Nad malic enzyme from citrus fruit

NAD malic enzyme activity was found in the 15 000 g precipitate of citrus leaf and fruit tissues. The enzyme activity in juice vesicle tissue did not change during the fruit growing period, but doubled following ripening. Partially purified enzyme was activated by CoA or FDP. Affinity for malate changed depending on enzyme concentration. The dependency was lost by addition of tricarboxylic acids but not dicarboxylic acids.     

Genetic regulation of malic enzyme activity in the mouse

Cytosolic malic enzyme catalyzes the NADP(+)-dependent oxidative decarboxylation of malate to pyruvate and CO2. Additionally, this enzyme produces large amounts of reducing equivalents (NADPH) required for de novo fatty acid synthesis and provides a precursor for oxaloacetate replacement in the mitochondria. Malic enzyme is considered a key lipogenic enzyme and changes in enzyme activity parallel changes in the lipogenic rate. As would be expected, the activity of malic enzyme responds to a variety of dietary and hormonal factors acting mainly on the rate of enzyme synthesis. In the mouse, the structural locus for malic enzyme (Mod-1) is located on chromosome 9. Two alleles reflecting differences in electrophoretic mobility have been identified. This report demonstrates that the amount of hepatic malic enzyme activity is strain-dependent and is regulated by a malic enzyme regulator locus (Mod1r) located on the proximal end of chromosome 12. Two alleles have been identified: Mod1ra, conferring high enzyme activity (C57BL/6J), and Mod1rb, conferring low enzyme activity (C57BL/KsJ). Biochemical studies have demonstrated differences in the apparent Km and Vmax and in specific activity on purification and immunoprecipitation, features that suggest changes in enzyme structure even though no differences were observed by electrophoresis and isoelectric focusing. These combined data suggest that differences in both enzyme quantity and structure may be involved in the genetic regulation of malic enzyme activity in mice.     

Mitochondrial malic enzyme in mosaic skeletal muscle of mouse chimeras

The question was investigated whether mitochondria in the mammalian skeletal muscle fiber syncytium incorporate gene products encoded by one or many nuclei. Mouse chimeras were produced from strains which differ in their electrophoretic variants of the nuclear-coded mitochondrial protein, malic enzyme (MOD-2, E.C. 1.1.1.40, l-malate NADP⁺ oxidoreductase decarboxylating). The MOD-2 phenotypes of skeletal muscles of these chimeras were characterized in a starch gel electrophoretic system. The results indicate that individual mitochondria can contain products encoded by multiple nuclei and therefore that, for skeletal muscle mitochondria, the cell is not subdivided into nuclear territories. Possible mechanisms of gene product distribution in skeletal muscle fibers are discussed.This work was supported by Grants MT-1940 (K. B. F.) and MA-6411 (A. C. P.) from the Medical Research Council of Canada, and by the Muscular Dystrophy Association of Canada (A. C. P. and P. M. F.).     

Kinetic properties of NAD malic enzyme from cauliflower

The kinetic characteristics of NAD malic enzyme purified to homogeneity from cauliflower florets have been examined. Free NAD⁺ is the active form of this coenzyme. Double-reciprocal plots of data obtained by varying NAD⁺ and malate^2? at a saturating concentration of Mg²⁺ or by varying Mg²⁺ and NAD⁺ at a saturating level of malate^2? are of intersecting type. This indicates that NAD malic enzyme obeys a sequential mechanism. Analysis of these sets of data suggests that each of these substrate pairs binds randomly to the enzyme. However, each substrate binds tighter when others are already present on the enzyme. NAD malic enzyme cannot decarboxylate malate^2? in the absence of either Mg²⁺ or NAD⁺. Arrhenius plots of the NAD-linked reaction are concave downward, indicating the existence of two rate-determining steps with activation energies of 26.5 and 14.2 kcal/mol, respectively. In addition to Mg²⁺, the enzyme can also use Mn²⁺ and Co²⁺. Using Co²⁺ in place of Mg²⁺ does not change V_max or K_m,malate^2? but the K_m for metal and NAD⁺ are greatly decreased. At pH 7.0 and above, Mn²⁺ isotherms and malate^2? curves with Mn²⁺ are nonlinear and appear to be composed of two separate saturation curves. NAD malic enzyme is completely and irreversibly inactivated by N-ethylmaleimide. The enzyme is also irreversibly inactivated approximately 50% by KCNO.     

Affinity chromatography of malic enzyme from grape berries

NADP-dependent malic enzyme from grape berries is associated with NAD-dependent malate dehydrogenase. A two step procedure, involving affinity chromatography on 2′,5′-ADP-Sepharose 4B, followed by gel- permeation on Bio-Gel A- 1.5 m, was used to separate malic enzyme from malate dehydrogenase and other proteins. The yield was ca 60% Malic enzyme and malate dehydrogenase migrated respectively as three bands and one band during disc electrophoresis in polyacrylamide gel. The MW resulting from gel-permeation was 220 000 for malic enzyme and 53 000 for malate dehydrogenase.     

