Altered expression of biodegradative threonine dehydratase in Escherichia coli mutants

A number of strains of Escherichia coli K-12 failed to synthesize significant amounts of biodegradative threonine dehydratase (EC 4.2.1.16) when grown anaerobically in tryptone-yeast extract medium, a condition which is optimal for the induction of this enzyme. However, the addition of 10 mM potassium nitrate to the culture medium enabled a few of these strains, notably MB201, to induce the enzyme. An examination of the kinetic parameters, modifier sensitivity, and immunological cross-reactivity revealed that the enzyme produced by MB201 in nitrate-supplemented medium appeared indistinguishable from the dehydratase of a wild-type strain. The reduced expression of threonine dehydratase in MB201 appeared highly specific; the synthesis of two other inducible enzymes, D-serine deaminase and tryptophanase, and two "anaerobic" proteins, namely, fumarate reductase and cytochrome c551, remained unaffected. The mutation (tdcI) responsible for the altered expression of the dehydratase in MB201 was located at min 91 on the E. coli chromosome and appeared to tightly linked to if not identical with pgi, the gene encoding phosphoglucose isomerase, as judged by growth experiments on glucose and fructose, direct assay of phosphoglucose isomerase activity, spontaneous and simultaneous reversion of MB201 (tdcI) to TdcI+ and Pgi+ phenotype, and cosegregation of the two loci during transduction with P1 phage. Because not all strains lacking the dehydratase showed nitrate-dependent enzyme synthesis or had lesions at the pgi locus, it appears that mutations at multiple loci on the E. coli chromosome may influence the expression of the enzyme in vivo.

Mental morbidity and urban life-an epidemiological study

A survey of the mental morbidity of an urban group and two rural groups was made with the same method, same operational definition of a case and by the same team. The aim was to find out the nature and extent of the difference in their rates of morbidity and to identify the psychosocial variables associated with this difference. It was found that the rate of total morbidity was significantly higher in the urban group than in the rural groups. Psychosis was, however, commoner among the Brahmins, a rural group. The wide difference in the rates of mental morbidity between the urban and rural groups was mainly due to the difference in the rate of neurosis (165.3/1000, 51.6/1000 and 1.5/1000 respectively). The rate of neurosis in its turn was considered to be positively correlated with certain psychosocial characteristics irrespective of urban or rural residence of the group concerned.

The role of glyoxylate in the regulation of biodegradative threonine dehydratase of Escherichia coli

The activity of biodegradative threonine dehydratase of Escherichia coli K12 was reversibly inhibited by glyoxylate in the presence of AMP. Kinetic analysis showed that the inhibition was mixed with respect to L-threonine and competitive in terms of AMP; the inhibitory effect of glyoxylate was less pronounced at high protein concentrations. Incubation of dehydratase with L-threonine shifted the absorption maximum of the enzyme-bound pyridoxal phosphate from 413 to 425 nm; addition of glyoxylate completely prevented the threonine-mediated spectral shift. In addition to the inhibitory effect, incubation of purified enzyme with glyoxylate resulted in a progressive, irreversible inactivation of the enzyme and formation of inactive protein aggregates. The rates of inactivation were decreased with increasing concentrations of protein and AMP. During inactivation by glyoxylate, the 413-nm absorption maximum of the native enzyme was replaced by a new peak at 385 nm. Experiments with [14C]glyoxylate showed a rapid binding of 1 mol of glyoxylate per 147,000 g followed by a slow binding of 3 additional mol of glyoxylate; the glyoxylate-protein linkage was stable to acid precipitation and protein denaturants. Competition binding experiments revealed that pyruvate (which also inactivated the E. coli enzyme, Feldman, D.A., and Datta, P. (1975) Biochemistry 14, 1760-1767) did not interfere with the binding of glyoxylate or vice versa, suggesting that the two keto acids may occupy separate sites on the enzyme molecule. Nevertheless, experiments on enzyme inactivation using glyoxylate plus pyruvate reveal mutual interactions between these ligands in terms of lack of additive effect, retardation in the spectral shift due to glyoxylate, and stabilization of the enzyme in the presence and absence of AMP. We conclude from these results that the control of biodegradative threonine dehydratase is governed by a complex set of regulatory events resulting from reversible and irreversible association of these effectors with the enzyme molecule.

