In vitro binding of isolated synaptic vesicles to presynaptic plasma membranes: activation by Ca2+ and protein kinase C.

An in vitro model to study the molecular control of binding of highly purified synaptic vesicles to presynaptic plasma membranes has been developed. Presynaptic plasma membranes were immobilized by dotting onto nitrocellulose, and binding of iodinated synaptic vesicle membranes was studied under varying experimental conditions. Synaptic vesicles bind to presynaptic plasma membranes in the presence of Ca2+ and ATP. Binding is reduced in the presence of EGTA and abolished by the calmodulin antagonist trifluoperazine. Vesicle binding is stimulated 5-fold after incubation--prior to dotting--of presynaptic plasma membranes with ATP in the presence of the phorbol-ester 12-O-tetradecanoylphorbol-13-acetate (1 microM) and 2.5-fold after preincubation with Ca2+ (50 microM). Pretreatment of plasma membranes with alkaline phosphatase strongly reduces vesicle binding. Microsomes prepared from bovine liver did not bind to presynaptic plasma membranes. Our results suggest that activation of protein kinase C and Ca2+ stimulate binding of synaptic vesicles to the presynaptic membrane. In the intact nerve terminal this interaction may represent an initial step in synaptic vesicle exocytosis.     

Cellular binding sites for insulin in rat liver.

A study of the sites of insulin binding in subcellular fractions of rat liver is reported. A method for the isolation of liver plasma membranes, which permits one to follow quantitatively the distribution of all the parameters of interest, was modified and applied to the study of the cellular topography of insulin binding. The insulin binding capacity did not follow closely the enzyme marker (5'-nucleotidase) for plasma membranes when differential centrifugation schemes were used, and the divergence from this marker was more prominent when separations were performed on discontinous sucrose gradients. A significant amount of insulin binding capacity was always present in fractions with higher density than those containing the majority of 5'-nycleotidase. Results of studies on linear sucrose gradients have disclosed in some of the purified membrane fractions small but consistent differences in density of the insulin binding, and plasma membrane particles. It is suggested that there may be several types of intracellular membranes to which insulin can bind besides the plasma membranes.     

Cellular binding sites for insulin in rat liver

A study of the sites of insulin binding in subcellular fractions of rat liver is reported. A method for the isolation of liver plasma membranes, which permits one to follow quantitatively the distribution of all the parameters of interest, was modified and applied to the study of the cellular topography of insulin binding. The insulin-binding capacity did not follow closely the enzyme marker (5′-nucleotidase) for plasma membranes when differential centrifugation schemes were used, and the divergence from this marker was more prominent when separations were performed on discontinuous sucrose gradients. A significant amount of insulin binding capacity was always present in fractions with higher density than those containing the majority of 5′-nucleotidase. Results of studies on linear sucrose gradients have disclosed in some of the purified membrane fractions small but consistent differences in density of the insulin binding, and plasma membrane particles. It is suggested that there may be several types of intracellular membranes to which insulin can bind besides the plasma membranes.     

The distribution of Concanavalin A receptor sites on the membrane of chromaffin granules.

The distribution of concanavalin A (con A) receptor sites on the membranes of chromaffin granules has been investigated by binding studies using 125I-labelled con A and by electron-microscope studies using ferritin-labelled con A. In both experiments con A was observed to bind to chromaffin granule membranes but not to intact granules. The ferritin-con A particles bind to only one of the two possible surfaces of the chromaffin granule membranes. These results are in agreement with previous observations concerning the asymmetric distribution of saccharide residues on the surfaces of a number of different plasma membranes. They suggest that for the intracellular membrane of the chromaffin granule the saccharide sites, like those in plasma membranes, are not exposed to the cell cytoplasm. Further work is necessary to establish whether these sites are on the inner surface of the membrane or whether they are unmasked during the conversion of granules to membrane ghosts.     

The defect in insulin receptors in obese-hyperglycemic mice: a probable accompaniment of more generalized alterations in membrane glycoproteins.

