Biomedical subjects

M Rekik

Publications and source records attributed to M Rekik.

At least 19 recordsLinked to original sources

PubMed1998

Role of vasoactive intestinal polypeptide in the adaptation of intestinal smooth muscle cells to mechanical distension.

Distension of the small intestine can play a role in the pathogenesis of various functional intestinal disorders. This study determined the role of vasoactive intestinal polypeptide (VIP) in the adaptative response of intestinal smooth muscle to acute and chronic distension of the ileum in vivo. Several in vitro experiments were performed to identify the mechanism of receptor regulation. Distension was applied by a balloon inflated with air in the ileum either during a single episode in anesthetized or repeatedly in conscious guinea pigs. Then, muscle cells were isolated by enzymatic digestion from the distended and nondistended adjacent ileal segments. In addition, in vitro experiments were performed on freshly dispersed cells for determination of mechanisms. Control cells maximally relaxed (Cmax) at 1 microM VIP (EC50 = 50 pM) and 100 microM isoproterenol (EC50 = 7 nM). Both acute and chronic distensions triggered a right-ward shift of the concentration-response curves for VIP (Cmax = 100 microM, EC50 = 10 nM). A desensitization of the relaxing effect of VIP receptors was also observed when cells were preincubated for 30 min in vitro with VIP. By contrast, the relaxing effect of isoproterenol was affected neither by in vivo distension nor by in vitro incubation with isoproterenol. Desensitization of VIP receptors was prevented by in vitro incubation of cells with VIP plus a VIP antagonist [(D-P-Cl-Phe6,Leu17)VIP] and by intraluminal perfusion of the VIP antagonist during acute distention in vivo. Moreover, desensitization of VIP receptors did not occur after 30 min preincubation with either forskolin or 8-Bromo-cyclic AMP. These results indicate that mechanical distension of the ileum induces a homologous desensitization of VIP receptors on circular smooth muscle cells, which requires the occupation of its receptors by VIP.

8-Bromo Cyclic Adenosine Monophosphate↗

PubMed1997

The calcitonin gene-related peptide activates both cAMP and NO pathways to induce relaxation of circular smooth muscle cells of guinea-pig ileum.

The direct effects and the intracellular pathways of rCGRP were investigated on smooth muscle cells (SMC) isolated by enzymatic digestion from the circular and longitudinal layers of guinea-pig ileum. In circular SMC, rCGRP inhibited CCK8-induced contraction in a concentration-dependent manner (Cmax = 100 microM and EC50 = 0.7 +/- 0.4 nM). Preincubation of SMC with 1 microM Rp-cAMPs, a cAMP antagonist, abolished the relaxing effect of rCGRP; moreover, preincubation of SMC with 100 microM L-NAME, an inhibitor of NOS, inhibited the relaxing effect of rCGRP, hCGRP(8-37), a selective antagonist of rCGRP receptors, inhibited the rCGRP-induced relaxation in a concentration dependent manner whereas the vasoactive intestinal polypeptide (VIP) antagonist had no significant effect. In longitudinal SMC, rCGRP-induced relaxation was abolished by Rp-cAMPs, whereas L-NAME had no effect. In conclusion, rCGRP triggers different intracellular pathways to induce relaxation of circular or longitudinal intestinal SMC; cAMP is involved in cells from both layers while nitric oxide (NO) is involved only in relaxation of circular SMC.

Animals↗

PubMed1996

VIP-induced relaxation of guinea-pig intestinal smooth muscle cells: sequential involvement of cyclic AMP and nitric oxide.

