Difference between cholic acid and chenodeoxycholic acid in dependence upon cholesterol of hepatic and plasmatic sources as the precursor in rats

Some difference in functional pool of cholesterol acting as the precursor of bile acids is pointed out between cholic acid and chenodeoxycholic acid. In order to elucidate this problem further, some experiments were performed with rats equilibrated with [7(n)-3H, 4-(14)C] cholesterol by subcutaneous implantation. The bile duct was cannulated in one series of experiments and ligated in another. After the operation 14C-specific radioactivity of serum cholesterol fell, but reached practically a new equilibrium within three days. 14C-Specific radioactivity of serum cholesterol as well as of biliary bile acids in bile-fistula rats and urinary bile acids in bile duct-ligated rats was determined during a three days-period in the new equilibrated state. The results were as follows: (1) 14C-Specific radioactivity of cholic acid and chenodeoxycholic acid in bile was lower than that of serum cholesterol, and 14C-specific radioactivity of cholic acid was clearly lower than that of chenodeoxycholic acid. (2) 14C-Specific radioactivity of cholic acid and beta-muricholic acid in urine was lower than that of serum cholesterol, and 14C-specific radioactivity of cholic acid was lower than that of beta-muricholic acid. (3) Biliary as well as urinary beta-muricholic acid lost tritium label at 7-position entirely during the course of formation from [7(n)-3H, 4-(14)C]cholesterol.     

A radio-gas chromatographic method for determining the specific radioactivity of glycolic acid in -14C-labeled leaf tissue.

A method for the extraction and quantitative determination of both the mass and radioactivity of glycolic acid from -14C-labeled leaf tissue is described. The recoveries of both mass and radioactivity from standard [1-14C]glycolic acid solutions averaged 98 percent, and recovery of radioactivity added to plant samples as [1-14C]glycolic acid was over 90 percent after the complete procedure. The method was reliable with total samples containing as little as 130 nmol of glycolic acid. The mass of glycolic acid recovered from sunflower leaf tissue was proportional to the amount of tissue extracted. In experiments with different plant material, the amount of glycolic acid varied between 530 and 1120 nmol/dm-2 of leaf tissue. The specific radioactivity of the glycolic acid in sunflower leaf tissue during photosynthesis in -14CO(2) was never more than 20 percent of the specific radioactivity of the -14CO(2) supplied.     

A study on the precursors of the acetyl moiety of acetylcholine in brain slices. Observations on the compartmentalization of the acetyl-coenzyme A pool

1. A method was devised for the determination of the specific radioactivity of the acetyl moiety of acetylcholine synthesized from various (14)C-labelled substrates. 2. The precursor for the acetyl moiety of acetylcholine was studied in slices of striatum and cerebral cortex from rat and guinea-pig brain. Incorporation of radioactivity into acetylcholine was determined after incubating the slices in the presence of [2-(14)C]acetate, [(14)C]bicarbonate, [1,5-(14)C]citrate, dl-[1- or 5-(14)C]glutamate or [1- or 2-(14)C]pyruvate. 3. After incubation for 1h, acetylcholine was accumulated significantly in both striatum slices (4.1nmol/mg of protein) and cerebral-cortex slices (0.57nmol/mg of protein) from the rat. Final concentrations were about 11 and 5 times respectively the initial values. 4. With slices from rat striatum, rat cerebral cortex and guinea-pig cerebral cortex, the specific radioactivity of acetylcholine derived from [2-(14)C]pyruvate was very high, reaching approx. 30, 20 and 6% respectively of the initial specific radioactivity of added pyruvate in the medium. With the striatum slices this high value was reached after incubation for 15min. Incorporation of radioactivity from [2-(14)C]acetate was only 1.25, 5.3 and 19.7% of that from [2-(14)C]pyruvate in rat striatum, rat cerebral-cortex and guinea-pig cerebral-cortex slices respectively. A small but definite incorporation was found from [5-(14)C]glutamate. No incorporation was found from the other substrates. The findings suggest that pyruvate is the most important precursor for the synthesis of the acetyl moiety of acetylcholine in brain slices. 5. The specific radioactivity of acetylcholine relative to that of citrate when [2-(14)C]pyruvate was used compared with that obtained when [2-(14)C]acetate was used. A marked difference was found in all slices, suggesting metabolic compartmentation of the acetyl-CoA pool.     

