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H H Martin

Publications and source records attributed to H H Martin.

At least 37 records · Page 2Linked to original sources

Purification of two DD-carboxypeptidases/transpeptidases with different penicillin sensitivities from Proteus mirabilis.

Two membrane-bound enzymes of Proteus mirabilis with the dual functions of peptidoglycan DD-carboxypeptidase and transpeptidase (named DD-carboxypeptidase/transpeptidase H and L) were isolated and purified by selective solubilization with the nonionic detergent Genapol X-100, affinity chromatography on matrix-bound ampicillin, and preparative isoelectric focusing in the presence of detergent. Purified enzymes H and L were, respectively, penicillin-binding proteins 4 and 5 among seven major penicillin-binding proteins present in P. mirabilis. The enzymes differed in the following properties. Enzyme H had an Mr of 49,000; isoelectric point at pH 8.2; high sensitivity to benzylpenicillin and permanent inactivation because of high stability of the enzyme-antibiotic complex EI* (half-life 300 min); fragmentation of benzylpenicillin with formation of phenylacetylglycine during the slow decay of EI*; it functioned as an endopeptidase on peptide-crosslinked side chains of peptidoglycan. Enzyme L had an Mr of 43 000; isoelectric point at pH 5.9; low sensitivity to benzylpenicillin and low stability of EI* (half-life 7.2 min) with rapid recovery of enzyme activity; no function as an endopeptidase. The properties of enzyme L were identical with those of the single active DD-carboxypeptidase found previously in the spheroplast L-form of P. mirabilis grown in the presence of benzylpenicillin. We conclude that the partial penicillin resistance of P. mirabilis, with growth as L-form and synthesis of peptide-crosslinked peptidoglycan, depends on the continuing fuction of enzyme L as a DD-carboxypeptidase and transpeptidase in the presence of the antibiotic.

Carboxypeptidases↗

Immunological characterization of two major proteins isolated from the outer membrane of Proteus mirabilis.

Two proteins with apparent molecular weights of 39,000 and 36,000 (M(r) 39,000 and M(r) 36,000, respectively) were isolated from the outer membrane of Proteus mirabilis 19. M(r) 36,000 was shown to be free of detectable amounts of the M(r) 39,000 protein by sodium dodecyl sulfate-polyacrylamide gel electrophoresis and free of lipopolysaccharide according to gas chromatographic analyses of 3-hydroxymyristic acid content. The M(r) 39,000 protein contained no detectable amount of lipopolysaccharide and only a trace of M(r) 36,000. Both isolated proteins gave strong reactions in antisera produced to purified P. mirabilis 19 cell walls (outer membrane proteins in the native state). This suggested that the proteins isolated by our methods essentially retained their native configuration upon resolubilization. Antisera produced in rabbits to the isolated proteins showed strongest reactions with the homologous antigen, but some cross-reactions with the heterologous protein and with P. mirabilis 19 lipopolysaccharide were observed. These cross-reactions could be attributed to specific responses to traces of the heterologous (contaminant) proteins present in the purified proteins used as immunizing antigens. The M(r) 39,000 and M(r) 36,000 proteins have no major antigenic determinants in common. Reactions with P. mirabilis 19 lipopolysaccharide in antisera to the outer membrane proteins could be completely removed by absorption of the antisera with the M(r) 36,000 protein.

Antigens, Bacterial↗

Interaction of lipopolysaccharide with detergents and its possible role in the detergent resistance of the outer membrane of Gram-negative bacteria.

In the presence of MgCl2, amounts of detergents which disrupted phospholipid vesicles caused lipopolysaccharide I from Proteus mirabilis to aggregate and form vesicular, membrane-like structures. Vesicle formation with P. mirabilis lipopolysaccharide II containing longer O-polysaccharide chains was extremely poor. Lipopolysaccharides of Salmonella minnesota R mutants (chemotypes Ra, Rc and Re) displayed a growing tendency for vesicle formation with increasing deficiency of the R core polysaccharide. Lipopolysaccharides of chemotypes Rc and Re produced vesicles even in the absence of MgCl2 and detergent. Spherical aggregates consisting of P. mirabilis lipopolysaccharide I MgCl2 and detergent were unable to either entrap or retain [14C]-sucrose, [3H=inulin or [3H]dextran. On the other hand, S. minnesota R mutant lipopolysaccharides of chemotypes Rc and Re could entrap all three saccharides and retain them for at least short periods of time. Leakage of [3H]-inulin out of re-lipopolysaccharide vesicles was greatly retarded by addition of MgCl2 to the vesicle system. Incorporation of P. mirabilis lipopolysaccharide I or S. minnesota Rc lipopolysaccharide into phospholipid vesicles protected these model membranes from disruption by detergent. This suggested a similar protective function of lipopolysaccharide in the outer membrane of enteric bacteria against the action of surfactants occurring in their normal intestinal habitat.

