bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
The membrane topography of ecto-5′-nucleotidase in rat hepatocytes
Authors: Baron M D , Pope B , Luzio J P
Published: August 2015

The transmembrane topography of the rat hepatocyte ectoenzyme 5′-nucleotidase was studied by the use of glycoprotein labelling and limited-proteolysis techniques. Comparison, by one-dimensional peptide mapping, of enzyme iodinated from outside the cell with that iodinated in the solubilized state showed that no additional iodination sites were revealed on solubilization. Incubation of newly synthesized enzyme in a microsomal membrane fraction with proteinase showed that the entire molecule of 5′-nucleotidase was protected from proteolysis. These data suggest that little, if any, of the 5′-nucleotidase molecule is present on the cytoplasmic side of the plasma membrane. No evidence was found for a previously proposed interaction between 5′-nucleotidase and actin, although the ability of preparations of 5′-nucleotidase to prevent inhibition of deoxyribonuclease I by actin was explained by minute traces of ATPase activity. Comparison of peptide maps of enzyme labelled by iodination or by methods specific for carbohydrate showed that in both cases predominantly one section of the molecule was labelled. It is proposed that the enzyme is a short-stalked integral membrane protein without a cytoplasmic domain in which about one-third of the molecule forms the accessible molecular surface.
Enzymic oxidation of unconjugated bilirubin by rat liver
Authors: Cardenas-Vazquez R , Yokosuka O , Billing B H
Published: August 2015

The presence of the enzyme bilirubin oxidase, which degrades bilirubin in vitro, was demonstrated in the liver. Subcellular-fractionation experiments indicate that bilirubin oxidase is located in both the inner and outer membranes of the mitochondria. The mean rate of the reaction is 1.57 +/- 0.38 (S.D.) nmol of bilirubin degraded/min per mg of mitochondrial protein (munits/mg of protein). With respect to the overall breakdown of bilirubin, the enzyme has a Km' of 136 microM-bilirubin and a Vmax.' of 9.13 munits/mg of protein. Its activity is influenced by the ionic strength of the media and is inhibited by KCN, thiol reagents, NADH and albumin. The enzyme is aerobic, and between 1 and 1.5 mol of O2 are consumed per mol of bilirubin degraded. The products of the reaction include propentdyopents. The hepatic bilirubin oxidase activity of the jaundiced Gunn-rat liver is not significantly different from that of the Sprague-Dawley rat, and it is not induced by beta-naphthoflavone.
Photoaffinity labelling of a nitrobenzylthioinosine-binding polypeptide from cultured Novikoff hepatoma cells
Authors: Gati W P , Belt J A , Jakobs E S , Young J D , Jarvis S M , Paterson A R P
Published: August 2015

Site-specific binding of nitrobenzylthioinosine (NBMPR) to plasma membranes of some animal cells results in the inhibition of the facilitated diffusion of nucleosides. The present study showed that nucleoside transport in Novikoff UA rat hepatoma cells is insensitive to site-saturating concentrations of NBMPR. Equilibrium binding experiments demonstrated the presence of high-affinity sites for NBMPR in a membrane-enriched fraction from these cells. In the presence of uridine or dipyridamole, specific binding of NBMPR at these sites was inhibited. When Novikoff UA membranes were covalently labelled with [3H]NBMPR by using photoaffinity techniques, specifically bound radioactivity was incorporated exclusively into a polypeptide(s) with an apparent Mr of 72,000-80,000, determined by sodium dodecyl sulphate/polyacrylamide-gel electrophoresis. Covalent labelling of this polypeptide was abolished in the presence of excess nitrobenzylthioguanosine (NBTGR) and reduced in the presence of adenosine, uridine or dipyridamole. The apparent Mr of the NBMPR-binding polypeptide in Novikoff UA cells is significantly higher than that reported for corresponding polypeptides in other cell types (Mr 45,000-66,000). When membrane-enriched preparations from S49 mouse lymphoma cells were photolabelled and mixed with labelled NovikoffUA membrane-enriched preparations, gel electrophoresis resolved the NBMPR-binding polypeptides from the two preparations.
The W and L allelic forms of phenylalanine hydroxylase in the rat differ by a threonine to isoleucine substitution
Authors: Mercer J F B , McAdam W , Chambers G W , Walker I D
Published: August 2015

High performance liquid chromatography maps of tryptic and chymotryptic peptides from the W and L forms of rat phenylalanine hydroxylase differed by one peptide. Sequencing of the variant tryptic peptides showed a substitution of threonine in the W form by isoleucine in the L form and this same difference was confirmed in the chymotryptic peptides. This allelic substitution would result from a nucleotide change of ACA to ATA at amino acid position 371 of the full phenylalanine hydroxylase sequence. Altered sodium dodecyl sulphate binding is postulated to explain the change in mobility of the proteins observed on sodium dodecyl sulphate/polyacrylamide gels.
Efficient entrapment of large and small compounds during vesiculation of intestinal microvilli
Authors: van Dommelen F S , Hamer C M , De Jonge H R
Published: August 2015

