Effect of prostaglandin E2on the pressor response to peri-arterial stimulation and norepinephrine of the isolated perfused rabbit kidney

The interaction of prostaglandin E₂ (PGE₂) and aspirin with the responses to peri-arterial stimulation (PS) and norepinephrine (NE) was studied in the isolated kidney of rabbit perfused through the renal artery at constant flow with Krebs' solution. NE and PS increased vascular perfusion pressure of kidney and caused a contraction on the isolated rabbit aortic strip superfused with the effluent from kidney. Addition of PGE₂ to the perfusion medium decreased the PS-induced rise in perfusion pressure without changing the effect of exogenous NE. In contrast, addition of aspirin to the perfusion medium induced a potentiation of the response to PS but not to NE. These results suggest that PGE₂ modulates the effect of PS probably by inhibiting the release of NE from sympathetic nerve endings.     

Subunit A of calmodulin-dependent protein phosphatase requires Mn2+ for activity

Bovine brain calmodulin-dependent protein phosphatase comprises a catalytic subunit A (Mr 60,000) and a regulatory subunit B (Mr 19,000). The native enzyme was active with Ca²⁺ or Mn²⁺. Upon resolution into its subunits in 6 M urea and 15 mM EDTA, subunit A was active with Mn²⁺; Co²⁺ and Ni²⁺ partially substituted for Mn²⁺, but Ca²⁺, Mg²⁺ and Zn²⁺ were ineffective. The stimulating effect of Mn²⁺ was not easily reversed by EGTA. Like the native phosphatase, subunit A was markedly stimulated by calmodulin or by controlled trypsinization. Unlike the native enzyme, however, trypsinized subunit A still required Mn²⁺ for activity. These findings provide evidence that the catalytic subunit of phosphatase may be a metallo (possibly Mn²⁺) enzyme.     

Effect of estrogen on activity of prostaglandin synthetase in rabbit oviduct

The activity of the prostaglandin synthetase system in the ampulla and isthmus of the rabbit oviduct has been studied . Thirty hours after an injection of estrogen the isthmus produced significantly more total prostaglandins following 9 minutes of incubation than the ampulla. These values were not, however, significantly different from those observed following 9 minutes of incubation in the same portions of the oviducts of estrous or castrate animals. Furthermore, the total yields of prostaglandins at thirty minutes did not differ significantly between treatment groups.     

A selective inhibitor of thromboxane synthetase activity of rabbit heart tissue: a pyridazinic derivative

The effects of 2-(2 dimethylaminoethyl) 5-benzylidene 6-methyl (2H,4H)-3-pyridazinone (III) were studied on the biosynthesis of TXA2 and PGI2 in vitro the TXA2 and PGI2 synthetase activity of heart tissue. Biosyntheses of TXA2 and PGI2 were carried out using arachidonic acid as a substrate and horse platelet and aorta microsomes as sources of TXA2 and PGI2 synthetases respectively. TXB2 and 6-keto PGF1 alpha were determined by RIA. III--did not significantly modify either the biosynthesis of PGI2 in vitro or the PGI2 synthetase activity of heart tissue. did not significantly inhibit TXA2 biosynthesis in vitro but markedly reduced the TXA2 synthetase activity of heart tissue: for a microsomal fraction concentration of 100 micrograms protein, the ID50 was 6.37 X 10(-5) M +/- 1.29 X 10(-8) M. Thus III behaves as a specific inhibitor of the TXA2 synthetase activity of heart tissue and could have a beneficial use in therapeutics.     

