Long-distance transport of L-ascorbic acid in potato.
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BACKGROUND: Following on from recent advances in plant AsA biosynthesis there is increasing interest in elucidating the factors contributing to the L-ascorbic acid (AsA) content of edible crops. One main objective is to establish whether in sink organs such as fruits and tubers, AsA is synthesised in situ from imported photoassimilates or synthesised in source tissues and translocated via the phloem. In the current work we test the hypothesis that long-distance transport is involved in AsA accumulation within the potato tuber, the most significant source of AsA in the European diet. RESULTS: Using the EDTA exudation technique we confirm the presence of AsA in the phloem of potato plants and demonstrate a correlation between changes in the AsA content of source leaves and that of phloem exudates. Comparison of carboxyflourescein and AgNO3 staining is suggestive of symplastic unloading of AsA in developing tubers. This hypothesis was further supported by the changes in AsA distribution during tuber development which closely resembled those of imported photoassimilates. Manipulation of leaf AsA content by supply of precursors to source leaves resulted in increased AsA content of developing tubers. CONCLUSION: Our data provide strong support to the hypothesis that long-distance transport of AsA occurs in potato. We also show that phloem AsA content and AsA accumulation in sink organs can be directly increased via manipulation of AsA content in the foliage. We are now attempting to establish the quantitative contribution of imported AsA to overall AsA accumulation in developing potato tubers via transgenic approaches. (+info)
Lipopolysaccharides of Vibrio cholerae II. Genetics of biosynthesis.
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An account of our up to date knowledge of the genetics of biosynthesis of Vibrio cholerae lipopolysaccharide (LPS) is presented in this review. While not much information is available in the literature on the genetics of biosynthesis of lipid A of V. cholerae, the available information on the characteristics and proposed functions of the corepolysaccharide (core-PS) biosynthetic genes is discussed. The genetic organizations encoding the O-antigen polysaccharides (O-PS) of V. cholerae of serogroups O1 and O139, the disease causing ones, have been described along with the putative functions of the different constituent genes. The O-PS biosynthetic genes of some non-O1, non-O139 serogroups, particularly the serogroups O37 and O22, and their putative functions have also been discussed briefly. In view of the importance of the serogroup O139, the origination of the O139 strain and the possible donor of the corresponding O-PS gene cluster have been analyzed with a view to having knowledge of (i) the mode of evolution of different serogroups and (ii) the possible emergence of pathogenic strain(s) belonging to non-O1, non-O139 serogroups. The unsolved problems in this area of research and their probable impact on the production of an effective cholera vaccine have been outlined in conclusion. (+info)
Identification and characterization of Sulfolobus solfataricus D-gluconate dehydratase: a key enzyme in the non-phosphorylated Entner-Doudoroff pathway.
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The extremely thermoacidophilic archaeon Sulfolobus solfataricus utilizes D-glucose as a sole carbon and energy source through the non-phosphorylated Entner-Doudoroff pathway. It has been suggested that this micro-organism metabolizes D-gluconate, the oxidized form of D-glucose, to pyruvate and D-glyceraldehyde by using two unique enzymes, D-gluconate dehydratase and 2-keto-3-deoxy-D-gluconate aldolase. In the present study, we report the purification and characterization of D-gluconate dehydratase from S. solfataricus, which catalyses the conversion of D-gluconate into 2-keto-3-deoxy-D-gluconate. D-Gluconate dehydratase was purified 400-fold from extracts of S. solfataricus by ammonium sulphate fractionation and chromatography on DEAE-Sepharose, Q-Sepharose, phenyl-Sepharose and Mono Q. The native protein showed a molecular mass of 350 kDa by gel filtration, whereas SDS/PAGE analysis provided a molecular mass of 44 kDa, indicating that D-gluconate dehydratase is an octameric protein. The enzyme showed maximal activity at temperatures between 80 and 90 degrees C and pH values between 6.5 and 7.5, and a half-life of 40 min at 100 degrees C. Bivalent metal ions such as Co2+, Mg2+, Mn2+ and Ni2+ activated, whereas EDTA inhibited the enzyme. A metal analysis of the purified protein revealed the presence of one Co2+ ion per enzyme monomer. Of the 22 aldonic acids tested, only D-gluconate served as a substrate, with K(m)=0.45 mM and V(max)=0.15 unit/mg of enzyme. From N-terminal sequences of the purified enzyme, it was found that the gene product of SSO3198 in the S. solfataricus genome database corresponded to D-gluconate dehydratase (gnaD). We also found that the D-gluconate dehydratase of S. solfataricus is a phosphoprotein and that its catalytic activity is regulated by a phosphorylation-dephosphorylation mechanism. This is the first report on biochemical and genetic characterization of D-gluconate dehydratase involved in the non-phosphorylated Entner-Doudoroff pathway. (+info)
Localization of ascorbic acid, ascorbic acid oxidase, and glutathione in roots of Cucurbita maxima L.
