bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
The cause of hepatic accumulation of fructose 1-phosphate on fructose loading
Authors: Woods H. F. , Eggleston L. V. , Krebs H. A.
Published: August 2015

1. The changes in the metabolite content in freeze-clamped livers of fed rats occurring on perfusion with 10mm-d-fructose have been examined. 2. The most striking effects of fructose were an accumulation of fructose 1-phosphate, as already known, up to 8.7μmol/g of liver within 10min, a loss of total adenine nucleotides (up to 35% after 40min) with a decrease in the ATP content to 23% within 10min, a sevenfold rise in the concentration of IMP to 1.1μmol/g and an eightfold rise of α-glycerophosphate to 1.1μmol/g. 3. There was a transient decrease in Pi from 4.2 to 1.7μmol/g. Within 40min the Pi content recovered to the normal value, probably because of an uptake of Pi from the perfusion medium. 4. The degradation of the adenine nucleotides beyond the stage of AMP can be accounted for by the decrease of ATP and Pi. As ATP inhibits 5-nucleotidase, and as Pi inhibits AMP deaminase any AMP arising in the tissue is liable to undergo dephosphorylation or deamination under the conditions occurring after fructose loading. 5. The content of lactate increased to 4.3μmol/g at 80min; pyruvate also increased and the [lactate]/[pyruvate] ratio remained within physiological limits. 6. The concentration of free fructose within the liver remained much below that in the perfusion medium, indicating that the rate of penetration of fructose into the tissue was lower than the rate of utilization. 7. The fission of fructose 1-phosphate by liver aldolase is inhibited by several phosphorylated intermediates, especially by IMP. This inhibition is competitive with a Ki of 0.1mm. 8. The maximal rates of the enzymes synthesizing and splitting fructose 1-phosphate are about equal. The accumulation of fructose 1-phosphate on fructose loading is due to the inhibition of the fission of fructose 1-phosphate by the IMP arising from the degradation of the adenine nucleotides.
Properties and substrate specificity of the leucyl-, the threonyl- and the valyl-transfer-ribonucleic acid synthetases from Aesculus species
Authors: Anderson J. W. , Fowden L.
Published: August 2015

1. Leucyl- and threonyl-tRNA synthetases were partially purified up to 100-fold and 30-fold respectively from cotyledons of Aesculus hippocastanum and were largely separated from the other aminoacyl-tRNA synthetases. Valyl-tRNA synthetase was purified 25-fold from cotyledons of Aesculus californica. 2. Some properties are reported for the three enzymes when assayed by the [32P]pyrophosphate-ATP exchange technique. 3. β-(Methylenecyclopropyl)alanine, isoleucine, azaleucine, norleucine and γ-hydroxynorvaline acted as alternative substrates for the leucyl-tRNA synthetase; the enzyme's affinity for β-(methylenecyclopropyl)-alanine and for isoleucine was about 80-fold less than that exhibited for leucine. 4. α-Cyclopropylglycine and α-cyclobutylglycine acted as alternative substrates for the valyl-tRNA synthetase.
Characterization of messenger-like ribonucleic acid from Saccharomyces cerevisiae by the use of chromatography on methylated albumin–kieselguhr
Authors: Johnson Roger
Published: August 2015

Chromatography on methylated albumin–kieselguhr of RNA from Saccharomyces cerevisiae was used to separate stable RNA from a tenaciously bound DNA-like RNA fraction. The tenaciously bound RNA, which was eluted with a dilute solution of sodium dodecyl sulphate, was characterized as messenger-like RNA by its sedimentation behaviour, nucleotide composition, lack of methylated bases and labelling kinetics. Chromatography of purified ribosomal RNA indicated a minor contamination of the tenaciously bound fraction with ribosomal RNA. On the other hand, a large portion of pulse-labelled polyribosomal RNA from protoplasts of Saccharomyces cerevisiae was tenaciously bound to the columns. The `chase' of isotopic label from the messenger-like RNA was found to be retarded during inhibition of protein synthesis both by cycloheximide and by starvation for a carbon source.
A comparison of the effects of diabetes induced with either alloxan or streptozotocin and of starvation on the activities in rat liver of the key enzymes of gluconeogenesis
Authors: Wimhurst Janet M. , Manchester K. L.
Published: August 2015

1. Measurements of the activities in rat liver of the four key enzymes involved in gluconeogenesis, i.e. pyruvate carboxylase (EC 6.4.1.1), phosphoenolpyruvate carboxykinase (EC 4.1.1.32), fructose 1,6-diphosphatase (EC 3.1.3.11) and glucose 6-phosphatase (EC 3.1.3.9), have been carried out, all four enzymes being measured in the same liver sample. Changes in activities resulting from starvation and diabetes have been studied. Changes in concentration (activity/unit wet weight of tissue) were compared with changes in the hepatic cellular content (activity/unit of DNA). 2. Each enzyme was found to increase in concentration during starvation for up to 3 days, but only glucose 6-phosphatase and phosphoenolpyruvate carboxykinase showed a significant rise in content. Fructose 1,6-diphosphatase appeared to decrease in content somewhat during the early stages of starvation. 3. There was a marked increase in the concentration of all four enzymes in non-starved rats made diabetic with alloxan or streptozotocin, for the most part similar responses being found for the two diabetogenic agents. On starvation, however, the enzyme contents in the diabetic animals tended to fall, often with streptozotocin-treated animals to values no greater than for the normal overnight-starved rat. Deprivation of food during the period after induction of diabetes with streptozotocin lessened the rise in enzyme activity. 4. The results are compared with other published values and factors such as substrate and activator concentrations likely to influence activity in vivo are considered. 5. Lack of correlation of change in fructose 1,6-diphosphatase with the other enzymes questions whether it should be included in any postulation of control of gluconeogenic enzymes by a single gene unit.
An enzymically catalysed reaction between d-glucose and the protein cyst coat of the ciliate Colpoda steinii
Authors: Tibbs J. , Marshall B. J.
Published: August 2015

