Induction and function of 2',5'-oligoadenylate synthetase in differentiation of mouse myeloid leukemia cells

The activity of 2′,5′-oligoadenylate synthetase (2-5A synthetase), known to be induced by interferon, was detected in mouse myeloid leukemic M1 cells only when they differentiated to phagocytic cells after incubation with conditioned medium (CM) from rat embryo cells. However, no interferon activity occurred in culture fluids of CM-treated M1 cells, although some activity was detected in the cell extracts. When anti-interferon serum was added to M1 cell cultures, the induction of 2-5A synthetase by CM was suppressed. These results suggest that CM stimulated the M1 cells to produce a minute amount of interferon, which was reponsible for induction of the 2-5A synthetase activity. On the other hand, development of the phagocytic activity of M1 cells could not be influenced by addition of antiserum. Interferon added exogenously per se neither induced phagocytic activity of M1 cells, nor did it enhance the CM-induced differentiation of the cells. Moreover, dexamethasone, which induced differentiation of M1 cells, was not capable of inducing 2-5A synthetase. These results indicate that interferon and/or 2-5A synthetase plays no essential part in the differentiation of M1 cells.     

Changes in contractile proteins during differentiation of myeloid leukemia cells. I. Polymerization of actin

Quantitative and qualitative changes in cellular actin were followed during differentiation of a myeloid leukemia cell line, namely Ml, which was inducible with conditioned medium (CM). During 3 d of incubation with CM, when the Ml cells differentiated to macrophages and lost their mitotic activity, the actin content, F-actin ratio in total actin, and the actin synthesis showed an increase. A greater difference before and after differentiation was found in the ability of G-actin to polymerize. Actin harvested from CM-treated cells showed a greater ability to polymerize, depending on the increased concentration of MgCl2 and/or KCl and proteins, as compared with the actin from untreated Ml cells. Actin harvested from the Mml cell line, a macrophage line, had a particularly high polymerizability with or without CM treatment. In contrast, the actin from the D- subline, which is insensitive to CM, showed almost no polymerization.     

Role of the Nh (Non-hair) mutation in the development of dermatitis and hyperproduction of IgE in DS-Nh mice.

The DS-Nh (DS Non-hair) mouse is a spontaneous hairless mutant of the DS mouse. The inheritance mode of the Nh mutation is autosomal dominant, and the Nh locus is mapped to Chromosome 11. The roles of the Nh mutation in spontaneous dermatitis and IgE hyperproduction were studied using an Nh congenic strain with a genetic background from the BALB/c mouse. In contrast to DS-Nh (Nh/+) mice, BALB/c-Nh (Nh/+) mice under conventional conditions showed a marked increase in serum IgE, without the development of dermatitis. These results suggest that IgE hyperproduction is regulated by the Nh mutation, while other genetic factor(s) are also involved in the development of dermatitis.     

Roles of collagen fibers and its specific molecular chaperone: analysis using HSP47-knockout mice.

Collagen is the most abundant protein of mammals and produces highly organized ultrastructures in the extracellular matrix. There are at least 27 types of collagen in mammalian tissues. While fibrillar collagen (eg. types I, II, III, V and XI) assembles into large fibril structures in the extracellular matrix, type IV collagen produces meshwork-like structures in the basement membranes. As collagen has a distinct triple helix structure composed of Gly-X-Y repeats whose Y position is often hydroxyproline, its folding and maturation process differs considerably from globular proteins. Type I collagen is an assembly of two alpha-1 chains and one alpha-2 chain, and each of the alpha chains contain the N-terminal propeptide, C-terminal propeptide and central triple helical region. The 47-kDa heat shock protein (HSP47) is an endoplasmic reticulum (ER)-resident molecular chaperone that specifically recognizes the triple helical region of collagen and is required for productive folding and maturation of collagen molecules. Only in the presence of HSP47, collagen type I molecules can be assembled into the correctly folded triple helices in the ER of mouse embryos without producing misfolded or non-functionally aggregated molecules. HSP47-knockout embryos die just after 10.5 day due to the absence of functional collagen. Recent our data demonstrated that the non-fibrillar network-forming collagen type IV also requires HSP47 for productive folding and maturation. Here, we discuss the role of HSP47 in the folding and maturation of collagen type IV as well as type I.     

Caspase-independent Cell Killing by Fas-associated Protein with Death Domain

The binding of Fas ligand to Fas recruits caspase 8 to Fas via an adaptor, FADD/MORT1, and activates a caspase cascade leading to apoptosis. Here, we describe a human Jurkat-derived cell line (JB-6) that is deficient in caspase 8. This cell line was resistant to the apoptosis triggered by Fas engagement. However, the multimerization of Fas-associated protein with death domain, through the use of a dimerizing system, killed the JB-6 cells. This killing process was not accompanied by the activation of caspases or DNA fragmentation. The dying cells showed neither condensation nor fragmentation of cells and nuclei, but the cells and nuclei swelled in a manner similar to that seen in necrosis. These results suggested that Fas-associated protein with death domain can kill the cells via two pathways, one mediated by caspases and another that does not involve them.     

