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The three-dimensional structure of the fatty-acid-binding protein isolated from the flight muscle of the desert locust Schistocerca gregaria has been solved and refined to a crystallographic R-value of 18.5% for all measured X-ray data from 30.0- to 2.2-A resolution. Crystals employed in the investigation were grown from 2.6 to 2.8 M ammonium sulfate solutions, buffered at pH 7.5 and containing 2-5% 2-methyl- 2,4-pentanediol. They belonged to the space group P2, with unit cell dimensions of a = 61.6 A, b = 44.8 A, c = 63.9 A, and /3 = 113.6O and two molecules per asymmetric unit. The protein fold consists of ten strands of antiparallel P-pleated sheet that wrap around to form a B-barrel. In addition, there are two small a-helices and six type I, two type 11, and two type 11' turns. The two molecules pack in the asymmetric unit as a dimer with a local 2-fold rotational axis. The subunit-subunit interface involves amino acid side chains located in the area of the helix-turn-helix motif and the turn between &strands E and F. It is this area that has been speculated to form the portal through which fatty acids enter the binding cavity. There are 23 solvent molecules that are conserved between the two independent molecules in the asymmetric unit. Nine of these waters play important structural roles. A three-dimensional comparison between the insect and human muscle fatty-acid-binding proteins shows that their a-carbons superimpose with a root-mean- square deviation of 0.77 A for 89 structurally equivalent atoms. This high tertiary homology between these two proteins is surprising in light of the fact that they developed independently for more than 500 million years.

Smyth line (SL) chickens are phenotypically characterized by a posthatch depigmentation (vitiligo) of the feathers. The destruction of melanocytes in the feather follicle as well as in other tissues such as the choroid is genetically determined. Previous studies have shown that bursectomy or treatment with immunosuppressive agents decreases the incidence and severity of SL depigmentation (1). These observations implicate a role for the immune system, specifically the humoral component, in melanocyte destruction. In this study we show that there are circulating melanocyte-specific autoantibodies in the sera of depigmented SL chicks which are not present in sera from Light Brown Leghorn (LBL) control chicks. By immunoblots and by immunoprecipitation of radiolabeled melanocyte proteins, SL autoantibodies were shown to bind to multiple melanocyte proteins between 65 and 80 kDa. These proteins are not detected in SL fibroblasts. By immunoblotting, the incidence of autoantibodies for these 65- to 80-kDa proteins was determined to be 95% in depigmented SL chicks (n = 20), 0% in normally pigmented SL chicks (n = 8), and 5% in LBL chicks (n = 20). Melanocyte autoantibodies are detectable in the sera of affected chicks at or several weeks prior to the expression of depigmentation. This information, plus previously published data, implicate melanocyte autoantibodies in the depigmentary phenomenon of vitiligo observed in Smyth line chickens.

Venoocclusive disease of the liver (VOD) is a well-described complication following chemotherapy. It is manifested by jaundice and signs of portal hypertension and carries a mortality rate approaching 50%. There is no known treatment for the disease itself, although several recent reports suggest portacaval diversion may be effective in treating its sequelae. A 6.75-kg 8-month-old boy with VOD following bone marrow ablation and bone marrow transplantation (BMT) for juvenile chronic myelogenous leukemia (JCML) is presented. Over a 6-week period following bone marrow ablation he developed ascites refractory to diuretics, jaundice, and hematemasis with normal hepatocellular function. Splenectomy with a central splenorenal shunt was performed, which resulted in a significant reduction in portal pressures and complete resolution of his ascites and hematemasis without resultant encephalopathy. We propose that central end-to-side splenorenal shunting is an acceptable treatment for portal hypertension due to VOD and can be successfully performed in infants.

It was recently reported that HeLa cells have three Arg-Gly-Asp-dependent collagen receptors that do not appear to be in the integrin family of extracellular matrix receptors and bind to either type I or IV collagen or to type I gelatin. It was our goal to determine how these receptors function in HeLa cell-substratum adhesion. We report here that the sequence of events by which the receptors mediate adhesion to collagen or gelatin is: (1) induction of cell attachment by specific collagen receptor-substratum interactions with culture dishes covalently coated with either type I collagen or gelatin - attachment is inhibited by soluble gelatin; (2) stabilization of attachment by exocytotic upregulation of the receptors to the basal plasma membrane, which was demonstrated by analyzing, during cell adhesion, the redistribution of the collagen receptors among the apical plasma membrane exposed to the culture medium, the basal plasma membrane contacting the culture dish, and an intracellular pool of plasma membrane vesicles; (3) the initiation of cell spreading by receptor clustering and cytoskeletal association. Cell spreading is a threshold effect with regard to the surface concentration of gelatin, indicating that collagen receptor clustering is a precondition to the onset of spreading. Observations consistent with this interpretation of the threshold effect are that cells attach but spread more slowly on a substratum that retards receptor clustering, and that collagen receptors, when viewed by immunofluorescence microscopy, form a punctate pattern of fluorescence in the basal plasma membrane during cell spreading. It is also shown that more collagen receptors co-isolate with nondenaturing detergent-stable cytoskeletal preparations after the collagen receptors have been either clustered by antibodies or gelatin in solution, or by a collagen matrix. This indicates that clustering drives the receptors to bind to the cytoskeleton and is a necessary step in the transition from cell attachment to cell spreading.

