bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
Studies on the stabilized ubisemiquinone species in the succinate-cytochrome c reductase segment of the intact mitochondrial membrane system
Authors: Salerno J C , Ohnishi T
Published: August 2015

1. Evidence is presented for the presence of a stable ubisemiquinone pair in the vicinity of iron-sulphur centre S-3, based on its thermodynamic and spin relaxation properties. 2. These semiquinones are coupled by dipolar interaction; quantitative analysis of the signals of the spin-coupled semiquinones (at pH 7.4) gives midpoint redox potentials E1 (oxidized to semiquinone state) and E2 (semiquinone to fully reduced state) of 140 and 80mV, respectively, for individual ubiquinones. 3. Values of pKS (pK of the semiquinone form) below 6.5 and pKR (pK of the fully reduced ubiquinone) of about 8.0 or above were estimated from the pH-dependence of the midpoint potentials of the spin coupled signals. Thus the ubisemiquinone associated with succinate dehydrogenase (designated as SQS) functions mostly in the anionic form of the physiological pH range. 4. Theonyltrifluoroacetone, a specific inhibitor of the succinate-ubiquinone reductase segment of the respiratory chain, destabilized the intermediate redox state; thus it quenches both the g = 2.00 signal and ubisemiquinone (SQS) and split signals from the spin coupled pair. This inhibitor has no significant effect on another bound ubisemiquinone species present in the cytochrome bc1 region (designated as SQC). 5. The possible function and location of these stabilized ubisemiquinone species were discussed in connection with Site-II energy transduction.
Lipid peroxidation and the reduction of ADP-Fe3+ chelate by NADH-ubiquinone reductase preparation from bovine heart mitochondria
Authors: Takeshige K , Takayanagi R , Minakami S
Published: August 2015

The NADH-ubiquinone reductase preparation (Complex I) of bovine hart mitochondria catalysed in the presence of reduced coenzymes and ADP-Fe3+ the lipid peroxidation of liposomes prepared from mitochondrial lipids. The apparent Km values for the coenzymes and the optimal pH of the reactions agreed well with those of the lipid peroxidation of the submitochondrial particles treated with rotenone. On assay of the reduction of ADP-Fe3+ chelate by the reduction of cytochrome c in the presence of superoxide dismutase and antimycin A or by the oxidation of reduced coenzymes, the reactions were not affected by rotenone but were inhibited by thiol-group inhibitors. The properties of the ADP-Fe3+ reductase activity were highly consistent with those of the lipid-peroxidation reaction. These observations suggest that electrons from reduced coenzymes are transferred to ADP-Fe3+ chelate from a component between a mercurial-sensitive site and the rotenone-sensitive one of the NADH dehydrogenase and that the reduction of ADP-Fe3+ chelate by the NADH dehydrogenase is an essential step in the lipid peroxidation.
Effect of cyclic AMP-dependent phosphorylation on the reactivity of sulphydryl groups in cardiac sarcoplasmic reticulum
Authors: Limas C J
Published: August 2015

Phosphorylation of cardiac sarcoplasmic reticulum by cyclic AMP-dependent protein kinase results in enhanced Ca2+ transport even though Ca2+-dependent ATPase is not a substrate for the kinase. The mechanisms involved in this enhancement are not clear. In the present study, we used the reactivity of sulphydryl groups in the Ca2+-dependent ATPase as an index of conformational change during the Ca2+ transport cycle and examined the effects of protein kinase-catalysed phosphorylation. N-Ethylmaleimide alkylation allowed the distinction of several thiol groups with variable functional significance for the ATPase. A sulphydryl group involved in the formation of the phosphorylated intermediate (EP) of the Ca2+-dependent ATPase was protected by adenosine 5′-[beta, gamma-imido]triphosphate. Reactivity of an additional thiol group was related to EP dephosphorylation and was dependent on Ca2+. The Ca2+ concentration for change in the reactivity of this sulphydryl group and ATPase inhibition occurred within the range for Ca2+ binding to the high-affinity sites. Phosphorylation of cardiac sarcoplasmic reticulum by cyclic AMP-dependent protein kinase resulted in decreased N-ethyl[1-14C]-maleimide binding and the ATPase inhibition; the thiol groups involved in EP dephosphorylation were selectively protected. The results indicate that protein kinase-catalysed phosphorylation results in conformational changes of the ATPase, which renders certain thiol groups inaccessible to N-ethylmaleimide. This conformational change may facilitate functional movements involved in Ca2+ transport.
Mitochondrial and cytosolic ATP/ADP ratios in isolated hepatocytes. A comparison of the digitonin method and the non-aqueous fractionation procedure
Authors: Soboll S , Akerboom T P M , Schwenke W D , Haase R , Sies H
Published: August 2015

The ratio of ATP content/ADP content in the mitochondrial matrix was found to be 2.07 +/- 0.21 and 2.26 +/- 0.22 as determined with six different preparations of isolated hepatocytes subfractionated with the digitonin and non-aqueous-fractionation procedures, respectively. In contrast, the mitochondrial matrix ATP/ADP determined with isolated haemoglobin-free perfused liver by using the non-aqueous-fractionation procedure was about 0.2, whereas the cytosolic values obtained with isolated cells and with the intact organ were similar. It is concluded that the relatively higher ATP/ADP ratio in the mitochondrial matrix of isolated hepatocytes represents a biochemical difference due to properties of the model rather than a methodological artifact.
Diazobenzenesulphonate selectively abolishes stimulation of glucuronidation by UDP-N-acetylglucosamine
Authors: Haeger B , de Brito R , Hallinan T
Published: August 2015

