Biotechnology Commons^™

Interactions Between Small Heat Shock Protein Subunits And Substrate In Small Heat Shock Protein-Substrate Complexes, Kenneth L. Friedrich, Kim C. Giese, Nicole R. Baun, Elizabeth Vierling

Department of Biochemistry: Faculty Publications

Small heat shock proteins (sHSPs) are dynamic oligomeric

proteins that bind unfolding proteins and protect

them from irreversible aggregation. This binding results

in the formation of sHSP-substrate complexes from

which substrate can later be refolded. Interactions between

sHSP and substrate in sHSP-substrate complexes

and the mechanism by which substrate is transferred to

ATP-dependent chaperones for refolding are poorly defined.

We have established C-terminal affinity-tagged

sHSPs from a eukaryote (pea HSP18.1) and a prokaryote

(Synechocystis HSP16.6) as tools to investigate these issues.

We demonstrate that sHSP subunit exchange for

HSP18.1 and HSP16.6 is temperature-dependent and

rapid at the optimal growth …

The Identity Of Proteins Associated With A Small Heat Shock Protein During Heat Stress In Vivo Indicates That These Chaperones Protect A Wide Range Of Cellular Functions, Eman Basha, Garrett J. Lee, Linda A. Breci, Andrew C. Hausrath, Nicole R. Baun, Kim C. Giese, Elizabeth Vierling

Department of Biochemistry: Faculty Publications

The small heat shock proteins (sHSPs) are a ubiquitous

class of ATP-independent chaperones believed to

prevent irreversible protein aggregation and to facilitate

subsequent protein renaturation in cooperation

with ATP-dependent chaperones. Although sHSP chaperone

activity has been studied extensively in vitro, understanding

the mechanism of sHSP function requires

identification of proteins that are sHSP substrates in

vivo. We have used both immunoprecipitation and affinity

chromatography to recover 42 proteins that specifically

interact with Synechocystis Hsp16.6 in vivo during

heat treatment. These proteins can all be released from

Hsp16.6 by the ATP-dependent activity of DnaK and cochaperones

and are heat-labile. …

5-Hydroxydecanoate Is Metabolised In Mitochondria And Creates A Rate-Limiting Bottleneck For Β-Oxidation Of Fatty Acids, Peter J. Hanley, Stefan Dröse, Ulrich Brandt, Rachel A. Lareau, Abir L. Banerjee, D. K. Srivastava, Leonard J. Banaszak, Joseph J. Barycki, Paul P. Van Veldhoven, Jürgen Daut

Department of Biochemistry: Faculty Publications

5-Hydroxydecanoate (5-HD) blocks pharmacological and ischaemic preconditioning, and

has been postulated to be a specific inhibitor of mitochondrial ATP-sensitive K+ (KATP)

channels. However, recent work has shown that 5-HD is activated to 5-hydroxydecanoyl-CoA

(5-HD-CoA), which is a substrate for the first step of β-oxidation. We have now

analysed the complete β-oxidation of 5-HD-CoA using specially synthesised (and purified)

substrates and enzymes, as well as isolated rat liver and heart mitochondria, and compared

it with the metabolism of the physiological substrate decanoyl-CoA. At the second step of

β-oxidation, catalysed by enoyl-CoA hydratase, enzyme kinetics were …

Mobilization Of Intracellular Copper Stores By The Ctr2 Vacuolar Copper Transporter, Erin M. Rees, Jaekwon Lee, Dennis J. Thiele

Department of Biochemistry: Faculty Publications

Copper plays an essential role in processes including signaling to the transcription and protein trafficking machinery, oxidative phosphorylation, iron mobilization, neuropeptide maturation, and normal development. Whereas much is known about intracellular mobilization of ions such as calcium, little information is available on how eukaryotic cells mobilize intracellular copper stores. We describe a mechanism by which the Saccharomyces cerevisiae Ctr2 protein provides bioavailable copper via mobilization of intracellular copper stores. Whereas Ctr2 exhibits structural similarity to the Ctr1 plasma membrane copper importer, microscopic and biochemical fractionation studies localize Ctr2 to the vacuole membrane. We demonstrate that Ctr2 mobilizes vacuolar copper stores …

Interactions Between Small Heat Shock Protein Subunits And Substrate In Small Heat Shock Protein-Substrate Complexes, Kenneth L. Friedrich,, Kim C. Giese, Nicole R. Buan, Elizabeth Vierling

