bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
Stimulation of phosphatidylcholine synthesis by activators of protein kinase C is dissociable from increased phospholipid hydrolysis
Authors: Kiss Z , Chattopadhyay J , Pettit G R
Published: August 2015

The aim of this study was to clarify the relationship between the stimulatory effects of protein kinase C activators, including phorbol 12-myristate 13-acetate (PMA) and bryostatin, on the hydrolysis of phosphatidylcholine (PtdCho) and phosphatidylethanolamine (PtdEtn) and on PtdCho synthesis. The cell lines used were selected because of their differential responses to protein kinase C activators and included rat-1 fibroblasts, untransformed and A-raf-transformed NIH 3T3 fibroblasts and human HL60 leukaemia cells. Exposure of rat-1 and NIH 3T3 fibroblasts to 100 nM-PMA stimulated phospholipase D-mediated hydrolysis of phospholipids about 2- and 6-fold respectively. In contrast, 100 nM-PMA had similar (2.5-3.0-fold) stimulatory effects on PtdCho synthesis in these cell lines. In the untransformed NIH 3T3 cells, both PMA and bryostatin stimulated both phospholipid hydrolysis and PtdCho synthesis, with 100 nM-bryostatin being somewhat less potent than 100 nM-TPA. In contrast, in A-raf-transformed NIH 3T3 cells or in HL60 cells, only TPA, but not bryostatin, stimulated PtdCho synthesis. In these transformed cells, bryostatin had 3-fold, or higher, stimulatory effects on phospholipid hydrolysis. Addition of ionomycin, a Ca2(+)-elevating agent, partially restored the stimulatory effect of bryostatin on PtdCho synthesis, but it failed to modify the effect of bryostatin on phospholipid hydrolysis. These data indicate that increased phospholipid hydrolysis is not necessarily associated with increased PtdCho synthesis.
The non-catalytic C-terminal region of endoglucanase E from Clostridium thermocellum contains a cellulose-binding domain
Authors: Durrant A J , Hall J , Hazlewood G P , Gilbert H J
Published: August 2015

Mature endoglucanase E (EGE) from Clostridium thermocellum consists of 780 amino acid residues and has an Mr of 84,016. The N-terminal 334 amino acids comprise a functional catalytic domain. Full-length EGE bound to crystalline cellulose (Avicel) but not to xylan. Bound enzyme could be eluted with distilled water. The capacity of truncated derivatives of the enzyme to bind cellulose was investigated. EGE lacking 109 C-terminal residues (EGEd) or a derivative in which residues 367-432 of the mature form of the enzyme had been deleted (EGEb), bound to Avicel, whereas EGEa and EGEc, which lack 416 and 246 C-terminal residues respectively, did not. The specific activity of EGEa, consisting of the N-terminal 364 amino acids, was 4-fold higher than that of the full-length enzyme. The truncated derivative also exhibited lower affinity for the substrate beta-glucan than the full-length enzyme. It is concluded that EGE contains a cellulose-binding domain, located between residues 432 and 671, that is distinct from the active site. The role of this substrate-binding domain is discussed.
Fucose content of keratan sulphates from bovine articular cartilage
Authors: Tai G H , Brown G M , Morris H G , Huckerby T N , Nieduszynski I A
Published: August 2015

Alkaline-borohydride-reduced keratan sulphate chains were isolated from bovine articular cartilage (6-8-year-old animals). Nine keratan sulphate fractions of increasing molecular weight were prepared by gel-permeation chromatography on a calibrated column of TSK 30 XL. The samples were analysed for fucose and galactose contents (% by wt. of keratan sulphate) and fucose/galactose ratio. The fucose content increased with molecular size, but the galactose content remained constant. It was concluded that the alpha(1→3)-linked fucose [Thornton, Morris, Cockin, Huckerby, Nieduszynski, Carlstedt, Hardingham & Ratcliffe (1989) Biochem. J. 260, 277-282] was located within the poly-N-acetyl-lactosamine repeat sequence of articular-cartilage keratan sulphate.
Inositol 1,3,4,6-tetrakisphosphate mobilizes calcium in Xenopus oocytes with high potency
Authors: Ivorra I , Gigg R , Irvine R F , Parker I
Published: August 2015

Injection of Ins(1,3,4,6)P4 into Xenopus oocytes evoked Ca2(+)-dependent membrane currents with a potency 5-10 times less than Ins(1,4,5)P3, whereas Ins(1,3,4)P3 and Ins(1,3,4,5,6)P5 were almost ineffective. Responses to Ins(1,3,4,6)P4 arose through liberation of intracellular Ca2+ and through entry of extracellular Ca2+. These results, together with the observation that Ins(1,3,4,6)P4 facilitated responses to Ins(1,4,5)P3, suggests that both of these compounds may act on the same intracellular receptors.
The solution conformations of a mutant trp operator determined by n.m.r. spectroscopy
Authors: Lane A N
Published: August 2015

