The Cellular Regulation of Vesicle Exocytosis by Entamoeba histolytica1,2

ABSTRACT. We studied the cellular regulation of vesicle exocytosis by Entamoeba histolytica utilizing release of endocytosed ¹²⁵iodine (¹²⁵I) labeled tyrosine conjugated dextran; ¹²⁵I-dextran entered the acid pH vesicles of the amebae and was not degraded during these studies. Exocytosis was temperature dependent with 74%, 36%, 4%, and 0% of ¹²⁵I-dextran released after 120 min at 37°C, 31°C, 25°C, and 4°C, respectively (P < 0.01 for each). Exocytosis at 37°C was inhibited by cytochalasin D (10 μg/ml), EDTA (10 mM), or the putative intracellular calcium antagonist TMB-8 (250 μM) (P < 0.01 for each at ≥ 60 min). Calcium ionophore A23187 (1 μM) enhanced exocytosis at 5 and 15 min (P < 0.01). Elevation of vesicle pH with NH₄Cl (10 mM) had no effect on release of ¹²⁵I-dextran; phorbol myristate acetate (10^?6 M) increased exocytosis by 46% at 30 min (P < 0.01). Centrifugation of amebae with target Chinese hamster ovary cells resulted in decreased ¹²⁵I-dextran release into the cell supernatant after 30 and 60 min at 37°C (by 40% and 42%, respectively, P < 0.01); release of ¹²⁵I-dextran returned to control values with addition of 1.0 g% galactose or GalNac but not with mannose or N-acetyl-D-glucosamine. Amebic phagocytosis of serum-exposed latex beads had no effect on release of dextran by amebae (n = 16). Exocytosis of acid pH vesicles by E. histolytica is temperature-, microfilament-, and calcium-dependent, and stimulated by phorbol esters.     

Binding and endocytosis of apo- and holo-lactoferrin by isolated rat hepatocytes.

We characterized binding and endocytosis of 125I-bovine lactoferrin by isolated rat hepatocytes. Iron-depleted (apo-Lf), approximately 30% saturated (Lf), and iron-saturated (holo-Lf) lactoferrin were used. At 4 degrees C, cells bound 125I-apo-Lf and 125I-holo-Lf with nearly identical apparent first order kinetics (t1/2 = approximately 42 min). Holo-Lf and apo-Lf competed with each other for binding. Hepatocytes bound lactoferrin optimally at pH greater than or equal to 7 but poorly at pH less than or equal to 6. Ca2+ (greater than or equal to 100 microM) enhanced Lf binding to cells, and holo-Lf remained monomeric with Ca2+ present as determined by gel filtration chromatography. With Ca2+, cells exhibited approximately 10(6) high affinity sites (Kd approximately 20 nM) and approximately 10(7) low affinity sites (Kd approximately 700 nM) for both apo- and holo-Lf. Without Ca2+, cells bound 125I-holo-Lf by the low affinity component only. EGTA and dextran sulfate together released greater than or equal to 90% 125I-Lf prebound at 4 degrees C, but individually removed separate populations of surface-bound 125I-Lf. Cells bound 125I-Lf in a Ca(2+)-dependent manner with dextran sulfate present. We conclude that the high affinity but not the low affinity sites require Ca2+; only the low affinity sites are dextran sulfate-sensitive. Neither transferrin nor asialo-orosomucoid blocked lactoferrin binding to hepatocytes. Some cationic proteins but not others inhibited lactoferrin binding. At 37 degrees C, hepatocytes endocytosed 125I-apo-Lf and 125I-holo-Lf similarly, and hyperosmolality (greater than 500 mmol/kg) blocked uptake by approximately 90%. These data support the proposal that hepatocytes regulate blood lactoferrin concentration by receptor-mediated endocytosis.     

Endocytosis and subsequent processing of 125I-labelled immunoglobulin G by guinea pig yolk sac in vitro.

