Oxidation of esterified arachidonate by rat liver microsomes

Rat hepatic microsomal lipids were labeled with [U-14C]arachidonate and were then peroxidized by an NADPH-dependent iron pyrophosphate system. The extent of peroxidation was quantified by malondialdehyde production and arachidonate disappearance. Following peroxidation, the microsomes were centrifuged and the oxidation products were extracted from the supernatant. A linear correlation was found between malondialdehyde production and radioactivity in the supernatant. The pellet was treated with phospholipase A2 to cleave peroxidized products from the phospholipids. Exogenous phospholipase A2 activity was reduced by lipid peroxidation but this was overcome by using a high concentration of the enzyme along with the addition of melittin. The deesterified lipid products from the pellet were extracted and the fragments from the supernatant and the hydrolyzed pellet were separated by reverse-phase HPLC. Several different labeled polar products which coeluted with carbonyl-containing compounds (A285 and hydrazone formation) were found in both the supernatant and the pellet. In addition, many other carbonyl compounds were found which were not arachidonate-derived. The elution pattern of the fragments after 2 and 15 min of peroxidation were qualitatively identical; i.e., no product-precursor relationship was seen. This, along with the observation that peroxidation quickly ceased upon the rapid depletion of NADPH, suggests that propagation did not occur. Finally, the data indicate that cytochrome P-450 is not involved in microsomal lipid peroxidation since product formation is unaffected by the presence of carbon monoxide (80%) and no oxidation of phospholipid arachidonate occurs in the absence of iron.     

Oxidation of glycerol to formaldehyde by rat liver microsomes

Rat liver microsomes catalyzed the oxidation of glycerol to a Nash-reactive material in a time- and protein-dependent manner. Omission of the glycerol or the microsomes or any of the components of the NADPH-generating system resulted in almost a complete loss of product formation. Apparent Km and Vmax values for glycerol oxidation were about 18 mM and 2.5 nmol formaldehyde per min per mg microsomal protein. Carbon monoxide inhibited glycerol oxidation indicating a requirement for cytochrome P-450. That the Nash-reactive material was formaldehyde was validated by a glutathione-dependent formaldehyde dehydrogenase positive reaction. These studies indicate that glycerol is not inert when utilized with microsomes or reconstituted mixed function oxidase systems, and that the production of formaldehyde from glycerol may interfere with assays of other substrates which generate formaldehyde as product.     

Sodium and potassium binding by rat liver cell microsomes

The effects of ion concentration, pH, and presence of competing ions on the sodium and potassium binding properties of rat liver cell microsomes were studied. Typical adsorption isotherms were obtained in the concentration dependence studies, with saturation being reached when 1.2 to 1.4 m.eq. cations were retained per gm. of microsome Kjeldahl nitrogen. The retention was shown to be due to a binding to specific sites rather than to a trapping of the cations. The binding showed a sharp pH dependence in the range 6.0 to 7.5. The presence of one cation depressed the binding of the other, indicating that Na⁺ and K⁺ as well as H⁺ ions compete for the same sites. Potassium was bound slightly more strongly than sodium, while hydrogen was bound about 10⁵ times more strongly than either. Calculations show that the binding follows the simple mass law. Similarities between adsorption by microsomes and adsorption by synthetic cation exchange resins are discussed and compared to some of the characteristics of electrolyte behavior in living systems. A possible ion exchange elution, active cation transport mechanism is suggested, involving the preferential elution of Na⁺ out of the cell by H⁺ ions produced by metabolism.     

Irreversible binding of DOPA and dopamine metabolites to protein by rat liver microsomes.

Rat liver microsomes catalyze NADPH-dependent irreversible binding of metabolites of DOPA and DOPAmine to microsomal protein and to BSA. Binding is inhibited by cysteine and the singlet oxygen quencher 1,4-diaza-bicyclo(2.2.2)octane. Irreversible binding to BSA is also catalyzed by mushroom tyrosinase, xanthine oxidase, and NADPH-cytochrome c reductase. The results suggest that in the microsomal system the participation of the hemoprotein, cytochrome P-450, is not an absolute requirement for the irreversible binding of metabolites of DOPA and DOPAmine to proteins.     

Comparative binding of albumin and -glucuronidase by rat liver microsomes

Rat liver microsomes, free of lysosomal β-glucuronidase, were subjected to sonication. Under the experimental conditions used, 95 % of the microsomal β-glucuronidase activity was solubilized while only 11 % of the albumin was released in the soluble fraction. The results indicate that microsomal β-glucuronidase is not contained in the cisternae of the microsomal vesicles but is attached to the membranes by bonds that are broken by sonication before the membranes are disrupted.     

