• Bulletin of the Korean Chemical Society
• /
• v.28 no.6
• /
• pp.941-946
• /
• 2007

Bacillus halodurans O-methyltransferase (BhOMT) is a S-adenosylmethionine (SAM or AdoMet) dependent methyltransferase. Three dimensional structure of the BhOMT bound to S-adenosyl-L-homocysteine (SAH or AdoHcy) has been determined by comparative homology modeling. BhOMT has 40% sequence identity with caffeoyl-CoA 3-O-methyltransferase (CCoAOMT) from alfalfa. Based on x-ray structure of CCoAOMT, three dimensional structure of BhOMT was determined using MODELLER. The substrate binding sites of these two proteins showed slight differences, but these differences were important to characterize the substrate of BhOMT. Automated docking study showed that four flavonoids, quercetin, fisetin, myricetin, and luteolin which have two hydroxyl groups simultaneously at 3'- and 4'-position in the B-ring and structural rigidity of Cring resulting from the double bond characters between C2 and C3, were well docked as ligands of BhOMT. These flavonoids form stable hydrogen bondings with K211, R170, and hydroxyl group at 3'-position in the Bring has stable electrostatic interaction with Ca2+ ion in BhOMT. This study will be helpful to understand the biochemical function of BhOMT as an O-methyltransferase for flavonoids.

• Archives of Pharmacal Research
• /
• v.17 no.5
• /
• pp.354-359
• /
• 1994

The activity of SD-framesylcysteine O-methyltransferase was assayed by incubating the enzyrne with a synthetic in vitro substrate, [N-acetyl-S-trans, trns-famesyl-L-cysteine (AFC)], together with S-adenosyl-L-[emthyl-$_{14}$C)ester(AFCME)], was then analyzed either directly on HPLC or by converting the AFC[$methyl^{14}C$]ME to [$methyl^{14}C$] aclcohol by basehydrolysis. Employing these two analytical methods, it was established that a peptide purifed from rat liver cytosol fraction [Int. J. Biochem., 25, 1157 919930] strongly inhibited the above enzyme activity with $IC_{50}\; of\; 7.1\times 10^{-8}$ M. Also, the S-famesylcysteine O-methyltransferase from several human colon cancer cells was equally inhibited by the peptide.

• Proceedings of the Korean Society of Grassland Science Conference
• /
• 2005.06a
• /
• pp.178-179
• /
• 2005

• Biomedical Science Letters
• /
• v.11 no.4
• /
• pp.473-479
• /
• 2005

Possible mechanism of decreased catechol-O-methyltransferase (COMT) activity in cholestatic rat liver was studied. Hepatic and serum COMT activities were determined from the experimental rats with common bile duct ligation (CBDL). The Michaelis-Menten constants in this hepatic enzyme were also measured. The activities of cytosolic, mitochondrial and mircosomal COMT as well as their Vmax values were found to be decreased significantly in CBDL plus taurocholic acid (TCA) injected group than in the control group, such as CBDL alone groups. However, their Km values in the experimental groups did not vary. Serum COMT activity increased slightly in the CBDL plus TCA injected group than in the control group. The above results suggest that TCA represses biosynthesis of the COMT in the liver. The elevated activity of the serum COMT is believed to be caused by the increment of membrane permeability of hepatocytes upon TCA mediated liver cell necrosis.

• Biomedical Science Letters
• /
• v.11 no.1
• /
• pp.45-49
• /
• 2005

The change of catechol-O-methyltransferase (COMT) activity during regeneration of rat liver was studied. Cytosolic, mitochondrial and microsomal COMTs activities were estimated in regenerating rat livers over a period of ten days after $70\%$ (median and left lateral lobes) partial hepatectomy. The values of Km and Vmax in the hepatic enzymes were also measured. The activities of cytosolic and microsomal COMTs in regenerating rat liver after partial hepatectomy were found to be significantly increased between the second and the third day. Whereas the mitochondrial COMT activity did not change. The Vmax values of the cytosolic and microsomal COMTs in the regenerating rat liver were significantly increased at the second day after partial hepatectomy, however, the Km values of the above hepatic enzymes did not vary in all the experimental groups. Therefore, the results suggest that the biosynthesis of COMT was increased during the regeneration of rat liver.

• BMB Reports
• /
• v.29 no.2
• /
• pp.142-145
• /
• 1996

To investigate the cause of increased plasma catecholamine levels in liver disease, catechol-O-methyltransferase (COMT), which provides a major route of catabolism for circulating catecholamines, was studied under the cholestasis induced by mechanical biliary obstruction in rats. Monoamine oxidase (MAO) activity and the $K_m$ and $V_{max}$ values for both enzymes were also measured. Cytosolic, microsomal, and mitochondrial COMT activities in the cholestatic liver were significantly decreased throughout the experiment. Microsomal, and mitochondrial MAO activity in the cholestatic liver were also significantly decreased. Vmax values of COMT and MAO were lower. Serum COMT and MAO activities were detected after CBD ligation. These results indicate that plasma catecholamine levels are increased in liver disease due to decreased hepatic degradation of catecholamines by decreased activities of COMT and MAO. The decreased activity of these enzymes is caused by decreased biosynthesis and by flowage into the blood from the damaged hepatocyte.

