bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
Structural analysis of colanic acid from Escherichia coli by using methylation and base-catalysed fragmentation. Comparison with polysaccharides from other bacterial sources
Authors: Lawson C. J. , McCleary C. W. , Nakada Henry I. , Rees D. A. , Sutherland I. W. , Wilkinson J. F.
Published: August 2015

Essentially the same methanolysis products were obtained after methylation of the slime and capsular polysaccharides from Escherichia coli K12 (S53 and S53C sub-strains) and the slime polysaccharides from E. coli K12 (S61), Aerobacter cloacae N.C.T.C. 5290 and Salmonella typhimurium SL1543. These were the methyl glycosides of 2-O-methyl-l-fucose, 2,3-di-O-methyl-l-fucose, 2,3-di-O-methyl-d-glucuronic acid methyl ester, 2,4,6-tri-O-methyl-d-glucose, 2,4,6-tri-O-methyl-d-galactose and the pyruvic acid ketal, 4,6-O-(1′-methoxycarbonylethylidene)-2,3-O-methyl-d-galactose. All were identified as crystalline derivatives from an E. coli polysaccharide. The structure of the ketal was proved by proton-magnetic-resonance and mass spectrometry, and by cleavage to pyruvic acid and 2,3-di-O-methyl-d-galactose. All these polysaccharides are therefore regarded as variants on the same fundamental structure for which the name colanic acid is adopted. Although containing the same sugar residues, quite different methanolysis products were obtained after methylation of the extracellular polysaccharide from Klebsiella aerogenes (1.2 strain). The hydroxypropyl ester of E. coli polysaccharide, when treated with base under anhydrous conditions, underwent β-elimination at the uronate residues with release of a 4,6-O-(1′-alkoxycarbonylethylidene)-d-galactose. Together with the identification of 3-O-(d-glucopyranosyluronic acid)-d-galactose as a partial hydrolysis product, this establishes the nature of most, if not all, of the side chains as O-[4,6-O-(1′-carboxyethylidene)-d-galactopyranosyl]-(1→4)-O-(d-glucopyranosyluronic acid)-(1→3)-d-galactopyranosyl…
Studies on the conversion of 60s yeast ribosomes into a 50s component
Authors: Ghosh Nandini
Published: August 2015

The process of conversion of the larger (60s) subunit of yeast ribosomes into a 50s component was studied. The release of any RNA or protein material during conversion was assayed by using 32P- or 35S-labelled ribosomes; ribosomal RNA distributions of the particles were examined and protein/RNA ratios of subunits were determined. The change in sedimentation coefficients was found to be due, not to loss of material, but to a structural change. The change in structure was shown by electron microscopy.
The role of the cytoplasmic redox potential in the control of fatty acid synthesis from glucose, pyruvate and lactate in white adipose tissue
Authors: Halperin M. L. , Robinson B. H.
Published: August 2015

The metabolism of lactate, pyruvate and glucose was studied in epididymal adipose tissue of starved, normally fed and starved–re-fed rats. Lactate conversion into fatty acid occurred at an appreciable rate only in the adipocyte of starved–re-fed animals. NNN′N′-Tetramethyl-p-phenylenediamine, an agent that transports reducing power from the cytoplasm to the mitochondria, caused large increments of fatty acid synthesis from lactate and a smaller one from glucose but a decrease in that from pyruvate. Glucose (1.0mm) increased fatty acid synthesis from lactate 4.3-fold but only 1.67-fold from pyruvate in adipocytes from normally fed animals. 2-Deoxyglucose decreased fatty acid synthesis from lactate to a greater degree (threefold) compared to that from pyruvate in adipocytes from starved–re-fed animals. l-Glycerol 3-phosphate contents were approximately equal in epididymal fat-pads, incubated in the presence of lactate or pyruvate, from normally fed animals, whereas the addition of 1mm-glucose resulted in a tenfold increase in l-glycerol 3-phosphate content only in the presence of lactate. The l-glycerol 3-phosphate content was tenfold higher in adipose tissue from starved–re-fed animals incubated in the presence of lactate than in the presence of pyruvate. 2-Deoxyglucose caused these values to be slightly lowered in the presence of lactate. We suggest that lactate metabolism is limited by the rate of NADH removal from the cytoplasm. In the starved–re-fed state, this occurs by reduction of dihydroxyacetone phosphate formed from glycogen to produce l-glycerol 3-phosphate, thus permitting lactate conversion into fatty acid. When glucose is the substrate, and rates of transport are not limiting, the rate of removal of cytoplasmic NADH limits glucose conversion into fatty acid.
One cell–one immunoglobin. Origin of limited heterogeneity of myeloma proteins
Authors: Awdeh Z. L. , Williamson A. R. , Askonas Brigitte A.
Published: August 2015

