Effect of troponin I phosphorylation by protein kinase A on length-dependence of tension activation in skinned cardiac muscle fibers

We examined the effect of troponin I (TnI) phosphorylation by cAMP-dependent protein kinase (PKA) on the length-dependent tension activation in skinned rat cardiac trabeculae. Increasing sarcomere length shifted the pCa (-log[Ca2+])-tension relation to the left. Treatment with PKA decreased the Ca2+ sensitivity of the myofilament and also decreased the length-dependent shift of the pCa-tension relation. Replacement of endogenous TnI with phosphorylated TnI directly demonstrated that TnI phosphorylation is responsible for the decreased length-dependence. When MgATP concentration was lowered in the absence of Ca2+, tension was elicited through rigorous cross-bridge-induced thin filament activation. Increasing sarcomere length shifted the pMgATP (-log[MgATP])-tension relation to the right, and either TnI phosphorylation or partial extraction of troponin C (TnC) abolished this length-dependent shift. We conclude that TnI phosphorylation by PKA attenuates the length-dependence of tension activation in cardiac muscle by decreasing the cross-bridge-dependent thin filament activation through a reduction of the interaction between TnI and TnC.     

Suppressive effects of swainsonine and N-butyldeoxynojirimycin on human bone marrow neutrophil maturation

The effects of the N-linked oligosaccharide inhibitors swainsonine and N-butyldeoxynojirimycin (NB-DNJ) on granulopoiesis was investigated using human bone marrow cells in in vitro liquid and agar cultures. The addition of the inhibitors into cultures containing granulocyte colony-stimulating factor (G-CSF) suppressed maturation from myelocytes into mature neutrophils. Swainsonine did not induce apoptosis, but NB-DNJ induced considerable apoptosis, especially in the presence of G-CSF. This result indicated that the decrease of mature neutrophils by swainsonine was not because of cell degeneration. In the case of NB-DNJ, it was thought to be because of both maturation suppression and apoptosis. In a colony-forming unit-granuloid (CFU-G) colony assay, the number of colonies was increased in the presence of the inhibitors, but the morphology of colonies was predominantly compact, or immature. The inhibitors also suppressed the expressions of mRNAs of CCAAT/enhancer binding protein epsilon (C/EBPepsilon) and G-CSF receptor as markers of terminal neutrophil maturation. These findings suggested that the incompleteness of N-linked oligosaccharide leads to the suppression of terminal neutrophil maturation.     

Ribozyme to human TGF-beta1 mRNA inhibits the proliferation of human vascular smooth muscle cells

Transforming growth factor-beta (TGF-beta) has been reported to be involved in the pathogenesis of cardiovascular proliferative diseases such as hypertensive vascular disease, atherosclerosis, and arterial restenosis after angioplasty. We designed a 38-base DNA-RNA chimeric hammerhead ribozyme to cleave human TGF-beta1 mRNA as a gene therapy for human arterial proliferative diseases. In the presence of MgCl(2), synthetic ribozyme to human TGF-beta1 mRNA cleaved the synthetic target RNA into two RNA fragments of predicted size. A control mismatch ribozyme, with one different base in the catalytic loop region, was inactive. DNA-RNA chimeric ribozyme (0. 01-1.0 microM) significantly inhibited angiotensin II (Ang II)-stimulated DNA synthesis in a dose-dependent manner in human vascular smooth muscle cells (VSMC). The mismatch ribozyme did not affect Ang II-stimulated DNA synthesis in the cells. DNA-RNA chimeric ribozyme (1.0 microM) inhibited the proliferation of human VSMC in the presence of Ang II. DNA-RNA chimeric ribozyme (1.0 microM) significantly inhibited Ang II-stimulated TGF-beta1 mRNA and protein expression in human VSMC. These results indicate that the designed DNA-RNA chimeric hammerhead ribozyme targeted to human TGF-beta1 mRNA can effectively and potentially inhibit growth of human VSMC by cleaving the TGF-beta1 mRNA. This finding suggests that this ribozyme will be useful in the gene therapy of arterial proliferative diseases.     

