Inhibition of purine phosphoribosyltransferases of Ehrlich ascites-tumour cells by 6-mercaptopurine

1. The formation of adenosine 5′-phosphate, guanosine 5′-phosphate and inosine 5′-phosphate from [8-¹⁴C]adenine, [8-¹⁴C]guanine and [8-¹⁴C]hypoxanthine respectively in the presence of 5-phosphoribosyl pyrophosphate and an extract from Ehrlich ascites-tumour cells was assayed by a method involving liquid-scintillation counting of the radioactive nucleotides on diethylaminoethylcellulose paper. The results obtained with guanine were confirmed by a spectrophotometric assay which was also used to assay the conversion of 6-mercaptopurine and 5-phosphoribosyl pyrophosphate into 6-thioinosine 5′-phosphate in the presence of 6-mercaptopurine phosphoribosyltransferase from these cells. 2. At pH 7·8 and 25° the Michaelis constants for adenine, guanine and hypoxanthine were 0·9 μm, 2·9 μm and 11·0 μm in the assay with radioactive purines; the Michaelis constant for guanine in the spectrophotometric assay was 2·6 μm. At pH 7·9 the Michaelis constant for 6-mercaptopurine was 10·9 μm. 3. 25 μm-6-Mercaptopurine did not inhibit adenine phosphoribosyltransferase. 6-Mercaptopurine is a competitive inhibitor of guanine phosphoribosyltransferase (K_i 4·7 μm) and hypoxanthine phosphoribosyltransferase (K_i 8·3 μm). Hypoxanthine is a competitive inhibitor of guanine phosphoribosyltransferase (K_i 3·4 μm). 4. Differences in kinetic parameters and in the distribution of phosphoribosyltransferase activities after electrophoresis in starch gel indicate that different enzymes are involved in the conversion of adenine, guanine and hypoxanthine into their nucleotides. 5. From the low values of K_i for 6-mercaptopurine, and from published evidence that ascites-tumour cells require supplies of purines from the host tissues, it is likely that inhibition of hypoxanthine and guanine phosphoribosyltransferases by free 6-mercaptopurine is involved in the biological activity of this drug.     

Substrate and inhibitor specificity of the cholesterol oxidase in bovine adrenal cortex

1. Cholesteryl 3β-sulphate is oxidized in vitro by preparations of bovine adrenal-cortex mitochondria to pregnenolone sulphate and isocaproic acid (4-methyl-pentanoic acid) without hydrolysis of the ester linkage. 2. Free cholesterol is the preferred substrate for adrenal-cortex cholesterol oxidase; the apparent K_m for cholesteryl sulphate is 500μm and for free cholesterol 50μm under the same conditions. 3. Cholesteryl 3β-acetate is hydrolysed by bovine adrenal-cortex mitochondria in vitro to free cholesterol, which is subsequently oxidized to more polar steroids and isocaproic acid. Evidence was obtained that other cholesterol esters behave similarly. Cholesterol esters may thus act as precursors of steroid hormones. 4. Cholest-4-en-3-one is only poorly oxidized to isocaproic acid and more polar steroids and thus is probably not a significant precursor of steroid hormones. 5. Cholesteryl esters inhibit the oxidation of cholesterol competitively (K_i for cholesteryl phosphate 28μm, for cholesteryl sulphate 110μm, for cholesteryl acetate 65μm) but pregnenolone esters do not inhibit this system. 6. Pregnenolone and 20α-hydroxycholesterol (both metabolites of cholesterol in this system) inhibit the oxidation of cholesterol non-competitively. K_i for pregnenolone is 130μm and K_i for 20α-hydroxycholesterol is 17μm. 7. 25-Oxo-27-norcholesterol inhibits cholesterol oxidation non-competitively (K_i16μm). A number of other Δ⁵-3β-hydroxy steroids inhibit cholesterol oxidation and evidence was obtained that the 3β-hydroxyl group was necessary for inhibitory activity. 8. Pregnenolone, 20α-hydroxycholesterol and 25-oxo-27-norcholesterol inhibit oxidation of cholesteryl sulphate by this system but their sulphates do not. 9. 3β-Hydroxychol-5-enoic acid, 3α-hydroxy-5β-cholanic acid and 3β-hydroxy-22,23-bisnorchol-5-enoic acid stimulated formation of isocaproic acid from cholesterol. 10. No evidence was obtained that phosphorylation or sulphation are obligatory steps in cholesterol oxidation by adrenal-cortex mitochondria. 11. The cholesteryl 3β-sulphate sulphatase of bovine adrenal cortex was found mostly in the microsomal fraction and was inhibited by inorganic phosphate.     

