Intracellular distribution of DNA methyltransferase during the cell cycle

The intracellular distribution of DNA methyltransferase has been analyzed in synchronously proliferating human cells. The localization of DNA methyltransferase was determined immunocytochemically using monoclonal antibodies directed against this enzyme. DNA methyltransferase was found to accumulate predominantly in nuclei with weak cytoplasmic staining. The DNA methyltransferase antigen was absent in early G1 phase, appeared in late G1 prior to the onset of DNA synthesis and persisted throughout S and G2 phases of the cell cycle. Mitotic cells showed a particularly strong staining intensity. These results show that DNA methyltransferase levels fluctuate during the cell cycle. This has possible implications on the stability of the DNA methylation pattern.     

A moving boundary model of acrosomal elongation

A sperm penetrates an egg by extending a long, actin-filled tube known as the acrosomal process. This simple example of biomotility is one of the most dramatic. In Thyone, a 90 m process can extend in less than 10 s. Experiments have shown that actin monomers stored in the base of the sperm are transported to the growing tip of the acrosomal process where they add to the ends of the existing filaments.The force that drives the elongation of the acrosomal process has not yet been identified although the most frequently discussed candidate is the actin polymerization reaction. Developing what we believe are realistic moving boundary models of diffusion limited actin fiber polymerization, we show that actin filament growth occurs too slowly to drive acrosomal elongation. We thus believe that other forces, such as osmotically driven water flow, must play an important role in causing the elongation. We conjecture that actin polymerization merely follows to give the appropriate shape to the growing structure and to stabilize the structure once water flow ceases.Work partially supported by the United States Department of Energy     

Ferritin H gene polymorphism in idiopathic hemochromatosis

Summary We have analysed karyotypes and DNA from three patients with aniridia (congenital absence of irises) and Wilms' tumour. All three had constitutional deletions from the short arm of chromosome 11. The minimum region of overlap of the deletion involves a small region of band 11p13 presumed to contain the genetic loci responsible for both phenotypic abnormalities. Using cells from these patients, somatic cell hybrids with transformed mouse cells have been prepared. Individual subclones retaining either the deletion-11 chromosome or the normal chromosome 11, in addition to a variety of other human chromosomes, have been identified. The relative position of these breakpoints have been determined and the panel of hybrids has been used to map randomly-isolated 11p13 DNA sequences. The characterisation of these deletions has provided a useful panel of hybrids for random mapping strategies designed to identify the Wilms' and aniridia genes.     

Prolonged incubation with phorbol esters enhanced vasopressin-induced calcium mobilization and polyphosphatidylinositol hydrolysis of vascular smooth muscle cells

Arginine vasopressin (AVP)-induced formation of inositol phosphates and increased calcium efflux in smooth muscle cells (A-10) were inhibited by short term treatment with phorbol 12,13-dibutyrate (PDBu), an activator of protein kinase C (Ca2+/phospholipid-dependent protein kinase) (Aiyar, N., Nambi, P., Whitman, M., Stassen, F. L., and Crooke, S. T. (1987) Mol. Pharmacol. 31, 180-184). Here we report that prolonged treatment of A-10 cells (48 h) with PDBu markedly enhanced AVP-induced calcium mobilization but inhibited ATP- and thrombin-induced calcium mobilization. PDBu (400 nM) doubled [Ca2+]i induced with 3 nM AVP, while the basal calcium concentrations before and after AVP were not different from those of untreated cells. The EC50 for a 24-h exposure was 2.3 nM PDBu. Phorbol 12-myristate 13-acetate was also effective, while 4-alpha-phorbol 12,13-didecanoate (48 h at 400 nM) was without effect. 4-alpha-phorbol 12,13-didecanoate also did not affect inositol phosphate formation. PDBu markedly enhanced inositol phosphate formation induced by AVP but not by NaF. PDBu did not affect basal inositol phosphate and polyphosphoinositide levels, and cytosolic and membrane-associated phospholipase C activity. PDBu treatment (48 h, 400 nM) decreased membrane-associated and cytosolic protein kinase C activity by 80 and 90%, respectively. However, the dose response and time course of changes in protein kinase C activity did not correlate with the same curves for PDBu enhancement of AVP-induced calcium mobilization. We conclude that prolonged PDBu treatment selectively enhanced AVP-induced calcium mobilization and polyphosphoinositide hydrolysis. These effects were not caused by an increase in vasopressin receptor number and apparent affinity, an increase in phospholipase C activity, G-protein-phospholipase C coupling, formation of polyphosphoinositide, or inhibition of inositol phosphate metabolizing enzymes. Enhancement of the AVP responses did not correlate with desensitization or activation of protein kinase C. We suggest that prolonged PDBu treatment might sensitize a putative V1 receptor-G-protein-phospholipase C complex.     

