Characterization of the oligosaccharide alditols from ovarian cyst mucin glycoproteins of blood group A using high pressure liquid chromatography (HPLC) and high field 1H NMR spectroscopy

A combination of reverse phase and normal phase high pressure liquid chromatography has been used to separate the reduced oligosaccharides produced by alkaline borohydride degradation of a blood group A ovarian cyst mucin glycoproteins. Fourteen compounds, ranging in size from a monosaccharide to a decasaccharide, have been isolated preparatively using a Zorbax C-18 reverse phase column eluted with water and a MicroPak AX-5 normal phase column eluted with aqueous acetonitrile. The purity of the products and their structures were determined from the fully assigned high field proton NMR spectra. The resonances of exchangeable amide protons, observed by the Redfield selective pulse sequence in H2O, were assigned by decoupling to the resonances of H2 of the 2-acetamido sugars. Nuclear Overhauser effects were used to establish the relationship of the anomeric protons and those of the aglycone. In exception to earlier proposals that nuclear Overhauser effect on irradiation of the anomeric proton should always be observed at the proton attached to the aglycone carbon, we find that for the linkage of GalNAcp(1----3)Gal, nuclear Overhauser effect on irradiation of the alpha-anomeric proton resonance is observed not at H3 but at H4 of galactose. A combination of NMR methods and enzymatic degradation was employed to determine the structures of 13 different oligosaccharides of which seven have not previously been reported. These oligosaccharides, which terminate with beta-Gal, alpha-Fuc, beta-GlcNAc, and alpha-GalNAc, account for 75% of the total glycoprotein carbohydrate, the remainder being isolated as a mixture of glycopeptides and a high molecular weight polysaccharide whose NMR spectrum implies a simple repeating subunit structure closely related to that of the oligosaccharides.     

Regulation of pigment organelle translocation. II. Participation of a cAMP-dependent protein kinase

In intact goldfish xanthophores, the phosphorylation of a pigment organelle (carotenoid droplet) protein, p57, appears to play an important role in adrenocorticotropin (ACTH)- or cAMP-induced pigment organelle dispersion while the dephosphorylation of this protein upon withdrawal of ACTH or cAMP is implicated in pigment aggregation. In this paper, we report the cAMP-dependent phosphorylation of this protein in cell-free extracts of xanthophores as determined by the incorporation of 32P from [gamma-32P]ATP. As is the case in intact cells, p57 is the predominant protein phosphorylated in the presence of cAMP. The cAMP-dependent protein kinase which phosphorylates p57 is not bound to the isolated organelles but is found in the soluble portion of the cell extracts. Hence, the phosphorylation of p57 requires the carotenoid droplets bearing the substrate, soluble extract containing the kinase, cAMP (half-maximal activation at 0.5 microM), and Mg2+ (optimal at 5 mM or higher). The presence of protein phosphatase(s) in these extracts was shown indirectly by the stimulation of phosphorylation by fluoride. The phosphorylation of p57 does not appear to require a cell-specific kinase as soluble extracts of goldfish dermal nonpigment cells also phosphorylate p57 associated with isolated carotenoid droplets. Furthermore, using a constant amount of carotenoid droplets, a linear relationship was demonstrated between the rate of p57 phosphorylation and the amount of extract present in the assays. These results suggest that p57 is phosphorylated directly by a cAMP-dependent protein kinase and that the activity of this enzyme is important in regulating the intracellular movement of the pigment organelles of the xanthophore.     

