Hydrocortisone and vitamin D3 stimulation of 32Pi-phosphate accumulation by organ-cultured chick embryo duodenum. Either vitamin D3 (or 1 alpha,25--(OH)2-D3) or hydrocortisone (HC) stimulated phosphate accumulation by organ-cultured embryonic chick duodenum. In combination, these two steroids stimulated phosphate uptake synergistically. Phosphate accumulation appeared to be independent of other vitamin D3-stimulated processes: CaBP concentration, cAMP concentration, or alkaline phosphatase activity. L-phenylalanine, a reported alkaline phosphatase inhibitor, when added to the culture medium progressively inhibited either D3- or HC-stimulated phosphate uptake subsequent to culture, but did not inhibit the synergistic action. Under these conditions L-phenylalanine had no consistent effect on alkaline phosphatase activity but unexpectedly, greatly inhibited vitamin D3-stimulated CaBP concentration, but only in the absence of HC. Some limited suggestion of an intestinal phosphoprotein sensitive to either vitamin D3 or HC was observed.


Binding of somatomedin-A and -C, NSILA-S and insulin to human placental cell membranes. Binding of labeled SM-A, SM-C, NSILA-S and insulin to human placental cell membranes was studied in trying to answer the question how many receptor populations were involved using one single organ system. The data suggest that all labeled SM-like substances bind to closely related if not identical receptor populations. The binding is reduced by very low concentrations of SM-like material and only by very high concentrations of insulin. In contrast, as already known from the literature, 125I-insulin binds mostly to a different receptor population, which is sensitive both to insulin and SM-like substances. Furthermore, the data indicate that 125I-SM-A and 125I-SM-C, in addition to binding to similar or identical receptors, also bind to separate receptor populations, suggesting that the labels are composed of more than one component.


Studies on cytochrome c oxidase, V. Polypeptide IV: alignment and amino acid sequences on cyanogen bromide fragments. The isolation and chemical characterization of polypeptide IV from beef heart cytochrome oxidase is described. The protein is one of the main (stoichiometric) components of the oxidase. It is the largest polypeptide of the enzyme synthezised in the cytoplasm and has, as such, also been identified in enzyme preparations from yeast and Neurospora. A partial sequence, consisting of 105 amino acid residues which give a frame work of the covalent structure of the polypeptide is obtained from N- anc C-terminal sequencing and from the cyanogen bromide fragments of the chain. The isolation and sequencing of the fragments of this membrane protein are discussed.


Studies on cytochrome c oxidase, VI. Polypeptide IV. the complete primary structure. The complete primary structure of the cytoplasmically synthesized polypeptide IV from beef heart cytochrome oxidase was determined via isolation and sequencing of overlapping methionine, tryptophan, and arginine fragments. The protein consists of 147 amino acids (Mr 17153). It is characterized as a part of a membrane protein complex by a hydrophobic segment consisting of 19 residues. It is suggested that this segment contacts the lipids of the inner mitochondiral membrane. Additional specific contacts may result from pairwise formation of salt bridges between ionic groups of the protein and the phospholipids. The function of this component of the terminal oxidase is yet unknown.


Opioid activity of delta O-endorphin in the guinea pig ileum. The oligopeptides beta- and delta O-endorphin were isolated from porcine and bovine pituitary respectively. Their opiate activity was determined in the guinea pig ileum and compared to that of the pentapeptide methionine-enkephalin and morphine. The rank order of opioid activity was found to be: morphine greater than beta-endorphin = Met-enkephalin greater than delta O-Endorphin which lacks the four C-terminal amino acids of beta-endorphin displayed 60% of the activity of beta-endorphin. These results indicate, that C-terminal amino acids contribute little to the affinity of beta-endorphin for opiate receptors in the guinea pig ileum.


[Serratia, cause of nosocomial infections and its occurrence in the patient's environment (author's transl)]. The Serratia infections are increasing in hospitalized patients, especially in those with reduced defences. This paper deals with a review of the recent literature on the microbiological characterization of the different Serratia species, the clinical syndrome associated with Serratia infections and the mode of transmission of this opportunistic pathogen. This author's experience in the occurrenceof Serratia in the hospital environment and their sensitivity to antibiotics and disinfectants is presented. The prevention of this infection stemps from these epidemiological data and, above all, consists in application of adequate hospital hygiene measures.


The immunological generation of a platelet-activating factor and a platet-lytic factor in the rat. Antigen challenge of the rat peritoneal cavity which had been prepared with IgGa-rich antiserum generated activities which released [14C]-serotonin from pre-labelled human platelets. After adsorption of these activities onto Amberlite XAD-8 and elution in 80% ethanol, two factors of differing polarity were resolved by chromatography on diethylaminoethyl cellulose in organic solvents. The activity eluting in the 7:1 chloroform:methanol solvent contained a platelet-lytic factor (PLF) assessed by the parallel release of lactic acid dehydrogenase and [14C]-serotonin; the cytotoxicity of this fraction was confirmed by phase-contrast microscopy examination which demonstrated fragmentation of the exposed platelets. The activity eluting in the 1:1 methanol: aqueous 1.0 M ammonium carbonate solvent was a platelet-activating factor (PAF) as defined by release of [14C]-serotonin without lactic acid dehydrogenase. Both the lytic and the activating principles were separable from slow reacting substance of anaphylaxis and polymorphonuclear leucocyte chemotactic activity, and each presented a single activity peak of differing mobility when chromatographed on silica gel H plates. Human eosinophil phospholipase D inactivated the lytic factor by more than 85% in 2 h at 37 degrees without affecting the activity of the activating factor. The release of [14C]-serotonin induced by the PAF was not affected by the absence of calcium from the medium or by elevations in the platelet concentrations of cyclic AMP or cyclic GMP that resulted from pre-incubation of platelets with prostaglandin D2 or sodium ascorbate, respectively.


Cytomegalovirus isolation from a chimpanzee with acute demyelinating disease after inoculation of multiple sclerosis brain cells. A strain of cytomegalovirus (CMV) was isolated during the third subcultivation of explants from the left frontal lobe of a chimpanzee that developed paralysis more than 3 years after intracerebral inoculation at birth with brain cell cultures derived from a patient with multiple sclerosis. Another strain of CMV was also isolated from a lymph node culture taken from the same chimp. The isolates, designated MZM-13 and MZM-14, produced a cytopathic effect characteristic for CMV when inoculated into brain, ganglion, or fibroblast cultures of human or simian origin. Infected cells contained characteristic Cowdry A intranuclear as well as intracytoplasmic inclusion bodies, and 100-nm spherical herpes-like virus particles were detected by electron microscopy in the nucleus and cytoplasm of infected cells. Virus was further identified as CMV with convalescent human anti-CMV serum. Complement-fixing antibody to CMV was present at a titer of 1:32 when the acutely ill chimpanzee was sacrificed. No antibody was detected at birth or at 1 or 2 years of age. A newborn chimpanzee inoculated intracerebrally with MZM-13 developed clinically asymptomatic lesions in the central nervous system characterized by acute and chronic inflammation and degeneration of myelin in cranial and spinal nerve roots. Restriction endonuclease analysis of viral deoxyribonucleic acid isolated from these two viruses indicated that MZM-13 and MZM-14 are identical and are closely related to chimpanzee CMV. No similarity in restriction endonuclease fragment patterns was found between MZM virus and the Towne and Clegg strains of human CMV.


Intracellular localization of the dermonecrotic toxin of Bordetella pertussis. Localization of the heat-labile dermonecrotic toxin of Bordetella pertussis strain 114 grown in chemically defined Stainer-Scholte medium was studied by using skin reaction in 4-day-old suckling mice as the assay for toxin. Through log phase and into stationary phase of growth the toxin was cell associated and not detected in the culture supernatant. Only about 4% of the activity present in a suspension of lysed cells was detected in a suspension of whole cells, and the dermonecrotic activity was not released by subjecting whole cells to osmotic shock, a procedure that releases proteins from the periplasmic space of many gram-negative bacteria. After cell lysis and preparation of soluble and membrane fractions, 73 to 80% of the activity in the cell lysate was recovered in the soluble fraction, with only 3 to 6% present in a membrane fraction. Further evidence for the intracellular cytoplasmic localization of the dermonecrotic toxin was the insensitivity of the toxin to trypsin treatment of whole cells. Treatment of whole cells with trypsin (80 micrograms/ml) for 20 min at 37 degrees C did not decrease dermonecrotic or malate dehydrogenase activities, but did inhibit more than 95% of the extra-cytoplasmic adenylate cyclase activity. Identical trypsin treatment of a cell lysate decreased all the above activities by more than 90%.


Endotoxin in vitro interactions with human neutrophils: depression of chemiluminescence, oxygen consumption, superoxide production, and killing. Endotoxin was shown to depress neutrophil bactericidal activity while enhancing Nitro Blue Tetrazolium reduction and hexose monophosphate shunt activity. Separation of bactericidal action from oxidative metabolism suggests that the effect of endotoxin might involve the formation of reactive oxygen radicals such as superoxide. Chemiluminescence often accompanies metabolic activation of polymorphonuclear neutrophils (PMNs). However, human PMNs did not show chemiluminescence when challenged with endotoxin (lipopolysaccharide; LPS) or lipid A. Superoxide formation was also unaffected by endotoxin. In contrast, preincubation of PMNs with LPS for 30 min produced significant depression of chemiluminescence, oxygen consumption, and superoxide formation. Decreased chemiluminescence was not the result of complement consumption. In a cell-free system, superoxide was not scavenged by LPS, nor did LPS stimulate superoxide dismutase. Oxidase enzymes for reduced nicotinamide adenine dinucleotide or reduced nicotinamide adenine dinucleotide phosphate harvested from broken cells were not affected by LPS. The toxicity of LPS may reside in its ability to activate the PMNs while simultaneously blocking bactericidal capacity.


In vitro replication of infectious bursal disease virus in established lymphoid cell lines and chicken B lymphocytes. The in vitro susceptibility of chicken lymphocytes to a wild strains of infectious bursal disease virus was investigated by using immunofluorescence and virus assays as infection criteria. A variety of Marek's disease lymphoblastoid cell lines, all of thymus (T-cell) origin, were refractory to virus exposure. However, a bursa (B-cell)-derived lymphoblastoid cell line from an avian leukosis virus-induced tumor was highly susceptible. Viral antigen appeared in the cytoplasm of 20 to 30% of the cells, and large amounts of cell-free virus were released, with maximum yields occurring by 3 days postinfeciton. The virus also replicated in a small percentage of normal lymphocytes prepared from lymphoid tissues and peripheral blood of chickens. Pretreatment of the lymphocytes, with heat-inactivated anti-B-cell serum or with antiserum against fowl immunoglobulin M before inoculating them with the virus blocked the virus infection; no blocking occurred with anti-T-cell serum or with specific antiserum against fowl immunoglobulin G or immunoglobulin A. This suggests that surface immunoglobulin M-bearing B-lymphocytes were the target cells for infection.


