A new bilirubin-degrading enzyme from orange peels

1988 ◽  
Vol 66 (11) ◽  
pp. 1248-1252 ◽  
Author(s):  
Tai-Wing Wu ◽  
Grace S. Li

A novel enzyme activity that catalyzes the degradation of unconjugated bilirubin (Bu) has been demonstrated in extracts of the peels of edible oranges. Unlike the few known bilirubin-oxidizing enzymes, the orange enzyme does not produce biliverdin as a product, does not seem to require oxygen, and has a unique absorption spectrum of its products. Even at the crude stage, the enzyme has a specific activity that is 10 and 20 times higher, respectively, than those reported for the crude or partially purified Bu-degrading enzymes from mushrooms and rat liver. The enzyme has apH optimum near 7.5 and a Km value of 50–100 μM for Bu. The enzyme is remarkably stable, retaining over 50% activity after prolonged digestion with proteinase K or heating at 100 °C. Similar treatments inactivated the bilirubin oxidase from Myrothecium verrucaria MT-1. The enzyme is poorly soluble in water but can be partially solubilized with cholic acid, with a doubling in specific activity.

1982 ◽  
Vol 201 (3) ◽  
pp. 653-656 ◽  
Author(s):  
B Burchell

1. Reconstitution of purified bilirubin UDP-glucuronyltransferase from Wistar-rat liver into Gunn-rat liver microsomes provides a better environment than phosphatidylcholine liposomes, such that the final specific activity of the Wistar-rat liver enzyme was increased up to 85 units/mg of protein. 2. Gunn- and Wistar-rat liver microsomes were equally effective for reconstitution of the purified enzyme. 3. The transferase activity does not appear to be fully expressed in the more rigid environment of foetal Wistar-rat liver microsomes. 4. These reconstitution experiments reveal a final specific activity for the purified bilirubin UDP-glucuronyltransferase consistent with the capacity of the whole rat liver to glucuronidate bilirubin and indicate that the absence of this enzyme activity in Gunn-rat liver microsomes is not due to an abnormal microenvironment.


1976 ◽  
Vol 158 (2) ◽  
pp. 369-376 ◽  
Author(s):  
J Risteli ◽  
L Tuderman ◽  
K I Kivirikko

Prolyl hydroxylase was purified from newborn rats by affinity chromatography using poly(L-proline), and antiserum to the enzyme was prepared in rabbits. The rat prolyl hydroxylase was similar to the chick and human enzymes with respect to specific activity, molecular weight and molecular weights of the polypeptide chains. The activity of prolyl hydroxylase and the content of immunoreactive enzyme were measured in rat liver as a function of age in experimental hepatic injury. Active prolyl hydroxylase comprised about 13.2% of the total immunoreactive protein in the liver of newborn rats and the value decreased to about 3.6% at the age of 420 days. This decrease was due to a decrease in the enzyme activity, whereas only minor changes were found in the content of the immunoreactive protein. In hepatic injury, a significant increase was found in the ratio of active enzyme to total immunoreactive protein, owing to an increase in the enzyme activity. The data indicate that prolyl hydroxylase activity in rat liver is controlled in part by a mechanism which does not involve changes in the content of the total immunoreactive protein.


1970 ◽  
Vol 117 (2) ◽  
pp. 319-324 ◽  
Author(s):  
G. J. Mulder

1. The detergent Triton X-100 activates UDP glucuronyltransferase from rat liver in vitro six- to seven-fold with p-nitrophenol as substrate. The enzyme activity when measured in the presence of Triton X-100 is increased significantly by pretreatment of male rats with phenobarbital for 4 days (90mg/kg each day intraperitoneally). If no Triton X-100 is applied in vitro such an increase could not be shown. In all further experiments the enzyme activity was measured after activation by Triton X-100. 2. The Km of the enzyme for the substrate p-nitrophenol does not change on phenobarbital pretreatment. 3. When the microsomal fraction from the liver of untreated rats is subfractionated on a sucrose density gradient, 47% of the enzyme activity is recovered in the rough-surfaced microsomal fraction, which also has a higher specific activity than the smooth-surfaced fraction. 4. Of the increase in activity after the phenobarbital pretreatment 50% occurs in the smooth-surfaced fraction, 19% in the rough-surfaced fraction and 31% in the fraction located between the smooth- and rough-surfaced microsomal fractions on the sucrose density gradient. 5. The latency of the enzyme in vitro, as shown by the effect of the detergent Triton X-100, is discussed in relation to the proposed heterogeneity of UDP glucuronyltransferase.


