Mitochondrial resistance to miconazole in Saccharomyces cerevisiae

Summary One mutant of mitochondrial origin resistant to miconazole has been isolated and characterized in S. cerevisiae. The mutation is linked to the locus oli1, the structural gene for subunit 9 of ATPase on mitochondrial DNA. Miconazole inhibited the mitochondrial ATPase of the wild type while the enzyme of the resistant mutant was insensitive to this effect. Levels of ATP decreased to one-third of the control in the wild type in the presence of miconazole, while they were unaffected in the mutant.Abbreviations MNNG N-methyl-N-nitrosoguanidine - Mic^s/Mic^r phenotypic sensitivity/resistance to miconazole - M ₁ ^R mitochondrial locus conferring miconazole resistance - rho⁺/rho^- grand/cytoplasmic petite - rho^o cytoplasmic petite deleted of all mitochondrial DNA - w⁺ mitochondrial locus conferring polarity of recombination     

Mechanisms of miconazole-induced rise in cytoplasmic calcium concentrations in Madin Darby canine kidney (MDCK) cells

The effect of miconazole on intracellular calcium levels ([Ca2+]i) in Madin Darby canine kidney (MDCK) cells was studied using fura-2 as the Ca2+ indicator. Miconazole increased [Ca2+]i dose-dependently at concentrations of 5-100 microM. The [Ca2+]i transient consisted of an initial rise, a gradual decay and an elevated plateau (220 s after addition of the drug). Removal of extracellular Ca2+ partly reduced the miconazole response. Mn2+ quench of fura-2 fluorescence confirmed that miconazole induced Ca2+ influx. The miconazole-sensitive intracellular Ca2+ store overlapped with that sensitive to thapsigargin, an inhibitor of the endoplasmic reticulum Ca2+ pump, because 20 microM miconazole depleted the thapsigargin (1 microM)-sensitive store, and conversely, thapsigargin abolished miconazole-induced internal Ca2+ release. Miconazole (20-50 microM) partly inhibited the capacitative Ca2+ entry induced by 1 microM thapsigargin, measured by depleting intracellular Ca2+ store in Ca(2+)-free medium followed by addition of 10 mM CaCl2. Miconazole induced capacitative Ca2+ entry on its own. Pretreatment with 0.1 mM La3+ partly inhibited 20 microM miconazole-induced Mn2+ quench of fura-2 fluorescence and [Ca2+]i rise, suggesting that miconazole induced Ca2+ influx via two pathways separable by 0.1 mM La3+. Miconazole-induced internal Ca2+ release was not altered when the cytosolic level of inositol 1,4,5-trisphosphate (IP3) was substantially inhibited by the phospholipase C inhibitor U73122.     

Purification and properties of H+-translocating, Mg2+-adenosine triphosphatase from vacuolar membranes of Saccharomyces cerevisiae

H+-translocating, Mg2+-ATPase was solubilized from vacuolar membranes of Saccharomyces cerevisiae with the zwitterionic detergent N-tetradecyl-N,N-dimethyl-3-ammonio-1-propanesulfonate and purified by glycerol density gradient centrifugation. Partially purified vacuolar membrane H+-ATPase, which had a specific activity of 18 units/mg of protein, was separated almost completely from acid phosphatase and alkaline phosphatase. The purified enzyme required phospholipids for maximal activity and hydrolyzed ATP, GTP, UTP, and CTP, with this order of preference. Its Km value for Mg2+-ATP was determined to be 0.21 mM and its optimal pH was 6.9. ADP inhibited the enzyme activity competitively, with a Ki value of 0.31 mM. The activity of purified ATPase was strongly inhibited by N,N'-dicyclohexylcarbodiimide, 1-ethyl-3-(3-dimethylaminopropyl)carbodiimide, tributyltin, 7-chloro-4-nitrobenzoxazole, diethylstilbestrol, and quercetin, but was not affected by oligomycin, sodium azide, sodium vanadate, or miconazole. It was not inhibited at all by antiserum against mitochondrial F1-ATPase or mitochondrial F1-ATPase inhibitor protein. These results indicated that vacuolar membrane H+-ATPase is different from either yeast plasma membrane H+-ATPase or mitochondrial F1-ATPase. The vacuolar membrane H+-ATPase was found to be composed of two major polypeptides a and b of Mr = 89,000 and 64,000, respectively, and a N,N'-dicyclohexylcarbodiimide binding polypeptide c of Mr = 19,500, whose polypeptide composition was also different from those of either plasma membrane H+-ATPase or mitochondrial F1-ATPase of S. cerevisiae.     

