[Pancreas reaction in dogs with impaired glucose tolerance to the physical loads of different intensity].

The aim of this work was to study the structure of pancreas in the dogs with impaired glucose tolerance exposed to single short and repeated physical loads. The experiments were conducted in 26 male dogs aged 2-4 years, 10 animals formed the control group. The exposure was modeled as a run on treadmill with the velocity of 15 km/hr. The structure of the pancreas was examined using histological, electron microscopic and morphometric methods. Single short-term physical load was accompanied by predominantly compensatory and adaptive changes in both exocrine and endocrine parts of the gland. Among these changes the most significant were the stimulation and some small disturbances of a local blood flow in parainsular areas of the pancreatic endocrine part, as well as some signs indicative of the stimulation of insulin and pancreatic enzyme synthesis and secretion. After repeated physical c loads, the pronounced disturbances of the microcirculation were found in the exocrine part of the gland, which were accompanied by insulinocyte edema and local destruction. It is concluded that in the animals with impaired glucose tolerance, the repeated physical c loads of even moderate intensity could be the factor provoking tissue damage.

[Food additive urisan in combined treatment of urolithiasis].

Thirty three urolithiasis patients (13 males, 18 females aged 29-77 years, 2 children, duration of the disease 1-17 years) received food additive urisan in combined treatment of urolithiasis. Blood and urine biochemistry was studied by 11 parameters to evaluate renal function and lithogenesis before and after intake of urisan. Standard treatment was combined with intake of 2 capsules (1100 mg) of urisan twice a day at meal for 2-3 weeks. The data were processed statistically. It is shown that urisan contributes to intensification of renal filtration function, to reduction of hyperuricemia and urine pH, intensification of uric acid excretion, continuation of inflammation remission, attenuation of proteinurea in urolithiasis patients with exacerbation of chronic pyelonephritis.

NMR structure reveals intramolecular regulation mechanism for pheromone binding and release.

Odorants are transmitted by small hydrophobic molecules that cross the aqueous sensillar lymph surrounding the dendrites of the olfactory neurons to stimulate the olfactory receptors. In insects, the transport of pheromones, which are a special class of odorants, is mediated by pheromone-binding proteins (PBPs), which occur at high concentrations in the sensillar lymph. The PBP from the silk moth Bombyx mori (BmPBP) undergoes a pH-dependent conformational transition between the forms BmPBP(A) present at pH 4.5 and BmPBP(B) present at pH 6.5. Here, we describe the NMR structure of BmPBP(A), which consists of a tightly packed arrangement of seven alpha-helices linked by well defined peptide segments and knitted together by three disulfide bridges. A scaffold of four alpha-helices that forms the ligand binding site in the crystal structure of a BmPBP-pheromone complex is preserved in BmPBP(A). The C-terminal dodecapeptide segment, which is in an extended conformation and located on the protein surface in the pheromone complex, forms a regular helix, alpha(7), which is located in the pheromone-binding site in the core of the unliganded BmPBP(A). Because investigations by others indicate that the pH value near the membrane surface is reduced with respect to the bulk sensillar lymph, the pH-dependent conformational transition of BmPBP suggests a novel physiological mechanism of intramolecular regulation of protein function, with the formation of alpha(7) triggering the release of the pheromone from BmPBP to the membrane-standing receptor.

Molecular and cellular physiology of the dissociation of atrial natriuretic peptide from guanylyl cyclase a receptors.

