Properties and fate of plasma fibronectin bound to the tissue culture substratum

Plasma fibronectin (pFn) is a serum protein which, when adsorbed to a glass or plastic substratum, mediates the adhesion of fibroblasts in culture. We have studied some of the details of its adsorption and subsequent fate. By using ¹²⁵l-labeled pFn, we show that a substratum incubated with pFn adsorbs approximately 0.4 μg/cm² pFn (a monomolecular layer), and one incubated with medium containing serum adsorbs approximately 7 ng/cm² pFn (a 12-fold enrichment relative to a random selection of the soluble proteins). SDS-polyacrylamide gel electrophoresis (SDS-PAGE) suggests the bound serum proteins (eluted with SDS) are primarily BSA and β-globulins. The bound pFn adheres so tightly, though, that most resists elution, as assayed (1) with pFn radioiodinated before binding, (2) with pFn radioiodinated after binding, or (3) by the cell spreading activity of the bound pFn retained after SDS treatment. Under culture conditions, there is a continuous “turnover” of substratum-bound pFn: soluble pFn can bind to a serum-coated substratum, while bound pFn is gradually removed by incubation with serum proteins. The presence of fibroblasts increases the rate of this removal several-fold. By SDS-PAGE the material removed (as well as that eluted from the substratum with SDS after cell detachment) is intact pFn or large (possibly proteolytically generated) fragments. Thus, pFn binds preferentially to the tissue culture substratum, but can be removed subsequently by the combined action of cells and other serum proteins.     

Isolation of an Hfr donor of Pseudomonas aeruginosa PAO by insertion of the plasmid RP1 into the tryptophan synthase gene

Summary A derivative of the IncP-1 plasmid RP1, temperature-sensitive for maintenance, was inserted into the Pseudomonas aeruginosa chromosome by selection for a plasmid marker (carbenicillin resistance) at nonppermissive temperature. In one strain, PAO 1000, the plasmid was stably integrated in the trpA, B gene cluster mapped at 27 min, as shown by the following evidence. (i) Trp⁺ transductants lost all plasmid markers. (ii) Cleared lysates of PAO 1000 showed no plasmid band typical of the autonomous RP1 in agarose gel electrophoresis. (iii) No transfer of carbenicillin resistance by PAO 1000 was detectable. (iv) PAO 1000 mobilised the chromosome from an origin at, or very near, the plasmid insertion site with high frequency (recovery of proximal markers 10^–3 per donor). Matings on the plate with and without interruption of conjugation showed that chromosome transfer was unidirectional. (v) Recombinants from PAO 1000-mediated crosses did not inherit plasmid markers or the trpA, B mutation. A derivative of PAO 1000 was obtained which had lost the Hfr property and all plasmid markers except carbenicillin resistance. This strain (PAO 1001), when carrying the autonomous RP1 plasmid, was capable of unidirectional chromosome mobilisation like PAO 1000, but with 50-fold lower efficiency. We propose that integration of the temperature-sensitive RP1 plasmid in PAO 1000 occurred via transposition of Tnl, the element specifying carbenicillin resistance.     

Peptidase activity in the inner membrane of Pseudomonas aeruginosa

The location of peptidase activity within the cell envelope structure of Pseudomonas aeruginosa has been studied. Inner and outer membrane fractions were separated on the basis of buoyant density using two consecutive sucrose steps gradients and identified on the basis of known components. The inner membrane was shown to contain peptidase activity while the outer membrane contained none. These data support the hypothesis that P. aeruginosa transports intact peptides.     

Properties of an endonuclease activity in Micrococcus luteus acting on gamma-irradiated DNA and on apurinic DNA

A protein fraction from Micrococcus luteus with endonuclease activity against gamma-irradiated DNA was isolated and characterized. An additional activity on apurinic sites could not be separated, either by sucrose gradient sedimentation or by gel filtration through Sephadex G 100. From gel filtration, a molecular weight of about 25 000 was calculated for both endonuclease activities. The endonuclease activity against gamma-irradiated DNA was stimulated five-fold with 5 mM Mg++, whereas that against apurinic sites was less dependent on the Mg++ concentration. 100 mM KCl inhibited the gamma-ray endonuclease, but not the apurinic endonuclease activity. In gamma-irradiated RNA the protein recognized 1.65 endonuclease sensitive sites per radiation induced single-strand break, among which are 0.45 alkali labile lesions in the nucleotide strand. The affinity of the enzyme for the endonuclease sensitive site was evaluated resulting in a Km-value of 73 nM.     

