Blood coagulation induced by the venom of Bothrops atrox. 1. Identification, purification, and properties of a prothrombin activator

In this paper, we show that the procoagulant action of Bothrops atrox venom is due in part to a protein component that activates prothrombin. The venom prothrombin activator was purified by ion-exchange chromatography and gel filtration. It was separated from a protease by affinity chromatography in a p-aminobenzamidine-CH-Sepharose column. It is a protein of about Mr 70,000, consisting of a single polypeptide chain. We have studied the kinetics of activation of prothrombin under different experimental conditions. The prothrombin activator from B. atrox venom is insensitive to reagents of serine and thiol proteases but is inactivated by ion chelators and by various divalent ions. These results suggest that it is a metalloenzyme. The prothrombin activator from B. atrox venom is inactive on the chromogenic substrates S-2337 and S-2238, and it is selective for prothrombin since it does not act on other blood coagulation factors such as fibrinogen and factor X. We have also studied the pattern of peptide cleavages produced in the human prothrombin molecule during the activation by the activator from B. atrox venom and compared it to that obtained with ecarin, a prothrombin activator from Echis carinatus venom. In the presence of thrombin inhibitors, e.g., hirudin, we found that the activators from B. atrox venom and ecarin act in a similar, or identical, manner by producing a thrombin intermediate, meizothrombin. In the absence of thrombin inhibitors, several peptides are generated, and alpha-thrombin is produced as a consequence of meizothrombin action.     

Survival of sheep x goat hybrid inner cell masses after injection into ovine embryos

Modified blastocyst injection techniques were used to inject immunosurgically isolated sheep x goat hybrid inner cell masses (ICM) into ovine blastocysts, with subsequent transfer of composite embryos to ovine recipients. Hybrid embryos were collected from does artificially inseminated with Barbados ram semen. A total of 13 live and 2 aborted offspring resulted from the 34 composite embryos transferred to recipient ewes (38% embryo survival). Of the 15 offspring, 4 exhibited phenotypic hybridism and 2 (13%) of these were determined to be hybrid mean value of -sheep chimeras by karyotype, serum protein and isoenzyme analyses, and fiber identification. Each of the 4 was produced by an injection procedure that involved damage of the ovine host ICM. One additional offspring was unusual in appearance, but the presence of hybrid cells was not proven. Similarly, caprine ICM were immunosurgically isolated and injected into ovine blastocysts that were then transferred to ovine recipients. Of the 13 composite embryos transferred, 12 offspring were produced (92% embryo survival). Eleven were overt goat mean value of -sheep chimeras and, of these, 7 were also blood chimeras. The hybrid ICM was shown to be capable of contributing to normal embryonic and fetal development after injection into an ovine blastocyst but may be less likely to be incorporated with the ovine host ICM than is the caprine ICM.     

A sensitive and continuous fluorometric assay for phospholipase A2 using pyrene-labeled phospholipids in the presence of serum albumin

Phospholipase A2 activity can be determined fluorometrically in the presence of serum albumin using phospholipids labeled at the sn-2-acyl position with 10-pyrenyldecanoic acid. In the water reaction medium 10-pyrene phospholipids form vesicles and the monomer fluorescence of the pyrene is negligible due to pyrene-pyrene interaction. Upon phospholipid hydrolysis 10-pyrenyldecanoic acids are produced and tightly bind to albumin so that a monomer pyrene fluorescence is observed. We obtained an excellent parallelism between hydrolysis determined by a classical extraction method and that followed by direct and continuous spectrofluorometric recording of the monomer emission of pyrene. This assay can measure picomole amounts of phospholipids hydrolyzed per minute so that picogram quantities of phospholipases A2 from pancreas or from venoms can be measured. Phospholipase activity remains proportional to enzyme concentration over three orders of magnitude. The method can be used to quantify the phospholipase A2 activity of crude extracts of low specific activity.     

Amphiphilic and Nonamphiphilic Forms of Torpedo Cholinesterases: I. Solubility and Aggregation Properties

We report an analysis of the solubility and hydrophobic properties of the globular forms of acetylcholinesterase (AChE) and butyrylcholinesterase (BuChE) from various Torpedo tissues. We distinguish globular nonamphiphilic forms (Gna) from globular amphiphilic forms (Ga). The Ga forms bind micelles of detergent, as indicated by the following properties. They are converted by mild proteolysis into nonamphiphilic derivatives. Their Stokes radius in the presence of Triton X-100 is approximately 2 nm greater than that of their lytic derivatives. The G2a forms fall in two classes. Class I contains molecules that aggregate in the absence of detergent, when mixed with an AChE-depleted Triton X-100 extract from electric organ. AChE G2a forms from electric organs, nerves, skeletal muscle, and erythrocyte membranes correspond to this type, which is also detectable in detergent-soluble (DS) extracts of electric lobes and spinal cord. Class II forms never aggregate but only present a slight shift in sedimentation coefficient, in the presence or absence of detergent. This class contains the AChE G2a forms of plasma and of the low-salt-soluble (LSS) fractions from spinal cord and electric lobes. The heart possesses a BuChE G2a form of class II in LSS extracts, as well as a similar G1a form. G4a forms of AChE, which are solubilized only in the presence of detergent and aggregate in the absence of detergent, represent a large proportion of cholinesterase in DS extracts of nerves and spinal cord, together with a smaller component of G4a BuChE. These forms may be converted to nonamphiphilic derivatives by Pronase. Nonaggregating G4a forms exist at low levels in the plasma (BuChE) and in LSS extracts of nerves (BuChE) and spinal cord (AChE).     

