bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
The interpretation of kinetic data for enzyme-catalysed reactions involving three substrates
Authors: Dalziel K.
Published: August 2015

The analysis and interpretation of initial-rate data for reactions involving three substrates, obtained in suitably designed experiments, are discussed. Possible mechanisms for such reactions are classified, the rate equations are compared and the extent to which they can be distinguished experimentally is considered.
Studies in vitro on the effects of 1H,2H,4H(5H)-octafluorocyclohexane and 1H,4H(2H)-nonafluorocyclohexane on enzymes and organelles
Authors: Nath Jayasree , Bray H G
Published: August 2015

A comparison has been made of the effect of 1H,2H,4H(5H)-octafluorocyclohexane, which is highly toxic (LD50 17mg./kg. in rats), and of 1H,4H(2H)-nonafluorocyclohexane, which is relatively non-toxic (LD50>440mg./kg. in rats), on the respiration of rat liver homogenates and mitochondria in vitro. 1H,2H,4H(5H)-Octafluorocyclohexane strongly inhibited the respiration of both homogenates and mitochondria, but neither compound had any significant effect on glycolysis or on glutamate dehydrogenase or NADH–cytochrome c reductase activity. 1H,2H,4H(5H)-Octafluorocyclohexane, however, caused a very marked inhibition of cytochrome oxidase activity, causing an almost complete lesion in this region of the respiratory chain. 1H,4H(2H)-Nonafluorocyclohexane was without effect in this respect. A marked decrease in turbidity of mitochondrial suspensions at 520nm. was caused by addition of both compounds, the effect being greater with 1H,2H,4H(5H)-octafluorocyclohexane. ATP, Mg2+ and bovine serum albumin did not reverse these changes. Mitochondrial adenosine triphosphatase activity was increased twofold by the toxic compound, but only slightly by the non-toxic compound. Electron-microscopic examination of mitochondria treated with 1H,2H,4H(5H)-octafluorocyclohexane revealed gross morphological damage, whereas the effect of 1H,4H(2H)-nonafluorocyclohexane appeared to be merely to cause swelling. The results obtained account, to some extent at any rate, for the toxic effects of 1H,2H,4H(5H)-octafluorocyclohexane.
The hormonal regulation of enzymes in prenatal and postnatal rat liver. Effects of adenosine 3′,5′-(cyclic)-monophosphate
Authors: Greengard Olga
Published: August 2015

1. The administration of glucagon, cAMP [adenosine 3′,5′-(cyclic)-monophosphate], BcAMP [6-N-2′-O-dibutyryladenosine 3′,5′-(cyclic)-monophosphate] or adrenaline to foetal rats during the last 2 days of gestation evoked the appearance of tyrosine aminotransferase and enhanced the accumulation of glucose 6-phosphatase in the liver. In foetuses 1–2 days younger only BcAMP was effective. After birth liver glucose 6-phosphatase no longer responds to glucagon or BcAMP. Tyrosine aminotransferase is still inducible by these agents in 2-day-old rats, but not in 50-day-old rats. After adrenalectomy of adults glucagon or BcAMP can enhance the induction of the enzyme by hydrocortisone. The results indicate that the ability to synthesize tyrosine aminotransferase and glucose 6-phosphatase when exposed to cAMP develops sooner than the ability to respond to glucagon with an increase in the concentration of cAMP; the responsiveness of enzymes to different hormones changes with age. A scheme illustrating the sequential development of competence in regulating the level of an enzyme is presented. 2. Actinomycin inhibited the effects of glucagon and BcAMP on liver tyrosine aminotransferase and glucose 6-phosphatase in foetal rats. Growth hormone, insulin and hydrocortisone did not enhance the formation of these enzymes. 3. The time-course of accumulation of glucose 6-phosphatase in the kidney is different from that in the liver. Hormones that increase the accumulation in foetal liver do not do so in the kidney of the same foetus or in the livers of postnatal rats.
Linoleic acid and linolenic acid elongation products in muscle tissue of Syncerus caffer and other ruminant species
Authors: Crawford M A , Gale Muriel M. , Woodford M H
Published: August 2015

The metabolic elongation products of both linoleic acid and linolenic acid were found in muscle tissues of Syncerus caffer and other ruminants. The acids with four double bonds were predominantly in the linoleic acid series, whereas the higher degrees of unsaturation, mainly five double bonds, were in the linolenic acid series. The total linoleic acid and linolenic acid groups were present in the relative proportions of about 4:1, in contrast with the fish oils, where the acids are mainly in the linolenic acid series. The consistent occurrence of members of both groups of acids in the animals studied here suggests to us that both may be important for structural purposes.
The type-specific substance from Pneumococcus type 11A(43)
Authors: Kennedy D. A. , Buchanan J. G. , Baddiley J
Published: August 2015

1. The type-specific substance from Pneumococcus type 11A(43) is a polymer containing d-glucose, d-galactose, glycerol, phosphate and O-acetyl in the approximate molecular proportions 2:2:1:1:2. 2. Removal of the O-acetyl groups with ammonia gave a compound no longer active towards type 11A antiserum. 3. Treatment of S.11A with sodium borohydride, followed by hydrolysis with alkali yielded a phosphorus-free polysaccharide, whose structure was studied by methylation and by degradation with periodate. 4. Examination of S.11A and its de-O-acetyl derivative by periodate oxidation led to the partial structure (XI) for the type-specific substance, which thus has several features in common with S.18.
Arginine metabolism in insects. Role of arginase in proline formation during silkmoth development
Authors: Reddy S. Raghupathi Rami , Campbell James W.
Published: August 2015

