Purification and characterization of acid phosphatase from cotyledons of germinating soybean seeds

Mycorrhizal fungus Serendipita indica-associated acid phosphatase rescues the phosphate nutrition with reduced arsenic uptake in the host plant under arsenic stress

Symbiotic interactions play a vital role in maintaining the phosphate (Pi) nutrient status of host plants and providing resilience during biotic and abiotic stresses. Serendipita indica, a mycorrhiza-like fungus, supports plant growth by transporting Pi to the plant. Despite the competitive behaviour of arsenate (AsV) with Pi, the association with S. indica promotes plant growth under arsenic (As) stress by reducing As bioavailability through adsorption, accumulation, and precipitation within the fungus. However, the capacity of S. indica to enhance Pi accumulation and utilization under As stress remains unexplored. Axenic studies revealed that As supply significantly reduces intracellular ACPase activity in S. indica, while extracellular ACPase remains unaffected. Further investigations using Native PAGE and gene expression studies confirmed that intracellular ACPase (isoform2) is sensitive to As, whereas extracellular ACPase (isoform1) is As-insensitive. Biochemical analysis showed that ACPase (isoform1) has a Km of 0.5977 µM and Vmax of 0.1945 Unit/min. In hydroponically cultured tomato seedlings, simultaneous inoculation of S. indica with As on the 14thday after seed germination led to hyper-colonization, increased root/shoot length, biomass, and induction of ACPase expression and secretion under As stress. Arsenic-treated S. indica colonized groups (13.33 µM As+Si and 26.67 µM As+Si) exhibited 8.28-19.14 and 1.71-3.45-fold activation of ACPase in both rhizospheric media and root samples, respectively, thereby enhancing Pi availability in the surrounding medium under As stress. Moreover, S. indica (13.33 µM As+Si and 26.67 µM As+Si) significantly improved Pi accumulation in roots by 7.26 and 9.46 times and in shoots by 4.36 and 8.85 times compared to the control. Additionally, S. indica induced the expression of SiPT under As stress, further improving Pi mobilization. Notably, fungal colonization also restricted As mobilization from the hydroponic medium to the shoot, with a higher amount of As (191.01 ppm As in the 26.67 µM As+Si group) accumulating in the plant's roots. The study demonstrates the performance of S. indica under As stress in enhancing Pi mobilization while limiting As uptake in the host plant. These findings provide the first evidence of the As-Pi interaction in the AM-like fungus S. indica, indicating reduced As uptake and regulation of PHO genes (ACPase and SiPT genes) to increase Pi acquisition. These data also lay the foundation for the rational use of S. indica in agricultural practices.

Kinetic and thermodynamic studies of novel acid phosphates extracted from Cichorium intybus seedlings

Herein for the first time a novel acid phosphatase from the seedlings of Cichorium intybus was purified to homogeneity by using various chromatographic techniques (salt precipitation, ion exchange, size exclusion and affinity chromatography) and thermodynamically characterized. The molecular mass of purified enzyme (66 kDa) was determined by SDS-PAGE under denaturing and non-denaturing conditions and by gel-filtration confirmed as dimer of molecular mass 130 kDa. The Michaelis-Menten (Km) constant for -p-NPP (0.3 mM) and (7.6 μmol/min/mg) Vmax. The enzyme was competitively inhibited by phosphate, molybdate and vanadate. Phenyl phosphate, ɑ and β-glycero-phosphate and-p-NPP were found to be good substrate. When temperature increased from (55 °C to 75 °C), the deactivation rate constant (kd) was increased (0.1 to 4.6 min-1) and half- life was decreased from 630 min to 15 min. Various thermal denaturation parameters; change in enthalpy (ΔH°), change in entropy (ΔS°) and change in free energy (ΔG°) were found 121.93 KJ·mol-1, 72.45 KJ·mol-1 and 98.08 KJ·mol-1 respectively, confirming that acid phosphatase undergoes a significant process of unfolding during deactivation. The biochemical properties of acid phosphatase from C. intybus on the behalf of biological activity and its relationship to pH variations, thermal deactivation and kinetics parameters provide an insight into its novel features.

