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At least 163 records · Page 9

The purification and properties of a cd-cytochrome nitrite reductase from Paracoccus halodenitrificans

Paracoccus halodenitrificans, grown anaerobically in the presence of nitrite, contained membrane and cytoplasmic nitrite reductases. When assayed in the presence of phenazine methosulfate and ascorbate, the membrane-bound enzyme produced nitrous oxide whereas the cytoplasmic enzyme produced nitric oxide. When both enzymes were assayed in the presence of methyl viologen and dithionite, the cytoplasmic enzyme produced ammonia. Following solubilization, the membrane-bound enzyme behaved like the cytoplasmic enzyme, producing nitric oxide in the presence of phenazine methosulfate and ascorbate, and ammonia when assayed in the presence of methyl viologen and dithionite. The cytoplasmic and membrane-bound enzymes were purified to essentially the same specific activity. Only a single nitrite-reductase activity was detected on electrophoretic gels and the electrophoretic behavior of both enzymes suggested they were identical. The spectral properties of both enzymes suggested they were cd-type cytochromes. These data suggest that the products of nitrite reduction by the cd-cytochrome nitrite reductase are determined by the location of the enzyme and the redox potential of the electron donor.

NASA Center ARC↗

A constitutively activated mutant of human soluble guanylyl cyclase (sGC): implication for the mechanism of sGC activation

Heterodimeric alphabeta soluble guanylyl cyclase (sGC) is a recognized receptor for nitric oxide (NO) and mediates many of its physiological functions. Although it has been clear that the heme moiety coordinated by His-105 of the beta subunit is crucial for mediating the activation of the enzyme by NO, it is not understood whether the heme moiety plays any role in the function of the enzyme in the absence of NO. Here we analyze the effects of biochemical and genetic removal of heme and its reconstitution on the activity of the enzyme. Detergent-induced loss of heme from the wild-type alphabeta enzyme resulted in several-fold activation of the enzyme. This activation was inhibited after hemin reconstitution. A heme-deficient mutant alphabetaCys-105 with Cys substituted for His-105 was constitutively active with specific activity approaching the activity of the wild-type enzyme activated by NO. However, reconstitution of mutant enzyme with heme and/or DTT treatment significantly inhibited the enzyme. Mutant enzyme reconstituted with ferrous heme was activated by NO and CO alone and showed additive effects between gaseous effectors and the allosteric activator 5-cyclopropyl-2-[1-(2-fluoro-benzyl)-1H-pyrazolo[3,4-b]pyridin-3-yl]-pyrim idin-4-ylamine. We propose that the heme moiety through its coordination with His-105 of the beta subunit acts as an endogenous inhibitor of sGC. Disruption of the heme-coordinating bond induced by binding of NO releases the restrictions imposed by this bond and allows the formation of an optimally organized catalytic center in the heterodimer.

Non-NASA Center↗

Human recombinant soluble guanylyl cyclase: expression, purification, and regulation

The alpha1- and beta1-subunits of human soluble guanylate cyclase (sGC) were coexpressed in the Sf9 cells/baculovirus system. In addition to the native enzyme, constructs with hexahistidine tag at the amino and carboxyl termini of each subunit were coexpressed. This permitted the rapid and efficient purification of active recombinant enzyme on a nickel-affinity column. The enzyme has one heme per heterodimer and was readily activated with the NO donor sodium nitroprusside or 3-(5'-hydroxymethyl-2'furyl)-1-benzyl-indazole (YC-1). Sodium nitroprusside and YC-1 treatment potentiated each other in combination and demonstrated a remarkable 2,200-fold stimulation of the human recombinant sGC. The effects were inhibited with 1H-(1,2, 4)oxadiazole(4,3-a)quinoxalin-1one (ODQ). The kinetics of the recombinant enzyme with respect to GTP was examined. The products of the reaction, cGMP and pyrophosphate, inhibited the enzyme. The extent of inhibition by cGMP depended on the activation state of the enzyme, whereas inhibition by pyrophosphate was not affected by the enzyme state. Both reaction products displayed independent binding and cooperativity with respect to enzyme inhibition. The expression of large quantities of active enzyme will facilitate structural characterization of the protein.