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To understand the function of ascorbic acid (ASC) in root development, the distribution of ASC, ASC oxidase, and glutathione (GSH) were investigated in cells and tissues of the root apex of Cucubita maxima. ASC was regularly distributed in the cytosol of almost all root cells, with the exception of quiescent centre (QC) cells. ASC also occurred at the surface of the nuclear membrane and correspondingly in the nucleoli. No ASC could be observed in vacuoles. ASC oxidase was detected by immunolocalization mainly in cell walls and vacuoles. This enzyme was particularly abundant in the QC and in differentiating vascular tissues and was absent in lateral root primordia. Administration of the ASC precursor L-galactono-gamma-lactone markedly increased ASC content in all root cells, including the QC. Root treatment with the ASC oxidized product, dehydroascorbic acid (DHA), also increased ASC content, but caused ASC accumulation only in peripheral tissues, where DHA was apparently reduced at the expense of GSH. The different pattern of distribution of ASC in different tissues and cell compartments reflects its possible role in cell metabolism and root morphogenesis. (+info)
Changes in intracellular and apoplastic peroxidase activity, ascorbate redox status, and root elongation induced by enhanced ascorbate content in Allium cepa L.
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Onions (Allium cepa L.) treated with external ascorbic acid or with the immediate precursor of its synthesis L-galactono-gamma-lactone show a stimulated elongation rate of the roots and an increase in the number of new radicles appearing at the bulb base. Treatment with both molecules resulted in an enhanced accumulation of ascorbate and dehydroascorbate along the root axis, but the distribution of these redox forms was not uniform along the root, as detected in intracellular (symplastic) and extracellular (apoplastic) compartments. Thus, those radicular zones metabolically more active, such as the meristem and the elongation zone, accumulated the highest amount of both redox forms of ascorbate. On the other hand, ascorbate and L-galactono-gamma-lactone also stimulated cytosolic glucose-6-phosphate dehydrogenase activity and inhibited peroxidase activity as deduced from in vivo and in vitro experiments. Differences were also found when comparing apoplastic and symplastic activities. These results are compatible with the idea of an ascorbate-mediated stimulation of root growth by inhibiting cell wall stiffening and increasing root metabolism. (+info)
Competitive inhibitors of Mycobacterium tuberculosis ribose-5-phosphate isomerase B reveal new information about the reaction mechanism.
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Ribose-5-phosphate isomerase (Rpi), an important enzyme in the pentose phosphate pathway, catalyzes the interconversion of ribulose 5-phosphate and ribose 5-phosphate. Two unrelated isomerases have been identified, RpiA and RpiB, with different structures and active site residues. The reaction catalyzed by both enzymes is thought to proceed via a high energy enediolate intermediate, by analogy to other carbohydrate isomerases. Here we present studies of RpiB from Mycobacterium tuberculosis together with small molecules designed to resemble the enediolate intermediate. The relative affinities of these inhibitors for RpiB have a different pattern than that observed previously for the RpiA from spinach. X-ray structures of RpiB in complex with the inhibitors 4-phospho-d-erythronohydroxamic acid (K(m) 57 microm) and 4-phospho-d-erythronate (K(i) 1.7 mm) refined to resolutions of 2.1 and 2.2 A, respectively, allowed us to assign roles for most active site residues. These results, combined with docking of the substrates in the position of the most effective inhibitor, now allow us to outline the reaction mechanism for RpiBs. Both enzymes have residues that can catalyze opening of the furanose ring of the ribose 5-phosphate and so can improve the efficiency of the reaction. Both enzymes also have an acidic residue that acts as a base in the isomerization step. A lysine residue in RpiAs provides for more efficient stabilization of the intermediate than the corresponding uncharged groups of RpiBs; this same feature lies behind the more efficient binding of RpiA to 4-phospho-d-erythronate. (+info)
Multiple regulators control expression of the Entner-Doudoroff aldolase (Eda) of Escherichia coli.