The 127 major polypeptides obtained from the purified plasma membrane of Dictyostelium discoideum were examined using two-dimensional gel electrophoresis and a microcomputer-based videodensitometer. Plasma membrane proteins were analyzed at four discrete stages of concanavalin A induced cell surface capping; (i) the cell surface in the absence of ligand (unbound), (ii) the surface immediately after ligand binding (bound), (iii) the cell surface after receptors had patched (patched) and (iv) the cell surface after receptors had capped (capped). Plasma membranes were obtained at various stages of capping by using a colloidal silica density perturbation technique which immediately immobilized the proteins, preserving their lateral distribution in the bilayer during the isolation. Proteins were characterized with respect to post-translational modification changes resulting from the capping process as well as changes in their association with the plasma membrane fraction. Posttranslational changes of plasma membrane proteins, such as phosphorylation, methylation and proteolytic cleavage, were not observed during the four stages of capping. Myosin heavy chain phosphorylation, however, decreased almost twofold during patching and capping. Actin, which is known to colocalize directly underneath capped receptors did not appear to be recruited to the cap from the cytoplasm.

T lymphocytes from aged donors function poorly, but the biochemical basis for the defect remains uncertain. We tested the hypothesis that T cells from old mice had a diminished ability to transmit extracellular signals into the cytoplasm, by measuring intracellular free calcium concentrations (Cai) in T cells stimulated by the polyclonal activator concanavalin A (Con A). Using the second-generation fluorochrome indo-1 as a reporter of Cai, we found that the Con A-induced elevation of Cai levels is reduced both in rate and extent in old T cells, as compared to T cells from young mice. Flow cytometric analysis showed that this age-sensitive change represents a decline, with age, in the number of T cells that can respond to Con A by increasing their Cai above resting baseline levels (100-120 nM). These results thus show that defects in activation are manifested by T cells from old donors within the first 5 minutes of the activation process, and suggest that aging may lead to alterations either in the surface molecules that receive extracellular signals, or in the sequence of coupled events by which these extracellular signals bring about alterations in the intracellular ionic milieu.

HeLa-S3 cells were analyzed for their ability to attach and spread on cell culture microcarriers that were made either positively or negatively charged with polymeric plastics or were coated with BSA, gelatin, fibronectin or laminin. The cells stuck to all microcarriers under low shear, i.e. low stirring conditions with similar rates of attachment. Except in the case of gelatin microcarriers where cells fully spread, cells did not or only partially spread on the others. Under high shear, cells attached with the following rates: positive = negative = gelatin = BSA greater than laminin greater than fibronectin. Cells detached from all but the gelatin and BSA coated beads. However, the cells did not fully spread on BSA beads. The observation that cells not only attached but also spread on gelatin beads indicated that gelatin could be a specific substratum adhesion protein while the other surfaces were 'non-specific'. It should be noted that neither antibodies to laminin nor fibronectin interfered with attachment to gelatin. Protein synthesis inhibitors reduced the attachment and spreading on gelatin beads under high but not low shear conditions. With low shear, attachment and spreading appeared normal. We concluded that the density of the cell surface attachment proteins was reduced by the protein synthesis inhibitors and there were not enough present to facilitate attachment under high shear. The results also indicated that protein synthesis was not essential for cell spreading. Proteolysis of the cell surface with low concentrations of trypsin abolished the attachment of cells to gelatin-coated beads. The reappearance of attachment ability took several hours and was inhibited by actinomycin-D.

The plasma membrane is a complex organelle responsible for many cellular functions. In addition to mediating the exchange of components with the extracellular fluid, the plasma membrane is involved in cell adhesion to matrix proteins in vivo and in vitro. In vitro, adherent cells have three distinct plasma membrane domains to carry out these functions: one attached to the substrate (ventral); another exposed to the media (dorsal); and an intracellular domain involved in endocytosis and secretion. A technique has been developed for the rapid isolation of these specific domains from HeLa cells immediately following adhesion to a gelatin substrate. The isolation procedure utilizes the tight binding of cationic colloidal silica to the dorsal plasma membrane domain of attached cells. Following silica binding and cell lysis, the silica-coated dorsal plasma membrane domain is readily separated from intracellular plasma membrane components by virtue of the high density of the silica pellicle, and the intact ventral plasma membrane domain remains attached to the gelatin substrate. Fluorescence and electron microscopy and biochemical studies using 125I-lactoperoxidase labeling, 125I-labeled wheat germ agglutinin binding, and [3H]-fucose incorporation into plasma membrane glycoproteins confirmed the separation of these three topologically distinct plasma membrane domains. The fractions isolated by the technique contained essentially all of the plasma membrane components present in intact cells. This unique membrane-isolation procedure is now being used to analyze membrane flow during plasma membrane domain formation accompanying cell adhesion to an extracellular matrix.

