bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
The identification of 3,3′,5,5′-tetraiodothyroformic acid within the rat liver
Authors: Ramsden David B. , Lawson Alexander M. , Raw Philip J. , Hoffenberg Raymond
Published: August 2015

Homogenized rat livers were extracted with organic solvents and the extracts converted into more readily volatile derivatives (trimethylsilylmethyl esters and permethyl esters). Combined g.l.c.–mass-spectrometric analysis identified the presence of tetraiodothyroformate. It is postulated that mitochondrial β-oxidation of tetraiodothyropyruvate results in the formation of this apparently undescribed metabolite.
Metal cofactor requirement of β-lactamase II
Authors: Davies Richard B. , Abraham E. P.
Published: August 2015

1. The apoenzyme obtained on removal of Zn2+from β-lactamase II from Bacillus cereus 569/H/9 showed less than 0.001% of the activity of the Zn2+-containing enzyme. 2. Removal of Zn2+led to a conformational change in the enzyme and partial unmasking of a thiol group. 3. Replacement of Zn2+by Co2+, Cd2+, Mn2+or Hg2+gave enzymes with significant, but lower, β-lactamase activity. No activity was detected in the presence of Cu2+, Ni2+, Mg2+or Ca2+. 4. Equilibrium dialysis indicated that the enzyme had at least two Zn2+binding sites. With benzylpenicillin as substrate the variation in activity with concentration of Zn2+indicated that activity paralleled binding of Zn2+to the site of highest affinity. 5. Replacement of Zn2+by Co2+and Cd2+gave enzymes with absorption bands at 340 and 245nm respectively, and raised the question of whether the thiol group in the enzyme is a metal-ion ligand. 6. Reduction of the product obtained by reaction of denatured β-lactamase II with Ellman's reagent [5,5′-dithiobis-(2-nitrobenzoic acid)] gave a protein which could refold to produce β-lactamase II activity in high yield.
Turkey liver xanthine dehydrogenase: properties of the enzyme dependent on the content of functional active sites (Short Communication)
Authors: Cleere William F. , O'Regan Carmel , Coughlan Michael P.
Published: August 2015

Turkey liver xanthine dehydrogenase containing the full complement of molybdenum, flavin and iron–sulphur prosthetic groups is, as normally isolated, a mixture of functional and non-functional enzyme. The latter apparently lacks the cyanolysable persulphide groups essential to the oxidation of xanthine and to interaction with arsenite. These groups are not required for the oxidation of NADH by Methylene Blue. That KI treatment effects a differential release of flavin from xanthine-prereduced and NADH-prereduced enzyme merely reflects the degree of functionality of the preparations used and may not be taken as evidence for non-equivalence of the flavin chromophores.
Enhanced extractability of articular cartilage proteoglycans in osteoarthrosis
Authors: Brandt Kenneth D.
Published: August 2015

Tissue contents of small, easily extracted, proteoglycans, relatively poor in keratan sulphate, were compared in normal and osteoarthrotic cartilage. Although the amounts of small proteoglycans were similar in each tissue, as were the collagen contents, some proteoglycans in the diseased cartilage were much more readily extracted than those in the normal tissue.
The reaction of N-acetylneuraminate lyase with chloropyruvate
Authors: Barnett J. E. G. , Kolisis F.
Published: August 2015

Chloropyruvate, like bromopyruvate, rapidly inactivates N-acetylneuraminate lyase at pH7.2. At 5°C, 0.5mm-chloropyruvate reacted with the enzyme about ten times as fast as bromopyruvate. In contrast, at pH6.0 and 9°C, chloropyruvate reacted with N-acetylcysteine seven times more slowly than bromopyruvate. A brief (2min) incubation of the enzyme with 1.0mm-chloro[14C]pyruvate gave an inactive enzyme in which 4.5 cysteine residues were alkylated per molecule of enzyme. This corresponded to the number of [14C]pyruvate residues (3.7) bound to the enzyme by borohydride reduction of the [14C]-pyruvate complex, and confirmed the previous suggestion that there is one ‘essential’ cysteine residue per active site. It is suggested that, for this enzyme, chloropyruvate can be selectively used to alkylate the active-site residues, whereas bromopyruvate cannot. The apparent molecular weight of the enzyme prepared by two slightly different methods was approx. 100000 or 250000. The latter value has been used to calculate the number of pyruvate residues bound to the enzyme.
Structure and properties of arginase from the polychaete annelid Pista pacifica Berkeley
Authors: O'Malley Karen L. , Terwilliger Robert C.
Published: August 2015

An oligomeric arginase with a molecular weight of 205000 is present in the intestinal tissues of the polychaete annelid Pista pacifica. The presence of an active subunit with a molecular weight of 34000 was demonstrated. The enzyme specificity, effect of thiol reagents on activity, kinetic properties of the intact enzyme and the active subunit were investigated. Treatment of the arginase with EDTA results in its dissociation into an inactive subunit; the active oligomeric structure can be regenerated by addition of Mn2+. The correlation of characteristics of arginase from a certain species and that species, mode of nitrotelism is discussed.
The purification of cholinesterase from horse serum
Authors: Main A. Russell , Soucie William G. , Buxton Ian L. , Arinc Emel
Published: August 2015

