Use of toluene-permeabilized mitochondria to study the regulation of adipose tissue pyruvate dehydrogenase in situ. Further evidence that insulin acts through stimulation of pyruvate dehydrogenase phosphate phosphatase.

Rat epididymal-adipose-tissue mitochondria were made selectively permeable to small molecules without the loss of matrix enzymes by treating the mitochondria with toluene under controlled conditions. With this preparation the entire pyruvate dehydrogenase system was shown to be retained within the mitochondrial matrix and to retain its normal catalytic activity. By using dilute suspensions of these permeabilized mitochondria maintained in the cuvette of a spectrophotometer, it was possible to monitor changes of pyruvate dehydrogenase activity continuously while the activities of the interconverting kinase and phosphatase could be independently manipulated. Permeabilized mitochondria were prepared from control and insulin-treated adipose tissue, and the properties of both the pyruvate dehydrogenase kinase and the phosphatase were compared in situ. No difference in kinase activity was detected, but increases in phosphatase activity were observed in permeabilized mitochondria from insulin-treated tissue. Further studies showed that the main effect of insulin treatment was a decrease in the apparent Ka of the phosphatase for Mg2+, in agreement with earlier studies with mitochondria made permeable to Mg2+ by using the ionophore A23187 [Thomas, Diggle & Denton (1986) Biochem. J. 238, 83-91]. No effects of spermine were detected, although spermine diminishes the Ka of purified phosphatase preparations for Mg2+. Since effects of insulin on pyruvate dehydrogenase phosphatase activity are not evident in mitochondrial extracts, it is concluded that insulin may act by altering some high-Mr component which interacts with the pyruvate dehydrogenase system within intact or permeabilized mitochondria, but not when the mitochondrial membranes are disrupted.     

Cross-linking of mitochondrial matrix proteins in situ

Different cross-linkers (10 mM) of varying specificity and arm length were found to cross-link mitochondrial matrix proteins in situ in 2 min at pH 7.4. As seen by SDS-polyacrylamide electrophoresis, the disappearance of individual protein bands was accompanied by concomitant appearance of polymeric aggregates that failed to enter the 4% spacer gel. The disorganization of the mitochondrial matrix infrastructure either by swelling or sonication of the mitochondria resulted in a decrease in the rate of cross-linking. Leakage of citrate synthase, malate dehydrogenase and fumarase was found to be reduced when cross-linked mitochondria were made permeable with toluene. On lysing the cross-linked mitochondria, a major part of the matrix protein (75%) was found to sediment with the membrane fraction. The activities of citrate synthase, malate dehydrogenase and fumarase in rat liver mitochondria were also found to increase in the precipitates with a concomitant decrease in their activities in the soluble matrix fraction. These results indicate that the cross-linker enters the mitochondria and cross-links matrix proteins including Krebs cycle enzymes either to the mitochondrial membranes, or to themselves resulting in very large molecular weight complexes. These results are interpreted to mean that in liver mitochondria, the Krebs cycle enzymes are preferentially located near the membrane.     

Preparation and characterization of liver cells made permeable to macromolecules by treatment with toluene.

Isolated individual liver cells were made permeable to charged molecules and macromolecules by treatment with toluene, and the properties of such cells were examined in detail. The optimal conditions of toluene treatment, as determined by assay of aminoacyl-tRNA synthetase activities, was 7 to 9% toluene for 2 min at 0 degrees. Conditions are also described for maintaining the treated cells for periods up to 1 hour. Toluene treatment was found to be as efficient as various disruptive methods for making internal enzymes accessible to exogenous substrates, and this was true for enzymes in the cytosol, membrane, or organelle fractions. Electron microscopic and biochemical examination of toluen-treated cells indicated that they were relatively intact and lost only small amounts of cellular constituents to the suspension medium. The data in this paper suggest that toluene treatment of individual cells might prove useful for studies of macromolecular synthesis in liver;     

Method to Obtain a Chlorophyll-free Preparation of Intact Mitochondria from Spinach Leaves

Mitochondria from green leaves of spinach have been prepared using a three-step procedure involving differential centrifugation, partition in an aqueous dextran polyethylene glycol two-phase system and Percoll gradient centrifugation. The mitochondrial fractions after the different steps of purification were compared. The final mitochondrial preparation was totally free from chloroplast material measured as chlorophyll content. The enrichment of mitochondria in relation to peroxisomes and microsomes was approximately 12 and 33 times, respectively, based on NAD:isocitrate dehydrogenase activity, glycolate oxidase activity, and NADPH:cytochrome c oxidoreductase activity. The apparent intactness of the inner and the outer mitochondrial membranes was higher than 90% as measured by latency of enzyme activities. The mitochondria showed high respiratory rates with respiratory control and the ADP/O ratios approached the theoretical limits.     

