Development of polymorphic microsatellite markers for Indian tobacco, Lobelia inflata (Campanulaceae)(1.).

Premise Of The Study: Nuclear microsatellite markers were developed for Lobelia inflata (Campanulaceae), an obligately self-fertilizing plant species, for use in the study of temporal fluctuation in allele frequency and of the genetic structure within and among populations. •

Methods And Results: We developed 28 primer pairs for L. inflata, all of which amplify CT dinucleotide repeats.

Expression and characterization of the Arabidopsis thaliana 11S globulin family.

The 11S globulins are the principal seed storage proteins in a variety of major crop species, including members of the legume and mustard families. They are targets for protein engineering studies attempting to alter the physicochemical properties of seed protein extracts (e.g.

Exploration of the six tryptophan residues of Escherichia coli cystathionine β-lyase as probes of enzyme conformational change.

Cystathionine β-lyase (CBL) catalyzes the hydrolysis of l-cystathionine (l-Cth), producing l-homocysteine (l-Hcys), pyruvate and ammonia, in the second step of the transsulfuration pathway of bacteria and plants. A series of 17 site-directed variants of Escherichia coli CBL (eCBL) was constructed to probe the contributions of the six tryptophan residues (W131, W188, W230, W276, W300 and W340) to the fluorescence spectrum of eCBL and to assess their mutability and utility as conformational probes. The effects of these Trp→Phe substitutions on kcat and Km(l)(-Cth) are less than 2-fold, with the exception of the 8-fold increase in Km(l)(-Cth) observed for eCBL-W340F.

Identification of cystathionine γ-synthase and threonine synthase from Cicer arietinum and Lens culinaris.

In plants, cystathionine γ-synthase (CGS) and threonine synthase (TS) compete for the branch-point metabolite O-phospho-L-homoserine. These enzymes are potential targets for metabolic engineering studies, aiming to alter the flux through the competing methionine and threonine biosynthetic pathways, with the goal of increasing methionine production. Although CGS and TS have been characterized in the model organisms Escherichia coli and Arabidopsis thaliana, little information is available on these enzymes in other, particularly plant, species.

Exploration of structure-function relationships in Escherichia coli cystathionine γ-synthase and cystathionine β-lyase via chimeric constructs and site-specific substitutions.

Cystathionine γ-synthase (CGS) and cystathionine β-lyase (CBL) share a common structure and several active-site residues, but catalyze distinct side-chain rearrangements in the two-step transsulfuration pathway that converts cysteine to homocysteine, the precursor of methionine. A series of 12 chimeric variants of Escherichia coli CGS (eCGS) and CBL (eCBL) was constructed to probe the roles of two structurally distinct, ~25-residue segments situated in proximity to the amino and carboxy termini and located at the entrance of the active-site. In vivo complementation of methionine-auxotrophic E.

Exploration of the active site of Escherichia coli cystathionine γ-synthase.

Cystathionine γ-synthase (CGS) catalyzes the condensation of O-succinyl-L-homoserine (L-OSHS) and L-cysteine (L-Cys), to produce L-cystathionine (L-Cth) and succinate, in the first step of the bacterial transsulfuration pathway. In the absence of L-Cys, the enzyme catalyzes the futile α,γ-elimination of L-OSHS, yielding succinate, α-ketobutyrate, and ammonia. A series of 16 site-directed variants of Escherichia coli CGS (eCGS) was constructed to probe the roles of active-site residues D45, Y46, R48, R49, Y101, R106, N227, E325, S326, and R361.

Characterization of site-directed mutants of residues R58, R59, D116, W340 and R372 in the active site of E. coli cystathionine beta-lyase.

Cystathionine beta-lyase (CBL) catalyzes the hydrolysis of L-cystathionine (L-Cth) to produce L-homocysteine, pyruvate, and ammonia. A series of active-site mutants of Escherichia coli CBL (eCBL) was constructed to investigate the roles of residues R58, R59, D116, W340, and R372 in catalysis and inhibition by aminoethoxyvinylglycine (AVG). The effects of these mutations on the k(cat)/K(m) (L-Cth) for the beta-elimination reaction range from a reduction of only 3-fold for D116A and D116N to 6 orders of magnitude for the R372L and R372A mutants.