A relatively simple method is described by which cholinesterase was purified about 19000-fold starting from horse serum. Typically 20 litres of serum were processed to yield 15–18mg of electrophoretically pure cholinesterase in the form of an active salt-free dry powder. The method included two stages: fractionation with (NH4)2SO4 and ion-exchange chromatography. The (NH4)2SO4 stage included, in principle, the acid (pH3) step of the Strelitz (1944) procedure. The step took advantage of the stabilizing effect that 33%-satd. (NH4)2SO4 has on cholinesterase activity at pH3 and it is recognized that in the absence of (NH4)2SO4 the enzyme is rapidly destroyed at pH3. Cholinesterase was significantly more stable to pH3.0 at 2°C than at 24°C, and the acid step was done at both temperatures. The specific activities of the final products obtained by way of acid steps were the same at either temperature, thus indicating that the step has not harmed the enzyme active sites. The product from the first two stages was purified over 18000-fold and was 85–90% cholinesterase. The remaining impurities were removed by preparative gel electrophoresis. The product was about 40% more active and contained 40% more active sites per unit weight than electrophoretically pure cholinesterase prepared from partially purified commercial starting material. Although the number of active sites per molecule was not determined with certainty, a value of at least 3 and possibly 4 was indicated. The partial specific volumes were determined with a precision density meter, on the ultracentrifuge and from the amino acid and carbohydrate composition. The values by these independent methods were 0.688, 0.71 and 0.712ml/g, respectively. The amino acid and carbohydrate composition was determined. The cholinesterase contained 17.4% carbohydrate including 3.2% N-acetylneuraminic acid.
Inhibition by the branched-chain 2-oxo acids of the 2-oxoglutarate dehydrogenase complex in developing rat and human brain
Authors: Patel M. S.
Published: August 2015

1. The effect of the branched-chain amino acids, namely leucine, isoleucine and valine and their corresponding 2-oxo acids on the metabolism of 2-oxoglutarate by developing rat and human brain preparations was investigated. 2. The decarboxylation of 2-oxo[1-14C]glutarate to 14CO2 by mitochondria from adult rat brain was inhibited by the branched-chain 2-oxo acids whereas the branched-chain amino acids had no inhibitory effect on this process. 3. The activity of 2-oxoglutarate dehydrogenase complex was about 0.2unit/g of brain from 2-day-old rats and increased by about fourfold reaching an adult value by the end of the third postnatal week. 4. The Km value for 2-oxoglutarate of the 2-oxoglutarate dehydrogenase complex in rat and human brain was 100 and 83μm respectively. 5. The branched-chain 2-oxo acids competitively inhibited this enzyme from suckling and adult rats brains as well as from foetal and adult human brains, whereas the branched-chain amino acids had no effect on this enzyme. 6. Approximate Ki values for the branched-chain 2-oxo acids found for this enzyme were in the range found for these 2-oxo acids in plasma from patients with maple-syrup-urine disease. 7. The possible significance of the inhibition by the branched-chain 2-oxo acids of the 2-oxoglutarate dehydrogenase complex in brains of untreated patients with maple-syrup-urine disease is discussed in relation to the energy metabolism and the biosynthesis of lipids from ketone bodies.
Studies on the metabolism of 5α-androst-16-en-3-one in boar testis in vivo
Authors: Saat Y. A. , Gower D. B. , Harrison F. A. , Heap R. B.
Published: August 2015

1. [5α-3H]5α-Androst-16-en-3-one (5α-androstenone) was infused at a constant rate for 180min into the spermatic artery of a sexually mature boar. Samples of spermatic-venous blood were collected at 1min intervals for the first 10min of the infusion and thereafter at 15min intervals for the first hour, then at 64, 125, 155 and 172min. After infusion, the testis was removed and immediately cooled to −196°C. 2. From both the testicular tissue and the spermatic-venous plasma, endogenous and3H-labelled androst-16-enes were isolated, characterized and quantitatively determined and their specific radioactivity was calculated. 3. The specific radioactivities of 5α-androstenore, 5α-androst-16-en-3α-ol and 5α-androst-16-en-3β-ol (an-α and an-β) in testicular tissue were different from those in the spermatic-venous plasma, suggesting that these compounds may be present in more than one compartment of the testis and differentially secreted into the spermatic-venous blood. 4. The ratios of the specific radioactivities of an-α and an-β to their respective sulphate conjugates in the testicular tissue were less than the ratios of the same compounds in the spermatic-venous plasma. 5. The patterns of secretion of these labelled compounds in the spermatic-venous blood during the period of infusion were demonstrated. 6. The urine that accumulated during the infusion was analysed and found to contain3H-labelled an-β, conjugated as both glucuronide and sulphate, the specific radioactivities of which were determined. Little or no androst-16-enes occurred as free steroids. 7. The presence of an-β glucuronide in the urine is discussed.
A study of 3′:5′-cyclic mononucleotide-dependent protein kinase from canine prostate glands
Authors: Tsang B K , Singhal R L
Published: August 2015

1. An adenosine 3′:5′-cyclic monophosphate (cyclic AMP)-dependent protein kinase, located predominantly in the cytosol, was studied in canine prostate. 2. The enzyme exhibited cyclic AMP-binding activity, and could be isolated by chromatography on diethylaminoethyl cellulose. 3. The enzyme was maximally stimulated (fourfold) by 1μm-cyclic AMP, and half-maximal activation of the enzyme was observed in presence of 50nm-cyclic AMP. 4. Equilibrium studies at pH5.0 indicated the presence of one major class of binding site for cyclic AMP, with an association constant of approx. 108m-1. 5. Stimulation of the enzyme was also observed with the 3′:5′-cyclic monophosphate derivatives of cytidine, inosine, guanosine and uridine as well as with dibutyryl cyclic AMP, but higher concentrations of these cyclic nucleotides were required to provide the same degree of activation as that seen with cyclic AMP. 6. Comparing α-casein, protamine and different histone subfractions as substrates, highest cyclic AMP stimulation was demonstrated with histones. 7. Although maximum velocity of the enzyme was enhanced approximately fivefold in presence of cyclic AMP, kinetic studies indicated that the apparent Km for histone (0.5mg/ml) remained the same whether determined in the presence or absence of the cyclic nucleotide. 8. In addition, cyclic AMP did not significantly change the apparent Km for ATP (1.2×10-5m). 9. The purified enzyme showed an absolute requirement for bivalent metal ion. Substitution of Mn2+for Mg2+decreased basal protein kinase activity as well as the stimulation noted with cyclic AMP. Similarly, the basal activity was lowered when Mg2+was replaced by Ca2+and cyclic AMP produced only little stimulation of the prostatic enzyme.
Possible site of flavonoid synthesis in the photosynthetic apparatus (Short Communication)
Authors: Saito K
Published: August 2015

