The metabolism of di-(3,5-di-tert.-butyl-4-hydroxybenzyl) ether (Ionox 201) in the rat

1. Up to one-third of a single oral dose of Ionox 201 was absorbed in rats. 2. In rats dosed with [(14)C]Ionox 201 86.8-97.2% of the label is excreted in the faeces in 24 days (much of this is eliminated in the first 4 days after dosage), 5.6% in the urine and not more than 0.8% in the exhaled air; 5.0% of (14)C is present in the carcass and viscera after removal of the gut, and most of this is in the fatty tissues. 3. About 65.0% of (14)C in the faeces is due to unchanged antioxidant, 30.0% to 3,5-di-tert.-butyl-4-hydroxybenzoic acid, 3.5% to unidentified polar constituent(s), 1.4% to 3,5-di-tert.-butyl-4-hydroxybenzaldehyde and 0.1% to 3,3',5,5'-tetra-tert.-butyl-4-,4'-stilbenequinone. A variable proportion of (14)C in the urine is due to 3,5-di-tert.-butyl-4-hydroxybenzoic acid (40-60%) and the remainder (60-40%) to the ester glucuronide, when the animals were treated with different doses of antioxidant. In eight individual animals dosed with 6.78mg. of [(14)C]Ionox 201, one-third of (14)C in the bile is due to the free acid, 45% to the ester glucuronide, 20% to an unidentified constituent and 2% to unchanged antioxidant, and, in two animals dosed with 13.56mg., there is a small proportion of free acid and a larger proportion of ester glucuronide. About 80% of (14)C in the body fat is due to unchanged antioxidant, 19% to the free acid and 1% to 3,5-di-tert.-butyl-4-hydroxybenzaldehyde. 4. At least 36.2% of a single oral dose of Ionox 201 is metabolized: 3,5-di-tert.-butyl-4-hydroxybenzoic acid accounts for 30.2% of a dose, (3,5-di-tert.-butyl-4-hydroxybenzoyl beta-d-glucopyranosid)uronic acid for 1.4%, 3,5-di-tert.-butyl-4-hydroxybenzaldehyde for 1.3%, 3,3',5,5'-tetra-tert.-butyl-4,4'-stilbenequinone for 0.1% and unidentified polar metabolite(s) for 3.2%. 5. The metabolism of Ionox 201 in vivo is closely related to its antioxidant action in vitro.     

Assignment of the human intestinal Na+/glucose cotransporter gene (SGLT1) to the q11.2----qter region of chromosome 22

The chromosomal location of the human intestinal Na+/glucose cotransporter gene (SGLT1) was determined using human cDNA and genomic probes for this transporter gene. Southern blot analysis of genomic DNA from 15 mouse-human somatic cell hybrids showed that the human gene for this transporter resides on chromosome 22. Analysis of hamster-human hybrids selectively retaining chromosome 22 or a portion of it allowed specific assignment of the locus to the q11.2----qter region of chromosome 22. A restriction fragment length polymorphism was identified with EcoRI.     

Glutamate agonists from marine algae

The occurrence of three glutamate agonists — glutamic acid, D-homocysteic acid and kainic acid — in a spontaneous mutant of Palmaria palmata is reported. Glutamic acid and D-homocysteic acid, but not kainic acid, were found in the wild-type plant. The closely related glutamate agonist, domoic acid, was found in the red alga Chondria baileyana and in the diatom Nitzschia pungens forma multiseries. In the diatom, domoic acid can build up to high levels in excess of 3% (dry wt.), making N. pungens a potential commercial source of this neuroactive amino acid. Information is also presented on the distribution, chemistry and biological activity of neuroactive amino acids from algae, and a possible biogenic relationship among kainoid metabolites is discussed. author for correspondence     

Crystal structure of plakalbumin, a proteolytically nicked form of ovalbumin. Its relationship to the structure of cleaved alpha-1-proteinase inhibitor

