Other Biochemistry, Biophysics, and Structural Biology Commons^™

Ibpp Research Associates: Space And Extreme Environments, M. Ephimia Morphew - Society For Human Performance In Extreme Environments

International Bulletin of Political Psychology

Per M. Ephimia Morphew. President of the Society for Human Performance in Extreme Environments previously online at http://www.hpee.org, colleagues at the Institute of Biomedical Problems in Russia (IBMP) are engaged in an isolation experiment pertaining to space exploration that is two months underway and preliminary findings are reported [in the article entitled First Two Months of Simulated Isolation Passed.]

IBPP commentary includes a discussion of human factors and political psychology as parameters of space.

Archaeal Aminoacyl-Trna Synthesis: Unique Determinants Of A Universal Genetic Code?, Michael Ibba, A. W. Curnow, J. Bono, P. A. Rosa, C. R. Woese, D. Söll

Biology, Chemistry, and Environmental Sciences Faculty Articles and Research

No abstract provided.

Yeast And Human Frataxin Are Processed To Mature Form In Two Sequential Steps By The Mitochondrial Processing Peptidase, Steven S. Branda, Patrizia Cavadini, Jiri Adamec, Frantisek Kalousek, Franco Taroni, Grazia Isaya

Department of Biochemistry: Faculty Publications

Frataxin is a nuclear-encoded mitochondrial protein which is deficient in Friedreich’s ataxia, a hereditary neurodegenerative disease. Yeast mutants lacking the yeast frataxin homologue (Yfh1p) show iron accumulation in mitochondria and increased sensitivity to oxidative stress, suggesting that frataxin plays a critical role in mitochondrial iron homeostasis and free radical toxicity. Both Yfh1p and frataxin are synthesized as larger precursor molecules that, upon import into mitochondria, are subject to two proteolytic cleavages, yielding an intermediate and a mature size form. A recent study found that recombinant rat mitochondrial processing peptidase (MPP) cleaves the mouse frataxin precursor to the intermediate but not …

Diet And Growth Of Larval And Juvenile Grass Pickerel, Esox Americanus Vermiculatus, And Central Mudminnow, Umbra Limi, In The Green Bottom Wildlife Management Area, Cabell County, West Virginia, Erica Midkiff

Theses, Dissertations and Capstones

The grass pickerel, Esox americanus vermiculatus, is listed as Undetermined on the Vertebrate Species List of Concern in West Virginia. The central mudminnow, Umbra limi, is a disjunct population in Green Bottom Swamp. The lentic, vegetated areas that are required for spawning for the grass pickerel and the central mudminnow have been reduced by residential, agricultural, and industrial developments. Green Bottom Swamp, a naturally occurring wetland of 58 ha, and a nearby mitigated wetland of 29 ha, provides spawning habitat for the grass pickerel and the mudminnow. Fishes were collected in beds of Potamogetan crispus and Ceratophyllum demursum …

Regulation Of The Expression Of Hmn-Sod At The Level Of The Mitochondrial Processing Of Precursor Hmn-Sod, Gary Leslie Wright

Theses, Dissertations and Capstones

The mitochondrion imports and processes the vast majority of the proteins which comprise its structural elements and metabolic pathways. Studies in the last decade have been successful at defining the mechanism and protein machinery responsible for recognizing, importing, and processing cytosolic precursor proteins into the mature mitochondrial proteins. Little is known, however, about physiological factors which might influence or compromise mitochondrial protein processing. The objective of this work was to develop a novel approach to study mitochondrial import and assembly of precursor proteins as a process within the context of the cellular environment. To these ends we employed the baculovirus …

Role Of The Escherichia Coli Fadr Regulator In Stasis Survival And Growth Phase-Dependent Expression Of The Uspa, Fad, And Fab Genes, Anne Farewell, Alfredo A. Diez, Concetta C. Dirusso, Thomas Nyström

Department of Biochemistry: Faculty Publications

The increased expression of the uspA gene of Escherichia coli is an essential part of the cell’s response to growth arrest. We demonstrate that stationary-phase activation of the uspA promoter is in part dependent on growth phase-dependent inactivation or repression of the FadR regulator. Transcription of uspA is derepressed during exponential growth in fadR null mutants or by including the fatty acid oleate in the growth medium of FadR1 cells. The results of DNA footprinting analysis show that FadR binds downstream of the uspA promoter in the noncoding region. Thus, uspA is a member of the fadR regulon. All …

