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Inactivation of the endogenous argininosuccinate lyase activity of duck delta-crystallin by modification of an essential histidine residue with diethyl pyrocarbonate.

The argininosuccinate lyase activity of duck delta-crystallin was inactivated by diethyl pyrocarbonate at 0 degrees C and pH 7.5. The inactivation followed pseudo-first-order kinetics after appropriate correction for the decomposition of the reagent during the modification period. The plot of the observed pseudo-first-order rate constant versus diethyl pyrocarbonate concentration in the range of 0.17-1.7 mM was linear and went through the origin with a second-order rate constant of 1.45 +/- 0.1 M-1.s-1. The double-logarithmic plot was also linear, with slope of 1.13, which suggested a 1:1 stoichiometry for the reaction between diethyl pyrocarbonate and delta-crystallin. L-Arginine, L-norvaline or L-citrulline protected the argininosuccinate lyase activity of delta-crystallin from diethyl pyrocarbonate inactivation. The dissociation constants for the delta-crystallin-L-arginine and delta-crystallin-L-citrulline binary complexes, determined by the protection experiments, were 4.2 +/- 0.2 and 0.12 +/- 0.04 mM respectively. Fumarate alone had no protective effect. However, fumarate plus L-arginine gave synergistic protection with a ligand binding interacting factor of 0.12 +/- 0.02. The double-protection data conformed to a random Uni Bi kinetic mechanism. Fluorescence-quenching studies indicated that the modified delta-crystallin had minimum, if any, conformational changes as compared with the native delta-crystallin. Inactivation of the enzyme activity was accompanied by an increasing absorbance at 240 nm of the protein. The absorption near 280 nm did not change. Treatment of the modified protein with hydroxylamine regenerated the enzyme activity to the original level. These results strongly indicated the modification of an essential histidine residue. Calculation from the 240 nm absorption changes indicated that only one histidine residue per subunit was modified by the reagent. This super-active histidine residue has a pKa value of approximately 6.8 and acts as a general acid-base catalyst in the enzyme reaction mechanism. Our experimental data are compatible with an E1cB mechanism [Raushel (1984) Arch. Biochem. Biophys. 232, 520-525] for the argininosuccinate lyase with the essential histidine residue close to the arginine-binding domain of delta-crystallin. L-Citrulline, after binding to this domain, might form an extra hydrogen bond with the essential histidine residue.

Animals↗

Modification of the insulin receptor by diethyl pyrocarbonate: effect on insulin binding and action.

Insulin binding to rat liver plasma membranes is inhibited in a time- and dose-dependent fashion by prior treatment of membranes with the histidine-specific reagent diethyl pyrocarbonate. If all receptors are occupied by unlabeled hormone during diethyl pyrocarbonate treatment, no inhibition of 125I-labeled insulin binding is observed folowing washout of unlabeled hormone and unreacted reagent. Scatchard analysis of the binding inhibtion due to diethyl pyrocarbonate reveals a loss in receptor number rather than a change in receptor affinity for hormone. Fat cells treated with diethyl pyrocarbonate exhibit a rightward shift in the dose-response relationship for insulin-stimulated glucose oxidation consistent with a loss in receptor number due to the reagent. The pH profile for inhibition of insulin binding by diethyl pyrocarbonate and the partial reversibility of this inhibition by hydroxylamine are consistent with modification of a histidine residue. These results suggest that a histidine residue at or near the receptor binding site is required for formation of the biologically relevant insulin - receptor complex.

Adipose Tissue↗

Effect of diethyl pyrocarbonate modification on spectral and steady-state kinetic properties of bovine heart cytochrome oxidase.