The stimulatory effects of carbon tetrachloride on peroxidative reactions in rat liver fractions in vitro. Inhibitory effects of free-radical scavengers and other agents

1. The effects of a number of free-radical scavengers and other agents on the stimulation of malonaldehyde production due to low concentrations of carbon tetrachloride have been studied in rat liver microsome suspensions. 2. Promethazine, propyl gallate and NN′-diphenyl-p-phenylenediamine were extremely active in inhibiting the stimulation of malonaldehyde production due to carbon tetrachloride; inhibitory effects were demonstrable with these agents at 0.1μm. 3. Low concentrations (1–100nm) of vitamin E–polyethylene glycol 1000–succinate increased the stimulation of malonaldehyde production due to carbon tetrachloride, but higher concentrations of the vitamin E preparation decreased both the stimulation due to carbon tetrachloride and the endogenous peroxidation that occurs in the absence of carbon tetrachloride. 4. Other agents tested that were effective in the range 1–20μm in decreasing the stimulation of malonaldehyde production due to carbon tetrachloride were inosine, desferrioxamine and EDTA. Agents tested that were not effective, except at very high concentrations (100μm or greater), were Nupercaine, Cetab and sodium phenobarbitone. 5. The results are discussed in terms of the mechanisms responsible for the observed inhibitions of malonaldehyde production, and of the relevance of the in vitro system to the liver damage produced by carbon tetrachloride in vivo.     

Rapid stimulation by vasopressin, oxytocin and angiotensin II of glycogen degradation in hepatocyte suspensions

1. The hormonal control of glycogen breakdown was studied in hepatocytes isolated from livers of fed rats. 2. Glucose release was stimulated by [8-arginine]vasopressin (10pm–10nm), oxytocin (1nm–1μm), and angiotensin II (1nm–0.1μm). These responses are all at least as sensitive to hormone as is glucose output in the perfused rat liver. 3. The effect of these three hormones on glucose release was critically dependent on extracellular Ca²⁺, unlike that of glucagon. Half-maximal restoration of the vasopressin response occurred if 0.3mm-Ca²⁺ was added back to the incubation medium. 4. Glycogen breakdown was more than sufficient to account for the glucose released into the medium, in the absence or presence of hormones. Lactate release by hepatocytes was not affected by vasopressin, but was inhibited by glucagon. 5. If Ca²⁺ was omitted from the extracellular medium, vasopressin stimulated glycogenolysis, but not glucose release. 6. The phosphorylase a content of hepatocytes was increased by vasopressin, oxytocin and angiotensin II; minimum effective concentrations were 0.1pm, 0.1nm and 10pm respectively. This response was also dependent on Ca²⁺. 7. These results demonstrate that hepatocytes can respond to low concentrations of vasopressin and angiotensin II, i.e. these effects are likely to be relevant in the intact animal. The role of extracellular Ca²⁺ in the effects of these hormones on hepatic glycogenolysis and glucose release is discussed.     

Purine catabolism in isolated rat hepatocytes. Influence of coformycin

1. The catabolism of purine nucleotides was investigated by both chemical and radiochemical methods in isolated rat hepatocytes, previously incubated with [¹⁴C]adenine. The production of allantoin reached 32±5nmol/min per g of cells (mean±s.e.m.) and as much as 30% of the radioactivity incorporated in the adenine nucleotides was lost after 1h. This rate of degradation is severalfold in excess over values previously reported to occur in the liver in vivo. An explanation for this enhancement of catabolism may be the decrease in the concentration of GTP. 2. In a high-speed supernatant of rat liver, adenosine deaminase was maximally inhibited by 0.1μm-coformycin. The activity of AMP deaminase, measured in the presence of its stimulator ATP in the same preparation, as well as the activity of the partially purified enzyme, measured after addition of its physiological inhibitors GTP and Pi, required 50μm-coformycin for maximal inhibition. 3. The production of allantoin by isolated hepatocytes was not influenced by the addition of 0.1μm-coformycin, but was decreased by concentrations of coformycin that were inhibitory for AMP deaminase. With 50μm-coformycin the production of allantoin was decreased by 85% and the formation of radioactive allantoin from [¹⁴C]adenine nucleotides was completely suppressed. 4. In the presence of 0.1μm-coformycin or in its absence, the addition of fructose (1mg/ml) to the incubation medium caused a rapid degradation of ATP, without equivalent increase in ADP and AMP, followed by transient increases in IMP and in the rate of production of allantoin; adenosine was not detectable. In the presence of 50μm-coformycin, the fructose-induced breakdown of ATP was not modified, but the depletion of the adenine nucleotide pool proceeded much more slowly and the rate of production of allantoin increased only slightly. No rise in IMP concentration could be detected, but AMP increased manyfold and reached values at which a participation of soluble 5′-nucleotidase in the catabolism of adenine nucleotides is most likely. 5. These results are in agreement with the hypothesis that the formation of allantoin is controlled by AMP deaminase. They constitute further evidence that 5′-nucleotidase is inactive on AMP, unless the concentration of this nucleotide rises to unphysiological values.     

