Differentiation of intestinal epithelial cell line (IEC-18) by an acid extract of rat small intestine

A factor which may induce differentiation of intestinal epithelial cell lines in vitro was found in an acid extract of adult rat small intestine. The addition of a partially purified acetic acid extract of rat small intestine to IEC-18 cell culture dishes increased sucrase activity within 48 h. Thymidine incorporation markedly decreased within 24 h. Significant development of microvilli-like structures was observed on the acid extract-treated IEC-18 cells, compared with controls. This activity of rat acid extract was heat-stable and the apparent molecular weight of the factor was 400-800. These findings suggested that the factor may be related to the epithelial differentiation of rat small intestinal crypt cells.     

Adherence of streptococci to surface-modified glass

Four types of surface-modified glass were prepared. Aminopropyl glass was prepared by alkylsilylation of glass slides with gamma-aminopropyltriethoxysilane. This glass carries primary amino groups which may be protonated at pH 7.2. Owing to the presence of both positively charged ions and hydrophobic ethoxyl groups, the glass is considered to be amphipathic. Three other types of surface-modified glass slides were prepared from aminopropyl glass by forming Schiff's bases with three aldehydes: glucose, glyoxylic acid and hexanal. The aldehyde-treated slides were subsequently reduced using sodium borohydride. Thus, the surface of the glass was rendered hydrophilic, ampholytic or hydrophobic, respectively. The adherence of two Streptococcus sanguis strains and two Streptococcus mutans strains to the surface-modified glass slides was studied. Different strains showed differences in adherence to these slides depending on their physico-chemical surface properties. For S. sanguis ATCC 10556, hydrophobic bonds seemed to be most important, while in S. mutans OMZ 176, ionic interactions made the highest contribution to adhesion. Hydrogen bonds seemed to contribute least to adherence.     

Tissue Distribution and Immunocytochemical Localization of Neurotrophin-3 in the Brain and Peripheral Tissues of Rats

Abstract: The tissue distribution of neurotrophin-3 (NT-3) was investigated in rats at 1 month of age using a newly established, sensitive two-site enzyme immunoassay system for NT-3, as well as the immunocytochemical localization of this protein. The immunoassay for NT-3 enabled us to quantify NT-3 at levels > 3 pg per assay. In the rat brain, NT-3 was detectable only in the olfactory bulb (0.54 ng/g wet weight), cerebellum (0.71 ng/g), septum (0.91 ng/g), and hippocampus (6.3 ng/g). By contrast, NT-3 was widely distributed in peripheral tissues. Appreciable levels of NT-3 were also found in the thymus (31 ng/g), heart (38 ng/g), diaphragm (21 ng/g), liver (45 ng/g), pancreas (892 ng/g), spleen (133 ng/g), kidney (40 ng/g), and adrenal gland (46 ng/g). An antibody specific for NT-3 bound to pyramidal cells in the CA2-CA4 regions of the hippocampus, to A cells in the islets of Langerhans in the pancreas, to unidentified cells in the red pulp of the spleen, to liver cells, and to muscle fibers in the diaphragm from rats at 1 month of age. Molecular masses of NT-3-immunoreactive proteins in the hippocampus and pancreas were 14 and 12 kDa, respectively. Thus, in rats, NT-3 was detected in restricted regions of the brain and in the visceral targets of the nodose ganglia at high concentrations. Our present results suggest that NT-3 not only functions as a classical target-derived neurotrophic factor but also can play other roles.     

Hepatocyte Growth Factor (HGF)-Induced Cell Migration Is Negatively Modulated by Epidermal Growth Factor through Tyrosine Phosphorylation of the HGF Receptor

Hepatocyte growth factor (HGF) stimulated cell migration of human gastric carcinoma cell lines MKN1, MKN7, and MKN28. Epidermal growth factor (EGF) also stimulated the cell migration of these three cell lines. In MKN7 cells, HGF-stimulated cell migration was rather reduced in the presence of EGF, whereas such an observation was not made with MKN1 and MKN28 cells. Therefore, we compared the effect of EGF on HGF-stimulated HGF receptor phosphorylation in these cell lines. HGF induced a rapid tyrosine phosphorylation of the HGF receptor in all these cell lines. In MKN7 cells, the increased phosphorylation was further enhanced by EGF, although EGF alone did not affect tyrosine phosphorylation of the HGF receptor. In MKN1 and MKN28 cells, EGF did not influence tyrosine phosphorylation of the HGF receptor, whether HGF was present or not. The data presented here suggest that EGF negatively modulates the cellular response to HGF by increasing tyrosine phosphorylation of the HGF receptor in certain types of epithelial cells, e.g., MKN7 cells.     