1. Basal rates of glucuronidation of oestrone (guinea pig) or of 4-nitrophenol (rat or guinea pig) were not significantly altered in sealed liver microsomal vesicles, treated with the membrane-impermeant protein-modifying agent diazobenzenesulphonate at 0.5-1.0 mM. 2. Contrarily, diazobenzenesulphonate abolished the normal stimulation of glucuronidation by UDP-N-acetylglucosamine. 3. Ultrasonication to increase microsomal permeability activated glucuronidation by 680-750% and permitted significant inhibition by diazobenzenesulphonate. 4. These findings are consistent with a model wherein glucuronyltransferases are embedded in the luminal leaflet of the endoplasmic reticulum and access of UDP-glucuronic acid to the transferases is facilitated by transmembrane carriers, which are stimulated by UDP-N-acetylglucosamine and are available to diazobenzenesulphonate; ultrasonication serves to permit access of diazobenzenesulphonate to glucuronyltransferases themselves, resulting in inhibition of their activity.
9-Aminoacridine as a fluorescent probe of the electrical diffuse layer associated with the membranes of plant mitochondria
Authors: Møller I M , Chow W S , Palmer J M , Barber J
Published: August 2015

1. Mitochondria from Jerusalem artichoke (Helianthus tuberosus) tubers and Arum maculatum spadices caused a quenching of the fluorescence of 9-aminoacridine when mixed in a low-cation medium (approximately 1 mM-K+) and addition of chelators further decreased the fluorescence. Salts released the quenching of the 9-aminoacridine fluorescence and the efficiency of the release appeared to be mainly dependent on the valency of the cation (C3+ greater than C2+ greater than C+). 2. The results are consistent with the theory of charge screening and demonstrate that 9-aminoacridine is a convenient probe of the behaviour of cations on the membranes of mitochondria and in the diffuse layer associated with these membranes. 3. The concentration of salt required to achieve half-maximal release of quenching of 9-aminoacridine fluorescence was proportional to the concentration of mitochondria in the solution and theoretical considerations show this effect to be inherent in the Gouy-Chapman theory. 4. 9-Aminoacridine was removed from the bulk of the solution by the mitochondria to a far greater extent than was Na+ or K+, which is suggested to be due to the formation of bi- and poly-valent cations by aggregation of 9-aminoacridine molecules in the diffuse layer. This would have implications for the use of 9-aminoacridine to determine delta pH across membranes. 5. Jerusalem-artichoke mitochondria removed from 9-aminoacridine and Ca2+ from the bulk of the solution and required more ions to screen the membranes than did an equal concentration (mg of protein/ml) of Arum mitochondria, indicating that Jerusalem-artichoke mitochondria contain more negative charges per mg of protein.
Characterization of an unusual isoenzyme of N-acetyl-β-d-hexosaminidase from a human colonic carcinoma cell line
Authors: Kimball P M , Brattain M G , White W E
Published: August 2015

A sub-line with increased metastatic ability was previously isolated from an established human colonic carcinoma cell line [Kimball & Brattain (1980) Cancer Res. 40, 1574-1579]. The separation and characterization of the isoenzymes of N-acetyl-beta-D-hexosaminidase from each cell line are reported. The parental cell line contained A and B isoenzymes. The sub-line lacked the A-isoenzyme activity and contained an atypical B isoenzyme that was thermolabile, susceptible to alkylation and of lower molecular weight.
Dynamic modulation of mitochondrial inner-membrane lipids in rat heart by dietary fat
Authors: Innis S M , Clandinin M T
Published: August 2015

A novel longitudinal feeding design was used to investigate the controlling influence of dietary fatty acids on the dynamic incorporation of fatty-acyl chains into phosphatidylcholine, phosphatidylethanolamine and cardiolipin in inner membrane of cardiac mitochondria. Rats were fed a polyunsaturated-fatty-acid-rich oil (soya-bean oil) for 12 days, crossed-over to a monounsaturated-fatty-acid-rich oil (rapeseed oil) for the next 11 days, then returned to soya-bean oil for 11 more days. Additional rats were fed either soya-bean oil or rapeseed oil only throughout. Rats were killed serially. Regression analysis was used to represent longitudinal flux in membrane lipid fatty-acid composition occurring with change in dietary fat. The fatty-acid composition of phosphatidylcholine, phosphatidylethanolamine and cardiolipin was influenced by dietary oil in a reversible way. Maximal diet influence was achieved in the 11-day cross-over period. Soya-bean oil to rapeseed oil cross-over caused the fatty-acid composition of phosphatidylcholine, phosphatidylethanolamine and cardiolipin to resemble that of rats fed rapeseed oil only. These changes were reversed by crossing back to soya-bean oil, indicating the dynamic state and short half-life of membrane phospholipid fatty-acyl chains. This report demonstrates for the first time in the whole animal fed diets adequate in all nutrients that subcellular membrane lipids rapidly respond to change in dietary fatty-acid balance. The system may be used to assess in vivo the significance of dietary fat in determining membrane physicochemical properties and biochemical functions.
The effect of polyamines on the poly(adenylic acid)-induced inhibition of ribonuclease activity
Authors: Karpetsky T P , Shriver K K , Levy C C
Published: August 2015

