Structure of a ricin mutant showing rescue of activity by a noncatalytic residue.

Ricin A chain is an N-glycosidase which removes a single adenine base from a conservative loop of 28S rRNA, thereby inactivating eukaryotic ribosomes. The mechanism of action has been proposed to include transition-state stabilization of an oxycarbonium ion on the substrate ribose by interaction with Glu 177. Conversion of Glu 177 to Gln reduces activity nearly 200-fold [Ready, M. P., Kim, Y., & Robertus, J. D. (1991) Proteins: Struct., Funct., Genet. 10, 270-278] while conversion to Ala (E177A) reduces activity only 20-fold [Schlossman, D., Withers, D., Welsh, P., Alexander, A., Robertus, J., & Frankel, A. (1989) Mol. Cell. Biol. 9, 5012-5021]. X-ray analysis of the latter mutant protein shows that a residue at the edge of the active site, Glu 208, rotates into the space left vacant by the mutation. Its rearranged carboxylate partially substitutes for that of Glu 177. This is equivalent to the rescue of enzyme activity by a second-site reversion. Kinetic analysis shows the E177A mutation affects kcat and not Km, consistent with the notion that the carboxylate serves in transition-state stabilization.     

Nonserine esterases from rat liver cytosol

An effort to identify the major general esterases of rat liver cytosol that are insensitive to the serine esterase inhibitor paraoxon (diethyl 4-nitrophenyl phosphate) has led to the isolation of a dozen enzymes. Four of these are electrophoretically homogeneous. Although purified on the basis of their hydrolytic activity toward 4-nitrophenyl acetate, each of the enzymes has a very broad and overlapping substrate specificity for aromatic esters. Thiol esters serve as substrates but, within the limits of the methods used, amides are not hydrolyzed.     

Restriction site mapping for three or more enzymes

Restriction site mapping requires a generator to put forwardpossible maps and a constraint checker to reject false maps.Ideally these combine to give an algorithm which calculatesa sound and complete solution set. Three algorithms for generationare presented and compared. Two decompose a multi-enzyme problem(3) into subproblems. The constraint checker is based on separationtheory. Some insights into the extent of constraint checkinginvolved in and the feasibility of more checking for three ormore enzymes are discussed. The trade-off between computationtime and the soundness of the solution set is examined. Received on July 30, 1989; accepted on April 4, 1990     

Cloning, sequencing, and expression of the structural genes for the cytochrome and flavoprotein subunits of p-cresol methylhydroxylase from two strains of Pseudomonas putida.

The structural genes for the flavoprotein subunit and cytochrome c subunit of p-cresol (4-methylphenol) methylhydroxylase (PCMH) from Pseudomonas putida NCIMB 9869 (National Collection of Industrial and Marine Bacteria, Aberdeen, Scotland) and P. putida NCIMB 9866 were cloned and sequenced. The genes from P.putida NCIMB 9869 were for the plasmid-encoded A form of PCMH, and the genes from P.putida NCIMB 9866 were also plasmid encoded. The nucleotide sequences of the two flavoprotein genes from P.putida NCIMB 9869 and P.putida NCIMB 9866 (pchF69A and pchF66, respectively) were the same except for 5 bases out of 1,584, and the translated amino acid sequences were identical. The nucleotide sequences of the genes for the cytochrome subunits of PCMH from the two bacteria (pchC69A and pchC66) varied by a single nucleotide in their 303-base sequences, and the translated amino acid sequences differed by a single residue at position 41 (Asp in PchC69A and Ala in PchC66). Both cytochromes had 21-residue signal sequences, as expected for periplasmic proteins, and these sequences were identical. On the other hand, no signal sequences were found for the flavoproteins.pchF69A and pchC69A were expressed, separately or together, in Escherichia coli JM109 and P.putida RA4007, with active PCMH produced in both bacteria. The E. coli-expressed flavocytochrome was purified. Our studies indicated that the E.coli-expressed subunits were identical to the subunits expressed in P.putida NCIMB 9869: molecular weights, isoelectric points, UV-visible spectra, and steady-state kinetic parameters were the same for the two sets of proteins. The subunits readily associated upon mixing two crude extracts of E.coli, one extract containing PchC69A and the other containing PchF69A. The courses of association of PchC69A and PchF69A were essentially identical for pure E. coli-expressed subunits and pure P. putida 9869-expressed subunits. E. coli-expressed PchC69A and PchF69A contained covalently bound heme and covalently bound flavin adenine dinucleotide, respectively, as the proteins expressed in nature.     

Microcalorimetric investigations of the interactions of small ions with arterial elastin

The enthalpies of interactions of porcine arterial elastin with alkali metal and alkali earth halides and sulphates were investigated by means of flow microcalorimetry and the stoichiometry measured using radiotracer techniques. In aqueous solutions, all alkali earth halides interacted exothermically at concentrations ranging from 0.01 to 2.5M. All the alkali metal halides, particularly NaCl, exhibited complex concentration-dependent interactions, exothermic at low concentrations and endothermic at high concentrations. Both the anion and cation contributed to the response, although the anion seemed to dominate. SO interacted most strongly of the anions tested. All interactions were reversible in the sense that repeat experiments gave identical results, but the enthalpy of “adsorption” was generally different from that of “desorption.” The enthalpy of interaction depended on the conformation of the elastin in a salt-specific manner. For example, CaCl₂ and MgCl₂ interacted similarly in water but very differently in 1 : 1 water : methanol. © 1994 John Wiley & Sons, Inc.     

