bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
Enzyme synthesis in the cellular slime mould Dictyostelium discoideum during the differentiation of myxamoebae grown axenically
Authors: Quance J. , Ashworth J. M.
Published: August 2015

1. Myxamoebae of the cellular slime mould Dictyostelium discoideum Ax-2 were grown on different media, and were harvested either in the stationary or exponential phases of the growth cycle to yield samples of myxamoebae differing in enzymic composition. 2. Morphogenesis and cell differentiation phenomena in D. discoideum appear to be similar in myxamoebae grown and harvested under different conditions. 3. The specific activity of the enzymes β-N-acetylglucosaminidase, acid phosphatase, α-mannosidase, β-glucosidase and alkaline phosphatase have been determined during cell differentiation of myxamoebae grown and harvested under different conditions. 4. The pattern of synthesis of these enzymes, all of which have been claimed to be part of the ‘developmental programme’, either remains unaffected despite the origin of the myxamoebae (alkaline phosphatase) or is qualitatively similar but quantitatively affected (acid phosphatase, β-glucosidase) or is both qualitatively and quantitatively affected by changes in the myxamoebae (α-mannosidase, β-N-acetylglucosaminidase). 5. The implications of these results for the concept of a ‘developmental programme‘ are discussed.
Comparative studies of the specificities of α-chymotrypsin and subtilisin BPN′. Studies with flexible and ‘locked’ substrates
Authors: Pattabiraman T. N. , Lawson W. B.
Published: August 2015

Subtilisin BPN′ hydrolysed N-acetyl-l-3-(2-naphthyl)-alanine methyl ester, N-acetyl-l-leucine methyl ester and N-acetyl-l-valine methyl ester, faster than α-chymotrypsin. Of eight ‘locked’ substrates tested, only methyl 5,6-benzindan-2-carboxylate was hydrolysed faster by subtilisin, whereas the other esters were better substrates for chymotrypsin. Compared with the values for chymotrypsin, the stereospecific ratios during the hydrolysis of the optically active locked substrates by subtilisin were decreased by one and two orders of magnitude for bi- and tri-cyclic substrates respectively. The polar groups adjacent to the α-carbon atom of locked substrates did not contribute significantly to the reactivity of the more active optical isomers, but had a detrimental effect on the less active antipodes during hydrolysis by both the enzymes. These studies show that the binding site of subtilisin BPN′ is longer and broader than that of α-chymotrypsin.
Comparison of the multiple deoxyribonucleic acid-dependent ribonucleic acid polymerase forms of whole rat liver and a minimal-deviation rat hepatoma cell line
Authors: Chesterton C. J. , Humphrey S M , Butterworth P H W
Published: August 2015

To investigate the possibility that the pattern of multiple DNA-dependent RNA polymerases of an animal cell exerts a controlling influence on its nature, the activities of these enzymes were compared in differentiated rat liver and in a rapidly growing minimal-deviation rat hepatoma cell line by using established techniques of enzyme extraction, separation and determination. Relative to the DNA content of the tissues, RNA polymerase activities of forms AI, AII and B were approx. ninefold, twofold and twofold higher respectively in the cell line than in the liver. Tests indicated that these results could not be explained by differences in extraction efficiency or by the presence of unbound inhibitors or stimulators of polymerase activity in the final enzyme preparations. New forms of the enzyme were not detected in either tissue. The significance of these findings with respect to the possible role of multiple RNA polymerases in the control of cellular activities is discussed.
Regulation of pathways degrading aromatic substrates in Pseudomonas putida. Enzymic response to binary mixtures of substrates
Authors: Higgins S. J. , Mandelstam J.
Published: August 2015

1. Induction constants (Kind) and repression constants (Krep), which are a measure of the affinity of the inducers or repressors for the induction systems, were measured for mandelate, benzoate and p-hydroxybenzoate in Pseudomonas putida. 2. From these results, the enzymic response of the organism to media containing pairs of these substrates was predicted. Nitrogen-limited chemostats, operated at high growth rates, were used to investigate these predictions in cells grown first on one aromatic substrate with the second added later. 3. In general, the values of Kind and Krep predicted quite accurately the response to substrate mixtures. Thus, in the presence of mandelate and either benzoate or p-hydroxybenzoate, the enzymes of mandelate metabolism were repressed almost completely, and the bacteria were fully induced for the alternative substrate (benzoate or p-hydroxybenzoate), which was preferentially utilized for growth. When benzoate and p-hydroxybenzoate were the two substrates in the mixture, the enzymes for metabolism of the latter were strongly repressed and growth took place mainly on benzoate. 4. The enzymic response to mixed substrates did not result in the metabolism of the better growth substrate, but in the substrate requiring the synthesis of fewer enzymes. Thus benzoate is used in preference to mandelate although the latter supports a faster growth rate. It is nevertheless considered that, with our present knowledge of the natural habitat of the organism, it is impossible to decide whether protein economy or growth rate was the factor determining the evolution of this control system.
Intermediate reactions in the binding of aminoacyl-transfer ribonucleic acid to rat liver ribosomes. Formation and properties of an aminoacyl-transfer ribonucleic acid–transferase I complex
Authors: Hradec J.
Published: August 2015

1. Transferase I of rat liver binds aminoacyl-tRNA to form a relatively stable complex, which is retained on cellulose nitrate filters. This reaction proceeds at both 0°C and 37°C and is inhibited by GTP. The resulting product is stabilized by GTP and Mg2+. 2. Only very low quantities of deacylated tRNA are bound by transferase I. 3. Methods are described for the preparative isolation of the transferase I–aminoacyl-tRNA complex from incubation mixtures by using ion-exchange procedures. 4. The transferase I–aminoacyl-tRNA complex becomes readily bound to ribosomes. The presence of Mg2+ is essential for the binding. GTP stimulates this reaction but is not absolutely required. 5. It is concluded that the formation of the transferase I–aminoacyl-tRNA complex may be the primary reaction in the binding of aminoacyl-tRNA to mammalian ribosomes and that, unlike in bacterial systems, GTP is not absolutely required for this step.
Localization and interconversion of tetrahydropteroylglutamates in isolated pea mitochondria
Authors: Clandinin M. T. , Cossins E. A.
Published: August 2015

