Purification and characterization of α-glucosidases produced by Saccharomyces in response to three distinct maltose genes

α-Glucosidases or maltases (EC 3.2.1.20) were purified to electrophoretic homogeneity from a respective strain of Sacchromyces cerevisiae which carries a single MAL gene, either MALα, MALβ or MALγ, using gluconate-Sepharose affinity chromography and isoelectrofocusing. Of these maltases, two types of maltase were obtained from the MALγ strain, the pI values of which were 5.6 and 5.9. From the MALα and MALβ strain was obtained only one type of maltase with the pI at 5.6 which was identical to one of the maltases from the MALγ strain. These four maltases possessed the same properties, except for pI. They were monomers with molecular weights of between 66 000 and 67 000. With regard to the substrate specificity, they hydrolyzed maltose and sucrose exclusively but not α-methulglucoside nor maltooligosaccharide. They did not differ in immunological properties.     

Uptake and metabolism of taurine in the green alga Chlorella fusca

Taurine entered the alga Chlorella fusca Shihira et Krauss strain 21l-8b via a pH and energy-dependent system ("permease"). Transport followed triphasic kinetics from 10⁻⁶ to 10⁻² M with K_m values for taurine of 5.4 × 10⁻⁵, 4.1 × l0⁻⁴ and l.5 × 10⁻³ M. This uptake system was specific for sulfonic acids and showed no affinity for α- and β -amino acids or Na⁺; thus the permease of C. fusca is different from all known taurine transport systems with respect to structural specificity and lack of Na⁺ -dependence. Uptake was not observed in sulfate-grown algae but developed as a response to sulfate limitation within 2 h. Sulfate addition caused a rapid decline in taurine transport capacity. Labeled taurine was rapidly metabolized in C. fusca to sulfate and ethanolamine, suggesting oxidative hydrolysis as the mechanism of C-S bond cleavage. Further incorporation of these catabolic products in C - and S -metabolism was demonstrated. Taurine catabolism was also detected in other green algae and some cyanobacteria.     

Comparison of sequences from the malB regions of Salmonella typhimurium and Enterobacter aerogenes with Escherichia coli K12: A potential new regulatory site in the interoperonic region

Summary The malE and malK genes from Salmonella typhimurium, and the MalEFG operon and a portion of malK from Enterobacter aerogenes were cloned and sequenced. Plasmid-borne malE genes from both species and the malF and malG genes from E. aerogenes were expressed normally in Escherichia coli, and their products function in maltose transport. This shows that the malB products from the three species are interchangeable, at least in the combinations tested. The general genetic organization of the malB region is conserved. Potential binding sites and distances between them are highly conserved in the regulatory intervals. An unexpected conserved region was detected, which we call the U box, and which could be another target for a regulatory protein. This hypothesis is supported by the presence of the U box in the regulatory, region of the pulA-malX operon in Klebsiella pneumoniae. The intergenic region between malE and malF from S. typhimurium and E. aerogenes, contains inverted repeats similar to the palindromic units (PU or REP) found at the same location in E. coli. The predicted amino acid sequence of the encoded proteins showed 90% or more identity in every pairwise comparison of species.     

Maltose excretion by the symbiotic Chlorella of the heliozoan Acanthocystis turfacea

Chlorella sp. strain 3.83, a symbiotic Chlorella isolated from the heliozoan Acanthocystis turfacea, excreted between 8% and 16% of assimilated ¹⁴CO₂ as maltose in the light (15000 lx), with a pH optimum around 4.8. This percentage increased when the illuminance was lowered (36% at 1700 lx). Release of [¹⁴C]maltose continued in darkness and could be inhibited by the uncoupler carbonyl cyanide p-trifluoro-methoxyphenylhydrazone and by diethylstilbestrol. Net efflux of maltose was observed even at a concentration ratio of extracellular/intracellular maltose of 7.8. Exogenous [¹⁴C]maltose (5 mM) was taken up by the cells with a rate <2% of that of simultaneous maltose release, indicating a practically unidirectional transport. It is concluded that maltose excretion is an active-transport process.Abbreviations DES diethylstilbestrol - FCCP carbonyl cyanide p-trifluoromethoxyphenyl hydrazone - p.c. packed cells This work was supported by the Deutsche Forschungsgemeinschaft. Thanks are due to Doris Meindl for skillful experimental help.     

Low synonymous site variation at thelacY locus inEscherichia coli suggests the action of positive selection

We have determined the nucleotide sequences of sevenlacY alleles isolated from natural isolates ofEscherichia coli. Nucleotide heterozygosity estimates for this locus were compared to those obtained from previous studies of intraspecific variation at chromosomal loci, revealing thatlacY has unusually low synonymous site variation. The average pairwise heterozygosity of synonymous sites (Ks=0.0112+/-0.0100) is the second lowest reported and the lowest for loci that have an equivalent level of nonsynonymous variation. We consider several hypotheses to explain how different forces in evolution could act to create the observed pattern of polymorphism, including selection for translational efficiency and positive selection. Our analysis most strongly supports the hypothesis that positive selection has acted on thelacY locus inE. coli.     

