Histamine release from rat mast cells by Vibrio vulnificus protease

Abstract Vibrio vulnificus protease (VVP) stimulated histamine release from isolated mast cells in a dose- and temperature-dependent manner within a range of 0.2–4.0 μ g/0.5 ml. Histamine release was accompanied by degranulation, and no leakage of lactate dehydrogenase from cells was observed, indicating that the histamine release was not due to cytolysis but to exocytosis. This release, completed within 30 s at 37°C, suggested that the mechanism of action of VVP on mast cells is different from that of other proteases, such as trypsin or α-chymotrypsin, which release histamine from the cells slowly.     

Participation of cytochrome P450 in mutagenic activation of the carcinogen 3'-hydroxymethyl-N,N-dimethyl-4-aminoazobenzene and its N-demethylated compounds by rat liver

Mutagenicity of the hepatocarcinogen 3'-hydroxymethyl-N, N-dimethyl-4-aminoazobenzene (3'-CH2OH-DAB) and its N-demethylated compounds was examined. Rat-liver 9000 X g supernatant (S9) fraction was used together with Salmonella typhimurium TA98 or TA100 as a tester strain. The expression of mutagenicity of 3'-CH2OH-DAB, 3'-hydroxymethyl-N-methyl-4-aminoazobenzene (3'-CH2OH-MAB) and 3'-hydroxymethyl-4-aminoazobenzene (3'-CH2OH-AB) required the presence of both microsomes and cytosol as sources of enzymes as well as NADPH as a cofactor. 3'-CH2OH-AB showed positive mutagenicity on both strains in the presence of liver S9 from untreated rats whereas 3'-CH2OH-DAB and 3'-CH2OH-MAB were negative. The treatment of rats with polychlorinated biphenyls (PCB) or 3-methylcholanthrene (3-MC) resulted in a marked increase in the ability of S9 to activate these three compounds, whereas phenobarbital (PB) induction was not effective, except for the activation of 3'-CH2OH-AB. The mutagenic activities of the three compounds in strain TA98 were considerably decreased by adding cytochrome c to the S9 mixture, but the activation reactions were insensitive to 1-(1-naphthyl)-2-thiourea (NTU) and methimazole, high-affinity flavin-containing monooxygenase (FMO) substrates. Metyrapone and 2-diethylaminoethyl-2,2-diphenylvalerate hydrochloride (SKF-525A, potent inhibitors of cytochrome P450, had no inhibitory effect on the activation of these compounds by S9 from PCB-treated rat livers. In contrast, 7,8-benzoflavone (BF), a specific inhibitor of cytochrome P448, decreased the activities of 3'-CH2OH-DAB and 3'-CH2OH-MAB by 88 and 78%, respectively, but the inhibition was negligible for 3'-CH2OH-AB.     

Primary structure of rat insulin-like growth factor-I and its biological activities

Rat insulin-like growth factor-I (IGF-I), a serum polypeptide with growth promoting activity, was isolated from rat serum by a combination of acid/ethanol extraction, affinity chromatography, and a series of reversed phase high performance liquid chromatography, cation exchange, and reversed phase. All peptide fragments produced by chymotrypsin digestion of reduced and carboxymethylated rat IGF-I were amino acid sequenced and compared with the sequence of human IGF-I. Three out of 70 of the rat amino acid residues differed from those of human IGF-I as follows: Asp20----Pro, Ser35----Ile and Ala67----Thr. Purified rat IGF-I cross-reacted with polyclonal anti-human IGF-I antibody 75% as compared to human IGF-I, but it cross-reacted only 3% with monoclonal anti-human IGF-I antibody. Thus, it is possible to monitor the metabolic fate of human IGF-I, when injected into rats, without interference by endogenous rat IGF-I. Rat IGF-I showed 65% activity in the radioreceptor, 28.6% activity in the lipogenesis and 22.5% activity in the free fatty acid release inhibition assays as compared to human IGF-I on a protein quantity basis.     

Copulatory behavior unaccompanied by ovulation in the Japanese monkey (Macaca fuscata)

Copulatory behavior unrelated to conception is sometimes observed in some non-human primates including the Japanese monkey. In the present study, the authors examined whether a mature follicle or a newly formed fresh corpus luteum was observed in the ovaries of female Japanese monkeys which displayed the copulatory behavior unrelated to conception. Post-conception copulatory behaviors were observed in three out of four females usually kept in individual cages in an air-conditioned room, and in two out of three females without infants kept in an outdoor group cage. However, neither a mature Graafian follicle nor a fresh corpus luteum formed newly after conception was observed in any of these females by laparoscopic examinations conducted immediately after termination of the copulatory behavior. In females with infants born in the preceding birth season, copulatory behaviors were observed in three out of four females kept in the outdoor group cage, and in two out of four females in a free-ranging troop. Ovulation was confirmed in one case out of the three kept in the outdoor group cage, but neither a mature follicle nor a newly formed corpus luteum was observed in the remaining four females. These findings suggest that copulatory behavior in the Japanese monkey is not always controlled by the development of a follicle or ovulation in the ovary.     

