Inhibition of palatal epithelial cell death by altered protein synthesis.

Programmed cell death occurs in a defined region of the secondary palatal epithelium (medial edge) during its development in vivo or in vitro. The purpose of this study was to examine the effects of various inhibitors of macromolecular synthesis, particularly glycoprotein synthesis, on the death of palatal medial-edge epithelial cells in vitro. Rat palatal shelves explanted on gestational Day 15 and cultured singly showed medial-edge cell degeneration after 48 hr, whereas in the presence of 6-diazo-5-oxo-l-norleucine (DON), 2-deoxyglucose (DOG), or cycloheximide, cell death was prevented. This was in contrast to the lack of inhibition of cell death in the presence of actionomycin D or cytosine arabinoside. Selectively adding metabolites which bypass the effect of DON on various synthetic pathways demonstrated that the inhibition of cell death by DON was most likely due to a block in glucosamine formation. The synthesis and activity of various lysosomal enzymes were not affected by DON, whereas a marked decrease was observed with both cycloheximide and DOG. These results suggest that palatal epithelial cell death is not a passive event, but an active process requiring the programmed synthesis of specific proteins.     

Stimulation of the biosynthesis of membrane glycoproteins from zajdela ascites hepatoma cells by Robinia lectin

Membrane glycoprotein biosynthesis of ascites hepatoma cells is followed by [¹⁴C]glucosamine and [³H]leucine incorporation into cells in culture. The rate of incorporation is strongly increased by the addition of Robinia lectin in culture medium. Labeled glycoproteins are released from lectin stimulated and non-stimulated ceils by trypsin digestion. Studies of labeled trypsinates on sodium dodecyl sulfate gel electrophoresis and Sephadex G-200 filtration exhibit two fractions both labeled with [¹⁴C]glucosamine and [³H]leucine and having different molecular weights, one over 200 000 and the other about 2000. Identical results are obtained when external membrane glycoproteins are solubilized by sodium deoxycholate. Comparison of surface glycoproteins isolated by trypsinization from control cells labeled with [³H]glucosamine and from lectin stimulated cells labeled with [¹⁴C]glucosamine displays no significant qualitative differences between glycoprotein fractions released from both cell groups.     

Investigation of tumor metastatic potential with N-[18F]fluoroacetyl-d-glucosamine

In order to investigate the metastatic potential of tumors in vivo by measuring hyaluronic acid metabolism, C57BL/6 mice with B16 melanoma variants and C3H/He mice with FM3A tumor variants were evaluated using N-[¹⁸F]fluoroacetyl-d-glucosamine (¹⁸F-GlcNFAc). The uptake of ¹⁸F-GlcNFAc was slightly higher (P < 0.05) in B16-F10 tumors (high metastatic potential) than in B16-F1 (low metastatic potential). Analysis of metabolites showed that acid-insoluble fraction was the largest one in the liver by 60 min, whereas in the tumors, phosphates fraction was the major metabolite. Slower metabolism in tumors was suggested, and it may be one of the reasons for the difficulty of detecting the characteristics of their hyaluronic acid synthesis. ¹⁸F-GlcNFAc uptake by FM3A variants showed no significant correlation with their metastatic potential. In addition, N-acetyl-d-[l-¹⁴C]glucosamine, 2-deoxy-d-[l-¹⁴C]glucose and [6-³H]thymidine failed to demonstrate any difference between tumors' metastatic variants in vivo.     

Patterns of cell differentiation revealed by L-[3H]fucose incorporation in Dictyostelium