Plasma membrane proteins of the cellular slime moldDictyostelium discoideum were characterized by two-dimensional polyacrylamide gel electrophoresis using a variety of labeling techniques and a microcomputer-based videodensitometer. Algorithms for the determination of molecular weights and isoelectric points were developed to aid in the comparison of polypeptides from different autoradiographs, Coomassie blue-stained gels, and Western blots. Cell homogenates were compared to plasma membranes isolated by a silica density perturbation technique and to cytoskeletons obtained by nonionic detergent extraction. Plasma membrane proteins were distinguished from subcellular contaminants by lactoperoxidase-catalyzed radioiodination, by selective labeling withN-hydroxysuccinimidyl-2-iminobiotin, and by quantitatively determining the enrichments of individual polypeptides from gels of plasma membrane proteins relative to their counterparts in gels of total cell lysate proteins. In contrast to defining plasma membrane purity by measuring a representative marker enzyme activity, the quantitative two-dimensional gel analysis strategy presented allowed for a rigorous evaluation of the enrichments of all detectable polypeptides in the subcellular fraction. Quantitative two-dimensional gel analysis avoided problems encountered with marker enzyme activation or inhibition during subcellular fractionation as enrichments were based solely on polypeptide amounts. It was also capable of identifying a wider spectrum of plasma membrane proteins than any of the labeling techniques employed in this study. A high resolution two-dimensional gel catalog was generated containing information about plasma membrane protein orientation in the bilayer, association with the cytoskeleton, phosphoryalation state, glycosylation state, copy number, isoelectric point, and molecular weight.

Concentrations of concanavalin A that induced patching and capping of cell surface receptors on Dictyostelium discoideum also induce binding of the receptors to the cortical cytoskeleton, which was isolated by density-gradient centrifugation. The receptors were solubilized by deoxycholate, purified by affinity chromatography, and used to determine whether the receptors bound directly to the cytoskeletal protein, actin. As the concentration of actin was increased, many of the receptors became bound to purified filamentous rabbit muscle actin, even in the absence of concanavalin A. As in the ligation-induced binding of receptors to the cortical cytoskeleton in cells, concanavalin A induced much stronger binding of the purified receptors to filamentous actin. The results were consistent with a previously stated hypothesis that induction of receptor binding to the cytoskeleton during their patching and capping is driven by clustering the receptors, which reduces their translational entropy and by doing so enhances their avidity for the cytoskeleton.

A SEM and TEM evaluation of adhesion of HeLa-S3 cells to suspensions of culture microcarriers coated with various substrata revealed two unique cell morphologies. One is similar to that for cells attaching to culture dishes and the other one only appeared with microcarriers stirred under high shear conditions. The usual appearance of a spreading cell is to change from a sphere to the shape of a 'fried egg'. This proceeded in HeLa cells by a radial extension of the filopodia in between which the cytoplasm subsequently filled. Fluorescent antibody staining of actin suggested that more actin was present at the periphery of the spreading edges of the cell than inwards. The above morphology was characteristic of HeLa cell attachment to gelatin-coated microcarriers. However, the morphology of the attachment to microcarriers coated with non-biological substances such as negatively charged sulfonate groups or positively charged polyethyleneimine or even with the attachment protein laminin was quite different. Here the cells attached and began to spread as with gelatin-microcarriers, however, the spreading was not radial but occurred from one or two major regions of the cell periphery. The cell then appeared to constrict with the formation of a substratum attached pedestal upon which the cell body was perched. With time the cell pinched-off from pedestal. Evidence indicated that the pedestal was quite fragile. Furthermore, fluorescent antiactin staining indicated that the initial spreading region contained abundant actin which was depleted upon pedestal formation and detachment. The above in addition to previous kinetic measurements provided the information to classify cell substrate attachment materials into two distinct types. One is specific substrata which promote normal attachment and spreading and appear to interact with specific cell surface proteins. The other is non-specific substrata which in high shear conditions induces pedestal formation followed by pinching-off of the cells. Had previous attachment assays been done under high shear as done with the microcarriers and HeLa cells it is likely that substrata classified as specific might be reclassified into non-specific.

A new technique for the magnetic isolation of external plasma membrane from Dictyostelium discoideum is described and compared to a previously published procedure employing sedimentation of silica-coated plasma membrane. The magnetic isolation technique involves coating intact cells with a polyvinylamine-magnetite colloid and overcoating with polyacrylate to form a dense pellicle. The magnetite pellicle totally coated the cells and was not internalized. Coated cells were lysed and membrane fragments retrieved from the cell homogenate using a diverging field electromagnet. The membrane obtained in such a manner was analyzed for marker enzyme activity and cell surface label. The plasma membrane was obtained in high yield (42%) with an average purification of 8-fold. The polyvinylamine-magnetite pellicle shielded the external plasma membrane face to proteolysis by papain and pronase. It also acted as a barrier to α-methylmannoside in concanavalin A-carbohydrate competition studies.

We have determined the effect of pH on the binding affinities of the conjugate bases of four different tetrahedral oxyacids to the sulfate-binding protein. The equilibrium dissociation constants of the binding of sulfate ( K d = 0.12 μm ) and selenate ( K d = 5 μm ) were found to be pH independent over the range pH 5 to pH 8.1, whereas chromate binding exhibited a pH dependence that is approximately attributable ot the p K 2 of the chromic acid. Phosphate was bound with an affinity five orders of magnitude weaker than that of sulfate. In light of the highly refined 2 A structure of the complex of the sulfate-binding protein with sulfate, and considering the protonation state and net charge of the various oxyacids, we conclude that the pH dependence of chromate binding and the extremely low affinity of phosphate are attributable mainly to a lack of hydrogen bond acceptors in the binding site. These studies demonstrate that the sulfate-binding site is stringently designed to bind tightly tetrahedral, fully ionized, oxyacid dianions. The presence of a donatable proton on the ligand reduces binding energy by approximately 7 kcal/mol.