Interaction of Ca2+ with (Na+ + K+)-ATPase: Properties of the Ca2+-stimulated phosphatase activity

Ca²⁺ inhibited the Mg²⁺-dependent and K⁺-stimulated p-nitrophenylphosphatase activity of a highly purified preparation of dog kidney (Na⁺ + K⁺)-ATPase. In the absence of K⁺, however, a Mg²⁺-dependent and Ca²⁺-stimulated phosphatase was observed, the maximal velocity of which, at pH 7.2, was about 20% of that of the K⁺-stimulated phosphatase. The Ca²⁺-stimulated phosphatase, like the K⁺-stimulated activity, was inhibited by either ouabain or Na⁺ or ATP. Ouabain sensitivity was decreased with increase in Ca²⁺, but the K_0.5 values of the inhibitory effects of Na⁺ and ATP were independent of Ca²⁺ concentration. Optimal pH was 7.0 for Ca²⁺-stimulated activity, and 7.8–8.2 for the K⁺-stimulated activity. The ratio of the two activities was the same in several enzyme preparations in different states of purity. The data indicate that (a) Ca²⁺-stimulated phosphatase is catalyzed by (Na⁺ + K⁺)-ATPase; (b) there is a site of Ca²⁺ action different from the site at which Ca²⁺ inhibits in competition with Mg²⁺; and (c) Ca²⁺ stimulation can not be explained easily by the action of Ca²⁺ at either the Na⁺ site or the K⁺ site.     

Inhibition of poly(ADP-ribose) synthetase by unsaturated fatty acids, vitamins and vitamin-like substances

Various vitamins and vitamin-like substances inhibited the activity of poly(ADP-ribose) synthetase in vitro. The most potent were essential fatty acids, i.e. arachidonic acid, linoleic acid, and linolenic acid; their 50% inhibitory concentrations (IC50) were 44-110 microM, indicating a higher potency than nicotinamide, a well-known vitamin inhibitor (IC50 = 210 microM). Vitamins K3, K1, and retinal were the next strongest inhibitors, followed by alpha-lipoic acid, coenzyme Q0, and pyridoxal 5-phosphate. Nicotinamide and vitamin K3 exhibited mixed-type inhibition with respect to NAD+, while arachidonic acid exhibited dual inhibitions, competitive at 50 microM and mixed-type at 100 microM.     

Reconstitution and poly(ADP-ribosyl)ation of proteolytically fragmented poly(ADP-ribose) synthetase

Calf thymus poly(ADP-ribose) synthetase (Mr = 120,000) is cleaved with papain into two fragments of M(r) = 74,000 and 46,000 and also split with chymotrypsin into two fragments of M(r) = 66,000 and 54,000. Each fragment purified to homogeneity is enzymatically inactive, but combined incubation of the 74,000 and 46,000 fragments in the presence of DNA restored 20% of the enzyme activity. In contrast, combined incubation of the 66,000 and 54,000 fragments does not restore any enzyme activity. In the former incubation, autopoly(ADP-ribosyl)ation reaction occurs exclusively on the 74,000 fragment. When each fragment is incubated with [adenine-U-14C]NAD in the presence of DNA and a catalytic amount of the native enzyme, poly(ADP-ribosyl)action occurs in the overlapped portion (22,000) of the 66,000 fragment and the 74,000 fragment. Nevertheless, the purified 22,000 fragment is a poor acceptor for poly(ADP-ribosyl)ation. The degree of poly(ADP-ribosyl)ation of the proteolytic fragments is significantly reduced by increasing NaCl concentration, probably due to the lack of the interaction between the enzyme fragments and DNA. These results, taken together, indicate that DNA is indispensable for the reconstitution of the catalytic activity as well as the poly(ADP-ribosyl)ation of the fragmented enzyme.     

Effect of limited proteolysis on activity and phosphorylation of rabbit muscle glycogen synthetase.

