Occurrence of -Amino Acids and a Pyridoxal 5′-Phosphate-Dependent Aspartate Racemase in the Acidothermophilic Archaeon, Thermoplasma acidophilum

2001 ◽  
Vol 281 (2) ◽  
pp. 317-321 ◽  
Author(s):  
Zhiqun Long ◽  
Jen-Ai Lee ◽  
Taizo Okamoto ◽  
Masae Sekine ◽  
Noriyuki Nimura ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Amino Acids ◽  
Thermoplasma Acidophilum ◽  
Aspartate Racemase

scholarly journals D-Fining DarR, a LysR-Type Transcriptional Regulator That Responds to D-Aspartate

2018 ◽  
Vol 200 (15) ◽  
Author(s):  
Mark J. Mandel
Keyword(s):  
Amino Acids ◽  
Vibrio Fischeri ◽  
Transcriptional Regulator ◽  
Content Type ◽  
Sensing System ◽  
Aspartate Racemase ◽  
Critical Components

ABSTRACT Work by Jones et al. (R. M. Jones, Jr., D. L. Popham, A. L. Schmidt, E. L. Neidle, and E. V. Stabb, J Bacteriol 200:e00773-17, 2018, https://doi.org/10.1128/JB.00773-17) describes a d-aspartate-sensing system in proteobacteria. d-Amino acids are critical components of peptidoglycan and other structures. The new study identifies the LysR-type transcriptional regulator DarR, which activates the aspartate racemase RacD. The overexpression of RacD enables it to synthesize d-glutamate and restore normal peptidoglycan in a Vibrio fischeri murI mutant. This study contributes to the understanding of emerging roles for d-amino acids and how they are synthesized under distinct conditions.

scholarly journals Occurrence of Free d-Amino Acids and Aspartate Racemases in Hyperthermophilic Archaea

1999 ◽  
Vol 181 (20) ◽  
pp. 6560-6563 ◽  
Author(s):  
Megumi Matsumoto ◽  
Hiroshi Homma ◽  
Zhiqun Long ◽  
Kazuhiro Imai ◽  
Toshii Iida ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Amino Acids ◽  
Aspartic Acid ◽  
Hyperthermophilic Archaea ◽  
Homologous Genes ◽  
Aspartate Racemase ◽  
Crude Extracts ◽  
By Products

ABSTRACT The occurrence of free d-amino acids and aspartate racemases in several hyperthermophilic archaea was investigated. Aspartic acid in all the hyperthermophilic archaea was highly racemized. The ratio of d-aspartic acid to total aspartic acid was in the range of 43.0 to 49.1%. The crude extracts of the hyperthermophiles exhibited aspartate racemase activity at 70°C, and aspartate racemase homologous genes in them were identified by PCR.d-Enantiomers of other amino acids (alanine, leucine, phenylalanine, and lysine) in Thermococcus strains were also detected. Some of them might be by-products of aspartate racemase. It is proven that d-amino acids are produced in some hyperthermophilic archaea, although their function is unknown.

scholarly journals Cephalopod vision involves dicarboxylic amino acids: D-aspartate, L-aspartate and L-glutamate

2005 ◽  
Vol 386 (2) ◽  
pp. 331-340 ◽  
Author(s):  
Salvatore D'ANIELLO ◽  
Patrizia SPINELLI ◽  
Gabriele FERRANDINO ◽  
Kevin PETERSON ◽  
Mara TSESARSKIA ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Amino Acids ◽  
Octopus Vulgaris ◽  
Sepia Officinalis ◽  
Optic Lobes ◽  
Loligo Vulgaris ◽  
Aspartate Racemase ◽  
High Concentrations

