Purification and characterization of chick intestine brush border membrane Effects of 1α(OH) vitamin D3 treatment

A new technique has been developed for the isolation of membrane vesicles from the vitamin D-deficient and vitamin D-treated chick intestinal brush border membrane. The technique involves removal of nuclei from a low speed pellet by discontinuous sucrose gradient centrifugation. The resulting intact brush borders are then homogenized in 0.5 M Tris and the membrane fragments purified on a glycerol gradient. This preparation represents a 20-fold purification of the brush border marker sucrase. After 1α-hydroxyvitamin D₃ treatment there is a significant increase in membrane phospholipid phosphorous, an alteration in the fatty acid composition of the phosphatidylcholine fraction of membrane phospholipid, and a decrease in sucrase specific activity.     

STUDIES ON THE ORGANIZATION OF THE BRUSH BORDER IN INTESTINAL EPITHELIAL CELLS : II. Fine Structure of Fractions of Tris-Disrupted Hamster Brush Borders

Two of the fractions obtained by density gradient centrifugation of Tris-disrupted brush borders from hamster intestinal mucosa have been identified as the microvillus cores and their surrounding membranous coats, respectively. This identification has the following morphological basis. In shadowed preparations one fraction (cores) appears as rounded, compact rods, and the other fraction (coats) appears as flattened sheets. Both rods and sheets have dimensions appropriate to the identities assigned to them. In addition, negative staining shows that the rods are composed of aligned particles of roughly 60 A, consistent with the appearance of the core in tissue section, where 60-A fibrils are characteristic. The sheets are covered by non-aligned particles of approximately the same size. Sectioned preparations show that the core fraction contains predominantly fibrous material with some membranous contamination and that the coat fraction is apparently composed exclusively of elongated sacs with a unit membrane structure. Some details of the structure of the core are evident in cases where the compact rod appears to be loosened, revealing a doubled strand. The strand is approximately 350 A wide; the compact rod is roughly twice this width. With negative staining the strand shows a dense central region. The morphological identification presented here is consistent with the distribution of enzymic activity among the density gradient fractions described in the preceding paper.     

Subcellular localization of (Na+ + K+)-activated ATPase in the brush border membrane of the mucosal cell of the rat small intestine.

The localization of (Na+ + K+)-activated ATPase was investigated in isolated brush borders of rat small intestinal mucosa. The purity of the fractions has been checked by morphological and enzymatic criteria. The brush borders were found to contain a significant quantity of (Na+ + K+)-activated ATPase. Separation of isolated brush borders into their substructures suggests that (Na+ + K+)-activated ATPase is localized deeper within the brush border region than invertase. These findings are discussed in relation to active monosaccharide transport in the intestine.     

Purification and characterization of chick intestine brush border membrane. Effects of 1alpha(OH) vitamin D3 treatment

A new technique has been developed for the isolation of membrane vesicles from the vitamin D-deficient and vitamin D-treated chick intestinal brush border membrane. The technique involves removal of nuclei from a low speed pellet by discontinuous sucrose gradient centrifugation. The resulting intact brush borders are then homogenized in 0.5 M Tris and the membrane fragments purified on a glycerol gradient. This preparation represents a 20-fold purification of the brush border marker sucrase. After 1alpha-hydroxyvitamin D3 treatment there is a significant increase in membrane phospholipid phosphorous, an alteration in the fatty acid composition of the phosphatidylcholine fraction of membrane phospholipid, and a decrease in sucrase specific activity.     

The interaction of the K88 antigen with porcine intestinal epithelial cell brush borders

The interaction of 125I-labelled K88 antigen with brush borders of the epithelial cells of the pig small intestine has been studied. The iodinated antigen bound avidly to the brush borders prepared from adhesive (receptor-positive) pigs even after pretreatment of the brush borders with formaldehyde, whereas the brush borders from non-adhesive (receptor-negative) pigs failed to bind the antigen under these conditions. Treatment with glutaraldehyde rapidly destroyed the ability of both types of brush border to bind the K88 antigen. Studies on the binding of antigen to brush borders revealed the presence of high affinity receptors, but the non-linearity of the Scatchard plot could be explained by cooperative-like interactions, which view was supported by dissociation experiments. Rapid dissociation only in the presence of unlabelled K88 antigen suggested the existence of receptor site interactions of the negatively cooperative type. Attempts to inhibit the binding of 125I-labelled K88 with simple monosaccharides and oligosaccharides suggested that the binding of antigen to brush borders involves complex interactions and that galactosyl residues may be important.     