Guanylyl cyclase subtype A (GCA) is the main receptor that mediates the effects of atrial natriuretic peptide (ANP) in the regulation of plasma volume and blood pressure. The dynamics of the dissociation of ANP from GCA were investigated in cultured Chinese hamster ovary (CHO) cells stably transfected with wild-type (WT) or mutant GCA receptors. The rate of dissociation of specifically bound (125)I-ANP-(1-28) from intact CHOGCAWT cells at 37 degrees C was extremely rapid (K(off) = 0.49 +/- 0.02 min(-1)), whereas in isolated membranes prepared from these cells, the dissociation at 37 degrees C was >10-fold slower (K(off) = 0.035 +/- 0.006 min(-1)). The dissociation of ANP from CHOGCAWT cells showed remarkable temperature dependence. Between 22 and 37 degrees C, K(off) increased approximately 8 times, whereas between 4 and 22 degrees C, it increased only 1.5 times. Total deletion of the cytoplasmic domain or of the catalytic guanylyl cyclase sequence within this domain abolished ANP-induced increases in cGMP, dramatically slowed receptor-ligand dissociation by at least 10-fold, and abolished the temperature dependence of the dissociation of ANP. Deletion of the kinase-like domain led to maximal constitutive activation of guanylyl cyclase, markedly decreased K(off) to 0.064 +/- 0.006 min(-1), and also abolished the temperature dependence of dissociation. Substitution of Ser(506) by Ala and particularly the double substitution of Gly(505) and Ser(506) by Ala within the kinase-like domain markedly reduced ANP-induced increases in cGMP, whereas K(off) decreased modestly (albeit significantly) to 0.36 +/- 0.03 and 0.24 +/- 0.02 min(-1), respectively. As a whole, the results demonstrate for the first time that temperature per se or ATP alone cannot account for rapid GCA receptor-ligand dissociation under physiological conditions and suggest that ligand dissociation is modulated in part by the interaction of still unidentified cytosolic factors with the cytoplasmic domain of GCA.

NMR characterization of a pH-dependent equilibrium between two folded solution conformations of the pheromone-binding protein from Bombyx mori.

NMR spectroscopic changes as a function of pH in solutions of the pheromone-binding protein of Bombyx mori (BmPBP) show that BmPBP undergoes a conformational transition between pH 4.9 and 6.0. At pH below 4.9 there is a single "acid form" (A), and a homogeneous "basic form" (B) exists at pH above 6.0. Between pH 5 and 6, BmPBP exists as a mixture of A and B in slow exchange on the NMR chemical shift time scale, with the transition midpoint at pH 5.4. The form B has a well-dispersed NMR spectrum, indicating that it represents a more structured, "closed" conformation than form A, which has a significantly narrower chemical shift dispersion. Conformational transitions of the kind observed here may explain heterogeneity reported for a variety of odorant-binding proteins, and it will be of interest to further investigate possible correlations with pH-dependent regulation of ligand binding and release in the biological function of this class of proteins.

Sexual attraction in the silkworm moth: structure of the pheromone-binding-protein-bombykol complex.

BACKGROUND: Insects use volatile organic molecules to communicate messages with remarkable sensitivity and specificity. In one of the most studied systems, female silkworm moths (Bombyx mori) attract male mates with the pheromone bombykol, a volatile 16-carbon alcohol. In the male moth's antennae, a pheromone-binding protein conveys bombykol to a membrane-bound receptor on a nerve cell. The structure of the pheromone-binding protein, its binding and recognition of bombykol, and its full role in signal transduction are not known. RESULTS: The three-dimensional structure of the B. mori pheromone-binding protein with bound bombykol has been determined by X-ray diffraction at 1.8 A resolution. CONCLUSIONS: The pheromone binding protein of B. mori has six helices, and bombykol binds in a completely enclosed hydrophobic cavity formed by four antiparallel helices. Bombykol is bound in this cavity through numerous hydrophobic interactions, and sequence alignments suggest critical residues for specific pheromone binding.

Disulfide structure of the pheromone binding protein from the silkworm moth, Bombyx mori.

Disulfide bond formation is the only known posttranslational modification of insect pheromone binding proteins (PBPs). In the PBPs from moths (Lepidoptera), six cysteine residues are highly conserved at positions 19, 50, 54, 97, 108 and 117, but to date nothing is known about their respective linkage or redox status. We used a multiple approach of enzymatic digestion, chemical cleavage, partial reduction with Tris-(2-carboxyethyl)phosphine, followed by digestion with endoproteinase Lys-C to determine the disulfide connectivity in the PBP from Bombyx mori (BmPBP). Identification of the reaction products by on-line liquid chromatography-electrospray ionization mass spectrometry (LC/ESI-MS) and protein sequencing supported the assignment of disulfide bridges at Cys-19-Cys-54, Cys-50-Cys-108 and Cys-97-Cys-117. The disulfide linkages were identical in the protein obtained by periplasmic expression in Escherichia coli and in the native BmPBP.

Modification of gene expression by dietary antioxidants in radiation-induced apoptosis of mice splenocytes.