ENZYME LOCALIZATION IN THE ANAEROBIC MITOCHONDRIA OF ASCARIS LUMBRICOIDES

Mitochondria from the muscle of the parasitic nematode Ascaris lumbricoides var. suum function anaerobically in electron transport-associated phosphorylations under physiological conditions. These helminth organelles have been fractionated into inner and outer membrane, matrix, and intermembrane space fractions. The distributions of enzyme systems were determined and compared with corresponding distributions reported in mammalian mitochondria. Succinate and pyruvate dehydrogenases as well as NADH oxidase, Mg⁺⁺-dependent ATPase, adenylate kinase, citrate synthase, and cytochrome c reductases were determined to be distributed as in mammalian mitochondria. In contrast with the mammalian systems, fumarase and NAD-linked "malic" enzyme were isolated primarily from the intermembrane space fraction of the worm mitochondria. These enzymes are required for the anaerobic energy-generating system in Ascaris and would be expected to give rise to NADH in the intermembrane space. The need for and possible mechanism of a proton translocation system to obtain energy generation is suggested.     

Preparation of Cells Permeable to Macromolecules by Treatment with Toluene: Studies of Transfer Ribonucleic Acid Nucleotidyltransferase

Transfer ribonucleic acid (tRNA) nucleotidyltransferase was studied after making cells permeable to macromolecules by treatment with toluene. The conditions of toluene treatment necessary for obtaining maximal activity were defined. Toluene treatment was most efficient when carried out for 5 min at 37 C at pH 9.0 on log-phase cells. No activity could be detected if cells were treated at 0 C, or in the presence of MgCl₂, or if the cells were in the stationary phase of growth. However, inclusion of lysozyme and ethylenediaminetetraacetic acid during the toluene treatment did render stationary phase cells permeable. The properties of tRNA nucleotidyltransferase from toluene-treated cells were essentially identical to those of purified enzyme with regard to pH optimum, specificity for nucleoside triphosphates and tRNA, and apparent K_m values for substrates. In addition to tRNA nucleotidyltransferase, a variety of other enzymes which incorporate adenosine 5′-triphosphate into acid-precipitable material could also be detected in toluene-treated cells. Centrifugation of cells treated with toluene revealed that tRNA nucleotidyltransferase leaked out of cells, whereas other activities remained associated with the cell pellets. Chromatography of the material extracted from toluene-treated cells on Sephadex G-100 indicated that toluene treatment selectively extracts lower molecular weight proteins. The usefulness of such a procedure as an initial step in purification of such enzymes, and its application to tRNA nucleotidyltransferase, is discussed.     

Vasopressin and/or glucagon rapidly increases mitochondrial calcium and oxidative enzyme activities in the perfused rat liver

Mitochondria were prepared by a method including a Percoll purification step after the rapid homogenization of livers of fed rats which had been perfused either under unstimulated conditions or in the presence of vasopressin and/or glucagon. The two hormones separately or together increased the total calcium content of the mitochondria. This enhancement was accompanied by parallel increases in activities of the Ca2+-sensitive intramitochondrial enzymes pyruvate dehydrogenase and 2-oxoglutarate dehydrogenase. The effects of the two hormones on total mitochondrial calcium and on the activities of the oxidative enzymes were additive. The persistent enhancements of mitochondrial calcium content and enzyme activities were partially reversed by the addition of Na+ ions to the mitochondrial incubations; these effects of Na+ were blocked by diltiazem, a selective inhibitor of Na+-induced Ca2+ release. Mitochondria from control livers were incubated in vitro with CaCl2 to achieve various calcium content, and mitochondrial enzyme activities and calcium content were measured. A good correlation was obtained between the total calcium content and the activities of pyruvate dehydrogenase and oxoglutarate dehydrogenase. The results obtained are consistent with the hypothesis that vasopressin and glucagon additively cause increases in intramitochondrial [Ca2+] and so bring about the activations of these key enzymes of mitochondrial oxidative metabolism.     

