Stereospecificity of C4 nicotinamide hydrogen transfer of the NADP-dependent glyceraldehyde-3-phosphate dehydrogenase

The stereospecificity of the reaction catalysed by the spinach chloroplast enzyme NADP-dependent glyceraldehyde-3-phosphate dehydrogenase (D-glyceraldehyde-3-phosphate: NADP+ oxidoreductase (phosphorylating), EC 1.2.1.13) with respect to the C4 nicotinamide hydrogen transfer was investigated. NADPH deuterated at the C4 HA position was synthesized using aldehyde dehydrogenase. 1H-NMR spectroscopy was used to examine the NADP+ product of the GPDH reaction for the presence or absence of the C4 deuterium atom. Chloroplast NADP-dependent glyceraldehyde-3-phosphate dehydrogenase retains the deuterium at the C4 HA position (removing the hydrogen atom), and is therefore a B (pro-S) specific dehydrogenase.     

Chromatin reorganization during emergence of malignant Friend tumors: early changes in H2A and H2B variants and nucleosome repeat length

Serial examination of five newly derived Friend murine tumors during early subcutaneous passages showed continuing changes in chromatin composition and structure over the first 10 to 20 passages followed by a period of stabilization over the subsequent 20 passages. These changes were reflected in a decrease in two major histone variants, H2A.1 and H2B.2, with a coordinate increase in histone variants, H2A.2 and H2B.1, and a changing nucleosome repeat length (NRL). The absolute values differed among the five tumors, but all five showed the same general direction of change. There was no obvious relationship among the NRL, H2A, and H2B histone variant values. A low H2A.1/H2A.2 ratio was found in Friend tumors of high malignant potential. Cell lines derived in vitro also showed directional changes in the H2A and H2B variants similar to those of their tumor cell parents, but with different kinetics. Our findings suggest that Friend tumor establishment is accompanied by an early period of chromatin reorganization marked by changes in several parameters of chromatin structure.     

Transport of CMP-N-glycoloylneuraminic acid into mouse liver Golgi vesicles

CMP-Neu5Gc has been shown to be transported into mouse liver Golgi vesicles by a specific carrier the characteristics of which were investigated in detail. In the system employed, CMP-Neu5Gc enters the Golgi vesicles within 2 min; transport was saturable with high concentrations of the sugar-nucleotide and was dependent on temperature. A kinetic analysis gave an apparent K_m of 1.3 μM and a maximal transport velocity of 335 pmol/mg protein per min. Almost identical values were obtained with CMP-Neu5Ac, under the same incubation conditions. Furthermore, the uptake of CMP-Neu5Gc was inhibited by CMP-Neu5Ac, a substrate analogue. Conversely, the uptake of CMP-Neu5Ac was inhibited by CMP-Neu5Gc to the same extent, leading to the conclusion that the transport of CMP-Neu5Ac and CMP-Neu5Gc is mediated by the same carrier molecule. This transport system for CMP-Neu5Gc involves both CMP and CMP-Neu5Gc since intravesicular CMP induced the entry of external CMP-Neu5Gc.     

Carbonyldiphosphonate, a selective inhibitor of mammalian DNA polymerase delta

Twenty-three pyrophosphate analogues were screened as inhibitors of proliferating cell nuclear antigen independent DNA polymerase delta (pol delta) derived from calf thymus. Carbonyldiphosphonate (COMDP), also known as alpha-oxomethylenediphosphonate, inhibited pol delta with a potency (Ki = 1.8 microM) 20 times greater than that displayed for DNA polymerase alpha (pol alpha) derived from the same tissue. Characterization of the mechanism of inhibition of pol delta indicated that COMDP competed with the dNTP specified by the template and was not competitive with the template-primer. In the case of pol alpha, COMDP did not compete with either the dNTP or the polynucleotide substrate. COMDP inhibited the 3'----5' exonuclease activity of pol delta weakly, displaying an IC50 greater than 1 mM.     