Segments of poly(A) at the 3′-termini of 5 S rRNA inhibit the activities of ribonucleases from Citrobacter, Enterobacter, bovine pancreas, human spleen and human plasma. Certain polyamines, or compounds containing polyamine substructures, mediate reversal of this inhibition. Effective compounds contain three amino groups, at least two of which are charged and are separated from the others by no less than three carbon atoms. Spermidine and 9-aminoacridines, which contain substituted propyl- or butylamino moieties at the 9-amino position and which bear two positive charges per molecule, are efficacious at low concentrations (5 microM). A decrease in effectiveness is associated with the removal of one aromatic ring from the 9-aminoacridines. However, the resulting 4-aminoquinolines, unlike the acridines, do not inhibit enzyme activity when present in concentrations above 30 microM. Relocating the diamino side chain from the 4- to the 8-position of the quinoline nucleus causes a decrease in charge density to +1, with the result that such compounds are ineffective. The orders of polyamine efficacy of reversal of inhibition were similar for enzymes from Citrobacter, bovine pancreas, and human plasma, and paralleled the order of binding of polyamines to either poly(A) or 5 S rRNA. This was not the case with Enterobacter and human spleen RNAases, indicating that the identity of the most effective polyamines depends on the RNAase studied. The combination of variable 3′-terminal poly(A) segment length and polyamine identity and concentration constitutes a system by which RNAase activities, and, therefore, substrate-degradation rates, may be easily varied.
Influence of the α-, β- and γ-subunits of the energy-transducing adenosine triphosphates from Micrococcus lysodeikticus in the immunochemical properties of the protein and in their reconstitution studied by a radioimmunoassay method
Authors: Larraga V , Mollinedo F , Rubio N , Muñoz E
Published: August 2015

We developed a sensitive and specific radioimmunoassay of the energy-transducing adenosine triphosphatase (F1-ATPase, EC 3.6.1.3) of Micrococcus lysodeikticus and extended the assay to the alpha-, beta- and gamma-subunits of the enzyme. We isolated these subunits and studied cross-reactions. We found the immunochemical properties of alpha- and beta-subunits to differ, and gamma-subunits showed an intermediate behaviour between that of alpha- and beta-subunits. Our findings indicate that each subunit of M. lysodeikticus F1-ATPase has its own identity and that conformational antigenic determinants and/or co-operative antigenic sites-arise from subunit assembly. Equimolecular amounts of alpha- and beta-subunits (up to three copies of each) reconstituted partially the immunochemical properties of the ATPase molecule, and addition of 2 mol of gamma-subunit per mol of alpha 3 beta 3 complex improved reconstitution. Our findings describe the first reconstitution of biological activity of this ATPase by assembly of the isolated subunits, and provide support for earlier proposals on the stoicheiometry of the alpha 3 beta 3 gamma 2 type for M. lysodeikticus F1-ATPase. The radioimmunoassay method affords opportunities to study the homologies between different energy-transducing ATPases and their constituent polypeptides before the primary structure of these complex proteins has been determined.
Conversion of isopenicillin N into penicillin N in cell-free extracts of Cephalosporium acremonium
Authors: Jayatilake G S , Huddleston J A , Abraham E P
Published: August 2015

In a cell-free system prepared by osmotic lysis of protoplasts of Cephalosporium acremonium, isopenicillin N is converted into penicillin N. The epimerase activity of the system is labile.
Bacterial conversion of phenylalanine and aromatic carboxylic acids into dihydrodiols
Authors: Wegst W , Tittmann U , Eberspächer J , Lingens F
Published: August 2015

Strain E of chloridazon-degrading bacteria, when grown on L-phenylalanine accumulates cis-2,3-dihydro-2,3-dihydroxyphenylalanine. In experiments with resting cells and during growth the bacterium converts the aromatic carboxylic acids phenylacetate, phenylpropionate, phenylbutyrate and phenyl-lactate into the corresponding cis-2,3-dihydrodiol compounds. The amino acids L-phenylalanine, N-acetyl-L-phenylalanine and t-butyloxycarbonyl-L-phenylalanine were also transformed into dihydrodiols. All seven dihydrodiols, thus obtained, were characterized both by conventional analytical techniques and by the ability to serve as substrates for a cis-dihydrodiol dehydrogenase.
Respiration-linked proton translocation in the obligate methylotroph Methylophilus methylotrophus
Authors: Dawson M J , Jones C W
Published: August 2015

The stoicheiometries of respiration-linked proton translocation in Methylophilus methylotrophus were determined by using both the oxygen-pulse and initial-rate methods. The latter has also been used to determine leads to charge/O quotients (measured as yield K+/O quotients) in order to ascertain whether the leads to H+/O quotients might be underestimated by H+/anion symport. The results suggest that 6H+/O are translocated during NADH oxidation, and that 2H+/O are translocated during the oxidation of methanol to formaldehyde. There was no evidence for underestimation of the leads to H+/O quotients due to H+/anion symport, except by the movement of formic acid during formate oxidation. By comparing these results with the known growth efficiencies of this organism, an leads to H+/ATP quotient of close to 2 g-ions of H+/mol of ATP can be calculated. It is proposed that the respiratory chain in Methylophilus methylotrophus is arranged such that there are three sites of energy conservation for NADH oxidation, each translocating 2H+ and each linked to the synthesis of one molecule of ATP. Only the third site of energy conservation is involved in methanol oxidation.
Dissociation of tumour-promoter-induced effects on prostaglandin release, polyamine synthesis and cell proliferation of 3T3 cells
Authors: Lanz R , Brune K
Published: August 2015

