PubMed Health⌕ Search

Biomedical subjects

L A Kleczkowski

Publications and source records attributed to L A Kleczkowski.

33 records · Page 2Linked to original sources

Oxalate as a potent and selective inhibitor of spinach (Spinacia oleracea) leaf NADPH-dependent hydroxypyruvate reductase.

Purified spinach (Spinacia oleracea) NADPH-preferring hydroxypyruvate reductase (HPR-2) was potently and selectively inhibited by oxalate, an end product of metabolism in plants. Both hydroxypyruvate- and glyoxylate-dependent rates of the HPR-2 enzyme were affected. Oxalate acted as an uncompetitive inhibitor of the enzyme, with Ki values of 7 and 36 microM for the NADPH/hydroxypyruvate and NADPH/glyoxylate pairs of reactants respectively. Oxalate, at millimolar levels, caused less than 10% inhibition of purified spinach NADH-preferring HPR (HPR-1) and had no effect on purified spinach NADPH-preferring glyoxylate-specific reductase (GR-1). The inhibition of spinach HPR-2 by oxalate is by far the strongest for any known inhibitor of leaf HPR and GR activities. In photosynthetic tissues, oxalate could potentially act as a primary regulator of extraperoxisomal metabolism of hydroxypyruvate and glyoxylate.

Alcohol Oxidoreductases↗

Enzymology of the reduction of hydroxypyruvate and glyoxylate in a mutant of barley lacking peroxisomal hydroxypyruvate reductase.

The use of LaPr 88/29 mutant of barley (Hordeum vulgare), which lacks NADH-preferring hydroxypyruvate reductase (HPR-1), allowed for an unequivocal demonstration of at least two related NADPH-preferring reductases in this species: HPR-2, reactive with both hydroxypyruvate and glyoxylate, and the glyoxylate specific reductase (GR-1). Antibodies against spinach HPR-1 recognized barley HPR-1 and partially reacted with barley HPR-2, but not GR-1, as demonstrated by Western immunoblotting and immunoprecipitation of proteins from crude leaf extracts. The mutant was deficient in HPR-1 protein. In partially purified preparations, the activities of HPR-1, HPR-2, and GR-1 could be differentiated by substrate kinetics and/or inhibition studies. Apparent K(m) values of HPR-2 for hydroxypyruvate and glyoxylate were 0.7 and 1.1 millimolar, respectively, while the K(m) of GR-1 for glyoxylate was 0.07 millimolar. The K(m) values of HPR-1, measured in wild type, for hydroxypyruvate and glyoxylate were 0.12 and 20 millimolar, respectively. Tartronate and P-hydroxypyruvate acted as selective uncompetitive inhibitors of HPR-2 (K(i) values of 0.3 and 0.4 millimolar, respectively), while acetohydroxamate selectively inhibited GR-1 activity. Nonspecific contributions of HPR-1 reactions in assays of HPR-2 and GR-1 activities were quantified by a direct comparison of rates in preparations from wild-type and LaPr 88/29 plants. The data are evaluated with respect to previous reports on plant HPR and GR activities and with respect to optimal assay procedures for individual HPR-1, HPR-2, and GR-1 rates in leaf preparations.

Journal Article↗

Identification of hydroxypyruvate and glyoxylate reductases in maize leaves.