An efficient method is described permitting the encapsulation of membrane-impermeable compounds at the interior of intestinal microvilli during vesicle formation. Rat intestinal epithelial cells were isolated by high-frequency vibration and exposed transiently to iso-osmotic medium containing 5 mM-EDTA. Vesiculation of microvilli was effected by freeze-thawing instead of mechanical fragmentation or hypo-osmotic lysis. Solutes to be entrapped were mixed with the extracellular medium before freezing in liquid N2. Microvillous vesicles were isolated from thawed cell suspensions by Ca2+- or Mg2+-aggregation of contaminants and differential centrifugation. The yield, purity, orientation and transport properties of the vesicles were similar, or superior, to preparations described in the literature. A high loading efficiency was demonstrated for small impermeants (cyclic GMP, ATP, Arsenazo III) as well as proteins (albumin); in contrast, loading of isolated vesicles by hypo-osmotic shock was only partially effective (cyclic GMP, ATP) or ineffective (albumin). Entrapment of an ATP-regenerating system could partially block a Mg2+-dependent conversion of intravesicular ATP into ADP. No evidence was obtained for the contribution of a proton pump to the intrinsic Mg2+-ATPase of the vesicle. Potential applications of the vesicle-loading technique in studies of brush-border transport regulation by intramicrovillar factors are discussed.
Protein kinase C and an endogenous substrate associated with adenohypophyseal secretory granules
Authors: Turgeon J L , Cooper R H
Published: August 2015

Secretory granules isolated from anterior pituitary glands were examined for Ca2+/phospholipid-dependent protein kinase (protein kinase C) activity as well as the occurrence of granule-associated substrate proteins. Sheep adenohypophyses were fractionated by differential and sucrose-density-gradient centrifugation to yield a granule fraction enriched for luteinizing-hormone (lutropin)-containing secretory granules. Marker-enzyme analysis showed no detectable cytosolic contamination, although there were small amounts of plasma membranes (2-4%) and lysosomes (4-6%) associated with the preparation. As determined by histone-H1 phosphorylation after DEAE-cellulose DE-52 chromatography, protein kinase C activity with a marked dependence on Ca2+ and lipid (4-fold increase in their presence) was evident in the secretory-granule fraction. Phosphorylation in vitro of the secretory-granule fraction by endogenous and exogenous protein kinase C revealed a protein of Mr 36,000, which by two-dimensional SDS/polyacrylamide-gel electrophoresis showed multiple sites of phosphorylation. The Mr-36,000 protein was not found in cytosolic or plasma-membrane fractions and was not phosphorylated by the catalytic subunit of cyclic AMP-dependent protein kinase. Several secretory-granule proteins served as substrates for the catalytic subunit, the most prominent of which were of Mr 63,000, 23,000 and 21,000. From these data, we suggest that phosphorylation of secretory-granule-associated proteins by protein kinase C and by cyclic AMP-dependent protein kinase may be important in secretion regulation in the anterior pituitary gland.
Insulin binding to cultured adult hepatocytes. Effects of bacitracin and chloroquine on the nature of cell-associated radioactivity
Authors: Fleig W E , Hoss G , Nöther-Fleig G , Ditschuneit H
Published: August 2015

Sephadex (G-50 fine grade)-gel chromatography and trichloroacetic acid (TCA) precipitation were used to investigate the effects of chloroquine and bacitracin on the nature of cell-associated radioactivity in studies on the binding and degradation of 125I-insulin in cultured rat hepatocytes. Sephadex peak I, eluted with the void volume, increased with hepatocyte incubation time and comprised 6% of total cell-bound radioactivity at 120 min. However, all radioactivity in this peak was due to unspecific binding. Peak II, corresponding to intact insulin, represented 95% of specifically cell-associated label at 5 min and decreased to 77% at 120 min. Peak III, containing the final low-Mr degradation products, increased with incubation time (22% of specifically bound label at 120 min). The TCA-precipitable and TCA-soluble fractions of hepatocytes extracted with 0.1% SDS were within 4-7% of the proportions of radioactivity in peaks II and III respectively. Scatchard plots based on insulin-binding data from Sephadex chromatography or TCA precipitation were identical. Dissociation studies revealed that at least 75% of the intact insulin associated with the hepatocytes was bound to receptors at the cell surface. Bacitracin increased the proportion of cell-associated intact hormone and decreased that of ligand degraded when analysed by either Sephadex chromatography or TCA precipitation. The proportion of surface-bound to internalized intact hormone remained unaltered, indicating that bacitracin acted predominantly at the cell surface. In the presence of chloroquine, which dramatically increased the contribution of peak I to specific binding, ‘intact’ insulin was substantially overestimated when determined as the TCA-precipitable fraction. In addition, all peak I material and 50% of cell-associated label in peak II was trapped intracellularly, thereby pointing to the lysosomal or prelysosomal site of action of this drug.
Conformational transitions in the Ca2+ + Mg2+-activated ATPase and the binding of Ca2+ ions
Authors: Froud R J , Lee A G
Published: August 2015

We have studied the fluorescence of the Ca2+ + Mg2+-activated ATPase of sarcoplasmic reticulum labelled with fluorescein isothiocyanate. The change in intensity of fluorescein fluorescence caused by addition of Ca2+ to the labelled ATPase can be interpreted in terms of a two-conformation model for the ATPase, one conformation (E1) having a high affinity for Ca2+, the other (E2) a low affinity. Effects of Ca2+ as a function of pH allow an estimate of the effect of pH on the E1/E2 ratio, consistent with kinetic studies. A model is presented for binding of Ca2+ to the ATPase as a function of pH that is consistent both with the data on the E1/E2 equilibrium and with literature data on Ca2+ binding.
Forskolin sensitizes human platelet adenylate cyclase to modulation of substrate (MgATP) affinity by hormones
Authors: Watanabe Y , Jakobs K H
Published: August 2015

