ISOLATION OF HYDROPHOBIC PROTEINS BINDING AMINO ACIDS: γ-AMINOBUTYRIC ACID BINDING IN THE RAT CEREBRAL CORTEX

—The binding of [¹⁴C]GABA to nerve-ending membranes isolated from rat cerebral cortex follows a hyperbolic curve saturating at 0·4pmol/μg protein. This binding is about 60% inhibited by chloropromazine, and about 40%, inhibited by bicuculline. A hydrophobic protein fraction binding [¹⁴C]GABA was separated from the total. lipid extract of nerve-ending membranes. The binding follows a hyperbolic curve that saturates at 10·5 pmol of [¹⁴C]GABA/μg of protein, with an apparent K_d= 30 μm . The binding is competitively inhibited by bicuculline with a K_i= 273 μm . These results are compared with those previously obtained on a GABA binding protein from crustacean muscle.     

Identification of 5-hydroxytryptamine binding substances from rat brain stem

Abstract— Godwin & Sneddon (1975) reported the binding of 5-hydroxy-[³H]tryptamine (5-HT) on a Sephadex LH-20 column to‘proteolipid material’extracted with n-butanol from rat brain stem. An examination of this‘proteolipid material’with TLC showed the main constituents to be cerebroside sulfate (CS), monophosphoinositide (PI), and diphosphoinositide. The elution profiles of [³H]5-HT incubated with purified CS or with a mixture of CS and PI were similar to that of the brain extract on the same column. Because the elution profile of the mixture of CS and PI was more similar to that of the brain extract, it was concluded that what was suggested to be a possible proteolipid‘5-HT receptor’was mainly two acidic lipids. The elution profile of [³H]5-HT incubated with purified PI, however, was similar to [³H]5-HT eluted alone. This suggested that either PI did not bind to 5-HT or that the PI-5-HT complex possesses different Chromatographie behavior than PI. To test this latter possibility, [¹⁴C]5-HT and [³H]PI were incubated then eluted on a Sephadex LH-20 column with a continuous gradient of increasing polarity. The gradient first eluted PI, then an apparent PI-5-HT complex, and finally 5-HT. This demonstrated that PI will bind to 5-HT on a Sephadex LH-20 column and that the PI-5-HT complex is probably more polar than PI.     

Differentiation of pre- and postsynaptic high affinity serotonin receptor binding sites using physico-chemical parameters and modifying agents

The two³H-labeled agonists [³H]8-hydroxy-2-(di-n-propylamino) tetralin ([³H]8-OH-DPAT) and [³H]serotonin ([³H]5-HT) have been used to examine the effects of physico-chemical parameters and modulatory agents on the high affinity 5-HT receptor binding sites in various regions of the rat central nervous system. Sites labeled by [³H]8-OH-DPAT and [³H]5-HT were differentially sensitive to changes in incubation demperature and pH, such that the optimal interaction of [³H]8-OH-DPAT with specific sites in the striatum was at 30°C and pH 7.4, whereas [³H]5-HT sites in the same region were most easily labeled at 2–23°C and pH 8.2. Micromolar concentrations of Mn²⁺ enhanced [³H]5-HT binding but inhibited markedly [³H]8-OH-DPAT binding to striatal membranes. In contrast, both [³H]5-HT and [³H]8-OH-DPAT binding were incerased by the cation in hippocampal membranes. Conversely, GTP reduced the binding of either ligand in the hippocampus but affected only [³H]5-HT binding in the striatum. Furthermore, N-ethylmaleimide inhibited equally [³H]5-HT and [³H]8-OH-DPAT binding to hippocampal membranes, but was markedly less potent against [³H]8-OH-DPAT binding to striatal     

Ca2+-Guanine Nucleotide Interactions in Brain Membranes. I. Modulation of Central 5-Hydroxytryptamine Receptors in the Rat