Although the liver plasma membranes of obese-hyperglycemic (ob/ob and db/db) mice bind less insulin than the membranes from thin litter mates, nearly equally depressed binding is observed for the general plasma membrane markers, concanavalin A and wheat germ agglutinin. Glucagon binding is virtually unchanged, and adenylate cyclase activity from obese mice is more sensitive to glucagon. Isolated kidney cells from obese mice have reduced insulin binding, but the decrease in WGA and con A binding is even more profound. Cultured (48 to 72 hours) spleen lymphocytes also have grossly reduced WGA and con A binding. The apparent change in insulin binding in obese animals may be but a minor part of generalized alterations in membrane glycoproteins. Factors complicating comparisons of hormone binding in different metabolic states are considered.     

Evidence for specific binding of uncapacitated boar spermatozoa to porcine zonae pellucidae in vitro

Washed ejaculated boar sperm and sperm from the cauda epididymis bind to the zona pellucida of fixed porcine eggs in large numbers. Sperm incubated in the presence of dextran sulfate (8 K daltons or 500 K daltons) or fucoidan and then washed no longer bind to eggs. Other acid carbohydrates (heparin, chondroitin sulfates, inositol hexasulfate, carboxymethylcellulose) fail to block sperm-egg binding even when added directly to sperm-egg suspensions. Seminal plasma and the seminal vesicle secretion contain basic proteins which bind tightly to sperm and bind reversibly to eggs preventing sperm from binding to eggs. When dextran sulfate or fucoidan are mixed with the vesicular secretion, from which seminal plasma basic proteins originate (Hunt et al., '83), the secretion loses the capacity to prevent sperm from binding to eggs; this suggests that seminal vesicle proteins can bind to the same site on zonae as do sperm and thus seminal plasma may modify sperm-egg interactions. Corpus and cauda epididymal sperm also bind in large numbers to the zona pellucida of isolated eggs but high concentrations of caput sperm, which exhibit high motility in the presence of caffeine, bind only in few numbers. Thus a component that enhances sperm-zona binding is apparently formed on the plasma membranes of uncapacitated sperm during passage through the epididymis. This finding, and an earlier observation that antibodies raised against uncapacitated sperm plasma membranes block sperm-egg binding in vivo (Peterson et al., '83) suggest that this component may be involved in sperm zona interaction in vivo.     

Existence of glucocorticoid-specific receptors in the plasma membranes of rat liver

It was found that isolated plasma membranes whose purity was assayed by determinations of marker enzyme activities, specifically bind dexamethasone. The association constant and the number of binding sites were found to be equal to (7,03 +/- 4,05) . 10(9) M-1 and (1,6 +/- 0,18) . 10(-14) mol/mg protein, respectively. It was assumed that lipoprotein components of plasma membranes are involved in this binding.     

The binding of lectins to components of plasma membranes from porcine submaxillary lymph node lymphocytes

By sodium dodecyl sulfate-polyacrylamide gel electrophoretic analysis the plasma membranes from porcine lymphocytes contain at least 30--35 glycopolypeptides and one or more glycolipids to which one or more of 12 purified lectins bind. The specificities of binding generally followed the same pattern as those of the reaction of the lectin with intact pig lymphocytes. Some lectins (e.g., the isolectin pair, Agaricus bisporus lectins A and B and a group consisting of the Lens culinaris A and B isolectins and the closely related Pisum sativum lectins) bind to almost identical populations of plasma membrane components and compete with each other for all their binding sites. Others (e.g., Concanavalin A and the Lens culinaris-Pisum sativum group and a group consisting of phytohemagglutinin-L, Ricinus communis lectin-60 and Ricinus communis lectin-120 bind in a cross reactive manner to some common binding moieties but, in addition, to certain nonshared ones. Still others (e.g., soybean agglutinin, peanut agglutinin and wheat germ agglutinin) do not share any common binding moieties with the other lectins. The amount of lectin binding and the number of membrane components to which a lectin binds is directly related to the Ka of binding of the lectin to the intact lymphocyte. Those with high Ka (Cocanavalin A Lens culinaris lectins, Pisum sativum lectins, phytohemagglutinin-L), bind to 20-30 different components giving very complex binding patterns while those with lower Ka (Agaricus bisporus lectins, wheat germ agglutinin, peanut agglutinin, and soybean agglutinin) bind to 8--13 components with easily distinguishable patterns. Soybean agglutinin binds almost exclusively to a glycolipid fraction while for the others one or more glycopolypeptides served as the major lectin-binding molecule. The Ricinus lectins, two lymphocyte toxins, bind to essentially every plasma membrane component to which the mitogen phytohemagglutinin-L binds, in fact competing for most of those plasma membrane moieties which bind phytohemagglutinin-L.     

