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A hydrolase enzyme inactivating endogenous ligands for cannabinoid receptors.

Cannabinoids are psychoactive components of marijuana, and bind to specific G protein-coupled receptors in the brain and other mammalian tissues. Anandamide (arachidonoylethanolamide) was discovered as an endogenous agonist for the cannabinoid receptors. Hydrolysis of anandamide to arachidonic acid and ethanolamine results in the loss of its biological activities. The enzyme responsible for this hydrolysis was solubilized, partially purified from the microsomes of porcine brain, and referred to as anandamide amidohydrolase. In addition to the anandamide hydrolysis, the enzyme preparation catalyzed anandamide synthesis by the condensation of arachidonic acid with ethanolamine. Several lines of enzymological evidence suggested that a single enzyme catalyzes both the hydrolysis and synthesis of anandamide. This reversibility was confirmed by the use of a recombinant enzyme of rat liver overexpressed in COS-7 cells. However, in consideration of the high Km value for ethanolamine as a substrate for the anandamide synthesis, the enzyme was presumed to act as a hydrolase rather than a synthase under physiological conditions. The recombinant enzyme acted not only as an amidase hydrolyzing anandamide and other fatty acid amides but also as an esterase hydrolyzing methyl ester of arachidonic acid. 2-Arachidonoylglycerol, which was found recently to be another endogenous ligand, was also efficiently hydrolyzed by the esterase activity of the same enzyme. The anandamide hydrolase and synthase activities were detected in a variety of rat organs, and liver showed by far the highest activities. A high anandamide hydrolase activity was also detected in small intestine but only after the homogenate was precipitated with acetone to remove endogenous lipids inhibiting the enzyme activity. The distribution of mRNA of the enzyme was in agreement with that of the enzyme activity.

Amidohydrolases↗

Sensitive determination of anandamide in rat brain utilizing a coupled-column HPLC with fluorimetric detection.

A fluorimetric determination method for N-arachidonoylethanolamine (anandamide) was developed using a precolumn fluorescence derivatization followed by coupled-column high-performance liquid chromatography (HPLC). Anandamide extracted from the rat brain tissue was derivatized with 4-N-chloroformylmethyl-N-methylamino-7-N, N-dimethylaminosulfonyl-2,1,3-benzoxadiazole (DBD-COCl), purified by a solid-phase extraction (Emporetrade mark), and assayed by the coupled-column HPLC. The HPLC consisted of phenyl (100 x 4.6 mm i.d. ) and octadecylsilica columns (250 x 4.6 mm i.d.), both connected by a six-port valve. The concentration of anandamide in rat brain was 3. 37 +/- 0.73 pmol/g with 6.47 and 3.57% of intra- and inter-day precisions, respectively. Using this method, we investigated the alteration of anandamide concentration in rat brain 30 min after administration of anandamide (2 mg/kg, i.p.) to rats pretreated with or without phenylmethylsulfonyl fluoride (PMSF; 30 mg/kg, i.p.), an inhibitor of amidohydrolase. In rats pretreated with PMSF, the brain concentration of anandamide was approx. 16-fold higher than that of rats without PMSF (p < 0.01).

Animals↗

A two-step, one-pot enzymatic synthesis of cephalexin from D-phenylglycine nitrile.

A cascade of two enzymatic transformations is employed in a one-pot synthesis of cephalexin. The nitrile hydratase (from R. rhodochrous MAWE)-catalyzed hydration of D-phenylglycine nitrile to the corresponding amide was combined with the penicillin G acylase (penicillin amidohydrolase, E.C. 3.5.1.11)-catalyzed acylation of 7-ADCA with the in situ-formed amide to afford a two-step, one-pot synthesis of cephalexin. D-Phenylglycine nitrile appeared to have a remarkable selective inhibitory effect on the penicillin G acylase, resulting in a threefold increase in the synthesis/hydrolysis (S/H) ratio. 1,5-Dihydroxynaphthalene, when added to the reaction mixture, cocrystallized with cephalexin. The resulting low cephalexin concentration prevented its chemical as well as enzymatic degradation; cephalexin was obtained at 79% yield with an S/H ratio of 7.7.

Acetonitriles↗

Characterization of sand as a support for immobilized enzymes.

