An endogenous proteinacious inhibitor in porcine liver for S-adenosyl-L-methionine dependent methylation reactions: identification as oligosaccharide-linked acyl carrier protein

A proteinacious inhibitor of S-adenosyl-L-methionine (AdoMet)-dependent transmethylation reactions was purified to homogeneity from porcine liver by size exclusion chromatography and FPLC. The molecular weight of the inhibitor was 12,222 Da. A 7400 Da polypeptide fragment of the purified inhibitor was sequenced by matrix-associated laser desorption ionization; time-of-flight MS, and was found to be identical with the known sequence of spinach acyl carrier protein (ACP). Although the remainder of the molecule was not clearly defined, 1H and H-H correlation of spectroscopy (COSY) NMR analysis revealed the presence of an oligosaccharide with alpha-glycosidic linkage. The purified oligosaccharide-linked ACP inhibited several AdoMet-dependent transmethylation reactions such as protein methylase I and II. S-farnesylcysteine O-methyltransferase, DNA methyltransferase and phospholipid methyltransferase. Protein methylase II was inhibited with a Ki value of 2.4 x 10(-3) M in a mixed inhibition pattern, whereas a well-known competitive product inhibitor S-adenosyl-L-homocysteine (AdoHcy) had Ki value of 6.3 x 10(-6) M. Commercially available active ACP fragments (65-74) and ACP from Escherichia coli had less inhibitory activity toward S-farnesylcysteine O-methyltransferase than the purified inhibitor. The biological significance of this oligosaccharide-linked ACP which has two seemingly unrelated functions (inhibitor for transmethylation and fatty acid biosynthesis) remains to be elucidated.