Temperature and benzyl alcohol as probes of the antilipolytic mechanism of insulin action in adipocytes.

The temperature dependence of cAMP accumulation and glycerol release in response to epinephrine and insulin in adipocytes is examined. (1) Glycerol release in the presence of epinephrine demonstrated linear Arrhenius kinetics to 41 degrees C, and above 45 degrees C glycerol release was progressively inhibited. (2) In contrast, incubation of the cells with both epinephrine and insulin resulted in glycerol release rates that were relatively temperature insensitive. (3) Calculation of the efficacy of insulin to inhibit epinephrine-stimulated glycerol release as a function of temperature yielded a biphasic response, with a distinct optimum around 41 degrees C, in a similar manner to the effects of insulin on hexose transport activation determined previously. (4) A saturating dose of insulin (40 ng/ml) was found to have no significant effect on epinephrine-stimulated intracellular cAMP over the temperature range studied. (5) Addition of benzyl alcohol (to 40 mM) resulted in substantial inhibition of basal, epinephrine stimulated, and insulin inhibited glycerol release, without affecting the magnitude of insulin inhibition. We conclude from these studies that (a) insulin inhibition of glycerol release can not be mediated directly by intracellular cAMP modulation, (b) as in the case of hexose transport activation, the signalling mechanism by the occupied insulin receptor appears to be relatively independent of the membrane lipid environment.

Organization and interaction of cholesterol and phosphatidylcholine in model bilayer membranes.

The molecular organization of sterols in liposomes of 1-palmitoyl-2-oleoyl-sn-glycero-3-phosphocholine (POPC) at 37 degrees C is examined by utilizing the fluorescent analogue of cholesterol cholesta-5,7,9-trien-3 beta-ol (cholestatrienol). (1) Cholestatrienol is shown to be indistinguishable from native cholesterol in terms of its ability to condense POPC, as determined by (i) pressure/area studies of mixed-lipid monolayers and (ii) its ability to increase the order of POPC bilayers (determined by electron spin resonance studies) whether on its own or admixed with cholesterol at various ratios. (2) By analysis of the perturbation of the absorption spectra, cholestatrienol was found to be freely miscible in aggregates of cholesterol in buffer. In contrast, a lack of any detectable direct interaction of the sterol molecules in POPC bilayers was detected. (3) Fluorescence intensity and lifetime measurements of POPC/sterol (1:1 mol/mol) at various cholesterol/cholestratrienol molar ratios (0.5:1 up to 1:1 cholestatrienol/POPC) confirmed that sterol molecules in the membrane matrix were not associated to any great degree. (4) A quantitative estimate of how close sterol molecules approach each other in the membrane matrix was evaluated from the concentration dependence of the steady-state depolarization of fluorescence and was found to be 10.6 A. From geometrical considerations, the sterol/phospholipid phase at 1:1 mol/mol is depicted as each sterol having four POPC molecules as nearest neighbors. We term this arrangement of the lipid matrix an "ordered bimolecular mesomorphic lattice". (5) The concentration dependence of depolarization of fluorescence of cholestatrienol in POPC liposomes in the absence of cholesterol yielded results that were consistent with the cholestatrienol molecules being homogeneously dispersed throughout the phospholipid phase at sterol/POPC ratios of less than 1:1. (6) From qualitative calculations of the van der Walls' hydrophobic interactions of the lipid species, the phospholipid condensing effect of cholesterol is postulated to arise from increased interpenetration of the flexible methylene segments of the acyl chains, as a direct result of their greater mutual attraction compared to their attraction for neighboring sterol molecules. (7) The interdependence of the ordered bimolecular mesomorphic lattice and the acyl chain condensation is discussed in an effort to understand the ability of cholesterol to modulate the physical and mechanical properties of biological membranes.

Mechanisms of oxidant-mediated cell injury. The glycolytic and mitochondrial pathways of ADP phosphorylation are major intracellular targets inactivated by hydrogen peroxide.

