Purification and properties of phenylalanine ammonia-lyase in cut-injured sweet potato.

L-Phenylalanine ammonia-lyase (PAL) activity was developed in response to cut injury in sweet potato root tissue. The enzyme was purified from tissue incubated for 1 day after slicing by ammonium sulfate fractionation, column chromatographies on L-phenylalanyl Sepharose 4B, phosphocellulose. Sephadex G-200 and Sepharose 6B and preparative polyacrylamide gel electrophoresis. The molecular weight and sedimentation coefficient were estimated to be 285,000 to 320,000 and 11.6 to 11.9 S, respectively. Electrophoresis on sodium dodecyl sulfate-polyacrylamide gel yielded a single stained protein band which corresponded to a subunit weight of 80,000. Thus, the enzyme seems to be composed of four subunits of the same size. Neither L-tyrosine nor D-phenylalanine served as a substrate. Two Km values for the PAL were observed above and below 30 micrometers at various temperatures and were lower than those for PALs of other plants. The slope of the Arrhenius plot had a discontinuity at 17 degrees C. The values of activation energy were calculated to be 15,000 cal and 19,000 cal above and below 17 degrees C, respectively. Similar discontinuities were also observed in the effect of temperature on the Km values and the Hill coefficients. Negative cooperativity was observed at 10 degrees C (n = 0.83), but was not marked above 20 degrees C (n = 0.94).     

Some investigations on inactivation of phenylalanine ammonia-lyase in cut-injured sweet potato root tissue

In sweet potato roots, activity of the phenylalanine ammonia-lyase(PAL)-inactivating system in crude enzyme solution increasedmarkedly in response to cut injury after a lag period of about10 hr and reached a maximum after 24 hr of incubation. The resultscoincided with previous results from experiments using a proteinsynthetic inhibitor. The inactivating system could be precipitatedby centrifugation and was distributed in a different patternfrom mitochondrial and microsomal marker enzymes, accordingto data from cellular fractionation by differential and sucrosedensity gradient centrifugation. The optimum pH of the inactivationwas 6.0. Previous studies showed that PAL content changed inparallel with PAL activity in vivo. However, immunochemicalstudies indicated that the inactivation was not due to proteolysis.Furthermore, proteinase activity in sweet potato tissue didnot change in response to cut injury. These results suggestedthat PAL was first inactivated by the inactivating system, thenthe inactivated PAL was rapidly decomposed by the proteinase. ¹ This paper constitutes Part 130 of the Phytopathological Chemistryof Sweet Potato with Black Rot and Injury. This work was supportedin part by a grant from the Ministry of Education. ² Present address: Faculty of Agriculture, Yamaguchi University,Yamaguchi 753, Japan. (Received May 14, 1977; )     

Purification and characterization of pyruvate decarboxylase from sweet potato roots.

Pyruvate decarboxylase [2-oxo acid carboxy-lyase, EC 4.1.1.1] was isolated from sweet potato roots and was partially purified from healthy and diseased tissues. There was no appreciable difference in properties between the enzymes from healthy and diseased tissues. The molecular weight of the enzyme was found to be 240,000 by polyacrylamide gel electrophoresis. Since sodium dodecyl sulfate polyacrylamide gel electrophoresis gave a molecular weight of 60,000 for the monomeric form of the enzyme, it is likely that sweet potato pyruvate decarboxylase contains 4 single polypeptide chains. The optimal pH of the decarboxylation reaction was 6.1--6.6. The Lineweaver-Burk double reciprocal plot curved upward, and the Hill coefficient was more than 1, with low concentrations of pyruvate. The enzyme was localized in the cytosol fraction. The activity of the enzyme increased in response to black-rot fungus infection, but decreased in response to cutting.     

The characterization of phenylalanine ammonia-lyase from several plant species

Inhibition of the enzyme phenylalanine ammonia-lyase is considered as a target for the design of herbicides. A reliable and simple assay for the enzyme has been used and the kinetics of the enzyme from several sources compared. Purification of the enzyme from the grass green foxtail (Setaria glauca) did not change its kinetic behavior. The distribution of phenylalanine ammonia-lyase and tyrosine ammonia-lyase activity in various plant species was determined.     

