Redox cycling and sulphydryl arylation; their relative importance in the mechanism of quinone cytotoxicity to isolated hepatocytes

Quinones are believed to be toxic by a mechanism involving redox cycling and oxidative stress. In this study, we have used 2,3-dimethoxy-1,4-naphthoquinone (2,3-diOMe-1,4-NQ), which redox cycles to the same degree as menadione, but does not react with free thiol groups, to distinguish between the importance of redox cycling and arylation of free thiol groups in the causation of toxicity to isolated hepatocytes. Menadione was significantly more toxic to isolated hepatocytes than 2,3-diOMe-1,4-NQ. Both menadione and 2,3-diOMe-1,4-NQ caused an extensive GSH depletion accompanied by GSSG formation, preceding loss of viability. Both compounds stimulated a similar increase in oxygen uptake in isolated hepatocytes and NADPH oxidation in microsomes suggesting they both redox cycle to similar extents. Further evidence for the redox cycling in intact hepatocytes was the detection of the semiquinone anion radicals with electron spin resonance spectroscopy. In addition we have, using the spin trap DMPO (5,5-dimethyl-1-pyrroline N-oxide), demonstrated for the first time the formation of superoxide anion radicals by intact hepatocytes. These radicals result from oxidation of the semiquinone by oxygen and further prove that both these quinones redox cycle in intact hepatocytes. We conclude that while oxidative processes may cause toxicity, the arylation of intracellular thiols or nucleophiles also contributes significantly to the cytotoxicity of compounds such as menadione.     

Enhanced carrier-mediated lactate entry into isolated hepatocytes from starved and diabetic rats

Hepatic plasma membrane lactate transport was studied in isolated hepatocytes prepared from fed, starved, and streptozotocin diabetic rats. Carrier-mediated lactate entry was determined using the lactate transport inhibitors alpha-cyano-3-hydroxycinnamate and D-3-hydroxybutyrate and was significantly greater in hepatocytes from starved compared to fed rats and in hepatocytes from diabetic fed compared to fed rats. The saturable component of lactate entry which corresponds to carrier-mediated transport was higher in the starved than in the fed state with results from diabetic fed being intermediate between the two. Insulin treatment prevented the increment in carrier-mediated lactate transport observed in hepatocytes from diabetic fed rats. The data indicate that hepatic plasma membrane lactate transport is increased under conditions of starvation and diabetes mellitus. This may partly explain the increased gluconeogenic flux under these conditions.     

De novo and maintenance DNA methylation by a mouse plasmacytoma cell DNA methyltransferase

A DNA methyltransferase of Mr = 140,000 that is active on both unmethylated and hemimethylated DNA substrates has been purified from the murine plasma-cytoma cell line MPC 11. The maximal rate of methylation was obtained with maintenance methylation of hemimethylated Micrococcus luteus or M13 DNAs. At low enzyme concentrations, the highest rate of de novo methylation occurred with single-stranded DNA or relatively short duplex DNA containing single-stranded regions. Strong substrate inhibition was observed with hemimethylated but not unmethylated DNA substrates. Fully methylated single-stranded M13 phage DNA inhibited neither the de novo nor the maintenance reactions, but unmethylated single-stranded M13 DNA strongly inhibited the maintenance reaction. The kinetics observed with hemimethylated and single-stranded substrates could be explained if the enzyme were to bind irreversibly to a DNA molecule and to aggregate if present in molar excess. Such aggregates would be required for activity upon hemimethylated but not single-stranded DNA. For de novo methylation of duplex DNA, single-stranded regions or large amounts of methyltransferase appear to be required. The relative substrate preference for the enzyme is hemimethylated DNA greater than fully or partially single-stranded DNA greater than fully duplex DNA.     

