INTERACTION OF POLY-L-LYSINE WITH CHROMATIN : Inhibition of In Situ RNA Synthesis Mediated by Escherichia coli RNA Polymerase

RNA polymerase from Escherichia coli was used in conjunction with labeled nucleosides as an autoradiographic reagent to study the availability of template in the chromatin of fixed nuclei and chromosomes Sequential treatments of the tissues with acid and poly-L-lysine were used to compare the effect of these treatments on the availability of template with the previously reported effects on the in situ priming for Escherichia coli DNA polymerase Acid treatment was found to increase the in situ activity of both enzymes, while poly-L-lysine strongly inhibited the in situ reactions mediated by RNA and DNA polymerases. When the DNA polymerase reaction was previously carried out on alcohol-fixed chicken blood smears, leukocyte nuclei primed extensively for DNA synthesis. In contrast, we did not detect incorporation into intact nuclei of any cell type in alcohol-fixed blood smears that were treated with RNA polymerase.     

Inhibition by Salicylhydroxamic Acid, BW755C, Eicosatetraynoic Acid, and Disulfiram of Hypersensitive Resistance Elicited by Arachidonic Acid or Poly-l-Lysine in Potato Tuber

The hypothesis that arachidonic acid (AA) induction of sesquiterpene accumulation and browning in potato (Solanum tuberosum) is mediated by a lipoxygenase metabolite of AA was tested using lipoxygenase inhibitors. Salicylhydroxamic acid (SHAM) and 3-amino-1-(3-trifluoromethylphenyl)-2-pyrazoline hydrochloride (BW755C) delayed the response to AA. Inhibition by eicosatetraynoic acid (ETYA) was more persistent. These results are consistent with previous reports that SHAM and BW755C are reversible inhibitors of lipoxygenase and easily oxidized by potato while ETYA acts as an irreversible inhibitor. Disulfiram (tetraethylthiuram disulfide) also inhibited AA elicitor activity. SHAM was most effective if applied at the time of AA treatment, having no effect if applied 6 hours afterward. SHAM was effective in the presence of MES or MOPS buffers but not in acetate-buffered or unbuffered solutions; neither BW755C nor ETYA exhibited this restriction. However, SHAM, BW755C, and ETYA also were inhibitors of browning and sesquiterpene accumulation elicited in potato by poly-l-lysine, which, unlike AA, is not a lipoxygenase substrate. SHAM effectiveness also was restricted to 6 hours after treatment with poly-l-lysine. While the results with AA support a role for lipoxygenase, those with poly-l-lysine may be evidence that these compounds are having other effects in potato tissue.     

Changes in Membrane Potential as a Demonstration of Selective Pore Formation in the Plasmalemma by Poly-l-Lysine Treatment

A technique which allows determination of solute pool concentrations in the cytosol was developed exploiting the interaction between a polycation and the anionic sites of the plasmalemma. It was shown that treatment of Nicotiana tabacum, cv Xanthi, cells in suspension culture with an appropriate concentration of poly-l-lysine induced pore formation selectively in the plasmalemma. The data presented in this paper shows that the plasmalemma of all the cells was affected while the tonoplast remained undamaged. This conclusion is based on the facts that treatment of the cells with the minimum amount of poly-l-lysine which just abolishes the electrogenic potential (similarly to carbonyl cyanide-p-trifluormethoxyphenylhydrazone and NaN₃) induces the leakage of only a small fraction of the K⁺ present in the cells. These effects of poly-l-lysine differ from the effects of polymyxin B which induces total leakage of low molecular weight solutes (R. Weimberg, H. R. Lerner, A. Poljakoff-Mayber 1983 J Exp Bot 34: 1333-1346) and therefore affects also the tonoplast.     

Uptake of L-cystine via an ABC transporter contributes defense of oxidative stress in the L-cystine export-dependent manner in Escherichia coli

