A monoclonal antibody to aromatic amino acid hydroxylases. Identification of the epitope.

PH8 monoclonal antibody has previously been shown to react with all three aromatic amino acid hydroxylases, being particularly useful for immunohistochemical staining of brain tissue [Haan, Jennings, Cuello, Nakata, Chow, Kushinsky, Brittingham & Cotton (1987) Brain Res. 426, 19-27]. Western-blot analysis of liver extracts showed that PH8 reacted with phenylalanine hydroxylase from a wide range of vertebrate species. The epitope for antibody PH8 has been localized to the human phenylalanine hydroxylase sequence between amino acid residues 139 and 155. This highly conserved region of the aromatic amino acid hydroxylases has 11 out of 17 amino acids identical in phenylalanine hydroxylase, tyrosine hydroxylase and tryptophan hydroxylase.     

Kinetic isotope effects on aromatic and benzylic hydroxylation by Chromobacterium violaceum phenylalanine hydroxylase as probes of chemical mechanism and reactivity

Phenylalanine hydroxylase from Chromobacterium violaceum (CvPheH) is a non-heme iron monooxygenase that catalyzes the hydroxylation of phenylalanine to tyrosine. In this study, we used deuterium kinetic isotope effects to probe the chemical mechanisms of aromatic and benzylic hydroxylation to compare the reactivities of bacterial and eukaryotic aromatic amino acid hydroxylases. The (D) k cat value for the reaction of CvPheH with [(2)H 5]phenylalanine is 1.2 with 6-methyltetrahydropterin and 1.4 with 6,7-dimethyltetrahydropterin. With the mutant enzyme I234D, the (D) k cat value decreases to 0.9 with the latter pterin; this is likely to be the intrinsic effect for addition of oxygen to the amino acid. The isotope effect on the subsequent tautomerization of a dienone intermediate was determined to be 5.1 by measuring the retention of deuterium in tyrosine produced from partially deuterated phenylalanine; this large isotope effect is responsible for the normal effect on k cat. The isotope effect for hydroxylation of the methyl group of 4-CH 3-phenylalanine, obtained from the partitioning of benzylic and aromatic hydroxylation products, is 10. The temperature dependence of this isotope effect establishes the contribution of hydrogen tunneling to benzylic hydroxylation by this enzyme. The results presented here provide evidence that the reactivities of the prokaryotic and eukaryotic hydroxylases are similar and further define the reactivity of the iron center for the family of aromatic amino acid hydroxylases.     

Role of the second coordination sphere residue tyrosine 179 in substrate affinity and catalytic activity of phenylalanine hydroxylase

Phenylalanine hydroxylase converts phenylalanine to tyrosine utilizing molecular oxygen and tetrahydropterin as a cofactor, and belongs to the aromatic amino acid hydroxylases family. The catalytic domains of these enzymes are structurally similar. According to recent crystallographic studies, residue Tyr179 in Chromobacterium violaceum phenylalanine hydroxylase is located in the active site and its hydroxyl oxygen is 5.1 Å from the iron, where it has been suggested to play a role in positioning the pterin cofactor. To determine the catalytic role of this residue, the point mutants Y179F and Y179A of phenylalanine hydroxylase were prepared and characterized. Both mutants displayed comparable stability and metal binding to the native enzyme, as determined by their melting temperatures in the presence and absence of iron. The catalytic activity (k_cat) of the Y179F and Y179A proteins was lower than wild-type phenylalanine hydroxylase by an order of magnitude, suggesting that the hydroxyl group of Tyr179 plays a role in the rate-determining step in catalysis. The K_M values for different tetrahydropterin cofactors and phenylalanine were decreased by a factor of 3–4 in the Y179F mutant. However, the K_M values for different pterin cofactors were slightly higher in the Y179A mutant than those measured for the wild-type enzyme, and, more significantly, the K_M value for phenylalanine was increased by 10-fold in the Y179A mutant. By the criterion of k_cat/K_Phe, the Y179F and Y179A mutants display 10% and 1%, respectively, of the activity of wild-type phenylalanine hydroxylase. These results are consistent with Tyr179 having a pronounced role in binding phenylalanine but a secondary effect in the formation of the hydroxylating species. In conjunction with recent crystallographic analyses of a ternary complex of phenylalanine hydroxylase, the reported findings establish that Tyr179 is essential in maintaining the catalytic integrity and phenylalanine binding of the enzyme via indirect interactions with the substrate, phenylalanine. A model that accounts for the role of Tyr179 in binding phenylalanine is proposed.Electronic Supplementary Material Supplementary material is available in the online version of this article at Abbreviations AAAHs aromatic amino acid hydroxylases - BH₂ 7,8-dihydro-l-biopterin - BH₄ (6R)-5,6,7,8-tetrahydro-l-biopterin - CD circular dichroism - cPAH Chromobacterium violaceum phenylalanine hydroxylase - DMPH₄ 6,7-dimethyl-5,6,7,8-tetrahydropterin - DTT dithiothreitol - EDTA ethylenediaminetetraacetic acid - ES-MS electrospray ionization mass spectrometry - hPAH human phenylalanine hydroxylase - ICP-AE inductively coupled plasma atomic emission - 6-MPH₄ 6-methyl-5,6,7,8-tetrahydropterin - PAH phenylalanine hydroxylase - PH₄ tetrahydropterin - PKU phenylketonuria - RDS rate-determining step - TH tyrosine hydroxylase - THA 3-(2-thienyl)-l-alanine - TPH tryptophan hydroxylase - wt wild-type     

