Distribution of intermediate filaments in amphibian oxyntic cells

Summary Intermediate filaments of toad oxyntic cells were isolated and analysed by SDS-PAGE. The major proteins of the residue were identified as actin and a 51,000 dalton polypeptide. Immunological crossreactivity between toad oxyntic cell intermediate filament components and anti-prekeratin, was shown by double immunodiffusion tests and indirect immunofluorescence. The immunofluorescent decoration of oxyntic cells and the electron microscope images are coincident in locating the intermediate filaments mainly at the cortical and perinuclear basal zones. Furthermore, the cortical zone appears especially rich in prekeratin-like material at its adluminal third. This results in a cup-like structure that encloses the cell portion occupied by the tubulovesicular system, which does not contain intermediate filaments. The translocation of membranes occurring during the secretory cycle of the oxyntic cell, has been attributed to a system of contractile proteins. The disposition of the prekeratin-like material suggests a role for intermediate filaments in the generation of movement, produced by actin and myosin interaction, by providing a fixed plane for the anchoring of actin microfilaments.     

1,3-β-Glucan synthase from Citrus phloem

1,3-β-Glucan synthase activity has been demonstrated in particulate fractions of bark extracts from Mexican lime. With respect to substrate, the enzyme kinetics did not conform to the Michaelis-Menten equation. The value of the Hill coefficient was 1.2 and S_0.5 is 1.1 mM. The enzyme had an optimum pH of 7.5. Maltose, sucrose, and especially cellobiose and glucose, were enzyme activators when tested at physiological concentrations. In the presence of 15 mM MgCl₂ the enzymic activity was stimulated at 10 μM UDP-glucose but decreased at 1 mM UDP-glucose, suggesting a minor 1,4-β-glucan synthase activity.     

A thermodynamic analysis of the interaction between the mitochondrial coupling adenosine triphosphatase and its naturally occurring inhibitor protein

1. The naturally occurring ATPase (adenosine triphosphatase)-inhibitor protein, from bovine heart mitochondria, was obtained as a single pure protein. It was not identical with any of the five subunits (alpha-epsilon) of the isolated ATPase, and appeared to be a single polypeptide chain. 2. The inhibitor combined with the ATPase in a 1:1 molar ratio, producing a completely inhibited ATPase molecule. The affinity of the ATPase for its inhibitor is high; the K(d) is of the order of 10(-8)m. 3. The enthalpy of the ATPase-inhibitor complex-formation is positive, the value of K(d) decreasing as the temperature is raised. This suggests that the forces involved are largely hydrophobic in nature. 4. Hydrolysis of a nucleoside triphosphate promoted formation of the ATPase-inhibitor complex, although the equilibrium position was almost unaffected by the rate of hydrolysis. At low salt concentration, less than 200 turnovers of the ATPase suffice for the ATPase to combine with the inhibitor protein. At higher salt concentrations, a larger number of turnovers is required. It is suggested that the inhibitor binds to a form of the ATPase that is produced transiently during hydrolysis. 5. In the presence of 75mm-K(2)SO(4), the rates of association and dissociation are slow enough to allow their kinetics to be studied. Association is first-order in inhibitor concentration, but fractional order in ATPase concentration. Dissociation is first-order in ATPase-inhibitor complex concentration. The temperature coefficients of the ;on' and ;off' processes were also measured. 6. A simple kinetic model for the ATPase-inhibitor interaction is proposed that can be extended to take into account release of inhibitor protein under energized conditions on the membrane. 7. The isolated ATPase is inhibited by preincubation with Mg(2+), reversible by subsequent addition of EDTA, and by ADP, reversible by subsequent addition of ATP. These effects are not found on the membrane-bound ATPase. The mechanism of these effects is discussed.     

Evolution of the nucleotide sequence of influenza virus RNA segment 7 during drift of the H3N2 subtype

The complete genetic information contained in the influenza virus RNA segment 7 of the A/Bangkok/ $\text{1}\text{79}$ (H3N2) strain has been cloned by in vitro synthesis of the complementary dsDNA and its insertion into plasmid pBR322. The nucleotide sequence of the viral RNA segment has been determined from the cDNA insert. It is 1027 nucleotides long, and contains two open reading frames, as shown for other influenza virus strains. When compared with the previously published sequence for the A/Udorn/72 (H3N2) strain, 15 nucleotide exchanges are observed, most of them silent mutations, and only two causing amino acid changes in each of the M1 and M2 protein sequences.     

