Cyclic nucleotide phosphodiesterase in silkworm. Separation and characterization of multiple forms of the enzyme.

The existence of two forms of cyclic AMP phosphodiesterase (3',5'-cyclic AMP 5'-nucleotidohydrolase, EC 3.1.4.17) was demonstrated in silkworm larvae by kinetic analysis and DEAE-cellulose column chromatography. The two forms of the enzyme (phosphodiesterase II and III) differ apparently in their characteristics from the previously reported cyclic nucleotide phosphodiesterase (phosphodiesterase I) of silkworm. The higher K-m form (phosphodiesterase II) has a molecular weight of approx. 50 000 and optimum pH of 7.8, and requires Mn-2-+ for maximum activity. The lower K-m form (phosphodiesterase III) has a molecular weight of approx. 97 000 and optimum pH of 7.2, and requires Mg-2-+ for maximum activity. Phosphodiesterase II and probably phosphodiesterase III are specific enzymes for the hydrolysis of cyclic AMP.

Cyclic nucleotide phosphodiesterase in silkworm. Developmental change of cyclic AMP and cyclic GMP phosphodiesterases.

Changes in theactivities of two cyclic AMP phosphodiesterases (II and III, EC 3.1.4.17) and cyclic GMP phosphodiesterase during development were studied in silkworm, Bombyx mori. The developmental patterns of the activities of the two cyclic AMP phosphodiesterases were similar to each other, but they differed distinctly from that of cyclic GMP phosphodiesterase. The ratios of cyclic GMP phosphodiesterase/cyclic AMP phosphodiesterase III were constant in larva, but changed greatly and rapidly before pupation.

Cylic nucleotide phosphodiesterase in silkworm. Characterization of cyclic GMP phosphodiesterase.

The existence of cyclic GMP phosphodiesterase (EC 3.1.4.-) was demonstrated in silkworm larva by gel filtration of the homogenate. The cyclic GMP phosphodiesterase was separated from cyclic AMP phosphodiesterases by column chromatography on hydroxyapatite and Sephadex G-200. The enzyme has a molecular weight of approx. 260 000, and optimum pH of 8.3 and a Km value of 2 muM. The enzyme is activated by 5 mM of Mg2+ and 2 mM of Mn2+. The cyclic GMP phosphodiesterase activity was greatly inhibited by low concentrations of cyclic IMP but to a lesser extent by cyclic AMP even at a high concentration. The activity was also inhibited by caffeine and theophylline.

Adenylate cyclase in silkworm. Effects of adenosine 3'-phosphate and 2'-deoxyadenosine 3'-phosphate on the enzyme system in fat body.

Adenosine 3'-phosphate and 2'-deoxyadenosine 3'-phosphate inhibit silkworm fat body adenylate cyclase. The inhibition has a rapid onset, and is dependent on the concentration of Mn2+ or Mg2+. The concentrations of 2'-deoxy-3'-AMP required for 50% inhibition (Ki) are 13 microM with 2 mM Mn2+ and 32 microM with 10 mM Mg2+. These Ki values are 7-30 times lower than that for 2'-deoxyadenosine. Stimulation of adenylate cyclase by NaF renders the activity more sensitive to the nucleotide inhibition, reducing the Ki value to 4 microM in the presence of Mn2+. The inhibitory activity is specific for adenine 3'-nucleotide; Ki for 2'-AMP and 5'-AMP are ten times or more higher than that for 3'-AMP, and the other 3'-nucleotides including 8-bromo-3'-AMP, 3'-IMP and 3'-GMP have little or no inhibitory activity.

NMR studies of hemoproteins. VI. Acid-base transitions of ferric myoglobin and its imidazole complex.

220 MHz proton NMR was applied to the acid-base transition of ferric myoglobin and its imidazole complex. In horse and sperm whale ferric myoglobins: (1) pH-dependent shift of heme-ring methyl signals above p2H 10 was analyzed on the basis of rapid exchange between alkaline and acidic forms by the use of pK value 9.1 of acid-base transition in 1H20 solution; (2) limiting shifts of three methyl signals were reasonably determined for purely alkaline form. For the imidazole complex: (3) a drastic high field shift of each signal was observed above p2H 9.0, whereas N0methyl imidazole complex did not exhibit such a shift, which suggests the 2H+ dissociation from liganded imidazole greater than N2H. It is concluded thns.

Nuclear magnetic resonance studies of hemoproteins. IV. Hindered rotation of heme side methyl group as a probe for studying van der Waals contacts in the heme side environments of myoglobin derivatives.

