bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
Study of the interaction between the antitumour protein α-sarcin and phospholipid vesicles
Authors: Gasset M , Martinez del Pozo A , Oñaderra M , Gavilanes J G
Published: August 2015

alpha-Sarcin is a single polypeptide chain protein which exhibits antitumour activity by degrading the larger ribosomal RNA of tumour cells. We describe the interaction of a alpha-sarcin with lipid model systems. The protein specifically interacts with negatively-charged phospholipid vesicles, resulting in protein-lipid complexes which can be isolated by ultracentrifugation in a sucrose gradient. alpha-Sarcin causes aggregation of such vesicles. The extent of this interaction progressively decreases when the molar ratio of phosphatidylcholine increases in acidic vesicles. The kinetics of the vesicle aggregation induced by the protein have been measured. This process is dependent on the ratio of alpha-sarcin present in the protein-lipid system. A saturation plot is observed from phospholipid vesicles-protein titrations. The saturating protein/lipid molar ratio is 1:50. The effect produced by the antitumour protein on the lipid vesicles is dependent on neither the length nor the degree of unsaturation of the phospholipid acyl chain. However, the aggregation is dependent on temperature, being many times higher above the phase transition temperature of the corresponding phospholipid than below it. The effects of pH and ionic strength have also been considered. An increase in the ionic strength does not abolish the protein-lipid interaction. The effect of pH may be related to conformational changes of the protein. Binding experiments reveal a strong interaction between alpha-sarcin and acidic vesicles, with Kd = 0.06 microM. The peptide bonds of the protein are protected against trypsin hydrolysis upon binding to acidic vesicles. The interaction of the protein with phosphatidylglycerol vesicles does not modify the phase transition temperature of the lipid, although it decreases the amplitude of the change of fluorescence anisotropy associated to the co-operative melting of 1,6-diphenyl-1,3,5-hexatriene (DPH)-labelled vesicles. The results are interpreted in terms of the existence of both electrostatic and hydrophobic components for the interaction between phospholipid vesicles and the antitumour protein.
Novel ligands for the affinity labelling of luteinizing hormone releasing hormone receptors
Authors: Ogier S A , Mitchell R , Bladon C M
Published: August 2015

A number of novel luteinizing hormone releasing hormone (LHRH) analogues incorporating biotin together with potential covalent attachment sites have been synthesized. Those based on the des-Gly10-[D-Lys6]-LHRH ethylamide peptide backbone resulted in the most useful characteristics of binding to the LHRH receptor in rat anterior pituitary gland membranes. Of these, des-Gly10-[biotinyl-aminoethylglycyl-D-Lys6]-LHRH ethylamide (XBAL) gave the best specific: non-specific binding ratio, with 44 +/- 6% (+/- S.E.M.) of total binding being specific with a Kd of 131 +/- 16 pM (+/- S.E.M., n = 4) as determined by Scatchard analysis. Two methods have been used to covalently crosslink these analogues with the LHRH receptor; photoaffinity labelling and the use of homobifunctional N-hydroxysuccinimide ester crosslinkers. The photoaffinity analogues gave poor specific: non-specific binding ratios. Of the chemical crosslinkers tested, ethylene glycolbis(succinimidylsuccinate) (EGS) was found to be the most efficient at covalently linking the 125I-XBAL bound to the LHRH receptor site. At an EGS concentration of 5 mM, 23 +/- 3% (+/- S.E.M.) of the specific binding of 125I-XBAL was covalently crosslinked.
Receptor-mediated calcium entry in fura-2-loaded human platelets stimulated with ADP and thrombin. Dual-wavelengths studies with Mn2+
Authors: Sage S O , Merritt J E , Hallam T J , Rink T J
Published: August 2015

Previous studies of the early kinetics of rises in cytosolic free [Ca2+] in fura-2-loaded human platelets suggested that: (1) Ca2+ entry slightly preceded internal discharge with thrombin and other agonists known to promote inositol lipid hydrolysis; (2) with ADP, Ca2+ entry occurred without measurable delay and clearly preceded internal Ca2+ discharge. In the present work, Mn2+ added to the external medium was used as a marker for Ca2+ entry. By using an excitation wavelength of 360 nm, a quench of fura-2 can be followed to report Mn2+ entry without ‘contamination’ of the signal by changes in [Ca2+], because at this isosbestic wavelength Ca2+ does not alter fura-2 fluorescence. The present results show that, with thrombin stimulation, readily discernible Mn2+ entry starts after discharge of internal Ca2+ and is maintained for many minutes. With ADP, Mn2+ entry starts without measurable delay (less than 20 ms) and clearly precedes internal Ca2+ discharge. However, the enhanced Mn2+ permeability is only short-lived. These results, considered alongside previous data, point to the possible presence of at least three different receptor-mediated Ca2+-entry mechanisms in human platelets, one of which may include regulation by the ‘state of filling’ of this dischargeable Ca2+ store.
Tissue and species distribution of the secreted carbonic anhydrase isoenzyme
Authors: Fernley R T , Darling P , Aldred P , Wright R D , Coghlan J P
Published: August 2015

