Purification and characterization of arginine decarboxylase from cucumber (Cucumis sativus) seedlings

A simple, reproducible and rapid protocol for the purification of arginine decarboxylase fromCucumis sativus seedlings has been standardised. The purification steps involved ion-exchange chromatography on diethylaminoethyl-cellulose followed by gel filtration on Sephadex G-l 50. The purified enzyme preparation migrated as a single stainable band on Polyacrylamide gels at both basic and acidic pH, but under denaturing and reducing conditions on sodium dodecyl sulphate-polyacrylamide gels resolved into polypeptides of molecular weight 48,000,44,000 and 15,000. However, in the absence of 2-mercaptoethanol on electrophoresis on sodium dodecyl sulphate-polyacrylamide gels, the enzyme moved as single band with a molecular weight of 150,000. Evidence was obtained to indicate that these three polypeptides were probably derived from a single larger molecular weight enzyme. On storage of the purified protein, the 48,000 species was preferentially degraded to smaller polypeptides. The preliminary data suggested that the 48,000 and 44,000 species shared many common tryptic peptides as revealed by finger printing of the [¹²⁵I ]-labelled protein. The purified enzyme was a glycoprotein and had aK _m of 0.5 mM for arginine. Its activity was stimulated by dithiothrietol and pyridoxal phosphate. EDTA did not inhibit the enzyme activity. Mn²⁺ at 1 mM stimulated arginine decarboxylase activity but was inhibitory at higher concentration     

Arginine Decarboxylase of oat seedlings

Arginine decarboxylase activity in the shoots of seedlings was high in oats, intermediate in barley and low in rice, maize, wheat and rye. After partial purification, the arginine decarboxylase from the shoots of potassium deficient oat seedlings was separated into two fractions, A (MW 195 000) and B (MW 118 000), by gel chromatography. On gel electrophoresis, the mobilities of these fractions were respectively 0.12 and 0.55 relative to bromophenol blue at pH 9.5. Fraction A was twice as active as fraction B in extracts of seedlings grown with both normal and potassium deficient nutrition, despite the greater activity ( × 5) of the potassium deficient plants. The properties of the two fractions were similar with respect to pH optimum (7–7.5), K_m (3 × 10 ^?5M) and the effect of inhibitors. Fraction A was purified to apparent homogeneity by DEAE-cellulose chromatography. The enzyme was specific for l-arginine and it was strongly inhibited by NSD 1055, d-arginine and canavanine. Mercaptoethanol and dithiothreitol stimulated the enzyme by ca 50% and p-chloromercuribenzoate was an inhibitor. Pyridoxal phosphate stimulated activity by ca 30% and EDTA stimulated activity by 30%. Ca²⁺ and Mg²⁺ inhibited the enzyme by 50% at ca 20 mM. Putrescine and the polyamines showed only moderate inhibition at 10 mM, but agmatine reduced activity to 30% at this concentration.     

Subcellular localization,metal ion requirement and kinetic properties of arginase from the gill tissue of the bivalve Semele solida

Arginase activity (3.1 ± 0.5 units/g (wet wt) of tissue) was found associated to the cytosolic fraction of the gill cells of the bivalve Semele solida. The enzyme, with a molecular weight of 120,000 ± 3000, was partially purified, and some of the enzymic properties were were examined. The activation of the enzyme by Mn²⁺ followed hyperbolic kinetics with a K_Mn value of 0.10 ± 0.02 μM. In addition to Mn²⁺, the metal ion requirement of the enzyme was satisfied by Ni²⁺, Cd²⁺ and Co²⁺; Zn²⁺ was inhibitory to ail the Values of K_m for arginine and K_i for lysine inhibition, were the same, regardless of the metal ion used to activate the enzyme; K_m values were 20 mM at pH 7.5 and 12 mM at the optimum pH of 9.5. Competitive inhibition was caused by ornithine, lysine and proline, whereas branched chain amino acids were non competitive inhibitors of the enzyme.     

