{"title":"Endothelin 1 action on isolated rat stomach and the role of calcium ions in ET 1 induced depolarization of smooth muscle cells BC3H1.","authors":"N Hukovic, R Hadziselimovic","doi":"10.1080/15216549800204422","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.1080/15216549800204422","url":null,"abstract":"<p><p>Endothelins; (ET1, ET2 and ET3) are a family of peptides which acts on different smooth muscle preparations inducing a slow long lasting contraction. We investigated the effects of ET 1 modulatory action on adrenergic, cholinergic and serotoninergic transmission on an isolated mouse's stomach with gastric nerves. The endothelin 1 stimulation of the mouse stomach tone was abolished by the specific serotonin antagonist methizergid. This study suggests that endothelin 1 plays a role in the regulation of nonvascular smooth muscle tone. The endothelin effect was dependent on free intracellular Ca++ which can be recruited from an extracellular solution as well as from intracellular stores. Complete reduction of Ca++ from the extracellular solution with a simultaneous depletion of calcium stores abolished endothelin 1 depolarization of BC3H1 cells.</p>","PeriodicalId":8770,"journal":{"name":"Biochemistry and molecular biology international","volume":"46 5","pages":"877-86"},"PeriodicalIF":0.0,"publicationDate":"1998-12-01","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"https://sci-hub-pdf.com/10.1080/15216549800204422","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"20769868","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":0,"RegionCategory":"","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
{"title":"The effect of heparin and pentosan polysulfate on the thermal stability of yeast alcohol dehydrogenase.","authors":"H Paulíková, M Molnárová, D Podhradský","doi":"10.1080/15216549800204432","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.1080/15216549800204432","url":null,"abstract":"<p><p>Heparin and pentosan polysulfate as organic polyanions inhibit yeast alcohol dehydrogenase (YADH). The aim of this study was to determine the effect of heparin and pentosan polysulfate on the thermostability of alcohol dehydrogenase. Spectral and kinetic analyses showed that these compounds increase the thermal stability of the enzyme and eliminate entirely thermal aggregation. The thermostabilizing effect of unfractionated heparin and pentosan polysulfate was accelerated in the presence of NAD+. The addition of NAD+ (11 microM) to the incubation medium decreased the inhibition of the YADH activity in the presence of pentosan polysulfate (1.32 microM). Moreover, 38% of the residual activity of YADH was found after a 5-min incubation at 70 degrees C. These findings indicate that heparinoids not only modulate the enzyme activity but also can prevent the protein's thermal denaturation.</p>","PeriodicalId":8770,"journal":{"name":"Biochemistry and molecular biology international","volume":"46 5","pages":"887-94"},"PeriodicalIF":0.0,"publicationDate":"1998-12-01","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"https://sci-hub-pdf.com/10.1080/15216549800204432","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"20769869","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":0,"RegionCategory":"","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
{"title":"Effect of chronic alcohol ingestion on buccal mucosal expression of bFGF and Cdk2 during ulcer healing.","authors":"B L Slomiany, J Piotrowski, A Slomiany","doi":"10.1080/15216549800204512","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.1080/15216549800204512","url":null,"abstract":"<p><p>In this study, we investigated the effect of chronic alcohol ingestion on the interplay between the receptor-bound basic fibroblast growth factor (bFGF-R) and the expression of cyclin-dependent kinase (Cdk2) in buccal mucosa during ulcer healing. Chronic ulceration was induced by a topical application of acetic acid to the buccal mucosa of rats maintained for 5 weeks on alcohol-containing or control liquid diet. In both groups, the ulcer healing was accompanied by an increase in buccal mucosal expression of bFGF and Cdk2. In the control group, the ulcer healed within 10 days and maximum induction in bFGF (2.6-fold) and Cdk2 (2.4-fold) occurred by the 2nd day of healing. In contrast, the alcohol diet group showed a marked delay in ulcer healing (14 days), associated with the shift in maximum of bFGF and Cdk2 expression to the 4-6th day, and the values were reduced by 35 to 38%. The findings show that chronic alcohol ingestion exerts detrimental effect on the signaling events initiated by bFGF-receptor activation and propagated by Cdk2 that propels the cell cycle progression essential for rapid mucosal repair.</p>","PeriodicalId":8770,"journal":{"name":"Biochemistry and molecular biology international","volume":"46 5","pages":"963-71"},"PeriodicalIF":0.0,"publicationDate":"1998-12-01","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"https://sci-hub-pdf.com/10.1080/15216549800204512","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"20770427","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":0,"RegionCategory":"","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