NASA Discipline Cardiopulmonary↗

Autophosphorylation-dependent inactivation of plant chimeric calcium/calmodulin-dependent protein kinase

Chimeric calcium/calmodulin dependent protein kinase (CCaMK) is characterized by the presence of a visinin-like Ca(2+)-binding domain unlike other known calmodulin- dependent kinases. Ca(2+)-Binding to the visinin-like domain leads to autophosphorylation and changes in the affinity for calmodulin [Sathyanarayanan P.V., Cremo C.R. & Poovaiah B.W. (2000) J. Biol. Chem. 275, 30417-30422]. Here, we report that the Ca(2+)-stimulated autophosphorylation of CCaMK results in time-dependent loss of enzyme activity. This time-dependent loss of activity or self-inactivation due to autophosphorylation is also dependent on reaction pH and ATP concentration. Inactivation of the enzyme resulted in the formation of a sedimentable enzyme due to self-association. Specifically, autophosphorylation in the presence of 200 microm ATP at pH 7.5 resulted in the formation of a sedimentable enzyme with a 33% loss in enzyme activity. Under similar conditions at pH 6.5, the enzyme lost 67% of its activity and at pH 8.5, 84% enzyme activity was lost. Furthermore, autophosphorylation at either acidic or alkaline reaction pH lead to the formation of a sedimentable enzyme. Transmission electron microscopic studies on autophosphorylated kinase revealed particles that clustered into branched complexes. The autophosphorylation of wild-type kinase in the presence of AMP-PNP (an unhydrolyzable ATP analog) or the autophosphorylation-site mutant, T267A, did not show formation of branched complexes under the electron microscope. Autophosphorylation- dependent self-inactivation may be a mechanism of modulating the signal transduction pathway mediated by CCaMK.

NASA Discipline Plant Biology↗

Biochemical Capture and Removal of Carbon Dioxide

We devised an enzyme-based facilitated transport membrane bioreactor system to selectively remove carbon dioxide (CO2) from the space station environment. We developed and expressed site-directed enzyme mutants for CO2 capture. Enzyme kinetics showed the mutants to be almost identical to the wild type save at higher pH. Both native enzyme and mutant enzymes were immobilized to different supports including nylons, glasses, sepharose, methacrylate, titanium and nickel. Mutant enzyme could be attached and removed from metal ligand supports and the supports reused at least five times. Membrane systems were constructed to test CO2 selectivity. These included proteic membranes, thin liquid films and enzyme-immobilized teflon membranes. Selectivity ratios of more than 200:1 were obtained for CO2 versus oxygen with CO2 at 0.1%. The data indicate that a membrane based bioreactor can be constructed which could bring CO2 levels close to Earth.

Trachtenberg, Michael C.↗

The Thiamine-Pyrophosphate-Motif

Thiamin pyrophosphate (TPP), a derivative of vitamin B1, is a cofactor for enzymes performing catalysis in pathways of energy production including the well known decarboxylation of a-keto acid dehydrogenases followed by transketolation. TPP-dependent enzymes constitute a structurally and functionally diverse group exhibiting multimeric subunit organization, multiple domains and two chemically equivalent catalytic centers. Annotation of functional TPP-dependcnt enzymes, therefore, has not been trivial due to low sequence similarity related to this complex organization. Our approach to analysis of structures of known TPP-dependent enzymes reveals for the first time features common to this group, which we have termed the TPP-motif. The TPP-motif consists of specific spatial arrangements of structural elements and their specific contacts to provide for a flip-flop, or alternate site, enzymatic mechanism of action. Analysis of structural elements entrained in the flip-flop action displayed by TPP-dependent enzymes reveals a novel definition of the common amino acid sequences. These sequences allow for annotation of TPP-dependent enzymes, thus advancing functional proteomics. Further details of three-dimensional structures of TPP-dependent enzymes will be discussed.

