Methyl chloride transferase: a carbocation route for biosynthesis of halometabolites.

Enzymatic synthesis of methyl halides through an S-adenosyl methionine transfer mechanism has been detected in cell extracts of Phellinus promaceus (a white rot fungus), Endocladia muricata (a marine red algae), and Mesembryanthemum crystallium (ice plant). This mechanism represents a novel pathway for the formation of halometabolites. The Michaelis constants for chloride and bromide ion and for S-adenosyl methionine in the reaction have been determined for the enzyme from E. muricata. A recent survey of marine algae indicates that there may be a broad distribution of this enzyme among marine algae.

Halohydrocarbon synthesis by bromoperoxidase.

An enzyme extracted from marine red algae, Bonnemaisonia hamifera, is capable of incorporating bromine into a number of organic substrates in the pH range 5 to 8. At pH 7.3, incubation of partially purified preparations of bromoperoxidase with hydrogen peroxide, bromide ion, and 3-oxooctanoic acid leads to the formation of three volatile brominated hydrocarbons: dibromomethane, bromoform, and 1-pentyl bromide. The presence of significant quantities of halometabolites including volatile halohydrocarbons in marine organisms, ocean waters, and the upper atmosphere may result from peroxidase-catalyzed halogenation reactions.

Utilization of peroxide and its relevance in oxygen insertion reactions catalyzed by chloroperoxidase.

Chloroperoxidase (CPO) catalyzed oxygen insertions are highly enantioselective and hence of immense biotechnological potential. A peroxide activation step is required to give rise to the compound I species that catalyzes this chiral reaction. A side reaction, a catalase type peroxide dismutation, is another feature of CPO's versatility. This work systematically investigates the utilization of different peroxides for the two reactions, i.e. the catalase type reaction and the oxygen insertion reaction. For the oxygen insertion reaction, indene and phenylethyl sulfide were chosen as substrate models for epoxidation and sulfoxidation respectively. The results clearly show that CPO is stable towards hydrogen peroxide and has a total number of turnovers near one million prior to deactivation. The epoxidation reactions terminate before completion because the enzyme functioning in its catalatic mode quickly removes all of the hydrogen peroxide from the reaction mixture. Sulfoxidation reactions are much faster than epoxidation reactions and thus are better able to compete with the catalase reaction for hydrogen peroxide utilization. A preliminary study towards optimizing the reaction system components for a laboratory scale synthetic epoxidation is reported.

Electron paramagnetic resonance investigations of exogenous ligand complexes of low-spin ferric chloroperoxidase: further support for endogenous thiolate ligation to the heme iron.

Previous spectroscopic studies of chloroperoxidase have provided evidence for endogenous thiolate sulfur donor ligation to the central heme iron of the enzyme. This conclusion is further supported by recent DNA sequence data which revealed the existence of a third cysteine residue (in addition to a disulfide pair detected earlier) in the protein available for coordination to the heme iron. Thus, chloroperoxidase shares many spectroscopic properties with cytochrome P-450, the only other known thiolate-ligated heme protein. Surprisingly, a previous electron paramagnetic resonance (EPR) study of low-spin ferric chloroperoxidase-ligand complexes (Hollenberg, P.F., Hager, L.P., Blumberg, W.E. and Peisach, J. (1980) J. Biol. Chem. 255, 4801-4807) was unable to provide clear support for the presence of a thiolate ligand, although sulfur coordination was implicated. This was, in part, because an insufficient number of complexes was examined. In this work, we have significantly expanded upon the previous EPR study by using an extensive variety of over twenty exogenous ligands including carbon, nitrogen, oxygen, phosphorus and sulfur donors. Crystal field analysis, using the procedure of Blumberg and Peisach, of the present data in comparison with data for analogous complexes of cytochrome P-450-CAM, thiolate-ligated heme model systems, and myoglobin, is clearly indicative of endogenous thiolate ligation for chloroperoxidase. In addition, the UV-visible absorption and EPR spectral data suggest that a carboxylate ligand is a possible candidate for the endogenous sixth ligand to the heme iron that is responsible for the reversible conversion of ferric chloroperoxidase from high-spin to low-spin at low temperatures (less than 200 K).

Purification and characterization of culture-derived exoantigens of Plasmodium falciparum.

An 83 kDa glycoprotein and a 100 kDa glycoprotein have been purified from the supernatant fluid of in vitro cultures of Plasmodium falciparum by conventional cation-exchange liquid chromatography, size exclusion high performance liquid chromatography, and anion-exchange high performance liquid chromatography. Both proteins exist as dimers in the native state and have been identified as parasite antigens by Western immunoblotting and by their specific reactivity in the indirect enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay. The N-terminal amino acid sequence of these two proteins has been determined and they are at least 90% homologous. The use of monospecific rabbit antisera raised against the individual pure proteins confirm their cross-reactivity. We postulate that the 83 kDa protein is a specific processing product of the larger 100 kDa protein. The presence of these proteins in the culture supernatant suggests they could both be derived from the merozoite surface coat and are potential protective antigens.