Stimulation of human platelet adenylate cyclase by the diterpene forskolin is associated with a decrease in the apparent substrate (MgATP) affinity of the enzyme. Addition of the stimulatory hormone prostaglandin E1 not only further increased the Vmax. of the forskolin-stimulated platelet adenylate cyclase but also caused a further increase in the Km value for MgATP, by up to 20-fold compared with basal conditions. On the other hand, the inhibitory hormone adrenaline decreased not only the Vmax. but also the Km value of the platelet adenylate cyclase stimulated by forskolin, with or without prostaglandin E1 present. The data indicate that forskolin sensitizes human platelet adenylate cyclase to modulation of substrate (MgATP) affinity by hormones, but there is no such effect in the absence of the diterpene.
Effects of low-protein diet and starvation on the activity of branched-chain 2-oxo acid dehydrogenase kinase in rat liver and heart
Authors: Espinal J , Beggs M , Patel H , Randle P J
Published: August 2015

The activity of branched-chain 2-oxo acid dehydrogenase kinase was 3-fold greater in extracts of heart mitochondria than in extracts of liver mitochondria from rats fed on normal diet. Feeding rats on a 0%-casein diet for 10 days increased the activity of branched-chain kinase 4-fold in extracts of liver mitochondria and in branched-chain dehydrogenase complex purified from such extracts; starvation (48 h) was without effect. In extract of heart mitochondria, kinase activity was increased 2-fold by feeding on 0%-casein diet and 1.5-fold by 48 h of starvation.
1-Palmitoyl-2-(p-benzoyl)benzoyl phosphatidylcholine, a photoactive phospholipid for the labelling of membrane components
Authors: Montecucco C , Schiavo G
Published: August 2015

The preparation and use of a new photoactivatable phosphatidylcholine derivative [1-palmitoyl-2-(p-benzoyl)benzoyl phosphatidylcholine] is described. The reagent is shown to be effective in labelling different membrane proteins under irradiation conditions that preserve their enzymic activity. The properties of this new phospholipid analogue suggest that it can be useful in studying several aspects of membrane structure and function.
Contrasting response of protein degradation to starvation and insulin as measured by release of Nτ-methylhistidine or phenylalanine from the perfused rat heart
Authors: Smith D M , Sugden P H
Published: August 2015

An isotope-dilution method is described for the measurement of N tau-methylhistidine release from the perfused rat heart. We argue that release of N tau-methylhistidine is indicative of cardiac actin degradation. N tau-Methylhistidine release is compared with phenylalanine release in the presence of cycloheximide (phenylalanine release being a measure of degradation of mixed proteins). In hearts perfused with glucose plus acetate, the rate of actin degradation was increased by starvation and was not inhibited by insulin. In contrast, the rate of mixed-protein degradation was decreased by starvation and was inhibited by insulin. The fractional rate of degradation of mixed proteins in hearts from fed or starved rats was greater than that for actin. It is suggested that there are at least two pools of intracellular protein, the degradation rates of which differ in terms of their response to insulin and starvation.
A lectin-binding glycoprotein of Mr 135,000 associated with basal keratinocytes in pig epidermis
Authors: King I A , Tabiowo A , Pope F M
Published: August 2015

Pig epidermis separated by 1 M-CaCl2 treatment was homogenized and separated into three fractions by filtration through nylon mesh and high-speed centrifugation. Lectin-binding glycoproteins were isolated from urea/deoxycholate/mercaptoethanol extracts of the residue fraction that resisted filtration, from deoxycholate extracts of the particulate material in the filtrate and from the soluble fraction. Concanavalin A, Ricinus communis (castor bean) agglutinin 1, peanut (Arachis hypogaea) agglutinin and Ulex europaeus (gorse) agglutinin-binding glycoproteins in the three epidermal fractions were analysed by SDS/polyacrylamide-gel electrophoresis. A major neuraminidase-sensitive glycoprotein component of the particulate fraction of Mr 135,000 was strongly bound by concanavalin A and Ricinus communis agglutinin 1, but only weakly by peanut and Ulex europaeus agglutinins. This glycoprotein was not detected in the residue or soluble fractions of the epidermis, indicating that it had only a limited distribution within the tissue. The 135,000-Mr glycoprotein was one of two major glycoprotein antigens in the particulate fraction. Rabbits immunized with total particulate glycoproteins produced antibodies directed mainly against 135,000- and 110,000-Mr components. Monospecific antibodies were obtained from guinea pigs immunized with the 135,000-Mr glycoprotein band excised from polyacrylamide gels. Indirect immunofluorescence with the use of affinity-purified antibodies showed that the 135,000-Mr glycoprotein was present at the surface of cells in the basal layer of the epidermis as well as at that of other stratified epithelia. It was not present on differentiating cells in the suprabasal layers of the epithelium, suggesting an important role in the attachment or proliferative functions of basal cells in stratified epithelia. Metabolic labelling studies with skin explants cultured in the presence of D-[3H]glucosamine showed that this basal-cell glycoprotein was synthesized by cultured tissue. The major D-[3H]glucosamine-labelled glycoprotein component in the residue and particulate fractions of cultured epidermis had an Mr of 135,000, was immunoprecipitated by rabbit antisera raised against particulate epidermal glycoproteins and was bound by concanavalin A. The labelling of this glycoprotein with D-[3H]glucosamine was sensitive to tunicamycin, indicating that the basal-cell glycoprotein contained N-glycosidically linked oligosaccharides.
The purification and characterization of glucokinase from the thermophile Bacillus stearothermophilus
Authors: Goward C R , Hartwell R , Atkinson T , Scawen M D
Published: August 2015