Cation exchange binding of rubidium and cesium by rat liver cell microsomes

The rubidium and cesium binding characteristics of rat liver cell microsomes were studied by an equilibration, centrifugation and washing procedure. Concentration dependence experiments, in which microsomes were equilibrated in media containing 0 to 400 mM rubidium or cesium chloride at pH 6.9, yielded saturation type adsorption isotherms similar to those previously reported for sodium and potassium. Mass law analysis of the data yielded apparent dissociation constants of 21 × 10^?3 eq/liter and 19 × 10^?3 eq/liter for rubidium and cesium binding, respectively. The results indicate that cesium is bound slightly more strongly than rubidium, and that both these cations may be bound more strongly than sodium or potassium. The maximum binding capacity at pH 6.9 was approximately 1.3 meq rubidium or cesium/g nitrogen. Sodium, potassium, magnesium and calcium generally associated with the isolated microsomes decreased concomitantly with increasing bound rubidium or cesium, demonstrating the ion exchange nature of the binding. Results of pH-dependence experiments showed that following equilibration of the microsomes in media containing approximately 96 mM rubidium or cesium at various pH values, bound rubidium or cesium was essentially zero at pH less than five, increased sharply between pH 5 and 7, and tended to level off at higher pH. The present results further characterize the cation binding properties of the microsomal material.     

Oxidation of aromatic amines by peroxidase at pH 14

Horseradish peroxidase catalyzes the peroxidation of p-anisidine and other aromatic amines at pH 14. Sensitivity to KCN and thermal inactivation are characteristic of classical heme-enzyme catalysis.     

Irreversible binding of ethynyl-estradiol metabolites to protein and nucleic acids as catalyzed by rat liver microsomes and mushroom tyrosinase

It is known that most carcinogenic chemicals can be bound irreversibly to proteins or nucleic acids. A study is presented that explored the irreversible binding of 17alpha-ethinyl estradiol to proteins and nucleic acids by the catalytic action of rat liver microsomes and muschroom tyrosinase. The microsomal binding reaction was inhibited by glutathione and cysteine and its derivatives though it was not affected by lysine and amines. Binding reactivity in the tyrosinase system was inhibited by glutathione, cysteine and its derivates, lysine, and amines. Polylysine did not bind the metabolite of ethinyl estradiol, which suggests the NH2 groups do not bind to the intermediate in the microsomal reaction. However, polylysine did bind irreversibly with esthinyl estradiol metabolites in tyrosinase catalysis. The nonenzymatic reaction of 17beta-hydroxy-4,10(1)-estradiene-2,3-dione with cysteine, lysine, and lysine derivates was found to support the thesis that estrogen o-quinones are the intermediates involved in the protein binding of estrogens in tyrosinase catalysis. An irreversible binding of ethinyl estradiol to DNA and RNA occurred with tyrosinase but not with rat liver microsomes. It was concluded that the results of rat liver microsome catalysis make it unlikely that estrogens are chemical carcinogens.     

Effect of liver fatty acid binding protein on fatty acid movement between liposomes and rat liver microsomes.

Although movement of fatty acids between bilayers can occur spontaneously, it has been postulated that intracellular movement is facilitated by a class of proteins named fatty acid binding proteins (FABP). In this study we have incorporated long chain fatty acids into multilamellar liposomes made of phosphatidylcholine, incubated them with rat liver microsomes containing an active acyl-CoA synthetase, and measured formation of acyl-CoA in the absence or presence of FABP purified from rat liver. FABP increased about 2-fold the accumulation of acyl-CoA when liposomes were the fatty acid donor. Using fatty acid incorporated into liposomes made either of egg yolk lecithin or of dipalmitoylphosphatidylcholine, it was found that the temperature dependence of acyl-CoA accumulation in the presence of FABP correlated with both the physical state of phospholipid molecules in the liposomes and the binding of fatty acid to FABP, suggesting that fatty acid must first desorb from the liposomes before FABP can have an effect. An FABP-fatty acid complex incubated with microsomes, in the absence of liposomes, resulted in greater acyl-CoA formation than when liposomes were present, suggesting that desorption of fatty acid from the membrane is rate-limiting in the accumulation of acyl-CoA by this system. Finally, an equilibrium dialysis cell separating liposomes from microsomes on opposite sides of a Nuclepore filter was used to show that liver FABP was required for the movement and activation of fatty acid between the compartments. These studies show that liver FABP interacts with fatty acid that desorbs from phospholipid bilayers, and promotes movement to a membrane-bound enzyme, suggesting that FABP may act intracellularly by increasing net desorption of fatty acid from cell membranes.     

