Biosynthesis and differential processing of two pools of amyloid-beta precursor protein in a physiologically inducible neuroendocrine cell

The amyloid-beta precursor protein (APP) is linked to Alzheimer's disease through its pathological proteolytic processing in the secretory pathway. Nevertheless, surprisingly little is known about the biosynthesis of endogenous APP. We therefore decided to investigate the intracellular fate of newly synthesized APP in a physiologically inducible neuroendocrine cell, the Xenopus intermediate pituitary melanotrope cell. We found that the level of both APP mRNA and protein was about threefold induced in the activated cells of black-adapted animals. Intriguingly, two pools of APP were found, only one of which was up-regulated. This induced pool became readily N- and subsequently O-glycosylated and was eventually proteolytically processed by an alpha-secretase-like cleavage event resulting in a secreted N-terminal and a cell-associated C-terminal APP fragment. Conversely, only the other (non-induced, non-glycosylated and uncleaved) pool became phosphorylated. Thus, we report on the biosynthesis of APP in a physiological context and illuminate the occurrence of two pools of APP, one of which is linked to neuroendocrine cell activation.     

Identification of transformation products arising from bacterial oxidation of codeine by Streptomyces griseus.

14-Hydroxycodeine and norcodeine were rigorously identified as products arising from codeine oxidation by Streptomyces griseus ATCC 10137. Both products were routinely detected in extracted culture filtrates after growth of cells in the presence of codeine for 1 week. Under these conditions, about 4 mol% of the codeine starting material was consumed, with norcodeine and 14-hydroxycodeine representing the only identifiable transformation products (molar ratio, 4:1, respectively). Extraction of a series of culture filtrates and purification of the pooled metabolites by thin-layer and high-pressure liquid chromatography led to the isolation of both biological products, the structures of which were verified by high-resolution mass spectrometry and proton nuclear magnetic resonance spectroscopy. The identities of both biological products were further confirmed by comparison of their spectral properties with those of authentic standards. This is the first report providing structural evidence for the biological formation of 14-hydroxycodeine from codeine and of codeine oxidation by S. griseus.     

Fast electrical potentials arising from activation of metarhodopsin in the fly

The cellular origin and properties of fast electrical potentials arising from activation of Calliphora photopigment were investigated. It was found by intracellular recordings that only the corneal-negative M1 phase of fly M potential arises in the photoreceptors' membrane. This M1 phase has all the accepted characteristics of an early receptor potential (ERP). It has no detectable latency, it survives fixation with glutaraldehyde, it is linear with light intensity below pigment saturation, and it is linear with the amount of metarhodopsin activated by light. The Calliphora ERP was found, however, to be exceptional because activation of rhodopsin, which causes the formation of metarhodopsin in 125 microsecond (25 degrees C), was not manifested in the ERP. Also, the extracellularly recorded ERP was not proportional to the rate of photopigment conversion. The corneal-positive M2 phase of the M potential was found to arise from second-order lamina neurons (L neurons). Intracellular recordings from these cells showed a fast hyperpolarizing potential, which preceded the normal hyperpolarizing transient of these cells. This fast potential appeared only when metarhodopsin was activated by a strong flash. The data indicate that the intracellularly recorded positive ERP, which arises from activation of metarhodoposin, elicits a hyperpolarizing fast potential in the second-order neuron. This potential is most likely the source of the corneal-positive M potential.