The histidine-specific reagent diethyl pyrocarbonate has been used to chemically modify bovine heart cytochrome oxidase. Thirty-two of sixty-seven histidine residues of cytochrome oxidase are accessible to modification by diethyl pyrocarbonate. Effects on the Soret and alpha bands of the heme spectrum indicate disturbance in the environment of one or both of the heme groups. However, diethyl pyrocarbonate modification does not alter the 830-nm absorbance band, suggesting that the environment of CuA is unchanged. Maximal modification of cytochrome oxidase by diethyl pyrocarbonate results in loss of 85-90% of the steay-state electron transfer activity, which can be reversed by hydroxylamine treatment. However, modification of the first 20 histidines does not alter either activity or the heme spectrum, but only when 32 residues have been modified are the activity and heme spectral changes complete. The steady-state kinetic profile of fully modified oxidase is monophasic; the phase corresponding to tight cytochrome c binding and low turnover is retained, whereas the high turnover phase is abolished. Proteoliposomes incorporated with modified oxidase have a 65% lower respiratory control ratio and 40% lower proton pumping stoichiometry than liposomes containing unmodified oxidase. These results are discussed in terms of a redox-linked proton pumping model for energy coupling via cytochrome oxidase.

Animals↗

Enthalpy and enzyme activity of modified histidine residues of adenosine deaminase and diethyl pyrocarbonate complexes.

Kinetic and thermodynamic studies have been made on the effect of diethyl pyrocarbonate as a histidine modifier on the active site of adenosine deaminase in 50 mM sodium phosphate buffer pH 6.8, at 27 degrees C using UV spectrophotometry and isothermal titration calorimetry (ITC). Inactivation of adenosine deaminase by diethyl pyrocarbonate is correlated with modification of histidyl residues. The number of modified histidine residues complexed to active site of adenosine deaminase are equivalent to 4. The number and energy of histidine binding sets are determined by enthalpy curve, which represents triple stages. These stages are composed of 3,1 and 1 sites of histidyl modified residues at diethyl pyrocarbonate concentrations, 0.63, 1.8, 3.3 mM. The heat contents corresponding to the first, second and third sets are found to be 18000, 22000 and 21900 kJ mol(-1) respectively.

Adenosine Deaminase↗

The reaction of a histidine residue in glutamate dehydrogenase with diethyl pyrocarbonate.

1. One mol of diethyl pyrocarbonate will react with one mol of glutamate dehydrogenase polypeptide chains to form one mol of N(1)-carbethoxyhistidine. Reaction is prevented by NADH. 2. The 1:1 complex has an increased specific activity (1.4-2.0-fold). 3. The reason for the activation is discussed. The results are not consistent with NADH dissociation from the enzyme-glutamate-NADH complex being rate-limiting in the steady state measured. 4. The effects of modification on the properties of the enzyme were investigated. The effects of GTP and NAD(+) on the enzyme activity are unaltered by activation. NADH binding is unaltered and there is no apparent change in the molecular weight. However, the activated enzyme can still be further activated by ADP. K(s) for ADP is decreased fivefold.

Adenosine Diphosphate↗

Purification of RNA from animal cells using diethyl-pyrocarbonate.

Extraction of RNA from animal cells by a method using diethyl-pyrocarbonate yielded 50-60% of the total RNA. RNA purified by a hot phenol-SDS method from adenovirus 2 infected cells showed about 9% homology with adenovirus DNA, and RNA purified by diethyl-pyrocarbonate-SDS showed over 7% hybridization. Profiles of RNA prepared by both methods were identical when studied by polyacrylamide gel electrophoresis.

Adenoviridae↗

Modification of lactate oxidase with diethyl pyrocarbonate. Evidence for an active-site histidine residue.

1. Diethyl pyrocarbonate inactivated l-lactate oxidase from Mycobacterium smegmatis. 2. Two histidine residues underwent ethoxycarbonylation when the enzyme was treated with sufficient reagent to abolish more than 90% of the enzyme activity, but analyses of the inactivation showed that the modification of one histidine residue was sufficient to cause the loss of enzyme activity. The rates of enzyme inactivation and histidine modification were the same. 3. Substrate and competitive inhibitors decreased the maximum extent of inactivation to a 50% loss of enzyme activity and modification was decreased from 1.9 to 0.75-1.2 histidine residues modified/molecule of FMN. 4. Treatment of the enzyme with diethyl [(14)C]pyrocarbonate (labelled in the carbonyl groups) confirmed that only histidine residues were modified under the conditions used and that deacylation of the ethoxycarbonylhistidine residues by hydroxylamine was concomitant with the removal of the (14)C label and the re-activation of the enzyme. 5. No evidence was found for modification of tryptophan, tyrosine or cysteine residues, and no difference was detected between the conformation and subunit structure of the modified and native enzyme. 6. Modification of the enzyme with diethyl pyrocarbonate did not alter the following properties: the binding of competitive inhibitors, bisulphite and substrate or the chemical reduction of the flavin group to the semiquinone or fully reduced states. The normal reduction of the flavin by lactate was, however, abolished.

