Addition of Cryoprotectant Significantly Alters the Epididymal Sperm Proteome

Although cryopreservation has been developed and optimized over the past decades, it causes various stresses, including cold shock, osmotic stress, and ice crystal formation, thereby reducing fertility. During cryopreservation, addition of cryoprotective agent (CPA) is crucial for protecting spermatozoa from freezing damage. However, the intrinsic toxicity and osmotic stress induced by CPA cause damage to spermatozoa. To identify the effects of CPA addition during cryopreservation, we assessed the motility (%), motion kinematics, capacitation status, and viability of epididymal spermatozoa using computer-assisted sperm analysis and Hoechst 33258/chlortetracycline fluorescence staining. Moreover, the effects of CPA addition were also demonstrated at the proteome level using two-dimensional electrophoresis. Our results demonstrated that CPA addition significantly reduced sperm motility (%), curvilinear velocity, viability (%), and non-capacitated spermatozoa, whereas straightness and acrosome-reacted spermatozoa increased significantly (p < 0.05). Ten proteins were differentially expressed (two decreased and eight increased) (>3 fold, p < 0.05) after CPA, whereas NADH dehydrogenase flavoprotein 2, f-actin-capping protein subunit beta, superoxide dismutase 2, and outer dense fiber protein 2 were associated with several important signaling pathways (p < 0.05). The present study provides a mechanistic basis for specific cryostresses and potential markers of CPA-induced stress. Therefore, these might provide information about the development of safe biomaterials for cryopreservation and basic ground for sperm cryopreservation.     

Cell culture and in vitro studies of fresh and cryopreserved human insulinoma

Summary Dispersed cells from both fresh and cryopreserved human insulinoma have been maintained in cell culture. Initial yield of viable cells was 50% for fresh and 25% for cryopreserved tissue. Viability of cells in culture was documented by increasing numbers of cells (doubling time approximately 5 d initially and 2 d at the sixth subculture for both fresh and cryopreserved tissue) and continued release of insulin over time (approximately 100 ng/ml per 10⁵ cells at 10 d and 175 ng/ml per 10⁵ cells at 30 d of culture for both fresh and cryopreserved tissue). Evidence that cells growing in culture were beta cells was provided by: (a) recovery of intracellular and extracellular immunoreactive insulin (IRI), (b) electron microscopic morphology, and (c) immunohistochemical staining. Cells from fresh insulinoma incubated with increasing concentrations of extracellular glucose released increasing amounts of IRI up to approximately 15 mM glucose, which paralleled changes in plasma insulin obtained during a preoperative glucose tolerance test. Under an Intergovernmental Personnel Act Exchange from the Department of Surgery, University of California, Davis, Sacramento Medical Center.     

Glycosyl conjugates of biotinylated diaminopyridine applied for study of carbohydrate-to-carbohydrate interaction

Previous studies by us and others established that cell-cell adhesion is mediated by specific carbohydrate-to-carbohydrate interaction (CCI). Those previous studies were based on various biochemical and biophysical approaches, including the use of labeled glycosyl epitopes with fluorescent tag. However, these methods ideally require that the glycosyl epitope must be fixed to a solid phase molecule, preferably with multivalency. The purpose of the present study is to establish a CCI process using specific glycosyl residues conjugated to biotinylated diaminopyridine (BAP), and to observe: (i) clear occurrence of homotypic CCI between “Os Fr.B” having 5–6 GlcNAc termini, vs. absence of such homotypic CCI between “Os Fr.1” having 2 GlcNAc termini; (ii) occurrence of heterotypic CCI between GM3 ganglioside and Os Fr.B, vs. absence of such heterotypic CCI between GM3 and Os Fr.1. Interaction between Os Fr.B-BAP conjugate and Os Fr.B-ceramide mimetic (Os Fr.B-mCer) was demonstrated based on two experiments: (i) dose-dependent binding of Os Fr.B-BAP conjugate to polystyrene plates coated with Os Fr.B-mCer was observed in the presence of bivalent cation, a prerequisite for all CCI processes, and such binding was abolished by EDTA; (ii) binding between equal nanomolar Os Fr.B-BAP and Os Fr.B-mCer was inhibited by mM concentration Os Fr.B without conjugate, in dose-dependent manner. Thus, cell adhesion processes based on homotypic CCI between N-linked glycans having multiple GlcNAc termini, and heterotypic CCI between GM3 and such glycans, were clearly observed using BAP conjugates of glycosyl epitopes.     

