Disassembly of microtubules by the action of calmodulin-dependent protein kinase (Kinase II) which occurs only in the brain tissues

Microtubules assembled by the incubation of GTP at 37 °C were disassembled by the action of calmodulin-dependent protein kinase (Kinase II) which occrs only in the brain tissues. This disassembly required the presence of ATP and physiological concentrations of Ca²⁺ and calmodulin.     

A rapid one-step purification of NADPH-cytochrome c (P-450) reductase from rat liver microsomes

NADPH-cytochrome c (P-450) reductase from liver microsomes of phenobarbital-treated rats has been purified in a single step by affinity chromatography on agarose-hexane-adenosine 2',5'-diphosphate. As determined by sodium dodecyl sulfate-polyacrylamide gel electrophoresis, enzyme assay, and radioimmunoassay the protein obtained by this single step procedure is as pure as that isolated by multicolumn procedures.     

Effect of hemolysate on calcium inhibition of the (Na+ + K+)-ATPase of human red blood cells

The sensitivity of the (Na+ + K+)-ATPase in human red cell membranes to inhibition by Ca2+ is markedly increased by the addition of diluted cytoplasm from hemolyzed human red blood cells. The concentration of Ca2+ causing 50% inhibition of the (Na+ + K+)-ATPase is shifted from greater than 50 microM free Ca2+ in the absence of hemolysate to less than 10 microM free Ca2+ when hemolysate diluted 1:60 compared to in vivo concentrations is added to the assay mixture. Boiling the hemolysate destroys its ability to increase the sensitivity of the (Na+ + K+)-ATPase to Ca2+. Proteins extracted from the membrane in the presence of EDTA and concentrated on an Amicon PM 30 membrane increased the sensitivity of the (Na+ + K+)-ATPase to Ca2+ in a dose-dependent fashion, causing over 80% inhibition of the (Na+ + K+)-ATPase at 10 microM free Ca2+ at the highest concentration of the extract tested. The active factor in this membrane extract is Ca2+-dependent, because it had no effect on the (Na+ + K+)-ATPase in the absence of Ca2+. Trypsin digestion prior to the assay destroyed the ability of this protein extract to increase the sensitivity of the (Na+ + K+)-ATPase to Ca2+.     

Activity of organophosphorus insecticides in bacterial tests for mutagenicity and DNA repair--direct alkylation versus metabolic activation and breakdown. II. O,O-dimethyl-O-(1,2-dibromo-2,2-dichloroethyl)-phosphate and two O-ether derivatives of trichlorfon

The following organophosphates were tested for their ability to induce DNA damage in a rec-type repair test with Proteus mirabilis strains PG713 (rec- hcr-) and PG273 (wild-type) and point mutations in the his- strain TA100 of Salmonella typhimurium: O,O-dimethyl-O-(1,2-dibromo-2,2-dichloroethyl)-phosphate (NALED); trichlorfon-O-methyl ether (TCP-O-ME), O,O-dimethyl-(1-methoxy-2,2,2-trichlorethyl)-phosphonate; trichlorfon-O-methyl ether vinyl derivative (TCP-O-MEVD), O,O-dimethyl-(1-methoxy-2,2-dichlorovinyl)-phosphonate. All compounds were negative in the repair test but induced base pair substitutions in S. typhimurium. The mutagenicity of NALED is due to the direct alkylating ability of the parental molecule and to mutagenic metabolites generated by enzymatic splitting of the side chain. Glutathion-dependent enzymes in the S9-mix eliminate the mutagenic activity of NALED completely. Mutation induction by TCP-O-ME and TCP-O-MEVD is predominantly caused by the reactive O-methyl ether configuration of the side chain and is resistant to metabolic inactivation by NADPH- or glutathion-dependent enzymatic pathways in the S9-mix of mice.     

