Protein synthesis results in guanosine-5'-diphosphate-3'-diphosphate synthesis in Escherichia coli minicells.

Minicells of Escherichia coli DS410 synthesized guanosine-5'-diphosphate-3'-diphosphate and guanosine-5'-triphosphate-3'-diphosphate when synthesizing proteins in response to phage T7 infection. The guanosine-5'-diphosphate-3'-diphosphate synthesis was found to be relA+ dependent and inhibited by chloramphenicol.     

Guanosine 5'-diphosphate-3'-diphosphate inhibition of adenylosuccinate synthetase.

The mechanism of ppGpp inhibition of adenylosuccinate synthetase (EC 6.3.4.4) was examined. Initial rate kinetic studies demonstrate the ppGpp inhibition is competitive with respect to GTP and noncompetitive with respect to L-aspartate and IMP. This is in contrast to an earlier report (Gallant, J., Irr, J., and Cashel, M. (1971) J. Biol. Chem. 246, 5812-5816), which suggested that ppGpp did not bind at the GTP site. Possible reasons for the discrepancy are discussed. The potency of the ppGpp inhibition is confirmed.     

The effect of alcohols on guanosine 5'-diphosphate-3'-diphosphate metabolism in stringent and relaxed Escherichia coli

The effects of a series of alcohols on the stringent response system of Escherichia coli were studied. The alcohols used could be divided into two groups on the basis of the response of pppGpp and ppGpp to the growth downshift induced by the alcohols. The cells responded to the alcohols, methanol, ethanol, and propanol, as if they were being starved of amino acids. In the stringent strain CP78 these alcohols induced pppGpp and ppGpp accumulation and curtailed RNA synthesis, whereas in the relaxed strain CP79, both of these responses were absent. It was determined that this response was most likely due to an interference by these alcohols with the uptake of amino acids required by these strains. By contrast both stringent and relaxed cells elevated their level of ppGpp and decreased RNA accumulation when treated with butanol or pentanol. This response is similar to the effect of carbon source limitation. It was determined that the elevation of ppGpp in the stringent strain was primarily the result of increased ppGpp synthesis in response to these alcohols. In the relaxed strain the rise in ppGpp was dependent on a decrease in ppGpp degradation coupled with a moderate increase in ppGpp synthesis. This stimulation of ppGpp synthesis in relaxed cells, although small, suggests the existence of an enzyme distinct from stringent factor which is capable of synthesizing ppGpp. Data are presented which suggest that the activity of this enzyme is coupled to the potential for protein synthesis and energy availability of the cell, perhaps being regulated by the overall ratio of unchanged to amino-acylated tRNA.     

Inhibition of nitrate reductase from tomato leaves by adenosine-5'-diphosphate

ADP was found to inhibit the activity of nitrate reductase fromtomato leaves in vitro. No effects of ATP, AMP, adenosine andadenine could be detected. Orthophosphate promoted activityonly in the presence of high concentrations of NADH₂. It is suggested that nitrate reductase possesses characteristicsof a regulatory enzyme and that ADP brings about a transformationin the conformation of the enzyme, with a resulting decreasein its activity. (Received February 29, 1968; )     

Partial purification and characterization of adenosine- and guanosine-3',5'-monophosphate phosphodiesterases from human lung tissue.

Crude extracts of human lung tissue were examined for cyclic adenosine- and guanosine-3',5'-monophosphate (cAMP and cGMP) phosphodiesterase activities. Nonlinear reciprocal plots were observed for each substrate. DEAE-Sephadex chromatography of the extracts revealed four main fractions of activity, which were further purified by Sephadex gel filtration. The phosphodiesterase activity of the resulting individual fractions was partially characterized with respect to substrate specificity, kinetic parameters, apparent molecular weight (gel filtration), thermal stability at 30 and 37 degrees C, effect of the cyclic nucleotide not utilized as substrate, and the possible influence of Ca2+-dependent protein activator. The results indicate that the tissue contains phosphodiesterases with strict specificity and a high apparent affinity for each of the two cyclic nucleotides (the Km values determined were approximately 0.3-0.4 muM). The high affinity cAMP phosphodiesterase activity was enriched in two of the purified fractions; both activities probably represent fragments of the native high affinity cAMP specific enzyme. A third purified phosphodiesterase showed mixed substrate specificity. The Km value recorded for hydrolysis of either substrate with this enzyme was approximately 25 muM. A fourth, irregularly occurring, phosphodiesterase activity also showed mixed substrate specificity. The Km value registered for hydrolysis of either substrate with this fraction was approximately 0.4 muM. There was no evidence for a Ca2+-dependent specific activation by a boiled lung tissue supernatant of any of the purified enzymes.     

Interaction centres of purine nucleotides: adenosine-5'-diphosphate and adenosine-5'-triphosphate in their reactions with tetramines and Cu(II) ions

The interactions between the nucleotides: adenosine-5'-diphosphate (ADP) and adenosine-5'-triphosphate (ATP) with spermine (Spm) and 1,11-diamine-4,8-diazaundecane (3,3,3-tet), as well as Cu(II) ions are studied. In the metal-free systems nucleotide-polyamine molecular complexes have been found to form, in which the interaction centres are the nitrogen atoms of the purine ring N(1) and N(7), oxygen atoms of the phosphate group of the nucleotide (for 3,3,3-tet) and protonated nitrogen atoms of the polyamine. Significant differences in the mode of metallation between the systems with Spm and 3,3,3-tet have been established. In the systems with Spm, the main products are protonated species with [N(7),O] chromophore and the nitrogen N(1) is involved in the intramolecular interaction additionally stabilising the complex. In the systems with 3,3,3-tet the formation of metal-ligand-ligand (MLL) species has been observed, in which the oxygen atoms from the phosphate group and the nitrogen atoms from the polyamine are involved in the metallation, while the N(1) and N(7) atoms from the purine ring of the nucleotide remain outside the inner coordination sphere of the copper ion. The main centre of metallation in the nucleotide, both with Spm and 3,3,3-tet, is the phosphate group of the nucleotide.     

