Irreversible Activation of the Opiate Receptor of Neuroblastoma × Glioma Hybrid Cells by an Alkylating Benzomorphan Derivative

The benozomorphan derivative (-)-2-[2-(p-bromoacetamidophenyl)ethyl]-5,9 alpha-dimethyl-2'-hydroxy-6,7-benzomorphan (BAB), capable of reacting with nucleophilic groups, acts on neuroblastoma X glioma hybrid cells as a potent, irreversible opiate agonist. Its potency in inhibiting the increase in cellular cyclic AMP, evoked by prostaglandin E1, is comparable to that of Leu-enkephalin. This also applies to its capacity to compete with [3H]D-Ala2-Met-enkephalinamide ([3H]DAEA) in binding on cell membrane preparations. The comparatively lower potency of (-)-2-[2-(p-acetamidophenyl)-ethyl]-5,9 alpha-dimethly-2'-hydroxy-5,7-benzomorphan (AB), which differs from BAB in the substitution of the bromoacetamido group by an acetamido group, is of the same order of magnitude as that of morphine. The covalent interaction of BAB with the opiate receptors is deduced from the observations that (1) it is not possible to wash away this compound from the receptors, (2) the potency of BAB in inhibiting the specific binding of [3H]DAEA increases with prolonged preincubation time, and (3) AB behaves as a reversible agonist.     

Observations on the permeability of the choriocapillaris of the eye

Summary The choriocapillaris is a fenestrated capillary bed located posterior to the retinal pigment epithelium. It serves as the main source of supply to the photoreceptors, retinal pigment epithelium, and other cells of the outer retina. The permeability of these capillaries to intravenously injected ferritin (MW — approx. 480,000; mol. diam. 11 nm) was examined in the mouse, rabbit, and guinea pig, each of which is characterized by a different type of retinal vascularization. In all three species, the bulk of the ferritin remained in the capillary lumina, where it appeared to be blocked at the level of the diaphragmed fenestrae. Some ferritin was present in endothelial cell vacuoles. The results confirm previous work on the rat choriocapillaris and indicate that the barrier function of the choriocapillary endothelium is present even among species in which the retinal circulation differs significantly.Supported by NIH grant EY03418     

Electron microscopy of the fate of exogenous ferritin in the feline visual cortex

Summary The ultrastructural changes occurring in the feline visual cortex 3 hours after the injection of 0.02 mls of ferritin in 1% trypan blue in artificial cerebrospinal fluid have been studied.Near the site of injection, disrupted cells contained free and membrane-bound ferritin. In less damaged areas, some signs of oedema were present in the cells, especially in astrocytes. Membrane-bound ferritin occurred occasionally in neurones and more frequently in astrocytes and oligodendrocytes. Considerable amounts of ferritin were also accumulated in phagocytic cells of unknown origin. In blood vessels, ferritin collected in the basement membrane and around collagen and, in membrane-bound form, in pale cells at the periphery of the vessels. Ferritin occurred in all parts of the intercellular space except in interglial junctions and tight junctions between vascular endothelial cells.This work was supported by a research grant from the National Health and Medical Research Council of Australia to Professor M. J. Blunt, of the School of Anatomy, University of New South Wales. The author wishes to thank Professor Blunt for his constant encouragement and support. The assistance of Mrs. Ruth Mather is gratefully acknowledged.     

Release of iron from ferritin by semiquinone, anthracycline, bipyridyl, and nitroaromatic radicals

The cytotoxicity of many xenobiotics is related to their ability to undergo redox reactions and iron dependent free radical reactions. We have measured the ability of a number of redox active compounds to release iron from the cellular iron storage protein, ferritin. Compounds were reduced to their corresponding radicals with xanthine oxidase/hypoxanthine under N₂ and the release of Fe²⁺ was monitored by complexation with ferrozine. Ferritin iron was released by a number of bipyridyl radicals including those derived from diquat and paraquat, the anthracycline radicals of adriamycin, daunorubicin and epirubicin, the semiquinones of anthraquinone-2-sulphonate, 1,5 and 2,6-dihydroxyanthraquinone, 1-hydroxyanthraquinone, purpurin, and plumbagin, and the nitroaromatic radicals of nitrofurantoin and metronidazole. In each case, iron release was more efficient than with an equivalent flux of superoxide. Introduction of air decreased the rate of iron release, presumably because the organic radicals reacted with O₂ to form superoxide. In air, iron release was inhibited by superoxide dismutase. Semiquinones of menadione, benzoquinone, duroquinone, anthraquinone 1,5 and 2,6-disulphonate, 1,4 naphthoquinone-2-sulphonate and naphthoquinone, when formed under N₂, were unable to release ferrin iron. In air, these systems gave low rates of superoxide dismutase-inhibitible iron release. Of the compounds investigated, those with a single electron reduction potential less than that of ferritin were able to release ferritin iron.     

