Inhibition of Adenosine Triphosphatase in Sheep Red Cell Membranes by Oxidized Glutathione

This paper reports inhibition of Na⁺ + K⁺-stimulated, ouabain-inhibited adenosine triphosphatase (S-ATPase) in sheep red cell membranes by oxidized glutathione (GSSG). The results are consistent with the hypothesis that this inhibition depends upon the formation of a mixed disulfide between glutathione and -SH group(s) in the enzyme protein. Thus, inhibition of S-ATPase by GSSG proceeds more rapidly at alkaline than at neutral pH and is reversed by the addition of an excess of a compound containing reduced -SH groups (e.g. dithiothreitol). ATP protects S-ATPase against inhibition by GSSG and this protection depends on both the monovalent and divalent cation composition of the medium. Protection by ATP is more complete in the presence of K⁺ than in the presence of Na⁺.     

Separation of Particulate Phytochrome and Plasma Membranes of Maize Coleoptiles by Density Gradient Centrifugation

Phytochrome, cross linked in situ to its receptor by glutaraldehydefixation, and radioactively-labelled membrane material, obtainedby lactoperoxidase-catalysed ¹²⁵I-treatment of maize coleoptilescould be separated from each other according to sedimentationvelocity and by sucrose density gradient centrifugation. Bindingof iodine to membrane material in maize coleoptiles increasedseveral-fold on the addition of reaction-specific enzymes, i.e.lactoperoxidase and glucose oxidase. Mitochondria were considerednot labelled because mito-chondrial purification reduced ¹²⁵Iincorporation. Membrane material containing incorporated iodineappeared quite heterogenous and sedimented to an equilibriumdensity position close to, but slightly lighter than that ofthe mitochondria; participate phytochrome banded at a heavierposition. Results obtained therefore suggest that the receptorfor phytochrome may not be on the plasma membrane as envisagedin recent hypotheses.     

密度梯度离心分离大鼠卵巢卵泡膜细胞

探讨用密度梯度离心法快速、有效地分离大鼠卵泡膜细胞.选取23～25 d雌性大鼠卵巢,用Percoll密度梯度离心法将卵泡膜细胞分离纯化,3β-羟基类固醇脱氢酶(3β-hydroxysteroid dehydrogenase,3β-HSD)组织化学染色用于卵泡膜细胞纯度检测.分别用0.1 U/mL和1.0 U/mL卵泡刺激素(Follicle-stimulating hormone,FSH)及黄体生成素(luteinizing hormone,LH)处理细胞,无血清培养48 h后,酶联免疫法检测培养液中雄烯二酮和雌二醇的水平.分离所得细胞中,3β-HSD染色阳性细胞与总细胞数之比大于90％; LH组的雄烯二酮水平显著高于对照组和FSH组(P＜0.05),LH组中1.0 U/mL组的雄烯二酮水平又高于0.1 U/mL组.各组均未检测到雌二醇及孕酮.3β-HSD组织化学染色可快速有效地检验所分离的卵泡膜细胞的纯度,分离所得的卵泡膜细胞可对LH产生反应,且其中几乎没有混杂颗粒细胞.     

Separation of Non-filamentous Micro-organisms from Soil by Density Gradient Centrifugation in Percoll

Soil suspensions were homogenized, and desorbed non-filamentous micro-organisms were concentrated in a minimum volume of buffer by low speed centrifugation. The cells were separated from inanimate material by flotation at the interface between the buffer and a silica sol/polyvinyl pyrrolidone density gradient medium (Percoll). Cell suspensions were removed from the interface and fractionated according to density by high speed centrifugation on discriminating density gradients in Percoll.
Preliminary experiments indicated that most non-filamentous soil micro-organisms had densities in the range 1.081–1.123 g%sol;ml while Rhizobium isolated from crushed root nodules on Percoll was split into two bands of densities 1.081–1.110 and 1.041–1.073 g/ml. The lighter cells were the more pleomorphic.
The efficiency of extraction of cells from soil was governed by the extent of their desorption from inanimate particles. As rigorous desorption procedures damage cells, extraction efficiencies were low; 10–20% of cells counted microscopically in soil were recovered from density gradients. Electron microscopy of soil micro-organisms isolated by this method showed an unusual range of surface ornamentations on cell-like structures of bacterial dimensions.     