1. Ornithine δ-transaminase (l-ornithine–2-oxo acid aminotransferase, EC 2.6.1.13) and Δ1-pyrroline-5-carboxylate reductase [l-proline-NAD(P) 5-oxidoreductase, EC 1.5.1.2] were demonstrated in fat-body and flight-muscle tissues of the silkmoth Hyalophora gloveri. Arginase (l-arginine ureohydrolase, EC 3.5.3.1) is also present in these tissues. 2. Arginase, ornithine transaminase and pyrroline-carboxylate reductase are generally considered to make up the catabolic pathway for the conversion of arginine into proline. The conversion of l-[U−14C]arginine into [14C]proline by intact fat-body tissue was used to show that the enzymes in insect fat body also function in this capacity. 3. Of the three enzymes of the catabolic pathway, only arginase increased during adult development and the increase coincided with the emergence of the winged adult moth. Since proline appears to be a major substrate utilized in insect flight metabolism, the increase in arginase activity at this stage suggests a major role for arginase in proline formation.
The redox state of free nicotinamide–adenine dinucleotide phosphate in the cytoplasm of rat liver
Authors: Veech R. L. , Eggleston L. V. , Krebs H. A.
Published: August 2015

1. The concentrations of the oxidized and reduced substrates of the ‘malic’ enzyme (EC 1.1.1.40) and isocitrate dehydrogenase (EC 1.1.1.42) were measured in freeze-clamped rat livers. By assuming that the reactants of these dehydrogenase systems are at equilibrium in the cytoplasm the [free NADP+]/[free NADPH] ratio was calculated. The justification of the assumption is discussed. 2. The values of this ratio obtained under different nutritional conditions (well-fed, 48hr.-starved, fed with a low-carbohydrate diet, fed with a high-sucrose diet) were all of the same order of magnitude although characteristic changes occurred on varying the diet. The value of the ratio fell on starvation and on feeding with the low-carbohydrate diet and rose slightly on feeding with the high-sucrose diet. 3. The mean values of the ratio were calculated to be between 0·001 and 0·015, which is about 100000 times lower than the values of the cytoplasmic [free NAD+]/[free NADH] ratio. 4. The differences in the redox state of the two nicotinamide–adenine dinucleotide couples can be explained on a simple physicochemical basis. The differences are the result of equilibria that are determined by the equilibrium constants of a number of highly active readily reversible dehydrogenases and transaminases and the concentrations of the substrates and products of these enzymes. 5. The decisive feature is the fact that the NAD and NADP couples share substrates. This sharing provides a link between the redox states of the two couples. 6. The application of the method of calculation to data published by Kraupp, Adler-Kastner, Niessner & Plank (1967), Goldberg, Passonneau & Lowry (1966) and Kauffman, Brown, Passonneau & Lowry (1968) shows that the redox states of the NAD and NADP couples in cardiac-muscle cytoplasm and in mouse-brain cytoplasm are of the same order as those in rat liver. 7. The determination of the equilibrium constant at 38°, pH7·0 and I 0·25 (required for the calculation of the [free NADP+]/[free NADPH] ratio), gave a value of 3·44×10−2m for the ‘malic’ enzyme (with CO2 rather than HCO3− as the reactant) and a value of 1·98×10−2m−1 for glutathione reductase.
Calcium ion-induced uptakes and transformations of substrates in liver mitochondria
Authors: Harris E J , Berent Celia
Published: August 2015

Substrate-depleted rat liver mitochondria will reaccumulate malate, succinate, oxoglutarate, β-hydroxybutyrate and glutamate if provided with an energy source and Ca2+ (or Ca2+ and Mn2+). The energy requirement for ion uptake by fresh mitochondria causes a transient oxidation of their NADH and presumably this leads to an increased oxaloacetate concentration. A consequence is the promotion of formation of citrate, which tends to remain in the particles, provided the pH is above 7. Analyses made of systems blocked with fluorocitrate show that citrate accumulates when Ca2+ is added with the following substrates; (a) pyruvate in the presence of ATP or malate, (b) palmitoyl-l(−)-carnitine in presence of malate and (c) oxoglutarate. Lowering the pH, even to 6·8, causes the citrate to emerge. This could be the basis of a cellular control mechanism. The generation of citrate in response to Ca2+ can explain the stoichiometry of one proton ejected per Ca2+ ion taken up. The new carboxyl group formed from acetyl-CoA when it condenses with oxaloacetate provides an internal anionic charge and a proton to emerge when Ca2+ enters.
Hydrolysis of penicillins and related compounds by the cell-bound penicillin acylase of Escherichia coli
Authors: Cole M.
Published: August 2015

1. A method is given for the preparation of penicillin acylase by using Escherichia coli N.C.I.B. 8743 and a strain selected for higher yield. The enzyme is associated with the bacterial cells and removes the side chains of penicillins to give 6-amino-penicillanic acid and a carboxylic acid. 2. The rates of penicillin deacylation indicated that p-hydroxybenzylpenicillin was the best substrate, followed in diminishing order by benzyl-, dl-α-hydroxybenzyl-, 2-furylmethyl-, 2-thienylmethyl-, d-α-aminobenzyl-, n-propoxymethyl- and isobutoxymethyl-penicillin. Phenylpenicillin and dl-α-carboxybenzylpenicillin were not substrates and phenoxymethyl-penicillin was very poor. 3. Amides and esters of the above penicillins were also substrates for the deacylation reaction, as were cephalosporins with a thienylmethyl side chain. 4. For the deacylation of 2-furylmethylpenicillin at 21° the optimum pH was 8·2. The optimum temperature was 60° at pH7. 5. By using selection A of N.C.I.B. 8743 and determining reaction velocities by assaying yields of 6-amino-penicillanic acid in a 10min. reaction at 50° and pH8·2, the Km for benzylpenicillin was found to be about 30mm and the Km for 2-furylmethylpenicillin, about 10mm. The Vmax. values were 0·6 and 0·24μmole/min./mg. of bacterial cells respectively.
Deacylation of acylamino compounds other than penicillins by the cell-bound penicillin acylase of Escherichia coli
Authors: Cole M.
Published: August 2015

