bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
Isolation and partial characterization of apolipoprotein (a) from human lipoprotein (a)
Authors: Seman L. J. , Breckenridge W. C.
Published: December 2009

A procedure was developed for the dissociation of apolipoprotein (a) (apo (a)) from pure human lipoprotein (a) (Lp(a)) prepared by density gradient ultracentrifugation and gel filtration. Lp(a) was ultracentrifuged through a layer of saline which was adjusted to a density of 1.182 g/mL and contained 30 mM dithiothreitol (50 mM) and phenylmethylsulfonyl fluoride (1.25 mM). Following centrifugation, the lipid and apolipoprotein B (apo B) were recovered as a lipoprotein (Lp(a) B) in the supernatant fraction, while the apo (a) was recovered as a lipid-poor protein pellet. An investigation of the supernatant lipoprotein by electron microscopy and compositional analysis revealed that it was similar in size and composition to low density lipoprotein (LDL) isolated from the same density range and contained apo B100 with an amino acid and carbohydrate composition which was similar to apo B from LDL. Estimates of the apparent molecular weight of the apo (a) varied amongst individuals but was always greater than apo B100 [Formula: see text]. The amino acid composition of apo (a), which was very distinct from apo B, was characterized by a higher content of serine, threonine, proline, and tyrosine, but lower amounts of isoleucine, phenylalanine, and lysine when compared with apo B of Lp(a) or LDL. The apo (a) contained a much higher proportion of carbohydrate, in particular N-acetylgalactosamine, galactose, and N-acetylneuraminic acid (which were three- to six-fold higher) than the apo B of Lp(a). It is concluded that apo (a) is distinct from other apolipoproteins owing to its low avidity for lipid and the nature of the interaction with apo B. Lp(a) consists of an LDL-like particle with a carbohydrate-rich apo (a) attached to the surface of apo B.
Regulation of cAMP concentration by calmodulin-dependent cyclic nucleotide phosphodiesterase
Authors: Sharma Rajendra K. , Wang Jerry H.
Published: December 2009

Bovine brain contains two major calmodulin (CaM) dependent phosphodiesterase isozymes which are homodimeric proteins with subunit molecular masses of 60 and 63 kilodaltons (kDa), respectively. The 60-kDa subunit isozyme can be phosphorylated by cAMP-dependent protein kinase, resulting in a decrease in the enzyme affinity towards CaM. The phosphorylation is blocked by Ca2+ and CaM and reversed by the CaM-stimulated phosphatase (calcineurin). The 63-kDa subunit isozymes can also be phosphorylated, but in this case by a CaM-dependent protein kinase(s). This phosphorylation is also accompanied by a decrease in the isozyme affinity towards CaM and can be reversed by the CaM-dependent phosphatase. Analysis of the complex regulatory properties of the phosphodiesterase isozymes has led to the suggestion that fluxes of cAMP and Ca2+ during cell activations are closely coupled and that the CaM-dependent phosphodiesterase isozymes play key roles in this signal coupling phenomenon.
Approaches used to examine the mechanism and regulation of hexose transport in rat myoblasts
Authors: D'Amore Tony , Lo Theodore C. Y.
Published: December 2009

This review discusses some of the approaches and general criteria that we have used to examine the properties of the hexose transport system in undifferentiated L6 rat myoblasts. These approaches include studying the kinetics of hexose transport in whole cells and plasma membrane vesicles, the effects of various inhibitors on hexose transport, the isolation and characterization of hexose transport mutants, and the use of cytochalasin B (CB) to identify the transport component(s). Transport kinetics indicated that two transport systems are present in these cells. 2-Deoxy-D-glucose is transported primarily by the high affinity system, whereas 3-O-methyl-D-glucose is transported by the low affinity system. Furthermore, these two transport systems are inactivated to different extents by CB. CB has a higher binding affinity for the low affinity hexose transport system. The inhibitory effect of various hexose analogues also revealed the presence of two hexose transport systems. The effects of various ionophores and energy uncouplers on hexose transport suggest that the high affinity system is an active transport process, whereas the low affinity system is of the facilitated diffusion type. The high affinity system is also sensitive to sulfhydryl reagents, whereas the low affinity system is not. Further evidence for the presence of two transport systems comes from the characterization of hexose transport mutants. Two of the mutants isolated are shown to be defective in the high affinity transport system, but not in the low affinity transport system. These mutants are also defective in the CB low affinity binding site. Based on our results a tentative working model for hexose transport in L6 rat myoblasts is presented.
The effect of nerve growth factor on the development of sodium channels in PC12 cells
Authors: Reed Juta K. , England Diane
Published: December 2009

We have studied the development of the action potential Na+ channels in PC12 cells, an established line that has been useful as a model for neuronal differentiation. In continuous culture PC12 cells, although electrically inexcitable, nevertheless have a low level of Na+ channels as judged by the increase in 22Na+ uptake in the presence of veratridine and scorpion toxin. These two neurotoxins have been shown to promote activation of Na+ channels in a variety of electrically excitable cells. Following treatment with nerve growth factor (NGF), conditions which induce differentiation to an electrically excitably neuronal-cell type, the neurotoxin-activated 22Na+ uptake increases approximately 12-fold, on a per cell basis, reaching a maximum in 12–16 days. The dose–response curves for veratridine and scorpion toxin are unchanged by NGF treatment (K0.5 for veratridine, 18–14 μM; K0.5 for scorpion toxin, 120–96 nM). Na+ channels in both undifferentiated and differentiated cells are tetrodotoxin sensitive and NGF treatment has no effect on the inhibition constant (Ki, 10–12 nM). Na+ channel sites were measured directly by the specific binding of [3H]saxitoxin. In NGF-treated cells, the saxitoxin receptor density reaches 154 fmol/mg protein (Kd, 1.3 nM), a level comparable to other excitable cells. Levels in control cells were too low to measure accurately. These findings show that NGF treatment of PC12 cells leads to a substantial increase in the expression of neurotoxin-sensitive Na+ channels. Furthermore, these channels are pharmacologically similar, if not identical, to those which exist in undifferentiated cells and therefore do not appear to result from the conversion of preexisting channels.
L-Malate transport and proton symport in vesicles prepared from Pseudomonas putida
Authors: Agbanyo F. R. , Moses G. , Taylor N. F.
Published: December 2009

