Expression of rat 5 alpha-reductase in Saccharomyces cerevisiae.

Dihydrotestosterone (DHT) is the principle androgen in certain tissues such as the prostate. DHT is formed from testosterone by the NADPH-dependent enzyme 5 alpha-reductase (5AR). In this paper we report the expression of catalytically active steroid 5AR from the rat in Saccharomyces cerevisiae. A full length cDNA coding for 5AR was isolated from a rat liver cDNA library and fixed in frame to the signal sequence of yeast acid phosphatase. A constitutive short promoter fragment of the acid phosphatase gene (PHO5) and the PHO5 transcriptional terminator were added and the expression cassette ligated into the yeast 2 mu vector pDP34. S. cerevisiae transformed with the 5AR expression plasmid pDP34/PHO5AR exhibited about 100-fold more activity per gram wet weight than rat prostate.

The role of prostaglandin E1 in ornithine decarboxylase induction by tumor promoters.

The effect of topical application of PGE on induction of ODC in mouse epidermis was measured. When direct induction of ODC by TPA was blocked by also applying indomethacin, maximum ODC activity occurred only when PGE was applied simultaneously with TPA 4 1/2 hr before killing of the mice. If either TPA or PGE was applied at other times, ODC activity decreased substantially. Induction of ODC by mezerein was blocked by indomethacin but restored by PGE, as was observed with TPA, but induction by ethyl phenylpropiolate was not affected by indomethacin or PGE. DMBA did not cause a consistent increase in ODC activity, nor was its inductive action affected by indomethacin or PGE. However, another weak inducer, acetic acid, exhibited elevated ODC activity when PGE was also applied. Inhibition by topical retinoic acid of ODC induction by TPA was partially overcome in a dose-response fashion by PGE. The results indicate that at least 2 events, elevation of PGE and another independent event, are required for induction of ODC activity. It appears that TPA causes at least 4 independent events essential for tumor promotion. A model for the events in the 2-stage tumor promotion model is proposed.

12-O-tetradecanoylphorbol-13-acetate promotes tumors prior to initiation in two-stage promotion.

The tumor promoter 12-O-tetradecanoylphorbol-13-acetate (TPA) and the non-promoter mezerein both induce ornithine decarboxylase activity in mouse epidermis by a route which can be blocked by indomethacin. In two-stage tumor promotion experiments in mice with mezerein as the stage II promoter, TPA was effective as the stage I promoter whether it was applied before or after an initiating dose of 7,12-dimethylbenz[a]anthracene (DMBA). There appear to be at least 4 events in promotion, only 3 of which are caused by second stage promoters.

UDPglucose dehydrogenase. Kinetics and their mechanistic implications.

Initial velocity and product inhibition studies were carried out on UDP-glucose dehydrogenase (UDPglucose: NAD+ 6-oxidoreductase, EC 1.1.1.22) from beef liver to determine if the kinetics of the reaction are compatible with the established mechanism. An intersecting initial velocity pattern was observed with NAD+ as the variable substrate and UDPG as the changing fixed substrate. UDPglucuronic acid gave competitive inhibition of UDPG and non-competitive inhibition of NAD+. Inhibition by NADH gave complex patterns.Lineweaver-Burk plots of 1/upsilon versus 1/NAD+ at varied levels of NADH gave highly non-linear curves. At levels of NAD+ below 0.05 mM, non-competitive inhibition patterns were observed giving parabolic curves. Extrapolation to saturation with NAD+ showed NADH gave linear uncompetitive inhibition of UDPG if NAD+ was saturating. However, at levels of NAD+ above 0.10 mM, NADH became a competitive inhibitor of NAD+ (parabolic curves) and when NAD+ was saturating NADH gave no inhibition of UDPG. NADH was non-competitive versus UDPG when NAD+ was not saturating. These results are compatible with a mechanism in which UDPG binds first, followed by NAD+, which is reduced and released. A second mol of NAD+ is then bound, reduced, and released. The irreversible step in the reaction must occur after the release of the second mol of NADH but before the release of UDPglucuronic acid. This is apparently caused by the hydrolysis of a thiol ester between UDPglucoronic acid and the essential thiol group of the enzyme. Examination of rate equations indicated that this hydrolysis is the rate-limiting step in the overall reaction. The discontinuity in the velocities observed at high NAD+ concentrations is apparently caused by the binding of NAD+ in the active site after the release of the second mol of NADH, eliminating the NADH inhibition when NAD+ becomes saturating.

Mechanism of action of uridine diphoglucose dehydrogenase. Evidence for an essential lysine residue at the active site.

The oxidation of UDP-glucose by the enzyme UDP-glucose dehydrogenase (EC 1.1.1.22) from beef liver has been shown to proceed via the enzyme-bound intermediate, UDP-alpha-D-glyco-hexodialdose. The enzyme does not release this aldehyde, nor can it be trapped by reaction with hydroxylamine, thiosemicarbazide, or cyanide. Tight binding of the intermediate aldehyde can be explained by the recent observation that the essential thiol group of the enzyme forms a thiohemiacetal with the aldehyde during the course of the reaction. However, an enzyme preparation with the essential thiol derivatized with cyanide will still not release the aldehyde, indicating an additional as yet unknown binding mechanism. Derivatization ([14C]formaldehyde, followed by NaBH4 reduction) of 6 of the approximately 168 lysine residues per enzyme molecule (of six catalytic subunits) results in destruction of 47% of the enzyme activity, suggesting the involvement of an essential reactive lysine in the mechanism. Preincubation of the enzyme with UDP-glucose decreases both the loss of activity and incorporation of the label, indicating that this lysine is in the vicinity of the active site. Acid hydrolysis of the labeled preparation, followed by paper chromatography, shows that the label has a mobility, in the system used, that is identical with lysine. Elution of this spot followed by chromatography on Aminex A-5 resin showed that it contained the expected mixture of epsilon-N-methyl lysines. When enzyme that has its essential thiol derivatized with cyanide is incubated with UDP-[14C]glucose and NAD+, and then reduced with NaB3H4, a stable enzyme complex is formed which contains both labels. Acid hydrolysis of this preparation, followed by either two-dimensional paper chromatography or separation in an amino acid analyzer, results in both labels appearing in the position of lysine. It is evident that the enzyme oxidizes the UDP-[14C]glucose to the corresponding aldehyde which occurs as the Schiff's base with an essential lysine. This is then reduced by the NaB3H4 to form a secondary amine which is stable toward hydrolysis and migrates with lysine in separation procedures. As would be predicted, the enzyme can be similarly labeled by treatment with UDP-alpha-D-gluco-hexodisidose alone, followed by NaB3H4 reduction. The same hydrolysis product results from this procedure, and it behaves identically with the product formed by treating alpha-N-acetyl lysine with UDP-alpha-D-gluco-hexodialdose, reducing with NaBH4, and then hydrolyzing. This substance appears to be N5-((5-formyl-2-furanyl)methyl)lysine. When chromatographed on Aminex A-5, both the model compound and enzyme hydrolysate gave peaks corresponding to free lysine and the proposed derivative. Evidence is presented that the oxidation of UDP-glucose to the aldehyde is a concerted reaction involving the formation of the Schiff's base, rather than the formation of the aldehyde with the subsequent formation of the Schiff's base...