4-Aminobutyrate:2-oxoglutarate aminotransferase from Candida. Purification and properties

An enzyme which catalyzes the transamination of 4-aminobutyrate with 2-oxoglutarate was purified 588-fold to homogeneity from Candida guilliermondii var. membranaefaciens, grown with 4-aminobutyrate as sole source of nitrogen. An apparent relative molecular mass of 107,000 was estimated by gel filtration. The enzyme was found to be a dimer made up of two subunits identical in molecular mass (Mr 55,000). The enzyme has a maximum activity in the pH range 7.8-8.0 and a temperature optimum of 45 degrees C. 2-Oxoglutarate protects the enzyme from heat inactivation better than pyridoxal 5'-phosphate. The absorption spectrum of the enzyme exhibits two maxima at 412 nm and 330 nm. The purified enzyme catalyzes the transamination of omega-amino acids; 4-aminobutyrate is the best amino donor and low activity is observed with beta-alanine. The Michaelis constants are 1.5 mM for 2-oxoglutarate and 2.3 mM for 4-aminobutyrate. Several amino acids, such as alpha,beta-alanine and 2-aminobutyrate, are inhibitors (Ki = 38.7 mM, Ki = 35.5 mM and Ki = 33.2 mM respectively). Propionic and butyric acids are also inhibitors (Ki = 3 mM and Ki = 2 mM).     

Candida L-norleucine,leucine:2-oxoglutarate aminotransferase. Purification and properties

A new enzyme which catalyzes the transamination of L-norleucine (2-aminohexanoic acid) and L-leucine with 2-oxoglutarate was purified to homogeneity from cells of Candida guilliermondii var. membranaefaciens. The relative molecular mass determined by gel filtration was estimated to be close to 100,000. The transaminase behaved as a dimer which consists of two subunits identical in molecular mass (Mr 51,000). The enzyme has a maximum activity in the pH range of 8.0-8.5 and at 55 degrees C. 2-Oxoglutarate, and to a lesser extent pyridoxal 5'-phosphate, were effective protecting agents against increasing temperature. The enzyme exhibits absorption maximum at 330 nm and 410 nm. L-Norleucine, and L-leucine to a lesser extent, are the best amino donors with 2-oxoglutarate as amino acceptor. The Km values for L-norleucine, L-leucine and 2-oxoglutarate determined from the Lineweaver-Burk plot were 1.8 mM, 6.6 mM and 2.0 mM respectively. A ping-pong bi-bi mechanism of inhibition with alternative substrates is found when the enzyme is in the presence of both L-norleucine and L-leucine. The inhibitory effect of various amino acid analogs on the transamination reaction between L-norleucine and 2-oxoglutarate was studied and Ki values were determined.     

Aspartate aminotransferase ofLactobacillus murinus

Aspartate aminotransferase from Lactobacillus murinus is thermostable, its activity being not changed for two months at temperatures between 4 and -70 degrees C. Maximum activity was observed at 40 degrees C and pH 7.3 in phosphate buffer (30 mmol/L). delta G* Value of 26.3 kJ/mol was calculated from the Arrhenius plot. The Km values for L-aspartate and 2-oxoglutarate at pH 7.3 were 25 and 100 mmol/L, respectively. Sodium maleate and glutamate acted as inhibitors of the enzyme activity. The Ki values for sodium maleate with L-aspartate of 2-oxoglutarate as variable substrates were 1.1 and 0.5 mmol/L, respectively. The Ki values for glutamate with L-aspartate or 2-oxoglutarate were 8.0 and 4.0 mmol/L, respectively. An inhibitory effect was observed with 1 mM Hg2+ ions (1 mmol/L). The activity of the enzyme was diminished by only 12% in the absence of pyridoxal 5'-phosphate.     