In vesicles from glucose-grown Pseudomonas putida, L-malate is transported by nonspecific physical diffusion. L-Malate also acts as an electron donor and generates a proton motive force (Δp) of 129 mV which is composed of a membrane potential (Δψ) of 60 mV and a ΔpH of 69 mV. In contrast, vesicles from succinate-grown cells (a) transport L-malate by a carrier-mediated system with a Km value of 14.3 mM and a Vmax of 313 nmol∙mg protein−1∙min−1, (b) generate no Δψ, ΔpH, or Δp when L-malate is the electron donor, and (c) produce an extravesicular alkaline pH during the transport of L-malate. A kinetic analysis of this L-malate-induced proton transport gives a Km value of 16 mM and a Vmax of 667 nmol H+∙mg protein−1∙min−1. This corresponds to a H+/L-malate ratio of 2.1. The failure to generate a Δp in these vesicles is considered, therefore, to be consistent with the induction in succinate-grown cells of an electrogenic proton symport L-malate transport system.
Role of phospholipid fatty acids on the kinetics of high and low affinity sites of cytochrome c oxidase
Authors: Trivedi A. , Fantin D. J. , Tustanoff E. Reno
Published: December 2009

The nature of the interactions between cytochrome c oxidase and the phospholipids in mitochondrial membranes has been investigated by varying the nature of the fatty acyl components of Saccharomyces cerevisiae. A double fatty acid yeast mutant, FAI-4C, grown in combinations of unsaturated (oleic, linoleic, linolenic, and eicosenoic) and saturated (lauric and palmitic) fatty acids, was employed to modify mitochondrial membranes. The supplemented fatty acids constituted a unique combination of different acyl chain lengths with varying degrees of unsaturation which were subsequently incorporated into mitochondrial phospholipids. Phosphatidylethanolamine and cardiolipin, the predominant phospholipids of the inner mitochondrial membrane, were characterized by their high levels of supplemented unsaturated fatty acids. Increasing the chain length or the degree of unsaturation of mitochondrial membrane phospholipids had no effect on altering the nature of the phospholipid polar head group but did result in a profound change on the specific activity of cytochrome c oxidase. When studied under conditions of different ionic strengths and pHs the enzyme's activity, as documented by Eadie–Hofstee plots, showed biphasic kinetics. The kinetic parameters for the low affinity reaction were greatly influenced by the changes in the membrane fatty acids and only marginal effects were noted at the high affinity reaction site. The discontinuities in the steady-state fluorescence anisotropy of 1,6-diphenyl-1,3,5-hexatriene, monitored at increasing temperatures, suggested that changes in membrane fluidity were conditioned by alterations in mitochondrial membrane fatty acid constituents. These results indicate that the lipid changes affecting the low affinity binding site of cytochrome c oxidase may be the result of lipid–protein interactions which lead to enzyme conformational changes or may be due to gross changes in membrane fluidity. It may, therefore, follow that this enzyme site may be embedded in or be juxtaposed to the outer surface of the inner mitochondrial membrane bilayer in contrast to the high affinity site which has been shown to be significantly above the membrane plane.
Molecular cloning of stage specific mRNAs from amoebae and Plasmodia of Physarum polycephalum
Authors: Pallotta Dominick , Laroche André , Tessier Anne , Shinnick Thomas , Lemieux Gérald
Published: December 2009

We constructed cDNA libraries from plasmodia and amoebal poly(A)+ RNA of Physarum polycephalum. The libraries were screened by differential hybridization with labeled poly(A)+ RNA of amoebae and plasmodia. The 136 plasmodial specific clones that gave the strongest hybridization signals were analysed in detail. From this group six different cDNA sequences were found. Four of the cDNAs each accounted for between 1 and 4.8% of all the clones in the library and represented abundant mRNAs. Two other clones constituted 0.2 and 0.4% of the total library. Seventeen clones in the amoebal library were amoebal specific. From these clones, seven different sequences were found. One of the sequences was present in nine clones (1.2%) of the library and considered abundant. The other six sequences were each found in only one or two clones. The specificity of these amoebal and plasmodial mRNAs was confirmed by Northern hybridization. Our results show that amoebae and plasmodia have different mRNA populations, which are most likely the result of differential gene expression in these two developmental stages.
Biochemical changes in progressive muscular dystrophy. XII. Cyclic nucleotides in lymphoid and nonlymphoid organs of dystrophic mice
Authors: Thakur Manohar , Sebag Mikael , Srivastava Uma
Published: December 2009

