Evidence for an arginine residue at the substrate binding site of Escherichia coli adenylosuccinate synthetase as studied by chemical modification and site-directed mutagenesis

Chemical modification of adenylosuccinate synthetase from Escherichia coli with phenylglyoxal resulted in an inhibition of enzyme activity with a second-order rate constant of 13.6 M-1 min-1. The substrates, GTP or IMP, partially protected the enzyme against inactivation by the chemical modification. The other substrate, aspartate, had no such effect even at a high concentration. In the presence of both IMP and GTP during the modification, nearly complete protection of the enzyme against inactivation was observed. Stoichiometry studies with [7-14C]phenylglyoxal showed that only 1 reactive arginine residue was modified by the chemical reagent and that this arginine residue could be shielded by GTP and IMP. Sequence analysis of tryptic peptides indicated that Arg147 is the site of phenylglyoxal chemical modification. This arginine has been changed to leucine by site-directed mutagenesis. The mutant enzyme (R147L) showed increased Michaelis constants for IMP and GTP relative to the wild-type system, whereas the Km for aspartate exhibited a modest decrease as compared with the native enzyme. In addition, kcat of the R147L mutant decreased by a factor of 1.3 x 10(4). On the bases of these observations, it is suggested that Arg147 is critical for enzyme catalysis.     

Function of the N-terminal calcium-binding sites in cardiac/slow troponin C assessed in fast skeletal muscle fibers

Fast skeletal troponin C (sTnC) has two low affinity Ca(2+)-binding sites (sites I and II), whereas in cardiac troponin C (cTnC) site I is inactive. By modifying the Ca2+ binding properties of sites I and II in cTnC it was demonstrated that binding of Ca2+ to an activated site I alone is not sufficient for triggering contraction in slow skeletal muscle fibers (Sweeney, H.L., Brito, R. M.M., Rosevear, P.R., and Putkey, J.A. (1990) Proc. Natl. Acad. Sci. U.S.A. 87, 9538-9542). However, a similar study using sTnC showed that Ca2+ binding to site I alone could partially activate force production in fast skeletal muscle fibers (Sheng, Z., Strauss, W.L., Francois, J.M., and Potter, J.D. (1990) J. Biol. Chem. 265, 21554-21560). The purpose of the current study was to examine the functional characteristics of modified cTnC derivatives in fast skeletal muscle fibers to assess whether or not either low affinity site can mediate force production when coupled to fast skeletal isoforms of troponin (Tn) I and TnT. Normal cTnC and sTnC were compared with engineered derivatives of cTnC having either both sites I and II active, or only site I active. In contrast to what is seen in slow muscle, binding of Ca2+ to site I alone recovered about 15-20% of the normal calcium-activated force and ATPase activity in skinned fast skeletal muscle fibers and myofibrils, respectively. This is most likely due to structural differences between TnI and/or TnT isoforms that allow for partial recognition and translation of the signal represented by binding Ca2+ to site I of TnC when associated with fast skeletal but not slow skeletal muscle.     

Suppression of the immune response to immunotoxins with anti-CD4 monoclonal antibodies.

Treatment of normal mice with a mAb to CD4 (GK1.5) was explored as a means of inhibiting the antibody response to an immunotoxin. Three days of pretreatment with 200 micrograms of GK1.5 completely abrogated the primary antibody response to a 3-micrograms dose of a mutant diphtheria toxin conjugated to an anti-transferrin receptor antibody. The same dose and schedule of anti-CD4 antibody significantly reduced and delayed, but did not prevent, the anamnestic antitoxin response in animals that had been previously primed to the immunotoxin. Three daily injections of anti-CD4 antibodies followed by weekly doses of immunotoxin resulted in a 3-wk delay in the development of antitoxin antibodies, and the kinetics of the antitoxin response correlated with the kinetics of recovery of CD4+ T cells in the spleen and lymph nodes. The antitoxin response to repeated doses of immunotoxin was completely abrogated when anti-CD4 antibodies were given every 2 wk throughout the course of immunotoxin treatment. Thus, transient depletion of Th cells during treatment can block the immune response to an immunotoxin. There was no evidence of tolerance induction with this regimen.     

Insulin clearance during hypoglycemia in patients with insulin-dependent diabetes mellitus.

Eight male patients with insulin-dependent diabetes mellitus (IDDM) without residual beta-cell function were studied on two occasions in random order. In one experiment hypoglycemia was induced by a constant rate iv infusion of insulin (0.034 U/kg/h) during 150 minutes. At the other occasion an identical infusion of insulin was given, but this time euglycemia was maintained by a variable iv infusion of glucose. Plasma levels of free insulin were almost identical during the two experiments indicating that insulin clearance is not influenced by hypoglycemia in patients with IDDM.     

Phylogenetic analysis and evolution of RNase P RNA in proteobacteria.

The secondary structures of the eubacterial RNase P RNAs are being elucidated by a phylogenetic comparative approach. Sequences of genes encoding RNase P RNA from each of the recognized subgroups (alpha, beta, gamma, and delta) of the proteobacteria have now been determined. These sequences allow the refinement, to nearly the base pair level, of the phylogenetic model for RNase P RNA secondary structure. Evolutionary change among the RNase P RNAs was found to occur primarily in four discrete structural domains that are peripheral to a highly conserved core structure. The new sequences were used to examine critically the proposed similarity (C. Guerrier-Takada, N. Lumelsky, and S. Altman, Science 246:1578-1584, 1989) between a portion of RNase P RNA and the "exit site" of the 23S rRNA of Escherichia coli. Phylogenetic comparisons indicate that these sequences are not homologous and that any similarity in the structures is, at best, tenuous.     

Synthesis of (+/−)–1′-Aza-carbocyclic-pyrimidine-2′,3′-dideoxynucleoside analogues as potential anti-HIV agents

1′-Aza-carbocyclic-2′, 3′-dideoxyuridine, 3′-deoxythymidine and 2′, 3′-dideoxycytidine were synthesized from 1-aminopyrrolidine intermediate 13 and evaluated as anti-HIV agents in MT-4 cells.     

山鸡椒根部精油化学成分的研究

采用水蒸气蒸馏、气相层析、标准品加入和归一法等综合技术鉴定出山鸡椒根部精油含α-蒎烯、柠檬烯、1.8-桉叶素、对聚伞花素、香草醛、甲基庚烯酮、异胡薄荷醇、香叶醇甲酸酯、α-松油醇、香草醇,柠檬醛a,b、香叶醇、丁香酚十三个成分。