bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
Lysosomal localization of β-fructofuranosidase-containing liposomes injected into rats. Some implications in the treatment of genetic disorders
Authors: Gregoriadis Gregory , Ryman Brenda E.
Published: August 2015

Yeast β-fructofuranosidase (invertase) or131I-labelled albumin were entrapped into liposomes composed of phosphatidylcholine, cholesterol and phosphatidic acid. Of the β-fructofuranosidase activity in the liposomal preparations 96–100% was latent. The following observations were made in experiments with rats injected with protein-containing liposomes. 1. After injection of β-fructofuranosidase-containing liposomes (220 units or 1.5mg of β-fructofuranosidase and 17.5mg of lipid), β-fructofuranosidase activity in blood retained its latency but the activity declined to 50% of the injected dose in 1h. Within 6h much of this activity was recovered in the liver and spleen (respectively 45% and 10% of that injected). For up to 21h after injection, the mitochondrial–lysosomal fraction was the principal location of the hepatic β-fructofuranosidase activity. 2. Lysosomal localization of liposomal protein was supported by the observed increase in the trichloroacetic acid-soluble radioactivity during incubation of the lysosome-rich fraction of the liver of rats injected with liposomes containing131I-labelled albumin. 3. Association of liposomal protein with lysosomes was demonstrated on subfractionation of the mitochondrial–lysosomal fraction of the liver of rats injected with β-fructofuranosidase-containing liposomes in a Ficoll–mannitol gradient. β-Fructofuranosidase, lysosomal and mitochondrial enzyme marker activities were found to exhibit similar distribution patterns along the gradient. However, in similar experiments with rats previously injected with Triton WR-1339 or dextran (known to alter the specific gravity of lysosomes), only β-fructofuranosidase and lysosomal marker moved along the gradient, in strikingly similar patterns. 4. The lysosomal localization of injected liposome-entrapped material can probably be utilized in the treatment of certain disorders in man.
A study of the nature of the immediate precursor of the extracellular α-amylase of Bacillus amyloliquefaciens. A reappraisal
Authors: Grant Margaret A. , Coleman G.
Published: August 2015

1. A defined medium was devised for use in washed-cell experiments with post-exponential-phase cultures of Bacillus amyloliquefaciens. The medium allowed α-amylase to be secreted, bacterial concentration to increase and l-[U-14C]valine to be incorporated into protein at a linear rate, which was the same as in a post-exponential-phase culture, for up to 6h. 2. Determination of the specific radioactivity of l-[U-14C]valine in the medium, the intracellular amino acid pool, the cellular protein and the isolated α-amylase, after a 3h incubation of washed cells in the defined medium, showed that at least 76% of the α-amylase secreted was synthesized de novo. 3. By isolating the α-amylase formed during a 6h incubation in the presence of l-[U-14C]valine it was shown that the specific radioactivity of the N-terminal valine, within the limits of experimental error, was the same as that of the total valine residues from the complete α-amylase molecule. 4. A consideration of these results in relation to the whole literature on the subject strongly supports the idea that there is no reason to suppose that extracellular α-amylase is formed from a high-molecular-weight precursor in B. amyloliquefaciens and closely related organisms with identical characteristics of exoenzyme secretion.
Mechanism of biosynthesis of thio-β-d-glucuronides and thio-β-d-glucosides
Authors: Dutton G. J. , Illing H. P. A.
Published: August 2015

1. The thio-β-d-glucosiduronic acids (thio-β-glucuronides) of o-aminothiophenol, diethyldithiocarbamic acid, p-nitrothiophenol and thiophenol are formed biosynthetically in broken- and intact-cell preparations of mouse liver. 2. For this biosynthesis to occur in homogenates or microsomal fractions, UDP-glucuronic acid was required during incubation; glucose, glucuronic acid or UDP could not replace it. UDP was a product of the reaction. 3. The biosynthetic mechanism linking glucuronic acid to thiol and carbodithioic groups therefore requires UDP-glucuronyltransferase activity and resembles that forming the various types of O-glucuronides. 4. An analogous enzymic mechanism employing UDP-glucose synthesizes the thio-β-d-glucosides of diethyldithiocarbamic acid and thiophenol in gut preparations of the mollusc Arion ater; this mechanism resembles that forming the O-glucosides. The thio-β-d-glucosides are formed also in intact cells. 5. As expected from the distribution of O-glycosides, S-glucuronides of these aglycones were not detectable with the invertebrate, nor were the S-glucosides with the vertebrate. 6. Despite their similar biosyntheses, S- and O-β-glycosides differ in susceptibility to hydrolysis by β-glycosidases. Rat preputial-gland β-glucuronidase hydrolysed thioglucuronides of o-aminothiophenol, diethyldithiocarbamic acid and p-nitrothiophenol, hydrolysis being inhibited by glucarolactone; the thioglucuronide of thiophenol was not hydrolysed by preputial-gland or liver β-glucuronidase. The two S-glucosides resisted hydrolysis by β-glucosidase from almond emulsin.
A study of the phosphate linkages in phosphomannan in cell walls of Saccharomyces cerevisiae
Authors: Cawley T. N. , Harrington M. G. , Letters R.
Published: August 2015