1. The action of the penicillin acylase enzyme of Escherichia coli N.C.I.B. 8743 on non-penicillin substrates suggests that the enzyme is an amidohydrolase. 2. The rates of hydrolysis for a small group of penicillins closely parallel those for a corresponding series of N-acylglycines. 3. For a series of E. coli strains, ability to cause rapid hydrolysis of phenylacetylglycine is correlated with ability to hydrolyse benzylpenicillin. 4. Amides and N-acylglycines are hydrolysed to the corresponding acids. The phenylacetyl group is hydrolysed most readily. Benzamide and β-phenylpropionamide are not substrates. In a series of aliphatic acylglycines only valeryl- and hexanoyl-glycine are substrates. 5. Acylated l- but not d-α-amino acids are hydrolysed. d-α-Hydroxyphenylacetamide is a better substrate than the l compound.
Studies on flavonoid metabolism. Metabolism of (+)-[14C]catechin in the rat and guinea pig
Authors: Das N. P. , Griffiths L. A.
Published: August 2015

1. The fate of (+)-[U−14C]catechin and (+)-[ring A−14C]catechin has been studied in the guinea pig and rat. 2. (+)-[U−14C]Catechin was shown to give rise to labelled phenolic acids, labelled phenyl-γ-valerolactones and 14CO2. 3. (+)-[ring A−14C]-Catechin did not give rise to labelled phenolic acids, but labelled phenyl-γ-valerolactones were detected together with a higher proportion of 14CO2. 4. Administered [14C]δ-(3-hydroxyphenyl)-γ-valerolactone gave rise to labelled m-hydroxyphenylpropionic acid in the rat whereas administered [14C]m-hydroxyphenylpropionic acid gave rise to a compound yielding labelled m-hydroxybenzoic acid on hydrolysis. 5. The distribution of radioactivity in the urine and faeces of (+)-[14C]catechin-fed animals is described; a high proportion of residual radioactivity was found in urine that had been exhaustively extracted with diethyl ether.
Structural studies on colanic acid, the common exopolysaccharide found in the Enterobacteriaceae, by partial acid hydrolysis. Oligosaccharides from colanic acid
Authors: Sutherland I. W.
Published: August 2015

The exopolysaccharide slime colanic acid has been isolated from representative strains of Escherichia coli, Salmonella typhimurium and Aerobacter cloacae. Analysis showed that each polymer contained glucose, galactose, fucose and glucuronic acid, together with acetate and pyruvate. The molar proportions of these components were 1:1·8:1·9:1:1:1 approximately. On the basis of periodate oxidation of the natural and deacetylated polysaccharide, glucose is proposed as the site of the acetyl groups. The pyruvate is attached to galactose. Three neutral oligosaccharides and ten electrophoretically mobile oligosaccharides were isolated and partially characterized. Four of the fragments were esters of pyruvic acid. Most oligosaccharides were isolated from all three polysaccharide preparations. Three further oligosaccharides were isolated from carboxyl-reduced colanic acid and sodium borotritide was used to label the glucose derived from glucuronic acid in these fragments. One trisaccharide was obtained from periodate-oxidized polysaccharide. On the basis of these oligosaccharides a repeating hexasaccharide unit of the following structure is proposed: [Formula: see text] The significance of this structure in colanic acid biosynthesis is discussed.
The specificity of proteinases from Streptomyces griseus (pronase)
Authors: Trop Moshe , Birk Yehudith
Published: August 2015

Purification of pronase by ion-exchange chromatography gave four proteolytically active fractions. Fraction A2 contained an endopeptidase that attacks poly l-valine. Fraction B contained an endopeptidase, an aminopeptidase and carboxypeptidases. The activities against hippuryl-L-arginine and hippuryl-L-phenylalanine could be inhibited to a considerable extent by di-isopropyl phosphorofluoridate and by EDTA. Fraction C contained an endopeptidase resembling bovine trypsin. The pure enzyme was completely inactivated by di-isopropyl phosphorofluoridate and pancreatic trypsin inhibitor and to about 90% by other naturally occurring trypsin inhibitors. Fraction D contained an apparently homogeneous endopeptidase, inhibited by diisopropyl phosphorofluoridate, that adsorbed to and hydrolysed elastin. The activity of all these fractions was tested qualitatively against a wide range of small peptides and synthetic substrates.
Amino acid incorporation by ribosomes and polyribosomes from wheat chloroplasts
Authors: Hadziyev D. , Zalik Saul
Published: August 2015