Plasma-cell tumour 5563 forms a single molecular species of immunoglobulin IgG2a, i.e. one variant of heavy chain and one variant of light chain. The molecules formed are labile and undergo alterations in charge properties, which rapidly lead to heterogeneity of the myeloma protein after synthesis. The single immunoglobulin species originally formed is found only after the shortest time-intervals tested, i.e. 10min incubation. Two types of changes in charge properties take place: (1) The originally formed protein (component o) is converted via an intermediate o′ into the most basic form of 5563 myeloma protein found in serum (component a). Charge differences between these components are suppressed at pH8.9, but can be studied by chromatography at pH6.5 or by analysis of isoelectric points by isoelectric focusing in polyacrylamide gel. The conversion of components o and o′ into component a apparently commences soon after assembly of the molecules and proceeds to completion extracellularly. (2) The second type of charge difference that distinguishes components a, b, c and d is exhibited over the pH range 6.0–8.9, but not at acid pH, and has been studied by electrophoresis at pH8.9, by chromatography and by isoelectric focusing. Conversion of component a into components b, c, d and e is only partial so that all five components can be found at decreasing concentrations in serum. Both types of charge alteration can be effected in vitro in the presence of serum, with optimum pH8.0. None of the charge differences could be attributed to the secretion process, since a component with the same isoelectric point as component o was found in secreted myeloma protein (1h). We have found no evidence to support the idea that the first type of change from component o to component a is due to ring formation of N-terminal [14C]glutamine into pyrrolid-2-one-5-carboxylic acid; however, our findings do not exclude this process happening very rapidly to a precursor of component o, possibly the polypeptide chain during or immediately after synthesis. In studying this point we noted that not only the heavy chains but also the κ-type light chain of mouse 5563 myeloma protein have a blocked N-terminus.
Products of aminolysis and enzymic hydrolysis of the cephalosporins
Authors: Hamilton-Miller J. M. T. , Newton G. G. F. , Abraham E. P.
Published: August 2015

1. The reaction of cephalosporins with ammonia, amino acids and other simple amino compounds in weakly alkaline aqueous solutions yields labile compounds with λmax. 230nm. The reaction of deacetyl- and deacetoxy-cephalosporins under similar conditions yields compounds with λmax. 260nm. 2. Hydrolysis with a β-lactamase results in the formation of compounds with λmax. 230nm from deacetylcephalosporins and cephalosporins, but not from deacetoxycephalosporins. 3. These different compounds decompose to give penaldates and penamaldates derived from the side chain and the carbon atoms of the β-lactam ring. 4. Derivatives similar to those obtained with simple amino compounds appear to be formed when cephalosporins and their analogues react with lysine polymers. 5. Some of the chemical and physical properties of the various derivatives have been studied and tentative structures for them are proposed. 6. Possible implications of the results in relation to the immunological properties of the cephalosporins are discussed.
The effect of whole-body X-irradiation of guinea pigs on liver ribonucleic acid synthesis
Authors: Hidvégi E. J. , Bölöni Elisabeth , Holland J. , Antoni F. , Várterész V.
Published: August 2015

1. Liver RNA synthesis was studied within 24h after whole-body X-irradiation of guinea pigs that had been starved for 22–24h. 2. Microsomal RNA was labelled in vivo for 3h with [14C]orotic acid and the isolated labelled RNA was fractionated by sucrose-density-gradient centrifugation. Incorporation was 50–100% higher between 3 and 12h after 2000rd X-irradiation and at 22h was not elevated any further. Whole nuclear RNA was labelled with [14C]orotic acid for 15min. At 5h after irradiation the incorporation showed a 50–100% increase. Incorporation increased in all types of RNA studied. 3. The RNA phosphorus/DNA phosphorus ratio of whole liver gradually increased after X-irradiation. Maximal increase was found between 24 and 36h, which corresponds to a value about 40% above that of the starved control. The RNA phosphorus content of isolated ribonucleoproteins obtained from various cell fractions of the liver was similarly increased after X-irradiation. 4. Liver microsomes were obtained from X-irradiated and control animals. Microsomes were incubated in vitro with [14C]phenylalanine in the presence and absence of polyuridylic acid. After the incubation the microsomes were fractionated by sucrose-density-gradient centrifugation. The polyuridylic acid enhancement was twice as great in the microsomes of the control preparation as in the irradiated one. The experiment demonstrated a higher saturation of microsomes by endogenous messenger after X-irradiation. 5. RNA polymerase activity of the purified nuclear preparation was assayed. The activity of the Mg2+-dependent RNA polymerase activity was 50 and 200% respectively above the control values at 6 and 9h after X-irradiation. 6. Animals were treated with actinomycin D shortly before X-irradiation. This treatment abolished the radiation-induced enrichment of polyribosomes and the increase of protein-synthesizing activity. The effect of X-irradiation on the transcription of the genetic code of the liver is discussed.
Isolation and partial characterization of apiogalacturonans from the cell wall of Lemna minor
Authors: Hart David A. , Kindel Paul K.
Published: August 2015

1. A mild, reproducible extraction procedure, using 0.5% ammonium oxalate, was developed for the isolation of polysaccharides containing d-apiose from the cell wall of Lemna minor. On a dry-weight basis the polysaccharide fractions extracted with ammonium oxalate made up 14% of the material designated cell walls and contained 20% of the d-apiose originally present in the cell walls. The cell walls, as isolated, contained 83% of the d-apiose present in L. minor. 2. After extraction with ammonium oxalate, purified polysaccharides were obtained by DEAE-Sephadex column chromatography and by fractional precipitation with sodium chloride. With these procedures the material extracted at 22°C could be separated into at least five polysaccharides. On a dry-weight basis two of these polysaccharides made up more than 50% of the material extracted at 22°C. There was a direct relationship between the d-apiose content of the polysaccharides and their solubility in sodium chloride solutions; those of highest d-apiose content were most soluble. 3. All the polysaccharides isolated appeared to be of one general type, namely galacturonans to which were attached side chains containing d-apiose. The d-apiose content of the apiogalacturonans varied from 7.9 to 38.1%. The content of esterified d-galacturonic acid residues in all apiogalacturonans was low, being in the range 1.0–3.5%. Hydrolysis of a representative apiogalacturonan with dilute acid resulted in the complete removal of the d-apiose with little or no degradation of the galacturonan portion. 4. Treatment of polysaccharide fractions with pectinase established that those of high d-apiose content and soluble in m-sodium chloride were not degraded, whereas those of low d-apiose content and insoluble in m-sodium chloride were extensively degraded. When the d-apiose was removed from a typical pectinase-resistant polysaccharide, the remainder of the polysaccharide was readily degraded by this enzyme. 5. Periodate oxidation of representative polysaccharide fractions and apiogalacturonans and determination of the formaldehyde released showed that about 50% of the d-apiose molecules were substituted at either the 3- or the 3′-position.
Increase in hepatic mitochondria on administration of ethyl α-p-chlorophenoxyisobutyrate to the rat
Authors: Kurup C. K. Ramakrishna , Aithal H. N. , Ramasarma T.
Published: August 2015

