Crystal structure of the Y52F/Y73F double mutant of phospholipase A2: increased hydrophobic interactions of the phenyl groups compensate for the disrupted hydrogen bonds of the tyrosines.

The enzyme phospholipase A2 (PLA2) catalyzes the hydrolysis of the sn-2 ester bond of membrane phospholipids. The highly conserved Tyr residues 52 and 73 in the enzyme form hydrogen bonds to the carboxylate group of the catalytic Asp-99. These hydrogen bonds were initially regarded as essential for the interfacial recognition and the stability of the overall catalytic network. The elimination of the hydrogen bonds involving the phenolic hydroxyl groups of the Tyr-52 and -73 by changing them to Phe lowered the stability but did not significantly affect the catalytic activity of the enzyme. The X-ray crystal structure of the double mutant Y52F/Y73F has been determined at 1.93 A resolution to study the effect of the mutation on the structure. The crystals are trigonal, space group P3(1)21, with cell parameters a = b = 46.3 A and c = 102.95 A. Intensity data were collected on a Siemens area detector, 8,024 reflections were unique with an R(sym) of 4.5% out of a total of 27,203. The structure was refined using all the unique reflections by XPLOR to a final R-factor of 18.6% for 955 protein atoms, 91 water molecules, and 1 calcium ion. The root mean square deviation for the alpha-carbon atoms between the double mutant and wild type was 0.56 A. The crystal structure revealed that four hydrogen bonds were lost in the catalytic network; three involving the tyrosines and one involving Pro-68. However, the hydrogen bonds of the catalytic triad, His-48, Asp-99, and the catalytic water, are retained. There is no additional solvent molecule at the active site to replace the missing hydroxyl groups; instead, the replacement of the phenolic OH groups by H atoms draws the Phe residues closer to the neighboring residues compared to wild type; Phe-52 moves toward His-48 and Asp-99 of the catalytic diad, and Phe-73 moves toward Met-8, both by about 0.5 A. The closing of the voids left by the OH groups increases the hydrophobic interactions compensating for the lost hydrogen bonds. The conservation of the triad hydrogen bonds and the stabilization of the active site by the increased hydrophobic interactions could explain why the double mutant has activity similar to wild type. The results indicate that the aspartyl carboxylate group of the catalytic triad can function alone without additional support from the hydrogen bonds of the two Tyr residues.     

大鼠缰核与下丘脑外侧区在血压调节中的相互关系

电刺激乌拉坦麻醉的大鼠下丘脑外侧区(LH)可使缰核(Hb)内51.0％的单位兴奋,15.7％的单位抑制,其中发生兴奋反应的单位有15.4％可被逆行激活。双侧Hb内微量注射利多卡因,电刺激LH引起的升压反应可被阻断42.0±28.0％;反之,双侧LH内微量注射利多卡固,电刺激Hb引起的升压反应可被阻断62.0±26.4％。结果表明,LH与Hb在血压调节中相互依赖,具有协同作用。     

躯体传入冲动抑制中枢性心肌缺血的脊髓机制

本工作在58只尿酯-氯醛糖麻醉,三碘季铵酚制动,人工呼吸,切断迷走神经的兔上进行。结果显示:电刺激正中神经(MN)和腓深神经(DPN)均能抑制或部分抑制下丘脑背内侧核(DMH)诱发的缺血性心电 ST 段偏移,以刺激 MN 的抑制作用更为明显。蛛网膜下腔注射(ith)吗啡(40μg)也能抑制这种缺血性心电变化。ith 纳洛酮(20μg)则可阻断刺激 MN 对中枢性心肌缺血的抑制作用。完整兔在刺激左侧 MN 或 DPN 后,用放射免疫技术测得胸 2—5(T_2-5)节段两侧中间外侧柱(IML)中亮氨酸脑啡肽(LENK)含量明显增加。在颈1(C_1)水平横断脊髓,以同样参数刺激左侧 MN,同侧胸髓 IML 中 LENK 含量明显增加,而对侧胸髓 IML 中 LENK 含量无明显改变;刺激一侧 DPN,T_(2-5)的两侧 IML 中 LENK 含量均无明显变化。上述结果表明,刺激 MN 与 DPN 均能抑制 DMH 诱发的中枢性心肌缺血,但以MN 作用较明显。我们推测这种抑制作用可能与通过脊上机制双侧性增加 IML 中 LENK 含量有关,MN 的抑制作用可能尚包括直接激活胸髓内的脑啡肽系统,增加同侧 IML 中 LENK含量,加强了对交感输出活动的抑制作用。     

