Immunohistochemical localization of Na+-dependent glucose transporter in rat jejunum

Summary Glucose is actively absorbed via a Na⁺-dependent active glucose transporter (Na-GT) in the small intestine. We raised a polyclonal antibody against the peptide corresponding to amino acids 564–575 of rabbit intestinal Na-GT, and localized it immunohistochemically in the rat jejunum. By means of immunofluorescence staining, Na-GT was located at the brush border of the absorptive epithelial cells of the intestinal villi. Electron-microscopic examination showed that Na-GT was localized at the plasma membrane of the apical microvilli of these cells. Little Na-GT was found at the basolateral plasma membrane. Along the crypt-villus axis, all of the absorptive epithelial cells in the villus were positive for Na-GT. In addition to the brush border staining, the supranuclear positive staining, which was shown to be the Golgi apparatus by use of electron microscopy, was seen in cells located between the base to the middle of the villus. Cells in crypts exhibited little or no staining for Na-GT. Goblet cells scattered in the intestinal epithelium were negative for Na-GT staining. These observations show that Na-GT is specific to the apical plasma membrane of the absorptive epithelial cells, and that the onset of Na-GT synthesis may occur near the crypt-villus junction.     

Lipase-mediated homotopic and heterotopic double resolutions of a planar chiral organometallic alcohol

Summary (±)-Tricarbonyl ⁶-3-methylbenzyl alcohol)chromium was resolved to of 100%e.e. and of 92%e.e. by lipase-catalyzed transesterifications arranged in homotopic and heterotopic double resolutions.     

1H NMR studies of deuterated ribonuclease HI selectively labeled with protonated amino acids

Summary Two-dimensional (2D)¹H NMR experiments using deuterium labeling have been carried out to investigate the solution structure of ribonuclease HI (RNase HI) fromEscherichia coli (E. coli), which consists of 155 amino acids. To simplify the¹H NMR spectra, two fully deuterated enzymes bearing several prototed amino acids were prepared from an RNase HI overproducing strain ofE. coli grown in an almost fully deuterated medium. One enzyme was selectively labeled by protonated His, He. Val. and Leu. The other was labeled by only protonated His and Ile. The 2D¹H NMR spectra of these deuterated R Nase H1 proteins, selectively labeled with protonated amino acids, were much more simple than those of the normally protonated enzyme. The simplified spectra allowed unambiguous assignments of the resonance peaks and connectivities in COSY and NOESY for the side-chain protons. The spin-lattice relaxation times of the side-chain protons of the buried His residue of the deuterated enzyme became remarkably longer than that of the protonated enzyme. In contrast, the relaxation times of the side-chain protons of exposed His residues remained essentially unchanged.     

Specific binding sites for atrial natriuretic peptide (ANP) in cultured mesenchymal nonmyocardial cells from rat heart

Specific binding sites for atrial natriuretic peptide (ANP) were studied in cultured mesenchymal nonmyocardial cells (NMC) from rat heart. Binding study using 125I-labeled synthetic rat (r) ANP revealed the presence of a single class of high-affinity binding sites for rANP in cultured NMCs derived from both atria and ventricles; the apparent dissociation constant (Kd) was approximately 0.2 - 0.3 nM and the number of maximal binding sites was approximately 190,000 - 300,000 sites/cell. rANP significantly stimulated intracellular cGMP formation of cardiac NMCs in a dose-dependent manner (1.6 X 10(-8) M - 3.2 X 10(-7) M). rANP had no effect on synthesis of prostaglandin I2 by cultured cardiac NMCs. The physiological significance of ANP action on cardiac tissue remains to be determined.     

