Glutamate Dehydrogenase in Cerebellar Mutant Mice: Gene Localization and Enzyme Activity in Different Tissues

Many similarities of both the inheritance pattern and the neuropathology can be observed between olivopontocerebellar atrophies, or so-called multiple system atrophies (MSAs), and murine cerebellar mutations like Purkinje cell degeneration, nervous, staggerer, weaver, and reeler. Our study aimed to test whether the glutamate dehydrogenase (GDH) deficiency observed in some MSA patients could be found also in any of the murine mutants. GDH activity was assayed in several organs of these mutants, and no general deficiency was detected. By contrast, the level was found to be elevated in the cerebellum. The GDH gene was localized on mouse chromosome 14 and does not map close to any known neurological mutation in the mouse. We conclude, for the moment, that none of these cerebellar mutant mice can be considered as an animal model for GDH-deficient MSA.     

Mechanism of Transition from Xanthine Dehydrogenase to Xanthine Oxidase: Effect of Guanidine-HCL or Urea on the Activity

Mammalian xanthine oxidoreductase can be converted from the dehydrogenase to the oxidase form, either reversibly by formation of disulfide bridges or irreversibly by proteolytic cleavage within the xanthine oxidoreductase protein molecule. A tightly packed amino acid cluster stabilizes the dehydrogenase form, and disruption of this cluster is accompanied with rearrangement of the active site loop. Here, we show that the conversion occurs in the presence of guanidine-HCl or urea. We propose that xanthine dehydrogenase and oxidase are in a thermodynamic equilibrium that can be shifted by disruption of the amino acid cluster with a denaturant.     

Developmental Pattern of Plasminogen Activator Activity in Chick Brain Hemispheres

Plasminogen activators play key roles in several developmental events. In previous works we demonstrated the existence of typical developmental patterns of protease activity in the chick optic lobe and cerebellum. The aim of this work is to study the temporal pattern of development of plasminogen activator activity in the brain hemispheres. Plasminogen activator activity was assayed in soluble fractions derived by ultracentrifugation from Triton X-100 treated membrane fractions by using a radial fibrinolytic assay. Employing different inhibitors and anti-plasminogen activators antibodies we showed that developing brain hemispheres express only one type of enzyme which corresponds to the urokinase-type. Other results indicate that the protease activity displays a temporal pattern which completely differs from those of general parameters of development. This suggests that the plasminogen activator activity is developmentally regulated and could display specific functions during particular stages of development.     

Xanthine Oxidase/Dehydrogenase Activity in Intact Cultured Cells (In Situ Analysis)

The measured ratio of xanthine oxidase activity to the total activity of xanthine oxidase and dehydrogenase showed higher values in intact cells than when similar cells were homogenized. The total activity was the same for both systems. The xanthine oxidase ratio was 90, 60, 50, 50, 60% in V79, RIF/Ha³, SCC7, KHT intact cells and freshly extracted murine peritoneal macrophages respectively while the corresponding ratios measured were 25, 40, 38, 35, 22% when the cells were lysed by homogenization. Superoxide radical 0₂ production by addition of xanthine to intact or homogenized cells to activate intracellular xanthine oxidase was higher in intact than homogenized cells. Homogenization of cells and tissues in the presence of dithioerythritol (DTE) can evidently lead to a considerable under-estimation of the xanthine oxidase ratio. The effect of hypoxia on cells has also been examined.     

山梨醇脱氢酶的克隆、表达及活性检测

目的:从氧化葡糖杆菌H24中克隆山梨醇脱氢酶基因进行表达并检测其活性。方法:以氧化葡糖杆菌H24基因组DNA为模板,PCR扩增包括启动子、结构基因及其后的终止序列在内的山梨醇脱氢酶基因;将PCR产物插入pMD18T载体,转化大肠杆菌DH5α;通过活性电泳检测山梨醇脱氢酶在大肠杆菌中的表达及活性。结果:从氧化葡糖杆菌H24中扩增得到山梨醇脱氢酶基因并在大肠杆菌中实现表达,重组菌株经活性电泳检测具有醇糖转化活性。结论:原核表达的山梨醇脱氢酶具有很强的醇糖转化活性。     

Developmental Changes in Rat Liver Xanthine Oxidase(s) and Its Intracellular Distribution

Developmental change and subcellular distribution of xanthine oxidase in the rat liver were examined.