Enhanced cadmium cytotoxicity in A549 cells with reduced glutathione levels is due to neither enhanced cadmium accumulation nor reduced metallothionein synthesis

Glutathione (GSH) depletion sensitizes human lung carcinoma (A549-727) cells to the cytotoxic effects of Cd⁺⁺. The effects of GSH depletion on Cd⁺⁺ accumulation and Cd⁺-induced metallothionein (MT) content were investigated to determine the possible role of these Cd⁺⁺ responses in the sensitization process. Cellular GSH was depleted to 20% to 25% of control levels with buthionine sulfoximine (BSO), or diethyl maleate (DEM), respectively. Neither treatment significantly affected Cd⁺⁺-induced accumulation of exogenous³⁵s-cysteine into intracellular MT in a dose-dependent fashion. The results indicate that neither enhanced Cd⁺⁺ accumulation nor reduced MT synthesis plays a primary role in affecting enhanced Cd⁺⁺ cytotoxicity in A549 cells with reduced GSH levels. Although BSO inhibition of GSH synthesis enhanced MT synthesis, it sensitized the cells to Cd⁺⁺, which suggests an additive effect of GSH and MT in cadmium cytoprotection. This observation also raises the possibility that intracellular cysteine levels limit Cd⁺⁺-induced MT accumulation rates.Abbreviations GSH glutathione - MT metallothionein - BSO DL-buthionine-[S,R]-sulfoximine - DMSO dimethyl sulfoximine - DEM diethyl maleate - NP-40 nonidet-P40 - PBS phosphate buffered saline - HBSS Hank's balanced salt solution - DTT dithiothreitol 3. This work was presented in part at the 72nd Annual Meeting of the Federation of American Societies for Experimental Biology, Las Vegas, Nevada, May 1–5, 1988.     

Methanogenesis and microbial lipid synthesis in anoxic salt marsh sediments

In anoxic salt marsh sediments of Sapelo Island, GA, USA, the vertical distribution of CH₄ production was measured in the upper 20 cm of surface sediments in ten locations. In one section of high marsh sediments, the concentration and oxidation of acetate in sediment porewaters and the rate and amount of¹⁴C acetate and¹⁴CO₂ incorporation into cellular lipids of the microbial population were investigated. CH₄ production rates ranged from <1 to 493 nM CH₄ gram sediment⁻¹ day⁻¹ from intact subcores incubated under nitrogen. Replacement with H₂ stimulated the rate of methane release up to nine fold relative to N₂ incubations. Rates of lipid synthesis from CO₂ averaged 39.2 ×10⁻²nanomoles lipid carbon cm³ sediment⁻¹ hr⁻¹, suggesting that CO₂ may be an important carbon precursor for microbial membrane synthesis in marsh sediments under anoxic conditions. Qualitative measurements of lipid synthesis rates from acetate were found to average 8.7 × 10⁻² nanomoles. Phospholipids were the dominant lipids synthesized by both substrates in sediment cores, accounting for an average of 76.6% of all lipid radioactivity. Small amounts of ether lipids indicative of methanogenic bacteria were observed in cores incubated for 7 days, with similar rates of synthesis for both CO₂ and acetate. The low rate of ether lipid synthesis suggests that either methanogen lipid biosynthesis is very slow or that methanogens represent a small component of total microbial lipid synthesis in anoxic sediments. present address: The University of Maryland,, Chesapeake Biological Laboratory, Box 38, Solomons, MD 20688, USA     

买麻藤化学成分的研究

从买麻藤(Gnetum montanum Markgr)的藤茎中分离鉴定出4个新化合物:2-羟基(?)甲氧基-4-甲氧羰基吡咯(1),2-羟基-3-甲氧甲基-4-甲氧羰基吡咯(2),3,4-二羟基-4-(?)氧基二苄醚(3)和3,3',4'-三羟基-4-甲氧基二苄醚(4)以及两个已知化合物2,3-二苯基吡咯(5)和胺甲基甲醇(6)。化合物(1)、(2)和(6)是以盐酸盐形式分离得到。     

