Protein synthesis by membrane-bound and free ribosomes of secretory and non-secretory tissues

1. Methods for the separation of membrane-bound and free ribosomes from rat brain (cortex) and skeletal muscle were described and the preparations characterized by chemical analysis and electron microscopy. The attachment of ribosomes to membranes is not an artifact of the separation procedure. 2. The rate of incorporation of l-[(14)C]leucine into protein in vitro by the membrane-bound and free ribosomes from these two predominantly non-protein-secreting tissues is compared with that by similar preparations from rat liver. With all three tissues the initial rate was higher for the membrane-bound preparations. 3. By using the technique of discharging nascent polypeptide chains by incubation with puromycin followed by treatment with sodium deoxycholate (Redman & Sabatini, 1966), a major difference was observed for the vectorial discharge of nascent protein synthesized both in vivo and in vitro on membrane-bound ribosomes from liver, on the one hand, and brain and muscle, on the other. Whereas a large part of nascent protein synthesized on membrane-bound liver ribosomes was discharged into the membranous vesicles (presumably destined for export from the cell), almost all nascent protein from membrane-bound ribosomes from brain and muscle was released directly into the supernatant. Incorporation of [(3)H]puromycin into peptidyl-[(3)H]puromycin confirmed these findings. There was thus no difference between membrane-bound and free ribosomes from brain on the one hand, and from free polyribosomes from liver on the other, as far as the vectorial release of newly synthesized protein was concerned. 4. Incubation with puromycin also showed that the nascent chains, pre-formed in vivo and in vitro, are not involved in the attachment of ribosomes to membranes of the endoplasmic reticulum. 5. The differences in vectorial discharge from membrane-bound ribosomes from liver as compared with brain and muscle are not due to the different types of messenger RNA in the different tissues. Polyphenylalanine synthesized on incubation with polyuridylic acid was handled in the same way as polypeptides synthesized with endogenous messenger. 6. It is concluded that there is a major difference in the attachment of ribosomes to the membranes of the endoplasmic reticulum of secretory and non-secretory tissues, which results in a tissue-specific difference in the vectorial discharge of nascent proteins.     

The 60S ribosomal subunit is altered in the skeletal muscle of dystrophic hamsters

Polysomes from the skeletal muscle of normal and dystrophic hamsters were dissociated into ribosomal subunits by treatment with puromycin and the subunits from both strains were reassociated in all possible combinations. When their protein synthesis activity was assayed in a poly(U)-directed cell-free system at a low magnesium concentration, the reassociated ribosomes from dystrophic hamsters were less active than the ribosomes from control animals. The ribosomal defect is a property of the 60S subunit and is due to a ribosomal component rather than to abnormal binding of a non-ribosomal protein.     

Radioactive puromycin formation as an assay for the proportion of active ribosomes in mammalian cells: Correlation with polysome profiles under different physiological conditions

We have established optimal conditions for the $\text{in vitro}$ formation of peptidyl-{³H} puromycin by mammalian ribosomes. The growth conditions of cultured Ehrlich acites tumor cells were manipulated to produce changes in the polysome profiles. The correlation between polysome content and peptidyl-{³H} puromycin formation was linear and excellent when different cell densities were compared. The percentage of ribosomes actively engaged in protein synthesis, calculated from the number of ³H-peptide bonds formed, was similar in rapidly growing Ehrlich cells (47%) and in young rat gastrocnemius muscle (44%). Starvation resulted in a 50% reduction in the number of puromycin-reactive ribosomes in rat gastrocnemius.     

Comparison of the effect of various methods of dissociation on the protein composition of rat liver ribosomal subunits.

Rat liver ribosomes were dissociated into subunits using EDTA, sodium pyrophosphate, high concentrations of KC1, as well as by incubation with puromycin in presence of 0.5 M KC1. The subunits obtained were analyzed using the density gradient centrifugation technique and their ribosomal proteins were separated by means of two-dimensional polyacrylamide gel electrophoresis. The ribosomal protein patterns of the two subunits isolated using each of the dissociating method were compared to the protein patterns of monosomes prepared by puromycin treatment alone. Our results revealed that the use of chelating agents to dissociate the ribosomes resulted in the loss of some ribosomal proteins from the small subunit. On the other hand, the use of KC1 in high concentrations to dissociate the ribosomes did not appear to cause any major loss of proteins from the ribosomes except for some acidic proteins.     