The mechanism of thyrotrophin action in relation to lipid metabolism in thyroid tissue

1. The effects of thyrotrophin in vitro on the incorporation of [(14)C]-glucose, -glycerol, -palmitate and -oleate into the lipids of thyroid tissue were examined. 2. Thyrotrophin increased the incorporation of these (14)C-labelled precursors into phosphatidylinositol specifically. 3. Thyrotrophin also increased the proportion of (14)C radioactivity from labelled glucose, glycerol, palmitate and oleate incorporated into the 1,2-diglycerides. 4. The addition of thyrotrophin to thyroid slices for 10min., after 2hr. of prelabelling with [(14)C]glycerol, also increased the proportion of (14)C radioactivity incorporated into the 1,2-diglyceride fraction. 5. After incubation of thyroid tissue with [1-(14)C]palmitate, thyrotrophin caused a two- to three-fold increase in the specific radioactivity of palmitate isolated from phosphatidylinositol and 1,2-diglycerides. In contrast, the specific radioactivity of palmitate isolated from the choline and ethanolamine phosphoglycerides, 1,3-diglycerides and triglycerides was not increased by thyrotrophin.     

Lipogenesis from glucose-2- 14 C and acetate-1- 14 C in aorta

Lipogenesis was measured with glucose-2-(14)C and acetate-1-(14)C in the everted aortas of normal and atherosclerotic rabbits. More glucose-2-(14)C than acetate-1-(14)C was incorporated into lipids in both the normal and the atherosclerotic aorta. Radiocarbon from glucose-2-(14)C appeared mainly in triglycerides and phospholipids with a small amount in cholesteryl esters. Incorporation increased almost threefold with atherosclerosis, most of the radioactivity being in the glycerol moiety; radioactivity was predominantly in carbon 2 of glycerol. About 70% of the acetate-1-(14)C incorporated into phospholipids and triglycerides was in the fatty acids, and the remainder was in glyceride-glycerol; 98% of the radioactivity in cholesteryl esters was in the fatty acid moiety. Incorporation into cholesteryl esters was increased most during the development of atherosclerosis. Fatty acid synthesis was similar from both acetate-1-(14)C and the 2 carbon unit derived from glucose-2-(14)C, viz., predominantly de novo synthesis of fatty acids with 14 and 16 carbon atoms, and elongation for those of 18 carbons and longer.     

Relative significance of exogenous and de novo synthesized fatty acids in the formation of rumen microbial lipids in vitro

Mixed rumen microorganisms (MRM) or suspensions of rumen Holotrich protozoa obtained from a sheep were incubated anaerobically with [1-(14)C]linoleic acid, [U-(14)C]glucose, or [1-(14)C]acetate. With MRM, the total amount of fatty acids present did not change after incubation. An increase in fatty acids esterified into sterolesters (SE) and polar lipids at the expense of free fatty acids was observed. This effect was intensified by the addition of fermentable carbohydrate to the incubations. Radioactivity from [1-(14)C]linoleic acid was incorporated into SE and polar lipids with both MRM and Holotrich protozoa. With MRM the order of incorporation of radioactivity was as follows: SE > phosphatidylethanolamine > phosphatidylcholine. With Holotrich protozoa, the order of incorporation was phosphatidylcholine > phosphatidylethanolamine > SE. With MRM the radioactivity remaining in the free fatty acids and that incorporated into SE was mainly associated with saturated fatty acids, but a considerable part of the radioactivity in the polar lipids was associated with dienoic fatty acids. This effect of hydrogenation prior to incorporation was also noted with Holotrich protozoa but to a much lesser extent. Small amounts of radioactivity from [U-(14)C]glucose and [1-(14)C]acetate were incorporated into rumen microbial lipids. With protozoa incubated with [U-(14)C]glucose, the major part of incorporated radioactivity was present in the glycerol moiety of the lipids. From the amounts of lipid classes present, their radioactivity, and fatty acid composition, estimates were made of the amounts of higher fatty acids directly incorporated into microbial lipids and the amounts synthesized de novo from glucose or acetate. It is concluded that the amounts directly incorporated may be greater than the amounts synthesized de novo.     

