The role of Ca2+ and protein kinase C in the differentiation of HL-60 cells induced by 1 alpha,25(OH)2D3 and diltiazem

The roles of calcium (Ca2+) and protein kinase C in the differentiation of HL-60 cells induced by 1 alpha,25(OH)2D3 (D3) and/or a Ca2+ antagonist, diltiazem(D-cis, L-cis), were elucidated. D3 and diltiazem (100 microM) inhibited cell proliferation, and diltiazem enhanced the D3-induced differentiation. There was no difference in potency between the two isomers of diltiazem in the enhancing activity, in spite of their different pharmacological activity. The concentration of free Ca2+ in the HL-60 cells following D3 and/or diltiazem treatment significantly increased. A protein kinase C inhibitor, H-7, inhibited the phenotypic differentiation induced by D3. These results suggest that Ca2+ and protein kinase C play an important role in the differentiation of HL-60 cells induced by D3 and diltiazem.     

Distribution of alginate and cellulose and regulatory role of calcium in the cell wall of the brown alga <Emphasis Type="Italic">Ectocarpus siliculosus</Emphasis> (Ectocarpales,Phaeophyceae)

Main conclusion

This work investigated a correlation between the three-dimensional architecture and compound–components of the brown algal cell wall. Calcium greatly contributes to the cell wall integrity.Brown algae have a unique cell wall consisting of alginate, cellulose, and sulfated polysaccharides. However, the relationship between the architecture and the composition of the cell wall is poorly understood. Here, we investigated the architecture of the cell wall and the effect of extracellular calcium in the sporophyte and gametophyte of the model brown alga, Ectocarpus siliculosus (Dillwyn) Lyngbye, using transmission electron microscopy, histochemical, and immunohistochemical studies. The lateral cell wall of vegetative cells of the sporophyte thalli had multilayered architecture containing electron-dense and negatively stained fibrils. Electron tomographic analysis showed that the amount of the electron-dense fibrils and the junctions was different between inner and outer layers, and between the perpendicular and tangential directions of the cell wall. By immersing the gametophyte thalli in the low-calcium (one-eighth of the normal concentration) artificial seawater medium, the fibrous layers of the lateral cell wall of vegetative cells became swollen. Destruction of cell wall integrity was also induced by the addition of sorbitol. The results demonstrated that electron-dense fibrils were composed of alginate-calcium fibrous gels, and electron negatively stained fibrils were crystalline cellulose microfibrils. It was concluded that the spatial arrangement of electron-dense fibrils was different between the layers and between the directions of the cell wall, and calcium was necessary for maintaining the fibrous layers in the cell wall. This study provides insights into the design principle of the brown algal cell wall.

     

Decreased GA1 Content Caused by the Overexpression of OSH1 Is Accompanied by Suppression of GA 20-Oxidase Gene Expression

We previously reported that overexpression of the rice homeobox gene OSH1 led to altered morphology and hormone levels in transgenic tobacco (Nicotiana tabacum L.) plants. Among the hormones whose levels were changed, GA₁ was dramatically reduced. Here we report the results of our analysis on the regulatory mechanism(s) of OSH1 on GA metabolism. GA₅₃ and GA₂₀, precursors of GA₁, were applied separately to transgenic tobacco plants exhibiting severely changed morphology due to overexpression of OSH1. Only treatment with the end product of GA 20-oxidase, GA₂₀, resulted in a striking promotion of stem elongation in transgenic tobacco plants. The internal GA₁ and GA₂₀ contents in OSH1-transformed tobacco were dramatically reduced compared with those of wild-type plants, whereas the level of GA₁₉, a mid-product of GA 20-oxidase, was 25% of the wild-type level. We have isolated a cDNA encoding a putative tobacco GA 20-oxidase, which is mainly expressed in vegetative stem tissue. RNA-blot analysis revealed that GA 20-oxidase gene expression was suppressed in stem tissue of OSH1-transformed tobacco plants. Based on these results, we conclude that overexpression of OSH1 causes a reduction of the level of GA₁ by suppressing GA 20-oxidase expression.     

