Comparative Arrhenius plots of enzyme activity from penicillium

Comparison of the Arrhenius plots of three enzymes, formyltetrahydrofolate synthetase, glutathione reductase (GSSGR) and chorismate mutase (CM) from a thermophilic (Penicillium duponti) and a mesophilic (Penicillium chrysogenum) fungus reveals a fairly consistent pattern. In general, those enzymes extracted from mesophiles had lower activation energies than similar enzymes extracted from thermophiles. One enzyme studied, mesophilic glutathione reductase, exhibited a break in its Arrhenius plot. The allosteric enzyme studied showed slightly different sensitivities in the thermophilic versus the mesophilic extracts.     

A jump in an Arrhenius plot can be the consequence of a phase transition. The binding of ATP to myosin subfragment 1

The temperature dependence of the kinetics of the binding of ATP to myosin subfragment-1 was studied by an ATP chase technique in a rapid-flow-quench apparatus: (formula; see text) A temperature range of 30 degrees C to -15 degrees C was obtained with ethylene glycol as antifreeze. The Arrhenius plot of k2 is discontinuous with a jump at 12 degrees C. Above the jump delta H+ = 9.5 kcal/mol, below delta H+ = 28.5 kcal/mol. Few such Arrhenius plots are recorded in the literature but they are predicted from theory. Thus, we explain our results as a phase change of the subfragment 1-ATP system at 12 degrees C. This is in agreement with certain structural studies.     

Arrhenius plots and the involvement of thermotropic phase transitions of the thylakoid membrane in chilling impairment of photosynthesis in thermophilic higher plants

Abstract Breaks and discontinuities in Arrhenius plots of physiological and physical properties of thylakoids are not diagnostic of thermotropic lipid phase transitions of the membrane. Bulk lipid transitions, as first inferred by the membrane phase transition hypothesis, do not occur in any higher plant at chilling temperatures. Solidification of some varying, but always minor, fraction of the total membrane lipid does take place. However, the presence of minor domains of solid thylakoid membrane lipid at chilling temperatures is not unique to chilling sensitive plants but is also found in tolerant species. Minor solidification may in some plants, or groups of plants, be controlled by the specific molecular species of phosphatidylglycerol only recently investigated. In plants containing little, or no, phosphatidylglycerol with this positional distribution of fatty acids, other yet unknown constituents of the membrane must fill a similar function, since DSC thermograms indicate minor solidification also in isolated, unperturbed thylakoids from chilling tolerant species. However, chilling induced phase transitions, or other perturbations, of the thylakoid membrane are not the reason for the chilling lability of net photosynthesis in the intact plant. This conclusion follows from detailed comparison between photosynthetic membranes isolated from prechilled plants and the effects of chilling exposure on CO₂ fixation of the whole plant. Damage at the level of the thylakoid membrane does occur, although not to the extent where it can account for the proportionally much larger damage to CO₂ fixation.     

Challenge from the simple: some caveats in linearization of the Boyle-van't Hoff and Arrhenius plots

Some aspects of proper linearization of the Boyle-van’t Hoff (BVH) relationship for calculation of the osmotically inactive volume v_b, and Arrhenius plot (AP) for the activation energy E_a are discussed. It is shown that the commonly used determination of the slope and the intercept (v_b), which are presumed to be independent from each other, is invalid if the initial intracellular molality m₀ is known. Instead, the linear regression with only one independent parameter (v_b) or the Least Square Method (LSM) with v_b as the only fitting LSM parameter must be applied. The slope can then be calculated from the BVH relationship as the function of v_b. In case of unknown m₀ (for example, if cells are preloaded with trehalose, or electroporation caused ion leakage, etc.), it is considered as the second independent statistical parameter to be found. In this (and only) scenario, all three methods give the same results for v_b and m₀. AP can be linearized only for water hydraulic conductivity (L_p) and solute mobility (ω_s) while water and solute permeabilities P_w ≡ L_pRT and P_s ≡ ω_sRT cannot be linearized because they have pre-exponential factor (RT) that depends on the temperature T.     

