultures which can be photoaffinity labeled with S-adenosyl-L-[methyl-3H]methionine. The enzyme was purified to homogeneity from elicitor-treated suspension cultures and shown to exist as an active monomer of subunit Mr 41,000. COMT could be separated into two forms on the basis of their isoelectric points and relative affinities for S-adenosyl-methionine and S-adenosylhomocysteine. Both forms had equal affinities for caffeic acid, were highly specific for the 3-hydroxyl group of substituted cinnamic acids, and exhibited negligible activity toward flavonoid substrates. An antiserum raised against COMT from aspen immunoprecipitated alfalfa COMT activity. Peptide mapping studies indicated that the two forms of COMT and an isoflavone O-methyltransferase from alfalfa are closely related proteins. The extractable activity of COMT doubled over a 48-h period following exposure of alfalfa cell suspensions to a yeast elicitor preparation, and this was associated with a small change in the relative proportions of the two forms of the enzyme.     

Purification and characterization of rat dopamine β-monooxygenase and monoclonal antibodies to the enzyme

Dopamine β-monooxygenase was extensively purified from rat adrenal. The specific activity of the final preparation was approx. 1500 nmol/min per mg protein, which was much higher than the highest yet reported. As judged by gel filtration on Ultrogel AcA22, SDS-polyacrylamide gel electrophoresis, and cross-linking studies, the enzyme appeared to be composed of four identical subunits, each possessing a molecular weight of 88 000. The isoelectric point of the enzyme was estimated to be pH 6.6 in the presence of 8 M urea. Spleen cells from BALB/c mice immunized with rat dopamine β-monooxygenase were fused to P3-X63-Ag8-653 mouse myeloma cells. From 55 hybrid cells, 10 stable clones secreting anti-dopamine β-monooxygenase antibody were obtained. Antibody from one clone was coupled to CNBr-activated Sepharose 4B and the monoclonal antibody-Sepharose was shown to be very useful to isolate rat dopamine β-monooxygenase from crude preparations.     

Purification and characterization of rat dopamine beta-monooxygenase and monoclonal antibodies to the enzyme

Dopamine beta-monooxygenase was extensively purified from rat adrenal. The specific activity of the final preparation was approx. 1500 nmol/min per mg protein, which was much higher than the highest yet reported. As judged by gel filtration on Ultrogel AcA22, SDS-polyacrylamide gel electrophoresis, and cross-linking studies, the enzyme appeared to be composed of four identical subunits, each possessing a molecular weight of 88 000. The isoelectric point of the enzyme was estimated to be pH 6.6 in the presence of 8 M urea. Spleen cells from BALB/c mice immunized with rat dopamine beta-monooxygenase were fused to P3-X63-Ag8-653 mouse myeloma cells. From 55 hybrid cells, 10 stable clones secreting anti-dopamine beta-monooxygenase antibody were obtained. Antibody from one clone was coupled to CNBr-activated Sepharose 4B and the monoclonal antibody-Sepharose was shown to be very useful to isolate rat dopamine beta-monooxygenase from crude preparations.     

Coenzyme non-specific glutamate dehydrogenase from Chlorella pyrenoidosa 82T: electron microscopic studies

The constitutive coenzyme non-specific glutamate dehydrogenase (GDH) from Chlorella pyrenoidosa 82T was purified to homogeneity by column immunoaffinity chromatography and examined by an electron microscope. The enzyme molecule was found to be a hexameric oligomer composed of monomers arranged in three 2-point group symmetry in two layers slightly twisted round the 3-fold axis. The molecule is 8 +/- 1 nm in diameter and 10 +/- 1 nm in height. The enzyme molecules appear both to dissociate into trimers and to associate along the 3-fold axis forming linear aggregates under certain conditions. A tentative model of the Chlorella GDH molecule is proposed, which is very similar to those described for bovine liver GDH and GDH from Clostridium symbiosum.     

Flavanone synthase from Petroselinum hortense. Molecular weight, subunit composition, size of messenger RNA, and absence of pantetheinyl residue.

