Peripheral and integral subunits of the tonoplast H+-ATPase from oat roots

The subunit organization of the tonoplast H+-pumping ATPase from oat roots (Avena sativa L. var. Lang) was investigated. Tonoplast vesicles were treated with low ionic strength solutions (0.1 mM 4-(2-hydroxyethyl)-1-piperazineethanesulfonic acid buffer or 0.1 mM Na EDTA), carbonate, or a chaotropic reagent (KI), and then centrifuged to give a soluble fraction and a pellet. Treatments with low ionic strength solutions or KI resulted in 70-80% reduction in the membrane-associated ATPase activity, but did not affect the K+-stimulated pyrophosphatase activity. Polypeptides of 72, 60, and 41 kDa were solubilized from tonoplast vesicles by these wash treatments. These polypeptides reacted with polyclonal antibodies against the holoenzyme of tonoplast ATPase (anti-ATPase) and copurified with the tonoplast ATPase activity during gel filtration chromatography (Sepharose CL-6B). Mono-specific antibody against the 72- or 60-kDa polypeptide reacted with the solubilized 72- or 60-kDa polypeptide, respectively. However, the N,N-[14C]dicyclohexylcarbodiimide-binding 16-kDa polypeptide and a 13-kDa polypeptide that also reacted with anti-ATPase and copurified with the tonoplast ATPase activity during gel filtration remained in the pellets after the wash treatments. We conclude that the 72- and 60-kDa polypeptides appear to be peripheral subunits of the tonoplast ATPase and that the 16-kDa polypeptide is probably embedded in the membrane bilayer. Additional subunits of the ATPase complex may include a 41-kDa (peripheral) and a 13-kDa (integral) polypeptide. Based on these results, a working model of the tonoplast ATPase analogous to the F1F0-ATPase is proposed.     

Fetal-maternal transfer of [H3]-6 beta-hydroxycortisol in the pregnant ewe

Distribution and fetomaternal transfer of 6 beta-hydroxycortisol (6 beta-OHF) was studied using serial sampling following injection of tritium labelled 6 beta-OHF into various fluid compartments in the chronically cannulated unaesthesized pregnant ewe. There was a rapid transfer of 6 beta-OHF from the fetal circulation into amniotic fluid and maternal blood. In contrast, the maternal----fetal transfer of this steroid metabolite was considerably less. The sequence of appearance of 6 beta-OHF in fetal blood and amniotic fluid following injection into maternal blood suggests that this steroid is first transferred across the placenta to fetal blood before gaining entry into the amniotic fluid space. The half-lives of 6 beta-OHF after initial equilibration in maternal plasma, fetal plasma and amniotic fluid were 2.0 h, 5.1 h and 8.9 h respectively. The amniotic sac appears to contain a relatively static pool of 6 beta-OHF and may act as a "trap" for 6 beta-OHF in the ovine conceptus.     

Immunohistochemical localization of two angiotensin I-converting isoenzymes in the reproductive tract of the male rabbit

The male reproductive tract contains two different isoenzymes of angiotensin I-converting enzyme (ACE), i.e., pulmonary and testicular ACE. The present study shows selectively the cellular distribution of the ACE isoenzymes in the reproductive tract of male rabbit, using indirect immunofluorescence or immunoperoxidase methods. Testicular ACE was found in the seminiferous tubules of the testes in spermatocytes containing mature spermatids, and in spermatids within the epididymal tubular lumen in sexually mature, but not in immature, rabbits. Epididymal tubular cells contained pulmonary ACE. In the young rabbit, epididymal tissue contained more ACE than that in adult rabbit, since ACE was observed in principal cells in addition to basal cells. In mature rabbit, ACE was observed in basal cells only. Strong staining for pulmonary ACE was observed in cells of the vas deferens in both young and adult rabbit. Therefore, synthesis of epididymal ACE, unlike the testicular isoenzyme, was not stimulated by sexual maturation. Enzymatically active ACE in seminal fluid corresponds to the pulmonary isoenzyme. The present study indicates that this seminal fluid ACE may originate from cells of the epididymal tubules, particularly those of the vas deferens. Endothelial cells of blood vessels lying in the interstitium of both testicular and epididymal tissue contained the pulmonary isoenzyme.     

