Interconversion of different molecular weight forms of human erythrocyte orotidylate decarboxylase.

Orotidylate decarboxylase has been purified approximately 300-fold from human erythrocytes. It was shown to exist in three molecular weight forms, a probable monomer of molecular weight 62,000, a dimer, and a tetramer. Conversion of the monomer to higher molecular weight forms was associated with increased stability to thermal inactivation and was promoted by a number of low molecular weight compounds, including orotic acid and competitive inhibitors of the enzyme. Orotic acid phosphoribosyltransferase co-purified with the decarboxylase but was much more susceptible to inactivation. The partially purified orotidylate decarboxylase showed a triphasic Lineweaver-Burk plot when examined over a wide range of substrate concentrations. The separated molecular weight forms gave linear double reciprocal plots with Km values corresponding to the three values obtained with the erythrocyte enzyme preparation. The values obtained were 25, 3, and 0.6 muM for the monomer, dimer, and tetramer forms, respectively.     

Molecular weight of the undegraded polypeptide chain of Pseudomonas amyloderamosa isoamylase

Crystalline isoamylase of Pseudomonas amyloderamosa was found to be contaminated with a trace of proteolytic enzyme. This contaminant digested the isoamylase under neutral or alkaline conditions, especially in the presence of sodium dodecyl sulfate (SDS). A reliable molecular weight of the enzyme was obtained by SDS-polyacrylamide gel electrophoresis and by gel filtration on Sepharose-6B in 6 M guanidine-hydrochloride after heat inactivation of the contaminant. The molecular weight of the undergraded polypeptide chain of the isoamylase was about 90 000. The lower molecular weight and the subunit structure of the enzyme reported previously are incorrect.     

Purification and properties of a low molecular weight 1,4-beta-d-glucan glucohydrolase having one active site for carboxymethyl cellulose and xylan from an alkalothermophilic Thermomonospora sp

A low molecular weight 1,4-beta-D-glucan glucohydrolase from an extracellular culture filtrate of Thermomonospora sp. was purified to homogeneity. The molecular weight of the purified enzyme was 14.2 kDa by MALDI-TOF analysis and is in agreement with SDS-PAGE and gel filtration chromatography. The purified enzyme exhibited both endocarboxymethyl cellulase and endoxylanase activities. A kinetic method was employed to study the active site of the enzyme that hydrolyzes both carboxymethyl cellulose and xylan. The experimental data coincide well with the theoretical values calculated for the case of a single active site. Conformation and microenvironment at the active site was probed with fluorescent chemo-affinity labeling using o-phthalaldehyde as the chemical initiator. Formation of isoindole derivative resulted in complete inactivation of the enzyme to hydrolyze both xylan and CMC as judged by fluorescence studies corroborating a single active site for the hydrolysis of xylan and CMC.     

Blood glycoprotein from antarctic fish. Possible conformational origin of antifreeze activity

Two purine nucleoside phosphorylases (purine-nucleoside:orthophosphate ribosyltransferase, EC 2.4.2.1) were purified from vegetative Bacillus subtilis cells. One enzyme, inosine-guanosine phosphorylase, showed great similarity to the homologous enzyme of Bacillus cereus. It appeared to be a tetramer of molecular weight 95 000. The other enzyme, adenosine phosphorylase, was specific for adenosine and deoxyadenosine. The molecular weight of the native enzyme was 153 000 +/- 10% and the molecular weight of the subunits was 25 500 +/- 5%. This indicates a hexameric structure. The adenosine phosphorylase was inactivated by 10(-3) M p-chloromercuribenzoate and protected against this inactivation by phosphate, adenosine and ribose 1-phosphate.     

Thermophilic NAD-dependent glutamate dehydrogenase from Bacillus stearothermophilus

A rapid purification procedure for glutamate dehydrogenase (GDH) from Bacillus stearothermophilus var calidolactis was developed. The homogeneous enzyme with a total molecular weight of approximately 240,000 daltons, contained 6 identical subunits. No high molecular weight form of GDH present in crude extracts was found after elution of the enzyme from a 5'AMP-Sepharose column with 4 M urea. The purified enzyme functions in both directions i.e. amination and deamination and is strictly specific for NAD. 2-Oxo glutarate, glutamate or 2-mercaptoethanol protects against heat inactivation. NADH or ammonia, on the other hand, makes GDH more sensitive to heat. The purified enzyme undergoes thermal inactivation process.     