Co-purification,co-imniunoprecipitation,and coordinate expression of acetyl-coenzyme A carboxylase activity,biotin carboxylase,and biotin carboxyl carrier protein of higher plants

Acetyl-CoA carboxylase (ACCase; EC 6.4.1.2) is a regulatory enzyme of fatty acid synthesis, and in some higher-plant plastids is a multi-subunit complex consisting of biotin carboxylase (BC), biotin-carboxyl carrier protein (BCCP), and carboxyl transferase (CT). We recently described a Nicotiana tabacum L. (tobacco) cDNA with a deduced amino acid sequence similar to that of prokaryotic BC. We here provide further biochemical and immunological evidence that this higher-plant polypeptide is an authentic BC component of ACCase. The BC protein co-purified with ACCase activity and with BCCP during gel permeation chromatography of Pisum sativum L. (pea) chloroplast proteins. Antibodies to the Ricinus communis L. (castor) BC co-precipitated ACCase activity and BCCP. During castor seed development, ACCase activity and the levels of BC and BCCP increased and subsequently decreased in parallel, indicating their coordinate regulation. The BC protein comprised about 0.8% of the soluble protein in developing castor seed, and less than 0.05% of the protein in young leaf or root. Polypeptides cross-reacting with antibodies to castor BC were detected in several dicotyledons and in the monocotyledons Hemerocallis fulva L. (day lily), Iris L., and Allium cepa L. (onion), but not in the Gramineae species Hordeum vulgare L. (barley) and Panicum virgatum L. (switchgrass). The castor endosperm and pea chloroplast ACCases were not significantly inhibited by long-chain acyl-acyl carrier protein, free fatty acids or acyl carrier protein. The BC polypeptide was detected throughout Brassica napus L. (rapeseed) embryo development, in contrast to the multi-functional ACCase isoenzyme which was only detected early in development. These results firmly establish the identity of the BC polypeptide in plants and provide insight into the structure, regulation and roles of higherplant ACCases.Abbreviations ACCase acetyl-CoA carboxylase - ACP acyl carrier protein - BC biotin carboxylase - BCCP biotin carboxyl carrier protein - CT carboxyl transferase - MF multi-functional - MS multi-subunit We thank our colleagues Nicki Engeseth and Vicki Eccleston for advice on fatty acid analysis and Sarah Hunter for providing the developing Iris seed. This work was supported in part by grant MCB 9406466 from NSF. Acknowledgement is also made to the Michigan Agriculture Experiment Station for its support of this research.     

Genetic polymorphisms of the CST2 locus coding for cystatin SA

A new genetic polymorphism of cystatin SA has been identified in human submandibular-sublingual saliva by means of basic gel electrophoresis and immunoblotting with anti-cystatin S. Two proteins, SA1 and SA2, are given by two alleles of CST2, viz., CST2^*1 and CST^*2. Inheritance is controlled by two codominant alleles at an autosomal locus. This hypothesis is supported by studies of 16 families 32 children. Gene frequencies for CST2^*1 and CST2^*2 are 0.935 and 0.065, respectively (n = 341). Eighteen amino acids determined among 20 N-terminal residues of cystatin SA2 are identical with the sequence encoded by CST2. Three forms of cystatin S (mono-phosphorylated cystatin S, di-phosphorylated cystatin S, and non-phosphorelated cystatin S) are present in the 341 saliva samples tested.     

Inhibition of growth of mammalian cell cultures by extracts of arginine-utilizing mycoplasmas

Mechanisms of the inhibition of growth of mammalian cell cultures caused by mycoplasmal infection were investigated by using cell-free extracts of 14 species of mycoplasmas. In four mammalian cell lines tested, the growth of two cell lines, FM3A and MDCK, was inhibited by the extracts of arginine-utilizing mycoplasmas, whereas that of the other two cell lines, Vero and LLC-MK2, was not inhibited by extracts of either arginine- or glucose-utilizing mycoplasmas. These results suggest that there are two types of cell cultures, one susceptible and the other insusceptible to arginine-utilizing mycoplasmas. In a series of experiments using FM3A cells, it was found that the growth inhibition caused by the extracts of arginine-utilizing mycoplasmas was due to removal of arginine from the medium by the action of arginine deiminase present in the extracts and that none of the metabolic products of arginine had any effect on the growth. A highly positive correlation (r = 0.96, P less than 0.01) was observed between the activity of arginine deiminase and the growth-inhibiting activity of extracts of arginine-utilizing mycoplasmas.     

Electron paramagnetic resonance of nitrosylprotoheme dimethyl ester complexes with imidazole derivatives as model systems for nitrosylhemoproteins.

For the purpose of understanding the electron paramagnetic resonance (epr) spectral change of nitrosylhemoproteins under various conditions, the epr spectra for the model system have been analyzed. The model system consists of the nitrogen oxide complex of the iron(II) protoporphyrin IX dimethyl ester and various imidazole derivatives (three hindered and six unhindered imidazole derivatives). The results of the analysis indicate the existence of two molecular species in the model system, which differ in structure of the FeNO unit. These observations were compared with those for the nitrosylhemoproteins.