A study of the incorporation of l-[6-³H]fucose and d-[6-³H]glucosamine hydrochloride was conducted during the development of the cellular slime mold Dictyostelium discoideum 1-H. Autoradiographs revealed that pulse-labeled vegetative amoebae incorporated [³H]fucose intracytoplasmically within 15 min. The majority of the cells had randomly scattered silver grains but the remainder were distinguished by a dense localized labeling which suggested that oligo or polysaccharide synthesis was occurring. The localized pattern of labeling attributed to active synthesis declines at aggregation and early conus formation. As the pseudoplasmodium makes the developmental transition from the conus to the culmination stages the localized pattern of [³H]fucose labeling was restricted to the prespore cells while the prestalk cells were devoid of label. Prespore vacuoles were not present at the onset of this transition and consequently [³H]fucose incorporation occurred in the cells prior to their differentiation into prespore cells. In contrast to cells composing earlier stages, mature spores exhibited [³H]fucose-containing substances at the cell surface. At appropriate stages certain cells actively synthesize slime and stalk sheath which were labeled with either [³H]fucose or [³H]glucosamine.Prestalk isolates were obtained by transecting migrating slugs. [³H]Fucose was incorporated within 10 min among the basal cells of the isolate in the localized pattern typically found in prespore cells. The incorporation of [³H]fucose occurred prior to prespore differentiation as certain preparations were devoid of prespore vacuoles. Prespore isolates differentiate prestalk cells which have lost the capacity to incorporate [³H]fucose. This investigation suggests that cell contacts and interactions may affect the incorporation of [³H]fucose.     

Effects of ADP, ethanol and acetaldehyde on the relaxing complex of human muscle and its adsorption by polystyrene particles.

Protoplasts of Saccharomyces strain 1016 took up [³H]glucosamine in the presence of an energy source; mannose was chosen to minimize randomization. It accumulated in the soluble intracellular pool primarily as UDP-N-acetyl[³H]glucosamine along with a small amount of [³H]glucosamine 6-phosphate. The antibiotic tunicamycin (TM) at 10 μg/ml did not affect the levels of these metabolites or inhibit the formation of the Nacetylglucosamine polymer, chitin, but did prevent the incorporation of [³H]glucosamine into mannan peptides and the synthesis of invertase. In vitro incorporation of [¹⁴C]mannose from GDP-[¹⁴C]mannose into mannan in a membrane preparation was not sensitive to 100 μg of TM/ml. TM appears to inhibit an N-acetylglucosaminyl transferase essential for glycoprotein biosynthesis. Binding of [³H]TM reflects its association with the plasma membrane fraction. This material could be recovered in an unaltered form by extraction with chloroform/methanol. If 0.2% phosphatidyl choline or phosphatidyl serine was added simultaneously with the [³H]TM, the binding of [³H]TM was greatly reduced, and the inhibitory effects of TM on protoplasts were prevented; however, addition of phospholipid 20 min later did not eliminate the inhibition, although about 80% of the bound [³H]TM was removed. TM interacts with lipophilic membrane components as well as inhibiting glycoprotein synthesis.     

Effect of swainsonine, an inhibitor of glycoprotein processing, on cultured mammalian cells

Swainsonine is an indolizidine alkaloid that inhibits glycoprotein processing by inhibiting mannosidase II. Thus, cells grown in the presence of this alkaloid exhibit a decreased amount of complex types of oligosaccharides at their cell surface, and instead have hybrid types of structures. Since this compound could be useful for studying functional roles of glycoproteins, it was important to determine whether it affected the growth of mammalian cells in culture, and whether it was cytotoxic to these cells. At levels of up to 1 μg/ml, swainsonine did not affect the growth rate of Madin-Darby canine kidney (MDCK) cells, Chinese hamster ovary (CHO), simian virus-181 (SV-101), B-16 melanoma, or intestine 407 cells, as measured by the increase in cell numbers over a 5-day period. There was also no apparent change in cell size or cell shape in cells grown in the presence of this inhibitor. Swainsonine also did not appear to be cytotoxic, nor to cause alterations in cell morphology, as evidenced by comparison of thin sections of normal and swainsonine-grown cells in the electron microscope. Since alterations in the oligosaccharide chains of cell surface glycoproteins could greatly affect cell surface properties, we examined the binding of various lectins and bacteria to cells grown in swainsonine as a measure of changes in their cell surface carbohydrates. Thus, when MDCK cells, CHO cells, or B-16 melanoma cells were grown for several days in the presence of swainsonine (100–500 ng/ml), these cells showed a 50–100% increase in their ability to bind [³H]concanavalin A, and a substantial decrease in the binding of [³H]wheat germ agglutinin. These alterations suggested an increase in high-mannose (or hybrid) types of receptors and a decrease in the complex types. The adhesion of E. coli B-886, a bacterium that binds to high-mannose glycoproteins, was also increased 1.5-to twofold, in cells grown in swainsonine. However, the binding of E. coli SS-142, another bacterial strain that does not bind to high-mannose receptors, was not altered by growth in swainsonine. In addition to the decrease in wheat germ agglutinin binding, another indication of a decrease in complex chains was the finding that CHO cells grown in swainsonine were more resistant to the toxic effects of the lectin, ricin. This increased resistance could be measured microscopically by the decrease in the number of cells remaining attached to the plates, or by the inhibition of amino acid incorporation, at various ricin concentrations. The effect of swainsonine on the incorporation of amino acids and sugars into protein was also examined. When MDCK cells were grown overnight in swainsonine (1 μg/ml), or were incubated in the alkaloid for several hours before the start of the experiment, there was no alteration in the incorporation of [³H]leucine or [³H]proline into protein. There was, however, a significant inhibition in the incorporation of [³H]fucose, [³H]glucosamine, and [³H]galactose caused by this alkaloid. Fucose incorporation was decreased by about 40%, glucosamine by about 40 or 50%, and galactose by about 50%. In many cases (but not all), the incorporation of mannose was enhanced about 20–30% in cells grown in swainsonine.     

