Evaluation of the Dimension XL clinical chemistry system.

The analytical performance of the Dimension XL clinical chemical system was evaluated. The XL is the latest addition to the Dimension family of instruments; it is a random access analyser with a throughput up to 740 tests/hour. Regression analysis of method comparison studies with Dimension AR yielded slopes of 0.93 to 1.03 and correlation coefficients >/=0.96 for 28 assays. Excellent precision performance was also observed. New instrument features of the XL are discussed.

Development and characterization of an automated assay of effective heparin activity in plasma.

We describe a fully automated assay for determining effective heparin activity in plasma, based on heparin-catalyzed inhibition of Factor Xa (EC 3.4.21.6) by antithrombin III (AT III). Residual Factor Xa is determined kinetically by the Du Pont aca discrete clinical analyzer with a chromogenic substrate and is inversely related to heparin activity. Because the test plasma is the sole source of AT III, the assay result is dependent on AT III activity and reflects effective rather than total heparin activity. The assay range is 20-1200 USP units/L, and the assay shows equivalent sensitivity to standard and low-molecular-mass heparins. Within-run reproducibility (CV) is 1.6% at 390 units/L. There was no interference from common blood components or drugs. Results agreed well with those by the Coatest heparin kit (Kabi) adapted to the Cobas-Bio analyzer (r = 0.85, n = 122).

Purification and properties of electron-transferring flavoprotein from pig kidney.

Electron-transferring flavoprotein has been isolated from pig kidney by a simple procedure with a 7-fold higher yield over a previous method using pig liver. Sodium dodecyl sulfate-polyacrylamide gel electrophoresis, gel filtration, amino acid analysis, peptide mapping, and measurement of flavin content indicate that pig kidney electron-transferring flavoprotein contains nonidentical subunits (Mr 30 000 and 33 000) with one flavin adenine dinucleotide per dimer. These data contrast with reports that the liver protein is a dimer of identical subunits containing two flavin molecules. Dithionite and ferricyanide titrations indicate that flavin is the only redox-active moiety in pig kidney electron-transferring flavoprotein. Disproportionation of the anionic semiquinone is very slow, requiring about 10 h for half-completion. In contrast to results obtained with the liver protein, pig kidney electron-transferring flavoprotein does not bind crotonyl coenzyme A (crotonyl-CoA) significantly, and the semiquinone form is not reoxidized by crotonyl-CoA directly. These data do not support recent suggestions for a broader role of electron-transferring flavoprotein in beta oxidation.

Evidence that the greening ligand in native butyryl-CoA dehydrogenase is a CoA persulfide.

Yellow butyryl-CoA dehydrogenase and general acyl-CoA dehydrogenase are "greened" by a mixture of coenzyme A plus elemental sulfur. The resultant stable complex contains an identical ligand with that present in native green butyryl-CoA dehydrogenase and has the same broad absorption band centered at 710 nm. Evidence is presented that the greening ligand is a CoA persulfide, possibly a mimic of the substrate carbanion thought to be generated early in the normal catalytic cycle. Variation in the position of the long wavelength band on replacement of FAD by a series of analogs of differing oxidation-reduction potential is consistent with a charge-transfer complex between a persulfide as the donor and oxidized flavin as the acceptor. The possible physiological and metabolic significance is discussed.

Stabilization of the red semiquinone form of pig kidney general acyl-CoA dehydrogenase by acyl coenzyme A derivatives.

Pig kidney general acyl-CoA dehydrogenases forms the blue neutral radical on dithionite or photochemical reduction (Thorpe, C., Matthews, R. G., & Williams, C. H. (1979) Biochemistry 18, 331-337] in accord with its classification as a flavoprotein dehydrogenase. However, dithionite reduction of the enzyme in the presence of crotonyl coenzyme A (crotonyl-CoA) or octenoyl-CoA generates the red radical anion as the predominant species at pH 7.6. Crotonyl-CoA binds preferentially to the red radical form, depressing the apparent pK by at least 2.5 pH units to a value of 7.3. Butyryl-, octanoyl-, and palmitoyl-CoA induce very similar spectral changes to those induced by enoyl-CoA derivatives when added anaerobically to the blue semiquinone enzyme. In contrast, the competitive inhibitors acetoacetyl-CoA and heptadecyl-SCoA do not markedly perturb the spectrum of the neutral flavosemiquinone species. The stability of the enzyme radical complexes with either crotonyl- or octanoyl-CoA suggests that there is not effective intraflavin transfer of reducing equivalents between subunits. Perturbation of the spectrum of the one-electron-reduced enzyme by ligands may complicate interpretation of the reaction enzyme by ligands may complicate interpretation of the reaction between substrate complexes of the general acyl-CoA dehydrogenase and electron-transferring flavoprotein.

An essential methionine in pig kidney general acyl-CoA dehydrogenase.

The flavoprotein pig kidney general acyl-CoA dehydrogenase contains a single catalytically essential methionine residue/FAD which reacts with iodoacetate at pH 6.6. S-Carboxymethylation of this residue generates an inactive enzyme derivative which retains FAD and the tetrameric structure of the native protein. The derivative binds actanoyl-CoA and palmityol-CoA with concomitant perturbation of the flavin chromophore, but the characterisitic spectrum of the reduced enzyme-enoyl-CoA complex is not observed. In addition, octanyol-CoA strongly protects the native enzyme against alkylation with iodoacetate. These results suggest that the methionine residue is within the active center of acyl-CoA dehydrogenase. Carboxymethylation of this residue may disrupt the precise orientation of the substrate required to achieve transfer of reducing equivalents to the flavin. Pig kidney general acyl-CoA dehydrogenase does not contain exposed catalytically essential cysteine residues.