On the role of octopine dehydrogenase in cephalopod mantle muscle metabolism

1976 ◽  
Vol 54 (6) ◽  
pp. 871-878 ◽  
Author(s):  
Jeremy H. A. Fields ◽  
John Baldwin ◽  
Peter W. Hochachka

Octopine dehydrogenases from the mantle muscle of the squid, Symplectoteuthis oualaniensis, and of the octopus, Octopus ornatus, were kinetically characterized and compared. In the squid, the specific activity of the enzyme was about 110 μmol product formed per minute per gram wet weight; in the octopus that value was over 600. Both enzymes show similar pH dependence; in the direction of octopine formation the pH optimum was about 6.5, whereas in the direction of octopine oxidation it was about 8.5. The affinities for NADH, arginine, and pyruvate were similar (Km values were about 0.04 mM, 7 mM, and 2 mM respectively). Increasing the concentration of either arginine or pyruvate increased the affinity for the cosubstrate (pyruvate or arginine), this mechanism being a means of regulating the enzyme activity in vivo. In the direction of octopine oxidation, the octopus enzyme showed a much higher affinity for octopine (Km = 0.8 mM) than did the squid enzyme (Km = 4.4 mM), suggesting that it may be better geared for reconverting octopine to arginine and pyruvate after anaerobic bursts of muscle activity.

2010 ◽  
Vol 192 (18) ◽  
pp. 4776-4785 ◽  
Author(s):  
Rabeb Dhouib ◽  
Françoise Laval ◽  
Frédéric Carrière ◽  
Mamadou Daffé ◽  
Stéphane Canaan

ABSTRACT MSMEG_0220 from Mycobacterium smegmatis, the ortholog of the Rv0183 gene from M. tuberculosis, recently identified and characterized as encoding a monoacylglycerol lipase, was cloned and expressed in Escherichia coli. The recombinant protein (rMSMEG_0220), which exhibits 68% amino acid sequence identity with Rv0183, showed the same substrate specificity and similar patterns of pH-dependent activity and stability as the M. tuberculosis enzyme. rMSMEG_0220 was found to hydrolyze long-chain monoacylglycerol with a specific activity of 143 ± 6 U mg−1. Like Rv0183 in M. tuberculosis, MSMEG_0220 was found to be located in the cell wall. To assess the in vivo role of the homologous proteins, an MSMEG_0220 disrupted mutant of M. smegmatis (MsΔ0220) was produced. An intriguing change in the colony morphology and in the cell interaction, which were partly restored in the complemented mutant containing either an active (ComMsΔ0220) or an inactive (ComMsΔ0220S111A) enzyme, was observed. Growth studies performed in media supplemented with monoolein showed that the ability of both MsΔ0220 and ComMsΔ0220S111A to grow in the presence of this lipid was impaired. Moreover, studies of the antimicrobial susceptibility of the MsΔ0220 strain showed that this mutant is more sensitive to rifampin and more resistant to isoniazid than the wild-type strain, pointing to a critical structural role of this enzyme in mycobacterial physiology, in addition to its function in the hydrolysis of exogenous lipids.


1982 ◽  
Vol 53 (4) ◽  
pp. 947-954 ◽  
Author(s):  
P. W. Lemon ◽  
F. J. Nagle ◽  
J. P. Mullin ◽  
N. J. Benevenga

After ingestion of a mixed diet containing a tracer dose (10 muCi) of L-[1–14C]leucine (Leu), 32 male Sprague-Dawley rats (70–90 g) remained at rest (R) or completed 1 h exercise at 80 (E80) or 40% VO2max (E40). 14CO2 production was assessed for 6 h (exercise occurred from h 2 to 3). Four rats were killed at 2, 3, 4, and 6 h (R), at 3 and 6 h (E80), and at 6 h (E40). Determinations were 1) tissue specific activity dpm X mumol-1 from a) mixed skeletal muscle (gastrocnemius, soleus, quadriceps, and hamstrings) and b) liver and 2) radioactivity remaining in the gastrointestinal tract (GIT). Leu oxidized (mumol) was estimated (14 CO2 dpm X tissue sp act dpm-1 X mumol-1) independently from skeletal muscle and liver. Results were 1) 14CO2 production increased in both E80 and E40 compared with R (P less than 0.05), 2) E80 14CO2 increase was greater than E40 (P less than 0.05), 3) GIT absorption was reduced in E80 and E40 compared with R (P less than 0.05), and 4) exercise Leu oxidation (weighted average of tissue estimates) was 26% greater than R (P less than 0.05). The origin and site of the increased Leu oxidation cannot be determined from the present data; however, due to the magnitude of increase in skeletal muscle metabolism relative to other tissues during exercise, it is probable that skeletal muscle plays a significant role.