Fatty acid synthase is expressed mainly in adult hormone-sensitive cells or cells with high lipid metabolism and in proliferating fetal cells.

Animal fatty acid synthase (FAS) is a homodimer protein which synthesizes long-chain fatty acids and is rich in liver, brain, breast, and lung. However, the precise cellular localization of FAS in human tissues has not been elucidated. Immunohistochemistry with a new antibody to human FAS revealed that in adult human tissues FAS is distributed mainly in cells with high lipid metabolism (adipocytes, corpus luteum, hepatocytes, sebaceous glands, and Type II alveolar cells), in hormone-sensitive cells (anterior pituitary, apocrine gland, breast, endometrium, prostate, seminal vesicle, and adrenal cortex), and in a subset of epithelial cells of duodenum and stomach, colon absorptive cells, cerebral neurons, basket cells of cerebellum, decidua, uroepithelium, and epidymis. In fetal cells at 20 weeks of gestation, FAS was mainly present in proliferative epithelial cells of the digestive and respiratory systems, proximal renal tubules, adrenocortical cells, and mesenchymal and hematolymphoid cells. Staining was significant in nonproliferating cells, as observed in adult, and in sympathetic ganglion cells, Leidig cells of testis, and Langhans cells of chorionic villi. FAS is maintained in hormone-sensitive cells and/or cells active in lipid metabolism in the adult and is expressed in proliferating cells in the fetus, suggesting active fatty acid synthesis for energy utilization or membrane lipids.     

Some properties of an immobilized glycolysis system of yeast in fermentative phosphorylation of nucleotides

Summary Immobilized dried yeast cells, which contain glycolytic and some other emzymes, required NAD but not ATP for the (e.g. choline kinase, pyrophosphorylase) fermentative production of CDP-choline, when washed and reused. The immobilized system was more resistant to heat than dried cells, which had previously been used for the same purpose. However, when too many cells were immobilized, leakage of the enzymes from the resin lattice was observed during repeated use. To prevent this leakage, the ratio of cells to resin should be considered. Present name: Yoshinori Wakai     

Accumulation of immunoreactive opsin on plasma membranes in degenerating rod cells of rd/rd mutant mice

Immunoreactive opsin was detectable in the apical portion of normally developing photoreceptor cells on postnatal day 3 by the indirect enzyme-labeled antibody method. Immunoreactivity increased and had extended from the central retina to the periphery by the advanced stages of development. In the rd mutant retinas, accumulated opsin was present in the apical portion and in the outer nuclear layer on postnatal day 8. Immunoreactive opsin mainly was present in the outer nuclear layer by day 14, even being detectable on day 28. No immunoreactivity was present in the remaining cones. Electron microscopic immunocytochemistry confirmed the association of immunoreactive opsin with the persistent rod cell plasma membrane. Molecular weight of immunoreactive opsin in 14-day-old rd mutant mouse retina, as estimated by gel filtration chromatography, was large and did not seem to be degraded. These findings indicate that accumulated rhodopsin continues to function in the plasma membrane because an electroretinogram could be made after day 14 for the rd mutant mouse retina.     

Structure of a novel sialylated fucosyl lacto-N-norhexaosylceramide isolated from chronic myelogenous leukemia cells

A novel sialylated fucosyl glycolipid, which is present at an elevated level in chronic myelogenous leukemia cells, was isolated. The structure of this fucoganglioside was elucidated by methylation analysis, fast atom bombardment-mass spectrometry, and enzymatic degradation, followed by reaction with anti-Lex, Gal beta 1----4 (Fuc alpha 1----3) GlcNAc beta 1----, monoclonal antibody. The structure of this ganglioside was found to be: (Formula: see text). This structure is unique in that a fucose is attached to the internal N-acetylglucosamine but not to the subterminal N-acetylglucosamine. Since this glycolipid is apparently absent in normal granulocytes or acute myelogenous leukemia cells, it can be a specific marker for chronic myelogenous leukemia cells. Based on the structures of this fucoganglioside and normal granulocyte glycolipids, a biosynthetic pathway of extension, sialylation, followed by fucosylation is proposed.