Linear velocity of cyclic adenosine 3',5'-monophosphate transport in corn coleoptiles

The transport of cyclic adenosine 3′, 5′-monophosphate in corn coleoptile segments is very rapid. The linear velocity of basipetal transport is 183 millimeters per hour, while the velocity of acropetal transport is 79 millimeters per hour. Transport velocity as well as intensity thus appear to be polar in the corn coleoptile. Application of metabolic inhibitors such as cyanide, ouabain, and 2,4-dinitrophenol increase rather than decrease the velocity and intensity of transport. The mechanism of transport in light of these data is discussed.     

Differential binding of cyclic adenosine 3' ,5'-monophosphate to the cyclic adenosine 3' ,5'-monophosphate receptor protein in Escherichia coli.

Binding of cyclic adenosine 3' ,5'-monophosphate (cAMP) by the cAMP receptor protein in crude cell-free extracts of Escherichia coli was characterized. When cell were grown in glucose, binding was inhibited 50% relative to extracts from cells grown with succinate as carbon source . This inhibition could be relieved by dialysis.     

Control of Neurospora crassa morphology by cyclic adenosine 3', 5'-monophosphate and dibutyryl cyclic adenosine 3', 5'-monophosphate.

The role of cyclic adenosine 3', 5'-monophosphate (cyclic AMP) in the control of the Neurospora asexual life cycle was studied. Endogenous cyclic AMP levels were 10 to 20 times higher in strains having the wild-type cr-1 allele than in those carrying the mutated allele. In a wild-type strain these levels remained constant throughtout the entire growth period in shaken liquid cultures, except during a short period at the beginning of the stationary growth phase. In this period a marked increase in the cyclic nucleotide level was observed. The culture of cr-1 mutant strains in the presence of cyclic AMP or its dibutyryl derivative restores some morphological properties characteristic of wild-type strains. Specifically these cyclic nucleotides stimulated the rate of mycelial elongation, as well as the differentiation of aerial hyphae.     

An equilibrium study of the cooperative binding of adenosine cyclic 3',5'-monophosphate and guanosine cyclic 3',5'-monophosphate to the adenosine cyclic 3',5'-monophosphate receptor protein from Escherichia coli

The binding of adenosine cyclic 3',5'-monophosphate (cAMP) and guanosine cyclic 3',5'-monophosphate (cGMP) to the adenosine cyclic 3',5'-monophosphate receptor protein (CRP) from Escherichia coli was investigated by equilibrium dialysis at pH 8.0 and 20 degrees C at different ionic strengths (0.05--0.60 M). Both cAMP and cGMP bind to CRP with a negative cooperativity that is progressively changed to positive as the ionic strength is increased. The binding data were analyzed with an interactive model for two identical sites and site/site interactions with the interaction free energy--RT ln alpha, and the intrinsic binding constant K and cooperativity parameter alpha were computed. Double-label experiments showed that cGMP is strictly competitive with cAMP, and its binding parameters K and alpha are not very different from that for cAMP. Since two binding sites exist for each of the cyclic nucleotides in dimeric CRP and no change in the quaternary structure of the protein is observed on binding the ligands, it is proposed that the cooperativity originates in ligand/ligand interactions. When bound to double-stranded deoxyribonucleic acid (dsDNA), CRP binds cAMP more efficiently, and the cooperativity is positive even in conditions of low ionic strength where it is negative for the free protein. By contrast, cGMP binding properties remained unperturbed in dsDNA-bound CRP. Neither the intrinsic binding constant K nor the cooperativity parameter alpha was found to be very sensitive to changes of pH between 6.0 and 8.0 at 0.2 M ionic strength and 20 degrees C. For these conditions, the intrinsic free energy and entropy of binding of cAMP are delta H degree = -1.7 kcal . mol-1 and delta S degree = 15.6 eu, respectively.     

Metabolism of cyclic adenosine 3':5'-monophosphate in somatic cell hybrids

A somatic cell hybrid has been isolated between Chinese hamster fibroblasts (CH 23) and a mouse lymphoma (P388 F-36) cell line using nonselective pressure. The hybrid cell line PCM has a marked enhanced response to prostaglandin E₁, in terms of cyclic AMP production, when compared to the parental cells. The activity of cyclic nucleotide phosphodiesterase in both parental cells is higher than in the hybrid cells. Although this may contribute to the enhanced response in the hybrid cells, desensitization experiments suggest modification of the PGE₁ receptor in the hybrid cells.     

Self-phosphorylation of cyclic guanosine 3':5'-monophosphate-dependent protein kinase from bovine lung. Effect of cyclic adenosine 3':5'-monophosphate, cyclic guanosine 3':5'-monophosphate and histone.

Incubation of purified cyclic guanosine 3':5'-monophospate-dependent protein kinase with [gamma-32P]ATP and Mg2+ led to formation of one 32P-labeled protein, Mr = 75,000, which corresponded to the single protein band detected after polyacrylamide gel electrophoresis in sodium dodecyl sulfate. When electrophoresis was performed without detergent, the labeled protein coincided with the position of cGMP-dependent protein kinase activity. Phosphorylation was enhanced severalfold by either histone or cAMP and was inhibited by the addition of cGMP. Low concentrations of cGMP blocked the stimulatory effects of cAMP or histone (or both). Since neither cAMP-dependent protein kinase nor cGMP-dependent phosphoprotein phosphatase activities were detected in the purified enzyme, we concluded that the cGMP-dependent protein kinase is a substrate for its own phosphotransferase activity and that other protein substrates (histone) and cyclic nucleotides modulate the process of self-phosphorylation.     