Chloroplasts were prepared in aqueous suspension from buckwheat (Fagopyrum esculentum Moench.) seedlings, and the incorporation of [1-14C]acetic acid into quercetin (3,5,7,3′,4′-pentahydroxyflavone) by the isolated chloroplast preparations was investigated.
Purification and properties of 3-hexulose phosphate synthase and phospho-3-hexuloisomerase from Methylococcus capsulatus
Authors: Ferenci T , Strøm T , Quayle J R
Published: August 2015

3-Hexulose phosphate synthase and phospho-3-hexuloisomerase were purified 40- and 150-fold respectively from methane-grown Methylococcus capsulatus. The molecular weights of the enzymes were approximately 310000 and 67000 respectively, as determined by gel filtration. Dissociation of 3-hexulose phosphate synthase into subunits of molecular weight approx. 49000 under conditions of low pH or low ionic strength was observed. Within the range of compounds tested, 3-hexulose phosphate synthase is specific for formaldehyde and d-ribulose 5-phosphate (forward reaction) and d-arabino-3-hexulose 6-phosphate (reverse reaction), and phospho-3-hexuloisomerase is specific for d-arabino-3-hexulose 6-phosphate (forward reaction) and d-fructose 6-phosphate (reverse reaction). A bivalent cation is essential for activity and stability of 3-hexulose phosphate synthase; phospho-3-hexuloisomerase is inhibited by many bivalent cations. The pH optima of the two enzymes are 7.0 and 8.3 respectively and the equilibrium constants are 4.0×10-5m and 1.9×102m respectively. The apparent Michaelis constants for 3-hexulose phosphate synthase are: d-ribulose 5-phosphate, 8.3×10-5m; formaldehyde, 4.9×10-4m; d-arabino-3-hexulose 6-phosphate, 7.5×10-5m. The apparent Michaelis constants for phospho-3-hexuloisomerase are: d-arabino-3-hexulose 6-phosphate, 1.0×10-4m; d-fructose 6-phosphate, 1.1×10-3m.
Biosynthesis of trans,trans- and cis,trans-farnesols by soluble enzymes from tissue cultures of Andrographis paniculata
Authors: Overton K H , Roberts F M
Published: August 2015

A cell-free system obtained from tissue cultures of Andrographis paniculata produces 2-trans,6-trans-farnesol (trans, trans-farnesol) and 2-cis,6-trans-farnesol (cis,trans-farnesol) (5:1), incorporating 10% of the radioactivity from 3R-[2-14C]mevalonate. There is total loss of3H from 3RS-[2-14C,(4S)-4-3H1]mevalonate and total retention from the (4R) isomer in both the trans, trans-farnesol and cis,trans-farnesol formed. When 3RS-[2-14C,5-3H2]mevalonate is used as substrate, there is total retention of3H in the trans, trans-farnesol, but loss of one-sixth of the3H in the cis,trans-farnesol. With (1R)- and (1S)-[4,8,12-14C3,1-3H1]-trans, trans -farnesol and (1R)- and (1S)-[4,8,12-14C3,1-3H1]-cis,trans-farnesol as substrates, the label is lost from the (1R)-cis,trans and (1S)-trans, trans isomers but retained in the (1R)-trans, trans and (1S)-cis,trans isomers; this shows that the pro-1S hydrogen is exchanged in the conversion of trans, trans-farnesol into cis,trans-farnesol and the pro-1R hydrogen in the conversion of cis,trans-farnesol into trans, trans-farnesol. (1R)-[1-3H1]-trans, trans-Farnesol and (1R)-[1-3H1]-cis,trans-farnesol have been synthesized by asymmetric chemical synthesis and exchanged with liver alcohol dehydrogenase. Both the trans- and the cis-alcohol exchange the pro-1R hydrogen atom.
The steady-state kinetics of peroxidase with 2,2′-azino-di-(3-ethyl-benzthiazoline-6-sulphonic acid) as chromogen
Authors: Childs R E , Bardsley W G
Published: August 2015

The chemical nature of the important new chromogen ABTS [2,2'-azino-di-(3-ethyl-benzthiazoline-6-sulphonic acid)] is described together with an account of the redox and spectroscopic properties of the system ABTS--H2O2--peroxidase. Keq. is calculated and a study of the steady-state kinetics over a whole range of substrate concentrations is reported. By using novel methods of kinetic analysis, an interpretation of the results is given which requires some extension of the classical peroxidase mechanism.
A radio-ligand receptor assay for the long-acting thyroid stimulator. Inhibition by the long-acting thyroid stimulator of the binding of radioiodinated thyroid-stimulating hormone to human thyroid membranes
Authors: Mehdi S Q , Nussey S S
Published: August 2015

Highly purified bovine TSH (thyroid-stimulating hormone) was labelled with 125I by using very low concentrations of chloramine-T. Human thyroid membranes prepared by discontinuous sucrose-density-gradient centrifugation were homogeneous on examination by electron microscopy. Incubation of radioiodinated TSH with the membranes showed that radioactivity could be bound to the membranes. Under the experimental conditions described here, binding was dependent on time and temperature and was a saturable phenomenon. Preincubation of the membranes with unlabelled hormone inhibited the subsequent binding of 125I-labelled TSH. Similarly, inhibition by the long-acting thyroid stimulator also showed a saturation behaviour. A rapid and sensitive method for the detection of the long-acting thyroid stimulator is described.
Separation by thin-layer chromatography and structure elucidation of bilirubin conjugates isolated from dog bile
Authors: Heirwegh K P , Fevery J , Michiels R , van Hees G P , Compernolle F
Published: August 2015

