Phenylalanine hydroxylase. Correlation of the iron content with activity and the preparation and reconstitution of the apoenzyme.

Phenylalanine hydroxylase requires 1.0 mol of iron/Mr = 50,000 subunit for maximal activity. A direct correlation between iron content and specific activity has been demonstrated through a comparison of enzyme activity and iron bound per subunit for various enzyme preparations and a measurement of the remaining activity upon partial and total removal of the iron by chelation.

A DNA fragment with an alpha-phosphorothioate nucleotide at one end is asymmetrically blocked from digestion by exonuclease III and can be replicated in vivo.

2'-Deoxyadenosine 5'-O-(1-thiotriphosphate) (dATP[alpha S]) was introduced into the 3' ends of DNA restriction fragments with Escherichia coli DNA polymerase I to give phosphorothioate internucleotide linkages. Such "capped" 3' ends were found to be resistant to exonuclease III digestion. Moreover, the resistance to digestion is great enough that, under conditions used by us, just one strand of a double helix is digested by exonuclease III when a cap is placed at only one end; when digestion is carried to completion, this results in production of intact single strands.

On the mechanism of action of phenylalanine hydroxylase.

The oxidation of 6-methyltetrahydropterin and tetrahydrobiopterin coupled to the formation of tyrosine by phenylalanine hydroxylase generates a precursor species to the quinonoid product that is tentatively identified as a 4a-hydroxy adduct based on its spectral similarity to the 4a-hydroxy-6-methyl-5-deazatetrahydropterin. The rate of appearance of this intermediate and that of tyrosine are equal and hydroxylase catalyzed in accord with the completion of the hydroxylation event. This observation, which confirms and extends an earlier one by Kaufman [Kaufman, S.

Synthesis of 5,11-methenyltetrahydrohomofolate and its antifolate activity in vitro.

The synthesis of 5,11-methenyltetrahydrohomofolate was accomplished by treatment of tetrahydrohomofolate (H4homofolate) with triethyl orthoformate in glacial acetic acid. This compound is a homofolate analogue of 5,10-methenyltetrahydrofolate which serves as one precursor to the 10-formyl one-carbon donor for the first transformylation in de novo purine biosynthesis, namely, the conversion of glycinamide ribonucleotide (GAR) to N-formylglycinamide ribonucleotide (FGAR), catalyzed by the enzyme glycinamide ribonucleotide transformylase (EC 2.1.

L(-)-10-Formyltetrahydrofolate is the cofactor for glycinamide ribonucleotide transformylase from chicken liver.

It is shown that L(-)-10-formyltetrahydrofolate serves as the cofactor for glycinamide ribonucleotide transformylase from chicken liver. The utilization of L(-)-10-formyl-H4folate was not previously recognized, because L-(+)-10-formyl-H4folate is an excellent competitive inhibitor of the enzyme, Ki = 0.75 +/- 0.

The stereochemical course of thiophosphoryl group transfer catalyzed by T4 polynucleotide kinase.

The stereochemical course of the phosphoryl transfer reaction catalyzed by T4 polynucleotide kinase has been determined using the chiral ATP analog, (Sp)-adenosine-5'-(3-thio-3-[18O]triphosphate). T4 polynucleotide kinase catalyzes the transfer of the gamma-thiophosphoryl group of (Sp)-adenosine-5'-(3-thio-3-[18O]triphosphate) to the 5'-hydroxyl group of ApA to give the thiophosphorylated dinucleotide adenyl-5'-[18O]phosphorothioate-(3'-5')adenosine. A sample of adenyl-5'-[18O]phosphorothioate-(3'-5')adenosine was subjected to venom phosphodiesterase digestion.

Stereochemical and kinetic investigation of 32P-labeled inorganic phosphate exchange reaction catalyzed by primer-independent and primer-dependent polynucleotide phosphorylase from Micrococcus luteus.

The SP diastereomer of adenosine 5'-O-(1-thiodiphosphate) (ADP alpha S) is a substrate for the 32P-labeled inorganic phosphate exchange reaction catalyzed by the T and I forms of polynucleotide phosphorylase. The exchange reaction occurs with retention of configuration. This exchange reaction is very slow when only ADP alpha S(SP) is presented but is greatly activated by dinucleotide primers and ADP alpha S(RP), although the latter is not a substrate for the exchange reaction.

On the cofactor specificity of glycinamide ribonucleotide and 5-aminoimidazole-4-carboxamide ribonucleotide transformylase from chicken liver.