Inhibition of Escherichia coli biodegradative threonine dehydratase by pyruvate

Pyruvate inhibits Escherichia coli K-12 biodegradative threonine dehydratase activity by a mechanism distinct from product inhibition by alpha-ketobutyrate and catabolite inactivation by intermediary metabolites.

Behavior of penicillin-binding proteins in Escherichia coli upon heat and detergent treatments and partial purification of penicillin-binding proteins 1A and 1B

Penicillin-binding proteins differ greatly in heat sensitivity and sensitivity to detergents. The partial purification of penicillin-binding 1A and 1B proteins from Escherichia coli is described.

Control of DNA synthesis in growing BALB/c 3T3 mouse cells by a fibroblast growth regulatory factor

A cell surface component from quiescent BALB/c 3T3 mouse cells that inhibits DNA synthesis and cell division when added to a culture of growing 3T3 cells has been detected. The inhibition of DNA synthesis by this factor was dependent on concentration and time of incubation; a transient exposure of cells to the factor followed by incubation in its absence for 20 hr was sufficient to elicit its inhibitory effect. The active component appears to be protein in nature, as judged by heat inactivation and trypsin sensitivity. Extracts obtained in an identical manner from quiescent 3T3 cells that had been preincubated in situ with uridine diphosphate N-acetyl-D-glucosamine (UDP-GlcNAc) did not inhibit DNA synthesis. The effect was specific for UDP-GlcNAc: incubation with three other nucleotide sugars yielded active component. Incubation of the inactive component from UDP-GlcNAc-treated cells with purified N-acetyl-beta-D-glucosaminidase in vitro restored its inhibitory property. Extracts from growing cells failed to inhibit DNA synthesis. These results suggest that reversible glycosylation with N-acetyl-D-glucosamine residues may serve as a regulatory signal for the conversion of the active factor to its inactive form. We propose that the onset of quiescence of 3T3 cells is due to a casual relationship between depletion of growth factors in the culture medium and the presence of the active regulatory factor on the cell surface that inhibits DNA synthesis; conversion of the regulatory factor to its inactive form under favorable nutritional status may be viewed as a switch that allows DNA synthesis to resume.

Biodegradative threonine dehydratase. Reduction of ferricyanide by an intermediate of the enzyme-catalyzed reaction

The threonine-dependent reduction of ferricyanide catalyzed by the purified biodegradative threonine dehydratase of Escherichia coli has been studied. The rate of production of 2-oxobutyrate in the presence of ferricyanide was lower than that found in the absence of ferricyanide. The concentrations of threonine required for half-maximal effects for the reduction of ferricyanide and, in the presence of the dye, for 2-oxobutyrate production, were 3 mM and 9mM, respectively. Reduction of ferricyanide was accompanied by evolution of CO2, and even within a very short incubation time with the enzyme, the ratio of ferricyanide reduced over CO2 evolved was approximately 7. Stopping the enzyme activity after a brief exposure to threonine at pH 9.7 resulted in the accumulation of an intermediate (with a half-life of 4 min at 25 degrees C) which formed an adduct with N-ethylmaleimide; the accumulated intermediate, in the absence of N-ethylmaleimide, reduced ferricyanide with concomitant evolution of CO2. We conclude from these results that 2-aminocrotonate is the intermediate which serves as a source of reducing equivalent for ferricyanide, and nonstoichiometric amount of ferricyanide reduction may be attributed to some secondary reactions of ferricyanide with compounds derived from the oxidation product of 2-aminocrotonate.

