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Biomedical subjects

C E French

Publications and source records attributed to C E French.

At least 19 recordsLinked to original sources
PubMed2001

Phytodetoxification of TNT by transgenic plants expressing a bacterial nitroreductase.

There is major international concern over the wide-scale contamination of soil and associated ground water by persistent explosives residues. 2,4,6-Trinitrotoluene (TNT) is one of the most recalcitrant and toxic of all the military explosives. The lack of affordable and effective cleanup technologies for explosives contamination requires the development of better processes. Significant effort has recently been directed toward the use of plants to extract and detoxify TNT. To explore the possibility of overcoming the high phytotoxic effects of TNT, we expressed bacterial nitroreductase in tobacco plants. Nitroreductase catalyzes the reduction of TNT to hydroxyaminodinitrotoluene (HADNT), which is subsequently reduced to aminodinitrotoluene derivatives (ADNTs). Transgenic plants expressing nitroreductase show a striking increase in ability to tolerate, take up, and detoxify TNT. Our work suggests that expression of nitroreductase (NR) in plants suitable for phytoremediation could facilitate the effective cleanup of sites contaminated with high levels of explosives.

Bacteria↗
PubMed2000

Cloning of the sth gene from Azotobacter vinelandii and construction of chimeric soluble pyridine nucleotide transhydrogenases.

The gene encoding the soluble pyridine nucleotide transhydrogenase (STH) of Azotobacter vinelandii was cloned and sequenced. This is the third sth gene identified and further defines a new subfamily within the flavoprotein disulfide oxidoreductases. The three STHs identified all lack one of the redox active cysteines that are characteristic for this large family of enzymes, and instead they contain a conserved threonine residue at this position. The recombinant A. vinelandii enzyme was purified to homogeneity and shown to form filamentous structures different from those of Pseudomonas fluorescens and Escherichia coli STH. Chimeric STHs were constructed which showed that the C-terminal region is important for polymer formation. The A. vinelandii STH containing the C-terminal region of P. fluorescens or E. coli STH showed structures resembling those of the STH contributing the C-terminal portion of the protein.

Amino Acid Sequence↗
PubMed2000

Mechanistic studies of morphine dehydrogenase and stabilization against covalent inactivation.

Morphine dehydrogenase (MDH) of Pseudomonas putida M10 catalyses the NADP(+)-dependent oxidation of morphine and codeine to morphinone and codeinone. This enzyme forms the basis of a sensitive detection and assay method for heroin metabolites and a biotransformation process for production of hydromorphone and hydrocodone. To improve these processes we have undertaken a thorough examination of the kinetic mechanism of MDH. Sequence comparisons indicated that MDH belongs within the aldose reductase enzyme family. MDH was shown to be specific for the pro-R hydrogen of NADPH. In steady-state kinetic studies, product inhibition patterns suggested that MDH follows a Theorell-Chance mechanism for codeinone reduction at pH 7, and a non-Theorell-Chance sequential ordered mechanism for codeine oxidation at pH 9.5. Residues corresponding to the catalytically important Tyr-48, Lys-77 and Asp-43 of aldose reductase were modified by site-directed mutagenesis, resulting in substantial loss of activity consistent with a catalytic role for these residues. Loss of activity of MDH in the presence of the reaction product morphinone was found to be due to the formation of a covalent adduct with Cys-80; alteration of Cys-80 to serine resulted in an enzyme with greatly enhanced stability.

Alcohol Oxidoreductases↗
PubMed2000

Cofactor regeneration by a soluble pyridine nucleotide transhydrogenase for biological production of hydromorphone.

We have applied the soluble pyridine nucleotide transhydrogenase of Pseudomonas fluorescens to a cell-free system for the regeneration of the nicotinamide cofactors NAD and NADP in the biological production of the important semisynthetic opiate drug hydromorphone. The original recombinant whole-cell system suffered from cofactor depletion resulting from the action of an NADP(+)-dependent morphine dehydrogenase and an NADH-dependent morphinone reductase. By applying a soluble pyridine nucleotide transhydrogenase, which can transfer reducing equivalents between NAD and NADP, we demonstrate with a cell-free system that efficient cofactor cycling in the presence of catalytic amounts of cofactors occurs, resulting in high yields of hydromorphone. The ratio of morphine dehydrogenase, morphinone reductase, and soluble pyridine nucleotide transhydrogenase is critical for diminishing the production of the unwanted by-product dihydromorphine and for optimum hydromorphone yields. Application of the soluble pyridine nucleotide transhydrogenase to the whole-cell system resulted in an improved biocatalyst with an extended lifetime. These results demonstrate the usefulness of the soluble pyridine nucleotide transhydrogenase and its wider application as a tool in metabolic engineering and biocatalysis.

Alcohol Oxidoreductases↗
PubMed1999

Biodegradation of explosives by transgenic plants expressing pentaerythritol tetranitrate reductase.

Plants offer many advantages over bacteria as agents for bioremediation; however, they typically lack the degradative capabilities of specially selected bacterial strains. Transgenic plants expressing microbial degradative enzymes could combine the advantages of both systems. To investigate this possibility in the context of bioremediation of explosive residues, we generated transgenic tobacco plants expressing pentaerythritol tetranitrate reductase, an enzyme derived from an explosive-degrading bacterium that enables degradation of nitrate ester and nitroaromatic explosives. Seeds from transgenic plants were able to germinate and grow in the presence of 1 mM glycerol trinitrate (GTN) or 0.05 mM trinitrotoluene, at concentrations that inhibited germination and growth of wild-type seeds. Transgenic seedlings grown in liquid medium with 1 mM GTN showed more rapid and complete denitration of GTN than wild-type seedlings. This example suggests that transgenic plants expressing microbial degradative genes may provide a generally applicable strategy for bioremediation of organic pollutants in soil.

