Effect of glycerol on protein acetylation by acetic anhydride.

We investigated the basis for the previously unexplained stabilization of proteins by glycerol during reaction with acetic anhydride [S. Siegel and W. M. Award, Jr. (1973) J. Biol. Chem. 248, 3233-3240]. Model studies showed that glycerol competes successfully for acetylation against protein hydroxyl groups. In contrast, amino groups are much more potent nucleophiles and their acetylation is not apparently affected. Since alpha-amino and phenolic pKa's did not change significantly in increasing glycerol concentrations, these findings are ascribed to glycerol's lower pKa value as compared to water, leading to the decreased acetylation of tyrosine, threonine, and serine hydroxyl groups in Pronase guanidine-stable chymoelastase. An additional mechanism is important and predominates in the protection against inactivation of bovine delta-chymotrypsin during acetylation and is explained by the recently described basis for protein stabilization in glycerol [K. Gekko and S. N. Timasheff (1981) Biochemistry 20, 4667-4676; 4677-4686]. Those studies demonstrated that glycerol increased the hydrophobicity of nonpolar residues, augmenting their tendency to be removed from protein surfaces. Therefore, the stabilization afforded by glycerol for chymotrypsin is attributed in part to a favoring of the native folded state which forces the side chains of isoleucine-16 and valine-17 to be buried, increasing the apparent pKa of the alpha-amino group of isoleucine-16 as it forms the charge pair with the beta-carboxyl group of aspartate-194. This conclusion was supported by stopped-flow analyses of the interaction of delta-chymotrypsin with proflavin in increasing concentrations of glycerol.

Evidence for direct methyl transfer in betaine: homocysteine S-methyl-transferase.

We described recently the purification and preliminary characterization of human hepatic betaine: homocysteins S-methyltransferase (Skiba, W. E., Taylor, M. P., Wells, M. S., Mangum, J. H., and Awad, W. M., Jr. (1982) J. Biol. Chem. 258, 14944-14948) where it was shown that isovalerate and 3,3-dimethylbutyrate, analogs of dimethylglycine and betaine, respectively, were good inhibitors. The present study demonstrates that butyrate is a modest competitive inhibitor, binding at the betaine site. This led to the consideration and synthesis of a putative dual-substrate analog, S(delta-carboxybutyl)-DL-homocysteine, which bound with high affinity to the active site of the methyltransferase; presumably this effect is due to the L-isomer only. Homologs, S(gamma-carboxypropyl)-DL-homocysteine and S(beta-carboxyethyl)-DL-homocysteine, do not inhibit at concentrations 100-fold higher than where inhibition is noted with the dual-substrate analog, indicating the latter's specificity. These findings support the hypothesis that methyl transfer in this enzyme occurs directly from one substrate to the other.

Effects of acetylation and guanidination on alkaline conformations of chymotrypsin.

Guanidination leads to stabilization of several globular proteins, including bovine chymotrypsinogen, as determined by hydrogen isotope exchange (P. Cupo, W. El-Deiry, P.L. Whitney, and W.M. Awad, Jr. (1980) J. Biol. Chem. 255, 10828-10833). The present study examined the binding of proflavin to guanidinated, acetylated, and native chymotrypsins in order to compare conformational flexibilities. The order of decreasing alkaline stabilities of the catalytically active conformations of the different delta-chymotrypsin forms was guanidinated, native, and acetylated proteins; delta-chymotrypsin showed greater stability than alpha-chymotrypsin. In each case removal of calcium reduced the amount of the catalytically active conformation. The alkaline pH dependence for the decrease of the catalytically active conformation of guanidinated alpha-chymotrypsin could not be attributed to the titration of a single group, indicating that the alpha-amino group of isoleucine-16 is not the sole feature regulating the conformational transition for this derivative. At neutral pH values delta-chymotrypsin exists completely in an active conformation and the percentage of alpha-chymotrypsin in this form is only slightly lower. These differences from earlier results are possibly due to differences in buffers, calcium ion concentrations, and ionic strength. The rate of inactivation of guanidinated delta-chymotrypsin with methyl acetimidate was much lower than the corresponding rate for the native enzyme. This suggests that guanidination increases enzyme stability which in turn leads to a reduced accessibility of the alpha-amino group of isoleucine-16.

