Unusual lysosomes in aortic smooth muscle cells: presence in living and rapidly frozen cells

Unusual tubular structures have been observed in rat aortic smooth muscle cells (SMC) grown in culture. These tubular structures have several characteristics that strongly suggest that they are lysosomes: they are bounded by a single membrane bilayer, contain densely staining material, and acid phosphatase activity. Furthermore, these structures are present in living cells, as demonstrated by their ability to accumulate the membrane-impermeable fluorescent dye lucifer yellow CH. In ultrastructural preparations they are best seen in samples that are cryofixed by rapid freezing and then freeze-substituted in osmium-acetone solutions. Conventional chemical fixation did not appear to preserve these structures to as great an extent as did rapid freezing. Comparison of SMC in vitro to the same cells in situ revealed differences in lysosome number as well as morphological appearance. Thus, the culturing of rat SMC leads to the formation of unusual tubular lysosomes whose ultrastructural appearance is particularly sensitive to the methods employed for examination.     

Biochemical Characterization of α-Adrenergic Receptors in Human Brain and Changes in Alzheimer-Type Dementia

Abstract Using ligand binding techniques, we studied α-adrenergic receptors in brains obtained at autopsy from seven histologically normal controls and seven patients with histopathologically verified Alzheimer-type dementia (ATD). Binding of the α-adrenergic antagonists [³H]prazosin and [³H]yohimbine to membranes of human brains exhibited characteristics compatible with α₁- and α₂-adrenergic receptors, respectively. Binding of both ligands was saturable and reversible, with dissociation constants of 0.15 nM for [³H]prazosin and 5.5 nM for [³H]yohimbine. [³H]Prazosin binding was highest in the hippocampus and frontal cortex and lowest in the caudate and putamen in the control brains. [³H]Yohimbine binding was highest in the nucleus basalis of Meynert (NbM) and frontal cortex and lowest in the caudate and cerebellar hemisphere in the control brains. Compared with values for the controls, [³H]prazosin binding sites were significantly reduced in number in the hippocampus and cerebellar hemisphere, and [³H]yohimbine binding sites were significantly reduced in number in the NbM in the ATD brains. These results suggest that α₁ and α₂-adrenergic receptors are present in the human brain and that there are significant changes in numbers of both receptors in selected regions in patients with ATD.     

(6R)-Tetrahydrobiopterin Increases the Activity of Tryptophan Hydroxylase in Rat Raphe Slices

The effects of (6R)- and (6S)-tetrahydrobiopterin (BPH4), tetrahydroneopterin, and 6-methyltetrahydropterin on the activity of tryptophan hydroxylase were investigated in rat raphe slices. The activity of tryptophan hydroxylase was estimated by measurement of 5-hydroxytryptophan (5-HTP) formation under inhibition of aromatic L-amino acid decarboxylase with use of HPLC-fluorometric detection. (6R)-BPH4 (the naturally occurring form) at 42 microM, tetrahydroneopterin at 50 microM, and 6-methyltetrahydropterin at 100 microM increased tryptophan hydroxylase activity to 350, 145, and 146% of control values, respectively. (6S)-BPH4, however, had no significant effects on tryptophan hydroxylase activity. These results suggest that tryptophan hydroxylase is subsaturating in vivo for the naturally occurring cofactor, (6R)-BPH4, and that the concentration of (6R)-BPH4 may play an important role for the regulation of tryptophan hydroxylase activity in vivo.     

Increases in cytosolic free Ca2+ induced by ATP, complement and beta-lipoprotein in mouse L fibroblasts

By means of Ca2+- and K+-selective microelectrodes, the changes in intracellular free Ca2+ and K+ were measured during the hyperpolarizing responses induced by ATP, complement and beta-lipoprotein in mouse fibroblastic L cells. The cytoplasmic Ca2+ concentration [( Ca]i) was about 0.4 microM in the resting state. The hyperpolarizing responses always coincided with a phasic increase in [Ca]i. ATP or beta-lipoprotein induced about a 2-fold rise in [Ca]i, and complement did up to 3-fold. Both the hyperpolarizing responses and [Ca]i increases were prevented by removal of external Ca2+ or by application of a Ca-channel blocker, nifedipine. Quinine, a Ca-activated K-channel inhibitor, suppressed the hyperpolarizing responses but not the [Ca]i increases. During the hyperpolarizing response, the intracellular free K+ concentration gradually decreased from about 120 to 110 mM. Thus, it is concluded that ATP, complement and beta-lipoprotein caused a transient elevation of cytoplasmic free Ca2+ due to Ca2+ influxes, thereby inducing electrical membrane responses through activation of Ca-dependent K-channels in the fibroblasts.     