Kinetic properties of NADP-specific isocitrate dehydrogenase from bovine adrenals

At low concentrations of Mg2+ or Mn2+ the reaction catalyzed by isocitrate dehydrogenase from bovine adrenal cortex proceeds with a lag period which disappears as a result of the enzyme saturation with Mn2+ or Mg2+. The nu o versus D,L-isocitrate concentration curve is non-hyperbolic, which may be interpreted either by the presence of two active sites with different affinity for the substrate (K'mapp = 2.3 and 63 microM) within the enzyme molecule or by the "negative" cooperativity of these sites. The apparent Km value for NADP lies within the range of 3.6-9 microM. High concentrations of NADP inhibit isocitrate dehydrogenase (Ki = 1.3 mM). NADP.H inhibits the enzyme in a mixed manner with respect to NADP (Ki = 0.32 mM). In the presence of NADP.H the curve nu o dependence on NADP concentration shows a "negative" cooperativity between NADP binding sites. The reverse enzyme-catalyzed reaction of reductive carboxylation of 2-oxoglutarate does not exhibit any significant deviations from the Michaelis-Menten kinetics. The Km value for 2-oxoglutarate is 120 microM, while that for NADP.H is 10 microM.     

Purification and properties of NADP-dependent glutamate dehydrogenase from Streptomyces fradiae

Streptomyces fradiae has two chromatographically distinct forms of glutamate dehydrogenase (GDH): one GDH utilizes NAD as coenzyme, the other uses NADP. The intracellular level of both GDHs is strongly regulated by the nitrogen source in the growth medium. NADP-dependent GDH was purified to homogeneity from crude extracts of S. fradiae. The Mr of the native enzyme was determined to be 200,000 by size-exclusion high-performance liquid chromatography whereas after sodium dodecyl sulphate-polyacrylamide gel electrophoresis one major band of Mr 49,000 was found, suggesting that the enzyme is a tetramer. The enzyme was highly specific for the substrates 2-oxoglutarate and L-glutamate, and required NADP, which could not be replaced by NAD, as a cofactor. The pH optimum was 9.2 for oxidative deamination of glutamate and 8.4 for reductive amination of 2-oxoglutarate. The Michaelis constants (Km) were 28.6 mM for L-glutamate and 0.12 mM for NADP. Km values for reductive amination were 1.54 mM for 2-oxoglutarate, 0.07 mM for NADPH and 30.8 mM for NH+4. The enzyme activity was significantly reduced by adenine nucleotides, particularly ATP.     

Purification and studies on some properties of the 4-aminobutyrate : 2-oxoglutarate transaminase from rat brain.

Using various chromatographic procedures, 4-aminobutyrate : 2-oxoglutarate transaminase from rat brain has been purified 2400 times with respect to the initial brain homogenate. The purified protein, which has a specific activity of 10 mumol times min -1, x mg-1 gave a single band by acrylamide gel electrophoresis and isoelectric focusing. It has a molecular weight of 105000 +/- 5000 and an isoelectric point of 6.8. In the presence of 0.1% sodium dodecylsulphate, a single protein band is seen on polyacrylamide gel, corresponding to a molecular weight of 57000 +/- 5000. N-terminal analysis reveals two chains with the same N-terminal amino acid, thus the enzyme may be considered as a dimer consisting of two identical subunits. The pH optimum for enzyme activity is 8.5. Studies of the enzymic reaction show that the general mechanism is of the ping-pong bi-bi model. The Km for 2-oxoglutarate at saturating 4-aminobutyrate extrapolated to saturating 2-oxoglutarate concentration is 4 mM. 2-Oxoglutarate competitively inhibits the enzyme with respect to 4-aminobutyrate, with a Ki of 1.8 times 10(-4) M. The same phenomenon is seen for the reverse reaction where the Ki is 6.6 times 10(-4) M for succinic semi-aldehyde.     

Homocitrate synthase from Penicillium chrysogenum. Localization, purification of the cytosolic isoenzyme, and sensitivity to lysine.

Subcellular fractionation of cell-free extracts obtained by nitrogen cavitation showed that Penicillium chrysogenum Q176 contains a cytosolic as well as a mitochondrial homocitrate synthase activity. The cytosolic isoenzyme was purified about 500-fold, and its kinetic and molecular properties were investigated. Native homocitrate synthase shows a molecular mass of 155 +/- 10 kDa as determined by gel filtration and a pH of 4.9 +/- 0.1 as determined by chromatofocusing. The kinetic behaviour towards 2-oxoglutarate is hyperbolic, with Km = 2.2 mM; with respect to acetyl-CoA the enzyme shows sigmoidal saturation kinetics, with [S]0.5 = 41 microM and h = 2.6. The enzyme was inhibited strongly by L-lysine (Ki = 8 +/- 2 microM; 50% inhibition by 53 microM at 6 mM-2-oxoglutarate), competitively with 2-oxoglutarate, in protamine sulphate-treated and desalted cell-free extracts and in partially purified preparations. The extent of this inhibition was strongly pH-dependent. Both isoenzymes are equally susceptible to inhibition by lysine. The same inhibition pattern is shown by the enzyme from strain D6/1014A, which is a better producer of penicillin than strain Q176.     