Reactivation of polyoma virus in kidneys of persistently infected mice during pregnancy. Female mice infected at birth with 10(7) 50% tissue culture infective doses of polyoma virus were mated when at least 6 weeks old. Polyoma was not detected in any tissues of 27 female mice before mating except for trace amounts in the kidneys of 2 mice, but late in gestation polyoma virus could be found in the kidneys of 21 of 38 mice with titers of 10(3.7) to 10(6.2) 50% tissue culture infective doses per gram of kidney. The virus was not detected in the brain, salivary gland, lung, liver, spleen, ovaries, placenta, or fetuses during gestation. Nonpregnant females were injected with female sex hormones over a period of 17 days, and polyoma was then detected in kidneys of 4 of 18 mice. Treatment of cultures of mouse embryo fibroblasts with either sexhormones or a glucocorticosteroid resulted in approximately a threefold increase in the rate of infection of cells with polyoma virus.


Analysis of the adhesion step in the herpes simplex virus antibody-dependent cellular cytotoxicity system. The lysis of herpes simplex virus-infected tissue culture cells by antibody-dependent cellular cytotoxicity (ADCC) requires a preliminary step in which effector cells adhere to the immunoglobulin G antibody-coated targets. To study the adhesion step, we made use of two observations: (i) some of the mononuclear cells in human blood form rosettes with antibody-coated target cells, and (ii) most ADCC effector cells can be removed by allowing mononuclear cells to adhere to monolayers of antibody-sensitized tissue culture cells. The effect of various experimental conditions on the adhesion step was assessed in ADCC cultures both at unit gravity and after centrifugation. At unit gravity both rosette formation and monolayer adhesion were partially reduced at 4 degrees C as compared to 37 degrees C. Both were also partially inhibited in glucose-free medium containing sodium azide and 2-deoxyglucose but were unaffected in glucose-free medium containing only one of these energy inhibitors. In contrast, after centrifugation neither reaction was inhibited at 4 degrees C or in glucose-free medium with sodium azide and 2-deoxyglucose. Cytochalasin B but not colchicine suppressed both reactions. Inhibition by cytochalasin B could not be reversed by centrifugation. Both reactions were independent of extracellular Ca(2+) and Mg(2+) and were unaffected by rendering mononuclear cells cytotoxically inactive by brief heat shock. These findings indicate that the adhesion step in ADCC directed against virus-infected or uninfected tissue culture cells is only modestly dependent on effector cell energy generation, that centrifugation greatly reduces this dependence, and that microfilaments but not microtubules are necessary. The modest ambient temperature and energy requirements, independence of extracellular divalent cations, lack of sensitivity to colchicine, and relative resistance to supraphysiological temperature serve to distinguish the adhesion step from the lytic step in ADCC.


Hemagglutinin mutants of swine influenza virus differing in replication characteristics in their natural host. In two mutant clones (L and H) of A/NJ/11/76 (Hsw 1N1) influenza viruses which differ slightly antigenically and markedly in replication characteristics in chicken embryos and Madin Darby canine kidney cells, these pleiotropic differences are mediated by mutation in the hemagglutinin gene (E. D. Kilbourne, Proc. Natl. Acad. Sci. U.S.A. 75:6258--6262, 1978). Experimental infection of swine with either the mutant L and H clones or recombinant viruses differing genetically only with respect to the presence of L or H hemagglutinin demonstrated greater infectivity for the natural host of viruses bearing the L hemagglutinin. Introduction of the L but not the H hemagglutinin gene into the human influenza virus A/PR/8/34 rendered it infective for swine. Both L and H variants were isolated from pigs naturally infected with contemporary swine influenza viruses when selective conditions for the suppression of the more prevalent L mutant were employed. The L and H mutants of swine influenza virus are yet another example of viral dimorphism in nature and probably are not mere artifacts of laboratory selection. In any event, the frequent apparent allelic appearance of the two forms suggests frequent mutation and/or reversion involving a point mutation in the hemagglutinin gene. The present studies demonstrate the importance of a single gene in the pathogenesis of an influenza viral infection in its natural host.


Cell-mediated immunity to cytomegalovirus in immunocompromised patients: effect of radiation or chemotherapy. Using the techniques of complement fixation, immunofluorescence, and in vitro lymphocyte transformation (LTF), we studied the humoral antibody and cell-mediated immunity to cytomegalovirus (CMV) in normal subjects, in patients with cancer receiving localized or nonlocalized radiation, and in renal transplant recipients on immunosuppressive chemotherapy. The LTF activity was determined by the whole blood microassay, using four strains of CMV (AD-169, Davis, Veca, and Towne), AD-169 early antigen, and phytohemagglutinin (PAH). The renal transplant subjects manifested significantly depressed LTF responses to PHA and CMV and frequent presence of immunoglobulin M and early antigen-specific antibody response. The depressed LTF response to CMV recovered significantly 2 years after transplantation. The cancer patients were also characterized by a profound drop in LTF responses to PHA and CMV and in immunoglobulin M and early antigen-specific antibody response after nonlocalized radiation. LTF responses to AD-169 and Towne strains were found to be higher than those to Davis and Veca strains. The LTF response to PHA declined with age. However, LTF responses to specific CMV antigens were found to be somewhat increased with advancing age. These observations suggest that transplantation-associated suppression of CMV-specific cell-mediated immunity may improve a few years after transplantation despite continued immunosuppressive therapy.


Surface markers and size of lymphocytes in human umbilical cord blood stimulated into deoxyribonucleic acid synthesis by Epstein-Barr Virus. We characterized subpopulations of lymphocytes in human umbilical cord blood which are stimulated into deoxyribonucleic acid synthesis by Epstein-Barr virus. Lymphocytes were examined simultaneously for deoxyribonucleic acid synthesis by autoradiography and for surface markers by rosette formation with sheep erythrocytes or erythrocytes coated with antibody and mouse complement (EAC). The subpopulation which incorporated [3H]thymidine after exposure to virus consisted mainly of cells which formed rosettes with EAC. Lymphocytes were enriched or depleted of thymus-derived lymphocytes (T cells), null cells, or cells forming rosettes with EAC. The extent of sensitivity of the cells to stimulation by Epstein-Barr virus correlated with the proportion of the population which formed rosettes with EAC. When mononuclear cell populations were depleted of T lymphocytes and then fractionated by size, small lymphocytes showed higher rates of deoxyribonucleic acid synthesis after virus exposure and higher transformation frequency than did larger cells or unfractionated cells. Thus, the cells which are stimulated into deoxyribonucleic acid synthesis by Epstein-Barr virus appear to be the same as cells which are ultimately transformed.


Effect of cholera toxin on the antiviral and anticellular activities of human leukocyte interferon. Cholera toxin added into cell cultures together with human leukocyte interferon inhibited the establishment of the antiviral state by interferon but not the anticellular activity of interferon in human cells. Sensitivities of various human cell lines to anticellular activities of interferon and cholera toxin were compared, but no direct correlation between both activities were demonstrated. These results suggest that antiviral and anticellular activities of interferon are due to different mechanism of actions, and cholera toxin does not act directly on the receptor site for interferon.


Potentiation of interferon activity by mixed preparations of fibroblast and immune interferon. Mixed preparations of fibroblast and immune interferons interacted with cells synergistically to cause the development of a much greater level of protection than expected on the basis of their separate activities. This increased level of protection was 5- to 20-fold greater than expected on the basis of a simple additive effect of the interferons. The potentiating factor copurified with both fibroblast interferon and immune interferon as they were partially purified. The potentiation was not an artifact of a more rapid development of immune interferon-induced antiviral resistance in the presence of fibroblast interferon. The results were consistent with the hypothesis that fibroblast and immune interferons mutually potentiate each other, thus supporting the supposition that they have different modes of action.


Inability of passively acquired antibody to protect lambs against experimental pasteurellosis. An experimental model of pneumonic pasteurellosis in sheep was used to investigate the role of serum antibody in resistance to this disease. Lambs which had been vaccinated with a sodium salicylate extract of Pasteurella haemolytica type A1 were protected against challenge with PI3 virus followed by P. haemolytica type A1 7 days later. The majority of untreated lambs and lambs which had received either 200 ml of antiserum to P. haemolytica or 200 ml of control serum intraperitoneally 18 h before infection with P. haemolytica type A1 succumbed to the challenge. Lymphocytes from vaccinated lambs showed a specific proliferative response when exposed to P. haemolytica type A1 sodium salicylate extract, and this response increased after exposure of these animals to P. haemolytica type A1 in aerosol. The results indicate that the humoral immune response alone is incapable of affording protection against experimental pasteurellosis and that cell-mediated immunity may play an important part in resistance to this disease.


Prevalence of antibody to the Norwalk virus in various countries. Serum samples from children and adults from several countries were tested by radioimmunoassay for antibody to the Norwalk virus. Antibody was commonly found in adults from all the countries tested. Antibody appears to be acquired more rapidly in children from underdeveloped countries than in children from the United States.


Natural killing of herpes simplex virus type 1-infected target cells: normal human responses and influence of antiviral antibody. Studies of a mouse model of genetic resistance to herpes simplex virus type 1 (HSV-1) indicate that the marrow-dependent effector cell of allogeneic resistance plays an important role in natural resistance to this virus infection. Since the marrow-dependent effector cell appears to be closely related to the natural killer (NK) cells, an NK assay with HSV-1-infected fibroblasts [NK(HSV-1)] has been developed to study this resistance mechanism in humans. Incubation of effector and target cells for 12 to 14 h gave the greatest percent specific release (%SR) and kept spontaneous (51)Cr release from infected target cells below 35%. Patients with Bruton's agammaglobulinemia demonstrated significant kill indicating antiviral antibody was not necessary. Seropositive individuals gave a 9% greater%SR than seronegative individuals. Depletion of B-cells consistently diminished NK (HSV-1) for seropositive individuals and augmented kill for seronegative individuals. Although antiviral antibody produced in culture may contribute to NK (HSV-1), depletion of B-cells allowed quantitation of NK (HSV-1) to the exclusion of most of the antibody-dependent kill. The NK cells detected by this assay showed many of the properties reported for NK cells with K562 targets. Two patients with severe herpesvirus infections demonstrated NK (HSV-1) responses greater than 2 standard deviations below the normal mean. Since normal individuals with virus infections have higher rather than lower natural kill, the low NK (HSV-1) may reflect their susceptibility to the virus infection.


Depression of vaccinal immunity to Marek's disease by infection with reticuloendotheliosis virus. The effect of infection with low-virulence, tissue culture-propagated strains of reticuloendotheliosis virus (REV) on protective vaccinal immunity against Marek's disease (MD) lymphomas was investigated. Vaccinated chickens inoculated at hatching with greater than 10(4) focus-forming units of REV and challenged with MD virus were poorly protected against MD lesion development as indicated by protective indices of 53 to 79% for strain CS (P less than 0.05) and 42 to 49% for strain T (P less than 0.01) compared to 78 to 100% for REV-free controls. Furthermore, the response of blood lymphocytes to mitogen stimulation and the antibody response to sheep erythrocytes and Brucella abortus were less in REV-inoculated chickens than in controls. The REV-induced depression of immune responses was more severe in chickens infected with mildly pathogenic strain T than in chickens infected with the apathogenic strain CS and was generally transient with both virus strains. Little or no depression of immune responses was observed in chickens inoculated with less than 10(3) focus-forming units of REV. These studies extend knowledge on the immunodepressive ability of low-virulence REV strains and establish that infection with these viruses depresses certain parameters of MD vaccinal immunity, an important model for cellular immunity against virus-induced neoplasia in the chicken.


