Involvement of 4-hydroxymandelic acid in the degradation of mandelic acid by Pseudomonas convexa

A microorganism capable of degrading DL-mandelic acid was isolated from sewage sediment of enrichment culture and was identified as Pseudomonas convexa. It was found to metabolize mandelic acid by a new pathway involving 4-hydroxymandelic acid, 4-hydroxybenzaldehyde, 4-hydroxybenzoic acid, and 3,4-dihydroxybenzoic acid as aromatic intermediates. All the enzymes of the pathway were demonstrated in cell-free extracts. L-Mandelate-4-hydroxylase, a soluble enzyme, requires tetrahydropteridine, nicotinamide adenine dinucleotide phosphate, reduced form, and Fe2+ for its activity. The next enzyme, L-4-hydroxymandelate oxidase (decarboxylating), a particulate enzyme, requires flavine adenine dinucleotide and Mn2+ for its activity. A nicotinamide adenine dinucleotide-dependent, as well as a nicotinamide adenine dinucleotide phosphate-dependent, benzaldehyde dehydrogenase has been resolved and partially purified.     

The metabolism of O-acyl-N-acylneuraminic acids. Biosynthesis of O-acylated sialic acids in bovine and equine submandibular glands

1. The enzymic synthesis of 4-O-acetylneuraminic acid, 4-O-acetyl-N-glycolyneuraminic acid, 4-O-glycolyl-N-acetylneuraminic acid, 9-O-acetyl-N-acetylneuraminic acid and 9-O-acetyl-N-glycolyneuraminic acid is shown using radioactive precursors with surviving slices, membrane fractions or particle-free homogenates from bovine and equine submandibular glands. 2. Acetyl-CoA: N-acetylneuraminate-9(or 7)-O-acetyltransferase activity was found in a microsome fraction and in the cytosol of bovine submandibular glands. The properties of the membrane-bound enzyme acting on endogenous, glycoprotein-bound N-acetyl- and N-glycolylneuraminic acids were compared with those of the soluble enzyme, O-acetylating exogenous, non-glycosidically bound N-acetyl- and N-glycolyneuraminic acids. 3. A rapid, radioactive assay for the membrane-bound enzyme activity is described. The enzyme activity shows an optimum at pH 7 and has a Km for acetyl-CoA of 0.1 mM. The enzyme is inhibited by p-chloromercuribenzoate and iodoacetate. Divalent cations, EDTA and glutathione have no influence on its activity while CoA proved to be a competitive inhibitor with a Ki of 0.56 mM. 4. The soluble enzyme activity, assayed using a radioactive procedure, shows Km values of 0.01 mM, 0.5 mM and 0.39 mM for acetyl-CoA, N-acetylneuraminic acid and N-glycolylneuraminic acid respectively. The general properties are similar to those found for the membrane-bound enzyme, except that membrane-bound activity is stable for longer on storage at 4 degrees C. 5. Acetyl-CoA, acyl-CoA and CoA concentrations of 33 nmol, 65 nmol and 106 nmol/g wet tissue respectively are found in fresh bovine submandibular glands. 6. The occurrence of the CMP-glycosides of N-acetylneuraminic acid, 9-O-acetyl-N-acetyl-neuraminic acid and N-glycolylneuraminic acid in bovine submandibular glands is demonstrated. 7. The results are discussed in relation to the general metabolism of acylneuraminic acids.     

Purification and characterization of an oxygen-sensitive, reversible 3,4-dihydroxybenzoate decarboxylase from Clostridium hydroxybenzoicum

