Purification and characterization of a cyclic nucleotide-regulated 5'-nucleotidase from potatoe

Unoccupied aerial systems discovered overlooked loci capturing the variation of entire growing period in maize

Traditional phenotyping methods, coupled with genetic mapping in segregating populations, have identified loci governing complex traits in many crops. Unoccupied aerial systems (UAS)-based phenotyping has helped to reveal a more novel and dynamic relationship between time-specific associated loci with complex traits previously unable to be evaluated. Over 1,500 maize (Zea mays L.) hybrid row plots containing 280 different replicated maize hybrids from the Genomes to Fields (G2F) project were evaluated agronomically and using UAS in 2017. Weekly UAS flights captured variation in plant heights during the growing season under three different management conditions each year: optimal planting with irrigation (G2FI), optimal dryland planting without irrigation (G2FD), and a stressed late planting (G2LA). Plant height of different flights were ranked based on importance for yield using a random forest (RF) algorithm. Plant heights captured by early flights in G2FI trials had higher importance (based on Gini scores) for predicting maize grain yield (GY) but also higher accuracies in genomic predictions which fluctuated for G2FD (-0.06∼0.73), G2FI (0.33∼0.76), and G2LA (0.26∼0.78) trials. A genome-wide association analysis discovered 52 significant single nucleotide polymorphisms (SNPs), seven were found consistently in more than one flights or trial; 45 were flight or trial specific. Total cumulative marker effects for each chromosome's contributions to plant height also changed depending on flight. Using UAS phenotyping, this study showed that many candidate genes putatively play a role in the regulation of plant architecture even in relatively early stages of maize growth and development.

Catabolism of pyrimidine nucleotides in the deep-sea tube worm Riftia pachyptila

The present study describes the distribution and properties of enzymes of the catabolic pathway of pyrimidine nucleotides in Riftia pachyptila, a tubeworm living around deep-sea hydrothermal vents and known to be involved in a highly specialized symbiotic association with a bacterium. The catabolic enzymes, 5'-nucleotidase, uridine phosphorylase, and uracil reductase, are present in all tissues of the worm, whereas none of these enzymatic activities were found in the symbiotic bacteria. The 5'-nucleotidase activity was particularly high in the trophosome, the symbiont-harboring tissue. These results suggest that the production of nucleosides in the trophosome may represent an alternative source of carbon and nitrogen for R. pachyptila, because these nucleosides can be delivered to other parts of the worm. This process would complement the source of carbon and nitrogen from organic metabolites provided by the bacterial assimilatory pathways. The localization of the enzymes participating in catabolism, 5'-nucleotidase and uridine phosphorylase, and of the enzymes involved in the biosynthesis of pyrimidine nucleotides, aspartate transcarbamylase and dihydroorotase, shows a non-homogeneous distribution of these enzymes in the trophosome. The catabolic enzymes 5'-nucleotidase and uridine phosphorylase activities increase from the center of the trophosome to its periphery. In contrast, the anabolic enzymes aspartate transcarbamylase and dihydroorotase activities decrease from the center toward the periphery of the trophosome. We propose a general scheme of anatomical and physiological organization of the metabolic pathways of the pyrimidine nucleotides in R. pachyptila and its bacterial endosymbiont.

Cyclic AMP affinity purification and ESI-QTOF MS-MS identification of cytosolic glyceraldehyde 3-phosphate dehydrogenase and two nucleoside diphosphate kinase isoforms from tobacco BY-2 cells

The soluble protein fraction of tobacco bright yellow 2 cells contained adenosine 3',5'-cyclic monophosphate (cAMP)-binding activity, detected with both a conventional binding assay and a surface plasmon resonance biosensor. A cAMP-agarose-based affinity purification procedure yielded three proteins which were identified by mass spectrometry as glyceraldehyde 3-phosphate dehydrogenase (GAPDH) and two nucleoside diphosphate kinases (NDPKs). This is the first report describing an interaction between cAMP and these proteins in higher plants. Our findings are discussed in view of the reported role of the interaction of cAMP with GAPDH and NDPK in animals and yeast. In addition, we provide a rapid method to isolate both proteins from higher plants.

Selective inhibition of cyclic AMP-dependent protein kinase by isoquinoline derivatives

