Sciatin Is a Transferrin-Like Polypeptide

Abstract: Sciatin, an acidic glycoprotein from chicken sciatic nerve, has myotrophic effects on avian skeletal muscle cells in culture. As sciatin was found to have certain structural similarities to transferrin, we further investigated the physicochemical characteristics of sciatin in order to determine the relationship between these two proteins. Sciatin was found to be strikingly similar to ovotransferrin in amino acid composition. In addition, amino acid sequence analysis revealed that sciatin and ovotransferrin had identical amino-terminal sequences for at least the first 20 amino acid residues. Chicken ovotransferrin, but not human serum transferrin, cross-reacted with rabbit antisciatin antibodies upon rocket immunoelectrophoresis and double immunodiffusion in agar. In addition, in the presence of bicarbonate, sciatin bound approximately 2 mol ferrous iron/mol protein. Using the purification procedure developed for sciatin, we purified a protein from chicken serum that cross-reacted with antisciatin serum, migrated at a position identical to that of sciatin or ovotransferrin on two-dimensional gel electrophoresis, had an amino composition very similar to ovotransferrin and sciatin, and had myotrophic effects on cultured muscle cells. From these data, we conclude that sciatin is a growth-promoting polypeptide closely related in structure to transferrin.     

Theophylline reduces poly (ADP-ribose) synthetase from chick embryo liver nuclei

The effect of theophylline on poly(ADP-ribosyl)ation was investigated. The poly(ADP-ribose) synthetase activity in vitro was markedly reduced in the liver nuclei prepared from theophylline-treated chick embryo. This reduction was not due to the enzyme inhibition by theophylline contamination in the nuclear fraction. The hydroxyapatite column chromatographic analysis of [3H]adenosine-labelled poly(ADP-ribose)molecules formed in vivo revealed that the in vivo formation of poly(ADP-ribose)molecules was also decreased by theophylline administration. The theophylline-induced reduction of poly(ADP-ribose) synthesis was not due to either low NAD levels or to a decrease in the chain length of the poly(ADP-ribose) molecule, rather this reduction was derived from a decrease in the number of poly(ADP-ribose) molecule. Possible mechanisms related to reduction of poly(ADP-ribose) synthesis in vivo are discussed.     

Molecular motion and order in oriented lipid multibilayer membranes evaluated by simulations of spin label ESR spectra. Effects of temperature,cholesterol and magnetic field

A simulation method to interpret electron spin resonance (ESR) of spin labelled amphiphilic molecules in oriented phosphatidylcholine multibilayers in terms of a restricted motional model is presented. Order and motion of the cholestane spin label (3-spiro-doxyl-5α-cholestane) incorporated into egg yolk phosphatidylcholine, dipalmitoylphosphatidylcholine and dimyristoylphosphatidylcholine, pure and in mixture with cholesterol, were studied at various termperatures. With egg yolk phosphatidylcholine identical sets of motional parameters were obtained from simulations of ESR spectra obtained at three microwave frequencies (X-, K- and Q-band). With dipalmitoylphosphatidylcholine and dimyristoylphosphatidylcholine analyses of the spectra show that phase transitions occur in samples containing up to 30 mol % cholesterol. The activation energy for the motion of the spin label is about three times larger above than below the phase transition, indicating a more collective motion in the liquid crystalline state than in the gel state. In the liquid crystalline state the activation energy is larger in the pure phosphatidylcholines than with cholesterol added. Additions of cholesterol to egg phosphatidylcholine induces a higher molecular order but does not appreciably affect correlation times. This is in contrast to dipalmitoylphosphatidylcholine where both order and correlation times are affected by the presence of cholesterol. The activation energies follow the same order as the transition temperatures: dipalmitoylphosphatidylcholine > dimyristoylphosphatidylcholine > egg yolk phosphatidylcholine, suggesting a similar order of the cooperativity of the motion of the lipid molecules. Magnetic field-induced effects on egg phosphatidylcholine multibilayers.     

Suppression and stimulation of DNA synthesis by ADP-ribosylation of nuclear proteins from adult hen and chick embryo liver.

The stimulation of DNA synthesis by ADP-ribosylation of nuclear proteins was observed in chick embryo liver nuclei. In contrast, a significant decrease in template activity was detected in hen liver nuclei treated with NAD. When a 0.35 M NaCl extract from embryo, but not adult, liver nuclei was treated with NAD and then combined with either adult or embryo liver nuclear residue, the ability to activate the template was greatly enhanced. These results indicate that in the chick embryo liver, the ADP-ribosylation of the nuclei plays an important role as a regulator of DNA synthesis.     

Effect of poly(ADP-ribose) formation on DNA synthesis in chick-embryo-liver nuclei. Possible mechanism of template activation.

The complete amino acid sequence of bovine phospholipase A2 (EC 3.1.1.4) was determined. This enzyme has a molecular weight of 13 782 and consists of a single polypeptide chain of 123 amino acids cross-linked by seven disulfide bridges. The main fragmentation of the polypeptide chain was accomplished by digesting the reduced and thialaminated derivative of the protein with trypsin, staphylococcal protease and cyanogen bromide. A number of chymotryptic peptides were used for alignment and to obtain overlaps of at least two residues. The sequence of the peptides was determined by Edman degradation by means of direct phenylthiohydantoin identification in combination with identification as dansyl amino acids. Although 71% of all residues of phospholipase A2 from bovine, porcine and equine sources are conserved, bovine phospholipase A2 differs from the others by the total number of residues and by substitutions at 20 (porcine) and 33 (equine) positions.     

