The potential-dependent K+ channel in molluscan neurones is organized in a cluster of elementary channels

Single potential-dependent K⁺ channels were studied using the patch-voltage-clamp method. Two types of channel with identical, but oppositely directed, potential dependences were found. The channels of the first type (slow channels) are assumed to be responsible for the outward rectification. The properties of the channels of the second type (fast channels) are similar to those of the K⁺ channels in neurone soma which create the fast transient currents. The kinetic characteristics of both types of channel are presented. The conductances of slow and fast K⁺ channels are approx. 30 and 40 pS, respectively, at zero membrane potential and a K⁺ concentration of 50 mmol/l at the inner side of the membrane. The following sequence of channel selectivity with respect to monovalent cations was found: $\text{Tl}{}^{\mathrm{+}}\text{>}\text{K}{}^{\mathrm{+}}\text{>}\text{Rb}{}^{\mathrm{+}}\text{?}\text{Cs}{}^{\mathrm{+}}\text{?}\text{Li}{}^{\mathrm{+}}\text{?}\text{Na}{}^{\mathrm{+}}$. The probability of the channel open state monotonically decreases with free Ca²⁺ concentration at the inside membrane surface for both types of channel. It was found that the channels have discrete and multiple conductance substrates. It is supposed that a unitary K⁺ channel consists of approx. 16 elementary ones with conductances of approx. 2 pS (slow channels) and approx. 2.5 pS (fast channels) at zero potential. At + 100 mV the elementary conductances are equal to approx. 4 and 5.5. pS, respectively. Thus, according to this assumption, the unitary channel is a cluster of elementary channels.     

Polar effects of concanavalin A on the cortical cytoskeleton of a molluscan egg (Nassarius reticulatus,Gastropoda)

Summary The organization of the surface of fertilizedNassarius reticulatus eggs was probed by investigating the effects of treatment with concanavalin A (Con A). This lectin causes abnormal polar lobe formation as well as inhibition of cleavage. At low concentrations of Con A (0.3–1.0 μg/ml) the polar lobe constriction becomes considerably elongated, whereas at higher concentrations (2.5–50 μ/ml) the position of the constriction undergoes an extreme shift towards the animal pole. In the latter case, the surface of the animal part of the egg forms large protrusions and folds. Con A also causes resorption of microvilli and disappearance of the extracellular layer covering these villi; this process starts at the vegetal pole and propagates towards the animal pole. These changes in surface architecture are associated with profound changes in the organization of filamentous (F-) actin as assessed by confocal laser scanning microscopy of NBD-phallacidin-labelled eggs. Divalent succinyl-Con A has the same effects on polar lobe formation and surface architecture as tetravalent Con A, but only at very high concentrations (100–200 μg/ml), indicating that Con A exerts its effects by cross-linkage of its binding sites. Experiments with cytoskeleton inhibitors (cytochalasin D, colchicine, and nocodazole) reveal that in Con A-treated eggs — as in untreated eggs — microfilaments, but not microtubules, are involved in the formation of the polar lobe constriction. The calcium ion channel blocker D600 affects neither normal nor Con A-induced abnormal polar lobe formation, which suggests that influx of external calcium is not required. In contrast, treatment with TMB-8, an antagonist of internal calcium release, prevents the formation of a polar lobe in both normal and Con A-treated eggs. Finally, eggs from which the polar lobe has been removed prior to Con A treatment show none of the effects described, whereas isolated polar lobes react similarly to intact eggs. These results suggest that binding of Con A to sites present at the vegetal pole of the egg is responsible for the observed effects of the lectin.     

