Neurofilaments are nonessential to the pathogenesis of toxicant-induced axonal degeneration.

Axonal neurofilament (NF) accumulations occur before development of symptoms and before other pathological changes among idiopathic neurodegenerative diseases and toxic neuropathies, suggesting a cause-effect relationship. The dependence of symptoms and axonal degeneration on neurofilament accumulation has been tested here in a transgenic mouse model (Eyer and Peterson, 1994) lacking axonal NFs and using two prototypic toxicant models. Chronic acrylamide (ACR) or 2,5-hexanedione exposure resulted in progressive and cumulative increases in sensorimotor deficits. Neurobehavioral tests demonstrated similar expression of neurotoxicity in transgenic (T) mice and their nontransgenic (NT) littermates (containing normal numbers of axonal NFs). Axonal lesions were frequently observed after exposure to either toxicant. Quantitation of ACR-induced lesions demonstrated the distal location of pathology and equal susceptibility of T and NT axons. We conclude that axonal NFs have no effect on neurotoxicity and the pattern of pathology in these mammalian toxic neuropathies. These results also suggest that the role of neurofilament accumulation in the pathogenesis of neurodegenerative diseases requires careful evaluation.

Axonal neurofilaments are nonessential elements of toxicant-induced reductions in fast axonal transport: video-enhanced differential interference microscopy in peripheral nervous system axons.

Neurofilament modification and accumulation, occurring in toxicant-induced neuropathies, has been proposed to compromise fast axonal transport and contribute to neurological symptoms or pathology. The current study compares the effects of the neurotoxicants acrylamide (ACR) and 2,5-hexanedione (2,5-HD) on the quantity of fast, bidirectional vesicular traffic within isolated mouse sciatic nerve axons from transgenic mice lacking axonal neurofilaments (Eyer and Peterson, Neuron 12, 1-20, 1994) and nontransgenic littermates possessing neurofilaments. Fast anterograde and retrograde membrane bound organelle (MBO) traffic was quantitated within axons, before and after toxicant exposure, using video-enhanced differential interference contrast (AVEC-DIC) microscopy. Addition of 0.7 mM ACR to the buffer bathing the nerve produced a time-dependent reduction in bidirectional transport with a similar time to onset and magnitude in both transgenic and nontransgenic mice. 2,5-HD (4 mM) exposure reduced bidirectional vesicle traffic by a similar amount in both transgenic and nontransgenic animals. The time to onset of the transport reduction was less and the magnitude of the reduction was greater with 2,5-HD compared to ACR. A single 10-min exposure to ACR or 2,5-HD produced a similar reduction in transport to that produced by prolonged (1 h) exposure. Nonneurotoxic propionamide or 3,4-hexanedione (3,4-HD) produced no changes in bidirectional transport in either transgenic or nontransgenic animals. We conclude that ACR or 2,5-HD produces a rapid, saturable, nonreversible, neurotoxicant-specific reduction in fast bidirectional transport within isolated peripheral nerve axons. These actions are mediated through direct modification of axonal component(s), which are independent of toxicant-induced modifications of, or accumulations of, neurofilaments.

Identification of the histidyl residue obligatory for the catalytic activity of the human H+/peptide cotransporters PEPT1 and PEPT2.

