N-Terminal Sequence of Pig Brain Choline Acetyltransferase Purified by a Rapid Procedure

A procedure is reported that allows the purification and amino terminal sequencing of pig brain choline acetyltransferase. The enzyme (present in extremely low amounts in this tissue) is eluted together with its antibody from an affinity column by a mild pH shift and the resulting enzyme-antibody complex separated by gel electrophoresis. The band corresponding to the enzyme is electroeluted from the gel using volatile solutions allowing the direct determination of the amino acid composition and partial sequence. The first 11 residues are: Pro-Ile-Leu-Glu-Lys-Thr-Pro-Pro-Lys-Met-Ala.     

Local deformation studies of chain molecules: differential conditions for changes of dihedral angles

New first and second-order differential equations for changes of dihedral angles characterizing local deformations of chain molecules with fixed bond lengths and bond angles are derived. Two methods for integrating the differential relations are given. The proposed method is used to generate a path of locally deformed conformations around a β-turn region of a small protein, bovine pancreatic trypsin inhibitor. The variable regions change their conformations by more than 3 Å root-mean-square distance value whereas the fixed regions stay within 0.02 Å. Possible applications of this method are in the field of computer graphics, Monte Carlo simulations, and energy minimization calculations of chain molecules.     

The study of a French family with two duplicated C4A haplotypes

Summary The finding of two duplicated C4A haplotypes in a normal French family led to a detailed study of their C4 polymorphism. The father had an extremely rare A^*6A^*11, B^* QO haplotype inherited by all of his children and the mother had the more common A^*3A^*2, B^*QO haplotype. Two HLA identical daughters only have four C4A alleles. The father's A11 allotype expresses Ch: 1 (Chido) rather than Rg:1 (Rodgers) and represents a new Ch phenotype Ch: 1,-2,-3,-4,-5,-6. In order to clarify the genetic background in this unusual family, DNA studies of restriction fragment length polymorphisms (RFLPs) were undertake. The father's rare haplotype, which expresses two C4A allotypes, results from a long and a short C4 gene normally associated with the A^*6, B^*1 that also exhibits the BglII RFLP. As it travels in an extended MHC haplotype HLA A2, B57 (17), C2^*C, BF^*S, DR7 that is most frequently associated with A^*6, B^*1, we postulate that the short C4B has been converted in the chain region to a C4A gene which produces a C4A protein. This report of a short C4A gene is the first example in the complex polymorphism of C4.     

Inhibition of insulin-dependent lipogenesis and anti-lipolysis by protein tyrosine kinase inhibitors.

Protein tyrosine kinase (PTK) blockers which competitively inhibit the kinase activity of insulin receptors were synthesized and their properties examined. The best insulin receptor kinase (IRK) inhibitors possess either one hydroxyphenyl ring and two carboxyl groups or two phenyl rings and one carboxyl group. All the inhibitors, except tBoc-tyrosine aminomalonate, effectively block the IRK-catalyzed phosphorylation of exogenous substrate, but only partially block receptor autophosphorylation. These PTK blockers inhibit the insulin induced [14C]glucose assimilation into lipids (lipogenesis), but fail to inhibit the anti-lipolytic effect of the hormone. Only tBocTyr-aminomalonate was found to inhibit all the effects of insulin measured: insulin-stimulated phosphorylation of exogenous substrate, IRK autophosphorylation, insulin-dependent lipogenesis and the insulin-dependent anti-lipolytic effect. This inhibitor is the first blocker which is reported to block insulin-dependent anti-lipolysis. The inhibitors examined are devoid of general adverse effects since they have no effect on insulin-independent lipolysis, on [U14C]fructose assimilation or on (-)isoproterenol-stimulated lipolysis. These studies suggest that insulin-dependent lipogenesis and anti-lipolysis may be mediated by two distinguishable signalling pathways. This study also suggests that PTK inhibitors may become useful tools in the investigation of the signalling pathways of PTKs.     