Solution structures of proteins from NMR data and modeling: alternative folds for neutrophil peptide 5

The structure of neutrophil peptide 5 in solution has recently been reported (Pardi et al., 1988). The structure determination was accomplished by using a distance geometry algorithm and 107 interproton distance constraints obtained from 2D NMR data. In each of the eight independent solutions to the distance geometry equations, the overall fold of the polypeptide backbone was identical and the root mean square (rms) deviation between backbone atoms of the superimposed structures was small (approximately 2.4 A). In this paper we report additional NP-5 structures obtained by using a new structure generation algorithm: a Monte Carlo search in torsion angle space. These structures have a large rms backbone deviation from the distance geometry structures (approximately 5.0 A). The backbone topologies differ in significant respects from the distance geometry structures and from each other. Structures are found that are pseudo mirror images of part or all of the fold corresponding to that first obtained with the distance geometry procedure. For small proteins, the problem of distinguishing the correct structure among pseudo mirror images is likely to be greater than previously recognized. When a set of test distance constraints constructed from a novel Monte Carlo structure is used as input in the distance geometry algorithm, the fold of the resulting structure does not correspond to that of the target. The results also demonstrate that the previously accepted criteria (the magnitude of the rms deviation between multiple solutions of the distance geometry equations) for defining the accuracy and precision of a peptide structure generated from NMR data are inadequate. An energetic analysis of structures corresponding to the different folding topologies has been carried out. The molecular mechanics energies obtained by minimization and molecular dynamics refinement provide sufficient information to eliminate certain alternative structures. On the basis of a careful comparison of the different trial structures with the experimental data, it is concluded that the NP-5 peptide fold which was originally reported is most consistent with the data. An alternative fold corresponding to structures with low energies and small total distance violations is ruled out because for this fold predicted NOEs are not observed experimentally.     

Reconstituted skin in culture:a simple method with optimal differentiation

Human skin is a unique organ, which can be reconstituted in vitro and represents an interesting system for studying cell proliferation and differentiation. A simple technique for producing reconstituted skin with optimal epidermal differentiation is described and characterized. A 4-mm punch biopsy of normal human skin is deposited on the epidermal side of mortified de-epidermized human dermis maintained at the air-liquid interface with a metallic support. The culture medium contains insulin, epidermal growth factor (EGF), cholera toxin, hydrocortisone, penicillin/streptomycin and fungizone. A well-differentiated epidermis develops within 15 days. Morphological and ultrastructural studies show a neoepidermis resembling normal skin. Differentiation markers such as involucrin, filaggrin, and various cytokeratins detected with pancytokeratin antibody are present and confirm this resemblance. The keratin profile is comparable to that observed in other skin culture models. A basement-membrane-like structure is reconstituted with hemidesmosomes and anchoring-filament formation. Bullous pemphigoid (BP) antigen is observed at the dermo-epidermal junction after 21 days of culture. Moreover, both dermal substrates and punch biopsies can be kept frozen for long-term storage, with little or no loss of epidermal growth kinetics and morphology. This skin culture technique is rapid, simple, economical and reproducible. Characterization has here shown high-quality epidermal differentiation. Scientists interested in epidermal in vitro studies should take interest in all these advantages.     

Pregnancy-associated changes in oligomannose oligosaccharides of human and bovine uromodulin (Tamm-Horsfall glycoprotein)

