Cellular Localization of the Molecular Forms of Acetylcholinesterase in Primary Cultures of Rat Sympathetic Neurons and Analysis of the Secreted Enzyme

The secretion and cellular localization of the molecular forms of acetylcholinesterase (AChE) were studied in primary cultures of rat sympathetic neurons. When cultured under conditions favoring a noradrenergic phenotype, these neurons synthesized and secreted large quantities of the tetrameric G4, and the dodecameric A12 forms, and minor amounts of the G1 and G2 forms. When these neurons adopted the cholinergic phenotype, i.e., in the presence of muscle-conditioned medium, the development of the cellular A12 form was completely inhibited. These neurons secreted only globular, mainly G4, AChE. Both cellular and secreted A12 AChE in adrenergic cultures aggregated at an ionic strength similar to that of the culture medium, raising the hypothesis that this form was associated with a polyanionic component of basal lamina. In noradrenergic neurons, 60-80% of the catalytic sites were exposed at the cell surface. In particular, 80% of G4 form, but only 60% of the A12 form, was external, demonstrating for the A12 form a sizeable intracellular pool. The hydrophobic character of the molecular forms was studied in relation to their cellular localization. As in muscle cells, most of the G4 form was membrane-bound. Whereas 76% of the cell surface A12 form was solubilized in the aqueous phase by high salt concentrations, only 50% of the intracellular A12 form was solubilized under these conditions. The rest of intracellular A12 could be solubilized by detergents and was thus either membrane-bound or entrapped in vesicles originating from, e.g., the Golgi apparatus.     

Characterization of phosphoproteins and protein kinase activity of virions, noninfectious enveloped particles, and dense bodies of human cytomegalovirus.

Phosphorylation of the proteins of human cytomegalovirus (CMV) virions, noninfectious enveloped particles (NIEPs), and dense bodies was investigated. Analyses of particles phosphorylated in vivo showed the following. Virions contain three predominant phosphoproteins (i.e., basic phosphoprotein and upper and lower matrix proteins) and at least nine minor phosphorylated species. NIEPs contain all of these and one additional major species, the assembly protein. Dense bodies contain only one (i.e., lower matrix) of the predominant and four of the minor virion phosphoproteins. Two-dimensional (charge-size) separations in denaturing polyacrylamide gels showed that the relative net charges of the predominant phosphorylated species ranged from the basic phosphoprotein to the more neutral upper matrix protein. In vitro assays showed that purified virions of human CMV have an associated protein kinase activity. The activity was detected only after disrupting the envelope; it had a pH optimum of approximately 9 to 9.5 and required a divalent cation, preferring magnesium to manganese. In vitro, this activity catalyzed phosphorylation of the virion proteins observed to be phosphorylated in vivo. Peptide comparisons indicated that the sites phosphorylated in vitro are a subset of those phosphorylated in vivo, underscoring the probable biological relevance of the kinase activity. Casein, phosvitin, and to a minor extent lysine-rich histones served as exogenous phosphate acceptors. Arginine-rich and lysine-rich histones and protamine sulfate, as well as the polyamines spermine and spermidine, stimulated incorporation of phosphate into the endogenous viral proteins. Virions of all human and simian CMV strains tested showed this activity. Analyses of other virus particles, including three intracellular capsid forms (i.e., A, B, and C capsids), NIEPs, and dense bodies, indicated that the active enzyme was not present in the capsid. Rate-velocity sedimentation of disrupted virions separated the protein kinase activity into two fractions: one that phosphorylated exogenous casein and another that phosphorylated primarily the endogenous virion proteins.     

Allele and locus classification in electrophoretic population studies

The electrophoretic separation of protein variants having slightly different mobilities is a basic tool of biochemical population genetics. In certain situations it is difficult to determine how to classify the variants as alleles of a number of genetic loci, that is, as variant subsets within each of which the Mendelian laws hold. In this article, we develop and analyze a series of algorithms for solving various versions and generalizations of this problem of optimal classification.     

Cell Surfaces in Plant-Microorganism Interactions : VI. Elicitors of Ethylene from Colletotrichum lagenarium Trigger Chitinase Activity in Melon Plants

Treatment of melon leaves or seedlings with elicitors of Colletotrichum lagenarium, a fungal pathogen of melon, increases chitinase activity. In treated leaves, chitinase is enhanced within the first 6 hours and becomes 2 to 10 times higher than in control leaves after 24 hours. Ethylene is increased simultaneously and is correlated with chitinase elicitation. In the presence of aminoethoxyvinylglycine, an inhibitor of ethylene synthesis, both elicitor-induced ethylene and elicitor-induced chitinase are inhibited. This inhibition is overcome by added exogenous ethylene. On the other hand, 1-aminocyclopropane-1-carboxylic acid the direct precursor of ethylene, triggers chitinase activity. Chitinase elicitation is thought to be a protein synthesis dependent process, as it does not occur in the presence of cycloheximide.     

