The Arrhenius plot behaviour of rat liver 5′-nucleotidase in different lipid environments

The plasma membrane enzyme 5′-nucleotidase (EC 3.1.3.5) was prepared from rat liver as a complex with sphingomyelin or in detergent-solubilized forms. Each preparation exhibited a K_m and Arrhenius break temperature indistinguishable from that of 5′-nucleotidase in plasma membranes. Measurement of fatty acid profiles, cholesterol and phospholipid content however showed a very wide variation between these preparations. We conclude that the biphasic nature of the Arrhenius plot of 5′-nucleotidase may be a property of the enzyme rather than its lipid environment.     

Changes in plasma membrane enzyme activities during liver regeneration in the rat

Changes in activities of plasma membrane enzymes during liver regeneration may be related to the maintenance of hepatic function or to the regulation of cell proliferation. Plasma membranes were isolated from rat livers at various times after partial hepatectomy, and the specific activities of alkaline phosphatase, (Na⁺ + K⁺)-ATPase, leucine aminopeptidase, 5′-nucleotidase, and adenylate cyclase (basal and with glucagon or epinephrine) were measured. Alkaline phosphatase and (Na⁺ + K⁺)-ATPase activity increased 3.6-fold and 2-fold respectively, during the first 48 h after partial hepatectomy. The time of onset and duration of change suggest that these increases in activity are involved in the maintenance of bile secretion. Decreases in leucine aminopeptidase activity at 48–108 h and in 5′-nucleotidase activity at 12–24 h were observed, which may be involved in the restoration of protein and accumulation of RNA. The basal activity of adenylate cyclase increased after partial hepatectomy. The response of adenylate cyclase to epinephrine showed a transitory increase between 36 and 108 h after surgery, while the response to glucagon was decreased by approximately 50% at all time points through 324 h after surgery. These changes in the hormone responsiveness of adenylate cyclase are similar to those previously observed in fetal and preneoplastic liver.     

Cellular fractionation and isolation of the plasma membrane of Burkitt's lymphoma cells

A procedure for cellular fractionation and preparation of plasma membrane from a Burkitt's lymphoma cell line is described. This procedure involves homogenization with a Polytron in buffered isotonic sucrose, and separation of cellular fractions by differential and isopycnic centrifugation in sucrose. The isolated plasma membrane fraction contains 44% of the cellular cholesterol, 50% of the ouabain-sensitive (Na⁺ + K⁺)-ATPase activity, 43% of the γ-glutamyltranspeptidase activities and 16% of the phospholipid. This fraction contains only 3% of cellular protein and is contaminated with less than 4% of the total cellular activities of microsomal, lysosomal, mitochondrial, Golgi and soluble marker enzymes. The cholesterol : phospholipid molar ratio of the crude plasma membrane is 0.56. The membranes in this fraction are in the form of vesicles. Further purification of plasma membrane is achieved by sucrose density gradient centrifugation and results in a 25- to 30-fold enrichment of plasma membrane markers. Plasma membrane markers band in these gradients between 1.10 and 1.15 g/cm³.The distribution patterns in the cell fractions of 18 cellular constituents are quantitatively determined. Most constituents are found to distribute in a fashion consistent with the results obtained in other systems. Thymidine-5′-phosphodiesterase (phosphodiesterase I), esterase, nucleoside diphosphatase and glucose-6-phosphatase, however, are shown to be poor markers of membrane fractions in this system.Lactoperoxidase-catalyzed iodination was used to identify several plasma membrane proteins which are exposed at the surface. After separation of labeled polypeptides by sodium dodecyl sulfate gel electrophoresis, the predominant labeled protein was identified as the heavy chain of IgM. Several lesser labeled proteins were observed.     