The principal conformational features of the mutant trp operator [d(CGTACTGATTAATCAGTACG)2] have been determined by n.m.r. at different temperatures. The sugar puckers were determined from J-resolved spectroscopy and high-resolution homonuclear Hartmann-Hahn spectroscopic (HOHAHA) experiments. Extensive one-dimensional nuclear-Overhauser-enhancement (NOE) data sets were acquired at 25 degrees C using irradiation times of 50, 100, 200, 300 and 500 ms to generate sufficient NOE information to determine the individual nucleotide conformations, and place limits on the local helical parameters, using multi-spin least-squares fitting and searching in conformation space with the program NUCFIT [Lane (1990) Biochim. Biophys. Acta 1049, 189-204]. The conformations of the nucleotides are well determined, and show significant sequence-dependent variation. Pyrimidine residues on average have a wider range of sugar conformations and smaller glycosidic torsion angles than purine residues. The helical parameters are in general less well determined, though clear evidence was obtained for sequence-dependent variation of the helical twist. The overall mean fractional deviation of the calculated from the observed NOEs was 0.108. The conformations of the base-pairs TAAT are temperature-dependent [Lane (1989) Biochem. J. 259, 715-724]. NOESY spectra were recorded at 10, 25 and 40 degrees C, using mixing times inversely proportional to the overall tumbling time to allow changes in the conformation to be described. A more detailed analysis was made using one-dimensional NOEs collected for nucleotides involved in the conformational transitions. There are significant temperature-dependent changes in the conformations of the central base-pairs from T9 to T13 with the largest changes in the glycosidic torsion angle occurring for A11 and A12 (up to 30 degrees). The orientation of the base-pairs T9-A12:T10-A11 also changes, with an increase in the base-pair roll and an unwinding of the helix as the temperature is increased. The conformational changes are qualitatively similar to those observed in a related sequence (Lefèvre, Lane & Jardetzky (1988) Biochemistry 27, 1086-1094]. The conformation is also similar to the wild-type sequence and to that observed in the crystal state in the complex with the trp holorepressor. The similarity suggests that the mutation produces a poorer operator by virtue of removal of essential functional groups within the major groove.
Pyruvate carboxylase catalysis of phosphate transfer between carbamoyl phosphate and ADP
Authors: Attwood P V , Graneri B D L A
Published: August 2015

In a reaction that is analogous to the phosphorylation of ADP from carboxyphosphate, pyruvate carboxylase catalyses the formation of ATP from carbamoyl phosphate and ADP at a rate that is about 0.3% of the pyruvate-carboxylation reaction and about 3% of the full reverse reaction. Acetyl-CoA stimulates the phosphorylation of ADP from carbamoyl phosphate but is not an essential requirement of the reaction. Mg2+ also stimulates the reaction, and in the range of Mg2+ concentrations considered the effect of V is much larger in the absence of acetyl-CoA than in its presence. Acetyl-CoA and Mg2+ may be acting in a co-operative way to stimulate the phosphorylation of ADP in a similar way to their effects on the pyruvate-carboxylation reaction. The phosphorylation of ADP by carbamoyl phosphate is also stimulated by the presence of biotin in the part of the active site where this reaction occurs, but again it is not absolutely required for the reaction to proceed. The pH profiles of the phosphorylation of ADP by carbamoyl phosphate indicate that there are at least two ionizable residues involved in the reaction, one of which probably has a role in the release of carbamate from the active site.
Topography of succinate dehydrogenase in the mitochondrial inner membrane. A study using limited proteolysis and immunoblotting
Authors: Clarkson G H D , Neagle J , Lindsay J G
Published: August 2015

The arrangement of the large (70,000-Mr) and small (30,000-Mr) subunits of succinate dehydrogenase in the mitochondrial inner membrane was investigated by immunoblot analysis of bovine heart mitochondria (right-side-out, outer membrane disrupted) or submitochondrial particles (inside-out) that had been subjected to surface-specific proteolysis. Both subunits were resistant to proteinase treatment provided that the integrity of the inner membrane was preserved, suggesting that neither subunit is exposed at the cytoplasmic surface of the membrane. The bulk of the small subunit appears to protrude into the matrix compartment, since the 30,000-Mr polypeptide is degraded extensively during limited proteolysis of submitochondrial particles without the appearance of an immunologically reactive membrane-associated fragment: moreover, a soluble 27,000-Mr peptide derived from this subunit is observed transiently on incubation with trypsin. Similar data obtained from the large subunit suggest that this polypeptide interacts with the matrix side of the inner membrane via two distinct domains; these are detected as stable membrane-associated fragments of 32,000 Mr and 27,000 Mr after treatment of submitochondrial particles with papain or proteinase K, although the 27,000-Mr fragment can be degraded further to low-Mr peptides with trypsin or alpha-chymotrypsin. A stable 32,000-34,000-Mr fragment is generated by a variety of specific and non-specific proteinases, indicating that it may be embedded largely within the lipid bilayer, or is inaccessible to proteolytic attack owing to its proximity to the surface of the intact membrane, possibly interacting with the hydrophobic membrane anchoring polypeptides of the succinate: ubiquinone reductase complex.
Induction of the differentiation of HL-60 cells by phorbol 12-myristate 13-acetate activates a Na+-dependent uridine-transport system. Involvement of protein kinase C
Authors: Lee C W , Sokoloski J A , Sartorelli A C , Handschumacher R E
Published: August 2015

The Na(+)-dependent transport and facilitated diffusion of uridine were measured after differentiation of HL-60 leukaemia cells along the monocytic pathway by phorbol 12-myristate 13-acetate (PMA). PMA (200 ng/ml) caused a marked increase in Na(+)-dependent uridine transport within 48 h of exposure that was attributable to an increase in transport affinity (apparent Km values of 1.15 +/- 0.22 and 44 +/- 4.4 microM for PMA-induced and uninduced cells respectively), with no change in Vmax. (0.15 +/- 0.02 and 0.13 +/- 0.01 pmol/s per microliter of cell water for PMA-induced and uninduced cells respectively). A corresponding rapid decrease in both the rate of facilitated diffusion and the formation of uracil nucleotides occurred in PMA-induced cells. As a consequence of these changes, intracellular pools of uridine 3-4-fold greater than those in the medium were generated. A similar increase in Na(+)-dependent transport of adenosine, inosine, guanosine, thymidine and cytidine (Km values of 1-4 microM) was observed. The effects of PMA on the activation of the Na(+)-dependent uridine transporter were inhibited by staurosporine, suggesting the involvement of protein kinase C. The findings indicate that a change in the balance of the cellular mechanisms employed for nucleoside transport occurs during the monocytic differentiation of HL-60 leukaemia cells.
Factors influencing the inactivation of phosphate-dependent glutaminase in the matrix fraction of rat liver mitochondria
Authors: McGivan J D , Doyle F A , Boon K
Published: August 2015

