Showing papers on "Esterase published in 1987"

Production of Cuticle-degrading Enzymes by the Entomopathogen Metarhizium Anisopliae during Infection of Cuticles from Calliphora Vomitoria and Manduca Sexta

Abstract: SUMMARY: A biochemical and histochemical investigation with specific substrates and inhibitors was used to visualize protease, esterase and aminopeptidase activities produced in situ during penetration of Calliphora vomitoria and Manduca sexta cuticles by hyphae of the entomopathogenic fungus Metarhizium anisopliae. Two endoproteases, and aminopeptidase and esterase activities, were mainly localized in simple and complex appressoria and germinating conidia. The effect of inhibitors on two characterized proteases (Pr1 and Pr2) and aminopeptidase activity in appressorial plates was quantified by microdensitometric measurement of reaction products. Pr1 and Pr2 activities were differentially inhibited by various protease inhibitors. Pr1, Pr2, esterase, aminopeptidase and N-acetylglucosaminidase (exochitinase) activities were present during penetration as detected directly following desorption from fungal and cuticle components. The proteases produced in situ were fractionated, and were shown by immunological and enzymological criteria to be the same as those produced in culture media. The sequence of enzyme appearance in situ showed that production of proteolytic enzymes precedes exochitinase production. No production of endochitinase was found before or during hyphal penetration of the cuticle.

Extracellular Enzyme Activities during Lignocellulose Degradation by Streptomyces spp.: A Comparative Study of Wild-Type and Genetically Manipulated Strains

Abstract: The wild-type ligninolytic actinomycete Streptomyces viridosporus T7A and two genetically manipulated strains with enhanced abilities to produce a water-soluble lignin degradation intermediate, an acid-precipitable polymeric lignin (APPL), were grown on lignocellulose in solid-state fermentation cultures. Culture filtrates were periodically collected, analyzed for APPL, and assayed for extracellular lignocellulose-catabolizing enzyme activities. Isoenzymes were analyzed by polyacrylamide gel electrophoresis and activity staining on the gels. Two APPL-overproducing strains, UV irradiation mutant T7A-81 and protoplast fusion recombinant SR-10, had higher and longer persisting peroxidase, esterase, and endoglucanase activities than did the wild-type strain T7A. Results implicated one or more of these enzymes in lignin solubilization. Only mutant T7A-81 had higher xylanase activity than the wild type. The peroxidase was induced by both lignocellulose and APPL. This extracellular enzyme has some similarities to previously described ligninases in fungi. This is the first report of such an enzyme in Streptomyces spp. Four peroxidase isozymes were present, and all catalyzed the oxidation of 3,4-dihydroxyphenylalanine, while one also catalyzed hydrogen peroxide-dependent oxidation of homoprotocatechuic acid and caffeic acid. Three constitutive esterase isozymes were produced which differed in substrate specificity toward alpha-naphthyl acetate and alpha-naphthyl butyrate. Three endoglucanase bands, which also exhibited a low level of xylanase activity, were identified on polyacrylamide gels as was one xylanase-specific band. There were no major differences in the isoenzymes produced by the different strains. The probable role of each enzyme in lignocellulose degradation is discussed.

The enzymatic degradation of polymers in vitro

Abstract: Specimens of 14C-labeled poly(ethylene terephthalate), nylon 66, and poly(methyl methacrylate) have been synthesized and exposed, in vitro, to a number of enzyme solutions. Poly(ethylene terephthalate) was found to be affected by esterase and papain, although in different ways, but not by trypsin or chymotrypsin. Nylon 66 was unaffected by esterase but degraded by the other three. Poly(methyl methacrylate) was not affected by any of these enzymes. This indicates that some nominally stable polymers are susceptible to degradation by enzymes under some circumstances. The amount of degradation is small, but could have significant sequelae should it be reproduced in vivo.