220 MHz roton NMR spectral evidence for restricted rotation of one methyl group in the heme side chain of ferric horse cyanomyoglobin is reported here. Temperature dependence of this methyl proton signal was computer-simulated, yielding 14,8 kcal/mol for the methyl hindered rotation. Ionic additives such as NaCl and (NH4) 2 minus SO4 caused a slackening of this restriction of methyl rotation, evidenced from collapse of methyl signal doubling by the addition of these ionic substances. This is discussed in terms of breaking of the salt bridge formed between one of the propionate COO minus group of heme and a part of the apoprotein which might lead to constraint of one of the heme side methyl groups. The peculiarity of hyperfine-shifted methyl proton signals for other myoglobin complexes such as azide and imidazole derivatives is also discussed briefly in terms of constraint of heme side methyl group buried in a hydrophobic cleft.

Transition state of an unfolding step in human cyanomet myoglobin.

We studied an unfolding step of cyanomet myoglobin (Mb) unfolding, for demonstrating dynamical structural changes in the transition state of the process. Three leucine-->alanine mutant Mbs (L29A, L72A and L104A) were prepared for this study. The urea-induced largely monophasic process was monitored by absorption spectroscopy. Linear relations between [urea] and the activation energy (delta G not equal to) of the relaxation for all the Mbs showed that the slope m not equal to urea (= delta(delta G not equal to)/delta[urea])) was altered by either reduction of pH or the L-->A mutations. Thermodynamic interpretations of the changes in m not equal to urea led to a conclusion that the exposed surface area of Mb in the transition state was determined by both protein-core stability and pH conditions. We also performed urea- and acid-denaturation experiments, and gave some inspections on differences between mutational effects on the structure of the transition state and the denatured state.

Roles of negatively charged surface residues of putidaredoxin in interactions with redox partners in p450cam monooxygenase system.

To investigate the interaction of putidaredoxin (Pdx) with its redox partners in the cytochrome P450cam system, we focused on the role of negatively charged surface amino acid residues. The amino acid residues we examined in this mutational study are Asp-58, Glu-65, Glu-72, and Glu-77, which are located on the alpha-helical segment to form a negatively charged region on the surface of Pdx and have been supposed to play key roles in the association with the redox partners, NADH-putidaredoxin reductase (PdR) and P450cam. The neutralization of the single negative charge on these amino acid residues did not significantly inhibit the electron-transfer reaction with the redox partners, except for the mutation at Glu-72. Together with the previous results, we can conclude that the negatively charged cluster on the alpha-helical segment is not so crucial for the electron transfer of the Pdx/PdR complex, and, instead of the negative charges, the steric hindrance is essential for the binding of Pdx with PdR. In the electron transfer from Pdx to P450cam, the alpha-helical region would not be included in the binding site with P450cam and some specific hydrogen bonds on the surface loop near the Fe-S center contribute to the electron transfer to P450cam. Such different binding sites and interactions for Pdx will shed light on the electron-transfer mechanism mediated by Pdx, the shuttle mechanism.

NMR studies of putidaredoxin: associations of putidaredoxin with NADH-putidaredoxin reductase and cytochrome p450cam.

To characterize the electron-transfer reaction in the P450cam monooxygenation system, the binding regions of putidaredoxin (Pdx) to NADH-putidaredoxin reductase (PdR) and P450cam were investigated using isotope-filtered NMR experiments in which uniformly 15N-labeled Pdx ([U-15N]Pdx) is mixed with unlabeled PdR and P450cam. By addition of PdR to Pdx, site specific signal broadening was observed for the N-H correlation peaks from Val-28, Glu-72, Ile-88, and Gln-105. Although previous studies have suggested the contribution from acidic amino acid residues on the G-helix of Pdx to the binding with PdR, no site specific broadening was observed for the resonances from these residues except for Glu-72. The lesser contribution of electrostatic interactions to the Pdx/PdR complex formation was also suggested by our previous study (M. Aoki, K. Ishimori, H. Fukada, K. Takahashi, I. Morishima, Biochim. Biophys. Acta 1384 (1998) 180-188), which is in sharp contrast to the complex formation between adrenodoxin and adrenodoxin reductase. Upon the complex formation between Pdx and P450cam, the site specific NMR line broadening was observed for several amino acid residues distributed near the iron-sulfur cluster, corresponding to the large binding site in the complex formation with P450cam. Since some of the amino acid residues included in the binding site are not conserved for the electron-transfer iron-sulfur proteins such as ferredoxin and adrenodoxin, the interactions formed by these amino acid residues would be highly specific to the binding with P450cam, consistent with very low cross-reactivity to other iron-sulfur proteins in the P450cam monooxygenation system.

