LDH isoenzyme pattern, lactate/pyruvate, and ultrastructure of fibrinogenic and epithelial cell lines exposed to 3% oxygen

Human diploid fibroblast WI38 and canine epithelial MDCK cells were incubated in an environment flushed continuously for 96 h with 3% and 20% oxygen. Lactate and pyruvate formation and LDH isoenzyme patterns of cells in logarithmic and stationary phases showed characteristic differences between both cell lines. Lactate formation by WI38 cells at 3% oxygen was considerable within the first 18 h. The MDCK cells responded with an even greater lactate formation only after 18 h.The dynamics of LDH isoenzyme changes measured as H/M subunits revealed for WI38 cells a sharp decline after 40 h at 3% oxygen in both logarithmic and confluent stages. MDCK cells show a sharp decline in H/M during the first 40 h (confluent phase) or 20 h (log phase). No changes in either cell line, regardless of the oxygen environment, were seen in the ultrastructure of cells, as seen by transmission electron microscopy. It is suggested that the fibroblast, being better equipped for anaerobic metabolism, quickly produces more lactate without changing the LDH isoenzyme pattern at 3% oxygen. Epithelial cells react first with a modification in the LDH pattern and then a continuous increase in the formation of lactate to very high values.     

Properties of the genome in normal and SV40 transformed WI38 human diploid fibroblasts. II. Metabolism and binding of histones.

Composition, metabolism and extractability of histone fractions from WI38 human diploid fibroblasts and SV40 transformed WI38 fibroblasts are compared. Two alternate procedures were used for isolation of nuclei which allow for either optimal recovery of arginine-rich histones F3 (III) and F2a1 (IV) or for optimal retention of lysine-rich F1 (I) and slightly lysine rich F2b (II b2). While the relative amount of each histone fraction was found to be similar in normal and SV40 transformed cells, substantial increases in the levels of F 3 acetylation and F1 and F2a2 phosphorylation are reported for the histones of SV40 transformed cells. Differences in extractability of arginine-rich histones with 0.25 M HCl are also reported. While F 3 is extracted more rapidly than F 2a1 from nuclei of normal WI38 fibroblasts, the reverse is true in SV40 transformed WI38 cells. These differences are discussed in relation to modification reactions, binding of histones to DNA and SV40-induced alterations in gene readout.     

Circular dichroism and ethidium bromide binding studies of chromatin from WI-38 fibroblasts stimulated to proliferate.

Confluent monolayers of WI-38 diploid fibroblasts can be stimulated to proliferate by fresh serum. In the first 3 h after stimulation (that is, several hours before DNA replication) the chromatin of stimulated cells show structrual changes which include: (1) an increase in maximum positive ellipticity and a blue shift in the 250-300 nm region of circular dichroism spectra; and (2) an increase,in isolated chromatin, of the number of binding sites for the intercalating dye, ethidium bromide.The differences between chromtin of stimulated and chromatin of unstimulated cells are abolised when bother chromatins are treated with 0.25 M NaCL.     

DNA-binding proteins in young and senescent normal human fibroblasts

DNA-binding proteins (DBP) from normal human diploid cells, strain WI38, were isolated by DNA-cellulose chromatography using undenatured calf thymus DNA. The DBP in the 0.15 M NaCl eluate were fractionated by polyacrylamide gel electrophoresis. Comparisons of the amounts of the DBP in different cell populations were made by labelling the cells with either ³H- or ¹⁴C-amino acid precursors for 40 h prior to pooling the cells for co-isolation of their DBP. When WI38 cells in the replicative and stationary phases were compared, five proteins, P5b (87 000 D), P6a (50 000 D), P8 (33 000 D), P9 (28 000 D) and P10 (25 000 D) were labelled to a greater extent in the replicating cells and two proteins, P5c (72 000 D) and P12 (18 000 D) were labelled to a greater extent in the stationary phase cells. In addition, several high molecular weight DBP, partially characterized as collagen and protocollagen, were preferentially labelled in the stationary phase cells. Stationary phase senescent WI38 cells at or near the end of their in vitro lifespan characteristically showed an increased proportion of protein component P8 (33 000 D) relative to stationary phase WI38 cells at early population doubling levels. Further characterization of WI38-P8 showed that it binds preferentially to single-stranded DNA and amounts to greater than 1% of the total soluble protein in young cells in growth phase. Thus WI38-P8 appears to be comparable to the P8 protein studied by Tsai & Green [27] in mouse 3T6 and human SB cells. The component which is increased in senescent or terminal phase non-dividing cell populations is judged to be the P8 protein by its position in SDS-gels and its preferential binding to single-stranded DNA.     