Ca2+/calmodulin-dependent protein kinase II. Isozymic forms from rat forebrain and cerebellum

Ca2+/calmodulin-dependent protein kinase II, an abundant brain protein proposed to mediate a number of Ca2+-regulated processes in neuronal tissue, is composed of autophosphorylatable subunits of Mr 50,000 and 60,000/58,000. A recent study (McGuinness, T. L., Lai, Y., Greengard, P., Woodgett, J.R., and Cohen, P. (1983) FEBS Lett. 163, 329-334) suggested that this kinase exists as isozymes which vary in the relative ratio of these subunits in different tissues or species. Other studies (Walaas, S. I., Nairn, A. C., and Greengard, P. (1983) J. Neurosci. 3, 291-301, 302-311) provided evidence which suggested that the ratio of these phosphopeptides might vary in different brain regions. In the present investigation, we have tested this possibility by comparing Ca2+/calmodulin-dependent protein kinase II purified from rat forebrain and cerebellum. The two kinases had similar purification characteristics, subunit compositions, physical properties, and substrate specificities. Gel filtration and sucrose density gradient centrifugation provided an estimated molecular weight of 550,000 for the forebrain kinase and 615,000 for the cerebellar kinase. The kinases from the two regions clearly differed in the relative proportions of the Mr 50,000 and 60,000/58,000 subunits. Three independent methods indicated that the forebrain kinase contained the Mr 50,000/(60,000/58,000) subunits in approximately a 3:1 ratio, while the cerebellar kinase contained the Mr 50,000/(60,000/58,000) subunits in approximately a 1:4 ratio. The forebrain kinase subunits were shown to be identical to the corresponding subunits of the cerebellar kinase by several criteria. The data are consistent with the existence in various brain regions of isozymic forms of Ca2+/calmodulin-dependent protein kinase II which differ in their relative subunit ratios.     

Specific absorption rate in rats exposed to 2,450-MHz microwaves under seven exposure conditions

Both positive and negative biological effects of microwaves on drug actions in rats exposed to 1-mW/cm2, 2,450-MHz microwaves have been reported by several investigators. We conducted dosimetry studies for seven different exposure conditions to determine whether these different results could be due to the rats having been exposed differently. They included anterior and posterior exposures in a circular waveguide, near field, far field with E- or H-field parallel to the long axis of the body and dorsal exposure in a miniature anechoic chamber with E- or H-field parallel to the long axis of the body. The average specific absorption rates (SARs) in the head, tail, and body of the exposed rats were measured by means of a calorimetry system. The local SARs at eight locations in the brain were determined by temperature measurement with Vitek probes. Intensive coupling of energy to the tail when it was exposed parallel to the E-field was shown by thermography. For the same average incident power density, the average SARs in the heads of rats were about two times higher in the circular waveguide than for other exposures. The local SARs in the brain varied for different exposure conditions. Statistical comparisons of SARs under the different exposure conditions are presented.     

The nucleotide sequence of a rat liver glutathione S-transferase subunit cDNA clone

We have determined the nucleotide sequence of a cloned cDNA derived from liver poly(A) RNA of pentobarbital-treated rats encoding a glutathione S-transferase subunit. This cDNA clone pGTR261 contains one open reading frame of 222 amino acids, a complete 3' noncoding region, and 63 nucleotides in the 5' noncoding region. The cloned DNA hybridizes to rat poly(A) RNA in a tissue-specific fashion, with strong signals to liver and kidney poly(A) RNA(s) of approximately 1100 and approximately 1400 nucleotides in size but little or no hybridization to poly(A) RNAs from heart, lung, seminal vesicles, spleen, or testis under stringent conditions. Our sequence covers the cDNA sequence of pGST94 which contains a partial coding sequence for a liver glutathione S-transferase subunit of Ya size. Comparison of sequences with our earlier clone pGTR112 suggests that there are at least two mRNA species coding for two different subunits of the Ya (Mr = 25,600) subunit family with very limited amino acid substitutions mainly of conserved polarity. The divergent 3' noncoding sequences should be useful molecular probes in differentiating these two different but otherwise very similar subunits in induction and genomic structure analyses. Our results suggest that tissue-specific expression of the glutathione S-transferase subunits represented by the sequences of pGTR261 and pGTR112 may occur at or prior to the level of RNA processing.     

Interaction between 2-chloroadenosine and alpha-adrenoceptors in rat vas deferens

The effect of 2-chloroadenosine (2CA) on the binding of alpha 1- and alpha 2-adrenoceptor ligands in the rat vas deferens was investigated. In homogenates of vas deferens, 2CA (10(5)M) increased 3H-clonidine maximal binding sites from an undetectable level to 0.71 +/- 0.08 pmol/g. wet weight or 10.1 +/- 1.1 fmol/mg protein (N=12). This effect lasted for at least 5 hours after removal of 2CA. Concurrent addition of 1.25 mM theophylline completely abolished the effect of 2CA. A similar effect of 2CA on 3H-clonidine binding was observed following incubation of intact tissues with 2CA prior to homogenization. The effect of 2CA were similar in potency in the homogenate to that in the intact organ, suggesting that 2CA-sensitive sites are located on the outer surface of the plasma membrane. The binding of 3H-prazosin was not influenced by the presence of 10(-5)M 2CA. Contractions of isolated vasa deferentia induced by norepinephrine and phenylephrine were not changed by 10(-5)M 2CA, but the inhibition by clonidine of contractions induced by electric stimulation was enhanced by preincubation for 30 min with 10(-5)M 2CA. The results suggest that 2CA increases the number of available alpha 2-adrenoceptors and this interactions occurs, at least in part, presynaptically.     