Influence of monovalent cations on the Ca2+-ATPase of sarcoplasmic reticulum isolated from rabbit skeletal and dog cardiac muscles. An interpretation of transient-state kinetic data

Transient-state kinetics of phosphorylation and dephosphorylation of the Ca²⁺-ATPase of sarcoplasmic reticulum vesicles from rabbit skeletal and dog cardiac muscles were studied in the presence of varying concentrations of monovalent and divalent cations. Monovalent cations affect the two types of sarcoplasmic reticulum differently. When the rabbit skeletal sarcoplasmic reticulum was Ca²⁺ deficient, preincubation with K⁺ (as compared with preincubation with choline chloride) did not affect initial phosphorylation at various concentrations of Ca²⁺, added with ATP to phosphorylate the enzyme. This is in contrast to preincubation with K⁺ of the Ca²⁺-deficient dog cardiac sarcoplasmic reticulum, which resulted in an increase in the phosphoenzyme level. When Ca²⁺ was bound to the rabbit skeletal sarcoplasmic reticulum, K⁺ inhibited E ~ P formation; but under the same conditions, E ~ P formation of dog cardiac sarcoplasmic reticulum was activated by K⁺ at 12 μM Ca²⁺ and inhibited at 0.33 and 1.3 μM Ca²⁺. Li⁺, Na⁺ and K⁺ also have different effects on E ~ P decomposition of skeletal and cardiac sarcoplasmic reticulum. The latter responded less to these cations than the former. Studies with ADP revealed differences between the two types of sarcoplasmic reticulum. For rabbit skeletal sarcoplasmic reticulum, 40% of the phosphoenzyme formed was ‘ADP sensitive’, and the decay of the remaining E ~ P was enhanced by K⁺ and ADP. Dog cardiac sarcoplasmic reticulum yielded about 40–48% ADP-sensitive E ~ P, but the decomposition rate of the remaining E ~ P was close to the rate measured in the absence of ADP. Thus, these studies showed certain qualitative differences in the transformation and decomposition of phosphoenzymes between skeletal and cardiac muscle which may have bearing on physiological differences between the two muscle types.     

Characterization of a high-conductance,voltage-dependent cation channel from the plasma membrane of rye roots in planar lipid bilayers

Plasma-membrane vesicles were purified by aqueous-polymer two-phase partitioning of a microsomal membrane fraction from rye (Secale cereale L.) roots and incorporated into planar 1-palmitoyl-2-oleoyl phosphatidylethanolamine bilayers. A high-conductance cation channel (a maxi cation channel) was characterized from single-channel electrical recordings. The channel was incorporated into the bilayer with its cytoplasmic surface facing the trans compartment and voltages were referenced cis with respect to trans. The channel was permeable to both monovalent and divalent cations. The unitary conductance was 451 pS in symmetrical 100 mM KCl and 213 pS in symmetrical 100 mM BaCl₂. The permeability ratio P_KP_Ba was 1.002.56. Unitary conductances declined in the order K⁺Rb⁺>Cs⁺>Na⁺> Li⁺ (monovalent cations) and Ba²⁺>Sr²⁺>Ca²⁺> Mg²⁺>Co²⁺>Mn²⁺ (divalent cations). The relative permeabilities of monovalent cations mirrored their conductivity sequence, whereas the permeabilities of all divalent cations were similar. The maxi cation channel showed complex kinetics, exhibiting both voltage- and time-dependent inactivation and voltage-dependent gating. The voltage dependence of the kinetics shifted in parallel with changes in the reversal potential of the channel. In symmetrical 100 mM KCl, following a voltage step from zero to the test voltage, the channel inactivated and the active-channel lifetime ( _i) shortened exponentially as the test voltage was increased. The channel always opened immediately upon depolarization to zero volts, indicating that inactivation of the channel did not result from the loss of any intrinsic factor. The probability of finding an active channel in the open state (P₀) exhibited a bell-shaped relationship with membrane potential. At voltages between -40 and 80 mV, P₀ exceeded 0.99, but p₀ declined abruptly at more extreme voltages. Under ionic conditions which approximated physiological conditions, in the presence of 100 mM KCl on the trans (cytoplasmic) side and 1 mM KCl plus 2 mM CaCl₂ on the cis (extracellular) side, the reversal potential was 15.6 mV and the kinetics approximated those observed in symmetrical 100 mM KCl. Thus, the channel would open upon depolarization of the plasma membrane in vivo. If the channel functioned physiologically as a Ca²⁺ channel it might be involved in intracellular signalling: the channel could open in response to a variety of environmental, developmental and pathological stimuli which depolarize the plasma membrane, allowing Ca²⁺ into the cytoplasm and thereby initiating a physiological response.Abbreviations E_K Nernst (equilibrium) potential for potassium - E_rev zero-current (reversal) potential - I/V current/voltage - _c apparent mean lifetime of the activated-channel closed state - _i apparent mean lifetime of the activated channel following a voltage step from zero volts - ₀ apparent mean lifetime of the activated-channel open state - PE 1-palmitoyl-2-oleoyl phosphatidylethonlamine - P₀ probability of finding the activated channel in an open state - TEA⁺ tetraethylammonium This work was supported by the Agriculture and Food Research Council and by a grant from the Science and Engineering Research Council Membrane Initiative (GR/F 33971) to Prof. E.A.C. MacRobbie (University of Cambridge, UK).     