Partial purification and characterization of L-lactate dehydrogenase isozymes from sweet potato roots.

Lactate dehydrogenase [L-lactate: NAD oxidoreductase, EC 1.1.1.27] was isolated from sweet potato root tissues. Two species of the enzyme (isozymes I and II) were separated by DE-52 cellulose column chromatography from healthy, cut, and black-rot diseased tissues. Isozymes I and II were purified from healthy and diseased tissues, respectively. Reduction of pyruvate by NADH with either isozyme I or II was inhibited by pyruvate at high concentrations, by NAD+ and by several mononucleotides. Isozyme I was inhibited by a lower concentration of adenine nucleotide than isozyme II, and Km for pyruvate was increased markedly at acidic pH in the case of isozyme I, but only slightly in the case of isozyme II. The molecular weights of both isozymes were determined to be 150,000 and they were found to be charge isomers by polyacrylamide gel electrophoresis. The enzyme activity increased in response to infection by black-rot fungus but decreased in response to cutting.     

Molecular cloning and functional characterization of a phenylalanine ammonia-lyase from liverwort Plagiochasma appendiculatum

Liverworts are rich in phenolic compounds, including flavonoids and the distinctive type of bisbibenzyls. The biosynthesis of both types of compounds is believed to involve the phenylpropanoid pathway. Phenylalanine ammonia-lyase (PAL) is thought to be the key enzyme in the biosynthesis of bisbibenzyls and flavonoids in liverworts. In this study, PAL (designated as PaPAL) was cloned and characterized from both the cDNA and genomic DNA of the liverwort Plagiochasma appendiculatum. The full-length cDNA sequence contains 2,202 bp and is predicted to encode a protein with 733 amino acids. Sequence alignment showed that PaPAL’s predicted amino acid sequence shares more than 70 % identity with PAL sequences reported in public databases. The recombinant protein was heterologously expressed in Escherichia coli and exhibited high PAL activity, catalyzing the conversion of l-phenylalanine to trans-cinnamic acid. However, the enzyme exhibited lower activity in catalyzing the formation of p-coumaric acid from l-tyrosine. Additionally, when the thallus of P. appendiculatum was treated with abiotic stress inducers methyl jasmonate and abscisic acid, PaPAL expression was enhanced, thereby augmenting bisbibenzyl formation. These results suggest that PaPAL plays a key role in the early steps of bisbibenzyl biosynthesis and that abiotic stress can stimulate the expression of PaPAL, resulting in the accumulation of bisbibenzyls in the plant.     

Cloning, expression and characterization of phenylalanine ammonia-lyase from Rhodotorula glutinis

The industrial-scale production of phenylalanine ammonia-lyase (PAL) mainly uses strains of Rhodotorula. However, the PAL gene from Rhodotorula has not been cloned. Here, the full-length gene of PAL from Rhodotorula glutinis was isolated. It was 2,121 bp, encoding a polypeptide with 706 amino acids and a calculated MW of 75.5 kDa. Though R. glutinis is an anamorph of Rhodosporium toruloides, the amino acid sequences of PALs them are not the same (about 74 % identity). PAL was expressed in E. coli and characterized. Its specific activity was 4.2 U mg^?1 and the k _cat/K _m was 1.9 × 10⁴ mM^?1 s^?1, exhibiting the highest catalytic ability among the reported PALs. The genetic and biochemical information reported here should facilitate future application in industry.     

