Phenotypic heterogeneity of Streptococcus mutans in dentin.

Information concerning phenotypic heterogeneity of Streptococcus mutans in carious dentin is sparse. Matrix-assisted laser-desorption/ionization-time-of-flight mass-spectrometry (MALDI-TOF-MS) facilitates the phenotypic differentiation of bacteria to the subspecies level. To verify a supposed influence of restorative treatment on the phenotypic heterogeneity of S. mutans, we isolated and compared a total of 222 S. mutans strains from dentin samples of 21 human deciduous molars during caries excavation (T(1)) and 8 wks (T(2)) after removal of the temporary restoration. Phenotypic heterogeneity was determined by MALDI-TOF-MS and hierarchical clustering. Thirty-six distinct S. mutans phenotypes could be identified. Although indistinguishable phenotypes were found in the same teeth at T(1) and T(2), as well as in different teeth of individual participants, the phenotypic heterogeneity increased significantly, from 1.4 phenotypes per S. mutans-positive dentin sample at T(1) to 2.2 phenotypes at T(2). We attribute this to an adaptation of S. mutans to the modified environment under the restoration following caries excavation.

Rapid identification of viridans streptococci by mass spectrometric discrimination.

Viridans streptococci (VS) are responsible for several systemic diseases, such as endocarditis, abscesses, and septicemia. Unfortunately, species identification by conventional methods seems to be more difficult than species identification of other groups of bacteria. The aim of the present study was to evaluate the use of cell matrix-assisted laser desorption ionization-time of flight mass spectrometry (MALDI-TOF-MS) for the rapid identification of 10 different species of VS. A total of 99 VS clinical isolates, 10 reference strains, and 20 strains from our in-house culture collection were analyzed by MALDI-TOF-MS. To evaluate the mass-spectrometric discrimination results, all strains were identified in parallel by phenotypic and genotypic methods. MALDI-TOF-MS identified 71 isolates as the mitis group, 23 as the anginosus group, and 5 as Streptococcus salivarius. Comparison of the species identification results obtained by the MALDI-TOF-MS analyses and with the phenotypic/genotypic identification systems showed 100% consistency at the species level. Thus, MALDI-TOF-MS seems to be a rapid and reliable method for the identification of species of VS from clinical samples.

Differentiation of mutans streptococci by intact cell matrix-assisted laser desorption/ionization time-of-flight mass spectrometry.

It is difficult to distinguish mutans streptococci on the species level, and even more so on the subspecies level. Intact cell matrix-assisted laser desorption/ionization time-of-flight mass spectrometry (MALDI-TOF-MS) (ICM) was applied to reference strains of five of the species of the mutans group (Streptococcus criceti, Streptococcus downei, Streptococcus mutans, Streptococcus ratti, Streptococcus sobrinus), nonmutans streptococci (Streptococcus oralis, Streptococcus mitis, Streptococcus salivarius, and Streptococcus sanguinis), and 177 mutans streptococci isolated from saliva of 10 children. From the analysis of the reference strains, readily distinguishable ICM mass spectra were obtained for the different species. Based on multivariate statistical analysis, a correct and unambiguous assignment was made of the spectra of 159 isolated mutans streptococci to S. mutans and 16 isolates to S. sobrinus. Two isolates were sorted out and were identified by sequencing of their 16S rRNA genes as Streptococcus anginosus. In addition, ICM indicated a misclassification for some reference strains (AHT, V 100 and E 49) and re-classified AHT and E 49 as S. ratti and V 100 as S. sobrinus. This was confirmed by 16S rDNA sequencing. Based on a statistical similarity analysis of the spectra of reference strains and a quantitative assessment of the reproducibility of ICM, the isolates identified as either S. mutans or S. sobrinus were phenotyped on the subspecies level. In the population of the clinical isolates, 14 unambiguously different S. mutans and three different S. sobrinus phenotypes were detected. ICM proved to be a powerful tool for a differentiation of mutans streptococci down to the subspecies level.