Interaction of lipophorin with the plasma membrane of locust flight muscles

Binding of high-density lipophorin (HDLp) to a plasma membrane preparation of locust flight muscle tissue was studied using a radiolabelled ligand binding assay and ligand blotting techniques. Analysis at 33 degrees C of the concentration-dependent total binding of tritium-labelled HDLp ([3H]HDLp) to the membrane preparation revealed the presence of a single specific binding site with an equilibrium dissociation constant of Kd = 9 (+/- 2) X 10(-7) M and a maximal binding capacity of 84 (+/- 10) ng X (micrograms protein)-1. Unlabelled HDLp as well as unlabelled low-density lipophorin (LDLp) competed with [3H]HDLp for binding to the identified binding site. In addition, ligand blotting demonstrated that both HDLp and LDLp bind specifically to a 30-kDa protein in the plasma membrane preparation, suggesting the involvement of this protein in the binding of lipophorins to the isolated membranes. A possible relationship between the identified binding of lipophorins and the observed co-purification of lipophorin lipase activity with the plasma membranes is discussed.     

Carbohydrate-structure-dependent recognition of desialylated serum glycoproteins in the liver and leucocytes. Two complementary systems.

Oligosaccharides with four different types of branching were prepared from purified human transferrin, alpha 2-macroglobulin, caeruloplasmin and alpha 1-acid glycoprotein and labelled with NaBH3 3H. Binding of these oligosaccharides to rat liver plasma membrane, rat leucocytes, pig liver plasma membranes and pig leucocyte plasma membranes was investigated. A striking dependence of binding on oligosaccharide branching was observed. The values of apparent association constants Ka at 4 degrees C vary from 10(6) M-1 (biantennary structure) to 10(9) M-1 (tetra-antennary structure) in the liver, whereas in the leucocytes the Ka values were found to be of reversed order, from 1.8 X 10(9) M-1 for biantennary to 2.2 X 10(6) M-1 for tetra-antennary structures. The binding is completely inhibited by 150 mM-D-galactose, but 150 mM-D-mannose has almost no effect on binding. Leucocyte plasma membranes bind preferentially 125I-asialoglycoproteins with biantennary oligosaccharides, thus completing the specificity pattern of the hepatic recognition system for desialylated glycoproteins. Possible physiological roles of these two complementary recognition systems under normal and pathological conditions are discussed.     

Comparison of Insulin Binding Proteins In Plasma and Nuclear Membranes of Obese and Lean Mouse Liver

Abstract

Plasma membranes obtained from obese (ob/ob) and lean (+/+ or +/ob) mouse livers were chemically crosslinked to [¹²⁵I] -insulin and examined by electrophoresis and autoradiography. The pattern of crosslinked hormone was qualitatively similar in obese and lean plasma membranes. A major insulin binding protein of approximately M 120,000 was observed. Two additional bands were apparent, one which remained near the top of the gel and one about M 90,000. A minor band at approximately M 50,000 was also detected. For each of the insulin binding proteins a reduction in the amount of [¹²⁵I]-insulin bound was observed with obese plasma membranes as compared with lean. For all proteins the insulin binding was specific as determined by competition with unlabeled hormone. In addition to plasma membrane receptors, insulin has also been reported to bind to nuclear membranes. The autoradiographic patterns of gels of [¹²⁵]-insulin bound and crosslinked to nuclear membranes from obese and lean mouse livers indicated the presence of proteins of the same M as those described for plasma membranes. Nuclear membrane proteins bound less insulin than plasma membranes and, again, the obese was decreased relative to the lean. Contamination of the nuclear membrane fraction by plasma membranes was ruled out. Scatchard analyses of [¹²⁵]-insul in bound to plasma and nuclear membranes indicated that the decrease in hormone binding in the obese mouse is a result of a reduction in the absolute number of receptors. The findings presented in this study provide additional support for this conclusion by demonstrating that membranes from obese mice are comprised of the same set of apparently unaltered insulin binding proteins. Further, the presence of similar insulin binding proteins in both nuclear and plasma membranes suggests a physiological relationship between these structures with respect to hormone binding and/or in the mechanism of action of insulin.     

