DISTRIBUTION OF ENZYMES INVOLVED IN NUCLEOTIDE METABOLISM IN THE DISK AND OTHER ROD MEMBRANES

Abstract— Intact disks and inverted disks were prepared from bovine retinal rods and the distribution in the disk membrane of such enzymes as guanyl cyclase, cyclic nucleotide phosphodiesterase, GTP binding protein (GTPase), 5'-nucleotidase and rhodopsin kinase was investigated. Guanyl cyclase was not detected in the disk; the enzyme activity was high in a membranous fraction containing the cilium or axoneme and the rod outer segment plasma membrane. Cyclic nucleotide phosphodiesterase, GTP binding protein (GTPase) and rhodopsin kinase were associated on the external surface of disk in the presence of 2 m M Mg²⁺. The enzymes dissociated from the membrane when Mg²⁺ was depleted. Thus, magnesium ion seems to regulate the state of these enzymes in the outer segment. 5'-Nucleotidase activity was low in intact disks but was significantly enhanced after inversion of the disk. The catalytic site of the enzyme, therefore, must be located on the internal (intradiscal) surface. Since the disks are known to be formed by invagination of the plasma membrane, 5'-nucleotidase, by inference, would have its catalytic site exposed on the external surface of the plasma membrane. Preliminary experiments showed that the capability of light-activated rhodopsin to activate cyclic nucleotide phosphodiesterase was inhibited by phosphorylation of the pigment. This supports the idea that rhodopsin kinase, cyclic nucleotide phosphodiesterase and GTPase exist as a functional complex on rod membranes.     

FUNCTIONAL PROPERTIES OF CATTLE RHODOPSIN IN SOLUBLE COMPLEX WITH PHOSPHOLIPIDS and DEOXYCHOLATE

Abstract— The necessary conditions of bleached rhodopsin to activate GTPase and to regenerate α-band were studied by changing the number of bound phospholipids to rhodopsin using gel filtration procedure. The number of bound phospholipids per mole of rhodopsin (bPL/rho) in the eluants was reproducibly controlled by the concentration of sodium deoxycholate (DOC) in the elution buffer. The eluants were soluble complexes composed of rhodopsin with original a-band, disk phospholipids and DOC. The regenerability of α-band depended on bPL/rho but neither on the concentration of DOC nor on state of aggregation of rhodopsin. The lowest number of bPL/rho for this activity under our experimental conditions was estimated to be30–50 in bPL/rho. GTPase was activated only by such complexes that had a nearly original quantity of bPL/rho in disk membranes. Other complexes with less bPL/rho showed aggregation upon bleaching and did not activate GTPase. The amount of phospholipids present in the disk membranes is sufficient to prevent aggregation of rhodopsin upon bleaching.     

NANOSECOND LASER PHOTOLYSIS OF RHODOPSIN AND ISORHODOPSIN

Kinetic and spectral measurements have been carried out on the primary intermediate in the photolysis of rhodopsin and isorhodopsin, initiated by a 457 nm, 6 ns (FWHM) laser pulse. In rhodopsin the kinetic decay of bathorhodopsin was found to be 140 ± 15 ns at 20°C. The decay of bathorhodopsin to lumirhodopsin has an activation energy of 51 ± 4 kJ/mol (12.2 ± 1 kcal/mol). The decay kinetics of bathorhodopsin were found to be the same for rhodopsin in membrane and detergent solubilized suspensions. The kinetic decay of the batho product in the photolysis of isorhodopsin was found to be the same as rhodopsin.
The corrected transient spectrum 50 ns following excitation in rhodopsin has two peaks near 560 and 440 nm. A peak was also observed in isorhodopsin near 550 nm at 50 ns following excitation but no transient was observed in the blue. The 550 nm peak in isorhodopsin has an intensity similar to that in rhodopsin indicating that the quantum yields for the formation of batho products of rhodopsin and isorhodopsin are similar under the irradiation conditions used here. Transient spectra for rhodopsin and isorhodopsin 1 μs following excitation are also different. In isorhodopsin the corrected transient spectrum has a peak at 500 nm, similar to low temperature steady state irradiation spectra. The 1 μs transient spectrum in rhodopsin is more intense than in isorhodopsin and shows a peak at 475 nm.     

