Lentil lectin enriched microsomes from the plasma membrane of the human B-lymphocyte cell line H2LCL carry a heavy load of type-1 porin.

Using an established biochemical approach, five subcellular fractions of human B lymphocytes were prepared by differential centrifugation. Crude membranes were passed over a lentil lectin column to enrich carbohydrate-coated cell surface microsomes. The lectin-bound fraction contained a high amount of plasma membrane-derived microsomes as indicated by cell surface markers. All subcellular fractions in Western blots proved to contain distinct but variable amounts of porin. There was a strong increase in porin content from crude membranes to plasma membrane-derived vesicles. The porin content of this fraction appeared to be higher than that of mitochondria. In the final step the plasma membrane-derived microsome fraction proved to be devoid of contamination by outer mitochondrial membranes, as revealed by antibodies against the established markers MAO B and Tom20 applied in Western blots. These data prove the extramitochondrial expression of human type-1 porin/ type-1 VDAC.

Hormone-induced rise in cytosolic Ca2+ in axolotl hepatocytes: properties of the Ca2+ influx channel.

Calcium entry in nonexcitable cells occurs through Ca(2+)-selective channels activated secondarily to store depletion and/or through receptor- or second messenger-operated channels. In amphibian liver, hormones that stimulate the production of adenosine 3',5'-cyclic monophosphate (cAMP) also regulate the opening of an ion gate in the plasma membrane, which allows a noncapacitative inflow of Ca2+. To characterize this Ca2+ channel, we studied the effects of inhibitors of voltage-dependent Ca2+ channels and of nonselective cation channels on 8-bromoadenosine 3',5'-cyclic monophosphate (8-BrcAMP)-dependent Ca2+ entry in single axolotl hepatocytes. Ca2+ entry provoked by 8-BrcAMP in the presence of physiological Ca2+ followed first-order kinetics (apparent Michaelis constant = 43 microM at the cell surface). Maximal values of cytosolic Ca2+ (increment approximately 300%) were reached within 15 s, and the effect was transient (half time of 56 s). We report a strong inhibition of cAMP-dependent Ca2+ entry by nifedipine [half-maximal inhibitory concentration (IC50) = 0.8 microM], by verapamil (IC50 = 22 microM), and by SK&F-96365 (IC50 = 1.8 microM). Depolarizing concentrations of K+ were without effect. Gadolinium and the anti-inflammatory compound niflumate, both inhibitors of nonselective cation channels, suppressed Ca2+ influx. This "profile" indicates a novel mechanism of Ca2+ entry in nonexcitable cells.

Rapid changes in intracellular Zn2+ in rat hepatocytes.

Changes in the concentration of free Zn2+ were monitored in isolated rat hepatocytes using the fluorescent indicator zinquin (ethyl[2-methyl-8-p-toluenesulphonamido-6-quinolyloxy]acetat e). The concentration of Zn2+ in freshly isolated hepatocytes was 1.3 x 10(-6) M (range 0.61-2.7 x 10[-6] M). This value decreased by about 10%-15% during incubation in the absence of zinc and increased in a time- and concentration-dependent manner in the presence of exogenous zinc (Km approximately 10 microM). IIb group metal ions led to a concentration-dependent increase in zinquin fluorescence. The rank of efficacy was Hg approximately Cd > Pb (IVa) >> Cu (Ib) >>> Ni (VIII). This rank resembles their ability to mobilize zinc from metallothioneins. 8-Br-3',5'-cAMP (10[-4]M) caused a rapid decrease in Zn2+ epifluorescence which was apparent within 10 min and was sustained throughout the experiment. This effect was gradually obliterated in the presence of external ZnCl2. The effect was specific for cAMP (or cAMP generating hormones) as the calcium-dependent hormone [arg8]vasopressin (5 x 10[-8] M) did not affect intracellular Zn2+. An integrated role of zinc as a possible mediator in signal transduction is discussed.

Intracellular zinc movement and its effect on the carbohydrate metabolism of isolated rat hepatocytes.

