title: Brain L-glutamate decarboxylase: purification and subunit structure.
abstract: Glutamate decarboxylase (GDCase; L-glutamate-1-carboxy-lyase, EC 4.1.1.15) was purified from whole rat brain approximately equal to 1300-fold to apparent homogeneity with a specific activity of 2.4 units per mg of protein by a combination of column chromatographies on DEAE-cellulose, hydroxylapatite, and gel filtration, and preparative nondenaturing polyacrylamide gel electrophoresis. The purified preparation contained a single protein band that comigrated with GDCase activity in three diverse analyses: nondenaturing regular (5%) and gradient (3.6-25%) polyacrylamide gel electrophoresis and isoelectric focusing at pH 4-7. The native molecular mass was calculated to be 120 +/- 10 kDa from gradient polyacrylamide gel electrophoresis and 110 +/- 10 kDa from gel filtration. Under the treatment with NaDodSO4 and 2-mercaptoethanol, GDCase dissociated into two subunits of 40 +/- 2 and 80 +/- 4 kDa, as estimated from NaDodSO4 gel electrophoresis. However, only a 40-kDa subunit was detected when GDCase was treated with 4 M urea plus NaDodSO4 and 2-mercaptoethanol, suggesting that the 80-kDa subunit is the dimer of the 40-kDa subunit. In immunoblotting, polyclonal antibodies against GDCase reacted with both 40- and 80-kDa subunits, while monoclonal antibody reacted with only 80-kDa subunits. The isoelectric point of the native enzyme was 5.4. The Km for glutamate was 1.59 X 10(-3) M. In addition to L-glutamate, cysteine sulfinic acid was also decarboxylated at approximately equal to 10% of the rate of glutamate. The pH optimum was fairly broad, with a maximum at approximately equal to 7.3. The enzyme was strongly inhibited by carbonyl-trapping agents, sulfhydryl reagents, thiol compounds, and beta-methylene-DL-aspartate.
authors.forename: L A
authors.initials: LA
authors.lastname: Denner
authors.forename: S C
authors.initials: SC
authors.lastname: Wei
authors.forename: H S
authors.initials: HS
authors.lastname: Lin
authors.forename: C T
authors.initials: CT
authors.lastname: Lin
authors.forename: J Y
authors.initials: JY
authors.lastname: Wu
mesh_terms: D000818:Animals; D001921:Brain / Q000201:enzymology*; D005968:Glutamate Decarboxylase / Q000037:antagonists & inhibitors / Q000302:isolation & purification* / Q000378:metabolism; D007700:Kinetics; D046911:Macromolecular Substances; D008970:Molecular Weight; D051381:Rats
chemical_list: D046911:Macromolecular Substances; D005968:Glutamate Decarboxylase