bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
Amino acid sequence of a peptide containing the active cysteine residue of histidine ammonia-lyase
Authors: Hassall Harold , Soutar Anne K.
Published: August 2015

1. Oxidized (polymerized) histidine ammonia-lyase from Pseudomonas testosteroni was activated with dithiothreitol and the reduced disulphide-linked cysteine residues of the native enzyme were carboxymethylated with iodo[14C]acetate. 2. The activity of the carboxymethylated enzyme was similar to that of the polymerized form and approx. 15% of that of the fully reduced form. 3. A tryptic digest of the [14C]carboxymethylated enzyme contained only one radioactive peptide. 4. The amino acid sequence of this peptide was shown to be Gly-Leu-Leu-Asp-Gly-Ser-Ala-Ile-Asn-Pro-Ser-His-Pro-Asn-Cys- (CH2CO2H)-Gly-Arg. 5. These findings show that, during polymerization, the disulphide bonds are formed between identical regions of the enzyme, and that the cysteine residue involved is also the one required in the reduced state for full activity of the enzyme.
Experimental diabetic ketoacidosis. Sequential changes of metabolic intermediates in blood, liver, cerebrospinal fluid and brain after acute insulin deprivation in the streptozotocin-diabetic rat
Authors: Blackshear P. J. , Alberti K. G. M. M.
Published: August 2015

Male rats rendered diabetic by the intravenous injection of streptozotocin (150mg/kg) were treated with a long-acting insulin for 1 week, then allowed to develop ketoacidosis. By using sampling techniques designed to avoid the use of anaesthesia and extended anoxic periods, sequential measurements of metabolic intermediates were made in blood, liver, cerebrospinal fluid and brain at 24h intervals after the last insulin injection. Measurements in blood and liver suggested a rapid increase in hepatic glycogenolysis and gluconeogenesis and peripheral-depot lipolysis between 24 and 48h after the last insulin injection, whereas blood and liver ketone-body and triglyceride concentrations rose more slowly. The changing metabolic patterns occurring with increasing time of insulin deprivation stress the importance of sequential compared with static measurements in experimental diabetes. Data are presented for brain metabolic intermediates in diabetic ketoacidosis, and support recent evidence that glucose plays a less important role in brain oxidative metabolism in ketotic states.
Citrulline synthesis in rat tissues and liver content of carbamoyl phosphate and ornithine
Authors: Raijman Luisa
Published: August 2015

Rat liver ornithine carbamoyltransferase appears to be located exclusively in the mitochondria; the activity that is found in the soluble fraction is indistinguishable from mitochondrial ornithine carbamoyltransferase by simple kinetic criteria, and seems to result from breakage of mitochondria during homogenization. Of several rat tissues studied, only the liver and the mucosa of small intestine contain significant amounts of ornithine carbamoyltransferase; the activity in intestinal mucosa is less than one thousandth of that in liver. Qualitatively, this distribution coincides with that of carbamoyl phosphate synthetase I and its cofactor, acetylglutamate. The rat liver contents of carbamoyl phosphate and ornithine were 0.1 and 0.15μmol/g wet wt. of tissue respectively. On the basis of these values, it is proposed that in vivo the ornithine carbamoyltransferase activity of liver may be much lower than its maximal activity in vitro might suggest.
Synthesis of radioactive dolichol from [4S-3H]-mevalonate in the regenerating rat liver
Authors: Martin H. G. , Thorne Kareen J. I.
Published: August 2015

The dolichol of rat liver was labelled by injecting [4S-3H]mevalonate, the precursor of cis-isoprene residues, into partially hepatectomized animals. The optimum conditions for labelling the dolichol were to inject the animals with radioactive mevalonate 48h after hepatectomy and to kill them 12h later. The concentration of radioactive dolichol was five times as great in regenerating rat liver as in normal liver. The highest concentration of radioactive dolichol was found in the crude mitochondrial and nuclear-debris fractions of the cell. The crude microsomal fractions also contained radioactive dolichol, but at a lower concentration.
Rabbit β-glucuronidase. Subcellular distribution and immunochemical properties
Authors: Dean Roger T.
Published: August 2015

1. The subcellular distribution of β-glucuronidase and other hydrolases in rabbit liver was investigated. β-Glucuronidase was found in both microsomal and lysosomal fractions. 2. Multiple forms of β-glucuronidase were present in extracts of microsomal and lysosomal fractions. All forms were common to both fractions. 3. A specific antiserum against β-glucuronidase was raised, and characterized by immunoprecipitation and affinity-chromatography procedures. 4. The immunological identity of the multiple forms in the pure β-glucuronidase preparation, and the immunological identity of the β-glucuronidase complement of lysosomal extracts with that of microsomal extracts, were demonstrated by means of the antiserum. The presence of inactive enzyme in various enzyme preparations was shown.
Biochemical effects of diquat and paraquat. Disturbance of the control of corticosteroid synthesis in rat adrenal and subsequent effects on the control of liver glycogen utilization
Authors: Rose Michael S. , Crabtree Helen C. , Fletcher Kenneth , Wyatt Ian
Published: August 2015

1. Administration of diquat (NN′-ethylene-2,2′-bipyridilium) or paraquat (NN′-dimethyl-4,4′-bipyridilium) prevents the normal depletion of liver glycogen in starved rats. 2. There is an increase in blood glucose, which returns to normal values after approx. 7h. 3. After administration of diquat or paraquat, plasma corticosteroids increase to very high concentrations and remain high for at least 24h, but plasma ACTH (adrenocorticotrophin) is only increased for 4h. 4. Adrenal cyclic AMP is considerably increased after administration of diquat and remains significantly higher than control values for at least 24h. 5. It is suggested that diquat and paraquat increase the response of the adrenal cortex to ACTH.
Mössbauer effect in the eight-iron ferredoxin from Clostridium pasteurianum. Evidence for the state of the iron atoms
Authors: Thompson C. L. , Johnson C. E. , Dickson D. P. E. , Cammack R. , Hall D. O. , Weser U. , Rao K. K.
Published: August 2015

