Purification and properties of methylenetetrahydrofolate reductase from pig liver. 1982

S C Daubner, and R G Matthews

Methylenetetrahydrofolate reductase from pig liver has been purified to homogeneity, as judged by several criteria: (i) a single band with a subunit molecular weight of 77,300 following polyacrylamide gel electrophoresis in the presence of sodium dodecyl sulfate; (ii) a molecular weight determined by amino acid analysis of 74,500 per flavin, in agreement with the subunit molecular weight; and (iii) constant specific activities in the peak fractions during the final chromatography step. The purified enzyme exhibits a typical flavoprotein absorption spectrum. Methylenetetrahydrofolate reductase is a minor constituent of pig liver, and to obtain homogeneous enzyme, a 32,000-fold purification must be accomplished. The preparation described herein attains such purification in 5 steps and with a 14% yield. The enzyme isolated in this fashion is active and stable, and contains a stoichiometric complement of FAD. The enzyme is reducible under anaerobic conditions by 5-deazaflavin/EDTA/light or by NADPH. Reduction of 1 mol of enzyme-bound FAD requires 1.1 mol of NADPH. The reduced enzyme can be reoxidized by (6-R)-methylenetetrahydrofolate, again with nearly 1:1 stoichiometry. Steady state kinetic measurements of the NADPH-methylenetetrahydrofolate oxidoreductase activity give parallel line double reciprocal plots. The turnover number per mol of enzyme-bound flavin is 1600/min under Vmax conditions. The spectrum of the enzyme-bound flavin is significantly perturbed by the binding of S-adenosylmethionine, a metabolite known to be an allosteric modulator of the enzyme.

UI MeSH Term Description Entries
D008099 Liver A large lobed glandular organ in the abdomen of vertebrates that is responsible for detoxification, metabolism, synthesis and storage of various substances. Livers
D008754 Methylenetetrahydrofolate Dehydrogenase (NADP) An NADP-dependent oxidoreductase that catalyses the conversion of 5,10-methyleneterahydrofolate to 5,10-methenyl-tetrahydrofolate. In higher eukaryotes a trifunctional enzyme exists with additional METHENYLTETRAHYDROFOLATE CYCLOHYDROLASE and FORMATE-TETRAHYDROFOLATE LIGASE activity. The enzyme plays an important role in the synthesis of 5-methyltetrahydrofolate, the methyl donor for the VITAMIN B12-dependent remethylation of HOMOCYSTEINE to METHIONINE via METHIONINE SYNTHETASE. Methylenetetrahydrofolate Dehydrogenase (NADP+),Methylenetetrahydrofolate Dehydrogenase,Dehydrogenase, Methylenetetrahydrofolate
D008970 Molecular Weight The sum of the weight of all the atoms in a molecule. Molecular Weights,Weight, Molecular,Weights, Molecular
D010084 Oxidation-Reduction A chemical reaction in which an electron is transferred from one molecule to another. The electron-donating molecule is the reducing agent or reductant; the electron-accepting molecule is the oxidizing agent or oxidant. Reducing and oxidizing agents function as conjugate reductant-oxidant pairs or redox pairs (Lehninger, Principles of Biochemistry, 1982, p471). Redox,Oxidation Reduction
D010088 Oxidoreductases The class of all enzymes catalyzing oxidoreduction reactions. The substrate that is oxidized is regarded as a hydrogen donor. The systematic name is based on donor:acceptor oxidoreductase. The recommended name will be dehydrogenase, wherever this is possible; as an alternative, reductase can be used. Oxidase is only used in cases where O2 is the acceptor. (Enzyme Nomenclature, 1992, p9) Dehydrogenases,Oxidases,Oxidoreductase,Reductases,Dehydrogenase,Oxidase,Reductase
D005182 Flavin-Adenine Dinucleotide A condensation product of riboflavin and adenosine diphosphate. The coenzyme of various aerobic dehydrogenases, e.g., D-amino acid oxidase and L-amino acid oxidase. (Lehninger, Principles of Biochemistry, 1982, p972) FAD,Flavitan,Dinucleotide, Flavin-Adenine,Flavin Adenine Dinucleotide
D000596 Amino Acids Organic compounds that generally contain an amino (-NH2) and a carboxyl (-COOH) group. Twenty alpha-amino acids are the subunits which are polymerized to form proteins. Amino Acid,Acid, Amino,Acids, Amino
D000693 Anaerobiosis The complete absence, or (loosely) the paucity, of gaseous or dissolved elemental oxygen in a given place or environment. (From Singleton & Sainsbury, Dictionary of Microbiology and Molecular Biology, 2d ed) Anaerobic Metabolism,Anaerobic Metabolisms,Anaerobioses,Metabolism, Anaerobic,Metabolisms, Anaerobic
D000818 Animals Unicellular or multicellular, heterotrophic organisms, that have sensation and the power of voluntary movement. Under the older five kingdom paradigm, Animalia was one of the kingdoms. Under the modern three domain model, Animalia represents one of the many groups in the domain EUKARYOTA. Animal,Metazoa,Animalia
D013053 Spectrophotometry The art or process of comparing photometrically the relative intensities of the light in different parts of the spectrum.

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