Interaction with substrate sensitises caspase-3 to inactivation by hydrogen peroxide

Caspases have an active site cysteine whose oxidation blocks catalytic activity. Caspase activity, measured in lysates of apoptotic cells, was inhibited by H2O2 with an IC50 of 7 microM. Recombinant caspase-3 was directly inhibited by H2O2, with an estimated second-order rate constant of 750 M-1 s-1. These values were determined when H2O2 was added while the caspases were cleaving a peptide substrate. There was a 40-fold decrease in sensitivity to inactivation if the substrate was absent at the time of H2O2 addition. These results rationalise conflicting reports of the sensitivity of caspase-3 to H2O2, and identify a novel mechanism for sensitising a thiol enzyme to oxidative inactivation.     

Catalysis by cobalt(II)-substituted carbonic anhydrase II of the exchange of oxygen-18 between CO2 and H2O

We have measured the catalysis by Co(II)-substituted bovine carbonic anhydrase II from red cells of the exchange of 18O between CO2 and H2O using membrane-inlet mass spectrometry. We chose Co(II)-substituted carbonic anhydrase II because the apparent equilibrium dissociation constant of HCO3- and enzyme at pH 7.4, KHCO3-eff approximately equal to 55 mM, was within a practicable range of substrate concentrations for the 18O method. For the native, zinc-containing enzyme KHCO3-eff is close to 500 mM at this pH. The rate constant for the release from the active site of water bearing substrate oxygen kH2O was dependent on the fraction of enzyme that was free, not bound by substrate HCO3- or anions. The pH dependence of kH2O in the pH range 6.0-9.0 can be explained entirely by a rate-limiting, intramolecular proton transfer between cobalt-bound hydroxide and a nearby group, probably His-64. The rate constant for this proton transfer was found to be 7 X 10(5) S-1 for the Co(II)-substituted enzyme and 2 X 10(6) S-1 for the native enzyme. These results are applied to models derived from proton-relaxation enhancement of water exchanging from the inner coordination shell of the cobalt in carbonic anhydrase. The anions iodide, cyanate, and thiocyanate inhibited catalysis of 18O exchange by Co(II)-substituted carbonic anhydrase II in a manner competitive with total substrate (CO2 and HCO3-) at chemical equilibrium and pH 7.4. These results are discussed in terms of observed steady-state inhibition patterns and suggest that there is no significant contribution of a ternary complex between substrate, inhibitor, and enzyme.     

Influence of magnetic field on hydrogen peroxide decomposition by catalase

The rate constants of H2O2 decomposition equal to 0.45 X 10(7) M-1S-1 per hem and Michaelis constants higher than 0.3 M were found by gas volume meter and spectrophotometer methods for purified preparations of catalase from bovine liver. Unlike the results obtained earlier the magnetic field with induction 0.65 T and 0.012 T does not affect the constant rate within 3%. It was found with the substrate concentration less than 0.01 M when the classical catalase mechanism was observed and with higher concentration of the substrate up to 0.7 M when the catalase inhibition by H2O2 played an important role.     

Kinetic characterization of phenol and aniline derivates as substrates of peroxidase

The kinetic characterization of horseradish peroxidase (HRPC) substrates is difficult because the reaction products are free radicals. The application of a spectrophotometrical method, which is based on determining the time necessary for a given quantity of L-ascorbic acid to be consumed (lag period) during its reaction with the free radicals generated by the enzyme acting on the reducing substrate, makes it possible to obtain the initial steady-state rates (v0). From the kinetic study of a series of derivates of phenol and aniline, the following parameters were determined for the first time: the global catalytic constant (kcat), the Michaelis constant of HRPC for H2O2 in the presence of each reducing substrate (K(M)H2O2), the Michaelis constant of HRPC for the reducing substrate (KMS), the binding constant of the reducing substrate with HRPC compound II (k5) and the rate constant of substrate oxidation by HRPC compound II (k6). The values obtained are disccussed.     