1. Mössbauer spectra of both redox states of the eight-iron ferredoxin from Clostridium pasteurianum were observed over a range of temperatures and in magnetic fields. 2. At high temperatures (77°K and above) the spectra of both states consist essentially of the superposition of two or more closely similar doublets. 3. The average chemical shift for the oxidized protein leads to the proposal that each of the two four-iron active centres consists formally of two Fe3+ and two Fe2+ atoms. 4. The average chemical shift and quadrupole splitting increase on reduction, consistent with there being one Fe3+ and three Fe2+ atoms per centre in the reduced molecule. 5. The spectral changes on reduction show that all the iron atoms are affected when one electron is added to each four-iron centre. 6. No separate Fe3+ and Fe2+ spectra were observed (as they were, for instance, in the reduced two-iron plant ferredoxins) suggesting that the d electrons are not localized on particular atoms, but are shared approximately equally by all four atoms in the four-iron centres. 7. At low temperatures (4°K and below) no magnetic hyperfine interaction was observed in the oxidized protein even in an applied magnetic field, confirming the non-magnetic nature of the molecule in the oxidized state, and suggesting that the four iron atoms in each centre are antiferromagnetically coupled together to give zero spin. 8. Magnetic hyperfine interaction was observed in the reduced protein at low temperatures, and showed that all the iron atoms were magnetic. This demonstrates that one electron goes to each centre on reduction. 9. On application of a large magnetic field to the reduced protein at low temperatures, both positive and negative hyperfine fields were shown to be present, thus directly showing that antiferromagnetic coupling exists between the iron atoms in the reduced state.
Mössbauer effect in the high-potential iron–sulphur protein from Chromatium. Evidence for the state of the iron atoms
Authors: Dickson D. P. E. , Johnson C. E. , Cammack R. , Evans M. C. W. , Hall D. O. , Rao K. K.
Published: August 2015

1. The previous Mössbauer work on Chromatium high-potential iron–sulphur protein by Moss et al. (1968) and Evans et al. (1970) was extended to high applied magnetic fields. 2. Measurements of the reduced protein confirm that it is non-magnetic. 3. Spectra of the oxidized protein in applied magnetic fields clearly indicate that some iron atoms have a positive hyperfine field, which is evidence for antiferromagnetic coupling. 4. The spectra can be interpreted in terms of two types of iron atom with positive and negative hyperfine fields of 9 and 12T respectively. 5. A consideration of the chemical shifts and other evidence suggests formal valences of two Fe3+ and two Fe2+ atoms in the non-magnetic reduced state, and three Fe3+ atoms and one Fe2+ atom in the oxidized state. 6. However, no separate Fe3+ and Fe2+ spectra are seen, suggesting that the d electrons are not localized on particular iron atoms.
The reaction of Pseudomonas aeruginosa cytochrome c oxidase with sodium metabisulphite (Short Communication)
Authors: Parr Stephen R. , Wilson Michael T. , Greenwood Colin
Published: August 2015

Spectrophotometric evidence is presented for the formation of a complex between metabisulphite and reduced Pseudomonas aeruginosa cytochrome c oxidase. The effects of metabisulphite on the recombination of CO with the reduced enzyme are discussed in terms of alternate binding sites for S2O52− and CO.
Kinetic and molecular properties of citraconyl-aldolase. The reversible denaturation and hybridization of the native and modified enzymes
Authors: Gibbons Ian , Perham Richard N.
Published: August 2015

1. The preparation of enzymically active N-citraconyl derivatives of fructose diphosphate aldolase from rabbit muscle is described. Reaction is restricted to amino groups and the derivatives are not very heterogeneous with respect to the number of substituents. 2. Linear double-reciprocal plots of enzyme velocity against substrate concentration are found up to about 15% blocking of amino groups. With more than 15% blocking, there is a marked downward curvature in the double-reciprocal plots at high substrate concentrations. 3. Over the range 0–25% blocking of amino groups the apparent Vmax. for fructose diphosphate falls to 10% that of the native enzyme, and the apparent Km rises from 1 to 400μm. 4. Various pieces of evidence suggest that citraconyl-aldolase is slightly distorted in structure compared with the native enzyme. However, the kinetic properties and tetrameric structure of citraconyl-aldolase can be completely recovered after denaturation in 4m-guanidine hydrochloride. 5. After removal of the citraconyl groups in acid conditions the kinetic and molecular properties of native enzyme are restored. 6. Hybrid forms of aldolase can be constructed containing native and citraconylated subunits and the suitability of these derivatives for the study of subunit interactions in the enzyme is discussed. 7. The kinetic properties of hybridized aldolase containing native and citraconylated subunits are not exactly those predicted from the kinetic properties of the two parental forms. This result is interpreted in terms of conformational changes induced in the native and modified subunits when both are present in a hybrid molecule, evidently as a result of interactions in the tetramer.
A kinetic evaluation of monoamine oxidase activity in rat liver mitochondrial outer membranes
Authors: Houslay Miles D. , Tipton Keith F.
Published: August 2015