Intracellular thiols like L-cystine and L-cystine play a critical role in the regulation of cellular processes. Here we show that Escherichia coli has two L-cystine transporters, the symporter YdjN and the ATP-binding cassette importer FliY-YecSC. These proteins import L-cystine, an oxidized product of L-cystine from the periplasm to the cytoplasm. The symporter YdjN, which is expected to be a new member of the L-cystine regulon, is a low affinity L-cystine transporter (K _m = 1.1 μM) that is mainly involved in L-cystine uptake from outside as a nutrient. E. coli has only two L-cystine importers because ΔydjNΔyecS mutant cells are not capable of growing in the minimal medium containing L-cystine as a sole sulfur source. Another protein YecSC is the FliY-dependent L-cystine transporter that functions cooperatively with the L-cystine transporter YdeD, which exports L-cystine as reducing equivalents from the cytoplasm to the periplasm, to prevent E. coli cells from oxidative stress. The exported L-cystine can reduce the periplasmic hydrogen peroxide to water, and then generated L-cystine is imported back into the cytoplasm via the ATP-binding cassette transporter YecSC with a high affinity to L-cystine (K _m = 110 nM) in a manner dependent on FliY, the periplasmic L-cystine-binding protein. The double disruption of ydeD and fliY increased cellular levels of lipid peroxides. From these findings, we propose that the hydrogen peroxide-inducible L-cystine/L-cystine shuttle system plays a role of detoxification of hydrogen peroxide before lipid peroxidation occurs, and then might specific prevent damage to membrane lipids.     

Effect of Chitosan on Membrane Permeability of Suspension-Cultured Glycine max and Phaseolus vulgaris Cells

Treatment of suspension-cultured Glycine max cv Harosoy 63 cells with soluble chitosan (20-500 micrograms per milliliter) increased membrane permeability as shown by leakage of electrolytes, protein, and UV absorbing material. Severe damage to the cell membrane by chitosan (100 and 500 μg/ml) was also indicated by reduced staining with fluorescein diacetate and the leakage of fluorescein from preloaded cells. Other basic polymers (poly-l-lysine, histone, DEAE-dextran, protamine sulfate, and glycol chitosan) also increased permeability, whereas the basic monomers l-lysine and d-glucosamine, and acidic or neutral polymers were not active. Chitosan-induced leakage was inhibited by divalent cations, the order of effectiveness being Ba²⁺ > Ca²⁺ > Sr²⁺ > Mg²⁺. Na polygalacturonate and Na poly-l-aspartate also reduced polycation-induced leakage, probably by formation of polycation-polyanion complexes. A chitosan-polygalacturonate complex precipitated on mixing solutions of the two polymers containing approximately equal numbers of galacturonate and glucosamine residues, but not with either polymer in excess. A similar concentration-dependent precipitation of chitosan by Na poly-l-aspartate was found. Leakage from Phaseolus vulgaris cv Grandessa cells was also induced by chitosan, and was inhibited by Ca²⁺ and Na polygalacturonate.     

Specificity Determinants for Lysine Incorporation in Staphylococcus aureus Peptidoglycan as Revealed by the Structure of a MurE Enzyme Ternary Complex

Formation of the peptidoglycan stem pentapeptide requires the insertion of both l and d amino acids by the ATP-dependent ligase enzymes MurC, -D, -E, and -F. The stereochemical control of the third position amino acid in the pentapeptide is crucial to maintain the fidelity of later biosynthetic steps contributing to cell morphology, antibiotic resistance, and pathogenesis. Here we determined the x-ray crystal structure of Staphylococcus aureus MurE UDP-N-acetylmuramoyl-l-alanyl-d-glutamate:meso-2,6-diaminopimelate ligase (MurE) (E.C. 6.3.2.7) at 1.8 Å resolution in the presence of ADP and the reaction product, UDP-MurNAc-l-Ala-γ-d-Glu-l-Lys. This structure provides for the first time a molecular understanding of how this Gram-positive enzyme discriminates between l-lysine and d,l-diaminopimelic acid, the predominant amino acid that replaces l-lysine in Gram-negative peptidoglycan. Despite the presence of a consensus sequence previously implicated in the selection of the third position residue in the stem pentapeptide in S. aureus MurE, the structure shows that only part of this sequence is involved in the selection of l-lysine. Instead, other parts of the protein contribute substrate-selecting residues, resulting in a lysine-binding pocket based on charge characteristics. Despite the absolute specificity for l-lysine, S. aureus MurE binds this substrate relatively poorly. In vivo analysis and metabolomic data reveal that this is compensated for by high cytoplasmic l-lysine concentrations. Therefore, both metabolic and structural constraints maintain the structural integrity of the staphylococcal peptidoglycan. This study provides a novel focus for S. aureus-directed antimicrobials based on dual targeting of essential amino acid biogenesis and its linkage to cell wall assembly.     

