Huntington''s-chorea fibroblasts. Cellular protein glycosylation.

Five cell cultures of Huntington's-chorea fibroblasts exhibit greater than normal protein and lipid glycosylation when labelled with [U-14C]glucosamine. Oligosaccharide--polypeptide chains from all molecular-weight ranges are labelled differentially on sodium dodecyl sulphate/polyacrylamide-gel electrophoresis. This difference in protein glycosylation is not accompanied by any apparent difference in general cellular protein synthesis or by a differential rate of glucosamine uptake or decreased degradation of [14C]glycosylated macromolecules. Additionally [U-14C]glucosamine exclusively labels hexosamines and sialic acid of cellular macromolecules.     

Differential labelling of DNA in higher plants

Under our experimental conditions labelling of DNA in higher plants with ³²P phosphate, ¹⁴C uridine and ¹⁴C thymidine shows two distinct species of labelled DNA: bulk-DNA and a satellite DNA. The bulk DNA (? = 1.696 g.cm⁻³) does not incorporate ³²P phosphate, but ¹⁴C thymidine. On the other hand the satellite-DNA (? = 1.720 g.cm⁻³) does not incorporate ¹⁴C thymidine, but ³²P phosphate. Both have ¹⁴C-Uridine as a precursor. An attempt has been made to establish the cellular localisation of these two DNA's.     

Differential labelling of bulk endocytosis in nerve terminals by FM dyes

Bulk endocytosis is triggered in central nerve terminals during intense physiological stimulation. This endocytosis pathway can be labelled by the dye FM1-43 but not its more hydrophilic counterpart FM2-10. This selective labelling was proposed to be due to the retention of FM1-43, but not FM2-10, in slowly retrieving structures after washout of the dye. However, this explanation assumed that bulk endocytosis was a slow process that persisted after stimulation. We have recently shown that the great majority of bulk endocytosis occurs during stimulation, therefore another explanation for the specific labelling of this pathway by FM1-43 must be found. In this paper we show that the ability of FM dyes to label bulk endocytosis is dependent on the concentration of dye used and not their washout properties. When the loading concentration of FM1-43 was reduced 10-fold, its ability to label bulk endocytosis was lost. Conversely when the loading concentration of FM2-10 was increased 10-fold, it now labelled the pathway. This suggests that a difference in affinity of bulk endosome membranes for FM1-43 and FM2-10 underlies the disparity in labelling.     

Differential sorting of lysosomal enzymes in mannose 6-phosphate receptor-deficient fibroblasts.

In higher eukaryotes, the transport of soluble lysosomal enzymes involves the recognition of their mannose 6-phosphate signal by two receptors: the cation-independent mannose 6-phosphate/insulin-like growth factor II receptor (CI-MPR) and the cation-dependent mannose 6-phosphate receptor (CD-MPR). It is not known why these two different proteins are present in most cell types. To investigate their relative function in lysosomal enzyme targeting, we created cell lines that lack either or both MPRs. This was accomplished by mating CD-MPR-deficient mice with Thp mice that carry a CI-MPR deleted allele. Fibroblasts prepared from embryos that lack the two receptors exhibit a massive missorting of multiple lysosomal enzymes and accumulate undigested material in their endocytic compartments. Fibroblasts that lack the CI-MPR, like those lacking the CD-MPR, exhibit a milder phenotype and are only partially impaired in sorting. This demonstrates that both receptors are required for efficient intracellular targeting of lysosomal enzymes. More importantly, comparison of the phosphorylated proteins secreted by the different cell types indicates that the two receptors may interact in vivo with different subgroups of hydrolases. This observation may provide a rational explanation for the existence of two distinct mannose 6-phosphate binding proteins in mammalian cells.     

Diazobenzenesulphonate selectively abolishes stimulation of glucuronidation by UDP-N-acetylglucosamine.

1. Basal rates of glucuronidation of oestrone (guinea pig) or of 4-nitrophenol (rat or guinea pig) were not significantly altered in sealed liver microsomal vesicles, treated with the membrane-impermeant protein-modifying agent diazobenzenesulphonate at 0.5-1.0 mM. 2. Contrarily, diazobenzenesulphonate abolished the normal stimulation of glucuronidation by UDP-N-acetylglucosamine. 3. Ultrasonication to increase microsomal permeability activated glucuronidation by 680-750% and permitted significant inhibition by diazobenzenesulphonate. 4. These findings are consistent with a model wherein glucuronyltransferases are embedded in the luminal leaflet of the endoplasmic reticulum and access of UDP-glucuronic acid to the transferases is facilitated by transmembrane carriers, which are stimulated by UDP-N-acetylglucosamine and are available to diazobenzenesulphonate; ultrasonication serves to permit access of diazobenzenesulphonate to glucuronyltransferases themselves, resulting in inhibition of their activity.     