Sucrose-gradient and analytical ultracentrifugation showed that chloroplast polyribosomes from 4-day-old seedlings had mono-, di-, tri-, tetra- and traces of penta-ribosomes, in contrast with those from 7-day-old seedlings in which only the mono-, di- and traces of tri-ribosomes were present. Without Mg2+ the polyribosomes dissociated into ribosomal subunits. The rate of l-[U-14C]phenylalanine incorporation was threefold greater for preparations from 4- than from 7-day-old seedlings. Incorporation by the latter was stimulated by polyuridylic acid. The rates of incorporation were similar whether the reaction mixture contained chloroplast or wheat-germ transfer RNA and amino acid synthetases purified on methylated albumin-on-kieselguhr and Sephadex G-75 columns respectively. The cofactor requirement was the same as for isolated intact chloroplasts. Osmotic rupture of chloroplasts with and without Triton X-100 revealed the presence of free and bound ribosomes. Free single ribosomes isolated by osmotic shrinkage or prepared by pancreatic ribonuclease digestion of chloroplast polyribosomes had negligible incorporation activity. This activity was increased by washing or by polyuridylic acid, but was still only a fraction of that given by polyribosomes. A comparison of incorporation activity of chloroplast polyribosomes with those from the surrounding cytoplasm showed the former to be 20 times more active.
Some biochemical effects of triamcinolone acetonide on rat liver and muscle
Authors: Peters R. F. , Richardson M. C. , Small Margaret , White A. M.
Published: August 2015

1. The powerful anti-inflammatory glucocorticoid triamcinolone acetonide, administered to rats at 20 and 2.5mg/kg, leads to a decrease in the incorporation in vivo of [3H]uridine and [32P]orthophosphate into hind-limb skeletal muscle. 2. At the higher dose, this decrease in the rate of incorporation of precursors into RNA precedes a decrease in the incorporating ability of muscle ribosomes, which commences about 4–5h after drug administration, but is unaccompanied by any changes in the concentration of tissue ATP or free amino acids. 3. The ribosomal dysfunction extends to polyribosomes, which can only be successfully isolated from the muscle of triamcinolone-treated animals after the addition of α-amylase to the tissue homogenate to remove glycogen. 4. The specific radioactivity of muscle protein labelled in vivo with 14C-labelled amino acids does not decrease progressively after triamcinolone administration. After 2h there is an apparent stimulation of incorporation which leads to an overall discrepancy between measurements of protein-synthetic activity made in vivo and in vitro. 5. There is a significant increase in muscle-glycogen concentration between 8 and 12h after the administration of triamcinolone acetonide (20mg/kg), although a significant decrease occurs after 4h. The fall in glycogen concentration may be due to a decrease in the rate of synthesis of protein essential for glucose uptake into the tissues. 6. As judged by (a) incorporation of 14C-labelled amino acids into protein, (b) [3H]uridine and [32P]-orthophosphate incorporation into RNA, (c) the rate of induction of tryptophan pyrrolase and (d) changes in the pool sizes of taurine and tryptophan, the responses in liver followed the same time-course as those in muscle after administration of the drug.
Degredation of insulin by a particulate fraction from adipose tissue
Authors: Sumner Kenneth , Doisy Richard J.
Published: August 2015

The destruction of 125I-labelled insulin by an enzyme system from rat adipose tissue was studied. The system was located in the particulate fraction. Activity was assayed by the amount of 125I-labelled degradation products rendered soluble in trichloroacetic acid. The system was heat-labile, with an alkaline pH optimum. The velocity of the reaction varied directly with the enzyme concentration. Paper chromatography of the degradation products showed six ninhydrin-sensitive areas with radioactivity coinciding with three of them. Albumin inhibited the system; ribonuclease did not. Although only 25% of the total 125I-label was detected by this assay, results with insulin-specific assays suggested that most (80–90%) of the hormone was inactivated. Possible interpretations of these results are discussed. The particulate fractions of other tissues were also studied.
A spectrophotometric study of the secondary structure of ribonucleic acid isolated from the smaller and larger ribosomal subparticles of rabbit reticulocytes
Authors: Cox R. A.
Published: August 2015

The spectrum of RNA from the smaller and larger subparticles of rabbit reticulocyte ribosomes was studied as a function of pH, ionic strength, urea concentration and temperature. It was inferred that both RNA species form short double-helical segments of not more than about 10 base-pairs in length. Not more than about 70% of the base residues may be located in double-helical segments. RNA from the larger subparticle is richer in guanine and cytosine residues and its secondary structure is the more stable. These conclusions are based on the use of double-helical RNA from virus-like particles and of unfractionated Escherichia coli tRNA as model systems.
Studies of the congenitally goitrous sheep. Iodoproteins of the goitre
Authors: Falconer Ian R. , Roitt I. M. , Seamark R. F. , Torrigiani G.
Published: August 2015

1. Congenitally goitrous thyroid tissue was obtained from South Australian Merino sheep. Ultrastructural studies of the secretory cells in this tissue showed active cells of normal appearance, containing apical protein droplets. 2. 125I-labelling in vivo of goitre tissue was used to investigate the iodoproteins, in which the major proportion of 125I appeared in the cell protein fraction soluble in 0.9% sodium chloride (average 62% in goitres from untreated sheep). 3. Ammonium sulphate fractionation showed two clear peaks of iodoprotein precipitation, one at 35–40% saturation and the other at 50–55% saturation. Both iodoprotein fractions contained iodotyrosines and iodothyronines, which were identified chromatographically after enzymic hydrolysis of the protein. 4. Polyacrylamide-gel electrophoresis at pH9.4, at either 7.5 or 5.0% acrylamide concentration, was used to characterize the iodoproteins. Two major fractions were observed, the fastest-migrating fraction coincident with serum albumin, and a slower-migrating, less-well-defined zone. This fraction migrated in 7.5% acrylamide gel, which excluded normal thyroglobulin. 5. Density-gradient (10–40% sucrose) centrifugation was used to determine the approximate sedimentation coefficients of the iodoproteins, which showed major components at s20,w 8–9S and s20,w<5S. 6. Immunoprecipitation with rabbit anti-(sheep thyroglobulin) failed to sediment 125I-labelled proteins from goitre extracts. 7. Ouchterlony-type double diffusion in agar plates demonstrated immunoprecipitation lines between rabbit anti-(sheep thyroglobulin) and both the concentrated goitre extract and its Sephadex G-200-excluded fraction, which were confluent with that obtained on reaction with purified normal thyroglobulin. 8. It was concluded that both major iodoprotein fractions were capable of supplying thyroid hormones to the animal, and that the fraction of s20,w<5S was iodinated serum albumin. As 125I-labelled thyroglobulin was not detected in goitre tissue from untreated or thyroxine-treated animals, it was possible that the genetic defect causing goitre resulted in an abnormal thyroglobulin, incapable of being iodinated but immunologically reactive.
The function of ubiquinone in Escherichia coli
Authors: Cox G. B. , Newton N. A. , Gibson F. , Snoswell A. M. , Hamilton J. A.
Published: August 2015

