Mechanisms of the selective cytotoxic actions of certain essential fatty acids.

Polyunsaturated fatty acids (PUFA) have a selective cytotoxic/cytostatic effect on a number of tumor cell lines in culture. Although this process may be enhanced by the addition of iron there is a minimum level of PUFA necessary for potentiation of cell death. Vitamin E blocks PUFA cytotoxicity when added up to 5 days after fatty acid administration. Levels of thio-barbiturate reactive material (TBARM) in the medium rise in parallel with cell death. However, they are not affected by small alterations in temperature or oxygen tension. Incubating cells with PUFA causes marked alterations in the fatty acid patterns of both neutral and phospholipid fractions. Membrane fluidity is increased and the activity of membrane-bound receptors may be influenced directly or through the actions of eicosanoids derived from the exogenous fatty acid. PUFA may be an effective way of influencing tumor growth and a safe approach for the management of human cancer.

Distribution of plasma phosphatidylcholine molecular species in rabbits fed fish oil is modulated by dietary n-6 fatty acids.

The present study examined the distribution of plasma phosphatidylcholine (PC) molecular species in rabbits fed a chow diet supplemented with fish oil (FO) in combination with either hydrogenated coconut oil or the n-6 fatty acid-rich evening primrose oil (EPO) for 4 weeks. Significant proportions of plasma PC molecular species contained long-chain n-3 fatty acids. Addition of EPO to the FO supplemented diet increased the incorporation of n-6 fatty acids into plasma PC molecules; it also raised the proportions of 16:0-18:2, n-6, 18:1-18:2, n-6, 18:2, n-6-18:2, n-6, and 16:0-20:4, n-6. The increase of n-6 fatty acid-containing PC was at the expense of n-3 fatty acid containing PC species. However, feeding n-6 fatty acids did not affect the distribution of PC molecular species based on total carbon chain length. The most interesting observation was that dietary suplementation with EPO, raised the ratio of 22:6, n-3-containing to 20:5, n-3-containing molecular species, suggesting an enhanced conversion of 20:5, n-3 to 22:6, n-3.

Lysine cataboism and α-aminoadipate synthesis in Streptomyces clavuligerus.

The intracellular α-aminoadipic acid pool in Streptomyces glavuligerus mycelium growing in a starch-peptone medium decreased during the late exponential and stationary phases when cephamycin was being produced; however, the amino acid accumulated extracellularly. Although the specific activity of lysine ɛ-aminotransferase (LAT) decreased during this period, there was no indication that the extracellular α-aminoadipic acid functioned as a precursor reserve for synthesis of the ß-lactam antibiotic. Measurement of LAT activity in cultures grown in defined media with starch and various nitrogen sources indicated that the enzyme was synthesized preferentially only during early growth. In its insensitivity to induction by a precursor, and in its susceptibility to carbon catabolite repression, LAT behaved as a secondary metabolic pathway enzyme. Unexpectedly, however, the enzyme increased in specific activity when cultures were supplemented with excess phosphate. Unlike LAT, cadeverine aminotransferase was inducible by lysine or cadaverine and insensitive to phosphate; its features were consistent with a role in the catabolism of lysine by S. clavuligerus.

Effects of linoleic and gamma-linolenic acids (efamol evening primrose oil) on fatty acid-binding proteins of rat liver.

We have studied the effects of Efamol evening primrose oil (EPO) on fatty acid-binding proteins (L-FABP) of rat liver. EPO contains 72% cis-linoleic acid and 9% cis-gamma linolenic acid. EPO has been clinically used for treatment of a number of diseases in humans and animals. EPO is also known to lower cholesterol level in humans and animals. Feeding of an EPO supplemented diet to rats (n = 9) for 2 months decreases the oleate binding capacity of purified L-FABP of rat liver whereas the palmitate binding activity was increased by 38%. However, EPO feeding did not alter the L-FABP concentrations significantly as measured by using the fluorescence fatty acid probe, dansylamino undecanoic acid. Endogenous fatty acid analysis of L-FABPs revealed significant qualitative and quantitative changes in fatty acid pattern after EPO feeding. EPO feeding decreased the endogenous palmitate level by 53% and oleate level by 64% in L-FABPs and also EPO feeding decreased the total endogenous fatty acid content from 62 nanomole per mg of protein to 42 nanomole per mg of L-FABP (n = 3).

Measurement of delta-(L-alpha-aminoadipyl)-L-cysteinyl-D-valine synthetase activity in Streptomyces clavuligerus by high-performance liquid chromatography after precolumn derivatization with o-phthaldialdehyde.

A procedure for rapid, sensitive measurement of delta-(L-alpha-aminoadipyl)-L-cysteinyl-D-valine (ACV) in complex cell extracts has been developed by adapting a widely used method for high-performance liquid chromatography analysis of amino acids. Samples were oxidized with performic acid and derivatized with o-phthaldialdehyde-mercaptoethanol to give the fluorescent isoindole derivative of the peptide sulfonate. The procedure was used to assay Streptomyces clavuligerus cell extracts and partially purified fractions for ACV synthetase activity and to determine some characteristics of the enzyme reaction. The presence of a second enzyme with cysteine as a substrate was also indicated.

Aminopeptidase I activities in several microorganisms.

Aminopeptidase I activity which was found to be localized in the same subcellular fraction and to be similarly heat stable was partially purified by a common procedure from Escherichia coli B, Escherichia coli K12, Enterobacter aerogenes, Salmonella typhimurium, Serratia marcescens Pseudomonas aeruginosa, and Proteus vulgaris. The enzyme preparations were shown to contain a single animopeptidase active toward both leucylleucine and methionylalanylserine by mixed-substrate initial-velocity kinetic analysis. The Km value for leucylleucine was virtually identical for the aminopeptidases of all of the organisms, as was the Km value for methionylalanylserine.