PLD activation in Chinese hamster ovary (CHO) cells transfected with PGF2α receptor cDNA

Pertussis toxin-insensitive GTP-binding protein was observed to be involved in prostaglandin F2α(PGF2α)-induced phosphoinositide metabolism in Chinese hamster ovary (CHO) cells transfected with PGF2α receptor cDNA (CHO-PGF2α·R cells) (Ito, S. et al. Biochem. Biophys. Res. Commun. 200: 756, 1994). In the present study, we investigated PGF2α-induced PLD activation in CHO-PGF2α·R cells. PLD activation was examined by measuring the production of [³H]phosphatidylbutanol ([³H]PBut), a specific product of the PLD-catalyzed transphosphatidylation reaction. PGF2α-induced [³H]PBut formation was concentration-dependent with the maximal level obtained at 1 μM PGF2α. The maximal [³H]PBut formation was observed at 2 min after addition of PGF2α. Depletion of extracellular Ca²⁺ with EGTA suppressed PGF2α-induced PLD activation by 50%. PKC inhibitors Ro31–8425 and calphostin C inhibited PGF2α-induced [³H]PBut formation by 50%. PTK inhibitors genistein and herbimycin A failed to inhibit PGF2α-induced PLD activation. A combination of maximal effective concentrations of PGF2α (1 μM) and PMA (100 nM) enhanced PLD activation in an additive manner. Pretreatment of the cells with PMA for 2 h down-regulated PKCα and decreased PGF2α-induced PLD activation. These results suggest that PLD activation by PGF2α is mediated by both PKC-dependent and -independent pathways and that PKCα is involved in the former pathway.     

Distribution of various nickel compounds in rat organs after oral administration

In this study, eight kinds of nickel (Ni) compounds were orally administered to Wistar male rats and the distribution of each compound was investigated 24 h after the administration. The Ni compounds used in this experiment were nickel metal [Ni−M], nickel oxide (green) [NiO(G)], nickel oxide (black) [NiO(B)], nickel subsulfide [Ni₃S₂], nickel sulfide [NiS], nickel sulfate [NiSO₄], nickel chloride [NiCl₂], and nickel nitrate [Ni(NO₃)₂]. The solubilities of the nickel compounds in saline solution were in the following order; [Ni(NO₃)₂>NiCl₂>NiSO₄]≫[NiS>Ni₃S₂]>[NiO(B)>Ni−M>NiO(G)]. The Ni level in the visceral organs was higher in the rats given soluble Ni compounds; Ni(NO₃)₂, NiCl₂, NiSO₄, than that in the rats receiving other compounds. In the rats to which soluble Ni compounds were administered, 80–90% of the recovered Ni amounts in the examined organs was detected in the kidneys. On the other hand, the Ni concentration in organs administered scarcely soluble Ni compounds; NiO(B), NiO(G), and Ni−M were very low. The estimated absorbed fraction of each Ni compounds was increased with the increase of the solubility. These results suggest that the kinetic behavior of Ni compounds administered orally is closely related with the solubility of Ni compounds, and that the solubility of Ni compounds is one of the important factors for determining the health effect of Ni compounds.     

Relationship between actions of transforming growth factor (TGF)-β and cell surface expression of its receptors in clonal osteoblastic cells

Various osteoblastic cell lines were examined for the relationship between the presence of cell-surface transforming growth factor (TGF)-β receptors and the synthesis of matrix proteins with their responsiveness to TGF-β. Treatment with TGF-β1 inhibited proliferation and stimulated proteoglycan and fibronectin synthesis in MC3T3-E1 and MG 63 cells. The major proteoglycans synthesized by these cells were decorin and biglycan, and TGF-β1 markedly stimulated the synthesis of decorin in MC3T3-E1 and of biglycan in MG 63 cells. SaOS 2 and UMR 106 cells synthesized barely detectable amounts of decorin or biglycan, and TGF-β1 did not stimulate the synthesis of these proteoglycans. In SaOS 2 cells, however, TGF-β1 enhanced fibronectin synthesis. TGF-β1 did not show any of these effects in UMR 106 cells. Receptor cross-linking studies revealed that only MC3T3-E1 and MG 63 cells had both types I and II signal-transducing receptors for TGF-β in addition to betaglycan. SaOS 2 cells possessed type I but no type II receptor on the cell surface. In contrast, SaOS 2 as well as MC3T3-E1 and MG 63 cells expressed type II receptor mRNA by Northern blot analysis, and cell lysates contained type II receptor by Western blot analysis. Thus, it appears that type II receptor present in SaOS 2 cells is not able to bind TGF-β1 under these conditions. UMR 106 cells with no response to TGF-β1 had neither of the signal-transducing receptors by any of the analyses. These observations using clonal osteoblastic cell lines demonstrate that the ability of osteoblastic cells to synthesize bone matrix proteoglycans is associated with the responsiveness of these cells to TGF-β1, that the responsiveness of osteoblastic cells to TGF-β1 in cell proliferation and proteoglycan synthesis correlates with the presence of both types I and II receptors, and that the effect of TGF-β1 on fibronectin synthesis can develop with little binding of TGF-β1 to type II receptor if type I receptor is present. It is suggested that the combination of cell-surface receptors for TGF-β determines the responsiveness of osteoblastic cells to TGF-β and that changes in cell-surface TGF-β receptors may play a role in the regulation of matrix protein synthesis and bone formation in osteoblasts. © 1995 Wiley-Liss, Inc.     