A 3,4-dihydroxybenzoate decarboxylase (EC 4.1.1.63) from Clostridium hydroxybenzoicum JW/Z-1T was purified and partially characterized. The estimated molecular mass of the enzyme was 270 kDa. Sodium dodecyl sulfate-polyacrylamide gel electrophoresis gave a single band of 57 kDa, suggesting that the enzyme consists of five identical subunits. The temperature and pH optima were 50 degrees C and pH 7.0, respectively. The Arrhenius energy for decarboxylation of 3,4-dihydroxybenzoate was 32.5 kJ . mol(-1) for the temperature range from 22 to 50 degrees C. The Km and kcat for 3,4-dihydroxybenzoate were 0.6 mM and 5.4 x 10(3) min(-1), respectively, at pH 7.0 and 25 degrees C. The enzyme optimally catalyzed the reverse reaction, that is, the carboxylation of catechol to 3,4-dihydroxybenzoate, at pH 7.0. The enzyme did not decarboxylate 2-hydroxybenzoate, 3-hydroxybenzoate, 4-hydroxybenzoate, 2,3-dihydroxybenzoate, 2,4-dihydroxybenzoate, 2,5-dihydroxybenzoate, 2,3,4-trihydroxybenzoate, 3,4,5-trihydroxybenzoate, 3-F-4-hydroxybenzoate, or vanillate. The decarboxylase activity was inhibited by 25 and 20%, respectively, by 2,3,4- and 3,4,5-trihydroxybenzoate. Thiamine PPi and pyridoxal 5'-phosphate did not stimulate and hydroxylamine and sodium borohydride did not inhibit the enzyme activity, indicating that the 3,4-dihydroxybenzoate decarboxylase is not a thiamine PPi-, pyridoxal 5'-phosphate-, or pyruvoyl-dependent enzyme.     

Purification and characterization of human lymphoblast N-acetylglucosamine-1-phosphodiester alpha-N-acetylglucosaminidase

The enzyme N-acetylglucosamine-1-phosphodiester alpha-N-acetylglucosaminidase (EC 3.1.4.45; uncovering enzyme) catalyzed the removal of N-acetylglucosamine from the N-acetylglucosamine-alpha-phospho-mannose portion of selected lysosomal enzyme oligosaccharide chains, thereby forming the mannose 6-phosphate signal which is responsible for the targeting of these lysosomal enzymes for transport into lysosomes. The uncovering enzyme has been purified approximately 7000-fold to electrophoretic homogeneity from Epstein-Barr virus-transformed human lymphoblast cells. The purification sequence involves solubilizing this membrane-bound enzyme with Tergitol NP-10, affinity chromatography on Lentil lectin-Sepharose 4B, ion-exchange chromatography on DEAE-Sephacel, chromatography on zinc(II)-IDA-Sepharose 6B, and preparative SDS-PAGE electrophoresis. The purified enzyme migrated as a single band of 114 kDa which was coincident with enzyme activity on analytical SDS-PAGE electrophoresis. Characterization studies of the purified enzyme demonstrated that catalytic activity was maximal at pH 6.95 and that the enzyme retained full activity following incubation for 10 min at 60 degrees C. No requirement was found for a divalent cation, but Zn2+, Hg2+, and Cu2+ were found to reduce the enzyme's activity by 30-40%. The highest catalytic efficiency was observed with N-acetylglucosamine-phospho-methylmannoside as a substrate while uridine diphosphate-N-acetylglucosamine, N-acetylglucosamine-phosphomannose-uteroferrin, and N-acetylglucosamine-phosphate were also cleaved by the enzyme with decreasing efficiency. Acetamino-deoxycastanospermine was a potent inhibitor of the human enzyme with a Ki of 0.35 microM, while N-acetylglucosamine phosphate (Ki 1.58 mM) and N-acetylglucosamine (Ki 5.1 mM) inhibited the enzyme to a lesser degree.     

