Co-expression of α and β subunits of the 3-methylcrotonyl-coenzyme A carboxylase from <Emphasis Type="Italic">Pseudomonas aeruginosa</Emphasis>

Pseudomonas aeruginosa is a versatile bacterium that can grow using citronellol or leucine as sole carbon source. For both compounds the degradation pathways converge at the key enzyme 3-methylcrotonyl coenzyme-A carboxylase (MCCase). This enzyme is a complex formed by two subunits (α and β), encoded by the liuD and liuB genes, respectively; both are essential for enzyme function. Previously, both subunits had been separately expressed and then the complex re-constituted, however this methodology is laborious and produces low yield of active enzyme. In this work, the MCCase subunits were co-expressed in the same plasmid and purified in one step by affinity chromatography using the LiuD-His tag protein, interacting with the LiuB-S tag recombinant protein. The purified enzyme lost most of the activity within few hours of storage. The co-expressed subunits formed an (αβ)₄ complex that suffered a modification of its oligomerization state after storage, which probably contributed to the loss on activity observed. The recombinant MCCase enzyme presented optimum pH and temperature values of 9.0 and 30o C, respectively. Functionally, MCCase showed Michaelian kinetics behavior with a K_m for its substrate and V_max of 168 μM and 430 nmoles mg⁻¹min⁻¹, respectively. The results suggest that the co-expression and co-purification of the subunits is a suitable procedure to obtain the active complex of the MCCase from Pseudomonas aeruginosa in a single step.     

Characterization of Rat Testes Mitochondrial Retinoylating System and Its Partial Purification

Retinoylation (retinoic acid acylation), a posttranslational modification of proteins occurring in a variety of eukariotic cell lines both in vivo and in vitro, was studied in rat testes mitochondria. all-trans-Retinoic acid, a highly active form of vitamin A in inducing cellular differentiation, is incorporated covalently into proteins of rat testes mitochondria. The maximum retinoylation activity of rat testes mitochondrial proteins was 21.6 pmoles mg protein(-1) 90 min(-1) at 37 degrees C. The activation energy was 44 kJ mol(-1) from 5 to 37 degrees C. The retinoylation activity had a pH optimum of 7.5. The retinoylation process was specific for the presence of ATP, ADP, and GTP (even if only 30% of the control). The half saturation constant (Km) was 0.69 microM for all-trans-retinoic acid, while the inhibition constant (Ki) was 1.5 microM for 13-cis-retinoic acid. Retinoylation was not inhibited by high concentrations of myristic acid (MA) and palmitic acid (PA), indicating that retinoylation and acylation reactions involved different rat testes mitochondrial proteins. The ATP or CoASH saturation curves of retinoylation reaction showed sigmoidal behavior with apparent half saturation constants (K0.5) of 6.5 mM ATP and 40.6 microM CoASH. On SDS-gel electrophoresis, the hydroxylapaptite/celite eluate showed various protein bands between 25 and 80 kDa. This retinoylated protein was purified 17-fold with respect to the mitochondrial extract.     

Molecular characterization of the non-biotin-containing subunit of 3-methylcrotonyl-CoA carboxylase

The biotin enzyme, 3-methylcrotonyl-CoA carboxylase (MCCase) (3-methylcrotonyl-CoA:carbon-dioxide ligase (ADP-forming), EC 6.4.1. 4), catalyzes a pivotal reaction required for both leucine catabolism and isoprenoid metabolism. MCCase is a heteromeric enzyme composed of biotin-containing (MCC-A) and non-biotin-containing (MCC-B) subunits. Although the sequence of the MCC-A subunit was previously determined, the primary structure of the MCC-B subunit is unknown. Based upon sequences of biotin enzymes that use substrates structurally related to 3-methylcrotonyl-CoA, we isolated the MCC-B cDNA and gene of Arabidopsis. Antibodies directed against the bacterially produced recombinant protein encoded by the MCC-B cDNA react solely with the MCC-B subunit of the purified MCCase and inhibit MCCase activity. The primary structure of the MCC-B subunit shows the highest similarity to carboxyltransferase domains of biotin enzymes that use methyl-branched thiol esters as substrate or products. The single copy MCC-B gene of Arabidopsis is interrupted by nine introns. MCC-A and MCC-B mRNAs accumulate in all cell types and organs, with the highest accumulation occurring in rapidly growing and metabolically active tissues. In addition, these two mRNAs accumulate coordinately in an approximately equal molar ratio, and they each account for between 0.01 and 0.1 mol % of cellular mRNA. The sequence of the Arabidopsis MCC-B gene has enabled the identification of animal paralogous MCC-B cDNAs and genes, which may have an impact on the molecular understanding of the lethal inherited metabolic disorder methylcrotonylglyciuria.     