7-substituted pterins in humans with suspected pterin-4a-carbinolamine dehydratase deficiency. Mechanism of formation via non-enzymatic transformation from 6-substituted pterins.

A recently described new form of hyperphenylalaninemia is characterized by the excretion of 7-substituted isomers of biopterin and neopterin and 7-oxo-biopterin in the urine of patients. It has been shown that the 7-substituted isomers of biopterin and neopterin derive from L-tetrahydrobiopterin and D-tetrahydroneopterin and are formed during hydroxylation of phenylalanine to tyrosine with rat liver dehydratase-free phenylalanine hydroxylase. We have now obtained identical results using human phenylalanine hydroxylase. The identity of the pterin formed in vitro and derived from L-tetrahydrobiopterin as 7-(1',2'-dihydroxypropyl)pterin was proven by gas-chromatography mass spectrometry. Tetrahydroneopterin and 6-hydroxymethyltetrahydropterin also are converted to their corresponding 7-substituted isomers and serve as cofactors in the phenylalanine hydroxylase reaction. Dihydroneopterin is converted by dihydrofolate reductase to the tetrahydro form which is biologically active as a cofactor for the aromatic amino acid monooxygenases. The 6-substituted pterin to 7-substituted pterin conversion occurs in the absence of pterin-4a-carbinolamine dehydratase and is shown to be a nonenzymatic process. 7-Tetrahydrobiopterin is both a substrate (cofactor) and a competitive inhibitor with 6-tetrahydrobiopterin (Ki approximately 8 microM) in the phenylalanine hydroxylase reaction. For the first time, the formation of 7-substituted pterins from their 6-substituted isomers has been demonstrated with tyrosine hydroxylase, another important mammalian enzyme which functions in the hydroxylation of phenylalanine and tyrosine.     

Anti-idiotypic antibodies elicited by pterin recognize active site epitopes in dihydrofolate reductases and dihydropteridine reductase

