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4-Toluene sulfonate methyl-monooxygenase from Comamonas testosteroni T-2: purification and some properties of the oxygenase component.

Comamonas testosteroni T-2 synthesizes an inducible enzyme system that oxygenates 4-toluene sulfontate (TS) to 4-sulfobenzyl alcohol when grown in TS-salts medium. We purified this TS methyl-monooxygenase system (TSMOS) and found it to consist of two components. A monomeric, iron-sulfur flavoprotein (component B), which has been shown to act as a reductase in the 4-sulfobenzoate dioxygenase system of this organism (H. H. Locher, T. Leisinger, and A. M. Cook, Biochem. J. 274:833-842, 1991), carried electrons from NADH to component M, an oxygenase. This oxygenase had the UV-visible spectral characteristics of an iron-sulfur protein. Mrs of about 152,000 for the native oxygenase and of 43,000 under denaturing conditions indicated a homotri- or homotetrameric enzyme, whose N-terminal amino acids and amino acid composition were determined. The activity of the purified enzyme was enhanced about fivefold by the addition of Fe2+. In the presence of O2 and NADH, components B and M together catalyzed the stoichiometric transformation of TS or p-toluate to the corresponding alcohol. The reaction was confirmed as oxygenation of the methyl group by observation of an oxygen atom from 18O2 in carboxybenzyl alcohol. The substrate range of TSMOS included carboxylated analogs of TS (p- and m-toluates and 4-ethylbenzoate), whereas p-xylene, toluene, and p-cresol were not substrates. TSMOS also catalyzed demethylation; 4-methoxybenzoate was transformed to 4-hydroxybenzoate and formaldehyde.

Amino Acids↗

Biodegradation of cyclic amines by a Pseudomonas strain involves an amine mono-oxygenase.

Pseudomonas putida O1G3 catalyzes the degradation of pyrrolidine and piperidine. This strain can use these compounds as the sole source of carbon, nitrogen, and energy. When the cyclic amines were used as the growth substrates, the synthesis of a soluble heme amine mono-oxygenase was induced in this bacteria. This observation was confirmed by spectrophotometric analysis and specific inhibitor. This mono-oxygenase is a NADH-dependent enzyme and catalyzes the cleavage of the C-N bond of the pyrrolidine and piperidine ring by a mechanism similar to a N dealkylation. This reaction could be followed by ring cleavage to form gamma-aminobutyraldehyde oxidized to gamma-aminobutyrate. Further investigations to purify the heme-containing mono-oxygenase are in progress.

Amines↗

Effect of tumor necrosis factor-alpha and interleukin-1 alpha on heme oxygenase-1 expression in human endothelial cells.

Heme iron exacerbates oxidant damage by catalyzing the production of free radicals. Heme oxygenase is the rate-limiting enzyme involved in heme catabolism. An inducible form of heme oxygenase, heme oxygenase-1 (HO-1), is upregulated in oxidant and inflammatory settings, and recent work suggests that HO-1 induction may serve a protective function against oxidant injury. The ability of the endogenous inflammatory mediators, interleukin (IL)-1 alpha, tumor necrosis factor-alpha (TNF-alpha), and IL-6, to enhance HO-1 expression in cultured human endothelial cells was examined in this study. HO-1 mRNA and protein expression were upregulated by IL-1 alpha and TNF-alpha exposure but not by IL-6. Induction of HO-1 mRNA by IL-1 alpha and TNF-alpha occurred in a concentration- and time-dependent fashion, with maximal expression occurring by 4 h for both cytokines. Induction depended on protein synthesis and occurred at the transcriptional level. Inhibition of the AP-1 transcription factor with curcumin decreased the cytokine induction of HO-1 mRNA, suggesting the involvement of this transcription factor in cytokine signaling of HO-1. The results of this study indicate that the endogenous inflammatory cytokines IL-1 alpha and TNF-alpha induce HO-1 in endothelial cells, providing further evidence that HO-1 may be an important cellular response to inflammatory stress.

