A spin label ESR and saturation transfer-ESR study of archaebacteria bipolar lipids

A spin label study has been carried out on bipolar lipids extracted from Sulfolobus solfataricus, an extreme thermophilic archaebacterium growing at about 85°C and pH 3. These lipids are cyclic diisopranyl tetraether molecules, quite different from the usual fatty acid lipids. Two hydrolytic fractions of the membrane complex lipids have been studied: the symmetric lipid glycerol-dialkyl-glycerol-tetraether (GDGT) and the asymmetric lipid glyceroldialkyl-nonitol-tetraether (GDNT). The ESR spectra confirm the results previously obtained from calorimetric and X-ray diffraction experiments showing a polymorphic behaviour of these lipids and indicating the critical temperature ranges at which structural transitions occur. Moreover, the present study adds information on the dynamics of the different portions of the hydrophobic chain. ST-ESR measurements show correlation times ranging from 10^-8 s up to 10^-5 s, depending upon the lipid sample, the label position and the degree of hydration. At very high temperatures, i.e. the physiological temperatures of Sulfolobus solfataricus, the nonitol head groups of the asymmetric lipids form a strongly immobilized structure. Indeed, the molecular correlation times of the outermost hydrophobic portion of GDNT are higher, by a factor up to 10³, than those of usual monopolar lipids. Anisotropic motional behaviour is observed even at such very high temperatures. Possible biological implications are discussed.Abbreviations used are ESR electron spin resonance - St-ESR saturation transfer electron spin resonance - GDGT glyceroldialkyl-glycerol-tetracther - GDNT glycerol-dialkyl-nonitoltetraether - 5 SASL 12SASL and 16SASL, stearic acid spin labels, N-oxyl-4,4-dimethyloxazolidine derivatives of 5-ketostearic acid, 12-ketostearic acid and 16-ketostearic acid, respectively - DSC differential scanning calorimetry     

Evidence for a rate-limiting role of cysteinesulfinate decarboxylase activity in taurine biosynthesis in vivo

The relationship between activities of enzymes involved in cysteine oxidation and the apparent conversion of cysteine to taurine in vivo were investigated in the rat and cat. Both hepatic cysteinesulfinate decarboxylase activity and the oxidation in vivo of cysteine to taurine were lower in the kitten than in the adult female rat and lower in the latter than in the young male rat. Our data support the hypothesis that cysteinesulfinate decarboxylase plays a rate-limiting role in taurine biosynthesis.     

A human monoclonal antibody to cytomegalovirus (CMV)

We report the development of a human monoclonal antibody to cytomegalovirus (CMV) produced from a human X human hybridoma. This hybrid was developed by fusion of an EBV-transformed cell line making antibody to CMV and a human lymphoblastoid cell line WI-L2. The antibody is directed to a CMV-specific antigen primarily in the nucleus of CMV-infected human fibroblasts. It cross-reacts with at least 10 different strains of CMV and may provide a method for the rapid in vitro diagnosis of CMV infections. The production of CMV-specific human man monoclonal antibodies from human-human hybridomas for future therapeutic use is now technically feasible with this specific method of production.     

Physical structure and genetic expression of the sulfonamide-resistance plasmid pLS80 and its derivatives in Streptococcus pneumoniae and Bacillus subtilis

