scholarly journals Purification, Gene Cloning, Targeted Knockout, Overexpression, and Biochemical Characterization of the Major Pyrazinamidase fromMycobacterium smegmatis

1998 ◽  
Vol 180 (22) ◽  
pp. 5809-5814 ◽  
Author(s):  
Helena I. M. Boshoff ◽  
Valerie Mizrahi

ABSTRACT The pyrazinamidase from Mycobacterium smegmatis was purified to homogeneity to yield a product of approximately 50 kDa. The deduced amino-terminal amino acid sequence of this polypeptide was used to design an oligonucleotide probe for screening a DNA library of M. smegmatis. An open reading frame, designatedpzaA, which encodes a polypeptide of 49.3 kDa containing motifs conserved in several amidases was identified. Targeted knockout of the pzaA gene by homologous recombination yielded a mutant, pzaA::aph, with a more-than-threefold-reduced level of pyrazinamidase activity, suggesting that this gene encodes the major pyrazinamidase of M. smegmatis. Recombinant forms of the M. smegmatis PzaA and the Mycobacterium tuberculosispyrazinamidase/nicotinamidase (PncA) were produced in Escherichia coli and were partially purified and compared in terms of their kinetics of nicotinamidase and pyrazinamidase activity. The comparableKm values obtained from this study suggested that the unique specificity of pyrazinamide (PZA) for M. tuberculosis was not based on an unusually high PZA-specific activity of the PncA protein. Overexpression of pzaAconferred PZA susceptibility on M. smegmatis by reducing the MIC of this drug to 150 μg/ml.

2021 ◽  
Vol 21 (1) ◽  
Author(s):  
Peixian Bai ◽  
Liyuan Wang ◽  
Kang Wei ◽  
Li Ruan ◽  
Liyun Wu ◽  
...  

Abstract Background Alanine decarboxylase (AlaDC), specifically present in tea plants, is crucial for theanine biosynthesis. Serine decarboxylase (SDC), found in many plants, is a protein most closely related to AlaDC. To investigate whether the new gene AlaDC originate from gene SDC and to determine the biochemical properties of the two proteins from Camellia sinensis, the sequences of CsAlaDC and CsSDC were analyzed and the two proteins were over-expressed, purified, and characterized. Results The results showed that exon-intron structures of AlaDC and SDC were quite similar and the protein sequences, encoded by the two genes, shared a high similarity of 85.1%, revealing that new gene AlaDC originated from SDC by gene duplication. CsAlaDC and CsSDC catalyzed the decarboxylation of alanine and serine, respectively. CsAlaDC and CsSDC exhibited the optimal activities at 45 °C (pH 8.0) and 40 °C (pH 7.0), respectively. CsAlaDC was stable under 30 °C (pH 7.0) and CsSDC was stable under 40 °C (pH 6.0–8.0). The activities of the two enzymes were greatly enhanced by the presence of pyridoxal-5′-phosphate. The specific activity of CsSDC (30,488 IU/mg) was 8.8-fold higher than that of CsAlaDC (3467 IU/mg). Conclusions Comparing to CsAlaDC, its ancestral enzyme CsSDC exhibited a higher specific activity and a better thermal and pH stability, indicating that CsSDC acquired the optimized function after a longer evolutionary period. The biochemical properties of CsAlaDC might offer reference for theanine industrial production.


Author(s):  
Rahma R. Z. Mahdy ◽  
Shaimaa A. Mo’men ◽  
Marah M. Abd El-Bar ◽  
Emad M. S. Barakat

Abstract Background Insect lipid mobilization and transport are currently under research, especially lipases and lipophorin because of their roles in the production of energy and lipid transport at a flying activity. The present study has been conducted to purify intracellular fat body lipase for the first time, from the last larval instar of Galleria mellonella. Results Purification methods by combination of ammonium sulfate [(NH4)2SO4] precipitation and gel filtration using Sephadex G-100 demonstrated that the amount of protein and the specific activity of fat body lipase were 0.008633 ± 0.000551 mg/ml and 1.5754 ± 0.1042 μmol/min/mg protein, respectively, with a 98.9 fold purity and recovery of 50.81%. Hence, the sephadex G-100 step was more effective in the purification process. SDS-PAGE and zymogram revealed that fat body lipase showed two monomers with molecular weights of 178.8 and 62.6 kDa. Furthermore, biochemical characterization of fat body lipase was carried out through testing its activities against several factors, such as different temperatures, pH ranges, metal ions, and inhibitors ending by determination of their kinetic parameters with the use of p-nitrophenyl butyrate (PNPB) as a substrate. The highest activities of enzyme were determined at the temperature ranges of 35–37 °C and 37–40 °C and pH ranges of 7–9 and 7–10. The partially purified enzyme showed significant stimulation by Ca2+, K+, and Na+ metal ions indicating that fat body lipase is metalloproteinase. Lipase activity was strongly inhibited by some inhibitors; phenylmethylsulfonyl fluoride (PMSF), ethylene-diaminetetractic acid (EDTA), and ethylene glycoltetraacetic acid (EGTA) providing evidence of the presence of serine residue and activation of enzymes by metal ions. Kinetic parameters were 0.316 Umg− 1 Vmax and 301.95 mM Km. Conclusion Considering the purification of fat body lipase from larvae and the usage of some inhibitors especially ion chelating agents, it is suggested to develop a successful control of Galleria mellonella in near future by using lipase inhibitors.