A l-Lysine Transporter of High Stereoselectivity of the Amino Acid-Polyamine-Organocation (APC) Superfamily: PRODUCTION,FUNCTIONAL CHARACTERIZATION,AND STRUCTURE MODELING*

Membrane proteins of the amino acid-polyamine-organocation (APC) superfamily transport amino acids and amines across membranes and play an important role in the regulation of cellular processes. We report the heterologous production of the LysP-related transporter STM2200 from Salmonella typhimurium in Escherichia coli, its purification, and functional characterization. STM2200 is assumed to be a proton-dependent APC transporter of l-lysine. The functional interaction between basic amino acids and STM2200 was investigated by thermoanalytical methods, i.e. differential scanning and isothermal titration calorimetry. Binding of l-lysine to STM2200 in its solubilized monomer form is entropy-driven. It is characterized by a dissociation constant of 40 μm at pH 5.9 and is highly selective; no evidence was found for the binding of l-arginine, l-ornithine, l-2,4-diaminobutyric acid, and l-alanine. d-Lysine is bound 45 times more weakly than its l-chiral form. We thus postulate that STM2200 functions as a specific transport protein. Based on the crystal structure of ApcT (Shaffer, P. L., Goehring, A., Shankaranarayanan, A., and Gouaux, E. (2009) Science 325, 1010–1014), a proton-dependent amino acid transporter of the APC superfamily, a homology model of STM2200 was created. Docking studies allowed identification of possible ligand binding sites. The resulting predictions indicated that Glu-222 and Arg-395 of STM2200 are markedly involved in ligand binding, whereas Lys-163 is suggested to be of structural and functional relevance. Selected variants of STM2200 where these three amino acid residues were substituted using single site-directed mutagenesis showed no evidence for l-lysine binding by isothermal titration calorimetry, which confirmed the predictions. Molecular aspects of the observed ligand specificity are discussed.     

Metabolic and chemical properties of basic proteins isolated from nuclei of rat liver and thymus gland

1. The effects of alkylating agents and disulphides on the thiol-containing proteins of nuclei from rat thymus and liver were studied. Three protein fractions were examined: histones extracted with 50mm- and 250mm-hydrochloric acid and the residual protein. None of the reagents selectively reacted with any one of the protein fractions. 2. Amino acid uptake in vitro into the histones of nuclei from rat thymus was analysed by preparative electrophoresis of the proteins extracted with 50mm- and 250mm-hydrochloric acid. After 1hr. at 37° the greater incorporation was into the proteins extracted with 50mm-hydrochloric acid. 3. Preparative electrophoresis was used to study the relative thiol contents of the proteins of the 50mm-hydrochloric acid extract from thymus nuclei by labelling the histones in vitro with ¹⁴C-labelled N-ethylmaleimide. 4. The capacity of the proteins extracted from rat thymus with 50mm- and 250mm-hydrochloric acid, and of the components from these extracts separated by preparative electrophoresis, to combine with DNA and to depress DNA-dependent RNA synthesis was studied. The histones extracted with 50mm-hydrochloric acid were more lysine-rich than those extracted with 250mm-hydrochloric acid. Wide variations were found in the abilities of the separated components to depress RNA synthesis.     

l-Lysine Catabolism Is Controlled by l-Arginine and ArgR in Pseudomonas aeruginosa PAO1