Differential control of proto-oncogene c-myc and c-fos expression in lymphocytes and fibroblasts.

In lymphocytes stimulated with the mitogen phytohaemagglutinin, an inhibitor of the enzyme ADP-ribosyltransferase (ADPRT) completely blocks the proliferative response and the increase in expression of the proto-oncogene c-myc without affecting c-fos significantly. Conversely, in fibroblasts the serum-induced growth is not affected by the ADPRT inhibitor, and both oncogenes are dramatically super-induced. Hence there are differences between lymphocyte and fibroblast early responses to mitogenic stimulation and also between regulation of c-fos and c-myc gene expression.     

Differential cytotoxic activity of potassium dichromate on nucleoside uptake in BHK fibroblasts.

In cultures of hamster fibroblasts (BHK cell line) treated with potassium dichromate (K2Cr2O7) nucleic acid and protein syntheses are differentially inhibited, and nucleoside uptake into the intracellular pool is characterized by a stimulation phase followed by an inhibition phase. Different patterns are observed for the uptake of each ribo- and deoxyribonucleoside, pyrimidine nucleoside (particularly deoxycytidine) uptake reaching the highest stimulation level. Kinetics of thymidine and deoxycytidine initial uptake at different exogenous nucleoside concentrations show that K2Cr2O7 affects both simple and facilitated diffusion of nucleosides. The time course of thymidine and deoxycytidine pool saturation suggests however that the effects of K2Cr2O7 on plasma membrane permeability are partially counterbalanced by modifications of pool size deriving from the concomitant alteration of steps of nucleoside metabolism separate from nucleoside uptake.     

Differential glucocorticoid regulation of collagen mRNAs in human dermal fibroblasts. Keloid-derived and fetal fibroblasts are refractory to down-regulation

Abnormal regulation of collagen synthesis has been observed in fibroblasts from keloids, benign collagenous tumors that develop as a result of an inherited defect in dermal wound healing. Hydrocortisone reduces the rate of collagen synthesis in fibroblasts from normal adult dermis and scars, but fails to down regulate collagen synthesis in keloid-derived fibroblasts. We show here that loss of glucocorticoid control of collagen synthesis in keloid cells is due to an inability of hydrocortisone to reduce the levels of types I, III, and V collagen mRNA, whereas it coordinately lowers these RNAs in normal adult cells. The defective regulatory mechanism is expressed only in fibroblasts from the lesion. Fibroblasts from uninvolved dermis respond normally to hydrocortisone. Not all glucocorticoid-modulated matrix proteins are abnormally regulated in this disorder; fibronectin mRNA is induced to a similar extent in normal and keloid cells. The failure of hydrocortisone to reduce collagen gene expression is also seen in fibroblasts from fetal dermis. We have reported similarities between keloid and fetal cells with regard to growth factor requirements and growth response to hydrocortisone. Thus, keloids may be due to the inappropriate expression of a pattern of growth and matrix production that is developmentally regulated.     

Cell cycle dependent rate of labelling of cellular and secreted glycosaminoglycans in mouse embryonic fibroblasts

Cultures of embryonic fibroblasts from Balb/c or CBA/J mice were given 12-h pulses of ¹⁴C-galactose, or were double-labelled with ³H-galactose and ³⁵H-sulfate. The time course of the rates of labelling of glycosaminoglycans – galactose label was found in the uronic acid moiety – was studied in synchronously and asynchronously growing cultures. Partial synchrony was achieved by trypsinising quiescent, confluent cells and subsequent transfer of cells to new cultures with fresh medium. Synchrony was monitored by measurement of thymidine uptake in parallel cultures. The distribution of label in the hyaluronic acid, chondroitin sulfate, and heparan sulfate fractions from cells and culture media was determined at each time point. Peaks of DNA synthesis were accompanied by or followed 12 h later by a maximal rate of labelling with galactose of secreted glycosaminoglycans, and – with the exception of hyaluronic acid – also of cellular glycosaminoglycans. The rate of labelling with galactose of glycosphingolipids in parallel cultures followed a different time course. In double-label experiments the rates of labelling of glycosaminoglycan sulfates with ³H-galactose and ³⁵S-sulfate did not go parallel. In older, quiescent cultures the labelling rate with galactose decreased while the sulfation rate increased. It is discussed that the labelling rate with galactose is indicative of the biosynthetic rate of the glycosaminoglycans. The conclusion is reached that glycosaminoglycans are preferentially synthesized and secreted after the S phase of the cell cycle.     

