Regulation of major acute-phase plasma proteins by hepatocyte- stimulating factors of human squamous carcinoma cells

Human squamous carcinoma (COLO-16) cells release factors which specifically stimulate the synthesis of major acute-phase plasma proteins in human and rodent hepatic cells. Anion exchange, hydroxyapatite, lectin, and gel chromatography of conditioned medium of COLO-16 cells result in separation into three distinct forms of hepatocyte-stimulating factors (designated HSF-I, HSF-II, and HSF-III) with apparent molecular weights of 30,000, 50,000 and 70,000, respectively. None of the preparations contains detectable amounts of thymocyte-stimulating activity. Each of the three HSF forms stimulates the accumulation of mRNA for alpha 1-antichymotrypsin in the human hepatoma cell line, HepG2. When the same factors were added to primary cultures of adult rat hepatocytes, the expression of the same set of plasma proteins was modulated as by nonfractionated medium. The hormonally induced accumulation of mRNA for acute phase proteins is qualitatively comparable to that occurring in the liver of inflamed rats. Unlike in human cells, in rat liver cells dexamethasone acts additively and synergistically with HSFs. The only functional difference between the three HSF forms lies in the level of maximal stimulation. HSF-I represents the predominant form produced by normal human keratinocytes and closely resembles in molecular size and isoelectric point the activity produced by activated peripheral blood monocytes while the larger molecular weight forms are more prevalent in human as well as mouse squamous carcinoma cells. The observation that HSFs from different sources elicit essentially the same pleiotropic response in hepatic cells led to the hypothesis that the species-specific reaction of adult liver cells to inflammatory stimuli is pre-programmed and that the function of any HSF is to trigger and tune the execution of this fixed cellular process.     

Inhibition of carbonic anhydrase by plasma of dogs and rabbits

Carbonic anhydrase (CA) activity was measured by the Bowes-Davis technique in diluted hemolysates of dog erythrocytes, rabbit erythrocytes, and dog lung tissue homogenates. Plasma (from the same animal) inhibited the CA activity in each case. For 1:16,700 dilution of dog erythrocytes, the CA catalyzed the CO2 hydration reaction by 5.3 +/- 0.4-fold above the uncatalyzed rate, and half that activity was inhibited by plasma concentrations of 0.44 +/- 0.05%. Similar rabbit CA concentrations were inhibited by plasma concentrations of 1.02 +/- 0.24%. CA from dog lung tissue homogenate is only partially inhibited by plasma even at high plasma concentrations, suggesting different isozymes, at least one of which is not inhibited by plasma. The results suggest that extrapolating from artificially perfused lungs or histological observations to in vivo conditions may not be valid, and the possibility of inhibition by plasma in at least some species should be considered.     

Microcomputer monitor and blood sampler for free-diving Weddell seals

The equipment used for the first sampling of arterial blood at depth on free-diving Weddell seals Leptonychotes weddelli is described. Blood was withdrawn through an aortic catheter by a submersible, peristaltic roller pump and stored in a single- or multiple-sample collection device. The multiple sampler allowed up to eight individual blood samples to be collected during a single dive. The blood pump was controlled by a dedicated microcomputer that allowed initiation of blood sampling at flexible combinations of depth and/or time during either the descending or ascending phase of the dive. The dedicated microcomputer also recorded swimming depth, velocity, heart rate, and body temperature at selectable time intervals. These data were transmitted to a laboratory computer, and blood samples were retrieved, when the seal surfaced to breathe.     

The use of [3H]aniline to identify the essential carboxyl group in the bovine mitochondrial F1-ATPase that reacts with 1-(ethoxycarbonyl)-2-ethoxy-1,2-dihydroquinoline

The inactivation of the bovine heart mitochondrial F1-ATPase with 1-(ethoxycarbonyl)-2-ethoxy-1,2-dihydroquinoline (EEDQ) in the presence of [3H]aniline at pH 7.0 led to the covalent incorporation of 3H into the enzyme. When the ATPase was inactivated by 94% with 0.9 mM EEDQ in the presence of 3.6 mM [3H]aniline in a large-scale experiment in which the protein concentration was 21 mg/ml, 4.2 mol [3H]anilide were formed per mol enzyme, of which 0.35 mol was incorporated per mol of the alpha subunit and 1.0 mol was incorporated per mol of the beta subunit. Examination of a tryptic digest of the isolated alpha subunit revealed that the majority of the 3H was contained in a single tryptic peptide, which, when purified, was shown to contain the [3H]anilide of a glutamic acid residue which corresponds to alpha-Glu-402 of the Escherichia coli F1-ATPase. This residue was labeled to the extent of about 1.0 mol/mol enzyme. Analysis of tryptic peptides purified from the isolated beta subunit showed that 0.8 and 1.5 mol, respectively, of the [3H]anilides of beta-Glu-341 and beta-Glu-199 were formed per mol MF1 during the inactivation of the enzyme at 21 mg/ml. When the ATPase was inactivated by 90% at a protein concentration of 1.7 mg/ml by 0.9 mM EEDQ in the presence of 1.7 mM [3H]aniline, 3.1 mol [3H]anilide were formed per mol enzyme. From the analysis of the radioactive peptides purified from a tryptic digest of the labeled ATPase from this experiment it was estimated that 0.7 mol of the [3H]anilide of alpha-Glu-402, 0.3 mol of the [3H]anilide of beta-Glu-341, and 1.5 mol of the [3H]anilide of beta-Glu-199 were formed per mol F1-ATPase. Since beta-Glu-199 is labeled to the same extent in the two experiments while alpha-Glu-402 and beta-Glu-341 were not, suggests that the modification of beta-Glu-199 is responsible for inactivation of the enzyme by EEDQ.     