Overproduction of detoxifying esterases in organophosphate-resistant Culex mosquitoes and their presence in other insects

Abstract: Antisera raised against the denatured polypeptide of two organophosphate-detoxifying esterases (B1 and A1) of Culex mosquitoes were used in an immunoblot method to quantify esterase production in resistant versus susceptible strains and to detect the presence of immunologically related proteins in other insects. It was demonstrated that esterase B1 of Culex quinquefasciatus and esterase A1 of Culex pipiens are overproduced in resistant strains by factors of at least 500-fold and 70-fold, respectively, as compared with the corresponding susceptible strains. These factors approximate the levels of resistance to the organophosphate chlorpyrifos determined by bioassay--i.e., about 800-fold and 100-fold, respectively. Antiesterase B1 antiserum was found to react with other type B esterases (B2 of C. quinquefasciatus and B3 of Culex tarsalis) but not with type A esterases (A1 of C. pipiens, A2 of C. quinquefasciatus, or A3 of C. tarsalis); similarly, antiesterase A1 antiserum was found to react with other type A esterases (A2 and A3) but not with type B esterases (B1, B2, and B3). Proteins immunologically related to esterase B1 were detected in Aedes aegypti L., Myzus persicae Sultzer, and Musca domestica L., although they were not overproduced in the organophosphate-resistant strains of these species. In none of these species were proteins immunologically related to esterase A1 found.

Selective inactivation of influenza C esterase: a probe for detecting 9-O-acetylated sialic acids

Abstract: The influenza C virus (INF-C) hemagglutinin recognizes 9-O-acetyl-N-acetylneuraminic acid. The same protein contains the receptor-destroying enzyme (RDE), which is a 9-O-acetyl-esterase. The RDE was inactivated by the serine esterase inhibitor di-isopropyl fluorophosphate (DFP). [3H]DFP-labeling localized the active site to the heavy chain of the glycoprotein. DFP did not alter the hemagglutination or fusion properties of the protein, but markedly decreased infectivity of the virus, demonstrating that the RDE is important for primary infection. Finally, DFP-treated INF-C bound specifically and irreversibly to cells expressing 9-O-acetylated sialic acids. This provides a probe for a molecule that was hitherto very difficult to study.

"A" esterases and their role in regulating the toxicity of organophosphates.

Abstract: Esterases which can hydrolyse organophosphates without being inhibited by them are termed "A" esterases Using paraoxon and pirimiphos-methyl oxon as substrates, high "A" esterase activity is found in the liver and plasma or serum of a range of mammalian species In a study of serum "A" esterases of sheep and humans, over 80% of the activity separated into the high density lipoprotein (HDL) fraction following ultracentrifugation When HDL fractions from sheep serum were run on Sepharose gel columns, most of the paraoxonase activity separated as a single peak of estimated molecular weight 360,000, which corresponds to that of HDL2 of humans During the course of purification of "A" esterases by three different column procedures, contrasting esterase elution profiles were obtained with organophosphate and pyrethroid substrates This was strong evidence for the existence of multiple forms of HDL "A" esterases Levels of "A" esterase activity in plasma and liver of birds were much lower than those of mammals This appears to be the main reason why birds are much more susceptible than mammals to organophosphates such as pirimiphos-methyl and diazinon which form active oxons that are good substrates for mammalian "A" esterases No "A" esterase was detected in strains of rust red flour beetle (Tribolium castaneum) which were resistant to organophosphates Similar observations have been made with strains of other insects resistant to organophosphates, raising the question to what extent esterases of this type are present in insects

Biochemical and functional properties of serine esterases in acidic cytoplasmic granules of cytotoxic T lymphocytes.

