Isolation and characterization of full-length mouse cDNA and genomic clones of 3-methylcholanthrene-inducible cytochrome P1-450 and P3-450

Polysome immuno-adsorption, with immunoglobulin G directed against two 3-methylcholanthrene-induced mouse liver cytochrome P-450 proteins, was used to enrich mRNA from 3-methylcholanthrene-treated C57BL/6N mouse liver. cDNA transcribed from the P-450-enriched mRNA was then cloned into the Okayama-Berg vector. Two cDNA classes were detected upon differential screening of the clone bank with [32P]cDNA derived from 3-methylcholanthrene-induced immuno-enriched versus control mRNA. Several representatives of these two classes were judged to be near full length by comparison with their corresponding mRNA mobilities on denaturing agarose gels. A continuous reading-frame near the 5' end of one cDNA class (P1-450) corresponds to a protein having 15 of 17 residues the same as the published N-terminal sequence of rat P-450c. A continuous reading frame near the 5' end of the other class (P3-450) corresponds exactly to the first 25 amino acids of the published N-terminal sequence of rat P-450d. The P1-450 cDNA is at least 700 bp longer than the P3-450 cDNA. Heteroduplex analysis and Southern blot hybridization demonstrate that these mRNAs share approx. 1100 bp of sequence homology. Genomic P1-450 and P3-450 clones were isolated from a gene library constructed from C57BL/6N mouse liver DNA. By heteroduplex analysis with the corresponding cDNA, the P1-450 gene spans about 6 kb and the P3-450 gene about 7 kb. The intron-exon patterns are very similar, with the second and seventh exons being much larger than the other five. The 3' terminal exon of P1-450 is about 500 bp longer than that of P3-450. These data suggest that both P1-450 and P3-450 have diverged from a common ancestral gene.     

Apparent nuclear localization of unoccupied receptors for 1,25-dihydroxyvitamin D3

Previous studies have demonstrated that unoccupied 1,25-dihydroxyvitamin D₃ receptors are associated with crude chromatin under hypotonic conditions $\text{in}\text{vitro}$. The data presented herein show that unoccupied 1,25-dihydroxyvitamin D₃ receptors appear to be associated with chromatin prior to solubilization by dilution/homogenization in both high and low salt buffers. Additionally the unoccupied receptors are recovered nearly quantitatively from purified nuclei. These results suggest that unoccupied 1,25-dihydroxyitamin D₃ receptors may be localized within nuclei $\text{in}\text{vivo}$.     

The effect of cytochrome oxidase on lipid chain dynamics A nanosecond fluorescence depolarization study

Molecular motions in membranes composed of purified cytochrome oxidase (EC 1.9.3.1) and synthetic lipid (l-α-dimyristoylphosphatidylcholine or l-α-dioleoylphosphatidylcholine) at various ratios were investigated with a lipophilic fluorescent probe 1,6-diphenyl-1,3,5-hexatriene. Nanosecond fluorescence depolarization kinetics of the probe showed that the rod-shaped probe molecules perform a fast wobbling motion (restricted rotation) in all membranes studied, presumably reflecting the motion of lipid acyl chains. At temperatures where the pure lipid was in the liquid-crystalline phase, presence of cytochrome oxidase reduced the angular range of the wobbling motion, whereas its rate; the wobbling diffusion constant, was unaffected. On the other hand, incorporation of the protein into lipid in the gel phase resulted in the increase in the wobbling diffusion constant while the range of the wobbling motion remained the same. A time-dependent view of lipid dynamics that accounts for the above findings, as well as the results of recent electron spin resonance and nuclear spin resonance studies of protein-lipid interactions, is proposed.     

High molecular weight forms of relaxin in pregnant sow ovaries

The existence of a prohormone for relaxin has been investigated by purification from extracts of pregnant sow ovaries. Radioimmunoassay of column fractions from large scale extraction of frozen pregnant sow ovaries detected two species of high molecular weight relaxin immunoactivity besides the 6,300 dalton relaxin. On further purification, these two species were resolved into three forms with apparent molecular weights of 19,000, 13,000 and 10,000 daltons respectively. Each was biologically active and could be converted by trypsin to the 6,300 dalton relaxin. They may represent intermediates of relaxin.     

Molecular heterogeneity in McArdle's disease

Biopsies were taken from a group of eleven patients with McArdle's disease, a congenital deficiency in muscle glycogen phosphorylase. The biopsies were screened by Western and Northern blotting for phosphorylase protein, phosphotrylase-bound pyridoxal-5′-phosphate (the cofactor of the enzyme) and for phosphorylase mRNA. Of the eleven patients, three expressed phosphorylase mRNA at near normal levels and at the expected size. One of these patients also expressed low levels of phosphorylase protein that correlated with a small amount of measurable phosphorylase activity. These data support the contention of molecular heterogeneity in the presentation of this phenotype.     