We have developed conditions for studying the binding, uptake, degradation and transport of 125I-labelled IgG by yolk sac in vitro. Specific binding to tissue at 4 degrees C and to paraformaldehyde-treated tissue at 37 degrees C was time- and temperature-dependent and showed saturation kinetics (Kd,4 degrees C = 2.9 X 10(-6) M, Kd,37 degrees C = 5.3 X 10(-6) M). Uptake was studied at 37 degrees C using untreated tissue (K uptake = 13.3 X 10(-6) M) and was inhibited by preincubation with metabolic poisons but not with cycloheximide. Tissue that had been incubated with 125I-labelled IgG at 37 degrees C released radiolabelled degradation products and intact 125I-labelled IgG into the medium. Experiments with paraformaldehyde-treated and untreated tissue showed that release of intact 125I-labelled IgG was mostly the result of ligand dissociation from surface binding sites. However, more 125I-labelled IgG was released from untreated tissue than could be accounted for solely by loss of surface-bound ligand and the difference was presumed to reflect uptake, transport and exocytosis of 125I-labelled IgG. Degradation of 125I-labelled IgG was inhibited by leupeptin and lysosomotropic amines. These drugs had no detectable effect on 125I-labelled IgG release. The results suggest that degradation and transport of IgG are not intimately related and are consistent with a previously proposed model for IgG transport via coated vesicles which do not fuse with lysosomes and for non-selective uptake into another class of vesicle which does fuse with lysosomes.     

Binding and uptake of concanavalin A into rat brain synaptosomes: evidence for synaptic vesicle recycling

The specific binding of radioiodinated concanavalin A (125I-con A) to rat brain synaptosomes was shown to be saturable. In the presence of excess on A binding was rapid and was completed within 5 min (t1/2 was 25 s) at 37 degrees C, and at saturation the amount bound did not change over time. Under the electron microscope, concanavalin A-ferritin (con A-ft) bound to synaptosomes in two regions: in the extra-junctional plasma membrane and within the synaptic cleft of Gray type 1 and 2 synapses. Synaptosomes incubated with con A-ft at 37 degrees C internalized bound lectin by endocytosis through coated pits. Endocytosis took place in the extra-junctional membrane, because it can occur before con A-ft has penetrated into the synaptic cleft, and continued for a considerable time (more than 30 min) after saturation of the receptor(s). Synaptic vesicles, which have at least two con A receptors on the internal aspect of their membranes, and cisternae, become labelled. When exocytosis was induced in synaptosomes by K+ depolarizations, synaptic vesicle con A receptors became incorporated into the plasma membrane and were labelled with 125I-con A causing a 2.5-fold increase in con A binding that was Ca2+ dependent. These experiments thus provide evidence for the transient incorporation of synaptic vesicle membrane glycoproteins into the plasma membrane during transmitter release.     

Entamoeba histolytica: chemoattractant activity for gerbil neutrophils in vivo and in vitro

The kinetics of the host's cellular response in the peritoneal cavity of gerbils toward axenic pathogenic and nonpathogenic Entamoeba histolytica strains were examined. Amebae contained in diffusion chambers or free in the peritoneum elicited a neutrophilic response accompanied by decreased levels of macrophages and lymphocytes. Pathogenic amebae (IP:0682:1 strain) elicited a neutrophilic response greater than the nonpathogenic DKB and "entamoeba-like" Laredo amebae. The neutrophil eliciting factor was found in high levels in disrupted freeze-thawed amebae (53% elicited neutrophils vs 8% for control), glutaraldehyde fixed amebae (45%) and amebic membranes (65%), and low levels in conditioned amebic medium (15%) and the supernatant fraction of amebae (16%). The factor was heat stable to high temperature (100 C for 30 min) and at various pH (6 to 9). The neutrophil eliciting factor in amebic membranes was lowered following pretreatment for 30 min with 1% immune and nonimmune gerbil or human sera (34-48% lowered neutrophil response vs control), acidic pH (less than 3, 69%), proteolytic digestion [trypsin (68%) and alpha-chymotrypsin (72%), 100 micrograms/ml], and 2% Triton X-100 (75%). Peritoneal neutrophils isolated following stimulation with amebic membranes or thioglycollate medium demonstrated higher chemotaxis in vitro toward live pathogenic amebae and amebic membranes (IP:0682:1 strain) compared to either the supernatant fraction or the nonpathogenic DKB or Laredo amebae. The results of this study indicate that membrane bound proteins of pathogenic amebae are chemotactic for gerbil neutrophils which may be important in the pathogenesis and pathology of amebiasis.     