Purification and characterization of plasma membrane fractions from cultured pituitary cells

Highly purified plasma membrane fractions have been prepared from GH₃ pituitary cells grown in suspension cultures. These membrane fractions have been obtained by differential and sucrose gradient centrifugation and were characterized in terms of their lipid content, marker enzyme analysis and the binding of ³H-labelled thyrotropin-releasing hormone (TRH) to its receptor. Alkaline phosphatase and 5′-nucleotidase activities were enriched 12- to 15-fold in the plasma membrane fraction with somewhat greater enrichment (28-fold) of the specific binding component for [³H]TRH, with a specific activity of 2286 fmol [³H]TRH bound per mg protein. A single class of binding sites for TRH was observed with an apparent dissociation constant of 18 nM, a value similar to that observed for intact cells. No detectable TRH binding to the nuclear fraction was observed that could not be ascribed to residual plasma membrane contamination. By electron microscopy, these fragments appeared to be sealed vesicles with an average diameter of approximately 1800 Å. The binding of ¹²⁵I-labelled wheat germ agglutinin was used as a marker for plasma membrane purification. In addition to specific binding to this membrane fraction, specific binding was also observed in the nuclear fraction. Studies with fluorescein-labelled wheat germ agglutinin revealed that, in fixed cells, fluorescence was restricted to the plasma membrane. However, if the cells were treated with Triton before labelling, most of the fluorescence was then associated with the cell nucleus. Hence, the use of wheat germ agglutinin binding as a specific plasma membrane marker must be reevaluated.     

Solubilization of rat heart sarcolemma 5′-nucleotidase by phosphatidylinositol-specific phospholipase C

The influence of a phosphatidylinositol-specific phospholipase C treatment on rat heart sarcolemmal 5′-nucleotidase was investigated. Upon complete hydrolysis of all phosphatidylinositol in the sarcolemma, 75% of 5′-nucleotidase activity was found in the solubilized form. The insolubilized enzyme after this treatment has the same K_m for AMP as the untreated, sarcolemmal-bound enzyme (0.04 mM), whereas the solubilized enzyme has a 40-fold increase in K_m for AMP (0.16 mM). Other sarcolemmal-bound enzymes were not affected by the same treatment. Hence, the specific involvement of phosphatidylinositol in the binding of 5′-nucleotidase to the sarcolemma of the rat heart is clearly demonstrated.     

Inhibition of 5′-nucleotidase activity after growth of Dictyostelium discoideum

The specific activity of 5′-nucleotidase activity in cell-free extracts of Dictyostelium discoideum at both exponential and stationary growth phases was determined. The 5′-nucleotidase activity of both membrane and soluble fractions was determined. The results show that at exponential growth more activity is found in the soluble fraction. Furthermore, the results show that stationary phase cells contain about 10-fold less activity than cells at exponential growth. To determine if stationary phase cells contained an inhibitor of 5′-nucleotidase, purified membranes were incubated with a high speed supernatant (S-100) prepared from cells at this stage. The results showed not only a time and concentration dependent loss of membrane bound activity, but also that most of the lost activity could be recovered in a soluble form. This result suggested that the 5′-nucleotidase was being released by a factor in the S-100. Additional studies showed inactivation of the releasing factor by a protease and further, that this inactivation could be prevented by serine protease inhibitors. The specificity of releasing factor with respect to two other membrane bound activities was determined. The results indicated no loss of either 3′5′-cyclic phosphodiesterase or adenylate cyclase. In addition, the results of a comparison of the activity of the releasing factor at two stages of growth showed similar values at both exponential and stationary growth phase. This latter finding suggests that the loss of 5′-nucleotidase activity at stationary phase is not due to modulation of the releasing factor activity. An alternative mechanism is proposed.     