Blotting, Western↗

Heme oxygenase-1 is a cGMP-inducible endothelial protein and mediates the cytoprotective action of nitric oxide.

Inducible heme oxygenase (HO-1) has recently been recognized as an antioxidant and cytoprotective gene. By use of Western blotting, cell viability analysis, and antisense technique, the present study investigates the involvement of HO-1 in endothelial protection induced by the clinically used nitric oxide (NO) donor molsidomine (specifically, its active metabolite 3-morpholinosydnonimine [SIN-1]) and the second messenger cGMP. In bovine pulmonary artery endothelial cells, SIN-1 and S-nitroso-N-acetyl-D,L-penicillamine (SNAP) at 1 to 100 micromol/L induced the synthesis of HO-1 protein in a concentration-dependent fashion up to 3-fold over basal levels. HO-1 induction by SIN-1 was inhibited in the presence of the NO scavenger phenyl-4,4,5,5,-tetramethylimidazoline-1-oxyl-3-oxide and the soluble guanylyl cyclase inhibitor 1H-[1,2,4]oxadiazole[4, 3-a]quinoxalin-1-one. 8-Bromo-cGMP (1 to 100 micromol/L) and dibutyryl cGMP (1 to 100 micromol/L) as well as the activator of particulate guanylyl cyclase atrial natriuretic peptide (1 to 100 nmol/L) produced increases in HO-1 protein similar to those produced by SIN-1. SIN-1 and 8-bromo-cGMP increased heme oxygenase activity (bilirubin formation). Cytoprotection by NO donors was abrogated in the presence of the heme oxygenase inhibitor tin protoporphyrin IX. Pretreatment of cells with a phosphorothioate-linked HO-1 antisense oligonucleotide prevented protection by SIN-1 or 8-bromo-cGMP against tumor necrosis factor-alpha cytotoxicity, whereas sense and scrambled HO-1 were without effect under these conditions. Our results show for the first time that HO-1 is a cGMP-sensitive endothelial gene and establish conclusively a causal relationship between HO-1 induction and endothelial protection by the NO/cGMP system. By targeting cytoprotective HO-1, NO donors may therefore be expected to induce antioxidant, antiatherogenic, and anti-inflammatory effects.

Animals↗

Induction of heme oxygenase is a rapid, protective response in rhabdomyolysis in the rat.

Heme proteins such as myoglobin or hemoglobin, when released into the extracellular space, can instigate tissue toxicity. Myoglobin is directly implicated in the pathogenesis of renal failure in rhabdomyolysis. In the glycerol model of this syndrome, we demonstrate that the kidney responds to such inordinate amounts of heme proteins by inducing the heme-degradative enzyme, heme oxygenase, as well as increasing the synthesis of ferritin, the major cellular repository for iron. Prior recruitment of this response with a single preinfusion of hemoglobin prevents kidney failure and drastically reduces mortality (from 100% to 14%). Conversely, ablating this response with a competitive inhibitor of heme oxygenase exacerbates kidney dysfunction. We provide the first in vivo evidence that induction of heme oxygenase coupled to ferritin synthesis is a rapid, protective antioxidant response. Our findings suggest a therapeutic strategy for populations at a high risk for rhabdomyolysis.

Animals↗

Differential effects of metalloporphyrins on messenger RNA levels of delta-aminolevulinate synthase and heme oxygenase. Studies in cultured chick embryo liver cells.