The effect of zinc ions on carbohydrate metabolism and intracellular Zn2+ was studied in hepatocytes from fed rats. The addition of ZnCl2 to the medium led to an almost 3-fold increase in lactate production and an increase in net glucose production of about 50%. Half-maximal rates occurred at about 40 microM ZnCl2. These effects were not seen with Mn2+, Co2+, or Ni2+ up to 80 microM, whereas Cu2+ at 80 microM and Cd2+ or Pb2+ at 8 microM exhibited similar effects as 80 microM ZnCl2. Changes in intracellular Zn2+ were followed by single cell epifluorescence using zinquin as a specific probe. Intracellular free Zn2+ in isolated hepatocytes was 1.26 +/- 0.27 microM, and the addition of ZnCl2 led to a concentration-dependent increase in epifluorescence. CdCl2 or PbCl2 at 8 microM was as potent as ZnCl2 at 20-80 microM, whereas NiCl2 at 80 microM was without effect. ZnCl2 completely abolished the inhibition of glycolysis by glucagon (cAMP). Glucagon led to a pronounced drop in cytosolic Zn2+. Both glucagon and zinc stimulated glycogenolysis by increasing the phosphorylation of glycogen phosphorylase but acted oppositely on glycolysis. Zinc overcame the inactivation of pyruvate kinase by glucagon without changing the hormone-induced protein phosphorylation. The antagonistic action of zinc and cAMP on glycolysis together with the rapid and marked decrease in free zinc concentration induced by glucagon (cAMP) may indicate an as yet unknown role of zinc as an important mediator of regulation of carbohydrate metabolism.

Localization of type-1 porin channel (VDAC) in the sarcoplasmatic reticulum.

Eucaryotic porin channels or voltage-dependent anion channels (VDACs) are expressed in the outer mitochondrial membranes and in the plasmalemma of mammalian cells. Subfractions of sarcoplasmatic reticulum (SR) obtained from rabbit skeletal muscle display type-1 porin channels in transverse tubuli (TT) when analysed by immunoblot analysis with type-1 porin specific monoclonal antibodies. These data are in agreement with our recent proposal suggesting the presence of porin channels in non-mitochondrial eucaryotic membranes.

Hormone-induced rise in cytosolic Ca2+ in axolotl hepatocytes: extracellular origin and control by cAMP.

In amphibian liver, signal transduction of [Arg8]vasotocin (AVT), a "classical" Ca(2+)-dependent hormone in rat liver, is mediated via the generation of adenosine 3',5'-cyclic monophosphate (cAMP) and not via inositol 1,4,5-trisphosphate [Ins(1,4,5)P3]. In isolated hepatocytes from axolotl, hormones that stimulated cAMP formation (the order of efficacy was glucagon > isoprenaline > epinephrine > or = AVT) also provoked a pronounced increase in cytosolic Ca2+, as indicated from changes in fura 2 fluorescence. 8-Bromoadenosine 3',5'-cyclic monophosphate at 100 microM was as potent as maximally effective concentrations of glucagon. Ins(1,4,5)P3 mobilized Ca2+ from the endoplasmic reticulum of saponin-permeabilized axolotl hepatocytes with a half-maximal effect at 0.65 microM, as did GTP (20 microM), even in the absence of polyethylene glycol. However, the hormonally induced increase in cytosolic Ca2+ was not due to a mobilization of the cation from internal stores by Ins(1,4,5)P3, but to an increased inflow from the extracellular medium. We conclude that in axolotl liver, in contrast to rat liver, hormones stimulate the production of cAMP that, in addition to stimulating processes such as glycogenolysis, also regulates the opening of an ion gate in the plasma membrane, which allows the inflow of Ca2+. To our knowledge this is the first demonstration of a second messenger-operated Ca2+ channel in a splanchnic tissue.

GTP-dependent Ca2+ release from rat liver microsomes. Vesicle fusion is not required.

The GTP-dependent calcium release from rat liver microsomes is known to be promoted in the presence of colloids like polyethyleneglycol (PEG), polyvinylpyrrolidine, or albumin. Dawson et al. [(1987) Biochem. J. 244, 87-92] using the 'fusogen' PEG have concluded that both GTP-induced calcium efflux and the enhancement of InsP3-promoted calcium release in the presence of GTP could be attributed to a GTP-dependent vesicle fusion. Here, using the more physiological colloid albumin we report that GTP-induced calcium release from rat liver microsomes may not be linked to vesicle fusion.

Early effects of beta-adrenergic and muscarinic secretagogues on lipid and phospholipid metabolism in guinea pig parotid acinar cells. Stimulation of 2,3-sn-diacylglycerol formation by isoproterenol.

