Postradiation changes in the systems of active transport of ions in the CNS. Mitochondrial ATPase

The effect of lethal and superlethal doses of ionizing radiation (0.206, 0.309, and 9.288 C/kg) on ATPase activity of rat brain mitochondria has been investigated. The results obtained indicate that ionizing radiation causes appreciable, depending on the dose, changes in ATPase of brain mitochondria.     

Contributions to the theory of active transport: III. The effect of drugs on active transport systems

The addition of a drug to a system which contains an active transport mechanism may produce a large number of effects on both the active transport mechanism and the permeability of the system. A general model of such a system is presented, and various possible results of the drug's addition are discussed. Methods of experimentally separating these effects on the active transport mechanism and the permeabilities of the system are then listed and analyzed.     

The short-term effect of prolactin on the active Na transport system of the tadpole skin during metamorphosis

Prolactin (PRL) induced a transient increase in active Na transport measured as the short circuit current (SCC) of the tadpole skin. Increase in SCC by PRL accelerated as the stage advanced between stages XXII and XXV. Prolactin caused two types of effect on the electric parameters of the active Na transport. In type I, it increased both the electromotive force of the active Na current (ENa) and the resistance to the active Na current (RNa). In type II, it decreased both ENa and RNa. A second application of PRL had no effect on SCC; that is, desensitization to PRL was observed.     

The effect of low-level x-irradiation on the key enzymes of the active ion transport system in the cell

A study was made of the effect of ionizing radiation (0.013 C/kg) on Na, K- and Ca, Mg-ATPase activity in membranes of rat organs differing in radiosensitivity. It was shown that radiation mainly caused activation of enzymes that was most pronounced in brain membranes.     

Mechanism of the radioprotective effect of catecholamine receptor agonists. Inclusion in the radioprotective effect of both subtypes of alpha-adrenoreceptors

alpha-Adrenoceptor agonists of both main groups, i. e. arylalkylamines and imidazolines, have a pronounced radioprotective effect. Their chemical analogs, which fail to stimulate alpha-adrenoceptors, do not protect mice. The effect of phenylephrine, adrenaline, and noradrenaline comes into play via alpha 1-adrenoceptors and that of clonidine, via alpha 2-adrenoceptors and also via alpha 1-adrenoceptors. Adrenoceptor agonists can probably manifest their radioprotective action via both subtypes of alpha-adrenoceptors. Possible intracellular mechanisms of the radioprotective action are discussed.     

The relationship between active transport and the exchange diffusion effect

Dependences of unidirectional ionic fluxes across biological membranes on the trans concentrations of the same ion, commonly described as exchange diffusion, and the association of this phenomenon with active transport, are noted. It is suggested that this effect could arise as a result of energetic coupling between the movement of ions conveyed in each direction by the pump if the latter operates near thermodynamic equilibrium and if the rate of the energizing reactions are restricted. This hypothesis is supported by an analysis in which the transport step and the energizing reactions are separated and described according to the laws of chemical kinetics. A likely cause for such restriction of the maximum rate of energy supply is shown to lie in evolutionary optimization of the efficiency of active transport if the energizing reaction is not perfectly coupled. Similar optimization will produce gross ionic fluxes large compared with the net flux, especially if the transport step approaches perfect coupling, when restriction of the rate of energy supply will cause a large exchange diffusion effect. The range of validity of the analysis is examined with particular reference to the ionic exchanges between osmoregulating animals and their surroundings.     

Mechanism of the radioprotective effect of catecholamine receptor agonists. Inclusion in the radioprotective effect of different subtypes of beta-adrenoreceptors

Isoproterenol of ED50 = 0.16 mumol/kg is highly effective in protecting mice against ionizing radiation and has the high therapeutical index. There are three new indications that isoproterenol exerts its radioprotective action via beta-adrenoceptors. They are: the effect of isoproterenol is prevented by three additional beta-adrenoceptor antagonists, the isoproterenol effect is reproduced by the seven studied beta-adrenoceptor agonists of different chemical structure, and with chemical analogs which fail to stimulate beta-adrenoceptors the radioprotective effect is absent. Both beta 1 and beta 2 adrenoceptor agonists are protective agents. Mechanisms of the radioprotective action are discussed.     

The effect of calcium ion transport ATPase upon the passive calcium ion permeability of phospholipid vesicles.

