Two Biosynthetic Pathways to delta-Aminolevulinic Acid in a Pigment Mutant of the Green Alga, Scenedesmus obliquus

Pigment mutant C-2A′ of the unicellular green alga Scenedesmus obliquus develops only traces of chlorophyll and has no detectable amount of δ-aminolevulinic acid (ALA) when grown in the dark. In light it develops ALA and in the presence of levulinic acid (LA), a competitive inhibitor of ALA dehydratase, it accumulates 0.18 mmoles of ALA per 10 microliters of packed cell volume per 12 hours. This amount could be increased up to 15 times by feeding precursors and cofactors.

Incubation with [U-¹⁴C]glutamate, [1-¹⁴C]glutamate, and [2-¹⁴C]glycine yielded significantly labeled ALA, whereas [1-¹⁴C]glycine did not label the ALA specifically. Thus, two pathways using either glycine/succinyl-coenzyme A or incorporating the whole C-5-skeleton of glutamate into ALA are present in this alga. The efficiency of the glycine/succinyl-coenzyme A pathway seems to be three times higher than that of the glutamate pathway. Incubation with [5-¹⁴C]2-ketoglutarate, which can serve both pathways as a precursor, resulted in radioactivity of ALA as high as the sum of both labeling with [1-¹⁴C]glutamate and [2-¹⁴C]glycine.

Since the newly synthesized chlorophyll was radioactive regardless of labeled substrate employed, both pathways culminate in chlorophyll formation.

     

The use of 14C-labeled bacteria as a tracer of ingestion and metabolism of bacterial biomass by microbial grazers

A method for radiolabeling marine bacteria with d-[U-¹⁴C] glucose and a radiotracer method for measuring ingestion and metabolism of bacterial biomass by ciliated protozoa and other microzooplankton are presented. Problems associated with using live bacterial tracers, i.e., label retention, label recycling, tracer cell size and morphology, and intracellular distribution of label are evaluated.Bacterioplankton assemblages collected from field samples incorporated and retained label as efficiently as coastal isolates which were selected for glucose incorporation. Under grazing experimental conditions, labeled bacteria retained a high proportion of the label (hourly net loss = 1.2%). Bacterial recycling of released dissolved organic ¹⁴C (DO¹⁴C) was 0–2.2% of total ¹⁴C per h. Addition of labeled assemblages to nearshore water samples did not detectably alter mean cell size or size frequency distribution of the attendant bacterioplankton assemblages.In grazing experiments with cultured ciliates (Euplotes sp. and Uronema sp.), radioassay parameters varied as direct functions of predator and prey concentrations. Microautoradiographic analysis corroborated that ¹⁴C incorporation measured in the radioassay by filtration techniques primarily represented ingested bacterial biomass and that problems associated with attached and adsorbed labeled bacteria were minimized. Grazing experiments conducted with bacteria labeled with [U-¹⁴C]glucose yielded ingestion rates comparable to bacteria labeled with [U-¹⁴C]thymidine and additionally provided respiration and exudation rates.     

Regulation of ketone body production from (14C)palmitate in rat liver mitochondria: effects of cyclic nucleotides and unlabeled fatty acids.

N⁶′, O²′-dibutyryl adenosine 3′, 5′-cyclic monophosphoric acid, but not other cyclic nucleotides stimulates [¹⁴C]ketone body production from [¹⁴C]palmitate in isolated rat liver mitochondria. Butyrate alone, as well as unlabeled acetate, octanoate and palmitate had similar effects. This redistribution of the oxidative products of [¹⁴C]palmitate can best be explained by exceeding the capacity of the Krebs cycle and/or changes in the acetyl coenzyme A/coenzyme A ratio. In contrast to [¹⁴C]palmitate, [¹⁴C]octanoate oxidation to [¹⁴C]O₂ and [¹⁴C]ketone bodies was inhibited by the addition of unlabeled fatty acids. This suggests that an additional mechanism by which unlabeled fatty acids may stimulate [¹⁴C]ketone body production is by enhancing the carnitine-dependent transport of [¹⁴C]palmitate into mitochondria.     