Effect of cyclic AMP on chromatin-bound protein kinases in WI-38 fibroblasts stimulated to proliferate.

When resting confluent monolayers of WI-38 fibroblasts are stimulated to proliferate by serum, DNA synthesis begins to increase between 15-18 h after stimulation. Chromatin-bound protein kinase activity increases in stimulated cells within 1 h after the nutritional change, concomitant with an increase in the template activity of nuclear chromatin. Addition of dibutyryl 3' : 5'-cyclic adenosine monophosphate (dibutyryl cyclic) AMP to the stimulating medium inhibits the entrance of cells into S phase, but only if dibutyryl cyclic AMP (5-10(-4) M) is added before the onset of DNA synthesis. The increases in chromatin template activity and in the chromatin-bound kinase activity are not inhibited by dibutyryl cyclic AMP in the early hours after stimulation, but are completely inhibited after the 5th hour from the nutritional change. This seems to indicate that in stimulated WI-38 cells, dibutyryl cyclic AMP exerts its inhibitory action somewhere between 5 and 12 h after stimulation. A number of protein kinase activities were extracted from chromatin with 0.3 M NaCl and partially resolved on a phosphocellulose column. Two distinct peaks of protein kinase activity appeared to be markedly increased in WI-38 cells 6 h after serum stimulation. Both peaks of increased activity were inhibited by dibutyryl cyclic AMP in vivo. Adenosine, sodium butyrate and adenosine 5'-monophosphate (AMP) do not inhibit the increase in DNA synthesis nor the increase in protein kinase activity. The results suggest that stimulation of cell proliferation in confluent monolayers of WI-38 cells causes an increase (or the new appearance) of certain chromatin-bound protein kinases, and that this increase is inhibited by cyclic AMP in vivo.     

Extracellular matrix of cultivated, poorly differentiated human gastric adenocarcinoma cells promotes attachment and spreading of mesenchymal cells

To clarify interactions between carcinoma and mesenchymal cells, we examined the extracellular matrix-substance remaining on culture dishes after confluent growths of gastric carcinoma cells were removed with EDTA. The matrix synthesized by poorly differentiated adenocarcinoma cells (cell lines KATO-III and MKN-45) cultivated in serum-free medium has a fibroblast (cell line WI38)-attachment activity, which is not detected in the matrix synthesized by a well differentiated adenocarcinoma (cell line MKN-28). This activity was not observed in KATO-III-matrix extracted with 6 M urea, but could be detected in a 1% SDS extract from the remaining matrix on the culture dishes after 6 M urea extraction. The activity was abolished by treatment with pronase (16 micrograms/ml), trypsin (0.005%) or alkali, but was unaffected by collagenase (80 micrograms/ml, 4 h) or chondroitinase ABC (1 U ml, 1 h). It is conceivable that the fibroblast-attachment activity of the matrix produced by poorly differentiated adenocarcinoma cells is related to the proliferation of interstitial connective tissue in vivo.     