Effect of diabetes on the rates of synthesis and degradation of ribosomes in rat muscle and liver in vivo

An important component of the decrease in protein synthesis in muscle of diabetic animals is a fall in the ribosome content. Therefore, we have investigated the turnover of ribosomes in skeletal muscle, heart, and liver of rats during the onset of diabetes. Synthesis rates were measured by incorporation of label into the protein moieties of the ribosomes, and a dual isotope technique was used to relate ribosome synthesis to that of total tissue protein. Degradation rates were calculated as the difference between the rates of synthesis and accumulation. The loss of ribosomes from gastrocnemius muscle and heart took place mainly between the 2nd and 4th days of insulin deficiency and was brought about largely by a very pronounced increase in the degradation rate, though synthesis also fell by a substantial amount. Rates of total tissue protein synthesis decreased markedly, but the degradation rates were only slightly elevated, if at all. Thus, the effect of diabetes on muscle ribosome breakdown was quite distinct from that on degradation of total tissue protein. In liver the response of protein synthesis to diabetes was much less pronounced than in muscle, and ribosome synthesis was not affected.     

The cytotoxic activity of Shigella toxin. Evidence for catalytic inactivation of the 60 S ribosomal subunit

The cytotoxic test system for Shigella shigae toxin was improved and used to study the stability of the toxin to various pH values, temperature, and chemicals. Inhibition of protein synthesis is the first demonstrable effect in cells treated with Shigella toxin. This inhibition appears to be at the level of peptide chain elongation. An inhibition effect on cell-free protein synthesis is exhibited by toxin pretreated first with trypsin and then with dithiothreitol and 8 M urea or 1% sodium dodecyl sulfate. Ribosomes treated with toxin or its A1 fragment had lost most of their ability to polymerize [14C]phenylalanine in a poly(U)-dependent cell-free system. Salt-washed ribosomes in simple buffered solutions were inactivated at a rate of at least 40 ribosomes/(min) (A1 fragment). Addition of antitoxin immediately stopped further inactivation, but it did not reactivate the inactivated ribosomes. 60 S ribosomal subunits from toxin-treated ribosomes had a marked reduction in ability to support polyphenylanine synthesis, whereas 40 S subunits from toxin-treated ribosomes retained their activity. Toxin-treated ribosomes retained their ability to incorporate [3H]puromycin into growing peptide chains, indicating that the peptide bond formation is not the function inhibited.     

Characterization of a high-throughput screening assay for inhibitors of elongation factor p and ribosomal peptidyl transferase activity

Elongation Factor P (EF-P) is an essential component of bacterial protein synthesis, enhancing the rate of translation by facilitating the addition of amino acids to the growing peptide chain. Using purified Staphylococcus aureus EF-P and a reconstituted Escherichia coli ribosomal system, an assay monitoring the addition of radiolabeled N-formyl methionine to biotinylated puromycin was developed. Reaction products were captured with streptavidin-coated scintillation proximity assay (SPA) beads and quantified by scintillation counting. Data from the assay were used to create a kinetic model of the reaction scheme. In this model, EF-P binding to the ribosome essentially doubled the rate of the ribosomal peptidyl transferase reaction. As described here, EF-P bound to the ribosomes with an apparent K(a) of 0.75 microM, and the substrates N-fMet-tRNA and biotinylated puromycin had apparent K(m)s of 19 microM and 0.5 microM, respectively. The assay was shown to be sensitive to a number of antibiotics known to target ribosomal peptide bond synthesis, such as chloramphenicol and puromycin, but not inhibitors that target other stages of protein synthesis, such as fusidic acid or thiostrepton.     

Determination in vitro of the rate of protein synthesis and degradation in human-skeletal-muscle tissue.

