Phosphorylation of tyrosine aminotransferase in vitro by cyclic nucleotide-dependent protein kinases

An intraperitoneal injection of either leucine (1.57 mg/g body wt) or valine (2 mg/g body wt) into newborn mice led to a rapid accumulation of inactive monoribosomes in their brains. $\text{In}\text{vitro}$ measurements of protein synthesis by the remaining active ribosomes in leucine-treated mice revealed that polypeptide chain elongation was also inhibited. When a mixture of the seven amino acids from the leucine transport system was injected (0.15 mg each amino acid/g body wt) following the valine or leucine treatment, brain monoribosomes did not accumulate and elongation rates in the leucine-treated mice were only slightly altered.     

Induction of heat shock proteins and thermotolerance by ethanol in Saccharomyces cerevisiae

The temperature sensitivity of $\text{Saccharomyces}\text{cerevisiae}$ and the conditions of moderate heat pretreatment required to induce thermotolerance are established. Ethanol is identified as an inducer of heat shock proteins and an inducer of thermotolerance.     

Effect of chronic heat exposure on in-vitro drug metabolism in the rat

The $\text{in-vitro}$ rate of drug metabolizing enzymes was investigated in chronically heat exposed male rats. Exposure to 35±2°C for 30 days resulted in significant reduction in the rates of both hepatic N-demethylation of parachloro-N-methylaniline and aniline hydroxylation. Substantial elevation of rectal temperature and marked reduction in body and liver weights was observed in the same rats. The significance of these results is discussed.     

Effects of 6-thioguanine-containing RNA on in vitro protein synthesis

6-Thioguanine was administered to rats 12 hr after partial hepatectomy at a dose of 40 mg/kg of body weight; 6 hr later, polyadenylic acid-containing RNA was isolated and was used to measure initiation of protein synthesis $\text{in vitro}$ in a wheat germ system. $\text{In vitro}$ initiation was found to be 2.3-fold greater when 6-thioguanine-containing RNA was employed, than when polyadenylic acid-containing RNA isolated from untreated animals was used. The homopolymer, poly(TG), did not promote peptide synthesis in the wheat germ $\text{in vitro}$ system employed.     

Synthesis of quinolinate from D-aspartate in the mammalian liver-Escherichia coli quinolinate synthetase system.

Two proteins (A and B) from $\text{Escherichia coli}$ are required for the synthesis of the NAD precursor quinolinate from aspartate and dihydroxyacetone phosphate. Mammalian liver contains a FAD linked protein which replaces $\text{E. coli}$ B protein for quinolinate synthesis. D-aspartic acid but not L-aspartic acid is a substrate for quinolinic acid synthesis in a system composed of the B protein replacing activity of mammalian liver and $\text{E. coli}$ A protein. In contrast the $\text{E. coli}$ B protein-$\text{E. coli}$ A protein quinolinate synthetase system requires L-aspartic acid as substrate. The previous report that L-aspartate was a substrate in the liver-$\text{E. coli}$ system was due to contamination of commercially available [¹⁴C]L-aspartate with [¹⁴C]D-aspartate. These and other observations suggest that liver B protein is D-aspartate oxidase and $\text{E. coli}$ B protein is L-aspartate oxidase.     

Isolation of a complementing activity for a dna-B mutant

A cell free extract which displays temperature sensitive DNA synthesis in the presence of single strand DNA and ATP was prepared from a $\text{dna-B}$ mutant. Following an activity which would reverse this temperature sensitivity, a protein fraction was isolated. The absence of this fraction in a $\text{dna-B}$ mutant indicates that this protein corresponds to the $\text{Dna-B}$ product.     

Prostaglandin and the osmoregulatory role of prolactin in a teleost

Prolactin stimulates elevation of plasma chloride concentrations in $\text{Fundulus grandis}$. Treatment of fish with inhibitors of prostaglandin synthesis (indomethacin or aspirin) prevents elevation of plasma chloride following prolactin injection. Prostaglandin E₁ stimulates increased plasma chloride concentrations in either indomethacin- or aspirin-treated fish. We theorize from these results that at least some of prolactin's actions with regard to teleostean osmoregulation are mediated by stimulation of prostaglandin synthesis.     