Monoclonal antibodies (mAbs) against antipterin immunoglobulin and dihydropteridine reductase (DHPR) and also polyclonal antibodies against human dihydrofolate reductase (DHFR) were obtained. The anti-idiotypic mAbs and anti-DHPR mAbs bind specifically to human DHFR, Escherichia coli DHFR, soybean seedling DHFR, and human DHPR in solid-phase immunoassays. Further, the mAbs bind to the native but not to the denatured forms of DHFRs. The monoclonal antibodies also inhibit the enzymatic activity of human DHFR but not that of human DHPR. Competitive solid-phase immunoassays show stoichiometric inhibition by methotrexate and partial inhibition by NADPH of mAb binding to human DHFR. Cyanogen bromide fragments derived from human DHFR (residues 15-52 and 53-111), containing several active site residues, bind partially to some of the monoclonal antibodies. Accordingly, polyclonal antibodies to peptide 53-111 of human DHFR cross-react to some extent with human DHPR. Data from competitive immunoassays in which the binding of the various mAbs was tested singly and in combination with other mAbs suggest that these antibodies bind to a common region on human DHFR. The results also indicate that the mAbs display some heterogeneity with respect to specific epitopes. These data suggest that despite the absence of significant amino acid sequence homologies among the various DHFRs and DHPR, they have a fundamentally similar topography at the site of binding of the pterin moiety that is recognized by the anti-idiotypic mAbs generated by pterin. In the relatively simple structure of the pterin ring system there are different substituent groups at positions C4 and C6 in methotrexate, 7,8-dihydrofolate, and 7,8-dihydrobiopterin, suggesting that these antibodies are specific for regions on various proteins that interact with the remainder of the pterin moiety. These mAbs and similar mAbs specified by substituent groups on pterin may thus be used as specific probes or inhibitors of various folate-dependent enzymes and transport proteins. They should also provide insights into some of the general features of antibody recognition of protein antigens.     

Comparative studies of four monoclonal antibodies to phenylalanine hydroxylase exhibiting different properties with respect to substrate-dependence, species-specificity and a range of effects on enzyme activity.

Four monoclonal antibodies to phenylalanine hydroxylase are described. Two are inhibitory (PH alpha 1-1 and PH alpha 2-1-1 antibodies), one is stimulatory (B5-1 antibody) and one has no effect on enzyme activity (PH alpha 3-0 antibody). Their properties are compared. Two antibodies (PH alpha 1-1 and B5-1 antibodies) bind primate and rodent phenylalanine hydroxylase, whereas the other two (PH alpha 2-1-1 and PH alpha 3-0 antibodies) bind only the primate enzyme. The binding of PH alpha 1-1 antibody to phenylalanine hydroxylase is dependent on substrate phenylalanine, whereas the binding of the others is not influenced by phenylalanine. Affinity adsorbents prepared from the four antibodies purified phenylalanine hydroxylase substantially (greater than 80% purity) in one step, except for a PH alpha 3-0 antibody--Sepharose column, which behaved anomalously. Two previous publications described the isolation and preliminary characterization of B5 and PH alpha 1-1 antibodies. PH alpha 2-1-1 and PH alpha 3-0 antibodies are reported for the first time.     

Order of substrate binding in bacterial phenylalanine hydroxylase and its mechanistic implication for pterin-dependent oxygenases

Phenylalanine hydroxylase (PAH) is a pterin-dependent non-heme metalloenzyme that catalyzes the oxidation of phenylalanine to tyrosine, which is the rate-limiting step in the catabolism of Phe. Chromobacterium violaceum phenylalanine hydroxylase (cPAH) has been prepared and its steady-state mechanism has been investigated. The enzyme requires iron for maximal activity. Initial rate measurements, done in the presence of the 6,7-dimethyl-5,6,7,8-tetrahydropterin (DMPH(4)) cofactor, yielded an average apparent k(cat) of 36+/-1 s(-1). The apparent K(M) values measured for the substrates DMPH(4), L-Phe, and O(2) are 44+/-7, 59+/-10, and 76+/-7 microM, respectively. Steady-state kinetic analyses using double-reciprocal plots revealed line patterns consistent with a sequential ter-bi mechanism in which L-Phe is the middle substrate in the order of binding. The occurrence of a line intersection on the double-reciprocal plot abscissa when either pterin or O(2) is saturated suggests that, prior to O(2) binding, DMPH(4) and L-Phe are in associative pre-equilibrium with cPAH. Together with an inhibition study using the oxidized cofactor, 7,8-dimethyl-6,7-dihydropterin, it is conclusive that the mechanism is fully ordered, with DMPH(4) binding the active site first, L-Phe second, and O(2) last. This represents the first conclusive steady-state mechanism for a PAH enzyme.     