Mitochondrial malic enzyme from crustacean and fish muscle

1. In contrast to mammalian skeletal muscle mitochondria, the only substrate that crustacean and fish mitochondria oxidize at a high rate is malate. 2. The mitochondria isolated from muscles of fish and crayfish exhibit a high activity of malic enzyme. 3. Assuming that malic enzyme is responsible for the conversion of malate to pyruvate in animal muscle, it could be expected that the mitochondria which possess high activity of this enzyme should oxidize malate very rapidly when oxygen is available. 4. Some properties of different molecular forms of malic enzyme are reviewed.     

Structure and properties of malic enzyme from Bacillus stearothermophilus

The malic enzyme (EC 1.1.1.38) gene of Bacillus stearothermophilus was cloned in Escherichia coli, and the enzyme was purified to homogeneity from the E. coli clone. In addition to the NAD(P)-dependent oxidative decarboxylation of L-malate, the enzyme catalyzes the decarboxylation of oxalacetate. The enzyme is a tetramer of Mr 200,000 consisting of four identical subunits of Mr 50,000. The pH optima for malate oxidation and pyruvate reduction are 8.0 and 6.0, respectively; and the optimum temperature is 55 degrees C. The enzyme strictly requires divalent metal cations for its activity, and the activity is enhanced 5-7 times by NH4+ and K+. Kinetic study shows that the values of the dissociation constant of the enzyme-coenzyme complex are 77 microM for NAD and 1.0 mM for NADP, indicating that the enzyme has a higher affinity for NAD than for NADP. The nucleotide sequence of the gene and its flanking regions was also found. A single open reading frame of 1434 base pairs encoding 478 amino acids was concluded to be that for the malic enzyme gene because the amino acid composition of the enzyme and the sequence of 16 amino acids from the amino terminus of the enzyme agreed well with those deduced from this open reading frame.     

Purification and molecular weight determination of glucose-6-phosphate dehydrogenase and malic enzyme from mouse and Drosophila.

A facile two-step procedure was employed for simultaneous purification of glucose-6-phosphate dehydrogenase and malic enzyme from mouse (strain $\text{DBA}\text{2J}$) and Drosophila melanogaster. This involved the use of an 8-(6-aminohexyl)-amino-2′,5′-ADP-Sepharsoe affinity column chromatography followed by DEAE-Sephadex chromatography. The native and subunit molecular weights of these two homogeneous enzymes were determined by gel-filtration chromatography and SDS-polyacrylamide gel electrophoresis. From this study, it was concluded that the two enzymes are tetrameric and have native molecular weights between 200,000 and 280,000 in both species.     

High malic enzyme activity in tumor cells and its cross-reaction with antipigeon liver malic enzyme serum

Summary Rabbit antibodies against pigeon liver malic enzyme (EC 1.1.1.40) were prepared. The antiserum gave single precipitation line with crude pigeon liver extract. Cross reaction was observed with partially purified malic enzyme or crude extract from chicken liver. Positive cross reaction was also observed with the concentrated cytosolic fraction of two human carcinoma cell lines which were demonstrated to contain high malic enzyme activity. All other proteins examined did not react with the antibodies. When purified pigeon liver malic enzyme was mixed with the antiserumin vitro, a time-dependent inactivation of the enzyme activity was observed. Protection of the enzyme activity against antiserum inactivation was afforded by NADP⁺ orL-malate. Metal Mn²⁺ gave little protection.     

Mitochondrial malate dehydrogenase and malic enzyme: Mendelian inherited electrophoretic variants in the mouse

Malate dehydrogenase and malic enzyme each possess supernatant and mitochondrial molecular forms which are structurally and genetically independent. We describe electrophoretic variants of the mitochondrial enzymes of malate dehydrogenase and malic enzyme in mice. Progeny testing from genetic crosses indicated that the genes which code for mitochondrial malate dehydrogenase and malic enzyme were not inherited maternally but as independent unlinked nuclear autosomal genes. The locus for mitochondrial malic enzyme was located on linkage group I. Linkage analysis with a third mitochondrial enzyme marker, glutamic oxaloacetic transaminase, showed that the nuclear genes which code for the three mitochondrial enzymes were not closely linked to each other. This evidence suggests that clusters of nuclear genes coding for mitochondrial function are unlikely in mice.Supported by U.S. Public Health Service grants 5F2 HD-35,531 and GM-09966.     

Mitochondrial malic enzyme in human leukocytes

Leukocyte samples from 316 unrelated blood donors were screened for malic enzyme (MEM). The frequency of the common allele in this investigation was MEM1 = 0.63. There is evidence for the existence of a rare fourth allele MEM4.     

Characterization of NADP-dependent malic enzyme from developing castor oil seed endosperm

Metabolic pathways sequestered within the leucoplast of developing oilseeds ensure a balanced supply of substrates and cofactors for fatty acid biosynthesis. NADP-dependent malic enzyme (NADP-ME) may be important in supplying both carbon and NADPH for fatty acid biosynthesis in the developing endosperm of the oilseed Ricinus communis. NADP-ME was purified 5160-fold to a specific activity of 18.2 U/mg protein. NADP-ME is a homotetramer with a native mass of 254 kDa and a subunit size of approximately 63 kDa. Effectors of castor NADP-ME are typical of the NADP-malic enzymes, with the exception of acetyl-CoA and its derivatives, which were found to act as activators. This is consistent with a regulatory role for these molecules during fatty acid biosynthesis in vivo. NADP-ME was found to have maximal activity at stage 7 of endosperm development, coincident with maximal lipid accumulation.