Purification and properties of the arginase from Jerusalem artichoke tubers

Arginase [l-arginine amidinohydrolase] in Jerusalem artichoke tubers occurs in a particulate fraction from which it was released in active form by detergent treatment. The particulate enzyme was purified 450-fold with ca 3% yield. The enzyme has a MW of ca 140 000 and pI of 5.3. The enzyme required Mn²⁺ for activity and was unstable when Mn²⁺ was removed. In tissue extracts the K_m for arginine was ca 1OmM, but when purified the K_m (arginine) was 145 mM. The artichoke arginase was shown to be more substrate specific than other plant and animal arginases which have been described, and to be very sensitive to competitive inhibition by indospicine, ornithine and citrulline.     

Effect of hormonal and neuronal agents on adenylate cyclase from smooth muscle of the gastric antrum

Smooth muscle adenylate cyclase of a membrane preparation of canine gastric antrum has been characterized, and the effect of hormonal and neuronal agents examined. The enzyme is active in the presence of Mg²⁺ or Mn²⁺, but is inhibited by Ca²⁺. The K_m is 0.5 mM ATP, similar to the K_m of skeletal muscle adenylate cyclase. The enzyme is activated by isoproterenol but not norepinephrine, consistent with a β₂-catecholamine receptor-adenylate cyclase interaction. Secretin activates the enzyme in concentrations as low as 1 · 10^?11 M, while glucagon was effective only at 1 · 10^?6 M. Prostaglandin E₁ and E₂ have a biphasic effect with activation of adenylate cyclase at 1 · 10^?5 M and a small but significant inhibition of enzyme activity at 1 · 10^?11 M.     

l-lysinamidase from Cryptococcus laurenti 112. Purification and properties

• 1.1. The purified enzyme hydrolyzes the linear l-lysinamide and the cycle amide of l-lysine—l-α-amino-ϵ-caprolactam.
• 2.2. The apparent relative molecular mass is 180,000. The enzyme consists of four subunits and the molecular mass of a single subunit was found to be 47,000.
• 3.3. The coefficient of molecular sedimentation equals 8.3 S, the isoelectric point was determined to be pH 4.3
• 4.4. The enzyme is not a glycoprotein. p-Mercuribenzoate binds 10 SH-groups of the native enzyme molecule and 20 SH-groups in the presence of 0.7% SDS.
• 5.5. pH- optimum for the hydrolysis of l-lysine amides was observed to be 7.5–7.7. The enzyme is strictly dependent on Mn²⁺ and Mg²⁺.
• 6.6. The kinetic parameters for the hydrolysis of l-lysinamide where K_m = 3.8 mM and k_cat = 3000 sec⁻¹ For the hydrolysis of cyclic L-lysinamide K_m = 4.8 mM and k_cat = 2600 sec⁻.

     

l-proline dehydrogenase of Triticum vulgare germ: Purification,properties and cofactor interactions

The enzyme catalysing the l-proline-dependent reduction of NAD⁺has been purified over 600-fold from wheat germ acetone powder extracts. l-Proline, 3,4 dehydro-dl-proline, thiazolidine-4-carboxylate were the only substrates utilized readily. The K_m for l-proline was 1·0 mM and for NAD⁺ 0·8 mM. The enzyme was highly specific for NAD⁺ with NADP⁺ and NADPH acting as effective competitive inhibitors with a K_i of 1·8 and 0·4 μM, respectively. All ribonucleoside triphosphates tested were good non-competitive inhibitors, in particular UTP. The purified enzyme could reduce pyrroline-5-carboxylate, either chemically synthesized or generated in a linked assay system from ornithine by a highly-purified ornithine transaminase. In the latter case both NADH and NADPH were utilized equally well as the reductant. With chemically synthesized dl-pyrroline-5-carboxy-late as the substrate. NADPH was used at only 25% the rate of NADH, and NADPH strongly inhibited the oxidation of NADH.     