In Vivo Regulation Of Wheat-Leaf Phosphoenolpyruvate Carboxylase By Reversible Phosphorylation, Stephen M. G. Duff, Raymond Chollet

Department of Biochemistry: Faculty Publications

Regulation of C₃ phosphoenolpyruvate carboxylase (PEPC) and its protein-serine/threonine kinase (PEPC-PK) was studied in wheat (Trificum aesfivum) leaves that were excised from low-N-grown seedlings and subsequently illuminated and/or supplied with 40 mM KNO₃. The apparent phosphorylation status of PEPC was assessed by its sensitivity to i-malate inhibition at suboptimal assay conditions, and the activity state of PEPC-PK was determined by the in vitro ³²P labeling of purified maize dephospho-PEPC by [y³²PIATP/ Mg. lllumination (±NO₃^-) for 1 h led to about a 4.5-fold increase in the 50% inhibition constant for i-malate, which …

Characteristics Of Modified Leghemoglobins Lsolated From Soybean (Glycine Max Merr.) Root Nodules, Hyung-Kyun Jun, Gautam Sarath, Jose F. Moran, Manuel Becana, Robert V. Klucas, Fred W. Wagner

Department of Biochemistry: Faculty Publications

Hemoprotein derivatives of an abundant soybean (Glycine max Merr.) root nodule leghemoglobin, Lba, were studied for their modified spectral characteristics and physical properties. Three modified hemoprotein derivatives of Lba (Lbam₁, Lbam₂, and Lbam₃) were purified by preparative isoelectric focusing. The ferric forms of these pigments were green and exhibited anomalous spedra in the visible region as compared to the Lba³⁺ forms. These modified pigments showed a hypochromic shift of 10 nm for the charge transfer absorption maximum; however, differences were not apparent in the Sdret region. Upon binding with nicotinate, the α …

Sequence Of A Psac Gene From The Cyanobacterium Synechococcus Sp. Pcc 6301, Patricia L. Herman, Kartika Adiwilaga, John H. Golbeck, Donald P. Weeks

Department of Biochemistry: Faculty Publications

The psaC gene encodes PsaC, the apoprotein for the terminal iron-sulfur clusters, F_A and F_B, in the PSI reaction center of cyanobacteria, algae, and higher plants. PsaC functions as a membrane-bound oxidoreductase, accepting electrons from the F_x iron-sulfur cluster located on the PsaA/PsaB heterodimer and donating them to the soluble electron transfer proteins Fd and flavodoxin (reviewed in Bryant, 1992). The objective of our work is to clarify the role of PsaC in linear and cyclic electron transfer. The experimental organism is Syneckococcus sp. PCC 6301, a unicellular, freshwater cyanobacterium that is used extensively for physiological, …

Exopeptidase Catalyzed Site-Specific Bonding Of Supports, Labels And Bioactive Agents To Proteins, Fred W. Wagner, Thomas R. Coolidge, Dwane E. Wylie, Sheldon M. Schuster, William Lewis, Jay Stout

Department of Biochemistry: Faculty Publications

The invention provides a means for attaching a label, support or bioactive agent to a protein with an exopeptidase at a site that is remote from the active site of the protein. More specifically the invention is directed to a method for the attachment of an amino acid, amine and alcohol nucleophile to the carboxyl terminus of a protein. In one embodiment, a labeled nucleophile is attached to a protein such as an antibody. In other embodiments, the invention is directed to a method for the attachment of a protein to an immobilization support and to a method for the …

Exopeptidase Catalyzed Site-Specific Bonding Of Supports, Labels And Bioactive Agents To Proteins, Fred W. Wagner, Thomas R. Coolidge, Sheldon M. Schuster, Jay Stout, Dwane E. Wylie, Klaus Breddam, William Lewis