A novel fungal beta-propeller phytase from nematophagous Arthrobotrys oligospora: characterization and potential application in phosphorus and mineral release for feed processing

Phytases are widely utilized in feed industry to increase the utilization of phosphorus, minerals, and amino acids for improvement of animal and human nutrition. At present, all known β-propeller phytases (BPP) have been generated from bacteria, particularly Bacillus. In this work we report for the first time a new fungal-derived BPP phytase. We identified a phytase highly differentially expressed only in the parasitic stage of a nematophagous fungus, Arhtrobotrys oliogospora, during the development of the 3D traps. We found that this phytase was homologous to the known bacterial BPP phytase, thus we referred the new phytase to Aophytase. The heterologous expression of codon-optimized Aophytase gene in Pichia pastoris was successfully investigated to yield recombinant Aophytase (r-Aophytase) with high specific enzyme activity of 74.71 U/mg, much higher than those of recombinant BPP phytases derived bacteria. The kinetic parameters of the r-Aophytase, the optimum pH and temperature, as well as the effects of surfactant, EDTA and different ions on its enzyme activity were further investigated. The potential utilization of r-Aophytase in feed processing was finally explored. We found that the optimal pH value was about 7.5, and the optimal temperature was 50 °C.; r-Aophytase significantly increased the release of inorganic phosphorus from soybean meal, and improved the release of soluble minerals from the durum wheat flour and finger millet flour. The findings indicate its potential utilization in the feed processing to ameliorate nutritional value of cereals and animal feed in the future.

Purine salvage in plants

Purine bases and nucleosides are produced by turnover of nucleotides and nucleic acids as well as from some cellular metabolic pathways. Adenosine released from the S-adenosyl-L-methionine cycle is linked to many methyltransferase reactions, such as the biosynthesis of caffeine and glycine betaine. Adenine is produced by the methionine cycles, which is related to other biosynthesis pathways, such those for the production of ethylene, nicotianamine and polyamines. These purine compounds are recycled for nucleotide biosynthesis by so-called "salvage pathways". However, the salvage pathways are not merely supplementary routes for nucleotide biosynthesis, but have essential functions in many plant processes. In plants, the major salvage enzymes are adenine phosphoribosyltransferase (EC 2.4.2.7) and adenosine kinase (EC 2.7.1.20). AMP produced by these enzymes is converted to ATP and utilised as an energy source as well as for nucleic acid synthesis. Hypoxanthine, guanine, inosine and guanosine are salvaged to IMP and GMP by hypoxanthine/guanine phosphoribosyltransferase (EC 2.4.2.8) and inosine/guanosine kinase (EC 2.7.1.73). In contrast to de novo purine nucleotide biosynthesis, synthesis by the salvage pathways is extremely favourable, energetically, for cells. In addition, operation of the salvage pathway reduces the intracellular levels of purine bases and nucleosides which inhibit other metabolic reactions. The purine salvage enzymes also catalyse the respective formation of cytokinin ribotides, from cytokinin bases, and cytokinin ribosides. Since cytokinin bases are the active form of cytokinin hormones, these enzymes act to maintain homeostasis of cellular cytokinin bioactivity. This article summarises current knowledge of purine salvage pathways and their possible function in plants and purine salvage activities associated with various physiological phenomena are reviewed.

Purification and characterization of acid phosphatase from a germinating black gram (Vigna mungo L.) seedling

An acid phosphatase has been isolated and purified from an extract of a germinating black gram seedling. The method was accomplished by gel filtration of a germinating black gram seedling crude extract on sephadex G-75 followed by ion exchange chromatography on DEAE cellulose. The acid phosphatase gave a single band on SDS-polyacrylamide slab gel electrophoresis. The molecular weight of the acid phosphatase determined by SDS-polyacrylamide slab gel electrophoresis was estimated to be 25 kDa. The purified enzyme showed maximum activity at pH 5 and at temperature of 55?C. Mg2+, Zn2+ and EDTA had an inhibitory effect on the activity of the acid phosphatase. Black gram seedling acid phosphatase was activated by K+, Cu2+ and Ba2+. The Km value of the enzyme was found to be 0.49 mM for pNPP as substrate.