1. Mitochondria were extracted from 4-day-old pea cotyledons and purified on a sucrose density gradient. 2. Microbiological assay of the purified mitochondrial fraction with Lactobacillus casei (A.T.C.C. 7469), Streptococcus faecalis (A.T.C.C. 8043) and Pediococcus cerevisiae (A.T.C.C. 8081) revealed a discrete pool of conjugated and unconjugated derivatives of tetrahydropteroylglutamic acid. 3. Solubilization and chromatographic studies of the mitochondrial fraction demonstrated the presence of formylated and methylated derivatives, 10-formyltetrahydropteroylmonoglutamic acid, 5-formyltetrahydropteroylmonoglutamic acid and 5-formyltetrahydropteroyldiglutamic acid being the major derivatives present. 4. The principal mitochondrial pteroylglutamates were labelled when dry seeds were allowed to imbibe [2-14C]pteroylglutamic acid and 5-[methyl-14C]-methyltetrahydropteroylmonoglutamic acid. 5. The ability of isolated mitochondria to catalyse oxidation and reduction of tetrahydropteroylglutamic acid derivatives was demonstrated in feeding experiments in which [14C]formaldehyde, [3-14C]serine, sodium [14C]formate, 5-[methyl-14C]methyltetrahydropteroylmonoglutamic acid or [2-14C]-glycine served as C1 donor. In addition,14C was incorporated into free amino acids related to C1 metabolism.
Microbial metabolism of C1 and C2 compounds. The role of glyoxylate, glycollate and acetate in the growth of Pseudomonas AM1 on ethanol and on C1 compounds
Authors: Dunstan Patricia M. , Anthony C. , Drabble W. T.
Published: August 2015

Succinate (or a product of succinate metabolism) is a catabolite repressor of some enzymes of the serine pathway (hydroxypyruvate reductase, serine–glyoxylate aminotransferase and glycerate kinase) but not of methanol dehydrogenase nor methylamine dehydrogenase. A mutant (PCT64) of Pseudomonas AM1, which is unable to grow on C1 compounds, lacks glycerate kinase, showing that this enzyme is essential for the operation of the serine pathway. Mutant PCT48, unable to convert acetate into glycollate, has lost the ability to grow both on C1 compounds and on ethanol. The properties of a third mutant (PCT57) show that Pseudomonas AM1 contains enzymes catalysing the conversion of acetate into glyoxylate. Evidence is presented that hydroxypyruvate reductase is involved in the oxidation of glycollate to glyoxylate during growth on ethanol. A scheme is proposed for the conversion of ethanol and of C1 compounds into glyoxylate in which acetate (or a derivative) and glycollate are intermediates.
Uridine diphosphate glucuronic acid production and utilization in various tissues actively synthesizing glycosaminoglycans
Authors: Gainey P. A. , Phelps C. F.
Published: August 2015

1. UDP-glucose dehydrogenase has been partially purified from sheep nasal septum cartilage, neonatal rat skin and bovine corneal epithelium. 2. The pH profile, Km values for NAD+ and UDP-glucose, activation energy and molecular weight have been determined for the enzyme from several of the tissues. 3. The sugar nucleotide concentrations in each of the tissues have been related to the spectrum of glycosaminoglycans produced by each tissue. 4. The presence of an allosteric UDP-xylose-binding site distinct from the active site(s) in sheep nasal septum UDP-glucose dehydrogenase has been demonstrated. 5. An active UDP-glucuronic acid nucleotidase has been demonstrated in sheep nasal cartilage. 6. Tissue-space experiments have shown the cell water content of sheep nasal septum cartilage to be 14% of the wet weight. 7. Glucuronic acid 1-phosphate does not occur in measurable amounts in sheep nasal septum cartilage and no UDP-glucuronic acid pyrophosphorylase activity could be detected in this tissue. 8. The inhibition by UDP-xylose with respect to both substrates, UDP-glucose and NAD+, has been examined, and shown to be allosteric.
Radiochemical determination of a unique sequence around the reactive serine residue of a di-isopropyl phosphorofluoridate-sensitive plant carboxypeptidase and a yeast peptidase
Authors: Shaw D. C. , Wells J. R. E.
Published: August 2015

Phaseolain, a carboxypeptidase from French-bean leaves, and a partially purified peptidase from baker's yeast are inhibited by reaction with di-isopropyl phosphorofluoridate. Radioactive di-isopropyl [32P]phosphorofluoridate was used to show that the site of reaction is a unique serine residue and that the sequence of amino acids adjacent to the reactive serine is Glu-Ser-Tyr. This sequence is different from those of other ‘serine’ enzymes previously reported and, for phaseolain, represents an unequivocal example of a ‘serine’ carboxypeptidase.
Epoxy derivatives of aromatic polycyclic hydrocarbons. The preparation and metabolism of epoxides related to benzo[a]pyrene and to 7,8- and 9,10-dihydrobenzo[a]pyrene
Authors: Waterfall J. F. , Sims P.
Published: August 2015

