Glutamate synthase in greening callus of Bouvardia ternifolia Schlecht

The distribution of the two glutamate-synthase (GOGAT) activities known to exist in higher plants (NADH dependent, EC 2.6.1.53; and ferredoxin dependent, EC 1.4.7.1) was studied in non-chlorophyllous and chlorophyllous cultured tissue as well as in young leaves of Bouvardia ternifolia. The NADH-GOGAT was present in all three tissues. Using a sucrose gradient we found it in both the soluble and the plastid fraction of non-chlorophyllous and chlorophyllous tissue, but exclusively in the chloroplast fraction of the leaves. Ferredoxin-GOGAT was found only in green tissues and was confined to the chloroplasts. Ferredoxin-GOGAT activity increased in parallel with the chlorophyll content of the callus during the greening process in Murashige-Skoog medium (nitrate and ammonium as the nitrogen sources), while NADH-GOGAT was not affected by the greening process in this medium. Furthermore, both activities were differentially affected by either nitrate or ammonium as the sole nitrogen source in the medium during this process. It is suggested that each GOGAT activity is a different entity or is differently regulated.Abbreviations GOGAT glutamate synthase - MS Murashige-Skoog (1962) medium - PMSF phenylmethylsulfonyl fluoride     

Stability enhancement and circular dichroism spectral anomaly as an indication of non-covalent interactions in histidine- and tyrosine-containing ternary copper(II)—amino acid systems

Visible absorption and CD spectral and potentiometric studies on the His- and Tyr-containing ternary copper(II) complexes Cu(A)(L-B), where A refers to L-His, D-His, or L-Tyr and B to Lys, Tyr, Trp, Phe, Ala, Val, Arg, Glu, Asn, Gln, Ser, or Thr, were made to study ligand-ligand interactions in the complexes. While the CD spectral magnitudes in the d—d region are additive in the absence of side chain interactions and can be estimated from the magnitudes for the ternary systems involving DL-A or DL-B, deviation from the additivity was observed for Cu(L-His)(L-B) (B = LysH, Tyr, Trp, or Phe) and Cu(L-Tyr)(L-Trp). From the stability constants determined at 25 °C and I = 0.1 M (KNO₃), the equilibrium constants, K, for the following hypothetical equilibria were calculated to be large (0.14–0.60) for formation of Cu(L-/D-His)(L-B)(B = Tyr or Trp) and Cu(D-His)(L-Phe) with Cu(en)(L-Ala) as standard: $Cu(A)(L?Ala)+Cu(en)(L?b)\stackrel{K}{?}Cu(A)(L?B)+Cu(en)(L?Ala)$ The positive values indicate the stabilization due to the stacking between the imidazole ring of His and the aromatic side chain of L-B. Solvent dependence of the CD spectra for Cu(L-His)(L-LysH) and Cu(L-His) L-Trp) further supported the existence of the intramolecular electrostatic and hydrophobic interactions.     

Immobilization of pig muscle 3-phosphoglycerate kinase

3-Phosphoglycerate kinase (ATP:3-phospho-d-glycerate 1-phosphotransferase, EC 2.7.2.3) has been covalently immobilized on a polyacrylamide-type support containing carboxylic groups activated by water-soluble carbodiimide. The activity was 88 units g^?1 xerogel. The activity versus pH profile showed a sharper maximum at pH 6.5 in the case of the immobilized enzyme. The immobilized enzyme had a broad apparent optimum temperature range between 40 and 50°C. The apparent K_m values of the immobilized 3-phosphoglycerate kinase were lower for both 3-phosphoglycerate and ATP than those of the soluble enzyme. In the case of the immobilized enzyme stabilities were enhanced.     

