Ordered and disordered phases coexist in plasma membrane vesicles of RBL-2H3 mast cells. An ESR study

Four chain spin labels and a spin-labeled cholestane were used to study the dynamic structure of plasma membrane vesicles (PMV) prepared from RBL-2H3 mast cells at temperatures ranging from 22 degrees C to 45 degrees C. Analysis shows that the spectra from most labels consist of two components. The abundant spectral components exhibit substantial ordering that is intermediate between that of a liquid-ordered (Lo) phase, and that of a liquid-crystalline (Lc) phase as represented by model membranes. Also, rotational diffusion rates of the spin labels are comparable to those in the Lo phase. In contrast, the ordering for the less abundant components is much lower. These results indicate that a Lo-like region or phase (the abundant component) and an Lc-like region or phase (the less abundant component) coexist in the PMV. In contrast, membranes reconstituted from extracted lipids exhibit the more ordered phase only. This suggests that membrane-associated proteins are important for the coexistence of Lo-like and Lc-like regions in the plasma membrane. In addition, binding of the myristoylated protein, ARF6 to PMV, leads to a new spectral component for a headgroup lipid spin label that indicates the formation of plasma membrane defects by this low molecular weight GTPase.     

辽宁碱蓬胆碱单加氧酶基因克隆及转基因烟草的耐盐性

甜菜碱是生物体内普遍存在的一种很有效的渗透调节剂。在高等植物中,甜菜碱由胆碱经两步酶催氧化得到,即：胆碱→甜菜碱醛→甜菜碱,催化第一步反应的酶是胆碱单加氧酶（choline monooxygenase,CMO)。用RT-PCR和RACE技术从盐生植物辽宁碱蓬（Suaeda liaotungensis Kitag)中分离了CMOcDNA全序列,其中包括5′端非编码区123bp,3′端非编码区368bp。开放阅读框1329bp,编码一个由442个氨基酸构成的多肽,与菠菜,甜菜和山菠菜CMO的氨基酸序列同源性分别为77%,72%和74%。克隆了其编码区。构建了植物表达载体pBI121-CMO。根癌土壤杆菌（Agrobacterium tumefaciens)介导转化烟草（Nictiana tabacumL.cv.89),获得卡那霉素抗性植株,PCR和Southern杂交均证明外源CMO基因已整合到烟草基因组中,转基因烟草的甜菜碱含量明显高于对照。转基因烟草膜的相对电导率明显低于对照,说明盐胁迫下转基因烟草的膜结构所受损伤小于对照。转基因烟草具有一定的耐盐性。能在含250mmol/LNaCl的培养基中正常生长。     

cGMP-dependent protein kinase decreases calcium sensitivity of skinned cardiac fibers

Chemically skinned (Lubrol WX) cardiac muscle fibers produce half-maximum isometric tension at pCa 6.18 (pH 6.7) in presence of MgATP (10 mM). After addition of cGMP (5 microM) and cGMP-dependent protein kinase (0.1 microM), the pCa required for half-maximum activation is 5.96, while maximum tension is not affected. Similar shifts in the tension/pCa-relationship have been observed after incubation of skinned cardiac muscle fibers with cAMP of catalytic subunit of the cAMP-dependent protein kinase. The shift in the Ca2+-sensitivity is associated with an increased incorporation of radioactivity into a Mr 28000 band (presumably troponin-I) and a Mr 145000 band.     

Peripheral and central actions of AF64A (ethylcholine mustard aziridinium ion) on acetylcholine release, in vitro: Comparison with hemicholinium

The acute effects of ethylcholine mustard aziridinium ion (AF64A) and hemicholinium-3 (HC-3) on the release of endogenous acetylcholine (ACh) from isolated tissues were examined. Whereas addition of HC-3 (10⁻⁶–10⁻⁵ M) significantly reduced the output of ACh from isolated guinea-pig ileum longitudinal muscle strip elicited by 10 Hz stimulation, AF64A had no effect and even enhanced the release of radiolabel elicited by 1 Hz stimulation when this tissue was pre-loaded with [³H]choline. Similarly, HC-3 (10⁻⁵ M) reduced ouabain-induced endogenous ACh release from isolated rat hippocampus. Addition of AF64A (10⁻⁵−5 × 10⁻⁵ M) caused a slight increase in ACh release. In isolated rat cortex, however, AF64A did not affect ACh release. Moreover, AF64A caused a decrease in ouabain-stimulated ACh release from striatum. The present study indicates that: (a) the in vitro actions of AF64A differ from those of HC-3 and (b) the acute effects of AF64A on endogenous ACh release vary, depending on the tissues studied and the stimulation parameters used.     

Neuroprotective potential of choline alfoscerate against β‐amyloid injury: Involvement of neurotrophic signals

Alzheimer's disease represents the most prevalent neurodegeneration worldwide, clinically characterized by cognitive and memory impairment. New therapeutic approaches are extremely important to counteract this disorder. This research is focused on the potential use of choline alfoscerate in preventing neuronal death using in vitro models of Alzheimer's disease, representing the early stage of the disease, treated before or after the insult with glycerylphosphorylcholine. On the light of the results collected, we can postulate that choline alfoscerate, by the activation of the neurotrophin survival pathway, was able to counteract the detrimental effect of β‐amyloid in both in vitro models, reducing apoptotic cell death and preserving the neuronal morphology.