Studies of inhibition of rat spermidine synthase and spermine synthase

1. S-Adenosyl-l-methionine, S-adenosyl-l-homocysteine, 5′-methylthioadenosine and a number of analogues having changes in the base, sugar or amino acid portions of the molecule were tested as potential inhibitors of spermidine synthase and spermine synthase from rat ventral prostate. 2. S-Adenosyl-l-methionine was inhibitory to these reactions, as were other nucleosides containing a sulphonium centre. The most active of these were S-adenosyl-l-ethionine, S-adenosyl-4-methylthiobutyric acid, S-adenosyl-d-methionine and S-tubercidinylmethionine, which were all comparable in activity with S-adenosylmethionine itself, producing 70–98% inhibition at 1mm concentrations. Spermine synthase was somewhat more sensitive than spermidine synthase. 3. 5′-Methylthioadenosine, 5′-ethylthioadenosine and 5′-methylthiotubercidin were all powerful inhibitors of both enzymes, giving 50% inhibition of spermine synthase at 10–15μm and 50% inhibition of spermidine synthase at 30–45μm. 4. S-Adenosyl-l-homocysteine was a weak inhibitor of spermine synthase and practically inactive against spermidine synthase. Analogues of S-adenosylhomocysteine lacking either the carboxy or the amino group of the amino acid portion were somewhat more active, as were derivatives in which the ribose ring had been opened by oxidation. The sulphoxide and sulphone derivatives of decarboxylated S-adenosyl-l-homocysteine and the sulphone of S-adenosyl-l-homocysteine were quite potent inhibitors and were particularly active against spermidine synthase (giving 50% inhibition at 380, 50 and 20μm respectively). 5. These results are discussed in terms of the possible regulation of polyamine synthesis by endogenous nucleosides and the possible value of some of the inhibitory substances in experimental manipulations of polyamine concentrations. It is suggested that 5′-methylthiotubercidin and the sulphone of S-adenosylhomocysteine or of S-adenosyl-3-thiopropylamine may be particularly valuable in this respect.     

Effect of adrenaline on 32P incorporation into rat fat-cell phospholipids

1. The phospholipid composition of fat-cells prepared from rat epididymal fat-pad was determined. 2. The incorporation of [³²P]P_i into the phospholipids of fat-cells incubated in glucose-free medium and the effect of adrenaline and of α- and β-adrenergic blocking agents, were studied. 3. Incorporation of [³²P]P_i into fat-cell phospholipid increased with time; incubation with adrenaline resulted in increased incorporation that was related to the concentration of adrenaline. 4. The pattern of incorporation of [³²P]P_i into the individual phospholipids of fat-cells after incubation for 1h was determined; adrenaline (5.4μm) resulted in increased incorporation into phosphatidylcholine. 5. Incubation of fat-cells with propranolol (34μm) and adrenaline (5.4μm) resulted in abolition of adrenaline-stimulated lipolysis; there was a decrease in the specific radioactivity of phosphatidylcholine and an increase in the specific radioactivity of phosphatidylethanolamine, phosphatidic acid, phosphatidylinositol and cardiolipin compared with cells incubated with adrenaline alone. 6. Incubation of fat-cells with phenoxybenzamine (0.1mm) and adrenaline (5.4μm) resulted in stimulation of lipolysis, and in diminished specific radioactivities of phosphatidylcholine, phosphatidic acid, phosphatidylinositol, phosphatidylglycerol and choline plasmalogen compared with cells stimulated with adrenaline alone.     