1997 ◽  
Vol 52 (3-4) ◽  
pp. 153-158 ◽  
Author(s):  
K. Stich ◽  
H. Halbwirth ◽  
F. Wurst ◽  
G. Forkmann

Abstract The yellow colour of Chrysanthemum segetum petals is due to the presence of the 7-O-glucosides of quercetin and particularly gossypetin (8-hydroxyquercetin). In petal extracts of C. segetum an enzyme was demonstrated which catalyzes the transfer of the glucosyl moiety of uridine 5'-diphosphoglucose (UDPG) to the 7-hydroxyl group of flavonols with gossypetin and quercetin as the best substrates. Besides flavonols flavanones and flavones were found to be glucosylated in the 7-position. The pH-optimum of the reaction highly depended on the substrate used. With quercetin as substrate, maximal enzyme activity occurred at a pH of 8.25 and a temperature of 25 °C, but 7-O-glucosylation also proceeded at low temperatures. Studies on temperature stability revealed, that there was no influence on the glucosylation reaction up to 40 °C. Higher temperatures led to a loss of enzyme activity. Using gossypetin as a substrate a similar course of temperature stability was observed. Addition of Mg2+, Ca2+ and KCN slightly stimulated 7-O-glucosylation, whereas Co2+, Cu2+, Fe2+, Hg2+, p-hydroxymercuribenzoate and N-ethylmaleimide showed a strong inhibitory effect. Additional enzymatic studies were performed with the commercial strain " Stern des Orients" where gossypetin 7-O-glucoside is restricted to the inner parts of the petals. For enzyme extracts from both parts of the petals gossypetin was found to be the most attractive substrate. In comparison to quercetin (133.4 μkat / kg protein) an about three times higher specific activity of the 7-O-glucosyltransferase(s) was determined with gossypetin (382.1 μkat/ kg protein) as substrate, indicating that hydroxylation of quercetin in 8-position to gossypetin precedes 7-O-glucosylation.


2005 ◽  
Vol 4 (6) ◽  
pp. 1057-1065 ◽  
Author(s):  
M. Wilhelm ◽  
F.-X. Wilhelm

ABSTRACT Reverse transcriptase (RT) with its associated RNase H (RH) domain and integrase (IN) are key enzymes encoded by retroviruses and retrotransposons. Several studies have implied a functional role of the interaction between IN and RT during the replication of retroviral and retrotransposon genomes. In this study, IN deletion mutants were used to investigate the role of IN on the RT activity of the yeast Saccharomyces cerevisiae retrotransposon Ty1. We have identified two domains of Ty1 integrase which have effects on RT activity in vivo. The deletion of a domain spanning amino acid residues 233 to 520 of IN increases the exogenous specific activity of RT up to 20-fold, whereas the removal of a region rich in acidic amino acid residues between residues 521 and 607 decreases its activity. The last result complements our observation that an active recombinant RT protein can be obtained if a small acidic tail mimicking the acidic domain of IN is fused to the RT-RH domain. We suggest that interaction between these acidic amino acid residues of IN and a basic region of RT could be critical for the correct folding of RT and for the formation of an active conformation of the enzyme.


