Characterization of arylsulfatase isoenzymes from Pseudomonas aeruginosa

A method is described for the separation and isolation of two electrophoretically distinct arylsulfatases (arylsulfatase EC.3.1.6.1) from Pseudomonas aeruginosa.Characterization of the enzymes revealed that they were type I arylsulfatases, with similar kinetic properties. They differed, however, in respect to charge, pH optima for substrate hydrolysis, and activation by anions. In addition, the enzymes displayed dual pH optima curves with both substrates used and the curious property of a shift in pH optima with varied p-nitrophenyl sulfate concentrations.

Ribulose diphosphate carboxylase from autotrophic microorganisms

Thiobacillus denitrificans was grown anaerobically with nitrate as an acceptor in both sterile and nonsterile media. Ribulose diphosphate carboxylase was stable throughout the exponential growth phase and declined slowly only after cells reached the stationary phase. Reversible inactivation of the carboxylase occurred in extracts as a result of bicarbonate omission. The enzyme was purified 32-fold with excellent recovery of a preparation which was 50 to 60% pure by the criterion of polyacrylamide gel electrophoresis. This purified preparation catalyzed the fixation of 1.25 mumoles of CO(2) per min per mg of protein at pH 8.1 and 30 C, and the molecular weight of ribulose diphosphate carboxylase was approximately 350,000 daltons. A striking biphasic time course of CO(2) fixation that was independent of protein and ribulose diphosphate concentration was observed. The optimal pH of the enzyme assay was fairly broad, ranging from 7 to 8.2. Kinetic dependence upon bicarbonate, ribulose diphosphate, and Mg(2+) was characterized and indicated that bicarbonate and Mg(2+) must combine with enzyme prior to addition of ribulose diphosphate. Antiserum to ribulose diphosphate carboxylase from Hydrogenomonas eutropha was only slightly inhibitory when added to the enzyme from T. denitrificans, and the mixture did not precipitate. Cyanide (4 x 10(-5)m) gave 61% inhibition of the enzyme from T. denitrificans. Ribulose diphosphate carboxylase in extracts of H. eutropha, H. facilis, Chromatium D, Rhodospirillum rubrum, and Chlorella pyrenoidosa were also inhibited to varying extents by cyanide and antiserum to the H. eutropha enzyme.

Regulation of the two "malic" enzymes in Neurospora crassa

Two NADP-specific "malic" enzymes have been found to be present in Neurospora crassa. They have different pH optima and are influenced differently by some metabolites and inhibitors. The pH 8.0 "malic" enzyme appears during the early stages of growth and is inhibited by fructose 1,6-diphosphate while the pH 10.0 "malic" enzyme appears during the later stages of growth and is inhibited by aspartate. Both enzymes are repressed by acetate and pyruvate and their activities are inhibited by glyoxylate and oxaloacetate. The metabolic function of the enzymes is discussed.

Selective association of Sindbis virion proteins with different membrane fractions of infected cells

Plasma and smooth membranes obtained from chicken embryo cells infected with Sindbis virus were solubilized and subjected to electrophoresis on acrylamide gels. The electrophoretic patterns showed that (i) the major proteins synthesized and associated with plasma membranes from infected cells are virion proteins and (ii) at 4 hr after infection virion proteins are not present at detectable levels in the smooth membranes of the cell.

Polyacrylamide electrophoresis used for the detection of C5+ cholinesterase in Canadian caucasians, Indians, and Eskimos

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Protein composition of coronavirus OC 43

A human coronavirus, strain OC 43, was propagated in suckling mouse brain and purified 5000-fold with, a 90% yield. Purity of the virus was confirmed by electrophoretic, ultracentrifugal, and electron microscopic procedures. Immunodiffusion and immunoelectrophoresis tests revealed one precipitin line with normal mouse brain, three with purified virus, and four with crude virus when tested against anti-pure virus or anti-crude virus animal serums. The association of a host cell antigen with the virion was confirmed by standard HI and CF tests. Polyacrylamide gel electrophoresis of solubilized purified virus revealed a minimum of six polypeptides with apparent molecular weights of 191,000 (No. 1), 104,000 (No. 2), 60,000 (No. 3), 47,000 (No. 4), 30,000 (No. 5), and 15,000 daltons (No. 6). A seventh band was occasionally found in the 165,000-dalton region of the gels. Four polypeptides contained carbohydrate and one contained lipid. Polypeptide No. 5 comprised 26% of the total viral protein and glycopolypeptide No. 3 comprised 23%. Three other components accounted for most of the remaining protein: polypeptide No. 4 (16%), glycopolypeptide No. 6 (14%), and glycolipopolypeptide No. 1 (13%). Glycopolypeptide No. 2 was 8% of the total protein. Bromelin digestion of the viral projections (spikes) removed glycopolypeptides No. 2 and No. 6. Association of the remaining polypeptides with structural components of the virion is only tentatively postulated. The buoyant density in potassium tartrate of the bromelin-treated virus was 1.15 g/cm³ and of the intact OC 43 virion was 1.18 g/cm³. By analytical ultracentrifugation the corrected sedimentation coefficient (s⁰_20w) of the OC 43 virion was determined to be 390 ± 16 S, and the apparent molecular weight (MW_a) was calculated to be 112 ± 5 × 10⁶ daltons.