1. The function of ubiquinone in Escherichia coli was studied by using whole cells and membrane preparations of normal E. coli and of a mutant lacking ubiquinone. 2. The mutant lacking ubiquinone, strain AN59 (Ubi−), when grown under aerobic conditions, gave an anaerobic type of growth yield and produced large quantities of lactic acid, indicating that ubiquinone plays a vital role in electron transport. 3. NADH and lactate oxidase activities in membranes from strain AN59 (Ubi−) were greatly impaired and activity was restored by the addition of ubiquinone (Q-1). 4. Comparison of the percentage reduction of flavin, cytochrome b1 and cytochrome a2 in the aerobic steady state in membranes from the normal strain (AN62) and strain AN59 (Ubi−) and the effect of respiratory inhibitors on these percentages in membranes from strain AN62 suggest that ubiquinone functions at more than one site in the electron-transport chain. 5. Membranes from strain AN62, in the absence of substrate, showed an electron-spin-resonance signal attributed to ubisemiquinone. The amount of reduced ubiquinone (50%) found after rapid solvent extraction is consistent with the existence of ubiquinone in membranes as a stabilized ubisemiquinone. 6. The effects of piericidin A on membranes from strain AN62 suggest that this inhibitor acts at the ubiquinone sites: thus inhibition of electron transport is reversed by ubiquinone (Q-1); the aerobic steady-state oxidation–reduction levels of flavins and cytochrome b1 in the presence of the inhibitor are raised to values approximating those found in the membranes of strain AN59 (Ubi−); the inhibitor rapidly eliminates the electron-spin-resonance signal attributed to ubisemiquinone and allows slow oxidation of endogenous ubiquinol in the absence of substrate and prevents reduction of ubiquinone in the presence of substrate. It is concluded that piericidin A separates ubiquinone from the remainder of the electron-transport chain. 7. A scheme is proposed in which ubisemiquinone, complexed to an electron carrier, functions in at least two positions in the electron-transport sequence.
The amino acid sequences of the Fd fragments of two human γ 1 heavy chains
Authors: Press E. M. , Hogg N. M.
Published: August 2015

The amino acid sequences of the Fd fragments of two human pathological immunoglobulins of the immunoglobulin G1 class are reported. Comparison of the two sequences shows that the heavy-chain variable regions are similar in length to those of the light chains. The existence of heavy chain variable region subgroups is also deduced, from a comparison of these two sequences with those of another γ 1 chain, Eu, a μ chain, Ou, and the partial sequence of a fourth γ 1 chain, Ste. Carbohydrate has been found to be linked to an aspartic acid residue in the variable region of one of the γ 1 chains, Cor.
The effect of colchicine on the transport of axonal protein in the chicken
Authors: James K. A. C. , Bray J. J. , Morgan I. G. , Austin L.
Published: August 2015

1. Small doses (1–10μg) of colchicine injected into the ventral horn of the spinal cord of the chicken caused paralysis in the legs. 2. Colchicine had no effect on the incorporation of leucine into proteins of the spinal cord but markedly decreased the total amount of protein flowing into the axons of the sciatic nerve. 3. This axonal flow of protein proceeded at two rates: a high rate (300mm/day) and a low rate (2mm/day). Although both groups of proteins were affected, the slow transport of protein was more profoundly blocked by colchicine. 4. The results suggest that axonal flow is dependent on the neurotubular system in the axon.
The separation of multiple forms of housefly 1,1,1-trichloro-2,2-bis-(p-chlorophenyl)-ethane (DDT) dehydrochlorinase from glutathione S-aryltransferase by electrofocusing and electrophoresis
Authors: Goodchild B. , Smith J. N.
Published: August 2015

Electrophoresis in a sucrose gradient at pH values between 5 and 8 separated housefly DDT [1,1,1-trichloro-2,2-bis-(p-chlorophenyl)ethane] dehydrochlorinase into two major fractions. GSH S-aryltransferase under similar conditions migrated as a single peak of activity. Separation of housefly homogenates or partially purified enzyme preparations by electrofocusing in a natural pH gradient also showed the presence of multiple forms of DDT dehydrochlorinase.
Heterogeneity of rat liver mitochondrial fractions and the effect of tri-iodothyronine on their protein turnover
Authors: Katyare S. S. , Fatterpaker P. , Sreenivasan A.
Published: August 2015

