Structure and function of hemoglobin in antarctic fishes and evolutionary implications

Summary The hematological features of cold-adapted, red-blooded Antarctic teleosts has prompted this study on the relationship between hemoglobin molecular structure and oxygen-binding properties. The hemolysates from 21 species of 5 families contained one component (Hb 1), often accompanied by an additional, minor one (Hb 2, 5%–10% of total). On the other hand, 3 species of Zoarcidae, a non-endemic family, had 4–5 components. All purified hemoglobins from the former group, but only 1–2 of the 4–5 hemoglobins of Zoarcidae, showed a strong Root effect (pH regulation of oxygen binding). Globins from each hemoglobin have been purified and characterised with respect to molecular structure in several species. The similarity between the complete amino acid sequence of one -chain and those of non-Antarctic -chains is lower than that among the latter sequences, suggesting independent pathways of evolution.Presented at the 5th SCAR Symposium on Antarctic Biology, Hobart, Australia (August 29th-September 3rd, 1988)     

The primary structure and oxygen-binding properties of the single haemoglobin of the high-Antarctic fish Aethotaxis mitopteryx DeWitt

Summary The complete amino acid sequence of the single haemoglobin of the Antarctic fish Aethotaxis mitopteryx DeWitt has been established by automated repetitive Edman degradation on the intact and cleaved (enzymatically and chemically) and chains. A very high sequence identity with other Antarctic fish haemoglobins has been detected. The haemoglobin has a moderate Bohr effect and no Root effect. Organic phosphates and chloride also regulate oxygen binding only to a moderate extent. The lack of Root effect is consistent with the substitution His — Val at the HC3 C-terminal position of the chain. The low overall heat of oxygenation suggests that in this species oxygen transport is an energy-saving process, presumably related to cold adaptation. The comparative analysis of the haemoglobins of Antarctic fishes emphasises some unique features of the oxygen-transport system of A. mitopteryx, which are likely to be related to its also rather unique mode of life.Data presented here were collected during the European Polarstern Study (EPOS) sponsored by the European Science Foundation     

Neurotrophic regulation of GABA receptors at a crayfish inhibitory synapse

Experiments were done on the inhibitory synapse of crayfish tonic muscle receptor organs (MROs) to determine whether gamma-aminobutyric acid (GABA) receptors would be affected by denervation or axotomy. It was found that severing the dorsal nerve containing the MRO sensory and inhibitory neurons usually induced, in 30 days or less, a dramatic transformation in the responses of MROs to ionophoretically applied GABA. In contrast to normal MROs which show only inhibitory responses to GABA, transformed MROs were substantially depolarized and excited by GABA application to numerous points found on the axon, soma, dendrites. Interspersed among the points of excitation, normal inhibitory points could still be found on the transformed cells. The results suggested that chronic lesions can induced structural changes in GABA receptors, whereby the Cl- ionophore is replaced by a cationic channel. It was possible to compare the effects of postsynaptic axotomy alone with those of postsynaptic plus presynaptic axotomy by testing MROs from animals whose ventral nerve cord was sectioned. These experiments suggested that interruption of the presynaptic neuron is an important factor in the transformation. It was not determined whether complete degeneration of the inhibitory synapse is necessary for the transformation, but the rapidity of the effect, coupled with the probability of long-term survival of synaptic contacts, suggested that complete degeneration was not necessary. Similarities were found in the GABA responses of transformed MROs and those MROs which normally receive no innervation, which are located in the sixth abdominal segment. These results support the idea that trophic regulation from inhibitory neurons is a factor in stabilizing the association of the Cl- ionophore with GABA receptor.     

Cytosolic 5′-nucleotidase/nucleoside phosphotransferase: A nucleoside analog activating enzyme?

Nucleoside phosphotransferase acting on inosine and deoxyinosine has been partially purified from cultured Chinese hamster lung fibroblasts (V79). The activity is associated with a cytosolic 5′-nucleotidase acting on IMP and deoxyIMP. The transfer of the phosphate group from IMP to inosine catalyzed by this enzyme was activated by ATP and 2,3-bisphosphoglycerate. Inosine, deoxyinosine, guanosine, deoxyguanosine, and the nucleoside analogs 2′,3′-dideoxyinosine and 8-azaguanosine are substrates, while adenosine and deoxyadenosine are not. IMP, deoxyIMP, GMP, and deoxyGMP are the best phosphate donors. The cytosolic 5′-nucleotidase/phosphotransferase substrate, 8-azaguanosine, was found to be very toxic for cultured fibroblasts (LD₅₀ = 0.32 μM). Mutants resistant to either 8-azaguanosine and the correspondent base 8-azaguanine were isolated and characterized. Our results indicated that the 8-azaguanosine-resistant cells were lacking both cytosolic 5′-nucleotidase and hypoxanthine-guanine phosphoribosyltransferase, while 8-azaguanine resistant cells were lacking only the latter enzyme. Despite this observation, both mutants displayed 8-azaguanosine resistance, thus indicating that cytosolic 5′-nucleotidase is not essential for the activation of this nucleoside analog.     