Effects of anoxia on mitochondrial biogenesis in rice shoots: modification of in organello translation characteristics

Shoots of germinating rice (Oryza sativa L.) seedlings are able to grow under anoxia and to withstand long periods of anoxic treatment. Mitochondria were purified from aerobically germinated and anaerobically treated rice shoots by differential and isopycnic centrifugation and were found to consist of two subpopulations. The mitochondrial subpopulation of higher density was used for further characterization. Ultrastructural studies showed anaerobic mitochondria to be significantly different from aerobic mitochondria, with a matrix of lower density and more developed cristae. Aerobic and anaerobic mitochondria also differed in their specific activities for fumarase and succinate dehydrogenase, which were significantly lower after the anoxic treatment. In vivo labeling of seedlings with l-[³⁵S]methionine and subsequent isolation of the mitochondria indicated that anoxia induced a drastic decrease, but not a total inactivation, of the synthesis of mitochondrial proteins. In organello protein synthesis showed that anaerobic mitochondria were able to synthesize most of the polypeptides synthesized by aerobic mitochondria, although only in the presence of exogenous ATP, as would occur under anoxia. Anaerobic mitochondria, but not aerobic mitochondria, could carry out protein synthesis without a functional respiratory chain. Thus, mitochondrial protein synthesis was found to be potentially functional in the rice shoot under anoxia.     

Alicyclobacillus acidocaldarius Thermophilic Esterase EST2's Activity in Milk and Cheese Models

The aim of this work was to investigate the behavior of thermophilic esterase EST2 from Alicyclobacillus acidocaldarius in milk and cheese models. The pure enzyme was used to compare the EST2 hydrolytic activity to the activity of endogenous esterase EstA from Lactococcus lactis. The results indicate that EST2 exhibits 30-fold-higher esterase activity than EstA. As EstA has thioesterase activity, EST2 was assayed for this activity under the optimal conditions determined for EstA (namely, 30°C and pH 7.5). Although it is a thermophilic enzyme, EST2 exhibited eightfold-higher thioesterase activity than EstA with S-methyl thiobutanoate. The abilities of EST2 and EstA to synthesize short-chain fatty acid esters were compared. Two methods were developed to do this. In the first method a spectrophotometric assay was used to monitor the synthesis of esters by the pure enzymes using p-nitrophenol as the alcohol substrate. The synthetic activities were also evaluated under conditions that mimicked those present in milk and/or cheese. The second method involved evaluation of the synthetic abilities of the enzymes when they were directly added to a model cheese matrix. Substantial ester synthesis by EST2 was observed under both conditions. Finally, esterase and thioesterase activities were evaluated in milk using the purified EST2 enzyme and in the model cheese matrix using a strain of L. lactis NZ9000 harboring the EST2 gene and thus overproducing EST2. Both the esterase and thioesterase activities measured in milk and in the cheese matrix were much greater than the activities of the controls.     

Preparation and properties of mitochondria from cowpea nodules

Mitochondria were isolated from nodules of cowpea (Vigna unguiculata (L). Walp.) and purified on a Percoll gradient. They were only slightly contaminated by bacteroids (an average of 3.5%), and had low lipoxygenase activity. Compared to mitochondria from hypocotyls the nodule mitochondria had similar O₂ uptake rates and respiratory control ratios. The ADP/O ratios for both preparations were 1.4 to 1.7 and 2.3 to 2.6 with succinate and malate, respectively. Whereas mitochondria isolated from etiolated cowpea hypocotyls had 14 to 18% of their respiration insensitive to KCN, the respiration of nodule mitochondria was completely inhibited by KCN. Enzyme activities of nodule mitochondria were similar to those found in hypocotyl mitochondria, except for NAD⁺-malic enzyme which was 12-fold lower in the mitochondria from nodules.     

Enhancement of ribonucleotide reductase activity at low enzyme concentrations by polyethylene glycol

The estimation of ribonucleotide reductase in cell extracts has been problematical on account of abnormally low activities at low enzyme concentrations, presumably due to subunit dissociation. This problem can be alleviated by assaying the enzyme in the presence of polyethylene glycol. The presence of 15% polyethylene glycol during the assay greatly stimulated ribonucleotide reductase activity at low enzyme concentrations and allowed measurement of enzyme activity in as little as 10(5) mouse L929 cells, a 30-fold enhancement of assay sensitivity. Enzyme activity measured in the presence of 15% polyethylene glycol was proportional to enzyme concentration, thus making possible the accurate measurement of very low levels of ribonucleotide reductase.     