外侧臂旁核神经元对穹隆下器逆向刺激和孤束核顺向刺激的反应

细胞外记录大鼠外侧臂旁核(LPBN)神经元单位放电,观察了刺激穹隆下器(SFO)在记录单位诱发的逆向反应和静脉注射新福林兴奋外周压力感受器和刺激孤束核(NTS)减压区诱发的顺向反应。实验发现:刺激 SFO,9.9%(15/151)的 LPBN 神经元有逆向反应。静脉注射新福林,40.7%(22/54)的 LPBN 神经元有抑制反应,27.8%(17/54)有兴奋反应。刺激 NTS,55.6%(94/169)的 LPBN 神经元呈现顺向兴奋反应;22.5%(38/169)呈现顺向抑制反应。观察静脉注射新福林对 SFO 刺激有逆向反应的 LPBN 神经元自发放电的影响,在两个受试单位均见抑制反应。观察刺激 NTS 对逆向反应单位自发放电的影响,在8个受试单位中,6个呈兴奋反应;2个呈抑制反应。以上结果表明:LPBN 接受来自 NTS 的兴奋性或抑制性压力感受性传入,并把这种信息经 LPBN-SFO 直接通路传输到 SFO。     

刺激中缝背核压抑大鼠小脑浦肯野细胞对苔状和爬行纤维传入的反应

本文在麻醉并制动的大鼠上观察了中缝背核(DR)条件刺激对由苔状和爬行纤维传入引起的小脑浦肯野细胞(PC)诱发反应的影响。主要结果有:(1)刺激大脑皮层感觉运动区可以引起苔状和爬行纤维向对侧小脑皮层第Ⅵ和Ⅶ小叶的传入,因而在该小叶上记录到 PC 的诱发简单锋电位(SS)和复杂锋电位(CS)反应,潜伏期分别是8—25和12—30ms。(2)以不影响PC 自发 SS 和 CS 活动的阈下强度刺激 DR,可显著地压抑 PC 对于刺激感觉运动皮层引起的苔状和爬行纤维兴奋所产生的诱发 SS 和 CS 反应,这种压抑作用可持续数百毫秒。(3)DR条件刺激对 PC 的诱发 SS 和 CS 反应的压抑作用可以被静脉注射5-HT 受体阻断剂羟甲丙基甲基麦角酰胺所减弱或阻断。上述结果表明 DR 的5-HT 能纤维传入可以降低苔状和爬行纤维对 PC 的突触作用效力,抑或降低 PC 对突触传入的反应敏感性,提示中缝-小脑5-HT,能纤维传入系统参与了小脑某些重要的神经活动过程。     

Changes in Nine Enzyme Markers for Neurons, Glia, and Endothelial Cells in Agonal State and Huntington''s Disease Caudate Nucleus

Enzymes considered to be markers for neurons (angiotensin converting enzyme, thermolysin-like metalloendopeptidase, alanine aminopeptidase, and glutamate-oxaloacetate transaminase), glia (glutamine synthetase, pyruvate carboxylase, and beta-glucuronidase), and endothelial cells (alkaline phosphatase and plasminogen activator) were measured in caudate nucleus from 10 sudden death controls, eight agonal state controls, and 16 Huntington's disease patients. Glutamate-oxaloacetate transaminase was slightly reduced by agonal state. The four enzymes with a neuronal distribution were all correlatively reduced in Huntington's disease caudate nucleus. Glutamine synthetase activity was reduced and beta-glucuronidase mean activity increased over twofold in Huntington's disease caudate nucleus, with the two enzyme activities being inversely related. Pyruvate carboxylase was markedly affected by agonal state and was very variable in Huntington's disease caudate nucleus. The two endothelial enzymes were unaltered in Huntington's disease caudate nucleus. The findings are indicative of neuronal loss, an increased proportion of altered glia, and also of maintained vasculature in Huntington's disease caudate nucleus. Measurement of enzyme activities can help to delineate the types of cell altered in Huntington's disease.     

