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Biomedical subjects

K Izui

Publications and source records attributed to K Izui.

At least 73 records · Page 4Linked to original sources
PubMed1984

Phosphoenolpyruvate carboxylase of Escherichia coli. Specificity of some compounds as activators at the site for fructose 1,6-bisphosphate, one of the allosteric effectors.

An investigation was performed to elucidate some unusual phenomena which had been observed with phosphoenolpyruvate (PEP) carboxylase [EC 4.1.1.31] of Escherichia coli. (i) Fructose 1,6-bisphosphate (Fru-1,6-P2) and GTP--the allosteric activators--were competitive with each other in the activation. (ii) Some analogs of PEP such as DL-2-phospholactate and 2-phosphoglycolate, which behaved as inhibitors in the presence of the activator (acetyl-CoA or dioxane), activated the enzyme to some extent in the absence of the activator. (iii) Ammonium sulfate deprived the enzyme of sensitivity to Fru-1,6-P2 or GTP but had no effect on the sensitivity to other effectors. It was found that the activation by the analogs was lost upon desensitization of the enzyme to Fru-1,6-P2 by reaction with 2,4,6-trinitrobenzene sulfonate. The activation by the analogs was not observed in the presence of 200 mM ammonium sulfate. In the presence of lower concentrations (0.1 mM) of PEP, ammonium sulfate activated the enzyme at concentrations less than 700 mM but had an inhibitory effect on the desensitized enzyme. These findings suggest that the unusual phenomena described above are a result of binding of the phosphate esters and sulfate ions with the Fru-1,6-P2 site of the enzyme or the active site depending on the reaction conditions.

Allosteric Site↗
PubMed1984

The primary structure of phosphoenolpyruvate carboxylase of Escherichia coli. Nucleotide sequence of the ppc gene and deduced amino acid sequence.

The nucleotide sequence of the ppc gene, the structural gene for phosphoenolpyruvate carboxylase [EC 4.1.1.31], of Escherichia coli K-12 was determined. The gene codes for a polypeptide comprising 883 amino acid residues with a calculated molecular weight of 99,061. The amino acid sequence deduced from the nucleotide sequence was entirely consistent with the protein chemical data obtained with the purified enzyme, including the NH2- and COOH-terminal sequences and amino acid composition. The coding region is preceded by two putative ribosome binding sites, and is followed closely by a good representative of rho-independent terminator. The codon usage in the ppc gene suggests a moderate expression of the gene. The secondary structure of the enzyme was predicted from the deduced amino acid sequence.

Amino Acid Sequence↗
PubMed1984

Specific 14C-labeling of isoprenoids of intact E. coli cells.

Upon rehydration of lyophilized E. coli cells with phosphate buffer containing [14C]isopentenyl pyrophosphate, 14C was incorporated into the cells. Radioactivity was found in prenylquinones and some polyprenyl phosphate derivatives. Evidence was obtained suggesting that the latter compounds were interconverted to each other and that the "lipid cycle" operated in these cells.

Carbon Radioisotopes↗
PubMed1983

Cell volume change of Escherichia coli under stringent control. Apparent increase of K+ in rel- cells.

With several pairs of rel+ and rel- strains of Escherichia coli, the effects of amino acid starvation on the intracellular concentration of K+ and the rate of uptake of 42K+ were investigated. In the early phase of the experiments, the intracellular concentration of K+ was estimated by the conventional method in which the cell volume per A660 value of the culture was assumed to be constant, being not influenced by the variation of growth condition and strain. Apparently, the K+ concentration of rel+ cells was kept almost constant, while that of rel- cells increased about 1.5-fold 2 h after the exposure to amino acid starvation. Unexpectedly, however, the above assumption was found not to be valid in the present study. The cell volume per A660 changed only slightly in CP78 (rel+) cells, while it increased markedly in CP79 (rel-) cells after the exposure to amino acid starvation. Reestimation of the K+ concentrations based on the estimated respective values of cell volumes per A660 revealed no significant difference between both strains. After all, the above apparent phenomenon was found to be due to the fact that the increase in cell volume of the rel+ cells was arrested upon amino acid starvation whereas that in the rel- cells was not. The 42K+ uptake by the rel+ cells was depressed upon amino acid starvation, whereas that by the rel- cells increased. Some regulatory mechanism was suggested to operate in both strains to keep their K+ concentrations constant. When intracellular concentration of a metabolite is to be determined, importance of measurement of cell volume under the respective conditions, without assuming the constancy of the cell volume per A660 of the culture, was pointed out.

Amino Acids↗
PubMed1983

Phosphoenolpyruvate carboxylase of Escherichia coli. Inhibition by various analogs and homologs of phosphoenolpyruvate.