Uridine diphosphate N-acetylglucosamine stimulates uptake of nutrients by quiescent BALB/C3T3 cells

Preincubation of quiescent BALB/C3T3 cells with uridine diphosphate N-acetylglucosamine (UDP-GlcNAc) in conditioned medium resulted in a time- and concentration-dependent stimulation of uptake of 2-deoxyglucose, uridine, and alpha-aminoisobutyric acid over that seen in conditioned medium alone. The apparent Km values for 2-deoxyglucose and uridine uptake were the same for cells incubated with or without UDP-GlcNAc, whereas the Vmax values were higher for cells pretreated with the nucleotide sugar. The stimulation of uptake was specific for UDP-GlcNAc, and the other nucleotide sugars tested were ineffective; incubation of UDP-GlcNAc-pretreated cells with N-acetylglucosaminidase abolished the stimulatory effect. In all cases, the extent of stimulation of nutrient uptake was comparable to that seen with serum-stimulated cells. Incubation of quiescent cells in situ with UDP-[3H]GlcNAc led to incorporation of radioactive N-acetylglucosamine into the acid-precipitable fraction; a large fraction of the labeled amino sugar was found on the cell surface acceptors. We interpret these data to mean that the cellular acceptors of quiescent cells are "under-glycosylated," at least in terms of N-acetylglucosamine, and that stimulation of uptake of nutrients may be a consequence of restoration of the amino sugar residues on the oligosaccharide chains of acceptors on the cell surface.

Homoserine dehydrogenase of Rhodospirillum rubrum. Physical and chemical characterization

A detailed physicochemical characterization of purified homoserine dehydrogenase of Rhodospirillum rubrum is presented. The enzyme has a molecular weight of 110000 and consists of two subunits of identical molecular weight of 55000. Depending on the ionic strength and protein concentration it is possible for the native enzyme to dimerize to produce an enzymatically active species of molecular weight 220000. Titrations of the native and detergent-treated enzyme with a variety of sulfhydryl reagents show 2 mol free--SH groups per 110000 g, one of which is buried in the protein interior. L-Threonine and/or high concentrations of salt can expose the buried--SH group, and this--SH group is essential for the catalytic activity of the enzyme. Two independent lines of evidence show that extensive polymerization of the enzyme caused by L-threonine and/or high concentrations of salt does not involve the formation of intermolecular disulfide bonds.

Homoserine dehydrogenase: spontaneous reactivation by dissociation of p-mercuribenzoate from an inactive enzyme--p-mercuribenzoate complex

Incubation of Rhodospirillum rubrum homoserine dehydrogenase (L-homoserine:NAD+ oxidoreductase, EC 1.1.1.3) with p-mercuribenzoate (PMB) in the presence of 0.2 M KCl and 2 mM L-threonine resulted in complete loss of enzyme activity. Upon removal of excess PMB, KCl, and L-threonine, a time-dependent recovery of enzyme activity was observed in 25 mM phosphate/I mM EDTA buffer, pH 7.5. Circular dichroism studies indicated that the transition from inactive to reactivated form of the enzyme was accompanied by a conformational change in the protein. Experiments with [14C]PMB revealed loss of enzyme-bound radioactivity during reactivation. Increase in ionic strength of the phosphate buffer and/or addition of L-threonine, leading to enzyme aggregation, decreased the rate of enzyme reactivation, aggregated enzyme that remained inactive retained [14C]PMB on the enzyme. Sulfhydryl titration of various forms of the enzyme suggested a preferential release of PMB from a sulfhydryl group essential to enzymic activity. We conclude that reactivation of the inactive enzyme is due to dissociation of PMB from an "active-site" sulfhydryl group and that changes in the protein structure influence the rate of dissociation of the enzyme-PMB complex.