Concentrations of cAMP and cGMP were measured (per milligram DNA) in the lymphoid (thymus, spleen) and nonlymphoid organs (liver, brain, kidney, lungs, heart, pancreas, skeletal muscle, lens) of normal (+/+) and dystrophic (dy/dy) 129 ReJ mice aged 30, 60, and 90 days. The cAMP concentrations in the thymus did not reveal any significant differences at 30 and 60 days of dystrophy, but were considerably higher (2-fold) at 90 days. cGMP concentrations were decreased in the thymus at 30 days (0.20-fold) and markedly elevated at 60 (2-fold) and 90 days (3-fold) of the disease. The [cAMP]/[cGMP] ratio was increased (1.30-fold) at 30 days of dystrophy, and this was followed by a sharp decline at 60 days (2-fold), with a lesser decrease at 90 days (0.34-fold). In the spleen, the cAMP concentrations were augmented significantly in all stages of dystrophy (1.5- to 2.6-fold). cGMP (per milligram DNA) did not show any significant variation at 30 and 60 days of the disease but was increased (3-fold) at 90 days. The [cAMP]/[cGMP] ratio, which was enhanced in the spleen at 30 (2-fold) and 60 days (1.5-fold), demonstrated no change at 90 days of dystrophy. These results indicated significant differences in the concentration of cyclic nucleotides and their ratios in the thymus and spleen of 129 ReJ dy/dy mice. The modifications were not limited to lymphoid organs alone, having been noted in the nonlymphoid organs as well. These changes could, in turn, influence immune responsiveness and could cause immunodepression in dystrophic mice.
Ornithine transcarbamylase from Mycobacterium smegmatis ATCC 14468: purification, properties, and reaction mechanism
Authors: Ahmad Suhail , Bhatnagar R. K. , Venkitasubramanian T. A.
Published: December 2009

Ornithine transcarbamylase (EC 2.1.3.3) has been purified 980-fold from Mycobacterium smegmatis and has a molecular weight of 116 000. Initial velocity determinations indicated that the reaction proceeds via a sequential kinetic mechanism. The limiting Michaelis constants for carbamyl phosphate (KmA) and ornithine (KmB) and the dissociation constant for carbamyl phospate (Kia) were found to be 0.20, 0.25, and 0.07 mM, respectively. Ornithine at higher concentrations acted as an uncompetitive inhibitor when carbamyl phosphate was the variable substrate. Phosphate was a competitive inhibitor with carbamyl phosphate as variable substrate and showed noncompetitive or mixed type inhibition when ornithine was the variable substrate. Norvaline acted as a competitive inhibitor with ornithine as variable substrate and as an uncompetitive inhibitor when carbamyl phophate was the variable substrate. Such inhibitory patterns are characteristic of reactions that proceed via sequential ordered mechanisms. Although the enzyme activity was strongly inhibited by arginine, several arginine analogs had no effect on the enzyme activity. The results suggest that, even though the enzyme from M. smegmatis is unique in the sense that it is feedback inhibited by arginine, the reaction mechanism is similar to the ornithine transcarbamylase isolated from other microorganisms.
Enhanced binding of low and high density lipoproteins to human adipocyte plasma membranes: effects of temperature and proteases
Authors: Fong Bessie S. , Rodrigues Pedro O. , Angel Aubie
Published: December 2009

The specific binding of 125I-labelled low density lipoprotein ([125I]LDL to human adipocyte plasma membranes was higher at 37 than at 0 °C. Prior treatment of membranes with pronase had no effect on LDL binding measured at 0 °C but consistently stimulated binding at 37 °C. Plasmin was similar to pronase in enhancing LDL-specific binding, but thrombin was not as effective. 125I-labelled high density lipoprotein ([125I]HDL2) specific binding to human adipocyte plasma membranes was similarly sensitive to temperature and pronase treatment. Addition of the protease inhibitor aprotinin in the adipocyte membrane binding assay significantly reduced [125I]LDL binding at 37 °C (p < 0.05), suggesting the involvement of a protease activity intrinsic to the lipoproteins and (or) membranes. These data demonstrate that both LDL and HDL binding in human adipocyte plasma membranes can be "up-regulated" by specific proteolytic perturbations in a temperature-dependent manner.
The efficiency of various detergents for extraction and stabilization of acetylcholinesterase from bovine erythrocytes
Authors: Wong Rex K. M. , Nichol Christine P. , Sekar M. Chandra , Roufogalis Basil D.
Published: December 2009

The efficiency of several nonionic detergents and a homologous series of zwitterionic detergents for the extraction of acetylcholinesterase (EC 3.1.1.7) from bovine erythrocyte membranes was examined. Of the nonionic detergents examined, the polyoxyethylene-based Tweens were the least effective solubilizing agents. Within this series, increasing the length of the saturated fatty acid chain progressively decreased the efficiency of enzyme recovery, while unsaturation in the side chain reversed this trend. In the Lubrol detergents, where the chain length of the alcohol group is variable, an increase in the length of the polyoxyethylene glycol group decreased the recovery of acetylcholinesterase in the solubilized state, without affecting the efficiency of extraction of total erythrocyte protein. As with the other nonionic detergents examined, Triton X-100 and octy1 β-D-glucoside were maximally effective in solubilizing acetylcholinesterase activity at concentrations greater than their respective critical micelle concentrations. In the sulfobetaine (N-alkyldimethylaminopropane sulphonate) zwitterionic detergent series, the longer alkyl chain zwittergents Z 316 and Z 314 were more efficient than the shorter chain length members of the series (Z 310 and Z 312). In contrast to the higher chain length compounds, short chain analogs were maximally effective at or below their critical micelle concentrations. After purification by ion-exchange chromatography and affinity chromatography, the enzyme extracted with the various detergents gave sedimentation coefficients between 6.8S and 7.6S, consistent with a dimeric structure. Acetylcholinesterase could also be efficiently released by 0.2 mM EDTA or 0.5 M NaCl from bovine erythrocyte membranes previously depleted of 70–80% of the membrane lipids by butanol. Nonlinear Arrhenius plots of enzyme activity were found whether acetylcholinesterase was solubilized with Tween 20, Lubrol PX, or Triton X-100. The present work confirms that bovine erythrocyte acetylcholinesterase requires detergents to solubilize it from membranes and that its activity depends on the structure of the amphiphiles used to solubilize the enzyme.
Examination of heat shock protein mRNA accumulation in early Xenopus laevis embryos
Authors: Heikkila J. J. , Ovsenek N. , Krone P.
Published: December 2009