Inhibition of ADP phosphorylation by both glycolysis and mitochondria in P388D1 cells exposed to H2O2 is described. Net glucose uptake and lactate production were inhibited by oxidant exposure (ED50 = 50-100 microM). Glycolysis was specifically inactivated at the glyceraldehyde-3-phosphate dehydrogenase step by three independent mechanisms: (a) direct inactivation of the intracellular enzyme (ED50 approximately equal to 100 microM); (b) reduction of the intracellular concentration and redox potential of its nicotinamide cofactors; and (c) a cytosolic pH shift further from the enzyme optima. Consistent with inhibition of glycolysis at the glyceraldehyde-3-phosphate dehydrogenase step, a rise in the intracellular concentration of glyceraldehyde 3-phosphate, dihydroxyacetone phosphate, and fructose 1,6-bisphosphate was observed. The calculated combined inhibition of glyceraldehyde-3-phosphate dehydrogenase activity could be reasonably correlated with the depression in glycolytic flux rate with the appropriate modeling. The steady-state contribution by mitochondria to the total intracellular ATP pool was indirectly determined by the use of various metabolic inhibitors and was found to rapidly decline following exposure to 300-800 microM H2O2. The inhibition of ADP phosphorylation appeared to be related more to the direct inhibition of the ATPase-synthase complex rather than to the diminished capacity of the respiratory chain for coupled electron transport. Both the estimated rates of ADP phosphorylation by glycolysis and mitochondria and the estimated rate of ATP hydrolysis by ongoing metabolism were utilized to model the approximate decline in intracellular ATP expected at 15-min exposure to various H2O2 concentrations. Theoretical calculations and the measured intracellular ATP status were in good agreement. Oxidant exposure for 15 min resulted in dose-dependent killing of the cells (ED50 = 500 microM), indicating a close correlation between H2O2-mediated loss of intracellular ATP and cell viability. The possible contribution of impaired energy homeostasis during oxidant-mediated injury to the process of cell dysfunction and death is discussed.

Insulin stimulation of adipocyte membrane glucose transport. A graded biologic response insensitive to bilayer lipid disordering.

Aspects of the mechanism by which insulin stimulates the membrane glucose transport system were examined by assessing the influence of the bilayer lipid structure on transport stimulation characteristics, and considering the form of the insulin dose-response curve. We tested the effects of membrane lipid perturbation on the insulin stimulation process. Benzyl alcohol, at concentrations (25 mM) that grossly fluidize lipids forming the adipocyte membrane bilayer matrix, caused 50% inhibition of intrinsic transporter activity. However, this membrane perturbation had no significant effect on either the insulin dose-response curve (conducted at 37 degrees) or the time-course of the insulin stimulation of hexose transport (conducted at 32 degrees). These data are difficult to rationalize in terms of a model in which transport stimulation involves interaction of transporters and hormone-bound receptors that is limited by lateral diffusion of these proteins in the fluid lipid bilayer. Curve-fitting experimental insulin dose-response data for stimulation of 2-deoxy-D-glucose and D-glucose uptake provided an estimate of an insulin "association constant" for transport regulation that may be compared with recent insulin receptor binding data. Similar magnitude constants were obtained whether estimated directly from plots of transport velocity versus arithmetic hormone dose, or by extrapolation from linear segments of sigmoidal velocity versus log dose plots, or from inverse (Lineweaver-Burk-type) plots of the insulin dose-response data. Insulin apparently regulates transport by associating with a binding site, having an apparent dissociation constant which is determinable through kinetic measurements of hexose uptake (KDapp approx. 17-40 pM). This is in good agreement with the dissociation constant, KD, determined from Scatchard plots of recent binding data to adipocytes, for a class of receptors representing the "high affinity" binding sites for insulin. Insulin dose-response curve simulations also indicated that the stimulation process may be classified in pharmacologic terms as a typical graded biologic response and may involve insulin association with a site that regulates transport rates in a manner kinetically analogous to allosteric modulation of a V-series enzyme by a noncompetitive ligand. From the results we suggest that a relatively close association occurs between transport and receptor proteins in the membrane, where the relative activation of transport depends on the fractional occupancy of functional high affinity receptors by insulin, and the insulin stimulation of transport involves regions of the membrane that are not influenced significantly by

Membrane structural/functional perturbations induced by gossypol. Effects on membrane order, liposome permeability, and insulin-sensitive hexose transport.