The acute porphyrias in relapse are commonly treated with intravenous heme infusion to decrease the activity of delta-aminolevulinic acid synthase, normally the rate-controlling enzyme in heme biosynthesis. The biochemical effects of heme treatment are short-lived, probably due in part to heme-mediated induction of heme oxygenase, the rate-controlling enzyme for heme degradation. In this work, selected nonheme metalloporphyrins were screened for their ability to reduce delta-aminolevulinic acid synthase mRNA and induce heme oxygenase mRNA in chick embryo liver cell cultures. Of the metalloporphyrins tested, only zinc-mesoporphyrin reduced delta-aminolevulinic acid synthase mRNA without increasing heme oxygenase mRNA. The combination of zinc-mesoporphyrin and heme, at nanomolar concentrations, decreased delta-aminolevulinic acid synthase mRNA in a dose-dependent manner. The combination of zinc-mesoporphyrin (50 nM) and heme (200 nM) decreased the half-life of the mRNA for delta-aminolevulinic acid synthase from 5.2 to 2.5 h, while a similar decrease was produced by heme (10 microM) alone (2.2 h). The ability of zinc-mesoporphyrin to supplement the reduction of delta-aminolevulinic acid synthase mRNA by heme, in a process similar to that observed with heme alone, provides a rationale for further investigation of this compound for eventual use as a supplement to heme therapy of the acute porphyrias and perhaps other conditions in which heme may be of benefit.

5-Aminolevulinate Synthetase↗

Alteration in the inducibility by dexamethasone of the activity of tyrosine aminotransferase and tryptophan oxygenase in regenerating rat liver after partial hepatectomy.

In adrenalectomized rats, the activity of tryptophan oxygenase in liver cytosol was increased 4 h after dexamethasone injection, with a peak on day 2. It then gradually decreased to the value obtained in normal animals treated with dexamethasone. In adrenalectomized, 70% hepatectomized rats, tryptophan oxygenase activity decreased significantly during the period of DNA synthesis after partial hepatectomy; it then increased to above the level existing before hepatectomy, reaching a maximum on day 5, and subsequently returned to the level before hepatectomy. These changes were well correlated with those of dexamethasone receptors at all times after adrenalectomy and partial hepatectomy. In adrenalectomized rats, tyrosine aminotransferase activity was increased 4 h after dexamethasone injection, reached a maximum on day 2, and then remained elevated. The level was increased by subsequent 70% hepatectomy, reached a maximum on day 5, and then began to decrease, but activity was still high on day 10 after hepatectomy when the receptor level had returned to the value existing before hepatectomy. When actinomycin D or cycloheximide was injected with dexamethasone, the induction of the two enzymes was completely inhibited. The activities of the two enzymes in regenerating liver of rats without adrenals and without glucocorticoid treatment were as low as those in adrenalectomized rats without glucocorticoid treatment. Thus, there was a good correlation between the dexamethasone receptor level and the induction of tryptophan oxygenase, but there was a dissociation between the receptor level and the induction of tyrosine aminotransferase after adrenalectomy and partial hepatectomy. The mechanism of this dissociation is unknown.

Adrenalectomy↗

The heme oxygenase system and its functions in the brain.

The heme oxygenase (HO) system was identified in the early 1970s as a distinct microsomal enzyme system that catalyzes formation of bile pigments (Maines and Kappas, 1974). Up to the early 1990s the system was considered only as a "molecular wrecking ball" (Lane, 1998) for degradation of the heme molecule and production of toxic waste products, CO and bile pigments. For those years, the HO system remained relatively unknown to the research community. In a rather short span of the past 10 years following the discovery of high levels of a second form of the enzyme, HO-2, in the brain, suggesting that "heme oxygenase in the brain has functions aside from heme degradation" (Sun et al., 1990); concomitant with finding that another toxic gas, NO, is a signal molecule for generation of cGMP (Ignarro et al., 1982), the system was propelled into main stream research. This propulsion was fueled by the realization of the multiple and diverse functions of heme degradation products. Heme oxygenase has now found relevance in all kinds of human pathophysiology ranging from stroke, cancer, multiple sclerosis, and malaria to transplantation and immune response. As it turns out, its potential benefits are mesmerizing investigators in diverse fields (Lane, 1998). The most recent findings with HO-2 being a hemoprotein and potentially an intracellular "sink" for NO (McCoubrey et al., 1997a; Ding et al., 1999), together with the discovery of the third form of the enzyme, HO-3 (McCoubrey et al., 1997b), are likely to insure the widespread interest in the enzyme system in the coming years. The present review is intended to highlight molecular properties of HO isozymes and their likely functions in the brain. Extended reviews of the system are found in Maines (1992, 1997).