Human leptin forms complexes with alpha 2-macroglobulin which are recognized by the alpha 2-macroglobulin receptor/low density lipoprotein receptor-related protein.

OBJECTIVE: To identify binding proteins of leptin in human plasma. METHODS: Binding was evaluated by electrophoresis, size exclusion chromatography (SEC), Western blotting, and radioisotope labeling. Quantification of leptin and the different forms of alpha2-macroglobulin (alpha2-M) was performed by ELISA. RESULTS: Leptin interacts with the proteinase inhibitor, alpha2-M. 125I-labeled leptin specifically binds to the transformed inhibitor, which arises by reaction with proteinases or with reactive primary amines. No leptin binding was observed to the native alpha2-M, which abundantly occurs in plasma. The complex formation between leptin and alpha2-M was found to proceed within minutes and was stable, as it resisted separation by SEC and electrophoresis. The Kd of the complex was 2.14 +/- 0.78 micromol/l. Complex formation with transformed alpha2-M did not interfere with the immunological determination of leptin in plasma. The leptin-alpha2-M complex was found to be recognized by the alpha2-M receptor/low density lipoprotein receptor-related protein. By computer analysis, a simple model is presented showing that the degree of transformation of alpha2-M may significantly influence the leptin concentration in blood. CONCLUSIONS: The proteinase inhibitor, alpha2-M, may act as a leptin-binding protein in human plasma. Binding of leptin to transformed alpha2-M and its rapid clearance by the alpha2-M receptor may significantly influence the bioavailability of leptin in human plasma.

Purification and characterization of phosphofructokinase from the yeast Kluyveromyces lactis.

Phosphofructokinase from Kluyveromyces lactis was purified by 180-fold enrichment, elaborating the following steps: cell disruption, polyethylene glycol precipitation, affinity chromatography, size exclusion chromatography on Sepharose 6B and on Bio-Sil SEC 400 and ion exchange chromatography. The homogeneous enzyme exhibits a molecular mass of 845 +/- 20 kDa as determined by sedimentation equilibrium measurements and a specific activity of 100 units/mg protein. The apparent sedimentation coefficient was found to be s20,c = 20.7 +/- 0.6 S and no significant dependence on the protein concentration was observed in a range from 0.2 to 8 mg protein/ml. Sodium dodecyl sulfate-polyacrylamide gel electrophoresis revealed two bands corresponding to molecular masses of 119 +/- 5 kDa and 102 +/- 5 kDa, respectively. Thus, the enzyme assembles as octamer composed of two types of subunits. From Western blot analysis applying subunit-specific monoclonal antibodies raised against Saccharomyces cerevisiae phosphofructokinase and from the determination of the N-terminal amino acid sequence, the conclusion was drawn that the 102 kDa-subunit corresponds to the beta-subunit of the S. cerevisiae enzyme. In contrast to bakers' yeast phosphofructokinase, the K. lactis enzyme exhibits no cooperativity with respect to the substrate fructose 6-phosphate. Both activators AMP and fructose 2,6-bisphosphate decrease the Michaelis constant with respect to this substrate. The enzyme from K. lactis is also inhibited by ATP. Fructose 2,6-bisphosphate or AMP diminish the ATP-inhibition. In contrast to the phosphofructokinase from S. cerevisiae, where fructose 2,6-bisphosphate turned out to be more efficient than AMP, both activators exert similar effects on the K. lactis enzyme.

Fructose 2,6-bisphosphate induces irreversible transitions in cell-free extracts of rat liver.

The effect of fructose 2,6-bisphosphate on the dynamics of the 6-phosphofructo-1-kinase/fructose-1,6-bisphosphatase cycle is investigated in a cell-free extract of rat liver under steady-state conditions. Bistability emerges on the basis of the reciprocal allosteric modulation of 6-phosphofructo-1-kinase and fructose-1,6-bisphosphatase. Under conditions of bistability fructose 2,6-bisphosphate may cause transitions between alternative steady states. However, in contrast to what is frequently observed in bistable systems, within a broad range of experimental conditions these transitions proceed irreversibly from states with high ATP to states characterized by low ATP.