1. A system for separation of bile pigments by t.l.c. and for their structure elucidation is presented. Separated bile pigments are characterized by t.l.c. of derived dipyrrolic azopigments. 2. At the tetrapyrrolic stage hydrolysis in strongly alkaline medium followed by t.l.c. demonstrates the presence of bilirubin-IIIalpha, -IXalpha and -XIIIalpha and allows assessment of their relative amounts. 3. Most structural information is derived from analysis of dipyrrolic azopigments. Such derivatives, obtained by treatment of separated bile pigments with diazotized ethyl anthranilate, were separated and purified by t.l.c. Micro methods showed (a) the nature of the dipyrrolic aglycone, (b) the nature of the bonds connecting aglycone to a conjugating group, (c) the ratio of vinyl/isovinyl isomers present in the aglycone and, (d) the nature of the conjugating groups (by suitable derivative formation and t.l.c. with reference to known compounds). 4. In bile of normal dogs at least 20 tetrapyrrolic, diazo-positive bile pigments could be recognized. Except for two pigments the tetrapyrrolic nucleus corresponded predominantly to bilirubin-IXalpha. All conjugated pigments had their conjugating groups connected in ester linkage to the tetrapyrrolic aglycone, Apart from bilirubin-IXalpha, monoconjugates and homogeneous and mixed diconjugates of bilirubin were demonstrated; conjugating groups of major importance were xylose, glucose and glucuronic acid. 5. Bilirubin isomer determination on native bile and isolated bile pigments, and dipyrrole-exchange assays with [14C8]bilirubin indicated (a) that the conjugates pre-exist in bile, and (b) that no significant dipyrrole exchange occurs during isolation of the pigments.
Decay of oxyperoxidase and oxygen radicals; a possible role for myeloperoxidase
Authors: Rotilio G , Falcioni G , Fioretti E , Brunoir M
Published: August 2015

The formation of superoxide anion during the decay of oxyperoxidase to ferric peroxidase was detected by using a spectrophotometric assay based on the use of adrenaline. The finding that peroxidase is a potential source of superoxide suggests a possible role for myeloperoxidase in leucocytes.
Evidence for two asymmetric conformational states in the human erythrocyte sugar-transport system
Authors: Barnett J E , Holman G D , Chalkley R A , Munday K A
Published: August 2015

6-O-methyl-, 6-O-propyl-, 6-O-pentyl- and 6-O-benzyl-D-galactose, and 6-O-methyl-, 6-O-propyl- and 6-O-pentyl-D-glucose inhibit the glucose-transport system of the human erythrocyte when added to the external medium. Penetration of 6-O-methyl-D-galactose is inhibited by D-glucose, suggesting that it is transported by the glucose-transport system, but the longer-chain 6-O-alkyl-D-galactoses penetrate by a slower D-glucose-insensitive route at rates proportional to their olive oil/water partition coefficients. 6-O-n-Propyl-D-glucose and 6-O-n-propyl-D-galactose do not significantly inhibit L-sorbose entry or D-glucose exit when present only on the inside of the cells whereas propyl-beta-D-glucopyranoside, which also penetrates the membrane slowly by a glucose-insensitive route, only inhibits L-sorbose entry or D-glucose exit when present inside the cells, and not when on the outside. The 6-O-alkyl-D-galactoses, like the other nontransported C-4 and C-6 derivatives, maltose and 4,6-O-ethylidene-D-glucose, protect against fluorodinitrobenzene inactivation, whereas propyl beta-D-glucopyranoside stimulates the inactivation. Of the transported sugars tested, those modified at C-1, C-2 and C-3 enhance fluorodinitrobenzene inactivation, where those modified at C-4 and C-6 do not, but are inert or protect against inactivation. An asymmetric mechanism is proposed with two conformational states in which the sugar binds to the transport system so that C-4 and C-6 are in contact with the solvent on the outside and C-1 is in contact with the solvent on the inside of the cell. It is suggested that fluorodinitrobenzene reacts with the form of the transport system that binds sugars at the inner side of the membrane. An Appendix describes the theoretical basis of the experimental methods used for the determination of kinetic constants for non-permeating inhibitors.
Microtubule protein synthesis during oogenesis and early embryogenesis in Xenopus laevis
Authors: Pestell R Q. W.
Published: August 2015

A method is described which permits the preparation of descrete classes of oocytes of different sizes from all stages of oogenesis in Xenopus laevis. This technique is used in the determination of the content of microtubule protein in oocytes during the course of oogenesis. These experiments show that microtubule protein is present in oocytes of all sizes assayed and that the amount is simply related to the volume of the oocyte. In the largest oocytes microtubule protein constitutes 1% of the soluble protein and this amount does not change on maturation and fertilization. These results show that the changes occurring in the oocyte on maturation which allow the cytoplasm to support microtubule polymerization occur as a result of a modification of the pre-existing microtubule protein, not from protein synthesis de novo. These experiments also indicate that the synthesis of microtubule protein either form ‘masked’ mRNA or from newly synthesized mRNA plays an insignificant role in microtubule protein synthesis at maturation, ovulation and immediately post-fertilization.
Biochemical and enzymic changes during erythrocyte differentiation. The significance of the final cell division
Authors: Denton M J , Spencer N , Arnstein H R V
Published: August 2015