Pathophysiology and inflammatory aspects of plaque rupture

We describe the purification and characterisation of a thioredoxin reductase-like disulphide reductase from the ancient protozoan parasite, Giardia duodenalis. This dimeric flavoprotein contains 1 mol FAD per subunit and had an apparent subunit molecular mass of 35 kDa. The purified enzyme catalysed the NADPH-dependent (Km = 8 microM) reduction of 5,5'-dithio-bis(2-nitrobenzoic acid) to thionitrobenzoate and was unable to utilise NADH as an electron donor. The sulphydryl-active compounds, N-ethylmaleimide, sodium arsenite and Zn2+ ions, strongly inhibited the enzyme suggesting that a thiol component forms part of the active site. Purified enzyme was able to utilise a variety of substrates, including cystine and oxidised glutathione, which suggests that it is a broad-range disulphide reductase, probably accounting for the majority of thiol cycling activity in this organism. While the G. duodenalis enzyme does not require an intermediate electron transport protein, analogous to thioredoxin, for activity, we have identified a candidate carrier protein which enhances DTNB turnover six fold, therefore implying that Giardia contains a thioredoxin-like system. Physical, enzymatic and spectral properties of the G. duodenalis disulphide reductase are also consistent with it being a member of the thioredoxin reductase-class of disulphide reductases. Furthermore, the internal amino acid sequence of a tryptic peptide generated from the purified protein was highly homologous with thioredoxin reductases from other sources. This is the first report of a disulphide reductase to be purified from the anaerobic protozoa and explains the so called "glutathione-induced thiol-reductase activity' previously observed in G. duodenalis.     

Sigma-binding site ligands inhibit K+ currents in rat locus coeruleus neurons in vitro

The effect of triphenyltin on the activity of membrane-bound pyrophosphatase of Rhodospirillum rubrum was investigated. Triphenyltin inhibits the hydrolysis of chromatophore membrane-bound pyrophosphatase in a pH-dependent pattern, being maximal at pH 9-10. At basic pH values, the inhibition produced by this organotin on membrane-bound pyrophosphatase is very similar to that produced on the chromatophore H+ATPase (I50 = 14.4 and 10 microM, respectively). Detergent-solubilized membrane-bound pyrophosphatase is also inhibited by triphenyltin, but the cytoplasmic enzyme of R. rubrum is inhibited only slightly. The inhibitory effect of triphenyltin on membrane-bound pyrophosphatase is the same with Mg-PPi or Zn-PPi, and is dependent on the chromatophore membrane concentration. Triphenyltin modified mainly the Vmax of the enzyme, and only slightly its Km. Free Mg2+ does not reverse the inhibition. Reducing agents prevent triphenyltin inhibition of the membrane-bound pyrophosphatase, but their effect is due to an alteration of the inhibitor, and not to a modification of thiol groups of the enzyme. The most likely site for triphenyltin inhibition in chromatophore membrane-bound pyrophosphatase is a component either within or closely associated with the membrane.     

Spontaneous splenic hypofunction in systemic lupus erythematosus and primary Sj?gren syndrome

The carbon catabolism of L-lysine starts in Saccharomyces cerevisiae with acetylation by an acetyl-CoA:L-lysine N6-acetyltransferase. The enzyme is strongly induced in cells grown on L-lysine as sole carbon source and has been purified about 530-fold. Its activity was specific for acetyl-CoA and, in addition to L-lysine, 5-hydroxylysine and thialysine act as acetyl acceptor. The following apparent Michaelis constants were determined: acetyl-CoA 0.8 mM, L-lysine 5.8 mM, DL-5-hydroxylysine, 2.8 mM, L-thialysine 100 mM. The enzyme had a maximum activity at pH 8.5 and 37 degrees C. Its molecular mass, estimated by sodium dodecyl sulphate-polyacrylamide gel electrophoresis, was 52 kDa. Since the native molecular mass, determined by gel filtration, was 48 kDa, the enzyme is a monomer.     

