The effect of a free radical scavenger and platelet-activating factor antagonist on FFA accumulation in post-ischemic canine brain

The effects of the platelet-activating factor antagonist BN 50739 and a free radical scavenger dimethyl sulfoxide on the accumulation of free fatty acids in post-ischemic canine brain are reported. Following 14 min of complete normothermic ischemia and 60 min of reperfusion, the total brain FFAs were approximately 150% higher than in the control group (p<0.05). Perfusion with the platelet-activating factor antagonist BN50739 in its diluent dimethyl sulfoxide during 60 min of post-ischemic reoxygenation resulted in a 61.8% (p<0.01) reduction in the total brain free fatty acid accumulation. Palmitic, stearic, oleic, linoleic, and arachidonic acids decreased by 53.8%, 63.5%, 69.0%, 47.4%, and 57.2%, respectively. Although dimethyl sulfoxide alone caused stearic and arachidonic acids to return to the normal concentration range, BN 50739 had a significant influence on recovery of palmitic, oleic, and linoleic acids and was previously shown to provide significant therapeutic protection against damage to brain mitochondria following an ischemic episode. Because free fatty acid accumulation is one of the early phenomena in cerebral ischemia, this study provides evidence to support the hypothesis that both platelet-activating factor and free radicals are involved in initiating cerebral ischemic injury.     

Replication of the promiscuous plasmid pLSI: a region encompassing the minus origin of replication is associated with stable plasmid inheritance

Deletion of a region of the promiscuous plasmid pLS1 encompassing the initiation signals for the synthesis of the plasmid lagging strand led to plasmid instability in Streptococcus pneumoniae and Bacillus subtilis. This defect could not be alleviated by increasing the number of copies (measured as double-stranded plasmid DNA) to levels similar to those of the wild-type plasmid pLS1. Our results indicate that in the vicinity of, or associated with the single-stranded origin region of pLS1 there is a plasmid component involved in its stable inheritance. Homology was found between the DNA gyrase binding site within the par region of plasmid pSC101 and the pLS1 specific recombination site RS_R.     

Purification and characterization of a thiol-protease induced during senescence of unpollinated ovaries of Pisum sativum

A senescence-specific protease has been purified from senescent unpollinated ovaries of Pisum sativum L. cv. Alaska by acidic extraction. (NH₄)₂SO₄ fractionation, ion exchange chromatography on CM-Sephadex, and affinity chromatography on ribulose-1,5-bisphosphate carboxylase/oxygenase (Rubisco)-Sepharose. Characterization of the purified protease indicated that it is a thiol-endoprotease (EC 3. 4. 22 class) active over a wide pH range. Purified antibodies against this protease inhibit the degradation of Rubisco in autodigested extracts of senescent ovaries, suggesting that Rubisco might be a substrate for the protease in senescent pea ovaries. The relative levels of the protease were determined by an enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay (ELISA) along the processes of ovary senescence and gibberellic acid (GA)-induced fruit development, indicating its induction at the beginning of senescence and the suppression of its synthesis by GA treatment.     

Expression of mutations and protein release by yeast conditional autolytic mutants in batch and continuous cultures

Thermosensitive mutant strains of Saccharomyces cerevisiae that fail to generate an osmotically stable cell wall when grown at a non-permissive temperature release their cell contents upon expression of the mutation. Therefore, they may represent an alternative for the production of homologous or heterologous protein preparations. In order to analyse the expression of two of these mutations, lyt2 and slt2, we grew the corresponding strains under precisely defined conditions in batch and continuous fermentors. A switch in the temperature of batch cultures from 24° C to 37° C determined lysis of the cells with a significant release of intracellular enzymes. These include alkaline phosphatase and periplasmic proteins such as glucan-degrading enzymes, the pattern of cell lysis and protein release being maintained for about 6 h. One-stage continuous cultures of a lyt2 mutant were maintained for long periods at 37° C; a fraction of the population lysed and released the indicated proteins, but eventually a revertant of the lytic phenotype was selected. To avoid this, a two-stage continuous culture system was developed by connecting two fermentors in series, the effluent from the first one at 24°C being fed to the second one adjusted to 37° C. A steady state of cell lysis and protein liberation was reached in the second-stage fermentor without any evidence of selection of revertants. This system can be very useful for developing conditions for the use of yeast strains to produce protein preparations. Correspondence to: C. Nombela     