In the present study, we report the finding of high concentrations of D-Asp (D-aspartate) in the retina of the cephalopods Sepia officinalis, Loligo vulgaris and Octopus vulgaris. D-Asp increases in concentration in the retina and optic lobes as the animal develops. In neonatal S. officinalis, the concentration of D-Asp in the retina is 1.8±0.2 μmol/g of tissue, and in the optic lobes it is 5.5±0.4 μmol/g of tissue. In adult animals, D-Asp is found at a concentration of 3.5±0.4 μmol/g in retina and 16.2±1.5 μmol/g in optic lobes (1.9-fold increased in the retina, and 2.9-fold increased in the optic lobes). In the retina and optic lobes of S. officinalis, the concentration of D-Asp, L-Asp (L-aspartate) and L-Glu (L-glutamate) is significantly influenced by the light/dark environment. In adult animals left in the dark, these three amino acids fall significantly in concentration in both retina (approx. 25% less) and optic lobes (approx. 20% less) compared with the control animals (animals left in a diurnal/nocturnal physiological cycle). The reduction in concentration is in all cases statistically significant (P=0.01–0.05). Experiments conducted in S. officinalis by using D-[2,3-3H]Asp have shown that D-Asp is synthesized in the optic lobes and is then transported actively into the retina. D-aspartate racemase, an enzyme which converts L-Asp into D-Asp, is also present in these tissues, and it is significantly decreased in concentration in animals left for 5 days in the dark compared with control animals. Our hypothesis is that the dicarboxylic amino acids, D-Asp, L-Asp and L-Glu, play important roles in vision.

Homochirality as the Signature of Extra-Terrestrial Life

1997 ◽  
Vol 161 ◽  
pp. 505-510
Author(s):  
Alexandra J. MacDermott ◽  
Laurence D. Barron ◽  
Andrè Brack ◽  
Thomas Buhse ◽  
John R. Cronin ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Amino Acids ◽  
Protein Synthesis ◽  
Optical Rotation ◽  
Physical Origin ◽  
Natural Choice ◽  
Rosetta Mission ◽  
Terrestrial Life ◽  
Subsurface Layers ◽  
Solar System Bodies ◽  
Origin Of Homochirality

AbstractThe most characteristic hallmark of life is its homochirality: all biomolecules are usually of one hand, e.g. on Earth life uses only L-amino acids for protein synthesis and not their D mirror images. We therefore suggest that a search for extra-terrestrial life can be approached as a Search for Extra- Terrestrial Homochirality (SETH). The natural choice for a SETH instrument is optical rotation, and we describe a novel miniaturized space polarimeter, called the SETH Cigar, which could be used to detect optical rotation as the homochiral signature of life on other planets. Moving parts are avoided by replacing the normal rotating polarizer by multiple fixed polarizers at different angles as in the eye of the bee. We believe that homochirality may be found in the subsurface layers on Mars as a relic of extinct life, and on other solar system bodies as a sign of advanced pre-biotic chemistry. We discuss the chiral GC-MS planned for the Roland lander of the Rosetta mission to a comet and conclude with theories of the physical origin of homochirality.

Hydrogen Cyanide Polymers from the Impact of Comet P/Shoemaker-Levy 9 on Jupiter

1997 ◽  
Vol 161 ◽  
pp. 179-187
Author(s):  
Clifford N. Matthews ◽  
Rose A. Pesce-Rodriguez ◽  
Shirley A. Liebman
Keyword(s):  
Amino Acids ◽  
Solar System ◽  
Hydrogen Cyanide ◽  
Nitrogen Heterocycles ◽  
Laboratory Studies ◽  
Heterogeneous Solids ◽  
The Many ◽  
Comet Halley ◽  
The Impact ◽  
By Products

AbstractHydrogen cyanide polymers – heterogeneous solids ranging in color from yellow to orange to brown to black – may be among the organic macromolecules most readily formed within the Solar System. The non-volatile black crust of comet Halley, for example, as well as the extensive orangebrown streaks in the atmosphere of Jupiter, might consist largely of such polymers synthesized from HCN formed by photolysis of methane and ammonia, the color observed depending on the concentration of HCN involved. Laboratory studies of these ubiquitous compounds point to the presence of polyamidine structures synthesized directly from hydrogen cyanide. These would be converted by water to polypeptides which can be further hydrolyzed to α-amino acids. Black polymers and multimers with conjugated ladder structures derived from HCN could also be formed and might well be the source of the many nitrogen heterocycles, adenine included, observed after pyrolysis. The dark brown color arising from the impacts of comet P/Shoemaker-Levy 9 on Jupiter might therefore be mainly caused by the presence of HCN polymers, whether originally present, deposited by the impactor or synthesized directly from HCN. Spectroscopic detection of these predicted macromolecules and their hydrolytic and pyrolytic by-products would strengthen significantly the hypothesis that cyanide polymerization is a preferred pathway for prebiotic and extraterrestrial chemistry.

