Effects of insulin,pertussis toxin and cholera toxin on protein synthesis and diacylglycerol production in 3T3 fibroblasts: Evidence for a G-protein mediated activation of phospholipase C in the insulin signal mechanism

The rapid increase in protein synthesis that occurs on addition of insulin (1 mU/ml) to stepped-down 3T3 cells was blocked by pre-incubation of the cells with pertussis toxin. Cholera toxin on the other hand stimulated protein synthesis and this effect was insensitive to actinomycin D and inhibited by pro-treatment of the cells with phorbol dibutyrate to deplete cell protein kinase C. Insulin was found to cause a rapid and transient increase in diacylglycerol (DAG) synthesis. The insulin-induced increase in diacylglycerol was blocked by pertussis toxin. Exogenous DAG (10 M) stimulated protein synthesis within 1 hour. The results suggest that insuIin stimulates ribosomal activity through a signal mechanism that involves a G-protein mediated activation of phospholipase C to increase DAG levels.     

Gramicidin A-phospholipid model systems

Gramicidin A forms ion-conducting channels which can traverse the hydrocarbon core of lipid bilayer membranes. The structures formed by gramicidin A are among the best characterized of all membrane-bound polypeptides or proteins. In this review a brief summary is given of the occurrence, conformation, and synthesis of gramicidin A, and of its use as a model for ion transport and the interaction of proteins and lipids in biological membranes.     

Insertion of the precursor of the light-harvesting chlorophylla/b-protein into the thylakoids requires the presence of a developmentally regulated stromal factor

The precursor of the major light-harvesting chlorophylla/b-proteins of photosystem II was synthesizedin vitro from a gene fromLemna gibba. When the labelled precursor was incubated with developing barley plastids, the precursor and the processed polypeptide were incorporated in the thylakoids in proportions that varied depending on the developmental stage of plastids. At early stages of development most of the precursor associated with the thylakoids could be removed by washing with 0.1 M NaOH, while in more mature plastids most of its was resistant to a NaOH wash. Insertion of the precursor into thylakoids required the presence of a stromal factor and Mg-ATP. The stromal factor is probably a protein. The insertion reaction has an optimal temperature of 25°C and a pH of 8. The appearance of the stromal factor and the thylakoid membrane's receptivity for the insertion of the precursor depended on the stage of plastid development. These observations are consistent with the hypothesis that the insertion of the precursor into the thylakoid prior to its proteolytic processing, is one of the steps involved in the assembly of the light-harvesting complex of photosystem II.     

Developmental biochemistry of cottonseed embryogenesis and germination. XIX. Sequences and genomic organization of the α globulin (vicilin) genes of cottonseed

The globulin storage protein genes of cotton are found to exist as gene tandems that contain a gene from each of the 2 globulin subfamilies separated by a spacer region of about 2700 or 3400 base pairs. Three different tandems have been identified by restriction endonuclease mapping of genomic DNA. A cDNA that is different from the genes of the tandems in map sites and/or in nucleotide sequence indicates that a fourth tandem probably exists in the cotton genome. Since the species of cotton used here (Gossypium hirsutum) is an amphidiploid, it is likely that two of the tandems are contributed from each genome.Considerable divergence in nucleotide sequence (18%) and in derived amino acid sequence (28%) is found when the 2 genes of a sequenced tandem are compared. The sequence of the cDNA closely resembles one of the genes in the tandem showing only a 4% divergence in nucleotides and a 4.2% divergence in amino acids. Thus the 2 genes of each tandem represent a relatively ancient gene duplication that has given rise to the two globulin subfamilies of cotton. Only one subfamily has a glycosylation site and the glycosylation of its derived proteins gives rise to the 2 molecular weight sets of globulins seen on gel electrophoresis.Other basic features of these genes and their derived proteins are presented.     

The effect of the dark interval in intermittent light on thylakoid development: photosynthetic unit formation and light harvesting protein accumulation

Etiolated bean plants were grown in intermittent light with dark intervals of shorter or longer duration, to modulate the rate of chlorophyll accumulation, relative to that of the other thylakoid components formed. We thus produced conditions under which chlorophyll becomes more or less a limiting factor. We then tested whether LHC complexes can be incorporated in the thylakoid. It was found that an equal amount of chlorophyll, formed under the same total irradiation received, may be used for the stabilization of few and large-in-size PS units containing LHC components (short dark-interval intermittent light), or for the stabilization of many and small-in-size PS units with no LHC components (long dark-interval intermittent light). The size of the PS units diminishes as the dark-interval duration is increased, with no further change after 98 minutes. The PSII/cytf ratio remains constant throughout development in intermittent light and equal to that of mature chloroplasts (PSII/cytf = 1) except in the case of very long dark-interval regimes, where about half PSII units per cytf are present. The PSII/PSI ratio was found to be correlated with the PSII unit size (the larger the size, the lower the ratio). The number of PSI units operating on the same electron transfer chain varied depending on the size of the PSII unit (the larger the PSII unit size, the more the PSI units per chain). The results suggest that it is not the chlorophyll content per se which regulates the stabilization of LHC in developing thylakoids and consequently the size of the PS units, but rather the rate by which it is accumulated, relative to that of the other thylakoid components.Abbreviations Chl Chlorophyll - CL Continuous light - CPa the reaction center complex of PSII - CPI the reaction center complex of PSI - CPIa Chlorophyll protein complex containing the CPI and the light harvesting complex of PSI - fr w fresh weight - LDC Light dark cycles - LHC-I Light-harvesting complex of PSI - LHC-II Light harvesting complex of PSII - PS photosystem - PSI photosystem I - PSII photosystem II     