The localization of 1,25-dihydroxycholecalciferol in bone cell nuclei of rachitic chicks

1. A simple technique has been developed to obtain subcellular fractions of chick bone. The method yielded 60-70% of total DNA in the nuclear debris fraction and 80-90% of total (14)C recovered in bone after a dose of radioactive vitamin D. 2. After a dose of [4-(14)C,1,2-(3)H(2)]cholecalciferol (0.5mug) was given to vitamin D-deficient chicks, the time-course of total (14)C radioactivity in the epiphysis, metaphysis and diaphysis of proximal tibiae was measured. The maximum concentrations were reached at 6h, corresponding to a similar peak of radioactivity in blood, decreasing until 24h and indicating the dependence on the circulating (14)C and on the blood supply of the three bone components. 3. The (14)C radioactivity of cholecalciferol and 25-hydroxycholecalciferol (expressed per mg of DNA) followed the pattern of incorporation of total (14)C radioactivity in all three bone components. The more polar metabolite fraction reached a peak of radioactivity at 6-9h and maintained its concentration over the 24h period studied in all anatomical bone components. 4. After a dose of [4-(14)C,1-(3)H]cholecalciferol (0.5mug) was given to vitamin D-deficient chicks, the subcellular distribution was studied. At 24h after dosing, the nuclear fraction contained 27% and the supernatant fraction had 67% of total (14)C recovered in the bone filtrate. When the (14)C in the residual bone fragments was included, the nuclear fraction contained up to 35% of the total radioactivity in the bone. 5. The subcellular distribution pattern of individual vitamin D metabolites indicated that the purified nuclear fraction concentrated the polar metabolite, which lost (3)H at C-1, so that 77% of the radioactivity could be accounted for by 1,25-dihydroxycholecalciferol. The supernatant fraction contained smaller amounts of 1,25-dihydroxycholecalciferol (9%), with 66% of 25-hydroxycholecalciferol forming the major metabolite, corresponding to its concentration found in blood at 24h. 6. The preferential accumulation of 1,25-dihydroxycholecalciferol in the nuclear fraction and the overall pattern of other metabolites, found previously in intestinal tissue, suggests a similar mechanism of action in bone to that postulated for the intestinal cell in calcium translocation.     

Distribution, metabolism and excretion of [1-14C]dolichol injected intravenously into rats.

[1-14C]Dolichol mixed in vitro with rat serum and injected intravenously into rats was rapidly cleared from the circulation in a manner consistent with a two-compartment model. About 80% of the radioactivity recovered from animals killed after 1 day was in the liver, with smaller amounts being found in lung, carcass (internal organs removed), gastrointestinal tract and contents, and spleen. The kidneys, testes and heart contained little radioactivity, and the brain did not appear to take up any [1-14C]dolichol. The half-life for the turnover of radioactivity from [1-14C]dolichol in tissues varied considerably, being 2 days for the lung, 17 for liver and about 50 days for the carcass. After 1 day, and also after 4 and 21 days, most of the radioactivity in all tissues was as [1-14C]dolichol and as [1-14C]dolichyl fatty acyl ester, although a small amount of incorporation of [1-14C]dolichol radioactivity into phospholipids was also observed. Faeces collected over the first 4 days after injection contained 13% of the [1-14C]dolichol dose, but urine and expired air contained only small amounts of radioactivity. Radioactivity in faeces was nearly all as unchanged [1-14C]dolichol and as [1-14C]dolichyl fatty acyl ester. The [1-14C]dolichol remaining in liver after 21 days appeared to be in a pool (possibly lysosomes) where most of it was not subject to excretion.     

