Maize leaf inorganic pyrophosphatase: isozymes, specificity for substrates, inhibitors, and divalent metal ions, and pH optima

Review: "Pyrophosphate and pyrophosphatases in plants, their involvement in stress responses and their possible relationship to secondary metabolism"

Pyrophosphate (PPi) is produced as byproduct of biosynthesis in the cytoplasm, nucleus, mitochondria and chloroplast, or in the tonoplast and Golgi by membrane-bound H⁺-pumping pyrophosphatases (PPv). Inorganic pyrophosphatases (E.C. 3.6.1.1; GO:0004427) impulse various biosynthetic reactions by recycling PPi and are essential to living cells. Soluble and membrane-bound enzymes of high specificity have evolved in different protein families and multiple pyrophosphatases are encoded in all plant genomes known to date. The soluble proteins are present in cytoplasm, extracellular space, inside chloroplasts, and perhaps inside mitochondria, nucleus or vacuoles. The cytoplasmic isoforms may compete for PPi with the PPv enzymes and how PPv and soluble activities are controlled is currently unknown, yet the cytoplasmic PPi concentration is high and fairly constant. Manipulation of the PPi metabolism impacts primary metabolism and vice versa, indicating a tight link between PPi levels and carbohydrate metabolism. These enzymes appear to play a role in germination, development and stress adaptive responses. In addition, the transgenic overexpression of PPv has been used to enhance plant tolerance to abiotic stress, but the reasons behind this tolerance are not completely understood. Finally, the relationship of PPi to stress suggest a currently unexplored link between PPi and secondary metabolism.

A novel subfamily of monomeric inorganic pyrophosphatases in photosynthetic eukaryotes

Two sPPases (soluble inorganic pyrophosphatases, EC 3.6.1.1) have been isolated from the microalga Chlamydomonas reinhardtii. Both are monomeric proteins of organellar localization, the chloroplastic sPPase I [Cr (Ch. reinhardtii)-sPPase I, 30 kDa] is a major isoform and slightly larger protein than the mitochondrial sPPase II (Cr-sPPase II, 24 kDa). They are members of sPPase family I and are encoded by two different cDNAs, as demonstrated by peptide mass fingerprint analysis. Molecular phylogenetic analyses indicated that Cr-sPPase I is closely related to other eukaryotic sPPases, whereas Cr-sPPase II resembles its prokaryotic counterparts. Chloroplastic sPPase I may have replaced a cyanobacterial ancestor very early during plastid evolution. Cr-sPPase II orthologues are found in members of the green photosynthetic lineage, but not in animals or fungi. These two sPPases from photosynthetic eukaryotes are novel monomeric family I sPPases with different molecular phylogenies and cellular localizations.

Purification, physicochemical properties, and subcellular location of alkaline inorganic pyrophosphatase from sesame (Sesamum indicum L.) cotyledons

Abstract: Changes in the levels of inorganic pyrophosphatases (PPases) were monitored in germinating sesame seeds at regular intervals. Activities of acid and alkaline PPases increased markedly in cotyledons up to day 4, remained at the peak level up to day 7, and then showed a considerable decline thereafter. An alkaline PPase was isolated and purified from 5-day-old sesame cotyledons following acetone precipitation, ammonium sulfate fractionation, and chromatography on DEAE-Sephadex. Current protocol yielded about 20% recovery of total activity with a 6.4-fold purification. The enzyme was a monomer with a molecular mass of 20.8 kDa. Some of the properties of alkaline PPase including stability, substrate specificity, ion requirement, and amino acid composition were studied. Alkaline PPase showed maximum activity at pH 8.6 in the presence of Mg2+ and at 50 degrees C. However, the metal ion could not protect the enzyme against thermal denaturation. Alkaline PPase was highly specific for inorganic pyrophoaphate (PP) as substrate and the Km value was 0.7677 +/- 0.0528 mM. Full activation of the enzyme was achieved with a Mg2+/PPi ratio of 2. Divalent metal ions such as Ca2+, Cu2+, and Zn2+ inhibited PPase activity. Mg2+, partially relieved the inhibition caused by adenosine 5'-triphosphate. Studies related to the localization of alkaline PPase in microbodies revealed that the enzyme was distributed between glyoxysomes and mitochondria, with the former containing more of it.

Purification and characterization of thylakoid membrane-bound inorganic pyrophosphatase from Spinacia oleracia L

An inorganic pyrophosphatase (PPase) was purified from thylakoid membrane of spinach leaves to electrophoretic purity by methods including detergent solubilization, ammonium sulfate fractionation, and successive chromatographic techniques. Current protocol yielded about 10% recovery of total activity with a 30-fold purification. The specific activity of the purified enzyme was approximately 400 micromol PPi consumed/mg protein x h. This enzyme is a monomer with a molecular mass of 55 kDa. Several properties, including subunit composition, substrate specificity, ion requirements, inhibitor sensitivities, and amino acid composition, have been studied. Mg2+ is an essential cofactor for the thylakoid PPase. The preferred substrate for the hydrolytic reaction of PPase appears to be dimagnesium pyrophosphate. K+ could not stimulate the enzymatic activity of thylakoid PPase, while F- was a potent inhibitor. Group-specific modification of the thylakoid PPase demonstrates possible involvement of carboxylate residues in the enzymatic activity. Furthermore, antibodies raised against thylakoid PPase in a rabbit could inactivate the PPi hydrolysis of thylakoid and the purified enzyme, but not that of vacuolar H+-PPase, indicating both PPi hydrolases are structurally distinct.