Three new HLA-G alleles and their linkage disequilibria with HLA-A

Three new allelic forms of the HLA-G DNA sequence (HLA-G*II, HLA-G*III, and HLA-G*IV) have been identified. With the HLA-G*I sequence (previously designated HLA 6.0) as a reference, HLA-G*II shows a silent (G A) mutation at the third base of codon 57, HLA-G*III bears a non-synonymous (A T), but conservative, (Thr Ser) substitution at the first base of codon 31, and HLA-G*IV shows two silent substitutions: (A T) at the third base of codon 107 and (G A) at the third base of codon 57. A rapid method of singling out each allele on genomic DNA has been developed by using polymerase chain reaction amplification followed by restriction endonuclease treatment. Also, more or less strong linkage disequilibria has been found between most HLA-A alleles and either HLA-G*I or *II, both being the most prevalent alleles in the population, with a genotypic frequency of 0.55 and 0.38, respectively; HLA-G*III is very rare and HLA-G*IV has a genotypic frequency of 0.07. An evolutive classification of HLA-A alleles results according to their association with either HLA-G*I or HLA-G*II, which does not correlate with the classical serological cross-reacting groups classification. The finding of a strong and selective A/G linkage disequilibria with most HLA-A alleles, together with the existence of less frequent random A/G associations, may suggest that there exist in different haplotypes true and varied A/G genetic distances (and not a recombinational hotspot). It may be inferred from preliminary data that in primates HLA-A/G haplotypes bearing G*II may have appeared later than those bearing G*I.The nucleotide sequence data reported in this paper have been submitted to the GenBank and EMBL nucleotide sequence databases and have been assigned the following accession numbers: EMBL-X60983 (HLA-G*II), GenBank-M99048 (HLA-G*III), and GenBank-L07784 (HLA-G*IV).The contribution to this paper by P. Morales and A. Corell is equal, and the order of authorship is arbitrary. Correspondence to: A. Arnaiz-Villena.     

Plant regeneration from hypocotyl segments of Lupinus luteus cv. L. Aurea

Complete plants of Lupinus luteus L. cv. Aurea that were regenerated from hypocotyl segments, bloomed, produced seeds and were efficiently nodulated by Bradyrhizobium sp. strains. The highest rates of shoot formation were obtained on A medium plus 1.3% agar with 10.0 M 2-isopentenyladenine (2iP) and 0.11 M naphthaleneacetic acid (NAA); the best rooting was achieved on a medium with 0.5 M NAA plus 0.05 M 2iP. Afterward, plantlets were transferred to either perlite or peat-containing pots and irrigated with a N-free nutrient solution until maturity. Direct rooting of hypocotyls could also be obtained on A medium with 1% agar.     

Mobilization of intracellular calcium in cultured vascular smooth muscle cells by uridine triphosphate and the calcium ionophore A23187

The known action of uridine triphosphate (UTP) to contract some types of vascular smooth muscle, and the present finding that it is more potent than adenosine triphosphate in eliciting an increase in cytosolic Ca²⁺ concentration in aortic smooth muscle, led us to investigate the mode of action of this nucleotide. With this aim, cultured bovine aorta cells were subjected to patch-clamp methodologies under various conditions. Nucleotide-induced variations in cytosolic Ca²⁺ were monitored by using single channel recordings of the high conductance Ca²⁺-activated K⁺ (Maxi-K) channel within on-cell patches as a reporter, and whole-cell currents were measured following perforation of the patch. In cells bathed in Na⁺-saline, UTP (>30 nm) induced an inward current, and both Maxi-K channel activity and unitary current amplitude of the Maxi-K channel transiently increased. Repetitive exposures elicited similar responses when 5 to 10 min wash intervals were allowed between challenges of nucleotide. Oscillations in channel activity, but not oscillation in current amplitude were frequently observed with UTP levels > 0.1 m. Cells bathed in K⁺ saline (150 m) were less sensitive to UTP (5-fold), and did not show an increase in unitary Maxi-K current amplitude. Since the increase in amplitude occurs due to depolarization of the cell membrane, a change in amplitude was not observed in cells previously depolarized with K⁺ saline. The enhancement of Maxi-K channel activity in the presence of UTP was not diminished by Ca²⁺ entry blockers or by removal of extracellular Ca²⁺. However, in the latter case, repetitive responses progressively declined. These observations, as well as data comparing the action of low concentrations of Ca²⁺ ionophores (<5 m) to that of UTP indicate that both agents elevate cytosolic Ca²⁺ by mobilization of this ion from intracellular pools. However, the Ca²⁺ ionophore did not cause membrane depolarization, and thus did not change unitary current amplitude. The effect of UTP on Maxi-K channel activity and current amplitude was blocked by pertussis toxin and by phorbol 12-myristate 13-acetate (PMA), but was not modified by okadaic acid, or by inhibitors of protein kinase C (PKC). Our data support a model in which a pyrimidinergic receptor is coupled to a G protein, and this interaction mediates release of Ca²⁺ from intracellular pools, presumably via the phosphatidyl inositol pathway. This also results in activation of membrane channels that give rise to an inward current and depolarization. Ultimately, smooth muscle contraction ensues. PKC does not appear to be directly involved, even though the UTP response is blocked by low nm levels of PMA. While the latter data implicate PKC in diminishing the UTP response, agents that inhibit either PKC or phosphatase activity did not prevent abolition of UTP responses by PMA, nor did they modify basal channel activity.     