In comparison to other pseudomonads, Pseudomonas aeruginosa grows poorly in l-lysine as a sole source of nutrient. In this study, the ldcA gene (lysine decarboxylase A; PA1818), previously identified as a member of the ArgR regulon of l-arginine metabolism, was found essential for l-lysine catabolism in this organism. LdcA was purified to homogeneity from a recombinant strain of Escherichia coli, and the results of enzyme characterization revealed that this pyridoxal-5-phosphate-dependent decarboxylase takes l-lysine, but not l-arginine, as a substrate. At an optimal pH of 8.5, cooperative substrate activation by l-lysine was depicted from kinetics studies, with calculated K_m and V_max values of 0.73 mM and 2.2 μmole/mg/min, respectively. Contrarily, the ldcA promoter was induced by exogenous l-arginine but not by l-lysine in the wild-type strain PAO1, and the binding of ArgR to this promoter region was demonstrated by electromobility shift assays. This peculiar arginine control on lysine utilization was also noted from uptake experiments in which incorporation of radioactively labeled l-lysine was enhanced in cells grown in the presence of l-arginine but not l-lysine. Rapid growth on l-lysine was detected in a mutant devoid of the main arginine catabolic pathway and with a higher basal level of the intracellular l-arginine pool and hence elevated ArgR-responsive regulons, including ldcA. Growth on l-lysine as a nitrogen source can also be enhanced when the aruH gene encoding an arginine/lysine:pyruvate transaminase was expressed constitutively from plasmids; however, no growth of the ldcA mutant on l-lysine suggests a minor role of this transaminase in l-lysine catabolism. In summary, this study reveals a tight connection of lysine catabolism to the arginine regulatory network, and the lack of lysine-responsive control on lysine uptake and decarboxylation provides an explanation of l-lysine as a poor nutrient for P. aeruginosa.Decarboxylation of amino acids, including lysine, arginine, and glutamate, is important for bacterial survival under low pH (2, 7, 19). Lysine is abundant in the rhizosphere where fluorescent Pseudomonas preferentially resides, and serves as a nitrogen and carbon source to these organisms (28). In microbes, lysine catabolism can be initiated either through monooxygenase, decarboxylase, or transaminase activities. The monooxygenase pathway has been considered the major route for l-lysine utilization in Pseudomonas putida, and davBATD encoding enzymes for the first four steps of the pathway have been characterized (25, 26). In contrast, Pseudomonas aeruginosa cannot use exogenous l-lysine efficiently for growth (5, 24). It has been reported that enzymatic activities for the first two steps of the monooxygenase pathway are not detectable in P. aeruginosa, and no davBA orthologs can be identified from this organism (24, 25).Mutants of P. aeruginosa with improved growth on l-lysine and a high level of lysine decarboxylase activity can be isolated by repeated subcultures in l-lysine (5). This suggests that in P. aeruginosa, l-lysine utilization might be mediated by the lysine decarboxylase pathway with cadaverine and 5-aminovalerate as intermediates (Fig. ​(Fig.1).1). Alternatively, conversion of l-lysine into 5-aminovalerate may also be accomplished by a coupled reaction catalyzed by AruH and AruI. The AruH and AruI enzymes were reported as arginine:pyruvate transaminase and 2-ketoarginine decarboxylase, respectively (36). Interestingly, transamination by AruH using l-lysine as an amino group donor can also be detected in vitro (35). The reaction product α-keto-ɛ-aminohexanonate can potentially be decarboxylated into 5-aminovalerate by AruI, providing an alternative route for lysine degradation.Open in a separate windowFIG. 1.Lysine catabolic pathways. l-lysine decarboxylase pathway is shown at center. Broken arrows represent lysine monooxygenase pathway from P. putida which is not present in P. aeruginosa.In this study, we showed that the lysine decarboxylase pathway is the main route for lysine utilization under arginine control. Expression of the ldcAB operon encoding l-lysine decarboxylase and a putative lysine/cadaverine antiporter was analyzed regarding its response to l-lysine, l-arginine, and the arginine-responsive regulator ArgR. Enzyme characterization was performed to verify the function of LdcA as l-lysine decarboxylase. Arginine control on lysine incorporation was also investigated by genetic studies and uptake experiments. The peculiar role of ArgR controlling arginine and lysine uptake and catabolism provides the explanation for poor growth in lysine, and it implies a higher level of complexity in metabolic networks of pseudomonads.     

Separation and partial characterization of multiple ribonucleic Acid polymerases from soybean hypocotyl

Two major peaks of RNA polymerase activity have been routinely separated by diethylaminoethyl cellulose chromatography following solubilization from soybean (Glycine max L. var. Wayne) chromatin. The relative amounts of these two peaks depend upon the manner in which the chromatin is purified. Pelleting the chromatin through dense sucrose solutions results in not only a loss of total solubilized RNA polymerase activity but also a selective loss of the α-amanitin-sensitive form of the enzyme. Peak I elutes from a diethylaminoethyl cellulose column at a KCl concentration of approximately 0.27 m, is insensitive to α-amanitin and rifamycin, and has Mg²⁺ + Mn²⁺ optima of 5 mm and 1.25 mm, respectively. The enzyme is inhibited by KCl concentrations of about 0.03 m or greater. Peak II elutes from the column at a KCl concentration of approximately 0.35 m, is sensitive to α-amanitin, insensitive to rifamycin, and has Mg²⁺ + Mn²⁺ optima of 2 mm and 1.0 mm, respectively. Activity is inhibited by KCl concentrations of about 0.06 m or greater. Both enzymes prefer denatured calf thymus DNA, but peak II exhibits a stronger preference.     