Vitiligo treated with ACTH.

Vitiligo treated with ACTH. Six of 20 patients with extensive vitiligo treated with ACTH experienced repigmentation at the end of 15 weeks. However, depigmentation recurred when the treatment was stopped.


Herpes virus production as a marker of repair in ultra-violet irradiated human skin cells of different origin. Confluent cultures of human skin fibroblasts were irradiated with ultra-violet light 0 to 48 hours before infection with herpes simplex virus type 1 (HSV). The one-cycle viral yield was measured. Different responses were obtained according to the origin of the host cells. (1) Cells from three normal donors showed a dose-dependent recovery of HSV production during the 36--40 hours following U.V. exposure. The recovery was maximal for a dose at which a plateau level of unscheduled DNA synthesis (UDS) was reached (24 Jm-2). (2) In a xeroderma pigmentosum (XP) heterozygote line from a mother of XP children, the level of UDS after irradiation up to 48Jm-2 was normal whereas the extent of recovery of HSV production capacity was lower than that of the normal lines. (3) In strains from two cases of XP children, with a normal UDS (XP variants), the recovery process was slowed down and its extent was lower than in normal or XP heterozygote cells. (4) Excision-deficient XP strains from eight cases of XP children presented either no recovery (two strains having the lowest UDS, less than 2 per cent) or a small recovery, the extent of which was in good agreement with the corresponding level of UDS (between 5 and 30 per cent). Measurement of this recovery seems to be a very sensitive assay for detecting differences in the repair abilities of U.V.-irradiated human skin cells of various origins.


Radical formation in pyrimidines. IV. 1,3-dimethyluracil, a non-hydrogen-bonding crystal. Radical formation in single crystals of 1,3-dimethyluracil by X-irradiation has been studied by electron spin resonance at 9.5 GHz. This crystal contains no hydrogen bonds. Only Van der Waals forces are present. Accordingly, after X-irradiation at 300 K, the only radicals observed are those resulting from the excitation path: the H-addition radical at C5 and an H-abstraction radical from a methyl group. Irradiation with light of lambda more than 400 nm induces the transformation of the C5-addition into the C6-addition radical. INDO calculations indicate that the C6-addition radical is protonated at O4. Since this crystal does not contain N-H or O-H bonds, this protonation can only occur through proton-abstraction from a C-H bond of a neighbouring molecule by the carbonyl group. The presence of short contacts between C6 and O4 is taken to suggest that the abstraction occurs at C6.


Study of factors affecting the antigen structure of the donor kidney. I. Interpretation of the relationship between periodate pretreatment and the rejection phenomena of canine kidney allografts. Donor kidneys were preserved in a Collins-4 solution containing periodate in concentrations of 10(-2) and 10(-4) mole/l, respectively, in an attempt to oxidize the carbohydrate components of the antigen-carrying membrane surfaces and thus to influence the rejection phenomena exhibited by the allogeneic kidney. All kidneys were, however, rejected as a result of a hyperacute reaction indicating that periodate did not react with the hydrophobic membrane structures in vivo. Not only did the antigen thus remain unchanged but the vulnerability of other renal structures to the destructive effect of the killer cells also increased as a result of toxic damage.


Intracisternal A particles in preimplantation embryos of feral mice (Mus musculus). In embryos of feral mice, intracisternal A particles (IAP) are not observed in zygotes, but large numbers are seen budding into the endoplasmic reticulum at the 2-cell stage. In subsequent cleavage stages very few IAP are present. Organelles and developmental changes in organelles during the preimplantation period are characteristic of those described previously in embryos of laboratory mice.


Influence of inactivated Sendai virus on early events in polyomavirus infection of permissive and nonpermissive host cells. Quantitative radiochemical investigations have been performed regarding the influence of betapropiolactone-inactivated Sendai virus on the early events of interaction of polyomavirus with permissive and nonpermissive cells. These experiments have shown: (i) Sendai virus did not increase polyomavirus adsorption on permissive or nonpermissive cells; (ii) Sendai virus induced polyomavirus elution from permissive and nonpermissive cells during the first 40 min and 6 h postinfection, respectively; and (iii) Sendai virus promoted the penetration of polyomavirus into lysosomes only in nonpermissive cells. The maximal amounts of radioactively labeled virion DNA and viral coat proteins were found in lysosomes at 2--3 h postinfection.


Early alterations in the morphology of cytomegalovirus-infected human fibroblasts. Cytomegalovirus-infected human fibroblasts developed large numbers of fine microvilli within 90 min after addition of virus. The structure of these microvilli gradually changed as the infection proceeded, although the infected cells were easily detected by their large number of processes. These processes may be involved in the increased transport of ions and nutrients into the infected cell.


Argentine hemorrhagic fever: a primate model. Experimental Junin virus infection of a New World primate, Callithrix jacchus, was evaluated. The virus produced anorexia, loss of weight, thrombocytopenia, leukopenia, and hemorrhagic and neurological symptoms and terminated in death. Virus was recovered from urine, blood samples and all tissues taken at autopsy. These preliminary observations show that several aspects of the experimental disease in C. jacchus are quite similar to severe natural Argentine hemorrhagic fever of man.


Identification and evaluation of the contribution of the chemoreflex in the hemodynamic response to intracarotid administration of contrast materials in the conscious dog: comparison with the response to nicotine. Intracarotid administration of ionic contrast material and nicotine in conscious, unsedated dogs caused similar biphasic reflex responses consisting of initial decreases followed by increases in heart rate and pressures. Both phases were characterized by increases in respiratory amplitude. The initial hypotension was not observed when heart rate was maintained constant. The initial bradycardia was absent after denervation of the carotid body and cholinergic blockade. The tachycardia was attenuated after ligation of the internal carotid artery and beta adrenergic blockade. Hwever, the hypertension persisted after denervation of the carotid body and ligation of the internal carotid artery but was attenuated after alpha adrenergic blockade. Nonionic contrast material caused almost no reflex hemodynamic effects. Like noxious substances such as nicotine, ionic contrast materials cause complex hemodynamic effects as a consequence of actions on the cardiovascular centers of the brain, carotid body chemoreceptors, and chemosensitive tissue in the external carotid circulation.


Relationship between Epstein-Barr virus genome number, amount of nuclear antigen, and early antigen inducibility in diploid and tetraploid lymphoma cells of related origin. In a collection of near-diploid and near-tetraploid Raji sublines and somatic Raji/Raji hybrids a linear relationship was found between the number of Epstein-Barr virus (EBV) genome copies and the relative amount of EBV-determined nuclear antigen per cell. Inducibility of the viral cycle by iododeoxyuridine and by P3HR-1 virus superinfection coulb be related to the number of resident EBV genome copies per haploid target cell. The implications of these findings are discussed.


Immunofluorescent anti-Junin virus antibodies in Argentine hemorrhagic fever. Immunofluorescent anti-Junin virus antibodies were detected in 15 nonfatal cases of Argentine hemorrhagic fever between the 2nd and 3rd week after onset of symptoms. In most cases, antibodies appeared by the day of clinical improvement, or between 2 and 4 days later. It was interesting to note that in 5 of 11 cases studied, the first positive serum sample presented anti-Junin virus immunofluorescent antibodies in IgA. In 2 of these 5 cases, IgA was the only immunoglobulin with antibody activity in the early positive serum sample.


A vesicular stomatitis virus (cytomegalovirus) pseudotype and its use in neutralization tests. Infection with vesicular stomatitis virus (VSV) of human diploid cells preinfected with the AD-169 strain of human cytomegalovirus (CMV) resulted in the formation of a VSV (CMV) pseudotype. Its formation was favored by increasing the bicarbonate content in doubly-infected cultures. The pseudotype was capable of infecting not only human but also rabbit cells. Pseudotype particles formed after infection with the tl 17 mutant of VSV, which carries a thermolabile lesion in its neutralization antigen, were more stable at 45 degrees than the original tl 17 virus. The pseudotype was used in the neutralization test with human sera. All sera positive for CMV antibody in the complement-fixation (CF) test were also reactive in the neutralization test. In addition, numerous sera negative for CMV antibody in the CF test neutralized the pseudotype.


Altered nuclear structure during productive and abortive infections with SV40 DNA. A striking alteration in nuclear morphology, detected by simian virus 40 (SV40) large-T antigen-specific immunofluorescence, occurred in cells infected by form I SV40 DNA but not by SV40 virions. This alteration did not require viral or cellular DNA synthesis.


[Physiological characteristics during exertion of Swiss Alpine and urban pubertal children]. On account of standardized examinations of circulatory and respiratory responses during the ride on the bicycle ergometer the physiological characteristic of Swiss children population from 12 to 15 years of age living in alpin and urban habitats is reported. The average maximum oxygen intake per kg body weight was 49-50 ml/min for alpin boys, 45-47 for urban boys, 39-41 for alpin girls and 37-39 for urban girls. Except for somatometric values, there is no other significant difference between alpin and urban children from the physiological point of view. A comparison of presented results with data from abroad does not show any disadvantageous properties of cardiorespiratory functions for Swiss boys and girls.


Developmental pattern of glucose-6-phosphatase activity in the small intestine of the mouse fetus. The distribution of glucose-6-phosphatase (G6Pase) activity in the epithelium of the small intestine in mouse embryos (the last 4 days of gestation) was studied by electron microscope cytochemistry and by enzymatic assays. At 16 days, the lead phosphate deposited by the cytochemical reaction is localized on the rough endoplasmic reticulum (RER) and nuclear envelope of very few cells in the duodenum and jejunum. Positive cells are more frequently seen in the upper part of the developing villi. At 17 days of gestation, a tremendous burst in RER differentiation is noticed in all parts of the small intestine and concomitantly glycogen disappears. At 18 days of gestation all the principal cells of the intestinal mucosa show a well differentiated positive RER and the enzyme is also present in the smooth endoplasmic reticulum. Biochemically, G6Pase activity is detected in the proximal 2 thirds of the small intestine at 17 days of gestation and appears at 18 days in the last third. Afterwards the activity increases up until birth. These results suggest (1) that the endoplasmic reticulum differentiates very late in the intestinal mucosa of mouse embryos (2) that the differentiation with respect to G6Pase is asynchronous between the enterocytes, (3) that for a given cell all the cisternae of RER are involved in G6Pase synthesis at the same moment and (4) that the enterocytes of the duodenum differentiate sooner and faster that those of the jejunum and ileum.


