The mechanism of photodamage of eye structures. IV. Changes in the reactivity of crystalline SH-groups during UV irradiation

The kinetics of individual crystalline SH-group modification by DTNB were studied. According to the rates of their interaction with the modifier, the thiol groups in the native protein molecule can be classified as free, accessible, weakly modified and "masked" ones. Denaturation by the detergent (CTAB) caused an increase in the SH-group modification rate. In this case the SH-groups were modified as free and accessible ones. Illumination with UV-light resulted in a decrease in the number of SH-groups, opening of "masked" SH-groups in almost all crystallines except for alpha-crystalline, and essential changes in the SH-group modification rate.     

Polyribosomal structures inactive for protein synthesis present in erythroid cells during terminal stages of differentiation.

During the terminal stages of differentiation nucleated erythroid cells from the fetal mouse synthesize hemoglobin at a lower rate because after the last cycle of cell division about half of their polyribosomal structures are rendered inactive for protien synthesis though they maintain their aggregated shape. Partially inactive polyribosomes are tested in comparison with normal polyribosomes for the capacity to support polypeptide chain synthesis in cell-free conditions. The following observations are made: a) no difference is found for the profile on sucrose density gradients; b) partially inactive polyribosomes carry growing polypeptide chains in reduced amounts in comparison with active polyribosomes; c) partially inactive polyribosomes are not capable to release "run off" 80 S ribosomal monomers and to dissociate to active ribosomal subunits. These data are interpreted as the evidence for a block of chain termination producing inactivation of polyribosomes during the late maturation of nucleated erythroid cells.     

ALTERATIONS IN POLYRIBOSOMES DURING ERYTHROID CELL MATURATION

This communication presents a morphological study of the changes in ribosome content and organization which occur during the maturation of erythroid cells of the phenylhydrazine-treated rabbit. Electron micrographs of thin sectioned nucleated and non-nucleated erythroid cells have been subjected to a quantitative analysis of the distribution of ribosomes as polyribosomes of various sizes and as single ribosomes. The ribosomes of nucleated erythroid cells of marrow are virtually all arranged in the polyribosome configuration consisting of clusters of 2 to 6 individual ribosomes. These cells are the most active in the erythroid series in protein biosynthesis. During maturation to the non-nucleated reticulocyte stage, found in the circulating blood, there is a decrease in protein synthesizing capacity, a fall in total ribosome content, and, more significantly, a decrease in the number and size of polyribosomes. Maturation to the ribosome-free erythrocyte, either under in vitro or in vivo conditions, entails a further decrease in protein synthesis which correlates with a progressive disaggregation of the biosynthetically active polyribosomes into smaller clusters and inactive single ribosomes. Possible models which may account for the stability of the polyribosome and for the mechanism of polyribosome dissociation are discussed.     

Content of thyroglobulin polyribosomes in normal and pathological thyroid cells]

The content of individual thyreoglobulin (TG) polyribosomes in human thyroid gland was studied in healthy persons and in patients with thyroid pathology. The content of TG polyribosomes makes up to 16.2% in normal thyroid tissue and is found to decrease down to 7.8% and 7% under nodal euthyroid goiter and toxic adenoma, respectively. This content is decreased to 12.5% under diffuse toxic goiter and is intermediate between nodal and diffuse toxic goiter under mixed goiter (9.4%).     

Depressed translational activity in the androgen sensitive levator ani muscle of the rat

The androgen-dependent levator ani (LA) muscle of the rat provides a suitable model to explore the molecular mechanism of steroid hormone action in target tissues. The objective of the present series of experiments was to study the effect of gonadectomy (GDX) and androgen replacement therapy on the in vitro protein synthetic capacity of the LA muscle. The incorporation of labeled methionine into the contractile protein fraction of the LA muscle maintained in organ culture decreases in a time-dependent manner following GDX. Translation of total polyadenylated mRNA in the rabbit reticulocyte translation system revealed that the decrease in protein synthetic capacity was not associated with differences in the template activity of the mRNA derived from GDX tissue. However, when polyribosomes were used to direct the same in vitro synthesis system, a significant time-dependent loss of translational activity was observed following GDX. The polyribosomes of the LA muscle of control and GDX rats were shown to contain equivalent amount of rRNA and mRNA of comparable translation efficiency. Collectively the results of these experiments indicate that the decrease in protein synthetic capacity of the LA muscle in androgen deficient rats is due, in part, to a repression of the translation process associated to the functional integrity of polyribosomes.     

