Polarity of neutral glycolipids, gangliosides, and sulfated lipids in MDCK epithelial cells

Confluent monolayers of MDCK (Madin-Darby canine kidney) cells provide a widely used model system for studying epithelial cell polarity. We determined the polarity of epithelial cell plasma membrane glycolipids and sulfated lipids by analyzing the lipids released from both sides of monolayers of metabolically labeled MDCK cells. These lipids were released either as endogenously shed material or in budding viruses. All of the glycolipids were detected in both the apical and basolateral domains of the plasma membrane. However, galactosylceramide was more basally oriented than any of the other glycolipids; thus, the ratio of glucosylceramide to galactosylceramide was more than twice as great in the apical domain as in the basolateral domain. A sulfated sterol, which comigrated with cholesterol sulfate, was released in a more basally polarized manner than any of the glycolipids. These results indicate the presence of mechanisms which can produce different degrees of polarity for specific lipids in polarized epithelial cells.     

Potentiation by Kainate of Excitatory Amino Acid Release in Striatum: Complementary In Vivo and In Vitro Experiments

The effect of kainate on extracellular levels of amino acids in corpus striatum was investigated in vitro and in vivo, to elucidate the mechanism underlying its neurotoxicity. Kainate increased extracellular glutamate and aspartate in both striatal slices in vitro and intact striatum in vivo, as previously reported. Both in vitro and in vivo, DL-threo-3-hydroxyaspartate increased extracellular glutamate and aspartate levels (to between 150 and 200% of basal), and also enhanced their kainate-evoked release. The action of kainate in vivo was reduced by prior frontal decortication, whereas in vitro the kainate-evoked responses were only slightly reduced by tetrodotoxin, and remained above control values. These results confirm that kainate increases extracellular glutamate and aspartate, and provide evidence that this is due to synaptic release evoked by an action on receptors on glutamatergic neurone terminals. These findings may be relevant to the understanding of epilepsy.     

Different patterns of Epstein-Barr virus gene expression and of cytotoxic T-cell recognition in B-cell lines infected with transforming (B95.8) or nontransforming (P3HR1) virus strains

Epstein-Barr virus (EBV)-negative Burkitt's lymphoma (BL) cell lines have been converted to EBV genome positivity by in vitro infection with the transforming EBV strain B95.8 and with the nontransforming mutant strain P3HR1, which has a deletion in the gene encoding the nuclear antigen EBNA2. These B95.8- and P3HR1-converted lines have been compared for their patterns of expression of EBV latent genes (i.e., those viral genes constitutively expressed in all EBV-transformed lines of normal B-cell origin) and for their recognition by EBV-specific cytotoxic T lymphocytes (CTLs), in an effort to identify which latent gene products provide target antigens for the T-cell response. B95.8-converted lines on several different EBV-negative BL-cell backgrounds all showed detectable expression of the nuclear antigens EBNA1, EBNA2, and EBNA3 and of the latent membrane protein (LMP); such converts were also clearly recognized by EBV-specific CTL preparations with restriction through selected human leukocyte antigen (HLA) class I antigens on the target cell surface. The corresponding P3HR1-converted lines (lacking an EBNA2 gene) expressed EBNA1 and EBNA3 but, surprisingly, showed no detectable LMP; furthermore, these converts were not recognized by EBV-specific CTLs. Such differences in T-cell recognition were not due to any differences in expression of the relevant HLA-restricting determinants between the two types of convert, as shown by binding of specific monoclonal antibodies and by the susceptibility of both B95.8 and P3HR1 converts to allospecific CTLs directed against these same HLA molecules. The results suggest that in the normal infectious cycle, EBNA2 may be required for subsequent expression of LMP and that both EBNA2 and LMP (but not EBNA1 or EBNA3) may provide target antigens for the EBV-specific T-cell response.     

Monoclonal antibodies to three phospholipase C isozymes from bovine brain

Murine hybridoma cell lines secreting antibodies against the three bovine isozymes of phosphoinositide-specific phospholipase C (PLC) were established: 6, 23, and 12 lines were obtained for PLC-I (150 kDa), PLC-II (145 kDa), and PLC-III (85 kDa), respectively. The antibodies were purified from ascites fluid, and their properties were studied in detail. All the antibodies cross-reacted with their corresponding PLC enzymes, but not with the other two isozymes, suggesting that the three enzymes contain very different antigenic determinants. The six antibodies elicited by bovine PLC-I also cross-reacted with human and rat enzyme, whereas three each from anti-PLC-II antibodies and anti-PLC-III antibodies did not react with the enzymes from different species. Each antibody exerts different effects on the phosphatidylinositol-hydrolyzing activity of PLC. The most inhibitory antibody for either isozyme PLC-I or PLC-II exhibits 80% inhibition, whereas no more than 20% inhibition was observed for the anti-PLC-III antibodies. Purified PLC-I frequently contains catalytically active 140- and 100-kDa forms and an inactive 41-kDa protein in addition to the intact 150-kDa form, probably due to its high sensitivity to an unidentified endogenous protease. The five anti-PLC-I antibodies which bind to the denatured 150-kDa polypeptide also recognized the 140-kDa form, whereas only three cross-reacted with the 100-kDa form, and the remaining two bound to the 41-kDa protein. Competitive binding studies with intact PLC enzymes and Western blot experiments with proteolytic digests revealed that the 6 anti-PLC-I, 23 anti-PLC-II, and 12 anti-PLC-III antibodies bind at least five, six, and seven different epitopes on PLC-I, PLC-II, and PLC-III, respectively. The fact that these monoclonal antibodies bind to different epitopes on the same enzyme allowed one to develop a highly specific and sensitive tandem radioimmunoassay for quantitating PLC-I, PLC-II, and PLC-III. The principle of the assay is that binding of an 125I-labeled antibody to the antigen immobilized by another antibody at a distinctive binding site is proportional to the amount of antigen present. By using this method, PLC-I, PLC-II, and PLC-III could be measured quantitatively in the presence of other proteins, detergents, lipids, polyanions, and metal ions, all of which greatly affect the activity of PLC enzymes.     