Properties of a Mg2+ independent isocitrate lyase from gamma irradiated preclimacteric banana (Musa cavendishii)

Isocitrate lyase (Ee 4·1,3·1) was purified seventy fold from gamma irradiated banana pulp tissue acetone powder. It showed an optimum pH of 6·0, and the Km value for DL-isocitrate was 0·8 mM. Among the various metabolic inhibitors, oxaloacetate was found to be the most potent and its inhibition was competitive. The enzyme activity was not dependent on externally added Mg²⁺. The Mg²⁺ content of the purified enzyme was 10–12 ng/rng protein. A method for the detection of the two multiple forms of isocitrate lyase present in this preparation was developed using 2,4-dinitrophenylhydrazine as detecting agent for glyoxylate formed during the isocitrate lyase reaction.     

Expression, purification, and biochemical properties of arginase from Bacillus subtilis 168

The arginine-degrading and ornithine-producing enzymes arginase has been used to treat arginine-dependent cancers. This study was carried out to obtain the microbial arginase from Bacillus subtilis, one of major microorganisms found in fermented foods such as Cheonggukjang. The gene encoding arginase was isolated from B. subtilis 168 and cloned into E. coli expression plasmid pET32a. The enzyme activity was detected in the supernatant of the transformed and IPTG induced cell-extract. Arginase was purified for homogeneity from the supernatant by affinity chromatography. The specific activity of the purified arginase was 150 U/mg protein. SDS-PAGE analysis revealed the molecular size to be 49 kDa (Trix·Tag, 6×His·Tag added size). The optimum pH and temperature of the purified enzyme with arginine as the substrate were pH 8.4 and 45°C, respectively. The K_m and V_max values of arginine for the enzyme were 4.6 mM and 133.0 mM/min/mg protein respectively. These findings can contribute in the development of functional fermented foods such as Cheonggukjang with an enhanced level of ornithine and pharmaceutical products by providing the key enzyme in arginine-degradation and ornithine-production.     

Partial purification and characterization of arginine decarboxylase from avocado fruit, a thermostable enzyme

A partially purified preparation of arginine decarboxylase (EC 4.1.1.19), a key enzyme in polyamine metabolism in plants, was isolated from avocado (Persea americana Mill. cv Fuerte) fruit. The preparation obtained from the crude extract after ammonium sulfate precipitation, dialysis, and heat treatment, had maximal activity between pH 8.0 and 9.0 at 60°C, in the presence of 1.2 millimolar MnCl₂, 2 millimolar dithiothreitol, and 0.06 millimolar pyridoxal phosphate. The K_m, of arginine for the decarboxylation reaction was determined for enzymes prepared from the seed coat of both 4-week-old avocado fruitlet and fully developed fruit, and was found to have a value of 1.85 and 2.84 millimolar, respectively. The value of V^app_max of these enzymes was 1613 and 68 nanomoles of CO₂ produced per milligram of protein per hour for the fruitlet and the fully developed fruit, respectively. Spermine, an end product of polyamine metabolism, caused less than 5% inhibition of the enzyme from fully developed fruit and 65% inhibition of the enzyme from the seed coat of 4-week-old fruitlets at 1 millimolar under similar conditions. The effect of different inhibitors on the enzyme and the change in the nature of the enzyme during fruit development are discussed.     

Purification and some properties of ornithine decarboxylase from rat liver

Ornithine decarboxylase (EC 4.1.1.17) was purified to near homogeniety from livers of thioacetamide- and dl-α-hydrazino-δ-aminovaleric acid-treated rats by using three types of affinity chromatography with pyridoxamine phosphate-Sepharose, pyridoxamine phosphate-dipropylenetriamine-Sepharose and heparin-Sepharose. This procedure gave a purification of about 3.5·10⁵-fold with an 8% yield; the specific activity of the final enzyme preparation was 1,1·10⁶ nmol CO₂/h per mg protein. The purified enzyme gave a single band of protein which coincided with activity peak on polyacrylamide gel electrophoresis and also gave a single major band on SDS-polyacrylamide gel electrophoresis. A single precipitin line was formed between the purified enzyme and an antiserum raised against a partially purified enzyme, on Ouchterlony immunodiffusion. The molecular weight of the enzyme was estimated to be 105 000 by polyacrylamide gel electrophoresis at several different gel concentrations; the dissociated subunits had molecular weights of 50 000 on SDS-polyacrylmide gels. The isoelectric point of the enzyme was pH 4.1.     

