scholarly journals Identification of phospholipase B from Dictyostelium discoideum reveals a new lipase family present in mammals, flies and nematodes, but not yeast

2004 ◽  
Vol 382 (2) ◽  
pp. 441-449 ◽  
Author(s):  
Clive P. MORGAN ◽  
Robert INSALL ◽  
Lee HAYNES ◽  
Shamshad COCKCROFT

The social amoeba Dictyostelium discoideum exhibits high activities of phospholipase and lysophospholipase [Ferber, Munder, Fischer and Gerisch (1970) Eur. J. Biochem. 14, 253–257]. We assayed Dictyostelium lysates to demonstrate the presence of a highly active phospholipase B (PLB) enzyme that removed both fatty-acid chains from phosphatidylcholine and produced the water-soluble glycerophosphorylcholine. We purified the PLB activity from Dictyostelium cytosol using standard agarose media (size exclusion and ion exchange), and combined this with an affinity purification step using myristoylated ARF1 (ADP-ribosylation factor 1), a protein which has a single fatty acid at its N-terminus. Two proteins co-purified (48 kDa and 65 kDa), and the 48 kDa protein was digested with trypsin, peptide fragments were separated by reverse-phase chromatography, and the resultant peptides were sequenced by Edman degradation. From the peptide sequences obtained, database searches revealed a gene which encodes a protein of 65 kDa with unknown function. The 48 kDa protein therefore appears to be a fragment of the full-length 65 kDa product. Expression of the gene in Escherichia coli confirmed that it encodes a PLB. Characterization of its substrate specificity indicated that, in addition to phosphatidylcholine deacylation, the enzyme also hydrolysed phosphatidylinositol and phosphatidylethanolamine. The PLB identified in the present study is not related to existing PLBs found in bacteria, fungi or mammals. There are, however, genes similar to Dictyostelium PLB in mammals, flies, worms and Giardia, but not in yeast. We therefore have identified a novel family of intracellular PLBs.

2000 ◽  
Vol 347 (2) ◽  
pp. 431-439 ◽  
Author(s):  
Sharon C. A. CHEN ◽  
Lesley C. WRIGHT ◽  
John C GOLDING ◽  
Tania C. SORRELL

Infection caused by the fungus Cryptococcus neoformans is potentially fatal. A highly active extracellular phospholipase, demonstrating phospholipase B (PLB), lysophospholipase (LPL) and lysophospholipase/transacylase (LPTA) activities, was purified to homogeneity from C. neoformans using (NH4)2SO4 fractionation, and hydrophobic-interaction, anion-exchange and gel-filtration chromatography. All three enzyme activities co-purified as a single protein with an apparent molecular mass of 70-90 kDa by SDS/PAGE and 160-180 kDa by gel filtration. The ratio of the three activities remained constant after each purification step. The amino acid composition, as well as the sequences of the N-terminus and of five internal peptide fragments were novel. The protein was an acidic glycoprotein containing N-linked carbohydrate moieties, with pI values of 5.5 and 3.5. The apparent Vmax values for PLB and LPL activities were 12.3 and 870 μmol/min per mg of protein respectively; the corresponding Km values were approx. 185.3 and 92.2 μM. The enzyme was active only at acidic pH (pH optimum of 4.0 for PLB and 4.0-5.0 for LPL and LPTA). Enzyme activity did not require added cations, but was inhibited by Fe3+. LPL and LPTA activities were decreased by 0.1% (v/v) Triton X-100 to 50% of the control value. Palmitoylcarnitine (0.5 mM) inhibited PLB (97% inhibition) and LPL and LPTA activities (35% inhibition) competitively. All phospholipids except phosphatidic acid were degraded by PLB, but dipalmitoyl phosphatidylcholine and dioleoyl phosphatidylcholine were the preferred substrates. This is the first complete description of the purification and properties of a phospholipase, which may be involved in virulence, from a pathogenic fungus.


2020 ◽  
Author(s):  
M Wee ◽  
M Mastrangelo ◽  
Susan Carnachan ◽  
Ian Sims ◽  
K Goh

A shear-thickening water-soluble polysaccharide was purified from mucilage extracted from the fronds of the New Zealand black tree fern (Cyathea medullaris or 'mamaku' in Māori) and its structure characterised. Constituent sugar analysis by three complementary methods, combined with linkage analysis (of carboxyl reduced samples) and 1H and 13C nuclear magnetic resonance spectroscopy (NMR) revealed a glucuronomannan comprising a backbone of 4-linked methylesterified glucopyranosyl uronic acid and 2-linked mannopyranosyl residues, branched at O-3 of 45% and at both O-3 and O-4 of 53% of the mannopyranosyl residues with side chains likely comprising terminal xylopyranosyl, terminal galactopyranosyl, non-methylesterified terminal glucopyranosyl uronic acid and 3-linked glucopyranosyl uronic acid residues. The weight-average molecular weight of the purified polysaccharide was ~1.9×106Da as determined by size-exclusion chromatography coupled with multi-angle laser light scattering (SEC-MALLS). The distinctive rheological properties of this polysaccharide are discussed in relation to its structure. © 2014 Elsevier B.V.


