Isolation and characterization of non-neuronal enolase (NNE) from Neurospora crassa and comparison with neuron specific enolase isolated from neuroblastoma cell line NG108

Enolase is a vital enzyme of the glycolytic pathway. It exists mainly in two forms, non-neuronal enolase (NNE) and neuron specific enolase (NSE). Neurospora crassa, a filamentous fungus, was used as the source of pure NNE, and by using DEAE-cellulose and a Sephadex G-150 column chromatography highly purified enzyme (20.4 fold purification with 54.7 percent recovery) was obtained. The development profile of the enzyme shows a peak value after 90 hours of mycelial growth from conidia of N. crassa. In this respect, it differs from neuroblastoma NSE where the peak value of the enzyme activity appears 7 1/2 hours after the splitting of the cells. N. crassa enolase (NNE) is more thermolabile than NG108 NSE and N. crassa enolase is more sensitive to urea, chloride, and fluorophosphate. The Km values for 2-phosphoglycerate and Mg++ were 0.34 mM and 0.47 mM, respectively, for N. crassa enolase, whereas these values were 1.1 mM and 3.1 mM, respectively, in the case of neuroblastoma NSE. N. crassa enolase is a dimer molecule of molecular weight 85,000 daltons. N. crassa enolase is not neutralized by NSE antisera and neutralized by NNE antisera as opposed to neuroblastoma NSE.     

The overexpression, purification and complete amino acid sequence of chorismate synthase from Escherichia coli K12 and its comparison with the enzyme from Neurospora crassa.

The enzyme chorismate synthase was purified in milligram quantities from an overproducing strain of Escherichia coli. The amino acid sequence was deduced from the nucleotide sequence of the aroC gene and confirmed by determining the N-terminal amino acid sequence of the purified enzyme. The complete polypeptide chain consists of 357 amino acid residues and has a calculated subunit Mr of 38,183. Cross-linking and gel-filtration experiments show that the enzyme is tetrameric. An improved purification of chorismate synthase from Neurospora crassa is also described. Cross-linking and gel-filtration experiments on the N. crassa enzyme show that it is also tetrameric with a subunit Mr of 50,000. It is proposed that the subunits of the N. crassa enzyme are larger because they contain a diaphorase domain that is absent from the E. coli enzyme.     

Mode of action of glycogen branching enzyme from Neurospora crassa

Neurospora crassa branching enzyme [EC 2.4.1.18] acted on potato amylopectin or amylose to convert them to highly branched glycogen-type molecules which consisted of unit chains of six glucose units. The enzyme also acted on the amylopectin beta-limit dextrin, indicating that the enzyme acted on internal glucose chains as well as outer chains. By the combined action of N. crassa glycogen synthase [EC 2.4.1.11] and the branching enzyme, a glycogen-type molecule was formed from UDP-glucose. In the presence of primer glycogen, the glucose transfer reaction was accelerated by the addition of branching enzyme. On the other hand, the glucose transfer reaction by glycogen synthase did not occur without primers. When the branching enzyme was added, the glucose transfer occurred after a short time lag. This recovery of the glucose transfer reaction did not occur upon addition of the inactivated branching enzyme. The structure of the product formed by the combined action of the two enzymes was different from that of the intact N. crassa glycogen with respect to the distribution patterns of the unit chains.     

3-Carboxy-cis,cis-muconate lactonizing enzyme from Neurospora crassa: an alternate cycloisomerase motif.