• BMB Reports
• /
• v.30 no.6
• /
• pp.410-414
• /
• 1997

We purified a protein carboxyl O-methyltransferase (protein methylase II) from porcine spleen to homogeneity. The molecular weight of the porcine spleen protein methylase II (ps-PM II) was estimated to be 27,500 daltons on SDS-PAGE. Amino acid sequence of N-terminal 28 residues for ps-PM II was identified. Amino-terminal three amino acid residues of ps-PM II were deleted when compared to those of other protein carboxyl methytransferase. S-Adenosyl-L-homocysteine competitively inhibits ps-PM II with a K, value of $1.63{\times}10^{-7}M$. Myelin basic protein exhibited the highest methyl-accepting capacity among the proteins tested.

• Bulletin of the Korean Chemical Society
• /
• v.26 no.11
• /
• pp.1695-1700
• /
• 2005

Catechol-O-methyltransferase (COMT, EC 2.1.1.6) is an S-adenosylmethionine (SAM, AdoMet) dependent methyltransferase, and is related to the functions of the neurotransmitters in various mental processes, such as Parkinson’s disease. COMT inhibitors represent a new class of antiparkinson drugs, when they are coadministered with levodopa. Based on x-ray structure of rat COMT (rCOMT), the three dimensional structure of human COMT (hCOMT) was constructed by comparative homology modeling using MODELLER. The catalytic site of these two proteins showed subtle differences, but these differences are important to determine the characterization of COMT inhibitor. Ligand docking study is carried out for complex of hCOMT and COMT inhibitors using AutoDock. Among fifteen inhibitors chosen from world patent, nine models were energetically favorable. The average value of heavy atomic RMSD was 1.5 $\AA$. Analysis of ligand-protein binding model implies that Arg201 on hCOMT plays important roles in the interactions with COMT inhibitors. This study may give insight to develop new ways of antiparkinson drug.

• Journal of Microbiology and Biotechnology
• /
• v.16 no.7
• /
• pp.1090-1096
• /
• 2006

O-Methylation is a common modification reaction found in nature, and is mediated by an O-methyltransferase (OMT). OMTs have been mainly studied in plants, whereas only a few OMTs have been studied in microbes. When searching the Bacillus cereus genome, four putative small molecular OMTs were identified, among which BcOMT-1 was cloned and expressed in E. coli as a his-tag fusion protein. The whole cell expressing BcOMT-1 was used to methylate several flavonoids. Eriodictyol, luteolin, quercetin, and taxifolin, all of which contain 3' and 4' hydroxyl groups, served as methyl group acceptors for BcOMT-1, whereas naringenin, apigenin, 3,3'-dihydroxyflavone, and 3,4'-dihydroxyflavone did not function as substrates. Analysis of the reaction products using HPLC showed two different peaks, and NMR revealed that the methylation position was at the hydroxyl group of either carbon 3' or 4'. Therefore, this showed that BcOMT-1 used flavonoids containing ortho hydroxyl groups and transferred a methyl group to either of two hydroxyl groups.

• BMB Reports
• /
• v.34 no.6
• /
• pp.559-565
• /
• 2001

Protein carboxyl O-methyltransferase (E.C.2.1.1.24) may play a role in the repair of aged protein that is spontaneously incorporated with isoaspartyl residues. The porcine brain carboxyl O-methyltransferase was cloned in the pET32 vector, and overexpressed in E.coh (BL21) that harbors pETPCMT, which encodes 227 amino acids, including tagging proteins at the N-terminus. The protein sequence of the cloned porcine brain PCMT (r-pbPCMT) shares a 98% identity with that of human erythrocyte PCMT and rat brain PCMT. It is 100% identical with that of bovine brain. The r-pbPCMT was purified using Ni-NTA affinity chromatography and digested by enterokinase in order to remove the protein tags. Then Superdex 75HR gel filtration chromatography was performed. The r-pbPCMT exhibited similar in vitro substrate specificities with the PCMT that was purified from porcine brain. The molecular weight of the enzyme was estimated to be 24.5 kDa on the SDS polyacrylamide gel electrophoresis. The $K_m$ value was $1.1{\times}10^{-7}\;M$ for S-adenosyl-L-methionine. S-adnosyl-L-homocysteine was a competitive type of inhibitor with the $K_i$ value of $1.38{\times}10^{-4}\;M$. The enzyme has optimal activity at pH 6.0 and $37^{\circ}C$. These results indicate that the expressed enzyme is functionally similar to the natural protein. It also suggests that it may be a suitable model to further understand the function of the mammalian enzyme.