Identification,purification, and characterization of pathogenesis-related proteins from virus-infected Samsun NN tobacco leaves

Ten pH-3 soluble, low-molecular-weight pathogenesis-related proteins (PRs) were found to accumulate in leaves of tobacco cv. Samsun NN reacting hypersensitively to tobacco mosaic virus. Besides the previously characterized PRs 1a, 1b, 1c and 2, these proteins were provisionally designated N, O, P, Q, R, and S in order of decreasing electrophoretic mobility in native polyacrylamide gels. Two-dimensional gel electrophoresis indicated that the PRs consist of single polypeptides, except for R, which is composed of two components with slightly different molecular weights. Estimated molecular weights in SDS-containing gels were: PRs 1a and 1b 17 kD, 1c 16.5 kD, 2 31 kD, N 33 kD, O 35 kD, P 27 kD, Q 28 kD, R 13 and 15 kD, and S 25 kD. However, based on their elution from gel filtration columns and relative moblities in native gels of different acrylamide concentrations, P and Q appeared to have molecular weights similar to those of the PR 1 group. Upon chromatofocusing no additional components were resolved. The PRs were eluted between pH 7 and 4; except for R, their pIs, as judged from isoelectric focusing, appeared to lie in the range from pH 4 to 5.2. In the presence of 6 M urea PR 1a was split into two components, one of which was strongly retarded on gels, as were P and Q. None of the PRs was detected when gels were stained for glycoproteins.By combinations of gel filtration, DEAE-cellulose chromatography, and chromatofocusing, PRs 1a, 1b, 1c, 2 and N were purified, their amino acid compositions determined, and antisera raised against each of these components. By Western blotting, antisera against either PR 1a, 1b, or 1c reacted with each of the components of the PR 1 group, as well as with PR S. Similarly, the antisera against either PR 2 or N reacted with both 2 and N, as well as with O and R. On the basis of major similarities in molecular weight characteristics, amino acid compositions, and serological relationships, it is proposed to classify tobacco PRs into five groups: 1: PRs 1a, 1b, and 1c; 2: 2a (formerly 2), 2b (N), and 2c (O); 3: 3a (P), and 3b (Q); 4: 4a and 4b (the two components of R); and 5: PR 5 (S).     

Physiological effects of temperature and growth regulators on foliar chlorophyll,soluble protein,and cold hardiness in citrus

Leaf chlorophyll (Chl, A, B) and total soluble protein were assayed in greenhouse-grown 1.5-year-old trees of 2 citrus types, trifoliate orange (Poncirus trifoliata (L.) Raf.) and sour orange (Citrus aurantium L.) exposed to 12 h (day/night) photoperiods in growth chambers under high (30°/21°C, day/night; noncold-hardening) and low (16°/5°C; cold-hardening) temperature regimes. Trees were sprayed 2 × per week for 5 weeks with one of the following solutions at 100 M: napthaleneacetic acid (NAA), paclobutrazol (2RS, 3RS)-1-(4-chlorophenyl-4,4-dimethyl-2-(1,2,4-triazol-1-yl)pentan-3-ol) (PPP333), benzyl-adenine (BA), abscisic acid (ABA), gibberellic acid (GA₃), minerals only (N, P, K, S, Ca, Mg) and BA (+) minerals. NAA, PP333, ABA and GA₃ decreased Chl A, B and soluble protein in both citrus types under cold-hardening conditions in contrast to increases with the use of BA and BA (+) minerals especially in trifoliate orange. Both BA and GA₃ increased Chl A, B and protein synthesis under high temperature in both citrus types. Under noncold-hardening temperatures, GA₃ enhanced Chl A, B but sharply reduced foliar protein concentration. Dieback of both cultivars following exposure to temperatures down to –6.7°C was decreased 7% by NAA sprays during noncold-hardening temperatures. Cold tolerance of noncoldhardened trifoliate orange trees was also improved with ABA and PP333. Foliar sprays of NAA (sour orange) and PP333 and BA (+) minerals (trifoliate) increased cold tolerance of cold-hardened trees by 8%. Results indicate that spray applications of growth regulators influence physiological factors associated with foliar functioning and cold tolerance in citrus during different temperature regimes.Summary Growth promoters (BA) and inhibitors (NAA) have the potential to promote cold hardines through either a strong stimulatory effect on foliar physiology or a marked inhibition of growth in general. This suggests that each growth regulator may possess an independent role in the cold-hardiness phenomenon and may also interact with physiological processes other than soluble protein and chlorophyll metabolism. The relationship between soluble protein levels in citrus foliage and the degree of cold hardiness remains uncertain and is essentially unresolved pending more specific qualitative research.University of Florida Agricultural Experiment Station Series No. 7446.This paper reports the results of research only. Mention of a trademark of a proprietary product does not constitute a recommendation for use by the U.S. Department of Agriculture to the exclusion of other products that may also be suitable.     

