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Biomedical subjects

D O Hall

Publications and source records attributed to D O Hall.

At least 73 records · Page 4Linked to original sources

The effect of dimethyl sulphoxide on electron transport in chloroplasts.

The effect of DMSO (dimethyl sulphoxide) on electron transport in chloroplast membranes has been studied. It has been found that concentrations of DMSO up to 20% (v/v) do not inhibit electron transport in freshly isolated chloroplasts, but that higher concentrations start to cause inhibition. However, in chloroplasts that have been aged for 8 to 24 hours by storage at 4 degrees C, the addition of DMSO at concentrations up to 20% causes stimulation of electron transport. Possible mechanisms for this effect are discussed.

Chloroplasts↗

Phosphorylation in isolated chloroplasts coupled to dichlorophenyldimethylurea-insensitive silicomolybdate reduction.

1. The electron transport in isolated chloroplasts with silicomolybdate as electron acceptor has been reinvestigated. The silicomolybdate reduction has been directly measured as deltaA750 or indirectly as O2 evolution (in the presence or absence of ferricyanide). 2. Silicomolybdate-dependent O2 evolution is inhibited to a similar extent by 3-(3,4-dichlorophenyl) 1, 1-dimethylurea (DCMU) or dibromothymoquinone (DBMIB), indicating the existence of two different sites of silicomolybdate reduction: one before the DCMU block (i.e. at Photosystem II) and one after the DBMIB block (i.e. at Photosystem I). 3. Silicomolybdate-dependent O2 evolution is coupled to ATP synthesis with an ATP/2e- ratio of 1.0 to 1.1. The presence of ferricyanide inhibits this ATP synthesis (ATP/2e- ratio then is about 0.3). 4. Silicomolybdate-dependent O2 evolution is also coupled to ATP-synthesis in the presence of DCMU with an ATP/2e- ratio of 0.6-0.8 characteristic of Site II; in this case the electron transport itself is not affected by uncouplers or energy-transfer inhibitors. 5. The data are interpreted as a further demonstration that the water-splitting reaction is responsible for the conservation of energy at Photosystem II.

Adenosine Triphosphate↗

Amino acid sequence of a four-iron-four-sulphur ferredoxin isolated from Bacillus stearothermophilus.

1. The primary structure of a 4Fe-4S ferredoxin from Bacillus stearothermophilus was determined and shown to consist of a single polypeptide chain of 81 amino acid residues. The molecular weight of the holoprotein is about 9120. 2. There are only four cysteine residues in the molecule; three of these are located near the N-terminus as a Cys-X-X-Cys-X-X-Cys segment, and the fourth cysteine residue is followed by a proline and located in the C-terminal half. 3. The Fe-S chromophore in B. stearothermophilus ferredoxin was previously well characterized and was shown to consist of a single 4Fe-4S cluster. This ferredoxin sequence establishes for the first time the relative location of the four cysteine residues necessary to bind the 4Fe-4S cluster of a 4Fe ferredoxin, and is in agreement with the criteria for the relative positions of the cysteines proposed from X-ray-crystallographic studies on an 8Fe (two 4Fe-4S clusters) ferredoxin. 4. The sequence of B. stearothermophilus ferredoxin is homologous in many segments to that of other bacterial ferredoxins, the degree of homology being greater towards ferredoxins from Desulfovibrio gigas and photosynthetic bacteria than to Clostridial ferredoxins. 5. The presence of a relatively higher number of glutamic acid and lower number of cysteine residues in the molecule may explain the greater thermal stability and oxygen-insenstivity of this ferredoxin.

Amino Acid Sequence↗

Purification and physicochemical properties of superoxide dismutase from two photosynthetic microorganisms.

Superoxide dismutase (EC 1.15.1.1) has been isolated and characterised from the blue-green alga Spirulina platensis and from aerobically-grown Rhodopseudomonas spheroides, a purple, non-sulphur bacterium. The former enzyme contains 1 gatom of iron and the latter 1 gatom of manganese per mol; both enzymes have a molecular weight of 37 000-38 000, being composed of two non-covalently joined subunits of equal size. Various spectral studies have been carried out including absorbance, circular dichroism and electron spin resonance. Catalytic activity has been studied as a function of pH and shows a decrease at alkaline pH values. The manganoenzyme is generally more stable to various potentially denaturing conditions and is resistant to inactivation by hydrogen peroxide. Amino acid compositions and N-terminal residue determinations are presented.