异叶天南星苯丙氨酸解氨酶基因的克隆与蛋白结构分析

以异叶天南星（Arisaema heterophyllum Blume）为材料,采用逆转录PCR（RT-PCR）法扩增其苯丙氨酸解氨酶（Phenylalanine ammonia-lyase,PAL）基因AhPAL,获得该基因的开放读码框（ORF）,并通过系统的生物信息学软件分析AhPAL的结构和理化性质。结果显示,AhPAL的ORF全长为2184 bp,编码727个氨基酸;AhPAL与郁金香（Tulipa fosteriana W.Irving）PAL的亲缘关系最近,序列相似性达88%。空间结构模型分析结果显示,AhPAL为同型四聚体,每个单体由3个结构域组成,其中MIO结构域含有PAL酶家族的保守序列和Ala-Ser-Gly三肽活性中心,是AhPAL酶活性的决定性结构域。利用荧光定量PCR方法检测3个AhPAL Unigene在根、块茎和叶中的表达情况,发现它们在根中表达量均最高,而在叶和块茎中表达较低。     

异叶天南星苯丙氨酸解氨酶基因的克隆与蛋白结构分析

以异叶天南星(Arisaema heterophyllum Blume)为材料,采用逆转录PCR(RT-PCR)法扩增其苯丙氨酸解氨酶(Phenylalanine ammonia-lyase,PAL)基因Ah PAL,获得该基因的开放读码框(ORF),并通过系统的生物信息学软件分析Ah PAL的结构和理化性质。结果显示,Ah PAL的ORF全长为2184 bp,编码727个氨基酸;Ah PAL与郁金香(Tulipa fosteriana W. Irving) PAL的亲缘关系最近,序列相似性达88%。空间结构模型分析结果显示,Ah PAL为同型四聚体,每个单体由3个结构域组成,其中MIO结构域含有PAL酶家族的保守序列和Ala-Ser-Gly三肽活性中心,是Ah PAL酶活性的决定性结构域。利用荧光定量PCR方法检测3个Ah PAL Unigene在根、块茎和叶中的表达情况,发现它们在根中表达量均最高,而在叶和块茎中表达较低。     

Cloning and characterization of a cDNA encoding the cytosolic copper/zinc-superoxide dismutase from sweet potato tuberous root

A full-length cDNA clone encoding a putative copper/zinc-superoxide dismutase (SOD) of sweet potato, Ipomoea batatas (L.) Lam. cv Tainong 57, was isolated from a cDNA library constructed in gt10 from tuber root mRNA. Nucleotide sequence analysis of this cDNA clone revealed that it comprises a complete open reading frame coding for 152 amino acid residues. The deduced amino acid sequence showed higher homology (78–86%) with the sequence of the cytosolic SOD than that of the chloroplast SOD from other plant species. The residues required for coordinating copper and zinc are conserved as they are among all reported Cu/Zn-SOD sequences. In addition, it lacks recognizable plastic or mitochondrial targeting sequences. These data suggest that the isolated sweet potato clone encodes a cytosolic Cu/Zn-SOD.     

Molecular characterization of a phenylalanine ammonia-lyase gene (BoPAL1) from Bambusa oldhamii

Phenylalanine ammonia-lyase is the first enzyme of general phenylpropanoid pathway. A PAL gene, designated as BoPAL1, was cloned from a Bambusa oldhamii cDNA library. The open reading frame of BoPAL1 was 2,139 bp in size and predicted to encode a 712-amino acid polypeptide. BoPAL1 was the first intronless PAL gene found in angiosperm plant. Several putative cis-acting elements such as P box, GT-1motif, and SOLIPs involved in light responsiveness were found in the 5??-flanking sequence of BoPAL1 which was obtained by TAIL-PCR method. Recombinant BoPAL1 protein expressed in Pichia pastoris was active. The optimum temperature and pH for BoPAL1 activity was 50°C and 9.0, respectively. The molecular mass of recombinant BoPAL1 was estimated as 323 kDa using gel filtration chromatography and the molecular mass of full-length BoPAL was about 80 kDa, indicating that BoPAL1 presents as a homotetramer. The K _m and k _cat values of BoPAL1 for L-Phe were 1.01 mM and 10.11 s^?1, respectively. The recombinant protein had similar biochemical properties with PALs reported in other plants.     