The pathology of head and neck tumors: salivary glands, part 3. The term adenoma is applied to a rather wide variety of histopathologic entities in the salivary glands. These include tumors derived from the ductal epithelium and/or from myoepithelial cells and other salivary-gland elements, such as the sebaceous glands. Within the categories of mixed tumor (pleomorphic adenoma), monomorphic adenoma, clear-cell tumor, and sebaceous lesions, there are also several subtypes, each of which lends further credence to the germinative potential of the salivary tissues. Presented in this report is a clinicopathologic and histogenetic analysis of these lesions. Specifically discussed are mixed tumor, monomorphic adenoma, carcinoma ex-pleomorphic adenoma, clear-cell tumor, sebaceous lymphadenoma, and sebaceous carcinoma.


The pathology of head and neck tumors: salivary glands, part 4. Adenoid cystic carcinomas and adenocarcinomas of salivary tissues are more plentiful in minor than in major salivary glands. In the latter, they comprise no more than 10% of tumors. In both sites, however, their clinical course is characterized by local aggressiveness, recurrences, and a relatively torpid and protracted course, eventually leading to death. The clinicopathologic aspects of these two lesions form the major part of this report. Their behavior is contrasted with that of the two other lesions presented: heterotopic salivary tissue, which is seldom the site of neoplasia; and necrotizing sialometaplasia, a self-limited disorder that simulates malignancy both clinically and histopathologically.


Synovial sarcoma in a dog.

Synovial sarcoma in a dog. A 6.5-year-old, female Saint Bernard had a slowly growing tumor of the right tibiotarsal joint. Radiographically, bone surrounding the tumor was not involved. Subtotal surgical resection was undertaken. The tumor was classified histologically as a synovioma. Within 6 months, the tumor recurred locally and invaded the soft tissue proximal to the tibiotarsal joint. Eighteen months after initial examination, there was widespread right tibial invasion and pulmonary metastasis. The dog was euthanatized. The final histopathologic diagnosis was synovial sarcoma.


Postnatal changes in the distribution of lipid droplets within the liver lobule of the mouse. The changes in the distribution of lipid droplets in the liver lobule were studied during the postnatal development of the mouse. At birth, and 1 day after birth, lipid droplets were evenly distributed throughout the lobule. A slightly uneven distribution of the droplets, more in centrilobular areas, appeared 2 days after birth. After this the difference in the number of droplets between the cells of the centrilobular and periportal areas became progressively more marked reaching a maximum by 17 days of age, and then decreasing to the adult level between 21 and 24 days. Thus, heterogeneity among hepatocytes with respect to lipid content is not present in newborn mice but develops gradually during the postnatal development.


In vitro combination of mecillinam with cephradine or amoxycillin for organisms resistant to single agents. Of 36 multi-resistant Gram-negative bacilli isolated from different cases of urinary tract infection, 18 strains of Escherichia coli, klebsiella, enterobacter, proteus, providencia and serratia with the exception of Acinetobacter species showed synergy when mecillinam was combined with cephradine or amoxycillin in the ratio of 1:1. Combination with cephradine was synergistic on sixteen occasions and amoxycillin on six. Synergy, which might have clinical relevance, was demonstrated only when the test organism was either fully or moderately sensitive to one of the two antibiotics combined but not when resistant to both.


Rapid methods for differentiating reactivated from residual phosphatase in milk and cream: collaborative study. Three methods for differentiating reactivated from residual phosphatase in milk and cream were collaboratively tested using both magnesium acetate and magnesium chloride for reactivating phosphatase. The methods evaluated were the modified Scharer rapid test, the rapid colorimetric test, and the Rutgers method. Nine collaborators tested 6 unknown milk samples containing reactivated and/or residual phosphatase, and 16 collaborators tested 6 unknown cream samples containing reactivated and/or residual phosphatase. Results indicated that use of magnesium acetate in place of magnesium chloride for reactivating phosphatase improved test results. Visual tests (modified Scharer rapid and Rutgers) predicted correct results when the samples contained high levels of reactivated or residual phosphatase. In borderline cases where the reactivated phosphatase contents of the undiluted control sample and the diluted sample containing Mg were very close, the test results of the visual methods were significantly different from 100% correct results at the alpha=0.05 level. Use of a photoelectric colorimeter or its equivalent for measuring the absorbance in conjunction with the modified Scharer rapid test improved results considerably. The modified Scharer rapid test was adopted official first action.


Mutant single-strand binding protein of Escherichia coli: genetic and physiological characterization. A mutation in the Escherichia coli gene for single-strand binding protein results in temperature-sensitive deoxyribonucleic acid replication (R. R. Meyer, J. Glassberg, and A. Kornberg, Proc. Natl. Acad. Sci. U.S.A. 76:1702-1705, 1979). The mutant (ssb-1) is also more sensitive to ultraviolet irradiation and about one-fifth as active in recombination. Single-strand binding protein is thus implicated in repair and recombination as well as in replication. The mutation in ssb is located between uvrA and melA at 90.8 min on the genetic map. The ssb gene appears to be allelic with lexC, a gene with a proposed role in regulating inducible deoxyribonucleic acid repair.


Deoxyribonucleic acid in Nitrobacter carboxysomes. Carboxysomes were isolated from Nitrobacter winogradskyi and Nitrobacter agilis. The icosahedral particles contained double-stranded deoxyribonucleic acid (DNA). In the presence of ethidium bromide and cesium chloride, the particle-bound DNA had a buoyant density of rho 25 = 1.701 g/cm3. Electron microscopy revealed the DNA to be a 14-micron circular molecule.


Deoxyribonucleic acid and outer membrane: binding to outer membrane involves a specific protein. The binding of deoxyribonucleic acid (DNA) to the outer membrane of Escherichia coli was examined. The amount of DNA found to be bound to outer membrane was low and was estimated to be about 0.4% of the total DNA. Treatment of cells with chloramphenicol or rifampin caused a disassociation of the apparent DNA-outer membrane complex. The results presented here suggest that the binding between membrane and DNA is specific and involves a membrane protein having a molecular weight of 13,000.


Deoxyribonucleic acid and outer membrane: strains diploid for the oriC region show elevated levels of deoxyribonucleic acid-binding protein and evidence for specific binding of the oriC region to outer membrane. We have recently reported that part of the chromosomal deoxyribonucleic acid (DNA) of Escherichia coli is associated with the outer membrane fraction and that an outer membrane protein having a molecular weight of 31,000 probably is involved in this association (H. Wolf-Watz and A. Norqvist, J. Bacteriol. 140:43-49, 1979). We have now found that F' merodiploid strains containing two copies of the DNA between bglB and ilv have increased levels of this protein and an increased amount of DNA in their outer membranes. Increased levels of the protein are also found when lambda asn  phage, containing at 1.5-megadalton fragment of DNA located to the right of the uncA uncB genes but to the left of oriC, are induced. It therefore seems that this 1.5-megadalton fragment of DNA either codes for or binds to the 31,000-dalton outer membrane protein. Hybridization studies utilizing DNA found to be bound to outer membrane and DNA isolated from a specialized transducing phage lambda asn 132 revealed that at least 5 to 10% of outer membrane DNA has a DNA sequence homologous with a chromosomal segment carried by this oriC-containing phage.


Spore lytic enzyme released from Clostridium perfringens spores during germination. The exudate of fully germinated spores of Clostridium perfringens was found to contain a large amount of a spore lytic enzyme which acted directly on alkali-treated spores of the organism to cause germination. Although no detectable amount of the enzyme was found in dormant spores during germination in a KCl medium, the enzyme was produced rapidly and released into the medium. The optimal conditions for enzyme activity were pH 6.0 and 45 degrees C. Maximum activity occurred in the presence of various univalent cations at a concentration of 50 mM. The enzyme was readily inactivated by several sulfhydryl reagents. A strong reducing condition was generated in the ionic germination of the spores, a minimum Eh level of -350 mV being reached 30 min after initiation of germination. Furthermore, adenosine triphosphate-dependent pyruvate:ferredoxin oxidoreductase (EC 1.2.7.1) was identified in both dorman and germinated spores. The relationship between the release of active enzyme and the generation of reducing conditions during germination is discussed.


A new gene of Escherichia coli K-12 whose product participates in T4 bacteriophage late gene expression: interaction of lit with the T4-induced polynucleotide 5'-kinase 3'-phosphatase. We isolated five Escherichia coli mutants deficient in their ability to support the late (replication-coupled) gene expression of T4 bacteriophage at 30 degrees C. These mutants, which we call Lit mutants, define at least one novel gene at 25 min on the E. coli map. They were selected in an attempt to obtain mutants which restrict the growth of T4 mutants deficient in polynucleotide 5'-kinase 3'-phosphatase but not that of wild-type T4 at 37 degrees C. Some of the mutants do have these phenotypes under some conditions. Studies of the block in T4 development in some of the E. coli mutants suggest that Lit mutants are affected in a gene product involved in the metabolism of deoxyribonucleic acid nicks or single-strand gaps. None of the Lit mutants is deficient in the major, bacterial, 3'-phosphatase activity in crude extracts.


Cyclic adenosine 3',5'-monophosphate regulation of the bacteriophage T6/colicin K receptor in Escherichia coli. Mutant strains of Escherichia coli unable to synthesize cyclic adenosine 3',5'-monophosphate (cAMP) or the cyclic adenosine monophosphate receptor protein (CRP) were more resistant than wild-type cells to infection by bacteriophage T6. This resistance was found to be associated with the decreased production of specific T6 receptor protein (also the colicin K receptor) located in the outer membrane protein fraction of these cells. Transcription of this particular outer membrane protein was regulated by the cAMP-CRP complex. A novel affinity technique coupled with sodium dodecyl sulfate-polyacrylamide gel electrophoresis was used in these investigations.


Production and excretion of cloacin DF13 by Escherichia coli harboring plasmid CloDF13. The production and the mechanism of excretion of cloacin DF13 were investigated in noninduced and mitomycin C-induced cell cultures. A mitomycin C concentration was selected which did not cause lysis of cloacinogenic cells, but at the same time induced a maximal production of cloacin DF13. Native cloacin DF13, possessing killing activity, was first released into the cytoplasm. Shortly thereafter, the bacteriocin was transported through the cytoplasmic membrane and accumulated in the periplasm. Finally, cloacin DF13 was excreted into the culture medium. A small amount of cloacin DF13 remained associated with the cell surface. Producing cells did not become permeable for the cytoplasmic enzyme beta-galactosidase. Apparently the cloacin DF13 leaves the producing cells by an excretion process which is not similar to the mechanism proposed for bacterial secretory proteins. The processes of excretion by producing cells and of uptake by susceptible cells were also not identical because mutant cloacin DF13, which was not transported through the outer membrane into susceptible cells, was excreted like the wild-type cloacin DF13. The composition of the culture medium greatly affected production of cloacin DF13. The presence of sugars known to cause catabolite repression not only inhibited the production but also strongly reduced the excretion of cloacin DF13 into the culture medium.