The in vivo effect of dimethyl sulphoxide (DMSO) on protein synthesis and the polyribosome profile in Paramecium.

When Paramecium tetraurelia in log phase growth is treated with 4% dimethyl sulphoxide (DMSO) for five minutes the amount of polyribosomes is reduced 3- to 4-fold while there is a corresponding increase in 80s ribosomal material. Reducing the concentration of DMSO to 1% allows immediate reversal of the condition. Paramecium polyribosomes subjected to 4% DMSO either in whole cell homogenates or during purification through sucrose density gradients appear unaffected while cycloheximide at concentrations up to 100 mug/ml did not prevent DMSO from exerting its effect in vivo. Analyses of 14C amino acid incorporation experiments indicated a strict correspondence between the effect of DMSO on polyribosomes and overall protein synthesis. The reduction of acid precipitable radioactivity in the polyribosomal region after DMSO treatment was associated with a corresponding increase in radioactivity in the 80s region. There was no comparable increase in the acid precipitable radioactivity in the soluble fraction. The overall results of the study suggest that DMSO acts on polyribosommes indirectly through some unknown primary reaction with cell constitutents, and that the mode of action is such as to cause the release of ribosomes from messenger RNA (mRNA) rather than to prevent initiation of the ribosome-mRNA complex. Our data suggest that the effect may be selective. Finally, it is of interest that high concentrations of DMSO (above 8%) appear to have the opposite effect of lower concentrations of DMSO, i.e., they appear to "freeze" the ribosomes to mRNA.     

Metabolic Properties of Early and Late Vaccinia Virus Messenger Ribonucleic Acid

In vaccinia-infected cells, 60% of the viral messenger ribonucleic acid (mRNA) was associated with polyribosomes, and the remainder sedimented in a broad peak in the 30 to 74S region. The quantity of mRNA in polyribosomes was sharply reduced late in the infectious cycle [9 hr postinfection (PI)] to less than 30% of the 2-hr value. However, protein synthesis proceeded at a nearly constant rate from 2 to 13 hr PI. This ability of small quantities of late mRNA to support as much protein synthesis as do the much larger quantities of early mRNA was not due to an increase in stability, since late mRNA decays with a half-life of 13 min, whereas early mRNA has a half-life of 120 min. A similar decrease in viral mRNA synthesis without an accompanying decrease in viral protein synthesis was observed when deoxyribonucleic acid synthesis is inhibited. In contrast to the rapid decay of the late mRNA which was present in polyribosomes, the mRNA which sedimented in the 30 to 74S region remained unchanged even after a 2-hr period of exposure to actinomycin. The rate at which infected cells lose the capacity to synthesize specific viral proteins after exposure to actinomycin D was consistent with the half-life values of early and late mRNA that were observed.     

Response of Cultured Mammalian Cells to Diphtheria Toxin III. Inhibition of Protein Synthesis Studied at the Subcellular Level

Diphtheria toxin inhibited protein synthesis in intact KB cells. The action of the toxin upon the cell did not result in disaggregation of polyribosomes, or in impairment of their ability to function in protein synthesis. A reduction in single ribosomes and a concomitant increase in polyribosomes did result from the action of toxin. Nascent peptides were not cleaved from polyribosomes by the action of toxin, but treatment of fully intoxicated cells with puromycin resulted in cleavage of these peptides, and caused accelerated polyribosome breakdown. Our data indicated that the toxin must enter the cell to exert its effect. The component or components sensitive to toxin were localized in the 100,000 x g supernatant fraction of cytoplasmic extracts. When extracts from intoxicated cells were treated with nicotinamide, a significant proportion of their capacity to synthesize protein was restored. The specificity of this reaction suggested that nicotinamide adenine dinucleotide is involved in the action of toxin in the intact cell, and that one component inactivated by toxin is soluble transferase II.     