At least two hydroxypyruvate reductases (HPRs), differing in specificity for NAD(P)H and (presumably) utilizing glyoxylate as a secondary substrate, were identified by fractionation of crude maize leaf extracts with ammonium sulfate. The NADH-preferring enzyme, which most probably represented peroxisomal HPR, was precipitated by 30 to 45% saturated ammonium sulfate, while most of the NADPH-dependent activity was found in a 45 to 60% precipitate. The HPRs had similar low K(m)s for hydroxypyruvate (about 0.1 millimolar), regardless of cofactor, while affinities of glyoxylate reductase (GR) reactions for glyoxylate varied widely (K(m)s of 0.4-12 millimolar) depending on cofactor. At high hydroxypyruvate concentrations, the NADPH-HPR from the 30 to 45% precipitate showed negative cooperativity with respect to this reactant, having a second K(m) of 6 millimolar. In contrast, NADPH-HPR from the 45 to 60% precipitate was inhibited at high hydroxypyruvate concentrations (K(1) of 3 millimolar) and, together with NADPH-GR, had only few, if any, common antigenic determinants with NADH-HPR from the 30 to 45% fraction. Both NADPH-HPR and NADPH-GR activities from the 45 to 60% precipitate were probably carried out by the same enzyme(s), as found by kinetic studies. Following preincubation with NADPH, there was a marked increase (up to sixfold) in activity of NADPH-HPR from either crude or fractionated extracts. Most of this increase could be attributed to an artefact resulting from an interference by endogeneous NADPH-phosphatase, which hydrolyzed NADPH to NADH, the latter being utilized by the NADH-dependent HPR. However, in the presence of 15 millimolar fluoride (phosphatase inhibitor), preincubation with NADPH still resulted in over 60% activation of NADPH-HPR. The NADPH treatment stimulated the V(max) of the reductase but had no effect on its K(m) for hydroxypyruvate. Enzyme distribution studies revealed that both NADH and NADPH-dependent HPR and GR activities were predominantly localized in the bundle sheath compartment. Rates of NADPH-HPR and NADPH-GR in this tissue (over 100 micromoles per hour per milligram of chlorophyll each) are in the upper range of values reported for leaves of C(3) species.

Journal Article↗

Purification and characterization of a novel NADPH(NADH)-dependent hydroxypyruvate reductase from spinach leaves. Comparison of immunological properties of leaf hydroxypyruvate reductases.

A novel hydroxypyruvate reductase preferring NADPH to NADH as a cofactor was purified over 1500-fold from spinach leaf extracts. The enzyme was an oligomer of about 70 kDa, composed of two subunits of 38 kDa each. The Km for hydroxypyruvate (with NADPH) was about 0.8 mM in the pH range 5.5-6.5, and 0.3 mM at pH 8.2. The Vmax. was highest in the pH range 5.5-6.5 and decreased by about 65% at pH 8.2. Above pH 6.0, the enzyme was prone to a strong substrate inhibition by hydroxypyruvate. The reductase could use glyoxylate as an alternative substrate, with rates up to one-quarter of those with hydroxypyruvate. This glyoxylate-dependent activity preferred NADPH to NADH as a cofactor. Rabbit antibodies prepared against NADPH(NADH)-hydroxypyruvate reductase were highly specific for this enzyme and did not cross-react with peroxisomal NADH(NADPH)-dependent hydroxypyruvate reductase, as found by Western immunoblots of proteins from leaf extracts of spinach, pea and wheat. Antibodies raised against purified NADH(NADPH)-hydroxypyruvate reductase were also highly specific, recognizing only their own antigen. To our knowledge, this is the first report in the literature of the occurrence of NADPH(NADH)-hydroxypyruvate reductase in leaves, and the first to provide immunological comparison of leaf hydroxypyruvate reductases. Because of the relatively high rates of the novel reductase in leaf extracts (at least 20 mumol/h per mg of chlorophyll), this enzyme might be an important side-component of the glycollate pathway (photorespiration), possibly utilizing hydroxypyruvate 'leaked' from peroxisomes, and thus contributing to the glycerate pool derived from glycollate. Because of the glyoxylate-dependent activity, the enzyme may also contribute to glycollate formation in leaves.

Alcohol Oxidoreductases↗

Subcellular Location of NADPH-Dependent Hydroxypyruvate Reductase Activity in Leaf Protoplasts of Pisum sativum L. and Its Role in Photorespiratory Metabolism.