Cell growth regulation through GM3-enriched microdomain (glycosynapse) in human lung embryonal fibroblast WI38 and its oncogenic transformant VA13

Cell growth control mechanisms were studied based on organization of components in glycosphingolipid-enriched microdomain (GEM) in WI38 cells versus their oncogenic transformant VA13 cells. Levels of fibroblast growth factor receptor (FGFR) and cSrc were 4 times and 2-3 times higher, respectively, in VA13 than in WI38 GEM, whereas the level of tetraspanin CD9/CD81 was 3-5 times higher in WI38 than in VA13 GEM. Csk, the physiological inhibitor of cSrc, was present in WI38 but not in VA13 GEM. Functional association of GEM components in control of cell growth in WI38 is indicated by several lines of evidence. (i) Confluent, growth-inhibited WI38 showed a lower degree of FGF-induced MAPK activation than actively growing cells in sparse culture. (ii) The level of inactive cSrc (with Tyr-527 phosphate) was higher in confluent cells than in actively growing cells. Both processes i and ii were inhibited by GM3 since they were enhanced by GM3 depletion with d-threo-1-phenyl-2-palmitoylamino-3-pyrrolidino-1-propanol (P4). (iii) The high level of inactive cSrc associated with growth-inhibited cells was caused by coexisting Csk in WI38 GEM. (iv) Interaction of GM3 with FGFR was demonstrated by binding of GM3 to FGFR in the GEM fraction, as probed with GM3-coated beads, and by confocal microscopy. In contrast to WI38, both cSrc and MAPK in VA13 were strongly activated regardless of FGF stimulation or GM3 depletion by P4. Continuous, constitutive activation of both cSrc and MAPK was due to (i) a much higher level of cSrc and FGFR in VA13 than in WI38 GEM, (ii) their close association/interaction in VA13 GEM as indicated by clear coimmunoprecipitation between cSrc and FGFR, and (iii) the absence of Csk in VA13 GEM, making GEM incapable of inhibiting cSrc activation.     

Multiparameter geometric and densitometric analysis of the G0-G1 transition of WI-38 cells.

Automated image analyses were performed using Feulgen stained smears of WI-38 cells that were either confluent, or that had received a nutritional stimulus to proliferate 3 hr before collection. These experiments show that it is possible to observe changes in morphometric and densitometric parameters of nuclei that correlate with structural and functional differences in isolated chromatins from quiescent G0 and proliferation G1 cells that have been demonstrated by other means. Scatter plot analyses of the data indicated the presence of nuclear images from the stimulated G1 population that had the same deoxyribonucleic acid content as the confluent G0 cells, but had greater areas, perimeters and horizontal projections and smaller mean free paths, form factors, and average optical densities. Multiparameter cluster analysis permits, even minimally, an objective, model-independent identification of G0 from G1 cells that present an increased nuclear dispersion (i.e., lower average optical density) systematically accompanied by increased nuclear convolution (i.e., lower form factor), both compatible with the reported increase in available binding sites with respect to G0 cells.     

Cell density-dependent increase in chromatin-associated ADP-ribosyltransferase activity in simian virus 40-transformed cells.

ADP-ribosyltransferase activity associated with chromatin is two- to tenfold higher in simian virus 40 (SV40)-transformed cells than in untransformed cells. When confluent transformed cells were subcultured, their specific enzyme activity first decreased two- to fourfold and the rapidly increased during the logarithmic phase of growth. This increase ceased or slowed down when the cells entered the stationary phase. In contrast, the activity in the untransformed cells remained low throughout the growth cycle. In SV40tsA-transformed cells (ts = temperature sensitive), this density-dependent increase in the enzyme activity was observed when the cells were cultivated at the permissive temperature, whereas the activity remained low at the restrictive temperature. The enzyme activity did not increase during induction of cellular DNA synthesis in quiescent cells either by addition of fresh medium or by infection with SV40. The chromatin-associated enzyme activity extracted with 1 m NaCl was eluted together with almost all the DNA-binding proteins from a phosphocellulose column with 0.6 m NaCl. The enzyme activity in this fraction from transformed cells, measured with or without added DNA and histones, was higher than that in a similar fraction from untransformed cells, reflecting the difference in the original activities present in the nuclei of these cells. The chain lengths of poly(ADP-ribose) formed by chromatin from SV40-transformed and untransformed cells were not significantly different. These results suggest that the number of initiation sites for ADP-ribosylation is increased in the chromatin of SV40-transformed cells compared to that of untransformed cells.     