The nature of carbon dioxide substrate and equilibrium constant of the 6-phosphogluconate dehydrogenase reaction

1. It was shown that dissolved CO(2) and not HCO(3) (-) or H(2)CO(3) is the primary substrate for reductive carboxylation with 6-phosphogluconate dehydrogenase from sheep liver. 2. The equilibrium constant of the reaction was measured in solutions of various ionic strengths and at several temperatures, and the free energy and heat of reaction were determined.     

Phosphatidylinositol Phosphodiesterase (Phospholipase C) Activity in the Pineal Gland: Characterization and Photoneural Regulation

Phosphatidylinositol phosphodiesterase (PL-C) appears to be a key element in the adrenergic regulation of pineal cyclic AMP levels. In the present study, the rat pineal enzyme was characterized using exogenous [3H]phosphatidylinositol (0.5 mM) as substrate. Half the enzyme activity was found in the cytosolic fraction, but the highest specific concentration was associated with the membrane fraction. Two pH optima (5.5 and 7.5) of enzyme activity were observed for the membrane fraction but only one in the cytosol fraction (pH 5.5). Enzyme activity in both fractions was Ca2+ dependent. In the case of the membrane protein in pH 7.5, the enzyme activity was sensitive to changes in Ca2+ in the 10-100 nM range. Addition of an equimolar concentration of phosphatidylinositol 4-phosphate nearly completely inhibited the hydrolysis of [3H]phosphatidylinositol; other phospholipids (1.0 mM) were less potent. This may reflect our present finding that [3H]phosphatidylinositol 4-phosphate is a better substrate than [3H]phosphatidylinositol for the enzyme. Stimulus deprivation (2 weeks of constant light or superior cervical ganglionectomy) reduced the cytosolic activity by 30% and had no effect on the membrane-associated enzyme.     

The arsonomethyl analogue of adenosine 5''-phosphate. An uncoupler of adenylate kinase.

Adenosine was converted into the arsonomethyl analogue of AMP. The reactions used provide a general route for converting an alcohol, R-CH2-OH, into the arsonomethyl analogue, R-CH2-CH2-AsO3H2, of its phosphate, R-CH2-O-PO3H2. The analogue of AMP proves to be a substrate for rabbit adenylate kinase, which shows a limiting velocity with it of 1/17 that with AMP, a Michaelis constant raised 70-fold to about 10 mM, and hence a specificity constant lowered about 1200-fold. The product of transfer of a phospho group from ATP to the analogue is, like all anhydrides of arsonic acids, unstable to hydrolysis, and so breaks down to yield orthophosphate and regenerate the analogue. Hence adenylate kinase is converted into an ATPase by the presence of the analogue.     

Competitive, reversible inhibition of cytosolic phospholipase A2 at the lipid-water interface by choline derivatives that partially partition into the phospholipid bilayer.

Cytosolic phospholipase A2 (cPLA2) catalyzes the selective release of arachidonic acid from the sn-2 position of phospholipids and is believed to play a key cellular role in the generation of arachidonic acid. When assaying the human recombinant cPLA2 using membranes isolated from [3H]arachidonate-labeled U937 cells as substrate, 2-(2'-benzyl-4-chlorophenoxy)ethyl-dimethyl-n-octadecyl-ammonium chloride (compound 1) was found to inhibit the enzyme in a dose-dependent manner (IC50 = 5 microM). It was over 70 times more selective for the cPLA2 as compared with the human nonpancreatic secreted phospholipase A2, and it did not inhibit other phospholipases. Additionally, it inhibited arachidonate production in N-formyl-methionyl-leucyl-phenylalanine-stimulated U937 cells. To further characterize the mechanism of inhibition, an assay in which the enzyme is bound to vesicles of 1,2-dimyristoyl-sn -glycero-3-phosphomethanol containing 6-10 mol % of 1-palmitoyl-2-[1-14C]arachidonoyl-sn-glycero-3-phosphocholine was employed. With this substrate system, the dose-dependent inhibition could be defined by kinetic equations describing competitive inhibition at the lipid-water interface. The apparent equilibrium dissociation constant for the inhibitor bound to the enzyme at the interface (KI*app) was determined to be 0.097 +/- 0.032 mol % versus an apparent dissociation constant for the arachidonate-containing phospholipid of 0.3 +/- 0.1 mol %. Thus, compound 1 represents a novel structural class of inhibitor of cPLA2 that partitions into the phospholipid bilayer and competes with the phospholipid substrate for the active site. Shorter n-alkyl-chained (C-4, C-6, C-8) derivatives of compound 1 were shown to have even smaller KI*app values. However, these short-chained analogs were less potent in terms of bulk inhibitor concentration needed for inhibition when using the [3H]arachidonate-labeled U937 membranes as substrate. This discrepancy was reconciled by showing that these shorter-chained analogs did not partition into the [3H]arachidonate-labeled U937 membranes as effectively as compound 1. The implications for in vivo efficacy that result from these findings are discussed.     