HeLa cell plasma membranes have been purified after binding cells to polylysine-coated polyacrylamide beads. Cell attachment to beads and membrane recovery were maximal in a sucrose-acetate buffer, pH 5.0, at 25 degrees C. Measurements of ouabain-sensitive NaK-adenosine triphosphatase, membrane-bound 125I-wheat germ agglutinin, and chemical analyses showed that membranes on beads were of comparable or greater purity than membranes isolated by conventional methods. Because the isolation procedure is rapid (approximately 2.5 h), and produces membranes whose protoplasmic surfaces are fully exposed, it should be a useful supplement to standard isolation techniques.

Cytoplasmic calcium concentration ([Ca]i) rises within minutes of exposure of T lymphocytes to a mitogen. T cells from old mice are defective in this reaction, a defect that could reflect either altered signal transduction or instead a more general age-associated change in intracellular calcium regulation. We therefore tested the ability of T cells from old mice to regulate their [Ca]i concentration after exposure to low concentrations of ionomycin, an agent that raises [Ca]i but bypasses receptor-mediated signal transduction mechanisms. Exposure of T cells to ionomycin leads to an abrupt increase in [Ca]i followed by stabilization at a dose-dependent plateau level that is affected by extracellular EGTA, by calmodulin inhibitors, and by modulators of protein kinase C. Plateau levels of [Ca]i after ionomycin challenge were consistently lower in T cells from old mice than in T cells from young mice. Flow cytometric experiments showed that while essentially all T cells from both old and young mice responded to ionomycin, they did so to an extent that depended on donor age. The age-dependent increase in resistance to ionomycin-induced changes in [Ca]i cannot be attributed to diminished membrane permeability to the ionomycin-calcium complex. The data suggest that aging may lead, in T lymphocytes, to a relative resistance to increases in [Ca]i, a resistance that in turn prevents cell activation.

A fast and efficient procedure for the purification of plasma membranes from Saccharomyces cerevisiae is described. Protoplasts served as starting material. They were coated with cationic silica microbeads. After lysis, the plasma membranes were washed free from debris and cell organelles. This procedure resulted in a high yield (about 85%) of plasma membranes, as judged by measuring vanadate-sensitive ATPase as a plasma membrane marker. The enzyme was enriched 12-fold relative to the homogenate after lysis. Its specific activity was 1.5–2.0 μmol/min per mg protein, the pH optimum was 6.5, and 10 μM vanadate was sufficient to obtain maximum inhibition. Based on the assay of internal markers and electron microscopic studies, we found our preparation essentially free of contamination from other cell organelles.

The silica microbead procedure was utilized for the isolation of plasma membrane sheets from protoplasts of a higher plant, the red beet (Beta vulgaris L.). Membrane yields, as determined by recovery of an exogenous membrane marker were approx. 75%. The plasma membrane fraction contained the enzyme marker, pH 6.5, vanadate-sensitive, K+-stimulated, Mg2+-ATPase and small amounts of mitochondria, endoplasmic reticulum, and possibly tonoplast. The silica microbead procedure was also used for the isolation of intact vacuoles from microbead-coated protoplasts.

A new type of microcarrier was described using bead emulsion-polymerization techniques. An aqueous solution of gelatin and glutaraldehyde was dispersed in a hydrophobic phase of mineral oil, using Triton X-114 as an emulsifier, and polymerization was initiated. The resultant spherical beads, composed entirely of gelatin, showed excellent mechanical stability to ethanol drying, sterilization, and long-term use in microcarrier spinner cultures. The solid gelatin microcarriers supported the growth of L-929 fibroblast, swine aorta endothelial, human umbilical endothelial, and HeLa-S3 cultures with no adverse effects on cell morphology or growth. The beads were transparent in growth medium and attached cells were clearly visualized without staining. The beads were also compatible with techniques for scanning electron microscopy. Collagenase could be used to entirely digest the gelatin beads, leaving the cells free from microcarriers and suspended in solution while retaining 98% cell viability. The results further showed that after collagenase treatment the cells would populate fresh gelatin microcarriers and grow to confluence. Cell attachment kinetics revealed that the endothelial cells attached to the gelatin beads at the same rate as to tissue culture plates, whereas the fibroblast cells attached to the beads more slowly. However, once the fibroblast cells were attached to the gelatin microcarriers they spread and grew normally.