Arteriosclerosis obliterans that was improved by LDL apheresis

An enzyme hydrolyzing flavine-adenine dinucleotide (FAD) to flavine mononucleotide (FMN) and adenosine monophosphate (AMP) was purified about 460-fold over the isolated lysosomal membranes with 9% recovery to apparent homogeneity, as determined from the pattern on polyacrylamide gel electrophoresis in the presence and the absence of SDS. Purification procedures included: preparation of crude lysosomal membranes, solubilization with Triton X-100, WGA-Sepharose, Con A-Sepharose, hydroxylapatite chromatography, gel filtration with Superdex 200, DEAE ion exchange chromatography, and preparative polyacrylamide gel electrophoresis. The molecular mass of the purified enzyme, estimated by gel filtration with Superdex 200, was approximately 560 kDa, and SDS-polyacrylamide gel electrophoresis showed the enzyme to be composed of four identical subunits with an apparent molecular weight of 140,000. The pH optimum for FAD hydrolysis was 8.5 with an apparent Km of 0.1 mM and the isoelectric point was pH 7.3. The activity was inhibited by o-phenanthroline, EDTA, DTT, and NEM and was slightly stimulated by Zn ion, but was not affected by Ca or Mg ions. The purified FADase contained N-linked complex type oligosaccharide chains lacking neuraminic acids. The NH2 terminal 21 amino acid residues of the purified FADase were Ser-Pro-Cys-Val-Cys-Asp-Pro-Val-Val-Val-Cys-Lys-Val-Val-Pro-Cys-Thr-Leu- Ala-Leu .     

Thiols and neuronal nitric oxide synthase: complex formation, competitive inhibition, and enzyme stabilization

To elucidate how thiols affect neuronal nitric oxide synthase (nNOS) we studied the binding of thiols to tetrahydrobiopterin (BH4)-free nNOS. Dithiothreitol (DTT), 2-mercaptoethanol, and L- and D-cysteine all bound to the heme with Kd values varying from 0.16 mM for DTT to 41 mM for L-cysteine. DTT, 2-mercaptoethanol, and L-cysteine yielded absorbance spectra with maxima at about 378 and 456 nm, indicative of bisthiolate complexes; the maximum at 426 nm with D-cysteine suggests binding of the neutral thiol. From the results with 2-mercaptoethanol we deduced that in 2-mercaptoethanol-free, BH4-free nNOS the sixth heme ligand is not a thiolate. DTT binding to nNOS containing one BH4 per dimer was biphasic. Apparently, the BH4-free subunit bound DTT with the same affinity as the BH4-free enzyme, whereas the BH4-containing subunit exhibited a > 100-fold lower affinity, indicative of competition between DTT and BH4 binding. Binding of DTT to the BH4-containing subunit was suppressed by L-arginine, whereas high-affinity binding was not affected, suggesting that L-arginine binds only to the BH4-containing subunit. DTT competitively inhibited L-citrulline production by nNOS containing one BH4 per dimer (Ki approximately 11 mM). Comparison of DTT binding and inhibition suggests that the heme of the BH4-free subunit is not involved in catalysis. Thermostability of nNOS was studied by preincubating the enzyme at various temperatures prior to activity determination. At nanomolar concentrations, nNOS was stable at 20 degrees C but rapidly deactivated at higher temperatures (t1/2 approximately 6 min at 37 degrees C). At micromolar concentrations, inactivation was 10 times slower. Absorbance and fluorescence measurements demonstrate that inactivation was not accompanied by major structural changes. The stabilization of nNOS by thiols was illustrated by the fact that omission of 2-mercaptoethanol during preincubation for 10 min at 30 degrees C led to an activity decrease of up to 90%.     

Purification and characterization of the glucoamylase produced by a strain of Aspergillus flavus

A strain of Aspergillus flavus isolated from an agricultural soil in Egypt produced a gluycoamylase which when purified had a molecular weight of 51,300 +/- 800 Daltons. The optimum pH for activity was 4 and the optimum temperature was 60 degrees C. The enzyme was stable at 70 degrees C for 15 min but denatured at 90 degrees C over 30 min. The Km value with soluble starch was 2.85 mg ml-1, and 10 mM HgCl2 inhibited the enzyme. It was possible to store the enzyme for at least 1 year at -20 degrees C without significant loss in activity.     