Effect of anoxia on the kinetic properties of pyruvate kinase and phosphofructokinase,and on glycogen phosphorylase activity in marine worms and earth worms

Summary The kinetic properties of PK and PFK were studied in aerobic versus 12-hours anoxic marine worms Hedistae(=Nereis) diversicolor and Diopatra neapolitana and earth worms Allolobophora calliginosa and Eisenia foetida. The total glycogen phosphorylase (a+b) activity and the percentage of active a form were also measured in the marine and earth worms under the same conditions. Anoxia exposure did not result in any significant changes of kinetic parameters of PK and total activities of glycogen phosphorylase from marine worms, but it altered the kinetic characteristics of PFK from H. diversicolor. Chromatographical studies showed that PK from both aerobic and anoxic marine worms is eluted from DEAE-cellulose as a single peak at 50 mM KCl. In contrast to marine worms, however, anoxia caused a marked change in kinetic properties of PK from both earth worms, resulting in a reduction of enzyme affinity for its substrate PEP. In addition, the enzyme existed in both earth worms in two distinct variants eluted from DEAE-cellulose column as peak I and peak II at 50 mM and 150 mM KCl, respectively. The ratio of enzyme units (peak I/peak II) was reduced significantly after 12 h of anoxia, indicating that these two peaks are interconvertible. Anoxia also caused a reduction of total glycogen phosphorylase activity in E. foetida and lowered the percentage of active a form of the enzyme by approximately 50% in both earth worms. Kinetic properties of PFK from both earth worms were not significantly affected by anoxia. However, their low Ka values for F-2,6-P₂ imply that this effector may play an important role in PFK control in earth worms under anoxia.Abbreviations F6P fructose-6-phosphate - FBP fructose-1,6-bisphosphate - F-2,6-P fructose-2,6-bisphosphate - PEP phosphoenoylpruvate - PFK 6-phosphofructo-1-kinase (E.C.2.7.1.11) - PK pyruvate kinase (E.C.2.7.1.40) - Pi inorganic phosphate - PMSF phenyl methylsulfonyl fluoride     

Induction of lymphokine-activated killer activity in mice by prothymosin α

We have recently demonstrated that prothymosin (ProT) when administered intraperitoneally (i.p.) protects DBA/2 mice against the growth of syngeneic leukemic L1210 cells through the induction of tumoricidal peritoneal cells producing high levels of tumor necrosis factor (TNF) [Papanastasiou et al. (1992) Cancer Immunol Immunother 35: 145]. In this report we tested further immunological alterations that may be caused by the administration of ProT in vivo. We demonstrate that i.p. injections of ProT enhance natural killer (NK) cell activity and induce lymphokine-activated (LAK) activity in vivo. Thus, splenocytes from ProT-treated DBA/2 animals exhibited significantly higher cytotoxic activity (up to threefold) against the NK-sensitive YAC cell line and the NK-resistant P815 and L1210 syngeneic tumor cells, as compared to splenocytes from syngeneic control mice. The enhancement of the cytotoxic profile of DBA/2 splenocytes was associated with increased percentages of CD8⁺ cells, NK cells and activated CD3⁺ cells. The ProT-induced effect persisted for 30 days after the end of the ProT treatment period and returned to normal levels 20 days later. SPlenocytes from non-treated DBA/2 animals generated high NK and LAK activities in response to ProT in vitro. The ProT-induced NK an LAK activities reached 84% and 75% respectively of what was obtained with interleukin-2 (IL-2). High concentrations of TNF and IL-2 were generated in response to ProT in LAK cultures. These findings suggest that ProT may provide an overall protective effect against tumor growth in vivo through induction of NK and LAK activities possibly indirectly via the production of IL-2 and TNF in the spleen, peritoneal cavity and probably other lymphoid organs.This work was supported by a CEC grant to M. Papamichail     