The modification of radiation-induced apoptosis in splenocytes by a vitamin-containing dietary supplement was studied. For 45 days prior to irradiation at a lethal dose of 6 Gy, mice received a dietary supplement containing vitamins with antioxidant properties and microelements. The expression of TRPM-2 (a marker for programmed cell death), bcl-2 (the product of which has been shown to prevent apoptosis), superoxide dismutase, and catalase genes was studied at different time intervals after irradiation. Radiation-induced alterations in gene expression were different in the control and the antioxidant mixture-fed mice. The antioxidant mixture administration resulted in an inhibition of TRPM-2 expression both before and after irradiation. The bcl-2 mRNA content steadily increased after irradiation in splenocytes from antioxidant mixture-fed mice, while in the control group 2-h after irradiation only trace amount of bcl-2 mRNA was detected. In splenocytes from control mice, the expression of superoxide dismutase and catalase genes significantly decreased within 2-h after irradiation; whereas in mice receiving the antioxidant mixture, inhibition of catalase gene expression was not as prominent. The expression of superoxide dismutase gene was still high 24-h after irradiation. The antioxidant administration decreased the radiation-induced apoptosis and delayed internucleosomal fragmentation of DNA. Our data suggest that radiation-induced alteration of gene expression is, at least in part, determined by reactive oxygen species.

[Comparative study of Ca/Mg-dependent nucleases from the mammalian thymus]. / Sravnitel'noe issledovanie Ca/Mg-zavisimykh nukleaz timusa mlekopitaiushchikh.

Ca/Mg-dependent nuclease is a possible key enzyme of apoptosis. We isolated and purified nucleases from the human and rat thymus to a homogeneous state and compared some properties of the obtained preparations with those of the earlier isolated Ca/Mg-dependent nuclease from the calf thymus. The activity of the nuclease from the human thymus in the presence of bivalent ions decreases in a sequence:(Ca + Mg) = (Ca + Mn) > Mn, that from the rat thymus: (Ca + Mn) > Mn > (Ca + Mg), and that from the calf thymus: (Ca + Mn) > (Ca + Mg) > Mn. Nuclease are not active in a medium containing only Mg, Ca, Co, and Zn ions. The preparations proved to be unstable during their isolation and storage. If the relative molecular mass of the purifies preparations was according to electrophoresis in 12% DS-Na-polyacrylamide gel 28, 29, and 18.4 and 21 kDa for the calf, human, and rat, respectively, after storage at -20 degrees C for two to six months, the molecular mass of native proteins decreases to 17-14 kDa. Some other properties of the enzymes have been described.

[Cell sensitivity to Fas-mediated apoptosis depends on three forms of Fas-antigen]. / Kletochnaia chuvstvitel'nost' k Fas-oposredovannomu apoptozu zavisit ot trekh form Fas-antigena.

It is known that binding of specific anti-Fas antibodies to Fas-receptor induces apoptosis in various cell lines. But the mechanisms of functional regulation and realization of apoptosis remain so far unknown. We obtained HeLa cells transfected with cDNA of Fas-antigen, whose expression was located under the promoter controlled by isopropoyl beta-D-thiogalactopiranoside. Analysis of transfectants has shown that expression of Fas above a certain critical level leads to redistribution of Fas in the cells and is accompanied by changes in the cell cycles and cell sensitivity to the cytotoxic effects of anti-Fas and tumor necrosis factor (TNF). We propose that the sensitivity of cells to Fas-mediated apoptosis depends on the ratio of transmembrane, intracellular and soluble Fas-antigen in the cells.

Cell cycle specificity of Fas-mediated apoptosis in WIL-2 cells.

Antibodies to Fas/APO1 receptor induce effective apoptosis in WIL-2 cells of the human B-lymphoid line. Quantitative assessment of the extent of the death in cells synchronized by thymidine block revealed a significant increase in their sensitivity to the cytocidal effect mediated by Fas/APO1 during the G1 phase of the cell cycle. Western analysis of the content of the p53 antigen in the cytoplasm and nuclei of the cells showed that the Fas/APO1-induced death is accompanied by massive translocation of the p53 from the cytoplasm to the nucleus. These findings suggest that cell vulnerability to the Fas/APO1-mediated apoptosis is subjected to regulation by cell cycle-dependent mechanisms, one of which is probably the function of the p53 antigen.