In vitro neurotoxicity of amyloid β-peptide cross-linked by transglutaminase

Transglutaminase catalyzes the intermolecular cross-linking of peptides between Gln and Lys residues, forming an -(-glutamyl) lysine bond. Amyloid -peptide, a major constituent of the deposits in Alzheimer disease, contains Lys16, Lys28, and Gln15 which may act as substrates of transglutaminase. Transglutaminase treatment of amyloid -peptide (1–28) and amyloid -peptide (1–40) yielded cross-linked oligomers. Transglutaminase-treated A retarded neurite extension of PC12 cells, and rat cultured neurons of hippocampus and septum, brain areas severely affected by Alzheimer disease, and subsequently caused cell death, whereas the transglutaminase-untreated counterparts did not show harmful effects. The transglutaminase-catalyzed oligomers of amyloid -peptide and their neurotoxicity may be involved in two characteristics in Alzheimer disease, neuronal degeneration and formation of the insoluble deposits.Abbreviations: AD – Alzheimer disease, A – amyloid -peptide, DMEM – Dulbecco's modified Eagle's medium, DMEM/F–12–1:1 mixture of DMEM and Ham's F–12 medium, FCS – fetal calf serum, HS – horse serum, PAGE – polyacrylamide gel electrophoresis, MTT – 3-(4,5-dimethylthiazol–2-yl)–2,5-diphenyltetrazolium bromide, NGF – nerve growth factor, TGase – transglutaminase.     

外消旋薄荷醇对映选择性酶促酯化中酸酐与羧酸的比较研究

利用脂肪酶在有机溶剂中催化对映选择性酯化反应对外消旋薄荷醇进行了有效的光学拆分。对分别使用酸酐和相应的游离羧酸作酰基给体时的反应性能进行了比较。发现酸酐的反应性远高于对应的游离羧酸,但在酶的催化作用下酸酐易水解成为游离羧酸;在微水系统中使用过高浓度的酸酐会导致酶缺水而失活,同时会促进手性醇的非选择性酯化,从而降低产物的光学纯度。然而,在连续流加丙酸酐的半批式反应系统中,所有这些缺点均可有效地克服。与使用游离丙酸的批式反应系统相比,ｄｌ-薄荷醇的反应时间缩短了一半,酶的稳定性大幅度提高,而产物ｌ薄荷醇酯的光学纯度不相上下（＞９８％ｅ）。     

Does endothelin-1 participate in the exercise-induced changes of blood flow distribution of muscles in humans?

Maeda, Seiji, Takashi Miyauchi, Michiko Sakane, MakotoSaito, Shinichi Maki, Katsutoshi Goto, and Mitsuo Matsuda. Does endothelin-1 participate in the exercise-induced changes of blood flowdistribution of muscles in humans? J. Appl.Physiol. 82(4): 1107-1111, 1997.Endothelin-1(ET-1) is an endothelium-derived potent vasoconstrictor peptide thatpotentiates contractions to norepinephrine in human vessels. Wepreviously reported that the circulating plasma concentration of ET-1is significantly increased after exercise (S. Maeda, T. Miyauchi, K. Goto, and M. Matsuda. J. Appl.Physiol. 77: 1399-1402, 1994). Tostudy the roles of ET-1 during and after exercise, we investigatedwhether endurance exercise affects the production of ET-1 in thecirculation of working muscles and nonworking muscles. Male athletesperformed one-leg cycle ergometer exercise of 30-min duration atintensity of 110% of their individual ventilatory threshold. Plasmaconcentrations of ET-1 in both sides of femoral veins (veins in theworking leg and nonworking leg) and in the femoral artery (artery inthe nonworking leg) were measured before and afterexercise. The plasma ET-1 concentration in the femoralvein in the nonworking leg was significantly increased after exercise,whereas that in femoral vein in the working leg was not changed. Thearteriovenous difference in ET-1 concentration was significantlyincreased after exercise in the circulation of the nonworking leg butnot of the working leg, which suggests that the production of ET-1 wasincreased in the circulation of the nonworking leg by exercise. Thepresent study also demonstrated that the plasma norepinephrineconcentrations were elevated by exercise in the femoral veins of boththe working and nonworking legs, suggesting that the sympathetic nerveactivity was augmented in both legs during exercise. Therefore, thepresent study demonstrates the possibility that the increase inproduction of ET-1 in nonworking muscles may cause vasoconstriction andhence decrease blood flow in nonworking muscles through its directvasoconstrictive action or through an indirect effect of ET-1 toenhance vasoconstrictions to norepinephrine and that these responsesmay be helpful in increasing blood flow in workingmuscles. We propose that endogenous ET-1 contributes tothe exercise-induced redistribution of blood flow in muscles.