The effects of gossypol on membrane structure and membrane-associated functions were studied to explore possible reasons for the ability of gossypol to disrupt cellular processes, many of which involve intracellular and plasma membranes. The experiments reported here measured the effects of gossypol on membrane order, permeability, and hexose transport. Electron spin resonance (ESR) studies of I(12,3) nitroxide fatty acid spin-labeled unilamellar liposomes showed that exposure to 0.05 to 4 mM gossypol caused a dose-dependent increase in the polarity-corrected order parameter (S), indicating reduced motional freedom of the spin probe after exposure to gossypol. This observation is consistent with the idea that gossypol causes an ordering or "condensing" of the membrane lipid matrix. Gossypol-induced changes in order parameter in phosphatidylcholine:cholesterol liposomes varied depending on the liposome composition. Liposomes exposed to gossypol also showed increasing permeability to glycerol as the gossypol:phospholipid ratio increased up to 10 mole %. Higher concentrations of gossypol were less effective at enhancing permeability. In addition, basal and insulin-stimulated 2-deoxy-D-[3H]glucose transport were inhibited in freshly isolated rat adipocytes incubated with gossypol at 37 degrees. Half-maximal inhibition occurred at approximately 0.2 mM for uptake in both the presence and absence of 40 ng/ml insulin. Microscopic observation of the cells under low power (40 X) confirmed that diminished hexose transport was not simply due to breakage of the adipocyte plasma membrane, resulting in a decrease in intact cell population and decreased accumulation of label in the gossypol-treated cells. Gossypol produced no significant changes in numbers of intact cells or gross morphology at the concentrations tested. We suggest that ordering and increased permeability of the lipid regions of plasma and subcellular membranes may contribute to some of the toxic and pharmacologic properties of gossypol. Our results also support the idea that gossypol may exert more pronounced effects in cells that are most sensitive to variations in availability of glucose substrates for energy metabolism.

Insulin stimulation of glucose transport in isolated rat adipocytes. Functional evidence for insulin activation of intrinsic transporter activity within the plasma membrane.

We examined the effects of the membrane-impermeant amino-group-modifying agent fluorescein isothiocyanate (FITC) on the basal and insulin-stimulated hexose-transport activity of isolated rat adipocytes. Pre-treatment of cells with FITC causes irreversible inhibition of transport measured in subsequently washed cells. Transport activity was inhibited by approx. 50% with 2 mM-FITC in 8 min. The cells respond to insulin, after FITC treatment and removal, and the fold increase in transport above the basal value caused by maximal concentrations of insulin was independent of the concentration of FITC used for pre-treatment over the range 0-2 mM, where basal activity was progressively inhibited. The ability of FITC to modify selectively hexose transporters accessible only to the external milieu was evaluated by two methods. (1) Free intracellular FITC, and the distribution of FITC bound to cellular components, were assessed after dialysis of the homogenate and subcellular fractionation on sucrose gradients by direct spectroscopic measurement of fluorescein. Most (98%) of the FITC was associated with the non-diffusible fractions. Equilibrium sucrose-density-gradient centrifugation of the homogenate demonstrated that the subcellular distribution of the bound FITC correlated with the density distribution of a plasma-membrane marker, but not markers for Golgi, endoplasmic reticulum, mitochondria or protein. Exposing the cellular homogenate, rather than the intact cell preparation, to 2 mM-FITC resulted in a 4-5-fold increase in total bound FITC, and the density-distribution profile more closely resembled the distribution of total protein. (2) Incubation of hexokinase preparations with FITC rapidly and irreversibly inactivates this protein. However, both intracellular hexokinase total activity and its apparent Michaelis constant for glucose were unaffected in FITC-treated intact cells. Further control experiments demonstrated that FITC pre-treatment of cells had no effect on the intracellular ATP concentration or the dose-response curve of insulin stimulation of hexose transport. Since the fold increase of hexose transport induced by insulin is constant over the range of inhibition of surface-labelled hexose transporters, we suggest that insulin-induced insertion of additional transporters into the plasma membrane may not be the major locus of acceleration of hexose transport by the hormone.

Sensitivity of adipocyte basal and insulin-stimulated hexose transport to the membrane lipid structure.