Hybridization of DNA from methanogenic bacteria with nitrogenase structural genes (nifHDK)

Summary Using the Southern hybridization technique, homologies were examined between restricted DNA of four methanogenic bacteria (Methanobacterium ivanovi, Methanobacterium thermoautotrophicum, Methanococcus voltae, Methanosarcina barkeri) and the nif (nitrogen fixation) genes of Klebsiella pneumoniae and Anabaena strain 7120. With K. pneumoniae probes, no hybridization was observed with nifA, nifNE, and nifJ but positive results were obtained with the nifHDK genes coding for nitrogenase. Homology was detected, in the four strains, with K. pneumoniae and Anabaena nifH probes. In M. voltae and M. ivanovi, the homology found with nifH was estimated to be about 70% and a weaker hybridization was observed also with nifD and nifK. In M. voltae, the sequence homologous to nifH was found on a 3.0 kbp HindIII fragment and sequences homologous to nifD and nifK on a 3.8 kbp HindIII fragment. The 3.0 kbp fragment was cloned and the region homologous to nifH was localized more precisely. When this fragment was used as a probe against other DNAs, it behaved as a K. pneumoniae and Anabaena nifH probe. The results suggest that the structural genes for nitrogenase may be present in archaebacteria and raise interesting questions regarding their evolution.     

Mitochondrial DNA of the basidiomycete Polyporus ciliatus

Summary Mitochondrial (mt) DNA of the white rot fungus Polyporus ciliatus was isolated and characterized. As a result of detailed restriction enzyme analysis, a physical map was established showing that this circular DNA has a molecular weight of 88.2 kb. By heterologous cross hybridization the sites of three mt genes were recognized. By nonselective cloning of mt DNA fragments in Saccharomyces cerevisiae, an autonomously replicating sequence (ars) was identified which has potential application in the development of a prokaryotic/eukaryotic shuttle vector.     

Binding of 5-methoxypsoralen to human serum low density lipoproteins

5-methoxypsoralen (5-MOP) binds to human serum low density lipoproteins (LDL) according to a two-step process. Scatchard analysis of the first step yields K = 1.4 × 10⁵ M^?1 and 4 binding sites. It involves the LDL apoprotein. The second step corresponds to a solubilization, in the lipidic core, of ? 45 molecules of 5MOP per LDL molecule. It is accompanied by a large blue shift of the 5MOP fluorescence. The ability of LDL to bind 5MOP and to carry it into various cells may explain some biological effects sometimes encountered during PUVA therapy.     

Influence of very low doses of ionizing radiation on Synechococcus lividus metabolism during the initial growth phase

Previous results from this laboratory have shown that very low chronic doses of gamma radiation can stimulate proliferation of the Cyanobacterium Synechococcus lividus. This modification of cell proliferation occurred during the first doubling. In this paper, we have compared the metabolism of cells cultivated in a normal environment or under chronic irradiation. Incubation of the cells in a new medium induced a high superoxide dismutase (EC 1.15.1.1, SOD) activity at the 18th hour and a degradation of phycocyanin, thus demonstrating that cells were submitted to a photooxidative stress. This increase in superoxide dismutase activity was followed by concomittant peaks of glutathione reductase (EC 1.6.4.2, GR) and glucose-6-phosphate dehydrogenase (EC 1.1.1.49, G6P-DH) at the 24th hour. Irradiated cultures at a dose of 53.5 mGray/year show an earlier and higher peak of SOD, GR, and G6P-DH. In a second stage, cultures showed an earlier onset of photosynthesis under irradiation, as evidenced by an increase in pigment content and an enhancement of glyceraldehyde-3-phosphate dehydrogenase (EC 1.2.1.13, GAP-DH). These results show that the radiostimulation is related to the activation of enzymes protecting against peroxides that were induced under oxidative circumstances and to the activation of a glucose catabolism via the oxidative pentose phosphate pathway.Abbreviations mGy milli-Gray - SOD superoxide dismutase - G6P-DH glucose-6-phosphate dehydrogenase - GAP-DH glycer-aldehyde-3-phosphate dehydrogenase - GSSG oxidized glutathione     

The proα2 (V) collagen gene (COL5A2) maps to 2q14→2q32, syntenic to the proα1 (III) collagen locus (COL3A1)

Summary A recombinant probe specific for the pro2 chain of human Type V collagen has been used for the localization of the corresponding gene (COL5A2) to chromosome 2. Regional mapping by in situ hybridization and analysis of DNA from humanxrodent cell lines indicated that COL5A2 is confined within the segment 2q142q32, thus syntenic to the pro1 (III) collagen gene (COL3A1).     

Protective effects of differentiation inducers on natural killer sensitivity of K 562 cells: Analysis at a single-cell level

K 562 cells induced to differentiate by sodium butyrate (SB) or 12-O-tetradecanoyl-phorbol-13-acetate (TPA) were studied for their capacities to be bound and killed by large granular lymphocytes (LGL) in a single-cell cytotoxicity assay in agarose. After SB treatment, K 562 cells were less efficient in binding to LGL, whereas the frequency of killer cells among bound LGL was unaffected. When TPA was used to induce K 562 differentiation, the binding of LGL to their target and the lytic efficiency of the bound LGL were both diminished when compared to control K 562 cells. It has been demonstrated that the expression of structures involved in the binding of natural killer (NK) effectors to their targets could be correlated with the target-differentiation stage. It is shown that phorbol-ester treatment can also affect NK target structures involved in the killing step.