Human biotin-containing subunit of 3-methylcrotonyl-CoA carboxylase gene (MCCA): cDNA sequence, genomic organization, localization to chromosomal band 3q27, and expression

3-Methylcrotonyl-CoA carboxylase (MCCase; EC 6.4.1.4) is a mitochondrial biotin enzyme and plays an essential role in the catabolism of leucine and isovalerate in animals, bacterial species, and plants. MCCase consists of two subunits, those that are biotin-containing and non-biotin-containing. The genes responsible for these subunits have been isolated in soybean, Arabidopsis thaliana, and tomatoes, but not in mammals. In humans, MCCase deficiency has been thought to be a rare metabolic disease, but the number of patients with MCCase deficiency appears to be increasing with a wide range of clinical presentations, some that result in a lethal condition and others that are asymptomatic. In this report, we have isolated and carried out chromosomal mapping of the gene for the biotin-containing subunit (A subunit) of the human MCCase gene, MCCA. The cDNA predicts an open reading frame coding for a 725-amino-acid protein with mitochondrial signal peptide, biotin carboxylase, and biotin-carrier domains. The gene is composed of at least 19 exons and covers more than 70 kb of sequence on band q27 of chromosome 3. MCCA was abundantly expressed in mitochondria-rich organs, such as the heart, skeletal muscles, kidney, and liver. In exon 13, we observed a His/Pro polymorphism at codon 464 (an A to C transition at nucleotide position 1391 in the cDNA sequence). Then, we determined the DNA sequences of the 5' untranslated region and entire coding regions in two patients with MCCase deficiency, but no sequence substitution was detected, suggesting that the gene mutations might be in the non-biotin-containing subunit (B subunit) gene, MCCB, in these patients.     

Characterisation of a high affinity Ca2+-stimulated, Mg2+-dependent ATPase in the rat parotid plasma membrane

Two Ca2+-stimulated ATPase activities have been identified in the plasma membrane of rat parotid: (a) a (Ca2+ + Mg2+)-ATPase with high affinity for free Ca2+ (apparent Km = 208 nM, Vmax = 188 nmol/min per mg) and requiring micromolar concentration of Mg2+ and (b) a (Ca2+ or Mg2+)-ATPase with relatively low affinity for free Ca2+ (K0.5 = 23 microM) or free Mg2+ (K0.5 = 26 microM). The low-affinity (Ca2+ or Mg2+)-ATPase can be maximally stimulated by Ca2+ alone or Mg2+ alone. The high-affinity (Ca2+ + Mg2+)-ATPase exhibits sigmoidal kinetics with respect to ATP concentration with K0.5 = 0.4 mM and a Hill coefficient of 1.91. It displays low substrate specificity with respect to nucleotide triphosphates. Although trifluoperazine inhibits the activity of the high affinity (Ca2+ + Mg2+)-ATPase only slightly, it inhibits the activity of the low-affinity (Ca2+ or Mg2+)-ATPase quite potently with 22 microM trifluoperazine inhibiting the enzymic activity by 50%. Vanadate, inositol 1,4,5-trisphosphate, phosphatidylinositol 4,5-bisphosphate, Na+,K+ and ouabain had no effect on the activities of both ATPases. Calmodulin added to the plasma membranes does not stimulate the activities of both ATPases. The properties of the high-affinity (Ca2+ + Mg2+)-ATPase are distinctly different from those of the previously reported Ca2+-pump activity of the rat parotid plasma membrane.     

Bicarbonate stabilization of ribulose 1,5-diphosphate carboxylase.

