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When human neutrophils become desensitized to formyl peptide chemoattractants, the receptors (FPR) for these peptides are converted to a high affinity, GTP-insensitive form that is associated with the Triton X-1 00- insoluble membrane skeleton from surface membrane domains. These domains are actin and fodrin-rich, but G protein-depfeted suggesting that FPR shuttling between G protein-enriched and depleted domains may control signal transduction. Todetermine the molecular basis for FPR interaction with the membrane skeleton, neutrophil subcellular fractions were screened for molecules that could bind photoaffinity-radioiodinated FPR solubilized in Triton X-1 00. These receptors showed a propensity to bind to a 41- to43-kDa proteinband on nitrocelluloseoverlays of SOS-PAGE-separated cytosol and plasma membrane fractions of neutrophils. This binding, as weil as FPR binding to purified neutrophil actin, was inhibited 50% by 0.6 \(\mu\)M free neutrophil cytosolic actin. Addition of greater than 1 \(\mu\)M G-actin to crude or lectin-purified Triton X-1 00 extracts of FPR from neutrophil membranes increased the sedimentationrate of a significant fraction of FPR two to three fold as measured by velocity sedimentation in Triton X-1 00-containing linear sucrose density gradients. Addition of anti-actin antibodies to FPR extracts caused a concentration-dependent immunoprecipitation of at least 65% of the FPR. More than 40% of the immunoprecipitated FPR was specifically retained on protein A affinity matrices. Membrane actin was stabilized to alkaline washing when membranes were photoaffinity labeled. Conversely, when purified neutrophil cytosolic actinwas added to membranes or their digitonin extracts, after prior depletion of actin by an alkaline membrane wash, photoaffinity labeling of FPR was increased two- to fourfold with an EC\(_{50}\) of approximately 0.1 \(\mu\)M actin. We conclude that FPR from human neutrophils may interact with actin in membranes to form Triton X-1 00-stable physical complexes. These complexes can accept additional G-actin monomers to form higher order molecular complexes. Formation of FPR-actin complexes in the neutrophil may play a role in the regulation of chemoattractantinduced activation or actin polymerization.
The trypsin fragments of rat liver microsomal cytochron1e b\(_5\) (Tb\(_5\)) lack both methionine (met) and cysteine (cys), i.e., the sulphur-containing antino acids. Tb\(_5\) should therefore contain no 358-radioactivity after isolation from animals treated wHh [\(^{35}\)S]met or [\(^{36}\)S]cys. If, however, the nucleic acids coding for this polypeptide have been damaged by a genotoxic carcinogen, a miscoding could result in an incorporation of met or cys into the polypeptide so that Tb\(_8\) could now be \(^{36}\)S-radiolabelled. Two experiments are descrihed. the first one where a toxic regimen of N -nitrosomorpholine (NNM) to rats resulted in a significant increase of \(^{35}\)S-radioactivity in the Tbs of liver microsomes, and a second experiment with a non-toxic regimen of N,N diethylnitrosamine (DENA), where no increase was observable.
Metallothionein (MT) is a protein which contains 20 cysteine residues but no aromatic amino acids. It was tested whether treatment of male rats with the hepatocarcinogen diethylnitrosamine (DENA) could ethylate nucleic acids in such a way that protein variants containing measurable amounts of aromatic amino acid residues could be isolated from the livers of treated animals. To give a low Iimit of detection, the "wrong" amino acid precursors were administered in radiolabelled form at high Ievels of activity (7 mCi/kg each of [\(^3\)H]tyrosine and [\(^3\)H]phenylalanine). 11 \(\mu\)Ci/kg [\(^{14}\)C]cysteine was given as an intemal marker for MT biosynthesis. 6 h after amino acid administration, metallothionein (MT) was isolated from the liver and extensively purified. Afteracid hydrolysis and collection of Cys, Tyr, and Phe from an HPLC analysis of the amino acids, the \(^3\)H/\(^{14}\)C ratio was determined. The carcinogen-treated rats exhibited a significantly higher ratio than the vehicle-treated animals. This type of in vivo assay might find interesting applications in the investigation of nucleic acid alkylations as promutagenic lesions.
The covalent binding of tritiated benzo(a)pyrene (BP) to DNA has been determined in rat liver in vivo, in rat liver perfused in situ, after incubation of BP with liver single cells, with liver homogenate, with liver microsomes and DNA, with fibroblasts from a rat granulorna pouch, and with · 2 cell lines. Li ver single cells were found to be a valuable compromise between the rnost sensitive system (microsomal incubation of BP with DNA) and the biologically most relevant system (in vivo ).