Histochemical Detection of Arylsulfatase Activity in Sea Urchin Embryos

Localization of arylsulfatase activity in the sea urchin embryo was determined histochemically by light and electron microscopy. Histochemical observations by light microscopy revealed that the arylsulfatase activity appears after the gastrula stage and that it is restricted to the cells of the aboral ectoderm. The enzyme activity is mainly located in the apical cellular cytoplasm and is associated with lysosome-like structures that are frequently fused with yolk granules. Intense activity is also detected in the region of the endoplasmic reticulum and Golgi apparatus. No enzyme activity is found in the extracellular spaces of embryos.     

Carbon- and Nitrogen-to-Volume Ratios of Bacterioplankton Grown under Different Nutritional Conditions

Carbon- and nitrogen-to-volume (C/V and N/V) ratios were determined for freshwater bacterial assemblages grown in lake water filtrate or in water enriched with nutrients (aqueous extract of lake seston, glucose, arginine, phosphate, or ammonium). Biovolume was measured by epifluorescence microphotography, and carbon and nitrogen biomasses were measured with a CHN analyzer. Despite large variations of nutritional conditions (i.e., the composition and concentration of the dissolved organic carbon) and different mean cell sizes of the bacterial assemblage (0.17 to 1.8 μm³ per cell), the C/V, N/V, and carbon-to-nitrogen weight ratios varied little (C/V ratio, 0.14 pg of C per μm³ [standard deviation, 0.057; n = 15]; N/V ratio, 0.027 pg of N per μm³ [standard deviation; 0.011, n = 15]; carbon-to-nitrogen weight ratio, 5.6 [standard deviation, 2.2, n = 15]). An average C/V ratio of 0.12 pg of C per μm³ that was derived from natural and cultured bacterial assemblages is proposed as an appropriate conversion factor for estimation of the biomass of freshwater bacteria.     

Electron transferase activity of diaphorase (NADH: acceptor oxidoreductase) from Bacillus stearothermophilus

Electrochemical kinetic measurements were carried out for electron-transfer between NADH and the oxidized forms of mediators (ferrocenylmethanol (FMA), ferrocenyl-1-ethanol (FEA), N,N,N',N'-tetramethylphenylenediamine (TMPD), Co(Phen)2+(3) and Fe(CN)4-(6)) catalyzed by diaphorase (NADH: acceptor oxidoreductase, EC 1.6.99.-) purified from Bacillus stearothermophilus. Cyclic voltammograms for the mediators with excess NADH in the presence of diaphorase gave steady-state currents. The quantitative analysis of the dependence of the current on the mediator concentration yielded a Michaelis constant (Km) and molecular activity (ko), which are difficult to determine by the conventional spectrophotometric method. Small Km and large ko values were observed for the oxidized forms of FMA, FEA and TMPD compared to those for Co(Phen)3+(3) and Fe(CN)3-(6). It is suggested that the reaction pocket of the present diaphorase is hydrophobic. The present electrochemical procedure for the determination of the kinetic parameters is applicable widely to similar enzyme reactions.     

Light and electron microscopic radioautography of DNA synthesis in the endometria of pregnant-ovariectomized mice during activation of implantation window.

Pregnant mice were ovariectomized at pre-implantation stage and exogenous nidatory estradiol was administered to evaluate the DNA synthesis of the endometrial cells during activation of uterine receptivity for blastocyst implantation. After 0, 3, 6, 12 and 18 hrs. of estradiol treatment, the animals received 3H-thymidine injection, sacrificed 1 hr. later, and the uteri were prepared for light and electron microscopic radioautography. At time 0, no labelled stromal or epithelial cells was found in the endometrium. According to the time-lapse after estradiol induction, a gradual increase of labelled stromal and endothelial cells was seen in the endometrium. The highest labeling index was observed at the antimesometrial side of the implantation sites and the lowest value was found at the interimplantation site. The cells found at mesometrial side of the implantation site showed an intermediate labeling index. Eighteen hrs. after estradiol treatment, the labelled stromal cells found near the implantation chamber resembled the morphology of decidual cells while those labelled cells localized at the interimplantation sites were similar to the fibroblast. The uterine luminal epithelial cells showed low DNA synthesis after estradiol treatment resulting in only a few labelled cells at the interimplantation sites and no labelled cells at the implantation sites. A similar labeling pattern was seen in the glandular epithelium. The distribution of labelled cells seen among the regions of pregnant endometrium under estradiol effect suggest that DNA synthesis related to uterine activation for blastocyst implantation is a focal reaction, where the luminal epithelium does nt proliferate while the stromal and endothelial cells around the conceptus increase the DNA synthesis to prepare the endometrial decidualization.