2018 ◽  
Vol 43 (6) ◽  
pp. 638-650
Author(s):  
Ruth Ololade Amiola ◽  
Adedeji Nelson Ademakinwa ◽  
Zainab Adenike Ayinla ◽  
Esther Nkechi Ezima ◽  
Femi Kayode Agboola

Abstract Background β-Cyanoalanine synthase plays essential roles in germinating seeds, such as in cyanide homeostasis. Methods β-Cyanoalanine synthase was isolated from sorghum seeds, purified using chromatographic techniques and its biochemical and catalytic properties were determined. Results The purified enzyme had a yield of 61.74% and specific activity of 577.50 nmol H2S/min/mg of protein. The apparent and subunit molecular weight for purified β-cyanoalanine synthase were 58.26±2.41 kDa and 63.4 kDa, respectively. The kinetic parameters with sodium cyanide as substrate were 0.67±0.08 mM, 17.60±0.50 nmol H2S/mL/min, 2.97×10−1 s−1 and 4.43×102 M−1 s−1 for KM, Vmax, kcat and kcat/KM, respectively. With L-cysteine as substrate, the kinetic parameters were 2.64±0.37 mM, 63.41±4.04 nmol H2S/mL/min, 10.71×10−1 s−1 and 4.06×102 M−1 s−1 for KM, Vmax, kcat and kcat/KM, respectively. The optimum temperature and pH for activity were 35°C and 8.5, respectively. The enzyme retained more than half of its activity at 40°C. Inhibitors such as HgCl2, EDTA, glycine and iodoacetamide reduced enzyme activity. Conclusion The biochemical properties of β-cyanoalanine synthase in germinating sorghum seeds highlights its roles in maintaining cyanide homeostasis.


1997 ◽  
Vol 110 (12) ◽  
pp. 1351-1359
Author(s):  
P. Castagnola ◽  
M. Gennari ◽  
R. Morello ◽  
L. Tonachini ◽  
O. Marin ◽  
...  

A subtracted cDNA library was generated to identify cDNAs specific for chondrocyte mRNAs preferentially expressed at the hypertrophic stage with respect to early differentiation stages. The characterization of a cDNA isolated from this library that hybridizes with a 1.8 kb mRNA is described here. This mRNA is expressed at extremely low levels in dedifferentiated chondrocytes cultured in adherent conditions, at very low levels in differentiating chondrocytes and at very high levels in hypertrophic chondrocytes cultured in suspension conditions. In the developing chick embryo this mRNA is detectable in RNAs extracted from several other tissues besides cartilage. The described cDNA contains a complete open reading frame coding for a polypeptide of about 33 kDa. Homology searches with known cDNA and protein sequences have revealed that the chicken protein is related to the amino-terminal half of two mammalian nuclear antigens. By immunohistochemistry with specific rabbit antisera a strong signal was detected in the cartilage extracellular matrix of selected regions of the developing skeleton. Because of this localization of the antigen we named this protein cartilage associated protein (hereafter referred to as CASP).


2006 ◽  
Vol 72 (7) ◽  
pp. 4796-4804 ◽  
Author(s):  
Iñigo Ruiz de Escudero ◽  
Anna Estela ◽  
Manuel Porcar ◽  
Clara Martínez ◽  
José A. Oguiza ◽  
...  

