The non-fluorescence of 4-fluorotryptophan.

The derivative 4-fluorotryptophan was confirmed to have negligible fluorescence at 25 degrees C and 285 nm (tryptophan/4-fluorotryptophan quantum-yield ratio greater than 100:1). However, photolysis experiments on tryptophan and 4-fluorotryptophan, in which loss of starting material was measured by reverse-phase h.p.l.c., demonstrated that 4-fluorotryptophan was significantly more photochemically active than the parent tryptophan, with the 4-fluorotryptophan photolysis quantum yield being 7 times larger than that of tryptophan at 25 degrees C and 285 nm. In addition, at 77 K and 275 nm 4-fluorotryptophan displayed strong fluorescence and phosphorescence, with emission quantum yields comparable with those of tryptophan at 77 K and 275 nm.     

Kinetics of the reaction of streptokinase-plasmin complex with purified human and mouse alpha 2-macroglobulin. Implications for mechanism.

Streptokinase-human plasmin complex (Sk-hPm) reacted rapidly with purified mouse alpha 2-macroglobulin (m alpha 2M) in vitro at 37 degrees C. Approx. 98% of the plasmin in Sk-hPm bound covalently to at least one m alpha 2M subunit. Most of the streptokinase dissociated (95%). The rate of Sk-hPm inactivation clearly depended on the m alpha 2M concentration. With 1.2 microM-m alpha 2M, 50% of the Sk-hPm (0.02 microM) reacted in less than 50 s. A double-reciprocal plot comparing pseudo-first-order rate constants (kapp.) and m alpha 2M concentration yielded a second-order rate constant of 2.3 x 10(4) M-1.s-1 (r = 0.97). This value is an approximation, since Sk-hPm preparations are heterogeneous. Sk-hPm reacted with human alpha 2M (h alpha 2M), forming alpha 2M-plasmin complex (98% covalent). More than 99% of the streptokinase dissociated. The rate of reaction of Sk-hPm with h alpha 2M did not clearly depend on inhibitor concentration. The kapp. values determined with 0.6-1.2 microM-h alpha 2M were decreased 10-20-fold compared with m alpha 2M. In order to study the effect of Sk-hPm heterogeneity on the reaction with alpha 2M, the proteinase was incubated for various amounts of time at 37 degrees C before addition of inhibitor. The enzyme amidase activity was maximal within 5 min; however, reaction of Sk-hPm with m alpha 2M or h alpha 2M was most extensive after 20 min and 2 h respectively. After incubation for more than 1 h, Sk-hPm acquired fibrinogenolytic activity, suggesting plasmin dissociation. Therefore the enhanced reaction of h alpha 2M with 'older' Sk-hPm preparations may have resulted in part from dissociated plasmin or 'plasmin-like' species. By contrast, the reaction of Sk-hPm with m alpha 2M was most rapid when the proteinase preparation was free of plasmin, indicating direct reaction of Sk-hPm with m alpha 2M as the only major mechanism. Finally, streptokinase-cat plasminogen complex reacted more extensively with m alpha 2M than with h alpha 2M, suggesting that m alpha 2M may be a superior inhibitor with this class of plasminogen activators in general.     

Conformational differences between two wheat (Triticum aestivum) ''high-molecular-weight'' glutenin subunits are due to a short region containing six amino acid differences.

'High-molecular-weight' (HMW, high-Mr) glutenin subunits are protein constituents of wheat (Triticum aestivum) seeds and are responsible in part for the viscoelasticity of the dough used to make bread. Two subunits, numbered 10 and 12, are the products of allelic genes. Their amino acid sequences have been derived from the nucleic acid sequences of the respective genes. Subunit 10 has fewer amino acids than subunit 12, but migrates more slowly on SDS/PAGE (polyacrylamide-gel electrophoresis). This anomaly is due to between one and six of the amino acid differences between the subunits, localized towards the C-terminal end of the proteins. This has been established by making chimaeric genes between the genes for subunits 10 and 12, transcribing and translating them in vitro and analysing the products by SDS/PAGE. The postulated conformational differences between subunits 10 and 12 are discussed in relation to current hypotheses for the structure of HMW glutenin subunits.     