Department of Biochemistry: Faculty Publications

An auxiliary substance such as a label, support, or bioactive agent is attached to a protein at a site that is remote from the active site of the protein by the use of exopeptidase and a nucleophile which is an amino acid, amino acid derivative, amine or alcohol. In one embodiment, the nucleophile is attached to the carboxy terminus of a protein by catalysis with exopeptidase to form an adduct and then the adduct or its combination with a linker arm is bound to the auxiliary substance. In another embodiment, the auxiliary substance or its combination with a linker arm …

Light Activation Of Maize Phosphoenolpyruvate Carboxylase Protein-Serine Kinase Activity Is Inhibited By Mesophyll And Bundle Sheath-Directed Photosynthesis Inhibitors, Jin-An Jiao, Raymond Chollet

Department of Biochemistry: Faculty Publications

C₄ phosphoenolpyruvate carboxylase (PEPC) is post-translationally regulated by reversible phosphorylation of a specific N-terminal seryl residue in response to light/dark transitions of the parent leaf tissue. The protein-serine kinase (PEPC-PK) that phosphorylates/activates this mesophyll-cytoplasm target enzyme is slowly, but strikingly, activated by high light and inactivated in darkness in vivo by a mechanism involving cytoplasmic protein synthesis/degradation as a primary component. In this report, evidence is presented indicating that the inhibition of Calvin cycle activity by a variety of mesophyll (3-(3,4-dichlorophenyl)-1,1-dimethylurea, isocil, methyl viologen) and bundle sheath (DL-glyceraldehyde)-directed photosynthesis inhibitors blocks the light activation of maize (Zea mays …

Lack Of Types 1 And 2a Protein Serine(P)/Threonine(P) Phosphatase Activities In Chloroplasts, Gongqin Sun, John Markwell

Department of Biochemistry: Faculty Publications

Protein phosphatase activity in crude leaf extracts and in purified intact chloroplasts of wheat (Triticum aestivum) and pea (Pisum sativum) was analyzed using exogenously supplied phosphoproteins or endogenous thylakoid proteins. Leaf extracts contain readily detectable amounts of protein phosphatase activity measured with either phosphohistone or phosphorylase a, substrates of mammalian protein phosphatases. No significant chloroplast protein phosphatase activity was detected using these exogenous phosphoproteins. The dephosphorylation of endogenous thylakoid lightharvesting chlorophyll a/b binding proteins in situ was inhibited by fluoride, but not by microcystin-LR or okadaic acid, diagnostic inhibitors of mammalian types 1 and 2A protein …

Posttranslational Regulation Of Phosphoenolpyruvate Carboxylase In C4 And Crassulacean Acid Metabolism Plants, Jin-An Jiao, Raymond Chollet

Department of Biochemistry: Faculty Publications

Control of C₄ photosynthesis and Crassulacean acid metabolism (CAM) is, in part, mediated by the diel regulation of phosphoenolpyruvate carboxylase (PEPC) activity. The nature of this regulation of PEPC in the leaf cell cytoplasm of C₄ and CAM plants is both metabolite-related and posttranslational. Specifically, the regulatory properties of the enzyme vary in accord with the physiological activity of C₄ photosynthesis and CAM: PEPC is less sensitive to feedback inhibition by L-malate under light (C₄ plants) or at night (CAM plants) than in darkness (C₄) or during the day (CAM). While the view that …

In Vivo Regulatory Phosphorylation Site In C4-Leaf Phosphoenolpyruvate Carboxylase From Maize And Sorghum, Jin-An Jiao, Jean Vidal, Cristina Echevarría, Raymond Chollet

Department of Biochemistry: Faculty Publications

Reversible seryl-phosphorylation contributes to the light/dark regulation of C₄-leaf phosphoenolpyruvate carboxylase (PEPC) activity in vivo. The specific regulatory residue that, upon in vitro phosphorylation by a maize-leaf protein-serine kinase(s), leads to an increase in catalytic activity and a decrease in malatesensitivity of the target enzyme has been recently identified as Ser-15 in ³²P-phosphorylated/activated dark-form maize PEPC (J-A Jiao, R Chollet [1990] Arch Biochem Biophys 283: 300-305). In order to ascertain whether this N-terminal seryl residue is, indeed, the in vivo regulatory phosphorylation site, [³²P]phosphopeptides were isolated and purified from in vivo ³²P-labeled maize and …

