Improved micro-method for the high-performance liquid chromatographic determination of caffeine and paraxanthine in biological fluids

A high-performance liquid chromatographic procedure is reported for reproducibly and sensitively quantitating caffeine and its N-demethylated metabolite paraxanthine in micro-samples. A 5-μm reversed-phase radial compression column and 214-nm fixed wavelength ultraviolet detector were used to attain a sensitivity sufficient to quantitate these compounds at concentratios as low as 80 ng/ml using only 25 μl of sample. The assay is applicable to microliter samples of whole blood, serum, plasma, saliva, amniotic, cerebro-spinal and gastric fluids such as might be obtained in studies involving small animals or neonates. The utility of the assay is illustrated with caffeine and paraxanthine levels measured in several maternal and fetal fluids following constant-rate intravenous infusion of caffeine into a rabbit throughout pregnancy.     

Separate Intramolecular Targets for Protein Kinase A Control N-Methyl-d-aspartate Receptor Gating and Ca2+ Permeability

Protein kinase A (PKA) enhances synaptic plasticity in the central nervous system by increasing NMDA receptor current amplitude and Ca²⁺ flux in an isoform-dependent yet poorly understood manner. PKA phosphorylates multiple residues on GluN1, GluN2A, and GluN2B subunits in vivo, but the functional significance of this multiplicity is unknown. We examined gating and permeation properties of recombinant NMDA receptor isoforms and of receptors with altered C-terminal domain (CTDs) prior to and after pharmacological inhibition of PKA. We found that PKA inhibition decreased GluN1/GluN2B but not GluN1/GluN2A gating; this effect was due to slower rates for receptor activation and resensitization and was mediated exclusively by the GluN2B CTD. In contrast, PKA inhibition reduced NMDA receptor-relative Ca²⁺ permeability (P_Ca/P_Na) regardless of the GluN2 isoform and required the GluN1 CTD; this effect was due primarily to decreased unitary Ca²⁺ conductance, because neither Na⁺ conductance nor Ca²⁺-dependent block was altered substantially. Finally, we show that both the gating and permeation effects can be reproduced by changing the phosphorylation state of a single residue: GluN2B Ser-1166 and GluN1 Ser-897, respectively. We conclude that PKA effects on NMDA receptor gating and Ca²⁺ permeability rely on distinct phosphorylation sites located on the CTD of GluN2B and GluN1 subunits. This separate control of NMDA receptor properties by PKA may account for the specific effects of PKA on plasticity during synaptic development and may lead to drugs targeted to alter NMDA receptor gating or Ca²⁺ permeability.     

Dielectric spectroscopy for noninvasive examination of corneal tissue]

Dielectric spectroscopy is a non-invasive contact technique that permits the in vivo measurement of the specific electrical properties of biological tissue induced by an external electrical field. Permittivity, relaxation time and specific conductivity as a function of corneal hydration (wet weight/dry weight) and temperature were measured in 10 porcine corneas. Variation of tissue hydration has a minor influence on the signal, with a significant variation of the signal being detectable only for relatively dry tissue. A much greater influence was found for temperature, in particular on relaxation times. Dielectric spectroscopy provides us with an opportunity to detect structural, in particular temperature-induced, changes in living tissue. In the frequency range investigated, hydration has only a small influence on the dielectric properties of the tissue.     

2,3,7,8-Tetrachlorodibenzo-p-dioxin (TCDD) enhances antibody production and protein kinase activity in murine B cells

Treatment of murine spleen cells with 30 nM TCDD resulted in an approximately 3 fold increase in unstimulated antibody production after 3 days in culture. This response was not accompanied by increased cellular proliferation and may represent an effect of TCDD on B cell activation or differentiation. Since PMA is capable of activating B cells, presumably via PKC, we have compared the effects of PMA and TCDD on protein kinase activation and phosphorylation of endogenous proteins in a highly purified preparation of B cells. In contrast to a reduction of cytosolic PKC activity, the expected effect of PMA, TCDD caused an increase in basal kinase activity with no effect on PKC activity. Addition of either PMA or TCDD resulted in enhanced phosphorylation of a similar profile of proteins, including proteins of Mr 12.2, 14.6, 29.2, 52.3 and 62.7 KDa. Addition of TCDD also resulted in the increased phosphorylation of a protein of Mr 45.2, which was unaffected by PMA. Combined treatment with PMA and TCDD resulted in additive responses. The additive effects of PMA and TCDD suggest an interaction at the level of protein phosphorylation which is mediated by different kinases. Therefore, TCDD may be stimulating B cells via an early effect on an unidentified protein kinase.     

