Effect of N-methyl-N'-nitro-N-nitrosoguanidine on amino acid incorporation into mucosal protein of rat stomach.

Administration of the carcinogenic N-nitroso compound, N-methyl-N'-nitro-N-nitrosoguanidine in drinking water (0.5 mg/mL) to male Wistar rats for 1 week caused impairment of in vivo and in vitro incorporation of [14C]leucine into stomach mucosal protein. This impairment gradually returned to normal after 4 weeks. Uptake of [14C]leucine into mucosal protein was significantly inhibited after in vitro treatment of stomach mucosa with the carcinogen. Addition of the N-nitroso compound in a cell-free system using postmitochondrial supernatant prepared from stomach mucosa also showed inhibition of amino acid incorporation. Using a more defined system consisting of purified polyribosome from stomach mucosa and pH 5 enzyme fraction derived from liver it was further demonstrated that the carcinogen purturbed protein synthesizing ability of polyribosome, under both in vivo and in vitro treatment conditions. In these respects this carcinogen has similar action on the target tissue of stomach as in the liver, although the in vivo effect may be related more to toxicity than carcinogenicity.     

Effects of cyclic adenosine 3',5'-monophosphate on amino acid transport and incorporation into protein in the rat aorta.

To assess the effects of cyclic AMP on amino acid transport and incorporation into aortic tissue protein, rat aortic rings were incubated with the cyclic AMP analog, N6-monobutyryl cyclic AMP (MBcAMP), the phosphodiesterase inhibitor, 3-isobutyl-1-methylxanthine (MIX), and radiolabeled amino acids. Subsequently, the aortic rings were homogenized in 5% trichloroacetic acid (TCA) and processed for liquid scintillation counting. Radioactivity present in the TCA supernatant following centrifugation was used to estimate amino acid transport. TCA-precipitable radioactivity was used as a measure of amino acid incorporation into protein. MBcAMP induced an increase in the uptake of [3H]alpha-aminoisobutyric acid into aortic rings and an increase in the incorporation of radiolabeled proline and leucine into TCA-precipitable protein. Similar effects were observed with low concentrations of MIX (0.025-0.25 mM); however, at higher concentrations of MIX, there was an attenuation of the effect or frank inhibition. Maximum stimulation of transport was observed within 90-120 min of the addition of MIX or MBcAMP to the incubation medium, whereas the effect on amino acid incorporation was not detectable until after 12 h of exposure to MIX or MBcAMP. The effects of cyclic AMP on transport were observed in both the tunica media and the tunica adventitia, whereas the effects on amino acid incorporation into protein were observed only in the tunica media. These data are consistent with a possible role for cyclic AMP in promoting changes in the tunica media that could lead to the development of vascular hypertrophy.     

Evidence against the incorporation into protein of amino acids directly from the membrane transport system in rat heart

The possibility suggested recently [Hider, R.C., Fern, E.B. and London, D.R. (1969) Biochem. J. 114, 171-178; Hider, R.C., Fern, E.B. and London, D.R. (1971) Biochem. J. 121, 817-827; van Venrooij, W.J., Poort, C., Kramer, M.F. and Jansen, M.T. (1972) Eur. J. Biochem. 30, 427-433; and Adamson, L.F., Herington, A.C. and Bornstein, J. (1972) Biochim. Biophys. Acta 282, 352-365] that protein synthesis takes place using amino acids directly from the membrane transport system and not from an intracellular pool has been investigated in rat heart. The tissue was perfused first for 30 min with either [14C]glycine or [14C]leucine and then for a further 30 min with identical medium containing [3H]glycine or [3H]leucine, respectively. After an initial lag, [14C]glycine was incorporated into protein at a linear rate up to 60 min. The [3H]glycine was accumulated into tissue water and incorporated just as readily as the [14C]glycine had been. The rate of total protein synthesis agrees with literature values only if intracellular and not extracellular specific activity values are used in the calculation. Some glycine was converted to serine or threonine. Leucine influx and efflux were very rapid in contrast to the relatively slow exchange reported for incubated tissues [Hider, R.C., Fern, E.B. and London, D.R. (1969) Biochem. J. 114, 171-178; Hider, R.C., Fern, E.B. and London, D.R. (1971) Biochem. J. 121, 817-827; van Venrooij, W.J., Poort, C., Kramer, M.F. and Jansen, M.T. (1972) Eur. J. Biochem. 30, 427-433]. The results are consistent with the existence of an intracellular precursor pool for glycine. Some possible reasons for the discrepancies between this and the other studies are discussed.     