The activity of polynucleotide phosphorylase in polyribosomes of regenerating liver of adult rats, liver of newborn rats and in some reinoculated tumours]

Specific activity and level of polynucleotide phosphorylase (PNPase) in polyribosomes of regenerating liver of adult rats, liver of newborn rats and in malignant tumours of rat (sarcoma M-1 and hepatoma 27) were studied. 24 hours after partial hepatectomy the specific activity and level of PNPase in regenerating liver decreased 3--4 times in the fraction of polyribosomes, bound to the endoplasmic reticulum membranes, and remained at a constantly low level in the fraction of free polyribosomes. The PNPase activity also showed a sharp decrease in the fraction of membrane-bound polyribosomes from newborn rats liver and could not be detected either in free or in bound polyribosomes from sarcoma M-1 or hepatoma 27. The PNPase activity in the fraction of bound polyribosomes increased with a decrease in the rate of liver growth (regenerating liver and newborn rats liver), and reached the level normal for adult animals. Possible mechanisms of regulation of the PNPase activity in animal tissue were studied. It was found that a 2-fold administration of cyclic 3,5'-AMP to intact animals (5 mg per 100 g of body weight) with an interval of 8 hours, corresponding to the interval between two peaks of the increase in cyclic 3,5'-AMP concentration following partial hepatectomy, diminished the PNPase specific activity in polyribosomes by 30%. A factor, presumably of protein origin, which induced a release of PNPase from polyribosomes of normal rat liver but did not affect the activity of the liberated enzyme, was detected in the cell sap of sarcoma M-1 and hepatoma 27.     

Polyribosomes from peas: an improved method for their isolation in the absence of ribonuclease inhibitors

Profiles of polyribosomes were obtained from etiolated stem segments of Pisum sativum L. var. Alaska isolated in various buffers. Tissue homogenized in a medium containing 0.2 m tris-HCl, pH 8.5, 0.2 m sucrose, 30 mm MgCl₂, and 60 mm KCl yielded polyribosomes exhibiting far less degradation than tissue homogenized in conventional media containing tris-HCl at lower ionic strength and pH. A further decrease in degradation was found when polyribosomes were sedimented through a sucrose pad buffered at pH 8.5 prior to centrifugation. Increased separation was obtained using heavy (125-500 mg/ml), linear sucrose gradients. Using these techniques, messenger RNA species bearing up to 12 ribosomes (dodecamers) were resolved, with messenger RNA chains bearing 9 ribosomes (nonamers) being the most abundant (having the highest absorption peak). The data presented suggest that buffer of high ionic strength and high pH was more effective in preventing degradation of polyribosomes than was diethyl pyrocarbonate and, furthermore, that ratios involving large polyribosomes (hexamers and larger) were more accurate indices of degradation than were ratios involving total polyribosomes.     

In vitro synthesis of A-particle structual protein by membrane-bound polyribosomes.

On the basis of association with endoplasmic reticulum membranes, poyribosomes isolated from mouse myeloma MOPC-104E were separated into two classes, membrane bound and free. The membrane-bound and free polyribosomes were then compared for their capacity to incorporate [35S]methionine into A-particle proteins in vitro. As revealed by a radioimmunological assay method, labeling of A-particle protein occurred with the membrane-bound polyribosomes but not with the free polyribosomes. Peptide mapping of the immunoprecipitated, in vitro [35S]methionine-labeled product confirmed that A-particle protein had been synthesized in vitro.     