Culture Conditions and Characterizations of a New Phytase-Producing Fungal Isolate, Aspergillus sp. L117

A novel fungal strain Aspergillus sp. L117 that produced acid-stable and thermostable phytase was isolated on basis of the clearing zone on PSM plate and the ability of Na-phytate hydrolysis. The phytase of isolate showed a 3-fold higher activity than that of A. ficuun NRRL3135. The Aspergillus sp. L117 produced maximal level of phytase at initial pH of 5.0 and 30℃. The optimal pH and temperature for phytase activity were 5.5 and 50℃, respectively. The phytase showed totally stable activity after 20 min of exposure between 30 and 90℃, and even at 100℃. The highest level of residual phytase activity was obtained at pH 5.5, and still retained the stability at the broadest pH ranges (2.0 to 7.0) of all the aforementioned phytases. Storage stability of phytase was preserved over 96% of initial activities for 60 days at 4, -20, and -70℃ and to retain even 70% of the initial activity at room temperature.

Partial purification and characterization of a non-specific acid phosphatase in leaves and root nodules of Phaseolus vulgaris

Acid phosphatase (ACP) activity in common bean grown with or without 1.5 mM of phosphate has been examined. Leaves and root nodules responded to the absence of an exogenous phosphate source with an increase in ACP activity. Increases in enzyme activity were not associated with the synthesis of new isoforms of the enzyme. We partially purified and characterized the ACPs, which consisted of three proteins, one of leaf and two of nodule. Proteins of leaf migrated at 72 and 51 kDa in SDS-PAGE, whereas that of nodule migrated at 72, 49, 41 and 34 kDa. Enzymes of both organs had a pH optimum of 5.6, and were relatively heat stable. The enzymes exhibit a broad substrate selectivity, with maximal activity obtained with alpha-naphthyl-phosphate, ribulose 1,5-bisphosphate and p-nitrophenyl-phosphate (p-NPP). Potent inhibition by Zn2+, Hg2+, Cu2+, Pb2+, Al3+ and (MoO4)2- was observed.

Acid phosphatase activities during the germination of Glycine max seeds

In this paper, we describe a study concerning the determination of some characteristics of soybean seedlings and the detection of acid phosphatase activities towards different substrates during the germination. Enzyme activities with p-nitrophenylphosphate (pNPP) and inorganic pyrophosphate (PPi) as substrates were detected from the 5th and 7th days after germination, respectively. Acid phosphatase activities with tyrosine phosphate (TyrP), glucose-6-phosphate (G6P) and phosphoenol pyruvate (PEP) were also observed but to a lesser extent. Under the same conditions, no enzyme activity was detected with phytic acid (PhyAc) as substrate. The appearance of phosphatase activity was coincident with the decrease of inorganic phosphate content during germination; over the same period, the protein content increased up to the 5th day, decreased until the 8th day, and remained constant after this period. Relative to phosphatase activity in the cotyledons, the activities detected in the hypocotyl and roots were 82% and 38%, respectively. During storage the enzyme maintained about 63% of its activity for 3 months at 5 degrees C. The specificity constant (Vmax/Km) values for pNPP and PPi were 212 and 64 mu kat mM-1 mg-1, respectively. Amongst the substrates tested, PPi could be a potential physiological substrate for acid phosphatase during the germination of soybean seeds.