1. The haemoglobin content of developing erythroblasts was shown to increase rapidly when the cells completed the final cell division of erythroid development and passed from the dividing into the non-dividing cell compartment. 2. The activity of carbonic anhydrase was measured and shown to increase continually throughout erythroid differentiation. The activity increased most rapidly in the polychromatic stage. 3. Catalase activity did not increase significantly during erythroid differentiation until the reticulocyte stage. 4. The activity of four enzymes, glucose 6-phosphate dehydrogenase, 6-phosphogluconate dehydrogenase, adenosine deaminase and nucleoside phosphorylase, exhibited a similar pattern of change during erythroid differentiation. In the dividing cell compartment their activity was relatively high but exhibited a steep decline between the polychromatic stage and the orthochromatic stage, that is, as the cell completed its final cell division and moved from the dividing to the non-dividing compartment. After this the activity of these enzymes was stabilized at a relatively low value, and this activity persisted at such a value until the reticulocyte stage. 5. Lactate dehydrogenase activity also declined after the cell had crossed from the dividing into the non-dividing stage, but in this case the decline was less than in the case of the above four enzymes. 6. Adenylate kinase activity was relatively constant in the dividing cell compartment but exhibited a 60 percent increase when the cell passed from the dividing into the non-dividing compartment. 7. The cessation of cell division appears to coincide with a set of complex biochemical changes.
Relationship between enhanced turnover of phosphatidylinositol and lymphocyte activation by mitogens
Authors: Maino V C , Hayman M J , Crumpton M J
Published: August 2015

1. Various lectins [phaseolus vulgaris phytohaemagglutinin, Glycine max (soy-bean) agglutinin, Triticum vulgaris (wheat-germ) agglutinin and Axinella polyploides agglutinin] and antibodies to pig Ig (immunoglobulin) that are found by pig lymphocytes were assessed in terms of their capacities to stimulate lymphocyte transformation and to enhance phosphatidylinositol turnover. Transformation was measured after 45h of culture by incorporation of [6-(3)H]thymidine into DNA, whereas phosphatidylinositol metabolism was assessed after 1h of cultuis and G. max agglutinins and rabbit antibodies to pig Ig) increased phosphatidylinositol turnover, but non-transforming agents (T. vulgaris and A. polyploides agglutinins and Fab fragments of rabbit antibodies to pig Ig) failed to induce any significant enhancement. Subsequent cross-linkage of the bound, non-transforming Fab fragments with a goat antiserum to rabbit Ig stimulated transformation and phosphatidylinositol turnover. 3. Each transforming agent gave characteristic optimal dose responses that were similar for both phosphatidylinositol turnover and transformation. 4. The results indicate that activation of T- and B-lymphocytes is accompanied by enhanced phosphatidylinositol turnover and that in the case of B-cells this enhancement depends on the cross-linkage of surface receptors. They are consistent with the proposal that turnover represents an essential early step in the transformation process.
The microbial metabolism of C1 compounds. The cytochromes of Pseudomaonas AM1
Authors: Anthony C
Published: August 2015

Pseudomonas AM1 contains cytochromes a, b and c and more than one CO-binding pigment (cytochrome a3, cytochrome c and possibly a cytochrome o). The soluble cytochrome c has been purified; its isoelectric point is low and its molecular weight is 20000. This cytochrome is reduced in whole bacteria by all oxidizable substrates at rates determined by the primary dehydrogenases. A mutant lacking cytochrome c oxidizes all substrates except methanol, ethanol and methylamine; these no longer support growth. The role of cytochrome c in electron transport in Pseudomonas AM1 is discussed.
The effects L-leucine on the synthesis of urea, glutamate and glutamine by isolated rat liver cells
Authors: Mourão J M , McGivan J D , Chappell J B
Published: August 2015

With either alanine or a mixture of 15 different amino acids as nitrogen source, the addition of L-leucine inhibited the synthesis of urea by isolated rat liver cells. With alanine present leucine promoted the production of glutamate and glutamine. Comparison of effects of leucine on soluble glutamate dehydrogenase, mitochondria and isolated cells supports the postulate that leucine exerts its effect through activation of glutamate dehydrogenase. It is suggested that this latter enzyme may not be as important for the production of NH3 for carbamoyl phosphate synthesis as has been considered hitherto.
Hepatic clearance of adenosine 3′:5′-cyclic monophosphate from plasma in the rat
Authors: Strange R C , Robb I W P
Published: August 2015

Rats were given intravenous injections of cyclic [3H]AMP and the disappearance of radioactivity from plasma and its appearance in bile were followed. Livers were removed and the cyclic [3H]AMP content was measured. The binding of radioactivity to soluble proteins was measured after preparations of a cytoplasmic fraction. Experiments in vitro to determine the ability of hepatic cytoplasmic proteins to bind cyclic [3H]AMP were also carried out. A role for cytoplasmic proteins in the clearance of cyclic AMP from plasma is discounted.
The effect of spermine on transcription of mammalian chromatin by mammalian deoxyribonucleic acid-dependent ribonucleic acid polymerase
Authors: Moruzzi G , Barbiroli B , Moruzzi M S , Tadolini B
Published: August 2015

