Synthetic analogs of growth hormone-releasing factor with antagonistic activity in vitro

Analogs of human and rat growth hormone-releasing factor (hGRF and rGRF), related to [D-Arg2]hGRF(1-29)NH2, were synthesized by solid phase methodology. Their capacity to inhibit growth hormone secretion stimulated by hGRF(1-44)NH2 was tested on rat anterior pituitary cells in monolayer culture. Among the analogs of hGRF, [D-Arg2,29,Arg30]hGRF(1-30)NH2 showed the highest antagonistic potency of 3.64 relative to [D-Arg2]hGRF(1-29)NH2 = 1. However, the most potent analog synthesized thus far was [N-Ac-His1,D-Arg2,Ala15]rGRF(1-29)NH2, which showed a relative potency of 27.7.     

Effect of hypertonic saline on the corticotropin-releasing hormone and arginine vasopressin content of the rat pituitary neurointermediate lobe

The changes in the levels of corticotropin-releasing hormone (CRH) and arginine vasopressin (AVP) in the neurointermediate lobe of the pituitary (NIL) following hypertonic saline administration were examined in rats. The plasma osmotic pressure in rats receiving 2% NaCl for 8 days was greatly increased. Plasma AVP concentration in rats receiving 2% NaCl for 8 days were significantly higher than in control rats (566% of the control level). Plasma corticosterone was significantly higher in the saline-treated rats than in controls, whereas plasma ACTH was not significantly different. The pituitary ACTH concentration was much higher in the saline-treated rats than in controls. CRH in the NIL was increased significantly by saline treatment (419% of the control concentration), whereas the CRH in the paraventricular nucleus and median eminence of control and saline-treated rats did not differ significantly. The AVP in the NIL fell greatly in saline treated rats. The extract from both control and saline-treated rats showed a major peak for immunoreactive CRH, with a retention time identical to that of rat CRH. However, the peak was much higher in the extract from saline-treated rats. The immunoreactive AVP peak was greatly reduced in saline-treated rats. These results suggest that hypertonic saline administration increases the CRH in the NIL and causes AVP hypersecretion and/or hyperfunction of magnocellular-NIL CRH might be responsible for pituitary-adrenal stimulation in saline-treated rats.     

Occurrence of cathepsin D isozymes with different specificities in monkey skeletal muscle

Cathepsin D was highly purified from the skeletal muscle of Japanese monkey (Macaca fuscata fuscata) by a procedure including affinity chromatography on concanavalin A-Sepharose and pepstatin-Sepharose, and then resolved into ten isozymes (A through J) by isoelectric focusing. When examined for specificity toward oxidized insulin B chain, isozyme A was highly specific and cleaved exclusively the Leu15-Tyr16 bond, whereas isozyme F was less specific, cleaving the Leu15-Tyr16 and Glu13-Ala14 bonds, with slower cleavages at several other bonds. These results demonstrate for the first time the occurrence of isozymes with different specificities among cathepsin D isozymes obtained from a single source.     

Development-dependent expression of cathepsins d and e in various rat tissues, with special reference to the high expression of cathepsin e in fetal liver

The levels of cathepsins D and E in various rat tissues during development were determined with the sensitive assay method we have developed. The level of cathepsin D increased gradually in each tissue during fetal development suggesting the gradual maturation of the lysosomal system in a cell. The level of cathepsin E differed significantly between tissues at various developmental stages. The level in liver increased rapidly from 13-day-gestation fetal stage and decreased gradually at later fetal stages. The level in other tissues such as stomach and spleen began to increase at later fetal stages or the infant stage. Cathepsin E was found in fetal hepatocytes and its gene was hypomethylated when the expression of the gene was elevated. The enzyme was found to be present mainly as a proform suggesting that, after working, an active form is rapidly inactivated.     

Slow Evolutionary Rate of GB Virus C/Hepatitis G Virus

With the aim of elucidating evolutionary features of GB virus C/hepatitis G virus (GBV-C/HGV), molecular evolutionary analyses were conducted using the entire coding region of this virus. In particular, the rate of nucleotide substitution for this virus was estimated to be less than 9.0 × 10⁻⁶ per site per year, which was much slower than those for other RNA viruses. The phylogenetic tree reconstructed for GBV-C/HGV, by using GB virus A (GBV-A) as outgroup, indicated that there were three major clusters (the HG, GB, and Asian types) in GBV-C/HGV, and the divergence between the ancestor of GB- and Asian-type strains and that of HG-type strains first took place more than 7000–10,000 years ago. The slow evolutionary rate for GBV-C/HGV suggested that this virus cannot escape from the immune response of the host by means of producing escape mutants, implying that it may have evolved other systems for persistent infection. Received: 2 June 1998 / Accepted: 8 August 1998     

Monkey pepsinogens and pepsins. III. Carbohydrate moiety of Japanese monkey pepsinogens and the amino acid sequence around the site of its attachment to protein.