Reaction of horseradish peroxidase with azide and some implications for the heme environmental structure. NMR and kinetic studies.

The azide complex of horseradish peroxidase was studied by high resolution 1H and 15N NMR spectroscopy and by the temperature-jump method. The heme peripheral methyl proton peaks and the ligand 15N resonance were resolved to show that binding of azide by horseradish peroxidase occurs only in acidic solution below pH 6.5. It was also found that the chemical exchange rate of azide with the ferric enzyme was much faster on the 1H and 15N NMR time scale. This was further substantiated by kinetics of azide binding by horseradish peroxidase where the chemical exchange rate was confirmed to be in the microseconds range at pH 5.0 and 23 degrees C. This rate is salient in usual ligand exchange reactions in hemoproteins so far reported. pH dependences of the first order association and dissociation rate constants were also studied by the temperature-jump method to suggest a strong linkage of the azide binding with a proton uptake of an amino acid residue on the enzyme. These results were compared with the case of horse metmyoglobin and were interpreted to indicate that a heme-linked ionizable group on the enzyme facilitates the fast entry of the ligand to the coordination site. A histidyl residue is a possible candidate for the ionizable group of the enzyme.

Nuclear magnetic resonance studies of hemoproteins. VIII. Proton NMR studies of the binding of various nitrogenous ligands to ferric cytochrome c.

The structure of the heme environment of horse heart ferric cytochrome c was examined in the presence of various nitrogenous bases at several temperatures with the aid of hyperfine shifted proton NMR spectra at 220 MHz. The resonance positions and line widths of the signals for the peripheral methyl groups of the heme exhibited distinctive features of its low-spin state characteristic of each external ligand. In the imidazole complex of ferric cytochrome c, remarkable line sharpening of the heme-linked proton signals was encountered on raising the temperature. This may be related to the apoprotein perturbation on the binding of external ligand to the heme iron. These spectral peculiarities were discussed in relation to the electronic structure of the heme, the basicity of the external ligand and the van der Waals contact interaction between heme side chains and apoprotein.

Isothermal titration calorimetric studies on the associations of putidaredoxin to NADH-putidaredoxin reductase and P450cam.

Putidaredoxin (Pdx), an iron-sulfur protein containing a 2Fe-2S cluster, serves as a physiological electron mediator from NADH-putidaredoxin reductase (PdR) to P450cam in the P450cam monooxygenation reaction cycle. Previous studies have revealed that the associations of Pdx with P450cam and PdR are not strongly dominated by electrostatic interactions, although such interactions stabilize most electron-transfer complexes [A.R. De Pascalis, I. Jelesarov, F. Ackermann, W.H. Koppenol, M. Hiroasawa, D.B. Knaff, H.R. Bosshard, Protein Sci. 2 (1993) 1126-1135]. In the present study, to elucidate the interactions dominating the specific associations in the electron-transfer reaction mediated by Pdx, the thermodynamic properties--entropy (delta S), enthalpy (delta H), and heat capacity changes (delta Cp)--for PdR/Pdx and P450cam/Pdx association reactions have been examined by isothermal titration calorimetry (ITC). Although the binding enthalpy change, delta Hbind, for the PdR/Pdx association is positive at 10 degrees C, it declines linearly with temperature in the range 10-22 degrees C and becomes negative above 11 degrees C. On the other hand, the binding entropy change, delta Sbind, is positive at all temperatures examined in this study, indicating that the association of Pdx to PdR is entropically driven. On the basis of the temperature dependence of delta Hbind, delta Cpbind for the association of Pdx to PdR was estimated as -1.24 kJ mol-1 K-1. This value is larger than those reported for other electron-transfer protein systems (e.g., -0.68 kJ mol-1 K-1 for ferredoxin/ferredoxin: NADP+ reductase), suggesting that the PdR/Pdx association may be dominated by hydrophobic rather than electrostatic components. For the P450cam/Pdx association, the negative delta Sbind and highly favorable delta Hbind were observed, behavior that stands in sharp contrast to the association reactions in other electron-transfer proteins. The energetics of the P450cam/Pdx association are similar to those of binding reaction of antibody to antigen in which van der Waals and hydrogen bonding interactions are dominant, resulting in high specificity in the association of Pdx with P450cam.

Nuclear magnetic resonance studies of hemoprotein. Proton hyperfine shifts and structural characterization of the different heme environments in methemoglobin and metmyoglobin.