1. The antihypercholesterolaemic drug ethyl α-p-chlorophenoxyisobutyrate when fed to the rat orally or mixed with the diet increased the content of mitochondria in the liver by 50–100%. Other subcellular fractions did not show any significant change. 2. In oxidative activity, respiratory control and phosphorylating ability no significant difference was observed between the mitochondria isolated from the livers of the drug-treated rats and those from normal animals. 3. In agreement with earlier reports, administration of the drug depressed the concentration of serum cholesterol and increased liver weight and the liver content of ubiquinone. However, the increase of ubiquinone was greater in the nuclear than in the mitochondrial protein.
Fractionation of liver plasma membranes prepared by zonal centrifugation
Authors: Evans W. H.
Published: August 2015

1. Plasma membranes were isolated from crude nuclear sediments from mouse and rat liver by a rate-dependent centrifugation through a sucrose density gradient contained in the ‘A’ type zonal rotor. 2. The membranes were further purified by isopycnic centrifugation, and characterized enzymically, chemically and morphologically. 3. When the plasma-membrane fraction of sucrose density 1.17g/cm3 was dispersed in a tight-fitting homogenizer, two subfractions of densities 1.12 and 1.18 were obtained by isopycnic centrifugation. 4. The light subfraction contained 5′-nucleotidase, nucleoside diphosphatase, leucine naphthylamidase and Mg2+-stimulated adenosine triphosphatase activities at higher specific activities than unfractionated membranes. The heavy subfraction was deficient in the above enzymes but contained higher Na++K+-stimulated adenosine triphosphatase activity. 5. The light subfraction contained twice as much phospholipid and cholesterol, and three times as much N-acetylneuraminic acid relative to unit protein weight as the heavy subfraction. Polyacrylamide-gel electrophoresis indicated differences in protein composition. 6. Electron microscopy showed the light subfraction to be vesicular. The heavy subfraction contained membrane strips with junctional complexes in addition to vesicles.
Gluconeogenesis from propionate in kidney and liver of the vitamin B12-deficient rat
Authors: Weidemann M. J. , Hems R. , Williams D. L. , Spray G. H. , Krebs H. A.
Published: August 2015

1. Kidney-cortex slices and the perfused livers of vitamin B12-deficient rats removed propionate from the incubation and perfusion media at 33 and 17% respectively of the rates found with tissues from rats receiving either a normal or a vitamin B12-supplemented diet. There was a corresponding fall in the rates of glucose synthesis from propionate in both tissues. 2. The addition of hydroxocobalamin or dimethylbenzimidazolylcobamide coenzyme to kidney-cortex slices from vitamin B12-deficient rats in vitro failed to restore the normal capacity for propionate metabolism. 3. Although the vitamin B12-deficient rat excretes measurable amounts of methylmalonate, no methylmalonate production could be detected (probably because of the low sensitivity of the method) when kidney-cortex slices or livers from deficient rats were incubated or perfused with propionate. 4. The addition of methylmalonate (5mm) to kidney-cortex slices from rats fed on a normal diet inhibited gluconeogenesis from propionate by 25%. 5. Methylmalonate formation is normally only a small fraction of the flux through methylmalonyl-CoA. This fraction increases in vitamin B12-deficient tissues (as shown by the urinary excretion of methylmalonate) presumably because the concentration of methylmalonyl-CoA rises as a result of low activity of methylmalonyl-CoA mutase (EC 5.4.99.2). Slow removal of methylmalonyl-CoA might depress propionate uptake owing to the reversibility of the steps leading to methylmalonyl-CoA formation.
The effect of phenobarbital on the submicrosomal distribution of uridine diphosphate glucuronyltransferase from rat liver
Authors: Mulder G. J.
Published: August 2015

1. The detergent Triton X-100 activates UDP glucuronyltransferase from rat liver in vitro six- to seven-fold with p-nitrophenol as substrate. The enzyme activity when measured in the presence of Triton X-100 is increased significantly by pretreatment of male rats with phenobarbital for 4 days (90mg/kg each day intraperitoneally). If no Triton X-100 is applied in vitro such an increase could not be shown. In all further experiments the enzyme activity was measured after activation by Triton X-100. 2. The Km of the enzyme for the substrate p-nitrophenol does not change on phenobarbital pretreatment. 3. When the microsomal fraction from the liver of untreated rats is subfractionated on a sucrose density gradient, 47% of the enzyme activity is recovered in the rough-surfaced microsomal fraction, which also has a higher specific activity than the smooth-surfaced fraction. 4. Of the increase in activity after the phenobarbital pretreatment 50% occurs in the smooth-surfaced fraction, 19% in the rough-surfaced fraction and 31% in the fraction located between the smooth- and rough-surfaced microsomal fractions on the sucrose density gradient. 5. The latency of the enzyme in vitro, as shown by the effect of the detergent Triton X-100, is discussed in relation to the proposed heterogeneity of UDP glucuronyltransferase.
Effect of phenylalanine on protein synthesis in the developing rat brain
Authors: Agrawal H. C. , Bone A. H. , Davison A. N.
Published: August 2015