In an attempt to investigate the topography of the catalytic site of phosphoenolpyruvate (PEP) carboxylase [EC 4.1.1.31] of Escherichia coli, the inhibitor constants (Ki) for more than 20 compounds were determined with the reaction system containing dioxane, a non-physiological activator of the enzyme. The Ki values for the compounds lacking methylene-, carboxylate-, or phosphate groups were all more than 10-fold larger than the Km value for PEP, indicating the significant contribution of these groups to the binding of PEP with the enzyme. The Ki value for L-phospholactate (0.30 mM) was almost equal to the Km value for PEP (0.25 mM), whereas that for D-phospholactate (0.89 mM) was about 3-fold larger than the Km value. It was presumed that PEP binds with the enzyme on its si-side. Among 6 PEP homologs, the Ki values for phosphoenol alpha-ketobutyrate (0.024 mM) and phosphoenol alpha-ketovalerate (0.034 mM) were about one-tenth the Km value, indicating the presence of a hydrophobic pocket around the binding site of the methylene group of PEP, where the carboxylation reaction is supposed to occur. DL-Phosphomalate, a presumptive carboxylated substrate, was a weak inhibitor with a Ki value of 2.20 mM.

Binding Sites↗
PubMed1982

Identification of the signal peptidase cleavage site in Bacillus licheniformis prepenicillinase.

The DNA sequence of the entire gene for penicillinase of Bacillus licheniforms 749 has recently been determined (Neugebauer, K., Sprengel, R., and Schaller, H. (1981) Nucleic Acid Res. 9, 2577-2588). Here we show that a primary translation product (Mr 35,000) can be synthesized in vitro by translation of B. licheniformis mRNA in a EScherichia coli cell-free system, or in vivo, after phenylethyl alcohol treatment of B. licheniformis. The partial NH2-terminal sequence of the in vivo synthesized primary translation product, termed prepenicillinase, was in agreement with the NH2-terminal sequence deduced from the DNA sequence. Furthermore, when a B. licheniformis membrane fraction plus the nonionic detergent Nikkol were present in the in vitro translation system, prepenicillinase was proteolytically processed to a polypeptide (Mr 31,250) that comigrated electrophoretically with the membrane-bound form of this enzyme. The partial NH2-terminal sequence of this processed form showed that it had lost 26 NH2-terminal residues present in prepenicillinase. We propose that the observed cleavage was due to membrane-associated and detergent-activated signal peptidase and consequently, that the 26-residue-long extension of nascent prepenicillinase functions in translocation across the prokaryotic plasma membrane. Based on our partial protein sequence data and the DNA sequence data, the signal peptidase-processed penicillinase starts with a Cys residue. Cotranslational and post-translational modifications of this NH2-terminal Cys, similar to those observed in the E. coli lipoprotein, might be the only means by which penicillinase can be anchored to the outer leaflet of the B. licheniformis plasma membrane.

Amino Acid Sequence↗
PubMed1982

Formation of dehydrosqualene catalyzed by squalene synthetase in Saccharomyces cerevisiae.

When microsomal fraction of Saccharomyces cerevisiae was incubated with farnesyl pyrophosphate or presqualene pyrophosphate in the presence of Mn2+, 12,13-cis-dehydrosqualene (DeH2Sq) and some related compounds were found to be formed. Incubation in the presence of NADPH gave rise to only squalene. By heat treatment of the microsomal fraction, the DeH2Sq- and squalene-forming activities were inactivated at approximately the same rate. The elution patterns of both activities upon Sephacryl S-200 chromatography of the enzyme solubilized from the microsomal fraction with taurodeoxycholate coincided completely. These results indicate that DeH2Sq formation in yeast is catalyzed by squalene synthetase. Divalent cation was essential for this reaction and Mn2+ was six times more effective than Mg2+. DeH2Sq formation was also observed when microsomes of pig liver were used instead of yeast microsomal fraction, suggesting that this reaction is a ubiquitous one among the eucaryotes which are capable of synthesizing sterols. Based on these observations, the mechanisms of DeH2Sq and squalene formation are discussed.

Animals↗
PubMed1982

Phosphoenolpyruvate carboxylase of Escherichia coli. Hydrophobic chromatography using specific elution with allosteric inhibitor.