Role of the peripheral-type benzodiazepine receptor and the polypeptide diazepam binding inhibitor in steroidogenesis

Steroidogenesis begins with the metabolism of cholesterol to pregnenolone by the inner mitochondrial membrane cytochrome P450 side-chain cleavage (P450scc) enzyme. The rate of steroid formation, however, depends on the rate of (i) cholesterol transport from intracellular stores to the inner mitochondrial membrane and (ii) loading of P450scc with cholesterol. We demonstrated that a key element in the regulation of cholesterol transport is the mitochondrial peripheral-type benzodiazepine receptor (PBR) and that the presence of the polypeptide diazepam binding inhibitor (DBI) was vital for steroidogenesis. We also showed that DBI, as the endogenous PBR ligand, stimulates cholesterol transport. In addition, DBI directly promotes loading of cholesterol to P450scc. We review herein our studies on the structure, function, topography and hormonal regulation of PBR and DBI in steroidogenic cells. Based on these data we propose a model where the interaction of DBI with PBR, at the outer/inner membrane contact sites, is the signal transducer of hormone-stimulated and constitutive steroidogenesis at the mitochondrial level. Hormone-induced changes in PBR microenvironment/structure regulate the affinity of the receptor. PBR ligand binding to a higher affinity receptor results in increased cholesterol transport. In addition, hormone-induced release (processing?) of a 30,000 M_W DBI-immunoreactive protein from the inner mitochondrial membrane may result to the intramitochondrial production of DBI which directly stimulates loading of P450scc with cholesterol. Thus, in vivo, hormonal activation of these two mechanisms results in efficient cholesterol delivery and utilization and thus high levels of steroid synthesis.     

IL-6-mediated MHC class II induction on RIN-5AH insulinoma cells by IFN-gamma occurs via the G-protein pathway

Major histocompatibility complex (MHC) class II antigen expression has been implicated in the pathogenesis of autoimmune type 1 diabetes. In this study we examined the role of various cytoldnes that may induce MHC class II surface antigen expression, using the rat insulinoma line RIN-5AH as a pertinent model system. As in another study, the ability of IFN-gamma to amplify MHC class II antigen expression 4-fold is demonstrated. At the same time we noted a 5-fold increase of these histocompatibility antigens by IL-6. Signal transduction analysis reveals that IL-6-induced MHC class II expression is specifically mediated by the G-protein system (activation of p21(ras) by IL-6) since mevalonic acid lactone (a Gprotein inhibitor) abolishes the action of IL-6. In contrast, IFN-gamma, which does not activate p21(ras), is not inhibited by protein kinase C (PKC) inhibitors but by those of the G-protein pathway. This finding raises the possibility that IFN-gamma induces RIN cells to secrete IL-6 (as shown previously, as well as in this paper) which, in turn, increases class II antigen expression via the G-protein pathway. This action may be unique to IL-6 or in synergy with IFN-gamma. Other cytokines such as IL-1alpha and beta, and TNF-alpha induce a smaller increase in MHC class II antigens on RIN cells, and appear to activate both the G-protein and the PKC signal transduction pathways to varying degrees. Therefore, injury of pancreatic beta-cells and possible induction of autoimmune type 1 diabetes via various cytokines may be caused by IL-6 or IFN-gamma, or by their ability to induce MHC class II antigen upregulation.