1. Inhibition of the rate of incorporation of [35S]methionine into protein by phenylalanine was more effective in 18-day-old than in 8-day-old or adult rat brain. 2. Among the subcellular fractions incorporation of [35S]methionine into myelin proteins was most inhibited in 18-day-old rat brain. 3. Transport of [35S]methionine and [14C]leucine into the brain acid-soluble pool was significantly decreased in 18-day-old rats by phenylalanine (2mg/g body wt.). The decrease of the two amino acids in the acid-soluble pool equalled the inhibition of their rate of incorporation into the protein. 4. Under identical conditions, entry of [14C]glycine into the brain acid-soluble pool and incorporation into protein and uptake of [14C]acetate into lipid was not affected by phenylalanine. 5. It is proposed that decreased myelin synthesis seen in hyperphenylalaninaemia or phenylketonuria may be due to alteration of the free amino acid pool in the brain during the vulnerable period of brain development. Amyelination may be one of many causes of mental retardation seen in phenylketonuria.
Phospholipid synthesis and exchange in isolated liver cells
Authors: Jungalwala F. B. , Dawson R. M. C.
Published: August 2015

1. The [32P]phosphate incorporated into the phospholipids of isolated rat hepatic cells is present in phosphatidic acid and to a smaller extent in phosphatidylinositol. 2. The ability to synthesize nitrogen-containing phospholipids is restored by adding a liver supernatant fraction, and it is suggested that the metabolic deficiency is caused by the leakage of cytoplasmic enzymes of the synthetase system from the cells. 3. Fortified cell preparations were pulse-labelled with [32P]phosphate, [Me-14C]choline, [2-14C]ethanolamine and [U-14C]inositol and the subsequent fate of the labelled microsomal and mitochondrial phospholipids followed. 4. A fall in the specific radioactivity of microsomal phospholipids and a rise in that of mitochondrial phospholipids is interpreted as providing evidence of a transfer of labelled phospholipid molecules from the synthetic site (endoplasmic reticulum) to the mitochondrial membranes in the intact cells. 5. The formation of the phospholipids of mitochondrial membranes is discussed.
Catalatic activity of iron(III)-centred catalysts. Role of dimerization in the catalytic action of ferrihaems
Authors: Brown S. B. , Dean T. C. , Jones Peter
Published: August 2015

1. The specific stoicheiometric catalatic activity of deuteroferrihaem is 10–100-fold greater than that for protoferrihaem, depending on pH. It is suggested that the difference in activity may be related to quantitative differences in the extent of dimerization in aqueous solutions of proto- and deutero-ferrihaem (Brown, Dean & Jones, 1970b). 2. A quantitative comparison of the kinetic and equilibrium data implies that the catalytic activities of ferrihaems are determined by the proportion of monomer present. The specific activity of ferrihaem monomer calculated varies inversely with H+ ion concentration and attains a value equal to the maximal activity of catalase at pH>pKa(H2O2). 3. A comparison of catalatic behaviour in the series of iron(III)-centred catalysts aqua-iron(III) ion, ferrihaem monomer and catalase suggests that the unique feature of catalase action resides in the pH-independence of the reaction.
A rapid and direct method for the quantitative determination of tryptophan in the intact protein
Authors: Gaitonde M. K. , Dovey T.
Published: August 2015

1. A method is given for the quantitative determination of free tryptophan or tryptophan in the intact protein by treating with ninhydrin in a mixture of formic acid and hydrochloric acid (reagent b), for 10min at 100°C. Glycyltryptophan was used as a standard for the determination of tryptophan in the intact protein. The extinction at 390nm was linear in the range 0.05–0.5μmol for free tryptophan (∈7120) and 0.05–0.30μmol for glycyltryptophan (∈15400). 2. Free tryptophan in the presence of protein may be determined by treating with ninhydrin in a mixture of acetic acid and 0.6m-phosphoric acid (reagent a) for 10min at 100°C, the extinction being linear for tryptophan in the range 0.05–0.9μmol. N-Terminal tryptophan peptides also give the typical yellow product on treatment with reagent a. 3. Tryptophan content of several pure intact proteins when treated with the above method gave values in good agreement with those reported by others. A mean tryptophan content of 11.25 (s.e.m. ±0.08) μmol/100mg of protein was found in rat brain during development from 1 to 82 days after birth.
Studies of the bulbo-urethral (Cowper's)-gland mucin and seminal gel of the boar
Authors: Boursnell J. C. , Hartree E. F. , Briggs P. A.
Published: August 2015

1. Moving-boundary electrophoresis of the mucin from the Cowper's gland of the boar revealed a sharp single peak at pH values from 1.1 to 9.0 and an isoelectric point of 1.1. 2. Neuraminidase treatment of the mucin, which removed at least 96% of the sialic acid groups, decreased the electrophoretic mobility at pH4 from −7.4×10−5 (for the mucin) to −0.64×10−5cm2V−1s−1. 3. Ultracentrifugal sedimentation values of s20,w showed a marked dependence on concentration. A hyperfine peak, similar to that given by ovine submaxillary secretion, persisted throughout the run at higher concentrations. Ultracentrifugal studies further showed a very low value for the diffusion coefficient (D20,w −1.57×10−8cm2/s). 4. Calculation of the approximate molecular weight from comparable s20,w and D20,w values gave a provisional value of 6.5×106. 5. Two proteins present in the boar vesicular secretion known as protein A and protein H (the haemagglutinating protein) were shown to promote the swelling of the mucin to form the characteristic rigid elastic gel of boar semen. It is suggested that protein A molecules particularly (mol.wt. 2.8×104) cross-link with the long molecules of the mucin to form the seminal gel.
A radiochemical assay for glutamine synthetase, and activity of the enzyme in rat tissues
Authors: Lund Patricia
Published: August 2015