无机钼酸在棕色固氮菌(Azotobacter vinelandii)体内的累积和转化

醋酸铵培养的棕色固氮菌(Azotobacter vinelandii),经超声击碎高速离心制备粗提取液、DEAE-纤维素柱层析表明,体内~(99)MoFe蛋白合成受到阻遏,在0.15 M NaGl洗脱分部中,除~(99)Mo储存蛋白峰外,还存在一个无机~(99)MoO_4~=组分。醋酸铵培养的棕色固氮菌经去阻遏后,在体内固氮活性出现的同时,可观察到原先菌体内累积的~(99)Mo储存蛋白峰降低,无机~(99)MoO_4~=的组分几乎消失以及~(99)MoFe蛋白合成。若去阻遏过程存在氯霉素,则菌体不显示固氮活性,(99)MoFe蛋白不再合成,储存蛋白和无机铝酸组分中~(99)Mo的转移停止。     

Potentiality of artificial sea water salts for the production of carrageenase by a marine Cytophaga sp

Production of an extracellular enzyme complex (carrageenase) was studied by examining cell-free fluids from cultures of a marine Cytophaga, 1k-C783, growing on different media. Among artificial sea water salts, only NaCl and MgCl2 were utilized by the organism to produce carrageenase. The minimal concentrations of suitable combinations of NaCl and MgCl2 were found to be 0.05 M NaCl plus 0.25 M MgCl2, and 0.15 M NaCl plus 0.15 M MgCl2. KCl and CaCl2 did not have any role in carrageenase production in ZoBell 2216 E broth medium. Carrageenase was synthesized continuously within the resting cells and was released from the cells as well as in the growing cells, when nutrient had been supplied.     

Linear dichroism of chromatin fibers

The optical anisotropy of chromatin with different length of the linker DNA isolated from a variety of sources (Friend erythroleukemia cells, calf thymus, hen erythrocytes and sea urchin sperm) has been studied in a large range of mono- and bivalent cations by the use of flow linear dichroism and electric dichroism. We have found that all chromatins studied displayed negative LD values in the range of 0.25 mM EDTA--2 mM NaCl and close positive values in the range of 2-100 mM NaCl. Mg2+ cations, in contrast to Na+ cations, induce optically isotropic chromatin fibers. All chromatin samples exhibit positive form effect amounting to 5-10% of LD amplitude observed at 260 nm. This form effect is determined by the anisotropic scattering of polarized light by single chromatin fibers. The conformational transition at 2 mM NaCl leads to the distortion of chromatin filament structure. The reversibility of this distortion depends on the length of the linker DNA--for chromatins with linker DNA 10-30 b.p. it is partially reversible, while for preparations with longer linker DNA it is irreversible. Relatively low electric fields do not have an effect on chromatin structure, while higher electric fields (more than 7 kV/cm) distort the structure of chromatin.     

Optical anisotropy of chromatin. Flow linear dichroism and electric dichroism studies

The optical anisotropy of chromatin with different length of the linker DNA isolated from a variety of sources (Frend erythroleukemia cells, calf thymus, hen erythrocytes and sea urchin sperm) has been studied in a large range of mono- and bivalent cations concentrations by the use of flow linear dichroism (LD) and electric dichroism. We have found that all chromatins studied displayed negative LD values in the range of 0.25 mM EDTA - 2 mM NaCl and close positive values in the range of 2-100 mM NaCl. Mg2+ cations, in contrast to Na+ cations, induce optically isotropic chromatin fibers. All chromatin samples exhibit positive form effect amounting to 5-10% of LD amplitude observed at 260 nm. This form effect is determined by the anisotropic scattering of polarized light by single chromatin fibers. The conformational transition at 2 mM NaCl leads to the distortion of chromatin filament structure. The reversibility of this distortion depends on the length of the linker DNA - for chromatins with the linker DNA of 10-30 b.p. it is parially reversible, while for preparations with longer linker DNA it is irreversible. Relatively low electric field does not affect chromatin structure, while higher electric field (more than 7 kV/cm) distorts the structure of chromatin. Presented results explain the contradictory data obtained by electrooptical and hydrooptical methods.     