Affinity labeling of the active site and the reactive sulfhydryl associated with activation of rat liver phenylalanine hydroxylase

A pterin analogue, 5-[(3-azido-6-nitrobenzylidene)amino]-2,6-diamino-4-pyrimidinone (ANBADP), was synthesized as a probe of the pterin binding site of phenylalanine hydroxylase. The photoaffinity label has been found to be a competitive inhibitor of the enzyme with respect to 6,7-dimethyltetrahydropterin, having a Ki of 8.8 +/- 1.1 microM. The irreversible labeling of phenylalanine hydroxylase by the photoaffinity label upon irradiation is both concentration and time dependent. Phenylalanine hydroxylase is covalently labeled with a stoichiometry of 0.87 +/- 0.08 mol of label/enzyme subunit. 5-Deaza-6-methyltetrahydropterin protects against inactivation and both 5-deaza-6-methyltetrahydropterin and 6-methyltetrahydropterin protect against covalent labeling, indicating that labeling occurs at the pterin binding site. Three tryptic peptides were isolated from [3H]ANBADP-photolabeled enzyme and sequenced. All peptides indicated the sequence Thr-Leu-Lys-Ala-Leu-Tyr-Lys (residues 192-198). The residues labeled with [3H]ANBADP were Lys198 and Lys194, with the majority of the radioactivity being associated with Lys198. The reactive sulfhydryl of phenylalanine hydroxylase associated with activation of the enzyme was also identified by labeling with the chromophoric label 5-(iodoacetamido)fluorescein [Parniak, M. A., & Kaufman, S. (1981) J. Biol. Chem. 256, 6876]. Labeling of the enzyme resulted in 1 mol of fluorescein bound per phenylalanine hydroxylase subunit and a concomitant activation of phenylalanine hydroxylase to 82% of the activity found with phenylalanine-activated enzyme. Tryptic and chymotryptic peptides were isolated from fluorescein-labeled enzyme and sequenced. The modified residue was identified as Cys236.     

Inhibition of phenylalanine hydroxylase by p-chlorophenylalanine; dependence on cofactor structure

The reported discrepancy between the in vitro and in vivo properties of p-chlorophenylalanine as an inhibitor of phenylalanine hydroxylase (E.C.1.14. 3.1) was investigated. It was demonstrated that the lack of inhibition, in vitro, was not due to (1) non-physiological pH or temperature of the in vitro assay system, (2) inhibition by m-chlorotyrosine, a product of the enzymatic hydroxylation of p-chlorophenylalanine, or (3) a slow irreversible reaction of p-chlorophenylalanine with enzyme. However, when the inhibitory properties of p-chlorophenylalanine were determined using the natural cofactor, tetrahydrobiopterin, instead of the pseudocofactor 6,7-dimethyltetrahydropterin, which had been utilized in the reported in vitro studies, it was shown that p-chlorophenylalanine is a potent inhibitor of the enzymatic hydroxylation of phenylalanine. The apparent K_i is 0.03mM with tetrahydobiopterin as cofactor, compared to 1.5mM with 6.7-dimethyltetrahydropterin. The dependence of the inhibitory properties of an aromatic amino acid analog on the structure of the cofactor may be a general phenomenon with all tetrahydrobiopterin dependent aromatic amino acid hydroxylases.     

Preservation of the activity state of hepatic branched-chain 2-oxo acid dehydrogenase during the isolation of mitochondria.

Monoclonal antibody PH7 has specificity for the phosphorylated form of the human liver phenylalanine hydroxylase and negligible reactivity towards the dephosphorylated form of the native enzyme by enzyme-linked immunoassay. PH7 binds specifically to the phosphorylated form of the liver enzyme after SDS/polyacrylamide-gel electrophoresis and transfer to nitrocellulose. Competitive blocking assays have been applied in conjunction with reversed-phase h.p.l.c. of purified tryptic fragments of human liver phenylalanine hydroxylase to localize the epitope. The major immunoreactive tryptic peptide cross-reacting with PH7 had an amino acid analysis corresponding to the first 41 amino acids of the human liver phenylalanine hydroxylase sequence and included the serine residue that is thought to be the phosphorylation site. The monoclonal antibody recognized the phosphorylated form of the synthetic decapeptide corresponding to the local phosphorylation-site sequence Gly-Leu-Gly-Arg-Lys-Leu-Ser(P)-Asp-Phe-Gly, but not the dephosphodecapeptide. Thermolysin digestion of the peptide demonstrated the monoclonal antibody bound to the pentapeptide Leu-Ser(P)-Asp-Phe-Gly. Monoclonal antibody PH7 recognized the phosphodecapeptide at concentrations 10(3)-fold higher than with phenylalanine hydroxylase, compared with 10(4)-10(7)-fold higher for other phosphopeptides and phosphoproteins. The results demonstrate that monoclonal antibody PH7 has specificity for the phosphorylated form of phenylalanine hydroxylase at the phosphorylation site.     

