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PubMed1985

Quaternary structure and composition of squash NADH:nitrate reductase.

NADH:nitrate reductase (EC 1.6.6.1) was isolated from squash cotyledons (Cucurbita maxima L.) by a combination of Blue Sepharose and zinc-chelate affinity chromatographies followed by gel filtration on Bio-Gel A-1.5m. These preparations gave a single protein staining band (Mr = 115,000) on sodium dodecyl sulfate gel electrophoresis, indicating that the enzyme is homogeneous. The native Mr of nitrate reductase was found to be 230,000, with a minor form of Mr = 420,000 also occurring. These results indicate that the native nitrate reductase is a homodimer of Mr = 115,000 subunits. Acidic amino acids predominate over basic amino acids, as shown both by the amino acid composition of the enzyme and an isoelectric point for nitrate reductase of 5.7. The homogeneous nitrate reductase had a UV/visible spectrum typical of a b-type cytochrome. The enzyme was found to contain one each of flavin (as FAD), heme iron, molybdenum, and Mo-pterin/Mr = 115,000 subunit. A model is proposed for squash nitrate reductase in which two Mr = 115,000 subunits are joined to made the native enzyme. Each subunit contains 1 eq of FAD, cytochrome b, and molybdenum/Mo-pterin.

Amino Acids↗
PubMed1980

[Purification and properties of levansucrase of Gluconobacter oxydans L-1].

Levansucrase of G. oxydans L-1 which catalyzes the synthesis of the polysaccharide levan from the fructofuranosyl residues of sucrose has been isolated from the culture fluid and purified by chromatography on hydroxyapatite and gel-filtration on Sephadex G-100. The molecular weight of levansucrase as measured by DS-Na polyacrylamide gel electrophoresis is about 58000. The enzyme contains 25.86% of acidic amino acids, 13.74% of basic amino acids and 12.77% of aromatic amino acids. No cystine or cysteine residues were detected in the acid hydrolysate. The UV-absorption spectrum of the purified protein has a maximum at 280 nm and a minimum at 254 nm. The kinetic data suggest that levansucrase catalyzes levan formation, sucrose hydrolysis and sucrose glycosyl-free glucose exchange reactions. The initial rates of liberation of labelled glucose and labelled fructose during transfructosylation have been determined. Low molecular weight levans accelerate the rate of the polysaccharide formation and increase the ratio of the formed levan to free fructose.

Amino Acids↗
PubMed2000

Characterization of the nuclear localization signal in the DNA helicase responsible for Bloom syndrome.

Bloom syndrome (BS) is a rare genetic disorder characterized by small body size, photosensitivity, immunodeficiency and a high predisposition to various types of cancer. BLM was identified as the causative gene for BS. The BLM protein is homologous to DNA helicase and has two basic amino acid clusters in its C-terminal region. Previously, we reported that the distal arm of these basic amino acids clusters in the BLM protein functioned as the nuclear localization signal (NLS) of the protein. In this study, we generated plasmid constructs for expression of enhanced green fluorescent protein (EGFP) fused with various BLM protein variants having a mutation with deletions or substitutions in the basic amino acid and analyzed the subcellular localization of the expressed proteins. The EGFP-fused protein containing the basic amino acid cluster region proximal to the C-terminus of BLM helicase was localized exclusively in the nucleus. However, the EGFP-BLM proteins that lacked either Arg1344 or Lys1346 distributed in both the cytoplasm and the nucleus equally. Deletion of Arg1347 also resulted in localization in both the nucleus and cytoplasm, and substitution of Arg1344, Lys1346, Arg1347 or Arg1348 with non-basic amino acids reduced the nuclear localization of BLM protein. Mouse BLM protein which also migrate to the nucleus has two basic amino acid clusters in the C-terminus and the basic amino acids (Lys1346-Pro1347-Lys1348-Arg1349-Arg1350) proximal to the C-terminus are conserved between mouse and human. These findings suggest that the Arg1344-Ser1345-Lys1346-Arg1347 sequence at the C-terminus of the human BLM protein is essential for nuclear localization of this protein.

