Characterization of Aphanizomenon ovalisporum amidinotransferase involved in cylindrospermopsin synthesis.

An increasing abundance of Aphanizomenon ovalisporum in water bodies from diverse world regions has been reported in the last few years, with the majority of the isolated strains producing the toxin cylindrospermopsin (CYN), leading to a rise in ecological and health risks. The understanding of CYN synthesis is crucial in the control of CYN production. An amidinotransferase (AMDT) seems to be the first enzyme involved in the synthesis of CYN. In this study, we have cloned and overexpressed the aoaA gene from the constitutive CYN producer A. ovalisporum UAM-MAO. The recombinant purified AoaA was characterized, confirming that it is an l-arginine:glycine AMDT. It shows an optimal activity between 32 and 37°C, at pH from 8 to 9. The activity exhibits a mixed (ping-pong/sequential) kinetic mechanism, and is inhibited by the reaction product guanidine acetate (GAA) in a noncompetitive manner. Mg(2+) stimulates AoaA activity while Co(2+) and Mn(2+) inhibit it. AoaA conserves the critical residues of the catalytic site and substrate specificity of AMDTs, as the previously reported AMDT from Cylindrospermopsis raciborskii Cyr. Both proteins can be included in a new group of prokaryotic AMDTs involved in CYN production.

Discovery and characterization of an amidinotransferase involved in the modification of archaeal tRNA.

The presence of the 7-deazaguanosine derivative archaeosine (G(+)) at position 15 in tRNA is one of the diagnostic molecular characteristics of the Archaea. The biosynthesis of this modified nucleoside is especially complex, involving the initial production of 7-cyano-7-deazaguanine (preQ(0)), an advanced precursor that is produced in a tRNA-independent portion of the biosynthesis, followed by its insertion into the tRNA by the enzyme tRNA-guanine transglycosylase (arcTGT), which replaces the target guanine base yielding preQ(0)-tRNA. The enzymes responsible for the biosynthesis of preQ(0) were recently identified, but the enzyme(s) catalyzing the conversion of preQ(0)-tRNA to G(+)-tRNA have remained elusive. Using a comparative genomics approach, we identified a protein family implicated in the late stages of archaeosine biosynthesis. Notably, this family is a paralog of arcTGT and is generally annotated as TgtA2. Structure-based alignments comparing arcTGT and TgtA2 reveal that TgtA2 lacks key arcTGT catalytic residues and contains an additional module. We constructed a Haloferax volcanii DeltatgtA2 derivative and demonstrated that tRNA from this strain lacks G(+) and instead accumulates preQ(0). We also cloned the corresponding gene from Methanocaldococcus jannaschii (mj1022) and characterized the purified recombinant enzyme. Recombinant MjTgtA2 was shown to convert preQ(0)-tRNA to G(+)-tRNA using several nitrogen sources and to do so in an ATP-independent process. This is the only example of the conversion of a nitrile to a formamidine known in biology and represents a new class of amidinotransferase chemistry.

Polyamine synthesis in plants. Purification and properties of amidinotransferase from soybean (Glycine max) axes.

Three-day-old soybean (Glycine max) seedlings were exposed to 0.4 M sorbitol solution for 4 h to induce amidinotransferase activity, with the corresponding enzyme being purified to homogeneity by chromatographic separation on DEAE-Sephacel, Sephacryl S-300 and L-arginine Sepharose 4B. The purified enzyme used L-arginine and L-glycine as the major donor/acceptor of the amidino group, respectively, with formation of guanidinoacetic acid and ornithine products being confirmed by ESI-MS. The enzyme is a tetrameric protein having a molecular mass of 240,000 Da, whose thiol group is needed for enzymatic activity. The K(M)s for arginine and glycine were 3.8 and 0.89 mM, respectively, with optimal temperature and pH being 37 degrees C and 9.5, respectively. The soybean amidinotransferase could be indirectly involved in nitrogen metabolism, as suggested by the observation that arginine:glycine amidinotransferase in soybean axes is indirectly involved in putrescine biosynthesis and displays feedback control at high levels of an endogenous regulator, putrescine.

Recombinant expression and isolation of human L-arginine:glycine amidinotransferase and identification of its active-site cysteine residue.

Creatine and its phosphorylated form play a central role in the energy metabolism of muscle and nerve tissues. l-Arginine:glycine amidinotransferase (AT) catalyses the committed step in the formation of creatine. The mitochondrial and cytosolic forms of the enzyme are believed to derive from the same gene by alternative splicing. We have expressed recombinant human AT in Escherichia coli with two different N-termini, resembling the longest two forms of the enzyme that we had isolated recently from porcine kidney mitochondria as a mixture. The enzymes were expressed with N-terminal histidine tags followed by factor Xa-cleavage sites. We established a new method for the removal of N-terminal fusion peptides by means of an immobilized snake venom prothrombin activator. We identified cysteine-407 as the active-site residue of AT by radioactive labelling and isolation of labelled peptides, and by site-directed mutagenesis of the protein.

Cryoprotection of purified rat kidney transamidinase by polyethylene glycol.

Polyethylene glycol is a water-soluble polymer which is widely used in the pharmaceutical, cosmetic, and chemical industries. In this study, it is shown that polyethylene glycol is an effective cryoprotectant of rat kidney transamidinase purified from both the mitochondria and cytosol. Much of the activity is lost when the purified enzyme is frozen and thawed in sodium-potassium phosphate buffer in the absence of cryoprotectants. Polyethylene glycols with molecular weights of 4000 to 10,000 were effective cryoprotectants. However, polyethylene glycols with a molecular weight of 1000 or lower inhibited the purified enzyme. A concentration of only 0.01% polyethylene glycol 4000, 8000, or 10,000 was required for complete cryoprotection. In addition to polyethylene glycol, 0.5 mM ethylenediaminetetraacetic acid was required in the phosphate buffer for complete cryoprotection. The stabilization of purified transamidinase by polyethylene glycol will facilitate characterization experiments designed to compare the properties of the mitochondrial and cytosolic isozymes.

