Biochemical and molecular characterization of mitochondrial membrane-bound arginase in <Emphasis Type="Italic">Heteropneustes fossilis</Emphasis>

The two predominant forms of arginase, cytosolic Arginase-I and mitochondrial Arginase-II, catalyze hydrolysis of arginine into ornithine and urea. Based on presence of arginase activity in extracts using potassium chloride (KCl), mitochondrial membrane-bound arginase has also been suggested. However, the activity of arginase in fractions obtained after KCl-treatment may be either due to leakage of mitochondrial arginase or release of adhered cytosolic arginase to cell organelles having altered net charge. Therefore, it has been intended to analyse impact of KCl on ultra-structural properties of mitochondria, and biochemical analysis of mitochondrial membrane-bound proteins and arginase of Heteropneustes fossilis. Liver of H. fossilis was used for isolating mitochondria for analysis of ultrastructural properties, preparing cytosolic, mitochondrial, and mitochondrial-membrane bound extracts after treatment of KCl. Extracts were analysed for arginase activity assay, protein profiling through SDS-PAGE and MALDI MS/MS. The KCl-mediated modulation in polypeptides and arginase were also evaluated by PANTHER, MitoProt and IPSORT servers. The effects of KCl on ultra-structural integrity of mitochondria, activity of arginase, modulation on mitochondrial proteins and enzymes including arginase were observed. The 48 kDa polypeptide of mitochondrial fraction, that showed KCl-dependent alteration matched with Myb binding protein and 30 kDa bands resembles to arginase after MALDI MS/MS analysis. Results indicate KCl-dependent ultrastructural changes in mitochondria and release of mitochondrial arginase. The proposed membrane bound mitochondrial arginase could be mitochondrial arginase-II or altered form of cytosolic arginase-I contributing to KCl-induced arginase activity in H. fossilis.