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V E Shashoua

Publications and source records attributed to V E Shashoua.

At least 37 records · Page 2Linked to original sources
PubMed1986

Extracellular fluid proteins of goldfish brain: evidence for the presence of proteases and esterases.

Preparations of enriched fractions of extracellular fluid (ECF) proteins from goldfish brain were found to contain protease(s) and esterase(s). The N-substituted furanacryloyl (FA) peptides FA-Phe-Gly-Gly and FA-Phe-OMe were used as model substrates for determining protease and esterase activity, respectively, in a spectrophotometric assay. Studies of the profile of substrate specificity and identification of the types of compounds that were effective as inhibitors showed that these ECF enzymes have some distinctive properties. GSH, but not GSSG, and EDTA inhibited the protease(s) without influencing the esterase(s), whereas L-1-tosylamide-2-phenylethylchloromethyl ketone blocked both protease and esterase activities of ECF. Most of the protease and esterase properties of ECF could be bound to concanavalin A-Sepharose affinity chromatographic columns in association with ependymin--a brain extracellular protein. These observations indicate that ECF may contain a metalloprotease(s) and raise the possibility that the ependymins might be a substrate for these ECF enzymes.

Animals↗
PubMed1985

The role of brain extracellular proteins in neuroplasticity and learning.

Double labeling studies of the pattern of protein synthesis in goldfish and mouse brain identified a class of glycoproteins (the ependymins) whose turnover rate was enhanced after training. A variety of control experiments indicated that these macromolecules have an important role in the molecular and cell biology of learning. Antisera to the ependymins when injected into the brains of trained goldfish cause amnesia of a newly acquired behavior. Isolation and localization studies by immunocytochemical methods indicate that the ependymins are released into the brain extracellular fluid by a class of neurosecretory cells. In mammalian brain ependymin-containing cells are highly concentrated in the limibic system. The ependymins are constituted from two disulfide-linked acidic polypeptide chains (M.W.37K and 31K). They contain at least 5% covalently bound carbohydrate per chain with mannose, galactose, N-acetylglucosamine and N-acetylneuraminic acid as the predominant components. The highly soluble ependymins can rapidly polymerize to form an insoluble fibrous matrix if calcium is removed from solution by the addition of a Ca2+-chelating agent or dialysis. The self-aggregation property of the ependymins can be triggered by the depletion of Ca2+ from the extracellular space. Studies of the kinetics of the aggregation phenomenon by measurements of turbidity changes indicate that the process can be terminated but not reversed by restoring Ca2+ to its normal CSF level. Immunohistochemical studies of the brains of trained goldfish show the presence of punctate statining sites in the perimeter of certain cells located in specific brain regions. This suggests that ependymin aggregation might occur in vivo during learning. A molecular hypothesis relating the aggregation properties of the ependymins to neuroplasticity and learning is proposed.

Animals↗
PubMed1985

Inhibitory effect of cholesteryl gamma-aminobutyrate on evoked activity in rat hippocampal slices.

Cholesteryl gamma-aminobutyrate (C-G) readily crosses the blood-brain barrier and has properties that suggest that it may be a potential gamma-aminobutyric acid (GABA)-mimetic compound. The effect of this compound on the orthodromically-evoked discharge of hippocampal pyramidal cells was investigated using slices of rat hippocampus maintained in vitro. The compound produced dose-dependent inhibition of the discharge of pyramidal cells. The magnitude of the inhibitory effect was somewhat less than that produced by a similar dose of GABA, but the duration of the inhibition was prolonged by about 10-fold over that produced by GABA. The inhibition produced by cholesteryl gamma-aminobutyrate was blocked by the addition of picrotoxin to the incubation medium, and by replacement of chloride with isethionate. In addition, pretreatment of slices with the irreversible esterase inhibitor, phenylmethylsulfonylfluoride, attenuated the effects of cholesteryl gamma-aminobutyrate, but not that of GABA. These results suggest that cholesteryl gamma-aminobutyrate has GABA-like actions in the CNS, and that its activity is largely dependent upon enzymatic release of GABA from the compound by esterases present in the tissue.

Animals↗
PubMed1985

gamma-Aminobutyric acid esters. 2. Synthesis, brain uptake, and pharmacological properties of lipid esters of gamma-aminobutyric acid.

