Oxidation-reduction reactions of hemoglobin A, hemoglobin M Iwate, and hemoglobin M Hyde Park

The kinetics and equilibrium of the redox reactions of hemoglobin A, hemoglobin M Iwate, and hemoglobin M Hyde Park using the iron (II) and iron (III) complexes of trans-1,2-diaminocyclohexane-N,N,N',N'-tetraacetate (CDTA4-) as the reducing and oxidizing agents have been studied. With respect to the equilibrium it was found that hemoglobin M Iwate (where the beta chains were reduced) was more readily reduced than hemoglobin M Hyde Park (where the alpha chains are reduced). This difference was shown to be a result of a difference in the rate constant for reduction but not oxidation. The observed rate contants for the reduction of all three hemoglobins were shown to decrease with increasing pH. This was attributed to a decrease in the [T]/[R] ratio. The observed rate contants for the oxidation reaction were shown to increase with increasing pH. Accompanying this increase was a change in the kinetic profile for hemoglobin A from pseudo first order to one in which the rate increased as the extent of reaction increased. Inositol hexaphosphate had no effect on the rate of oxidation of deoxyhemoglobin A. This was a result of binding of FeCDTA2- or HCDTA3- to the protein. However, in the presence of inositol hexaphosphate, the reduction of methemoglobin A exhibited biphasic kinetics. This result was interpreted in terms of the production of a small amount of a conformation which was more readily reduced.     

Effect of calcium on extraction of Z-band proteins from I-Z-I brushes of rabbit striated muscle.

1. When rabbit striated muscle I-Z-I brushes were subjected to eleven extractions with three different extracting solutions, relatively more amount of proteins was extracted in the presence of 1 nM CaCl2 than in the presence of 5 mM EDTA or 5 mM ethyleneglycol-bisp(beta-aminoethylether)-N,N,N1,N1-tetra-acetic acid (EGTA). Among proteins extracted in the presence of 1 mM CaCl2, the protein components with molecular weights of 85,000, 95,000 and 220,000 were included, whereas these were not extracted in the other two. 2. Co-electrophoreses of 220,000 dalton protein and myosin heavy chain showed that these two protein components were distinct from each other. 3. Roles of Ca2+ are discussed on disintegration processes of I-Z-I brushes in special reference to its co-operative action with calcium-activated factor enzyme.     

Cell surface protein decreases microvilli and ruffles on transformed mouse and chick cells.

Transformation of cultured fibroblasts usually results in a decrease in a high molecular weight cell surface glycoprotein (LETS protein) and often in increased numbers of surface microvilli and ruffles. We have isolated such a major cell surface glycoprotein from chick embryo fibroblasts; this protein, CSP, is decreased after transformation. Treatment of a mouse tumor cell line (SV1), L929 cells, and transformed chick fibroblasts with CSP results in a decrease in the number of microvilli and marginal ruffles, accompanied by restoration of a more normal morphology.     

Effects of 2,4-substituents of deuteroheme upon the stability of the oxy-form and compound I of horseradish peoxidases.

The stability of oxyperoxidases increased in the order meso- < proto < chlorocruoro- < diacetylperoxidases, which was an increasing order of electron-withdrawing capacities of 2,4-substituents of deuteroheme and the ratio of Δlogk₁toΔpK₃ was approximately 0.6 in the two series of isoenzyme preparations, horseradish peroxidases A and (B + C), where k₁andpK₃ represent a rate constant for conversion from an oxyperoxidase to the ferric enzyme and a measure of basicity of pyrrole nitrogen of the substituted deuterohemes, respectively. Deutero-oxyperoxidases A and (B + C) were definitely more stable than expected from the above linear relationship. The stability of peroxidase Compound I also varied with the 2,4-substituents, but it did not necessarily correlate with electron-withdrawing capacities of the substituents. Natural peroxidases formed relatively stable Compound I in both series of the isoenzymes. From these results it was concluded that the stability of oxyperoxidases was affected by the electron density at the iron atom of the enzyme while steric factors might be involved in stabilizing Compound I.     

On the active streaming experiment of actomyosin solutions in glass microcapillaries.

