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B Ashby

Publications and source records attributed to B Ashby.

43 records · Page 3Linked to original sources

Immunofluorescent and histochemical localization of AMP deaminase in skeletal muscle.

Fluorescent antibody staining experiments with both isolated myofibrils and muscle fibers grown in culture show that AMP deaminase is bound to the myofibril in the A band. The strongest staining occurs at each end of the A band. The approximate width of the fluorescent stripes and their relation to the A band remains constant as a function of sarcomere length. Removal of enzyme from the myofibrils leads to loss of staining, and readdition of purified enzyme restores the original staining pattern. A histoenzymatic method for the detection of AMP deaminase activity in cultured fibers gives comparable localization. The results are consistent with the previous observation (Ashby, B. and C. Frieden. 1977.J. Biol. Chem. 252:1869--1872) that AMP deaminase forms a tight complex in solution with subfragment-2 (S-2) of myosin or with heavy meromyosin (HMM).

AMP Deaminase↗

Adenylate deaminase. Kinetic and binding studies on the rabbit muscle enzyme.

Kinetic studies with adenylate deaminase have been performed by stopped flow methods at 20 degrees C in 0.01 M imidazole/HCl, pH 6.5. The data were analyzed using either the whole time course of the reaction or the initial portion of the full time course. At low KCl concentrations, activation by the product IMP complicates any interpretation. In the presence of 0.15 M KCl, the results are interpreted in terms of three types of purine nucleotide binding sites: an active site, an inhibitory site which appears to be relatively specific for nucleoside triphosphates, and an activating site which shows relatively little specificity for nucleoside phosphates. Nucleotide binding to the activating site weakens binding to the inhibitory site. Sigmoidal kinetic data observed as a function of AMP in the presence of the inhibitor GTP are interpreted in terms of AMP binding to the activating site and weakening GTP binding. A fragment of myosin, subfragement-2, which has previously been shown to form a tight complex with adenylate deaminase (Ashby, B., and Frieden, C. (1977) J. Biol. Chem. 252, 1869--1875) activates the deaminase reaction only slightly. Complex formation, however, makes the reaction less susceptible to inhibition by GTP, although high levels of this nucleotide will disrupt the complex. In the presence of GTP or GTP plus subfragment-2, hysteretic effects are observed.

AMP Deaminase↗

Interaction of AMP-aminohydrolase with myosin and its subfragments.

We have shown that purified rabbit skeletal muscle AMP-aminohydrolase binds to rabbit muscle myosin, heavy meromyosin, and Subfragment 2 but does not bind to light meromyosin nor to Subfragment 1. The dissociation constant for binding to myosin was determined to be 0.14 muM. A new sedimentation boundary, presumably reflecting formation of a complex between AMP-aminohydrolase and heavy meromyosin or Subfragment 2, can be observed using the analytical ultracentrifuge. Binding of AMP-aminohydrolase to myosin, heavy meromyosin, or Subfragment 2 is abolished by phosphate (less than 10 mM), an inhibitor of AMP-aminohydrolase. No other rabbit muscle enzyme tested showed any interaction with myosin under the same conditions and there was no indication of complex formation between AMP-aminohydrolase and phosphofructokinase or phosphocreatine kinase in the analytical ultracentrifuge.

AMP Deaminase↗

Slow conformational changes of a Neurospora glutamate dehydrogenase studied by protein fluorescence.

1. The NADP-dependent glutamate dehydrogenase of Neurospora crassa undergoes slow reversible structural transitions, with half-times in the order of a few minutes, between active and inactive states. The inactive state of the enzyme, which predominates at pH values below 7.0, has an intrinsic tryptophan fluorescence 25% lower than that of the active state, which predominates at pH values above 7.6. The inactive state can be activated either by an increase in pH or by addition of activators such as succinate. 2. The kinetics of the slow transitions that follow activating and inactivating rapid changes in conditions have been monitored by measurements of protein fluorescence. The results show that the slow reversible conformational change detected by the change in fluorescence is the rate-limiting process for enzyme activation and inactivation. 3. In both directions this conformational change follows apparent first-order kinetics and the rate constant is independent of protein concentration. These kinetics and published measurements of molecular weight are indicative of an isomerization process. 4. In both directions the changes show a large energy of activation and a large positive entropy of activation, consistent with a considerable disturbance of conformation in the transition state. 5. Comparisons of the fluorescence emission spectra of the active and inactive states indicate that the difference in fluorescence is produced by quenching, possibly intramolecular, in the inactive conformation. Iodide ions cause similar quenching. 6. In some mutationally altered forms of the enzyme comparable but modified conformational changes can be followed by protein fluorescence.

Enzyme Activation↗

Characterization of P2 purinergic receptors on human erythro leukemia cells.

We have investigated the nature of the nucleotide receptors on human erythro leukemia (HEL) cells, a cell line with some megakaryocytic properties, using a combination of pharmacological, photoaffinity labeling, and molecular biological techniques. Fura-2 loaded HEL cells responded to 2-methylthio ATP, ATP, 2-methylthio ADP, ADP and UTP with an increase in intracellular calcium. 2 Methylthio ADP was the most potent agonist. When external calcium was chelated with EDTA, calcium responses were observed indicating the mobilization of intracellular stores. These responses showed evidence of both homologous and heterologous receptor desensitization. In photoaffinity labeling experiments, beta-[32P]-AzPET-ADP was incorporated into three protein species with mobilities corresponding to M(r) approximately 55 kDa (doublet) and approximately 43 kDa. Labeling of approximately 55 kDa proteins was specifically inhibited by ADP, while that of the approximately 43 kDa was inhibited specifically by UTP. Nucleotide sequence analysis of the positive clones obtained by screening the HEL cell cDNA library with mouse P2U cDNA revealed that the P2U receptor from HEL cells is identical to the previously cloned human P2U receptor. These experiments suggest that the HEL cells contain a P2Y purinoceptor responding to ADP, in addition to a P2U receptor and possibly also a third P2 purinoceptor with a unique agonist profile.

Adenosine Diphosphate↗

Effect of thromboxane antagonists on prostaglandin regulation of platelet adenylate cyclase.

Platelet adenylate cyclase appears to be regulated through separate stimulatory and inhibitory prostaglandin receptors. To test the possibility that the inhibitory receptor represents overlap with a thromboxane A2 receptor the effect of thromboxane antagonists on prostaglandin regulation of adenylate cyclase was examined. Neither 13-azaprostanoic acid nor SQ29,548 had any effect on prostaglandin-mediated cyclic AMP regulation in intact platelets, while pinane thromboxane A2 and carbocyclic thromboxane A2 exhibited behavior consistent with these compounds acting as agonists at the inhibitory prostaglandin site. Because of the divergent behavior of the two groups of thromboxane antagonists it is unclear whether the inhibitory prostaglandin site represents a thromboxane site. It seems clear, however, that PTA2 and CTA2 represent pure agonists at the prostaglandin inhibitory site, showing little, if any, overlap with the stimulatory site, and therefore represent useful compounds for the study of prostaglandin regulation of platelet adenylate cyclase, providing additional evidence for the existence of a distinct prostaglandin inhibitory site.

Adenylyl Cyclase Inhibitors↗