The secreted carbonic anhydrases, CA VI, are high molecular mass, oligomeric enzymes originally found in the sheep parotid gland and saliva. The enzymes have been purified from the saliva or parotid glands of several different species. All the CA VI enzymes studied have an apparent subunit Mr of about 45,000 as previously reported for the sheep enzyme. By Western analysis, CA VI from human, cow and dog cross-reacted with antibody raised against the purified sheep enzyme whereas that of the mouse did not. The N-terminal sequences of the sheep, human, cow and mouse enzymes are reported. The sheep, cow and human N-terminal sequences are similar to one another while the mouse sequence is substantially different. Nevertheless, the amino acids in the aromatic cluster I (Trp-5, Tyr-7, Trp-16 and Tyr/Phe-20) have all been conserved, as is the case with the cytoplasmic carbonic anhydrases. Eighteen tissues from the sheep have been examined for the presence of CA VI by Western analysis but it has been found only in the salivary glands. Northern analysis and hybridization histochemistry show that the mRNA for CA VI in sheep is expressed specifically in the acinar cells of the parotid and submandibular glands.
Glucagon desensitization of adenylate cyclase and stimulation of inositol phospholipid metabolism does not involve the inhibitory guanine nucleotide regulatory protein Gi, which is inactivated upon challenge of hepatocytes with glucagon
Authors: Murphy G J , Gawler D J , Milligan G , Wakelam M J O , Pyne N J , Houslay M D
Published: August 2015

Brief exposure of hepatocytes to glucagon, angiotensin or the protein kinase C activator TPA (12-O-tetradecanoylphorbol 13-acetate) caused the inactivation of the inhibitory guanine nucleotide regulatory protein Gi. Glucagon-mediated desensitization of glucagon-stimulated adenylate cyclase activity was seen in hepatocytes from both normal rats and those made diabetic with streptozotocin, where Gi is not functionally expressed. Normal glucagon desensitization was seen in hepatocytes from young animals, 6 weeks of age, which had amounts of Gi in their hepatocyte membranes which were some 45% of that seen in mature animals (3.4 pmol/mg of plasma-membrane protein). Streptozotocin-induced diabetes in young animals abolished the appearance of functional Gi in hepatocyte plasma membranes. Pertussis-toxin treatment of hepatocytes from both normal mature animals and those made diabetic, with streptozotocin, blocked the ability of glucagon or angiotensin or TPA to elicit desensitization of adenylate cyclase. The isolated B (binding)-subunit of pertussis toxin was ineffective in blocking desensitization. Neither induction of diabetes nor treatment of hepatocytes with pertussis toxin inhibited the ability of glucagon and angiotensin to stimulate the production of inositol phosphates in intact hepatocytes. Thus (i) Gi does not appear to play a role in the molecular mechanism of glucagon desensitization in hepatocytes, (ii) the G-protein concerned with receptor-stimulated inositol phospholipid metabolism in hepatocytes appears not to be a substrate for the action of pertussis toxin, (iii) in intact hepatocytes, treatment with glucagon and/or angiotensin can elicit the inactivation of the inhibitory G-protein Gi, and (iv) pertussis toxin blocks desensitization by a process which does not involve Gi.
Aglycosylation of human IgG1 and IgG3 monoclonal antibodies can eliminate recognition by human cells expressing FcγRI and/or FcγRII receptors
Authors: Walker M R , Lund J , Thompson K M , Jefferis R
Published: August 2015

Aglycosylated human IgG1 and IgG3 monoclonal anti-D (Rh) and human IgG1 and IgG3 chimaeric anti-5-iodo-4-hydroxy-3-nitrophenacetyl (anti-NIP) monoclonal antibodies produced in the presence of tunicamycin have been compared with the native glycosylated proteins with respect to recognition by human Fc gamma RI and/or Fc gamma RII receptors on U937, Daudi or K562 cells. Human red cells sensitized with glycosylated IgG3 form rosettes via Fc gamma RI with 60% of U937 cells. Inhibition of rosette formation required greater than 35-fold concentrated more aglycosylated than glycosylated human monoclonal anti-D (Rh) antibody. Unlabelled polyclonal human IgG and glycosylated monoclonal IgG1 and anti-D (Rh) antibody inhibited the binding of 125I-labelled monomeric human IgG binding by U937 Fc gamma RI at concentrations greater than 50-fold lower than the aglycosylated monoclonal IgG1 anti-D (Rh) (K50 approximately 3 x 10(-9) M and approximately 6 x 10(-7) M respectively). Similar results were obtained using glycosylated and aglycosylated monoclonal human IgG1 or IgG3 chimaeric anti-NIP antibody-sensitized red cells rosetting with Fc gamma RI-/Fc gamma RII+ Daudi and K562 cells. Rosette formation could be inhibited by the glycosylated form (at greater than 10(-6) M) but not by the aglycosylated form. Haemagglutination analysis using a panel of murine monoclonal antibodies specific for epitopes located on C gamma 2, C gamma 3 or C gamma 2/C gamma 3 interface regions did not demonstrate differences in Fc conformation between the glycosylated or aglycosylated human monoclonal antibodies. These data suggest that the Fc gamma RI and Fc gamma RII sites on human IgG are highly conformation-dependent and that the carbohydrate moiety serves to stabilize the Fc structure rather than interacting directly with Fc receptors.
Characteristics of tetraethylammonium transport in rabbit renal plasma-membrane vesicles
Authors: Jung J S , Kim Y K , Lee S H
Published: August 2015

Transport of [14C]tetraethylammonium (TEA), an organic cation, was studied in brush-border (BBMV) and basolateral (BLMV) membrane vesicles isolated from rabbit kidney cortex. In BBMV, the presence of an outwardly directed H+ gradient induced a marked stimulation of TEA uptake against its concentration gradient (overshoot phenomenon), whereas a valinomycin-induced inside-negative potential had no effect on TEA uptake. In BLMV, TEA uptake was significantly stimulated by the presence of an outwardly directed H+ gradient and by an inside-negative potential, but the effect of H+ gradient was absent when the vesicles were chemically ‘voltage clamped’. In BBMV, internal H+ stimulated TEA uptake in a non-competitive manner by binding at a site with apparent pKa of 6.87. External H+ inhibited TEA uptake through a direct interaction with the putative H+/organic-cation exchanger at a site with apparent pKa of 6.78. Changing external pH while maintaining the pH gradient constant produced a result similar to that obtained by changing external pH alone. Increasing external H+ showed a mixed-type inhibition of TEA uptake. These results suggest that in the rabbit TEA transport across the basolateral membranes is driven by an inside-negative potential and that transport across the brush-border membrane is driven by a H+ gradient via an electroneutral H+/TEA antiport system.
Random mutagenesis of the gene for the β-subunit of F1-ATPase from Escherichia coli
Authors: Kironde F A , Parsonage D , Senior A E
Published: August 2015

