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Neopterin (NP), biopterin (BP) and monapterin (MP) exist in saliva. The physiological role of salivary NP as well as the pathophysiological role of increased NP in the immune-activated state has been unclear. Saliva is a characteristic specimen different from other body fluids. In this study, we analysed salivary NP and related pterin compounds, BP and MP and revealed some of its feature. High-performance liquid chromatography (HPLC) analysis of saliva and plasma obtained from 26 volunteers revealed that salivary NP existed mostly in its fully oxidized form. The results suggested that salivary NP as well as BP would mostly originate from the oral cavity, perhaps the salivary glands, and that salivary NP levels might not reflect those in the plasma. We also found that a gender difference existed in correlations between concentrations of salivary total concentrations of NP (tNP) and BP (tBP). HPLC analysis of saliva obtained from 5 volunteers revealed that the concentrations of salivary tNP as well as tBP fluctuated in an irregular fashion in various individuals. MP, a diastereomer of NP, might have come from oral cavity NP itself or its precursor. These results indicated that the nature of salivary NP might be different from that of NP in the blood or urine., (© The Author(s) 2021. Published by Oxford University Press on behalf of the Japanese Biochemical Society. All rights reserved.)

We developed a novel method for capturing proteins that interact with a target protein. This method utilizes a protein containing a site-specifically incorporated 3-azidotyrosine (N3-Y) and FG beads for immobilization of the protein via an azido group. Using calmodulin (CaM) as the target protein, we introduced N3-Y at position 72 and conjugated it to FG beads by copper-free click chemistry. From the Ca(2+)/CaM-binding proteins captured from mouse brain cell lysate and analysis by mass spectrometry, we identified six proteins: alpha-enolase (ENOA), glucose-6-phosphate isomerase (GPI), annexin A5 (ANXA5), malate dehydrogenase 1 (MDH1), glyceraldehyde-3-phosphate dehydrogenase and the well-known CaM-binding protein phosphoglycerate kinase 1 (PGK1). The presence of photo-crosslinking products via N3-Y for all the captured proteins except GPI indicated that they bound directly to CaM. In this study, ENOA, ANXA5 and MDH1 were identified as novel CaM-binding proteins, and PGK1 was bound to Ca(2+)/CaM and also Ca(2+)-free CaM. This method should prove useful for capturing novel interacting proteins and serve as a useful tool for proteomic analyses.

We previously demonstrated that the rice kinesin K16, which belongs to the kinesin-7 subfamily, has unique enzymatic properties and atomic structure within key functional regions. In this study, we focused on a novel rice plant kinesin, K23, which also belongs to the kinesin-7 subfamily. The biochemical characterization of the K23 motor domain (K23MD) was studied and compared with the rice kinesin K16 and other related kinesins. K23 exhibits ∼45-fold (1.3 Pi mol(-1) site mol(-1) s(-1)) lower microtubule-dependent ATPase activity than conventional kinesins, whereas its affinity for microtubules is comparable with conventional kinesins. MgADP-free K23 is unstable compared with the unusually stable MgADP-free K16MD. The enzymatic properties of K23MD are somewhat different from those of K16. We used a fluorescent ATP analogue 2'(3')-O-(N'-methylanthraniloyl)-ATP (mant-ATP) for the kinetic characterization of K23. The fluorescence of mant-ATP was not significantly altered during its hydrolysis by K23. However, significant fluorescence resonance energy transfer (FRET) between mant-ATP and W21 in the motor domain was observed. The kinetic study using FRET revealed that K23 has unique kinetic characteristics when compared with other kinesins.

Genomic analysis predicted that the rice (Oryza sativa var. japonica) genome encodes at least 41 kinesin-like proteins including the novel kinesin O12, which is classified as a kinesin-14 family member. O12 has a calponin homology (CH) domain that is known as an actin-binding domain. In this study, we expressed the functional domains of O12 in Escherichia coli and determined its enzymatic characteristics compared with other kinesins. The microtubule-dependent ATPase activity of recombinant O12 containing the motor and CH domains was significantly reduced in the presence of actin. Interestingly, microtubule-dependent ATPase activity of the motor domain was also affected by actin in the absence of the CH domain. Our findings suggest that the motor activity of the rice plant-specific kinesin O12 may be regulated by actin.

