PubMed Health⌕ Search

Biomedical subjects

P Friedrich

Publications and source records attributed to P Friedrich.

At least 19 recordsLinked to original sources
PubMed1992

Purification and characterization of a Ca(2+)-activated thiol protease from Drosophila melanogaster.

A Ca(2+)-activated thiol protease was purified from Drosophila melanogaster. The procedure involves Phenyl-Sepharose, Reactive Red-Agarose and Q-Sepharose fast flow (or MonoQ) chromatographic steps. The enzyme eluting from Q-Sepharose fast flow seems to be homogeneous as judged by silver staining on SDS-PAGE: it consists of a single polypeptide chain of M(r),app = 94K and pI = 5.46. The proteolytic activity of the purified enzyme is absolutely Ca(2+)-dependent, characterized by 0.6 mM free Ca2+ at half-maximal activity. Ca2+ ions cannot be replaced effectively by the divalent cations Mg2+, Mn2+, Zn2+, Ba2+, and Cd2+. The enzyme shows the inhibitor pattern of thiol proteases. Human recombinant calpastatin (domain I) completely inhibits the enzyme at a nearly 1:1 molar ratio. Several of these properties resemble those of vertebrate calpain II. However, various attempts to detect a small subunit of M(r) approximately 30K, common with vertebrate calpains, remained unsuccessful. We suggest that the Drosophila enzyme is a novel calpain II-like protease.

Animals↗
PubMed1992

Mouse microtubule-associated protein 2 expression in transgenic Drosophila.

Full-length mouse microtubule-associated protein 2 complementary DNA inserted between Drosophila heat-shock protein 70 promoter and trailer was introduced in the germ-line of Drosophila melanogaster by P element-mediated transformation. Three transformant lines contained microtubule-associated protein 2 complementary DNA in sense orientation and two in antisense orientation. All sense lines produced microtubule-associated protein 2 after heat-shock in several tissues at low level. In the adult brain, high-level microtubule associated protein 2 expression independent of heat induction occurred in specific neuron types in each sense transformant, suggesting the action of neuron-specific enhancer genes. High microtubule-associated protein 2 levels are expected to interfere with the cells' activity by forming unphysiological cross-links, which may help elucidate the function of the given neurons.

Animals↗
PubMed1991

MAP2: a sensitive cross-linker and adjustable spacer in dendritic architecture.

Microtubule-associated protein 2 (MAP2), a long, filamentous molecule thought to cross-link dendritic cytoskeleton, is rich in PEST sequences, putative signals for rapid proteolytic degradation. It is suggested that MAP2 is indeed highly susceptible to protease, e.g. calpain, attack, which is needed for a plastic change, but actual breakdown depends on the regulation of protease(s). Phosphorylation is expected to make the molecule longer and rigid, similarly to what was observed with the related tau protein. Such a structural transition may provide a mechanism for the putative role of MAP2 in dendritic branching.

Amino Acid Sequence↗
PubMed1991

Signal convergence on protein kinase A as a molecular correlate of learning.

The response of a reaction network composed of protein kinase A, calpain, and protein phosphatase to transient cAMP and Ca2+ signals was studied. An essential feature of signal convergence is that the regulatory subunit of cAMP-dissociated protein kinase A undergoes limited proteolysis by the Ca(2+)-activated proteinase calpain. A dynamic model of this system based on kinetic differential equations was built and simulated by computer. The system shows analogies to typical features of associative learning such as acquisition, contiguity detection, extinction, and memory decay, suggesting that these biochemical reactions may be part of the molecular mechanism of learning in Drosophila.

Calpain↗
PubMed1991

On the pharmacological phenocopying of memory mutations in Drosophila: alkylxanthines accelerate memory decay.

Theophylline and 3-isobutyl-1-methylxanthine, two cyclic nucleotide phosphodiesterase inhibitors, when fed to wild-type Drosophila adults, cause the rapid decay of learning index after training in a shock-odor learning paradigm. The drugs practically do not affect the olfactory acuity of flies, hence they influence the learning/memory process itself. The time courses of memory decay resemble those of the memory mutants rutabaga and amnesiac and, to a lesser extent, dunce2 and dunceM11. Theophylline further deteriorates the learning performance of dunceM11. Biochemical characterization of the inhibition of the two major phosphodiesterase isoenzymes in Drosophila by theophylline predicts only a slight inhibition of these enzymes in vivo, in accordance with the unchanged level of cAMP in wild-type fly heads during drug feeding. 8-Phenyltheophylline, an adenosine receptor antagonist in mammals, slightly retards memory decay in the wild-type. It is suggested that alkylxanthines induce memory decay in Drosophila by interfering with cAMP dynamics at more than one point of its metabolism.

1-Methyl-3-isobutylxanthine↗
PubMed1991

Protein cross-linking by transglutaminase induced in long-term potentiation in the Ca1 region of hippocampal slices.