Insulin effects on apolipoprotein B production by normal, diabetic and treated-diabetic rat liver and cultured rat hepatocytes.

1. The effect of insulin on apolipoprotein (apo B) secretion was studied in 24 h recirculating liver perfusions of isolated normal, diabetic and insulin-treated diabetic rats. In single perfusions from each group apo B accumulated in the media in a linear fashion. 2 In perfusions of normal rat livers, when the medium contained insulin plus cortisol, apo B production was significantly inhibited (by 35.8%), demonstrating a hormone effect on apo B secretion. 3. In perfusions of diabetic-rat livers, apo B production was decreased to 11.8% of normal when the medium contained no hormones, and was not significantly changed by the addition of insulin plus cortisol to the medium, suggesting that the hormone effect on apo B secretion is missing in long-term hypoinsulinaemic states. 4. Treatment of diabetic rats with daily insulin injection restored apo B production and restored the effect of insulin plus cortisol in the medium to inhibit apo B secretion during perfusion. 5. Parallel studies of apo B secretion with insulin alone, cortisol alone and insulin plus cortisol in the medium were performed in primary cultures of hepatocytes to compare results from liver perfusions. 6. Apo B secretion by hepatocytes from normal, diabetic and treated-diabetic rats was inhibited (by 36.8%, 57.1% and 57.9% respectively) when insulin alone was added to the medium. 7. Insulin plus cortisol inhibited apo B secretion by hepatocytes from normal and treated diabetic rats (by 30.2% and 47.2% respectively), but failed to inhibit apo B secretion by hepatocytes from diabetic rats.     

Studies on some specific Ap4A-degrading enzymes with the use of various methylene analogues of P1P4-bis-(5'',5''''''-adenosyl) tetraphosphate.

Six new methylenephosphonate analogues of P1P4-bis-(5',5'-adenosyl) tetraphosphate, Ap4A, having P2-P3 carbon bridges CF2, CCl2 and CH2CH2 or P1-P2 and P3-P4 carbon bridges CF2, CCl2 and CH2CH2 in the tetraphosphate chain, were examined as substrates or inhibitors for two specific Ap4A-degrading enzymes: (asymmetrical) Ap4A hydrolase (EC 3.6.1.17) from yellow-lupin seeds and (symmetrical) Ap4A hydrolase (EC 3.6.1.41) from Escherichia coli. All analogues in which the central oxygen atom was replaced by a stable carbon bridge were hydrolysed by the asymmetrical hydrolase (CF2 greater than CCl2 greater than O greater than CHBr greater than CH2 greater than CH2CH2). As expected, these analogues were not hydrolysed by the symmetrical hydrolase, which was also unable to act on analogues having P1-P2 and P3-P4 carbon bridges.     

A luminometric assay for peroxisomal beta-oxidation. Effects of fasting and streptozotocin-diabetes on peroxisomal beta-oxidation.

Rat hepatoma cells grown intraperitoneally as an ascites tumour were analysed with respect to their contents of cytosolic glutathione transferases. In contrast with normal liver tissue, the hepatoma cells were dominated by the class Pi glutathione transferase 7-7. All the major hepatic enzyme forms were down-regulated to almost undetectable concentrations. Livers of rats bearing ascites-hepatoma cells expressed low, but significant, amounts of protein which, by electrophoretic and immunochemical properties, appeared identical with transferase 7-7. This enzyme is not detectable in normal hepatocytes. Treatment of rats with trans-stilbene oxide induced the expression of transferase 7-7 in the livers of normal rats as well as in hepatoma-cell-bearing animals. In addition, a 2-fold induction of transferase 7-7 was measured in the hepatoma ascites cells. No significant elevation of any other enzyme forms in the hepatoma cells was noted.     

Characterization of poly(ADP-ribosyl)ated domains of rat pachytene chromatin.