The uptake and release of Ca2+ by sarcoplasmic reticulum fragments and reconstituted ATPase vesicles was measured by a stopped-flow fluorescence method using chlortetracycline as Ca2+ indicator. Incorporation of the Ca2+ transport ATPase into phospholipid bilayers of widely different fatty acid composition increases their passive permeability to Ca2+ by several orders of magnitude. Therefore in addition to participating in active Ca2+ transport, the (Mg2+ + Ca2+)-activated ATPase also forms hydrophilic channels across the membrane. The relative insensitivity of the permeability effect of ATPase to changes in the fatty acid composition of the membrane is in accord with the suggestion that the Ca2+ channels arise by protein-protein interaction between four ATPase molecules. The reversible formation of these channels may have physiological significance in the rapid Ca2+ release from the sarcoplasmic reticulum during activation of muscle.     

Autocatalytic cooperativity and self-regulation of ATPase pumps in membrane active transport

We investigate the effect of autocatalysis on the conformational changes of membrane pumps during active transport driven by ATP. The translocation process is described by means of an alternating access model. The usual kinetic scheme is extended by introducing autocatalytic steps and allowing for dynamic formation of enzyme complexes. The usual features of cooperative models are recovered, i.e., sigmoid shapes of flux versus concentration curves. We show also that two autocatalytic steps lead to a mechanism of inhibition by the substrate as experimentally observed for some ATPase pumps. In addition, when the formation of enzyme complexes is allowed, the model exhibits a multiple stationary states regime, which can be related to a self-regulation mechanism of the active transport in biological systems.Correspondence to: G. Weissmüller     

PstB protein of the phosphate-specific transport system of Escherichia coli is an ATPase.

The PstB protein of the phosphate-specific transport (Pst) system of Escherichia coli bound and hydrolyzed ATP, producing ADP. Urea-treated denatured PstB did not bind ATP. The N-terminal amino acid sequence of the immune serum-precipitable PstB protein was determined, and it corresponded to that deduced from the DNA sequence.     

The effect of taurine on the ion transport system in mitochondria

The effect of taurine on the ATP-dependent mitochondrial swelling that characterizes the activity of mitochondrial ATP-dependent K⁺ channel and the formation of Ca²⁺-dependent pores, different in sensitivity to cyclosporin A, has been studied in rat liver mitochondria. It has been shown that taurine in micromolar concentrations (0.5–125 μM) stimulates the energy-dependent swelling of mitochondria. Taurine in physiological concentrations (0.5–20 mM) has no effect on the ATP-dependent swelling and the formation of cyclosporin A-insensitive Pal/Ca²⁺-activated pore in mitochondria. Taurine in these concentrations increased the rate of cyclosporin A-sensitive swelling of mitochondria induced by Ca²⁺ and P_i and reduced the Ca²⁺ capacity of mitochondria. The different effects of physiological taurine concentrations on the ATP-dependent transport of K⁺ and Ca²⁺ ions in mitochondrial membranes as compared with cell membranes are discussed.     

The mechanism of arsenate inhibition of the glucose active transport system in Neurospora crassa.

The mechanism of arsenate inhibition of the glucose active transport system in wild-type cells of Neurospora crassa has been examined. Arsenate treatment results in approximately 65% inhibition of the glucose active transport system with only a small depression of cellular ATP levels. The transport system is not inhibited in cells treated with sodium arsenate in the presence of sodium azide. The transport inhibition is suppressed when orthophosphate is present during arsenate treatment, but is not reversed by orthophosphate when added after the arsenate treatment. The transport inhibition is completely reversed by treatment of the cells with mercaptoethanol. Gel chromatography of sonicates of intact cells which had been treated with [⁷⁴As]arsenate reveals three radioactive peaks, one with the elution volume of arsenate, one with the elution volume of arsenite, and a high molecular-weight radioactive fraction. Treatment of the high molecular-weight radioactive fraction with mercaptoethanol results in the production of radioactive arsenite. In view of these findings, it is proposed that arsenate inhibition of the glucose active transport system in Neurospora involves transport of arsenate into the cells, probably via the orthophosphate transport system, reduction of the transported arsenate to arsenite, and interaction of arsenite with some component of the glucose active transport system, presumably via covalent binding with vicinal thiol groups.