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V N Popov

Publications and source records attributed to V N Popov.

At least 19 recordsLinked to original sources

Raman active phonons of identified semiconducting single-walled carbon nanotubes.

The resonant Raman spectra of (n, m) semiconducting single-walled carbon nanotubes, unambiguously identified from their electron diffraction patterns, have been measured. The diameter dependence of the frequency of the tangential modes with A symmetry has been obtained in the diameter range from 1.4 to 2.5 nm. The comparison between the excitation energies and the calculated transition energies allowed us to determine precisely the values of the Es33 and Es44 transition energies. Finally, in the debate concerning the dominant process at the origin of the first-order Raman scattering in single-walled carbon nanotubes (single resonance process or double resonance process), our results are well understood in the framework of a single resonance process.

Journal Article↗

Valence electronic charge density of distorted C60- monomers in polymerized KC60 and RbC60.

We investigate the valence electronic charge density of the C(60) (-) monomers in (C(60) (-))(n) polymer chains in K- and RbC(60) by means of a nonorthogonal tight-binding formalism using experimental data on the positions of the carbon atoms. Various configurations of the C(60) cages are considered. Starting from the ideal icosahedral C(60) structure and moving to the realistic, experimentally determined spatial configuration of the C(60) cages in K- and RbC(60), we observe a systematic increase of the electric quadrupole moments on the C(60) (-) monomers. We also confirm the validity of factorizing the charge density of a C(60) (-) monomer into an angular and a radial part.

Journal Article↗

Multipole induced splitting of metal-cage vibrations in crystalline endohedral D2d-M2@C84 dimetallofullerenes.

Metal-carbon cage vibrations of crystalline endohedral D2d-M2@C84 (M=Sc,Y,Dy) dimetallofullerenes were analyzed by temperature dependent Raman scattering and a dynamical force field model. Three groups of metal-carbon cage modes were found at energies of 35-200 cm(-1) and assigned to metal-cage stretching and deformation vibrations. They exhibit a textbook example for the splitting of molecular vibrations in a crystal field. Induced dipole-dipole and quadrupole-quadrupole interactions account quantitatively for the observed mode splitting. Based on the metal-cage vibrational structure it is demonstrated that D2d-Y2@C84 dimetallofullerene retains a monoclinic crystal structure up to 550 K and undergoes a transition from a disordered to an ordered orientational state at a temperature of approximately 150 K.

Journal Article↗

Purification and properties of isocitrate lyase from pupas of the butterfly Papilio machaon L.

Key enzymes of the glyoxylate cycle, isocitrate lyase and malate synthase, were identified in pupas of the butterfly Papilio machaon L. The activities of these enzymes in pupas were 0.056 and 0.108 unit per mg protein, respectively. Isocitrate lyase was purified by a combination of various chromatographic steps including ammonium sulfate fractionation, ion-exchange chromatography on DEAE-Toyopearl, and gel filtration. The specific activity of the purified enzyme was 5.5 units per mg protein, which corresponded to 98-fold purification and 6% yield. The enzyme followed Michaelis-Menten kinetics (Km for isocitrate, 1.4 mM) and was competitively inhibited by succinate (Ki = 1.8 mM) and malate (Ki = 1 mM). The study of physicochemical properties of the enzyme showed that it is a homodimer with a subunit molecular weight of 68 +/- 2 kD and a pH optimum of 7.5 (in Tris-HCl buffer).

Animals↗

NADH oxidation by mitochondria from the thermogenic plant Arum orientale.

The enzyme content of the mitochondrial respiratory chain was investigated in the heat-producing plant Arum orientale. It is shown that mitochondria isolated from thermogenic tissues of this plant (with respect to non-thermogenic tissues of A. orientale or to Zea mays) demonstrate significantly elevated levels of activities of two non-coupled NADH dehydrogenases oxidizing intramitochondrial and cytoplasmic NADH pools. It is postulated that operation of a completely non-coupled respiratory chain consisting of non-coupled NADH:quinone oxidoreductases and cyanide-resistant alternative quinol-oxidase is the main mechanism of heat production in thermogenic plants.

Arum↗

Effect of electron-transport inhibitors on the generation of reactive oxygen species by pea mitochondria during succinate oxidation.

The effect of inhibitors of the cytochrome pathway and alternative oxidase on the rate of respiration and generation of reactive oxygen species by pea mitochondria was studied. Respiration of mitochondria from pea cotyledons was inhibited by 70-80% by salicylhydroxamate (SHAM). The rate of hydrogen peroxide production by pea cotyledon mitochondria during succinate oxidation was 0.15 nmol/min per mg protein. SHAM considerably accelerated the hydrogen peroxide production. The SHAM-dependent H2O2 production was stimulated by 2 micro M antimycin A and inhibited by 5 mM KCN and 1 micro M myxothiazol. The study of the rate of O2*- generation by pea mitochondria using EPR spin traps and epinephrine oxidation showed that H2O2 accumulation can be accounted for by a significant increase in the rate of O2*- production.