1. The activity of phosphate-dependent glutaminase was measured in a matrix extract of essentially lysosome-free liver mitochondria. 2. ATP, GTP or a non-hydrolysable analogue of ATP stimulated the rapid inactivation of glutaminase, but not of other matrix enzymes. 3. Glutaminase was protected against inactivation if high concentrations of glutamine or low concentrations of NH3 were present. 4. Inactivation of glutaminase in the presence of ATP did not markedly affect the reaction of the enzyme with a specific polyclonal antiserum. 5. These results in a mitochondrial extract are similar to the characteristics of glutaminase inactivation in intact hepatocytes, suggesting a similar mechanism in each case. 6. The presence of a specific ATP-activated protease in the mitochondrial matrix is suggested to be responsible for glutaminase inactivation.
Surfactant protein composition of lamellar bodies isolated from rat lung
Authors: Oosterlaken-Dijksterhuis M A , van Eijk M , van Buel B L M , van Golde L M G , Haagsman H P
Published: August 2015

Lamellar bodies isolated from rat lung contain all three classes of surfactant proteins, SP-A, SP-B and SP-C, as determined by immunoblot analysis. The amounts of the surfactant proteins present in lamellar bodies, determined by sandwich e.l.i.s.a. (SP-A) and fluorescamine assay (SP-B and SP-C) show that these organelles are highly enriched in the hydrophobic surfactant proteins SP-B and SP-C.
Identity between palmitoyl-CoA synthetase and arachidonoyl-CoA synthetase in human platelet?
Authors: Bakken A M , Farstad M , Holmsen H
Published: August 2015

Apparent Km values have been determined for the substrates ATP, CoA and fatty acids for the long-chain acyl-CoA synthetase (EC 6.2.1.3) reaction in lysates of human blood platelets. The apparent Km for ATP was higher for saturated fatty acids (C12:0 to C18:0) than for unsaturated acids (C18:1 to C22:6). Other apparent Km values were very similar for all long-chain fatty acids tested. Palmitic acid inhibited the formation of [14C]arachidonoyl-CoA, and arachidonic acid inhibited the formation of [14C]palmitoyl-CoA, with [14C]arachidonate or [14C]palmitate respectively as substrate. After chromatography of Triton X-100-extracted platelet protein in several systems (hydroxyapatite, DEAE-Sepharose, Sephacryl S-200 HR, CoA-Sepharose, Sephadex G-100 and AcA 34), both arachidonoyl-CoA synthetase and palmitoyl-CoA synthetase activities were eluted together in the various protein peaks, and with approximately the same ratio of activities in all peaks. After some purification steps (DEAE-Sepharose and Sephacryl S-200 HR), the acyl-CoA synthetase activity was up to 37 nmol/min per mg of protein with [14C]palmitate as substrate, and up to 116 nmol/min per mg of protein with [14C]arachidonate as substrate. The purification was respectively about 8- and 10-fold. The results indicate that palmitoyl-CoA (or unspecific) synthetase and arachidonoyl-CoA (or specific) synthetase are in fact the same enzyme, in agreement with previously reported results from this laboratory.
α-l-iduronidase in normal and mucopolysaccharidosis-type-I human skin fibroblasts
Authors: Taylor J A , Gibson G J , Brooks D A , Hopwood J J
Published: August 2015

alpha-L-Iduronidase synthesis and maturation were analysed in fibroblasts from normal controls and from alpha-L-iduronidase-deficient mucopolysaccharidosis-type-I (MPS-I) patients. Fibroblasts were radiolabelled with [3H]leucine and alpha-L-iduronidase was isolated from cell lysates or culture medium by monoclonal-antibody affinity chromatography. Pulse-chase labelling of normal control fibroblasts showed that alpha-L-iduronidase was synthesized as an 81 kDa precursor and processed within 24 h via intermediates of 76 kDa and 70 kDa to a 69 kDa species. The incorporation of radiolabel into alpha-L-iduronidase in fibroblasts from three of four MPS-I patients was at levels that were either very low or undetectable. Fibroblasts from one MPS-I patient, however, exhibited levels of incorporation of radiolabelled amino acid into alpha-L-iduronidase similar to those shown by normal control fibroblasts, despite having undetectable alpha-L-iduronidase enzyme activity. The maturation of alpha-L-iduronidase in fibroblasts from this patient was delayed compared with normal controls and showed accumulation of the 76 kDa intermediate, as well as the major 69 kDa, form of the enzyme.
The effects of selenium deficiency on hepatic type-I iodothyronine deiodinase and protein disulphide-isomerase assessed by activity measurements and affinity labelling
Authors: Arthur J R , Nicol F , Grant E , Beckett G J
Published: August 2015

We determined protein disulphide-isomerase (PDI) and iodothyronine deiodinase (ID-I) activities in liver homogenates from rats subjected to selenium (Se) and/or iodine deficiencies and food restriction. Additionally, the effects of propylthiouracil (PTU) on the enzymes were studied in vivo and in vitro. Selenium deficiency markedly inhibited ID-I activity, but had no significant effects on PDI. Iodine deficiency resulted in a 1.6-fold stimulation in ID-I and a 1.2-fold stimulation in PDI activities. ID-I was much more sensitive than PDI to the inhibitory effects of PTU both in vitro and in vivo. By using a 3,3′,5′-tri[125I]iodothyronine affinity label, two major protein bands were identified when hepatic microsomal fractions from Se-sufficient rats were subjected to SDS/PAGE and autoradiography. These bands had molecular masses of 55 and 27.5 kDa, which are similar to those of PDI and ID-I respectively. Selenium deficiency resulted in the loss of the 27.5 kDa band, but did not affect the intensity of the 55 kDa band. These results are consistent with the changes in PDI and ID-I enzyme activities. Previous studies have shown that 75Se may be incorporated in vivo into the 27.5 kDa protein band. This, taken together with our observation that Se is required for the expression of ID-I and the 27.5 kDa protein band, strongly suggests that ID-I is a selenoprotein.
A pertussis-toxin-sensitive protein controls exocytosis in chromaffin cells at a step distal to the generation of second messengers
Authors: Sontag J M , Thierse D , Rouot B , Aunis D , Bader M F
Published: August 2015