1. The phosphomannan of Saccharomyces cerevisiae was released by Pronase digestion of cell walls and isolated by chromatography on DEAE-cellulose or by precipitation with borate–Cetavlon solutions. Mannose and phosphorus were present in the molar ratio 18:1 and the phosphate groups were in the diester form. 2. Hydrolysis with acid gave mannose 6-phosphate. Under mild acid conditions (autohydrolysis) the phosphate groups were converted into the monoester form, mannose was released and the molecular size of the phosphomannan was substantially decreased. 3. Hydrolysis with alkali also gave a monoester phosphate and a similar decrease in molecular weight. Under mild alkaline conditions the serine and threonine content of the phosphomannan was decreased by about 80%. The phosphate content was not altered. 4. Treatment with 40% (v/v) HF removed 70% of the phosphorus from the phosphomannan with no detectable decrease in molecular weight. 5. Periodate oxidation gave an oxophosphomannan from which 80% of the phosphorus was eliminated under mild alkaline conditions. 6. The properties of the phosphomannan are consistent with a structure in which the phosphate groups are located on the outside of the molecule and link C-1 of a terminal mannose unit with C-6 of another mannose unit, which is in turn attached to the polysaccharide backbone of the molecule. 7. The implications of this structure are discussed in relation to flocculation.
A comparative study of the molecular structures of the plasma membranes and the smooth and the rough endoplasmic-reticulum membranes from rat liver
Authors: Morin F. , Tay S. , Simpkins H.
Published: August 2015

Plasma-membrane as well as smooth-, rough- and degranulated-endoplasmic-reticulum-membrane fractions were isolated from the microsomal pellet of rat liver. The purity of these fractions, as determined by marker-enzyme activities, electron microscopy, cholesterol content and RNA content, was found to be adequate for a comparative structural study. Major differences in lipid and protein composition were found to exist between the plasma membrane and the endoplasmic reticulum, but not between the smooth and the rough fractions of the endoplasmic reticulum. Differences in the location of membrane protein thiol groups and the mobility of the membrane phospholipids were observed between the plasma membranes and the endoplasmic reticulum, and these could be explained by differences in protein and lipid composition. However, by employing fluorescence and spin-labelling techniques structural changes were also observed between the smooth and the rough endoplasmic-reticulum fractions. These results suggest that the structural heterogeneity existing between the two latter membrane fractions occurs near or on their membrane surfaces and is not due to the greater number of ribosomes bound to the rough endoplasmic-reticulum fraction.
Activity of fluoro and deoxy analogues of glycerol as substrates and inhibitors of glycerol kinase
Authors: Eisenthal Robert , Harrison Roger , Lloyd William J. , Taylor Norman F.
Published: August 2015

Analogues of glycerol in which each of the three hydroxy groups is successively replaced by fluorine or hydrogen have been examined as substrates or inhibitors of glycerol kinase (Candida mycoderma) to assess the ability of fluorine to mimic a substrate hydroxy group in enzyme–analogue interactions. The four diols resulting from replacement of the hydroxy groups at C-1 or C-2 of sn-glycerol by fluorine or hydrogen are weak substrates. Similar substitution of the C-3 hydroxy group gives compounds which act as competitive inhibitors of glycerol or dihydroxyacetone phosphorylation but show no activity as substrates. Comparison of the steady-state kinetic parameters of the corresponding analogues shows that replacement of a hydroxy group by either fluorine or hydrogen leads to compounds with similar activity in this system. A convenient synthesis of (+)-propane-1,2-diol is described.
The effect of oxygen concentration on the growth and metabolism of Saccharomyces cerevisiae grown with excess of potassium or in potassium-deficient media
Authors: Bartley Walter , Broomhead Valerie M.
Published: August 2015

1. Saccharomyces cerevisiae cells grown in limiting K+ concentration have their growth inhibited by O2 concentrations above 40%. With these conditions the cells grow very large and are unable to maintain ionic gradients when washed with water. 2. Cells grown in excess of K+ showed the same pattern of change in cell size with change in O2 concentration, but the magnitude of the changes was much less. Cells grown in excess of K+ were not leaky. 3. Cell death, growth and development of ‘leakiness’ were not correlated in the cells grown in limiting K+ concentration. 4. The activities of both alcohol dehydrogenase and cytochrome oxidase were higher in K+-deficient cells than in the cells grown with excess of K+. The differences were much larger when the measurements were made on a cellular basis than when made on a protein basis. 5. In 100% O2 3mm-K+ in the medium was sufficient to produce normal yeast cells.
Adenine derivatives as neurohumoral agents in the brain. The quantities liberated on excitation of superfused cerebral tissues
Authors: Pull Ian , McIlwain Henry
Published: August 2015

Adenine nucleotides of guinea-pig neocortical tissues were labelled by incubation with [14C]adenine and excess of adenine was then removed by superfusion with precursor-free medium. Adenine derivatives released from the tissue during continued superfusion, including a period of electrical stimulation of the tissue, were collected by adsorption and examined after elution and concentration. The stimulation greatly increased the 14C output, and material collected during and just after stimulation had a u.v. spectrum which indicated adenosine to be a major component. The additional presence of inosine and hypoxanthine was shown by chromatography and adenosine was identified also by using adenosine deaminase. Total adenine derivatives released from the tissue during a 10min period of stimulation were obtained as hypoxanthine, after deamination and hydrolysis of adenosine and inosine, and amounted to 159nmol/g of tissue. This corresponded to the release of approx. 7pmol/g of tissue per applied stimulus. The hypoxanthine sample derived from superfusate hypoxanthine, inosine and adenosine was of similar specific radioactivity to the sample of inosine separated chromatographically, and each was of higher specific radioactivity than the adenine nucleotides obtained by cold-acid extraction of the tissue.
Transcription of brain chromatin by ribonucleic acid polymerases from brain nucleic and from Escherichia coli
Authors: Singh Vijendra K. , Sung S. C.
Published: August 2015