Unusual mechanism for an aminomutase rearrangement: retention of configuration at the migration termini

The phenylalanine aminomutase from Taxus catalyzes the vicinal exchange of the amino group and the pro-3S hydrogen of (2S)-alpha-phenylalanine to make (3R)-beta-phenylalanine. While the migration of the amino group from C2 of the substrate to C3 of the product is already known to proceed intramolecularly with retention of configuration, the stereochemistry of the hydrogen transfer remained unknown, until now. The chemical shifts of the prochiral hydrogens of authentic (3R)-beta-phenylalanine were established by 1H NMR, and the configuration of each hydrogen was assigned by 2H NMR analysis of a racemic mixture of [2,3-2H2]-(2S,3R)- and (2R,3S)-beta-phenylalanines synthesized via syn addition of deuterium gas with palladium catalyst to stereospecifically reduce the double bond of an N-acetyl enamine. After the aminomutase was incubated with [3,3-2H2]-(2S)-alpha-phenylalanine, the derived deuterium-labeled beta-diastereoisomer product, derivatized as the N-acetyl methyl ester, was analyzed by 2H NMR, which revealed that the mutase shuttles the pro-3S hydrogen to C2 of the beta-isomer product (designated 2S,3R) with retention of configuration. Retention of configuration at both reaction termini is unique among all aminomutase mechanisms examined so far. Furthermore, the dynamics of the Cbeta-H bond of the substrate were measured in a competitive experiment with deuterium-labeled substrate to calculate a primary kinetic isotope effect on Vmax/KM of 2.0 +/- 0.2, indicating that C-H bond cleavage is likely rate limiting. Isotope exchange data indicate that the migratory deuterium of [2H8]-(2S)-alpha-phenylalanine, at saturation, dynamically exchanges up to 75%, with protons from the solvent during the reaction after the first 10% of product is formed. The calculated equilibrium constant of 1.1 indicates that the beta-isomer was slightly favored relative to the alpha-isomer at 30 degrees C.     

Stopped-flow kinetic study of the H2O2 oxidation of substrates catalyzed by microperoxidase-8

We have studied the oxidation of microperoxidase-8 (MP-8) by H2O2 and the subsequent reaction of the intermediates with substrate by stopped-flow experiments. Oxidation of MP-8 by H2O2 gives two intermediates, I and II. The observed rate constant for the formation of I is linearly dependent on [H2O2] and exhibits a bell-shaped dependence on pH with pKa values of 8.90 and 10.60, which are attributed to the deprotonation of MP-bound H2O2 and H2O, respectively. The observed rate constant for the conversion of I to II is independent of [H2O2], but increases sharply at pH>9.0. The predominant forms of the intermediate at pH 7.0 and 10.7 are I and II, respectively. Addition of substrate to the intermediates at pH 9.0 gives rise to three distinct stages, corresponding to the three steps (in decreasing order of rate): I-->II*, II-->MP, and II*-->MP. The rates of these steps are all linearly dependent on the substrate concentration and each individual rate constant has been determined. Substrate reactivity at pH 10.7 covers over two orders of magnitude, ranging from 1.36 x 10(7) M(-1) s(-1) for 1-naphthol to 4.03 x 10(4) M(-1) s(-1) for ferrocyanide. The substrate reactivity is linearly correlated with its reduction potential, indicating that an electron transfer process is involved in the rate-limiting step.     

