Jacobo Cárdenas

Cloning, molecular characterization and expression pattern of a strawberry ripening-specific cDNA with sequence homology to pectate lyase from higher plants

A strawberry fruit cDNA showing sequence similarity to higher-plant pectate lyase genes has been isolated by differential screening of a strawberry fruit cDNA subtractive library. The cDNA contains a 396 amino acids open reading frame corresponding to a 44.8 kDa protein. The transcript is predominantly expressed in ripe fruits and was not detected at high levels in any other plant tissues. The removal of the achenes from unripe green fruits induced the expression of this putative pectate lyase gene. In common with other ripening related genes in strawberry, this induction was partially inhibited by treatment of de-achened fruit with the auxin NAA. Southern blot analysis of genomic DNA indicates that in strawberry there is more than one putative pectate lyase gene. We propose that the ripe fruit expression of this strawberry gene with similarity to pectate lyases could be related to cell wall pectin degradation contributing to strawberry fruit softening.

Inactivation and repression by ammonium of the nitrate reducing system in chlorella.

Addition of ammonium to a suspension of Chlorella cells growing autotrophically in the light with nitrate causes a striking inactivation of nitrate reductase in less than 1 hour. Neither the NADH2-specific diaphorase which catalyzes the first step of the reduction of nitrate to nitrite by NADH2 nor nitrite reductase are affected by the ammonium treatment. However, all the enzymes of the nitrate reducing system, including nitrite re ductase, are fully repressed by ammonium. The in vivo and in vitro reactivation of nitrate reductase and the derepression of all the enzymes of the nitrate reducing system are also described.

Regulation of the nitrate-reducing system enzymes in wild-type and mutant strains of Chlamydomonas reinhardii

SummarySix mutant strains (301, 102, 203, 104, 305, and 307) affected in their nitrate assimilation capability and their corresponding parental wild-type strains (6145c and 21gr) from Chlamydomonas reinhardii have been studied on different nitrogen sources with respect to NAD(P)H-nitrate reductase and its associated activities (NAD(P)H-cytochrome c reductase and reduced benzyl viologen-nitrate reductase) and to nitrite reductase activity. The mutant strains lack NAD(P)H-nitrate reductase activity in all the nitrogen sources. Mutants 301, 102, 104, and 307 have only NAD(P)H-cytochrome c reductase activity whereas mutant 305 solely has reduced benzyl viologen-nitrate reductase activity. Both activities are repressible by ammonia but, in contrast to the nitrate reductase complex of wild-type strains, require neither nitrate nor nitrite for their induction. Moreover, the enzyme from mutant 305 is always obtained in active form whereas nitrate reductase from wild-types needs to be reactivated previously with ferricyanide to be fully detected. Wild-type strains and mutants 301, 102, 104, and 307, when properly induced, exhibit an NAD(P)H-cytochrome c reductase distinguishable electrophoretically from contitutive diaphorases as a rapidly migrating band. Nitrite reductase from wild-type and mutant strains is also repressible by ammonia and does not require nitrate or nitrite for its synthesis. These facts are explained in terms of a regulation of nitrate reductase synthesis by the enzyme itself.

Cloning and molecular characterization of a strawberry fruit ripening-related cDNA corresponding a mRNA for a low-molecular-weight heat-shock protein

We have isolated and characterized a cDNA from a strawberry fruit subtractive library that shows homology to class-I low-molecular-weight (LMW) heat-shock protein genes from other higher plants. The strawberry cDNA (clone njjs4) was a 779 bp full-length cDNA with a single open reading frame of 468 bp that is expected to encode a protein of ca. 17.4 kDa with a pI of 6.57. Southern analysis with genomic DNA showed several high-molecular-weight hybridization bands, indicating that the corresponding njjs4 gene is not present as a single copy in the genome. This strawberry gene was not expressed in roots, leaves, flowers and stolons but in fruits at specific stages of elongation and ripening. However, a differential pattern of mRNA expression was detected in the fruit tissues achenes and receptacle. The njjs4 gene expression increased in achenes accompanying the process of seed maturation whereas in the receptacle, a high mRNA expression was detected in the W2 stage, during which most of the metabolic changes leading to the fruit ripening are occurring. Our results clearly show a specific relationship of this njjs4 strawberry gene with the processes of seed maturation and fruit ripening, and strongly support that at least some of the class-I LMW heat-shock protein-like genes have a heat-stress-independent role in plant development, including fruit ripening.

Extracellular deamination of l-amino acids by Chlamydomonas reinhardtii cells

When grown in the light and in a Tris-acetate phosphate medium, cells of Chlamydomonas reinhardtii Dang. can use the following l-amino acids as a sole nitrogen source: asparagine, glutamine, arginine, lysine, alanine, valine, leucine, isoleucine, serine, methionine, histidine, and phenylalanine, whereas, in the absence of acetate, the cells only used l-arginine. The utilization system in the acetate medium consisted of an extracellular deaminating activity induced by l-amino acids; it took between 10 to 30 h before the system appeared in cells previously grown with ammonium. This deaminase activity was nonspecific, required an organic carbon source for its de-novo synthesis, and was sensitive to high ammonium concentration and light deprivation.