Catabolite inactivation of biodegradative threonine dehydratase of Escherichia coli

Incubation of Escherichia coli cells with glucose, pyruvate, and certain other metabolites led to rapid inactivation of inducible biodegradative threonine dehydratase. Analysis with several mutant strains showed that pyruvate, and not a metabolite derived from pyruvate, was capable of inactivating enzyme, and that glucose acted indirectly after being converted to pyruvate. Some other alpha-keto acids such as oxaloacetate and alpha-ketobutyrate (but not alpha-ketoglutarate) were also effective. Inactivation of threonine dehydratase by pyruvate was also observed with purified enzyme preparations. The rates of enzyme inactivation increased with increased concentrations of pyruvate and decreased with increased levels of AMP. Increasing protein concentrations lowered the rates of enzyme inactivation. Dithiothreitol had a large effect on the maximum extent of inactivation of the enzyme by pyruvate; high concentrations of AMP and DTT almost completely counteracted the effect of pyruvate. Gel filtration data showed that pyruvate influenced the oligomeric state of the enzyme by altering the association-dissociation equilibrium in favor of dissociation; the Stokes' radius of the pyruvate-inactivated enzyme was 32 A as compared to 42 A for the untreated enzyme. Reassociation of the dissociated form of the enzyme was achieved by removal of excess free pyruvate by dialysis against buffer supplemented with AMP and DTT. Incubation of threonine dehydratase with [14-C]pyruvate revealed apparent covalent attachment of pyruvate to the enzyme. Strong protein denaturants such as guanidine, urea, and sodium dodecyl sulfate failed to release bound radioactive pyruvate; the molar ratio of firmly bound pyruvate was approximately 1 mol/150,000 g of protein. Pretreatment of the enzyme with p-chloromercuribenzoate and 5,5'-dithiobis(2-nitrobenzoate) (Nbs2) did not reduce the binding of [14-C]pyruvate suggesting no active site SH was involved in the pyruvate-enzyme linkage. Titration of active and pyruvate-inactivated enzyme with Nbs2 indicated that the loss in enzyme activity was not due to oxidation of essential sulfhydryl groups on the enzyme. Based on these data we propose that the mechanism of enzyme inactivation by pyruvate involves covalent attachment of pyruvate to the active oligomeric form of the enzyme followed by dissociation of the oligomer to yield inactive enzyme.

Observations on lipolysis in ketosis-resistant, growth-onset diabetes

This study was undertaken to determine the mechanism of ketosis resistance, which is often observed among patients with growth-onset diabetes in the tropics. Lipolysis was tested in vivo in the ketosis-resistant patients with growth-onset diabetes by determining: (1) Plasma immunoreactive insulin (IRI), blood glucose, and serum free fatty acid (FFA) concentrations during tests with epinephrine, phentolamine and epinephrine, and propranolol and epinephrine in twenty-five patients; and (2) blood ketone bodies during epinephrine and propranolol and epinephrine tests in fifteen patients. The findings were compared with results obtained in a similar number of ketosis-prone subjects with growth-onset diabetes and twenty-two normal controls.

The mean fasting plasma IRI levels were significantly lower in the ketosis-resistant diabetics than in the normal subjects, although the fasting blood glucose levels were three and one-half times greater in these diabetics than in the controls. There was no significant change in the glucose and IRI levels during the three tests. Fasting serum FFA levels were significantly lower in the ketosis-resistant than those in the ketosis-prone diabetics. No detectable serum FFA response was observed in the ketosisresistant patients during any of the three tests. Blood ketone levels were comparable with the values obtained in the normal controls, but were significantly lower than those in the ketosisprone patients. Blood ketones also did not change significantly during epinephrine and propranolol with epinephrine tests in the ketosis-resistant patients.

These results are interpreted to indicate that the mobilization of FFA from the adipose tissue is inadequate in the growth-onset diabetics who are ketosis resistant. The tailure is attributed to insensitivity of the adrenergic receptor sites and/or unresponsiveness of the adenyl cyclase-cyclic AMP-lipase system in the adipose tissue of these young diabetics. The absence of ketonemia in these diabetics is attributable to an insufficient delivery of the substrate (FFA) from the adipose tissue to the liver.