Characterization of ligand binding and processing by bombesin receptors in an insulin-secreting cell line.

Bombesin is a tetradecapeptide which stimulates insulin secretion in vivo by isolated islets and by HIT-T15 cells, a clonal line of hamster pancreatic-islet cells. In the present study we have used [125I-Tyr4]bombesin to characterize bombesin receptors in HIT-T15 cells. [125I-Tyr4]Bombesin binding was time- and temperature-dependent: maximum binding occurred after 45 min, 90 min and 10 h at 37, 22 and 4 degrees C respectively. Thereafter, cell-associated radioactivity declined at 37 degrees C and 22 degrees C but not at 4 degrees C. Scatchard analysis of [125I-Tyr4]bombesin binding measured at 4 degrees C showed that HIT-T15 cells contain a single class of binding sites (approximately equal to 85000/cell) with an apparent Kd of 0.9 +/- 0.11 nM. Structurally unrelated neuropeptides did not compete for [125I-Tyr4]bombesin binding. However, the relative potencies of bombesin and four bombesin analogues in inhibiting the binding of [125I-Tyr4]bombesin correlated with their ability to stimulate insulin release. Receptor-mediated processing of [125I-Tyr4]bombesin was examined by using an acid wash (0.2 M-acetic acid/0.5 M-NaCl, pH 2.5) to dissociate surface-bound peptide from the cells. Following [125I-Tyr4]bombesin binding at 4 degrees C, more than 85% of the cell-associated radioactivity could be released by acid. When the temperature was then increased to 37 degrees C, the bound radioactivity was rapidly (t1/2 less than 3 min) converted into an acid-resistant state. These results indicate that receptor-bound [125I-Tyr4]bombesin is internalized in a temperature-dependent manner. In fact, the entire ligand-receptor complex appeared to be internalized, since pretreatment of cells with 100 nM-bombesin for 90 min at 37 degrees C decreased the subsequent binding of [125I-Tyr4]bombesin by 90%. The chemical nature of the cell-associated radioactivity was determined by reverse-phase chromatography of the material extracted from cells after a 30 min binding incubation at 37 degrees C. Although 70% of the saturably bound radioactivity was co-eluted with intact [125I-Tyr4]bombesin 90% of the radioactivity subsequently dissociated from cells chromatographed as free iodide. At least some of the degradation of receptor-bound [125I-Tyr4]bombesin appeared to occur in lysosomes, since chloroquine increased the cellular accumulation of [125I-Tyr4]bombesin at 37 degrees C and slowed the release of radioactivity.(ABSTRACT TRUNCATED AT 400 WORDS)     

Inhibition of insulin receptor binding by phorbol esters

Phorbol esters inhibit the binding of insulin to its receptors on U-937 monocyte-like and HL-60 promyelocytic leukemia human cell lines. Within 20-30 min, exposure of these cells to 12-O-tetradecanoylphorbol 13-acetate (TPA) at 37 degrees C results in a 50% reduction of the specific binding of 125I-insulin. Half-maximal inhibition occurs at 1 nM TPA. Other tumor-promoting phorbol esters also inhibit 125I-insulin binding in a dose-dependent manner which parallels their known promoting activity in vivo. TPA does not alter the degradation of the hormone nor does it induce any shedding of its receptors in the medium. The effect of phorbol esters is dependent on temperature and cell type. It is less prominent at 22 degrees C than at 37 degrees C. It is reversible within 2 h at 37 degrees C. TPA reduces the binding of insulin predominantly by increasing its dissociation rate. This effect results in an accelerated turnover of the hormone on its receptors.     

Thyrotropin releasing hormone action in pituitary cells. Protein kinase C-mediated effects on the epidermal growth factor receptor