The Partial Purification and Characterization of Nuclear and Mitochondrial Uracil-DNA Glycosylase Activities from Zea mays Seedlings

Uracil-DNA glycosylase activities from etiolated Zea mays seedling nuclei and mitochondria were partially purified and characterized. Nuclei and mitochondria were separated using sucrose differential and step gradient centrifugation. Experiments with osmotically shocked organelles indicated that enzyme activity from mitochondria was soluble, whereas nuclear enzyme activity was only partially soluble under the conditions tested. Purification using DEAE-cellulose and Affigel Blue column chromatography yielded distinct elution profiles from both columns for each of the organellar enzyme activities. Final purification was 490- and 850- fold for the nuclear and mitochondrial uracil-DNA glycosylase, respectively. Characterization studies demonstrated significant differences between the nuclear and mitochondrial uracil-DNA glycosylase with respect to K_m, temperature, and pH activity optimum, the effect of salts, and substrate preference. Molecular weight as determined by gel filtration was 18,000 for enzymes from both sources. Both were also sensitive to the sulfhydryl group-blocking agent N-ethylmaleimide. A number of uracil analogs were tested for their ability to inhibit nuclear and mitochondrial uracil-DNA glycosylase activities. 5-Azauracil, uracil, 6-aminouracil, 6-azauracil, 5-aminouracil, and 5-fluorouracil all inhibited both activities to variable degrees.     

Location and regulation of early enzymes of sterol biosynthesis in yeast.

Acetoacetyl CoA thiolase and 3-hydroxy-3-methylglutaryl (HMG) CoA synthase were found almost entirely in the cytosol of Saccharomyces cerevisiae, whereas HMG CoA reductase was found almost entirely in mitochondria and further located in the matrix. Formation of all three enzymes was inhibited by cycloheximide, but not by chloramphenicol, indicating that they were synthesized in the cytosol. In anaerobically growing cells the levels of acetoacetyl CoA thiolase and HMG CoA synthase were decreased by ergosterol, whereas HMG CoA reductase levels were affected only slightly, suggesting that in yeast the enzymes responsible for synthesis of HMG CoA were regulated by ergosterol. Aerobically growing cells were essentially impermeable to ergosterol and cholesterol, whereas those growing anaerobically and requiring sterols were readily permeable. Mutants blocked in ergosterol formation were also permeable to sterols under aerobic conditions.     

The Distribution and Cooperation of Antioxidant (Iso)enzymes and Antioxidants in Different Subcellular Compartments in Maize Leaves during Water Stress

The effects of mild water stress induced by polyethylene glycol (PEG) on the activities of antioxidant enzymes [superoxide dismutase (SOD), catalase (CAT), ascorbate peroxidase (APX), and glutathione reductase (GR)] and their isoenzymes and the antioxidant content [ascorbate (ASC) and glutathione (GSH)] of different subcellular compartments were investigated in maize. For each subcellular compartment, the activities of almost all isoenzymes resolved on native PAGE increased after 4–12 h of exposure to water stress and declined after that, showing concomitant changes with the activities of their respective total enzymes and the antioxidant content. For each subcellular compartment, at least one isoform for the detected antioxidant enzymes was resolved, but different kinds of antioxidant isoenzymes in different subcellular compartments had different responses to water stress. The relative contribution of Fe–SOD in chloroplasts and Mn–SOD in mitochondria was higher than that in other subcellular compartments. However, in apoplasts the activities of Mn–SOD and Fe–SOD declined during the process of water stress, in contrast to those located in other subcellular compartments. The results from the activities of antioxidant (iso)enzymes demonstrated that all antioxidant enzymes in all subcellular compartments were mobilized in cooperation and responded synchronously under mild water stress, with the same trend of changes in their activity. This indicated their orchestrated effects in scavenging reactive oxygen species (ROS) in situ. Additionally, the results suggested that mitochondria and apoplasts, responding most actively, might be targets for improving plant performance under mild water stress.     

A rapid whole-cell assay for superoxide dismutase

A procedure is described for the intact-cell assay of superoxide dismutase(s). The technique involves the use of toluene which renders the cells permeable to the necessary components of a photochemical assay for superoxide dismutase. Whole-cell superoxide dismutase activities from a number of procaryotic and eucaryotic microorganisms compare with cell-free activities and with activities reported in the literature. Using this procedure, changing levels of superoxide dismutase are readily monitored under conditions known to modulate superoxide dismutase activity assayed in vitro. In whole cells of Escherichia coli, exogenous methyl viologen causes a marked increase in superoxide dismutase activity, whereas in the cyanobacterium, Microcystis aeruginosa, such treatment leads to a marked, light-dependent loss of whole-cell superoxide dismutase activity.     