Effects of yeast proteinase A, proteinase B and carboxypeptidase Y on yeast phosphofructokinase.

Incubation of a crude yeast extract containing phosphofructokinase with proteinase A, proteinase B or carboxypeptidase Y gave the following results: Proteinase B and carboxypeptidase Y did not change the activity of phosphofructokinase during incubation. On the other hand, incubation with proteinase A resulted in a 40-100% activation; continued incubation, however, led to an inactivation of the enzyme. Addition of allosteric effectors did not change the activation or inactivation process. The activated phosphofructokinase was not changed with respect to pH optimum and ATP inhibition. Molecular weight determination of phosphofructokinase in crude extracts in the presence of inhibitors of proteinase A indicated a molecular weight of 700000. Without inhibitors of proteinase A, the molecular weight was determined to be 600 000, while after 40-100% activation by proteinase A, a molecular weight of 500 000 was obtained. The activity profile of proteinase A in density gradients indicated that this enzyme is bound to variety of cellular proteins.     

Change in kinetic property of M1-type pyruvate kinase from hyperbolic type to sigmoidal type by limited proteolysis with an acid fraction from rabbit liver

An acid extract of rabbit liver contained M1-type pyruvate kinase inactivating activity, and was separated to three fractions. The optimal inactivation of the enzyme with Fraction II (Mr 42,000) was observed at pH 5.5, and this inactivation was completely prevented by leupeptin and antipain, but not by pepstatin. With Fraction III (Mr 22,000), on the other hand, optimal inactivation of the enzyme was observed at pH 8-9, and was not prevented by these inhibitors. The kinetic properties, with phosphoenolpyruvate, of the enzyme were changed from hyperbolic type to sigmoidal type by the limited proteolysis with Fractions II and III. The subunit molecular weight of the enzyme (57,300) was decreased to 55,800 via 56,400 in the former case and to 56,400 in the latter case.     

The molecular form of acetylcholinesterase as determined by irradiation inactivation (Short Communication)

The molecular size of acetylcholinesterase (EC 3.1.1.7) from the electric organ of Electrophorus electricus and erythrocyte ;ghosts' was estimated in both membrane-bound and purified preparations by irradiation inactivation. Results suggest that the form of the enzyme in the membrane is a monomer of molecular weight approx. 75000 and that multiple forms of the enzyme observed in solubilized preparations are aggregates of this monomer.     

Regulation of C4 photosynthesis: characterization of a protein factor mediating the activation and inactivation of NADP-malate dehydrogenase.

The leaf NADP-malate dehydrogenase of Zea mays is rapidly activated when leaves are illuminated and inactivated in the dark. The present studies show that inactive enzyme isolated from darkened leaves was activated by dithiothreitol and that the active enzyme was rapidly inactivated by oxygen in dithiothreitol-free solutions. Following the fractionation of leaf extracts, both the activation and inactivation of NADP-malate dehydrogenase in vitro were partially or totally dependent upon a separate small molecular weight protein factor. Activation and inactivation were largely or solely dependent upon this factor at pH 8.0 or less, but apparently only partially factor dependent at pH 9.0. The factor was heat stable, inactivated by incubation with trypsin, and had a molecular weight of about 10,000. It was mostly associated with the chloroplasts of mesophyll cells.     

Antibodies and Fab fragments protect Cu,Zn-SOD against methylglyoxal-induced inactivation

Methyl glyoxal (MG) is a highly reactive alpha-oxoaldehyde that plays an important role in non-enzymatic glycosylation reactions, formation of Advanced Glycation End products (AGEs) and other complications associated with hyperglycemia and related disorders. Unlike sugars, glycation by MG is predominantly arginine directed, which is particularly more damaging since arginine residues have a high-frequency occurrence in ligand and substrate recognition sites in receptor and enzyme active sites. Using bovine erythrocyte Cu,Zn-superoxide dismutase (SOD) as model enzyme, the potential of anti-enzyme antibodies in imparting protection against MG-induced inactivation was investigated. A concentration- and time-dependent inactivation of SOD was observed when the enzyme was incubated with MG. The enzyme lost over 80% activity on incubation with 5 mM MG for 5 days. More marked inactivation was observed in 24 h when the MG concentration was raised up to 30 mM. The SOD inactivation was accompanied by the formation of high molecular weight aggregates as revealed by sodium dodecyl sulfate polyacrylamide gel electrophoresis (SDS-PAGE) and surface enhanced laser desorption/ionization time of flight mass spectrometry (SELDI/TOF mass spectrometry). Inclusion of specific anti-SOD antibodies raised in rabbits or monomeric Fab fragments derived thereof offered remarkable protection against MG-induced loss in enzyme activity. The protection, however, decreased with increase in the concentration of MG. SELDI/TOF mass spectrometry also revealed that the antibodies restricted the formation of high molecular weight aggregates. The results emphasize the potential of antibody based therapy in combating glycation and related complications.     