Isolation and partial characterization of an acid phosphatase from Artemisia vulgaris pollen extract

An acid phosphatase from an extract of mugwort (Artemisia vulgaris) pollen was purified by a factor of 48 by a combination of ion exchange and gel-chromatography. The molecular weights of the enzyme were 76 kDa and 73 kDa, determined by gel filtration on a Sephadex G-100 sf column and by SDS PAGE(under reducing and non-reducing conditions), respectively. In analytical isoelectrofocusing, the enzyme appears as two very close bands pI at about 4.2. The optimum pH for the enzyme is 5.4. The apparent Km for p-nitrophenyl phosphate was estimated to be 0.16mM. The purified enzyme has broad specificity, and hydrolyses p-nitrophenyl phosphate and ?-naphthyl phosphate. Pyrophosphate and O-phospho-L-tyrosine were estimated to be the best substrates for this enzyme as potential in vivo substrates. The enzyme is inhibited competitively by phosphate (Ki = 1.25 mM), molybdate (Ki = 0.055 mM) and pyrophosphate (Ki = 6.7 mM) and non-competitively by fluoride (Ki = 9.8 mM). Metal ions such as Hg2+, Cu2+ and Zn2+ express an inhibitory effect on the enzyme, while the enzyme is slightly activated by non-ionic detergents, Tween 20 and Triton X-100. There is no change in the enzyme activity in the presence of tartrate, citrate, EDTA, 1,10-phenanthroline and sulfhydryl-group modifiers such as p-chloromercuribenzoate and N-ethylmaleimide.

Endogenous lectin as a possible regulator of the hydrolysis of physiological substrates by soybean seed acid phosphatase

The effects of two lectins concanavalin A (conA) and soybean agglutinin, on soybean seed acid phosphatase activity were investigated using p-nitrophenylphosphate (pNPP), pyrophosphate (PPi) and phosphoenolpyruvate (PEP) as substrates. Of the four acid phosphatase isoforms (AP1, AP2, AP3A and AP3B) purified from soybean seeds, only AP1 was activated 40 and 60% by conA and soybean agglutinin, respectively. Both lectins affected some of the kinetic parameters of AP1. The activation by lectins was not affected by 1 mM Ca2+ or Mn2+ but glucose and methylmannopyranoside (100 mM) prevented activation by conA. Under the same conditions, galactose had no effect. These results suggest that plant acid phosphatases may be regulated by lectins, the effects vary according to the substrate used.

A novel phytase with sequence similarity to purple acid phosphatases is expressed in cotyledons of germinating soybean seedlings

Phytic acid (myo-inositol hexakisphosphate) is the major storage form of phosphorus in plant seeds. During germination, stored reserves are used as a source of nutrients by the plant seedling. Phytic acid is degraded by the activity of phytases to yield inositol and free phosphate. Due to the lack of phytases in the non-ruminant digestive tract, monogastric animals cannot utilize dietary phytic acid and it is excreted into manure. High phytic acid content in manure results in elevated phosphorus levels in soil and water and accompanying environmental concerns. The use of phytases to degrade seed phytic acid has potential for reducing the negative environmental impact of livestock production. A phytase was purified to electrophoretic homogeneity from cotyledons of germinated soybeans (Glycine max L. Merr.). Peptide sequence data generated from the purified enzyme facilitated the cloning of the phytase sequence (GmPhy) employing a polymerase chain reaction strategy. The introduction of GmPhy into soybean tissue culture resulted in increased phytase activity in transformed cells, which confirmed the identity of the phytase gene. It is surprising that the soybean phytase was unrelated to previously characterized microbial or maize (Zea mays) phytases, which were classified as histidine acid phosphatases. The soybean phytase sequence exhibited a high degree of similarity to purple acid phosphatases, a class of metallophosphoesterases.

Inhibition of acid phosphatase isoforms purified from mature soybean (Glycine max) seeds

The four soybean seed acid phosphatase isoforms AP1, AP2, AP3A and AP3B were competitively inhibited by phosphate, vanadate, fluoride and molybdate, using p-nitrophenylphosphate as substrate. The four isoforms were not significantly affected by compounds that can interact with SH residues or by pyridoxal phosphate. These results indicated that cysteine and lysine residues are not present in the active site of the four soybean seed acid phosphatase isoforms. The inhibition constant values for phosphate, vanadate, fluoride and molybdate at pH 5.0 were respectively: API (250, 12.8, 1.7, 0.05 microM). AP2 (800, 10, 500, 0.025 microM), AP3A (250, 24.2,250, 0.032 microM ), AP3B (2400 36.9, 750, 0.05 microM).