Adenosine Triphosphatases↗
PubMed2003

Catalytic specificity exhibited by p-sulfonatocalix[n]arenes in the methanolysis of N-acetyl-l-amino acids.

Specific acid catalysis of p-sulfonatocalix[n]arenes (n = 4, Calix-S4; n = 6, Calix-S6; n = 8, Calix-S8) was observed in the alcoholysis of N-acetyl-l-amino acids in methanol. The methanolysis rates of basic amino acid substrates (His, Lys, and Arg) were markedly enhanced in the presence of Calix-Sn, as compared with rates observed with p-hydroxybenzenesulfonic acid (pHBS), which is a noncyclic analogue of Calix-Sn. This catalytic effect of Calix-Sn was not observed for the methanolysis of Phe, Tyr, and Trp substrates. On the other hand, (1)H NMR experiments following the effect of Calix-Sn on N-acetyl-l-amino acid substrates in CD(3)OD showed that the spectrum of a mixture of the His substrate with Calix-Sn was significantly different from the combined spectra of the respective compounds. These changes in spectra support the formation of an inclusion complex of Calix-Sn with basic amino acids. Furthermore, it was obvious that methanolysis of the His substrate catalyzed by Calix-S4 and Calix-S6 obeyed Michaelis-Menten kinetics. These results indicate that the catalytic activity of Calix-Sn originates from its forming a complex with specific substrates (basic amino acids), similar to enzymatic reactions.

Amino Acids↗
PubMed1998

Gentisate 1,2-dioxygenase from Haloferax sp. D1227.

Gentisate 1,2-dioxygenase from the extreme halophile Haloferax sp. D1227 (Hf. D1227) was purified using a three-step procedure. The enzyme was found to be a homotetramer of 42,000 +/- 1,000 Da subunits, with a native molecular weight of 174,000 +/- 6,000 Da. The optimal salt concentration, temperature, and pH for enzyme activity were 2 M KCl or NaCl, 45 degrees C, and pH 7.2, respectively. The gene encoding Hf. D1227 gentisate 1,2-dioxygenase was cloned, sequenced, and expressed in Haloferax volcanii. The deduced amino acid sequence exhibited a 9.2% excess acidic over basic amino acids typical of halophilic enzymes. Four novel histidine clusters and a possible extradiol dioxygenase fingerprint region were identified.

Amino Acid Sequence↗
PubMed1994

Microheterogeneous Cytosolic High-Mobility Group Proteins from Broccoli Co-Purify with and Are Phosphorylated by Casein Kinase II.

A group of low molecular weight protein substrates was found to co-purify with casein kinase II from broccoli (Brassica oleracea var italica). These substrates showed very high affinity toward casein kinase II and were efficiently phosphorylated even in the presence of an excess of exogenous substrates. The broccoli substrates were purified from cytosolic extracts as a double band of related proteins migrating at 18.7 and 20 kD. Further microheterogeneity was revealed by anion-exchange high-performance liquid chromatography and mass spectroscopy. The actual molecular masses of the three major components identified by mass spectroscopy were determined to be 12,691, 13,256, and 14,128 D. The substrates showed characteristic amino acid composition with a high content of polar amino acids, including about 20% each of acidic and basic amino acids. They were soluble in 2% trichloroacetic acid. The substrates cross-reacted with an antibody against wheat high-mobility group protein d (HMGd) but not HMGa. The isolated broccoli HMGs showed general DNA-binding activity without preference for AT-rich DNA. The presence of these HMG proteins in the cytosolic fraction is similar to the distribution characteristics of the animal HMG-1 subgroup. On the basis of amino acid composition and DNA-binding specificity, the isolated broccoli HMGs resemble other plant HMGs homologous to the HMG-1 subgroup.

Journal Article↗
PubMed1990

Endoproteolytic processing of the dibasic cleavage site in the human protein C precursor in transfected mammalian cells: effects of sequence alterations on efficiency of cleavage.