Channel gating in the absence of agonist by a homooligomeric molluscan GABA receptor expressed inXenopus oocytes from a cloned cDNA

We have previously described the isolation of a complementary DNA (cDNA) from the freshwater molluscLymnaea stagnalis encoding a polypeptide that exhibits 50% identity to the ß-subunits of vertebrate -aminobutyric acid (GABA) type A (GABA_A) receptor. When expressed inXenopus laevis oocytes fromin vitro-transcribed RNA, the snail subunit forms functional homo-oligomeric receptors possessing chloride-selective ion channels. In recordings from voltage-clamped oocytes held at –60 mV, GABA induced an inward current, whereas application of the chloride-channel blocker picrotoxin (in the absence of agonist) elicited an apparent outward current. Single channel recordings obtained from cell-attached patches have revealed a single population of 20 pS channels, with an open probability greater than 90% (at a pipette potential of –100 mV) in the absence of GABA. The relationship between single channel current and pipette potential was linear over the studied range (–100 mV to +60 mV), but the open probability was less for hyperpolarizations than for depolarizations. The spontaneous channel openings were blocked by micromolar concentrations of picrotoxin. Functional hetero-oligomeric receptors were formed when the molluscan subunit was co-expressed in oocytes with the bovine GABA_A receptor 1-subunit, but the channels gated by these receptors did not open spontaneously.     

A prokaryotic sucrose synthase gene (susA) isolated from a filamentous nitrogen-fixing cyanobacterium encodes a protein similar to those of plants

Sucrose synthase (SS), a key enzyme in plant carbohydrate metabolism, has recently been isolated from Anabaena sp. strain PCC 7119, and biochemically characterized; two forms (SS-I and SS-II) were detected (Porchia et al. 1999, Planta 210: 34–40). The present study describes the first isolation and characterization of a prokaryotic SS gene, susA, encoding SS-II from that strain of Anabaena. A 7 kbp DNA fragment containing an open reading frame (EMBL accession number AJ010639) with about 30–40% amino acid identity with plant SSs was isolated from an Anabaena subgenomic library. The putative SS gene was demonstrated to encode an SS protein by expression in Escherichia coli. The biochemical properties of the recombinant enzyme were identical to those of the enzyme purified from the cyanobacterial cells. The deduced amino acid sequence of the Anabaena SS diverged from every plant SS reported. The occurrence of SS in cyanobacteria of different taxonomic groups was investigated. The enzyme occurs in several filamentous nitrogen-fixing cyanobacteria but not in two species of unicellular, non-diazotrophic cyanobacteria. Received: 5 January 2000 / Accepted: 7 March 2000     

High-performance liquid chromatography (HPLC) determination of inosine, a potential biomarker for initial cardiac ischaemia, using isolated mouse hearts