Bistability and damped oscillations in the fructose 6-phosphate/fructose 1,6-bisphosphate cycle in cell-free extracts from rat liver.

The dynamics of the fructose 6-phosphate/fructose 1,6-bisphosphate substrate cycle was investigated in cell-free extracts from rat liver. Under conditions of continuous substrate supply different types of stationary states and damped oscillations were observed experimentally and found to be in qualitative agreement with theoretical predictions. Changing the adenylate energy charge of the substrate supply, bistability was shown to be related to irreversible transitions between functionally different branches of stable stationary states.

Fructose-2,6-bisphosphate metabolism in permeabilized yeast cells.

Several methods for the permeabilization of Saccharomyces cerevisiae M1 were compared. Cells were permeabilized in the presence of 3% toluene/mercaptoethanol, and the activities of 6-phosphofructo-2-kinase, fructose-2,6-bisphosphatase and alkaline phosphatase were measured during growth of yeast on glucose. In the exponential phase of growth, the specific activities of 6-phosphofructo-2-kinase and fructose-2,6-bisphosphatase decrease significantly. The specific activities of 6-phosphofructo-2-kinase and high-affinity fructose-2,6-bisphosphatase increase again during the transition phase and reach maximum values in the stationary phase. In contrast to the specific activities, the activity concentrations of 6-phosphofructo-2-kinase and fructose-2,6-bisphosphatase remain nearly constant in the exponential phase, but increase in the transition and the stationary growth phase. The concentration of fructose-2,6-bisphosphate drops from about 6 microM in the exponential phase to very low levels in the transition phase, but increases slightly in the stationary phase. In Saccharomyces cerevisiae M1 several fructose-2,6-bisphosphate degrading activities were measured differing in the behaviour during growth on glucose, in the pH-optimum and the inhibition by fructose-6-phosphate.

Yeast phosphofructokinase: kinetic characterization of a substrate-imprinted enzyme conformation.

Intramolecular cross-linking of octameric yeast phosphofructokinase was applied to study the effect of substrate-imprinted conformational changes on the regulatory properties of the enzyme:Cross-linking performed in the presence of fructose 6-phosphate yields a substrate-imprinted enzyme species the affinity of which towards this substrate is significantly higher than that of native phosphofructokinase and of the enzyme cross-linked in the absence of fructose 6-phosphate. The enzyme cross-linked in the presence of fructose 6-phosphate does not exhibit cooperativity with respect to this substrate but is still activated by AMP and by fructose 2,6-bisphosphate. This activation consists in an increase of substrate affinity with respect to fructose 6-phosphate. In the absence of positive effectors, the maximum activity of the cross-linked enzyme corresponds to the respective values of native phosphofructokinase when activated by AMP or by fructose 2,6-bisphosphate. At saturating levels of AMP and of fructose 2,6-bisphosphate, nearly identical affinities with respect to fructose 6-phosphate are found, ranging between the Km values of native phosphofructokinase activated by AMP and by fructose 2,6-bisphosphate. Covalent stabilization of the substrate-imprinted enzyme conformation does not affect the interaction of phosphofructokinase with ATP at the substrate-binding site. The results suggest that the allosteric regulation of yeast phosphofructokinase is mainly related to conformational changes controlled by fructose 6-phosphate while the ATP affinity at the catalytic site of the enzyme remains essentially unaffected.

Irreversible transitions in the 6-phosphofructokinase/fructose 1,6-bisphosphatase cycle.

