Radiation-induced polymerization for the immobilization of penicillin acylase.

The immobilization of Escherichia coli penicillin acylase (EC 3.5.1.11) was investigated by radiation-induced polymerization of 2-hydroxyethyl methacrylate at low temperature. A leak-proof composite that does not swell in water was obtained by adding the cross-linking agent trimethylolpropane trimethacrylate to the monomer-aqueous enzyme mixture. Penicillin acylase, which was immobilized with greater than 70% yield, possessed a higher Km value toward the substrate 6-nitro-3-phenylacetamidobenzoic acid than the free enzyme form (Km = 1.7 X 10(-5) and 1 X 10(-5) M, respectively). The structural stability of immobilized penicillin acylase, as assessed by heat, guanidinium chloride, and pH denaturation profiles, was very similar to that of the free-enzyme form, thus suggesting that penicillin acylase was entrapped in its native state into aqueous free spaces of the polymer matrix.

Stimulation of ubiquitin-proteasome pathway through the expression of amidohydrolase for N-terminal asparagine (Ntan1) in cultured rat hippocampal neurons exposed to static magnetism.

In order to elucidate mechanisms underlying modulation by static magnetism of the cellular functionality and/or integrity in the brain, we screened genes responsive to brief magnetism in cultured rat hippocampal neurons using differential display analysis. We have for the first time cloned and identified Ntan1 (amidohydrolase for N-terminal asparagine) as a magnetism responsive gene in rat brain. Ntan1 is an essential component of a protein degradation signal, which is a destabilizing N-terminal residue of a protein, in the N-end rule. In situ hybridization histochemistry revealed abundant expression of Ntan1 mRNA in hippocampal neurons in vivo. Northern blot analysis showed that Ntan1 mRNA was increased about three-fold after 3 h in response to brief magnetism. Brief magnetism also increased the transcriptional activity of Ntan1 promoter by luciferase reporter assay. Brief magnetism induced degradation of microtubule-associated protein 2 (MAP2) without affecting cell morphology and viability, which was prevented by a selective inhibitor of 26S proteasome in hippocampal neurons. Overexpression of Ntan1 using recombinant Ntan1 adenovirus vector resulted in a marked decrease in the MAP2 protein expression in hippocampal neurons. Our results suggest that brief magnetism leads to the induction of Ntan1 responsible for MAP2 protein degradation through ubiquitin-proteasome pathway in rat hippocampal neurons.

A monomeric protein in the Golgi membrane catalyzes both N-deacetylation and N-sulfation of heparan sulfate.

Recent studies have shown that the rat liver heparan sulfate N-deacetylase/N-sulfotransferase is a glycoprotein encoded by a single polypeptide chain of 882 amino acids. Using radiation inactivation analyses, we have now determined that in rat liver Golgi vesicles the target size for the N-deacetylase is 88 +/- 14 kDa, whereas that of the N-sulfotransferase is 92 +/- 8 kDa. These results, together with previous biochemical and molecular cloning approaches, demonstrate that 1) in rat liver Golgi membranes there exists only on population of molecules expressing both activities, 2) the active protein in the Golgi membrane functions as a monomer, and 3) there is no evidence that a large independent protein acts as a regulator of either activity.