The carboxylase and oxygenase activities of purified soybean ribulose 1,5-di-P carboxylase (EC4.1.1.39) were unstable when reactions were initiated with enzyme. Time courses of carboxylase and oxygenase activities were curvilinear, approximating hyperbolas. Double reciprocal plots of amount of CO2 incorporated and P-glycolate produced vs. time were constructed to determine a constant representing the half-time of initial enzyme activity, K. K increased with increasing bicarbonate concentration but was independent of O2 tensions between 0.21 and 5 atm. When time courses of carboxylase and oxygenase activities were determined simultaneously, K was identical for both activities. Linear time courses were obtained py preincubation of the enzyme for 10 min in the absence of bicarbonate or by adding 46 mM MgCl2 to the reaction mixture. The observed bicarbonate-dependent decline in ribulose 1,5-di-P carboxylase activity with time is the probable cause for the anomalously high Km(CO2) values previously reported for this enzyme. In the experiments reported here, the apparent Km(CO2) at pH 8.5 increased from 6 muM CO2 at zero time to 78 muM CO2 at 10 min. The corresponding bicarbonate Km values ar 1;3 and 17 mM, respectively, The interaction between bicarbonate and enzyme may be important in the light activation of photosynthetic CO2 fixation in vivo.     

Inhibition in vitro of lipogenic enzymes from bovine (Bos taurus) mammary tissue by methylmalonyl-coenzyme A and coenzyme A

Bovine mammary fatty acid synthetase was inhibited by approximately 50% by 40 microM methylmalonyl-CoA; this inhibition was competitive with respect to malonyl-CoA (apparent Ki = 11 microM). Similarly, 6.25 microM coenzyme A inhibited the synthetase by 35% and this inhibition was again competitive (apparent Ki = 1.7 microM). Apparent Km for malonyl-CoA was 29 microM. The short-chain dicarboxylic acids malonic, methylmalonic and ethylmalonic at high concentrations (160-320 microM) and ATP (5 mM) enhanced the synthetase activity by about 50% respectively; the activating effects of methylmalonic acid and ATP on the synthetase were additive. Methylmalonyl-CoA at 50 microM concentration inhibited the partially purified acetyl-CoA carboxylase uncompetitively by 10% and the propionyl-CoA carboxylase activity of the enzyme preparation competitively (apparent Ki = 21 microM) by 40%. Malonyl-CoA also inhibited the acetyl-CoA carboxylase activity competitively (apparent Ki = 7 microM) by 35% and the propionyl-CoA carboxylating activity of the preparation competitively (apparent Ki = 4 microM) by 82%. The possibility that methylmalonyl-CoA may be a causal factor in the aetiology of the low milk-fat syndrome in high yielding dairy cows is discussed.     

Stimulation of calcium transport of sarcoplasmic reticulum vesicles by the calcium complex of ethylene glycol bis(beta-aminoethyl ether)-N,N',-tetraacetic acid

The calcium ion dependence of calcium transport by isolated sarcoplasmic reticulum vesicles from rabbit skeletal muscle has been investigated by means of the Calcium-stat method, in which transport may be measured in the micromolar free calcium ion concentration range, in the absence of calcium buffers. At pH 7.2 and 20 degrees C, ATP, in the range 1 to 10 mM, decreased [Ca2+]0.5 from 2.0 microM to 0.3 microM and decreased Vmax of oxalate-supported transport from 0.5 to 1.3 mumol min-1 mg-1. Simultaneous measurements of transport and of ATPase activity in the range 0.8 to 10 microM free Ca2+ showed a ratio of 2.1 calcium ions translocated/molecule of ATP hydrolyzed. Transport, in the presence of 5 mM ATP, ceased when calcium ion concentration fell to 0.6 to 1.2 microM, whilst ATPase activity of 90 nmol of ATP hydrolyzed min-1 mg-1 persisted. The data obtained by the Calcium-stat method differed from those described previously using calcium buffers, in that they showed lower apparent affinities of the transport site for calcium ions, more marked sigmoidal behavior, an effect of ATP concentration on Ca2+ concentration dependence and lower ATPase activity in the absence of transport. The calcium complex of ethylene glycol bis(beta-aminoethyl ether)-N,N,N',N'-tetraacetic acid (CaEGTA) had no effect when transport was stimulated maximally at saturating free Ca2+ concentrations. However, at calcium ion levels below [Ca2+]0.5, 70 microM CaEGTA stimulated transport to rates of 20 to 45% of Vmax. Half-maximal stimulation of transport occurred at 19 microM CaEGTA. CaEGTA, 50 microM, decreased [Ca2+]0.5, determined at 5 mM ATP, from 1.3 microM to 0.45 microM. It is proposed that a ternary complex, E . Ca2+ . EGTA4-, is formed as an intermediate species during CaEGTA-stimulated calcium transport by sarcoplasmic reticulum membranes and stimulates the calcium pump at limiting free Ca2+ ion concentration.     