ATP synthesis by oxidative phosphorylation in Escherichia coli occurs in catalytic sites on the beta-subunits of F1-ATPase. Random mutagenesis of the beta-subunit combined with phenotypic screening is potentially important for studies of the catalytic mechanism. However, when applied to haploid strains, this approach is hampered by a preponderance of mutants in which assembly of F1-ATPase in vivo is defective, precluding enzyme purification. Here we mutagenized plasmids carrying the uncD (beta-subunit) gene with hydroxylamine or N-methyl-N'-nitro-N-nitrosoguanidine and isolated, by phenotypic screening and complementation tests, six plasmids carrying mutant uncD alleles. When the mutant plasmids were used to transform a suitable uncD- strain, assembly of F1-ATPase in vivo occurred in each case. Moreover, in one case (beta Gly-223----Asp) F1-ATPase assembly proceeded although it had previously been reported that this mutation, when present on the chromosome of a haploid strain, prevented assembly of the enzyme in vivo. Therefore, this work demonstrates an improved approach for random mutagenesis of the F1-beta-subunit. Six new mutant uncD alleles were identified: beta Cys-137----Tyr; beta Gly-142----Asp; beta Gly-146----Ser; beta Gly-207----Asp; beta-Gly-223----Asp; and a double mutant beta Pro-403----Ser,Gly-415----Asp which we could not separate. The first five of these lie within or very close to the predicted catalytic nucleotide-binding domain of the beta-subunit. The double mutant lies outside this domain; we speculate that the region around residues beta 403-415 is part of an alpha-beta intersubunit contact surface. Membrane ATPase and ATP-driven proton pumping activities were impaired by all six mutations. Purified F1-ATPase was obtained from each mutant and shown to have impaired specific ATPase activity.
Interaction of the antitumour antibiotic luzopeptin with the hexanucleotide duplex d(5′-GCATGC)2. One-dimensional and two-dimensional n.m.r. studies
Authors: Searle M S , Hall J G , Denny W A , Wakelin L P
Published: August 2015

1H- and 31P-n.m.r. spectroscopy were used to characterize the solution structure of the 1:1 complex formed between the antitumour antibiotic luzopeptin and the self-complementary hexanucleotide d(5'-GCATGC)2. Eighteen nuclear Overhauser effects between antibiotic and nucleotide protons, together with ring-current-induced perturbations to base-pair and quinoline 1H resonances, define the position and orientation of the bound drug molecule. Luzopeptin binds in the minor groove of the DNA with full retention of dyad symmetry, its quinoline chromophores intercalating at the 5'-CpA and 5'-TpG steps and its depsipeptide ring spanning the central two A.T base-pairs. The chromophores stack principally on the adenine base with their carbocyclic rings pointing towards the deoxyribose of the cytosine. There is no evidence for Hoogsteen base-pairing in the complex, all glycosidic bond angles and sugar puckers being typical of B-DNA as found for the free hexanucleotide. The ‘breathing’ motions of the A.T and internal G.C base-pairs are substantially slowed in the complex compared with the free DNA, and the observation that two phosphate resonances are shifted downfield by at least 0.5 p.p.m. in the 31P-n.m.r. spectrum of the complex suggests pronounced local helix unwinding at the intercalation sites. The data are consistent with a model of the complex in which luzopeptin bisintercalates with its depsipeptide essentially in the conformation found in the crystal of the free antibiotic [Arnold & Clardy (1981) J. Am. Chem. Soc. 103, 1243-1244]. We postulate only one conformational change within the peptide ring, which involves rotation of the pyridazine-glycine amide group linkage by 90 degrees towards the DNA surface. This manoeuvre breaks the glycine-to-glycine transannular hydrogen bonds and enables the glycine NH groups to bond to the thymine O-2 atoms of the sandwiched A.T base-pairs. It also shortens the major axis of the depsipeptide so that the interchromophore distance is more suitable for spanning two base-pairs. The model further implies that the carboxy and hydroxy groups of the L-beta-hydroxyvaline residue are appropriately positioned for hydrogen-bonding to the 2-amino group of guanine and the O-2 atom of cytosine of the adjacent G.C base-pair.
Studies on the biotin-binding sites of avidin and streptavidin. A chemically induced dynamic nuclear polarization investigation of the status of tyrosine residues
Authors: Gitlin G , Khait I , Bayer E A , Wilchek M , Muszkat K A
Published: August 2015

We applied the protein photochemically induced dynamic nuclear polarization (photo-c.i.d.n.p.) method to explore the conformation of the side chains of tyrosine, tryptophan and histidine residues in three biotin-binding proteins. The c.i.d.n.p. spectra of avidin, streptavidin and ‘core’ streptavidin were compared with those of their complexes with biotin and its derivatives. The data indicate that the single tyrosine residue (Tyr-33) of avidin is clearly inaccessible to the triplet flavin photo-c.i.d.n.p. probe. The same holds for all tryptophan and histidine side chains. Although the analogous Tyr-43 residue of streptavidin is also buried, at least three of the other tyrosine residues of this protein are exposed. The same conclusions apply to the truncated form of the protein, core streptavidin. As judged by the photo-c.i.d.n.p. results, complexing of avidin and streptavidin with biotin, N-epsilon-biotinyl-L-lysine (biocytin) or biotinyltyrosine has little or no effect on tyrosine accessibility in these proteins. Biotinyltyrosine can be used to probe the depth of the corresponding binding site. The accessibility of the tyrosine side chain of biotinyltyrosine in the complex demonstrates the exquisite fit of the biotin-binding cleft of avidin: only the biotin moiety appears to be accommodated, leaving the tyrosine side chain exposed.
Entrapment of high-molecular-mass DNA molecules in liposomes for the genetic transformation of animal cells
Authors: Szelei J , Duda E
Published: August 2015