Induction of a germination specific, low molecular weight, acid phosphatase isozyme with specific phosphotyrosine phosphatase activity in lentil (Lens esculenta) seeds

A germination specific isozyme of acid phosphatase (EC 3.1.3.2) hydrolysing O-phospho-L-Tyrosine, pH optima 5.5 is induced in lentil seeds. When seeds at 0 h, 24 h and 36 h of germination are electrophorezed, native PAGE on specific enzyme staining shows several constitutive isozymes of acid phosphatases. At 48 h, an isozyme is induced which gradually decreases and then disappears at 108 h of germination. The short lived, induced isozyme is present in the embryo and seed-coat but not in the plumule and the radical. Induction of this isozyme is inhibited by cycloheximide and actinomycin-D and increased by plant growth regulators such as heteroauxin and gibbrellic acid treatment during germination. The induced isozyme is a single 30 kD polypeptide, with subunit molecular mass of 25 kD, shows activity for O-phospho-L-Tyrosine. It is strongly inhibited by vanadate (microM), molybdate, tungustate as also by iodoacetate, p-chloromercuribenzoate and diethylpyrocarbonate. This study shows for the first time that the germination induced low molecular weight Acid phosphatase is a Tyrosine phosphatase super family class IV enzyme, having a role in cellular differentiation and development during seed germination.

Soybean seed acid phosphatases: unusual optimum temperature and thermal stability studies

In contrast to other acid phosphatases, four cytoplasmic isoforms (AP1, AP2, AP3A, and AP3B) purified from mature soybean seeds presented high activities at temperatures above 80 degrees C, when p-nitrophenylphosphate (p-NPP) was utilized as substrate. However, with tyrosine phosphate and inorganic pyrophosphate as substrates, maximum activities were observed at temperature of 60 degrees C during 10 min reaction. In the absence of substrate, enzymes lost only 20% activity after 60 min at 60 degrees C; the isoforms AP3A and AP3B retained 30% of activity at 70 degrees C after 60 min and all the isoforms were inactivated at 80 degrees C, after 5 min. Thermal inactivation studies indicated that the soybean enzymes showed different temperature dependences in relation to most plant acid phosphatases. A best protective effect was observed when the isoforms were preincubated, at 70 degrees C, with phosphate (10 mM) and p-nitrophenol (10 mM) which indicates that the enzyme inactivation was prevented only in the presence of both reaction products.

Cloning, characterization and overexpression of the phytase-encoding gene (phyA) of Aspergillus niger

Phytase catalyzes the hydrolysis of phytate (myo-inositol hexakisphosphate) to myo-inositol and inorganic phosphate. A gene (phyA) of Aspergillus niger NRRL3135 coding for extracellular, glycosylated phytase was isolated using degenerate oligodeoxyribonucleotides deduced from phytase amino acid (aa) sequences. Nucleotide (nt) sequence analysis of the cloned region revealed the presence of an open reading frame coding for 467 aa and interrupted once by an intron of 102 bp in the 5' part of the gene. The start codon is followed by a sequence coding for a putative signal peptide. Expression of phyA is controlled at the level of mRNA accumulation in response to inorganic phosphate levels. After cell growth in low-phosphate medium, a transcript of about 1.8 kb was visualized. Transcription of phyA initiates at at least seven start points within a region located 45-25 nt upstream from the start codon. In transformants of A. niger, expression of multiple copies of phyA resulted in up to more than tenfold higher phytase levels than in the wild-type strain.

