Interaction of aliphatic amines with glycogen phosphorylase

A number of aliphatic amines was shown to stimulate AMP-dependent activity of phosphorylase b. The extent of stimulation depends on the molecular structure of amines. For linear amines, the longer the linear chain, the greater the stimulation observed. High concentrations of amines were able to induce a small activation of phosphorylase b in the absence of AMP. Kinetic studies of phosphorylase b indicated that the presence of n-hexylamine (a) results in lowering Km values for AMP and glucose 1-phosphate, (b) increases maximal velocity of the enzyme, and (c) modifies the glucose 6-phosphate, ATP, caffeine, and glucose binding sites of the enzyme by increasing the inhibition constants for these inhibitors. In contrast, the activity of phosphorylase b' is not altered by n-hexylamine. This fact suggests the possibility that amines interact with the N-terminal tail of phosphorylase b chain.     

Sulfhydryl proteins of penguin egg white: Ovalbumin and penalbumin. Comparisons with penguin serum albumin,chicken ovalbumin,and bovine serum albumin

Penalbumin (PEN), a newly discovered sulfhydryl-containing glycoprotein from egg whites of penguins(Sphenisciformes), is a major constituent of all penguin egg whites studied, but it is low or very low in most other egg whites studied. Adelie penguin(Pygoscelis adeliae) egg white contains ～30% ovalbumin (POVAL) and 25% PEN, while chicken egg white contains ～55% ovalbumin (COVAL) and <0.01% PEN. PEN has a molecular weight of 61,000 and contains 15% carbohydrate and two sulfhydryl groups, but no phosphates. POVAL has a molecular weight of 48,000 and contains 7% carbohydrate, three sulfhydryl groups, and one phosphate. Penguin serum albumin (PSA) has properties which are very similar to bovine serum albumin (BSA), and the composition and properties of PEN were suggestive of an ancestral relationship to POVAL and COVAL. PEN reacts slowly with 5,5′-dithiobis(2-nitrobenzoic acid) (DTNB), while POVAL reacts rapidly. On simultaneous addition of DTNB and cystamine (β,β′-diaminodiethyl disulfide) the rate of reaction with PEN was increased, but not with POVAL.     

Kinetic effect of some aliphatic amines on yeast alcohol dehydrogenase.

Initial rate studies of ethanol oxidation catalyzed by yeast alcohol dehydrogenase (EC 1.1.1.1) were carried out in the presence of varying concentrations of aliphatic amines over the pH range from 8.0 to 10.5. Aliphatic amines either activate or inhibit the enzyme depending on whether the pH is greater or less than 9.5 suggesting that the protonated amines activate and the nonprotonated amines inhibit the enzyme. Aliphatic amines activate yeast alcohol dehydrogenase by decreasing Kb while they inhibit the enzyme by increasing both Ka and Kia. When both protonated and nonprotonated amines are present in solution, either overall activation or inhibition will be observed depending on the relative concentration of the two amine species.     

Inclusion complex of beta-chitin and aliphatic amines

Inclusion complexation of beta-chitin with linear aliphatic amines was studied by X-ray diffraction. All tested amines, C3 to C8 monoamines and C2 to C7 diamines with terminal amino groups, reversibly formed crystalline complexes with beta-chitin by immersion of dry chitin in pure liquid. Complex formation caused linear increase in the 010 sheet spacing of beta-chitin depending on the carbon number of amine. The complexes could be classified as type I and type II according to the increment of sheet spacing against carbon number. All monoamines formed type II complexes. In dry conditions, diamine formed a type I complex though the type of diamine complex differed for guest species in wet conditions. Based on the unit cell dimension and thermogravimetry, type II and type I are likely to correspond to guest-host (amine-chitobiose) ratios of 2:1 and 1:1, respectively. These differences seem to arise from varied interactions between functional groups of chitin and amines.     

Denaturation of proteins and nucleic acids by thermal-gradient electrophoresis.

A polyacrylamide-gel-electrophoresis method has been developed that permits the analysis of conformational changes that occur during the thermal denaturation of macromolecules. A stable transverse temperature gradient was produced in an aluminium heating jacket clamped around a vertical polyacrylamide slab gel. After temperature equilibration, gels were loaded with either a layer of protein solution (20-200 micrograms/gel) or a solution of double-stranded DNA (20 micrograms/gel) and electrophoresis begun. At the end of the run the gels were stained and the effect of temperature on mobility observed. The technique proved informative both for the irreversible unfolding of proteins (Drosophila alcohol dehydrogenase and lactic acid dehydrogenase) and for a protein that was reversibly denatured by heat (beta-lactamase). In the latter case a clear transition between the native enzyme and a slower-migrating denatured state was observed. The patterns obtained were analogous to the type produced by the transverse-urea-gradient-electrophoretic method of Creighton [(1979) J. Mol. Biol. 129, 253-264]. The method also resolved a complex mixture of double-stranded-DNA restriction-digest fragments.