Influence of the bovine seminal plasma protein PDC-109 on the physical state of membranes.

PDC-109 is the main component of bovine seminal plasma and has been suggested to play an important role in the genesis of bovine sperm cells. Here, the effect of binding of PDC-109 to membranes on the structure and physical properties of the lipid phase was investigated. For that, ESR measurements were undertaken on model membranes (lipid vesicles) and on biological membranes (epididymal spermatozoa) by employing various spin-labeled phospholipids. We found that PDC-109 alters the membrane structure of lipid vesicles as well as of bovine epididymal spermatozoa in that the mobility of spin-labeled phospholipids was reduced in the presence of the protein. This immobilizing effect of the protein was not restricted to analogues of phosphatidylcholine but was also detected with spin-labeled phosphatidylethanolamine. However, the extent of immobilization was lower for phosphatidylethanolamine compared with phosphatidylcholine, supporting the lipid headgroup specificity of the protein. Besides phospholipid headgroups, the physical state of membrane lipids is also important for the interaction of PDC-109 with membranes, in that, e.g., the immobilizing effect of the protein on labeled lipids was larger in membranes above the phase transition temperature compared with the effect below this temperature. The results are of relevance for understanding the physiological role of PDC-109 in the genesis of sperm cells.

Comparison of the in vitro binding characteristics of the beta-carbolines harman and norharman in rat brain and liver and in bovine adrenal medulla.

The in vitro binding of the naturally occurring beta-carbolines harman and norharman in their tritium-labelled forms to cell membranes from the rat brain and liver and from bovine adrenal medulla was investigated. Displacement of the specific [3H]harman binding in bovine adrenal medulla and rat liver by several beta-carbolines and monoamine oxidase (MAO) inhibitors revealed the pharmacological profile of a single, high-affinity binding site (KD 4.92 +/- 0.43 nmol/l, Bmax 8.47 +/- 0.17 pmol/mg protein; adrenal medulla) which corresponded to the active site of MAO type A (MAO-A). Similar characteristics have previously been found for brain tissue from rat, marmoset and pig. In order to determine the temperature dependence of the [3H]harman binding, the KD and Bmax values for rat cerebral cortex were calculated from the results of saturation experiments at 5 temperatures (range: 0 degree C-37 degrees C). Whereas the Bmax values under all conditions were approximately 4 pmol/mg protein, the KD values, with increasing temperature, ranged from approximately 3 nmol/l to 30 nmol/l. The calculated linear van't Hoff plot (-ln KD against 1/T) suggested an enthalpy-driven binding of [3H]harman to MAO-A. At least three different [3H]norharman-binding sites were detected. In the rat forebrain, approximately 85% of the specific binding (at about 2 nmol/l of [3H]norharman) can be attributed to a MAO binding site of type B: the binding is displaceable, in nmol/l concentrations by the potent and selective MAO-B inhibitors MDL 72,974 A, R(-)-deprenyl and pargyline and, in mumol/l concentrations, by S(+)-deprenyl and the potent and selective MAO-A inhibitors clorgyline, harmine, harman, harmaline, brofaromine 5-F-alpha-methyltryptamine. After suppression of the MAO binding sites with 1 mumol/l clorgyline and 1 mumol/l R(-)-deprenyl, a second binding site was found. However, the binding at this site was biphasically displaceable by harman and norharman (Hill-slopes about 0.5 and 0.6, curvilinear Rosenthal plots) suggesting the presence of negative co-operativity or of two binding sites (states). A similar clorgyline/R(-)-deprenyl resistant single (Hill-slopes of displacement by norharman, harman and 6-hydroxy-beta-carboline about unity; linear Rosenthal plots) high affinity binding sites (KD 7.5 +/- 2 nmol/l, Bmax 130+/- 30 fmol/mg protein) was found in bovine adrenal medullary cell membranes. A third quite different clorgyline/R(-)-deprenyl resistant high-affinity (KD approximately 14 nmol/l) and high-density (Bmax 10-30 pmol/mg protein) binding site was detected in the liver.(ABSTRACT TRUNCATED AT 400 WORDS)

[3H]norharman ([3H]beta-carboline) binds reversibly and with high affinity to a specific binding site in rat liver.

In addition to the known binding of norharman (NH) to monoamine oxidase (MAO) and benzodiazepine (BZ) binding sites (at microM concentrations), a distinct class of high-affinity NH binding sites was discovered in rat brain. Investigations of several organs of the rat led to the discovery of high affinity binding sites in the liver, which successfully could be solubilized from P2 membrane homogenate (0.25% w/v Triton X-100). Scatchard analysis revealed an apparent KD value of 26 +/- 8 nM and a maximum number of binding sites of 11 +/- 3 pmol/mg protein (n = 14). Association kinetics showed that equilibrium was nearly reached after two hours. Dissociation was totally complete only after more than 16 hours. The MAO-inhibitors examined did not influence the binding characteristics. No displacement of specific binding could be found by haloperidol.