Heterogeneity of the rat hepatic Ah receptor and evidence for transformation in vitro and in vivo

The characteristics of the Ah receptor from rat liver were investigated following the incubation of cytosol with [3H]2,3,7,8-tetrachlorodibenzo-p-dioxin (TCDD) under various conditions, and using DEAE- and DNA-Sepharose chromatography and sucrose density gradient centrifugation. These studies indicated that the Ah receptor can exist in three distinct forms in vitro that are dependent on the presence or absence of TCDD and the duration and temperature of incubation. The unoccupied receptor was distinguished by its elution from DEAE-Sepharose columns at 0.20-0.23 M NaCl and lack of affinity for DNA-Sepharose. Following the incubation of the unoccupied receptor with [3H]TCDD, two occupied forms were distinguished based on their overall surface charges and affinities for DNA. One of these forms was predominant following short incubations (2 h) with [3H]TCDD at a low temperature (0 degree C) and was characterized by having the same elution profile on DEAE-Sepharose as the unoccupied form, but demonstrated some affinity for DNA. Another occupied form was predominant following an incubation for a longer time (20 h, 0 degree C) or at an elevated temperature (2 h, 20 degrees C). This form had an overall surface charge that was less negative and a greater affinity for DNA. These changes in receptor characteristics were dependent on the presence of TCDD and were not accompanied by apparent changes in the sedimentation coefficients of the two occupied forms. Anion exchange chromatography of the [3H]TCDD-receptor complex extracted from hepatic nuclei of [3H]TCDD-treated rats indicated that the ligand-induced change of the unoccupied receptor to a less negatively charged form had occurred in vivo. These results indicated a biochemical heterogeneity of the Ah receptor and suggested the occurrence of a ligand- and temperature-dependent transformation process in vivo and in vitro.     

Inhibition of phospholipid methylation by a cytosolic factor.

Rat liver cytosol contains a heat-stable factor which inhibits phospholipid methylation by rat liver microsomes. The effect of this factor on lipid methylation was dose- and pH-dependent. This factor has an Mr of approx. 3200 as estimated by gel filtration. It could not be extracted by chloroform/methanol (2:1, v/v), and its action was inhibited by incubation with subtilisin.     

Hepatic Ah receptor from the Wistar rat: role of solvation in receptor structure and inactivation

Repeated freezing and thawing, the addition of salts, and elevated temperatures all promote the inactivation of the rat hepatic Ah receptor. The reduced availability of bulk water to solvate the protein is proposed to be the factor linking all these routes for inactivation. Prospective protocols for purification of unliganded Ah receptor should therefore minimize the number of freeze/thaw cycles; long-term freezing of cytosolic samples at -20 degrees C is inadequate to maintain long-term viability of the unliganded receptor. The stability of rat hepatic receptor is greatly increased upon binding the ligand, and the extent of ligand-induced stabilization is much greater than what is observed with steroid hormone receptors. Concentrations of NaCl and K2HPO4 up to 0.5 M inactivate the unbound Ah receptor irreversibly, with the loss of approximately 50% of the specific binding. At 2.0 M NaCl, a further reversible reduction in ligand binding activity is observed. The results at lower salt concentrations are interpreted in terms of the irreversible dissociation of a single binding unit from the trimeric cytosolic Ah receptor (which consists of two ligand-binding units and a 90-kDa heat shock protein), with the release of bound ligand from that subunit.     

Endothelium-derived relaxing factors: a focus on endothelium-derived hyperpolarizing factor(s).

Endothelium-derived hyperpolarizing factor (EDHF) is defined as the non-nitric oxide (NO) and non-prostacyclin (PGI2) substance that mediates endothelium-dependent hyperpolarization (EDH) of vascular smooth muscle cells (VSMC). Although both NO and PGI2 have been demonstrated to hyperpolarize VSMC by cGMP- and cAMP-dependent mechanisms, respectively, and in the case of NO by cGMP-independent mechanisms, a considerable body of evidence suggests that an additional cellular mechanism must exist that mediates EDH. Despite intensive investigation, there is no agreement as to the nature of the cellular processes that mediates the non-NO/PGI2 mediated hyperpolarization. Epoxyeicosatrienoic acids (EET), an endogenous anandamide, a small increase in the extracellular concentration of K+, and electronic coupling via myoendothelial cell gap junctions have all been hypothesized as contributors to EDH. An attractive hypothesis is that EDH is mediated via both chemical and electrical transmissions, however, the contribution from chemical mediators versus electrical transmission varies in a tissue- and species-dependent manner, suggesting vessel-specific specialization. If this hypothesis proves to be correct then the potential exists for the development of vessel and organ-selective vasodilators. Because endothelium-dependent vasodilatation is dysfunctional in disease states (i.e., atherosclerosis), selective vasodilators may prove to be important therapeutic agents.     