The specific activity of the fetal liver xanthine oxidase increased sharply to the levels of the adult liver on the day of the birth. After birth, the activity dropped rapidly and on the 14th day after birth it was about 1/4 of adult level. Then the activity was regained and around 28th day after birth it was about the same as in adult level.

In the livers from 80 days old rats, about 60% of total xanthine oxidase activity was found in soluble fraction and the rest was distributed among particulate fractions including microsomal, lysosomal, mitochondrial and nuclear fractions.

In contrast to the adult livers 80% of total xanthine oxidase activity in fetal liver was found to be in particulate fractions.

From kinetic studies of xanthine oxidases in particulate and soluble fractions it was suggested that xanthine oxidase in soluble fraction and xanthine oxidase in particulate fraction might be different in their natures of protein molecule.     

Activity and Isoenzyme Pattern of Lactate Dehydrogenase in Neurons and Astroblasts Cultured from Brains of Chick Embryos

Primary cultures of neurons and glial cells (astroblasts) prepared from brains of 8-day-old and 15-day-old chick embryos, respectively, were grown for periods between 3 and 19 days. Specific activity of lactate dehydrogenase (LDH) increased in both types of cultures as a function of time and was always significantly higher in glial cells than in neurons. Glial cell extracts were found to contain predominantly the anaerobic isoenzymatic form of LDH (LDH-H4), and this pattern did not change over a period of 19 days. Cultured neurons contained predominantly the aerobic isoenzymatic form LDH-H4, and there was a progressive appearance of all other isoenzymes over an 8-day period. These results support the hypothesis of a different energy metabolism in neurons and glia.     

Aging-Related Changes in Proteasomal Activity and Activity of Neutral Proteinases in Brain Tissues of the Rats

We compared the proteasomal activity and activity of neutral proteinases in tissues of the neocortex and cerebellum in old (18 months) and young mature (5 months) rats. We found that, in homogenates of the tissues obtained from brains of old animals, the chymotrypsin-like activity of the proteasome complex in the cortex increased by 50% as compared with the control, while in the cerebellum such an activity remained practically unchanged. Peptidylglutamyl peptide hydrolase proteasomal activity increased on average by 72% in the cortex and by 14% in the cerebellum. Protamine-splitting activity, which is indicative of the activity of neutral proteinases, dropped insignificantly in the cortex and cerebellum (by 16.4 and 15.3%, respectively). The data obtained allow us to suppose that aging-related changes in brain cells result from disturbances of the functional connections between lysosomal and proteasomal proteolysis.Neirofiziologiya/Neurophysiology, Vol. 37, No. 1, pp. 11–14, January–February, 2005.     