Binding, Competitive↗

Histidine-254 is essential for the inactivation of phosphotriesterase with the alkynyl phosphate esters and diethyl pyrocarbonate.

The alkynyl phosphate ester, 1-hexynyl diethyl phosphate (I), is a mechanism-based inhibitor of phosphotriesterase. It has been previously determined that a histidine residue in the wild-type phosphotriesterase is covalently modified by this compound. In order to identify which of the seven histidine residues in the native enzyme are required for inactivation, the kinetic properties of phosphotriesterase mutants with this suicide substrate were examined in detail. Six of the seven mutants (histidine to asparagine) were rapidly inactivated by I. The mutants H55N, H57N, and H230N also showed partition ratios that were lower than for the wild-type enzyme. The rate of inactivation of H201N was significantly slower than that of wild-type phosphotriesterase. The H254N mutant could not be inactivated; no more than 60% of the initial activity was lost, even at I/E0 ratios of 4000:1. These results suggest that His-254 is essential for the inactivation of phosphotriesterase and is likely to be the primary target in the wild-type enzyme for modification by I. The inactivation of wild-type phosphotriesterase and the seven mutants was also studied using diethyl pyrocarbonate, a histidine selective reagent. The second-order rate constant for the inactivation of wild-type phosphotriesterase was determined to be 1.3 M-1 min-1. The rate constants for the inactivation of the H55N, H57N, H201N, and H230N mutants were larger than for the wild-type enzyme. Thus, it appears that when these histidine residues are replaced by asparagine, other histidine residues in the active site become more susceptible to modification, resulting in a faster rate of inactivation. The mutant H254N was not inactivated in the presence of DEPC.(ABSTRACT TRUNCATED AT 250 WORDS)

Alkynes↗

Diethyl pyrocarbonate inhibits rostral ventrolateral medullary H+ sensitivity.

Diethyl pyrocarbonate (DEPC), an acylating agent that reacts with imidazole-histidine in vitro, inhibits CO2 sensitivity when applied by pledget to the rostral chemosensitive area on the ventrolateral medullary (VLM) surface in glomectomized, chloralose-urethan-anesthetized cats. In this study similar application of DEPC inhibits the phrenic nerve response to CO2 expressed as a function of VLM [H+] measured by surface pH electrode. Attempts to evaluate direct chemoreceptor stimulation by HCL-soaked surface pledgets proved difficult, but rostral DEPC did inhibit the response to intravenous infusion of HCl. As previously reported, the CO2 and intravenous H+ responses are not a unique function of the VLM [H+]. DEPC had similar inhibitory effects on both the CO2 and the intravenous H+ responses, suggesting that the difference between them may reflect more the orientation or accessibility of the central chemoreceptor than a different mechanism for sensing CO2 vs. H+. DEPC did not alter the phrenic nerve response to hypoxia, indicating that DEPC effects on central chemoreception are not the result of a generalized inhibitory process. The results support the hypothesis that imidazolehistidine is involved at the rostral area with chemoreception of both CO2 and H+.

Animals↗

Diethyl pyrocarbonate inactivates CD39/ecto-ATPDase by modifying His-59.