The early effects (0-120 s) of the beta-adrenergic secretagogue isoproterenol (2.10(-5) M) and the muscarinic secretagogue carbamoylcholine (2.10(-6) M) on various parameters of lipid and phospholipid metabolism were studied in isolated guinea pig parotid acinar cells. Both agonists enhanced within 10-20 s the incorporation of radioactive palmitate into the diacylglycerol, the triglyceride, and the phosphatidylinositol fractions but significantly diminished radioactive palmitate recovered in the acyl-CoA fraction. Carbamoylcholine decreased and isoproterenol increased the recovery of radioactive palmitate in the free fatty acid fraction. All changes had returned almost to control levels after 120 s. In cells prelabeled with [3H]arachidonate, carbamoylcholine exerted similar effects, whereas isoproterenol was almost ineffective. Both agonists stimulated the incorporation of radioactive glycerol into diacylglycerols 2-3-fold, while only carbamoylcholine stimulated the incorporation of [32P]phosphate into phosphatidylinositol and phosphatidate. Both agonists induced an increase in total diacylglycerols, carbamoylcholine being about twice as effective as isoproterenol. A lower concentration of carbamoylcholine (6.5.10(-7) M) had the same quantitative effect as 2.10(-5) M isoproterenol on the increase of total diacylglycerols. Even under these conditions carbamoylcholine, but not isoproterenol led to a significant translocation of protein kinase C from the soluble to the particulate fraction. Isoproterenol remained ineffective in this respect also when intracellular free calcium was increased with a calcium ionophore. This is explained by the finding that isoproterenol stimulates preferentially the formation of 2,3-sn-diacylglycerol, and carbamoylcholine preferentially stimulates the formation of 1,2-sn-diacylglycerol. The results indicate that in the guinea pig parotid acinar cell the two agonists do not only lead to activation of a triglyceride lipase (isoproterenol) or phosphoinositide-specific phospholipase(s) (carbamoylcholine), but also to a rapid change of flux through a number of other enzyme-catalyzed reactions involved in diacylglycerol turnover.

The Ca2+-dependent actions of the alpha-adrenergic agonist phenylephrine on hepatic glycogenolysis differ from those of vasopressin and angiotensin.

The stimulation of hepatic glycogenolysis by the Ca2+-dependent hormones phenylephrine, vasopressin and angiotensin II was studied as a function of intracellular and extracellular Ca2+. In the isolated perfused rat liver the decline in glucose formation was monophasic ('half-life' approximately equal to 3 min) with vasopressin (1 nM) or angiotensin II (0.05 microM), but biphasic (half-life of 4.8 min and 17.6 min) in the presence of the alpha-agonist phenylephrine (0.01 mM), indicating either a different mode of mobilization or the mobilization of additional intracellular calcium stores. Under comparable conditions an elevated [Ca2+] level was maintained in the cytosol of hepatocytes for at least 10 min in the presence of phenylephrine, but not vasopressin. Titration experiments performed in the isolated perfused liver to restore cellular calcium revealed differences in the hormone-mediated uptake of Ca2+. The onset in glucose formation above that seen in the absence of exogenous calcium occurred at approximately 30 microM or 70-80 microM Ca2+ in the presence of phenylephrine or vasopressin respectively. The shape of the response curve was sigmoidal for vasopressin and angiotensin II, but showed a distinct plateau between 0.09 mM and 0.18 mM in the presence of phenylephrine. The plateau was also observed at phenylephrine concentrations as low as 0.5 microM. The formation of plateaus observed after treatment of the liver with A 23187, but not after EGTA, is taken as an indication that intracellular calcium stores are replenished. A participation of the mitochondrial compartment could be excluded by pretreatment of the liver with the uncoupler 2,4-dinitrophenol. Differences in the Ca2+ dependence of the glycogenolytic effects of these hormones were also revealed by kinetic analysis. It is concluded that phenylephrine differs from vasopressin and angiotensin II in that, in addition to a more common, non-mitochondrial pool, which is also responsive to the vasoactive peptides, the agonist mobilizes Ca2+ from a second, non-mitochondrial pool. The results are consistent with the proposal that Ca2+ transport across subcellular membranes may be subject to different hormonal control.

Calcium-independent stimulation of glycogenolysis by arginine vasotocin and catecholamines in liver of the axolotl (Ambystoma mexicanum) in vitro.