The human protein C precursor undergoes extensive co- and posttranslational modification during its biosynthesis in the liver. These modifications include glycosylation, gamma-carboxylation and beta-hydroxylation of specific amino acids, and endoproteolytic processing to remove the pre- and propeptides and also to remove the pair of basic amino acids that connect the light and heavy chains in the precursor. Specific molecular signals have been elucidated which direct several of these modifications; however, the mechanism for cleavage and removal of the basic amino acid pair has not been established. In the present study, a recombinant mammalian expression system has been used to study the molecular signals that direct removal of this basic amino acid pair. Mutations were introduced by site-directed mutagenesis either to insert additional basic amino acids or to alter the sequence adjacent to the basic pair by point mutations. The mutant protein precursors were expressed and analyzed for the degree of processing to 2-chain form and also for the location of the cleavage site (by N-terminal sequencing) and subsequent removal of the basic amino acids from the newly formed C terminus of the light chain. These experiments have shown that human protein C can be readily synthesized and secreted in several mammalian cell lines. However, cell lines vary considerably in their capacity to remove the dibasic pair in the protein C precursor and, like the liver, secrete a mixed population of 1-chain and 2-chain forms of the protein.(ABSTRACT TRUNCATED AT 250 WORDS)

Amino Acid Sequence↗
PubMed1997

Identification of a glycosaminoglycan-binding site in chemokine macrophage inflammatory protein-1alpha.

Chemokines bind to receptors of the seven-transmembrane type on target cells and also bind to glycosaminoglycans (GAGs), including heparin. In this study, we have sought to identify structural motifs mediating binding of the beta-chemokine macrophage inflammatory protein-1alpha (MIP-1alpha) to GAGs. Alignment of beta-chemokine amino acid sequences revealed the presence of several highly conserved basic amino acids, and molecular modeling predicted that the side chains of three of the basic amino acids fold closely together in MIP-1alpha. Site-directed mutagenesis was used to change the conserved basic residues in MIP-1alpha to alanines, and both wild-type and mutant proteins were produced in a transient COS cell expression system. Wild-type MIP-1alpha bound to heparin-Sepharose, while three of the mutants, R18A, R46A, and R48A, failed to bind. Mutant K45A eluted from heparin-Sepharose at lower NaCl concentrations than wild type, while the binding of K61A, with a mutation in the C-terminal alpha-helix, was indistinguishable from that of the wild-type protein. To determine whether GAG-binding capacity is required for receptor binding and cell activation, we performed competition radioligand binding and calcium mobilization experiments using one of the non-heparin-binding mutants, R46A. R46A bound as efficiently as wild-type MIP-1alpha to CCR1 and was equally active in eliciting increases in intracellular free calcium concentrations. Our data define a GAG binding site in MIP-1alpha consisting of three noncontiguous basic amino acids and show that the capacity to bind to GAGs is not a prerequisite for receptor binding or signaling in vitro.

Amino Acid Sequence↗
PubMed1992

Heparin-binding peptides from the type I repeats of thrombospondin. Structural requirements for heparin binding and promotion of melanoma cell adhesion and chemotaxis.

Synthetic peptides derived from the type I repeats of human platelet thrombospondin containing a consensus sequence Trp-Ser-Xaa-Trp bind to heparin, promote cell adhesion, and inhibit heparin-dependent interactions of melanoma cells with extracellular matrix components (Guo, N. H., Krutzsch, H. C., Nègre, E., Vogel, T., Blake, D. A., and Roberts, D. D. (1992) Proc. Natl. Acad. Sci. U.S.A. 89, 3040-3044). In the present study, we further examined the structural requirements for activity of these peptides. The minimal active sequence for heparin or sulfatide binding based on inhibition studies is Trp-Ser-Pro-Trp, although an octapeptide is required for optimal activity. The 2 Trp residues and the Ser residue are essential. Peptides with more than 2 residues between the Trp residues are inactive. The Pro residue is essential for activity of the pentapeptide Trp-Ser-Pro-Trp-Ser, but some larger peptides with substitutions for the Pro residue are active. For direct high affinity binding to heparin, both the consensus sequence and a flanking sequence of basic amino acids are essential. Peptides containing the consensus sequence promote cell adhesion and act cooperatively with the adjacent basic amino acid sequence to promote cell spreading. Chemical modification of the Trp residues in the peptides with amino-terminal basic amino acids abolished both cell adhesion and heparin-binding. Peptides containing the consensus sequence and basic amino acids are chemotactic for A2058 human melanoma cells. The functional importance of this novel heparin and sulfatide-binding motif is suggested by its conservation in other members of the thrombospondin gene family, complement components, and in many members of the cytokine receptor and transforming growth factor beta superfamilies.