The phorbol ester 12-O-tetradecanoylphorbol 13-acetate induces tumour promotion, inflammation, cell proliferation and prostaglandin release. Recent reports suggest that the prostaglandins released by 12-O-tetradecanoylphorbol 13-acetate (TPA) initiate a cascade of events leading to polyamine synthesis and cell proliferation. In experiments designed to test this contention, it was found that addition of TPA (1 microM to 1 nM) to confluent mouse 3T3 fibroblasts successively caused the release of prostaglandins E2 and I2, induction of the enzyme ornithine decarboxylase (EC 4.1.1.17), stimulation of [3H]thymidine incorporation into DNA, and cell proliferation. Pretreatment of the cells with the anti-inflammatory steroid dexamethasone (1 microM) or the non-steroidal anti-inflammatory drug indomethacin (1 microM) inhibited TPA-induced prostaglandin release. However, dexamethasone enhanced the other effects of TPA, whereas indomethacin was ineffective. Addition of prostaglandin E2 to the cultures did not induce ornithine decarboxylase activity and cell proliferation. Pretreatment of the cells with 1,3-diaminopropane (1 mM) or alpha-methylornithine (5 mM), inhibitors of polyamine synthesis, decreased TPA-induced ornithine decarboxylase activity without affecting DNA synthesis. TPA stimulated [3H]thymidine incorporation into DNA, even when the ornithine decarboxylase activity was completely blocked. These data suggest that the proliferative effect of TPA on 3T3 cells is independent of prostaglandin release and polyamine synthesis.
Novel NADP-linked alcohol–aldehyde/ketone oxidoreductase in thermophilic ethanologenic bacteria
Authors: Lamed R J , Zeikus J G
Published: August 2015

An NADP-specific alcohol--aldehyde/ketone oxidoreductase was detected in cell extracts of Thermoanaerobium brockii and Clostridium thermohydrosulfuricum, but not in Thermobacteroides acetoethylicus or Clostridium thermocellum. The enzyme was purified from Ta. brockii by differential procedures that included heat treatment and an affinity-chromatography step on Blue Dextran--Sepharose. The 44-fold-purified enzyme displayed one band (mol.wt. approx. 40000) after sodium dodecyl sulphate/polyacrylamide-gel electrophoresis. The enzyme had a broad substrate specificity that included linear and branched primary alcohols, linear and cyclic secondary alcohols, linear and cyclic ketones, and acetaldehyde. The NADP-specific alcohol--aldehyde/ketone oxidoreductase was considerably more active towards secondary alcohols than towards other substrates. The enzyme had remarkable stability to heating at 86 degrees C for 70 min, but was rapidly denatured on boiling. Secondary-alcohol dehydrogenase activity displayed a noticeable inflexion point at 50 degrees C in Arrhenius plots and a high Q10 value (greater than 2.0). The enzyme was inactivated by the thiol-blocking reagent p-chloromercuribenzoate, but was not significantly inhibited by common metal-ion-binding agents. The NADP-linked alcohol--aldehyde/ketone oxidoreductase of Ta. brockii appears to have properties distinct from those of previously described primary- and secondary-alcohol dehydrogenases.
Tridecaptin stimulates the formation of lipid-linked saccharides in aorta
Authors: Elbein A D
Published: August 2015

The peptide antibiotic tridecaptin caused a 2--4-fold stimulation in the incorporation of mannose from GDP-[14C]mannose and glucose from UDP-[3H]glucose into lipid-linked monosaccharides by both the particulate and the soluble enzyme fractions from pig aorta. In both cases, the major products and the ones stimulated by antibiotic were dolichyl phosphate mannose and dolichyl phosphate glucose. The stimulation in activity was unaffected by increasing concentrations of dolichyl phosphate, GDP-mannose, UdP-glucose, Mn2+ or the detergent Nonidet P40. Tridecaptin stimulation was apparently not due to protection of sugar nucleotide substrate, since addition of various concentrations of sugar nucleotides did not alter the stimulation. Nor did the addition of tridecaptin result in any increase in the amount of radioactive sugar nucleotide recovered from incubation mixtures. Tridecaptin bound to the particulate enzyme and could not be removed by centrifugation of the particles.
Plant leaf alanine: 2-oxoglutarate aminotransferase. Peroxisomal localization and identity with glutamate:glyoxylate aminotransferase
Authors: Noguchi T , Hayashi S
Published: August 2015

The distribution of alanine:2-oxoglutarate aminotransferase (EC 2.6.1.2) in spinach (Spinacia oleracea) leaf homogenates was examined by centrifugation in a sucrose density gradient. About 55% of the total homogenate activity was localized in the peroxisomes and the remainder in the soluble fraction. The peroxisomes contained a single form of alanine:2-oxoglutarate aminotransferase, and the soluble fraction contained two forms of the enzyme. Both the peroxisomal enzyme and the soluble predominant form (about 90% of the total soluble activity) were co-purified with glutamate:glyoxylate aminotransferase to homogeneity; it had been reported to be present exclusively in the peroxisomes of plant leaves and to participate in the glycollate pathway in leaf photorespiration [Tolbert (1971) Annu. Rev. Plant Physiol. 22, 45-74]. The evidence indicates that alanine:2-oxoglutarate aminotransferase and glutamate:glyoxylate aminotransferase activities are associated with the same protein. The peroxisomal and soluble enzyme preparations had nearly identical properties, suggesting that the soluble predominant alanine aminotransferase activity is from broken peroxisomes and about 96% of the total homogenate activity is located in peroxisomes.
Fluorimetric studies of the binding of Momordica charantia (bitter gourd) lectin with ligands
Authors: Das M K , Khan M I , Surolia A
Published: August 2015

The association constants for the binding of a series of ligands with a galactose-specific lectin from Momordica charantia (bitter gourd) has been determined through the ligand-induced quenching of protein fluorescence. Analysis of the iodide quenching suggested that there is a slight increase in the accessibility of tryptophan residues of the lectin on binding lactose.
Mitogenicity and binding properties of β-galactoside-binding lectin from chick-embryo kidney
Authors: Pitts M J , Yang D C H
Published: August 2015

