Interaction of lactoperoxidase with thiols and diiodotyrosine.

Glutathione and cysteine bind to the heme of lactoperoxidase, thereby causing a red shift of the Soret band which is reversed upon addition of iodide or guaiacol, two substrates for lactoperoxidase. The rate of formation of the enzyme-thiol complex is enhanced by diiodotyrosine. Binding of diiodotyrosine to lactoperoxidase does not cause a shift of the Soret band which indicates binding to the protein of the enzyme. At neutral pH and low ionic strength, lactoperoxidase is adsorbed on insolubilized diiodotyrosine (diiodotyrosine-agarose). It can be eluted at slightly increased ionic strength which shows that the binding is weak. In the presence of 5 X 10(-4) M glutathione, however, the binding of the enzyme to diiodotyrosine-agarose becomes much stronger so that a high salt concentration is required for elution. Lactoperoxidase is also adsorbed on insolubilized thiols (thiol-agarose). The presence of diiodotyrosine is not required for strong binding. A simple method for the preparation of lactoperoxidase from milk by affinity chromatography is based on the interactions of the enzyme with the two ligands, thiols and diiodotyrosine.     

Distribution of topoisomerase II cleavage sites in simian virus 40 DNA and the effects of drugs.

The distributions of DNA cleavage sites induced by topoisomerase II in the presence or absence of specific drugs were mapped in the simian virus 40 genome. The drugs studied were 5-iminodaunorubicin, amsacrine (m-AMSA), teniposide (VM-26) and 2-methyl-9-hydroxyellipticinium; each produced a distinctive pattern of enhanced cleavage. Consistently intense cleavage, both in the presence and in the absence of drugs, occurred in the nuclear matrix-associated region. Since topoisomerase II is a major constituent of the nuclear matrix, and cleavage complexes include a covalent link between topoisomerase II and DNA, the findings suggest that topoisomerase II may function to attach DNA to the nuclear matrix. Cleavage usually occurred on both DNA strands with the expected four base-pair 5' stagger, and strong sites tended to occur within A/T runs such as have been associated with binding to the nuclear scaffold. Intense cleavage was present also in the replication termination region, but was absent from the vicinity of the replication origin. Cleavage intensities were found to change with time in a manner that depended both on the site and on the drug, suggesting that topoisomerase II can move along the DNA from a kinetically preferred site to a thermodynamically preferred site.     

Radiolabeling of DNA can induce its fragmentation in HL-60 human promyelocytic leukemic cells.

Incorporation of radiolabeled thymidine is commonly used to investigate DNA damage. Using a filter-binding assay, we observed that the addition of various doses of [methyl-3H]thymidine (0.2 and 2 microCi/ml) or [2-14C]thymidine (0.02 and 0.2 microCi/ml) in the culture medium for 2 days, a standard method for cell-labeling, induces DNA fragmentation in HL-60 human promyelocytic cells. This effect was dose- and time-dependent and the DNA fragments were not protein-linked since the levels of DNA fragmentation were identical in the presence and in the absence of proteinase K (0.5 mg/ml). Radiolabeled thymidine-induced DNA fragmentation was associated with an inhibition of cell growth, but cells remained able to exclude trypan blue, suggesting that plasma membrane integrity was conserved, except at very high doses of [methyl-3H]thymidine (2 microCi/ml). By agarose-gel electrophoresis, the DNA-fragmentation was demonstrated to be internucleosomal with a typical ladder pattern. Addition of unlabeled thymidine to the culture medium prevented DNA fragmentation in a dose-dependent manner, indicating that radiolabeled thymidine incorporation in DNA was directly responsible for DNA fragmentation. We conclude that radiolabeling of DNA using thymidine incorporation can induce DNA fragmentation in some cell lines such as HL-60. This observation must be taken into account in methods using radiolabeling to study DNA damage in these cells.     

Effect of concanavalin A on membrane-bound enzymes from mouse lymphocytes

The ionic influence and ouabain sensitivity of lymphocyte Mg²⁺-ATPase and Mg²⁺-(Na⁺ + K⁺)-activated ATPase were studied in intact cells, microsomal fraction and isolated plasma membranes. The active site of 5′-nucleotidase and Mg²⁺-ATPase seemed to be localized on the external side of the plasma membrane whereas the ATP binding site of (Na⁺ + K⁺)-ATPase was located inside the membrane.Concanavalin A induced an early stimulation of Mg²⁺-ATPase and (Na⁺ + K⁺)-ATPase both on intact cells and purified plasma membranes. In contrast, 5′-nucleotidase activity was not affected by the mitogen. Although the thymocyte Mg²⁺-ATPase activity was 3–5 times lower than in spleen lymphocytes, it was much more stimulated in the former cells (about 40 versus 20 %). (Na⁺ + K⁺)-ATPase activity was undetectable in thymocytes. However, in spleen lymphocytes (Na⁺ + K⁺)-ATPase activity can be detected and was 30 % increased by concanavalin A. Several aspects of this enzymic stimulation had also characteristic features of blast transformation induced by concanavalin A, suggesting a possible role of these enzymes, especially Mg²⁺-ATPase, in lymphocyte stimulation.     

Effect of concanavalin A on membrane-bound enzymes from mouse lymphocytes.

The ionic influence and ouabain sensitivity of lymphocyte mg-2+-atpase and Mg-2+-(Na+ +K+)-activated ATPase were studied in intact cells, microsomal fraction and isolated plasma membranes. The active site of 5'-nucleotidase and Mg2+-ATPase seemed to be localized on the external side of the plasma membrane whereas the ATP binding site of (Na+ +K+)-ATPase was located inside the membrane. Concanavalin A induced an early stimulation of Mg2+-APTase and (Na+ +K+)-ATPase both on intact cells and purified plasma membranes. In contrast, 5'-nucleotidase activity was not affected by the mitogen. Although the thymocyte Mg2+-ATPase activity was 3-5 times lower than in spleen lymphocytes, it was much more stimulated in the former cells (about 40 versus 20%). (Na+ +K+)-ATPase activity was undectectable in thymocytes. However, in spleen lymphocytes (Na+ +K+)-ATPase activity can be detected and was 30% increased by concanavalin A. Several aspects of this enzymic stimulation had also characteristic features of blast transformation induced by concanavalin A, suggesting a possible role of these enzymes, especially Mg2+-ATPase, in lymphocyte stimulation.     

Lack of Liver X Receptors Leads to Cell Proliferation in a Model of Mouse Dorsal Prostate Epithelial Cell

Recent studies underline the implication of Liver X Receptors (LXRs) in several prostate diseases such as benign prostatic hyperplasia (BPH) and prostate cancer. In order to understand the molecular mechanisms involved, we derived epithelial cells from dorsal prostate (MPECs) of wild type (WT) or Lxrαβ−/− mice. In the WT MPECs, our results show that LXR activation reduces proliferation and correlates with the modification of the AKT-survival pathway. Moreover, LXRs regulate lipid homeostasis with the regulation of Abca1, Abcg1 and Idol, and, in a lesser extent, Srebp1, Fas and Acc. Conversely cells derived from Lxrαβ−/− mice show a higher basal phosphorylation and consequently activation of the survival/proliferation transduction pathways AKT and MAPK. Altogether, our data point out that the cell model we developed allows deciphering the molecular mechanisms inducing the cell cycle arrest. Besides, we show that activated LXRs regulate AKT and MAPK transduction pathways and demonstrate that LXRs could be good pharmacological targets in prostate disease such as cancer.