Amino Acid Sequence↗
PubMed1998

Gustatory responses to amino acids in the chorda tympani nerve of C3H mice.

Integrated neural responses to various amino acids were recorded from the chorda tympani (facial) nerve in C3H mice. The basic amino acids hydrochlorides L-Arg-HCl and L-Lys-HCl evoked large magnitude integrated taste responses, similar to that for NaCl, and had estimated electrophysiological thresholds of 0.0001 M. No significant difference was indicated between the response magnitudes for the L- and D-forms of the basic amino acid hydrochlorides; however, responses to the basic amino acid hydrochlorides cross-adapted with NaCl. Responses to neutral L-amino acids (Ser, Ala, Gly), which taste sweet to humans, showed higher thresholds (>0.0003 M), similar to that for sucrose, and did not cross-adapt with basic amino acid hydrochlorides or with NaCl. Responses to the neutral amino acids L-Ser and L-Ala were larger than those to their D-amino acid enantiomers. The acidic amino acids L-Asp and L-Glu showed concentration-response functions different from that for HCl. Both acidic amino acids were more stimulatory than HCl at the same pH, although the responses to them were cross-adapted by HCl, indicating a pH effect. A comparison of the stimulatory effectiveness among amino acid derivatives and analogues suggested that the alpha-amino group is essential for the stimulatory effectiveness of neutral amino acids.

Adaptation, Physiological↗
PubMed1976

A fetal protein in chromatin of Novikoff hepatoma and Walker 256 carcinosarcoma tumors that is absent from normal and regenerating rat liver.

Antibodies to chromatin proteins of Novikoff hepatoma cells formed precipitin bands in the double-diffusion immunoprecipitation assay with chromatin proteins of Novikoff hepatoma, Walker 256 carcinosarcoma, and 18-day fetal rat liver. The antigen used for preparation of antiserum was the chromatin proteins initially extracted with 3 M NaCl-7 M urea and soluble after dialysis to 0.14 M NaCl-0.35 M urea. The chromatin proteins used for analytical studies were extracted with 0.6 M NaCl containing 0.01 M Tris-HCl (pH 8) and 100 muM phenylmethylsulfonyl fluoride. Corresponding chromatin proteins of normal and 18-hr regenerating rat liver, heart, and kidney did not form precipitin bands. The antigen was purified from the chrmatin of Novikoff hepatoma cells by exclusion chromatography on Sephadex G-150 and preparative nondenaturing polyacrylamide gel electrophoresis. Its migration on denaturing sodium dodecyl sulfate-polyacrylamide gels corresponded to a molecular weight of 26,000. Amino acid analysis showed that the ratio of acidic to basic amino acids was 1.4 to 1.0. Evidence for its homogeneity included its migration as a single protein spot on two-dimensional polyacrylamide gel electrophoresis and its single lysine amino-terminal amino acid. This protein is a glycoprotein, as shown by the presence of 15 moles of galactosamine per mole of antigen. These studies demonstrate the presence of a fetal glycoprotein in the chromatin of two tumors that may have an important role in determining their gene products.

Animals↗
PubMed1984

[15N-labelled lysine in colostomized laying hens. 4. Incorporation of 15N-lysine into various amino acids of egg yolk and white].