1. A possible interaction between cyclic AMP and nitric oxide (NO) in mediating the relaxant effect of vasoactive intestinal polypeptide (VIP) on intestinal smooth muscle cells has been investigated. The effects of the inhibitor of NO synthesis, NG-nitro-L-arginine methyl ester (L-NAME), have been studied on VIP-, forskolin-, and 8 bromo-cyclic AMP- induced relaxation of cells, dispersed by enzymatic digestion of muscle strips from the circular layer of guinea-pig ileum. 2. VIP alone did not modify the length of isolated muscle cells. By contrast, when the cells were contracted by cholecystokinin octapeptide, CCK8 (10 nM), VIP inhibited this contraction, inducing a concentration-dependent relaxation of the cells. Maximal relaxation was induced by 1 microM VIP (EC50 = 408.2 +/- 16.7 pM). 3. N-ethylmaleimide, inhibitors of adenylate cyclase or somatostatin, abolished the relaxing effect of VIP. (R)-p-cAMPs, an antagonist of cyclic AMP on protein kinase A also inhibited the VIP-induced relaxation by 92.1 +/- 6.3%. Inhibitors of nitric oxide synthase (NOS), L-NAME and L-NMMA, partially inhibited VIP-induced relaxation. The effect of L-NAME was reversed by L-arginine but not by D-arginine. 4. (R)-p-cAMPS and L-NAME also inhibited the cell relaxation induced either by forskolin which directly stimulates adenylate cyclase activity or 8-bromo-cyclic AMP, an analogue of cyclic AMP. 5. When cells were incubated for 30 min with dexamethasone 10 microM, a glucocorticoid known to decrease the synthesis of iNOS, the relaxing effect of a maximal concentration of VIP was decreased by 52 +/- 4% and L-NMMA had no further effect on this residual VIP-induced relaxation. Milrinone, a phosphodiesterase type III inhibitor, potentiated the relaxant effect of VIP. 6. These data demonstrate that the intracellular pathway mediating the relaxant effect of VIP in intestinal smooth muscle cells includes the sequential activation of adenylate cyclase, protein kinase A, activation of NOS and finally production of NO and cyclic GMP. NO could in turn regulate the cyclic AMP-dependent pathway of cell relaxation.

Animals↗

PubMed1995

Substrate specificity differences between two catechol 2,3-dioxygenases encoded by the TOL and NAH plasmids from Pseudomonas putida.

The substrate specificities of two catechol 2,3-dioxygenases, one encoded by xylE on the TOL plasmid pWW0 and the other encoded by nahH on the NAH7 plasmid, were investigated. The XylE catechol 2,3-dioxygenase catalyzes the ring-cleavage of catechol, 3-methylcatechol and 4-methylcatechol. The NahH catechol 2,3-dioxygenase was partially deficient in oxidizing 3-methylcatechol due to defects in two catalytic properties. First, NahH has a lower kcat value for 3-methylcatechol compared to XylE, and secondly, NahH is more susceptible than XylE to suicide inhibition by 3-methylcatechol. To identify the amino acid residues of XylE and NahH responsible for the differences in the efficacy of the 3-methylcatechol oxidation, kcat and kinact (the rate constant for suicide inhibition) for 3-methylcatechol were determined for several NahH-XylE hybrid proteins, each of which consisted of the NahH sequence in the N-terminal region and the XylE sequence in the C-terminal region. It is shown that a single amino acid substitution present in the NahH sequence, His250-->Gln, was responsible for the reduced kcat and increased kinact values for 3-methylcatechol. In addition to the substitution at residue 250, some substitution(s) at residues 77-102 were responsible for the twofold difference in the kinact values for NahH and XylE with 3-methylcatechol. We also show that the binding site of 3-methylcatechol for suicide inhibition is different from the catalytic site.

Amino Acid Sequence↗

PubMed1995

Overlapping substrate specificities of benzaldehyde dehydrogenase (the xylC gene product) and 2-hydroxymuconic semialdehyde dehydrogenase (the xylG gene product) encoded by TOL plasmid pWW0 of Pseudomonas putida.

Two aldehyde dehydrogenases involved in the degradation of toluene and xylenes, namely, benzaldehyde dehydrogenase and 2-hydroxymuconic semialdehyde dehydrogenase, are encoded by the xylC and xylG genes, respectively, on TOL plasmid pWW0 of Pseudomonas putida. The nucleotide sequence of xylC was determined in this study. A protein exhibiting benzaldehyde dehydrogenase activity had been purified from cells of P. putida (pWW0) (J. P. Shaw and S. Harayama, Eur. J. Biochem. 191:705-714, 1990); however, the amino-terminal sequence of this protein does not correspond to that predicted from the xylC sequence but does correspond to that predicted from the xylG sequence. The protein purified in the earlier work was therefore 2-hydroxymuconic semialdehyde dehydrogenase (the xylG gene product). This conclusion was confirmed by the fact that this protein oxidized 2-hydroxymuconic semialdehyde (kcat/Km = 1.6 x 10(6) s-1 M-1) more efficiently than benzaldehyde (kcat/Km = 3.2 x 10(4) s-1 M-1). The xylC product, the genuine benzaldehyde dehydrogenase, was purified from extracts of P. putida (pWW0-161 delta rylG) which does not synthesize 2-hydroxymuconic semialdehyde dehydrogenase. The amino-terminal sequence of the purified protein corresponds to the amino-terminal sequence deduced from the xylC sequence. This enzyme efficiently oxidized benzaldehyde (kcat/Km = 1.7 x 10(7) s-1 M-1) and its analogs but did not oxidize 2-hydroxymuconic semialdehyde or its analogs.