A new cell culture microcarrier that can be covalently bonded by cell attachment proteins and can be thin-sectioned for electron microscopy was synthesized. It was easily made by sulfonating cross-linked polystyrene beads for a negative surface charge followed by covalent attachment of polyethylenimine for a positive charge. Cell attachment proteins, e.g. collagen was covalently bonded directly to the microcarrier using a carbodiimide or after activating the microcarrier surface with glutaraldehyde. HeLa-S3 cells attached, spread and grew to confluence more efficiently on the positive microcarriers and those coated with collagen than on the negative ones. Endothelial cells, grew best on those with a negative surface charge. The nature of the microcarrier surface was not the only aspect involved in cell adhesion but also the type of serum proteins absorbed. Qualitatively different proteins coated the microcarriers depending upon whether the carrier was negative, positive or coated with collagen. Comparison of various types of available microcarriers indicated that the modified cross-linked polystyrene beads used here were best for transmission and scanning electron microscopy. Endothelial cells grown on the microcarriers had the same ultrastructure as cells grown in monolayers in culture dishes. Of a variety of microcarriers tested the modified cross-linked polystyrene beads were the only ones that could be used for both ultrastructural and biochemical techniques.

A quantitative colorimetric assay for carbodiimides was developed. It was based on the formation of a chromophore involving the carbodiimide, pyridine:HCl, and a diamine. The diamine used for water-soluble carbodiimides was 1,2-diaminoethane and that for the non-aqueous carbodiimides was piperazine. The maximum absorbance in the visible spectrum for the chromophore was 400 nm for carbodiimides in the aqueous assay and 420 nm for water insoluble carbodiimides assayed in dimethylformamide. The optimum pH for both assays was 7.0 and the absorbance of the chromophore was linearly dependent with the concentration of carbodiimide. Concentrations as low as 50 μ m were quantitated. The assay was specific for the carbodiimide and not for intermediates or products formed when the carbodiimide was used in coupling reactions to form amide bonds.

Four proteins of molecular mass 102, 87, 45, and 38 kDa were isolated from plasma membrane preparations by affinity chromatography. The 102-, 87-, and 38-kDa proteins were shown to be collagen receptors involved in the adhesion of HeLa cells to a gelatin substratum. All four proteins were eluted by high salt from affinity columns made of either types I or IV collagen or type I gelatin. Generally, a total of six major proteins were found in the high salt eluates, although the relative amounts of each varied among experiments. Immunoprecipitation, immunoblotting, and limited peptide mapping indicated that the 102-kDa protein was most sensitive to proteolysis leading to the formation of proteins of molecular mass 58 and 54 kDa. Even in the presence of a mixture of protease inhibitors the 58-kDa fragment was usually the more abundant species. Lectin binding indicated that the 102-, 87-, and 38-kDa proteins contain carbohydrate. Phase-partitioning with Triton X-114 and the need to solubilize the proteins in Triton X-100 indicated that the 102-, 87-, 45-, and 38-kDa proteins have a hydrophobic domain. The 87-kDa protein partitioned exclusively with the detergent-rich phase, suggesting that it is the most hydrophobic. Cell surface labeling with 125I indicated that the four proteins have an extracellular domain. Four criteria were used to determine which of the four proteins are collagen receptors mediating cell-substrate adhesion: 1) during HeLa cell adhesion, proteins with Mr values similar to all four proteins or their peptide fragments were cross-linked to a gelatin substratum derivatized with a photoactivatable probe; 2) a pentapeptide containing the Arg-Gly-Asp cell recognition sequence eluted the same four proteins as those found by high salt elution of collagen affinity columns; 3) monospecific antibodies to the 102-, 87-, and 38-kDa proteins, but not the 45-kDa protein, inhibited the spreading of HeLa cells on a gelatin substratum; 4) monospecific antibodies to the 102-, 87-, and 38-kDa proteins, but not the 45-kDa protein, bound to culture dishes substituted for gelatin in mediating the spreading of HeLa cells. Taken together, the data suggest that the 102-, 87-, and 38-kDa proteins are collagen receptors involved in HeLa cell adhesion. Although the 45-kDa protein has two of the characteristics of a collagen receptor defined here, it does not fit the criteria for one involved in cell-substratum adhesion.

Publisher Summary This chapter discusses the observations and molecular mechanisms regulating the formation of transcellular polarity of the plasma membrane (PM) induced by cell–substrate adhesion. Observations suggest that the sequence of events leading to polarity began with cell–substrate attachment during which time extracellular matrix (ECM) receptors are moved to the basal PM domain by vesicle transport from the apical PM and an internal pool of PM. To a lesser extent, proteins are moved by lateral diffusion from the apical PM. Three types of ECM receptors are thought to be in the cell: those that initiate cell spreading, those that are docking proteins acting as receptors to target vesicles to the basal PM, and those that tracked the cytoskeleton used in the trafficking of vesicles. A mechanism that appeared to be responsible for cell spreading is the clustering of the ECM-receptors in the basal PM, which contacts the substrate. Clustering the receptors dramatically increased their binding to the cytoskeleton and thereby set in motion cell spreading and the beginning of transcellular polarization.

A disrupted spinach chloroplast preparation readily synthesized [ 14 C]α-linolenate from [2-14C]acetate under anaerobic conditions. It can be shown by degradation data that [14C]oleate is not a precursor of [14C]linolenate and that cis 7,10,13-hexadecatrienoic acid is the probable immediate precursor of the [14C]linolenate.