The Effect of 5OH-1,4-Naphthoquinone on Norway Spruce Seeds during Germination

The effect of 5-OH-1,4-naphthoquinone (5OH-NQ), a known inhibitor of germination and growth and an inducer of oxidative stress, on seeds from Norway spruce (Picea abies) during germination was studied. 5OH-NQ was activated by homogenate from seeds to reactive species that reduce oxygen to superoxide radicals in vitro. Increasing concentrations of 5OH-NQ increased lipid peroxidation during this activation. Small effects of 5OH-NQ on germination of seeds were observed at concentrations up to 200 μm. However, higher concentrations, e.g. 500 and 1000 μm, exerted more pronounced effects on seeds. These results suggest that the effect of 5OH-NQ was a delay rather than an inhibition of germination. However, the effect of 5OH-NQ on postgerminative growth was more potent than that on germination, and higher concentrations inhibited growth >97%. These results suggest that the seeds have a very effective defense system against quinone and reactive oxygen species, since the small effects of 5OH-NQ on germination and postgermination at concentrations up to 200 μm can be explained by the formation of a metabolite of 5OH-NQ that is not as reactive with oxygen as the original quinone. The 5OH-NQ metabolite collected during germination experiments showed differences in its absorption spectrum in comparison with 5OH-NQ, which suggest changes in structure. This metabolite was reduced by quinone reductase, but reduction of oxygen to superoxide radicals was not detected during its activation with homogenate from seeds. This metabolite may arise via a conjugation reaction, since the addition of 500 μm uridine 5′-diphosphoglucuronic acid or 3′-phosphoadenosine-5′-phosphosulfate to the incubation mixture during activation of this metabolite by homogenate from seeds in vitro inhibited reduction of oxygen to superoxide radicals by 50 and 64%, respectively. The constitutive levels of superoxide dismutase and catalase were sufficient to prevent oxygen toxicity during activation of 5OH-NQ, since these enzymes were not induced when the seeds were treated with 200 μm 5OH-NQ.     

The regulation of glyceride synthesis in isolated white-fat cells. The effects of palmitate and lipolytic agents

1. 0.5mm-Palmitate stimulated incorporation of [U-¹⁴C]glucose into glyceride glycerol and fatty acids in normal fat cells in a manner dependent upon the glucose concentration. 2. In the presence of insulin the incorporation of 5mm-glucose into glyceride fatty acids was increased by concentrations of palmitate, adrenaline and 6-N-2′-O-dibutyryladenosine 3′:5′-cyclic monophosphate up to 0.5mm, 0.5μm and 0.5mm respectively. Higher concentrations of these agents produced progressive decreases in the rate of glucose incorporation into fatty acids. 3. The effects of palmitate and lipolytic agents upon the measured parameters of glucose utilization were similar, suggesting that the effects of lipolytic agents are mediated through increased concentrations of free fatty acids. 4. In fat cells from 24h-starved rats, maximal stimulation of glucose incorporation into fatty acids was achieved with 0.25mm-palmitate. Higher concentrations of palmitate were inhibitory. In fat cells from 72h-starved rats, palmitate only stimulated glucose incorporation into fatty acids at high concentrations of palmitate (1mm and above). 5. The ability of fat cells to incorporate glucose into glyceride glycerol in the presence of palmitate decreased with increasing periods of starvation. 6. It is suggested that low concentrations of free fatty acids stimulate fatty acid synthesis from glucose by increasing the utilization of ATP and cytoplasmic NADH for esterification of these free fatty acids. When esterification of free fatty acids does not keep pace with their provision, inhibition of fatty acid synthesis occurs. Provision of free fatty acids far in excess of the esterification capacity of the cells leads to uncoupling of oxidative phosphorylation and a secondary stimulation of fatty acid synthesis from glucose.     