Alcohol Oxidoreductases↗

PubMed1994

Substrate specificity of catechol 2,3-dioxygenase encoded by TOL plasmid pWW0 of Pseudomonas putida and its relationship to cell growth.

Catechol 2,3-dioxygenase encoded by TOL plasmid pWW0 of Pseudomonas putida consists of four identical subunits, each containing one ferrous ion. The enzyme catalyzes ring cleavage of catechol, 3-methylcatechol, and 4-methylcatechol but shows only weak activity toward 4-ethylcatechol. Two mutants of catechol 2,3-dioxygenases (4ECR1 and 4ECR6) able to oxidize 4-ethylcatechol, one mutant (3MCS) which exhibits only weak activity toward 3-methylcatechol but retained the ability to cleave catechol and 4-methylcatechol, and one phenotypic revertant of 3MCS (3MCR) which had regained the ability to oxidize 3-methylcatechol were characterized by determining their Km and partition ratio (the ratio of productive catalysis to suicide catalysis). The amino acid substitutions in the four mutant enzymes were also identified by sequencing their structural genes. Wild-type catechol 2,3-dioxygenase was inactivated during the catalysis of 4-ethylcatechol and thus had a low partition ratio for this substrate, whereas the two mutant enzymes, 4ECR1 and 4ECR6, had higher partition ratios for it. Similarly, mutant enzyme 3MCS had a lower partition ratio for 3-methylcatechol than that of 3MCR. Molecular oxygen was required for the inactivation of the wild-type enzyme by 4-ethylcatechol and of 3MCS by 3-methylcatechol, and the inactivated enzymes could be reactivated by incubation with FeSO4 plus ascorbic acid. The enzyme inactivation is thus most likely mechanism based and occurred principally by oxidation and/or removal of the ferrous ion in the catalytic center. In general, partition ratios for catechols lower than 18,000 did not support bacterial growth. A possible meaning of the critical value of the partition ratio is discussed.

Ascorbic Acid↗

PubMed1994

Conversion of pBR322-based plasmids into broad-host-range vectors by using the Tn3 transposition mechanism.

We constructed a series of transposon vectors which allow efficient in vitro gene manipulation and subsequent introduction of cloned DNA into a variety of gram-negative bacteria. Transfer of the cloned fragment from these multicopy plasmids into self-transmissible broad-host-range vectors is achieved in vivo, using the Tn3 transposition mechanism. Transposition into a variety of broad-host-range plasmids proceeds efficiently, and the resulting recombinant plasmids can be readily transferred and maintained in a variety of gram-negative bacteria. The utility of the transposable vectors was demonstrated by the introduction and expression of the lacIPOZY sequences of Escherichia coli into Pseudomonas putida strains, allowing them to utilize lactose as a sole source of carbon and energy.

Alkanes↗

PubMed1994

Parathyroid hormone (PTH) and PTH-related peptide induce relaxation of smooth muscle cells from guinea pig ileum: interaction with vasoactive intestinal peptide receptors.