Two lipid esters of U-14C-labeled and unlabeled gamma-aminobutyric acid (GABA) were synthesized to test the possibility that natural lipid analogues, which resemble normal components of lipid bilayer membranes, can penetrate the blood-brain barrier and transport exogenous GABA to the brain. The uptake of 1-linolenoyl-2,3-bis(4-aminobutyryl)propane-1,2,3-triol and 1,2-dilinolenoyl-3-(4-aminobutyryl)propane-1,2,3-triol into mouse brain relative to liver was found to be, respectively, 75- and 127-fold greater than that of free GABA. The results indicate that there is little or no blood-brain barrier for the GABA ester molecules at doses up to 0.36 mmol/kg. Both ester compounds, but neither free GABA nor the lipid components delivered systemically, demonstrated central nervous system depressant properties by inhibiting the general motor activity of mice. Brain tissue has esterase activity which can release GABA from these compounds. This suggests that these compounds function as "prodrugs" to release GABA in the CNS.

Animals↗
PubMed1984

Protein release from hippocampus in vitro.

Physiologically viable slices of rat hippocampus in vitro continuously release protein into the superfusion medium at a rate of about 2 micrograms/mg tissue/h. Assays of a cytoplasmic marker enzyme (lactate dehydrogenase) indicate that this material is not the result of cell lysis. Pulse-chase experiments using [3H]valine indicate that a substantial fraction of the newly synthesized proteins eventually appear in the incubation medium (18.7% +/- 3% of the total TCA precipitable radioactivity during a 6-h superfusion) and that the releasable protein pool has an apparent half-life of about 4 h. Simultaneous labeling of newly synthetized proteins with [3H]fucose and [14C]valine showed a 3-fold higher ratio of [3H]fucose to [14C]valine in the released protein fraction compared to the soluble cytoplasmic protein and to the crude membrane protein fraction, suggesting that the soluble released proteins are more highly glycosylated than the proteins retained in the tissue. Electrophoretic migration patterns on SDS-polyacrylamide gels with both labeled and unlabeled proteins show differences between the released proteins and the soluble cytoplasmic proteins of the tissue. Several molecular weights between 14 kdalton and 86 kdalton appear to be characteristic of the released protein fraction. These results suggest that a distinct group of proteins and glycoproteins exists in hippocampal tissue which is destined to be selectively released into the extracellular space.

Animals↗
PubMed1984

Gamma-aminobutyric acid esters. 1. Synthesis, brain uptake, and pharmacological studies of aliphatic and steroid esters of gamma-aminobutyric acid.

Labeled and unlabeled aliphatic and steroid esters of gamma-amino[U-14C]butyric acid (GABA) were synthesized and tested for their capacity to penetrate the blood-brain barrier and for evidence of central neuropharmacological activity in rodents. The uptake of the labeled 9,12,15- octadecatrienyl ( linolenyl ), 3-cholesteryl, 1-butyl, and the 9-fluoro-11 beta,17-dihydroxy-16 alpha-methyl-3,20- dioxopregna -1,4-dien-21-yl (dexamethasone) esters of GABA into mouse brain increased 2-, 25-, 74-, and 81-fold over GABA, respectively. The cholesteryl ester of GABA depressed the general motor activity of mice and rats in a dose-dependent manner, whereas the 1-butyl, linolenyl , and dexamethasone esters were inactive by this test. Studies of the rates of hydrolysis, GABA receptor binding capacity, and octanol/water partition coefficients indicated that pharmacological activity of the esters after entry into the central nervous system (CNS) was dependent on their capacity to release GABA by enzymatic hydrolysis and their lipid solubility.

Animals↗
PubMed1984

Proteins of the brain extracellular fluid: evidence for release of S-100 protein.

Extracellular protein fractions were obtained (1) by mild, isotonic irrigation of freshly perfused brain tissue; (2) by collection of proteins released into superfusing medium by physiologically viable slices of rat hippocampus; and (3) by sampling the CSF of anesthetized rats. Analysis of the S-100 protein content of these fractions gave values of 2.8, 4.2, and 1.8 micrograms S-100/mg protein, respectively. These values were three- to sixfold higher than the S-100 content of the soluble cytoplasmic protein fractions from the same tissue. This several-fold higher S-100 content of the extracellular protein fractions relative to the intracellular cytoplasmic protein fractions indicates that S-100 is selectively released into the extracellular spaces of the brain. We suggest that the biological function of this CNS protein may involve intercellular transfer.

Animals↗
PubMed1983

Structural and metabolic relationships between goldfish brain glycoproteins participating in functional plasticity of the central nervous system.