M S Kim, B H Park, S Kim, Y J Lee, J H Chung, Y Lee
{"title":"Complementation of the growth defect of an rnpA49 mutant of Escherichia coli by overexpression of arginine tRNA(CCG).","authors":"M S Kim, B H Park, S Kim, Y J Lee, J H Chung, Y Lee","doi":"10.1080/15216549800204712","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.1080/15216549800204712","url":null,"abstract":"<p><p>We previously found that overexpression of arginine tRNA(CCG) from Brevibacterium albidum complements the rnpA49 mutation, which is responsible for the thermosensitivity of Escherichia coli RNase P function. In this present work, we show that the E. coli homologue tRNA also complements the same mutation, but other tRNAs do not. These results suggest that the rnpA49 mutation causes a major cellular defect in an RNase P reaction to generate the mature arginine tRNA(CCG).</p>","PeriodicalId":8770,"journal":{"name":"Biochemistry and molecular biology international","volume":"46 6","pages":"1153-60"},"PeriodicalIF":0.0,"publicationDate":"1998-12-01","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"https://sci-hub-pdf.com/10.1080/15216549800204712","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"20798506","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":0,"RegionCategory":"","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
A A Abd el-Fattah, H M al-Yousef, A M al-Bekairi, H A al-Sawaf
{"title":"Vitamin E protects the brain against oxidative injury stimulated by excessive aluminum intake.","authors":"A A Abd el-Fattah, H M al-Yousef, A M al-Bekairi, H A al-Sawaf","doi":"10.1080/15216549800204732","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.1080/15216549800204732","url":null,"abstract":"<p><p>The effect of feeding groups of mice with a diet containing 2000, 4000 and 6000 micrograms aluminum (Al3-/g) for two weeks (subacute) or 2000 and 4000 micrograms Al3+/g for eight weeks (subchronic) as well as the coadministration of vitamin E (alpha-tocopherol) 500 micrograms/g with Al3+, on the status of glutathione (GSH) and lipid peroxides as thiobarbituric acid reactive substances (TBARS) in whole brain tissues were evaluated. Changes in TBARS were further evaluated in vitro following the incubation of brain homogenates of the Al(3+)-fed mice in the presence of 50 microM FeSO4. The results of subacute experiments revealed that the brain levels of GSH were significantly decreased only in the group of mice that received 6000 micrograms Al3+/g diet (P < 0.05) and this effect was partially ameliorated when vitamin E was coadministered with Al3+. TBARS were significantly increased in vitro only in the presence of free iron ions and depended on the concentration of Al3+ in the diet. The effect was opposed by the vitamin E intake. Following subchronic Al3+ intake, the GSH content of the brain was significantly decreased only in the group of mice that received 4000 micrograms Al3+/g diet (P < 0.01), while TBARS were significantly increased in the brain tissues in vivo as well as in the presence of free iron ions in vitro. However, coadministration of vitamin E with Al3+ for eight weeks preserved GSH levels and decreased TBARS in the brain of mice in vivo and in the presence of free iron ions in vitro. It is concluded that the long term administration of vitamin E may prevent Al3(+)-stimulated oxidative injury in the brain.</p>","PeriodicalId":8770,"journal":{"name":"Biochemistry and molecular biology international","volume":"46 6","pages":"1175-80"},"PeriodicalIF":0.0,"publicationDate":"1998-12-01","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"https://sci-hub-pdf.com/10.1080/15216549800204732","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"20798508","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":0,"RegionCategory":"","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
{"title":"Inhibition studies on membrane adenosine deaminase from human placenta.","authors":"G Lupidi, F Marmocchi, G Cristalli","doi":"10.1080/15216549800204622","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.1080/15216549800204622","url":null,"abstract":"<p><p>The ecto form of adenosine deaminase isolated from human placental membrane was tested towards its sensitivity against adenosine deaminase inhibitors, such as aza and deaza analogues of adenosine and erythro-9-(2-hydroxy-3-nonyl)adenine (EHNA). Ki values of the inhibitors observed were similar to these obtained for the small form of adenosine deaminase purified from human erythrocytes, indicating that the presence of the binding protein on placental adenosine deaminase does not produce alteration in the binding of these inhibitors on the enzyme active site. The inhibition rate of 2'-deoxycoformycin, one of the most potent ADA inhibitors is affected by the presence of the binding protein on human placental adenosine deaminase, that probably modulates the rearrangement of the active site produced by the binding with this tight-binding inhibitor.</p>","PeriodicalId":8770,"journal":{"name":"Biochemistry and molecular biology international","volume":"46 6","pages":"1071-80"},"PeriodicalIF":0.0,"publicationDate":"1998-12-01","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"https://sci-hub-pdf.com/10.1080/15216549800204622","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"20798556","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":0,"RegionCategory":"","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