Protein-lipid interactions and differential scanning calorimetric studies of bacteriorhodopsin reconstituted lipid-water systems

Bacteriorhodopsin has been reconstituted at various molar concentrations into liposomes of dimyristoyl- and also of dipalmitoylphosphatidylcholine. Differential scanning calorimetry indicates that as the protein concentration within the lipid bilayer increases, the cooperativity of the lipid phase transition is reduced, i.e. the transition is broadened, while the midpoint transition temperature remains virtually unchanged. Freeze-fracture electron microscopy of our preparation shows, in agreement with previous data from other laboratories, that extensive protein aggregation occurs when the liposome is cooled below the T_c transition temperature of the lipid. Laser flash photolysis measurements of protein rotation of the bacteriorhodopsin show, especially in the case of protein-rich recombinants, that protein aggregates exist even above T_c. The perturbation caused by the presence of bacteriorhodopsin in the lipid bilayer is similar to that produced by other intrinsic proteins. The difficulty of correlating the observed calorimetric enthalpy data with a simple concept of a ‘boundary lipid layer’ based upon consideration of a single isolated protein is discussed in view of the occurrence of protein aggregates both above and below T_c. It is concluded that the reduction of enthalpy is related to the number of lipids which solvate the protein aggregates within the protein-lipid patches and are thereby removed from the cooperative melting and enthalpy of the remaining regions of pure lipid.     

Fructose 1,6-bisphosphatase: Dissociation of AMP cooperativity and AMP inhibition by carbamylation

Selective treatment of pig kidney fructose 1,6-bisphosphatase with potassium cyanate leads to the formation of an active carbamylated enzyme that has lost the cooperative interactions among AMP sites, but retains sensitivity to inhibition of catalytic activity by the regulator AMP. Incorporation data on [¹⁴C]KNCO indicate that the loss of enzyme cooperativity at the AMP sites is related to selective carbamylation of four lysine residues per mole of tetrameric enzyme. Exhaustive carbamylation suggests that a second lysine residue per subunit is essential for AMP inhibition.     

Aggregation of mono- and dinucleosomes into chromatin-like fibers

Three classes of chicken erythrocyte chromatin particles differing in their content of lysine-rich histones and/or spacer DNA have been studied in order to determine their ability to aggregate into complexes resembling those observed in native chromatin. The complexes have been obtained in the presence of MgCl₂ and NaCl and studied by electron microscopy. Mononucleosomes, containing spacer DNA and histones H1 and H5, give rise to thick (about 70 nm) ellipsoidal particles in the presence of 0.5 mM MgCl₂. These particles are disrupted by the addition of small amounts of NaCl (5–20 mM). On the other hand in 0.5 mM MgCl₂ dinucleosomes give rise to regular fibrous complexes of about 40 nm in diameter which are very similar to native chromatin fibers. These complexes are much more stable when NaCl is added. We conclude that for the stability of nucleosomal aggregates, similar to native chromatin fibers, a continuity of DNA structure is not required, but the presence of divalent cations, spacer DNA and lysine-rich histones is essential.     

ADH and phylogenetic relationships ofDrosophila lebanonensis (Scaptodrosophila)

Summary Increasing data onDrosophila alcohol dehydrogenase (ADH) sequences have made it possible to calculate the rate of amino acid replacement per year, which is 1.7×10^–9. This value makes this protein suitable for reconstructing phylogenetic relationships within the genus for those species for which no molecular data are available such asScaptodrosophila. The amino acid sequence ofDrosophila lebanonensis is compared to all of the already knownDrosophila ADHs, stressing the unique characteristic features of this protein such as the conservation of an initiating methionine at the N-terminus, the unique replacement of a glycine by an alanine at a very conserved position in the NAD domain of all dehydrogenases, the lack of a slowmigrating peptide, and the total conservation of the maximally hydrophilic peptide. The functional significance of these features is discussed.Although the percent amino acid identity of the ADH molecule inDrosophila decreases as the number of sequences compared increases, the conservation of residue type in terms of size and hydrophobocity for the ADH molecule is shown to be very high throughout the genusDrosophila. The distance matrix and parsimony methods used to establish the phylogenetic relationships ofD. lebanonensis show that the three subgenera,Scaptodrosophila, Drosophila, andSophophora separated at approximately the same time.     

Risk sensitivity in starlings: variability in food amount and food delay

Starlings' preferences for constant versus variable food sourceswere studied in the laboratory. The constant alternative gavea fixed amount of food after a fixed delay. The variable alternativeoffered either a varying amount of food after a fixed delay(treatment A) or a fixed amount of food after a variable delay(treatment B). In both treatments the ratio of amount of foodover trial length (the sum of intertrial interval plus delayand handling times) of the constant alternative equaled theaverage of the two ratios of the variable alternative. The variableratios were 30% higher and 30% smaller than the fixed ratio.In free-choice trials (both options available in each trial),the subjects were risk-averse or indifferent in treatment Aand indifferent or riskprone in treatment B. In no-choice trials(only one source available per trial), the latency to respondwas longer in the variable than in the constant source in treatmentA and the opposite in treatment B. The greater preference forvariability in time than for variability in reward amount isnot consistent with either maximizing the ratio of expectedenergy over expected time or the expected ratio of energy overtime for individual trials. There was a negative correlationbetween individual intake rate and degree of risk pronenessfor both kinds of variability. We present a model of choicebased on an information-processing theory for temporal memorythat accounts for the different effects of variability in delayand in amount but cannot explain the effects of intake rate.[Behav Ecol 1991;2:301–308]