1979 ◽  
Vol 57 (5) ◽  
pp. 396-401 ◽  
Author(s):  
Hsiao-Lin Chang ◽  
Darold Holten ◽  
Rom Karin

The distribution of the multiple molecular forms of rat liver and mammary gland glucose-6-phosphate dehydrogenase was determined by electrophoresis on 5% polyacrylamide gels. In both of these organs, changes in the distribution of enzyme activity among the several forms was slight even when approximately 20- to 40-fold changes in enzyme specific activity were achieved by fasting-refeeding experiments (for liver) or during pregnancy and lactation (for mammary gland), it was concluded that the induction of glucose-6-phosphate dehydrogenase in these two organs occurs without any major redistribution among the multiple molecular forms of this enzyme.


1977 ◽  
Vol 162 (3) ◽  
pp. 545-556 ◽  
Author(s):  
G S Rao ◽  
G Haueter ◽  
M L Rao ◽  
H Breuer

1. Microsomal preparations from rat liver, kidney and intestine were tested for UDP-glucuronyltransferase activity by using oestrone, oestradiol-17 beta, oestriol, testosterone, cortisol, cortisone, corticosterone, aldosterone, tetrahydrocortisol and tetrahydrocortisone as substrates. The microsomal preparation from the liver glucuronidated oestrone, oestradiol-17 beta and testosterone. 2. The specific activity of the enzyme was significantly higher in livers from female rats than in those from male rats. 3. Testosterone was actively glucuronidated by both sexes. Cortisol, cortisone, corticosterone, aldosterone, tetrahydrocortisol and tetrahydrocortisone were not glucuronidated by any of the three tissues. 4. The non-ionic detergent Lubrol WX activates liver microsomal UDP-glucuronyltransferase 2-3-fold with oestrone and testosterone as substrates. 5. Oestrone glucuronyltransferase was inhibited by oestradiol-17 beta, predominantly competitively and by testosterone non-competitively. Bilirubin was a non-competitive inhibitor of oestrone glucuronidation. p-Nitrophenol had no effect. 6. Oestrone glucuronyltransferase could not be stimulated by either acute or prolonged treatment of animals with phenobarbital, whereas a single dose of 3-methylcholanthrene led to a moderate stimulation. 7. Ovariectomy leads to a 56% decrease in oestrone glucuronyltransferase activity; administration of oestradiol-17 beta induces the enzyme to normal activity after 12 days, and after 15 days the activity is twice the control value. Actinomycin D and cycloheximide block the oestradiol-17 beta-induced increase in enzyme activity. 8. Castration has no effect on the activity of testosterone glucuronyltransferase, nor does administration of testosterone influence enzyme activity. The results provide strong evidence for the existence of multiple steroid glucuronyltransferases in the liver of the rat.


1983 ◽  
Vol 61 (10) ◽  
pp. 1147-1152 ◽  
Author(s):  
Steven L. Pelech ◽  
Ellen Power ◽  
Dennis E. Vance

The activities of the enzymes of rat hepatic phosphatidylcholine biosynthesis have been measured as a function of development in the rat (term, 23 days). During the last 5 days of gestation, the specific activity of choline kinase was elevated almost fivefold (p < 0.05). After parturition, choline kinase activity was reduced to adult values by the 5th postnatal day. Over 75% of the total CTP:phosphocholine cytidylyltransferase protein in prenatal liver was detected in the cytosolic fraction. On the day of birth, most of the cytidylyltransferase translocated to the microsomes so that the microsomal specific enzyme activity was 3.3-fold higher (p < 0.01) and the cytosolic specific enzyme activity (measured in the presence of phospholipid) was 68% lower (p < 0.001) than the day before parturition. CDPcholine:diacylglycerol cholinephosphotransferase activity (measured in the presence of diacylglycerol) increased 130-fold (p < 0.001) during the last 5 days of gestation. On the 10th postnatal day, cholinephosphotransferase activity was 1.7-fold higher (p < 0.001) than immediately after birth, but declined to adult values by the 19th day. Between the 5th day prior to parturition and the 10th postnatal day, phosphatidylethanolamine N-methyltransferase activity steadily increased 16-fold (p < 0.001). The results are in agreement with the hypothesis that the increase in phosphatidylcholine in rat liver during the perinatal period is due to an increased synthesis of CDPcholine, which is a consequence of the translocation of the cytidylyltransferase from cytosol to the endoplasmic reticulum.