Long-term potentiation induced by high-frequency stimulation of Schaffer collaterals in slices of rat hippocampus is accompanied by protein cross-linking by the Ca(2+)-dependent enzyme transglutaminase. This conclusion was drawn from the accumulation of the "isodipeptide" epsilon(gamma-glutamyl)lysine in the proteolytic digests of tetanized, but not of control, slices. The isopeptide bond is formed by transglutaminase between glutamyl-gamma-CONH2 and lysyl-epsilon-NH2 groups of proteins. It is suggested that the Ca(2+-induced covalent cross-linking of neuronal, probably dendritic, proteins may be part of the mechanism of long-term plastic changes via stabilization of newly formed supramolecular protein assemblies at the synapse.

Action Potentials↗
PubMed1990

Protein structure: the primary substrate for memory.

The motility of protein structure, the existence of discrete conformational states, and the multifarious modes of supramolecular protein organization seem to underlie neuronal plasticity. These aspects of protein structure are surveyed from the viewpoint of their potential role in short-term and long-term memory. It is suggested that long-term memory may ensue from the remodelling of synaptic protein assemblies requiring extra copies of pre-existing proteins.

Animals↗
PubMed1989

Protein kinase C in larval brain of wild-type and dunce memory-mutant Drosophila.

Protein kinase C activity has been measured in extracts of larval brain of Drosophila melanogaster, with the synthetic nonapeptide substrate Ala-Ala-Ala-Ser-Phe-Lys-Ala-Lys-Lys-amide. Protein kinase C activity in such extracts is abolished in a Ca2+-dependent manner at 18 degrees C, and partly converted to a form independent of effectors. The decay of protein kinase C activity can be prevented by leupeptin or a crude calpastatin preparation isolated from fly heads, indicating the presence of the Ca2+-dependent neutral protease, calpain, in larval brains. The total protein kinase C levels were nearly the same in wild type and three different dunce "memory-mutant" strains. In contrast, the soluble/particulate activity ratios were different: wild-type, 0.91; dunce M11, 0.46; dunce M11/Df(1)dm75e19, 1.23; dunce2, 0.88. These data suggest that the membrane adherence of protein kinase C in larval brain is governed by the actor of genes other than dunce.

Animals↗
PubMed1989

Cyclic AMP influences protein synthesis in larval brains of Drosophila melanogaster.

The protein synthesis in dissected whole larval brains of Drosophila melanogaster has been monitored by [35S] methionine incorporation, as revealed by two-dimensional gel-electrophoresis and fluorography. In wild type brains, drugs known to increase cAMP level increased the labelling of at least two proteins in the Mr range 30 to 120 kD and pI range 4.8 to 6.2. One of these proteins, Mr = 78 kD and pI = 5.9, was also enhanced in the dunceM11 memory-mutant, which has an elevated cAMP level, whereas it was hardly affected in the rutabaga memory-mutant, which has a subnormal cAMP level. It is suggested that cAMP-induced alterations in protein composition and/or turnover of nerve cells may contribute to the development of memory deficit in the dunce strains.

Animals↗
PubMed1988

The calcium-dependent proteolytic system calpain-calpastatin in Drosophila melanogaster.

Ca2+-dependent proteolytic activity was detected at pH 7.5 in head extracts of the fruit fly Drosophila melanogaster. This activity was abolished by iodoacetate, but was unaffected by phenylmethanesulphonyl fluoride. These properties resemble those of the Ca2+-dependent thiol-proteinase calpain. The activity appeared at Mr 280,000 on Sepharose CL-6B gel chromatography. DEAE-cellulose chromatography revealed two activity peaks, with elution positions corresponding to vertebrate calpains I and II. The fly head enzymes were inhibited by a heat-stable and trypsin-sensitive component of the fly head extract, which also inhibited calpains from rat kidney. The inhibitor emerged from Sepharose CL-6B columns at Mr 310,000 and from DEAE-cellulose at a position corresponding to the protein inhibitor calpastatin from other sources. It is concluded that Drosophila heads comprise the Ca2+-dependent calpain-calpastatin proteolytic system.

Animals↗
PubMed1988

Casein kinases I and II bound to pig brain microtubules.

1. Microtubules prepared from pig brain by two cycles of assembly-disassembly comprise cyclic nucleotide-independent protein kinase activity with phosvitin and troponin T as substrates. 2. Phosphocellulose chromatography resolved two phosvitin kinase activity peaks, one of which coincided with the troponin T kinase peak. 3. The activity peak corresponding to troponin T kinase was inhibited by heparin (I50 = 0.06 micrograms/ml), whereas the other phosvitin kinase peak was unaffected. 4. Both kinase fractions phosphorylated tubulin and microtubule-associated protein (MAP-2). 5. It is concluded that pig brain microtubules contain bound casein kinases I and II. The association may target the action of these kinases toward microtubular proteins in vivo.

Animals↗
PubMed1988

Microtubule-associated cyclic AMP-dependent protein kinase in Drosophila melanogaster.

