bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
Vitamin D metabolism and expression in rats fed on low-calcium and low-phosphorus diets
Authors: Edelstein Samuel , Noff Dina , Sinai Levana , Harell Arie , Puschett Jules B. , Golub Ellis E. , Bronner Felix
Published: August 2015

1. Cholecalciferol, radioactively labelled with both 14C and 3H, was administered weekly for 7 weeks to rats that had been depleted of vitamin D for 4 weeks before repletion with the radioactive vitamin. This permitted measurement of the steady-state effect on vitamin D metabolism of low-calcium and low-phosphorus regimens, as compared with a normal mineral intake. These dietary manoeuvres were carried out during the last 3 weeks of repletion. Cholecalciferol, 25-hydroxycholecalciferol and 1,25-dihydroxycholecalciferol were determined in plasma, intestine, kidney and bone. Ca2+-binding-protein content was measured in intestine and kidneys of comparable animals. 2. In rats on the low-calcium diets, 1,25-dihydroxycholecalciferol concentration was elevated in plasma, bone, kidney and intestine, and intestinal Ca2+-binding protein was increased to over twice the concentration found in the control animals. 3. The low-phosphorus regimens led to a decrease in plasma phosphate and 1,25-dihydroxycholecalciferol in all tissues studied, for the latter to the point where it was undetectable in plasma and bone. Intestinal and renal concentrations of Ca2+-binding protein were unchanged in the low-phosphate-intake group and decreased in the very-low-phosphate-intake group. 4. It is concluded that in the rat, unlike in the chick, hypophosphataemia is not associated with a stimulation of the production of 1,25-dihydroxycholecalciferol or its expression in the synthesis of Ca2+-binding protein. Therefore the plasma phosphate concentration does not appear to be directly involved in the regulation of the functional metabolism of vitamin D.
Inter-organ relationships between glucose, lactate and amino acids in rats fed on high-carbohydrate or high-protein diets
Authors: Rémésy Christian , Demigné Christian , Aufrère Jocelyne
Published: August 2015

1. Inter-organ relationships between glucose, lactate and amino acids were studied by determination of plasma concentrations in different blood vessels of anaesthetized rats fed on either a high-carbohydrate diet [13% (w/w) casein, 79% (w/w) starch] or a high-protein diet [50% (w/w) casein, 42% (w/w) starch]. The period of food intake was limited (09:00–17:00h), and blood was collected 4h after the start of this period (13:00h). 2. Glucose absorption was considerable only in rats fed on a high-carbohydrate diet. Portal-vein–artery differences in plasma lactate concentration were higher in rats fed on this diet, but not proportional to glucose absorption. Aspartate, glutamate and glutamine were apparently converted into alanine, but when dietary protein intake was high, a net absorption of glutamine occurred. 3. The liver removed glucose from the blood in rats fed on a high-carbohydrate diet, but glucose was released into the blood in rats fed on the high-protein diet, probably as a result of gluconeogenesis. Lactate uptake was very low when amino acid availability was high. 4. In rats on a high-protein diet, increased uptake of amino acids, except for ornithine, was associated with a rise in portal-vein plasma concentrations, and in many cases with a decrease in hepatic concentrations. 5. Hepatic concentrations of pyruvate and 2-oxo-glutarate decreased without a concomitant change in the concentrations of lactate and malate in rats fed on the high-protein diet, in spite of an increased supply of pyruvate precursors (e.g. alanine, serine, glycine), suggesting increased pyruvate transport into mitochondria. 6. High postprandial concentrations of plasma glucose and lactate resulted in high uptakes of these metabolites in peripheral tissues of rats on both diets. Glutamine was released peripherally in both cases, whereas alanine was taken up in rats fed on a high-carbohydrate diet, but released when the amino acid supply increased. 7. It is concluded that: the small intestine is the main site of lactate production, and the peripheral tissues are the main site for lactate utilization; during increased ureogenesis in fed rats, lactate is poorly utilized by the liver; the gut is the main site of alanine production in rats fed on a high-carbohydrate diet and the liver utilizes most of the alanine introduced into the portal-vein plasma in both cases.
The oxidative activities of membrane vesicles from Bacillus caldolyticus. Energy-dependence of succinate oxidation
Authors: Dawson Anthony G. , Chappell J. B.
Published: August 2015

1. The properties of membrane vesicles from the extreme thermophile Bacillus caldolyticus were investigated. 2. Vesicles prepared by exposure of spheroplasts to ultrasound contained cytochromes a, b and c, and at 50°C they rapidly oxidized NADH and ascorbate in the presence of tetramethyl-p-phenylenediamine. Succinate and l-malate were oxidized more slowly, and dl-lactate, l-alanine and glycerol 1-phosphate were not oxidized. 3. In the absence of proton-conducting uncouplers the oxidation of NADH was accompanied by a net translocation of H+ into the vesicles. Hydrolysis of ATP by a dicyclohexylcarbodi-imide-sensitive adenosine triphosphatase was accompanied by a similarly directed net translocation of H+. 4. Uncouplers (carbonyl cyanide p-trifluoromethoxyphenylhydrazone or valinomycin plus NH4+) prevented net H+ translocation but stimulated ATP hydrolysis, NADH oxidation and ascorbate oxidation. The last result suggested an energy-conserving site in the respiratory chain between cytochrome c and oxygen. 5. Under anaerobic conditions the reduction of cytochrome b by ascorbate (with tetramethyl-p-phenylenediamine) was stimulated by ATP hydrolysis, indicating an energy-conserving site between cytochrome b and cytochrome c. However, no reduction of NAD+ supported by oxidation of succinate, malate or ascorbate occurred, neither did it with these substrates in the presence of ATP under anaerobic conditions, suggesting that there was no energy-conserving site between NADH and cytochrome b. 6. Succinate oxidation, in contrast with that of NADH and ascorbate, was strongly inhibited by uncouplers and stimulated by ATP hydrolysis. These effects were not observed when phenazine methosulphate, which transfers electrons from succinate dehydrogenase directly to oxygen, was present. It was concluded that in these vesicles the oxidation of succinate was energy-dependent and that the reoxidation of reduced succinate dehydrogenase was dependent on the outward movement of H+ by the protonmotive force. 7. In support of the foregoing conclusion it was shown that the reduction of fumarate by NADH was an energy-conserving process. 8. If the activities of vesicles accurately represent those of the intact organism it appears that in B. caldolyticus the reduction of fumarate to succinate at the expense of reducing equivalents from NADH is energetically favoured over succinate oxidation even under aerobic conditions. This may be related to the need for an ample supply of succinate for haem synthesis in order to provide cytochromes for the organism.
Synthesis of ophthalmic acid in liver and kidney in vivo
Authors: Orlowski M , Wilk S
Published: August 2015