The effect of tunicamycin on development of the mammalian embryonic pancreas

The role of cell-surface glycoproteins in histogenesis of the embryonic rat pancreas was investigated by studying the effect of tunicamycin (TM) on in vitro development. TM has been shown to block glycosylation of asparagine residues in glycoproteins by inhibiting formation of dolichol oligosaccharide intermediates. Exposure of Day 15 pancreatic rudiments to 1.0 μg TM/ml for 15 or 24 hr inhibited [³H]mannose, [³H]glucosamine, and [³H]fucose incorporation by 95, 85, and 90%, respectively, while [³H]leucine incorporation was reduced by 35%. Similar results were obtained with Day 17 rudiments. These trends were confirmed using sodium dodecyl sulfate-polyacrylamide slab gel electrophoresis and fluorography. Inhibition of [³H]monosaccharide incorporation correlated with reduced binding of RCA I-ferritin conjugates to the cell surface and both effects of TM were reversed by reculturing rudiments in medium lacking the antibiotic. Morphologically, TM treatment resulted in a delay in pancreatic histogenesis and this delay correlated with an inhibition of the normal increase in specific activity of amylase, an acinar cell secretory protein. These effects were not mimicked by treatment with cycloheximide at a concentration which inhibited [³H]leucine incorporation to the same degree observed with TM. The percentage of delayed rudiments decreased as reculturing in the absence of TM was extended.     

Autoradiographic localization of platelet-activating factor (PAF) binding sites in the rabbit endometrium during the peri-implantation period

Summary This communication describes the use of in-vivo and in-vitro autoradiography to map specific platelet-activating factor (PAF) receptors in the rabbit uterus. Specific [³H]PAF uptake was predominantly localized on epithelial, but not on stromal or myometrial cells. Very few silver grains were associated with the luminal epithelial cells in the uterus of the estrous rabbit, primarily because of the non-differentiated state of the epithelium. In the differentiated pregnant uterus, significantly more [³H]PAF was bound to the glandular epithelial cells, with the stromal cells binding consistently significantly less. The highest density of silver grains was observed at the implantation sites on day 7 of pregnancy. There was no apparent difference in [³H]PAF C18:0 uptake between the epithelial cells at the inter-implantation zone on day 7 and on day 6. Bound [³H]PAF was displaceable by lyso-PAF, U66985, CV3988, but not U66982, L652,731, SRI 63,441 or the inactive PAF isomer, oleoyl PAF. Bovine serum albumin (BSA) significantly inhibited tissue uptake of [³H]PAF C18:0. Intraluminally administered [³H]PAF C18:0 and intravenously injected [³H]methylcarbamyl-PAF, a non-metabolizable PAF analog, penetrated the implanted blastocyst and bound to the embryoblast. This event was reproducible in vitro with pre-implantation blastocysts from day-6 pregnant rabbits, which suggests that uterine-derived PAF may translocate into the blastocyst after attachment.     

