scholarly journals Identification and Characterization ofMAE1, the Saccharomyces cerevisiae Structural Gene Encoding Mitochondrial Malic Enzyme

1998 ◽  
Vol 180 (11) ◽  
pp. 2875-2882 ◽  
Author(s):  
Eckhard Boles ◽  
Patricia de Jong-Gubbels ◽  
Jack T. Pronk

ABSTRACT Pyruvate, a precursor for several amino acids, can be synthesized from phosphoenolpyruvate by pyruvate kinase. Nevertheless, pyk1 pyk2 mutants of Saccharomyces cerevisiae devoid of pyruvate kinase activity grew normally on ethanol in defined media, indicating the presence of an alternative route for pyruvate synthesis. A candidate for this role is malic enzyme, which catalyzes the oxidative decarboxylation of malate to pyruvate. Disruption of open reading frame YKL029c, which is homologous to malic enzyme genes from other organisms, abolished malic enzyme activity in extracts of glucose-grown cells. Conversely, overexpression ofYKL029c/MAE1 from the MET25 promoter resulted in an up to 33-fold increase of malic enzyme activity. Growth studies with mutants demonstrated that presence of either Pyk1p or Mae1p is required for growth on ethanol. Mutants lacking both enzymes could be rescued by addition of alanine or pyruvate to ethanol cultures. Disruption of MAE1 alone did not result in a clear phenotype. Regulation of MAE1 was studied by determining enzyme activities and MAE1 mRNA levels in wild-type cultures and by measuring β-galactosidase activities in a strain carrying a MAE1::lacZ fusion. Both in shake flask cultures and in carbon-limited chemostat cultures,MAE1 was constitutively expressed. A three- to fourfold induction was observed during anaerobic growth on glucose. Subcellular fractionation experiments indicated that malic enzyme in S. cerevisiae is a mitochondrial enzyme. Its regulation and localization suggest a role in the provision of intramitochondrial NADPH or pyruvate under anaerobic growth conditions. However, since null mutants could still grow anaerobically, this function is apparently not essential.

Microbiology ◽  
2003 ◽  
Vol 149 (6) ◽  
pp. 1447-1460 ◽  
Author(s):  
Raymond Wightman ◽  
Peter A. Meacock

The THI5 gene family of Saccharomyces cerevisiae comprises four highly conserved members named THI5 (YFL058w), THI11 (YJR156c), THI12 (YNL332w) and THI13 (YDL244w). Each gene copy is located within the subtelomeric region of a different chromosome and all are homologues of the Schizosaccharomyces pombe nmt1 gene which is thought to function in the biosynthesis of hydroxymethylpyrimidine (HMP), a precursor of vitamin B1, thiamin. A comprehensive phylogenetic study has shown that the existence of THI5 as a gene family is exclusive to those yeasts of the Saccharomyces sensu stricto subgroup. To determine the function and redundancy of each of the S. cerevisiae homologues, all combinations of the single, double, triple and quadruple deletion mutants were constructed using a PCR-mediated gene-disruption strategy. Phenotypic analyses of these mutant strains have shown the four genes to be functionally redundant in terms of HMP formation for thiamin biosynthesis; each promotes synthesis of HMP from the pyridoxine (vitamin B6) biosynthetic pathway. Furthermore, growth studies with the quadruple mutant strain support a previous proposal of an alternative HMP biosynthetic pathway that operates in yeast under anaerobic growth conditions. Comparative analysis of mRNA levels has revealed subtle differences in the regulation of the four genes, suggesting that they respond differently to nutrient limitation.


Archaea ◽  
2005 ◽  
Vol 1 (5) ◽  
pp. 293-301 ◽  
Author(s):  
Wakao Fukuda ◽  
Yulia Sari Ismail ◽  
Toshiaki Fukui ◽  
Haruyuki Atomi ◽  
Tadayuki Imanaka

Although the interconversion between C4 and C3 compounds has an important role in overall metabolism, limited information is available on the properties and regulation of enzymes acting on these metabolites in hyperthermophilic archaea. Malic enzyme is one of the enzymes involved in this interconversion, catalyzing the oxidative decarboxylation of malate to pyruvate as well as the reductive carboxylation coupled with NAD(P)H. This study focused on the enzymatic properties and expression profile of an uncharacterized homolog of malic enzyme identified in the genome of a heterotrophic, hyperthermophilic archaeonT hermococcus kodakaraensisKOD1 (Tk-Mae). The amino acid sequence ofTk-Mae was 52–58% identical to those of malic enzymes from bacteria, whereas the similarities to the eukaryotic homologs were lower. Several catalytically important regions and residues were conserved in the primary structure ofTk-Mae. The recombinant protein, which formed a homodimer, exhibited thermostable malic enzyme activity with strict divalent cation dependency. The enzyme preferred NADP+rather than NAD+, but did not catalyze the decarboxylation of oxaloacetate, unlike the usual NADP-dependent malic enzymes. The apparent Michaelis constant (Km) ofTk-Mae for malate (16.9 mM) was much larger than those of known enzymes, leading to no strong preference for the reaction direction. Transcription of the gene encodingTk-Mae and intracellular malic enzyme activity inT. kodakaraensiswere constitutively weak, regardless of the growth substrates. Possible roles ofTk-Mae are discussed based on these results and the metabolic pathways ofT. kodakaraensisdeduced from the genome sequence.