Enzymatic Synthesis of L-Pipecolic Acid by Δ1-Piperideine-2-carboxylate Reductase from Pseudomonas putida

L-Pipecolic acid is a chiral pharmaceutical intermediate. An enzymatic system for the synthesis of L-pipecolic acid from L-lysine by commercial L-lysine α-oxidase from Trichoderma viride and an extract of recombinant Escherichia coli cells coexpressing Δ¹-piperideine-2-carboxylate reductase from Pseudomonas putida and glucose dehydrogenase from Bacillus subtilis is described. A laboratory-scale process provided 27 g/l of L-pipecolic acid in 99.7% e.e.     

DNA-protein binding in interphase chromosomes

The metachromatic dye, azure B, was analyzed by microspectrophotometry when bound to DNA fibers and DNA in nuclei with condensed and dispersed chromatin. The interaction of DNA and protein was inferred from the amount of metachromasy (increased β/α-peak) of azure B that resulted after specific removal of various protein fractions. Dye bound to DNA-histone fibers and frog liver nuclei fixed by freeze-methanol substitution shows orthochromatic, blue-green staining under specific staining conditions, while metachromasy (blue or purple color) results from staining DNA fibers without histone or tissue nuclei after protein removal. The dispersed chromatin of hepatocytes was compared to the condensed chromatin of erythrocytes to see whether there were differences in DNA-protein binding in "active" and "inactive" nuclei. Extraction of histones with 0.02 N HCl, acidified alcohol, perchloric acid, and trypsin digestion all resulted in increased dye binding. The amount of metachromasy varied, however; removal of "lysine-rich" histone (extractable with 0.02 N HCl) caused a blue color, and a purplish-red color (µ-peak absorption) resulted from prolonged trypsin digestion. In all cases, the condensed and the dispersed chromatin behaved in the same way, indicating the similarity of protein bound to DNA in condensed and dispersed chromatin. The results appear to indicate that "lysine-rich" histone is bound to adjacent anionic sites of a DNA molecule and that nonhistone protein is located between adjacent DNA molecules in both condensed and dispersed chromatin.     

Purification and characterization of dihydrodipicolinate synthase from pea

Dihydrodipicolinate synthase (EC 4.2.1.52), the first enzyme unique to lysine biosynthesis in bacteria and higher plants, has been purified to homogeneity from etiolated pea (Pisum sativum) seedlings using a combination of conventional and affinity chromatographic steps. This is the first report on a homogeneous preparation of native dihydrodipicolinate synthase from a plant source. The pea dihydrodipicolinate synthase has an apparent molecular weight of 127,000 and is composed of three identical subunits of 43,000 as determined by gel filtration and cross-linking experiments. The trimeric quaternary structure resembles the trimeric structure of other aldolases, such as 2-keto-3-deoxy-6-phosphogluconic acid aldolase, which catalyze similar aldol condensations. The amino acid compositions of dihydrodipicolinate synthase from pea and Escherichia coli are similar, the most significant difference concerns the methionine content: dihydrodipicolinate synthase from pea contains 22 moles of methionine residue per mole of native protein, contrary to the E. coli enzyme, which does not contain this amino acid at all. Dihydrodipicolinate synthase from pea is highly specific for the substrates pyruvate and l-aspartate-β-semialdehyde; it follows Michaelis-Menten kinetics for both substrates. The pyruvate and l-aspartate-β-semialdehyde have Michaelis constant values of 1.70 and 0.40 millimolar, respectively. l-Lysine, S-(2-aminoethyl)-l-cysteine, and l-α-(2-aminoethoxyvinyl)glycine are strong allosteric inhibitors of the enzyme with 50% inhibitory values of 20, 160, and 155 millimolar, respectively. The inhibition by l-lysine and l-α-(2-aminoethoxyvinyl)glycine is noncompetitive towards l-aspartate-β-semialdehyde, whereas S-(2-aminoethyl)-l-cysteine inhibits dihydrodipicolinate synthase competitively with respect to l-aspartate-β-semialdehyde. Furthermore, the addition of (2R,3S,6S)-2,6-diamino-3-hydroxy-heptandioic acid (1.2 millimolar) and (2S,6R/S)-2,6-diamino-6-phosphono-hexanic acid (1.2 millimolar) activates dihydrodipicolinate synthase from pea by a factor of 1.4 and 1.2, respectively. This is the first reported activation process found for dihydrodipicolinate synthase.     