Retinoic acid-induced modifications in the growth and cell surface components of a human carcinoma (HeLa) cell line

The addition of retinoic acid to cultures of HeLa-S3 cells caused a reduction in cell proliferation rate which became apparent after 72 h and was linearly dependent on retinoic acid concentration in the range 10⁻⁹–10⁻⁵ M. After 72 h of exposure to retinoic acid, the cells assumed a flattened appearance and no longer formed multilayers. These changes were reversed within 48 h after removal of retinoic acid from the medium. Structural analogs of retinoic acid with a free ---COOH group at C-15 were usually more potent in growth inhibition than compounds with an alcohol, aldehyde, ether or ester group. A cellular retinoic acid-binding protein was detected in cell homogenates, and the binding of [³H]retinoic acid to the binding protein was inhibited by most, but not all, analogs possessing a free terminal ---COOH group. For example, the 4-oxo analog of retinoic acid, while capable of inhibiting cellular proliferation, failed to bind to the retinoic acid-binding protein. Analysis of cell surface and cellular glycoproteins by lactoperoxidase-catalysed ¹²⁵I iodination and by metabolic labeling with [³H]glucosamine revealed that a 190000 D glycoprotein which was labeled by both methods and a 230000 D glycoprotein which was labeled only with [³H]glucosamine were labeled more intensely in retinoic acid-treated cells compared with untreated cells. The electrophoretic mobility of the 230000 D glycoprotein could be modified by treatment of intact cells with either neuraminidase or proteolytic enzymes, suggesting that this glycoprotein is also exposed on the cell surface. The cell surface alterations were detected much earlier than the onset of growth inhibition and appeared as early as 24 h after exposure to retinoic acid. The possible relationship between retinoic acid-induced changes in cell membrane structure, cell morphology, and cell proliferation is discussed.     

Epithelial cell proliferation and migration in the developing rat gastric mucosa

To investigate cell proliferation in developing gastric antrum and fundus, proliferating gastric epithelial cells were labeled in fetal rats by intravenously injecting mothers with [³H]thymidine. In addition 14-day postnatal (dPN) rats were given [³H]thymidine intraperitoneally. Tissue was removed 1.5 hr later, and autoradiographs were prepared to identify proliferating cells. Total epithelial labeling indices (L.I.) reached a peak at 20 days gestation (dG), coincident with the appearance of pit/glands, then declined again by 22 dG (gestation end). At 18 dG, labeled cells were distributed throughout all levels of the stratified epithelia. Between 20 and 22 dG, as pit/gland development proceeded, labeled cells became concentrated in the gland bases and were only rarely seen on the surface (L.I. of surface cells <1% at 22 dG). By 14 dPN, proliferating cells were entirely absent from the epithelial surface. Approximately 15% of the endocrine cells were labeled at 22 dG, compared to only 2% at 14 dPN; zymogen cells were labeled (～6%) at 14 dPN; parietal cells did not label at any age studied. In addition, cell migration to the epithelial surface was studied in rats labeled at 22 dG, 14 dPN, or 28 dPN, and killed 1–20 days later. Migration times were slightly shorter in the 28 dPN group and were longer in fundus than antrum in all groups.     

Incorporation of [C]Glucosamine and [C]Mannose into Glycolipids and Glycoproteins in Cotyledons of Pisum sativum L

Developing pea cotyledons incorporate radioactivity in vivo from [¹⁴C]glucosamine and [¹⁴C]mannose into glycolipids and glycoproteins. Several different lipid components are labeled including neutral, ionicnonacidic, and acidic lipids. The acidic lipids labeled in vivo appear similar to the polyisoprenoid lipid intermediates formed in vitro in pea cotyledons. Radioactivity from [¹⁴C]glucosamine and [¹⁴C]mannose is also incorporated into glycopeptides. Considerable redistribution of [¹⁴C]mannose into other glycosyl components found in endogenous glycoproteins is observed. An N-acetylglucosamine to asparagine glycopeptide linkage has been isolated from [¹⁴C]glucosamine-labeled glycoproteins.     