The role of GTP-binding proteins (G-proteins) in the secretory process in chromaffin cells was investigated by studying the effects of pertussis toxin (PTX) on catecholamine release and generation of various second messengers. PTX was found to stimulate the catecholamine secretion induced by nicotine, 59 mM-K+ or veratridine. PTX also potentiated Ca2(+)-evoked catecholamine release from permeabilized chromaffin cells, suggesting that PTX substrate(s) regulate the exocytotic machinery at a step distal to the rise in intracellular Ca2+. We have investigated the possible intracellular pathways involved in the stimulation of secretion by PTX. PTX did not modify the translocation of protein kinase C (PKC) to membranes in intact or permeabilized cells; in addition, neither inhibitors nor activators of PKC had any effect on catecholamine release induced by PTX. Thus it seems unlikely that the effect of PTX on secretion is mediated by activation of PKC. The effect of PTX is also cyclic AMP-independent, as PTX did not change cytoplasmic cyclic AMP levels. The relationship between PTX treatment and arachidonic acid release was also examined. We found that an increase in cytoplasmic arachidonic acid concentration enhanced Ca2(+)-evoked catecholamine release in permeabilized cells, but arachidonic acid did not mimic the effect of PTX on the Ca2(+)-dose-response curve for secretion. Furthermore, PTX did not significantly modify the release of arachidonic acid measured in resting or stimulated chromaffin cells, suggesting that the stimulatory effect of PTX on secretion is not mediated by an activation of phospholipase A2. Taken together, these results suggest that PTX may modulate the intracellular machinery of secretion at a step distal to the generation of second messengers. In alpha-toxin-permeabilized cells, full retention of the PTX-induced activation of secretion was observed even 30 min after permeabilization. In contrast, when chromaffin cells were permeabilized with streptolysin-O (SLO), there was a marked progressive loss of the PTX effect. We found that SLO caused the rapid leakage of three G-protein alpha-subunits which are specifically ADP-ribosylated by PTX. We propose that a PTX-sensitive G-protein may play an inhibitory role in the final stages of the Ca2(+)-evoked secretory process in chromaffin cells.
Theta, a new class of glutathione transferases purified from rat and man
Authors: Meyer D J , Coles B , Pemble S E , Gilmore K S , Fraser G M , Ketterer B
Published: August 2015

Glutathione transferases (GSTs) of a novel class, which it is proposed to term Theta, were purified from rat and human liver. Two, named GST 5-5 and GST 12-12, were obtained from the rat, and one, named GST theta, was from the human. Unlike other mammalian GSTs they lack activity towards 1-chloro-2,4-dinitrobenzene and are not retained by GSH affinity matrices. Only GST 5-5 retains full activity during purification, and its activities towards the substrates 1,2-epoxy-3-(p-nitrophenoxy)propane, p-nitrobenzyl chloride, p-nitrophenethyl bromide, cumene hydroperoxide, dichloromethane and DNA hydroperoxide are 185, 86, 67, 42, 11 and 0.03 mumol/min per mg of protein respectively. Earlier preparations of GST 5-5 or GST E were probably a mixture of GST 5-5 and GST 12-12, which was largely inactive, and may also have been contaminated by less than 1% with another GSH peroxidase of far greater activity. Partial analysis of primary structure shows that subunits 5, 12 and theta are related to each other, particularly at the N-terminus, where 25 of 27 residues are identical, but have little relationship to the Alpha, Mu and Pi classes of mammalian GSTs. They do, however, show some relatedness to subunit I of Drosophila melanogaster [Toung, Hsieh & Tu (1990) Proc. Natl. Acad. Sci. U.S.A. 87, 31-35] and the dichloromethane dehalogenase of Methylobacterium DM4 [La Roche & Leisinger (1990) J. Bacteriol, 172, 164-171].
Carbohydrate-recognition domains as tools for rapid purification of recombinant eukaryotic proteins
Authors: Taylor M E , Drickamer K
Published: August 2015

Methods have been developed for expression and purification of eukaryotic proteins by creating fusions with the carbohydrate-recognition domain (CRD) of the galactose-specific rat hepatic lectin. In order to generate the fusion proteins, vectors have been constructed so that cDNAs for passenger proteins can be inserted in any reading frame following a segment of DNA encoding the CRD. The feasibility of using this approach as an aid to protein purification has been demonstrated using human placental alkaline phosphatase. Following expression in either of two different eukaryotic expression systems, the CRD-phosphatase fusion protein can be isolated by one step of affinity chromatography on galactose-Sepharose under mild, non-denaturing conditions. Incorporation of a proteinase-sensitive linker allows cleavage of the CRD from the passenger protein. Immobilised proteinase could be rapidly separated from the cleavage products and the released, active phosphatase was purified away from the CRD by re-chromatography on galactose-Sepharose. These methods provide a means of isolating correctly folded recombinant eukaryotic proteins when cDNAs are available, but the properties of the encoded proteins are unknown.
Definition of a Ca2+-sensitive interface in the plasma gelsolin-actin complex
Authors: Houmeida A , Hanin V , Feinberg J , Benyamin Y , Roustan C
Published: August 2015