Esterification by rat liver microsomes of retinol bound to cellular retinol-binding protein

We have investigated the esterification by liver membranes of retinol bound to cellular retinol-binding protein (CRBP). When CRBP carrying [3H]retinol as its ligand was purified from rat liver cytosol and incubated with rat liver microsomes, a significant fraction of the [3H]retinol was converted to [3H]retinyl ester. Esterification of the CRBP-bound [3H]retinol, which was maximal at pH 6-7, did not require the addition of an exogenous fatty acyl group. Indeed, when additional palmitoyl-CoA or coenzyme A was provided, the rate of esterification increased either very slightly or not at all. The esterification reaction had a Km for [3H]retinol-CRBP of 4 +/- 0.6 microM and a maximum velocity of 145 +/- 52 pmol/min/mg of microsomal protein (n = 4). The major products were retinyl palmitate/oleate and retinyl stearate in a ratio of approximately 2 to 1 over a range of [3H]retinol-CRBP concentrations from 1 to 8 microM. The addition of progesterone, a known inhibitor of the acyl-CoA:retinol acyltransferase reaction, consistently increased the rate of retinyl ester formation when [3H]retinol was delivered bound to CRBP. These experiments indicate that retinol presented to liver microsomal membranes by CRBP can be converted to retinyl ester and that this process, in contrast to the esterification of dispersed retinol, is independent of the addition of an activated fatty acid and produces a pattern of retinyl ester species similar to that observed in intact liver. A possible role of phospholipids as endogenous acyl donors in the esterification of retinol bound to CRBP is supported by our observations that depletion of microsomal phospholipid with phospholipase A2 prior to addition of retinol-CRBP decreased the retinol-esterifying activity almost 50%. Conversely, incubating microsomes with a lipid-generating system containing choline, CDP-choline, glycerol 3-phosphate, and an acyl-CoA-generating system prior to addition of retinol-CRBP increased retinol esterification significantly as compared to buffer-treated controls.     

Occurrence of glucocorticoid binding sites in solubilized microsomes from rat liver

Recent studies suggested the presence of specific glucocorticoid binding sites on rat liver microsomal membranes. We report here a new solubilization procedure which allows the physicochemical characterization of the microsomal glucocorticoid binding sites. Solubilization was achieved with 2 mM CHAPS in the presence of 5 mM benzamidine. Binding of [3H]cortisol showed a high affinity (Kd = 5.1 x 10(-9) M) and a limited capacity (0.72 pmol/mg of protein). The binding activity was abolished by elevated temperature and pronase. Competition experiments revealed that natural glucocorticoids and progesterone were highly potent competitors whereas dexamethasone and triamcinolone acetonide did not compete. Chromatography on DEAE Trisacryl and heparin Ultrogel confirmed that the solubilized protein is different from corticosteroid binding globulin and the cytosolic glucocorticoid receptor. Treatment of microsomal fractions with phosphatidyl inositol phospholipase C promoted the release of specific binding activity suggesting a putative glycosylphosphatidyl anchor for this protein. This finding may have interesting implications concerning the mechanism of glucocorticoid hormone action.     

Steroid induction of low-affinity glucocorticoid binding sites in rat liver microsomes

Rat liver contains two glucocorticoid binding sites: the high-affinity or glucocorticoid receptor (GR) and the low-affinity glucocorticoid binding sites, or LAGS. The Kd of LAGS predicts that they can be half-saturated by plasma corticosteroids in some physiological circumstances and, therefore, that they can play relevant roles in the rat liver. [3H]dexamethasone was used as a ligand in exchange assays, to study the relative abundance of GR and LAGS in cell fractions of rat liver. GR were found in the cytosol, but not in the purified nuclei, the mitochondria, or the microsomes. LAGS were found in all the particulate fractions, being more abundant in the smooth-surfaced microsomes, but they were not found in the cytosol. The LAGS of microsomes and purified nuclei showed the same Kd and also the same broad range of steroid competition with [3H]dexamethasone (cortisol = progesterone greater than dexamethasone greater than or equal to corticosterone greater than R5020 greater than DHEA greater than testosterone = estradiol). LAGS were found in liver, placenta and kidney, but not in other GR-containing organs. This suggests that the LAGS could be involved in physiological functions related to the metabolism of steroid hormones. The liver microsome LAGS were undetectable at rat birth, and became present in the 25-day-old rat. The level of LAGS then increased progressively, reaching its maximum level in the 2-3-month-old rats (10 pmol/mg protein), and declining afterwards to reach the adulthood level (5 pmol/mg protein) in 6-month-old rats. LAGS are mainly controlled by the corticoadrenal steroids, which is shown by their dramatic decrease after adrenalectomy, and especially after hypophysectomy. Many steroid hormones, like estradiol, testosterone, and corticosterone (but not progesterone) induce LAGS, estradiol being the most effective. A combination of T4 and corticosterone was more effective in inducing LAGS than when the two hormones were injected separately. It is possible to conclude that rat liver LAGS are mainly microsomal proteins, whose concentration is regulated by a multihormone system under pituitary control.     