Equilibration of [3H]glucosamine and [35S]sulfate with intracellular pools of UDP-N-acetylhexosamine and 3′-phosphoadenosine-5′-phosphosulfate (PAPS) in cultured fibroblasts

Nucleotides and sugar nucleotides were extracted from cultures of human fibroblasts with perchloric acid, separated by isotachophoresis, and quantified by uv absorption analysis at 254 nm. ATP (936 pmol/μg DNA) was, as expected, the dominating nucleotide pool. The energy charge was estimated to 0.9. The UDP-N-acetylhexosamine pool was also a very prominent compound (596 pmol/μg DNA). After incubation of fibroblasts with [³H]glucosamine, more than 95% of the acid-soluble radioactivity was found in the UDP-N-acetylhexosamine pool. Incubation with [³⁵S]sulfate resulted in the incorporation of [³⁵S]sulfate into 3′-phosphoadenosine-5′-phosphosulfate (PAPS). The latter could, however, only be measured as radioactivity, as the amount was too small to be quantified as total mass. Pulse-labeling of fibroblasts with [³⁵S]sulfate and [³H]glucosamine from 5 min to 16 h showed that [³⁵S]PAPS was equilibrated in less than 10 min, while [³H]glucosamine required a longer time, 2–4 h, to attain a steady state with UDP-N-acetylhexosamine. [¹⁴C]Glucose required approximately the same time as [³H]glucosamine to reach steady state with UDP-acetylhexosamine, which suggests that the reason for the long equilibration time is the slow turnover of this pool.     

Drug-resistant mutants of chinese hamster ovary cells possess an altered cell surface carbohydrate component

Surface label experiments using the galactose oxidase-[³ H] -borohydride technique reveal that cells from drug-resistant Chinese hamster ovary clones possess a surface carbohydrate component of apparent molecular weight 165,000 which is absent from wild-type cells. The component may also be demonstrated by [¹⁴C] glucosamine incorporation but not by [³ H] leucine incorporation or by the lactoperoxidase surface labeling reaction.     

Effects of sodium tungstate on the nuclear uptake of glucocorticoid-receptor complex from rat liver

Effects of sodium tungstate on the nuclear uptake of rat liver cytosolic glucocorticoidreceptor complex were examined at pH 7. The nuclear uptake of heat-activated [³H]triamcinolone acetonide-receptor complex was blocked completely in the presence of 1 mm tungstate. A preincubation of nuclear preparation with tungstate (>0.1 mm) blocked the subsequent uptake of [³H]triamcinolone acetonide-receptor complex. When the tungstate-treated nuclear preparation was washed with 0.3 M KCl, its [³H]triamcinolone acetonide-receptor complex binding capacity recovered to 50% of that of control samples with no tungstate treatment. A preincubation of chromatin with tungstate yielded similar results. The nuclear-bound [³H]triamcinolone acetonide-receptor complex, formed either by an in vivo administration of [³H]triamcinolone acetonide or by an in vitro incubation of glucocorticoid-receptor complex with isolated nuclei, was extracted by tungstate in a concentration-dependent manner. The majority of nuclear-bound [³H]triamcinolone acetonide could be extracted with 0.1 and 1 mm tungstate from in vitro- and in vivo-labeled nuclei, respectively. The tungstate-extracted steroid-receptor complexes sedimented in 4–5 S and 3.3–3.5 S region in 10 mm KCl- and 0.3 mm KCl-containing sucrose gradients, respectively. Tungstate treatment caused an irreversible loss of the nuclear binding capacity of [³H]triamcinolone acetonide-receptor complex which could not be recovered after dialysis. These studies indicate that tungstate affects both glucocorticoidreceptor complex and certain nuclear or chromatin proteins.     