Effects of dopamine on prolactin secretion and cyclic AMP accumulation in the rat anterior pituitary gland

The effects of dopamine on pituitary prolactin secretion and pituitary cyclic AMP accumulation were studied by using anterior pituitary glands from adult female rats, incubated in vitro. During 2h incubations, significant inhibition of prolactin secretion was achieved at concentrations between 1 and 10nm-dopamine. However, 0.1–1μm-dopamine was required before a significant decrease in pituitary cyclic AMP content was observed. In the presence of 1μm-dopamine, pituitary cyclic AMP content decreased rapidly to reach about 75% of the control value within 20min and there was no further decrease for at least 2h. Incubation with the phosphodiesterase inhibitors theophylline (8mm) or isobutylmethylxanthine (2mm) increased pituitary cyclic AMP concentrations 3- and 6-fold respectively. Dopamine (1μm) had no effect on the cyclic AMP accumulation measured in the presence of theophylline, but inhibited the isobutylmethylxanthine-induced increase by 50%. The dopamine inhibition of prolactin secretion was not affected by either inhibitor. Two derivatives of cyclic AMP (dibutyryl cyclic AMP and 8-bromo cyclic AMP) were unable to block the dopamine (1μm) inhibition of prolactin secretion, although 8-bromo cyclic AMP (2mm) significantly stimulated prolactin secretion and both compounds increased somatotropin (growth hormone) release. Cholera toxin (3μg/ml for 4h) increased pituitary cyclic AMP concentrations 4–5-fold, but had no effect on prolactin secretion. The inhibition of prolactin secretion by dopamine was unaffected by cholera toxin, despite the fact that dopamine had no effect on the raised pituitary cyclic AMP concentration caused by this factor. Dopamine had no significant effect on either basal or stimulated somatotropin secretion under any of the conditions tested. We conclude that the inhibitory effects of dopamine on prolactin secretion are probably not mediated by lowering of cyclic AMP concentration, although modulation of the concentration of this nucleotide in some other circumstances may alter the secretion of the hormone.     

Control of logarithmic growth rates of tobacco callus tissue by cytokinins

The growth rates of tobacco callus tissues on media containing 10⁻⁶ to 10 μm 6-(γ,γ-dimethylallylamino)purine (2iP) were measured. At concentrations of 10⁻⁴ μm and above growth rates were exponential and dependent on cytokinin concentration. At 2iP concentrations of 10⁻⁴ to 0.33 μm, the exponential rate was maintained for 4 to 5 doublings of fresh and dry weight. After this period a linear phase, resulting in approximately 1 doubling of weight, occurred. The growth of tissues on media containing higher than 0.33 μm 2iP was exponential for only about 15 days. At the end of this time, and well before they achieved half their final weight, they exhibited growth which was less rapid than logarithmic but more rapid than linear. Comparisons with zeatin, 6-benzylaminopurine and kinetin indicated that, although the maximum growth rates obtained with relatively high concentrations (0.1-1 μm) were similar, the naturally occurring cytokinins, 2iP and zeatin, promoted faster rates at lower concentrations (10⁻³-10⁻² μm) than did 6-benzylaminopurine and kinetin.     

Maturation in liver mitochondria of Ruthenium Red-sensitive calcium-ion-transport activity and the influence of glucagon administration in vivo and in utero

The maturation of Ca²⁺ transport in mitochondria isolated from rat liver was examined, from 5 days before birth. The mitochondria used were isolated from liver homogenates by centrifugation at 22000g-min. Ca²⁺ transport by mitochondria isolated from foetal liver is energy-dependent and Ruthenium Red-sensitive. The transmembrane pH gradient in these mitochondria is higher by about 7mV and the membrane potential lower by about 20mV than in adult mitochondria. The inclusion of 2mm-P_i in the incubation medium enhances the protonmotive force by approx. 30mV. The rate of Ca²⁺ influx in foetal mitochondria measured in buffered KCl plus succinate is low until about 2–3h after birth, when it increases to about 60% of adult values; approx. 24h later it has reached near-adult values. Higher rates of Ca²⁺ influx are observed in the presence of 2mm-P_i; 3–5 days before birth the rates are about one-third of adult values and decline slightly as birth approaches. By 2–3h post partum they have reached adult values. The inclusion of 12.5μm-MgATP with the P_i stimulates further the initial rate of Ca²⁺ influx in foetal mitochondria. The rates observed are constant over the prenatal period examined and are 50–60% of those observed in adult mitochondria. Mitochondria isolated from foetal livers 4–5 days before birth retain the accumulated Ca²⁺ for about 50min in the presence of 2mm-P_i. In the period 2 days before birth to birth, this ability is largely lost, but by 2–3h after birth Ca²⁺ retention is similar to that of adult mitochondria. The presence of 12.5μm-MgATP progressively enhances the Ca²⁺ retention time as development proceeds until 2–3h after birth, when it becomes less sensitive to added MgATP. Glucagon administration to older foetuses in utero enhances both the rate of mitochondrial Ca²⁺ influx assayed in the presence of 2mm-P_i and the time for which mitochondria retain accumulated Ca²⁺ in the presence of 12.5μm-MgATP and 2mm-P_i. Its administration to neonatal animals leads to an increase in mitochondrial Ca²⁺ retention similar to that seen in adult mitochondria. The data provide evidence that the Ruthenium Red-sensitive Ca²⁺ transporter is potentially as active in foetal mitochondria 5 days before birth as it is in adult mitochondria. They also show that foetal mitochondria have an ability to retain accumulated Ca²⁺ reminiscent of mitochondria from tumour cells and from hormone-challenged rat liver.     

