Studies on the metabolism of unsaturated fatty acids. XVI. Purification and general properties of 2,4-dienoyl-CoA reductase from Candida lipolytica

2,4-Dienoyl-CoA reductase has been purified to homogeneity from Candida lipolytica cultivated in the presence of linoleic acid. The native enzyme had a molecular weight close to 360,000 as estimated by gel filtration on Sepharose CL-4B, whereas the subunit molecular weight estimated by sodium dodecyl sulfate-polyacrylamide gel electrophoresis was 33,000. The purified 2,4-dienoyl-CoA reductase from C. lipolytica gave a single precipitin line with antibodies raised against the purified enzyme from C. lipolytica. The general properties of the 2,4-dienyl-CoA reductase from C. lipolytica were examined. The enzyme had optimal pH at 6.5 and was inactivated by heat treatment at 50 degrees C for 10 min. trans-2,trans-4-Octadienoyl-CoA was the most active substrate of the dienoyl-CoA esters examined.     

Conformational changes in Mycobacterium smegmatis glutamine synthetase induced by certain divalent cations

Manganese ion, like Mg2+, has been found to produce high biosynthetic activity of the unadenylylated form of glutamine synthetase obtained from Mycobacterium smegmatis, and the activity with each of these cations was decreased by the adenylylation of the enzyme. Further, the gamma-glutamyltransferase reaction was catalyzed in the presence of either Mn2+, Mg2+, or Co2+ with both unadenylylated and adenylylated enzyme; however, each of these divalent cation-dependent activities was also decreased by one order of magnitude by adenylylation of the enzyme. From studies of UV-difference spectra, it was found that the ability of M. smegmatis glutamine synthetase to assume a number of distinctly different configurations was the result of the varied response of the enzyme to different cations. When either Mn2+, Mg2+, Ca2+, or Co2+ was added to the relaxed (divalent cation-free) enzyme at saturated concentration, each produced a similar UV-difference spectrum of the enzyme, indicating that the conformational states induced by these cations are similar with respect to the polarity of the microenvironment surrounding the tyrosyl and tryptophanyl groups of the enzyme. The binding of Cd2+, Ni2+, or Zn2+ to the relaxed enzyme each produced a different shift in the UV-absorption spectrum of the enzyme, indicating different conformational states. The kinetics of the spectral change that occurred upon addition of Mn2+, Mg2+, or Co2+ to a relaxed enzyme preparation were determined. The first-order rate constants for the decrease in relaxed enzyme with Mn2+ and Mg2+ were 0.604 min-1 and 0.399 min-1, respectively, at 25 degrees C, pH 7.4. The spectral change with Co2+ was completed within the time of mixing (less than 4 s). For these three metal ions, the total spectral change as well as the time course of the change were the same for both the unadenylylated enzyme and the partially adenylylated enzyme. However, Hill coefficients obtained from spectrophotometric titration data for both Mn2+ and Mg2+ were decreased with adenylylated enzyme to compared with unadenylylated enzyme. These results suggest that covalently bound AMP on each subunit may be involved in subunit interactions within the dodecamer. Circular dichroism measurements also indicated that the various structural changes of the M. smegmatis glutamine synthetase were produced by the binding of the divalent cations.     

A new type of blood group B active glycosphingolipid in rat bone marrow cells. Occurrence of the glycolipid in rat immunocytes and ascites hepatoma

A major glycosphingolipid in rat bone marrow cells was purified, and its structure was studied. The glycolipid was found to exhibit blood group B activity by the hemagglutination inhibition test. The structure was determined to be (formula; see text) by studies of nuclear magnetic resonance, sequential hydrolysis by exoglycosidases, linkage analysis of methylated sugars by gas chromatography-mass spectrometry, and immunological tests. The blood group B active glycolipid was detected not only in the bone marrow cells but also in spleen, thymus, and rat ascites hepatoma AH 7974F cells. Besides the glycolipid, gangliotriaosylceramide, gangliotetraosylceramide, and fucogangliotetraosylceramide were commonly detected in these cells. The similarity between the glycolipid species on the cell surfaces of the immunocytes and the tumor cells is discussed with the respect to an escape mechanism of the tumor cells from the immunosurveillance system.     