Thyrotropin releasing hormone (TRH) causes phosphatidylinositol bisphosphate hydrolysis to form inositol trisphosphate and diacylglycerol. Since diacylglycerol activates protein kinase C (Ca2+/phospholipid-dependent enzyme), this enzyme may be involved in mediating the physiological response to TRH. Activation of protein kinase C leads to phosphorylation of receptors for epidermal growth factor (EGF) and decreased EGF affinity. The present study examined the effect of TRH on EGF binding to intact GH4C1 rat pituitary tumor cells to test whether TRH activates protein kinase C. Cells were incubated with TRH at 37 degrees C and specific 125I-EGF binding was then measured at 4 degrees C. 125I-EGF binding was decreased by a 10-min treatment with 0.1-100 nM TRH to 30-40% of control in a dose-dependent manner. 125I-EGF binding was not altered if cells were incubated at 4 degrees C, although TRH receptors were saturated or in a variant pituitary cell line without TRH receptors. TRH (10 min at 37 degrees C) decreased EGF receptor affinity but caused little change in receptor density, 125I-EGF internalization, or degradation. When cells were incubated continuously with TRH, there was a recovery of 125I-EGF binding after 24 h. Incubation with the protein kinase C activating phorbol ester TPA caused an immediate (less than 10 min) profound (greater than 85%) decrease in 125I-EGF binding followed by partial recovery at 24 h. Maximally effective doses of TRH and TPA decreased EGF receptor affinity with half-times of 3 min. EGF treatment (5 min) caused an increase in the tyrosine phosphate content of several proteins; prior incubation with TRH resulted in a small decline in the EGF response. GH4C1 cells were incubated with 500 nM TPA for 24 h in order to down-regulate protein kinase C. Protein kinase C depletion was confirmed by immunoblots and the effects of TRH and TPA on 125I-EGF binding were tested. TRH and TPA were both much less effective in cells pretreated with phorbol esters. TRH increased cytoplasmic pH measured with an intracellularly trapped pH sensitive dye after mild acidification with nigericin. This TRH response is presumed to be the result of protein kinase C-mediated activation of the amiloride-sensitive Na+/H+ exchanger and was blunted in protein kinase C-depleted cells. All of these results are consistent with the view that TRH acts rapidly in the intact cell to activate protein kinase C and that a consequence of this activation is EGF receptor phosphorylation and Na+/H+ exchanger activation.     

Acid intracellular vesicles and the cytolysis of mammalian target cells by Entamoeba histolytica trophozoites

Entamoeba histolytica kills mammalian target cells in a multi-step sequential process with separate adherence, cytolytic, and phagocytic events. In the studies reported here, we used fluorescein isothiocyanate linked to dextran to label the endocytic vesicles of the HM1 strain of E. histolytica and measure vesicle pH (5.1 +/- 0.2 by spectrofluorimetry). Concentrations of NH4Cl (1.0-10.0 mM) sufficient to increase vesicle pH to greater than or equal to 5.7 inhibited amebic killing of target Chinese hamster ovary (CHO) cells as assayed by trypan blue staining, by the release of 3H-thymidine previously incorporated into CHO cell monolayers, and by the release of 111indium oxine from radiolabeled CHO cells. Similar effects were also observed with two other weak bases, primaquine and chloroquine (both 50 microM). In contrast, NH4Cl (10 mM) did not affect either the adherence or phagocytic events, as measured by amebic adherence to CHO cells at 4 degrees C and by the binding and ingestion of 3H-leucine-labeled bacteria. In the presence of NH4Cl and the carbohydrate ligand asialofetuin, there was no evidence of intracellular trapping of the amebic galactose-inhibitable lectin; inhibition of adherence by cycloheximide (10 micrograms/ml for 3 h) suggested rapid turnover of the surface lectin. Prolonged exposure to NH4Cl for 48 h (which had no effect on amebic protein synthesis) or shorter exposure to cycloheximide (10 micrograms for 3 h) produced persistent inhibition of cytolysis. These results indicate that an uninterrupted acid pH in intracellular endocytic vesicles is necessary for the cytolysis of target cells by E. histolytica trophozoites.     

Phorbol esters inhibit the binding of low-density lipoproteins (LDL) to U-937 monocytelike cells

The present study demonstrates that U-937 monocytelike human cells possess specific LDL receptors. 125I-LDL binds at 4 degrees C on the cell surface. The bound molecules are releasable by heparin. The reaction requires Ca2+ and the binding sites are sensitive to proteolysis. Unlabeled LDL compete with 125I-LDL, whereas HDL are ineffective. At 37 degrees C, LDL are internalized and degraded by a chloroquine-sensitive pathway. Tumor-promoting phorbol esters inhibit the binding of 125I-LDL to its receptor on U-937 cells. This inhibition exhibits temperature, time, and concentration dependence. At 37 degrees C, inhibition is 50% at 5 X 10(-9) M of TPA. After removal of phorbol esters, treated cells recover their 125I-LDL-binding activity in 60 min. The inhibitory activities of various phorbol esters are proportional to their tumor-promoting activities. Inhibition appears to be due to a reduction in the number of available LDL receptors rather than a decrease in receptor affinity.     