1. The isolated protein cyst coat of Colpoda steinii reacted with [14C]glucose to bind 14C label in a reaction that was not an artifact of bacterial contamination or of adsorption. 2. The reaction was enzymically catalysed, had optimum pH7.0–7.4 and a temperature optimum of 36–38°C, was non-competitively and reversibly inhibited by 10μm-p-hydroxymercuribenzoate and was specific for d-glucose. It had Km8.2×10−6m. 3. With the exception of C-1, all the carbon atoms of glucose were bound to the same extent and, measured relative to C-2 or C-6, the binding of C-1 varied between 0.45 and 0.82. The lost C-1 was not accounted for as carbon dioxide. 4. On prolonged incubation a coat preparation reacted with 3.6% of its own weight of glucose. 5. The label was tightly bound, but after acid treatment a variable proportion was recovered as glucose and there was no evidence for the release of any other 14C-containing compound. 6. Even after dissolution of the coat protein, bound label was not removed by treatment with periodate or lead tetra-acetate.
The chemistry of vitamin B12. The coordination of biologically important molecules
Authors: Hill H. A. O. , Pratt J. M. , Thorp R. G. , Ward B. , Williams R. J. P.
Published: August 2015

The following equilibrium constants (given as logK in units of m−1) were determined for the substitution of co-ordinated H2O in aquocobalamin by glycine (bound through N) 5.8, cysteine (bound through S) 6.0 or 8.3, depending on the value chosen for the pK of the thiol group, and phenolate 2.9. The spectrum of the phenolate cobalamin shows an additional intense absorption band at 468nm with a molar extinction coefficient of 1.1×104, which is assigned to a charge transfer from the phenolate to the cobalt ion. Equilibrium constants have also been determined for the equilibria between adenylcobamide cyanide and CN−, HO− and H+, which show that the adenine is more easily displaced by CN− and HO− than is 5,6-dimethylbenziminazole in vitamin B12, but can be protonated by acid while still remaining co-ordinated to the cobalt. It is shown that in the binding of corrinoids to proteins and polypeptides the formation of hydrogen bonds is far more important than co-ordination by the metal.
Isolation and characterization of three phosphoamido-neomycins and their conversion into neomycin by Streptomyces fradiae
Authors: Majumdar Mrinal K. , Majumdar S. K.
Published: August 2015

Some amino acids, particularly glycine and serine, favour the accumulation in the fermentation broth of three phosphorylated amino sugar compounds that are intermediates in the pathway of neomycin biosynthesis by Streptomyces fradiae 3535. The compounds were separated and purified further by Amberlite IRC-50 (NH4+ form). The intermediates were characterized by physicochemical methods as neomycin B pyrophosphate (C23H48N6O19P2,3H2O), neomycin C pyrophosphate (C23H48N6O19P2,3H2O) and neomycin C dipyrophosphate complex (C24H66N8O33P4).
Physical studies of the interactions of acetylcholine chloride with membrane constituents
Authors: Hauser H. , Phillips M. C. , Marchbanks R. M.
Published: August 2015

The binding of acetylcholine to pure lipids, and lipids, proteins and lipoproteins extracted from synaptic membranes, was investigated by monolayer and n.m.r. techniques. No specific binding of acetylcholine could be detected at the concentration used, although its muscarinic and nicotinic antagonists [atropine and (+)-tubocurarine respectively] could be shown to interact with the membrane components. It is concluded that the binding of the nicotinic and muscarinic antagonists of acetylcholine is not necessarily indicative of the existence of a specific acetylcholine receptor. Measurements of the displacement of 45Ca2+ from monolayers of phosphatidylserine by acetylcholine and the variation of electrophoretic mobility of phosphatidylserine particles with concentration of acetylcholine indicated that in these systems acetylcholine was acting as a counterion at the negatively charged lipid interface. But studies of the salting-in and salting-out of negatively charged lipid aggregates showed that acetylcholine and other quaternary ammonium compounds did not here behave simply as counterions. Electrostrictively hydrated cations such as Na+ and K+ were found to salt out, whereas hydrophobically hydrated cations such as acetylcholine salted in such aggregates. The possible role of the hydration of acetylcholine in synaptic transmission is discussed.
Tricarboxylic acid-cycle metabolism in brain. Effect of fluoroacetate and fluorocitrate on the labelling of glutamate aspartate, glutamine and γ-amino butyrate
Authors: Clarke D. D. , Nicklas W. J. , Berl S.
Published: August 2015

1. The effect of fluoroacetate and fluorocitrate on the compartmentation of the glutamate–glutamine system was studied in brain slices with l-[U-14C]glutamate, l-[U-14C]aspartate, [1-14C]acetate and γ-amino[1-14C]butyrate as precursors and in homogenates of brain tissue with [1-14C]acetate. The effect of fluoroacetate was also studied in vivo in mouse brain with [1-14C]acetate as precursor. 2. Fluoroacetate and fluorocitrate inhibit the labelling of glutamine from all precursors but affect the labelling of glutamate to a much lesser extent. This effect is not due to inhibition of glutamine synthetase. It is interpreted as being due to selective inhibition of the metabolism of a small pool of glutamate that preferentially labels glutamine.
Terminal-sequence studies of high-molecular-weight ribonucleic acid. The 3′-termini of rabbit reticulocyte ribosomal ribonucleic acid
Authors: Hunt John A.
Published: August 2015