An enzyme system present in the stromal fraction of spinach chloroplasts specifically elongated medium chain trienoic fatty acids to α-linolenic acid with either acetyl or malonyl CoA. Medium chain and long chain saturated and monounsaturated fatty acids as well as α-linolenic acid were ineffective substrates for elongation. These results fulfill an essential requirement for the proposed two pathway systems for polyunsaturation in plants.

Carbon dioxide from untreated and alloxanized rats was collected free of atmospheric CO2 and then analyzed for its stable carbon isotope (13C12C) ratio. Alloxan induced diabetic rats expired CO2 with a 13C12C ratio less than that for CO2 collected from untreated rats. The difference in 13C12C ratios indicated that alloxanized rats oxidized more lipid than control rats since rat lipid has a 13C12C ratio less than that of glycogen.

Chloroplasts isolated from immature leaves of spinach (Spinacia oleracea) differ in enzyme levels from those isolated from mature leaves. On a chlorophyll basis, immature chloroplast preparations had 5- to 6-fold higher capacity to synthesize fatty acids from 2-14C-acetate compared to plastids isolated from mature leaves. This difference was correlated with higher activities for the enzymes, acetyl coenzyme A synthetase, malonyl coenzyme A synthetase, acetyl coenzyme A carboxylase, and oleyl coenzyme A transferase in plastid pressates obtained from immature leaves. Disrupted chloroplast preparations from both mature and immature leaves retained the ability to incorporate 2-14C-acetate into fatty acids in a pattern similar to that by isolated chloroplasts. 2-14C-Acetate, 2-14C-acetyl coenzyme A, 2-14C-malonate, and 1,3-14C malonyl coenzyme A were readily incorporated into a number of fatty acids. Moreover, the synthesis of oleate by chloroplast pressates from these substrates was strongly inhibited by KCN, flavin adenine mononucleotides and dinucleotides, and anaerobic conditions, while linolenic acid synthesis was unaffected by these compounds.

Acetazolamide (2-acetylamino-1,3,4-thiadiazole-5-sulfonamide), a compound commonly used to inhibit carbonic anhydrase has been ound to inhibit the photoreduction of 3-phosphoglyceric acid, NADP, and methyl viologen by isolated spinach chloroplasts. Acetazolamide had no effect on the photoreduction of methyl viologen by chloroplasts using ascorbate plus 2,6-dichloroindophenol, as an electron donor, indicating the site of the acetazolamide inhibition was not in photosystem I. There was no acetazolamide effect on NADP reduction by isolated chloroplasts using hydroxylamine instead of water as the electron donor. The results indicate that the site of acetazolamide inhibition is near the water-splitting side of photosystem II.

The permeability of chloroplast membranes to acetate was studied by measuring the direct movement of radioactive acetate into the organelle. The half-time for equilibration of 1 m m acetate across the envelope membrane was less than 5 sec while that for the lamellar membranes was greater than 30 min at pH 7.9. Evidence suggested that the undissociated acid penetrated faster than the acetate anion. Acetate was bound by the chloroplasts with an optimum pH of 6.5. The binding was enhanced fourfold by Mn2+ and Mg2+ with a reversal of the enhancement by EDTA. Binding was weak and saturated at 15–30 nmoles acetate/mg chlorophyll. It appeared that acetate was bound in the vicinity of the lamellar membranes. Permeation of acetate was much faster than and without effect on that of glutamate.

Isotope discrimination is a common feature of biosynthesis in nature, with the result that different classes of carbon compounds frequently display different (13)C/(12)C ratios. The (13)C/(12)C ratio of lipid in potato tuber tissue is considerably lower than that for starch or protein. We have collected respiratory CO(2) from potato discs in successive periods through 24 hr from the time of cutting-an interval in which the respiration rate rises 3-5-fold. The (13)C/(12)C ratio of the evolved CO(2) was determined for each period, and compared with the (13)C/(12)C ratios of the major tissue metabolites. In the first hours the carbon isotope ratio of the CO(2) matches that of lipid. With time, the ratio approaches that typical of starch or protein. An estimation has been made of the contribution of lipid and carbohydrate to the total respiration at each juncture. In connection with additional observations, it was deduced that the basal, or initial, respiration represents lipid metabolism-possibly the alpha-oxidation of long chain fatty acids-while the developed repiration represents conventional tricarboxylic acid cycle oxidation of the products of carbohydrate glycolysis. The true isotopic composition of the respiratory CO(2) may be obscured by fractionation attending the refixation of CO(2) during respiration, and by CO(2) arising from dissolved CO(2) and bicarbonate preexisting in the tuber. Means are described for coping with both pitfalls.

Stearyl-acyl carrier protein desaturase (EC 1.14.99.6), present in the stroma fraction of spinach (Spinacia oleracea) chloroplasts, rapidly desaturated enzymatically prepared stearyl-acyl carrier protein to oleic acid. No other substrates were desaturated. In addition to stearyl-acyl carrier protein, reduced ferredoxin was an essential component of the system. The electron donor systems were either ascorbate, dichlorophenolindophenol, photosystem I and light, or NADPH and ferredoxin-NADP reductase. The desaturase was more active in extracts prepared from chloroplasts obtained from immature spinach leaves than from mature leaves. Stearyl-acyl carrier protein desaturase also occurs in soluble extracts of avocado (Persea americana Mill.) mesocarp and of developing safflower (Carthamus tinctorius) seeds.

