Adenine salvage enzymes and intracellular nucleotide triphosphate content in Physarum flavicomum amoebae during growth and development

1989 ◽  
Vol 35 (5) ◽  
pp. 554-558 ◽  
Author(s):  
Arunthathi Cumaraswamy ◽  
Henry R. Henney Jr.

The specific activity of adenine phosphoribosyltransferase (APRT) (EC 2.4.2.7) and adenosine phosphorylase (EC 2.4.2.-), two enzymes involved in the utilization of exogenous adenine, was measured in extracts of myxamoebae-swarm cells of Physarum flavicomum undergoing growth, microcyst formation (control), and during adenine inhibition of encystment. Both enzymes showed a higher specific activity in adenine-inhibited cells (AIC) compared to normal control (NC) or growing cells (GC). These experiments revealed that the specific activity of APRT was 7.1-, 5.3-, and 1.7-fold higher than that of adenosine phosphorylase in AIC, GC, and NC, respectively. This suggests a predominant role for the enzyme APRT in the salvage of adenine in this organism. The major route for the utilization of adenine thus seems to be by its direct conversion to AMP rather than via its riboside adenosine. HPLC analysis of the ribonucleotide triphosphates in cell extracts of GC, NC, and AIC revealed a 2.6- and a 3.3-fold increase in the ATP and GTP content, respectively, in the AIC compared with the NC cells. The ATP content in the GC was higher by a factor of 2.2 compared with the NC cells, while the GTP content in the GC was only 0.6 times that in the NC cells. UTP levels in AIC and GC were 1.3- and 1.4-fold higher than in the NC cells. In contrast, the CTP level in AIC was lower than in NC cells and was not detectable in the growing cells.Key words: adenine phosphoribosyltransferase, ATP, GTP, amoebae, Physarum.

2010 ◽  
Vol 192 (13) ◽  
pp. 3304-3310 ◽  
Author(s):  
Yuchen Liu ◽  
Robert H. White ◽  
William B. Whitman

ABSTRACT The pathway of lysine biosynthesis in the methanococci has not been identified previously. A variant of the diaminopimelic acid (DAP) pathway uses diaminopimelate aminotransferase (DapL) to catalyze the direct conversion of tetrahydrodipicolinate (THDPA) to ll-DAP. Recently, the enzyme DapL (MTH52) was identified in Methanothermobacter thermautotrophicus and shown to belong to the DapL1 group. Although the Methanococcus maripaludis genome lacks a gene that can be unambiguously assigned a DapL function based on sequence similarity, the open reading frame MMP1527 product shares 30% amino acid sequence identity with MTH52. A Δmmp1527 deletion mutant was constructed and found to be a lysine auxotroph, suggesting that this DapL homolog in methanococci is required for lysine biosynthesis. In cell extracts of the M. maripaludis wild-type strain, the specific activity of DapL using ll-DAP and α-ketoglutarate as substrates was 24.3 ± 2.0 nmol min−1 mg of protein−1. The gene encoding the DapL homolog in Methanocaldococcus jannaschii (MJ1391) was cloned and expressed in Escherichia coli, and the protein was purified. The maximum activity of MJ1391 was observed at 70°C and pH 8.0 to 9.0. The apparent Km s of MJ1391 for ll-DAP and α-ketoglutarate were 82.8 ± 10 μM and 0.42 ± 0.02 mM, respectively. MJ1391 was not able to use succinyl-DAP or acetyl-DAP as a substrate. Phylogenetic analyses suggested that two lateral gene transfers occurred in the DapL genes, one from the archaea to the bacteria in the DapL2 group and one from the bacteria to the archaea in the DapL1 group. These results demonstrated that the DapL pathway is present in marine methanogens belonging to the Methanococcales.