Enzyme regulation by biological disulfides

More than a dozen enzymes have been found to be activated or inhibitedin vitro by disulfide-exchange between the protein and small-molecule disulfides. Accordingly, thiol/disulfide ratio changesin vivo may be of great importance in the regulation of cellular metabolism. An awareness of this regulatory mechanism in both host cells and parasites, coupled with information on the presence or absence of key enzymes, may lead to rational drug design against certain diseases involving thiol intermediates, including trypanosomiasis.Abbreviations GSSG glutathione disulfide - CoASSG mixed disulfide of coenzyme A and glutathione - CoASSCoA coenzyme A disulfide - PrSSG protein mixed disulfide - Cystamine 2,2-dithiobioethanamine [ aminoethyl] disulfide - GSSO₂G Glutathione thiosulfonate - PFK Phosphofructokinase - FBPase Fructose 1,6-bisphosphatase     

Metabolism of triacylglycerol in developing rat brain

Metabolism of triacylglycerol (TAG) in developing brain has been examined. TAG is a relatively minor fraction of brain lipid in both suckling and adult rats and cannot be accounted for as entrapped blood. When glycerol tri[1-¹⁴C]oleate and [2-³H]glycerol trioleate were simultaneously injected intracerebrally into suckling rats, both labels appeared in diacylglycerol and the major phospholipids; acyl chain label was incorporated more extensively at early time points, with choline phosphoglycerides being most actively labeled. With [1-¹⁴C]fatty acids and [2-³H] glycerol administration, the specific activity of TAG was much greater than that of the more abundant phospholipids. Although direct acyl exchange between TAG and phospholipids was not demonstrated, relationships of TAG to selective mechanisms of phosphoglyceride synthesis were indicated.Abbreviations used TAG triacylglycerol - DAG diacylcerol - HPLC high performance liquid chromatography - CoA coenzyme A - BSA bovine serum albumin - TLC thin layer chromatography - DPM disintegrations per minute - ATP adenosine triphosphate - GLC gas liquid chromatography - PC choline, phosphoglyceride - PE ethanolamine phosphoglyceride - PS serine phosphoglyceride - PI inositol phosphoglyceride     

Simultaneous kinetic analysis of ribulose 1,5-bisphosphate carboxylase/oxygenase activities

An assay was developed for simultaneous kinetic analysis of the activities of the bifunctional plant enzyme ribulose 1,5-bisphosphate carboxylase/oxygenase [EC 4.1.1.39]. [1-¹⁴C,5-³H]Ribulose 1,5-bisphosphate (RuBP) was used as the labeled substrate. Tritium enrichment of the doubly labeled 3-phosphoglycerate (3-PGA) product, common to both enzyme activities, may be used to calculate V_c/V_o ratios from the expression A/(B-A) where A and B represent the ³H/¹⁴C isotope ratios of doubly labeled RuBP and 3-PGA, and V_c and V_o represent the activities of carboxylase and oxygenase, respectively. Doubly labeled substrate was synthesized from [2-¹⁴C]glucose and [6-³H]glucose using the enzymes of the pentose phosphate pathway coupled with phosphoribulokinase.     

Incorporation of [14C]-2 deoxy-D-glucose into the lipids of normal cells as compared to virus-transformed cells

[¹⁴C]-2 deoxy-D-glucose is incorporated into the glycolipids of both normal and transformed cells. The chromatographic pattems of [¹⁴C]-2 deoxy-D-glucose labeled lipids differ markedly in oncornavirus and herpes simplex virus-transformed cells as compared to normal and virus-infected but not transformed cells. Deoxyglucoselabeled lipids with intermediate chromatographic mobility were enriched in normal and virus-infected but not transformed cells. Studies with a murine sarcoma virus-infected cell line which is temperature-sensitive for transformation indicated that the altered chromatographic pattern of [¹⁴C]-2 deoxy-D-glucose labeled lipids was related to the expression of the transformed phenotype.     

Metabolism of One-Carbon Compounds by the Ruminal Acetogen Syntrophococcus sucromutans

Syntrophococcus sucromutans is the predominant species capable of O demethylation of methoxylated lignin monoaromatic derivatives in the rumen. The enzymatic characterization of this acetogen indicated that it uses the acetyl coenzyme A (Wood) pathway. Cell extracts possess all the enzymes of the tetrahydrofolate pathway, as well as carbon monoxide dehydrogenase, at levels similar to those of other acetogens using this pathway. However, formate dehydrogenase could not be detected in cell extracts, whether formate or a methoxyaromatic was used as electron acceptor for growth of the cells on cellobiose. Labeled bicarbonate, formate, [1-¹⁴C] pyruvate, and chemically synthesized O-[methyl-¹⁴C]vanillate were used to further investigate the catabolism of one-carbon (C₁) compounds by using washed-cell preparations. The results were consistent with little or no contribution of formate dehydrogenase and pointed out some unique features. Conversion of formate to CO₂ was detected, but labeled formate predominantly labeled the methyl group of acetate. Labeled CO₂ readily exchanged with the carboxyl group of pyruvate but not with formate, and both labeled CO₂ and pyruvate predominantly labeled the carboxyl group of acetate. No CO₂ was formed from O demethylation of vanillate, and the acetate produced was position labeled in the methyl group. The fermentation pattern and specific activities of products indicated a complete synthesis of acetate from pyruvate and the methoxyl group of vanillate.     