Glucoamylase (1,4-α- d -glucan glucohydrolase, EC 3.2.1.3) from A. niger was immobilized on cationic nonporous glass beads (13–44 μm) by electrostatic adsorption followed by rosslinking with glutaraldehyde. Over 80% of the enzyme's total soluble activity was expressed upon immobilization. d -Glucose production from maltodextrins was virtually complete, suggesting that the lack of pores can eliminate the problem of product reversion. Immobilized glucoamylase showed decreased stability upon heating, compared with the soluble enzyme .

Excerpt The second-stage Schilling test (performed with intrinsic factor from hogs) is used to distinguish pernicious anemia from intestinal disorders such as Crohn's disease. We reviewed our exper...

The plasma membrane proteins of Dictyostelium discoideum were characterized with respect to their partitioning into the Triton-insoluble cytoskeleton fraction of the cell during concanavalin A-induced capping. Two fractions of plasma membrane-associated concanavalin A were identified; one that immediately associated with the cytoskeleton fraction via cell surface glycoproteins, and one that partitioned with the cytoskeleton only after extensive cell surface glycoprotein cross-linking. Three major classes of polypeptides were found in the plasma membrane that differed with respect to their partitioning properties into the cytoskeleton fraction. The temporal order of association of the polypeptides with the cytoskeleton during concanavalin A-induced capping corresponded to the strength of their association with the cytoskeleton fraction as determined by pH and ionic strength elution from unligated cytoskeletons.

The intent of this review was to point out the diversity of cellular functions thought to be mediated by PM—cytoskeleton interactions. Based upon possible molecular mechanism, the functions were categorized into those involving PM proteins which are dispersed and those involving clustered proteins. Functions associated with dispersed proteins are thought to mediate the stabilization and shape of the PM. Clustering of PM proteins provides the driving force inducing their interaction with the cytoskeleton. Clustering by external ligands, pH or ionic exchanges, etc., is also a means of transmembrane signalling. Various methods used to explore cytoskeletal—PM mediated functions were evaluated. The methods were considered separately under biophysical, morphological and biochemical headings. This made it easier to point out current and potential values of the methods as well as their limitations. Each method taken separately is insufficient to elucidate molecular mechanisms regulating cytoskeletal—PM reactions, but combined they hold great promise of future solutions.

Through the application of a unique method for isolating plasma membranes, it was possible to specifically iodinate cytoplasm-exposed plasma membrane proteins in vegetative cells of the cellular slime mold Dictyostelium discoideum. The original procedure [Chaney, L. K., & Jacobson, B. S. (1983) J. Biol. Chem. 258, 10062] which involved coating cells with colloidal silica has been modified to yield a more pure preparation. The presence of the continuous and dense silica pellicle on the outside surface of the isolated plasma membrane permitted the specific labeling of cytoplasm-exposed membrane proteins. Lactoperoxidase-catalyzed iodination was employed to label cell-surface and cytoplasm-exposed membrane proteins. The isolated and radioiodinated membranes were then compared and analyzed by sodium dodecyl sulfate-polyacrylamide gel electrophoresis. The cell-surface and cytoplasmic face labeling patterns were distinct. A total of 65 proteins were found to be accessible to at least one surface of the membrane. Sixteen intermolecular disulfide bond complexes were observed in the plasma membrane of Dictyostelium; most of these complexes involved glycoproteins and, hence, were exposed to the cell surface.

Solid glass beads for use in isolating cell membranes were coated with a stable, covalently attached layer of polylysine. The optimal conditions for coating the bead surface were established and the beads were tested by measuring the attachment of human erythrocyte plasma membranes. When compared to other beads, such as those with absorbed polylysine or protamine, none retained red-cell membranes as well as glass beads with covalently linked polylysine.

Erythrocytes were ionically attached to polylysine-coated beads 30 micrometers in diameter. The binding of the cells was so tenacious that lysis or disruption of the attached cells left the beads covered by plasma membranes whose cytoplasmic surface was exposed and accessible for further analysis.

The conditions for covalently binding polylysine to polyacrylamide beads used for membrane isolation have been analyzed. Larger amounts of bead bound polylysine were required for maximizing plasma membrane purification from HeLa cells than from Dictyostelium discoideum. The least was needed for erythrocytes. The amount of polylysine bound to the bead was dependent on the carboxyl content of the bead and on the concentration of the polylysine used during the bead-polylysine coupling reaction.

Two types of polyethylenimine-coated glass microbeads (13-44 micrometer) were synthesized and used for the immobilization of glucose oxidase from Aspergillus niger and catalase from A. niger and beef liver. The two types of beads were distinguishable by differences in their surface topography. Immobilizations were performed by adsorption followed by treatment with glutaraldehyde. The immobilized-enzyme activities per unit support of all of the enzymes tested were compared with and found to be superior to the immobilized activities attainable on aminopropyl-activated glass microbeads. When enzyme was present in less than saturating amounts, the coated beads were able to remove 100% of the glucose oxidase activity initially present in the immobilization solution, with 78-87% of that activity expressed on the support surface. Bound glucose oxidase was more stable to thermal inactivation than native enzyme.