The quantitative determination of phenylalanine hydroxylase in rat tissues. Its developmental formation in liver

A sensitive method was developed for determining the phenylalanine hydroxylase activity of crude tissue preparations in the presence of optimum concentrations of the 6,7-dimethyl-5,6,7,8-tetrahydropterin cofactor (with ascorbate or dithiothreitol to maintain its reduced state) and substrate. Tissue distribution studies showed that, in addition to the liver, the kidney also contains significant phenylalanine hydroxylase activity, one-sixth (in rats) or half (in mice) as much per g as does the liver. The liver and the kidney enzyme have similar kinetic properties; both were located in the soluble phase and were inhibited by the nucleo-mitochondrial fraction. Phenylalanine hydroxylase, like most rat liver enzymes concerned with amino acid catabolism, develops late. On the 20th day of gestation, the liver (and the kidney) is devoid of phenylalanine hydroxylase and at birth contains 20% of the adult activity. During the second postnatal week of development, when the phenylalanine hydroxylase activity was about 40% of the adult value, an injection of cortisol doubled this value. Cortisol had no significant effect on phenylalanine hydroxylase in adult liver or on phenylalanine hydroxylase in kidney at any age.     

Studies on the phenylalanine hydroxylase system in liver slices.

A method was developed to study the unsupplemented phenylalanine hydroxylase system in rat liver slices. All of the components of the system--tetrahydrobiopterin, dihydropteridine reductase, and the hydroxylase itself--are present under conditions which should be representative of the actual physiological state of the animal. The properties of the system in liver slices have been compared to those of the purified enzyme in vitro. The three pterins, tetrahydrobiopterin, 6,7-dimethyltetrahydropterin, and 6-methyltetrahydropterin, all stimulate the hydroxylation of phenylalanine when added to the liver slice medium in the presence of a chemical reducing agent. The relative velocities found at 1 mM phenylalanine and saturating pterin concentrations are: tetrahydrobiopterin, 1; 6,7-dimethyltetrahydropterin, 2.5; 6-methyltetrahydropterin, 13. This ratio of activities is similar to that found for the purified, native phenylalanine hydroxylase and indicates that the enzyme in vivo is predominantly in the native form. Rats pretreated with 6-methyltetrahydropterin showed enhanced phenylalanine hydroxylase activity in liver slices demonstrating for the first time that an exogenous tetrahydropterin can interact with the phenylalanine hydroxylase system in vivo. This finding opens up the possibility of treating phenylketonurics who still possess some residual phenylalanine hydroxylase activity with a tetrahydropterin like 6-methyltetrahydropterin which can give a large increase in rate over that seen with the natural cofactor, tetrahydrobiopterin.     

Interaction with a monoclonal antibody alters the expression of co-operativity by phenylalanine hydroxylase from rat liver.

Phenylalanine hydroxylase purified from rat liver shows positive co-operativity in response to variations in phenylalanine concentration when assayed with the naturally occurring cofactor tetrahydrobiopterin. In addition, preincubation of phenylalanine hydroxylase with phenylalanine results in a substantial activation of the tetrahydrobiopterin-dependent activity of the enzyme. The monoclonal antibody PH-1 binds to phenylalanine hydroxylase only after the enzyme has been preincubated with phenylalanine and is therefore assumed to recognize a conformational epitope associated with substrate-level activation of the hydroxylase. Under these conditions, PH-1 inhibits the activity of phenylalanine hydroxylase; however, at maximal binding of PH-1 the enzyme is still 2-3 fold activated relative to the native enzyme. The inhibition by PH-1 is non-competitive with respect to tetrahydropterin cofactor. This suggests that PH-1 does not bind to an epitope at the active site of the hydroxylase. Upon maximal binding of PH-1, the positive co-operativity normally expressed by phenylalanine hydroxylase with respect to variations in phenylalanine concentration is abolished. The monoclonal antibody may therefore interact with phenylalanine hydroxylase at or near the regulatory or activator-binding site for phenylalanine on the enzyme molecule.     

