Binding of chondroitin sulfate, dermatan sulfate and fat-storing cell-derived proteoglycans to rat hepatocytes

1. The interaction of isolated rat hepatocytes with exogenous 3H-labeled chondroitin-4-sulfate and dermatan sulfate and with biosynthetically 35S-labeled proteoglycans secreted by cultured rat liver fat-storing cells has been studied. 2. All ligands are bound by hepatocytes in a concentration-dependent manner. Scatchard-plot analysis of the data revealed the existence of high- and low-affinity binding modes. 3. The cell-bound exogenous [3H]glycosaminoglycans could be displaced by each unlabeled ligand and by heparin, whereas displacement of the endogenous material was less effective. 4. Binding of all ligands to hepatocytes increased with time. For the exogenous glycosaminoglycans the two- to threefold amount was retained at 37 degrees C as compared to 4 degrees C; it was markedly reduced by pretreatment of the cells with trypsin. 5. Degradation of the exogenous ligands could be detected neither for the cell-bound fraction nor for the free glycosaminoglycans in the culture medium. 6. The binding of the ligands to hepatocytes is viewed as a cell-matrix interaction. Its possible pathobiochemical relevance in liver fibrosis or neoplasia is discussed.     

Radiation cell survival and growth delay studies in multicellular spheroids of small-cell lung carcinoma

The radiation sensitivity of two small-cell lung carcinoma cell lines growing as multicellular spheroids in static culture was determined using clonogenic cell survival and growth delay as endpoints. Growth delay determination suggested that clonogenic cell kill was less than was obtained by direct assay of cell survival. Recovery from potentially lethal damage was assayed in one line (HC12) but was not demonstrable, and clonogenic cell survival decreased with time in treated spheroids with diameters greater than 300 microns which contained a hypoxic cell population. Microscopic examination of the treated spheroids showed the emergence of an abnormal giant-cell population, and the progressive clonogenic cell loss that occurred after treatment was thought to be due to oxygen and nutrient deprivation of the remaining viable cells by this doomed cell population. Correction of the growth delay measurements for changes in cell size and clonogenic cell population allowed correlation of the growth delay and cell survival data.     

The ATP-dependent interaction of eukaryotic initiation factors with mRNA

The interaction of three protein synthesis initiation factors, eukaryotic initiation factor (eIF)-4A, -4B, and -4F, with mRNA has been examined. Three assays specifically designed to evaluate this interaction are RNA-dependent ATP hydrolysis, retention of mRNAs on nitrocellulose filters, and cross-linking to periodate-oxidized mRNAs. The ATPase activity of eIF-4A is only activated by RNA which is lacking in secondary structure, and the minimal size of an oligonucleotide capable of effecting an optimal activation is 12-18 bases. In the presence of ATP, eIF-4A is capable of binding mRNA. Consistent with the ATPase activity, this binding shows a definite preference for single-stranded RNA. In the absence of ATP, eIF-4F is the only factor to bind capped mRNAs, and this binding, unlike that of eIF-4A, is sensitive to m7GDP inhibition. The activities of both eIF-4A and eIF-4F are stimulated by eIF-4B, which seems to have no specific independent activity in our assays. Evidence from the cross-linking studies indicates that in the absence of ATP, only the 24,000-dalton polypeptide of eIF-4F binds to the 5' cap region of the mRNA. From the data presented in conjunction with the current literature, a suggested sequence of factor binding to mRNA is: eIF-4F is the first initiation factor to bind mRNA ind an ATP-independent fashion; eIF-4B then binds to eIF-4F, if in fact it was not already bound prior to mRNA binding; and finally, eIF-4A binds to the eIF-4F X eIF-4B X mRNA complex and functions in an ATP-dependent manner to allow unwinding of the mRNA.     

Cascade control of Escherichia coli glutamine synthetase. Purification and properties of PII protein and nucleotide sequence of its structural gene

A procedure was developed to purify large quantities of PII protein from an Escherichia coli strain which contains a multicopy plasmid harboring the structural gene of PII (the glnB gene). Ultraviolet spectra of uridylylated and unuridylylated PII were obtained using the purified PII and empirical formulas to calculate the concentration of protein and the average number of uridylylated subunits per molecule were derived. A continuous fluorometric assay for the measurement of uridylylated PII (PIID) and adenylyltransferase (ATase) was also established. Rate measurements at various concentrations of PIID and at a fixed concentration of ATase showed that a tetrameric PIID molecule interacts with only one ATase molecule at a time. The complete nucleotide sequence of the glnB gene was determined and parts of the deduced amino acid sequence were confirmed by the results of amino acid sequence analysis of peptides. The PII subunit consists of 103 amino acids (Mr = 11,580). Two tyrosines reside at positions 46 and 51, where Tyr51 is the site of uridylylation. Nucleotide sequence analysis of the upstream region showed no obvious sites for the binding of RNA polymerase, indicating that the glnB gene is a part of an as yet unidentified operon.     