The dynamics of the fructose 6-phosphate fructose-1,6-bisphosphate cycle operating in an open and homogeneous system reconstituted from purified enzymes was extensively studied. In addition to 6-phosphofructokinase and fructose-1,6-bisphosphatase, pyruvate kinase, adenylate kinae and glucose-6-phosphate isomerase were involved. In that multi-enzyme system, the main source of non-linearity is the reciprocal effect of AMP on the activities of 6-phosphofructokinase and fructose-1,6-bisphosphatase. Depending upon the experimental parameter values, stable attractors, various types of multiple states and sustained oscillations were shown to occur. In the present report we show that irreversible transitions are also likely to occur for realistic operating conditions. Two parameters of the system, that is the adenylate energy charge of the influx and the fructose-1,6-bisphosphatase maximal activity, are potential candidates to provoke such irreversible transitions from one steady state to the other: (a) when varying the maximal activity of fructose-1,6-bisphosphatase, the system can jump irreversibly from a low to a high stable steady state, and (b) when the adenylate energy charge of the influx is the changing parameter, irreversible transitions occur from a high stable steady state to a stable oscillatory state (limit cycle motion). This behavior can be predicted by constructing the loci of limit points and Hopf bifurcation points.

Regulation of the fructose 6-phosphate/fructose 2,6-bisphosphate cycle by enzyme phosphorylation and sn-glycerol 3-phosphate.

The regulation of the Fru-6-P/Fru-2,6-P2 cycle by the cooperation of allosteric and covalent mechanisms was investigated in a reconstituted enzyme system under in vitro conditions. Phosphorylation of the bifunctional enzyme exerts a much stronger effect than sn-glycerol 3-phosphate in lowering the quasi-stationary concentration of fructose 2,6-bisphosphate and in increasing the critical concentration of the fructose phosphates, respectively. However, sn-glycerol 3-phosphate is able to strongly amplify the decrease of the quasi-stationary concentration of fructose 2,6-bisphosphate due to phosphorylation. The experiments can be described by a mathematical model involving rate equations for the dephosphorylated and the phosphorylated PFD-2 and FBPase-2. The results are compared with data from the literature obtained under in vivo conditions.

A hysteretic cycle in glucose 6-phosphate metabolism observed in a cell-free yeast extract.

The dynamics of a partial glycolytic reaction sequence which converts glucose 6-phosphate to triose phosphates is described. The study was performed with cell-free extracts from baker's yeast harvested in the logarithmic and stationary growth phases. The experiments are based on a flow-through reactor supplied with the desalted cell-free extract as well as glucose 6-phosphate, ATP and phosphoenolpyruvate. In the reaction system the quasi-irreversible reactions catalyzed by 6-phosphofructo-1-kinase, pyruvate kinase, and fructose-1,6-bisphosphatase are involved. When substrate is supplied continuously, only stable stationary states can be observed. With transient perturbations of the substrate supply, multiple stationary states appear. Cyclic transitions between unique stable stationary states were induced by appropriate changes of the rate of substrate supply. A hysteretic cycle could then be demonstrated when, during reverse transitions, a parameter region of multistability was passed. The presence (in resting yeast) or absence (in growing yeast) of fructose-1,6-bisphosphatase did not significantly influence the dynamic capabilities of the investigated reaction sequence. The kinetic properties of the cell-free extracts fit mathematical models developed for in vitro systems reconstituted from purified enzymes.

Yeast phosphofructokinase: pre-steady-state and stationary kinetic studies on a cross-linked enzyme form.

A cross-linked form of yeast phosphofructokinase in which up to four of the subunits of the octameric molecule were found covalently linked by dimethyl suberimidate exhibits no cooperativity with respect to fructose 6-phosphate and is only weakly inhibited by ATP. The modified enzyme is activated by AMP and fructose 2,6-bisphosphate. Both effectors abolish ATP inhibition even at low concentration of fructose 6-phosphate and increase the affinity of modified phosphofructokinase to fructose 6-phosphate but are without significant effect on the respective maximum activity. The corresponding kinetic patterns exhibit similarity to those of the native enzyme at high concentration of fructose 6-phosphate. In comparison to native phosphofructo-kinase the extent of activation by AMP and fructose 2,6-bisphosphate is of minor amount. As shown for native phosphofructokinase, the enzyme which had been cross-linked in the absence of any effector shows a lag phase of product formation. This initial transient phase completely disappears if the enzyme is modified in the presence of fructose 6-phosphate, fructose 1,6-bisphosphate, and fructose 2,6-bisphosphate, respectively. The same result is obtained by preincubation of the enzyme cross-linked in the absence of any effector with each of these fructose phosphates. The kinetic properties of the modified enzyme indicate that cooperativity with respect to fructose 6-phosphate is not a prerequisite for the allosteric modulation of enzyme activity by AMP and fructose 2,6-bisphosphate and support the idea of multiple conformational determinants in yeast phosphofructokinase. The results suggest that moderate intramolecular cross-linking can provide a simple experimental tool to stabilize different conformational states of an enzyme.

