Urate-mediated regulation of urate oxidase in Chlamydomonas reinhardtii

Expression of uricase (urate oxidase) from Chlamydomonas reinhardtii has been investigated by using specific polyclonal antibodies. By Western blot analyses performed under nondenaturing conditions, a 124 kDa protein band corresponding to active uricase was detected in protein extracts from cells cultured with urate or nitrogen-starved cells. This protein band was absent in cells cultured with ammonium. Besides the 124 kDa band, the antibodies also reacted with a massive protein band, with an apparent molecular mass of 500 kDa, that was detected in all nutritional conditions assayed. In vitro, inactive uricase from cells grown with ammonium was activated by incubation in presence of urate. The appearance of uricase activity in vitro coincided with a decrease of the 500 kDa protein and an increase of the 124 kDa band corresponding to the active enzyme. We suggest that a posttranslational regulation of uricase synthesis takes place in C. reinhardtii, and that urate may be responsible for the assembly or maturation of inactive precursors to form the active uricase.