Homogeneous glucokinase (EC 2.7.1.2) from the thermophile Bacillus stearothermophilus was isolated on the large scale by using four major steps: precipitation of extraneous material at pH 5.5, ion-exchange chromatography on DEAE-Sepharose, pseudo-affinity chromatography on Procion Brown H-3R-Sepharose 4B and gel filtration on Ultrogel AcA 34. The purified enzyme had a specific activity of about 330 units/mg of protein and was shown to exist as a dimer of subunit Mr 33,000. Kinetic parameters for the enzyme were determined with a variety of substrates. The glucokinase was highly specific for alpha-D-glucose, and the only other sugar substrate utilized was N-acetyl-alpha-D-glucosamine. The enzyme shows Michaelis-Menten kinetics, with a Km value of 150 microM for alpha-D-glucose. The glucokinase was maximally active at pH 9.0.
Electron nuclear double-resonance (ENDOR) spectroscopy of amine oxidase from pig plasma
Authors: Baker G J , Knowles P F , Pandeya K B , Rayner J B
Published: August 2015

Electron nuclear double-resonance (‘ENDOR’) spectroscopic studies on pig plasma amine oxidase have been carried out at 15 K. Deuterium-exchange studies show the presence of two sets of exchangeable protons, probably from two water molecules; from the magnitude of their hyperfine couplings, one is assigned to be equatorially, and the other axially, co-ordinated. Only one 14N hyperfine coupling is observed, suggesting that the bonding of all amino acid (histidine) or organic cofactor ligands is similar. Upon addition of azide, a further hyperfine coupling to nitrogen is observed which is smaller than that observed for the native enzyme; the hyperfine couplings to the remaining nitrogens are slightly altered.
Unsaturated fatty acids as endogenous inhibitors of tamoxifen binding to anti-oestrogen-binding sites
Authors: Hwang P L H
Published: August 2015

It is known that triphenylethylene anti-oestrogens such as tamoxifen bind to specific high-affinity anti-oestrogen-binding sites, which are distinct from oestrogen receptors. These binding sites are widely distributed in human and animal tissues, but their function and endogenous ligands are unknown. By using [3H]tamoxifen and a rat liver microsomal fraction, a radio-ligand-binding assay was developed in an attempt to identify endogenous ligands for the anti-oestrogen-binding sites in the rat. An ether extract of rat serum inhibited [3H]tamoxifen binding to rat liver binding sites in a dose-dependent manner. Identification of the active serum constituents that inhibited [3H]tamoxifen binding was achieved by g.l.c.-mass spectrometry after preliminary purification of a rat serum extract by silica-gel t.l.c. Three unsaturated fatty acids (oleic, linoleic and arachidonic) accounted for about 50% of the total inhibiting activity of the serum extract. The concentrations of these fatty acids required to inhibit [3H]tamoxifen binding were in the range of 10-100 microM, comparable with those found in the rat circulation under physiological conditions. Saturated fatty acids present in rat serum (palmitic and stearic) did not inhibit [3H]tamoxifen binding. A survey of other fatty acids revealed that, in general, unsaturated fatty acids were far more potent than saturated fatty acids in inhibiting [3H]tamoxifen binding. These studies demonstrate that unsaturated fatty acids are quantitatively the most important circulating inhibitors of [3H]tamoxifen binding to the anti-oestrogen-binding sites. The biological significance of their interaction with these sites, however, remains to be clarified.
Chlortetracycline and the transmembrane potential of the inner membrane of plant mitochondria
Authors: Møller I M , Kay C J , Palmer J M
Published: August 2015

The oxidation of NADH or succinate by Jerusalem-artichoke (Helianthus tuberosus L.) mitochondria in the presence of chlortetracycline induced an increase in chlortetracycline fluorescence. Any treatment that prevented the formation of a transmembrane potential (as monitored by changes in safranine absorbance, A511-A533), e.g. uncoupling with carbonyl cyanide p-trifluoromethoxyphenylhydrazone, inhibition of dehydrogenase activity or electron transport, anaerobiosis or depletion of substrate, prevented the increase in chlortetracycline fluorescence or caused it to disappear. Changes in chlortetracycline fluorescence were always slower than changes in the safranine absorbance. The increase in chlortetracycline fluorescence caused by succinate oxidation had an excitation maximum at 393 nm, indicating that a Ca2+-chlortetracycline complex was involved. The increase in fluorescence was observed even in the presence of EDTA, which removes all external bivalent cations, indicating that internal Ca2+ is mobilized. Although NADH and succinate oxidations gave the same membrane potential and qualitatively had the same effect on chlortetracycline fluorescence, NADH oxidation caused a much larger (over 3-fold) increase in chlortetracycline fluorescence than did succinate oxidation. It is possible that this is connected with the Ca2+-dependence of NADH oxidation. In the presence of 2 mM external Ca2+, chlortetracycline collapsed the transmembrane potential and uncoupled succinate and duroquinone oxidation.
Altered vitamin D metabolism in the kidney of the spontaneously hypertensive rat
Authors: Kawashima H
Published: August 2015