Purification And Characterization Of Soybean Root Nodule Ferric Leghemoglobin Reductase, Lin Ji, Stephen Wood, Manuel Becana, Robert V. Klucas

Department of Biochemistry: Faculty Publications

A ferric leghemoglobin reductase from the cytosol of soybean (Glyclne max) root nodules was purified to homogeneity and partlafly characterized. The enzyme is a flavoprotein with flavin adenine dinuclotide as the prosthetic group and consists of two identical subunits, each having a molecular mass of 54 kilodaltons. The pure enzyme shows a high activity for ferric leghemoglobin reduction with NADH as the reductant in the absence of any exogenous mediators. The enzyme also exhibits NADH-dependent 2,6-dichloroindophenol reductase activity. A sequence of the first 50 N-terminal amino acids of the purified protein was obtained. Comparisons with known protein sequences …

Nicotinate, Nicotinamide, And The Reactivity Of Leghemoglobin In Soybean Root Nodules, Robert V. Klucas, Cyril A. Appleby

Department of Biochemistry: Faculty Publications

Nicotinate has been postulated to interfere with the binding of O₂ to ferrous leghemoglobin in soybean (Glycine max) root nodules. For such a function, the levels of nicotinate in nodules must be sufficiently high to bind a significant amount of leghemoglobin. We have measured levels of nicotinate, nicotinamide, and leghemoglobin in soybean nodules from plants 34 to 73 days after planting in a glasshouse. On a per gram nodule fresh weight basis, levels between 10.4 and 21 nanomoles for nicotinate, 19.2 and 37.8 nanomoles for nicotinamide, and 170 to 280 nanomoles for leghemoglobin were measured. Even if …

Primary Sequence Of The Escherichia Coli Fadba Operon, Encoding The Fatty Acid-Oxidizing Multienzyme Complex, Indicates A High Degree Of Homology To Eucaryotic Enzymes, Concetta C. Dirusso

Department of Biochemistry: Faculty Publications

In Escherichia coli at least five enzyme activities required for the beta-oxidation of fatty acids are associated with a multienzyme complex composed of two subunits in α₂β₂ conformation (A. Pramanik et al., J. Bacteriol. 137:469-473, 1979). In the present work, the DNA sequence of the genes encoding these two subunits, fadB and fadA, has been determined. The direction of transcription was from fadB to fadA rather than from fadA to fadB, as suggested previously (S. K. Spratt et al., J. Bacteriol. 158:535-542, 1984). Only 10 nucleotides separated the coding sequences for the two peptides, confirming …

Chloroplast Thylakoid Protein Phosphatase Is A Membrane Surface-Associated Activity, Gongqin Sun, Doreen Bailey, Michael W. Jones, John Markwell

Department of Biochemistry: Faculty Publications

Chloroplast thylakoid protein phosphatase activity was measured using ³²P-labeled histone as an exogenous substrate and an assay of the ³²P released involving formation of a phosphomolybdate complex and organic extraction. The activity was liberated from wheat (Triticum aestivum) thylakoids by washing the membranes in NaCI-containing solutions followed by centrifugation. The liberated phosphatase activity had a pH optimum of approximately 6.75, was inhibited by addition of 10 millimolar EDTA or EGTA, and was stimulated by addition of millimolar amounts of dithiothreitol, magnesium, manganese, or calcium ions. The rate of thylakoid protein dephosphorylation was decreased following liberation of a portion …

Multiple Isotope Effects On Enzyme-Catalyzed Reactions, Marion H. O'Leary

Department of Biochemistry: Faculty Publications

Isotope effects have long been popular as a method for studying mechanisms of chemical reactions (1, 2). Application of this method to enzymatic reac­tions has come slowly, in part because of the difficulty of making measurements of the necessary precision, and in part because of the difficulty of interpreting the variations in rate that occur in multistep reactions. The theory and practice of isotope effects has now reached the stage where a variety of interesting mechanistic studies are possible (3-9), including use of heavy­ atom isotope effects (5), application to multireactant enzymes (9a, 10), pH dependence of isotope effects (11, …

Role Of Metabolites In The Reversible Light Activation Of Pyruvate,Orthophosphate Dikinase In Zea Mays Mesophyll Cells In Vivo, Chrissi A. Roeske, Raymond Chollet