Atrial natriuretic factor increases cyclic GMP and inhibits cyclic AMP in rat renal papillary collecting tubule cells in culture

The present study was undertaken to determine whether human atrial natriuretic factor (hANF) produces guanosine-3', 5'-monophosphate (cGMP) and alters arginine vasopressin (AVP)- and forskolin (F)- induced adenosine-3', 5'-monophosphate (cAMP) production in the cultured rat renal papillary collecting tubule cells. hANF increased cellular cGMP levels in a dose dependent manner. AVP and F, however, did not affect cGMP production. hANF significantly inhibited AVP- and F-stimulated cAMP levels, but hANF by itself did not affect cellular cAMP production. Since F activates adenylate cyclase at a step of catalytic unit and the cellular action of AVP to activate adenylate cyclase is mediated through receptor-catalytic units, the present results indicate that hANF may directly inhibit the AVP- and F-stimulated adenylate cyclase in renal papillary collecting tubules.     

Oxidation of acyclic terpenoids by Corynebacterium sp.

Squalene analogs such as lycopersene, geranylfarnesyl, digeranyl, and 2-hydroxy-2,3-dihydrosqualene and terpene alcohol derivatives such as farnesyl benzyl ether, farnesyl pivalate, geranylgeranyl pivalate, geranyl pivalate, and geranyl benzyl ether were oxidized by Corynebacterium sp. strain SY-79, which was isolated from soil by using squalene as a carbon source. Lycopersene and geranylfarnesyl gave no major product. Digeranyl, geranyl benzyl ether, and geranyl pivalate gave terminal oxidation products, and 2-hydroxy-2,3-dihydrosqualene, farnesyl benzyl ether, farnesyl pivalate, and geranylgeranyl pivalate were degraded to give lower molecular carboxylic acids. Strain SY-79 showed promising oxidative activities toward acyclic terpenes, although the metabolites obtained were variable, depending upon the structure of the substrate.     

Synthesis of a nonacosapeptide (beta-fragment) corresponding to the N-terminal sequence 1-29 of human liver metallothionein II and its heavy metal-binding properties

A nonacosapeptide (beta-fragment) corresponding to the N-terminal sequence 1-29 of human liver metallothionein II was synthesized by the fragment condensation method. The Cd-binding ability of the beta-fragment was much stronger than that of cysteine as thionein and synthetic alpha-fragment corresponding to the C-terminal sequence 30-61 of human liver metallothionein II. Both the alpha- and beta-fragments bound preferentially to Cu ions rather than Cd ions.     

Purification of Ribulose 5-phosphate Kinase and Minor Polypeptides of Pyrenoid from the Green Alga Bryopsis maxima

Ribulose 5-phosphate (Ru5P) kinase (ATP:D-ribulose 5-phosphate1-phosphotrans- ferase; EC 2.7.1.19 [EC] ), an enzyme in the reductivepentose phosphate cycle, was purified from the green alga Bryopsismaxima and its activity and peptide composition were studied.The specific activity of purified Ru5P kinase was 20 µmoleRuBP formed (mg protein)^–1 min^–1 corresponding toa 490-fold purification from the supernatant of chloroplasts.The K_m values of Ru5P kinase for ATP and Ru5P were 69 µMand 330 µM, respectively. The molecular size of Ru5P kinase was estimated as 90 kDa bygel filtration and that of its polypeptide as 41 kDa by SDS-polyacrylamidegel electrophoresis. A small portion of the Ru5P kinase wasfound in a large molecular state (500 kDa) which was consideredto be an inactive form of the enzyme. Ru5P kinase activity has been reported in the pyrenoid of Eremosphaeraviridis as well as ribulose 1,5-bisphosphate carboxylase-oxygenase(RuBisCO) and ribose 5-phosphate isomerase activity (Holdsworth1971). In Bryopsis maxima, among the pyrenoid polypeptides otherthan that of RuBisCO, we found a polypeptide of 42 kDa, similarto that of Ru5P kinase in molecular size and ratio to RuBisCO.A peptide map of the 42 kDa pyrenoid polypeptide, however, showedthat it differed from that of Ru5P kinase. In conclusion, Ru5Pkinase may be not involved in the pyrenoid of this alga. (Received January 19, 1985; Accepted May 15, 1985)     

An oxygen-evolving complex with a simple subunit structure - ‘a water-plastoquinone oxidoreductase” - from the thermophilic cyanobacterium Synechococcus sp.

An oxygen-evolving complex has been highly purified from the thermophilic cyanobacterium Synechococcus sp. The complex, which reproducibly showed 5 major polypeptide bands of 47, 40, 35, 30 and 9 kDa on SDS-polyacrylamide gel electrophoresis and contained 3.2 Mn per Q_A, had an oxygen-evolving activity of 300–400 μmol/mg chl per h in the presence of 5 mM MnCl₂; or CaCl₂. The complex most likely represents a minimum functional unit of the photosynthetic oxygen evolution.