1967 ◽  
Vol 105 (2) ◽  
pp. 717-722 ◽  
Author(s):  
C B Taylor ◽  
E. Bailey ◽  
W Bartley

1. Changes in the activities of ATP citrate lyase, ‘malic’ enzyme, glucose 6-phosphate dehydrogenase, pyruvate kinase and fructose 1,6-diphosphatase, and in the ability to incorporate [1−14C]acetate into lipid have been measured in the livers of developing rats between late foetal life and maturity. 2. In male rats the activities of those systems directly or indirectly concerned in lipogenesis (acetate incorporation into lipid, ATP citrate lyase and glucose 6-phosphate dehydrogenase) fall after birth and are maintained at a low value until weaning. After weaning these activities rise to a maximum between 30 and 40 days and then decline, reaching adult values at about 60 days. ‘Malic’ enzyme activity follows a similar course, except that none could be detected in the foetal liver. Pyruvate kinase activity is lower in foetal than in adult livers and rises to slightly higher than the adult value in the post-weaning period. Fructose 1,6-diphosphatase activity rises from a very low foetal value to reach a maximum at about 10 days but falls rapidly after weaning to reach adult values at about 30 days. 3. Weaning rats on to a high-fat diet caused the low activities of acetate incorporation, ATP citrate lyase, glucose 6-phosphate dehydrogenase and pyruvate kinase, characteristic of the suckling period, to persist. ‘Malic’ enzyme and fructose 1,6-diphosphatase activities were not altered appreciably. 4. No differences could be detected in hepatic enzyme activities between males and females up to 35 days, but after this time female rats gave higher values for acetate incorporation, glucose 6-phosphate dehydrogenase activity and ‘malic’ enzyme activity. 5. The results are discussed in relation to changes in alimentation and hormonal influences.


1968 ◽  
Vol 46 (12) ◽  
pp. 1459-1470 ◽  
Author(s):  
B. Szepesi ◽  
R. A. Freedland

The effect of dietary fructose on liver, kidney, and adrenal enzymes was studied in male Sprague–Dawley rats. Dietary fructose increased relative liver and kidney sizes, liver glycogen, and liver protein. The percentage increases in relative liver and kidney sizes were independent of dietary protein, but relative liver sizes were smaller in the absence of protein.The activities of all the liver enzymes studied, except glucokinase, were increased by a 65% fructose diet containing 25% casein. The rates of increases differed between enzymes; the activities of L-α-glycerophosphate dehydrogenase and phosphoenolpyruvate carboxykinase (PEP-carboxykinase) reached almost maximum in 1 day, glucose 6-phosphatase, 6-phosphogluconate dehydrogenase, and pyruvate kinase activities reached maximum in about 2 days, and glucose 6-phosphate dehydrogenase, malic enzyme, dihydroxyacetone kinase, phosphofructose kinase, and phosphohexose isomerase required at least 3 days to reach maximum activity after the dietary change. The increases in the activities of liver fructose 1,6-diphosphatase, glucose 6-phosphate dehydrogenase, pyruvate kinase, and phosphohexose isomerase did not occur in the absence of dietary protein. The activities of liver phosphofructokinase and malic enzyme were increased equally well whether the fructose diet contained protein or not, while the increases in the activities of other enzymes were less in the absence of dietary protein.The half-life of liver malic enzyme was estimated as 3 days in the glucose to fructose dietary change and 1 day in the fructose to glucose dietary change. Since malic enzyme activity was increased by fructose feeding about threefold, the data suggest that under the conditions of the experiment fructose increased malic enzyme activity by decreasing the rate of breakdown of the enzyme.In general, kidney enzymes were affected by fructose to a lesser extent than the corresponding enzymes in liver. This was particularly significant in the case of kidney glucose 6-phosphate dehydrogenase, 6-phosphogluconate dehydrogenase, and malic enzyme, the activities of which were only slightly increased in kidney. The activities of these three enzymes in the adrenal glands were not increased by fructose feeding.


