Free radical modification of lipoproteins and cholesterol accumulation in cells upon atherosclerosis.

An electron spin probe study was made of the effect of lipid peroxidation (LPO) on the structure of surface proteolipid layer of human serum low-density lipoproteins (LDL). The results obtained with a positively charged spin label and stearic acid spin probes with doxyl labels at positions 5, 12, and 16 revealed that LPO caused a decrease in phospholipid molecule mobility both in the region of polar heads and in the region of acyl chains till the depth of at least 1.7 mm from water-lipid interface. Under relatively high levels of oxidation (more than 6 mumol MDA/g LDL phospholipid) the polarity of lipid phase increased. The decrease in efficiency of tryptophan fluorescence quenching by nitroxide fragments incorporated in hydrophobic regions at the depth of approximately 2 nm from water-lipid interface indicated that lipid-protein interaction was disturbed as a result of oxidation of LDL lipids. In addition, the LPO-induced modification of apo-B, the main protein of LDL, was examined with maleimide spin label. LPO led to increase in mobility of strongly immobilized maleimide labels and in the number of weakly immobilized ones. Oxidized LDL revealed decreased ability to incorporate spin-labeled steroid (androstane) as compared to native ones. LPO-induced structural changes of LDL surface are supposed to be a reason of enhanced accumulation of cholesterol in human monocytes during their incubation with oxidized LDL. The cholesterol content in red cells was shown to be directly correlated to MDA content in apo-B containing lipoproteins but not in whole serum. Our findings suggest that free radical modification of serum lipoproteins but not solely an increased level of LPO products in blood is one important cause for cholesterol accumulation in cells and, apparently, for their transformation into foam cells during atherosclerosis.     

The use of cross-linking platinum reagents in the study of tRNA and mRNA interaction with ribosomes

The use of some bifunctional Pt(II)-containing cross-linking reagents for investigation of structural organization of ribosomal tRNA- and mRNA-binding centres is demonstrated for various types of [70S ribosome.mRNA-tRNA] complexes. It is shown that treatment of the complexes [70S ribosome.Ac[14C]Phe-tRNA(Phe).poly(U)], [70S ribosome.3'-32pCp-tRNA(Phe).poly(U)] and [70S ribosome.f[35S]Met-tRNA(fMet).AUGU6] with Pt(II)-derivatives results in covalent attachment of tRNA to ribosome. AcPhe-tRNA(Phe) and 3'-pCp-tRNA(Phe) bound at the P site were found to be cross-linked preferentially to 30S subunit. fMet-tRNA(fMet) within the 70S initiation complex is cross-linked to both ribosome subunits approximately in the same extent, which exceeds two-fold the level of the tRNA(Phe) cross-linking. All used tRNA species were cross-linked in the comparable degree both to rRNA and proteins of both subunits in all types of the complexes studied. 32pAUGU6 cross-links exclusively to 30S subunit (to 16S RNA only) within [70S ribosome.32pAUGU6.fMet-tRNA(fMet)] complex. In the absence of fMet-tRNAfMet the level of the cross-linking is 4-fold lower.     

Change in potassium ion homeostasis of the crystalline lens in mice with hereditary cataracts (the CatFr line)

Fraeser mouse lens morphology and potassium homeostasis were studied. It was shown that just at the age of one month mouse lens exposed "bull" cells which could be observed in patients with senile cataract as well. Nucleated fusiform extended cells were found 4 months later in the central part of the lens which was not typical for this part of the whole normal lens. Studied homogenates of 34 mice with hereditary cataract demonstrated statistically significant increase (1.5-fold about) in K+-content estimated for the whole lens weight as compared to the control group (38 lens). The difference in potassium content in aqueous humor between affected and control animals was statistically indistinguishable. The role of potassium ions in Fraeser cataract pathogenesis is discussed.     

Radioprotective activity, toxicity and mechanism of action of bis-(beta-dimethyl octyl ammonium ethyl)disulfide

Disulfide bis-(beta-dimethyl octyl ammonium ethyl) and some of its analogues were shown to have a radioprotective effect. It is suggested that the mechanism of radioprotective action of quaternary ammonium compounds involves both a temporary inhibition of DNA synthesis in radiosensitive tissues and inhibition of oxidative processes in the organism.     

Changes in the system of cyclic nucleotides in irradiated body tissues

It has been shown that the content of cAMP in the rat thymus, spleen, and liver 1 and 3 days after gamma-radiation with 7.5 Gy decreases, and that of cGMP increases. Analogous dynamics has been revealed when studying adenylate cyclase and guanylate cyclase activities. The activity of cAMP and cGMP phosphodiesterases increased during the first period of study but subsequently it showed no distinction from the initial data level. The revealed postradiation changes in the content of cyclic nucleotides seem to be basically caused by the cyclases activity alterations.     

