Activation of protease activity in rat peritoneal macrophages in protein deficiency: characterization of cathepsin D.

Rat peritoneal macrophages contained high proteolytic activity that was significantly enhanced under the stress induced by protein deficiency. The aspartyl protease cathepsin D which has been known to be the most active protease in endocytic processes was extracted from the macrophages recovered from control (20% protein fed) and protein deficient (4% protein fed) rats and was affinity purified and characterized further. The cathepsin D from the control sample exhibited better recovery, purification and higher specific activity compared to that from the deficient groups. Apparently the pH optima and heat stability of the enzyme from both the groups were similar. The SDS PAGE profile clearly indicated the presence of greater amounts of active forms of cathepsin D in the deficient samples in vivo itself which reflected in a reduction in Km value of the enzyme. Subtle differences observed in the activity of these macrophage proteases in the protein deficient rats may be partly responsible for the enhanced degradation of macrophage membrane proteins reported earlier.

Synthesis and phosphorylation of macrophage membrane proteins in protein deficient rat.

Changes in the biosynthesis and phosphorylation of rat peritoneal macrophage membrane proteins induced by protein malnutrition have been studied. The results clearly indicate that the biosynthesis of high molecular weight proteins (45-200 kDa) and their phosphorylation are significantly reduced in the macrophages isolated from protein deficient (4% protein-fed) rats compared to the control group fed 20% protein diet. Lipopolysaccharide (LPS) treatment both in vivo and in vitro enhanced the synthesis and phosphorylation of these proteins in both control and protein deficient groups; however, the extent of enhancement was much less in the deficient group. These results indicate that besides the down regulation of these membrane proteins, protein malnutrition seems to make these macrophages less responsive to potent immuno stimulants like LPS.

Enumeration of macrophage carbohydrates in protein-deficient rats: relation to cell surface properties.

In order to study the effect of protein malnutrition on macrophage glycoproteins the carbohydrate composition of peritoneal macrophages from protein-deficient rats has been studied by paper chromatography and HPLC. The results show that the carbohydrate content of resident cells recovered from protein-deficient group was significantly greater than control and decreased on prolonged incubation. In the protein-deficient samples there was a significant decrease in the content of galactose, fucose and galactosamine known to be binding to specific ligands and increase in glucose and mannosamine. In both control and deficient groups, thioglycollate (TG) elicitation resulted in higher total sialic acid content. Prolonged incubation (18 hr) caused an elevation of sialic acid levels in the resident cells, whereas a drastic reduction was observed in the TG elicited cells. In the protein-fed (20%) group, the cell surface sialic acid which contributes to the negative charge of the cells, reduced significantly on culturing the TG cells but not the resident cells. In the protein-deficient group, this effect was seen in the resident cells also; in the TG cells the cell surface sialic acid was significantly low at the isolation stage suggesting that these cells had become comparatively more positively charged in vivo itself. This observed reduction could be correlated to the enhanced sialidase levels in these cells. These protein deficiency related changes in the carbohydrate composition of macrophages could lead to modification of their receptor activity and charge related functions.

Changes in macrophage membrane proteins in relation to protein deficiency in rats.

Resident and thioglycollate (TG) macrophages were isolated from rats fed 20 and 4% protein diets. These cells were cultured for 2 and 18 hr; further the membrane proteins were separated by SDSPAGE. Though basically all the samples had a similar banding pattern, the protein profile was very complex in nature. TG elicited macrophages from the protein fed group had increased contents of high molecular weight proteins compared to the resident cells from both the groups as well as TG cells from the protein deficient group. The difference increased with prolonged incubation. Polypeptides at 56.5 and 46 kd which were prominently present in the control samples, was very low in the protein deficient ones. Bands at 34, 32, 27 to 19.5 kd were reduced in the TG cells from the protein fed group. The protein deficient samples exhibited a strong band at 43 kd (presumably actin) while it was present in very small amounts in the cells from the protein fed groups. These observations indicate that the protein restriction had down regulated TG induced modulation of macrophage membrane proteins to the level of resident cells which are physiologically in a lower state of activation. These changes could reflect on their reduced functional properties.

Effects of protein restriction on functional properties of rat peritoneal macrophages.