Detection of soluble antigens of blood group ABH using immunoenzyme analysis

The use of the indirect ELISA techniques did not ensure the sharp differentiation of the antigens of the blood groups A and B on the polystyrene sorbent by means of heteroimmune sera, though such differentiation could be achieved by means of monoclonal antibodies. The test system known as "the lectin-antibody sandwich" was found to have the optimum sensitivity and specificity permitting the detection of soluble ABH antigens. This variant of ELISA permitted the detection of blood group A antigen both in native biological materials and in traces of blood and saliva, thus making it possible to carry out its quantitative determination.     

Localization and Organization of the Translational Apparatus in Mitochondrial Membranes of Astasia longa

In isolated mitochondrial membranes of Astasia longa, large and small circular substructures were observed with diameters of 1.30 and 0.35 m and thickness of 0.08 and 0.03 m, respectively. Such substructures were isolated by membrane treatment with proteolytic enzymes (proteinase K, trypsin) or by lipid solubilization with Triton X-100. After the removal of surface protein layer, we uncovered circular polyribosomes with similar diameters as those of original substructures. Polyribosomes were identified on the basis of their morphology, positive staining with uranyl acetate, a capacity for chloramphenicol-sensitive incorporation of ¹⁴C-amino acids into polypeptides, and from their buoyant density as estimated by equilibrium centrifugation in the CsCl density gradient. The conclusion is that, in mitochondrial membranes of A. longa, the translational apparatus is organized similarly to that in the membranes of chloroplasts and cyanobacteria, e.g., large and small circular polyribosomes situated within the membrane ring-shaped substructures are the basics for the formation of the latter.     

Polyribosomes from Peas: II. Polyribosome Metabolism during Normal and Hormone-induced Growth

Polyribosomes as large as 10-mers (strands of messenger RNA bearing 10 ribosomes) were isolated from etiolated pea (Pisum sativum L. var. Alaska) stem tissue during all stages of development when methods were used which essentially eliminated ribonuclease activity during extraction. Actively growing tissue, harvested from the apical 10 mm, yielded many large polyribosomes and a low (<20%) proportion of monosomes. Similar tissue, allowed to age by applying lanolin to decapitated apices, showed a progressive decrease in number of larger polyribosomes and an increase in the proportion of monosomes. Hormone treatments, which prolonged growth and delayed aging, delayed the loss in large polyribosomes and the increase in proportion of monosomes. Growth-stimulating hormones, added to previously aged tissue, stimulated the production of many large polyribosomes in pre-existing cells.     

Combined use of oligo(dt) and 28S cDNA probes for the quantitation of total mRNA in polyribosomes: Application to the castration-induced atrophy of the rat prostate

The castration-induced atrophy of the rat prostate was used as a model for the validation of a sensitive technique allowing the quantitation of total mRNA in polyribosomes. Electron micrographs of polyribosome samples showed a decrease in polyribosomes length 7 days after castration (GDX). Specificity of labeled oligo(dt) probe for poly(A) was demonstrated and the technique was successfully applied to demonstrate that GDX is associated with a decrease in poly(A) mRNA content of polyribosomes. Provided that normalization of the hybridization signal for mRNA is achieved with a rRNA cDNA probe, the assay therefore represents a suitable tool for further studies regarding the translational regulation of total and/or specific mRNAs.     

Polyribosomal attachment to rat liver and hepatoma endoplasmic reticulum in vitro. A method for its study

A system for study and measurement of the attachment in vitro of exogenous polyribosomes to membranes has been presented. Its main features are use of low temperature, post-microsomal supernatant, pyrophosphate and citric acid to remove ribosomes from the surface of rough endoplasmic reticulum, and a method for quantitative separation of unattached from membrane-associated polyribosomes. The following were found. (1) Rough endoplasmic reticulum, from which ribosomes had been removed by treatment with pyrophosphate and citrate, bound over 50% of added polyribosomes, whereas the untreated (or control) rough and smooth endoplasmic reticulum and the smooth endoplasmic reticulum treated with pyrophosphate-citrate did not bind polyribosomes. (2) The polyribosome-binding capacity of rough endoplasmic reticulum stripped of its ribosomes decayed upon storage of the membranes at 0-4 degrees C. The half-life of this decay was about 6 days whereas that of the polyribosome-binding capacity of hepatoma stripped rough endoplasmic reticulum was about 1.5 days. (3) Preparations of stripped rough endoplasmic reticulum after reassociation with polyribosomes in vitro were quite similar to preparations of native rough endoplasmic reticulum as viewed with the electron microscope. Evidence is presented to support the contention that association of polyribosomes with membranes was the result of polyribosomal reattachment to the membranes rather than trapping of the polyribosomes between vesicles of the membranes.     

