Change in intracellular pH of rat liver during azo-dye carcinogenesis.

The change in intracellular pH of rat liver during 3'-methyl-4-dimethylaminoazobenzene (3'-Me-DAB) feeding was examined, contrasting with that during 2-methyl-4- dimethylaminoazobenzene (2-Me-DAB) feeding. Intracellular pH of liver was measured by the DMO method.The intracellular pH decreased markedly until the 5th week after the beginning of 3'-Me-DAB feeding, and then somewhat recovered. After 11 weeks, however, it decreased rapidly again with a lower point in the 15th week. When rats were returned to a basal diet after the dye had been fed for various periods, the pH value returned to the normal range. No significant change in rat liver pH was found during 2-Me-DAB feeding. Although it is not obvious what causes the decrease in intracellular pH of rat liver fed on the 3'-Me-DAB diet, or what role it plays in hepatocarcinogenesis, this alteration in cellular environment seems to be associated with biochemical changes accompanied by carcinogenesis.     

Heme occupancy of catalase in hemoglobin-free perfused rat liver and of isolated rat liver catalase

Maximal heme occupancy, the maximal proportion of total catalase heme present in the form of Compound I, is found to be 0.4 both in the enzyme isolated from rat liver and in the peroxisomal enzyme as present in the intact cells of perfused rat liver. This indicates that the ratio of second order rate constants for catalatic decomposition and for formation of Compound I, $\text{k}{}_{\mathrm{4\prime }}\text{k}{}_1$, is equal in vitro and in vivo.Catalase was isolated from rat liver, and the extinction coefficients for Compound I and for cyanide-catalase at 640 minus 660 nm were determined. The measurement of heme occupancy of catalase in hemoglobin-free perfused rat liver was made possible by wavelength scanning as well as by dual wavelength absorbance photometry. Thus, Compound I and cyanide-catalase were demonstrated in the red region and in the Soret band region.Meeting the particular needs of organ photometry, specific metabolic transitions were used to visualize specific transitions of absorbing pigments. Compound I is specifically demonstrated by its decomposition by the hydrogen donor, methanol. A measure for total catalase heme is provided by formation of cyanide-catalase. The cyanide concentrations required are well below appearance of possible interference by other cyanide-binding hemoproteins at 640–660 nm.     

Behavior of chymotrypsinogen during low pH gel electrophoresis is altered by persulfate

Chymotrypsinogen was observed to have two bands in a low-pH gel electrophoresis system, though the protein was pure by other criteria. Other proteins have also been reported to give artifacts under these conditions. Removal of persulfate from the gel by pre-electrophoresis or by substituting riboflavin eliminated the artifacts. The affected amino acid residue was identified as tryptophan by titration of persulfate-treated proteins with 2-hydroxy-5-nitrobenzyl bromide and by the spectral method of Edelhoch. Persulfate-treated chymotrypsinogen had the same mobility as the artifact, while oxidation of Met-192 with hydrogen peroxide produced a protein with a different mobility.     

Gel electrophoresis of protein-dodecyl sulfate complexes in a pH gradient and improved resolution of poliovirus polypeptides.

Electrophoresis of poliovirus capsid polypeptides and of nonviral test proteins was carried out in 12.5% acrylamide gels in the presence of sodium dodecyl sulfate. The gels were prepared at pH 7.2. The electrode buffers were (i) both at pH 7.2 (normal conditions), (ii) both at pH 9, 10, or 11, or (iii) the catholyte was at pH 11 and the anolyte was at pH 6.5. The VP1 = 3 group of poliovirus polypeptides yielded the classical three bands under the first (i) set of conditions, except that VP2 and VP3 each yielded two bands in protracted runs; up to six bands were obtained under the second (ii) and third (iii) sets of conditions. When the catholyte was pH 11, there was a molecular weight-dependent, progressive deceleration of the migration of all proteins. In addition, a pH gradient was formed in the gels, and these expanded markedly. The improved resolution of the poliovirus polypeptides is discussed in the light of these observations.     

Effect of treatment with hemin on rat liver catalase.