1984 ◽  
Vol 62 (2-3) ◽  
pp. 143-149 ◽  
Author(s):  
L. F. Congote

The effect of sheep plasma erythropoietin preparations on the incorporation of [5-3H]uridine into erythroid cells has been studied using cells of fetal calf liver cultured in serum-free medium. The cells were incubated for 20 h with the hormone, followed by a 1-h incubation with [3H]uridine. Erythropoietin caused a 2.5-fold increase in the incorporation of uridine into cold trichloroacetic-acid-insoluble cell extracts and a 70% increase in the incorporation of uridine into the cold acid-soluble cell extracts. The phosphorylated metabolites of labeled uridine present in the cold acid-soluble fraction were analyzed by anion-exchange high performance liquid chromatography (HPLC). Erythropoietin increased the amounts of labeled UDP and UTP per cell. However, the specific activity of UTP and the labeled amounts of UDP-glucose in erythropoietin-treated cells were not significantly different from those in control cell cultures. After chromatography of the crude erythropoietin preparations on reversed-phase and gel-permeation HPLC, there was a perfect coincidence of the fractions stimulating uridine incorporation into acid-soluble and acid-insoluble cell extracts. The protein fractions from crude erythropoetin which stimulated uridine incorporation after purification by reversed-phased HPLC were also able to stimulate globin chain synthesis in fetal calf liver cells. These experiments suggest that the multiple effects on uridine metabolism described above are due to erythropoietin, rather than other proteins contaminating the crude hormone preparations.


1993 ◽  
Vol 4 (1) ◽  
pp. 79-92 ◽  
Author(s):  
L Connell-Crowley ◽  
M J Solomon ◽  
N Wei ◽  
J W Harper

p33cdk2 is a serine-threonine protein kinase that associates with cyclins A, D, and E and has been implicated in the control of the G1/S transition in mammalian cells. Recent evidence indicates that cyclin-dependent kinase 2 (Cdk2), like its homolog Cdc2, requires cyclin binding and phosphorylation (of threonine-160) for activation in vivo. However, the extent to which mechanistic details of the activation process are conserved between Cdc2 and Cdk2 is unknown. We have developed bacterial expression and purification systems for Cdk2 and cyclin A that allow mechanistic studies of the activation process to be performed in the absence of cell extracts. Recombinant Cdk2 is essentially inactive as a histone H1 kinase (< 4 x 10(-5) pmol phosphate transferred.min-1 x microgram-1 Cdk2). However, in the presence of equimolar cyclin A, the specific activity is approximately 16 pmol.mon-1 x microgram-1, 4 x 10(5)-fold higher than Cdk2 alone. Mutation of T160 in Cdk2 to either alanine or glutamic acid had little impact on the specific activity of the Cdk2/cyclin A complex: the activity of Cdk2T160E was indistinguishable from Cdk2, whereas that of Cdk2T160A was reduced by five-fold. To determine if the Cdk2/cyclin A complex could be activated further by phosphorylation of T160, complexes were treated with Cdc2 activating kinase (CAK), purified approximately 12,000-fold from Xenopus eggs. This treatment resulted in an 80-fold increase in specific activity. This specific activity is comparable with that of the Cdc2/cyclin B complex after complete activation by CAK (approximately 1600 pmol.mon-1 x microgram-1). Neither Cdk2T160A/cyclin A nor Cdk2T160E/cyclin A complexes were activated further by treatment with CAK. In striking contrast with cyclin A, cyclin B did not directly activate Cdk2. However, both Cdk2/cyclin A and Cdk2/cyclin B complexes display similar activity after activation by CAK. For the Cdk2/cyclin A complex, both cyclin binding and phosphorylation contribute significantly to activation, although the energetic contribution of cyclin A binding is greater than that of T160 phosphorylation by approximately 5 kcal/mol. The potential significance of direct activation of Cdk2 by cyclins with respect to regulation of cell cycle progression is discussed.


1970 ◽  
Vol 24 (1) ◽  
pp. 38-41
Author(s):  
Taslima Taher Lina ◽  
Mohammad Ilias

The in vivo production of soluble inorganic pyrophosphatases (PPases) was investigated in two strains, namely, Vibrio cholerae EM 004 (environmental strain) and Vibrio cholerae O1 757 (ATCC strain). V. cholerae is known to contain both family I and family II PPase coding sequences. The production of family I and family II PPases were determined by measuring the enzyme activity in cell extracts. The effects of pH, temperature, salinity of the growth medium on the production of soluble PPases were studied. In case of family I PPase, V. cholerae EM 004 gave the highest specific activity at pH 9.0, with 2% NaCl + 0.011% NaF and at 37°C. The strain V. cholerae O1 757 gave the highest specific activity at pH 9.0, with media containing 0% NaCl and at 37°C. On the other hand, under all the conditions family II PPase did not give any significant specific activity, suggesting that the family II PPase was not produced in vivo in either strains of V. cholerae under different experimental conditions. Keywords: Vibrio cholerae, Pyrophosphatases (PPases), Specific activityDOI: http://dx.doi.org/10.3329/bjm.v24i1.1235 Bangladesh J Microbiol, Volume 24, Number 1, June 2007, pp 38-41