The synthesis of ophthalmic acid, an analogue of glutathione, was studied in vivo in mouse liver and kidney after administration of either L-alpha-aminobutyrate or L-gamma-glutamyl-L-alpha-aminobutyrate as precursor. L-alpha-aminobutyrate accumulated to a much greater extent, and induced a much greater synthesis of ophthalmic acid in the liver than in the kidney. In contrast, L-gamma-glutamyl-L-alpha-aminobutyrate initiated a large and more rapid synthesis of ophthalmic acid in the kidney than in the liver. Experiments with L-gamma-[G(-14)C]glutamyl-L-alpha-aminobutyrate showed that, although part of the dipeptide is degraded to its constituent amino acids, a significant proportion is directly incorporated into kidney ophthalmic acid. In contrast L-gamma-glutamyl-L-alpha-aminobutyrate serves poorly as a direct precursor of liver ophthalmic acid. The present results show that kidney gamma-glutamyl tripeptide synthesis can proceed directly from an exogenous gamma-glutamyl dipeptide precursor.
Rapid temperature-induced changes in the fatty acid composition of certain lipids in developing linseed and soya-bean cotyledons
Authors: Slack C R , Roughan P G
Published: August 2015

A change in ambient temperature caused marked alterations, over a 24h period, in the proportions of the unsaturated C18 fatty acids in 3-sn-phosphatidylcholine and 1,2-diacyglycerols during the development of soya-bean and linseed cotyledons. The molar proportion of oleate increased when the temperature was increased whereas that of linoleate or linolenate, depending on the species, increased when the temperature was lowered. Concomitant changes in the composition of 3-sn-phosphatidylethanolamine and triacylglycerols were small.
Differential activation of type-I and type-II adenosine 3′:5′-cyclic monophosphate-dependent protein kinases in liver of glucagon-treated rats
Authors: Schwoch G
Published: August 2015

The protein-bound cyclic AMP and the activity of cytosolic protein kinases in the presence and absence of cyclic AMP were determined in rat liver up to 2h after injection of glucagon. On the basis of the different salt-sensitivities of the activated cyclic AMP-dependent proteinkinases I and II, an activation of protein kinase II restricted to the high cyclic AMP concentrations present in the first 30 min after hormone injection was found. Essentially the same result was obtained by chromatographic analysis on DEAE-cellulose of liver cytosol from untreated rats and from rats killed at 2 and 60 min after glucagon injection. Protein kinase II activation was only detected at 2 min after injection. In contrast, the cyclic AMP-dependent protein kinase I was found to be nearly totally activated at 2 min and to be still almost as active at 60 min after the hormone stimulus, whereas the amount of bound cyclic AMP and the activation of total cytosolic protein kinases had fallen to two-thirds of their maximal values during this time period. A third cyclic AMP-independent protein kinase, which co-chromatographed with protein kinase type II, could be clearly distinguished from the two cyclic AMP-dependent kinases by use of the heat-stable inhibitor from bovine muscle, which totally inhibited the cyclic AMP-dependent enzymes, but stimulated the cyclic AMP-independent protein kinase.
A reappraisal of the reaction of butyrylcoenzyme A dehydrogenase with phenylmercuric acetate. Evidence that de-greening involves a reaction of the tightly bound thioester
Authors: Engel Paul C. , Jones Janet B.
Published: August 2015

Phenylmercuric acetate reversibly de-greens butyryl-CoA dehydrogenase from Megasphaera elsdenii, abolishing the absorption band at 710nm. The view that this is a result of modification of a protein thiol group is re-examined in the light of the following new observations. (i) After treatment with phenylmercuric acetate, the enzyme's ability to be re-greened by addition of thiols was not decreased by gel filtration or precipitation with (NH4)2SO4. (ii) Phenylmercuric acetate caused the same extent of de-greening whether added in a few large amounts or many small ones. The overall time taken for de-greening was, however, greatly extended when many small additions were made. (iii) In Tris/acetate buffer, pH7.5, 3.5mol of phenylmercuric acetate/mol of enzyme subunit was required for complete de-greening, compared with only 2.5mol/mol in phosphate buffer, pH7. (iv) None of the groups that react with phenylmercuric acetate is accessible to iodoacetate or iodoacetamide. (v) On a molar basis dithiothreitol, mercaptoethanol and CoA are equally effective in re-greening the enzyme. (vi) Provided that phenylmercuric acetate is not present in excess, the de-greened enzyme forms normal and stable complexes with crotonyl-CoA and acetoacetyl-CoA. (vii) When a small excess of phenylmercuric acetate is present, full stable development of the enzyme–acetoacetyl-CoA complex requires addition of several mol of acetoacetyl-CoA/mol of enzyme subunit. (viii) The ability of de-greened enzyme to be immediately re-greened by an excess of thiol declines with time, more rapidly at pH6 than at pH7 or 8, but at all three pH values the instantaneous re-greening was followed by a slow phase of further increase in A710. This further recovery was most extensive and most rapid at pH8. These findings are reminiscent of the previously described reversible decline in the re-greening capacity of a protein-free acid extract of green butyryl-CoA dehydrogenase. It is concluded that the likely cause of de-greening is chemical modification of the tightly bound thioester rather than a protein thiol group. The reversibility would be explained if the thioester exists on the surface of the enzyme in equilibrium with free CoA and a lactone, or if the acyl group is readily and reversibly transferred from the thiol of CoA to a protein side chain.
Electron paramagnetic resonance in biochemistry. Computer simulation of spectra from frozen aqueous samples
Authors: Lowe D J
Published: August 2015