N N Efimova, D Stepkowski, H Nieznańska, Y S Borovikov
{"title":"The shortening of the N-terminus of myosin essential light chain A1 influences the interaction of heavy meromyosin with actin.","authors":"N N Efimova, D Stepkowski, H Nieznańska, Y S Borovikov","doi":"10.1080/15216549800204652","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.1080/15216549800204652","url":null,"abstract":"<p><p>The effects resulting from the removal of the N-terminus of heavy meromyosin (HMM) A1 light chain by papain digestion are investigated. The fluorometry of TRITC-phalloidin labelled actin in ghost fibers is used as a tool for sensing conformational changes of rigor complex of phosphorylated and dephosphorylated HMM with actin filament. The experiments were performed both under conditions assuring saturation of RLC with magnesium cation (4 mM EGTA) or calcium cation (0.1 mM CaCl2), and in constant presence of 1 mM magnesium chloride. HMM native and with A1 shortened from the N-terminus is used. As it was observed previously rigor complex of actin filament and native HMM shows sensitivity to the kind of cation saturating RLC and to the phosphorylation status of RLC. In particular, the sin2 theta parameter of actin bound rhodamine-phalloidin fluorescence polarization representing roughly the flexibility of actin filament HMM complex changes significantly with the changes of RLC phosphorylation and cation saturation. Removal of the N-terminus of A1 reduces this sensitivity to cation and phosphorylation both in the case of dephosphorylated and phosphorylated HMM. Our results suggest that the N-terminus of A1 plays significant role in the rigor interaction of myosin heads with actin and is involved in modulatory function of RLC in this interaction.</p>","PeriodicalId":8770,"journal":{"name":"Biochemistry and molecular biology international","volume":"46 6","pages":"1101-8"},"PeriodicalIF":0.0,"publicationDate":"1998-12-01","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"https://sci-hub-pdf.com/10.1080/15216549800204652","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"20798559","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":0,"RegionCategory":"","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
{"title":"The plasma membrane Fe(3+)-reductase activity of Caco-2 cells is modulated during differentiation.","authors":"C Ekmekcioglu, G Strauss-Blasche, W Marktl","doi":"10.1080/15216549800204502","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.1080/15216549800204502","url":null,"abstract":"<p><p>The aim of the present study was to investigate whether the brush border membrane ferric reductase activity of Caco-2 cells is modulated during cell differentiation. The ferric reductase activity was determined in whole cells and isolated microvillous membranes at different stages of cell differentiation by measuring the amount of Fe3+ reduced during the incubation time. Our results indicated that the ferric reductase activity decreased in fastly growing cells and reactivated in postconfluent cells in contrast to the alkaline phosphatase and sucrase activities which were progressively expressed during differentiation as conventional indicators of cell maturity. The lowest ferric reductase activity was found in cells at the log phase of proliferation, while freshly seeded or highly differentiated cells had significantly higher enzyme activities. Cells grown under serum-free conditions had similar ferric iron reduction rates as cells propagated under standard conditions. Reagents or hormones affecting cell metabolism through different pathways had no significant effect on this transplasma membrane redox system.</p>","PeriodicalId":8770,"journal":{"name":"Biochemistry and molecular biology international","volume":"46 5","pages":"951-61"},"PeriodicalIF":0.0,"publicationDate":"1998-12-01","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"https://sci-hub-pdf.com/10.1080/15216549800204502","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"20770426","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":0,"RegionCategory":"","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
W S Chen, C C Chiu, H Y Liu, T L Lee, J T Cheng, C C Lin, Y J Wu, H Y Chang
