Inhibition of sporulation in the water mold Blastocladiella emersonii by antipain

Blastocladiella emersonii express two different types of caseinolytic activities during the process of sporulation. They can be distinguished in vitro on the basis of their sensitivity to antipain. The alkaline protease activity is inhibited by antipain and PMSF, whereas the second enzyme, denoted here as the caseinolytic activity, is not inhibited by antipain but is sensitive to PMSF and concanavalin A. In vivo, antipain blocks sporulation when added to cultures during the first 60 min of sporulation, but if added 90 min after sporulation is induced, it is biologically ineffective. In both cases, antipain enters the cells and decreases the rate of total protein degradation by 60%. The antisporulation effect of antipain cannot be reversed by washing the cells. The ability of cells which have been pretreated with antipain to sporulate can be recovered, but only after a period of growth. These data provide evidence for the critical role of the alkaline protease for a limited period of time during the initial phases of sporulation in Blastocladiella. A hypothesis based on the processing of preformed proteins by the alkaline protease as a key control mechanism for sporulation is presented.     

Cyclic AMP-dependent and -independent protein kinases of the water mold, Blastocladiella emersonii.

Protein kinase (ATP:protein phosphotransferase, EC 2.7.1.37) and cyclic adenosine 3',5'-monophosphate binding activities have been identified in zoospore extracts of the water mold Blastocladiella emersonii. More than 75% of these activities is found in the soluble fraction. Soluble protein kinase activity is resolved in three peaks(I, II and III) by DEAE-cellulose chromatography. Peak I is casein dependent and insensitive to cyclic AMP. Peak II is histone dependent and cyclic AMP independent; this enzyme is inhibited by the heat-stable inhibitor from bovine muscle. Peak III utilizes histone as substrate and is activated by cyclic AMP.     

Ion channels in the plasma membrane ofAmaranthus protoplasts: One cation and one anion channel dominate the conductance

Summary This report details preliminary findings for ion channels in the plasma membrane of protoplasts derived from the cotyledons ofAmaranthus seedlings. The conductance properties of the membrane can be described almost entirely by the behavior of two types of ion channel observed as single channels in attached and detached patches. The first is a cation-selective outward rectifier, and the second a multistate anion-selective channel which, under physiological conditions, acts as an inward rectifier.The cation channel has unit conductance of approx. 30 pS (symmetrical 100 K⁺) and relative permeability sequence K⁺>Na⁺>Cl^– (10.160.03); whole-cell currents activate in a time-dependent manner, and both activation and deactivation kinetics are voltage dependent. The anion channel opens for hyperpolarized membrane potentials, has a full-level conductance of approx. 200 pS and multiple subconductance states. The number of sub-conductances does not appear to be fixed. When activated the channel is open for long periods, though shuts if the membrane potential (V _m ) is depolarized; at millimolar levels of [Ca²⁺]_cyt this voltage dependency disappears. Inward current attributable to the anion channel is not observed in whole-cell recordings when MgATP (2mm) is present in the intracellular solution. By contrast the channel is active in most detached patches, whether MgATP is present or not on the cytoplasmic face of the membrane. The anion channel has a significant permeability to cations, the sequence being NO ₃ ^– >Cl^–>K⁺>Aspartate (2.0410.18 to 0.090.04). The relative permeability for K⁺ decreased at progressively lower conductance states. In the absence of permeant anions this channel could be mistaken for a cation inward rectifier. The anion and cation channels could serve to clampV _m at a preferred value in the face of events which would otherwise perturbV _m .     

阴离子及其通道阻断剂对大鼠主动脉张力的影响

目的：研究阴离子及其通道阻断剂在去甲肾上腺素(norepinephdne,NE)引起的血管收缩中的作用。方法：常规离体血管灌流法。结果：阴离子通道阻断剂尼氟灭酸(niflurnic acid,NFA)和5-硝基-2-(3-苯丙氨基)-苯甲酸[5-nito-2-(3-phenylpropylamino)-benzoic acid,NPPB]可以抑制去甲肾上腺素NE引起的血管收缩;用胆碱替代灌流液中的Na^ 后血管张力无明显变化,而谷氨酸钠替代灌流液中的NaCl后血管张力下降,用同族元素Br^-替代Cl^-后血管张力增加,并能被NFA和NPPB所抑制。结论：阴离子在维持血管张力中的作用比Na^ 更为重要,提示阴离子通道可能在高血压发病中起一定作用。     