Stimulation of [H]glucosamine incorporation into the cell surface of Amoeba by pinocytosis

Suspensions of amoebae were treated with [³H]glucosamine either before or after exposure to solutions of KCl or Alcian blue. Several hours later, the cell surface was isolated. Comparison of specific activities of control and experimental material showed that pinocytosis caused a specific increase in the amount of [³H]glucosamine incorporated into the cell surface fraction. Ion-exchange chromatography of acid hydrolysates of pooled radiolabeled surface fractions showed that all of the label eluted at positions corresponding to glucosamine and galactosamine.     

Effect of CO2 on labelling of nerve and liver cells by nucleic acid precursors

In vivo experiments in mice demonstrated that 5% CO₂ content in the air inhaled did not change the labelling in autoradiograms from animals injected with [³H]uridine, [³H]orotic acid, [³H]hypoxanthine, [³H]lysine or [³H]cytidine. At 20% CO₂ content there was a significant decrease in labelling of brain cells with [³H]uridine and [³H]cytidine, but not following [³H]lysine; there was no labelling of nerve cells with [³H]orotic acid or [³H]hypoxanthine, but a control group was not included. The labelling of choroid plexus and hepatocytes was independent of the CO₂ concentration. A comparison of in vivo and in vitro experiments at 20% CO₂ content showed a similar significant decrease in labelling of brain cells with [³H]uridine and [³H]cytidine. It is concluded that a metabolic change is the most appropriate explanation of the CO₂ effect.     

Studies on the turnover of protein and glycoprotein components in rabbit kidney brush borders

The kinetics of incorporation of [³H]lysine and [¹⁴C]glucosamine into kidney brush borders were studied in vivo. The patterns of incorporation and loss of radioactivity from the brush borders were similar for both radioactively labelled precursors. Maximal labelling occurred 15–20h after injection of the precursors, and then the radioactivity declined rapidly until 50h. The radioactivity of brush borders then remained constant until 120h and thereafter declined slowly. These results are interpreted as indicating that two processes contribute to the turnover of brush-border components, pinocytosis and a slower turnover of the components of the microvilli. Studies of the distribution of radioactivity among glycoprotein components of the brush borders, separated by polyacrylamide-gel electrophoresis, indicated that the membrane components turned over in unison.     

Follicle-stimulating hormone and human chorionic gonadotropin induced changes in granulosa cell glycosyl-phosphatidylinositol concentration

In the present investigation, a hCG sensitive glycosyl-phosphatidylinositol (GPI) was isolated from cultured rat granulosa cells obtained from the ovaries of diethylstilbestrol (DES) implanted immature rats. The inositol-phosphoglycan (IPG) moiety of the GPI-lipid contains galactose, glucosamine, and myoinositol as demonstrated by metabolic labelling of granulosa cells for different time periods (5–96 h) with [³H]galactose, [³H]glucosamine, or [³H]myoinositol and treatment of the purified [³H]GPI with phosphatidylinositol-specific phospholipase C. Labelling equilibrium of the GPI-lipid was achieved after 24 h ([³H]galactose and [³H]myoinositol) or 72 h ([³H]glucosamine) incubation, whereas incorporation of other labelled carbohydrates tested ([³H]galactosamine, [³H]mannose, and [³H]sorbitol) was negligible throughout the time period studied. The glucosamine C-1 appears to be linked through a glycosidic bond to the myoinositol molecule of the IPG moiety as revealed by the generation of phosphatidylinositol (PtdIns) after nitrous acid deamination of dual labelled ([³H]glucosamine/[¹⁴C]palmitate or [³H]glucosamine/[¹⁴C]myristate) glycosyl-phosphatidylinositol. To investigate the fatty acid composition of the diacylglycerol (DAG) backbone of the GPI, granulosa cells were also labelled (5–72 hr) with [¹⁴C]linoleate, [³H]myristate, [³H]-oleate, [³H]palmitate, or [³H]stearate and the radioactivity associated with the purified glycosyl-phosphatidylinositol determined. Incorporation of [³H]palmitate and [³H]myristate into the GPI-lipid peaked after 8 h and 24 h of labelling, respectively, and both fatty acids were partially released after PLA₂ treatment of the dual labelled ([³H]glucosamine/[¹⁴C]palmitate or [³H]glucosamine/[¹⁴C]myristate) GPI. In parallel experiments no significant incorporation of labelled stearate, oleate, or linoleic acid into the DAG backbone of the glycosylphosphatidylinositol could be detected. Granulosa cells were also labelled with [³H]glucosamine in the presence of FSH (30 ng/ml), cholera toxin (1 μg/ml), or the membrane permeable cAMP analog (but)₂ cAMP (1 mM). Time related increases in GPI-labelling were apparent after 48 h and reached a maximum level (3-, 5-, and 7-fold for FSH, CT, and (but)₂ cAMP, respectively) after 72 h in culture. In another set of experiments, granulosa cells were labelled for 72 h with [³H]glucosamine in the presence of (but)₂cAMP (1 mM), TPA (10^?7 M), or combination thereof. The effect of treatment with the membrane permeable cAMP analog on GPI labelling was prevented in the presence of TPA, whereas no differences in [³H]GPI content could be observed in untreated granulosa cells or cells cultured in the presence of the protein kinase C-activating phorbol ester alone. In cells differentiated with FSH (30 ng/ml for 3 days) to induce LH receptors, treatment with hCG (100 ng/ml) induced a rapid (60 sec) and transient (5 min) decrease in the GPI content, whereas no efect of the hormone on undifferentiated granulosa cells could be observed. The rapid effect elicited by hCG on GPI content and turnover may be an early transduction mechanism involved in the biological effects of LH/hCG in differentiated granulosa cells. © 1993 Wiley-Liss, Inc.     

