Enhancement of eosinophil effector function by soluble factors released by S. mansoni: role of proteases

Schistosomulum-released products (SRP) have been shown to enhance both expression of rat and human eosinophil Fc receptors and IgG-dependent cytotoxicity. The present work provides additional evidence of the secretion of eosinophil-enhancing factors by schistosomula and other developmental stages of schistosomes, including adult worms. The heat lability, as well as the strong inhibition of the stimulating activity of SRP by the protease inhibitor Trasylol, suggest that thermolabile proteases secreted by the parasite are involved in this mechanism. The purification of the schistosome proteases by preparative isoelectric focusing and gel filtration demonstrated that neutral proteases able to hydrolyze the collagenase substrates Azocoll and Z-Gly-Pro-Leu-Gly-Pro are able to significantly enhance eosinophil effector functions. Purified Clostridium histolyticum collagenase was also able to mimic the enhancing effect of schistosome proteases, suggesting involvement of a collagenase-like activity of the enzymes in the eosinophil stimulation.     

Regulation of ATP synthesis catalyzed by the calcium pump of sarcoplasmic reticulum

The role of pH, KCl, ATP, water activity, and temperature in ATP synthesis from ADP and Pi was investigated in sarcoplasmic reticulum vesicles isolated from rabbit skeletal muscle. In totally aqueous medium, the synthesis of ATP was inhibited by ATP, KCl, and pH values above 6.5. When the water activity of the medium was decreased by the addition of 30% (v/v) dimethyl sulfoxide, the synthesis of ATP was no longer inhibited by ATP; it was activated by KCl and the optimum pH changed from 6.5 to 7.5. In totally aqueous medium, the concentration of MgCl2 needed for half-maximal synthesis of ATP was found to vary with the temperature of the assay medium; at 35 degrees C it was 1 mM and increased to a value higher than 10 mM when the temperature was decreased to 15 degrees C. In the presence of 30% dimethyl sulfoxide, maximal synthesis of ATP was attained in presence of 0.05 mM MgCl2 at both 15 and 35 degrees C. The hypothesis is raised that in the living cell water structure may play a role in regulating the synthesis of ATP observed during the reversal of the Ca2+ pump of the sarcoplasmic reticulum.     

Studies on functional domains of the regulatory subunit of bovine heart adenosine 3':5'-monophosphate-dependent protein kinase

The functional domains of the regulatory subunit of isozyme II of cAMP-dependent protein kinase were studied. It was shown using Edman degradation that the regulatory subunit contained a phosphorylated residue which was very close in primary sequence to the site most sensitive to hydrolysis by low trypsin concentrations as postulated previously (Corbin, J.D., Sugden, P.H., West, L., Flockhart, D.A., Lincoln, T.M., and McCarthy, D. (1978) J. Biol. Chem. 253, 3997-4003). Catalytic subunit incorporated 0.9 mol of 32P from [gamma-32P]ATP into a preparation of regulatory subunit that contained 1.1 mol of endogenous phosphate. After phosphorylation by the catalytic subunit, the regulatory subunit contained 2.2 mol of chemical phosphate. The effects of heat denaturation upon the rate and extent of phosphorylation of the regulatory subunit were compared with the effects of these treatments upon the cAMP binding and inhibitory domains. These data suggested that the regulatory subunit required factors in addition to an intact phosphorylatable primary sequence in order for inhibitory activity to be expressed. Such factors might be part of the secondary or tertiary structure of the protein. These studies are discussed with respect to the mechanism of inhibition of catalytic activity, and a model of the regulatory subunit structure is proposed.     

The effects of insulin on choline kinase activity in cultured rat liver cells

The effect of insulin on phosphatidylcholine biosynthesis in cultured rat liver cells was assessed by measuring changes in the activity of the first enzyme in the choline pathway of phosphatidylcholine biosynthesis, choline kinase (ATP: cholinephosphortransferase, EC 2.7.1.32), in the presence or absence of the hormone. Choline kinase specific activity in liver cells incubated for 18 hours in the presence of 10^?7M insulin increased two-fold from 3.4 ± 0.3 nmoles phosphorylcholine formed/min/mg protein to 7.5 ± 0.6 nmoles/min/mg protein. This effect was dose dependent and reversed by the addition of actinomycin D and cycloheximide. It is concluded that the increase in specific activity is due to synthesis of new enzyme rather than activation of existing enzyme.     

Seasonal variation in the chemical composition of the bioenergy feedstock Laminaria digitata for thermochemical conversion

To avoid negative impacts on food production, novel non-food biofuel feedstocks need to be identified and utilised. One option is to utilise marine biomass, notably fast-growing, large marine ‘plants’ such as the macroalgal kelps. This paper reports on the changing composition of Laminaria digitata throughout it growth cycle as determined by new technologies. The potential of Laminaria sp. as a feedstock for biofuel production and future biorefining possibilities was assessed through proximate and ultimate analysis, initial pyrolysis rates using thermo-gravimetric analysis (TGA), metals content and pyrolysis gas chromatography-mass spectrometry.Samples harvested in March contained the lowest proportion of carbohydrate and the highest ash and alkali metal content, whereas samples harvested in July contained the highest proportions of carbohydrate, lowest alkali metals and ash content. July was therefore considered the most suitable month for harvesting kelp biomass for thermochemical conversion to biofuels.     

