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Biomedical subjects

N Karuppiah

Publications and source records attributed to N Karuppiah.

6 recordsLinked to original sources

Cyclodextrins as protein folding aids.

Aggregation of proteins is a frequent occurrence during their transition from random coil to native structure. The influence of cyclodextrins in the refolding of carbonic anhydrase under aggregating conditions was studied. Cyclodextrin prevented formation of protein aggregates during renaturation of carbonic anhydrase. In addition, over 90% of active enzyme was recovered even at protein concentrations as high as 67 microM. The enhanced protein reactivation by cyclodextrins may be due to their ability to bind to hydrophobic sites in protein folding intermediate(s) followed by their subsequent removal as the protein refolds.

Animals

Kinetic induction of oat shoot pulvinus invertase mRNA by gravistimulation and partial cDNA cloning by the polymerase chain reaction.

An asymmetric (top vs. bottom halves of pulvini) induction of invertase mRNA by gravistimulation was analyzed in oat shoot pulvini. Total RNA and poly(A)+ RNA, isolated from oat pulvini, and two oligonucleotide primers, corresponding to two conserved amino acid sequences (NDPNG and WECPD) found in invertase from other species, were used for the polymerase chain reaction (PCR). A partial length cDNA (550 bp) was obtained and characterized. A 62% nucleotide sequence homology and 58% deduced amino acid sequence homology, as compared to beta-fructosidase of carrot cell wall, was found. Northern blot analysis showed that there was an obviously transient induction of invertase mRNA by gravistimulation in the oat pulvinus system. The mRNA was rapidly induced to a maximum level at 1 h after gravistimulation treatment and gradually decreased afterwards. The mRNA level in the bottom half of the oat pulvinus was significantly higher than that in the top half of the pulvinus tissue. The kinetic induction of invertase mRNA was consistent with the transient accumulation of invertase activity during the graviresponse of the pulvinus. This indicates that the expression of the invertase gene(s) could be regulated by gravistimulation at the transcriptional level. Southern blot analysis showed that there were two to three genomic DNA fragments which hybridized with the partial-length invertase cDNA.

Amino Acid Sequence

A comparative kinetic study of bovine calmodulin-dependent cyclic nucleotide phosphodiesterase isozymes utilizing cAMP, cGMP and their 2'-O-anthraniloyl-,2'-O-(N-methylanthraniloyl)-derivatives as substrates.

Calmodulin-dependent 3',5'-cyclic nucleotide phosphodiesterase (EC 3.1.4.17) Mr 63,000 and Mr 60,000 from the brain as well as Mr approximately 59,000 species from the heart, have been compared with respect to their steady-state kinetic parameters for the hydrolysis of cAMP, cGMP and their 2'-O-anthraniloyl- and 2'-O-(N-methylanthraniloyl)-derivatives. Kinetic studies with the native substrates indicate high Mr brain enzyme to be cGMP specific whereas low Mr brain and heart enzymes to be nonspecific. In addition, the isozymes studied here appear to be kinetically distinct from those previously isolated form bovine brain tissues. Substitution at 2'-O-position of the cyclic nucleotides gave rise to Vmax values ranging 1-11% of those observed with the native substrates, with minimal effect on Km. The isozymes with exception of heart isoform gave higher Km and Vmax with the anthraniloyl derivatives. This effect is thought to be related to the formation of an intramolecular hydrogen bond which leads to decreased electrostatic interactions between the active-site side chains and the pseudo-substrates.

3',5'-Cyclic-AMP Phosphodiesterases

The differential stimulation of brain and heart cyclic-AMP phosphodiesterase by oncomodulin.

Ca2+/calmodulin dependent cyclic nucleotide phosphodiesterase, from the bovine heart and brain, purified by monoclonal antibody chromatography were tested with respect to activation by oncomodulin. The heart and brain enzymes which have previously been shown to have slightly different electrophoretic mobilities (1), were found to also differ in the oncomodulin dose-dependent activation of cAMP hydrolysis. Oncomodulin was shown to activate the heart enzyme to the same extent as calmodulin. However, this study indicates that the heart phosphodiesterase has approximately 25-fold higher affinity for oncomodulin than the brain enzyme. The oncomodulin concentration required for the half-maximal activation of the heart phosphodiesterase was estimated to be 2 X 10(-7)M. In addition, the possibility of the observed activation by oncomodulin being due to calmodulin contamination can be ruled out as the oncomodulin activation profiles were unaltered subsequent to chromatography on organomercurial agarose and the activation by oncomodulin could not be reversed by anti-calmodulin IgG.

3',5'-Cyclic-AMP Phosphodiesterases

Selective adsorption of 2'-O-anthraniloyl-AMP on DEAE-Sephadex: the basis of a direct, fluorescent assay for cyclic nucleotide phosphodiesterase.

The fluorescent, 2'-O-anthraniloyl derivative of AMP was selectively absorbed onto DEAE-Sephadex in the presence of zirconyl chloride in citrate buffer. Under these conditions 2'-O-anthraniloyl-cAMP was eluted from the column. The selective adsorption of the AMP derivative onto DEAE-Sephadex, in the presence of zirconyl chloride, was adapted to the direct discontinuous assay of cyclic nucleotide phosphodiesterase. In this assay the enzyme is incubated for 4 min with 2'-O-anthraniloyl-cAMP; after quenching of the reaction by boiling, zirconyl chloride is added and the product (2'-O-anthraniloyl-AMP) is separated from the substrate on a column (0.6 ml) of DEAE-Sephadex. 2'-O-Anthraniloyl-AMP is then eluted with NaCl (2 M) and quantitated spectrofluorometrically. Under the conditions employed, 2'-O-anthraniloyl-AMP concentrations as low as 0.1 nmol can be detected. In the present study, this assay has been used to estimate Km and Vmax values for 2'-O-anthraniloyl-cAMP hydrolysis catalyzed by highly purified, as well as crude, preparations of cyclic nucleotide phosphodiesterase from bovine brain.

3',5'-Cyclic-AMP Phosphodiesterases