Gluconeogenesis in the kidney cortex. Flow of malate between compartments

1. Kidney-cortex slices from starved rats were incubated with l-[U-(14)C]lactate or l-[U-(14)C]malate plus unlabelled acetate and the specific radioactivity of the glucose formed was determined. In parallel experiments the specific radioactivity of the glucose formed from [1-(14)C]acetate plus unlabelled l-lactate and l-malate was determined. 2. By analytical methods the major products formed from the substrates were measured. The glucose formed was purified by paper chromatography for determination of specific radioactivity. 3. The specific radioactivity of the glucose formed from l-[U-(14)C]lactate agrees with predictions of a model based on interaction of the gluconeogenic and the oxidative pathways. 4. The specific radioactivity of the glucose formed from l-[U-(14)C]malate agrees with the predicted value if rapid malate exchange between the cytosol and mitochondria is assumed. 5. The rate of malate exchange between compartments was estimated to be rapid and at least several times the rate of glucose formation. 6. The specific radioactivity of the glucose formed from [1-(14)C]acetate plus unlabelled l-lactate or l-malate agrees with the predictions from the model, again assuming rapid malate exchange between compartments. 7. Malate exchange between compartments together with reversible malate dehydrogenase activity in the mitochondria and cytosol also tends to equilibrate isotopically the NADH pool in these compartments. (3)H from compounds such as l-[2-(3)H]lactate, which form NAD(3)H in the cytosol, appears in part in water; and (3)H from dl-beta-hydroxy[3-(3)H]butyrate, which forms NAD(3)H in the mitochondria, appears in part in glucose, largely on C-4.     

Role of acetate in sporogenesis of Bacillus cereus

Nakata, H. M. (Washington State University, Pullman). Role of acetate in sporogenesis of Bacillus cereus. J. Bacteriol. 91:784-788. 1966.-The distribution of radioactivity associated initially with acetate-2-C(14) was followed during sporogenesis of Bacillus cereus strain T. This was accomplished by replacing cells committed to sporulation into a chemically defined sporulation medium. It was observed that 65 to 70% of the initial radioactivity was incorporated into poly-beta-hydroxybutyrate, whereas 20 to 25% was found in other cellular constituents. Virtually no radioactivity was lost as C(14)O(2) during the first 5 to 6 hr after replacement. Then, a gradual evolution of C(14)O(2) coincident with poly-beta-hydroxybutyrate degradation, was observed until about the ninth hour. By this time, the polymer was essentially depleted, and the first spore structures were observed in stained preparations. The total amount of radioactivity lost as C(14)O(2) was 20 to 25%. The major portion of products derived from poly-beta-hydroxybutyrate was incorporated into the spores. As much as 17% of the radioactivity associated with the spores was found in dipicolinic acid. More than 50% was located in spore proteins, 20 to 25% in the hot 5% trichloroacetic acid-soluble fraction, 4 to 5% in the lipid fraction, and 15 to 20% in the cold 5% trichloroacetic acid-soluble fraction. These data, accounting for 70 to 75% of the initial radioactivity, confirmed the hypothesis that the major role of acetate, and subsequently of poly-beta-hydroxybutyrate, in sporulation of B. cereus T is to provide carbon precursors and energy for sporogenesis.     

Synthesis and in vivo biodisposition of [14C]-quaternary ammonium-melphalan conjugate,a potential cartilage-targeted alkylating drug

For the purpose of developing more selective anticancer drugs that would concentrate in the malignant cartilaginous tumors (chondrosarcomas), and so improve therapeutic index through a reduction of side effects, a quaternary ammonium (QA) conjugate of melphalan was synthesized and labeled with (14)C by linking the QA moiety to nitrogen mustard via an amide bond. Comparative pharmacokinetic study of [(14)C]-melphalan and its [(14)C]-QA conjugate conducted on rats showed that the two compounds were principally excreted by the urinary way. The blood elimination of the QA conjugate was faster than that of the melphalan. In the other hand a higher rate of radioactivity derived of [(14)C]-MQA was found in feces. In the biodisposition for most organs, no striking differences were found between melphalan and its QA conjugate except for cartilages which exhibited more higher radioactivity level. Amounts of radioactivity derived from [(14)C]-QA conjugates measured in cartilaginous tissues until 1 h after injection demonstrate that the introduction of a QA moiety on melphalan allows the molecule to be carried selectively to cartilaginous tissues. As the [(14)C]-QA conjugate is radiolabeled on the chloroethyl alkylating moiety, levels of radioactivity measured in the cartilaginous tissues results from unchanged compound or metabolite having kept the active group.     

