Hitoshi Shibata

Antioxidant activity of polyphenolics in diets: Rate constants of reactions of chlorogenic acid and caffeic acid with reactive species of oxygen and nitrogen

Phenolic non-flavonoid compounds in diets, such as chlorogenic acid and caffeic acid are widely recognized to be antioxidants. However, it is not known how these phenolics scavenge reactive species of oxygen and nitrogen. We determined the rate constants of the reactions between the phenolics with superoxide and hydroxyl radical with a pulse radiolysis. The second-order rate constants of the reactions of chlorogenic acid with superoxide and hydroxyl radical were 1.67 +/- 0.14 x 10(6) M(-1) s(-1) and 3.34 +/- 0.19 x 10(9) M(-1) s(-1), respectively, while those of caffeic acid with superoxide and hydroxyl radical were 0.96 +/- 0.01 x 10(6) M(-1) s(-1) and 3.24 +/- 0.12 x 10(9) M(-1) s(-1), respectively. By scavenging peroxy radical chlorogenic acid inhibited the initiation of chain lipid peroxidations by organic free radical. The second-order rate constant of the reaction of chlorogenic acid with peroxy radical was estimated to be 1.28 +/- 0.11 x 10(5) M(-1) s(-1). Chlorogenic acid was rapidly oxidized by peroxynitrite in concentration- and pH-dependent manners and its rate constant was determined to be 1.6 +/- 0.7 x 10(5) M(-1) s(-1), using competitive inhibitions by glutathione and methionine.

Analysis of the structure and substrate binding of Phormidium lapideum alanine dehydrogenase.

The structure of the hexameric L-alanine dehydrogenase from Phormidium lapideum reveals that the subunit is constructed from two domains, each having the common dinucleotide binding fold. Despite there being no sequence similarity, the fold of alanine dehydrogenase is closely related to that of the family of D-2-hydroxyacid dehydrogenases, with a similar location of the active site, suggesting that these enzymes are related by divergent evolution. L-alanine dehydrogenase and the 2-hydroxyacid dehydrogenases also use equivalent functional groups to promote substrate recognition and catalysis. However, they are arranged differently on the enzyme surface, which has the effect of directing opposite faces of the keto acid to the dinucleotide in each case, forcing a change in absolute configuration of the product.

Molecular Characterization of a Novel Peroxidase from the Cyanobacterium Anabaena sp. Strain PCC 7120

ABSTRACT The open reading frame alr1585 of Anabaena sp. strain PCC 7120 encodes a heme-dependent peroxidase (Anabaena peroxidase [AnaPX]) belonging to the novel DyP-type peroxidase family (EC 1.11.1.X). We cloned and heterologously expressed the active form of the enzyme in Escherichia coli. The purified enzyme was a 53-kDa tetrameric protein with a pI of 3.68, a low pH optima (pH 4.0), and an optimum reaction temperature of 35°C. Biochemical characterization revealed an iron protoporphyrin-containing heme peroxidase with a broad specificity for aromatic substrates such as guaiacol, 4-aminoantipyrine and pyrogallol. The enzyme efficiently catalyzed the decolorization of anthraquinone dyes like Reactive Blue 5, Reactive Blue 4, Reactive Blue 114, Reactive Blue 119, and Acid Blue 45 with decolorization rates of 262, 167, 491, 401, and 256 μM·min−1, respectively. The apparent Km and kcat/Km values for Reactive Blue 5 were 3.6 μM and 1.2 × 107 M−1 s−1, respectively, while the apparent Km and kcat/Km values for H2O2 were 5.8 μM and 6.6 × 106 M−1 s−1, respectively. In contrast, the decolorization activity of AnaPX toward azo dyes was relatively low but was significantly enhanced 2- to ∼50-fold in the presence of the natural redox mediator syringaldehyde. The specificity and catalytic efficiency for hydrogen donors and synthetic dyes show the potential application of AnaPX as a useful alternative of horseradish peroxidase or fungal DyPs. To our knowledge, this study represents the only extensive report in which a bacterial DyP has been tested in the biotransformation of synthetic dyes.

Intracellular energy depletion triggers programmed cell death during petal senescence in tulip

Programmed cell death (PCD) in petals provides a model system to study the molecular aspects of organ senescence. In this study, the very early triggering signal for PCD during the senescence process from young green buds to 14-d-old petals of Tulipa gesneriana was determined. The opening and closing movement of petals of intact plants increased for the first 3 d and then gradually decreased. DNA degradation and cytochrome c (Cyt c) release were clearly observed in 6-d-old flowers. Oxidative stress or ethylene production can be excluded as the early signal for petal PCD. In contrast, ATP was dramatically depleted after the first day of flower opening. Sucrose supplementation to cut flowers maintained their ATP levels and the movement ability for a longer time than in those kept in water. The onset of DNA degradation, Cyt c release, and petal senescence was also delayed by sucrose supplementation to cut flowers. These results suggest that intracellular energy depletion, rather than oxidative stress or ethylene production, may be the very early signal to trigger PCD in tulip petals.

