Quantitative structure-activity relationship of cytokinin-active adenine and urea derivatives

The substituent effect of N⁶-alkyl and -aralkyl adenines on the promotion of the growth of tobacco callus was analysed quantitatively using physico-chemical substituent parameters and regression analysis. The results indicated an optimum steric condition for activity in terms of the maximum width of the N⁶-substituents from the bond-axis connecting the N⁶-atom with its α carbon atom. The electron withdrawing effect of the N⁶-substituent enhances the activity. The substituent effect on the cytokinin activity of phenyl- and diphenyl- urea derivatives determined by Bruce and Zwar using the tobacco pith-block assay was also analysed. The results suggest that position-specific steric and hydrophobic effects of aromatic substituents participate in the variation in activity rationalizing the general trend of the activity; meta >para >ortho derivatives, for both series of compounds. The electronic effect is significant for the activity of diphenylureas but not for that of phenylureas which show somewhat different modes of interaction between the two series at the site of action. Based on inferences made from the correlations, hypothetical maps for the mode of interaction of these three sets of compounds at the site of action have been proposed.     

Effect of NaCl addition on nanosecond O2 escaping reaction of myoglobin: evidences for the transition of myoglobin dynamic structure at 20 degrees C.

We studied the nanosecond (ns) geminate O2 escape reaction from the protein interior of myoglobin (Mb) to the solvent phase in the temperature range of 5-40 degrees C containing 0-0.1 M NaCl. In the flash photolysis experiments, we found that both the rate constant, kout, and its Arrhenius plot changed upon the variation of the NaCl concentration. In particular, it was noteworthy that the Arrhenius plot of kout dramatically changed in its slope, keeping the break at 20 degrees C, upon the addition of NaCl, indicating that the thermodynamic parameters such as an enthalpy of activation (delta H not equal to) and an entropy of activation (delta S not equal to) are different between above and below 20 degrees C, and that they are further altered upon the NaCl addition to the sample solution. From these results, we suggested that the Mb dynamic structure in the ns geminate O2 escape reaction is sensitively regulated by the interaction of the protein surface and the salt. The present study also showed that an inconsistency of the Arrhenius plot of kout between Chatfield et al. ((1990) J. Am. Chem. Soc. 112, 4680-4687) and us ((1990) J. Biol. Chem. 265, 18823-18828) is probably due to the difference in the solution condition.     

Biological activities and chemical composition of a cytotoxin of Klebsiella oxytoca.

A low-molecular-mass cytotoxin produced by Klebsiella oxytoca isolated previously from patients with antibiotic-associated haemorrhagic enterocolitis was purified, and its biological and chemical properties were elucidated. The toxin inhibited the syntheses of DNA and RNA by HEp-2 cells dose-dependently, whereas protein synthesis was only slightly inhibited, as measured by the incorporation of radioactive precursors. When synchronously cultured HEp-2 cells were examined in the presence of cytotoxin, inhibition of DNA synthesis occurred promptly within 5 h, but cell-rounding, the earliest visible morphological change, was not observed until 6 h after exposure. The intracellular levels of ATP decreased with an approximately similar time course. These results suggest that cytotoxicity toward HEp-2 cells is primarily due to the inhibitory effect of the cytotoxin on nucleic acid synthesis, possibly on DNA synthesis. Cell rounding and cell death were induced even in the absence of the cytotoxin after incubation with the cytotoxin for 6 h. The cytotoxin was heat-labile, cytotoxic activity decreasing to 50% of the initial level on heating at 70 degrees C for 20 min. Plasmids were extracted from three strains of K. oxytoca producing the cytotoxin and analysed by agarose gel electrophoresis. Two strains possessed plasmids of different sizes, but one strain possessed no plasmid, indicating that the cytotoxin is probably chromosomally encoded. Analysis by NMR and FAB-mass-spectrometry revealed that the molecular mass of the cytotoxin should be 217.1062 Da (exact mass), its molecular formula being C8H15O4N3.     

Association of human lymph node homing receptor (Leu 8) with the TCR/CD3 complex.

Cross-linking of the human homologue of the murine MEL-14 lymph node homing receptor (Selectin-1, LECAM-1, Leu 8) on both T and B cells results in modification of cell function. To investigate this phenomenon, we performed studies to determine if the Leu 8 molecule influences T cell activation via the TCR/CD3 complex. In initial studies, we treated T cells with immobilized anti-CD3 (OKT3 mAb) in the presence or absence of immobilized Leu 8 mAb. We found that although Leu 8 mAb alone had no effect on T cell proliferation, this antibody markedly augmented immobilized OKT3 mAb-induced proliferation. In further studies, we immunoprecipitated surface radioiodinated T cell lysates with OKT3 and Leu 8 mAb to determine if molecules in the TCR/CD3 complex associate with Leu 8 molecules. Although Leu 8 mAb immunoprecipitated only a single protein of approximately 80 kDa from T cell lysates treated with Nonidet P-40 under reducing condition, it coimmunoprecipitated additional proteins of 48, 42, 28, 24, and 22 kDa from T cell lysates treated with 3-[(3-cholamidopropyl)-dimethylammonio]-1-propanesulfonate. These additional proteins were identified as the alpha-, beta-, gamma-, delta-, and epsilon-chains of the TCR/CD3 complex by one-dimensional and two-dimensional diagonal SDS-PAGE. Densitometric scanning showed that, on average, 18% of the TCR/CD3 complex associates with Leu 8. In a final study, we showed by immunoblotting analysis using anti-zeta peptide antibody that Leu 8 mAb coimmunoprecipitates the zeta-chain of CD3. These results indicate that the human lymph node homing receptor homologue (Leu 8) participates in the activation of T cells, probably via its association with the TCR/CD3 complex.     