Purification and characterization of extracellular acid phosphatase of Tetrahymena pyriformis

An extracellular acid phosphatase secreted into the medium during growth of Tetrahymena pryiformis strain W was purified about 900-fold by (NH₄)₂SO₄ precipitation, gel filtration and ion exchange chromatography. The purified acid phosphatase was homogenous as judged by polycrylamide gel electrophoresis and was found to be a glycoprotein. Its carbohydrate content was about 10% of the total protein content. The native enzyme has a molecular weight of 120 000 as determined by gel filtration and 61 000 as determined by sodium dodecyl sulfate-polycrylamide gel electrophoresis. The acid phosphatase thus appears to consist of two subunits of equal size. The amino acid analysis revealed a relatively high content of asparic acid, glutamic acid and leucine. The purified acid phosphatase from Tetrahymena had a rather broad substrate specificity; it hydrolyzed organic phosphates, nucleotide phosphates and hexose phosphates, but had no diesterase activity. The K_m values determined with p-nitrophenyl phosphate, adenosine 5′-phosphate and glucose 6-phosphate were 3.1·10^?4 M, 3.9·10^?4 M and 1.6·10^?3 M, respectively. The optima pH for hydrolysis of three substrates were similar (pH 4.6). Hg²⁺ and Fe³⁺ at 5 mM were inhibitory for the purified acid phosphatase, and fluoride, L-(+)-tartaric acid and molybdate also inhibited its cavity at low concentrations. The enzyme was competitively inhibited by NaF (K_i=5.6·10^?4 M) and by L-(+)-tartaric acid (K_i = 8.5·10^?5 M), while it was inhibited noncompetitively by molybdate K_i = 5.0·10^?6 M). The extracellular acid phosphatase purified from Tetrahymena was indistinguishable from the intracellular enzyme in optimum pH, K_m, thermal stability and inhibition by NaF.     

Isolation and properties of watermelon isocitrate lyase

The glyoxylate cycle enzyme, isocitrate lyase (EC 4.1.3.1) was purified from cotyledons of Citrullus vulgaris (watermelon). The final preparation, which had been 97-fold purified with a specific activity of 16.1 units/mg protein in a yield of 36%, was homogeneous by gel- and immunoelectrophoretic criteria. The tetrameric enzyme had: a molecular weight of 277 000, a sedimentation coefficient of 12.4 s, and a K_m for D_s-isocitrate equal to 0.25 mM. Isocitrate lyase from this source is not a glycoprotein as shown by total carbohydrate content after precipitation by trichloroacetic acid of the purified enzyme. Reduction of the enzyme with thiols increased activity and maximal activity was obtained with at least 5 mM dithiothreitol. EDTA partially substituted for thiol in freshly isolated enzyme. Watermelon isocitrate lyase was also protected against thermal denaturation at 60° for at least 1 hr by 5 mM Mg²⁺ plus 5 mM oxalate. Oxalate was a competitive inhibitor with respect to isocitrate (K_i: 1.5 μM, pH 7.5, 30°).     

Purification and some properties of discadenine synthase from Dictyostelium discoideum

The enzyme discadenine synthase, which transfers the 3-amino-3-carboxypropyl residue of S-adenosylmethionine to an acceptor, N⁶-isopentenyladenine, from the fruiting body of the cellular slime mold Dictyostelium discoideum, was purified 420-fold. Its apparent molecular mass was 82 000 Da and the isoelectric point was pH 5.8. The K_m value for S-adenosylmethionine was 1.85 · 10⁻⁵ M and for benzyladenine was 7.0 · 10⁻⁷ M. In contrast to theenzyme which catalyzes the formation of 3-(3-amino-3-carboxypropyl)uridine in tRNAs, the present enzyme did not require Mg²⁺ and was not stimulated by ATP. Some other metal ions (Zn²⁺, Mn²⁺, Ca²⁺) showed inhibition at 10–100 mM.     