Separation of Viable Rickettsia typhi from Yolk Sac and L Cell Host Components by Renografin Density Gradient Centrifugation

Rickettsia typhi cultivated in the yolk sac of chicken embryos or in L cells irradiated 7 days previously was separated from host cell components by two cycles of Renografin density gradient centrifugation. Preliminary steps involved differential centrifugation and centrifugation over a layer of 10% bovine plasma albumin of infected yolk sac suspensions, or trypsinization and passage through filters of wide porosity of infected L cell suspensions. Rickettsial preparations obtained by these methods appeared to be free from host cell components while retaining high levels of hemolytic activity, egg infectivity, and capacity to catabolize glutamate. Average yields were 3.3 mg of rickettsial protein per yolk sac or 0.44 mg per 16-oz (ca. 475-ml) L cell culture. Extracts from these two preparations displayed malate dehydrogenase activity of electrophoretic mobility identical to each other but quite different in migration patterns from the corresponding host cell enzymes. This method of separation of rickettsiae from host cell constituents appears to be particularly well suited for the study of rickettsial enzymatic activity.     

Density Gradient Centrifugation Compromises Bone Marrow Mononuclear Cell Yield

Bone marrow mononuclear cells (BMNCs) are widely used in regenerative medicine, but recent data suggests that the isolation of BMNCs by commonly used Ficoll-Paque density gradient centrifugation (DGC) causes significant cell loss and influences graft function. The objective of this study was to determine in an animal study whether and how Ficoll-Paque DGC affects the yield and composition of BMNCs compared to alternative isolation methods such as adjusted Percoll DGC or immunomagnetic separation of polymorphonuclear cells (PMNs). Each isolation procedure was confounded by a significant loss of BMNCs that was maximal after Ficoll-Paque DGC, moderate after adjusted Percoll DGC and least after immunomagnetic PMN depletion (25.6±5.8%, 51.5±2.3 and 72.3±6.7% recovery of total BMNCs in lysed bone marrow). Interestingly, proportions of BMNC subpopulations resembled those of lysed bone marrow indicating symmetric BMNC loss independent from the isolation protocol. Hematopoietic stem cell (HSC) content, determined by colony-forming units for granulocytes-macrophages (CFU-GM), was significantly reduced after Ficoll-Paque DGC compared to Percoll DGC and immunomagnetic PMN depletion. Finally, in a proof-of-concept study, we successfully applied the protocol for BMNC isolation by immunodepletion to fresh human bone marrow aspirates. Our findings indicate that the common method to isolate BMNCs in both preclinical and clinical research can be considerably improved by replacing Ficoll-Paque DGC with adapted Percoll DGC, or particularly by immunodepletion of PMNs.     

The Effect of Valinomycin on Potassium and Sodium Permeability of HK and LK Sheep Red Cells

A cyclic depsipeptide antibiotic, valinomycin, was found to produce increased selective permeability of the plasma membranes of HK and LK sheep red blood cells to potassium but not to sodium ions. The compound had relatively little effect on the active extrusion of sodium from HK sheep red blood cells or on the Na + K-stimulated ATPase activity of membranes derived from these cells. It is proposed that the selective cation permeability produced by this compound depends primarily on steric factors, particularly the relationship between the diameter of the ring and the effective diameter of the ion. The significance of these results for the problem of the mechanism of ionic selectivity in natural membranes is discussed.     