1. A radiochemical assay for glutamine synthetase has been developed in which an ATP-regenerating system is incorporated to prevent accumulation of inhibitory amounts of ADP. It is particularly suitable for assay of the enzyme in crude tissue extracts containing high adenosine triphosphatase activity. 2. A survey of the distribution of the enzyme in tissues from normal male rats showed that activity is present in liver, brain cortex, kidney cortex, spleen, testis and retina. 3. The Km of the enzyme for l-glutamate is approx. 1.5×10−2m.
The fate of benzoic acid in various species
Authors: Bridges J. W. , French M. R. , Smith R. L. , Williams R. T.
Published: August 2015

1. The urinary excretion of orally administered [14C]benzoic acid in man and 20 other species of animal was examined. 2. At a dose of 50mg/kg, benzoic acid was excreted by the rodents (rat, mouse, guinea pig, golden hamster, steppe lemming and gerbil), the rabbit, the cat and the capuchin monkey almost entirely as hippuric acid (95–100% of 24h excretion). 3. In man at a dose of 1mg/kg and the rhesus monkey at 20mg/kg benzoic acid was excreted entirely as hippuric acid. 4. At 50mg/kg benzoic acid was excreted as hippuric acid to the extent of about 80% of the 24h excretion in the squirrel monkey, pig, dog, ferret, hedgehog and pigeon, the other 20% being found as benzoyl glucuronide and benzoic acid, the latter possibly arising by decomposition of the former. 5. On increasing the dose of benzoic acid to 200mg/kg in the ferret, the proportion of benzoyl glucuronide excreted increased and that of hippuric acid decreased. This did not occur in the rabbit, which excreted 200mg/kg almost entirely as hippuric acid. It appears that the hedgehog and ferret are like the dog in respect to their metabolism of benzoic acid. 6. The Indian fruit bat produced only traces of hippuric acid and possibly has a defect in the glycine conjugation of benzoic acid. The main metabolite in this animal (dose 50mg/kg) was benzoyl glucuronide. 7. The chicken, side-necked turtle and gecko converted benzoic acid mainly into ornithuric acid, but all three species also excreted smaller amounts of hippuric acid.
A preliminary crystallographic investigation of avidin
Authors: Green N. M. , Joynson M. A.
Published: August 2015

Avidin was crystallized in various forms from 3m-ammonium sulphate or sodium phosphate at pH5.2. X-ray-crystallographic analysis of crystals from phosphate showed them to be orthorhombic, space group C222, containing two molecules per unit cell and with a single subunit as the asymmetric unit. The formation of the complex with biotin did not affect the morphology of the crystals.
Biogenesis of rosmarinic acid in Mentha
Authors: Ellis B. E. , Towers G. H. N.
Published: August 2015

The biogenesis of rosmarinic acid (α-O-caffeoyl-3,4-dihydroxyphenyl-lactic acid), the second most common ester of caffeic acid in the plant kingdom, was studied in Mentha arvense and Mentha piperita. Administration of 14C-labelled compounds showed that, whereas the caffeoyl moiety was formed from phenylalanine via cinnamic acid and p-coumaric acid, the 3,4-dihydroxyphenyl-lactic acid moiety was formed from tyrosine and 3,4-dihydroxyphenylalanine. Time-course studies and the use of labelled rosmarinic acid showed that endogenous rosmarinic acid had a low turnover rate. The caffeoyl moiety did not appear to contribute to the formation of insoluble polymers, as has been suggested for chlorogenic acid in other plants.
Membranes of the adrenal medulla. Behaviour of insoluble proteins of chromaffin granules on gel electrophoresis
Authors: Winkler H. , Hörtnagl Heide , Hörtnagl H. , Smith A. D.
Published: August 2015

Washed membranes of bovine adrenal chromaffin granules contained most of the cholesterol and phospholipids of the particle and 22% of the total protein. The protein/lipid ratio was about 0.45 (w/w). Dopamine(3,4-dihydroxyphenethylamine)β-hydroxylase, Mg2+-activated nucleoside triphosphatase and cytochrome b-559 activities were present in the membrane. ATP was the best substrate for the nucleoside triphosphatase, whose pH optimum was 6.4, Km 7×10−4m and Vmax. 1.8μmol/h per mg of protein. Treatment of the membranes with various detergents caused a preferential solubilization of protein compared with lipids. Membranes dissolved in sodium dodecyl sulphate or phenol–acetic acid–urea were subjected to polyacrylamide-gel electrophoresis at alkaline and acid pH respectively. The electrophoretic patterns given by the proteins of the chromaffin granule membrane were distinct from those given by the chromogranins, and from those given by mitochondrial and microsomal membrane proteins.
Radioautographic studies of the initial site of formation of protein-bound iodine in the rat thyroid gland
Authors: Croft C. J. , Pitt-Rivers Rosalind
Published: August 2015

1. Predominantly cellular labelling was observed in radioautographs of rat thyroid glands fixed by perfusion from the aorta at intervals between 5 and 55s after [125I]iodide administration via the aorta. 2. When perfusion was delayed for 2min, or if immersion fixation was used, the labelling was predominantly over the peripheral portion of the follicular lumen, in agreement with the observations of other investigators. 3. The findings support the concept that the initial site of binding of iodine to protein is intracellular, but the nature of this protein has not been established.
Electron microscopy of polyribosomes synthesizing immunoglobin chains. Comparison with sizes determined by density-gradient-sedimentation data
Authors: de Petris S.
Published: August 2015