Animals↗

Tin-mesoporphyrin, a potent heme oxygenase inhibitor, for treatment of intracerebral hemorrhage: in vivo and in vitro studies.

Spontaneous intracerebral hemorrhage (ICH) is the stroke subtype with highest mortality and morbidity. ICH can also occur following traumatic brain injury and thrombolysis for ischemic stroke and myocardial infarction. Development of ICH-induced hemispheric edema can elevate intracranial pressure and cause death. In survivors, edema-related white matter injury can lead to life-long neurological deficits. At present, there are no scientifically proven treatments for ICH. Heme oxygenase products, particularly iron and bilirubin, can be toxic to cells. In cerebral ischemia models, metalloporphyrins that are potent heme oxygenase inhibitors, reduce edema and infarct size. Tin-mesoporphyrin (SnMP) is a neuroprotectant that has also been used clinically to treat hyperbilirubinemia. Presently, we tested the hypothesis that SnMP treatment would reduce edema development following experimental ICH. We produced hematomas in pentobarbital-anesthetized pigs (9-11 kg) by infusing autologous blood into the frontal white matter. To maximize tissue concentrations, SnMP (87.5 microM in DMSO) or DMSO (vehicle controls) was included in the infused blood. Pig brains were frozen in situ at 24 hrs. following ICH and hematoma and edema volumes were determined on coronal sections by computer-assisted image analysis. We also examined the effects of SnMP in vitro on ferritin iron release, the formation of iron-induced thiobarbituric acid reactive substances (TBARS) and initial clot formation and hemolysis. SnMP treatment significantly reduced intracerebral mass following ICH. This was due to significant decreases in hematoma (0.68+/-0.08 vs. 1.39+/-0.30 cc, vehicle controls p<0.025) and edema volumes (edema = 1. 16+/-0.33 vs. 1.77+/-0.31 cc, p<0.05). In vitro, SnMP did not stabilize ferritin iron against reductive release nor did it decrease iron-induced TBARS formation in brain homogenates. SnMP or DMSO added to pig blood did not alter clot weights. In conclusion, SnMP reduced intracerebral mass in an ICH model by decreasing both hematoma and edema volumes SnMP's mechanism of action is presently unknown but may involve its potent inhibition of heme oxygenase activity. SnMP's effect appears unrelated to ferritin iron release, antioxidant activity or initial clot formation. Since SnMP treatment could be brain protective following ICH, further investigations into neurological and neuropathological outcomes and as well as into its mechanism of action are warranted.

Animals↗

Molecular characterization of fatty acid alpha-hydroperoxide-forming enzyme (alpha-oxygenase) in rice plants.

Genes encoding an alpha-oxygenase, in Nicotiana tabacum and Arabidopsis thaliana, have been recently isolated. However, the reaction mechanism of the enzyme has not so far been elucidated. In this study, a cDNA encoding the fatty acid alpha-oxygenase gene in rice plants was isolated. The deduced amino acid sequence showed high similarity (63.6%) to that of N. tabacum. The gene was cloned into an expression vector system, pQE-30, and expressed in Escherichia coli as a host cell. Palmitic acid as a substrate was incubated with the lysate of the cells, and the products were analysed by HPLC. A compound formed predominantly by the recombinant enzyme was shown to be n-pentadecanal. By incubating the mixture at 0 degrees C, 2-hydroperoxypalmitic acid was detected as a primary product and little formation of n-pentadecanal was detected. Furthermore, uptake of molecular oxygen was observed with an oxygen electrode. This indicated that the gene in rice plants encodes the alpha-oxygenase.

Arabidopsis↗

[Heme oxygenase and carbon monoxide: the protection or the injury of cells?].

