Cell Cycling of Astrocytes and Their Precursors in Primary Cultures: A Mevalonate Requirement Identified in Late G1, but Before the G1/S Transition, Involves Polypeptides

The relationship between mevalonate and cell cycling was investigated in developing glial cells. Primary cultures of newborn rat brains were serum-depleted (0.1%, vol/vol) for 48 h on days 4-6 in vitro, then returned to 10% calf serum (time 0). After 48 h, 70-80% of the cells were glial fibrillary acidic protein (GFAP)-negative by indirect immunofluorescence; 79 +/- 7% were GFAP-positive after an additional 3 days. Serum shift-up resulted in 12 h of quiescence, and then by 20 h (S phase) in increased proportions of cells synthesizing DNA (from 15 +/- 6% to 75 +/- 4% by bromodeoxyuridine immunofluorescence at 12 h and 20 h, respectively) and rates of DNA synthesis (42 +/- 6 versus 380 +/- 32 cpm/micrograms of protein/h of [3H]thymidine uptake). Additional mevalonate (25 mM) for 30 min at 10 h reversed the inhibition of DNA synthesis apparent with mevinolin (150 microM), an inhibitor of mevalonate synthesis, present from time 0. Cycloheximide added simultaneously with mevalonate prevented this reversal of inhibition. To cause arrest at G1/S, cultures were exposed to hydroxyurea between 10 and 22 h. By 3 h after hydroxyurea removal, bromodeoxyuridine-labeled nuclei increased from 0% to 75 +/- 9%, and DNA synthesis increased 10-fold. Mevinolin failed to inhibit these increases. Thus, primary astroglial precursors stimulated to progress through the cell cycle express a mevalonate requirement in late G1, but before the G1/S transition. The effect of mevalonate was characterized further as being brief (30 min) and as requiring polypeptides.     

Immortalization of murine primary spleen cells by v-myc, v-ras, and v-raf.

Growth factor-independent cell lines, including four lines characterized as macrophages, were isolated by infection of BALB/c mouse primary spleen cells with combinations of three retroviruses encoding v-myc, v-ras, and v-myc/v-raf. Proliferating cell lines were isolated only rarely, and after long crisis periods, following the introduction of myc and raf by infection with J2 virus, or of myc and ras by coinfection with myc309 and raszip6 viruses. However, sequential infections with all three viruses--myc plus ras cells reinfected with J2, or J2 followed by myc plus ras coinfection--resulted in rapid outgrowth of cell lines which grew at high growth rates to high densities. When cells were treated with anti-IgG F(ab')2/IL-4/IL-5 to specifically stimulate B cells, cell lines were isolated readily by infection with myc plus ras alone, J2 alone, or all three viruses. These cell lines arose after shorter crisis times and all grew at high growth rates and to high densities. Analysis of cell surface markers and immunoglobulin gene arrangement revealed no lymphoid characteristics in any of the lines. Four cell lines express all three macrophage markers analyzed (F4/80, Mac1, FcR), and many others are Mac1+ and/or FcR+. Out of 20 immortalized cell lines tested, 13 show clonal growth in soft agar, and 3/6 of these produced tumors in BALB/c mice, indicating that fully transformed cells may be isolated by these procedures. In at least one of the cell lines, integration of all three infecting viruses has occurred.     

Effect of insulin pump therapy on blood pressure and the renin-angiotensin system of diabetic rats

Insulin therapy, administered by continuous subcutaneous infusion with osmotic pumps over a 28 day period at doses of 2.5 and 5.0 units/day, resulted in a statistically significant increase in body weight of diabetic rats. The concentration of blood glucose was reduced by 68% to 109 mg/dl blood sugar by the higher dose of insulin and only partial control of diabetes was achieved by the lower dose (185 mg/dl blood sugar, -39%). Blood pressure was normalized by both doses of insulin. Elevated serum angiotensin converting enzyme activity and plasma renin activity, expressed as generated angiotensin I, were unaffected by the lower dose of insulin, but were reduced by 26% and 40%, respectively at the higher dose. These data suggest that elevated serum ACE and plasma renin activity, commonly found in the streptozotocin-diabetic rat, may not be primarily responsible for hypertension in this model.     