Identical N-terminal peptide sequences of asymmetric forms and of low-salt-soluble and detergent-soluble amphiphilic dimers of Torpedo acetylcholinesterase. Comparison with bovine acetylcholinesterase

We have determined partial N-terminal sequences of acetylcholinesterase (AChE) catalytic subunits from Torpedo marmorata electric organs and from bovine caudate nucleus. We obtain identical sequences (23 amino acids) for the soluble ('low-salt-soluble' or LSS fraction) and particulate ('detergent-soluble', or DS fraction) amphiphilic dimers (G2 form) and for the asymmetric, collagen-tailed forms ('high-salt-soluble', or HSS fraction, A12 + A8 forms). There are two amino acid differences, at position 3 (Asp/His) and 20 (Ile/Val), with the sequences obtained for T. californica by MacPhee-Quigley et al. [(1985) J. Biol. Chem. 260, 12185-12189] for the soluble G2 form and the lytic G4 form which is derived from asymmetric AChE. The bovine sequence (12 amino acids) presents an identity of 4 amino acids (Glu-Leu-Leu-Val) with that of Torpedo, at positions 5-8 (Torpedo) and 7-10 (bovine). There is also a clear homology with the sequence of human butyrylcholinesterase [(1986) Lockridge et al. J. Biol. Chem., in press] indicating that these enzymes probably derive from a common ancestor.     

The biological relevance of HPLC-purified vasoactive intestinal polypeptide monoiodinated at tyrosine 10 or tyrosine 22

Three major forms of monoiodinated VIP (M125I-VIP) were isolated after chloramine-T iodination and HPLC purification. The iodinated tyrosine residue was located in each form of M125I-VIP using arginase C and trypsin digestion for obtaining defined fragments containing only one tyrosine residue. The HPLC isolated iodinated fragments thus obtained were used for HPLC comigration studies with iodinated synthetic C and N terminal VIP fragments and for amino acid analysis. The first two eluting peaks 1 and 2 are (M125I-Tyr10-VIP); peak 1 has an oxidized methionine; peak 3 is a (M125I-Tyr22-VIP) which also has an oxidized methionine. A reduced counterpart of peak 3 named peak 4 was isolated by further HPLC analysis. The ability of the different species of M125I-VIP to stimulate adenosine cyclic 3',5'-phosphate (cAMP) production in transformed colonic cells in culture (HT-29) was compared to that of native VIP. The mean potencies of the M125I-VIP species expressed as a percentage relative to the potency of native VIP were, peak (1): 0.98; (2): 0.84; (3): 1.38; (4): 1.48, in the range of concentrations tested (2-60 pM). The M125I-Tyr22-VIP are significantly more active than native VIP (P less than 0.01). Oxidation of methionine or iodination of tyrosine 10 does not significantly modify the biological activity of VIP. We conclude that iodination of Tyr-22 located in the apolar helical COOH-terminal of VIP increases the effectiveness of VIP interaction with its receptors. Thus the tyrosyl residue and the localized hydrophobic features of VIP are critically involved in the function of this neurotransmitter.     

Insulin-like growth factor I receptor primary structure: comparison with insulin receptor suggests structural determinants that define functional specificity.

To identify structural characteristics of the closely related cell surface receptors for insulin and IGF-I that define their distinct physiological roles, we determined the complete primary structure of the human IGF-I receptor from cloned cDNA. The deduced sequence predicts a 1367 amino acid receptor precursor, including a 30-residue signal peptide, which is removed during translocation of the nascent polypeptide chain. The 1337 residue, unmodified proreceptor polypeptide has a predicted Mr of 151,869, which compares with the 180,000 Mr IGF-I receptor precursor. In analogy with the 152,784 Mr insulin receptor precursor, cleavage of the Arg-Lys-Arg-Arg sequence at position 707 of the IGF-I receptor precursor will generate alpha (80,423 Mr) and beta (70,866 Mr) subunits, which compare with approximately 135,000 Mr (alpha) and 90,000 Mr (beta) fully glycosylated subunits.     

Characterization of the cit-1 gene from Neurospora crassa encoding the mitochondrial form of citrate synthase

We have isolated the cDNA and corresponding genomic DNA encoding citrate synthase in Neurospora crassa. Analysis of the protein coding region of this gene, named cit-1, indicates that it specifies the mitochondrial form of citrate synthase. The predicted protein has 469 amino acids and a molecular mass of 52002 Da. The gene is interrupted by four introns. Hybridization experiments show that a cit-1 probe binds to two different fragments of genomic DNA, which are located on different chromosomes. Neurospora crassa may have two isoforms of citrate synthase, one in the mitochondria and the other in microbodies.     

Characterization of the cit-1 gene from Neurospora crassa encoding the mitochondrial form of citrate synthase

We have isolated the cDNA and corresponding genomic DNA encoding citrate synthase in Neurospora crassa. Analysis of the protein coding region of this gene, named cit-1, indicates that it specifies the mitochondrial form of citrate synthase. The predicted protein has 469 amino acids and a molecular mass of 52002 Da. The gene is interrupted by four introns. Hybridization experiments show that a cit-1 probe binds to two different fragments of genomic DNA, which are located on different chromosomes. Neurospora crassa may have two isoforms of citrate synthase, one in the mitochondria and the other in microbodies.