Protoplasts purified from pea (Pisum sativum L.) leaves were lysed and fractionated to assess the subcellular distribution of NADPH-dependent hydroxypyruvate reductase (NADPH-HPR) activity. Rate-zonal centrifugation and sucrose-gradient experiments demonstrated that most (about 70%) of the NADPH-HPR activity was located in the supernatant or cytosol fraction. Detectable, but relatively minor activities were associated with the chloroplast fraction (up to 10% on a chlorophyll basis when compared to the lysate) and with peroxisomes. The minor NADPH-HPR activity in the peroxisomes could be fully accounted for by the secondary NADPH-dependent activity of NADH-dependent HPR. The subcellular distribution of NADPH-HPR followed closely that previously determined for NADPH-dependent glyoxylate reductase (NADPH-GR), an enzyme localized predominantly in the cytosol of pea leaf protoplasts (CV Givan et al. 1988 J Plant Physiol 132: 593-599). Low activities of both NADPH-HPR and NADPH-GR were also found in purified chloroplasts prepared by mechanical homogenization of Pisum and Spinacia leaves. In pea and spinach chloroplasts, rates of both NADPH-HPR and NADPH-GR were lower than the activity of the NADH-dependent GR. The results are discussed in relation to a possible role for NADPH-HPR in the oxidative carbon pathway of photorespiration. Both NADPH-HPR and the GRs could function as auxiliary reactions to photorespiration, utilizing hydroxypyruvate and/or glyoxylate ;leaked' or otherwise exported from peroxisomes. NADPH-HPR function might be especially significant under conditions of limiting NADH supply to peroxisomes, with extraperoxisomal reduced pyridine nucleotide acting as the reductant.

Journal Article↗

Inhibition of Spinach Leaf NADPH(NADH)-Glyoxylate Reductase by Acetohydroxamate, Aminooxyacetate, and Glycidate.

Acetohydroxamate (AHA) and aminooxyacetate (AOA) were found to be potent inhibitors of purified NADPH(NADH)-dependent glyoxylate reductase from spinach (Spinacia oleracea) leaves. AHA was a noncompetitive (ro mixed) inhibitor of the NADPH-dependent activity of the reductase with a K(i) of 0.33 millimolar. With NADH serving as a cofactor, AHA preferentially bound to the same form of the enzyme as glyoxylate, exhibiting a K(i) of 0.31 millimolar. Glycine hydroxamate and l-glutamic acid-gamma-hydroxamate were also inhibitory, but to a lesser extent than AHA. Inhibition by AOA (K(i) of 1.8 millimolar) was enhanced by increased concentrations of glyoxylate, indicating that the inhibitor preferentially reacted with the glyoxylate-bound form of the enzyme. Glycidate, an effector of glycolate metabolism in leaves, was found to be a much weaker inhibitor of the enzyme with a K(i) of 21 millimolar. While the inhibition by both AHA and AOA was fully reversible, glycidate acted as a tight-binding inhibitor. These findings are discussed with respect to the use of AHA, AOA, and glycidate as inhibitors of photorespiratory carbon metabolism in leaves. Caution is recommended in the use of these inhibitors with intact tissue experiments due to their lack of specificity.

Journal Article↗

Purification and characterization of a novel NADPH(NADH)-dependent glyoxylate reductase from spinach leaves. Comparison of immunological properties of leaf glyoxylate reductase and hydroxypyruvate reductase.

A novel reductase displaying high specificity for glyoxylate and NADPH was purified 3343-fold from spinach leaves. The enzyme was found to be an oligomer of about 125 kDa, composed of four equal subunits of 33 kDa each. A Km for glyoxylate was about 14-fold lower with NADPH than with NADH (0.085 and 1.10 mM respectively), but the maximal activity, 210 mumol/min per mg of protein, was similar with either cofactor. Km values for NADPH and NADH were 3 and 150 microM respectively. Optimal rates with either NADPH or NADH were found in the pH range 6.5-7.4. The enzyme also showed some reactivity towards hydroxypyruvate with rates less than 2% of those observed for glyoxylate. Results of immunological studies, using antibodies prepared against either glyoxylate reductase or spinach peroxisomal hydroxypyruvate reductase, suggested substantial differences in molecular structure of the two proteins. The high rates of NADPH(NADH)-glyoxylate reductase in crude leaf extracts of spinach, wheat and soya bean (30-45 mumol/h per mg of chlorophyll) and its strong affinity for glyoxylate suggest that the enzyme may be an important side component of photorespiration in vivo. In leaves of nitrogen-fixing legumes, this reductase may also be involved in ureide breakdown, utilizing the glyoxylate produced during allantoate metabolism.

Alcohol Oxidoreductases↗

Thiol-dependent regulation of glycerate metabolism in leaf extracts : the role of glycerate kinase in c(4) plants.