Department of Biochemistry: Faculty Publications

Whole leaf and mesophyll cell concentrations of pyruvate, phosphoenolpyruvate (PEP), ATP, and ADP were determined in Zea mays during the reversible light activation of pyruvate, orthophosphate dikinase in vivo. Mesophyll cell levels of the four metabolites were estimated by extrapolation from values in freeze-quenched leaf samples that were fractionated by differential filtration through nylon mesh nets (adapted from M Stitt, HW Heldt [1985] Planta 164: 179-188). During the 3 minutes required for complete light activation of dikinase, pyruvate levels in the mesophyll cell decreased (from 166 ± 15 to 64 ± 10 nanomoles per milligram of chlorophyll [nmol/mg Chi]) …

Nucleotide Sequence Of The Fadr Gene, A Multifunctional Regulator Of Fatty Acid Metabolism In Escherichia Coli, Concetta C. Dirusso

Department of Biochemistry: Faculty Publications

The Escherichia coli fadR gene is a multifunctional regulator of fatty acid

and acetate metabolism. In the present work the nucleotide sequence of the

1.3 kb DNA fragment which encodes FadR has been determined. The coding

sequence of the fadR gene is 714 nucleotides long and is preceded by a typical

E. coli ribosome binding site and is followed by a sequence predicted to be

sufficient for factor-independent chain termination. Primer extension experiments

demonstrated that the transcription of the fadR gene initiates with an

adenine nucleotide 33 nucleotides upstream from the predicted start of

translation. The derived fadR peptide has …

The Binding Of Host-Selective Toxin Analogs To Mitochondria From Normal And 'Texas' Male Sterile Cytoplasm Maize, Kurt A. Frantzen, J. M. Daly, Herman W. Knoche

Department of Biochemistry: Faculty Publications

Tritium-labeled toxin analogs were prepared by reduction with NaB³H₄ of either the toxin from Helminthosporium maydis race T or a toxin component from Phyllosticta maydis. These reduced analogs had high radiochemical specific activities, high biological activities, and plant specificities identical to the native toxins. A filtration assay was developed to test the binding of these labeled analogs to isolated- mitochondria. Binding was not energy dependent nor was there measurable matrical uptake. The analogs were shown to be lipophilic, a characteristic which gave rise to considerable nondisplaceable binding. Under conditions limiting nondisplaceable binding, -the displaceable binding was …

In Vitro Phosphorylation Of Maize Leaf Phosphoenolpyruvate Carboxylase, Raymond J. A. Budde, Raymond Chollet

Department of Biochemistry: Faculty Publications

Autoradiography of total soluble maize (Zea mays) leaf proteins incubated with ³²P-labeled adenylates and separated by denaturing electrophoresis revealed that many polypeptides were phosphorylated in vitro by endogenous protein kinase(s). The most intense band was at 94 to 100 kilodaltons and was observed when using either [γ -32P]ATP or [β-³²P]ADP as the phosphate donor. This band was comprised of the subunits of both pyruvate, Pi dikinase (PPDK) and phosphoenolpyruvate carboxylase (PEPCase). PPDK activity was previously shown to be dark/light-regulated via a novel ADP-dependent phosphorylation/Pi-dependent dephosphorylation of a threonyl residue. The identity of the acidstable 94 …

Cloning And Characterization Of A Gene (Fadr) Involved In Regulation Of Fatty Acid Metabolism In Escherichia Coli, Concetta C. Dirusso, William D. Nunn

Department of Biochemistry: Faculty Publications

The regulatory gene fadR has been previously characterized by classical genetic means as a diffusible protein which exerts negative control over fatty acid degradation and acetate metabolism. fadR has also been implicated in the regulation of unsaturated fatty acid biosynthesis. To facilitate the identification of the product of the fadR gene and to study the mechanism by which this multifunctional regulatory gene exerts its control, we cloned a segment of DNA containing the fadR gene in the phage vector λL47. Subsequent subcloning of a segment of the chromosomal DNA from the λfadR⁺ phage into various plasmid vectors resulted in …