Synthesis and bronchospasmolytic properties of some pyridazinone derivatives

The synthesis and evaluaton of the biological activity of a series of 3(2H)-pyridazinones is reported. The bronchodilatating activity of these compounds was determined on the guinea pig trachea. Compounds 6 and 17 with 1-(4-amino-3,5-dichlorophenyl)-2-hydroxyethyl-and 1-(3,4-dichlorophenyl)-2-hydroxyethyl groups linked through a piperazine ring to the 6-position of 3(2H)-pyridazinone show a good bronchospasmolytic activity.     

Basic fibroblast growth factor requires a long-lasting activation of protein kinase C to induce cell proliferation in transformed fetal bovine aortic endothelial cells.

Basic fibroblast growth factor (bFGF) induces a protein kinase C (PKC)-dependent mitogenic response in transformed fetal bovine aortic endothelial GM 7373 cells. A long-lasting interaction of bFGF with the cell is required to induce cell proliferation. bFGF-treated cells are in fact committed to proliferate only after they have entered the phase S of the cell cycle, 12-14 h after the beginning of bFGF treatment. Before that time, the mitogenic response to bFGF is abolished by 1) removal of extracellular bFGF by suramin, 2) addition of neutralizing anti-bFGF antibodies to the culture medium, 3) inhibition of PKC activity by the protein kinase inhibitor H-7, and 4) down-regulation of PKC by cotreatment with phorbol ester. Thus the requirement for a prolonged interaction of bFGF with the cell reflects the requirement for a prolonged activation of PKC. Similar conclusions can be drawn for the PKC activators 12-O-tetradecanoyl phorbol 13-acetate and 1,2-dioctanoyl-sn-glycerol. The two molecules require 16 and 6 h, respectively, of activation of PKC to induce 50% of maximal cell proliferation. The requirement for a long-lasting activation of PKC appears to be a mechanism for the control of cell proliferation capable of discriminating among transient nonmitogenic stimuli and long-lasting mitogenic stimuli.     

Signalling of Trichomonas vaginalis for amoeboid transformation and adhesin synthesis follows cytoadherence

The cytoadherence of Trichomonas vaginalis, the sexually transmitted flagellated protozoan, to vaginal epithelial cells (VECs) is the key to infection. Electron microscopy revealed that in vitro-grown parasites having typical globular shape transformed rapidly after contact with VECs into thin, flat, amoeboid cells, maximizing the area of adhesion to the surface of VECs. Amoebic trichomonads formed filopodia and pseudopodia, which interdigitated at distinct sites on the plasma membrane of target cells. In contrast, the amoeboid transformation did not occur for T. vaginalis interacting with He La cells, the previously used in vitro host model cell. Initial parasitism of VECs by a single organism was followed by establishment of a monolayer of trichomonads on the host cell. Finally, parasites adhering to either VECs or HeLa cells were induced to synthesize greater amounts of the four previously described adhesins. Therefore, distinct signals after contact with either epithelial cell type leads to the morphological transformation and/or induction of adhesin synthesis by T. vaginalis.     

Regulation of Gdnf expression by retinoic acid in Sertoli cells

Glial cell line‐derived neurotrophic factor (GDNF) and retinoic acid (RA) are two molecules crucial for the regulation of the spermatogonial compartment of the testis. During the cycle of the seminiferous epithelium, their relative concentration oscillates with lower GDNF levels in stages where RA levels are high. It has been recently shown that RA negatively regulates Gdnf expression but the mechanisms behind are so far unknown. Here, we show that RA directly downregulates Gdnf mRNA levels in primary murine Sertoli cells through binding of RARα to a novel DR5‐RARE on Gdnf promoter. Pharmacological inhibition and chromatin immunoprecipitation–quantitative polymerase chain reaction analysis suggested that the underlying mechanism involved histone deacetylase activity and epigenetic repression of Gdnf promoter upon RA treatment.