The present studies were aimed to evaluate the possibility to use a system for estimation in vitro of the biosynthesis and degradation rates of human skeletal muscle protein. A previously characterized human skeletal muscle preparation was used. Amino acids and insulin stimulated significantly the incorporation rate of leucine into proteins. The effect of amino acids was more pronounced than that of insulin. The stimulatory effect of insulin could be decreased by amino acids. Insulin did not influence the tissue uptake or the oxidation rate of leucine. The release of [14C]leucine deriving from degradation of prelabelled skeletal muscle fibre proteins was linear for at least 2.5 h of incubation and optimal with leucine at concentrations beyond 12.5 mmol/1 or in the presence of puromycin in the incubation medium. The rate of the release of radioactivity was significantly inhibited by amino acids and at borderline significance by insulin but not by puromycin. The specific radioactivity in prelabelled proteins decreased significantly in the presence of puromycin suggesting that leucine derived from protein degradation was reutilized in vitro. This reutilization was found to be 9 +/- 1% of leucine released from degradation of proteins in 30 subjects. A statistically significant positive correlation between the cathepsin D activity in human skeletal muscle tissue and the degradative rate of prelabelled muscle proteins in vitro was observed. The results indicate that biosynthesis and degradation of skeletal muscle proteins in this system in vitro were subjected to control mechanisms. It is suggested that the release of radioactivity from prelabelled muscle fibre proteins during incubation probably only reflects the degradation of some rapidly-turning-over proteins.     

Muscle tissue regeneration of the lymph hearts in adult Rana temporaria frogs. A study by light and electron microscopy autoradiography methods

The regeneration response of adult frog lymph heart muscle tissue was studied from 2 to 3 weeks after mechanical injury. High resolution autoradiographic studies showed that regenerative necrotic zones have many actively proliferating mononuclear cells deprived of cytoplasmic myofilaments. Some of them have numerous free ribosomes, so they might be identified as myoblasts. On the 13th day after injury newly-formed myotubes with chains of myonuclei and pictures of active sarcomerogenesis were observed. On the other hand, the surviving muscle fibers of the perinecrotic zone were rich in myonuclei at their growing ends. In the vicinity of nuclei, accumulation of a mass of non-differentiated cytoplasm rich in free ribosomes and polysomes, rough endoplasmic reticulum, Golgi apparatus, and centrioles are seen. Tritiated thymidine pulse-labeling showed that only rare myonuclei of the perinecrotic zone muscle fibers were labeled, whereas numerous non-differentiated cells of granulation tissue and myosatellites incorporated thymidine. The number of labeled myonuclei markedly increased 96 hours after 3HTdr administration. These data evidence that the myoblastic mechanism is predominant in the regeneration of adult frog lymph heart muscle tissue. It is necessary to emphasize that during the lymph heart muscle tissue reparative myogenesis some of the perinecrotic myonuclei are able to synthesize DNA and to divide mitotically, which distinguishes this type of muscle from skeletal muscle tissue of vertebrates.     

Dietary protein intake and skeletal-muscle protein metabolism in rats. Studies with the ammonium chloride-wash fraction from crude polyribosomes of well-nourished and protein-depleted rats

1. Crude polyribosomes from skeletal muscle of the hind leg of rats fed on a low-protein diet for 10 days are less active in cell-free protein synthesis than are polyribosomes obtained from well-nourished control rats. 2. The polyribosomes were salt-washed (0.5m-NH(4)Cl) and the wash extract was examined for its amino acid incorporating activity and for EF (elongation factor) 1 and EF 2 activities. 3. Compared with preparations from control rats, the salt-wash fraction from protein-depleted rats was less active and showed lower EF 1 and EF 2 activity. 4. The ribosomes were rendered equal in activity by salt-washing, but no inhibitor was detected in the salt wash. 5. Differences in the incorporating activity of crude polyribosomes from the diet groups persisted in the presence of saturating amounts of partially purified EF 1 and EF 2. 6. It is concluded that the lowered protein-synthetic activity of crude polyribosomes caused by restricted protein intake is not causally related to the lower activities of EF 1 and EF 2 in the polyribosome preparations. 7. The possible nature of the change in crude polyribosome activity due to low-protein feeding is discussed.     