Purified rabbit skeletal muscle glycogen synthetase, in both the glucose-6-phosphate (P)-dependent (phosphorylated) and the glucose-6-P-independent (dephosphorylated) forms, was subjected to limited proteolysis by trypsin. Both forms could be degraded from their original subunit molecular weight of 85,000 to 76,000 and subsequently to 68,000, as determined with acrylamide-gel electrophoresis in the presence of sodium dodecyl sulfate. Degradation of the glucose-6-P-dependent form of the enzyme resulted in essentially no change in the activity when measured either in the presence or in the absence of glucose-6-P. Degradation of the glucose-6-P-independent form was associated with a progressive increase in glucose-6-P dependency. Phosphorylation of the glucose-6-P-independent form with the adenosine 3′,5′-monophosphate-dependent protein kinase and subsequent digestion of the ³²P-labeled enzyme showed that the phosphate group was retained on these subunits. The protein kinase phosphorylated both the original subunit with molecular weight 85,000 and the partially digested subunit with molecular weight 76,000. Upon further digestion of the enzyme into a form having a subunit molecular weight of 68,000, the enzyme was unable to accept a phosphate group from ATP. By contrast with the phosphorylation reaction, the dephosphorylation reaction catalyzed by partially purified glycogen synthetase phosphatase is not stringent in terms of structural integrity of the synthetase. The phosphatase dephosphorylated the glucose-6-P-dependent form of glycogen synthetase equally well at various degrees of degradation.     

Effect of europium(III) on the thermal denaturation and cleavage of transfer ribonucleic acids

The interaction of tRNA with Eu(III) has been studied by optical and gel electrophoretic tecfhniques. At low levels (less than six metals per tRNA), Eu(III) stabilizes yeast tRNA^Phe against thermal denaturation; however, at higher levels (about eight to ten Eu/tRNA) the tRNA is destabilized by Eu(III). This may have important implications regarding recent attempts to grow crystals of tRNA from solutions containing europium. Comparative studies of the effects of Mg(II) and Eu(III) on tRNA structure confirm that the first four Eu(III) ions are more strongly bound than Mg(II). At slightly elevated temperatures (50°C, pH 7) the binding of Eu(III) catalyzes the hydrolysis of the tRNA backbone. From an analysis of the fragments produced by the hydrolysis and of the variation in the rate of cleavage as a function of the metal per tRNA ratio, we conclude that (i) the addition of Eu(III) to the tRNA is sequential, (ii) the first Eu(III) is bound in close proximity to the two dihydrouridine residues, and (iii) the rate of hydrolysis depends on the number of Eu(III) free in solution. Metals bound at sites 2–4 are relatively much less active in promoting the cleavage but the metal bound at site 5 is again active. The initial cleavage products are shown to be identical with those obtained using magnesium, zinc, or lead.     

Myocardial prostacyclin and thromboxane A2 synthetase activities during ischemia and reperfusion in isolated rabbit heart

The aim of the study was to determine the prostacyclin (PGI₂) and thromboxane A₂ (TXA₂) synthetase activities of myocardial tissue and their variation during ischemia and reperfusion. Regional ischemia was induced by 10 min occlusion of the left anterior descending coronary artery in isolated Langendorff rabbit hearts. Biosynthesis of PGI₂ and TXA₂ were carried out by using arachidonic acid as substrate and left ventricle microsomes (LVM) from ischemic and non-ischemic areas as sources of PGI₂ and TXA₂ synthetase. 6-keto-PGF_1α and TXB₂, stable metabolites of PGI₂ and TXA₂ respectively, were determined by radioimmunoassay. Experiments carried out under the adopted conditions showed that LVM were able to synthetise PGI₂ as well as TXA₂ from arachidonic acid. On the other hand, ischemia depressed both PGI₂ and TXA₂ synthetase activities of cardiac tissue: the depression was more pronounced on TXA₂ synthetase than on PGI₂ synthetase with no significant difference between ischemic and non-ischemic regions. Moreover, ischemia increased the ratio indicating therefore that it can facilitate the formation of PGI₂. The post ischemic reperfusion of the heart counteracted the decrease in PGI₂ synthetase induced by ischemia which returned to the normal level: reperfusion also slightly reversed the decrease in TXA₂ synthetase. However, the diminution in TXA₂ synthetase of non-ischemic myocardium was attenuated but it remained lower than the normal level. These results suggested that the whole left ventricle is affected by regional ischemia. Furthermore it appears that myocardial TXA₂ synthetase is more vulnerable than PGI₂ synthetase to a lack of oxygen and nutrients.