Probing antibody diversity by 2D NMR: comparison of amino acid sequences, predicted structures, and observed antibody-antigen interactions in complexes of two antipeptide antibodies

The interactions between the aromatic amino acids of two monoclonal antibodies (TE32 and TE33) with specific amino acid residues of a peptide of cholera toxin (CTP3) have been determined by two-dimensional (2D) transferred NOE difference spectroscopy. Aromatic amino acids are found to play an important role in peptide binding. In both antibodies two tryptophan and two tyrosine residues and one histidine residue interact with the peptide. In TE33 there is an additional phenylalanine residue that also interacts with the peptide. The residues of the CTP3 peptide that have been found to interact with the antibody are val 3, pro 4, gly 5, gln 7, his 8, and asp 10. We have determined the amino acid sequences of the two antibodies by direct mRNA sequencing. Computerized molecular modeling has been used to build detailed all-atom models of both antibodies from the known conformations of other antibodies. These models allow unambiguous assignment of most of the antibody residues that interact with the peptide. A comparison of the amino acid sequences of the two anti-CTP3 antibodies with other antibodies from the same gene family reveals that the majority of the aromatic residues involved in the binding of CTP3 are conserved although these antibodies have different specificities. This similarity suggests that these aromatic residues create a general hydrophobic pocket and that other residues in the complementarity-determining regions (CDRs) modulate the shape and the polarity of the combining site to fit the specific antigens.     

苯丙氨酸羟化酶在日本刺沙蚕脑内的表达分析

苯丙氨酸羟化酶(PAH)是芳香族氨基酸羟化酶家族(AAAHs)的一员,催化苯丙氨酸(Phe)转化为酪氨酸(Tyr)。运用Western blotting技术检测沙蚕PAH免疫原性。制作沙蚕头部石蜡切片,运用免疫组织化学技术,检测PAH蛋白表达定位情况。解剖剥离沙蚕脑组织,提取总RNA,运用RT-PCR技术克隆pah基因片段,构建质粒并转化入大肠杆菌中扩增,挑单一均匀菌落培养,双酶切鉴定后测序并比对同源性。Western blotting结果表明pah表达的蛋白存在于沙蚕脑内,免疫组化标记技术结果表明苯丙氨酸羟化酶主要分布在日本刺沙蚕前脑中腹侧、中脑背侧和两侧。RT-PCR结果表明沙蚕脑内存在苯丙氨酸羟化酶基因,且与多种动物pah具有同源性。在蛋白质和核酸水平鉴定了低等环节动物日本刺沙蚕脑组织内苯丙氨酸羟化酶的存在,为进一步研究无脊椎动物中枢神经系统内芳香族氨基酸羟化酶的基因分化奠定基础。     

Idiotype vaccines against human T cell acute lymphoblastic leukemia. I. Generation and characterization of biologically active monoclonal anti-idiotopes