1. Transcription of ox brain chromatin by brain nuclear RNA polymerase II and Escherichia coli RNA polymerase was studied. 2. The soluble chromatin prepared from brain nuclei contained DNA, RNA, histone and non-histone proteins. Such chromatin preparations did not display any endogenous RNA polymerase activity, when assayed in the presence of concentrations of KCl as high as 0.4m. 3. The chromatin-templated activity of brain nuclear polymerase II was stimulated by KCl, with an optimum around 0.25m. 4. The template activity of brain chromatin for brain nuclear polymerase II and E. coli enzyme was about 20–25% of that of pure DNA. This greatly repressed templatecapacity of chromatin was probably due to the acid-soluble chromosomal proteins. 5. Brain nuclear polymerase II was 3–4 times more active with dehistonized chromatin than with pure DNA as template, whereas bacterial enzyme was almost equally active with either of these two templates, reflecting the specificity of the transcriptional control mechanisms in mammalian cells.
The effect of substitution at C-2 of d-glucose 6-phosphate on the rate of dehydrogenation by glucose 6-phosphate dehydrogenase (from yeast and from rat liver)
Authors: Bessell Eric M. , Thomas Peter
Published: August 2015

1. The deoxyfluoro-d-glucopyranose 6-phosphates are substrates for both yeast and rat liver glucose 6-phosphate dehydrogenase. 2. The Vmax. values (relative to d-glucose 6-phosphate) were determined for a series of d-glucose 6-phosphate derivatives substituted at C-2. The Vmax. values decreased with increasing electronegativity of the C-2 substituent. This is consistent with a mechanism involving hydride-ion transfer. 3. 2-Deoxy-d-arabino-hexose 6-phosphate (2-deoxy-d-glucose 6-phosphate) showed substrate inhibition with the yeast enzyme but not with the rat liver enzyme. 4. 2-Amino-2-deoxy-d-glucose 6-phosphate (d-glucosamine 6-phosphate) was a substrate for the yeast enzyme but a competitive inhibitor for the rat liver enzyme. 5. Lineweaver–Burk plots for the d-glucose 6-phosphate derivatives with yeast glucose 6-phosphate dehydrogenase were biphasic.
Glucocerebrosidase: reconstitution of activity from macromolecular components (Short Communication)
Authors: Ho Mae Wan , O'Brien John S. , Radin Norman S. , Erickson John S.
Published: August 2015

Glucocerebrosidase activity was reconstituted in vitro from a soluble glycoprotein factor (P) and a particle-bound factor (C). The physiological significance of the system is discussed.
Structural requirements for binding to the sugar-transport system of the human erythrocyte
Authors: Barnett J. E. G. , Holman G. D. , Munday K. A.
Published: August 2015

The structural requirements for binding to the glucose/sorbose-transport system in the human erythrocyte were explored by measuring the inhibition constants, Ki, for specifically substituted analogues of d-glucose when l-sorbose was the penetrating sugar. Derivatives in which a hydroxyl group in the d-gluco configuration was inverted, or replaced by a hydrogen atom, at C-1, C-2, C-3, C-4 or C-6 of the d-glucose molecule, all bound to the carrier, confirming that no single hydroxyl group is essential for binding to the carrier. The binding and transport of 1-deoxy-d-glucose confirmed that the sugars bind in the pyranose form. The relative inhibition constants of d-glucose and its deoxy, epimeric and fluorinated analogues are consistent with the combination of β-d-glucopyranose with the carrier by hydrogen bonds at C-1, C-3, probably C-4, and possibly C-6 of the sugar. Both polar and non-polar substituents at C-6 enhance the affinity of d-glucose derivatives relative to d-xylose, and d-galactose derivatives relative to l-arabinose, and it is suggested that the carrier region around C-6 of the sugar may contain both hydrophobic and polar binding groups. The spatial requirements at C-1, C-2, C-3, C-4 and C-6 were explored by comparing the relative binding of d-glucose and its halogeno and O-alkyl substituents. The carrier protein closely approaches the sugar except at C-3 in the d-gluco configuration, C-4 and C-6. d-Glucal was a good inhibitor, showing that a strict chair form is not essential for binding. 3-O-(2′,3′-Epoxypropyl)-d-glucose, a potential substrate-directed alkylating agent, bound to the carrier, but did not inactivate it.
The quantitative measurement of Alcian Blue–glycosaminoglycan complexes
Authors: Whiteman P.
Published: August 2015

1. A simple new quantitative micro method was developed to study the interaction of the cationic dye Alcian Blue 8GX and acid glycosaminoglycans under different conditions. After washing with ethanol the precipitated Alcian Blue–glycosaminoglycan complex was dissociated in Manoxol IB solution and the amount of bound dye measured spectrophotometrically. 2. Reaction profiles of complex-formation were determined in the presence of different concentrations of MgCl2 at pH5.8, and could be used to study the critical electrolyte concentrations of glycosaminoglycans. At least 50mm-MgCl2 was required to produce maximum precipitation of, and maximum uptake of, Alcian Blue by standard glycosaminoglycans. Maximum uptake of Alcian Blue by glycosaminoglycans in the urine of a patient with Hurler's syndrome required the presence of 25–50mm-MgCl2. 3. Under standard conditions of maximum interaction, calibration curves for the quantitative determination of a series of standard glycosaminoglycans in 20μl volumes were nearly linear over the range 1–10μg. 4. The technique was used to determine the molecular binding ratios of Alcian Blue to glycosaminoglycans under controlled conditions.
Epoxy derivatives of aromatic polycyclic hydrocarbons. The preparation and metabolism of epoxides related to 7,12-dimethylbenz[a]-anthracene
Authors: Sims P.
Published: August 2015