Receptor-independent catabolism of low density lipoprotein. Involvement of the reticuloendothelial system

In this study we examine the effects of intravenous ethyl oleate emulsions on the metabolism of native and cyclohexanedione-modified human low density lipoprotein in rabbits. Treatment produced a highly significant fall in receptor-independent catabolism as measured by the fractional clearance rate of cyclohexanedione-modified low density lipoprotein. Receptor-dependent catabolism (the difference between the fractional clearance rates of native and cyclohexanedione-modified low density lipoprotein) was variably affected with some animals showing a decrease in receptor activity. These data suggest that the reticuloendothelial system makes a substantial contribution to receptor-independent low density lipoprotein catabolism in the rabbit.     

Epidermal growth factor induces tyrosine hydroxylase in a clonal pheochromocytoma cell line, PC-G2

We have previously described the isolation of a clonal cell line (PC-G2) in which the level of tyrosine hydroxylase (TH), the rate-limiting step in the synthesis of the catecholamine neurotransmitters, is induced by nerve growth factor (NGF). We now report that epidermal growth factor (EGF) also induces TH in the PC-G2 cell line. Although EGF has been shown to be mitogenic for many cultured cells, no neuronal function has been previously reported for this protein. The TH response to EGF is elicited in a dose-dependent fashion at concentrations as low as 0.1 ng/ml and is maximal at 10 ng/ml EGF. The maximal response is observed after 3--4 d of exposure to 10 ng/ml EGF. The induction by NGF and EGF is inhibited by their respective antisera. Dexamethasone, a synthetic glucocorticoid which we have previously shown modulates the response of PC-G2 cells to NGF, also modulates the TH induction elicited by EGF.     

Binding of ADP to beef-heart mitochondrial ATPase (F1)

1. ADP binding to beef-heart mitochondrial ATPase (F₁), in the absence of Mg²⁺, has been determined by separating the free ligand by ultrafiltration and determining it in the filtrate by a specially modified isotachophoretic procedure.2. Since during the binding experiments the ‘tightly’ bound ADP (but not the ATP) dissociates, it is necessary to take this into account in calculating the binding parameters.3. The binding data show that only one tight binding site (K_d about 0.5 μM) for ADP is present.4. It is not possible to calculate from the binding data alone the number of or the dissociation constants for the weak binding sites. It can be concluded, however, that the latter is not less than about 50 μM.     

Chaotropic resolution of high molecular weight (type I) NADH dehydrogenase, and reassociation of flavin-rich (type II) and flavin-poor subunits.