We modified the Ca/EDTA procedure for the production of liposomes [Papahadjopoulos, Vail, Jacobson & Poste (1975) Biochim. Biophys. Acta 394, 483-491] to entrap intact DNA molecules of very high molecular mass into large unilamellar phospholipid vesicles. The use of DNA-protein complexes and phage particles instead of naked linear DNA increases the efficiency of entrapment and protects the integrity of DNA molecules. We investigated the interaction of mammalian cells with liposome-encapsulated recombinant lambda bacteriophages carrying marker genes. The liposomes bind surprisingly fast to the cellular surface and are taken up by the cells. A significant proportion of the encapsulated DNA is transported to and soon located in or around the nuclei. Experiments prove that these liposomes can be used for the genetic transformation of mammalian cells.
Control of Drosophila deoxyuridine triphosphatase. Existence of a developmentally expressed protein inhibitor
Authors: Nation M D , Guzder S N , Giroir L E , Deutsch W A
Published: August 2015

An activity that inhibits deoxyuridine triphosphatase (dUTPase) has been partially purified from Drosophila melanogaster. The inhibitor has a sedimentation coefficient of 4.1 S and a subunit molecular mass of 61 kDa. Its expression is limited to early stages of development, similar to the pattern previously found for dUTPase. The inhibitor is unusually stable to heating and is insensitive to DNAse and RNAse treatment. On the other hand, inhibition is sensitive to digestion with proteinase K, indicating that a protein is required for activity. These results suggest that at least one form of regulation is exerted on Drosophila dUTPase that could allow a greater opportunity for the incorporation of uracil into DNA.
An investigation of the transverse topology of bilirubin UDP-glucuronosyltransferase in rat hepatic endoplasmic reticulum
Authors: Shepherd S R , Baird S J , Hallinan T , Burchell B
Published: August 2015

Bilirubin UDP-glucuronosyltransferase (UDPGT) activity in sealed hepatic microsomes from clofibrate-treated rats was highly latent and was fully expressed by disruption of vesicles with detergents. Antibodies raised against purified bilirubin UDPGT were used to study the transmembrane orientation of the protein to provide a molecular understanding of the UDPGT latency. Immunoblot analysis of sealed microsomes, and microsomes after treatment with proteinases, showed that only a small portion of the protein resides on the cytoplasmic side of the microsomal vesicles. Treatment of microsomes with sodium deoxycholate allowed subtilisin and proteinase K to cleave the transferase, causing loss of activity and the release of smaller immunodetectable peptides. Treatment of the purified bilirubin UDPGT with peptide N-glycosidase F indicated that the enzyme was a glycoprotein. A working model of the transmembrane topology of bilirubin UDPGT is described.
Changes in the lipogenic response to feeding of liver, white adipose tissue and brown adipose tissue during the development of obesity in the gold-thioglucose-injected mouse
Authors: Cooney G J , Vanner M A , Nicks J L , Williams P F , Caterson I D
Published: August 2015

Lipogenic response to feeding was measured in vivo in liver, epididymal white adipose tissue (WAT) and interscapular brown adipose tissue (BAT), during the development of obesity in gold-thioglucose (GTG)-injected mice. The fatty acid synthesis after a meal was higher in all tissues of GTG-treated mice on a total-tissue basis, but the magnitude of this increase varied, depending on the tissue and the time after the initiation of obesity. Lipogenesis in BAT from GTG mice was double that of control mice for the first 2 weeks, but subsequently decreased to near control values. In WAT, lipogenesis after feeding was highest 2-4 weeks after GTG injection, and in liver, lipid synthesis in fed obese mice was greatest at 7-12 weeks after the induction of obesity. The post-prandial insulin concentration was increased after 2 weeks of obesity, and serum glucose concentration was higher in fed obese mice after 4 weeks. These results indicate that increased lipogenesis in GTG-injected mice may be due to an increase in insulin concentration after feeding and that insulin resistance (assessed by lipogenic response to insulin release) is apparent in BAT before WAT and liver.
Studies of protein-protein interaction using countercurrent distribution in aqueous two-phase systems. Partition behaviour of six Calvin-cycle enzymes from a crude spinach (Spinacia oleracea) chloroplast extract
Authors: Persson L O , Johansson G
Published: August 2015

The partition behaviour of six enzymes of the Calvin cycle in extracts of chloroplasts from spinach (Spinacia oleracea) between two aqueous phases has been studied by countercurrent distribution. The enzymes showed distribution patterns which indicate heterogeneity and the presence of two or three fractions of most of the enzymes. When two of the enzymes, phosphoglycerate kinase and fructose-bisphosphate aldolase, were partitioned in both purified and partially purified form, they behaved like homogeneous substances. These results indicate that countercurrent distribution of crude extracts in aqueous two-phase systems is a useful method to study protein-protein interaction.
Erythrocyte membrane acetylcholinesterase in type 1 (insulin-dependent) diabetes mellitus
Authors: Suhail M , Rizvi S I
Published: August 2015

1. The erythrocyte membrane acetylcholinesterase activity is significantly (P less than 0.001) decreased in insulin-dependent diabetes mellitus. 2. The activity is negatively correlated (r = -0.97) with the fasting blood glucose level. 3. Insulin treatment restores the activity to normal. 4. The Km of the enzyme for acetylthiocholine iodide was unchanged; however, the Vmax. was decreased, suggesting a decrease in the number of active enzyme molecules in diabetes.
Effect of synthetic carrier ampholytes on saturation of human serum transferrin
Authors: Oratore A , D'Alessandro A M , D'Andrea G
Published: August 2015