中华大蟾蜍卵母细胞质膜存在钙依赖性的氯离子通道

本文采用双微电极电压钳方法研究了中华大蟾蜍卵母细胞内源性电压门控型离子通道的成分及其生理特性。卵母细胞去极化至 -30 mV 及更正电压时,有一持续的电压依赖性外向电流出现。钾离子通道拮抗剂四乙基氯化氨(tetraethy-lammonium chloride, TEA, 10 mmol/L)和 4- 氨基吡啶(4-aminopyridine, 4-AP, 10 mmol/L)协同作用时,该电流只能被抑制到最大电流幅度的(23.4±0.72)%。但是,上述浓度的TEA和4-AP 与氯离子通道拮抗剂5- 硝基-2, 3- 苯酚丙胺苯甲酸盐 (5-nitro-2,3-phenypropylamino benzoate, NPPB, 30 μmol/L)、无钙 Ringer 氏液或钙离子通道拮抗剂维拉帕米(40 μmol/L)协同作用时,可分别将此外向电流抑制到最大电流幅度的(2.1±0.08)%、(2.2±0.04)% 和(3.1±0.15)%。结果表明,中华大蟾蜍卵母细胞质膜上除有钾离子电流之外,还存在钙依赖性的氯离子电流。     

The voltage-dependent anion channel as a biological transistor: theoretical considerations

The voltage-dependent anion channel (VDAC) is a porin of the mitochondrial outer membrane with a bell-shaped permeability-voltage characteristic. This porin restricts the flow of negatively charged metabolites at certain non-zero voltages, and thus might regulate their flux across the mitochondrial outer membrane. Here, we have developed a mathematical model illustrating the possibility of interaction between two steady-state fluxes of negatively charged metabolites circulating across the VDAC in a membrane. The fluxes interact by contributing to generation of the membrane electrical potential with subsequent closure of the VDAC. The model predicts that the VDAC might function as a single-molecule biological transistor and amplifier, because according to the obtained calculations a small change in the flux of one pair of different negatively charged metabolites causes a significant modulation of a more powerful flux of another pair of negatively charged metabolites circulating across the same membrane with the VDAC. Such transistor-like behavior of the VDAC in the mitochondrial outer membrane might be an important principle of the cell energy metabolism regulation under some physiological conditions.     

Coordinate pretranslational control of cAMP-dependent protein kinase subunit expression during development in the water mold Blastocladiella emersonii.

The aquatic fungus Blastocladiella emersonii provides a system for studying the regulation of expression of regulatory (R) and catalytic (C) subunits of cAMP-dependent protein kinase (PKA). Blastocladiella cells contain a single PKA with properties very similar to type II kinases of mammalian tissues. During development cAMP-dependent protein kinase activity and its associated cAMP-binding activity change drastically. We have previously shown that the increase in cAMP-binding activity during sporulation is due to de novo synthesis of R subunit and to an increase in the translatable mRNA coding for R (Marques et al., Eur. J. Biochem. 178, 803, 1989). In the present work we have continued these studies to investigate the mechanism by which the changes in the level of kinase activity take place. The C subunit of Blastocladiella has been purified; antiserum has been raised against it and used to determine amounts of C subunit throughout the fungus' life cycle. A sharp increase in C subunit content occurs during sporulation and peaks at the zoospore stage. Northern blot analyses, using Blastocladiella C and R cDNA probes, have shown that the levels of C and R mRNAs parallel their intracellular protein concentrations. These results indicate a coordinate pretranslational control for C and R subunit expression during differentiation in Blastocladiella.     