Calmodulin (CaM), a physiologically important Ca(2+)-binding protein, participates in numerous cellular regulatory processes. It is dumbbell shaped and contains two globular domains connected by a short alpha-helix. Each of the globular domains has two Ca(2+)-binding sites, the EF hands. CaM undergoes a conformational change upon binding to Ca(2+), which enables it to bind to specific proteins for specific responses. Here, we successfully photocontrolled CaM binding to its target peptide using the photochromic compound N-(4-phenylazophenyl) maleimide (PAM), which reversibly undergoes cis-trans isomerization upon ultraviolet (UV) and visible (VIS) light irradiation. In order to specifically incorporate PAM, CaM mutants having reactive cysteine residues in the functional region were prepared; PAM was stoichiometrically incorporated into the cysteine residues in these mutants. Further, we prepared the target peptide, M13, fused with yellow fluorescent protein (YFP) to monitor the CaM-M13 peptide interaction. The binding of the PAM-CaM mutants, N60C, D64C and M124C, to M13-YFP was reversibly photocontrolled upon UV-VIS light irradiation at appropriate Ca(2+) concentrations.

Steroidal nuclear receptors (NRs) have been acknowledged as a target binding protein of so-called endocrine disruptors. It is therefore necessary to develop an efficient assay system for screening these endocrine-disrupting chemicals. We here describe the first exemplification of a direct measure of fluorescence intensity for a binding assay of NRs. We designed and synthesized a series of conjugates of 17alpha-ethinylcarboxyestradiol with carboxyfluorescein, both carboxyl groups of which were cross-linked with alpha,omega-diaminoalkanes. The resulting fluorescein-linked estradiol derivatives E2(n)cF (n=2, 4, 6, 8, 10 and 12) were evaluated for their fluorescence and receptor-binding characteristics. E2(4)cF and E2(8)cF exhibited the sufficient binding affinity to the recombinant estrogen receptor (ER) in the radiolabel binding assay using [(3)H]17beta-estradiol, and showed excellent fluorescent characteristics in the fluorescence measurements with and without ER. They exhibited sufficiently large specific binding characteristics with adequate K(d)- and B(max)-values. When these fluorescent ligands were used as a tracer for the binding assay against the ER, assay data of various compounds were shown to be compatible with those obtained from the ordinary binding assay using [(3)H]17beta-estradiol. The present study clearly shows that measurement of fluorescence intensity, instead of fluorescence polarization, affords an adequate receptor-binding assay system.

Loop L5 of kinesin is located near the ATPase site, in common with kinesins of various animal species. The rice plant-specific kinesin K16 also has a corresponding loop that is slightly shorter than that of mouse brain kinesin. The present study was designed to monitor conformational changes in loop L5 during ATP hydrolysis. For this purpose, we introduced one reactive cysteine into the L5 of rice kinesin and modified it with fluorescent probes. The cysteine in L5 was labeled with a fluorescent probe 2-(4'(iodoacetamide) anilino-naphthalene-6-sulfonic acid sodium salt) [IAANS]. IAANS was incorporated into L5 at an almost equimolar ratio in the absence of nucleotides. In contrast, the incorporated amount was reduced to 0.62 and 0.32 mol IAANS/mol motor domain in the presence of ATP and ADP, respectively. Upon nucleotide addition, the fluorescent intensity of IAANS incorporated into L5 was significantly reduced to 63% and 51% for ATP and ADP, respectively. These results suggest that L5 of rice kinesin significantly changes its conformation during ATP hydrolysis.

Kinesin is an ATP-driven motor protein that plays important physiological roles in intracellular transport, mitosis and meiosis, control of microtubule dynamics, and signal transduction. The kinesin family is classified into subfamilies. Kinesin species derived from vertebrates have been well characterized. In contrast, plant kinesins have yet to be adequately characterized. In this study, we expressed the motor domain of a novel rice plant-specific kinesin, K16, in Escherichia coli, and then determined its enzymatic characteristics and compared them with those of kinesin 1. Our findings demonstrated that the rice kinesin motor domain has different enzymatic properties from those of well known kinesin 1.

The ability of aminoglycoside antibiotics to promote read-through of nonsense mutations has attracted interest in these drugs as potential therapeutic agents in genetic diseases. However, the toxicity of aminoglycoside antibiotics may result in severe side effects during long-term treatment. In this paper, we report that negamycin, a dipeptide antibiotic, also restores dystrophin expression in skeletal and cardiac muscles of the mdx mouse, an animal model of Duchenne muscular dystrophy (DMD) with a nonsense mutation in the dystrophin gene, and in cultured mdx myotubes. Dystrophin expression was confirmed by immunohistochemistry and immunoblotting. We also compared the toxicity of negamycin and gentamicin, and found negamycin to be less toxic. Furthermore, we demonstrate that negamycin binds to a partial sequence of the eukaryotic rRNA-decoding A-site. We conclude that negamycin is a promising new therapeutic candidate for DMD and other genetic diseases caused by nonsense mutations.