1993 ◽  
Vol 71 (1-2) ◽  
pp. 22-26 ◽  
Author(s):  
Pratima Dutta ◽  
Gopal C. Majumder

A neutral β-D-galactosidase has been partially purified from rat epididymis and characterized. The enzyme having molecular mass of approximately 50 kilodaltons has been purified 400-fold by using calcium phosphate gel adsorption, DEAE-cellulose chromatography, Sephadex G-100 gel filtration, and concanavalin A - agarose affinity chromatography. Although the neutral enzyme binds to the concanavalin A affinity column, the activity could be eluted with α-methyl mannoside only if the buffer contained salt (NaCl) at a concentration as high as 0.3 M. The enzyme was of cytosolic origin, since 90% of the total enzymic activity of the tissue homogenate was recovered in the soluble fraction of these cells. The neutral β-galactosidase was not dependent on metal ions for its activity and it had a pH optimum of 7.0. Zn2+, p-chloromercuribenzoate, Hg2+, and Pb2+ served as potent inhibitors of the enzyme. There was a marked increase (approximately fourfold) in the specific activity of the neutral β-galactosidase during sexual maturity of epididymis in vivo.Key words: neutral β-galactosidase, rat epididymal, cytosolic, developmental, sexual maturity.


2015 ◽  
Vol 59 (4) ◽  
pp. 2380-2387 ◽  
Author(s):  
Brittney M. J. Potter ◽  
Lisa H. Xie ◽  
Chau Vuong ◽  
Jing Zhang ◽  
Ping Zhang ◽  
...  

ABSTRACTPrimaquine (PQ) metabolism by the cytochrome P450 (CYP) 2D family of enzymes is required for antimalarial activity in both humans (2D6) and mice (2D). Human CYP 2D6 is highly polymorphic, and decreased CYP 2D6 enzyme activity has been linked to decreased PQ antimalarial activity. Despite the importance of CYP 2D metabolism in PQ efficacy, the exact role that these enzymes play in PQ metabolism and pharmacokinetics has not been extensively studiedin vivo. In this study, a series of PQ pharmacokinetic experiments were conducted in mice with differential CYP 2D metabolism characteristics, including wild-type (WT), CYP 2D knockout (KO), and humanized CYP 2D6 (KO/knock-in [KO/KI]) mice. Plasma and liver pharmacokinetic profiles from a single PQ dose (20 mg/kg of body weight) differed significantly among the strains for PQ and carboxy-PQ. Additionally, due to the suspected role of phenolic metabolites in PQ efficacy, these were probed using reference standards. Levels of phenolic metabolites were highest in mice capable of metabolizing CYP 2D6 substrates (WT and KO/KI 2D6 mice). PQ phenolic metabolites were present in different quantities in the two strains, illustrating species-specific differences in PQ metabolism between the human and mouse enzymes. Taking the data together, this report furthers understanding of PQ pharmacokinetics in the context of differential CYP 2D metabolism and has important implications for PQ administration in humans with different levels of CYP 2D6 enzyme activity.


1981 ◽  
Vol 195 (1) ◽  
pp. 221-228 ◽  
Author(s):  
D A Galbraith ◽  
D C Watts

Acetylcholinesterase was studied in human red cells that had been fractionated on Ficoll/Triosil density gradients into classes representing different ages in vivo. Reticulocytes have negligible acetylcholinesterase activity; this is rapidly acquired on maturation to the erythrocyte. The activity per cell reaches a maximum and then, after a constant period, declines again towards the end of cell life. The maximum activity and the rates of activity gain and loss per cell are quantitatively different in adults and children. Kinetic studies showed that Vmax. follows the same age/activity profile but Km is unaffected by cell age. The acetylcholinesterase protein content, determined by quantitative crossed immunoelectrophoresis, also shows a profile of increase and then decrease with cell age but the specific activity calculated from the protein estimate shows a reverse picture in which there is a slight decrease from young to mid-age cells followed by an increase again in older cells. These results are interpreted to indicate a complex developmental picture in which the overall cell age against enzyme activity profile is determined partly by the amount of enzyme protein present and partly from the modifying effect on the enzyme activity, of interactions with an aging cell membrane.