Escherichia coli mutants thermosensitive for deoxyribonucleic acid gyrase subunit A: effects on deoxyribonucleic acid replication, transcription, and bacteriophage growth. Temperature-sensitive nalA mutants of Escherichia coli have been used to investigate the structure and functions of deoxyribonucleic acid (DNA) gyrase. Extracts of one such mutant (nalA43) had thermosensitive DNA gyrase subunit A activity but normal gyrase subunit B activity, proving definitively that nalA is the structural gene for subunit A. Extracts of a second nalA (Ts) mutant (nalA45) had a 50-fold deficiency of gyrase subunit A activity. The residual DNA supertwisting was catalyzed by the mutant DNA gyrase rather than by a novel supertwisting enzyme. The nalA45(Ts) extract was also deficient in the nalidixic acid target, which is defined as the protein necessary to confer drug sensitivity to in vitro DNA replication directed by a nalidixic acid-resistant mutant extract. Thus, gyrase subunit A and the nalidixic acid target are one and the same protein, the nalA gene product. Shift of the nalA43(Ts) mutant to a nonpermissive temperature resulted in a precipitous decline in the rate of [(3)H]thymidine incorporation, demonstrating an obligatory role of the nalA gene product in DNA replication. The rates of incorporation of [(3)H]uridine pulses and continuously administered [(3)H]uracil were quickly reduced approximately twofold upon temperature shift of the nalA43(Ts) mutant, and therefore some but not all transcription requires the nalA gene product. The thermosensitive growth of bacteriophages phiX174 and T4 in the nalA43(Ts) host shows that these phages depend on the host nalA gene product. In contrast, the growth of phage T7 was strongly inhibited by nalidixic acid but essentially unaffected by the nalA43(Ts) mutation. The inhibition of T7 growth by nalidixic acid was, however, eliminated by temperature inactivation of the nal43 gene product. Therefore, nalidixic acid may block T7 growth by a corruption rather than a simple elimination of the nalidixic acid target. Possible mechanisms for such a corruption are considered, and their relevance to the puzzling dominance of drug sensitivity is discussed.


Transport of cyclic adenosine 3',5'-monophosphate across Escherichia coli vesicle membranes. The uptake and efflux of cyclic adenosine 3',5'-monophosphate (3',5'-cAMP) by Escherichia coli membrane vesicles were studied. Metabolic energy was not required for the uptake process and was found to actually decrease the amount of 3',5'-cAMP found in the vesicles. 3',5'-cAMP uptake exhibits saturation kinetics (Km = 10 mM, Vmax = 2.8 nmol/mg of protein per min) and was competitively inhibited by a number of 3',5'-cAMP analogs. The uptake of 3',5'-cAMP was found to be sharply affected by a membrane phase transition. The excretion of 3',5'-cAMP was studied by using everted membrane vesicles. Efflux in this system was dependent upon metabolic energy and was reduced or abolished by uncouplers. Different energy sources powered efflux at different rates, showing a relationship between the degree of membrane energization and rate of excretion of 3',5'-cAMP. The efflux process also displayed saturation kinetics (Km = 10.0 mM, Vmax = 0.98 nmol/mg of protein per min) and was competitively inhibited by the same 3',5'-cAMP analogs and to the same degree as was the uptake process. 3',5'-cAMP was found to be chemically unaltered by both the uptake and excretion processes. These data are interpreted as showing that the uptake and excretion of 3',5'-cAMP in E. coli membrane vesicles are carrier-mediated phenomena, possibly employing the same carrier system. Uptake is by facilitated diffusion whereas efflux is via an energy-dependent, active transport process. Evidence is presented showing that cells can regulate the number of 3',5'-cAMP transport carriers. The rate of 3',5'-cAMP excretion is possibly regulated by both the degree of membrane energization and the number of carriers present per cells.


Regulation of phosphate accumulation in the unicellular cyanobacterium Synechococcus. The phosphorus contents of acid-soluble pools, lipid, ribonucleic acid, and acid-insoluble polyphosphate were lowered in Synechococcus in proportion to the reduction in growth rate in phosphate-limited but not in nitrate-limited continuous culture. Phosphorus in these cell fractions was lost proportionately during progressive phosphate starvation of batch cultures. Acid-insoluble polyphosphate was always present in all cultural conditions to about 10% of total cell phosphorus and did not turn over during balanced exponential growth. Extensive polyphosphate formation occurred transiently when phosphate was given to cells which had been phosphate limited. This material was broken down after 8 h even in the presence of excess external orthophosphate, and its phosphorus was transferred into other cell fractions, notably ribonucleic acid. Phosphate uptake kinetics indicated an invariant apparent K(m) of about 0.5 muM, but V(max) was 40 to 50 times greater in cells from phosphate-limited cultures than in cells from nitrate-limited or balanced batch cultures. Over 90% of the phosphate taken up within the first 30 s at 15 degrees C was recovered as orthophosphate. The uptake process is highly specific, since neither phosphate entry nor growth was affected by a 100-fold excess of arsenate. The activity of polyphosphate synthetase in cell extracts increased at least 20-fold during phosphate starvation or in phosphate-restricted growth, but polyphosphatase activity was little changed by different growth conditions. The findings suggest that derepression of the phosphate transport and polyphosphate-synthesizing systems as well as alkaline phosphatase occurs in phosphate shortage, but that the breakdown of polyphosphate in this organism is regulated by modulation of existing enzyme activity.


Binding of ouabain to Na+, K+-dependent ATPase during the ATPase reaction. Evidence for a dimer structure of the ATPase. Na+, K+-dependent ATPase [EC 3.6.1.3] was purified from porcine kidney by the method of Lane et al. [(1973) J. Biol. Chem. 248, 7197-7200] with slight modifications [Yamaguchi, M. & Tonomura, Y., (1979) J. Biochem. 86, 509-523]. The amounts of a phosphorylated intermediate (EP) and ouabain bound to the enzyme during the ATPase reaction were measured in 2.1 mM MgCl2 and various concentrations of NaCl and KCl at pH 7.5 and 20 degrees C. In presence of NaCl and the absence of KCl, the molar ratio of the amounts of EP and bound ouabain was 1 : 2. In the presence of both NaCl and KCl, it was 1 : 1. In both cases, the amount of bound ouabain was equal to that of EP in the absence of ouabain. These findings suggest that the functional unit of the transport ATPase is a dimer.


Effect of removal of a salt-bridge on the oxygen binding properties and the electronic structure of heme in cobalt-iron hybrid hemoglobin. In order to clarify the role of salt-bridges in hemoglobin, the oxygen equilibrium curves and electron paramagnetic resonance (EPR) spectra of cobalt-iron hybrid hemoglobins were determined. The EPR spectra of deoxy alpha(Co)2 beta(Fe)2 could be interpreted as a mixture of two distinct paramagnetic species: one showed a maximum of the first derivative spectrum at g = 2.39 and the other at g = 2.33. The oxygen equilibrium curves of the hybrid indicated that the former is assignable to the T structure and the latter to the R structure. The cooperativity of oxygen binding of alpha(Co)2 beta(Fe)2 exhibited a maximum at g = 2.33, which is characteristic of the R structure, regardless of the pH. Addition of inositol hexaphosphate (IHP) to des-Arg alpha(Co)2 beta(Fe)2 restored the cooperativity of oxygen binding, which implies that the deoxygenated form of des-Arg alpha(Co)2 beta(Fe)2 is converted to the T structure upon addition of IHP. However, the EPR signal at g = 2.39 was not restored upon conversion to the T structure by addition of IHP. It is therefore concluded that the EPR spectrum of the deoxy alpha(Co) subunit depends both on the quaternary structure and on the localized strain at the heme.


Highly purified hydroxylamine oxidoreductase derived from Nitrosomonas europaea. Some physicochemical and enzymatic properties. Hydroxylamine oxidoreductase [EC 1.7.3.4] of Nitrosomonas europaea was purified to an electrophoretically homogeneous state and some of its properties were studied. The molecular weight of the enzyme as determined by gel filtration on Sephadex G150 and by polyacrylamide gel electrophoresis in the presence of sodium dodecyl sulfate is 175,000-180,000, while the minimum molecular weight per heme determined from the dry weight and heme content is 17,500. The enzyme is a C-type cytochrome; its reduced form shows absorption peaks at 418 (gamma peak), 521 (beta peak), 553 (alpha peak), and 460 nm (due to an unidentified chromophore). Although the alpha peak at 553 nm has a shoulder at 559 nm, the enzyme does not posses protoheme or a cytochrome b subunit. It seems likely that the enzyme molecule possess heme c molecules in different states. The enzyme reacts rapidly with various eukaryotic cytochromes c, but does not react with "bacterial-type" cytochromes c. Although the enzyme does not react with cytochrome c-552 (N. europaea), another C-type cytochrome of the organism, cytochrome c-554 (N. europaea) acts as an electron acceptor for the enzyme.


Probable sites of action of cyclic adenosine 3',5'-monophosphate in the induction of phosphodiesterase in Dictyostelium discoideum. The sites of action cyclic adenosine 3',5'-monophosphate (cAMP) in phosphodiesterase [EC 3.1.4.17] induction in Dictyostelium discoideum were studied. When cAMP was added to the cell suspension from the start of the incubation, the effect of the cyclic nucleotide on the cellular enzyme-induction did not appear for 30 min, then occurred abruptly. From experiments on the addition of cAMP to the cell incubation mixture at various times, preparations for the synthesis of the enzyme appear to occur during the period from 20 min to 30 min after the start of the incubation. After the addition of cycloheximide at 30 min, the enzyme was degraded very rapidly. The half-life of phosphodiesterase was roughly 21 min in the presence of cAMP, and 12 min in its absence. The degradation rates became approximately the same on removing cAMP. When daunomycin and actinomycin D were added to cells previously stimulated with cAMP, phosphodiesterase was still synthesized at a higher rate than in cells not pretreated with cAMP. These results suggest that cAMP acts at two sites at least, i.e., on enzyme synthesis at the transcription level, and in suppressing the degradation of phosphodiesterase.


