Enzymatic synthesis of [U-14C] ribose-labeled inosine.

A very potent anticholinesterase compound, 7-(diethoxyphosphinyloxy)-N-methylquinolinium fluorosulfate, has been used to determine the normality of acetylcholinesterase solutions. The inhibitor reacts rapidly and completely with acetylcholinesterase. The bimolecular rate constant is 2.5 × 10⁸m^?1 min^?1 and the equilibrium constant is about 10⁶. The reaction produces an inactive diethylphosphoryl enzyme in which the active serine is phosphorylated. The reaction produces the highly fluorescent 1-methyl-7-hydroxyquinolinium dipolar ion as a leaving group. The inhibited enzyme is quite stable and hydrolyzes to produce active enzyme only at the rate of 0.04%/min. The inhibitor was used in two ways for measuring the normality of acetylcholinesterase solutions: (1) The very fast reaction of the inhibitor with cholinesterase makes it convenient to determine the normality of enzyme solutions by measuring the decrease in enzyme activity caused by the addition of an accurately known quantity of the inhibitor. (2) The highly fluorescent nature of the leaving group makes it possible to measure the low concentration that is produced by the reaction of excess inhibitor with the enzyme. The two methods yielded activities per site of 6.9 × 10⁵ min^?1 and 7.3 × 10⁵ min^?1 using enzyme normalities of 1–2 × 10^?8m and 1–5 × 10^?m, respectively, using a commercial 11 S enzyme preparation from electric eel and acetylthiocholine as the enzyme substrate.     

[14C]acetylcholine synthesis and [14C]carbon dioxide production from [U-14C]glucose by tissue prisms from human neocortex.

1. [14C]Acetylcholine synthesis and 14CO2 production from [U-14C]glucose has been measured in tissue prism preparations from human neocortex. 2. Electron micrographs of prisms from human and rat neocortex show that both contain intact synaptic endings with evenly-distributed vesicles and normal-appearing mitochondria, but only poorly preserved cell body structure. 3. Synthesis of [14C]acetylcholine in prisms from rat neocortex is similar to estimates for turnover in vivo. Synthesis in prisms from human neocortex is 18% of that in rat tissue and 64% of that in tissue from baboon neocortex for incubations performed in 31 mM-K+. 4. Investigations of prisms prepared from rat brains stored at 37 degrees C after death revealed that synthesis of [14C]acetylcholine in the presence of 31 mM-K+ was greatly decreased within 30 min of post-mortem incubation, whereas synthesis at 5 mM-K+ and production of 14CO2 at both K+ concentrations were only significantly affected after longer periods. Changes were similar in neocortex and striatum. Thus human autopsy material is unlikely to be suitable for use with this system. 5. Investigations using animal models suggest that [14C]acetylcholine synthesis and 14CO2 production are not affected by surgical or anaesthetic procedures. 6. Neither [14C]acetylcholine synthesis nor 14CO2 production in human prisms was significantly changed with age between 15 and 68 years. 7. Samples from patients with the dementing condition Alzheimer's disease showed a significant decrease in [14C]acetylcholine synthesis to 47% of normal samples and a significant increase of 39% in production of 14CO2.     

Measurement of the acyl-CoA intermediates of beta-oxidation by h.p.l.c. with on-line radiochemical and photodiode-array detection. Application to the study of [U-14C]hexadecanoate oxidation by intact rat liver mitochondria.

The quantitative isolation of acyl-CoA esters of chain length C2-C17 from mitochondrial incubations and their analysis by reverse-phase radio-h.p.l.c. is described. Photodiode-array detection was used to characterize 2-enoyl-CoA esters. The chromatographic behaviour of all 27 intermediates of the beta-oxidation of hexadecanoyl-CoA is documented. Only C16, C14 and C12 intermediates were detected in uncoupled mitochondria oxidizing [U-14C]hexadecanoyl-CoA in the presence of fluorocitrate and carnitine, providing evidence for some organization of the enzymes of beta-oxidation [Garland, Shepherd & Yates (1965) Biochem. J. 97, 587-594; Sumegi & Srere (1984) J. Biol. Chem. 259, 8748-8752]. Rotenone increased concentrations of 3-hydroxyacyl-CoA and 2-enoyl-CoA esters and inhibited flux. These experiments provide the first direct unambiguous measurements of acyl-CoA esters in intact respiring rat liver mitochondrial fractions.     