Products that appeared to be mainly benzo[a]pyrene 7,8-oxide and benzo[a]pyrene 9,10-oxide were synthesized and their chemical and biochemical properties were investigated. The oxides were unstable and readily rearranged to phenols. They were converted by rat liver homogenates and microsomal preparations into phenols and dihydrodiols, but glutathione conjugates were not formed in appreciable amounts. The dihydrodiols formed from benzo[a]pyrene 7,8- and 9,10-oxide by rat liver microsomal preparations were identical in their chromatographic and spectrographic properties with dihydrodiols formed when benzo[a]pyrene was metabolized by rat liver homogenates. 9,10-Dihydrobenzo[a]pyrene 7,8-oxide and 7,8-dihydrobenzo[a]pyrene 9,10-oxide were also synthesized. They were converted by rat liver homogenates and microsomal preparations into the related cis- and trans-dihydroxy compounds. Glutathione conjugates were formed from the oxides by rat liver homogenates. Both 7,8- and 9,10-dihydrobenzo[a]pyrene were metabolized by rat liver homogenates to mainly the trans-isomers of the related dihydroxy compounds. In experiments with boiled homogenates, the benzo[a]pyrene oxides were converted into phenols, whereas the dihydrobenzo[a]pyrene oxides yielded small amounts of the related dihydroxy compounds.
Wheat-germ aspartate transcarbamoylase. Kinetic behaviour suggesting an allosteric mechanism of regulation
Authors: Yon Robert J.
Published: August 2015

1. Some kinetic properties of aspartate transcarbamoylase (EC 2.1.3.2), that had been purified approx. 20-fold from wheat germ, were studied. 2. A plot of enzyme activity against pH showed a low maximum at pH8.4 and a second, higher, maximum at pH10.5. A plot of percentage inhibition by 0.2mm-UMP against pH was approximately parallel to the plot of activity against pH, except that between pH6.5 and 7.5 the enzyme was insensitive to 0.2mm-UMP. 3. Kinetics were studied in detail at pH10.0 and 25°C. In the absence of UMP, initial-rate plots were hyperbolic when the concentration of either substrate was varied. UMP decreased both Vmax. and Km in plots of initial rate against l-aspartate concentration, but the plots remained hyperbolic. However, UMP converted plots of initial rate against carbamoyl phosphate concentration into a sigmoidal shape, without significantly affecting Vmax.. Plots of initial rate against UMP concentration were also sigmoidal. 4. The theoretical model proposed by Monod et al. (1965) gave a partial explanation of these results. When quasi-equilibrium conditions were assumed analysis in terms of this model suggested a trimeric enzyme binding the allosteric ligands, carbamoyl phosphate and UMP, nearly exclusively to the R and T conformational states respectively, and existing predominantly in the R state when ligands were absent. However, the values of the Hill coefficients for the co-operativity of each allosteric ligand were somewhat less than those predicted by the theory. 5. Some of the implications of these results are discussed, and the enzyme is contrasted with the well-known aspartate transcarbamoylase of Escherichia coli.
The purification and properties of Escherichia coli methylglyoxal synthase
Authors: Hopper D. J. , Cooper R. A.
Published: August 2015

1. Methylglyoxal synthase was purified over 1500-fold from glycerol-grown Escherichia coli K 12 strain CA 244. The purified enzyme was inactivated by heat or proteolysis, had a molecular weight of approx. 67000, a pH optimum of 7.5 and was specific for dihydroxyacetone phosphate with Km 0.47mm. 2. The possibility that a Schiff-base intermediate was involved in the reaction mechanism was investigated but not confirmed. 3. The purified enzyme lost activity, especially at low temperature, but could be stabilized by Pi. Two binding sites for Pi may be present on the enzyme. Of other compounds tested only the substrate, dihydroxyacetone phosphate, and bovine serum albumin showed any significant stabilizing effect. 4. Phosphoenolpyruvate, 3-phosphoglycerate, PPi and Pi were potent inhibitors of the enzyme. Kinetic experiments showed that PPi was apparently a simple competitive inhibitor, but inhibition by the other compounds was more complex. In the presence of Pi the enzyme behaved co-operatively, with at least three binding sites for dihydroxyacetone phosphate. 5. It is proposed that methylglyoxal synthase and glyceraldehyde 3-phosphate dehydrogenase play important roles in the catabolism of the triose phosphates in E. coli. Channelling of dihydroxyacetone phosphate via methylglyoxal would not be linked to ATP formation and could be involved in the uncoupling of catabolism and anabolism.
The application of product inhibition studies to one substrate–one product enzymic reactions
Authors: Darvey I. G.
Published: August 2015

A graphical procedure is presented for distinguishing between possible mechanisms of one substrate–one product enzymic reactions.
Carbohydrate metabolism in the isolated perfused rat kidney
Authors: Hems D. A. , Gaja G.
Published: August 2015

1. Anaerobic formation of lactate from glucose by isolated perfused rat kidney (411μmol/h per g dry wt.) was three times as fast as in aerobic conditions (138μmol/h per g). 2. In aerobic or in anaerobic conditions, the ratio of lactate production to glucose utilization was about 2. 3. Starvation or acidosis caused a decline of about 30% in the rate of aerobic glycolysis. 4. The rate of formation of glucose from lactate by perfused kidney from a well-fed rat, in the presence of 5mm-acetoacetate (83μmol/h per g dry wt.), was of the same order as the rate of aerobic glycolysis. 5. During perfusion with physiological concentrations of glucose (5mm) and lactate (2mm) there were negligible changes in the concentration of either substrate. 6. Comparison of kidneys perfused with lactate, from well-fed or starved rats, showed no major differences in contents of intermediates of gluconeogenesis. 7. The tissue concentrations of hexose monophosphates and C3 phosphorylated glycolytic intermediates (except triose phosphate) were decreased in anaerobic conditions. 8. Aerobic metabolism of fructose by perfused kidney was rapid: the rate of glucose formation was 726μmol/h per g dry wt. and of lactate formation 168μmol/h per g (dry wt.). Glycerol and d-glyceraldehyde were also released into the medium. 9. Aerobically, fructose generated high concentrations of glycolytic intermediates. 10. Anaerobic production of lactate from fructose (74μmol/h per g dry wt.) was slower than the aerobic rate. 11. In both anaerobic and aerobic conditions the ratio [lactate]/[pyruvate] in kidney or medium was lower during perfusion with fructose than with glucose. 12. These results are discussed in terms of the regulation of renal carbohydrate metabolism.
Microbial metabolism of pyridinium compounds. Metabolism of 4-carboxy-1-methylpyridinium chloride, a photolytic product of paraquat
Authors: Wright K. A. , Cain R. B.
Published: August 2015