Rats were maintained on 20% and 4% protein diets for 3 weeks. The functional properties of thioglycollate (TG) elicited macrophages from these groups were compared with the non elicited resident cells from the protein fed group. Elicitation of macrophages in response to TG was low in the protein deficient group. These cells also exhibited low adherence in overnight cultures compared to those isolated from the protein fed group; however their viability and total protein content remained unaltered. Normal resident and TG elicited cells from 4% protein fed group exhibited an initial lag period in H2O2 production in response to zymosan stimulation. The lag period could be correlated to the high endogeneous catalase activity in these cells. Incubation with zymosan resulted in rapid decline in catalase levels, facilitating evolution of H2O2. On prolonged incubation, the elicited cells from the protein fasted rats evolved about 87% H2O2 compared to the protein fed samples. In the absence of zymosan all the samples possessed comparable NADPH oxidase activity. Zymosan induced activation of this enzyme was higher in TG cells from the protein fed groups, compared to the protein fasted and the resident samples. The cellular enzyme activity, however was not altered in the TG cells of both the groups though it declined rapidly in the corresponding resident cells. Significant reduction (congruent to 50%) in both serum iron and transferrin in the low protein fed samples did not correspondingly affect the oxidative burst process. However the engulfment of yeast cells was greatly impaired due to protein restriction. Adherence and phagocytic properties of macrophages are regulated by the activity of their membrane constituents.(ABSTRACT TRUNCATED AT 250 WORDS)

Protein deficiency and age related alterations in rat peritoneal macrophage lipids.

The effects of dietary protein restriction and age on the thioglycollate elicited peritoneal macrophage lipid constituents were studied. Impact of subtle changes in lipid components on macrophage functions have been assessed. Lipid profiles of macrophages recovered from rats fed 20 and 4% protein diets and stock diet fed rats (0 and 3 wk) were comparable qualitatively. Quantitative analysis however revealed significant decrease in phospholipids (30–40%) and consequent elevation of cholesterol/phospholipid molar ratios in the protein depleted and young rats (0 wk), compared to the protein fed groups. The protein deficient and the young rats also exhibited accumulation of certain neutral lipids and reduction in triglycerides. Analysis of fatty acid methyl esters of macrophage phospholipids revealed the predominance of long chain polyunsaturated fatty acids even when oleic (C18:1) and linoleic (C18:2) formed the bulk of unsaturated fatty acids in the diet. However, the long chain poly unsaturated fatty acid content, particularly the docosahexaenoic acid (C22:6n-3) was greatly reduced in the protein depleted and 0 wk rats. Observed changes in the long chain polyunsaturated fatty acids of macrophage phospholipids may be of physiological significance as they modulate the immunological functions of the cell.

Activation of lysosomal enzymes in chemotactically elicited rat peritoneal macrophages.

Activation profile of lysosomal enzymes in rat peritoneal macrophages elicited in response to three stimulants, thioglycollate (TG), protease peptone (PP) and lipopolysaccharide (LPS) was studied from 0 to 6 days. Macrophages elicited in response to LPS were larger in number and heterogeneous in nature while TG and PP induced cells were comparatively more homogeneous. Maximum elicitation of macrophages in response to the three stimulants, though at different degrees, was observed around 3 days. This could be correlated to increased blood monocytes. The progressive activation of macrophages reflected in corresponding decrease in total cellular protein content and increase in the activities of their lysosomal enzymes. The catalytic activities of aryl sulphatase, beta-glucuronidase and cathepsin D increased several fold (2-8 fold) over the resident values. TG elicited cells possessed the highest enzyme activities, followed by PP and LPS elicited ones. Beta-Glucuronidase was the most stimulated (4-8 fold) of the enzymes studied. The cellular catalytic activities of these enzymes were also enhanced 2- to 4-fold compared to the resident levels in the TG and PP elicited macrophages. Though the enzyme catalytic activities were increased in the LPS treated cells, their cellular levels remained below the resident activities in all the three enzymes studied. The results indicate that the events related to the elaboration of these macrophage lysosomal enzymes in vivo are subject to selective modulation and are stimulus specific.

Purification and physicochemical properties of a -amylase from irradiated wheat.

α-Amylases from control and gamma-irradiated (at 0.2 and 2.0 kGy dose levels) wheat seedlings were purified to homogeneity and characterized. The molecular weight of the enzyme from a 2 kGy irradiated sample was slightly lower than that of the control; other general and catalytic properties also showed some differences. α-Amylase from the irradiated (2 kGy) sample had a narrow range of pH optimum and was inactivated faster at alkaline pH and by heat treatment than the enzyme from unirradiated wheat. A high apparent Michaelis constant (Km) and a low maximal velocity (Vmax) for the hydrolysis of soluble starch catalyzed by the enzyme from irradiated (2 kGy) wheat, suggested some modifications in the formation of the substrate α-amylase complex. Further, of the total number of amino acid residues lost on irradiation, dicarboxylic amino acids constituted the largest percentage; these structural alterations in the enzyme may be responsible for its partial inactivation. The total sugars liberated upon amylolysis of starch with the 2 kGy irradiated enzyme were lower than control, and there was accumulation of higher maltodextrins in the place of maltose.