Fluctuations in cyclic adenosine 3':5'-monophosphate and cyclic guanosine 3':5'-monophosphate during the mitotic cycle of the acellular slime mould Physarum polycephalum.

Cyclic adenosine 3′:5′-monophosphate (cyclic AMP) and cyclic guanosine 3′:5′-monophosphate (cyclic GMP) have been determined at half-hourly intervals throughout the mitotic cycle of Physarum polycephalum. Cyclic AMP was constant at 1pmole/mg protein throughout except for a transient peak of 17pmoles/mg protein in the last quarter of G2. Cyclic GMP was more variable (2–4pmole/mg protein) rising to 9.5pmole/mg protein during the 3 hour S period and to 7pmole/mg protein during the last hour of G2. The significance of these changes is discussed.     

Variations in the levels of cyclic adenosine 3':5'-monophosphate and in the activities of adenylate cyclase and cyclic adenosine 3':5'-monophosphate phosphodiesterase during aerobic morphogenesis of Mucor rouxii

Particulate cell fractions of mycelium of Mucor rouxii contain adenylate cyclase activity which can be partially solubilized by 2% Lubrol PX. The enzyme requires Mn²⁺ and its activity is not modified by NaF or guanosine nucleotides. Mycelial extracts also contain cyclic adenosine 3′:5′-monophosphate phosphodiesterase activity, 60% of which is soluble. This activity shows characteristic low K_m (1 μm) for cyclic AMP and does not hydrolyze cyclic guanosine 3′:5′-monophosphate. It requires Mn²⁺ ions for maximal activity and is not inhibited by methylxanthines or activated by imidazole. Both enzymatic activities vary during the aerobic life cycle of the fungus. The spores have the highest levels of adenylate cyclase and cAMP phosphodiesterase, which decrease during the aerobic development. At the round cell stage, phosphodiesterase activity reaches 40% of the activity of the spores and varies only slightly thereafter. At this stage the specific activity of adenylate cyclase is 25% of the activity of ungerminated spores, and from this stage on, the activity increases up to the end of the logarithmic phase. Intracellular levels of cyclic AMP have been measured during aerobic germination. The variations of the intracellular level are tentatively explained by unequal variations in the activities of adenylate cyclase and cyclic AMP phosphodiesterase. A continuous increase of the extracellular cyclic AMP level during aerobic development has also been found, which cannot be accounted for solely by variations in the cyclase and diesterase activities.     

Protein inhibitor of cyclic adenosine 3':5'-monophosphate phosphodiesterase in retina.

A protein acting as inhibitor of cyclic 3':5'-nucleotide phosphodiesterase (EC 3.1.4.1.) activity was found in the ox retina tissue. An inhibitor from one tissue (ox retina) effectively cross-inhibited a phosphodiesterase from another tissue (rat brain), indicating a lack of tissue specificity. Kinetic analysis showed that inhibition was independent of the time of preliminary incubation of the inhibitor with enzyme but dependent on its concentration in the reaction mixture. An inhibitor decreased the V of the enzyme and had no effect on its Km for cyclic adenosine-3':5'-monophosphate. The inhibitory effect was more pronounced with cyclic adenosine-3':5'-monophosphate than with cyclic guanosine-3':5'-monophosphate used as substrates of the reaction. The extractable form of the phosphodiesterase of the retina rod outer segments was much more sensitive to the inhibitory action than the membrane-bound one. The binding of labeled cyclic adenosine-3':5'-monophosphate to the inhibitory protein was shown not to occur. The inhibitor was sensitive to trypsin treatment, indicating that it was a proten attempt was mode to purify the inhibitory factor. Gel filtration indicated that the inhibitor had a molecular weight of 38 000.     

Compartmentation of cyclic adenosine 3',5'-monophosphate signaling in caveolae.

The cAMP-signaling pathway is composed of multiple components ranging from receptors, G proteins, and adenylyl cyclase to protein kinase A. A common view of the molecular interaction between them is that these molecules are disseminated on the plasma lipid membrane and random collide with each other to transmit signals. A limitation to this idea, however, is that a signaling cascade involving multiple components may not occur rapidly. Caveolae and their principal component, caveolin, have been implicated in transmembrane signaling, particularly in G protein-coupled signaling. We examined whether caveolin interacts with adenylyl cyclase, the membrane-bound enzyme that catalyzes the conversion of ATP to cAMP. When overexpressed in insect cells, types III, IV, and V adenylyl cyclase were localized in caveolin-enriched membrane fractions. Caveolin was coimmunoprecipitated with adenylyl cyclase in tissue homogenates and copurified with a polyhistidine-tagged form of adenylyl cyclase by Ninitrilotriacetic acid resin chromatography in insect cells, suggesting the colocalization of adenylyl cyclase and caveolin in the same microdomain. Further, the regulatory subunit of protein kinase A (RIIalpha, but not RIalpha) was also enriched in the same fraction as caveolin. Gsalpha was found in both caveolin-enriched and non-caveolin-enriched membrane fractions. Our data suggest that the cAMP-signaling cascade occurs within a restricted microdomain of the plasma membrane in a highly organized manner.