1. A bacterium, Achromobacter D, isolated from garden soil by elective culture, utilized N-methylisonicotinic acid (4-carboxy-1-methylpyridinium chloride) as sole carbon source. 2. Extracts of N-methylisonicotinate-grown cells oxidized this substrate only after supplementation with a source of nicotinamide nucleotides and then consumed 1 mol of O2 and released 1 mol of CO2/mol of N-methylisonicotinate supplied. 3. The N-methyl group of the substrate was released as methylamine whereas the five C atoms of the pyridine ring were accounted for as succinate and formate. The CO2 evolved by extracts was believed to derive from the carboxyl group on C-4 of the heterocyclic ring. 4. The immediate precursor of the succinate end-product was succinic semialdehyde; the inducible nature of succinic semialdehyde dehydrogenase in N-methylisonicotinate-grown cells supported this finding. 5. There was no evidence for monohydroxylation of the ring, but the time sequence of the appearance of the end-products indicated that the oxygen-requiring, NADH-requiring and decarboxylation steps clearly preceded the formation of methylamine and succinate. 6. The results are consistent with the oxidative cleavage of a partially reduced heterocyclic ring followed by several hydrolytic and dehydrogenase steps resulting in the appearance of the end-products.
Nitrogenase of Klebsiella pneumoniae. Purification and properties of the component proteins
Authors: Eady R. R. , Smith B. E. , Cook K. A. , Postgate J. R.
Published: August 2015

1. Nitrogenase from the facultative anaerobe Klebsiella pneumoniae was resolved into two protein components resembling those obtained from other nitrogen-fixing bacteria. 2. Both proteins were purified to homogeneity as shown by the criteria of disc electrophoresis and ultracentrifugal analysis. 3. The larger component had a mol.wt. of 218000 and contained one Mo atom, 17Fe atoms and 17 acid-labile sulphide groups/mol; it contained two types of subunit, present in equal amounts, of mol.wts. 50000 and 60000. All the common amino acids were present, with a predominance of acidic residues. The apparent partial specific volume was 0.73; ultracentrifugal analysis gave s020,w=11.0S and D020,w=4.94×10-7cm2/s. The specific activities (nmol of product formed/min per mg of protein) when assayed with the second nitrogenase component were 1500 for H2 evolution, 380 for N2 reduction, 1200 for acetylene reduction and 5400 for ATP hydrolysis. The reduced protein showed electron-paramagnetic-resonance signals at g=4.3, 3.7 and 2.015; the Mössbauer spectrum of the reduced protein consisted of at least three doublets. The u.v. spectra of the oxidized and reduced proteins were identical. On oxidation the absorbance increased generally throughout the visible region and a shoulder at 430nm appeared. The circular-dichroism spectra of both the oxidized and reduced proteins were the same, consisting mainly of a negative trough at 220nm. 4. The smaller component had mol.wt. 66800 and contained four Fe atoms and four acid-labile sulphide groups in a molecule comprising two subunits each of mol.wt. 34600. All common amino acids except tryptophan were present, with a predominance of acidic residues. The apparent partial specific volume calculated from the amino acid analysis was 0.732, which was significantly higher than that obtained from density measurements (0.69); ultracentrifugal analysis gave s020,w=4.8S and D020,w=5.55×10-7cm2/s. The specific activities (nmol of product formed/min per mg of protein) were 1050 for H2 evolution, 275 for N2 reduction, 980 for acetylene reduction and 4350 for ATP hydrolysis. The protein was not cold-labile. The reduced protein showed electron-paramagnetic-resonance signals in the g=1.94 region. The Mössbauer spectrum of the reduced protein consisted of a doublet at 77°K. The u.v. spectra of reduced and O2-inactivated proteins were identical, and inactivation by O2 generally increased the absorbance in the visible region and resulted in a shoulder at 460nm. The circular-dichroism spectra exhibited a negative trough at 220nm and inactivation by O2 decreased the depth of the trough. 5. The reduction of N2 and acetylene, and H2 evolution, were maximal at a 1:1 molar ratio of the Fe-containing protein to the Mo–Fe-containing protein; excess of the Mo–Fe-containing protein was inhibitory. All reductions were accompanied by H2 evolution. The combined proteins had no ATP-independent hydrogenase activity.
The control of nucleic acid and nicotinamide nucleotide synthesis in regenerating rat liver
Authors: Ferris G. M. , Clark J. B.
Published: August 2015