Hormonal effects on the biosynthesis of lactate dehydrogenase in rat hepatocytes. Rat hepatocytes have been studied in suspension culture for 10-h periods. Levels of extractable lactate dehydrogenase (LDH) have been measured in these hepatocytes at hourly intervals in order to note the balance between biosynthesis and degradation of this enzyme. Newly synthesized LDH has been measured by following the rate of incorporation of [3H]leucine into radiochemically pure LDH of high specific catalytic activity as isolated by a rapid affinity chromatographic procedure. The effects of the addition of physiological concentrations of the following hormones at the beginning of 10-h culture periods immediately following preparation of the hepatocytes by the collagen perfusion procedure have been recorded. The hormones triiodothyronine (T3), insulin, glucagon, and  dexamethasone have been added singly or in combination. The culture medium has supplied variable amounts of these hormones in the 10% of fetal calf (or other) serum added, and the hepatocytes themselves have provided intracellular amounts of hormones. In addition to the added hormones, N6,O2'-dibutyryl cyclic AMP (Bt2cAMP) has also been studied. Control suspensions of hepatocytes show reproducible initial levels of extractable LDH which are maintained or slightly increased during 10 h. Such control systems also incorporate [3H]leucine into total protein and into highly purified LDH at reproducible rates during 10 h of incubation. The effects of added hormones on LDH lavels are as follows: (a) T3 causes about a 2-fold increase in LDH at 7 to 8 h in hepatocytes from young adult animals, an effect which is lowered in either younger or older animals or in thyroidectomized animals. (b) Insulin leads to a similar increase in LDH at 5 to 6 h and a falling off at 8 to 10 h. (c) Glucagon also causes an approximate doubling of the amount of extractable LDH during a 10-doubling of the amount of extractable LDH during a 10-h period. (d) Dexamethasone does not produce an increase. (e) Bt2-cAMP produces an effect indistinguishable from that of glucagon. Paired combinations of these hormones fail to produce an additive response in any case. The combinations of T3 plus dexamethaseon and insulin plus dexamethasone lead to significant reductions in levels of extractable LDH when compared to the single hormone effects cited above. With respect to rates of synthesis of total protein as measured by [3H]leucine incorporation, only glucagon, glucagon plus Bt2-cAMP, glucagon plus insulin, T3 plus Bt2cAMP, and T3 plus insulin produce significant increases during a 10-h period. However, when [3H]leucine incorporation into highly purified LDH is measured as an index of LDH biosynthesis, T3, insulin, and glucagon consistently increase the biosynthetic rates during a 10-h period. Bt2cAMP produces a smaller increase. Dexamethasone fails to produce any significant change when compared to controls. Paired combinations of hormones again do not produce any additive effect on LDH biosynthesis when the hormone producing the higher level is taken as the reference...


Kinetic and mechanistic studies on the reduction of melilotate hydroxylase by reduced pyridine nucleotides. The reduction of the melilotate hydroxylase . 2-OH-phenyl propionate complex by NADH and reduced 3-acetyl pyridine adenine dinucleotide (AcPyNADH) has been investigated using steady state kinetic and rapid reaction techniques. Reduction by NADH appeared to involve only one charge-transfer-type intermediate (between reduced enzyme and NAD) as previously described (Strickland, S., and Massey, V. (1973) J. Biol. Chem. 248, 2953-2962). Reduction by AcPyNADH was shown to involve two charge-transfer-type intermediates. The first was between oxidized enzyme and AcPyNADH and the second was between reduced enzyme and AcPyNAD. Reaction of AcPyNADH with oxidized enzyme . 2-OH-phenyl propionate complex to form the first charge-transfer complex reached equilibrium within the mixing time of the stopped flow apparatus (5 ms). Subsequent steps in the reaction appeared to be first order and were independent of the AcPyNADH concentration. An 8-fold deuterium isotope effect on the step involving flavin reduction was found when reduced 3-acetyl[4A-2H]pyridine adenine dinucleotide (AcPyNADD) was used as the reductant. Analysis of the rapid reaction results for the reaction of oxidized pyridine nucleotide with reduced enzyme . 2-OH-phenyl propionate complex indicated the presence of two forms of reduced enzyme (in equilibrium) of which only one form was capable of reacting with the oxidized pyridine nucleotide. Based on the rapid reaction data, a mechanism for the reduction half-reaction is proposed. The turnover number calculated from this mechanism is in good agreement with that determined from the steady state data.


Isolation of the domain containing the molybdenum, iron-sulfur I, and iron-sulfur II centers of chicken liver xanthine dehydrogenase. Chicken liver xanthine dehydrogenase, like other xanthine-oxidizing enzymes, is a dimer of Mr = 150,000 subunits. Each subunit contains one molybdenum, one FAD, and two distinct Fe2S2 centers. Treatment with a number of proteases shows that the native enzyme subunit is cleaved at three distinct sites. However, the cleavage products can be separated only under denaturing conditions. Prolonged treatment with subtilisin at pH 10.1 has permitted the isolation of an Mr = 65,000 catalytically active fragment that is devoid of FAD but which contains the molybdenum and both types of iron-sulfur center. A model of the domain structure of the native enzyme is proposed.


Paraquat and Escherichia coli. Mechanism of production of extracellular superoxide radical. Paraquat mediates a superoxide dismutase-inhibitable reduction of cytochrome c by suspensions of Escherichia coli B. Glucose was most effective in providing electrons for this cytochrome c reduction, but other nutrients could serve in this capacity, provided the cells were preconditioned by growth on these nutrients. Paraquat reduction depended upon a NADPH:paraquat diaphorase, present in the cytosol. Reduced paraquat could diffuse across the cell envelope and react with dioxygen, in the suspending medium, thus generating O2- in that compartment. Most of the paraquat reduced in the cell, under the conditions used, reoxidized in situ and most of the O2- production was thus intracellular. The partitioning of reduced paraquat between intracellular and extracellular compartments, prior to reaction with dioxygen, depended upon intracellular pO2 and any strategy which raised intracellular pO2 decreased the efflux of reduced paraquat and thus decreased extracellular O2- production. Extracellular O2- and H2O2 did contribute to cell damage in proportion to the amount produced. O2- appeared to be unable to cross the cell envelope in either direction and the only O2- which was effective in raising the rate of biosynthesis of the manganese-superoxide dismutase, was that generated within the cell.


Changes in the EPR signal of dinitrogenase from Azotobacter vinelandii during the lag period before hydrogen evolution begins. During the lag period before H2 is evolved by the nitrogenase system, the EPR signal of dinitrogenase decreases steadily, indicating transfer of electrons into dinitrogenase. The rate constant for the decrease in amplitude of the EPR signal, the steady state rate of H2 evolution from nitrogenase, and the length of the lag period have been measured. The data suggest that H2 is evolved only after dinitrogenase has been reduced by 2 electrons/molybdenum. The electrons that have been transfered into dinitrogenase during the lag period are not evolved as H2 upon denaturation of dinitrogenase. The existence of a lag indicates that the two nitrogenase proteins dissociate after every electron transfer. The lag occurs and the nitrogenase proteins dissociate under a variety of conditions of pH and temperature.


Search for a DNA gyrase in mammalian mitochondria. Incorporation of labeled deoxynucleoside triphosphates into mtDNA by isolated rat liver mitochondria has been shown previously to reflect DNA replication. We have used this system to seek evidence for a mtDNA gyrase. Coumermycin, novobiocin, nalidixic acid, and oxolinic acid are known to be inhibitors of Escherichia coli gyrase, to inhibit E. coli DNA replication, to abolish colicin E1 replication, and to depress the supercoiling of phage lambda DNA, the last two via inhibition of the DNA gyrase. Our results show that these agents inhibit [3H]dATP incorporation into bulk mtDNA at concentrations similar to those used for E. coli. Analysis by sucrose gradient sedimentation confirms the inhibition and shows further that the synthesis of the highly supercoiled form of mtDNA (i.e. 39 S DNA) is depressed relative to other mtDNA forms (i.e. 27 S DNA), suggesting an inhibition of the supercoiling process. Analysis of the DNA by CsCl/propidium diiodide centrifugation shows, in addition, that incubation with coumermycin results in the appearance of a mtDNA form shown to be relaxed mtDNA. The results are consistent with the occurrence of a mtDNA gyrase and its operation in mtDNA replication.


The recognition of a special ubiquinone functionally central in the ubiquinone-cytochrome b-c2 oxidoreductase. Although the energy conserving membranes of the photosynthetic bacterium Rhodopseudomonas sphaeroides contain a 25 (+/- 3)-fold molar excess of ubiquinone over the photochemical reaction center, the activity of the ubiquinone-cytochrome b-c2 oxidoreductase is unaffected by quinone extraction until only 3, or at most 4, ubiquinones remain; only then does further extraction prevent the function of the oxidoreductase. Since 2 of these last ubiquinones are integral parts of the photochemical reaction center, we conclude that the ubiquinone-cytochrome b-c2 oxidoreductase requires only 1, or at most 2, molecules of ubiquinone-10 for its function. Earlier kinetic data identified a major electron donor to ferricytochrome c2 as a single molecule (known as Z) which requires 2 electrons and 2 protons for its equilibrium reduction. Hence, we identify a single molecule of quinone, probably ubiquinone-10 in a special environment, as a major electron donor to ferricytochrome c2 in the ubiquinone cytochrome b-c2 oxidoreductase.


Effects of adrenalectomy on hormone action on hepatic glucose metabolism. Impaired glucagon activation of glycogen phosphorylase in hepatocytes from adrenalectomized rats. The effects of adrenalectomy on glucagon activation of liver glycogen phosphorylase and glycogenolysis were studied in isolated hepatocytes. Adrenalectomy resulted in reduced responsiveness of glycogenolysis and phosphorylase to glucagon activation. Stimulation of cAMP accumulation and cAMP-dependent protein kinase activity by glucagon was unaltered in cells from adrenalectomized rats. Adrenalectomy did not alter the proportion of type I and type II protein kinase isozymes in liver, whereas this was changed by fasting. Activation of phosphorylase kinase by glucagon was reduced in hepatocytes from adrenalectomized rats, although the half-maximal effective concentration of glucagon was unchanged. No difference in phosphorylase phosphatase activity between liver cells from control and adrenalectomized rats was detected. Glucagon-activated phosphorylase declined rapidly in hepatocytes from adrenalectomized rats, whereas the time course of cAMP increase in response to glucagon was normal. Addition  of glucose (15 mM) rapidly inactivated glucagon-stimulated phosphorylase in both adrenalectomized and control rat hepatocytes. The inactivation by glucose was reversed by increasing glucagon concentration in cells from control rats, but was accelerated in cells from adrenalectomized rats. It is concluded that impaired activation of phosphorylase kinase contributes to the reduced glucagon stimulation of hepatic glycogenolysis in adrenalectomized rats. The possible role of changes in phosphorylase phosphatase is discussed.