Purification and Characterization of Extracellular Phytase from a Marine Yeast <Emphasis Type="Italic">Kodamaea ohmeri</Emphasis> BG3

The extracellular phytase in the supernatant of cell culture of the marine yeast Kodamaea ohmeri BG3 was purified to homogeneity with a 7.2-fold increase in specific phytase activity as compared to that in the supernatant by ammonium sulfate fractionation, gel filtration chromatography (Sephadex™ G-75), and anion-exchange chromatography (DEAE Sepharose Fast Flow Anion-Exchange). According to the data from sodium dodecyl sulfate-polyacrylamide gel electrophoresis, the molecular mass of the purified enzyme was estimated to be 98.2 kDa while the molecular mass of the purified enzyme was estimated to be 92.9 kDa and the enzyme was shown to be a monomer according to the results of gel filtration chromatography. The optimal pH and temperature of the purified enzyme were 5.0 and 65°C, respectively. The enzyme was stimulated by Mn²⁺, Ca²⁺, K⁺, Li⁺, Na⁺, Ba²⁺, Mg²⁺ and Co²⁺ (at a concentrations of 5.0 mM), but it was inhibited by Cu²⁺, Hg²⁺, Fe²⁺, Fe³⁺, Ag⁺, and Zn²⁺ (at a concentration of 5.0 mM). The enzyme was also inhibited by phenylmethylsulfonyl fluoride (PMSF), iodoacetic acid (at a concentration of 1.0 mM), and phenylgloxal hydrate (at a concentration of 5.0 mM), and not inhibited by EDTA and 1,10-phenanthroline (at concentrations of 1.0 mM and 5.0 mM). The K _m, V _max, and K _cat values of the purified enzyme for phytate were 1.45 mM, 0.083 μmol/ml · min, and 0.93 s^-1, respectively.     

Purification and properties of isocitrate lyase from Candida brassicae E-17

Isocitrate lyase (EC 4.1.3.1) was purified from acetate-grown cells of Candida brassicae E-17, by ammonium sulfate fractionation and DEAE-cellulose and Sephadex G-200 gel filtration column chromatographies. The purified enzyme was electrophoretically homogeneous. The molecular weight of this enzyme was 290,000 by gel filtration, and it was composed of four identical subunits whose molecular weights were 71,000 each. The pH and temperature optima were 6.8 and 37°C, respectively. The enzyme was stable from pH 6.0 to 7.0. The enzyme was activated by Mg²⁺ and the maximum activity was obtained with a concentration of 8 mM Mg²⁺. The enzyme was also activated by Mn²⁺ and Ba²⁺. The activity of this enzyme was stimulated by reducing agents. The K_m values for dl-isocitrate were 1.5 mM in sodium phosphate buffer and 0.62 mM in imidazole-HCl buffer.     

Purification and properties of a glycoprotein adenosine 5′-monophosphatase from the plasma membrane fraction of Arachis hypogaea cotyledons

An adenosine 5′-monophosphatase (AMPase) has been purified from the plasma membrane fraction of germinating cotyledons of peanut (Arachis hypogaea L.) by selective solubilization of the membrane-bound enzyme with 0.5% n-octyl β-glucoside at a protein-to-detergent ratio of 2:3 in the presence of Mg²⁺ and EDTA, followed by ion exchange chromatography on DEAE-cellulose. On sodium dodecyl sulfate-polyacrylamide gel electrophoresis it showed a single protein band with a molecular weight of 55 000. The enzyme is a glycoprotein with 42.7% carbohydrate content. It had a broad pH optimum of 5.0–6.0. The K_m and V_max values were 1.08·10⁻³ M and 8.5 μmol/min per mg protein, respectively, with 5′-AMP as substrate. The enzyme is specific for 5′-AMP. Other nucleotides (GMP, UMP, CMP, ADP, GDP, ATP, GTP and UTP) as well as phosphorylated sugars were not hydrolyzed. p-Nitrophenyl phosphate was hydrolyzed at a relatively much lower rate (15%) and the substrate affinity (1/Km was only one-tenth that of AMP. The purified enzyme is competitively inhibited by ADP (K_i = 2.4 mM) and is also inhibited by NaF in a non-competitive manner with a K_i value of 35 mM. Divalent cations, Ca²⁺, Mg²⁺, Hg²⁺, Zn²⁺, Mn²⁺, Ni²⁺ and monovalent cations, K⁺, Li⁺ and Na⁺ had no effect on the enzyme activity. The purified enzyme was highly unstable, losing its total activity within 24 h at −20°C, or 0°C, while under these conditions the unpurified solubilized enzyme (octyl glucoside extract) was stable for several days, indicating that some stabilizing factors, most likely phospholipids, were lost during the enzyme purification.     