Metabolism of synthetic inositol trisphosphate analogs

A series of synthetic analogs was employed to explore structure-activity relationships in the metabolism of the second messenger inositol trisphosphate (IP3) in vascular tissue. Cytosolic IP3-5-phosphatase activity was purified approximately 240-fold from bovine aorta. All synthetic analogs tested were apparent competitive inhibitors of the 5-phosphatase activity. The order of potency was DL-1,3,4,5-IP3 greater than D-1,4,5-IP3 greater than DL-1,3,4-IP3 greater than L-1,4,5-IP3 greater than 1,3,5-IP3 greater than DL-6-methoxy-1,4,5-IP3 greater than DL-2,4,5-IP3 greater than DL-1,2,4-cyclohexane-P3. The least potent analogs had Ki values only 11 times higher than the apparent Km of the substrate D-1,4,5-[3H]IP3. However, only three synthetic compounds, DL-1,3,4,5-IP4, D-1,4,5-IP3, and DL-2,4,5-IP3, could serve as substrates for the 5-phosphatase. IP3 kinase activity in the same tissue exhibited considerably more selectivity with respect to inhibition by IP3 analogs. D-1,4,5-IP3 was about 30 times more potent than DL-1,3,4,5-IP4 and 100-1000 times more potent than the other compounds tested. The function of the IP3 receptor was evaluated by measuring labeled calcium mobilization in permeabilized bovine aortic smooth muscle cells in culture. While all analogs tested were full agonists, vast differences in potency were observed. D-1,4,5-IP3 was about 30 times more potent than DL-2,4,5-IP3 and 100-2000 times more potent than the other analogs tested. The results suggest that IP3-5-phosphatase activity is relatively nonselective in the binding of inositol polyphosphates, while IP3 kinase activity and the IP3 receptor exhibit great selectivity in the recognition of these compounds.     

Human interleukin 1 beta is not secreted from hamster fibroblasts when expressed constitutively from a transfected cDNA

To understand the secretion and processing of interleukin-1 (IL-1), a Chinese hamster fibroblast cell line (R1610) was transfected with a human IL-1 beta cDNA under the control of the SV40 early promoter and linked to the gene for neomycin resistance. After selecting for transfected cells resistant to G418, two clones were found to constitutively express the IL-1 beta 31-kD precursor which was almost exclusively located in the cytosol. Pulse-chase experiments failed to show any secretion of IL-1 and very little IL-1 activity was detectable in cell supernatants. Furthermore, surface membrane IL-1 activity could not be detected, although low levels of activity could be released upon brief trypsin treatment. Therefore, unlike monocytes, these fibroblast cells lack the mechanism for secreting and processing of IL-1 beta.     

Localization of phospholamban in smooth muscle using immunogold electron microscopy

Phospholamban, the putative regulator of the Ca2+-ATPase in cardiac sarcoplasmic reticulum, was immunolocalized in canine visceral and vascular smooth muscle. Gently disrupted tissues were labeled with an affinity-purified phospholamban polyclonal antibody and indirect immunogold, using preembedding techniques. The sarcoplasmic reticulum of smooth muscle cells was specifically labeled with patches of immunogold distributed in a nonuniform fashion, while the sarcolemma did not appear to contain any phospholamban. The outer nuclear envelopes were also observed to be heavily labeled with the affinity-purified phospholamban polyclonal antibody. These findings suggest that phospholamban may play a role in the regulation of cytoplasmic and intranuclear calcium levels in smooth muscle cells.     

IL-1 is an autocrine growth factor for T cell clones

Activation of Th lymphocytes requires that Ag be presented on the surface of accessory cells displaying Ia Ag. A number of studies have concluded that the T cell also requires IL-1 from accessory cells. However, we recently reported that one murine T cell clone (D10.G4.1) produced its own IL-1-like activity after encountering APC (9). In this report, we demonstrate that 1) IL-1 production is a common property of murine T cell clones, 2) T cell IL-1 activity is blocked by anti-IL-1-alpha antiserum, 3) IL-1-alpha mRNA can be directly visualized in individual cloned T cells using in situ hybridization techniques, and 4) IL-1 appears to serve an autocrine role in the activation of T cell clones inasmuch as anti-IL-1-alpha antiserum blocks cell proliferation when the T cell is the only IL-1 source.     

Glucose transport into rat skeletal muscle: interaction between exercise and insulin

This study was done to evaluate the effect of insulin on sugar transport into skeletal muscle after exercise. The permeability of rat epitrochlearis muscle to 3-O-methylglucose (3-MG) was measured after exposure to a range of insulin concentrations 30, 60, and 180 min after a bout of exercise. Thirty and 60 min after exercise, the effects of exercise and insulin on 3-MG transport were additive over a wide range of insulin concentrations, with no increase in sensitivity or responsiveness to insulin. After 180 min, when approximately 66% of the exercise-induced increase in sugar transport had worn off, both the responsiveness and sensitivity of the glucose transport process to insulin were increased. These findings appear compatible with the hypothesis that the actions of exercise and insulin result in activation and/or translocation into the plasma membrane of two separate pools of glucose transporters in mammalian skeletal muscle.