Polyribosomes from the immunoglobulin-producing plasma-cell tumour X5563 were fractionated on a linear sucrose gradient and fractions containing polyribosomes carrying heavy (H) and light (L) immunoglobulin chains were examined with the electron microscope. The size distribution of the polyribosomes in the various fractions was determined. The results are consistent with previous estimates by Williamson & Askonas (1967) of the size of the polyribosomes synthesizing immunoglobulin chains, despite some discrepancies in their calculations based on sedimentation data. In particular, polyribosomes of up to 18 ribosomes were present in the part of the gradient containing H-chain polyribosomes. The polyribosomal clusters appeared to be true linear aggregates of uniformly spaced ribosomes, arranged mostly in open or zig-zag configuration. The appearance of most of them does not seem to support a general helical model of the polyribosome.
The physiological role of liver alcohol dehydrogenase
Authors: Krebs H. A. , Perkins J. R.
Published: August 2015

1. Yeast alcohol dehydrogenase was used to determine ethanol in the portal and hepatic veins and in the contents of the alimentary canal of rats given a diet free from ethanol. Measurable amounts of a substance behaving like ethanol were found. Its rate of interaction with yeast alcohol dehydrogenase and its volatility indicate that the substance measured was in fact ethanol. 2. The mean alcohol concentration in the portal blood of normal rats was 0.045mm. In the hepatic vein, inferior vena cava and aorta it was about 15 times lower. 3. The contents of all sections of the alimentary canal contained measurable amounts of ethanol. The highest values (average 3.7mm) were found in the stomach. 4. Infusion of pyrazole (an inhibitor of alcohol dehydrogenase) raised the alcohol concentration in the portal vein 10-fold and almost removed the difference between portal and hepatic venous blood. 5. Addition of antibiotics to the food diminished the ethanol concentration of the portal blood to less than one-quarter and that of the stomach contents to less than one-fortieth. 6. The concentration of alcohol in the alimentary canal and in the portal blood of germ-free rats was much decreased, to less than one-tenth in the alimentary canal and to one-third in the portal blood, but detectable quantities remained. These are likely to arise from acetaldehyde formed by the normal pathways of degradation of threonine, deoxyribose phosphate and β-alanine. 7. The results indicate that significant amounts of alcohol are normally formed in the gastro-intestinal tract. The alcohol is absorbed into the circulation and almost quantitatively removed by the liver. Thus the function, or a major function, of liver alcohol dehydrogenase is the detoxication of ethanol normally present. 8. The alcohol concentration in the stomach of alloxan-diabetic rats was increased about 8-fold. 9. The activity of liver alcohol dehydrogenase is generally lower in carnivores than in herbivores and omnivores, but there is no strict parallelism between the capacity of liver alcohol dehydrogenase and dietary habit. 10. The activity of alcohol dehydrogenase of gastric mucosa was much decreased in two out of the three germ-free rats tested. This is taken to indicate that the enzyme, like gastric urease, may be of microbial origin. 11. When the body was flooded with ethanol by the addition of 10% ethanol to the drinking water the alcohol concentration in the portal vein rose to 15mm and only a few percent of the incoming ethanol was cleared by the liver.
Glutathione metabolism of the erythrocyte. The enzymic cleavage of glutathione–haemoglobin preparations by glutathione reductase
Authors: Srivastava Satish K. , Beutler Ernest
Published: August 2015

A complex of haemoglobin and GSH was prepared by incubating haemoglobin with GSH and acetylphenylhydrazine. GSH could be released from the crude preparation by incubation with NADPH. However, when the haemoglobin preparation was separated from glutathione reductase by DEAE-Sephadex chromatography, NADPH no longer released GSH. Rather, the addition of a combination of either partially purified human erythrocyte or crystalline glutathione reductase and NADPH was required to release GSH from the haemoglobin–GSH complex. This complex is commonly believed to represent a mixed disulphide of GSH and the cysteine-β-93 thiol group. This interpretation was supported by the finding that prior alkylation of available haemoglobin thiol groups prevented the formation of the complex. By using haemoglobin–[35S]GSH complex as a substrate, it was shown that GSH itself released the radioactivity from the complex only very slowly. In contrast, the release of [35S]GSH was very rapid in the presence of NADPH and glutathione reductase. This suggests that the cleavage of the haemoglobin–GSH complex is not mediated by GSH with cyclic reduction of GSSG formed, but rather proceeds enzymically through glutathione reductase.
Differences between the biliary excretion of tri[14C]methyl-1-(3-hydroxyphenyl)ammonium iodide in Wistar and Gunn rats
Authors: Calvey T. N. , Somani S. M. , Wright Antoinette
Published: August 2015

1. The biliary excretion of [14C]trimophonium iodide [tri[14C]methyl(3-hydroxyphenyl)ammonium iodide] was studied in normal Wistar animals and in jaundiced homozygous Gunn rats. 2. In normal Wistar rats small amounts of radioactivity (approx. 3% of the dose in 4h) were excreted in bile as two glucuronide conjugates, i.e. [14C]trimophonium glucuronide [tri[14C]methyl-(3-oxyphenyl)ammonium glucuronide] (85%) and 3-di[14C]methylaminophenyl glucuronide (10–15%). Only minor amounts of the unchanged drug were detected in bile. 3. In the homozygous jaundiced Gunn rat large amounts of radioactivity (26% of the dose in 4h) were eliminated in bile as [14C]trimophonium glucuronide alone. The quantitative excretion of this metabolite in Gunn rat bile was about ten times that in normal animals. 4. It is proposed that the biochemical lesion in the homozygous Gunn rat may indirectly affect the biliary transport of exogenous glucuronides across the canalicular membrane.
Co-metabolism of methyl- and chloro-substituted catechols by an Achromobacter sp. possessing a new meta-cleaving oxygenase
Authors: Horvath R. S.
Published: August 2015