Thecovalent bindingof [6,7-\(^3\)H]ethinylestradiol (EE)and [6,7-\(^3\)H]estrone (E) to liver DNA of 200 g female ratswas measured 8 h after the administration of 80 \(\mu\)g (9.2 mCi) estrogen by gavage. The binding is 1.5 for EE and 1.1 for E, expressedas binding to DNA/dose, in units of \(\mu\)mol hormonefmol DNA phosphate/mmole honnone/kg body wt. It is in the same order of magnitude as for benzene and about 10 000 tim es below the binding of typical liver carcinogens, such as aflatoxin B\(_1\) or N,N-dimethylnitrosamine.
In vivo covalent binding of aflatoxin metabolites isolated from animal tissue to rat-liver DNA
(1980)
Ring-labelled [\(^{14}\)C)aflatoxin B\(_1\) (AFB\(_1\)), prepared by biosynthesis. or generally labelled [\(^3\)H]AFB\(_1\) was administered by oral gavage to young adult male rats. After 6 hr. the liver was removed and two fractions were isolated, namely macromolecules, which contamed about 3 % of the initial dose of AFB\(_1\) radioactivity. and water-soluble, low-molecular aftatoxin conjugates containing about0·2% of the administered radioactivity. These two fractions were administered orally to other rats in order to determine the potential of radioactive aftatoxin residues for covalent binding to DNA. Such binding can be used as an indicator for carcinogenic potency. Liver DNA was isolated 9-12 hr after admmistration of the aflatoxin derivatives and in no case was any radioactivity detected on the DNA. It can be deduced on the basis of the limit of detection of radioactivity on the DNA, that macromolecule bound AFB\(_1\) derivatives are at least 4000 times less active than AFB\(_1\) with respect to covalent binding to rat-liver DNA. and that the water-soluble conjugates are at least 100 times less potent than AFB, itself. It is concluded that the carcinogenic risk for humans who consume liver or meat. containing such aflatoxin residues is negligible when compared with the risk from intake of aftatoxins in other food items.
Young adult male Sprague-Dawley rats were given 30 \(\mu\)mol/kg body weight [\(^{14}\)C]methylamine hydrochloride and 700 \(\mu\)mol/ kg body weight sodium nilrite by oral gavage. DNA isolated from the stomach and from the first 15 cm of the smaß intestine was methylated, containing 7-methylguanine (7mG) at a level of one 7mG molecule per 5x10\8^6\) and lx10\(^7\) nucleotides, respectively. No 7mG was found fn the liver at a limit of detection of one 7mG molecule per 2xl0\(^8\) nucleotides. ln a second experiment, the excised stomachs were incubated with deoxyribonuclease before the isolation of the DNA in order to degrade DNA in the Iumen and in the uppermost lining cells. This treatment resulted in a 30% decrease in the yield of DNA and a 90% reduction in the level of 7mG formation. The results show that nitrosation of a primary alkylamine yields a precursor of an alkylating agent which has a long enough lifetime to diffuse towards and react with intracellular DNA. A correlation of DNA methylation in the stomach with the corresponding tumor formation by the methylating carcinogen N-methyi-N'-nitro-N-nitroso-guanidine was used to estimate the roJe of DNA damage resulting from endogenous nitrosation of dietary methylamine in man. It was concluded that the risk resulting from this single amine must be negligible bot that a similar evaluation of other primary amines is required before the over-aU role of primary amine nitrosation in the etiology of human gastric cancer can be assessed.
DNA was incubated in septum-closed reaction vials with [\(^{14}\)C]methylamine and nitrite. The DNA was purified, hydrolysed with hydrochloric acid, and the purines were analysed by h.p.l.c. 7-Methylguanine was detectable as a result of DN A methylation in experiments perfonned in 100 mM acetate at pH 4. Using different concentrations of amine and nitrite a first order reaction for total amine and a second order for total nilrite could be shown. A study on the pH dependence using 100 mM malonate buffer, pH 2.0-6.0, revealed a maximum rate at pH 3.5, with steep slopes above and below this pH value, in agreement with a mathematical analysis of the reaction equations. The data show that the alkylating agent fonned spontaneously by nitrosation and deamination of a primary amine has a long enough lifetime to react with DNA in vitro. Using the reactioil orders established here, an extrapolation to lower concentrations found in the stomach can now be perfonned. Future in vivo experiments on the methylation of gastro-intestinal DNA then would show to what extent DNA in a cell is protected from alkylation.
