Purification and properties of 7, 8-diaminopelargonic acid aminotransferase.
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The enzyme 7, 8-diaminopelargonic acid aminotransferase utilizes S-adenosyl-L-methionine to transaminate the biotin precurson 7-keto-8-aminopelargonic acid and form the next intermediate in the pathway, 7, 8-diaminopelargonic acid. The enzyme has been purified nearly 1000-fold from an extract of a regulatory mutant of Escherichia coli which is derepressed for the enzymes of the biotin operon. The extract was treated with protamine sulfate, ammonium sulfate, and subjected to acid and heat treatments. Subsequently, the enzyme was chromatographed on columns of DEAE-cellulose, phosphocellulose, hydroxylapatite, and two Sephadex G-100. The resulting purified preparation was judged 86% homogeneous by the scanning of of a stained disc gel. The enzymatic activity was associated with the major band in gels run at two different gel concentrations and two different pH values. The cofactor, pyridoxal phosphate, can be resolved from the enzyme in the presence of phosphate buffer after incubation with the amino donor, S-adenosyl-L-methionine. A molecular weight estimation of 94,000 plus or minus 10, 000 has been obtained by gel filtration and sucrose gradient sedimentation studies. Gel electrophoresis in the presence of sodium dodecyl sulfate, shows a single subunit with a molecular weight of 47, 000 plus or minus 3, 000 indicating a dimeric enzyme. A neutral compound was detected in the acidified reaction mixture which was derived from the methionine moiety of S-adenosyl-L-methionine and was present in amounts equivalent to the 7, 8-diaminopelargonic acid produced in the reaction mixture. It is suggested that the keto product of the reaction, i.e. S-adenosyl-2-oxo-4-methylthiobutyric acid, may decompose nonenzymatically under the conditions of the reaction to form 5'-methylthioadenosine and the neutral compound, 2-oxo-3-butenoic acid. (+info)
Biosynthesis of 7, 8-diaminopelargonic acid from 7-keto-8-aminopelargonic acid and S-adenosyl-L-methionine. The kinetics of the reaction.
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The transamination of 7-keto-8-aminopelargonic acid by 7, 8-diaminopelargonic acid aminotransferase of Escherichia coli requires S-adenosyl-L-methionine as the amino donor. Initial velocity studies of this reaction revealed a parallel pattern of reciprocal plots characteristic of a ping-pong mechanism. m-Keto-8-aminopelargonic acid showed strong substrate inhibition which was competitive with S-adenosyl-L-methionine. The Michaelis constants determined for S-adenosyl-L-methionine and 7-keto-8-aminopelargonic acid were 0.20 mM and 1.2 muM, respectively. The Vmax of 0.16 mumol/mg/min corresponds to a turnover number for the enzyme of only 17 molecules/molecule enzyme/min. The Km values for the interaction of pyridoxal 5'-phosphate and pyridoxamine 5'-phosphate with the apoenzyme were determined to be 32 muM and 21 muM, respectively. Two classes of inhibitors were observed: (a) those which showed competitive inhibition with respect to S-adenosynd (b) those which showed noncompetitive inhibition with respect to both substrates. In the former group were S-adenosyl-L-(2-hydroxy-4-methylthio)butyric acid and adenosine. In the latter were S-adenosyl-L-ethionine, adenine, and 8-keto-7-aminopelargonic acid. L-Methionine, S-methyl-L-methionine, inosine, and hypoxanthine were not significantly inhibitory. Certain conformations of the substrates in the active site of the enzyme have been proposed which explain: (a) the requirement for the sulfonium ion of S-adenosyl-L-methionine for activity but not for binding to the enzyme, and (b) the ability of 7-keto-8-aminopelargonic acid to bind to the pyridoxal form of the enzyme as a potent substrate inhibitor. (+info)
Methylarcula marina gen. nov., sp. nov. and Methylarcula terricola sp. nov.: novel aerobic, moderately halophilic, facultatively methylotrophic bacteria from coastal saline environments.
