Resistance of Anhydrobiotic Aphelenchus avenae to Methyl Bromide Fumigation

The effect of methyl bromide (MB) was tested on active and anhydrobiotic Aphelenchus avenae. A. avenae was induced into anhydrobiosis by three different techniques. Both active and anhydrobiotic nematodes were subjected to 3,000 μ1 MB/liter air for 14 periods from 0 to 82 h. Anhydrobiotic nematodes were more resistant to fumigation than active nematodes, regardless of the technique used to induce anhydrobiosis. The percent survival decreased with increasing MB exposures (μ1 MB × h). For an LD₉₅ of 45,000-54,000 μ1/1 × h were required for active nematodes and >279,000 μ1/1 × h for anhydrobiotic nematodes.     

The interaction of human plasma glycoaminoglycans with plasma lipoproteins.

Modifications of existing methods have allowed for the isolation and purification of various species of plasma glycosaminoglycans on the basis of their sulfate content and molecular size. All of the preparations precipitated human plasma low density lipoproteins (LDL); maximal precipitation occurred with amounts of glycans corresponding to 50 mug of hexuronate and 12 mg of LDL. The interaction of glycans with pyrene-labeled lipoproteins was also studied, measuring variations of the fluorescence emitted by the monomer (M) and excimer (E) species of the bound pyrene. The ratio IE/IM is proportional to c/eta, where c is the microscopic concentration of the pyrene confined to the hydrocarbon region of the lipoprotein and eta is the microviscosity of that region. To 0.12 mg of pyrene-labeled LDL, very low density lipoproteins (VLDL) or high density lipoproteins (HDL) were added increasing amounts of the various glycan preparations. The sulfate-rich species decreased the IE/IM ratio of LDL and HDL but not that of VLDL. This finding suggests that the glycan caused a change in lipoprotein conformation associated with either an increased volume or increased microscopic viscosity of the hydrocarbon region. The modification of LDL conformation could be prevented by proteolytic treatment of the sulfate-rich species or by addition to the system of suitable amounts of sulfate-poor species or of chrondroitin-4-sulfate, but could not be prevented by increased ionic concentration. These results suggest that the two main species of plasma glycans are important in maintaining adequate rheological properties of plasma lipoproteins.     

P2-purinergic receptors are coupled to two signal transduction systems leading to inhibition of cAMP generation and to production of inositol trisphosphate in rat hepatocytes

Stimulation of P2-purinergic receptors by ATP resulted in activation of phosphorylase, which was associated with marked production of inositol trisphosphate (Ins-P3), in rat hepatocytes. ATP also inhibited forskolin-induced accumulation of cAMP in the presence of a phosphodiesterase inhibitor. On the contrary, adenosine or AMP never inhibited the cAMP accumulation, but increased hepatocyte cAMP; the stimulation was antagonized by a methylxanthine. Thus, P1-purinergic receptors are linked to adenylate cyclase in a stimulatory fashion in hepatocytes. Various kinds of purine nucleotides stimulating P2-receptors can be divided into two groups on the basis of their relative abilities to stimulate Ins-P3 production and to inhibit cAMP accumulation; the first group including adenosine 5'-O-(3-thiotriphosphate) (ATP gamma S), ADP, 5-adenylyl imidodiphosphate, GTP, and guanosine 5'-O-(3-thiotriphosphate) has an efficacy similar to that of ATP, and the second group of nucleotides including alpha, beta-methyleneadenosine 5'-triphosphate, beta, gamma-methyleneadenosine 5'-triphosphate (App(CH)2)p), and GDP exerts considerable inhibitory effects on cAMP accumulation, but only slight effects on inositol lipid metabolism. Treatment of hepatocytes with islet-activating protein, pertussis toxin, blocked the nucleotide-induced inhibition of cAMP accumulation, but exerted only a small effect on Ins-P3 production. In membranes prepared from hepatocytes, forskolin-stimulated adenylate cyclase was inhibited by GTP. This GTP-induced inhibition of the enzyme was susceptible to islet-activating protein and dependent on the concentration of ATP (or its derivatives, ATP gamma S or App(CH2)p). It is concluded that there are two types of P2-purinergic receptors: one is linked to adenylate cyclase via an inhibitory guanine nucleotide regulatory protein (Gi) and the other is linked to phospholipase C.     

Characterization of the specific binding of rat apolipoprotein E-deficient HDL to rat hepatic plasma membranes

We have used a preparation of rat liver plasma membranes to study the binding of rat apolipoprotein E-deficient HDL to rat liver. The membranes were found to bind HDL by a saturable process that was competed for by excess unlabeled HDL. The binding was temperature-dependent and was 85% receptor-mediated when incubated at 4, 22 and 37 degrees C. The affinity of the binding site for the HDL was consistent at all temperatures, while the maximum binding capacity increased at higher temperatures. The specific binding of HDL to the membranes did not require calcium and was independent of the concentration of NaCl in the media. The effect of varying the pH of the media on HDL binding was small, being 30% higher at pH 6.5 than at pH 9.0. Both rat HDL and human HDL3 were found to compete for the binding of rat HDL to the membranes, whereas rat VLDL remnants and human LDL did not compete. At 4 degrees C, complexes of dimyristoylphosphatidylcholine (DMPC) and apolipoproteins A-I, A-IV and the C apolipoproteins, but not apolipoprotein E, competed for HDL binding to the membranes. At 22 and 37 degrees C, all DMPC-apolipoprotein complexes competed to a similar extent, DMPC vesicles that contained no protein did not compete for the binding of HDL. These results suggest that the rat liver possesses a specific receptor for apolipoprotein E-deficient HDL that recognizes apolipoproteins A-I, A-IV and the C apolipoproteins as ligands.     

Two possible roles of bacteriorhodopsin; a comparative study of strains of Halobacterium halobium differing in pigmentation.

The light-induced changes in pH and ATP level were compared for cell suspensions between strains of Halobacterium halobium differing in pigmentation after growth under the same conditions. Upon illumination, red cells which contained no detectable amount of bacteriorhodopsin showed only a pH increase, which, in the case of purple cells containing bacteriorhodopsin, was followed by a spontaneous pH decrease during illumination. Pre-incubation of cells at 75° for 5 min depressed the pH increase in both cells. Pre-illumination of cells with hydroxylamine depressed the pH decrease in purple cells. Whenever the pH increase was observed, the cellular ATP level increased. The presence of a bacteriorhodopsin different from that in the purple membrane is postulated.     

Identity of a cytosolic neutral cholesterol esterase in rat liver with the bile salt stimulated cholesterol esterase in pancreas

A neutral cholesterol esterase has been purified to homogeneity from the cytosolic fraction of rat liver. The 105,000 x g supernatant fraction of rat liver was applied to a DEAE-cellulose column to isolate a partially purified fraction of hepatic cholesterol esterase. Immunoblot analysis of the partially purified liver fraction with the anti-porcine pancreatic cholesterol esterase IgG demonstrated a single band with a molecular weight of 67,000. The hepatic protein was then isolated by immunoaffinity chromatography technique using a column constructed with antibodies prepared against the pancreatic cholesterol esterase. Characterization of the hepatic cholesterol esterase revealed that the hepatic enzyme shared antigenic epitopes with the pancreatic cholesterol esterase and was similarly activated by addition of bile salt such as taurocholate. Moreover, amino-terminal sequencing analysis of the hepatic cholesterol esterase showed an identical sequence with the pancreatic enzyme. Taken together, these results showed that the cholesterol esterases in the liver and the pancreas are very similar and possibly identical proteins.