Characterization of arylamine N-acetyltransferase in Enterobacter aerogenes

N-acetyltransferase (NAT) activity was determined by incubation of purified Enterobacter aerogenes enzyme with 2-aminofluorene (2-AF) as the substrate, followed by high pressure liquid chromatography assays. The NAT activity from E. aerogenes was 0.58 +/- 0.08 nmol/min/mg protein for 2-AF. The values of apparent K(m) and Vmax were 0.72 +/- 0.14 mM and 2.45 +/- 0.29 nmol/min/mg protein, respectively, for 2-AF. The optimal pH value for the enzyme activity was 7.5 for the 2-AF tested. The optimal temperature for enzyme activity was 37 degrees C for the 2-AF substrate. The molecular weight of NAT from E. aerogenes was 44.9 kD. Among a series of divalent cations and salts, Zn2+, Ca2+, and Fe2+ were demonstrated to be the most potent protease inhibitors, and only ethylenediaminetetraacetic acid significantly protected the NAT. Iodoacetamide, in contrast to other agents, markedly inhibited NAT.     

Evidence for cell surface and internal phospholipase activity in ascidian eggs

Glutaredoxin, also known as thioltransferase, was purified from Cryptococcus neoformans by procedures including DEAE-cellulose ion exchange chromatography, Q-Sepharose ion-exchange chromatography, and gel filtration on Sephadex G-50. Its purity was confirmed by SDS-polyacrylamide gel electrophoresis and its molecular weight was estimated to be 12,000 Da. The purified enzyme has a K(m) value of 1.03 mM with 2-hydroxyethyl disulfide as a substrate. The enzyme also utilizes L-sulfocysteine, L-cystine, and bovine serum albumin as substrates in the presence of reduced glutathione. The enzyme has K(m) values of 0.34-2.50 mM for these substrates. It was greatly activated by thiol compounds such as reduced glutathione, dithiothreitol, L-cysteine and beta-mercaptoethanol. It is partially inactivated at 60 degrees C or higher temperatures. It plays an important role in thiol-disulfide exchange in Cryptococcus neoformans.     

Purification and partial characterization of acid phosphatase from Candida lipolytica

Non-specific acid phosphatase from Candida lipolytica cells was purified 111-fold by chromatography on DEAE-cellulose and gel filtration on Sephadex G-100 and Sepharose 4B. The enzyme is a glycoprotein containing 67% neutral sugars. The molecular mass of the highly purified acid phosphatase was found to be approximately 95 kDa by both SDS-PAGE and gel filtration. The pH and temperature optima were 5.8 and 55 degrees C, respectively. The enzyme was stable at pH values between 3.5 and 5.5 and at temperatures up to 60 degrees C. The purified phosphatase had a Km value of 3.64 mM for p-nitrophenyl phosphate and showed broad substrate specificity.     

Purification and characterization of a ferulic acid decarboxylase from Pseudomonas fluorescens

A ferulic acid decarboxylase enzyme which catalyzes the decarboxylation of ferulic acid to 4-hydroxy-3-methoxystyrene was purified from Pseudomonas fluorescens UI 670. The enzyme requires no cofactors and contains no prosthetic groups. Gel filtration estimated an apparent molecular mass of 40.4 (+/- 6%) kDa, whereas sodium dodecyl sulfate-polyacrylamide gel electrophoresis showed a molecular mass of 20.4 kDa, indicating that ferulic acid decarboxylase is a homodimer in solution. The purified enzyme displayed an optimum temperature range of 27 to 30 degrees C, exhibited an optimum pH of 7.3 in potassium phosphate buffer, and had a Km of 7.9 mM for ferulic acid. This enzyme also decarboxylated 4-hydroxycinnamic acid but not 2- or 3-hydroxycinnamic acid, indicating that a hydroxy group para to the carboxylic acid-containing side chain is required for the enzymatic reaction. The enzyme was inactivated by Hg2+, Cu2+, p-chloromercuribenzoic acid, and N-ethylmaleimide, suggesting that sulfhydryl groups are necessary for enzyme activity. Diethyl pyrocarbonate, a histidine-specific inhibitor, did not affect enzyme activity.     