THe beta-galactoside-binding lectin binds to glucosamine, mannosamine and galactosamine in addition to beta-galactoside, as determined by the inhibition of haemagglutination. Haemagglutination is further extended to examine the interaction of the binding sites for hexosamines and beta-galactosides, indicating that the binding of hexosamine and beta-galactoside is competitive. The lectin also shows strong mitogenic activity toward lymphocytes from mouse lymph node, as determined by the stimulation of thymidine incorporation.
Formation of bis(phosphatidyl)inositol and phosphatidic acid by phospholipase D action on phosphatidylinositol
Authors: Clarke N G , Irvine R F , Dawson R M C
Published: August 2015

Phosphatidylinositol is readily attacked by phospholipase D. Although some phosphatidic acid is produced by hydrolysis, the main products are bis(phosphatidyl)inositols most likely formed by a transphosphatidylation reaction between two substrate molecules.
Ornithine decarboxylase activity in chick duodenum induced by 1 α, 25-dihydroxycholecalciferol
Authors: Shinki T , Takahashi N , Miyaura C , Samejima K , Nishii Y , Suda T
Published: August 2015

The effect of cholecalciferol and its metabolites on ornithine decarboxylase activity was investigated in the duodenal mucosa of vitamin D-deficient chicks. The duodenal ornithine decarboxylase activity decreased in animals fed a vitamin D-deficient diet and its retarded activity was increased dose-dependently by a single injection of cholecalciferol. Among various metabolites of cholecalciferol tested, 1 alpha, 25-dihydroxycholecalciferol [ 1 alpha, 25 (OH)2D3] was the most potent stimulator. Stimulation of the enzyme activity was detected as early as 2h after intravenous administration of 1 alpha, 25 (OH)2D3 and a maximal value was attained at 6 h. The maximal value was 27 times higher than the control. In addition, treatment with 1 alpha 25 (OH)2D3 affected the duodenal content of polyamines. The content of putrescine increased to a value of three times that of the control 6 h after the hormone administration. The spermidine content did not change appreciably. The enhancement of duodenal ornithine decarboxylase activity by 1 alpha, 25 (OH)2D3 occurred in parallel with the enhancement of calcium absorption, which was first detected 3 h after the hormone administration. The enhancement appeared to be tissue-specific. It was observed in every intestinal segment, but was highest in the duodenum. Enzyme activity in other tissues was not influenced appreciably by 1 alpha, 25 (OH)2D3. These results clearly indicate that the duodenal biosynthesis of polyamines is regulated by 1 alpha, 25 (OH)2D3, suggesting the possibility that duodenal ornithine decarboxylase may be involved in the calcium absorption mechanism.
Inhibition of dihydropteridine reductase by dopamine
Authors: Purdy Sheila E. , Blair John A. , Barford Patricia A.
Published: August 2015

Dihydropteridine reductase has been purified 900-fold from rat liver. Dopamine inhibited the enzyme up to 50% at a concentration of 0.11mm. In the presence of dopamine the enzyme gave non-hyperbolic v-against-[S] plots. This enzyme may have a role in control of dopamine biosynthesis.
The regulation of branched-chain 2-oxo acid dehydrogenase of liver, kidney and heart by phosphorylation
Authors: Hughes W A , Halestrap A P
Published: August 2015

1. Incubation of mitochondria from heart, liver and kidney with [32P]phosphate allowed 32P incorporation into two intramitochondrial proteins, the decarboxylase alpha-subunit of the pyruvate dehydrogenase complex (mol.wt 42000) and a protein of mol.wt. 48000. 2. This latter protein incorporated 32P more slowly than did pyruvate dehydrogenase, was not precipitated by antibody to pyruvate dehydrogenase and showed behaviour distinct from that of pyruvate dehydrogenase towards high-speed centrifugation and pyruvate dehydrogenase phosphate phosphatase. 3. 32P incorporation into the protein was greatly diminished by the presence of 0.1 mM-4-methyl-2-oxopentanoate, but enhanced by pyruvate (1 mM), hypo-osmotic treatment of mitochondria and, under some conditions, by uncoupler. 4. The activity of branched-chain 2-oxo acid dehydrogenase was assayed in parallel experiments. Under appropriate conditions the enzyme was inhibited when 32P incorporation was increased and activated when incorporation was decreased. The data suggest that the 48000-mol.wt. phosphorylated protein is identical with the decarboxylase subunit of branched-chain 2-oxo acid dehydrogenase and that this enzyme may be controlled by a phosphorylation-dephosphorylation cycle akin to that for pyruvate dehydrogenase. 5. Strict correlation between activity and 32P incorporation was not observed, and a scheme for the regulation of the enzyme is proposed to account for these discrepancies.
High-affinity binding of lower-density lipoproteins to chicken oocyte membranes
Authors: Krumins S A , Roth T F
Published: August 2015

Oocyte membrane fragments bind specifically radioiodinated VLD lipoprotein (very-low density lipoprotein) and LD lipoprotein (low-density lipoprotein). Competitive binding assays showed 2-3 times more VLD lipoprotein than LD lipoprotein bound at 4 degrees C. Equilibrium-binding data revealed the presence of one class of non-interacting sites for VLD lipoprotein (kD 12 microgram/ml) and co-operative binding for LD lipoprotein. The binding of VLD lipoprotein showed a distinct pH maximum at 5.3, whereas an indistinct maximum at about pH 7.3 was observed for LD lipoprotein. Unlabelled VLD lipoprotein did compete with 125I-labelled LD lipoprotein binding, but unlabelled LD lipoprotein did not compete with 125I-labelled VLD lipoprotein binding. VLD lipoprotein binding was inhibited by HD lipoprotein (high-density lipoprotein), but not by lysozyme, collagen, poly-L-lysine or poly-L-arginine; LD lipoprotein binding was inhibited by lysozyme and collagen, but not by HD lipoprotein. On the basis of these studies, we suggest that: (1) VLD lipoprotein and LD lipoprotein enter the oocytes by a receptor-mediated transport mechanism; (2) the receptors for VLD lipoprotein and LD lipoprotein are distinct; and (3) the binding of LD lipoprotein to chicken oocyte membranes differs from that to other cell types.
A requirement for EDTA in the separation of Photosystems 1 and 2 from the cyanobacterium Chlorogloea fritschii
Authors: Evans E H , Pullin C A
Published: August 2015