Identification of the sites on rabbit skeletal muscle protein phosphatase inhibitor-2 phosphorylated by casein kinase-II

Inhibitor-2 was phosphorylated by casein kinase-II in vitro at a rate similar to that of glycogen synthase, a physiological substrate of this protein kinase. The major phosphorylation sites were identified as serines-86, -120 and -121, the peptide containing serines-120 and -121 being labelled about 2.5-fold more rapidly than that containing serine-86. The 13 residues C-terminal to serine-121 (SGEEDSDLSPEERE) contain seven acidic amino acids, while the six residues following serine-86 (SDTETTE) contain three. These results are consistent with the known specificity requirements of casein kinase-II. The three serines are C-terminal to the threonine (residue 72) whose phosphorylation by glycogen synthase kinase-3 is potentiated by prior phosphorylation with casein kinase-II. This reinforces the view that a C-terminal phosphoserine residue is important for the specificity of glycogen synthase kinase-3. Identification of the residues phosphorylated by casein kinase-II will facilitate further studies on the in vivo phosphorylation state of inhibitor-2.     

The protein phosphatases involved in cellular regulation. Primary structure of inhibitor-2 from rabbit skeletal muscle

The complete primary structure of inhibitor-2, a specific inhibitor of protein phosphatase-1, has been determined. The protein consists of a single polypeptide chain of 203 residues, and has a relative molecular mass of 22835 Da. This molecular mass is significantly lower than earlier estimates based on sodium dodecyl sulphate polyacrylamide gel electrophoresis. The threonyl residue phosphorylated by glycogen synthase kinase-3 is located at position 72. The molecule is very hydrophilic, lacks cysteine residues and the single tryptophanyl and phenylalanyl residues are at positions 46 and 139, respectively. The N-terminal alanyl residue is N-acetylated. Digestion with Staphylococcus aureus V8 proteinase, trypsin, or cleavage with cyanogen bromide, destroyed the biological activity of inhibitor-2, demonstrating that many large fragments (e.g. 1-49, 49-92, 67-101, 108-134, 142-182 and 163-197) are inactive. Digestion with clostripain generated a peptide comprising residues 25-114 which retained 2% of the inhibitory potency of the parent molecule. There is no sequence homology between inhibitor-2 and inhibitor-1.     

Phosphorylase a is an allosteric inhibitor of the glycogen and microsomal forms of rat hepatic protein phosphatase-1

The dephosphorylation of glycogen synthase by protein phosphatase-1 in hepatic glycogen and microsomes was inhibited by nanomolar concentrations of phosphorylase a. The I50 for phosphorylase a was 1000-fold lower than its Km as a substrate, while tryptic digestion increased the I50 1000-fold without affecting Km. Protein phosphatase-1 from skeletal muscle and protein phosphatase-2A from liver were only inhibited at 1000-fold higher concentrations. Protein phosphatase-1 became desensitized to phosphorylase a when released from hepatic microsomes, but sensitivity was partially restored by readdition of the solubilized enzyme to the microsomes. The results demonstrate that phosphorylase a is a potent allosteric inhibitor of hepatic protein phosphatase-1 and suggest that inhibition may be conferred by a novel phosphorylase a-binding subunit.     

Inherited X-chromosome inverted tandem duplication in a male traced to a grandparental mitotic error.

A male infant was referred for cytogenetic evaluation because of dysmorphic features and developmental delay. In both lymphocytes and skin fibroblasts, a modal number of 46 chromosomes was obtained with an obvious elongation of the long arm of the X chromosome (Xq+). Studies of seven members in 3 generations of this family showed that the proband's mother, sister, and maternal grandmother were phenotypically normal carriers of this abnormal X chromosome. High resolution GTG- and RBG-banding defined the extra chromatin material as an inverted duplication of Xq21----Xq24. This was supported by an approximate twofold increase in alpha-galactosidase A activity, localized to Xq21----q24, observed in the proband's lymphocytes and fibroblasts. BrdU-incorporation studies of the mother's lymphocytes showed the abnormal X to be late replicating in all 100 cells studied and normal alpha-galactosidase A levels. Cytogenetic analysis of the maternal grandmother revealed cytogenetic mosaicism with one cell line containing the abnormal X (37%), and the other, a normal female karyotype (63%). This family is instructive since: (1) it represents only the second case of a dysmorphic male demonstrating a confirmed interstitial partial Xq duplication, and (2) the origin of this familial structural rearrangement has been traced to a grandparental mitotic error.     