Acetyl-l-carnitine as a precursor of acetylcholine

Synthesis of [³H]acetylcholine from [³H]acetyl-l-carnitine was demonstrated in vitro by coupling the enzyme systems choline acetyltransferase and carnitine acetyltransferase. Likewise, both [³H] and [¹⁴C] labeled acetylcholine were produced when [³H]acetyl-l-carnitine andd-[U-¹⁴C] glucose were incubated with synaptosomal membrane preparations from rat brain. Transfer of the acetyl moiety from acetyl-l-carnitine to acetylcholine was dependent on concentration of acetyl-l-carnitine and required the presence of coenzyme A, which is normally produced as an inhibitory product of choline acetyltransferase. These results provide further evidence for a role of mitochondrial carnitine acetyltransferase in facilitating transfer of acetyl groups across mitochondrial membranes, thus regulating the availability in the cytoplasm of acetyl-CoA, a substrate of choline acetyltransferase. They are also consistent with a possible utility of acetyl-l-carnitine in the treatment of age-related cholinergic deficits.     

Use of phosph-cellulose paper disks for the assay of histone acetyltransferase.

A modified method for the assay of histone acetyltransferase is presented. Previously reported methods depended upon the determination of the incorporation of radioactivity from [¹⁴C]acetyl coenzyme A into trichloroacetic acid (TCA)-precipitable material. However, as shown in this paper, [¹⁴C]acetylated histone cannot be precipitated quantitatively by TCA. In the method described in this paper, phospho-cellulose (P-cellulose) paper disks are used as an adsorbent for [¹⁴C]acetylated histone and 0.05 m carbonate buffer, pH 9.2, is used as a washing medium. This P-cellulose disk method allows more quantitative determination of [¹⁴C]acetylated histone than the TCA-precipitation methods.     

Studies on the biosynthesis of coenzyme F420 in methanogenic bacteria

Coenzyme F₄₂₀ is a 8-hydroxy-5-deazaflavin present in methanogenic bacteria. We have investigated whether the pyrimidine ring of the deazaflavin originates from guanine as in flavin biosynthesis, in which the pyrimidine ring of guanine is conserved. For this purpose the incorporation of [2-¹⁴C]guanine and of [8-¹⁴C]guanine into F₄₂₀ by growing cultures of Methanobacterium thermoautotrophicum was studied. Only in the case of [2-¹⁴C]guanine did F₄₂₀ become labeled. The specific radioactivity of the deazaflavin and of guanine isolated from nucleic acids of [2-¹⁴C]guanine grown cells were identical. This finding suggests that the pyrimidine ring of the deazaflavin and of flavins are synthesized by the same pathway.F₄₂₀ did not become labeled when M. thermoautotrophicum was grown in the presence of methyl-[¹⁴C] methionine, [U-¹⁴C]phenylalanine or [U-¹⁴C]tyrosine. This excludes that C-5 of the deazaflavin is derived from the methyl group of methionine and that the benzene ring comes from phenylalanine or tyrosine.     

Albumin synthesis by the perfused rat liver. A comparison of methods with special reference to the effect of dietary protein deprivation

1. Isolated perfused rat livers were used to study synthesis of albumin after donors had been fed on normal or protein-free diets. 2. Methods of determining the liver's ability to produce albumin included incorporation of [¹⁴C]carbonate, [³H]lysine and [¹⁴C]arginine, as well as a direct method based on a heterologous perfusing system of rat erythrocytes and rabbit plasma. 3. Livers from protein-deprived rats were found to form extremely little urea and not to incorporate ¹⁴CO₂ into [¹⁴C]urea, but they were capable of producing [¹⁴C]urea from [¹⁴C]arginine and of incorporating the latter and [³H]lysine into albumin. 4. By immunological means these lives were found to synthesize less albumin than normal, but their ability was only slightly impaired when related to body weight or liver weight. 5. These findings are consistent with a block in urea-cycle enzymes with relative integrity of arginase activity and of amino acid activation.     