Diethyl pyrocarbonate (DEPC) in conditions that favour carbethoxylation of histidyl residues strongly inactivated E-type ATPase activity of a rat lung membrane preparation, as well as ecto-ATPase activity of rat vessels and human Epstein-Barr virus-transformed B lymphocytes. Inactivation of the enzyme (up to 70%) achieved at concentrations of DEPC below 0.5 mM could be fully reversed by 200 mM hydroxylamine at pH 7.5, thus confirming histidine-selective modification. UTP effectively protected the enzyme activity from DEPC inactivation. This was taken to indicate that the conformation adopted by the enzyme molecule upon substrate binding was not compatible with DEPC reaching and/or modifying the relevant histidyl residue. Substrate activation curves were interpreted to show the enzyme molecule to be inactive, at all substrate concentrations tested, when the target histidyl residue had been modified by DEPC. Comparison of known sequences of CD39-like ecto-ATP(D)ases with the results on inactivation by DEPC revealed His-59 and His-251 (according to the human CD39 sequence) as equally possible targets of the inactivating DEPC modification. Potato apyrase lacks a homologue for the former residue, while the latter is preserved in the enzyme sequence. Therefore, this enzyme was exposed to DEPC, and since hydrolysis of ATP and ADP by potato apyrase was insensitive to modification with DEPC, it was concluded that His-59 is the essential residue in CD39 that is affected by DEPC modification in a way that causes inactivation of the enzyme.

Adenosine Triphosphatases↗

Kidney brush-border membrane transporters: differential sensitivity to diethyl pyrocarbonate.

The effects of the histidine modifier, diethyl pyrocarbonate (DEPC), on brush-border membrane transport systems were studied in rat kidney. DEPC caused a strong inhibition of sodium-dependent phosphate and D-glucose uptake. Phosphate uptake remained linear up to 10 s in control and DEPC-treated membrane vesicles. The D-glucose carrier was more sensitive than the phosphate carrier with half-times of inhibition being 4 and 7 min, respectively. Sodium-independent phosphate and D-glucose uptake remained unaffected by DEPC. Intravesicular volume and two enzyme activities endogenous to the luminal membrane (alkaline phosphatase and aminopeptidase M) remained unaffected by DEPC. Increasing the preincubation pH from 5 to 9 increased phosphate transport inhibition caused by DEPC from 73 to 88% in the presence of DEPC. Hydroxylamine was able to completely reverse phosphate uptake inhibition by DEPC (100%), but only partially reversed the D-glucose uptake inhibition (16%). Sodium or substrate (D-glucose or phosphate) in the preincubation media were unable to protect their respective carriers from DEPC. Sodium-dependent transport of L-glutamine, L-phenylalanine, L-leucine, L-alanine, L-glycine, beta-alanine and L-proline were inhibited at different levels ranging from 70 to 90%. Three transport processes were found insensitive to DEPC modification: L-glutamate, L-lysine and D-fructose. None of the amino acid transporters was protected against DEPC by sodium and/or their respective substrates. Sodium influx was inhibited by DEPC (47%) in the absence of any substrate. Our results show a differential sensitivity of sodium-dependent transporters to DEPC and suggest an important role for histidine residues in the molecular mechanisms of these transporters. More experiments are in progress to further characterize the residue(s) involved in these transport inhibitions by DEPC.

Amino Acids↗

Effect of cysteinesulfinate on fatty acid-dependent uncoupling: modulation of recoupling by substrates of the aspartate/glutamate antiporter and diethyl pyrocarbonate.

The action of cysteinesulfinate, the substrate of the aspartate/glutamate antiporter on the palmitate-induced uncoupling in rat liver mitochondria and the recoupling effect of glutamate, aspartate, and diethyl pyrocarbonate was studied. In the presence of palmitate and an inhibitor of the ADP/ATP-antiporter carboxyatractylate, cysteinesulfinate exerted a relatively week recoupling effect. However, it significantly decreased the recoupling action of glutamate, aspartate, and diethyl pyrocarbonate. In the presence of cysteinesulfinate, these compounds caused recoupling at higher concentrations. The data show that the recoupling action of glutamate, aspartate, and diethyl pyrocarbonate is due to their interaction with the aspartate/glutamate antiporter. The data also confirm the suggestion that this anion carrier is involved in the uncoupling action of fatty acids.

Animals↗

Modification of histidine 56 in adrenodoxin with diethyl pyrocarbonate inhibited the interaction with cytochrome P-450scc and adrenodoxin reductase.