Transducin activation by molecular species of rhodopsin other than metarhodopsin II

Decay of metarhodopsin II was accelerated by hydroxylamine treatment or dark incubation of metarhodopsin II at 30 degrees C. The products thus obtained after decay of metarhodopsin II induced GTPase activity on transducin as well as metarhodopsin II suggesting that rhodopsin could activate transducin after the decay of metarhodopsin II intermediate. After urea-treated bovine rod outer segment membrane was completely bleached, rhodopsin in the membrane was regenerated by the addition of 11-cis retinal at various temperatures between 0 and 37 degrees C. The capacity to induce GTPase activity on transducin and phosphate incorporating capacity catalyzed by rhodopsin kinase were measured on such rhodopsins. The results showed that: (1) Regeneration of alpha band of rhodopsin was complete regardless of regeneration temperature; (2) When regenerated at temperatures below 10 degrees C, rhodopsins induced a GTPase activity on transducin in the dark even after treatment with hydroxylamine, whereas rhodopsins after regeneration at temperatures above 13 degrees C did not; (3) When regenerated at 0 degrees C, rhodopsin was phosphorylated if incubated with rhodopsin kinase and ATP in the dark, whereas the spectrally regenerated rhodopsin at 30 degrees C was not. The complete quenching of functions of photoactivated rhodopsin was achieved by recombination with 11-cis retinal at temperatures above 13 degrees C but not below 10 degrees C suggesting the existence of a low temperature intermediate upon regeneration.     

Markov State Models and Molecular Dynamics Simulations Provide Understanding of the Nucleotide-Dependent Dimerization-Based Activation of LRRK2 ROC Domain

Mutations in leucine-rich repeat kinase 2 (LRRK2) are recognized as the most frequent cause of Parkinson’s disease (PD). As a multidomain ROCO protein, LRRK2 is characterized by the presence of both a Ras-of-complex (ROC) GTPase domain and a kinase domain connected through the C-terminal of an ROC domain (COR). The bienzymatic ROC–COR–kinase catalytic triad indicated the potential role of GTPase domain in regulating kinase activity. However, as a functional GTPase, the detailed intrinsic regulation of the ROC activation cycle remains poorly understood. Here, combining extensive molecular dynamics simulations and Markov state models, we disclosed the dynamic structural rearrangement of ROC’s homodimer during nucleotide turnover. Our study revealed the coupling between dimerization extent and nucleotide-binding state, indicating a nucleotide-dependent dimerization-based activation scheme adopted by ROC GTPase. Furthermore, inspired by the well-known R1441C/G/H PD-relevant mutations within the ROC domain, we illuminated the potential allosteric molecular mechanism for its pathogenetic effects through enabling faster interconversion between inactive and active states, thus trapping ROC in a prolonged activated state, while the implicated allostery could provide further guidance for identification of regulatory allosteric pockets on the ROC complex. Our investigations illuminated the thermodynamics and kinetics of ROC homodimer during nucleotide-dependent activation for the first time and provided guidance for further exploiting ROC as therapeutic targets for controlling LRRK2 functionality in PD treatment.     

Rhodopsin: its molecular substructure and phospholipid interactions.

Abstract—Rhodopsin in retinal rod outer segment disc membranes, was proteolyzed by treatment with papain. This treatment left three fragments of apparent mol wt of 26,000, 19,000 and 10,000 in the membrane. The circular dichroism (CD) of solubilized, proteolyzed rhodopsin, in both the UV and visible spectral regions, was essentially identical to that of native rhodopsin. This indicates that the retinal binding site configuration is essentially unchanged by proteolysis and that the proteolyzed form of rhodopsin retained the helical content of native rhodopsin. Far UV CD measurements on the fragments indicate that the secondary structural features of the proteolyzed complex were largely maintained when the complex was dissociated. This finding suggests that the proteolytic fragments represent independently stabilized domains within rhodopsin. Measurements of the dependence of the activation free energy of the unfolding of opsin (as determined by the rate of loss of regenerability of opsin) and the meta I to meta II transition on the level of phospholipid associated with opsin and rhodopsin. respectively, have allowed for a determination of the mode of stabilization of these proteins by phospholipid. This dependence has been shown to have a linear form for opsin and rhodopsin. Hence, it appears that the stabilization of the tertiary structure of both solubilized opsin and rhodopsin is attributable to the sum of their interactions with individual phospholipid molecules, interacting with the protein in a non-cooperative manner.     