Cytosolic phospholipase A2 from U937 cells: size of the functional enzyme by radiation inactivation.

We have studied the cytosolic phospholipase A2 (cPLA2) of human U937 cells by radiation inactivation in order to characterize the functional form of the native enzyme by a method that was independent of the discrepancies observed by SDS-PAGE and cDNA cloning. The Radiation Inactivation Size of cPLA2 was reproducible and gave a value of 76,800-80,100 daltons. We eluted the active enzyme from polyacrylamide-gradient gel electrophoresis at a molecular weight of 77,000, confirming the irradiation result. We conclude that cPLA2 is active as the monomeric enzyme and is composed of a single major functional domain that is sensitive to irradiation.     

Glutamate synthase. Properties of the glutamine-dependent activity.

Properties of glutamine-dependent glutamate synthase have been investigated using homogeneous enzyme from Escherichia coli K-12. In contrast to results with enzyme from E. coli strain B (Miller, R. E., and Stadtman, E. R. (1972) J. Biol. Chem. 247, 7407-7419), this enzyme catalyzes NH3-dependent glutamate synthase activity. Selective inactivation of glutamine-dependent activity was obtained by treatment with the glutamine analog. L-2-amino-4-oxo-5-chloropentanoic acid (chloroketone). Inactivation by chloroketone exhibited saturation kinetics; glutamine reduced the rate of inactivation and exhibited competitive kinetics. Iodoacetamide, other alpha-halocarbonyl compounds, and sulfhydryl reagents gave similar selective inactivation of glutamine-dependent activity. Saturation kinetics were not obtained for inactivation by iodoacetamide but protection by glutamine exhibited competitive kinetics. The stoichiometry for alkylation by chloroketone and iodoacetamide was approximately 1 residue per protomer of molecular weight approximately 188,000. The single residue alkylated with iodo [1-14C]acetamide was identified as cysteine by isolation of S-carboxymethylcysteine. This active site cysteine is in the large subunit of molecular weight approximately 153,000. The active site cysteine was sensitive to oxidation by H2O2 generated by autooxidation of reduced flavin and resulted in selective inactivation of glutamine-dependent enzyme activity. Similar to other glutamine amidotransferases, glutamate synthase exhibits glutaminase activity. Glutaminase activity is dependent upon the functional integrity of the active site cysteine but is not wholly dependent upon the flavin and non-heme iron. Collectively, these results demonstrate that glutamate synthase is similar to other glutamine amidotransferases with respect to distinct sites for glutamine and NH3 utilization and in the obligatory function of an active site cysteine residue for glutamine utilization.     

Purification of NADP-dependent glutamate dehydrogenase from Pseudomonas aeruginosa and immunochemical characterization of its in vivo inactivation

The 'high ammonia pathway' enzyme glutamate dehydrogenase (NADP+) is inactivated in cells of Pseudomonas aeruginosa when the stationary phase of growth is reached. Purified glutamate dehydrogenase (NADP+) appeared to be a protein composed of six identical subunits with a molecular weight of 54 000. With antibodies raised against purified enzyme it was found that glutamate dehydrogenase (NADP+) inactivation is accompanied by a parallel decrease in immunologically reactive material. This suggests that glutamate dehydrogenase (NADP+) inactivation is caused or followed by rapid proteolysis.     