Inhibitor studies with adenohypophyseal granule membrane ATPase. Evidence for a membrane environment which modulates sensitivity to inhibitors

The limiting membranes of pituitary growth hormone and prolactin secretory granules contain a Mg2+-ATPase sensitive to anions. This enzyme is in many ways similar to mitochondrial ATPase. The enzyme was potently inhibited by oligomycin (Ki 6.5 X 10(-9) M), and was much more sensitive to the inhibitor than pituitary mitochondrial ATPase (Ki 2.7 X 10(-7) M). In contrast, the enzyme activity of intact secretory granules was only sparingly inhibited by oligomycin (maximal inhibition close to 30% at 5 X 10(-4) M). However, oligomycin (5 microM) did diminish to basal levels the enhanced granule ATPase activity observed in the presence of a stimulatory anion (25 mM sodium sulfite). Other compounds known to inhibit the proton translocating mitochondrial ATPase were also tested for their ability to inhibit the secretory granule ATPase. A similar pattern of limited inhibition in granules and greater sensitivity in isolated membranes was seen with the inhibitors N,N-dicyclohexylcarbodiimide and efrapeptin. In contrast, tri-n-butyltin chloride was a potent inhibitor of the ATPase of intact granules, and the susceptibility of the enzyme to inhibition by this compound was less after isolation of membranes. These observations suggest that pituitary secretory granule membrane ATPase may have a proton pumping function similar to that of the mitochondrial enzyme. In addition, the data imply that the inhibitor binding site(s) may be masked, inaccessible, or ineffective in intact granules, but exposed (or activated) in isolated membranes. The greater sensitivity of granule ATPase to tri-n-butyltin chloride, in contrast to the greater sensitivity of membrane ATPase to the other inhibitors, indicates that the tin compound may be effective at a membrane site(s) distinct from the others, or that the mechanism of inhibition is different.     

Effect of miconazole on intracellular Ca2+ levels and proliferation in human osteosarcoma cells

The effect of miconazole, an anti-fungal drug, on cytoplasmic free Ca2+ concentrations ([Ca2+]i) in human osteosarcoma cells (MG63) was explored by using the Ca2+-sensitive dye fura-2. Miconazole acted in a concentration-dependent manner with an EC50 of 75 microM. The Ca2+ signal comprised a gradual rise and a sustained elevation. Removal of extracellular Ca2+ reduced 50% of the signal. In Ca2+-free medium, the [Ca2+]i rise induced by 1 microM thapsigargin (an endoplasmic reticulum Ca2+ pump inhibitor) was completely inhibited by pretreatment with 20 microM miconazole. Pretreatment with thapsigargin partly inhibited miconazole-induced Ca2+ release. The miconazole-induced Ca2+ release was not changed by inhibition of phospholipase C with 2 microM U73122. By using tetrazolium as a fluorescent probe, it was shown that 10-100 microM miconazole decreased cell proliferation rate in a concentration-dependent manner. Collectively, this study shows that miconazole induces [Ca2+]i rises in human osteosarcoma cells via releasing Ca2+ mainly from the endoplasmic reticulum in a manner independent of phospholipase C activity, and by causing Ca2+ influx. Furthermore, miconazole may be cytotoxic to the cells at higher concentrations.     

Effect of miconazole on growth and aflatoxin production by Aspergillus parasiticus

At 5 M, miconazole prevented the growth of Aspergillus parasiticus Speare in a number of media. Sensitivity to miconazole was increased approximately 10-fold in a medium containing glycerol. At sub-inhibitory concentrations, miconazole stimulated aflatoxin synthesis on media which normally support toxin formation. Miconazole inhibited respiration and altered mitochondrial ultrastructure, suggesting that miconazole inhibits growth and stimulates aflatoxin production by depressing mitochondrial activity.     