The metabolism of cholesterol in the presence of liver mitochondria from normal and thyroxine-treated rats

1. [26-(14)C]- and [4-(14)C]-Cholesterol were incubated with liver mitochondria from normal and thyroxine-treated rats, and the radioactivity was measured in the carbon dioxide evolved during the incubation, in a butanol extract of the incubation mixture and in a volatile fraction containing substances of low molecular weight derived from the side chain of cholesterol. The butanol extract was separated by paper chromatography into three radioactive fractions, one of which contained the steroids more polar than cholesterol. 2. The butanol extract from incubations with [4-(14)C]cholesterol contained a radioactive substance moving with the same R(F) as cholic acid on thin-layer chromatography. 3. After incubation with [26-(14)C]-cholesterol, 60-80% of the radioactivity extracted by steam-distillation of the incubation mixture at acid pH was recovered as [(14)C]propionic acid. 4. In the presence of [26-(14)C]cholesterol, mitochondria from thyroxine-treated rats produced more radioactivity in carbon dioxide and in the volatile fraction, and less radioactivity in the fraction containing the polar steroids, than did mitochondria from normal rats. In the presence of [4-(14)C]cholesterol, mitochondria from thyroxine-treated rats produced the same amount of radioactivity in the polar steroids as did normal mitochondria. 5. Thyroxine treatment had no effect on the capacity of the mitochondria to oxidize propionate to carbon dioxide. 6. These results are best explained by supposing that thyroxine stimulates a rate-limiting reaction leading to the cleavage of the side chain of cholesterol, but has little or no influence on the hydroxylations of the ring system or on the oxidation of the C(3) fragment removed from the side chain.     

In vitro and in vivo synthesis of long-chain fatty acids from (1-14C) acetate in the renal papillae of rats.

1. The relationship between the rate of [1-14C] acetate incorporation into the fatty acids of renal papillary lipids and the acetate concentration in the medium has been measured. 2. [1-14C] acetate was incorporated mainly into fatty acids of phospholipids and triacylglycerols. Only a few per cent of the radioactivity was found in the free fatty acid fraction. 3. The major part of the [1-14C] acetate was found to be incorporated by a chain elongation of prevalent fatty acids. The major component of the poly-unsaturated fatty acids in triacylglycerols and the major product of fatty acid synthesis from [1-14C] acetate in vitro was demonstrated by mass spectrometry to be docosa-7,10,13,16-tetraenoic acid. 4. The radioactivity of docosa-7,10,13,16-tetraenoic acid accounted for 40% of total radioactivity in triacylglycerol fatty acids (lipid droplet fraction) and 20% of total radioactivity in membrane phospholipid fatty acids.     

The metabolism of [14C]nicotine in the cat

The metabolism of [2'-(14)C]nicotine given as an intravenous injection in small doses to anaesthetized and unanaesthetized cats has been studied. A method is described for the quantitative determination of [(14)C]nicotine and [(14)C]cotinine in tissues and body fluids. Nanogram amounts of these compounds have been detected. After a single dose of 40mug. of [(14)C]nicotine/kg., 55% of the injected radioactivity was excreted in the urine within 24hr., but only 1% of this radioactivity was unchanged nicotine. [(14)C]Nicotine is metabolized extremely rapidly, [(14)C]cotinine appearing in the blood within 2.5min. of intravenous injection. [(14)C]Nicotine accumulates rapidly in the brain and 15min. after injection 90% of the radioactivity still represents [(14)C]nicotine. Metabolites of [(14)C]nicotine have been identified in liver and urine extracts. [(14)C]Nicotine-1'-oxide has been detected in both liver and urine.     

Effect of hypophysectomy and replacement therapy on fatty acid metabolism in the rat testis

1. The influence of pituitary gonadotrophins and of testosterone on the conversion of linoleic acid into other polyunsaturated fatty acids by rat testicular tissue was studied. 2. In immature hypophysectomized rats, follicle-stimulating hormone caused a threefold increase in the incorporation of radioactivity from [1-(14)C]linoleic acid into testicular lipids; the distribution of (14)C in the polyunsaturated fatty acids, however, was not significantly affected. 3. In mature hypophysectomized rats, the hormonal treatments had less pronounced effects on (14)C incorporation into testicular lipids, but caused a significant increase in the percentage of (14)C incorporated into polyunsaturated fatty acids of the omega-6 series, luteinizing hormone and testosterone having the more pronounced influences. 4. A time-course study of the appearance of radioactivity in the ejaculated spermatozoa of rabbits, after they had been given a tracer dose of [1-(14)C]linoleic acid, indicated that incorporation of radioactivity into spermatozoa occurred during all stages of spermatogenesis.     