Effect of polyamines on synthesis and degradation of guanosine 5'-diphosphate 3'-diphosphate

The effect of polyamines on the in vitro and in vivo synthesis and degradation on guanosine 5'-diphosphate 3'-diphosphate (ppGpp) has been studied in Escherichia coli. The presence of 2 mM spermidine lowered the optimal Mg2+ concentration for ppGpp formation from 17 mM to 11 mM. The formation of ppGpp in the presence of 2 mM spermidine and 11 mM Mg2+ was about 15% greater than that in the presence of 17 mM Mg2+. At a concentration of less than 11 mM Mg2+, spermidine was found to stimulate ppGpp formation greatly. Putrescine did not cause any effect. When a polyamine-requiring mutant of E. coli (EWH319) was starved for an amino acid by the addition of valine, spermidine stimulated ppGpp formation. The degradation of ppGpp was not influenced significantly by polyamines.     

Selective inhibition of tRNATyr transcription by guanosine 3'-diphosphate 5'-diphosphate.

Guanosine 3'-diphosphate 5'-diphosphate (ppGpp) selectively reduces the synthesis of su+III tRNA from omega 80 psu+III DNA relative to the synthesis of omega 80 RNA in a system in vitro containing DNA and Escherichia coli RNA polymerase holoenzyme as the sole macromolecular components. The response of su+III tRNA synthesis to increasing salt and to temperature in the presence of ppGpp suggests that the nucleotide may reduce the affinity of the enzyme for su+III promoters. The Ki for the selective inhibition of tRNA synthesis by ppGpp is 4 muM in contrast to the value of 150 muM for the inhibition of rRNA synthesis.     

Functionally important sites in the elongation factor EF-Tu from Thermus aquaticus: analysis of fine structural changes upon binding of guanosine-3'-triphosphate and guanosine-3'-diphosphate]

High-resolution data were used to analyze conformational changes of the main chain in two functional states of the ribosome elongation factor EF-Tu from Thermus aquaticus: the inactive state with guanosine-3'-diphosphate and the active state with guanosine-3'-triphosphate. Earlier only major changes in the effector loop of the domain I were determined. In this paper, all rearrangements in the main chain were observed upon shifting of C alpha-atoms from 1 to 8 A for each of the three protein domains. It was shown that these changes occur in numerous regions. New regions of changes were found, and they were located mostly in the loops of protein domains. Some of them are in the regions of interdomain interactions, others correlate with the known functionally important regions of EF-Tu binding with EF-Ts, aminoacyl-tRNA and the ribosome. Most changes induced by the conformational signal transfer from the guanosine-3'-triphosphate binding site occur just in the regions that are important for further stages of the factor functioning. The signal is transferred from domain I to domains II and III via interdomain contacts, predetermining fine fitting of functionally important regions to be involved in the following stages of the elongation cycle. The greatest part of the detected changes occurs in conservative residues of the whole family of bacterial factors, and only some of them are specific. This approach may prove useful for predetermining potential functionally important sites in other proteins.     

Cyclic adenosine-3',5'-phosphate and guanosine-3',5'-phosphate in mouse plasma during administration of chemical compounds with different degrees of radioprotective effectiveness

A study was made of seven radioprotective agents of different chemical classes (sulfur-containing, indolylalkylamines, and imidazol, urea and pyridasine derivatives) and also of their six structural analogs without radioprotective properties on the content of cyclic nucleotides in blood plasma and on the postirradiation survival of mice. There was a correlation between the ability of the preparations to increase the level of cyclic adenosine-3',5'-monophosphate and their radioprotective properties; with guanosine-3',5'-monophosphate, this correlation was absent.     

Intracellular levels of guanosine 5'-diphosphate 3'-diphosphate (ppGpp) and guanosine 5'-triphosphate 3'-diphosphate (pppGpp) in cultures of Streptomyces griseus producing streptomycin.

Guanosine 5'-diphosphate 3'-diphosphate (ppGpp) and guanosine 5'-triphosphate 3'-diphosphate (pppGpp) were identified in the vegative mycelium of Streptomyces griseus. Adenosine 5'-diphosphate 3'-diphosphate (ppApp) and adenosine 5'-triphosphate 3'-diphosphate (pppApp) were not present but several other phosphorus-containing compounds which may have been inorganic polyphosphates were detected. During exponential growth of S. griseus the concentrations of ppGpp and pppGpp were several times higher than in the stationary stage. They fell sharply when exponential growth ended and then remained at an almost constant basal level. For the tetraphosphate the maximum concentration was about 50, and for the basal level about 10, pmol per millilitre of a culture with an optical density of 1.0. Production of streptomycin started several hours after exponential growth had ended and the concentrations of ppGpp and pppGpp had fallen. Streptomycin synthesis was delayed if the cells were resuspended just before production started in fresh medium lacking phosphate, but it was not delayed by glucose starvation. Both cultures, as well as cultures transferred to nitrogen-free medium, showed an immediate increase in ppGpp content to about four-fold the basal level. The results suggest that the guanosine polyphosphates do not directly control initiation of streptomycin production in S. griseus. Twelve additional species of Streptomyces examined all contained ppGpp and pppGpp.