Comparative utilization in vivo of [U-14C] glycerol, [2-3H] glycerol, [U-14C] glucose and [1-C14] palmitate in the rat

Female rats were injected i.v. with comparable trace amounts of [U-14C] glycerol, [2-3H] glycerol, [U-14C] glucose, or [1-14C] palmitate, and killed 30 min afterwards. The radioactivity remaining in plasma at that time was maximal in animals receiving [U-14C] glucose while the appearance of radioactive lipids was higher in the [U-14C] glycerol animals than in other groups receiving hydrosoluble substrates. The carcass, more than the liver, was the tissue where the greatest proportion of radioactivity was recovered, while the greatest percentage of radioactivity appeared in the liver in the form of lipids. The values of total radioactivity found in different tissues were very similar when using either labelled glucose or glycerol but the amount recovered as lipids was much greater in the latter. The maximal proportion of radioactive lipids appeared in the fatty-acid form in the liver, carcass, and lumbar fat pads when using [U-14C] glycerol as a hydrosoluble substrate, and the highest lipidic fraction appeared in adipose tissue as labelled, esterified fatty acids. In the spleen, heart, and kidney, most of the lipidic radioactivity from any of the hydrosoluble substrates appeared as glyceride glycerol. The highest proportion of radioactivity from [1-14C] palmitate appeared in the esterified fatty acid in adipose tissue, being followed in decreasing proportion by the heart, carcass, liver, kidney, and spleen. Thus at least in part, both labelled glucose and glycerol are used throughout different routes for their conversion in vivo to lipids. A certain proportion of glycerol is directly utilized by adipose tissue. The fatty acids esterification ability differs among the tissues and does not correspond directly with the reported activities of glycerokinase, suggesting that the alpha-glycerophosphate for esterification comes mainly from glucose and not from glycerol.     

Enzymatic production of the lignin precursor trans-[U-14C]cinnamic acid from l-[U-14C]phenylalanine using l-phenylalanine ammonia-lyase

An enzymatic method using phenylalanine ammonia-lyase (l-phenylalanine ammonia-lyase, EC 4.3.1.5) for the rapid conversion of l-[U-¹⁴C]phenylalanine to the deaminated lignin precursor trans-[U-¹⁴C]cinnamic acid is described. The method produces an experimentally useful ¹⁴C-labelled deaminated lignin precursor unavailable from radiochemical supply companies.     

Hormonal control of [14C]glucose synthesis from [U-14C]dihydroxyacetone and glycerol in isolated rat hepatocytes.

