Trypanothione reductase of Trypanosoma congolense: gene isolation, primary sequence determination, and comparison to glutathione reductase

The gene encoding trypanothione reductase, the redox disulfide-containing flavoenzyme that is unique to the parasitic trypanosomatids (Shames et al., 1986), has been isolated from the cattle pathogen Trypanosoma congolense. Library screening was carried out with inosine-containing oligonucleotide probes encoding sequences determined from two active site peptides isolated from the purified Crithidia fasciculata enzyme. The nucleotide sequence of the gene was determined according to the dideoxy chain termination method of Sanger. The structural gene is 1476 nucleotides long and encodes 492 amino acids. We have identified the active site peptide containing the redox-active disulfide, a peptide corresponding to the histidine-467 region of human erythrocyte glutathione reductase, as well as the flavin binding domain that is highly conserved in all disulfide-containing flavoprotein reductase enzymes. Alignment of five tryptic peptides (80 residues) isolated from the C. fasciculata trypanothione reductase with the primary sequence of the T. congolense enzyme showed 88% homology with 76% identity. Additionally, a sequence comparison of the glutathione reductase from Escherichia coli or human erythrocytes to T. congolense trypanothione reductase reveals greater than 50% homology. A search for the amino acid residues in the primary sequence of trypanothione reductase functionally active in binding/catalysis in human erythrocyte glutathione reductase shows that only the two arginine residues (Arg-37 and Arg-347), shown by X-ray crystallographic data to hydrogen bond to the GS1 glutathione glycyl carboxylate, are absent.     

Nitrogen Nutrition and Xylem Sap Composition of Peanut (Arachis hypogaea L. cv Virginia Bunch)

The principal forms of amino nitrogen transported in xylem were studied in nodulated and non-nodulated peanut (Arachis hypogaea L.). In symbiotic plants, asparagine and the nonprotein amino acid, 4-methyleneglutamine, were identified as the major components of xylem exudate collected from root systems decapitated below the lowest nodule or above the nodulated zone. Sap bleeding from detached nodules carried 80% of its nitrogen as asparagine and less than 1% as 4-methyleneglutamine. Pulse-feeding nodulated roots with ¹⁵N₂ gas showed asparagine to be the principal nitrogen product exported from N₂-fixing nodules. Maintaining root systems in an N₂-deficient (argon:oxygen, 80:20, v/v) atmosphere for 3 days greatly depleted asparagine levels in nodules. 4-Methyleneglutamine represented 73% of the total amino nitrogen in the xylem sap of non-nodulated plants grown on nitrogen-free nutrients, but relative levels of this compound decreased and asparagine increased when nitrate was supplied. The presence of 4-methyleneglutamine in xylem exudate did not appear to be associated with either N₂ fixation or nitrate assimilation, and an origin from cotyledon nitrogen was suggested from study of changes in amount of the compound in tissue amino acid pools and in root bleeding xylem sap following germination. Changes in xylem sap composition were studied in nodulated plants receiving a range of levels of ¹⁵N-nitrate, and a ¹⁵N dilution technique was used to determine the proportions of accumulated plant nitrogen derived from N₂ or fed nitrate. The abundance of asparagine in xylem sap and the ratio of asparagine:nitrate fell, while the ratio of nitrate:total amino acid rose as plants derived less of their organic nitrogen from N₂. Assays based on xylem sap composition are suggested as a means of determining the relative extents to which N₂ and nitrate are being used in peanuts.     