PTH-related peptide (PTHrP), which shares 8 of 13 NH2-terminal residues with PTH, causes similar biological effects and interacts with the same receptor as PTH. In the gastrointestinal tract, human PTH and PTHrP-(1-34) relax rat fundic strips. However, the level of their action and the receptor involved in this effect are unknown. The aims of this study were 1) to determine the effects of human PTH-(1-34), human PTHrP-(1-34), -(1-16), and -(7-34) and vasoactive intestinal peptide (VIP) on circular isolated smooth muscle cells from guinea pig ileum; 2) to study the intracellular pathways involved in these effects; and 3) and to characterize the receptors involved by using specific antagonists. Smooth muscle cells were dispersed by enzymatic digestion. Contraction was assessed by measuring the length of 50 cells and expressed as the percent decrease in cell length from the control value. The relaxing effects of PTH, PTHrP and analogs, VIP, or antagonists were expressed as a percentage of the maximal effect observed in their absence. VIP, PTH-(1-34), and PTHrP-(1-34), -(1-16), and -(7-34) had no effect by themselves on these cells. However, when cells were contracted by the sulfated C-terminal octapeptide of cholecystokinin (10 nM), VIP, PTH-(1-34), and PTHrP(1-34) inhibited the sulfated C-terminal octapeptide of cholecystokinin-induced contraction in a concentration-dependent manner, whereas PTHrP-(1-16) and -(7-34) had no effect. The EC50 values of VIP, PTH-(1-34), and PTH-(1-34), and PTHrP-(1-34) were 7 nM, 20 pM, and 20 pM, respectively. The VIP antagonist ([D-P-Cl-Phe6,Leu17]VIP) inhibited VIP-, PTH-(1-34)-, and PTHrP(1-34)-induced relaxation, with IC50 values of 20, 500, and 400 pM, respectively. Likewise, the PTH/PTHrP antagonist [Tyr34-bovine PTH-(7-34)NH2] inhibited PTH-(1-34)-, PTHrP(1-34)-, and VIP-induced relaxation, with IC50 values of 1, 1, and 90 pM, respectively. Preincubation of cells with somatostatin, N-ethylmaleimide, and (R)-p-cyclic adenosine-3',5'-monophosphothioate inhibited the PTH-(1-34), PTHrP(1-34)-, and VIP-induced relaxation. In conclusion, human PTH and PTHrP induce a relaxation of intestinal smooth muscle by a direct myogenic effect. This effect requires the 1-34 amino acid sequence and is mediated by the activation of adenylate cyclase and protein kinase-A. Interactions among PTH, PTHrP, and VIP indicate that they may cross-react with their respective receptors.

Acetylcholine↗

PubMed1994

[Direct cost of the ambulatory management of diabetes at the outpatient clinic of the National Social Security Fund of Sfax (Tunisia)].

The direct costs were determined by conducting a retrospective study on the files of 100 diabetics (selected at random) who had attended the clinic at least once in 1991. Another study was conducted simultaneously under the same conditions on 100 non-diabetic patients. Diabetic patients attend on average 8 times a year, twice as often as nondiabetics, generally at the department of general medicine (6 times). They undergo more biological tests and receive more care procedures than nondiabetics. Drug prescriptions cost on average US$ 62 per year for the diabetic, 3 times as much as for the non-diabetic (US$ 20/year). The total direct cost of outpatient care is US$ 117 per year for the diabetic, as against only US$ 48 for the nondiabetic. The cost is much higher for diabetics with degenerative complications (US$ 144 as against US$ 92). Reduction of the cost of care requires early detection of diabetes and education of the diabetic, so as to ensure better control of blood sugar levels and freedom from complications that lead to a sharp increase in consultations and treatment procedures.

Adolescent↗

PubMed1993

Kinetic studies on benzyl alcohol dehydrogenase encoded by TOL plasmid pWWO. A member of the zinc-containing long chain alcohol dehydrogenase family.

The nucleotide sequence of the structural gene for benzyl alcohol dehydrogenase encoded by TOL plasmid pWWO of Pseudomonas putida has been determined. Benzyl alcohol dehydrogenase is a member of the long-chain zinc alcohol dehydrogenase family and, like other alcohol dehydrogenases of this family, contains two zinc atoms per subunit. Benzyl alcohol dehydrogenase, while sharing 31% identical residues with horse liver alcohol dehydrogenase, contains several amino acid substitutions near the active site, some of which may be responsible for the substrate specificity of benzyl alcohol dehydrogenase, which oxidizes exclusively aromatic substrates. Benzyl alcohol dehydrogenase also notably lacks the His51 residue of horse liver alcohol dehydrogenase. Contrary to the results obtained with a mutant human liver alcohol dehydrogenase lacking this residue, the concentration and pKa of solvent proton acceptors had no effect on the catalytic efficiency of benzyl alcohol dehydrogenase. The electronic nature of substituents on the aromatic ring of the substrate influenced the kcat of the enzyme in low concentrations of external proton acceptor, but not in high concentrations. Product inhibition studies demonstrated that benzyl alcohol dehydrogenase followed a general Ordered Bi Bi kinetic mechanism in low proton acceptor conditions, while following a Theorell-Chance kinetic mechanism at high proton acceptor conditions.