Binding and internalization of VIP in rat intestinal epithelial cells.

We have prepared villous cells from the jejunum of the rat small intestine and studied the effects of divalent cations and bacitracin on the binding and internalization of VIP. Villous epithelial cells (4 x 10(6) cells/ml) were suspended in a Hepes-NaCl buffer with 1.0% BSA, (pH 7.4) and the cells were incubated for varying periods of time with 125I-VIP at 24 degrees C. Specific binding of radiolabeled VIP was maximal within 10 min (10%) and slowly declined to 9.0 percent after 30 min. In the presence of 1.0 mg/ml bacitracin, however, maximal specific binding of VIP was only 2.7 percent (P less than or equal to 0.001). The addition of CA2+ or Mg2+ to the buffer significantly decreased binding of VIP in a concentration dependent manner. At 8.0, 4.0, 2.0 and 1.0 mM Ca2+, binding of 125I-VIP decreased by 70, 60, 40 and 25 percent, whereas in the presence of the same concentrations of Mg2+ binding was decreased to 50, 38, 25 and 10 percent (P less than or equal to 0.01). To determine if epithelial cells internalize VIP, we bound 125I-VIP to villous cells and then differentiated surface-bound and internalized radioactivity by treating with trypsin (150 micrograms/ml). Surface bound radioligand was the same at both 24 and 4 degrees C (5.3%), while internalized 125I-VIP was 4.0% at 24 degrees C compared to only 1.0% at 4 degrees C (P less than or equal to 0.001). At 24 and 4 degrees C, both Ca2+ (4.0 mM) and Mg2+ (8.0 mM) decreased surface bound radioligand by 60 percent (P less than or equal to 0.01) and lowered internalized radioactivity. These data demonstrate that (1) bacitracin decreases the binding of VIP to small intestinal epithelial cells, (2) both Ca2+ and Mg2+ affect the binding of VIP to its surface receptor and (3) VIP is internalized into epithelial cells.     

Receptor-bound somatostatin and epidermal growth factor are processed differently in GH4C1 rat pituitary cells

GH4C1 cells, a clonal strain of rat pituitary tumor cells, have high-affinity, functional receptors for the inhibitory hypothalamic peptide somatostatin (SRIF) and for epidermal growth factor (EGF). In this study we have examined the events that follow the initial binding of SRIF to its specific plasma membrane receptors in GH4C1 cells and have compared the processing of receptor-bound SRIF with that of EGF. When cells were incubated with [125I-Tyr1]SRIF at temperatures ranging from 4 to 37 degrees C, greater than 80% of the specifically bound peptide was removed by extraction with 0.2 M acetic acid, 0.5 M NaCl, pH 2.5. In contrast, the subcellular distribution of receptor-bound 125I-EGF was temperature dependent. Whereas greater than 95% of specifically bound 125I-EGF was removed by acid treatment after a 4 degrees C binding incubation, less than 10% was removed when the binding reaction was performed at 22 or 37 degrees C. In pulse-chase experiments, receptor-bound 125I-EGF was transferred from an acid-sensitive to an acid-resistant compartment with a half-time of 2 min at 37 degrees C. In contrast, the small amount of [125I-Tyr1]SRIF that was resistant to acid treatment did not increase during a 2-h chase incubation at 37 degrees C. Chromatographic analysis of the radioactivity released from cells during dissociation incubations at 37 degrees C showed that greater than 90% of prebound 125I-EGF was released as 125I-tyrosine, whereas prebound [125I-Tyr1]SRIF was released as a mixture of intact peptide (55%) and 125I-tyrosine (45%). Neither chloroquine (0.1 mM), ammonium chloride (20 mM), nor leupeptin (0.1 mg/ml) increased the amount of [125I-Tyr1]SRIF bound to cells at 37 degrees C. Furthermore, chloroquine and leupeptin did not alter the rate of dissociation or degradation of prebound [125I-Tyr1]SRIF. In contrast, these inhibitors increased the amount of cell-associated 125I-EGF during 37 degrees C binding incubations and decreased the subsequent rate of release of 125I-tyrosine. The results presented indicate that, as in other cell types, EGF underwent rapid receptor-mediated endocytosis in GH4C1 cells and was subsequently degraded in lysosomes. In contrast, SRIF remained at the cell surface for several hours although it elicits its biological effects within minutes. Furthermore, a constant fraction of the receptor-bound [125I-Tyr1]SRIF was degraded at the cell surface before dissociation. Therefore, after initial binding of [125I-Tyr1]SRIF and 125I-EGF to their specific membrane receptors, these peptides are processed very differently in GH4C1 cells.     