Heme oxygenase (HO) catalyzes the conversion of heme to carbon monoxide, iron, and biliverdin, which is immediately reduced to bilirubin. Three HO active isozymes exist: HO-1, an inducible heat shock protein (HSP32), and HO-2 and HO-3, which are constitutive and highly concentrated in neurons, spleen and liver. Heme oxygenase-1 is an inducible enzyme that catalyzes heme degradation and has been proposed to play a role in protecting cells against oxidative stress-related injury. The mechanism(s) of protection is not completely elucidated, although it is suggested that one or more of the catalytic by-products provide antioxidant functions either directly or indirectly. The role played by heme oxygenase in tissue pathology is determined by a delicate balance between the injurious and protective actions of heme, bilirubin, CO, and Fe2+. Authors review the functional role of HO and its derivates in cells biology and its real potential application to pathological conditions.

Animals↗

[Simvastatin inhibits hypertension-induced cardiac hypertrophy in rats through activation of heme oxygenase-1/carbon monoxide pathway].

To investigate the anti-cardiac hypertrophic mechanism of statins, thirty-eight male Wistar rats were randomly allocated to four groups. Rats in model group received nitric oxide synthase inhibitor, N-nitro-L-arginine (L-NNA) 15 mg/(kg.d) by peritoneal injection. Rats in simvastatin treatment groups were given simultaneously L-NNA as those in model group and simvastatin 5 or 30 mg/(kg.d) intragastrically respectively. Rats in control group received the same volume of normal sodium. Left ventricular function, left ventricular mass index (LVMI), the content of brain natriuretic peptide (BNP) in plasma and myocardium, myocardial hydroxyproline and heme oxygenase activity were determined after 6 weeks. The results showed that rats in model group developed significant cardiac hypertrophy associated with reduced left ventricular function compared with the control group. However, compared with the model group, L-NNA-induced cardiac hypertrophy of rats was significantly relieved in simvastatin treatment groups, associated with improved left ventricular function, decreased LVMI, lower BNP levels in plasma and myocardium, lower content of myocardial hydroxyproline, and increased myocardial heme oxygenase (HO) activity. In cultured rat neonatal cardiomyocytes, simvastatin (30 or 100 mumol/L) significantly increased heme oxygenase-1 (HO-1) mRNA expression, HO activity as well as the production of CO in cardiomyocytes. Cultured with zinc protoporphyrin, a HO inhibitor, or simvastatin alone did not change [(3)H]leucine uptake of cardiomyocytes. However, cocultured with simvastatin significantly inhibited the cardiomyocyte [(3)H]leucine uptake induced by angiotensin II in a concentration-dependent manner. Cotreatment with zinc protoporphyrin significantly abolished the suppressive effect of simvastatin on cardiomyocyte [(3)H]leucine uptake. These data suggest that the activation of HO-1/CO pathway may be one of the important mechanisms by which statins inhibit cardiac hypertrophy caused by hypertension.

Angiotensins↗

Hexachlorobenzene and substituted pentachlorobenzenes (X-C6Cl5) as inducers of hepatic cytochrome P-450-dependent mono-oxygenases.

Hexachlorobenzene (HCB) and 2,3,4,4',5-pentachlorobiphenyl induced a similar spectrum of cytochrome-P-450-dependent mono-oxygenase activities in the rat, including 4-dimethylaminoantipyrine N-demethylase, aryl hydrocarbon hydroxylase (AHH) and ethoxyresorufin O-deethylase (EROD). Levels of individual cytochrome P-450 isozymes and various mono-oxygenase activities in liver microsomes from rats treated with substituted pentachlorobenzene (X-C6Cl5) and 4'-substituted-2,3,4,5-tetrachlorobiphenyl (X-C12 H5Cl4) analogues demonstrated the remarkable effects of substituent structure on induction activities. The chloro- and bromopentachlorobenzenes induced hepatic microsomal 4-dimethylaminoantipyrine N-demethylase, AHH and EROD; the iodo-, fluoro-, acetamino- and nitropentachlorobenzene analogues together with pentachlorobenzene weakly induced both AHH and EROD (approximately 2-fold or less); and the remaining substituted pentachlorobenzenes tested (X = CH3, OCH3 and OH) were relatively inactive as inducers of microsomal mono-oxygenases. Substituent effects were observed for the induction of liver microsomal cytochromes P-450a, P-450b + e, P-450c, P-450d and total cytochrome P-450 by the X-C6Cl5 and X-C12H5Cl4 analogues. The chloro- and bromopentachlorobenzene analogues in both series induced total cytochrome P-450 and cytochromes P-450a to P-450d, whereas the hydroxy-, methyl- and methoxy-substituted analogues in both series were relatively inactive as inducers of cytochrome P-450. Iodo-, fluoro- and nitropentachlorobenzene were weak 3-methylcholanthrene-type inducers and, in contrast to the corresponding biphenyl analogues, had little or no effect on the induction of cytochromes P-450a, P-450c and P-450d.(ABSTRACT TRUNCATED AT 250 WORDS)

