Sensitivity of rat forebrain neurons to growth hormone-releasing hormone

The effects of iontophoretically applied human pancreatic growth hormone-releasing factor (hpGRF), peptide histidine isoleucine (PHI-27), and somatostatin (SS) on the extracellular activity of single cells in the hypothalamus, thalamus, and cortex of the rat brain were studied in urethane-anesthetized, male rats. Neurons with membrane sensitivity to hpGRF, PHI-27, and SS were present in each brain region. Although neurons excited by these peptides were encountered in thalamus and hypothalamus, depression of neuronal firing was the predominant response observed. Overall, the neurons responding to hpGRF also possessed membrane sensitivity to PHI-27, whereas, the hpGRF sensitive neurons appeared to be more divided as to their ability to respond to SS. The results clearly demonstrate that hpGRF and PHI-27 are capable of affecting the membrane excitability of neurons in several brain regions. The distribution of neurons sensitive to hpGRF suggests that hypothalamic GRF, in addition to its well documented role in the regulation of pituitary growth hormone secretion, may subserve other physiological events in the rat central nervous system as a neurotransmitter and/or neuromodulator.     

Polyamine-sensitive protein kinase from chick intestinal mucosa

Summary A cyclic nucleotide-independent protein kinase which phoshorylates preferentially acidic proteins such as casein or phosvitin was isolated from cytosol of chick duodenal mucosa. The enzyme was purified more than 633 fold to apparent homogeneity by ammonium sulfate fractionation, column chromatography on DEAE-cellulose, phosphocellulose, hydroxylapatite and by sucrose density gradient centrifugation. The native enzyme has a molecular weight of 131000 as measured by gel filtration. The enzyme is a complex protein containing three polypeptides of molecular weight of 39 000, 36 000 and 27 000. It behaves as a complex throughout its purification and gel filtration but its components are readily separated by electrophoresis in denaturing buffer. The 27 000 molecular weight band was selectively autophosphorylated when the enzyme was incubated in the presence of [-³²P]ATP.When casein was used as substrate, physiological concentrations of naturally occurring polyamines such as spermine and spermidine markedly stimulated enzyme activity. However with phosvitin as substrate polyamines were strong inhibitors of the enzyme activity. This contrasting effect on intestinal kinase activity was also apparent using cytoplasmic proteins as endogenous phosphate acceptors. A characterization of this differential effect is presented and some possible physiological implications are discussed.     

Immobilization of pig muscle 3-phosphoglycerate kinase

3-Phosphoglycerate kinase (ATP:3-phospho-d-glycerate 1-phosphotransferase, EC 2.7.2.3) has been covalently immobilized on a polyacrylamide-type support containing carboxylic groups activated by water-soluble carbodiimide. The activity was 88 units g^?1 xerogel. The activity versus pH profile showed a sharper maximum at pH 6.5 in the case of the immobilized enzyme. The immobilized enzyme had a broad apparent optimum temperature range between 40 and 50°C. The apparent K_m values of the immobilized 3-phosphoglycerate kinase were lower for both 3-phosphoglycerate and ATP than those of the soluble enzyme. In the case of the immobilized enzyme stabilities were enhanced.     

Modification of the gene 5 DNA unwinding protein with ruthenium

A chemical modification of the gene 5 DNA binding protein (G5BP) from bacteriophage fd was investigated using X-ray diffraction and difference Fourier analysis. The crystalline protein was reacted with pentaammineruthenium (III) trichloride, Ru(NH₃)₅Cl₃, a reagent believed specific for histidine residues and useful in NMR and chemical modification studies of proteins. The major ruthenium site was found by difference Fourier analysis to be 4 Å from histidine 64, the only histidine residue in the molecule. A second bipartite site, believed to be a ruthenium-anion pair, appeared to be salt-bridged to glutamic acid 40 and arginine 16. Indications were present in the difference Fourier results to suggest that the loop containing tyrosine 41 had undergone a slight conformational rearrangement to accommodate this interaction.     

Enzyme kinetics of a highly purified mitochondrial creatine kinase in comparison with cytosolic forms

Summary Mitochondrial creatine kinase (CK) purified from canine myocardium showed a single protein band on SDS-PAGE and was free of MMCK. Its amino acid composition was different than MMCK or BBCK and did not react to antiserum to MMCK or BBCK. Using purified mitochondrial, MM and BBCK, the velocity of reaction (V) was estimated for creatine phosphate (CP), creatine (C), adenosine triphosphate (ATP) and adenosine diphosphate (ADP) over a wide range of concentrations including those at V_max. The values for K_m (mM/L) derived from Lineweaver-Burke plots are shown: The affinity of mitochondrial CK for C is much greater than MMCK which is compatible with the energy shuttle hypothesis, namely ATP is converted by mitochondrial CK to CP, and then diffuses to the myofibril for conversion to ATP for utilization.     