Co-metabolism of 3-methylcatechol, 4-chlorocatechol and 3,5-dichlorocatechol by an Achromobacter sp. was shown to result in the accumulation of 2-hydroxy-3-methylmuconic semialdehyde, 4-chloro-2-hydroxymuconic semialdehyde and 3,5-dichloro-2-hydroxymuconic semialdehyde respectively. Formation of these products indicated that cleavage of the aromatic nucleus of the substituted catechols was accomplished by a new meta-cleaving enzyme, catechol 1,6-oxygenase. This enzyme was equally active on both chloro- and methyl-substituted catechols.
Disappearance of isocitrate lyase enzyme from cells of Chlorella pyrenoidosa
Authors: John P. C. L. , Thurston C. F. , Syrett P. J.
Published: August 2015

1. When acetate-adapted cells of Chlorella are suspended in nitrogen-free medium and supplied with glucose, isocitrate lyase activity disappears from the cells at a rate of about 9%/h. This loss of activity is shown to be accompanied by loss of isocitrate lyase protein. 2. When isocitrate lyase activity is assayed in intact cells after freezing and thawing, the rate of loss of activity after addition of glucose approaches 20%/h. 3. It is shown, by using 35S, that the rate of turnover of isocitrate lyase protein is somewhat lower than that of other major soluble proteins; general protein turnover during nitrogen starvation, and after glucose addition, is too slow to account for the rate of loss of isocitrate lyase protein. 4. Disappearance of isocitrate lyase activity must result from a mechanism that allows degradation of this specific protein under conditions of limiting nitrogen supply.
Effects of ischaemia on content of metabolites in rat liver and kidney in vivo
Authors: Hems D. A. , Brosnan J. T.
Published: August 2015

1. The time-course of changes in content of intermediates of glycolysis in rat liver and kidney cortex after severance of blood supply was investigated. 2. The decline in content of ATP was more rapid in kidney (1.7–0.5μmol/g in 30s) than in liver (2.7–1.6μmol/g in 60s). In both tissues AMP and Pi accumulated. 3. Net formation of lactate was 1.7μmol/g during the second minute of ischaemia in liver from well-fed rats, 1.1μmol/g in liver from 48h-starved rats, and about 1.0μmol/g during the first 30s of ischaemia in kidney. Net formation of α-glycerophosphate was rapid, especially in liver. 4. In kidney the concentration of β-hydroxybutyrate rose, but that of α-oxoglutarate and acetoacetate decreased. 5. In both organs the concentrations of fructose diphosphate and triose phosphates increased during ischaemia and those of other phosphorylated C3 intermediates decreased. 6. The concentration of the hexose 6-phosphates rose rapidly during the first minute of ischaemia in liver, but decreased during renal ischaemia. 7. In kidney the content of glutamine fell after 2min of ischaemia, and that of ammonia and glutamate rose. 8. The redox states of the cytoplasmic and mitochondrial NAD couple in kidney cortex were similar to those in liver. 9. The regulatory role of glycogen phosphorylase, pyruvate kinase and phosphofructokinase is discussed in relation to the observed changes in the concentrations of the glycolytic intermediates.
The activity and kinetic properties of mevalonate kinase in superovulated rat ovary
Authors: Flint A. P. F.
Published: August 2015

Methods are described for the assay and partial purification of mevalonate kinase from superovulated rat ovary. The total activity of mevalonate kinase in superovulated rat ovary was 1.6±0.14units/g wet wt.; it was unchanged by the administration of luteinizing hormone in vivo. The Km of a partially purified preparation of mevalonate kinase for dl-Mevalonate was 3.6±0.5μm; its Km for MgATP2− was 120±7.7μm. The enzyme was inhibited by geranyl pyrophosphate and farnesyl pyrophosphate, but not by isopentenyl pyrophosphate or 3,3′-dimethylallyl pyrophosphate. dl-mevalonate 5-phosphate inhibited at high concentrations. With both geranyl pyrophosphate and farnesyl pyrophosphate the inhibition was competitive with respect to MgATP2−. The Ki for inhibition by geranyl pyrophosphate was 1.3±0.2μm; the Ki for inhibition by farnesyl pyrophosphate was 1.0±0.3μm. These findings are discussed with reference to the control by luteinizing hormone of steroidogenesis from acetate.
Tamm–Horsfall urinary glycoprotein. The subunit structure
Authors: Fletcher A. P. , Neuberger A. , Ratcliffe Wendy A.
Published: August 2015

1. Subunit molecular weights of 76000–82000 were obtained for native and alkylated Tamm–Horsfall glycoprotein by gel filtration on Sephadex G-200 in the presence of sodium dodecyl sulphate. 2. A further estimate of the subunit molecular weight of 79000±4000 was obtained by disc gel electrophoresis in sodium dodecyl sulphate. 3. A minimum value of the chemical molecular weight of 79000±6000 was obtained from the number of N-terminal amino acids released by cyanogen bromide cleavage of the glycoprotein. 4. Similar values were obtained for the subunit molecular weight of Tamm–Horsfall glycoprotein from patients with cystic fibrosis. 5. On ultracentrifugation both in 1.0% sodium dodecyl sulphate and in 70% formic acid, Tamm–Horsfall glycoprotein sedimented as a single component, slightly faster than serum albumin. 6. On reduction of the disulphide bonds the same subunit molecular weight was obtained, which suggested that these bonds are intrachain.
Preparation, proteolysis and reversible oxidation of highly purified Azotobacter vinelandii polynucleotide phosphorylase
Authors: Gajda A. T. , de Behrens G. Zaror , Fitt P. S.
Published: August 2015