Isolated rat liver nuclei demonstrate an increased ability to synthesize RNA in the presence of either spermine or spermidine. Spermidine has more effect on the low-salt α-amanitin-insensitive reaction, and spermine has more effect on the high-salt α-amanitin-sensitive reaction. Spermine is effective at concentrations of 0.1 mM and 1 muM, showing a biphasic effect. The RNA polymerase activity associated with nuclear chromatin is increased in the presence of spermine only at a concentration of 0.1 mM. Aso the transcription of deproteinized liver DNA by liver form-B polymerase or Escherichia coli enzyme is more efficient in the presence of 0.1 mM-spermine. Only when liver chromatin is transcribed by its homologous enzyme (and not by E. coli enzyme) is spermine active at both 0.1mM and 1 muM as in purified nuclei. The lower concentration of spermine (1 muM) is able to affect chromatin transcription by increasing the affinity of chromatin for the enzyme. Our findings suggest a regulatory role of spermine at the level of genome transcription.
Glycogen phosphorylase and its converter enzymes in haemolysates of normal human subjects and of patients with type VI glycogen-storage disease. A study of phosphorylase kinase deficiency
Authors: Lederer B , Van Hoof F , Van den Berghe G , Hers H
Published: August 2015

1. The properties of phosphorylase a, phosphorylase b, phosphorylase kinase and phosphorylase phosphatase present in a human haemolysate were investigated. The two forms of phosphorylase have the same affinity for glucose 1-phosphate but greatly differ in Vmax. Phosphorylase b is only partially stimulated by AMP, since, in the presence of the nucleotide, it is about tenfold less active than phosphorylase a. In a fresh human haemolysate phosphorylase is mostly in the b form; it is converted into phosphorylase a by incubation at 20degreesC, and this reaction is stimulated by glycogen and cyclic AMP. Once activated, the enzyme can be inactivated after filtration of the haemolysate on Sephadex G-25. This inactivation is stimulated by caffeine and glucose and inhibited by AMP and fluoride. The phosphorylase kinase present in the haemolysate can also be measured by the rate of activation of added muscle phosphorylase b, on addition of ATP and Mg2+. 2. The activity of phosphorylase kinase was measured in haemolysates obtained from a series of patients who had been classified as suffering from type VI glycogenosis. In nine patients, all boys, an almost complete deficiency of phosphorylase kinase was observed in the haemolysate and, when it could be assayed, in the liver. A residual activity, about 20% of normal, was found in the leucocyte fraction, whereas the enzyme activity was normal in the muscle. These patients suffer from the sex-linked phosphorylase kinase deficiency previously described by others. Two pairs of siblings, each time brother and sister, displayed a partial deficiency of phosphorylase kinase in the haemolysate and leucocytes and an almost complete deficiency in the liver. This is considered as being the autosomal form of phosphorylase kinase deficiency. Other patients were characterized by a low activity of total (a+b) phosphorylase and a normal or high activity of phosphorylase kinase in their haemolysate.
Physical-chemical properties of C-phycocyanin isolated from an acido-thermophilic eukaryote, Cyanidium caldarium
Authors: Kao O H , Edwards M R , Berns D S
Published: August 2015

C-Phycocyanin from an acido-thermophilic eukaryotic alga, Cyanidium caldarium, was characterized with respect to subunit structure, absorption spectrum and fluorescence properties and was found to be similar to C-phycocyanins from mesophilic sources. The pH-dependence of fluorescence polarization and the changes in sedimentation velocity as a function of pH, concentration and temperature indicate the presence of extremely large amounts of unusually stable 19S aggregates. It was not possible to disaggregate this phycocyanin completely to monomer under normal conditions. The amino acid composition is similar to that of phycocyanins from other thermophilic and halophilic sources. The isoelectric point of this C-phycocyanin was 5.11, an unusually high value. The properties of this C-phycocyanin suggest an increase in protein stability as its mode of adaptation to the environmental stress of high temperature.
The preparation and some properties of mammalian cytochrome c modified with 2-hydroxy-5-nitrobenzyl bromide
Authors: Brittain T , Greenwood C
Published: August 2015

2-Hydroxy-5-nitrobenzyl bromide reacts with horse heart cytochrome c at acid pH to yield a chemically modified protein. Chromatography of the protein on CM-cellulose allows separation of a single chemically modified species. This species is shown by gel chromatography to be monomeric, and isoelectric focusing shows the pI to be lowered from 10.5 to 9.8 on introduction of the reagent molecule. The changes observed in the u.v. region of the spectrum are consistent with the introduction of a single residue of the reagent, and the normal fluorescence of tryptophan is lost. The chemically modified protein exhibits marked changes in its functional properties as compared with native cytochrome c. Unlike the native monomer, the modified cytochrome c has a pH-dependent spectrum which is typical of a high-spin species in the alpha/beta region at low pH, changing to a low-spin species with an apparent pK of 7.5. The modified protein is autoxidizable and the ferrous form binds CO at neutral pH with an affinity constant of 2.6 X 10(5)M-1. The ferrous form of the modified cytochrome c binds CN- at pH 10.0 with an affinity constant of 3.5 X 10(2)M-1. The modified cytochrome c was incapable of restoring the electron-transfer activity to mitochondria depleted of cytochrome c.
Polarographic assay and intracellular distribution of superoxide dismutase in rat liver.
Authors: Tyler D D
Published: August 2015

1. A polarographic assay of superoxide (O2-) dismutase (EC 1.15.1.1) activity is described, in which the ability of the enzyme to inhibit O2-dependent sulphite oxidation, initiated by xanthine oxidase activity, is measured. The assay was used in a study of the intracellular distribution of superoxide dismutase in rat liver. Both cyanide-sensitive cupro-zinc dismutase (92% of the total activity) and cyanide-insensitive mangano-dismutase (8%) were measured. 2. Rat liver homogenates contained both particulate (16%y and soluble (84%) dismutase activity. The particulate activity contained both types of dismutase, whereas nearly all the soluble dismutase was a cupro-zinc enzymes. The distribution pattern of mangano-dismutase was similar to that of cytochrome oxidase and glutamate dehydrogenase, indicating that the enzyme was probably present exclusively in the mitochondria. 3. Superoxide dismutase activity in the heavy-mitochondrial (M) fraction was latent and was activated severalfold and largely solubilized by sonication. Treatment of the M fraction with digitonin or a hypo-osmotic suspending medium indicated that most of the cupro-zinc dismutase was located in the mitochondrial intermembrane space, whereas the mangano-enzyme was located in the inner-membrane and matrix space. 4. A small amount of dismutase activity appeared to be present in the nuclei and microsomal fraction, but little or no activity in the lysosomes or peroxisomes. 5. The results are discussed in relation to the intracellular location of known O2-generating enzymes, the possible role of superoxide dismutase activity in intracellular H2O2 formation, and to current views on the physiological function of the enzyme.
Purification and characterization of two glutathione S-aryltransferase activities from rat liver.
Authors: Askelöf P , Guthenberg C , Jakobson I , Mannervik B
Published: August 2015