Ependymins beta and gamma (MW 32,000 and 26,000 daltons) are two secreted goldfish brain glycoproteins that exhibit a specifically enhanced turnover rate when the animals successfully acquire a new pattern of swimming behaviour. Both proteins are bound identically to concanavalin A and can be isolated from brain extracellular fluid and from brain cytoplasm by lectin affinity chromatography. Radioimmunoassay data, using purified 125I-labeled ependymins and antisera directed against ependymin beta or ependymin gamma, show complete cross-reactivity between the two proteins. It is demonstrated by Scatchard-plot analysis that the antisera recognize identical immunological determinants in both proteins. The amino acid composition of the ependymins is similar, and several identical polypeptide fragments are obtained after limited proteolysis with Staphylococcus aureus protease. The proteins are capable of forming complexes of the compositions gamma 2, beta gamma, and beta 2. A protease present in the extracellular fluid of goldfish brain promotes proteolysis of ependymin beta to ependymin gamma. The finding that ependymin gamma is physiologically derived from ependymin beta suggests the possibility that ependymin beta might exert its biological function during consolidation of new behavioural patterns via smaller polypeptide fragments.

Amino Acids↗
PubMed1983

Proteins of the extracellular fluid of mouse brain: extraction and partial characterization.

An extraction procedure for the isolation of proteins from the brain extracellular fluid (ECF) was developed and applied to studies of the ECF components of mouse brain. Perfused intact brains were incubated in an isotonic medium for periods of up to 2 h at 0 degrees C to allow the release of ECF into the medium without disruption of the integrity of the tissue. The validity of the extraction procedure was established by (a) the fact that the total yield of ECF proteins was constant per unit weight of brain tissue, (b) the absence of tyrosine hydroxylase, an enzyme marker of the cytoplasmic fraction, from the extracts, and (c) the distinctive features of the one- and two-dimensional gel electrophoretic patterns of ECF proteins as compared with those of the cytoplasmic and membrane fractions. The results indicate that the extracellular fluid of mouse brain contains a mixture of proteins with a wide distribution of molecular weights (10,000-100,000 daltons) at a concentration level of about 0.3%.

Animals↗
PubMed1982

Cultures of zona ependyma cells of goldfish brain: an immunological study of the synthesis and release of ependymins.

Two proteins (ependymins beta and gamma) localized within specific cells in the zona ependyma of goldfish brain were identified in previous studies in our laboratory as extracellular factors whose metabolism was highly increased by the acquisition of new patterns of behavior. Methods for growing zona ependyma cells in culture were developed to determine if cells within this tissue could synthesize and release the ependymins into their extracellular environment. Dissociated cells from zona ependyma were grown as primary monolayer cultures on polylysine-coated slides. The cultures survived for at least 4-5 weeks, forming an intricate network of interconnecting processes. These contained many cell types, several of which retained their in vivo immunohistochemical properties. Specific populations of cells staining with antisera to nerve growth factor, glial fibrillary acidic protein, and ependymins beta and gamma were present. Radioimmunoassay, immunoelectrophoresis data, and labeling experiments indicate that cells within the cultures can synthesize the ependymins de novo and release them into their extracellular environment. These results are consistent with the hypothesis that the ependymins might function as extracellular factors which mediate the behaviorally induced plasticity of the goldfish CNS. In this respect they resemble other "protein factors" which stimulate the growth and morphological differentiation of nervous system cultures.

Animals↗
PubMed1981

Long-term potentiation in the hippocampal slice: evidence for stimulated secretion of newly synthesized proteins.

Long-term potentiation of the hippocampal slice preparation results in an increase in the incorporation of labeled valine into the proteins destined for secretion into the extracellular medium. Double-labeling methods established that the increased secretion of the labeled proteins was limited to the potentiated region of a slice; incorporation of labeled valine was increased in the hippocampus if potentiation was through the Schaffer collaterals and in the dentate if potentiation was through the perforant path. Controls for nonspecific stimulation showed no changes. There appears to be a link between long-term potentiation and the metabolic processes that lead to protein synthesis in the hippocampal slice system.

Animals↗
PubMed1981

Extracellular fluid proteins of goldfish brain: studies of concentration and labeling patterns.

An extraction procedure for the isolation of proteins from the extracellular fluid (ECF) of goldfish brain was developed and applied in an investigation of the time course and pattern of labeling of ECF proteins. The results indicate that two out of the many protein bands present, which migrated at 32,000 and 26,000 daltons on SDS-polyacrylamide electrophoretic gels, could incorporate as much as 50% of the label of the ECF fraction, even though their concentration was only 14%. Measurements of the protein content of the ECF and its volume (24% of the brain) by the inulin method were used to calculate the protein concentration in the extracellular space of goldfish brain. This gave a value of 1.6-2%, i.e., about 50% of the value obtained for the protein concentration of the cytoplasmic fraction devoid of particulate matter. Such a result suggests that the goldfish brain intracellular and extracellular fluids, separated by the neural membranes, contain relatively comparable levels of proteins.