Two computer programs are described; they can be used to simulate e.p.r. spectra of effective spin-1/2 systems in frozen aqueous samples. One program is written in BASIC and the other in FORTRAN IV. Both programs are deposited as a Supplementary Publication (SUP 50082; 27 pages) at the British Library Lending Division, Boston Spa, Wetherby, West Yorkshire LS23 7QB, U.K. References are given to the applications of these programs in biochemical work.
Cross-linking of erythrocyte membrane proteins by periodate and intramembrane particle distribution
Authors: Gahmberg C G , Virtanen I , Wartiovaara J
Published: August 2015

Treatment of isolated human erythrocyte membranes at pH 7.4 with 0.1-0.5 mM-sodium periodate specifically cross-linked some of the spectrin polypeptides. Treatment with 2 mM-periodate resulted in complete cross-linking of spectrin and partial cross-linking of other polypeptides. The latter treatment also caused aggregation of the intramembrane particles made visible by freeze-fracturing. When membranes that had been treated with 2 mM-periodate were depleted of spectrin by treatment with 0.1 mM-EDTA, extensive aggregation of the intramembrane particles occurred.
Oxygen-binding characteristics of three extra-cellular haemoglobins of Artemia salina
Authors: D'Hondt Jan , Moens Luc , Heip Jan , D'Hondt André , Kondo Masatoshi
Published: August 2015

The oxygen-binding characteristics of the three extracellular haemoglobins of brine shrimp (Artemia salina) were studied in vitro by using highly purified preparations. Haemoglobin I is induced last in the development of brine shrimps when functional gills are formed. It has the lowest oxygen affinity (p50 5.34mmHg), an intermediate Bohr effect (ø −0.09 at 20°C) above pH8 and a temperature-sensitivity (ΔH −44.8 to −45.6kJ/mol at pH8–9) comparable with those observed with other invertebrate haemoglobins [Weber & Heidemann (1977) Comp. Biochem. Physiol. A57, 151–155]. Haemoglobin II, which is the first to be induced, soon after hatching of nauplius larvae, persists generally throughout the whole adult life. It has an intermediate oxygen affinity (p50 3.7mmHg), the highest Bohr effect (ø −0.21 at 20°C) above pH8 and a similar temperature-sensitivity (ΔH −46.0 to −54.8kJ/mol at pH8–9) as haemoglobin I. However, haemoglobin III, which is induced second several hours after the induction of haemoglobin II but disappearing from the haemolymph in the middle of adult life, has the highest oxygen affinity (p50 1.8mmHg), the lowest Bohr effect (ø −0.03 at 20°C) above pH8.5 and a high resistance against temperature variation between 10 and 25°C at pH8.5–9 (ΔH −22.6 to −23.0kJ/mol). At pH7.5–8, haemoglobin III exhibits a similar temperature-sensitivity under 30°C as do other haemoglobins. All three haemoglobins have a rather low co-operativity, with Hill coefficients (h 1.6–1.9 at pH8.5), which are dependent on both pH and temperature. The highest co-operativity was observed at 20°C and pH9 for haemoglobins I and II, whereas it was at 27°C and pH8.5 for haemoglobin III. Thus the oxygen-binding behaviour of haemoglobin III in vitro is significantly different from those of haemoglobins I and II and indicates possibly its specific physiological role in vivo in the adaptive process in the natural environment.
The pseudouridine contents of the ribosomal ribonucleic acids of three vertebrate species. Numerical correspondence between pseudouridine residues and 2′-O-methyl groups is not always conserved
Authors: Hughes D G , Maden B E H
Published: August 2015

The pseudouridine contents of the rRNA species of HeLa cells, mouse L-cells and Xenopus laevis cultured kidney cells were examined. Pseudouridine, like 2′-O-methylation, was found to occur relatively frequently in each of the high-molecular-weight rRNA species. However, the numerical data do not support the idea that there is a general one-to-one relationship between pseudoridine residues and 2′-O-methyl groups in vertebrate rRNA.
Evidence for a proton/sugar symport in the yeast Rhodotorula gracilis (glutinis)
Authors: Höfer M , Misra P C
Published: August 2015