A series of anesthetic alcohols inhibited basal and insulin-stimulated 2-deoxy-D-[1-14C]glucose transport in adipocytes over total alcohol concentration ranges that cause local anesthesia of rat sciatic nerve. The relative potencies of the inhibition caused by the alcohols increased in the following order: methanol less than ethanol less than propanol less than butanol less than benzyl alcohol less than hexanol less than octanol. The inhibition was reversible and correlated well with the known partitioning of the alcohols into lipids of biological membranes. Adipocyte membranes were labeled with the 5-nitroxide stearate spin probe to investigate the effects of the alcohols on the dynamic structure of membrane lipids of the adipocyte. The alcohols increased the membrane "fluidity", and the relative concentration dependence of the effects closely paralleled that noted from methanol to octanol in transport studies. Alcohols from methanol to hexanol caused inhibition of hexose transport at molar potencies comparable to that observed for membrane disordering. This suggests that hydrophobic regions of the transporter and its lipid environment are perturbed by a comparable mechanism for each alcohol. The cholesterol-complexing polyene antibiotic filipin inhibited hexose transport and influenced the mobility of lipid domains sampled with the nitroxide cholestane, cholesterol-like spin probe. The data are consistent with the concept that the membrane structural/functional effects are mediated by formation of 1:1 cholesterol:filipin complexes. Alcohols and filipin inhibited inherent transporter activity and perturbed the membrane lipid structure without dramatically diminishing transport stimulation by insulin above basal. The specific organization of membrane lipids (particularly cholesterol) may provide an essential environment for optimal transport system activity.

Effects of insulin on the lipid structure of liver plasma membrane measured with fluorescence and ESR spectroscopic methods.

Insulin increased the lipid order of rat and mouse liver plasma membrane domains sampled by the hydrophobic fluorescent probe 1,6-diphenyl-1,3,5-hexatriene in a concentration-dependent saturable manner. The ordering is half maximal at 5.1 X 10(-11) M and fully saturated at 1.7 X 10(-10) M insulin. Membranes prepared from obese hyperglycemic (ob/ob) mice demonstrated a right-shift in the dose-dependent ordering induced by insulin, such that ordering was half maximal at 1.2 X 10(-10) M and fully saturated at 2.0 X 10(-10) M. Insulin also increased the order of rat liver plasma membranes labeled with the cis- and trans-parinaric acid methyl esters. The ordering caused by insulin as detected with cis methyl parinarate was complete within approx. 15 min. after hormone addition at 37 degrees C, and the ordering was approximately double that observed with the trans isomer. Additional ESR experiments demonstrated that the addition of insulin increased the outer hyperfine splittings of spectra recorded from membranes labeled with the steroid-like spin labels, nitroxide cholestane and nitroxide androstane, but not the fatty acid spin probe, 5-nitroxide stearate. Studies utilizing model membrane systems strongly suggest that the 5-nitroxide stearate samples a cholesterol-poor domain of the membrane, while the steroid-like probes preferentially sample cholesterol-rich regions of the membrane. Finally, insulin-induced membrane ordering was dose-dependently inhibited by cytochalasin B in the range 1-50 microM. From these results, we conclude that (1) the ordering effect of insulin addition to isolated liver plasma membrane fractions occurs within the physiological range of hormone concentration, and the dose-response is right-shifted in membranes from 'insulin resistant' animals; (2) the relative responses of the fluorescent and spin probes suggest that the effects of insulin are confined to specific domains within the membrane matrix; and (3) the direct effects of insulin on the membranes may involve protein components having cytochalasin B binding sites.

Membrane structural/functional properties of adipocytes from normal and streptozotocin-diabetic rats.

The uptake of 2-deoxy-D-[1-14C]-glucose, in the presence and absence of insulin, was measured in adipocytes from normal and streptozotocin-diabetic animals, over a wide temperature range (25-45 degrees C). Optimum temperatures for uptake in the presence of maximally stimulating insulin concentrations occurred near physiologic temperatures. Both high and low temperatures lead to progressive inhibition of insulin-sensitive uptake, whereas basal uptake was only marginally affected. It is possible that the apparent "resistance" to insulin action at high (febrile) temperatures may have pathologic significance. The magnitude of 2-deoxy-D-glucose uptake at all temperatures in the diabetic adipocytes was much reduced, both in the presence and absence of insulin, on a per cell basis, compared with cells from age-matched control animals. However, the fold stimulation of uptake caused by insulin at 35 degrees C is comparable in both normal and diabetic adipocytes (approximately 2-3-fold). Photomicrographs of adipocytes were used to estimate the cell diameters of the average normal (50 micron) and diabetic (37 micron) cells. The diabetic adipocytes are not "resistant" to insulin action in terms of 2-deoxy-D-glucose uptake since the basal and insulin-stimulated uptake magnitudes per micron2 membrane surface area are identical in both normal and diabetic cells (within experimental error). It is possible that the decreased diabetic cell size reflects the reduced antilipolytic effects of chronic hypoinsulinemia rather than any inherent resistance to insulin action in the cell itself.(ABSTRACT TRUNCATED AT 250 WORDS)