Cytological analysis of tetraploid hybrids between sweet potato and diploid Ipomoea trifida (H. B. K.) Don.

Summary Tetraploid F₁ hybrids between Ipomoea batatas, sweet potato (2n = 6x = ca. 90), and diploid (2n = 2x = 30) I. trifida (H. B. K.) Don. showed various degrees of fertility reduction. The present study aimed to clarify its causes by cytological analysis of meiotic chromosome behavior in the diploid and sweet potato parents and their tetraploid hybrids. The diploid parents showed exclusively 15 bivalents, and the sweet potato parents exhibited almost perfect chromosome pairing along with predominant multivalent formation. Their hybrids (2n = 4x= 57–63) formed 2.6–5.0 quadrivalents per cell, supporting the autotetraploid nature. The meiotic aberratios of the hybrids were characterized by the formation of univalents, micronuclei, and abnormal sporads (monad, dyad, triad, and polyad). The causes underlying these aberrations were attributed in part to the multivalent formation, and in part to a disturbance in the spindle function. Three hybrids showing serious meiotic aberrations were very low in fertility. The utilization of the sweet potato-diploid I. trifida hybrids for sweet potato improvement is described and, further, the role of interploidy hybridization in the study of the sweet potato evolution is discussed.     

Induction and inhibition of estradiol hydroxylase activities in MCF-7 human breast cancer cells in culture

The effects of estradiol, progesterone, and tamoxifen on the activity of estradiol 2- and 16 alpha-hydroxylases were studied in human breast cancer cell cultures using a radiometric assay. After 5 days' exposure to these compounds, incubations in the presence of either [2-3H]estradiol or [16 alpha-3H]estradiol as substrate were carried out. In MCF-7 cells, estradiol (10(-8) M), progesterone (10(-6) M) and tamoxifen (10(-6) M) significantly increased 16 alpha-hydroxylase activity (estradiol; 21% progesterone 10% to 32%; tamoxifen 21% to 31%; P less than 0.01). Synergistic effects were observed when the cells were successively exposed to tamoxifen and progesterone. Simultaneous treatment with tamoxifen plus estradiol or estradiol plus progesterone showed no change from estradiol alone. On the other hand, although estradiol had no direct effects on 2-hydroxylase activity, tamoxifen decreased this enzymatic activity significantly at 10(-6) M (23% to 37%). Progesterone acted synergistically to further decrease this reaction. Treatment with only progesterone caused an increase in 2-hydroxylation. In contrast, a subline of MCF-7 cells with low estrogen receptor levels showed only minimal enzyme-hormone responses. Likewise, treatment of the estrogen receptor-negative MDA-MB-231 human breast cancer cell line with these compounds showed no effects on either 2- or 16 alpha-hydroxylase activity. In the progesterone receptor-rich T47D cell line, estradiol decreased both activities while progesterone increased both.(ABSTRACT TRUNCATED AT 250 WORDS)     

Characterization of Cysteine Proteases Functioning in Degradation of Dynorphin in Neuroblastoma Cells: Evidence for the Presence of a Novel Enzyme with Strict Specificity Toward Paired Basic Residues

Two dynorphin-degrading cysteine proteases, I and II, were extracted with Triton X-100 from neuroblastoma cell membrane, isolated from accompanying dynorphin-degrading trypsin-like enzyme by affinity chromatography on columns of soybean trypsin inhibitor-immobilized Sepharose and p-mercuribenzoate-Sepharose, and separated by ion-exchange chromatography on diethylaminoethyl (DEAE)-cellulose and TSK gel DEAE-5PW columns. Cysteine protease II was purified further by hydroxyapatite chromatography and gel filtration. The molecular weights of cysteine proteases I and II were estimated to be 100,000 and 70,000, respectively, by gel filtration. Both of the enzymes, were inhibited by p-chloromercuribenzoate, N-ethylmaleimide, and high-molecular-weight kininogen, but not or only slightly inhibited by diisopropylphosphorofluoridate, antipain, leupeptin, E-64, calpain inhibitor, and phosphoramidon. Cysteine protease I cleaved dynorphin(1-17) at the Arg6-Arg7 bond with the optimum pH of 8.0, whereas II cleaved dynorphin(1-17) at the Lys11-Leu12 bond and the Leu12-Lys13 bond with the optimum pH values of 8.0 and 6.0, respectively. These bonds corresponded to those that had been proposed as the initial sites of degradation by neuroblastoma cell membrane. Cysteine protease I was further found to show strict specificity toward the Arg-Arg doublet, when susceptibilities of various peptides containing paired basic residues were examined as substrates for the enzyme.