Activities of branched-chain 2-oxo acid dehydrogenase and its components in skin fibroblasts from normal and classical-maple-syrup-urine-disease subjects.

1. Comparisons of the activity and kinetics of the branched-chain 2-oxo acid dehydrogenase in cultured skin fibroblasts from normal and classical maple-syrup-urine-disease (MSUD) subjects provide a kinetic explanation for the enzyme defect. 2. In the intact cell assays, normal fibroblasts demonstrated hyperbolic kinetics with 3-methyl-2-oxo[1-14C]butyrate as a substrate. Intact fibroblasts from four classical MSUD patients showed no decarboxylation over a substrate concentration range of 0.25 to 5.0 mM, and thiamin (4 mM) was without effect. 3. The overall reaction of the multienzyme complex was efficiently reconstituted by using a disrupted-cell system. Normals again showed typical hyperbolic kinetics at the 2-oxo acid concentrations of 0.1 to 5 mM. The Vmax. and apparent Km values were 0.10 +/- 0.02 m-unit/mg of protein and 0.05-0.1 mM respectively, with 3-methyl-2-oxobutyrate. In contrast, classical MSUD patients exhibited sigmoidal kinetics (Hill coefficient, 2.5) with activity approaching 40-60% of the normal value at 5 mM substrate. The K0.5 values from the Hill plots for MSUD patients were 4-7 mM. 4. The E1 (branched-chain 2-oxo acid decarboxylase) component of the multienzyme complex was measured in disrupted-particulate preparations. Normals again showed hyperbolic kinetics with the 2-oxo acid, whereas MSUD preparations exhibited sigmoidal kinetics with the activity of E1 strictly dependent on substrate concentration. Apparent Km or K0.5 were 0.1 and 1.0 mM for normal and MSUD subjects respectively. 5. Measurements of E2 (dihydrolipoyl transacylase) and E3 (dihydrolipoyl dehydrogenase) in MSUD preparations showed them to be in the normal range. 6. The above data suggest a defect in the E1 step of branched-chain 2-oxo acid dehydrogenase in classical MSUD patients.     

Kinetic characterization of Na,K-ATPase from rabbit outer renal medulla: properties of the (alpha beta)(2) dimer

We describe and compare the main kinetic characteristics of the (alpha beta)(2) form of rabbit kidney Na,K-ATPase. The dependence of ATPase activity on ATP concentration revealed high (K(0.5)=4 microM) and low (K(0.5)=1.4 mM) affinity sites for ATP, exhibiting negative cooperativity and a specific activity of approximately 700 U/mg. For p-nitrophenylphosphate (PNPP) as substrate, a single saturation curve was found, with a smaller apparent affinity of the enzyme for this substrate (K(0.5)=0.5 mM) and a lower hydrolysis rate (V(M)=42 U/mg). Stimulation of ATPase activity by K(+) (K(0.5)=0.63 mM), Na(+) (K(0.5)=11 mM) and Mg(2+) (K(0.5)=0.60 mM) all showed V(M)'s of approximately 600 U/mg and negative cooperativity. K(+) (K(0.5)=0.69 mM) and Mg(2+) (K(0.5)=0.57 mM) also stimulated PNPPase activity of the (alpha beta)(2) form. Ouabain (K(0.5)=0.01 microM and K(0.5)=0.1 mM) and orthovanadate (K(0.5)=0.06 microM) completely inhibited the ATPase activity of the (alpha beta)(2) form. The kinetic characteristics obtained constitute reference values for diprotomeric (alpha beta)(2)-units of Na,K-ATPase, thus contributing to a better understanding of the biochemical mechanisms of the enzyme.     