Physiological tolerance of Camellia rusticana leaves to heavy snowfall environments: The effects of prolonged snow cover on evergreen leaves

Camelliarusticana is an evergreen broad-leaved shrub found only in areas of heavy snowfall in Japan. The ecophysiological tolerance of this species to prolonged snow cover was studied in comparison with those of Camellia japonica found in areas of light snowfall. The shoots of C. rusticana and C. japonica were stored under a simulated snow cover for 1 year. During the experimental period, about 20% of the leaves of C. japonica defoliated after 90–140 days of storage and more than 80% of the leaves browned within 360 days. The proliferation of fungi was observed on all shoots of C. japonica after 200 days. In contrast, the leaves of C. rusticana showed no visible changes throughout the experimental period. The decline in the rate of soluble carbohydrate content in C. rusticana was about one-sixth of that in C.japonica. The photosynthetic capacity (O₂ exchange rates at saturated light and CO₂ at 20°C) of C.japonica dropped to about half its initial value after 140 days, while that of the C. rusticana did not change even after 360 days. Under dark conditions, the stomata of C. rusticana were always closed through the experiment, but those of C. japonica were not completely closed after 90 days. The differences in stomata characteristics and the consumption rate of soluble carbohydrates under snow-covered conditions between the two Camellia species are important factors for determining their habitat segregation by snow depth.     

Cell differentiation of alveolar epithelium in the developing rat lung: ultrahistochemical studies of glycoconjugates on the epithelial cell surface

Glycoconjugates on the surface of pulmonary epithelial cells were ultrahistochemically examined in the fetal, neonatal and adult rat lung. Lectin and colloidal iron staining procedures were performed in combination with digestion using carbohydrate-degrading enzymes or methylation. The glycoconjugate composition of columnar cells at 16 days gestation was similar to that of cuboidal cells at 19 days gestation. Glycoconjugate differentiation on the cell surface occurred at 20 days gestation, and especially the loss of soybean agglutinin (SBA) binding sites could be detected on type II cells. The contents of Ricinus communis agglutinin-I (RCA-I) and Concanavalin A (Con A) binding sites on type II cells also began to decrease. On the contrary, the content of sulfated saccharides decreased on the surface of type I cells during development. Glycoconjugate differentiation on both type I and II cells was completed with the disappearance of hyaluronic acid and peanut agglutinin (PNA) binding sites; type I and II cells acquired a similar histochemical composition to that on adult type I and II cells at 5 days after birth. Both type I and II cells share a common early precursor cell, that is, the cuboidal epithelial cell at the canalicular stage.     

Purification of the Ca2+-and Mg2+-requiring ATPase from rat brain synaptic plasma membrane.

A Ca2+-ATPase (Ca2+- and Mg2+-requiring ATPase) was purified from a synaptic plasma-membrane fraction of rat brain. This enzyme had properties similar to those of plasma-membrane Ca2+-ATPases from other organs: its splitting of ATP was dependent on both Ca2+ and Mg2+, it bound in a Ca2+-dependent fashion to calmodulin-Sepharose and it cross-reacted with specific antibodies raised against human erythrocyte-membrane Ca2+-ATPase. It had an apparent Mr of 138 000, similar to those of plasma-membrane ATPases from human erythrocyte and from dog heart sarcolemma. Previous high-Ca2+-affinity ATPases observed in brain had Mr 100 000; in at least one case, such an ATPase probably represented a different type of enzyme, derived from coated vesicles.     

Identification of two calcineurin alpha isoforms in bovine brain by two different monoclonal antibodies.

Calcineurin (calcium- and calmodulin-stimulated phosphatase) alpha subunit purified from bovine brain was found to be composed of two polypeptides, 61 KDa (alpha 1) and 59 KDa (alpha 2). The two peptides were separated and extracted from polyacrylamide gel. The immuno-peptide mapping of the purified peptides by partial proteolysis showed that the 59-KDa polypeptide was not a degradative product of the 61-KDa polypeptide. The interaction of the enzyme with two monoclonal antibodies, Vj6 and Vd3, raised against bovine brain calcineurin revealed that the 61-KDa polypeptide was recognized by both Vj6 and Vd3, whereas the 59-KDa one was recognized only by Vj6. These results indicate that there are at least two isoforms of calcineurin alpha subunits in bovine brain.     