Properties, development and cellular-localization of cinnamic acid 4-hydroxylase in cut-injured sweet potato

In sweet potato root tissue, cinnamic acid 4-hydroxylase activityincreased markedly in response to cut injury, and reached amaximum after 1 day of incubation. The patterns of developmentand successive decline were similar to those for phenylalanineammonia-lyase activity. The development of both enzyme activitieswas inhibited by cycloheximide. The activity was strictly dependenton pH of the homogenizing and reaction media. The optimum pHof the reaction was 8.0. The respective Km values for trans-cinnamicacid and NADPH were 2.6?10^-5 and 1.8?10^-6M. The activity wasnot affected by ß-mercaptoethanol and the intermediatesand product of the polyphenol biosynthetic pathway. Carbon monoxideinhibited strongly the activity and its inhibition was partiallyprevented by light. Thus, the enzyme may be involved in thecytochrome P-450 mediated electron transport system. Studiesusing differential centrifugation and sucrose density gradientcentrifugation, showed that the intracellular distribution of4-hydroxylase activity differed distinctly from that of themitochondrial marker enzyme and was not in accord with thatof NADPH-cytochrome c reductase activity. ¹This paper constitutes part 114 of the Phytopathological Chemistryof Sweet Potato with Black Rot and Injury. ²Present address: Laboratory of Biochemistry, Faculty of Agriculture,Nagoya University, Chikusa, Nagoya 464, Japan. (Received May 20, 1974; )     

Isolation and characterization of a water-stress-inducible cDNA clone from Solanum chacoense

A rich source of valuable genes are wild species. Solanum chacoense Bitter with its extreme resistance to viruses, insects and drought, is a good example.In the present study, a stress gene, designated DS2, has been isolated from S. chacoense. We have shown that the expression of the gene is organ-specific being detected in leaf, stem and stolon, but not in root, tuber or flower. Treatment of detached leaves with abscisic acid (ABA), salicylic acid or methyl jasmonate resulted in only very moderate accumulation of DS2 mRNA. Thus, DS2 represents a very rare type of the water-stress-inducible genes whose signalling pathway is not primarily related to ABA.Based on DNA sequence analysis, DS2 encodes a putative protein starting with 20 amino acids homologous to the ABA- and water-stress-inducible, ripening-related (ASR) proteins of tomato continued by an insert of 155 amino acids structurally similar to certain LEAs (late embryogenesis-abundant proteins) and ending in 88 amino acids homologous again to the ASR sequences and to an unpublished partial cDNA fragment isolated from the root of rice. The N-terminal region of the DS2 protein is hydrophilic with ten 13-mer amino acid motifs and random coil structure. In contrast, the C-terminus predicts an -helix and possesses a bipartite nuclear targeting sequence motif. These data suggest that the function of the DS2 may be the protection of the nuclear DNA from desiccation.     

Cloning and characterization of phenylalanine ammonia-lyase in medicinal Epimedium species

Phenylalanine ammonia-lyase (PAL) plays an important role in the phenylpropanoid pathway and in accumulation of major secondary metabolites in medicinal Epimedium species, including icariin, epimedin A, epimedin B, and epimedin C (hereafter designated as active components). In this study, three Epimedium sagittatum PALs (EsPALs) mRNA sequences, designated respectively as EsPAL1, EsPAL2 and EsPAL3 deduced to encode 708, 716, and 739 amino acids, were isolated and characterized. Based on sequence and phylogenetic analyses, EsPAL1 was found to be closer to EsPAL2 than to EsPAL3. Spatio-temporal expression profiles and metabolic accumulation profiles revealed that EsPAL3 was highly expressed in flavonoid-enriched tissues and leaves at certain developmental stages along with high levels of active components, while EsPAL1 was highly expressed in leathery leaves along with high lignin content. Under light stress, the total flavonoid content was enhanced by 100 μM phytohormones tested or 5 % sucrose through upregulating different EsPAL isoform(s). Our findings have laid a solid foundation for improving the content of bioactive components in Epimedium via metabolically engineering EsPAL.