Biomedical subjects
Publications and source records attributed to R Urade.
Different molecular species of cardiolipin were prepared from tissue of rats fed diets containing different oils. The effects of these different species of cardiolipins on bovine heart cytochrome c oxidase activity were examined using reconstituted vesicles. Cytochrome c oxidase was stimulated effectively by cardiolipin molecular species rich in linoleoyl/linoleoyl species.
The Xenopus oocyte is widely used to study the various aspects of eukaryotic cell structure and function. It is also being used increasingly in expression cloning of cDNAs encoding proteins for which there are no structural data. One of the drawbacks of the Xenopus oocyte system is that individual oocytes taken at the same time from the same frog vary considerably in the amount of protein synthesized from the same amount of injected mRNA. In this report we describe the preparation and use of the mRNA for a secreted mutant form of human placental alkaline phosphatase as an internal, coinjected standard to monitor translation in oocytes. Secreted alkaline phosphatase can be readily determined in the medium of cultured oocytes by using a standard colorimetric assay. The amounts of alkaline phosphatase secreted into the medium were shown to parallel the level of expression of two membrane proteins. This permits rapid identification and selection of those oocytes that efficiently express injected mRNAs. The procedure yields more precise data and results in an enormous saving of time and expense, especially in investigations that involve complex measurements on individual oocytes.
We demonstrate that poly (A+)RNA isolated from catfish barbels directs the expression of functional amino acid taste receptors in the Xenopus oocyte. The activity of these receptors is monitored in ovo by the two electrode voltage clamp technique. Specific conductance changes recorded in response to amino acid stimulation are analogous to those recorded electrophysiologically from intact catfish barbels. These responses exhibit specificity, reproducibility, rapid onset and termination, and desensitization to repetitive stimulation. A functional assay system that encompasses the full complement of transduction events from the ligand-receptor interaction to subsequent conductance changes is necessary to identify molecular components responsible for these events. Our results demonstrate that the Xenopus oocyte can be used to characterize and identify clones coding for amino acid taste receptors analogous to its use in studying receptor molecules for other neuroactive compounds.
Feeding various dietary lipids did not alter the mass of phospholipids in rat heart mitochondria, but the phospholipids' fatty acid compositions changed. Although the compositional changes in mitochondrial phosphatidylcholine and phosphatidylethanolamine were negligible, linoleic acid [cis 18:2(n-6)] of cardiolipin was replaced by other fatty acids from dietary lipids. An analysis of the molecular species showed an even greater extent of change than was observed by fatty acid composition analysis. The quantity of 18:2(n-6)/18:2(n-6) molecular species [18:2(n-6) in C-1 position/18:2(n-6) in C-2 position] in cardiolipin decreased when rats were fed lipids that were depleted of an essential fatty acid but not deficient in essential fatty aids (eicosatrienoic acid did not appear). The decrease in 18:2(n-6)/18:2(n-6) species in cardiolipin was most pronounced in rats fed sardine oil, in which the ratio of (n-3) to (n-6) polyunsaturated fatty acids was 0.2. The O2 consumption rate of rat heart mitochondria decreased as the quantity of 18:2 (n-6)/18:2(n-6) cardiolipin species decreased.
System L is primarily responsible for the Na+-independent transport of neutral amino acids, those with bulky chains such as leucine, isoleucine, phenylalanine, etc., into mammalian cells. mRNA from rat kidney and human lymphoid cells, when microinjected into Xenopus laevis oocytes, induced expression of this transport system. The expressed transport exhibits characteristics similar to those reported for the System L amino acid transporter from a variety of mammalian cells. Injection of size-fractionated mRNA indicates that the System L transporter in both the rat kidney and human lymphoid cells is encoded by mRNA of about 3 to 4 kb.
The cytoplasmic peptide elongation factor, EF-1 alpha, is anchored at the endoplasmic reticulum membrane by phosphatidylinositol via ethanolamine bridging presumably to Asp306 of the protein.