Sequences of the polynucleotide chains of RNA found in the large and small ribosomal subunits of rabbit reticulocytes have been determined from the 3′-end by use of periodate oxidation and condensation with [3H]isoniazid and by stepwise degradation. By these methods the hexanucleotide sequences have been found as -pGpUpUpUpGpU for the 28S RNA and -pGpUpCpGpCpU for the 6S RNA of the large ribosomal subunit and the octanucleotide sequence -pGpApUpCpApUpUpA for the 18S rRNA of the small ribosomal subunit. These sequences are present in at least 70% of all the RNA molecules and are discussed in relation to the specific cleavage of rRNA from its precursors and the role of multiple cistrons for rRNA in the DNA of higher organisms. The feasibility of using the method for longer sequence determinations is discussed.
Bacteriolytic enzymes from Staphylococcus aureus. Properties of the endo-β-N-acetylglucosaminidase
Authors: Wadström T.
Published: August 2015

An extracellular bacteriolytic endo-β-N-acetylglucosaminidase has been purified and its specificity of action has been investigated (Wadström & Hisatsune, 1970a,b). Some enzymic properties, such as optimum pH for enzyme activity on whole cells and cell walls of Micrococcus lysodeikticus and Staphylococcus aureus and optimum pH for stability, have been studied. The activity was maximum in 0.05m-tris–hydrochloric acid buffer, pH7.0. A higher ionic strength inhibited cell-wall hydrolysis. Since the crude and purified enzymes were found to be unstable on storage, the stabilizing and inhibiting effects of several compounds were investigated. Several heavy metal ions inactivated the enzyme at very low concentrations. Thiol compounds stabilized and thiol-reacting compounds partly inhibited the activity. Crude and purified glucosaminidase was found to be heat-stable at acidic pH and unstable at alkaline pH as previously found for several lysozymes (endo-β-N-acetylmuramidases). Other properties of the staphylococcal enzyme and hen's-egg-white lysozyme have been compared, since the modes of action of the two are quite similar (Wadström & Hisatsune, 1970b).
Determination of high-affinity oestrogen-receptor sites in uterine supernatant preparations
Authors: Méšter J. , Robertson D. M. , Feherty Patricia , Kellie A. E.
Published: August 2015

An assay method was developed for the determination of high-affinity oestradiol receptors in uterine supernatant preparations. When only high-affinity sites are present in such preparations, or when they predominate, the analysis of the equilibrium between oestradiol and receptor sites based on the Scatchard (1949) plot may be used to determine the dissociation constant of the equilibrium and the molar concentration of the high-affinity sites. When both high-affinity and low-affinity sites are present the Scatchard plot is no longer linear and cannot be used directly to determine high-affinity sites. Determination of the reverse velocity constants of the reaction between high-affinity (k−1) and low-affinity (k−2) receptor sites and [3H]oestradiol has shown that these constants differ by at least one order of magnitude. Advantage has been taken of this difference to introduce an additional step into the assay procedure that eliminates oestradiol bound to low-affinity sites and permits the determination of high-affinity sites in different species and under a variety of physiological conditions.
Activities of enzymes of ketone-body utilization in brain and other tissues of suckling rats
Authors: Page M. Ann , Krebs H. A. , Williamson D. H.
Published: August 2015

1. The activities of 3-hydroxybutyrate dehydrogenase and 3-oxo acid CoA-transferase in rat brain at birth were found to be about two-thirds of those of adult rat brain, expressed per g wet wt. The activities rose throughout the suckling period and at the time of weaning reached values about three times higher than those for adult brain. Later they gradually declined. 2. At birth the activity of acetoacetyl-CoA thiolase in rat brain was about 60% higher than in the adult. During the suckling period there was no significant change in activity. 3. In rat kidney the activities of the three enzymes at birth were less than one-third of those at maturity. They gradually rose and after 5 weeks approached the adult value. Similar results were obtained with rat heart. 4. The activity of glutamate dehydrogenase (a mitochondrial enzyme like 3-hydroxybutyrate dehydrogenase and 3-oxo acid CoA-transferase) also rose in brain and kidney during the suckling period, but at no stage did it exceed the adult value. 5. Throughout the suckling period the total ketone-body concentration in the blood was about six times higher than in adult fed rats, and the concentration of free fatty acids in the blood was three to four times higher. 6. It is concluded that the rate of ketone-body utilization in brains of suckling rats is determined by both the greater amounts of the key enzymes in the tissue and the high concentrations of ketone bodies in the blood. In addition, the low activities of the relevant enzymes in kidney and heart of suckling rats may make available more ketone bodies for the brain.
Complex-formation between cytochrome c and cytochrome c peroxidase. Equilibrium and titration studies
Authors: Mochan Eugene , Nicholls P.
Published: August 2015