The active-streaming experiments of Oplatka et al. (Oplatka, A. and Tirosh, R. (1973) Biochim. Biophys. Acta 305, 684-688 and Oplatka, A. Gadasi, H., Tirosh, R. Lamed, Y., Muhlrad, A. and Liron, N. (1974) J. Mechanochem. Cell Motil. 2, 295-306) with actomyosin solution in a glass microcapillary is reexamined under various conditions with several kinds of reference material. It is found that vigorous streaming took place in the actomyosin solution as reported by Oplatka et al. However, streaming which is indistinguishable from that observed in the actomyosin solution in the presence of actomyosin ATPase activity also occurred, even when the ATPase activity was blocked. The streaming also cannot be confirmed as being active when using acto-heavy meromyosin solution. There is a possibility that the streaming experiment provides interesting information on the microscopic state of solutions which is not directly related to the chemo-mechanical conversion.     

Endocrine function in a case of beta-adrenergic hyperdynamic circulatory state.

Endocrine functions were investigated in a case of "beta-adrenergic hyperdynamic circulatory state". This state was diagnosed by (1) typical symptoms of cardiac awareness, (2) physical findings (increments of pulse rate and blood pressure by changing positions or walking), (3) increase in cardiac output (5.25 l/min leads to 14.03 l/min) and decrease in circulatory time (10.8 sec leads to 5.5 sec) by isoproterenol infusion (0.02 mug/min/kg body weight), (4) rapid loss of symptoms and above findings by propranolol treatment (30 mg per os daily) and reappearance by discontinuing medication. The mechanism of insulin response to glucose has been a controversy as to whether the secretion is transmitted by beta-receptor or independent glucose receptor. And in this physiologic beta-adrenergic state, it was found that insulin responses in IVGTT and OGTT were within normal limit. When beta-adrenergic condition was corrected by propranolol treatment, insulin responses were shown lowered, though in the normal range. This could be reproduced by discontinuing medication. Insulin, glucagon and growth hormone secretions caused by arginine were also found normal, but during the period the patient was on propranolol therapy, all responses were decreased, within the normal range. These results do not positively support the idea that glucose receptor is linked to beta-receptor. They do not either agree with the contention that secretions of insulin, glucagon and growth hormone induced by arginine are mediated through beta-receptors.     

The synergetic enzyme theory of muscular contraction: II Relation between Hill's equations and functions of two-headed myosin.

Based on the assumption of nonidentical two heads of myosin it is pointed out that a strong motive force is generated in actomyosin pair only when ATP-decomposition occurs co-operatively at the both heads and that the tension-independent part of shortening heat is liberated when an ATP molecule is decomposed only at the burst head. These two actions of actomyosin pair are related to the two states of force-generator in Huxley-Simmons' model. Elementary cycles at different positions in a sarcomere are interacted each other through feedback loop via sliding motion of muscular filaments. Due to this synergetic interaction the rate constant for the rate-determining step of elementary cycle has a dependence on velocity v of shortening such as k = k ° + κv. From these functions and properties of actomyosin system in vivo, the following properties of muscle are explained consistently in a quantitative manner: (1) Hill's equation on the relationship between tension and velocity of shortening, (2) damped oscillations in tension and in muscular length around steady state, (3) Hill's energy equation improved in 1964, (4) the chemical equivalence of shortening heat, (5) the influence of tension on the incorporation of radio-active phosphate into ATP and (6) the asymmetric activation by actomyosin system only for the forward reaction, the decomposition of ATP.     

Influence of clay minerals on sorption of bacteriolytic enzymes

Myxobacteria presumably produce extracellular bacteriolytic enzymes when they are growing in soil. In order to study their ecological significance, adsorption experiments were performed with lytic enzymes produced byMyxococcus virescens in casitone media. Different soils as well as montmorillonite and kaolinite can rapidly adsorb the bacteriolytic but not the proteolytic enzymes. About 1 gm of montmorillonite per liter of cell-free culture solution is enough for the adsorption of 97% of the bacteriolytic enzymes. The adsorption per unit weight is about 100 times greater on montmorillonite than on kaolinite. About 40% of the adsorbed enzymes can be eluted with solutions of high pH or high ionic strength. The only desorbed bacteriolytic enzyme is the alanyl-∈-N-lysine endopeptidase.     

Staining of Some Specific Regions of Human Chromosomes,particularly the Secondary Constriction of No. 9

SEVERAL procedures have been described recently which produce specific patterns of differential staining in human chromosomes^1–9. Techniques which involve DNA denaturation and reannealing reveal deeply stained areas on centromere and secondary constriction regions which have been equated with constitutive heterochromatin⁹.