1. The uptake of monosaccharides and polyols in the obligatory aerobic yeast Rhodotorula gracilis (glutinis) was accompanied by proton uptake. 2. The half-saturation constant of transport, KT, depended on pH, changing from about 2mM at pH 4.5 to 80mM at pH8.5 for D-xylose; this change of the effective carrier affinity was reversible. 3. The apparent dissociation constant of the monosaccharide carrier was estimated at pKa 6.75. 4. At pH8.5, when the pH gradient across the cell membrane vanished, no sugar accumulation was demonstrable. 5. The half-saturation constants of sugar uptake and H+ co-transport were very similar to each other, the latter obviously being controlled by the former. 6. The H+/sugar stoicheiometry remained constant under various physiological conditions; it amounted to one H+ ion per sugar molecule taken up. 7. The data are interpreted as a strong piece of evidence in favour of the active monosaccharide transport in R. gracilis (glutinis) being an H+-symport energized by the electrochemical gradient of H+ across the plasma membrane of the yeast.
The binding of monoribosomes, oligoribosomes and polyribosomes to reticular membranes from rat liver
Authors: Fielder J A , Dani H M , Ridge D , Rabin B R
Published: August 2015

1. The activity of the enzyme protein disulphide-isomerase (EC 5.3.4.1) was used to measure the binding of ribosomal fractions to reticular membranes from the liver of unstarved male rats. 2. Membranes degranulated by treatment with KCl plus puromycin and washed by centrifugation through 0.5 M-KCl bound oligoribosomes but not monoribosomes. 3. Substitution of 0.25 M-KCl for 0.5 M-KCl in the wash solution produced membranes that bound monoribosomes and 60 S subunits in addition to oligoribosomes. 4. The binding of all classes of ribosomes to smooth and ‘lightly granulated’ rough membranes was activated by oestradiol. The hormone activation was much greater with polyribosomes from fed rats than for monoribosomes or oligoribosomes from starved rats. 5. Exposure of rough membranes to centrifugal forces caused them to undergo partial degranulation, as demonstrated by unmasking of protein disulphide-isomerase activity.
Effect of nutrition on subcellular localization of rat fat-cell lipoprotein lipase
Authors: Vanhove A , Wolf C , Breton M , Glangeaud M C
Published: August 2015

This study supports the possibility for multiple subcellular forms of lipoprotein lipase. 1. The total activity of lipoprotein lipase per g of intact epididymal adipose tissue from fed rats is much higher than that from starved rats. 2. The isolated fat-cells of fed and of starved rats have lipoprotein lipase of almost the same activity per g of fat-pads. The isolated fat-cells of starved rats have a much higher proportion of total activity per g of the intact tissue than do those of fed rats. 3. Under the conditions of homogenization used, only a small proportion of the total activity per g of intact tissue from fed rats was associated with the fat layer which floated to the top of the homogenate during low-speed centrifugation. The different proportions of the specific enzyme activity found in each subcellular fraction are described. 4. Lipoprotein lipase from plasma membranes and microsomal fractions from starved and fed rats was purified by affinity chromatography. 5. The total activity of microsomal lipoprotein lipase per g of intact adipose tissue is enhanced by a normal diet. 6. In intact epididymal adipose tissue from fed rats, the activity per g of tissue of lipoprotein lipase of plasma membranes is much higher than that in the same fraction from starved rats. By contrast, the activities per g of tissue in plasma membranes obtained from starved or from fed rats by collagenase treatment were similar.
Rapid stimulation by vasopressin, oxytocin and angiotensin II of glycogen degradation in hepatocyte suspensions
Authors: Hems Douglas A. , Rodrigues Loreta M. , Whitton Patricia D.
Published: August 2015

1. The hormonal control of glycogen breakdown was studied in hepatocytes isolated from livers of fed rats. 2. Glucose release was stimulated by [8-arginine]vasopressin (10pm–10nm), oxytocin (1nm–1μm), and angiotensin II (1nm–0.1μm). These responses are all at least as sensitive to hormone as is glucose output in the perfused rat liver. 3. The effect of these three hormones on glucose release was critically dependent on extracellular Ca2+, unlike that of glucagon. Half-maximal restoration of the vasopressin response occurred if 0.3mm-Ca2+ was added back to the incubation medium. 4. Glycogen breakdown was more than sufficient to account for the glucose released into the medium, in the absence or presence of hormones. Lactate release by hepatocytes was not affected by vasopressin, but was inhibited by glucagon. 5. If Ca2+ was omitted from the extracellular medium, vasopressin stimulated glycogenolysis, but not glucose release. 6. The phosphorylase a content of hepatocytes was increased by vasopressin, oxytocin and angiotensin II; minimum effective concentrations were 0.1pm, 0.1nm and 10pm respectively. This response was also dependent on Ca2+. 7. These results demonstrate that hepatocytes can respond to low concentrations of vasopressin and angiotensin II, i.e. these effects are likely to be relevant in the intact animal. The role of extracellular Ca2+ in the effects of these hormones on hepatic glycogenolysis and glucose release is discussed.
Inhibition by low concentrations of ouabain of prolactin-induced lactogenesis in rabbit mammary-gland explants
Authors: Falconer Ian R. , Forsyth Isabel A. , Wilson Barry M. , Dils Raymond
Published: August 2015