COMPARISON OF PHOTOTRAP COMPLEXES FROM CHROMATOPHORES OF RHODOSPIRILLUM RUBRUM, RHODOPSEUDOMONAS SPHEROIDES, AND THE R-26 MUTANT OF RHODOPSEUDOMONAS SPHEROIDES*

Abstract— After dissolution of the membrane structure of chromatophores from Rhodospirillum rubrum, Rhodopseudomonas spheroides , and the R-26 mutant of Rhodopseudomonas spheroides , active phototrap complexes from each have been purified by a column electrophoresis procedure. Phospholipids and transition metals were well separated from the phototrap complex in all three systems. The purified R. rubrum phototrap complex retained a full complement of antenna bacteriochlorophyll and carotenoid pigments which had nearly the same absorbance spectra as in the intact cell, and which delivered absorbed light energy to the phototrap with just as high efficiency as in the intact cell. Sodium dodecyl sulfate (SDS) disc gel electrophoresis using Tris buffer showed that these preparations often contained only two prominent polypeptides of 30,000 ± 2000 and 12,000 ± 4000 mol. wt., and a lesser amount of a third polypeptide of 21,000 ± 2000 mol. wt.
The phototrap complexes prepared from the wild type and the R-26 mutant of R. spheroides were similar, in that a partial separation from antenna pigments occurred during column electrophoresis. Both complexes had prominent polypeptides of 24,000 ± 2000 and 21,000 ± 2000 mol. wt., but no polypeptide of 30,000 mol. wt remained after electrophoresis. A third major polypeptide occurred with a mol. wt. of about 12,000 but seemed identifiable with an incompletely separated antenna pigment fraction. The phototrap complex prepared from the R-26 mutant had a typical reaction center spectrum.
In the case of wild type R. spheroides purification, two distinct protein-pigment complexes separated. Although the absorbance of the bacteriochlorophyll and carotenoid pigments were little changed from those of the in vivo system, different polypeptides in the two fractions were observed by SDS disc gel electrophoresis; only one fraction seemed to be intimately related with the phototrap complex.     

ADSORPTION OF MACROPOROUS PHOSPHONIC ACID RESIN FOR INDIUM

The adsorption kinetics and mechanism of a nrovel chelate resin, macroporous phosphonic acid resin (PAR) for In(Ill) were investigated Tile statically saturated adsorption capacity is 216mg·g^-1resin at 298K in HAc-NaAc medium. Tire apparent adsorption rate constant is k298=4.84×10^-5 s^-1. Tile adsorption behavior of PAR for In(Ill) obeys the Freundlich isotherm. The thermodynamic adsorption parameters, enthalpy change △H, free energy change △G and entropychange △S of PAR for In(Ⅲ) are 11.5kmol, -12.6kJmol and 80.8Jmol.K, respectively. The apparent activation energy is Ea=3.5k.l/mol. Tire molar coordination ratio of the functional group of PAR to In(Ⅲ) is about 3:1.     

聚酯-聚醚多嵌段共聚物的共聚改性

高硬段含量和高软段分子量的聚酯-聚醚多嵌段共聚物有明显的组成不均一性,可分离出大量高熔点的氯仿不溶组份.通过和5mol%间苯二甲酸二甲酯(DMI)共聚,可改进其表观组成均一性,得到不含氯仿不溶物和力学性能优良的硬段含量为40wt%、软段分子量为4000的聚对苯二甲酸乙二酯-聚乙醇醚多嵌段共聚物(PET-PEG).另一合成途径是以间苯二甲酸(IPA)酸解 PET,再和端羟基聚乙二醇醚共缩聚,也可制得相应的改性 PET-PEG.降低聚醚分子量可以有效地改进其组成均一性.     