Time-dependent inactivation of chick-embryo prolyl 4-hydroxylase by coumalic acid. Evidence for a syncatalytic mechanism.

From the structure-activity relationships of known competitive inhibitors, coumalic acid (2-oxo-1,2H-pyran-5-carboxylic acid) was deduced to be a potential syncatalytic inhibitor for chick-embryo prolyl 4-hydroxylase. The compound caused time-dependent inactivation, the reaction rate being first-order. The inactivation constant was 0.094 min-1, the Ki 17 mM and the bimolecular rate constant 0.09 M-1 X S-1. Human prolyl 4-hydroxylase and chick embryo lysyl hydroxylase were also inactivated, though to a lesser extent. Inactivation could be prevented by adding high concentrations of 2-oxoglutarate or its competitive analogues to the reaction mixture. In Lineweaver-Burk kinetics, coumalic acid displayed S-parabolic competitive inhibition with respect to 2-oxoglutarate. The inactivation reaction had cofactor requirements similar to those for the decarboxylation of 2-oxoglutarate. Enzymic activity was partially preserved in the absence of iron, but the rescue was incomplete, owing to decreased stability of the enzyme under this condition. Coumalic acid also decreased the electrophoretic mobility of the alpha-subunit, but the beta-subunit was not affected. Prolonged incubation of coumalic acid above pH 6.8 led to loss of its inactivating potency, owing to hydrolysis. It is concluded that the inactivation of prolyl 4-hydroxylase by coumalic acid is due to a syncatalytic mechanism. The data also suggest that the 2-oxoglutarate-binding site of the enzyme is located within the alpha-subunit.     

Purification and characterization of (2S)-flavanone 3-hydroxylase from Petunia hybrida

(2S)-Flavanone 3-hydroxylase from flowers of Petunia hybrida catalyses the conversion of (2S)-naringenin to (2R,3R)-dihydrokaempferol. The enzyme could be partially stabilized under anaerobic conditions in the presence of ascorbate. For purification, 2-oxoglutarate and Fe2+ had to be added to the buffers. The hydroxylase was purified about 200-fold by a six-step procedure with low recovery. The Mr of the enzyme was estimated by gel filtration to be about 74,000. The hydroxylase reaction has a pH optimum at pH 8.5 and requires as cofactors oxygen, 2-oxoglutarate, Fe2+ and ascorbate. With 2-oxo[1-14C]glutarate in the enzyme assay dihydrokaempferol and 14CO2 are formed in a molar ratio of 1:1. Catalase stimulates the reaction. The product was unequivocally identified as (+)-(2R,3R)-dihydrokaempferol. (2S)-Naringenin, but not the (2R)-enantiomer is a substrate of the hydroxylase. (2S)-Eriodictyol is converted to (2R,3R)-dihydroquercetin. In contrast, 5,7,3',4',5'-pentahydroxy-flavanone is not a substrate. Apparent Michaelis constants for (2S)-naringenin and 2-oxoglutarate were determined to be respectively 5.6 mumol X l-1 and 20 mumol X l-1 at pH 8.5. The Km for (2S)-eriodictyol is 12 mumol X l-1 at pH 8.0. Pyridine 2,4-dicarboxylate and 2,5-dicarboxylate are strong competitive inhibitors with respect to 2-oxoglutarate with Ki values of 1.2 mumol X l-1 and 40 mumol X l-1, respectively.     