We have recently reported that the activity of maize leaf glycerate kinase [EC 2.7.1.31] is regulated in vivo by the light/dark transition, possibly involving the ferredoxin/thioredoxin mechanism, and that the stimulating effect of light can be mimicked in vitro by incubation of crude leaf extract with reducing compounds (LA Kleczkowski, DD Randall 1985 Plant Physiol 79: 274-277). In the present study it was found that the time course of thiol activation of the enzyme was substantially dependent on the presence of some low molecular weight inhibitor(s) of activation found both in leaf extracts and mesophyll chloroplasts. Activity of glycerate kinase from maize as well as wheat leaves increased upon greening of etiolated plants and was correlated with the development of photosynthetic apparatus in these species. The maize enzyme was strongly activated by thiols at all stages of development from etiolated to green seedlings. Thiol activation of glycerate kinase was observed for a number of C(4) plants, notably of the nicotinamide adenine dinucleotide phosphate-malic enzyme type, with the strongest effect found for the enzyme from leaf extracts of maize and sorghum (10- and 8-fold activation, respectively). Among the C(3) species tested, only the enzyme from soybean leaves was affected under the same conditions (1.6-fold activation). This finding was reflected by an apparent lack of cross-reactivity between the enzyme from maize leaves and antibodies raised against purified spinach leaf glycerate kinase. We suggest that, in addition to its role as a final step of photorespiration in leaves, glycerate kinase from C(4) species may serve as a part of the facilitative diffusion system for the intercellular transport of 3-phosphoglycerate. Simultaneous operation of both the passive and the facilitative diffusion mechanisms of 3-phosphoglycerate transport in C(4) plants is postulated.

Journal Article↗

Maize leaf adenylate kinase : purification and partial characterization.

Adenylate kinase (EC 2.7.4.3) from leaves of maize (Zea mays) was purified to homogeneity using (NH(4))(2)SO(4) fractionation, followed by chromatography on DEAE-cellulose, hydroxyapatite, Sephadex G-75SF, and Green A dye-ligand columns. The purified enzyme had specific activity of about 1,550 micromoles ADP produced per minute per milligram protein, and the ratio of velocities of the reverse (utilization of ATP) to forward (formation of ATP) reaction was about 1.5. The M(r) value of adenylate kinase, determined by electrophoresis in dissociating conditions and by gel filtration, was 29,000 and 31,000 respectively, suggesting monomeric nature of the enzyme. Purified preparations were stable for at least 1 month at 0 to 4 degrees C. Magnesium ions were essential for activity of adenylate kinase in both directions of the reaction. Optimal rates in the forward direction were observed at the magnesium to ADP ratio of about 0.6 to 0.8. For the reverse reaction, ATP served as a substrate only when complexed with magnesium, while AMP reacted as a free species. The enzyme preferentially utilized adenine ribonucleotides in both directions of the reaction. The nucleoside triphosphate-binding site of adenylate kinase was fairly nonspecific with regard to nucleotide species. On the other hand, the primary amino group of either adenine and cytosine moieties was essential for effective binding to the nucleoside monophosphate site of the enzyme.

Journal Article↗

The substrate specificity, kinetics, and mechanism of glycerate-3-kinase from spinach leaves.

Glycerate-3-kinase (EC 2.7.1.31) from spinach leaves shows absolute specificity for D-glycerate as phosphate acceptor, yielding 3-phosphoglycerate as a product. ATP complexed with either Mg2+ or Mn2+ is the preferred phosphate donor. The enzyme has Km (D-glycerate) = 0.25 mM, Km (Mg-ATP) = 0.21 mM, Vmax = 300 mumol min-1 mg protein-1, and a turnover number = 12,000 X min-1. The equilibrium constant for the reaction is approximately 300 at pH 7.8. Pyrophosphate, 3-phosphoglycerate and ribulose 1,5-bisphosphate are the strongest inhibitors among the phosphorylated and nonphosphorylated metabolites tested; however, their regulatory role in vivo is questioned. Substrate kinetics, as well as product and analog inhibition data, are consistent with a sequential random mechanism. The distinct characteristic of the glycerate kinase-catalyzed reaction is the formation of a dead-end complex between the enzyme, D-glycerate, and 3-phosphoglycerate.

Adenosine Triphosphate↗

Light and thiol activation of maize leaf glycerate kinase : the stimulating effect of reduced thioredoxins and ATP.