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A new genus, Methylarcula, with two new species, Methylarcula marina and Methylarcula terricola, are proposed for strains h1T and h37T of moderately halophilic facultatively methylotrophic bacteria isolated from the coastal saline habitats. These methylobacteria are aerobic, Gram-negative, asporogenous, non-motile, colourless rods that multiply by binary fission. Their cellular fatty acids profiles consist primarily of straight-chain unsaturated (C18:1; 70-80%), saturated (C18:0; 14-16%) and cyclopropane (C19:0; 5-6%) acids. The major ubiquinone is Q-10. The dominant phospholipids are phosphatidylethanolamine and phosphatidylcholine. Both strains could use methylamine, some sugars and organic acids as carbon and energy sources. They grew well under optimal conditions (29-35 degrees C, pH 7.5-8.5, 0.5-1.0 M NaCl) and accumulated intracellularly poly-beta-hydroxybutyrate and the compatible solute ectoine. The ectoine pool was found to increase upon increasing the external NaCl concentration and accounted for 18% of the dry cellular weight. Both strains oxidized methylamine by the N-methylglutamate (N-MG) pathway enzymes (gamma-glutamylmethylamide synthetase/lyase and N-MG synthetase/lyase) to formaldehyde and assimilated it via the icl- serine pathway. The DNA G+C content was 60-4 mol% for Methylarcula marina h1T and 57.1 mol% for Methylarcula terricola h37T. The DNA-DNA hybridization value between strains hl and h37 was 25-30%, although they had a low level of DNA relatedness (5-7%) with the type strains of the serine pathway methylobacteria belonging to the genera Methylobacterium, Aminobacter, Methylorhabdus and Methylopila. A comparative 16S rDNA sequence-based phylogenetic analysis placed the two species of Methylarcula into a separate branch of the alpha-3 subclass of the Proteobacteria. The type strains of the new species are Methylarcula marina h1T (= VKM B-2159T) and Methylarcula terricola h37T (= VKM B-2160T). (+info)
Recruitment of a specific amoeboid myosin I isoform to the plasma membrane in chemotactic Dictyostelium cells.
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The Dictyostelium class I myosins, MyoA, -B, -C, and -D, participate in plasma membrane-based cellular processes such as pseudopod extension and macropinocytosis. Given the existence of a high affinity membrane-binding site in the C-terminal tail domain of these motor proteins and their localized site of action at the cortical membrane-cytoskeleton, it was of interest to determine whether each myosin I was directly associated with the plasma membrane. The membrane association of a myosin I heavy chain kinase that regulates the activity of one of the class I myosins, MyoD was also examined. Cellular fractionation experiments revealed that the majority of the Dicyostelium MyoA, -B, -C and -D heavy chains and the kinase are cytosolic. However, a small, but significant, fraction (appr. 7. -15%) of each myosin I and the kinase was associated with the plasma membrane. The level of plasma membrane-associated MyoB, but neither that of MyoC nor MyoD, increases up to 2-fold in highly motile, streaming cells. These results indicate that Dictyostelium specifically recruits myoB to the plasma membrane during directed cell migration, consistent with its known role in pseudopod formation. (+info)
Arginine transport through system y(+)L in cultured human fibroblasts: normal phenotype of cells from LPI subjects.
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In lysinuric protein intolerance (LPI), impaired transport of cationic amino acids in kidney and intestine is due to mutations of the SLC7A7 gene. To assess the functional consequences of the LPI defect in nonepithelial cells, we have characterized cationic amino acid (CAA) transport in human fibroblasts obtained from LPI patients and a normal subject. In both cell types the bidirectional fluxes of arginine are due to the additive contributions of two Na(+)-independent, transstimulated transport systems. One of these mechanisms, inhibited by N-ethylmaleimide (NEM) and sensitive to the membrane potential, is identifiable with system y(+). The NEM- and potential-insensitive component, suppressed by L-leucine only in the presence of Na(+), is mostly due to the activity of system y(+)L. The inward and outward activities of the two systems are comparable in control and LPI fibroblasts. Both cell types express SLC7A1 (CAT1) and SLC7A2 (CAT2B and CAT2A) as well as SLC7A6 (y+LAT2) and SLC7A7 (y+LAT1). We conclude that LPI fibroblasts exhibit normal CAA transport through system y(+)L, probably referable to the activity of SLC7A6/y+LAT2. (+info)
Arabidopsis mutants resistant to S(+)-beta-methyl-alpha, beta-diaminopropionic acid, a cycad-derived glutamate receptor agonist.