Properties of spinach chloroplast fructose-1,6-diphosphatase

Photosynthetic fructose-1,6-diphosphatase (FDPase) fractions I and II, earlier purified from spinach leaves, show a similar amino acid composition, with the exception of a higher glutamic acid content in the latter. In both fractions glutamic and aspartic acids are the main amino acids. pH activity profiles of fractions I and II are similar, with optima at 8·65–8·70, both showing a high specificity for fructose- 1,6-diphosphate. These two fractions are Mg²⁺-dependent for activity, with an Optimum Mg²⁺ concentration of 10 mM in standard conditions, which shifts to 5 mM when the MG²⁺/EDTA ratio is increased to 10; Mn²⁺ and Co²⁺ are slightly active. EDTA enhances FDPase activity slightly, with an optimum at 0·4–0·8 mM. Cysteine has no activating effect, and acts as an inhibitor above 10 mM. Both I and II have an optimum substrate concentration of 4 mM, and the substrate inhibits at concns above this value. Kinetic velocity curves are sigmoidal, with the concave zone located in the range of physiological substrate concns. (Hill coefficient 1·75 for both). This suggests a strong regulatory role of fructose-1,6-diphosphate. K_m values are 1·4 × 10⁻³ M (fraction I) and 1·1 × 10⁻³ M (fraction II). The highest activity rate occurs at 60°, in accordance with the high thermostability of both fractions; the activation energies are 14·3 kcal/mol (fraction I) and 13·0 kcal/mol (fraction II).     

Threonine-sensitive aspartate kinase and homoserine dehydrogenase from Pisum sativum

Aspartate kinase and two homoserine dehydrogenases were partially purified from 4-day-old pea seedlings. A sensitive method for measuring aspartate kinase activity is described. Aspartate kinase activity was dependent upon ATP, Mg²⁺ or Mn²⁺, and aspartate. The aspartate kinase was inhibited in a sigmoidal manner by threonine and K_i for threonine was 0·57 mM. The enzyme could be desensitized to the inhibitor and threonine protected the enzyme against thermal inactivation. Aspartate kinase activity was enhanced by isoleucine, valine and alanine. Homoserine, methionine and lysine were without effect. The homoserine dehydrogenase activity which was associated with aspartate kinase during purification could be resolved into two peaks by gel filtration. The activity of both peaks was inhibited by aspartate and cysteine and one was inhibited by threonine.     

Purification and characterization of a prolyl endopeptidase isolated from Aspergillus oryzae

A new fungal strain that was isolated from our library was identified as an Aspergillus oryzae and noted to produce a novel proly endopeptidase. The enzyme was isolated, purified, and characterized. The molecular mass of the prolyl endopeptidase was estimated to be 60 kDa by using SDS-PAGE. Further biochemical characterization assays revealed that the enzyme attained optimal activity at pH 4.0 with acid pH stability from 3.0 to 5.0. Its optimum temperature was 30 °C and residual activity after 30 min incubation at 55 °C was higher than 80 %. The enzyme was activated and stabilized by Ca²⁺ but inhibited by EDTA (10 mM) and Cu²⁺. The K _m and k _cat values of the purified enzyme for different length substrates were also evaluated, and the results imply that the enzyme from A. oryzae possesses higher affinity for the larger substrates. Furthermore, this paper demonstrates for the first time that a prolyl endopeptidase purified from A. oryzae is able to hydrolyze intact casein.