Lipid-mediated glycosylation of a white matter membrane glycoprotein with an apparent molecular weight of 24,000.

White matter membrane preparations from pig brain catalyze the transfer of [¹⁴C]mannose from exogenous [¹⁴C]mannosylphosphoryldolichol into an endogenous oligosaccharide lipid. Under the same incubation conditions label is also incorporated into endogenous membrane glycoproteins. The enzymatic labeling of both classes of endogenous acceptors is stimulated by the addition of Ca²⁺. Several enzymatic properties of the mannosyltransferase activity responsible for the transfer of mannose from mannosylphosphoryldolichol into the oligosaccharide lipid intermediate have been examined. The [Man-¹⁴C] oligosaccharide lipid synthesized by this in vitro system has the solubility, hydrolytic and chromatographic characteristics of a pyrophosphate-linked oligosaccharide derivative of dolichol. The free [Man-¹⁴C]oligosaccharide liberated from the carrier lipid by mild acid treatment is estimated to contain 8 glycose units. All of the [¹⁴C]mannosyl units in the [Man-¹⁴C]oligosaccharide derived from exogenous [¹⁴C]mannosylphosphoryldolichol are released as free [¹⁴C]mannose by an α-mannosi-dase. No [¹⁴C]mannose is released during incubation with a β-mannosidase. The presence of an N,N′-diacetylchitobiose unit at the reducing end of the lipid-bound [Man-¹⁴C]oligosaccharide is indicated by its susceptibility to digestion by endo-β-N-acetylglucosaminidase H. Pronase digestion of the enzymatically labeled [Man-¹⁴C]glycoprotein yields a single [Man-¹⁴C]gly-copeptide fraction on Bio-Gel P-6 that appears to be slightly larger than the free [Man-¹⁴C]oligosac-charide released from the carrier lipid by mild acid hydrolysis. The [Man-¹⁴C]glycopeptide is cleaved by endo-β-N-acetylglucosaminidase H, and the neutral [Man-¹⁴C]oligosaccharide product appears to be identical to the product formed when the lipid-bound [Man-¹⁴C]oligosaccharide is degraded by the endoglycosidase. The glycopeptide linkage in the [Man-¹⁴C]glycoprotein is stable to mild alkali treatment. These results are consistent with the dolichol-linked [Man-¹⁴C]oligosaccharide, mannosy-lated via exogenous [¹⁴C]mannosylphosphoryldoiichol, being subsequently transferred en bloc from dolichyl pyrophosphate to asparagine residues in endogenous membrane polypeptide acceptors. SDS-polyacrylamide gel electrophoresis of the [Man-¹⁴C]glycoprotein, labeled when white matter membranes are incubated with [¹⁴C]mannosylphosphoryldolichol. revealed a major labeled polypeptide with an apparent mol wt of 24,000. A minor labeled membrane glycoprotein is also seen, having an apparent mol wt of 105,000.     

Synthesis of taurine in rat liver and brain in vivo

The in vivo formation of taurine and the analysis of labeled taurine precursors was examined in rat brain and liver at different times after an intracisternal injection of [³⁵S]cysteine and an intraperitoneal injection of [³H]cysteine, simultaneously administered. The distribution pattern of radioactivity was similar in liver and brain. Most of the labeling in both organs (85% in brain and 80% in liver) was recovered in glutathione (oxidized and reduced), cysteic acid, cysteine sulfinic acid, hypotaurine, cystathionine, and a mixed disulfide of cysteine and glutathione. The relative rates of labeling of cysteine sulfinic acid and taurine in liver and brain suggest than in vivo, liver possesses a higher capacity for taurine synthesis than brain. A small amount of [³H]taurine was detected in brain after intraperitoneal injection of [³H]cysteine. The time of appearance of this [³H]taurine as well as the fact that it occurs when [³H]cysteine is not detectable in brain or plasma suggests that it was probably not synthesized in brain from labeled precursors but formed elsewhere and transported into the brain through an exchange process.     