Effect of polyanions and polycations on adenosine 3',5'-monophosphate-binding and protein kinase activity.

Histone, protamine, poly-L-arginine, and poly-L-lysine enhance the binding of adenosine 3′,5′-monophosphate (cyclic AMP) to rat liver cyclic AMP-dependent protein kinase as determined by Millipore filtration assay. Poly-L-glutamic acid and poly-L-aspartic acid suppress cyclic AMP-binding stimulated by histone. Poly-L-glutamic acid and poly-L-aspartic acid are effective against protein kinase and result in decrease in initial reaction velocity when histone is used as a protein substrate. Incubation of cyclic AMP-dependent protein kinase with 6 μg poly-L-glutamic acid produces half-maximal inhibition of cyclic AMP-dependent protein kinase when 30 μg histone is used as substrate.     

Effects Ala54Thr polymorphism of FABP2 on obesity index and biochemical variable in response to a aerobic exercise training

The purpose of the current study was to investigate whether or not the FABP2 gene polymorphism modulated obesity indices, hemodynamic factor, blood lipid factor, and insulin resistance markers through 12-week aerobic exercise training in abdominal obesity group of Korean mid-life women. A total of 243 abdominally obese subjects of Korean mid-life women voluntarily participated in aerobic exercise training program for 12 weeks. Polymerase Chain Reaction with Restriction Fragment Length Polymorphism (PCR-RFLP) assay was used to assess the FABP2 genotype of the participants (117 of AA homozygotes, 100 of AT heterozygotes, 26 of TT homozygotes). Prior to the participation of the exercise training program, baseline obesity indices, hemodynamic factor, blood lipid factor, and insulin resistance markers were measured. All the measurements were replicated following the 12-week aerobic exercise training program, and then the following results were found. After 12-week aerobic exercise training program, wild type (Ala54Ala) and mutant type (Ala54Thr+Thr54Thr) significantly decreased weight (P > .001), BMI (P > .001), %bf (P > .001), waist circumference (P > .001), WHR (P > .001), muscle mass (wild type p < .022; mutant type P > .001), RHR (P > .001), viseceral adipose area (wild type p < .005; mutant type P > .001), subcutaneous area (P > .001), insulin (wild type p < .005; mutant type P > .001) and significantly increased VO2max (P > .001). And wild type significantly decresed NEFA (P > .05), glucose (P > .05), OGTT 120min glucose (P > .05) and significantly increased HDLC (p > .005). Mutant type significantly decreased SBP (P > .001), DBP (P > .01), TC (P > .01), LPL (P > .05), LDL (P > .001), HOMA index (P > .01). The result of the present study represents that regular aerobic exercise training may beneficially prevent obesity index, blood pressure, blood lipids and insulin resistance markers independent of FABP Ala54Thr wild type and mutant type.     

A Novel Electrochemically Active and Fe(III)-reducing Bacterium Phylogenetically Related to Clostridium butyricum Isolated from a Microbial Fuel Cell

An obligatory anaerobic bacterium was isolated from a mediator-less microbial fuel cell using starch processing wastewater as the fuel and designated as EG3. The isolate was Gram-positive, motile and rod (2.8–3.0 μm long, 0.5–0.6 μm wide). The partial 16S rRNA gene sequence and analysis of the cellular fatty acids profile suggested that EG3 clusters with Clostridium sub-phylum and exhibited the highest similarity (98%) with Clostridium butyricum. The temperature and pH optimum for growth were 37°C and 7.0, respectively. The major products of glucose and glucose/Fe(O)OH metabolism were lactate, formate, butyrate, acetate, CO₂and H₂. Growth was faster at the initial phase and the cell yield was higher when the medium was supplemented with Fe(O)OH than without Fe(O)OH. These results suggest that Fe(III) ion is utilised as an electron sink. Cyclic voltammetry showed that Clostridium butyricum EG3 cells were electrochemically active. It is a novel characteristic of strict anaerobic Gram-positive bacteria.     

Visualization of antibody binding to the photosynthetic membrane: the transmembrane orientation of cytochrome b-559

We have used immuno-gold labeling and electron microscopy to study the topography of thylakoid membrane polypeptides. Thylakoid vesicles formed by passage through a French press were adsorbed onto a plastic film supported by an electron microscope grid and processed for single or double immuno-gold labeling. After shadowing with platinum, the inside-out and right-side-out vesicles were identified by their distinctive morphologies. Right-side-out vesicles were labeled by a monoclonal antibody recognizing an epitope located in the trypsin-cleaved, N-terminal portion of the LHC II apoprotein, and by an antibody to CF1. A monoclonal antibody to the alpha-subunit of cytochrome b-559 reacted with a synthetic tridecapeptide corresponding to the C-terminal portion of the polypeptide. Both this antibody and a polyclonal antibody to the synthetic peptide labeled inside-out vesicles exclusively, indicating that the polypeptide C-terminus was exposed on the lumenal (exoplasmic) surface of the membrane.