1. Physical studies of complex-formation between cytochrome c and yeast peroxidase are consistent with kinetic predictions that these complexes participate in the catalytic activity of yeast peroxidase towards ferrocytochrome c. Enzyme–ferricytochrome c complexes have been detected both by the analytical ultracentrifuge and by column chromatography, whereas an enzyme–ferrocytochrome c complex was demonstrated by column chromatography. Estimated binding constants obtained from chromatographic experiments were similar to the measured kinetic values. 2. The physicochemical study of the enzyme–ferricytochrome c complex, and an analysis of its spectrum and reactivity, suggest that the conformation and reactivity of neither cytochrome c nor yeast peroxidase are grossly modified in the complex. 3. The peroxide compound of yeast cytochrome c peroxidase was found to have two oxidizing equivalents accessible to cytochrome c but only one readily accessible to ferrocyanide. Several types of peroxide compound, differing in available oxidizing equivalents and in reactivity with cytochrome c, seem to be formed by stoicheiometric amounts of hydrogen peroxide. 4. Fluoride combines not only with free yeast peroxidase but also with peroxidase–peroxide and accelerates the decomposition of the latter compound. The ligand-catalysed decomposition provides evidence for one-electron reduction pathways in yeast peroxidase, and the reversible binding of fluoride casts doubt upon the concept that the peroxidase–peroxide intermediate is any form of peroxide complex. 5. A mechanism for cytochrome c oxidation is proposed involving the successive reaction of two reversibly bound molecules of cytochrome c with oxidizing equivalents associated with the enzyme protein.
Some quantitative aspects of the labelling of proteins with 125I by the iodine monochloride method
Authors: Ceska M. , Sjödin A. V. , Grossmüller F.
Published: August 2015

The labelling of proteins by the iodine monochloride method was studied by using a mathematical model. The equations used were primarily derived from the mass law equation of the isotopic exchange reaction between [125I]iodide and iodine monochloride. For convenient application, all equations were programmed into a computing desk-top calculator. To support the validity of the theoretical model, a series of iodinations of insulin were performed under various labelling conditions. The results of these experiments compare well with the theoretically derived values. Deviations from the theoretical values occurring at molar ratios of [125I]iodide to iodine monochloride < 0.1 and > 4.0 are explained and suggestions made about how to prevent them. The mathematical model was used to simulate the isotopic exchange, and the iodination reaction under various conditions, to study (a) the influence of the amount of [125I]iodide on the amount of [125I]iodine monochloride formed, (b) the influence of the specific radioactivity of [125I]iodide on the amount of [125I]iodine monochloride formed, and (c) the influence of the specific radioactivity of [125I]iodide on the number of millicuries needed for labelling to a desired extent.
Human small-intestinal β-galactosidases. Separation and characterization of three forms of an acid β-galactosidase
Authors: Asp Nils-Georg
Published: August 2015

1. An acid β-galactosidase, optimum pH4.0–4.5, in the human small-intestinal mucosa was separated and characterized. 2. Autolysis of mucosal homogenates at acid pH inactivated the lactase and hetero β-galactosidase; the total activity of the acid β-galactosidase was only slightly depleted, but a greater proportion of the enzyme was solubilized by this treatment. 3. Separation on a Sephadex G-200 column revealed that the acid β-galactosidase could occur in at least three different forms, probably representing monomer, dimer and octamer or polymer of the enzyme. 4. The properties of the different forms of the acid β-galactosidase were studied with regard to pH optimum, Km, rate of hydrolysis of different substrates, and sensitivity to p-chloromercuribenzoate and tris as inhibitors. All these properties were the same for the different forms of the enzyme. 5. The acid β-galactosidase hydrolyses lactose as well as hetero β-galactosides and contributes to the lactase activity of intestinal biopsies also when measured at pH 6. This enzyme may therefore be responsible for a considerable part of the residual lactase activity found in lactose-intolerant patients.
Nucleic acid enzymology of extremely halophilic bacteria. Halobacterium cutirubrum ribonucleic acid-dependent ribonucleic acid polymerase
Authors: Louis B. Gregory , Fitt P. S.
Published: August 2015

1. Crude extracts of the extreme halophile Halobacterium cutirubrum contain separable DNA-dependent and RNA-dependent RNA polymerases. 2. The RNA-dependent enzyme has been purified about 2800-fold. 3. It requires RNA, preferably of high molecular weight, and all four ribonucleoside triphosphates to incorporate 14C-labelled nucleoside triphosphate into an acid-insoluble, ribonuclease-sensitive product. 4. Both the stability and activity of the RNA polymerase are relatively insensitive to changes in potassium chloride or sodium chloride concentration, but incorporation is stimulated by both Mg2+ and Mn2+. 5. The molecular weight of the enzyme is about 17000–18000.
Protein synthesis by membrane-bound and free ribosomes of secretory and non-secretory tissues
Authors: Andrews T. M. , Tata J. R.
Published: August 2015