Animals↗

Enzymes of vitamin B6 degradation. Purification and properties of 5-pyridoxic-acid oxygenase from Arthrobacter sp.

5-Pyridoxic-acid oxygenase, a cytoplasmic enzyme formed when Arthrobacter Cr-7 is grown with pyridoxine as a sole source of carbon and nitrogen, was purified about 190-fold to homogeneity from fully induced cells. The enzyme catalyzes Reaction a, (Formula: see text) the essential ring-opening step in the degradation of pyridoxine, and provides a second example of an FAD-dependent oxygenase that adds both two hydrogen and two oxygen atoms to its substrate. 5-Pyridoxic-acid oxygenase has an isoelectric point of 4.6, functions optimally between pH 7 and 8, appears to contain a single subunit of Mr = 51,000 and one FAD (but no iron) per subunit, and is readily resolved by precipitation with ammonium sulfate at pH 3.0. FMN and riboflavin do not replace FAD as coenzyme, but their presence enhances a normally minor side reaction (Reaction b) NAD(P)H + H+ + O2----NAD(P)+ + H2O2 (b) catalyzed by the holoenzyme. Reaction b also is enhanced when the poorly utilized analogues, 3-hydroxy-2-methylpyridine-5-carboxylic acid or NADH, replace 5-pyridoxic acid or NADPH, respectively, as substrates in Reaction a. Each of the enzymes required in two different pathways for degradation of pyridoxine to anabolic intermediates has now been studied. A comparison of these two pathways and their enzymes is provided.

Arthrobacter↗

Acquired resistance to acute oxidative stress. Possible role of heme oxygenase and ferritin.

BACKGROUND: Prior administration of endotoxin has conferred resistance to tissue damage in a number of models of organ injury. The mechanisms by which this resistance is conferred are enigmatic. Recognizing that enhanced tissue oxidative stress may be a feature of endotoxin-associated injury and is present in many models of tissue injury, we questioned whether the beneficial effect conferred by endotoxin is dependent on the up-regulation of antioxidant defenses. EXPERIMENTAL DESIGN: We employed the glycerol model of acute renal failure (Gly-ARF), a model in which oxidant damage occurs in the kidney and other organs as a result of rhabdomyolysis and hemolysis. Rats were pretreated with endotoxin 24 hours before, or at the time of, induction of Gly-ARF. Renal functional studies and assessment of renal antioxidant status were performed. The effect of prior treatment with endotoxin was also examined in models of methemoglobin-induced and ischemic ARF. RESULTS: Renal function was improved in rats pretreated with endotoxin but worsened in rats subjected to Gly-ARF and endotoxin simultaneously. Endotoxin induced heme oxygenase activity and ferritin content in the kidney but did not induce other antioxidant systems such as catalase and glutathione peroxidase. Treatment with a competitive inhibitor of heme oxygenase blocked endotoxin-induced protection on days 2 and 3, while markedly attenuating the protective effect on day 1. Pretreatment with endotoxin reduced renal injury induced by methemoglobin, but not ischemia. CONCLUSIONS: The resistance to injury conferred by endotoxin in Gly-ARF involves induction of an antioxidant response, consisting of increased heme oxygenase and ferritin synthesis. This coupled response allows degradation of heme as well as chelation of iron, thus decreasing oxidant-mediated tissue injury. This novel mechanism of endotoxin-induced resistance may be applicable not only to Gly-ARF but also to other models of tissue injury in which enhanced oxidative stress is implicated.