Differential proteome analysis of replicative senescence in rat embryo fibroblasts

Normal somatic cells undergo a finite number of divisions and then cease dividing whereas cancer cells are able to proliferate indefinitely. To identify the underlying mechanisms that limit the mitotic potential, a two-dimensional differential proteome analysis of replicative senescence in serially passaged rat embryo fibroblasts was undertaken. Triplicate independent two-dimensional gels containing over 1200 spots each were run, curated, and analyzed. This revealed 49 spots whose expression was altered more than 2-fold. Of these, 42 spots yielded positive protein identification by mass spectrometry comprising a variety of cytoskeletal, heat shock, and metabolic proteins, as well as proteins involved in trafficking, differentiation, and protein synthesis, turnover, and modification. These included gelsolin, a candidate tumor suppressor for breast cancer, and alpha-glucosidase II, a member of the family of glucosidases that includes klotho; a defect in klotho expression in mice results in a syndrome that resembles human aging. Changes in expression of TUC-1, -2, -4, and -4 beta, members of the TUC family critical for neuronal differentiation, were also identified. Some of the identified changes were also shown to occur in two other models of senescence, premature senescence of REF52 cells and replicative senescence of mouse embryo fibroblasts. The majority of these candidate proteins were unrecognized previously in replicative senescence. They are now implicated in a new role.     

Differential inhibitory effect of 5-fluorouridine on RNA labelling in dipteran salivary gland cells

In Chironomus salivary glands, 5-fluorouridine inhibits labelling of ribosomal RNA. The drug does not prevent labelling of other types of RNA- like heterodisperse messenger-like RNA, 75-S RNA of Balbiani ring origin and 4-S RNA, which furthermore are exported to cytoplasm. The potential use of this drug for the study of RNA metabolism in insect salivary glands can be compared with the use of low doses of actinomycin D in cultured mammalian cells.     

Differential regulation of glucose transporter isoforms by the src oncogene in chicken embryo fibroblasts.

The increase in glucose transport that occurs when chicken embryo fibroblasts (CEFs) are transformed by src is associated with an increase in the amount of type 1 glucose transporter protein, and we have previously shown that this effect is due to a decrease in the degradation rate of this protein. The rate of CEF type 1 glucose transporter biosynthesis and the level of its mRNA are unaffected by src transformation. To study the molecular basis of this phenomenon, we have been isolating chicken glucose transporter cDNAs by hybridization to a rat type 1 glucose transporter probe at low stringency. Surprisingly, these clones corresponded to a message encoding a protein which has most sequence similarity to the human type 3 glucose transporter and which we refer to as CEF-GT3. CEF-GT3 is clearly distinct from the CEF type 1 transporter that we have previously described. Northern (RNA) analysis of CEF RNA with CEF-GT3 cDNA revealed two messages of 1.7 and 3.3 kb which were both greatly induced by src transformation. When the CEF-GT3 cDNA was expressed in rat fibroblasts, a three-to fourfold enhancement of 2-deoxyglucose uptake was observed, indicating that CEF-GT3 is a functional glucose transporter. Northern analyses using a CEF-GT3 and a rat type 1 probe demonstrated that there is no hybridization between different isoforms but that there is cross-species hybridization between the rat type 1 probe and the chicken homolog. Southern blot analyses confirmed that the chicken genomic type 1 and type 3 transporters are encoded by distinct genes. We conclude that CEFs express two types of transporter, type 1 (which we have previously reported to be regulated posttranslationally by src) and a novel type 3 isoform which, unlike type 1, shows mRNA induction upon src transformation. We conclude that src regulates glucose transport in CEFs simultaneously by two different mechanisms.     

Differential cytotoxic acitivity of anticollagen serum on rat osteoblasts and fibroblasts in tissue culture.

Rat skin fibroblasts grown in tissue culture were lysed by anti-rat-tail collagen serum and antibodies to the ordered collagen-like synthetic polymer (Pro-Gly-Pro)-n. This cytotoxic effect is complement-dependent and occurs only if the fibroblasts were pretreated with trypsin. These anti-sera have very little cytotoxicity on cultured rat osteoblasts. This differential cytotoxicity is not due to differential binding of anticollagen serum to the cells. Both osteoblasts and skin fibroblasts bind the anticollagen serum as was demonstrated by fluorescent immunoglobulin.     

Photoaffinity labelling of glycosyltransferases.