Summary The 10-kb chromosomal fragment of Streptococus pneumoniae cloned in pLS80 contains the sul-d allele of the pneumococcal gene for dihydropteroate synthase. As a single copy in the chromosome this allele confers resistance to sulfanilamide at 0.2 mg/ml; in the multicopy plasmid it confers resistance to 2.0 mg/ml. The sul-d mutation was mapped by restriction analysis to a 0.4-kb region. By the mechanism of chromosomal facilitation, in which the chromosome restores information to an entering plasmid fragment, a BamHI fragment missing the sul-d region of pLS80 established the full-sized plasmid, but with the sul-s allele of the recipient chromosome.A spontaneous deletion beginning 1.5 kb to the right of the sul-d mutation prevented gene function, possibly by removing a promoter. This region could be restored by chromosomal facilitation and be demonstrated in the plasmid by selection for sulfonamide resistance. Under selection for a vector marker, tetracycline resistance, only the deleted plasmid was detectable, apparently as a result of plasmid segregation and the advantageous growth rates of cells with smaller plasmids. When such cells were selected for sulfonamide resistance, the deleted region returned to the plasmid, presumably by equilibration between the chromosome and the plasmid pool, to give a low frequency (10^-3) of cells resistant to sulfanilamide at 2.0 mg/ml. Models for the mechanisms of chromosomal facilitation and equilibration are proposed.Several derivatives of pLS80 could be transferred to Bacillus subtilis, where they conferred resistance to sulfanil-amide at 2 mg/ml, thereby demonstrating cross-species expression of the pneumococcal gene. Transfer of the plasmids to B. subtilis gave rise to large deletions to the left of the sul-d marker, but these deletions did not interfere with the sul-d gene function. Restriction maps of pLS80 and its variously deleted derivatives are presented.     

Comparative study of Agrobacterium biotypes 1, 2 and 3 by electrophoresis and serological methods

A comparative study by electrophoresis and serology of strains representing the three Agrobacterium biotypes was carried out. Thirteen Spanish isolates and strains from international collections were included. Ten antisera were prepared by using strains from the three biotypes and different types of antigens. The strains were studied by immunodiffusion, indirect immunofluorescence and indirect ELISA. Serological relationship among all the strains was observed, although serological heterogeneity within each of the biotypes occurred. Biotype 3 appears as serologically related to biotypes 1 and 2, having an intermediate position. This observation is in agreement with their biochemical characteristics. Electrophoretic analysis of the three biotypes showed that there was high variability. Three main bands appeared in the six strains studied. One specific band occurred in the biotype 1 strains and another in the biotype 3 strains.     

Purification of plasma membranes from mouse parotid gland and membrane reorganization in response to isoproterenol

Two highly purified plasma membrane fractions have been obtained from mouse parotid glands by a combination of differential centrifugation and isopycnic centrifugation in discontinuous sucrose gradients. The membranes were characterized by enzymic, chemical and morphological criteria. The effect of isoproterenol, which induces parotid acinar cells to proliferate, upon sialic acid and five different enzyme activities located in the plasma membrane phosphodiesterase (EC 3.1.4.1), Mg2+-ATPase (EC 3.6.1.4), leucine aminopeptidase (EC 3.4.1.1), protein kinase (EC 2.7.1.37) and sialyltransferase (EC 2.4.99.1), were quantified along the cell cycle. Plasma membrane sialic acid content falls 30% within 30 min and remains depressed for at least 6 h with the major restoration towards normal levels occurring between 12 and 16 h later. In contrast multiple daily isoproterenol injections lead to a more than 2-fold elevation of sialic acid content. Sialyltransferase activity rises 2-fold by 12 h after isoproterenol treatment and then rapidly falls. This enzyme has a pH optimum of 6.5, requires a divalent cation for activity and is inhibited by Triton X-100. Other enzyme activities showed markedly different changes after isoproterenol stimulation, either increasing, decreasing or remaining unaltered. These continuous functional modifications suggest an active role of the plasma membrane in the control of the proliferative cycle.     