The syntheses of 7,12-dimethylbenz[a]anthracene 5,6-oxide, 7-acetoxymethyl-12-methylbenz[a]anthracene 5,6-oxide and a product that appears to be mainly 7-hydroxymethyl-12-methylbenz[a]anthracene 5,6-oxide are described. The compounds readily rearranged to phenols in the presence of mineral acid, and 7,12-dimethylbenz[a]anthracene 5,6-oxide and its 7-hydroxymethyl derivative reacted slowly with water to yield trans-5,6-dihydro-5,6-dihydroxy-7,12-dimethylbenz[a] anthracene and trans-5,6-dihydro-5,6-dihydroxy-7-hydroxymethyl-12-methylbenz [a]anthracene respectively. Both epoxides were converted enzymically by rat liver microsomal fractions and homogenates into the related trans-dihydrodiols. The epoxides reacted chemically with GSH to form conjugates that were identical with the conjugates formed when the epoxides were incubated with rat liver homogenates. The GSH conjugates were more stable to acid than conjugates derived from other arene oxides. In the alkylation of 4-(p-nitrobenzyl)pyridine, 7,12-dimethyl-benz[a]anthracene 5,6-oxide was more active than the 5,6-oxides of 7-methylbenz[a]-anthracene and benz[a]anthracene.
Kinetics of the diamine oxidase reaction
Authors: Bardsley William G. , Crabbe M. James C. , Shindler Julian S.
Published: August 2015

1. The oxidation of p-dimethylaminomethylbenzylamine was followed spectrophotometrically by measuring the change in E250 caused by the p-dimethylaminomethylbenzaldehyde produced under a wide variety of experimental conditions. 2. The effect of variations in concentrations of both substrates (amine and oxygen) and all products (aminoaldehyde, hydrogen peroxide and ammonia) on this reaction was studied and the results used to develop a formal mechanism. 3. The nature of the rate-limiting step was elucidated by studying the effects of alterations in ionic strength, dielectric constant and deuterium substitution on the velocity of the forward reaction. 4. Thermodynamic activation energy parameters were obtained at several pH values from the effects of temperature on the reaction.
A new neuraminic acid derivative and three types of glycopeptides isolated from the Cuvierian tubules of the sea cucumber Holothuria forskali
Authors: Isemura Mamoru , Zahn Rudolf K. , Schmid Karl
Published: August 2015

The Cuvierian tubules of Holothuria forskali Della Chiaje, a sea cucumber found in the Adriatic Sea, were investigated with regard to their carbohydrate moieties. From a Pronase digest of these tubules three types of carbohydrate units were isolated and characterized. 1. A high-molecular-weight glycopeptide fraction was shown to contain sulphated polyfucose, galactosamine, a uronic acid and a previously unknown neuraminic acid derivative. The sulphate was shown by i.r. analysis to be present as an O-ester. The carbohydrate unit was linked O-glycosidically to threonine and serine residues in the polypeptide chain. The hitherto unknown neuraminic acid derivative (Hf-neuraminic acid) was resistant to enzymic cleavage by neuraminidase, even after mild alkaline hydrolysis for the removal of O-acyl residues. However, the glycosidic linkage of this compound to the other part of the carbohydrate moiety was readily cleaved by mild acid hydrolysis. Its chromatographic properties distinguished Hf-neuraminic acid from other known neuraminic acid derivatives (N-acetyl-, NO-diacetyl-, NOO-triacetyl- and N-glycollyl-neuraminic acid). Further, this acidic sugar was shown to possess neuraminic acid as its basic structure. Thus, an as yet unknown substituent lends the distinct properties to Hf-neuraminic acid. 2. The carbohydrate composition of a second glycopeptide fraction consisting of a derivative of neuraminic acid, galactose, mannose and glucosamine was similar to that of the well-known carbohydrate groups of the globular glycoproteins. 3. The third fraction contained two glycopeptides containing the disaccharide, glucosylgalactose, which was shown to be linked to the hydroxyl group of hydroxylysine residues of a collagen-like protein. Approximately half of these residues were glycosylated. In addition to these glycopeptides, a small amount of a third glycopeptide that carried only a galactosyl residue was detected. The amino acid sequence of the two major compounds were found to be Gly-Ala-Hyl*-Gly-Ser and Gly-Pro-Hyl*-Gly-Asp, where Hyl* represents a glycosylated amino acid residue.
Modulation of guanine deaminase
Authors: Kumar K. Sree , Sitaramayya A. , Krishnan P. S.
Published: August 2015

1. Guanine deaminases purified from the 15000g supernatant fraction of iso-osmotic sucrose homogenates of rat and mouse liver and brain were tested for the influence of GTP and allantoin. 2. The suffixes A and B were assigned to the isoenzyme fractions eluted from DEAE-cellulose with the lower and the higher molarity of eluent respectively. Isoenzyme A from rat liver, the activity of which showed a sigmoid dependence on substrate saturation, was activated by GTP and inhibited by allantoin. Isoenzyme B, which had a hyperbolic substrate-saturation curve, was not influenced by GTP or allantoin. 3. Isoenzyme A from rat brain, the activity of which had a sigmoid dependence on substrate concentration, was stimulated by GTP. Isoenzyme B, which showed classical Michaelis–Menten kinetics, was inhibited by allantoin. 4. Mouse liver guanine deaminase was not influenced by either GTP or allantoin. 5. Isoenzyme A from mouse brain, which had a hyperbolic substrate-saturation curve, was not influenced by GTP or allantoin but isoenzyme B, with sigmoidal kinetics, was inhibited by allantoin. 6. Mg2+ activated, or inhibited or did not have an effect on guanine deaminase, depending on the source of the enzyme. 7. The bearing of the above findings on the possible regulation of guanine deaminase activity in vivo is discussed.
A sensitive and accurate gel osmometer
Authors: Ogston A. G. , Preston B. N.
Published: August 2015