An in vitro system to study interactions between bacteria and epithelial cells at the molecular level

This paper describes an experimental system to study interactions between porcine enterotoxigenic Escherichia coli (ETEC) and porcine intestinal epithelial cells in vitro at the molecular level. Radiolabelled bacteria or bacterial membrane fractions were incubated with brush borders prepared from purified epithelial cells, which were then washed repeatedly. The bacterial components removed by washing or retained by the brush borders were analysed to determine their composition and source. For this it was necessary to develop a minimal medium in which attachment factors of porcine ETEC could be radiolabelled. Furthermore, an improved method for the isolation of porcine intestinal epithelial cells was developed, since other procedures did not yield sufficiently pure preparations. The resulting method was rapid and yielded large quantities of viable epithelial cells, free from crypt cells and contaminating intestinal contents. Finally, we adapted existing procedures to isolate brush borders from these epithelial cells with special emphasis on the removal of nuclear and cytosolic material and on the isolation of morphologically intact brush borders. Using this system, mixtures of bacterial cytoplasmic and outer membranes were incubated with brush borders. Cytoplasmic membranes were easily removed by washing, while the outer membranes were not.     

ISOLATION AND BIOCHEMICAL CHARACTERIZATION OF BRUSH BORDERS FROM RABBIT KIDNEY

A technique for the isolation of intact brush borders from rabbit renal cortex was evaluated. The procedure was monitored by phase and electron microscopy and marker enzymes, i.e. ATP:NMN adenylyl transferase, nuclear; cytochrome oxidase, mitochondrial; β-glucuronidase, lysosomal; and glucose-6-Pase, microsomal; and indicated an essentially pure preparation of brush borders. The disaccharidase, trehalase, previously reported in renal tubules, was localized uniquely in brush borders. Maltase was also found; the specific activities of the two enzymes in the brush borders were increased 10- to 20-fold. Other disaccharidases, such as sucrase, isomaltase, lactase, and cellobiase, were absent. It is suggested that trehalase and maltase are appropriate candidates for marker enzymes of the renal brush border. Isolated brush borders possessed a ouabain-sensitive (Na⁺ + K⁺) ATPase, an oligomycin-insensitive Mg⁺⁺ ATPase, and a Ca⁺⁺-activated ATPase. Alkaline phosphatases, dephosphorylating β-glycero-P, and trehalose-6-P were also present. The specific activities of these enzymes were increased three-to-five fold in the brush-border preparations; however, activities were found in other subcellular fractions of the renal cortex. Hexokinase, although evident in the isolated brush border, was found prominently associated with other membranous fractions. Phosphoglucomutase and UDPG pyrophosphorylase were localized in the soluble fraction of the renal cortex.     

The preparation of brush borders from the epithelial cells of the guineapig small intestine by zonal centrifugation

Synopsis Preparations of epithelial cells from the small intestine of the guineapig have been used as starting material for the purification of intestinal brush borders. A simple, reproducible method is described which involves one centrifugation in a zonal rotor. The yield of pure brush borders was high and contamination by other subcellular structures very low. Comparison is made with other methods of preparation. It is estimated that brush borders represent 10 to 11% of the protein of the epithelial cell.     

Isolation and characterization of rabbit kidney brush borders

1. Brush borders were isolated from rabbit kidney-cortex homogenates by rate-zonal centrifugation through a sucrose density gradient in a B-XIV zonal rotor, followed by differential centrifugation. 2. The method of preparation gave brush borders of high purity with a reasonable yield. The morphological appearance supported the evidence from enzymic and chemical investigations, that the brush borders were only slightly contaminated with endoplasmic reticulum, mitochondria, lysosomes and nuclei. 3. The molar ratio of cholesterol to phospholipid lay within the range found in other plasma membranes, but the carbohydrate content was double that found in liver plasma membranes. 4. Alkaline phosphatase, maltase, trehalase and aminopeptidase were major enzymic constituents of the brush borders, and had an approximately equal yield and enrichment, but none of these enzymes fulfilled the criteria for marker enzymes. 5. Mg²⁺-dependent and Na⁺,K⁺-dependent adenosine triphosphatases, although found in brush borders, had low yields and low enrichments.     