Each year in the USA approximately 7-8 million patients with non-traumatic chest pain come to hospital emergency rooms. It is estimated that approximately 2-5% of these patients are experiencing cardiac ischaemia, but due to the shortcomings of the available testing methods they are incorrectly diagnosed and discharged without appropriate therapy having been provided. Preliminary data with a globally ischaemic mouse heart model has demonstrated that endogenous inosine might be a potential biomarker of initial cardiac ischaemia before cardiac tissue necrosis. A high-performance liquid chromatographic diode array detection (HPLC-DAD) method was utilized for the detection and quantification of inosine in Krebs-Henseleit (Krebs) buffer solution perfusing from surgically removed and isolated mouse hearts undergoing global cardiac ischaemia. A C₁₈ column at a flow rate of 0.6 ml min^-1 with an aqueous mobile phase of trifluoroacetic acid (0.05% trifluoroacetic acid in deionized water, pH 2.2, v/v) and methanol gradient was used for component separation. The assay detection limit for inosine in Krebs buffer solution was 500 ng ml^-1 using a 100-µl neat injection. The HPLC results were used to determine total cardiac effluxed inosine into the Krebs effluent for each mouse during oxidative stress and compared with the per cent cardiac ventricular functional recovery rate to determine if a relationship exists amongst this cardiovascular parameter during periods of cardiac oxidative stress.     

High-performance liquid chromatography (HPLC) determination of inosine,a potential biomarker for initial cardiac ischaemia,using isolated mouse hearts

Abstract

Each year in the USA approximately 7–8 million patients with non-traumatic chest pain come to hospital emergency rooms. It is estimated that approximately 2–5% of these patients are experiencing cardiac ischaemia, but due to the shortcomings of the available testing methods they are incorrectly diagnosed and discharged without appropriate therapy having been provided. Preliminary data with a globally ischaemic mouse heart model has demonstrated that endogenous inosine might be a potential biomarker of initial cardiac ischaemia before cardiac tissue necrosis. A high-performance liquid chromatographic diode array detection (HPLC-DAD) method was utilized for the detection and quantification of inosine in Krebs–Henseleit (Krebs) buffer solution perfusing from surgically removed and isolated mouse hearts undergoing global cardiac ischaemia. A C₁₈ column at a flow rate of 0.6 ml min^?1 with an aqueous mobile phase of trifluoroacetic acid (0.05% trifluoroacetic acid in deionized water, pH 2.2, v/v) and methanol gradient was used for component separation. The assay detection limit for inosine in Krebs buffer solution was 500 ng ml^?1 using a 100-µl neat injection. The HPLC results were used to determine total cardiac effluxed inosine into the Krebs effluent for each mouse during oxidative stress and compared with the per cent cardiac ventricular functional recovery rate to determine if a relationship exists amongst this cardiovascular parameter during periods of cardiac oxidative stress.     

Studies on the mechanism of cholesterol uptake and on the effects of bile salts on this uptake by brush-border membranes isolated from rabbit small intestine

The effect of bile salts and other surfactants on the rate of incorporation of cholesterol into isolated brush-border membranes was tested. At constant cholesterol concentration, a stimulatory effect of taurocholate was noticed which increased as the bile salt concentration was raised to 20 mM. Taurodeoxycholate was as effective as taurocholate at concentrations of up to 5 mM and inhibited at higher concentrations. Glycocholate was only moderately stimulatory whereas cholate was nearly as effective as taurocholate at concentrations above 5 mM. Other surfactants such as sodium lauryl sulfate and Triton X-100 were very inhibitory at all concentrations tried whereas cetyltrimethyl ammonium chloride was stimulatory only at a very low range of concentrations. These micellizing agents all caused some disruption of the membranes and the greater effectiveness of taurocholate in stimulating sterol uptake was partly relatable to the weaker membrane solubilizing action of this bile salt. Preincubation of membranes with 20 mM taurocholate followed by washing and exposure to cholesterol-containing lipid suspensions lacking bile salt, did not enhance the incorporation of the sterol. In the absence of bile salt the incorporation of cholesterol was unaffected by stirring of the incubation mixtures. Increasing the cholesterol concentration in the mixed micelle while keeping the concentration of bile salt constant caused an increase in rate of sterol incorporation. This increased rate was seen whether the cholesterol suspension was turbid, i.e., contained non-micellized cholesterol, or whether it was optically-clear and contained only monomers and micelles. When the concentration of taurocholate and cholesterol were increased simultaneously such that the concentration ratio of these two components was kept constant, there resulted a corresponding increase in rate of cholesterol uptake. The initial rates of cholesterol incorporation from suspensions containing micellar and monomer forms of cholesterol were much larger than from solutions containing only monomers of the same concentration. The rates of incorporation of cholesterol and phosphatidylethanolamine from mixed micelles containing these lipids in equimolar concentrations were very different. The results as a whole suggest at least for those experimental conditions specified in this study, that uptake of cholesterol by isolated brush-border membranes involves both the monomer and micellar phases of the bulk lipid and that the interaction of the micelles with membrane does not likely involve a fusion process.     