Recent crystallographic studies of motor proteins showed that the structure of the motor domains of myosin and kinesin are highly conserved. Thus, these motor proteins, which are important for motility, may share a common mechanism for generating energy from ATP hydrolysis. We have previously demonstrated that, in the presence of ADP, myosin forms stable ternary complexes with new phosphate analogues of aluminum fluoride (AlF(4)(-)) and beryllium fluoride (BeF(n)), and these stable complexes mimic the transient state along the ATPase kinetic pathway [Maruta et al. (1993) J. Biol. Chem. 268, 7093-7100]. In this study, we examined the formation of kinesin.ADP.fluorometals ternary complexes and analyzed their characteristics using the fluorescent ATP analogue NBD-ATP (2'(3')-O-[6-(N-(7-nitrobenz-2-oxa-1,3-diazol-4-yl)amino)hexanoyl]-ADP). Our results suggest that these ternary complexes may mimic transient state intermediates in the kinesin ATPase cycle. Thus, the kinesin.ADP.AlF(4)(-) complex resembles the kinesin.ADP state, and the kinesin.ADP.BeF(n) complex mimics the kinesin.ADP.P(i) state.

The migration inhibitory factor-related proteins (MRPs) MRP-8 and MRP-14 were detected in differentiated human leukemia cell lines (THP-1 and HL-60) by immunocytochemical analysis. They were induced and colocalized in the cytoplasm and in lesser amounts in the nucleus when THP-1 and HL-60 cells were induced to differentiate by 1alpha,25-dihydroxyvitamin D3 or retinoic acid. In a search for a protein capable of binding MRPs, both MRPs were individually produced in insect cells (Sf21) infected with recombinant baculovirus. The purified recombinant MRPs were electrophoretically and antigenically indistinguishable from the native proteins, and their ability to form the MRP8/14 complex was retained. The presence of MRP binding sites was investigated by a binding assay using recombinant MRPs and specific monoclonal antibodies. MRP binding sites were detected on the cell membrane of the human leukemia cell lines THP-1, Raji, and MOLT-4. HL-60 cells treated with 1alpha, 25-dihydroxyvitamin D3 did not express MRP binding sites on the cell membrane, but a high level of MRPs accumulated in the cells. The occurrence of MRP binding sites on the cell surface of leukemia cell lines of monocyte and lymphocyte origin suggests that MRPs, released from neutrophils under certain conditions, may contribute to the activation and recruitment of effector cells to inflammatory lesions.

The fatty acid synthesis systems of a Shewanella sp., strain SCRC-2738, that produces a large amount of eicosapentaenoic acid were investigated. Two kinds of fatty acid synthesis system, de novo synthesis and chain elongation ones, were detected in the cytosol. The de novo synthesis system required an acyl carrier protein, and produced palmitoyl- and palmitoleoyl-acyl carrier proteins as final products. The chain elongation system also required an acyl carrier protein, and produced an acyl-acyl carrier protein as a product, using palmitoyl-, palmitoleoyl-, stearoyl-, and oleoyl-CoAs as primers but not eicosanoyl- or eicosenoyl-CoA. There were an anaerobic pathway and an aerobic desaturation one for the production of unsaturated fatty acids. Eicosapentaenoic acid seemed to be produced through the aerobic desaturation pathway and not through the anaerobic one, since the latter pathway produced n-7 type monoenoic fatty acids, which are different from eicosapentaenoic acid in the position of the double bond. The desaturase utilized an acyl-acyl carrier protein as a substrate, and this activity increased in the presence of ferredoxin and ferredoxin NADP+ reductase. Thus, Shewanella sp., strain SCRC-2738, has novel characteristics as to both fatty acid chain elongation and desaturation systems.

The specificity of hen egg-white lysozyme (HEL)-reactive rabbit antibodies induced by the peptide loop I.II (sequences 57-107 containing Cys64-Cys80 and Cys76-Cys94) of HEL was clarified by analyzing their cross-reactions with various avian lysozymes and their reaction with synthetic peptides (sequences 59-82) in which alanine was substituted for the amino acid at certain positions. The Arg-68 residue of HEL plays a dominant role in the binding, while Gly-71, Ser-72, Arg-73, and Pro-79 also contribute to the binding of two anti-Ploop I.II antibodies (rabbit number 125 and 126). These residues, although remote in sequence, are grouped together in the crystal structure of HEL and may form an area of contact with the antibody. Contributions by Trp-63, Ile-78, and Asn-77 to the binding of the two antibodies to HEL were excluded. These results support the idea that the anti-Ploop I.II antibodies recognize a conformational type of epitope which is similar to that of native HEL. The immunogenicity of the reduced and alkylated form of Ploop I.II was also tested, but it failed to induce an HEL-reactive antibody.