Alterations of fibroblast interactions with fibronectin and laminin during chick embryo development

Eight day (8-d CEF) and 16 day old chick embryo fibroblasts (16-d CEF) obtained after a mild trypsin treatment (50 micrograms/ml in Ca2+ and Mg2+-free PBS, plus 10 mM EDTA) for 10 min at 37 degrees C present the same number of fibronectin (FN) binding sites at their surface (approximately 550,000 sites per cell) with a Kd approximately equal to 1.40 microM in both cases. Furthermore, FN interacted with high molecular weight plasma membrane proteins (150,000 and 125,000) insensitive to trypsin treatment. Both 8-d and 16-d CEF adhered and spread to the same extent on a fibronectin coated substratum (80% of the CEF adhered in 60 min). In contrast, 8-d and 16-d CEF behaved differently towards laminin (LM). 8-d CEF exhibited approximately 5500 binding sites per cell with a Kd of 1.5 nM (Codogno P., Doyennette, M.-A. and Aubery M., 1987, Experimental Cell Research, 169, 478-489.) and were highly sensitive to trypsin treatment, whereas 16-d CEF do not express cell surface binding sites for laminin. Differences were also observed in the adhesive capacities of 8-d and 16-d CEF on LM substrata: 8-d CEF adhered and spread on LM in a very specific manner (60% of the cells adhere in 60 min) and 16-d CEF did not adhere to LM even after long periods of incubation exceeding 360 min.     

Regulation of intracellular calcium in chick embryo fibroblast: calcium uptake by the microsomal fraction.

The total membrane fraction of a chick embryo fibroblast (CEF) homogenate accumulates calcium in an energy-dependent manner. This activity can be dissociated into azide-sensitive and azide-insensitive components. The azide-sensitive component of calcium uptake is believed to represent mitochondrial calcium uptake. The azide-insensitive component of calcium uptake is enhanced by the presence of a calcium trapping agent such as oxalate, and cannot utilize, ADP, inorganic phosphate and a Krebs cycle substrate to support uptake. The distribution of the azide-insensitive calcium uptake in subcellular fractions suggests that this uptake occurs in other than mitochondrial membranes. The membranes most likely to contribute to the azide-insensitive component of calcium uptake are the endoplasmic reticulum and plasma membrane. A microsomal preparation from CEF cells is essentially devoid of the azide-sensitive calcium uptake activity. This microsomal activity is similar in characteristics to the sarcoplasmic reticulum of skeletal muscle. However the specific activity of CEF microsomal calcium uptake system is much less than that found in the skeletal muscle system. The transport of calcium by these membranes provide a mechanism for the regulation of cytosol calcium levels and may play a role in the control of movement and growth of cultured cells.     

Inhibition of the binding of low density lipoproteins to liver membrane receptors by rat serum phosphorylcholine binding protein

Rat serum phosphorylcholine binding protein (PCBP) is characterized by its Ca2+ dependent property to bind phosphorylcholine ligand. PCBP immobilized on sepharose has been shown to selectively bind human plasma apo B and E containing lipoproteins. The present report describes an inhibitory effect of PCBP on the binding of human 125I-LDL to LDL receptors on estradiol treated rat liver membranes. Pre-incubation of liver membranes with PCBP did not affect the binding of 125I-LDL to the membranes. Gel filtration analysis of the incubation products from the LDL-receptor assay showed a concentration dependent binding of 125I-PCBP to LDL. The inhibitory effect of PCBP is likely due to the formation of LDL-PCBP complex and not due to the binding of PCBP to the LDL receptor site.     

