Fatty-acid synthesis in lactating-goat mammary gland. 1. Medium-chain fatty-acid synthesis.

Tissue slices from lactating goat-mammary gland synthesized short (C4:0 and C6:0), medium (C8:0 and C10:0) and long-chain (C12:0 to C16:0) fatty acids in proportions similar to that found in goat milk fat. In contrast, the particle-free supernatant fraction and the purified fatty acid synthetase from this tissue synthesized predominantly short-chain and long-chain fatty acids. Terminating acyl-thioesterases of low molecular weight could not be detected in the particle-free supernatant. Addition of the microsomal fraction to the particle-free supernatant induced the synthesis of medium-chain fatty acids in proportions which were similar to those found in goat milk fat.     

Protein synthesis rhythm.

The three-dimensional structure of a protein molecule appears to depend on the amino acid sequence of the protein in an as yet incompletely described manner. If the amino acid sequence is replaced by a numerical sequence of values representing a physical or chemical property of amino acids, the resulting numerical sequence is amenable to autocorrelation analysis. Further, if certain geometrical parameters are calculated from the three-dimensional structure of a protein to form a configurational series, pairs of property series and configurational series can be analyzed by cross-correlation techniques. The data base for the analysis was the three-dimensional structures of ten proteins as determined by X-ray crystallography. Such analysis yields the result that the hydrophobicity of an amino acid residue in a protein influences the orientation angle of the amino acid side chain. This result is consistent with the widely current “oil-drop” model of protein structure. Hydrophobicity also appears to influence the backbone dihedral angle φ, but not ψ Such a directional effect cannot be explained by a current model of information transfer in protein helices. The magnitude of the cross correlations does not appear to be satisfactory for construction of a transfer function model for the prediction of general features of protein structure from amino acid sequences.     

Urease-catalyzed urea synthesis.

The equilibrium of hydrolytic reactions can be shifted toward condensation by carrying out the reaction at low water concentration. The rate and yield of urease-catalyzed urea synthesis from (NH₄)₂CO₃ or NH₄HCO₃ has been examined as a function of water concentration (in mixtures with organic solvents), substrate and H⁺ concentration, and polarity of the nonaqueous component of the solvent. Similar effects of organic solvents are observed on the reaction rate in both directions; the results suggest that at least in some conditions the reaction proceeds through nonenzymically formed carbamate. The equilibrium concentration of urea, in 50% ($\text{v}\text{v}$) water, varies over 10-fold, depending on the nature of the nonaqueous component of the solvent; nonhydroxylic solvents such as acetone given the highest yield. Solubility measurements suggest that the interactions of the solvent mixtures with (NH₄)₂CO₃ (or carbamate), rather than urea, are responsible for the variations in urea yield. Activities of water and the ionic components of the equilibrium are strongly influenced by the nature of the nonaqueous component of the solvent, as well as its concentration.     

Histone synthesis in Rhynchosciara salivary glands. I. Site and timing of synthesis.

The site of histone synthesis was studied in polytene cells of the salivary glands of the Rhynchosciara americana (Diptera). It was found that, as is the case in non-polytene systems, these proteins are synthesized in the cytoplasm in a class of light polysomes which contain 3-4 ribosomes. This class of polyribosomes is most active at about 5 days before pupation when the nuclei are most active in DNA synthesis and the chromosomes of the gland show many open 'DNA puffs'.     

Enzyme-catalyzed oligosaccharide synthesis.

Cell-surface carbohydrates and their conjugates are involved in many types of molecular recognition. This review describes recent developments in enzyme-catalyzed oligosaccharide synthesis, with particular focus on glycosyltransferase and glycosidase reactions. With the increasing availability of glycosyltransferases via recombinant DNA technology, glycosyltransferase-catalyzed glycosylation with in situ regeneration of sugar nucleotides appears to be the most effective method for large-scale stereocontrolled oligosaccharide synthesis.     

