PubMed Health⌕ Search

Biomedical subjects

B A Soute

Publications and source records attributed to B A Soute.

At least 37 records · Page 2Linked to original sources

Comparison of the vitamins K1, K2 and K3 as cofactors for the hepatic vitamin K-dependent carboxylase.

The vitamins phylloquinone (K1), menadione (K3) and various menaquinones (K2) were compared for their ability to serve as a cofactor for the hepatic vitamin K-dependent carboxylase. It was found that the cofactor activity of the menaquinones varied with the length of the aliphatic side-chain and showed an optimum at MK-3. Menadione was not active at all. The concentration required for half-maximal reaction velocity (K 1/2) was determined for the various menaquinones and decreased at increasing chain length. The K 1/2 value for MK-4 was 3-times lower than that for vitamin K1. Under our in vitro conditions both vitamin K1 and the K2 vitamins were rapidly metabolized into a mixture of the quinone, the hydroquinone and the epoxide form. The fact that at equilibrium the level of these three metabolites was independent of the starting material shows that the vitamin K cycle is operational for vitamin K1 as well as for K2.

Amino Acid Sequence↗

Vitamin K-dependent carboxylase: effect of ammonium sulfate on substrate carboxylation and on inhibition by stereospecific substrate analogs.

(1) High concentrations of ammonium sulfate may stimulate the carboxylase activity of bovine liver microsomes about 10-fold. This effect results from an increase of the Vmax, whereas neither the apparent Km for a number of substrates nor the Ki for substrate analogs is affected. (2) The effect of ammonium sulfate was only found in substrates lacking the pro-sequence. No effect was measurable on the carboxylation of pro-PT28 and endogenous precursor proteins. (3) If the pro-fragment was added as a peptide not covalently bound to a carboxylatable substrate, the carboxylation thereof was only slightly affected and ammonium sulfate remained active as a stimulator of carboxylase activity. (4) S-MeTPT is a much stronger inhibitor of carboxylase activity than is R-MeTPT. (5) The inhibition of carboxylase by the methylated tripeptides is competitive and independent of the type of substrate. Also pro-PT28, which contains the full pro-sequence, could be inhibited completely. (6) On the other hand the carboxylation of endogenous protein precursors could only be partly inhibited by the substrate analogs: even at high concentrations of S-MeTPT a residual endogenous substrate carboxylation of about 30% was left.

Ammonium Sulfate↗

Vitamin K-dependent carboxylase: minimized escape of CO2 from solution may prolong linearity of the reaction rate.

Escape of 14CO2 from the reaction mixture into the gas phase may seriously affect the accuracy of in vitro measurement of vitamin K-dependent carboxylase activity (and probably that of other carboxylases as well). In this paper we describe the effect of (a) the volume of the test tubes in which the reaction is performed, (b) the addition of an excess of NaH12CO3 in parallel with standard amounts of NaH14CO3, and (c) the incubation temperature. In this way optimal conditions are defined and used for the carboxylation of various peptide and protein substrates. It is shown that both a prosequence and an internal recognition site contribute to the effective recognition of a substrate by carboxylase. The maximal efficiency of carboxylation was 1-2% with substrates lacking both signals and 20-50% if only one was present. This indicates the need for developing peptide substrates containing both recognition signals for vitamin K-dependent carboxylase.

Animals↗

In vitro carboxylation of a blood coagulation factor IX precursor produced by recombinant-DNA technology.

Blood coagulation factor IX (Christmas factor) is a plasma protein which is required for normal haemostasis. A functional deficiency of factor IX results in haemophilia B, a bleeding disorder which is generally treated by infusions of factor IX concentrates prepared from pooled human plasma. The use of human blood products is connected with the risk of transmitting viral agents responsible for diseases such as hepatitis B and AIDS. Recombinant DNA techniques may provide the means to produce the required proteins without exposing the patients to these risks and at lower costs. One of the problems which has to be overcome before recombinant factor IX can be used for therapeutical purposes is related to the vitamin K-dependent carboxylation of its 12 NH2-terminal glutamate residues. In cell cultures this carboxylation, which is required to render the protein its procoagulant activity, is far from complete, especially at high expression levels. In this paper we describe the in vitro carboxylation of non and/or partly carboxylated recombinant factor IX produced by transformed Chinese hamster ovary cells. The identity of the newly formed Gla residues was verified and it could be demonstrated that all carboxyl groups had been incorporated into the recombinant factor IX.

Animals↗

The quantification of gammacarboxyglutamic acid residues in plasma-osteocalcin.