Biosynthesis of growth hormone in the rat anterior pituitary gland. Stimulation of biosynthesis in vitro by insulin

The effect of insulin on the incorporation of radioactive leucine into growth hormone was investigated by using rat anterior pituitary glands incubated in vitro. A 50% stimulation over control values was observed at insulin concentrations above 2μm (280munits/ml). The effect was specific for growth hormone biosynthesis, over the range 1–5μm-insulin (140–700munits/ml). Lower more physiological concentrations had no significant effect in this system. Above 10μm (1.4 units/ml) total protein synthesis was also increased. The stimulation of growth hormone synthesis could be partially blocked by the addition of actinomycin D, suggesting that RNA synthesis was involved. Insulin was found to stimulate the rate of glucose utilization in a similar way to growth hormone synthesis. 2-Deoxyglucose and phloridzin, which both prevented insulin from stimulating glucose utilization, also prevented the effect of insulin on growth hormone synthesis. If glucose was replaced by fructose in the medium, the effect of insulin on growth hormone synthesis was decreased. We conclude that the rate of utilization of glucose may be an important step in mediating the effect of insulin on growth hormone synthesis.     

Stable changes to calcium fluxes in mitochondria isolated from rat livers perfused with α-adrenergic agonists and with glucagon

1. Human uterine cervical stroma was found to contain a Ca²⁺-independent neutral proteinase against casein and N-benzoyl-dl-arginine p-nitroanilide (Bz-dl-Arg-Nan). This enzyme was tightly bound to an insoluble material (20000g pellet) and was solubilized by high concentrations of NaCl or KCl. High concentrations of them in the reaction system, however, inhibited reversibly the activity of this enzyme. 2. The neutral proteinase was partially purified by extraction with NaCl, gel filtration on Sephadex G-200 and affinity chromatography on casein–Sepharose. 3. The optimal pH of this partially purified enzyme was 7.4–8.0 against casein and Bz-dl-Arg-Nan. The molecular weight of the enzyme was found to be about 1.4×10⁵ by gel filtration on Sephadex G-200. 4. The enzyme was significantly inhibited by di-isopropyl phosphorofluoridate (0.1mm). High concentration of phenylmethanesulphonyl fluoride (5mm), 7-amino-1-chloro-3-l-tosylamidoheptan-2-one (0.5mm), antipain (10μm) or leupeptin (10μm) was also found to be inhibitory, but chymostatin (40μg/ml), soya-bean trypsin inhibitor (2.5mg/ml), human plasma (10%, v/v), p-chloromercuribenzoate (1mm), EDTA (10mm) and 1-chloro-4-phenyl-3-l-tosylamidobutan-2-one (1mm) had no effect on the enzyme. 5. The neutral proteinase hydrolysed casein, Bz-dl-Arg-Nan and heat-denatured collagen, but was inactive towards native collagen and several synthetic substrates, such as 4-phenylazobenzyloxycarbonyl-Pro-Leu-Gly-Pro-d-Arg, 3-carboxypropionyl-Ala-Ala-Ala p-nitroanilide and 2,4-dinitrophenyl-Pro-Gln-Gly-Ile-Ala-Gly-Gln-d-Arg, and also proteoglycan. The enzyme did not act as a plasminogen activator. 6. These properties suggested that a neutral proteinase in the human uterine cervix was different from enzymes previously reported.     