Density Gradient Centrifugation of Rubella Virus

Rubella virus was centrifuged in sucrose density gradients. One of two densities could be ascribed to the virus, depending upon the suspending medium used. The virus was found at a density of 1.16 g/cm³ after centrifugation for 18 hr in sucrose gradients prepared in distilled water. By contrast, when the sucrose gradients were prepared in tris(hydroxymethyl)aminomethane (Tris)buffer containing ethylenediaminetetraacetic acid (EDTA), the virus was found at a density of 1.18 g/cm³ after 18 hr of centrifugation. The virus banded at this higher density after only 2 hr of centrifugation when pretreated by overnight incubation in the Tris-EDTA buffer. A kinetic study showed that, in sucrose gradients containing this buffer, the virus gradually migrated as a single peak of infectivity from a density of 1.16 g/cm³ after 2 hr of centrifugation to the higher 1.18 g/cm³ density after 18 hr. The density change was shown to be reversible; after the removal of the Tris-EDTA buffer, rebanding of virus harvested at the heavy density resulted in its banding at the lower 1.16 g/cm³ density. The data indicate that density change could not be explained on the basis of the loss of some component from the virus or on the basis of the failure of the virus to reach equilibrium. However, it is possible that the two densities observed were a reflection of the existence of rubella virus in different hydration states in the presence and absence of Tris buffer containing EDTA.     

Membrane Populations of Bovine Choroid Plexus: Separation by Density Gradient Centrifugation in Modified Colloidal Silica

Abstract: The choroid plexus is intimately involved in the production and regulation of the cerebrospinal fluid. Populations of surface membranes from this epithelial tissue were separated by density gradient centrifugation by use of modified colloidal silica (Percoll). A fraction of heavy microsomes (P₃) containing plasma membranes was prepared by differential centrifugation. Membranes in fraction P₃ were mixed with a given concentration of Percoll and density gradients generated during centrifugation. When fraction P₃ was mixed with 20% (v/v) Percoll and centrifuged at 20,000 r.p.m. for 1 h in a 50.2 Ti fixed-angle rotor, membranes containing alkaline phosphatase (AP) were found at a density of 1.037 g/cm³ while those containing NaK ATPase were found at 1.047 g/cm³. With more shallow density gradients using 12% and 14% Percoll, a broad shoulder of AP activity became manifest at densities greater than 1.060 g/cm³ suggesting multiple populations of membranes containing AP. Membranes containing AP could also be separated from membranes containing γ-glutamyl transpeptidase (γ-GTP); this separation was most pronounced in 12% Percoll. The activity of γ-GTP could not be separated from activity of NaK ATPase. Total protein was distributed broadly throughout the gradients. Studies have been undertaken to compare the behavior of choroidal membranes in Percoll gradients with that of renal membranes because the biochemical anatomy of the kidney has been extensively studied. In contrast to choroidal membranes, renal membranes with NaK ATPase activity were found to have densities lower than those membranes with AP. Thus, the distribution of membrane-bound enzymes from kidney in a Percoll gradient was exactly the opposite of that observed for these same enzymes from choroid plexus. In addition, unlike the γ-GTP activity of choroid plexus, γ-GTP from kidney could be separated from the activities of both alkaline phosphatase and NaK ATPase. These marked differences in membrane populations between choroid plexus and kidney as defined by Percoll density gradient centrifugation analyses are presumably reflective of differences in the functions of the two epithelial tissues.     

Calcium Uptake and Associated Adenosine Triphosphatase Activity of Isolated Platelet Membranes

A platelet subcellular fraction, sedimenting between 14,000 and 40,000 g and consisting primarily of membrane vesicles, accumulates up to 200–400 nmoles calcium/mg protein in the presence of ATP and oxalate. Steady-state levels of calcium accumulation are attained in 40–60 min. Calcium uptake requires adenosine triphosphate (ATP), is enhanced by oxalate, and is accompanied by the release of inorganic phosphate. Calcium accumulation and phosphate release require magnesium and are inhibited by Salyrgan (10 µM) and adenosine diphosphate (ADP) (1 mM), but not by ouabain (0.1 mM). The ATPase activity is stimulated by low concentrations of calcium (5–10 µM) and is inhibited by 2 mM EGTA. Electron microscopic histochemistry using lead nitrate to precipitate released phosphate results in lead precipitates localized primarily at the inner surface of membrane vesicles. These results provide evidence for a membrane ATPase that is stimulated by low concentrations of calcium and may be involved in the transport of calcium across the membrane. It is postulated that the observed calcium uptake activity is an in vitro manifestation of a calcium extrusion pump in the intact platelet.     