Investigation into the mechanism regulating MRP localization

The major PKC substrates MARCKS and MacMARCKS (MRP) are membrane-binding proteins implicated in cell spreading, integrin activation and exocytosis. According to the myristoyl-electrostatic switch model the co-operation between the myristoyl moiety and the positively charged effector domain (ED) is an essential mechanism by which proteins bind to membranes. Loss of the electrostatic interaction between the ED and phospholipids, such as Ptdins(4,5)P2, results in the translocation of such proteins to the cytoplasm. While this model has been extensively tested for the binding of MARCKS far less is known about the mechanisms regulating MRP localization. We demonstrate that after phosphorylation, MRP is relocated to the intracellular membranes of late endosomes and lysosomes. MRP binds to all membranes via its myristoyl moiety, but for its localization at the plasma membrane the ED is also required. Although the ED of MRP can bind to Ptdins(4,5)P2 in vitro, this binding is not essential for its retention at or targeting to the plasma membrane. We conclude that the co-operation between the myristoyl moiety and the ED is not required for the binding to membranes in general but that it is essential for the targeting of MRP to the plasma membrane in a Ptdins(4,5)P2-independent manner.     

Monoclonal antibodies to the human laminin receptor recognize structurally distinct sites

Laminin, a glycoprotein of basement membranes, binds to a specific receptor on the surface of neoplastic and non-neoplastic cells. The laminin receptor purified from human breast carcinoma plasma membranes was used as an antigen to generate two types of monoclonal antibodies (mAbs). Both types of mAbs bind to (a) the purified receptor coated on a solid phase; (b) isolated breast carcinoma plasma membranes; and (c) the surface of cultured MCF-7 human breast carcinoma cells by immunohistology. Using immunoblotting, both types of mAbs recognize a single 67 000 Dalton protein among all the proteins extracted from breast carcinoma plasma membranes. The mAbs differed in their ability to block binding of laminin to the plasma membrane receptor. Antibody LR1 inhibited virtually 100% of the specific binding of laminin to both the isolated human breast carcinoma plasma membranes or the living MCF-7 cells. In contrast, antibody LR2 had no effect on laminin binding under identical conditions. Thus, the two types of mAbs may recognize structurally distinct sites on the laminin receptor. These mAbs should be useful to dissect the biology and the molecular genetics of the laminin receptor.     

Subcellular distribution of bile acids, bile salts, and taurocholate binding sites in rat liver

We have quantitated bile acids and their conjugates in rat liver using high-pressure liquid chromatography. Over 95% of the hepatic bile acid pool in rat liver homogenates is present as taurocholate and tauromuricholate. Although over 60% of the bile acid pool is recovered in the supernatant, evidence is presented suggesting that taurocholate redistributes among the subcellular fractions during their isolation. Taurocholate (TC) binding to purified subcellular fractions from rat liver was determined by using equilibrium dialysis in a TC concentration range from 0.1 to 100 microM. This is well below the critical micellar concentration of taurocholate (3 mM). All of the fractions investigated exhibited low-affinity binding with dissociation constants from 80 to 240 microM as did membrane lipid vesicles. Therefore, low-affinity binding appears referable to taurocholate nonspecifically partitioning into the lipid bilayer. High-affinity binding is present in plasma membranes, Golgi, and cell supernatant. The high-affinity binding sites in Golgi have a mean dissociation constant (A1) of 1.0 microM and bind 0.15 nmol of TC/mg of protein. Similarly, the high-affinity binding sites of plasma membrane have an A1 of 1.3 microM and bind 0.15 nmol of TC/mg of protein. For cell supernatant, the A1 was 4.8 microM, and 0.35 nmol of TC was bound per mg of protein. Mitochondria, smooth and rough microsomes, and Golgi liposomes showed no detectable amounts of high-affinity binding. These results are compatible with a role for the Golgi complex, cytoplasmic component(s), and plasma membranes in transhepatic bile acid transport.     