Ciszak, Ewa↗

Partial purification and characterization of indol-3-ylacetylglucose:myo-inositol indol-3-ylacetyltransferase (indoleacetic acid-inositol synthase)

A procedure is described for the purification of the enzyme indol-3-ylacetylglucose:myo-inositol indol-3-ylacetyltransferase (IAA-myo-inositol synthase). This enzyme catalyzes the transfer of indol-3-ylacetate from 1-0-indol-3-ylacetyl-beta-d-glucose to myo-inositol to form indol-3-ylacetyl-myo-inositol and glucose. A hexokinase or glucose oxidase based assay system is described. The enzyme has been purified approximately 16,000-fold, has an isoelectric point of pH 6.1 and yields three catalytically inactive bands upon acrylamide gel electrophoresis of the native protein. The enzyme shows maximum transferase activity with myo-inositol but shows some transferase activity with scyllo-inositol and myo-inosose-2. No transfer of IAA occurs with myo-inositol-d-galactopyranose, cyclohexanol, mannitol, or glycerol as acyl acceptor. The affinity of the enzyme for 1-0-indol-3-ylacetyl-beta-d-glucose is, Km = 30 micromolar, and for myo-inositol is, Km = 4 millimolar. The enzyme does not catalyze the exchange incorporation of glucose into IAA-glucose indicating the reaction mechanism involves binding of IAA glucose to the enzyme with subsequent hydrolytic cleavage of the acyl moiety by the hydroxyl of myo-inositol to form IAA myo-inositol ester.

NASA Program Space Biology↗

Ribulose 1,5-bisphosphate carboxylase and phosphoribulokinase in Prochloron

Ribulose 1,5-bisphosphate (RuBP) carboxylase and phosphoribulokinase, enzymes in the reductive pentose-phosphate cycle, were measured in cell-free extracts of Prochloran didemni. The partial purification and characterization of RuBP carboxylase were described. Prochloron RuBP carboxylase, when purified by isopycnic centrifugation in reoriented linear 0.2 to 0.8 M sucrose gradients, sedimented to a position which corresponded to that of the 520,000-dalton spinach enzyme. Sodium dodecyl sulfate polyacrylamide gel electrophoresis showed that the Prochloron enzyme was composed of large and small subunits (MW = 57,500 and 18,800). Though results established that the enzymes RuBP carboxylase and phosphoribulokinase were present in levels comparable to other CO2-fixing microorganisms, it was suggested that other enzymes in the Calvin cycle limit growth or that additional enzymic insufficiencies exist.

Berhow, M. A.↗

Halotolerant and Resistant to High pH Hydrogenase from Haloalkaliphilic Sulfate-Reducing Bacterium Desulfonatronum thiodismutans

Hydrogenase is the key enzyme of energetic metabolism in cells, it catalyzing the converse reaction of hydrogen oxidation and responsible for consumption and excretion of hydrogen in bacteria. Hydrogenases are proteins containing either Nickel and Iron, or the only Iron in theirs active center. Hydrogenases have been found in many microorganisms, such as Methanogenic, acetogenic, nitrogen-fixing, photosynthetic and sulfate-reducing bacteria that could utilize the hydrogen as energy source or use it as electron sink. Hydrogenases are subject for wide physiological, biochemical, physicochemical and genetic studies due to theirs abilities produce the molecular hydrogen as alternative source of pure energy. Notwithstanding on enough large quantity of works that deal with intracellular and extrasellular enzymes of halophilic bacteria, the data about hydrogenases and theirs functions of salts practically are absent. The study of hydrogenase in cell-free extracts of extremely halophilic eubacterium Acetohalobium mabaticum showed dramatic increasing activity of the enzyme at high concentrations of NaCl and KCI (close to saturated solution). Here we present the data of free-cells extracted hydrogenase from new haloalkaliphilic sulfate-reducing bacterium Desulfonatronum thiodismutans, which grow on highly miniralized carbonate-bicarbonate medium in salinity range 1 to 7 % and at pH 7.8 - 10.5. Studied enzyme was active in Concentration range from 0 to 4.3 M NaCl with optimum at 1.0 M NaCl. At 1.0 M NaCl the enzyme activity was increased on 20 %, but with changing concentration from 2.1 M to 3.4 M the activity decreased and was kept on constant level. NaHCO3 inhibited hydrogenase activity on more then 30 %. The maximum of enzyme activity was observed at pH 9.5 with limits 7.5 and 11.5 that practically equal to pH optimum of bacterial growth. Therefore the hydrogenase of Desulfanatronum thiodismutans is tolerant to high concentrations of sodium salts and it also resistant to high pH that make it the unique subject for different biochemical research and detects the possibility for biotechnological application.