1. The effect of injecting nicotinamide on the incorporation of [14C]orotate into the hepatic nucleic acids of rats after partial hepatectomy was investigated. 2. At 3h after partial hepatectomy the rapid incorporation of [14C]orotate into RNA, and at 20h after partial hepatectomy the incorporation of [14C]orotate into both RNA and DNA, were inhibited in a dose-dependent fashion by the previous injection of nicotinamide. 3. The injection of nicotinamide at various times before the injection of [14C]orotate at 20h after partial hepatectomy revealed an inhibition of the incorporation of orotate into RNA and DNA which was non-linear with respect to the duration of nicotinamide pretreatment. 4. The induction of a hepatic ATP depletion by ethionine demonstrated that the synthesis of hepatic NAD and NADP in partially hepatectomized rats was more susceptible to an ATP deficiency than in control rats. 5. The total hepatic activity of ribose phosphate pyrophosphokinase (EC 2.7.6.1) was assayed at various times after partial hepatectomy and found to be only marginally greater than the maximum rate of hepatic NAD synthesis induced in vivo by nicotinamide injection between 12 and 24h after partial hepatectomy. 6. It is suggested that a competition exists between NAD synthesis and purine and pyrimidine nucleotide synthesis for available ATP and particularly 5-phosphoribosyl 1-pyrophosphate. In regenerating liver the competition is normally in favour of the synthesis of nucleic acid precursors, at the expense of NAD synthesis. This situation may be reversed by the injection of nicotinamide with a subsequent inhibition of nucleic acid synthesis.
The amino acid sequence of γ-crystallin (fraction II) from calf lens
Authors: Croft L. R.
Published: August 2015

The amino acid sequence of γ-crystallin (fraction II) from calf lens has been determined; this indicates it to be a single-chain polypeptide of 165 amino acid residues.
Spermine synthesis in the uterus of the ovariectomized rat in response to oestradiol-17β
Authors: Russell D H. , Potyraj J J.
Published: August 2015

We reported that spermidine and spermine pools in the uterus both doubled within 24h after oestradiol administration to castrated rats (Russell & Taylor, 1971). Now we have studied the enzymic synthesis of spermine (by spermidine-dependent S-adenosyl-l-methionine decarboxylase) and find that the activity of the enzyme(s) involved is elevated soon after hormone administration. Enzyme activity is increased within 4h and is five times that of controls within 24h. Cycloheximide or actinomycin D administered at the time of oestradiol injection completely blocked the increase in enzyme activity. The enzyme involved in spermine synthesis, S-adenosyl-l-methionine decarboxylase, with S-adenosyl-l-methionine and spermidine as required substrates, was partially purified on Sephadex and DEAE-cellulose columns. The decarboxylation of S-adenosyl-l-methionine could not be separated from the transfer of a propylamine moiety from the decarboxylated S-adenosyl-l-methionine to spermidine to form spermine. We were unable also to separate this system from the enzyme that formed spermidine when S-adenosyl-l-methionine and putrescine are used as substrates. Spermidine-stimulated S-adenosyl-l-methionine decarboxylase has an apparent half-life of 60min, identical with the half-life reported for putrescine-stimulated S-adenosyl-l-methionine decarboxylase. These results strongly suggest that the same enzyme(s) operate in the synthesis of both spermidine and spermine.
Changes in nuclear protein during the cell cycle in cultured mast cells separated by zonal centrifugation
Authors: Cross M E.
Published: August 2015

1. Exponentially grown mouse mast cells (cell line P815, strain Y) were separated by zonal centrifugation on a Ficoll gradient. Fractions were allocated to different phases of the cell cycle according to the specific radioactivity of their DNA. 2. Histones were extracted and their thiol content was analysed. The proportion of reduced thiol increased in S phase, decreasing subsequently. 3. The phosphate content of histone F1 and of the other histones reached a peak in early and later S phase respectively. The incorporation of 32P into these fractions showed a corresponding increase. 4. The timing of histone synthesis was examined. Incorporation of 14C-labelled amino acids into the histone fractions took place at the same times as phosphorylation. 5. Acid nuclear proteins differ from the histones in incorporating labelled amino acids and 32P fairly constantly through the cell cycle.
Secretory mechanisms. Behaviour of adenine nucleotides during the platelet release reaction induced by adenosine diphosphate and adrenaline
Authors: Holmsen Holm , Day H. James , Setkowsky Carol A.
Published: August 2015

1. Platelets containing adenine nucleotides labelled with3H and14C in vitro were aggregated biphasically with ADP and adrenaline. Amounts of ATP and ADP as well as the radioactivity of ATP, ADP, AMP, IMP, hypoxanthine and adenine were determined in platelets and plasma at different stages of aggregation. 2. ATP and ADP were released during the second aggregation phase and had a low specific radioactivity compared with the ATP and ADP retained by the cells. The specific radioactivity of intracellular nucleotides increased during release. The parameters observed with ADP and adrenaline as release inducers were the same as for collagen and thrombin. 3. Release induced by all four inducers was accompanied by conversion of cellular [3H]ATP into extracellular [3H]-hypoxanthine. By variation of temperature, inducer concentration, time after blood withdrawal and use of acetylsalicylic acid, the aggregation pattern caused by adrenaline and ADP could be made mono- or bi-phasic. Release or second-phase aggregation was intimately connected with the ATP–hypoxanthine conversion, whereas first phase aggregation was not. 4. The [3H]ATP–hypoxanthine conversion started immediately after ADP addition. With adrenaline it usually started with the appearance of the second aggregation phase. The conversion was present during first phase of ADP-induced aggregation only if a second phase were to follow. 5. When secondary aggregation took place while radioactive adenine was being taken up by the platelets, increased formation of labelled hypoxanthine still occurred, but there was either no change or an increase in the concentration of labelled ATP. 6. Biphasically aggregated platelets converted [3H]adenine more rapidly into [3H]-ATP and -hypoxanthine than non-aggregated platelets. Addition of [3H]adenine at different stages of biphasic aggregation showed that more [3H]hypoxanthine was formed during than after the release step. 7. We conclude that ADP and adrenaline, like thrombin and collagen, cause extrusion of non-metabolic granula-located platelet adenine nucleotides. During release metabolic ATP breaks down to hypoxanthine, and this process might reflect an ATP-requiring part of the release reaction.
Ribosomal ribonucleic acid and ribosomal precursor ribonucleic acid in Anacystis nidulans
Authors: Szalay A. , Munsche D. , Wollgiehn R. , Parthier B.
Published: August 2015