1. A preparation of mitochondrial outer membranes from rat liver can be shown to contain two kinetically distinct monoamine oxidase activities. These activities are distinguishable by their different sensitivities to the irreversible inhibitor clorgyline, and by the effect of the reversible inhibitors benzyl cyanide and 4-cyanophenol. 2. The substrate specificities of the preparation and the two enzyme species have been elucidated.
Molecular-weight estimates of milk-fat-globule-membrane protein–sodium dodecyl sulphate complexes by electrophoresis in gradient acrylamide gels
Authors: Anderson M. , Cawston T. , Cheeseman G. C.
Published: August 2015

The molecular weights of milk-fat-globule-membrane proteins solubilized in sodium dodecyl sulphate were estimated by gradient gel electrophoresis. Standard curves were calibrated from both protein and glycoprotein markers of known molecular weight. Six major proteins were observed with Coomassie Blue staining and six with periodic acid–Schiff staining. The behaviour of the membrane proteins and the marker proteins was compared on several different single strength sodium dodecyl sulphate–polyacrylamide gels between 3 and 12% (w/v). The results were used to calculate the free electrophoretic mobility and retardation coefficient of each protein. Glycoprotein markers had a significantly lower mean free electrophoretic-mobility value than the protein markers. Three of the milk-fat-globule-membrane glycoproteins were shown to be independent of any of the Coomassie Blue-stained bands. On the basis of a comparison of the free electrophoretic-mobility and retardation- coefficient values of markers and unknown proteins the most appropriate standard curve for molecular-weight estimation was chosen.
The use of deoxyfluoro-d-galactopyranoses in a study of yeast galactokinase specificity
Authors: Thomas Peter , Bessell Eric M. , Westwood John H.
Published: August 2015

1. 2-Deoxy-2-fluoro-d-galactose, 3-deoxy-3-fluoro-d-galactose, 4-deoxy-4-fluoro-d-galactose, 6-deoxy-6-fluoro-d-galactose and 2-deoxy-d-lyxo-hexose are substrates for yeast galactokinase. 2. The variation in Km values for the d-hexose derivatives was not associated with a variation in the value of Km for MgATP2- indicating that the binding of MgATP2- is not modified by the binding of the sugar substrate. 3. Donated H bonds from OH-3, OH-4 and OH-6 and an accepted H bond to OH-2 of the d-hexose are important for the binding of the sugar substrate to galactokinase. 4. Yeast galactokinase exhibits similar kinetics to the galactokinase from Escherichia coli and operates by a similar random sequential mechanism. 5. 4-Deoxy-4-fluoro-d-glucose was neither a substrate for nor an inhibitor of yeast galactokinase.
Statistical considerations in the estimation of enzyme kinetic parameters by the direct linear plot and other methods
Authors: Cornish-Bowden Athel , Eisenthal Robert
Published: August 2015

The statistical implications of the direct linear plot for enzyme kinetic data, described in the preceding paper (Eisenthal & Cornish-Bowden, 1974), are discussed for the case of the Michaelis–Menten equation. The plot is shown to lead directly to non-parametric confidence limits for the kinetic parameters, V and Km, which depend on far less sweeping assumptions about the nature of experimental error than those implicit in the method of least squares. Median estimates of V and Km can also be defined, which are shown to be more robust than the least-squares estimates in a wide variety of experimental situations.
Adenosine triphosphate. A constituent of cholinergic synaptic vesicles
Authors: Dowdall M. J. , Boyne A. F. , Whittaker V. P.
Published: August 2015

1. Synaptic vesicles separated by density-gradient centrifugation from extracts of the cholinergic nerve terminals of the electric organ of Torpedo marmorata were found to contain appreciable amounts of ATP as well as acetylcholine. 2. Vesicular ATP was stable in the presence of concentrations of apyrase and myokinase that rapidly destroyed equivalent amounts of endogenous or added free ATP; pre-treatment of cytoplasmic extracts of electric tissue with these enzymes destroyed endogenous free ATP, but did not affect the vesicular ATP. 3. When [U-14C]ATP was added to electric tissue at the time of comminution and extraction of the vesicles, all the radioactivity was associated with soluble components in the subsequent fractionation: none was associated with vesicles or membrane fragments; thus it is unlikely that vesicular ATP can be accounted for by the sequestration of endogenous free ATP within any vesicles formed during comminution and extraction of the tissue. 4. When synaptic vesicles were passed through iso-osmotic columns of Bio-Gel A-5m, which separates vesicles from soluble proteins and small molecules, all the recovered ATP and acetylcholine passed through together in the void volume. 5. Regression analysis showed that vesicular ATP content was highly correlated with vesicular acetylcholine content in different experiments, the molar ratio acetylcholine/ATP being 5.32±(s.e.m.) 0.45 (21 expts.) for the peak density-gradient fraction. The ratio varied, however, somewhat across the density-gradient peak suggesting some degree of chemical heterogeneity in the vesicle population.
Appendix: Radioautographic localization of labelled proteins after incubation of guinea-pig islets of Langerhans with [3H]tryptophan
Authors: Howell S. L. , Hellerström C. , Whitfield M.
Published: August 2015

An analysis was made by electron-microscopic radioautography of the distribution of silver grains over storage granules of A2 and B cells after incubation of isolated guinea-pig islets of Langerhans for 17h in the presence of [3H]tryptophan. A significant concentration of labelled proteins was present in the A2 cell, but not in the B-cell granules.
Surface proteins of thymus-derived lymphocytes and bone-marrow-derived lymphocytes. Selective isolation of immunoglobulin and the θ-antigen by non-ionic detergents
Authors: Cone Robert E. , Marchalonis John J.
Published: August 2015