Pancreatic islets contain the M2 isoenzyme of pyruvate kinase its phosphorylation has no effect on enzyme activity

To determine which of the major isoenzymes of pyruvate kinase pancreatic islet pyruvate kinase most resembled, it was compared to pyruvate kinase from other tissues in kinetic and immunologic studies. The pattern of activation by fructose bisphosphate and the patterns of inhibition by alanine and phenylalanine were most similar to those of the M₂ isoenzyme from kidney and were dissimilar to those of the isoenzymes from skeletal muscle (type M₁) and liver (type L). The islet pyruvate kinase was inhibited by anti-M₁ pyruvate kinase serum (which crossreacts with the M₂ isoenzyme), but not by anti-L pyruvate kinase. These results are most consistent with islets possessing predominantly, if not exclusively, the M₂ isoenzyme of pyruvate kinase. We previously showed that rat pancreatic islet cytosol contains protein kinases that can catalyze a calcium-activated phosphorylation of an endogenous peptide that has properties, such as subunit molecular weight and isoelectric pH, that are identical to those of the M₂ and M, isoenzymes of pyruvate kinase, and that islet cytosol can catalyze phosphorylation of muscle pyruvate kinase. In the present study it was shown that incubating islet cytosol with ATP under conditions known to permit phosphorylation and inhibition of liver pyruvate kinase did not affect the islet pyruvate kinase activity. It is concluded that phosphorylation of the islet pyruvate kinase has no immediate effect on enzyme activity.Abbreviations EGTA ethylene glycos his (-aminoethyl ether)-N,N,NN-tetraacetic acid - Hepes 4-(2-hydroxyethyl)-1-piperazineethanesulfonic acid     

cAMP-dependent phosphoprotein changes in the yeast Saccharomyces cerevisiae

Abstract cAMP-dependent phosphoprotein changes were determined using 1-dimensional SDS-gel electrophoresis in a cAMP-requiring yeast mutant ( Saccharomyces cerevisiae AM18). During cAMP starvation, the yeast cells accumulated 3 ³²P-labeled bands with M _r/ 72000, 54000, and 37000. The M _r/ 72000 protein was the most prominent phosphorylated protein. After the readdition of cAMP, these phosphoproteins lost their ³²P-label while phosphoproteins with M _r/ 76000, 65000, 56000 and 30000 were accumulated. Similar phosphoprotein changes were also detected in cdc35 at the nonpermissive temperature, but not in wildtype (A363A) or cdc7 strains of S. cerevisiae .     

Stoichiometric binding of diacylglycerol to the phorbol ester receptor

The major phorbol ester receptor is the Ca++-activated, phospholipid-dependent protein kinase C. Diacylglycerol stimulates protein kinase C in a fashion similar to the phorbol esters. Likewise, it inhibits phorbol ester binding competitively. Both results suggest that diacylglycerol is the/an endogenous phorbol ester analogue. Alternatively, the diacylglycerol might simply be acting to modify the phospholipid environment of the protein. If diacylglycerol were indeed functioning as an analogue, it should interact with the receptor stoichiometrically. This interaction can be quantitated by measuring the perturbation in apparent diacylglycerol binding affinity as a function of the ratio of diacylglycerol to receptor. We report here that 1,2-dioleoylglycerol interacts with the receptor with the predicted stoichiometry.     

七鳃鳗p38α和β参与LPS介导的VLRB类淋巴细胞亚群的免疫应答反应

p38MAPK是丝裂原活化蛋白激酶（mitogen activated protein kinases,MAPK）家族的一个亚类,在高等脊椎动物免疫应答的信号转导过程中扮演着非常重要的角色。在日本七鳃鳗（Lampetra japonica）中发现,p38MAPK以两种异构体的形式存在。通过克隆它们的开放阅读框并进行同源序列比对和系统发育分析,鉴定它们分别为p38α（Lja-mapk14）和p38β（Lja-mapk11）。用混合菌刺激七鳃鳗,利用免疫印迹方法,检测Lja-mapk14在外周血类淋巴细胞、鳃组织和髓样小体中,分别在加强免疫36 h、24 h和24 h后,表达量达到峰值,分别为对照组的2.9、2.1和2.6倍;而Lja-mapk11在以上组织中,都在加强免疫36 h后达到表达量峰值,分别为对照组的2.2、2.5和6.3倍。实时荧光定量PCR检测发现,Lja-mapk14的mRNA表达水平在混合菌加强免疫36 h后,分别在类淋巴细胞、鳃组织和髓样小体中,上调2.3、1.5和3.4倍;而Lja-mapk11的则分别在类淋巴细胞、鳃组织和心肌中,上调1.3、2.6和1.6倍。以上结果在mRNA和蛋白质水平证明,Lja-mapk14和Lja-mapk11均参与七鳃鳗的免疫应答反应。采用B细胞和T细胞丝裂原LPS和PHA分别对七鳃鳗进行刺激,免疫印迹结果显示,Lja-mapk14和Lja-mapk11蛋白质表达量经LPS加强免疫36 h后,在类淋巴细胞、鳃组织和髓样小体中,上调表达1.3 ～ 4.1倍;而经PHA加强免疫36 h后,Lja-mapk14和Lja-mapk11在上述组织中表达量均不存在显著变化。以上结果说明,Lja-mapk14和Lja-mapk11可能参与了B细胞丝裂原LPS介导的VLRB类淋巴细胞亚群的免疫应答反应。