The RNA of the blue–green alga Anacystis nidulans contains three ribosomal RNA species with molecular weights of 0.56×106, 0.9×106, and 1.1×106if the RNA is extracted in the absence of Mg2+. The 0.9×106mol.wt. rRNA is extremely slowly labelled in32P-incorporation experiments. This rRNA may be a cleavage product of the 1.1×106mol.wt. rRNA from the ribosomes of cells in certain physiological states (e.g. light-deficiency during growth). The cleavage of the 1.1×106mol.wt. rRNA during the extraction procedure can be prevented by the addition of 10mm-MgCl2.32P-pulse-labelling studies demonstrate the rapid synthesis of two ribosomal precursor RNA species. One precursor RNA migrating slightly slower than the 1.1×106mol.wt. rRNA appears much less stable than the other precursor RNA, which shows the electrophoretic behaviour of the 0.7×106mol.wt. rRNA. Our observations support the close relationship between bacteria and blue–green algae also with respect to rRNA maturation. The conversion of the ribosomal precursor RNA species into 0.56×106- and 1.1×106-mol.wt. rRNA species requires Mg2+in the incubation medium.
pH-dependence of the triose phosphate isomerase reaction
Authors: Plaut Barbara , Knowles J. R.
Published: August 2015

The pH-dependences of the kinetic parameters kcat. and Km for the triose phosphate isomerase reaction were determined in each direction. Apparent pKa values of 6.0 and 9.0 are observed in the dependences of kcat./Km. The pH-dependences of kcat. are sigmoid, with apparent pKa values of about 6.0. The results are interpreted in terms of a single base on the enzyme providing an efficient proton-shuttling mechanism for the isomerization.
Bases methylated in vitro by cell-free extracts of adenovirus-18-induced tumours
Authors: McFarlane E. Sandra
Published: August 2015

The tRNA methylase activity in vitro of adenovirus-18-induced tumour was studied. The activity expressed per mg of protein was the same for extracts of tumours induced by either adenovirus-12 or adenovirus-18. The methylated bases isolated after incubation with extract from adenovirus-18-induced tumour were N1-methylguanine, 1-methyladenine, 3-methyladenine and N6-methyladenine.
Aspartate transcarbamoylase from Phaseolus aureus. Partial purification and properties
Authors: Ong B. L. , Jackson J. F.
Published: August 2015

1. Aspartate transcarbamoylase from 4-day-old radicles of Phaseolus aureus was purified 190-fold by (NH4)2SO4 fractionation, DEAE-cellulose and DEAE-Sephadex chromatography and Sephadex-gel filtration. The partially purified enzyme, which required Pi for maximum stability, had an apparent molecular weight of 83000±5000. 2. Uridine nucleotides were found to inhibit the activity; UMP was the most potent inhibitor, followed by UDP and UTP. No other nucleotide was found to affect the enzyme, nor could UMP inhibition be overcome by adding another nucleotide. Aspartate gives a hyperbolic substrate-saturation curve, both with and without UMP. The nucleotide inhibitor is non-competitive with respect to this substrate. Carbamoyl phosphate also yields a hyperbolic substrate-saturation curve in the absence of feedback inhibitor, but when UMP is added a sigmoidal pattern results, and the inhibition is competitive with carbamoyl phosphate. 3. The degree of inhibition by UMP is not affected by p-chloromercuribenzoate, urea, mild heat pretreatment or change in pH over the range 8.5–10.5, but is affected by temperature. 4. The aspartate analogue, succinate, both activates and inhibits the reaction, depending on the concentrations of aspartate and succinate used. 5. Kinetic studies with the partially purified enzyme showed that the Km for carbamoyl phosphate (0.091 mm) is much lower than that for aspartate (1.7mm). A sequential reaction mechanism was inferred from product-inhibition kinetics, with carbamoyl phosphate binding to the enzyme before aspartate, and the product, carbamoylaspartate, being released ahead of Pi. Initial-velocity studies gave a set of parallel reciprocal plots, compatible with an essentially irreversible step occurring before the binding of aspartate.
Pyrimidine nucleotide biosynthesis in Phaseolus aureus. Enzymic aspects of the control of carbamoyl phosphate synthesis and utilization
Authors: Ong B. L. , Jackson J. F.
Published: August 2015

1. Carbamoyl phosphate synthetase activity of Phaseolus aureus extracts was assayed by coupling it to the catalytic subunit of Escherichia coli aspartate transcarbamoylase and determining the [14C]carbamoylaspartate so formed. The stability of the activity was improved by the addition of ornithine and dimethyl sulphoxide to the extraction medium. 2. The synthetase activity was found to utilize either glutamine or ammonia as amino donor, the Michaelis constants being 0.17±0.03mm and 6.1±1.0mm respectively. N-Acetylglutamate did not significantly alter the rate with either substrate, and azaserine inhibited the reaction with both amino donors to the same extent. 3. Ornithine was shown to stimulate the activity, and to counteract inhibition by UMP. The purine nucleotides IMP and GMP enhanced carbamoyl phosphate formation, whereas AMP had an inhibitory effect. 4. The Michaelis constant for carbamoyl phosphate was determined in concentrated extracts for both aspartate transcarbamoylase and ornithine transcarbamoylase activities, and was 0.13±0.03mm and 1.58±0.16mm respectively. The ratio of the activities of these two enzymes, determined at near-saturating substrate concentrations, was 1:3 (aspartate transcarbamoylase/ornithine transcarbamoylase). 5. It is concluded that in this plant tissue there is one enzyme, carbamoyl phosphate synthetase, supplying carbamoyl phosphate to both the pyrimidine and arginine pathways, that the pyrimidine pathway claims most of the available carbamoyl phosphate (depending on the concentration of the nucleotide effectors) when this intermediate is present at low concentrations; and that when the carbamoyl phosphate concentration is increased, possibly by ornithine stimulation, a larger proportion can be taken up by the arginine pathway.
Pepsin treatment of avian skin collagen. Effects on solubility, subunit composition and aggregation properties
Authors: Bannister D. W. , Burns Anne B.
Published: August 2015