Detkova, Ekaterina N.↗

Partial purification and characterization of a Ca(2+)-dependent protein kinase from the green alga, Dunaliella salina

A calcium-dependent protein kinase was partially purified and characterized from the green alga Dunaliella salina. The enzyme was activated at free Ca2+ concentrations above 10(-7) molar. and half-maximal activation was at about 3 x 10(-7) molar. The optimum pH for its Ca(2+)-dependent activity was 7.5. The addition of various phospholipids and diolein had no effects on enzyme activity and did not alter the sensitivity of the enzyme toward Ca2+. The enzyme was inhibited by calmodulin antagonists, N-(6-aminohexyl)-1-naphthalene sulfonamide and N-(6-aminohexyl)-5-chloro-1-naphthalene sulfonamide in a dose-dependent manner while the protein kinase C inhibitor, sphingosine, had little effect on enzyme activity up to 800 micromolar. Immunoassay showed some calmodulin was present in the kinase preparations. However, it is unlikely the kinase was calmodulin regulated, since it still showed stimulation by Ca2+ in gel assays after being electrophoretically separated from calmodulin by two different methods. This gel method of detection of the enzyme indicated that a protein band with an apparent molecular weight of 40,000 showed protein kinase activity at each one of the several steps in the purification procedure. Gel assay analysis also showed that after native gel isoelectric focusing the partially purified kinase preparations had two bands with calcium-dependent activity, at isoelectric points 6.7 and 7.1. By molecular weight, by isoelectric point, and by a comparative immunoassay, the Dunaliella kinase appears to differ from at least some of the calcium-dependent, but calmodulin and phospholipid independent kinases described from higher plants.

Non-NASA Center↗

Activation of a chloroplast type of fructose bisphosphatase from Chlamydomonas reinhardtii by light-mediated agents

A chloroplast type of fructose-1,6-bisphosphatase, a central regulatory enzyme of photosynthetic carbon metabolism, has been partially purified from Chlamydomonas reinhardtii. Unlike its counterpart from spinach chloroplasts, the algal FBPase showed a strict requirement for a dithiol reductant irrespective of Mg2+ concentration. The enzymes from the two sources resembled each other immunologically, in subunit molecular mass and response to pH. In the presence of dithiothreitol, the pH optimum for both the algal and spinach enzymes shifted from 8.5 to a more physiologic value of 8.0 as the Mg2+ concentration was increased from 1 to 16 mM. At 1 mM Mg2+, a concentration estimated to be close to physiological, the Chlamydomonas FBPase was active only in the presence of reduced thioredoxin and was most active with Chlamydomonas thioredoxin f. Under these conditions, the enzyme showed a pH optimum of 8.0. The data suggest that the Chlamydomonas enzyme resembles its spinach counterpart in most respects, but it has a stricter requirement for reduction and less strict reductant specificity. A comparison of the properties of the FBPases from Chlamydomonas and spinach will be helpful for elucidating the mechanism of the reductive activation of this enzyme.

NASA Discipline Exobiology↗

A molecular description of the evolution of resistance

BACKGROUND: In vitro evolution has been used to obtain nucleic acid molecules with interesting functional properties. The evolution process usually is carried out in a stepwise manner, involving successive rounds of selection, amplification and mutation. Recently, a continuous in vitro evolution system was devised for RNAs that catalyze the ligation of oligonucleotide substrates, allowing the evolution of catalytic function to be studied in real time. RESULTS: Continuous in vitro evolution of an RNA ligase ribozyme was carried out in the presence of a DNA enzyme that was capable of cleaving, and thereby inactivating, the ribozyme. The DNA concentration was increased steadily over 33.5 hours of evolution, reaching a final concentration that would have been sufficient to inactivate the starting population in one second. The evolved population of ribozymes developed resistance to the DNA enzyme, reducing their vulnerability to cleavage by 2000-fold but retaining their own catalytic function. Based on sequencing and kinetic analysis of the ribozymes, two mechanisms are proposed for this resistance. One involves three nucleotide substitutions, together with two compensatory mutations, that alter the site at which the DNA enzyme binds the ribozyme. The other involves enhancement of the ribozyme's ability to bind its own substrate in a way that protects it from cleavage by the DNA enzyme. CONCLUSIONS: The ability to direct the evolution of an enzyme's biochemical properties in response to the behavior of another macromolecule provides insight into the evolution of resistance and may be useful in developing enzymes with novel or enhanced function.

