Bonnie L. Beck

Brucella abortus contains a protein that elicits an antigenic response in cattle previously exposed to the organism. The amino acid sequence of the recombinant form of this antigenic protein was determined by gas-phase sequencing of the pyridylethylated protein and its peptides obtained by digestion with cyanogen bromide (CNBr), clostripain, and Staphylococcus aureus V8 protease. The Brucella protein demonstrated 53.6% identity with the Cu-Zn superoxide dismutase (SOD) from Photobacterium leiognathi. Residues essential for metal coordination and enzymatic activity and cysteines required for the formation of the intrasubunit disulfide bridge of Cu-Zn SOD were conserved in the Brucella protein. also exhibited SOD activity that was inhibited by cyanide, which is characteristic of a Cu-Zn SOD. Brucella abortus Cu-Zn SOD is the second prokaryotic Cu-Zn SOD to be sequenced, and the fifth found in prokaryotes. The high degree of conservation between Photobacterium and Brucella Cu-Zn SOD supports the hypothesis of a separately evolved prokaryotic and eukaryotic Cu-Zn SOD gene.

The mechanisms for substrate recognition by two cytoplasmic protein tyrosine phosphatases, PTP-5 and rrbPTP-1, were investigated. Phosphorylation sites on tyrosine-phosphorylated casein, a model PTP substrate, were characterized. Two peptides based on casein phosphorylation sites and one peptide based on the tyrosine phosphorylation site of reduced, carboxamidomethylated and maleylated (RCM) lysozyme were tested as PTP substrates. The three peptides were dephosphorylated by PTP-5 and rrbPTP-1 at rates comparable to those of the corresponding sites on the intact proteins. This indicates that peptides based on the two model PTP substrates, casein and RCM-lysozyme, contained all or most of the structural information necessary for PTP-5 and rrbPTP-1 substrate recognition. Structural elements required for substrate recognition by PTP-5 and rrbPTP-1 were also investigated. Km values for dephosphorylation of three simple aromatic phosphate esters (phosphotyrosine, p-nitrophenyl phosphate, and phenyl phosphate) by rrbPTP-1 were about 5000-fold higher than those obtained for the peptide and protein substrates. This indicates that recognition of protein and peptide substrates involves structural elements in addition to the phosphate group and the aromatic tyrosine ring of phosphotyrosine. Analysis of the effects of truncations and Ala for polar substitutions on the reactivity with PTP-5 and rrbPTP-1 of peptides based on casein, RCM-lysozyme, and angiotensin II indicated that Asp or Glu within the first five residues on the N-terminal side of phosphotyrosine increased peptide reactivity with both PTP's. Asn residues were unable or only weakly able to substitute for Asp residues.(ABSTRACT TRUNCATED AT 250 WORDS)

The activities of key enzymes that are members of D-glucose metabolic pathways in Schizosaccharomyces pombe undergoing respirative, respirofermentative, and fermentative metabolisms are monitored. The steady-state activities of glycolytic enzymes, except phosphofructokinase, decrease with a reduced efficiency in D-glucose utilization by yeast continuous culture. On the other hand, the enzymic activities of pentose monophosphate pathway reach the maximum when the cell mass production of the cultures is optimum. Enzymes of tricarboxylate cycle exhibit the maximum activities at approximately the washout rate. The steady-state activity of pyruvate dehydrogenase complex increases rapidly when D-glucose is efficiently utilized. By comparison, the activity of pyruvate decarboxylase begins to increase only when ethanol production occurs. Depletion of dissolved oxygen suppresses the activity of pyruvate dehydrogenase complex but facilitates that of pyruvate decarboxylase. Acetate greatly enhances the acetyl CoA synthetase activity. Similarly, ethanol stimulates alcohol dehydrogenase and aldehyde dehydrogenase activities. Evidence for the existence of alcohol dehydrogenase isozymes in the fission yeast is presented.