A Yersinia enterocolitica serotype 0:3 lipopolysaccharide-specific monoclonal antibody reacts more strongly with bacteria cultured at room temperature than those cultured at 37 degrees C

It has been suggested that the O-side chains of the lipopolysaccharide (LPS) of serotype 0:3 strains of Yersinia enterocolitica vary quantitatively and qualitatively depending on whether they are cultured at 37 degrees C or 25 degrees C. It is uncertain whether this affects the expression of the serotype-specific antigens that are probably carried on the LPS. We studied this question with a serotype 0:3-specific monoclonal antibody, 2C1. This monoclonal antibody immunoprecipitated a 39K major protein from detergent-solubilized 125I-labeled Yersinia preparation. However, results of Western blot experiments demonstrated that the antigens reactive with 2C1 were not actually the 39K protein but the O-side chains of the LPS. Significantly, reactivity could be detected whether the bacteria were cultured at room temperature or at 37 degrees C. However, absorption experiments confirmed that there were less accessible antigenic determinants on the 37 degrees C-LPS. The LPS preparations were analyzed by sodium dodecyl sulfate-polyacrylamide gel electrophoresis (SDS-PAGE) and silver staining. These SDS-PAGE profiles showed that less O-side chains were present in the 37 degrees C-LPS. Hence, the most likely explanation for our observation is that the 37 degrees C incubation condition induced a partial smooth to rough transition of the Yersinia LPS with a decrease in the amount of 2C1-reactive antigen.     

The influence of pre-treatment temperature on the thermal sensitivity of a mouse tumour

The response of tumours to hyperthermia was tested by giving graded heat treatments and assessing local control at 90 days. Mice were divided into three groups which were pre-treated for 3 days in ambient temperatures of 4, 21 or 35 degrees C. This enabled the mean tumour resting temperature to be varied by up to 11 degrees C, before subsequent heat treatment. For the heat treatments, the tumours were clamped in order to eliminate blood flow, resulting in uniform temperature distributions and hence more uniform thermal sensitivity. TCD50 values were used to construct Arrhenius plots. For all three pre-treatment temperatures, these plots demonstrated a factor of 1.6 increase in heating time per degree Celsius reduction in heating temperature. However, tumours kept in a 4 degrees C environment before treatment were more thermally sensitive than those kept in 21 degrees C conditions, while those in a 35 degrees C environment were more resistant. Pretreatment at 4 degrees C was equivalent to an increase of either 0.5 degree C in heating temperature or 28 per cent in heating time, compared with pre-treatment at 21 degrees C. Pre-treatment at 35 degrees C was equivalent to a reduction of either 0.6 degree C in heating temperature or 25 per cent in heating time. These data indicate that the pre-treatment tumour temperature is an important parameter, but the effect of heat treatment is more closely related to absolute heating temperature rather than to the increase in temperature above the normal resting level.     

A mutation in yeast mitochondrial DNA results in a precise excision of the terminal intron of the cytochrome b gene

The yeast nuclear gene CBP2 was previously proposed to code for a protein necessary for processing of the terminal intron in the cytochrome b pre-mRNA (McGraw, P., and Tzagoloff, A. (1983) J. Biol. Chem. 258, 9459-9468). In the present study we describe a mitochondrial mutation capable of suppressing the respiratory deficiency of cbp2 mutants. The mitochondrial suppressor mutation has been shown to be the result of a precise excision of the last intervening sequence from the cytochrome b gene. Strains with the altered mitochondrial DNA have normal levels of mature cytochrome b mRNA and of cytochrome b and exhibit wild type growth on glycerol. These results confirm that CBP2 codes for a protein specifically required for splicing of the cytochrome b intron and further suggest that absence of the intervening sequence does not noticeably affect the expression of respiratory function in mitochondria.     

Inhibition of chlorophyll synthesis inHordeum vulgare by 3-amino 2,3-dihydrobenzoic acid (gabaculin)

Gabaculin (3-amino 2,3-dihydrobenzoic acid) is shown to be a very potent inhibitor of chlorophyll formation inHordeum vulgate. Exposure of leaf segments to 30/M gabaculin results in an 80% inhibition of chlorophyll synthesis, and this is paralleled by a decrease in carotenoid. Dual-inhibitor studies with dioxoheptanoic acid, which is an inhibitor of inolaevulinic acid dehydratase, show that gabaculin inhibits an earlier step than dioxoheptanoic acid and affects -aminolaevulinic acid synthesis rather than its subsequent metabolism.