The K+-translocating Kdp-ATPase from Escherichia coli. Purification, enzymatic properties and production of complex- and subunit-specific antisera

The Kdp system from Escherichia coli is a derepressible high-affinity K+-uptake ATPase. Its membrane-bound ATPase activity was approximately 50 mumol g-1 min-1. The Kdp-ATPase complex was purified from everted vesicles by solubilization with the nonionic detergent Aminoxid WS 35 followed by DEAE-Sepharose CL-6B chromatography at pH 7.5 and pH 6.4 and gel filtration on Fractogel TSK HW-65. The overall yield of activity was 6.5% and the purity at least 90%. The isolated KdpABC complex had a high affinity for its substrates K+ (Km app. = 10 microM) and Mg2+-ATP (Km = 80 microM) and a narrow substrate specificity. The ATPase activity was inhibited by vanadate (Ki = 1.5 microM), fluorescein isothiocyanate (Ki = 3.5 microM), N,N'-dicyclohexylcarbodiimide (Ki = 60 microM) and N-ethylmaleimide (Ki = 0.1 mM). The purification protocol was likewise applicable to the isolation of a KdpA mutant ATPase which in contrast to the wild-type enzyme exhibited an increased Km value for K+ of 6 mM and a 10-fold lowered sensitivity for vanadate. Starting from the purified Kdp complex the single subunits were obtained by gel filtration on Bio-Gel P-100 in the presence of SDS. Both the native Kdp-ATPase and the SDS-denatured polypeptides were used to raise polyclonal antibodies. The specificity of the antisera was established by immunoblot analysis. In functional inhibition studies the anti-KdpABC and anti-KdpB sera impaired ATPase activity in the membrane-bound as well as in the purified state of the enzyme. In contrast, the anti-KdpC serum did not inhibit enzyme activity.     

Complementation of a Schizosaccharomyces pombe mutant lacking the beta subunit of the mitochondrial ATPase by the ATP2 gene of Saccharomyces cerevisiae

A chimeric plasmid carrying the structural gene (ATP2) for the mitochondrial ATPase beta subunit of Saccharomyces cerevisiae has been used to complement a mutant of Schizosaccharomyces pombe lacking the beta subunit (Boutry, M., and Goffeau, A. (1982) Eur. J. Biochem. 125, 471-477). Transformation with ATP2 restored the growth rate of S. pombe mutant on glycerol as well as the mitochondrial ATPase and 32Pi-ATP exchange activities to approximately 20% of the parental strain. Mitochondria prepared from the transformant contained a normal amount of a hybrid F1-ATPase consisting of the S. cerevisiae beta subunit assembled with the remaining subunits of the S. pombe ATPase complex. The presence of the S. cerevisiae beta subunit in the S. pombe ATPase complex conferred a sensitivity to the energy transfer inhibitors citreoviridin and oligomycin which was like that of the intact S. cerevisiae enzyme. The S. cerevisiae beta subunit assembled into the hybrid ATPase complex was the same size as the mature subunit in S. cerevisiae. These data indicate that the mechanism of mitochondrial import and the assembly of the cytoplasmically synthesized subunits is similar or identical in these evolutionary divergent yeasts. In addition, this study provides a new approach for the construction of hybrid mitochondrial ATPase complexes which can be used to examine the function of selected subunits in energy transduction.     

Purification of N-ethylmaleimide-sensitive ATPase from chromaffin granule membranes