Growth hormone induces two mRNA species of the serine protease inhibitor gene family in rat liver

In order to study the molecular actions of growth hormone on gene expression, we have cloned and characterized two unique, but related, cDNA sequences from rat liver, lambda Spi-1 and lambda Spi-2. These two cDNA sequences are complementary to rat hepatic mRNA species previously designated as Spots 3 and 20 when assayed by in vitro translation and two-dimensional gel electrophoresis. By Northern blot, the two mRNAs are both 1900 bases in length and growth hormone administered to hypophysectomized rats increases the levels of both of these mRNAs. In contrast, the combined administration of thyroxine, corticosterone, and dihydrotestosterone to hypophysectomized rats did not augment these mRNAs. The simultaneous administration of all four hormones resulted in a level greater than that observed for animals treated with growth hormone alone. Analysis of genomic DNA suggests the presence of two similar, but not identical, genes. DNA sequencing of lambda Spi-1 and lambda Spi-2 revealed that they were 90% homologous at the nucleotide level and 87% homologous at the amino acid sequence level. lambda Spi-2 has 78% homology with mouse contrapsin, 60% with human alpha 1-antichymotrypsin, and 51-55% with alpha 1-antitrypsins, all members of the serine protease inhibitor gene family. The nucleotide and deduced amino acid sequences of lambda Spi-1 and lambda Spi-2 which align with the reactive centers of known members of this family differ substantially from each other and from other members of the family. The difference in the reactive center suggests that the specificity or function of these proteins may differ from other members of serine protease inhibitor gene family.     

Analysis of N-acetoxy-N-2-acetylaminofluorene-induced frame-shifts in pBR322

We present a simple system which can be used to study directly directly the sequence change and the cellular repair functions involved in frame-shift mutagenesis by a covalently reactive mutagen. Positive (+S) and negative (?S) alterations in the number of base pairs of the Tc gene of pBR322 were generated and particular clones with Ap^RTc^S phenotypes were selected for mutagenesis experiments. Exposure of these frame-shifted plasmid DNAs to a potent carcinogen, N-acetoxy-N-2-acetylaminofluorene (AAAF), in vitro, caused covalent alterations to DNA sequence and resulted in a number of revertants (Ap^RTc^R) not observed in the untreated controls. The dose curve indicated an exponential response suggesting single-hit kinetics. Differential inactivation of the Ap gene was observed among various E. coli strains. The wild-type AB1157 and AB2463 (yrecA) showed a similar dose curve while AB1886 (uvrA) showed a marked decrease in Ap^R clones at the same dose. Both addition (+S) and deletion (?S) plasmids exhibited similar dose curves on inactivation of Ap gene. The reversion frequency, however, of ?S plasmid was a factor of 10 times higher than +S plasmid. The reversion frequency also increase markedly with uvrA host but not with recA host. 2 types of deletion revertants of the +S plasmid were found. 1 revertant has a single GC base-pair deletion in GC-rich region which is likely to be a target for AAAF reaction. The other showed a deletion of 4 base pairs (TCGA) at the tandem repeating sequence TCGATCGA which may represent a hot spot for frame-shift mutation.     