The amino acid sequence of the alpha subunit of the allosteric hemerythrin from Lingula unguis was determined. It consists of 117 amino acid residues. Compared with other non-allosteric hemerythrins consisting of identical subunits of 113 amino acid residues, this protein has the deletion of the N-terminal amino acid and the insertion of five amino acids in the same region as in the case of the monomeric myoerythrin from Themiste zostericola. As the amino acid sequence of the beta subunit has also been determined [Yano, H., Satake, K., Ueno, Y., & Tsugita, A. Protein Sequence and Data Analysis, in press], the complete sequence analysis of an allosteric hemerythrin has been accomplished for the first time. The difference in the octameric structures of allosteric and non-allosteric hemerythrins are discussed.

Recombinant human single-chain urokinase-type plasminogen activator (suc-PA) (SM0: wild type) and its variants resistant to plasmin and/or thrombin (SM1: Lys135 to Gln; SM3: Phe157 to Asp; and SM4: Lys135 to Gln and Phe157 to Asp) have been constructed by site-directed mutagenesis with the aim of producing more efficient thrombolytic agents [Miyake, T. et al. (1988) J. Biochem. 104, 643-647]. In the present study, we characterized the recombinant variant scu-PAs expressed in Escherichia coli. They appeared to have structural integrity because their heat-stabilities, immunological reactivities, and circular dichroism spectra were essentially identical to those of each other and of native scu-PA (nscu-PA). In the presence of thrombin, SM3 and SM4 showed efficient clot lysis by all of the assays used, compared with SM0, SM1, and nscu-PA. While in the absence of thrombin, when measured by a fibrin plate method in a purified system, SM3 and SM4 had lower specific activities than SM0, SM1, and nscu-PA, because of their catalytic constants for conversion to the two-chain form (tcu-PA) by plasmin are lower. However, SM4 lysed clots as efficiently as SM0 in plasma by retaining the single-chain form, whereas SM0 was partly converted to the two-chain form.

Three lysozymes (DLs-1, -2, and -3) were purified from Peking-duck egg white by adsorption on CM-Sephadex C-25 resin, followed by CM-Sephadex C-25 and Sephadex G-50 column chromatographies. The three enzymes each moved as a single band, but showed different electrophoretic mobilities, on disc-polyacrylamide gel electrophoresis at pH 4.1. Final yields of DL-1, DL-2, DL-3 were 18.2%, 22.0%, and 6.0%, respectively, from the crude material adsorbed on CM-Sephadex resin. The enzymatic activities of DL-1, DL-2, and DL-3 were 1.53, 1.52, and 1.34 times that of hen egg white lysozyme, respectively, using Micrococcus lysodeikticus cell wall as a substrate at pH 6.2 and 37 degrees C. All the DLs lacked histidine and their amino acid compositions differed from each other by a few amino acid exchanges. The amino acid sequences of DL-2 and DL-3 differed from that of DL-1 by two displacements (Ser-37 to Gly and Gly-71 to Arg) and three displacements (Pro-79 to Arg in addition to the same substitutions), respectively. In comparison with Duck II and Duck III lysozymes from Kaki-duck (Hermann and Jollès (1970) Biochim. Biophys. Acta 200, 178-179; Hermann et al. (1971) Eur. J. Biochem. 24, 12-17) as regards amino acid sequences, Duck II is identical to DL-1 except for one displacement of Gln-57 in DL-1 to Glu in Duck II, while Duck III is rather different from our three lysozymes. All DLs gave single precipitin lines with any rabbit antisera against DLs and each precipitin line fused completely with that of any of the DLs in Ouchterlony double diffusion tests. However, the radiobinding inhibition assay showed that some anti-DL antisera clearly discriminated fine differences among the three DLs. The displacement at residue 79 (Pro in equilibrium Arg) gave the clearest immunological difference among the three kinds of displacements found in DLs.