Some biochemical effects of triamcinolone acetonide on rat liver and muscle

1. The powerful anti-inflammatory glucocorticoid triamcinolone acetonide, administered to rats at 20 and 2.5mg/kg, leads to a decrease in the incorporation in vivo of [(3)H]uridine and [(32)P]orthophosphate into hind-limb skeletal muscle. 2. At the higher dose, this decrease in the rate of incorporation of precursors into RNA precedes a decrease in the incorporating ability of muscle ribosomes, which commences about 4-5h after drug administration, but is unaccompanied by any changes in the concentration of tissue ATP or free amino acids. 3. The ribosomal dysfunction extends to polyribosomes, which can only be successfully isolated from the muscle of triamcinolone-treated animals after the addition of alpha-amylase to the tissue homogenate to remove glycogen. 4. The specific radioactivity of muscle protein labelled in vivo with (14)C-labelled amino acids does not decrease progressively after triamcinolone administration. After 2h there is an apparent stimulation of incorporation which leads to an overall discrepancy between measurements of protein-synthetic activity made in vivo and in vitro. 5. There is a significant increase in muscle-glycogen concentration between 8 and 12h after the administration of triamcinolone acetonide (20mg/kg), although a significant decrease occurs after 4h. The fall in glycogen concentration may be due to a decrease in the rate of synthesis of protein essential for glucose uptake into the tissues. 6. As judged by (a) incorporation of (14)C-labelled amino acids into protein, (b) [(3)H]uridine and [(32)P]-orthophosphate incorporation into RNA, (c) the rate of induction of tryptophan pyrrolase and (d) changes in the pool sizes of taurine and tryptophan, the responses in liver followed the same time-course as those in muscle after administration of the drug.     

Isoproterenol induces a ribosomal modification in the heart and the skeletal muscle of hamsters

The protein synthesis activity of heart, skeletal muscle and liver polysomes from isoprotenerol-treated and control hamsters has been compared in an in vitro non-inititating translation system. Heart and skeletal muscle polysomes from treated hamsters were less active than controls and required a higher magnesium concentration for optimal protein synthesis. These results suggest that there is a conformational modification in heart and skeletal muscle ribosomes from isoprotenerol-treated hamsters. No such change was observed with ribosomes from the liver of isoproterenol-treated hamsters.     

Inhibition of the Peptide Bond Synthesizing Cycle by Chloramphenicol

To study the mechanism by which chloramphenicol inhibits bacterial protein synthesis, we examined the kinetics of the puromycin-induced release of peptides from transfer ribonucleic acid (tRNA) in the presence and in the absence of chloramphenicol. Washed Escherichia coli ribosomes with nascent peptides which had been radioactively labeled in vivo were used for this study. When such ribosomes were incubated in the presence of 10 mug of puromycin per ml, approximately one-fourth of the radioactive peptide material was rapidly released from tRNA. This rapid, puromycin-dependent reaction is assumed to be equivalent to the peptidyl transferase reaction. Chloramphenicol inhibited the extent of the puromycin-induced release of peptides by only 50%, demonstrating that some of the peptide chains which are present on active ribosomes react with puromycin, even in the presence of chloramphenicol. The addition of the supernatant fraction and guanosine triphosphate (GTP) increased the extent of the puromycin-induced release; this additional release was completely inhibited by chloramphenicol. Peptidyl chains on washed ribosomes prepared from chloramphenicol-inhibited cells were not released by puromycin in the presence of chloramphenicol and reacted slowly with puromycin in the absence of chloramphenicol. The release of peptidyl groups from these ribosomes became largely insensitive to chloramphenicol after preincubation of the ribosomes with GTP and the supernatant fraction. We conclude that chloramphenicol does not inhibit the peptidyl transferase reaction as measured by the puromycin-induced release of peptides from tRNA, but rather inhibits some step in the peptide synthesis cycle prior to this reaction.     