Properties of pea seedling uracil phosphoribosyltransferase and its distribution in other plants

A uracil phosphoribosyltransferase (UMP-pyrophosphorylase) was found in several angiosperms and was partially purified from epicotyls of pea (Pisum sativum L. cv. Alaska) seedlings. Its pH optimum was about 8.5; its required approximately 0.3 mm MgCl₂ for maximum activity but was inhibited by MnCl₂; its molecular weight determined by chromatography on Sephadex G-150 columns was approximately 100,000; its K_m values for uracil and 5-phosphorylribose 1-pyrophosphate were 0.7 μm and 11 μm; and it was partially resolved from a similar phosphoribosyltransferase converting orotic acid to orotodine 5′-phosphate. Enzyme fractions containing both uracil phosphoribosyl transferase and orotate phosphoribosyltransferase converted 6-azauracil and 5-fluorouracil to products with chromatographic properties of 6-azauradine 5′-phosphate and 5-fluorouridine 5′-phosphate. Uracil phosphoribosyltransferase probably functions in salvage of uracil for synthesis of pyrimidine nucleotides.     

Photoreduction and Photophosphorylation with Tris-Washed Chloroplasts

The artificial electron donor compounds p-phenylenediamine (PD), N, N, N′, N′-tetramethyl-p-phenylenediamine (TMPD), and 2,6-dichlorophenol-indophenol (DCPIP) restored the Hill reaction and photophosphorylation in chloroplasts that had been inhibited by washing with 0.8 m tris (hydroxymethyl) aminomethane (tris) buffer, pH 8.0. The tris-wash treatment inhibited the electron transport chain between water and photosystem II and electron donation occurred between the site of inhibition and photosystem II. Photoreduction of nicotinamide adenine dinucleotide phosphate (NADP) supported by 33 μm PD plus 330 μm ascorbate was largely inhibited by 1 μm 3-(3,4-dichlorophenyl)-1,1-dimethylurea (DCMU) while that supported by 33 μm TMPD or DCPIP plus ascorbate was relatively insensitive to DCMU. Experiments with the tris-washed chloroplasts indicated that electron donors preferentially donate electrons to photosystem II but in the presence of DCMU the donors (with the exception of PD at low concentrations) could also supply electrons after the DCMU block. The PD-supported photoreduction of NADP showed the relative inefficiency in far-red light characteristic of chloroplast reactions requiring photosystem II. With phosphorylating systems involving electron donors at low concentrations (33 μm donor plus 330 μm ascorbate) photophosphorylation, which occurred with P/e₂ ratios approaching unity, was completely inhibited by DCMU but with higher concentrations of the donor systems, photophosphorylation was only partially inhibited.     

The regulation of phosphoenolpyruvate synthesis in pigeon liver

1. The intracellular location and maximal activities of enzymes involved in phosphoenolpyruvate synthesis have been investigated in pigeon liver. Enolase and pyruvate kinase were cytoplasmic, and the activities were 50–60 and 180–210μmoles/min./g. dry wt. at 25° respectively. Phosphoenolpyruvate carboxykinase was present exclusively, and nucleoside diphosphokinase predominantly, in the mitochondria; the particles had to be disrupted to elicit maximal activities, which were 27–33 and 400–600μmoles/min./g. dry wt. at 25° respectively. The activities of all four enzymes did not change significantly during 48hr. of starvation. 2. Conditions for incubation of washed isolated mitochondria were established, to give high rates of synthesis of phosphoenolpyruvate, linear with time and proportional to mitochondrial concentration. Inorganic phosphate and added adenine nucleotides were stimulatory, whereas added Mg²⁺ inhibited, partly owing to activation of contaminant pyruvate kinase. Phosphoenolpyruvate formation occurred from oxaloacetate, malate, fumarate, succinate, α-oxoglutarate and citrate, in decreasing order of effectiveness. 3. The steady-state ATP/ADP ratio of mitochondrial suspensions was decreased in the presence of added 2·5mm-Mg²⁺ (owing to stimulation of adenylate kinase and possibly of an adenosine triphosphatase), 0·5mm-Ca²⁺ or 0·4mm-dinitrophenol. In each case the rate of substrate removal and oxygen uptake was increased, whereas phosphoenolpyruvate synthesis was inhibited. Citrate formation was enhanced, owing to de-inhibition of citrate synthase. These effects were not primarily related to changes in the oxaloacetate concentration. 4. Both phosphoenolpyruvate carboxykinase and nucleoside diphosphokinase were active within the atractylosidesensitive barrier to the mitochondrial metabolism of added adenine nucleotides. There was no correlation between the rate of substrate-level phosphorylation associated with the oxidation of α-oxoglutarate, and the synthesis of phosphoenolpyruvate. 5. The results suggest that phosphoenolpyruvate formation in pigeon-liver mitochondria is regulated partly by the phosphorylation state of the adenine and guanine nucleotides, and partly by variations in the oxaloacetate concentration, all in the mitochondrial matrix. 6. Phosphoenolpyruvate is assumed to be the metabolite transported from the mitochondria to the cytoplasm during gluconeogenesis from oxaloacetate in pigeon liver.     