1. Methods for the separation of membrane-bound and free ribosomes from rat brain (cortex) and skeletal muscle were described and the preparations characterized by chemical analysis and electron microscopy. The attachment of ribosomes to membranes is not an artifact of the separation procedure. 2. The rate of incorporation of l-[14C]leucine into protein in vitro by the membrane-bound and free ribosomes from these two predominantly non-protein-secreting tissues is compared with that by similar preparations from rat liver. With all three tissues the initial rate was higher for the membrane-bound preparations. 3. By using the technique of discharging nascent polypeptide chains by incubation with puromycin followed by treatment with sodium deoxycholate (Redman & Sabatini, 1966), a major difference was observed for the vectorial discharge of nascent protein synthesized both in vivo and in vitro on membrane-bound ribosomes from liver, on the one hand, and brain and muscle, on the other. Whereas a large part of nascent protein synthesized on membrane-bound liver ribosomes was discharged into the membranous vesicles (presumably destined for export from the cell), almost all nascent protein from membrane-bound ribosomes from brain and muscle was released directly into the supernatant. Incorporation of [3H]puromycin into peptidyl-[3H]puromycin confirmed these findings. There was thus no difference between membrane-bound and free ribosomes from brain on the one hand, and from free polyribosomes from liver on the other, as far as the vectorial release of newly synthesized protein was concerned. 4. Incubation with puromycin also showed that the nascent chains, pre-formed in vivo and in vitro, are not involved in the attachment of ribosomes to membranes of the endoplasmic reticulum. 5. The differences in vectorial discharge from membrane-bound ribosomes from liver as compared with brain and muscle are not due to the different types of messenger RNA in the different tissues. Polyphenylalanine synthesized on incubation with polyuridylic acid was handled in the same way as polypeptides synthesized with endogenous messenger. 6. It is concluded that there is a major difference in the attachment of ribosomes to the membranes of the endoplasmic reticulum of secretory and non-secretory tissues, which results in a tissue-specific difference in the vectorial discharge of nascent proteins.
Androgen dynamics in vitro in the human prostate gland. Effect of oestradiol-17β
Authors: Giorgi E. P. , Stewart J. C. , Grant J. K. , Shirley I. M.
Published: August 2015

Normal, hyperplastic and adenocarcinomatous human prostatic tissue was perfused in vitro with radioactively labelled androstenedione, testosterone and 5α-dihydrotestosterone with and without added oestradiol-17β. Various parameters of tissue–steroid relationship were measured at the steady state. When oestradiol (0.11 or 0.22μmol/l) was added to the perfusing medium, the entry of the steroids into the tissue and their metabolism was increased in the majority of the glands studied. The ‘uptake’ of all the steroids varied, in response to the addition of oestradiol, in both normal and adenocarcinomatous glands in a way differing from the response of hyperplastic glands. As a consequence, the tissue clearance of the steroids, particularly of androstenedione and testosterone, increased in normal and adenocarcinomatous glands in the presence of oestradiol, and decreased in the hyperplastic tissues. At a concentration 0.33μmol/l, oestradiol decreased the entry of the steroids in all the tissues studied, while the clearance of steroids tended to decrease. The significance of these findings in terms of the regulation of androgen dynamics in vivo in the normal and diseased human prostate, with particular regard to the response to oestrogen treatment, is discussed.
Molecular hybridization of ribonucleic acid with a large excess of deoxyribonucleic acid
Authors: Bishop J. O.
Published: August 2015

When RNA is annealed in solution with a sufficiently large excess of DNA, the kinetics of DNA–RNA hybridization are relatively simple. Methods are described for following the course of both DNA renaturation and DNA–RNA hybridization in this system. To explore the characteristics of the reaction a series of model systems was used. Each one utilized DNA (sheared to constant size) from a bacterium or bacteriophage and homologous cRNA, i.e. RNA synthesized in vitro on a template of the same DNA. Temperature optima were determined for the hybridization of Escherichia coli nucleic acids in 2×SSC and 3×SSC-50% formamide buffers, and of Proteus mirabilis nucleic acids in 2×SSC buffer. Rate-constants for DNA–RNA hybridization were measured by two methods. These gave somewhat different results, but in all cases the rate-constant of DNA–RNA hybridization was clearly less than that of DNA renaturation. Thus hybridization is a slower reaction than DNA renaturation. Nevertheless, in some cases, with a high concentration of DNA and a long annealing time, 90–95% of the added RNA became resistant to ribonuclease. Experiments are described which show that it is possible to deduce the analytical complexity of DNA with reasonable accuracy from its hybridization with complementary RNA. Similarly, it is possible to estimate the reiteration frequency of multiple DNA sequences (such as ribosomal DNA) from the hybridization of the total DNA with RNA complementary to the multiple sequences. The effect on the system of various DNA/RNA ratios from 100 to 1 is described.
Physical properties and subunit structure of l-asparaginase isolated from Erwinia carotovora
Authors: Cammack K. A. , Marlborough D. I. , Miller D. S.
Published: August 2015

1. l-Asparaginases from Erwinia carotovora and Escherichia coli (EC2 enzyme) are both capable of inhibiting and eliminating certain types of tumour cells. The Er. carotovora enzyme is a more basic protein, however, and in contrast with the EC2 enzyme it contains neither tryptophan nor cystine, and disulphide bonds are therefore absent. The molecule is very stable in solution from pH3.0 to about pH12.0, and is somewhat more stable at alkaline pH than is the Esch. coli enzyme. Calculations based on a s020,w 7.43S and a sedimentation-equilibrium molecular weight of 135000±10000 give a frictional ratio (f/f0) of 1.08. The molecular conformation is therefore very compact in solution, and the electron microscope shows the negatively stained molecules as almost spherical particles with a diameter of 7.2±0.7nm. 2. Sedimentation-velocity and equilibrium ultracentrifugation, in 5–8m solutions of urea and guanidinium chloride, and also electrophoresis in sodium dodecyl sulphate–polyacrylamide gel, reveal a dissociation of the native protein molecule into four subunits of similar molecular weight in the range 32500–38000. The enzymically inactive subunits can be physically reassembled into an active tetramer when urea is removed by dialysis. Although the subunit structures of the Er. carotovora enzyme and the Esch. coli enzyme molecules are similar, the secondary bonding forces holding the subunits together in the tetramer are somewhat stronger in the Er. carotovora enzyme. 3. The optical-rotatory-dispersion (o.r.d.) parameters that characterize the Cotton effects arising from ordered structure in the molecule are [m′]233=−3522±74° and [m′]200=9096±1700°. These show very marked changes as the secondary structure is disrupted and the molecule dissociates into subunits. A correlation pathway was traced on the basis of o.r.d. parameters and enzyme activity as the polypeptide chains were denatured and renatured (and reconstituted) into active molecules after the dilution of solutions in urea. Subunits resulting from treatment with sodium dodecyl sulphate do not show the typically disordered o.r.d. profile, but nevertheless they are inactive.
Glycogen synthetase and the control of glycogen synthesis in the cellular slime mould Dictyostelium discoideum during cell differentiation
Authors: Hames B. D. , Weeks G. , Ashworth J. M.
Published: August 2015