Biological Transport↗

Interaction between penicillin and the DD-carboxypeptidase of the unstable L-form of Proteus mirabilis strain 19.

Binding of penicillin to the DD-carboxypeptidase of the unstable spheroplast L-form of Proteus mirabilis results in the rapid formation of a modified enzyme-inhibitor complex which in turn undergoes rapid decay into reactivated enzyme and an antibiotically inactive penicillin degradation product. Major antibiotic metabolites recovered from such interactions were benzylpenicilloic acid and phenoxymethylpenicilloic acid from benzylpenicillin and phenoxymethylpenicillin, respectively, suggesting a second enzymic function of the DD-carboxypeptidase as a penicillinase of low efficiency. Statistical analyses made with the help of a linear regression program show that the enzyme interacts with the substrate UDP-N-acetylmuramoyl-L-alanyl-D-gamma-glutamyl-(L)-meso-2,6-diaminopimelyl-(L)-D-alanyl-D-alanine and either benzympenicillin or carbenicillin in a non-competitive manner.

Carboxypeptidases↗

Reconstitution of model membranes from phospholipid and outer membrane proteins of Proteus mirabilis. Role of proteins in the formation of hydrophilic pores and protection of membranes against detergents.

Outer membrane proteins extracted from isolated cell walls of Proteus mirabilis were able to combine the cell wall phospholipids in a model membrane system. The presence of outer membrane proteins in vesicular model membranes mediated the release of previously entrapped [14C]sucrose while [3H]inulin was retained. Incorporation of lipopolysaccharide from the same cell walls was not required for the formation of such selectively permeable membranes. Three major outer membrane proteins of apparent molecular weights 39000, 36000 and 17000 were isolated using acetic acid and sodium deoxycholate solution as solvents and avoiding the strongly denaturing sodium dodecyl sulfate. The isolated proteins were assayed for their ability to form hydrophilic pores in reconstituted membranes. The trypsin-sensitive 39000-Mr protein and the peptidoglycan-associated 36000-Mr protein were equally effective in this function whereas the 17000-Mr protein mediated little penetration of low molecular weight solute. The 39000-Mr and 36000-Mr proteins also protected reconstituted membrane vesicles from disruption by detergent while 17000-Mr protein was ineffective in this regard.

Cell Membrane↗

Wheel chair transfer techniques for the dental office.

With the use of these three techniques and variations when necessary, the immobile or partially immobile patient may be moved relatively easily in the dental office. The dentist and his auxiliaries should be able to make the wheel chair transfer a routine and uneventful procedure that will increase the chances of the patient's return in the future.

Dental Offices↗

Purification of the membrane-bound DD-carboxypeptidase of the unstable spheroplast L-form of Proteus mirabilis by affinity chromatography. Non-competitive inhibition of the enzyme by penicillins and low stability of the enzyme-inhibitor complex.

Membrane-bound DD-carboxypeptidase of the unstable L-form of Proteus mirabilis was solubilized by the non-ionic detergent Genapol X-100 and purified to protein homogeneity by affinity chromatography on ampicillin bound to succinyl-aminododecyl-cellulose. The purified enzyme with a molecular weight of 43000 is inhibited non-competitively by penicillin G and carbenicillin, indicating a function of the penicillins as allosteric inhibitors. Sensitivity of the enzyme to penicillins is only moderate with a Ki of 1 muM for penicillin G. Breakdown of.the enzyme-inhibitor complex EI with different penicillins occurs rapidly with reappearance of active DD-carboxypeptidase. The half-life of EI with penicillin G is 5.5 min at 30 degrees C and 3.5 min at 37 degrees C, 10--1000-fold shorter than EI half-lives of DD-carboxypeptidases in several other bacteria. The low stability of the enzyme-inhibitor complex and the moderate penicillin sensitivity appear to be the basis for the continued activity of DD-carboxypeptidase during growth of the L-form and synthesis of peptidoglycan in the presence of high concentrations of penicillin.