Identification of the fifth axial heme ligand of chloroperoxidase.

Chloroperoxidase from Caldariomyces fumago catalyzes the peroxidative chlorination of organic acceptor molecules. From a variety of spectroscopic data, it had long been thought that chloroperoxidase possessed an active site structure similar to that of cytochrome P-450cam. Resonance Raman studies conducted with isotopically substituted enzyme proved conclusively that the fifth axial ligand to the ferriprotoporphyrin IX moiety of chloroperoxidase is indeed a cysteine thiolate (Bangcharoenpaurpong, O., Champion, P. M., Hall, K. S., and Hager, L. P. (1986) Biochemistry 25, 2374-2378). In this study, Ellman's reagent, 5,5'-dithiobis(2-nitrobenzoic acid), was used to ascertain which of the 3 cysteine residues in the primary structure of chloroperoxidase serves as the fifth axial heme ligand; two of the cysteine residues were earlier shown to be involved in a disulfide linkage. Apoprotein was labeled under denaturing conditions with 5,5'-dithiobis(2-nitrobenzoic acid). A unique peptide, containing the thionitrobenzoate adduct, was isolated via reverse phase HPLC following digestion with endoproteinase Glu-C. Amino acid and Edman sequence analysis revealed the fifth axial ligand in chloroperoxidase to be cysteine 29. Under reducing and denaturing conditions, incubation of apochloroperoxidase with Ellman's reagent resulted in 3 labeled residues. Proteolysis and isolation of the labeled peptides using reverse phase HPLC and subsequent Edman sequence analysis detected and identified the thionitrobenzoate adducts of each of the three cysteinyl peptides of chloroperoxidase.

Binding of pyruvate oxidase alpha-peptide to phospholipid vesicles.

The alpha-peptide of pyruvate oxidase is a 23 residue peptide which is cleaved from the carboxy terminus of the enzyme during proteolytic activation by chymotrypsin (M. Recny et al. (1985) J. Biol. Chem. 260, 14287-14291). Cleavage of alpha-peptide results in the loss of the high affinity lipid-binding site in the enzyme. The beta-peptide of pyruvate oxidase is a 101 residue peptide which also is cleaved from the carboxy terminus of pyruvate oxidase. Cleavage of the beta-peptide from pyruvate oxidase results in the inactivation of the enzyme. The beta-peptide includes the alpha-peptide amino acid sequences at its carboxyl terminus. We now report on the binding of the alpha- and beta-peptides to phospholipid vesicles. Both peptides bind with equal and high affinity to phosphatidylcholine vesicles. We conclude from these results that the alpha-peptide furnishes the membrane-binding site which plays the physiologically important role in the activation of this peripheral membrane enzyme.

Reconstitution of the lipid-depleted pyruvate oxidase system of Escherichia coli: the palmitic acid effect.

Previous work has shown that the coupling of the soluble Escherichia coli pyruvate oxidase to a lipid-depleted membrane terminal electron transport system requires the addition of ubiquinone and a neutral lipid fraction (C. Cunningham and L. P. Hager (1975) J. Biol. Chem. 250, 7139-7146). The active factor present in the neutral lipid fraction has now been isolated and characterized. NMR, uv, and mass spectroscopic analysis identifies palmitic acid as the active component. A comparison of palmitic acid with other fatty acids of varying chain lengths indicates that most fatty acids having chain lengths in the range C12 to C20 have comparable activity to palmitic acid. Exceptions are stearic and arachidic acid which have greatly reduced activity. Fatty acids of C6 to C10 chain length showed about one third the activity of palmitic acid. Fatty acids having chain lengths of 2 to 5 carbon atoms are essentially inactive. The carboxyl function of the fatty acid is required for activity. Derivatives of fatty acids in which the carboxyl group had been modified to an alcohol, aldehyde, or methyl ester function show greatly diminished activity. Both the cis and trans forms of unsaturated long-chain fatty acids are active. The stimulation of the electron transfer reaction by fatty acids occurs at the ubiquinone level of the electron transport chain. Ubiquinone-30 is rapidly reduced by pyruvate oxidase only in the presence of palmitic acid.

A poly(dT)-stimulated ATPase activity associated with simian virus 40 large T antigen.

Highly purified SV40 large T antigen exhibits an ATPase activity which can be stimulated approximately 7-fold by the DNA homopolymer poly(dT). The poly(dT)-stimulated enzyme can hydrolyze various ribonucleotide and deoxyribonucleotide triphosphates, with ATP and dATP serving as the best substrates. Purified large T antigen hydrolyzes ATP to ADP and Pi, with a maximum specific activity of 13.5 mumol of inorganic phosphate released per h per mg of protein. Of the various natural and synthetic polynucleotides tested, poly(dT) was by far the best activator. Long chain poly(dT) molecules are much more effective activators than are short chain length oligo(dT) molecules. The highly purified large T antigen contains no detectable protein kinase activity.