1. Rat liver mitochondria were separated into heavy, light and fluffy fractions by differential centrifugation under standard conditions. 2. All mitochondrial fractions possessed soluble as well as membrane-bound enzymes typical of mitochondria. 3. The heavy fraction represented the stable mitochondrial structures and the fluffy particles appear to be loosely coupled. 4. The light mitochondrial fraction lacked the ability of coupled phosphorylation. 5. A study of mobility and isoelectric pH indicated a similarity in the basic membrane structure of all the mitochondrial fractions. 6. The turnover rates of proteins in the heavy and fluffy particles were almost identical; however, this rate was rapid for the light mitochondrial fraction. 7. On treatment with 3,3′,5-tri-iodo-l-thyronine, succinoxidase activity was maximally stimulated much earlier in the light mitochondrial fraction than in the heavy fraction. The activity of the fluffy particles, however, remained almost unaffected. 8. Malate dehydrogenase activity in all the mitochondrial fractions was stimulated only at 40h after tri-iodothyronine treatment. 9. The pattern of incorporation of dl-[1-14C]leucine in vivo in the tri-iodothyronine-treated animals indicated a rapid initial incorporation and high synthetic ability of the light mitochondrial fraction. 10. The turnover pattern of proteins of the mitochondrial fractions from animals receiving repeated doses of tri-iodothyronine was remarkably different from the normal pattern and suggested that preformed soluble protein units may be incorporated in the light mitochondrial fraction during maturation to form the stable heavy mitochondria. 11. The amount of light-mitochondrial proteins decreased by 40% on thyroidectomy and increased by 160% on treatment with tri-iodothyronine. 12. The possible significance of these results is discussed in relation to mitochondrial genesis.
Glucose metabolism in mouse pancreatic islets
Authors: Ashcroft S. J. H. , Hedeskov C. J. , Randle P. J.
Published: August 2015

1. Rates of glucose oxidation, lactate output and the intracellular concentration of glucose 6-phosphate were measured in mouse pancreatic islets incubated in vitro. 2. Glucose oxidation rate, measured as the formation of 14CO2 from [U-14C]glucose, was markedly dependent on extracellular glucose concentration. It was especially sensitive to glucose concentrations between 1 and 2mg/ml. Glucose oxidation was inhibited by mannoheptulose and glucosamine but not by phlorrhizin, 2-deoxyglucose or N-acetylglucosamine. Glucose oxidation was slightly stimulated by tolbutamide but was not significantly affected by adrenaline, diazoxide or absence of Ca2+ (all of which may inhibit glucose-stimulated insulin release), by arginine or glucagon (which may stimulate insulin release) or by cycloheximide (which may inhibit insulin synthesis). 3. Rates of lactate formation were dependent on the extracellular glucose concentration and were decreased by glucosamine though not by mannoheptulose; tolbutamide increased the rate of lactate output. 4. Islet glucose 6-phosphate concentration was also markedly dependent on extracellular glucose concentration and was diminished by mannoheptulose or glucosamine; tolbutamide and glucagon were without significant effect. Mannose increased islet fructose 6-phosphate concentration but had little effect on islet glucose 6-phosphate concentration. Fructose increased islet glucose 6-phosphate concentration but to a much smaller extent than did glucose. 5. [1-14C]Mannose and [U-14C]fructose were also oxidized by islets but less rapidly than glucose. Conversion of [1-14C]mannose into [1-14C]glucose 6-phosphate or [1-14C]glucose could not be detected. It is concluded that metabolism of mannose is associated with poor equilibration between fructose 6-phosphate and glucose 6-phosphate. 6. These results are consistent with the idea that glucose utilization in mouse islets may be limited by the rate of glucose phosphorylation, that mannoheptulose and glucosamine may inhibit glucose phosphorylation and that effects of glucose on insulin release may be mediated through metabolism of the sugar.
Oxygenation of methane by methane-grown Pseudomonas methanica and Methanomonas methanooxidans
Authors: Higgins I. J. , Quayle J. R.
Published: August 2015

1. Experimental conditions have been found in which small amounts of methanol (approximately 2.5mm) accumulated when washed cell suspensions of methane-grown Pseudomonas methanica and Methanomonas methanooxidans were incubated with methane+oxygen mixtures in Warburg flasks. 2. The methanol formed could be separated completely from water by fractional distillation through glass helices followed by gas chromatography using 20% polyethylene glycol 400 on a Celite 545 support. 3. By using 18O-enriched oxygen gas the abundance of 18O in the methanol formed from oxidation of methane was measured with a Perkin–Elmer 270 combined gas chromatograph/mass spectrometer. The results showed that the oxygen in methanol was derived exclusively from gaseous oxygen in both micro-organisms. 4. Control experiments using [18O]water in incubation mixtures confirmed that there was negligible incorporation of the oxygen atom from water into methanol.
Thermodynamic studies of the assembly in vitro of native collagen fibrils
Authors: Cooper Alan
Published: August 2015

Measurements of the solubility of calf-skin tropocollagen in neutral phosphate buffers in the temperature range 20–37°C show that native collagen fibril formation is an endothermic process made thermodynamically favourable by a large positive entropy of precipitation associated with structural changes in the surrounding solvent. The effect of inorganic ions and small solute molecules on precipitation seems to be correlated with their structural effects on liquid water. Heterogeneity in the precipitation properties of the collagen solutions may be related to changes in the configurational entropy of the macromolecules due to intramolecular cross-linking.
Interactions between metabolic intermediates and β-galactosidase from Escherichia coli
Authors: Moses V. , Sharp Pamela B.
Published: August 2015