Studies on the incorporation of ( 14 C)amino acids into protein by isolated rat brain nuclei

—Various parameters of the in vitro incorporation of [¹⁴C]amino acids into protein by cell nuclei isolated and purified from rat brain and liver were investigated. Nuclei purified through 2.2 m sucrose solution were capable of amino acid incorporation in vitro; and washing procedure to eliminate hypertonic sucrose before incubation was essential since sucrose in high concentration was inhibitory. Microbial contamination was found to be a serious source of error and the use of sterile conditions for incubation were necessary to obtain reproducible and valid results. Using completely sterile conditions, Na ⁺, K⁺, RNase, DNase, puromycin, cycloheximide and chloramphenicol were without any effect on the ability of brain and liver nuclei to incorporate labelled amino acids into protein. Results of time-course and preincubation experiments revealed that some factors essential for amino acid incorporation pass out of the nucleus into the medium. In addition, approximately 15 per cent of the labelled nuclear proteins with higher specific radioactivity was recovered in the incubation medium. Incorporation of [¹⁴C]leucine was proportional to the concentration of labelled amino acid and to the number of nuclei, and it is suggested that carefully controlled conditions of incubation are essential to obtain valid comparisons between different types of nuclei in terms of their relative abilities to incorporate amino acids in vitro. No evidence was obtained indicating isotope dilution phenomenon in these experiments. Whether or not in vitro incorporation of amino acid by nuclei represents protein synthesis is discussed.     

Effect of aldosterone on incorporation of amino acids into renal medullary proteins

Summary Studies on the effects of pretreatment with aldosterone on the incorporation of³H leucine or³H methionine into proteins in renal slices were carried out in Joklik-modified minimal essential medium. Administration of aldosterone (2 g/100 g body wt) to adrenalectomized rats increased³H leucine incorporation into trichloroacetic acid insoluble fractions of crude homogenates of cortical slices by 15.5±0.4% and of medullary slices by 53.5±1.3%. No increase in isotope incorporation was observed in slices of renal papilla or spleen prepared from the same rats. Aldosterone had no effect on the³H-leucine content of the trichloroacetic acid-soluble fractions of all three renal zones and the spleen. The dose of aldosterone that elicited a half-maximal increase in³H-methionine incorporation into proteins of renal medullary slices (0.45 g of aldosterone/100 g body wt) was indistinguishable from that needed to elicit a halfmaximal increase in the urinary K⁺/Na⁺ ratio (0.35 g of aldosterone/100 g body wt). Dexamethasone, a potent glucocorticoid, at a dose of 0.8 g/100 g body wt did not augment³H-leucine incorporation into renal medullary proteins but was effective at 8 g/100 g body wt. Spirolactone (SC-26304), a potent anti-mineralocorticoid, abolished the effect of aldosterone on amino acid incorporation into medullary proteins when administered at a 100-fold higher dosage [i.e., 80 gvs. 0.8 g (per 100 g body wt)]. These results imply that the action of aldosterone on amino acid incorporation is mediated by the mineralocorticoid rather than the glucocorticoid pathway, presumably the mineralocorticoid receptors. Moreover, pretreatment of the rats with actinomycin D (70–80 g/100 g body wt) erased the effect of aldosterone (0.8 g/100 g body wt) on amino acid incorporation into medullary proteins.In paired experiments with³H and³⁵S methionine, aldosterone (0.8 g/100 g body wt) increased methionine incorporation into trichloroacetic acid precipitable proteins of subcellular fractions of the renal medulla. The effect of aldosterone on incorporation of methionine into medullary cytosol proteins was analyzed further by polyacrylamide gel electrophoresis at pH 8.3 in tris-glycine buffer. The gel profiles indicate that aldosterone significantly increased methionine incorporation into at least one protein (independent of the isotope) with a molecular weight of 31,000. This increase was inhibited by either pretreatment of the rat with actinomycin D (70–80 g/100 g body wt or SC-26304 (80 g/100 g body wt). Dexamethasone (0.8 g/100 g body wt) did not increase incorporation of methionine into the medullary cytosol proteins resolved by polyacrylamide gel electrophoresis.