Gelsolin is a Ca2(+)-dependent protein which severs actin filaments, caps their fast-growing ends and promotes nucleation. We report here results that delimit one of the interfaces between serum gelsolin and actin monomer. An actin-derived synthetic peptide (amino acids 305-326 of actin) coupled to a hydrophilic resin was tested for its possible interaction with gelsolin. We selected this sequence because it corresponds to a region implicated in the gelsolin-actin complex in a previous work [Boyer, Feinberg, Hue, Capony, Benyamin & Roustan (1987) Biochem. J. 248, 359-364]. We showed that this actin sequence is located at the surface of the actin molecule and observed a Ca2(+)-sensitive binding of gelsolin to this actin-derived peptide. In addition, by using a chymotryptic digest of gelsolin, we reported that only the C-terminal half of gelsolin interacts with the actin-(305-326)-peptide. These results that the Ca2(+)-sensitive interface includes both amino acids 305-326 of actin and probably amino acids 660-738 of gelsolin.
Rattlesnake cytochrome c. A re-appraisal of the reported amino acid sequence
Authors: Ambler R P , Daniel M
Published: August 2015

The amino acid sequence of rattlesnake cytochrome c was originally reported in 1965, and was one of the earlier sequences to be studied. When compared with other mitochondrial cytochromes c, the snake sequence was soon seen to be anomalous. There were several positions in which the snake protein resembled human cytochrome c, although comparable anomalies were not reported for the protein from other reptiles such as lizard and turtle. Explanations of these results have included accelerated evolution in the snake lineage, paralogy rather than orthology, and faulty determination of the sequence, and the rattlesnake is now often omitted from cytochrome c phylogenetic trees. We have re-investigated the sequence of the snake protein, and believe that the correct sequence differs in nine places from that used for evolutionary theorizing since 1965. Four of these differences are near the haem-attachment site, in a region that was only analysed for amino acid composition in the original investigation. The other five differences are towards the C-terminus of the molecule, and can be explained as being due to the wrong ordering of amino acids within peptides that had been satisfactorily purified. Despite these corrections, the rattlesnake cytochrome c sequence still more closely resembles human cytochrome c than it does that of any other protein we know. We believe that this is an example of convergent evolution, although it does appear that there has been accelerated change in the line connecting the rattlesnake to the ancestral vertebrate line. Detailed evidence for the amino acid sequence of the protein has been deposited as Supplementary Publication SUP 50162 (16 pages) at the British Library Document Supply Centre, Boston Spa. Wetherby, West Yorkshire LS23 7BQ, U.K., from whom copies can be obtained on the terms indicated in Biochem. J. (1991) 273, 5.
Oxalate as a potent and selective inhibitor of spinach (Spinacia oleracea) leaf NADPH-dependent hydroxypyruvate reductase
Authors: Kleczkowski L A , Randall D D , Edwards G E
Published: August 2015

Purified spinach (Spinacia oleracea) NADPH-preferring hydroxypyruvate reductase (HPR-2) was potently and selectively inhibited by oxalate, an end product of metabolism in plants. Both hydroxypyruvate- and glyoxylate-dependent rates of the HPR-2 enzyme were affected. Oxalate acted as an uncompetitive inhibitor of the enzyme, with Ki values of 7 and 36 microM for the NADPH/hydroxypyruvate and NADPH/glyoxylate pairs of reactants respectively. Oxalate, at millimolar levels, caused less than 10% inhibition of purified spinach NADH-preferring HPR (HPR-1) and had no effect on purified spinach NADPH-preferring glyoxylate-specific reductase (GR-1). The inhibition of spinach HPR-2 by oxalate is by far the strongest for any known inhibitor of leaf HPR and GR activities. In photosynthetic tissues, oxalate could potentially act as a primary regulator of extraperoxisomal metabolism of hydroxypyruvate and glyoxylate.
Interactions between inositol tris- and tetrakis-phosphates. Effects on intracellular Ca2+ mobilization in SH-SY5Y cells
Authors: Gawler D J , Potter B V L , Gigg R , Nahorski S R
Published: August 2015

The potential Ca2(+)-releasing activity of the inositol tetrakisphosphates Ins(1,3,4,6)P4 and DL-Ins(1,4,5,6)P4 and the inositol pentakisphosphate Ins(1,3,4,5,6)P5 and their effect on Ins(1,4,5)P3- and DL-Ins (1,3,4,5)P4-mediated Ca2+ release were examined in permeabilized SH-SY5Y human neuroblastoma cells. Neither DL-Ins(1,4,5,6)P4 nor Ins(1,3,4,5,6)P5 exhibit Ca2(+)-releasing activity at concentrations up to 10 microM, but Ins(1,3,4,6)P4 releases Ca2+ dose-dependently, with an EC50 value (conen, giving half-maximal effect) of 5.92 +/- 0.47 microM. Maximal response by this tetrakisphosphate (49 +/- 2.5%) is significantly less than that seen with Ins(1,4,5)P3 (60 +/- 3%) and is achieved at a concentration of 30 microM. In the presence of this concentration of Ins(1,3,4,6)P4 the EC50 value for Ins(1,4,5)P3-mediated Ca2+ release increases from 0.12 +/- 0.02 microM to 2.11 +/- 0.51 microM, providing evidence that this naturally occurring inositol tetrakisphosphate may recognize and exhibit its Ca2(+)-releasing activity via the Ins(1,4,5)P3 receptor. DL-Ins(1,3,4,5)P4, however, at its maximally effective concentration (10 microM) does not significantly affect Ins(1,4,5)P3-mediated Ca2+ release, and therefore appears to mediate its Ca2(+)-mobilizing action through a receptor distinct from that for Ins(1,4,5)P3.
Chylomicron-remnant clearance in homozygote and heterozygote Watanabe-heritable-hyperlipidaemic rabbits is defective. Lack of evidence for an independent chylomicron-remnant receptor
Authors: Bowler A , Redgrave T G , Mamo J C L
Published: August 2015