The different features of the nature of heme iron-proximal binding in methemoglobin and metmyoglobin were investigated by high resolution proton nuclear magnetic resonance spectroscopy at 220 MHz. From the comparison of the hyperfine-shifted heme methyl resonances of various methemoglobin and metmyoglobin derivatives it was revealed that the metHb derivatives exhibit smaller hyperfine shifts than the corresponding metMb derivatives. This observation was interpreted in terms of the stronger interaction between proximal histidine and ferric heme iron in methemoglobin than in metmyoglobin. The spectral contributions from the alpha and beta subunits in methemoglobin in high spin state were successfully separated by the analysis of the temperature dependent heme methyl shifts of the methemoglobin azide complex which is in the high and low thermal spin equilibrium. It was shown that the beta heme methyl resonances have smaller hyperfine shifts than the alpha heme ones in ferric high spin state. This tendency in methemoglobin derivatives was also interpreted in terms of the stronger iron-histidine binding in the beta subunits than in the alpha subunits within the tetramer. From the comparisons between methemoglobin and metmyoglobin, and between the alpha and beta subunits in methemoglobin, the order of the strength of the iron-histidine bond interaction was deduced as follows: metmyoglobin less than alpha subunits in methemoglobin less than or equal to beta units in methemoglobin.

cAMP-induced changes of intracellular free Mg2+ levels in human erythrocytes.

To examine the role of cAMP in the regulation of intracellular free magnesium concentration ([Mg2+]i), we measured [Mg2+]i in human erythrocytes by 31P-NMR spectroscopy. (-)-Isoproterenol, forskolin, Bt2cAMP and 8-bromo-cAMP decreased [Mg2+]i in human erythrocytes. Bt2cAMP did not increase the efflux rate of Mg2+ from erythrocytes. HA1004, a potent inhibitor of cAMP-dependent kinases, markedly increased the [Mg2+]i in a Mg(2+)-free buffer solution. Addition of 8-bromo-cGMP or 12-O-tetradecanoylphorbol 13-acetate (TPA) did not affect the [Mg2+]i. These results suggest that beta-adrenergic stimulation and cAMP play an important role in the regulation of [Mg2+]i in human erythrocytes.

Angiographic no-reflow phenomenon as a predictor of adverse long-term outcome in patients treated with percutaneous transluminal coronary angioplasty for first acute myocardial infarction.

OBJECTIVES: We sought to elucidate the long-term prognostic importance of angiographic no-reflow phenomenon after percutaneous transluminal coronary angioplasty (PTCA) for acute myocardial infarction (AMI). BACKGROUND: Angiographic no-reflow phenomenon, a reduced coronary antegrade flow (Thrombolysis in Myocardial Infarction [TIMI] flow grade < or =2) without mechanical obstruction after recanalization, predicts poor left ventricular (LV) functional recovery and survival in the early phase of AMI. We hypothesized that angiographic no-reflow phenomenon also predicts long-term clinical outcome. METHODS: We studied 120 consecutive patients with their first AMI treated by PTCA without flow-restricting lesions. The patients were classified as either no-reflow (n = 30) or reflow (TIMI-3) (n = 90) based on post-PTCA cineangiograms to follow up (5.8 +/- 1.2 years) for cardiac death and nonfatal events. RESULTS: Patients with no-reflow had congestive heart failure (p < 0.0001), malignant arrhythmia (p = 0.038), and cardiac death (p = 0.002) more often than did those with reflow. Kaplan-Meier curves showed lower cardiac survival and cardiac event-free survival (p < 0.0001) in patients with no-reflow than in those with reflow. Multivariate analyses disclosed that no-reflow phenomenon was an independent predictor of long-term cardiac death (relative risk [RR] 5.25, 95% confidence interval [CI] 1.85 to 14.9, p = 0.002) and cardiac events (RR 3.71, 95% CI 1.79 to 7.69, p = 0.0004). At follow-up, survivors with no-reflow had higher end-diastolic and end-systolic LV volume indices and plasma brain natriuretic peptide levels, and lower LV ejection fractions (p = 0.0002, p < 0.0001, p = 0.002, p < 0.0001, respectively) than did those with reflow, indicating that no-reflow may be involved in LV remodeling. CONCLUSIONS: Angiographic no-reflow phenomenon strongly predicts long-term cardiac complications after AMI; these complications are possibly associated with LV remodeling.

Structural and functional roles of heme binding module in globin proteins: identification of the segment regulating the heme binding structure.