The effectiveness of inhibitors of soluble prolyl hydroxylase against the enzyme in the cisternae of isolated bone microsomes

Inhibitors of purified, soluble prolyl hydroxylase (K. Majamaa et al. (1984) Eur. J. Biochem. 138, 239-245; K. Majamaa et al. (1986) J. Biol. Chem. 261, 7819-7823) were tested against isolated chick embryo bone microsomes containing intracisternal prolyl hydroxylase and its radiolabeled, unhydroxylated procollagen substrate. Two groups of inhibitors were used which consisted of pyridine-2-carboxylate and 1,2-dihydroxybenzene (catechol) derivatives. The 2,4- and 2,5-pyridine dicarboxylic acids, which are potent inhibitors of the soluble enzyme (Ki values 2 and 0.8 microM, respectively), were effective in the same concentration range against intracisternal prolyl hydroxylase, although their relative affinities were reversed. Inhibition by pyridine-2,4-dicarboxylate in the microsomal system was reversed by increasing the concentration of 2-oxoglutarate. Pyridine-2,4-dicarboxylic acid did not inhibit the uptake of 2-[14C]oxoglutarate into microsomes, so it appears likely that the inhibitor must traverse the microsomal membrane and act directly at the enzyme level. Pyridine-2-carboxylic acid was ineffective in the microsomal system at 1 mM whereas it is a relatively potent inhibitor of the soluble enzyme with a Ki of 25 microM. This finding suggests that the second carboxyl group of the pyridine carboxylate derivatives may be required for their transport into the microsomal lumen. In the soluble system, 3,4-dihydroxybenzoic acid and 1,2-dihydroxybenzene had been found to be competitive inhibitors with relatively low Ki values of 5 and 25 microM, respectively. In the microsomal system, half-maximal inhibition was obtained at approximately 50-100 microM and inhibition was not reversed by increasing the concentrations of either 2-oxoglutarate or ascorbate, alone or together. These results imply that in situ these compounds do not inhibit prolyl hydroxylase directly. Thus, the microsomal system can assess the accessibility of the intracisternal enzyme to potential inhibitors and offers an insight into the in cellulo potential of such compounds.     

Purification and properties of L-aspartate aminotransferase of Chlamydomonas reinhardtii

An enzyme which catalyzes the transamination of L-aspartate with 2-oxoglutarate has been purified 400-fold to electrophoretic homogeneity from the unicellular green alga Chlamydomonas reinhardtii 6145c. An apparent relative molecular mass of 138,000 was estimated by gel filtration. The enzyme is a dimer consisting of two identical subunits of Mr 65,000 each as deduced from PAGE/SDS studies. A stoichiometry of two molecules pyridoxal 5-phosphate/enzyme molecule was calculated. The enzyme has an isoelectric point of 8.48 and its absorption spectrum exhibits a maximum at 412 nm which is shifted to 330 nm upon addition of L-aspartate. L-Aspartate or pyridoxal 5-phosphate, but not 2-oxoglutarate, protected the enzyme from heat inactivation. The purified enzyme was able to transaminate, although to a low extent, L-phenylalanine and L-tyrosine with 2-oxoglutarate, and L-serine, L-alanine and L-glutamine with oxaloacetate. L-Aspartate aminotransferase exhibited hyperbolic kinetics for 2-oxoglutarate and oxaloacetate, and nonhyperbolic behaviour for L-aspartate and L-glutamate. Apparent Km values were 0.55 mM for 2-oxoglutarate, 0.044 mM for oxaloacetate, 2.53 mM for L-aspartate and 3.88 mM for L-glutamate. Transamination of L-aspartate in C. reinhardtii is a bisubstrate reaction with a bi-bi ping-pong mechanism, and is not inhibited by substrates.     

Preparation and activity of guanidinated or acetylated erabutoxins.