Animals↗
PubMed1981

Neurophysiological and biochemical properties of the goldfish optic tectum maintained in vitro.

The physiology and biochemistry of the in vitro goldfish optic tectum are examined. Following surgical removal of the intact optic tectum by severing its connectives, the tectal explant is maintained in a brain slice chamber in a specified medium for up to 24 hours. Electrophysiological studies show that the in vitro tectum displays the same response properties to optic nerve stimulation as does an in vivo tectum. Concurrent biochemical studies that RNA and protein synthesis is actively maintained for at least 17 hrs in vitro. Thus both biochemical and electrophysiological measurements indicate that the integrity of the tectal explant can be maintained in vitro making it a suitable model system for investigations of a variety of neurobiological questions.

Animals↗
PubMed1981

A radioimmunoassay for ependymins beta and gamma: two goldfish brain proteins involved in behavioral plasticity.

A radioimmunoassay (RIA) using 125I-labeled antigen was developed for the quantitative determination of two goldfish brain proteins (ependymins beta and gamma). The proteins were isolated from the cerebrospinal fluid (CSF) and cells of the ependymal zone surrounding goldfish brain ventricles. The turnover rates of beta and gamma were previously shown to be specifically enhanced after the animals successfully acquired a new pattern of swimming behavior. Femtomole quantities of ependymin beta were measurable by the RIA. In applications of the assay, beta and gamma ependymins were found to have common immunological properties, since 125I-beta-antigen bound to antibody could be displaced by unlabeled ependymin gamma as well as ependymin beta but not by a variety of other proteins including several purified glycoproteins isolated from goldfish brain. The ependymins were shown to constitute 14% of the total protein content of the brain extracellular fluid and also to be present as a minor component of the serum proteins (0.3%). Ependymins beta and gamma have an immunological reactivity in these fractions that can be increased by a factor of 30 on heating. The data suggest that the antigenicity of the molecules is highly masked, and that it may require some unraveling of the quaternary structure of the proteins before maximal interaction with the antisera becomes possible.

Animals↗
PubMed1981

Specific changes in rapidly transported proteins during regeneration of the goldfish optic nerve.

Double labeling methods were used to identify changes in the complement of proteins synthesized in the retinal ganglion cells and transported down the optic nerve during the process of axonal regeneration. Eight to 62 days after goldfish underwent a unilateral optic nerve crush, one eye was labeled with [3H]-, the other with [14C]proline. Control and regenerating optic nerves were dissected out and homogenized together after 5 hr, a time which allowed us to examine selectively membrane-bound components which migrate in the rapid phase of axoplasmic transport. Proteins from the two sides were so-purified and separated by sodium dodecyl sulfate-polyacrylamide gel electrophoresis. Analysis of the 3H and 14C incorporation patterns along the gels revealed a radical shift away from the normal labeling spectrum during regeneration, with selective changes in labeling at particular molecular weights varying over a 3-fold range. Eight days after crushing the optic nerve, the greatest increases in labeling were seen for material with apparent molecular weights of 24,000 to 27,000, 44,000, and 210,000 daltons. These peaks declined thereafter, and on days 29 to 39, the most prominent increases were at 110,000 to 140,000 daltons. These studies indicate a continuously changing pattern in the synthesis and/or degradation of proteins that are rapidly transported down the optic nerve during regeneration and point to molecular species potential significance in the establishment of the visual map upon the brain.

Animals↗
PubMed1979

Brain metabolism and the acquisition of new behaviors. III. Evidence for secretion of two proteins into the brain extracellular fluid after training.

Immunochemical and double labeling experiments were used to demonstrate that at least two out of three brain cytoplasmic proteins, whose metabolism is markedly influenced by behavior, are products which are secreted into the extracellular fluid (ECF) of goldfish brain. Even after 1 h of labeling, the extracts of goldfish brains with 0.32 M sucrose were found to contain highly labeled proteins. Electrophoretic analyses of the proteins, on SDS polyacrylamide gels, indicated that an increased incorporation of [3H]valine occurs for trained animals as compared to untrained controls ([14C]valine) at specific protein bands migrating at 32,000 and 26,000 daltons. The proteins in the ECF gave identical precipitin bands to goldfish brain proteins whose metabolism was responsive to the acquisition of new patterns of behavior and to proteins in CSF. These results are consistant with the hypothesis that the cells which contain the proteins and whose location in the ependymal zone was determined by immunohistochemistry can secrete the products into ECF. It is therefore quite possible that the functional sites of the proteins are away from the locus of their synthesis.

Animals↗