Poly(ADP-ribosyl)ation of nuclear proteins was several-fold higher in the pachytene spermatocytes than in the premeiotic germ cells of the rat. Among the histones of the pachytene nucleus, histone subtypes H2A, H1 and H3 were poly(ADP-ribosyl)ated. Based on the immunoaffinity fractionation procedure of Malik, Miwa, Sugimara & Smulson [(1983) Proc. Natl. Acad. Sci. U.S.A. 80, 2554-2558] we have fractionated DNAase-II-solubilized chromatin into poly(ADP-ribosyl)ated chromatin (PAC) and non-poly(ADP-ribosyl)ated chromatin (non-PAC) domains on an anti-[poly(ADP-ribose)] IgG affinity matrix. Approx. 2.5% of the pachytene chromatin represented the PAC domains. A significant amount of [alpha-32P]dATP-labelled pachytene chromatin (labelled in vitro) was bound to the affinity matrix. The DNA of pachytene PAC domains had internal strand breaks, significant length of gaps and ligatable ends, namely 5'-phosphoryl and 3'-hydroxyl termini. On the other hand, the PAC domains from 18 h regenerating liver had very few gaps, if any. The presence of gaps in the pachytene PAC DNA was also evident from thermal denaturation studies. Although many of the polypeptides were common to the PAC domains of both pachytene and regenerating liver, the DNA sequences associated with these domains were quite different. A 20 kDa protein and the testis-specific histone H1t were selectively enriched in the pachytene PAC domains. The pachytene PAC domains also contained approx. 10% of the messenger coding sequences present in the DNAase-II-solubilized chromatin. The pachytene PAC domains, therefore, may represent highly enriched DNA-repair domains of the pachytene nucleus.     

Entrapment of high-molecular-mass DNA molecules in liposomes for the genetic transformation of animal cells.

We modified the Ca/EDTA procedure for the production of liposomes [Papahadjopoulos, Vail, Jacobson & Poste (1975) Biochim. Biophys. Acta 394, 483-491] to entrap intact DNA molecules of very high molecular mass into large unilamellar phospholipid vesicles. The use of DNA-protein complexes and phage particles instead of naked linear DNA increases the efficiency of entrapment and protects the integrity of DNA molecules. We investigated the interaction of mammalian cells with liposome-encapsulated recombinant lambda bacteriophages carrying marker genes. The liposomes bind surprisingly fast to the cellular surface and are taken up by the cells. A significant proportion of the encapsulated DNA is transported to and soon located in or around the nuclei. Experiments prove that these liposomes can be used for the genetic transformation of mammalian cells.     

Regulation of protein synthesis and degradation in L8 myotubes. Effects of serum, insulin and insulin-like growth factors.

We have examined the regulation of protein turnover in rat skeletal myotubes from the L8 cell line. We measured protein synthesis by the rates of incorporation of radiolabelled tyrosine into protein in the presence of a flooding dose of non-radioactive tyrosine. We monitored degradation of proteins labelled with radioactive tyrosine by the release of acid-soluble radioactivity into medium containing excess nonradioactive tyrosine. Extracellular tyrosine pools and intracellular tyrosyl-tRNA equilibrate rapidly during measurements of protein synthesis, and very little reutilization of the radiolabelled tyrosine occurs during degradation measurements. Measured rates of protein synthesis and degradation are constant for several hours, and changes in myotube protein content can be accurately predicted by the measured rates of protein synthesis and degradation. Most of the myotube proteins labelled with radioactive tyrosine for 2 days are degraded, with half-lives (t1/2) of approx. 50 h. A small proportion (less than 2.5%) of the radiolabelled proteins are degraded more rapidly (t1/2 less than 10 h), and, at most, a small proportion (less than 15%) are degraded more slowly (t1/2 greater than 50 h). A variety of agents commonly added to primary muscle cell cultures or to myoblast cell lines (18% Medium 199, 1% chick-embryo extract, antibiotics and antifungal agents) had no effect on rates of protein synthesis or degradation. Horse serum, fetal bovine serum and insulin stimulate protein synthesis and inhibit the degradation of long-lived proteins without affecting the degradation of short-lived proteins. Insulin-like growth factors (IGF)-1 and -2 also stimulate protein synthesis and inhibit protein degradation. The stimulation of protein synthesis and the inhibition of protein degradation are of similar magnitude (a maximum of approx. 2-fold) and display similar sensitivities to a particular anabolic agent. Insulin stimulates protein synthesis and inhibits protein degradation only at supraphysiological doses, whereas IGF-1 and -2 are effective at physiological concentrations. These and other findings suggest that IGFs may be important regulators of skeletal muscle growth during the fetal and early neonatal periods.