The adsorption of Escherichia coli phosphoenolpyruvate carboxylase [EC 4.1.1.31] to butyl-, hexyl-, and octyl-Sepharose gels was investigated. The enzyme was nearly completely adsorbed to the latter two gels both in the absence and presence of high concentrations of ammonium sulfate. At intermediate concentrations--0.1 M in the case of hexyl-Sepharose--virtually no adsorption was observed. Upon application of an increasing or decreasing concentration gradient of the salt, the enzyme was eluted at various concentrations of the salt depending on chain length of the immobilized alkyl groups. The adsorption to hexyl-Sepharose at 0.7 M ammonium sulfate was markedly decreased by L-aspartate, the allosteric inhibitor, whereas it was increased by acetyl-CoA, one of the allosteric activators. Evidence was obtained suggesting that these changes in adsorption were due to conformational alterations of the enzyme elicited by these effectors. The enzyme seemed to have been adsorbed at its hydrophobic regions which were distinct from the allosteric site for long-chain fatty acids. The specific elution with L-aspartate in the presence of 0.82 M ammonium sulfate could successfully be applied to purification of the enzyme. By this hydrophobic interaction chromatography, the enzyme was purified about 55-fold over its partially purified preparation with a recovery of 73%. The obtained enzyme preparation was almost homogeneous as judged from sodium dodecylsulfate-polyacrylamide gel electrophoresis.

Adsorption↗
PubMed1981

Regulation of Escherichia coli phosphoenolpyruvate carboxylase by multiple effectors in vivo. II. Kinetic studies with a reaction system containing physiological concentrations of ligands.

In an attempt to clarify the kinetic properties of Escherichia coli phosphoenolpyruvate (PEP) carboxylase [EC 4.1.1.31] in vivo and to evaluate the physiological significance of the individual effectors, saturation curves were obtained for each ligand with reaction mixtures (pH 7.3) containing "physiological concentrations" of the other ligands in various combinations. As the "physiological concentrations" of ligands, which are defined as the concentrations of ligands found in the glucose-grown cells, the following values were employed: PEP, 0.2 mM; acetyl-CoA(CoA-SAc), 0.4 mM; fructose 1,6-bisphosphate(Fru-1,6-P2), 2.0 mM; GTP, 1.0 mM; L-aspartate, 1.0 mM; L-malate, 1.0 mM (Morikawa, M., Izui, K., Taguchi, M., & Katsuki, H. (1980) J. Biochem. 87, 441--449). In the absence of any activator the enzyme activity was very low. CoASAc was the most powerful activator. The other two activators (Fru-1,6-P2 and GTP) exhibited essentially no activation alone, but produced a strong synergistic activation with CoASAc. The severe inhibition by L-aspartate or L-malate was effectively alleviated only through this synergistic action of the activators. The presence of all three activators decreased the half-saturation concentration (S0.5) of PEP from 15 mM to 0.35 mM and increased the maximal velocity attainable at infinite concentration of PEP about 15-fold. In the system containing all five effectors, which is close to the in vivo condition, the saturation curve of PEP was sigmoidal with a Hill coefficient of 1.6 and with an S0.5 value of 3.0 mM, which is about 15-fold larger than its "physiological concentration." On the basis of the rate-concentration curve for each effector obtained with the reaction mixture containing PEP and the other effectors at "physiological concentrations," it was suggested that all five effectors significantly contribute to the enzyme activity in vivo. Palmitoleate, another activator of the enzyme, showed no activation in such a reaction mixture. The sensitivity of the enzyme to the "physiological concentration" of each effector was also observed in an in situ system using permeabilized E. coli cells, where the enzyme concentration was as high as in vivo.

Carboxy-Lyases↗
PubMed1981

Stringent control of intermediary metabolism in Escherichia coli: pyruvate excretion by cells grown on succinate.

A large amount of pyruvate was excreted into the medium by CP78 (rel+) cells grown on succinate when they were starved for amino acids. In contrast, no such excretion was observed with CP79 (rel-) cells. This phenomenon was also seen with two other isogenic pairs of strains: NF161 (rel+) and NF162 (rel-), and 10B601 (rel+) and 10B602 (rel-). Besides succinate, L-malate, and fumarate were effective carbon sources for the excretion, but glucose, glycerol, and acetate were not. When DL-lactate was used, not only CP78 but also CP79 cells excreted pyruvate. Experiments using [1,4-14C]succinate as a carbon source revealed that pyruvate was formed by decarboxylation of one carboxyl group of succinate and that the pyruvate excretion amounted to about 40% of the total succinate degraded. Experiments designed to elucidate the mechanism of the excretion yielded the following observations. (i) The concentration of pyruvate in CP78 cells grown on the C4-dicarboxylic acids mentioned above was not significantly changed upon amino acid starvation. (ii) Guanosine 5'-diphosphate-3'-diphosphate exerted no effect on the activities of several enzymes thought to be involved in pyruvate-related metabolism. It is suggested firstly that the excretion was not due to some impairment in the biosynthetic pathway of a particular amino acid, but was due to the stringent control of central amphibolic metabolism, and secondly that no de novo protein synthesis was involved in the excretion.

Amino Acids↗
PubMed1980

Bacillus licheniformis beta-lactamases: multiple forms and their roles.

