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Z Selinger

Publications and source records attributed to Z Selinger.

At least 73 records · Page 4Linked to original sources

Desensitization of substance P-induced K+ release in rat parotid.

Challenge of rat parotid slices with substance P or its analogs, at concentrations which cause less than maximal response resulted in the transient release of K+ into the medium. Reuptake of the released K+ into the cell was accompanied by a parallel decrease in the biologically active concentration of the peptide in the medium, indicating that at low concentrations inactivation of the peptide is a mechanism for termination of the substance P response. At concentrations of substance P and its analogs which are higher than needed for a maximal response, a second mechanism for the termination of the response enters into play, resulting in desensitization of the response to substance P. Desensitization was specific for substance P and was not influenced by activation of the cholinergic or alpha-adrenoceptors. Inactivation of the peptide by proteolytic breakdown does not take part in the development of desensitization to substance P.

Animals↗

Inhibition of substance P degradation in rat brain preparations by peptide hydroxamic acids.

A peptidase activity of rat diencephalon membranes, which acts on the C-terminal hexapeptide sequence of substance P, was characterized using the radiolabeled substrate N alpha-[( 125I]iododesaminotyrosyl)-substance P (6-11)-hexapeptide. This activity presents certain characteristics similar to those of the substance-P-degrading enzyme purified from human brain by Lee et al. [Eur. J. Biochem. 114, 315-327 (1981)]. It is inhibited by metal chelators and some thiol reagents, but is insensitive to inhibitors of serine proteases and aminopeptidases. The activity is different from angiotensin-converting enzyme and enkephalinase, since it is not affected by specific inhibitors of these enzymes. Substance P and substance P C-terminal fragments longer than the pentapeptide inhibited the degradation of the radiolabeled substrate with inhibition constants around 200 microM. Short fragments of the substance P sequence, such as Boc-Phe-Phe-OMe and Boc-Phe-Phe-Gly-OEt, were also found to inhibit the degradation of the substrate. When the metal-chelating hydroxamic acid moiety was attached to the carboxyl terminus of these short peptides, potent inhibitors of the substance-P-degrading activity were obtained, with inhibition constants in the micromolar range. The most potent of these compounds, iododesaminotyrosyl-Phe-Phe-Gly-NHOH (IBH-Phe-Phe-Gly-NHOH), is a competitive inhibitor, with a Ki value of 1.9 microM. The degradation of substance P by rat diencephalon slices was inhibited to the same extent (40-50%) by IBH-Phe-Phe-Gly-NHOH (20 microM) and by phosphoramidon (1 microM). A combination of both reagents reduced the degradation rate by 75-80%, suggesting that both enkephalinase and the substance-P-degrading activity are involved in the metabolism of substance P in this preparation. IBH-Phe-Phe-Gly-NHOH seems to be quite specific for the latter enzyme, since at a high concentration (0.1 mM) it did not affect the degradation of the radiolabeled substrate by alpha-chymotrypsin, papain, or thermolysin.

Animals↗

Lipid requirements for reconstitution of the delipidated beta-adrenergic receptor and the regulatory protein.

The role of lipids in the interaction of the beta-adrenergic receptor (R) with the regulatory protein (Gs) was investigated. Solubilized preparations of R and of Gs from turkey erythrocytes were delipidated by gel filtration. They were subsequently combined and reconstituted by the addition of various lipids. When reconstitution was carried out in the presence of soybean lipids, Gs could be fully activated via R by addition of hormone plus GTP gamma S. In contrast, purified phospholipids or a phospholipid fraction from soybean failed to produce an active system. Fractionation of soybean lipids revealed that acetone-soluble neutral lipids are essential for the reconstitution of a hormone responsive system. The acetone fraction could be replaced by specific neutral lipids such as alpha-tocopherol or cholesteryl arachidonate while a mixture of phosphatidylethanolamine, -choline and -serine satisfied the phospholipid requirement of the system.

Animals↗

Light-activated guanosinetriphosphatase in Musca eye membranes resembles the prolonged depolarizing afterpotential in photoreceptor cells.

