Novel properties of a mouse gamma-aminobutyric acid transporter (GAT4).

We expressed the mouse gamma-aminobutyric acid (GABA) transporter GAT4 (homologous to rat/ human GAT-3) in Xenopus laevis oocytes and examined its functional and pharmacological properties by using electrophysiological and tracer uptake methods. In the coupled mode of transport (Na+/ Cl-/GABA cotransport), there was tight coupling between charge flux and GABA flux across the plasma membrane (2 charges/GABA). Transport was highly temperature-dependent with a temperature coefficient (Q10) of 4.3. The GAT4 turnover rate (1.5 s(-l); -50 mV, 21 degrees C) and temperature dependence suggest physiological turnover rates of 15-20 s(-1). No uncoupled current was observed in the presence of Na+. In the absence of external Na+, GAT4 exhibited two distinct uncoupled currents. (i) A Cl- leak current (ICl(leak)) was observed when Na+ was replaced with choline or tetraethylammonium. The reversal potential of (ICl(leak)) followed the Cl- Nernst potential. (ii) A Li+ leak current (ILi(leak)) was observed when Na+ was replaced with Li+. Both leak currents were inhibited by Na+, and both were temperature-independent (Q10 approximately 1). The two leak modes appeared not to coexist, as Li+ inhibited (ICl(leak)). The results suggest the existence of cation- and anion-selective channel-like pathways in GAT4. Flufenamic acid inhibited GAT4 Na+/Cl-/GABA cotransport, ILi(leak), and ICl(leak), (Ki approximately 30 microM), and the voltage-induced presteady-state charge movements (Ki approximately 440 microM). Flufenamic acid exhibited little or no selectivity for GAT1, GAT2, or GAT3. Sodium and GABA concentration jicroumps revealed that slow Na+ binding to the transporter is followed by rapid GABA-induced translocation of the ligands across the plasma membrane. Thus, Na+ binding and associated conformational changes constitute the rate-limiting steps in the transport cycle.

Human glutathione S-transferase theta (GSTT1): cDNA cloning and the characterization of a genetic polymorphism.

In humans, glutathione-dependent conjugation of halomethanes is polymorphic, with 60% of the population classed as conjugators and 40% as non-conjugators. We report the characterization of the genetic polymorphism causing the phenotypic difference. We have isolated a cDNA that encodes a human class Theta GST (GSTT1) and which shares 82% sequence identity with rat class Theta GST5-5. From PCR and Southern blot analyses, it is shown that the GSTT1 gene is absent from 38% of the population. The presence or absence of the GSTT1 gene is coincident with the conjugator (GSST1+) and non-conjugator (GSTT1-) phenotypes respectively. The GSTT1+ phenotype can catalyse the glutathione conjugation of dichloromethane, a metabolic pathway which has been shown to be mutagenic in Salmonella typhimurium mutagenicity tester strains and is believed to be responsible for carcinogenicity of dichloromethane in the mouse. In humans, the enzyme is found in the erythrocyte and this may act as a detoxification sink. Characterization of the GSTT1 polymorphism will thus enable a more accurate assessment of human health risk from synthetic halomethanes and other industrial chemicals.

The human glutathione S-transferase P1-1 gene: modulation of expression by retinoic acid and insulin.

Glutathione S-transferases (GSTs) are a group of enzymes which play an important role in the detoxication of xenobiotics. It is shown that the expression of human glutathione S-transferase P1-1 (GSTP1-1) is suppressed by retinoic acid (RA) as the result of decreased transcription from its gene, GSTP1. Chloramphenicol acetyltransferase (CAT) assays indicate that the effect of RA on the transcription of a GSTP1 promoter-CAT fusion gene is mediated by the region -99 to +72 of GSTP1. A consensus activator protein 1-binding site, located at nucleotide position -59 to -65 of GSTP1, is suggested to be responsible for RA repression. This effect of RA on GSTP1 expression is mediated by the human beta-type RA receptor, hRAR beta, but not the chicken retinoid X receptor, cRXR. The retinoid X receptor does not augment the action of hRAR beta on GSTP1. In addition, it is shown that GSTP1-1 expression is enhanced by insulin as a result of increased transcription of GSTP1. Assay of CAT activity indicates that the effect of insulin on the transcription of GSTP1 is also mediated by the region -99 to +72 of GSTP1. Comparison with sequences of other insulin-responsive genes, suggests that insulin enhancement of GSTP1 expression is effected by an eight-base-pair sequence, 'CCCGCGTC', located at +48 to +55 in intron 1 of the gene. These results are discussed in relation to the increased expression of GSTP1-1 in many tumour cells.