Glycerol Phosphate Dehydrogenase in Developing Chick Retina and Brain

Abstract: The development of cytoplasmic glycerol phosphate dehydrogenase (GPDH) activity in chick neural retina is compared with that in brain. GPDH converts dihydroxyacetone phosphate to glycerol 3-phosphate, an intermediate in phospholipid synthesis. The enzyme is known to be under corticosteroid control in rat brain and spinal cord (but not muscle or liver) and in primary oligodendrocyte cultures. It has not been previously studied in the eye. In chick brain the GDPH specific activity rises fivefold from the early embryo to the adult, with nearly all the increase occurring between embryonic day 14 and hatching. This time course correlates well with the known maturation of chick adrenal cortex (which produces corticosteroids). On the other hand, in chick retina the GPDH specific activity remains at a low basal level throughout development. Furthermore, adult rat and beef retinas show much lower enzyme activity than do the corresponding brain tissues. GPDH can be induced precociously by hydrocortisone in embryonic chick brain from days 12 through 16, both in the intact embryo and in tissue culture; however, GPDH is not at all inducible in chick retina. The developmental increase in chick brain GPDH can be correlated qualitatively with myelin formation, as shown by luxol fast blue staining, whereas no myelin is seen in retina at any age. Our results are consistent with recent immunocytochemical studies demonstrating that GPDH in rat brain is associated with myelin-producing oligodendroglial cells, absent in retina. In comparison, another glial enzyme, glutamine synthetase (GS), known to be inducible in both chick brain and retina, is localized in brain astrocytes and retinal Müller cells.     

酮古龙酸菌山梨酮脱氢酶的原核表达及活性鉴定

目的:克隆酮古龙酸菌Y25的山梨酮脱氢酶基因sndh2,在大肠杆菌中进行表达,并检测表达产物的活性。方法:以酮古龙酸菌Y25基因组DNA为模板,PCR扩增sndh2基因,连接到pET22b表达载体后转入大肠杆菌BL21(DE3)中,经IPTG诱导表达;对菌体裂解液进行SDS-PAGE分析;以D-木糖为底物,采用非变性聚丙烯酰胺凝胶电泳后活性染色及DCIP检测法鉴定表达产物的脱氢酶活性。结果:扩增得到1290 bp的山梨酮脱氢酶基因;构建了表达质粒pET22b-sndh2,SDS-PAGE结果显示获得相对分子质量为43.1×103的可溶性表达产物;非变性聚丙烯酰胺凝胶电泳胶上出现的蓝黑色条带及DCIP检测液颜色的变化说明表达产物在以D-木糖为底物时表现出脱氢酶活性。结论:在大肠杆菌中表达的山梨酮脱氢酶具有生物活性。     

Enzyme Changes in Relation to Cell Growth in Excised Root Tissues1

Serial sections 10 mm. in length taken from the tip towardsthe base of the bean root have been cultured on 2 per cent,sucrose. At various time-intervals, length, invertase, phosphatase,and protein content of the sections have been determined. Alterationsin the enzyme complement of the sections have been related togrowth and protein content. The relation of changes occurringin excised fragments to those in the intact root have been discussed.     

Ontogenetic and Imprinting-Induced Changes in Chick Brain Protein Metabolism and Muscarinic Receptor Binding Activity

Abstract— Over the 20-min period following exposure of young chicks to a flashing light as an imprinting stimulus there is an increased incorporation of [¹⁴C]leucine into an acidic (tubulin-enriched) protein fraction of the anterior dorsal forebrain in birds which have learnt the characteristics of the stimulus as compared with, either birds which have been exposed to an imprinting stimulus but learn poorly, or chicks kept in the dark. This brain region has been implicated in several studies as the locus for a number of biochemical modulations that accompany learning. The amount of [¹⁴C]leucine incorporated does not seem to be determined by precursor pool availability; it does, however, correlate with a well-validated measure of the extent to which birds have learnt to recognise the characteristics of the stimulus, as shown by a two-choice discrimination test. There is no change in the total content of tubulin dimer as assayed by colchicine binding under these conditions. Additionally, in birds which show evidence of learning, the binding of quinuclidinyl benzilate, an irreversible muscarinic ligand, is altered in both the posterior dorsal forebrain and midbrain regions. None of these effects could be simply the result of visual stimulation. The meaning of these changes is discussed.     