Selective Isolation of Glycoproteins and Glycopeptides for MALDI-TOF MS Detection Supported by Magnetic Particles

Glycosylation is the most common form of posttranslational modification of proteins (50–80%). The isolation, discovery, and subsequent identification of glycosylated peptides and proteins is becoming more and more important in glycoproteomics and diagnosis. MALDI-TOF mass spectrometry is an ideal technique for identifying peptides and proteins and their corresponding modifications. The enrichment of glycosylated peptides and proteins from different sources can be attained by affinity chromatography supported by functionalized magnetic particles. Covalent coating of magnetic beads with Concanavalin A (ConA) and diboronic acid was performed by carbodiimide and poly-glutaraldehyde methods, respectively. The functionalized beads were employed to establish and optimize protocols for the binding and detection of glycosylated peptides and proteins with respect to an automated workflow and the subsequent detection and identification by MALDI-TOF mass spectrometry. For several model proteins, the capture and identification could be demonstrated by SDS-PAGE and MALDI-TOF mass spectrometry. According to the type of glycosylation (high man-nose, hybrid, or complex type) the different proteins were enriched by ConA or boronic acid–functionalized beads.     

Elevated specific activity of 5′-nucleotidase in a spinal cord myelin fraction from shiverer mice comparison with other myelin-associated enzymes and myelin proteins

Meylin partially purified from spinal cords of dysmyelinating mutant (shiverer) mice had almost three-fold the specific activity of 5′-nucleotidase found in the respective myelin fraction from normal mice. The specific activities of two other normally myelin-associated enzymes, 2′,3′-cyclic nucleotide-3′-phosphohydrolase and carbonic anhydrase, were only slightly higher in the myelin membranes from shiveres, compared to those from controls. In the mutants, the three enzymes probably occur in oligodendrocyte processes. Hhypothetically, the 5′-nucleotidase in the myelin sheath in shiverer and normal mice may be localized in specialized structures.     

Mass-Spectrometry-Linked Screening of Protein Fractions for Enzymatic Activities—A Tool for Functional Genomics

A simple and rapid strategy is described to screen protein fractions for defined enzymatic activity. A protein fraction from a porcine kidney extract was immobilized by covalent coupling to activated affinity beads. The immobilized proteins were incubated with probes specific for different enzyme activities. The reaction products were analyzed by matrix-assisted laser desorption/ionization (MALDI)-mass spectrometry. The MALDI spectra indicate the presence of 5′-nucleotidase, phosphatase, kinase, glutathione reductase, and renin activities in the kidney protein extract. Furthermore, the method can be used to screen for inhibitors of enzymatic reactions. The method is adaptable to high-throughput sample handling and automated mass spectrometric analysis and therefore suited for functional genomics.     

Preparation of a human lung purified plasma membrane fraction: Confirmation by enzyme markers,electron microscopy,and histamine H1 receptor binding

Summary A simple and rapid method of isolating plasma membranes from human peripheral lung tissue is described. The method involves homogenization of tissue in 0.25m sucrose-buffered medium followed by differential and sucrose density gradient centrifugation. Enzymatic and morphological characterization of the plasma membrane fraction revealed minimal contamination by nonplasma membrane fragments. The isolated plasma membranes showed an 18-fold purification of 5-nucleotidase activity compared to the original homogenate. Electronmicroscopic studies of the plasma membrane fraction revealed the presence of small membrane vesicles having a trilaminar membrane structure. To further examine the purity of the plasma membrane preparation, the binding of the H₁ receptor antagonist,³H pyrilamine, to the plasma membrane-enriched fraction was compared to the binding to crude membrane preparations. Both the plasma membrane-enriched fraction and the crude membrane preparation had similar K_d's for the histamine antagonist, but the plasma membrane-enriched fraction had a threefold greater binding capacity, reflecting the relative enrichment of plasma membranes of the preparation. Thus, a method has been developed for the isolation of plasma membranes from human peripheral lung which should provide material for a variety of biochemical and pharmacological studies.     

Applications of magnetic beads with covalently attached oligonucleotides in hybridization: isolation and detection of specific measles virus mRNA from a crude cell lysate

A novel, rapid, one-step isolation procedure utilizing oligonucleotides end-attached to magnetic beads (Dynabeads) has been developed. The beads and their captured target nucleic acids were separated after 2 h from the hybridization solution using an external magnet. This procedure was used to isolate measles virus hemagglutinin (H) mRNA from infected cells dissolved in 5 M guanidine thiocyanate. The yield of the specific, undegraded H-mRNA was found to be near the estimated total amount of H-mRNA present in the cells. The magnetic beads were also used for detection of measles virus H-mRNA in a crude cell lysate by sandwich hybridization. The experimental detection limit was 630 amol H-mRNA.     