B. licheniformis 749/C secretes a hydrophilic penicillinase (detected by immunoprecipitation) which is a precursor of the usually isolated 29 500 molecular mass exoenzyme. This larger form carries an eight amino acid N-terminal extension with the sequence: Ser-Gln-Pro-Ala-Glu-Lys-Asn-Glu-exoenzyme (K Izui, J. B. K. Nielsen, M. Caulfield & J. O. Lampen, unpublished results; K. Simons, personal communication). Translation of 749/C mRNA in an in-vitro protein synthesizing system from Escherichia coli yields an active hydrophobic penicillinase of molecular mass 34 000-36 000 with an N-terminal extension (C. N. Chang, K. Izui, G. Blobel & J. O. Lampen, unpublished results; M. Sarvas et al. (1978) FEBS Lett. 95, 76). Partial sequence data how at least one Lys residue in the 16 residues adjacent to the N-terminal Lys of exoenzyme. Both sequences are incompatible with the relatively polar, Lys-free extension reported for the previously characterized 33 000 molecular mass membrane-bound form (S. Yamamoto & J. O. Lampen (1976), Proc. natn, Acad. Sci. U.S.A. 73, 1457-1461). The biosynthetic interrelations among the several forms are discussed.

Bacillus↗
PubMed1980

Regulation of Escherichia coli phosphoenolpyruvate carboxylase by multiple effectors in vivo. Estimation of the activities in the cells grown on various compounds.

Intracellular concentrations of phosphoenolpyruvate (PEP) and five kinds of allosteric effectors (acetyl-CoA, fructose 1,6-bisphosphate, GTP, L-aspartate, and L-malate) of PEP carboxylase were measured in E. coli cells grown on various compounds as a carbon source. Based on the data obtained, reaction systems which contained a definite concentration of the enzyme and the ligands at the concentrations found in vivo were constructed and the enzyme activities were measured. The ratio of each activity thus obtained to the maximal activity attainable with the same concentration of enzyme and saturating concentrations of the activators was estimated. For the cells grown on glucose, glycerol, or lactate, the extent of exhibition of the enzyme activity was 2-15% of the maximal activity. For the cells grown on acetate or oleate, the extent was 1-3%. For the cells grown on succinate, L-aspartate, L-malate, or glucose plus L-aspartate, the extent was less than 0.4%. Consideration of the data obtained in the present studies, together with those obtained in our previous studies on the enzyme level (Teraoka, H. et al. (1970) J. Biochem. 67, 567-575), showed that the control of the enzyme reaction in vivo is considerably different from that expected from the in vitro experiments, and that deficiencies of "coarse control" are covered by a "fine control."

Acetyl Coenzyme A↗
PubMed1980

Augmentation of glycogen synthesis under stringent control in Escherichia coli.

When Escherichia coli strain CP78 (rel+) was starved for isoleucine by the addition of valine, the amount of glucose in polymeric form in the cells increased markedly compared to that of the control cells. In contrast, this phenomenon was not seen in strain CP79 (rel-). The increase in CP78 was shown to be due to the increase of glycogen. These results indicate that glycogen synthesis was augmented under stringent control. This was confirmed using other isogenic pairs of rel+ and rel- strains starved for other amino acids. When the cultivation temperature of strains 10B601 (rel+) and 10B602 (rel-) possessing temperature-sensitive valyl-tRNA synthetase was shifted from 30 degrees C to 40 degrees C, no difference was observed in the response of glycogen synthesis between the two strains. These results indicate that protein synthesis was necessary for the augmentation of glycogen synthesis and that guanosine 5'-diphosphate 3'-diphosphate did not exert its effect through stimulation of the activity of pre-existing enzyme(s) involved in glycogen synthesis. These conclusions were supported by the results of experiments using chloramphenicol and rifampicin. The rates of glucose utilization of CP78 and CP79 were decreased to nearly the same extent by valine addition. This suggests that the regulation site of glycogen synthesis under stringent control resides in a step after the transport of glucose by the phosphotransferase system.

Arginine↗
PubMed1980

Augmentation of cyclopropane fatty acid synthesis under stringent control in Escherichia coli.

An abrupt increase of cyclopropane fatty acid (CFA) occurred concomitant with a decrease of the corresponding unsaturated fatty acids in CP78 (rel+) of Escherichia coli at the onset of the stationary growth phase, whereas such variations were slight in CP79 (rel-). When the cells were starved for isoleucine, the CFA content increased in CP78 but not in CP79. The rate of 14C-incorporation from [methyl-14C]methionine into CFAs increased in CP78 abut two-fold due to the starvation. The apparent level of CFA synthase also increased due to the starvation. These results that the CFA formation is augmented under stringent control.

Cell Cycle↗