Aerobiosis↗

Spin lattice relaxation and exchange interaction in a 2-iron, 2-sulphur protein.

A two-iron-two-sulphur non-haem iron protein, the ferredoxin from Spirulina maxima, has been studied by means of electron paramagnetic resonance (EPR) in the range where the spectrum loses resolution with increasing temperature. The spin-lattice relaxation times were deduced from linewidths measured by spectral simulation and their variation as a function of temperature is interpreted in terms of an Orbach mechanism. On this basis, the exchange integral between the two iron atoms, assuming as antiferromagnetic interaction between them, is estimated to be - 83 cm-1.

Computers↗

Site specific inhibition by alpha-benzyl-alpha-bromomalodinitrile (BBMD) of electron transport in spinach chloroplasts.

The addition of alpha-benzyl-alpha-bromomalodinitrile to different controlled states (non-phosphorylating [2]. phosphorylating [3], ATP-inhibited [4] and uncoupled) of photosynthetic electron transport to ferricyanide or benzoquinone demonstrate a significant inhibition in isolated spinach chloroplasts. alpha-Benzyl-alpha-bromomalodinitrile pretreatement of isolated chloroplasts or addition of alpha-benzyl-alpha-bromomalodinitrile at the onset of illumination completely abolished the O2 evolving reaction. The level of the steady state fluorescence in intact chloroplasts showed a alpha-benzyl-alpha-bromomalodinitrile concentration-dependent increase. The gradual decrease in the reoxidation capacity of the reduced quencher, Q with increasing alpha-benzyl-alpha-bromomalodinitrile concentrations provides evidence for an additional inhibitory site for alpha-benzyl-alpha-bromomalodinitrile between the two photosystems.

Ammonia↗

A new plant-type ferredoxin from halobacteria.

A stable, 2Fe-type ferredoxin has been prepared from Halobacterium halobium and purified by chromatography. A similar ferredoxin was also found in three other Halobacteria. The ferredoxin is present in large amounts-about 1 percent of the total soluble protein. From amino acid composition a molecular weight of 14800 +/- 200 was calculated. The ferredoxin was found to contain two atoms each of iron and sulphide. The midpoint redox potential of the protein is about -345 mV. The electron paramagnetic resonance spectrum of the reduced form shows much similarity to plant and algal ferredoxins with gx = 1.90, gy = 1.97 and gz = 2.07. The same similarity is observed in the optical absorption, optical rotatory dispersion and circular dichroism spectra. However it does not seem to mediate electron transport in the NADP-photoreduction system of chloroplasts. Extracts of the bacterial cells catalyze the reduction of the ferredoxin by NADH.

Amino Acids↗

Modification of the automated sequence determination as applied to the sequence determination of the Spirulina maxima ferredoxin.

The amino acid sequence of the Spirulina maxima ferredoxin was shown to be: H2N-Ala-Thr-Tyr-Lys-Val-Thr-Leu-Ile-Ser-Glu-Ala-Glu-Gly-Ile-Asn-Glu-Thr-Ile-Asp-Cys-Asp-Asp-Asp-Thr-Tyr-Ile-Leu-Asp-Ala-Ala-Glu-Glu-Ala-Gly-Leu-Asp-Leu-Pro-Tyr-Ser-Cys-Arg-Ala-Gly-Ala-Cys-Ser-Thr-Cys-Ala-Gly-Lys-Ile-Thr-Ser-Gly-Ser-Ile-Asp-Gln-Ser-Asp-Gln-Ser-Phe-Leu-Asp-Asp-asp-Gln-Ile-Gln-Ala-Gly-Tyr-Val-Leu-Thr-Cys-Val-Ala-Tyr-Pro-Thr-Ser-Asp-Cys-Thr-Ile-Gln-Thr-His-Gln-Glu-Glu-Gly-Leu-Tyr-COOH. The S. maxima ferredoxin is the first procaryote ferredoxin of the plant-algal type to be reported. A modification of the automated sequence determination of a peptide, which was extracted by the organic solvents used to remove excess reagents and the amino acid thiazoline, was utilized to complete the sequence of a 36 residue tryptic peptide.

Amino Acid Sequence↗