Two forms of a DNA polymerase have been purified from microplasmodia of Physarum polycephalum by poly(ethyleneimine) precipitation and chromatography on DEAE-Sephacel, phosphocellulose, heparin Sepharose, hydroxyapatite, DNA-agarose, blue-Sepharose. They were separated from DNA polymerase cx on phosphocellulose and from each other on heparin-Sepharose. Form HS1 enzymewas 30-40% pure and form HS2 enzyme 60% with regard toprotein contents of the preparations. Form HS2 enzymewas generated from form HS1 enzyme on prolonged standing of enzyme preparations. The DNA polymerases were obtained as complexes of a 60-kDa protein associated with either a 135-kDa (HS1) or a 110-kDa (HS2) DNA-polymerizing polypeptidein a 1:1 molar stoichiometry. The biochemical function of the 60-kDa protein remained unknown. The complexes tended to dissociate during gradient centrifugation and during partition chromatography as weil as during polyacrylamide gradient gel electrophoresis under nondenaturing conditions at high dilutions of samples. Both forms existed in plasmodia extracts, their proportions depending on several factors including those which promoted proteolysis. The DNA polymerases resembled eucaryotic DNA polymerase ß by several criteria and were functionally indistinguishable from each other. It is suggested that lower eucaryotes contain repair DNA polymerases, which are similar to those of eubacteria on a molecular mass basis.
Terahertz electromagnetic fields are non-ionizing electromagnetic fields in the frequency range from 0.1 to 10 THz. Potential applications of these electromagnetic fields include the whole body scanners, which currently apply millimeter waves just below the terahertz range, but future scanners will use higher frequencies in the terahertz range. These and other applications will bring along human exposure to these fields. Up to now, only a limited number of investigations on biological effects of terahertz electromagnetic fields have been performed. Therefore, research is strongly needed to enable reliable risk assessment. Cells were exposed for 2 h, 8 h, and 24 h with different power intensities ranging from 0.04 mW/cm2 to 2 mW/cm2, representing levels below, at, and above current safety limits. Genomic damage on the chromosomal level was measured as micronucleus formation. DNA strand breaks and alkali-labile sites were quantified with the comet assay. No DNA strand breaks or alkali-labile sites were observed as a consequence of exposure to terahertz electromagnetic fields in the comet assay. The fields did not cause chromosomal damage in the form of micronucleus induction.
Male rats were treated for 2 months with 1000 ppm nafenopin in the diet or for 4 or 7 days with a choline-devoid low-methionine diet. DNA was isolated from the livers and analyzed for the presence of cis-thymidine glycol-3'-phosphate (cis-dTGp) by 32P-postlabeling and for the Ievel of 8-hydroxy-deoxyguanosine (8-0H-dG) by electrochemical detection (ECD). In no DNA sample was the Ievel of cis-dTGp above the Iimit of detection of 1 modified thymidine per 106 nucleotides. With 8-0H-dG, a background Ievel of this modification of 20 8-0H-dG per 106 nucleosides was found in liver DNA of control rats, which was not affected by either treatment. It is postulated for thymidine glycol that a potential increase was below the Iimit of detection or was rapidly repaired in vivo and that the steady-state Ievel of endogenous 8-hydroxydeoxyguanosine appears not tobe influenced by the treatments chosen.
To date, all risk assessment studies on benzene have been based almost exclusively on epiderniological data. Wehave attempted a more integrated and quantitative evaluation of carcinogenic risk for hurnans, trying to utilize, in addition to the epidemiological data, all data available, specifically data on metabolism, genotoxicity, and carcinogenicity in small rodents. An integrated evaluation of the globality of the available data seems to suggest a progressive saturation of metabolic capacity both for man and rodents between 10 and 100 ppm. The most susceptible target cells seem tobe different in humans (predominant induction of myelogenous leukemia) and small rodents (induction of a wide variety of tumors). Nevertheless, both epidemiological and experimental carcinogenicity data tend to indicate a flattening ofthe response for the highest dosages, again suggesting a general Saturation of mechanisms of metabolic activation, extended to different target tissues. From a quantitative point of view, the data suggest a carcinogenic potency at 10 ppm two to three times higher than that computable by a linear extrapolation from data in the 100 ppm range. These observations are in accord with the recent proposal of the European Economic Community of reducing benzene time-weighted average occupationallevels from 10 to 5 ppm.