Author(s):  
S.M. Geyer ◽  
C.L. Mendenhall ◽  
J.T. Hung ◽  
E.L. Cardell ◽  
R.L. Drake ◽  
...  

Thirty-three mature male Holtzman rats were randomly placed in 3 treatment groups: Controls (C); Ethanolics (E); and Wine drinkers (W). The animals were fed synthetic diets (Lieber type) with ethanol or wine substituted isocalorically for carbohydrates in the diet of E and W groups, respectively. W received a volume of wine which provided the same gram quantity of alcohol consumed by E. The animals were sacrificed by decapitation after 6 weeks and the livers processed for quantitative triglycerides (T3), proteins, malic enzyme activity (MEA), light microscopy (LM) and electron microscopy (EM). Morphometric analysis of randomly selected LM and EM micrographs was performed to determine organellar changes in centrilobular (CV) and periportal (PV) regions of the liver. This analysis (Table 1) showed that hepatocytes from E were larger than those in C and W groups. Smooth endoplasmic reticulum decreased in E and increased in W compared to C values.


Nature ◽  
1956 ◽  
Vol 177 (4514) ◽  
pp. 842-843 ◽  
Author(s):  
S. E. LEWIS ◽  
G. M. PRICE

1983 ◽  
Vol 3 (10) ◽  
pp. 1846-1856
Author(s):  
M C Brandriss

The PUT2 gene was isolated on a 6.5-kilobase insert of a recombinant DNA plasmid by functional complementation of a put2 (delta 1-pyrroline-5-carboxylate dehydrogenase-deficient) mutation in Saccharomyces cerevisiae. Its identity was confirmed by a gene disruption technique in which the chromosomal PUT2+ gene was replaced by plasmid DNA carrying the put2 gene into which the S. cerevisiae HIS3+ gene had been inserted. The cloned PUT2 gene was used to probe specific mRNA levels: full induction of the PUT2 gene resulted in a 15-fold increase over the uninduced level. The PUT2-specific mRNA was approximately 2 kilobases in length and was used in S1 nuclease protection experiments to locate the gene to a 3-kilobase HindIII fragment. When delta 1-pyrroline-5-carboxylate dehydrogenase activity levels were measured in strains carrying the original plasmid, as well as in subclones, similar induction ratios were found as compared with enzyme levels in haploid yeast strains. Effects due to increased copy number or position were also seen. The cloned gene on a 2 mu-containing vector was used to map the PUT2 gene to chromosome VIII.


Development ◽  
1984 ◽  
Vol 80 (1) ◽  
pp. 251-288
Author(s):  
R. L. Gardner

Conditions were found for staining whole mid-gestation capsular parietal endoderms and visceral yolk sacs for malic enzyme activity that gave excellent discrimination between wildtype (Mod-1+/Mod-1+) cells and mutant (Mod-ln/Mod-1n) cells that lack the cytoplasmic form of the enzyme. Reciprocal blastocyst injection experiments were undertaken in which single primitive endoderm cells of one genotype were transplanted into embryos of the other genotype. In addition, Mod-1+/Mod-1+ early inner cell mass (ICM) cells were injected into Mod-1n/Mod-1n blastocysts, either in groups of two or three singletons or as daughter cell pairs. A substantial proportion of the resulting conceptuses showed mosaic histochemical staining in the parietal endoderm, visceral yolk sac, or in both these membranes. Stained cells were invariably intimately intermixed with unstained cells in the mosaic parietal endoderms. In contrast, one or both of two distinct patterns of staining could be discerned in mosaic visceral yolk sacs. The first, a conspicuously ‘coherent’ pattern, was found to be due to endodermal chimaerism; the second, a more diffuse pattern, was attributable to chimaerism in the mesodermal layer of this membrane. The overall distribution of cells with donor staining characteristics resulting from primitive endoderm versus early ICM cell injections was consistent with findings in earlier experiments in which allozymes of glucosephosphate isomerase were used as markers. The conspicuous lack of phenotypically intermediate cells in predominantly stained areas of mosaic membranes suggested that the histochemical difference between Mod-1+/Mod-1+ and Mod-1n/Mod-ln genotypes was cell-autonomous. This conclusion was strengthened by the results of staining mixed in vitro cultures of parietal endoderm in which presence or absence of phagocytosed melanin granules was used as an independent means of distinguishing wild type from null cells. By substituting tetranitro blue tetrazolium for nitro blue tetrazolium in the incubation medium, satisfactory differential staining was obtained for both the extraembryonic endoderm and other tissues of earlier postimplantation wild type versus null embryos. Finally, absence of cytoplasmic malic enzyme activity does not appear to have a significant effect on the viability or behaviour of mutant cells.


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