The hormonal control of [14C]glucose synthesis from [U-14C-A1dihydroxyacetone was studied in hepatocytes from fed and starved rats. In cells from fed rats, glucagon lowered the concentration of substrate giving half-half-maximal rates of incorporation while it had little or no effect on the maximal rate. Inhibitors of gluconeogenesis from pyruvate had no effect on the ability of the hormone to stimulate the synthesis of [14C]glucose from dihydroxyacetone. The concentrations of glucagon and epinephrine giving half-maximal stimulation from dihydroxacetone were 0.3 to 0.4 mM and 0.3 to 0.5 muM, respectively. The meaximal catecholamine stimulation was much less than the maximal stimulation by glucagon and was mediated largely by the alpha receptor. Insulin had no effect on the basal rate of [14C]clucose synthesis but inhibited the effect of submaximal concentration of glucagon or of any concentration of catecholamine. Glucagon had no effect on the uptake of dihydroxyacetone but suppressed its conversion to lactate and pyruvate. This suppression accounted for most of the increase in glucose synthesis. In cells from gasted rats, where lactate production is greatly reduced and the rate of glucose synthesis is elevated, glucagon did not stimulate gluconeogenesis from dihydroxyacetone. Findings with glycerol as substrate were similar to those with dihyroxyacetone. Ethanol also stimulated glucose production from dihydroxyacetone while reducing proportionately the production of lactate. Ethanol is known to generate reducing equivalents fro clyceraldehyde-3-phosphate dehydrogenase and presumably thereby inhibits carbon flux to lactate at this site. Its effect was additive with that of glucagon. Estimates of the steady state levels of intermediary metabolites and flux rates suggested that glucagon activated conversion of fructose diphosphate to fructose 6-phosphate and suppressed conversion of phosphoenolpyruvate to pyruvate. More direct evidence for an inhibition of pyruvate kinase was the observation that brief exposure of cells to glucagon caused up to 70% inhibition of the enzyme activity in homogenates of these cells. The inhibition was not seen when the enzyme was assayed with 20 muM fructose diphosphate. The effect of glucagon to lower fructose diphosphate levels in intact cells may promote the inhibition of pyruvate kinase. The inhibition of pyruvate kinase may reduce recycling in the pathway of gluconeogenesis from major physiological substrates and probably accounts fromsome but not all the stimulatory effect of glucagon.     

Skeletal muscle mitochondrial beta-oxidation. A study of the products of oxidation of [U-14C]hexadecanoate by h.p.l.c. using continuous on-line radiochemical detection.

Well-coupled mitochondrial fractions were prepared from rat skeletal muscle without the use of proteolytic enzymes. The products of [U-14C]hexadecanoate oxidation by rat skeletal muscle mitochondrial fractions were analysed by h.p.l.c. with on-line radiochemical detection. In the presence of 1 mM-carnitine, 70% of the products is acetylcarnitine. In agreement with Veerkamp et al. [Veerkamp, van Moerkerk, Glatz, Zuurveld, Jacobs & Wagenmakers (1986) Biochem. Med. Metab. Biol. 35, 248-259] 14CO2 release is shown to be an unreliable estimate of flux through beta-oxidation in skeletal muscle mitochondrial fractions. The flux through beta-oxidation is recorded unambiguously polarographically in the presence of 1 mM-carnitine and the absence of citrate cycle intermediates.     

A luminometric assay for peroxisomal beta-oxidation. Effects of fasting and streptozotocin-diabetes on peroxisomal beta-oxidation.

Rat hepatoma cells grown intraperitoneally as an ascites tumour were analysed with respect to their contents of cytosolic glutathione transferases. In contrast with normal liver tissue, the hepatoma cells were dominated by the class Pi glutathione transferase 7-7. All the major hepatic enzyme forms were down-regulated to almost undetectable concentrations. Livers of rats bearing ascites-hepatoma cells expressed low, but significant, amounts of protein which, by electrophoretic and immunochemical properties, appeared identical with transferase 7-7. This enzyme is not detectable in normal hepatocytes. Treatment of rats with trans-stilbene oxide induced the expression of transferase 7-7 in the livers of normal rats as well as in hepatoma-cell-bearing animals. In addition, a 2-fold induction of transferase 7-7 was measured in the hepatoma ascites cells. No significant elevation of any other enzyme forms in the hepatoma cells was noted.     