Enhancement of NMDA-mediated responses by cyanide

The effect of cyanide on NMDA-activated ion current and MK801 binding was studied in cultured rat hippocampal neurons. In microfluorometric analysis using fura-2, removal of extracellular Mg²⁺ resulted in a five-fold increase in NMDA-induced peak of [Ca²⁺]_i. One mM NaCN enhanced the peak NMDA responses in the presence, but not in the absence of extracellular Mg²⁺. Cyanide enhanced the immediate rise in [Ca²⁺]_i produced by NMDA, followed over a 1–5 min period by a gradual increase of [Ca²⁺]_i. Similar results were obtained in whole-cell patch clamp recordings from hippocampal neurons. One mM KCN enhanced the NMDA-activated current in the presence, but not in the absence of extracellular Mg²⁺. This effect was independent of cyanide-mediated metabolic inhibition since the recording pipette contained ATP (2 mM). In binding assays NaCN (1 mM) increased the binding affinity of [³H]MK-801 to rat forebrain membranes in the presence of Mg²⁺, whereas in the absence of Mg²⁺, NaCN did not influence binding. These results indicate that cyanide enhances NMDA-mediated Ca²⁺ influx and inward current by interacting with the Mg²⁺ block of the NMDA receptor. The effect of cyanide can be explained by an initial interaction with the Mg²⁺ block of the NMDA receptor/ionophore which appears to be energy-independent, followed by a gradual increase in Ca²⁺ influx resulting from cellular energy reserve depletion.Abbreviations NMDA N-Methyl-D-Aspartate - EAA excitatory amino acid - MK-801 (+)-5-methyl-10,11-dihydro-5H-dibenzo[a,d] cyclohept-5,10-imine maleate     

Spontaneous Phloem bleeding from cryopunctured fruits of a ureide-producing legume

The vasculature of the dorsal suture of cowpea (Vigna unguiculata [L.] Walp) fruits bled a sugar-rich exudate when punctured with a fine needle previously cooled in liquid N₂. Bleeding continued for many days at rates equivalent to 10% of the estimated current sugar intake of the fruit. A phloem origin for the exudate was suggested from its high levels (0.4-0.8 millimoles per milliliter) of sugar (98% of this as sucrose) and its high K⁺ content and high ratio of Mg²⁺ to Ca²⁺. Fruit cryopuncture sap became labeled with ¹⁴C following feeding of [¹⁴C]urea to leaves or adjacent walls of the fruit, of ¹⁴CO₂ to the pod gas space, and of [¹⁴C] asparagine or [¹⁴C]allantoin to leaflets or cut shoots through the xylem. Rates of translocation of ¹⁴C-assimilates from a fed leaf to the puncture site on a subtended fruit were 21 to 38 centimeters per hour. Analysis of ¹⁴C distribution in phloem sap suggested that [¹⁴C]allantoin was metabolized to a greater extent in its passage to the fruit than was [¹⁴C] asparagine. Amino acid:ureide:nitrate ratios (nitrogen weight basis) of NO₃-fed, non-nodulated plants were 20:2:78 in root bleeding xylem sap versus 90:10:0.1 for fruit phloem sap, suggesting that the shoot utilized NO₃-nitrogen to synthesize amino acids prior to phloem transfer of nitrogen to the fruit. Feeding of ¹⁵NO₃ to roots substantiated this conclusion. The amino acid:ureide ratio (nitrogen weight basis) of root xylem sap of symbiotic plants was 23:77 versus 89:11 for corresponding fruit phloem sap indicating intense metabolic transfer of ureide-nitrogen to amino acids by vegetative parts of the plant.     

Degradation of ribulose-1,5-bisphosphate carboxylase by proteolytic enzymes from crude extracts of wheat leaves