Characterization of Four Plasma Membrane Aquaporins in Tulip Petals: A Putative Homolog is Regulated by Phosphorylation

We suggested previously that temperature-dependent tulip (Tulipa gesneriana) petal movement that is concomitant with water transport is regulated by reversible phosphorylation of an unidentified plasma membrane intrinsic protein (PIP). In this study, four full-length cDNAs of PIPs from tulip petals were identified and cloned. Two PIPs, namely TgPIP1;1 and TgPIP1;2, are members of the PIP1 subfamily, and the remaining two PIPs, namely TgPIP2;1 and TgPIP2;2, belong to the PIP2 subfamily of aquaporins and were named according to the nomenclature of PIP genes in plants. Of these four homologs, only TgPIP2;2 displayed significant water channel activity in the heterologous expression assay using Xenopus laevis oocytes. The water channel activity of this functional isoform was abolished by mercury and was affected by inhibitors of protein kinase and protein phosphatase. Using a site-directed mutagenesis approach to substitute several serine residues with alanine, and assessing water channel activity using the methylotrophic yeast Pichia pastoris expression assay, we showed that Ser35, Ser116 and Ser274 are the putative phosphorylation sites of TgPIP2;2. Real-time reverse transcription-PCR analysis revealed that the transcript levels of TgPIP1;1 and TgPIP1;2 in tulip petals, stems, leaves, bulbs and roots are very low when compared with those of TgPIP2;1 and TgPIP2;2. The transcript level of TgPIP2;1 is negligible in roots, and TgPIP2;2 is ubiquitously expressed in all organs with significant transcript levels. From the data reported herein, we suggest that TgPIP2;2 might be modulated by phosphorylation and dephosphorylation for regulating water channel activity, and may play a role in transcellular water transport in all tulip organs.

The pathway via D-galacturonate/L-galactonate is significant for ascorbate biosynthesis in Euglena gracilis: identification and functional characterization of aldonolactonase.

We have previously proposed that Euglena gracilis possesses a pathway for the production of ascorbate (AsA) through d-galacturonate/l-galactonate as representative intermediates ( Shigeoka, S., Nakano, Y., and Kitaoka, S. (1979) J. Nutr. Sci. Vitaminol. 25, 299-307 ). However, genetic evidence proving that the pathway exists has not been obtained yet. We report here the identification of a gene encoding aldonolactonase, which catalyzes a penultimate step of the biosynthesis of AsA in Euglena. By a BLAST search, we identified one candidate for the enzyme having significant sequence identity with rat gluconolactonase, a key enzyme for the production of AsA via d-glucuronate in animals. The purified recombinant aldonolactonase expressed in Escherichia coli catalyzed the reversible reaction of l-galactonate and l-galactono-1,4-lactone with zinc ion as a cofactor. The apparent Km values for l-galactonate and l-galactono-1,4-lactone were 1.55 ± 0.3 and 1.67 ± 0.39 mm, respectively. The cell growth of Euglena was arrested by silencing the expression of aldonolactonase through RNA interference and then restored to the normal state by supplementation with l-galactono-1,4-lactone. Euglena cells accumulated more AsA on supplementation with d-galacturonate than d-glucuronate. The present results indicate that aldonolactonase is significant for the biosynthesis of AsA in Euglena cells, which predominantly utilize the pathwayviad-galacturonate/l-galactonate. The identification of aldonolactonase provides the first insight into the biosynthesis of AsA via uronic acids as the intermediate in photosynthetic algae including Euglena.

Molecular Properties and Enhancement of Thermostability by Random Mutagenesis of Glutamate Dehydrogenase from Bacillus subtilis

The rocG gene encoding glutamate dehydrogenase from Bacillus subtilis (Bs-GluDH) was cloned, and expressed at considerable magnitude in Escherichia coli. The recombinant Bs-GluDH was purified to homogeneity and has been determined to have a hexameric structure (M r 270 kDa) with strict specificity for 2-oxoglutarate and L-glutamate, requiring NADH and NAD+ as cofactors respectively. The enzyme showed low thermostability with T m=41 °C due to dissociation of the hexamer. To improve the thermostability of this enzyme, we performed error-prone PCR, introducing random mutagenesis on cloned GluDH. Two single mutant enzymes, Q144R and E27F, were isolated from the final mutant library. Their T m values were 61 °C and 49 °C respectively. Furthermore, Q144R had a remarkably high k cat value (435 s−1) for amination reaction at 37 °C, 1.3 times higher than that of the wild-type. Thus, Q144R can be used as a template gene to modify the substrate specificity of Bs-GluDH for industrial use.