Fractions enriched in Photosystem 1 or Photosystem 2 activity have been isolated from the cyanobacterium Chlorogloea fritschii after extraction of the membranes with digitonin and Triton X-100. Separation of the extract into the two components was achieved by using a Sepharose 6B column, calibration of which gave Kd values of 0.3 for the Photosystem 1 fraction and 0.53 for Photosystem 2. These values corresponded to molecular weights of approx. 500000 and 90000 respectively. The Photosystem 1 particle was shown to aggregate on storage and EDTA was shown to be necessary to separate the Photosystem 1 and 2 fractions.
The kinetics of the β-galactoside-proton symport of Escherichia coli
Authors: Page M G , West I C
Published: August 2015

beta-Galactoside transport by Escherichia coli occurs with the concomitant uptake of a proton. The kinetics of beta-galactoside uptake at various values of external pH are interpreted in terms of a model in which both the galactoside and the proton are substrates of the transport reaction. The values of some of the kinetic constants for this two-substrate reaction were determined. The observed effects of the protonmotive force on the apparent Michaelis constant for galactoside can be explained in terms of the proton being a substrate of the transport reaction.
Kinetics of biliary excretion of the main two bilirubin photoproducts after injection into Gunn rats
Authors: Onishi S , Kawade N , Itoh S , Isobe K , Sugiyama S , Hashimoto T , Narita H
Published: August 2015

The kinetics of biliary excretion of the main two photoproducts after injection into Gunn rats were examined. The photoproducts that are obtained from experiments in vitro consist of unknown pigment, photobilirubin IXa and a small amount of (ZZ)-bilirubin IXa. It was confirmed previously that the first two photoproducts are identical with the main two photoproducts obtained in vivo. In experiments on four animals, the average of total biliary recoveries of unknown pigment was 81.4%, and that of photobilirubin IXa in the bile estimated by the Sigma-minus method was 29.8 min and that for unknown pigment was 4.3 min. The rate of thermal reversion of photobilirubin IXa to (ZZ)-bilirubin IXa in the bile at 37 degrees C was very rapid, i.e. its half-life was 6.2 min.
Oxygen metabolism of mammalian spermatozoa. Generation of hydrogen peroxide by rabbit epididymal spermatozoa
Authors: Holland Michael K. , Storey Bayard T.
Published: August 2015

Rabbit spermatozoa from the cauda epididymis produced 0.7–0.8nmol of H2O2/min per 108 cells at cell concentrations below 107 cells/ml with linear dependence on cell concentration. Above 2 × 107 cells/ml, the rate again became linear with cell concentration but decreased to 0.1–0.2nmol/min per 108 cells. Spermatozoa treated with amphotericin B, which makes the plasma membrane highly permeable to low-molecular-weight compounds, showed a similar dependence of H2O2 production rate on cell concentration; below 107 cells/ml the rate was 0.3–0.4nmol/min per 108 cells; above 2 × 107 cells/ml, the rate was 0.1–0.2nmol/min per 108 cells. Hypo-osmotically treated rabbit epididymal spermatozoa, a preparation useful for studying mitochondrial function in sperm [Keyhani & Storey (1973) Biochim. Biophys. Acta305, 557–565] produced 0.1–0.2nmol/min per 108 cells in the absence of added substrates. The dependence of rate on cell concentration was linear from 107 to 2.2 × 108 cells/ml. This endogenous rate was unaffected by rotenone, but stimulated 4-fold by antimycin A. Addition of the mitochondrial substrates lactate plus malate increased the rate of H2O2 production to 0.3nmol/min per 108 cells. The decreased rate of H2O2 production observed with intact sperm at high cell concentrations is attributed to reaction of H2O2 with the cells, possibly with the plasma membrane, which is lost after hypo-osmotic treatment. Rabbit spermatozoa have glutathione peroxidase and glutathione reductase activities, but these seem to play little role in removal of H2O2 generated. The rate at low cell concentration is taken to be the unperturbed rate. The sources of H2O2 production in rabbit spermatozoa have been tentatively resolved into a low-molecular-weight component, lost after amphotericin treatment, a mitochondrial component and a rotenone-insensitive component that has not been identified.
Skeletal-muscle α-glucosidases in bovine generalized glycogenosis type II
Authors: Dorling Peter R. , Howell John McC. , Gawthorne Jeff M.
Published: August 2015

The skeletal muscle of cattle suffering from generalized glycogenosis type II was shown to lack acid α-glucosidase (EC 3.2.1.3) activity. Furthermore, there was no evidence of enzymically inactive proteins that cross-reacted with antibodies raised against acid α-glucosidase from the muscle of normal animals.
The insulin-stimulated cyclic AMP phosphodiesterase binds to a single class of protein sites on the liver plasma membrane
Authors: Houslay M D , Marchmont R J
Published: August 2015