Human hepatic methionine biosynthesis. Purification and characterization of betaine:homocysteine S-methyltransferase.

Human hepatic betaine:homocysteine S-methyltransferase has been purified to apparent homogeneity after a 250-fold separation. The isolation required the presence of homocysteine and a product of the reaction, dimethylglycine, in order to stabilize the protein. An apparent molecular weight of 270,000 was determined by calibrated gel filtration. A single peptide chain of Mr = 45,000 was found by calibrated sodium dodecyl sulfate-acrylamide gel electrophoresis, suggesting that the native protein is a hexamer of identical subunits. The enzyme is stable at pH values greater than 5.5. No effect of EDTA was observed on the activity of the enzyme. In the absence of thiol reagents, the hexameric protein appeared to polymerize to integral aggregates. Isovalerate and 3,3-dimethylbutyrate, analogs of dimethylglycine and betaine, respectively, are good inhibitors of the enzyme. The inhibitions are competitive with respect to betaine, indicating that a positive charge is not required for binding at the betaine/dimethylglycine site. These findings are similar to those reported for acetylcholine esterase where the neutral analogs of choline show good binding to that enzyme. The binding site for betaine/dimethylglycine may exist in two states, one permitting the binding of a positively charged group and the other a neutral group.

Stabilization of proteins by guanidination.

Earlier studies have indicated the marked resistance of two pronase endopeptidases to denaturation in high concentrations of urea or guanidine hydrochloride (Siegel, S., and Awad, W. M., Jr. (1973) J. Biol. Chem. 248, 3233--3240). One component has only a single residue of lysine and the other has none. The consideration arose that lysine-containing peptide segments may be less stable than those containing arginine because of the fluctuations of the side groups of the former residue. The small epsilon amino groups may not be able to sustain solvation of the hydrophobic arm in an aqueous medium. Arginine residues have shorter hydrophobic arms, larger hydrophilic groups, and higher pKa values and, thus may be less motile than lysine. The hypothesis was tested by guanidination of seven globular proteins (bovine carbonic anhydrase, chymotrypsinogen, alpha-lactalbumin, serum albumin, ribonuclease, hen egg lysozyme, and horse heart cytochrome c). Conversion of lysine residues to homoarginine was between 90 and 99%. Tritium-hydrogen isotope exchange revealed that all proteins except lysozyme demonstrated reduced out-exchange after guanidination. The results with lysozyme were not unexpected since only this protein has a high arginine to lysine ratio. These findings suggest that high arginine to lysine ratios contribute to protein stability.

The Ph.D. to M.D. program: the seven-year mark.

The Ph.D. to M.D. Program, a two-year, accelerated medical curriculum for Ph.D. scientists, has been in operation at the University of Miami for over seven years. Two hundred and nine students from a broad range of scientific disciplines have been admitted, and attrition has been remarkably low (less than 1 per cent). One hundred and thirty-five of the entering candidates (65 per cent) were nonbiologists, but their achievements in the curriculum were virtually equivalent to those of their biologically oriented peers. All graduates have commenced house-staff training, the vast majority at university or university-affiliated hospitals. Of the 46 graduates who have completed some aspect of postgraduate training, 22 are in private practice, 20 are in teaching and research positions and four are scientific administrators in industry. The record indicates that through intensive medical education, the program is able to bring a group of scientists with unusual talents to the theory and practice of medicine.

Extracellular and protease-released pullulanases.