Measurement of light-dependent GTPase (EC 3.1.5.1) activity in a paradigm guided by electrophysiological experiments was used to examine the involvement of a guanine nucleotide binding protein in fly phototransduction. Cell-free membrane preparations of Musca eyes responded to blue light by a 10- to 20-fold increase in GTP-hydrolyzing activity. This light-dependent GTPase had a low Km for GTP (0.5 microM) and was effectively inhibited by guanosine (5'----O3)-1-thiotriphosphate and guanosine 5'-[beta-gamma-imino]triphosphate but not by adenosine 5'-[beta-gamma-imino]triphosphate and ATP. The action spectrum of GTPase activity measured with intense light resembled closely the photoequilibrium spectrum of metarhodopsin. After illumination with blue (less than 480 nm) light, which converted rhodopsin to metarhodopsin, the GTPase remained highly active for at least 60 min in the dark. Similarly, rhodopsin-to-metarhodopsin conversion in intact cells induced a prolonged excitation in the dark, known as the prolonged depolarizing afterpotential (PDA). The persistent GTPase activity (like the PDA) was suppressed to the low basal activity of the unilluminated membranes after conversion of metarhodopsin to rhodopsin with red light (greater than 570 nm), whereas during illumination with red light, some GTPase activity was maintained. The magnitude of the persistent GTPase activity in the dark, like the PDA, depended in a supralinear manner on the amount of pigment conversion. Thus, the dependence of GTPase activity of Musca membrane preparations on photopigment conversion resembles the induction and suppression of the PDA measured in intact photoreceptors of Musca. These findings indicate that a guanine nucleotide binding protein is part of the chain of events leading to both the generation of the receptor potential and the PDA.

Animals↗

Neurokinin B is a preferred agonist for a neuronal substance P receptor and its action is antagonized by enkephalin.

Receptor specificity of the substance P-related peptides neurokinin A and neurokinin B was studied in the isolated guinea pig ileum. Substance P and the recently discovered neurokinins elicit contraction of the ileum both directly through action on a muscle cell receptor and indirectly through stimulation of a neuronal receptor, leading to release of acetylcholine, which causes muscle contraction via muscarinic receptors. Two specific assay procedures for the function of the neuronal receptor were developed. The muscular receptor was inactivated either by desensitization with the selective agonist substance P methyl ester or by receptor blockade with the selective antagonist [Arg6, D-Trp7,9, Me-Phe8]substance P-(6-11) hexapeptide. Both procedures revealed that the neuronal receptor is clearly distinct from the muscular receptor, since it exhibits different agonist specificity and is insensitive to antagonists of the muscular receptor. Neurokinin B was found to be the most potent agonist (EC50 = 1 nM) for the neuronal receptor. Furthermore, [D-Ala2, Met5]enkephalinamide inhibited in a naloxone-sensitive manner the effect of neurokinin B mediated via the neuronal receptor. These results suggest that the different mammalian tachykinins can play specific physiological roles by virtue of their distinct receptor specificities.

Animals↗

Ion-exchange chromatographic assay of peptidases acting on the C-terminal hexapeptide sequence of substance P.

A rapid and sensitive assay for peptidases acting on the C-terminal hexapeptide sequence of the neuropeptide substance P is described. The radiolabelled substrate, N alpha-[125I]desaminotyrosyl-substance P (6-11) is easily prepared by coupling commercially available radioiodinated Bolton-Hunter reagent with substance P (6-11). Peptidase activity is determined by quantitative separation of the degradation products from the intact substrate on small QAE-Sephadex columns. The assay has been used to measure degradation of the substrate by rat parotid and diencephalon slices. The peptidase activity in the latter system was inhibited by substance P and substance P fragments and was sensitive to metal chelators and thiol reagents.

Amino Acid Sequence↗

Message transmission: receptor controlled adenylate cyclase system.

The adenylate cyclase system is composed of an activating hormone or neurotransmitter (H), its receptor (R), the guanosine triphosphate (GTP) binding protein (Gs), and the catalytic unit (C). The activation of the receptor R involves a transient change in conformation, from a loose binding of the neurotransmitter H to an extremely tight interaction, termed locking. The system is regulated in the activation steps and also by three deactivation processes. A guanosine triphosphatase activity is built into the Gs protein so that the active GsGTP has only a limited lifetime during which it is able to activate C. In addition, the continued occupation of R by H causes desensitization of R. Finally, there are inhibitory receptors, such as alpha-adrenergic and opiate receptors, which inhibit the adenylate cyclase by way of a specific GTP binding protein (Gi). Yet to be determined are the conformational transformations of pure R on binding of an agonist or a partial agonist; the genes that code for the many different receptors that activate the adenylate cyclase, and the possibility that the G components interact with systems in the cell other than the adenylate cyclase.