An inhibitor of protein synthesis prepared by protease treatment of mouse cerebral cortex cells

A substance was isolated from mouse brain cortical tissue that inhibits both cell division and protein synthesis by cells in culture. The inhibitor was released from cerebral cortex tissue by mild protease treatment. A single exposure of cells to as little as 1.25 μg of the isolated material was sufficient to inhibit BHK-21 cell protein synthesis by 20%. Higher concentrations and continual exposure resulted in 87% reduction in protein synthesis. The inhibition was shown to be independent of amino acid uptake and most effective against primary mouse embryo fibroblasts and neonatal mouse brain cell suspensions. Cells previously adapted to culture or transformed cells derived from the nervous system were less affected by, or refractory to, the inhibitor. The substance was shown to be nondialyzable, relatively resistant to thermal inactivation and the inhibitor activity was not removed by chloroform extraction. Two active fractions were identified by Bio-Gel P-100 chromatography and the protein synthetic inhibitor was removed by affinity chromatography with $\text{Ulex}$$\text{europus}$ agglutinin.     

Viral nucleocapsid melting to measure protein: RNA interactions

Thermal denaturation of nucleocapsids of wild type (WT) vesicular stomatitis virus (VSV), containing only the nucleocapsid protein (N) and viral RNA, caused a “melting” that resulted in an A_260nm absorbance increase of 140%. The nucleocapsids of two temperature-sensitive ($\text{ts}$) VSV mutants, $\text{ts}$ G31BP and $\text{ts}$ G22, both underwent larger absorbance increases of 251% and 177% respectively, suggesting these nucleocapsids are complexed by weaker N protein: RNA interactions than the WT-VSV. Two other mutants, $\text{ts}$ G31 and $\text{ts}$ G41 underwent A_260nm increases either similar to, or smaller than, that measured with WT-VSV nucleocapsids. RNA synthesis by $\text{ts}$ G31BP in infected cells was also found to be decreased at elevated temperatures. This temperature sensitive defect in viral RNA metabolism in $\text{ts}$ G31BP may be the result of weaker protein:RNA interactions associated with the nucleocapsid.     

Catecholamine-induced changes in transmembrane potential and temperature in normal and dystrophic hamster brown adipose tissue

Previous studies have shown that norepinephrine (NE) elicits trans-membrane potential changes in skeletal muscle cells from normal and dystrophic (BIO 14.6) hamsters, with the magnitude of these changes being significantly less in dystrophic cells. To determine if the decreased response of the dystrophic muscle cells reflects a more generalized phenomenon, the present study was designed to evaluate the effects of NE on membrane properties of brown adipocytes. $\text{In vivo}$ techniques using glass microelectrodes were similar to those used in the muscle studies. NE injection (2 to 5 μg/kg body wt, i.v.) into anesthetized hamsters was followed by membrane depolarization, the magnitude of which did not significantly differ in the dystrophic and normal adipocytes. For example, upon administration of 5 μg NE/kg body wt, the average depolarization was $\text{14.5 ± 1.3}\text{mV}\text{(}\text{X}\text{±}\text{S.E.}\text{)}$ for 20 dystrophic cells and 14.1 ± 1.8 mV for 18 normal cells. The depolarizations following i.v. infusion of isoproterenol and phenylephrine also had similar amplitudes in both normal and dystrophic cells. Despite this lack of difference in plasma membrane responses, NE induced a significantly smaller rise in interscapular brown fat temperature in the dystrophic (0.09°C) than in the normal hamsters (0.26°C) following administration of 5 μg NE/kg body wt. Thus, the decreased responsiveness to NE of dystrophic sarcolemma did not occur with the plasma membrane of brown adipocytes, although brown fat temperature changes in the dystrophic hamsters were decreased in amplitude.     