Properties of the inner membrane anion channel in intact mitochondria

The mitochondrial inner membrane possesses an anion channel (IMAC) which mediates the electrophoretic transport of a wide variety of anions and is believed to be an important component of the volume homeostatic mechanism. IMAC is regulated by matrix Mg²⁺ (IC₅₀=38 µM at pH 7.4) and by matrix H⁺ (pIC₅₀=7.7). Moreover, inhibition by Mg²⁺ is pH-dependent. IMAC is also reversibly inhibited by many cationic amphiphilic drugs, including propranolol, and irreversibly inhibited byN,N-dicyclohexylcarbodiimide. Mercurials have two effects on its activity: (1) they increase the IC₅₀ values for Mg²⁺, H⁺, and propranolol, and (2) they inhibit transport. The most potent inhibitor of IMAC is tributyltin, which blocks anion uniport in liver mitochondria at about 1 nmol/mg. The inhibitory dose is increased by mercurials; however, this effect appears to be unrelated to the other mercurial effects. IMAC also appears to be present in plant mitochondria; however, it is insensitive to inhibition by Mg²⁺, mercurials, andN,N-dicyclohexylcarbodiimide. Some inhibitors of the adenine nucleotide translocase also inhibit IMAC, including Cibacron Blue, agaric acid, and palmitoyl CoA; however, atractyloside has no effect.     

Mitochondrial membrane cholesterol,the voltage dependent anion channel (VDAC), and the Warburg effect

Normal cells of aerobic organisms synthesize the energy they require in the form of ATP via the process of oxidative phosphorylation. This complex system resides in the mitochondria of cells and utilizes oxygen to produce a majority of cellular ATP. However, in most tumors, especially those with elevated cholesterogenesis, there is an increased reliance on glycolysis for energy, even in conditions where oxygen is available. This aerobic glycolysis (the Warburg effect) has far reaching ramifications on the tumor itself and the cells that surround it. In this brief review, we will discuss how abnormally high membrane cholesterol levels can result in a subsequent deficiency of oxidative energy production in mitochondria from cultured Morris hepatoma cells (MH-7777). We have identified the voltage dependent anion channel (VDAC) as a necessary component of a protein complex involved in mitochondrial membrane cholesterol distribution and transport. Work in our laboratory demonstrates that the ability of VDAC to influence mitochondrial membrane cholesterol distribution may have implications on mitochondrial characteristics such as oxidative phosphorylation and induction of apoptosis, as well as the propensity of cancer cells to exhibit a glycolytic phenotype.     

Ion channel mechanisms underlying frequency-firing patterns of the avian nucleus magnocellularis: A computational model

We have previously shown that late-developing avian nucleus magnocellularis (NM) neurons (embryonic [E] days 19–21) fire action potentials (APs) that resembles a band-pass filter in response to sinusoidal current injections of varying frequencies. NM neurons located in the mid- to high-frequency regions of the nucleus fire preferentially at 75 Hz, but only fire a single onset AP to frequency inputs greater than 200 Hz. Surprisingly, NM neurons do not fire APs to sinusoidal inputs less than 20 Hz regardless of the strength of the current injection. In the present study we evaluated intrinsic mechanisms that prevent AP generation to low frequency inputs. We constructed a computational model to simulate the frequency-firing patterns of NM neurons based on experimental data at both room and near physiologic temperatures. The results from our model confirm that the interaction among low- and high-voltage activated potassium channels (K_LVA and K_HVA, respectively) and voltage dependent sodium channels (Na_V) give rise to the frequency-firing patterns observed in vitro. In particular, we evaluated the regulatory role of K_LVA during low frequency sinusoidal stimulation. The model shows that, in response to low frequency stimuli, activation of large K_LVA current counterbalances the slow-depolarizing current injection, likely permitting Na_V closed-state inactivation and preventing the generation of APs. When the K_LVA current density was reduced, the model neuron fired multiple APs per sinusoidal cycle, indicating that K_LVA channels regulate low frequency AP firing of NM neurons. This intrinsic property of NM neurons may assist in optimizing response to different rates of synaptic inputs.     

Quantitative analysis of outward rectifying K+ channel currents in guard cell protoplasts fromVicia faba

Summary A quantitative analysis of the time and voltage dependence of outward-rectifying K⁺ currents ( ) in guard cells fromVicia faba is described using the whole-cell patch-clamp technique. After step depolarizations from –75 mV to potentials positive to –40 mV, time-dependent outward currents were produced, which have recently been identified as K⁺ channel currents. This K⁺ current was characterized according to its time dependence and its steady-state activation. could be described in terms of a Hodgkin-Huxley type conductance. Activation of the current in time was sigmoid and was well fitted by raising the activation variable to the second power. Deactivating tail currents were single exponentials, which suggests that only one conductance underlies this slow outward K⁺ current. Rates of channel closing were strongly dependent on the membrane potential, while rates of channel opening showed only limited voltage dependence leading to a highly asymmetric voltage dependence for channel closing and opening. The presented analysis provides a quantitative basis for the understanding of channel gating and channel functions in plant cells.     