Incorporation of UDPGlucose into Cell Wall Glucans and Lipids by Intact Cotton Fibers

The [¹⁴C] moiety from [³H]UDP[¹⁴C]glucose was incorporated by intact cotton fibers into hot water soluble, acetic-nitric reagent soluble and insoluble components, and chloroform-methanol soluble lipids; the [³H] UDP moiety was not incorporated. The ³H-label can be exchanged rapidly with unlabeled substrate in a chase experiment. The cell wall apparent free space of cotton fibers was in the order of 30 picomoles per milligram of dry fibers; 25 picomoles per milligram easily exchanged and about 5 picomoles per milligram more tightly adsorbed. At 50 micromolar UDPglucose, 70% of the [¹⁴C]glucose was found in the lipid fraction after both a short labeling period and chase. The percent of [¹⁴C]glucose incorporated into total glucan increased slightly with chase, but the fraction of total glucans incorporated into insoluble acetic-nitric reagent (cellulose) did increase within a 30-minute chase period. The data supports the concept that glucan synthesis, including cellulose, as well as the synthesis of steryl glucosides, acetylated steryl glucosides, and glucosyl-phosphoryl-polyprenol from externally supplied UDPglucose occurs at the plasma membrane-cell wall interface. The synthase enzymes for such synthesis must be part of this interfacial membrane system.     

A method using 3-O-methyl-D-glucose and phloretin for the determination of intracellular water space of cells in monolayer culture.

A method is presented for determining the extent of methylation of tRNAs synthesized in mammalian and bacterial cell systems and is based upon determining the distribution of radioactivity associated with the guanine constituents of total cellular tRNA preparations previously labeled with [2-¹⁴C]guanosine and with [methyl]-³H or -¹⁴C]methionine. Whereas labeling with guanosine provides a means of assessing the extent of methylation of the [2-¹⁴C]guanine residues incorporated into tRNA, methionine labeling provides a measure of the percentage of [methyl-³H or -¹⁴C]methylated constituents that are methylated guanines. Analyses such as the above reveal that the tRNA of KB cells acquires approximately three times as many methyl groups as that of E. coli B tRNA. Coupled with the knowledge that both mammalian and bacterial tRNA preparations contain an average of 24 guanine residues per molecule, the above analyses further reveal that 7.2 and 2.4 methyl groups are incorporated into each tRNA molecule synthesized in exponentially growing KB- and E. coli B-cells, respectively. Additional information regarding the extent of formation of individual methylated constituents per tRNA molecule synthesized is presented.     

Metabolic activation of hexamethylmelamine and pentamethylmelamine by liver microsomal preparations

Incubation of [¹⁴C]-ring labeled hexamethylmelamine and pentamethylmelamine with rat and mouse liver microsomal preparations results in metabolic activation of both drugs as measured by covalent binding of radiolabel to acid-precipitable microsomal macromolecules. Covalent binding is dependent on viable microsomes, NADPH, and molecular oxygen. Binding of HMM (280 pmol/mg protein/15 min) was approximately 5 times greater than that observed for PMM (60 pmol/mg protein/15 min), and represents 0.22% of incubated material. Similar results were found with [¹⁴C]-methyl labeled substrates. Pretreatment with phenobarbital increased covalent binding while addition of SKF 525-A, addition of glutathione, or incubation in an 80% carbon monoxide atmosphere reduced covalent binding.     

Some properties of phosphatidylcholine exchange protein purified from beef liver

A phospholipid exchange protein has been purified 2680-fold from beef liver. The assay of the exchange activity of the protein was based on the transfer of [¹⁴C]phosphatidylcholine from microsomes labeled with [¹⁴C]phosphatidylcholine to liposomes. The homogeneity of the protein has been established by sodium dodecyl sulfate-polyacrylamide gel electrophoresis, immunoelectrophoresis and isoelectric focusing. The protein has a molecular weight of approximately 22000 and an isoelectric point of 5.8. The amino acid composition has been determined. The protein contains one disulfide bridge and has glutamic acid as the N-terminal amino acid. Phospholipid, tentatively identified as phosphatidylcholine, was found to be present in the protein preparation. The protein stimulated specifically the exchange of phosphatidylcholine between mitochondria and microsomes from rat liver.     

A new method for determination of elastolytic activity using (14C) labeled elastin and its application to leukocytic elastase.

A new, highly sensitive and specific assay for elastolytic activity is described which employs insoluble elastin randomly labeled with [¹⁴C]. The substrate was prepared by labeling amino groups of the protein in vitro with [¹⁴C] methyl groups by reductive alkylation. The substrate was used to quantitate elastolytic activity from human leukocytes and to compare leukocytic elastase with pancreatic elastase. Purified human leukocytic elastase was approximately one-fourth as active as pancreatic elastase. Similar difference between leukocytic elastase and pancreatic elastase activities was found when the enzymes were tested against succinyl-L-alanyl-L-alanyl-L-alanine-p-nitroanilide, but not when t-BOC-L-alanine-p-nitrophenyl ester was used.