Interaction of HK and LK Goat Red Blood Cells with Ouabain

The characteristics of the interaction of Na-K pumps of high potassium (HK) and low potassium (LK) goat red blood cells with ouabain have been determined. The rate of inhibition by ouabain of the pump of HK cells is greater than the rate of inhibition of the pumps of LK cells. Treatment of LK cells with an antibody (anti-L) raised in HK sheep by injecting LK sheep red cells increases the rate of inhibition of the LK pumps by ouabain to that characteristic of HK pumps; reduction of intracellular K (K_c) in LK cells increases the rate at which ouabain inhibits their pumps and exposure of these low K_c cells to anti-L does not affect the rate of inhibition. There is considerable heterogeneity in the pumps of both HK and LK cells in the rate at which they interact with ouabain or the rate at which they pump or both. LK pumps which are sensitive to stimulation by anti-L bind ouabain less rapidly than the remainder of the LK pumps and exposure to antibody increases the rate at which ouabain binds to the sensitive pumps; the difference between the two types of pumps disappears if intracellular K is very low. The calculated number of ouabain molecules bound at 100% inhibition of the pump is about the same for HK and LK cells. Although exposure to anti-L increases the apparent number of ouabain binding sites in LK cells at normal K_c, it does not alter the apparent number of sites in LK cells when K_c has been reduced.     

Purification of Poly-beta-Hydroxybutyrate by Density Gradient Centrifugation in Sodium Bromide

Fractionation of fully sporulated cultures of Bacillus thuringiensis by density gradient centrifugation in NaBr produced two bands which were identified as poly-beta-hydroxybutyrate. This technique generated high yields of membrane-bound and unbound granules of exceptional purity and degree of polymerization.     

The Use of Density Gradient Centrifugation for the Separation of Germinated from Nongerminated Spores

S ummary : The density gradient centrifugation of a suspension of spores of B. subtilis 8057 on both sucrose and renografin gradients gave 2 distinct fractions. Germination evidence suggested that the heavier fraction consisted of dormant spores and the less dense fraction, germinated spores. It is concluded that density gradient centrifugation may provide a useful technique for the separation of germinated from nongerminated spores.     

Purification of Large Quantities of Influenza Virus by Density Gradient Centrifugation

New zonal centrifuges can conveniently process as much as five orders of magnitude (10(5)) greater sample volumes than conventional swinging-bucket rotors. The continuous-sample-flow-with-banding versions may be used in series with ancillary purification procedures. Here we have studied the combined process: absorption and elution of influenza virus with barium sulfate followed by concentration and isopycnic banding of the virus in a buffered sucrose gradient. Kilogram quantities of impurity have been rapidly separated from grams of purified virus, which have been conveniently concentrated several hundred-fold by the purification process. Experimental vaccines made by these procedures are being evaluated.     

Dextran不连续密度梯度离心法纯化大鼠胰岛

目的评价Dextran不连续密度梯度离心法纯化大鼠胰岛的效果。方法采用V型胶原酶分离出大鼠胰岛,并应用Dextran不连续密度梯度离心法纯化胰岛。在体视镜下计数双硫腙染色的胰岛并测量染色胰岛的直径。放免法测定胰岛素含量。AO-PI双染色确定胰岛的活力。结果平均每只成年Wistar大鼠的胰腺可分离950±24个胰岛,经Dextran纯化后平均每只成年Wistar大鼠的胰腺可获得784±10个胰岛,纯度可达到90%以上。结论采用Dextran不连续密度梯度纯化得到的Wistar大鼠胰岛结构完整、功能良好。     