We have investigated the effect in solution of synthetic carrier ampholytes on the saturation of human serum transferrin. By spectrophotometric titrations of human serum transferrin with various Fe3+-carrier ampholyte solutions, we demonstrated that under these conditions carrier ampholytes behave as typical chelators, their binding curves being very similar to that obtained with disodium nitrilotriacetate. On performing titration experiments at three different pH values, carrier ampholytes act like nitrilotriacetate at pH 7.5, but the former are more effective iron donors at pH 8.4 and worse iron donors at pH 5.2. Spectrophotometric titrations of isolated C-terminal and N-terminal fragments obtained from human serum transferrin by thermolysin cleavage show no differences between them, and no differences with respect to the whole protein except that they contain half the number of binding sites. In order to determine a site-specificity of iron in the presence of ampholytes, the classical urea/polyacrylamide-gel-electrophoresis technique was adopted. Under saturating conditions carrier ampholyte solutions act mostly on the C-terminal site, whereas desaturating agents remove iron preferentially from the N-terminal site. Our findings support the hypothesis that Ampholine may chelate Fe3+ as well as many other compounds.
Aurintricarboxylic acid is a potent inhibitor of phosphofructokinase
Authors: McCune S A , Foe L G , Kemp R G , Jurin R R
Published: August 2015

Aurintricarboxylic acid (ATA) was found to be a very potent inhibitor of purified rabbit liver phosphofructokinase (PFK), giving 50% inhibition at 0.2 microM. The inhibition was in a manner consistent with interaction at the citrate-inhibitory site of the enzyme. The data suggest that inhibition of PFK by ATA was not due to denaturation of the enzyme or the irreversible binding of inhibitor, since the inhibition could be reversed by addition of allosteric activators of PFK, i.e. fructose 2,6-bisphosphate or AMP. Two other tricarboxylic acids, agaric acid and (-)-hydroxycitrate, were found to inhibit PFK. ATA at much higher concentrations (500 microM) was shown to inhibit fatty acid synthesis from endogenous glycogen in rat hepatocytes; however, protein synthesis was not altered.
The ‘methylamine oxidase’ system of an obligate methylotroph
Authors: Auton K A , Anthony C
Published: August 2015

The terminal respiratory oxidase was solubilized from membranes of organism 4025, an obligate methylotroph. The partially purified oxidase is probably a cytochrome co. It does not oxidize amicyanin, but it oxidizes ‘azurin’ and cytochromes cH and cL. By using a complete ‘methylamine oxidase’ system reconstituted from pure methylamine dehydrogenase, purified oxidase and soluble blue copper proteins and cytochromes, it was confirmed that amicyanin is essential for methylamine oxidation; it could not be replaced by ‘azurin’ or cytochrome cH or cL. It was shown that the usual mediator between amicyanin and the oxidase is cytochrome cH, with ‘azurin’ able to replace it during growth at the high copper concentrations required for optimum growth of this unusual methylotroph.
Lysophosphatidylcholine metabolism and lipoprotein secretion by cultured rat hepatocytes deficient in choline
Authors: Robinson B S , Yao Z , Baisted D J , Vance D E
Published: August 2015

The metabolism of lysophosphatidylcholine was studied in cultured rat hepatocytes deficient in choline and methionine. Even though the cells were defective in phosphatidylcholine biosynthesis, the albumin-stimulated release of lysophosphatidylcholine (1.9 nmol/h per mg of cellular protein) was similar to that in hepatocytes supplemented with choline. Albumin also stimulated (1.4-fold) the release of phosphatidylcholine from the deficient cells. The extra phosphatidylcholine and lysophosphatidylcholine in the medium were largely recovered in the albumin fraction (density greater than 1.18 g/ml), suggesting that albumin released these lipids from hepatocytes because of binding to this protein. The secretion of glycerophosphocholine was decreased by about 40% by the addition of albumin. When choline-deficient hepatocytes were supplemented with lysophosphatidylcholine, it was transported into the cells and mainly acylated to form phosphatidylcholine, which increased in mass by 30-35% in the first 4 h of incubation. Lysophosphatidylcholine was shown to be as effective as choline in restoring the secretion of very-low-density lipoproteins to normal amounts, as judged by the secretion of triacylglycerol, phosphatidylcholine and the apolipoproteins associated with very-low-density lipoproteins. Thus phosphatidylcholine synthesis via reacylation of lysophosphatidylcholine, via the CDP-choline pathway or via methylation of phosphatidylethanolamine, will satisfy the requirements for secretion of very-low-density lipoprotein from hepatocytes.
Characterization of the proteoglycogen fraction non-extractable from retina by trichloroacetic acid
Authors: Miozzo M C , Lacoste E R , Curtino J A
Published: August 2015

The trichloroacetic acid-insoluble 1,4-alpha-glucan fraction from bovine retina was purified and characterized. It is a proteoglycogen fraction containing a 42 kDa protein moiety similar in size to the protein moiety of the trichloroacetic acid-soluble proteoglycogen fraction. The apparent weight-average Mr of acid-insoluble and acid-soluble proteoglycogens are 4.7 x 10(5) and 7.0 x 10(5) respectively. The present results support suggestions from earlier studies indicating that acid-insoluble proteoglycogen is the precursor of the acid-soluble form.
2-Aminoethylarsonic acid as an analogue of ethanolamine phosphate. Endowment of ethanolamine-phosphate cytidylyltransferase with CTP pyrophosphatase activity
Authors: Visedo-Gonzalez E , Dixon H B F
Published: August 2015