Conversion of (U-14C)-glycerol, (2-3H)-glycerol and (1-14C)-palmitate into circulating lipoproteins in the rat.

The in vivo formation of labelled very low density lipoproteins (VLDL) from (U-14C)-glycerol, (2-3H)-glycerol and (1-14C)-palmitate was studied in fed female rats. The rate of disappearance of radioactivity from plasma after the i.v. injection with these tracers was similar for (U-14C)-glycerol and (1-14C)-palmitate. With (2-3H)-glycerol, plasma radioactivity at 10 min was lower than with the other substrates although it did not change thereafter. A certain proportion of radioactivity administered as glycerol appeared in plasma lipids, mainly in the VLDL glyceride glycerol fraction, although when (U-14C)-glycerol was the substrate, a considerable portion also appeared in the esterified fatty acids of these lipoproteins. When using (1-14C)-palmitate, practically all the circulating labelled esterified fatty acids appeared in the VLDL fraction, while the labelled free fatty acids appeared in lipoprotein of higher density, presumable free fatty acid-albumin complexes. This data is discussed in terms of the role of the liver in the rapid, continuous cycling of these substrates to yield VLDL-glycerides for their extrahepatic utilization.     

Studies on the positional integrity of glyceride fatty acids during digestion and absorption in rats

1. Rats previously starved for 24hr. were separately given by intraduodenal injections 0.5ml. of a dispersion containing 10mg. of sodium taurocholate, with 50mg. of glycerol 1,3-dioleate 2[1-(14)C]-palmitate, glycerol 1,2-dioleate 3[1-(14)C]-palmitate, a mixture of [1-(14)C]palmitic acid and triolein, or a mixture of [1-(14)C]-palmitic acid and oleic acid. 2. At the end of 30min., the net amounts, and the radioactivity, of the neutral-lipid components recovered from the intestinal lumen and mucosa, and the position of the labelled palmitic acid in the mucosal triglycerides, were determined. 3. When glycerol 1,3-dioleate 2[1-(14)C]-palmitate was administered, most of the labelled acid was retained in the di- and monoglycerides of the lumen; the triglycerides were the major components containing the radioactivity in the mucosa and 75-80% of the labelled acid was located at the beta-position of these triglycerides. 4. When glycerol 1,2-dioleate 3[1-(14)C]-palmitate was administered, the labelled acid was readily split off in the lumen and virtually no radioactivity could be traced in the monoglyceride fraction; in the intestinal mucosa, triglycerides were again the chief components containing most of the radioactivity, and 80-85% of the labelled acid was esterified at the outer positions of the glycerol. 5. When [1-(14)C]palmitic acid mixed with triolein was administered, the concentrations of free fatty acids increased markedly in the intestinal lumen and mucosa, and 80-88% of the radioactivity of the mucosal triglycerides was located at the outer positions of the glycerol. 6. When [1-(14)C]palmitic acid mixed with oleic acid was administered, the labelled acid accumulated in the lumen as well as in the cell, and it was randomly incorporated into all three positions of the mucosal triglycerides.     

Metabolic distribution of radioactivity in Sprague-Dawley rats and B6C3F1 mice exposed to 1,3-[2,3-14C]-butadiene by whole body exposure