2008 ◽  
Vol 190 (21) ◽  
pp. 7302-7307 ◽  
Author(s):  
Sanchaita Das ◽  
Elizabeth Stivison ◽  
Ewa Folta-Stogniew ◽  
Donald Oliver

ABSTRACT The SecA nanomotor promotes protein translocation in eubacteria by binding both protein cargo and the protein-conducting channel and by undergoing ATP-driven conformation cycles that drive this process. There are conflicting reports about whether SecA functions as a monomer or dimer during this dynamic process. Here we reexamined the roles of the amino and carboxyl termini of SecA in promoting its dimerization and functional state by examining three secA mutants and the corresponding proteins: SecAΔ8 lacking residues 2 to 8, SecAΔ11 lacking residues 2 to 11, and SecAΔ11/N95 lacking both residues 2 to 11 and the carboxyl-terminal 70 residues. We demonstrated that whether SecAΔ11 or SecAΔ11/N95 was functional for promoting cell growth depended solely on the vivo level of the protein, which appeared to govern residual dimerization. All three SecA mutant proteins were defective for promoting cell growth unless they were highly overproduced. Cell fractionation revealed that SecAΔ11 and SecAΔ11/N95 were proficient in membrane association, although the formation of integral membrane SecA was reduced. The presence of a modestly higher level of SecAΔ11/N95 in the membrane and the ability of this protein to form dimers, as detected by chemical cross-linking, were consistent with the higher level of secA expression and better growth of the SecAΔ11/N95 mutant than of the SecAΔ11 mutant. Biochemical studies showed that SecAΔ11 and SecAΔ11/N95 had identical dimerization defects, while SecAΔ8 was intermediate between these proteins and wild-type SecA in terms of dimer formation. Furthermore, both SecAΔ11 and SecAΔ11/N95 were equally defective in translocation ATPase specific activity. Our studies showed that the nonessential carboxyl-terminal 70 residues of SecA play no role in its dimerization, while increasing the truncation of the amino-terminal region of SecA from 8 to 11 residues results in increased defects in SecA dimerization and poor in vivo function unless the protein is highly overexpressed. They also clarified a number of conflicting previous reports and support the essential nature of the SecA dimer.


1982 ◽  
Vol 60 (11) ◽  
pp. 2973-2977 ◽  
Author(s):  
W. Ross Ellington

The radula retractor muscle of the whelk Busycon contrarium contains high activities of both octopine dehydrogenase (~500 μmol∙min−1∙g wet weight−1) and strombine dehydrogenase (~150 μmol∙min−1∙g wet weight−1). Experiments were conducted with in vitro radula muscle preparations to assess under what physiological conditions these dehydrogenases function. Alanopine–strombine accumulated during anoxia, postanoxic recovery, and potassium-induced contractures in radula retractor muscles. No significant accumulation of octopine was observed. Although the accumulation of alanopine–strombine was significant, it was quantitatively small when compared with the production of succinate. Thus, it appears that alanopine–strombine formation has only an accessory role in cytoplasmic redox balance in B. contrarium radula retractor muscle. The physiological role of octopine dehydrogenase in this system remains unclear.


1981 ◽  
Vol 97 (4) ◽  
pp. 491-495 ◽  
Author(s):  
S. Matsuzaki ◽  
M. Suzuki

Abstract. The effect of sodium perchlorate (NaClO4) on the methylthiouracil-induced increase in the activity of thyroid glucose 6-phosphate dehydrogenase (G6PDH), ornithine decarboxylase (ODC) and polyamine contents was studied in the rat. The G6PDH activity was increased nearly three-fold by methylthiouracil (MTU) but not by ClO4- at 7 days of treatment. Perchlorate lowered the MTU-induced enzyme activity to nearly the control level, without changing circulating thyrotrophin (TSH). The anion had no inhibitory effect on G6PDH activity in vitro. The possibility that an inhibitor specific for G6PDH was generated in ClO4- treated rat thyroids was excluded. The activity of ODC was greatly increased by both ClO4- and MTU, the increase being significant as early as on the second day of treatment. Perchlorate had no inhibitory effect on MTU-induced ODC activity in vivo but decreased total contents of spermidine and spermine in the thyroid, without affecting the concentration (nmoles/ g wet weight) of the polyamines. These results suggest that ClO4- acts directly on the thyroid to suppress specifically the stimulatory effect of TSH on G6PDH activity and possibly on polyamine accumulation.


Sign in / Sign up

Export Citation Format

Share Document