Ethanol-elicited alterations in the oligomycin sensitivity and structural stability of the mitochondrial F0 . F1 ATPase

Liver mitochondria from rats fed ethanol chronically demonstrated a 35% decrease in mitochondrial ATPase activity. Moreover, the ATPase activity was inhibited only 61% by addition of oligomycin. Treatment of mitochondria from ethanol-fed rats with the detergent, Lubrol-WX, caused the release of 36% of the F1 from the resulting inner membrane particles. In comparison, only 5% of the F1 was dissociated when control mitochondria were subjected to the Lubrol treatment. However, when the units of ATPase activity from the supernatant and particles obtained after Lubrol treatment were added together, their sums were equivalent in preparations from control and ethanol-fed animals. Moreover, polyacrylamide gel electrophoresis analyses indicated equal amounts of the alpha + beta subunits of F1 in mitochondria from control and ethanol-fed rats. Reconstitution experiments with urea particles and F1 prepared from both control and ethanol mitochondria revealed a decrease in oligomycin sensitivity which could be attributed to an alteration in the functioning of either the oligomycin sensitivity conferring protein or a membrane sector subunit that interacts with oligomycin. Analysis by reconstitution also demonstrated that there were no ethanol-elicited alterations in the properties of the F1 portion of the ATP synthase complex. These observations indicate that the activity of the ATP synthase complex is altered significantly by ethanol-elicited changes in the functioning of those polypeptides involved in modulating both oligomycin sensitivity and the association of F1 with membrane sector subunits.     

Evidence for ligand- and pH-dependent conformational changes in liposome-associated mannose 6-phosphate receptor

Digestion of mannose 6-phosphate receptor preparations with trypsin and chymotrypsin was found to produce characteristic polypeptide "fingerprints" of the receptor. Lengthy digestions with both proteases produced fragments of the receptor which appeared to be resistant to further proteolysis. This suggests the occurrence of distinct structural domains within the receptor protein. Liposome-associated mannose 6-phosphate receptor preparations were made using phosphatidylcholine and purified receptor. Receptor molecules were oriented in the liposomes with greater than 90% of ligand-binding sites on the outside surfaces of the liposomes. Liposome-associated mannose 6-phosphate receptor was labeled with 125I at pH 7.5 and 5.4 in the presence or absence of sugar phosphate ligands. Limited trypsin digestion was used to analyze 125I-labeled receptor preparations. Peptide fragments having molecular weights of approximately 60,000 and 23,000 were found to be most prominently labeled. At pH 7.5 the labeling of the 60-kDa fragment was enhanced strongly by the presence of mannose 6-phosphate. This ligand-induced enhancement of 125I-labeling was saturable, had a K1/2 value of 0.4 mM, required the presence of phosphatidylcholine, and did not occur at pH 5.4. Incorporation of 125I into both polypeptide fragments was significantly reduced at pH 5.4. These results suggest the occurrence of ligand- and pH-dependent conformational changes in domains of the mannose 6-phosphate receptor which may be necessary for proper function of this membrane receptor in receptor-mediated endocytosis.     

Branch specificity of bovine colostrum CMP-sialic acid: Gal beta 1----4GlcNAc-R alpha 2----6-sialyltransferase. Sialylation of bi-, tri-, and tetraantennary oligosaccharides and glycopeptides of the N-acetyllactosamine type

Using 500-MHz 1H NMR spectroscopy we have investigated the branch specificity that bovine colostrum CMP-NeuAc:Gal beta 1----4GlcNAc-R alpha 2----6-sialyltransferase shows in its sialylation of bi-, tri-, and tetraantennary glycopeptides and oligosaccharides of the N-acetyllactosamine type. The enzyme appears to highly prefer the galactose residue at the Gal beta 1----4GlcNAc beta 1----2Man alpha 1----3 branch for attachment of the 1st mol of sialic acid in all the acceptors tested. The 2nd mol of sialic acid becomes linked mainly to the Gal beta 1----4GlcNAc beta 1----2Man alpha 1----6 branch in bi- and triantennary substrates, but this reaction invariably proceeds at a much lower rate. Under the conditions employed, the Gal beta 1----4GlcNAc beta 1----6Man alpha 1----6 branch is extremely resistant to alpha 2----6-sialylation. A higher degree of branching of the acceptors leads to a decrease in the rate of sialylation. In particular, the presence of the Gal beta 1----4GlcNAc beta 1----6Man alpha 1----6 branch strongly inhibits the rate of transfer of both the 1st and the 2nd mol of sialic acid. In addition, it directs the incorporation of the 2nd mol into tetraantennary structures toward the Gal beta 1----4GlcNAc beta 1----4Man alpha 1----3 branch. In contrast, the presence of the Gal beta 1----4GlcNAc beta 1----4Man alpha 1----3 branch has only minor effects on the rates of sialylation and, consequently, on the branch preference of sialic acid attachment. Results obtained with partial structures of tetraantennary acceptors indicate that the Man beta 1----4GlcNAc part of the core is essential for the expression of branch specificity of the sialyltransferase. The sialylation patterns observed in vivo in glycoproteins of different origin are consistent with the in vitro preference of alpha 2----6-sialyltransferase for the Gal beta 1----4GlcNAc beta 1----2Man alpha 1----3 branch. Our findings suggest that the terminal structures of branched glycans of the N-acetyllactosamine type are the result of the complementary branch specificity of the various glycosyltransferases that are specific for the acceptor sequence Gal beta 1----4GlcNAc-R.     

Absence of heat shock protein synthesis in isolated mitochondria and plastids from maize

Examination of the proteins synthesized by isolated mitochondria, chloroplasts, or proplastids from maize tissues showed that a heat treatment at 40 degrees C does not induce or enhance the synthesis of any protein when compared to preparations treated at the control temperature of 28 degrees C. These observations are consistent with the results obtained by labeling proteins in vivo under sterile conditions. In vivo labeling in the presence of cycloheximide during heat shock showed no heat shock protein synthesis. Labeling in the presence of chloramphenicol during heat shock showed a similar heat shock protein pattern as in the absence of the inhibitor. It is concluded that maize organelles do not synthesize heat shock proteins and that, if present, they may be due to bacterial contamination.