1. Collagen was extracted from chick skin with dilute acetic acid followed by dilute acetic acid containing pepsin. 2. The solubilized collagens were purified and portions subjected to further digestion by pepsin. 3. This treatment decreased the aldehyde content but contamination by hexosamine was not diminished. 4. Pepsin treatment converted practically all the acid-soluble collagen into monomeric subunits (α-chains), but the pepsinsolubilized material retained a significant amount of higher subunits (β- and γ-chains). 5. Treatment lowered the rate of fibrillogenesis by acid-soluble collagen, but was without effect on pepsin-solubilized collagen.
Complete amino acid analysis of peptides and proteins after hydrolysis by a mixture of Sepharose-bound peptidases
Authors: Bennett H. P. J. , Elliott D. F. , Evans B. E. , Lowry P. J. , McMartin C.
Published: August 2015

Incubation with a mixture of Sepharose-bound peptidases was shown to result in the quantitative release of amino acids from certain peptides and S-aminoethylated proteins. Subtraction of the low background values of amino acids generated by the enzymes enables amino acid ratios of corticotrophin-(1–24)-tetracosapeptide to be determined with a standard deviation on repeat digestions of 3–5%. Good values were obtained for amino acids that are completely or partially destroyed on acid hydrolysis, i.e. tryptophan, tyrosine, serine, asparagine and glutamine. Experiments with peptides containing d-amino acids showed that the enzyme mixture is stereospecific and could therefore be used to detect the presence of d-residues in peptides. The enzyme mixture completely hydrolyses peptide fragments obtained after Edman degradation and should therefore be useful for determining sequences of peptides containing acid-labile amino acid residues. The activities of the bound enzymes were unaltered over a period of 7 months and they provide a simple, reproducible procedure for the quantitative determination of amino acids in peptides and proteins containing l-amino acids.
The enzymic conversion of linoleic acid into 9-(nona-1′,3′-dienoxy)non-8-enoic acid, a novel unsaturated ether derivative isolated from homogenates of Solanum tuberosum tubers
Authors: Galliard T. , Phillips D. R.
Published: August 2015

1. A major component of the lipids in aqueous (pH7.5) homogenates of tuber tissue from Solanum tuberosum was isolated and characterized as 9-(nona-1′,3′-dienoxy)non-8-enoic acid. 2. This novel unsaturated ether fatty acid derivative, which contains a butadienylvinyl ether function, has the structure: [Formula: see text] and is formed from linoleic acid by a sequence of enzymic reactions. 3. A precursor of the unsaturated ether derivative is 9-d-hydroperoxyoctadeca-10,12-dienoic acid, formed by the action of S. tuberosum lipoxygenase on linoleic acid. 4. An enzyme that converts the fatty acid hydroperoxide into the unsaturated ether derivative was isolated from S. tuberosum. The pH optimum of this enzyme is approx. 9, although the overall conversion of linoleic acid into the ether derivative is maximal at pH7.5. 5. An unusual feature of this pathway is the insertion of an oxygen atom into the alkyl chain of a fatty acid. 6. This novel mechanism may play a role in the breakdown of polyunsaturated fatty acids to volatile products in plants.
The oxidation of nicotinic acid by Pseudomonas ovalis Chester. The terminal oxidase
Authors: Jones M. V. , Hughes D. E.
Published: August 2015

In cell-free extracts of Pseudomonas ovalis nicotinic acid oxidase is confined to the wallmembrane fraction. It is associated with an electron-transport chain comprising b- and c-type cytochromes only, differing proportions of which are reduced by nicotinate and NADH. CO difference-spectra show two CO-binding pigments, cytochrome o (absorption maximum at 417nm) and another component absorbing maximally at 425nm. Cytochrome o is not reduced by NADH or by succinate but is by nicotinate, which can also reduce the ‘425’ CO-binding pigment. The effects of inhibitors of terminal oxidation support the idea of two terminal oxidases and a scheme involving the ‘425’ CO-binding pigment and the other components of the electron-transport chain is proposed.
The kinetics of binding of oxygen and carbon monoxide to Gastrophilus haemoglobin
Authors: Phelps Charles F. , Antonini Eraldo , Brunori Maurizio , Kellett George
Published: August 2015

The dimeric haemoglobin in the tracheal cells of the Gastrophilus larva was extracted and purified, and the spectral properties of its oxy- and carbon monoxide adducts are recorded. In dilute solutions the kinetic parameters of binding of oxygen and carbon monoxide were determined. In solutions between 0.1 and 50μm for oxygen kon is 1×107m-1·s-1 and koff is 1s-1; for carbon monoxide lon is 6.5×105m-1·s-1 and loff is 0.14s-1. These values are in agreement with previous equilibrium results on oxygen binding and carbon monoxide/oxygen partition. These results are discussed and compared with the known values for other monomeric protohaem proteins.
Enzyme-mediated binding of tyrosine to brome-mosaic-virus ribonucleic acid
Authors: Hall T. C. , Shih D. S. , Kaesberg Paul
Published: August 2015

Incubation of tyrosine with the RNA from brome-mosaic-virus under conditions favourable for aminoacylation of tRNA resulted in binding of tyrosine to the viral RNA. Sucrose-density-gradient centrifugation showed that tyrosine binds to three and probably to all four of the viral RNA components. The bound amino acid was readily released in mild alkaline solutions. Of 20 amino acids tested, only tyrosine was found to bind. The maximum extent of binding observed was 0.58mol of tyrosine/mol of brome-mosaic-virus RNA.
Effect of environmental temperature on the kinetic properties of goldfish brain choline acetyltransferase
Authors: Hebb Catherine , Stephens T. C. , Smith M. W.
Published: August 2015