Elevation of the incubation temperature of Xenopus laevis neurulae from 22 to 33–35 °C induced the accumulation of heat shock protein (hsp) 70 mRNA (2.7 kilobases (kb)) and a putative hsp 87 mRNA (3.2 kb). While constitutive levels of both hsp mRNAs were detectable in unfertilized eggs and cleavage-stage embryos, heat-induced accumulation was not observed until after the mid-blastula stage. Exposure of Xenopus laevis embryos to other stressors, such as sodium arsenite or ethanol, also induced a developmental stage-dependent accumulation of hsp 70 mRNA. To characterize the effect of temperature on hsp 70 mRNA induction, neurulae were exposed to a range of temperatures (27–37 °C) for 1 h. Heat-induced hsp 70 mRNA accumulation was first detectable at 27 °C, with relatively greater levels at 30–35 °C and lower levels at 37 °C. A more complex effect of temperature on hsp 70 mRNA accumulation was observed in a series of time course experiments. While continuous exposure of neurulae to heat shock (27–35 °C) induced a transient accumulation of hsp 70 mRNA, the temporal pattern of hsp 70 mRNA accumulation was temperature dependent. Exposure of embryos to 33–35 °C induced maximum relative levels of hsp 70 mRNA within 1–1.5 h, while at 30 and 27 °C peak hsp 70 mRNA accumulation occurred at 3 and 12 h, respectively. Finally, placement of Xenopus neurulae at 22 °C after a 1-h heat shock at 33 °C produced an initial decrease in hsp 70 mRNA within 15–30 min, followed by a transient increase in hsp 70 mRNA at 1–2 h before decaying to background levels by 7 h.
cAMP-dependent protein kinase isozymes with preference for histone H2B as substrate in mitochondria of bovine heart
Authors: Burgess James W. , Yamada Esther W.
Published: December 2009

Mitochondria from bovine hearts were fractionated by three different procedures and the fractions were characterized by marker enzymes. Highly purified outer membranes, membrane vesicles, and inner membranes, as well as two high-speed soluble fractions, were obtained. Azide (or oligomycin) resistant ATPase was not found to be a marker for outer membranes. The data were consistent with the association of the protein kinase activity with the soluble matrix of the mitochondria. Activity was highest with histone H2B as the substrate, with histone H1 next in preference. In contrast to the mitochondrial protein kinases studied previously, protamine, casein, and phosvitin were very poor substrates and there was no detectable phosphorylation of pyruvate dehydrogenase. Activity was stimulated by cAMP but not by cGMP, calmodulin, or phosphatidylserine – diolein, with or without Ca2+. Two cAMP-dependent isozymes were separated from the soluble fraction of the mitochondria by chromatography on DE-52 columns. Phosphorylation of histone H2B by the isozymes was inhibited by 98% by Kemptide.
A comparison of two procedures used for complexing Fe(III) with human apotransferrin. II. Uptake of Fe(III) by K-562 cells from 55Fe∙transferrins and Fe∙[3H]transferrins
Authors: Hatton Mark W. C. , Berry Leslie R.
Published: December 2009

Samples of human apotransferrin (apo∙HTr) were saturated with Fe(III) by two different techniques, a method employing excess trisodium citrate to chelate Fe(III) and a nonchelating approach which involves the ferroxidase activity of ceruloplasmin to convert Fe(II) → Fe(III). The samples were radiolabelled with either 55Fe or 3H. Using an initial molar Fe/apo∙HTr ratio of 2.0–2.1, preparations of human transferrin with bound Fe (Fe∙HTr) using the citrate method invariably contained 2.2–2.4 atoms Fe/molecule, whereas Fe∙HTr (ceruloplasmin method) contained 2.0 atoms/molecule as shown by spectrophotometric and radioactivity measurements. Uptake of Fe from these Fe∙HTr preparations by K-562 cells grown in a serum-free medium was marginally, but consistently, more rapid from 55Fe∙HTr (citrate) than from 55Fe∙HTr (ceruloplasmin). Taking account of the different Fe contents of the Fe∙HTr preparations, the rate measured over a 2-h period amounted to approximately 12 700 and 16 100 Fe atoms/(cell∙min) for Fe∙HTr (ceruloplasmin) and Fe∙HTr (citrate), respectively. However, cell binding by the two Fe∙[3H]HTr preparations did not differ significantly over the 8-h incubation period. Furthermore, from the 3H distribution, the quantities of Fe∙HTr bound reversibly at the cell surface and contained within the cell were similar for the two Fe∙HTr preparations. The results indicate that apo∙HTr may bind Fe in different ways depending on the method of Fe presentation and that the Fe∙HTr product can donate Fe to K∙562 cells at a rate which may reflect the method used for Fe-complex formation.
Distinction between substrate- and enzyme-directed effects of modifiers of rabbit liver phosphorylase a phosphatases
Authors: Monanu Michael O. , Madsen Neil B.
Published: December 2009