An N-ethylmaleimide-sensitive ATPase was purified 100-fold from chromaffin granule membranes. The purification procedure included solubilization with polyoxyethylene 9 lauryl ether, chromatography on hydroxylapatite and DEAE-cellulose columns, and glycerol gradient centrifugations. Inclusion of phosphatidylserine and a mixture of protease inhibitors during the purification procedure was necessary to maintain the activity of the preparation. The purified preparation contained four major polypeptides with molecular masses of about 115, 72, 57, and 39 kDa, which were copurified with the ATPase activity. The 115-kDa subunit binds [14C]dicyclohexylcarbodiimide and the subunits of 115 and 39 kDa bind [14C]N-ethylmaleimide. The ATP-dependent proton uptake activity of chromaffin granule membranes is inhibited 50% with about 20 microM N-ethylmaleimide, while over 5 mM concentrations of the inhibitor were required to block the ATPase activity of the membranes. The ATPase activity of the purified enzyme was inhibited via two different affinities: a high affinity site with a Ki in the microM range and a low affinity site in the mM range, each contributing to about 50% inhibition of the enzyme. It is concluded that the proton-ATPase of chromaffin granule membranes contains at least four subunits with the 115-kDa polypeptide being the main subunit having the active site for the ATPase activity of the enzyme.     

Miconazole: An effective antifungal agent for plant tissue culture

Miconazole at concentrations between 5 and 20 mgl^-1 inhibited hyphal growth and sporulation in a wide range of fungi commonly associated with plants. These fungi included 4 Oomycetes, 11 Deuteromycetes, 4 Ascomycetes and 4 common airborne contaminants of plant tissue culture. The phytotoxicity of 20 mgl^-1 miconazole was also tested against a wide range of in vitro plant cultures. Shoot cultures from 15 species showed either no response or a slight growth reduction in the presence of miconazole. Although the growth of shoot cultures in 2 other species was significantly reduced by miconazole, a positive growth rate was maintained. Callus and hairy root cultures from 5 species were more sensitive to miconazole than shoot cultures, although they also retained a positive growth rate in the presence of the antifungal agent. Reconstruction experiments demonstrated the effectiveness miconazole had for the rescue of plant material from in vitro cultures contaminated from fungi.Abbreviations 2,4-D 2,4-dichlorophenoxyacetic acid - BA 6-benzylaminopurine - EBI ergosterol biosynthetic inhibitor - IAA indole-3-acetic acid - MZ miconazole - NAA -naphthaleneacetic acid     

Some properties of isolated mitochondrial ATPase from salmon heart

A soluble Mg-dependent ATPase, similar to the mitochondrial ATPase from beef heart, has been isolated from heart mitochondria of salmon (Salmo salar). The salmon heart ATPase has 5 subunits with molecular weights similar to the beef heart enzyme, but the Stoke's radius of the intact salmon enzyme is larger. The salmon heart ATPase is less temperature labile than the beef heart enzyme. The salmon heart ATPase is strongly inhibited by ADP, and the inhibition is highly temperature dependent. The ITPase activity is also inhibited by IDP (Ki = 180 micron). 2,4-Dinitrophenol in small concentrations stimulates the ITPase activity as well as the ATPase activity of the "washed" salmon heart enzyme. However, in an enzyme preparation which had been freed of most of the bound nucleotides by dialysis in the presence of glycerol (Roveri et al., 1980) the ITPase activity is not stimulated by 2,4-dinitrophenol.     

The alpha-2 isomer of the sodium pump is inhibited by calcium at physiological levels

The inhibition of the (Na,K)ATPase by calcium was investigated in plasma membrane preparations of rat axolemma, skeletal muscle and kidney outer medulla. Ouabain titration curves demonstrated that physiological calcium (0.08-5 microM) inhibited mainly the high affinity alpha 2 isomer. In axolemma all the (Na,K)ATPase had high ouabain affinity and calcium inhibited 40-50% of the activity with a Ki of 1.9 +/- 0.9 x 10(-7) M. In skeletal muscle high and low ouabain affinity components were present in equal amounts and calcium inhibited only the high affinity component with a Ki of 1.3 +/- 0.3 x 10(-7) M. Kidney enzyme had a low affinity for ouabain and showed very little sensitivity to calcium in the physiological range. It was demonstrated that high calcium levels inhibit the enzyme in a general sense, irrespective of the isomer, with a Ki of 6.5 +/- 6 x 10(-4) M for the kidney and 5.9 +/- 4 x 10(-4) M for the axolemma enzymes. In axolemma, enzyme activity was studied as a function of sodium concentration. Physiological calcium reduced Vmax while not significantly changing K 0.5 for sodium binding.     