CsCl Density Gradient Centrifugation Studies of Intact Bacterial Cells

Cells of Escherichia coli have been successfully banded in CsCl density gradients and a portion of the population reclaimed in a viable state. Differentiation between two strains of this organism in a CsCl density gradient has been demonstrated also. Several studies were undertaken to see whether differences could be detected between two samples of cells of the same strain which had been subjected to different conditions. The results were as follows: (a) Introduction of a heavy label (5-bromouracil) into the DNA during a 90 minute period did not produce an observable change in cell density. (b) Removal of a required amino acid from the growth medium of an E. coli auxotroph resulted in an increase in both the density and heterogeneity of the cells. (c) Exposure of cells to 27 kr of gamma radiation, followed by a period during which portions of both DNA and RNA were lost, yielded two distinct bands, one at the normal position in the gradient and the other shifted to a lighter region.     

Fractionation of Eastern Equine Encephalitis Virus by Density Gradient Centrifugation in CsCl

When partially purified Eastern equine encephalitis (EEE) virus was centrifuged to equilibrium in CsCl, three virus specific bands were observed. A hemagglutinin was detected at a buoyant density of 1.18 g/cm³. Infectious EEE virus banded in two positions; most of the virus banded at 1.20 g/cm³ and a lesser amount banded at 1.22 to 1.23 g/cm³. Analysis of radioactive profiles of CsCl-fractionated EEE virus labeled with either ³²PO₄ or ³H-uridine suggested that the hemagglutinin was stripped from the intact EEE virion. The viral origin of the hemagglutinin was verified by inhibition with specific antiserum. Attempts to differentiate between infectious EEE virus of the different buoyant densities showed that the denser particle was neither a virus contaminant nor a density mutant. No evidence was obtained to indicate that the denser particle was an immature form of EEE virus. The two infectious EEE species obtained after CsCl fractionation were indistinguishable antigenically. Furthermore, unfractionated as well as CsCl-fractionated EEE virus sedimented at about 260S in sucrose gradients. These results together with the results of rebanding experiments suggested that the denser EEE species (1.23 g/cm³) results from a salt (CsCl)-induced alteration or breakdown of the EEE virion (1.20 g/cm³), and that it arises as the hemagglutinin is stripped from the surface of the EEE virion.     

Zone Centrifugation in a Cesium Chloride Density Gradient Caused by Temperature Change

In this communication is described a new technique for the determination of sedimentation coefficients of macromolecules banded in equilibrium density gradients. Initially, the macromolecules are banded in the analytical ultracentrifuge at a low temperature of about 5°C. After equilibrium has been obtained, the temperature is increased to 25°C. The equilibrium band will now sediment to a new equilibrium position in the ultracentrifuge cell: (a) By following the position of the migrating band as a function of time, sedimentation coefficients may be determined. (b) If several species having different sedimentation coefficients are present in the original band, then during the course of the migration the band may split into several new bands which eventually reunite at the final equilibrium position. (c) If different chemical species of macromolecules such as nucleic acids and carbohydrates are present, in general they will exhibit different temperature density relationships, and can move different distances and directions in response to temperature change.     

Purification of Large Quantities of Coxiella burnetii Rickettsia by Density Gradient Zonal Centrifugation

The purification of large quantities of inactivated, phase II Coxiella burnetii by isopycnic zonal centrifugation for use as diagnostic antigen and as a vaccine is described. The fractionation of egg yolk sac-derived C. burnetii vaccine resulted in the separation of two distinct populations of organisms, each devoid of microscopically and serologically recognizable components of egg yolk sac. One population of organisms, characterized by an equilibrium density of 1.240, was rod shaped (1.0 by 0.5 μmole) with a thick, densely strained wall and prominent central body. The second population, with an equilibrium density of 1.280, had a coccobacillary shape (approximately 1 μmole in diameter), granular, sometimes fibrillar cytoplasm, thin cellular walls, and lacked a prominent nucleoid.