Temperature optimum of insulin-stimulated 2-deoxy-D-glucose uptake in rat adipocytes. Correlation of cellular transport with membrane spin-label and fluorescence-label data.

The effects of temperature alterations between 22 degrees C and 48 degrees C on basal and insulin-stimulated 2-deoxy-D-[1-14C]glucose uptake were examined in isolated rat adipocytes. A distinct optimum was found near physiological temperature for uptake in the presence of maximally effective insulin concentrations where insulin stimulation and hexose uptake were both conducted at each given assay temperature. Basal uptake was only subtly affected. Control and maximally insulin-stimulated cells incubated at 35 degrees C subsequently exhibited minimal temperature-sensitivity of uptake measured between 30 and 43 degrees C. The data are mostly consistent with the concept that insulin-sensitive glucose transporters are, after stimulation by insulin, functionally similar to basal transporters. Adipocyte plasma membranes were labelled with various spin- and fluorescence-label probes in lipid structural studies. The temperature-dependence of the order parameter S calculated from membranes labelled with 5-nitroxide stearate indicated the presence of a lipid phase change at approx. 33 degrees C. Membranes labelled with the fluorescence label 1,6-diphenylhexa-1,3,5-triene, or the cholesterol-like spin label nitroxide cholestane, reveal sharp transitions at lower temperatures. We suggest that a thermotropic lipid phase separation occurs in the adipocyte membrane that may be correlated with the temperature-dependence of hexose transport and insulin action in the intact cells.

Alcohols inhibit adipocyte basal and insulin-stimulated glucose uptake and increase the membrane lipid fluidity.

Benzyl alcohol and ethanol, at aqueous concentrations that cause local anesthesia of rat sciatic nerve, affect structural and functional properties of rat adipocytes. The data strongly suggest that structurally-intact membrane lipids are required for the proper cellular uptake of glucose and for the physiologic response of adipocytes to insulin. The structure of adipocyte membrane lipids was examined with the spin label method. Isolated adipocyte 'ghost' membranes were labeled with the 5-nitroxide stearate spin probe I(12,3). Order parameters that are sensitive to the fluidity of the lipid environment of the incorporated probe were calculated from ESR spectra of labeled membranes. Benzyl alcohol and ethanol dramatically increased the fluidity of the adipocyte ghost membrane, as indicated by decreases in the polarity-corrected order parameter S. This concentration-dependent fluidization commenced at approx. 10 mM benzyl alcohol and progressively increased at all higher concentrations tested (up to 107 mM). S decreased approx. 5.7% at 40 mM benzyl alcohol, a change in S comparable in magnitude to that induced by a 6 degrees C increase in the incubation temperature. Benzyl alcohol and ethanol inhibited basal glucose uptake in adipocytes and uptake maximally stimulated by insulin. Temperature-induced increases in membrane fluidity, detected with I(12,3), that closely paralleled the fluidity effects of alcohols were associated only with increases in basal and insulin-stimulated glucose uptake. The contention that the membrane lipid fluidity plays a role in insulin action needs further study.

Vitamin D-mediated intestinal calcium transport. Effects of essential fatty acid deficiency and spin label studies of enterocyte membrane lipid fluidity.