Phenotype character of the methylglyoxal resistance gene in Saccharomyces cerevisiae: expression in Escherichia coli and application to breeding wild-type yeast strains

The gene responsible for the methylglyoxal resistance of Saccharomyces cerevisiae was cloned, and its phenotypic characteristics were investigated. S. cerevisiae cells with the gene could accumulate large amounts of glutathione in the medium and should remarkably high resistance to various toxic compounds such as methylglyoxal, tetramethylthiuram disulfide, iodoacetamide, and heavy-metal ions. The gene was also expressed in Escherichia coli cells, and the resistance of E. coli cells to toxic compounds also increased as observed for S. cerevisiae cells. The phenotypic characteristics of the gene were applicable to the selection of the transformants of wild-type yeast strains having no genetic markers.     

Effects of glucagon on the redox states of cytochromes in mitochondria in situ in perfused rat liver

The effects of glucagon on the respiratory function of mitochondria in situ were investigated in isolated perfused rat liver. Glucagon at the concentrations higher than 20 pM and cyclic AMP (75 microM) stimulated hepatic respiration, and shifted the redox state of pyridine nucleotide (NADH/NAD) in mitochondria in situ to a more reduced state as judged by organ fluorometry and beta-hydroxybutyrate/acetoacetate ratio. The organ spectrophotometric study revealed that glucagon and cyclic AMP induced the reduction of redox states of cytochromes a(a3), b and c+c1. Atractyloside (4 micrograms/ml) abolished the effects of glucagon on these parameters and gluconeogenesis from lactate. These observations suggest that glucagon increases the availability of substrates for mitochondrial respiration, and this alteration in mitochondrial function is crucial in enhancing gluconeogenesis.     

Adrenocorticotropic hormone-mediated changes in rat adrenal mitochondrial phospholipids

We examined the subcellular localization of ACTH (adrenocorticotropic hormone)-induced changes in adrenal phospholipids using dexamethasone-treated rats. In adrenal mitochondrial fraction, ACTH significantly enhanced both concentrations and contents of phosphatidylinositol (37%), phosphatidylcholine (22%), and phosphatidylethanolamine (20%). Other mitochondrial phospholipids including cardiolipin did not change upon administration of ACTH. In adrenal plasma membrane, endoplasmic reticulum, and peroxisomes, no increase in phospholipids was observed. The ACTH-induced increases in mitochondrial phosphatidylinositol, phosphatidylcholine, and phosphatidylethanolamine were specific to adrenal among tissues tested. These changes were observed specifically in cortical cells rather than medulla. Nonsteroidogenic ACTH fragments and related peptides were unable to induce the change in adrenal mitochondrial phospholipids. From the dose-response profile with ACTH, the changes in mitochondrial phospholipids were closely related to ACTH-dependent stimulation of steroidogenesis. Furthermore, in vitro treatment with cyclic AMP enhanced both concentrations and contents of mitochondrial phosphatidylinositol, phosphatidylcholine, and phosphatidylethanolamine similar to those by the in vivo administration of ACTH. Both in vivo and in vitro experiments revealed that the hormone-induced changes in mitochondrial phospholipids were sensitive to a protein-synthesis inhibitor, cycloheximide. However, aminoglutethimide and cytochalasin B, which strongly inhibited the hormone-induced formation of corticosterone, did not affect the increases in mitochondrial phospholipids. These results suggest that the hormone-induced increases in these phospholipids occur between ACTH-mediated ribosomal protein synthesis and corticosterone formation.     

A novel anti-Ia monoclonal antibody which specifically enhances the corresponding T cell alloreactivity

An anti-I-Ab monoclonal antibody, designated K14.83-11, was produced in a fusion between SP 2/0 Ag-14 myeloma cells and spleen cells from a B10.D2/n mouse primed in vivo against C57BL/10. Unlike other anti-I-Ab monoclonal antibodies thus far described, K14.83-11 was found to have a combination of features involving specificity, isotype, and function, unique among existing anti-I-A reagents. K14.83-11 exhibited a strong binding to the I-Ab gene product, with only slight cross-reactivity to the I-Ap/q family of allelic products and no reactivity towards I-Ak,d. When analyzed for isotype, K14.83-11 was found to be of a rare IgG3 isotype. With respect to biologic activity, K14.83-11 not only failed to produce the expected inhibition of specific anti-I-Ab T cell reactivity in vitro, but instead produced a striking enhancement of T cell responses against the I-Ab gene product. The possible relationship of IgG isotype and function was suggested when the immunoenhancing effect of K14.83-11 on reactive T lymphocytes was reversed to that of suppression with highly purified F(ab)2 fragments obtained by pepsin digestion.