1. The effects of phenylalanine and its metabolites (phenylacetate, phenethylamine, phenyl-lactate, o-hydroxyphenylacetate and phenylpyruvate) on the activity of 3-hydroxybutyrate dehydrogenase (EC 1.1.1.30) 3-oxo acid CoA-transferase (EC 2.8.3.5) and acetoacetyl-CoA thiolase (EC 2.3.1.9) in brain of suckling rats were investigated. 2. The 3-hydroxybutyrate dehydrogenase from the brain of suckling rats had a Km for 3-hydroxybutyrate of 1.2 mM. Phenylpyruvate, phenylacetate and o-hydroxyphenylacetate inhibited the enzyme activity with Ki values of 0.5, 1.3 and 4.7 mM respectively. 3. The suckling-rat brain 3-oxo acid CoA-transferase activity had a Km for acetoacetate of 0.665 mM and for succinyl (3-carboxypropionyl)-CoA of 0.038 mM. The enzyme was inhibited with respect to acetoacetate by phenylpyruvate (Ki equals 1.3 mM) and o-hydroxyphenylacetate (Ki equals 4.5 mM). The reaction in the direction of acetoacetate was also inhibited by phenylpyruvate (Ki equals 1.6 mM) and o-hydroxyphenylacetate (Ki equals 4.5 mM). 4. Phenylpyruvate inhibited with respect to acetoacetyl-CoA both the mitochondrial (Ki equals 3.2 mM) and cytoplasmic (Ki equals 5.2 mM) acetoacetyl-CoA thiolase activities. 5. The results suggest that inhibition of 3-hydroxybutyrate dehydrogenase and 3-oxo acid CoA-transferase activities may impair ketone-body utilization and hence lipid synthesis in the developing brain. This suggestion is discussed with reference to the pathogenesis of mental retardation in phenylketonuria.     

Gram-positive type citrate synthase in the thermophilic green gliding bacterium Chloroflexus aurantiacus

Abstract Some properties of the citrate synthase from Chloroflexus aurantiacus have been examined in crude cell-free extracts and partially purified preparations. The enzyme had an approximate native molecular size of 140 000, was not inhibited by NADH or 2-oxoglutarate but was inhibited by ATP (about 50% at 5 mM). The K _m for acetyl CoA at pH 8.2 in the presence of 0.5 mM oxaloacetate was determined to be 25 μM.
These properties are characteristic of the 'small' size class of citrate synthases normally associated with gram-positive eubacteria, despite the fact that Chloroflexus stains gram-negatively.     

Purification and properties of NADP-isocitrate dehydrogenase from the unicellular cyanobacterium Synechocystis sp. PCC 6803.

NADP-dependent isocitrate dehydrogenase activity has been screened in several cyanobacteria grown on different nitrogen sources; in all the strains tested isocitrate dehydrogenase activity levels were similar in cells grown either on ammonium or nitrate. The enzyme from the unicellular cyanobacterium Synechocystis sp. PCC 6803 has been purified to electrophoretic homogeneity by a procedure that includes Reactive-Red-120-agarose affinity chromatography and phenyl-Sepharose chromatography as main steps. The enzyme was purified about 600-fold, with a yield of 38% and a specific activity of 15.7 U/mg protein. The native enzyme (108 kDa) is composed of two identical subunits with an apparent molecular mass of 57 kDa. Synechocystis isocitrate dehydrogenase was absolutely specific for NADP as electron acceptor. Apparent Km values were 125, 59 and 12 microM for Mg2+, D,L-isocitrate and NADP, respectively, using Mg2+ as divalent cation and 4, 5.7 and 6 microM for Mn2+, D,L-isocitrate and NADP, respectively, using Mn2+ as a cofactor. The enzyme was inhibited non-competitively by ADP (Ki, 6.4 mM) and 2-oxoglutarate, (Ki, 6 mM) with respect to isocitrate and in a competitive manner by NADPH (Ki, 0.6 mM). The circular-dichroism spectrum showed a protein with a secondary structure consisting of about 30% alpha-helix and 36% beta-pleated sheet. The enzyme is an acidic protein with an isoelectric point of 4.4 and analysis of the NH2-terminal sequence revealed 45% identity with the same region of Escherichia coli isocitrate dehydrogenase. The aforementioned data indicate that NADP isocitrate dehydrogenase from Synechocystis resembles isocitrate dehydrogenase from prokaryotes and shows similar molecular and structural properties to the well-known E. coli enzyme.     

Crystalline L-histidine ammonia-lyase of Achromobacter liquidum. Crystallization and enzymic properties.