K-252a, a novel microbial product, inhibits smooth muscle myosin light chain kinase

Effects of K-252a, (8R*, 9S*, 11S*)-(-)-9-hydroxy-9-methoxycarbonyl-8-methyl-2,3,9,10-tetrahydro-8, 11-epoxy-1H,8H,11H-2,7b,11a-triazadibenzo[a,g]cycloocta [cde]trinden-1-one, purified from the culture broth of Nocardiopsis sp., on the activity of myosin light chain kinase were investigated. 1) K-252a (1 x 10(-5) M) affected three characteristic properties of chicken gizzard myosin-B, natural actomyosin, to a similar degree: the Ca2+-dependent activity of ATPase, superprecipitation, and the phosphorylation of the myosin light chain. 2) K-252a inhibited the activities of the purified myosin light chain kinase and a Ca2+-independent form of the enzyme which was constructed by cross-linking of myosin light chain kinase and calmodulin using glutaraldehyde. The degrees of inhibition by 3 x 10(-6) M K-252a were 69 and 48% of the control activities with the purified enzyme and the cross-linked complex, respectively. Chlorpromazine (3 x 10(-4) M), a calmodulin antagonist, inhibited the native enzyme, but not the cross-linked one. These results suggested that K-252a inhibited myosin light chain kinase by direct interaction with the enzyme, whereas chlorpromazine suppressed the enzyme activation by interacting with calmodulin. 3) The inhibition by K-252a of the cross-linked kinase was affected by the concentration of ATP, a phosphate donor. The concentration causing 50% inhibition was two orders magnitude lower in the presence of 100 microM ATP than in the presence of 2 mM ATP. 4) Kinetic analyses using [gama-32P]ATP indicated that the inhibitory mode of K-252a was competitive with respect to ATP (Ki = 20 nM). These results suggest that K-252a interacts at the ATP-binding domain of myosin light chain kinase. The direct action of the compound on the enzyme would explain the multivarious inhibition of myosin ATPase, of superprecipitation, and of the contractile response of smooth muscle.     

Disulfiram is a potent modulator of multidrug transporter Cdr1p of Candida albicans

To find novel drugs for effective antifungal therapy in candidiasis, we examined disulfiram, a drug used for the treatment of alcoholism, for its role as a potential modulator of Candida multidrug transporter Cdr1p. We show that disulfiram inhibits the oligomycin-sensitive ATPase activity of Cdr1p and 2.5mM dithiothreitol reverses this inhibition. Disulfiram inhibited the binding of photoaffinity analogs of both ATP ([alpha-(32)P]8-azidoATP; IC(50)=0.76 microM) and drug-substrates ([(3)H]azidopine and [(125)I]iodoarylazidoprazosin; IC(50) approximately 12 microM) to Cdr1p in a concentration-dependent manner, suggesting that it can interact with both ATP and substrate-binding site(s) of Cdr1p. Furthermore, a non-toxic concentration of disulfiram (1 microM) increased the sensitivity of Cdr1p expressing Saccharomyces cerevisiae cells to antifungal agents (fluconazole, miconazole, nystatin, and cycloheximide). Collectively these results demonstrate that disulfiram reverses Cdr1p-mediated drug resistance by interaction with both ATP and substrate-binding sites of the transporter and may be useful for antifungal therapy.     

Osmoregulation in Bacillus subtilis under potassium limitation: a new inducible K+-stimulated, VO4(3-)-inhibited ATPase

Bacillus subtilis exhibited an inducible K+-transporting ATPase activity with apparent Km and maximum velocity Vmax of 12.9 microM and 25.1 micromol x min(-1) x (g cell protein)(-1), respectively, when cultivated on a synthetic medium containing less than 400 microM K+. Due to this enzyme, the growth rate of the bacterium in synthetic medium was not changed down to 115 microM K+, and the bacterium was able to grow down to 20 microM K+. The limiting K+ concentration was higher in media with osmolarity increased by NaCl or sucrose. The ATPase was inhibited by micromolar concentrations of vanadate (Ki = 1.6 microM). The ATPase activity was not stimulated by any other monovalent cation. The subunit of this ATPase, with an Mr of 52000, covalently bound the gamma phosphate group of ATP. This phosphorylated intermediate was unstable in neutral and basic pH as well as in the presence of potassium and was stable in acid pH. The enzyme did not show immunological cross-reactivity with antibody against Kdp ATPase of Escherichia coli.     