1970 ◽  
Vol 1 ◽  
pp. 6-10 ◽  
Author(s):  
Bidur Dhungel ◽  
Manoj Subedi ◽  
Kiran Babu Tiwari ◽  
Upendra Thapa Shrestha ◽  
Subarna Pokhrel ◽  
...  

Glucose isomerase (EC 5.3.1.5) was extracted from Streptomyces spp., isolated from Mt. Everest soil sample, and purified by ammonium sulfate fractionation and Sepharose-4B chromatography. A 7.1 fold increase in specific activity of the purified enzyme over crude was observed. Using glucose as substrate, the Michaelis constant (KM<) and maximal velocity (Vmax) were found to be 0.45M and 0.18U/mg. respectively. The optimum substrate (glucose) concentration, optimum enzyme concentration, optimum pH, optimum temperature, and optimum reaction time were 0.6M, 62.14μg/100μl, 6.9, 70ºC, and 30 minutes, respectively. Optimum concentrations of Mg2+ and Co2+ were 5mM and 0.5mM, respectively. The enzyme was thermostable with half-life 30 minutes at 100ºC.DOI: 10.3126/ijls.v1i0.2300 Int J Life Sci 1 : 6-10


1988 ◽  
Vol 8 (10) ◽  
pp. 4169-4173
Author(s):  
M Hoshino ◽  
M Kawakita ◽  
S Hattori

The postmicrosomal fraction of the extract from NIH 3T3 and BALB/c 3T3 cells stimulated the hydrolysis of GTP bound to H-ras gene product p21 by severalfold. The stimulation was observed with normal p21 but not with p21 with valine as the 12th residue. This specificity is similar to that of GTPase-activating protein (GAP) for N-ras p21 described by M. Trahey and F. McCormick (Science 238:542-545, 1987). Consistent with this specificity, analysis of p21-bound nucleotides in living cells revealed that almost all normal p21 bound GDP, whereas oncogenic mutant p21s bound both GTP and GDP. Similar activity was also found in various mouse tissues, with brain tissue showing the highest specific activity. When cell extracts were prepared from cultured cells, there was a linear relationship between GAP activity and cell density. These results suggest the factor is involved in the regulation of cell proliferation.


2021 ◽  
Vol 12 ◽  
Author(s):  
Jing Si ◽  
Hongfei Ma ◽  
Yongjia Cao ◽  
Baokai Cui ◽  
Yucheng Dai

This study introduces a valuable laccase, designated ThLacc-S, purified from white rot fungus Trametes hirsuta. ThLacc-S is a monomeric protein in nature with a molecular weight of 57.0 kDa and can efficiently metabolize endocrine disrupting chemicals. The enzyme was successfully purified to homogeneity via three consecutive steps consisting of salt precipitation and column chromatography, resulting in a 20.76-fold increase in purity and 46.79% yield, with specific activity of 22.111 U/mg protein. ThLacc-S was deciphered as a novel member of the laccase family and is a rare metalloenzyme that contains cysteine, serine, histidine, and tyrosine residues in its catalytic site, and follows Michaelis-Menten kinetic behavior with a Km and a kcat/Km of 87.466 μM and 1.479 s–1μM–1, respectively. ThLacc-S exerted excellent thermo-alkali stability, since it was markedly active after a 2-h incubation at temperatures ranging from 20 to 70°C and retained more than 50% of its activity after incubation for 72 h in a broad pH range of 5.0–10.0. Enzymatic activities of ThLacc-S were enhanced and preserved when exposed to metallic ions, surfactants, and organic solvents, rendering this novel enzyme of interest as a green catalyst for versatile biotechnological and industrial applications that require these singularities of laccases, particularly biodegradation and bioremediation of environmental pollutants.