Two forms of glutathione S-aryltransferase were purified from rat liver. The only differences noted between the two forms were in the chromatographic and electrophoretic properties, which permitted the separation of the two species. The molecular weights of the enzyme and its subunits were estimated as about 50000 and 23000 respectively. The steady-state kinetics did no follow Michaelis-Menten kinetics when one substrate concentration was kept constant while the second substrate concentration was varied. Several S-substituted GSH derivatives were tested as inhibitors of the enzymic reaction. The enzyme was inactivated by thiol-group reagents.
Activation of pyruvate dehydrogenase in adipose tissue by insulin. Evidence for an effect of insulin on pyruvate dehydrogenase phosphate phosphatase
Authors: Mukherjee C , Jungas R L
Published: August 2015

1. The mechanism by which insulin activates pyruvate dehydrogenase in rat epididymal adipose tissue was further investigated. 2. When crude extracts, prepared from tissue segments previously exposed to insulin (2m-i.u/ml) for 2min, were supplemented with Mg-2+, Ca-2+, glucose and hexokinase and incubated at 30 degrees C, they displayed an enhanced rate of increase in pyruvate dehydrogenase activity compared with control extracts. 3. When similar extracts were instead supplemented with fluoride, ADP, creatine phosphate and creatine kinase, the rate of decrease in pyruvate dehydrogenase activity observed during incubation at 30 degrees C was unaffected by insulin treatment. 4. It is suggested that insulin increases the fraction of pyruvate dehydrogenase present in the tissue in the active dephospho form by increasing the activity of pyruvate dehydrogenase phosphate phosphatase.
The nature and control of the tricarboxylate cycle in beetle flight muscle
Authors: Hansford R G , Johnson R N
Published: August 2015

The only exogenous substrates oxidized by mitochondria isolated from the flight muscle of the Japanese beetle (Popillia japonica) are proline, pyruvate and glycerol 3-phosphate. The highest rate of oxygen consumption is obtained with proline. The oxidation of proline leads to the production of more NH3 than alanine, indicating a functioning glutamate dehydrogenase (EC 1.4.1.2). Studies of mitochondrial extracts confirm the presence of a very active glutamate dehydrogenase, and this enzyme is found to be activated by ADP and inhibited by ATP. These extracts also show high alanine aminotransferase activity (EC 2.6.1.2) and a uniquely active “malic’ enzyme (EC 1.1.1.39). The “malic’ enzyme is activated by succinate and inhibited by ATP and by pyruvate. It is suggested that the input of tricarboxylate-cycle intermediate from proline oxidation is balanced by the formation of pyruvate from malate, and the complete oxidation of the majority of the pyruvate. Studies of the steady-state concentrations of mitochondrial CoASH and CoA thioesters during proline oxidation show a high succinyl (3-carboxypropionyl)-CoA content which falls on activating respiration with ADP. There is a concomitant rise in CoASH. However, the reverse transition, from state-3 to state-4 respiration, causes only very slight changes in acylation. The reasons for this are discussed. Studies of the mitochondrial content of glutamate, 2-oxoglutarate, malate, pyruvate, citrate and isocitrate during the same phases of proline oxidation give results consistent with control at the level of glutamate dehydrogenase and isocitrate dehydrogenase during proline oxidation, with the possibility of further control at “malic’ enzyme. During the oxidation of pyruvate all of the tricarboxylate-cycle intermediates and NAD(P)H follow the pattern of changes described in the blowfly (Johnson & Hansford, 1975; Hansford, 1974) and isocitrate dehydrogenase is identified as the primary site of control.?2OAuthor
Effects of increased mechanical work by isolated perfused rat heart during production or uptake of ketone bodies. Assessment of mitochondrial oxidized to reduced free nicotinamide-adenine dinucleotide ratios and oxaloacetate concentrations
Authors: Opie L H , Owen P
Published: August 2015

Metabolic effects of increased mechanical work were studied by comparing isolated pumping rat hearts perfused by the atrial-filling technique with aortic-perfused non-pumping hearts perfused by the technique of Langendorff. The initial medium usually contained glucose (11 mm) and palmitate (0.6 mm bound to 0.1 mm albumin). During increased heart work (comparing pumping with non-pumping hearts) the uptake of oxygen and glucose increased threefold, but that of free fatty acids was unchanged. Tissue contents of alpha-oxoglutarate, NH4+, malate, lactate, pyruvate and Pi rose with increased heart work, but contents of ATP, phosphocreatine and citrate fell. Ketone bodies were produced with a ratio of beta-hydroxybutyrate/acetoacetate of about 3:1 in both pumping and non-pumping hearts but with higher net production rates in non-pumping hearts. When ketone bodies were added in relatively high concentrations (total 4 mm) to a glucose (11 mm) medium the medium, ratios of beta-hydroxybutyrate/acetoacetate were not steady even after 60 min of perfusion. The validity of calculating mitochondrial free NAD+/NADH ratios from the tissue contents of the reactants of the glutamate dehydrogenase system or the beta-hydroxybutyrate dehydrogenase system is assessed. The activities of these enzymes are considerably less in the rat heart than in the rat liver, introducing reservations into the application to the heart of the principles used by Williamson et al. (1967) for calculation of mitochondrial free NAD+/NADH ratios of liver mitochondria...
The effects of acute and chronic nicotine hydrogen (+)-tartrate administration and subsequent withdrawal on rat liver tryptophan pyrrolase activity and their comparison with those of morphine, phenobarbitone and ethanol
Authors: Badawy A A , Evans M
Published: August 2015