The potential of sand as a support for immobilized enzymes was investigated by preparing alkylamine sand and devising methods to measure the total number of amine groups present and the fraction available for immobilization of enzymes. Alcohol dehydrogenase (alcohol: NAD oxidoreductase, EC 1.1.1.1.) and lactate dehydrogenase (L-lactate:NAD oxidoreductase, EC 1.1.1.27) were immobilized on alkylamine sand, and the stability of the immobilized protein and dehydrogenase activity was measured. Urease (urea amidohydrolase, EC 3.5.1.5) was also immobilized on sand to test the applicability of these methods to larger scale immobilizations. Results suggest that sand shows promise as a support for immobilized enzymes.

Alcohol Oxidoreductases↗

Urease bound to chitin with glutaraldehyde.

The enzyme urease (urea amidohydrolase, EC 3.5.1.5) prepared from Cajanus indicus, has been immobilized with glutaraldehyde-treated chitin as the solid support. The immobilized enzyme was characterized by determining the pH profiles and optimum temperature. Effect of glutaraldehyde concentration on the binding of enzyme to chitin was studied. The storage stability of the chitin-urease system was determined.

Aldehydes↗

Characterisation of new strains of atrazine-degrading Nocardioides sp. isolated from Japanese riverbed sediment using naturally derived river ecosystem.

A Gram-positive bacterial strain able to degrade the herbicide atrazine was isolated using a simple model ecosystem constituted with Japanese riverbed sediment and its associated water (microcosm). Treatment of the water phase of the microcosm with 1 mg litre-1 [ring-14C]atrazine resulted in the rapid degradation of atrazine after a 10 day lag phase period. The [ring-14C]cyanuric acid formed was transiently accumulated as an intermediary metabolite in the water phase and was subsequently mineralised through triazine ring cleavage. Possible atrazine-degrading microbes suspended in the water phase of the microcosm were isolated by the plating method while rapid degradation of atrazine was in progress. Among the 48 strains that were isolated, 47 exhibited atrazine-degrading activity. From these 47 isolates, 12 strains that were randomly selected were found to identically convert atrazine to cyanuric acid via hydroxyatrazine. Polymerase chain reaction (PCR) amplification of the genes corresponding to atrazine degradation revealed that these strains at least carried the genes trzN (atrazine chlorohydrolase from Nocardioides C190) and atzC (N-isopropylammelide isopropyl amidohydrolase from Pseudomonas ADP). Physiological characteristics and 16S rDNA partial sequences of six strains that were further selected strongly suggested that all these isolates originated from the same Nocardioides sp. strain. Additionally, only one isolate could mineralise the triazine ring of cyanuric acid. Based on microscopic observations, this strain appears to be a two-membered microbial consortium consisting of Nocardioides sp. and a Gram-negative bacterium. In conclusion, atrazine biodegradation in the microcosm appeared to occur predominantly by Nocardioides sp. to yield cyanuric acid, which could be mineralised by the other relatively ubiquitous microbes.

Actinomycetales↗

Ligand-induced conformational change in penicillin acylase.

The enzyme penicillin acylase (penicillin amidohydrolase EC 3.5.1. 11) catalyses the cleavage of the amide bond in the benzylpenicillin (penicillin G) side-chain to produce phenylacetic acid and 6-aminopenicillanic acid (6-APA). The enzyme is of great pharmaceutical importance, as the product 6-APA is the starting point for the synthesis of many semi-synthetic penicillin antibiotics. Studies have shown that the enzyme is specific for hydrolysis of phenylacetamide derivatives, but is more tolerant of features in the rest of the substrate. It is this property that has led to many other applications for the enzyme, and greater knowledge of the enzyme's structure and specificity could facilitate engineering of the enzyme, enhancing its potential for chemical and industrial applications. An extensive study of the binding of a series of phenylacetic acid derivatives has been carried out. A measure of the relative degree of inhibition of the enzyme by each of the compounds has been obtained using a competitive inhibition assay, and the structures of a number of these complexes have been determined by X-ray crystallography. The structures reveal a clear rationale for the observed kinetic results, but show also that some of the ligands cause a conformational change within the binding pocket. This change can generally be understood in terms of the size and orientation of the ligand within the active site.The results reveal that ligand binding in penicillin acylase is facilitated by certain amino acid residues that can adopt two distinct, energetically favourable positions in order to accommodate a variety of compounds within the active site. The structures of these complexes provide evidence for conformational changes in the substrate-binding region that may act as a switch in the mechanism of autocatalytic processing of this enzyme.