The effect of metabolites,papaverine, and probenecid on cyclic AMP efflux from isolated rat islets of Langerhans

The process of cyclic AMP efflux from rat islets of Langerhans has been studied. The dynamics of glucose-induced cyclic AMP efflux closely resembled the pattern of glucose-induced insulin release. Thus, both processes were dose-dependent for glucose having the same threshold concentrations (4–8 mmol/l glucose), with the time course of cyclic AMP efflux and insulin release from 0–60 min being very similar. Galactose did not affect insulin release, cyclic AMP efflux and intra-islet cyclic AMP accumulation. On the other hand, inosine, N-acetylglucosamine, α-ketoisocaproic acid, L-leucine and xylitol all promoted insulin release and cyclic AMP efflux. Except for L-leucine, all these substances enhanced the intracellular accumulation of cyclic AMP. The phosphodiesterase inhibitor 3-isobutyl-1-methylxanthine, greatly augmented all these parameters in the presence of glucose whereas in the absence of glucose, insulin release was not enhanced, while both cyclic AMP efflux and cyclic AMP accumulation were elevated. The drug, probenecid, did not alter either insulin release or intra-islet cyclic AMP levels, while cyclic AMP efflux was markedly reduced (though not abolished). Papaverine inhibited both insulin release and cyclic AMP efflux, but was found to augment the intra-islet cyclic AMP levels. The efflux of cyclic AMP correlates more closely with insulin release than with the cyclic AMP accumulation in most instances. The efflux is independent of either insulin secretory granule extrusion or intracellular fluctuations of the nucleotide, though it is not yet known whether cyclic AMP efflux may have some regulatory significance in insulin release.     

Inhibitory effects of a manganese superoxide dismutase isolated from garlic (Allium sativum L.) on in vitro tumoral cell growth

Reactive oxygen species are implicated in cancer development and antioxidants in general and superoxide dismutases and superoxide dismutase mimetic in particular, and they inhibit malignant transformation. We examinate the effects of an isolated manganese superoxide dismutase from a medicinal plant Allium sativum. The protein was prepared by a serial of chromatographic techniques: gel filtration and diethylaminoethyl ions exchanger. The enzyme has a specific activity equal to 55 U/mg. Two tumoral cell lines, porcine endothelial cells and mouse melanoma cells were exposed to garlic superoxide dismutase. The exogenous manganese superoxide dismutase is able to modify the intracellular level of reactive oxygen species by eliminating superoxide anion and producing hydrogen peroxide. The cell viability of the two lines was not significantly affected but the cell multiplication was arrested. This effect obtained in the presence of manganese superoxide dismutase correlates with the activation and modulation of phospho‐extracellular signal‐regulated kinases proteins, implicated in the control of several biological processes including cell proliferation. © 2009 American Institute of Chemical Engineers Biotechnol. Prog., 2009     

Structure and vasorelaxant activity of floranol, a flavonoid isolated from the roots of Dioclea grandiflora