A\(_1\) adenosine receptors in coated vesicles have been characterized by radioligand binding and photoaflinity labelling. Saturation experiments with the antagonist 8-cyclopentyl-1 ,3-[\(^3\)H]dipropyl-xanthine ([\(^3\)H]DPCPX) gave a Kdvalue of 0.7 nM and a Bmax value of 82± 13 fmol/mg protein. For the highly A\(_1\)-selective agonist 2-chloro-N\(^6\)-[\(^3\)H]cyclopentyladenosine ([\(^3\)H]CCPA) a Kd value of 1.7 nM and a Bmax value of 72 ± 29 fmol/mg protein was estimated. Competition of agonists for [\(^3\)H]DPCPX binding gave a pharmacological profile with R-N\(^6\)-phenylisopropyladenosine (R-PIA) > CCPA > S-PIA > 5'-N-ethylcarboxamidoadenosine (NECA), which is identical to brain membranes. The competition curves were best fitted according to a two-site model, suggesting the existence of two affinity states. GTP shifted the competition curve for CCP A to the right and only one affinity state similar to the low affinity state in the absence of GTP was detected. The photoreactive agonist 2-azido-N\(^6\)- \(^{125}\)I-p-hydroxyphenylisopropyladenosine ([\(^{125}\)I]AHPIA) specifically labelled a single protein with an apparent molecular weight of 35,000 in coated vesicles, which is identical to A\(_1\) receptors labelled in brain membranes. Therefore, coated vesicles contain A\(_1\) adenosine receptors with similar binding characteristics as membrane-bound receptors, including GTP-sensitive high-affinity agonist binding. Photoaffinity labelling data suggest that A\(_1\) receptors in these vesicles are not a processed receptor fonn. These results confirm that A\(_1\) receptors in coated vesicles are coupled to a G-protein, and it appears that the A\(_1\) receptor systems in coated vesicles andin plasma membranes are identical.
Active neuropeptide Y receptors were solubilized from rabbit kidney membranes using the zwitterionic detergent 3-[ (3-cholamidopropy l)dimethylammonio ]- 1-propanesulfonic acid (CHAPS). In membrane fragmentsandsoluble extracts neuropeptide Y bindingwas time dependent, saturable, reversible, and of high affinity. Scatchard analysis of equilibrium binding data indicated a single class of binding sites with respective Kn and Bmax values of 0.09 nM and 530 fmol/mg of protein for the membrane-bound receptors and 0.10 nM and 1585 fmol/mg of protein for the soluble receptors. Neuropeptide Y bindingwas specifically inhibited by the nonhydrolyzable GTP analog guanosine 5' -0- (3-thiotripbosphate) in a concentration-dependent manner, with IC\(_{50}\) values of 28 and 0.14 \(\mu\)M for membrane- bound and soluble receptors, respectively, suggesting that neuropeptide Y receptors are functionally coupled to GTP-binding regulatory proteins. CrossHoking studies were performed with the heterobifunctional N-hydroxysuccinimidyl-4-azidobenzoate and the monofunctional neuropeptide Y derivative, azidobenzoyl and led to the identification of a 100 kDa peptide that should represent the covalently labeled neuropeptide Y receptor.
Streptococcus pneumoniae is a common pathogen that causes various infections, such as sepsis and meningitis. A major pathogenic factor of S. pneumoniae is the cholesterol-dependent cytolysin, pneumolysin. It produces cell lysis at high concentrations and apoptosis at lower concentrations. We have shown that sublytic amounts of pneumolysin induce small GTPase-dependent actin cytoskeleton reorganization and microtubule stabilization in human neuroblastoma cells that are manifested by cell retraction and changes in cell shape. In this study, we utilized a live imaging approach to analyze the role of pneumolysin’s pore-forming capacity in the actin-dependent cell shape changes in primary astrocytes. After the initial challenge with the wild-type toxin, a permeabilized cell population was rapidly established within 20–40 minutes. After the initial rapid permeabilization, the size of the permeabilized population remained unchanged and reached a plateau. Thus, we analyzed the non-permeabilized (non-lytic) population, which demonstrated retraction and shape changes that were inhibited by actin depolymerization. Despite the non-lytic nature of pneumolysin treatment, the toxin’s lytic capacity remained critical for the initiation of cell shape changes. The non-lytic pneumolysin mutants W433F-pneumolysin and delta6-pneumolysin, which bind the cell membrane with affinities similar to that of the wild-type toxin, were not able to induce shape changes. The initiation of cell shape changes and cell retraction by the wild-type toxin were independent of calcium and sodium influx and membrane depolarization, which are known to occur following cellular challenge and suggested to result from the ion channel-like properties of the pneumolysin pores. Excluding the major pore-related phenomena as the initiation mechanism of cell shape changes, the existence of a more complex relationship between the pore-forming capacity of pneumolysin and the actin cytoskeleton reorganization is suggested.