Partial purification and some properties of a hemolymph lectin from panstrongylus megistus (Hemiptera,Reduviidae)

Hemagglutinating activity was studied in homogenates of three embryonic stages, and in the hemolymph of most instar larvae and in adult insects of Panstrongylus megistus, an important Chagas' disease vector in Brazil. A hemolymph lectin from the 5th instar larvae of P. megistus was purified through a biospecific adsorption by using formaldehyde-treated erythrocytes. The lectin fraction was desorbed with 0.2M D-galactose in 0.15M NaCl. The lectin fraction activity was inhibited by L-rhamnose, D-lactose, raffinose, D-galactose, and D-fucose. The electrophoretic pattern to native and acidic proteins resolved lectin fraction in two main bands with lectin activity. These bands were considered as multiple molecular forms or isoforms of P. megistus lectin. Under denaturating conditions, isoform 1 showed one band with apparent mol wt (MW) of 64 kDa while isoform 2 was resolved in two bands with MW of 64 and 33 kDa.     

Computational investigation of adsorption of molecular hydrogen on lithium-doped corannulene

Density functional theory and classical molecular dynamics simulations are used to investigate the prospect of lithium-doped corannulene as adsorbent material for H(2) gas. Potential energy surface scans at the level of B3LYP/6-311G(d,p) show an enhanced interaction of molecular hydrogen with lithium-atom-doped corannulene complexes with respect to that found in undoped corannulene. MP2(FC)/6-31G(d,p) optimizations of 4H(2)-(Li(2)-C(20)H(10)) yield H(2) binding energies of -1.48 kcal/mol for the H(2)-Li interaction and -0.92 kcal/mol for the H(2)-C interaction, whereas values of -0.94 and -0.83 kcal/mol were reported (J. Phys. Chem. B 2006, 110, 7688-7694) for physisorption of H(2) on the concave and the convex side of corannulene using MP2(full)/6-31G(d), respectively. Classical molecular dynamics simulations predict hydrogen uptakes in Li-doped corannulene assemblies that are significantly enhanced with respect to that found in undoped molecules, and the hydrogen uptake ability is dependent on the concentration of lithium dopant. For the Li(6)-C(20)H(10) complex, a hydrogen uptake of 4.58 wt % at 300 K and 230 bar is obtained when the adsorbent molecules are arranged in stack configurations separated by 6.5 A, and with interlayer distances of 10 A, hydrogen uptake reaches 6.5 wt % at 300 K and 215 bar.     

邻-氨基酚修饰吸附树脂对2-氨基吡啶的静态吸附热力学及动力学特征

合成了两种邻-氨基酚修饰超高交联吸附树脂(MOAR-1、MOAR-2),并用该树脂对水溶液中2-氨基吡啶的静态吸附热力学和动力学特征进行研究。热力学研究结果表明,Freundlich吸附等温方程能够对静态吸附等温线进行很好地拟合。吸附焓变ΔH<0,其绝对值小于60kJ/mol,表明以物理吸附为主以及该吸附剂容易脱附的特征;ΔG<0,说明吸附是自发行为;ΔS<0,表明吸附质分子在树脂表面上的运动受到了限制。两种树脂对2-氨基吡啶的吸附量随着温度的升高而降低,适当降低温度有利于吸附。动力学研究的结果表明:吸附符合一级动力学方程,吸附速率随温度升高而增大。表观活化能Ea<4.0kJ/mol,说明吸附较容易进行。     

SORPTION BEHAVIOR AND MECHANISM OF SAMARIUM(III) ON AMINO METHYLENE PHOSPHONIC ACID RESIN

Sm(III) was quantitatively adsorbed by amino methylene phasphonic acid resin (APAR)in the medium of pH=5.0. The statically saturated sorption capacity is 251mg/g @ resin. Sm(III)adsorbed on APAR can be reductively eluted by 2.0mol/L HCl. The sorption rate constant is k2gs=1.35 ×1O-Ss-1. The sorption behavior of APAR for Sm(I) obeys the Freundlich isotherm. The enthalpy change △H° of sorption is 24.9k J/mol. The apparent activation energy is Ea= ll. 7kJ/mol.The sorption mechanism shows that the nitrogen and oxygen atoms of the functional group of APAR coordinated with Sm(Ⅲ) to form coordination bond.     