A murine monoclonal anti-tumor antibody termed SN2 (Ab1), isotype IgG1-kappa, that defines a unique human T cell leukemia-associated cell-surface glycoprotein, gp37 (m.w. 37,000), was used to generate monoclonal anti-idiotype antibodies (Ab2) in syngeneic BALB/c mice. The Ab2 were screened on the basis of their binding to the F(ab')2 fragments of SN2 and not to the F(ab')2 of pooled normal BALB/c mice sera IgG1 or to an unrelated BALB/c monoclonal antibody of the same isotype. Fifteen Ab2, obtained from two fusions, were specific for the SN2 idiotope and not against isotype or allotype determinants. To find out whether these Ab2 are directed against the paratope of SN2, the binding of radiolabeled SN2 to leukemic MOLT-4 and JM cells which contain gp37 as a surface constituent was studied in the presence of these anti-idiotopes. Clone 4EA2 inhibited the binding 100% at a concentration of 50 ng and 4DC6 inhibited 90% at a concentration of 250 ng. A third clone 4DD6 gave about 50% inhibition. Similar was the inhibition of SN2 binding to insolubilized MOLT-4 antigen or cell membrane preparation. The binding of SN2 (Ab1) to 4EA2 and 4DC6 was also inhibited by semipurified preparation of gp37 antigen. These results demonstrate that at least two of the anti-idiotope antibodies are binding either at or near the binding site idiotope of SN2. Next, the purified Ab2 was used to immunize syngeneic mice to induce antibody binding to MOLT-4 cells or gp37. Sera from mice immunized with 4EA2 and 4DC6 coupled to keyhole limpet hemocyanin contained antibodies which bind to semipurified gp37 antigen and MOLT-4 cells. Immune sera inhibited the binding of iodinated Ab2 and Ab1 indicating that an anti-anti-idiotopic antibody (Ab3) in mice shares idiotopes with Ab1 (SN2). Also, the binding of iodinated Ab2 to Ab1 was inhibited by rabbit antisera specific for gp37. Collectively, these data suggest that anti-idiotype antibodies 4EA2 and 4DC6 may be useful in the generation of idiotype vaccines against human T cell leukemia.     

Functional analysis of the effect of monoclonal antibodies on monkey liver phenylalanine hydroxylase.

An analysis of the effect of eleven monoclonal antibodies on the functional characteristics of monkey liver phenylalanine hydroxylase is presented. These eleven antibodies have been found to react with eight distinct regions on the phenylalanine hydroxylase protein. PH1 antibody inhibits enzyme activity, is dependent on phenylalanine for its binding, and appears to be related to structural changes occurring during phenylalanine activation of the enzyme activity. PH2 and PH3 antibodies stimulate enzyme activity, their binding is inhibited by lysolecithin and this group apparently is recognizing structures involved in lysolecithin activation of the enzyme activity. PH5, PH10, PH12 and PH6 recognise sites on phenylalanine hydroxylase affected by lysolecithin activation.     

Melittin-specific monoclonal and polyclonal IgE and IgG1 antibodies from mice

Melittin, a bee venom peptide consisting of 26 amino acid residues, elicited high IgG and IgE antibody responses in mice of BALB/c and CAF1 strains, but not in mice of A/J, AKR, and C57BL/6 strains. Greater than 80% of the melittin-specific antibodies in sera of responder mice were found to bind the hydrophilic carboxyl-terminal heptapeptide of melittin. Three melittin-specific monoclonal antibodies were obtained from responder mice by the hybridoma technique. Two are of the IgG1 isotype and one is of the IgE isotype. One monoclonal antibody of the IgG1 isotype binds the carboxyl-terminal heptapeptide of melittin, while the other two monoclonal antibodies do not. However, competitive binding studies suggest that all three monoclonal Ig bind at the same, or adjacent, site of melittin. These findings, together with the known amphiphilic property of melittin, suggest that the immunogenicity of this peptide is a consequence of its binding to cell surface phospholipids.     

Pyrimidines as cofactors for phenylalanine hydroxylase

It has been generally assumed that a tetrahydropterin (2-amino-5,6,7,8-tetrahydro-4-pteridinone) is essential for activity of the three aromatic amino acid hydroxylases. In this report it is shown that appropriately substituted pyrimidines can assume the role of cofactor for phenylalanine hydroxylase. 2,5,6-Triamino-4-pyrimidinone(V) and 5-benzylamino-2,6-diamino-4-pyrimidinone(VI) possess the same K_m values (0.1 mM and 0.003 mM) and stoichiometry of tyrosine generated to cofactor consumed (0.4 and 1.0) as their corresponding pteridine analogs, tetrahydropterin(III) and 6-phenyltetrahydropterin(IV). However, the rates with pyrimidines are lower. The ratio of rates $\text{V}\text{III}\text{= 0.045}$ and $\text{VI}\text{IV}\text{= 0.015}$. These results indicate that pteridine carbons 6 and 7 are not fundamental to cofactor binding or function, though they markedly influence the maximum velocity of hydroxylation. Pyrimidine cofactors of phenylalanine hydroxylase are valuable probes for the elucidation of the binding forces, transition states, and mechanism of oxygen activation of these hydroxylases.