1. 5-Phosphorylribose 1-pyrophosphate, in the presence of β-mercaptoethanol, protected β-galactosidase from heat inactivation. Many other substances, including 3′:5′-cyclic-AMP, were without effect. 2. The efficiency of complementation in vitro of β-galactosidase segments was decreased by 5-phosphorylribose 1-pyrophosphate but not by 3′:5′-cyclic-AMP. Neither substance affected the activity of the complete enzyme. 3. Some indications as to the possible identity of the catabolite repression effector are presented.
The structure of bacilysin and other products of Bacillus subtillis
Authors: Walker J. E. , Abraham E. P.
Published: August 2015

1. Mass spectra of the trimethylsilyl derivative and the methyl ester of the N-trifluoroacetyl derivative of bacilysin indicated that the antibiotic had a molecular weight of 270. Several peaks in the spectrum of the methyl ester were consistent with the presence of an N-terminal alanine residue in the molecule. 2. The proton-magnetic-resonance spectrum of bacilysin confirmed that the antibiotic contained an epoxide group and the spin–spin splitting of the protons of the epoxide group indicated that the side chain of the epoxycyclohexanone ring was attached at C-4 and was αβ to the keto group. 3. The formation of an αβ-unsaturated ketone on reduction of bacilysin with chromous chloride also showed that the epoxide was αβ to the keto group. 4. The optical-rotatory-dispersion curve of bacilysin showed a positive Cotton effect. On the assumption that the reversed Octant rule for αβ-epoxyketones was applicable this revealed the absolute stereochemistry and enabled a definitive structure to be assigned to the molecule. 5. Similar measurements showed that substance AA1, isolated from culture supernatants, was the C-terminal amino acid of bacilysin. 6. Hydrolysis of substance P2 with leucine aminopeptidase and the mass spectrum of the methyl ester of its N-trifluoroacetyl derivative showed that this substance was l-analyl-l-alanine. 7. These results are discussed in relation to the biogenesis of bacilysin.
Isolation and properties of chondroitin sulphates from bovine heart valves
Authors: Lowther D. A. , Preston B. N. , Meyer F. A.
Published: August 2015

1. Several protein–polysaccharides were isolated from the soluble extracts of bovine heart valves by sedimentation equilibrium in a caesium chloride density gradient (Meyer, Preston & Lowther, 1969). 2. Compositional and structural studies indicated that the polysaccharide moiety was chondroitin sulphate. Differences in the protein content of the products were observed. There was no evidence suggesting the presence of keratan sulphate. 3. Sedimentation studies indicated that the molecular weights of the samples were between 4.2×104 and 6.5×104. The results are discussed in terms of a basic model for the protein–polysaccharides of two polysaccharide chains linked by a protein of variable size.
The proteolytic action of Arvin on human fibrinogen
Authors: Ewart M. R. , Hatton M. W. C. , Basford J. M. , Dodgson K. S.
Published: August 2015

1. Human fibrinogen was subjected to proteolysis by enzyme preparations (clinical Arvin and IRC-50 Arvin) from the venom of Agkistrodon rhodostoma. 2. IRC-50 Arvin releases three peptides from fibrinogen, and these were identified as fibrinopeptides AP, AY and A. 3. The less purified `clinical' Arvin releases, in addition to fibrinopeptides AP, AY and A, small amounts of two heptapeptides derived from fibrinopeptides AP and A, probably because it contains another enzyme as well as Arvin. 4. No fibrinopeptide B is released by either Arvin preparation. 5. Thus, although Arvin is known to differ from `reptilase' from Bothrops jararaca in that it does not activate the enzyme that cross-links fibrin (fibrin-stabilizing factor), it is identical with reptilase with respect to the peptides that it liberates from fibrinogen.
Structural requirements for active intestinal transport. The nature of the carrier–sugar bonding at C-2 and the ring oxygen of the sugar
Authors: Barnett J. E. G. , Ralph A. , Munday K. A.
Published: August 2015

Several weakly transported sugars were tested for transport by the Na+-dependent sugar carrier with slices of everted hamster intestinal tissue. Sugars were assumed to be transported by this carrier if the accumulation was diminished in the absence of Na+ and in the presence of the competitive inhibitor 1,5-anhydro-d-glucitol. The extent of accumulation was correlated with the number of hydroxyl groups in the d-gluco configuration if the ring oxygen was placed in the normal d-glucose position. 5-Thio-d-glucose, with a sulphur atom in the ring, was transported at about the same rate as d-glucose and had a similar Ki for d-galactose transport, but myoinositol was poorly accumulated. It is suggested that there is no hydrogen bonding at the ring oxygen atom, but that the oxygen atom is found at this position as a result of steric constraints. No sugar without a hydroxyl group in the d-gluco position at C-2 of the sugar, including d-mannose, 2-deoxy-d-glucose, 2-chloro-2-deoxy-d-glucose and 2-deoxy-2-fluoro-d-glucose, was transported by the Na+-dependent carrier, but these sugars and l-fucose weakly and competitively inhibit the Na+-dependent accumulation of l-glucose into slices of everted hamster intestinal tissue. It is concluded that the bond between the carrier and C-2 of the sugar may be covalent, and a possible mechanism for active intestinal transport is proposed.
Human serum protein fractionation by gel filtration
Authors: Freeman T. , Smith J.
Published: August 2015

The development of a quantitative immunological technique using polyvalent antiserum permits a more logical approach to the fractionation of complex protein mixtures. In this study whole serum was separated by conventional gel filtration and the fractions obtained were analysed. This demonstrates over 60 immunologically distinct serum proteins. Because the current terminology is inadequate to describe this number of proteins, a temporary numerical nomenclature has been used.
The Meyerhof quotient and the synthesis of glycogen from lactate in frog and rabbit muscle. A reinvestigation
Authors: Bendall J. R. , Taylor A. A.
Published: August 2015