Secondary structure features of ribosomal RNA species within intact ribosomal subunits and efficiency of RNA-protein interactions in thermoacidophilic (Caldariella acidophila, Bacillus acidocaldarius) and mesophilic (Escherichia coli) bacteria

Ribosomal subunits of Caldariella acidophila (max.growth temp., 90 degrees C) have been compared to subunits of Bacillus acidocaldarius (max. growth temp., 70 degrees C) and Escherichia coli (max. growth temp., 47 degrees C) with respect to (a) bihelical content of rRNA; (b) G . C content of bihelical domains and (c) tightness of rRNA-protein interactions. The principal results are as follows. Subunits of C. acidophilia ribosomes (Tm = 90-93 degrees C) exhibit considerable thermal tolerance over their B. acidocaldarius (Tm = 77 degrees C) and E. coli counterparts (Tm = 72 degrees C). Based on the "melting' hyperchromicities of the intact ribosomal subunits a 51-55% fraction of the nucleotides appears to participate in hydrogen-bonded base pairing regardless of ribosome source, whereas a larger fraction, 67-70%, appears to be involved in hydrogen bonding in the naked rRNA species. The G . C content of bihelical domains of both free and ribosome-bound rRNA increases with increasing thermophily; based on hyperchromicity dispersion spectra of intact subunits and free rRNA, the bihelical parts of C. acidophila rRNA are estimated to contain 63-64% G . C, compared to 58.5% G . C for B. acidocaldarius and 55% G . C for E. coli. The increment of ribosome Tm values with increasing thermophily is greater than the increase in Tm for the free rRNA, indicating that within ribosomes bihelical domains of the thermophile rRNA species are stabilized more efficiently than their mesophile counterparts by proteins or/ and other component(s). The efficiency of the rRNA-protein interactions in the mesophile and thermophile ribosomes has been probed by comparing the releases, with LiCl-urea, of the rRNA species from the corresponding ribosomal subunits stuck to a Celite column through their protein moiety; it has been established that the release of C. acidophila rRNA from the Celite-bound ribosomes occurs at salt-urea concentrations about 4-fold higher than those required to release rRNA from Celite-bound E. coli ribosomes. Compared to E. coli the C. acidophila 50 and 30 S ribosomal subunits are considerably less susceptible to treatment designed to promote ribosome unfolding through depletion of magnesium ions.     

Monolayer black membranes from bipolar lipids of archaebacteria and their temperature-induced structural changes

The membrane of Caldariella acidophila, an extreme thermophilic archaebacterium, is characterized by unusual bipolar complex lipids. They consist of two nonequivalent polar heads, linked by a C40 alkylic component. The molecular organization of these lipids in the plasma membrane is still a matter of study. In this paper, we present current-voltage measurements on artificial bipolar lipid membranes, indicating that molecules are indeed organized as a covalently bound bilayer, in which each molecule is completely stretched and spans its entire thickness. Furthermore, conformational transitions of these artificial membranes (which could be formed only above 70 degrees C from a lipid/squalene dispersion) are analyzed in the 80 to 15 degrees C temperature range. Abrupt variations in capacitance and valinomycin-induced conductance seem to indicate the occurrence of at least two structural changes. Measurements are also extended to different solvent systems. Results are consistent with the picture of a monolayer bipolar lipid membrane in which few solvent molecules align themselves parallel to the lipophilic chains. The amount of solvent as well as the temperature at which conformational transitions occur, depend on the solvent system in which the lipid is dispersed.     

Differential regulation of HLA-DR mRNAs and cell surface antigens by interferon

Human interferons-alpha, -beta and -gamma enhance HLA-DR mRNAs in all the human lymphoblastoid and melanoma cell lines studied. The increase concerns both alpha and beta chain mRNAs. Moreover, we show that immune interferon-gamma preferentially enhances class II MHC mRNA. This effect of IFN-gamma on the synthesis of alpha and beta HLA-DR chains has been also analysed by immunoprecipitation. It is abolished by a monoclonal antibody directed against human IFN-gamma. The effect of interferon on the cell surface level of HLA-DR molecules does not always correspond to the enhancement of HLA-DR mRNA. Our experiments suggest that this discrepancy between the enhancement of HLA-DR mRNA and cell surface antigen might be due to a constitutively high level of the corresponding antigens on several of the human cells studied.