125I-Labeled epidermal growth factor was incorporated into and highly concentrated in endosomes of Chinese hamster V79-UF cells during incubation at 37 degrees C for 8 min after binding to its receptors on the cell surface at 4 degrees C. From the labeled cells, endosomes were isolated by isopycnic centrifugation on a Percoll density gradient and then sucrose density gradients. The isolated endosomes were mostly free from contamination by Golgi, endoplasmic reticulum, lysosome, plasma membrane and mitochondria. Endosome membranes were found to differ from plasma membranes in the phospholipid composition. Sphingomyelin and phosphatidylserine were enriched in endosomes, compared with plasma membranes. Diacylphosphatidylcholine and diacylphosphatidylethanolamine were major phospholipids of the membranes in both organelles. The contents of molecular species of diacylphosphatidylcholine and diacylphosphatidylethanolamine with two monoenoic fatty acids were lower in endosomes than in plasma membranes. The differences in the polar head group and molecular species compositions of phospholipids between endosomes and plasma membranes did not change, regardless of whether or not the proportions of phospholipid molecular species in plasma membranes changed. The significance of the lipids in endosomes is discussed.
Phospholipids of heart and liver of rats fed a diet containing sardine oil had more omega 3 polyunsaturated fatty acids and less omega 6 polyunsaturated fatty acids than those of rats fed corn oil, whereas there was little difference in the fatty acid composition of brain phospholipids. The mass of phospholipid classes in rat heart mitochondria was not changed, but their fatty acid compositions were altered. Modification of the fatty acid compositions of mitochondrial phosphatidylcholine and phosphatidylethanolamine reached a plateau after 10 d of feeding, but that of cardiolipin continued for 30 d. The O2 consumption rate of rat heart mitochondria decreased as the fatty acid composition of the phospholipids changed. This may be due to the reduction of the activity of cytochrome c oxidase, which requires cardiolipin for its activity. However, F1F0-ATPase, which also requires cardiolipin, was activated under the same conditions.
V79-UF cells were isolated from Chinese hamster V79 cells as a cell line that requires exogenous unsaturated fatty acids for growth. V79-UF cells incorporated arachidonic acid into phospholipids. The molecular species of diacyl phosphatidylcholine and phosphatidylethanolamine containing arachidonic acid comprised 61.4 and 70.5% of the total phospholipid molecular species in total membranes and 58.1 and 64.7% in plasma membrane, respectively. Polyunsaturated molecular species were distributed in a higher amount in the intracellular membranes than in the plasma membrane. No significant difference was seen in the diffusion coefficient between the plasma membranes from cells supplemented with oleic and arachidonic acids in spite of a distinct difference in the degree of unsaturation between the molecular species of these plasma membranes. The amount of cholesterol in the plasma membrane was higher in the cells grown in the presence of arachidonic acid than in those grown in the presence of oleic acid.
The pellicle was isolated from the cell homogenate obtained on sonication of Euglena gracilis z grown aerobically under illumination and purified by a combination of differential and sucrose density gradient centrifugations. The purity and homogeneity of the pellicle fragments were determined by an electron microscopic method and biochemical analysis of the components. The protein, lipid, and sugar contents of the purified pellicle were 68.7, 17.9, and 13.5%, respectively. The equilibrium density of pellicle fragments was 1.21 g/cm3. SDS-polyacrylamide gel electrophoresis revealed that the pellicle contained 50 mol% of nonpolar amino acids. The constituents of the lipid and sugar were very different from those of the cell membrane of other organisms.
The quantitative analysis of phospholipid molecular species containing polyenoic fatty acids is described. Dinitrobenzoyl derivatives of diacylglycerols prepared from phospholipids were separated into individual molecular species by reversed-phase high performance liquid chromatography (HPLC) using a combination of two solvent systems and were quantified at 254 nm. Thirty-six molecular species were resolved from the phosphatidylcholines of rat hearts, human platelets and Chinese hamster V79-R cells. The derivatives of alkenylacyl molecular species from platelet phosphatidylethanolamine were resolved concomitantly with diacyl molecular species.