2-Aminoethylarsonic acid was tested for its ability to act as a substrate for ethanolamine-phosphate cytidylytransferase as a cytidylyl acceptor in place of ethanolamine phosphate. The expected product, like all mixed anhydrides of arsonic acids, should hydrolyse spontaneously with regeneration of the substrate analogue and CMP formation; such CMP production was observed. The limiting velocity with aminoethylarsonic acid is about 90% that with ethanolamine phosphate, and the Michaelis constant is below 20 mM.
Cloning and structural characterization of the genes coding for adenosylcobalamin-dependent methylmalonyl-CoA mutase from Propionibacterium shermanii
Authors: Marsh E N , McKie N , Davis N K , Leadlay P F
Published: August 2015

The structural genes coding for both subunits of adenosylcobalamin-dependent methylmalonyl-CoA mutase from the Gram-positive bacterium Propionibacterium shermanii have been cloned, with the use of synthetic oligonucleotides as primary hybridization probes. The genes are closely linked and are transcribed in the same direction. Nucleotide sequence analysis of 4.5 kb of DNA encompassing both genes allowed us to infer the complete amino acid sequence of the two subunits: the beta-subunit is the product of the upstream gene, and consists of 638 amino acid residues (Mr 69465) and the alpha-subunit consists of 728 amino acid residues (Mr 80,147). There is a very close structural homology between the two subunits, reflecting the probable duplication of a common ancestral gene. A sequence present only in the alpha-subunit is significantly homologous to a portion of the sequence of the methylmalonyl-CoA-binding subunit of transcarboxylase from P. shermanii [Samols, Thornton, Murtif, Kumar, Haase & Wood (1988) J. Biol. Chem. 263, 6461-6464], and this homologous region may form part of the CoA ester-binding site in both enzymes.
Differences in adult and foetal human cytochrome P-450 forms recognized by monoclonal antibodies with specificity for the P450III family
Authors: Barnes T S , Burke M D , Melvin W T
Published: August 2015

Six murine monoclonal antibodies raised against a major human adult liver cytochrome P-450 (P-450) of the PCN family (P450III) detected a protein in human foetal liver microsomes (microsomal fractions) which had an approx. 1 kDa higher molecular mass on SDS/polyacrylamide-gel electrophoresis than the protein recognized in human adult liver microsomes. Although each of the antibodies recognized both the adult and the foetal forms, antibody HL4 showed higher affinity for the foetal form. Recognition by the monoclonal antibodies of peptides generated by proteolytic cleavage of microsomal proteins showed different patterns for the adult and foetal forms. It is concluded that the foetal P-450 form recognized by antibodies to the major human adult liver form P450hA7, although structurally similar, is either a distinct P-450 isoenzyme or that the adult and foetal proteins have different covalent modification. Immunoquantification experiments showed comparable levels of the P-450 forms in adult and foetal liver, although there appeared to be less inter-individual variation in foetal livers.
The detergent Solulan C-24 reveals properties of the olfactory adenylate cyclase system
Authors: Robinson C J , Shirley S G , Dodd G H
Published: August 2015

The detergent Solulan C-24 has been shown to activate the olfactory adenylate cyclase, with loss of the odorant modulation, at concentrations too low to cause significant solubilization. The activation is synergistic with that of nonhydrolysable GTP analogues, forskolin and AlF4-. These effects are not reversible. Solulan causes the cyclase activity to become subject to ATP inhibition, which is competitively relieved by GTP gamma S, and increases the GTP gamma S concentration required for half-maximal stimulation of the system. This suggests a change in the GTP-binding site of the stimulatory G-protein. Activation by GTP gamma S, without Solulan, indicates that the cyclase catalytic unit, rather than the available G-protein, may be limiting in the system. We suggest that Solulan may remove an inhibitory control on the cyclase activity.
Characterization of a cytoskeletal matrix associated with myelin from rat brain
Authors: Gillespie C S , Wilson R , Davidson A , Brophy P J
Published: August 2015

Extraction of rat brain myelin in a buffer containing Triton X-100 yielded a soluble fraction and an insoluble residue that was enriched in cytoskeletal elements. Immunoblot analysis of the detergent-soluble fraction and the insoluble cytoskeletal residue showed that all of the tubulin and more than half of the actin were found within the cytoskeletal fraction. The distribution of myelin-specific proteins was also examined, and revealed that 2′,3′-cyclic nucleotide 3′-phosphohydrolase (CNPase) I and most of the myelin basic proteins (MBPs) were equally distributed between both fractions. By contrast, the large MBP (21.5 kDa) and CNPase II (50 kDa) were observed to partition almost entirely with the cytoskeletal fraction. Proteolipid protein was found predominantly in the detergent-soluble fraction, as was DM-20 protein. Analysis of the cytoskeletal fraction by sucrose-density-gradient centrifugation demonstrated that a distinct subset of lipids was tightly bound to the cytoskeletal protein residue. The cytoskeleton-associated lipid was considerably enriched in cerebroside and sphingomyelin by comparison with total myelin lipids. These results indicate that a cytoskeletal matrix is associated with multilamellar myelin, and suggest that this structure may play a fundamental role in myelinogenesis.
Purification of a class C A-type β-lactamase from a derepressed strain of Enterobacter cloacae. Comparison of the wild-type and mutant enzyme with those from strains P99, 208 and GN7471
Authors: Graham M N , Mantle T J
Published: August 2015

