Melanocortin‐1 receptor structure and functional regulation

The melanogenic actions of the melanocortins are mediated by the melanocortin‐1 receptor (MC1R). MC1R is a member of the G‐protein‐coupled receptors (GPCR) superfamily expressed in cutaneous and hair follicle melanocytes. Activation of MC1R by adrenocorticotrophin or α‐melanocyte stimulating hormone is positively coupled to the cAMP signaling pathway and leads to a stimulation of melanogenesis and a switch from the synthesis of pheomelanins to the production of eumelanic pigments. The functional behavior of the MC1R agrees with emerging concepts in GPCR signaling including dimerization, coupling to more than one signaling pathway and a high agonist‐independent constitutive activity accounting for inverse agonism phenomena. In addition, MC1R displays unique properties such as an unusually high number of natural variants often associated with clearly visible phenotypes and the occurrence of endogenous peptide antagonists. Therefore MC1R is an ideal model to study GPCR function. Here we review our current knowledge of MC1R structure and function, with emphasis on information gathered from the analysis of natural variants. We also discuss recent data on the regulation of MC1R function by paracrine and endocrine factors and by external stimuli such as ultraviolet light.     

Determining the kinetics of membrane pores from patch clamp data without measuring the open and closed times

We present a new and very time saving way to determine kinetic rate constants from patch clamp data by using the correlation functions utilized in analyzing experiments with photon correlations.     

Neurotransmitters in the intestine of the Atlantic cod, Gadus morhua

The effects of the putative neurotransmitters acetylcholine, adrenaline, adenosine, ATP, bombesin, 5-hydroxytryptamine, met-enkephalin, neurotensin, somatostatin, substance P and VIP have been investigated in the perfused intestine of the cod, Gadus morhua. The presence and distribution of the different types of nerves was investigated with immunohistochemistry and Falck-Hillarp fluorescence histochemistry. A spontaneous rhythmic activity of the perfused preparations usually occurred within a few minutes from the start of the experiment. This activity was diminished or abolished by addition of atropine, methysergide or tetrodotoxin to the perfusion fluid. Acetylcholine, 5-hydroxytryptamine or substance P caused a contraction of the intestinal wall. The response to acetylcholine was blocked by atropine but not by tetrodotoxin, while the response to 5-hydroxytryptamine was blocked by methysergide and usually also by tetrodotoxin. This indicates that the effect of acetylcholine is direct on the muscle cells, while the effect of 5-hydroxytryptamine may be at least partly via a second neuron. All adrenergic agonists (adrenaline, isoprenaline and phenylephrine) had a dominating inhibitory effect on the intestine. Experiments with antagonists showed that the inhibition is due to stimulation of both alpha-adrenoceptors and beta-adrenoceptors. ATP, adenosine and somatostatin also caused a relaxation of the intestinal wall, often followed by a contraction. Met-enkephalin produced variable responses, either a relaxation, a contraction or both. Bombesin caused a weak inhibition, if anything. Neurotensin and VIP did not visibly affect the intestinal motility. 5-HT-, substance P- and VIP-like immunoreactivity and catecholamine fluorescence were observed in the myenteric plexus, submucosa and muscle layers in all parts of the intestine.(ABSTRACT TRUNCATED AT 250 WORDS)     

Effects of water flow on transmembrane ionic currents in neurons of Helix pomatia and in squid giant axons

1. The effects of water flow through the membrane produced by an osmotic gradient on the ionic currents in Helix neurons and in squid giant axons were studied. 2. Outward water flow had a marked effect on the ionic currents. 3. Cell volume diminution in hypertonic solution was accompanied by a decrease in the number of functioning ionic channels in the neurons. 4. Decrease of the tonicity of the external 10(-8) M TTX-containing solution leads to a transient recovery of the action potentials of the squid.     