Localization of smg p25A/rab3A p25, a small GTP-binding protein, at the active zone of the rat neuromuscular junction.

smg p25A is a small G protein which has been suggested to regulate neurotransmitter release from the synapses. We investigated here the ultrastructural localization of this small G protein in the rat neuromuscular junction by an immunoperoxidase method. The results showed that smg p25A was distributed non-uniformly on the presynaptic plasma membrane and among the synaptic vesicles with the focal accumulation on the discrete presynaptic sites which corresponded to the active zones, the regions of the presynaptic plasma membrane specialized for the exocytosis of the synaptic vesicles. This unique distribution of smg p25A suggests that it plays an important role in the attachment and fusion of the synaptic vesicles with the active zones.     

Stimulation by cysteine on growth of Clostridium thermoaceticum in minimal medium

Summary An acetate-tolerant strain of Clostridium thermoaceticum (ATCC 31490), characterized as growing on a tryptone-yeast extract complex medium, was adapted to grow in a minimal medium containing glucose as sole carbon source. After five sequential batch cultures involving reducing and deleting organic materials from the original complex medium, the bacterium could grow on minimal medium with a supplement of nicotinic acid. However, growth and homoacetogenesis from glucose was remarkably retarded compared with that observed in the original complex medium. This could be strikingly improved up to the original level by replacing sodium thioglycolate (a reducing agent in the original medium) with L-cysteinHCI supplemented to the minimal medium. Cysteine played an important role in stimulating growth and homoacetogenesis by not only supplying H₂S as a sulphur source via cysteine desulphydrase (EC 4.4.1.1) but also maintaining a proper redox potential (—370 and —400 mV) in the growth phase during culture. Methionine could not serve as a sulphur source.Offprint requests to: Shiro Nagai     

Immunological quantitation and immunohistochemical localization of leukotriene A4 hydrolase in guinea pig tissues

We prepared a highly specific polyclonal antibody against leukotriene (LT) A4 hydrolase using a recombinant human enzyme. Using this antibody, we quantified LTA4 hydrolase protein content in the cytosols of guinea pig tissues. The enzyme protein content correlated well with the enzyme activity with a correlation coefficient of 0.87. However, the enzyme activity per mg of the enzyme in the cytosols was low, particularly in the liver and adrenal gland, compared with the specific activity of the purified enzyme. These observations suggest the presence of inhibitory substances and/or inactive enzymes in the cytosols of these tissues. To determine the cellular localization of LTA4 hydrolase in tissues other than blood cells, we carried out immunohistochemical examinations of guinea pig tissues. We identified epithelial cells in the tracheobronchial system and gastrointestinal tract, smooth muscle cells in the bronchi and aorta, vascular endothelial cells, and the intestinal plexus as novel cellular sources of the enzyme in the parenchyme of the tissue. Thus, LTA4 hydrolase was widely distributed in various types of parenchymal cells in the tissues, and this observation warrants further investigations on the biological activities of LTB4 in these cells and tissues.     

Phenylketonuria in a patient with cystinuria.

During routine screening procedures for amino-acid disorders by thin-layer chromatography, a 16-year-old boy was found to have phenylketonuria and cystinuria. A phenylalanine and a cystine loading were carried out. The patient was found to be homozygous for phenylketonuria and heterozygous for cystinuria type II. His father was heterozygous for phenylketonuria and cystinuria, while his mother proved to be heterozygous only for phenylketonuria.     

Radioimmunoassay of main urinary metabolite of prostaglandin F2α

Radioimmunoassay of 5α,7α-dihydroxy-11-keto-tetranorprosta-1,16-dioic acid, main urinary metabolite of prostaglandin F₂α (PGF₂α), was performed using an antiserum produced in the rabbit.The antibody in 100 μ1 of 1,600-fold diluted antiserum binds with 60 picograms of metabolite.The main urinary metabolite level fell when flufenamic acid, a prostaglandin synthetase inhibitor, was given to rats. In contrast, it was significantly elevated when PGF₂α was administered.     

Membrane capacity of squid giant axon during hyper- and depolarizations

Summary The change in membrane capacitance and conductance of squid giant axons during hyper- and depolarizations was investigated. The measurements of capacitance and conductance were performed using an admittance bridge with resting, hyperpolarized and depolarized membranes. The duration of DC pulses is 20–40 msec and is long enough to permit the admittance measurements between 1 and 50 kHz. The amplitudes of DC pulses were varied between 0 and 40mV for both depolarization and hyperpolarization. Within these limited experimental conditions, we found a substantial increase in membrane capacitance with depolarization and a decrease with hyperpolarization. Our results indicate that the change in membrane capacitance will increase further if low frequencies are used with larger depolarizing pulses. The change in membrane capacitance is frequency dependent and it increases with decreasing frequencies. The analyses based on an equivalent circuit (vide infra) gives rise to a time constant of active membrane capacitance close to that of sodium currents. This result indicates that the observed capacitance changes may arise from sodium channels. A brief discussion is given on the nature of frequency-dependent membrane capacitance of nerve axons.