Subcellular localization of intracellular forms of human chorionic gonadotropin in first trimester placenta

To determine the subcellular sites for synthesis and processing of human chorionic gonadotropin subunits in cells, first trimester placental cells were fractionated subcellularly on sucrose density gradients. Analysis of the subcellular fractions by immunobinding techniques revealed that the rough endoplasmic reticulum-rich fraction contained only intermediates having high-mannose oligosaccharides, but the Golgi-rich fraction contained not only intermediates but also mature forms which were resistant to endoglycosidase H but sensitive to neuraminidase. These results show that human chorionic gonadotropin subunits are synthesized in the rough endoplasmic reticulum as forms containing high-mannose oligosaccharides, and their maturation occurs in the Golgi apparatus by trimming with endogenous glycosidases. They are then modified by addition of complex oligosaccharides and terminal sialic acid through glycosyltransferases.     

Enzymatic Treatment to Eliminate the Extracellular ATP for Improving the Detectability of Bacterial Intracellular ATP

A novel and effective treatment of biological samples with a combination of adenosine phosphate deaminase and apyrase was developed for reducing extracellular ATP, which has been a major problem encountered in improving the sensitivity of assays for intracellular ATP by the firefly luciferin–luciferase (L-L) method. Under the enzymatic reaction conditions, ATP and the related adenosine derivatives were converted to IMP, which are not active to the L-L system. In the model system (3.2 × 10⁻⁸mATP in 1% yeast extract solution) the treatment with adenosine phosphate deaminase resulted in the reduction of ATP to 1.3 × 10⁻¹¹m, and the concomitant use of apyrase lowered the concentration to 3.3 × 10⁻¹³m. The treatment (0.05 U/ml of adenosine phosphate deaminase and apyrase) was applied to the detection of bacteria in broth by the L-L method, affording the detection of 42 colony-forming unit (CFU)/ml ofEscherichia coliand 10 CFU/ml ofStaphylococcus aureusin the broth.