X-ray Structures of Human Galectin-9 C-terminal Domain in Complexes with a Biantennary Oligosaccharide and Sialyllactose

Galectin-9, a tandem-repeat-type β-galactoside-specific animal lectin with two carbohydrate recognition domains (CRDs) at the N- and C-terminal ends, is involved in chemoattraction, apoptosis, and the regulation of cell differentiation and has anti-allergic effects. Its ability to recognize carbohydrates is essential for its biological functions. Human galectin-9 (hG9) has high affinity for branched N-glycan-type oligosaccharides (dissociation constants of 0.16–0.70 μm) and linear β1–3-linked poly-N-acetyllactosamines (0.09–8.3 μm) and significant affinity for the α2–3-sialylated oligosaccharides (17–34 μm). Further, its N-terminal CRD (hG9N) and C-terminal CRD (hG9C) differ in specificity. To elucidate this unique feature of hG9, x-ray structures of hG9C in the free form and in complexes with N-acetyllactosamine, the biantennary pyridylaminated oligosaccharide, and α2–3-sialyllactose were determined. They are the first x-ray structural analysis of C-terminal CRD of the tandem-repeat-type galectin. The results clearly revealed the mechanism by which branched and α2–3-sialylated oligosaccharides are recognized and explained the difference in specificity between hG9N and hG9C. Based on structural comparisons with other galectins, we propose that the wide entrance for ligand binding and the shallow binding site of hG9C are favorable for branched oligosaccharides and that Arg²²¹ is responsible for recognizing sialylated oligosaccharides.     

Factors Affecting Phosphate Uptake by Aerobacter aerogenes in a System Relating Cell Numbers to 32P Uptake

The uptake of phosphate, from media limited in this ion, by resting cells of Aerobacter aerogenes has been investigated and shown to be dependent upon several factors. An incubation medium composed of 10⁻²m K⁺, 5 × 10⁻³m Mg²⁺, 1 mg of glucose per ml, and 1 μCi of ³²PO₄³⁻ per ml, buffered at pH 6.55 with 0.05 mN-2-hydroxyethyl-piperazine-N′-2-ethanesulfonic acid (HEPES), was found to stimulate optimum accumulation of ³²P-orthophosphate. The temperature of incubation, incubation time, the concentration of unlabeled orthophosphate, as well as arsenate, and several metabolic inhibitors were found to affect the accumulation. The labeled cells were collected on a membrane filter, which had been previously boiled in glass-distilled water, for measurement of the radioactivity accumulated. Under optimum conditions, as few as 20,000 cells were capable of accumulating detectable amounts of ³²P-orthophosphate in 1 hr of incubation.     

Concentration of adenosine 3':5'-cyclic monophosphate in mouse pancreatic islets measured by a protein-binding radioassay

A protein-binding radioassay for cyclic AMP was modified to detect less than 0.025pmol of the nucleotide. The method was applied to the measurement of cyclic AMP in small numbers of mouse pancreatic islets (as little as 25μg of tissue) by use of barium acetate–H₂SO₄ for deproteinization. The concentration of cyclic AMP in mouse islets incubated in media containing 3.3 or 20mm-glucose was 0.016pmol/10 islets (approx. 1μm in intracellular water). Glucose concentration (3.3 or 20mm) had no detectable effect on islet concentrations of cyclic AMP with periods of incubation or perifusion ranging from 0.5 to 60min, although insulin release rate was rapidly increased by 20mm-glucose. Caffeine (5mm) or 3-isobutyl-1-methylxanthine (1mm), which are known inhibitors of islet cyclic AMP phosphodiesterase, produced marked and rapid increases in islet cyclic AMP concentration at 3.3 or 20mm-glucose, but only enhanced the insulin release rate at the higher glucose concentration. The role of cyclic AMP in insulin release induced by glucose is discussed.