Lymph chylomicrons radiolabelled in triacylglycerol and cholesteryl ester were injected into control and Watanabe heritable-hyperlipidaemic (WHHL) rabbits. Clearance of chylomicrons was slower in heterozygote and homozygote WHHL rabbits. Slower remnant clearance in WHHL rabbits was confirmed by monitoring the clearance from plasma of preformed chylomicron remnants. Use of chylomicron-like lipid emulsions injected into control and WHHL rabbits also confirmed the defect in remnant clearance in heterozygote WHHL and homozygote WHHL groups. Clearance from plasma of emulsion triolein was delayed in both WHHL groups compared with controls, owing to slower remnant clearance. The clearance from plasma of radioiodinated rabbit low-density lipoproteins (LDL) in heterozygote WHHL rabbits was the same as control rabbits. Defective chylomicron-remnant removal but normal LDL clearance in the heterozygote WHHL corresponded to elevated concentrations of plasma triacylglycerol and normal concentrations of plasma cholesterol. Receptor versus non-receptor clearances of chylomicron remnants were studied by comparing the clearance of emulsions with and without unesterified cholesterol respectively. Unlike control rabbits, there were no significant differences in the clearances of the two emulsion types in either the homozygote or heterozygote WHHL rabbits, indicating that the apolipoprotein-B100/E receptor is the primary route for clearance of chylomicron remnants from plasma.
Processing of the precursor of protamine P2 in mouse. Peptide mapping and N-terminal sequence analysis of intermediates
Authors: Carré-Eusèbe D , Lederer F , Lê K H D , Elsevier S M
Published: August 2015

Protamine P2, the major basic chromosomal protein of mouse spermatozoa, is synthesized as a precursor almost twice as long as the mature protein, its extra length arising from an N-terminal extension of 44 amino acid residues. This precursor is integrated into chromatin of spermatids, and the extension is processed during chromatin condensation in the haploid cells. We have studied processing in the mouse and have identified two intermediates generated by proteolytic cleavage of the precursor. H.p.l.c. separated protamine P2 from four other spermatid proteins, including the precursor and three proteins known to possess physiological characteristics expected of processing intermediates. Peptide mapping indicated that all of these proteins were structurally similar. Two major proteins were further purified by PAGE, transferred to poly(vinylidene difluoride) membranes and submitted to automated N-terminal sequence analysis. Both sequences were found within the deduced sequence of the precursor extension. The N-terminus of the larger intermediate, PP2C, was Gly-12, whereas the N-terminus of the smaller, PP2D, was His-21. Both processing sites involved a peptide bond in which the carbonyl function was contributed by an acidic amino acid.
Tissue-specific regulation of dipeptidyl peptidase IV expression during development
Authors: Hildebrandt M , Reutter W , Gitlin J D
Published: August 2015

The patterns of dipeptidyl peptidase (DPP) IV activity and protein amount in different rat organs during development were compared. In order to elucidate the molecular basis for these patterns, total RNA was isolated from lung and kidney at different stages of development and analysed by Northern-blot hybridization using an oligonucleotide derived from the DPP IV cDNA sequence. This oligonucleotide hybridized to two distinct mRNAs of approx. 3.2 and 4.8 kb respectively. During kidney development, the pattern for DPP IV mRNA paralleled that of DPP IV activity and protein amount, suggesting that, in kidney, the expression of DPP IV is primarily controlled at the transcriptional level. In contrast, the magnitude of DPP IV activity during lung development compared with that of DPP IV mRNA in lung suggests that post-transcriptional mechanisms are involved in regulating the expression of DPP IV in lung. Organ-specific regulation of DPP IV expression may provide a useful model for further comparative studies of transcriptional and post-transcriptional mechanisms of DPP IV expression within the same organism.
Hepatic glutathione S-transferases in mice fed on a diet containing the anticarcinogenic antioxidant butylated hydroxyanisole. Isolation of mouse glutathione S-transferase heterodimers by gradient elution of the glutathione-Sepharose affinity matrix
Authors: Hayes J D , Kerr L A , Peacock S D , Cronshaw A D , McLellan L I
Published: August 2015

Induction of glutathione S-transferases (GSTs) is believed to represent an important mechanism whereby butylated hydroxyanisole inhibits chemical carcinogenesis. The soluble hepatic GSTs expressed by mice fed on normal diets are all homodimers comprising Ya3 (Mr 25,800), Yb1 (Mr 26,400) and Yf (Mr 24,800) subunits. In addition to these constitutively expressed GSTs, we have identified enzymes containing Ya1 (Mr 25,600), Ya2 (Mr 25,600), Yb2 (Mr 26,200) and Yb5 (Mr 26,500) subunits from the livers of Balb/c mice fed on diets containing butylated hydroxyanisole (BHA). Gradient affinity elution of GSH-Sepharose has been used to resolve the mouse liver enzymes into several discrete pools of activity from which GSTs were purified by cation-exchange chromatography. The inducible Mu-class Yb2 and Yb5 subunits were separately isolated as the heterodimers GST Yb1Yb2 and GST Yb1Yb5 and their catalytic properties are described; this showed that 1,2-dichloro-4-nitrobenzene and trans-4-phenylbut-3-en-2-one are marker substrates for the mouse Yb1 and Yb2 subunits respectively, but no discriminating model substrate was found that allows the identification of the Yb5 subunit. Individual GST subunits were resolved by reverse-phase h.p.l.c. and their amino acid compositions were determined. Certain subunits (Yb1, Yb2, Yb5 and Yf) were also subjected to automated amino acid sequence analysis, and this demonstrated that the Yb5 subunit has a blocked N-terminus. The mouse Yb1, Yb2 and Yb5 subunits from the major inducible Mu-class heterodimers were cleaved with CNBr and purified peptides from the Yb2 and Yb5 subunits were sequenced. These data show that the Yb2 subunit is distinct from the GSTs that are encoded by the cDNAs that have been cloned from mouse liver cDNA libraries but possesses identity with the protein that is encoded by pmGT2, a cDNA isolated from a mouse fibroblast cell line by Townsend, Goldsmith, Pickett & Cowan [(1989) J. Biol. Chem. 264. 21582-21590]. The sequence data also show that the cDNA encoding the mouse Yb5 subunit has not, to date, been cloned, and the relationship between this subunit and Mu-class GSTs in other species that possess a blocked N-terminus (e.g. rat GST YoYo) is discussed.
Expression of a human monoclonal anti-(rhesus D) Fab fragment in Escherichia coli with the use of bacteriophage λ vectors
Authors: Williamson R A , Persson M A A , Burton D R
Published: August 2015