Affinity modification of Escherichia coli ribosomes with 2',3'-O-[4-(N-2-chloroethyl)-N-methylamino]-benzylidene derivative of AUGU3 in the 70S initiation complexes

Affinity labelling of the Escherichia coli ribosomes with the 2',3'-O-[4-(N-(2-chloroethyl)-N-methylamino]benzylidene derivative of AUGU3(AUGU3[14C]CHRCl) has been studied within 70S initiation complexes ribosome.AUGU3[14C]CHRCl.fMet-tRNA(Metf) and binary complex ribosome.AUGU3[14C]CHRCl. Various ways of the 70S initiation complex formation resulted in differently labelled products. Proteins S5, S7, S9, L1, L16 were thus identified as cross-linked with AUGU3[14C]CHRCl within an initiation complex obtained in the presence of initiation factors IF-1, IF-2, IF-3, whereas only proteins S5 and S7 were cross-linked within the complex obtained with the sole factor IF-2. Proteins S1, S3, L1 and L33 were labelled within the initiation complex obtained nonenzymatically but only protein S1 within the binary complex. In all complexes formed with use of initiation factors labelling of IF-2 factor was invariably observed.     

Reactivation of superoxide dismutase by the helium-neon laser irradiation

When incubating SOD for two hours in the buffer with pH 6.0 practically complete loss of the activity of enzyme was observed at insignificant changes of the absorption spectra in the region of 450 and 680 nm. Irradiation of SOD solution with helium-neon laser resulted in the dose-dependent reduction of spectral and enzymic properties. Similar effect of the red light was also observed when SOD was inactivated with hydrogen peroxide: laser irradiation brought about the reduction of initial absorption spectrum of the enzyme. One can believe that the therapeutic effect of helium-neon laser radiation is conditioned, at least partially, by photochemical reactivation of SOD inactivated under pathological conditions (inflammation, hypoxia) in the tissues.     

Differences in 23 S rRNA-protein neighbourhood in Escherichia coli 70 S ribosomes and 70 S initiation complex. Probing by bifunctional Pt(II)-containing reagent

rRNA-protein cross-links in free E. coli 35S-labeled 70 S ribosomes and in the initiation complex 35S-labeled 70 S ribosome.AUGU6.fMet-tRNA(fMet) were studied with the aid of a new type of binuclear Pt(II) compound - dichlorotetra-ammine(1,6-hexamethylenediaminediplatinum++ +) dichloride. The use of this reagent allowed us to reveal differences in the rRNA-protein neighbourhood in free 70 S ribosomes and in the initiation complex. Proteins L3, L6, L23 and L25 were shown to cross-link to 23 S rRNA only in the initiation complex, whereas proteins L1, L13, L14, L16, L17, L18, L22, L28 and S1 did so in both free ribosomes and the complex. 16 S rRNA was found to be cross-linked preferentially to a single protein, S1, in both states of the ribosomes.     

Kinetics of the interaction of ferrous oxide with oxidized lipids and possibility of chiluminescent determination of hydroperoxides]

The theory shows that for lipids containing hydroperoxides of unsaturated fatty acids there exists a verge concentration of Fe2+: at concentrations of Fe2+ lower than the verge one the peroxidation process develops autocatalytically and at higher concentrations it looks pulseshaped. In the second case the amplitude of pulse concentration of peroxide radicals and the square root from the maximum value of chemiluminescence intensity are proportional to the concentration of hydroperoxides present in the system at the time of ferrous ions injection. The former two values do not depend on the concentration of inoxidized fatty acids. In the experiments of chemiluminescence of partially oxidized linoleic acid and lecithin in methanol-benzene solutions (1 : 2) a perfect correlation between the experimental data and theoretical conclusions was revealed.     

Fluorimetric study of phospholipase A-induced efflux of Ca2+ from liposomes]

Artificial vesicles, liposomes, were prepared from the total fraction of phospholipids of rat liver mitochondria. Electron microscopy showed that the structure of liposomes depended on cation composition of the medium in which they were formed. Fluorescence of chlorotetracycline increased in the suspension of liposomes loaded with Ca+2 due to the formation of Ca+2-chlorotetracycline-phospholipid membrane complex. Incubation of liposome suspension with phospholipase A in the presence of EDTA resulted in a decrease of chlorotetracycline fluorescence indicating a break of the integrity of liposome membranes and Ca+2 efflux.