Vitamin D-3 and its metabolites regulate the transport of calcium across the intestinal epithelial cell via a mechanism which is as yet unknown. The purpose of this study was to evaluate the effect of an essential fatty acid deficiency on vitamin D-stimulated intestinal calcium transport as measured by both in vivo and in vitro techniques. We also describe in this report a procedure for the isolation of chick intestinal epithelial cell brush border and basal lateral membranes and an assessment of the effect of dietary vitamin D on the lipid fluidity of these membranes. An essential fatty acid deficiency in both vitamin D-replete and deficient chicks resulted in a decrease in intestinal mucosal levels of linoleic acid, with a compensatory increase in the levels of the short chain fatty acid, myristic acid, and the unsaturated fatty acids, palmitoleic and eicosatrienoic acids. An essential fatty acid deficiency did not affect the ability of vitamin D-deficient chicks to respond to vitamin D with a 2-fold increase in serum calcium and a 4-5-fold increase in intestinal calcium transport, measured in vivo. However, an essential fatty acid deficiency resulted in an inability of vitamin D to increase calcium efflux in vitamin D-deficient chick ileum as measured under in vitro conditions. Dietary vitamin D resulted in no detectable change in the protein composition in either the brush border or basal lateral membranes as evidenced by SDS-polyacrylamide electrophoresis. In addition, vitamin D did not alter the levels of brush border membrane cholesterol or lipid phosphorus (0.27 +/- 0.03 and 0.19 +/- 0.01 mumol/mol protein, respectively). Brush border and basal lateral membranes were labeled with the 5-nitroxide stearate spin probe I(12,3). The polarity of the environment of the probe in the brush border membranes is much greater than that of the basal lateral membranes. In addition, the lipid environment of the brush border membrane is much less fluid (S = 0.650) that that of the basal lateral membrane (S = 0.583). The data concerning membrane lipid fluidity is qualitatively similar to fluorescence polarization studies of rat intestinal epithelial cell membranes and confirms the concept that a given cell may contain plasma membrane regions having discrete lipid structures/fluidities. Dietary vitamin D had no detectable effect on the lipid fluidity or polarity in either the brush border or basal lateral membranes. The results do not support a role for an alteration in essential fatty acid composition or gross changes in the lipid fluidity of the brush border or basal lateral membranes as mechanisms by which vitamin D regulates intestinal calcium transport.

Glucagon-stimulated adenylate cyclase detects a selective perturbation of the inner half of the liver plasma-membrane bilayer achieved by the local anaesthetic prilocaine.

Prilocaine can increase the fluidity of rat liver plasma membranes, as indicated by a fatty acid spin-probe. This led to the activation of the membrane-bound fluoride-stimulated adenylate cyclase activity, but not the Lubrol-solubilized activity, suggesting that increased lipid fluidity can activate the enzyme. With increasing prilocaine concentrations above 10 mM, the membrane-bound fluoride-stimulated activity was progressively inhibited, even though bilayer fluidity continued to increase and the activity of the solubilized enzyme remained unaffected. Glucagon-stimulated adenylate cyclase was progressively inhibited by increasing prilocaine concentrations. Prilocaine (10 mM) had no effect on the lipid phase separation occurring at 28 degrees C and attributed to those lipids in the external half of the bilayer, as indicated by Arrhenius plots of both glucagon-stimulated adenylate cyclase activity and the order parameter of a fatty acid spin-probe. However, 10 mM-prilocaine induced a lipid phase separation at around 11 degrees C that was attributed to the lipids of the internal (cytosol-facing) half of the bilayer. It is suggested that prilocaine (10 mM) can selectively perturb the inner half of the bilayer of rat liver plasma membranes owing to its preferential interaction with the acidic phospholipids residing there.

Effect of calcium, insulin and growth hormone on membrane fluidity. A spin label study of rat adipocyte and human erythrocyte ghosts.

ESR spectra were recorded from rat epididymal adipocyte ghosts labeled with the 5-nitroxide stearic acid spin probe, I(12,3). Polarity-corrected and approximate order parameters, that are sensitive to the flexibility of the incorporated label, were used to evaluate the membrane lipid fluidity. Addition of CaCl2 a 37 degrees C decreased the fluidity, as indicated by positive increases in the order parameters. The ordering effect of Ca2+ was concentration-dependent, reached saturation at approx. 3--4 mM, and was completely reversed by excess EGTA. Previous studies indicated that low- and high-affinity sites on adipocyte plasma membranes are able to bind 45Ca2+, and our results suggest that Ca2+-induced alterations in the lipid fluidity involve cation binding to low-affinity sites. The cellular movements of Ca2+ and, in particular, the binding of Ca2+ to the plasma membrane may play important roles in insulin's action on fat cell function. The possibility that insulin directly alters the membrane fluidity was tested by adding hormone to freshly-prepared I(12,3)-labeled adipocyte ghosts. Insulin, at concentrations (10(-6) M) that enhance glucose uptake into intact adipocytes, did not affect the fluidity of ghosts suspended in buffers with or without Ca2+. The fluidities of I(12,3)-labeled rat adipocyte ghosts or human erythrocyte ghosts were also unaffected by various forms of human growth hormone.