Cross-linking studies of the protein topography of rat liver microsomes

A cleavable cross-linking reagent, dithiobis(succinimidyl propionate), DSP, was used to study the topography of the proteins in the endoplasmic reticulum membrane of rat liver. Reaction of untreated (control), phenobarbital- or 3-methylcholanthrene-induced microsomes with 0.5 mM DSP for 30 min at 0°C resulted in the cross-linking of a protein with a molecular weight of about 52 000 to form an apparent dimer. In phenobarbital microsomes, a smaller amount of a 52 000-dalton protein also appeared in a dimer in the absence of DSP if N-ethylmaleimide was not included during homogenization. In phenobarbital and 3-methylcholanthrene microsomes, a 48 000-dalton protein was cross-linked by DSP to a protein of about 57 000. In all three types of microsomes, a protein with an M_I of about 52 000 was also cross-linked to a protein of about 79 000. In phenobarbital and control microsomes, cross-linking resulted in an oligomeric protein of approximate molecular weight 180 000 which contained three proteins, two with M_r of about 52 000 and one about 79 000. Under the cross-linking conditions, little or no denaturation of cytochrome P-450 and NADPH-cytochrome c reductase was observed. The aryl hydrocarbon hydroxylase activity was significantly inhibited by the bifunctional cross-linking reagent, DSP, but not by the monofunctional reagent N-succinimidyl-3-(4-hydroxyphenyl) propionate. However, attempts to regenerate the aryl hydrocarbon hydroxylase activity by cleavage of the disulfide linkage with 2-mercapto-ethanol or dithiothreitol were not successful.     

Oxidation of carbon tetrachloride,bromotrichloromethane, and carbon tetrabromide by rat liver microsomes to electrophilic halogens

In order to determine whether CCl₄, CBrCl₃, CBr₄ or CHCl₃ undergo oxidative metabolism to electrophilic halogens by liver microsomes, they were incubated with liver microsomes from phenobartital pretreated rats in the presence of NADPH and 2,6-dimethylphenol. The analysis of the reaction mixtures by capillary gas chromatography mass spectrometry revealed that 4-chloro-2,6-dimethylphenol was a metabolite of CCl₄ and CBrCl₃ whereas 4-bromo-2,6-dimethylphenol was a metabolite of CBr₄. The formation of the metabolites was significantly decreased when the reactions were conducted with heat denatured microsomes, in the absence of NADPH or under an atmosphere of N₂. These results indicate that the chlorines of CBrCl₃ and CCl₄ and the bromines of CBr₄ are oxidatively metabolized by rat liver microsomes to electrophilic and potentially toxic metabolites.     

Metabolism of lysopolyphosphoinositides by rat brain and liver microsomes

Lysophosphatidylinositol 4,5-bisphosphate has been reported to form ion-conducting channels in artificial membranes. If formed in vivo, mechanisms for its removal from cellular membranes would be required. Thus, possible pathways were explored in rat brain and liver microsomes. Since neither lysophosphatidylinositol 4-phosphate nor lysophosphatidylinositol 4,5-bisphosphate were acylated in experiments with [3H]arachidonic acid or [14C]oleoyl CoA, polyphosphoinositides do not participate directly in a deacylation-reacylation cycle as proposed for the postsynthesis enrichment of phosphatidylinositol with arachidonic acid. Similar enrichment in polyphosphoinositides can occur only via the rapid phosphorylation-dephosphorylation cycle linking all three phosphoinositides. Lysophosphatidyl[2-3H]inositol 4,5-bisphosphate and lysophosphatidyl[2-3H]inositol 4-phosphate were rapidly dephosphorylated to 1-acyl-sn-glycero(3)phospho(1)-D-myo-inositol by microsomes from both tissues. Appearance of only trace quantities of radioactive lysophosphatidylinositol monophosphate during the catabolism of lysophosphatidyl[2-3H]inositol 4,5-bisphosphate indicated that the second dephosphorylation step, which was cation independent, was at least as fast as the first step which required Mg2+. In the presence of ATP, CoA, and arachidonic acid, the lysophosphatidylinositol was converted to phosphatidylinositol. This acylation reaction was rate limiting in brain microsomes. Dephosphorylation of lysophosphatidylinositol 4,5-bisphosphate was rate limiting in liver microsomes. Neither the lysopolyphosphoinositides nor the lysophosphatidylinositol produced from them in the reactions were degraded by acyl hydrolases or phosphodiesterases in microsomes from either tissue. Therefore, any lysopolyphosphoinositide formed in vivo would probably be removed by dephosphorylation and recycled to phosphatidylinositol.