PLoS ONE ◽  
2012 ◽  
Vol 7 (9) ◽  
pp. e46150 ◽  
Author(s):  
Clea Scala ◽  
Xiangjun Tian ◽  
Natasha J. Mehdiabadi ◽  
Margaret H. Smith ◽  
Gerda Saxer ◽  
...  

2021 ◽  
Vol 11 (1) ◽  
Author(s):  
Sam Wong ◽  
Simone Alidori ◽  
Barbara P. Mello ◽  
Bryan Aristega Almeida ◽  
David Ulmert ◽  
...  

AbstractCellulose nanocrystals (CNC) are linear organic nanomaterials derived from an abundant naturally occurring biopolymer resource. Strategic modification of the primary and secondary hydroxyl groups on the CNC introduces amine and iodine group substitution, respectively. The amine groups (0.285 mmol of amine per gram of functionalized CNC (fCNC)) are further reacted with radiometal loaded-chelates or fluorescent dyes as tracers to evaluate the pharmacokinetic profile of the fCNC in vivo. In this way, these nanoscale macromolecules can be covalently functionalized and yield water-soluble and biocompatible fibrillar nanoplatforms for gene, drug and radionuclide delivery in vivo. Transmission electron microscopy of fCNC reveals a length of 162.4 ± 16.3 nm, diameter of 11.2 ± 1.52 nm and aspect ratio of 16.4 ± 1.94 per particle (mean ± SEM) and is confirmed using atomic force microscopy. Size exclusion chromatography of macromolecular fCNC describes a fibrillar molecular behavior as evidenced by retention times typical of late eluting small molecules and functionalized carbon nanotubes. In vivo, greater than 50% of intravenously injected radiolabeled fCNC is excreted in the urine within 1 h post administration and is consistent with the pharmacological profile observed for other rigid, high aspect ratio macromolecules. Tissue distribution of fCNC shows accumulation in kidneys, liver, and spleen (14.6 ± 6.0; 6.1 ± 2.6; and 7.7 ± 1.4% of the injected activity per gram of tissue, respectively) at 72 h post-administration. Confocal fluorescence microscopy reveals cell-specific accumulation in these target tissue sinks. In summary, our findings suggest that functionalized nanocellulose can be used as a potential drug delivery platform for the kidneys.


Polymers ◽  
2019 ◽  
Vol 11 (12) ◽  
pp. 1915 ◽  
Author(s):  
Eyob Wondu ◽  
Hyun Woo Oh ◽  
Jooheon Kim

In this study water-soluble polyurethane (WSPU) was synthesized from isophorone diisocyanate (IPDI), and polyethylene glycol (PEG), 2-bis(hydroxymethyl) propionic acid or dimethylolpropionic acid (DMPA), butane-1,4-diol (BD), and triethylamine (TEA) using an acetone process. The water solubility was investigated by solubilizing the polymer in water and measuring the contact angle and the results indicated that water solubility and contact angle tendency were increased as the molecular weight of the soft segment decreased, the amount of emulsifier was increased, and soft segment to hard segment ratio was lower. The contact angle of samples without emulsifier was greater than 87°, while that of with emulsifier was less than 67°, indicating a shift from highly hydrophobic to hydrophilic. The WSPU was also analyzed using Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy (FT-IR) to identify the absorption of functional groups and further checked by X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy (XPS). The molecular weight of WSPU was measured using size-exclusion chromatography (SEC). The structure of the WSPU was confirmed by nuclear magnetic resonance spectroscopy (NMR). The thermal properties of WSPU were analyzed using thermogravimetric analysis (TGA), and differential scanning calorimetry (DSC).


2006 ◽  
Vol 2 (9) ◽  
pp. 494-502 ◽  
Author(s):  
Michael B Austin ◽  
Tamao Saito ◽  
Marianne E Bowman ◽  
Stephen Haydock ◽  
Atsushi Kato ◽  
...  

1989 ◽  
Vol 9 (10) ◽  
pp. 4576-4580
Author(s):  
S Tomavo ◽  
R T Schwarz ◽  
J F Dubremetz

The four major surface antigens of Toxoplasma gondii tachyzoites (P43, P35, P30, and P22) were made water soluble by phosphatidylinositol-specific phospholipase C (PI-PLC). These antigens were biosynthetically labeled with 3H-fatty acids, [3H]ethanolamine, and [3H]carbohydrates. Treatment of 3H-fatty-acid-labeled parasite lysates with PI-PLC removed the radioactive label from these antigens. A cross-reacting determinant was exposed on these antigens after PI-PLC treatment.


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