Rats were injected with a single or repeated doses of hemin intraperitoneally, and the effect on liver catalase [EC 1.11.1.6] was studied. A single administration of hemin caused a reduction in the concentration of liver catalase, both in enzymatic activity and in catalase protein determined immunochemically. The reduction occurred a few hours after the hemin injection, and is probably due to stimulated degradation. Disappearance of radioactivity from liver catalase prelabelled with [14C]leucine was enhanced following the administration of hemin. No evidence for a repression in vivo incorporation of [14C]leucine and [3H]sigma-aminolevulinic acid into liver catalase was obtained with hemin-treated rats. When the hemin was given repeatedly at 12-h intervals, the level of liver catalase decreased considerably. However, the impairment in catalase-synthesizing activity of liver cells of rats thus treated was rather slight, when examined in a cell-free system. Some differences were noted between the results in the present study and those in previous investigations with Sedormid-treated rats.     

Two-dimensional electrophoresis of plant proteins with phastsystem using nonequilibrium pH gradient separation.

We have adapted a two-dimensional electrophoretic technique described by P. Z. O'Farrell et al. (Cell 12, 1133-1142, 1977) to Phastsystem, resolving both acidic and basic proteins by using nonequilibrium pH gradient electrophoresis in the first dimension and sodium dodecyl sulfate polyacrylamide gel electrophoresis in the second dimension. Protein separation was optimized for the analysis of plant proteins. The use of the Phastsystem apparatus reduced times of preparation and separation, allowing the rapid screening of plant proteins on a large scale of isoelectric points. This technique was used for the immunodetection and characterization of two stress-induced proteins in irradiated tomato leaves.     

pH dependency of kinetic parameters and reaction mechanism of beef liver catalase.

The pH-dependence of the kinetic parameters in H2O2 decomposition by beef liver catalase was investigated. At pH 7.0, the ternary complex (ESS) decomposition rate was about 100 times faster than ESS formation (42 microM H2O2), and the value of the Michaelis constant was 0.025 M. From ethanol competition experiments, two different proton dissociation constants of the enzyme (pKe1 = 5.0, pKes2 = 5.9) were obtained for the binding of first and second H2O2 molecules. Another pKa value (pKes1) of 4.2 was obtained from the pH dependence of overall rate constant (ko). The reaction mechanism of catalase was discussed in relation to these ionizable groups.     

Degradation of peroxisomal catalase and urate oxidase of rat liver.

Urate oxidase and catalase were purified from rat liver peroxisomes, and respective antibodies were prepared from rabbits by the administration of these enzymes. Although urate oxidase generally precipitates in immunoprecipitation-possible pH ranges (pH 4.5--9.5), the enzyme remained soluble in 50 mM glycine buffer (pH 9.5) containing 50% glycerol up to concentration of 0.3 mg/ml. Anti-urate oxidase reacted with purified urate oxidase as well as with the crude preparation. After [3H]leucine was injected to rats, urate oxidase and catalase were purified from rat liver at certain intervals, and further precipitated by respective antibodies. The half-life of the catalase was 39 h and that of urate oxidase, 20 h. When the sonicated light mitochondrial fraction was incubated at 37 degrees C and at pH 7.0 or 5.6, inactivation of catalase did not seem to differ between these pH values, and approximately 80% of the catalase activity remained even after 8 h. Urate oxidase was inactivated very rapidly at pH 5.6; only 30% of its activity survived incubation for 6 h. This inactivation was found to occur by some proteolytic process. From these findings, the turnover rate of urate oxidase was found to be different from that of catalase, and this distinction seemed to be due to different sensitivity to some degradative enzymes.     

Characterization of the rat liver membrane proteome using peptide immobilized pH gradient isoelectric focusing

Membrane proteins are of particular interest in proteomics because of their potential therapeutic utility. Past proteomic approaches used to investigate membrane proteins have only been partially successful at providing a comprehensive analysis due to the inherently hydrophobic nature and low abundance for some of these proteins. Recently, these difficulties have been improved by analyzing membrane protein enriched samples using shotgun proteomics. In addition, the recent application of methanol-assisted trypsin digestion of membrane proteins has been shown to be a method to improve membrane protein identifications. In this study, a comparison of different concentrations of methanol was assessed for assisting membrane protein digestion with trypsin prior to analysis using a gel-based shotgun proteomics approach called peptide immobilized pH gradient isoelectric focusing (IPG-IEF). We demonstrate the use of peptide IEF on pH 3-10 IPG strips as the first dimension of two-dimensional shotgun proteomics for protein identifications from the membrane fraction of rat liver. Tryptic digestion of proteins was carried out in varying concentrations of methanol in 10 mM ammonium bicarbonate: 0% (v/v), 40% (v/v), and 60% (v/v). A total of 800 proteins were identified from 60% (v/v) methanol, which increased the protein identifications by 17% and 14% compared to 0% (v/v) methanol and 40% (v/v) methanol assisted digestion, respectively. In total, 1549 nonredundant proteins were identified from all three concentrations of methanol including 690 (42%) integral membrane proteins of which 626 of these proteins contained at least one transmembrane domain. Peptide IPG-IEF separation of peptides was successful as the peptides were separated into discrete pI regions with high resolution. The results from this study prove utility of 60% (v/v) methanol assisted digestion in conjunction with peptide IPG-IEF as an optimal shotgun proteomics technique for the separation and identification of previously unreported membrane proteins.     