Electron Transport↗

Possible role of free oxidation processes in the regulation of reactive oxygen species production in plant mitochondria.

The non-coupled substrate oxidation mediated by components of the electron transport chain that are not coupled to energy accumulation (such as plant alternative oxidase and rotenone-insensitive NADH dehydrogenases) and uncoupled respiration are peculiar features of plant mitochondria. The physiological significance of such energy-wasting oxidation processes is still debated. It is proposed that non-coupled oxidation could regulate the level of reduction of components of the electron transport chain and the rate of one-electron reduction of oxygen, thereby affecting the rate of formation of reactive oxygen species.

Mitochondria↗

Effects of cold exposure in vivo and uncouplers and recouplers in vitro on potato tuber mitochondria.

Effects of cold exposure in vivo and treatment with laurate, carboxyatractylate, atractylate, nucleotides, and BSA in vitro on potato tuber mitochondria have been studied. Cold exposure of tubers for 48-96 h resulted in some uncoupling that could be reversed completely by BSA and partially by ADP, ATP, UDP, carboxyatractylate, and atractylate. UDP was less effective than ADP and ATP, and atractylate was less effective than carboxyatractylate. The recoupling effects of nucleotides were absent when the nucleotides were added after carboxyatractylate. GDP, UDP, and CDP did not recouple mitochondria from either the control or the cold-exposed tubers. This indicates that the cold-induced fatty acid-mediated uncoupling in potato tuber mitochondria is partially due to the operation of the ATP/ADP antiporter. As to the plant uncoupling protein, its contribution to the uncoupling in tuber is negligible or, under the conditions used, somehow desensitized to nucleotides.

Adaptation, Physiological↗

Induction of aconitate hydratase in hepatocytes of starving rats.

Induction of the activity of aconitate hydratase (AH) was observed in rat hepatocytes under the conditions of food deprivation. The increase in AH activity after 4 days of starvation in the studied tissues was from 0.57 to 2.05 U/g crude liver weight. The induction of aconitase was associated both with the cytoplasmic and mitochondrial AH isoforms. The activities of cytosolic and mitochondrial AH isoforms in starving animals consisted of 83 and 17% of the total activity, respectively. The cytoplasmic and mitochondrial isoforms of the enzyme with specific activities 11.1 and 6.13 U/mg protein, respectively, were obtained by a five-step purification procedure that included fractionation with ammonium sulfate, ion-exchanging chromatography on DEAE-Toyopearl and gel filtration. The purified preparations of these AH isoforms were electrophoretically homogenous. The molecular weights of these isoforms were estimated and several kinetic and regulatory properties were studied.

Aconitate Hydratase↗

[Studying genetic diversity in inbred sunflower lines by RAPD and isoenzyme analyses].

Genetic diversity of 30 inbred sunflower lines was examined by RAPD and isozyme analyses. The inbred lines were shown to be highly polymorphic by RAPD markers. The line distribution on genetic similarity dendrograms based on the RAPD and isozyme data was analyzed. High effectiveness of RAPD analysis for differentiating genotypes of inbred sunflower lines was demonstrated.

Acid Phosphatase↗

Induction of a peroxisomal malate dehydrogenase isoform in liver of starved rats.

The influence of starvation on malate dehydrogenase (MDH) in rat liver was investigated. Native electrophoresis revealed two MDH isoforms in non-starved rats and three isoenzymes in starved rats. After sucrose density gradient centrifugation of cell organelles from liver, MDH activity was detected in the mitochondrial and cytosolic fractions from non-starved rats. However, additional activity was found in the peroxisomal fraction from starved rats. The latter was identified as the electrophoretically new isoform in starved animals. The three isoforms of malate dehydrogenase from hepatocytes were separated and partially purified by chromatography on DEAE-Toyopearl. Several kinetic and regulatory properties of the three isoforms were rather similar. It is suggested that the newly expressed isoform of MDH operates in the glyoxylate cycle of liver peroxisomes of food-starved animals.

Animals↗

Stress-induced changes in ubiquinone concentration and alternative oxidase in plant mitochondria.