A large series of isoquinoline derivatives was synthesised including derivatives of isoquinoline, isoquinolino[3,4-c]furazan, 1,2-dihydro-1-oxoisoquinoline, 6-oxopyrimido[1,2-d]isoquinoline, benzo[c][1,8]-naphthyridine, pyrazino[2,3-c]isoquinoline and benzimidazo[2,1-a]isoquinoline as well as further structurally related isoquinoline derivatives and pyrido-2,3-furazans. Representatives of all of these classes of isoquinolines are potent and selective inhibitors of the cyclic AMP-dependent protein kinase (PKA) catalytic subunit (cAK) from rat liver. The most effective cAK inhibitors are a series of 1,3-di-substituted and 1,3,4-tri-substituted isoquinolines (IC50 values 30-50 nM) (compounds A1, A2, A3, A4 and A5) and 2-ethylcarboxy-3-amino-5,6-dihydro-6-oxobenzo[c] [1,8]naphthyridine (E1) (IC50 0.08 microM). Compounds A1-A5 inhibit cAK in a fashion that is competitive with respect to ATP as substrate. The isoquinoline inhibitors A1-A5 are ineffective or very poor inhibitors of wheat embryo Ca(2+)-dependent protein kinase (CDPK) and rat brain Ca(2+)-dependent protein kinase C (PKC), chicken gizzard myosin light chain kinase (MLCK) and potato tuber cyclic nucleotide-binding phosphatase (Pase). E1 is a moderately effective inhibitor of CDPK and PKC (IC50 values 30 and 61 microM, respectively). The bisisoquinoline-1(2H)-one compound B7 inhibits cAK, CDPK, PKC and MLCK (IC50 values 8, 95, 24 and 7 microM, respectively) as does J1 [2-(p-bromophenyl)pyrrolo-[2,3-c]isoquinoline-5(4H)-one] (IC50 values 2, 50, 44 and 7 microM, respectively). The very potent isoquinoline-derived cAK inhibitors found here involve substitution of the N-containing isoquinoline ring system and these inhibitors show high specificity for cAK.

5'-Nucleotidase: molecular structure and functional aspects

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Inhibition of oxidative phosphorylation by organotin thiocarbamates

A series of triphenyl-, tricyclohexyl- and tribenzyltin compounds have been synthesized and examined as inhibitors of mitochondrial oxidative phosphorylation. All compounds tested inhibit oxidative phosphorylation linked to succinate oxidation by potato tuber mitochondria. All of the organotin compounds inhibit ADP-stimulated O2 uptake linked to succinate oxidation with concentrations for 50% inhibition in the range 2-50 microM. This inhibition is not due to inhibition of electron transport from succinate to O2 per se: none of the organotin compounds at 50 microM substantially inhibit the rate of succinate oxidation in the presence of 2,4-dinitrophenol. Representative organotin compounds at 0.5-50 microM do not act as uncouplers of succinate oxidation. It is concluded that the organotin compounds act as energy transfer inhibitors to inhibit oxidative phosphorylation in potato tuber mitochondria. A similar mode of action of representative organotin compounds was found with rat liver mitochondria. These organotin compounds inhibit a hydrophobic Ca2+-dependent plant protein kinase in the absence but not in the presence of thiols.

Properties of a high-affinity cytokinin-binding protein from wheat germ

A soluble protein that interacts with a range of cytokinins was extensively purified from wheat (Triticum aestivum L.) germ. This protein has a K d for kinetin of 2×10(-7) M. The binding of kinetin to the protein is inhibited by low concentrations of synthetic and naturally-occurring cytokinins including N(6)-benzyladenine, N(6)-benzyladenosine, kinetin riboside, N(6)-dimethylallyladenine, N(6)-dimethylallyladenosine, zeatin, zeatin riboside, N(6)-dimethyladenine and N(6)-dimethyladenosine. Adenine, adenosine and several non-N(6)-substituted adenine derivatives were ineffective as inhibitors of kinetin binding. While N(6)-butyryl-3',5'-cyclic AMP, N(6),2-O'-dibutyryl-3',5'-cyclic AMP and 2',3'-cyclic AMP inhibited binding of kinetin to the protein, 3',5'-cyclic AMP was ineffective. The kinetin-binding protein is heat-labile and pronase-sensitive. Kinetin-binding activity exactly co-chromatographs with a single peak of carbohydrate and protein on gel-filtration and is displaced from concanavalin A-Sepharose 4B by α-methylglucoside. On gel filtration, the kinetin-binding protein behaves as a soluble protein with an apparent molecular weight of 180,000 daltons.

Enzymology and genetic regulation of a cyclic nucleotide-binding phosphodiesterase-phosphomonoesterase from Aspergillus nidulans

A cyclic nucleotide-binding phosphohydrolase that possesses both a phosphomonoesterase and a phosphodiesterase catalytic function has been partially purified from Aspergillus nidulans. The enzyme hydrolyzes both p-nitrophenylphosphate and bis-(p-nitrophenyl)-phosphate. o'-Nucleoside monophosphates are the best physiological phosphomonesterase substrates but 5'- and 2'-nucleoside monophosphates are also hydrolyzed. The enzyme catalyzes the hydrolysis of adenosine 5'-triphosphate, adenosine 5'-diphosphate, and 2',3'- and 3'5'-cyclic nucleotides, but not of ribonucleic acid, deoxyribonucleic acid, or nicotinamide adenine dinucleotide. The enzyme has acid pH optima and is not activated by divalent cations. Nucleosides and nucleotides inhibit the enzyme. Cyclic nucleotides are competitive inhibitors of the phosphodiesterase-phosphomonoesterase. The enzyme can occur extracellularly. The phosphodiesterase-phosphomonoesterase is present at high levels in nitrogen-starved mycelium, and it is strongly repressed during growth in media containing ammonium or glutamine and weakly repressed during growth in glutamate-containing medium. Experiments with various area mutants show that this regulatory gene is involved in the control of the enzyme. No evidence for regulation of the enzyme by carbon or phosphorus starvation has been found.