Metabolism of Okazaki fragments during simian virus 40 DNA replication. Essentially all of the Okazaki fragments on replicating Simian virus 40 (SV40)DNA could be grouped into one of three classes. Class I Okazaki fragments (about 20%) were separated from longer nascent DNA chains by a single phosphodiester bond interruption (nick) and were quantitatively identified by treating purified replicating DNA with Escherichia coli DNA ligase and then measuring the fraction of Okazaki fragments joined to longer nascent DNA chains. Similarly, class II Okazaki fragments (about 30%) were separated by a region of single-stranded DNA template (gap) that could be filled and sealed by T4 DNA polymerase plus E. coli DNA ligase, and class III fragments (about 50%) were separated by RNA primers that could be removed with E. coli DNA olymerase I, allowing the fragments to be joined with E. coli DNA ligase. These results were obtained with replicating SV40 DNA that had been briefly labeled with radioactive precursors in either intact cells or isolated nuclei. When isolated nuclei were further incubated in the presence of cytosol, all of the Okazaki fragments were converted into longer DNA strands as expected for intermediates in DNA synthesis. However, when washed nuclei were incubated in the abscence of cytosol, both class I and class II Okazaki fragments accumulated despite the excision of RNA primers: class III Okazaki fragments and RNA-DNA covalent linkages both disappeared at similar rates. These data demonstrate the existence of RNA primers in whole cells as well as in isolated nuclei, and identify a unique gap-filling step that is not simply an extension of the DNA chain elongation process concomitant with the excision of RNA primers. One or more factos found in cytosol, in addition to DNA polymerase alpha, are specifically involved in the gap-filling and ligation steps. The sizes of mature Okazaki fragments (class I) and Okazaki fragments whose synthesis was completed by T4 DNA polymerase were measured by gel electrophoresis and found to be broadly distributed between 40 and 290 nucleotides with an average length of 135 nucleotides. Since 80% and 90% of the Okazaments does not occur at uniformly spaced intervals along the DNA template. During the excision of RNA primers, nascent DNA chains with a single ribonucleotide covalently attached to the 5' terminus were identified as transient intermediates. These intermediates accumulated during excision of RNA primers in the presence of adenine 9-beta-D-arabinoside 5'-triphosphate, and those Okazaki fragments blocked by RNA primers (class III) were found to have originated the farthest from the 5' ends of long nascent DNA strands. Thus, RNA primers appear to be excised in two steps with the second step, removal of the final ribonucleotide, being stimulated by concomitant DNA synthesis. These and other data were used to construct a comprehensive metabolic pathway for the initiation, elongation, and maturation of Okazaki fragments at mammalian DNA replication forks.


Deoxyribonucleic acid polymerase of bacteriophage T7. Characterization of the exonuclease activities of the gene 5 protein and the reconstituted polymerase. Homogeneous gene 5 protein of bacteriophage T7, a subunit of T7 DNA polymerase, catalyzes the stepwise hydrolysis of single-stranded DNA in a 3' leads to 5' direction to yield nucleoside 5'-monophosphates. The gene 5 protein itself does not hydrolyze duplex DNA. However, in the presence of Escherichia coli thioredoxin, the host-specified subunit of T7 DNA polymerase, duplex DNA is hydrolyzed in a 3' leads to 5' direction to yield nucleoside 5'-monophosphates. The apparent Km for thioredoxin in the reaction is 4.8 x 10(-8) M, a value similar to that for the apparent Km of thioredoxin in the complementation assay with gene 5 protein to restore T7 DNA polymerase activity. Both exonuclease activities require Mg2+ and a sulfhydryl reagent for optimal activity, and both activities are sensitive to salt concentration. Deoxyribonucleoside 5'-triphosphates inhibit hydrolysis by both exonuclease activities; hydrolysis of single-stranded DNA by the gene 5 protein is inhibited even in the absence of thioredoxin where there is less than 2% active T7 DNA polymerase. E. coli DNA binding protein (helix destabilizing protein) stimulates the hydrolysis of duplex DNA up to 9-fold under conditions where the hydrolysis of the single-stranded DNA is inhibited 4-fold.


Reaction of copper-zinc superoxide dismutase with diethyldithiocarbamate. Diethyldithiocarbamate reacted with superoxide dismutase from bovine erythrocytes. Changes in both optical and esr spectra, which accompanied this reaction, indicated involvement of the Cu(II). The reaction was accelerated by raising the concentrations of the reactants, elevating the temperature, and lowering the pH, in the range 10.2 to 5.5, and it was independent of the presence of oxygen. During the first phase of this reaction the Cu(II).diethyldithiocarbamate complex remained bound to the enzyme and the catalytic activity did not diminish. There followed a second and slower process which was accompanied by the appearance of colloidal Cu(II).chelate complex and by a loss of activity which could be restored by the addition of CuSO4. All of the observations are accomodated by a model in which 1 diethyldithiocarbamate molecule reacts/copper center, with retention of activity, in Phase I, while a second diethyldithiocarbamate displaces the copper, with a loss of activity, in Phase II.


Effect of antimitotic drugs on tubulin GTPase activity and self-assembly. Microtubule inhibitors can be classified into two categories: 1) those which inhibit the polymerization-dependent GTPase activity of phosphocellulose-purified tubulin, but induce a significant polymerization-independent GTPase activity (e.g. colchicine, griseofulvine, daunorubicine); 2) those which inhibit the GTPase activity associated with tubulin polymerization and that induced by inhibitors of the first class (e.g. the vincaalkaloids and podophyllotoxin). The colchicine-stimulated GTPase activity of tubulin appears to be due to the tubulin.colchicine complex. This suggests that colchicine inhibits tubulin assembly by binding to a tubulin-tubulin interaction site required for the polymerization-dependent GTPase activity and induces by itself a tubulin conformational change that leads to polymerization-independent GTPase activity. Stoichiometry of inhibition by vinblastine of the colchicine-stimulated GTPase activity is 1:2. On the other hand, the inhibition by vinblastine of the tubulin self-assembly and of the polymerization-dependent GTPase activity is strongly substoichiometric at the beginning of the polymerization reaction, 1 vinblastine molecule inhibiting the ability of 10 tubulin dimers to polymerize and to hydrolyze the GTP. However, at the polymerization plateau, the inhibition effect by vinblastine appears to be lower, suggesting a selective action of vinblastine on the early stages of the polymerization reaction.


The uncoupled regulation of fibronectin and collagen synthesis in Rous sarcoma virus transformed avian tendon cells. We have investigated the regulation of fibronectin and procollagen synthesis in normal and Rous sarcoma virus transformed primary avian tendon cells. These two proteins interact at the cell periphery and both are reportedly lost upon transformation. We thus examined whether their synthesis was coordinately regulated in Rous sarcoma virus-infected cells. It was found that while the synthesis of both pro alpha 1 and pro alpha 2 peptides was reduced upon transformation, the synthesis of fibronectin was not altered. Nevertheless, long term radiolabeling demonstrated that fibronectin levels were reduced in transformed cells. It is concluded that the reduction in levels of these components at the surface is brought about by different mechanisms; collagen levels being regulated by procollagen synthesis and fibronectin levels by degradation and/or release into the culture medium. The possibility is discussed that fibronectin is lost from the cell periphery of primary avian tendon cells as a consequence of decreased levels of anchoring collagen molecules.


Photoaffinity inactivation of the enkephalin receptor. An arylazide enkephalin derivative, [D-Ala2,Met5]enkephalin-Tyr-N-(2-nitro-4-azidophenyl) ethylenediamine (ETN), has been synthesized. In the dark, it inhibited the binding of [3H]enkephalinamide to enkephalin receptor-rich NG-108 cell membranes with an I50 = 2.2 X 10(-8) M or KI = 7 X 10(-9) M, assuming competitive inhibition. Photolysis of membranes in the presence of ETN caused irreversible inactivation of the enkephalin receptor, but inactivation was prevented by the addition of enkephalin, the half-effective concentration being 3 x 10(-9) M. ETN appears to be an effective photoaffinity label for the enkephalin receptor.


The formation of binary and ternary complexes of cytochrome P-450scc with adrenodoxin and adrenodoxin reductase.adrenodoxin complex. The implication in ACTH function. Binary and ternary complexes of bovine adrenocortical mitochondrial cytochrome P-450scc with adrenodoxin and adrenodoxin reductase.adrenodoxin complex are formed in the presence of cholesterol and Emulgen 913. Both cholesterol and Emulgen 913 are required for the binding of cytochrome P-450scc with adrenodoxin. Since phospholipids are able to replace Emulgen 913 in this reaction, in vivo phospholipids of the mitochondrial inner membrane appear to play the function of the detergent. The dissociation constants of the cytochrome.adrenodoxin complex are 0.3 to 0.4 microM at 130 microM dimyristoylphosphatidylcholine and 0.9 microM at 120 microM Emulgen 913, whereas the dissociation constant for the ternary complex of cytochrome P-450scc with adrenodoxin reductase and adrenodoxin is 4.0 microM at 150 microM Emulgen 913. The stoichiometry of binary and ternary complexes reveals the 1:1 and 1:1:1 molar ratios, respectively, judging from chemical analyses after the fractionation of the complexes by gel filtration. Emulgen 913, Tween 20, ethylene glycol, myristoyllysophosphatidylcholine, dimyristoylphosphatidylcholine, and phosphatidylethanolamine show the enhanced activity of cholesterol side chain cleavage reaction with cytochrome P-450scc, adrenodoxin, adrenodoxin reductase, and NADPH. These results, in conjunction with earlier experiments, lead us to the proposal on the structure of the hydroxylase complex in the membrane and to the hypothesis on the regulation of the enzymatic activity by the availability of substrate cholesterol to the cytochrome. Hence, we propose a mobile P-450scc hypothesis for the response of the mitochondrion to adrenocorticotropic hormone stimuli.


Biosynthesis and characterization of adrenocorticotropic hormone, alpha-melanocyte-stimulating hormone, and an NH2-terminal fragment of the adrenocorticotropic hormone/beta-lipotropin precursor from rat pars intermedia. Isolated intermediate lobe cells from 40 rat pituitaries were incubated for 3 h with [35S]methionine + [3H]-phenylalanine, [35S]methionine, [3H]valine, and [3H]leucine. The cell extracts were purified by carboxymethyl-cellulose chromatography (CMC) and the fraction eluting with ovine adrenocorticotropic hormone (ACTH) was further purified either by another CMC under the same conditions or by high performance liquid chromatography (HPLC). Microsequencing of the product from the second CMC allowed the identification of a peptide containing methionine 4 and phenylalanine 7, as expected for the NH2 terminus of ACTH. Purification by HPLC of a similar peptide obtained from the three other incubations gave three main raoactive peaks which were further characterized by their migration rates on polyacrylamide gels, molecular weight, and microsequencing. Results indicated that intact ACTH (residues 1-39) is present in extracts of rat intermediate lobe, but in very small quantities (less than 1% of the beta-endorphin content). ACTH is probably broken down into smaller fragments, e.g. alpha-melanocyte-stimulating hormone (alpha-MSH) (ACTH, 1-13) and corticotropin-like intermediate lobe peptide (CLIP) (ACTH, 18-39). These studies also revealed with existence of a peptide having identical sequence with the (N-1) terminus of the ACTH/lipotropin (LPH) precursor.


Enzyme-catalyzed DNA unwinding. A DNA-dependent ATPase from E. coli. We have isolated a new DNA-dependent ATPase from E. coli. The enzyme has been purified to greater than 90% purity. It appears to be composed of two identical polypeptide chains of molecular weight 20,000. The enzyme catalyzed the hydrolysis of ATP in the presence, but not in the absence, of single-stranded DNA. Double-stranded DNA is not a cofactor. The products of hydrolysis are ADP and Pi. The enzyme also catalyzed strand separation of duplex DNA in the presence of ATP and E. coli DNA binding protein. Two E. coli proteins capable of promoting strand separation have been reported previously and have been termed helicase I and II (Abdel-Monem, M., and Hoffmann-Berling, H. (1977) Eur. J. Biochem. 79, 33-38). Accordingly, this protein is named helicase III.