Y3+ block demonstrates an intracellular activation gate for the alpha1G T-type Ca2+ channel

Classical electrophysiology and contemporary crystallography suggest that the activation gate of voltage-dependent channels is on the intracellular side, but a more extracellular "pore gate" has also been proposed. We have used the voltage dependence of block by extracellular Y(3+) as a tool to locate the activation gate of the alpha1G (Ca(V)3.1) T-type calcium channel. Y(3+) block exhibited no clear voltage dependence from -40 to +40 mV (50% block at 25 nM), but block was relieved rapidly by stronger depolarization. Reblock of the open channel, reflected in accelerated tail currents, was fast and concentration dependent. Closed channels were also blocked by Y(3+) at a concentration-dependent rate, only eightfold slower than open-channel block. When extracellular Ca(2+) was replaced with Ba(2+), the rate of open block by Y(3+) was unaffected, but closed block was threefold faster than in Ca(2+), suggesting the slower closed-block rate reflects ion-ion interactions in the pore rather than an extracellularly located gate. Since an extracellular blocker can rapidly enter the closed pore, the primary activation gate must be on the intracellular side of the selectivity filter.     

Thiamine triphosphate activates an anion channel of large unit conductance in neuroblastoma cells

In neuroblastoma cells, the intracellular thiamine triphosphate (TTP) concentration was found to be about 0.5 m, which is several times above the amount of cultured neurons or glial cells. In inside-out patches, addition of TTP (1 or 10) m to the bath activated an anion channel of large unit conductance (350–400 pS) in symmetrical 150 mm NaCl solution. The activation occurred after a delay of about 4 min and was not reversed when TTP was washed out. A possible explanation is that the channel has been irreversibly phosphorylated by TTP. The channel open probability (P _o) shows a bell-shaped behavior as a function of pipette potential (V _p). P _o is maximal for –25 mV<V _p<10 mV and steeply decreases outside this potential range. From reversal potentials, permeability ratios of P_Cl/ P_Na = 20 and P_Cl/P_gluconate = 3 were estimated. ATP (5 mm) at the cytoplasmic side of the channel decreased the mean single channel conductance by about 50%, but thiamine derivatives did not affect unit conductance; 4,4 -diisothiocyanostilbene-2,2-disulfonic acid (0.1 mm) increased the flickering of the channel between the open and closed state, finally leading to its closure. Addition of oxythiamine (1 mm), a thiamine antimetabolite, to the pipette filling solution potentiates the time-dependent inactivation of the channel at V _p=–20 mV but had the opposite effect at +30 mV. This finding corresponds to a shift of P _o towards more negative resting membrane potentials. These observations agree with our previous results showing a modulation of chloride permeability by thiamine derivatives in membrane vesicles from rat brain.We would like to thank the National Funds for Scientific Research (Belgium) for financially supporting the stay of L.B. in Konstanz. We wish to thank A. Ngezahayo, F. Mendez and Dr. P. Wins for helpful discussions. This work was in part supported by a research grant from the Fonds special pour la Recherche à l'Université de Liege to L.B., the SFB 156 of the DFG and a grant of the Hermann and Lilly Schilling Stiftung to H.-A.K. Neuroblastoma, PC-12 and glioma cell lines were a gift from Prof. G. Moonen (Department of Human Physiology, University of Liège).     

The mitochondrial benzodiazepine receptor: Evidence for association with the voltage-dependent anion channel (VDAC)

Specific, high-affinity receptors for numerous drugs have recently been localized to mitochondrial membrane proteins. This review discusses the association of the mitochondrial receptor for benzodiazepines (mBzR) with the voltage-dependent anion channel (VDAC), indicating a possible auxiliary role for VDAC as a putative drug binding protein. The proposed subunit composition of the purified mBzR complex isolated from rat kidney mitochondria includes VDAC, which functions as a recognition site for benzodiazepines (e.g., flunitrazepam), the adenine nucleotide carrier (ADC), and an 18 kDa outer membrane protein identified by covalent labelling with the mBzR antagonists isoquinoline carboxamides (e.g., PK 14105).Abbreviations and chemical names: Ro5-4864: 7-chloro-1,3-dihydro-1-methyl-5-(p-chlorophenyl)-2H-1,4-benzodiazepin-2-one; Ro15-1788: ethyl 8-fluoro-5,6-dihydro-5-methyl-6-oxo-4H-imidazo[1,5-]-[1,4]benzodiazepine-3-carboxylate; AHN-086: (1-(2-isothiocyanatoethyl-7-chloro-1,3-dihydro-5-(4-chlorophenyl)-2H-1,4-benzodiazepin-2-one hydrochloride;) PK11195: 1-(2-chlorophenyl)-N-methyl-N-(1-methylpropyl)-isoquinoline-3-carboxamide; PK14105: 1-(2-fluoro-5-nitrophenyl)-3-isoquinoline-carboxylic acid.     