Nitrate permease from Azotobacter chroococcum

Active transport systems in bacteria can be divided into two groups: those that are osmotic shock-resistant with one single membrane protein, and those that are shock-sensitive and have a membrane-bound protein complex plus a soluble periplasmic protein. Whether the bacterial assimilatory nitrate transport falls into the one or the other of these two groups has not been studied before. We report that nitrate uptake by the strictly aerobic, N₂-fixing heterotrophic bacterium Azotobacter chroococcum is sensitive to osmotic shock. The polypeptide composition of cytoplasmic membranes changes in response to the nitrogen source available to the cells. Incorporation of [³⁵S]-methionine into proteins as well as use of the A. chroococcum TRI mutant, which is defective in nitrate transport, and the A. choococcum MCD1 strain, a mutant unable to use nitrate as a nitrogen source, suggest that nitrate transport into A. chroococcum cells is mediated by a multicomponent system tightly bound to the cytoplasmic membrane.     

Transport kinetics of maltotriose in strains ofSaccharomyces

Summary Maltotriose transport was studied in two brewer's yeast strains, an ale strain 3001 and a lager strain 3021, using laboratory-synthesized¹⁴C-maltotriose. The maltotriose transport systems preferred a lower pH (pH 4.3) to a higher pH (pH 6.6). Two maltotriose transport affinity systems have been indentified. The high affinity system hasK _m values of 1.3 mM for strain 3021 and 1.4 mM for strain 3001. The low affinity competitively inhibited by maltose and glucose withK _i values of 58 mM and 177 mM. respectively, for strain 3021, and 55 mM and 147 mM, respectively, for strain 3001. Cells grown in maltotriose and maltose had higher maltotriose and maltose transport rates, and cells grown in glucose had lower maltortriose and maltose transport rates. Early-logarithmic phase cells transported glucose faster than either maltose or maltotriose. Cells harvested later in the growth phase had increased maltotriose and maltose transport activity. Neither strain exhibited significant differences with respect to maltose and maltotriose transport activity.     

Interaction of synthetic peptide corresponding to signal sequence of glucitol permease of Escherichia Coli and its analogue with liposomes

The N-terminal signal sequence of glucitol pcrmease of Escherichia Coli (Gut22) and its analogue (Gut22Ana) were synthesized. The analogue had a Pro residue substituting for the His at the 7th position of Gut22 and a Val residue substituting for the Glu at the 10th position. The intrinsic fluorescence emission spectra indicated that the binding of Gut22 with lipid bilayer was much stronger than that of Gut22Ana. The leakage experiments with calcein-loaded liposomes showed that Gut22 strongly perturbed lipid bilayers while Gut22Ana did not. The apparent partition constant of Gut22 for partitioning into phosphatidylserine/phosphatidylcholine bilayers was measured; the effect of membrane potential on the interaction of Gut22 with lipid bilayers was studied and the conformation changes of Gut22 and Gut22Ana upon interacting with liposomes were studied by the method of circular dichroism analysis.     

Characterization of maltose biosynthesis from α-d-glucose-1-phosphate in Spinacia oleracea. L.

The de novo synthesis of maltose in spinach (Spinacia oleracea L.) was shown to be catalyzed by a maltose synthase, which converts two molecules of -d-glucose-1-phosphate (-G1P) (K_m 1.5 mmol l^-1) to maltose and 2 orthophosphate (Pi). This enzyme was purified 203-fold by fractionated ammonium sulfate precipitation and by column chromatography on Sepharose 6B. The addition of -G1P (15 mmol l^-1) to the isolation buffer is required to stabilize the enzyme activity during the extraction and purification procedure. Molecular weight determination by gel filtration yielded a value of 95,000. -Gluconolactone, ATP and Pi are competitive inhibitors toward the substrate -G1P. The maltose synthase catalyzes an exchange of the phosphate group of -G1P with [³²P] orthophosphate; this transfer reaction suggests that the synthesis of maltose occurs via a glucose-enzyme in a double displacement reaction. The physiological role of this enzyme as a starch initiator system is discussed.Abbreviations Fru fructose - Glc glucose - -G1P -d-glucose-1-phosphate - -G1P -d-glucose-1-phosphate - G6P d-glucose-6-phosphate This enzyme is tentatively called maltose synthase in this publication     

Uptake of the components of phenylalanylphenylalanine and maltose by intestinal epithelium

The observed rate of phenylalanine absorption into rat intestinal rings with 0.5 or 5.0 mM phenylalanine is greater than that for absorption of phenylalanine from 0.25 or 2.5 mM Phe-Phe, respectively. With the amino acid phenylalanine, V for absorption is the same whether Na⁺ is present (149 mM) or absent, but the concentration at which the half-maximal transport rate occurred (K_t) is greater in the absence of Na⁺. For Phe-Phe, the V decreases in the absence of Na⁺ whilst K_t is not influenced by the Na⁺ concentration. The different effect of Na⁺ on Phe and Phe-Phe transport indicates that the absorptive mechanism for Phe-Phe is different from that for phenylalanine. Absorption of a mixture of [U-¹⁴C]Phe-Phe and Phe-[G-³H]Phe showed identical rates of uptake of the carboxyl and amino terminal amino acids.Studies of transport of radioactive maltose showed that the rates of uptake of the reducing and non-reducing glucosyl moieties are identical. Radioactive maltose absorption is not inhibited by glucose oxidase.These results provide evidence that in intestinal epithelium, hydrolysis of Phe-Phe and maltose does not occur on the cell surface with release of the hydrolyzed products to the medium. Rather, hydrolysis and release of the reaction products occur at a point on the cytosol side of a diffusion barrier located in the brush border membrane.