Carboxypeptidases↗

Phospholipid and lipopolysaccharide in Proteus mirabilis and its stable protoplast L-form. Difference in content and fatty acid composition.

Cells of the stable protoplast L-form of Proteus mirabilis contain 1.5 to 2 times more extractable lipid, mostly phospholipid, per dry weight than cells of the bacterial form. Under identical conditions of cultivation the qualitative and quantitiative composition of the phospholipid is very similar in both cell forms. The range of mole percentages of individual phospholipid species is 78-80 for phosphatidylethanolamine, 10-13 for phosphatidylglycerol, 3.9-5.5 for diphosphatidylglycerol and 1.0-2.1 for lysophospholipid. However, all phospholipid species in the L-form differ from those of the bacterial form by a lower content of long-chain fatty acids and a higher content of short-chain fatty acids. Growth of the L-form in the presence of growth-stimulating horse serum results in a change of phospholipid composition accompanied by the uptake of phospholipid and fatty acids from the serum into L-form phospholipid. L-form protoplasts synthesize the same two types of lipopolysaccharide, I and II, that were previously identified in the bacterial form of Proteus mirabilis. However, only small amounts of the more hydrophilic lipopolysaccharide II are present in the L-form. Lipopolysaccharides from both cell forms have virtually identical polysaccharide compositions but differ strikingly in the relative content of fatty acids in their lipid-A moieties. Molar ratios of tetradecanoic acid, hexadeconoic acid and 3-hydroxytetradecanoic acid are 5:1:6 in the bacterial form and 5:0:1:6 in the L-form grown in serum-free medium. The observated differences between the bacterial form and the protoplast L-form are interpreted as results of the adaptation of the L-form to life in the state lacking an envelope by formation of a physically more stable but still sufficiently fluid protoplast membrane. A rapid method based on fatty acid analysis for the simultaneous quantitative determination of phospholipid and lipopolysaccharide content of whole cells is reported.

Cell Division↗

Amino-acid composition of the covalent rigid-layer lipoprotein in cell walls of Proteus mirabilis.

Cell walls of Proteus mirabilis in the stationary phase of growth contain a lipoprotein in covalent linkage to peptidoglycan and probably also in free form in the outer membrane. The protein moiety of this lipoprotein is composed of about 50 amino acids and has an approximate molecular weight of 5500. The Proteus lipoprotein has glycine and phenylalanine as specific components which are not present in lipoproteins of other enteric bacteria. Treatment of the peptidoglycan-lipoprotein complex of Proteus with trypsin leaves lysine as the only lipoprotein amino acid attached to the peptidoglycan. This suggests that in P. mirabilis, as in Escherichia coli, the lipoprotein is linked to the peptidoglycan by its C-terminal lysine residue.

Amino Acids↗

D-alanyl-D-alanine carboxypeptidase in the bacterial form and L-form of Proteus mirabilis.

Membranes of the bacterial form and the stable and unstable L-forms of Proteus mirabilis contain LD and DD-carboxypeptidase. The DD-carboxypeptidase is inhibited non-competitively by penicillin G. The enzyme of the bacterial form is highly penicillin-sensitive (Ki - 4 X 10(-9) M penicillin G). Inhibition is only partly reversible by treatment with penicillinase or by dialysis against buffer. In contrast, the DD-carboxypeptidase of the unstable L-form, grown in the presence of penicillin, is 175-fold less penicillin-sensitive (Ki = 7 X 10(7) M penicillin G). Inhibition is completely reversed by penicillinase or dialysis. After inhibition by penicillin and subsequent reactivation the penicillin sensitivity of the bacterial DD-carboxtpeptidase is similar to the sensitivity of the enzyme of the unstable L-form. The hypothesis is proposed that P. mirabilis contains two DD-carboxypeptidases of different penicillin sensitivity and with different mechanisms of penicillin binding. Peptidoglycan synthesis in the cell walls of the unstable L-form is probably carried out with the help of only one DD-carboxypeptidase, viz. the completely reactivatable enzyme with the lower penicillin sensitivity.

Alanine↗