1. A bilayer strip, cut from a thin layer of cross-linked polyacrylamide gel cast on to cellulose tissue, forms an open circular loop whose ends are close together. Shrinkage of the gel, in response to the osmotic pressure of a non-penetrating solution, causes a proportional separation of the ends of the loop. This is measured with a microscope and micrometer eyepiece. 2. The resulting effective sensitivity is about 30 times that of the Sephadex-bead osmometer (Ogston & Wells, 1970), i.e. of the order of 5Pa, comparable with that of a membrane osmometer. Use of gel up to 70% (w/v) allows the measurement of molecular weights, as low as 1500 in favourable cases, with an accuracy of 1–2%. The useful range of osmotic pressure is up to 5kPa. A single measurement requires 0.5ml of solution. Equilibration is completed in 20–30min. 3. The method is illustrated by measurements on human serum albumin, ovalbumin, cytochrome c, samples of dextrans, polyvinyl alcohol, and polyethylene glycols 6000 and 1000.
Glyceride lipases in nerve endings of guinea-pig brain and their stimulation by noradrenaline, 5-hydroxytryptamine and adrenaline
Authors: Vyvoda O. S. , Rowe C. E.
Published: August 2015

1. Combined guinea-pig cortex and cerebellum was shown to contain triglyceride lipase, diglyceride lipase and monoglyceride lipase, which were assayed by the release of [1-14C]palmitate from [1-14C]palmitoylglycerol esters. Triglyceride lipase and diglyceride lipase were found in all particulate fractions. 2. With osmotically ruptured synaptosomes the rates of release of palmitate from glyceryl tripalmitate and glyceryl dipalmitate were 7–25μmol/h per g of protein and 0.18–0.69mmol/h per g of protein respectively. The logarithm of the rate of hydrolysis of glyceryl monopalmitate increased linearly with the logarithm of protein concentration. The pH optima of triglyceride lipase and diglyceride lipase were between 7 and 8. The pH optimum for monoglyceride lipase was approx. 8. 3. Triglyceride lipase and diglyceride lipase of osmotically ruptured synaptosomes were stimulated by noradrenaline, 5-hydroxytryptamine and adrenaline. Triglyceride lipase of isolated synaptic membranes was stimulated by 0.01–1mm-noradrenaline. Aging of membranes at 0°C decreased activity, which could still be stimulated by noradrenaline. Diglyceride lipase of isolated membranes was stimulated by 1μm–1mm-noradrenaline. The activity of triglyceride lipase in isolated synaptic vesicles was diminished by 1mm-5-hydroxytryptamine.
Isolation and characterization of a rough microsomal fraction from rat kidney that is enriched in lysosomal enzymes
Authors: Goldstone Alfred , Koenig Harold , Nayyar Rajinder , Hughes Charles , Lu Chung Y.
Published: August 2015

1. A special population of rough microsomal material (microsomes) rich in lysosomal acid hydrolases was separated by isopycnic centrifugation as a discrete fraction (RM2) from the bulk of rough microsomal material in rat kidney because of its greater density. 2. The specific activities of five acid hydrolases in the RM2 fraction were approximately one-half those of a purified lysosomal (L) fraction and 10- to 30-fold greater than those of an ordinary rough microsomal (RM1) fraction. 3. These special rough microsomes have a distinctive ultrastructure and electron-cytochemical properties. Their cisternal content resembles the matrix of lysosomes in that it is electron-dense, osmiophilic and plumbophilic and gives a positive reaction for acid phosphatase activity. 4. Polyacrylamide-gel electrophoresis of soluble proteins from the L fraction resolved nine anionic glycoproteins, most of which exhibit acid hydrolase activities (Goldstone & Koenig, 1970, 1973; Goldstone et al., 1971a). The most anionic glycoprotein is the acidic lipoglycoprotein of the lysosomal matrix (Goldstone et al., 1970). 5. Polyacrylamide-gel electrophoresis of soluble proteins from the RM2 fraction resolved two cationic glycoproteins with acid hydrolase activities (Goldstone & Koenig, 1973) and an anionic glycoprotein with the same electrophoretic mobility as the lysosomal lipoglycoprotein, but without its lipid constituents or capacity to bind the basic fluorochrome Acridine Orange. These constituents are considered to be the precursors of the lysosomal glycoproteins.
Further observations on the activation of lysosomal acid α-glucosidase by cortisone derivatives
Authors: Bourne E. J. , Clarke K. , Pridham J. B. , Rowe J. J. M.
Published: August 2015

1. Cortisone acetate activates the acid α-glucosidase in rat liver slices and in isolated liver lysosomes. 2. The reaction is steroid specific and moreover does not occur with lysosomal acid phosphatase or β-galactosidase. 3. After pretreatment of the lysosomes with cortisone, substrate (maltose) binding to the soluble lysosomal acid α-glucosidase is not affected, but the steroid does increase the Vmax. value. Membrane-bound enzyme is not activated by cortisone. 4. 4-[14C]Cortisone is preferentially bound to the lysosomal membrane and the possible involvement of this structure in the activation phenomenon is discussed.
Hydrolysis of ceramide trihexoside by a specific α-galactosidase from human liver
Authors: Ho Mae Wan
Published: August 2015