Two derivatives of hen egg-white lysozyme (lysozyme) with single substitutions of a 2,4-dinitrophenyl (DNP) residue were prepared. The reaction of lysozyme with a 10-fold molar excess of 2,4-dinitrobenzene sulfonic acid provided one mono-DNP substituted lysozyme (DNP1-33lysozyme), which was purified by ion-exchange chromatographies. The other one (DNP1-96lysozyme) was prepared as follows. After maleylation of lysozyme in the presence of a 7-fold molar excess of maleic anhydride, the derivative with one free amino group was purified on DE-52. This material was dinitrophenylated with 2,4-dinitrobenzene sulfonic acid and the mono-DNP substituted derivative was purified on DE-52. DNP1-96lysozyme was finally purified on SE-Sephadex C-25, after demaleylation at pH 3.5, at 37 degrees C, for 5 days. DNP1-33lysozyme and DNP1-96lysozyme each migrated as a single band with slower mobility than that of native lysozyme. On reduction, carboxymethylation and chymotrypsin digestion, both mono-DNP substituted lysozymes yielded a single yellow peptide. The amino acid compositions or partial sequence of these peptides indicated that lysine-33 and lysine-96 were the only dinitrophenylated residues in DNP1-33lysozyme and DNP1-96lysozyme, respectively. DNP1-33lysozyme and DNP1-96lysozyme showed antigenic reactivities equal to that of native lysozyme with antisera to lysozyme. The DNP residues on the protein were accessible to anti-DNP antibodies, but the affinities of DNP1-33lysozyme to anti-DNP antibodies were lower than those of DNP1-96lysozyme. This result is discussed with respect to the local environments of the DNP residues in these proteins.

The aspartate aminotransferase of Escherichia coli was overproduced in cells after genetic manipulation, and was crystallized from a polyethylene glycol solution, pH 7.0. The crystals obtained were of good quality and had diffractions extending beyond 2.4 A. The space group and unit cell dimensions were determined with a precession camera and a four-circle diffractometer to be C222(1), and a = 157.1 A, b = 85.5 A, and c = 79.7 A, respectively. Only one protein subunit is contained in an asymmetric unit.

1. Allantoinase [EC 3.5.2.5] was isolated from cells of Candida utilis and unpurified by chromatography on columns of DEAE-cellulose and Sephadex G-200 after treatment with urea to remove urate oxidase [EC 1.7.3.3.]. 2. The purified allantoinase catalyzed the hydrolysis of allantoin into allantoic acid. However, only half of the allantoin produced from uric acid by urate oxidase was converted. The rest of the allantoin was unchanged, and showed a negative optical rotation. 3. On the other hand, the combined action of crude urate oxidase and allantoinase resulted in nearly complete conversion of uric acid into allantoic acid. Furthermore, the unpurified allantoinase preparation hydrolyzed racemic allantoin to allantoic acid completely. 4. These results indicate that the urate oxidase produces racemic allantoin from uric acid and that the allantoinase attacks only allantoin of positive optical rotation. The results also suggest that allantoin racemase is present in the yeast cells.

The crystal structure of aspartate aminotransferase of Escherichia coli was determined by X-ray structure analysis at 2.8 A resolution. The structure was solved by the molecular replacement method and refined to an R-factor of 0.27, and it was found that the overall structure of AspAT of E. coli is similar to that of those of higher animals.

About 5,000 strains of marine microorganisms were screened for eicosapentaenoic acid (EPA)-producing ability, which was detected in 88 of them. All of the latter were found to be obligate aerobic, Gram-negative, motile, short rod-shaped bacteria. One strain, designated as SCRC-8132, showed a doubling time of 30 min at 25 degrees C and produced 20 mg/liter (4 mg/g dry cells) when cultured in a P-Y-M-Glucose medium for 18 h. The EPA to total fatty acids ratio was 24%. The strain produced 26 mg EPA/liter (15 mg/g dry cells) when cultured at 4 degrees C for 5 days, the EPA ratio being increased to 40%.

The amino acid sequence of a presynaptic neurotoxin, agkistrodotoxin (ATX) isolated from the venom of Agkistrodon halys Pallas, was determined by automated Edman degradation and the carboxypeptidase digestion of the S-carboxymethylated ATX and by sequence analyses of peptides produced with cyanogen bromide cleavage and with trypsin or staphylococcal V8 protease digestion of the S-carboxymethylated ATX. ATX consists of 122 amino acid residues, including the histidine residue and 14 half-cystine residues. The amino acid sequence of ATX is very similar to those of toxic phospholipases and the phospholipase subunits of presynaptic neurotoxins from snake venoms. The residues responsible for the toxic activity of the presynaptic neurotoxins are discussed.