Department of Biochemistry: Faculty Publications

Small heat shock proteins (sHSPs) are dynamic oligomeric proteins that bind unfolding proteins and protect them from irreversible aggregation. This binding results in the formation of sHSP-substrate complexes from which substrate can later be refolded. Interactions between sHSP and substrate in sHSP-substrate complexes and the mechanism by which substrate is transferred to ATP-dependent chaperones for refolding are poorly defined. We have established C-terminal affinity-tagged sHSPs from a eukaryote (pea HSP18.1) and a prokaryote (Synechocystis HSP16.6) as tools to investigate these issues. We demonstrate that sHSP subunit exchange for HSP18.1 and HSP16.6 is temperature-dependent and rapid at the optimal growth temperature …

Transmembrane Movement Of Exogenous Long-Chain Fatty Acids: Proteins, Enzymes, And Vectorial Esterification, Paul N. Black, Concetta C. Dirusso

Department of Biochemistry: Faculty Publications

INTRODUCTION......................................................................................................................................................454

FATTY ACIDS AND BIOLOGICAL MEMBRANES.............................................................................................455

Fatty Acid Transport Defined ...............................................................................................................................456

MODEL SYSTEMS TO INVESTIGATE FATTY ACID TRANSPORT ..............................................................456

Genetic Foundations of Fatty Acid Transport....................................................................................................456

PROTEINS IMPLICATED IN FATTY ACID TRANSPORT ...............................................................................456

Fatty Acid Translocase..........................................................................................................................................457

Fatty Acid Binding Protein—Membrane Bound ................................................................................................457

Fatty Acid Transport Protein...............................................................................................................................458

The Long-Chain Fatty Acid Transport Protein FadL .......................................................................................458

Fatty Acyl-CoA Synthetase ...................................................................................................................................459

VECTORIAL ACYLATION: ONE MECHANISM OPERATIONAL IN FATTY ACID TRANSPORT...........460

THE BACTERIAL PARADIGM ...............................................................................................................................460

Energetics of Fatty Acid Transport in Gram-Negative Bacteria......................................................................460

The Fatty Acid Transporter FadL........................................................................................................................461

The Fatty Acyl-CoA Synthetase FadD..................................................................................................................461

Structural Considerations of FACS .....................................................................................................................462

FATTY ACID TRANSPORT AND ACTIVATION IN YEAST: …

The Many Faces Of Vitamin B12: Catalysis By Cobalamin-Dependent Enzymes, Ruma Banerjee, Stephen W. Ragsdale

Department of Biochemistry: Faculty Publications

Vitamin B₁₂ is a complex organometallic cofactor associated with three subfamilies of enzymes: the adenosylcobalamin-dependent isomerases, the methylcobalamin-dependent methyltransferases, and the dehalogenases. Different chemical aspects of the cofactor are exploited during catalysis by the isomerases and the methyltransferases. Thus, the cobalt-carbon bond ruptures homolytically in the isomerases, whereas it is cleaved heterolytically in the methyltransferases. The reaction mechanism of the dehalogenases, the most recently discovered class of B₁₂ enzymes, is poorly understood. Over the past decade our understanding of the reaction mechanisms of B₁₂ enzymes has been greatly enhanced by the availability of large amounts of enzyme …

The Atp:Co(I)Rrinoid Adenosyltransferase (Coba) Enzyme Of Salmonella Enterica Requires The 2'-Oh Group Of Atp For Function And Yields Inorganic Triphosphate As Its Reaction Byproduct, Maris V. Fonseca, Nicole R. Buan, Alexander R. Horswill, Ivan Rayment, Jorge C. Escalante-Semerena

Department of Biochemistry: Faculty Publications

The specificity of the ATP:corrinoid adenosyltransferase (CobA) enzyme of Salmonella enterica serovar Typhimurium LT2 for its nucleotide substrate was tested using ATP analogs and alternative nucleotide donors. The enzyme showed broad specificity for the nucleotide base and required the 2’-OH group of the ribosyl moiety of ATP for activity. ³¹P NMR spectroscopy was used to identify inorganic triphosphate (PPP_i) as the byproduct of the reaction catalyzed by the CobA enzyme. Cleavage of triphosphate into pyrophosphate and orthophosphate did not occur, indicating that triphosphate cleavage was not required for release of the adenosylcorrinoid product. Triphosphate was a strong …

Vectorial Acylation In Saccharomyces Cerevisiae, Zhiying Zou, Fumin Tong, Nils J. Færgeman, Claus Børsting, Paul N. Black, Concetta Dirusso