Phosphofructokinase from baker's yeast: studies on the initial kinetics and the fast reacting thiol groups of a proteolytically modified active enzyme form.

The initial kinetics as well as the reactivity of the fast reacting thiol groups of a tetrameric form of phosphofructokinase from baker's yeast (called 12 S-enzyme), obtained by limited proteolysis in the presence of ATP were studied by the stopped-flow technique. Before attaining the steady state, the reaction shows a lag phase in the product formation, the duration of which decreases with increasing enzyme concentration. The lag phase disappears after preincubation of the enzyme with either fructose 6-phosphate, fructose 1,6-bisphosphate or fructose 2,6-bisphosphate. The occurrence of an initial transient phase suggests that the enzyme converts from a state of low activity into a highly active one after starting the reaction. The modified enzyme was found to contain two fast reacting cysteinyl residues with respect to their reactivity towards 5,5'-dithiobis(2-nitrobenzoic acid). Fructose 6-phosphate, fructose 1,6-bisphosphate and fructose 2,6-bisphosphate, respectively, decrease the reactivity of this class of thiol groups but not the total number of titrable cysteins. This result supports the hypothesis of a conformational change as a consequence of the effector binding.

Phosphofructokinase from baker's yeast: kinetic properties of a proteolytically modified enzyme.

A tetrameric enzyme form of phosphofructokinase from yeast (called 12 S-enzyme), formed by limited proteolysis of the octameric enzyme in the presence of ATP and by subsequent dissociation in two half-molecules shows sigmoidal kinetics with respect to fructose 6-phosphate and inhibition by ATP. Similar to the native phosphofructokinase, the modified enzyme is also efficiently activated by AMP and fructose 2,6-bisphosphate. Both activators increase the affinity for the substrate fructose 6-phosphate and the respective maximum activity. In contrast to the native phosphofructokinase, however, both AMP and fructose 2,6-bisphosphate change the sigmoidal fructose 6-phosphate velocity curve into a hyperbolic one. AMP and fructose 2,6-bisphosphate decrease the ATP inhibition, probably by modulating the affinity of the allosteric sites to ATP.

Kinetics of 6-phosphofructo-2-kinase from Saccharomyces cerevisiae: inhibition of the enzyme by ATP.

6-Phosphofructo-2-kinase (PFK-2) was purified from yeast and separated from fructose-2,6-biphosphatase (FBPase-2). The purification procedure involved polyethylene glycol fractionation followed by chromatography on DEAE-Sephacel. PFK-2 and FBPase-2 were copurified in these steps. Separation of the two enzymes resulted from Sephacryl S-300 Blue chromatography. Then, PFK-2 was chromatographed on CM-Sephadex and eluted with a gradient of KCl. Finally, PFK-2 was rechromatographed at CM-Sephadex and specifically eluted with fructose 6-phosphate. PFK-2 (specific activity 1.3 U/mg) was purified about 25,000-fold. The enzyme is inhibited by ATP which is particularly pronounced at low concentrations of magnesium and fructose 6-phosphate. Phosphoenolpyruvate and sn-glycerol 3-phosphate are inhibitors of the enzyme.

6-Phosphofructo-2-kinase and fructose-2,6-bisphosphatase from Saccharomyces cerevisiae.