Accessible surface proteins of thymus-derived lymphocytes (T-cells) of normal CBA mice and bone-marrow-derived lymphocytes (B-cells) of congenitally athymic nu/nu mice were analysed. The surfaces of lymphocytes were radioiodinated by using the enzyme lactoperoxidase (EC 1.11.1.7), then solubilized either in acid–urea or in the non-ionic detergent Nonidet P-40. These lysates were then precipitated with antisera specific to either immunoglobulin or the θ-alloantigen in order to assess the presence of these surface markers. Comparable amounts of radioactivity in proteins specifically precipitable as immunoglobulin were obtained from T-lymphocytes and B-lymphocytes when the cells were disrupted by acid–urea. This immunoglobulin had mol. wt. approx. 180000 and was composed of light chains and μ-type heavy chains. When radioiodinated lymphocytes were solubilized with Nonidet P-40, 3–4% of radioiodinated high-molecular-weight protein of B-cells consisted of immunoglobulin, a result similar to that found with acid–urea extraction. However, with the detergent extraction, only 0.1% of T-cell surface protein was precipitable by anti-globulin reagents. The θ-alloantigen was isolated from CBA T-cells both by acid–urea and by detergent lysis. This protein possessed a mobility on polyacrylamide-gel electrophoresis in sodium dodecyl sulphate which was consistent with a mol. wt. of 60000. An identical component was isolated from the θ-positive thymoma WEHI 105. The θ-antigen was not isolated from B-cells by either of the extraction procedures used. These results provide further evidence that the surface membranes of normal T-cells and B-cells differ in physicochemical properties. In particular, various surface components possess differential solubilities in non-ionic or organic solvents. This observation provides an explanation for discrepant results that have appeared in the literature concerning the isolation of immunoglobulin from T-lymphocytes.
The concentration and control of cytoplasmic free inorganic pyrophosphate in rat liver in vivo
Authors: Guynn Robert W. , Veloso Dulce , Lawson J. W. Randolph , Veech Richard L.
Published: August 2015

The concentration of cytoplasmic free pyrophosphate was calculated in freeze-clamped livers of rats from the measured concentration of reactants and Keq. of the UDP-glucose pyrophosphorylase reaction (UDP–α-d-glucose 1-phosphate uridylyltransferase, EC 2.7.7.9). The Keq. of the UDP-glucose pyrophosphorylase reaction was redetermined at 38°C, pH7.0, I=0.25mol/l and free [Mg2+]=1mm, and was 4.55 in the direction of glucose 1-phosphate formation. The activity of UDP-glucose pyrophosphorylase in rat liver was between 46 and 58μmol of glucose 1-phosphate formed/min per g fresh wt. in the four dietary conditions studied. A fluorimetric assay with enzymic cycling was developed for the measurement of glucose 1-phosphate in HClO4 extracts of rat liver. The calculated free cytoplasmic PPi concentration in nmol/g fresh wt. of liver was 2.3±0.3 in starved, 3.8±0.4 in fed, 4.9±0.6 in meal-fed and 5.2±0.4 in sucrose-re-fed animals. These values agree well with recently determined direct measurements of total PPi in rat liver and suggest that there is not a large amount of bound or metabolically inert PPi in rat liver. The cytoplasmic [ATP]/[AMP][PPi] ratio is 103 times the cytoplasmic [ATP]/[ADP][Pi] ratio and varies differently with dietary state. The reaction PPi+H2O→2Pi catalysed by inorganic pyrophosphatase (EC 3.6.1.1) does not attain near-equilibrium in vivo. PPi should be considered as one of the group of small inorganic ions which is metabolically active and capable of exerting a controlling function in a number of important metabolic reactions.
Treatment of immature mice with gonadotrophins. Effects on some enzymic activities of unfractionated ovarian homogenates
Authors: Bramley Thomas A.
Published: August 2015

Treatment of immature mice with both follicle-stimulating hormone and human chorionic gonadotrophin in vivo resulted in large increases in the specific activities of ovarian alkaline phosphatase and alkaline nucleotidase. The specific activities of other ovarian enzymes studied were not altered by gonadotrophin treatment. A simultaneous change in the Michaelis constant of ovarian alkaline phosphatase accompanied the increase in specific activity. These changes commenced 6–8h after injection of human chorionic gonadotrophin plus follicle-stimulating hormone. Injection of human chorionic gonadotrophin induced the change in Michaelis constant and increased ovarian alkaline phosphatase activity. Treatment with follicle-stimulating hormone had no effect on ovarian alkaline phosphatase. However, follicle-stimulating hormone synergistically augmented the response to human chorionic gonadotrophin. A latent period of about 24h elapsed before this augmentation was expressed. Augmentation of ovarian alkaline phosphatase was directly related to the dose of follicle-stimulating hormone at a fixed dose of chorionic gonadotrophin. No response of ovarian alkaline phosphatase was observed after treatment of immature mice in vivo with oestrogens, progesterone, growth hormone or prolactin. Unlike chorionic gonadotrophin, sheep luteinizing hormone over a wide dose range induced no response within 24h. However, a response in ovarian alkaline phosphatase was observed when sheep luteinizing hormone was administered in combination with follicle-stimulating hormone. The specific activity and Km of ovarian alkaline phosphatase increased during normal maturation. The Michaelis constant ceased to increase as sexual maturity was reached. The changes in alkaline phosphatase activity were of a similar magnitude to those induced by gonadotrophin treatment. It is concluded that the changes induced acutely by treatment in vivo with unphysiological doses of gonadotrophins occur in the maturing mouse under the influence of endogenous, homologous gonadotrophins at physiological concentrations.
The utility of photo-affinity labels as ‘mapping’ reagents. A study of sub-populations of a specific rabbit antibody by using structurally related photo-affinity reagents
Authors: Smith Richard A. G. , Knowles Jeremy R.
Published: August 2015