Each of three colostomized laying hens received per os 0.2% L-Lysine with 48 atom-% 15N-excess (15N') labelled in alpha-position in addition to a pelleted laying hen ration of 120 g over a period of 4 days. On the following 4 days they received equal amounts of unlabelled lysine. The eggs laid during the 8 days of the experiment were separated into the white of egg, the yolk and the eggshell, and the to and heavy nitrogen in the individual fractions were determined. Above that, 17 amino acids and their atom-%15N' were determined in the 19 samples of the white and yolk of egg. Of the total 15N' from the lysine fed in the 4 days, 10.1% were found in the yolk, 10.5% in the white of egg and 1.1% in the eggshells of the eggs laid during the 8 days of the experiment. 85% of the total amino acid-15N' of the yolk and 86% of the white of egg detected to be lysine-15N'. The 15N'-amount of the other 16 amino acids was mainly concentrated in the two acid and basic amino acids. Approximately 50% of the non-lysine 15N' in the egg are contained in aspartic acid, glutamic acid, histidine and arginine. A very low incorporation of the labelled lysine only could be detected in the aromatic and sulphur-containing amino acids from both the yolk and the white of egg. 43% of the 15N' was detected in the 10 essential and semi-essential (except lysine) and 57% in the 6 non-essential amino acids of the yolk and 52% and 48% resp. of the white of egg. One can summarize that the incorporation of 15N' into the egg shows the same development as that of the labelled amino acids of the wheat protein and that 15% of the lysine-15N' could be detected in the 16 other amino acids.

Amino Acids↗
PubMed1982

Purification and characterization of spirosomes in Lactobacillus brevis.

Spirosomes, very find spiral particles, were isolated from a protoplastlysate of Lactobacillus brevis ATCC 8287 by differential centrifugation and purified further by potassium tartrate density gradient centrifugation. The purified spirosome preparation showed a maximum peak around 275 nm on the ultraviolet absorption spectrum and it consisted of about 94.5% protein. The buoyant density in CsCl of the spirosomes was 1.320 g/cm3. The spirosomes were composed mainly of a single protein (spirosin with an apparent molecular weight of about 95,000 as determined by sodium dodecyl sulfate (SDS)-polyacrylamide gel electrophoresis. The protein of the spirosomes was found to be composed predominantly of neutral amino acids accompanied by approximately equal amounts of acidic and basic amino acids. The spirosomes showed one antigenic determinant in the immunodiffusion test. The spirosomes were readily degraded by the action or proteolytic enzymes and lost their antigenicity, but they were not affected by treatment with either deoxyribonuclease or ribonuclease. The spiral structure of the spirosome was also found to be disintegrated by treatment with 1 M guanidine hydrochloride, 4 M urea or 0.1% SDS, but not by the action of deoxycholate, nonionic detergents or mercaptoethanol, as observed in the electron microscope.

Amino Acids↗
PubMed1977

Transport of amino acids in renal brush border membrane vesicles. Uptake of the neutral amino acid L-alanine.

The transport of L-alanine was studied using membrane vesicles derived from the brush borders of the rabbit renal proximal tubule. Preincubation of the renal membranes with L-alanine, but not D-alanine, accelerated exchange diffusion of L-alanine, i.e. stereospecific counter transport. The equilibrium uptake of L-alanine decreased with increasing medium osmolarity. Extrapolation to infinite medium osmolarity, i.e. zero intravesicular space, indicates no uptake. These findings demonstrate that the uptake of L-alanine represents transport into membrane vesicles and not surface binding to the membrane. The presence of a Na+ gradient between the external incubation medium and the intravesicular medium stimulated L-alanine uptake. Accumulation of the amino acid in the vesicles was maximal at 5 min and then decreased, indicating efflux. The final level of uptake in the presence of the Na+ gradient was identical with that obtained in the absence of the gradient, suggesting that equilibrium was established. At the peak of the "overshoot" the uptake of L-alanine was slmost twice the final equilibrium value. These results suggest that the imposition of a large extravesicular to intravesicular gradient of Na+ effects the transient movement of L-alanine into renal brush border membrane vesicles against its concentration gradient. Stimulation of L-alanine uptake was specific for Na+. When the intravesicular medium contained no Na+, the rate of uptake enhanced with increases in the concentration of Na+ in the external medium. Increasing the Na+ gradient lowered the apparent Km for L-alanine. In the absence of the Na+ gradient, the rates of uptake of L- and D-alanine were identical. In the presence of the Na+ gradient, the rate of D-alanine uptake was stimulated, but significantly less than that of L-alanine. The uptake of L-alanine, at a given concentration of amino acid reflected the sum of the contributions from Na+ gradient-dependent and -independent transport systems. The dependent system was saturated at about 2 mM L-alanine. The independent system exhibited minimal saturability and may itself represent the sum of passive diffusion and a "carrier"-mediated system. At physiological concentrations of L-alanine, the rate of the Na+ gradient-dependent uptake was 5-fold that in the absence of the gradient. Valinomycin enhanced the Na+ gradient-dependent uptake of L-alanine, provided a K+ gradient (vesicle greater than medium) was present. This finding indicates that the Na+ gradient-dependent transport of L-alanine into renal brush border membrane vesicles is an electrogenic process and suggests that the membrane potential is a determinant of L-alanine transport. In the presence of a Na+ gradient, the uptake of L-alanine was strongly inhibited by other neutral L-amino-acids. Imino acids and glycine also inhibited, but acidic and basic amino acids were without effect. In the absence of a Na+ gradient, little selective competition was found...