1. The conversion of lactate into glycogen was demonstrated in frog sartorius muscle in oxygen. The rates and amounts are highest when lactate is added to the bathing medium and are dependent on lactate and CO2 concentration, as well as pH. The glycogen content of a resting muscle can be doubled in 4h at 24°C. 2. Sartorius muscle, recovering aerobically in liquid paraffin from a period of anoxia, converts preformed lactate into glycogen at a lower rate and in smaller amounts than when lactate is added in an aqueous medium. The lower rates are similar to those Meyerhof found under the same conditions, after correction for temperature; they can be attributed partly to low muscle pH and partly to the limited amounts of lactate present. 3. Rabbit psoas muscle also shows the ability to convert added lactate into glycogen under aerobic conditions. The rates are low and similar to those in frog sartorius muscle recovering from anoxia. 4. The present experiments yield a Meyerhof quotient of 6.2, compared with Meyerhof's value of 4–5. However, these values are not significantly different from one another. 5. It is suggested that the glycogen coefficient, i.e. mol of glycogen formed/mol of lactate disappearing, is a more reliable way of assessing the resynthetic mechanism than the original quotient, i.e. mol of lactate disappearing/mol of lactate oxidized. The found coefficient is 0.419±0.024.
Enzymic degradation of keratosulphates
Authors: Nishida-Fukuda Michiko , Egami Fujio
Published: August 2015

1. A multienzyme system capable of degrading keratosulphates to yield galactose, N-acetylglucosamine and sulphate was found in the liver extract of a marine gastropod, Charonia lampas. 2. During the degradation, neither oligosaccharides nor sulphated sugars were produced. 3. It is suggested that the degradation could be attributed to the concerted action of β-galactosidase, β-N-acetylglucosaminidase and a sulphatase (sulphohydrolase), tentatively designated keratosulphatase. 4. Two forms of keratosulphatase (I and II) were separated by DEAE-Sephadex column chromatography. Both forms could release all the sulphate from keratosulphates and neither appeared to be identical with glycosulphatase or chondrosulphatase, both of which are also present in Charonia lampas. 5. β-Galactosidase and β-N-acetylglucosaminidase could degrade keratopolysulphate to a greater extent in the presence of keratosulphatase than in its absence. 6. It is suggested that keratosulphate was first desulphated by the action of keratosulphatase, and the desulphated polymer was then degraded to galactose and N-acetylglucosamine by the action of β-galactosidase and β-N-acetylglucosaminidase. 7. β-Galactosidase alone released a small amount of galactose from shark cartilage keratopolysulphate, but β-N-acetylglucosaminidase alone did not release N-acetylglucosamine. This indicates that unsulphated galactose residues occupy all the non-reducing terminal positions in keratopolysulphate chains.
Growth of myxamoebae of the cellular slime mould Dictyostelium discoideum in axenic culture
Authors: Watts D. J. , Ashworth J. M.
Published: August 2015

1. A simple axenic medium suitable for the growth of the myxamoebae of a strain of the cellular slime mould Dictyostelium discoideum is described. 2. Procedures suitable for the growth of this strain in liquid and on solid media are described. 3. Conditions suitable for initiating the cell differentiation of myxamoebae grown axenically are described.
Properties and regulation of leaf nicotinamide–adenine dinucleotide phosphate–malate dehydrogenase and ‘malic’ enzyme in plants with the C4-dicarboxylic acid pathway of photosynthesis
Authors: Johnson Hilary S. , Hatch M. D.
Published: August 2015

1. NADP–malate dehydrogenase and `malic' enzyme in maize leaf extracts were separated from NAD–malate dehydrogenase and their properties were examined. 2. The NADP–malate dehydrogenase was nicotinamide nucleotide-specific but otherwise catalysed a reaction comparable with that with the NAD-specific enzyme. By contrast with the latter enzyme, a thiol was absolutely essential for maintaining the activity of the NADP–malate dehydrogenase, and the initial velocity in the direction of malate formation, relative to the reverse direction, was faster. 3. For the `malic' enzyme reaction the Km for malate was dependent on pH and the pH optimum varied with the malate concentration. At their respective optimum concentrations the maximum velocity for this enzyme was higher with Mg2+ than with Mn2+. 4. The NADP–malate dehydrogenase in green leaves was rapidly inactivated in the dark and was reactivated when plants were illuminated. Reactivation of the enzyme extracted from darkened leaves was achieved simply by adding a thiol compound. 5. The activity of both enzymes was low in etiolated leaves of maize plants grown in the dark but increased 10–20-fold, together with chlorophyll, when leaves were illuminated. 6. The activity of these enzymes in different species with the C4-dicarboxylic acid pathway was compared and their possible role in photosynthesis was considered.
Antigenicity of proteinases from Streptomyces griseus (pronase)
Authors: Trop M. , Avtalion R. R. , Malik Z. , Pinsky A.
Published: August 2015

The five pronase fractions, A1, A2, B, C (trypsin-like), and D (elastolytic), obtained by ion-exchange chromatography, were found to be antigenically distinct. Antibodies to pronase inhibited the enzymic activity of each of the enzyme fractions. Pronase trypsin and bovine trypsin, although resembling each other in enzymic activity and in amino acid sequence around their active sites, did not cross-react antigenically with, nor was their enzymic activity inhibited by, the respective homologous antibodies. Inactivation of pronase trypsin by complexing with soya-bean inhibitor AA, was not associated with a decrease in capacity to precipitate with its antibody. It is assumed that the antigenic sites are located far enough from the catalytic site of the enzyme to allow it to precipitate immunologically even when the catalytic site was blocked.