F-actin bundling protein from Physarum polycephalum: purification and its capacity for co-bundling of actin filaments and microtubules

An F-actin bundling protein was isolated and purified from plasmodium of Physarum polycephalum. The F-actin bundling protein in Physarum extract was passed through a DEAE-cellulose column. After the protein in the fraction was treated with 6 M urea, it was purified by gel filtration on Sephacryl S-300 HR followed by chromatography on CM-Toyopearl (cation exchange) in the presence of 6 M urea. The purified protein gave a single band on SDS-PAGE, and the molecular weight was estimated to be 52,000. This F-actin bundling protein is referred to as the 52 kDa protein. Interestingly, the 52 kDa protein also induced bundling of microtubules. The formation of F-actin and microtubule bundles was Ca(2+)-insensitive, but depended on the salt concentration. Each bundle formed at NaCl concentrations less than 0.1 M. The 52 kDa protein cross-reacted with monoclonal antibody raised against a HeLa 55 kDa protein (an F-actin bundling protein from HeLa cells) (Yamashiro-Matsumura and Matsumura: J. Biol. Chem. 260:5087-5097, 1985). When the 52 kDa protein was added to a mixture of actin filaments and microtubules, co-bundles composed of both filaments formed. This is the first reported example in which an F-actin bundling protein induced co-bundling of actin filaments and microtubules.     

Immunohistochemical Cross-Reactivity Between <Emphasis Type="Italic">Paracoccidioides</Emphasis> sp. from Dolphins and <Emphasis Type="Italic">Histoplasma capsulatum</Emphasis>

Paracoccidioidomycosis ceti is a cutaneous disease of cetaceans caused by uncultivated Paracoccidioides brasiliensis or Paracoccidioides spp. Serological cross-reactions between paracoccidioidomycosis ceti and paracoccidioidomycosis, paracoccidioidomycosis and histoplasmosis, and paracoccidioidomycosis and coccidioidomycosis have been reported before. The present study aimed to detect immunohistochemical cross-reaction between antibodies to Paracoccidioides sp. and Histoplasma capsulatum, and vice versa. Thirty murine sera, obtained from experimental infections of 6 isolates of H. capsulatum, were reacted with paraffin-embedded yeast-form cells of Paracoccidioides sp. derived from a case of paracoccidioidomycosis ceti in Japan. The murine sera were also reacted with human isolates of H. capsulatum yeast cells, with P. brasiliensis yeast cells, and with fungal cells of Coccidioides posadasii. Three dolphins’ sera from cases of paracoccidioidomycosis ceti, two human sera from patients with paracoccidioidomycosis, and a serum from a healthy person with a history of coccidioidomycosis were used in order to determine that the tested fungal cells reacted properly. Sera derived from mice infected with an isolate of H. capsulatum reacted positively against yeast cells of Paracoccidioides sp., yeast cells of P. brasiliensis, and fungal cells of C. posadasii, while those derived from other strains were negative. The present study recorded for the first time the cross-reaction between the yeast cells of H. capsulatum and antibodies against Paracoccidioides spp., the yeast cells of Paracoccidioides sp. and antibodies against H. capsulatum, the yeast cells of Paracoccidioides sp. and antibodies against Coccidioides sp., and fungal cells of C. posadasii and antibodies against Paracoccidioides spp.     

INFLUENCE OF TEMPERATURE AND HYDROGEN ION CONCENTRATION UPON THE SPORE CYCLE OF BACILLUS SUBTILIS

1. At 5°C. no germination took place. 2. At 25°C. and at 37°C. germination occurs if the hydrogen ion concentration of the broth is kept between pH 5 and pH 10, but not at higher or lower pH values. 3. The completion of the spore cycle likewise requires a hydrogen ion concentration between pH 5 and pH 10. 4. The spores can germinate when the pH value is 10, although after germination the vegetative cells multiply only to a very slight extent and soon pass into spores. 5. The slight growth and multiplication of vegetative cells in broth of pH 10 suggest that the formation of endospores in this medium must be caused largely by the unfavorable reaction of the medium rather than by the accumulation of metabolic products. 6. Automatic adjustment of the medium seems to play a rôle in the completion of the spore cycle. 7. The results are not only of theoretical importance but they have a practical application to the preservation of food by canning and by other methods.