Histidyl residues are known to be essential for the catalytic function of the H(+)-coupled peptide transporters expressed in the intestine and the kidney, most likely participating in the binding and translocation of H+. Three histidyl residues are conserved among the intestinal and renal peptide transporters (PEPT1 and PEPT2, respectively) from different animal species. In hPEPT1, these residues are His-57, His-121, and His-260. The corresponding residues in hPEPT2 are His-87, His-142, and His-278. We have individually mutated each of these histidyl residues in hPEPT1 and in hPEPT2 and compared the catalytic function of the mutants with that of their respective wild type transporters by expressing the transporters in Xenopus laevis oocytes and also in HeLa cells. His-57 in hPEPT1 and His-87 in hPEPT2 were found to be absolutely essential for catalytic activity because the corresponding mutants had no detectable peptide transport activity. His-121 in hPEPT1 is not essential since mutation of this residue did not impair transport function. His-142 in hPEPT2 was found to play a significant role in the maintenance of transport function but was not found to be obligatory because the mutant had appreciable transport activity. The obligatory histidyl residue (His-57 in hPEPT1 and His-87 in hPEPT2) is located in an almost identical topological position in both transporters, near the extracellular surface of the second putative transmembrane domain. The second conserved histidyl residue is located in the fourth putative transmembrane domain in hPEPT1 as well as in hPEPT2. The third conserved histidyl residue is present in the cytoplasmic loop between the transmembrane domains 6 and 7 and is unlikely to play any significant role in the binding and translocation of H+ and this was supported by the findings that mutation of this histidyl residue in hPEPT1 did not interfere with transport function. The loss of transport function of hPEPT1 and hPEPT2, when His-57 in hPEPT1 and His-87 in hPEPT2 were mutated, was not due to alterations in protein expression because the expression levels of these mutants were similar to those of the respective wild type transporters in HeLa cells as assessed by immunoblot analysis. Confocal analysis of immunofluorescence in X. laevis oocytes expressing the wild type and the three histidine mutants of hPEPT1 showed that the transporter protein is expressed exclusively in the plasma membrane and that the level of expression is comparable among the wild type and the three mutants. These site-directed mutagenesis studies clearly show that His-57 in hPEPT1 and His-87 in hPEPT2 are the most critical histidyl residues necessary for the catalytic function of these transporters.

Localization of peptide transporter in nuclei and lysosomes of the pancreas.

CONCLUSIONS: These studies show for the first time the localization of a H+/peptide cotrasporter in nuclei of vascular smooth muscle cells and Schwann cells and its localization in lysosomes of the exocrine pancreas. It is likely that the transporter functions to move small peptides from the lysosome to the cytoplasm following intralysosomal protein degradation. The nature of the transporter function in the nucleus remains to be determined, including the possibility that peptide signaling molecules may be transmitted between nucleus and cytoplasm. BACKGROUND: PEPT1 transports di- and tripeptides through plasma membranes. Peptides are cotransported with H+, thus deriving the energy for the active transport process from an electrochemical H+ gradient. The main regions in which PEPT1 has been thought to function are the plasma membranes of the small intestinal epithelial cells for absorption of protein digestion products and in the kidney tubules for recovery of small peptides from the glomerular filtrate. METHODS: Pancreas was removed from rats and quick frozen with liquid nitrogen. Frozen sections were fixed in cold acetone. Sections were incubated with primary antibody against PEPT1, followed by a secondary antibody conjugated with fluorescein, then examined with a fluorescence microscope. RESULTS: Three major structures were immunopositive with the antibody to PEPT1: the nuclei of smooth muscle cells in the wall of arterioles, the nuclei of Schwann cells in unmyelinated pancreatic nerves, and lysosomes in acinar cells.

Hyperthyroidism selectively increases oxidative metabolism of slow-oxidative motor units.

The effects of thyroid hormone on the NADH-tetrazolium reductase activity (oxidative metabolism marker) of soleus (slow-oxidative) and tensor fascia lata (fast-glycolytic) motoneurons were determined and compared with changes in a variety of enzyme activities in the corresponding muscle fibers. Histochemical assays have demonstrated a selective and qualitative conversion in muscle fiber ATPase and quantitative increases of NADH-tetrazolium reductase (oxidative) and mitochondrial alpha-glycerophosphate dehydrogenase (glycolytic) activities in the soleus muscle. Paralleling the selective action upon the soleus slow muscle fibers was a selective central nervous system effect of thyroid hormone on oxidative enzymes of soleus slow-oxidative motoneurons. This indicates that either thyroid hormones act directly and specifically on slow motoneurons or that conversion of the muscle fibers by thyroid hormones produces secondary changes in the motoneuron. These data strengthen the hypothesis that oxidative enzyme activities in motoneurons are tightly matched with oxidative enzyme activities in muscle fibers.

Cochlear nerve of the alligator lizard.

The innervation of the auditory organ of the alligator lizard is described. Patterns of distribution of the nerve fibers were studied at the light microscopic level with the horseradish peroxidase technique, and the types of synaptic contacts with hair cells were studied at the transmission electron microscopic level with standard techniques. The innervation of the two regions of the basilar papilla differs in the following ways. In the apical region, some fibers send branches along the length of the basilar papilla, and both afferent (non-vesiculated) and efferent (vesiculated) nerve endings are present. In the basal region, all fibers terminate in the immediate area where they enter the papilla without sending branches along the length of the papilla; efferent endings are lacking, and nerve fibers are of a smaller average diameter. The punctate nature of the innervation of hair cells in the basal region is consistent with the hypothesis that the systematic organization according to frequency sensitivity observed in electrophysiological recordings from basal nerve fibers may be related to the length of the stereocilia on the hair cells with which the nerve synapses.