A specific rabbit antibody against the 4-azido-2-nitrophenyl determinant was photo-labelled by the homologous hapten ε-(4-azido-2-nitrophenyl)-l-lysine, and by the close structural isomer ε-(5-azido-2-nitrophenyl)-l-lysine. The extents of covalent labelling of the antibody-binding site were assessed by using radioactive haptens and exhaustive displacement dialysis, which leaves the unlabelled sites empty but largely intact. A single photolysis of hapten–antibody complex suffices to label those sites that are capable of being labelled. Although there is considerable overlap among sub-populations of antibody that will bind the two haptens non-covalently, sites that can be covalently labelled by one reagent cannot be labelled by the other.
The partial purification and characterization of cytosol alcohol dehydrogenase from Astasia
Authors: Morosoli Rolf , Bégin-Heick Nicole
Published: August 2015

1. The cytosol alcohol dehydrogenase (alcohol–NAD oxidoreductase, EC 1.1.1.1) of Astasia longa was partially purified and characterized from cells grown in the presence of air+CO2 (95:5) or of O2+CO2 (95:5). 2. Under both these growth conditions, the cells contained a fraction, ADHII, which was characterized by its electrophoretic properties, by a high degree of resistance to heat inactivation, by a sharp pH optimum at 8.2 and by its kinetic properties. The estimated molecular weight of this fraction was approx. 150000, which is similar to that of yeast alcohol dehydrogenase. 3. Cells grown in air+CO2 (95:5) contain another fraction, ADHI, which can be further separated into two subfractions by polyacrylamide-gel electrophoresis and by DEAE-cellulose chromatography. This was termed fraction ‘ADHI-air’. 4. In addition to fraction ADHII, cells grown in the presence of O2 have a twofold increase in fraction ADHI-air activity as well as two new fractions that could not be demonstrated in air-grown cells. These new fractions which we have called fraction ‘ADHI-O2’, account for about 10% of the total activity. 5. The ADHI fractions (air) and (O2) have similar broad pH–activity curves and similar kinetic properties, both having a lower Km for ethanol and NAD than fraction ADHII. However, they differ from each other with respect to their activity with various substrates. The estimated molecular weight of these two ADHI fractions and their chromatographic behaviour on hydroxyapatite and on DEAE-cellulose also distinguish them.
The behaviour of heterogeneous nuclear ribonucleic acid in partially and completely denaturing conditions
Authors: Bramwell Michael E.
Published: August 2015

It is shown that the heterogeneous nuclear RNA (HnRNA) synthesized in the presence of actinomycin and at low and high temperatures sediments in low-ionic-strength sucrose gradients between the rRNA components, similar to the unmethylated RNA synthesized under ‘step-down’ conditions. If the ionic strength is increased then the HnRNA sediments more rapidly than 28S rRNA, with a large proportion about the 45S precursor rRNA position. Initially this was thought to be due to aggregation of the HnRNA; however, centrifugation and electrophoresis in completely denaturing conditions suggest that the molecular weight of this species of RNA is very large The experiments reveal that HnRNA is conformationally unstable relative to the nucleolar RNA and that the slower sedimentation rate of HnRNA in 5mm-EDTA–Tris base–sucrose gradients reflects the greater expansion of the HnRNA relative to the nucleolar RNA. The implications of this finding are discussed.
A kinetic and fluorimetric investigation of papain modified at tryptophan -69 and -177 by N–bromosuccinimide
Authors: Lowe Gordon , Whitworth Alan S.
Published: August 2015

A systematic study of the modification of papain (its thiol group protected as a disulphide with mercaptoethanol) by N-bromosuccinimide, showed that 2 molar equiv. modified tryptophan-69 and 4 molar equiv. modified tryptophan -69 and -177. The Michaelis parameters for the catalysed hydrolysis of N-benzyloxycarbonylglycine p-nitrophenyl ester by these modified enzymes were determined. The enzymic activity of the modified enzymes was not seriously impaired, but modification of tryptophan-177 raised the apparent pKa of the acidic limb of the pH profile by more than 1 pH unit for both kcat. and kcat./Km. The fluorescence spectra (excitation at 288nm) of the modified enzymes showed that tryptophan -69 contributed about 8% to the fluorescence intensity, whereas tryptophan-177 contributed about 46% at neutral pH. However, the contribution of tryptophan -177 was quenched at low pH and its fluorescence intensity showed sigmoidal pH-dependence, with an apparent pKa of 4.2. Histidine -159, which is in close contact with tryptophan -177, is considered to be the residue responsible for the fluorescence quenching. When tryptophan -177 was modified, presumably generating a less hydrophobic micro-environment, the apparent pKa determined kinetically was raised to about 5.4. By comparing the Michaelis parameters of native papain, papain modified at tryptophan-69 and papain modified at tryptophan-69 and -177 with N–benzyloxycarbonylglycylglycine amide and N–benzyloxycarbonylglycyltryptophan amide, tryptophan-69 and tryptophan -177 were shown to be structural features of the S2 and S1′ subsites respectively.
The structure and composition of cartilage keratan sulphate
Authors: Hopwood John J. , Robinson H. Clem
Published: August 2015