The urinary glycoprotein uromodulin (Tamm-Horsfall glycoprotein) exhibits a pregnancy-associated ability to inhibit antigen-specific T cell proliferation, and the activity is associated with a carbohydrate moiety [Muchmore and Decker (1985) Science 229:479–81; Hessionet al., (1987) Science 237:1479–84; Muchmore, Shifrin and Decker (1987) J Immunol 138:2547–53]. We report here that the Man₆₍₇₎GlcNAc₂-R glycopeptides derived from uromodulin inhibit antigen-specific T cell proliferation by 50% at 0.2–2 M, and further studies, reported elsewhere, confirm that oligomannose glycopeptides from other sources are also inhibitory, with Man₉GlcNAc₂-R the most inhibitory of those tested [Muchmoreet al., J Leukocyte Biol (in press)]. In this work, we have extended the observation of pregnancy-associated inhibitory activity to a second species, and have compared the oligomannose profile of Tamm-Horsfall glycoprotein (nonpregnant) with that of uromodulin (pregnant) derived from both human and bovine sources. Surprisingly, there was a pregnancy-associated decrease in the total content of oligomannose chains due predominantly to a reduction in Man₅GlcNAc₂-R and Man₆GlcNAc₂-R. Man₇GlcNAc₂-R, which did not decrease with pregnancy, comprised a significantly greater proportion of the total oligomannose chains in pregnant vs. nonpregnant samples from both species (human; 34.6% vs. 25.9%: bovine; 14.4% vs. 7.2%).     

Cell kinetic disturbances induced by treatment of human diploid fibroblasts with 5-azacytidine indicate a major role for DNA methylation in the regulation of the chromosome cycle

Summary BrdU-Hoechst flow cytometry was used to investigate the effects of DNA hypomethylation, induced by treatment with 5-azacytidine (5AC), on cell proliferation. When human fibroblast-like cells derived from skin and amniotic fluid were exposed to 5AC during three successive cell cycles, their clone-forming ability was diminished after removal of the drug. Treated cells were rendered quiescent by culture with low serum in the absence of the drug. Upon serum stimulation, they showed a diminished fraction of proliferating cells, which exhibited a prolonged transit through the S and G2 phase of the cell cycle, and a permanent arrest within the G2 compartment. This pattern of disturbed cell proliferation may in part explain the changes in replication banding pattern reported in the literature. Cytogenetic analysis of 5AC-treated cells revealed numerous endomitoses and tetraploid metaphases indicating a disturbed chromosome cycle in association with these cell kinetic perturbations.     

Addition of interleukin-2in vitro augments detection of lymphokine-activated killer activity generatedin vivo

Summary Thein vivo administration of repetitive weekly cycles of interleukin-2 (IL-2) to patients with cancer enhances the ability of freshly obtained peripheral blood lymphocytes (PBL) to lyse both the natural-killer(NK)-susceptible K562 and the NK-resistant Daudi targets. Lysis of both targets is significantly augmented by inclusion of IL-2 in the medium during the cytotoxicity assay. This boost is much greater for cells obtained following thein vivo IL-2 therapy than for cells obtained prior to the initiation of therapy or for cells from healthy control donors. In addition to direct lytic activity, the PBL obtained followingin vivo IL-2 show a rapid increase in lymphokine-activated killer (LAK) activity with more prolongedin vitro IL-2 exposure, indicating that LAK effectors primedin vivo respond with secondary-like kinetics to subsequent IL-2in vitro. Lymphocytes from healthy control individuals, cultured in IL-2 under conditions attempting to simulate thein vivo IL-2 exposure, function similarly to PBL obtained from patients following IL-2, in that low-level LAK activity was significantly boosted by inclusion of IL-2 during the cytotoxic assay and the cells also responded with secondary-like kinetics to subsequent IL-2in vitro. The augmentation of the LAK effect was also dependent on the dose of IL-2 added during the 4-h⁵¹Cr-release cytotoxicity assay, with higher doses of IL-2 having a more pronounced effect. While continuous infusion of IL-2 induces a greater cytotoxic potential per milliliter of blood obtained from patients, the peak serum IL-2 levels attained are greater with bolus IL-2 infusions. These pharmacokinetic results, together with the IL-2 dose dependence of LAK activity generatedin vivo shown in this report, suggest that a combination of treatment with bolus IL-2 infusions superimposed on continuous IL-2 infusion may transiently expose IL-2 dependent LAK cells, activatedin vivo, to higher concentrations of IL-2, facilitating theirin vivo cytotoxic potential.This work was supported by NIH contract NO1 CM-47669-02, NIH grants CA-32685, RR-031086, NO1 CM-47669-03, and American Cancer Society grant CH-237