Alterations in the protein synthetic apparatus of Friend erythroleukemia cells during their erythroid differentiation

The changes in rate of protein synthesis and cell division and the distribution of polyribosomes and globin mRNA on the polyribosomes of Friend erythroleukemia (FL) cells exposed to 2% DMSO and maintained at low cell density, were examined at different times after exposure to DMSO. The rate of protein synthesis and the capacity of cells to divide declined in concert to 50% of the level found in untreated cell cultures at 24 hours after exposure. Thereafter these rates recovered to 70% of the rate found in untreated control cultures until 96 hours post-exposure and then irreversibly declined as the cells lost the capacity to divide. The proportion of ribosomes present as polyribosomes in cells exposed to DMSO paralleled the capacity of these cells to synthesize protein. The distribution of polyribosomes analyzed by sedimentation in sucrose gradients demonstrated that a discrete, abundant class of polyribosomes composed of pentamers to heptamers appeared as early as 48 hours after exposure to DMSO. The appearance of an abundant class of polyribosomes was correlated with globin synthesis by demonstrating that a discrete class of polyribosomes arises in cells treated with the inducers hexamethylene bisacetamide and hemin.     

Comparison of Solid-Phase Radioimmunoassays for Baculoviruses

The sensitivity and cross-reaction of four solid-phase radioimmunoassays (RIA) for Trichoplusia ni nuclear polyhedrosis virus containing singly enveloped virions were investigated. The detection limits of each assay were as follows: Indirect RIA, 5 ng of dissolved polyhedron antigen; direct RIA, 50 ng; indirect sandwich RIA, 200 ng; and direct sandwich RIA, 300 ng. The indirect and indirect sandwich RIAs showed considerable cross-reaction with other baculovirus antigens, but the direct and direct sandwich RIAs showed cross-reaction with only one closely related baculovirus. When microtiter plates used for the solid phase were pretreated with bovine serum albumin, nonspecific binding of labeled antibodies was reduced to a minimum. Antibodies prepared by an immunoadsorption procedure showed greater specific binding than antibodies prepared by ammonium sulfate precipitation of the immunoglobulin fraction. Highly contaminated antigen could not be detected by the indirect RIA, but the direct sandwich RIA was unaffected by antigen contamination. Antigen making up 0.0025% (wt/wt) of a sample of bird droppings could be detected by the direct sandwich RIA.     

Identification and Precipitation of the Polyribosomes in Chlamydomonas reinhardi Involved in the Synthesis of the Large Subunit of d-ribulose-1,5-bisphosphate Carboxylase

The size classes of polyribosomes involved in the synthesis of ribulose-1,5-bisphosphate carboxylase large subunit were determined by binding radioiodinated specific antibodies to polyribosomal preparations from Chlamydomonas reinhardi. Antibodies specific to the denatured large subunit and to the native enzyme bound primarily to small polyribosomes (N = two to five ribosomes). The binding of antibodies to small polyribosomes was unexpected since the large subunit is a large polypeptide (molecular weight 55,000) coded for by a corresponding large mRNA (12-14S). Control experiments showed that this unexpected pattern of antibody binding was not a result of messenger RNA degradation, "run-off" of ribosomes from polyribosomes, or adventitious binding of the completed enzyme to a selected class of polyribosomes. In addition, polyribosomes bearing nascent large subunit chains have been immunoprecipitated from small polyribosome fractions. A large RNA species that can direct the synthesis of large subunit in vitro was extracted from small polyribosomes.