Lecithin cholesterol acyltransferase activity in chronic nephropathies

The authors present data from a group of 55 patients suffering from chronic renal diseases. Twenty-two were treated by haemodialysis; the rest had serum creatinine levels ranging from normal to 950 mumol/l. The molar esterification rats [MER] and total cholesterol [TCH] values decreased parallel to the gradual extinction of renal function. A reduced fractional esterification rate [FER] was found in about two thirds of the dialysed patients and in about half of those whose kidney function was still relatively well preserved. It can thus be concluded that reduction of FER values indicative of a disturbance of cholesterol metabolism can already be detected in the early stages of chronic nephropathies.     

Identification and purification of overlapping cosmid clones of the region Xq24-qter of human X chromosome using HPLC.

The assembly of a large physical map of genomes requires simultaneous analysis of many cosmid clones for overlapping regions. The search for overlapping regions may be achieved by various means. High-performance liquid chromatography (HPLC) provides an alternative to gel electrophoresis since microgram amounts of each DNA fragment may be collected into individual test tubes for further analysis. HPLC has been used to identify overlapping cosmid clones from a pool of cosmid DNA containing the terminal portion of the long arm of the human X chromosome (Xq24-qter). Among 400 cosmids analyzed, 3 were shown to overlap.     

Transbilayer distribution of bromine in fluid bilayers containing a specifically brominated analogue of dioleoylphosphatidylcholine

We describe in this paper the transbilayer distribution of the bromines of the specifically halogenated phospholipid 1-oleoyl-2-(9,10-dibromostearoyl)-sn-glycero-3- phosphocholine (OBPC). The distribution was determined by X-ray diffraction of oriented multilayers of mixtures of OBPC and 1,2-dioleoyl-sn-glycero-3-phosphocholine (DOPC) at 66% relative humidity by the general approach of Franks et al. (1978) [Nature 276, 530-532]. The bromine distribution of OBPC in the fluid L alpha phase is described accurately by a pair of Gaussian functions located 7.97 +/- 0.27 A from the center of the bilayer with l/e half-widths of 4.96 +/- 0.62 A. We find that OBPC bilayers are accurately described as DOPC bilayers with an additional bromine distribution centered at the position of the double bond of DOPC and conclude that OBPC is an excellent structural isomorph for DOPC under the conditions of these experiments. The distribution obtained is the complete and fully resolved transbilayer image of the halogen label because the broad distribution of the bromines is due entirely to thermal disorder and not to experimental limitations [Wiener, M. C., & White, S. H. (1991a) Biophys. J. 59, 162-173]. The observed width of the bromine distribution indicates that virtually all of the hydrocarbon interior is accessible to the bromines. The distance between the bromine/double-bond position and the headgroup phosphate position was determined from one-dimensional Patterson maps and found to be approximately 12 A. The application of accurately determined bromine distributions to the quantitative interpretation of fluorescence quenching experiments is discussed. A method for the self-consistent global analysis of diffraction data from mixtures that permits the use of data sets with different instrumental scale factors is developed in an Appendix.     

Deuterium isotope effects in norcamphor metabolism by cytochrome P-450cam: kinetic evidence for the two-electron reduction of a high-valent iron-oxo intermediate

The kinetics of NADH consumption, oxygen uptake, and hydrogen peroxide production have been studied for norcamphor metabolism by cytochrome P-450cam. The kinetic deuterium isotope effects on these processes, with specifically deuteriated norcamphor, are 0.77, 1.22, and 1.16, respectively. Steady-state UV-visible spectroscopy indicates that transfer of the second electron to the dioxy ferrous P-450 is the rate-limiting step, as it is when camphor is the substrate. The inverse deuterium isotope effect for NADH consumption is consistent with an isotope-dependent branching between monooxygenase and oxidase activity, where these reactivities differ in their NADH:oxygen stoichiometries. However, no isotope-dependent redistribution of steady-state intermediates was detected by isotopic difference UV-visible spectroscopy in the presence of norcamphor. The kinetic isotope effects and steady-state spectral results suggest that the high-valent iron-oxo hydroxylating intermediate [FeO]3+ is reduced by NADH and the physiological electron-transfer proteins to afford water.