Homocitrate synthase from Penicillium chrysogenum. Localization, purification of the cytosolic isoenzyme, and sensitivity to lysine.

Subcellular fractionation of cell-free extracts obtained by nitrogen cavitation showed that Penicillium chrysogenum Q176 contains a cytosolic as well as a mitochondrial homocitrate synthase activity. The cytosolic isoenzyme was purified about 500-fold, and its kinetic and molecular properties were investigated. Native homocitrate synthase shows a molecular mass of 155 +/- 10 kDa as determined by gel filtration and a pH of 4.9 +/- 0.1 as determined by chromatofocusing. The kinetic behaviour towards 2-oxoglutarate is hyperbolic, with Km = 2.2 mM; with respect to acetyl-CoA the enzyme shows sigmoidal saturation kinetics, with [S]0.5 = 41 microM and h = 2.6. The enzyme was inhibited strongly by L-lysine (Ki = 8 +/- 2 microM; 50% inhibition by 53 microM at 6 mM-2-oxoglutarate), competitively with 2-oxoglutarate, in protamine sulphate-treated and desalted cell-free extracts and in partially purified preparations. The extent of this inhibition was strongly pH-dependent. Both isoenzymes are equally susceptible to inhibition by lysine. The same inhibition pattern is shown by the enzyme from strain D6/1014A, which is a better producer of penicillin than strain Q176.     

Substrate specificity of soluble mitochondrial ATPase]

The parameters of the hydrolysis of ATP and several analogs by soluble mitochondrial ATPase were determined. Vmax of the reaction decreases within the range: 2'-desoxy-ATP greater than ATP greater than etheno-ATP greater than GTP greater than 3'-O-methylATP greater than UTP. ATP, 2'-desoxypATP, 3'O-methyl-ATP, GTP, and etheno-ATP are hydrolysed by soluble mitochondrial ATPase with close Km(app) values. CTP is not hydrolysed by the enzyme and does not inhibit the ATPase reaction at a concentration of 10(-2) M. Nucleoside triphosphate derivatives with an "open" ribose cycle 9-[1',5'-dihydroxy-4-(S)-hydroxymethyl-3'-oxapent-2' (R)-yl]adenyl-5'-triphosphate, and 1-[1',5'-dihydroxy-4'-(S)-hydroxymethyl-3'-oxapent-2'(R)-yl[cytosine-5'-triphosphate are effective inhibitors of ATPase (Ki approximately 5.10(-5)M). Mitochondrial ATPase binds the ATP analogs that have hydrocarbon radicals-(CH2)2-, -(CH2)3-, and (CH2)4- instead of the ribose residues: 9-(2'hydroxyethyl)adenyl-2'-triphosphate, 9-(3'-hydroxypropyl)-adenine-3'-triphosphate, and 9-(4'-hydroxybutyl)adenine-4'-triphosphyl)adenine-4'-triphosphate were not hydrolysed by the enzyme, although they inbibit the ATPase reaction (Ki 2.10(-4)M). 9-(2'-hydroxyethyl)adenine-2'-triphosphate is hydrolysed by ATPase eight times more slowly than ATP. It is suggested that the hydrolysis of the substrates of mitochondrial ATPase is- preceded by the binding of the substrates in a tense conformation in the active site of the enzyme.     