Abstract: Percoll gradient fractions of homogenates of murine cloned cytotoxic T lymphocytes (CTL) were analyzed for the trypsin-like enzyme alpha-N-benzyloxy-carbonyl-L-lysinethiobenzyl ester (BLT) esterase recently described in CTL homogenates. Enzymatic activity was found in three areas of the gradient: the dense cytolysin containing granules; a light granule fraction; and a variable amount in the soluble fraction at the top of the gradient. Gel filtration columns showed a major peak of BLT esterase activity eluted at the position of a 60-kDa protein, and an additional, minor BLT esterase peak eluting at about 27 kDa. The separated enzymes were both significantly inhibited by the serine protease inhibitors diisopropylfluorophosphate and phenylmethyl sulfonyl fluoride (PMSF), indicating they are both serine proteases, but showed different patterns of inhibition by a series of inhibitors, suggesting the larger enzyme is not a simple dimer of the smaller. pH activity profiles of both CTL BLT esterases showed an optimum at about pH 8. PMSF inactivation of BLT esterase in detergent extracts of CTL diminished sharply as the pH was dropped below 7. Agents which raise the pH of acidic intracellular compartments were found to markedly enhance the PMSF inactivation of BLT esterase in intact CTL, showing that the granules have a low internal pH. Similarly, [3H]diisopropylfluorophosphate labeling of intact CTL gave four protein bands on non-reduced gels, of which two were labeled threefold more effectively in the presence of chloroquine. In parallel studies of inactivation of CTL lytic activity, PMSF pretreatment caused a 50% reduction of the lytic activity under conditions where greater than 90% of the BLT esterase activity was inactivated. Addition of agents raising the intragranular pH dramatically enhanced the BLT esterase inactivation but did not concomitantly reduce CTL lytic activity. These results indicate that inactivation of lytic function by PMSF is unlikely to be due to its reaction with protease in acidic granules, and suggest that the activity of these enzymes may not be required for cytotoxicity.

Activities of cellulase and other extracellular enzymes during lignin solubilization by Streptomyces viridosporus

Abstract: Two mutant strains of the lignin degrading bacterium Streptomyces viridosporus strain T7A with enhanced abilities to produce a soluble lignin degradation intermediate, acid-precipitable polymeric lignin (APPL) and several mutants derepressed for cellulase production were compared with the wild type to examine the roles of cellulase and selected other extracellular enzymes in lignin solubilization by S. viridosporus. The two APPL-overproducing mutants, T-81 and T-138, had higher cellulase activities than the wild type. Mutants specifically derepressed for cellulase were also isolated and were found to produce more APPL than the wild type. The results are indicative of some involvement of cellulase in the lignin solubilization process. The lignin solubilized from corn (Zea mays) lignocellulose by the mutants was slightly different chemically as compared to wild type solubilized lignin in that it had a higher coumaric acid ester content. The production of extracellular coumarate ester esterase, aromatic aldehyde oxidase, and xylanase was also examined in the mutants. Xylanase and aromatic aldehyde oxidase production did not differ significantly between the mutants and the wild type. Mutant T-81 was found to have a slightly lower activity for esterase as compared with the wild type. It was concluded that xylanase, oxidase and esterase are not the enzymes directly responsible for enhanced lignin solubilization. The results, however, do implicate cellulase in the process.

Some Properties of Extracellular Acetylxylan Esterase Produced by the Yeast Rhodotorula mucilaginosa.

Abstract: The red yeast Rhodotorula mucilaginosa produced an esterase that accumulated in the culture supernatant on induction with triacetin. The enzyme was specific for substrates bearing an O-acetyl group, but was relatively nonspecific for the rest of the molecule, which could consist of a phenol, a monosaccharide, a polysaccharide, or an aliphatic alcohol. The esterase was more active against acetylxylan and glucose β-d-pentaacetate than were a number of esterases from plant and animal sources, when activities on 4-nitrophenyl acetate were compared. The enzyme exhibited Michaelis-Menten kinetics and was active over a broad pH range (5.5 to 9.2), with an optimum between pH 8 and 10. In addition, the enzyme retained its activity for 2 h at 55°C. The yeast that produced the enzyme did not produce xylanase and, hence, is of interest for the production of acetylxylan esterase that is free of xylanolytic activity.