The photoaffinity analogues 5-azido-UDP-glucose and 5-azido-UDP-glucuronic acid have proven to be valuable biochemical tools in the studies of nucleoside diphosphate sugar-utilizing enzymes, especially membrane-associated glycosyltransferases. A summary of the past and current uses of these analogues is presented, as well as photoaffinity data for the enzyme UDP-glucose: dolichylphosphate glucosyltransferase (Glc-P-Dol synthase). This enzyme has served as a model membrane-associated glycosyltransferase for demonstrating the uses of 5-azido-UDP-glucose. The advantages of using photoaffinity analogues for the purification and characterization of glycosyltransferases are presented, as well as an outline of the general procedures which can be used in conjunction with these analogues.     

Crystallization and preliminary X-ray crystallographic analysis of UDP-N-acetylglucosamine enolpyruvyl transferase from Haemophilus influenzae in complex with UDP-N-acetylglucosamine and fosfomycin

The bacterial enzyme UDP-N-acetylglucosamine enolpyruvyl transferase catalyzes the first committed step of peptidoglycan biosynthesis, i.e., transfer of enolpyruvate from phosphoenolpyruvate to UDP-N-acetyl-glucosamine. We have overexpressed the enzyme from Haemophilus influenzae in Escherichia coli and crystallized it in the apo-form, as well as in a complex with UDP-N-acetylglucosamine and fosfomycin using ammonium sulfate as the precipitant. X-ray diffraction data from a crystal of the apo-form were collected to 2.8 A resolution at 293 K. The crystal quality was improved by co-crystallization with UDP-N-acetylglucosamine and fosfomycin. X-ray data to 2.2 A have been collected at 100 K from a flash-frozen crystal of the complex. The complex crystals belong to the orthorhombic space group I222 (or I212121) with unit-cell parameters of a = 63.7, b = 124.5, and c = 126.3 A. Assuming a monomer of the recombinant enzyme in the crystallographic asymmetric unit, the calculated Matthews parameter (VM) is 2.71 A3 Da-1 and solvent content is 54.6%.     

Effect of nucleotides on UDP-N-acetylglucosamine pyrophosphatase and N-acetylglucosaminyltransferase activities in microsomal membranes.

Rat liver microsomes solubilized by incubating with lysolecithin or Triton X-100 showed very active UDP-N-acetylglucosamine pyrophosphatase activity leading to the hydrolysis of the substrate into N-acetylglucosamine-P and N-acetylglucosamine. ATP, GTP, CDPcholine, and CDPglucose exerted a considerable inhibitory effect on the solubilized membrane pyrophosphatase activity. CDPcholine and CDPglucose, in addition, appeared to stimulate the transfer of N-acetylglucosamine into endogenous and exogenous acceptor proteins. Evidence is also presented of an inhibitory effect of ATP (and to some extent GTP) on N-acetylglucosaminyltransferase activity. This inhibitory effect of ATP and GTP became clearly evident when the pyrophosphatase activity in the membranes was virtually eliminated in the presence of CDP-choline and CDPglucose. The effect of ATP and GTP on the solubilized membrane enzymes indicated that the inhibition of pyrophosphatase activity alone did not determine the rate of transfer of sugar to protein. The results also suggested that the UDP-N-acetylglucosamine pyrophosphatase and N-acetylglucosaminyltransferase activities were controlled independently and the effect of each nucleotide on these enzymes should, therefore, be carefully evaluated to understood its role in glycopolymer biosynthesis. Also, a possible role of choline and its derivatives in glycoprotein synthesis is discussed.     

Differential apoptosis markers in human keloids and hypertrophic scars fibroblasts

We previously demonstrated the increased amyloid precursor protein (APP) immunoreactivity around the site of damage after traumatic brain injury (TBI). However, the function of APP after TBI has not been evaluated. In this study, we investigated the effects of direct infusion of an anti-APP antibody into the damaged brain region on cerebral function and morphological changes following TBI in rats. Three days after TBI, there were many TUNEL-positive neurons and astrocytes around the damaged region and a significantly greater number of TUNEL-positive cells in the PBS group compared with the anti-APP group found. Seven days after TBI, there were significantly a greater number of large glial fibrillary acidic protein-positive cells, long elongated projections, and microtubule-associated protein-2-positive cells around the damaged region in the anti-APP group compared with the PBS group found. Seven days after TBI, the region of brain damage was significantly smaller and the time to arrival at a platform was significantly shorter in the anti-APP group compared with the PBS group. Furthermore, after TBI in the anti-APP group, the time to arrival at the platform recovered to that observed in uninjured sham operation group rats. These data suggest that the overproduction of APP after TBI inhibits astrocyte activity and reduces neural cell survival around the damaged brain region, which speculatively may be related to the induction of Alzheimer disease-type dementia after TBI.