Detection and partial characterization of a variant form of cytosolic aldehyde dehydrogenase isozyme

Summary A rare case of human liver cytosolic aldehyde dehydrogenase (isozyme II) variation discovered in a Chinese autopsy liver specimen is reported. While the major isozyme band was nearly absent, several additional minor bands were observed on isoelectric focusing gel. Rabbit antibodies to purified human liver ALDH II showed immunological cross-reactivity for the variant enzyme bands. The existence of additional minor bands indicates the presence of tetramer hybrid forms made up of normal and variant monomers. The observed abnormality may represent the heterozygous form of ALDH II variation. A similar variant was also detected in erythrocytes of a male Thai student.This paper is dedicated to Professor Dr. Karl Decker on his 60th birthday     

Immunoisolation and partial characterization of endothelial plasmalemmal vesicles (caveolae).

Plasmalemmal vesicles (PVs) or caveolae are plasma membrane invaginations and associated vesicles of regular size and shape found in most mammalian cell types. They are particularly numerous in the continuous endothelium of certain microvascular beds (e.g., heart, lung, and muscles) in which they have been identified as transcytotic vesicular carriers. Their chemistry and function have been extensively studied in the last years by various means, including several attempts to isolate them by cell fractionation from different cell types. The methods so far used rely on nonspecific physical parameters of the caveolae and their membrane (e.g., size-specific gravity and solubility in detergents) which do not rule out contamination from other membrane sources, especially the plasmalemma proper. We report here a different method for the isolation of PVs from plasmalemmal fragments obtained by a silica-coating procedure from the rat lung vasculature. The method includes sonication and flotation of a mixed vesicle fraction, as the first step, followed by specific immunoisolation of PVs on anticaveolin-coated magnetic microspheres, as the second step. The mixed vesicle fraction, is thereby resolved into a bound subfraction (B), which consists primarily of PVs or caveolae, and a nonbound subfraction (NB) enriched in vesicles derived from the plasmalemma proper. The results so far obtained indicate that some specific endothelial membrane proteins (e.g., thrombomodulin, functional thrombin receptor) are distributed about evenly between the B and NB subfractions, whereas others are restricted to the NB subfraction (e.g., angiotensin converting enzyme, podocalyxin). Glycoproteins distribute unevenly between the two subfractions and antigens involved in signal transduction [e.g., annexin II, protein kinase C alpha, the G alpha subunits of heterotrimeric G proteins (alpha s, alpha q, alpha i2, alpha i3), small GTP-binding proteins, endothelial nitric oxide synthase, and nonreceptor protein kinase c-src] are concentrated in the NB (plasmalemma proper-enriched) subfraction rather than in the caveolae of the B subfraction. Additional work should show whether discrepancies between our findings and those already recorded in the literature represent inadequate fractionation techniques or are accounted for by chemical differentiation of caveolae from one cell type to another.     

Effects of ligand structure on the in vitro transformation of the rat cytosolic aryl hydrocarbon receptor.