Murine leukemic lymphoblasts: homogenization and fractionation procedures for plasma membrane vesicles isolation

Plasma membrane vesicles were isolated from murine leukemic lymphoblasts L5178Y. The isolation procedure selected involved a method of mechanical disruption in a hypoosmotic-buffered solution and the separation of plasma membrane vesicles by an adaptation of the fractionation method described by D. W. McKeel and L. Jarett for fat cells (J. Cell Biol., 44, 417, 1970). In order to select the homogenization method we took into account several parameters: the extent of cell and nuclear disruption, the integrity of the nuclear membrane, the 5′-nucleotidase activity recovered at the first step of fractionation and the mitochondrial rupture. The homogenization method finally used yielded 89% of cellular rupture with only 9% of nuclear damage. The isolation procedure showed an overall yield of 70–90%. A plasma membrane fraction was isolated with an enrichment in 5′-nucleotidase and ouabain-sensitive (Na⁺K⁺)-ATPase specific activities of 15- and 13-fold, respectively, and essentially free of mitochondrial, lysosomal, and endoplasmic reticulum contamination. The electron microscopy demonstrated that the plasma membrane fraction essentially consisted of smooth vesicles of several sizes.     

Phosphorylation of muscle plasma membrane protein by a membrane-bound protein kinase

Protein kinase activity has been demonstrated in purified plasma membranes from rat diaphragm by measuring the incorporation of ³²P from [³²P]-ATP into endogenous membrane proteins and into histone, in vitro. Histone appears to be a better substrate than the endogenous membrane proteins; however, the properties of the enzyme are similar when phosphorylating endogenous or exogenous proteins. The activity of this membrane-associated protein kinase is not significantly affected by cyclic adenosine 3′,5′-monophosphate or by cyclic guanosine 3′,5′-monophosphate, but is inhibited by theophylline. The ³²P incorporated into membrane proteins is alkali-labile and is released from the membrane by protease digestion, but it is not removed by phospholipase C, by hydroxylamine, or by chloroform—methanoll extraction. Solubilization of ³²P-labeled membranes by sodium dodecylsulfate and fractionation by sodium dodecylsulfate polyacrylamide gel electrophoresis reveals that the radioactivity is predominantly associated with a single protein band with an apparent molecular weight of about 51 000. The phosphoprotein is a minor membrane component as judged by Coomassie blue staining.     

LM fibroblast plasma membrane subfractionation by affinity chromatography on Con A-sepharose

Affinity chromatography was used to determine the heterogeneity and orientation of plasma membrane vesicles isolated from LM fibroblasts subjected to Dounce homogenization. Two plasma membrane subfractions were obtained by Con A-Sepharose affinity chromatography of LM fibroblast plasma membranes prepared by Dounce homogenization. The desmosterol-phospholipid molar ratio, the phospholipid composition, and the phospholipid fatty acid composition were almost identical between the two fractions. However, the lipid to protein ratio was almost 2-fold greater in the nonadherent fraction A. The binding of fluorescein-concanavalin A was the same in both fractions indicating a right-side-out orientation of the vesicles. Similarly the asymmetric distribution of phosphatidylethanolamine in both membrane fractions was the same. In contrast, sialic acid content, 5′-nucleotidase activity, and (Na⁺ + K⁺)-ATPase activity were 47%, 3.7-fold, and 2.5-fold greater, respectively, in the nonadherent, lipid-rich fraction A. Structural properties of the two membrane fractions determined by fluorescence polarization and Arrhenius plots of trans-parinaric acid fluorescence were similar. These results indicate that concanavalin-A affinity chromatography separates two membrane fractions differing in sialic acid content, lipid content, and enzyme profile but having the same right-side-out orientation.     