Purification of a receptor for formaldehyde-treated serum albumin from rat liver

A membrane-associated receptor involved in a specific uptake of formaldehyde-treated serum albumin (f-Alb) was purified from rat livers by Triton X-100 solubilization of a 105,000 X g membrane preparation and affinity chromatography on an f-Alb-Sepharose column. The purified receptor exhibited Mr = 125,000, consisting of two noncovalently linked glycoprotein components with Mr = 53,000 and Mr = 30,000, respectively. Incubation of 125I-receptor with f-Alb, but not with native albumin, resulted in a marked shift of pI value from 5.9 to 5.1, reflecting the presence of a specific ligand-receptor interaction. The receptor incorporated into liposomes displayed a saturable binding to 125I-f-Alb and the binding was effectively replaced by the presence of unlabeled f-Alb, with binding parameters being similar to those obtained from 125I-f-Alb binding to the sinusoidal liver cell membrane (Horiuchi, S., Takata, K., and Morino, Y. (1985) J. Biol. Chem. 260, 475-481). Reaction of anti-f-Alb receptor antibody with extracts of sinusoidal cells resulted in a specific precipitation of two proteins whose molecular weights were identical to those for the purified receptor. The anti-receptor IgG fraction effectively blocked 125I-f-Alb binding to the sinusoidal cell membranes. These results indicate that the purified protein represents the membrane-associated receptor which is presumably involved in a specific uptake of this ligand from the circulation.     

Genetic studies of the ribosomal proteins in Escherichia. coli. II. Altered 30s ribosomal protein component specific to spectinomycin resistant mutants

Summary Spectinomycin resistant (spc ^r) mutants were obtained by treating the cells of E. coli K12, W3637 with nitrosoguanidine. The compositions of ribosomal proteins were analyzed for six out of eleven such spc ^r-mutants with chromatography on a carboxymethyl cellulose (CMC) column. The 30s ribosomal subunit from all of the spc ^r-mutants was found to contain the altered 30-4 protein component, while no difference was detected in 50s ribosomal proteins between spc ^r and spc ^s bacteria.Abbreviations used CMC carboxymethyl cellulose - str streptomycin - spc spectinomycin     

Effect of Ethanol on the Sodium and Potassium Conductances of the Squid Axon Membrane

The effects of ethanol on squid giant axons were studied by means of the sucrose-gap technique. The membrane action potential height is moderately reduced and the duration sometimes shortened by ethanol in sea water. Voltage clamp experiments showed that ethanol in sea water reduced the maximum membrane conductances for sodium (g'_Na) and potassium (g'_K). In experiments with multiple application of ethyl alcohol to the same spot of membrane, a reduction of g'_Na to 82 per cent and of g'_K to 80 per cent of their value in sea water was brought about by 3 per cent ethanol (by volume) while 6 per cent caused a decrease of g'_Na to 59 per cent and of g'_K to 69 per cent. Ethanol has no significant effect on the steady-state inactivation of g_Na (as a function of conditioning membrane potential) or on such kinetic parameters as τ_h or the time course of turning on gi g_Na and g_K. It is concluded that ethanol mainly reduces g_Na and g_K in the Hodgkin-Huxley terminology.     

Site-directed insertion mutagenesis with cloned fragments in Escherichia coli by P1 phage transduction

Summary A cloned gene with an insertion, which was made by introducing cat, was ligated to the cloning site of the phage gt11. P1 phage grown on cells lysogenized with the recombinant phage could transduce the mutant gene into the original site on the Escherichia coli chromosome.     

Different mosaicism frequencies for proximal and distal Duchenne muscular dystrophy (DMD) mutations indicate difference in etiology and recurrence risk.

In about 65% of the cases of Duchenne muscular dystrophy (DMD) a partial gene deletion or duplication in the dystrophin gene can be detected. These mutations are clustered at two hot spots: 30% at the hot spot in the proximal part of the gene and about 70% at a more distal hot spot. Unexpectedly we observed a higher frequency of proximal gene rearrangements among proved "germ line" mosaic cases. Of the 24 mosaic cases we are aware of, 19 (79%) have a proximal mutation, while only 5 (21%) have a distal mutation. This finding indicates that the mutations at the two hot spots in the dystrophin gene differ in origin. Independent support for the different mosaicism frequency was found by comparing the mutation spectra observed in isolated cases of DMD and familial cases of DMD. In a large two-center study of 473 patients from Brazil and the Netherlands, we detected a significant difference in the deletion distribution of isolated (proximal:distal ratio 1:3) and familial cases (ratio 1:1). We conclude from these data that proximal deletions most likely occur early in embryonic development, causing them to have a higher chance of becoming familial, while distal deletions occur later and have a higher chance of causing only isolated cases. Finally, our findings have important consequences for the calculation of recurrence-risk estimates according to the site of the deletion: a "proximal" new mutant has an increased recurrence risk of approximately 30%, and a "distal" new mutant has a decreased recurrence risk of approximately 4%.