Differences in the endosomal distributions of the two mannose 6- phosphate receptors

Multiple immunolabeling of cryosections was performed to compare the subcellular distributions of the two mannose 6-phosphate receptors (MPRs) involved in the intracellular targeting of lysosomal enzymes: the cation-dependent (CD) and cation-independent (CI) MPR. In two cell types, the human hepatoma cell line HepG2 and BHK cells double transfected with cDNA's encoding for the human CD-MPR and CI-MPR, we found the two receptors at the same sites: the trans-Golgi reticulum (TGR), endosomes, electron-dense cytoplasmic vesicles, and the plasma membrane. In the TGR the two receptors colocalized and were concentrated to the same extent in the same HA I-adaptor positive coated buds and vesicles. Endosomes were identified by the presence of exogenous tracers. The two MPR codistributed to the same endosomes, but semiquantitative analysis showed a relative enrichment of the CI-MPR in endosomes containing many internal vesicles. Two endosomal subcompartments were discerned, the central vacuole and the associated tubules and vesicles (ATV). We found an enrichment of CD-MPR over CI- MPR in the ATV. Lateral segregation of the two receptors within the plane of membranes was also detected on isolated organelles. Double immunolabeling for the CD-MPR and the asialoglycoprotein receptor, which mainly recycles between endosomes and the plasma membrane, revealed that these two receptors were concentrated in different subpopulations of endosomal ATV. The small GTP-binding protein rab4, which has been shown to mediate recycling from endosomes to the plasma membrane, was localized at the cytosolic face of many endosomal ATV. Quantitative analysis of double-immunolabeled cells revealed only a limited codistribution of the MPRs and rab4 in ATV. These data suggest that the two MPRs exit the TGR via the same coated vesicles, but that upon arrival in the endosomes CD-MPR is more rapidly than CI-MPR, segregated into ATV which probably are destined to recycle MPRs to TGR.     

Kinetics of cytolytic T lymphocyte binding to target cells in suspension

Cytolytic T lymphocytes (CTL) were able to specifically bind and lyse allogeneic P815 tumor cells and LPS blast cells in suspension. An assay was developed to measure the rate of target cell binding in suspension independent of the rate of lysis. Target cell binding was found to plateau within 3 hr in suspension. The presence of free, functional CTL and targets at these plateaus was demonstrated, indicating that target cell binding was an equilibrium process. Scatchard plots were used to derive values for Kd (apparent affinity) and bmax (maximum binding). Target cell binding in suspension could not be blocked by purified plasma membranes. Target cell binding was compared for CTL generated by secondary in vitro stimulation with intact cells or with purified membranes. These 2 CTL populations yielded distinct values for Kd and bmax. Implications of this kinetic difference for CTL recognition of purified plasma membranes are discussed.     

Mechanism for binding of fatty acids to hepatocyte plasma membranes

The purpose of this study was to examine the interaction between fatty acids and plasma membranes from liver cells. We were unable to reproduce the reported effect of heating on the capacity of these membranes to bind [3H]oleate (Stremmel et al. 1985 Proc. Natl. Acad. Sci. USA. 82: 4-8). In fact, the distribution of [3H]oleate between plasma membranes and unilamellar vesicles of lipids extracted from these membranes was in favor of the lipids, indicating the absence of a detectable amount of binding to a putative fatty acid binding protein in plasma membranes. Radius of curvature of vesicles (125 A vs 475 A) had no effect on the partitioning of fatty acid. In addition, the distribution of [3H]oleate between plasma membranes and other phases had the properties of a partition coefficient over a 200-fold range of [3H]oleate. There was no evidence in this experiment for a binding isotherm, i.e., binding of [3H]oleate at a specific site, superimposed on the nonspecific partitioning of [3H]oleate into the lipids of the plasma membrane. There was no competition between [14C]oleate and [3H]palmitate for entry into plasma membranes. Finally, rates of uptake of [14C]oleate and [3H]palmitate by perfused rat liver were not affected by the presence of the other fatty acid in perfusates. These data indicate that the avidity of hepatocyte plasma membranes for [3H]oleate is a simple consequence of the physical chemical properties of oleate, lipids, and water. The data exclude the idea that the uptake of fatty acids into cells is the result of binding proteins and/or catalyzed reactions at the water-membrane interface of the cell or within the plane of the plasma membrane.