Abstract: The present study indicates that central 5-hydroxytryptamine (5-HT; serotonin) receptors can be modulated in opposite directions by Ca²⁺ and guanine nucleotides [guanosine triphosphate (GTP), β, γ-imidoguanosine 5′-triphosphate (GppNHp)]. Thus CaCl₂ (≥0.5 mm ) inhibited whereas GTP and GppNHp (10 μm ) stimulated the 5-HT-sensitive adenylate cyclase in the hippocampus of newborn rats. Both the affinity (K_d ^?1) and the number (B_max) of [³H]5-HT binding sites in hippocampal membranes from adult rats were increased in the presence of Ca²⁺ (≥0.25 mm ); GTP (≥0.1 mm ) and GppNHp (≥0.3; μm ) produced reverse effects. The efficacy of guanine nucleotides in inhibiting specific [³H]5-HT binding was counteracted by Ca²⁺: the addition of this cation (5mm -CaCl₂) to the assay mixture resulted in a 40-fold increase in the IC₅₀ for GTP; the IC₅₀ for GppNHp increased five-fold under the same condition. The examination of the respective effects of Ca²⁺ and of GTP on the specific binding of [³H]5-HT to various hippocampal membrane preparations (from developing rats, from subcellular fractions of adult tissues, and from adult rats after the selective degeneration of serotoninergic innervation in the forebrain) indicated that the amplitudes of the Ca²⁺-induced increase and of the GTP-induced decrease were generally correlated. This conclusion did not apply to striatal membranes of kainic acid-treated rats because [³H]5-HT binding sites persisting after the intrastriatal injection of kainic acid (i.e., half of the total number in striatal membranes from control rats) were markedly less affected by GTP but at least as responsive as control membranes to the Ca²⁺-induced increase. These data are compatible with the hypothesis of a possible coupling of some–but not all–[³H]5-HT binding sites to adenylate cyclase in the rat brain.     

IN VITRO EXPERIMENTS ON THE METABOLISM, ACCUMULATION AND RELEASE OF 5-HT IN THE NERVOUS SYSTEM OF THE SNAIL HELIX POMATIA

Abstract— The accumulation, metabolism and stimulated-induced release of 5-HT in the nervous system of the snail was studied. When nervous tissue was incubated at 24°C in a medium containing [¹⁴C]5-HT or [³H]tryptophan, tissue: medium ratios of about 25:1 and 4:1 respectively were obtained after 45 min incubation. The process responsible for [¹⁴C]5-HT accumulation showed properties of an active transport system: it was temperature sensitive and was greatly inhibited by dinitrophenol and ouabain. Furthermore, the accumulation process was inhibited by imipramine and desipramine. Of a number of analogues of indole, N-acetyl-5-HT and 5-hydroxytryptophan were the most potent in the inhibition of the accumulation of [¹⁴C]5-HT. The presence of a large molar excess of amino acids had little effect. A small amount (less than 14 per cent) of the accumulated [¹⁴C]5-HT was metabolized to form 5-hydroxyindole acetic acid, even after long periods (2 h) of incubation. The accumulated [³H]tryptophan was metabolized to form 5-hydroxytryptophan and 5-HT; the content of formed [³H]5-HT increased with incubation time whilst the [³H]5-hydroxytryptophan remained more or less constant. The presence of p-chlorophenylalanine in the incubation medium did not interfere with the accumulation of [³H]tryptophan, though it inhibited the formation of [³H]5-hydroxytryptophan and to a greater extent [³H]5-HT. A rapid efflux of the accumulated [¹⁴C]5-HT from snail nervous tissue was observed on electrical stimulation. Slower release resulted when the Ca²⁺ ion content of the incubation medium was replaced by Mg²⁺ ions. There is also a slight efflux of radioactive substances following electrical stimulation in tissues previously incubated in [³H]tryptophan. Most of this radioactivity was attributed to the formed [³H]5-HT. The data support the idea that 5-HT is a transmitter-substance in the snail Helix pomatia, and that re-uptake of the substance is a method of inactivating the released amine.     

Subcellular site of the biosynthesis ofO-acetylated sialic acids in bovine submandibular gland

Bovine submandibular glands were homogenized and fractionated under conditions which yielded subcellular fragments from mainly one cell type, the mucous acinar cell, as judged by morphological analysis of the glands before and after homogenization. The majorN-acetylneuraminate-9(7)-O-acetyltransferase activity was detected in the cytosolic fraction, a result supported by the high specific radioactivity of free sialic acids isolated after [¹⁴C]acetate-labelling experiments. Separation of membranes on a Ficoll density gradient gave six fractions which were analyzed biochemically and morphologically. The particulate activities of acetyltransferase and sialyltransferase were found in fractions containing smooth and mitochondrial membranes. MembraneO-acetyl sialic acids were present at the highest levels in these fractions and also had the highest specific radioactivity after [¹⁴C]acetate-labelling experiments. Significant amounts of theO-acetyltransferase activity also occur in the cytosol and are consistent with a model ofO-acetyl sialic acid biosynthesis involving both cytosolic and smooth membrane sites ofO-acetylation.     