The natural substrate (phosphorylase a) and two alternative ones (phosphorylated histone and a tetradecapeptide consisting of residues 5–18 of rabbit skeletal muscle phosphorylase a) were used to distinguish the modes of action of some physiologically important effectors of four different molecular forms of rabbit liver phosphorlase a phosphatases. In general, glucose, caffeine, AMP, ADP, Pi, and glucose-1-P showed substrate-directed effects for the holophosphatase forms, since they usually did not affect the activity on histone phosphate and, with one slight exception (Pi), never affected the activity on the tetradecapeptide phosphate. ADP, Pi, and glucose-1-P did affect directly the relative mass (Mr) 35 000 phosphatase, in addition to an inhibition mediated via phosphorylase a. ATP exerted both substrate- and enzyme-directed effects for the Mr 35 000 phosphatase and phosphatases 1 and 2A2, but only a substrate-directed effect for phosphatase 2A1, suggesting that the -γ-subunit of the type 2 phosphatases may prevent ATP binding to the phosphatase. Mg2+ showed substrate-directed effects for phosphatases 1, 2A1, and 2A2, and an additional enzyme-directed effect for the Mr 35 000 phosphatase form. Furthermore, Mg2+ could not abolish ATP inhibition of the tetradecapeptide phosphatase activity, but significantly overcame ATP inhibition of the phosphorylase a phosphatase activity, thus suggesting that its ability to reverse the ATP effect is by a substrate-directed mechanism. The substrate-directed effects seen for the different ligands on the different phosphatase forms strongly indicate the significance of this form of control in the regulation of phosphorylase a phosphatase activities and may serve to narrow the otherwise broad substrate specificities of the major phosphorylase a phosphatase activities in mammalian tissues: phosphatases 1 and 2A.
Rapid purification of phospholamban by monoclonal antibody immunoaffinity chromatography
Authors: Suzuki Takashi , Lui Perry , Wang Jerry H.
Published: December 2009

Monoclonal antibodies have been raised against canine phospholamban purified by sodium dodecyl sulfate – polyacrylamide gel electrophoresis (SDS–PAGE). Four of twenty-four antibodies were purified to close to homogeneity from mouse ascites. All four antibodies could react with isolated bovine cardiac sarcoplasmic reticulum (SR) to result in the stimulation of ATP-dependent Ca2+ pump activity and blocking of phospholamban phosphorylation by cAMP-dependent protein kinase. Relative efficiencies of antibodies in Ca2+ pump stimulation and on phospholamban phosphorylation were not correlated. An immunoabsorbent prepared by conjugating antibody Al to Affi-Gel 10 was used for the purification of phospholamban. Isolated bovine cardiac SR was solubilized in a buffer containing deoxycholate and the soluble fraction was applied to the immunoaffinity column. After washing the column with a series of detergent-containing buffer solutions, the column-bound protein which contained essentially pure phospholamban was eluted by a buffer containing 2.8 M MgCl2. The phospholamban recovery from the immunoaffinity column was close to 100%; the overall yield of purification from SR vesicles was about 70%. SDS–PAGE analysis showed that purified phospholamban consisted of a 25 and 5 kilodalton (kDa) protein species. Upon brief boiling (20 s) of the sample in SDS–PAGE sample buffer, five molecular species ranging from 5 to 25 kDa could be detected by immunotransblotting following SDS–PAGE. This observation supports the notion that phospholamban is composed of five 5-kDa polypeptides. The pure phospholamban could be phosphorylated maximally by cAMP-dependent protein kinase to 1–1.5 mol phosphate/mol phospholamban (25 000 g). This stoichiometry of phosphorylation could be increased to about 5 upon addition of the immunoaffinity column flow through fraction.
Absorption and distribution of [l-14C]dolichol intubated into rats
Authors: Crick Dean C. , Carroll Kenneth K.
Published: December 2009

[1-l4C]Dolichol was mixed in vitro with sunflower seed oil and intubated into rats. Radioactivity began to appear in the blood at 3 h and peaked after about 6 h. The absorbed radioactivity was rapidly cleared from the blood. At 7.5 h postintubation two thirds of the radioactivity in the serum was associated with chylomicrons and about one quarter with the high density lipoproteins. At 12 h the proportion of the radioactivity in the chylomicrons had fallen to one third and that in the high density lipoproteins had increased to one half of the total. Less than 0.02% of the dose was found in the tissues after 12 h. Liver and blood each contained about one third of the total, with smaller amounts in the lungs and spleen. The heart, testes, brain, and kidneys contained only traces of radioactivity. After 12 h most of the radioactivity in the tissues and feces was present as [1-l4C]dolichol. The radioactive compounds in the urine (about 0.05% of the dose) were more polar than [1-l4C]dolichol as determined by thin-layer chromatography.
Irradiations of rabbit myofibrils with an ultraviolet microbeam. II. Phalloidin protects actin in solution but not in myofibrils from depolymerization by ultraviolet light
Authors: Wilson Paula , Fuller Esther , Forer Arthur
Published: December 2009

We tested whether phalloidin protects actin in myofibrils from depolymerization by ultraviolet light (UV). I bands in glycerinated rabbit psoas myofibrils were irradiated with a UV microbeam in the presence and absence of phalloidin. We used the retention of contractility of the irradiated I band as the assay for protection of actin by phalloidin, since previous experiments indicated that UV blocks contraction of an irradiated I band by depolymerizing the thin filaments. The I bands of myofibrils incubated in phalloidin were as sensitive to UV as control I bands, indicating that phalloidin did not protect the thin filaments. However, phalloidin did protect F-actin in solution from depolymerization by UV. This apparent contradiction between F-actin in myofibrils and F-actin in solution was resolved by observing unirradiated myofibrils that were stained with rhodamine–phalloidin. It was found that phalloidin does not bind uniformly to the thin filaments, though as the fluorescence image is observed over time the staining pattern changes until it does appear to bind uniformly. We conclude that phalloidin does not protect F-actin in myofibrils from depolymerization by UV because it does not bind uniformly to the filaments.
Adrenocorticotropin- and opiate-like hormones from pituitaries of the sockeye salmon Oncorhynchus nerka
Authors: Ng T. B. , Hon W. K. , Idler D. R.
Published: December 2009