In this paper we describe an assay procedure for determining the amount of gammacarboxyglutamic acid (Gla) residues in serum- or plasma-osteocalcin. The test includes removing by ethanol precipitation the majority of the proteins from the plasma (e.g., the Gla-containing coagulation factors) and the specific extraction of osteocalcin with the aid of immobilized immunopurified antibodies. It is demonstrated that the Gla-content of circulating osteocalcin from normal cows is similar to that of osteocalcin obtained from bone. Hence, the fact that part of the newly synthesized osteocalcin does not bind to the hydroxyapatite matrix in bone cannot be explained by an undercarboxylation of the molecule.

1-Carboxyglutamic Acid↗

Vitamin K-dependent carboxylase. Possible role for thioredoxin in the reduction of vitamin K metabolites in liver.

In the liver vitamin K epoxide, which is produced during the posttranslational carboxylation of protein-bound glutamic acid residues, is recycled by the action of one or more dithiol-dependent reductases. In vitro synthetic dithiols may serve as a cofactor for these enzymes, but the physiological reductant has not yet been found. In this paper we report that in vitro the commercially available thioredoxin/thioredoxin reductase from E. coli can replace the synthetic dithiols during the various reactions of the vitamin K cycle. Based on the assumption that in vivo thioredoxin also plays a role in the regeneration of vitamin K hydroquinone from the epoxide, an extension of the generally accepted vitamin K cycle is proposed.

Animals↗

Isolation and partial characterization of a vitamin K-dependent carboxylase from bovine aortae.

Vitamin K-dependent carboxylase activity has been demonstrated in the crude microsomal fraction of the intima of bovine aortae. The procedure for the isolation of vessel wall carboxylase is a slight modification of the general preparation procedure for tissue microsomes. The highest activity of the non-hepatic enzyme was observed at 25 degrees C and hardly any NADH-dependent vitamin K reductase could be demonstrated. The optimal reaction conditions for both vessel wall as well as liver carboxylase were similar: 0.1 M-NaCl/0.05 M-Tris/HCl, pH 7.4, containing 8 mM-dithiothreitol, 0.4% 3-[(3-cholamidopropyl)dimethylammonio]-1-propanesulphonic acid (CHAPS), 0.4 mM-vitamin K hydroquinone and 2 M-(NH4)2SO4. Warfarin inhibits the hepatic and non-hepatic carboxylase/reductase enzyme complex more or less to a similar degree. We have measured the apparent Km values for the following substrates: Phe-Leu-Glu-Glu-Leu ('FLEEL'), decarboxylated osteocalcin, decarboxylated fragment 13-29 from descarboxyprothrombin and decarboxylated sperm 4-carboxyglutamic acid-containing (Gla-)protein. The results obtained demonstrated that liver and vessel wall carboxylase may be regarded as isoenzymes with different substrate specificities. The newly discovered enzyme is the first vitamin K-dependent carboxylase which shows an absolute substrate specificity: FLEEL and decarboxylated osteocalcin were good substrates for vessel wall carboxylase, but decarboxylated fragment 13-29 and decarboxylated sperm Gla-protein were not carboxylated at all.

Animals↗

Substrate recognition by vitamin K-dependent carboxylase.

Decarboxylated osteocalcins were prepared and purified from bovine, chicken, human and monkey bones and assayed for their ability to serve as a substrate for vitamin K-dependent carboxylase from bovine liver. Substantial differences were observed, especially between bovine and monkey d-osteocalcin. Since these substrates differ only in their amino acid residues 3 and 4, it seems that these residues play a role in the recognition of a substrate by hepatic carboxylase.

Amino Acid Sequence↗

Vitamin K-dependent carboxylase: increased efficiency of the carboxylation reaction.

The in vitro vitamin K-dependent carboxylation of peptide- or protein-bound glutamate residues is generally studied in detergent-solubilized microsomes from rat or cow liver. Under the conditions usually employed, the efficiency of the carboxylation reaction is low (less than 1% of the carboxylatable residues is converted into gammacarboxyglutamate). Here we describe that this efficiency may be raised to 30% by carrying out the following adaptations: 1) carboxylase was purified about 100-fold from the solubilized microsomes, so that the enzyme was obtained in a highly concentrated form and could be added in excess: 2) the HCO-3 concentration in the reaction mixtures was raised to 50 mM and 3) a substrate was selected (decarboxylated osteocalcin from bovine bone) the Km of which had been shown to be low (10 microM) and it was added in rate-limiting amounts. Besides the fact that under these conditions the carboxylation reaction occurred with a higher efficiency than before, the adaptations also enabled us to express the carboxylation activity in terms of moles CO2 incorporated per mole of substrate.

Animals↗

The effect of Gla-containing proteins on the precipitation of insoluble salts.