1. Type-I NADH dehydrogenase (Complex I) was solubilized and dissociated into subunits by NaClO4. NADH slows the dissociation. On subsequent stepwise addition of (NH4)2SO4 the dissociation is partly reversed, as is to be expected from the opposing effects of ClO-4 and SO-24, which are on the salting-in and salting-out sides, respectively, of the lyotropic series. 2. In consequence, the aggregates of subunits that are separated by (NH4)2-SO4 fractionation consist of randomly associated subunits as well as fragments of Type I enzyme. The fraction precipitating at 27% satd. (NH4)2SO4 is flavin-poor, that remaining soluble at 55% satd. (NH4)2SO4 flavin-rich and those separating between 27 and 55% satd. (NH4)2SO4 intermediate in composition. 3. The fraction remaining soluble at 55% satd. (NH4)2SO4 contains the purified low-molecular-weight iron-sulphur flavoprotein (Type-II dehydrogenase). It is a dimer consisting of one molecule of FMN, one 28-kilodalton and one 56-kilodalton subunit per protomer. Work of others indicates that it contains 4 Fe and 4 acid-labile S atoms per molecule of FMN. Sometimes the fraction remaining soluble at 55% satd. (NH4)2SO4 contained an additional small subunit (12 kilodaltons) and four additional Fe and acid labile S atoms per protomer. The sedimentation coefficients (s020,w) of the two preparations were 5.3 and 6.6 S, respectively, with calculated frictional ratios of 1.5 and 1.24, respectively. 4. The intermediate fractions are mixtures of the various subunits present in Complex I. Specifically a fraction separating at 55% satd. (NH4)2SO4 was found to be a mixture of two fragments, the pure iron-sulphur flavoprotein and a 26-S fragment that contained per protomer four subunits of 12 kilodaltons, one each of 28, 32, 56 and 77 kilodaltons, one molecule of FMN and 20 Fe and acid-labile S atoms. It was probably tetrameric or even larger. 5. The oxidoreductase activity of the intermediate fractions is dependent on the protein concentration, the activity with ferricyanide increasing and that with ferricytochrome c decreasing with increasing protein concentration. This is interpreted as an increased association of subunits present in the intermediate fractions. Similar results are obtained when flavin-rich and flavin-poor fractions are mixed. The association is cooperative. NADH favours the association of the subunits. 6. Association of the subunits is accompanied by a 10-fold increase in k2 (rate constant for intramolecular electron flow), a 10-fold decrease of the accessibility of ferricyanide to the reduced enzyme and a 10(4)-fold decrease of the accessibility of ferricytochrome c. The Ks (NADH) is also decreased. Although the changes are in the direction to be expected from a conversion of Type II enzyme to Type I, the value of k2 is still much less than in the latter enzyme.     

Proteins required for the binding of mitrochondrial ATPase to the mitochondrial inner membrane.

1. Isolated F1 (mitochondrial ATPase) binds to urea-treated submitochondrial particles suspended in sucrose/Tris/EDTA with a dissociation constant of 0.1 muM. 2. About one-third of the F1 and the oligomycin-sensitivity conferring protein (OSCP) are lost during preparation of submitochondrial particles prepared at high pH (A particles). None is lost from particles treated with trypsin (T particles). 3. After further treatment with alkali of urea-treated particles, binding of F1 requires the addition of OSCP. Maximum binding is reached when both OSCP and Fc2 are added. The concentration of F1-binding sites in the presence of both OSCP and Fc2 is about the same as that in TU particles. 4. After further extraction with silicotungstate of urea- and alkali-treated particles, OSCP no longer induces binding of F1, unless Fc2 is also present. Fc2 induces binding in the absence of OSCP but with a lower binding constant and, in contrast to results under all the other conditions studied in this paper, the ATPase activity is oligomycin insensitive. 5. It is tentatively concluded that OSCP is the binding site for F1 and Fc2 is the binding site for OSCP.     

EPR studies on the respiratory chain of wild-type Saccharomyces cerevisiae and mutants with a deficiency in succinate dehydrogenase

1. Three nuclear mutants of Saccharomyces cerevisiae deficient in succinate dehydrogenase have been isolated. Two of these mutants are allelic.

2. The amount of covalently bound flavin of submitochondrial particles of the two allelic mutants is about 14% and that of the third mutant about 50% of the amount in wild-type particles. The turnover number of succinate dehydrogenase of particles is decreased in all mutants. The turnover number of fumarate reductase is increased in the two allelic mutants, but decreased in the third mutant.

3. EPR spectra, measured at 82 °K, show that the amplitude of the g = 1.93 signal in particles of the two allelic mutants is less than 10% of that in wild-type particles. It is concluded that iron-sulphur centres other than those of succinate dehydrogenase make only a negligible contribution to the line at g = 1.93 in wild-type particles.

4. EPR measurements below 20 °K show that the amplitude of the signal at g = 2.01 detected in oxidized particles is decreased in particles of the two allelic mutants.

5. A signal with lines at g = 2.027 and g = 1.933 is detected at low temperatures in all particle preparations, even in those from a cytoplasmic petite mutant. It is suggested that this signal is derived from a contaminant and not from the inner membrane.