Spinach plastocyanin and turnip cytochrome f have been covalently linked by using a water-soluble carbodiimide to yield an adduct of the two proteins. The redox potential of cytochrome f in the adduct was shifted by -20 mV relative to that of free cytochrome f, while the redox potential of plastocyanin in the adduct was the same as that of free plastocyanin. Solvent perturbation studies showed the degree of heme exposure in the adduct to be less than in free cytochrome f, indicating that plastocyanin was linked in such a way as to bury the exposed heme edge. Small changes were also observed when the resonance Raman spectrum of the adduct was compared to that of free cytochrome f. The adduct was incapable of interacting with or donating electrons to photosystem I. Peptide mapping and sequencing studies revealed two sites of linkage between the two proteins. In one site of linkage, Asp-44 of plastocyanin is covalently linked to Lys-187 of cytochrome f. This represents the first identification of a group on cytochrome f that is involved in the interaction with plastocyanin. The other site of linkage involves Glu-59 and/or Glu-60 of plastocyanin to as yet unidentified amino groups on cytochrome f. Euglena cytochrome c-552 could also be covalently linked to turnip cytochrome f, although with a lower efficiency than spinach plastocyanin. In contrast, a variety of cyanobacterial cytochrome c-553's and a cyanobacterial plastocyanin could not be covalently linked to turnip cytochrome f.

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Current studies in our laboratory demonstrate a functional link between vesicles, vacuoles and aflatoxin biosynthesis in the filamentous fungus, Aspergillus parasiticus. Under aflatoxin inducing conditions in liquid yeast-extract sucrose medium, A. parasiticus undergoes a shift from vacuole biogenesis to accumulation of an enhanced number of vesicles which exhibit significant heterogeneity in size and density. As a first step in conducting a detailed analysis of the role of these organelles in aflatoxin synthesis, we developed a novel method to purify the vesicle and vacuole fraction using protoplasts prepared from cells harvested during aflatoxin synthesis. The method includes the following steps: 1] preparation of protoplasts from mycelia grown for 36h under aflatoxin inducing conditions; 2] release of vesicles and vacuoles from purified protoplasts in the presence of Triton X-100; and 3] fractionation of the vesicles and vacuoles using a “one-step high density cushion”. The vesicle-vacuole fraction showed a 35 fold enrichment in alpha-mannosidase activity (vacuole marker) and non-detectable succinate dehydrogenase and lactate dehydrogenase activities (mitochondrial and cytoplasmic markers, respectively). Confocal laser scanning microscopy with the vacuole dyes MDY-64 and CMAC demonstrated that the fraction contained pure vesicles and vacuoles and was devoid of membranous debris. Transmission electron microscopy (TEM) confirmed that no mitochondria or unbroken protoplasts contaminated the purified fraction. The purified organelles exhibited significant size heterogeneity with a range of sizes similar to that observed in whole cells and protoplasts.

A new technique has been developed to measure intracomplex electron transfer between cytochrome c and its redox partners. Cytochrome c derivatives labeled at single lysine amino groups with ruthenium bisbipyridine dicarboxybipyridine were prepared as previously described [Pan, L.P., Durham, B., Wolinska, J., & Millett, F. (1988) Biochemistry 27, 7180-7184]. Excitation of RuII with a short light pulse resulted in the formation of the excited-state RuII*, which rapidly transferred an electron to the ferric heme group to form FeII and RuIII. Aniline was included in the buffer to reduce RuIII to RuII, leaving the heme group in the ferrous state. This process was complete within the lifetime of the light pulse. When plastocyanin was present in the solution, electron transfer from the ferrous heme of cytochrome c to CuII in plastocyanin was observed. All of the ruthenium cytochrome c derivatives formed electrostatic complexes with plastocyanin at low ionic strength, allowing intracomplex electron-transfer rate constants to be measured. The rate constants for derivatives modified at the indicated lysines were as follows: Lys 13, 1920 s-1; Lys 8, 1480 s-1; Lys 7, 1340 s-1; Lys 86, 1020 s-1; Lys 25, 820 s-1; Lys 72, 800 s-1; Lys 27, 530 s-1. It is interesting that the derivative modified at lysine 13 at the top of the heme crevice had the largest rate constant, while lysine 27 at the right side of the heme crevice had the smallest.(ABSTRACT TRUNCATED AT 250 WORDS)

Standard tissue preparation for light and scanning electron microscopy (SEM) uses ethanol as a dehydrating agent but that can also dissolve cholesterol crystals (CC) leaving behind empty tissue imprints or "clefts". Cholesterol crystals may contribute to plaque rupture by their sharp tips that can tear membranes and trigger inflammation. Therefore, use of ethanol in tissue processing can mask the pathological role of CC. Here we evaluated the amount of cholesterol dissolved from CC with single and complete series of standard graded ethanol concentrations (25-100%) used in tissue preparation. Also, solubility of CC in ethanol at physiological levels was measured. Furthermore, we compared the effect of ethanol on CC in fresh human atherosclerotic plaques to matched segments dehydrated using vacuum (-1 atm, 12h). Tissue crystal density ranging from 0 to +3 was measured semi-quantitatively by SEM. For CC exposed to 25% and 100% ethanol for 10 min each, 0.38% and 95% of CC were dissolved respectively. Also, increase in CC solubility was significant at physiological levels of ethanol (0.16%) compared to water (43.4 ± 18.0 ng/mL vs. 30.9 ± 13.9 ng/mL; p < 0.05). We speculate that this could represent a potential mechanism of cardio-protective effects of alcohol consumption. In atherosclerotic plaques, CC density was lower in ethanol vs. saline treatment (+1.2 vs. +2.8; P < 0.01) with visible dissolving noted by SEM. Ethanol has been used for centuries in tissue preparation for microscopy. Here we demonstrate how current tissue preparation methods greatly alter histological findings with SEM by masking the potential mechanism of plaque rupture.