A Bioluminescence Method for the Measurement of l-Glutamate: Applications to the Study of Changes in the Release of l-Glutamate from Lateral Geniculate Nucleus and Superior Colliculus After Visual Cortex Ablation in Rats

We have developed a rapid, simple, specific, and very sensitive bioluminescence method for the measurement of L-glutamate (L-Glu). Oxidation of L-Glu by glutamate dehydrogenase has been coupled with bacterial FMN reductase and luciferase. Light production (i.e., peak height or integral) was linear from less than 0.5 to 500 pmol of L-Glu. Potential interfering substances that may be encountered in brain tissue have been identified. The most potent inhibitors were ascorbate and the biogenic amines. Procedures that conferred long-term stability of the reagent mixture (greater than 8 h) were established. Bioluminescence analysis of L-Glu content in brain tissue extracts, fractions from release experiments, and human CSF corroborated respective results obtained by HPLC analysis. In this study, we have applied the method to monitor changes in the KCl-evoked release of endogenous L-Glu from milligram amounts of brain tissue, i.e., from lateral geniculate nucleus and superior colliculus after visual cortex ablation.     

Release of Monoamines from Striatum of Rat and Mouse Evoked by Local Application of Potassium: Evaluation of a New In Vivo Electrochemical Technique

Local application of K+ via micropressure-ejection, coupled with in vivo electrochemical detection, was used to study stimulated release from monoaminergic nerve terminals in the striatum of anesthetized rats and mice. K+-evoked releases were reversible, reproducible, and dose-dependent. In contrast, releases of electroactive species could not be evoked by local ejection of Na+. The magnitudes and time courses of K+-evoked releases recorded from the caudate nucleus of mice were greater than those seen in rats. Local application of nomifensine, a putative catecholamine reuptake blocker, augmented the magnitudes and time courses of K+-evoked releases. Releases were also recorded from brain regions adjacent the striatum; these signals were always smaller than those seen in the caudate nucleus and had amplitudes that showed good correspondence to the relative degree of dopaminergic input to these areas. These data, taken together with other information in the literature, suggest that this new technique is well suited for in situ studies of monoamine release and reuptake in intact animals.     

促生长素抑制素样免疫反应在大白鼠弓状核和正中隆起的超微结构分布

本文用免疫电镜方法证明:促生长素抑制素样免疫反应神经末梢分布于弓状棱并与未标记的树突形成轴树突触。在正中隆起的纤维层和栅状层内均可见上述免疫反应末梢,大多数紧贴门脉毛细血管基底膜周围甚至穿入基底膜内。免疫反应末梢尚可与未标记的末梢形成轴轴突触样结构。     

Radiation chemistry of a multicomponent aqueous system relevant to chemistry of cometary nuclei

Summary We have examined a water-dominated multicomponent system after irradiation in the multimegarad dose range with gamma rays from a⁶⁰Co source at both 77 and 310 K. The constituents were simple organic compounds in the proportions in which they appear in a dense interstellar cloud: HCN/CH₃OH/CH₃CN/C₂H₅CN/HCOOH=10.60.20.10.05. The total amounts were adjusted to correspond to a carbon to nitrogen ratio of 1.8 and a water content of about 50% in a cometary nucleus where the dust to volatiles ratio is 1; the total amount of CN-bearing compounds was taken to correspond to 0.4% of the cometary mass. In experiments at 310 K about 40 radiolytic products are identified, among them aldehydes and amino and carboxylic acids. Abundant polymeric material (M_w up to 80,000 daltons) is formed. The basic aspects of radiolysis of the liquid system are present also at 77 K, although at radiation-chemical yields that are lower by one to two orders of magnitude. We have considered the relevance of the present findings to the chemistry of a liquid-water core and the icy layers of a cometary nucleus.