The consequence of maximum thermodynamic efficiency in Daisyworld

The imaginary planet of Daisyworld is the simplest model used to illustrate the implications of the Gaia hypothesis. The dynamics of daisies and their radiative interaction with the environment are described by fundamental equations of population ecology theory and physics. The parameterization of the turbulent energy flux between areas of different biological cover is similar to the diffusive-type approximation used in simple climate models. Here I show that the small variation of the planetary diffusivity adopted in the classical version of Daisyworld limits the range of values for the solar insolation for which biota may grow in the planet.Recent studies suggest that heat transport in a turbulent medium is constrained to maximize its efficiency. This condition is almost equivalent to maximizing the rate of entropy production due to non-radiative sources. Here, I apply the maximum entropy principle (MEP) to Daisyworld. I conclude that the MEP sets the maximum range of values for the solar insolation with a non-zero amount of daisies. Outside this range, daisies cannot grow in the planet for any physically realistic climate distribution. Inside this range, I assume a distribution of daisies in agreement with the MEP. The results substantially enlarge the range of climate stability, due to the biota, in comparison to the classical version of Daisyworld. A very stable temperature is found when two different species grow in the planet.     

Oocyte-to-embryo transition: kinase cabal plots regime change

The transition from oocyte to embryo is among the most enthralling events in developmental biology. Recent studies of this transition in the nematode Caenorhabditis elegans have revealed how conserved kinases administer the destruction of key oocyte meiotic regulators to create an embryo.     

Study of Salmonella endotoxin on the changes in lipid-protein interactions of membranes using Arrhenius plots of cetylcholinesterase as a tool

Lipopolysaccharides ofSalmonella typhimurium inhibit the activity of acetylcholinesterasein vitro in both synaptosomal and erythrocyte membranes. Arrhenius plots show that the transition temperatures of membrane bound acetylcholinesterase are significantly reduced in the presence of lipopolysaccharides, and the activation energies above and below transition temperature have increased with the lowering of transition temperature. These results indicate that an alteration in the fluidity of the phospholipid layer of the membranes, may be responsible for the membrane-specific effect of lipopoly-saccharides on acetylcholinesterase activity.     

Temperature sensitivity of organic matter decomposition in the Arrhenius equation: some theoretical considerations

Previous theoretical analyses based on Arrhenius kinetics and thermodynamics have shown that the temperature sensitivity of low-quality substrate is higher than that of high-quality substrate. Because soils store large amounts of low-quality carbon, understanding its response to increasing temperatures will help to predict the response of atmospheric CO₂ to climate change. However, empirical studies do not provide conclusive evidence to corroborate this theoretical argument. Although there are various possible reasons for this disagreement, the theory behind this argument has not been scrutinized carefully. Based on a simple mathematical analysis of the Arrhenius equation it is shown here that low-quality substrates are less temperature sensitive when analyzed in absolute rather than in relative terms, a result that may seem counterintuitive to previous theory. However, this is a paradox intrinsic to the Arrhenius equation and it is often ignored within the ‘quality-temperature’ debate. In fact, different measures commonly used to analyze the temperature sensitivity of different substrates can provide apparently different and contradictory results even though they are based on the same basic principles. Distinguishing between absolute and relative measures of sensitivity is essential for understanding the sensitivity of respiration to environmental change. An analysis of the available empirical evidence on this topic shows that most studies actually agree with the Arrhenius and thermodynamics theory, with less disagreement than previously thought. To address some of the issues identified here, a formal theoretical framework is proposed to study the sensitivity of respiration rates with respect to changes in multiple drivers of decomposition.     

Cooperative interactions in nerve membrane potential and in photosynthesis, evidenced by non-linear Arrhenius plots and critical exponents

The resting membrane potential of Aplysia nerve and the rate of photosynthesis by intact Chlorella cells have temperature dependences characterized by curved Arrhenius plots, for which the logarithm of the activation energy is a linear function of temperature. Ferromagnetic and ferroelectric systems show similar curves, which suggests that the above two biological systems are governed by cooperative interactions between adjacent molecular sites. Critical exponent analysis suggests the same conclusion.