ABSTRACT The most notable characteristic of Bacillus thuringiensis is its ability to produce insecticidal proteins. More than 300 different proteins have been described with specific activity against insect species. We report the molecular and insecticidal characterization of a novel cry gene encoding a protein of the Cry1I group with toxic activity towards insects of the families Noctuidae, Tortricidae, Plutellidae, and Chrysomelidae. PCR analysis detected a DNA sequence with an open reading frame of 2.2 kb which encodes a protein with a molecular mass of 80.9 kDa. Trypsin digestion of this protein resulted in a fragment of ca. 60 kDa, typical of activated Cry1 proteins. The deduced sequence of the protein has homologies of 96.1% with Cry1Ia1, 92.8% with Cry1Ib1, and 89.6% with Cry1Ic1. According to the Cry protein classification criteria, this protein was named Cry1Ia7. The expression of the gene in Escherichia coli resulted in a protein that was water soluble and toxic to several insect species. The 50% lethal concentrations for larvae of Earias insulana, Lobesia botrana, Plutella xylostella, and Leptinotarsa decemlineata were 21.1, 8.6, 12.3, and 10.0 μg/ml, respectively. Binding assays with biotinylated toxins to E. insulana and L. botrana midgut membrane vesicles revealed that Cry1Ia7 does not share binding sites with Cry1Ab or Cry1Ac proteins, which are commonly present in B. thuringiensis-treated crops and commercial B. thuringiensis-based bioinsecticides. We discuss the potential of Cry1Ia7 as an active ingredient which can be used in combination with Cry1Ab or Cry1Ac in pest control and the management of resistance to B. thuringiensis toxins.


Author(s):  
Juliane Zimmerling ◽  
Michel Oelschlägel ◽  
Carolin Großmann ◽  
Matthias Voitel ◽  
Michael Schlömann ◽  
...  

Abstract Four phenylacetaldehyde dehydrogenases (designated as FeaB or StyD) originating from styrene-degrading soil bacteria were biochemically investigated. In this study, we focused on the Michaelis-Menten kinetics towards the presumed native substrate phenylacetaldehyde and the obviously preferred co-substrate NAD+. Furthermore, the substrate specificity on four substituted phenylacetaldehydes and the co-substrate preference were studied. Moreover, these enzymes were characterized with respect to their temperature as well as long-term stability. Since aldehyde dehydrogenases are known to show often dehydrogenase as well as esterase activity, we tested this capacity, too. Almost all results showed clearly different characteristics between the FeaB and StyD enzymes. Furthermore, FeaB from Sphingopyxis fribergensis Kp5.2 turned out to be the most active enzyme with an apparent specific activity of 17.8 ± 2.1 U mg-1. Compared with that, both StyDs showed only activities less than 0.2 U mg-1 except the overwhelming esterase activity of StyD-CWB2 (1.4 ± 0.1 U mg-1). The clustering of both FeaB and StyD enzymes with respect to their characteristics could also be mirrored in the phylogenetic analysis of twelve dehydrogenases originating from different soil bacteria.


2010 ◽  
Vol 5 (6) ◽  
pp. 1934578X1000500
Author(s):  
Hidayatullah Khan ◽  
Irshad Ali ◽  
Arif-ullah Khan ◽  
Mushtaq Ahmed ◽  
Zamarud Shah ◽  
...  

A high molecular weight serine protease has been purified to electrophoretic homogeneity from the seeds of Caesalpinia bonducella Flem. (Caesalpiniaceae) by the combination of size exclusion and ion exchange chromatography. About 524 fold purification was achieved with an overall recovery of 6.8%. The specific activity was found to be 86 U/mg/min at pH 8.0. The calculated Km and Vmax were 1.66 mg/mL and 496.68 units/min per mg of protein, respectively. The molecular mass was estimated to be about 63 kDa by sodium dodecyl sulfate PAGE. The enzyme showed optimum activity at pH 8.0 and exhibited its highest activity at 40°C. The enzyme was strongly inhibited by 2mM phenylmethylsulfonyl fluoride (PMSF), suggesting the presence of a serine residue at the active site. PMSF showed a pure competitive type of inhibition with the serine protease enzyme. It was observed that enzyme activity was enhanced in the presence of dications and was active against a variety of modified substrates and natural proteins.