The peripheral cycle AMP phosphodiesterase from rat liver plasma membranes binds with high affinity (2.4 nM) to a single class of receptor sites on the liver plasma membrane. These receptor sites appear to be proteins, as they are trypsin- and heat-labile. The sensitivity of these sites to denaturation by trypsin and heat is a first-order process. The presence of Ca2+ (5 mM) increases the affinity of these sites for the enzyme, but does not alter their total number. The receptor sites and the cyclic AMP phosphodiesterase occur in similar numbers, at around 2 pmol/mg of plasma-membrane protein. It is proposed that the peripheral, liver plasma-membrane cyclic AMP phosphodiesterase is attached to a specific site on the insulin receptor and that the binding of insulin to the receptor site triggers a conformational change in the enzyme such that the enzyme can be phosphorylated and activated by an endogenous cyclic AMP-dependent protein kinase.
Inhibition of lipid peroxidation by the iron-binding protein lactoferrin
Authors: Gutteridge John M. C. , Paterson Suzanne K. , Segal Anthony W. , Halliwell Barry
Published: August 2015

Lactoferrin containing physiological amounts of iron is an inhibitor of lipid peroxidation induced by iron(III) salts and ascorbic acid. It might therefore help to protect neutrophils, inflammatory foci and secretions from metal-ion-dependent oxidative damage.
Rapid removal of acetimidoyl groups from proteins and peptides. Applications to primary structure determination
Authors: Dubois G C , Robinson E A , Inman J K , Perham R N , Appella E
Published: August 2015

Methylamine buffers can be used for the rapid quantitative removal of acetimidoyl groups from proteins and peptides modified by treatment with ethyl or methyl acetimidate. The half-life for displacement of acetimidoyl groups from fully amidinated proteins incubated in 3.44 M-methylamine/HCl buffer at pH 11.5 and 25 degrees C was approx. 26 min; this half life is 29 times less than that observed in ammonia/HCl buffer under the same conditions of pH and amine concentration. Incubation of acetimidated proteins with methylamine for 4 h resulted in greater than 95% removal of acetimidoyl groups. No deleterious effects on primary structure were detected by amino acid analysis or by automated Edman degradation. Reversible amidination of lysine residues, in conjunction with tryptic digestion, has been successfully applied to the determination of the amino acid sequence of an acetimidated mouse immunoglobulin heavy chain peptide. The regeneration of amino groups in amidinated proteins and peptides by methylaminolysis makes amidination a valuable alternative to citraconoylation and maleoylation in structural studies.
The role of lipoic acid residues in the pyruvate dehydrogenase multienzyme complex of Escherichia coli
Authors: Danson M J , Hale G , Perham R N
Published: August 2015

Two lipoic acid residues on each dihydrolipoamide acetyltransferase (E2) chain of the pyruvate dehydrogenase multienzyme complex of Escherichia coli were found to undergo oxidoreduction reactions with NAD+ catalysed by the lipoamide dehydrogenase component. It was observed that: (a) 2 mol of reagent/mol of E2 chain was incorporated when the complex was incubated with N-ethylmaleimide in the presence of acetyl-SCoA and NADH; (b) 4 mol of reagent/mol of E2 chain was incorporated when the complex was incubated with N-ethylmaleimide in the presence of NADH; (c) between 1 and 2 mol of acetyl groups/mol of E2 chain was incorporated when the complex was incubated with acetyl-SCoA plus NADH; (d) 2 mol of acetyl groups/mol of E2 chain was incorporated when the complex was incubated with pyruvate either before or after many catalytic turnovers through the overall reaction. There was no evidence to support the view that only half of the dihydrolipoic acid residues can be reoxidized by NAD+. However, chemical modification of lipoic acid residues with N-ethylmaleimide was shown to proceed faster than the accompanying loss of enzymic activity under all conditions tested, which indicates that not all the lipoyl groups are essential for activity. The most likely explanation for this result is an enzymic mechanism in which one lipoic acid residue can take over the function of another.
Amino acid analysis at the picomole level. Application to the C-terminal sequence analysis of polypeptides
Authors: Chang J Y , Knecht R , Braun D G
Published: August 2015

Amino acids labelled with dimethylaminoazobenzenesulphonyl chloride can be separated by reversed-phase high-pressure liquid chromatography and detected in the visible region (436 nm). All 19 naturally occurring amino acids can be separated on a Zorbax ODS column by employing two different gradient systems consisting of an acetonitrile/aqueous buffer mixture. As little as 2--5 pmol of an individual dimethylaminoazobenzenesulphonyl-amino acid can be quantitatively analysed with reliability, and only 10--30 ng of the dimethylaminoazobenzenesulphonylated protein hydrolysate is needed for each complete amino acid analysis. This new technique is as sensitive as any of the current amino acid analysis methods involving ion-exchange separation plus fluorescence detection, and is technically much simpler. By the combination of this sensitive amino acid-analysing technique with carboxypeptidase, we have been able to determine the C-terminal sequence of polypeptides at the picomole level.
Purification and characterization of a metallo-endoproteinase from mouse kidney
Authors: Beynon R J , Shannon J D , Bond J S
Published: August 2015