Acute Kidney Injury↗

Heme oxygenase (HO-1). Evidence for electrophilic oxygen addition to the porphyrin ring in the formation of alpha-meso-hydroxyheme.

Previous studies have established that reaction of the rat heme-heme oxygenase complex with H2O2 proceeds normally to give verdoheme, whereas reaction of the complex with meta-chloroperbenzoic acid yields a ferryl (FeIV = O) species and a protein radical but no verdoheme. The heme-heme oxygenase complex is shown here to react regiospecifically with ethyl hydroperoxide to give alpha-meso-ethoxyheme. Formation of this product exactly parallels the formation of alpha-meso-hydroxyheme in the normal reaction supported by cytochrome P450 reductase/NADPH or H2O2. These results rule out a nucleophilic mechanism for the alpha-meso-hydroxylation catalyzed by heme oxygenase and indicate that it involves electrophilic (or possibly radical) addition of the distal oxygen of iron-bound peroxide (FeIII-OOH) to the porphyrin ring.

Heme↗

Heme-heme oxygenase complex. Structure of the catalytic site and its implication for oxygen activation.

Heme oxygenase, a central monooxygenase enzyme of the heme catabolism and the associated generation of carbon monoxide, forms a 1:1 stoichiometric complex with iron protoporphyrin IX, which is a prosthetic active center and at the same time the substrate of the enzyme. By using EPR, resonance Raman, and optical absorption spectroscopic techniques, we have determined the axial ligand coordination of the enzyme-heme complex. The ferric heme iron in the heme-enzyme complex at neutral pH is six-coordinate high spin, while at alkaline pH (pKa 7.6), the complex becomes low spin. Spectra of ferrous forms of the complex indicate that histidine serves as the iron proximal axial ligand and that the residue is in its neutral imidazole rather than its imidazolate protonation state. Thus, the active site of the heme-heme oxygenase complex has a myoglobin-like structure rather than an active site similar to the large cytochrome P-450 class of monooxygenases. As a consequence, the activated form of the heme-heme oxygenase complex, a peroxo intermediate, is different from that of the cytochrome P-450 monooxygenases, in which the activated form is an oxo intermediate. The overall catalytic mechanism is probably more closely related to that of other monooxygenases with myoglobin-like active sites, such as secondary amine monooxygenase.

Animals↗

[DNAase I hypersensitivity of the 1,5'-flanking region of the tryptophan oxygenase gene in recombinant DNA and chromatin reconstituted with it].

We have examined DNase I hypersensitive sites in the 5'-flanking region of the rat tryptophan oxygenase gene in recombinant plasmids. We have found two DNase I-hypersensitive sites in regions that map between -350 to -210 and -180 to -90 bp from the cap site. Both hypersensitive sites are found in supercoiled plasmids but not in linear or relaxed DNA molecules. The position of the hypersensitive sites of the 5'-flanking sequence of the rat tryptophan oxygenase gene in recombinant plasmids correlate with the chromatin sites first determined by Becker et al. The hypersensitive regions in the recombinant plasmids include the DNase I-hypersensitive sites in chromatin but extend somewhat upstream and downstream from these. Computer analysis of the 5'-flanking DNA region of the gene suggests that the DNA fragment spanning nucleotides -231 to -207 forms a potential hairpin loop with 15 unpaired bases. Chromatin reconstitution with histones on supercoiled plasmids carrying the 5'-flanking region of the rat tryptophan oxygenase gene suppresses both in vitro DNase I-hypersensitive sites. We have also shown that the DNA region containing the supercoil-dependent DNase I-hypersensitive site in the position between -350 and -210 bp from the cap site may form nucleosomes after reconstitution with histones.

Animals↗