Biodegradation, Environmental↗
PubMed1999

The udhA gene of Escherichia coli encodes a soluble pyridine nucleotide transhydrogenase.

The udhA gene of Escherichia coli was cloned and expressed in E. coli and found to encode an enzyme with soluble pyridine nucleotide transhydrogenase activity. The N-terminal end of the enzyme contains the fingerprint motif of a dinucleotide binding domain, not present in published E. coli genome sequences due to a sequencing error. E. coli is hereby the first organism reported to possess both a soluble and a membrane-bound pyridine nucleotide transhydrogenase.

Amino Acid Sequence↗
PubMed1998

Crystallization and preliminary diffraction studies of pentaerythritol tetranitrate reductase from Enterobacter cloacae PB2.

Pentaerythritol tetranitrate (PETN) reductase of Enterobacter cloacae PB2, a flavoprotein involved in the biodegradation of the explosive PETN, ethylene glycol dinitrate (EGDN) and glycerol trinitrate (GTN), was purified from an overexpressing strain of E. coli and crystallized at 293 K using the sitting-drop vapour-diffusion method. Diffraction data can be seen at 1.8 A. The primitive orthorhombic cell has a monomer in the asymmetric unit. Preliminary molecular-replacement calculations have been performed using a search model based on Old Yellow enzyme.

Bacterial Proteins↗
PubMed1998

Aerobic degradation of 2,4,6-trinitrotoluene by Enterobacter cloacae PB2 and by pentaerythritol tetranitrate reductase.

Enterobacter cloacae PB2 was originally isolated on the basis of its ability to utilize nitrate esters, such as pentaerythritol tetranitrate (PETN) and glycerol trinitrate, as the sole nitrogen source for growth. The enzyme responsible is an NADPH-dependent reductase designated PETN reductase. E. cloacae PB2 was found to be capable of slow aerobic growth with 2,4,6-trinitrotoluene (TNT) as the sole nitrogen source. Dinitrotoluenes were not produced and could not be used as nitrogen sources. Purified PETN reductase was found to reduce TNT to its hydride-Meisenheimer complex, which was further reduced to the dihydride-Meisenheimer complex. Purified PETN reductase and recombinant Escherichia coli expressing PETN reductase were able to liberate nitrogen as nitrite from TNT. The ability to remove nitrogen from TNT suggests that PB2 or recombinant organisms expressing PETN reductase may be useful for bioremediation of TNT-contaminated soil and water.

Aerobiosis↗
PubMed1997

Crystallization and preliminary diffraction studies of morphinone reductase, a flavoprotein involved in the degradation of morphine alkaloids.

Morphinone reductase from Pseudomonas putida M10, a flavoprotein involved in the degradation of morphine alkaloids, was purified from an overexpressing strain of Escherichia coli and crystallized using the hanging-drop vapour-diffusion method. Diffraction data were collected to 2.5 A. The I-centred orthorhombic cell has a monomer in the asymmetric unit. Preliminary molecular replacement calculations have been performed using Old Yellow Enzyme as the search model.

Journal Article↗
PubMed1996

Degradation of pentaerythritol tetranitrate by Enterobacter cloacae PB2.

A mixed microbial culture capable of metabolizing the explosive pentaerythritol tetranitrate (PETN) was obtained from soil enrichments under aerobic and nitrogen-limiting conditions. A strain of Enterobacter cloacae, designated PB2, was isolated from this culture and was found to use PETN as a sole source of nitrogen for growth. Growth yields suggested that 2 to 3 mol of nitrogen was utilized per mol of PETN. The metabolites pentaerythritol dinitrate, 3-hydroxy-2,2-bis-[(nitrooxy)methyl]propanal, and 2,2-bis-[(nitrooxy)methyl]-propanedial were identified by mass spectrometry and 1H-nuclear magnetic resonance. An NADPH-dependent PETN reductase was isolated from cell extracts and shown to liberate nitrite from PETN, producing pentaerythritol tri- and dinitrates which were identified by mass spectrometry. PETN reductase was purified to apparent homogeneity by ion-exchange and affinity chromatography. The purified enzyme was found to be a monomeric flavoprotein with a M(r) of approximately 40,000, binding flavin mononucleotide noncovalently.

Aerobiosis↗
PubMed1995

Bacterial morphinone reductase is related to Old Yellow Enzyme.

Morphinone reductase, produced by Pseudomonas putida M10, catalyses the NADH-dependent saturation of the carbon-carbon double bond of morphinone and codeinone, and is believed to be involved in the metabolism of morphine and codeine. The structural gene encoding morphinone reductase, designated morB, was cloned from Ps. putida M10 genomic DNA by the use of degenerate oligonucleotide probes based on elements of the amino acid sequence of the purified enzyme. Sequence analysis and structural characteristics indicated that morphinone reductase is related to the flavoprotein alpha/beta-barrel oxidoreductases, and is particularly similar to Old Yellow Enzyme of Saccharomyces spp. and the related oestrogen-binding protein of Candida albicans. Expressed sequence tags from several plant species show high homology to these enzymes, suggesting the presence of a family of enzymes conserved in plants and fungi. Although related bacterial proteins are known, morphinone reductase appears to be more similar to the eukaryotic proteins. Morphinone reductase was overexpressed in Escherichia coli, and has potential applications for the industrial preparation of semisynthetic opiates.

Amino Acid Sequence↗