The mobA Gene Is Required for Assimilatory and Respiratory Nitrate Reduction but not Xanthine Dehydrogenase Activity in Pseudomonas aeruginosa

The requirement for the mobA gene in key assimilatory and respiratory nitrogen metabolism of Pseudomonas aeruginosa PAO1 was investigated by mutational analysis of PA3030 (mobA; MoCo guanylating enzyme), PA1779 (nasA; assimilatory nitrate reductase), and PA3875 (narG; respiratory nitrate reductase). The mobA mutant was deficient in both assimilatory and respiratory nitrate reductase activities, whereas xanthine dehydrogenase activity remained unaffected. Thus, P. aeruginosa requires both the molybdopterin (MPT) and molybdopterin guanine dinucleotide (MGD) forms of the molybdenum cofactor for a complete spectrum of nitrogen metabolism, and one form cannot substitute for the other. Regulation studies using a Φ(PA3030-lacZGm) reporter strain suggest that expression of mobA is not influenced by the type of nitrogen source or by anaerobiosis, whereas assimilatory nitrate reductase activity was detected only in the presence of nitrate.     

Molybdenum Cofactor Mutants,Specifically Impaired in Xanthine Dehydrogenase Activity and Abscisic Acid Biosynthesis,Simultaneously Overexpress Nitrate Reductase

The molybdenum cofactor is shared by nitrate reductase (NR), xanthine dehydrogenase (XDH), and abscisic acid (ABA) aldehyde oxidase in higher plants (M. Walker-Simmons, D.A. Kudrna, R.L. Warner [1989] Plant Physiol 90:728-733). In agreement with this, cnx mutants are simultaneously deficient for these three enzyme activities and have physiological characteristics of ABA-deficient plants. In this report we show that aba1 mutants, initially characterized as ABA-deficient mutants, are impaired in both ABA aldehyde oxidase and XDH activity but overexpress NR. These characteristics suggest that aba1 is in fact involved in the last step of molybdenum cofactor biosynthesis specific to XDH and ABA aldehyde oxidase; aba1 probably has the same function as hxB in Aspergillus. The significance of NR overexpression in aba1 mutants is discussed.     

The Changes in Endogenous Antioxidant Enzyme Activity After Postconditioning

1. The aim of this work was to study potential mechanisms participating in postischemic protection of selectively vulnerable CA1 neurons in the hippocampus. Experiments were focused on measuring changes in endogenous antioxidant enzyme activity.2. Forebrain cerebral ischemia was induced in a rat by four-vessel occlusion. Ten minutes of ischemia induces so-called delayed neuronal death in selectively vulnerable CA1 region 3 days later. After 7 days of reperfusion, 71.6% of neurons succumb to neurodegeneration. When 5 min of ischemia was used as postconditioning, 2 days after 10 min of cerebral ischemia, delayed neuronal death in CA1 was almost completely (89.9%) prevented.3. Searching for mechanisms of protection, we measured the activity of endogenous antioxidant enzymes. Activities of the antioxidant enzymes superoxide dismutase (SOD) and catalase (CAT) were measured in the hippocampus, striatum and cortex by spectrophotometric methods after 10 min of ischemia used as the preconditioning. Two days after the preconditioning or the sham operation, second ischemia was induced for 5 min. We observed significant increase of total SOD activity in all studied regions of the brain 5 h after postconditioning (5 min of ischemia). SOD activity decreased to control values after 24 h.4. In some experiments, we used intraperitoneal injections of norepinephrine (3.1 μM/kg) or 3-nitropropionic acid (20 mg/kg) as postconditioning, instead of ischemia. All three treatments resulted in significant increase of SOD activity, but norepinephrine was the most effective. The same effect as was seen for total SOD activity could be observed for CuZn-SOD as well as Mn-SOD activity. Similarly, considerable increase in the activity of catalase was detected 5 h after postconditioning (5 min of ischemia). It is interesting that the greatest changes were established in selectively vulnerable hippocampus and striatum. As in the case of SOD, the highest levels of CAT activity were induced by norepinephrine, while lower but significant increase in CAT activity was induced by 3-nitropropionic acid.5. Our results suggest that endogenous antioxidants SOD and CAT could play considerable neuroprotective role after postconditioning.