When lipids were removed from the culture medium, growth of V79 cells ceased. Supplementation with cis-octadecenoic acids satisfied the requirement for lipids by V79 cells. After starvation of the exogenous lipids by the shift-down of the medium to lipid-free medium, the content of octadecenoic acid in phospholipids increased more slowly in V79 cells than in V79-R cells, which can grow in the lipid-starved medium. The incorporation of [14C]acetic acid into monoenoic fatty acids and phospholipid molecular species containing monoenoic fatty acids in V79 cells was lower than that in V79-R cells. The reduced formation of monoenoic fatty acids was shown to be due to deficiency in the stimulation of activity of stearoyl-CoA desaturase which is a key enzyme to convert saturated fatty acids to monoenoic fatty acids.
A simple and sensitive method was developed for quantitative analysis of phospholipid molecular species. Diacylglycerols were prepared from phospholipids by phospholipase C treatment and converted to the corresponding dinitrobenzoyl derivatives, which could be sensitively detected at 254 nm. The derivatives of 21 molecular species were resolved by high-performance liquid chromatography with an octadecylsilyl reversed-phase column. All the derivatives had the same peak area per mol, and peak areas were proportional to the amounts of the derivatives. Quantification was carried out at the picomole level.
The interrelationship between the inhibition of cell growth and changes in phospholipid molecular species was studied in the presence of elaidic, trans-11-eicosenoic, or brassidic acids in Chinese hamster V79-R cells. The addition of trans-monoenoic fatty acids to the medium inhibited cell growth and caused an increase in the total cellular content of phospholipids. However, there was no difference in the polar head group composition of these phospholipids among all the cells supplemented with trans-monoenoic fatty acids. Exogenous trans-monoenoic fatty acids were incorporated into cellular phospholipids to form novel phospholipid molecular species. Phospholipid synthesizing enzyme activities bound to the membranes composed of phospholipid molecular species of trans-monoenoic fatty acids were determined. Cholinephosphotransferase [EC 2.7.8.2] and ethanolaminephosphotransferase [EC 2.7.8.1] activities were decreased by trans-11-eicosenoic acid, but not changed by elaidic acid. Glycerophosphate acyltransferase [EC 2.3.1.15] activity was increased by elaidic acid and decreased by trans-11-eicosenoic acid. Cholinephosphate cytidylyltransferase [EC 2.7.7.15] activity was not changed by trans-monoenoic fatty acids.
The relationship between the inhibition of cell growth and the changes in phospholipid metabolism in the presence of erucic acid was studied in Chinese hamster V79-R cells. 1. The addition of erucic acid to the medium inhibited cell growth. The degree of inhibition by erucic acid at a given concentration was dependent on cell density. 2. Exogenous erucic acid was incorporated into cellular phospholipids to form new phospholipid molecular species, which were identified to be the erucoyl/oleoyl, erucoyl/gondoyl and erucoyl/erucoyl species. 3. Synthesis of phosphatidylcholine and phosphatidylethanolamine in endoplasmic reticulum was reduced by erucic acid. Erucic acid had no effect on membrane flow of phospholipids from endoplasmic reticulum to plasma membrane. 4. The specific activity of sn-glycerol-3-phosphate acyltransferase in the membrane fraction from the cells supplemented with erucic acid was lower than that from the control cells. The reduction of phospholipid synthesis was attributed to the decrease in sn-glycerol-3-phosphate acyltransferase activity.
1. The addition of palmitic acid or myristic acid to a medium containing delipidated fetal bovine serum resulted in severe inhibition of V79-R cell growth. The degree of inhibition by palmitic acid was concentration dependent. Simultaneous addition of oleic acid protected the cells from the inhibition by palmitic acid. 2. In the presence of palmitic acid, total phospholipid and triacylglycerol per cell increased to 2- and 13-fold, respectively. 3. Palmitic acid caused an increase in the proportion of palmitic acid with concomitant decrease of oleic acid in phosphatidylcholine, phosphatidylethanolamine and triacylglycerol. 4. Palmitic acid inhibited the synthesis of phospholipid molecular species with two monoenoic fatty acids. However, membrane flow of phospholipids from endoplasmic reticulum to plasma membranes was preserved. 5. About 70% of the triacylglycerol molecular species were those containing three saturated or two saturated and one monoenoic fatty acids. 6. Electron microscopy revealed a large amount of triacylglycerol and fiber-like membrane structures in the cells supplemented with palmitic acid.