Macrophage oxidation of L-arginine to nitrite and nitrate: nitric oxide is an intermediate

Previous studies have shown that murine macrophages immunostimulated with interferon gamma and Escherichia coli lipopolysaccharide synthesize NO2-, NO3-, and citrulline from L-arginine by oxidation of one of the two chemically equivalent guanido nitrogens. The enzymatic activity for this very unusual reaction was found in the 100,000g supernatant isolated from activated RAW 264.7 cells and was totally absent in unstimulated cells. This activity requires NADPH and L-arginine and is enhanced by Mg2+. When the subcellular fraction containing the enzyme activity was incubated with L-arginine, NADPH, and Mg2+, the formation of nitric oxide was observed. Nitric oxide formation was dependent on the presence of L-arginine and NADPH and was inhibited by the NO2-/NO3- synthesis inhibitor NG-monomethyl-L-arginine. Furthermore, when incubated with L-[guanido-15N2]arginine, the nitric oxide was 15N-labeled. The results show that nitric oxide is an intermediate in the L-arginine to NO2-, NO3-, and citrulline pathway. L-Arginine is required for the activation of macrophages to the bactericidal/tumoricidal state and suggests that nitric oxide is serving as an intracellular signal for this activation process in a manner similar to that very recently observed in endothelial cells, where nitric oxide leads to vascular smooth muscle relaxation [Palmer, R. M. J., Ashton, D. S., & Moncada, S. (1988) Nature (London) 333, 664-666].     

Binding of an antitumor drug to DNA, Netropsin and C-G-C-G-A-A-T-T-BrC-G-C-G

The antitumor antibiotic netropsin has been co-crystallized with a double-helical B-DNA dodecanucleotide of sequence: C-G-C-G-A-A-T-T-BrC-G-C-G, and the structure of the complex has been solved by X-ray diffraction at a resolution of 2.2 A. The structure has been refined independently by Jack-Levitt and Hendrickson-Konnert least-squares methods, leading to a final residual error of 0.257 by the Jack-Levitt approach (0.211 for two-sigma data) or 0.248 by the Hendrickson-Konnert approach, with no significant difference between refined structures. The netropsin molecule displaces the spine of hydration and fits snugly within the minor groove in the A-A-T-T center. It widens the groove slightly and bends the helix axis back by 8 degrees, but neither unwinds nor elongates the double helix. The drug molecule is held in place by amide NH hydrogen bonds that bridge adenine N-3 and thymine O-2 atoms, exactly as with the spine of hydration. The requirement of A X T base-pairs in the binding site arises because the N-2 amino group of guanine would demand impermissibly close contacts with netropsin. It is proposed that substitution of imidazole for pyrrole in netropsin should create a family of "lexitropsins" capable of reading G X C-containing base sequences.     

Chemical mechanism of the adenosine cyclic 3',5'-monophosphate dependent protein kinase from pH studies

The pH dependence of kinetic parameters and inhibitor dissociation constants for the adenosine cyclic 3',5'-monophosphate dependent protein kinase reaction has been determined. Data are consistent with a mechanism in which reactants selectively bind to enzyme with the catalytic base unprotonated and an enzyme group required protonated for peptide (Leu-Arg-Arg-Ala-Ser-Leu-Gly) binding. Binding of the peptide apparently locks both of the above enzyme residues in their correct protonation state. MgATP preferentially binds fully ionized and requires an enzyme residue (probably lysine) to be protonated. The maximum velocity and V/KMgATP are pH independent. The V/K for Ser-peptide is bell-shaped with pK values of 6.2 and 8.5 estimated. The pH dependence of 1/Ki for Leu-Arg-Arg-Ala-Ala-Leu-Gly is also bell-shaped, giving pK values identical with those obtained for V/KSer-peptide, while the Ki for MgAMP-PCP increases from a constant value of 650 microM above pH 8 to a constant value of 4 mM below pH 5.5. The Ki for uncomplexed Mg2+ obtained from the Mg2+ dependence of V and V/KMgATP is apparently pH independent.