Alanine↗
PubMedDate not supplied

[Dynamics of amino acid and protein metabolism of laying hens after the administration of 15N-labeled wheat protein. 4. 15N-incorporation into the amino acids of egg fractions].

12 colostomized laying hybrids with an 81% laying performance received 36 g wheat containing a 15N excess (15N') of 14.37 atom-% in a customary ration over 4 days. The wheat lysine contained 13.58 atom-% 15N', the histidine 14.38 and the arginine 13.63 atom-% 15N'. In the 4-day period of 15N' application 540 mg 15N', 18.1 mg lysine 15N', 21.5 mg histidine 15N' and 47.9 mg arginine 15N' were consumed per hen. Subsequently the animals received the same ration with unlabelled wheat. 12 h, 36 h, 60 h and 108 h after the last 15N' application 3 animals each were butchered. The atom-% 15N' of the lysine was below that of the two other basic and of the non-basic amino acids. The labelling of the amino acids of the white of egg decreased rapidly 2 days after the 15N' application. The atom-% of the 15N' of the yolk of egg, however, increased after the discontinuation and remained the same for 4 days after the last 15N' application. The 14N and 15N' amounts measured in the complete experiment period are distributed over the 3 basic and the 12 non-basic (excluding thioamino acids) amino acids in the white of egg for 14N as 25.0%: 57.6% and for 15N' as 18.2%: 57.5%. In the yolk of egg 28.5% 14N for the basic and 56.8% for the non-basic amino acids could be calculated; the corresponding values for 15N' were 17.8% and 55.5%.

Amino Acids↗
PubMed1990

Biosynthesis and posttranslational processing of site-directed endoproteolytic cleavage mutants of pro-neuropeptide Y in mouse pituitary cells.

Although pairs of basic amino acids are common endoproteolytic sites in prohormones, the enzymes responsible for these cleavages have not yet been characterized. To investigate the specificity of these endoproteases, cDNAs encoding pro-neuropeptide Y (pro-NPY) containing all four pairs of basic amino acids were expressed in AtT-20 cells. Pro-NPY was selected as a model substrate because it undergoes a single cleavage at the sequence -Lys-Arg- during posttranslational processing. AtT-20 cells, a mouse anterior pituitary corticotrope line, were selected because they synthesize pro-adrenocorticotropic hormone (pro-ACTH)/endorphin and cleave a well characterized subset of the eight pairs of basic amino acids in the precursor. Altered cDNAs encoding pro-NPY with -Arg-Arg-, -Arg-Lys-, or Lys-Lys- at the cleavage site were used to generate stable cell lines. The production of NPY and the carboxyl-terminal peptide was studied using sodium dodecyl sulfate-polyacrylamide gel electrophoresis, gel filtration, reversed-phase high performance liquid chromatography, ion-exchange high performance liquid chromatography, tryptic peptide mapping, and microsequencing. Direct amino acid labeling confirmed the identity of the pair of basic amino acids at the cleavage site. Even when the four pairs of basic amino acids were presented in the same structural context, the rate, extent, and type of cleavage was substrate-specific. Pro-NPY(-Arg-Arg-) was cleaved at a rate similar to that observed for the wild-type pro-NPY(-Lys-Arg-). In contrast, pro-NPY(-Arg-Lys-) was cleaved at a much lower rate, and pro-NPY (-Lys-Lys-) was cleaved very poorly. Following endoproteolytic cleavage, the pair of basic amino acids present did not alter the production of mature NPY with a COOH-terminal Tyr-NH2. While two of the three mutant pro-NPY molecules were processed to wild-type carboxyl-terminal peptide, the carboxyl-terminal peptide derived from pro-NPY(-Arg-Lys-) contained an amino-terminal lysine residue, indicating that biosynthetic endoproteolysis occurred in the middle or at the amino terminus of the pair of basic amino acid residues at the cleavage site. Expression of wild-type or mutant pro-NPY inhibited cleavages within the endogenous pro-ACTH/endorphin; poorly cleaved pro-NPY mutants (Lys in the second position of the cleavage site) were the most potent inhibitors of pro-ACTH/endorphin cleavage.