A highly specific enzyme immunoassay for determining hCG was established by using beta-D-galactosidase as label. In order to increase the specificity of the assay, an antiserum against whole hCG was purified on a column of hCG beta carboxyl-terminal peptide (residues 123-145) covalently linked to Sepharose 4B. The antibody (N101S) thus prepared showed a weak cross-reactivity with human LH in an assay using hCG-enzyme conjugate, but the slight cross-reactivity was virtually avoided when an hCG beta carboxyl-terminal peptide was used as a peptide in the enzyme conjugate. N101S antibody was compared with antiserum (B1B) directed against a carboxyl-terminal peptide (123-145). In hCG measurement N101S gave about 30 times higher sensitivity than B1B, although the former antibody was less sensitive to carboxyl-terminal peptides of hCG beta. The enzyme immunoassay using a combination of N101S antibody and a carboxyl-terminal peptide (130-145)-enzyme conjugate was able to detect as little as 0.25 mIU of hCG without the interference of LH. The performance and validity of this assay were comparable to those of conventional radioimmunoassay.

beta 2-Bungarotoxin (beta 2-toxin) was isolated from the venom of Bungarus multicinctus by means of CM-Sephadex C-25 column chromatography, Sephadex G-75 gel filtration and CM-Sephadex C-25 column rechromatography. beta 2-Toxin consisted of two dissimilar polypeptides, a (120 amino acid residues) and B (60 amino acid residues) chains, crosslinked by an interchain disulfide bond. The neurotoxicity (LD50) and phospholipase activity of beta 2-toxin were 0.029 micrograms/g of mouse and 48.9 units/mg of toxin, respectively, and both the activities were slightly weaker than those (0.019 micrograms/g and 60.9 units/mg) of beta 1-bungarotoxin (beta 1-toxin). beta 2-Toxin was reduced and carboxymethylated and then its RCM-A and -B chains were separated. Each RCM-chain was maleylated and then digested with TPCK-trypsin. The tryptic peptides were sequences by manual Edman degradation or the dansyl-Edman method, and the total alignment of the tryptic peptides from each RCM-chain was deduced based on the amino acid sequences of the A and B chains of beta 1-toxin. The amino acid sequence of the B chain of beta 2-toxin differed from that of the B chain of beta 1-toxin by 22 amino acid substitutions, while those of their A chains were identical. We concluded that the variation in the amino acid sequence of the B chains did not significantly affect the neurotoxicity of the beta-toxins. The amino acid sequences of the B chains of the two beta-toxins were homologous to those of proteinase inhibitors from snake venoms and mammalian pancreas, but no inhibitory activity of the two beta-toxins on proteinases was observed.

beta1-Bungarotoxin modified with p-bromophenacyl bromide (BPB) was reduced and carboxymethylated, and the resulting two constituent RCM-polypeptide chains (the RCM-A and B chains) were separated. The RCM-A chain was found to be modified by BPB by measuring its UV absorption spectrum and was shown to have lost one histidine residue by analyzing its amino acid composition. To determine the location of the modified histidine residue in the A chain of the toxin, the RCM-A chain was digested with TPCK-trypsin, and the resulting peptides were fractionated by gel filtration followed by DEAE-cellulose chromatography. The modified residue was finally identified as histidine-48 in the A chain by Edman degradation and from the amino acid composition of the BPB-modified peptide. The amino acid sequence around the modified histidine residue in the A chain is highly homologous with those of porcine pancreas phospholipase A2 and presynaptic toxin, notexin. We conclude that histidine-48 in the A chain participates in the phospholipase A activity of beta1-bungarotoxin.

Phospholipase A was purified 16.3-fold in terms of specific activity from the venom of Bungarus multicinctus by ion exchange chromatography on a CM-Sephadex C-25 column followed by gel filtration on a Sephadex G-75 column. The overall enzyme yield was 3.5% from the crude venom. The molecular weight and isoelectric point of the purified enzyme were estimated to be 14,000 and 7.9 by electrophoresis on SDS-polyacrylamide gel and on polyacrylamide gel for isoelectric focusing, respectively. The enzyme was a single polypeptide chain consisting of 118 amino acids. Its N- and C-terminal residues were asparagine and glutamine, respectively. The enzyme was stable in the pH range of 2--10 and retained full activity after incubation for 24 h at 37 degrees C. The optimum hydrolysis of egg yolk phosphatidyl choline was observed at pH 8.5 and the specific activity was 1,450 units per mg of the enzyme. The enzyme was inactivated by treatment with p-bromophenacyl bromide, accompanied by the loss of one of two histidine residues.