Tests of 5-aminoimidazole-4-carboxamide ribonucleotide (AICAR) and glycinamide ribonucleotide (GAR) transformylase cofactor specificity were conducted with 5-and/or 8-deazafolate analogues formylated at N-10. Several of these compounds were found to serve as cofactors for both the enzymes. The finding that 10-formyl-8-deazafolate can be used by AICAR transformylase eliminates those mechanisms requiring cyclization to a methenyl derivative prior to carbon unit transfer for this transformylase.

On the purification and mechanism of action of 5-aminoimidazole-4-carboxamide-ribonucleotide transformylase from chicken liver.

The transformylase from chicken liver catalyzing the formylation of 5-aminoimidazole-4-carboxamide ribonucleotide through the agency of 19-formyltetrahydrofolate has been purified to apparent homogeneity. Inosinicase activity copurifies. This transformylase is not further activated kinetically by the presence of the trifunctional protein in contrast to the glycinamide ribonucleotide transformylase.

Distances between structural metal ion, substrates, and allosteric modifier of fructose bisphosphatase.

The binding of two paramagnetic probes within a subunit of fructose bisphosphatase, viz., Mn2+ at a structural site and a nitroxide spin-label at a sulfhydryl site, has permitted the measurement of NMR and electron paramagnetic resonance (EPR) relaxation rates to map the active and allosteric site topography. Distances from these loci to the phosphoryl of fructose 6-phosphate (Fru-6-P) and inorganic phosphate (Pi) and four nuclei of adenosine 5'-phosphate (AMP) (the phosphorus nucleus, H-8, H-2, and H-1') were obtained.

5-Formyl- and 10-formyl-5,6,7,8-tetrahydrofolate. Conformation of the tetrahydropyrazine ring and formyl group in solution.

The chemical shifts and spin-spin coupling constants for the 300-MHz 1H NMR spectra of (6RS)-10-formyl-and (6RS)-5-formyl-5,6,7,8-tetrahydro-L-folate at 25 degrees C in 0.1 M NaOD and at neutral pH are reported and analyzed. Assignments of most resonances are based on comparison to closely related compounds; the resonances of C(6)-H, C-(7)-2H, and C(9)-2H are assigned by preparation of specifically deuterated formyltetrahydrofolates.

Characterization of the enzyme complex involving the folate-requiring enzymes of de novo purine biosynthesis.

Evidence is presented for a functional association of GAR TFase and the trifunctional protein within the protein complex consisting of GAR TFase, AICAR TFase, Ser HMase, and trifunctional protein. Resolution of the trifunctional protein from the remaining enzymes in the complex causes a loss of GAR TFase activity which is regained upon recombination. The minimum stoichiometry for GAR TFase reactivation is 3:1 GAR TFase--trifunctional protein.

Liver aldolase anomeric specificity.

Stopped-flow kinetic studies of liver aldolase and of mixed liver-muscle aldolase catalyzed reactions of fructose 1,6-bisphosphate (FBP) have been carried out and interpreted by computer simulation. These experiments indicate no utilization or binding of the alpha anomer by the liver enzyme unlike the findings for either the muscle aldolase which binds the alpha anomer nonproductively or the yeast aldolase which catalyzes its cleavage. Both beta-fructose 1,6-bisphosphate and its acyclic keto form may serve as substrates, necessitating the spontaneous anomerization of the alpha anomer before its utilization.

Stereochemical course of the reaction catalyzed by 5'-nucleotide phosphodiesterase from snake venom.

The hydrolysis reaction of ATP alpha S by snake venom phosphodiesterase is highly specific for the B diastereomer and proceeds with 88% retention of configuration at phosphorus. Since this enzyme also catalyzes the hydrolysis of the S enantimoer of O-p-nitrophenyl phenylphosphonothioate, the absolute configuration at A alpha of ATP alpha S (B) is assigned as the R configuration provided the two substrates are processed identically. A mechanism for the hydrolysis reactions catalzyed by the venom phosphodiesterase involving at least a single covalent phosphoryl-enzyme intermediate is in accord with this result.

Investigation of the pre-steady-state kinetics of fructose bisphosphatase by employment of an indicator method.

The pre-steady-state kinetics for the hydrolysis of fructose 1,6-bisphosphate by rabbit liver fructose bis-phosphatase have been investigated by stopped-flow kinetics utilizing an acid-base indicator method that permits the continuous monitoring of the inorganic phosphate product. The reaction sequence is characterized by two successive first-order steps followed by establishment of the steady-state rate. The first exponential process results from a conformational change in the protein that is dye sensitive owing to a perturbation of an acidic residue on the protein.