Interaction of wheat germ ca-dependent protein kinases with calmodulin antagonists and polyamines

The two soluble Ca²⁺-dependent protein kinases resolved from wheat (Triticum aestivum) embryo (protein kinases I and II) are inhibited by the phenothiazine-derived calmodulin antagonists trifluoperazine fluphenazine, and chlorpromazine. Protein kinases I and II are also inhibited by a variety of other calmodulin antagonists (including calmidazolium, amitriptyline, and iprindole), phosphodiesterase inhibitors (including flufenamic acid and papavarine) and by lanthanides. A number of compounds that inhibit mammalian Ca²⁺ - and phospholipid-activated protein kinase (protein kinase C) including quercetin, polymixin B sulfate, and polyamines (as well as phenothiazine derivatives) also inhibit protein kinases I and II. Poly-l-lysine and poly-l-ornithine activate both plant Ca²⁺-dependent protein kinases.     

Amino Acid and vitamin requirements of several bacteroides strains

Nutritional studies were performed on nine Bacteroides strains, by use of the methodology and media of anaerobic rumen microbiology. Ristella perfoetens CCI required l-arginine hydrochloride, l-tryptophan, l-leucine, l-histidine hydrochloride, l-cysteine hydrochloride, dl-valine, dl-tyrosine, and the vitamin calcium-d-pantothenate, since scant turbidity developed in media without these nutrients. R. perfoetens was stimulated by glycine, dl-lysine hydrochloride, dl-isoleucine, l-proline, l-glutamic acid, dl-alanine, dl-phenylalanine, dl-methionine, and the vitamins nicotinamide and p-aminobenzoic acid, since maximal turbidity developed more slowly in media without these nutrients than in complete medium. Medium A-23, which was devised for R. perfoetens, contained salts, 0.0002% nicotinamide and calcium d-pantothenate, 0.00001% p-aminobenzoic acid, 0.044% l-tryptophan, 0.09% l-glutamic acid, and 0.1% of the other 13 amino acids listed above. Zuberella clostridiformis and seven strains of R. pseudoinsolita did not require vitamins, and showed no absolute requirement for any one amino acid. Various strains produced maximal turbidity more slowly in media deficient in l-proline, glycine, l-glutamic acid, dl-serine, l-histidine hydrochloride, dl-alanine, or l-cysteine hydrochloride, than in complete medium. These eight strains grew optimally in medium A-23 plus 0.1% dl-serine but without vitamins.     

Functional and Phylogenetic Divergence of Fungal Adenylate-Forming Reductases

A key step in fungal l-lysine biosynthesis is catalyzed by adenylate-forming l-α-aminoadipic acid reductases, organized in domains for adenylation, thiolation, and the reduction step. However, the genomes of numerous ascomycetes and basidiomycetes contain an unexpectedly large number of additional genes encoding similar but functionally distinct enzymes. Here, we describe the functional in vitro characterization of four reductases which were heterologously produced in Escherichia coli. The Ceriporiopsis subvermispora serine reductase Nps1 features a terminal ferredoxin-NADP⁺ reductase (FNR) domain and thus belongs to a hitherto undescribed class of fungal multidomain enzymes. The second major class is characterized by the canonical terminal short-chain dehydrogenase/reductase domain and represented by Ceriporiopsis subvermispora Nps3 as the first biochemically characterized l-α-aminoadipic acid reductase of basidiomycete origin. Aspergillus flavus l-tyrosine reductases LnaA and LnbA are members of a distinct phylogenetic clade. Phylogenetic analysis supports the view that fungal adenylate-forming reductases are more diverse than previously recognized and belong to four distinct classes.     

Partial purification and characterization of dihydrodipicolinic Acid reductase from maize

Dihydrodipicolinic acid reductase, an enzyme which catalyzes the pyridine nucleotide-linked reduction of dihydrodipicolinic acid to tetrahydrodipicolinic acid in the biosynthetic pathway leading to l-lysine, has been partially purified from maize (Zea mays cv Pioneer 3145) kernels. The crude maize extract and the partially purified enzyme were assayed for dihydrodipicolinic acid reductase by their ability to restore the capability of crude extracts of a mutant Escherichia coli (CGSC 4549; defective in dihydrodipicolinic acid reductase) to synthesize diaminopimelic acid from aspartic acid and pyruvic acid.