Arginine vasotocin (AVT) caused a concentration-dependent increase of glycogen phosphorylase alpha activity, breakdown of glycogen and release of glucose, when added to pieces of axolotl liver in organ culture. The concentration causing half-maximal response (EC50) was about 1 nmol/l. These actions of AVT were unaffected by the adrenergic antagonists propranolol, yohimbine and prazosin, but were blocked by equimolar amounts of d(CH2)5Tyr(Me)AVT, a synthetic antagonist of vasopressin. Arginine vasotocin similarly caused glycogenolysis in isolated perfused axolotl liver where the EC50 was about 0.1 nmol/l. The glycogenolytic action of AVT (10 nmol/l) was sustained for at least 3 h in Ca2+-free perfusion and longer in organ culture. No increase in Ca2+ concentration in the effluent perfusion medium was apparent during AVT-induced glucose release. Omission of Ca2+ from the medium, together with addition of EGTA (2.5 mmol/l) to the organ culture, had only a slight inhibitory effect upon the rate of glycogenolysis brought about by AVT and did not inhibit the glycogenolytic action of catecholamines. Addition of the calcium ionophore A23187 (5 mumol/l) neither caused glucose release nor abolished the glycogenolytic action of AVT added subsequently. Nevertheless, A23187 caused increased loss of 45Ca from Ca2+-loaded liver pieces whereas AVT was without effect. There was a slight accumulation of cyclic AMP (cAMP), but not cGMP, in axolotl liver pieces cultured in the presence of 0.1 mumol AVT/l and this was accentuated in the presence of phosphodiesterase inhibitors. We conclude that, in contrast to the position in mammals, Ca2+ is not involved in the glycogenolytic actions of AVT or catecholamines in axolotl liver. Preliminary experiments suggest that the same is true in the carp and we suggest that the involvement of Ca2+ in regulation of hepatic glucose release may not have evolved until after the amphibians separated from the ancestors of the mammals.

Mitochondrial and extramitochondrial Ca2+ pools in the perfused rat liver. Mitochondria are not the origin of calcium mobilized by vasopressin.

A nondisruptive technique developed by Bellomo et al. (Bellomo, G., Jewell, S. A., Thor, H., and Orrenius, S. (1982) Proc. Natl. Acad. Sci. U.S.A. 79, 6842-6846) has been used to examine the distribution of calcium ions between mitochondrial and extramitochondrial compartments in the perfused rat liver. The amount of calcium released by the uncoupler 2,4-dinitrophenol from the mitochondrial compartment was 19 +/- 2 nmol X g-1, wet weight, which is equivalent to a total calcium concentration of 3.5 X 10(-4) M in the mitochondria and is by several orders of magnitude smaller than the concentration thought to be present in these organelles. The amount of calcium released from the liver in the presence of the divalent cation ionophore A 23187 was 96 +/- 7 nmol X g-1, wet weight, which is of the same order of magnitude as the amount released by the calcium-dependent hormone vasopressin (97 +/- 11 nmol X g-1, wet weight). Experiments with different sequential combinations of hormone with uncoupler or ionophore reveal that in the perfused liver, in contrast to isolated hepatocytes or isolated mitochondria, the amount of calcium attributable to the mitochondria is too small to account for the calcium released during hormonal stimulation. Consequently extramitochondrial calcium stores are the main source of cellular calcium mobilized under this condition. In addition these findings imply that in the liver several mitochondrial enzymes, e.g. alpha-oxoglutarate dehydrogenase, can be effectively regulated by calcium and that the role of mitochondria in buffering the cytosolic free calcium in vivo has to be reconsidered.

Lack of desensitization against alpha-agonists and vasopressin in the liver.

A heterologous and homologous desensitization of the glycogenolytic response against 3',5'-cAMP independent hormones in isolated hepatocytes has been reported [Biochem. J. (1981) 200, 509-514]. We re-examined this phenomenon in isolated perfused rat livers, isolated hepatocytes during stationary incubation and in isolated perifused hepatocytes. The release of glucose and the activation of glycogen phosphorylase were followed in the presence of phenylephrine (10(-5) M) or vasopressin (2.5 X 10(-8) M). A desensitization against these hormones could not be observed in the presence of exogenous calcium (1.3 mM). When calcium-free media were applied, the perfused liver became successively resistant toward the action of phenylephrine (or vasopressin), but regained sensitivity immediately after addition of 1.3 mM calcium to the medium. It is concluded that in isolated hepatocytes desensitization against hormones acting via mobilization of intracellular calcium is an artifact resulting from the experimental conditions.

A familial progressive neurodegenerative disease with 2-oxoglutaric aciduria.

A boy and a girl born to a consanguineous Tunisian couple are suffering from a slowly progressive nervous disorder. Initially they both had normal psychomotor development with acquisition of gait and speech. First symptoms in the boy were athetoid movements during the second year of life. He later lost all motor and language skills and developed muscular rigidity and intention tremor. At the age of five years, he was completely bedridden while he appeared mentally much less affected. His younger sister followed a similar course. The major specific abnormality detected was a strikingly elevated excretion of 2-oxoglutaric acid, which was identified by gas liquid chromatography, mass spectrometry, and enzymatic analysis. 2-oxoglutarate dehydrogenase activity in homogenates of cultured skin fibroblasts was reduced to about 25% of control values in both children. Although the pathogenetic mechanisms leading to brain damage remain obscure, the finding strongly suggest an autosomal recessive neurometabolic disease with predominant involvement of the extrapyramidal system.