Changes in IL-8 release and intracellular content in DMSO-differentiated HL-60 cells after treatment with 4-hydroxynonenal

4-Hydroxynonenal (HNE), a chemotactic aldehyde produced by lipid peroxidation, has been shown to trigger exocytosis in HL-60 cells induced to differentiate toward the granulocytic cell line by DMSO. In this work we studied HNE effects on the intracellular content of IL-8 and its release in DMSO-differentiated HL-60 cells. Cell incubation at 37 degrees C in the presence of 0.1 microM HNE induced a significant increase of IL-8 release after 30 min; the degree of HNE-induced IL-8 secretion became quite strong after 1 h, whereas the intracellular content showed no statistically significant changes. By contrast, 1 microM HNE induced a low decrease of the chemokine release; however, the used HNE concentrations failed to increase the release of lactate dehydrogenase (LDH), a test used to assay cell viability. The addition of 0.1 microM IL-8 to DMSO-differentiated HL-60 cells induced a strong increase of exocytosis, measured by beta-glucuronidase secretion. Exocytosis stimulation by IL-8 was much higher than that given by the aldehyde; the addition of various HNE concentrations to cells incubated in the presence of IL-8 decreased the secretion given by the cytokine alone. However, HNE-induced exocytosis was likely to be a direct action of the aldehyde and was not mediated through the stimulation of IL-8 release since HNE was unable to modify IL-8 secretion during the short time of 10 min used in the exocytosis assay.     

Effects of temperature on the degradation and biliary secretion of asialoorosomucoid by the perfused rat liver: evidence for two intracellular pathways

We have utilized the in situ perfused rat liver under nonrecirculating conditions to examine the effect of temperature on the metabolism and biliary secretion of [125I]-asialoorosomucid (ASOR). In this manner we were able to follow the fate of a single round of internalized ligand. In control livers perfused at 37 degrees C, approximately 50% of [125I]-ASOR injected into the portal vein was extracted on first pass. Five minutes after the injection, radioactivity, which had been extracted initially, began to appear in the hepatic venous effluent. Within 25 min, 50% of the initially extracted radioactivity was released into the perfusion medium; the bulk of this radioactivity (greater than 95%) was soluble in trichloroacetic acid. In livers perfused at temperatures slightly less than 37 degrees C (30-35 degrees C), first-pass extraction of [125I]-ASOR was similar to that observed at 37 degrees C. However, a severalfold decrease in the rate of release of radioactivity from the liver into the perfusion medium was noted at the lower perfusion temperatures; whereas greater than 50% of the initially extracted radioactivity was released within 30 min from livers perfused at 37 degrees C, only 5% was released at 30 degrees C. At the lower perfusion temperature, a larger proportion of the released radioactivity was acid precipitable (24% vs. 5%). Some radioactivity also was recovered in the bile; of the total amount of radioactivity released from the liver in 30 min at 37 degrees C, approximately 5% was directed into the bile. At lower temperatures of perfusion, a greater fraction of the radioactivity that was released from the liver was directed into the bile (20% at 30 degrees C vs. 5% at 37 degrees C). The data imply that the endosomal pathway to the lysosome is highly sensitive to slight reductions in temperature while the transcytotic route into bile is less sensitive. Lower temperatures might prolong the residence time of ASOR in the prelysosomal endosomal compartments, and thereby increase the likelihood that undegraded ligand will be returned to the blood or be missorted into bile.     