Purified Japanese monkey pepsinogens I and II contain carbohydrate as a part of the enzyme molecule. By gel filtration on Sephadex G-100, chromatography on DE-32 cellulose, and polyacrylamide disc gel electrophoresis, the carbohydrate moiety could not be separated from the enzyme protein, and the content did not decrease on repeated chromatography. Glycopeptides were obtained by successive digestion of pepsinogens with thermolysin and aminopeptidases and isolated by chromatography on Sephadex G-25 and G-50. Identification and determination of carbohydrate components was performed by paper and gas-liquid chromatographies. The presence of 4 glucosamines, 6 galactoses, 6--8 mannoses, and 8--11 fucoses per molecule of the glycopeptide of both pepsinogens was observed, of which the high content of fucose is especially unique. The molecular weight of the carbohydrate chains should be around 4,000--5,000. The amino acid sequence of a major glycopeptide was deduced to be Ile-Gly-Ile-Gly-Thr-Pro-Gln-Ala-Asn, in which the asparagine residue is the site of attachment of the carbohydrate chain.     

Separation and characterization of the outer membrane of Pseudomonas aeruginosa.

A method is described for the preparation of outer and cytoplasmic membranes of Pseudomonas aeruginosa, and the outer membrane proteins characterized. Isolated outer and cytoplasmic membranes differed markedly in the content of 2-keto-3-deoxyoctonate (lipopolysaccharide) and phospholipid as well as in the localization of certain enzymes (NADH oxidase, succinate dehydrogenase, D-lactate dehydrogenase, malate dehydrogenase, and phospholipase), and also in the microscopic morphology. The outer membrane preparation showed activity neutralizing a certain bacteriocin or bacteriophages, whereas the cytoplasmic membrane preparation showed no neutralizing activity. The protein composition of membrane preparations from five different strains of P. aeruginosa [P14, M92 (PAO1), PAC1, P15, and M2008 (PAT)] were determined by sodium dodecyl sulfate (SDS)-polyacrylamide gel electrophoresis. More than 50 protein bands were detected in the cytoplasmic membrane preparation. The protein compositions of outer membranes from the five different strains were very similar: at least 6 major bands were found (apparent molecular weights: Band D, 50,000; band E, 45,000; band F, 33,000; bands G and H, 21,000; and band I, 8,000). The protein composition of outer membranes was affected by some physiological growth conditions. Some features of major outer membrane proteins were also studied. Band F showed anomalous migration on SDS polyacrylamide gel electrophoresis depending on the solubilizing conditions or pretreatment with TCA. Band I seemed to be a protein analogous to the lipoprotein which had been found in the outer membrane of Escherichia coli.     

An esterase on the outer membrane of Pseudomonas aeruginosa for the hydrolysis of long chain acyl esters.

A new esterase activity which hydrolyzes palmitoyl-CoA was found in the membrane fraction of Pseudomonas aeruginosa. All the 11 strains of P. aeruginosa tested possessed this esterase activity. The esterase was constitutive and was fully active on the intact cell bodies toward substrates in the medium. It was located on the outer membrane of the cell envelope, and was not released into the culture medium. This activity was designated as OM (outer membrane) esterase. OM esterase was solubilized from the cell envelope with EDTA-Triton X-100 and purified 690-fold. It was a minor component of the outer membrane. Its molecular weight was approximately 55,000. The activity was rather stable to heat, a wide range of pH, and treatment with detergents and organic solvents. No cofactors were required. The pH optimum of the reaction was 8.5. Among various acyl-CoAs, only long chain (C12--C18) thioesters were hydrolyzed. OM esterase also hydrolyzed some kinds of oxy-esters such as p-nitrophenyl acyl esters, monoacyl esters of sucrose and Tween 80 (polyoxyethylene sorbitan monooleate). On the other hand, triglycerides, phospholipids, or hydrophobic monoesters were not hydrolyzed at all. Thus, this enzyme seems to have specificity for long chain acyl esters with hydrophilic groups, whether thio- or oxy-ester. Mutants deficient in this esterase activity were isolated. These mutants were unable to grow on Tween 80 as a sole carbon source. This suggests a possible role of OM esterase in the utilization of acyl esters as carbon sources.     

An efficient excitation energy transfer from a carotenoid, siphonaxanthin to chlorophyll a observed in a deep-water species of chlorophycean seaweed

Excitation spectra of chlorophyll a fluorescence and absorptionspectra of the thalli of Ulva japonica and Ulva pertusa werestudied at room temperature. Both the fluorescence excitationspectrum and absorption spectrum of the former showed a characteristicbroad peak at 540 nm, which those of the latter lacked. It wasinferred that siphonaxanthin in the former efficiently transferredits excitation energy to chlorophyll a. ¹ Contributions from the Shimoda Marine Research Center, No.312. (Received August 30, 1976; )