The precipitation of insoluble salts containing divalent metal ions is inhibited by Gla-containing proteins of various origin. In this paper we demonstrate that: Gla-residues are required for the inhibitory activity; the inhibition is effected by a protein which in vivo is bound to calcified tissue (osteocalcin) as well as by proteins occurring in blood plasma (factor X) and urine (the urinary Gla-protein); The inhibitor concentration required for 50% precipitation-inhibition varied slightly from one salt to the other, but no marked differences were observed between the effects of the various Gla-containing proteins used; Precipitation-inhibition occurred in all phosphates (Be, Ca, Mn and Zn) and in all calcium salts (phosphate, oxalate and carbonate) tested.

1-Carboxyglutamic Acid↗

The vitamin K-antagonism of salicylate and warfarin.

When administered in high dosages, salicylate acts as a vitamin K-antagonist: it induces a decrease of the plasma concentration of the Gla-containing coagulation factors and an accumulation of microsomal substrates for vitamin K-dependent carboxylase in the liver and in the lung. In vitro the drugs inhibit the DTT-dependent reductases which mediate the reduction of vitamin K epoxide and vitamin K quinone. NADH-dependent reductase and vitamin K-dependent carboxylase are not inhibited.

Animals↗

Vitamin K and the urogenital tract.

Solubilized microsomes from bovine liver, kidney and testis were compared with regard to their content of vitamin-K-dependent carboxylase, the presence of endogenous vitamin K as well as that of endogenous carboxylatable precursor proteins. The isolation and purification of these protein substrates was not successful. Using antibodies against various well characterized proteins containing gammacarboxyglutamic acid (Gla), we were able to identify precursors of the blood coagulation factors II, IX and X in liver microsomes. The nonhepatic proteins could not be identified in this way. Gla-containing proteins, however, were isolated from human sperm, urine and renal stones. It was demonstrated that - like osteocalcin - also the urinary Gla protein inhibits the precipitation of various calcium salts from supersaturated solutions. The concentration of the urinary Gla protein (16 mg/l) in human urine is well above the concentration required for the in vitro inhibition of salt precipitation.

Animals↗

Discovery of a gamma-carboxyglutamic acid-containing protein in human spermatozoa.

Here we describe the identification of a gamma-carboxyglutamic acid-containing protein in human spermatozoa. After thermal decarboxylation the protein is a good substrate for vitamin K-dependent carboxylase from various origins. A quick purification procedure for the decarboxylated protein is presented and in a preliminary characterization we have established its Mr (28 000-30 000) and its amino acid composition.

1-Carboxyglutamic Acid↗

Vitamin K-dependent carboxylase: the carboxylation of exogenous substrates in different systems.

Two types of solid-phase carboxylase, SPC-II and SPC-X, have been prepared from the livers of warfarin-treated cows. Their enzymatic activities were compared with substrate-free carboxylase in microsomes from normal cows and substrate-bound carboxylase in microsomes from warfarin-treated cows. A number of exogenous substrates for carboxylase have been purified and tested. We found that large substrates, such as descarboxyprothrombin, are carboxylated only by substrate-free carboxylase and not by the substrate-bound enzyme. No differences in apparent Km values between solid-phase carboxylases II and X were observed.

Animals↗

Isoenzymes of vitamin-K-dependent carboxylase.

Vitamin-K-dependent carboxylase was prepared from bovine liver, kidney, lung and testis and it was checked that these systems obeyed the laws of normal enzyme kinetics. Four carboxylatable substrates were obtained from different sources and the apparent Michaelis constants of the various carboxylases for these four substrates were measured. From the results thus obtained we concluded that carboxylase is a group name for a number of isoenzymes which are present in hepatic as well as in various non-hepatic tissues.

Animals↗

Decarboxylated bone Gla-protein as a substrate for hepatic vitamin K-dependent carboxylase.

Bovine bone Gla-protein (B.G.P.) was prepared and decarboxylated into descarboxy-B.G.P. (d-B.G.P.). The latter was purified and identified as decarboxylated osteocalcin. Both crude and purified d-B.G.P. are good substrates for vitamin K-dependent carboxylase. Because the Km of this enzyme for d-B.G.P. is low, the latter is a better substrate than the frequently used pentapeptide FLEEL or exogenous protein substrates such as descarboxyprothrombin.

Ammonium Sulfate↗

The separation of bovine prothrombin and descarboxyprothrombin by high-performance liquid chromatography.

Prothrombin contains 10 gamma-carboxyglutamic acid (Gla) residues which are absent in the warfarin-induced descarboxyprothrombin; hence prothrombin has 10 more negative groups than has descarboxyprothrombin. The two proteins can be separated by HPLC with the aid of an anion-exchange column. Plasma from warfarin-treated animals could be analyzed without pretreatment of the samples and a full analysis was obtained in 30 min.

Animals↗