The rho gene product expressed in E. coli is a substrate of botulinum ADP-ribosyltransferase C3

The ras-related rho A protein expressed in E. coli, was ADP-ribosylated by botulinum ADP-ribosyltransferase C3. C3 also modified the valine-14 mutant rho protein but not the products of H-ras, R-ras, ral, ypt, and rap 1 genes. A ras-rho chimaera consisting of 60 amino acids from the amino terminus of ras fused to 133 amino acids from the carboxy terminus of rho was not modified by C3. Antibodies raised against the porcine brain cytosolic substrate of C3 cross reacted with the rho, valine-14 rho and ras-rho proteins, but not with the gene products of H-ras, R-ras, ral or rap 1. Polyclonal anti-H-ras antibodies cross reacted with H-ras but not with ral, rho, or the C3 substrate purified from porcine brain.     

Soluble and membrane-bound ferrisiderophore reductases of Escherichia coli K-12

After uptake of microbial ferrisiderophores, iron is assumed to be released by reduction. Two ferrisiderophore-reductase activities were identified in Escherichia coli K-12. They differed in cellular location, susceptibility to amytal, and competition between oxygen and ferrichrome-iron(III) reduction. The ferrisiderophore reductase associated with the 40,000×g sediment (membrane-bound enzyme) was inhibited by 10 mM amytal in contrast to the ferrisiderophore reductase present in the 100,000×g supernatant (soluble enzyme). Reduction by the membrane-bound enzyme followed sigmoid kinetics, but was biphasic in the case of the soluble enzyme. The soluble reductase could be assigned to a protein consisting of a single polypeptide of M _r 26000. Reduction of iron(III) by the purified enzyme depended on the addition of NADH or NADPH which were equally active reductants. The cofactor FMN and to a lesser degree FAD stimulated the reaction. Substrate specificity of the soluble reductase was low. In addition to the hydroxamate siderophores arthrobactin, schizokinen, fusigen, aerobactin, ferrichrome, ferrioxamine B, coprogen, and ferrichrome A, the iron(III) complexes of synthetic catecholates, dihydroxy benzoic acid, and dicitrate, as well as carrier-free iron(III) were accepted as substrates. Both ferrisiderophore reductases were not controlled by the fur regulatory system and were not suppressed by anaerobic growth.Abbreviations DHB dihydroxybenzoic acid - MECAM 1,3,5-N,N,N-tris-(2,3-dihydroxybenzoyl)-triamino-methylbenzene - MECAMS 2,3-dihydroxy-5-sulfonyl-derivative of MECAM     

Sequence of the fhuE outer-membrane receptor gene of Escherichia coli K12 and properties of mutants

The fhuE gene of Escherichia coli codes for an outer-membrane receptor protein required for the uptake of iron(III) via coprogen, ferrioxamine B and rhodotorulic acid. The amino acid sequence, deduced from the nucleotide sequence, consisted of 729 residues. The mature form, composed of 693 residues, has a calculated molecular weight of 77,453, which agrees with the molecular weight of 76,000 determined by polyacrylamide gel electrophoresis. The FhuE protein contains four regions of homology with other TonB-dependent receptors. A valine to proline exchange in the 'TonB box' abolished transport activity. Phenotypic revertants with substitutions of arginine, glutamine, or leucine at the valine position exhibited increasing iron-coprogen transport rates. Point mutations resulting in the replacement of glycine (127) in the second homology region with either alanine, aspartate, valine, asparagine or histidine exhibited decreased transport rates (listed in descending order). A truncated FhuE protein lacking 24 amino acids at the C-terminal end was exported to the periplasm but failed to be inserted into the outer membrane.     

Characterization of the caprine estrous cycle using enzyme immunoassay for the determination of whole blood progesterone concentration

Eighteen mature female dairy goats were used to determine the feasibility of enzyme immunoassay for the measurement of progesterone in this species. Both quantitative and qualitative enzyme immunoassay kits were used to measure progesterone concentration in unextracted whole blood. Progesterone profiles were similar to those previously reported using either protein-binding or radioimmunoassay as the test. A Pearson's correlation coefficient comparison of our enzyme immunoassay values with radioimmunoassay values gave a correlation coefficient of 0.95. Using the qualitative test, 100% of the samples with high progesterone concentrations had quantitative values greater than 4.00 ng/ml progesterone with a mean of 12.13 ng/ml. Estrus samples had a mean progesterone concentration of 0.70 ng/ml.