Department of Biochemistry: Faculty Publications

In Saccharomyces cerevisiae Fat1p and fatty acyl-CoA synthetase (FACS) are hypothesized to couple import and activation of exogenous fatty acids by a process called vectorial acylation. Molecular genetic and biochemical studies were used to define further the functional and physical interactions between these proteins. Multicopy extragenic suppressors were selected in strains carrying deletions in FAA1 and FAA4 or FAA1 and FAT1. Each strain is unable to grow under synthetic lethal conditions when exogenous long-chain fatty acids are required, and neither strain accumulates the fluorescent long-chain fatty acid C₁-BODIPY-C₁₂ indicating a fatty acid transport defect. By using these …

The Atp:Co(I)Rrinoid Adenosyltransferase (Coba) Enzyme Of Salmonella Enterica Requires The 2’-Oh Group Of Atp For Function And Yields Inorganic Triphosphate As Its Reaction Byproduct, Maris V. Fonseca, Nicole R. Baun, Alexander R. Horswill, Ivan Rayment, Jorge C. Escalante-Semerena

Department of Biochemistry: Faculty Publications

The specificity of the ATP:corrinoid adenosyltransferase

(CobA) enzyme of Salmonella enterica serovar

Typhimurium LT2 for its nucleotide substrate was

tested using ATP analogs and alternative nucleotide donors.

The enzyme showed broad specificity for the nucleotide

base and required the 2’-OH group of the ribosyl

moiety of ATP for activity. ³¹P NMR spectroscopy

was used to identify inorganic triphosphate (PPP_i) as

the byproduct of the reaction catalyzed by the CobA

enzyme. Cleavage of triphosphate into pyrophosphate

and orthophosphate did not occur, indicating that

triphosphate cleavage was not required for release of

the adenosylcorrinoid product. Triphosphate was …

Multiple Factors Independently Regulate Hila And Invasion Gene Expression In Salmonella Enterica Serovar Typhimurium, Robin L. Lucas, C. Phoebe Lostroh, Concetta C. Dirusso, Michael P. Spector, Barry L. Wanner, Catherine A. Lee

Department of Biochemistry: Faculty Publications

HilA activates the expression of Salmonella enterica serovar Typhimurium invasion genes. To learn more

about regulation of hilA, we isolated Tn5 mutants exhibiting reduced hilA and/or invasion gene expression. In

addition to expected mutations, we identified Tn5 insertions in pstS, fadD, flhD, flhC, and fliA. Analysis of the

pstS mutant indicates that hilA and invasion genes are repressed by the response regulator PhoB in the absence

of the Pst high-affinity inorganic phosphate uptake system. This system is required for negative control of the

PhoR-PhoB two-component regulatory system, suggesting that hilA expression may …

Multiple Factors Independently Regulate Hila And Invasion Gene Expression In Salmonella Enterica Serovar Typhimurium, Robin L. Lucas, C. Phoebe Lostroh, Concetta C. Dirusso, Michael P. Spector, Barry L. Wanner, Catherine A. Lee

Department of Biochemistry: Faculty Publications

HilA activates the expression of Salmonella enterica serovar Typhimurium invasion genes. To learn more

about regulation of hilA, we isolated Tn5 mutants exhibiting reduced hilA and/or invasion gene expression. In

addition to expected mutations, we identified Tn5 insertions in pstS, fadD, flhD, flhC, and fliA. Analysis of the

pstS mutant indicates that hilA and invasion genes are repressed by the response regulator PhoB in the absence

of the Pst high-affinity inorganic phosphate uptake system. This system is required for negative control of the

PhoR-PhoB two-component regulatory system, suggesting that hilA expression may …

Two-Step Processing Of Human Frataxin By Mitochondrial Processing Peptidase, Patrizia Cavadini, Jiri Adamec, Franco Taroni, Oleksandr Gakh, Grazia Isaya

Department of Biochemistry: Faculty Publications

We showed previously that maturation of the human

frataxin precursor (p-fxn) involves two cleavages by the

mitochondrial processing peptidase (MPP). This observation

was not confirmed by another group, however,

who reported only one cleavage. Here, we demonstrate

conclusively that MPP cleaves p-fxn in two sequential

steps, yielding a 18,826-Da intermediate (i-fxn) and a

17,255-Da mature (m-fxn) form, the latter corresponding

to endogenous frataxin in human tissues. The two cleavages

occur between residues 41–42 and 55–56, and both

match the MPP consensus sequence RX ↓ (X/S). Recombinant

rat and yeast MPP catalyze the pài step 4 and 40 …

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 …

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 …

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 …

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 …

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 …

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 …

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 …

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]) …

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, …