Decreased Electroconvulsive Shock-Induced Diacylglycerols and Free Fatty Acid Accumulation in the Rat Brain by Ginkgo biloba Extract (EGb 761): Selective Effect in Hippocampus as Compared with Cerebral Cortex

Abstract: The effect of Ginkgo biloba extract (EGb 761) treatment (100 mg/kg/day, per os, for 14 days) on electroconvulsive shock (ECS)-induced accumulation of free fatty acids (FFA) and diacylglycerols (DAG) was analyzed in rat cerebral cortex and hippocampus. EGb 761 reduced the FFA pool size by 33% and increased the DAG pool by 36% in the hippocampus. These endogenous lipids were unaffected in cerebral cortex. During the tonic seizure (10 s after ECS) the fast accumulation of FFA, mainly 20:4, was similar in sham- and EGb 761 -treated rats, in both the cerebral cortex and hippocampus. However, further accumulation of free 18:0 and 20:4, observed in the hippocampus of sham-treated rats during clonic seizures (30 s to 2 min after ECS), did not occur in EGb 761-treated animals. The rise in DAG content triggered in the cortex and hippocampus by ECS was delayed by EGb 761 treatment from 10 s to 1 min, when values similar to those in sham animals were attained. Moreover, in the hippocampus the size of the total DAG pool was decreased by 19% during the tonic seizure. At later times, DAG content showed a faster decrease in EGb 761-treated rats. By 2 min levels of all DAG acyl groups decreased to values significantly lower than in sham animals in both cortex and hippocampus. This study shows that EGb 761 treatment affects, with high selectivity, lipid metabolism and lipid-derived second messenger release and removal in the hippocampus, while affecting to a lesser extent the cerebral cortex.     

Coupling Among Energy Failure, Loss of Ion Homeostasis, and Phospholipase A2 and C Activation During Ischemia

Abstract— The objective of the present experiments was to correlate changes in cellular energy metabolism, dissipative ion fluxes, and lipolysis during the first 90 s of ischemia and, hence, to establish whether phospholipase A₂or phospholipase C is responsible for the early accumulation of phospholipid hydrolysis products. Ischemia was induced for 15–90 s in rats, extracellular K⁺ (K⁺_e) was recorded, and neocortex was frozen in situ for measurements of labile tissue metabolites, free fatty acids, and diacylglycerides. Ischemia of 15-and 30-s duration gave rise to a decrease in phosphocreatine concentration and a decline in the ATP/free ADP ratio. Although these changes were accompanied by an activation of K⁺ conductances, there were no changes in free fatty acids until after 60s, when free arachidonic acid accumulated. An increase in other free fatty acids and in total diacylglyceride content did not occur until after anoxic depolarization. The results demonstrate that the early functional changes, such as activation of K⁺ conductances, are unrelated to changes in lipids or lipid mediators. They furthermore suggest that the initial lipolysis occurs via both phospholipase A₂ and phospholipase C, which are activated when membrane depolarization leads to influx of calcium into cells.     

Chemical structure and conformational features of cell-wall polysaccharides isolated from Aphanoascus mephitalus and related species

The structures of cell-wall mannans isolated from Aphamoascus mephitalus, A. Fulvescens, A. verrucosus, and A. reticulisporus have been investigated by chemical analyses and 1D and 2D ¹H and ¹³C NMR techniques. It was found that all of them consists of a relatively simple comb-like structure of the disaccharide repeating block {→ 6)-[-Man p-(1 → 2)]--Man p-(1 →}. The conformations around the -(1 → 2) and -(1 → 6) linkages in thes kinds of polymers were also studied by using molecular mechanics and dynamics calculations, together with NOE data. The results are similar to those found within the oligosaccharide chains of glycoproteins, with a well-defined conformation for the -(1 → 2) linkage and a certain restriction around the -(1 → 6) bonding imposed by the 2-substitution.