{"title":"Gene transfer via pollen-tube pathway for anti-fusarium wilt in watermelon.","authors":"W S Chen, C C Chiu, H Y Liu, T L Lee, J T Cheng, C C Lin, Y J Wu, H Y Chang","doi":"10.1080/15216549800204762","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.1080/15216549800204762","url":null,"abstract":"<p><p>In order to obtain transgenic fusarium wilt resistant watermelon plants, squash DNA was introduced into the ovaries of watermelon plants via the pollen-tube pathway. The introduction of foreign genes into ovaries was accomplished using co-transformation with the CaMV35S-GUS as a marker. Transformed watermelon plants contained integrated copies of the GUS activity and the seeds of transformed progeny produced a blue color when stained with 5-bromo-4-chloro-3-indolyl glucuronide, whereas seeds from untransformed control plants did not. Of 200 transformed seedlings, ten were wilt resistant. The presence of the GUS activity in the genome of stable transgenic seedlings was confirmed by Southern blot analysis. Furthermore, the generation of random amplified polymorphic DNA (RAPD) fingerprints using primers with embedded restriction sites showed amplification products unique to these transgenic plants. Primers OPA-1 and OPA-9 gave distinct band patterns of genomic DNA using the polymerase chain reaction.</p>","PeriodicalId":8770,"journal":{"name":"Biochemistry and molecular biology international","volume":"46 6","pages":"1201-9"},"PeriodicalIF":0.0,"publicationDate":"1998-12-01","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"https://sci-hub-pdf.com/10.1080/15216549800204762","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"20798449","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":0,"RegionCategory":"","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
{"title":"Characterization of mouse ubiquitin-like SMT3A and SMT3B cDNAs and gene/pseudogenes.","authors":"A Chen, H Mannen, S S Li","doi":"10.1080/15216549800204722","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.1080/15216549800204722","url":null,"abstract":"<p><p>Mouse SMT3A and SMT3B cDNAs encoding ubiquitin-like proteins of 110 and 95 amino acids, respectively, were isolated and sequenced. The sequence of the first 92 amino acids (ending with the conserved Gly-Gly) of mouse SMT3A exhibited two differences at amino acid no. 38 and 76 in comparison with that of human SMT3A. The C-terminal 18 amino acid sequence of mouse SMT3A was completely different from the C-terminal 11 amino acid sequence of human SMT3A. Mouse and human SMT3B were identical for a sequence of 95 amino acids. Mouse SMT3A genomic DNAs were amplified by polymerase-chain-reaction and sequenced. The nucleotide sequence of a PCR-amplified SMT3A genomic DNA fragment was found to be identical to that of SMT3A cDNA, indicating the absence of intron(s) in its protein coding region. Another genomic DNA fragment of 1,531 nucleotides, containing 7% differences from that of cDNA, is unable to encode a functional protein, and thus, it is a SMT3A processed pseudogene. Three mouse SMT3B processed pseudogenes were cloned and sequenced. The genuine mouse SMT3B gene has not yet been isolated. Mouse SMT3A transcript of 1.8 kb was predominantly expressed in most tissues, while SMT3B transcript of 1.0 kb was abundantly present in all tissues analyzed. A family of ubiquitin-like proteins was recently discovered. One distinguishing feature of ubiquitin and ubiquitin-like proteins is the capacity to conjugate with other proteins post-translationally. The ubiquitin-like proteins are cleaved endoproteolytically after a diglycine sequence, corresponding to the C-terminal Gly75-Gly76 of ubiquitin. The cleavage activates the molecule for conjugation. The yeast SMT3 gene was originally identified as a suppressor of mutations in MIF2 gene, which encodes an essential protein binding to the A+T-rich CDEII region of centromere DNA (1). Studies using temperature-sensitive mutants showed that the loss of yeast Mif2 protein function results in chromosome missegregation, mitotic delay, and aberrant microtubule morphologies (2). The yeast Mif2 protein shares at least two regions of similarity with mammalian centromere protein CENP-C, an integral component of active kinetochores (3, 4). Human SMT3A cDNA was identified from the genome sequencing project of chromosome 21 (5). We have cloned human SMT3B (formerly designated as HSMT3) cDNA (6). Human SMT3C protein was independently isolated by several groups and denoted as SUMO-1 (7), GMP1 (8), PICI (9), UBL1 (10), sentrin (11). SUMO-1/GMP1 was found to be covalently linked to the Ran GTPase-activating protein RanGAP1, and attachment of SUMO-1 targets the otherwise cytosolic RanGAP1 to the nuclear pore complex. The modified form of RanGAP1 also appeared to associate with the mitotic spindle apparatus during mitosis (7, 8). PIC1 was shown to interact with the PML component of nuclear multiprotein complex that is disrupted in acute promyelocytic leukemia (9). UBL1 was found to associate with human RAD51/RAD52 proteins involved","PeriodicalId":8770,"journal":{"name":"Biochemistry and molecular biology international","volume":"46 6","pages":"1161-74"},"PeriodicalIF":0.0,"publicationDate":"1998-12-01","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"https://sci-hub-pdf.com/10.1080/15216549800204722","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"20798507","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":0,"RegionCategory":"","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}