Mechanistic and structural analyses of the role of His67 in the yeast polyamine oxidase Fms1

The flavoprotein oxidase Fms1 from Saccharomyces cerevisiae catalyzes the oxidation of spermine and N(1)-acetylspermine to spermidine and 3-aminopropanal or N-acetyl-3-aminopropanal. Within the active site of Fms1, His67 is positioned to form hydrogen bonds with the polyamine substrate. This residue is also conserved in other polyamine oxidases. The catalytic properties of H67Q, H67N, and H67A Fms1 have been characterized to evaluate the role of this residue in catalysis. With both spermine and N(1)-acetylspermine as the amine substrate, the value of the first-order rate constant for flavin reduction decreases 2-3 orders of magnitude, with the H67Q mutation having the smallest effect and H67N the largest. The k(cat)/K(O2) value changes very little upon mutation with N(1)-acetylspermine as the amine substrate and decreases only an order of magnitude with spermine. The k(cat)/K(M)-pH profiles with N(1)-acetylspermine are bell-shaped for all the mutants; the similarity to the profile of the wild-type enzyme rules out His67 as being responsible for either of the pK(a) values. The pH profiles for the rate constant for flavin reduction for all the mutant enzymes similarly show the same pK(a) as wild-type Fms1, about ～7.4; this pK(a) is assigned to the substrate N4. The k(cat)/K(O2)-pH profiles for wild-type Fms1 and the H67A enzyme both show a pK(a) of about ～6.9; this suggests His67 is not responsible for this pH behavior. With the H67Q, H67N, and H67A enzymes the k(cat) value decreases when a single residue is protonated, as is the case with the wild-type enzyme. The structure of H67Q Fms1 has been determined at a resolution of 2.4 ?. The structure shows that the mutation disrupts a hydrogen bond network in the active site, suggesting that His67 is important both for direct interactions with the substrate and to maintain the overall active site structure.     

Alternate substrate inhibitors of an alpha-chymotrypsin: enantioselective interaction of aryl-substituted enol lactones

Four enol lactones, bearing phenyl or 1-naphthyl substituents on the alpha or beta positions [3-phenyl-6-methylenetetrahydro-2-pyranone (alpha Ph6H, IIc), 3-(1-naphthyl)-6-methylenetetrahydro-2-pyranone (alpha Np6H, IId), 4-phenyl-6-methylenetetrahydro-2-pyranone (beta Ph6H, IIIc), and 4-(1-naphthyl)-6-methylenetetrahydro-2-pyranone (beta Np6H, IIId)], available as pure R and S enantiomers, have been studied as alternate substrate inhibitors of chymotrypsin. Kinetic constants for substrate binding (Ks) and acylation (ka) were determined by a competitive substrate assay, using succinyl-L-Ala-L-Ala-L-Pro-L-Phe p-nitroanilide; the deacylation rate constant (kd) was determined by the proflavin displacement assay. All lactones undergo rapid acylation (ka varies from 17 to 170 min-1) that shows little enantioselectivity; there is, however, pronounced enantioselectivity in substrate binding for three of the lactones [Ks(R/S) = 40-110]. In each case it is the enantiomer with the S configuration that has the higher affinity. In all cases, deacylation rates are slow, and in two cases, acyl enzymes with half-lives of 4.0 and 12.5 h at pH 7.2, 25 degrees C, are obtained (for beta Ph6H and alpha Np6H, respectively). In these cases, high deacylation enantioselectivity is observed [kd(S/R) = 60-70], and the lactone more weakly bound as a substrate (R enantiomer) gives the more stable acyl enzyme. Two hypotheses, involving hindrance of the attack of water or an exchange of the ester and ketone carbonyl groups in the acyl enzyme, are advanced as possible explanations for the high stability of these acyl enzymes.     