Comparative Analysis of Techniques to Purify Plasma Membrane Proteins

The aim of this project was to identify the best method for the enrichment of plasma membrane (PM) proteins for proteomics experiments. Following tryptic digestion and extended liquid chromatography-tandem mass spectrometry acquisitions, data were processed using MaxQuant and Gene Ontology (GO) terms used to determine protein subcellular localization. The following techniques were examined for the total number and percentage purity of PM proteins identified: (a) whole cell lysate (total number, 84–112; percentage purity, 9–13%); (b) crude membrane preparation (104–111; 17–20%); (c) biotinylation of surface proteins with N-hydroxysulfosuccinimydyl-S,S-biotin and streptavidin pulldown (78–115; 27–31%); (d) biotinylation of surface glycoproteins with biocytin hydrazide and streptavidin pulldown (41–54; 59–85%); or (e) biotinylation of surface glycoproteins with amino-oxy-biotin (which labels the sialylated fraction of PM glycoproteins) and streptavidin pulldown (120; 65%). A two- to threefold increase in the overall number of proteins identified was achieved by using stop and go extraction tip (StageTip)-based anion exchange (SAX) fractionation. Combining technique (e) with SAX fractionation increased the number of proteins identified to 281 (54%). Analysis of GO terms describing these proteins identified a large subset of proteins integral to the membrane with no subcellular assignment. These are likely to be of PM location and bring the total PM protein identifications to 364 (68%). This study suggests that selective biotinylation of the cell surface using amino-oxy-biotin in combination with SAX fractionation is a useful method for identification of sialylated PM proteins.     

PREPARATION OF PLASMA MEMBRANE FROM ISOLATED NEURONS

A bulk fraction enriched with respect to neuronal cell bodies was used as starting material for the isolation of neuronal plasma membrane The cells were gently homogenized in isotonic sucrose and a crude membrane containing fraction sedimented at 3000 g. Subsequently, the membrane fraction was purified on a discontinuous sucrose density gradient between 35% and 25 5% sucrose (w/w). Enzymatic analyses showed a 4–5-fold enrichment in plasma membrane markers, and a 10–15% contamination of mitochondrial and microsomal material. Electron micrographs of the membrane fraction confirmed the enzymatic data Fragmented membranes were found, mainly in vesicular form No ribosomes, but a few mitochondria and some multilamellar membranes were seen     

Rapid isolation of neuroblastoma plasma membranes on Percoll gradients. Characterization and lipid composition

A purified plasma membrane fraction was isolated from cultured neuroblastoma (N1E-115) cells on a discontinuous gradient of 5, 25 and 35% Percoll within 1 h of cell disruption by nitrogen cavitation. Yield of plasma membrane, banding in the 25% Percoll (d = 1.051), was high as judged by the recoveries of the marker enzymes, 5'-nucleotidase (58.0 +/- 5.4%, n = 5), alkaline phosphatase (46.0 +/- 3.0%, n = 4) and Mg2+-stimulated neutral sphingomyelinase (48.0 +/- 4.2%, n = 3); enrichment of specific activities of these enzymes relative to total cell homogenate (lysate) were 10.9 +/- 1.0-, 9.1 +/- 1.0- and 9.6 +/- 0.4-fold, respectively. Levels of marker enzymes for other organelles were less than 3% of total activity, except for microsomes (less than 9%). The plasma membrane fraction was further characterized by 2-, 5- and 6-fold higher content (nmol/mg protein) of total phospholipids, free cholesterol and sphingomyelin, respectively, compared to lysate. Ratios of free cholesterol to phospholipids and of sphingomyelin to phosphatidylcholine in the plasma membrane fraction were about 2-fold greater than that of lysate. The cholesterol ester content of plasma membrane (36 +/- 8 nmol/mg protein) was 2-3-fold higher than that of lysate. Sphingomyelin of the plasma membrane fraction had a higher concentration of long-chain fatty acids (more than 18 carbon atoms) relative to lysate or microsomes. Significant differences also were observed in the fatty acyl composition of diphosphatidylglycerol, cholesterol esters and triacylglycerol of plasma membrane. Thus, we have devised a rapid and reliable method for isolation of highly purified plasma membranes of cultured neuroblastoma cells that is suitable for comparison of metabolic relationships between the plasma membrane and other cellular organelles.     