Efficient oligonucleotide-directed construction of mutations in expression vectors by the gapped duplex DNA method using alternating selectable markers.

An efficient method for the construction of multiple mutations in a sequential manner is described. It is based on the gapped duplex DNA approach to oligonucleotide-directed mutagenesis (Kramer et al. 1984, Nucl. Acids Res. 12, 9441-9456) and a set of newly constructed phasmid vectors. These are characterized by the following features. Presence of the phage fl replication origin permits ready conversion to the single stranded DNA form. An amber mutation within, alternatively, the bla or cat gene provides a means for ready selection of the strand into which the mutagenic oligonucleotide has been incorporated. By means of the alternating antibiotic resistance markers any number of mutations can be constructed in consecutive rounds of mutagenesis. The optional presence of gene expression signals allows the direct overproduction of structurally altered proteins without re-cloning. Both the mutagenesis and expression aspects were tested using the lacZ gene as a model.     

Structure determination of the UDP-disaccharide fragment of cytoplasmic cofactor isolated from Methanobacterium thermoautotrophicum

The methylcoenzyme M methylreductase reaction has an absolute requirement for 7-mercaptoheptanoylthreonine phosphate or component B, which is the active component of the intact molecule previously referred to as cytoplasmic cofactor. A hydrolytic fragment of cytoplasmic cofactor has been purified and identified as uridine 5'-(O-2-acetamido-2-deoxy-beta-manno-pyranuronosyl acid (1----4)-2-acetamido-2-deoxy-alpha-glucopyranosyl diphosphate) by high resolution NMR and fast atom bombardment mass spectro-metry. It is postulated that UDP-disaccharide may function to anchor 7-mercaptoheptanoyl threonine phosphate at the active site of the methyl-reductase enzyme complex.     

The phosphorylation state of the reticulocyte 90-kDa heat shock protein affects its ability to increase phosphorylation of peptide initiation factor 2 alpha subunit by the heme-sensitive kinase

The rabbit reticulocyte Mr 90,000 protein associated with the heme-sensitive eIF-2 alpha kinase has been identified previously as the mammalian heat shock protein of this size class (hsp 90). Purified reticulocyte hsp 90 when added exogenously to the kinase increases its activity. This stimulatory effect is abolished after incubation of hsp 90 with a highly purified type 1 phosphoprotein phosphatase isolated from reticulocytes. Phosphorylation of dephosphorylated hsp 90 by casein kinase II but not by cAMP-dependent protein kinase restores the biological activity of hsp 90 to stimulate eIF-2 alpha phosphorylation.     

Molecular cloning of complementary DNA encoding maize nitrite reductase: molecular analysis and nitrate induction

Complementary DNA has been isolated that codes for maize nitrite reductase (NiR) by using the corresponding spinach gene (E Back et al. 1988 Mol Gen Genet 212:20-26) as a heterologous probe. The sequences of the complementary DNAs from the two species are 66% homologous while the deduced amino acid sequences are 86% similar when analogous amino acids are included. A high percentage of the differences in the DNA sequences is due to the extremely strong bias in the corn gene to have a G/C base in the third codon position with 559/569 codons ending in a G or C. Using a hydroponic system, maize seedlings grown in the absence of an exogenous nitrogen source were induced with nitrate or nitrite. Nitrate stimulated a rapid induction of the NiR mRNA in both roots and leaves. There is also a considerable induction of this gene in roots upon the addition of nitrite, although under the conditions used the final mRNA level was not as high as when nitrate was the inducer. There is a small but detectable level of NiR mRNA in leaves prior to induction, but no constitutive NiR mRNA can be seen in the roots. Analysis of genomic DNA supports the notion that there are at least two NiR genes in maize.