Effect of dimethyl sulphoxide on mitochondrial biogenesis in regenerating rat liver and Saccharomyces cerevisiae

Effect of dimethyl sulphoxide (DMSO) on mitochondrial biogenesis in regenerating rat liver and cells of Saccharomyces cerevisiae during aerobiosis has been studied by monitoring the cytochrome oxidase activity. A single dose of DMSO (275 mg/100-125 g body wt) to normal rats stimulated cytochrome oxidase activity in liver mitochondria while the same dose to partial hepatectomized rats inhibited the enzyme activity. Administration of low dose of DMSO (92 mg/100-125 g body wt) to partial hepatectomized rats did not alter the enzyme activity. Anaerobic cells of S. cerevisiae on aerobiosis for 2 hr attained cytochrome oxidase activity level on par with aerobic cells. Inclusion of DMSO (275 mg/100 ml) in the growth medium of S. cerevisiae during respiratory adaptation exerted partial inhibitory effect on the formation of cytochrome oxidase at 2 hr period, while the 10-fold concentration inhibited the enzyme formation completely. However, the inhibitory effect of DMSO on enzyme formation was abolished on prolonged growth (18 hr and above), while these doses had no influence on cytochrome oxidase in aerobic cells of S. cerevisiae. The results imply that DMSO may be exerting its effect on the assembly of subunits into active enzyme complex during mitochondrial biogenesis.     

The alkaline adenosine triphosphatase activity of 30S dynein after modification of the SH groups. Possible involvement of some of the most reactive SH groups.

An apparent 'triphasic' alteration of 30S dynein ATPase activity was produced by treatment with various amounts of NEM when the modification and susequent ATPase assay were carried out at pH 7.4 and pH 10-10.2, respectively. The Mg-ATPase activity was markedly inhibited by modification of the most reactive SH groups with 10 microM NEM, although the same treatment had no significant effect on the activity when assayed at neutral pH. Increasing the NEM concentration to 0.3 mM largely restored the enzyme activity, but a further increase in NEM concentration inhibited the enzyme activity again. This unusual response of 30S dynein ATPase at pH 10-10.2 was accounted for by the results of Arrhenius plots of the enzyme activity at pH 10.1; the enzyme protein modified with not more than 10 microM NEM was not stable under the assay conditions (pH 10-10.2 at 25 degrees C), whereas modification with 0.3 mM NEM stabilized 30S dynein against the assay conditions. The possible significance of the 10 microM NEM-induced inhibition of the 30S dynein alkaline ATPase activity is discussed in connection with the participation of SH groups of 30S dynein in the enzyme activity.     

Nitric oxide and platelet energy metabolism

This study was undertaken to determine whether nitric oxide (NO) can affect platelet responses through the inhibition of energy production. It was found that NO donors: S-nitroso-N-acetylpenicyllamine, SNAP, (5-50 microM) and sodium nitroprusside, SNP, (5-100 microM) inhibited collagen- and ADP-induced aggregation of porcine platelets. The corresponding IC50 values for SNAP and SNP varied from 5 to 30 microM and from 9 to 75 microM, respectively. Collagen- and thrombin-induced platelet secretion was inhibited by SNAP (IC50 = 50 microM) and by SNP (IC50 = 100 microM). SNAP (20-100 microM), SNP (10-200 microM) and collagen (20 microg/ml) stimulated glycolysis in intact platelets. The degree of glycolysis stimulation exerted by NO donors was similar to that produced by respiratory chain inhibitors (cyanide and antimycin A) or uncouplers (2,4-dinitrophenol). Neither the NO donors nor the respiratory chain blockers affected glycolysis in platelet homogenate. SNAP (20-100 microM) and SNP (50-200 microM) inhibited oxygen consumption by platelets. The effect of SNP and SNAP on glycolysis and respiration was not reduced by 1H-[1,2,4]oxadiazolo-[4,3-a]quinoxalin-1-one, a selective inhibitor of NO-stimulated guanylate cyclase. SNAP (5-100 microM) and SNP (10-300 microM) inhibited the activity of platelet cytochrome oxidase and had no effect on NADH:ubiquinone oxidoreductase and succinate dehydrogenase. Blocking of the mitochondrial energy production by antimycin A slightly affected collagen-evoked aggregation and strongly inhibited platelet secretion. The results indicate that: 1) in porcine platelets NO is able to diminish mitochondrial energy production through the inhibition of cytochrome oxidase, 2) the inhibitory effect of NO on platelet secretion (but not aggregation) can be attributed to the reduction of mitochondrial energy production.