Enterobacter cloacae strain 5822 expresses low levels of a class C beta-lactamase which can be induced 100-fold by imipenem. Mutants that constitutively express high levels of beta-lactamase can be selected on aztreonam or cefotaxime. The beta-lactamase from one such mutant (5822M2) has been purified to homogeneity and compared on the basis of subunit Mr, pI, substrate specificity, inhibitor sensitivity and immunological cross-reactivity with the enzyme from strains P99, GN7471 and 208, which have been studied previously. The enzyme from strain 5822M2 is clearly related to these other forms and is of the A-type according to the criteria of Seeberg, Tolxdorff-Neutzling & Wiedemann [Antimicrob. Agents Chemother. (1983) 23, 918-925]. The enzyme from the wild-type strain (5822) is shown to be identical to that found in the depressed strain (5822M2), indicating that the mutation is in a regulatory gene. A detailed analysis of the kinetics of the enzyme from strain 5822M2 shows that all of the beta-lactams studied are substrates and that a mechanism involving the formation of an acyl-enzyme is probably applicable in every case. The substrates however can clearly be grouped into two classes, i.e. ‘good’ substrates with kcat. values of 80-1200 s-1 and ‘poor’ substrates/good inhibitors with kcat. values of 0.009-0.00007 s-1. The permeability barrier to aztreonam is 4-fold less in the derepressed strain when compared with the wild-type strain. This is associated with significant changes in the expression of outer membrane porins. The observed resistance in the derepressed mutant appears to be linked to the elevated levels of beta-lactamase (3000-fold) rather than to the modest changes in the permeability barrier.
Mitochondrial acetyl-CoA carboxylase. Time course of mobilization/activation in liver of refed rats
Authors: Roman-Lopez C R , Shriver B J , Joseph C R , Allred J B
Published: August 2015

Fasted (48 h) rats were killed at 0, 2, 4, 6, 8, 12, 16, 20 and 24 h after they were refed on a high-carbohydrate diet. An increase in the maximal activity and quantity of cystolic acetyl-CoA carboxylase was found in liver of refed rats after a lag time of about 8 h. The increased quantity of cytosolic enzyme was attributable primarily to mobilization of mitochondrial storage forms and not to substantial increase in the rate of synthesis of acetyl-CoA carboxylase.
Prostaglandins E2 and F2α affect glycogen synthase and phosphorylase in isolated hepatocytes
Authors: Gómez-Foix A M , Rodriguez-Gil J E , Guinovart J J , Bosch F
Published: August 2015

Prostaglandin E2 (PGE2) and prostaglandin F2 alpha (PGF2 alpha) inactivated glycogen synthase and activated glycogen phosphorylase in rat hepatocytes in a dose- and time-dependent manner. These effects were dependent on the presence of Ca2+ in the incubation medium. When glycogen synthase was immunoprecipitated from cells incubated with [32P]Pi and then treated with PGE2 or PGF2 alpha, there was increased phosphorylation of the 88 kDa subunit of the enzyme. This phosphorylation affected two CNBr fragments of the glycogen synthase, CB-1 and CB-2, the same fragments that are phosphorylated by different glycogenolytic hormones. No phosphorylation of glycogen synthase by prostaglandins was observed in the absence of Ca2+. Thus the effect of PGE2 and PGF2 alpha on these glycogen-metabolizing enzymes supports a role for regulation by prostaglandins of glucose metabolism in parenchymal liver cells.
The mobilization of ferritin iron by liver cytosol. A comparison of xanthine and NADH as reducing substrates
Authors: Topham R , Goger M , Pearce K , Schultz P
Published: August 2015

Considerable evidence suggests that the release of iron from ferritin is a reductive process. A role in this process has been proposed for two hepatic enzymes, namely xanthine oxidoreductase and an NADH oxidoreductase. The abilities of xanthine and NADH to serve as a source of reducing power for the enzyme-mediated release of ferritin iron (ferrireductase activity) were compared with turkey liver and rat liver homogenates. The maximal velocity (Vmax.) for the reaction with NADH was 50 times greater than with xanthine; however, the substrate concentration required to achieve half-maximal velocity (Km) was 1000 times less with xanthine than with NADH. NADPH could be substituted for NADH with little loss in activity. Dicoumarol did not inhibit the reaction with NADH or NADPH, demonstrating that the ferrireductase activity with those substrates was not the result of the liver enzyme ‘DT-diaphorase’ [NAD(P)H dehydrogenase (quinone)]. A flavin nucleotide was required for ferrireductase activity with rat and turkey liver cytosol when xanthine, NADH or NADPH was used as the reducing substrate. FMN yielded twice the activity with NADH or NADPH, whereas FAD was twice as effective with xanthine as substrate. Kinetic comparisons, differences in lability and partial chromatographic resolution of the ferrireductase activities with the two types of reducing substrates strongly indicate that the ferrireductase activities with xanthine and NADH are catalysed by separate enzyme systems contained in liver cytosol. Complete inhibition by allopurinol of the ferrireductase activity endogenous to undialysed liver cytosol preparations and the ability of xanthine to restore equivalent activity to dialysed preparations indicate that the source of reducing power for the endogenous activity is xanthine. These studies suggest that xanthine, NADH or NADPH can serve as a source of reducing power for the enzyme-mediated reduction of ferritin iron, with a flavin nucleotide serving as the shuttle of electrons from the enzymes to the ferritin iron.
Oxidation of nitrogenase iron protein by dioxygen without inactivation could contribute to high respiration rates of Azotobacter species and facilitate nitrogen fixation in other aerobic environments
Authors: Thorneley R N F , Ashby G A
Published: August 2015