The pituitaries of vitellogenic sockeye salmon (Oncorhynchus nerka) were extracted with a mixture of acetone, water, and hydrochloric acid. The precipitate which formed upon the addition of a copious volume of acetone to the extract, designated acid acetone powder, was subjected to salt fractionation and desalting, followed by ion-exchange chromatography on CM-cellulose. An unadsorbed fraction (S-1) and four adsorbed fractions (S-2, S-3, S-4, and S-5) were obtained. Adrenocorticotropic activity was detected in the fractions by their ability to stimulate isolated rat adrenal decapsular cells to produce corticosterone and by their immunoreactivities in an adrenocorticotropin-specific radioimmunoassay. The steroidogenic activities of all fractions, except S-4, were blocked by corticotropin inhibiting peptide. Opiate activity was detected in the fractions by their ability to inhibit the binding of either [3H]naloxone or (D-ala2,D-leu5)-[3H]enkephalin to rat brain membranes. There was a discrepancy in the potencies of the five fractions in the two opiate radioreceptor assays, indicating the presence of opiate peptides with different affinities of binding to the μ- and δ-opiate receptors of the rat brain. There was a separation between adrenocorticotropic and opiate receptor binding activities, suggesting that the activities were due to separate molecular entities.
The use of a monoclonal antibody for the rapid purification of kidney neutral endopeptidase ("enkephalinase") solubilized in octyl glucoside
Authors: Aubry Muriel , Berteloot Alfred , Beaumont Ann , Roques Bernard P. , Crine Philippe
Published: December 2009

The neutral endopeptidase ("enkephalinase") of the rabbit brush border membrane has been purified to homogeneity by a rapid immunoaffinity method using a monoclonal antibody. In contrast with other methods used so far, a complete extraction of enkephalinase from the brush border membrane can be achieved with octyl glucoside, without loss of activity. The solubilized enzyme can be selectively separated from the other proteins in a single step using an immunoaffinity column consisting of the monoclonal antibody covalently linked to Sepharose CL-4B. It is demonstrated that enkephalinase can then be recovered in an active form by elution at low pH. The purified enzyme obtained by this method is completely inhibited by thiorphan and appears as a single 94 000 dalton protein after polyacrylamide gel electrophoresis under denaturing and reducing conditions.
Differential scanning calorimetry studies of rabbit cardiac sarcolemma
Authors: Jacobson A. L. , Braun H.
Published: December 2009

Thermal transitions were measured by differential scanning calorimetry for rabbit cardiac sarcolemma in 3-(N-morpholino)propanesulfonic acid buffer at pH 7.5, in glycerol–buffer and dimethyl sulfoxide – buffer mixtures, after heat denaturation, and after enzymatic degradation of the proteins. Specific solvent effects on the protein transitions were observed. Glycerol stabilized some of the four protein transitions, while dimethyl sulfoxide destabilized all protein transitions. The thermal transitions in the lower temperature range were studied for both the membranes and the lipid extracted from the membranes. A very small endotherm was observed for both the lipid extracted from the sarcolemma and the intact membrane (0.1–0.2 cal/g; 1 cal = 4.1868 J). A larger endotherm was observed in both the glycerol–buffer and dimethyl sulfoxide – buffer mixtures. Major perturbation of the protein by enzymatic degradation (papain or trypsin digestion), by heat denaturation, or by reaction with excess N-ethylmaleimide all produced larger endotherms near 20 °C. The very small magnitude of the endotherm near 20 °C suggests that it is not a typical gel – liquid crystalline transition of the bilayer. However, the occurrence of an endotherm in the extracted lipid suggests that some reorientation of lipid is involved.
The release of radioactive arachidonate from lipids of red blood cells during prolonged incubations in vitro
Authors: Baker R. Roy , Loh Zou Dao
Published: December 2009

Red blood cells were isolated from rat blood and incubated in the presence of [3H]arachidonate. A sizeable quantity (18%) of the radioactivity was incorporated into red cell lipids, of which phosphatidylcholine was the most highly labelled. Radioactive arachidonate was found at position 2 of this phospholipid. Free fatty acids were removed by washing the cells in solutions containing fatty-acid-free bovine serum albumin. The labelled red cells were then incubated for up to 16 h at 37 °C. After 16 h of incubation in saline–buffer–glucose or rat serum, 20 and 26%, respectively, of the total radioactivity was found in free fatty acids, and there were corresponding declines in the percentage radioactivities found in phosphatidylcholine. In the presence of serum, there was a more rapid release of radioactive fatty acid over the 2- to 16-h time course. There was not a significant drop in the phosphate levels of the total red cell phospholipids or phosphatidylcholine after 16 h of incubation and, as a result, there were large declines in the specific radioactivities of phosphatidylcholine. Diacylglycerols were not highly labelled and the action of phospholipase A2 on labelled phosphatidylcholine was indicated. When white blood cells were added to labelled red cells, there was little evidence of white cell involvement in the release of radioactive fatty acid, suggesting that the red cells themselves may be involved in arachidonate release. Red cells may serve as sources of arachidonate, released following hemorrhage in brain and metabolized to form various biologically active eicosanoids.
Regulation of ethanol metabolism in the rat
Authors: Cheema-Dhadli S. , Halperin F. A. , Sonnenberg K. , MacMillan V. , Halperin M. L.
Published: December 2009