A decrease in plasma Ca2+ and increases in plasma immunoreactive parathyroid hormone (PTH) have been reported in spontaneously hypertensive (SH) rats as compared with normotensive Wistar-Kyoto (WKy) rats. These changes should lead to a higher plasma 1,25(OH)2D (1,25-dihydroxycholecalciferol/1,25-dihydroxyergocalciferol) concentration in SH rat if the kidney responds appropriately. Plasma 1,25(OH)2D, however, has been reported to be normal in SH rats, suggesting possible impairments of vitamin D metabolism in this animal model of hypertension. To test this possibility, we studied the effect of PTH on renal production of 1,25(OH)2D in SH rats before (4 weeks of age) and after (12 weeks of age) the onset of hypertension. Basal serum levels of 1,25(OH)2D were normal in SH rats at both ages. At 4 weeks of age, the rise in serum 1,25(OH)2D after PTH injection (50 units subcutaneously every 2 h; four times) was also normal in SH rats. By contrast, at 12 weeks of age, the rise in serum 1,25(OH)2D was approximately one-half of that in WKy rats, despite the similar rises in serum Ca2+ levels in both groups by PTH injection. The attenuated rise in serum 1,25(OH)2D in SH rats was consistent with the impaired response of renal 1-hydroxylase (25-hydroxycholecalciferol 1 alpha-hydroxylase) activity to PTH. Basal 1,25(OH)2D production by the kidney in SH rat was higher than that in WKy rats both at 4 and 12 weeks of age. These data suggest that, in SH rats: serum 1,25(OH)2D is inappropriately low in relation to the elevated PTH and this may be due, at least in part, to the impaired responsiveness to PTH of renal 1-hydroxylase and to the enhanced metabolism of 1,25(OH)2D, and elevated PTH or other agents may stimulate the 1-hydroxylase in the kidney even before the onset of hypertension.
Chondrocalcin is identical with the C-propeptide of type II procollagen
Authors: Van der Rest M , Rosenberg L C , Olsen B R , Poole A R
Published: August 2015

The primary structure of the cartilage matrix molecule chondrocalcin has been found to be identical with that of the C-propeptide of type II procollagen by comparing sequence analyses of the N-terminal regions and of tryptic peptides derived from chondrocalcin. This implies that in type II collagen the C-propeptide of type II collagen is employed not only in the assembly of the triple helix of type II collagen, as demonstrated previously, but in calcifying cartilage it may also be involved in those events leading to cartilage calcification, as earlier indicated.
Polyamines and HeLa-cell DNA replication
Authors: Gallo C J , Koza R A , Herbst E J
Published: August 2015

HeLa cells were synchronized for S-phase DNA synthesis by the double thymidine-block procedure. A comparison was made of the polyamine content and S-phase DNA synthesis in cells from control cultures and cultures to which an inhibitor of polyamine biosynthesis, alpha-difluoromethylornithine, was added to the synchronization medium. Control cells showed a peak of synchronous DNA synthesis at 3 h and a maximum concentration of polyamines at 6-9 h after release of the second thymidine block. Cells from cultures containing the inhibitor were severely inhibited in the synthesis of DNA and contained no putrescine and only traces of spermidine while the spermine content was lowered by as much as 80%. Supplementation of cultures containing alpha-difluoromethylornithine with a polyamine, at the time of release of the second thymidine block, replenished the intracellular pool of the administered polyamine and partially restored S-phase DNA synthesis, with a lag of 3-6 h. Almost complete restoration of DNA synthesis in cells depleted of polyamines was achieved by the addition of a polyamine to cultures at least 10 h before release of the second thymidine block. The lag in initiation of synchronous S-phase DNA synthesis was eliminated in these cells. It is concluded that reversal by polyamines of the deficiency in S-phase DNA synthesis, in polyamine-depleted HeLa cells, is a time-dependent process indicative of the necessity for the replenishment of replication factors or their organization into an active replication complex.
The lipoprotein lipase of white adipose tissue. Changes in the adipocyte cell-surface content of enzyme in response to extracellular effectors in vitro
Authors: Al-Jafari A A , Cryer A
Published: August 2015

An indirect labelled-second-antibody cellular immunoassay for adipocyte surface lipoprotein lipase was used to assess the changes that occurred during the incubation of cells in the presence and absence of effectors. In the absence of any specific effectors, the amount of immunodetectable lipoprotein lipase present at the surface of adipocytes remained constant throughout the 4 h incubation period at 37 degrees C. Under such conditions total cellular enzyme activity also remained constant, with no activity appearing in the medium. In the presence of heparin, cell-surface immunodetectable lipoprotein lipase increased by up to 20%, whereas in the presence of cycloheximide they decreased by up to 60%. Thus the obvious turnover of enzyme from this cell-surface site was found to be relatively rapid and dependent for its replenishment, at least in part, on protein synthesis. In the presence of insulin alone, a substantial increase in cell-surface lipoprotein lipase protein occurred, only part of which was dependent on protein synthesis. The total cellular activity of lipoprotein lipase was unaffected by the presence of insulin. The insulin-dependent increase in cell-surface enzyme was potentiated somewhat in the presence of dexamethasone, which was not shown to exert any independent effect. Glucagon, adrenaline and theophylline all produced a significant decline in the cell-surface immunodetectable lipoprotein lipase, which in the case examined (adrenaline) was partially additive with regard to the independent effect of cycloheximide. Cell-surface immunodetectable lipoprotein lipase amounts were decreased significantly when cells were incubated in the presence of either colchicine or tunicamycin. The concerted way in which cell-surface lipoprotein lipase altered during the incubations of adipocytes in the presence of effectors suggested that the translocation of enzyme to and from this cellular site was dependent on hormonal action and the integrity of intracellular protein-transport mechanisms.
Influence of elastin on the inhibition of leucocyte elastase by α1-proteinase inhibitor and bronchial inhibitor. Potent inhibition of elastin-bound elastase by bronchial inhibitor
Authors: Bruch M , Bieth J G
Published: August 2015