Microtubules were prepared from head extracts of the adult fruit fly, Drosophila melanogaster, by one-step, taxol-assisted polymerization. The microtubular fraction displayed cyclic AMP-dependent protein kinase (protein kinase A) activity, as witnessed by endogenous protein phosphorylation and by protein kinase assay. Microtubule-bound protein kinase A amounts to 4-5% of total soluble kinase activity, which is almost an order of magnitude less than in mammals. The high-molecular-weight microtubule-associated protein-2 (MAP-2), the main binding species for protein kinase A in mammalian brain microtubules, is not detectable in the fly system by protein staining and immunoblotting with anti-pig MAP-2 serum, as well as by hybridization of fly DNA with a cDNA probe for human MAP-2. Cyclic AMP removes a major part of the regulatory (R) subunit of the enzyme from Drosophila microtubules, as demonstrated by enzyme assay, autophosphorylation of R subunit, and quantitating cyclic AMP binding sites. It is proposed that permanently elevated cyclic AMP levels may elute protein kinase A from crucial intracellular binding sites, thereby interfering with signal transduction.

Animals↗
PubMed1988

Reversal of vascular tachyphylaxis to catecholamines and histamine in the feline lung.

The pulmonary vascular responses to histamine, epinephrine, and norepinephrine demonstrate tachyphylaxis following repetitive exposure in the isolated blood-perfused cat lung. In the present study, we tested the hypothesis that this phenomenon was related to a change in the balance of antagonistic receptor activity. The protocol consisted of 5 consecutive dose-response maneuvers (DR I to V) to 1 amine in each animal separated by 1 h. Once the loss of the initial vasoconstrictor activity had occurred (DR I to IV), the animal was given a receptor blocking agent, either the beta blocker propranolol or the H2 blocker cimetidine, prior to a final dose-response maneuver (DR V). The dose-response relationships were analyzed in terms of 3 parameters: maximum response, slope, and ED50. All the experiments with norepinephrine (n = 6), epinephrine (n = 10), and histamine (n = 25) demonstrated a progressive loss of vasopressor activity as shown by reductions in the maximum response and slope between DR I to IV. In addition, histamine demonstrated a significant increase in ED50 from DR I to IV, which suggested a loss of sensitivity. The loss of vasoconstrictor activity to histamine and the catecholamines was restored by the administration of propranolol prior to DR V. In contrast, cimetidine did not restore the initial vasopressor activity of histamine. The loss of reactivity to histamine was not secondary to changes in circulating catecholamine levels, because the plasma catecholamine levels before DR I and immediately following DR V in a subset of animals (n = 5) were within the reported normal range for this species.(ABSTRACT TRUNCATED AT 250 WORDS)

Animals↗
PubMed1988

Localization of the GABAA receptor in the rat brain with a monoclonal antibody to the 57,000 Mr peptide of the GABAA receptor/benzodiazepine receptor/Cl- channel complex.

The mAb 62-3G1 to the GABAA receptor/benzodiazepine receptor/Cl- channel complex was used with light-microscopy immunocytochemistry for studying the localization of the GABAA receptors (GABAR) in the rat brain. The results have shown a receptor distribution identical to the one obtained by others using 3H-muscimol binding in combination with autoradiographic techniques. The external plexiform layer of the olfactory bulb, cerebral cortex, granule cell layer of the cerebellum, hippocampus, dentate gyrus, substantia nigra, dorsolateral and medium geniculate nuclei, and the lateral posterior thalamic nucleus, among other areas, were rich in GABAA receptor immunoreactivity. In the cerebellum the granule cell layer had more immunoreactivity than did the molecular layer. In the hippocampus the receptor was most abundant in the stratum oriens and in the molecular layer of the dentate gyrus. The immunocytochemical techniques have also allowed us to study the distribution of the GABAA receptor with high-resolution light microscopy. These studies have shown that the GABAA receptors are localized in neuronal membranes and concentrated in structures rich in GABAergic synapses, such as the cerebellar and olfactory glomeruli and the external plexiform layer of the olfactory bulb, the deep cerebellar nuclei, and the substantia nigra. The mAb 62-3G1 was generated by immunizing mice with the affinity-purified GABAA receptor/benzodiazepine receptor (BZDR) complex. This mAb bound to the 57,000 Mr peptide but not to the benzodiazepine binding 51,000 Mr peptide. The distribution of the GABAR immunoreactivity in the rat brain colocalized better with 3H-muscimol than with 3H-benzodiazepine binding. Therefore, it is suggested that (1) the 57,000 Mr peptide that is recognized by the mAb 62-3G1 is the muscimol (GABAA receptor agonist) binding subunit of the receptor complex, (2) there is an important population of brain GABAA receptors that is not functionally coupled to the benzodiazepine receptors, and (3) both the BZDR-coupled and uncoupled forms of the GABAA receptor are immunologically similar, if not identical.

Animals↗