1. Explants of mammary tissue from pseudopregnant rabbits were cultured at 37°C in air for 24–48h in Medium 199 buffered with 20mm-Hepes [4-(2-hydroxyethyl)-1-piperazine-ethanesulphonic acid]. The medium contained insulin and corticosterone, or insulin, corticosterone and sheep prolactin in the presence or absence of ouabain, an inhibitor of Na+/K+-dependent adenosine triphosphatase. The responses of explants were assessed histologically, by measuring the tissue concentration of K+, and by rates of synthesis of RNA, protein and fatty acids. The effect of ouabain on Na+ and K+ concentrations in slices of lactating rabbit mammary-gland tissue incubated for 1h at 37°C in Krebs bicarbonate buffer was also studied. 2. Prolactin increased the concentration of K+ in mammary explants, an effect prevented by ouabain. In slices of lactating tissue, there was a linear relationship between the log dose of ouabain (from 0.1 to 10μm) and increased Na+ and decreased K+ concentrations in the tissue. 3. Ouabain at concentrations up to 1μm did not affect the rate of synthesis of RNA, protein or fatty acids by explants cultured with insulin and corticosterone. By contrast, the stimulatory effect of prolactin on protein synthesis was diminished and the induction of medium-chain fatty acid synthesis by prolactin was almost abolished. RNA synthesis was unaffected. Histological examination showed no tissue damage by 1μm-ouabain. 4. Explants cultured in the presence of 2μm-ouabain for 24h retained their ability to respond to prolactin when the ouabain was removed from the culture medium. Between 24 and 48h they showed responses to prolactin of a magnitude similar to those of explants never exposed to ouabain. 5. These results show that a fully functional Na+/K+-dependent adenosine triphosphatase system is necessary for prolactin to promote secretory activity in rabbit mammary gland.
The role of creatine kinase and arginine kinase in muscle
Authors: Newsholme E A , Beis I , Leech A R , Zammit V A
Published: August 2015

Arginine and creatine kinase activities in different muscles are compared with calculated maximum rates of ATP turnover. The magnitude of the kinase activities decreases in the following order: anaerobic muscles and vertebrate skeletal muscles greater than heart muscle greater than insect flight muscle. The maximum activity of phosphagen kinases (i.e. creatine kinase and arginine kinase), in the direction of phosphagen formation, is lower than the calculated maximum rate of ATP turnover in insect flight muscle or rat heart.
A spectrophotometric method for the detection of contaminant chymopapains in preparations of papain. Selective modification of one type of thiol group in the chymopapains by a two-protonic-state reagent
Authors: Baines B S , Brocklehurst K
Published: August 2015

A simple spectrophotometric method for the detection of chymopapains A and B, contaminants in some preparations of papain (EC 3.422.2), was devised. If the amount of rapidly reacting thiol in the preparation, as determined by increase in A343 consequent on reaction with the two-protonic-state thiol titrant, 2,2′ -dipyridl disulphide, is greater at PH8-9 than at pH4, contamination by the chymopapains is in dicated.
Incorporation of [3H]leucine into an actin-like protein in response to 1,25-dihydroxycholecalciferol in chick intestinal brush borders
Authors: Wilson P W , Lawson D E M
Published: August 2015

1,25-Dihydroxycholecalciferol very rapidly stimulates the incorporation of [4,5-3H]leucine into at least two proteins of the chick intestinal mucosal cells. The smaller of the two proteins has mol.wt. approx. 42000, very similar to actin. Other properties of this protein were investigated, including its solubility in salt solution and its behaviour on gel electrophoresis and isoelectric focusing, and in all cases the 1,25-dihydroxycholecalciferol-stimulated protein was indistinguishable from intestinal actin. It was also shown that the brush borders of mucosal cells contain both beta- and gamma-actin in approximately equal amounts and that both forms of the protein appear to be affected by the hormone. It is concluded therefore that one of the earliest actions of 1,25-dihydroxycholecalciferol is to stimulate the incorporation of leucine into beta- and gamma-actin of the mucosal cells or into two proteins very like them.
The mechanism of reaction of ferricyanide-pretreated mixed-valence-state membrane-bound cytochrome oxidase with oxygen at 173 K
Authors: Clore G M , Chance E M
Published: August 2015

1. The results of non-linear optimization studies on the mechanism of reaction of ferricyanide-pretreated mixed-valence-state cytochrome oxidase with O2 at 173 K are presented. The analysis is carried out on data obtained by means of dual-wavelength multi-channel spectroscopy at four wavelength pairs (444-463 nm, 604-630 nm, 608-630 nm and 830-940 nm) and at two O2 concentrations (360 micron and 520 micron). The only model that satisfies the triple requirement of a standard deviation within the standard error of the experimental data, a random distribution of residuals and good determination of the optimized parameters, is a three-intermediate sequential mechanism. 2. On the basis of the optimized values of the relative absorption coefficients of the intermediates at each wavelength obtained from the present paper together with data from optical wavelength scanning and e.p.r. spectroscopy obtained by low-temperature trapping studies, the possible valence states of the metal centres in each of the intermediates are discussed.
Distinction between binding and endocytosis of human asialo-transferrin by the rat liver
Authors: Regoeczi Erwin , Taylor Patricia , Hatton Mark W. C. , Wong Kwong-Loi , Koj Alex
Published: August 2015

The ability of the rat liver to bind and endocytose human asialo-transferrin was investigated in vivo. Asialo-transferrin was separated from incompletely desialylated transferrin and neuraminidase by chromatography before being labelled with 125I. Plasma radioactivity curves and hepatic radioactivity contents measured over a 1270-fold dose range led to the following observation. At the lowest dose (0.4μg/100g body wt.), the distribution of asialo-transferrin between plasma and liver resembled a reversible reaction reaching equilibrium in approx. 20min. After 35min, 93% of the dose was recovered with the plasma and liver as protein-bound radioactivity. Most of the asialo-transferrin associated with the liver could be displaced by asialo-orosomucoid, indicating that binding of asialo-transferrin to the galactose-specific lectin on the plasma membrane of hepatocytes was not followed by a signal for endocytosis. A range of doses, up to an average of 509.2μg of asialo-transferrin per 100g body wt., resulted in progressive increments in asialo-transferrin catabolism, as evidenced by lower dose recoveries and increased concentrations of non-protein-associated radioactivity in the liver and plasma volume. These observations indicate that binding and endocytosis of human asialo-transferrin by the rat hepatocyte are distinct phenomena. Individual asialo-transferrin molecules, although readily bound by the hepatic lectin, lack either the quantity or spacing of terminal galactose residues necessary for triggering endocytosis. Although endocytosis is induced by several asialo-transferrin molecules acting synergistically, preliminary experiments with asialo-glycopeptides and other substances have so far failed to provide further insight into the chemical basis of the signal for endocytosis.
Effect of oestrogen and 1,25-dihydroxycholecalciferol on 25-hydroxycholecalciferol metabolism in primary chick kidney-cell cultures
Authors: Spanos E , Barrett D I , Chong K T , MacIntyre I
Published: August 2015