Incubation of radiolabeled, 2,3,7,8-tetrachlorodibenzo-p-dioxin (TCDD), 2,3,7,8-tetrachlorodibenzofuran (TCDF),1,2,3,7,8-pentachlorodibenzo-p-dioxin(PeCDD), 1,2,3,7,8-pentachlorodibenzofuran (PeCDF), 1,2,7,8-TCDF, and 2,3,7-trichlorodibenzo-p-dioxin (TrCDD) with rat hepatic cytosol for 2 h at 0 degrees C gave liganded aryl hydrocarbon (Ah) receptor complexes which were indistinguishable as determined by velocity sedimentation analysis and DNA-Sepharose column chromatography. Incubation of the cytosol plus the different radioligands for 2 h at 20 degrees C resulted in the formation of Ah receptor complexes which exhibited increased retention times on DNA-Sepharose columns. It was apparent that the amount of specifically bound Ah receptor complex or the levels of the transformed Ah receptor complex which eluted from the column with 0.2-0.3 M salt were dependent on the structure of the radioligand. For example, after incubation for 2 h at 20 degrees C the overall yields of the specifically bound transformed Ah receptor complex were 3.4, 2.0, 1.2, 1.9, 0.3, and 0.1%, respectively, using 2,3,7,8-TCDD, 2,3,7,8-TCDF, 1,2,3,7,8-PeCDD, 1,2,3,7,8-PeCDF, 1,2,7,8-TCDF, and 2,3,7,8-TrCDD as radioligands. A more quantitative measure of the structure-dependent transformation of the liganded cytosolic Ah receptor complex was determined using a gel retardation assay with a consensus synthetic dioxin-responsive element (DRE) (26-mer, duplex). The EC50 values obtained for the concentration-dependent formation of the retarded DRE-Ah receptor complex using 2,3,7,8-TCDD, 1,2,3,7,8-PeCDD, 2,3,7,8-TCDF, 1,2,3,7,8-PeCDF, 2,3,7-TrCDD, and 1,2,7,8-TCDF as ligands were 0.26, 0.35, 0.78, 1.75, 27.0, and 220 nM, respectively. The structure-dependent differences in these values were similar to their different potencies as Ah receptor agonists and these data suggest that the structure-dependent transformation of the liganded cytosolic Ah receptor may significantly contribute to the structure-activity relationships observed for 2,3,7,8-TCDD and related compounds.     

Identification and partial characterization of bovine heart cytosolic phosphorylase phosphatases

The properties of phosphatases in bovine heart cytosol were studied. Two isozymic forms of protein phosphatase H (H-1 and H-2) were resolved by chromatography on DEAE-Sephacel. The two isoenzymes had identical physical properties (Mr 260,000, 7.9 S). Treatment with 80% ethanol activated both isozymes and converted H-1 to a Mr 35,500 form and H-2 to Mr 67,000 and Mr 35,500 forms. Both H-1 and H-2 and their lower Mr activated forms had essentially identical Km values for phosphorylase a. The heart cytosol also contained a latent phosphatase (Fc) which could be activated by preincubation with either ATP X Mg and an activating factor (FA), or by Mn/trypsin treatment. The latter procedure converted the latent Fc (Mr 200,000) to a Mn2+-independent Mr 34,500 form. Both activated forms of Fc had similar Km values which were fourfold lower than the affinity of the protein phosphatase H forms for the phosphorylase a substrate.     

Physicochemical characterization of lymphocyte-activating factor (LAF).

The LAF produced by the mouse macrophage cell line, P388D1, is a single polypeptide chain of m.w. 12,000 to 16,000 daltons. Native LAF was destroyed by Streptomyces griseus protease, but not by trypsin, chymotrypsin, and papain, although in the presence of 8 M urea, papain completely destroyed LAF activity. LAF did not bind to concanavalin A-Sepharose, suggesting that LAF does not contain significant amounts of mannosyl or glycosyl residues. Since LAF activity was not inactivated by a treatment of reduction and alkylation the active conformation of LAF does not appear to be dependent on disulfide linkages. LAF was not irreversibly denatured by 8 M urea or 0.1 to 0.5% SDS. On SDS-polyacrylamide gels, the m.w. of LAF was 12,000 daltons, as compared to a value of 16,000 daltons, as determined by gel filtration. The isoelectric point of LAF was 5.0 to 5.4 as determined on 7.5% acrylamide gels (pH 3 to 10). On the basis of these results it appears that the P388D1 cell line-derived LAF is a relatively stable molecule that shares several physicochemical properties with normal human and mouse macrophage-derived LAF.     

In vitro characterization of a plastid terminal oxidase (PTOX).