Amino Acid Sequence↗
PubMed1991

Increase in susceptibility of Pseudomonas aeruginosa to carbapenem antibiotics in low-amino-acid media.

The in vitro susceptibility of Pseudomonas aeruginosa PAO1 to carbapenem antibiotics, such as CS-533, was influenced by various concentrations of basic amino acids, i.e., L-lysine, L-histidine, and L-arginine, in agar media. P. aeruginosa PAO1 showed higher susceptibility to carbapenems in minimal medium than it did in rich media such as Mueller-Hinton II agar. The susceptibility was decreased by the addition of a basic amino acid to the minimal medium, whereas it was influenced less by other amino acids. The susceptibility of PAO1 to cephalosporins, piperacillin, quinolones, and gentamicin was not influenced by the addition of a basic amino acid to the minimal medium. A significant change in susceptibility to carbapenems by the addition of a basic amino acid was not observed with D2 protein-deficient mutants of PAO1. Clinical isolates of P. aeruginosa also showed an increase in susceptibility in minimal medium. L-Lysine in minimal medium did not have any influence on the production of D2 protein, beta-lactamases, or penicillin-binding proteins of PAO1 or on the chemical degradation of CS-533. These results strongly indicate that the increase in susceptibility of P. aeruginosa to carbapenems relates to less competition with basic amino acids for permeation through the D2 protein channel of P. aeruginosa.

Agar↗
PubMed1996

rBAT is an amino acid exchanger with variable stoichiometry.

The rBAT protein, when expressed in Xenopus oocytes, was previously shown to reproduce the selectivity of the Na(+)-independent neutral and basic amino acid transport system called bo,+. More recently, the capacity of rBAT to generate a transmembrane current was demonstrated when addition of neutral amino acids stimulated the efflux of cations (presumably basic amino acids) in rBAT-injected oocytes. In the present paper, aminoisobutyric acid (AIB), a neutral amino acid analogue, was shown to induce outward currents (efflux of basic amino acids) through rBAT similar to those caused by alanine in terms of affinity, maximal currents and I-V curves. Despite generating similar currents, the AIB transport rate was more than 30 times lower than that of alanine, thus challenging the assumption that rBAT functions as a classical exchanger. Experiments using a cut-open oocyte voltage clamp demonstrated that AIB was capable of stimulating rBAT-mediated currents from either side of the membrane. AIB, like alanine, was able to stimulate the efflux of radiolabeled alanine and arginine while no rBAT-mediated efflux was measurable in the absence of external rBAT substrates. These results demonstrate that (i) the presence of amino acids is required on both sides of the membrane for rBAT to mediate amino acid flux and thus rBAT must be some type of exchanger but (ii) rBAT-mediated amino acid influx is not stoichiometrically related to the efflux. A model of a "double gated pore" is proposed to account for these properties of rBAT, which contravene standard models of exchangers and other transporters.

Alanine↗