Purification and characterization of the AMP-activated protein kinase. Copurification of acetyl-CoA carboxylase kinase and 3-hydroxy-3-methylglutaryl-CoA reductase kinase activities

1. We have purified the AMP-activated protein kinase 4800-fold from rat liver. The acetyl-CoA carboxylase kinase and 3-hydroxy-3-methylglutaryl-CoA(HMG-CoA) reductase kinase activities copurify through all six purification steps and are inactivated with similar kinetics by treatment with the reactive ATP analogue fluorosulphonylbenzoyladenosine. 2. The final preparation contains several polypeptides detectable by SDS/polyacrylamide gel electrophoresis, but only one of these, with an apparent molecular mass of 63 kDa, is labelled using [14C]fluorosulphonylbenzoyladenosine. This is also the only polypeptide in the preparation that becomes significantly labelled during incubation with [gamma 32P]ATP. This autophosphorylation reaction did not affect the AMP-stimulated kinase activity. 3. In the absence of AMP the purified kinase has apparent Km values for ATP and acetyl-CoA carboxylase of 86 microM and 1.9 microM respectively. AMP increases the Vmax 3-5-fold without a significant change in the Km for either protein or ATP substrates. 4. The response to AMP depends on the ATP concentration in the assay, but at a near-physiological ATP concentration the half-maximal effect of AMP occurs at 14 microM. Studies with a range of nucleoside monophosphates and diphosphates, and AMP analogues showed that the allosteric activation by AMP was very specific. ADP gave a small stimulation at low concentrations but was inhibitory at high concentrations. 5. These results show that the AMP-activated protein kinase is the major HMG-CoA reductase kinase detectable in rat liver under our assay conditions and that it is therefore likely to be identical to previously described HMG-CoA reductase kinase(s) which are activated by adenine nucleotides and phosphorylation. The AMP-binding and catalytic domains of the kinase are located on a 63-kDa polypeptide which is subject to autophosphorylation.     

Occurrence and characterization of fructose 6-phosphate, 2-kinase and fructose 2,6-bisphosphatase in Euglena gracilis

1. Fructose 6-phosphate, 2-kinase and fructose 2,6-bisphosphatase occurred in Euglena gracilis SM-ZK, and is located in cytosol. 2. Fructose 6-phosphate, 2-kinase and fructose 2,6-bisphosphatase were partially purified, and both enzyme activities were not separated during the partial purification. 3. The pH optimum for fructose 6-phosphate, 2-kinase activity was 7.0. The saturation curve of the enzyme activity for ATP concentration was hyperbolic, and the Km value for the substrate was 0.88 mM. On the other hand, the saturation curve of the enzyme activity for fructose 6-phosphate concentration was sigmoidal, and the K0.5 value for the substrate was 70 microM. 4. The pH optimum for fructose 2,6-bisphosphatase activity was 6.5. The saturation curve for fructose 2,6-bisphosphate concentration was sigmoidal, and the K0.5 value for the substrate was 1.29 microM. Fructose 2,6-bisphosphate showed a substrate inhibition at high concentration over 5 microM, and the enzyme activity was completely inhibited by 20 microM of fructose 2,6-bisphosphate.     

Sigmoid kinetics of purified beef heart mitochondrial carnitine palmitoyltransferase. Effect of pH and malonyl-CoA

The kinetics of purified beef heart mitochondrial carnitine palmitoyltransferase have been extensively investigated with a semiautomated system and the computer program TANKIN and shown to be sigmoidal with both acyl-CoA and L-carnitine. In contrast, Michaelis-Menten kinetics were found with carnitine octanoyltransferase. The catalytic activity of carnitine palmitoyltransferase is strongly pH dependent. The K0.5 and Vmax are both greater at lower pH. The K0.5 for palmitoyl-CoA is 1.9 and 24.2 microM at pH 8 and 6, respectively. The K0.5 for L-carnitine is 0.2 and 2.9 mM at pH 8 and 6, respectively. Malonyl-CoA (20-600 microM) had no effect on the kinetic parameters for palmitoyl-CoA at both saturating and subsaturating levels of L-carnitine. We conclude that malonyl-CoA is not a competitive inhibitor of carnitine palmitoyltransferase. The purified enzyme contained 18.9 mol of bound phospholipid/mol of enzyme which were identified as cardiolipin, phosphatidylethanolamine, and phosphatidylcholine by thin-layer chromatography. The data are consistent with the conclusion that native carnitine palmitoyltransferase exhibits different catalytic properties on either side of the inner membrane of mitochondria due to its non-Michaelis-Menten kinetic behavior, which can be affected by pH differences and differences in membrane environment.     