Cytoplasmic and nuclear protein kinases during the cell cycle.

Nuclear and cytoplasmic protein kinases were measured during the traverse of synchronous CHO cultures through G1 into S phase. Cells were synchronized by selective detachment of cells blocked in metaphase using colcemid. Nuclei were isolated and the protein kinases extracted from the nuclear preparation with 0.6 M NaCl. This procedure solubilized greater than 90% of the total protein kinase activity present in the nuclear preparation. DEAE chromatography of this extract showed 5 apparently different ionic forms of nuclear protein kinases. The nuclear protein kinases preferred casein and phosvitin to histone as substrates and were cyclic AMP-independent. Nuclear protein kinase activities increased greater than two-fold, when expressed as units of activity per cell nucleus, during G1 phase traverse, concomitant with a 70% increase in nuclear non-histone proteins (those soluble in 0.6 M NaCl). This resulted in only a 40% increase in the specific activities (units/microgram protein in 0.6 M NaCl extractable nuclear fraction) of these enzymes as cells progressed through G1 into S phase. This was in contrast to cytoplasmic cyclic AMP-dependent protein kinase activities which also increased two-fold during progression through G1 phase while total cellular protein increased less than 20%. Activation of, as well as synthesis of, cyclic AMP-dependent cytoplasmic protein kinases during G1 phase suggests a regulatory mechanism for precise temporal phosphorylation, whereas the constant specific activity in nuclear kinases during cell cycle is more compatible with the maintenance of bulk phosphorylation processes in the nucleus.     

Effects of cell density and cell growth alterations on cyclic nucleotide levels in cultured human diploid fibroblasts.

cGMP and cAMP concentrations were studied in cultures of two strains of normal human diploid lung fibroblasts, WI38 and KL-2, under various conditions which alter growth rate. Higher levels of cAMP were found in fibroblasts grown in medium with low (0.1 – 1.0%) serum concentration and thus exhibiting a decreased rate of growth. A rise in cAMP also preceded the decreased growth rate when medium was not changed for 4 days or longer (starvation). The reinitiation of cell growth by addition of fresh medium containing the standard 10% serum to either starved or serum-restricted cells was preceded by a rapid drop in cAMP level. Cellular cAMP levels increased to a moderate extent as sparse cultures first increased in density, but did not continue to rise as the culture approached saturation density. cGMP levels were inversely related to cell density: much higher cellular cGMP levels were found at low density than at higher cell density, whether cells were rapidly proliferating under standard growth conditions or had their growth arrested by omission of medium change or restriction of serum. Thus, under these conditions the steady state levels of cGMP appear to be related to cell density rather than rate of cell proliferation. However, a transient but appreciable increase in cGMP did occur upon the addition of fresh medium containing 10% serum to starved or serum-restricted cells, a condition leading to reinitiation of cell proliferation. Smaller but significant increases in cGMP were also evident following routine addition of fresh medium with serum to growing cells fed every other day and following mild EDTA-trypsin treatment of confluent WI38 fibroblasts. Thus, at least dual control mechanisms appear to be involved in the regulation of cGMP levels. Comparison of mid- and late-passage WI38 cells revealed no significant differences either in the levels of cGMP at sparse densities or in the density-dependent change in levels. These results suggest that levels of both cAMP and cGMP are influenced by cell density and also by conditions which alter the rate of cell proliferation.     