Substrate specificity and pH dependence of homogeneous wheat germ acid phosphatase

The broad substrate specificity of a homogeneous isoenzyme of wheat germ acid phosphatase (WGAP) was extensively investigated by chromatographic, electrophoretic, NMR, and kinetic procedures. WGAP exhibited no divalent metal ion requirement and was unaffected upon incubation with EDTA or o-phenanthroline. A comparison of two catalytically homogeneous isoenzymes revealed little difference in substrate specificity. The specificity of WGAP was established by determining the Michaelis constants for a wide variety of substrates. p-Nitrophenyl phosphate, pyrophosphate, tripolyphosphate, and ATP were preferred substrates while lesser activities were seen toward sugar phosphates, trimetaphosphate, phosphoproteins, and (much less) phosphodiesters. An extensive table of Km and Vmax values is given. The pathway for the hydrolysis of trimetaphosphate was examined by colorimetric and 31P NMR methods and it was found that linear tripolyphosphate is not a free intermediate in the enzymatic reaction. In contrast to literature reports, homogeneous wheat germ acid phosphatase exhibits no measurable carboxylesterase activity, nor does it hydrolyze phenyl phosphonothioate esters or phytic acid at significant rates.

Isolation and characterization of a homogeneous isoenzyme of wheat germ acid phosphatase

An acid phosphatase (orthophosphoric monoester phosphohydrolase, acid optimum; EC 3.1.3.2) isoenzyme from wheat germ was purified 7000-fold to homogeneity. The effect of wheat germ sources and their relationship to the isoenzyme content and purification behavior of acid phosphatases was investigated. Extensive information about the purification and stabilization of the enzyme is provided. The instability of isoenzymes in the latter stages of purification appeared to be the result of surface inactivation together with a sensitivity to dilution that could be partially offset by addition of Triton X-100 during chromatographic procedures. Added sulfhydryl protecting reagents had no effect on activity or stability, which was greatest in the pH range 4-7. The purified isoenzyme was homogeneous by polyacrylamide gel electrophoresis and exhibited the highest specific activity and turnover number reported for any acid phosphatase. The molecular weights of the pure isoenzyme and of related isoenzymes from wheat germ were found to be identical (58,000). The pure isoenzyme contained a single polypeptide chain and had a negligible carbohydrate content. The amino acid composition was determined. Of the various reasons that were considered to explain isoenzyme occurrence, a genetic basis was considered most likely. The enzyme was found to exhibit substrate inhibition with some substrates below pH 6, while above pH 8 it exhibited downwardly curving Lineweaver-Burk plots of the type that are generally described as "substrate activation". The observation of a phosphotransferase activity was consistent with the formation of a covalent phosphoenzyme intermediate, while inactivation by diethyl pyrocarbonate was consistent with the presence of an active site histidine.

Purification, characterization, and subcellular localization of an acid phosphatase from black mustard cell-suspension cultures: comparison with phosphoenolpyruvate phosphatase

An acid phosphatase from Brassica nigra (black mustard) leaf petiole cell-suspension cultures has been purified 1633-fold to a final specific activity of 1225 (mumols orthophosphate produced/min)/mg protein and near homogeneity. The native protein was a glycosylated monomer having a molecular mass of 60 kDa and a pI of 4.5. The enzyme displayed a broad pH optimum of about pH 5.6 and was heat stable. The final preparation hydrolyzed a wide variety of phosphate esters. The highest specificity constants were obtained with 3-phosphoglycerate, 2,3-diphosphoglycerate, PPi, and phosphoenolpyruvate (PEP). The enzyme was activated 1.4-fold by 4 mM Mg2+ or Mn2+, but was strongly inhibited by Mo, Pi, F, and several phosphorylated compounds. Subcellular localization experiments revealed that this nonspecific acid phosphatase is probably a secreted enzyme, localized in the cell wall. By contrast, B. nigra PEP phosphatase appeared to be localized in the cell vacuole. Peptide mapping via CNBr fragmentation was employed to investigate the structural relatedness of the two phosphatases. Their respective CNBr cleavage patterns were dissimilar, suggesting that B. nigra acid and PEP phosphatases are distinct polypeptides. Putative metabolic functions of these two phosphatases are discussed in relation to the biochemical adaptations of B. nigra cell-suspension cultures to nutritional phosphate deprivation.