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[adenine-U-14C]ADP-ribose-agmatine and [adenine-U-14C ))ADP-ribose-histone were synthesized by an NAD:arginine ADP-ribosyltransferase from [14C]NAD and agmatine and histone, respectively. The pseudo-first order rate constants for breakdown of the two components either in 0.4 N NaOH or in 0.4 M neutral hydroxylamine were identical. Hydroxylamine treatment of [14C]ADP-ribose-agmatine or [32P]ADP-ribose-histone yielded a single radioactive product which was separated by high pressure liquid chromatography and identified as ADP-ribose-hydroxamate by the formation of a ferric chloride complex. Hydrolysis of ADP-ribose-hydroxamate with snake venom phosphodiesterase resulted in the formation of 5'-AMP, consistent with the presence of a pyrophosphate bond. Incubation of ADP-ribose-[14C]agmatine, synthesized by the ADP-ribosyltransferase from NAD and [14C]agmatine, with 0.4 M neutral hydroxylamine resulted in the release of [14C]agmatine rather than phosphoribosyl[14C]agmatine. In addition, neither NAD nor ADP-ribose reacts with hydroxylamine; i.e. there was no evidence of nucleophilic attack by hydroxylamine at the pyrophosphate bond. The ADP-ribosyl-protein linkage formed by the NAD:arginine ADP-ribosyltransferase is considerably more stable to hydroxylamine than is the ADP-ribose-glutamate bond. The presence of ADP-ribose-arginine and ADP-ribose-glutamate synthesized by the ADP-ribosyltransferase and poly(ADP-ribose) synthetase, respectively, may be the chemical basis for the "hydroxylamine-stable" and "hydroxylamine-labile" bonds described by Hilz (Hilz, H. (1981) Hoppe-Seyler's Z. Physiol. Chem. 362, 1415-1425).

Hydroxylamine stability has been used to classify (ADP-ribose)protein bonds into sensitive and resistant linkages, with the former representing (ADP-ribose)glutamate, and the latter, (ADP-ribose)arginine. Recently, it was shown that cysteine also serves as an ADP-ribose acceptor. The hydroxylamine stability of [cysteine([32P]ADP-ribose)]protein and [arginine([32P] ADP-ribose)]protein bonds was compared. In transducin, pertussis toxin catalyzes the ADP-ribosylation of a cysteine residue, whereas choleragen (cholera toxin) modifies an arginine moiety. The (ADP-ribose)cysteine bond formed by pertussis toxin was more stable to hydroxylamine than was the (ADP-ribose)arginine bond formed by choleragen. The (ADP-ribose)cysteine bond apparently represents a third class of ADP-ribose bonds. Pertussis toxin ADP-ribosylates the inhibitory guanyl nucleotide-binding regulatory protein (Gi) of adenylate cyclase, whereas choleragen modifies the stimulatory guanyl nucleotide-binding regulatory protein (Gs). These (ADP-ribose)protein linkages are identical in stability to those formed in transducin by the two toxins, consistent with the probability that cysteine and arginine are modified in Gi and Gs, respectively. Bonds exhibiting differences in hydroxylamine-stability were found in membranes from various non-intoxicated mammalian cells following incubation with [32P]NAD, which may reflect the presence of endogenous NAD:protein-ADP-ribosyl-transferases.

Reactions catalyzed by purified Bungarus fasciatus venom NAD glycohydrolase were demonstrated to include ADP-ribose transfer from NAD to alcohols and to imidazole derivatives to produce a variety of ADP-ribosides. The formation of products was monitored by high performance liquid chromatography. In the enzyme-catalyzed alcoholysis of NAD, the ratio of n-alkyl-ADP-riboside formed to the hydrolytic product, ADP-ribose, increased linearly with alcohol concentration. The effectiveness of alcohols as acceptors of the ADP-ribose moiety in these reactions increased with increasing chainlength of the alcohol used. Linear positive chainlength effects extended from methanol to pentanol suggesting facilitation of these reactions by nonpolar interactions. In the methanolysis reaction, NADP, thionicotinamide adenine dinucleotide, nicotinamide-1, N6-ethenoadenine dinucleotide, and 3-acetylpyridine adenine dinucleotide were shown to be as effective as NAD as donor substrates. The NAD glycohydrolase-catalyzed ADP-ribose transfer to pyridine bases to form NAD analogs was studied at pyridine base concentrations above those determined to be saturating for the base exchange reaction. Under these conditions, the ratio of base exchange to hydrolysis of NAD was directly related to the pKa of the ring nitrogen of the pyridine base employed. In addition to alcoholysis and pyridine-base exchange reactions, the snake venom enzyme was demonstrated to catalyze an ADP-ribose transfer reaction to imidazole derivatives. Arginine methyl ester was ineffective as an ADP-ribose acceptor molecule in these reactions.

An NAD:arginine mono-ADP-ribosyltransferase has been purified 270,000-fold from turkey erythrocytes through a five-step chromatographic procedure to apparent electrophoretic homogeneity. Molecular weight determinations of the enzyme by sodium dodecyl sulfate-gel electrophoresis, Ultrogel AcA 54, and TSK 3000 SW gel filtration were consistent with Mr = 32,000. The purified enzyme utilized arginine, other low molecular weight guanidino compounds, and various proteins as ADP-ribose acceptors. The Km values for NAD and arginine methyl ester were 36 and 3,000 microM, respectively. Unlike another transferase purified from turkey erythrocytes (Moss, J., and Stanley, S.J. (1981) Proc. Natl. Acad. Sci. U.S.A. 78, 4809-4812), this enzyme was not activated by chaotropic salts or micromolar concentrations of histone. Thus, two distinct soluble ADP-ribosyltransferases may be present in turkey erythrocytes.