Non-NASA Center↗

Site-directed mutagenesis of serine 158 demonstrates its role in spinach leaf sucrose-phosphate synthase modulation

Site-directed mutagenesis of spinach sucrose-phosphate synthase (SPS) was performed to investigate the role of Ser158 in the modulation of spinach leaf SPS. Tobacco plants expressing the spinach wild-type (WT), S158A, S158T and S157F/S158E SPS transgenes were produced. Expression of transgenes appeared not to reduce expression of the tobacco host SPS. SPS activity in the WT and the S158T SPS transgenics showed light/dark modulation, whereas the S158A and S157F/S158E mutants were not similarly light/dark modulated: the S158A mutant enzyme was not inactivated in the dark, and the S157F/S158E was not activated in the light. The inability to modulate the activity of the S158A mutant enzyme by protein phosphorylation was demonstrated in vitro. The WT spinach enzyme immunopurified from dark transgenic tobacco leaves had a low initial activation state, and could be activated by PP2A and subsequently inactivated by SPS-kinase plus ATP. Rapid purification of the S158A mutant enzyme from dark leaves of transgenic plants using spinach-specific monoclonal antibodies yielded enzyme that had a high initial activation state, and pre-incubation with leaf PP2A or ATP plus SPS-kinase (the PKIII enzyme) caused little modulation of activity. The results demonstrate the regulatory significance of Ser158 as the major site responsible for dark inactivation of spinach SPS in vivo, and indicate that the significance of phosphorylation is the introduction of a negative charge at the Ser158 position.

Non-NASA Center↗

The regulation and regulatory role of collagenase in bone

Interstitial collagenase plays an important role in both the normal and pathological remodeling of collagenous extracellular matrices, including skeletal tissues. The enzyme is a member of the family of matrix metalloproteinases. Only one rodent interstitial collagenase has been found but there are two human enzymes, human collagenase-1 and -3, the latter being the homologue of the rat enzyme. In developing rat and mouse bone, collagenase is expressed by hypertrophic chondrocytes, osteoblasts, and osteocytes, a situation that is replicated in a fracture callus. Cultured osteoblasts derived from neonatal rat calvariae show greater amounts of collagenase transcripts late in differentiation. These levels can be regulated by parathyroid hormone (PTH), retinoic acid, and insulin-like growth factors, as well as the degree of matrix mineralization. Much of the work on collagenase in bone has been derived from studies on the rat osteosarcoma cell line, UMR 106-01. All bone-resorbing agents stimulate these cells to produce collagenase mRNA and protein, with PTH being the most potent stimulator. Determination of secreted levels of collagenase has been difficult because UMR cells, normal rat osteoblasts, and rat fibroblasts possess a scavenger receptor that removes the enzyme from the extracellular space, internalizes and degrades it, thus imposing another level of control. PTH can also regulate the abundance of the receptor as well as the expression and synthesis of the enzyme. Regulation of the collagenase gene by PTH appears to involve the cAMP pathway as well as a primary response gene, possibly Fos, which then contributes to induction of the collagenase gene. The rat collagenase gene contains an activator protein-1 sequence that is necessary for basal expression, but other promoter regions may also participate in PTH regulation. Thus, there are many levels of regulation of collagenase in bone perhaps constraining what would otherwise be a rampant enzyme.