The Role Of Recognition In Plant Disease, J. M. Daly

Department of Biochemistry: Faculty Publications

As noted by Sequeira (110,111), the term recognition has become very popular in the literature of host-pathogen interactions over the last ten years. Despite recent facile usage, its meaning is not always clear to me. Recognition is defined by Clarke & Knox (16) as the "initial event in cell-cell communication that elicits a defined biochemical, physiological, or morphological response." This requires the not-so-easy task of defining "initial event" and "communica­ tion" with precise chemical or physical mechanisms. For pathologists, Se­ queira (110) has provided a more restricted meaning: "An early specific event that triggers a rapid, overt response by the …

Reduction Of Ferric Leghemoglobin In Soybean Root Nodules, Keuk-Ki Lee, Robert V. Klucas

Department of Biochemistry: Faculty Publications

Reduction of ferric leghemoglobin to ferrous leghemoglobin in soybean nodules (Glycine max [L.] Meff. cv Woodworth) was studied using a spectrophotometer equipped with an in-cell space diffuse reflectance accessory. Nodule slices prepared and scanned under nitrogen gas showed a ferrous leghemoglobin absorption spectrum. Nodule slices equilibrated with 100% O₂ or air exhibited two absorption bands characteristic of oxygenated leghemoglobin. The addition of CO shifted those bands to CO leghemoglobin absorption bands. Potassium ferricyanide was not effective in oxidizing ferrous to feffic leghemoglobin in nodule slices. However, ferric leghemoglobin was formed by treating the nodule slices with hydroxylamine, and …

Reversible Dark-Induced Senescence Of Soybean Root Nodules, N. E. Pfeiffer, Nasir S.A. Malik, Fred W. Wagner

Department of Biochemistry: Faculty Publications

Nodule senescence was induced in intact soybean Glycine max. (L.) Merr., cv Woodworth plants by an 8-day dark treatment. Dark-induced senescence resulted in the complete loss of acetylene reduction activity, a 67% loss of total soluble protein, and an almost complete loss in total leghemoglobin of nodule extracts. Isoelectric focusing gels demonstrated a preferential loss of certain proteins, which was correlated with an increase in endoprotease specific activity toward azocasein. Nodules were completely green after the 8-day dark treatment. If plants were returned to a normal photoperiod after 8 days in the dark, nodules recovered from the dark treatment in …

Proteolytic Activity In Soybean Root Nodules: Activity In Host Cell Cytosol And Bacteroids Throughout Physiological Development And Senescence, Nancy E. Pfeiffer, Cecilia M. Torres, Fred W. Wagner

Department of Biochemistry: Faculty Publications

Root nodules were harvested from chamber-grown soybean (Glycine max L. Merril cv Woodworth) plants throughout development. Apparent nitrogenase activity (acetylene reduction) peaked before seeds began to develop, but a significant amount of activity remained as the seeds matured. Nodule senescence was defined as the period in which residual nitrogenase activity was lost. During this time, soluble protein and leghemoglobin levels in the host cell cytosol decreased, and proteolytic activity against azocasein increased. Degradative changes were not detected in bacteroids during nodule senescence. Total soluble bacteroid protein per gram of nodule remained constant, and an increase in proteolytic activity in …

Peptidohydrolases Of Soybean Root Nodules, Nasir S. A. Malik, N. E. Pfeiffer, D. R. Williams, Fred W. Wagner

Department of Biochemistry: Faculty Publications

Nodule extracts prepared from Glycine max var Woodworth possessed endopeptidase, aminoptidase, and carboxypeptidase actiities. Three distinct endopeptidase activities could be resolved by disc-gel electrophoresis at pH 8.8. According to their order of increasing electrophoretic mobility, the first of these enzymes hydrolyzed azocasein and n-benzoyl-LLeu-β-naphthylamide, while the second hydrolyzed n-benzoyl-L-Arg-/8- naphthylamine (Bz-L-Arg-/βNA), n-benzoyl-L-Arg-β-nitroanilide (Bz-L-Arg-βNA), and azocasein. The third endopeptidase hydrolyzed Bz-L-Arg-βNA, Bz-L-Arg-βNA, and hemoglobin. Fractions of these enzymes extracted from electrophoresis gels were shown to have pH optima from 7.5 to 9.8. AU of the endopeptidases were completely inhibited by diisopropylphosphorofluoridate, demonstrating that they were serine proteases.