Primary cultures of chick kidney cells convert 25-hydroxycholecalciferol into more-polar metabolites. Cells from vitamin D-deficient chicks have high 25-hydroxycholecalciferol 1 alpha-hydroxylase (1 alpha-hydroxylase) activity, but no 25-hydroxycholecalciferol 24-hydroxylase (24-hydroxylase) activity. Physiological concentrations of 1,25-dihydroxycholeclaciferol suppress 1 alpha-hydroxylase and induce 24-hydroxylase activity. The inhibition of 1 alpha-hydroxylase preceded the induction of 24-hydroxylase. In contrast, oestradiol-17 beta had no effect on the activity of either hydroxylase under a variety of experimental conditions. These results clearly demonstrate that 1,25-dihydroxycholecalciferol, but not oestrogen, acts directly on the kidney cells to regulate the metabolism of 25-hydroxycholecalciferol.
Mechanism of dealkylation of clionasterol in the insect Tenebrio molitor
Authors: Pettler P J , Lockley W J S , Rees H H , Goodwin T W
Published: August 2015

1. 25-3H- and 26-14C-labelled (24S)-24-ethylcholest-5-en-3beta-ol (clionasterol) were synthesized from (24S)-24-ethylcholesta-5,25-dien-3beta-ol. 2. These labelled substrates were mixed and administered, together with the hypocholesterolemic agent, triparanol citrate, to Tenebrio molitor larvae. 3. The 3H label from the clionasterol substrate was retained in both the desmosterol and the cholesterol isolated from the larvae. 4. Location of this 3H label in the desmosterol showed that dealkylation of the clionasterol involved 3H migration from C-25 to C-24. A possible mechanism for dealkylation is presented.
Modeccin, the toxin of Adenia digitata. Purification, toxicity and inhibition of protein synthesis in vitro
Authors: Gasperi-Campani A , Barbieri L , Lorenzoni E , Montanaro L , Sperti S , Bonetti E , Stirpe F
Published: August 2015

1. Modeccin, the toxin of Adenia digitata (Modecca digitata), was purified from the roots of this plant by affinity chromatography on Sepharose 4B. 2. This toxin is a protein with mol.wt. 57000, which on treatment with 2-mercaptoethanol can be dissociated into two subunits of mol.wts. 25000 and 32000. 3. Modeccin inhibits protein synthesis in vitro in a lysate of rabbit reticulocytes and in Ehrlich ascites cells; the effect on cells is decreased in the presence of lactose. 4. Dissociation of modeccin into subunits decreases the toxicity to animals and the inhibition of protein synthesis in cells, but enhances the inhibition of protein synthesis in the lysate system.
Effects of testosterone on messenger ribonucleic acid and protein synthesis in rat seminal vesicle
Authors: Higgins Stephen J. , Burchell Joy M.
Published: August 2015

In a previous report [Higgins et al. (1976) Biochem. J.158, 271–282] we described the effects of alterations in androgen status on the synthesis of two basic secretory proteins of the rat seminal vesicle. In the present paper we examine the effects of testosterone on the activity of mRNA in the seminal vesicle. Total cellular poly(A)-rich RNA was isolated and translated in a cell-free system prepared from wheat germ. Translation products were separated on denaturing polyacrylamide gels and the protein bands corresponding to the two basic secretory proteins were identified immunologically. Incorporation of radioactive methionine into these bands was taken as a measure of the individual mRNA activities. Total mRNA activity was estimated by radioactivity in total acid-precipitable material. The results show that 1 to 2 weeks after castration the activities of mRNA molecules for the basic secretory proteins were decreased 10–20-fold on a tissue basis. Testosterone given in vivo rapidly and substantially restores mRNA activity to normal. Since these changes correlate closely with variations in the rates of synthesis of the secretory proteins in whole cells it suggests that androgenic steroids control protein synthesis chiefly via mRNA availability. In this respect their action resembles those of other steroid hormones acting in other systems. However, these effects of testosterone on the mRNA molecules for the major secretory proteins could not be distinguished from those on total mRNA. Thus the proportion of the total mRNA population accounted for by the two specific mRNA molecules showed less than a 2-fold variation with androgen status. Similarly the two secretory proteins always accounted for 25–33% of general protein synthesis. This is in sharp contrast with the markedly differential effects of other steroid hormones controlling synthesis of major proteins in other well-studied systems. We interpret our results as indicating that testosterone regulates the mRNA population of the seminal vesicle as a whole.
The role of lipid components of the diet in the regulation of the fatty acid composition of the rat liver endoplasmic reticulum and lipid peroxidation
Authors: Hammer Catherine T. , Wills Eric D.
Published: August 2015