We have investigated the effect of human lung elastin on the inhibition of human leucocyte elastase by human alpha 1-proteinase inhibitor and bronchial inhibitor. Elastin was unable to dissociate the elastase-inhibitor complexes during the 150 min of the elastolysis reaction. When elastase was added to mixtures of elastin and alpha 1-proteinase inhibitor, it was fully bound to the latter. The competition between elastin and bronchial inhibitor was also in favour of the latter, but a 1.5 molar excess of inhibitor over elastase was required to achieve total binding of the enzyme. About 25% of elastin-bound elastase was found to be resistant to the inhibitory effect of alpha 1-proteinase inhibitor. The major isoenzyme and the mixture of the three minor isoenzymes of elastase exhibited similar behaviour. By contrast, bronchial inhibitor was as efficient in inhibiting the elastin-bound elastase as it was in inhibiting the free enzyme. This inhibitor was also able to inhibit fully the fraction of elastin-bound elastase that was resistant to alpha 1-proteinase inhibitor. We also describe a rapid procedure for the isolation of gram quantities of alpha 1-proteinase inhibitor.
Isolation and properties of the glycolytic enzymes from Zymomonas mobilis. The five enzymes from glyceraldehyde-3-phosphate dehydrogenase through to pyruvate kinase
Authors: Pawluk A , Scopes R K , Griffiths-Smith K
Published: August 2015

The five glycolytic enzymes glyceraldehyde-3-phosphate dehydrogenase, phosphoglycerate kinase, phosphoglycerate mutase, enolase and pyruvate kinase were each purified from extracts of Zymomonas mobilis cells, by using dye-ligand chromatography as the principal step. Two procedures, producing three and two of the enzymes respectively, are described in detail. Z. mobilis glyceraldehyde-phosphate dehydrogenase was found to be similar in most respects to the enzyme from other sources, except for having a slightly larger subunit size. Phosphoglycerate kinase has properties typical for this enzyme; however, it did not show the sulphate activation effects characteristic of this enzyme from most other sources. Phosphoglycerate mutase is a dimer, partially independent of 2,3-bisphosphoglycerate, and has a high specific activity. Enolase was found to be octameric; otherwise its properties were very similar to those of the yeast enzyme. Pyruvate kinase is unusual in being dimeric, and not requiring K+ for activity. It is not allosterically activated by sugar phosphates, having a high activity in the absence of any effectors. Some quantitative differences in the relative amounts of these enzymes, compared with eukaryotic species, are ascribed to the fact that Z. mobilis utilizes the Entner-Doudoroff pathway rather than the more common Embden-Meyerhoff glycolytic route.
The relative molecular mass dependence of the anti-factor Xa properties of heparin
Authors: Ellis V , Scully M F , Kakkar V V
Published: August 2015

The effect of heparin fractions of various Mr, with high affinity for antithrombin III, on the kinetics of the reaction between factor Xa and antithrombin III have been studied using purified human proteins. Each of the heparin fractions, which varied between pentasaccharide and Mr 32,000, accelerated the inhibition of factor Xa although an increasing rate of inhibition was observed with increasing Mr. The chemically synthesized pentasaccharide preparation (Mr 1714) gave a maximum inhibition rate constant of 1.2 × 10(7) M-1 × min-1, compared with 6.3 × 10(4) M-1 × min-1 in the absence of heparin, and this rose progressively to 4.2 × 10(8) M-1 × min-1 with the two fractions of highest Mr (22,500 and 32,000). The 35-fold difference in inhibition rates observed with the high-affinity fractions was virtually abolished by the presence of 0.3 M-NaCl. The disparity in these rates of inhibition was shown to be due to a change in the Km for factor Xa when a two-substrate model of heparin catalysis was used. The Km for factor Xa rose from 28 nM for the fraction of Mr 32,000 to 770 nM for the pentasaccharide, whilst 0.3 M-NaCl also caused an increase in Km with the high-Mr fraction. These data suggest that the increased rates of inhibition observed with heparins of higher Mr may be due to an involvement of heparin binding to factor Xa as well as to antithrombin III.
Effect of adenosine deaminase, N6-phenylisopropyladenosine and hypothyroidism on the responsiveness of rat brown adipocytes to noradrenaline
Authors: Woodward J A , Saggerson E D
Published: August 2015

Adenosine deaminase (1 unit/ml) potentiated the lipolytic action of noradrenaline in adipocytes isolated from brown adipose tissue of 1- and 6-week-old rats by decreasing the EC50 (concn. giving 50% of maximal effect) for noradrenaline by 3-4-fold. With cells from neonatal rabbit tissue, adenosine deaminase only had a small, non-significant, effect on the EC50 for noradrenaline. Lipolysis in rat brown adipocytes was inhibited by low concentrations of N6-phenylisopropyladenosine (PIA). Rabbit cells were far less sensitive to PIA. PIA, prostaglandin E1 and nicotinate all inhibited noradrenaline-stimulated respiration in rat brown adipocytes. Hypothyroidism diminished the maximum response of respiration and lipolysis to noradrenaline in rat cells and increased the EC50 for noradrenaline. Responsiveness of lipolysis to noradrenaline was particularly decreased in hypothyroidism and was partially restored by addition of adenosine deaminase. Lipolysis in cells from hypothyroid rats was more sensitive to the anti-lipolytic action of PIA. Bordetella pertussis toxin increased lipolysis in the presence of PIA, suggesting an involvement of the Ni guanine-nucleotide-binding protein in the control of brown-adipocyte metabolism.
The labelling of polyphosphoinositides with [32P]Pi and the accumulation of inositol phosphates in vasopressin-stimulated hepatocytes
Authors: Palmer S , Hawkins P T , Michell R H , Kirk C J
Published: August 2015