The structure of the prenylated flavanonol, floranol (1=(2R,3R)-3,5,7-trihydroxy-2-(2-hydroxyphenyl)-6-methoxy-8-(3-methylbut-2-enyl)-4H-1-benzopyran-4-one), isolated from the roots of Dioclea grandiflora (Fabaceae), was unambiguously determined by X-ray analysis. The compound was tested for vasorelaxant activity. In endothelium-containing aortic rings, floranol (1) induced a concentration-dependent vasodilator effect in vessels precontracted with 0.1 microM phenylephrine with an IC(50) value of 19.9+/-2.4 microM. The removal of endothelium or pretreatment of vessels with the NO-synthase inhibitor L-NAME did not change the IC(50) and E(max) values for floranol-induced vasorelaxation. We conclude that floranol (1) should be acting directly in the rat-aorta smooth muscle cells to produce its vasorelaxant effect. The structure-activity relationship was discussed in terms of the 3-D floranol structure determined by X-ray crystallography.     

OD1, the first toxin isolated from the venom of the scorpion Odonthobuthus doriae active on voltage-gated Na+ channels

In this study, we isolated and pharmacologically characterized the first alpha-like toxin from the venom of the scarcely studied Iranian scorpion Odonthobuthus doriae. The toxin was termed OD1 and its primary sequence was determined: GVRDAYIADDKNCVYTCASNGYCNTECTKNGAESGYCQWIGRYGNACWCIKLPDEVPIRIPGKCR. Using the two-electrode voltage clamp technique, the pharmacological effects of OD1 were studied on three cloned voltage-gated Na+ channels expressed in Xenopus laevis oocytes (Na(v)1.2/beta1, Na(v)1.5/beta1, para/tipE). The inactivation process of the insect channel, para/tipE, was severely hampered by 200 nM of OD1 (EC50 = 80+/-14 nM) while Na(v)1.2/beta1 still was not affected at concentrations up to 5 microM. Na(v)1.5/beta1 was influenced at micromolar concentrations.     

Primary structure of helodermin, a VIP-secretin-like peptide isolated from Gila monster venom

The inhibitory regulatory component of adenylate cyclase (Ni) was highly purified from rat brain synaptic membranes. A low Km GTPase activity was always associated with Ni through the purification, and the recovery of GTPase activity correlated well with that of Ni. Purified Ni was hardly ADP-ribosylated by islet-activating protein (IAP). A heat-labile factor in the fraction of the stimulative regulatory component (Ns) restored ADP-ribosylation and also activated the GTPase about 2-fold. NaF which was reported to interact with Ni markedly reduced GTPase activity. The purified Ni fraction inhibited adenylate cyclase only in the presence of a heat-stable factor found in the partially purified regulatory component. GTPase and inhibitory activities were weak in myelin which contained only a small amount of Ni. These findings support the view that GTPase activity is an intrinsic activity of Ni and some factors are necessary for the function of Ni.     

Comparative study on the effects of a hypoglycemic 2-substituted-2-imidazoline derivative (DG-5128) and tolbutamide on insulin secretion from and insulin synthesis in the isolated rat pancreatic islets

2[2-(4,5-Dihydro-1H-imidazol-2-yl)-1-phenylethyl]pyridine dihydrochloride sesquihydrate (DG-5128) was found to stimulate the glucose-primed insulin secretion from the isolated rat pancreatic islets throughout the incubation period, unlike tolbutamide which stimulated it only in the initial phase of incubation. The effect of DG-5128 was more pronounced at a higher glucose concentration (5 mg/ml). In the islet perifusion study, DG-5128 was also found to stimulate the glucose-induced insulin secretion in both the first and the second phases of the reaction, in contrast to tolbutamide which stimulated only the first phase of insulin secretion from the perifused islets. DG-5128 gave no significant effect on the glucose-stimulated increase in incorporation of [³H]leucine into the pro-insulin and insulin fractions, while tolbutamide significantly inhibited the incorporation especially at a low glucose concentration (1 mg/ml). These and the previous findings indicate that DG-5128 is a new class of hypoglycemic agent with a unique mode of action different from the known hypoglycemics ever reported.