The fatty acid compositions of the lipids and the lipid peroxide concentrations and rates of lipid peroxidation were determined in suspensions of liver endoplasmic reticulum isolated from rats fed on synthetic diets in which the fatty acid composition had been varied but the remaining constituents (protein, carbohydrate, vitamins and minerals) kept constant. Stock diet and synthetic diets containing no fat, 10% corn oil, herring oil, coconut oil or lard were used. The fatty acid composition of the liver endoplasmic reticulum lipid was markedly dependent on the fatty acid composition of the dietary lipid. Feeding a herring-oil diet caused incorporation of 8.7% eicosapentaenoic acid (C20:5) and 17% docosahexaenoic acid (C22:6), but only 5.1% linoleic acid (C18:2) and 6.4% arachidonic acid (C20:4), feeding a corn-oil diet caused incorporation of 25.1% C18:2, 17.8% C20:4 and 2.5% C22:6 fatty acids, and feeding a lard diet caused incorporation of 10.3% C18:2, 13.5% C20:4 and 4.3% C22:6 fatty acids into the liver endoplasmic-reticulum lipids. Phenobarbitone injection (100mg/kg) decreased the incorporation of C20:4 and C22:6 fatty acids into the liver endoplasmic reticulum of rats fed on a lard, corn-oil or herring-oil diet. Microsomal lipid peroxide concentrations and rates of peroxidation in the presence of ascorbate depended on the nature and quantity of the polyunsaturated fatty acids in the diet. The lipid peroxide content was 1.82±0.30nmol of malonaldehyde/mg of protein and the rate of peroxidation was 0.60±0.08nmol of malonaldehyde/min per mg of protein after feeding a fat-free diet, and the values were increased to 20.80nmol of malonaldehyde/mg of protein and 3.73nmol of malonaldehyde/min per mg of protein after feeding a 10% herring-oil diet in which polyunsaturated fatty acids formed 24% of the total fatty acids. Addition of α-tocopherol to the diets (120mg/kg of diet) caused a very large decrease in the lipid peroxide concentration and rate of lipid peroxidation in the endoplasmic reticulum, but addition of the synthetic anti-oxidant 2,6-di-t-butyl-4-methylphenol to the diet (100mg/kg of diet) was ineffective. Treatment of the animals with phenobarbitone (1mg/ml of drinking water) caused a sharp fall in the rate of lipid peroxidation. It is concluded that the polyunsaturated fatty acid composition of the diet regulates the fatty acid composition of the liver endoplasmic reticulum, and this in turn is an important factor controlling the rate and extent of lipid peroxidation in vitro and possibly in vivo.
Asynchrony in the synthesis of secretory proteins in the venom gland of the snake Vipera palaestinae
Authors: Oron U , Kinamon S , Bdolah A
Published: August 2015

1. Venom of Vipera palastinae was subjected to isoelectrofocusing on polyacrylamide gel. The protein separation profiles were similar for different venom samples; more than 25 protein bands with a wide range of pI values could be demonstrated by this technique. 2. Labelled venom was obtained 8h after an intracardial injection of [3H]leucine. The relative radioactivities of four out of 12 main protein bands were significantly different in the venom synthesized during the 2nd day of the venom regeneration cycle as compared with the venom of the 4th day. The comparison was made in venom samples obtained from the two glands of the same snake at two different secretory stages. 3. It is concluded that the asynchronous synthesis of exportable proteins after the initiation of a new venom regeneration cycle is responsible for the non-parallel secretion of some venom proteins by the venom gland of Vipera palaestinae during the first few days after milking.
The membrane potential of mouse ascites-tumour cells studied with the fluorescent probe 3,3′-dipropyloxadicarbocyanine. Amplitude of the depolarization caused by amino acids
Authors: Philo R D , Eddy A A
Published: August 2015

1. The magnitude of the K+ gradient across the plasma membrane, which was in equilibrium with the membrane potential (E) of the tumour cells, was determined by the “null point” procedure of Hoffman & Laris (1974) [J. Physiol. (London) 239, 519–552] in which the fluorescence of the dye serves as an indicator of changes in the magnitude of E. 2. A mixture of oligomycin, 2,4-dinitrophenol and antimycin was used to stop the mitochondria from interfering with the fluorescence signal. Transport functions at the plasmalemma were maintained under these conditions in the presence of glucose. 3. Physiological circumstances were found in which incubation with glycine or with glucose changed the “null point” value of E within the range–20mV to–100mV. The fluorescence intensity at the “null point” was an approximately linear function of E over that range. The procedure enabled E to be inferred form the fluorescence intensity in circumstances where titration to the “null point” was not feasible. 4. The rapid depolarization caused by l-methionine or glycine was shown in this way to have a maximum amplitude of about 60mV. A mathematical model of this process was devised. 5. The electrogenic Na+ pump hyperpolarized the cells up to about −80mV when the cellular and extracellular concentrations of K+ were roughly equal. 6. The observations show that the factors generating the membrane potential represent a major source of energy available for the transport of amino acids in this system.
Catalase model systems. Decomposition of hydrogen peroxide catalysed by mesoferrihaem, deuteroferrihaem, coproferrihaem and haematoferrihaem
Authors: Hatzikonstantinou H , Brown S B
Published: August 2015

The catalytic decomposition of H2O2 by deuteroferrihaem, mesoferrihaem, coproferrihaem and haematoferrihaem was studied as a model for the mechanism of action of catalase. For haematoferrihaem, anomalous but reproducible results were obtained, which could not be adequately explained. For each of the other ferrihaems studied, both monomeric and dimeric species catalysed decomposition, although the activity of monomer (aM) was much greater than that of dimer (aD). The pH variation of aD in the range 6.5–11 was consistent with an inverse dependence on [H+]1/2. The molecular mechanism whereby such a dependence could be achieved is not apparent. A study of the pH-dependence of aM in the range 6.5–11 revealed a linear inverse relationship with [H+]. This is interpreted in terms of attack by HO2- on ferrihaem monomer. The specific pH-independent rate constants for this reaction were in the order coproferrihaem greater than protoferrihaem greater than or equal to mesoferrihaem congruent to deuteroferrihaem. The order of magnitude of these rate constants is the same as that for catalysis by Fe(H2O)63+ and the second-order rate constant for decomposition of H2O2 by catalase. The implications on the mechanism of action of catalase are discussed.
Regulation of monkey liver serine hydroxymethyltransferase by nicotinamide nucleotide
Authors: Ramesh K S , Rao N A
Published: August 2015