1978 ◽  
Vol 78 (2) ◽  
pp. 349-368 ◽  
Author(s):  
R Wattiaux ◽  
S Wattiaux-De Coninck ◽  
M F Ronveaux-dupal ◽  
F Dubois

A preparation, similar to the light mitochondrial fraction of rat liver (L fraction of de Duve et al, (1955, Biochem. J. 60: 604-617), was subfractionated by isopycnic centrifugation in a metrizamide gradient and the distribution of several marker enzymes was established. The granules were layered at the top or bottom of the gradient. In both cases, as ascertained by the enzyme distributions, the lysosomes are well separated from the peroxisomes. A good separation from mitochondria is obtained only when the L fraction if set down underneath the gradient. Taking into account the analytical centrifugation results, a procedure was devised to purify lysosomes from several grams of liver by centrifugation of an L fraction in a discontinuous metrizamide gradient. By this method, a fraction containing 10--12% of the whole liver lysosomes can be prepared. As inferred from the relative specific activity of marker enzymes, it can be estimated that lysosomes are purified between 66 and 80 times in this fraction. As ascertained by plasma membrane marker enzyme activity, the main contaminant could be the plasma membrane components. However, cytochemical tests for 5'AMPase and for acid phosphatase suggest that a large part of the plasma membrane marker enzyme activity present in the purified lysosome preparation could be associated with the lysosomal membrane. The procedure for the isolation of rat liver lysosomes described in this paper is compared with the already existing methods.


1959 ◽  
Vol 197 (1) ◽  
pp. 65-67 ◽  
Author(s):  
Richard S. Rivlin ◽  
W. Eugene Knox

The specific activity of rat liver tryptophan peroxidase increased with age, and at 400 days was more than double the level at 38 days of age. The amount of enzyme per 100 gm body weight also increased significantly. This change of enzyme activity with age was attributed to a substrate-induced enzyme adaptation occurring under physiological conditions caused by the tryptophan available for catabolism as growth slowed. Bovine growth hormone injections increased the level of the enzyme in rats.


1979 ◽  
Vol 177 (3) ◽  
pp. 943-949 ◽  
Author(s):  
J H Tong ◽  
M Limson-Zamora ◽  
A D'Iorio ◽  
N Bégin-Heick

1. The specific activity of monoamine oxidase was found to be greater in liver mitochondria from ob/ob mice than from lean mice. The activities of marker enzymes were similar in both tissues. 2. Experiments with various substrates (5-hydroxytryptamine, benzylamine and tyramine) and inhibitors (clorgyline and deprenyl) indicated that, unlike rat liver mitochondria, mouse liver mitochondria contain a predominance of the B-form of monoamine oxidase. 3. The Km values for lean and ob/ob mice were the same for any given substrate and were in the increasing order 5-hydroxytryptamine less than tyramine less than benzylamine. Vmax. was approximately 50% greater in obese than in lean mice. 4. Extraction of liver mitochondria with acetone/water or acetone/water/NH3 to remove lipids decreased the enzyme activity relatively more in obese- than in lean-mice preparations, but residual activity was the same in both preparations.


1976 ◽  
Vol 70 (3) ◽  
pp. 660-670 ◽  
Author(s):  
H Cheng ◽  
M G Farquhar

The distribution of adenylate cyclase (AC) in Golgi and other cell fractions from rat liver was studied using the Golgi isolation procedure of Ehrenreich et al. In liver homogenate the AC activity was found to decay with time, but addition of 1 mM EGTA reduced the rate of enzyme loss. The incorporation of 1 mM EGTA into the sucrose medium used in the initial two centrifugal steps of the Golgi isolation method stabilized the enzyme activity throughout the entire procedure and resulted in good enzyme recovery. In such preparations, AC activity was demonstrated to be associated not only with plasma membranes but also with Golgi membranes and smooth microsomal membranes as well. Furthermore, under the conditions used, enzyme activity was also associated with the 105,000 g x 90 min supernatant fraction. The specific activity of the liver homogenate was found to be 2.9 pmol-mg protein-1-min-1, the nonsedimentabel and microsomal activity was of the same order of magnitude, but the Golgi and plasma membrane activities were much higher. The specific activity of plasma membrane AC was 29 pmol-mg proten-1-min-1. The Golgi activity varied in the three fractions, with the highest activity (14 pmol) in GF1 lowest activity (1.8) in GF2, and intermediate activity (5.5) in GF3, when the Golgi activity was corrected for the presence of content protein, the activity in GF1 became much higher (9 x) than that of the plasma membrane while the activities in GF2 and GF3 were comparable to that of plasma membrane. In all locations studied, the AC was sensitive to NaF stimulation, especially the enzyme associated with Golgi membranes. The activities in plasma and microsomal membranes were stimulated by glucagon, whereas the Golgi and nonsedimentable AC were not.


Sign in / Sign up

Export Citation Format

Share Document