In crude extracts from the primary leaf of wheat seedlings, Triticum aestivum L., cv. Olympic, maximum proteinase activity, as determined by measuring the rate of release of amino nitrogen from ribulose-bisphosphate carboxylase (RuBPCase), was found to be obtained only when EDTA and L-cysteine were included in the extraction buffer. Highest proteinase activity was obtained by grinding at pH 6.8, although the level of activity was similar in the pH range 5.6 to 8.0; this range also coincided with maximum extractability of protein. The lower amount of RuBPCase degrading proteinase extracted at low pH was not due to an effect of pH on enzyme stability. The optimum temperature of reaction was 50° C and reaction rates were linear for at least 120 min at this temperature. In the absence of substrate the proteinase was found to be very sensitive to temperatures above 30° C, with even short exposures causing rapid loss of activity. The relation between assay pH and RuBPCase degradation indicated that degradation was restricted to the acid proteinase group of enzymes, with a pH optimum of 4.8, and no detectable activity at a pH greater than 6.4. The levels of extractable RuBPCase proteinase exhibited a distinct diurnal variation, with activity increasing during the latter part of the light period and then declining once the lights were turned off. The effect of leaf age on the level of RuBPCase, RuBPCase proteinase and total soluble protein was investigated. Maximum RuBPCase activity occurred 9 days after sowing as did soluble protein. After the maximum level was obtained, the pattern of total soluble protein was shown to be characterised by three distinct periods of protein loss: I (day 9–13) 125 ng leaf^-1 day^-1; II (day 15–27) 11 ng leaf^-1 day^-1; III (day 29–49) 22 ng leaf^-1 day^-1. Comparison of the pattern of RuBPCase activity and total protein suggest that the loss of RuBPCase may be largely responsible for the high rate of protein loss during period I. Proteinase activity increased sharply during the period of most rapid loss of RuBPCase activity, and because the specific activity of RuBPCase also declined, we concluded that RuBPCase was being degraded more rapidly than the other proteins. Once the majority of the RuBPCase was lost, there did not appear to be a direct relation between RuBPCase proteinase activity and rate of total soluble protein loss, since the proteinase exhibited maximum activity during the slowest period of protein loss (II), and was declining in activity while the rate of protein loss remained stable during the third and final period of total protein loss.Abbreviations RuBPCase ribulose-1,5-bisphosphate carboxylase (EC 4.1.1.39) - TCA trichloroacetic acid Supported by the Wheat Industry Research Council of Australia and the Australian Research Grants Committee D2 74/15052     

Comparison of Tissue Metal Concentrations in Zucker Lean, Zucker Obese, and Zucker Diabetic Fatty Rats and the Effects of Chromium Supplementation on Tissue Metal Concentrations

Diabetes results in several metabolic changes, including alterations in the transport, distribution, excretion, and accumulation of metals. While changes have been examined in several rat models of insulin resistance and diabetes, the metal ion concentrations in the tissues of Zucker lean, Zucker obese (an insulin resistance and early stage diabetes model), and Zucker diabetic fatty (ZDF, a type 2 diabetes model) have not previously been examined in detail. The concentration of Cu, Zn, Fe, Mg, and Ca were examined in the liver, kidney, heart and spleen, and Cr concentration in the liver and kidney of these rats were examined. Zucker obese rats have a reduction in the concentration of Cu, Zn, Fe, Mg in the liver compared to ZDF and/or lean Zucker rats, presumably as a result of the increased fat content of the liver of the obese rats. ZDF rats have increased concentrations of kidney Cu compared to the lean rats, while kidney Ca concentrations are increased in the Zucker obese rats. Spleen Fe concentrations are decreased in Zucker obese rats compared to the lean rats. No effects on metal concentrations in the heart were observed between the lean, obese, and ZDF rats, and no effects on Cr concentrations were identified. Cr(III) complexes have previously been shown to have beneficial effects on the signs of insulin resistance in Zucker obese and ZDF rats. The effects of daily gavage administration of chromium picolinate ([Cr(pic)₃]) (1 mg?Cr/kg body mass), CrCl₃ (1 mg?Cr/kg body mass), and Cr3 ([Cr₃O(propionate)₆(H₂O)₃]⁺) (33 μg and 1 mg?Cr/kg body mass) on metal concentrations in these tissues were examined. Treatment with CrCl₃ and Cr3, but not [Cr(pic)₃], at 1 mg?Cr/kg resulted in a statistically significant accumulation of Cr in the kidney of lean and obese but not ZDF rats but resulted in lowering the elevated levels of kidney Cu in ZDF rats, suggesting a beneficial effect on this symptom of type 2 diabetes.