Effect of biomass adaptation to biodegradation of dissolved organic carbon in water.

In the present study the time of adaptation of fixed biomass for biodegradation of natural organic matter was investigated. The experiments were done in columns that are usually used for rapid determination of biodegradable dissolved organic carbon (BDOC). The biomass was adapted to samples with different concentrations of organic substances before measurements by pumping water to be investigated through the columns for several days. The time of adaptation was dependent on the initial concentration of the organic matter in the water sample. The adaptation time increased from 6 to 24 h with increase of concentration of acetate solution from 2 to 10 mg/l, thus adaptation rate decreased simultaneously from 0.28 to 0.11 min(-1). In natural water samples with the initial concentration in the range from 4.61-10.82 mg/l of dissolved organic carbon (DOC) the maximal adaptation time was less than 24 h. During the adaptation period the increase in reproducibility and decrease in the standard deviation was observed. The study showed that adaptation of column to the different concentration of organic matter in water sample is necessary in order to decrease the bias in BDOC measurements when using columns tests.

Binding of inhibitors to the major glutathione S-transferase from bovine brain. Competitive binding between bilirubin and glutathione.

The binding of non-substrate ligands to the glutathione S-transferase (RX:glutathione R-transferase, EC 2.5.1.18) from bovine brain has been investigated kinetically by monitoring the inhibition of the enzyme-catalyzed reaction between glutathione and 1-chloro-2,4-dinitrobenzene. Bilirubin, thyroxine, lithocholic acid, retinoic acid and retinol are competitive inhibitors with respect to glutathione. Cooperative binding effects are observed with lithocholic acid, retinoic acid and retinol while cooperative binding is not observed with thyroxine or bilirubin. Bilirubin is the most potent inhibitor with constants of 0.1 and 110 microM. 50% of the total activity is lost upon binding to the high-affinity site and the remainder is lost at higher bilirubin concentrations. In spite of the apparently favorable binding for bilirubin, it is estimated that the high intracellular concentrations of reduced glutathione will saturate the enzyme and allow only a small fraction of the bilirubin in brain to bind to the enzyme. It is concluded that the binding of these ligands may be of minor importance in vivo.

Purification and kinetic mechanism of the major glutathione S-transferase from bovine brain.

The major glutathione S-transferase isoenzyme from bovine brain was isolated and purified approx. 500-fold. The enzyme has a pI of 7.39 +/- 0.02 and consists of two non-identical subunits having apparent Mr values of 22,000 and 24,000. The enzyme is uniformly distributed in brain, and kinetic data at pH 6.5 with 1-chloro-2,4-dinitrobenzene (CDNB) as substrate suggest a random rapid-equilibrium mechanism. The kinetics of inhibition by product, by GSH analogues and by NADH are consistent with the suggested mechanism and require inhibitor binding to several different enzyme forms. Long-chain fatty acids are excellent inhibitors of the enzyme, and values of 1nKi for hexanoic acid, octanoic acid, decanoic acid and lauric acid form a linear series when plotted as a function of alkyl chain length. A free-energy change of -1900 J/mol (-455 cal/mol) per CH2 unit is calculated for the contribution of hydrophobic binding energy to the inhibition constants. The turnover number of the purified enzyme dimer is approx. 3400/min. When compared with the second-order rate constant for the reaction between CDNB and GSH, the enzyme is providing a rate acceleration of about 1000-fold. The role of entropic contributions to this small rate acceleration is discussed.

Kinetics and mechanism of the glutathione-dependent reduction of dehydromethionine.

Dehydromethionine (S-methylisothiazolidine-3-carboxylic acid) is reduced by glutathione (aqueous solution, 25 degrees C) to give methionine and glutathione disulfide in a reaction that is dependent on pH and the nature and concentration of the buffer utilized. The data are consistent with proton-assisted, rate-limiting attack of glutathione thiolate anion on the sulfilimine sulfur with concomitant cleavage of the sulfur-nitrogen bond. The data predict a half-life for dehydromethionine ranging between 33 and 330 min in the presence of physiological concentrations of glutathione and phosphate buffer, suggesting that dehydromethionine and similar sulfilimines may have a sufficient lifetime in vivo to permit their use as carriers of oxidizing equivalents.

Suppression of male pronuclear movement in frog eggs by hydrostatic pressure and deuterium oxide yields androgenetic haploids.

The disruptive effects of microtubule-specific agents on pronuclear movement illustrate the requirement of an intact cytoskeletal system for movement. In this study, we investigated the effects of high hydrostatic pressure and deuterium oxide (D2O) on fertilized Rana pipiens eggs during the time of pronuclear migration. The eggs were either pulsed for six min with 3000, 5000, or 7000 psi or placed for ten min in 80% D2O between the time of second polar body emission and first cleavage. Both treatments disrupted male pronuclear migration as shown by eccentric first cleavage furrows. Treatment of eggs prior to pronuclear association resulted in haploid production. The androgenetic origin of the haploid embryos was demonstrated using morphological and isozymal markers produced by the cross Rana pipiens female x Rana utricularia male. Eggs treated with D2O also yielded embryos with neural defects identical to those following ultraviolet irradiation. This study complements the recent reports on pressure-suppression of the second polar body and of first cleavage by showing that the selective suppression of microtubular function between these two events produces an entirely different set of genetic and developmental consequences.