Three histidine residues of bovine adrenodoxin, His-10, His-56, and His-62, were modified with diethyl pyrocarbonate. The order of the modification among the three histidines were monitored by measuring the proton NMR spectra. The modified adrenodoxin exhibited reduced affinity for adrenodoxin reductase as determined in cytochrome c reductase activity. In the presence of cholesterol, the modified adrenodoxin induced a high spin form of cytochrome P-450scc on complex formation in the same manner as native adrenodoxin. The spectral titration showed that adrenodoxin modified with diethyl pyrocarbonate exhibited a 5-fold higher Kd value than that of native adrenodoxin. These effects of the modification of adrenodoxin on the affinities for the redox partners were not proportional to the number of modified histidines determined by the optical absorbance change at 240 nm. Modification of adrenodoxin up to 2 histidine residues did not affect the affinity for the redox partners, but further modification on the third one resulted in an increase of apparent Km in cytochrome c reductase activity by 2-fold and of Kd for cytochrome P-450scc by 5-fold. The 1H NMR spectra of the modified adrenodoxin unequivocally demonstrated that histidine residues at His-10 and His-62 reacted more readily with diethyl pyrocarbonate than His-56 did, indicating that modification of His-56 was responsible for the reduction of binding affinities of adrenodoxin for redox partners. These results are consistent with the proposal that the residue of His-56 in adrenodoxin has an essential role in the electron transfer mechanism where adrenodoxin functions as a mobile shuttle.

Adrenodoxin↗

Binding of triethyltin to cat haemoglobin and modification of the binding sites by diethyl pyrocarbonate.

Cat haemoglobin binds 2 mol of triethyltin/mol of haemoglobin. Pretreatment of the haemoglobin with diethyl pyrocarbonate at pH6.0 prevents binding to one site only, whereas photo-oxidation with Methylene Blue removes both sites. Pretreatment of rat haemoglobin with diethyl pyrocarbonate also leads to the loss of one binding site. The possibility is discussed that the two binding sites for triethyltin on both cat and rat haemoglobin have a different chemical nature.

Animals↗

Benzodiazepine agonists protect a histidine residue from modification by diethyl pyrocarbonate whereas propyl beta-carboline does not.

The pH sensitivity of benzodiazepine binding suggests that a histidine residue may be present in, or close to the benzodiazepine binding site. This was confirmed by the selective modification of histidine residues using diethyl pyrocarbonate which was found to block both benzodiazepine and beta-carboline binding. In order to assess whether this histidine residue is located in or adjacent to the benzodiazepine and beta-carboline binding sites, experiments were performed using either benzodiazepine or beta-carboline to protect against diethyl pyrocarbonate treatment. It was found that benzodiazepine agonists, but not propyl beta-carboline protect the benzodiazepine binding sites from diethyl pyrocarbonate modification.

Animals↗

Diethyl pyrocarbonate: a chemical probe for secondary structure in negatively supercoiled DNA.

Purine residues located within regions of DNA that have the potential to form left-handed Z-helical structures are modified preferentially by diethyl pyrocarbonate; this hyperreactivity is dependent on the degree of negative superhelicity of the circular DNA molecules. As negative superhelical density increases, guanosines in a 32-base-pair alternating G-C sequence and adenosines (but not guanosines) in a 64-base-pair alternating A-C/G-T sequence become 5- to 10-fold more reactive to diethyl pyrocarbonate. The negative superhelical densities at which enhanced reactivity occurs are similar to those reported for the point at which left-handed helices form within plasmids carrying these DNA sequences. Probing of negatively supercoiled pBR322 with diethyl pyrocarbonate reveals a hyperreactive region 31 base pairs in length of which only 9 base pairs are a perfect alternating purine and pyrimidine sequence; the reactivity of purines within this sequence indicates that purines in the anti conformation, or guanosines in the syn conformation with neighboring 3' thymidines, are not hyperreactive in the Z-DNA form.

Adenosine↗

Diethyl pyrocarbonate: formation of urethan in treated beverages.

Isotope dilution analyses with tritium-labeled diethyl pyrocarbonate show that the carcinogen urethan is formed in orange juice, white wine, and beer. Commercial use of the antimicrobial food additive diethyl pyrocarbonate can result in urethan concentrations of 0.1 to 0.2 milligram per liter in orange juice and of the order of 1 milligram per liter in white wine and beer.

Ammonia↗