<Emphasis Type="Italic">In vitro</Emphasis> Enhancement of Lactate Esters on the Percutaneous Penetration of Drugs with Different Lipophilicity

Lactate esters are widely used as food additives, perfume materials, medicine additives, and personal care products. The objective of this work was to investigate the effect of a series of lactate esters as penetration enhancers on the in vitro skin permeation of four drugs with different physicochemical properties, including ibuprofen, salicylic acid, dexamethasone and 5-fluorouracil. The saturated donor solutions of the evaluated drugs in propylene glycol were used in order to keep a constant driving force with maximum thermodynamic activity. The permeability coefficient (K _p), skin concentration of drugs (SC), and lag time (T), as well as the enhancement ratios for K _p and SC were recorded. All results indicated that lactate esters can exert a significant influence on the transdermal delivery of the model drugs and there is a structure-activity relationship between the tested lactate esters and their enhancement effects. The results also suggested that the lactate esters with the chain length of fatty alcohol moieties of 10–12 are more effective enhancers. Furthermore, the enhancement effect of lactate esters increases with a decrease of the drug lipophilicity, which suggests that they may be more efficient at enhancing the penetration of hydrophilic drugs than lipophilic drugs. The influence of the concentration of lactate esters was evaluated and the optimal concentration is in the range of 5∼10 wt.%. In sum, lactate esters as a penetration enhancer for some drugs are of interest for transdermal administration when the safety of penetration enhancers is a prime consideration.     

Identification of the subunits of F1F0-ATPase from bovine heart mitochondria.

An oligomycin-sensitive F1F0-ATPase isolated from bovine heart mitochondria has been reconstituted into phospholipid vesicles and pumps protons. this preparation of F1F0-ATPase contains 14 different polypeptides that are resolved by polyacrylamide gel electrophoresis under denaturing conditions, and so it is more complex than bacterial and chloroplast enzymes, which have eight or nine different subunits. The 14 bovine subunits have been characterized by protein sequence analysis. They have been fractionated on polyacrylamide gels and transferred to poly(vinylidene difluoride) membranes, and N-terminal sequences have been determined in nine of them. By comparison with known sequences, eight of these have been identified as subunits beta, gamma, delta, and epsilon, which together with the alpha subunit form the F1 domain, as the b and c (or DCCD-reactive) subunits, both components of the membrane sector of the enzyme, and as the oligomycin sensitivity conferral protein (OSCP) and factor 6 (F6), both of which are required for attachment of F1 to the membrane sector. The sequence of the ninth, named subunit e, has been determined and is not related to any reported protein sequence. The N-terminal sequence of a tenth subunit, the membrane component A6L, could be determined after a mild acid treatment to remove an alpha-N-formyl group. Similar experiments with another membrane component, the a or ATPase-6 subunit, caused the protein to degrade, but the protein has been isolated from the enzyme complex and its position on gels has been unambiguously assigned. No N-terminal sequence could be derived from three other proteins. The largest of these is the alpha subunit, which previously has been shown to have pyrrolidonecarboxylic acid at the N terminus of the majority of its chains. The other two have been isolated from the enzyme complex; one of them is the membrane-associated protein, subunit d, which has an alpha-N-acetyl group, and the second, surprisingly, is the ATPase inhibitor protein. When it is isolated directly from mitochondrial membranes, the inhibitor protein has a frayed N terminus, with chains starting at residues 1, 2, and 3, but when it is isolated from the purified enzyme complex, its chains are not frayed and the N terminus is modified. Previously, the sequences at the N terminals of the alpha, beta, and delta subunits isolated from F1-ATPase had been shown to be frayed also, but in the F1F0 complex they each have unique N-terminal sequences.(ABSTRACT TRUNCATED AT 400 WORDS)     

Efficient use and recycling of the micronutrient iodide in mammals

Daily ingestion of iodide alone is not adequate to sustain production of the thyroid hormones, tri- and tetraiodothyronine. Proper maintenance of iodide in vivo also requires its active transport into the thyroid and its salvage from mono- and diiodotyrosine that are formed in excess during hormone biosynthesis. The enzyme iodotyrosine deiodinase responsible for this salvage is unusual in its ability to catalyze a reductive dehalogenation reaction dependent on a flavin cofactor, FMN. Initial characterization of this enzyme was limited by its membrane association, difficult purification and poor stability. The deiodinase became amenable to detailed analysis only after identification and heterologous expression of its gene. Site-directed mutagenesis recently demonstrated that cysteine residues are not necessary for enzymatic activity in contrast to precedence set by other reductive dehalogenases. Truncation of the N-terminal membrane anchor of the deiodinase has provided a soluble and stable source of enzyme sufficient for crystallographic studies. The structure of an enzyme·substrate co-crystal has become invaluable for understanding the origins of substrate selectivity and the mutations causing thyroid disease in humans.