The inactivation of horseradish peroxidase isoenzyme A2 by hydrogen peroxide: an example of partial resistance due to the formation of a stable enzyme intermediate

The inactivation of horseradish peroxidase A2 (HRP-A2) with H2O2 as the sole substrate has been studied. In incubation experiments it was found that the fall in HRP-A2 activity was non-linearly dependent on H2O2 concentrations and that a maximum level of inactivation of approximately 80% (i.e. approximately 20% residual activity) was obtained with 2,000 or more equivalents of H2O2. Further inactivation was only induced at much higher H2O2 concentrations. Spectral changes during incubations of up to 5 days showed the presence of a compound III-like species whose abundance was correlated to the level of resistance observed. Inactivation was pH dependent, the enzyme being much more sensitive under acid conditions. A partition ratio (r1 approximately equals 1,140 at pH 6.5) between inactivation and catalysis was calculated from the data. The kinetics of inactivation followed single exponential time curves and were H2O2 concentration dependent. The apparent maximum rate constant of inactivation was lambdamax=3.56+/-0.07x10(-4)s(-1) and the H2O2 concentration required to give lambdamax/2 was K2=9.94+/-0.52 mM. The relationship lambdamax相似文献   

Catalytic properties and kinetic mechanism of human recombinant Lys-9 histone H3 methyltransferase SUV39H1: participation of the chromodomain in enzymatic catalysis

Histone H3 lysine 9 (H3K9) methylation is a major component of gene regulation and chromatin organization. SUV39H1 methylates H3K9 at the pericentric heterochromatin region and participates in the maintenance of genome stability. In this study, a recombinant purified SUV39H1 is used for substrate specificity and steady-state kinetic analysis with peptides representing the un- or dimethylated lysine 9 histone H3 tail or full-length human recombinant H3 (rH3). Recombinant SUV39H1 methylated its substrate via a nonprocessive mechanism. Binding of either peptide or AdoMet first to the enzyme made a catalytically competent binary complex. Product inhibition studies with SUV39H1 showed that S-adenosyl-l-homocysteine is a competitive inhibitor of S-adenosyl-l-methionine and a mixed inhibitor of substrate peptide. Similarly, the methylated peptide was a competitive inhibitor of the unmethylated peptide and a mixed inhibitor of AdoMet, suggesting a random mechanism in a bi-bi reaction for recombinant SUV39H1 in which either substrate can bind to the enzyme first and either product can release first. The turnover numbers (k(cat)) for the H3 tail peptide and rH3 were comparable (12 and 8 h(-)(1), respectively) compared to the value of 1.5 h(-)(1) for an identical dimethylated lysine 9 H3 tail peptide. The Michaelis constant for the methylated peptide (K(m)(pep)) was 13-fold lower compared to that of the unmethylated peptide. The Michaelis constants for AdoMet (K(m)(AdoMet)) were 12 and 6 microM for the unmethylated peptide substrate and rH3, respectively. A reduction in the level of methylation was observed at high concentrations of rH3, implying substrate inhibition. Deletion of the chromodomain or point mutation of the conserved amino acids, W64A or W67A, of SUV39H1 impaired enzyme activity despite the presence of an intact catalytic SET domain. Thus, SUV39H1 utilizes both the chromodomain and the SET domain for catalysis.     

A 13C nuclear magnetic resonance study of CO2/HCO-3 exchange catalyzed by human carbonic anhydrase I

Rates of CO2/HCO-3 exchange, catalyzed by human carbonic anhydrase I (or B) at chemical equilibrium, were estimated from the nuclear magnetic resonance linewidths of 13C-labeled substrates. The results show that the maximal exchange rate constant is independent of pH in the range 5.7-8.0, whereas the apparent substrate dissociation constant depends on pH. Exchange proceeds rapidly in the absence of added buffers, and the addition of buffers has negligible effects on exchange rates. Exchange is equally rapid with 1H2O or 2H2O as solvents. Chloride ions inhibit CO2/HCO-3 exchange competitively. The maximal exchange rates obtained with human carbonic anhydrase I are 50 times slower than those obtained with human isoenzyme II (or C). From a comparison of the exchange kinetics with the steady-state kinetics of CO2 hydration and HCO-3 dehydration it is tentatively concluded that the transfer of H+ between active site and medium proceeds with rates of similar magnitudes in the two isoenzymes, whereas the central catalytic step, the interconversion of enzyme-bound CO2 and HCO-3, is much slower in isoenzyme I than in isoenzyme II.     