Use of the esterase phenotype in the taxonomy of the genus Meloidogyne : 2. Esterase phenotypes observed in West African populations and their characterization

Abstract: Electrophoretic study of the b esterases in 57 populations of Meloidogyne collected in West Africa has shown that eight different phenotypes exist. Eighteen percent of the populations were composed of more than one phenotype. Phenotype PI (M. incognita) is the most prevalent in monospecific as well as in mixed populations. Morphobiometric and host range studies of five single egg-mass populations, characterized each by the phenotype PI, demonstrated that they al1 belong to M. incognita. The same study made on seven other single egg-mass populations, each characterized by a different esterase phenotype, agreed with the results obtained by other workers elsewhere. Electrophoretic determination is easy, accurate and more objective than any other criterion used so far.

Distinction between 'A'-esterases and arylesterases. Implications for esterase classification.

Abstract: 'A'-esterase activities (substrates paraoxon and pirimiphos-methyloxon) and arylesterase activities (substrate phenyl acetate) were assayed in the sera of 14 species of birds representing seven different orders and 11 species of mammal representing five different orders. Ten species of birds had no detectable 'A'-esterase, and the remaining four species only low activity, yet all birds showed considerable arylesterase activity (16.8-99.3 mumol/min per ml of serum). Ten species of mammal showed both 'A'- and 'aryl'-esterase activities. In humans, gel filtration of serum completely separated peaks representing paraoxonase and arylesterase activities. Thus, in both birds and humans, serum enzymes exist that express arylesterase activity but not 'A'-esterase activity. These findings suggest that a distinction should be made between these two types of esterase in future classifications.

Purification and characterization of a novel extracellular esterase from pathogenic Streptomyces scabies that is inducible by zinc.

Abstract: Native polyacrylamide gels of extracellular proteins produced by several Streptomyces isolates grown with suberin were assayed in situ for esterase activity. Two pathogenic isolates of Streptomyces scabies from different geographical regions were found to produce a similar esterase activity that was not produced by nonpathogenic strains. After treatment with EDTA, suberin no longer induced esterase production. Expression was restored when EDTA-treated suberin was supplemented with zinc. The optimal concentration of zinc required for esterase production was 2 microM. This esterase was purified from one of the pathogenic isolates and characterized. The enzyme was 38,000 daltons when determined by gel filtration on Sephadex G-100 and 36,000 daltons when determined by denaturing polyacrylamide gel electrophoresis. The esterase showed maximal activity in sodium phosphate buffer above pH 8.0, was stable to temperatures of up to 60 degrees C, and had an apparent Km of 125 microM p-nitrophenyl butyrate. Images

Hydroquinone as the Ring-fission Substrate in the Catabolism of 4-Ethylphenol and 4-Hydroxyacetophenone by Pseudomonas putida JD1

Abstract: SUMMARY: A bacterium capable of growth on 4-ethylphenol was isolated from soil and identified as Pseudomonas putida. Intact cells grown on 4-ethylphenol rapidly oxidized 4-hydroxyaceto-phenone as well as growth substrate and the bacterium was also capable of growth on 4-hydroxyacetophenone. The initial enzymes for 4-ethylphenol catabolism were still present, although at lower activities, in succinate-grown cells which oxidized 4-ethylphenol to 4-hydroxyacetophenone. Extracts of 4-ethylphenol-grown cells oxidized 4-hydroxyacetophenone when provided with NADPH. When this activity was partially purified a stoichiometry of 1 μmol O2 consumed per μmol of substrate was observed with the production of hydroquinone as required for a monooxygenase producing 4-hydroxyphernyl acetate followed by hydrolysis by an esterase. Cell extracts contained esterase activity and hydrolysed 4-hydroxyphenyl acetate to yield hydroquinone. Intact cells converted the analogue, acetophenone, into phenol. Hydroquinone served as the ring-fission substrate and was cleaved by an O2-requiring reaction. The enzymes of the proposed pathway were induced by growth on 4-ethylphenol or 4-hydroxyacetophenone.

