Biomedical subjects

S A Wasserman

Publications and source records attributed to S A Wasserman.

40 records · Page 3Linked to original sources

PubMed1985

Determination of the stereostructure of the product of Tn3 resolvase by a general method.

A method has been developed for determination of the absolute structure of DNA catenanes. The catenated DNA is partially denatured before being thickened with a coating of RecA protein and spread for electron microscopy. This treatment allows visualization of the orientation of each ring as well as identification of the overlying and underlying DNAs at crossing points. These determinations define the topology of a catenane, providing a powerful means for testing mechanisms of catenane-producing enzymes in DNA recombination and replication. The technique was used to show that the single interlock of the catenated products of site-specific recombination mediated by Tn3 resolvase is exclusively of negative sign. The unique topology of the products indicates that resolvase fixes the sum of the number of supercoils between recombination sites at synapsis and the number of such supercoils lost or gained during strand exchange. The data strongly suggest that there are in fact three negative supercoils between synapsed sites; one supercoil is dissolved in the cross-over mechanism, whereas the other two are metamorphosed into the unique catenane interlock.

DNA, Circular↗

PubMed1984

Catabolic alanine racemase from Salmonella typhimurium: DNA sequence, enzyme purification, and characterization.

The alanine racemase encoded by the Salmonella typhimurium dadB gene was purified to 90% homogeneity from an overproducing strain. At 37 degrees C the enzyme has a specific activity of 1400 units/mg (V max, L- to D-alanine). Active enzyme molecules are monomers of Mr 39 000 with one molecule of pyridoxal 5'-phosphate bound per subunit. The Km's for L- and D-alanine are 8.2 and 2.1 mM, respectively. Measurement of turnover numbers yielded the expected Keq value of 1.0. Determination of 22 of the 25 N-terminal amino acid residues of the purified polypeptide allowed localization of cloned DNA encoding the structural gene. Sequencing of subcloned DNA revealed that the dadB gene encodes a polypeptide of 356 amino acids whose calculated molecular weight (apoenzyme) was 39 044.

Alanine Racemase↗

PubMed1983

Chloralanyl and propargylglycyl dipeptides. Suicide substrate containing antibacterials.

A set of dipeptides containing the amino acid residues beta-chloroalanine and propargylglycine, which are mechanism-based inactivators of purified microbial enzymes (alanine racemase and cystathionine gamma-synthase, respectively), have been synthesized, and their antibacterial properties in vitro have been evaluated. Dipeptides containing a single beta-chloro-L-alanyl residue (e.g., 3, 5, 9, and 10) or a single L-propargylglycyl residue (e.g., 12 and 15) are potent antibacterials. The in vitro antibiotic activity of beta-chloro-L-alanine and of L-propargylglycine is increased as much as 4000-fold by incorporation of these residues into a dipeptide. Compounds that contain only a single enzyme-inactivating amino acid together with a second L-alanyl residue (3, 5, 12, and 15) have a restricted range of activity: of the species tested, only Streptococcus agalactiae, Staphylococcus aureus, and Staphylococcus epidermidis are sensitive. However, peptides that contain two suicide-substrate residues [e.g., beta-Cl-LAla-beta-Cl-LAla (8) or LppGly-LppGly (18)] are broad-spectrum antibacterials; as many as 12 different species of the 16 surveyed are sensitive. Dipeptides that contain an amino-terminal L-methionyl (9) or an L-norvalyl (10) residue and a carboxy-terminal beta-chloro-L-alanyl unit are also effective against a large number of organisms; the spectra of activity are like those seen for 8 and 18. A "mixed" dipeptide [beta-Cl-LAla-LppGly, (21)] gives apparent synergism of antibiotic action of beta-chloro-L-alanine and of L-propargylglycine when these two residues are incorporated into a single structure. Peptides of the D,D configuration (4, 6, 13, 16, and 20) and ones of L,D stereochemistry (e.g., 7) are not antibacterials. Peptides containing one (11 and 14) and two (17) D,L-propargylglycyl residues are unresolved sets of diastereomers; the mixtures of compounds are between two- and fourfold less active than the correspondingly resolved L,L dipeptides (12, 15, and 18). These findings are consistent with a mechanism of action for these antibiotics involving stereoselective processing of the peptidyl unit in vivo.

Alanine↗

PubMed1983

Two alanine racemase genes in Salmonella typhimurium that differ in structure and function.

Mutations were isolated in a previously undescribed Salmonella typhimurium gene encoding an alanine racemase essential for utilization of L-alanine as a source of carbon, energy, and nitrogen. This new locus, designated dadB, lies within one kilobase of the D-alanine dehydrogenase locus (dadA), which is also required for alanine catabolism. The dadA and dadB genes are coregulated. Mutants (including insertions) lacking the dadB alanine racemase do not require D-alanine for growth unless a mutation is introduced at a second locus, designated dal. Two genes specifying alanine racemase activity were cloned from S. typhimurium. The two cloned DNA sequences do not cross-hybridize with each other; one was shown to contain the dadB gene.

Alanine Racemase↗