Reevaluation of brush border motility: calcium induces core filament solation and microvillar vesiculation

The report that microvillar cores of isolated, demembranated brush borders retract into the terminal web in the presence of Ca(++) and ATP has been widely cited as an example of Ca(++)-regulated nonmuscle cell motility. Because of recent findings that microvillar core actin filaments are cross-linked by villin which, in the presence of micromolar Ca(++), fragments actin filaments, we used the techniques of video enhanced differential interference contrast, immunofluorescence, and phase contrast microscopy and thin-section electron microscopy (EM) to reexamine the question of contraction of isolated intestinal cell brush borders. Analysis of video enhanced light microscopic images of Triton- demembranated brush borders treated with a buffered Ca(++) solution shows the cores disintegrating with the terminal web remaining intact; membranated brush borders show the microvilli to vesiculate with Ca(++). Using Ca(++)/EGTA buffers, it is found that micromolar free Ca(++) causes core filament dissolution in membranated or demembranated brush borders, Ca(++) causes microvillar core solation followed by complete vesiculation of the microvillar membrane. The lengths of microvilli cores and rootlets were measured in thin sections of membranated and demembranated controls, in Ca(++)-, Ca(++) + ATP-, and in ATP-treated brush borders. Results of these measurements show that Ca(++) alone causes the complete solation of the microvillar cores, yet the rootlets in the terminal web region remain of normal length. These results show that microvilli do not retract into the terminal web in response to Ca(++) and ATP but rather that the microvillar cores disintegrate. NBD-phallicidin localization of actin and fluorescent antibodies to myosin reveal a circumferential band of actin and myosin in mildly permeabilized cells in the region of the junctional complex. The presence of these contractile proteins in this region, where other studies have shown a circumferential band of thin filaments, is consistent with the hypothesis that brush borders may be motile through the circumferential constriction of this “contractile ring,” and is also consistent with the observations that ATP-treated brush borders become cup shaped as if there had been a circumferential constriction.     

Protein turnover in intestinal mucosal villus and crypt brush border membranes

Relative turnover rates of intestinal brush border proteins have been studied by double labelled technique. Brush borders were isolated from cells at all levels along the villus, and from the crypts. Proteins with large molecular weight (>150,000) demonstrated more rapid turnover compared with other brush border proteins at all levels along the villus. This rapid turnover was not seen in crypt brush borders. These findings support the concept of protein turnover in intestinal brush borders, and demonstrate differences between the proteins in rapidly growing crypt cells and non growing villus cells.     

Studies on the brush border membrane of the mouse duodenum. I. Membrane isolation and analysis of protein components.

Brush border membranes have been isolated from villus epithelial cells of the adult Swiss mouse duodenum. Preparations of these membranes are not contaminated by other organelles as judged from electron-micrographs of sectioned pellets of brush borders. Sodium dodecyl sulfate-polyacrylamide gel electrophoresis of proteins from brush borders solubilized in Tris-sodium dodecyl sulfate buffer reveals a reproducible Coomassie Brilliant Blue pattern of 17 bands. By comparing the brush border protein band positions with those of standard proteins run concurrently on sodium dodecyl sulfate-polyacrylamide gel slabs it is estimated that the 17 brush border proteins and subunits have molecular weights ranging from over 250,000 to around 16,000. Periodate-fuchsin sulfite staining shows that the five more slowly migrating, high molecular weight proteins are glycoproteins. The two proteins of smallest molecular size react positively with Oil Red O but have very small amounts of lipophilic amino acid residues, which indicates that the lipid extractable from the gels in these areas is a contaminant and is not bound to the proteins.     