Translational control of immunoglobulin synthesis. I. Repression of heavy chain synthesis

When myeloma cells are incubated at 25 °C the secretion of myeloma protein ceases within 20 minutes. The synthesis of heavy and light chains and the assembly into the completed 7 S immunoglobulin continue at over 40% of the synthetic rate at 37 °C, resulting in an increasing intracellular concentration of myeloma protein with time. When myeloma cells containing an increased myeloma protein pool were re-incubated at 37 °C, there was an initially decreased synthesis of H-chain² relative to L-chain or total protein. Whereas L-chain synthesis returned to the pre-25 °C synthetic rate within 15 minutes, the synthesis of H-chain required over 60 minutes to return to the pre-incubation rate.Myeloma cells maintained in exponential growth contain a larger intracellular pool of H₂L₂ than cells in late stationary phase. When both populations of cells were incubated at 25 °C and the synthesis of H and L-chain protein measured, a reduced synthesis of H-chain was again observed. Exponentially growing cells showed an 80% reduction of H-chain synthesis after 100 minutes at 25 °C. Stationary cells, with the reduced intracellular level of H₂L₂, required 210 minutes to effect an equivalent reduction of H-chain synthesis.The opposite effect on myeloma protein synthesis was observed following depletion of the H₂L₂ pool. The intracellular H₂L₂ pool was reduced by allowing secretion in the absence of protein synthesis. When protein synthesis was allowed to continue following the depletion, a stimulation of myeloma protein synthesis relative to total protein synthesis was observed.These experiments suggest a close relation between the intracellular level of H₂L₂ and the production of H-chain. From the rapidity of the repression and de-repression of H-chain synthesis, a regulation at the translational level is suggested.     

Pathways for phosphoinositide synthesis.

In eukaryotic cells, phosphatidylinositol can be phosphorylated on the inositol ring by a series of kinases to produce at least seven distinct phosphoinositides. These lipids have been implicated in a variety of cellular processes, including calcium regulation, actin rearrangement, vesicle trafficking, cell survival and mitogenesis. The phosphorylated lipids can act as precursors of second messengers or act directly to recruit specific signaling proteins to the membrane. A number of the kinases responsible for producing these lipids have been purified and their cDNA clones have been isolated. The most well characterized of these enzymes are the phosphoinositide 3-kinases. However, progress has also been made in the characterization of phosphatidylinositol 4-kinases and phosphatidylinositol-4-phosphate 5-kinases. In addition, new pathways involving phosphatidylinositol-5-phosphate 4-kinases, phosphatidylinositol-3-phosphate 5-kinases and phosphatidylinositol-3-phosphate 4-kinases have recently been described. The various enzymes and pathways involved in the synthesis of cellular phosphoinositides will be discussed.     

Enzymatic synthesis of malonaldehyde.

Malonaldehyde was prepared from 1,3-propanediol by alcohol dehydrogenase. The K_m for 1,3-propanediol was about 1.7 mM. The reaction proceeded best at low ionic strength and at pH 9. The reaction was unaffected by pyrophosphate, phosphate, bicarbonate, or N-ethylmorpholine buffers, or by Mg⁺², Ca⁺², EDTA, or citrate. However, the reaction was inhibited 50% by 1.5 mM borate, 1 mM cyanide, and 5 mM azide. Thiols, such as dithioerythritol, inhibited the reaction 50% at 50–100 μM, while others, such as mercaptoacetate, inhibited 50% at concentrations over 1 mM. Malonaldehyde was removed from the reaction mixture by evaporation at pH 3 and condensation at ?78°C. No other products associated with lipid peroxidation were produced. The method was useful for preparation of radiolabeled malonaldehyde.     

Thiaisoleucine and protein synthesis.

Thiaisoleucine is an isoleucine analogue having the gamma-methylene group of the valerianic carbon chain substituted by a sulphur atom. It has been demonstrated that thiaisoleucine is activated and transferred to tRNAIle by rat liver aminoacyl-tRNA synthetase and inhibits isoleucine incorporation into polypeptides in protein synthesizing systems from rat liver or rabbit reticulocytes, whereas it does not affect either leucine incorporation or ribosome run-off or polypeptide chain elongation rate. All tests were performed in comparison with O-methyl-threonine, an isoleucine analogue with the gamma-methylene group substituted by an oxygen atom. In all the reactions studied, both thiaisoleucine and O-methyl-threonine act as competitive inhibitors of isoleucine. With respect to O-methyl-threonine, thiaisoleucine shows higher activity as an isoleucine inhibitor.