Mechanism of corticotropin action in rat adrenal cells I. The effects of inhibitors of protein synthesis and of microfilament formation on corticosterone synthesis

The contribution of protein synthesis and formation of microtubules and microfilaments to corticotropin-stimulated steriodogenesis in rat adrenal cell suspensions has been assessed by use of a series of inhibitors to each function. Five inhibitors of protein synthesis (cycloheximide, puromycin, blastocidin S, anisomycin, and trichodermin) each exhibited time-dependent inhibition of corticotropin-stimulated steroidogenesis. For the first 30 min, steroidegenesis was more extensively inhibited than protein synthesis, after which the effectiveness of the inhibitors diminished on steroidegenesis but not on protein synthesis. The reversal effects was not observed at high levels of inhibitors. One inhibitor of microfilament fromation (cytochalasin B) and four inhinitors of microtubule formation (colchicine, podophyllotoxin, vinblastine sulfate and griseofulvin) inhibited steroidogenesis without inhibiting protein synthesis and without any reversal effect with prolonged incubation. The actions of all ten inhinitors were shown to be fully reversible. Cell superfusion of adrenal cells showed that the decay of steroidogenesis upon addition of all the protein synthesis inhibitors was similar to decay upon removal of corticotropin from the medium ($\text{t}{}_{\mathrm{<mtext>1</mtext><mtext>2</mtext>}}\text{= 4–6}\text{min}$). Recoveries from inhibition upon removal of the inhibitors were similar to each other and comparable to initial corticotropin stimulation of the cells (lag of 3–5 min, $\text{f}{}_{\mathrm{<mtext>1</mtext><mtext>2</mtext>}}\text{= 7–9}\text{min}$). Similar kinetics of inhibition and recovery were observed for vinblastine sulfate while a direct inhbition of cytochrome P-450_sec by an aminoglutethimide was complete within 1 min and was rapidly reversed.Injection of each inhibitors (all classes) into hypophysectomized rats inhibited the elevation of plasma corticosterone by corticotropin. The extent of cholesterol combination with cytochrome P-450_sec in adrenal mitochondria isolated from these rats was also decreased by all inhbitors. Decreases in plasma corticosterone correlated directly with decreases in cholesterol combination with cytochrome P-450_sec (r = 0.94).It is concluded that protein synthesis and steroidogenesis must be intimately coupled propbably due to the requirement of a labile protein for cholesterol transport to cytochrome P-450_sec. An involvement of microtubules and microfilaments in this process is clearly indicated.     

Purification of a cell growth inhibitor from bovine cerebral cortex cells

A glycopeptide, isolated from bovine cerebral cortex cells and added in only nanogram levels to cells in culture, has been shown to inhibit both cell protein synthesis and cell division. When purified by gel filtration and $\text{Ulex}$$\text{europaeus}$ lectin affinity chromatography, the radioiodinated preparation was subjected to high resolution isoelectric focusing and shown to contain three species of macromolecules. The glycopeptide focusing at pH 8.1 comprised over 75% of the radioiodinated material and possessed inhibitory activity against both cell protein synthesis and cell division. A second species that focused at pH 8.3 was also found to be inhibitory to cell metabolism and may have represented a variant of the major glycopeptide.     

Synthesis of metallothionein in a polysomal cell-free system.

A new covalent chromatography system utilizing Activated Thiol Sepharose 4B was employed to quantitate the content of thionein chains synthesized in a polysomal cell-free system. Liver polysomes from zinc injected rats directed the translation of more thionein-like polypeptide chains than polysomes from control rats. The increase was similar to the stimulation in MT synthesis $\text{in vivo}$ following a zinc injection. This evidence supports the concept that metallothionein synthesis is regulated by changes in the pool of translatable thionein mRNA.     