We have investigated the influence of stress conditions such as incubation at 4 degrees C and incubation in hyperoxygen atmosphere, on plant tissues. The ubiquinone (Q) content and respiratory activity of purified mitochondria was studied. The rate of respiration of mitochondria isolated from cold-treated green bell peppers (Capsicum annuum L) exceeds that of controls, but this is not so for mitochondria isolated from cold-treated cauliflower (Brassica oleracea L). Treatment with high oxygen does not alter respiration rates of cauliflower mitochondria. Analysis of kinetic data relating oxygen uptake with Q reduction in mitochondria isolated from tissue incubated at 4 degrees C (bell peppers and cauliflowers) and at high oxygen levels (cauliflowers) reveals an increase in the total amount of Q and in the percentage of inoxidizable QH2. The effects are not invariably accompanied by an induction of the alternative oxidase (AOX). In those mitochondria where the AOX is induced (cold-treated bell pepper and cauliflower treated with high oxygen) superoxide production is lower than in the control. The role of reduced Q accumulation and AOX induction in the defense against oxidative damage is discussed.

Brassica↗

Subcellular localization and properties of glyoxylate cycle enzymes in the liver of rats with alloxan diabetes.

Key enzymes of the glyoxylate cycle (isocitrate lyase and malate synthetase) were found in the liver and kidney of rats suffering from alloxan diabetes. The activities of these enzymes in the liver were 0.080 and 0.0430 U/mg protein, respectively. Isocitrate lyase activity in the kidney was 0.030 U/mg protein, and that of the malate synthetase was 0.018 U/mg protein. Peroxisomal localization of the enzymes was shown. A novel malate dehydrogenase isoform was found in a liver of rats suffering from the alloxan diabetes. The isocitrate lyase was isolated by selective (NH4)2SO4 precipitation and DEAE-Toyopearl chromatography. The resulting enzyme preparation had specific activity 6.1 U/mg protein, corresponding to 76.25-fold purification with 32.6% yield. The isocitrate lyase was found to follow the Michaelis--Menten kinetic scheme (Km for isocitrate, 0.08 mM) and to be competitively inhibited by glucose 1-phosphate (Ki = 1. 25 mM), succinate (Ki = 1.75 mM), and citrate (Ki = 1.0 mM); the pH optimum of the enzyme was 7.5 in Tris-HCl buffer.

Animals↗

Glyoxylate cycle enzymes are present in liver peroxisomes of alloxan-treated rats.

Key enzymes of the glyoxylate cycle, isocitrate lyase (ICL) and malate synthase (MS), have been detected in the liver of alloxan-treated rats. The activity of ICL in rat liver was 0.040 micromol/min/mg protein and the activity of MS was 0.022 micromol/min/mg protein. These enzymes were associated with the peroxisomal fraction. The activities of citrate synthase, malate synthase and malate dehydrogenase detected in the peroxisomal fraction were also increased by alloxan treatment. Isocitrate lyase was partially purified and displayed catalytic and regulatory properties similar to those of the enzyme isolated from the liver of starved rats (Popov, V.N. et al. (1996) FEBS Lett. 391, 87-90).

Aconitate Hydratase↗

Inhibition of the alternative oxidase stimulates H2O2 production in plant mitochondria.

The hypothesis that a non-coupled alternative oxidase of plant mitochondria operates as an antioxygen defence mechanism [Purvis, A.C. and Shewfelt, R.L., Physiol. Plant. 88 (1993) 712-718; Skulachev, V.P., Biochemistry (Moscow) 59 (1994) 1433-1434] has been confirmed in experiments on isolated soybean and pea cotyledon mitochondria. It is shown that inhibitors of the alternative oxidase, salicyl hydroxamate and propyl gallate strongly stimulate H2O2 production by these mitochondria oxidizing succinate. Effective concentrations of the inhibitors proved to be the same as those decreasing the cyanide-resistant respiration. The inhibitors proved to be ineffective in stimulating H2O2 formation in rat liver mitochondria lacking the alternative oxidase.

Animals↗

Induction of glyoxylate cycle enzymes in rat liver upon food starvation.

The key enzymes of the glyoxylate cycle, isocitrate lyase and malate synthase, have been detected in liver of food-starved rats. Activities became measurable 3 days and peaked 5 days after the beginning of starvation. Both enzymes were found in the peroxisomal cell fraction after organelle fractionation by isopycnic centrifugation. Isocitrate lyase was purified 112-fold by ammonium sulfate precipitation, and chromotography on DEAE-cellulose and Toyopearl HW-65. The specific activity of the purified enzyme was 9.0 units per mg protein. The K(m)(isocitrate) was 68 microM and the pH optimum was at pH 7.4. Malate synthase was enriched 4-fold by ammonium sulfate precipitation. The enzyme had a K(m)(acetyl-CoA) of 0.2 microM, a K(m)(glyoxylate) of 3 mM and a pH optimum of 7.6.

Animals↗