Degradation and processing of cholecystokinin in guinea pig fundic gastric glands

The degradation of 125I-CCK8 in guinea pig fundic gastric glands was time and temperature dependent. At both 24 and 37 degrees C, dithiothreitol (DTT) and chloroquine reduced the degradation of the internalized 125I-CCK8. After 60 min of binding, DTT, chloroquine and DTT plus chloroquine together significantly reduced radioligand degradation by 43, 55 and 66%, respectively, compared to control at 24 degrees C, and these differences remained significant after 1, 2 and 3 hr of processing. Similar effects were noted at 37 degrees C. About 75% of the radioactivity appearing in the supernatant after 60 min of exocytosis at 37 degrees C represented degraded material as measured by both Sep-Pak chromatography and rebinding methods. DTT and chloroquine both significantly reduced the amounts of degraded radioligand exocytosed from these glands.     

Elution and rebinding of gonadotropins to receptors in corpora lutea: comparisons among treatments and species

Several treatment regimens have been used to dissociate bound gonadotropins from their target tissues to quantify numbers of occupied receptors. To compare the efficacy of these methods, we evaluated the ability of a number of treatments to elute bound gonadotropins from corpora lutea of various species. In addition, we examined the capacity of luteal tissue to rebind gonadotropins after efficacious elution (greater than 90% dissociation of bound gonadotropin). Particulate (20,000 g) preparations of luteal tissue from pseudopregnant rats and from nonpregnant pigs and rhesus monkeys were incubated with 125I-labeled human luteinizing hormone (hLH, NIH-LH-11) or 125I-labelled chorionic gonadotropin (hCG, CR119) for 20 h at 25 degrees C to occupy gonadotropin receptors. Heat treatment (60 degrees C) eluted greater than 80% of bound 125I-hLH from rat tissue within 30 min, but similar treatment dissociated only 35% of 125I-hLH bound to porcine tissue (p less than 0.01). Likewise, heat treatment eluted only 57% of 125I-hLH bound to macaque tissue. At 4 degrees C, the following treatments dissociated greater than 90% of specifically bound 125I-hLH from porcine and rat luteal particulates within 5 min: acetic acid (pH 2.3), formic acid (pH 2.3), propionic acid (pH 2.3), acetic acid: HCl (pH 2.3 and 3.3), and MgCl2 (4 M). After 1-2 h at 4 degrees C, exposure to urea (4 M) or acetic acid:HCl (pH 4.3) also eluted greater than 90% of bound 125I-hLH.(ABSTRACT TRUNCATED AT 250 WORDS)     

Adenovirus-dependent increase in cell membrane permeability

When KB cells were labeled with either 51Cr (1 microCi/ml) or [35S]methionine (5 microCi/ml) and treated with 10 micrograms/ml of adenovirus type 2 (Ad2) at pH 6.0 for 60 min at 37 degrees C, about 25% of the cell-associated 51Cr and 5% of the [35S]methionine were released into the medium. The 51Cr was mainly associated with molecules of 1500 Da or less. When KB cells were labeled with either [3H] choline, alpha-[3H]aminobutyric acid, or [3H]deoxy-2-fluoro-D-glucose and exposed to Ad2, these molecules were released in amounts much higher than 51Cr. The Ad2-dependent release of choline was found to be dependent on Ad2 concentration, with maximum release (nearly 60%) at 10 micrograms/ml of Ad2, on the length of the incubation with Ad2, with maximum release at about 90 min, and on the medium pH with maximum activity at pH 6.0 to 6.5. Greater than 95% of the choline released was water-soluble and identified as choline phosphate. Less than 5% of the choline released was associated with lipids, and none was released as a phospholipid vesicle or micelle. The ability of Ad2 to release choline was abolished by incubating Ad2 for 10 min at 45 degrees C, whereas the binding of Ad2 to the cells was not affected. Fetal calf serum also blocked Ad2-dependent choline release.     