Crystalline L-histidine ammonia-lyase of Achromobacter liquidum was prepared with a 24% recovery of the activity. The specific activity of the pure enzyme (63 mumol of urocanic acid min-1 mg-1) is similar to those so far reported for the enzyme from other sources. The purified enzyme appeared to be homogeneous by analytical disc electrophoresis and isoelectric focusing (pI = 4.95). The molecular weight determined by Sephadex G-200 gel filtration is 200000. The optimum pH is 8.2, and the optimum temperature is 50 degrees C. The enzyme showed strict specificity to L-histidine (Km = 3.6 mM). Several histidine derivatives are not susceptible to the enzyme but do inhibit the enzyme activity competitively; the most effective inhibitors are L-histidine methyl ester (Ki = 3.66 mM) and beta-imidazole lactic acid (Ki = 3.84 mM). L-Histidine hydrazide (Ki = 36 mM) and imidazole (Ki = 6 mM) noncompetitively inhibited the enzyme EDTA markedly inhibited enzyme activity and this inhibition were reversed by divalent metal ions such as Mn2+, Co2+ Zn2+, Ni2+, Mg2+, and Ca2+. These results suggest that the presence of divalent metal ions is necessary for the catalytic activity of histidine ammonia-lyase. Sodium borohydride and hydrogen peroxide inhibited the enzyme activity.     

Inactivation of glutamate dehydrogenase and glutamate synthase from Bacillus megaterium by phenylglyoxal, butane-2,3-dione and pyridoxal 5''-phosphate.

Reaction of phenylglyoxal with glutamate dehydrogenase (EC 1.4.1.4), but not with glutamate synthase (EC 2.6.1.53), from Bacillus megaterium resulted in complete loss of enzyme activity. NADPH alone or together with 2-oxoglutarate provided substantial protection from inactivation by phenylglyoxal. Some 2mol of [14C]Phenylglyoxal was incorporated/mol of subunit of glutamate dehydrogenase. Addition of 1mM-NADPH decreased incorporation by 0.7mol. The Ki for phenylglyoxal was 6.7mM and Ks for competition with NADPH was 0.5mM. Complete inactivation of glutamate dehydrogenase by butane-2,3-dione was estimated by extrapolation to result from the loss of 3 of the 19 arginine residues/subunit. NADPH, but not NADH, provided almost complete protection against inactivation. Butane-2,3-dione had only a slight inactivating effect on glutamate synthase. The data suggest that an essential arginine residue may be involved in the binding of NADPH to glutamate dehydrogenase. The enzymes were inactivated by pyridoxal 5'-phosphate and this inactivation increased 3--4-fold in the borate buffer. NADPH completely prevented inactivation by pyridoxal 5'-phosphate.     

Mechanistic studies on Azospirillum brasilense glutamate synthase.

The reaction mechanism of Azospirillum brasilense glutamate synthase has been investigated by several approaches. 15N nuclear magnetic resonance studies demonstrate that the amide nitrogen of glutamine is reductively transferred to 2-oxoglutarate in an irreversible manner with no release of the transferred ammonia group into the medium. Identical results were obtained using thio-NADPH and acetylpyridine-NADPH, which are shown to be less efficient substrates of the enzyme than NADPH. Similarly, no exchange of the ammonia group being transferred with exogenous ammonium ion was observed during catalysis. The glutamate formed as the product of the iminoglutarate reduction was determined to be in the L configuration. The enzyme was also found to catalyze, under anaerobic conditions, the exchange of the 4proS H of NADPH with solvent both in the absence and in the presence of 2-oxoglutarate and glutamine. The reductive half-reaction is therefore a reversible segment of the overall irreversible amidotransferase reaction. 15N NMR studies also showed that the enzyme does not catalyze glutamate dehydrogenase/oxidase reactions or any observable glutaminase activity under neutral (pH 7.5) conditions. Glutaminase activity was also not observable with the reduced enzyme alone or in the presence of D-glutamate (a competitive inhibitor of glutamate synthase with respect to 2-oxoglutarate, with a Ki of about 11 microM) or with the oxidized enzyme in the presence of 2-oxoglutarate, D-glutamate, or NADP+. These data confirm species-dependent differences of A. brasilense glutamate synthase with respect to the enzyme from other sources.     

cDNA-derived sequence of UMP-CMP kinase from Dictyostelium discoideum and expression of the enzyme in Escherichia coli