Kinetic studies on mitochondrial F(1)-ATPase from crayfish (Orconectes virilis) gills

The substrate kinetics and the role of free Mg(2+) and free ATP were studied in membrane-bound F(1)-ATPase from crayfish (Orconectes virilis) gills. It was shown that the MgATP complex was the true substrate for the ATPase activity with a K(m) value of 0.327 mM. In the absence of bicarbonate, the maximum azide-sensitive activities in the presence and absence (<18 microM) of free ATP were 0.878 and 0.520 micromol P(i)/mg protein/min, respectively, while the maximum bicarbonate-stimulated activity in absence of free ATP was 1.486 micromol P(i)/mg protein/min. Free ATP was a competitive inhibitor (K(i)=0.77 mM) and free Mg(2+) was a mixed inhibitor (K(i)=0.81 mM, K(i)'=5.89 mM). However, free ATP also acted as an activator. Lineweaver-Burk plots for MgATP hydrolysis at high free Mg(2+) concentrations exhibited an apparent negative cooperativity, which was not the case for high free ATP levels. These results suggest that, although free ATP inhibited the enzyme by binding to catalytic sites, it stimulated ATPase activity by binding to non-catalytic sites and promoted the dissociation of inhibitory MgADP from the catalytic site.     

Characterisation of an ATP-dependent Ca2+ transport system in a plasma membrane enriched fraction from rat parotid

A membrane fraction enriched in plasma membrane marker enzymes K+-dependent p-nitrophenyl phosphatase, 5'-nucleotidase and alkaline phosphatase was prepared from rat parotid glands using Percoll self-forming gradient. This fraction contained an ATP-dependent CA2+ transport system which was distinct from those located on the endoplasmic reticulum and mitochondria of parotid glands. The Km for ATP was 0.57 +/- 0.07 mM (n = 3). Nucleotides other than ATP such as ADP, AMP, GTP, CTP, UTP or ITP were unable to support significant Ca2+ uptake. ATP-dependent Ca2+ uptake displayed sigmoidal kinetics with respect to free Ca2+ concentration with a Hill coefficient of 2.02. The K0.5 for Ca2+ was 44 +/- 3.1 nM (n = 3) and the average Vmax was 13.5 +/- 1.1 nmol/min per mg of protein. The pH optimum was 7.2. Trifluorperazine inhibited Ca2+ transport with half maximal inhibition observed at 30.8 microM. Complete inhibition was observed at 70 microM trifluorperazine. Exogenous calmodulin however had no effect on the rate of transport. Na+ and K+ ions activated Ca2+ transport at 20 to 30 mM ion concentrations. Higher concentrations of Na+ or K+ were inhibitory.     

Comparative kinetic studies on the L-type pyruvate kinase from rat liver and the enzyme phosphorylated by cyclic 3', 5'-AMP-stimulated protein kinase.

The kinetics of rat liver L-type pyruvate kinase (EC 2.7.1.40), phosphorylated with cyclic AMP-stimulated protein kinase from the same source, and the unphosphorylated enzyme have been compared. The effects of pH and various concentrations of substrates, Mg2+, K+ and modifiers were studied. In the absence of fructose 1, 6-diphosphate at pH 7.3, the phosphorylated pyruvate kinase appeared to have a lower affinity for phosphoenolpyruvate (K0.5=0.8 mM) than the unphosphorylated enzyme (K0.5=0.3 mM). The enzyme activity vs. phosphoenolpyruvate concentration curve was more sigmoidal for the phosphorylated enzyme with a Hill coefficient of 2.6 compared to 1.6 for the unphosphorylated enzyme. Fructose 1, 6-diphosphate increased the apparent affinity of both enzyme forms for phosphoenolpyruvate. At saturating concentrations of this activator, the kinetics of both enzyme forms were transformed to approximately the same hyperbolic curve, with a Hill coefficient of 1.0 and K0.5 of about 0.04 mM for phosphoenolpyruvate. The apparent affinity of the enzyme for fructose 1, 6-diphosphate was high at 0.2 mM phosphoenolpyruvate with a K0.5=0.06 muM for the unphosphorylated pyruvate kinase and 0.13 muM for the phosphorylated enzyme. However, in the presence of 0.5 mM alanine plus 1.5 mM ATP, a higher fructose 1, 6-diphosphate concentration was needed for activation, with K0.5 of 0.4 muM for the unphosphorylated enzyme and of 1.4 muM for the phosphorylated enzyme. The results obtained strongly indicate that phosphorylation of pyruvate kinase may also inhibit the enzyme in vivo. Such an inhibition should be important during gluconeogenesis.     