Interactions of the components of the prothrombinase complex

1. Acetylcholinesterase (acetylcholine hydrolase, EC 3.1.1.7) of house-fly head tissue was solubilized as a 7.4-S form by autolysis for 80-100 h at 25 degrees C and pH 8.0. 2. The autolysed enzyme was purified by affinity chromatography, firstly on Con-A-Sepharose and subsequently on m-trimethylammoniumaniline-Affi-Gel 202. This sequence permitted overall purification yields of approx. 50% of the solubilized enzyme. 3. The 7.4-S purified enzyme was essentially homogeneous on polyacrylamide gel electrophoresis, and its specific activity coincided with the highest previously reported for fly-head acetylcholinesterase. 4. Polyacrylamide gel electrophoresis in the presence of sodium dodecyl sulphate and beta-mercaptoethanol revealed two major polypeptide components of molecular weight 82 000 and 59 000. Each of these polypeptides contained diisopropylphosphofluoridate-binding sites, as shown with [3H] diisopropylphosphofluoridate. 5. The results suggest a strong structural similarity between fly-head acetylcholinesterase and the purified electric eel enzyme.     

Serum ferritin, hemoglobin, and Helicobacter pylori infection: a seroepidemiologic survey comprising 2794 Danish adults

Subtilisin-like serine protease, which is associated with the dormant spores of Bacillus cereus, was solubilized by washing the spores with 2 M KCl and purified to homogeneity by carbobenzoxy-D-phenylalanine-liganded affinity column chromatography and hydrophobic interaction column chromatography. Enzyme activity was completely inhibited by reagents for sulfhydryl groups such as HgCl2 as well as by conventional subtilisin inhibitors, suggesting the enzyme to be cysteine-dependent. The enzyme retained activity in 5 M urea at 4 degrees C for at least 2 months, and the specific activity was 50 times that of subtilisin BPN when measured for a common chromogenic substrate, carbobenzoxy-glycyl-glycyl-L-leucine p-nitroanilide. The gene encoding this protease was cloned in Escherichia coli, and its nucleotide sequence was analyzed. The deduced amino acid sequence suggested that the protease is produced as a precursor comprising three portions; a signal sequence (28 amino acid residues), a prosequence (80 amino acid residues) and a mature enzyme (289 amino acid residues). The mature region of the enzyme had high similarity with a thermitase from Thermoactinomyces vulgaris (72% identity) and a thermostable alkaline protease from Thermoactinomyces sp. E79 (66% identity), which have the N-terminal sequence showing scarcely noticeable similarity with corresponding stretches of subtilisins and mercuric ion-sensitive free cysteine in the equivalent position of the primary structure.     

Partial purification and characterisation of sugarcane neutral invertase

Sugarcane neutral invertase (SNI) has been partially purified from mature sugarcane stem tissue to remove any potential competing activity. The enzyme is non-glycosylated and exhibits catalytic activity as a monomer, dimer and tetramer, most of the activity elutes as a monomer of native M(r) ca 60 k. The enzyme displays typical hyperbolic saturation kinetics for Suc hydrolysis. It has a K(m) of 9.8 mM for Suc and a pH optimum of 7.2. An Arrhenius plot shows the energy of activation of the enzyme for Suc to be 62.5 kJ mol-1 below 30 degrees and -11.6 kJ mol-1 above 30 degrees. SNI is inhibited by its products, with Fru being a more effective inhibitor than Glc. SNI is significantly inhibited by HgCl2, AgNO3, ZnCl2, CuSO4 and CoCl2 but not by CaCl2, MgCl2 or MnCl2. SNI showed no significant hydrolysis of cellobiose or trehalose.     