The NADPH:O2 oxidoreductase of human neutrophils. Stoichiometry of univalent and divalent reduction of O2

The ratio of superoxide production to oxidation of NADPH affected by the NADPH:O2 oxidoreductase of human neutrophils is strongly influenced by pH, NADPH substrate concentration, aging of the enzyme, or its exposure to excess deoxycholate. Freshly prepared enzyme exhibited a Km for NADPH of 52 microM as determined by assaying NADPH oxidase activity, or approximately 33 microM by measurement of superoxide formation. In the range of 100-150 microM NADPH at pH 7.6 and in the presence of 0.06% deoxycholate, the univalent flux of electron equivalents given up by NADPH to O2 was 99%. Following storage of the oxidoreductase overnight on ice, its Km for NADPH rose to 125 microM as determined by monitoring oxidation of NADPH but was unaltered when measured in terms of superoxide production. Concomitantly, its capacity to affect univalent reduction of O2 fell approximately 20-30% under the same assay conditions. Univalent flux rates of less than 40% were observed with exposure of the enzyme to concentrations of deoxycholate in excess of 0.1% or to pH values below 6.0 or above 8.0. The capacity of the enzyme to carry out univalent reduction fell with increasing NADPH concentrations in a manner resembling that previously reported with increasing concentrations of xanthine in the case of xanthine oxidase (Fridovich, I. (1970) J. Biol. Chem. 245, 4053-4057). The reduced form of the neutrophil oxidoreductase, like xanthine oxidase, thus appears to be capable of conducting both 1- and 2-electron transfer steps in reducing O2. Its capacity to affect univalent reduction of O2 depends upon the concentration of electron donor (NADPH) supplied as well as conditions of storage and assay of the native enzyme.     

Evidence for a pool of non-recycling transferrin receptors in peripheral sheep reticulocytes

Sheep reticulocytes from phlebotomized animals have a total transferrin binding potential that may exceed by an order of magnitude the surface binding capacity. Steady state uptake of transferrin at 37 degrees C is generally less than 50% of the total transferrin binding capacity. During long-term incubation of the reticulocytes, all transferrin binding ability is lost, the ability to internalize being lost most rapidly. The loss in ability to bind transferrin during long-term incubation is independent of the number of surface transferrin binding sites, since removal of surface receptors with pronase does not affect the rate of loss of the internal pool of receptors during long-term incubation. Moreover, after removing surface receptors with pronase, only a fraction of the original number of receptors is restored to the surface, despite the presence of a large pool of internal receptors. These data suggest that only a fraction of the internal pool of receptors is capable of recycling to the cell surface in sheep reticulocytes.     

长叶车前花叶病毒(HRV_(sh))外壳蛋白赖氨酸残基的修饰

我们曾报道长叶车前花叶病毒上海分离株(简称HRVsh)的外壳蛋白有二个赖氨酸残基,在PH8.5无变性剂存在的条件下,完整病毒颗粒表面的赖氨酸残基可与三硝基苯磺酸(TNPS)起反应,反应后的TNP-HRVsh病毒颗粒的感染力丧失达90％以上。 本文又进行了甲基乙亚胺甲酯(MEI)对HRVsh赖氨酸残基的修饰反应,修饰后的MEI-HRVsh病毒颗粒的感染力也同样丧失90％以上。 从三硝基苯磺酸修饰的病毒颗粒(TNP-HRVsh)中分离得到的RNA能与天然的HRVsh的外壳蛋白重建病毒颗粒,并具有感染力,说明修饰过程中核酸并不受影响。 进一步用同位素~(35)S,~(32)P双标记病毒,再以TNPS修饰标记的病毒,得到(~(35)S,~(32)P)-HRVsh及TNP-(~(35)S,~(32)P)-HRVsh。将两者分别接种于系统寄主青菜(Brassica chinensis)的一片叶片,一天后在非接种叶片上都可测得~(35)S,~(32)P的放射计数。其中,(~(35)S,~(32)P)-HRVsh的~(35)S/~(32)P比值降低了,而TNP-(~(35)S,~(32)P)-HRVsh的~(35)S/~(32)P比值保持不变。说明HRVsh外壳蛋白赖氨酸残基的修饰并不影响病毒颗粒进入寄主细胞,以及在寄主细胞间的转移。同位素双标记的结果表明,其感染力丧失的原因可能是由于上述修饰作用阻止了病毒在感染中所必须的脱壳过程。     