The extracellular form of pullulanase (EC 3.2.1.41) from Klebsiella aerogenes has been purified to homogeneity by successive chromatography through diethylaminoethyl-cellulose, Sephadex G-200, and 1,6-diaminohexane-Sepharose. In addition, the cell-bound form of pullulanase has been released by the action of a serine endopeptidase obtained from Pronase and purified to apparent homogeneity. Protease-released pullulanase has a slightly larger molecular weight and a specific activity over twice that of the extracellular protein. The properties of each of these forms of pullulanase have been compared with those reported for the detergent-released form. Each form has different features as examined by amino acid composition, specific activity, molecular weight, or inhibition pattern, which distinguish it from the other pullulanases. It is hypothesized that a single gene product consisting of a single polypeptide chain generates these different enzyme forms after selective cleavages by endogenous or applied proteases.

Proteolytic enzymes of the K-1 strain of Streptomyces griseus obtained from a commercial preparation (Pronase). Purification and characterization of the carboxypeptidase.

We described earlier the facilitated purifications of the trypsin and aminopeptidase components present in Pronase (Vosbeck, K. D., Chow, K. -F., and Awad, W. M., Jr. (1973) J. Biol. Chem. 248, 6029-6034). A partially resolved protein mixture left over after one of the steps in that procedure was passed through a Sephadex G-75 column. By this means, a component with carboxypeptidase activity was separated from associated serine endopeptidases. Further purification of this exopeptidase to apparent homogeneity was acheived by refiltration through the same Sephadex column and by CM-cellulose chromatography. A single protein band was observed after acrylamide gel electrophoresis; analysis by sedimentation equilibrium using the meniscus depletion method gave a molecular weight of 30,300. This enzyme demonstrates activity against Nalpha-benzyloxycarbonylglycyl-L-leucine and hippuryl-D,L-phenyllactate; no activity was found against Nalpha-acetyl-L-tyrosine ethyl ester, Nalpha-benzoyl-D,L-arginine-p-nitroanilide, or L-leuckne-p-nitroanilide. The maximum activity lies between pH values of 7 and 8; the enzyme is stable between pH values of 6 and 10. At room temperature 1,10-phenanthroline inactivates the enzyme completely whereas EDTA has no effect. Of the many cations tested, only Co2+, Ni2+, or Zn2+ restores activity to the 1,10-phenanthroline-treated enzyme; Co2+ provided 3 times the native activity. The metal in the native protein was found to be zinc. These findings are similar to those recorded with bovine pancreatic carboxypeptidase A, and suggest the possibility that the present enzyme may ge genetically related to the mammalian protein, as in previously noted examples of homology of three Pronase endopeptidases to pancreatic serine enzymes.

The proteolytic enzymes of the K-1 strain of Streptomyces griseus obtained from a commercial preparation (Pronase). Specificity and immobilization of aminopeptidase.

We recently described the purification of two aminopeptidases from Streptomyces griseus (Vosbeck, K.D., Chow, K.-F., and Awad, W.M., Jr. (1973) J. Biol. Chem. 248, 6329-6034). An analysis of the amino acid composition reveals very little differences in the two proteins. Each protein has alanine as the NH2-terminal residue. The aminopeptidases were treated separately with acetic anhydride; as noted in the past, the presence of glycerol is required to achieve excellent yields of acetylated active derivatives (Siegel, S., and Awad, W.M., Jr. (1973 J. Biol. Chem. 248, 3233-3240). However, in the present case much higher concentrations of glycerol (50%) are needed during acetylation to obtain derivatives with completely reacted NH2-terminal residues. The epsilon-amino groups were not completely acetylated. In contrast to the native enzymes, the acetylated derivatives show an affinity for DEAE-cellulose, a property consonant with the changes in net charge. The kinetic constants for each enzyme against L-leucine-p-nitroanilide do not change significantly after acetylation. The specificities of the two aminopeptidases were examined extensively on a semiquantitative basis. The activities are not restricted by the length of substrate chains. Each enzyme shows a preference for hydrophobic residues at the ultimate and penultimate positions. Charge residues are released a slower rates. No prolidase activity is demonstrable even at high enzyme to substrate ratios; however, NH2-terminal proline residues are released readily. D-Amino acid residues at the ultimate or penultimate position substantially reduce the rate of hydrolysis; D-leucyl-D-leucine is not hydrolyzed...