Substitution of a single amino acid residue in the aromatic/arginine selectivity filter alters the transport profiles of tonoplast aquaporin homologs☆

Aquaporins are integral membrane proteins that facilitate the transport of water and some small solutes across cellular membranes. X-ray crystallography of aquaporins indicates that four amino acids constitute an aromatic/arginine (ar/R) pore constriction known as the selectivity filter. On the basis of these four amino acids, tonoplast aquaporins called tonoplast intrinsic proteins (TIPs) are divided into three groups in Arabidopsis. Herein, we describe the characterization of two group I TIP1s (TgTIP1;1 and TgTIP1;2) from tulip (Tulipa gesneriana). TgTIP1;1 and TgTIP1;2 have a novel isoleucine in loop E (LE2 position) of the ar/R filter; the residue at LE2 is a valine in all group I TIPs from model plants. The homologs showed mercury-sensitive water channel activity in a fast kinetics swelling assay upon heterologous expression in Pichia pastoris. Heterologous expression of both homologs promoted the growth of P. pastoris on ammonium or urea as sole sources of nitrogen and decreased growth and survival in the presence of H(2)O(2). TgTIP1;1- and TgTIP1;2-mediated H(2)O(2) conductance was demonstrated further by a fluorescence assay. Substitutions in the ar/R selectivity filter of TgTIP1;1 showed that mutants that mimicked the ar/R constriction of group I TIPs could conduct the same substrates that were transported by wild-type TgTIP1;1. In contrast, mutants that mimicked group II TIPs showed no evidence of urea or H(2)O(2) conductance. These results suggest that the amino acid residue at LE2 position is critical for the transport selectivity of the TIP homologs and group I TIPs might have a broader spectrum of substrate selectivity than group II TIPs.

Degradation of chlorophyll by nitrogen dioxide generated from nitrite by the peroxidase reaction

Abstract Nitrite, but not nitrate, added to a mixture containing horseradish peroxidase (HRP) and H 2 O 2 , bleached chlorophyll (Chl). The optimum pH for Chl bleaching was 4.0. Ascorbate, p -hydroxyphenyl acetate (HPAA), glycyltyrosine (Gly-Tyr) and amines such as morpholine and diethylamine inhibited Chi bleaching. The reaction products from HPAA and Gly-Tyr showed an absorption peak at 438 nm in an alkaline solution. The laser-Raman spectrum of the product from HPAA showed a band at 1336 cm −1 identical to that of authentic 2-nitrotyrosine. These results indicated the formation of nitrogen dioxide, the one-electron oxidation product of nitrite, which caused Chl bleaching in the nitrite/H 2 O 2 /HRP system. Nitrite caused neither inhibition of the ascorbate peroxidase reaction nor Chl bleaching with the H 2 O 2 /ascorbate peroxidase system.

PROPERTIES OF THE CHLOROPLAST FILM ELECTRODE IMMOBILIZED ON AN SnO2‐COATED GLASS PLATE

Abstract— Type C chloroplasts were deposited on the surface of an SnO2 optically transparent electrode glass plate with polyvinyl alcohol plus bovine serum albumin as immobilizing supports. This electrode, on illumination of 250 J/m2 in an electrolyte solution, generated anodic photo current more than 150 nA per 10 μg chlorophyll/cm2 of the SnO2 glass plate at a potentiostatic condition of + 0.5 V against a saturated calomel electrode, and gave rise to an open circuit potential up to 300 mV. The photocurrent output was enhanced as high as 60‐fold under the short circuit condition by the addition of an artificial electron carrier, l‐methoxy‐5‐methylphenazinium methyl sulfate, to the electrolyte solution. With the electrode poised at +0.5 V against a saturated calomel electrode, the enhancement effect was exhibited as high as 13‐fold in the presence of 2,6‐dichlorophenol indophenol. A photocurrent spectrum coincides well with an absorption spectrum of the chloroplast film electrode. Effects of heat‐treatment, photosynthetic inhibitors, and electrolytes pH on the magnitude of the photocurrent were studied in detail. Water molecule, a primary electron donor in the chloroplast photosystems, contributes to the large majority of photocurrent generation. A minor output was observed with the electrode coated with completely inactivated chloroplasts, probably due to the chlorophyll photosensitization.