Kinetic studies on the interaction between a ribosomal complex active in peptide bond formation and the macrolide antibiotics tylosin and erythromycin

The inhibition of peptide bond formation by tylosin, a 16-membered ring macrolide, was studied in a model system derived from Escherichia coli. In this cell-free system, a peptide bond is formed between puromycin (acceptor substrate) and AcPhe-tRNA (donor substrate) bound at the P-site of poly(U)-programmed ribosomes. It is shown that tylosin inhibits puromycin reaction as a slow-binding, slowly reversible inhibitor. Detailed kinetic analysis reveals that tylosin (I) reacts rapidly with complex C, i.e., the AcPhe-tRNA. poly(U).70S ribosome complex, to form the encounter complex CI, which then undergoes a slow isomerization and is converted to a tight complex, CI, inactive toward puromycin. These events are described by the scheme C + I <==> (K(i)) CI <==> (k(4), k(5)) CI. The K(i), k(4), and k(5) values are equal to 3 microM, 1.5 min(-1), and 2.5 x 10(-3) min(-1), respectively. The extremely low value of k(5) implies that the inactivation of complex C by tylosin is almost irreversible. The irreversibility of the tylosin effect on peptide bond formation is significant for the interpretation of this antibiotic's therapeutic properties; it also renders the tylosin reaction a useful tool in the study of other macrolides failing to inhibit the puromycin reaction but competing with tylosin for common binding sites on the ribosome. Thus, the tylosin reaction, in conjunction with the puromycin reaction, was applied to investigate the erythromycin mode of action. It is shown that erythromycin (Er), like tylosin, interacts with complex C according to the kinetic scheme C + Er <==> (K(er)) CEr <==> (k(6), k(7)) C*Er and forms a tight complex, CEr, which remains active toward puromycin. The determination of K(er), k(6), and k(7) enables us to classify erythromycin as a slow-binding ligand of ribosomes.     

Skeletal muscle: Increasing the size of the locomotor cell

Skeletal muscle is the most abundant tissue in the body comprising 40–50% of body mass in humans and playing a central role in maintaining metabolic health. Skeletal muscle protein undergoes rapid turnover, a process that is intricately regulated by the balance between the rates of protein synthesis and degradation. The process of skeletal muscle hypertrophy and regeneration is an important adaptive response to both contractile activity (i.e., exercise) and nutrient availability (i.e., protein ingestion). Ageing and physical inactivity are two conditions associated with a loss of skeletal muscle protein (sarcopenia). Sarcopenia is characterised by a deterioration of muscle quantity and quality, although the precise mechanism(s) underlying this condition remain to be elucidated. This review will (1) summarise our current understanding of the origin and plasticity of skeletal muscle, (2) discuss the major effectors of muscle growth, and (3) highlight the importance of skeletal muscle health in the prevention of several common pathologies.     

Study of the regulation of plastid development in Euglena gracilis. II. Functional localisation and synthesis of ribosomal chloroplast particles (author's transl)]

Chloroplast ribosomes in greening cells of Euglena gracilis are found either in the stroma or bound to thylakoid membranes. The membrane-bound chloroplast ribosomes are of two main types: those which can be released by 0.5 M KCl or by puromycin and 0.5 M KCl, and those which are released by detergent (deoxycholate or Triton X-100) and KCl. The ribosomes which are released by puromycin are presumably bound to chloroplast membrane by nascent peptide chains. Ribosomes released by puromycin are found only during the course of plastidial differentiation at the time of active thylacoid membrane synthesis. Following greening, those ribosomes remain bound to the membranes but can be removed by KCl alone. An analysis of RNA labelling showed that 30-S but not 53-S subunits of membrane-bound ribosomes are of uniform specific activity. This suggests that 30-S subunit exchange in a common pool while 53 S subunits remain membrane bound and do not exchange in a common pool. Membrane-bound chloroplast ribosomes which are released either by puromycin or by detergent are originally derived from loosely bound particles, released by 0.5 M KCl.     

Puromycin photoaffinity labels small- and large-subunit proteins at the A site of the Drosophila ribosome

[3H]Puromycin covalently incorporates into the protein and to a much lesser extent into the RNA components of Drosophila ribosomes in the presence of 254-nm light. The photoincorporation reaction takes place with a small number of large- (L2 and L17) and small- (S8 and S22) subunit proteins as determined by two-dimensional gel analysis. More quantitative one-dimensional gel results show that puromycin reacts with each of these proteins in a functional site specific manner. The small percentage of the total labeling that occurs with rRNA also appears to be site specific. The rRNA labeling arises from a puromycin-mediated cross-linking of ribosomal protein and rRNA. Ionic conditions shift the pattern of puromycin-labeled ribosomal proteins. These results suggest that puromycin can occupy two distinct sites on Drosophila 80S ribosomes. The pattern of ribosomal proteins labeled by puromycin is affected by the presence of other antibiotics such as emetine, anisomycin, and trichodermin.     