The plastid terminal oxidase (PTOX) encoded by the Arabidopsis IMMUTANS gene was expressed in Escherichia coli cells and its quinone/oxygen oxidoreductase activity monitored in isolated bacterial membranes using NADH as an electron donor. Specificity for plastoquinone was observed. Neither ubiquinone, duroquinone, phylloquinone nor benzoquinone could substitute for plastoquinone in this assay. However, duroquinol (fully reduced chemically) was an accepted substrate. Iron is also required and cannot be substituted by Cu(2+), Zn(2+) or Mn(2+). This plastoquinol oxidase activity is independent of temperature over the 15-40 degrees C range but increases with pH (from 5.5 to 9.0). Unlike higher plant mitochondrial alternative oxidases, to which PTOX shows sequence similarity (but also differences, especially in a putative quinone binding site and in cysteine conservation), PTOX activity does not appear to be regulated by pyruvate or any other tested sugar, nor by AMP. Its activity decreases, however, with increasing salt (NaCl or KCl) concentration. Various quinone analogues were tested for their inhibitory activity on PTOX. Pyrogallol analogues were found to be inhibitors, especially octyl gallate (I50 = 0.4 microM ) that appears far more potent than propyl gallate or gallic acid. Thus, octyl gallate is a useful inhibitor for future in vivo or in organello studies aimed at studying the roles of PTOX in chlororespiration and as a cofactor for carotenoid biosynthesis.     

Regulation of extracellular matrix assembly: in vitro reconstitution of a partial fertilization envelope from isolated components

At fertilization, the glycocalyx (vitelline layer) of the sea urchin egg is transformed into an elevated fertilization envelope by the association of secreted peptides and the formation of intermolecular dityrosine bonds. Dityrosine cross-links are formed by a secreted ovoperoxidase that exists in a Ca2+-stabilized complex with proteoliaisin in the fertilization envelope. By using purified proteins, we now show that proteoliaisin is necessary and sufficient to link ovoperoxidase to the egg glycocalyx. Specifically, we have found that ovoperoxidase can associate with the vitelline layer only when complexed with proteoliaisin; proteoliaisin binds to the vitelline layer independently of its association with ovoperoxidase; proteolytic modification of the vitelline layer is not required for this interaction to occur; the binding of proteoliaisin to the vitelline layer is mediated by the synergistic action of the two major seawater divalent cations, Ca2+ and Mg2+; the number of proteoliaisin-binding sites on the vitelline layer of unfertilized eggs is equivalent to the amount of proteoliaisin secreted at fertilization; and the binding of ovoperoxidase to the vitelline layer, via proteoliaisin, permits the in vitro cross-linking of these two in vivo substrates. The association of purified ovoperoxidase and proteoliaisin with the vitelline layer of unfertilized eggs reconstitutes part of the morphogenesis of the fertilization envelope.     

Partial reconstitution of human DNA mismatch repair in vitro: characterization of the role of human replication protein A

DNA mismatch repair (MMR) is a critical genome-stabilization system. However, the molecular mechanism of MMR in human cells remains obscure because many of the components have not yet been identified. Using a functional in vitro reconstitution system, this study identified three HeLa cell fractions essential for in vitro MMR. These fractions divide human MMR into two distinct stages: mismatch-provoked excision and repair synthesis. In vitro dissection of the MMR reaction and crucial intermediates elucidated biochemical functions of individual fractions in human MMR and identified hitherto unknown functions of human replication protein A (hRPA) in MMR. Thus, one fraction carries out nick-directed and mismatch-dependent excision; the second carries out DNA repair synthesis and DNA ligation; and the third provides hRPA, which plays multiple roles in human MMR by protecting the template DNA strand from degradation, enhancing repair excision, and facilitating repair synthesis. It is anticipated that further analysis of these fractions will identify additional MMR components and enable the complete reconstitution of the human MMR pathway with purified proteins.     

Isolation and partial characterization of a lectin from a false brome grass (Brachypodium sylvaticum).