3-Methylcrotonyl-Coenzyme A Carboxylase Is a Component of the Mitochondrial Leucine Catabolic Pathway in Plants

3-Methylcrotonyl-coenzyme A carboxylase (MCCase) is a mitochondrial biotin-containing enzyme whose metabolic function is not well understood in plants. In soybean (Glycine max) seedlings the organ-specific and developmentally induced changes in MCCase expression are regulated by mechanisms that control the accumulation of MCCase mRNA and the activity of the enzyme. During soybean cotyledon development, when seed-storage proteins are degraded, leucine (Leu) accumulation peaks transiently at 8 d after planting. The coincidence between peak MCCase expression and the decline in Leu content provides correlative evidence that MCCase is involved in the mitochondrial catabolism of Leu. Direct evidence for this conclusion was obtained from radiotracer metabolic studies using extracts from isolated mitochondria. These experiments traced the metabolic fate of [U-¹⁴C]Leu and NaH¹⁴CO₃, the latter of which was incorporated into methylglutaconyl-coenzyme A (CoA) via MCCase. These studies directly demonstrate that plant mitochondria can catabolize Leu via the following scheme: Leu → α-ketoisocaproate → isovaleryl-CoA → 3-methylcrotonyl-CoA → 3-methylglutaconyl-CoA → 3-hydroxy-3-methylglutaryl-CoA → acetoacetate + acetyl-CoA. These findings demonstrate for the first time, to our knowledge, that the enzymes responsible for Leu catabolism are present in plant mitochondria. We conclude that a primary metabolic role of MCCase in plants is the catabolism of Leu.     

ATP-dependent 6-phosphofructokinase from the hyperthermophilic bacterium Thermotoga maritima: characterization of an extremely thermophilic, allosterically regulated enzyme

The ATP-dependent 6-phosphofructokinase (ATP-PFK) of the hyperthermophilic bacterium Thermotoga maritimawas purified 730-fold to homogeneity. The enzyme is a 140-kDa homotetramer composed of 34 kDa subunits. Kinetic constants were determined for all substrates in both reaction directions at pH 7 and at 75 degrees C. Rate dependence (forward reaction) on fructose 6-phosphate (F-6-P) showed sigmoidal kinetics with a half-maximal saturation constant ( S(0.5)) of 0.7 mM and a Hill coefficient of 2.2. The apparent K(m) for ATP was 0.2 mM and the apparent V(max) value was about 360 U/mg. The enzyme also catalyzed in vitro the reverse reaction with an apparent K(m) for fructose 1,6-bisphosphate and ADP of 7.6 mM and 1.4 mM, respectively, and an apparent V(max) of about 13 U/mg. Divalent cations were required for maximal activity; Mg(2+), which was most effective, could partially be replaced by Mn(2+) and Fe(2+). Enzyme activity was allosterically regulated by classical effectors of ATP-PFKs of Eukarya and Bacteria; it was activated by ADP and inhibited by PEP. The enzyme had a temperature optimum of 93 degrees C and showed a significant thermostability up to 100 degrees C. Using the N-terminal amino acid sequence of the subunit, the pfk gene coding for ATP-PFK was identified and functionally overexpressed in Escherichia coli. The purified recombinant ATP-PFK had identical kinetic and allosteric properties as the native enzyme purified from T. maritima. The deduced amino acid sequence showed high sequence similarity to members of the PFK-A family. In accordance with its allosteric properties, ATP-PFK of T. maritima contained the conserved allosteric effector-binding sites for ADP and PEP.