Fluid transport and mechanical properties of articular cartilage: a review

This review is aimed at unifying our understanding of cartilage viscoelastic properties in compression, in particular the role of compression-dependent permeability in controlling interstitial fluid flow and its contribution to the observed viscoelastic effects. During the previous decade, it was shown that compression causes the permeability of cartilage to drop in a functional manner described by k = ko exp (epsilon M) where ko and M were defined as intrinsic permeability parameters and epsilon is the dilatation of the solid matrix (epsilon = tr delta u). Since permeability is inversely related to the diffusive drag coefficient of relative fluid motion with respect to the porous solid matrix, the measured load-deformation response of the tissue must therefore also depend on the non-linearly permeable nature of the tissue. We have summarized in this review our understanding of this non-linear phenomenon. This understanding of these flow-dependent viscoelastic effects are put into the historical perspective of a comprehensive literature review of earlier attempts to model the compressive viscoelastic properties of articular cartilage.     

Substance P-inducing massive postmortem bronchoconstriction in guinea pig lungs

To further examine the role that substance P plays in initiating the observed massive postmortem bronchoconstriction in guinea pig lungs and to explore the role of neural reflex in this airway spasm, six groups of animals were employed: control (n = 6), morphine (n = 6), substance P (n = 5), chronic capsaicin pretreatment + substance P (n = 5), tetrodotoxin (TTX) + acute capsaicin (n = 4), and chlorisondamine + acute capsaicin (n = 5). Pressure-volume curves were performed prior to and following the initiation of artificial pulmonary perfusion with 1% bovine serum albumin and 5% dextran in Tyrode's solution. A decrease in inflation volume (the lung volume between transpulmonary pressure of 0 and 30 cmH2O during inflation) was used as an index of bronchoconstriction. In control animals, inflation volume decreased to 20-30% of the base-line value at 15-30 min of perfusion, indicating massive bronchial constriction during this time period. Morphine (an agent inhibiting substance P release) significantly attenuated the spasm, whereas the presence of substance P in the perfusate markedly enhanced the constriction. Depletion of endogenous substance P by chronic capsaicin pretreatment did not affect exogenous substance P-induced spasm. Acute capsaicin-induced bronchoconstriction was significantly attenuated by TTX but was not affected by the ganglionic blocking agent, chlorisondamine. These data suggest that substance P initiates the massive postmortem bronchoconstriction in guinea pig lungs and that substance P is released by local stimulation of sensory nerve endings via axonal reflex.     

A study of photoreceptor-retinal pigment epithelium complex: age-related changes in monkeys

Retinas of 4-, 10-, and 20-year-old monkeys were studied by light microscopy, electron microscopy, and scanning electron microscopy. Sections from the midperipheral region of every retina were selected for comparison. Although no significant differences were found between 4- and 10-year-old retinas, four major changes were found in 20-year-old monkey retinas: (i) increased number of displaced photoreceptor cells (DPC), (ii) increased number of macrophages of different morphology in subretinal space, (iii) increase in pigment granules in retinal pigment epithelium (RPE) cells, and (iv) altered morphology of Muller cells. DPC included both rods and cones. Their location and morphology depended on the stage of their displacement. These cells were usually oval or rounded in shape and were found either among the outer segments of other photoreceptor cells, having stalks extending into the outer nuclear layer, or were located in the subretinal space and had no stalk. A narrow space around the DPC stalks, indicating a change in the intercellular connection between photoreceptor cells and Muller cells, was observed. Furthermore, the Muller cells related to DPC had shortened and markedly reduced microvilli. Two types of macrophages were found in the subretinal space of aged monkey retinas. One type was similar in morphology to RPE cells. Some of these cells were noticed detaching from RPE. Other types of macrophages were nonpigmented. The modifications in RPE were closely related to the changes in the associated neuroretina. The RPE cells in aged retina were devoid of microvilli or had a few thin microvilli. The pleomorphic pigment granules were dispersed throughout the cytoplasm. These cells varied in their size, shape, and surface features. These changes could significantly alter the retinal metabolic equilibrium and may be indicative of age related degenerative processes.