The positive homotropic binding of tetrahydrofolate to monkey liver serine hydroxymethyltransferase was abolished on preincubating the enzyme with NADH and NADPH. NAD+ was a negative heterotropic effector, whereas NADP+ was without effect. The allosteric effects of nicotinamide nucleotides on the serine hydroxymethyltransferase, reported for the first time, lead to a better understanding of the regulation of the metabolic interconversion of folate coenzymes.
Effect of imposed serum deprivation on growth of the mouse 3T3 cell. Dissociation from changes in potassium ion transport as measured from [86Rb]rubidium ion uptake
Authors: Tupper Joseph T. , Zografos Linda
Published: August 2015

Decreased serum concentrations that substantially alter the growth of normal 3T3 cells alter neither the active and non-active components of unidirectional 86Rb+ influx nor the intracellular K+ content when compared with cells in exponential growth. Thus the changes in K+ transport (measured with 86Rb+ as an analogue for K+ movements) that occur on density-dependent growth inhibition of the mouse 3T3 cell are not mimicked by serum deprivation of the cells before density inhibition.
The phospholipid-dependence of uridine diphosphate glucuronyltransferase. Temperature-dependence of microsomal enzyme activity and thermotropic changes in membrane structure
Authors: Pechey D T , Graham A B , Wood G C
Published: August 2015

Arrhenius plots of the non-latent UDP-glucuronyltransferase (p-nitrophenol acceptor) activity of guinea-pig microsomal membranes prepared with 154 mM-KCl were linear from 5 to 40 degrees C. Arrhenius plots for other microsomal preparations from guinea pig and rat liver that show various degrees of transferase latency, exhibited two linear regions intersecting at a sharp transition point near 20-25 degrees C. This discontinuity was abolished or greatly decreased when transferase latency was removed by treating the membranes with perturbants of phospholipid bilayer strucutre. The fluorescent probe N-phenyl-1-naphthyl-amine detected a thermotropic change in the fluidity of the phospholipid acyl chains of all the microsomal membrane preparations studied, at temperatures close to those of the Arrhenius-plot transitions. It is concluded that the thermotropic change in the structure of the membrane bilayer probably is a ‘phase separation’ or clustering of phospholipids, which affects a permeability barrier that restricts access of substrate to the transferase molecules.
Beta-Bungarotoxin. The binding of [3H]pyridoxylated Beta-bungarotoxin to a high-molecular-weight protein receptor
Authors: MacDermot J , Westgaard R H , Thompson E J
Published: August 2015

beta-Bungarotoxin was labelled with pyridoxal 5′-phosphate (incorporating 3H). The kinetics of beta-bungarotoxin binding to several tissue subfragments of nervous tissue was studied. The dissociation constant of 3H-pyridoxylated beta-bungarotoxin in this reaction was 0.21-0.37 micron and that of unlabelled beta-bungarotoxin was 25 nM. Hill [(1910) J. Physiol. (London) 40, iv-vii] and Scatchard [(1949) Ann. N.Y. Acad. Sci. 51, 660-672] analyses demonstrated no co-operativity of binding and only a single class of receptor sites, consistent with a bimolecular association of beta-bungarotoxin and its receptor. The iodinated toxin was physiologically inactive. Toxin was bound in non-specific unsaturable fashion by glass and/or plastic. This low-affinity binding was corrected by addition of bovine serum albumin to a final concentration of 30 mg/ml. A soluble protein receptor of beta-bungarotoxin was isolated and the mol.wt. is approx. 200000.
The immobilization of adenine nucleotides on polysaccharides by using glutaraldehyde coupling and borohydride reduction
Authors: Gacesa P , Whish W J D
Published: August 2015

Adenine nucleotides were immobilized on modified Sepharose 4B or Dextran T40 with glutaraldehyde and reduced with KBH4. Binding was dependent on pH and the nature of the amino group on the modified polysaccharide. ATP bound to soluble dextran retained coenzyme activity with glycerol kinase. Binding is proposed to occur via a Schiff base.
Interaction of glutathione analogues with Hydra attenuata γ-glutamyltransferase
Authors: Danner J , Cobb M H , Heagy W , Lenhoff H M , Marshall G R
Published: August 2015

gamma-Glutamyltransferase activity was studied in extracts of the cnidarian Hydra attenuata. The binding of gamma-glutamyl peptide analogues to the enzyme was studied by observing their effects on heat denaturation and their inhibition of p-nitroaniline release from gamma-glutamyl p-nitroanilide. Neither position-1 analogues, in which the gamma-glutamyl moiety was changed to a beta-aspartyl (beta-Asp-Abu-Gly) or an alpha-glutamyl (Glu-Abu-Gly) linkage, nor glutamate protected the enzyme against inactivation at 58 degrees C. GSH (reduced glutathione), gamma-Glu-Abu-Gly and gamma-Glu-Met on the other hand did prevent heat denaturation. GSH and analogues of GSH were competitive inhibitors of p-nitroaniline release, but those analogues in which glycine was replaced by 2-aminoisobutyrate, phenylalanine, leucine or tyrosine had Ki values that were approximately five times those of analogues with the cysteine residue replaced.