Defective repair of mitomycin C crosslinks in Fanconi's anemia and loss in confluent normal human and xeroderma pigmentosum cells

Crosslink repair of mitomycin C-induced interstrand crosslinks was studied in exponentially growing and confluent normal human, transformed WI38CT-1, Fanconi's anemia (FA) and xeroderma pigmentosum (XP) group-A fibroblasts by the assay methods of alkaline sucrose centrifugation, hydroxyapatite column chromatography and S₁-nuclease digestion. These three methods demonstrated unequivocally that crosslinking occurred at a rate of 0.13 crosslinks/10⁸ Da per μg per ml mitomycin C ( 10 μg/ml) and the first half-excision of crosslinks followed the rapid first-order kinetics of 2–3 h half-life in exponentially-growing normal, WI38CT-1 and XP group-A cells. However, the first half-excision was completely defective in three out of the four FA strains tested and severely retarded in an FA strain. These results strongly support our previous observations in different strains of normal human, FA and XP group-A cells. An important new addition is that confluent, otherwise proficient, normal and XP cells almost completely lost the ability of the first, rapid half-excision of mitomycin C crosslinks in their DNA. This probably suggests that the enzyme or regulatory factor responsible for the half-excision, which differs from that for nucleotide excision repair, present constitutively in confluent cells, may be induced or activated only in the cycling cells. However, its relation to a defective FA factor is not clear at present.     

Changes in membrane transport function in G0 and G1 cells

Confluent quiescent monolayers of aneuploid and euploid cells in culture can be stimulated to proliferate by appropriate nutritional changes. In confluent monolayers of WI-38 human diploid fibroblasts the uptake of cycloleucine is increased three hours after these cells are stimulated to proliferate by a change of medium plus 10% serum. No changes in the uptake of cycloleucine are observed in logarithmically-growing WI-38 cells exposed to fresh medium plus 10% serum, or in WI-38 confluent monolayers in which the conditioned medium has been replaced by fresh medium with 0.3% serum (a change that does not cause stimulation of cellular proliferation in WI-38 cells). In 3T6 cells in the stationary phase stimulated to proliferate by nutritional changes, there is a prompt increase in the uptake of cycloleucine, within one hour after stimulation of cell proliferation. Similar results were obtained with stationary 2RA cells which are SV-40 transformed WI-38 fibroblasts. In addition, chromatin template activity which is known to increase in the early stages after stimulation of confluent WI-38 cells, was unchanged in confluent 3T6 or 2RA cells stimulated to proliferate. These results show that at least two of the very early biochemical events occurring in response to stimulation of cell proliferation are different in WI-38 diploid cells and in aneuploid 2RA or 3T6 cells. It is proposed that WI-38 cells in the stationary phase are arrested in the G₀ phase of the cell cycle, while 2RA and 3T6 cells are arrested in the G₁ phase.     

The effect of sodium chloride on the structure of ribonucleoprotein particles from rat liver nuclei.

38S (monoparticles) and greater than 50--200S ribonucleoprotein particles (polyparticles) from rat liver nuclei were treated with increasing concentrations of sodium chloride. Treatment of 38S or greater than 50--200S particles, with 0.14, 0.25, 0.5, 1.0, and 2.0M NaCl resulted in a decrease of protein to RNA ratios from 8 to 3.1 for 38S particles and from 4.0 to 1.5 for greater than 20--200S particles. Correspondingly the densities in CsCl increased. Whereas the maximum of the sedimentation profile of polyparticles decreased from 90S to 50S after treatment with increasing NaCl concentrations, a discontinuous change was found in the case of monoparticles. It was shown by sodium dodecyl sulfate-polyacrylamide gel electrophoresis that the proteins which were dissociated by NaCl were in the molecular weight range of 30--45 000. Four of the 5 small molecular weight RNAs in the range of 4.5 to 8S remained tightly associated even after treatment of polyparticles with 2.0M NaCl. When 38S or 70--200S nRNP particles were exposed to increasing concentrations of NaCl (0.25, 0.5, 1.0, 2.0M), the molar ellipticity at 264 nm increased progressively to about 40%. Upon NaCl treatment of polyparticles and successive removal of the dissociated proteins by centrifugation the increase in the positive CD band at 264 nm was only 15%.