Hyperthermia Induces the Synthesis of a Heat Shock Protein by Polysomes Isolated from the Fetal and Neonatal Mammalian Brain

Abstract: Analysis of the cell-free translation products of polysomes isolated from fetal brain and other organs indicates that elevation of maternal body temperature induces the synthesis of a heat shock protein of molecular weight 74,000 (74K). The newborn mammal is particularly sensitive to induction of the 74K protein. As early postnatal development proceeds, higher body temperatures are required to induce synthesis of the 74K heat shock protein.     

Plasmid vectors for high-efficiency expression controlled by the PL promoter of coliphage lambda

A family of plasmid cloning vectors has been constructed that make use of the leftward promoter ($\text{P}{}_{\mathrm{<mtext>L</mtext>}}$) of phage λ to provide for efficient expression of cloned genes in Escherichia coli. The promoter activity of $\text{P}{}_{\mathrm{<mtext>L</mtext>}}$ is fully repressed at low temperature by a thermolabile repressor product of the $\text{λc}\text{I}\text{1857}$ gene, and can be activated by heat induction. Examples are given (β-lactamse, tryptophan synthetase A) where, under optimal conditions, between 30 and 40% of the total protein synthesis is directed by the cloned gene under $\text{P}{}_{\mathrm{<mtext>L</mtext>}}$ control.     

Studies on invitro DNA synthesis: II. Isolation of a protein which stimulates deoxynucleotide incorporation catalyzed by DNA polymerases of E.coli

Purified RNA polymerase, DNA polymerase III and unwinding protein of $\text{Escherichia}\text{coli}$ catalyze limited rifampicin sensitive fd or ØX 174 DNA-dependent DNA synthesis. A protein has been partially purified from $\text{E.}\text{coli}$ which stimulates rifampicin sensitive dXMP incorporation in this system 20 to 30 fold. This protein also stimulates DNA synthesis catalyzed by DNA polymerases I and II; the stimulation occurs in reactions primed with natural and synthetic DNAs as well as RNA-DNA hybrids. The protein is not a product of the known dna genes. In contrast to the above system of purified enzymes, rifampicin sensitive dXMP incorporation in crude extracts of $\text{E.}\text{coli}$ is specifically dependent on fd but not ØX 174 DNA. An additional factor has been isolated from extracts of $\text{E.}\text{coli}$ which restores specificity to the purified rifampicin sensitive system by preventing ØX 174 DNA from serving as a template.     

Steroid induction of nerve growth factor synthesis in cell culture

Nerve growth factor (NGF) is a peptide hormone which is necessary for the development of sympathetic neurons. Exposing a rat central nervous system glioma cell line (C-6) to the steroid hormone 17β-estradiol increases the amount of NGF secreted by these cells into the surrounding medium. This induction is highly specific to 17β-estradiol in that similar steroids do not increase NGF levels. Both NGF activity and protein levels increase upon estradiol stimulation and there is a parallel increase in NGF $\text{de}$$\text{novo}$ synthesis. The estradiol effect can be blocked with actinomycin D but not with puromycin or cycloheximide. This is the first report demonstrating regulation of NGF synthesis by a steroid hormone in a clonal cell line of glial origin. We propose this system as a model system for the study of the regulation of NGF synthesis and the isolation and analysis of putative precursors to the NGF molecule.     

Inhibition of initiation of DNA synthesis by aminoglycoside antibiotics

In a $\text{dna}\text{C}{}^{\mathrm{ts}}$ mutant of $\text{E. coli}$, the reinitiation of DNA synthesis, which occurred by the shift of the culture from a restrictive temperature to a permissive temperature, was markedly prevented by habakacin, dibekacin, kanamycin, and gentamicin. On the contrary, chloramphenicol did not inhibit the reinitiation synthesis for 30 min. In a parallel experiment, leucine uptake into protein was profoundly blocked by chloramphenicol, but only slightly by habekacin. Habekacin did not significantly affect DNA elongation of the cells at a restrictive temperature. We propose that inhibition of initiation of replication by aminoglycoside antibiotics is related to their lethality.