Specific inhibition of human granulocyte elastase with peptide aldehydes

The kinetic features of human granulocyte elastase, chymotrypsin, porcine pancreatic elastase and elastomucoproteinase were compared. Amino acyl ester substrates were assayed and Km and kcat values were defined. Aldehyde analogues of the p-nitroanilide substrates designed for granulocyte elastase as optimal for Km appeared to be potent inhibitors. Suc-D-Phe-Pro-valinal (Ki = 40 microM) was found to inhibit granulocyte elastase competitively and specifically when measured with synthetic substrates, and the Ki was 3 microM with the natural protein substrate, elastin.     

Haemolysis of rabbit erythrocytes by a lectin from the seeds of<Emphasis Type="Italic">Croton tiglium</Emphasis>

The kinetics of haemolysis of rabbit erythrocytes byCroton tiglium lectin was studied as a function of concentration of the lectin and erythrocytes. The length of the prelytic period decreased with increasing lectin concentrations, indicating that the secondary events at the membrane which follow the binding of the lectin to cell surface carbohydrate receptors are accelerated at higher surface concentrations of the lectin. The rate or extent of haemolysis was not affected by the inclusion of ions like K⁺, Ca²⁺ and Mg²⁺ in the medium or by the substitution of ionic medium by a non-ionic medium. The inhibition of haemagglutination and haemolysis of rabbit red cells byCroton tiglium lectin by antilectin rabbit serum was observed. A possible mechanism of haemolysis by the lectin is discussed.     

Plant lectins specific for N-acetyl-β-D-galactosamine

N-Acetyl-D-galactosamine in β-linkage being ubiquitous in cell surface glycoproteins, their interaction with lectins specific for this sugar moiety may be a significant event in cell adhesion phenomena. This article discusses the common β-N-acetyl galactosamine-specific lectins, with particular stress on the lectin from winged beans (Psophocarpus tetragonolobus).     

“Pleiotypic Response”

A hypothesis has been developed to relate stringent control in bacteria to a set of interactions involved in the regulation of growth of transformed and untransformed mammalian cells.     

Inhibition of DNA Synthesis but not of Poly-dAT Synthesis by the Arabinose Analogue of Cytidine <Emphasis Type="Italic">in vitro</Emphasis>

Kimball and Wilson¹ reported that the arabinose analogue of cytidine (ara-C) inhibited DNA polymerase in a crude extract prepared from Ehrlich ascites cells. Furth and Cohen² observed cytosine arabinoside triphosphate (ara-CTP) inhibited DNA polymerase in extracts from either calf thymus or bovine lymphosarcoma tissue, although these investigators³ had already found no effect of ara-CTP on DNA polymerase from Escherichia coli. The inhibition in both of these cases could be substantially reversed by dCTP; but incorporation of the arabinose nucleotide (ara-CMP) into DNA could not be unequivocally demonstrated. Graham and Whitmore⁴ reported the incorporation of ara-C into DNA in vivo and the inhibition of a DNA polymerase from L cells by ara-CTP. They found that ara-CMP was initially incorporated into small DNA strands but subsequently appeared in long strands. Momparler⁵ has presented evidence that, in vitro, ara-C incorporation was limited to the 3′-hydroxyl end of DNA chains. Such incorporation might be expected to block further chain elongation but this expectation was not supported by the evidence presented by Graham and Whitmore.     

Endopeptidase Activity of Phage λ-Endolysin

JACOB and Fuerst^1,2 demonstrated the presence of a bacteriolytic enzyme (λ-endolysin) in the induced cultures of lysogenic Escherichia coli K12 (λ). The enzyme was later identified as the product of gene R; of phage λ³ which is involved in bacterial lysis at the end of a latent period. The enzyme is apt to form spheroplast-like structures in E. coli² and one would therefore expect its substrate to be murein.     

Polymorphic tandem repeat region in interleukin-1α intron 6

Analysis of polymerase chain reaction amplified products from the sixth intron of the human interleukin-1 gene reveals a high polymorphism (polymorphism information content = 0.51) in a Caucasian population. Altogether, seven alleles have been defined ranging from 620 to 1220bp. This polymorphism is probably attributable to a variable number of 46-bp tandem repeats, each containing potential regulatory sequences.