Quantitative changes in alkaline phosphatase in epithelial cells of rat small intestine from birth to weaning

Synopsis Alkaline phosphatase activity has been measured in mucosal scrapings of rat small intestine from birth to weaning. The levels of activity were then compared with those found in brush border fractions and cell residues over the same period. The amount of activity found in the residues was too high and variable to be accounted for in terms of diffusion, and it was concluded that during the developmental period considerable quantities of enzyme were present in the cytoplasm.The duodenal changes were similar, in form, in both mucosal scrapings and brush border, but the changes in the ileal brush borders were markedly different from those found in the ileal mucosal scrapings. A peak in the activity measured in the brush border fraction was observed during the weaning period. A partial explanation for the observed changes is suggested but a detailed analysis was not possible at the present stage in the work.     

Ca++-calmodulin-dependent phosphorylation of myosin, and its role in brush border contraction in vitro

We have reinvestigated the effects of Ca++ and ATP on brush borders isolated from intestinal epithelial cells. At 37 degrees C, Ca++ (1 microM) and ATP cause a dramatic contraction of brush border terminal webs, not a retraction of microvilli as previously reported (M. S. Mooseker, 1976, J. Cell Biol. 71:417-433). Terminal web contraction, which occurs over the course of 1-5 min at 37 degrees C, actively constricts brush borders at the level of their zonula adherens. Contraction requires ATP, is stimulated by Ca++ (1 microM), and occurs in both membrane-intact and demembranated brush borders. Ca++ - dependent-solation of microvillus cores requires a concentration of Ca++ slightly greater (10 microM) than that required for contraction. Under conditions in which brush borders contract, many proteins in the isolated brush borders become phosphorylated. However, the phosphorylation of only one of the brush border proteins, the 20,000 dalton (20-kdalton) light chain of brush border myosin (BBMLC20), is stimulated by Ca++. At 37 degrees C, BBMLC20 phosphorylation correlates directly with brush border contraction. Furthermore, both BBMLC20 phosphorylation and brush border contraction are inhibited by trifluoperazine, an anti-psychotic phenothiazine that inhibits calmodulin activity. These results indicate that Ca++ regulates brush border contractility in vitro by stimulating cytoskeleton-associated, Ca++- and calmodulin-dependent brush border myosin light chain kinase.     

Solubilization of brush borders of hamster small intestine and fractionation of some of the components

About 90% of the protein of hamster intestinal brush borders was solubilised in 0.25% (w/v) sodium dodecyl sulphate without total loss of biological activity. Detergent-polyacrylamide gel electrophoresis of the solubilised protein separated 10–15 bands and partially resolved maltase, lactase, sucrase-maltase, trehalase and alkaline phosphatase activities. The disaccharidases, which were associated with the higher molecular weight proteins, were preferentially solubilised with 0.1%. (w/v) Triton X-100, butanol or papain, whereas Tris and NaI extracted only the lower molecular weight proteins, possible derived from the core filaments.Electrophoresis of brush border proteins metabolically labelled with [¹⁴C] glucosamine suggested that many of the membrane-bound enzymes are glycoproteins. However, chromatography of a papain digest on Sephadex G-200 showed that the sucrase-maltase complex can be separated nearly free of carbohydrate without total loss of activity.The importance of characterizing membrane proteins solubilised by a number of techniques is discussed.     

Reactivation of intestinal epithelial cell brush border motility: ATP- dependent contraction via a terminal web contractile ring

Various models have been put forward suggesting ways in which brush borders from intestinal epithelial cells may be motile. Experiments documenting putative brush border motility have been performed on isolated brush borders and have generated models suggesting microvillar retraction or microvillar rootlet interactions. The reported Ca++ ATP- induced retraction of microvilli has been shown, instead, to be microvillar dissolution in response to Ca++ and not active brush border motility. I report here studies on the reactivation of motility in intact sheets of isolated intestinal epithelium. Whole epithelial sheets were glycerinated, which leaves the brush border and intercellular junctions intact, and then treated with ATP, PPi, ITP, ADP, GTP, or delta S-ATP. Analysis by video enhanced differential interference-contrast microscopy and thin-section transmission electron microscopy reveals contractions in the terminal web region causing microvilli to be fanned apart in response to ATP and delta S-ATP but not in response to ADP, PPi, ITP, or GTP. Electron microscopy reveals that the contractions occur at the level of the intermediate junction in a circumferential constriction which can pull cells completely apart. This constriction occurs in a location occupied by an actin- containing circumferential band of filaments, as demonstrated by S-1 binding, which completely encircles the terminal web at the level of the intermediate junction. Upon contraction, this band becomes denser and thicker. Since myosin, alpha-actinin and tropomyosin, in addition to actin, have been localized to this region of the terminal web, it is proposed that the intestinal epithelial cell can be motile via a circumferential terminal web contractile ring analogous to the contractile ring of dividing cells.     

