ABSTRACT
An ultradian oscillation of protein synthesis was detected by synchronization of metabolic activity in rat hepatocyte cultures. This oscillation occurs in dense cultures in fresh medium, but not in sparse ones. Metabolic synchronization of sparse cultures, however, was initiated by conditioned medium or addition of 0.3-0.5 microm of a mixture of bovine brain gangliosides to fresh culture medium along with either 0.06-0.2 microm GM1 or 0.1-0.2 microm GDIa. GTIb and GDIb did not produce oscillations, nor did human liver ganglioside GM3. High expression of GM1 ganglioside determinants in hepatocytes maintained in the conditioned medium purified polyclonal antibodies to GM1 was coupled with protein synthetic oscillatory activity, i.e. metabolic synchronization. Incubation of dense cultures with GM1-antibodies for 24 h decreased the amplitude of these oscillations. In sparse cultures maintained in fresh medium where protein synthesis showed no oscillatory pattern, GM1 expression was low.
Subject(s)
Activity Cycles , Cell Communication , G(M1) Ganglioside/physiology , Gangliosides/physiology , Liver/cytology , Liver/metabolism , Protein Biosynthesis , Animals , Antibodies , Cell Count , Cells, Cultured , Culture Media, Conditioned , Culture Media, Serum-Free , G(M1) Ganglioside/pharmacology , Gangliosides/pharmacology , Humans , KineticsABSTRACT
Two-wavelength scanning DNA cytophotometry was used for DNA and protein estimation in human ventricular myocytes. In many hypertrophic hearts weighing more than 500 g the DNA content assessed by ploidy of myocytes, was within the range of normal adult variation (4-10c, where c is the haploid DNA content). A correlation was found between the protein content of myocytes and the weight of the hypertrophic ventricle. In congenital heart disease, the excessive polyploidy (up to 15-20c) developed through the normal route of myocyte polyploidization in childhood. Excessive polyploidization was revealed only in overloaded hypertrophied ventricles. A correlation was identified between the ploidy level, the ventricular weight and age of the child. Excessive polyploidy was also detected in adults with congenital or acquired in childhood diseases. There was no correlation between the myocyte ploidy and age. We propose that childhood polyploidy excess persists in these adults. The ranges of polyploidy are compared with the recent data on genome: protein ratio in cardiac myocytes and the interrelationships allow us to discuss the significance of childhood heart polyploidy as a reserve utilised under pathological conditions in adults.
