Cell-free extracts of Aspergillus niger UBC 814 grown in the presence of DLmandelate oxidized both D(-)and L(+)-mandelate via benzoylformate and benzaldehyde to benzoate. DL-p-Hydroxymandelate was oxidized, presumably through a parallel pathway, to p-hydroxybenzoate. A particulate D(-)-mandelate dehydrogenase and a supernatant fraction L(+)-mandelate dehydrogenase converted their respective substrates to benzoylformate. Both flavine adenine dinucleotide and flavine mononucleotide showed a stimulatory effect on the activity of the L(+)-mandelate dehydrogenase. Benzoylformate was decarboxylated to benzaldehyde by an enzyme requiring thiamine pyrophosphate for maximal aLctivity. Two benzaldehyde dehydrogenases dependent on nicotinamide adenine dinucleotide (NAD) and nicotinamide adenine dinucleotide phosphate (NADP), respectively, for their activity dehydrogenated benzaldehyde to benzoate. In the presence of reduced NADP (NADPH), benzoate was oxidized via p-hydroxybenzoate and protocatechuate. Reduced NAD could not replace NADPH. Sensitive methods of assay for D(-)-mandelate dehydrogenase and benzoylformatte decarboxylase are described. The fungal pathway is compared with these systems in bacteria.

Initial velocity studies have been carried out on protein methylase II (S-adenosyl-L-methionine:protein O-methyltransferase, EC 2.1.1.24) purified from calf thymus, using bovine pancreatic ribonuclease as the protein substrate. Initial velocity patterns converging at a point on or near the extended abcissa were obtained with either ribonuclease or S-adenosyl-L-methionine as the variable substrate. Inhibition by the product S-adenosyl-L-homocysteine was linear competitive against both S-adenysyl-L-methionine and ribonuclease, the apparent inhibition constants being dependent on the concentration of the nonvaried substrate. Adenosine was an inhibitor of the reaction, the inhibition being linear competitive against both S-adenosyl-L-methionine (Ki/1.2 times 10-3 mol/1.) and ribonuclease (Ki/4.6 times 10-3 mol/1.). These results are consistent with a random mechanism for the protein methylase II reaction in which the rate-limiting step may be the interconversion of the ternary complexes and all other steps may be in equilibrium. The limiting Michaelis constants for S-adenosyl-L-methionine and ribonuclease are 0.87 times 10-6 and 2.86 times 10-4 mol/1., respectively. The dissociation constants of S-adenosyl-L-homocysteine for its reaction with the free enzyme was 1.03 times 10-6 mol/1. Thus it has about equal affinity for calf thymus protein methylase II as S-adenosyl-L-methionine.

The enzyme 3,4-dihydroxyphenylacetate:oxygen 2,3-oxidoreductase (decyclizing) (homoprotocatechuate 2,3-dioxygenase) was purified from the thermophilic organism Bacillus stearothermophilus, grown with j-hydroxyphenylacetic acid as a source of carbon. The enzyme appeared to be homogeneous as judged by disc-gel electrophoresis and sedimentation equilibrium measurements. The average molecular weight determined by three independent procedures was 106,000; the protein was globular and was dissociated in sodium dodecyl sulfate to give a species of molecular weight 33,000 to 35,000. The enzyme was fairly stable on heating and showed maximal activity at about 57 degrees C. An Arrhenius plot of Km for homoprotocatechuate was concave upward, with a break at 32 degrees C; an increase in delta H above this temperature was compensated by lower values of --delta S. Several properties of this enzyme are contrasted with those reported for homoprotocatechuate 2,3-dioxygenase purified by other workers from Pseudomonas ovalis.

A high affinity, low capacity 3,5,3'-triiodo-L-thyronine (T3) specific binding was detected in the nuclei preparation from human corpus luteal nuclei by using an in vitro thyroid hormone binding assay. The bound hormone was efficiently separated from free hormone by the use of 40% polyethylene glycol. Under standardized assay conditions of pH 8.6 at 37 degrees C and a 2-h incubation time, the binding in the corpus luteal nuclei was saturable with Kd 4.94 x 10(-10) M with low maximum binding capacity (1.70 p mol/mg DNA). Competitive binding studies with hormone analogues indicated that T3 binding to corpus luteal nuclei is hormone-specific. Findings indicated a direct effect of thyroid hormone on the human corpus luteum.

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Kinetic properties of protein methylase II (S-adenosymethionine:protein O-methyltransferase, EC 2.1.1.24) which methylates (esterifies) the free carboxyl side chains of amino acids in proteins was studied using various polypeptides as methyl acceptor substrates. Bovine pancreatic ribonuclease, a model substrate for the enzyme, was subjected to specific cleavage by cyanogen bromide, trypsin, and performic acid oxidation. Several polypeptide fragments derived were then separated by molecular sieve chromatography on a column of Sephadex G-25. The method was found to be very simple and gave good yields. Km values for these polypeptides as well as a few other protein substrates were determined. While Km values for the isolated peptides range generally between 4.8 and 0.7 X 10-3 M, those of native bovine panreatic ribonuclease, luteinizing hormone, and follicle-stimulating hormone were determined to be 4.0 X 10-4, 5.0 X 10-5, and 0.77 X 10-5, respectively. Sites of enzymatic methylation of the native ribonuclease were also investigated. Although polypeptides derived from the C-terminal and N-terminal regions of the molecule were found to accept methyl groups, they were unable to under go enzymatic methylation when native molecule was used as the substrate indicating that within the native ribonuclease these regions are in a conformation which do not allow them to be methylated by protein methylase II under the present assay conditions.

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