1. The variation in cellular glycogen content of differentiating cells derived from myxamoebae that initially contained a wide range of glycogen contents (0.047–5.56mg of glycogen/108myxamoebae) has been studied. 2. Myxamoebae that initially contained 0.047–3.62mg of glycogen/108myxamoebae all gave rise to fruiting bodies that contained similar amounts of glycogen (0.06–0.11mg of glycogen/108cells) but myxamoebae that initially contained 5.56mg of glycogen formed fruiting bodies containing 0.5mg of glycogen/108cells. 3. Despite the high net rate of glycogen disappearance (during cell differentiation) from cells that contained more than 2mg of glycogen/108cells initially, there were still significant variations in the rate of glycogen synthesis. The rate of glycogen synthesis reached a peak at the aggregation stage. 4. Evidence is presented showing that the rate of this synthesis of glycogen is controlled by factors other than the intracellular concentration of glycogen synthetase. 5. Our results are discussed in the context of the theory that the rates of glycogen synthesis and degradation act as a control mechanism for cell differentiation. 6. Criteria are discussed for deciding whether a biochemical event is causally or secondarily related to morphogenesis.
Can mitochondria and synaptosomes of guinea-pig brain synthesize phospholipids?
Authors: Miller E. K. , Dawson R. M. C.
Published: August 2015

1. The use of ‘marker’ enzymes for investigating the contamination by endoplasmic reticulum of mitochondrial and synaptosomal (nerve-ending) fractions isolated from guinea-pig brain was examined. NADPH–cytochrome c reductase appeared to be satisfactory. With the synaptosomal preparation there was a non-occluded enzymic activity believed to arise from contaminating microsomes and an occluded form released by detergent, which probably was derived from some type of intraterminal smooth endoplasmic reticulum. 2. Isolated brain mitochondria, both intact and osmotically shocked, could not synthesize more labelled phosphatidylcholine from CDP-[Me-14C]choline or phosphoryl[Me-14C]choline than could be accounted for by microsomal contamination. They could synthesize only phosphatidic acid and diphosphatidylglycerol from a [32P]Pi precursor and not nitrogen-containing phosphoglycerides or phosphatidylinositol. 3. The synaptosomal outer membrane and the intraterminal mitochondria could not synthesize phosphatidylcholine from CDP-[Me-14C]choline but the synaptic vesicles and probably the intraterminal ‘endoplasmic reticulum’ appeared to be capable of catalysing the incorporation of label from this substrate into their phospholipids. 4. Microsomal fractions and synaptosomes from guinea-pig brain could incorporate [Me-14C]choline into their phospholipids by a non-energy-requiring exchange process, which was catalysed by Ca2+. Fractionation of the synaptosomes after such an exchange had taken place revealed that the label was predominantly in the intraterminal mitochondria and not associated with membranes containing NADPH–cytochrome c reductase. 5. On the intraperitoneal injection of [32P]Pi into guinea pigs, incorporation of radioactivity into phosphatidylinositol and phosphatidic acid was much faster than into the nitrogen-containing phosphoglycerides. Mitochondria and microsomal fractions showed a roughly equivalent incorporation into individual phospholipids, and that into synaptosomes was appreciably less, whereas the phospholipids of myelin showed little 32P incorporation up to 10h.
Alkylation by propylene oxide of deoxyribonucleic acid, adenine, guanosine and deoxyguanylic acid
Authors: Lawley P. D. , Jarman M.
Published: August 2015

1. Propylene oxide reacts with DNA in aqueous buffer solution at about neutral pH to yield two principal products, identified as 7-(2-hydroxypropyl)guanine and 3-(2-hydroxypropyl)adenine, which hydrolyse out of the alkylated DNA at neutral pH values at 37°C. 2. These products were obtained in quantity by reactions between propylene oxide and guanosine or adenine respectively. 3. The reactions between propylene oxide and adenine in acetic acid were parallel to those between dimethyl sulphate and adenine in neutral aqueous solution; the alkylated positions in adenine in order of decreasing reactivity were N-3, N-1 and N-9. A method for separating these alkyladenines is described. 4. Deoxyguanylic acid sodium salt was alkylated at N-7 by propylene oxide in neutral aqueous solution. 5. The nature of the side chain in the principal alkylation products was established by mass spectrometry, and the nature of the products is consistent with their formation by the bimolecular reaction mechanism.
Lipoprotein lipase activity in the adipose tissue of rats adapted to controlled feeding schedules
Authors: Reichl D.
Published: August 2015

