A comparison of the inhibitory effects of melatonin and indomethacin on platelet aggregation and thromboxane release

Collagen-induced platelet aggregation and thromboxane release is inhibited, in a concentration response relationship, by preincubation of gel-filtered platelets with melatonin in the concentration range 430 nM – 4.3 mM. Inhibition of platelet aggregation and thromboxane release also occurs in the presence of indomethacin (4.3 nM – 4.3 mM), a known potent inhibitor of prostaglandin synthesis. Arachidonic acid-induced platelet aggregation and thromboxane release was inhibited in the presence of 4.0 mM melatonin. We therefore propose that inhibition of prostaglandin synthesis maybe the mechanism by which melatonin expresses its activity. Its antigonadotropic activity may result from inhibition of PGE₂ synthesis in the hypothalamus and median eminence.     

The action of proteolytic enzymes on chloroplast thylakoid membranes

Envelope- and stroma-free thylakoid membranes of Vicia faba chloroplasts were incubated with trypsin or pronase for several hours. The indigestible residue was analyzed by polyacrylamide gel electrophoresis. Trypsinization resulted in a complete digestion of all proteins with the exception of the pigment-protein complexes as well as a polypeptide not yet characterized. Yet, as compared with untreated material, Complex II was found to have higher electrophoretic mobility. Electron-microscopic studies illustrate that the indigestible residue still has a preserved membrane structure. Disintegration of the thylakoid membranes by sodium dodecyl sulfate followed by trypsinization also resulted in the two complexes while all the other proteins were found to be digested. However, after removal of the lipids the protein moieties of the complexes proved to be easily digestible. From these results it is concluded that pigment-protein interaction may be an important factor in maintaining a conformation rather resistant to perturbants and proteases. In contrast to trypsin, pronase completely digested the polypeptides of the thylakoid membranes including the protein moieties of the pigment-protein complexes leaving an amorphous lipid mass. The results support the assumption that the complexes are necessary to maintain the membrane structure.     

复合型菌剂对雏鸡体内溶血素的影响

利用由鸡粪肠球菌、鸡非致病性大肠埃希菌、芽胞杆菌、酵母菌和乳酸菌组成的复合型菌剂灌喂雏鸡后,再用绵羊红细胞腹腔注射免疫4d,使雏鸡体内产生溶血素（IgM）。通过测定其血清中溶血素的效价,发现灌服不同菌量的雏鸡所产生的溶血素效价比没有灌服的对照组所产生的溶血素效价高出22％～32％。     

Effect of phytosterols and phytostanols on the solubilization of cholesterol by dietary mixed micelles: an in vitro study

The effect of a plant sterol, beta-sitosterol (SI), and a plant stanol, sitostanol (SS), on the solubilization of cholesterol (CH) by model dietary mixed micelles was examined under in vitro conditions with the use of gas chromatography, isothermal titration calorimetry, NMR spectroscopy and cryogenic transmission electron microscopy techniques. Free SI and SS were shown to reduce the concentration of CH in dietary mixed micelles via a dynamic competition mechanism. CH, SI and SS affect the microstructure of lipid vesicles and influence the process of amphiphilic self-assembly of nutrients in the gut with the formation of dietary mixed micelles in a similar manner. Therefore, substitution of CH by phytosterols and phytostanols in the diet does not lead to the notable changes in the mechanism of dietary mixed micelle formation and does not affect the process of the intestinal transport of nutrients and drugs via the micellar diffusion mechanism. Our experimental findings demonstrate that the introduction of plant sterols and plant stanols into the diet is clearly beneficial for the reduction of the intestinal uptake of cholesterol. Due to the limited capacity of dietary mixed micelles to embody hydrophobic sterol/stanol molecules, the micellar concentration of cholesterol is reduced and hence, its transport towards the intestinal brush border membrane decreases.     

The interaction between nesprins and sun proteins at the nuclear envelope is critical for force transmission between the nucleus and cytoskeleton

Maintaining physical connections between the nucleus and the cytoskeleton is important for many cellular processes that require coordinated movement and positioning of the nucleus. Nucleo-cytoskeletal coupling is also necessary to transmit extracellular mechanical stimuli across the cytoskeleton to the nucleus, where they may initiate mechanotransduction events. The LINC (Linker of Nucleoskeleton and Cytoskeleton) complex, formed by the interaction of nesprins and SUN proteins at the nuclear envelope, can bind to nuclear and cytoskeletal elements; however, its functional importance in transmitting intracellular forces has never been directly tested. This question is particularly relevant since recent findings have linked nesprin mutations to muscular dystrophy and dilated cardiomyopathy. Using biophysical assays to assess intracellular force transmission and associated cellular functions, we identified the LINC complex as a critical component for nucleo-cytoskeletal force transmission. Disruption of the LINC complex caused impaired propagation of intracellular forces and disturbed organization of the perinuclear actin and intermediate filament networks. Although mechanically induced activation of mechanosensitive genes was normal (suggesting that nuclear deformation is not required for mechanotransduction signaling) cells exhibited other severe functional defects after LINC complex disruption; nuclear positioning and cell polarization were impaired in migrating cells and in cells plated on micropatterned substrates, and cell migration speed and persistence time were significantly reduced. Taken together, our findings suggest that the LINC complex is critical for nucleo-cytoskeletal force transmission and that LINC complex disruption can result in defects in cellular structure and function that may contribute to the development of muscular dystrophies and cardiomyopathies.     

