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T P Singer

Publications and source records attributed to T P Singer.

At least 109 records · Page 6Linked to original sources

Identification of the covalently bound flavin prosthetic group of cholesterol oxidase.

Highly purified preparations of cholesterol oxidase from Schizophyllum commune contain a covalently bound flavin component. A flavin peptide has been obtained by digestion with trypsin-chymotrypsin and purification on a column of phosphocellulose. Digestion with nucleotide pyrophosphatase results in increased fluorescence at pH 3.4 and release of 5'-adenylate, showing that the flavin is in the dinucleotide form. The absorption spectrum of the flavin peptide shows the hypsochromic shift of the second absorption band characteristic of 8 alpha-substituted flavins. The fluorescence at pH 7 is extensively quenched even in the mononucleotide form, with a pKa at pH 5.8 in the flavin peptide and at 5.05 following acid hydrolysis to the aminoacyl flavin level. This suggests that histidine is the amino acid substituted at the 8 alpha position of the flavin and that N(1) of the imidazole ring is the site of attachment. These data, the reduction of the flavin by borohydride, and comparison of the mobilities in high voltage electrophoresis at two pH values with N(1)- and N(3)-histidyl riboflavin and their 2',5'-anhydro forms shows that the prosthetic group of cholesterol oxidase is 8 alpha-[N(1)-histidyl]-FAD.

3-Hydroxysteroid Dehydrogenases↗

Characterization of the iron-sulfur centers in succinate dehydrogenase.

Two techniques have been applied to the determination of the number and type (2-Fe, 4-Fe) of iron-sulfur centers in the iron-sulfur flavoprotein succinate dehydrogenase [succinate:(acceptor) oxidoreductase, EC 1.3.99.1]. One procedure uses p-CF3C6H4SH as an extrusion reagent and Fourier transform 19F nuclear magentic resonance as the method of detection and quantitation of extruded cores of these centers in the form of [Fe2S2(SRF)4]2- and [Fe4S4(SRF)4]2- (RF = p-C6H4CF3). The second procedure, interprotein core transfer, involves thiol displacement of iron-sulfur cores followed by specific core transfer to the apoproteins of Bacillus polymyxa ferredoxin and adrenodoxin. Detection and quantitation are accomplished by electron paramagnetic resonance of reduced proteins at low temperatures. Both procedures clearly show that succinate dehydrogenase contains two dimeric (Fe2S2) and one tetrameric (Fe4S4) centers per mole of histidyl flavin, accounting for all eight nonheme iron and eight labile sulfur atoms found by chemical analysis. These results remove uncertainties created by the less than stoichiometric amounts of binuclear centers detected by electron paramagnetic resonance after dithionite reduction and provide secure characterization of the iron-sulfur centers in this enzyme.

Electron Spin Resonance Spectroscopy↗

A novel type of covalently bound coenzyme in trimethylamine dehydrogenase.

Bacterial trimethylamine dehydrogenase contains a covalently bound yellow coenzyme, the properties of which distinguish it from all known riboflavin, pyridoxine, and pteridine derivatives. A pure dodecapeptide containing the covalently linked coenzyme has been isolated from tryptic-chymotryptic digests. Treatment with aminopeptidase M converts it to a ninhydrin-positive aminoacyl coenzyme, which has also been isolated in chromatographically pure form. The coenzyme as isolated is virtually nonfluorescent but, being extremely photolabile, it is rapidly converted on illumination to products, the predominant one being highly fluorescent. Analysis for phosphate and the influence of phosphatase treatment on electrophoretic mobility show that the coenzyme is isolated as a monophosphate, while periodate titrations prove the presence of a pentityl side chain, to which the phosphate is attached. Oxidation of the aminoacyl coenzyme with performic acid, followed by acid hydrolysis, yields 2',5'-anhydroriboflavin and some free riboflavin, products also obtained on similar treatment of FMN. These observations and the very tight binding to apoflavodoxin show that the coenzyme is a flavin derivative. The absorption and NMR spectra, however, clearly set it apart from 8alpha-substituted flavins and suggest that the coenzyme is the first representative of a new class of covalently bound flavins.

Bacteria↗

Participation of the iron-sulphur cluster and of the covalently bound coenzyme of trimethylamine dehydrogenase in catalysis.

Bacterial trimethylamine dehydrogenase contains a novel type of covalently bound flavin mononucleotide and a tetrameric iron-sulphur centre. The dehydrogenase takes up 1.5mol of dithionite/mol of enzyme and is thereby converted into the flavin quinol-reduced (4Fe-4S) form, with the expected bleaching of the visible absorption band of the flavin and the emergence of signals of typical reduced ferredoxin in the electronparamagnetic-resonance spectrum. On reduction with a slight excess of substrate, however, unusual absorption and electron-paramagnetic-resonance spectra appear quite rapidly. The latter is attributed to extensive interaction between the reduced (4Fe-4S) centre and the flavin semiquinone. The species of enzyme arising during the catalytic cycle were studied by a combination of rapid-freeze e.p.r. and stopped-flow spectophotometry. The initial reduction of the flavin to the quinol form is far too rapid to be rate-limiting in catalysis, as is the reoxidation of the substrate-reduced enzyme by phenazine methosulphate. Formation of the spin-spin-interacting species from the dihydroflavin is considerably slower, however, and it may be the rate-limiting step in the catalytic cycle, since its rate of formation agrees reasonably well with the catalytic-centre activity determined in steady-state kinetic assays. In addition to the interacting form, a second form of the enzyme was noted during reduction by trimethylamine, differing in absorption spectrum, the structure of which remains to be determined.

Catalysis↗

Effect of membrane environment on succinate dehydrogenase activity.

The turnover number of succinate dehydrogenase from mammalian heart determined by the spectrophotometric phenazine methosulfate assay, after complete activation, is approximately 21,000 mol of succinate oxidized/min/mol of histidyl flavin at 38 degrees in relatively intact inner membrane preparations and mitochondria. Reconstitutively active soluble preparations, extracted anaerobically in the presence of succinate from inner membrane preparations show turnover numbers of 11,500 to 14,500 and a significantly lower apparent Km for phenazine methosulfate than the parent particles. The decline of both the turnover number and of the Km occurs during the brief period when the enzyme is detached from the membrane. The observed values represent the activities in the soluble extract of both the reconstitutively active and reconstitutively inactive enzyme. The latter may be from 10 to 40% even in the most carefully prepared enzyme; it has a lower turnover number in the phenazine methosulfate assay than the average for the solution and is devoid of catalytic activity in the "low Km" ferricyanide assay (Vinogradov, A. D., Ackrell, B.A.C., and Singer, T.P. (1975) Biochem. Biophys. Res. Commun. 67, 803-809). The reconstitutively active form of the soluble enzyme has a turnover number of at least 15,000 and an equal activity in the low Km ferricyamide assay. When recombined with the membrane the total activity of the enzyme is increased by over 60% and it regains the original turnover number, Km for phenazine methosulfate, and sensitivity of the phenazine methosulfate reductase activity to thenoyltrifluoroacetone, carboxamides, and cyanide. It appears, therefore, that the membrane environment or some component of it exerts a positive modulating influence on the enzyme even in the fully activated state. In certain particulate sources (Keilin-Hartree preparations, Complex II) the enzyme shows lower turnover numbers (11,000 to 12,500) than in more intact inner membranes. This seems to be due to inactivation in the course of preparation and, in the case of Complex II, in part also to loss of the normal membrane environment or of a membrane component, possibly Q-10, during isolation.

Animals↗