1989 ◽  
Vol 257 (4) ◽  
pp. G616-G623 ◽  
Author(s):  
H. A. Buller ◽  
A. G. Van Wassenaer ◽  
S. Raghavan ◽  
R. K. Montgomery ◽  
M. A. Sybicki ◽  
...  

Lactase-phlorizin hydrolase, a small intestinal disaccharidase, has been considered mainly an enzyme important only for the hydrolysis of lactose. After weaning in most mammals lactase-specific activity falls markedly, and, functionally, adult mammals are considered to be lactase deficient. However, the persistence of low levels of lactase activity in adulthood has never been explained. In addition, it has been suggested that lactase-phlorizin hydrolase is associated with glycosylceramidase activity when the enzyme is prepared by column chromatography, but it is unclear whether this represents copurified activities or two catalytic sites on one peptide. The developmental patterns of lactase-phlorizin hydrolase and other disaccharidases were investigated in homogenates of total rat small intestine; lactase and several glycosylceramidases were measured in immunoprecipitates from these homogenates using a monoclonal antibody. The developmental pattern of total lactase activity showed a steady 2.3-fold increase to adult levels (specific activity decreased eightfold), whereas total phlorizin-hydrolase activity increased 10.7-fold (specific activity decreased threefold). As expected, levels of both total and specific sucrase and maltase activities increased during development. In lactating rats total lactase activity showed a significant increase compared with adult males. The developmental pattern of the enzyme activities for the glycolipid substrates was similar to that found for lactase, and the immunoprecipitated enzyme showed a 40- to 55-fold higher affinity for the glycolipids than for lactose. Galactosyl- and lactosylceramide inhibited lactose hydrolysis by 38%, without a competitive pattern, suggesting two different active sites for lactose and glycolipid hydrolysis, respectively.(ABSTRACT TRUNCATED AT 250 WORDS)


2013 ◽  
Vol 79 (19) ◽  
pp. 6176-6179 ◽  
Author(s):  
Shuning Wang ◽  
Haiyan Huang ◽  
Jörg Kahnt ◽  
Rudolf K. Thauer

ABSTRACTCell extracts of uric acid-grownClostridium aciduricicatalyzed the coupled reduction of NAD+and ferredoxin with formate at a specific activity of 1.3 U/mg. The enzyme complex catalyzing the electron-bifurcating reaction was purified 130-fold and found to be composed of four subunits encoded by the gene clusterhylCBA-fdhF2.


1996 ◽  
Vol 8 (2) ◽  
pp. 259 ◽  
Author(s):  
Y Zhao ◽  
MR Luck

This study investigated the ability of bovine granulosa cells to express and secrete collagen, metalloproteinase (MMP) activity and a tissue inhibitor of metalloproteinase (TIMP-1) during luteinization in vitro. Cells from mature (1-2 mL fluid volume) bovine follicles were cultured over 4 days in serum-free medium. Their luteinization during culture was confirmed by a 10-fold increase in progesterone secretion. Samples of cell extracts, culture media and follicular fluid were subjected to Western blotting to identify secreted proteins and to gelatin zymography to detect enzyme activity. Poly A+ RNA, isolated from cells before and after culture, was probed to detect expression of collagen alpha 1(I), collagen alpha 3(IV) and TIMP-1. The results revealed that: (1) the collagen alpha 1(I) subunit gene was expressed in cells before culture but with greater intensity by Day 4 culture; collagen I protein, on the other hand, was not detectable in culture medium; (2) the collagen alpha 3(IV) subunit gene was expressed at a low level in uncultured cells and could be detected on Day 4 of culture; low amounts of the protein were detected in medium; (3) a 92-kDa band of gelatinase activity (presumed MMP-9) was present in all medium samples, together with bands of unidentified activity; and (5) the TIMP-1 gene was expressed in uncultured cells but its expression increased markedly up to Day 4 of culture. These results show that granulosa luteinization is associated with an increase in the expression of collagen, collagen-degrading enzymes and TIMP-1. Collagen protein, however, may be only poorly synthesized in this culture model. The results suggest that granulosa-derived cells are a likely source of components of the extracellular matrix during post-ovulatory remodelling of early luteal tissue.


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