The purpose of these experiments was to examine the factors which regulate ethanol metabolism in vivo. Since the major pathway for ethanol removal requires flux through hepatic alcohol dehydrogenase, the activity of this enzyme was measured and found to be 2.9 μmol/(min∙g liver). Ethanol disappearance was linear for over 120 min in vivo and the blood ethanol fell 0.1 mM/min; this is equivalent to removing 20 μmol ethanol/min and would require that flux through alcohol dehydrogenase be about 60% of its measured maximum velocity. To test whether ethanol metabolism was limited by the rate of removal of one of the end products (NADH) of alcohol dehydrogenase, fluoropyruvate was infused to reoxidize hepatic NADH and to prevent NADH generation via flux through pyruvate dehydrogenase. There was no change in the rate of ethanol clearance when fluoropyruvate was metabolized. Furthermore, enhancing endogenous hepatic NADH oxidation by increasing the rate of urea synthesis (converting ammonium bicarbonate to urea) did not augment the steady-state rate of ethanol oxidation. Hence, transport of cytoplasmic reducing power from NADH into the mitochondria was not rate limiting for ethanol oxidation. In contrast, ethanol oxidation at the earliest time periods could be augmented by increasing hepatic urea synthesis.
Evidence for the presence of a glycosphingolipid-transfer protein in rat brain cytosol
Authors: Sanyal Sankar N.
Published: December 2009

Proteins in the postmicrosomal supernatant fraction of rat brain catalyzed the transfer of bovine brain galactocerebroside, sulfatide, and ganglioside GM1 from unilamellar liposomes to the rat erythrocytes or ghosts. The vesicles were made with egg yolk lecithin, cholesterol, 3H-labelled glycolipid, and a trace of [14C]triolein as a nonexchangeable marker. The routine assay of the glycosphingolipid transfer consisted of incubation of the donor liposomes with erythrocytes in the presence or absence of supernatant protein in physiological buffer at 37 °C for various time intervals. After the incubation, the erythrocytes were separated from the vesicles by centrifugation and the extent of protein-catalyzed transfer of labelled glycolipid in the membrane-bound total lipid fraction was determined by scintillation spectrometry. The fraction of [3H]glycosphingolipid transferred is represented by a change in the 3H/14C ratios at initial and subsequent time intervals. The glycosphingolipid transfer catalyzed by the supernatant protein was found to be logarithmic, whereas the protein-independent transfer was linear over a period of 3–4 h. The rate constant (K) and half time (t1/2) of the protein-catalyzed transfer reaction of cerebrosides and sulfatides were almost the same, while the transfer of ganglioside GM1 occurred at a slightly faster rate, probably owing to the greater aqueous solubility of this lipid. The transfer activity was also increased in a manner dependent on the amount of supernatant protein added up to 10 mg. The catalytic activity of the protein was lost when heated at 70 °C for 5 min. The pH optimum of the activity was around 7.4. Divalent metal ions Ca2+, Mg2+, and Mn2+ at a concentration of 0.1–2.0 mM had no appreciable effect on the transfer of cerebroside. However, Ca2+ at the concentration tested notably inhibited sulfatide transfer. Approximately, 3–5 pmol of the glycosphingolipids was transferred from the vesicles to the erythrocytes per milligram of supernatant protein per hour. The transferred radioactivity can be exclusively recovered in the red cell membrane bound glycolipid fraction, as analyzed by high performance liquid chromatography. The active material was partially purified (over 30-fold) by ammonium sulfate precipitation and gel permeation chromatography on Sephadex G-75, with an indicated molecular weight of about 21 000.
The Ca2+ sensitivity of liver gelactin
Authors: Thérien Hélène-Marie , Gruda Julian
Published: December 2009

The Ca2+ sensitivity of liver gelactin-induced actin gelation was reinvestigated by low-shear viscosity using the falling-ball technique. By this technique, we demonstrate that the gelation of actin by gelactin can be influenced by the presence of calcium ions depending on the concentrations of both proteins, actin and gelactin. At low concentrations of gelactin, the gelation of actin exhibits a bell-shaped dependency on free calcium ion concentration, being stimulated between pCa 8 and 6 and inhibited at pCa below 5.5, while at high gelactin concentrations the calcium sensitivity of actin gelation is apparently abolished. Although the sensitivity observed in the physiological range of calcium concentrations may be of importance in vivo, the sensitivity observed at higher calcium concentrations more probably reflects the state of actin polymerization in different ionic conditions. These results confirm our previous conclusions on the peculiarity of gelactin as an F-actin cross-linker.
Kinetic studies of modifier effects on the carboxypeptidase A catalyzed hydrolyses of peptides
Authors: Sebastian John F. , Hinks Richard S. , Reuland Ralf V.
Published: December 2009

A variety of modifiers of carboxypeptidase A (CPA) have been investigated in an effort to understand the structural requirements of inhibitors and activators of peptidase activity. It is proposed that an understanding of the mechanism of action of reversible activators of the enzyme may bear on the long standing question of whether the detailed mechanism of peptidase activity is different from that of esterase activity. An analog of the activator 2,2-dimethyl-2-silapentane-5-sulfonate, 5,5-dimethylhexanoate, was found to be a competitive inhibitor of the CPA-catalyzed hydrolysis of benzoylglycyl-L-phenyl-alanine. The modifier 4-phenyl-3-butenoate (styrylacetic acid) was determined to be an activator. The sulfonates benzene-sulfonate, p-toluenesulfonate, phenylmethanesulfonate, 2-phenylethanesulfonate, and 3-phenylpropanesulfonate were all found to be activators.
Use of retinoids to analyze the cellular basis of positional memory in regenerating amphibian limbs
Authors: Stocum David L. , Crawford Karen
Published: December 2009