Modification of Gs-Stimulated Adenylate Cyclase in Brain Membranes by Low pH Pretreatment: Correlation with Altered Guanine Nucleotide Exchange

Pretreatment of rat brain membranes at pH 4.5 before assay at pH 7.4 modifies the function of GTP-binding proteins (G-proteins) by eliminating Gs-stimulated adenylate cyclase activity while increasing opiate-inhibited adenylate cyclase activity. To help characterize the molecular nature of the low pH effect, we labeled Gs and Gi alpha-subunits in both control and low pH-pretreated membranes with the GTP photoaffinity analog [32P]P3 (4-azidoanilido)-P1-5'-GTP ([32P]AAGTP). When membranes were preincubated with unlabeled AAGTP, a persistent inhibitory state of adenylate cyclase was produced, which was overcome in untreated membranes with high (greater than 1 microM) concentrations of guanylyl-5'-imidodiphosphate [Gpp(NH)p]. In low pH-pretreated membranes, this inhibition could not be overcome, and stimulation by Gpp(NH)p was eliminated. Maximal inhibition of adenylate cyclase achieved by incubation with AAGTP was not altered by low pH pretreatment. Incorporation of [32P]AAGTP into Gs (42 kilodaltons) or Gi/o (40 kilodaltons) was unaffected by low pH pretreatment; however, transfer of 32P from Gi/o to Gs, which occurs with low (10 nM) concentrations of Gpp(NH)p in untreated membranes, was severely retarded in low pH-pretreated membranes. Both the potency and efficacy of Gpp(NH)p in producing exchange of [32P]AAGTP from Gi/o to Gs were markedly reduced by low pH pretreatment. These results correlate the loss of Gs-stimulated adenylate cyclase with a loss of transfer of nucleotide from Gi/o to Gs alpha-subunits and suggest that the nucleotide exchange participates in the modulation of neuronal adenylate cyclase.     

In Vivo Labeling of Serotonin Uptake Sites with [3H]Paroxetine

Previous work has shown that [3H]paroxetine is a potent and selective in vitro label for serotonin uptake sites in the mammalian brain. In the present study, [3H]paroxetine was tested in mice as an in vivo label for serotonin uptake sites. Maximum tritium concentration in the whole brain (1.4% of the intravenous dose) was reached 1 h after injection into a tail vein. Distribution of the tracer at 3 h after injection followed the distribution of serotonin uptake sites known from previous in vitro binding studies (r = 0.85). The areas of highest [3H]paroxetine concentration, in decreasing order, were: hypothalamus greater than frontal cortex greater than olfactory tubercles greater than thalamus greater than upper colliculi greater than brainstem greater than hippocampus greater than striatum greater than cerebellum. Preinjection of carrier paroxetine (1 mg/kg) significantly decreased [3H]paroxetine concentration in all areas except in the cerebellum, which is known to contain a relatively low number of specific binding sites. Kinetic studies showed highest specific [3H]paroxetine binding (tissue minus cerebellum) at 2 h after injection and slow clearance of activity thereafter (half-time of dissociation from the hypothalamus, 215 min). The specificity of in vivo [3H]paroxetine binding was studied by preinjecting monoamine uptake blockers or receptor antagonists 5 min before administration of [3H]paroxetine. Serotonergic or muscarinic cholinergic receptor antagonists and dopamine or norepinephrine uptake blockers did not reduce the in vivo binding of [3H]paroxetine. In contrast, there was an excellent correlation (r = 0.99) between the in vivo inhibitory potencies of serotonin uptake blockers in this study and previously published in vitro data on inhibition of [3H] serotonin uptake in brain synaptosomes.(ABSTRACT TRUNCATED AT 250 WORDS)     

Postmortem Degradation Alters Fluorographic Labeling Patterns and Affinities of Benzodiazepine Binding Proteins

To investigate the effect of endogenous proteolysis on the molecular weights of the benzodiazepine binding proteins, brains of trout, chicken, and rat were removed immediately after death and stored at room temperature for various periods of time before they were frozen. Photoaffinity labeling of membranes with [3H]flunitrazepam, followed by sodium dodecyl sulfate-polyacrylamide gel electrophoresis and fluorography, revealed proteolytic fragments of 47K in trout, chicken, and rat. The proteolysis set in rapidly after death. Seemingly in parallel with the degradation observed fluorographically, the affinity for [3H]flunitrazepam increased without systematic changes in receptor density. The degradation pattern was not identical to that of the photolabeled trypsinized benzodiazepine binding proteins. The endogenous proteolytic fragments were deglycosylated in two steps. In conclusion, proteolytic effects must be taken into account when interpreting labeling patterns and binding parameters.     