Author index

The membrane-bound ATPase activity of Bacillus subtilis was inhibited by dicyclohexylcarbodiimide (DCCD). The DCCD-reactive proteolipid of B. subtilis was extracted, from labelled or untreated membranes containing F₁ or depleted of F₁, with neutral or acidic chloroform/methanol. Purification of the [₁₄C]DCCD-binding proteolipid was attempted by column chromatography on methylated Sephadex G-50 and on DEAE-cellulose. The maximal amount of DCCD which could be bound to the purified proteolipid was found to exceed the amount bound by the purified proteolipid extracted from membranes labelled with the lowest [₁₄C]DCCD concentration required for maximal inhibition of the membrane-bound ATPase activity. The radioactive protein peaks eluted by gel filtration and ion-exchange chromatography were analysed by urea-SDS polyacrylamide slab gel electrophoresis and autoradiography. Radioactivity was incorporated into two components of M_r 18 000 and 6000 when proteolipid was purified by methylated Sephadex. The 6000 polypeptide was always present, whatever the extraction and purification procedures. However, the 18 000 polypeptide was present in largest quantity only when proteolipid was extracted from membranes containing F₁ and purified by methylated Sephadex. When proteolipid was purified on DEAE-cellulose this [₁₄C]DCCD binding component of M_r 18 000 was absent.     

Characteristics of [14C]Guanidinium Accumulation in NG 108-15 Cell Exposed to Serotonin 5-HT3 Receptor Ligands and Substance P

Abstract: In the presence of substance P (SP; 10 μM), serotonin (5-HT; 1 μM) triggered a cation permeability in cells of the hybridoma (mouse neuroblastoma X rat glioma) clone NG 108-15 that could be assessed by measuring the cell capacity to accumulate [¹⁴C]guanidinium for 10-15 min at 37°C. In addition to 5-HT (EC₅₀, 0.33 μM), the potent 5-HT₃ receptor agonists 2-methyl-serotonin, phenylbiguanide, and m-chlorophenylbiguanide, and quipazine, markedly increased [¹⁴C]guanidinium uptake in NG 108-15 cells exposed to 10 μM SP. In contrast, 5-HT₃ receptor antagonists prevented the effect of 5-HT. The correlation (r= 0.97) between the potencies of 16 different ligands to mimic or prevent the effects of 5-HT on [¹⁴C]guanidinium uptake, on the one hand, and to displace [³H]zacopride specifically bound to 5-HT₃ receptors on NG 108-15 cells, on the other hand, clearly demonstrated that [¹⁴C]guanidinium uptake was directly controlled by 5-HT₃ receptors. Various compounds such as inorganic cations (La³⁺, Mn²⁺, Ba²⁺, Ni²⁺, and Zn²⁺), D-tubocurarine, and memantine inhibited [¹⁴C]guanidinium uptake in NG 108-15 cells exposed to 5-HT and SP, as expected from their noncompetitive antagonistic properties at 5-HT₃ receptors. However, ethanol (100 mM), which has been reported to potentiate the electrophysiological response to 5-HT₃ receptor stimulation, prevented the effects of 5-HT plus SP on [¹⁴C]guanidinium uptake. The cooperative effect of SP on this 5-HT₃-evoked response resulted neither from an interaction of the peptide with the 5-HT₃ receptor binding site nor from a possible direct activation of G proteins in NG 108-15 cells. Among SP derivatives, [D-Pro⁹]SP, a compound inactive at the various neurokinin receptor classes, was the most potent to mimic the stimulatory effect of SP on [¹⁴C]guanidinium uptake in NG 108-15 cells exposed to 5-HT. Although the cellular mechanisms involved deserve further investigations, the 5-HT-evoked [¹⁴C]guanidinium uptake appears to be a rapid and reliable response for assessing the functional state of 5-HT₃ receptors in NG 108-15 cells.     