Preparation and characterization of various Escherichia coli RNA polymerases containing one or two intrinsic metal ions

The Escherichia coli DNA-dependent RNA polymerase (RPase) holoenzyme (alpha 2 beta beta' sigma) possesses 2 mol equiv of Zn: beta and beta' subunits each contain one Zn ion. An in vitro metal-substitution method developed earlier (method I) was used to remove the two intrinsic Zn ions and then to reconstitute other metal ions into the beta subunit of RPase. One Cd or Hg ion was successfully reconstituted into half-active enzymes (rec-Cd1- or rec-Hg1-RPase), while Mn or Ni ion was not incorporated. A new, simplified in vitro metal-substitution method (method II), which omitted the low-pH treatment and subsequent urea dialysis in method I, was devised in this study. Consequently, Zn or Cd could be incorporated into both the beta and beta' subunits, resulting in rec-Zn2- or rec-Cd2-RPase, respectively. However, only one Hg was incorporated, probably due to steric hindrance by the large size of the Hg ion, while Mn, Ni, or Cr was not bound by the reconstituted enzyme, which instead incorporated only one Zn. Analysis of the metal content of various reconstituted RPases indicated that without low-pH treatment Zn bound to both the beta and beta' subunits when Zn concentrations were higher than 2 X 10(-6)M, but it bound only to the beta' subunit at lower concentrations. Moreover, low-pH treatment destroys the metal binding site in the beta' subunit. The metal sites on the beta and beta' subunits did not have significant affinity for the transition metals such as Mn, Ni, and Cr.(ABSTRACT TRUNCATED AT 250 WORDS)     

Mechanism of bleomycin: evidence for 4'-ketone formation in poly(dA-dU) associated exclusively with free base release

Incubation of poly(dA-[3'-3H]dU), poly(dA-[5'-3H]dU), or poly(dA-[5'-3H]dT) under a variety of conditions with activated bleomycin resulted in the production of free nucleic acid base, base propenal, and a small amount of 3H2O. Adjustment of the terminated reaction mixture to pH 10 and incubation at 95 degrees C resulted in a time-dependent increase in 3H2O to an amount equal to the amount of free base. If the terminated reaction mixture was incubated with NaBH4 prior to the heat and alkaline treatment, the release of 3H2O was significantly inhibited. These results are consistent with the generation by activated bleomycin of a 4'-ketone yielding free base, with the exchange of the 3'- and 5'-hydrogens by enolization and with the alkaline-induced strand scission occurring from this intermediate.     

Modulation of beta-adrenergic response in rat brain astrocytes by serum and hormones

Purified astrocyte cultures from neonatal rat cerebrum respond to isoproterenol, a beta-adrenergic agonist, with a transient rise in cAMP production. This astroglial property was regulated by serum, a chemically defined medium (serum-free medium plus hydrocortisone, putrescine, prostaglandin F2 alpha, insulin, and fibroblast growth factor) and epidermal growth factor. Compared to astrocytes grown in serum-supplemented medium, astrocytes grown in the chemically defined medium were nonresponsive to isoproterenol stimulation, and this difference did not appear to be due to selection of a subpopulation of cells by either medium. The data suggest that a decreased beta-adrenergic receptor number and an increased degradation of cAMP may account for the reduced response to beta-adrenergic stimulation. The nonresponsive state of astrocytes in the defined medium was reversible when the medium was replaced with serum-supplemented medium. An active substance(s) in serum was responsible for restoring the responsiveness of astrocytes. Each of the five components of the defined medium had little effect by itself; however, together they acted synergistically to desensitize astrocytes to beta-adrenergic stimulation. On the other hand, epidermal growth factor, a potent mitogen for astrocytes, was very competent by itself in reducing the cAMP response of astrocytes to beta-adrenergic stimulation. Thus purified astrocytes grown in the chemically defined medium appear to be a good model for the study of hormonal interactions and of serum factors which may modulate the beta-adrenergic response.