Nitrogen Reserve Mobilization during Regrowth of Medicago sativa L. (Relationships between Availability and Regrowth Yield)

An experiment was designed to study the role of N and C reserves on regrowth of the shoots following defoliation of forage species. Starch and N accumulation in root and crown tissue of nonnodulated Medicago sativa L. were modified during regrowth by applying different levels of N and different cutting heights. Plants were obtained with similar crown and root dry weights, but having either low starch and high tissue N or high starch and low tissue N. The plants were then submitted to a second defoliation and supplied with optimal N nutrition, and N flow from reserve was quantified using pulse-chase 15N labeling. Maximum yields following the second regrowth were obtained from those plants having a high tissue N, despite their low level of nonstructural carbohydrate. When N in the roots and crown exceeded 5 mg N plant-1 at the beginning of regrowth, about 68% was translocated to regrowing shoots. Highly significant correlations were also found between the amounts of N available in roots and crown at the beginning of regrowth and (a) the amount of N that was mobilized to new tissues, (b) the amount of N taken up during the regrowth period, and (c) the final shoot yield after 24 d of regrowth. No similar correlations were found for plants that varied in their initial starch content of roots and crown. It is suggested that N reserves were used mainly during the first 10 d after defoliation, and that the resulting aerial growth during this period should be sufficient to restore N2 fixation and/or N uptake to levels equal to those prior to defoliation. These data emphasize (a) the importance of root N reserves in initiating and sustaining new shoot growth, and (b) the need for a re-evaluation of the contribution of C reserves to shoot regrowth.     

Expression of human factor X with normal biological activity in human embryonic kidney cells

Summary Human embryonic kidney cells (293) were transfected with a construct containing human factor X cDNA and selected for G418 resistance. The level of expression of recombinant factor X in serum-free medium was 4 to 5 g/ml. Purified recombinant factor X had a molecular size identical to that of normal plasma factor X. Amino-terminal sequencing revealed normal processing cleavages. The -carboxy Glu and -OH Asp content of the recombinant factor X was close to 90% of the expected levels of these post-translational residues. The specific activity of recombinant factor X was about 95% of that of plasma factor X in three plasma-based clotting assays. This report demonstrates that 293 cells can produce a high level of biologically active factor X and describes a visual criterion for verifying the transfection process.Abbreviations FX factor X - rFX recombinant factor X - DMEM Dulbecco's modified Eagle's medium - RVV-X Russell's viper venom - SDS-PAGE sodium dodecyl sulfatepolyacrylamide gel electrophoresis - Gla -carboxy glutamic acid     

Chirospecific synthesis of D and Lp-chlorohomophenylalanine N-t-BOC DCHA salts

Summary The chirospecific conversions of D-glucosamine hydrochloride and D-mannosamine hydrochloride to the configurationally stable L and D isomers of N-t-butyloxycarbonylserinal were carried out byt-butylcarbonylation followed by sodium borohydride reduction and sodium meta-periodate oxidation. Reaction of the L and D aldehydes with the Wittig reagent prepared from 4-chlorobenzyltriphenylphosphonium chloride and butyl lithium followed by catalytic hydrogenation, Jones oxidation and salt formation with dicyclohexylamine gave the DCHA salts of the D and L isomers ofp-chlorohomophenylalanine N-t-Boc in high enatiomeric excess. The optical purity of the title compounds was established by hydrolysis to the respective free amino acids, followed by chiral derivatization and HPLC analysis.This was presented at the Fifth International Kyoto Conference on new Aspects of Organic Chemistry, Kyoto, Japan, November 11–15, 1991. Abstract #GO-13.     

MHC antigen expression by melanomas recovered from mice treated with allogeneic mouse fibroblasts genetically modified for interleukin-2 secretion and the expression of melanoma-associated antigens

Recent approaches toward the immunotherapy of neoplastic disease involve the introduction of expression-competent genes for interleukin-2 (IL-2) into autologous malignant cells. Treatment of tumor-bearing experimental animals with the IL-2-secreting cells successfully induces partial and at times complete remissions. In most instances, however, although delayed, progressive tumor growth continues. Here, certain of the characteristic of B16 melanomas (H-2^b) persisting in C57BL/6 mice (H-2^b) treated with an IL-2-secreting, melanoma-antigen-positive cellular immunogen (RLBA-IL-2 cells) are described. Unlike the melanoma cells first injected, B16 cells recovered from mice treated with RLBA-IL-2 cells were deficient in the experssion of MHC class I, but not class II determinants. Deficient MHC class I expression correlated with the cells' resistance to cytotoxic T lymphocytes (CTL) from the spleens of mice immunized with RLBA-IL-2 cells. Melanomas persisting in mice treated with non-IL-2-secreting, melanoma-antigen-positive cell constructs (RLBA-ZipNeo cells) were also deficient in the expression of MHC class I determinants, and the melanoma cells were resistant to CTL from mice immunized with RLBA-ZipNeo cells. Thus, the expression of melanoma-associated antigens rather than IL-2-secretion correlated with deficient MHC class I expression by the persistent melanomas. This point was substantiated by the expression of MHC class I antigens by melanomas persisting in mice treated with IL-2-secreting, melanoma-antigen-negative LM cells (LM-IL-2); it was equivalent to that of melanomas in untreated mice. The involvement of MHC class I antigens in the immune resistance of persistent melanoma cells from mice treated with the melanoma-autigen-positive immunogens was indicated by the effect of interferon (IFN) orN-methyl-N-nitro-N-nitrosoguanidine (MNNG) on the susceptibility of the cells to anti-melanoma CTL. Treatment of the resistant melanomas with IFN or MNNG stimulated MHC class I antigen expression and restored the cells' sensitivity to CTL from mice immunized with IL-2-secreting or nonsecreting, melanoma-antigen-positive cellular immunogens. Prior treatment of the treated cells with antibodies to MHC class I determinants inhibited the cells' susceptibility to CTL from mice immunized with RLBA-IL-2 cells.