Keratan sulphate was isolated from bovine intervertebral disc and bovine nasal septum after hydrolysis with proteinases and treatment with dilute alkali. Each preparation was found to contain, per keratan sulphate chain: (a) 1 residue of mannose; (b) 3 residues of N-acetylneuraminic acid (2 residues after alkali treatment); (c) 1 residue of N-acetylgalactosamine (lost after alkali treatment); (d) 1 residue or less of fucose. N-Acetyl-neuraminic acid residues were at non-reducing termini and were bonded to keratan sulphate through galactose residues. Evidence is presented for two different types of linkage between skeletal keratan sulphate and protein. Consideration of molecular parameters and compositions leads to a proposed structure for keratan sulphate–protein as found in skeletal proteoglycans.
Kinetics of irreversible enzyme inhibition by an unstable inhibitor
Authors: Rakitzis Emmanuel T.
Published: August 2015

A mathematical treatment for the general case of enzyme inactivation by an inhibitor that breaks down in solution in a first-order reaction is presented. Cathepsin D was inactivated by fluorescein isothiocyanate with a Ki of 4.47μm. Kinetic constants were also determined for the inactivation of cathepsin D by 1,1-bis(diazoacetyl)-2-phenylethane, and the inactivation of pepsin C by diazoacetyl-dl-norleucine methyl ester.
Heterogeneity in tissue ferritins displayed by gel electrofocusing
Authors: Drysdale James W.
Published: August 2015

1. Horse spleen ferritin and human liver ferritin were examined by gel electrofocusing under conditions that demonstrated equilibrium focusing. Both ferritins were resolved into multiple isoferritins. Both families of isoferritins were separable from one another. 2. Horse spleen ferritin was also resolved into five components by ion-exchange chromatography on DEAE-Sephadex A-50. Each of the major chromatographic fractions contained only a few of the isoferritins seen on gel electrofocusing. Each chromatographic fraction corresponded to different portions of the isoferritin profile. 3. These results indicate that the heterogeneity seen in many ferritins by gel electrofocusing represents structural heterogeneity in the ferritin population as isolated from the tissues.
Product inhibition studies on bovine liver carbamoyl phosphate synthetase
Authors: Elliott Keith R. F. , Tipton Keith F.
Published: August 2015

A study of the product-inhibition patterns of carbamoyl phosphate synthetase from bovine liver is reported. Inhibition by adenosine, AMP and inorganic ions is also reported. The results are in agreement with the previously proposed model in which the order of substrate binding is ATPMg, followed by HCO3−, ATPMg and NH4+. The order of product release on the basis of the reported results is carbamoyl phosphate, followed by ADPMg, ADPMg and inorganic phosphate.
The relationship between the concentration of adenosine 3′:5′-cyclic monophosphate and the anti-lipolytic action of insulin in isolated rat fat-cells
Authors: Siddle Kenneth , Hales C. Nicholas
Published: August 2015

The relationship between cyclic AMP content and lipolysis, as measured by glycerol formation, was studied in isolated rat fat-cells. Inhibition of lipolysis by insulin in the presence of a low concentration of adrenaline was accompanied by little or no lowering of cyclic AMP content, measured after 15min incubation. The time-course of cyclic AMP content after addition of adrenaline showed that the effect of insulin in lowering cyclic AMP content measured after 2–5min was gradually lost over the next hour, mainly because of the fall in cyclic AMP content after an early peak in the presence of adrenaline alone. There was a 44% loss of immunoreactive insulin, from an initial concentration of 0.3nm, during a 1h incubation with fat-cells. Insulin did not affect partitioning of cyclic AMP between cells and incubation medium. When the correlation between cyclic AMP content and rate of lipolysis was investigated for a wide range of adrenaline concentrations, it was found that the lowering of cyclic AMP content by insulin was much less than that required to account for the amount of inhibition of lipolysis. It is concluded that inhibition of adrenaline-stimulated lipolysis by insulin involves factors in addition to a decrease in intracellular cyclic AMP concentration.
The control of saccharide synthesis during development of myxamoebae of Dictyostelium discoideum containing differing amounts of glycogen
Authors: Hames B. D. , Ashworth J. M.
Published: August 2015

1. Myxamoebae initially containing 5.59mg of glycogen/108cells accumulate approx. 25% more cell-wall polysaccharide, 100% more mucopolysaccharide, 200% more glucose and 300% more trehalose during their development than do myxamoebae initially containing less than 0.3mg of glycogen/108cells. 2. These observations restrict the number of possible control mechanisms operating to regulate carbohydrate metabolism during development. 3. Cells accumulating a large amount of trehalose (approx. 400μg/108cells) have the same amount and pattern of changes in specific activity of trehalase and trehalose 6-phosphate synthase as do cells accumulating a smaller amount of trehalose (approx. 100μg/108cells). 4. These two populations of cells do, however, differ markedly in the amount of UDP-glucose and glucose 6-phosphate that they contain. 5. It is concluded that this change in the intracellular pools of the metabolic precursors of trehalose accounts for the increased amount of trehalose synthesized by cells derived from myxamoebae containing an increased glycogen content.
Heterogeneous distribution of enzymes among plasma-membrane fragments sedimenting with the microsomal fraction of rat liver
Authors: Norris Kenneth A. , Dobrota Miloslav , Issa Faiz S. , Hinton Richard H. , Reid Eric
Published: August 2015