Diacylglycerol synthesized in vitro from sn-glycerol 3-phosphate and the endogenous diacylglycerol are different substrate pools for the biosynthesis of phosphatidylcholine in rat lung microsomes

In microsomes of rat lung, labeled diacylglycerol was synthesized from sn-[3H]glycerol 3-phosphate, which had been added, and from the endogenous free fatty acids. In these microsomes containing biosynthesized [3H]diacylglycerol as well as endogenous nonlabeled diacylglycerol, the synthesis of phosphatidylcholine was measured from added [14C]CDPcholine. The incorporation of [methyl-14C]choline and of [3H]diacylglycerol into phosphatidylcholine showed an entirely different progress in the time-course of incubation. The 14C label of phosphatidylcholine increased continuously, whereas the 3H label remained constant after 2 min up to the end of the incubation period of 20 min. From this result we concluded that the diacylglycerols, synthesized in vitro from glycerol 3-phosphate over an incubation period of 20 min, constitute a separate substrate pool for the biosynthesis of phosphatidylcholine, and are not mixed with the endogenous diacylglycerol pool.     

Enzymes involved in the dynamic equilibrium of core histone acetylation of Physarum polycephalum.

DEAE-Sepharose chromatography of extracts from plasmodia of the myxomycete Physarum polycephalum revealed the presence of multiple histone acetyltransferases and histone deacetylases. A cytoplasmic histone acetyltransferase B, specific for histone H4, and two nuclear acetyltransferases A1 and A2 were identified; A1 acetylates all core histones with a preference for H3 and H2A, whereas A2 is specific for H3 and also slightly for H2B. Two histone deacetylases, HD1 and HD2, could be discriminated. They differ with respect to substrate specificity and pH dependence. For the first time the substrate specificity of histone deacetylases was determined using HPLC-purified individual core histone species. The order of acetylated substrate preference is H2A much greater than H3 greater than or equal to H4 greater than H2B for HD1 and H3 greater than H2A greater than H4 for HD2, respectively; HD2 is inactive with H2B as substrate. Moreover histone deacetylases are very sensitive to butyrate, since 2 mM butyrate leads to more than 50% inhibition of enzyme activity.     

A quantum mechanics/molecular mechanics study of the catalytic mechanism and product specificity of viral histone lysine methyltransferase

There are three reaction steps in the S-adenosylmethionine (AdoMet) methylation of lysine-NH2 catalyzed by a methyltransferase. They are (i) combination of enzyme.Lys-NH3+ with AdoMet, (ii) substrate ionization to provide enzyme.AdoMet.Lys-NH2, and (iii) methyl transfer providing enzyme.AdoHcy.Lys-N(Me)H2+ and the dissociation of AdoHcy. In this study of the viral histone methyltransferase (vSET), we find that substrate ionization of vSET.Lys27-NH3+, vSET.Lys27-N(Me)H2+, and vSET.Lys27-N(Me)2H+ takes place upon combination with AdoMet. The presence of a water channel allows dissociation of a proton to the solvent. There is no water channel in the absence of AdoMet. That the formation of a water channel is combined with AdoMet binding was first discovered in our investigation of Rubisco large subunit methyltransferase. Via a quantum mechanics/molecular mechanics (QM/MM) approach, the calculated free energy barrier (DeltaG++) of the first methyl transfer reaction catalyzed by vSET [Lys27-NH2 + AdoMet --> Lys27-N(Me)H2+ + AdoHcy] equals 22.5 +/- 4.3 kcal/mol, which is in excellent agreement with the free energy barrier (21.7 kcal/mol) calculated from the experimental rate constant (0.047 min-1). The calculated DeltaG++ of the second methyl transfer reaction [AdoMet + Lys27-N(Me)H --> AdoHcy + Lys27-N(Me)2H+] at the QM/MM level is 22.6 +/- 3.6 kcal/mol, which is in agreement with the value of 22.4 kcal/mol determined from the experimental rate constant (0.015 min-1). The third methylation [Lys27-N(Me)2 + AdoMet --> Lys27-N(Me)3+ + AdoHcy] is associated with a DeltaG++ of 23.1 +/- 4.0 kcal/mol, which is in agreement with the value of 23.0 kcal/mol determined from the experimental rate constant (0.005 min-1). Our computations establish that the first, second, and third methyl transfer steps catalyzed by vSET are linear SN2 reactions with the bond making being approximately 50% associative.     