A cDNA coding for UMP-CMP kinase from Dictyostelium discoideum was isolated from a lambda gt11 expression library and sequenced. The corresponding mRNA has a size of 0.7 kilobase and is down-regulated during early development of D. discoideum. Southern blotting demonstrated that the UMP-CMP kinase is encoded by a single gene. The deduced amino acid sequence of UMP-CMP kinase shows a high degree of homology with adenylate kinases from different sources with the highest degree of homology to cytosolic adenylate kinase from vertebrate muscle (43%). The enzyme expressed in Escherichia coli after cloning the cDNA into an ATG expression vector was purified and analyzed for its structural and kinetic properties. The UMP-CMP kinase uses preferentially ATP (Km,app = 25 microM) as phosphate donor and is specific for UMP (Km,app = 0.4 mM) and CMP (Km,app = 0.1 mM). The enzyme is strongly inhibited by the substrate analogue P1-(adenosine-5')-P5-(uridine-5')-pentaphosphate (Ki between 0.05 and 0.1 microM) and is inactivated by modification of free thiol groups with 5,5'-dithiobis(2-nitrobenzoic acid).     

Inhibition of α-aminoadipate-semialdehyde dehydrogenase from Trichosporon adeninovorans bvy lysine and lysine analogues

The alpha-aminoadipate-semialdehyde dehydrogenase (EC 1.2.1.31) of Trichosporon adeninovorans, an enzyme of lysine biosynthesis, was partially purified, some properties of the enzyme were studied and a novel regulatory pattern was found. The Km values of the enzyme were estimated to be 0.78 mM for alpha-aminoadipate, 1.0 mM for ATP, 0.23 mM for NADPH and 0.77 mM for MgCl2. It is demonstrated that the enzyme can be regulated by lysine and lysine analogues. L-Lysine (Ki of 0.09 mM), S-(beta-aminoethyl)-L-cysteine (Ki of 0.007 mM) and delta-hydroxylysine (Ki of 1.65 mM) inhibited the enzyme activity. The inhibition was competitive with respect to alpha-aminoadipate and non-competitive with respect to both ATP and NADPH.     

Purification, characterization and identification of rat liver histidine-pyruvate aminotransferase isoenzymes.

1. Histidine-pyruvate aminotransferase (isoenzyme 1) was purified to homogeneity from the mitochondrial and supernatant fractions of rat liver, as judged by polyacrylamide-gel electrophoresis and isolectric focusing. Both enzyme preparations were remarkably similar in physical and enzymic properties. Isoenzyme 1 had pI8.0 and a pH optimum of 9.0. The enzyme was active with pyruvate as amino acceptor but not with 2-oxoglutarate, and utilized various aromatic amino acids as amino donors in the following order of activity: phenylalanine greater than tyrosine greater than histidine. Very little activity was found with tryptophan and 5-hydroxytryptophan. The apparent Km values were about 2.6mM for histidine and 2.7 mM for phenylalanine. Km values for pyruvate were about 5.2mM with phenylalanine as amino donor and 1.1mM with histidine. The aminotransferase activity of the enzyme towards phenylalanine was inhibited by the addition of histidine. The mol.wt. determined by gel filtration and sucrose-density-gradient centrifugation was approx. 70000. The mitochondrial and supernatant isoenzyme 1 activities increased approximately 25-fold and 3.2-fold respectively in rats repeatedly injected with glucagon for 2 days. 2. An additional histidine-pyruvate aminotransferase (isoenzyme 2) was partially purified from both the mitochondrial and supernatant fractions of rat liver. Nearly identical properties were observed with both preparations. Isoenzyme 2 had pI5.2 and a pH optimum of 9.3. The enzyme was specific for pyruvate and did not function with 2-oxoglutarate. The order of effectiveness of amino donors was tyrosine = phenylalanine greater than histidine greater than tryptophan greater than 5-hydroxytryptophan. The apparent Km values for histidine and phenylalanine were about 0.51 and 1.8 mM respectively. Km values for pyruvate were about 3.5mM with phenylalanine and 4.7mM with histidine as amino donors. Histidine inhibited phenylalanine aminotransferase activity of the enzyme. Gel filtration and sucrose-density-gradient centrifugation yielded a mol.wt. of approx. 90000. Neither the mitochondrial nor the supernatant isoenzyme 2 activity was elevated by glucagon injection.