Spectroscopic techniques for study of phosphodiester bond formation by Escherichia coli RNA polymerase. Nucleotides containing the fluorophore 1-aminonaphthalene-5-sulfonate attached to the gamma phosphoryl group via a phosphoamidate bond are excellent substrates for Escherichia coli DNA-dependent RNA polymerase. Cleavage of the alpha-beta-phosphoryl bond produces significant changes in both absorption and fluorescence spectra. These alterations provide a sensitive and precise means for continuous monitoring of transcription. Under appropriate conditions one can detect the utilization of less than 1 nmol of nucleotide. Since the spectroscopic techniques measure nucleotide utilization they can be used in conjunction with measurements of incorporation of radiolabeled precursor such as [3H]UTP into acid-insoluble material to determine whether significant amounts of acid-soluble oligonucleotides are formed.


Further characterization of a depurinated DNA-purine base insertion activity from cultured human fibroblasts. The purification from cultured human fibroblasts of a protein that binds specifically to partially depurinated DNA and inserts purines into those sites is described. The purine insertion, but not the binding, requires K+. The DNA binding can be saturated with increasing apurinic sites and is weakened by the presence of adenine or guanine. Base insertion into depurinated DNA is specific for adenine or guanine; none is observed with dATP or dGTP. When the depurinated DNA substrate is specifically cleaved with apurinic endonuclease, no purine insertion occurs. Guanine insertion does not occur into tRNA or depyrimidinated DNA, and thymine is not inserted into either depyrimidinated DNA or depurinated DNA. Purine insertion activity follows Michaelis-Menten kinetics with respect to purintes; the apparent Km values for both adenine and guanine are 5 microM. The enzyme binds the purine bases very tightly. Adenine binding saturates at less than 1 microM adenine, perhaps reflecting the low intracellular adenine concentration. The binding protein specific for UV-irradiated DNA (Feldberg, R.S., and Grossman, L. (1976) Biochemistry 15, 2402-2408) had no detectable purine or pyrimidine base insertion activity with depurinated or depyrimidinated DNAs.


Synthesis of chromophoric, spin label enzyme substrates useful for cryoenzymology. The spin label nitroxide derivative 3-(2,2,5,5-tetramethylpyrroline-1-oxyl)-propen-2-oic acid has been synthesized and characterized by chemical methods. It is a useful intermediate in the preparation of a new class of chromophoric spin label substrates for enzyme studies, as shown by the synthesis of O-3-(2,2,5,5-tetramethylpyrroline-1-oxyl)-propen-2-oyl-L-beta-phenyllactic acid, a specific ester substrate of bovine pancreatic carboxypeptidase A (peptidyl-L-amino acid hydrolase; EC 3.4.12.2). Kinetic parameters of the esterolytic reaction are conveniently determined by UV spectrophotometric methods, and a reaction intermediate can be stabilized in fluid cryosolvent mixtures at subzero temperatures. Results are presented of preliminary electron spin resonance studies to demonstrate that structural relationships of the spin label substrate in a catalytically active configuration to active site residues can be determined for this low temperature-stabilized reaction intermediate. This substrate thus demonstrates the utility of this new class of spin label derivatives for characterization of enzyme reaction intermediates stabilized by cryoenzymologic techniques.


Studies of the electron-nuclear coupling between Fe(III) and 14N in cytochrome P-450 and in a series of low spin heme compounds. We have observed the nuclear modulation pattern in the envelope of electron spin echoes for various low spin paramagnetic heme proteins including cytochrome c, myoglobin hydroxide, myoglobin mercaptoethanol, and cytochrome P-450, using the three-pulse-stimulated echo method. We have also carried out similar experiments with model compounds containing either [14N]- or [15N]imidazole. In many of the compounds studied, we have been able to identify the nuclear modulation effects arising from 14N of the porphyrin ring and have been able to characterize and interpret the modulation effects due to 14N of various nitrogenous axial ligands. We have found that the heme of low spin ferric cytochrome P-450 is coordinated to a nitrogenous ligand, probably imidazole. We have also demonstrated that the remote 14N of the imidazole ligand in a [14N]imidazole-heme-NO-model compound is coupled differently than in myoglobin nitroxide, demonstrating the direct effect of the protein of metal ligand bonding.


Characterization and comparison of membrane-associated and cytosolic cAMP-dependent protein kinases. Studies on human erythrocyte protein kinases. Cyclic AMP-dependent protein kinase from human erythrocyte plasma membranes was solubilized with Triton X-100, partially purified, and systematically characterized by a series of physicochemical studies. Sedimentation and gel filtration experiments showed that the 6.6 S holoenzyme had a Stokes radius (a) of 5.7 nm and was dissociated into native 4.8 S cAMP-binding (a = 4.5 nm) and 3.2 S catalytic (a = 2.6 nm) subunits. A minimum subunit molecular weight of 48,000 was established for the regulatory subunit by photoaffinity labeling with 8-azido[32P]cAMP, sodium dodecyl sulfate-polyacrylamide gel electrophoresis, and autoradiography. These data suggest an asymmetric tetrameric (R2C2) structure (Mr approximately equal to 160,000) for the membrane-derived enzyme. Membrane-derived protein kinase was characterized as a type I enzyme on the basis of its R subunit molecular weight, pI values (R, 4.9; holoenzyme, 5.75 and 5.95), dissociation by 0.5 M NaCl and 50 microgram/ml of protamine, 20-fold reduced affinity for cAMP in the presence of 0.3 mM MgATP, elution from DEAE-cellulose at low ionic strength, and kinetic and cAMP-binding properties. The physicochemical properties of the membrane protein kinase closely parallel the characteristics of erythrocyte cytosolic protein kinase I but are clearly dissimilar from those of the soluble type II enzyme. Moreover, regulatory subunits of the membrane-associated and cytosolic type I kinases were indistinguishable in size, shape, subunit molecular weight, charge, binding and reassociation properties, and peptide maps of the photoaffinity-labeled cAMP-binding site, suggesting a high degree of structural and functional homology in this pair of enzymes. In view of the predominant occurrence of particulate type II protein kinases in rabbit heart and bovine cerebral cortex, the present results suggest that the distribution of membrane-associated protein kinases may be tissue- or species-specific, but not isoenzyme-specific.


Influence of adrenocorticotropin on transport of a cholesteryl linoleate-low density lipoprotein complex into adrenal tumor cells. The action of adrenocorticotropin (ACTH) on the specific (receptor-mediated) uptake of cholesteryl linoleate . low density lipoprotein complexes was examined in Y-1 mouse adrenal tumor cells. High affinity binding (KA 4.1 X 10(8) M) was observed with ACTH; lower affinity was seen in the absence of ACTH. The effect of ACTH was observed within 10 min at physiological concentrations of low density lipoprotein (100 microgram/ml). Binding was followed by uptake (internalization) of the ester . lipoprotein complex which was transported to lysosomes. The site of action of ACTH was localized to the uptake process (internalization) since no effect of ACTH was observed on binding to the cell membrane nor on movement of internalized complex to lysosomes. ACTH increases the transport of cholesterol derived from cholesterol ester to the mitochondria. This cholesterol is converted to 20 alpha-hydroxypregn-4-en-3-one and this conversion is accelerated by ACTH. Dibutyryl cyclic AMP (but not butyrate) also stimulates uptake of cholesteryl linoleate . low density lipoprotein. The process stimulated by ACTH and dibutyryl cyclic AMP is specific for low density (as opposed to high density) lipoprotein and for ACTH as distinct from other peptide hormones. The possible physiological importance of this response is considered.


Electrostatic effects on the kinetics of oxidation-reduction reactions of c-type cytochromes. The kinetics of the oxidation-reduction reactions between horse heart cytochrome c, Euglena gracilis cytochrome c552, and ions (ascorbate, ferricyanide, and ferrocyanide) was investigated as a function of ionic strength at pH 7, 25 degrees C. The ionic strength was varied between 0.002 and 0.02 M. Data were analyzed according to four different functions of ionic strength. Results showed that the Kirkwood-Tanford smeared charge model holds well for the calculation of the activity coefficients and that the whole charges of these proteins are reflected in the rates of their reactions. Chemical modifications or changes in the pH that altered the charge of the proteins affected the primary salt effects as predicted by the smeared charge model.


A slowly dissociating form of the cell surface cyclic adenosine 3':5'-monophosphate receptor of Dictyostelium discoideum. Experiments using a phosphodiesterase-minus mutant of Dictyostelium discoideum indicate that ligand-induced loss of cell surface cyclic adenosine 3':5'-monophosphate binding sites (down regulation) can be evoked with concentrations of cyclic adenosine 3':5'-monophosphate as low as 10(-8) M. The loss of receptor sites is observed after 5 min of cell preincubation with cyclic adenosine 3':5'-monophosphate and can be as extensive as 75 to 80%. This decrease in binding sites is correlated with the appearance of a slowly dissociating cyclic adenosine 3':5'-monophosphate binding component. Radioactive cyclic adenosine 3':5'-monophosphate bound to this form of receptor cannot be competed for by nonradioactive cyclic adenosine 3':5'-monophosphate or adenosine 5'-monophosphate and is not accessible to hydrolysis by cyclic adenosine 3':5'-monophosphate phosphodiesterase. The extent of appearance of this binding component is dependent upon the concentration of cyclic adenosine 3':5'-monophosphate used to elicit the down regulation response and the temperature of the incubation medium.


Very low density lipoprotein. Removal of Apolipoproteins C-II and C-III-1 during lipolysis in vitro. In this study we have investigated the effects of very low density lipoprotein (VLDL) lipolysis on the removal of radiolabeled apolipoprotein C-II and apolipoprotein C-III-1 from in vitro lipolyzed lipoproteins. Lipolysis was carried out in vitro using lipoprotein lipase purified from bovine milk, and mixtures with or without plasma. Lipoproteins were isolated by ultracentrifugation and by gel filtration. Labeled apo-C-II and apo-C-III-1 distributed among plasma lipoproteins, predominantly VLDL and high density lipoprotein (HDL). Lipolysis induced transfer of apo-C-II and apo-C-III-1 from VLDL to HDL. The transfer was proportional to the extent of triglyceride hydrolysis, and similar for the two apoproteins. The apo-C-II/apo-C-III-1 radioactivity ratio did not change in either VLDL or the fraction of d greater than 1.006 g/ml during the progression of the lipolytic process. Similar observations were recorded while using plasma-devoid lipolytic systems. Gel filtration of incubation mixtures, on 6% agarose, revealed that the removal of labeled apo-C molecules from VLDL is not a consequence of either centrifugation or high salt concentration. These results suggest that there is no preferential removal of apo-C-II or apo-C-III-1 from lipolyzed VLDL particles. They further indicate that the ratio of apo-C-II to apo-C-III-1 does not regulate the extent of lipolysis of different VLDL particles, at least in VLDL isolated from normolipidemic humans.