pH‐dependent Interaction of Rhodopsin with Cyanidin‐3‐glucoside. 1. Structural Aspects†

Anthocyanins are a class of natural compounds common in flowers and vegetables. Because of the increasing preference of consumers for food containing natural colorants and the demonstrated beneficial effects of anthocyanins on human health, it is important to decipher the molecular mechanisms of their action. Previous studies indicated that the anthocyanin cyanidin‐3‐glucoside (C3G) modulates the function of the photoreceptor rhodopsin. In this paper, we show using selective excitation ¹H NMR spectroscopy that C3G binds to rhodopsin. Ligand resonances broaden upon rhodopsin addition and rhodopsin resonances exhibit chemical shift changes as well as broadening effects in specific resonances, in an activation state‐dependent manner. Furthermore, dark‐adapted and light‐activated states of rhodopsin show preferences for different C3G species. Molecular docking studies of the flavylium cation, quinoidal base, carbinol pseudobase and chalcone forms of C3G to models of the dark, light‐activated and opsin structures of rhodopsin also support this conclusion. The results provide new insights into anthocyanin–protein interactions and may have relevance for the enhancement of night vision by this class of compounds. This work is also the first report of the study of ligand binding to a full‐length membrane receptor in detergent micelles by ¹H NMR spectroscopy. Such studies were previously hampered by the presence of detergent micelle resonances, a problem overcome by the selective excitation approach.     

PHOTOSENSITIVITIES OF IODOPSIN AND RHODOPSINS

The relative photosensitivity and the molar extinction coefficient of a highly purified iodopsin (chicken red sensitive cone visual pigment) solubilized in a mixture of 3-[(3-cholamidopropyl)-dimethylammonio]-1-propanesulfonate and phosphatidylcholine (CHAPS-PC) were measured using bovine rhodopsin solubilized in 2% digitonin as a standard and compared with those of chicken and bovine rhodopsins. The photosensitivity obtained (1.08) was close to those of rhodopsins (chicken, 1.04; bovine, 0.99) in CHAPS-PC. The molar extinction coefficient of iodopsin (47,200) was 1.15-1.17 times higher than those of rhodopsins (chicken, 40,500; bovine, 41,200). The oscillator strength of iodopsin (0.60) calculated from the extinction coefficient was nearly identical to that of chicken rhodopsin (0.61), suggesting that the chromophore of iodopsin is similar in configuration to rhodopsin. In contrast, the difference in quantum yield between iodopsin (0.62) and chicken rhodopsin (0.70) suggests that the chromophore-opsin interaction after absorption of a photon by the chromophore may be different.     

Synergetic effect of MoS2 and graphene as cocatalysts for enhanced photocatalytic H2 production activity of TiO2 nanoparticles

The production of H(2) by photocatalytic water splitting has attracted a lot attention as a clean and renewable solar H(2) generation system. Despite tremendous efforts, the present great challenge in materials science is to develop highly active photocatalysts for splitting of water at low cost. Here we report a new composite material consisting of TiO(2) nanocrystals grown in the presence of a layered MoS(2)/graphene hybrid as a high-performance photocatalyst for H(2) evolution. This composite material was prepared by a two-step simple hydrothermal process using sodium molybdate, thiourea, and graphene oxide as precursors of the MoS(2)/graphene hybrid and tetrabutylorthotitanate as the titanium precursor. Even without a noble-metal cocatalyst, the TiO(2)/MoS(2)/graphene composite reaches a high H(2) production rate of 165.3 μmol h(-1) when the content of the MoS(2)/graphene cocatalyst is 0.5 wt % and the content of graphene in this cocatalyst is 5.0 wt %, and the apparent quantum efficiency reaches 9.7% at 365 nm. This unusual photocatalytic activity arises from the positive synergetic effect between the MoS(2) and graphene components in this hybrid cocatalyst, which serve as an electron collector and a source of active adsorption sites, respectively. This study presents an inexpensive photocatalyst for energy conversion to achieve highly efficient H(2) evolution without noble metals.     