When hepatocytes were incubated with [32P]Pi, the kinetics for the labelling of the monoester phosphate groups of phosphatidylinositol 4-phosphate and phosphatidylinositol 4,5-bisphosphate were similar to each other and slightly slower than that for the labelling of the gamma-phosphate of ATP. Analysis of the water-soluble 3H-labelled materials derived from [3H]inositol-labelled hepatocytes revealed that, in addition to inositol and its mono-, bis- and tris-phosphates (Ins, InsP, InsP2 and InsP3), these cells contained two unidentified radioactive compounds which co-eluted with InsP on anion-exchange chromatography. When [3H]inositol-labelled hepatocytes were stimulated with 0.23 microM-vasopressin in the presence of 10 mM-Li+, there was an accumulation of radioactivity in InsP, InsP2 and InsP3 but not in Ins or the two unidentified compounds. Further analysis of these inositol phosphates by h.p.l.c. revealed that vasopressin also stimulates the accumulation of inositol tetrakisphosphate (InsP4) in these cells. Vasopressin-stimulated InsP and InsP2 accumulations were maximal in the presence of 1-10 mM-Li+ but InsP3 accumulation continued to increase up to 50 mM-Li+. Accumulated inositol phosphates were retained within the cell. Li+ from 1 to 50 mM did not influence the extent of vasopressin-stimulated inositol lipid degradation in hepatocytes. In the absence of Li+, radioactivity in vasopressin-stimulated hepatocytes accumulated almost entirely in free inositol. The vasopressin-stimulated accumulation of inositol phosphates in the presence of 10 mM-Li+ was abolished by a V1-vasopressin antagonist. Inositol phosphate accumulation was not influenced by ionophore A23187, dimethyl sulphoxide or indomethacin.
The effects of caldesmon on the ATPase activities of rabbit skeletal-muscle myosin
Authors: Lim M S , Walsh M P
Published: August 2015

We studied the effects of caldesmon, a major actin- and calmodulin-binding protein found in a variety of muscle and non-muscle tissues, on the various ATPase activities of skeletal-muscle myosin. Caldesmon inhibited the actin-activated myosin Mg2+-ATPase, and this inhibition was enhanced by tropomyosin. In the presence of the troponin complex and tropomyosin, caldesmon inhibited the Ca2+-dependent actomyosin Mg2+-ATPase; this inhibition could be partly overcome by Ca2+/calmodulin. Caldesmon, phosphorylated to the extent of approximately 4 mol of Pi/mol of caldesmon, inhibited the actin-activated myosin Mg2+-ATPase to the same extent as did non-phosphorylated caldesmon. Both inhibitions could be overcome by Ca2+/calmodulin. Caldesmon also inhibited the Mg2+-ATPase activity of skeletal-muscle myosin in the absence of actin; this inhibition also could be overcome by Ca2+/calmodulin. Caldesmon inhibited the Ca2+-ATPase activity of skeletal-muscle myosin in the presence or absence of actin, at both low (0.1 M-KCl) and high (0.3 M-KCl) ionic strength. Finally, caldesmon inhibited the skeletal-muscle myosin K+/EDTA-ATPase at 0.1 M-KCl, but not at 0.3 M-KCl. Addition of actin resulted in no inhibition of this ATPase by caldesmon at either 0.1 M- or 0.3 M-KCl. These observations suggest that caldesmon may function in the regulation of actin-myosin interactions in striated muscle and thereby modulate the contractile state of the muscle. The demonstration that caldesmon inhibits a variety of myosin ATPase activities in the absence of actin indicates a direct effect of caldesmon on myosin. The inhibition of the actin-activated Mg2+-ATPase activity of myosin (the physiological activity) may not be due therefore simply to the binding of caldesmon to the actin filament causing blockage of myosin-cross-bridge-actin interaction.
A novel isoform of cytoplasmic actin that binds poly-L-proline
Authors: Kedersha N L , Broek D , Berg R A
Published: August 2015

An actin-like protein was purified to apparent homogeneity from chick-embryo homogenates and chick-embryo fibroblasts by the use of poly-L-proline-agarose affinity chromatography; we therefore refer to this protein as PBP (poly-L-proline-binding protein). PBP binds to deoxyribonuclease-agarose, co-migrates with known actin standards on SDS/polyacrylamide-gel electrophoresis, and has an amino acid composition similar to that of actin. Linear peptide maps after digestion with Staphylococcus aureus proteinase reveal its apparent homology with gamma-actin; however, isoelectric-focusing experiments show that PBP is clearly more acidic than any of the three major isoforms of actin. PBP polymerizes in the presence of ATP to form fibrillar structures resembling actin paracrystalline aggregates. In chick-embryo fibroblasts, immunofluorescence with antibodies to PBP shows that its distribution is cytoplasmic: perinuclear staining of the cytoplasm, generalized cytoplasmic staining and peripheral fibrillar structures are evident. In contrast, antibodies specific for the (alpha, gamma)-actins reveal the typical stress fibre structures characteristic of fibroblastic cells. PBP appears to constitute a novel isoform of cellular actin, distinct from the known actin isoforms in terms of its lower isoelectric point, its ability to bind poly-L-proline and its distinct subcellular localization.
Clearance of the heavy and light polypeptide chains of human tissue-type plasminogen activator in rats
Authors: Rijken D C , Emeis J J
Published: August 2015