Intracellular distribution of fumarase in rat skeletal muscle

The distribution of fumarase activity between the mitochondrial and cytoplasmic compartments of rat skeletal muscle was studied using the method of Fatania and Dalziel (Biochim. Biophys. Acta 631 (1980) 11–19), fractional extraction technique and a method based on the calculation of mitochondrial protein content in the tissue and on the determination of fumarase activity both in the tissue homogenate and in the isolated mitochondria. We found 10%, 5% and 0% of the total fumarase activity in the cytoplasm using these methods, respectively. The results suggest that no more than 10% of the total fumarase activity is present in the cytosolic fraction of rat skeletal muscle. The metabolic consequences of such distribution of fumarase in skeletal muscle are discussed.     

The role of ribosomal ribonucleic acid in the structure and function of mammalian brain ribosomes

In order to resolve the functional role of intact rRNA in polypeptide chain elongation mouse brain ribosomes were treated with dilute pancreatic or T(1) RNAase (ribonuclease). After RNAase treatment, several physical-chemical properties as well as the functional activity of the ribosomes were measured. RNAase treatment resulted in the extensive hydrolysis of both 18S and 28S rRNA; however, the sedimentation properties of mono-ribosomes were unaltered and more than 90% of the relatively low-molecular-weight RNA fragments remained associated with ribosome particles. Analysis of the ability of RNAase-treated ribosomes to participate in cell-free protein synthesis showed that ribosomes with less than 2% intact rRNA retained more than 85% of their activity in polyphenylalanine incorporation. Proof that the incorporation of phenylalanine by ribosomes with hydrolysed rRNA actually represented active translocation was obtained by the effective inhibition of incorporation by diphtheria toxin. In addition, the oligopeptide products of protein synthesis could be identified by BD (benzoylated diethylaminoethyl)-cellulose column chromatography. Analysis of the size distribution of oligopeptides synthesized by normal and RNAase-treated ribosomes showed no significant differences which indicated that there was no change in the proportion of ribosomes engaged in protein synthesis. Thus strong RNA-protein and protein-protein interactions must serve to maintain the functional integrity of ribosomes even when the rRNA is extensively degraded. The ability of the enzyme-treated ribosomes to efficiently incorporate amino acids clearly demonstrated that ;intact' rRNA is not required for protein-synthetic activity.     

Purification and characterization of the dihydropyridine-sensitive voltage-dependent calcium channel from cardiac tissue

The dihydropyridine-sensitive voltage-dependent Ca2+ channel from cardiac tissue was purified 900-fold using DEAE-Sephadex A-25, concanavalin A-Sepharose, and wheat germ agglutinin-Sepharose. The purified preparation was highly enriched in a peptide of 140,000 daltons when electrophoresed on sodium dodecyl sulfate gels in the presence of 2-mercaptoethanol, or 170,000 when electrophoresed in the presence of iodoacetamide. Polyclonal antibodies raised against the purified subunits of the rabbit skeletal muscle Ca2+ channel recognized the 170-kDa protein in preparations electrophoresed under nonreducing conditions, and the large peptide of 140 kDa and smaller peptides of 29-32 kDa in preparations analyzed under reducing conditions. Monoclonal antibodies, which were raised against the native Ca2+ channel from skeletal muscle, immunoprecipitated [3H]PN 200-110 binding activity from solubilized cardiac membranes and immunoprecipitated 125I-labeled peptides (from the purified cardiac Ca2+ channel preparation) which migrated as a single species of 170 kDa under nonreducing conditions, or as 140, 32, and 29 kDa under reducing conditions. The results show that the purified cardiac Ca2+ channel, like that previously purified from skeletal muscle, consists of a major component of 170 kDa which is comprised of a 140-kDa peptide linked by disulfide bonds to smaller peptides of 32-29 kDa. Peptide maps of the 140-kDa peptide purified from cardiac and skeletal muscle preparations were strikingly similar, suggesting a high degree of homology in their primary sequence.