癌症新型的诊疗靶点－APOBEC

APOBEC（“载脂蛋白质B mRNA编辑催化多肽”）是一类进化保守的胞苷脱氨酶家族。在人体内,已知含有保守的DNA胞嘧啶脱氨酶结构域的基因共有11种,包括AID、APOBEC1、APOBEC2、APOBEC3基因家族APOBEC3A、APOBEC3B、APOBEC3C、APOBEC3DE、APOBEC3F、APOBEC3G、APOBEC3H（分别称为A3A、A3B、A3C、A3D、A3F、A3G和A3H）和APOBEC4。APOBEC利用其脱氨酶活性通过与RNA和/或DNA结合,催化mRNA或使DNA中的胞嘧啶核苷酸转变为尿嘧啶,或者胞嘧啶核苷酸转变为胸腺嘧啶核苷酸,进而完成各自不同的功能。目前研究发现,AID及APOBEC3（A3s）的7种脱氨酶在人类的天然免疫和适应性免疫防御过程中发挥重要的作用,且在口腔癌,肺癌（腺癌和鳞状细胞癌）,结直肠癌和乳腺癌等的诊疗过程中具有重要的潜在应用价值。AID可以通过将胞嘧啶脱氨基成尿嘧啶,来启动SHM (体细胞超突变)和CSR (类别转换重组),进而在抗体多样性方面发挥作用。它的异常表达能够使B细胞淋巴瘤等恶性肿瘤的发病频率显著增加。而A3A、A3B通过胞嘧啶到尿嘧啶转换,以及自身表达量上调而在乳腺癌和肺癌诊疗中起作用。A3G通过APOBEC3G/miR 29/MMP2为了解结直肠癌肝转移和开发治疗晚期结肠癌的有效疗法开辟了新的途径。综上所述,本文将以AID,A3A,A3B,A3G为例子,对APOBEC在癌症诊断和治疗方面的应用进行综述,以期为进一步药物研究和临床应用等提供参考。     

The formation and biotransformation of cysteine conjugates of halogenated ethylenes by rabbit renal tubules

The nephrotoxicity of chlorotrifluoroethylene (CTFE) was examined using isolated rabbit renal tubules suspensions. Exposure of the tubules to CTFE resulted in consumption of CTFE, formation of a glutathione conjugate and inhibition of active organic acid transport. Synthetic cysteine, N-acetylcysteine or glutathione conjugates of CTFE inhibited transport indicating S-conjugation as a possible toxic pathway. 1,2-dichlorovinyl glutathione (DCVG), a model synthetic glutathione conjugate, was used to examine the degradation and toxicity of these conjugates. DCVG inhibited rabbit renal tubule transport in vivo and in vitro. The DCVG was found to be degraded with the evolution of glutamine and glycine to produce the ultimate nephrotoxicant, dichlorovinyl cysteine. Dichlorovinyl cysteine is then bioactivated with the release of ammonia. This sequential degradation explains the latency of DCVG-induced renal transport inhibition relative to dichlorovinyl cysteine. It is now evident that certain halogenated ethylenes are capable of being biotransformed to glutathione conjugates in the kidney with their subsequent hydrolysis to nephrotoxic cysteine conjugates.     

Selenocysteine lyase activity in a cysteine-requiring mutant ofEscherichia coli K-12

Selenocysteine lyase activity was detected in crude extracts from a cysteine-requiring mutant ofEscherichia coli K-12. The level of activity was the same whether cells had been grown aerobically or anaerobically, with or without selenocysteine. Selenocysteine lyase catalyzes the conversion of selenocysteine to alanine and elemental Se, a reaction that is followed by a nonenzymatic reduction of the Se to hydrogen selenide. Both of these end products were identified in this study. With cysteine as the substrate, alanine and H₂S were formed, but only at levels 50% less than the products formed from selenocysteine. Selenocysteine lyase has been identified in a number of mammals and bacteria; its presence in a cysK mutant ofE. coli K-12 suggests a common route whereby hydrogen selenide, derived from selenocysteine, can then be assimilated into selenoproteins.     

Isolation and characterization of human heart cytochromec oxidase

Cytochromec oxidase was isolated from human hearts and separated by SDS gel electrophoresis. The identity of polypeptide bands with known subunits was demonstrated by immunoblotting with monospecific antisera to rat liver cytochromec oxidase subunits. The polarographically determined kinetics of cytochromec oxidation were similar to those reported for the bovine heart enzyme.