Synthesis and binding characteristics of tritiated tipp[Φ], a highly specific and stable delta opioid antagonist

The pseudopeptide H-Tyr-TicΦ[CH₂-NH]Phe-Phe-OH (TIPP[Φ]) is a δ opioid antagonist with high δ receptor affinity and unprecedented δ selectivity. TIPP[Φ] was radiolabelled by catalytic tritiation of its precursor [Tyr(3′,5′-I₂)¹]TIPP[Φ]. The resulting radioligand, [³H]TIPP[Φ], had a specific activity of 1.77 TBq/mmol (47.9 Ci/mmol) and showed high stability against enzymatic degradation. [³H]TIPP[Φ] binding to rat brain membranes was saturable and Scatchard analysis indicated a single binding site with a K_d of 0.98 nM and a B_max of 105.4 fmol/mg. A study of [³H]TIPP[Φ] binding displacement by various receptor-selective opioids showed the expected rank order of potency (δ ⪢ μ > κ). [³H]TIPP[Φ] represents an excellent new radioligand for δ receptor labelling studies in vitro and in vivo.     

In vivo [3H]ketanserin binding: effect of modifying synaptic serotonin levels

Most antidepressant therapies aim to increase the synaptic concentration of one or more of the monoamines. Synaptic monoamine levels are, however, extremely difficult to measure. In order to estimate synaptic levels of serotonin, an indirect method has been used. Since [³Hjketanserin is an antagonist at the 5HT₂ serotonin receptor, one would expect its in vivo binding to be inhibited by increased levels of synaptic serotonin. This hypothesis was tested in mice by measuring the effect of compounds which are considered to raise the synaptic concentration of serotonin. Directly acting agents such as quipazine, methysergide and mianserin inhibited [³H]ketanserin binding in vitro and in vivo. On the other hand, indirect agonists such as the monoamine oxidase inhibitors, pargyline and niamide, the serotonin uptake blockers, paroxetine and midalcipran, the serotonin releasers, p-chloroamphetamine and H75/12 and the serotonin precursor, 5-hydroxytryptophan had no effect on [³H]ketanserin binding in vivo. This was in spite of the fact that at doses used a very marked serotonin-induced behaviour was observed. In view of its insensitivity to changes in synaptic concentrations of serotonin, it is possible that the sites labelled in vivo by [³H]ketanserin are not innervated by the serotonin nerve terminals through which these indirect serotonin agonists act.