The complete amino acid sequence of scallop calmodulin was determined by isolating and sequencing the peptides obtained after cyanogen bromide cleavage and tryptic digestion. The protein consisted of 148 amino acid residues and its amino(N)-terminus was blocked with an acetyl group. Scallop calmodulin lacked tryptophan and cysteine residues and contained one mol each of N epsilon-trimethyllysine (Tml) and histidine residues per mol of the protein. Scallop calmodulin contained only one tyrosine residue, while vertebrate calmodulins contain two. On comparing its amino acid sequence with that of bovine calmodulin, three amino acid substitutions were found at positions 99(Tyr leads to Phe), 143(Gln leads to Thr), and 147(Ala leads to Ser).

beta-Bungarotoxin purified from the venom of Bungarus multicinctus (Formosan banded krait) contained no carbohydrate and behaved as a homogeneous protein on polyacrylamide gel electrophoresis at pH 4.1 and SDS-polyacrylamide gel electrophoresis without 2-mercaptoethanol treatment. Its molecular weight and isoelectric point were estimated to be about 21,000 by gel filtration and about 9.5 by isoelectric focusing, respectively. The toxin treated with the reducing agent was split into two polypeptide chains as revealed by SDS-polyacrylamide gel electrophoresis and their molecular weights were calculated to be about 13,000 and 7,000. The two polypeptide chains (the large one named the A chain and the small one the B chain) were isolated by gel filtration after reduction of disulfide bonds in the toxin followed by alkylation. The A chain contained 120 amino acid residues including 13 half-cystines and the B chain 60 residues including 7 half-cystines. The two chains were supposed to link by disulfide bond(s) in the intact toxin which contained no free sulfhydryl groups. The N-terminal residues of the A and B chains were asparagine and arginine and the C-terminal ones were glutamine and proline, respectively, in accordance with the results of the terminal analyses of the intact toxin.

Bungarus multicinctus phospholipase A was reduced and carboxymethylated. The RCM-enzyme was digested with TPCK-trypsin or cleaved with cyanogen bromide followed by chymotrypsin digestion. The resulting peptide mixtures were fractionated by gel filtration on Sephadex G-50 and G-25 columns or by DEAE-cellulose (DE-32) column chromatography. Further purification of the peptide mixtures was performed by paper electrophoresis at pH 3.5 or 6.5 or by paper chromatography. The sequences of isolated peptides were determined by the manual Edman or dansyl-Edman method. From the sequences of these peptides the whole enzyme sequence (total 118 residues) was deduced. The complete sequence of the enzyme is similar to those of phospholipases A2 from other snake venoms and mammalian pancreas. Further, a 58% sequence homology was found between the present phospholipase A and the A chain of beta 1-bungarotoxin, a presynaptic neurotoxin having weak phospholipase A activity, contained in the same venom.

The two most basic beta-bungarotoxins (beta 3- and beta 4-toxins) and another, less neurotoxic beta-bungarotoxin (beta 5-toxin) were purified from Bungarus multicinctus venom, by a combination of CM-Sephadex C-25 column chromatography and Sephadex G-75 gel filtration. The three toxins consisted of two dissimilar polypeptides (A chain, 120 amino acid residues; B chain, 60 residues). The LD50 values of the beta 3- and beta 4-toxins were 0.066 micrograms and 0.072 micrograms/g of mouse, respectively, and their phospholipase A activities were 43.2 and 36.5 units/mg of toxin, respectively. beta 5-Toxin was weaker in neurotoxicity (LD50, 0.13 micrograms/g of mouse) than the others, and its phospholipase activity was 47.6 units/mg of toxin. Each toxin was separated into RCM-A and RCM-B chains after reduction and S-carboxymethylation. The RCM-polypeptides were maleylated and digested with TPCK-trypsin. The tryptic peptides were sequenced with manual Edman degradation or the dansyl-Edman method. The final alignment of the tryptic peptides from the respective RCM-polypeptides was deduced on the basis of the amino acid sequences of the A and B chains of beta 1-bungarotoxin (beta 1-toxin). The amino acid sequences of the A chains of the beta 3- and beta 4-toxins were identical but differed from those of the A chains of the beta 1- and beta 2-toxins by 4 amino acid substitutions in the COOH-terminal portions (residues 109-120) and substitution at position 87. The amino acid sequences of the B chains of the beta 3- and beta 4-toxins differed from each other, but they were identical with those of the B chains of the beta 1- and beta 2-toxins, respectively. The amino acid sequence of the A chain of beta 5-toxin differed from that of the A chain of beta 1-toxin by consecutive substitutions in residues 55-60 and substitutions at positions 23, 87, and 89. The amino acid sequence of the B chain of beta 5-toxin was identical with those of the B chains of beta 1- and beta 3-toxin. From our results on the effects of the amino acid displacements found in the A chains on the neurotoxicity, it was concluded that the COOH-terminal portion in the A chains was not essential to their neurotoxicity, whereas the region of residues 55-60 in the A chains appeared to participate in the constitution of the neurotoxically active site of the beta-toxins.