3-Carboxy-cis,cis-muconate lactonizing enzyme (CMLE; EC 5.5.1.5) from Neurospora crassa catalyzes the reversible gamma-lactonization of 3-carboxy-cis,cis-muconate by a syn-1,2 addition-elimination reaction. The stereochemical and regiochemical course of the reaction is (i) opposite that of CMLE from Pseudomonas putida (EC 5.5.1.2) and (ii) identical to that of cis,cis-muconate lactonizing enzyme (MLE; EC 5.5.1.1) from P. putida. In order to determine the mechanistic and evolutionary relationships between N. crassa CMLE and the procaryotic cycloisomerases, we have purified CMLE from N. crassa to homogeneity and determined its nucleotide sequence from a cDNA clone isolated from a p-hydroxybenzoate-induced N. crassa cDNA library. The deduced amino acid sequence predicts a protein of 41.2 kDa (365 residues) which does not exhibit sequence similarity with any of the bacterial cycloisomerases. The cDNA encoding N. crassa CMLE was expressed in Escherichia coli, and the purified recombinant protein exhibits physical and kinetic properties equivalent to those found for the isolated N. crassa enzyme. We also report that N. crassa CMLE possesses substantially reduced yet significant levels of MLE activity with cis,cis-muconate and, furthermore, does not appear to be dependent on divalent metals for activity. These data suggest that the N. crassa CMLE may represent a novel eucaryotic motif in the cycloisomerase enzyme family.     

Molecular cloning of the L-amino-acid oxidase gene from Neurospora crassa

The addition of D-phenylalanine to starved cultures of Neurospora crassa leads to de novo synthesis of L-amino-acid oxidase. Poly(A) RNA from D-phenylalanine-treated mycelium was therefore used to generate a cDNA library which was subsequently screened by hybrid-selected translation. A positive L-amino-acid oxidase clone served as a probe to isolate the complete gene from a genomic library of N. crassa. The nucleotide sequence obtained revealed an open reading frame coding for a protein of 695 amino acids. A comparison of the deduced primary structure with the partial amino-terminal sequence of the isolated enzyme showed that the protein is synthesized as a precursor. The proform exceeds the mature enzyme by 129 amino acids. The presence of a cluster of basic amino acid residues preceding Ala129 in the precursor suggests a post-translational modification brought about by limited proteolysis. N. crassa L-amino-acid oxidase shares a highly conserved region with many well-characterized flavoproteins that is known to constitute part of the flavin-adenine dinucleotide-binding site.     

Distinct kynureninase and hydroxykynureninase activities in microorganisms: occurrence and properties of a single physiologically discrete enzyme in yeast

(i) Saccharomyces cerevisiae grown in the presence of 1.0 mM l-tryptophan slowly excreted fluorescent material that was chromatographically identifiable as 3-hydroxyanthranilate but did not excrete detectable amounts of anthranilate nor rapidly deplete the medium of l-tryptophan. Under similar growth conditions, Neurospora crassa rapidly excretes anthranilate and rapidly depletes the medium of l-tryptophan. (ii) Chromatographic analysis of crude extracts from yeast revealed a single kynureninase-type enzyme whose synthesis was not measurably affected by the presence of tryptophan in the medium. Previous studies have provided evidence for two kynureninase-type enzymes in N. crassa, an inducible kynureninase and a constitutive hydroxykynureninase. (iii) Kinetic analysis of the partially purified yeast enzyme provided Michaelis constants for l-3-hydroxykynurenine and l-kynurenine of 6.7 x 10(-6) and 5.4 x 10(-4) M, respectively. This and other kinetic properties of the yeast enzyme are comparable to those reported for the constitutive enzyme from N. crassa. (iv) These findings suggest that S. cerevisiae has in common with N. crassa the biosynthetic enzyme hydroxykynureninase but lacks the catabolic enzyme kynureninase. Therefore, it can be predicted that, unlike N. crassa, S. cerevisiae does not carry out the tryptophan-anthranilate cycle. Distinct kynureninase-type enzymes may exist in other microorganisms and in mammals.     

N-acetyl-L-glutamate synthase of Neurospora crassa. Characteristics, localization, regulation, and genetic control

N-Acetylglutamate synthase, an early enzyme of the arginine pathway, provides acetylglutamate for ornithine synthesis in the so-called "acetylglutamate cycle." Because acetylglutamate is regenerated as ornithine is formed, the enzyme has only a catalytic or anaplerotic role in the pathway, maintaining "bound" acetyl groups during growth. We have detected this enzyme in crude extracts of Neurospora crassa and have localized it to the mitochondria along with other ornithine biosynthetic enzymes. The enzyme is bound to the mitochondrial membrane. The enzyme has a pH optimum of 9.0 and Km values for glutamate and CoASAc of 6.3 and 1.6 mM, respectively. It is feedback-inhibited by L-arginine (I0.5 = 0.16 mM), and its specific activity is augmented 2-3-fold by arginine starvation of the mycelium. Mutants of the newly recognized arg-14 locus lack activity for the enzyme. Because these mutants are complete auxotrophs, we conclude that N-acetylglutamate synthase is an indispensible enzyme of arginine biosynthesis in N. crassa. This work completes the assignment of enzymes of the arginine pathway of N. crassa to corresponding genetic loci. The membrane localization of the enzyme suggests a novel mechanism by which feedback inhibition might occur across a semipermeable membrane.     