The electrophile counterattack response: protection against neoplasia and toxicity.

Exposure of rodents or their cells in culture to low doses of a wide variety of chemical agents, many of which are electrophiles, evokes a coordinated metabolic response that protects these systems against the toxicity (including mutagenicity and carcinogenicity) of higher doses of the same or other electrophiles. This response involves enhanced transcription of Phase 2 enzymes: glutathione transferases, NAD(P)H:quinone reductase, UDP-glucuronsyltransferases, and epoxide hydrolase, as well as the elevation of intracellular levels of reduced glutathione. We suggest that this cellular adaptation, which occurs in the liver and many peripheral tissues, be designated as the "Electrophile Counterattack" response. Seven families of highly diverse chemical agents that elicit this response include: oxidatively labile diphenols and quinones; Michael reaction acceptors (olefins conjugated to electron-withdrawing groups); isothiocyanates; organic hydroperoxides; vicinal dimercaptans; trivalent arsenicals; heavy metals (HgCl2, CdCl2) as well as mercury derivatives with high affinities for sulfhydryl groups; and 1,2-dithiole-3-thiones. An analysis of the molecular mechanisms of these enzyme inductions was carried out by transient expression in hepatoma cells of a plasmid containing a 41-bp enhancer element derived from the 5'-upstream region of the mouse glutathione transferase Ya gene, and the promoter region of this gene, linked to a human growth hormone reporter gene. The concentrations of 28 inducers (belonging to the seven chemical classes) required to double growth hormone production in this system spanned a range of four orders of magnitude and were closely and linearly correlated with the concentrations of the same compounds required to double the specific activity of quinone reductase in murine hepatoma cells. We therefore conclude that the regulation of these Phase 2 enzymes (and possibly also that of glutathione synthesis) by all of these inducers is mediated by the same enhancer element that contains AP-1-like sites. Similar enhancer sequences are present in the rat glutathione transferase Ya gene, and in the upstream regulatory regions of the quinone reductase genes of rat and human liver.

The potency of inducers of NAD(P)H:(quinone-acceptor) oxidoreductase parallels their efficiency as substrates for glutathione transferases. Structural and electronic correlations.

Induction of glutathione transferases (EC. 2.5.1.18), NAD(P)H:(quinone-acceptor) oxidoreductase (EC 1.6.99.2; quinone reductase) and other detoxification enzymes is a major mechanism for protecting cells against the toxicities of electrophiles, including many carcinogens. Although inducers of these two enzymes belong to many different chemical classes, they nevertheless contain (or acquire by metabolism) electrophilic centres that appear to be essential for inclusive activity, and many inducers are Michael reaction acceptors [Talalay, De Long & Prochaska (1988) Proc. Natl. Acad. Sci. U.S.A., 85, 8261-8265]. The inducers therefore share structural and electronic features with glutathione transferase substrates. To define these features more precisely, we examined the inductive potencies (by measuring quinone reductase in murine hepatoma cells) of two types of glutathione transferase substrates: a series of 1-chloro-2-nitrobenzenes bearing para-oriented electron-donating or -withdrawing substituents and a wide variety of other commonly used and structurally unrelated glutathione transferase substrates. We conclude that virtually all glutathione transferase substrates are inducers, and their potencies in the nitrobenzene series correlate linearly with the Hammett sigma or sigma- values of the aromatic substituents, precisely as previously reported for their efficiencies as glutathione transferase substrates. More detailed information on the electronic requirements for inductive activity was obtained with a series of methyl trans-cinnamates bearing electron-withdrawing or -donating substituents on the aromatic ring, and in which the electronic densities at the olefinic and adjacent carbon atoms were measured by 13C n.m.r. Electron-withdrawing meta-substituents markedly enhance inductive potency in parallel with their increased non-enzymic reactivity with GSH. Thus, methyl 3-bromo-, 3-nitro- and 3-chloro-cinnamates are 21, 14 and 8 times more potent inducers than the parent methyl cinnamate. This finding permits the design of more potent inducers, which are important for elucidation of the molecular mechanisms of induction.

Induction of glutathione transferases and NAD(P)H:quinone reductase by fumaric acid derivatives in rodent cells and tissues.