Isolation of plasma membranes from rat lungs. Effect of age on the subcellular distribution of adenylate cyclase activity

A simple and rapid method of isolating plasma membranes from rat lungs is described. The method involves homogenization of tissue in isotonic sucrose-buffered medium followed by differential and sucrose density gradient centrifugation. Plasma membranes obtained by this procedure were essentially free from other subcellular contamination. Plasma membranes isolated from 2-day-old rat lungs showed 6 to 7-fold purification of adenylate cyclase and 5′-nucleotidase activities compared to the original homogenate In contrast, plasma membranes from 35-day-old rat lungs showed no purification of adenylate cyclase activity although 5′-nucleotidase activity showed similar enrichment. These results suggest that adenylate cyclase activity is not a reliable marker for plasma membranes from adult rat lungs.     

Characterization of plasma membranes from A431 cells, isolated by self-generating Percoll gradient: a rapid isolation procedure to obtain plasma membranes with functional epidermal growth factor receptors

Plasma membranes have been isolated from the human epidermoid carcinoma cell line A431 by a rapid fractionation of lysate on Percoll density gradient at pH 9.6. Endoplasmic reticulum, lysosomes and mitochondria sedimented at the bottom of gradient whereas plasma membranes focused at low density, as shown with specific markers. Plasma membranes displayed a 4.5- and 4.4-fold enrichment in [3H]concanavalin A and 5'-nucleotidase, respectively. This proteic fraction was further characterized by its lipid composition and phospholipid analysis. The cholesterol/phospholipid molar ratio was 0.45 in plasma membranes against 0.19 in lysate. Sphingomyelin increased from 7.5% of total phospholipids in lysate to 16.2% in plasma membranes, as well as phosphatidylserine which displayed a 1.5-fold enrichment in the plasma membrane fraction. This was at the expense of phosphatidylcholine (45.2% in lysate, against 35% in plasma membranes). Electron microscopy of the isolated material showed vesicles essentially free from endoplasmic reticulum and organelles. These plasma membranes retained the ability to bind 125I-labelled epidermal growth factor (125I-EGF) with a Kd = 4.7 nM and Bmax = 63 pmol/mg protein. EGF binding resulted in a stimulation of the phosphorylation protein reaction in the presence of [gamma-32P]ATP and sodium dodecyl sulfate polyacrylamide gels of phosphorylated proteins indicated that the radioactivity of the major band of molecular weight 170,000 was clearly enhanced by EGF binding. These results indicate that the EGF receptor and its intrinsic protein kinase activity were preserved during our plasma membrane isolation procedure.     

Isolation of plasma membrane complexes fromXenopus oocytes

Summary A method for the isolation of plasma membrane fractions fromXenopus oocytes has been developed, and the membranes have been characterized biochemically and morphologically. Plasma membrane complexes prepared by this procedure consisted of large sheets of the membrane, with associated vitelline envelope (a nonmembranous meshwork of fibers) and cortical (secretory) granules still attached. The morphology of cell surface microvilli and coated pits was well preserved. Cortical granules were removed by gentle homogenization in a low ionic strength medium, and integral and peripheral membrane proteins were then separated from vitelline envelopes by detergent extraction and phase separation in Triton-X-114. Biochemical characterization of the plasma membrane fractions indicated substantial levels of 5-nucleotidase and alkaline phosphodiesterase activity associated with the oocyte cell surface, with 44–66% recovery of these markers in the final membrane preparations. Lectin blotting and lectin affinity chromatography with Concanavalin A and wheat germ agglutinin were used to characterize the major glycoprotein species associated with the plasma membrane complexes. Plasma membrane fractions prepared by this procedure should be very useful in both biochemical and morphological studies of membrane protein sorting in theXenopus oocyte system.