1. Partially purified ceramide trihexoside α-galactosidase from human liver was studied by using ceramide trihexoside specifically tritiated in the terminal galactose. 2. The hydrolysis of ceramide trihexoside was absolutely dependent on a mixture of sodium taurocholate and Triton X-100 and was markedly inhibited by human serum albumin and by NaCl. 3. The Lineweaver–Burk plot for ceramide trihexoside hydrolysis was upward curving. Ceramide lactoside inhibited hydrolysis of all concentrations of ceramide trihexoside. Ceramide digalactoside stimulated hydrolysis of low concentrations of ceramide trihexoside, but inhibited hydrolysis of high concentrations of the lipid. 4. α-Galactosidase activity assayed with the synthetic substrate 4-methylumbelliferyl α-d-galactopyranoside fractionated together with activity assayed with the natural substrate ceramide trihexoside. Both activities had identical heat-inactivation kinetics. 5. Characteristics of the hydrolysis of the synthetic substrate differed considerably from those of the natural substrate, including pH optimum, shape of the Lineweaver–Burk plot, and differential effects of inhibitors and activators. Mutual inhibition of hydrolysis between the synthetic and natural substrates was predominantly non-competitive. 6. These results are discussed in the light of special problems involved in the hydrolysis of lipids in an aqueous milieu.
A comparative study of the effects of chemical modification on the immunochemical and optical properties of human plasma low-density lipoprotein(s) and apoproteins
Authors: Gotto A. M. , Levy R. I. , Lux S. E. , Birnbaumer M. E. , Fredrickson D. S.
Published: August 2015

1. The structure of human plasma low-density lipoprotein(s) [LD lipoprotein(s)] was investigated by several immunological and optical techniques. The effects of delipidation and of chemical modification by 3-carboxypropionylation, acetylation, diazotization and amidination were examined. A sensitive double-antibody radioimmunoassay for human LD lipoproteins is presented and is used to assess the extent of immunochemical modification. A computer best-fit analysis is used to analyse circular-dichorism (c.d.) spectra. These methods permit comparisons of the relative effects of chemical modification and delipidation of LD lipoprotein under similar experimental conditions. 2. 3-Carboxypropionylation, acetylation or diazotization produces qualitative and quantitative changes in the immunochemical properties of LD lipoprotein. Amidination causes minor changes detected by radioimmunoassay but not by double-diffusion experiments. In general, the order of effectiveness in displacing 125I-labelled LD lipoprotein is amidinated>diazo or acetyl>3-carboxypropionyl derivatives. 3. The order of the extent of conformational alteration induced in apoLD lipoprotein and LD lipoprotein, as judged by c.d. analyses, was 3-carboxypropionylation>diazotization>acetylation or amidination. 4. Delipidation of LD lipoprotein results in immunological alterations that are qualitatively detected by antisera to LD lipoprotein. Four of five antisera to apoLD lipoprotein form precipitin lines of identity between native LD lipoprotein and apoLD lipoprotein in double-diffusion experiments. An anti-(apoLD lipoprotein) serum that forms precipitin lines of complete identity between LD lipoprotein and apoLD lipoprotein reacts differently with these two antigens in radioimmunoassay. ApoLD lipoprotein is only one-fourth to one-half as effective as LD lipoprotein, on a protein basis, in the displacement of 125I-labelled LD lipoprotein from this anti-(apoLD lipoprotein). 5. Conformational analysis indicates that apoLD lipoprotein retains a high proportion of the structural integrity of the native lipoprotein. Delipidation induces a small decrease in the content of β-structure and a small increase in disordered structure, without greatly affecting the α-helical content. Chemical modification produces more severe conformational changes of apoLD lipoprotein than of LD lipoprotein. Computer analysis of the c.d. spectra of apoLD lipoprotein indicates that addition of high concentrations of sodium decyl sulphate abolishes most of the β-conformation concomitant with increases in α-helical and disordered structure. 6. There is parallelism between the alteration of the charge of LD lipoprotein and apoLD lipoprotein and the extent of immunochemical and conformational changes.
The chain length of the glycans in bacterial cell walls
Authors: Ward J. B.
Published: August 2015

The glycan chain length of peptidoglycan was measured by reduction with NaB3H4 and isolation of the resulting muramitol, indicative of the length of the chains as biosynthesized, and glucosaminol, which measured the length of the chains after rupture by endo-β-N-acetylglucosaminidases. Measurement of the non-reducing terminal N-acetylglucosamine by Smith degradation confirmed the result.
The use of deoxyribonucleic acid–cellulose chromatography and isoelectric focusing for the characterization and partial purification of steroid–receptor complexes
Authors: Mainwaring W. I. P. , Irving R.
Published: August 2015

1. Two characteristic properties of the specific high-affinity steroid-binding proteins or receptors, their ability to bind to DNA–cellulose and their relatively acidic isoelectric point, have been exploited as a means of purification. These two fundamental properties distinguish the receptors from the steroid-binding proteins in serum and the non-specific low-affinity steroid-binding proteins in hormone-responsive cells. 2. A significant degree of purification of both cytoplasmic and nuclear steroid–receptor complexes can be achieved with practical facility by these procedures. The purity of the receptor complexes is sufficient to enable studies on their possible control of metabolic processes to be investigated in the future. 3. After extensive purification the physicochemical properties of the cytoplasmic androgen–receptor complex, such as sedimentation coefficient, were unchanged. Further, the purified complex fully retained at least one of its fundamental physiological properties, namely the ability to transfer 5α-dihydrotestosterone (17β-hydroxy-5α-androstan-3-one) into chromatin in vitro. 4. The methods may also be employed for studying the changes in the structure and properties of the receptor complexes that are an essential prerequisite for the transfer of cytoplasmic receptor complexes into nuclear chromatin. The temperature-dependence of the binding of androgen–receptor complexes into chromatin is essentially due to a major change in cytoplasmic receptor complex before its attachment to nuclear chromatin. 5. The resolution of these analytical procedures was sufficient to enable a critical comparison of the receptor proteins from different male accessory glands to be undertaken. From these studies, no substantial evidence in support of the tissue specificity of androgen receptors could be established; rather the receptors from different androgen-dependent glands were remarkably similar in physicochemical properties. 6. Although the methods were initially developed for the partial purification of androgen–receptor complexes, they are equally suitable for the prompt and extensive purification of oestrogen–receptor and progesterone–receptor complexes.
Problems associated with the assay of arylsulphatases A and B of rat tissues
Authors: Worwood Mark , Dodgson Kenneth S. , Hook Gary E. R. , Rose Frederick A.
Published: August 2015