Comparison of the properties of purified mitochondrial and cytosolic rat kidney transamidinase.

1. Mitochondrial rat kidney transamidinase was solubilized by two extractions with the surfactant Zwittergent 3-14. 2. Mitochondrial and cytosolic forms of rat kidney transamidinase were purified by chromatography on DEAE-Trisacryl M, phenyl-Sepharose Cl-4B and hydroxylapatite columns. 3. The specific activity of purified mitochondrial enzyme was significantly higher than purified cytosolic enzyme. 4. The subunit molecular mass, the electrophoretic mobility under nondenaturing conditions, and the activation energy were similar for purified mitochondrial and cytosolic transamidinase.

The purification and characterization of human kidney L-arginine:glycine amidinotransferase.

Human kidney L-arginine:glycine amidinotransferase (transamidinase) has been purified to a homogeneous state as defined by native and sodium dodecyl sulfate gel electrophoresis and by ultracentrifugation (sedimentation equilibrium) experiments. The four steps in the isolation procedure were chromatography with DEAE-cellulose, gel filtration with Sephadex G-150, chromatography with phenyl Sepharose, and high-pressure liquid chromatography with hydroxylapatite. The final product represented a 90-fold purification of the enzyme. Human kidney transamidinase is a dimer with a molecular mass of 89,000 Da and subunit masses of 44,000 Da. The Km for arginine and glycine were both 2.5 mM and the Vmax was 0.5 mumol ornithine/min/mg protein. The ultraviolet absorption spectrum, specific activity, and isoelectric points were determined for human kidney transamidinase. Multiple forms of the enzyme were obtained by isoelectric focusing. Human kidney transamidinase cross-reacted with polyclonal antibodies raised to rat kidney transamidinase. All of the properties of human kidney transamidinase that we have examined were similar to those of rat kidney transamidinase. A close evolutionary relationship between the rat and human kidney transamidinase is suggested.

Self-cloning in Streptomyces griseus of an str gene cluster for streptomycin biosynthesis and streptomycin resistance.

An str gene cluster containing at least four genes (strR, strA, strB, and strC) involved in streptomycin biosynthesis or streptomycin resistance or both was self-cloned in Streptomyces griseus by using plasmid pOA154. The strA gene was verified to encode streptomycin 6-phosphotransferase, a streptomycin resistance factor in S. griseus, by examining the gene product expressed in Escherichia coli. The other three genes were determined by complementation tests with streptomycin-nonproducing mutants whose biochemical lesions were clearly identified. strR complemented streptomycin-sensitive mutant SM196 which exhibited impaired activity of both streptomycin 6-phosphotransferase and amidinotransferase (one of the streptomycin biosynthetic enzymes) due to a regulatory mutation; strB complemented strain SD141, which was specifically deficient in amidinotransferase; and strC complemented strain SD245, which was deficient in linkage between streptidine 6-phosphate and dihydrostreptose. By deletion analysis of plasmids with appropriate restriction endonucleases, the order of the four genes was determined to be strR-strA-strB-strC. Transformation of S. griseus with plasmids carrying both strR and strB genes enhanced amidinotransferase activity in the transformed cells. Based on the gene dosage effect and the biological characteristics of the mutants complemented by strR and strB, it was concluded that strB encodes amidinotransferase and strR encodes a positive effector required for the full expression of strA and strB genes. Furthermore, it was found that amplification of a specific 0.7-kilobase region of the cloned DNA on a plasmid inhibited streptomycin biosynthesis of the transformants. This DNA region might contain a regulatory apparatus that participates in the control of streptomycin biosynthesis.

The production and characterization of two monoclonal antibodies to rat kidney L-arginine: glycine amidinotransferase.

Rat kidney L-arginine:glycine amidinotransferase (transamidinase) has been purified previously to homogeneity as two fractions, designated alpha and beta. No differences in the properties of these two fractions could be found. Two monoclonal antibodies (Tran/NS-1/1 and Tran/NS-1/3) to the purified alpha fraction of rat kidney transamidinase were produced, purified, and characterized. The results of competitive binding studies of the two monoclonal antibodies to alpha transamidinase were as follows: 1) Tran/NS-1/3 had no effect on 125I-Tran/NS-1/1 binding while Tran/NS-1/1 inhibited 125I-Tran/NS-1/1 binding; 2) Tran/NS-1/3 inhibited 125I-Tran/NS-1/3 binding while Tran/NS-1/1 had no effect on 125I-Tran/NS-1/3 binding. Therefore, Tran/NS-1/1 and Tran/NS-1/3 bound to different antigenic determinants on alpha transamidinase. 125I-Tran/NS-1/1 and 125I-Tran/NS-1/3 each had high avidity constants (approximately 10(7)-10(9)) for both alpha and beta rat kidney transamidinase. Tran/NS-1/1 and Tran/NS-1/3 bound to human kidney transamidinase in ELISA assays. A quantitative immunosorbent inhibition assay for rat kidney transamidinase was developed with 125I-Tran/NS-1/3. Approximately 30 ng of immunoreactive transamidinase could be detected by this immunosorbent inhibition assay. The amount of Tran/NS-1/3 immunoreactive species in rat lung and testicular tissue by the immunosorbent inhibition assay correlated well with the amount of transamidinase activity found in those tissues. The availability of the monoclonal antibodies, Tran/NS-1/1 and Tran/NS-1/3, should facilitate studies of rat and human transamidinase structure and regulation.