The kinetics of oxidation of the Fe proteins of nitrogenases from Klebsiella pneumoniae (Kp2) and Azotobacter chroococcum (Ac2) by O2 and H2O2 have been studied by stopped-flow spectrophotometry at 23 degrees C, pH 7.4. With excess O2, one-electron oxidation of Kp2 and Ac2 and their 2 MgATP or 2 MgADP bound forms occurs with rate constants (k) in the range 5.3 x 10(3) M-1.S-1 to 1.6 x 10(5) M-1.S-1. A linear correlation between log k and the mid-point potentials (Em) of these protein species indicates that the higher rates of electron transfer from the Ac2 species are due to the differences in Em of the 4Fe-4S cluster. The reaction of Ac2(MgADP)2 with O2 is sufficiently rapid for it to contribute significantly to the high respiration rate of Azotobacter under N2-fixing conditions and may represent a new respiratory pathway. Excess O2 rapidly inactivates Ac2(MgADP)2 and Kp2(MgADP)2; however, when these protein species are in greater than 4-fold molar excess over the concentration of O2, 4 equivalents of protein are oxidized with no loss of activity. The kinetics of this reaction suggest that H2O2 is an intermediate in the reduction of O2 to 2 H2O by nitrogenase Fe proteins and imply a role for catalase or peroxidase in the mechanism of protection of nitrogenase from O2-induced inactivation.
Oestradiol 17β-glucuronide increases tight-junctional permeability in rat liver
Authors: Kan K S , Monte M J , Parslow R A , Coleman R
Published: August 2015

By using rat liver perfusion under one-pass conditions with a single pulse of horseradish peroxidase (HRP), the biliary output of HRP was used as an indicator of paracellular permeability change caused by the cholestatic compound oestradiol 17 beta-glucuronide (E17G). Since E17G reduced bile flow, we have also used, during the assessment of junctional permeability after E17G treatment, the choleretic compound taurodehydrocholate to enhance bile flow back to control levels. At both low and restored bile flow rates, the acute administration of E17G (3.4 mumol) increased the HRP peak height, thereby indicating that one of the hepatotoxic actions of E17G is to increase the permeability of hepatic tight junctions. The action of E17G in affecting bile acid secretion and biliary volume are also explored.
Effects of aging on the responsiveness and sensitivity of glucose metabolism to insulin in the incubated soleus muscle isolated from Sprague-Dawley and Wistar rats
Authors: Leighton B , Dimitriadis G D , Parry-Billings M , Lozeman F J , Newsholme E A
Published: August 2015

1. The effects of aging on the sensitivity and responsiveness of glucose transport, lactate formation and glycogen synthesis to insulin were studied in the incubated stripped soleus muscle isolated from aging Sprague-Dawley and Wistar rats. 2. As Sprague-Dawley rats aged from 5 to 13 weeks, there were marked increases in the concentrations of insulin that were required for half-maximal stimulation (i.e. EC50 value, which is a measure of sensitivity) of glucose transport, lactate formation and glycogen synthesis. 3. In marked contrast, there were no alterations in sensitivities of any of these processes to insulin in soleus muscle prepared from Wistar rats aged between 6 and 12 weeks. 4. However, in soleus muscles from 85-week-old Wistar rats the rates of glycogen synthesis in response to basal, sub-maximal and maximal concentrations of insulin were markedly decreased. The insulin EC50 value of glycogen synthesis was increased 4-fold, but was unchanged for lactate formation. 5. The insulin-stimulated rates of glucose transport in soleus muscles from 5- or 85-week-old Wistar rats were not significantly different.
Studies on the effect of lysosomotropic agents on the release of Gal β 1-4GlcNAc α-2,6-sialytransferase from rat liver slices during the acute-phase response
Authors: Lammers G , Jamieson J C
Published: August 2015

The mechanism of release of Gal beta 1-4GlcNAc alpha-2,6-sialyltransferase (CMP-N-acetylneuraminate: beta-galactoside alpha-2,6-sialytransferase, EC 2.4.99.1) from rat liver during the acute-phase response is due to the action of a cathepsin D-like proteinase that cleaves the trans-Golgi membrane-bound enzyme from a membrane anchor; this allows a major portion of the enzyme containing the catalytic site to escape into the extracellular space [Lammers & Jamieson (1988) Biochem. J. 256, 623-631]. The release of sialytransferase was most effective at pH 5.6, suggesting that release of sialyltransferase from the Golgi in whole cells is dependent on maintaining an acidic environment in the trans-Golgi compartment of the hepatocyte. Golgi membranes contain a proton pump that maintains the acidic pH in these compartments [Glickman, Croen, Kelly & Al-Awquati (1983) J. Cell Biol. 97, 1303-1308; Yamashiro, Tycko & Maxfield (1984) Cell (Cambridge, Mass.) 37, 789-800; Zhang & Schneider (1983) Biochem. Biophys. Res. Commun. 114, 620-625; Anderson & Pathak (1985) Cell (Cambridge, Mass.) 40, 635-643]. Lysosomotropic agents, such as NH4Cl, chloroquine and methylamine can penetrate acidic compartments of the cell, such as the Golgi complex, raise the pH, and thus affect proteolytic cleavage events. The present paper describes the effect of lysosomotropic agents on the release of sialyltransferase from the hepatocyte using liver slices as a whole-cell system. Slices were prepared from control rats and rats suffering from the acute-phase response, where release of sialyltransferase is increased substantially [Lammers & Jamieson (1988) Biochem. J. 256, 623-631; Kaplan, Woloski, Hellman & Jamieson (1983) J. Biol. Chem. 258, 11505-11509]. Release of sialyltransferase was almost abolished in presence of 50 mM-NH4Cl, 50 mM-methylamine or 1 mM-chloroquine. Inhibition of release of sialyltransferase was reversed when the lysosomotropic agents were removed from the medium, showing that these agents are not cytotoxic to the cells under the conditions used. The secretion of rat alpha 1-acid glycoprotein, which is not subject to proteolytic processing in the Golgi complex, was not found to be substantially affected by the presence of lysosomotropic agents. The results suggest that proteolytic cleavage of the catalytic site of sialyltransferase is a process that is significantly affected by the intra-Golgi pH.