Enzyme‐Catalyzed Hydrolysis of Some Functionalized Dimethyl Malonates

Abstract: A method is described for the preparation of (+)-(R)-methyl hydrogen 2-(tert-butoxymethyl)-2-methyl-malonate (5e) in synthetically useful amounts from readily available starting material.

Hydrolysis of retinyl esters by non-specific carboxylesterases from rat liver endoplasmic reticulum.

Abstract: The four most important non-specific carboxylesterases from rat liver were assayed for their ability to hydrolyse retinyl esters. Only the esterases with pI 6.2 and 6.4 (= esterase ES-4) are able to hydrolyse retinyl palmitate. Their specific activities strongly depend on the emulsifier used (maximum rate: 440 nmol of retinol liberated/h per mg of esterase). Beside retinyl palmitate, these esterases cleave palmitoyl-CoA and monoacylglycerols with much higher rates, as well as certain drugs (e.g. aspirin and propanidid). However, no transacylation between palmitoyl-CoA and retinol occurs. Retinyl acetate also is a substrate for the above esterases and for another one with pI 5.6 (= esterase ES-3). Again the emulsifier influences the hydrolysis by these esterases (maximum rates: 475 nmol/h per mg for ES-4 and 200 nmol/h per mg for ES-3). Differential centrifugation of rat liver homogenate reveals that retinyl palmitate hydrolase activity is highly enriched in the plasma membranes, but only moderately so in the endoplasmic reticulum, where the investigated esterases are located. Since the latter activity can be largely inhibited with the selective esterase inhibitor bis-(4-nitrophenyl) phosphate, it is concluded that the esterases with pI 6.2 and 6.4 (ES-4) represent the main retinyl palmitate hydrolase of rat liver endoplasmic reticulum. In view of this cellular localization, the enzyme could possibly be involved in the mobilization of retinol from the vitamin A esters stored in the liver. However, preliminary experiments in vivo have failed to demonstrate such a biological function.

3-Hydroxyglutarate and β,γ-epoxy esters as substrates for pig liver esterase (PLE) and α-chymotrypsin

Abstract: The pH dependence of the α-chymotrypsin-catalyzed hydrolysis of dimethyl 3-hydroxyglutarate (3) has been studied. The e.e. was determined by HPLC analysis of diastereoisomeric camphanoic-acid derivatives. Kinetic resolution of the β,α-epoxy esters 10 and 24 by pig liver esterase has been shown to provide an alternative access to chiral β-hydroxy esters and acids of high optical purity. By this latter method, the unnatural enantiomer of γ-amino-β-hydroxybutyric acid (GABOB) has been synthesized. Finally, dimethyl meso-3,4-epoxyadipate (19) was hydrolyzed by pig liver esterase with almost 100% selectivity.

Esterase electrophoretic polymorphism of methicillin-sensitive and methicillin-resistant strains of Staphylococcus aureus

Abstract: Summary Methicillin-sensitive and methicillin-resistant strains of Staphylococcus aureus from diverse geographic origins were analysed by polyacrylamide-agarose gel electrophoresis for esterase polymorphism. Three kinds of esterase bands, designated A, B and C, were defined by their ranges of activity toward five synthetic substrates and their resistance to di-isopropyl fluorophosphate. There were five allozymes of esterase A, four of esterase B and four of esterase C. Eighteen distinct combinations of allozymes (zymotypes) were distinguished amongst 105 strains analysed. Two major zymotypes were represented by 35 and 19 strains respectively, whereas other zymotypes were represented by one or, at most, seven strains. The coefficient of genetic diversity was lower for methicillin-resistant strains than for methicillin-sensitive strains. Most of the methicillin-resistant strains are represented by the two major zymotypes which differed from each other by the electrophoretic behaviour of the three esterases. These results indicate that, on the basis of esterase electrophoretic polymorphism, methicillin resistance is expressed in genetically different strains.