Asparaginase (EC 3.5.1.1) was isolated from the developing seed of Pisum sativum. The enzyme is dependent upon the presence of K+ for activity, although Na+ and Rb+ may substitute to a lesser extent. Maximum activity was obtained at K+ concentrations above 20 millimolar. Potassium ions protected the enzyme against heat denaturation. The enzyme has a molecular weight of 68,300. Asparaginase acti...

The three-dimensional structures of tryptophan synthase, carbamoyl phosphate synthetase, glutamine phosphoribosylpyrophosphate amidotransferase, and asparagine synthetase have revealed the relative locations of multiple active sites within these proteins. In all of these polyfunctional enzymes, a product formed from the catalytic reaction at one active site is a substrate for an enzymatic react...

As a result of recent advances in molecular cloning, protein expression, and X-ray crystallography, it has now become feasible to examine complicated protein structures at high resolution. For those enzymes with multiple catalytic sites, a common theme is beginning to emerge; the existence of molecular tunnels that connect one active site with another. The apparent mechanistic advantages render...

BACKGROUND Mutations in the erythroid-specific 5-aminolevulinate-synthase gene (ALAS2) have been identified in many cases of X-linked sideroblastic anemia (XLSA). METHODS A polymerase chain reaction-mediated restriction fragment length polymorphism (RFLP) assay was used. RESULTS A G527T point mutation was identified. This resulted in a substitution of tyrosine for asparagine at residue 159 ...

Nitrogen fertilizer application rates in intensive agricultural systems have increased dramatically in recent years, especially in protected vegetable production systems. This excessive use of nitrogen fertilizer has resulted in soil secondary salinity, which has become a significant environmental stress for crops such as cucumber, in the protected farmlands. It is thus necessary to illuminate ...

Cellular amino acid uptake is critical for mTOR complex 1 (mTORC1) activation and cell proliferation. However, the regulation of amino acid uptake is not well-understood. Here we describe a role for asparagine as an amino acid exchange factor: intracellular asparagine exchanges with extracellular amino acids. Through asparagine synthetase knockdown and altering of media asparagine concentration...

In non-climacteric fruit tree species, color change is primarily controlled by the interplay between environmental conditions, nutritional factors (nitrogen and sugars) hormones, mainly abscisic acid gibberellins (GA), through a complex mechanism which not completely understood. Nitrogen has strong impact on change, influenced changes, either locally or at whole level. We use Citrus trees, as m...

The objective of this study was to determine whether the amino acid asparagine stimulated the activity of ornithine decarboxylase (ODC) synergistically with epidermal growth factor (EGF) or gastrin in IEC-6 cells, a line of normal rat small intestinal crypt cells. Cells were grown in DMEM containing 5% dialyzed fetal bovine serum, and serum was deprived for 24 h before experiments. Exposure to ...