Adenylyl Cyclases↗

Substance P degrading systems of rat parotid and hypothalamus.

Inactivation of substance P and its C-terminal hexapeptide analog [p-Glu6]substance P6-11 was studied in rat parotid and hypothalamic slices. It was found that in the parotid slice system the decay of substance P induced K+ release occurs concurrently with a decrease in the biologically active concentration of the peptide in the medium. The inactivation was further studied using [p-Glu6]substance P6-11 as substrate in the parotid and in the hypothalamic slice systems. In both tissue preparations the hexapeptide is degraded to small peptide fragments by metalloendopeptidase. Separation of the peptide fragments by high performance liquid chromatography and determination of their amino acid composition showed that in the hypothalamic slice system the major cleavage of the hexapeptide analog occurs between Phe8-Gly9 with minor cleavage sites between Phe7-Phe8 and Gly9-Leu10. In the rat parotid slice system the major cleavage occurs between Gly9-Leu10 with a minor cleavage site between Phe7-Phe8. The degradation of the hexapeptide analog in the hypothalamic system was inhibited 77% and 67% by treatment with 1 mM p-chloromercuriphenylsulfonate and p-chloromercuribenzoate, respectively, whereas in the parotid system these reagents inhibited the degradation of the hexapeptide only by 15% and 8%. These results may indicate that different proteases in the parotid and hypothalamus are involved in degradation of substance P. Kinetic studies, including the use of various inhibitors as well as competition by the peptide hormones somatostatin, LHRH, TRH and Leu-enkephalin-NH2, revealed that in both tissues the hexapeptide analog is a preferred substrate for degradation by protease of considerable specificity towards the C-terminal sequence of substance P. It is suggested that this metalloendopeptidase may be important in the termination of the substance P response.

Amino Acid Sequence↗

Effect of opiates on human colonic adenylate cyclase activity.

To elucidate a possible mechanism whereby opiates affect human intestinal fluid secretion, opiate effects on human basal and stimulated colonic adenylate cyclase activity were determined. Morphine (10 microM) and naloxone (1 microM) did not affect basal colonic adenylate cyclase activity: 32.6 +/- 2.6 (n = 23; X +/- S.E.) pmol cAMP/mg protein per 10 min or its stimulation induced by sodium fluoride or VIP. However, morphine inhibited the stimulation induced by prostaglandin E2, an effect which was blocked by naloxone. Synthetic enkephalins and metabolically stable retro inverso enkephalins also prevented PGE2-induced stimulation of colonic adenylate cyclase activity. The addition of calcium (0.1 mM) decreased the basal and PGE2-stimulated enzyme activities by 35% and 50%, respectively, regardless of the presence or absence of morphine. These results suggest that morphine and synthetic enkephalins do not affect basal human colonic adenylate cyclase activity but inhibit its stimulation induced by PGE2. This effect may be one of the mechanisms whereby opiates affect intestinal fluid transport.

Adenylyl Cyclases↗

Synthesis of partially modified retro-inverso substance P analogues and their biological activity.

Partial retro-inverso modification of a single peptide bond was applied to pGlu-Phe-Phe-Gly-Leu-Met-NH2 (I), a C-terminal hexapeptide analogue of the neuropeptide substance P. Two analogues with reversed peptide bonds, between the pGlu-Phe and Phe-Gly residues, were prepared, purified and characterized. The analogue gpGlu-(RS)-mPhe-Phe-Gly-Leu-Met-NH2 (II) was devoid of either agonistic or antagonistic activity. The second pseudopeptide analogue, i.e., pGlu-Phe-gPhe-mGly-Leu-Met-NH2 (III), was found to be a full agonist with 22% of the potency of I in the guinea pig ileum assay.

Amino Acid Sequence↗

Flat revertants isolated from Kirsten sarcoma virus-transformed cells are resistant to the action of specific oncogenes.