NASA Discipline Musculoskeletal↗

Evolutionary Flexibility and Rigidity in the Bacterial Methylerythritol Phosphate (Mep) Pathway

Terpenoids are a diverse class of compounds with wide-ranging uses including as industrial solvents, pharmaceuticals, and fragrances. Efforts to produce terpenoids sustainably by engineering microbes for fermentation are ongoing, but industrial production still largely relies on nonrenewable sources. The methylerythritol phosphate (MEP) pathway generates terpenoid precursor molecules and includes the enzyme Dxs and two iron–sulfur cluster enzymes: IspG and IspH. IspG and IspH are rate limiting-enzymes of the MEP pathway but are challenging for metabolic engineering because they require iron–sulfur cluster biogenesis and an ongoing supply of reducing equivalents to function. Therefore, identifying novel alternatives to IspG and IspH has been an on-going effort to aid in metabolic engineering of terpenoid biosynthesis. We report here an analysis of the evolutionary diversity of terpenoid biosynthesis strategies as a resource for exploration of alternative terpenoid biosynthesis pathways. Using comparative genomics, we surveyed a database of 4,400 diverse bacterial species and found that some may have evolved alternatives to the first enzyme in the pathway, Dxs making it evolutionarily flexible. In contrast, we found that IspG and IspH are evolutionarily rigid because we could not identify any species that appear to have enzymatic routes that circumvent these enzymes. The ever-growing repository of sequenced bacterial genomes has great potential to provide metabolic engineers with alternative metabolic pathway solutions. With the current state of knowledge, we found that enzymes IspG and IspH are evolutionarily indispensable which informs both metabolic engineering efforts and our understanding of the evolution of terpenoid biosynthesis pathways.

Bailey Marshall↗

Effect of pH on subunit association and heat protection of soybean alpha-galactosidase

Soybeans contain the enzyme alpha-galactosidase, which hydrolyzes alpha-1, 6 linkages in stachyose and raffinose to give sucrose and galactose. We have found that galactose, a competitive product inhibitor of alpha-galactosidase, strongly promotes the heat stability of the tetrameric form of the enzyme at pH 4.0 and at temperatures of up to 70 degrees C for 60 min. Stachyose and raffinose also protect alpha-galactosidase from denaturation at pH 4.0 although to a lesser extent. Glucose and mannose have little effect. At pH 7.0 the enzyme is a monomer, and galactose has no effect on the heat stability of the enzyme. In the absence of heat protection of the enzyme by added sugars, a series deactivation mechanism was found to describe the deactivation data. In comparison, a unimolecular, non-first order deactivation model applies at pH 4.0, where heat protection effects were observed. At a temperature above 60 degrees C, simple deactivation is a suitable model. The results suggest that alpha-galactosidase conformation and heat stability are directly related.

Non-NASA Center↗

Structural modification of polysaccharides: A biochemical-genetic approach

Polysaccharides have a wide range of industrial and biomedical applications. An industry trend is underway towards the increased use of bacteria to produce polysaccharides. Long term goals of this work are the adaptation and enhancement of saccharide properties for electronic and optic applications. In this report we illustrate the application of enzyme-bearing bacteriophage on strains of the enteric bacterium Klebsiella pneumoniae, which produces a polysaccharide with the relatively rare rheological property of drag-reduction. This has resulted in the production of new polysaccharides with enhanced rheological properties. Our laboratory is developing techniques for processing and structurally modifying bacterial polysaccharides and oligosaccharides which comprise their basic polymeric repeat units. Our research has focused on bacteriophage which produce specific polysaccharide degrading enzymes. This has lead to the development of enzymes generated by bacteriophage as tools for polysaccharide modification and purification. These enzymes were used to efficiently convert the native material to uniform-sized high molecular weight polymers, or alternatively into high-purity oligosaccharides. Enzyme-bearing bacteriophage also serve as genetic selection tools for bacteria that produce new families of polysaccharides with modified structures.

Kern, Roger G.↗

Nucleotide-protectable labeling of sulfhydryl groups in subunit I of the ATPase from Halobacterium saccharovorum

The membrane ATPase from Halobacterium saccharovorum was purified as described by Hochstein et al. (1987) and was incubated with C-14 labeled N-ethylmaleimide (NEM), with and without adenine nucleotides, to determine the effect of nucleotides on the enzyme labeling. It was found that NEM incorporates into the 87,000-Da subunit (subunit I) of the enzyme and that the conditions for enzyme modification are similar to those which result in the inhibition of the enzyme activity. The presence of ATP, ADP, and AMP was found to reduce both the inhibitor incorporation and enzyme inhibition. It was shown that the reaction involves a modification of thiol groups.

Sulzner, Michael↗