Inducing activity of fractionated microsomal material from theXenopus laevis gastrula stage

Summary The postmitochondrial supernatant fromXenopus gastrulae has been fractionated on sucrose gradients. Part of the microsomal material was treated with EDTA, which dissociates most of the polysomal and monosomal material into ribosomal subunits. In addition, a series of pooled fractions from the EDTA treated gradients has been applied to discontinuous gradients in more concentrated sucrose to separate membranous material from the remaining microsomal components.Pooled fractions from all gradients have been tested for inductive activity on amphibian gastrula ectoderm. The spinocaudal (trunk and tail) inducing activity was to some extent eneriched in the membrane fractions.     

Separation of satellite DNA chromatin and main band DNA chromatin from mouse brain.

Using restriction endonucleases which preferentially digest mouse main band DNA and leave satellite DNA intact, we have isolated highly purified chromatin fractions containing only mouse satellite or main band DNA. Following the digestion of mouse brain nuclei with EndoR Alu I, main band DNA chromatin is selectively extracted with 10mM Tris, 10mM EDTA. Satellite DNA chromatin is subsequently extracted from the nuclear pellet with Tris-3M urea and further purified on sucrose gradients. Chromatin extracted from digested nuclei with Tris-EDTA contains only main band DNA and has a molecular weight lower than 2 x 10(6). Chromatin fractions obtained from the lower regions of sucrose gradients of the Tris-Urea extracts contain 40--95% satellite DNA and have a molecular weight of 6 to 8 x 10(6). Both the satellite DNA and main band DNA chromatins contain all five histones and have a protein to DNA ratio of 1.3 to 1.     

High resolution KSCN/CsSCN equilibrium gradients effectively separate a population of density labeled proteins from unlabeled proteins

The persistence of proteins in a number of biological systems has been analyzed by density labeling techniques; however, the utility of this approach has been severely hampered by poor resolution between density-labeled and unlabeled proteins on equilibrium gradients. A high resolution equilibrium salt gradient composed of KSCN/CsSCN has been developed to effectively separate density-labeled proteins (13C-15N-2H-substituted) from unlabeled proteins. The resolution of this system is approximately twofold greater than that previously achieved with cesium formate/guanidine hydrochloride equilibrium gradients which have been used in many recent protein density labeling studies. In order to examine the extent of cross-contamination between density-labeled and unlabeled proteins in a KSCN/CsSCN gradient system, density-labeled chick epidermal proteins were mixed with unlabeled Drosophila larval proteins and then separated on these equilibrium gradients. From individual gradient fractions proteins were recovered and fractionated on a sodium dodecyl sulfate-polyacrylamide gel, demonstrating the virtually complete separation between the two populations. The general utility of this system for protein stability studies is also demonstrated.     

Role of myosin in terminal web contraction in isolated intestinal epithelial brush borders

We have investigated the role of myosin in contraction of the terminal web in brush borders isolated from intestinal epithelium. At 37 degrees C under conditions that stimulate terminal web contraction (1 microM Ca++ and ATP), most (60-70%) of the myosin is released from the brush border. Approximately 80% of the myosin is also released by ATP at 0 degree C, in the absence of contraction. Preextraction of this 80% of the myosin from brush borders with ATP has no effect on either the time course or extent of subsequently stimulated contraction. However, contraction is inhibited by removal of all of the myosin with 0.6 M KCl and ATP. Contraction is also inhibited by an antibody to brush border myosin, which inhibits both the ATPase activity of brush border myosin and its ability to form stable bipolar polymers. These results indicate that although functional myosin is absolutely required for terminal web contraction only approximately 20% of the brush border myosin is actually necessary. This raises the possibility that there are at least two different subsets of myosin in the terminal web.