The selective effects of charged local anaesthetics on the glucagon- and fluoride-stimulated adenylate cyclase activity of rat-liver plasma membranes.

The cationic local anaesthetics carbocaine and nupercaine were found to increase the fluoride-stimulated adenylate cyclase up to a maximum level; above this maximum level further increases in drug concentration inhibited the enzyme. At concentrations where this activity was stimulated, a fatty acid spin label detected an increase in bilayer fluidity, which, it is suggested, is responsible for the activation of the enzyme. A solubilized enzyme was unaffected by the drugs, a finding consistent with this proposal. These cationic drugs began to inhibit the glucagon-stimulated activity at concentrations where they activated the fluoride-stimulated activity. It is suggested that this is due to their effect on the coupling interaction between the receptor and catalytic unit. The anionic drugs, phenobarbital, pentobarbital, and salicylic acid, all inhibited the fluoride-stimulated enzyme. This may be due in part to a direct effect on the protein and in part to the interaction of the drugs with the bilayer. The drugs had small inhibitory effects on the lubrol-solubilized enzyme. The glucagon-stimulated enzyme was initially inhibited by the anionic drugs at low concentrations, then activated, and finally inhibited with increasing drug concentration. The reasons for such changes are complex, but there was no evidence from electron spin resonance studies to suggest that the elevations in activity were due to increases in bilayer fluidity.

Effects of calcium, lanthanum, and temperature on the fluidity of spin-labeled human platelets.

Previous platelet studies have shown that calcium plays important roles in stimulus-secretion coupling, aggregation, and other membrane-associated functions. In addition, lanthanum induces platelet aggregation and the platelet release reaction and also influences platelet responsiveness to various stimuli. The spin-label results presented here suggest that one mechanism through which calcium and lanthanum mediate their effects on platelet functions may be by decreasing the lipid fluidity of the surface membrane. The structure of platelet membrane lipids was examined with the spin-label method. Washed human platelets were labeled with the 5-, 12- and 16-nitroxide stearic acid spin probes. Order parameters which measure the fluidity of the lipid environment of the incorporated probe may be calculated from the electron spin resonance (ESR) spectra of 5-nitroxide stearate [I(12,3)]-labeled cells. Evidence is presented which indicates that these spectra principally reflect properties of the platelet surface membrane lipids. The membrane fluidity increased with temperature for the range 17 to 37 degrees C. Either calcium or lanthanum additions to intact cells increased the rigidity of the platelet membranes at 37 degrees C, although the La3+ effect was larger and occurred at lower concentrations than that of Ca2+. For example, addition of 1 mM La3+ or 4 mM Ca2+ increased the order parameter of I(12,3)-labeled platelets by 4.3 +/- 1.7% or 2.1 +/- 0.5%. Preliminary studies conducted on purified platelet plasma membranes labeled with I(12,3) indicated that 1 mM LaCl3 or 4 mM CaCl2 additions similarly decreased the lipid fluidity at 37 degrees C. The above cation-induced effects on the fluidity of whole platelets were reversed by the use of the divalent cation-chelating agent ethylene glycol-bis-(beta-aminoethyl ether)-N,N'-tetra-acetic acid (EGTA). Lastly, lanthanum (0.2-1 mM) caused rapid aggregation of platelets which were suspended in a 50-mM Tris buffer pH 7.4 that did not contain adenosine.

Spin label studies on rat liver and heart plasma membranes: effects of temperature, calcium, and lanthanum on membrane fluidity.