Molecular determinants of the clearance function of type C receptors of natriuretic peptides.

Receptor-mediated endocytosis is the cellular mechanism by which type C receptors of natriuretic peptides exert their clearance function. In the present work, performed in recombinant Chinese hamster ovary cells stably transfected with wild type or mutated human kidney C receptors, we determined net endocytic rates (ER) of C receptor-ligand complexes, lysosomal hydrolysis of ligand (125I-labeled native atrial natriuretic factor, ANF1-28), and receptor recycling. Equilibrium ligand binding, immunocytochemistry, and immunoprecipitation were performed to characterize the transfected receptors. The net ER of recombinant wild type C receptors was approximately 6% of occupied receptors internalized per min, and C receptor-mediated lysosomal hydrolysis of ligand amounted to approximately 250% of specifically bound 125I-ANF1-28/h, with efficient recycling of internalized C receptors to the cell surface. Hypertonic sucrose reduced net ER and lysosomal hydrolysis of 125I-ANF1-28 more than 10-fold, indicating that endocytosis occurred via clathrin-coated pits. Total deletion of the cytoplasmic domain also reduced net ER and lysosomal hydrolysis of 125I-ANF1-28 by almost 10-fold, whereas deletion of the terminal 28 amino acids of the cytoplasmic tail led to a 4-fold reduction in these parameters. Replacement of cytoplasmic domain Tyr508 by Ala, or Tyr508 and Phe538 by Ala, reduced net endocytosis and lysosomal hydrolysis of 125I-ANF1-28 by 40-50%. Replacement of extracellular domain Cys473 by Ala impeded the constitutive formation of homodimers and reduced by approximately 50% the net ER and lysosomal hydrolysis of 125I-ANF1-28. These results demonstrate that the cytoplasmic domain of C receptors, Tyr508 within this domain, and constitutive receptor dimerization are the major molecular determinants of the clearance function of C receptors.

The effect of dietary supplements on gene expression in mice tissues.

Exposure of living organisms to various environmental stresses induces the synthesis of so-called shock/stress proteins; many of them can provide either immediate stress protection or participate in cellular repair processes. In the present study we focused our attention on the potential effect of dietary vitamins and microelements with antioxidant properties on stress protein gene expression. The analysis of gene expression in tissues of antioxidant-fed mice shows hsp-70 gene overexpression in liver and brain, but not in spleen and lung. Heat shock significantly induces gene expression that is less pronounced in antioxidant-fed animals in all analyzed tissues. Under conditions of oxidative stress, accumulation of lipid peroxidation products in liver homogenates is partially suppressed in mice subjected to heat shock, and significantly inhibited in antioxidant-fed mice and in antioxidant-fed mice subjected to heat shock. The glutathione content in liver homogenates of antioxidant-fed mice is higher than in the control group. Heat shock decreases the level of endogenous glutathione in both groups of animals, but it is still higher in the liver homogenate of antioxidant-fed mice. Thus, dietary supplements can modify gene expression induced by heat shock in vivo and protect rat tissues against oxidative stress by enhancing the level of endogenous antioxidants and inducing hsp-70 gene expression.

Properties of some nuclear nucleases of rat thymocytes and their changes in radiation-induced apoptosis.

Three nuclease activities have been found and characterized in rat thymocyte nuclear extracts. A Mn(2+)-dependent nuclease is loosely bound to nuclear components and can be extracted with 0.35 M NaCl. The enzyme is activated by Mn2+ but not by Mg2+, Ca2+, or both. Its molecular mass is 36-40 kDa when measured by gel filtration and 37 kDa by SDS/PAGE. An acidic nuclease is independent of divalent ions, produces DNA strand breaks with 5'-OH ends, its molecular mass is about 37 kDa. Two fractions of Ca2+/Mn(2+)-dependent nuclease, differing in binding to CM-Sepharose but identical in other respects, are active in the presence of Mn2+ but can be additionally activated by Ca2+. They are inactive in the presence of Mg2+ or Ca2+ but cleave DNA in Ca2+/Mg(2+)-containing medium. The molecular mass of the enzyme is 22 kDa as determined by both gel filtration and electrophoresis. The dependence of nuclease activities on pH, ions, and sulfhydryl reagents is described. Cycloheximide injection to both control and irradiated animals strongly inhibits the activities of Ca2+/Mn(2+)-dependent nuclease from thymocyte nuclei separated by chromatography on CM-Sepharose and does not change the activities of Mn(2+)-dependent and acidic nucleases. Nuclease activity in thymocyte nuclei from irradiated rats is increased in Ca2+/Mg(2+)-containing and Ca2+/Mn(2+)-containing media whereas there is no change in the activity of acidic nuclease. Ca2+/Mn(2+)-dependent nuclease is extracted from thymocyte nuclei of irradiated rats with 0.35 M NaCl but from control nuclei only with 0.5 M NaCl. Possible reasons of labilization of Ca2+/Mn(2+)-dependent-nuclease binding to the nuclear structures in dying thymocytes are discussed.