The subcellular distribution of endogenous and exogenous serotonin in brain tissue: comparison of synaptosomes storing serotonin, norepinephrine, and gamma-aminobutyric acid

Abstract— We have studied the subcellular distribution of exogenous and endogenous serotinin in slices from the hypothalamus and midbrain of several species. In a procedure which appears to label the endogenous pools, tissue slices were incubated with low concentrations of [³H]5-HT (5 × 10^-8 M), for 45 min, when there was apparent equilibrium between [³H]5-HT of tissue and medium. After the tissue slices were homogenized in 0-32 M-sucrose and subjected to differential centrifugation, the distribution of exogenous and endogenous 5-HT in pellets and supernatant fluid was similar. In some experiments, the crude mitochondrial pellets were resuspended in 0-32 M-sucrose, layered on linear, continuous density gradients of sucrose (1 -5-0-32 M), and centrifuged for short times (incomplete equilibrium centrifugation). The subcellular distribution of particulate tritium, total tritium, and particulate endogenous 5-HT was the same in portions of the gradients containing synaptosomes. The peak distribution of [³H]5-HT in sucrose gradients was separable from the peak for [¹⁴C]GABA by four to five fractions; potassium (a marker for cytoplasm occluded within synaptosomes) occurred in the regions of the gradients containing most of the labelled compounds. The distribution of monoamine oxidase activity (a mitochondrial marker) overlapped the distribution of [³H]5-HT after a 15 min centrifugation but appeared in denser regions of the gradient after centrifuging for 2 h. Particles containing [3H]5-HT and [I4C]NE were slightly but consistently separable in synaptosomal fractions isolated from the hypothalamus or midbrain of rat, guinea pig and hamster.     

INCORPORATION OF [14C]N-ACETYL NEURAMINIC ACID INTO BRAIN GLYCOPROTEINS AND GANGLIOSIDES IN VIVO1

—Intracerebrally administered [¹⁴C]N-acetyl neuraminic acid was incorporated into brain glycoproteins and gangliosides. Incorporation into both classes of compounds was markedly inhibited by acetoxycycloheximide but incorporation into the soluble glycoproteins of the nerve-ending fraction was inhibited least of all. In contrast to glucosamine and fucose, a relatively small proportion of the injected [¹⁴C]NANA was incorporated.     

Turnover of cell wall polysaccharides of a Vinca rosea suspension culture

Turnover of cell wall components was examined in two growth phases of a batch suspension culture of Vinca rosea L. Three-day-cultured cells (cell division phase) and 5-day-cultured cells (cell expansion phase) were incubated with d -[U-¹⁴C]glucose. After various periods of incubation, extra-cellular polysaccharides (ECP) and cell walls were isolated, and then the cell walls were fractionated to pectic substance, hemicellulose, and cellulose fractions. The results of the measurement of radioactivities and amounts of total carbohydrate in the ECP and cell wall fractions indicated that synthesis of pectic substance was more active in the cell division phase than in the cell expansion phase. From the results of the pulse-chase experiments, in which cells prelabelled by incubation with d -[U-¹⁴C]glucose for 3 h were incubated in a medium containing unlabelled glucose for various periods, the gross degradation, net synthesis, and gross synthesis of cell wall components were estimated. Active degradation and synthesis were observed in the hemicellulose fraction, indicating that active turnover occurred in the hemicellulose fraction, while little degradation was found in the pectic substance and cellulose fractions.     

32P incorporation into different membranous structures separated from rat cerebral cortex

Abstract— The time course of incorporation, between 3 hr and 16 days, of ortho[³²P]phosphate into different membranous structures isolated from the rat cerebral cortex was studied. After subarachnoideal administration into the CSF it was found that myelin, mitochondria, microsomes and purified nerve-ending membranes and synaptic vesicles incorporate ³²P at the same rate. Most of the individual phospholipids of the synaptic vesicles and nerve-ending membranes also have similar rates of incorporation. Only phosphoinositides and/or phosphatidylserine may have a more rapid metabolism. The incorporation of ³²P into phosphoproteins follows a different pattern from that of the phospholipids. The intraperitoneal route is less effective in the ³²P incorporation and differences among the fractions may be found. These results are discussed in relation to the problem of the blood-brain barrier to phosphate and to the labelling of individual phospholipids in the different membranes.     