Synthesis and characterization of a new and radiolabeled high-affinity substrate for H+/peptide cotransporters

In this study we described the design, rational synthesis and functional characterization of a novel radiolabeled hydrolysis-resistant high-affinity substrate for H(+)/peptide cotransporters. L-4,4'-Biphenylalanyl-L-Proline (Bip-Pro) was synthesized according to standard procedures in peptide chemistry. The interaction of Bip-Pro with H(+)/peptide cotransporters was determined in intestinal Caco-2 cells constitutively expressing human H(+)/peptide cotransporter 1 (PEPT1) and in renal SKPT cells constitutively expressing rat H(+)/peptide cotransporter 2 (PEPT2). Bip-Pro inhibited the [(14)C]Gly-Sar uptake via PEPT1 and PEPT2 with exceptional high affinity (K(i) = 24 microm and 3.4 microm, respectively) in a competitive manner. By employing the two-electrode voltage clamp technique in Xenopus laevis oocytes expressing PEPT1 or PEPT2 it was found that Bip-Pro was transported by both peptide transporters although to a much lower extent than the reference substrate, Gly-Gln. Bip-Pro remained intact to > 98% for at least 8 h when incubated with intact cell monolayers. Bip-[(3)H]Pro uptake into SKPT cells was linear for up to 30 min and pH dependent with a maximum at extracellular pH 6.0. Uptake was strongly inhibited, not only by unlabeled Bip-Pro but also by known peptide transporter substrates such as dipeptides, cefadroxil, Ala-4-nitroanilide and delta-aminolevulinic acid, but not by glycine. Bip-Pro uptake in SKPT cells was saturable with a Michaelis-Menten constant (K(t)) of 7.6 microm and a maximal velocity (V(max)) of 1.1 nmol x 30 min(-1) x mg of protein(-1). Hence, the uptake of Bip-Pro by PEPT2 is a high-affinity, low-capacity process in comparison to the uptake of Gly-Sar. We conclude that Bip-[(3)H]Pro is a valuable substrate for both mechanistic and structural studies of H(+)/peptide transporter proteins.     

Purification and properties of N5, N10-methylenetetrahydromethanopterin reductase from Methanobacterium thermoautotrophicum (strain Marburg)

The reduction of N5,N10-methylenetrahydromethanopterin (CH2 = H4MPT) to N5-methyltetrahydromethanopterin (CH3-H4MPT) is an intermediate step in methanogenesis from CO2 and H2. The reaction is catalyzed by CH2 = H4MPT reductase. The enzyme from Methanobacterium thermoautotrophicum (strain Marburg) was found to be specific for reduced coenzyme F420 as electron donor; neither NADH or NADPH nor reduced viologen dyes could substitute for the reduced 5-deazaflavin. The reductase was purified over 100-fold to apparent homogeneity. Sodium dodecyl sulfate/polyacrylamide gel electrophoresis revealed only one protein band at the 36-kDa position. The apparent molecular mass of the native enzyme was determined by gel filtration to be in the order of 150 kDa. The purified enzyme was colourless. It did not contain flavin or iron. The ultraviolet visible spectrum was almost identical to that of albumin, suggesting the absence of a chromophoric prosthetic group. Reciprocal plots of the enzyme activity versus the substrate concentration at different constant concentrations of the second substrate yielded straight lines intersecting at one point on the abscissa to the left of the vertical axis. This intersecting pattern is characteristic of a ternary complex catalytic mechanism. The Km for CH2 = H4MPT and for the reduced coenzyme F420 were determined to be 0.3 mM and 3 microM, respectively. Vmax was 6000 mumol.min-1.mg protein-1 (kcat = 3600 s-1). The CH2 = H4MPT reductase was stable in the presence of air; at 4 C less than 10% activity was lost within 24 h.