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Ionotropic glutamate receptors (iGluRs) are ligand-gated ion channels that are the predominant neuroreceptors in the mammalian brain. Genes with high sequence similarity to animal iGluRs have been identified in Arabidopsis. To understand the role of Arabidopsis glutamate receptor-like (AtGLR) genes in plants, we have taken a pharmacological approach by examining the effects of BMAA [S(+)-beta-methyl-alpha, beta-diaminopropionic acid], a cycad-derived iGluR agonist, on Arabidopsis morphogenesis. When applied to Arabidopsis seedlings, BMAA caused a 2- to 3-fold increase in hypocotyl elongation and inhibited cotyledon opening during early seedling development. The effect of BMAA on hypocotyl elongation is light specific. Furthermore, BMAA effects on early morphogenesis of Arabidopsis can be reversed by the simultaneous application of glutamate, the native iGluR agonist in animals. To determine the targets of BMAA action in Arabidopsis, a genetic screen was devised to isolate Arabidopsis mutants with a BMAA insensitive morphology (bim). When grown in the light on BMAA, bim mutants exhibited short hypocotyls compared with wild type. bim mutants were grouped into three classes based on their morphology when grown in the dark in the absence of BMAA. Class-I bim mutants have a normal, etiolated morphology, similar to wild-type plants. Class-II bim mutants have shorter hypocotyls and closed cotyledons when grown in the dark. Class-III bim mutants have short hypocotyls and open cotyledons when grown in the dark, resembling the previously characterized constitutively photomorphogenic mutants (cop, det, fus, and shy). Further analysis of the bim mutants should help define whether plant-derived iGluR agonists target glutamate receptor signaling pathways in plants. (+info)
Mutational analysis of the fractalkine chemokine domain. Basic amino acid residues differentially contribute to CX3CR1 binding, signaling, and cell adhesion.
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Fractalkine (FKN/CX3CL1) is a unique member of the chemokine gene family and contains a chemokine domain (CD), a mucin-like stalk, a single transmembrane region, and a short intracellular C terminus. This structural distinction affords FKN the property of mediating capture and firm adhesion of FKN receptor (CX3CR1)-expressing cells under physiological flow conditions. Shed forms of FKN also exist, and these promote chemotaxis of CX3CR1-expressing leukocytes. The goal of the present study was to identify specific residues within the FKN-CD critical for FKN-CX3CR1 interactions. Two residues were identified in the FKN-CD, namely Lys-7 and Arg-47, that are important determinants in mediating an FKN-CX3CR1 interaction. FKN-K7A and FKN-R47A mutants exhibited 30-60-fold decreases in affinity for CX3CR1 and failed to arrest efficiently CX3CR1-expressing cells under physiological flow conditions. However, these mutants had differential effects on chemotaxis of CX3CR1-expressing cells. The FKN-K7A mutant acted as an equipotent partial agonist, whereas the FKN-R47A mutant had marked decreased potency and efficacy in measures of chemotactic activity. These data identify specific structural features of the FKN-CD that are important in interactions with CX3CR1 including steady state binding, signaling, and firm adhesion of CX3CR1-expressing cells. (+info)
Heparin-binding defective lipoprotein lipase is unstable and causes abnormalities in lipid delivery to tissues.
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Lipoprotein lipase (LpL) binding to heparan sulfate proteoglycans (HSPGs) is hypothesized to stabilize the enzyme, localize LpL in specific capillary beds, and route lipoprotein lipids to the underlying tissues. To test these hypotheses in vivo, we created mice expressing a human LpL minigene (hLpL(HBM)) carrying a mutated heparin-binding site. Three basic amino acids in the carboxyl terminal region of LpL were mutated, yielding an active enzyme with reduced heparin binding. Mice expressing hLpL(HBM) accumulated inactive human LpL (hLpL) protein in preheparin blood. hLpL(HBM) rapidly lost activity during a 37 degrees C incubation, confirming a requirement for heparin binding to stabilize LPL: Nevertheless, expression of hLpL(HBM) prevented the neonatal demise of LpL knockout mice. On the LpL-deficient background hLpL(HBM) expression led to defective targeting of lipids to tissues. Compared with mice expressing native hLpL in the muscle, hLpL(HBM) transgenic mice had increased postprandial FFAs, decreased lipid uptake in muscle tissue, and increased lipid uptake in kidneys. Thus, heparin association is required for LpL stability and normal physiologic functions. These experiments confirm in vivo that association with HSPGs can provide a means to maintain proteins in their stable conformations and to anchor them at sites where their activity is required. (+info)