Characterization of Multiple [3H]5–Hydroxytryptamine Binding Sites in Rat Spinal Cord Tissue

Abstract: High-affinity [³H]5-hydroxytryptamine ([³H]5-HT) binding in the rat spinal cord is similar to that demonstrated in the frontal cortex. [³H]5-HT binds with nearly the same affinity to sites in both tissues. Furthermore, similar patterns of displacement of [³H]5–HT were seen in both tissues, with either spiperone or LSD as the unlabeled ligand. This high-affinity binding appears to be to multiple sites, since displacement studies using 2 nM [³H]5–HT result in Hill coefficients less than unity for spiperone, LSD, and quipazine [Hill coefficients (n_H): 0.44, 0.39, 0.40, respectively]. These sites apparently have an equal affinity for [³H]5-HT, since unlabeled 5-HT did not discriminate between them. Thus, the high-affinity [³H]5-HT binding in the spinal cord may be analogous to that observed in the frontal cortex, where two populations of sites have previously been described (5-HT_IA, 5-HT_IB). In addition to the multiple high-affinity spinal cord binding sites, a low-affinity [³H]5-HT binding component was also identified. A curvilinear Scatchard plot results from saturation studies using [³H]5-HT (0.5–100 nM) in the spinal cord. The plot can be resolved into sites having apparent dissociation constants of 1.4 nM and 57.8 nM for the high-and low-affinity components, respectively. Additional support for a change in affinity characteristics at higher radioligand concentrations comes from the displacement of 30 nM [³H]5-HT by the unlabeled ligand. A nonparallel shift in the dissociation curve was seen, resulting in a Hill coefficient less than unity (0.32). None of the specifically bound [³H]5-HT in the spinal cord is associated with the 5-HT uptake carrier, since fluoxetine, an inhibitor of 5-HT uptake, does not alter binding characteristics. In addition, a 5-HT binding site analogous to the site designated 5-HT, was not apparent in the spinal cord. Ketanse-rin and cyproheptadine, drugs that are highly selective for 5-HT, sites, did not displace [³H]5-HT from spinal tissue, and [³H]spiperone, a radioligand that binds with high affinity to 5-HT₂ sites, did not exhibit saturable binding in the tissue. Thus, the 5-HT₂ binding site reported in other regions of the central nervous system, and the serotonin uptake carrier do not appear to contribute to the multiple binding sites demonstrated in the spinal cord.     

Pharmacological Evidence for the Involvement of Calciuml Calmodulin in Serotonin 5-HT3 Receptor-Mediated Cation Permeability in NG 108-15 Cells

Abstract: In NG 108–15 clonal cells, extracellular application of micromolar concentrations of serotonin [5-hydroxy-tryptamine (5-HT)] and substance P induces the opening of a cation permeability monitored by the influx of [¹⁴C]-guanidinium. The serotoninergic component of this cation permeability Is linked to 5-HT₃ receptor activation, whereas the substance P component probably involves an “N-terminal-dependent substance P receptor.” In this study, [¹⁴C]guanidinium influx triggered by 1 μM 5-HT plus 10 μM substance P was shown to be insensitive to tetrodotoxin, verapamil, diltiazem, nimodipine, and ω-conotoxin, as expected from a process independent of voltage-sensitive sodium and calcium channels. In contrast, [¹⁴C]guanidinium influx was inhibited by millimolar concentrations of extracellular calcium and by the chelation of intracellular calcium by bis-O-aminophenoxyethanetetraacetic acid. The inhibition by extracellular calcium apparently involved a competition between the divalent cation and [¹⁴C]guanidinium for the same channel. When NG 108–15 cells were exposed to X537A, an ionophore that specifically induces release of calcium from intracellular stores, [¹⁴C]guanidinium uptake was markedly increased even in the absence of 5-HT and/or substance P. Conversely, [¹⁴C]guanidinium influx due to the latter substances could be reversibly and dose-dependently blocked by various drugs that possess calmodulin-antagonizing properties. These results strongly suggest that the cation permeability opened by 5-HT and substance P in NG 108–15 cells involves a calcium/calmodulin-dependent process. However, as the phosphodiesterase inhibitor isobutylmethylxanthine, the nitric oxide synthase inhibitor A/monomethylarginine, the protein kinase C inhibitor staurosporine, and the protein kinase C activator 12-O-tetradeca-noylphorbol 13-acetate did not alter [¹⁴C]guanidinium influx in NG 108–15 cells exposed to 5-HT and substance P., this process probably does not involve the calcium-dependent nitric oxide pathway and protein kinase C activation.     