Alcohol Oxidoreductases↗

PubMed1993

Comparison of the nucleotide sequences of the meta-cleavage pathway genes of TOL plasmid pWW0 from Pseudomonas putida with other meta-cleavage genes suggests that both single and multiple nucleotide substitutions contribute to enzyme evolution.

TOL plasmid pWW0 from Pseudomonas putida mt-2 encodes catabolic enzymes required for the oxidation of toluene and xylenes. The structural genes for these catabolic enzymes are clustered into two operons, the xylCMABN operon, which encodes a set of enzymes required for the transformation of toluene/xylenes to benzoate/toluates, and the xylXYZLTEGFJQKIH operon, which encodes a set of enzymes required for the transformation of benzoate/toluates to Krebs cycle intermediates. The latter operon can be divided physically and functionally into two parts, the xylXYZL cluster, which is involved in the transformation of benzoate/toluates to (methyl)catechols, and the xylTEGFJQKIH cluster, which is involved in the transformation of (methyl)catechols to Krebs cycle intermediates. Genes isofunctional to xylXYZL are present in Acinetobacter calcoaceticus, and constitute a benzoate-degradative pathway, while xylTEGFJQKIH homologous encoding enzymes of a methylphenol-degradative pathway and a naphthalene-degradative pathway are present on plasmid pVI150 from P. putida CF600, and on plasmid NAH7 from P. putida PpG7, respectively. Comparison of the nucleotide sequences of the xylXYZLTEGFJQKIH genes with other isofunctional genes suggested that the xylTEGFJQKIH genes on the TOL plasmid diverged from these homologues 20 to 50 million years ago, while the xylXYZL genes diverged from the A. calcoaceticus homologues 100 to 200 million years ago. In codons where amino acids are not conserved, the substitutions rate in the third base was higher than that in synonymous codons. This result was interpreted as indicating that both single and multiple nucleotide substitutions contributed to the amino acid-substituting mutations, and hence to enzyme evolution. This observation seems to be general because mammalian globin genes exhibit the same tendency.

Amino Acid Sequence↗

PubMed1992

cis-diol dehydrogenases encoded by the TOL pWW0 plasmid xylL gene and the Acinetobacter calcoaceticus chromosomal benD gene are members of the short-chain alcohol dehydrogenase superfamily.

In the aerobic degradation of benzoate by bacteria, benzoate is first dihydroxylated by a ring-hydroxylating dioxygenase to form a cis-diol (1,2-dihydroxycyclohexa-3,4-diene carboxylate) which is subsequently transformed to a catechol by an NAD(+)-dependent cis-diol dehydrogenase. The structural gene for this dehydrogenase, encoded on TOL plasmid pWW0 of Pseudomonas putida (xylL) and that encoded on the chromosome of Acinetobacter calcoaceticus (benD), were sequenced. They encode polypeptides of about 28 kDa in size. These proteins are similar to each other, exhibiting 58% sequence identity. They are also similar to other proteins of at least 20 different functions, which are members of the short-chain alcohol dehydrogenase family. The alignment of these proteins suggest two amino acids, lysine and tyrosine, as catalytically important residues.

Acinetobacter calcoaceticus↗

PubMed1991

Divergent evolution of chloroplast-type ferredoxins.

