Phosphatidylinositol 4,5-bisphosphate: Light-mediated breakdown in the vertebrate retina

Isolated frog ($\text{Rana}\text{Pipiens}$) retinas were labeled in the dark with either [³²P]PO₄-orthophosphate or $\text{myo}$-[2-³H]inositol for 2.5–4 hrs. After washing the retinas with cold buffer, they were exposed to brief flashes of light (5 secs or 15 secs) and their rod outer segments isolated. Upon separation of labeled phospholipids, a specific decrease in label in phosphatidylinositol 4,5-bisphosphate was observed, whereas there was no significant effect on the labeling of phosphatidylinositol 4-phosphate, phosphatidylinositol, or phosphatidic acid. These results are indicative of a light-activated phosphatidylinositol 4,5-bisphosphate-specific phospholipase C in frog rod outer segments.     

盐或低温胁迫对花生幼苗下胚轴ATP酶和质膜中PIP2含量的影响

经６％－１２％Ｄｅｘｔｒａｎ Ｔ７０密度梯度离心,获得了纯度较高的７ｄ龄花生幼苗下胚轴质膜和液泡膜制剂。１５０ｍｍｏｌ／Ｌ ＮａＣｌ或１０℃低温处理花生幼苗２４ｈ,其下胚轴质膜上的Ｍｇ＾２＋激活的ＡＴＰａｓｅ活性分别提高了３７．６％和１７．２％;Ｃａ＾２＋－ＡＴＰａｓｅ活性分别提高４５．８％和３３．６％。上述盐或低温处理也提高了液泡膜上Ｍｇ＾２＋激活的ＡＴＰａｓｅ活性,分别为对照的１４１．２％和１     

Calpain: A Cytosolic Proteinase Active at the Membranes

Conclusion  Membrane association is essential for GRK function and because of this the GRKs have evolved complex regulatory mechanisms for associating with the membrane. Although the GRKs are highly homologous, each kinase utilizes a distinct mechanism for associating with the membrane, which makes it unique within the family. Initially, the carboxyl terminus of the GRKs was identified as the “membrane association domain” but recent evidence suggests that the amino terminus may also play a critical role in localizing the kinases to the membrane (Murga et al., 1996; Pitcher et al, 1996). It is within these two domains that the GRKs are most variable at the amino acid level. The GRKS exhibit an absolute requirement for phospholipids not only for association with the membrane but also for activity. There are differences in preference and binding sites for the phospholipids within the GRK family, which may reflect differential targeting of the GRKs to G protein-coupled receptors situated in different lipid environments. There are hundreds of G protein-coupled receptors and only six known GRKs. All the GRKs appear to phosphorylate the same receptor substrates in vitro (Sterne-Marr & Benovic, 1995; Premont et al., 1995). Receptor specificity, in a cellular     

Refined solution structure of human profilin I.

Profilin is a ubiquitous eukaryotic protein that binds to both cytosolic actin and the phospholipid phosphatidylinositol-4,5-bisphosphate. These dual competitive binding capabilities of profilin suggest that profilin serves as a link between the phosphatidyl inositol cycle and actin polymerization, and thus profilin may be an essential component in the signaling pathway leading to cytoskeletal rearrangement. The refined three-dimensional solution structure of human profilin I has been determined using multidimensional heteronuclear NMR spectroscopy. Twenty structures were selected to represent the solution conformational ensemble. This ensemble of structures has root-mean-square distance deviations from the mean structure of 0.58 A for the backbone atoms and 0.98 A for all non-hydrogen atoms. Comparison of the solution structure of human profilin to the crystal structure of bovine profilin reveals that, although profilin adopts essentially identical conformations in both states, the solution structure is more compact than the crystal structure. Interestingly, the regions that show the most structural diversity are located at or near the actin-binding site of profilin. We suggest that structural differences are reflective of dynamical properties of profilin that facilitate favorable interactions with actin. The global folding pattern of human profilin also closely resembles that of Acanthamoeba profilin I, reflective of the 22% sequence identity and approximately 45% sequence similarity between these two proteins.     

Phorbol myristate acetate stimulates formation of phosphatidyl inositol 4-phosphate and phosphatidyl inositol 4,5-bisphosphate in human platelets

There are conflicting data in the literature as to whether or not the Ca2+ activation of phospholipase A2 is mediated by the calcium binding protein calmodulin. In the present study the membrane-bound phospholipase A2 enzymes in rat and human platelets were shown to be absolutely Ca2+ dependent but were not stimulated by the addition of calmodulin. A partially purified phospholipase A2 from rat platelet membrane, which contained little endogenous calmodulin, also was not stimulated by calmodulin addition. Both isolated and membrane-bound phospholipase A2 were inhibited by the non-specific calmodulin antagonist trifluoperazine but the inhibition was not overcome by adding calmodulin. There was thus no evidence from these studies that phospholipase A2 is calmodulin regulated.     

Differential sensitivity to detergents of actin cytoskeleton from nerve endings

Detergent-resistant membranes (DRM), an experimental model used to study lipid rafts, are typically extracted from cells by means of detergent treatment and subsequent ultracentrifugation in density gradients, Triton X-100 being the detergent of choice in most of the works. Since lipid rafts are membrane microdomains rich in cholesterol, depletion of this component causes solubilization of DRM with detergent. In previous works from our group, the lack of effect of cholesterol depletion on DRM solubilization with Triton X-100 was detected in isolated rat brain synaptosomes. In consequence, the aim of the present work is to explore reasons for this observation, analyzing the possible role of the actin cytoskeleton, as well as the use of an alternative detergent, Brij 98, to overcome the insensitivity to Triton X-100 of cholesterol-depleted DRM. Brij 98 yields Brij-DRM that are highly dependent on cholesterol, since marker proteins (Flotillin-1 and Thy-1), as well as actin, appear solubilized after MCD treatment. Pretreatment with Latrunculin A results in a significant increase in Flotillin-1, Thy-1 and actin solubilization by Triton X-100 after cholesterol depletion. Studies with transmission electron microscopy show that combined treatment with MCD and Latrunculin A leads to a significant increase in solubilization of DRM with Triton X-100. Thus, Triton-DRM resistance to cholesterol depletion can be explained, at least partially, thanks to the scaffolding action of the actin cytoskeleton, without discarding differential effects of Brij 98 and Triton X-100 on specific membrane components. In conclusion, the detergent of choice is important when events that depend on the actin cytoskeleton are going to be studied.