A method for the separation and purification of rat liver arylsulphatases A and B by gel filtration on Sephadex G-200 is described. The properties of the A enzyme and its molecular weight are similar to those of the corresponding ox liver enzyme. The B enzymes were found to be dissimilar. The method already developed for the assay of the corresponding enzymes from human tissues was shown to be unsuitable for the assay of the enzymes of rat tissues. A method of assay was developed which permits an approximate determination of the individual rat liver enzymes in a mixture of the two, but precise determination requires prior separation of the enzymes by gel-filtration chromatography.
Adenosine 3′:5′-cyclic monophosphate concentrations and phosphodiesterase activities during axenic growth and differentiation of cells of the cellular slime mould Dictyostelium discoideum
Authors: Malkinson A. M. , Ashworth J. M.
Published: August 2015

During growth of myxamoebae of Dictyostelium discoideum (strain Ax-2) in axenic medium, the myxamoebae secrete cyclic AMP. As the cells leave the exponential phase of growth and enter the stationary phase, there is an approximate doubling of the intracellular cyclic AMP content, but the amount of extracellular cyclic AMP remains proportional, at all times, to the number of myxamoebae present. During development of axenically grown myxamoebae, there is first a rise in the intracellular concentration of cyclic AMP, followed by a rise in the amount of extracellular cyclic AMP, which reaches a peak at the time of aggregation and then declines. There is a second peak in the amount of extracellular cyclic AMP found at the time of fruiting-body formation, but this second peak is not associated with a rise in the intracellular cyclic AMP concentration. Controls thus exist over the synthesis and secretion of cyclic AMP. Evidence is presented for the belief that the activity of the adenylate cyclase enzyme controls the amount of cyclic AMP synthesized rather than the activity or amount of cyclic AMP phosphodiesterase present. Similar changes occur in extracellular cyclic AMP and phosphodiesterase concentrations during incubation of myxamoebae in buffered suspensions to those occuring during the first few hours of development of such cells on solid media, but the timing of these changes is different.
Regulation of insulin release from isolated islets of Langerhans of the rat in pregnancy. The role of adenosine 3′:5′-cyclic monophosphate
Authors: Green I. C. , Howell S. L. , Montague W. , Taylor K. W.
Published: August 2015

1. The concentrations of cyclic AMP were compared in islets of Langerhans isolated from the pancreases of normal female and pregnant rats and were higher in islets in pregnancy. 2. There was also a significant increase in adenylate cyclase activity in homogenates of islets from pregnant rats compared with those from normal rats. 3. Increased cyclic AMP concentration in islets from pregnant rats was reflected in increased protein kinase activity. When the cyclic AMP-dependent protein kinase activity was increased by 3-isobutyl-1-methylxanthine this stimulated activity was significantly greater in pregnancy. 4. Insulin-secretion studies with islets from normal and pregnant rats showed that theophylline or 3-isobutyl-1-methylxanthine, which raise intracellular cyclic AMP concentrations, caused a significantly greater insulin secretion in pregnancy. 5. It was also found that in the presence of a glucose concentration too low to stimulate insulin secretion, the latter could be induced if the cyclic AMP concentrations were raised sufficiently with 3-isobutyl-1-methylxanthine. 6. It is suggested that the higher cyclic AMP concentrations observed in islets in pregnancy mediate the greater insulin-secretory capacity, as well as the greater sensitivity of these islets to low glucose concentrations.
Effect of phenylpyruvate on pyruvate dehydrogenase activity in rat brain mitochondria
Authors: Land John M. , Clark John B.
Published: August 2015

1. The effects of phenylpyruvate, a metabolite produced in phenylketonuria, on the pyruvate dehydrogenase-complex activity were investigated in rat brain mitochondria. 2. Pyruvate dehydrogenase activity was measured by two methods, one measuring the release of 14CO2 from [1-14C]pyruvate and the other measuring the acetyl-CoA formed by means of the coupling enzyme, pigeon liver arylamine acetyltransferase (EC 2.3.1.5). In neither case was there significant inhibition of the pyruvate dehydrogenase complex by phenylpyruvate at concentrations below 2mm. 3. However, phenylpyruvate acted as a classical competitive inhibitor of the coupling enzyme arylamine acetyltransferase, with a Ki of 100μm. 4. It was concluded that the inhibition of pyruvate dehydrogenase by phenylpyruvate is unlikely to be a primary enzyme defect in phenylketonuria.
Effects of pyridoxine deficiency and dl-p-chlorophenylalanine administration to rats on 5-hydroxytryptamine and noradrenaline concentrations in brain and 5-hydroxytryptamine concentration in blood
Authors: Bhagavan Hemmige N. , Coursin David B.
Published: August 2015