The uptake of 1,3-[2,3-(14)C]-butadiene and its disposition, measured as radioactivity in urine, faeces, exhaled volatiles and CO(2) during and following 6 h whole body exposure to 20 ppm butadiene has been investigated in male Sprague-Dawley rats and B6C3F1 mice. Whilst there were similarities between the two species, the uptake and metabolic distribution of butadiene were somewhat different for rats and mice. The major differences observed were in the urinary excretion of radioactivity and in the exhalation of 14C-CO(2). After 42 h from the start of exposure, 51.1% of radioactivity was eliminated in rat urine compared with 39.5% for mouse urine. 34.9% of the recovered radioactivity was exhaled by rats as 14C-CO(2), compared with 48.7% by mice. Excretion of radioactivity in faeces was similar for both species (3.8% for rats and 3.4% for mice). The tissue concentrations of 14C-butadiene equivalents measured in liver, testes, lung and blood of exposed mice were 0.493, 0460, 0.457, and 1.626 nmol/g tissue, respectively. The values for the corresponding rat tissues were 0.869, 0.329, 0.457, and 1.626 nmol butadiene equivalents/g tissue, respectively. For rats, 6.2% of recovered radioactivity (0.288 nmol butadiene equivalents/g tissue) was retained in carcasses whereas for mice the amount was 3.6% (0.334 nmol butadiene equivalents/g tissue). There were also some significant differences between the metabolic conversion of 1,3-[2,3-(14)C]-butadiene and excretion by mice following the 20 ppm whole body exposure compared to previously reported data for nose-only exposure to 200 ppm butadiene [Richardson et al., Toxicol. Sci. 49 (1999) 186]. The main difference between the high- and low-exposure studies was in the exhalation of 14C-CO(2). At the 200 ppm exposure, 40% of the radioactivity was exhaled as 14C-CO(2) by rats whereas 6% was measured by this route for mice. The proportional conversion of butadiene to CO(2) by mice was significantly greater at the low exposure concentration compared with that reported for the higher concentration. This shift was not observed for rats. The difference between species could be caused by a saturation of metabolism in mice between 20 and 200 ppm for the pathways leading to CO(2). Restraint or error in collection of CO(2) in the 200 ppm study could also be factors.     

The formation of lipid-linked sugars as intermediates in glycoprotein synthesis in rabbit mammary gland

1. The incorporation of d-[1-(14)C]mannose, d-[2-(3)H]mannose and N-acetyl-d-[1-(14)C]-glucosamine into glycoproteins and lipid-linked intermediates of mammary explants obtained from lactating rabbits was studied. The amount of radioactivity incorporated into lipid-linked intermediates was very low compared with the incorporation into protein. Most of the radioactivity incorporated into the chloroform/methanol-soluble fraction was present as neutral lipid. Radioactivity from d-[2-(3)H]mannose was incorporated mainly into the fatty acid moiety, whereas radioactivity from d-[1-(14)C]mannose and N-acetyl-d-[1-(14)C]glucosamine was present in the glycerol moiety of triacylglycerol. 2. The labelled lipid-linked intermediate that was soluble in chloroform/methanol/water (10:10:3, by vol.) was partially characterized and was found to exhibit properties characteristic of an oligosaccharide linked to lipid via a pyrophosphate bridge. It migrated largely as a single zone of radioactivity on t.l.c. and was eluted from a column of DEAE-cellulose acetate as a single peak by 50mm-ammonium acetate. 3. The oligosaccharide moiety was released from the lipid by mild acid hydrolysis. The size of the oligosaccharide was estimated by paper chromatography to be 10 or 11 monosaccharide units. 4. d-[1-(14)C]Mannose was incorporated largely into glycopeptides with molecular weights in the range 40000-80000, as determined by polyacrylamide-gel electrophoresis in the presence of sodium dodecyl sulphate. Label from N-acetyl-d-[1-(14)C]glucosamine was incorporated into a glycopeptide with an electrophoretic mobility identical with that of rabbit casein (mol.wt. 32000) as well as into glycopeptides of higher molecular weight. 5. Approx. 50% of the total radioactivity in the protein labelled from N-acetyl-d-[1-(14)C]glucosamine was present as galactosamine, a component of the carbohydrate portion of rabbit casein. No labelled galactosamine was present in the lipid-linked oligosaccharide labelled from N-acetyl-d-[1-(14)C]glucosamine. It thus appears that the lipid-linked oligosaccharide is not involved in the glycosylation of casein.     

Synthesis of the Novel Dipeptide β-Aspartylglycine by Aplysia Ganglia

Isolated ganglia from Aplysia californica rapidly took up [14C]glycine or [14C]aspartate from a sea-water medium. Approximately 20% of the tissue radioactivity was recovered in the peptides beta-aspartylglycine and glutathione after incubation with [14C]glycine. Compared with other individual cells isolated from the abdominal ganglion, the glycine-containing white cells (R3-R14) incorporated less [14C]glycine into beta-aspartylglycine, but similar amounts into glutathione. In contrast, [14C]aspartate was metabolized primarily to nonamino dicarboxylic acids and relatively little radioactivity was incorporated into beta-aspartylglycine.