1. A new method has been developed for the preparation in good yield of highly purified Azotobacter vinelandii polynucleotide phosphorylase in its reduced form. 2. Aging or digestion with trypsin causes the enzyme to develop a primer requirement that is not eliminated by β-mercaptoethanol. 3. The development of a primer requirement is accompanied by marked changes of the electrophoretic mobility of the enzyme in polyacrylamide gels. 4. The enzyme is inactivated by aerial oxidation or thiol-specific reagents. The lost activity is restored by β-mercaptoethanol, but not by oligonucleotide primers.
The effects of oestradiol on nucleoside transport in rat uterus
Authors: Oliver Janet M.
Published: August 2015

1. By using the non-metabolized cytidine analogue, cytosine arabinoside, it was possible to examine the mechanism of nucleoside transport in the immature rat uterus in the absence of intracellular utilization of the permeant. It was demonstrated that the uptake of cytosine arabinoside is not accumulative and that it can be competitively inhibited by the addition of a second nucleoside, uridine. Introduction of a concentration gradient of uridine from the medium towards the intracellular water promotes the counterflow of cytosine arabinoside out of the cells against its concentration gradient. These properties indicate that a facilitated-diffusion system is involved in nucleoside transport in the uterus. Further counterflow studies have shown that the transport system has a broad specificity for purine and pyrimidine nucleosides and that it is distinct from the processes that mediate the uptake of sugars, amino acids and purine and pyrimidine bases. 2. Oestradiol injection has no effect on the initial rate of cytosine arabinoside uptake in vitro. The increased amount of the analogue taken up per uterus is simply due to the expansion of the uterine volume that accompanies oestrogen action. 3. It is concluded that the striking increase in uridine uptake, observed in vivo in uteri from oestrogen-treated rats, does not result from an increase in the initial rate of nucleoside transport into the intracellular space of the tissue.
Studies on the composition of egg-white ovomucin
Authors: Robinson D. S. , Monsey J. B.
Published: August 2015

1. Purified ovomucin was isolated as an insoluble glycoprotein complex from thick egg white. 2. A homogeneous glycoprotein, designated α-ovomucin, of molecular weight 210000 and containing N-acetylglucosamine (6.7%, w/w), N-acetylgalactosamine (0.6%, w/w), galactose (1.8%, w/w), mannose (4.6%, w/w), N-acetylneuraminic acid (1.0%, w/w) and sulphate (0.7%, w/w), was isolated from preparations of reduced ovomucin by sedimentation equilibrium in a density gradient of caesium chloride formed in the presence of 4m-guanidine hydrochloride. 3. A carbohydrate-rich fraction, designated β-ovomucin (which is homogeneous by sedimentation-velocity analysis in 5m-guanidine hydrochloride but which is heterogeneous by analytical sedimentation equilibrium in a density gradient of caesium chloride in the presence of 4m-guanidine hydrochloride), containing N-acetylglucosamine (11.0%, w/w), N-acetylgalactosamine (8.7%, w/w), galactose (19.2%, w/w), mannose (4.1%, w/w), N-acetylneuraminic acid (13.8%, w/w) and sulphate (2.7%, w/w), was also obtained from preparations of reduced ovomucin by the density-gradient method. 4. Mild acid hydrolysis of the unfractionated ovomucin complex showed that N-acetylneuraminic acid occupied a terminal position of the oligosaccharide chains. 5. Alkaline β-elimination reactions with the unfractionated ovomucin complex indicated that N-acetylgalactosamine was linked by alkali-labile bonds to hydroxy amino acids.
The reactivity and function of thiol groups in trout actin
Authors: Bridgen J
Published: August 2015

1. Considerable differences were found between the rates and degrees of modification of native trout actin with iodo[2-14C]acetate and iodo[1-14C]acetamide. 2. With iodoacetate, G- and F-actin were both labelled in the N-terminal peptide only. This modification had little effect on the ability of the actin to polymerize. 3. Iodoacetamide labelled three cysteine residues in both G- and F-actin. The modified cysteine residues were identified from the position of the corresponding tryptic peptides on peptide ‘maps’. 4. The modification had little effect on the ability of G-actin to polymerize, to bind ATP or to bind Ca2+, or on the ability of F-actin to depolymerize. 5. It is concluded that the three cysteine residues present on the ‘surface’ of the native trout actin molecule have no direct role in the polymerization processes, the binding of ATP, or the binding of Ca2+.
Reversal by a specific peptide (diacetyl-αγ-l-diaminobutyryl-d-alanine) of vancomycin inhibition in intact bacteria and cell-free preparations
Authors: Nieto M. , Perkins H. R. , Reynolds P. E.
Published: August 2015

Vancomycin inhibited the growth of Bacillus megaterium, Staphylococcus aureus and Micrococcus lysodeikticus, and in cell-free preparations from B. megaterium it inhibited the formation of mucopeptide and enhanced the accumulation of the lipid intermediate in the biosynthetic pathway. All these inhibitory processes were reversed by the presence of a synthetic peptide analogous to un-cross-linked mucopeptide side chains, namely diacetyl-l-diaminobutyryl-d-alanyl-d-alanine. A considerable amount of vancomycin was found in recovering cells, whether recovery was caused by peptide or took place naturally because a low initial concentration of antibiotic was used. In cell-free preparations pretreated with vancomycin, continued inhibition of mucopeptide synthesis depended on the presence of cell-wall material. This inhibition was also reversible by added peptide.