The production of activated oxygen species by an interaction of methemoglobin with ascorbate

Ascorbate reacts with methemoglobin to produce reactive oxygen species, most probably hydroxyl radicals. The main features of this system are: a) disappearance of ascorbate; b) consumption of oxygen with an ascorbate/O2 stoichiometry of 2:1; c) requirement of unliganded heme iron; d) formation of H2O2. The proposed mechanism involves an ascorbate-mediated interconversion of methemoglobin and oxy-hemoglobin, resulting in the production of H2O2. This product is decomposed by hemoglobin to produce hydroxyl radicals according to a Fenton-like reaction in which ascorbate recycles methemoglobin to hemoglobin. Alternative pathways of formation and of decomposition of H2O2 in this system appear to play a minor role.     

The human hypothalamic LHRH precursor is the same size as that in rat and mouse hypothalamus

The synthesis of the decapeptide luteinizing hormone releasing hormone (LHRH) in human, rat and mouse brain has been investigated by studying the in vitro translation products of Poly A+ mRNA extracts from the hypothalamus. The translation products of all three species contained a single 28000 MW polypeptide which immunoprecipitated with a specific anti-LHRH serum. This polypeptide was not present in the translation products of Poly A+ mRNA extracts from the hypothalamus of the hypogonadal mouse, a mutant strain totally deficient in LHRH. These results show that in the human, rat and normal mouse, LHRH is synthesized as a component of a precursor peptide with a molecular weight of 28000.     

Virus-induced fusion of human erythrocyte ghosts I. Effects of macromolecules on the final stages of the fusion reaction

Human erythrocyte ghosts prepared by hypotonic hemolysis can be fused by Sendai virus, provided that certain macromolecules (bovine serum albumin, dextran and others) are sequestered in the ghosts. Since fusion of the ghosts is dependent on intactness of the F(fusion)-glycoprotein of the virion, and since the other requirements for this reaction are also similar to those for the Sendai virus-induced fusion of intact erythrocytes, this system can be used as a model for the Sendai virus-induced cell fusion reaction. Sequestered macromolecules seem to be required for rounding of locally fused ghosts. Under low osmotic swelling conditions, such as use of ghosts sealed without macromolecules or using bovine serum albumin-loaded ghosts sealed in the presence of external macromolecules, no apparently complete cell fusion (large spherical polyghost formation) could be observed. Even under these conditions, however, occurence of local cell fusion could be demonstrated either by transfer of fluorescent-labeled albumin from one ghost to an other, or by observation of polyghost formation after osmotic swelling in the cold. Thus, final stages of the fusion reaction can be divided into local cell-cell fusion which could not be observed by phase-contrast microscopy, and rounding (i.e. formation of spherical polyghost). For the observation of fusion of ghosts, the last step seems to be important.     

Purification of new calcium activated protease (low calcium requiring form) and comparison to high calcium requiring form

A new calcium activated protease which requries low concentration of calcium was purified to almost homogeneity from porcine heart muscle. The protease was composed of two polypeptide chains of approximately 90 K and 30 K. The 90 K subunit was larger than the large subunit of the high calcium requring form of calcium activated protease, therefore we concluded that the low calcium requiring form is different from the high calcium requring form and its auto-digested protease. The low calcium reqiring form of calcium activated protease was also activated by manganese and balium, and was very stable even at pH 9.0     

Recombinant Gaussia luciferase with a reactive cysteine residue for chemical conjugation: Expression, purification and its application for bioluminescent immunoassays

The mutated recombinant Gaussia luciferase (hgGLase) having the hinge sequence with a reactive cysteine residue at the carboxyl terminal region was purified from Escherichia coli cells by nickel-chelate affinity chromatography and hydrophobic chromatography. The biotinylated hgGLase (Biotin-hgGLase) was prepared by chemical conjugation with a maleimide activated biotin and apply to bioluminescent immunoassay. In the streptavidin and biotin complex system using Biotin-hgGLase, the measurable range of α-fetoprotein as a model analyte was 0.02–100 ng/ml with the coefficient of variation between 2.5% and 5.2%. The sensitivity of Biotin-hgGLase was similar to that by using the detection system of aequorin, alkaline phosophatase and horseradish peroxidase as a label enzyme.     

Effect of some amphiphilic drugs on the membrane morphology and aggregation of rabbit platelets

Treatment of normal, disc-shaped rabbit platelets with lysophosphatidylcholine and chlorpromazine induced respectively spine formation and spherical transformation. In similar concentration ranges to those in which they induced these morphological changes, the drugs suppressed a series of events triggered by thrombin: pseudopod formation, arachidonate release from the membrane phospholipids, and aggregation. Washing the drug-treated platelets reversed the morphological changes and abolished the inhibitory effect on aggregation. These observations suggest that amphiphilic drugs perturb the plasma membrane structure of platelets, inducing the membrane shape change and inhibiting the stimulus-induced aggregation.