1. The relationships between nutritional state, lipoprotein lipase activity in epididymal fat-pads, and the concentrations of glucose, insulin and unesterified fatty acids in the plasma were studied in rats that had been adapted for 3 weeks to one of two controlled feeding schedules. In one of these, rats had access to food for 14h during each 24h period, and in the other, they had access to food for 14h during each 48h period. Groups of animals were killed at different times during the 14h when they had access to food and during the following period when they were deprived of food. 2. Low lipoprotein lipase activity, low concentrations of plasma glucose and insulin and high concentrations of plasma unesterified fatty acids were found in rats deprived of food for 34h. Feeding resulted in increases in lipoprotein lipase activity and in the concentrations of glucose and insulin in the plasma. Enzyme activity continued to increase during the first 6–9h of the feeding period. 3. After adapted rats had been deprived of food for 12–16h there was a marked and unexpected increase in lipoprotein lipase activity; this occurred even when the rats were kept in an isolated environment. 4. The findings suggest that factors other than the absolute concentrations of insulin and glucose in the blood can exert a considerable influence on lipoprotein lipase activity in the epididymal fat-pad of a rat.
The adaptive behaviour of isoenzyme forms of rat liver alanine amino transferases during development
Authors: Snell Keith , Walker Deryck G.
Published: August 2015

1. The activities of the mitochondrial and cytosol isoenzyme forms of l-alanine–glyoxylate and l-alanine–2-oxoglutarate aminotransferases were determined in rat liver during foetal and neonatal development. 2. The mitochondrial glyoxylate aminotransferase activity begins to develop in late-foetal liver, increases rapidly at birth to a peak during suckling and then decreases at weaning to the adult value. 3. The cytosol glyoxylate aminotransferase and the mitochondrial and cytosol 2-oxoglutarate aminotransferase activities first appear prenatally, increase further after birth and then rise to the adult values during weaning. 4. In foetal liver the mitochondrial glyoxylate aminotransferase and the cytosol 2-oxoglutarate aminotransferase activities are increased after injection in utero of glucagon, dibutyryl cyclic AMP (6-N,2′-O-dibutyryladenosine 3′:5′-cyclic monophosphate) or thyroxine. The cytosol glyoxylate aminotransferase and the mitochondrial 2-oxoglutarate aminotransferase activities are increased after injection in utero of cortisol or thyroxine. 5. After birth the further normal increases in the mitochondrial and cytosol 2-oxoglutarate aminotransferase activities can be hastened by cortisol injection, whereas the increase in cytosol glyoxylate aminotransferase activity requires cortisol treatment together with the intragastric administration of casein. 6. The results are discussed with reference to the metabolic patterns and the changes in regulatory stimuli (hormonal and dietary) that occur during the period of development.
Locations of amino acids in brain slices from the rat. Tetrodotoxin-sensitive release of amino acids
Authors: Benjamin A. M. , Quastel J. H.
Published: August 2015

1. Amino acids, particularly glutamate, γ-aminobutyrate, aspartate and glycine, were released from rat brain slices on incubation with protoveratrine (especially in a Ca2+-deficient medium) or with ouabain or in the absence of glucose. Release was partially or wholly suppressed by tetrodotoxin. 2. Tetrodotoxin did not affect the release of glutamine under various incubation conditions, nor did protoveratrine accelerate it. 3. Protoveratrine caused an increased rate of formation of glutamine in incubated brain slices. 4. Increased K+ in the incubation medium caused release of γ-aminobutyrate, the process being partly suppressed by tetrodotoxin. 5. Incubation of brain slices in a glucose-free medium led to increased production of aspartate and to diminished tissue contents of glutamates, glutamine and glycine. 6. Use of tetrodotoxin to suppress the release of amino acids from neurons in slices caused by the joint action of protoveratrine and ouabain (the latter being added to diminish reuptake of amino acids), it was shown that the major pools of glutamate, aspartate, glycine, serine and probably γ-aminobutyrate are in the neurons. 7. The major pool of glutamine lies not in the neurons but in the glia. 8. The tricarboxylic cycle inhibitors, fluoroacetate and malonate, exerted different effects on amino acid contents in, and on amino acid release from, brain slices incubated in the presence of protoveratrine. Fluoroacetate (3mm) diminished the content of glutamine, increased that of glutamate and γ-aminobutyrate and did not affect respiration. Malonate (2mm) diminished aspartate and γ-aminobutyrate content, suppressed respiration and did not affect glutamine content. It is suggested that malonate acts mainly on the neurons, and that fluoroacetate acts mainly on the glia, at the concentrations quoted. 9. Glutamine was more effective than glutamate as a precursor of γ-aminobutyrate. 10. It is suggested that glutamate released from neurons is partly taken up by glia and converted there into glutamine. This is returned to the neurons where it is hydrolysed and converted into glutamate and γ-aminobutyrate.
Purification and properties of the ribonucleic acid-dependent ribonucleic acid polymerase from Halobacterium cutirubrum
Authors: Louis B. Gregory , Fitt P. S.
Published: August 2015

1. The RNA-dependent RNA polymerase from Halobacterium cutirubrum was purified to electrophoretic homogeneity. 2. It requires a single-stranded molecule of RNA or polyribonucleotide as template. 3. Nearest-neighbour analyses of the products formed on random poly(A,U) or alternating poly(A-U) templates and base analysis of the product of synthesis directed by wheat-germ RNA prove that the template is copied accurately. 4. The enzyme initiates new chains with purine ribonucleoside triphosphates. 5. Sucrose-density-gradient analysis of the product indicates that it has a size distribution similar to that of the template. 6. Preliminary amino acid analysis of the RNA-dependent polymerase shows that it contains much less serine than either of the subunits of H. cutirubrum DNA-dependent RNA polymerase. 7. The RNA-dependent enzyme is unable to substitute for either subunit of the DNA-dependent polymerase, and both the latter are devoid of RNA-dependent activity.
Inhibition of monoamine oxidase by substituted hydrazines
Authors: Tipton Keith F.
Published: August 2015