In permeabilized yeast cells 6-phosphofructo-2-kinase and fructose-2,6-bisphosphatase are studied during growth. It is shown that in yeast at least two fructose 2,6-bisphosphate degrading enzyme activities occur, differing in pH profile and in their substrate affinities. The activities of 6-phosphofructo-2-kinase and of fructose-2,6-bisphosphatases drop in the exponential and the transition phase while the activity of the alkaline phosphatases steadily increases. In the stationary phase the activities of 6-phosphofructo-2-kinase and of the low Km fructose-2,6-bisphosphatase increase again. Yeast 6-phosphofructo-2-kinase and fructose-2,6-bisphosphatase were purified and separated from each other. The purified 6-phosphofructo-2-kinase was found to exhibit a very high specific activity (1.3 U/mg). The enzyme is efficiently inhibited by ATP. The ATP inhibition is most pronounced at low concentrations of magnesium and fructose-6-phosphate. Phosphoenolpyruvate and sn-glycerol 3-phosphate are inhibitors of the enzyme. The high-affinity yeast fructose-2,6-bisphosphatase releases inorganic phosphate from the 2-position of fructose 2,6-bisphosphate. It displays hyperbolic kinetics towards fructose 2,6-bisphosphate (Km = 0.3 microM) and is strongly inhibited by fructose 6-phosphate. The inhibition is counteracted by sn-glycerol 3-phosphate. The enzyme is shown to be inactivated by cAMP-dependent phosphorylation and reactivated by the action of protein phosphatase 2A.

Control of the fructose 6-phosphate/fructose 2,6-bisphosphate cycle by sn-glycerol 3-phosphate.

The kinetics of PFK-2 and FBPase-2 from rat liver were investigated with respect to the substrates and the effector sn-glycerol 3-phosphate. PFK-2 exhibits a hyperbolic response with respect to its substrates Fru 6-P and ATP. The inhibition of the activity of PFK-2 by sn-glycerol 3-phosphate could be described by assuming competition with Fru 6-P at the catalytic site. sn-Glycerol 3-phosphate activates the FBPase-2 and is capable of reversing partially the inhibition of the enzyme by Fru 6-P. The dynamics of the PFK-2/FBPase-2 cycle has been investigated in an enzyme system composed of PFK-2/FBPase-2, creatine kinase and creatine phosphate. sn-Glycerol 3-phosphate was found to decrease the quasi-stationary concentration of Fru 2,6-P2. The control of the PFK-2/FBPase-2 cycle by sn-glycerol 3-phosphate turned out most efficient at high concentrations of both sn-glycerol 3-phosphate and Fru 6-P. In addition, sn-glycerol 3-phosphate was found to increase the concentration control coefficient of Fru 2,6-P2 with respect to Fru 6-P.

Binding of fructose 2,6-bisphosphate to yeast phosphofructokinase.

Binding of Fru-2,6-P2 to yeast phosphofructokinase was investigated by ultrafiltration technique. Per mol of subunit of phosphofructokinase (M = 100,000) 0.5 moles of Fru-2,6-P2 are bound. The binding curve proceeds cooperatively (nH = 1.8 +/- 0.2). The apparent affinity constant of Fru-2,6-P2 amounts to about 2.25 +/- 0.12 microM. Fru-1,6-P2 decreases the affinity of yeast phosphofructokinase to Fru-2,6-P2. The data can be described by assuming either competition of Fru-2,6-P2 and Fru-1,6-P2 for the same binding site or conformationally mediated interactions.

Fructose-2,6-bisphosphatase and 6-phosphofructo-2-kinase are separable in yeast.

Fructose-2,6-bisphosphatase was purified from yeast and separated from 6-phosphofructo-2-kinase and alkaline phosphatase. The enzyme released Pi from the 2-position of fructose 2,6-bisphosphate and formed fructose 6-phosphate in stoichiometric amounts. The enzyme displays hyperbolic kinetics towards fructose 2,6-bisphosphate, with a Km value of 0.3 microM. It is strongly inhibited by fructose 6-phosphate. The inhibition is counteracted by L-glycerol 3-phosphate. Phosphorylation of the enzyme by cyclic-AMP-dependent protein kinase causes inactivation, which is reversible by the action of protein phosphatase 2A.