The TOL plasmid pWW0 of Pseudomonas putida encodes a set of enzymes required for the oxidation of toluene to Krebs cycle intermediates. The structural genes for these enzymes are encoded in two operons which comprise the xylCMABN and xylXYZLTEGFJQKIH genes, respectively. The function of the xylT gene has not yet been identified. The nucleotide sequence of xylT was determined in this study and putative gene product was shown to contain a sequence characteristic for chloroplast-type ferredoxins. The nahT gene, the homologue of xylT, present on NAH plasmid NAH7 encoding naphthalene-degrading enzymes, was also sequenced. The sequence conservation between xylT and nahT strongly suggests that both gene products have some physiological function. Chloroplast-type ferredoxins have been discovered in photosynthetic organisms (plants, algae, cyanobacteria and Rhodobacter) and Halobacterium species. Furthermore, chloroplast-type ferredoxin-like sequences have been found in the electron-transfer components of some oxygenases. The sequences of XylT and NahT were compared with those of the previously identified chloroplast-type ferredoxins, in order to examine their evolutionary relationships.

Amino Acid Sequence↗

PubMed1991

Nucleotide sequences of the Acinetobacter calcoaceticus benABC genes for benzoate 1,2-dioxygenase reveal evolutionary relationships among multicomponent oxygenases.

The nucleotide sequences of the Acinetobacter calcoaceticus benABC genes encoding a multicomponent oxygenase for the conversion of benzoate to a nonaromatic cis-diol were determined. The enzyme, benzoate 1,2-dioxygenase, is composed of a hydroxylase component, encoded by benAB, and an electron transfer component, encoded by benC. Comparison of the deduced amino acid sequences of BenABC with related sequences, including those for the multicomponent toluate, toluene, benzene, and naphthalene 1,2-dioxygenases, indicated that the similarly sized subunits of the hydroxylase components were derived from a common ancestor. Conserved cysteine and histidine residues may bind a [2Fe-2S] Rieske-type cluster to the alpha-subunits of all the hydroxylases. Conserved histidines and tyrosines may coordinate a mononuclear Fe(II) ion. The less conserved beta-subunits of the hydroxylases may be responsible for determining substrate specificity. Each dioxygenase had either one or two electron transfer proteins. The electron transfer component of benzoate dioxygenase, encoded by benC, and the corresponding protein of the toluate 1,2-dioxygenase, encoded by xylZ, were each found to have an N-terminal region which resembled chloroplast-type ferredoxins and a C-terminal region which resembled several oxidoreductases. These BenC and XylZ proteins had regions similar to certain monooxygenase components but did not appear to be evolutionarily related to the two-protein electron transfer systems of the benzene, toluene, and naphthalene 1,2-dioxygenases. Regions of possible NAD and flavin adenine dinucleotide binding were identified.

Acinetobacter↗

PubMed1991

Potential DNA slippage structures acquired during evolutionary divergence of Acinetobacter calcoaceticus chromosomal benABC and Pseudomonas putida TOL pWW0 plasmid xylXYZ, genes encoding benzoate dioxygenases.

The xylXYZ DNA region is carried on the TOL pWW0 plasmid in Pseudomonas putida and encodes a benzoate dioxygenase with broad substrate specificity. The DNA sequence of the region is presented and compared with benABC, the chromosomal region encoding the benzoate dioxygenase of Acinetobacter calcoaceticus. Corresponding genes from the two biological sources share common ancestry: comparison of aligned XylX-BenA, XylY-BenB, and XylZ-BenC amino acid sequences revealed respective identities of 58.3, 61.3, and 53%. The aligned genes have diverged to assume G+C contents that differ by 14.0 to 14.9%. Usage of the unusual arginine codons AGA and AGG appears to have been selected in the P. putida xylX gene as it diverged from the ancestor it shared with A. calcoaceticus benA. Homologous A. calcoaceticus and P. putida genes exhibit different patterns of DNA sequence repetition, and analysis of one such pattern suggests that mutations creating different DNA slippage structures made a significant contribution to the evolutionary divergence of xylX.

Acinetobacter calcoaceticus↗

PubMed1991

Primary structure of xylene monooxygenase: similarities to and differences from the alkane hydroxylation system.