3-Hydroxy-3-methylglutaryl coenzyme A reductase (NADPH) was solubilized by trypsin digestion from sliced potato tuber microsomes, and purified to apparent homogeneity in the absence of detergent with a recovery of 1.8%. The enzyme had a specific activity of 7,910 nmol of mevalonate formed per min per mg of protein. On molecular-sieving high-performance liquid chromatography, the activity was coincident with the single protein peak corresponding to a molecular weight of approximately 110 kDa. On SDS-polyacrylamide gel electrophoresis, the purified enzyme showed only one protein staining band corresponding to a molecular weight of approximately 55 kDa. The apparent Km value for S-HMG-CoA was 6.4 microM and that for NADPH was 25 microM.

The two dissimilar composite polypeptide chains (A and B) in beta1-bungarotoxin were isolated as their reduced and carboxymethylated derivatives as reported in the preceding paper. The N-terminal sequences were determined with a sequenator up to the 39th residue for the RCM-A chain and up to the 25th residue for the RCM-B chain with repetitive yields of 90-95%. The tryptic and chymotryptic peptides from the two chains were isolated and their structures were determined by manual Edman degradation together with dansyl-Edman and carboxypeptidases A and Y. To complete the primary structures of the two chains, information on the tryptic peptides derived from the maleylated derivatives of the two chains was also used. The completed amino acid sequence of the A chain containing 120 residues (molecular weight, 13,500) is similar to that of notexin, a presynaptic neurotoxin from Australian tiger snake venom, and phospholipases A from other snake venoms. The amino acid sequence of the 60 residues in the B chain (molecular weight, 7,000) bears no resemblance to any basic polypeptides from snake venoms. The B chain probably plays a significant role by interacting with some components in presynaptic membranes of neurosmuscular junctions.

The primary structure of the membrane-binding segment of rabbit cytochrome b5 has been determined. This segment, prepared by trypsin digestion of the intact protein, consists of 43 amino acid residues and corresponds to the COOH-terminal end (residues 91-133) of the parent molecule. Deduction of the primary structure was based on automated sequence analysis of the whole segment as well as manual and dansyl-Edman degradations of peptide fragments produced by CNBr cleavage and partial acid hydrolysis. The sequence obtained is: Leu-Ser-Lys-Pro-Met-Glu-Thr-Leu-Ile-Thr-Thr-Val-Asn-Ser-Asn-Ser-Ser-Trp-Trp-Thr-Asn-Trp-Val-Ile-Pro-Ala-Ile-Ser-Ala-Leu-Ile-Val-Ala-Leu-Met-Tyr-Arg-Leu-Tyr-Met-Ala-Asp-Asp. This sequence is 63 to 81% homologous with respect to those determined for the membrane-binding segments of equine, porcine and bovine cytochrome b5. The interaction of this segment with phospholipid bilayer membranes is discussed, and a prediction of its secondary structure is also presented.

An enzyme immunoassay of pancreatic glucagon was established by using E. coli beta-D-galactosidease [EC 3.2.1.23] as a marker. In order to increase the sensitivity of the immunoassay, different peptides obtained from glucagon fragments were used to produce the enzyme conjugate and the immunogen. Antiserum N6E raised against C-terminal fragment peptide (15-29) could be diluted to more than 1 : 100,000 in the assay and was highly specific for pancreatic glucagon. The antiserum reacted well with the C-terminal fragment peptide (21-29) as well as another fragment peptide (15-29) and pancreatic glucagon. The enzyme immunoassay using antiserum N6E and fragment peptide (21-29)-enzyme conjugate could detect as little as 1 to 2 pg of glucagon. The mean recovery of glucagon added to serum specimens was 104% and the coefficients of variation were 3.7-14.5% (within assay) and 9.0-18.5% (between assay).

Cytosolic and mitochondrial isozymes of aspartate aminotransferase (L-aspartate:2-oxoglutarate aminotransferase [EC 2.6.1.1] ) were purified to homogeneity from rabbit liver. The rabbit liver isozymes were closely similar to the corresponding isozymes from other sources, including human heart, pig heart, chicken heart, and rat liver, in their molecular weights, absorption spectra, amino acid compositions, isoelectric points, and Michaelis constants for the substrates. The NH2-terminal amino acid sequences of rabbit liver isozymes were identified up to 30 residues, and showed some differences from those of the corresponding isozymes obtained from other animals so far studied.