     

Identification of Influenza C Virus Phosphoproteins

The HMV-II cells infected with influenza C virus were labeled with inorganic [³²P]phosphate to identify phosphorylated proteins. Analysis by radioimmunoprecipitation with antiviral serum or monoclonal antibodies revealed that three major structural proteins of the virus, hemagglutinin-esterase (HE), nucleoprotein (NP), and matrix protein (M1) are all phosphorylated in both infected cells and virions. It was also observed that, in the presence of trypsin (10 μg/ml), the unphosphorylated form of the HE glycoprotein was cleaved efficiently whereas the phosphorylated form was not, raising the possibility that phosphorylation of HE may influence its susceptibility to degradation by proteolytic enzymes.     

Mucopolysaccharidosis IVA: structural gene alterations identified by Southern blot analysis and identification of racial differences

Ninety-six alleles (36 alleles of Japanese and 60 of Caucasian origin) from forty-eight patients with mucopolysaccharidosis IVA were investigated for structural gene alterations using Southern blot analysis. All patients had a previously demonstrated deficiency of N-acetylgalactosamine-6-sulfate-sulfatase and exhibited a wide spectrum of clinical severity. Initially, using the fulllength cDNA as a probe, five of 36 chromosomes from the Japanese patients revealed similar rearrangements with respect to DNA digested with BamHI, SacI, and XhoI. Subsequent analysis using seven genomic fragments, covering the entire gene, enhanced the detection of aberrant fragments produced by the above restriction enzymes. Conversely, the 60 chromosomes of Caucasian origin revealed no evidence of large structural rearrangements when analyzed by these methods. There was a statistically significant difference between the two populations (P < 0.01). A severely affected Japanese patient showed structural rearrangements on both chromosomes by means of BamHI blots. An 8.0-kb fragment and a highly polymorphic 7.0-kb to 11.0-kb fragment present in normal individuals disappeared and two aberrant fragments of 11.5 kb and 12.0 kb were observed. Three other Japanese patients also showed these two aberrant fragments, in addition to the normal fragment pattern, and were thus heterozygous for this rearrangement. Interpretation of Southern blots was difficult because of the complexity of polymorphic bands resulting from variable number of tandem repeat elements. However, by utilizing these aberrant fragments or polymorphic bands, carrier detection was effective, even in families with poorly characterized mutations. Hybridization with probe MG-A (5end genomic probe in intron 1) showed a 8.4-kb fragment in BamHI blots of one Japanese and one Caucasian patient; XhoI, SacI, and EcoRI blots were normal. Since this BamHI alteration was also observed in one normal control, it appears to be a rare nonpathological polymorphism.     

Mucopolysaccharidosis IVA: polymorphic haplotypes and informative RFLPs in the Japanese population

Seven different restriction fragment length polymorphisms (RFLPs) at the N-acetylgalactosamine-6-sulfate sulfatase (GALNS) locus were analyzed using Southern blotting and polymerase chain reaction based techniques to search for the frequency of each RFLP produced by StyI, SphI, HaeIII, StuI, HapII, XhoI, and BamHI restriction endonucleases, respectively, in 36 mutant alleles, including two sibling cases and 100 normal alleles. Calculation of heterozygosity indexes showed that these RFLPs were polymorphic, ranging from 0.31 to 0.69 in mucopolysaccharidosis IVA (MPS IVA) patients compared with 0.21 to 0.65 in normal individuals. There was some significant difference in several RFLPs and in the combination with four kinds of RFLPs (SphI, StuI, HapII, XhoI polymorphisms). The normal alleles were composed of 13 different RFLPs haplotypes; the most common among the Japanese population carrying normal alleles was haplotype 8 (bDEF1) (31.3%), the others being dispersed. The same haplotype 8 was the most frequent in the mutant alleles (44.4%), with seven further haplotypes. These findings revealed the striking variety of polymorphic haplotypes in the MPS IVA gene. By using these five kinds of RFLPs, we examined the theoretical informativity of haplotype analysis in heterozygote detection in nine unrelated MPS IVA families and ten unrelated normal families. All the members of the MPS IVA families studied were diagnosed as a patient, carrier, or noncarrier. We propose that prenatal diagnosis or family analysis in cases in which mutations have not been characterized is now feasible.