The structures of rat liver and heart plasma membranes were studied with the 5-nitroxide stearic acid spin probe, I(12,3). The polarity-corrected order parameters (S) of liver and heart plasma membranes were independent of probe concentration only if experimentally determined low I(12,3)/lipid ratios were employed. At higher probe/lipid ratios, the order parameters of both membrane systems decreased with increasing probe concentration, and these effects were attributed to enhanced nitroxide radical interactions. Examination of the temperature dependence of approximate and polarity-corrected order parameters indicated that lipid phase separations occur in liver (between 19 degrees and 28 degrees C) and heart (between 21 degrees and 32 degrees C) plasma membranes. The possibility that a wide variety of membrane-associated functions may be influenced by these thermotropic phase separations is considered. Addition of 3.9 mM CaCl2 to I(12,3)-labeled liver plasma membrane decreased the fluidity as indicated by a 5% increase in S at 37 degrees C. Similarly, titrating I(12,3)-labeled heart plasma membranes with either CaCl2 or LaCl3 decreased the lipid fluidity at 37 degrees C, although the magnitude of the La3+ effect was larger and occurred at lower concentrations than that induced by Ca2+; addition of 0.2 mM La3+ or 3.2 mM Ca2+ increased S by approximately 7% and 5%, respectively. The above cation effects reflected only alterations in the membrane fluidity and were not due to changes in probe--probe interactions. Ca2+ and La3+ at these concentrations decrease the activities of such plasma membrane enzymes as Na+, K+-ATPase and adenylyl cyclase, and it is suggested that the inhibition of these enzymes may be due in part to cation-mediated decreases in the lipid fluidity.

Studies on spin-labelled egg lecithin dispersions.

ESR spectra of egg lecithin dispersions labelled with 5-nitroxide stearic acid are recorded with a 50 G field sweep, and also with a new technique which "expands" the spectrum by (1) recording pairs of adjoining peaks with a smaller field sweep and (2) superposing the common peaks. The expansion technique improves the precision of the order parameters determined from the hyperfine splitting measurements, and may prove useful in future spin label membrane studies. Approximate order parameters are derived to describe the fluidity of fatty acid spin-labelled membranes in those cases where either the inner or outer hyperfine extrema are not well defined. The ability of these expressions to measure the fluidity of labelled egg lecithin disperions for the temperature range 14-42 degrees C is examined.

Spin-label studies on rat liver and heart plasma membranes: do probe-probe interactions interfere with the measurement of membrane properties?

The structures of purified rat liver and heart plasma membranes were studied with the 5-nitroxide stearic acid spin probe, I(12,3). ESR spectra were recorded with a 50 gauss field sweep, and also with a new technique which "expands" the spectrum by (1) recording pairs of adjoining peaks with a smaller field sweep and (2) superposing the common peaks. The hyperfine splittings measured from the "expanded" spectra were significantly more precise than those obtained from the "unexpanded" spectra. Both procedures were used to study the effects of various I(12,3) probe concentrations on the spectra of liver and heart membranes, as well as the effects of temperature and CaCl2 additions on the spectra of liver membranes, and revealed the following: The polarity-corrected order parameters of liver (31 degrees) and heart (22 degrees) membranes were found to be independent of the probe concentration, if experimentally-determined low I(12,3)/lipid ratios were employed. The absence of obvious radical-interaction broadening in the unexpanded spectra indicated that "intrinsic" membrane properties may be measured at these low probe/lipid ratios. Here, "intrinsic" properties are defined as those which are measured when probe-probe interactions are negligible, and do not refer to membrane behavior in the absence of a perturbing spin label. At higher I(12,3)/lipid ratios, the order parameters of liver and heart membranes were found to substantially decrease with increasing probe concentration. The increase in the "apparent" fluidity of both membrane systems is attributed to enhanced radical interactions; however, an examination of these spectra (without reference to "low" probe concentration spectra) might incorrectly suggest that radical interactions were absent. For the membrane concentrations employed in these studies, the presence of "liquid-lines" (or "fluid components") in the unexpanded ESR spectra was a convenient marker of high probe concentrations. A thermotropic phase separation was observed in liver membranes between 19 degrees and 28 degrees. Addition of CaCl2 to liver plasma membrane [labelled with "low" I(12,3) concentrations] increased the rigidity of the membrane at 31 degrees and 37 degrees, without inducing a segregation of the probe in the bilayer. Previously reported data are discussed in relation to these results, and suggested minimal criteria for performing membrane spin label studies are included.