The genetics of complex diseases

Genetic factors influence virtually every human disorder, determining disease susceptibility or resistance and interactions with environmental factors. Our recent successes in the genetic mapping and identification of the molecular basis of mendelian traits have been remarkable. Now, attention is rapidly shifting to more-complex, and more-prevalent, genetic disorders and traits that involve multiple genes and environmental effects, such as cardiovascular disease, diabetes, rheumatoid arthritis and schizophrenia. Rather than being due to specific and relatively rare mutations, complex diseases and traits result principally from genetic variation that is relatively common in the general population. Unfortunately, despite extensive efforts by many groups, only a few genetic regions and genes involved in complex diseases have been identified. Completion of the human genome sequence will be a seminal accomplishment, but it will not provide an immediate solution to the genetics of complex traits.     

A therapeutic antibody and its antigen form different complexes in serum than in phosphate-buffered saline: A study by analytical ultracentrifugation

During the development of protein therapeutics, characterization of the active pharmaceutical ingredient is performed extensively to ensure the stability, safety, and efficacy of the drug. Little is known, however, about the characteristics of protein drugs circulating in the blood. The recent availability of a fluorescence detection system (FDS) in analytical ultracentrifugation (AUC) instruments enables the characterization of fluorescently labeled proteins in biological fluids. AUC provides information about protein size, shape, self-association, and binding while avoiding many limitations associated with size exclusion chromatography. Furthermore, with the specificity and sensitivity of FDS, measurements can be performed at physiological concentrations directly in serum. In the current study, we used omalizumab, an anti-immunoglobulin E (IgE) monoclonal antibody, to demonstrate the potential of using AUC-FDS for the study of a monoclonal antibody and its complexes directly in human serum. Omalizumab properties were essentially unaltered after labeling with the fluorescent dye Alexa Fluor 488. In addition, omalizumab and IgE formed different complexes in serum than in phosphate-buffered saline in terms of both size and affinity.     

PRIP (Phospholipase C-related but Catalytically Inactive Protein) Inhibits Exocytosis by Direct Interactions with Syntaxin 1 and SNAP-25 through Its C2 Domain

Membrane fusion for exocytosis is mediated by SNAREs, forming trans-ternary complexes to bridge vesicle and target membranes. There is an array of accessory proteins that directly interact with and regulate SNARE proteins. PRIP (phospholipase C-related but catalytically inactive protein) is likely one of these proteins; PRIP, consisting of multiple functional modules including pleckstrin homology and C2 domains, inhibited exocytosis, probably via the binding to membrane phosphoinositides through the pleckstrin homology domain. However, the roles of the C2 domain have not yet been investigated. In this study, we found that the C2 domain of PRIP directly interacts with syntaxin 1 and SNAP-25 but not with VAMP2. The C2 domain promoted PRIP to co-localize with syntaxin 1 and SNAP-25 in PC12 cells. The binding profile of the C2 domain to SNAP-25 was comparable with that of synaptotagmin I, and PRIP inhibited synaptotagmin I in binding to SNAP-25 and syntaxin 1. It was also shown that the C2 domain was required for PRIP to suppress SDS-resistant ternary SNARE complex formation and inhibit high K⁺-induced noradrenalin release from PC12 cells. These results suggest that PRIP inhibits regulated exocytosis through the interaction of its C2 domain with syntaxin 1 and SNAP-25, potentially competing with other SNARE-binding, C2 domain-containing accessory proteins such as synaptotagmin I and by directly inhibiting trans-SNARE complex formation.     

Carrier subunit of plasma membrane transporter is required for oxidative folding of its helper subunit

We study the amino acid transport system b(0,+) as a model for folding, assembly, and early traffic of membrane protein complexes. System b(0,+) is made of two disulfide-linked membrane subunits: the carrier, b(0,+) amino acid transporter (b(0,+)AT), a polytopic protein, and the helper, related to b(0,+) amino acid transporter (rBAT), a type II glycoprotein. rBAT ectodomain mutants display folding/trafficking defects that lead to type I cystinuria. Here we show that, in the presence of b(0,+)AT, three disulfides were formed in the rBAT ectodomain. Disulfides Cys-242-Cys-273 and Cys-571-Cys-666 were essential for biogenesis. Cys-673-Cys-685 was dispensable, but the single mutants C673S, and C685S showed compromised stability and trafficking. Cys-242-Cys-273 likely was the first disulfide to form, and unpaired Cys-242 or Cys-273 disrupted oxidative folding. Strikingly, unassembled rBAT was found as an ensemble of different redox species, mainly monomeric. The ensemble did not change upon inhibition of rBAT degradation. Overall, these results indicated a b(0,+)AT-dependent oxidative folding of the rBAT ectodomain, with the initial and probably cotranslational formation of Cys-242-Cys-273, followed by the oxidation of Cys-571-Cys-666 and Cys-673-Cys-685, that was completed posttranslationally.