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The Escherichia coli eda gene, which encodes the Entner-Doudoroff aldolase, is central to the catabolism of several sugar acids. Here, we show that Eda synthesis is induced by growth on gluconate, glucuronate, or methyl-beta-D-glucuronide; phosphate limitation; and carbon starvation. Transcription of eda initiates from three promoters, designated P1, P2, and P4, each of which is responsible for induction under different growth conditions. P1 controls eda induction on gluconate and is regulated by GntR. P2 controls eda induction on glucuronate and galacturonate and is regulated by KdgR. P4 is active under conditions of phosphate starvation and is directly controlled by PhoB. In addition, CsrA activates Eda synthesis, apparently by an indirect mechanism that may be involved in the modest changes in expression level that are associated with carbon starvation. The complex regulation of eda is discussed with respect to its several physiological roles, which apparently accommodate not only sugar acid catabolism but also detoxification of metabolites that could accumulate during starvation-induced stress. (+info)
A phosphoethanolamine transferase specific for the outer 3-deoxy-D-manno-octulosonic acid residue of Escherichia coli lipopolysaccharide. Identification of the eptB gene and Ca2+ hypersensitivity of an eptB deletion mutant.
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Addition of a phosphoethanolamine (pEtN) moiety to the outer 3-deoxy-D-manno-octulosonic acid (Kdo) residue of lipopolysaccharide (LPS) in WBB06, a heptose-deficient Escherichia coli mutant, occurs when cells are grown in 5-50 mM CaCl2 (Kanipes, M. I., Lin, S., Cotter, R. J., and Raetz, C. R. H. (2001) J. Biol. Chem. 276, 1156-1163). A Ca2+-induced, membrane-bound enzyme was responsible for the transfer of the pEtN unit to the Kdo domain. We now report the identification of the gene encoding the pEtN transferase. E. coli yhjW was cloned and overexpressed, because it is homologous to a putative pEtN transferase implicated in the modification of the beta-chain heptose residue of Neisseria meningitidis lipo-oligosaccharide (Mackinnon, F. G., Cox, A. D., Plested, J. S., Tang, C. M., Makepeace, K., Coull, P. A., Wright, J. C., Chalmers, R., Hood, D. W., Richards, J. C., and Moxon, E. R. (2002) Mol. Microbiol. 43, 931-943). In vitro assays with Kdo2-4'-[32P]lipid A as the acceptor showed that YhjW (renamed EptB) utilizes phosphatidylethanolamine in the presence of Ca2+ to transfer the pEtN group. Stoichiometric amounts of diacylglycerol were generated during the EptB-catalyzed transfer of pEtN to Kdo2-lipid A. EptB is an inner membrane protein of 574 amino acid residues with five predicted trans-membrane segments within its N-terminal region. An in-frame replacement of eptB with a kanamycin resistance cassette rendered E. coli WBB06 (but not wild-type W3110) hypersensitive to CaCl2 at 5 mM or higher. Ca2+ hypersensitivity was suppressed by excess Mg2+ in the medium or by restoring the LPS core of WBB06. The latter was achieved by reintroducing the waaC and waaF genes, which encode LPS heptosyl transferases I and II, respectively. Our data demonstrate that pEtN modification of the outer Kdo protected cells containing heptose-deficient LPS from damage by high concentrations of Ca2+. Based on its sequence similarity to EptA(PmrC), we propose that the active site of EptB faces the periplasmic surface of the inner membrane. (+info)