Quantitative differences in horseradish peroxidase-labeling of alpha-motoneurons.

Qualitative and quantitative differences in uptake and transport of exogenous proteins by different types of neurons are well known, but such differences in the same neuron type have not been previously reported. The current study addresses this problem with quantitative histochemical determinations of retrogradely transported horseradish peroxidase (HRP) in alpha-motoneuron cell bodies following intramuscular injections. The alpha-motoneurons innervating the rat tensor fascia lata and soleus muscles were used as examples of fast-twitch glycolytic (FG) and slow-twitch oxidative (SO) neurons, respectively. In 16 cases, the quantity of HRP in SO motoneurons was significantly (P less than 0.001) greater than that in FG motoneurons. We conclude that nerve terminal HRP uptake, transport and/or metabolism varies among the same neuron type and, in this instance, is related to the type of motor unit. The factors responsible for HRP-labeling differences in SO and FG motoneurons and the potential importance of these observations are discussed.

Metabolic variation among alpha-motoneurons innervating different muscle-fiber types. I. Oxidative enzyme activity.

We have examined the oxidative metabolism of rat alpha-motoneurons innervating muscles composed predominantly of one muscle-fiber type. Intramuscular injections of horseradish peroxidase (HRP) into the tensor fasciae latae (TFL) (approximately 94% fast-twitch glycolytic fibers, FG), tibialis anterior (TA) (approximately 66% fast-twitch oxidative-glycolytic, FOG; 32% FG), and soleus (SOL) (approximately 84% slow-twitch oxidative, SO) muscles permitted identification of motoneurons innervating these muscles. gamma-Motoneurons (less than 25-micron average soma diameter) were eliminated from the sampling. The alpha-motoneurons innervating the TFL were considered as FG, those innervating the tibialis anterior as FOG, and those of the soleus as SO. Alternate 5-micron serial cryostat sections were processed for HRP and nicotinamide adenine dinucleotide-diapharase (NADH-D) (oxidative enzyme) activities. Controls were included to assure reliability of reaction product quantitation. Motoneuron pools of each muscle were characterized by their shape and location within the ventral horn. Cells identified on HRP sections as innervating each of the muscles were located on sections processed for NADH-D activity. The optical density of motoneurons in sections processed for NADH-D activity was measured with a Zeiss Zonax MPM 03 microdensitometer. The mean relative NADH-D activities (optical density) of alpha-motoneurons innervating the TFL (FG), TA (FOG), and SOL(SO) muscles were 0.261, 0.305, and 0.447, respectively. Although some overlap in distribution of enzyme activities was observed, statistical analysis indicated significant differences between the NADH-D activities of each type of alpha-motoneuron. This is the first report of any metabolic difference in alpha-motoneurons belonging to different motor-unit types.(ABSTRACT TRUNCATED AT 250 WORDS)

A horseradish peroxidase labeling technique for correlation of motoneuron metabolic activity with muscle fiber types.

Modifications in the tetramethylbenzidine technique by Mesulam et al. (1980) for demonstration of retrogradely transported horseradish peroxidase (HRP) in alpha-motoneurons have been made. The methodology was designed to permit use of quantitative enzyme histochemical techniques on sections serial to those used for demonstration of HRP. Injections of HRP into different muscles on contralateral limbs, each of which are composed almost exclusively of one muscle fiber type, have allowed us to determine relative enzyme activities in the motoneurons innervating specific muscle fiber types. The modifications should be useful to others using HRP as a peripheral or central nervous system tracer since significant time and chemical costs are saved, the slide-mounted sections are easier to handle, and the sensitivity is superior to currently available methods.

A comparison of the PAS-reaction in the dermis of diabetic and non-diabetic humans.

Dermopathy is a part of the diabetic syndrome that decreases the solubility of dermal collagen. In the present study, the PAS-reactive component of collagen has been analysed in diabetic and non-diabetic human dermis by photographic densitometry. The PAS-reaction was significantly lower in diabetics than non-diabetics, and age seemed to be of no consequence. The results are interpreted to indicate a decrease in collagen-associated sugar residues in diabetics.