Acute administration of nicotine hydrogen (+)-tartrate enhances the activity of rat liver tryptophan pyrrolase by a hormonal mechanism. Chronic nicotine treatment inhibits, and subsequent withdrawal enhances, the pyrrolase activity. The inhibition during chronic treatment is not due to a defective apoenzyme synthesis nor a decreased cofactor availability. Regeneration of liver NADP+ in vitro and in vivo reverses the inhibition. Chronic nicotine administration increases the liver NADPH concentration. The above effects of nicotine resemble to a remarkable degree those previously shown for morphine, phenobarbitone and ethanol. All effects are compared, and their possible significance in relation to drug dependence is discussed.
Tricarboxylic acid-cycle and related enzymes in restricted facultative methylotrophs
Authors: Colby J , Zatman L J
Published: August 2015

The isolation is described of pure cultures of three non-methane-utilizing methylotrophic bacteria which, together with the previously described Bacillus PM6, have a very limited range of growth substrates; these organisms are designated “restricted facultative’ methylotrophs. Two of these isolates, W6A and W3A1, grow only on glucose out of 50 non-C1 compounds tested, whereas the third isolate S2A1 and Bacillus PM6 grow on betaine, glucose, gluconate, alanine, glutamate, citrate and nutrient agar, but not on any of a further 56 non-C1 compounds. Crude sonic extracts of trimethylamine-grown and glucose-grown W6A and W3A1 isolates, and of trimethylamine-grown C2A1 (an obligate methylotroph) contain (i) no detectable 2-oxogltarate dehydrogenase activity, (ii) very low or zero specific activities of succinate dehydrogenase and succinyl-CoA synthetase and (iii) NAD+-dependent isocitrate dehydrogenase activity. Extracts of trimethylamine-grown PM6 and S2A1 methylotrophs have (i) very low 2-oxoglutarate dehydrogenase specific activities, (ii) comparatively high specific activities of succinate dehydrogenase, malate dehydrogenase and succinyl-CoA synthetase and (iii) NADP+-dependent isocitrate dehydrogenase activity but no NAD+-dependent isocitrate dehydrogenase activity. The activities of most of these enzymes are increased during growth on glucose, alanine, glutamate or citrate, but only very low 2-oxoglutarate dehydrogenase activities are present under all growth conditions. The restricted facultative methylotrophs grow on certain non-C1 compounds in the absence of 2-oxoglutarate dehydrogenase and, in some cases, of other enzymes of the tricarboxylic acid cycle; these lesions cannot therefore be the sole cause of obligate methylotrophy.
The effect of butacaine on adenine nucleotide binding and translocation in rat liver mitochondria
Authors: Fayle D R , Barritt G J , Bygrave F L
Published: August 2015

The effect of the local anaesthetic, butacaine, on adenine nucleotide binding and translocation in rat liver mitochondria partially depleted of their adenine nucleotide content was investigated. The range of butacaine concentrations that inhibit adenine nucleotide translocation and the extent of the inhibition are similar to the values obtained for native mitochondria. Butacaine does not alter either the total number of atractyloside-sensitive binding sites of depleted mitochondria, or the affinity of these sites for ADP or ATP under conditions where a partial inhibition of the rate of adenine nucleotide translocation is observed. The data are consistent with an effect of butacaine on the process by which adenine nucleotides are transported across the mitochondrial inner membrane rather than on the binding of adenine nucleotides to sites on the adenine nucleotide carrier. The results are briefly discussed in relation to the use of local anaesthetics in investigations of the mechanism of adenine nucleotide translocation.
Modification of pig M4 lactate dehydrogenase by pyridoxal 5'-phosphate. Demonstration of an essential lysine residue
Authors: Chen S S , Engel P C
Published: August 2015

1. Pig M4 lactate dehydrogenase treated in the dark with pyridoxal 5'-phosphate at pH8.5 and 25 degrees C loses activity gradually. The maximum inactivation was 66%, and this did not increase with concentrations of pyridoxal 5'-phosphate above 1 mM. 2. Inactivation may be reversed by dialysis or made permanent by reducing the enzyme with NaBH4. 3. Spectral evidence indicates modification of lysine residues, and 6-N-pyridoxyl-lysine is present in the hydrolsate of inactivated, reduced enzyme. 4. A second cycle of treatment with pyridoxal 5'-phosphate and NaBH4 further decreases activity. After three cycles only 9% of the original activity remains. 5. Apparent Km values for lactate and NAD+ are unaltered in the partially inactivated enzyme. 6. These results suggest that the covalently modified enzyme is inactive; failure to achieve complete inactivation in a single treatment is due to the reversibility of Schiff-base formation and to the consequent presence of active non-covalently bonded enzyme-modifier complex in the equilibrium mixture. 7. Although several lysine residues per subunit are modified, only one appears to be essential for activity: pyruvate and NAD+ together (both 5mM) completely protect against inactivation, and there is a one-to-one relationship between enzyme protection and decreased lysine modification. 8. NAD+ or NADH alone gives only partial protection. Substrates give virtually none. 9. Pig H4 lactate dehydrogenase is also inactivated by pyridoxal 5'-phosphate. 10. The possible role of the essential lysine residue is discussed.