To investigate structural and functional significance of a newly proposed structural unit in globins, the "heme binding module", we synthesized a "heme binding module"-substituted chimeric globin and characterized its function and structure. In our previous study we proposed that the heme binding module, corresponding to the segment from Leu(F1) to Phe(G5) in hemoglobin alpha-subunit, plays a key role in constructing the heme proximal structure in globins. The replacement of the heme binding module in myoglobin with that of hemoglobin alpha-subunit converted the absorption spectra into that of the alpha-subunit, and, in the resonance Raman spectra, the vibration mode characteristic of myoglobin completely disappeared after the module replacement. The hyperfine-shifted NMR resonances for the cyanide-bound form of the module-substituted myoglobin also revealed that the orientation of the axial histidine is close to that of the alpha-subunit rather than that of myoglobin, while the deviations of the resonance positions of the NMR signals from the amino acid residues located in the distal site were subtle, supporting the preferential structural alterations in the heme proximal site. The present finding for the structural alterations in the module-substituted myoglobin confirms that the heme binding module can be a segment regulating the heme proximal structure in globin proteins.

Crystal structure of a protein with an artificial exon-shuffling, module M4-substituted chimera hemoglobin beta alpha, at 2.5 A resolution.

The crystal structure of the homotetramer of a chimera beta alpha-subunit of human hemoglobin was refined at 2.5 A resolution. The chimera subunit was constructed by replacing an exon-encoded module M4 of the beta-subunit with that of the alpha-subunit, simulating an exon-shuffling event. The implanted module M4 retained the native alpha-subunit structure, while module M3 was disturbed around the site where a new type of intron was recently found. Some of the residues were found in alternative conformations that avoid steric hindrance at the subunit interface. The modules are modestly rigid in their backbone structures by using side-chains to compensate for interface incompatibility.

Site-directed mutagenesis in haemoglobin. Functional role of tyrosine-42(C7) alpha at the alpha 1-beta 2 interface.

To clarify the functional role of Tyr-42(C7) alpha, which forms a hydrogen bond with Asp-99(G1) beta at the alpha 1-beta 2 interface of human deoxyhaemoglobin, we engineered two artificial mutant haemoglobins (Hb), in which Tyr-42 alpha was replaced by Phe (Hb Phe-42 alpha) or His (Hb His-42 alpha), and investigated their oxygen binding properties together with structural consequences of the mutations by using various spectroscopic probes. Like most of the natural Asp-99 beta mutants, Hb Phe-42 alpha showed a markedly increased oxygen affinity, a reduced Bohr effect and diminished co-operativity. Structural probes such as ultraviolet-region derivative and oxy-minus-deoxy difference spectra, resonance Raman scattering and proton nuclear magnetic resonance spectra indicate that, in Hb Phe-42 alpha, the deoxy T quaternary structure is highly destabilized and the strain imposed on the Fe-N epsilon (proximal His) bond is released, stabilizing the oxy tertiary structure. In contrast with Hb Phe-42 alpha, Hb His-42 alpha showed an intermediately impaired function and only moderate destabilization of the T-state, which can be explained by the formation of a new, weak hydrogen bond between His-42 alpha and Asp-99 beta. Spectroscopic data were consistent with this assumption. The present study proves that the hydrogen bond between Tyr-42 alpha and Asp-99 beta plays a key role in stabilizing the deoxy T structure and consequently in co-operative oxygen binding.

Eicosanoids mediate induction of immune genes in the fat body of the silkworm, Bombyx mori.

The expression of cecropin and lysozyme genes is induced in response to bacterial peptidoglycan in the fat body of the silkworm, Bombyx mori. Specific inhibitors of either phospholipase A2, cyclooxygenase or lipoxygenase significantly inhibit the induction of the immune genes both in vivo and in cultured fat body as detected by means of Northern hybridization. Arachidonic acid injected into the larvae induces the expression of the cecropin and lysozyme genes. The findings support the idea that eicosanoids mediate some process leading to the expression of immune genes in the fat body following recognition of peptidoglycan as a signal for invading bacteria.

The artificial alpha1beta1-contact mutant hemoglobin, Hb Phe-35beta, shows only small functional abnormalities.

It was previously reported that Hb Philly with a mutation of Phe for Tyr at 35(C1)beta showed non-cooperative oxygen binding with a very high affinity and instability leading to hemolysis. Further, it lacked the 1H-NMR signal at 13.1 ppm from 2,2-dimethyl-2-silapentane-5-sulfonate in normal hemoglobin (Hb A), so that this signal was assigned to a hydrogen bond formed by Tyr-35(C1)beta. Surprisingly, our artificial mutant hemoglobin with the same mutation as Hb Philly showed slightly lowered oxygen affinity, almost normal cooperativity, the 1H-NMR signal at 13.1 ppm and no sign of instability. Our results indicate that the mutation reported for Hb Philly and the assignment of the 13.1 ppm signal need reexamination.