Plasma-membrane fragments recovered in the microsomal fraction of rat liver homogenates were shown to be heterogeneous in density. It was demonstrated that 5′-nucleotidase, the most commonly used plasma-membrane marker, is concentrated in the lightest subfraction. Two of the published procedures for the isolation of plasma-membrane fragments from the microsomal fraction (Touster et al., 1970; Hinton et al., 1971) are shown to give products which are not representative of all the plasma-membrane fragments of microsomal size, and it is argued that a third procedure (House & Weidemann, 1970) is likely to give a similar product.
Molecular weight, amino acid composition and physicochemical properties of the exocellular dd-carboxypeptidase–transpeptidase of Streptomyces R39
Authors: Frère Jean-Marie , Moreno Ramon , Ghuysen Jean-Marie , Perkins Harold R. , Dierickx Louis , Delcambe Lucien
Published: August 2015

The exocellular dd-carboxypeptidase–transpeptidase from Streptomyces R39 was purified to protein homogeneity and in milligram amounts. The isolated enzyme consisted of one polypeptide chain of molecular weight about 53300. Its amino acid composition and several physicochemical properties were determined and compared with those of the exo-cellular dd-carboxypeptidase–transpeptidase from Streptomyces R61.
Binding of β-lactam antibiotics to the exocellular dd-carboxypeptidase–transpeptidase of Streptomyces R39
Authors: Frère Jean-Marie , Ghuysen Jean-Marie , Reynolds Peter E. , Moreno Ramon , Perkins Harold R.
Published: August 2015

Benzylpenicillin and cephaloridine reacted with the exocellular dd-carboxypeptidase–transpeptidase from Streptomyces R39 to form equimolar and inactive antibiotic–enzyme complexes. At saturation, the molar ratio of chromogenic cephalosporin 87-312 to enzyme was 1.3:1, but this discrepancy might be due to a lack of accuracy in the measurement of the antibiotic. Spectrophotometric studies showed that binding of cephaloridine and cephalosporin 87-312 to the enzyme caused opening of their β-lactam rings. Benzylpenicillin and cephalosporin 87-312 competed for the same site on the free enzyme, suggesting that binding of benzylpenicillin also resulted in the opening of its β-lactam ring. In Tris–NaCl–MgCl2 buffer at pH7.7 and 37°C, the rate constants for the dissociation of the antibiotic–enzyme complexes were 2.8×10−6, 1.5×10−6and 0.63×10−6s−1(half-lives 70, 130 and 300h) for benzylpenicillin, cephalosporin 87-312 and cephaloridine respectively. During the process, the protein underwent reactivation. The enzyme that was regenerated from its complex with benzylpenicillin was as sensitive to fresh benzylpenicillin as the native enzyme. With [14C]benzylpenicillin, the released radioactive compound was neither benzylpenicillin nor benzylpenicilloic acid. The Streptomyces R39 enzyme thus behaved as a β-lactam-antibiotic-destroying enzyme but did not function as a β-lactamase. Incubation at 37°C in 0.01m-phosphate buffer, pH7.0, and in the same buffer supplemented with sodium dodecyl sulphate caused a more rapid reversion of the [14C]benzylpenicillin–enzyme complex. The rate constants were 1.6×10−5s−1and 0.8×10−4s−1respectively. Under these conditions, however, there was no concomitant reactivation of the enzyme and the released radioactive compound(s) appeared not to be the same as before. The Streptomyces R39 enzyme and the exocellular dd-carboxypeptidase–transpeptidase from Streptomyces R61 appeared to differ from each other with regard to the topography of their penicillin-binding site.
The copolymeric structure of pig skin dermatan sulphate. Isolation and characterization of l-idurono-sulphate-containing oligosaccharides from copolymeric chains
Authors: Fransson Lars-Åke , Cöster Lars , Havsmark Birgitta , Malmström Anders , Sjöberg Ingrid
Published: August 2015

Dermatan sulphate was degraded by testicular hyaluronidase and an oversulphated fraction was isolated by ion-exchange chromatography. This preparation, which contained fairly long segments derived from the non-reducing terminal portion of the molecule, was subjected to periodate oxidation under acidic conditions. The oxidized iduronic acid residues were cleaved by reduction-hydrolysis (Smith-degradation) (Fransson & Carlstedt, 1974) or by alkaline elimination. The oligosaccharides so obtained contained both GlcUA (glucuronic acid) and IdUA-SO4 (sulphated iduronic acid) residues. Copolymeric oligosaccharides obtained after alkaline elimination were cleaved by chondroitinase-AC into disaccharide and higher oligosaccharides. Since the corresponding oligosaccharides obtained by Smith-degradation were unaffected by this enzyme, it was concluded that the carbohydrate sequences were GalNAc-(IdUA-GalNAc)n-GlcUA-GalNAc. The iduronic acid-containing sequences were resistant to digestion with chondroitinase-ABC. It was demonstrated that the presence of unsulphated N-acetylgalactosamine residues in these sequences could be responsible for the observed effect. This information was obtained in an indirect way. Chemically desulphated dermatan sulphate was found to be a poor substrate for the chondroitinase-ABC enzyme. Moreover, digestion with chondroitinase-ABC of chondroitinase-AC-degraded dermatan sulphate released periodate-resistant iduronic acid-containing oligosaccharides. It is concluded that copolymeric sequences of the following structure are present in pig skin dermatan sulphate: [Formula: see text] N-acetylgalactosamine moieties surrounding IdUA-SO4 residues are unsulphated to a large extent.
Formation of catalase compound I by reaction with peroxoacetic acid: pH changes in unbuffered systems
Authors: Jones Peter , Middlemiss Derek N.
Published: August 2015

Studies of the pH decreases that accompany the formation of Compound I from ox liver catalase and peroxoacetic acid in unbuffered systems imply that 1 mol of acetic acid is released/mol of catalase ferrihaem Compound I formed. This result is consistent with results previously obtained (Schonbaum & Lo, 1972) for the formation of peroxidase Compound I by using peroxo acid substrate.
Formation of rings from segments of HeLa-cell nuclear deoxyribonucleic acid
Authors: Hardman Norman
Published: August 2015