Rat serosal mast cell degranulation mediated by chymase, an endogenous secretory granule protease: active site-dependent initiation at 1 degree C

Exposure at 37 degrees C of rat serosal mast cells (RSMC) to chymase, an endogenous secretory granule serine protease, results in exocytosis as determined by the release of another secretory granule enzyme, beta-hexosaminidase. Chymase-mediated RSMC degranulation does not occur at 1 degree C; however, exposure of RSMC to chymase at 1 degree C followed by the removal of buffer and the resuspension of the cells in buffer alone at 37 degrees C results in exocytosis equivalent to that obtained by direct exposure of RSMC to chymase at 37 degrees C. Maximal chymase-mediated RSMC degranulation at 37 degrees C is Ca2+-dependent and Mg2+-independent. The dose-dependent degranulation-inducing interaction of chymase and alpha-chymotrypsin with RSMC at 1 degree C is Ca2+-independent, whereas subsequent exocytosis at 37 degrees C in new buffer without added enzyme still requires Ca2+. Specific binding of 125I-labeled alpha-chymotrypsin to RSMC does not occur at 1 degree C, implying that the inducing action of chymase is not a simple ligand-receptor binding. The enzyme inhibitors diisopropyl fluorophosphate and lima bean trypsin inhibitor inhibit subsequent exocytosis at 37 degrees C only if they are added within the first 10 min of the interaction of RSMC and chymase at 1 degree C, implying that an active site-dependent inducing event occurs between RSMC and chymase at 1 degree C. Thus, chymase-induced coupled activation-secretion can be divided into a cation- and temperature-independent initiation phase, which is dependent on the active site of exogenously added chymase and a subsequent temperature-dependent and calcium-augmented cellular secretion phase.     

Temperature influence on stimulated PMN respiratory burst.

Body temperature can modulate the pathogenesis of infectious, metabolic and autoimmune diseases. This effect has been attributed to several hypothesized mechanisms. Body temperature could play an important role in influencing some cellular functions of human white blood cells. In this work we examined the temperature effect on the respiratory burst in human neutrophils. Human polymorphonuclear leucocytes (PMN) were obtained from heparinized venous blood by dextran sedimentation and erythrocyte lysis with NH4Cl (0.87%). Granulocytes were stimulated with opsonized zymosan (OZ), formyl-methionyl-leucyl-phenylalanine (FMLP), phorbol myristate acetate (PMA), and monosodium urate (MSU) crystals at different temperatures (26, 37, 39, 40, 42 degrees C). The technique of luminol dependent chemiluminescence (CL) was used as indicator of oxygen free radicals (OFR) release by stimulated cells. OFR production from PMN stimulated with OZ, PMA, FMLP was higher at 37 degrees C than at 26, 39, 40, 42 degrees C (p < 0.001 OZ stimulated PMN at 40-42 degrees C; p < 0.05 PMA stimulated PMN at 42 degrees C. Significantly different from 37 degrees C value). OFR release from PMN stimulated with MSU crystals was significantly increased at 39 degrees C compared to 37 degrees C value (p < 0.001). This effect could not only be attributed to temperature influence on neutrophil activity. The specific polymorphonuclear leukocyte response to the microcrystals and the temperature influence on chemical and physical characteristics of the crystals may play an important role. We are now studying the temperature effect on activity of PMN exposed to others crystals.     

Direct interaction of the calcium sensor protein synaptotagmin I with a cytoplasmic domain of the alpha1A subunit of the P/Q-type calcium channel.

Synaptotagmins are synaptic vesicle proteins containing two calcium-binding C2 domains which are involved in coupling calcium influx through voltage-gated channels to vesicle fusion and exocytosis of neurotransmitters. The interaction of synaptotagmins with native P/Q-type calcium channels was studied in solubilized synaptosomes from rat cerebellum. Antibodies against synaptotagmins I and II, but not IV co-immunoprecipitated [125I]omega-conotoxin MVIIC-labelled calcium channels. Direct interactions were studied between in vitro-translated [35S]synaptotagmin I and fusion proteins containing cytoplasmic loops of the alpha1A subunit (BI isoform). Gel overlay revealed the association of synaptotagmin I with a single region (residues 780-969) located in the intracellular loop connecting homologous domains II and III. Saturable calcium-independent binding occurred with equilibrium dissociation constants of 70 nM and 340 nM at 4 degrees C and pH 7.4, and association was blocked by addition of excess recombinant synaptotagmin I. Direct synaptotagmin binding to the pore-forming subunit of the P/Q-type channel may optimally locate the calcium-binding sites that initiate exocytosis within a zone of voltage-gated calcium entry.