Biochemistry of fern spore germination: protease activity in ostrich fern spores

Protease activities were detected in quiescent and germinating spores of the ostrich fern (Matteuccia struthiopteris [L.] Todaro). Peak endopeptidase, aminopeptidase, and carboxypeptidase activities were detected 12 to 24 hours after spores began imbibing under light. There was a correlation between activities of proteases, the onset of a decline in levels of soluble protein, and an increase in levels of free amino acids. The earliest visible event of spore germination, breakage of the spore coat and protrusion of a rhizoid cell, was observed after peak protease activity, 48 to 72 hours after the start of imbibition. Results of this study demonstrate similarities in the pattern of protease activities during germination of ostrich fern spores to those of some seeds.     

Kinetics of the interaction of N-(phosphonacetyl)-L-aspartate with the catalytic subunit of aspartate transcarbamoylase. A slow conformational change subsequent to binding

The binding of the bisubstrate ligand N-(phosphonacetyl)-L-aspartate (PALA) to the active sites of both the free catalytic subunit of aspartate transcarbamoylase and the intact holoenzyme causes conformational changes which have been studied extensively. However, no kinetic information has been available about the sequence of events occurring during the formation or dissociation of the complexes. Stopped flow kinetics, 31P saturation transfer NMR spectroscopy, and presteady-state kinetics were used to monitor the interaction of PALA with the catalytic subunit (or a derivative containing nitrotyrosyl chromophores which served as spectral probes). The various experimental approaches lead to a mechanism that includes a rapid binding of PALA with an "on" rate of about 10(8)M-1s-1 and an "off" rate of 28 s-1, followed by a much slower isomerization of the complex with a forward rate constant of 0.18 s-1. Analysis of the presteady-state bursts of enzyme activity when the protein is added to a mixture of substrates and PALA and of the lag in activity when the PALA complex with catalytic subunit is added to substrates yielded a rate constant for the reverse isomerization of 0.018s-1. Thus, the conformational change subsequent to PALA binding leads to a 10-fold increase in the equilibrium constant for complex formation. Stopped flow kinetic measurements of the spectral change resulting from mixing the complex of PALA and nitrated protein with native enzyme showed a slow process with a t1/2 of about 11 s, whereas 31P saturation transfer NMR experiments yielded at t1/2 of about 260 ms for the dissociation of PALA from the complex. This apparent disparity is understood in terms of the two-step binding scheme where rapid dissociation of the initial ligand X enzyme complex is measured by the NMR technique and the slow isomerization of the complex is responsible for the bulk of the stopped flow signal.     

Rapid declines in cyclic GMP of rod outer segments of intact frog photoreceptors after illumination

Considerable disagreement has resulted from experiments designed to test whether light-induced falls in cGMP in outer segment (OS) of photoreceptors precede their light-induced electrical responses. Different studies have reported initial declines at 50 ms, at s, or not at all for physiological stimuli. Such studies have employed whole retinas, isolated rod OS, or isolated rod OS with attached inner segments and involved a variety of techniques. We developed an apparatus that illuminates intact pieces of dark-adapted frog retinas at 22 degrees C for known brief durations and then rapidly (47 ms) presses their OS surface against a copper mirror cooled by liquid helium. Freezing occurs in less than 2 ms. Cyclic GMP was then assayed in cryostat sections of the OS layer. Six illumination intensities that bleached from 90 to 9 X 10(8) rhodopsin molecules per s were delivered for durations of 0.1-2 s. Compared to dark-adapted values, progressive losses of cGMP were seen with all illumination intensities. Because a significant loss in cGMP was seen after a 100 ms exposure to our dimmest stimulus, it appears that a loss of cGMP could play a role in rod visual transduction.