Purification and evaluation of the glutathione-synthesizing enzymes from Candida boidinii for cell-free synthesis of glutathione

To examine the application of the glutathione-synthesizing enzymes for cell-free synthesis of this tripeptide we carried out a limited screening of yeast strains to find organisms with high glutathione-synthesizing activity. We used an improved, rapid and sensitive HPLC method for the determination of nmol levels of γ-glutamylcysteine (the first product in synthesis) and glutathione (the endproduct of the enzymatic reaction). High enzyme activities were found in Candida boidinii grown in mineral salt-medium supplemented with trace element and vitamin solutions and methanol as carbon source and Hansenula polymorpha grown under the same conditions except that glucose was used as sole carbon source. Candida boidinii was chosen for further investigations. Determination of enzyme formation during growth showed that the specific activities of the two glutathione-synthesizing enzymes remained almost constant during the whole growth phase while the intracellular glutathione content increased markedly. The enzymes were purified by DEAE-cellulose column chromatography, ultrafiltration and gel chromatography to apparent homogeneity. Properties of the enzymes including stability, molecular weight and subunit composition, substrate and inhibitor kinetics and the ability of ATP, bound to polyethylene glycol, to serve as coenzyme in the two enzymatic reactions were investigated in detail. Due to the limited stability of the purified γ-glutamylcysteine synthetase and the inability of the glutathione synthetase to utilize ATP derivatives as coenzyme, presently, immobilized cells appear to be more favourable for glutathione synthesis.     

Removal of α-naphthol and other phenolic compounds from polluted water by white radish (Raphanus sativus) peroxidase in the presence of an additive, polyethylene glycol

Role of white radish peroxidase has been investigated in the treatment of water contaminated with phenols, particularly α-naphthol. Water polluted with α-naphthol was treated with white radish peroxidase under various experimental conditions. The treatment of α-naphthol polluted water by this enzyme in presence of polyethylene glycol enhanced its removal. Studies carried out in absence of polyethylene glycol showed only 36% of α-naphthol removal however, 96% of it was removed in presence of 0.1 mg/mL of polyethylene glycol in 100 mM sodium phosphate buffer, pH 6.5, and 0.75 mM H₂O₂ at 40°C. The other phenols oxidized and removed from waste water under similar experimental conditions were 18%, m-cresol; 30%, p-chlorophenol; 62%, p-bromophenol; 20%, benzyl alcohol; 21%, quinol; 38%, 2,6-dichlorophenol; 13%, 2,4-dichlorophenol; and 2%, native phenol. Mixtures of different phenolic compounds removed under identical treatment conditions were 63%, A; 40%, B; 52%, C; 41%, D; 72%, E; 66%, F; and 72%, G. Thus, peroxidase in presence of an additive, polyethylene glycol could be a suitable tool for the removal of phenolic compounds from industrial effluents.     

Studies of the fiber to crystal transition of sickle cell hemoglobin in acidic polyethylene glycol

The crystallization of deoxygenated sickle cell hemoglobin in acidic (pH 5.2) polyethylene glycol (10%) has been studied in order to determine if the mechanism of crystal formation under such conditions has features in common with the mechanism of crystal formation at higher pH values in the absence of polyethylene glycol. The existence of a common mechanism of crystallization under different conditions is relevant in validating the use of the known high resolution crystal structure to interpret the fiber structure. Our findings indicate that deoxygenated sickle cell hemoglobin crystallization in acidic polyethylene glycol is initiated by fiber formation. Fibers, in turn, convert to larger structures called macrofibers within several hours (Wellems et al., 1981). Fibers and macrofibers (and their respective optical transforms) formed in acidic polyethylene glycol appear to have the same structure as their counterparts formed at higher pH values in the absence of polyethylene glycol. Early in the transition one can observe macrofibers in the process of alignment and fusion. The structural characterization of the intermediates leaves little doubt that crystallization in acidic polyethylene glycol is mediated by the same mechanism as that occurring under more physiological conditions, and that fibers are a metastable intermediate whose ultimate fate is to crystallize.     

Hyperplastic processes in cardiac muscle mitochondria exposed to toxic doses of adrenaline]

Experiments were conducted on albino rats; a study was made of hyperplastic processes in the mitochondria of the myocytes of the heart with the action of toxic adrenaline doses. A solution of adrenaline chloride was injested intramuscularly (3 mg/kg). Three types of mitochondria were revealed in electron microscopic study. Mitochondria of the first type were of the size and structure characteristic of the muscle cells of the myocardium. Mitochondria of the second type had a very dense, finegrained matrix and a great number of cristae per unit of the area. Mitochondria of the third type had two "sections" under the common external membrane, differing from one another by the matrix density, distribution and number of cristae. It is supposed that the ultrastructural peculiarities of each of the types reflected their functional condition.