Flavanone synthase from irradiated cell suspension cultures of parsley was purified to apparent homogeneity. Molecular weights of about 77 000 for the enzyme and about 42 000 for the subunits were determined respectively by sedimentation-equilibrium measurements and disc-gel electrophoresis in the presence of dodecyl sulfate. A specific antiserum was prepared for the enzyme and was used in an assay for flavanone synthase mRNA activity in partially purified RNA preparations. The apparent molecular size of flavanone synthase mRNA was estimated by sucrose gradient centrifugation and gel electrophoresis under partially denaturing conditions. Values of about 17 S and Mr = 0.62 X 10(6) were obtained. The fractionation patterns suggested that flavanone synthase mRNA was homogeneous in size. All together, the results support the idea that the enzyme is composed of two subunits which are probably identical. Amino acid analysis and a microbial assay were carried out to test the possible occurrence of cysteamine, beta-alanine, and pantothenate in the enzyme. The results were negative, indicating the absence of pantetheine or a similar residue. The possible similarity in mechanism between flavanone synthase and 3-oxoacyl-(acyl carrier protein) synthase is discussed.     

Immunocytochemical localization of a calcium-activated protease in skeletal muscle cells

The 80 000-D subunit of a calcium-activated protease from skeletal muscle was purified to homogeneity using preparative sodium dodecyl sulfate (SDS) polyacrylamide gel electrophoresis and was used to elicit antibody production in rabbits. Antiserum was purified using affinity chromatography to yield a monospecific antibody fraction (anti-80K) directed against the 80 000-D subunit. Localization studies showed that the 80 000-D subunit is present in or near the sarcolemma of cultured myoblasts and sectioned muscle tissue, in discrete areas of the cytoplasm of myoblasts, and in the Z disks of the myofibril. The location of the calcium-activated protease in the cell suggests that the enzyme may be involved in myofibril degradation and in membrane alterations in developing and mature muscle cells.     

Purification and Characterization of Chloroplastic NADP-Isocitrate Dehydrogenase from Mixotrophic Tobacco Cells (Comparison with the Cytosolic Isoenzyme)

Green, mixotrophic tobacco (Nicotiana tabacum) cell cultures in the exponential growth phase were found to have two clearly distinguishable NADP-isocitrate dehydrogenase (ICDH; EC 1.1.1.42) isoenzymes. Their elution behavior during anion-exchange column chromatography was similar to that described previously for the cytosolic (ICDH1) and chloroplastic (ICDH2) enzymes from pea (Pisum sativum) leaves. ICDH2 was absent in etiolated tobacco cell suspensions and appeared during the greening process. Both isoforms were purified to apparent electrophoretic homogeneity by ammonium sulfate fractionation and anion-exchange and affinity chromatography. The isoenzymes were separated on a DEAE-Sephacel column, but the most effective step was a Matrex Red-A column, which enabled an overall purification of 833- and 1328-fold for ICDH1 and ICDH2, respectively. Polyclonal antibodies were raised against each isoform. The ICDH2-specific antibody was used to localize tobacco leaf ICDH2 in situ by an immunogold labeling technique. The enzyme was found largely, if not exclusively, in the chloroplasts of green leaves. ICDH1 and ICDH2 were shown to have apparent native molecular weights of 117,000 and 136,000, respectively, and to consist of identical, 48.5-kD subunits. Similar apparent Km values for NADP, D(+)isocitrate, and Mg2+ were found for the two enzymes when assayed with Mg2+ as the metal cofactor.     

Protein disulphide-isomerase of chick-embryo tendon.

Protein disulphide-isomerase can be partially purified from the high-speed-supernatant fraction of extensively disrupted chick-embryo tendon tissue. The catalytic properties of the preparation resemble those of the enzyme from mammalian liver. Gel electrophoresis and isoelectric focusing show the enzyme to be very acidic, with pI 4.4 +/- 0.3. Gel filtration indicates an Mr for the active enzyme of 140 000. The enzyme can be partially purified by preparative gel filtration or isoelectric focusing, but its limited stability has prevented purification to homogeneity; active fractions from both gel filtration and isoelectric focusing show two major polypeptide components by sodium dodecyl sulphate/polyacrylamide-gel electrophoresis. The major polypeptides present in partially purified preparations have Mr 45 000 and 55 000; the latter band co-distributes with the enzyme activity in fractionations by both gel filtration and isoelectric focusing. The subcellular location of the enzyme cannot be established from work on homogenates of whole tissue, which are extensively disrupted. In homogenates from isolated tendon cells, the enzyme is located in a vesicle fraction that is excluded from Sepharose 2B but is of low density and can only be sedimented at very high speeds. This fraction is identified as deriving from the endoplasmic reticulum on the grounds of marker-enzyme studies and electron microscopy.