Duplex segments of HeLa-cell nuclear DNA were generated by cleavage with DNA restriction endonuclease from Haemophilus influenzae. About 20–25% of the DNA segments produced, when partly degraded with exonuclease III and annealed, were found to form rings visible in the electron microscope. A further 5% of the DNA segments formed structures that were branched in configuration. Similar structures were generated from HeLa-cell DNA, without prior treatment with restriction endonuclease, when the complementary polynucleotide chains were exposed by exonuclease III action at single-chain nicks. After exposure of an average single-chain length of 1400 nucleotides per terminus at nicks in HeLa-cell DNA by exonuclease III, followed by annealing, the physical length of ring closures was estimated and found to be 0.02–0.1μm, or 50–300 base pairs. An almost identical distribution of lengths was recorded for the regions of complementary base sequence responsible for branch formation. It is proposed that most of the rings and branches are formed from classes of reiterated base sequence with an average length of 180 base pairs arranged intermittenly in HeLa-cell DNA. From the rate of formation of branched structures when HeLa-cell DNA segments were heat-denatured and annealed, it is estimated that the reiterated sequences are in families containing approximately 2400–24000 copies.
Protection of glutamate dehydrogenase by nicotinamide–adenine dinucleotide against reversible inactivation by pyridoxal 5′-phosphate as a sensitive indicator of conformational change induced by substrates and substrate analogues
Authors: Chen Soo-Se , Engel Paul C.
Published: August 2015

1. The steady residual activity of ox liver glutamate dehydrogenase at equilibrium with the reversible inactivator pyridoxal 5′-phosphate was measured in the presence and absence of various protecting agents. 2. NAD+ (up to 15mm) and its 3-acetylpyridine analogue (up to 5mm) both failed to protect, in contrast with NADH. 3. Partial protection was given by glutarate and by succinate. Adipate and pentanoate were much less effective. 4. Correspondingly, whereas succinate and glutarate were both shown to be strong inhibitors of the catalytic reaction, competitive with glutamate, adipate was only weakly competitive, and the still weaker inhibition by pentanoate was non-competitive. 5. When the enzyme was saturated with glutarate, NAD+ became a good, although still partial, protecting agent. In the absence of protection, 1.8mm-pyridoxal 5′-phosphate decreased enzyme activity to 9%, in the presence of 150mm-glutarate to 29%, and with glutarate and 1mm-NAD+ only to 73%. 6. 2-Oxoglutarate also promoted protection by NAD+, but neither pentanoate nor succinate did so. The finding with succinate is remarkable in view of findings 3 and 4 above. 7. It seems possible that substrates or analogues possessing the glutarate structure promote a conformational change that alters the mode of NAD+ binding. This may explain why glutamate is a much better substrate than norvaline or aspartate and why negative interactions in coenzyme binding occur only in the formation of ternary complexes with glutamate or its analogues.
The macromolecular properties of blood-group-specific glycoproteins. Characterization of a series of fractions obtained by density-gradient ultracentrifugation
Authors: Bhaskar K. Ramakrishnan , Creeth J. Michael
Published: August 2015

1. Equilibrium density-gradient ultracentrifugation in caesium salts was used in two stages in the isolation and subfractionation of the glycoprotein component from a human ovarian-cyst fluid. The eight main subfractions thus obtained were the subject of detailed physicochemical characterization. 2. The fractions were unimodal in buoyant-density distribution, but had discrete ρ0 values ranging from 1.31 to 1.35. 3. Weight-average molecular weights and sedimentation coefficients decreased regularly with decreasing density of the fraction, whereas the partial specific volumes and selective solvation parameters increased. The latter behaviour correlates well with the increasing peptide content of the lighter fractions. 4. The fractions exhibited a range of analytical composition, although all were within the limits previously observed for blood-group substances of Lea specificity. All fractions had approximately equal Lea activity. The peptide content varied systematically from 7% for the densest fraction to 15% for the lightest, but the relative distributions of the amino acids remained essentially constant throughout the series. In particular, serine plus threonine plus proline made up about 50% of the peptide content of all the fractions. Fucose, galactose and N-acetylglucosamine contents decreased with increasing peptide content of the fractions, but N-acetylgalactosamine and sialic acid exhibited the opposite trend. Molar ratios of N-acetylgalactosamine to the sum of serine and threonine remained essentially constant at 0.8–0.9, implying a high degree of glycosylation of all the molecules, but the ratio of N-acetylglucosamine to N-acetylgalactosamine decreased steadily with increasing peptide content, suggesting the presence of oligosaccharide side chains of various lengths. The results are discussed in terms of the accepted structure of glycoprotein molecules. 5. Experiments on the glycoproteins extracted with phenol from the same cyst fluid have confirmed that equilibrium centrifugation in caesium salts does not remove any non-covalently bound protein nor cause any changes in the tertiary structures of these glycoprotein molecules.
Mössbauer effect in the ‘super-reduced’ form of the high-potential iron–sulphur protein from Chromatium (Short Communication)
Authors: Dickson Dominic P. E. , Cammack Richard
Published: August 2015

Mössbauer-effect studies of the super-reduced form of Chromatium high-potential iron–sulphur protein indicate that the iron atoms are in a similar valency state to those in reduced ferredoxin from Clostridium pasteurianum, with possibly some inequivalence between the iron atoms within the four-iron centre. Mössbauer spectroscopy also shows magnetic differences between the four-iron centres in the two proteins.