Brain 5-hydroxytryptamine level,metabolism, and binding in E1 mice

Inbred E1 mice are highly susceptible to convulsive seizures upon “throwing” stimulation. The strain is known to have an abnormal 5-hydroxytryptamine (5-HT) metabolism. In the study here 5-HT level, [¹⁴C]5-hydroxytryptophan (5-HTP) metabolism, MAO activity and [³H]5-HT receptor binding were examined in the cortex, brainstem and cerebellum. In the interictal period cortical and brainstem 5-HT level and [³H]5-HT receptor binding were significantly lower. In the same period cortical biosynthesized [¹⁴C]5-HT from [¹⁴C]5-HTP taken up was higher, and MAO activity was not changed.L-DOPA with MK486 induced a low threshold of seizures and decreased cortical 5-HT level. Abnormally functioning 5-HT neurones may exist in the E1 mouse cortex.     

[3H]HARMALINE AS A SPECIFIC LIGAND OF MAO A—I. PROPERTIES OF THE ACTIVE SITE OF MAO A FROM RAT AND BOVINE BRAINS

A high-affinity (K_d= 5.9 nM) specific binding site for [³H]harmaline was detected in membranes from rat and bovine brains. Studies of the regional and subcellular distributions of this binding indicated its close association with monoamine oxidase type A activity (MAO A) measured with [³H]serotonin ([³H]5-HT) as the substrate. Maximal binding capacity and MAO A activity were found in mitochondrial enriched fractions. Mitochondria of synaptosomal or extra-synaptosomal origin exhibited very similar properties with respect to [³H]harmaline binding characteristics and MAO A activity. Among psychoactive drugs, only monoamine oxidase inhibitors (MAO I) prevented the specific binding of [₃H]harmaline. Logit-log inhibition curves of binding by MAO I gave only one slope which was not significantly different from 1.0, suggesting the existence of only 1 category of specific sites for [³H]harmaline in the membrane preparations from rat and bovine brains. Consistent with the preferential inhibition of MAO A by harmaline, other MAO I of this class, i.e. clorgyline and Lilly 51641, were 10²-2 × 10³ times more efficient than deprenyl and pargyline, two inhibitors of MAO type B, in displacing [³H]harmaline from its specific binding site. K_i and IC₅₀ values for the inhibition of [³H]harmaline binding by MAO I and MAO substrates (tryptamine, 5-HT, norepinephrine) were almost identical with those characterizing their action on MAO A activity with [³H]5-HT as the substrate. In conclusion, the specific binding site for [³H]harmaline exhibited all the expected properties of the active site of MAO A. Like the technique of precipitation with a specific antibody, binding of [³H]harmaline should be of great help for studying the structural characteristics of the active site of MAO A and determining the number of MAO molecules in tissues under various physiological conditions.     

Purification and functional properties of the DCCD-reactive proteolipid subunit of the H+-translocating ATPase from Mycobacterium phlei

Interaction of N,N′-dicyclohexylcarbodiimide (DCCD) with ATPase of Mycobacterium phlei membranes results in inactivation of ATPase activity. The rate of inactivation of ATPase was pseudo-first order for the initial 30–65% inactivation over a concentration range of 5–50 μM DCCD. The second-order rate constant of the DCCD-ATPase interaction was k = 8.5·10⁵ M^?1·min^?1. The correlation between the initial binding of [¹⁴C]DCCD and 100% inactivation of ATPase activity shows 1.57 nmol DCCD bound per mg membrane protein. The proteolipid subunit of the F₀F₁-ATPase complex in membranes of M. phlei with which DCCD covalently reacts to inhibit ATPase was isolated by labeling with [¹⁴C]DCCD. The proteolipid was purified from the membrane in free and DCCD-modified form by extraction with chloroform/methanol and subsequent chromatography on Sephadex LH-20. The polypeptide was homogeneous on SDS-acrylamide gel electrophoresis and has an apparent molecular weight of 8000. The purified proteolipid contains phosphatidylinositol (67%), phosphatidylethanolamine (18%) and cardiolipin (8%). Amino acid analysis indicates that glycine, alanine and leucine were present in elevated amounts, resulting in a polarity of 27%. Cysteine and tryptophan were lacking. Butanol-extracted proteolipid mediated the translocation of protons across the bilayer, in K⁺-loaded reconstituted liposomes, in response to a membrane potential difference induced by valinomycin. The proton translocation was inhibited by DCCD, as measured by the quenching of fluorescence of 9-aminoacridine. Studies show that vanadate inhibits the proton gradient driven by ATP hydrolysis in membrane vesicles of M. phlei by interacting with the proteolipid subunit sector of the F₀F₁-ATPase complex.     