Glycerate kinase (EC 2.7.1.31) from maize (Zea mays) leaves was shown to be regulated by light/dark transition. The enzyme more than doubled in activity after either the leaves or isolated mesophyll chloroplasts were illuminated with white light for 10 minutes. Rate of inactivation in the dark was faster in leaves than in the isolated chloroplast fraction. The stimulating effect of light could be mimicked in crude preparations by addition of 10 or 50 millimolar dithiothreitol or 100 millimolar 2-mercaptoethanol. The thiol treatment resulted in 8- to 10-fold activation of glycerate kinase, with the highest rates in the range of 27 to 30 micromoles per mg chlorophyll per hour. Activation was not accompanied by any changes in the apparent M(r) value of glycerate kinase as determined by gel filtration (M(r) = 47,000). In contrast to maize glycerate kinase, the enzyme from spinach was not affected by either light or thiol exposure.Partially purified maize glycerate kinase was activated up to 3-fold upon incubation with a mixture of spinach thioredoxins m and f and 5 millimolar dithiothreitol. The thioredoxin and dithiothreitol-treated glycerate kinase could be further stimulated by addition of 2.5 millimolar ATP. The results suggest that glycerate kinase from maize leaves is capable of photoactivation by the ferredoxin/thioredoxin system. The synergistic effect of ATP and thioredoxins in activation of the enzyme supports the earlier expressed view that the ferredoxin/thioredoxin system functions jointly with effector metabolites in light-mediated regulation during photosynthesis.

Journal Article↗

Plant ADP-glucose pyrophosphorylase--recent advances and biotechnological perspectives (a review).

Recent advances in studies on plant ADP-glucose pyrophosphorylase (AGP), the key enzyme of starch biosynthesis, are presented. AGP constitutes the first committed and highly regulated step of starch synthesis in all plant tissues. The importance of AGP in carbohydrate metabolism and several of its features, such as potent regulation by cellular effectors (3-phosphoglycerate and Pi), an unusual two subunit-types structure, tissue-specific and developmentally-regulated expression, and presence of the AGP-deficient mutants, make it an attractive, but complex, target for biotechnological manipulations. Some strategies for future research on AGP are discussed.

Biotechnology↗

Differential processing of homologues of the small subunit of ADP-glucose pyrophosphorylase from barley (Hordeum vulgare) tissues.

ADP-glucose pyrophosphorylase (AGPase), a two-gene-encoded enzyme, is the key component of starch synthesis in all plants. In the present study, we have used an E. coli expression system for the (over)production of proteins derived from both full length and specifically truncated cDNAs encoding small subunits of AGPase from seed endosperm (AGPase-B1) and leaves (AGPase-B2) of barley (Hordeum vulgare). Based on immunoblot analyses, the molecular mass of the expressed AGPase-B1 (52 kD) was similar to that from endosperm extracts, whereas the expressed AGPase-B2 (56 kD) was larger than that in barley leaves (51 kD). Expression of truncated cDNAs for both the seed and leaf proteins has allowed for a direct verification of molecular masses that were earlier proposed for mature AGPases in barley tissues. The data suggest that seed AGPase-B1 does not undergo any post-translational proteolytic processing in barley, whereas the leaf homologue is processed to a smaller protein. Possible implications of these findings are discussed.

Cloning, Molecular↗

Molecular cloning and spatial expression of an ApL1 cDNA for the large subunit of ADP-glucose pyrophosphorylase from Arabidopsis thaliana.

A cDNA, ApL1a, corresponding to a homologue of the large subunit of ADP-glucose pyrophosphorylase (AGPase), has been isolated/characterised by screening a cDNA library prepared from leaves of Arabidopsis thaliana, followed by rapid amplification of cDNA 3'-ends (3'-RACE). Within the 1685 nucleotide-long sequence (excluding polyA tail), an open reading frame encodes a protein of 522 amino acids (aa), with a calculated molecular weight of 57.7 kDa. The derived aa sequence does not contain any discernible transit peptide cleavage site motif, similarly to two other recently sequenced full-length Arabidopsis homologues for AGPase, and shows ca. 58-78% identity to homologous proteins from other plants/tissues. The corresponding gene was found to be expressed in all tissues examined (rosette and stem leaves, stems, flowers and fruits). The ubiquitous expression of the gene is consistent with its critical role in starch synthesis in Arabidopsis.

Amino Acid Sequence↗