Erythrocyte membranes isolated on polylysine-coated glass beads exhibit many of the properties of the native membrane. Gel electrophoresis indicates that all major protein components of the membrane are retained during membrane isolation. The membrane integrity and accessibility of selected components was tested using non-penetrating probes. In general, membranes on beads displayed accessibility properties typical of inside-out vesicles. The accessibility of membrane acetylcholinesterase to assay reagents, as well as membrane accessibility to the actions of neuraminidase, trypsin and galactose oxidase-NaB3H4 demonstrated that the protoplasmic surface of membrane isolated on beads was exposed, while the extracellular surface was inaccessible. The differential accessibility of the membrane surfaces demonstrates the feasibility of investigating asymmetry of membranes isolated on cationic glass beads.

The plasma membrane from Dictyostelium discoideum was routinely purified 35-fold by an improved technique using beads coated with positively charged polymers. Cells were attached to the beads and bare regions between the cells were neutralized with a polyanion. The neutralization decreased contamination of the bare regions by intracellular proteins released when cells were disrupted to leave behind beads coated by plasma membrane. The neutralization increased the purification as measured by membrane-bound 125 I-labeled concanavalin A. Contamination by markers for various intracellular components was markedly decreased. Various bare-site neutralization reagents were evaluated and gave different results depending upon their charge density and molecular weight. The pH of the neutralization was critical. The optimum pH for cell attachment to beads, 5.0, had little effect as regards bare-site neutralization. A new procedure is given that optimizes the essential features for the plasma membrane isolation on beads.

Summary Actin was dissociated from the cytoplasmic surface of the plasma membrane from Dictyostelium discoideum . The cytoplasmic surface was selectively exposed by isolating the membrane by a new method using cationic beads. When purified actin was added back to the membrane the amount that bound was proportional to the actin concentration. Trypsinization of the cytoplasmic surface abolished binding while chymotrypsin was only partly effective. Far more F-actin bound to the membrane than G-actin and the binding was not inhibited by cytochalasin B. The results support the hypothesis that actin specifically interacts with unique proteins exposed on the cytoplasmic surface of the plasma membrane.

The activities of glucose oxidase (β- d -glucose:oxygen 1-oxidoreductase, EC 1.1.3.4) and catalase (hydrogen-peroxide:hydrogen-peroxide oxidoreductase, EC 1.11.1.6) from commercial preparations do not give typical adsorption curves upon immobilization on non-porous polyethylenimine-coated glass microbeads. The cause of this effect with glucose oxidase was investigated. Protein binding exhibited a rectangular hyperbolic adsorption isotherm, approaching saturation at high concentrations, however, enzyme activities did not. The isotherm for activities exhibited a maxima which corresponded to less than 50% saturation with regard to total protein adsorption. The enzyme preparation was found to contain small quantities of several low molecular weight impurities as judged by sodium dodecyl sulfate (SDS)-polyacrylamide gel electrophoresis. These impurities apparently compete with glucose oxidase for binding. When large excesses of protein are added to beads, the binding of impurities becomes significant and the amount of enzyme activity per unit of bead is reduced.

The respiration of thin aerated discs of potato tuber tissue rises sigmoidally through 24 h. Aged disc respiration is ostensibly resistant to concentrations of cyanide which inhibit the respiration of fresh discs. It has been shown that cyanide-resistant respiration does not represent indifference to the inhibitor, but is rather due to the suppression of one respiratory carbon path and the evocation of another. The predominant respiratory carbon path of aged discs in the absence of cyanide comprises glycolysis linked to the tricarboxylic acid cycle. The carbon path mediating the cyanide-induced respiration reflects tricarboxylic acid cycle-independent lipid degradation. The respiratory substrate at any time was deduced by comparing the 13C/12C ratio of respired CO2, collected from discs in the presence or absence of cyanide, with the 13C/12C ratios characterizing endogenous potential metabolites. The determination of the predominant respiratory substrate in potato discs, which have an endogenous substrate reserve, proved possible because the relative concentrations of the stable carbon isotopes in endogenous compounds such as lipid and starch are widely different.

[1-14C]acetate was readily incorporated into unsaturated fatty acids by leaf slices of spinach, barley and whole cells of Chlorella pyrenoidosa and Candida bogoriensis . In these systems the [14C] label in newly synthesized oleate and linoleate was approximately equally distributed in the C1–9 and the C10–18 fragments obtained by reductive ozonolysis of these acids, whereas in a-linolenic acid over 90% of the total [14C] was localized in the C1–9 fragment. While [1-14C]oleic acid was converted by whole cells of Chlorella to [1-14C]linoleic and [1-14C]linolenic acids, [U-14C]oleic acid yielded [U-14C]linoleic acid but a-linolenic acid was labeled only in the carboxyl terminal carbon atoms. When spinach leaf slices were supplied with carboxyl labeled octanoic, decanoic, dodecanoic, tetradecanoic and octadecanoic acids, only the first three acids were converted to a-linolenic acids while the last two acids were ineffective. Thus we suggest that (a) linoleic acid is not the precursor of a-linolenic acid and (b) 12:3(3, 6, 9) is the earliest permissible trienoic acid which is then elongated to a-linolenic acid.