Methionine-Specific Staining of Collagen

1982 ◽  
Vol 40 ◽  
pp. 294-295
Author(s):  
E.M. Kuhn ◽  
K.D. Marenus ◽  
M. Beer
Keyword(s):  
Amino Acids ◽  
Collagen Fibers ◽  
Type Iii Collagen ◽  
Type I ◽  
Electron Microscopic ◽  
Good Correspondence ◽  
Specific Staining ◽  
Type Iii ◽  
Different Types ◽  
Sulfur Containing

Fibers composed of different types of collagen cannot be differentiated by conventional electron microscopic stains. We are developing staining procedures aimed at identifying collagen fibers of different types.Pt(Gly-L-Met)Cl binds specifically to sulfur-containing amino acids. Different collagens have methionine (met) residues at somewhat different positions. A good correspondence has been reported between known met positions and Pt(GLM) bands in rat Type I SLS (collagen aggregates in which molecules lie adjacent to each other in exact register). We have confirmed this relationship in Type III collagen SLS (Fig. 1).

Prevalence of the pit and antipit in the genus Glycine

1987 ◽  
Vol 45 ◽  
pp. 986-987
Author(s):  
R. W. Yaklich ◽  
E. L. Vigil ◽  
W. P. Wergin
Keyword(s):  
Amino Acids ◽  
Endoplasmic Reticulum ◽  
Glycine Max ◽  
Seed Coat ◽  
Cell Types ◽  
Abaxial Surface ◽  
Legume Seed ◽  
Initial Report ◽  
Cone Cells ◽  
Glycine Max L

The legume seed coat is the site of sucrose unloading and the metabolism of imported ureides and synthesis of amino acids for the developing embryo. The cell types directly responsible for these functions in the seed coat are not known. We recently described a convex layer of tissue on the inside surface of the soybean (Glycine max L. Merr.) seed coat that was termed “antipit” because it was in direct opposition to the concave pit on the abaxial surface of the cotyledon. Cone cells of the antipit contained numerous hypertrophied Golgi apparatus and laminated rough endoplasmic reticulum common to actively secreting cells. The initial report by Dzikowski (1936) described the morphology of the pit and antipit in G. max and found these structures in only 68 of the 169 seed accessions examined.

Imaging polymers, proteins and dna in aqueous solutions with the atomic force microscope

1989 ◽  
Vol 47 ◽  
pp. 32-33
Author(s):  
S.A.C. Gould ◽  
B. Drake ◽  
C.B. Prater ◽  
A.L. Weisenhorn ◽  
S.M. Lindsay ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Amino Acids ◽  
Dna Sequencing ◽  
Aqueous Solutions ◽  
Atomic Force Microscope ◽  
Piezoelectric Crystal ◽  
Atomic Force ◽  
Structure Of Molecules ◽  
Optical Lever

The atomic force microscope (AFM) is an instrument that can be used to image many samples of interest in biology and medicine. Images of polymerized amino acids, polyalanine and polyphenylalanine demonstrate the potential of the AFM for revealing the structure of molecules. Images of the protein fibrinogen which agree with TEM images demonstrate that the AFM can provide topographical data on larger molecules. Finally, images of DNA suggest the AFM may soon provide an easier and faster technique for DNA sequencing.The AFM consists of a microfabricated SiO2 triangular shaped cantilever with a diamond tip affixed at the elbow to act as a probe. The sample is mounted on a electronically driven piezoelectric crystal. It is then placed in contact with the tip and scanned. The topography of the surface causes minute deflections in the 100 μm long cantilever which are detected using an optical lever.

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