Purification and characterization of a rat liver ferroactivator with catalase activity

A rat liver protein with both phosphoenolpyruvate carboxykinase ferroactivator activity and catalase activity has been purified to near-homogeneity. The protein has a native molecular weight of 240,000 and is composed of four identical subunits containing ferriprotoporphyrin IX prosthetic groups. The visible spectrum has absorbance maxima at 403, 500, 530, and 620 nm; it is not reduced by dithionite. The spectrum, physical properties, and specific activity are almost identical with those of catalases from other sources, and the protein has been tentatively identified as rat liver catalase. The protein exhibited partial reactivity in double immunodiffusion plates to antiserum prepared against rat liver ferroactivator isolated by a previous method (Bentle, L. A., and Lardy, H. A. (1977) J. Biol. Chem. 252, 1431-1440) raising the possibility that the original ferroactivator and rat liver catalase are structurally related. Inactivation of catalase by 3-amino-1,2,4-triazole was accompanied by loss of ferroactivator activity as well. The apparent specific activity of ferroactivator, as well. The apparent specific activity of ferroactivator, whether heme-containing or not, can be increased between 2- and 100-fold by the inclusion of bovine serum albumin, HCO3-, or a combination of the two in the incubation.     

Effect of pH on bovine liver catalase as determined by electron paramagnetic resonance.

Two major rhombic high-spin ferric heme signals are observed during the pH titration of bovine liver catalase. The less rhombic signal if dominant above pH 6.0 and the more rhombic signal below pH 6.0. Ethanol in high concentration enhances the relative intensity of the less rhombic signal. These data demonstrate the sensitivitiy of the ligand field to changes in catalase solvent and, furthermore, suggest that both rhombic configuration posses identical spectral and catalytic properties.     

Enhancement of rat liver catalase activity dietary cholesterol

The effects of a fat-supplemented diet and clofibrate (ethylchlorophenoxyisobutirate) upon serum lipids and liver catalase activity were studied in male rats. A butter-supplemented diet produced a striking increase of serum triglycerides but did not affect the liver catalase activity. Cholesterol (1%, w/w), added to the butter supplemented diet markedly increased liver catalase activity. This diet produced a hypercholesterolemic state higher than that induced by a butter-supplemented diet only, although the hypertriglyceridemic effect was less pronounced. Clofibrate given a butter-supplemented diet produced a marked increase of liver catalase activity (about four-fold). When clofibrate is administered with the cholesterol-supplemented diet, the increment observed in the liver catalase activity was the same as that induced with the cholesterol supplemented diet alone. Clofibrate, in either lipid-rich diet, failed to induce a hypocholesterolemic response, although a clear hypotrigliceridemic effect was evident. This effect appears to be potentiated with clofibrate and the cholesterol supplemented diet. Thus the increment in liver catalase activity induced by dietary cholesterol and clofibrate seems to be related to a hypotriglyceridemic effect which gives support to a role of liver peroxisomes in lipid metabolism. The role that liver catalase would play, in this regard, remains unclear from these results.     

Molecular cloning of cDNA for rat liver catalase

For the studies on the induction of peroxisomal enzymes by hypolipidemic agents, we have tried to isolate a cDNA clone for rat liver catalase. A recombinant clone, pMJ501, was isolated, of which cDNA insert specifically hybridized to catalase mRNA in hybridization-selected translation. On RNA blot hybridization, it hybridized to 2.4-kilobases RNA which was increased about 1.5-fold by the administration of di-(2-ethylhexyl)phthalate to the rats. The nucleotide sequence of the cDNA contains a reading frame for 109 amino acid residues which match the reported amino acid sequence of bovine liver catalase at the carboxyl end with 82% homology. It is concluded that pMJ501 contains a cDNA sequence for rat liver catalase.