Characterization of a soluble inorganic pyrophosphatase from Microcystis aeruginosa and preparation of its antibody

A soluble inorganic pyrophosphatase was isolated from a crude extract of Microcystis aeruginosa by adsorption chromatography. The enzyme was purified to homogeneity as judged by sodium dodecyl sulfate (SDS) and nondenaturing polyacrylamide gel electrophoresis and N-terminal amino acid analysis. The molecular mass was estimated to be 80 kDa by gel filtration chromatography, 87 kDa by nondenaturing polyacrylamide gel electrophoresis, and 28 kDa by SDS-polyacrylamide gel electrophoresis. The enzyme has an isoelectric point of 4.5, which is similar to the pI values reported for other soluble inorganic pyrophosphatases. The sequence of 29 N-terminal amino acids was determined; only 4 of these amino acids are identical to those in the sequence of Saccharomyces cerevisiae inorganic pyrophosphatase. M. aeruginosa inorganic pyrophosphatase is a Mg(2+)-dependent enzyme exhibiting a pH optimum of around 7.5. Its KM value for inorganic pyrophosphate was estimated to be 1.30 mM. A specific antibody was raised in chicken to M. aeruginosa inorganic pyrophosphatase. No immunological cross-reactivity was seen when Western blots of partially purified S. cerevisiae or Escherichia coli inorganic pyrophosphatase were probed with the antibody.

Properties and regulation of Mg2+-dependent chloroplast inorganic pyrophosphatase from Sorghum vulgare leaves

A Mg2+ dependent inorganic pyrophosphatase from chloroplasts of Sorghum vulgare has been purified 275-fold to electrophoretic purity with an overall recovery of about 25% activity. Estimations of native and monomeric relative molecular weights by size exclusion chromatography and denaturing electrophoresis suggest that the holoenzyme is a monomer of 42 +/- 1.5 kDa. A high specificity for tetrasodium pyrophosphate (PPi) as substrate has been observed, as the other phosphoesters tested were virtually unaffected. The Mg2+:PPi ratio of 5:1 at pH 8.0 shifts to 2.5:1.0 at pH 9.0 and 10:1 at pH 7.0. None of the divalent cations tested could substitute for Mg2+. Further, in the presence of Mg2+, these divalent cations inhibit the catalytic hydrolysis of PPi. EDTA rapidly and irreversibly inactivates the purified enzyme in a biphasic manner. Of the metabolites tested, Pi and L-malate significantly inhibited the catalytic activity of the enzyme. Malate inhibits the enzyme through an allosteric mechanism. A Hill plot of this inhibition shows that at least two molecules of malate bind to each molecule of the purified enzyme. The likely physiological significance of this result is discussed.

Hydrophobic esters of cellulose: properties and applications in biochemical technology

We have investigated the utility for enzyme immobilization of several hydrophobic cellulose esters, as a function of solvent composition, extent of esterification, and enzyme. Phenoxyacetyl cellulose was also used for immobilization of rat liver microsomes, hydrophobic chromatography of proteins, and removal of Triton X-100 from protein solutions. Phenoxyacetyl groups esterified to cellulose were much less subject to enzymatic hydrolysis than soluble phenoxyacetyl esters.

Membrane-bound potassium and magnesium ion-stimulated inorganic pyrophosphatase from roots and cotyledons of sugar beet (Beta vulgaris L)

1. The 25 000-30 000 X g fraction from sugar beet leaf or roots contains, together with (Na+ plus K+)-activated ATPase, also K+-stimulated inorganic pyrophosphatase. 2. This inorganic pyrophosphatase is also stimulated by Rb+ and to a lesser degree by Li+ and Na+. 3. Na+ is at the same time an inhibitor to the K+-stimulation of the inorganic pyrophosphatase. 4. No signs of synergism for (Na+ plus K+) were found. 5. Optimum pH was at about 8.5.

Separation and characterization of two inorganic pyrophosphatases from spinach leaves

Two inorganic pyrophosphatases (pyrophosphate phosphohydrolase, E.C.3.6.1.1) have been identified in spinach (Spinacia oleracea L.) leaves. The two isoenzymes were readily separated by polyacrylamide gel electrophoresis and by isoelectric focusing between pH 4 and 6. One isoenzyme is located in the chloroplasts whereas the other form was isolated from the soluble "cytoplasmic" fraction. In addition, a third form appeared when the isolation procedure started from a crude extract from whole leaves. It is suggested that this form represents an aggregation between the two natural species.The three forms differ in their kinetic properties, such as substrate affinity and pH optima. The apparent K m values were determined to be 10(-5)M for the chloroplastic isoenzyme, 7×10(-5) M for the "cytoplasmic" isoenzyme and 3×10(-5) M for the third form. At limiting Mg(2+) concentrations, the corresponding pH optima were found to be 8.55, 8.95 and 8.75, respectively.