Cells of the amphibian limb regeneration blastema inherit memories of their level of origin (positional memory) along the limb axes. These memories serve as boundaries of what is to be regenerated, thus preventing regeneration of any but the missing structures. Because of its importance in determining the boundaries of regenerate pattern, it is essential to understand the cellular and molecular basis of positional memory. One approach to this problem is to look for position-related differences in a cell or molecular property along a limb axis and then show, using an agent that modifies regenerate pattern, that the cell or molecular property and the pattern are coordinately modified. We have done this using retinoic acid (RA) as a pattern-modifying agent and an in vivo assay that detects position-related differences in a cell recognition–affinity property along the proximodistal (PD) axis of the regenerating axolotl limb. RA proximalizes positional memory in the PD axis, posteriorizes it in the anteroposterior axis, and ventralizes it in the dorsoventral axis. The level-specific PD cell recognition–affinity property is proximalized by RA, indicating that this property and positional memory are causally related. The effects of RA on positional memory may be mediated through a cellular RA-binding protein (CRABP), since the concentration of unbound (apo) CRABP molecules is highest during early stages of regeneration when the proximalizing effects of RA are greatest.
Complementation of DNA-repair deficiencies in Chinese hamster ovary cells
Authors: Rubin Jaime S. , Whitmore Gordon F.
Published: December 2009

Genetic mapping studies in bacterial, lower eukaryotic, and mammalian systems have demonstrated that the enzyme or enzyme complex involved in the initial incision step of the DNA excision repair pathway is coded for by more than one genetic locus. This paper reports the results of complementation studies that were performed with a number of DNA repair deficient Chinese hamster ovary cell lines. Complementation abilities were measured by comparing the survival of selected mutant × mutant hybrids with that of the tetrapoloid wild type after exposure to a number of physical and chemical agents. In all cases studied, hybrids formed from two different mutant lines showed resistance similar to that of the wild-type line. These results not only demonstrate that the mutant lines were in different complementation groups, but that complementation of a DNA-repair defect associated with one particular agent can complement the defect for another DNA-damaging agent.
Estrogen sulfotransferase of mouse placenta: behaviour and characteristics during partial purification
Authors: Dick Caroline M. , Hobkirk Ronald
Published: December 2009

Mouse placental estrogen sulfotransferase (ST) was partially purified by fast protein liquid chromatograpy (FPLC) gel filtration in combination with FPLC anion exchange. Owing to the highly unstable nature of the enzyme, large increases in specific activity were not obtained. Storage of the ST in the presence of thiol groups at −20 °C stabilized the enzyme considerably. Forty-three percent of the cytosolic ST was bound to an Affi-Gel blue column and eluted as a broad peak at approximately 0.8 M NaCl. The use of the latter procedure, in combination with FPLC gel filtration, did not increase the specific activity substantially. Larger increases in specific activity were obtained using agarose–hexane–adenosine-3′,5′-diphosphate affinity chromatography. The bound ST activity was eluted under a single peak at 1 mM ADP. Increases in specific activity following use of this column averaged 54-fold but could reach 90-fold. Attempts at further purification of this material resulted in low recovery and decreased specific activity. Velocity versus substrate concentration curves show that estrone and particularly estradiol inhibit the partially purified mouse placental sulfotransferase above 0.1–0.25 μM substrate concentrations.
Structural studies of the O-chain of the phenol-phase soluble lipopolysaccharide from Haemophilus pleuropneumoniae serotype 2
Authors: Altman Eleonora , Brisson Jean-Robert , Bundle David R. , Perry Malcolm B.
Published: December 2009

The phenol-phase soluble cellular lipopolysaccharide that was isolated by the phenol–water extraction from Haemophilus pleuropneumoniae serotype 2 was shown to be of the S type by sodium dodecyl sulfate – polyacrylamide gel electrophoresis, hydrolysis, methylation, specific degradations, and both one- and two-dimensional 1H and 13C nuclear magnetic resonance studies. It could be cleaved to yield a lipid A and an O-chain polysaccharide. This O-polysaccharide was identified as a high molecular weight unbranched linear polymer of a pentasaccharide repeating unit having the structure:[Formula: see text]
Purification and characterization of the extracellular α-amylase activity of the yeast Schwanniomyces alluvius
Authors: Moranelli F. , Yaguchi M. , Calleja G. B. , Nasim A.
Published: December 2009

The extracellular α-amylase activity of the yeast Schwanniomyces alluvius has been purified by anion-exchange chromatography on DEAE-cellulose and gel-filtration chromatography on Sephadex G-100. Sodium dodecyl sulfate – polyacrylamide gel electrophoresis (SDS–PAGE) and N-terminal amino acid analysis of the purified sample indicated that the enzyme preparation was homogeneous. The enzyme is a glycoprotein having a molecular mass of 52 kilodaltons (kDa) estimated by SDS–PAGE and 39 kDa by gel filtration on Sephadex G-100. Chromatofocusing shows that it is an acidic protein. It is resistant to trypsin but sensitive to proteinase K. Its activity is inhibited by the divalent cation chelators EDTA and EGTA and it is insensitive to sulfhydryl-blocking agents. Exogenous divalent cations are inhibitory as are high concentrations of monovalent salts. The enzyme has a pH optimum between 3.75 and 5.5 and displays maximum stability in the pH range of 4.0–7.0. Under the conditions tested, the activity is maximal between 45 and 50 °C and is very thermolabile. Analysis of its amino acid composition supports its acidic nature.