A comparison of thermal characteristics and kinetic parameters of trehalases from a thermophilic and a mesophilic fungus

Trehalases from a thermophilic fungus Thermomyces lanuginosus (M(r) 145 kDa) and a mesophilic fungus Neurospora crassa (M(r) 437 kDa) were purified to compare their thermal characteristics and kinetic constants. Both trehalases were maximally active at 50 degrees C, had an acidic pH optimum and were glycoproteins (20% and 43%, w/w, carbohydrate content for T. lanuginosus and N. crassa, respectively). At their temperature optimum, their K(m) was similar (0.57 and 0.52 mM trehalose, for T. lanuginosus and N. crassa, respectively) but the V(max) of N. crassa enzyme was nine times higher than of T. lanuginosus enzyme. The catalytic efficiency, k(cat)/K(m), for N. crassa trehalase was one order of magnitude higher (6.2 x 10(6) M(-1) s(-1)) than of T. lanuginosus trehalase (4 x 10(5) M(-1) s(-1)). At their T(opt) (50 degrees C), trehalase from both sources exhibited similar thermostability (t(1/2)6 h). The energy of activation, E(a), for T. lanuginosus trehalase was 15.12 kcal mol(-1) and for N. crassa trehalase it was 9.62 kcal mol(-1). The activation energy for thermal inactivation for the N. crassa enzyme (92 kcal mol(-1)) was two-fold higher than for the T. lanuginosus enzyme (46 kcal mol(-1)). The present study shows that the trehalase of N. crassa is not only more stable but also a better catalyst than the T. lanuginosus enzyme.     

Characterization and partial purification of an insulinase from Neurospora crassa.

An insulin-binding metal- and thiol-dependent proteinase has been purified 1491-fold from high speed cytosolic fractions of the fungus Neurospora crassa. This enzyme resembles insulin-degrading enzymes (insulinases) present in mammalian cells and in Drosophila melanogaster in the following ways: (i) it degrades radiolabeled insulin with a specificity similar to that of rat muscle insulinase, as demonstrated by HPLC analysis of the degradation products; (ii) it is inhibited by bacitracin, EDTA, 1,10-phenanthroline, and the sulfhydryl-reactive compounds N-ethylmaleimide and p-chloromercuribenzoate, but not by inhibitors of serine proteases or by lysosomal protease inhibitors. Cross-linking with 125I-insulin labels a band of ca. 120 kDa, and several smaller bands which may represent degradation products. The N. crassa insulinase is stimulated by Mn2+ and strongly inhibited by Zn2+; Mn2+ can also reactivate the enzyme after inhibition by EDTA, but Zn2+ is ineffective. The N. crassa protein differs in this regard from mammalian and insect insulinases which are generally activated by both Mn2+ and Zn2+. This finding extends the apparent evolutionary conservation of these metal- and thiol-dependent proteases into the microbial realm.     

Activation of Neurospora crassa soluble adenylate cyclase by calmodulin.

The soluble form of adenylate cyclase was extracted and purified from wild-type Neurospora crassa mycelia. Brain or N. crassa calmodulin significantly enhanced this enzyme activity in assay mixtures containing Mg2+-ATP as substrate. EGTA reverses this calmodulin activation.     