Dimethyl fumarate and dimethyl maleate are potent inducers of cytosolic NAD(P)H:(quinone acceptor) oxidoreductase (here designated quinone reductase) activity in Hepa 1c1c7 murine hepatoma cells in culture, whereas fumaric and maleic acids are much less potent, in agreement with the much greater reactivity of the esters as Michael reaction acceptors (P. Talalay, M. J. De Long, and H. J. Prochaska, Proc. Natl. Acad. Sci. USA, 85:8261-8265, 1988). Dimethyl fumarate also induced quinone reductase in mutants of the Hepa 1c1c7 cell line that were either defective in the Ah receptor or in cytochrome P1-450 activity, thereby establishing that this compound is a monofunctional inducer (H. J. Prochaska and P. Talalay, Cancer Res., 48: 4776-4782, 1988). Addition of dimethyl fumarate to the diet of female CD-1 mice and female Sprague-Dawley rats at 0.2-0.5% concentrations elevated cytosolic glutathione transferases and quinone reductase activities in a variety of organs, whereas much higher concentrations of fumaric acid were only marginally active. The widespread induction of such detoxication enzymes by dimethyl fumarate suggests the potential value of this compound as a protective agent against chemical carcinogenesis and other forms of electrophile toxicity. This proposal is supported by the finding that the concentrations of dimethyl fumarate required to obtain substantial enzyme inductions were well tolerated by rodents. Furthermore, the parent fumaric acid has low chronic toxicity and is a naturally occurring metabolic intermediate that is already in the food chain as an additive, and fumarate salts and esters are used for therapeutic purposes in man.

Mapping of a cholinergic binding site by means of synthetic peptides, monoclonal antibodies, and alpha-bungarotoxin.

Previous studies by several laboratories have identified a narrow sequence region of the nicotinic acetylcholine receptor (AChR) alpha subunit, flanking the cysteinyl residues at positions 192 and 193, as containing major elements of, if not all, the binding site for cholinergic ligands. In the present study, we used a panel of synthetic peptides as representative structural elements of the AChR to investigate whether additional segments of the AChR sequences are able to bind alpha-bungarotoxin (alpha-BTX) and several alpha-BTX-competitive monoclonal antibodies (mAbs). The mAbs used (WF6, WF5, and W2) were raised against native Torpedo AChR, specifically recognize the alpha subunit, and bind to AChR is inhibited by all cholinergic ligands. WF6 competes with agonists, but not with low mol. wt. antagonists, for AChR binding. The synthetic peptides used in this study were approximately 20 residue long, overlapped each other by 4-6 residues, and corresponded to the complete sequence of Torpedo AChR alpha subunit. Also, overlapping peptides, corresponding to the sequence segments of each Torpedo AChR subunit homologous to alpha 166-203, were synthesized. alpha-BTX bound to a peptide containing the sequence alpha 181-200 and also, albeit to a lesser extent, to a peptide containing the sequence alpha 55-74. WF6 bound to alpha 181-200 and to a lesser extent to alpha 55-74 and alpha 134-153. The two other mAbs predominantly bound to alpha 55-74, and to a lesser extent to alpha 181-200. Peptides alpha 181-200 and alpha 55-74 both inhibited binding of 125I-alpha-BTX to native Torpedo AChR. None of the peptides corresponding to sequence segments from other subunits bound alpha-BTX or WF6, or interfered with their binding. Therefore, the cholinergic binding site is not a single narrow sequence region, but rather two or more discontinuous sequence segments within the N-terminal extracellular region of the AChR alpha subunit, folded together in the native structure of the receptor, contribute to form a cholinergic binding region. Such a structural arrangement is similar to the "discontinuous epitopes" observed by X-ray diffraction studies of antibody-antigen complexes [reviewed in Davies et al. (1988)].

Regulation of enzymes that detoxify the electrophilic forms of chemical carcinogens.

Most chemical carcinogens require activation to reactive electrophilic forms by Phase 1 enzymes (cytochromes P-450) in order to exert their toxic and neoplastic effects. The resultant electrophiles are susceptible to metabolic conjugation and other types of detoxications by Phase 2 enzymes (glutathione transferases, NAD(P)H: quinone reductase, glucuronosyltransferases). The balance between Phase 1 and Phase 2 enzymes is an important determinant of whether exposure to carcinogens will result in toxicity and neoplasia. Measurements of the activity of quinone reductase (QR) provide an efficient method for studying the potency and mechanism of Phase 2 enzyme induction. QR can be measured easily in murine hepatoma cells (Hepa lclc7) grown in microtiter plate wells, and the inductive response of these cells closely parallels the behavior of rodent tissues in vivo. Some inducers (such as large planar aromatics) are bifunctional; they induce both Phase 1 and Phase 2 enzymes and require binding to the Ah receptor and enhanced transcription of the cytochrome P1-450 system. Other inducers (e.g., phenolic antioxidants, 1, 2-dithiole-3-thiones, coumarins, thiocarbamates) are monofunctional and are independent of Ah receptor function. Monofunctional enzyme induction protects against carcinogens. The induction of Phase 2 enzymes by monofunctional inducers depends on the presence, or acquisition by metabolism, of electrophilic centers, and many of these inducers are Michael reaction acceptors. Our search for chemoprotective enzyme inducers for potential use as chemoprotectors in man is currently focused on fumarate derivatives, as well as on the identification of other monofunctional inducers in extracts of vegetables.