1988 ◽  
Vol 255 (5) ◽  
pp. G579-G586
Author(s):  
B. Schjoldager ◽  
S. P. Powers ◽  
L. J. Miller

Although the gallbladder was the first recognized target of the peptide hormone cholecystokinin (CCK) and is a physiologically important target, only one preliminary report of the biochemical characterization of this receptor exists. Recently, a series of molecular probes for the affinity labeling of different domains of the pancreatic CCK receptor have been developed. In this work we report the application of several of those probes toward the biochemical characterization of the bovine gallbladder muscularis receptor. These include "long" (125I-Bolton-Hunter-CCK-33) and "short" (125I-D-Tyr-Gly-[Nle28,31)CCK-(26-33)]) probes chemically cross-linkable through their amino-terminal amino groups and monofunctional probes with their photolabile moieties at their amino terminus (2-diazo-3,3,3-trifluoropropionyl-125I-D-Tyr-Gly-[(Nle28,31) CCK-(26-33)]) and carboxyl terminus (125I-D-Tyr-Gly-[(Nle28,31,pNO2-Phe33)CCK-(26-33)]), that span the receptor-binding region. Each of these bound specifically and saturably to a preparation enriched in plasma membranes from bovine gallbladder muscularis (mean inhibitor constants: 5.2, 1.1, 0.8, and 1.8 nM, respectively). A major relative molecular weight (Mr) 70,000-85,000 band was specifically and reproducibly labeled with the appropriate apparent affinity by each of the probes, whereas labeling of minor bands of Mr 40,000-50,000, Mr 92,000, Mr 120,000, and Mr 200,000 was dependent on cross-linker type or concentration. These observations support the identification of the Mr 70,000-85,000 protein as the bovine gallbladder CCK-binding subunit and, since this is a different size from the pancreatic CCK-binding subunit, provide biochemical evidence for molecular heterogeneity of peripheral CCK receptors.


2010 ◽  
Vol 55 (1) ◽  
pp. 140-145 ◽  
Author(s):  
Luisa Borgianni ◽  
Silvia Prandi ◽  
Laurie Salden ◽  
Gisela Santella ◽  
Nancy D. Hanson ◽  
...  

ABSTRACTThe production of metallo-β-lactamase (MBL) is an important mechanism of resistance to β-lactam antibiotics, including carbapenems. Despite the discovery and emergence of many acquired metallo-β-lactamases, IMP-type determinants (now counting at least 27 variants) remain the most prevalent in some geographical areas. In Asian countries, and notably Japan, IMP-1 and its closely related variants are most widespread. Some other variants have been detected in other countries and show either an endemic (e.g., IMP-13 in Italy) or sporadic (e.g., IMP-12 in Italy or IMP-18 in the United States) occurrence. The IMP-18-producingPseudomonas aeruginosastrain PS 297 from the southwestern United States carried at least two class 1 integrons. One was identical to In51, while the other, named In133and carrying theblaIMP-18gene cassette in the third position, showed an original array of five gene cassettes, includingaacA7,qacF,aadA1, and an unknown open reading frame (ORF). Interestingly. In133differed significantly from In96, theblaIMP-18-carrying integron identified in aP. aeruginosaisolate from Mexico. The meropenem and ertapenem MIC values were much lower forEscherichia colistrains producing IMP-18 (0.06 and 0.12 μg/ml, respectively) than for strains producing IMP-1 (2 μg/ml for each). Kinetic data obtained with the purified enzyme revealed lower turnover rates of IMP-18 than of other IMP-type enzymes with most substrates.


2001 ◽  
Vol 67 (2) ◽  
pp. 733-741 ◽  
Author(s):  
Cécile J. B van der Vlugt-Bergmans ◽  
Mariët J. van der Werf

ABSTRACT A monoterpene ɛ-lactone hydrolase (MLH) from Rhodococcus erythropolis DCL14, catalyzing the ring opening of lactones which are formed during degradation of several monocyclic monoterpenes, including carvone and menthol, was purified to apparent homogeneity. It is a monomeric enzyme of 31 kDa that is active with (4R)-4-isopropenyl-7-methyl-2-oxo-oxepanone and (6R)-6-isopropenyl-3-methyl-2-oxo-oxepanone, lactones derived from (4R)-dihydrocarvone, and 7-isopropyl-4-methyl-2-oxo-oxepanone, the lactone derived from menthone. Both enantiomers of 4-, 5-, 6-, and 7-methyl-2-oxo-oxepanone were converted at equal rates, suggesting that the enzyme is not stereoselective. Maximal enzyme activity was measured at pH 9.5 and 30°C. Determination of the N-terminal amino acid sequence of purified MLH enabled cloning of the corresponding gene by a combination of PCR and colony screening. The gene, designated mlhB(monoterpene lactone hydrolysis), showed up to 43% similarity to members of the GDXG family of lipolytic enzymes. Sequencing of the adjacent regions revealed two other open reading frames, one encoding a protein with similarity to the short-chain dehydrogenase reductase family and the second encoding a protein with similarity to acyl coenzyme A dehydrogenases. Both enzymes are possibly also involved in the monoterpene degradation pathways of this microorganism.


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