Identification of a crotoxin-binding protein in membranes from guinea pig brain by photoaffinity labeling

Crotoxin is a neurotoxic phospholipase A₂ capable of blocking synaptic transmission by inhibiting the release of neurotransmitters. The photoaffinity labeling technique was used to identify the neural membrane molecules involved in the binding of crotoxin. A photoactivatable, radioactive derivative of crotoxin was synthesized by reacting crotoxin withN-hydroxysuccinimidyl-4-azidobenzoate and with Na[¹²⁵I]. Photoirradiation of synaptosomes from guinea pig brains in the presence of the crotoxin derivative resulted in the formation of a major radioactive conjugate of 100,000 daltons as revealed by autoradiography of a sodium dodecyl sulfate-polyacrylamide gel electrophoretic pattern. Pretreatment of the synaptosomes with trypsin,Staphylococcus aureus protease, or papain prevented the formation of this conjugate. The conjugate was not detected when plasma membranes from several nonneural tissues replaced the brain synaptosomes. Unmodified crotoxin inhibited the formation of this adduct with an IC₅₀ of about 10^–8 M. Mojave toxin, caudoxin, notexin,Naja naja PLA, and taipoxin also inhibited adduct formation with different potencies, while -bungarotoxin and pancreatic PLA were ineffective. We concluded that an 85,000-dalton protein is the major component responsible for the binding of crotoxin to synaptosomal membranes.On leave from Department of Biochemistry and Biophysics, University of Hawaii School of Medicine, Honolulu, Hawaii.     

鸡胚肝乳糖凝集素专一性的研究——SEM-ARG技术的应用

本文利用扫描电镜放射自显影(SEM-ARG)技术研究鸡胚肝凝集素的专一性。该凝集素经乳糖尿素液抽提和离心分离后,再用DE-52纤维素柱和蓝色葡聚糖柱进一步纯化。纯化后的鸡胚肝凝集素用 ¹²⁵Ⅰ标记。以标记的 ¹²⁵Ⅰ-凝集素为探针再标记来自不同组织的细胞。标记的细胞经过放射自显影,用扫描电镜对细胞表面凝集素受体的位点进行直接观察。实验结果表明鸡胚肝凝集素对细胞的凝集作用具有相对的专一性。     

Ferritin gene organization: Differences between plants and animals suggest possible kingdom-specific selective constraints

Ferritin, a protein widespread in nature, concentrates iron ∼10¹¹–10¹²-fold above the solubility within a spherical shell of 24 subunits; it derives in plants and animals from a common ancestor (based on sequence) but displays a cytoplasmic location in animals compared to the plastid in contemporary plants. Ferritin gene regulation in plants and animals is altered by development, hormones, and excess iron; iron signals target DNA in plants but mRNA in animals. Evolution has thus conserved the two end points of ferritin gene expression, the physiological signals and the protein structure, while allowing some divergence of the genetic mechanisms. Comparison of ferritin gene organization in plants and animals, made possible by the cloning of a dicot (soybean) ferritin gene presented here and the recent cloning of two monocot (maize) ferritin genes, shows evolutionary divergence in ferritin gene organization between plants and animals but conservation among plants or among animals; divergence in the genetic mechanism for iron regulation is reflected by the absence in all three plant genes of the IRE, a highly conserved, noncoding sequence in vertebrate animal ferritin mRNA. In plant ferritin genes, the number of introns (n= 7) is higher than in animals (n= 3). Second, no intron positions are conserved when ferritin genes of plants and animals are compared, although all ferritin gene introns are in the coding region; within kingdoms, the intron positions in ferritin genes are conserved. Finally, secondary protein structure has no apparent relationship to intron/exon boundaries in plant ferritin genes, whereas in animal ferritin genes the correspondence is high. The structural differences in introns/exons among phylogenetically related ferritin coding sequences and the high conservation of the gene structure within plant or animal kingdoms suggest that kingdom-specific functional constraints may exist to maintain a particular intron/exon pattern within ferritin genes. In the case of plants, where ferritin gene intron placement is unrelated to triplet codons or protein structure, and where ferritin is targeted to the plastid, the selection pressure on gene organization may relate to RNA function and plastid/nuclear signaling. Received: 25 July 1995 / Accepted: 3 October 1995