Electrooptical analysis of blue and of cation-regenerated bacteriorhodopsin

Blue bacteriorhodopsin was prepared by electrodialysis, cation-exchange chromatography and acidification. The electrooptical properties of these preparations compared to those of the native purple bacteriorhodopsin suggest that the blue bacteriorhodopsin has a smaller induced dipole moment than the native purple bacteriorhodopsin and that bound cations in the native bacteriorhodopsin stabilize the protein conformation in the membrane.Purple bacteriorhodopsin was regenerated by addition of potassium, magnesium or ferric ions to blue bacteriorhodopsin. Both spectrscopically and electrooptically the potassium- and ferric-regenerated samples are different from the native purple state. Although the magnesium-regenerated sample is spectroscopically similar to the native purple bacteriorhodopsin, the electrooptical properties are rather similar to those of the cation-depleted blue sample, suggesting that it is very difficult to re-stabilize protein structures once cations are depleted.     

Solubilisation of a Glutamate Binding Protein from Rat Brain

Rat brain synaptic plasma membranes were solubilised in either 1% Triton X-100 or potassium cholate and subjected to batch affinity adsorption on L-glutamate/bovine serum albumin reticulated glass fibre. The fibre was extensively washed, and bound proteins eluted with 0.1 mM L-glutamate in 0.1% detergent, followed by repeated dialysis to remove the glutamate from the eluted proteins. Aliquots of the dialysed extracts were assayed for L-[3H]glutamate binding activity in the presence or absence of 0.1 mM unlabelled L-glutamate (to define displaceable binding). Incubations were conducted at room temperature and terminated by rapid filtration through nitrocellulose membranes. Binding to solubilised fractions could be detected only following affinity chromatography. Binding was saturable and of relatively low affinity: KD = 1.0 and 1.8 microM for Triton X-100 and cholate extracts, respectively. The density of binding sites was remarkably high: approximately 18 nmol/mg protein for Triton X-100-solubilised preparations, and usually double this when cholate was employed. Analysis of structural requirements for inhibition of binding revealed that only a very restricted number of compounds were effective, i.e., L-glutamate, L-aspartate, and sulphur-containing amino acids. Binding was not inhibited significantly by any of the selective excitatory amino acid receptor agonists--quisqualate, N-methyl-D-aspartate, or kainate. The implication from this study is that the glutamate binding protein is similar if not identical to one previously isolated and probably is not related to the pharmacologically defined postsynaptic receptor subtypes, unless solubilisation of synaptic membranes resulted in major alterations to binding site characteristics. Since solubilisation with Triton X-100 is known to preserve synaptic junctional complexes, it seems likely that the origin of the glutamate binding protein may be extrajunctional, although its functional role is unknown.     

A novel wheat alpha-amylase gene (alpha-Amy3)

Summary A genomic clone of a wheat -amylase gene (Amy3/33) was identified, on the basis of hybridisation properties, as different from -Amy1 and -Amy2 genes which had been characterised previously. The nucleotide sequence revealed that this gene has the normal sequence motifs of an active gene and an open reading frame interrupted by two introns. The protein sequence encoded by this open reading frame is recognisably similar to that of -amylase from the -Amy1 and -Amy2 genes and there is high sequence homology in all three proteins at the putative active sites and Ca⁺⁺ binding region. In addition, the introns are at positions equivalent to the position of introns in the -Amy1 and -Amy2 genes. However, the sequence was less similar to -Amy1 and -Amy2 than these are to each other. Southern blot analysis showed that the Amy3/33 DNA is one of a small multigene family carried on a different chromosome (group 5) from either the -Amy1 or -Amy2 genes. A further difference from the -Amy1 and -Amy2 genes was the pattern of expression. Amy3/33 was expressed only in immature grains and, unlike the -Amy1 and -Amy2 genes, not at all in germinating aleurones. These data suggested therefore that this gene represents a third type of -amylase gene, not described before, which shares a common evolutionary ancestor with the -Amy1 and -Amy2 genes.