Purification and properties of cytidine deaminase from escherichia coli

A convenient and efficient procedure for the purification of cytidine deaminase (EC 3.5.4.5) from Escherichia coli is reported. The key step involves adsorption of the enzyme from a crude ammonium sulfate fraction onto a cytidine-containing affinity resin, followed by elution with 0.5 M borate buffer. Subsequent chromatography on DEAE-Sepharose results in an overall 1690-fold purification, yielding enzyme with a specific activity of 118 units/mg. Cytidine deaminase has an apparent molecular weight of 54,000 as determined by gel filtration, whereas sodium dodecyl sulfate-polyacrylamide gel electrophoresis shows a band at molecular weight 35,000. Cytidine deaminase is inhibited by 5-(chloromercuri)cytidine with kinetic behavior typical of active-site-directed inactivation, with KD = 0.09 mM and kinact = 1.25 min-1. The enzyme is protected against inactivation in the presence of substrate, and the inhibition is reversed with high concentrations of mercaptoethanol. This suggests that inactivation is the result of a mercaptide formation between the mercury and an active-site thiol.     

Purification and characterization of glutathione reductase from corn mesophyll chloroplasts

Differences in the apparent molecular weights of the subunits of glutathione reductase (EC 1.6.4.2) from pea chloroplasts and corn mesophyll chloroplasts have been recently reported. In order to more fully describe the differences between the enzymes from these two sources, glutathione reductase from the mesophyll chloroplasts of corn seedlings ( Zea mays L. cv. G-4507) has been purified 200-fold by affinity chromatography using adenosine 2',5'-disphosphate agarose. The purified enzyme had a specific activity of 26 μmol NADPH oxidized (mg protein)^-1 min^-1. The native enzyme had a relative molecular weight of 190 ± 30 kDa and exhibited polypeptides of 65, 63, 34, and 32 kDa when separated on sodium dodecylsulfate-polyacrylamide gels. Comparisons of the results from electroblotting, native molecular weight and subunit molecular weight analyses suggest that the enzyme exists as a heterotetramer. Optimal enzyme activity was obtained at pH 8 in N-2-hydroxyethyl-piperazine-N'-2-ethanesulfonic acid (HEPES-NaOH) buffer. The sulfhydryl reagent, n -ethylmaleimide, inhibited enzymatic activity when incubated in the presence of NADPH while no inhibition was detected with oxidized glutathione in the incubation mixture. Reduced glutathione (5 m M ) inactivated the enzyme by 50%. This inactivation followed first order kinetics with a rate constant of 0.0028 s^-1. The enzyme was also inactivated by NADPH. The inactivation reached ca 90% within 30 min and followed first order kinetics with a rate constant of 0.0015 s^-1.     

IMP dehydrogenase. II. Purification and properties of the enzyme from Yoshida sarcoma ascites tumor cells

The preceding paper showed that IMP dehydrogenase [IMP:NAD+ oxidoreductase, EC 1.2.1.14] tended to form a precipitable complex(es) through ionic and hydrophobic interactions. On the basis of these observations, a method was developed for purification of IMP dehydrogenase from Yoshida sarcoma ascites cells. On SDS-polyacrylamide gel electrophoresis, the purified preparation (1.19 U/mg protein) appeared homogeneous and its minimum molecular weight was estimated to be 68K daltons. Amino acid analyses indicated a subunit molecular weight of 68,042. Molecular sieve chromatography in the presence of 10% (NH4)2SO4 showed that the molecular weight of the native enzyme was 127K daltons. These values indicate that the native enzyme is composed of two identical subunits. However, the purified enzyme gave 4 protein bands on polyacrylamide gel electrophoresis under non-denaturing conditions, and appeared as a single fraction in the vicinity of the void volume on Ultrogel AcA 34 column chromatography at low salt concentration, indicating that its molecular weight exceeded 200K daltons. These findings indicate that the enzyme tends to aggregate owing to its own physicochemical characteristics. The Km values for IMP and NAD were calculated to be 12 and 25 microM, respectively, and the Ki values for XMP, GMP, and AMP to be 109, 130, and 854 microM, respectively. The purified enzyme showed full activity in the presence of K+, and K+ could be partially replaced by Na+. PCMB inactivated the enzyme, but the activity was completely restored by the addition of DTT. Cl-IMP also inactivated the enzyme and IMP prevented this inactivation.(ABSTRACT TRUNCATED AT 250 WORDS)     

Purification and properties of citrate lyase from Streptococcus diacetilactis.