Purification and some characteristics of a Ca2+-activated proteolytic enzyme from beef cardiac muscle

A calcium-dependent neutral proteinase was purified from beef cardiac muscle. The crude extract prepared from cardiac muscle was subjected to acid precipitation and salt fractionation and then further purified by column chromatography on Sepharose 6B, DE-52, and Sephadex G-200 columns in succession. The final preparation showed an 11 300 fold increase in specific activity of the Ca2+-activated enzyme. Average enzyme protein yield was 2.4 microgram/g fresh tissue. The enzyme was maximally active at pH 7.6 in the presence of 4 mM calcium. Proportionality of enzyme activity in partially purified preparations was retained when activity was measured at 25 degrees C using casein as the substrate. The rate of proteolysis by the purified enzyme was linear for 60 min under similar assay conditions. Fractionation of muscle homogenates showed that 70 to 73% of the total enzyme activity was present in the 24 000 X g and 30 000 X g supernatants. The enzyme was labile in aqueous solutions and storage at 4 degrees C and --20 degrees C resulted in considerable loss of activity, unless glycerol (50% v/v) was added to the solution.     

Some properties of a detergent-solubilized NADPH-cytochrome c(cytochrome P-450) reductase purified by biospecific affinity chromatography

NADPH-cytochrome c (cytochrome P-450) reductase (EC 1.6.2.4) has been purified to homogeneity, as judged by sodium dodecyl sulfate disc gel electrophoresis, from detergent-solubilized rat and pig liver microsomes using an affinity chromatography procedure. Treatment of microsomes with a polyethoxynonylphenyl ether plus either cholate or deoxycholate and subsequent batch-wise DEAE-cellulose chromatography followed by biospecific affinity chromatography on Sepharose 4B-bound N6-(6-aminohexyl)-adenosine 2',5'-bisphosphate (2'5'-ADP-Sepharose 4B) result in a greater than 30% yield of purified reductase from microsomes. The enzyme contains 1 mol each of FAD and FMN and exhibits a molecular weight of 78,000 g mol-1 estimated by comparison with protein standards on sodium dodecyl sulfate polyacrylamide gel electrophoresis. The turnover numbers calculated on the basis of flavin are 1360 min-1 and 1490 min-1 at 25 degrees for the pig and rat liver enzymes, respectively. Titration of these purified preparations aerobically with both NADPH and potassium ferricyanide demonstrated unequivocally that the air-stable, reduced form of NADPH-cytochrome c (P-450) reductase contains 2 electron equivalents, confirming recent results obtained by Masters et al. (Masters, B. S. S., Prough, R. A., and Kamin, H. (1975) Biochemistry 14, 607-613) for the proteolytically solubilized enzyme. In addition, these preparations are capable of reconstituting benzphetamine N-demethylation activity in the presence of partially purified cytochrome P-450 and dilauroylphosphatidylcholine, as measured by formaldehyde formation from benzphetamine.     

Purification and characterisation of an unusually heat-stable and acid/base-stable class I fructose-1,6-bisphosphate aldolase from Staphylococcus aureus

The fructose-1,6-biphosphate aldolase (EC 4.1.2.13) from Staphylococcus aureus ATCC 12 600 was purified and biochemically investigated. It was found that this aldolase belongs to the class I type of aldolases since the fructose-1,6-bisphosphate cleavage activity was insensitivity to high levels of EDTA. Like class I aldolases of higher organisms, the S. aureus aldolase activity is inhibited on incubation with the substrate dihydroxyacetone-phosphate in the presence of NaBH4. Furthermore, the aldolase activity is not stimulated by monovalent or divalent cations. This enzyme exhibits an extreme stability to high temperature, acid and base. The purified enzyme is not activated after heating at 97 degrees C for 1.6 h. An incubation at 130 degrees C for 10 min is necessary to destroy irreversibly the activity of the aldolase. The optimal temperature for activity, however, is 37 degrees C. It is a monomer with a molecular weight of about 33,000 and exhibits a relatively broad pH optimum ranging over pH 7.5-9.0. Apart from fructose 1,6-bisphosphate as substrate (Km = 0.045 mM), this aldolase also revealed activity with fructose 1-phosphate (Km = 25 mM). The pH of the isoelectric point lies between 3.95 and 4.25.