Modification of arginine residues at the substrate binding site of yeast glutathione reductase.

Yeast glutathione reductase (GR) was inactivated by phenylglyoxal (PG), which specifically modifies arginine residues of the enzyme. Inactivation followed psuedo-first order rate kinetics. There was no reversible complex formation prior to inactivation. Analysis of the kinetic data showed the order of reaction to be unity with respect to the modifier. Inactivation of GR was completely prevented by the presence of oxidised glutathione (GSSG), whereas NADP gave only partial protection. Stoichiometric studies showed that around four arginine residues per subunit were modified by PG in the absence of GSSG, whereas only one was modified in its presence. From these observations, it is concluded that essential arginine residues are present at the substrate binding site.

The effects of oxygen radicals on the activity of nitric oxide synthase and guanylate cyclase

Reactive oxygen species such as superoxides, hydrogen peroxide (H2O2) and hydroxyl radicals have been suggested to be involved in the catalytic action of nitric oxide synthase (NOS) to produce NO from L-arginine. An examination was conducted on the effects of oxygen radical scavengers and oxygen radical-generating systems on the activity of neuronal NOS and guanylate cyclase (GC) in rat brains and NOS from the activated murine macrophage cell line J774. Catalase and superoxide dismutase (SOD) showed no significant effects on NOS or GC activity. Nitroblue tetrazolium (NBT, known as a superoxide radical scavenger) and peroxidase (POD) inhibited NOS, but their inhibitory actions were removed by increasing the concentration of arginine or NADPH respectively, in the reaction mixture. NOS and NO-dependent GC were inactivated by ascorbate/FeSO4 (a metal-catalyzed oxidation system), 2'2'-azobis-amidinopropane (a peroxy radical producer), and xanthine/xanthine oxidase (a superoxide generating system). The effects of oxygen radicals or antioxidants on the two isoforms of NOS were almost similar. However, H2O2 activated GC in a dose-dependent manner from 100 microM to 1 mM without significant effects on NOS. H2O2-induced GC activation was blocked by catalase. These results suggested that oxygen radicals inhibited NOS and GC, but H2O2 could activate GC directly.

Regulation and properties of purified glucose-6-phosphate dehydrogenase from rat brain.

Glucose-6-phosphate dehydrogenase from rat brain was purified 13,000 fold to a specific activity of 480 units/mg protein. The molecular weight was 121 kDa. The kinetics of brain glucose-6-phosphate dehydrogenase are compatible with a model involving two possible states of the enzyme with a low and high affinity for the substrate D-glucose-6-phosphate. NADP+ and ADP offered protection against p-chloromercuribenzoate inhibition. NADPH is a powerful competitive inhibitor with respect to NADP+. The apparent Ki for NADPH inhibition was lower than the Km for NADP+. ADP inhibited the enzyme competitively with respect to NADP+. ATP inhibited the enzyme non-competitively with respect to NADP+, whereas kinetics of mixed inhibition was observed with respect to substrate D-glucose-6-phosphate. The interplay between NADP+ and NADPH leading to enzyme activation or inhibition according to their relative or absolute concentrations as well as the control of enzyme activity by the adenine nucleotide system may contribute a refined mechanism for the regulation of glucose-6-phosphate dehydrogenase and therefore the pentose phosphate pathway in brain.

Rapid technique for the detection of carcinogens using mice liver microsomes.

Mice liver microsomes were prepared at low g (10,000 g) force by Ca(2+)-aggregation method and were used for the detection of carcinogens by degranulation technique. RNA/protein ratio of these microsomes was 0.177 which was comparable to rat liver microsomes. Per cent degranulation with two carcinogens (O-dianisidine and benzidine) at 20 micrograms concentration was 21 per cent on the basis of RNA/protein ratio basis with both the carcinogens. At 40 micrograms concentration the per cent degranulation was observed to be almost double. Both the carcinogens required NADPH for their activation.