Oxidation of horseradish peroxidase compound II to compound I.

In the reaction between equimolar amounts of horseradish peroxidase and chlorite, the native enzyme is oxidized directly to Compound II (Hewson, W.D., and Hager, L.P. (1979) J. Biol. Chem. 254, 3175-3181). At acidic pH but not at alkaline values, this initial reaction is followed by oxidation of Compound II to Compound I. The highly pH-dependent chemistry of Compound II can be readily demonstrated by the reduction of Compound I, with ferrocyanide at acidic, neutral, and alkaline pH values. Titration at low pH yields very little Compound II, whereas at high pH, the yield is quantitative. Similarly, the reaction of horseradish peroxidase and chlorite at low pH yields Compound I while only Compound II is formed at high pH. At intermediate pH values both the ferrocyanide reduction and the chlorite reaction produce intermediate yields of Compound II. This behavior is explained in terms of acidic and basic forms of Compound II. The acidic form is reactive and unstable relative to the basic form. Compound II can be readily oxidized to Compound I by either chloride or chlorine dioxide in acidic solution. The oxidation does not occur in alkaline solution, nor will hydrogen peroxide cause the oxidation of Compound II, even at low pH.

The reaction of chloroperoxidase with chlorite and chlorine dioxide.

Chloroperoxidase catalyzes the dismutation of chlorite-forming chloride, chlorine dioxide, chlorate, and oxygen as products. The yields of chlorine dioxide are variable because chloroperoxidase also catalyzes the decomposition of this compound and, in addition, moderate concentrations of chlorine dioxide inactivate the enzyme. Chloride, chlorate, and oxygen are the products of the decomposition of chlorine dioxide. The optimum pH for the enzymic of decomposition of both chlorite and chlorine dioxide is approximately pH 2.75. At this pH, 1 mole of chlorine dioxide is dismutated to 0.3 mole of chloride, 0.7 mol of chlorate, and 0.17 mole of oxygen. At the same pH, the complete decomposition of 1 mole of chlorite yields 0.4 mole of chloride, 0.6 mole of chlorate, and 0.13 mole of oxygen. During the inactivation of chloroperoxidase by chlorine dioxide, the Soret absorption band of the native enzyme is completely lost, and the enzyme becomes chlorinated. Kinetic parameters for the chlorite reaction have been determined. The Km value for chlorite obtained from various kinetic plots was about 10 mM. The catalytic rate constant for the formation of chlorine dioxide from chlorite was about 70,000 s-1.

Purification and properties of bromoperoxidase from Penicillus capitatus.

A bromoperoxidase has been isolated and purified from the marine green algae, Penicillus capitatus. The purified enzyme is homogenous as determined by polyacrylamide gel electrophoresis and ultracentrifugation. Bromoperoxidase can utilize bromide ions in the presence of hydrogen peroxide and a halogen acceptor for the catalytic formation of carbon-halogen bonds. Based on equilibrium ultracentrifugation results the molecular weight of bromoperoxidase is 97,600. Sodium dodecyl sulfate polyacrylamide gel electrophoresis shows a single band having the mobility of a 55,000 molecular weight species. We thus conclude that bromoperoxidase exists in solution as a dimeric species. The heme prosthetic group of bromoperoxidase is ferriprotoporphyrin IX. The spectral properties of the native and reduced enzyme and cyanide, azide, and carbonmonoxy-reduced derivatives are reported. Amino acid analyses indicate that bromoperoxidase is rich in aspartic and glutamic acid residues, while being deficient in basic amino acid residues. In terms of enzymic activity, comparative data places bromoperoxidase closer to horseradish peroxidase than to chloroperoxidase and catalase.

Isolation and characterization of horseradish peroxidase compound X.

Horseradish peroxidase reacts with sodium [36Clll] chlorite at pH 10.7 to form a 36Cl-labeled horseradish peroxidase intermediate. The optical absorption spectrum of this intermediate is quite stable and very similar to that of horseradish peroxidase Compound II. The intermediate can be separated from small molecules by chromatography on a Sephadex G-10 column. After fractionation, 65 to 93% of 36Cl in the reaction mixture remains associated with horseradish peroxidase. The remainder of 36Cl-labeled enzyme reacts with 5,5-dimethyl-2-chloro-1,3-cyclohexanedione (monochlorodimedone) at pH 4 to transfer 36Cl from the enzyme to the halogen acceptor molecule. [36C]5,5-Dimethyl-2,2-dichloro-1,3-cyclohexanedione (dichlorodimedone) was established as the major product of the transfer reaction by co-crystallization of the enzymic product with authentic dichlorodimedone and by thin layer chromatography. A chlorine oxide ligand on a ferryl heme iron protoporphyrin IX is proposed for the structure of Compound X.