Human renal renin. Complete purification and characterization

Complete purification of human renin from noncancerous, autopsied kidneys is reported. A 480,000-fold purification was achieved to yield renin with a specific activity of 950 Goldblatt units/mg. This preparation satisfied multiple criteria of purity as tested by polyacrylamide gel electrophoresis, isoelectric focusing, specific activity, analytical ultracentrifugation, and immunodouble diffusion. The molecular weight of the pure enzyme determined by sedimentation equilibrium is 40,000. The apparent molecular weight estimated by gel filtration is 41,000. The enzyme has an isoelectric point of pH 5.7. Human renin shows an affinity for concanavalin A, suggesting the presence of carbohydrates. These properties and the amino acid composition of human renin are different from those of renin obtained from other mammalian species. Human renin antibodies prepared with the pure enzyme preparation showed negligible cross-reactivity with renin from other mammalian species. The activity with homologous human renin substrate has a pH optimum of 6, whereas with substrates from other mammalian species the optima were in higher or lower pH ranges.     

Characterization of cloned murine cytolytic T cell lines

Murine cytolytic T lymphocytes can be kept in continuous culture apparently indefinitely by repeated passage in a concanavalin A-induced growth promoting medium. Some of these long-term cell lines maintain their cytolytic activity. Starting from three such populations, several cloned cytolytic T cell lines were derived and subsequently subcloned one or more times. Considerable variation in the levels of cytolytic activity was observed between different subclones; some initially active subclones lost activity with prolonged culture. In addition, one of the clones appeared to progressively lose the relative specificity demonstrated during the earlier passages of the parent cell line.     

Flavin-dependent substrate photo-oxidation as a chemical model of dehydrogenase action.

As a model of flavin-dependent biological dehydrogenation, flavin-sensitized photodehydrogenation and photodecarboxylation were studied by variation of substrate, flavin, pH and solvent. Evidence for the following rules is given. (1) When the reactive site of a photosubstrate is an alpha-carbon atom of the type CH-CO2-, decarboxylation is preferred over dehydrogenation, whereas the reverse is true for the neutral CH-CO2H. (2) Consequently these reactions do not exhibit a measurable isotope effect with C2H-CO2-, in contrast with the findings by Penzer, Radda, Taylor & Taylor [(1970) Vitam. Horm. (N.Y.) 28, 441--466], which could not be reproduced. When the substate does not contain a carboxylate group, isotope effects occur, in verification of previous reports, e.g. for benzyl alcohol C6H5-C2H20H. (3) The mechanism of flavin-sensitized substrate photodecarboxylation is assumed to consist in a primary carbanion fixation at the flavin nucleus (position 4a, 5 or 8) with concomitant liberation of CO2. This step is followed by rapid fragmentation of the adduct CH-Fl-red., provided that the substrate contains a functional and electron-donating group X, e.g. X = OH, OCH3 or NH2 (but not NH3+ !) in X CH-CO2-. (4) The minimal requirement for flavin-sensitized C-H dehydrogenation is the presence of a hydroxyl group. For example, methanol as substrate and solvent is dehydrogenated at pH sufficiently alkaline for detection of the presence of the active species CH3O-, whereas at more acidic pH substrate dehydrogenation is competing with flavin autophotolysis, which depends on the substituents in the flavin nucleus.     

Electrophoretic mobilities and diffusion coefficients of hemoglobin at high pH.

Diffusion studies by photon correlation of scattered laser light confirm the dissociation of the tetrameric form of human carboxyhemoglobin to dimers above pH 10 and provide new estimates of the subunit dissociation equilibrium constants in this pH range. Electrophoretic light-scattering experiments under the same conditions reveal that the electrophoretic mobilities of tetramers and dimers are indistinguishable to within instrumental resolution (ca. 7% in these experiments). The data imply an increase of the electrical charge on the dimer of at least 2.8 to 4.4 net negative charges upon dissociation. Mechanisms for the accumulation of negative charge by the dimer upon dissociation of the tetramer are proposed.