Endothelial cell junctions

In the course of a freeze-cleave study on intercellular junctions in the regenerating rat liver, we observed an unusual array of intramembranous particles located in regions of contact between endothelial cells lining the hepatic sinusoids. These arrays were characterized by an accumulation of particles which resembled a zonula occludens in their linear deployment but differed in that the contact regions were composed of individual particles which remained separated from each other by regular particle-free intervals.     

Characterization of the Binding of [3H]SR 95531, a GABAA Antagonist, to Rat Brain Membranes

A synthetic derivative of gamma-aminobutyric acid (GABA), SR 95531 [2-(3'-carboxy-2'-propyl)-3-amino-6-p-methoxyphenylpyridazinium bromide], has recently been reported, on the basis of biochemical and in vivo microiontophoretic studies, to be a potent, selective, competitive, and reversible GABAA antagonist. In the present study, the binding of [3H]SR 95531 to washed, frozen, and thawed rat brain membranes was characterized. Specific binding was linear with tissue concentrations, had a pH optimum at neutrality, and was maximal at 4 degrees C after 30 min of incubation. Pretreatment of the membranes with Triton X-100 resulted in a 50% decrease of specific binding. Addition of iodide, thiocyanate, or nitrate to the incubation mixture decreased the affinity of [3H]SR 95531 for its binding site; Na+ had no effect. Subcellular fractionation showed that 74% of the P2 binding was in synaptosomes; 31% of the total homogenate binding was in P2 and 50% in P3. The binding of [3H]SR 95531 was saturable; Scatchard analysis of the saturation isotherm revealed two apparent populations of binding sites (KD of 6.34 nM and Bmax of 0.19 pmol/mg of protein; KD of 32 nM and Bmax of 0.81 pmol/mg of protein). The binding of [3H]SR 95531 was reversible, and association and dissociation kinetics confirmed the existence of two binding sites. Only GABAA ligands were effective displacers of [3H]SR 95531. GABAA antagonists were relatively more potent in displacing [3H]SR 95531 than [3H]GABA; the inverse was true for GABAA agonists. There were marked regional differences in the distribution of binding sites: hippocampus = cerebral cortex greater than thalamus = olfactory bulb = hypothalamus = amygdala = striatum greater than pons-medulla and cerebellum. The surprisingly low density of binding sites in the cerebellum was owing to a marked reduction of Bmax values at both the high- and the low-affinity binding sites. In conclusion, the present results demonstrate specific, high-affinity, saturable, and reversible binding of [3H]SR 95531 to rat brain membranes and strongly suggest that this radioligand labels the GABAA receptor site in its antagonist conformation.     

Chromosomal assignment of retinoic acid receptor (RAR) genes in the human, mouse, and rat genomes.

The human genes encoding the alpha and beta forms of the retinoic acid receptor are known to be located on chromosomes 17 (band q21.1:RARA) and 3 (band p24:RARB). By in situ hybridization, we have now localized the gene for retinoic acid receptor gamma, RARG, on chromosome 12, band q13. We also mapped the three retinoic acid receptor genes in the mouse, by in situ hybridization, on chromosomes 11, band D (Rar-a); 14, band A (Rar-b); and 15, band F (Rar-g), respectively, and in the rat, using a panel of somatic cell hybrids that segregate rat chromosomes, on chromosomes 10 (RARA), 15 (RARB), and 7 (RARG), respectively. These assignments reveal a retention of tight linkage between RAR and HOX gene clusters. They also establish or confirm and extend the following homologies: (i) between human chromosome 17, mouse chromosome 11, and rat chromosome 10 (RARA); (ii) between human chromosome 3, mouse chromosome 14, and rat chromosome 15 (RARB); and (iii) between human chromosome 12, mouse chromosome 15, and rat chromosome 7 (RARG).