A human anti-(rhesus D) antibody (IgG1 lambda) Fab fragment was cloned from an Epstein-Barr-virus-transformed cell line and expressed in Escherichia coli with the use of bacteriophage lambda vectors. The cloned protein is active in binding to human erythrocytes and permits the development of a recombinant reagent for the prevention of haemolytic disease of the newborn. The method offers a rapid and effective means of rescuing human Fabs from potentially unstable cell lines secreting human antibodies.
Effect of magnesium ions on the inhibition of S-adenosylmethionine decarboxylase from Escherichia coli by [2-(amino-oxy)ethyl](5′-deoxyadenosin-5′-yl)(methyl)sulphonium
Authors: Weitkamp E L C , Dixon H B F , Khomutov A R , Khomutov R M
Published: August 2015

[2-(Amino-oxy)ethyl](5′-deoxyadenosin-5′-yl)(methyl)sulphonium+ ++, the amino-oxy analogue of decarboxylated S-adenosylmethionine, is a potent irreversible inhibitor of Escherichia coli S-adenosylmethionine decarboxylase [Khomutov, Zavalova, Syrku, Artamonova & Khomutov (1983) Bioorg. Khim. 9, 130-131; Artamonova, Zavalova, Khomutov & Khomutov (1986) Bioorg. Khim. 12, 206-212]. We have shown that Mg2+ ions are required for the irreversible inhibition of the decarboxylase, and that S-adenosylmethionine protects against this inhibition.
Deletion of two growth-factor repeats from the low-density-lipoprotein receptor accelerates its degradation
Authors: van der Westhuyzen D R , Stein M L , Henderson H E , Marais A D , Fourie A M , Coetzee G A
Published: August 2015

The region of the low-density-lipoprotein (LDL) receptor showing sequence similarity to the epidermal-growth-factor (EGF) precursor is required for LDL binding and the acid-induced dissociation of ligand and receptor. We describe here a naturally occurring mutant LDL receptor, found in a patient with homozygous familial hypercholesterolaemia, which lacks the first two growth-factor-like repeats of the EGF-precursor-like (‘homology’) domain. The mutation in the receptor gene is a 2.5 kb deletion including exons 7 and 8. The molecular mass of the mutant receptor (145 kDa) was approx. 15 kDa smaller than the normal LDL receptor. The mutant receptors were derived from precursors (105 kDa) that apparently underwent normal processing. Fibroblasts from the patient had high-affinity binding sites for the the apolipoprotein E-containing ligand, beta VLDL, but did not bind LDL. In the presence of beta VLDL, receptors were rapidly degraded. The mutant receptors also displayed an abnormally rapid turnover, about four times faster than that of normal receptors, in the absence of ligand; this accelerated degradation accounted for the low level of expression of mutant receptors in up-regulated cells. These data support a role for the growth-factor-like repeats in the binding of LDL (but not beta VLDL) and in receptor recycling, and indicate that a normal rate of turnover of unoccupied receptors is dependent on the integrity of these segments of the protein.
Differential expression of the mouse U1a and U1b SnRNA genes is not dependent on sequence differences in the octamer motif
Authors: Lea I , Moore H D M , Latchman D S
Published: August 2015

The mouse U1b SnRNA gene is expressed in only a limited range of cell types, whereas the U1a SnRNA gene is expressed in all cells. These two genes differ in the sequence of the octamer motif, which plays a critical role in SnRNA gene regulation. We show that the U1b octamer binds the octamer-binding protein Oct-1 with higher affinity than does the U1a octamer in both U1b-expressing and -non-expressing cell lines and tissues. Moreover, the U1b octamer can direct a higher level of gene expression than the U1a octamer when linked to a heterologous promoter and introduced into a non-U1b-expressing cell line. Hence the tissue-specific expression of the U1b gene is not determined by the failure of its octamer motif to bind Oct-1 or the weak affinity of this binding.
Formation of two species of nascent proteochondroitin in separate loci of a microsomal preparation from chick-embryo epiphyseal cartilage
Authors: Sugumaran G , Silbert J E
Published: August 2015