Citrate lyase from Streptococcus diacetilactis has been purified to yield a protein that was homogeneous as judged by sedimentation velocity and sedimentation equilibrium experiments. The enzyme's sedimentation coefficient is 16.8 S and its molecular weight is around 585,000. It contains three nonidentical subunits of about 53,000, 34,000, and 10,000 daltons. The enzyme in its active form contains an acetyl group which turns over during the citrate cleavage reaction. Removal of the acetyl group inactivates the enzyme. The deacetyl enzyme can be partially reactivated by acetylation with acetic anhydride. The enzyme undergoes slow "reaction-inactivation." The rate of inactivation is first order and the rate constant of inactivation is much lower than that for a similar inactivation process of the citrate lyase from Klebsiella aerogenes. Like the latter enzyme it contains stoichiometric amounts of phosphopantothenate. The enzyme is inactivated at pH greater than 8.1 and the presence of citrate provides protection against this inactivation. Sedimentation studies of the enzyme at pH 8.7 indicate that the enzyme is dissociated, which may account for the inactivation. The enzyme is immunologically different from citrate lyases of K. aerogenes and Escherichia coli.     

The metabolism of benzene by bacteria. Purification and some properties of the enzyme cis-1,2-dihydroxycyclohexa-3,5-diene (nicotinamide–adenine dinucleotide) oxidoreductase (cis-benzene glycol dehydrogenase)

1. cis-Benzene glycol dehydrogenase was purified to a homogeneous state from a species of Pseudomonas grown with benzene as the major carbon source. 2. The enzyme was specific for the cis-isomer of its substrate and required NAD(+) as hydrogen acceptor. 3. Partial inactivation of the enzyme, which was observed during purification, could be reversed by the addition of Fe(2+) and GSH. 4. A molecular weight of 440000 was calculated from data obtained by sedimentation-velocity and diffusion analysis in the ultracentrifuge. Sodium dodecyl sulphate polyacrylamide-gel electrophoresis indicated a subunit of molecular weight 110000. 5. p-Chloromercuribenzoic acid and 1,10-phenanthroline were shown to inhibit the enzyme.     

Purification and Characterization of Sorbitol Dehydrogenase from Bovine Brain

Sorbitol dehydrogenase (EC 1.1.1.14) was isolated from bovine brain and purified 3,000-fold to apparent homogeneity, as judged by polyacrylamide gel electrophoresis. The purified enzyme had a specific activity of 36 units/mg of protein; a molecular weight of 39,000 for each of the four identical subunits and 155,000 for the intact enzyme were determined by sodium dodecyl sulfate-polyacrylamide gel electrophoresis and gel exclusion chromatography, respectively. The presence of one Zn2+ per subunit was confirmed by atom absorption spectroscopy; inactivation of the enzyme by metal-chelating agents points to the essential role that Zn2+ plays in the catalytically competent enzyme. The enzyme is also inactivated by thiol-blocking reagents; with respect to inactivation by sodium pyrophosphate, sorbitol dehydrogenase is different from closely related alcohol dehydrogenase.     

L-phenylalanine ammonia-lyase (maize, potato, and Rhodotorula glutinis). Studies of the prosthetic group with nitromethane.

Highly purified enzyme (EC 4.1.3.5) from Rhodotorula glutinis was shown by sodium dodecyl sulfate gel electrophoresis to have subunits which if not identical are closely similar in molecular weight. Like the enzyme from maize and potato [Havir, E. A., and Hanson, K. R. (1973), Biochemistry 12, 1583] it is a tetramer of molecular weight similar to 4 times 83,000. Enzyme from all three sources inactivated and labeled at the active site with 14-CH3NO2 gave on HCl hydrolysis 14-CO2, H-14-CO2H, D- and L-[14-C]aspartic acid, and unidentified radioactive products. In addition, the labeled R. glutinis enzyme gave [1,2-14-C2]glycine. The formation of the first three products is compatible with the hypothesis that the electrophilic prosthetic group of the enzyme contains the dehydroalanine imine system greater than C equals to N minus C-alpha(equals to C-beta-H2)COminus and inactivation involves attack on C-beta. The second-order rate constants for CH3NO2 inactivation varied with pH as a simple titration curve. The pKa values calculated from the curves for the three enzymes differed and were lower than the pKa of CH3NO2 by at least 1 pH unit. Apparently the inactivation process is enzyme catalyzed. Both inactivation and addition of the substrate amino group may occur with attack on C-beta.