Catalytic Domain↗

Interaction of alpha 2-macroglobulin with L-asparaginase.

Obvious protection of the catalytic activity of Esch. coli L-asparaginase by alpha 2-macroglobulin (alpha 2M) was observed under conditions otherwise propitious to the dissociation of the tetrameric molecule into inactive subunits, i.e. very diluted enzyme solutions or the presence of either SDS or urea. The degree of protection depended on enzyme and alpha 2M concentrations respectively, and on the preincubation time of the alpha 2M-enzyme mixture prior to substrate addition. The formation of a catalytically active complex between alpha 2M and L-asparaginase was confirmed by gel filtration on a Sephadex-G column and by polyacrylamide gel electrophoresis. The fact that the migration distance of the active complex corresponded to the migration of alpha 2M and the absence in that case of a migration band corresponding to the intact molecule suggest that complexing of the enzyme with alpha 2M prevented its dissociation into subunits and thus its inactivation. Addition of alpha 2M to the already dissociated enzyme molecule did not restore its catalytic activity. Alpha2-macroglobulin was shown to have an inhibiting effect on the proteolytic activity of almost all proteases and no effect on their esterolytic activity. Furthermore, it prevents the inhibition of esterolytic activity by some natural compounds. The effect of alpha 2M on other types of catalytic activity has not been investigated enough to afford a generalization of the possible role of this macroglobulin in the control of enzyme activity in the body. This paper reports the results of an in vitro study of the effect of alpha 2M on the catalytic activity of an important amidase, i.e. L-asparaginase (L-asparagine amidohydrolase 3.5.1.1), which in recent years has been used in the treatment of acute lymphocytic leukemia in children.

Asparaginase↗

An asparaginase of Aspergillus nidulans is subject to oxygen repression in addition to nitrogen metabolite repression.

Of five amidohydrolase activities subject to nitrogen metabolite repression in Aspergillus nidulans, L-asparaginase shows clearest evidence of also being subject to repression by atmospheric oxygen. Such oxygen repressibility is only evident under nitrogen metabolite derepressed conditions. Asparaginase levels are also considerably elevated by areA300, an altered function allele of the positive acting wide domain regulatory gene areA mediating nitrogen metabolite repression and are drastically reduced by loss of function mutations in areA. A. nidulans has two L-asparaginase enzymes and it has been shown by the use of appropriate mutants that these regulatory effects are exerted on the expression of that specified by the ahrA gene but probably not that specified by the apnA gene.

Aerobiosis↗

Trichosporon adeninovorans sp. nov., a yeast species utilizing adenine, xanthine, uric acid, putrescine and primary n-alkylamines as the sole source of carbon, nitrogen and energy.

A new yeast species, Trichosporon adeninovorans, was isolated from soil by the enrichment culture method. Apart from adenine, the strain utilized uric acid, guanine, xanthine, hypoxanthine, 6,8-dihydroxypurine, putrescine, propylamine, butylamine, pentylamine, hexylamine and octylamine as sole source of carbon, nitrogen and energy. The structure of the cell wall of Tr. adeninovorans was ascomycetous. On the subcellular level growth on adenine or uric acid was accompanied with the development of microbodies in the cell. These cell organelles probably were the site of urate oxidase, an enzyme that, after growth on purine substrates, together with allantoinase was present at high activities. Low activities of adenine amidohydrolase and xanthine dehydrogenase were also demonstrated.

Adenine↗

Glutaminase activity in rat skeletal muscle mitochondria.

Isolated rat skeletal muscle mitochondria took up about 40-ng-atoms O per mg protein, with glutamine as the only respiratory substrate. The mitochondria incubated in the presence of glutamine and KCN formed both ammonia and glutamate in equivalent amounts. The experiments reported here provide suggestive evidence that rat skeletal muscle mitochondria contain glutaminase (L-glutamine amidohydrolase EC 3.5.1.2.) activity.

Ammonia↗

An inducible beta-lactamase in a strain of Escherichia coli.