Measurement of exogenous carbohydrate oxidation: a comparison of [U-14C]glucose and [U-13C]glucose tracers

The purpose of this study was to assess the level of agreement between two techniques commonly used to measure exogenous carbohydrate oxidation (CHO(EXO)). To accomplish this, seven healthy male subjects (24 +/- 3 yr, 74.8 +/- 2.1 kg, V(O2(max)) 62 +/- 4 ml x kg(-1) x min(-1)) exercised at 50% of their peak power for 120 min on two occasions. During these exercise bouts, subjects ingested a solution containing either 144 g glucose (8.7% wt/vol glucose) or water. The glucose solution contained trace amounts of both [U-13C]glucose and [U-14C]glucose to allow CHO(EXO) to be quantified simultaneously. The water trial was used to correct for background 13C enrichment. 13C appearance in the expired air was measured using isotope ratio mass spectrometry, whereas 14C appearance was quantified by trapping expired CO(2) in solution (using hyamine hydroxide) and adding a scintillator before counting radioactivity. CHO(EXO) measured with [13C]glucose ([13C]CHO(EXO)) was significantly greater than CHO(EXO) measured with [14C]glucose ([14C]CHO(EXO)) from 30 to 120 min. There was a 15 +/- 4% difference between [13C]CHO(EXO) and [14C]CHO(EXO) such that the absolute difference increased with the magnitude of CHO(EXO). Further investigations suggest that the difference is not because of losses of CO2 from the trapping solution before counting or an underestimation of the "strength" of the trapping solution. Previous research suggests that the degree of isotopic fractionation is small (S. C. Kalhan, S. M. Savin, and P. A. Adam. J Lab Clin Med89: 285-294, 1977). Therefore, the explanation for the discrepancy in calculated CHO(EXO) remains to be fully understood.     

A radiochemical assay for argininosuccinate synthetase with [U-14C]aspartate

A simple and sensitive radiochemical procedure to assay argininosuccinate synthetase activity in crude tissue homogenates and lysates of cultured cells is described. The new method depends on the location of 14C, uniformly, in the four carbons of aspartate. On incubation in the presence of excess of L-[U-14C]aspartate, L-citrulline, ATP, and an ATP-generating system, argininosuccinase and arginase, the [14C]fumarate formed is measured as the sum of malate and fumarate. After acidification the latter two acids are separated from [14C]aspartate on a small Dowex-50 column by elution with a few milliliters of water; the unutilized amino acid substrates remain on the column. With a specific radioactivity of 9 X 10(4) cpm, 1 to 2 nmol of product can be accurately measured under kinetically optimum conditions.     

In vitro oxidation of [U-14C] palmitate, [1-14C] and [6-14C] glucose in newborn and adult rats and pigs

Studies have been made on the intensity of oxidation of [U-14C]-palmitate, [1-14C]- and [6-14C]-glucose by slices of the liver and skeletal muscles of new-born, 1-day, 5-day and adult Wistar rats and domestic pigs. It was found that the level of 14CO2 production from these substrates is higher in tissues of rats than in those of pigs. At early stages of ontogenesis, in tissues of both species intensive oxidation of glucose is observed together with oxidation of fatty acids. In the course of ontogenetic development, the intensity of glucose utilization significantly decreases, whereas the level of fatty acid catabolism remains relatively unaffected.     

Enzymatic synthesis of beta-[U-14C]alanine and D-[1,2,3-14C]pantothenate of high specific radioactivity

β-[U-¹⁴C]Alanine can be synthesized in >95% yield from l-[U-¹⁴C]aspartic acid using the aspartate 1-decarboxylase of Escherichia coli and converted to d-[1,2,3-¹⁴C]pantothenate in a 10–20% yield using the pantothenate synthetase of E. coli. Sufficiently pure preparations of both enzymes are readily obtained.     

Asymmetric Distribution in the Biosynthesis of Cotton Cellulose-[U-14C]

Autoradiographs of mature cotton bolls which earlier had radioglucoseintroduced via a thin incision into their peduncles show a markedasymmetry in distribution of the label. Radio-assay shows thespecific activity of the cotton fibres on the treated side tobe as much as 30-fold that on the opposite side.     

Long-term metabolism of [U-14C]glucose in the whole rat brain

The experiment was performed on rats to which a single injection of [U-14C]glucose had been administered. Results were observed from the 7th to the 281st day following contamination. At 280 days only the lipids in the brain contained radioactivity, the highest degree of specific activity being found in the cerebrosides.