1. Michaelis constants of goldfish brain choline acetyltransferase were found to depend on the concentration of the second substrate present and on the temperature to which the fish had been adapted. 2. Primary plots constructed from results obtained with enzyme prepared from cold-adapted or warm-adapted fish indicated that synthesis of acetylcholine took place by a sequential mechanism. 3. The affinity of choline acetyltransferase for acetyl-CoA was about 100 times that for choline irrespective of whether the enzyme had been prepared from warm-adapted or cold-adapted fish. 4. The maximum rate at which choline acetyltransferase synthesized acetylcholine and the energy of activation for this synthesis remained independent of the previous environmental temperature of the fish. 5. The affinity of choline acetyltransferase for choline and acetyl-CoA showed a complex dependence on temperature. The affinity of the enzyme from cold-adapted fish for substrates increased as the incubation temperature was lowered, whereas that of the enzyme from warm-adapted fish first increased and then decreased. 6. The maximum affinity of choline acetyltransferase for both substrates, from both cold-adapted and warm-adapted fish, occurred at temperatures that corresponded approximately to the respective environmental temperatures of the fish. 7. These changes in enzyme affinity for substrates are not thought to be due to the presence of isoenzymes. Their adaptive significance is unknown, but it could be connected with the maintenance of the enzyme in a stable form.
Halobacterium cutirubrum ribosomes. Properties of the ribosomal proteins and ribonucleic acid
Authors: Visentin L. P. , Chow C. , Matheson A. T. , Yaguchi M. , Rollin F.
Published: August 2015

1. The 30S ribosomal subunit of the extreme halophile Halobacterium cutirubrum is unstable and loses 75% of its ribosomal protein when the 70S ribosome is dissociated into the two subunits. A stable 30S subunit is obtained if the dissociation of the 70S particle is carried out in the presence of the soluble fraction. 2. A fractionation procedure was developed for the selective removal of groups of proteins from the 30S and 50S subunits. When the ribosomes, which are stable in 4m-K+ and 0.1m-Mg2+, were extracted with low-ionic-strength buffer 75–80% of the 30S proteins and 60–65% of the 50S proteins as well as the 5S rRNA were released. The proteins in this fraction are the most acidic of the H. cutirubrum ribosomal proteins. Further extraction with Li+–EDTA releases additional protein, leaving a core particle containing either 16S rRNA or 23S rRNA and about 5% of the total ribosomal protein. The amino acid composition, mobility on polyacrylamide gels at pH4.5 and 8.7, and the molecular-weight distribution of the various protein fractions were determined. 3. The s values of the rRNA are 5S, 16S and 23S. The C+G contents of the 16S and 23S rRNA were 56.1 and 58.8% respectively and these are higher than C+G contents of the corresponding Escherichia coli rRNA (53.8 and 54.1%).
Further studies on the stimulation of protein synthesis in androgen-dependent tissues by testosterone
Authors: Mainwaring W. I. P. , Wilce P. A.
Published: August 2015

1. By using centrifugation through a discontinuous sucrose gradient, four microsomal fractions are obtained from the prostate gland. 2. Administration of androgens to castrated rats stimulates protein synthesis in all fractions, particularly in the heavy rough fraction. 3. Androgens also increase the content of protein, RNA and phospholipid in the heavy rough fraction. 4. Time-course experiments in vivo show that androgens induce a rapid increase in the synthesis of ribosomal precursor RNA preceding the synthesis of new microsomal fraction and the increase in protein synthesis.
The bacterial degradation of flavonoids. Hydroxylation of the A-ring of taxifolin by a soil pseudomonad
Authors: Jeffrey A. M. , Knight M. , Evans W. C.
Published: August 2015

Cell-free extracts prepared from a Pseudomonas sp. grown on (+)-catechin oxidized taxifolin in the presence of NAD(P)H and molecular oxygen. The enzyme catalysing the reaction was partially purified and shown to be a flavoprotein. The product was identified as 3′,4′,5,7,8-pentahydroxyflavanonol (dihydrogossypetin).
Conversion of p-coumarate into caffeate by Streptomyces nigrifaciens. Purification and properties of the hydroxylating enzyme
Authors: Nambudiri A. M. D. , Bhat J. V. , Rao P. V. Subba
Published: August 2015

1. An enzyme responsible for the conversion of p-coumarate into caffeate was purified 97-fold from Streptomyces nigrifaciens. The enzyme had a molecular weight of 18000 as determined by Sephadex G-100 gel filtration and was homogeneous on polyacrylamide-gel electrophoresis. 2. The preparation exhibited both p-coumarate hydroxylase and caffeate oxidase activities. 3. Stoicheiometry of the reaction indicated a mono-oxygenase-mediated catalysis consuming 1mol of O2/mol of substrate hydroxylated. 4. NADH, NADPH, tetrahydropteroylglutamate or ascorbate act as electron donors for the reaction, ascorbate being inhibitory at higher concentrations. 5. The optimum enzyme activity was at about pH7.7 and 40°C, with an activation energy of 39kJ/mol. 6. Monophenols such as p-hydroxyphenylpropionate, p-hydroxyphenylacetate, l-tyrosine and dl-p-hydroxyphenyl-lactate were also hydroxylated by the preparation, in addition to p-coumarate. 7. The enzyme was a copper protein having 0.38% copper in a bound form. 8. Thiol-group inhibitors did not affect the reaction. 9. The relationship of the enzyme to other hydroxylases is discussed.