Ruthenium-catalyzed dehydrogenation of ammonia boranes

The dehydrogenation of ammonia borane (AB) and methylammonia borane (MeAB) is shown to be catalyzed by several Ru-amido complexes. Up to 1 equiv of H2 (1.0 system wt %) is released from AB by as little as 0.03 mol % Ru within 5 min, and up to 2 equiv of H2 (3.0 system wt %) are released from MeAB with 0.5 mol % Ru in under 10 min at room temperature, the first equivalent emerging within 10 s. Also, a mixture of AB/MeAB yields up to 3.6 system wt % H2 within 1 h with 0.1 mol % Ru. Computational studies were performed to elucidate the mechanism of dehydrogenation of AB. Finally, it was shown that alkylamine-boranes can serve as a source of H2 in the Ru-catalyzed reduction of ketones and imines.     

DETERMINATION OF EXTINCTION COEFFICIENTS OF OAT PHYTOCHROME BY QUANTITATIVE AMINO ACID ANALYSES

Abstract— Previously published extinction coefficients for phytochrome were based on indirect colori-metric estimates of protein weight, mostly by the Lowry method, using bovine serum albumin as a standard. This paper reports revised values based on quantitative amino acid analyses of highly purified phytochrome. The molar extinction coefficient of the red-absorbing form of phytochrome with 120000mol. wt subunits was found to be approximately 102000cm"₁ per 120000moi. wt at 667nm. The molar extinction coefficients at 667 nm for phytochrome with 120000 mol. wt subunits and for the 60000 mol. wt chromopeptide of P_r were found to be approximately the same for samples of equivalent purity. Included in the amino acid analyses of phytochrome with 120000 mol. wt subunits are values for cysteine (11) and cystine (1), measured by two different techniques that gave the same results and agreed well with the estimate of total half-cystine (14) obtained by an independent method. Tryptophan was quantitated by analysis of a p-toluene sulfonic acid hydrolysate.     

Effect of the cationic composition of cryolite-alumina melts on the anodic overvoltage

Steady-state polarization of anodes prepared from platinum or glassy carbon is studied in a laboratory cell in a cryolite-alumina melt containing small amounts of potassium and lithium fluorides and various alumina amounts. The surface area of the anodes reaches a few centimeters squared. An insignificant depolarization of the anodic process is discovered following the replacement of a fraction of sodium ions in the electrolyte by potassium ions in an amount of ～3.9 mol % KF (～4.1 wt %) and a noticeable depolarization, following the substitution of K⁺ in an amount of ～7.1 mol % KF (～7.6 wt %). Substituting lithium ions in an amount of ～3.7 mol % LiF (～1.8 wt %) for a fraction of sodium ions leads to an insignificant polarization. A significant effect of a general cryolite ratio on polarization is discovered. A noticeable increase in the anodic polarization is fixed at an alumina concentration equal to 5–5.5 wt %.     

RHODOPSIN REGENERATION, CALCIUM, AND THE CONTROL OF THE DARK CURRENT IN VERTEBRATE RODS

Abstract— The dark current of retinal rods is suppressed for an extended period when their rhodopsin is bleached. An 8% bleach completely suppresses the current for 8 min and after 35 min it is fully recovered. The dark current can recover fully from a bleaching flash without any rhodopsin being regenerated. Moreover the recovery can be hastened either by lowering the activity of calcium ions surrounding the rods or by regenerating the rhodopsin. The recovery of the dark current following these bleaches showed zero order kinetics, regardless of whether the recovery was hastened by low calcium, 11- cis retinaldehyde or not. If all the rhodopsin is bleached in the retina, the dark current does not recover; the addition of 11- cis retinaldehyde, but not all- trans retinaldehyde, to the bleached retina causes the dark current to begin its recovery as early as 10 min after the addition with zero order kinetics (1.3% min^-1). In two of three similar experiments, the dark current recovered 100%. When the recovery rate of the dark current from the retina showing the earliest response is compared with the rate of the regeneration of rhodopsin in the plasma and disc membranes, the dark current begins its recovery after the plasma membrane rhodopsin is fully regenerated and the disc rhodopsin is half regenerated. When the disc rhodopsin is fully regenerated, the dark current is recovered 75%, and 20 min later it is completely recovered.