In order to assess which part of the tissue-type plasminogen activator (t-PA) molecule should be (genetically) modified to obtain more-slowly-clearing mutants, two-chain t-PA and its isolated heavy and light chains were radiolabelled and injected into rats. The vast majority of t-PA and the heavy chain disappeared from the blood circulation with half-lives of 2.3 and 1.0 min respectively. The clearance of the light chain was biphasic, owing to complex-formation with plasma proteinase inhibitors. The disappearance of di-isopropylphospho-light chain, which has a blocked active site, was nearly monophasic, with a half-life of 5.7 min. Organ distribution studies showed that hepatic clearance constituted the major pathway in all cases. These results strongly suggest that t-PA is recognized by the liver primarily through the heavy chain.
The insulin-like effect of sodium vanadate on adipocyte glucose transport is mediated at a post-insulin-receptor level
Authors: Green A
Published: August 2015

Sodium vanadate has several insulin-like effects. To determine whether vanadate acts via the insulin receptor, I investigated the effect of vanadate on glucose transport (2-deoxyglucose uptake) in adipocytes that had been treated to decrease the number of insulin receptors. Trypsin (100 micrograms/ml) caused greater than 95% loss of 125I-insulin binding and rendered glucose transport resistant to both insulin and an anti-insulin-receptor antibody. However, vanadate caused an 8-fold increase in the transport rate [EC50 (concn. giving 50% of maximum effect) 0.2 mM] in both control and trypsin-treated cells, demonstrating that the insulin receptor does not have to be intact for vanadate to stimulate glucose transport. Insulin receptors were depleted by treatment of adipocytes with insulin (100 ng/ml) in the presence of Tris (which blocks receptor recycling). A 2 h treatment caused 60% loss of receptors, and a shift to the right in the dose-response curve for insulin stimulation of glucose transport (EC50 0.3 ng of insulin/ml in controls, 1.2 ng/ml in treated cells). The response to vanadate was again unaffected. Treatment with insulin for 4 h caused a 67% decrease in insulin binding and, in addition to the rightward shift in the insulin dose-response curve, a decrease in basal and maximal transport rates (which cannot be explained by decreased insulin receptor number). The EC50 of vanadate was again equal in control and treated cells, but glucose transport in the presence of a maximally effective concentration of vanadate (1 mM) was decreased. I conclude that the effect of vanadate on glucose transport is independent of the insulin receptor. Induction of a post-receptor defect (which may be a decrease in the total number of cellular glucose transporters) by prolonged exposure to insulin decreases the potency of a maximally effective concentration of vanadate. The findings demonstrate that vanadate stimulates glucose transport by an effect at a level distal to the insulin receptor.
Age-related augmentation of phosphorylase b kinase in hepatic tissue from the glycogen-storage-disease (gsd/gsd) rat
Authors: Clark D G , Neville S D , Brinkman M , Nelson P V , Illman R J , Guthberlet A , Haynes W D G
Published: August 2015

The effects of food deprivation on body weight, liver weight, hepatic glycogen content, glycogenolytic enzymes and blood metabolites were compared in young and old phosphorylase b kinase-deficient (gsd/gsd) rats. Although the concentration of glycogen in liver from 9-week-old female gsd/gsd rats (730 mumol of glucose equivalents/g wet wt.) was increased by 7-8% during starvation, total hepatic glycogen was decreased by 12% after 24 h without food. In 12-month-old male gsd/gsd rats the concentration of liver glycogen (585 mumol of glucose equiv./g wet wt.) was decreased by 16% and total hepatic glycogen by nearly 40% after food deprivation for 24 h. Phosphorylase b kinase and phosphorylase a were present at approx. 10% of the control activities in 9-week-old gsd/gsd rats, but both enzyme activities were increased more than 3-fold in 12-month-old affected rodents. It is concluded that the age-related ability to mobilize hepatic glycogen appears to result from the augmentation of phosphorylase b kinase during maturation of the gsd/gsd rat.
A computer program for enzyme kinetics that combines model discrimination, parameter refinement and sequential experimental design
Authors: Franco R , Gavaldà M T , Canela E I
Published: August 2015

A method of model discrimination and parameter estimation in enzyme kinetics is proposed. The experimental design and analysis of the model are carried out simultaneously and the stopping rule for experimentation is deduced by the experimenter when the probabilities a posteriori indicate that one model is clearly superior to the rest. A FORTRAN77 program specifically developed for joint designs is given. The method is very powerful, as indicated by its usefulness in the discrimination between models. For example, it has been successfully applied to three cases of enzyme kinetics (a single-substrate Michaelian reaction with product inhibition, a single-substrate complex reaction and a two-substrate reaction). By using this method the most probable model and the estimates of the parameters can be obtained in one experimental session. The FORTRAN77 program is deposited as Supplementary Publication SUP 50134 (19 pages) at the British Library (Lending Division), Boston Spa, Wetherby, West Yorkshire LS23 7BQ, U.K., from whom copies can be obtained on the terms indicated in Biochem. J. (1986) 233, 5.
Purification and subunit structure of phosphoglycerate dehydrogenase from rabbit liver
Authors: Lund K , Merrill D K , Guynn R W
Published: August 2015

D-3-Phosphoglycerate dehydrogenase (EC 1.1.1.95) was purified from rabbit liver by (NH4)2SO4 fractionation, DEAE-Sephacel chromatography, affinity chromatography on AMP-agarose and molecular-sieve h.p.l.c. The purified enzyme was homogeneous as judged by SDS/polyacrylamide-slab-gel electrophoresis. On the basis of molecular-sieve h.p.l.c. and SDS/polyacrylamide-gel electrophoresis, the enzyme is a tetramer composed of subunits of Mr 60,000.