[Isolation of Ca2+, Mg2+-dependent nuclease from calf thymus chromatin]. / Vydelenie Ca2+, Mg2+-zavisimoi nukleazy iz khromatina timusa telenka.

Ca2+,Mg2+-dependent nuclease was isolated from calf thymus chromatin by stepwise chromatography on DEAE-Sepharose, CM-Sephadex and DNA-Sepharose. The enzyme was purified more than 700-fold. SDS-PAGE electrophoresis revealed one protein band possessing an enzymatic activity. The molecular mass of the nuclease as determined by gel filtration is 25700 Da, that determined by 12% SDS polyacrylamide gel electrophoresis is 28,000 Da. In the presence of various ions the enzyme activity decreases in the following order: (Ca2+ + Mn2+) greater than (Ca2+ + Mg2+) greater than Mn2+; the pH optimum is at 8.0. In media with Mg2+, Ca2+, Co2+ and Zn2+ the nuclease is inactive. Some other properties of the enzyme are described.

On the role of Ca, Mg-dependent nuclease in the postirradiation degradation of chromatin in lymphoid tissues.

The characteristics of the postirradiation degradation of chromatin in thymocytes in vivo were compared with the features of chromatin fragmentation in isolated thymocyte nuclei in vitro by endogenous chromatin-bound nucleases. Nuclease which degrades chromatin produces in vivo fragments of nucleosomal size; the double-strand breaks appear as the result of the accumulation of single-strand breaks with 3'-OH ends; the nuclease is inhibited by Zn2+ and DTNB and its activity is depressed by cycloheximide pretreatment. In experiments on in vitro degradation of chromatin in isolated thymocyte nuclei similar properties were observed for the Ca, Mg-dependent, but not for acid nuclease. The results bring further evidence of the involvement of an enzyme of the Ca, Mg-dependent nuclease-type in chromatin degradation in irradiated thymocytes.

Inhibition of poly(ADP-ribose) polymerase as a possible reason for activation of Ca2+/Mg2+-dependent endonuclease in thymocytes of irradiated rats.

The molecular mechanism of activation of Ca2+/Mg2+-dependent endonuclease in thymocytes of irradiated rats was studied. Thymocyte nuclei of control and irradiated rats were pre-incubated with NAD under conditions favourable for poly ADP-ribosylation. Pre-incubation results in a decrease in the rate of autolytic DNA digestion by Ca2+/Mg2+-dependent endonuclease of 6-7- and 2-3-fold for control and irradiated animals, respectively. The activity of Ca2+/Mg2+-nuclease extracted from the nuclei pre-incubated with NAD is also considerably decreased. The presence of nicotinamide and thymidine in the preincubation medium prevents the suppression of Ca2+/Mg2+-nuclease activity. In the experiments performed with isolated nuclei and permeabilized thymocytes the synthesis of poly(ADP-ribose) does not significantly change within 1 h after irradiation at a dose of 10 Gy, whereas 2 and 3 h after the exposure it decreases by 35-40 and 45-55 per cent, respectively. The activity of poly(ADP-ribose) glycohydrolase in this period is similar to that in the controls. The average size of the de novo synthesized chains of poly(ADP-ribose) increases from 11 to 17 ADP-ribose units by the second hour after irradiation. Inhibition of poly(ADP-ribose) polymerase in the postirradiation period preceded the internucleosomal fragmentation of chromatin. The results suggest that activation of Ca2+/Mg2+-nuclease in irradiated thymocytes is accounted for by the disturbance of its poly ADP-ribosylation.