Sterol composition of Aureoumbra lagunensis, the Texas brown tide alga.

Aureoumbra lagunensis, the alga responsible for the "Texas brown tide", contains (E)-24-propylidenecholesterol (35.7% of total sterols) as its dominant sterol, in common with other members of the Pelagophyceae. Other major sterols are stigmasterol (22.2%), sitosterol (19.2%), cholesterol (14.1%), and (24R)-24-propylcholesterol (5.2%). Trace amounts of 24-methylenecholesterol, crinosterol, clerosterol, campesterol, dihydrobrassicasterol, and 24-isopropylcholesterol were also detected.

Functional cloning of an Arabidopsis thaliana cDNA encoding cycloeucalenol cycloisomerase.

Plants and certain protists use cycloeucalenol cycloisomerase (EC ) to convert pentacyclic cyclopropyl sterols to conventional tetracyclic sterols. We used a novel complementation strategy to clone a cycloeucalenol cycloisomerase cDNA. Expressing an Arabidopsis thaliana cycloartenol synthase cDNA in a yeast lanosterol synthase mutant provided a sterol auxotroph that could be genetically complemented with the isomerase. We transformed this yeast strain with an Arabidopsis yeast expression library and selected sterol prototrophs to obtain a strain that accumulated biosynthetic ergosterol. The novel phenotype was conferred by an Arabidopsis cDNA that potentially encodes a 36-kDa protein. We expressed this cDNA (CPI1) in Escherichia coli and showed by gas chromatography-mass spectrometry that extracts from this strain isomerized cycloeucalenol to obtusifoliol in vitro. The cDNA will be useful for obtaining heterologously expressed protein for catalytic studies and elucidating the in vivo roles of cyclopropyl sterols.

Nonpolar components of the latex of Euphorbia peplus.

The less polar fractions of the latex of Euphorbia peplus were found to contain obtusifoliol, cycloartenol, 24-methylenecycloartanol, lanosterol, and 24-methylenelanosterol in the free and esterified triterpene alcohol fractions; 9-cis-tricosene as the major component of the hydrocarbon fraction; and a new acyclic triterpene alcohol named peplusol (1). The structure of 1 was determined as the R-isomer of (all-E)-2-(5,9-dimethyl-1-methylene-4,8-decadienyl)-5,9, 13-trimethyl-4,8,12-tetradecatrien-1-ol by spectral and chemical methods.

Sterols of the marine sponge Petrosia weinbergi: implications for the absolute configurations of the antiviral orthoesterols and weinbersterols.

The marine sponge Petrosia weinbergi was found to contain isofucosterol and clionasterol as its major sterols. The rare cyclopropyl sterol (24S,28S)-24,28-methylenestigmast-5-en-3beta-ol, previously detected as only 0.07% of the total sterols of a pelagophytic alga Pulvinaria sp., made up 6.6% of the total sterols. These sterols are believed to be the biosynthetic precursors of the antiviral orthoesterols and weinbersterols found in the same sponge. Based on the side chains of the isolated sterols, the absolute configurations of the antiviral steroid side chains are assigned to be (24R,28S)- for orthoesterol B, (24R)- for orthoesterol C, and (24S,28S)- for weinbersterols A and B.

Novel methyltransferase activity modifying the carboxy terminal bis(geranylgeranyl)-Cys-Ala-Cys structure of small GTP-binding proteins.

Proteins containing CX3, CXC, and CC (where C is cysteine and X is undefined) undergo posttranslational isoprenylation at their cysteine residues. In the case of proteins which terminate in CX3, proteolytic removal of X3 is followed by the carboxymethylation of the isoprenylated cysteine residue. CXC proteins also undergo C-terminal methylation. The present study addresses the question of whether this methylation is catalyzed by a different isoprenylated protein methyltransferase than that previously described for CX3 proteins. The S-adenosylmethionine (AdoMet) dependent methylation of a small peptide-N-acetyl-S-geranylgeranyl-L-cysteinyl-L-alanyl-S-geranylgeranyl- L- cysteine (Ac(GG)CysAla(GG)Cys)--was investigated using membranes from a variety of bovine tissues as sources of enzyme. Ac(GG)CysAla(GG)Cys was a substrate for methylation, while Ac(GG)Cys(GG)Cys was not. Reciprocal inhibition studies on the methylation reactions of the CXC peptide and of N-acetyl-S-farnesyl-L-cysteine (AFC), a previously described methyltransferase substrate, suggested that these reactions are catalyzed by distinct enzymatic activities. Farnesylthioacetic acid (FTA), a potent competitive inhibitor of the methylation of AFC, did not inhibit the methylation of the CXC peptide. Moreover the KI values for S-adenosylhomocysteine and S-adenosylethionine inhibition differed for the two enzymatic activities. These data indicate that more than one AdoMet-dependent methyltransferase is involved in the carboxymethylation of isoprenylated proteins.

Minor and trace sterols in marine invertebrates 65. 23-Epidihydrocalysterol: a new cyclopropane-containing sponge sterol.

A new cyclopropane-containing sterol was isolated from the marine sponge Cribrochalina vasculum. The new sterol was characterized by nuclear magnetic resonance and mass spectrometry and the structure was shown to be (23R,24S,28R)-dihydrocalysterol. Implications concerning the biosynthesis of cyclopropane and cyclopropene sterols in sponges are discussed.

Inhibition and substrate specificity of yeast delta 22-desaturase.

Using yeast microsomes, 23-hydroxysterols were tested as intermediates in the formation of the sterol side delta 22-double bond. No evidence could be found supporting a two-stage mechanism of desaturation via hydroxylation and dehydration. Sterols with various side chains were tested as substrates. Those with alkyl substituents in the 24-alpha position were poor substrates. A series of sterols, including cyclopropyl sterols, were tested as mechanism-based inhibitors without success. Inhibition was observed with an isocyano-sterol.

Effects of volume and surface property in hydrolysis by acetylcholinesterase. The trimethyl site.

beta-Substituted ethyl acetates, XCH2CH2OCOCH3, have been prepared, and their hydrolysis by acetylcholinesterase has been studied. Log of enzymic reactivity, normalized for intrinsic reactivity in hydrolysis by hydroxide, log (kcat/Km)n, rises linearly with increasing refraction volume, MR (or RD25), for substrates with beta-X = H, Cl, Br, CH3CH2, (CH3)2CH, (CH3)2S+, (CH3)3N+, and (CH3)3C. Larger substituents may be accommodated, (CH3)3Si and (CH3CH2)3N+, with no further increase in rate. Substrates with beta-substituents CH3S, CH3S(O), (CH3)3N+(OH), and CH3S(O2) are less reactive than consistent with the relation with MR by factors of 5-40, indicating that hydrophobic surface and desolvation of the substrate--enzyme interface may be necessary for maximum reactivity correlated with MR. Values of log (kcat/Km)n for substrates with beta-substituents X = CH3S, Cl, Br, CH3CH2, (CH3)2CH, (CH3)3C, and (CH3)3Si rise linearly with increasing hydrophobicity, pi, but reactivity of substrates with X = (CH3)3N+ and (CH3)2S+ are more reactive than consistent with a relation to pi by factors of 300 and 40 and with X = CH3S(O2), CH3S(O), and (CH3)2N+(OH), by factors of 7-100. Reactivity appears related to (i) volume of the beta-substituent and its fit in its subsite, which is trimethyl rather than anionic, and (ii) the hydrophobicity of its surface.