Purified rat renal brush-border membrane vesicles possess a heat-labile enzyme activity which hydrolyses NAD+. A reciprocal relationship exists between the disappearance of NAD+ and the appearance of adenosine; 2 mol of Pi are liberated from each mol of NAD+ incubated with brush-border membrane vesicles. Freezing and thawing brush-border membrane vesicles does not enhance the initial rate of NAD+ hydrolysis. Preincubation of brush-border membrane vesicles with NAD+ results in inhibition of Na+-dependent Pi-transport activity, whereas Na+-dependent glucose transport is not affected. EDTA, which prevents the release of Pi from NAD+ and which itself has no direct effect on brush-border membrane Pi transport, reverses the NAD+ inhibition of Na+-dependent Pi transport. These results suggest that it is the Pi liberated from NAD+ and not NAD+ itself that inhibits Na+-dependent Pi transport.     

Structure and function of the Ah receptor: sulfhydryl groups required for binding of 2,3,7,8-tetrachlorodibenzo-p-dioxin to cytosolic receptor from rodent livers

Cytosol from rodent liver was exposed to a variety of sulfhydryl-modifying reagents to determine if the cytosolic Ah receptor contained reactive sulfhydryl groups that were essential for preservation of the receptor's ligand binding function. At a 2 mM concentration in rat liver cytosol, all sulfhydryl-modifying reagents tested (except iodoacetamide) both blocked binding of [3H]2,3,7,8-tetrachlorodibenzo-p-dioxin (TCDD) to unoccupied receptor and caused release of [3H]TCDD from receptor sites that had been labeled with [3H]TCDD before exposure to the sulfhydryl-modifying reagent. Exposure of cytosol to iodoacetamide before labeling with [3H]TCDD prevented subsequent specific binding of [3H]TCDD, but iodoacetamide was not effective at displacing previously bound [3H]TCDD from the Ah receptor. The mercurial reagents, mersalyl, mercuric chloride, and p-hydroxymercuribenzoate, were more effective at releasing bound [3H]TCDD from previously labeled sites than were alkylating agents (iodoacetamide, N-ethylmaleimide) or the disulfide compound 5,5'-dithiobis(2-nitrobenzoate). Presence of bound [3H]TCDD substantially protected the Ah receptor against loss of ligand binding function when the cytosol was exposed to sulfhydryl-modifying reagents. This may indicate that the critical sulfhydryl groups lie in or near the ligand binding site on the receptor. Subtle differences exist between the Ah receptor and the receptors for steroid hormones in response to a spectrum of sulfhydryl-modifying reagents, but the Ah receptor clearly contains a sulfhydryl group (or groups) essential for maintaining the receptor in a state in which it can bind ligands specifically and with high affinity.     

Purification and partial characterization of rat brain acid proteinase (isorenin).

1. Isorenin was purified 2000-fold from rat brain by a simple 3-step procedure involving affinity chromatography on pepstatinyl-Sepharose, The preparation appears as a homogenous protein in analytical polyacrylamide gel electrophoresis. Sodium dodecyl sulfate gel electrophoresis indicated an apparent molecular weight of 45 000. Isoelectric focusing separated isoenzymes with isoelectric points at pH 5.45, 5.87, 6.16 and 7.05. 2. The enzyme generates antiotensin I from tetradecapeptide (pH optimum 4.7) and from sheep angiotensinogen (pH optima 3.9 and 5.5). The rate of angiotensin I formation from tetradecapeptide was 30 000 times higher than that from sheep angiotensinogen. The enzyme has acid protease activity at pH 3.2 with hemoglobin as the substrate and pepstatin is a potent inhibitor of the enzyme with a Ki of less than 10(-9) M. 3. The properties of the enzyme strongly suggest that it is identical with cathepsin D.     

Inhibition of nadph-driven microsomal lipid peroxidation by cytosol factor(s). Effect of a fat-free, high carbohydrate diet.

Male Swiss mice were given free access to a fat-free, high carbohydrate diet. The liver cytosol fraction from these mice contained a heat-sensitive factor that markedly inhibited microsomal, ferric pyrophosphate stimulated, NADPH-driven lipid peroxidation. The diet-induced factor was apparently incorporated into the microsomes after 12 days of continuous feeding, since lipid peroxidation by these microsomes was strongly diminished. The factor disappeared from the cytosol after 24 h of fasting and reappeared after refeeding the mice with the fat-free, high carbohydrate diet.