Crown ether mediated cadmium halide dimers and polymers

The reactions of cadmium halides with the 15-membered macrocyclic crown ethers, 15-crown-5 and benzo-15-crown-5, have been carried out and six new complexes have been isolated and structurally characterized. Metal to ligand stoichiometries of 1:1, 2:1, 3:1 and 3:2 have been observed with a variety of different formulations. Examples of charge separated ion pairs ([(NH₄)(benzo-15-crown-5)₂]₂[Cd₂I₆]), halogen bridged monomers, dimers or polymers ([Cd(15-crown-5)(OHMe)(μ-Br)CdBr₃], [Cd(15-crown-5)(μ-Br)₂CdBr(μ-Br)]₂(isolated from the same reaction mixture) and [(CdCl₂)₂CdCl₂(15-crown-5)]_n), and hydrogen bonded finite chains or polymers ([(Cd(OH₂)₂(15-crown-5)][CdI₃(OH₂)]₂·2(15-crown-5)·2CH₃CN and [CdI₂(OH₂)₂(THF)]·benzo-15-crown-5) have been isolated. Three different types of 15-crown-5 coordination modes have been observed in these complexes. In-cavity coordination resulting in pentagonal bipyramidal geometries about Cd²⁺ was observed in [(CdCl₂)₂CdCl₂(15-crown-5)]_n, [Cd(15-crown-5)(OHMe)(μ-Br)CdBr₃], and [Cd(OH₂)₂(15-crown-5)][CdI₃(OH₂)]₂·2(15-crown-5)·2CH₃CN, [Cd(15-crown-5)(μ-Br)₂CdBr(μ-Br)]₂ displays out-of-cavity coordination with one etheric donor distorted into an axial position of a distorted pentagonal bipyramid. The third coordination mode is secondary sphere coordination via hydrogen bonding which is observed for [Cd(OH₂)₂(15-crown-5)][CdI₃(OH₂)]₂·2(15-crown-5)·2CH₃CN. The good fit of Cd²⁺ within the cavity of 15-crown-5 results in shorter bonding contacts and a more narrow distribution in Cd---O values (2.273(7)-2.344(6) Å) than observed for cadmium halide complexes of 18-crown-6 (Cd---O = 2.69(1)–2.81(1) Å).     

Use of diethyl squarate for the coupling of oligosaccharide amines to carrier proteins and characterization of the resulting neoglycoproteins by MALDI-TOF mass spectrometry

The 8-methoxycarbonyloctyl glycosides of GlcNAc, Gal1-4Glc, Fuc1-2Fuc1-3GalNac and Fuc1-2Gal1-3[Fuc1-4]GlcNac were converted to primary amines by reaction with neat ethylenediamine and then coupled to bovine serum albumin (BSA) using diethyl squarate as the connector. The average degree of incorporation of the sugar onto the protein, as well as the molecular weight distribution, could be conveniently determined using matrix assisted laser desorption ionization/time of flight (MALDI-TOF) mass spectrometry thus avoiding cumbersome structure-dependent colour-tests or analysis of cleaved ligand. The present coupling method has the advantages of proceeding under very mild conditions, yielding controlled incorporation values and can reliably be used for the coupling of very small amounts (mg) of oligosaccharide.This paper is dedicated to Sen-itiroh Hakomori on the occasion of his 65th birthday     

脉叶罗汉松化学成分的研究

从脉叶罗汉松(Podocarpus neriifolius D.Don)的枝叶中分离到11种化合物,根据光谱数据和物理常数测定,分别鉴定为正三十四烷醇(1)、β-谷甾醇硬脂酸酯(2)、β-谷甾醇(3)、金松双黄酮(sciadopitysin,3)、罗汉松双黄酮 B(podocarpusflavone B,12)、罗波斯塔黄酮-7″-甲醚(robustaflavone-7″-methyl ether,13)罗汉松双黄酮 A(podocarpusflaveone A,14)、罗波斯塔黄酮(robustaflavone,15)、对羟基苯甲酸(p-hydroxyl-benzoic acid,16)、2″-O-鼠李糖扫帚黄甙(2″-O-rhamnosylscoparin,23)和2″-O-鼠李糖牡荆黄甙(2″-O-rhamnosylvitexin,24)。其中,化合物23和24为首次从罗汉松科分得的化合物,化合物8、13和15首次从该植物分离到。