The potential relationship of an intact membrane organization to the synthesis of chondroitin was examined before and after modification of a chick-embryo cartilage microsomal system with the non-ionic detergent Triton X-100. Incubations with labelled UDP-GlcA and UDP-GalNAc indicated that Triton X-100 had little effect on the amount of chondroitin synthesized to form one species of large proteochondroitin (Type I). However, Triton X-100 had a marked stimulatory effect on the formation of another smaller species of proteochondroitin (Type II). Presence of this detergent during chondroitin polymerization also resulted in chains that were slightly smaller. Neither of the two proteochondroitin species were collagenase-sensitive, nor did they contain dermatan-like regions. Thus in these respects they were unlike the small proteochondroitins (PG-Lb or PG-Lt) that have been found in chick-embryo cartilage. They also differed greatly in size from these small proteoglycans as well as from the large aggregatable proteochondroitin (PG-H) from the same source. Synthesis of the larger (Type I) proteochondroitin species was not affected by prior treatment of the microsomes with chondroitin ABC lyase at concentrations sufficient for elimination of synthesis of most of the smaller (Type II) proteochondroitin species. Use of chondroitin ABC lyase subsequent to synthesis of the chondroitin also resulted in preferential degradation of the smaller species. Thus there were differences in formation and limitation in access of the chondroitin ABC lyase to the two species, consistent with other differences described previously. These results indicate that there are separate loci within the microsomal membranes for synthesis of the two species.
Ca2+-dependent regulation of vascular smooth-muscle caldesmon by S.100 and related smooth-muscle proteins
Authors: Pritchard K , Marston S B
Published: August 2015

1. We have investigated the ability of bovine brain S.100, and of three related proteins from sheep aorta smooth muscle, to confer Ca(2+)-sensitivity on thin filaments reconstituted from smooth-muscle actin, tropomyosin and caldesmon. 2. At 37 degrees C in pH 7.0 buffer containing 120 mM-KCl, approximately stoichiometric amounts of S.100 reversed caldesmon's inhibition of the activation of myosin MgATPase by smooth-muscle actin-tropomyosin. The [S.100] which reversed by 50% the inhibition by caldesmon (the E.C.50) was 2.5 microM when [caldesmon] = 2-3 microM in the assay mixture. When [KCl] was decreased to 70 mM, E.C.50 = 11.5 microM; at 25 degrees C in 70 mM-KCl, up to 20 microM-S.100 had no effect. When skeletal-muscle actin rather than smooth-muscle actin was used to reconstitute thin filaments, 20 microM-S.100 did reverse inhibition by caldesmon, at 25 degrees C in buffer containing 70 mM-KCl. This dependence on conditions is also characteristic of the calmodulin-caldesmon interaction. 3. These results suggested that S.100 or a related protein might interact with caldesmon in smooth muscle. We therefore attempted to prepare such a protein from sheep aorta. Three proteins were purified: an Mr-17,000 protein (yield 16 mg/kg), an abundant Mr-11,000 protein (yield 48 mg/kg), and an Mr-9000 protein (yield 4 mg/kg). Neither of the last two low-Mr proteins had any effect on activation of myosin MgATPase by reconstituted thin filaments. The protein of Mr 17,000 had Ca(2+)-sensitizing activity, and behaved exactly like brain calmodulin in the assay system.
Secretion of latent type IV procollagenase and active type IV collagenase by testicular cells in culture
Authors: Ailenberg M , Stetler-Stevenson W G , Fritz I B
Published: August 2015

Testicular peritubular myoid cells, which have properties similar to those of vascular smooth-muscle cells, secrete a variety of metalloproteinases when maintained in culture in a chemically defined medium. The predominant metalloproteinases secreted were identified as latent type IV procollagenases having molecular masses of 72 kDa and 75 kDa, as detected in Western immunoblots with specific antibodies against type IV procollagenase. When peritubular cells were stimulated by dibutyryl cyclic AMP, forskolin or cholera toxin, they secreted increased amounts of type IV procollagenase. However, little if any of the active type IV collagenase, having a lower molecular mass of 66 kDa, could be detected under these conditions. Addition of low concentrations of cytochalasin D to peritubular cells in monoculture resulted in conversion of the latent type IV collagenase into its active form, assessed with antibody-specificity studies and by the appearance of the 66 kDa protein. In contrast, Sertoli cells in culture did not manifest an increased conversion of type IV procollagenase into type IV collagenase in the presence of cytochalasin D, even though cytochalasin D addition invariably resulted in a disruption of the microfilament assembly in each of these gonadal somatic cell populations. When peritubular cells were co-cultured with Sertoli cells, addition of cytochalasin D no longer resulted in formation of increased amounts of the active form of type IV collagenase. Sertoli cells and peritubular cells each secreted a tissue inhibitor of metalloproteinase type 2, detected with a specific antibody in a Western immunoblot to have a molecular mass of 21 kDa. We conclude that cytochalasin D acts on mesenchymal-type peritubular cells, but not on epithelial-type Sertoli cells, to enhance the conversion of latent type IV procollagenase into active type IV collagenase. This conversion of type IV procollagenase into type IV collagenase by peritubular cells was inhibited by factor(s) secreted by Sertoli cells. Interactions between Sertoli cells and peritubular cells are postulated to modulate net proteinase activities in discrete regions of the testis.
Structural characterization of neutral oligosaccharides with blood-group A and H activity isolated from bovine submaxillary mucin
Authors: Savage A V , D'Arcy S M , Donoghue C M
Published: August 2015

In this study we investigated the structures of 11 neutral oligosaccharides released from bovine submaxillary mucin by alkaline borohydride treatment and isolated by h.p.l.c. One hexa-, one penta-, three tetra-, four tri- and two di-saccharides containing core types 1, 2, 3 or 4 were obtained. We report their structures, determined by a combination of one- and two-dimensional 1H n.m.r. spectroscopy at 270 MHz and methylation analysis involving g.l.c.-m.s., along with their approximate molar ratios. Only three of these oligosaccharides have previously been reported in this source. Of the new oligosaccharides, one contains the blood-group-A antigenic determinant, two contain the blood-group-H type 2 determinant, while another contains the blood-group-H type 3 determinant. The oligosaccharide GlcNAc beta (1→6)[GlcNAc beta (1→3)]GalNAcol, although previously found as a core structure, has been isolated here as a novel trisaccharide.