The visual evoked potential in acute primary angle closure glaucoma.

Visual evoked potentials (VEPs) were elicited from 29 patients who had experienced a previous attack of acute primary angle closure glaucoma. The VEPs were shown to be abnormal in at least one of the measures (latency, amplitude, contrast threshold, or slope) in 72.4% of affected eyes, whereas only 41.4% indicated obvious optic nerve damage. It is notable that 48.1% of fellow eyes with no (known) history of acute pressure rise also showed some form of VEP abnormality. The possible pathophysiological mechanisms operating in both affected and fellow eyes are discussed. It is concluded that, despite the presence of possible artefactual influences, the results probably reflect the presence of primary angle closure glaucoma.

Epitope mapping employing antibodies raised against short synthetic peptides: a study of the nicotinic acetylcholine receptor.

Antibodies were raised against eight synthetic peptides matching preselected portions of the amino acid sequence of nicotinic acetylcholine receptor (nAChR) from Torpedo marmorata. To increase the probability of obtaining antibodies specific for the exact sequence of the immunizing peptide, peptides of only five to seven amino acids in length were employed. Even under these limiting conditions some of the polyclonal rabbit immune sera showed cross-reactivity with other peptides and/or other sequence regions of the receptor. Further studies with polyclonal and monoclonal sera suggested that conformation and charge pattern rather than linear sequence are the essential determinants of antibody epitopes. Application of antibodies for topological studies therefore requires that the antibody specificity for a particular region of the antigen has been firmly established. Epitope mapping with the eight anti-peptide immune sera provides information on the accessibility to antibody of matching sequences within the receptor molecule. We find the sequence portions alpha 81-85, alpha 127-132, and alpha 190-195 to be freely accessible both at membrane-bound and at purified receptor. Binding of anti-alpha 387-392 serum does not prove accessibility of this region as the serum cross-reacts strongly with peptide fragments corresponding to the regions alpha 165-200 and beta 190-200 of nAChR from Torpedo californica. To permit binding of anti-alpha 137-142 immune serum, treatment of the receptor with endoglycosidase is required, showing that Asn-141 indeed is glycosylated in native nAChR. The homologous sequence of the other subunits differing only in one sequence position from alpha 137-142 is not accessible in native nAChR to antibody, indicating clear differences in folding of the receptor polypeptides. Sequence portions alpha 395-401 and alpha 161-166 must first be exposed by appropriate treatment to permit binding of respective serum. These results and previous epitope mapping studies by other laboratories are discussed with respect to the limited sequence specificity of antibodies.

Bacterial contamination of intraocular lenses: the source of the bacteria.

In order to investigate potential sources for the bacterial contamination of intraocular lenses, specimens were taken for culture from a variety of sites. A swab from the lid margin, the operating room air, an intraocular lens which was allowed to rest on the eye, and the sodium hyaluronate were cultured during routine intercapsular lens implant surgery on 31 patients. Positive cultures were obtained from six intraocular lenses. Subtyping by three independent methods showed that isolates from five of these lenses were indistinguishable from bacteria cultured from the air. In the case of the sixth lens a bacterial isolate from the lid margin matched with that from the lens. Staphylococcus epidermidis was cultured from four lenses; Staphylococcus haemolyticus was also isolated from one of these four lenses and the remaining two lenses produced isolates of Staphylococcus aureus.

Visual evoked potentials in the older population: age and gender effects.

Pattern reversal Visual Evoked Potentials (VEPs) were elicited from 68 normal subjects (31 males, 37 females) in the age range 40-80 years. With VEP latency, a significant age effect, increasing values with age, was demonstrated, but none in relation to gender. The converse held true for VEP amplitude however, no age effect being observed, but some gender effect in that lower values were elicited from males as compared to females.