Probing the structure of the mitochondrial channel,VDAC, by site-directed mutagenesis: A progress report

The voltage-dependent anion-selective channel (VDAC) of the mitochondrial outer membrane is formed by a small ( 30 kDa) polypeptide, but shares with more complex channels the properties of voltage-dependent gating and ion selectivity. Thus, it is a useful model for studying these properties. The molecular biology techniques available in yeast allow us to construct mutant versions of the cloned yeast VDAC genein vitro, using oligonucleotide-directed mutagenesis, and to express the mutant genes in yeast cells in the absence of wild-type VDAC. We find that one substitution mutation (lys 61 to glu) alters the selectivity of VDAC.     

The organic anion transporter SLCO2A1 constitutes the core component of the Maxi‐Cl channel

The maxi‐anion channels (MACs) are expressed in cells from mammals to amphibians with ~60% exhibiting a phenotype called Maxi‐Cl. Maxi‐Cl serves as the most efficient pathway for regulated fluxes of inorganic and organic anions including ATP. However, its molecular entity has long been elusive. By subjecting proteins isolated from bleb membranes rich in Maxi‐Cl activity to LC‐MS/MS combined with targeted siRNA screening, CRISPR/Cas9‐mediated knockout, and heterologous overexpression, we identified the organic anion transporter SLCO2A1, known as a prostaglandin transporter (PGT), as a key component of Maxi‐Cl. Recombinant SLCO2A1 exhibited Maxi‐Cl activity in reconstituted proteoliposomes. When SLCO2A1, but not its two disease‐causing mutants, was heterologously expressed in cells which lack endogenous SLCO2A1 expression and Maxi‐Cl activity, Maxi‐Cl currents became activated. The charge‐neutralized mutant became weakly cation‐selective with exhibiting a smaller single‐channel conductance. Slco2a1 silencing in vitro and in vivo, respectively, suppressed the release of ATP from swollen C127 cells and from Langendorff‐perfused mouse hearts subjected to ischemia–reperfusion. These findings indicate that SLCO2A1 is an essential core component of the ATP‐conductive Maxi‐Cl channel.     

Hodgkin-Huxley analysis of a GCAC1 anion channel in the plasma membrane of guard cells

A quantitative analysis of the time- and voltage-dependent kinetics of the guard cell anion channel (GCAC1) current in guard cell protoplasts from Vicia faba was analyzed using the whole-cell patch clamp technique. The voltage-dependent steady-state activation of GCAC1 current followed a Boltzmann distribution. For the corresponding steady-state value of the activation variable a power of two was derived which yielded suitable fits of the time course of voltage-dependent current activation. The GCAC1 mediated chloride current could successfully be described in terms of the Hodgkin-Huxley equations commonly evoked for the Na channel in nerve. After step depolarizations from a potential in the range of the resting potential to potentials above the equilibrium potential for chloride an activation and also an inactivation could be described. The gating of both processes exhibited an inverse relationship on the polarity of the applied step potentials in the order of milliseconds. Deactivating tail currents decline exponentially. The presented analysis contributes to the understanding of the rising phase of the observed action potentials in guard cells of V. faba. Evidence is presented that the voltage-dependent kinetic properties of the GCAC1 current are different from those properties described for the excitable anion currents in the plasmalemma of Chara corallina (Beilby & Coster, 1979a).The authors gratefully acknowledge the encouragement of Dr. David Colquhoun to apply the Hodgkin-Huxley model to the GCAC1 channel. The work was in part supported by a grant of the Deutsche Forschungsgemeinschaft to R.H. and a grant of the Herman and Lilly Schilling Stiftung to H.-A.K.