The production of beta-lactamase (penicillin/cephalosporin beta-lactam amidohydrolase, E.C.3.5.2.6) was found to be inducible in a clinically isolated strain of Escherichia coli. This is the first report of an inducible beta-lactamase in E. coli. The optimal concentration of inducer was 400 mug/ml of ml of benzylpenicillin, or 800 mug/ml of 6-aminopenicillanic acid. About fiftyfold induction was achieved. Maximum induction took ninety minutes from the time of adding the inducer. Induction was abolished by the presence of chloramphenicol(10 mug/ml). The enzyme has a molecular wieght of 23,000, and is inhibited by rho-chloromercuribenzoate and by iodine. It is active against a wide range of substrates, including cephaloridine and cloxacillin.

Chloramphenicol↗

Effects of carbodiimide structure on the immobilization of enzymes.

A series of water-soluble disubstituted carbodiimides of different structure was tested for enzyme immobilization. In the experiments, a polyacrylamide-type bead polymer possessing carboxylic functional groups was used as support. The enzymes immobilized were aminoacylase (N-acylamino acid amidohydrolase; EC 3.5.1.14), arginase (L-arginine amidinohydrolase; EC 3.5.3.1), cyclodextrin glycosyltransferase (alpha-1,4-glucan 4-glycosyltransferase, cyclizing; EC 3.2.1.19), glucoamylase (1,4-alpha-D-glucan glycohydrolase, EC 3.2.1.3), and carboxypeptidase B (peptidyl-L-lysine [L-arginine] hydrolase; EC 3.4.17.2). It was found that the degree of immobilization strongly depended on the structure of carbodiimide used.

Biotechnology↗

Biodegradation of atrazine and related s-triazine compounds: from enzymes to field studies.

s-Triazine ring compounds are common industrial chemicals: pesticides, resin intermediates, dyes, and explosives. The fate of these compounds in the environment is directly correlated with the ability of microbes to metabolize them. Microbes metabolize melamine and the triazine herbicides such as atrazine via enzyme-catalyzed hydrolysis reactions. Hydrolytic removal of substituents on the s-triazine ring is catalyzed by enzymes from the amidohydrolase superfamily and yields cyanuric acid as an intermediate. Cyanuric acid is hydrolytically processed to yield 3 mol each of ammonia and carbon dioxide. In those cases studied, the genes underlying the hydrolytic reactions are localized to large catabolic plasmids. One such plasmid, pADP-1 from Pseudomonas sp. ADP, has been completely sequenced and contains the genes for atrazine catabolism. Insertion sequence elements play a role in constructing different atrazine catabolic plasmids in different bacteria. Atrazine chlorohydrolase has been purified to homogeneity from two sources. Recombinant Escherichia coli strains expressing atrazine chlorohydrolase have been constructed and chemically cross-linked to generate catalytic particles used for atrazine remediation in soil. The method was used for cleaning up a spill of 1,000 pounds of atrazine to attain a level of herbicide acceptable to regulatory agencies.

Atrazine↗

Beta-lactamase-free penicillin amidase from Alcaligenes sp.: isolation strategy, strain characteristics, and enzyme immobilization.

Isolation and characterization of a beta-lactamase (EC 3.5.2.6)-free, penicillin amidase (penicillin amidohydrolase, EC 3.5.1. 11)-producing organism is reported. The test strain was isolated by an enrichment technique with a substrate other than penicillins. The isolated strain belongs to the genus Alcaligenes. Phenylacetic acid was found to be the inducer of penicillin amidase. The amidase has a broad substrate spectrum. It is very active against penicillin G and semisynthetic cephalosporins, whereas penicillin V and semisynthetic penicillins acted moderately as a substrate. Immobilized cells of Alcaligenes sp. were shown to act as a reversible enzyme.

Alcaligenes↗

Co-occurrence of both L-asparaginase subtypes in Arabidopsis: At3g16150 encodes a K+-dependent L-asparaginase.