1. The initial rate of inhibition of monoamine oxidase by phenethylhydrazine was shown to be similar, in pH-dependence and kinetic properties, to the oxidation of that compound by monoamine oxidase. 2. The time-course of irreversible inhibition of monoamine oxidase by phenethylhydrazine lags behind that of reversible inhibition. 3. Hydralzine was shown to be a reversible competitive inhibitor of monoamine oxidase, but phenylhydrazine is an irreversible inhibitor. Inhibition by the latter compound is not affected by the absence of oxygen, and the presence of substrate exerts no protective action. 4. Hydrazine does not inhibit monoamine oxidase unless a substrate and oxygen are present. 5. Phenethylidenehydrazine was found to be a time-dependent inhibitor of monoamine oxidase and the rate of inhibition was hindered by increasing oxygen concentration. 6. A mechanism for the inhibition of the enzyme by phenethylhydrazine is proposed in which the product of oxidation of this compound is a potent reversible inhibitor and an irreversible inhibitor of the enzyme. A computer simulation of such a mechanism predicts time-courses of inhibition that are in reasonable agreement with those observed experimentally.
The purification and properties of the C1 component of Trichoderma koningii cellulase
Authors: Wood T. M. , McCrae S I.
Published: August 2015

1. The C1 component that was isolated from a Trichoderma koningii cellulase preparation (Wood, 1968) by chromatography on DEAE-Sephadex with a salt gradient was still associated with a trace of CM-cellulase activity (determined by reducing-sugar and viscometric methods). 2. Further chromatography on DEAE-Sephadex, with a pH gradient instead of a salt gradient, provided a C1 component that could still produce reducing sugars from a solution of CM-cellulose (to a very limited extent), but which could no longer decrease the viscosity (i.e. under the assay conditions employed). 3. No evidence for the non-identity of C1 component and the trace of CM-cellulase activity could be found when electrofocusing was done in a stabilized pH gradient covering three pH units (pH3–6) or, alternatively, only 0.5 pH unit (pH3.72–4.25). 4. The two protein peaks that were separated by electrofocusing in carrier ampholytes covering only 0.5 pH unit (isoelectric pH values of 3.80 and 3.95) were shown to be isoenzymes of the C1 component: they differed in the extent to which they were associated with carbohydrate (9% and 33%). 5. The purified C1 component had little ability to attack CM-cellulose or highly ordered forms of cellulose, but degraded phosphoric acid-swollen cellulose readily: cellobiose was the principal product of the hydrolysis (97%). 6. Dewaxed cotton fibre was degraded to the extent of 15% when exposed to high concentrations of C1 component over a prolonged period: cellobiose was again the principal sugar present in the supernatant (96%). 7. Cellotetraose and cellohexaose were hydrolysed almost exclusively to cellobiose. 8. Evidence indicates that the C1 component is a β-1,4-glucan cellobiosylhydrolase.
The role of oxygen limitation in the formation of poly-β-hydroxybutyrate during batch and continuous culture of Azotobacter beijerinckii
Authors: Senior P. J. , Beech G. A. , Ritchie G. A. F. , Dawes E. A.
Published: August 2015

Azotobacter beijerinckii was grown in ammonia-free glucose–mineral salts media in batch culture and in chemostat cultures limited by the supply of glucose, oxygen or molecular nitrogen. In batch culture poly-β-hydroxybutyrate was formed towards the end of exponential growth and accumulated to about 74% of the cell dry weight. In chemostat cultures little poly-β-hydroxybutyrate accumulated in organisms that were nitrogen-limited, but when oxygen limited a much increased yield of cells per mol of glucose was observed, and the organisms contained up to 50% of their dry weight of poly-β-hydroxybutyrate. In carbon-limited cultures (D, the dilution rate,=0.035–0.240h−1), the growth yield ranged from 13.1 to 19.8g/mol of glucose and the poly-β-hydroxybutyrate content did not exceed 3.0% of the dry weight. In oxygen-limited cultures (D=0.049–0.252h−1) the growth yield ranged from 48.4 to 70.1g/mol of glucose and the poly-β-hydroxybutyrate content was between 19.6 and 44.6% of dry weight. In nitrogen-limited cultures (D=0.053–0.255h−1) the growth yield ranged from 7.45 to 19.9g/mol of glucose and the poly-β-hydroxybutyrate content was less than 1.5% of dry weight. The sudden imposition of oxygen limitation on a nitrogen-limited chemostat culture produced a rapid increase in poly-β-hydroxybutyrate content and cell yield. Determinations on chemostat cultures revealed that during oxygen-limited steady states (D=0.1h−1) the oxygen uptake decreased to 100μl h−1 per mg dry wt. compared with 675 for a glucose-limited culture (D=0.1h−1). Nitrogen-limited cultures had CO2 production values in situ ranging from 660 to 1055μl h−1 per mg dry wt. at growth rates of 0.053–0.234h−1 and carbon-limited cultures exhibited a variation of CO2 production between 185 and 1328μl h−1 per mg dry wt. at growth rates between 0.035 and 0.240h−1. These findings are discussed in relation to poly-β-hydroxybutyrate formation, growth efficiency and growth yield during growth on glucose. We suggest that poly-β-hydroxybutyrate is produced in response to oxygen limitation and represents not only a store of carbon and energy but also an electron sink into which excess of reducing power can be channelled.