Two flat revertants have been isolated from mutagen-treated populations of Kirsten murine sarcoma virus (Ki-MuSV)-transformed NIH/3T3 cells. These revertants, which appear to be cellular variants resistant to transformation by the Ki-MuSV oncogene v-Ki-ras, contain Ki-MuSV-specific DNA, elevated levels of the v-Ki-ras gene product p21, and rescuable transforming virus. Cell hybridization studies indicated that the revertant phenotype is dominant in hybrids between revertant cells and cells transformed by Ki-MuSV or the closely related Harvey MuSV and BALB MuSV. Analysis of hybrid cells resulting from the fusion of these revertants to cell lines transformed by other retroviruses showed that the action of certain oncogenes structurally unrelated to v-Ki-ras also could be suppressed. Thus, there appear to be functional relationships and diversities among transforming genes (oncogenes) not readily apparent from their structural characteristics.

Animals↗

Increased colonic adenylate cyclase activity in active ulcerative colitis.

To investigate the pathogenesis of diarrhea in ulcerative colitis, colonic adenylate cyclase activity was determined in patients and normal subjects. Basal adenylate cyclase activity in 19 patients with active disease [61.5 +/- 9.6 (mean +/- SE) pmol cyclic adenosine monophosphate/mg protein . 10 min] was two times higher (p less than 0.01) than its activity in colonic mucosa of 30 normal subjects or 10 ulcerative colitis patients in remission [31.4 +/- 2.0 and 23.6 +/- 1.9 pmol cyclic adenosine monophosphate/mg protein . 10 min, respectively]. The enzyme activity was stimulated to the same extent in all groups by sodium fluoride, vasoactive intestinal polypeptide, or by substitution in the assay mixture of guanosine triphosphate by its hydrolysis-resistant analogue--GTP gamma S. Prostaglandin E2 significantly stimulated the enzyme activity in tissue obtained from normal subjects, patients with shigellosis, and ulcerative colitis patients in remission while it had no effect on adenylate cyclase activity in colonic mucosa of patients with active ulcerative colitis. These results suggest that stimulation of colonic adenylate cyclase activity, possibly secondary to the reported enhanced colonic prostanoid synthesis, may contribute to the diarrhea in ulcerative colitis.

Adenylyl Cyclases↗

beta-Adrenergic receptors stimulated peroxidase secretion from rat lacrimal gland.

Incubation of rat extraorbital lacrimal gland slices with the beta-agonist isoproterenol caused peroxidase secretion but no K+ release. The peroxidase secretion was inhibited by propranolol. Addition of dibutyryl cyclic AMP or adenosine 3'5'-cyclic phosphorothioate to lacrimal slices produced peroxidase secretion at a higher rate than that obtained with optimal concentration of isoproterenol. Methyl isobutylxanthine is also a strong stimulator of peroxidase secretion. Peroxidase activity was determined by a modified sensitive guaiacol method. Membrane fraction of lacrimal cells was shown to contain an isoproterenol-stimulated adenylate cyclase activity. It is therefore suggested that there is a beta-adrenergic receptor in the rat lacrimal gland and that its stimulation causes activation of an adenylate cyclase which leads to peroxidase secretion.

1-Methyl-3-isobutylxanthine↗

Determination of the turn-off reaction for the hormone-activated adenylate cyclase.

Previous work suggested that hormonal activation of adenylate cyclase involves the introduction of GTP to the regulatory site, and subsequent hydrolysis of the bound GTP terminates the activation. In many tissues the turn-off GTPase reaction cannot be readily measured because of a high background of nonspecific GTP hydrolysis. To circumvent this problem a general assay for the turn-off reaction has now been developed. The adenylate cyclase is first activated by hormone and GTP and the introduction of GTP is then stopped either by addition of an excess of guanosine 5'-O-(2-thiodiphosphate) (GDP beta S) or by addition of a receptor blocking agent. The decay of adenylate cyclase activity brought on by these inhibitors is used to calculate the rate constant of the turn-off reaction. In turkey erythrocyte and rat parotid membranes the rate constant of the decay process as determined with GDP beta S is similar to that determined with the beta-adrenergic blocker propranolol. The rate constants (min-1 at 30 degrees C) for various adenylate cyclase preparations are 10 for turkey erythrocyte, 7.5 for rat parotid, and 6.2 for the rat liver enzyme. The finding of similar rate constants in the various preparations indicates that GTP hydrolysis at the regulatory site is a general mechanism for terminating the activation of adenylate cyclase.

Adenylyl Cyclases↗