Ornithine decarboxylase from Neurospora crassa. Purification, characterization, and regulation by inactivation

Ornithine decarboxylase, a highly regulated enzyme of the polyamine pathway, was purified 670-fold from mycelia of Neurospora crassa that were highly augmented for enzyme activity. The enzyme is significantly different from those reported from three other lower eucaryotic organisms: Saccharomyces cerevisiae, Physarum polycephalum, and Tetrahymena pyriformis. Instead, the enzyme closely resembles the enzymes from mammals. The Mr = 110,000 enzyme is a dimer of 53,000 Da subunits, with a specific activity of 2,610 mumol per h per mg of protein. Antisera were raised to the purified enzyme and were rendered highly specific by cross-absorption with extracts of a mutant strain lacking ornithine decarboxylase protein. With the antisera, we show that the inactivation of the enzyme in response to polyamines is proportional to the loss of ornithine decarboxylase protein over almost 2 orders of magnitude. This is similar to the inactivation process in certain mammalian tissues, and different from the process in S. cerevisiae and P. polycephalum, in which enzyme modification, without proportional loss of antigen, accompanies enzyme inactivation. The N. crassa enzyme is therefore suitable as a microbial model for studies of the molecular regulation of the mammalian enzyme.     

Characterization of Neurospora crassa catabolic dehydroquinase purified from N. crassa and Escherichia coli.

1. Neurospora crassa catabolic dehydroquinase has been purified from N. crassa and Escherichia coli. 2. Protein-sequence and gel-electrophoretic data show that apparently pure, homogeneous native dehydroquinase is a mixture of intact and proteinase-cleaved enzyme monomers. 3. Protein-sequence data and steady-state kinetics show that the catabolic dehydroquinase gene of N. crassa is expressed with fidelity in E. coli.     

Cytochrome c-specific protein methylase III from Neurospora crassa.

A protein methylase III responsible for specifically methylating the cytochrome c in Neurospora crassa was partially characterized by using unmethylated horse heart cytochrome c as a substrate. This enzyme utilizes S-adenosyl-L-methionine as the methyl donor. An analysis of the distribution of [14C]methyl groups in the peptides obtained by chymotrypsin digestion of the enzymically methylated cytochrome c showed that all of the radioactivity could be recovered within a single peak after chromatography. This indicates that the enzyme methylates a specific amino acid sequence within cytochrome c. On hydrolysis of the radioactive chymotryptic peptide, Me-14C-labelled epsilon -N-mono-methyl-lysine, epsilon-N-dimethyl-lysine and epsilon-N-trimethyl-lysine were identified. The enzyme can easily be extracted from the N. crassa mycelial pads and was purified approx. 30-fold.     

Biosynthesis of glycogen in Neurospora crassa. Purification and properties of the branching enzyme

A branching enzyme was extracted from the mycelia of Neurospora crassa and was purified to electrophoretic homogeneity by procedures including DEAE-Sephacel column chromatography, 6-aminohexyl-Sepharose 4B column chromatography and gel filtration on Toyopearl HW-55S. The final yield of the branching enzyme activity was 15.1%, and the final purified enzyme preparation showed a specific activity of 702 units per mg of protein. The molecular weight of this enzyme was estimated to be 80,000 by electrophoresis in sodium dodecyl sulfate-polyacrylamide gel. The amino acid composition and the carbohydrate content of this enzyme were analyzed. The isoelectric point of this enzyme determined by polyacrylamide gel isoelectrofocusing was 5.6. The branching activity of the enzyme was confirmed by its action on amylopectin as well as by the combined action of this enzyme and N. crassa glycogen synthase. The action of this enzyme on amylopectin decreased the wavelength of the absorption maximum of the glucan-iodine complex, and increased the amount of the short unit chains of the debranched product. The product obtained by the combined action yielded beta-limit dextrin upon hydrolysis with beta-amylase. No multiplicity was found for the branching activity either by chromatography or by electrophoresis.     

In vitro restoration of nitrate reductase: investigation of Aspergillus nidulans and Neurospora crassa nitrate reductase mutants.