Isolation of plasma membrane and binding of the Ca2+ antagonist nimodipine in Chlamydomonas reinhardtii

Chlorophyll-free plasma membranes of the unicellular green alga Chlamydomonas reinhardtii Dangeard were purified from a microsomal fraction using an aqueous polymer two-phase system of 6.5% (w/w) dextran T500, 6·5% (w/w) polyethylene glycol 3350, 60 mM NaCI, 0 33 M sucrose and 5 mM potassium phosphate (pH 7·8). The plasma membrane fraction contained only 2·4% of the microsomal membrane protein. Specific activity of the plasma membrane marker enzyme, K*, Mg²⁺-ATPase (EC 3.6.1.3). was enriched 9-fold over the microsomal fraction, and 22% of total activity was recovered in the upper, polyethylene glycol-rich phase. Contamination from intracellular membranes was minimal. K*, Mg²⁺-ATPase showed a pH optimum at about 6·5, and addition of 0·05% (w/v) Triton X-100 stimulated the activity 3-fold. [³H]-Nimodipinc was employed to characterize 1,4-dihydropyridine-specific membrane receptors. Two apparent binding sites with different affinities to nimodipine were found in the crude microsomal fraction. The separation of plasma membranes from intracellular membranes revealed that one binding site with higher affinity (K_D= 9 nM) was located on the plasma membrane and a second binding site with lower affinity (K_D= 36 nM) on an intracellular membrane The apparent dissociation constants determined from the association and dissociation rate constants in kinetic experiments were comparable to those determined by equilibrium experiments. The maximum number of binding sites of the plasma membrane fraction and the intracellular membrane fraction was B_max= 440 and 470 fmol (mg protein)^-1, respectively. [³H]-Nimodipinc binding was inhibited by (±) verapamil and stimulated by D-cis-diltiazem in both fractions. Moreover, ethyle-neglycol-bis(2-aminoethylcther)-N, N'-tetraacctic acid (EGTA) inhibited [³H]-nimo-dipinc binding in the plasma membrane fraction but not in the intracellular membrane fraction This effect was cancelled by the addition of CaCl₂.     

Cholinergic Binding to the Receptor Proteolipid from Torpedo Electroplax Separated by Ion Exchange Chromatography

Abstract

Proteolipids (i.e., hydrophobic proteins) have been extracted with chloroform-methanol (2:1) from lyophilized Torpedo electroplax, and fractionated on a DEAE-cellulose column. The elution system consisted of the same solvent and a gradient of the hydrophobic ion ptoluene sulfonate (0.1–100mM). The three fractions obtained (I, II and III) have different content of protein, lipid P, and reducing sugars. The amino acid composition shows a higher proportion of hydrophobic residues in I and more charged ones in fractions II and III. Polyacryl amide gel electrophoresis of fraction I shows a single major band of 39 kdaltons; in fractions II and III a major band of 42 kdaltons and fainter bands in the range 62–68 kdaltons are observed.

Fraction I has the highest specific binding for [³H]-acetylcholine (7.1 nmol/mg protein) and [³H]α-bungarotoxin (5.2 nmol/mg protein). The nicotinic nature of this proteolipid was demonstrated by blocking experiments. The Scatchard plot showed two affinity sites for [³H]-acetylcholine (Kd₁ = 3nM and Kd₂ = 1.1 μm). 4-(N-maleimido) pheny1 [³H]trimethylammonium specifically labeled the 39 kdaltons band.

The possible factors involved in the fractionation of proteolipids are discussed. The findings suggest that the 39 kdaltons polypeptide contains the receptor site for acetylcholine and that the other proteolipid components may play a different function in the membrane.     

Atypical incorporation of single amino acids into myelin proteins.

—Purified myelin incorporated l -[¹⁴C]leucine and l -[¹⁴C]lysine into myelin proteins in an enzymatic process similar to that of renal brush border membranes. The system was not inhibited by cycloheximide or puromycin or by pretreatment with ribonuclease; the reaction was inhibited by cetophenicol. ATP was an effector, shifting the optimal pH from 7.2 to 8.3. In the presence of ATP, myelin was less dense in a sucrose gradient. Ammonia was released from the membrane during the incorporation of amino acids. Myelin preloaded with cold leucine did not incorporate [¹⁴C]leucine but did incorporate [¹⁴C]lysine; there was no cross inhibition between the two amino acids. The incorporation was into or onto proteins of the Wolfgram proteolipid fraction of myelin. The incorporation was of the high affinity type with a K_m of 10^?7m and was restricted to the natural amino acids.