L-asparaginases (EC 3.5.1.1) are hypothesized to play an important role in nitrogen supply to sink tissues, especially in legume-developing seeds. Two plant L-asparaginase subtypes were previously identified according to their K(+)-dependence for catalytic activity. An L-asparaginase homologous to Lupinus K(+)-independent enzymes with activity towards beta-aspartyl dipeptides, At5g08100, has been previously characterized as a member of the N-terminal nucleophile amidohydrolase superfamily in Arabidopsis. In this study, a K(+)-dependent L-asparaginase from Arabidopsis, At3g16150, is characterized. The recombinants At3g16150 and At5g08100 share a similar subunit structure and conserved autoproteolytic pentapeptide cleavage site, commencing with the catalytic Thr nucleophile, as determined by ESI-MS. The catalytic activity of At3g16150 was enhanced approximately tenfold in the presence of K(+). At3g16150 was strictly specific for L-Asn, and had no activity towards beta-aspartyl dipeptides. At3g16150 also had an approximately 80-fold higher catalytic efficiency with L-Asn relative to At5g08100. Among the beta-aspartyl dipeptides tested, At5g08100 had a preference for beta-aspartyl-His, with catalytic efficiency comparable to that with L-Asn. The phylogenetic analysis revealed that At3g16150 and At5g08100 belong to two distinct subfamilies. The transcript levels of At3g16150 and At5g08100 were highest in sink tissues, especially in flowers and siliques, early in development, as determined by quantitative RT-PCR. The overlapping spatial patterns of expression argue for a partially redundant function of the enzymes. However, the high catalytic efficiency suggests that the K(+)-dependent enzyme may metabolize L-Asn more efficiently under conditions of high metabolic demand for N.

Amino Acid Sequence↗

Regulation of auxin transport by aminopeptidases and endogenous flavonoids.

The 1-N-naphthylphthalamic acid (NPA)-binding protein is a putative negative regulator of polar auxin transport that has been shown to block auxin efflux from both whole plant tissues and microsomal membrane vesicles. We previously showed that NPA is hydrolyzed by plasma-membrane amidohydrolases that co-localize with tyrosine, proline, and tryptophan-specific aminopeptidases (APs) in the cotyledonary node, hypocotyl-root transition zone and root distal elongation zone of Arabidopsis thaliana (L.) Heynh. seedlings. Moreover, amino acyl-beta-naphthylamide (aa-NA) conjugates resembling NPA in structure have NPA-like inhibitory activity on growth, suggesting a possible role of APs in NPA action. Here we report that the same aa-NA conjugates and the AP inhibitor bestatin also block auxin efflux from seedling tissue. Bestatin and, to a lesser extent, some aa-NA conjugates were more effective inhibitors of low-affinity specific [3H]NPA-binding than were the flavonoids quercetin and kaempferol but had no effect on high-affinity binding. Since the APs are inhibited by flavonoids, we compared the localization of endogenous flavonoids and APs in seedling tissue. A correlation between AP and flavonoid localization was found in 5- to 6-d-old seedlings. Evidence that these flavonoids regulate auxin accumulation in vivo was obtained using the flavonoid-deficient mutant, tt4. In whole-seedling [14C]indole-3-acetic acid transport studies, the pattern of auxin distribution in the tt4 mutant was shown to be altered. The defect appeared to be in auxin accumulation, as a considerable amount of auxin escaped from the roots. Treatment of the tt4 mutant with the missing intermediate naringenin restored normal auxin distribution and accumulation by the root. These results implicate APs and endogenous flavonoids in the regulation of auxin efflux.

Aminopeptidases↗

The 18O isotope effect in 13C nuclear magnetic resonance spectroscopy: mechanistic studies on asparaginase from Escherichia coli.

The mechanism of the enzyme asparaginase (L-asparagine amidohydrolase, EC 3.5.1.1) from Escherichia coli was examined using 13C NMR spectroscopy. The pH-dependent oxygen exchange reactions between water and aspartic acid were followed by use of the 18O isotope-induced shift of the resonance positions of directly bonded 13C nuclei. Both L-1- and L-1,4-[13C]aspartic acid were used in experiments with previously 18O-labeled aspartic acid, or in experiments involving the use of 18O-labeled solvent water. Asparaginase catalyzes a relatively efficient exchange between the oxygens of water and those on one carboxyl group of aspartic acid. Exchange at C-4 occurs rapidly but, within experimental error, no exchange at C-1 could be detected. These and related experiments involving the position of 18O incorporation during hydrolysis of aspartic acid beta-methyl ester are all consistent with possible acyl-enzyme mechanisms involving C-4, but do not support a free aspartic acid anhydride mechanism.

Asparaginase↗