Extracts of Aspergillus nidulans wild type (bi-1) and the nitrate reductase mutant niaD-17 were active in the in vitro restoration of NADPH-dependent nitrate reductase when mixed with extracts of Neurospora crassa, nit-1. Among the A. nidulans cnx nitrate reductase mutants tested, only the molybdenum repair mutant, cnxE-14 grown in the presence of 10-minus 3 M Na2 MoO4 was active in the restoration assay. Aspergillus extracts contained an inhibitor(s) which was measured by the decrease in NADPH-dependent nitrate reductase formed when extracts of Rhodospirillum rubrum and N. crassa, nit-1 were incubated at room temperature. The inhibition by extracts of A. nidulans, bi-1, cnxE-14, cnxG-4 and cnxH-3 was a linear function of time and a logarithmic function of the protein concentration in the extract. The molybdenum content of N. crassa wild type and nit-1 mycelia were found to be similar, containing approx. 10 mu g molybdenum/mg dry mycelium. The NADPH-dependent cytochrome c reductase associated with nitrate reductase was purified from both strains. The NADPH-dependent cytochrome c reductase associated with nitrate reductase was purified from both strains. The enzyme purified from wild-type N. crassa contained more than 1 mol of molybdenum per mol of enzyme, whereas the enzyme purified from nit-1 contained negligible amounts of molybdenum.     

Nitrogen regulation of glutamine synthetase in Neurospora crassa.

A higher activity of glutamine synthetase (EC 6.3.1.2) was found in Neurospora crassa when NH4+ was limiting as nitrogen source than when glutamate was limiting. When glutamate, glutamine or NH4+ were in excess, a lower activity was found. Immunological titration and sucrose gradient sedimentation of the enzyme established that under all these conditions enzyme activity corresponded to enzyme concentration and that the octamer was the predominant oligomeric form. When N. crassa was shifted from nitrogen-limiting substrates to excess product as nitrogen source, the concentration of glutamine synthetase was adjusted with kinetics that closely followed dilution by growth. When grown on limiting amounts of glutamate, a lower oligomer was present in addition to the octameric form of the enzyme. When the culture was shifted to excess NH4+, glutamine accululated at a high rate; nevertheless, there was only a slow decrease in enzyme activity and no modification of the oligomeric pattern.     

Biosynthesis of glycogen in Neurospora crassa. Purification and properties of the UDPglucose:glycogen 4-alpha-glucosyltransferase.

The Neurospora crassa glycogen synthase (UDPglucose:glycogen 4-alpha-glucosyltransferase, EC 2.4.1.11) was purified to electrophoretic homogeneity by a procedure involving ultracentrifugation, DEAE-cellulose column chromatography, (NH4)2SO4 fractionation and 3-aminopropyl-Sepharose column chromatography. The final purified enzyme preparation was almost entirely dependent on glucose-6-P and had a specific activity of 6.9 units per mg of protein. The subunit molecular weight of the glycogen synthase was determined by electrophoresis in sodium dodecyl sulfate-polyacrylamide gel to be 88 000--90 000. The native enzyme was shown to have a molecular weight of 270 000 as determined by sucrose density gradient centrifugation. Thus, the glucose-6-P-dependent form of the N. crassa glycogen synthase can exist as trimer of the subunit. Limited proteolysis with trypsin or chymotrypsin converted the glucose-6-P-dependent form of the enzyme into an apparent glucose-6-P-independent form. The enzyme was shown to catalyze transfer of glucose from UDPglucose to glycogen as well as to its phosphorylase limit dextrin, but not to its beta-amylase limit dextrin. Moreover, glucose, maltose and maltotriose were not active as acceptors.     

δ-Aminolaevulinate dehydratase, the regulatory enzyme of the haem-biosynthetic pathway in Neurospora crassa

The activity of delta-aminolaevulinate dehydratase is very low in the mould Neurospora crassa compared with the activities detected in bacterial and animal systems. The enzyme is inducible in iron-deficient cultures by addition of iron and is repressed by protoporphyrin. The properties of the purified enzyme indicate its allosteric nature and susceptibility to feedback inhibition by coproporphyrinogen III. Neurospora extracts also contain a protein inhibitor of the enzyme and a small-molecule activator, which appears to be associated with the enzyme. The regulatory function of this enzyme in vivo is correlated with the accumulation of delta-aminolaevulinic acid in normal cultures of N. crassa. The decay curve of the iron-induced enzyme in vivo shows a biphasic pattern, with one of the components showing a half-life of 4-5 min.