Xylene monooxygenase, encoded by the TOL plasmid of Pseudomonas putida, catalyzes the oxidation of toluene and xylenes and consists of two different subunits encoded by xylA and xylM. In this study, the complete nucleotide sequences of these genes were determined and the amino acid sequences of the xylA and xylM products were deduced. The XylM sequence had a 25% homology with alkane hydroxylase, which catalyzes the omega-hydroxylation of fatty acids and the terminal hydroxylation of alkanes. The sequence of the first 90 amino acids of XylA exhibited a strong similarity to the sequence of chloroplast-type ferredoxins, whereas the rest of the XylA sequence resembled that of ferredoxin-NADP+ reductases. Based on this information, the structure and function of xylene monooxygenase were deduced. XylM may be a catalytic component for the hydroxylation of the carbon side chain of toluene and xylenes and, as is the alkane hydroxylase protein, may be a membrane-bound protein containing ferrous ion as a prosthetic group. XylA may have two domains consisting of an N-terminal region similar to chloroplast-type ferredoxins and a C-terminal region similar to ferredoxin-NADP+ reductases. The ferredoxin portion of XylA may contain a [2Fe-2S] cluster and reduce the oxidized form of the XylM hydroxylase. The activity determined by the C-terminal region of the XylA sequence may be the reduction of the oxidized form of ferredoxin by concomitant oxidation of NADH.

Alkanes↗

PubMed1990

The meta cleavage operon of TOL degradative plasmid pWW0 comprises 13 genes.

The meta-cleavage operon of TOL plasmid pWW0 of Pseudomonas putida encodes a set of enzymes which transform benzoate/toluates to Krebs cycle intermediates via extradiol (meta-) cleavage of (methyl)catechol. The genetic organization of the operon was characterized by cloning of the meta-cleavage genes into an expression vector and identification of their products in Escherichia coli maxicells. This analysis showed that the meta-cleavage operon contains 13 genes whose order and products (in kilodaltons) are xylX(57)-xylY(20)-xylZ(39)-xylL(28)-xylT(1 2)-xylE(36)-xylG(60)-xylF(34)- xylJ(28)-xylQ(42)-xylK(39)-xylI(29)-xylH(4 ). The xylXYZ genes encode three subunits of toluate 1,2-dioxygenase. The xylL, xylE, xylG, xylF, xylJ, xylK, xylI, and xylH genes encode 1,2-dihydroxy-3,5-cyclohexadiene-1-carboxylate dehydrogenase, catechol 2,3-dioxygenase, 2-hydroxymuconic semialdehyde dehydrogenase, 2-hydroxymuconic semialdehyde hydrolase, 2-oxopent-4-enoate hydratase, 4-hydroxy-2-oxovalerate aldolase, 4-oxalocrotonate decarboxylase and 4-oxaloccotonate tautomerase, respectively. The functions of xylT and xylQ are not known at present. The comparison of the coding capacity and the sizes of the products of the meta-cleavage operon genes indicated that most of the DNA between xylX and xylH consists of coding sequences.

Bacterial Proteins↗

PubMed1990

Growth-phase-dependent expression of the Pseudomonas putida TOL plasmid pWW0 catabolic genes.

Pseudomonas putida TOL plasmid pWW0 catabolic genes are clustered into two operons. The first, the upper operon, is controlled by the xylR regulatory gene, whereas the second, the meta operon, is controlled by the xylS regulatory gene. The xylS gene itself is subjected to control by xylR. In this study, we show that the TOL catabolic operons were poorly induced in cells growing at the early-exponential-growth phase but strongly induced in cells at late-exponential-growth phase. We constructed fusions of four TOL promoters, Pm (the promoter of the meta operon), Pu (the promoter of the upper operon), Ps (the promoter of the xylS regulatory gene), and Pr (the promoter of the xylR regulatory gene) with lacZ and examined, in Escherichia coli and P. putida, the expression of these promoters in relation to the growth phase. Expression from Pm, Pu, Ps, and Pr was almost constant if the host cells did not carry either xylS or xylR. Similarly, expression of Pm and Pu in P. putida in the absence of XylS and XylR was constant during the growth of the cells. XylS-dependent transcription of Pm and XylR-dependent transcription of Ps and Pu, in contrast, varied with the growth phase. This observation suggested that the interaction of XylS and XylR with target promoters or with RNA polymerases was influenced by the growth phase. The nature of the signal which triggers the growth-phase-dependent regulation was not clear. A change in the oxygen partial pressure was not responsible for the regulation. E. coli mutants defective in relA, crp, and cya exhibited growth-phase-dependent expression of the TOL catabolic genes, indicating that cyclic AMP and relA-dependent synthesis of ppGpp are not involved in this phenomenon.

Cloning, Molecular↗