Uricase from leaves: its purification and characterization from three different higher plants

Abstract. Uricase (urate: oxygen oxidoreductase, EC␣1.7.3.3) from leaves of chickpea (Cicer arietimum L.), broad bean (Vicia faba major L.), and wheat (Triticum aestivum L.) has been purified to electrophoretic homogeneity by a procedure which includes xanthine-agarose affinity chromatography as the main step. Purification factors of 74 000–83 000 and recoveries of 80–90% were achieved. Purified preparations had specific activities between 600 and 800 nkat · mg protein−1 (turnover numbers between 4400 and 6400 min−1). The three plant uricases were found by sodium dodecyl sulfate-polyacrylamide gel electrophoresis to be tetramers of similar molecular mass (120–130 kDa) and to have identical or similar-sized subunits (32–34 kDa). They also had a similar optimum pH (9–9.5) and showed a hyperbolic kinetics with Km values from 9–24 μM. All of them showed similar responses to putative activators/inhibitors. Oxonate, xanthine and, to a lesser extent, neocuproin inhibited uricase activity, whereas allantoin, ammonium, citrulline and glutamine did not. The three leaf uricases lacked catalase activity and were not activated by cadaverine. None of the three plant enzymes cross-reacted with anti-uricase monoclonal antibodies from soybean nodules or anti-uricase polyclonal antibodies from Chlamydomonas reinhardtii or rat liver. These results are consistent with the view that uricase in plants is probably a unique enzyme which is expressed at very low level in leaves.

Purification and characterization of an l-amino-acid oxidase from Chlamydomonas reinhardtii

An l-amino-acid oxidase (EC 1.4.3.1) that catalyzes the oxidative deamination of twelve l-amino acids has been purified 21-fold and with 14% yield to electrophoretic homogeneity from Chlamydomonas reinhardtii cells by ammonium-sulfate fractionation, gel filtration through Sephacryl and Superose, anion-exchange chromatography and preparative electrophoresis in polyacrylamide gels. The native enzyme is a protein of 470 kDa and consists of eight identical or similarsized subunits of 60 kDa each. Optimum pH and temperature were 8.2 and 55° C, respectively, with a Q10 (45–55° C) of 1.7 and an activation energy of 45 kJ · mol−1. Its absorption spectrum showed, in the visible region, maxima at 360 and 444 nm, characteristic of a flavoprotein with a calculated flavin content of 7.7 mol FAD per mol of native enzyme. Apparent Km values of the twelve l-amino acids which can act as substrates of l-amino-acid oxidase ranged between 31 μM for phenylalanine and 176 μM for methionine. The effect of several specific group reagents, chelating agents and bivalent cations on enzyme activity has also been studied.

Molybdenum and iron as constituents of the enzymes of the nitrate reducing system from chlorella

Abstract By adding radioactive 99 Mo (as molybdate) and 59 Fe (as ferrous ion) to a culture of Chlorella cells at the moment derepression of the enzymes of the nitrate reducing system was initiated as a consequence of the removal of ammonia from the medium, it could be unequivocally shown that the two metals were incorporated into nitrate reductase and nitrite reductase respectively, remaining associated with the enzymes during purification. After a mild heat treatment of nitrate reductase, exogenous molybdate could be made to interact with the enzyme and to function as electron donor after its chemical reduction with hydrosulfite.

The nitrate-reducing enzyme system of Chlamydomonas reinhardii.

In Chlamydomonas reinhardii the reduction of nitrate to ammonia occurs in two independent enzymatic steps: 1. the two-electrons reduction of nitrate to nitrite catalyzed by NADH-nitrate reductase, and, 2. the six-electrons reduction of nitrite to ammonia catalyzed by ferredoxin-nitrite reductase. Both enzymes have been purified and characterized, and some of their properties have been studied.

Purification and characterization of anl-amino-acid oxidase fromChlamydomonas reinhardtii

Anl-amino-acid oxidase (EC 1.4.3.1) that catalyzes the oxidative deamination of twelvel-amino acids has been purified 21-fold and with 14% yield to electrophoretic homogeneity fromChlamydomonas reinhardtii cells by ammonium-sulfate fractionation, gel filtration through Sephacryl and Superose, anion-exchange chromatography and preparative electrophoresis in polyacrylamide gels. The native enzyme is a protein of 470 kDa and consists of eight identical or similarsized subunits of 60 kDa each. Optimum pH and temperature were 8.2 and 55° C, respectively, with a Q10 (45–55° C) of 1.7 and an activation energy of 45 kJ · mol−1. Its absorption spectrum showed, in the visible region, maxima at 360 and 444 nm, characteristic of a flavoprotein with a calculated flavin content of 7.7 mol FAD per mol of native enzyme. ApparentKm values of the twelvel-amino acids which can act as substrates ofl-amino-acid oxidase ranged between 31 μM for phenylalanine and 176 μM for methionine. The effect of several specific group reagents, chelating agents and bivalent cations on enzyme activity has also been studied.