The crystal structure of plakalbumin, a proteolytically nicked form of ovalbumin, has been determined to a resolution of 2.8 A by the isomorphous replacement method and preliminary refinement. The structure closely resembles that of the cleaved form of alpha-1-proteinase inhibitor, with some important exceptions. The disposition of the new carboxyl chain terminus liberated by proteolysis is different with respect to the central beta-sheet A in the structures of these two molecules. In alpha-1-proteinase inhibitor, the new chain terminus inserts in beta-sheet A to add a middle strand to the sheet. In plakalbumin, this strand remains free near the site at which the cleavage occurs. A structural basis for this difference in behavior is proposed from the structures and sequences of these two molecules and other members of the serpin family. The structures and positions of the putative signal peptide of ovalbumin, the several post-translational modifications, and the relationship of the intron-exon patterns of plakalbumin and alpha-1-proteinase inhibitor to their protein structures are also described.     

Human immunodeficiency virus pseudotypes with expanded cellular and species tropism.

One mechanism for expanding the cellular tropism of a virus is through the formation of phenotypically mixed particles or pseudotypes, a process commonly occurring during viral assembly in cells infected with two or more viruses. We report here that dual infection of cells with human immunodeficiency virus (HIV) and a murine amphotropic retrovirus leads to the production of HIV pseudotypes that have acquired the host range of the amphotropic retrovirus and are capable of infecting not only CD4- human cells but also mouse cells. The replication of the HIV pseudotypes in the various CD4- cells was determined by measuring the appearance of HIV antigens in the supernatants, by cocultivation of CD4+ CEM cells with the infected CD4- cells, and in some cases by assaying the culture supernatants directly for infectious virus. Of the cells tested, human foreskin fibroblasts were the best host cells, and by in situ cytohybridization, we were able to document that all cells in the culture were infected. In addition, the temporal appearance of HIV-specific proteins in the HIV pseudotype-infected fibroblasts was similar to that seen in CD4+ CEM cells. If the human fibroblasts were first infected with the amphotropic retrovirus, they demonstrated the property of superinfection exclusion and were resistant to subsequent infection by the HIV pseudotype. In other cell lines, including the human glioblastoma-derived cell line U373MG, HeLa cells, BALB/c mouse embryo cells, and SC-1 wild mouse cells, although the HIV pseudotype infection appeared to be less efficient, substantial amounts of HIV were nevertheless produced. These results indicate that the HIV (amphotropic retrovirus) pseudotypes may be useful for studying the molecular biology of HIV infections in a wide range of cells.     

Uptake of lysine and prolinevia separate α-neutral amino acid transport pathways inMytilus gill brush border membranes

Summary Brush border membrane vesicles (BBMV) were prepared from the gills of the marine mussel,Mytilus edulis. These membranes contained two distinct pathways for cotransport of Na⁺ and -neutral amino acids. The major pathway in mussel gill BBMV was the alanine-lysine (AK) pathway, which had a high affinity for alanine and for the cationic amino acid, lysine. The AK pathway was inhibited by nonpolar -neutral amino acids and cationic amino acids, but was not affected by -neutral amino acids or imino acids. The kinetics of lysine transport were consistent with a single saturable process, with aJ _max of 550 pmol/mg-min and aK _t of 5 m. The AK pathway did not have a strict requirement for Na⁺, and concentrative transport of lysine was seen in the presence of inwardly directed gradients of Li⁺ and K⁺, as well as Na⁺. Harmaline inhibited the transport of lysine in solutions containing either Na⁺ or K⁺. The alanine-proline (AP) pathway transported both alanine and proline in mussel gill BBMV. The AP pathway was strongly inhibited by nonpolar -neutral amino acids, proline, and -(methylamino)isobutyric acid (Me-AIB). The kinetics of proline transport were described by a single saturable process, with aJ _max of 180 pmol/mg-min andK _t of 4 m. In contrast to the AK pathway, the AP pathway appeared to have a strict requirement for Na⁺. Na⁺-activation experiments with lysine and proline revealed sigmoid kinetics, indicating that multiple Na⁺ ions are involved in the transport of these substrates. The transport of both lysine and proline was affected by membrane potential in a manner consistent with electrogenic transport.