A metallo-endoproteinase was purified from mouse kidney. The enzyme was solubilized from the 100 000 g sediment of kidney homogenates with toluene and trypsin, and further purified by fractionation with (NH4)2SO4. DEAE-cellulose chromatography and gel filtration. The molecular weight of the metalloproteinase was estimated by gel filtration on Sepharose 6B to be 270 000--320 000. On sodium dodecyl sulphate/polyacrylamide-gel electrophoresis in the presence of 2-mercaptoethanol, a single major protein with a mol.wt. of 81 000 was observed. Thus the active enzyme is an oligomer, probably a tetramer. It is a glycoprotein and has an apparent isoelectric point of 4.3. Kidney homogenates and purified preparations of the metalloproteinase degraded azocasein optimally at pH 9.5 and at I 0.15--0.2. The activity was not affected by inhibitors of serine proteinases (di-isopropyl phosphorofluoridate, phenylmethanesulphonyl fluoride), cysteine proteinases (4-hydroxymercuribenzoate, iodoacetate), aspartic proteinases (pepstatin) or several other proteinase inhibitors from actinomycetes (leupeptin, antipain and phosphoramidon). Inhibition of the enzyme was observed with metal chelators (EDTA, EGTA, 1,10-phenanthroline), and thiol compounds (cysteine, glutathione, dithioerythritol, 2-mercaptoethanol). The metalloproteinase degraded azocasein, azocoll, casein, haemoglobulin and aldolase, but showed little or no activity against the synthetic substrates benzoylarginine 2-naphthylamide, benzoylglycylarginine, benzyloxycarbonylglutamyltyrosine or acetylphenylalanyl 2-naphthyl ester. This metalloproteinase from mouse kidney appears to be distinct from previously described kidney proteinases.
Difluoromethylornithine irreversibly inactivates ornithine decarboxylase of Pseudomonas aeruginosa, but does not inhibit the enzymes of Escherichia coli
Authors: Kallio A , McCann P P
Published: August 2015

DL-alpha-Difluoromethylornithine, an enzyme-activated irreversible inhibitor of eukaryotic ornithine decarboxylase and consequently of putrescine biosynthesis, inhibited ornithine decarboxylase in enzyme extracts from Pseudomonas aeruginosa in a time-dependent manner t1/2 1 min, and also effectively blocked the enzyme activity in situ in the cell. Difluoromethylornithine, however, had no effect on the activity of ornithine decarboxylase assayed in enzyme extracts from either Escherichia coli or Klebsiella pneumoniae. However, the presence of the inhibitor in cell cultures did partially lower ornithine decarboxylase activity intracellularly in E. coli. Any decrease in the intracellular ornithine decarboxylase activity observed in E. coli and Pseudomonas was accompanied by a concomitant increase in arginine decarboxylase activity, arguing for a co-ordinated control of putrescine biosynthesis in these cells.
Importance of experimental conditions in evaluating the malonyl-CoA sensitivity of liver carnitine acyltransferase. Studies with fed and starved rats
Authors: McGarry J D , Foster D W
Published: August 2015

The experiments reconfirm the powerful inhibitory effect of malonyl-CoA on carnitine acyltransferase I and fatty acid oxidation in rat liver mitochondria (Ki 1.5 microM). Sensitivity decreased with starvation (Ki after 18 h starvation 3.0 microM, and after 42 h 5.0 microM). Observations by Cook, Otto & Cornell [Biochem. J. (1980) 192, 955--958] and Ontko & Johns [Biochem. J. (1980) 192, 959--962] have cast doubt on the physiological role of malonyl-CoA in the regulation of hepatic fatty acid oxidation and ketogenesis. The high Ki values obtained in the cited studies are shown to be due to incubation conditions that cause substrate depletion, destruction of malonyl-CoA or generation of excessively high concentrations of unbound acyl-CoA (which offsets the competitive inhibition of malonyl-CoA towards carnitine acyltransferase I). The present results are entirely consistent with the postulated role of malonyl-CoA as the primary regulatory of fatty acid synthesis and oxidation in rat liver.
Calmodulin activation of rat lung adenylate cyclase is independent of the cytoplasmic factors modulating the enzyme
Authors: Ofulue A F , Nijjar M S
Published: August 2015

Adenylate cyclase activity in the rat lung membranes washed with 150 microM-EGTA was stimulated by calmodulin in the presence of 100 microM-Ca2+. The calmodulin activation of the enzyme was concentration-dependent; however, at high concentrations the activation was diminished. Activation of adenylate cyclase by calmodulin was immediate, reversible and due to an increase in the Vmax. without apparent effect on the affinity of the enzyme for ATP. The rat lung supernatant produced additive activation of the adenylate cyclase that was already maximally stimulated by calmodulin, indicating that either calmodulin and cytoplasmic factors act at different sites on adenylate cyclase or different adenylate cyclases may be involved. The data further support our previous conclusion that calmodulin is not involved in the activation of adenylate cyclase by cytoplasmic factors in rat lungs.
The cross-talk between NF-κB and HIF-1: further evidence for a significant liaison
Authors: Görlach Agnes , Bonello Steve
Published: August 2015

HIF-1 (hypoxia-inducible factor-1) has been shown to essentially control the cellular response to hypoxia. Hypoxia stabilizes the inducible α-subunit, preventing post-translational hydroxylation and subsequent degradation via the proteasome. In recent years, clear evidence has emerged that HIF-1α is also responsive to many stimuli under normoxic conditions, including thrombin, growth factors, vasoactive peptides, insulin, lipopolysaccharide and cytokines such as TNF-α (tumour necrosis factor-α), and in many cases reactive oxygen species are involved. One important mechanism underlying these responses is the transcriptional regulation of HIF-1α by the redox-sensitive transcription factor NF-κB (nuclear factor κB), which binds at a distinct element in the proximal promoter of the HIF-1α gene. More recently, NF-κB binding to this site in the HIF-1α promoter has been shown also under hypoxic conditions. Thus these two major pathways regulating the responses to inflammation and oxidative stress on the one hand, and hypoxia on the other hand, appear to be intimately linked. In this issue of the Biochemical Journal, a study by van Uden et al. has supported these findings further, in which they have confirmed the binding of several proteins of the NF-κB family at the previously identified consensus site in the HIF-1α promoter and shown that TNF-α can also transcriptionally induce HIF-1α by this previously described pathway. The identification of HIF-1α as a target gene of NF-κB will have important implications for a variety of disorders related to hypoxia–ischaemia and/or inflammation and oxidative stress.