Pyridoxine deficiency in post-weanling rats caused a marked decrease in body weight and a small but significant decrease in brain weight. Although the concentration of circulating 5-hydroxytryptamine was markedly decreased, the concentrations of 5-hydroxytryptamine and noradrenaline in the brain were not affected. p-Chlorophenylalanine, an inhibitor of 5-hydroxytryptamine synthesis, decreased the 5-hydroxytryptamine content of brain to very low values in both the deficient and control animals, whereas the noradrenaline contents were not appreciably affected. The concentration of 5-hydroxytryptamine in blood, the origin of which is primarily gastrointestinal, was decreased only in the controls but not in the deficient animals after p-chlorophenylalanine treatment. These results suggest that whereas l-tryptophan hydroxylase (EC 1.14.3.2) is rate-limiting in the brain as has been reported by others, the pyridoxal 5′-phosphate-dependent enzyme 5-hydroxytryptophan decarboxylase (EC 4.1.1.28) may be more important in the gastrointestinal tract in the regulation of 5-hydroxytryptamine synthesis.
Changes in enzyme activities in tissues of rats exposed to hypoxia (Short Communication)
Authors: Cryer Anthony , Bartley Walter
Published: August 2015

Rats were exposed to various degrees of hypoxia and enzyme activities in their tissues were determined. In general, oxidative metabolism was not increased in response to hypoxia, nor was anaerobic metabolism. Physiological and anatomical changes were concluded to be more important than changes in cellular enzyme activities in the overall adaptation to acute hypoxia.
The purification and regulatory properties of α-oxoglutarate dehydrogenase from Acinetobacter lwoffi
Authors: Parker Malcolm G. , Weitzman P. David J.
Published: August 2015

The α-oxoglutarate dehydrogenase multienzyme complex was purified from Acinetobacter lwoffi to a high degree of homogeneity as shown by gel electrophoresis and analytical ultracentrifugation. Sedimentation-velocity analyses gave s20,w values which increased with increasing protein concentration, suggesting dissociation of the complex in dilute solution. The maximum s20,w value thereby obtained and the value determined by active enzyme centrifugation were both in the range 28–29S. Electron micrographs of the complex indicated a molecular diameter of 20–22nm (200–220Å). The overall activity of the complex was inhibited by NADH, and kinetic studies indicated sites of action on the first and third enzyme components. AMP and ADP relieved this inhibition and also stimulated enzyme activity. Assays specific for the first enzyme component showed this to be the site of action of the adenylates. The activity of the complex varied with energy charge in a manner consistent with its role in energy metabolism.
A spectrophotometric study of the secondary structure of precursor ribosomal ribonucleic acid from Krebs ascites-tumour cells
Authors: Hadjiolov A. A. , Cox R. A.
Published: August 2015

The spectrophotometric analysis of 45S precursor rRNA shows that it contains more G and C residues than does mature 28S or 18S rRNA. The helical content and the length of double-helical segments in 45S and 28S rRNA are similar.
Use of progress curves to investigate product inhibition in enzyme-catalysed reactions. Application to the soluble mitochondrial adenosine triphosphatase
Authors: Philo Roger D. , Selwyn Michael J.
Published: August 2015

1. Several methods of analysing progress curves of enzyme-catalysed reactions are discussed briefly in relation to their usefulness in a situation where a reaction product has a Ki much lower than the Km for the substrate 2. A comparison is made of different methods of estimating initial rates in this situation. 3. The use of a computer curve-fitting routine capable of handling functions of more than one variable for the extraction of kinetic parameters from progress curves is described. 4. This method and that of fitting time as a polynomial in product concentration are applied to progress curves for the soluble mitochondrial adenosine triphosphatase and the results are compared with values obtained by more conventional methods.
The reliability of Michaelis constants and maximum velocities estimated by using the integrated Michaelis–Menten equation
Authors: Atkins Gordon L. , Nimmo Ian A.
Published: August 2015

1. Experimental progress curves were simulated for a reaction obeying Michaelis–Menten kinetics. 2. Km and V were estimated (a) by fitting the integrated Michaelis–Menten equation to the progress curves, and (b) from the initial slopes of the curves (i.e. from initial velocities). 3. The integrated equation could not be fitted successfully by a non-linear method, so it was transformed and fitted by a linear method. 4. Provided that the initial substrate concentration was greater than Km and the data were precise enough, the integrated equation gave parameter estimates which were unbiased and as reliable as those derived from initial velocities although based on fewer experiments. 5. The integrated equation could be used for progress curves of unknown origin.
Isolation and characterization of a glycoprotein from human colostrum
Authors: Nichols James H. , Bezkorovainy Anatoly
Published: August 2015

A glycoprotein was isolated from the M-1 acid glycoprotein fraction of human colostrum. It had a molecular weight of 31200 and contained 27% galactose, 21.7% hexosamine, 8.0% fucose and 10.8% sialic acid by weight. The glycoprotein had no absorption maxima in the 240–300nm region, and was virtually free of ABH(O) and M and N blood-group activity. Alkaline borohydride cleavage of the glycoprotein resulted predominantly in the destruction of threonine and galactosamine.
Effect of an exotoxin from Bacillus thuringiensis on Deoxyribonucleic acid-dependent ribonucleic acid polymerase in nuclei from adult Sarcophaga bullata. Unusual behaviour of eukaryotic polymerases to inhibitors
Authors: Beebee T. J. C. , Bond R. P. M.
Published: August 2015

The DNA-dependent RNA polymerase activities in nuclei isolated from adult Sarcophaga bullata are unusual in their responses to metal ions, ionic strength and inhibitors. There is an activity that is sensitive both to rifamycin and to α-amanitin. The activity is less sensitive to Bacillus thuringiensis exotoxin than is larval polymerase, and low concentration of exotoxin provoke a slight stimulation.