Pavetamine: an inhibitor of protein synthesis in the heart.

Recent investigations have indicated the involvement of proteasome in programmed cell death. The present studies show that although peptide aldehyde inhibitors of proteasome are by themselves weak inducers of apoptosis, they inhibit the apoptotic effect of the anticancer drug etoposide in rat thymocytes. Acetyl-Leu-Leu-norvalinal (LLnV-al) and other related peptide aldehydes inhibited the increase in caspase activity and DNA fragmentation that followed treatment with etoposide and their effect was related to their potency as proteasome inhibitors. To inhibit etoposide-induced apoptosis, LLnV-al must be present within 3 h of treatment with etoposide, in the same way as the inhibitor of protein synthesis cycloheximide must be. Etoposide caused a rapid accumulation of p53 protein that was not inhibited by LLnV-al, which was also a strong inducer of p53. Peptide aldehydes were also weak activators of caspase activity, suggesting that the same mechanism, i.e. the blocking of proteasome function, both triggers apoptosis and inhibits the effect of etoposide. These results are consistent with a model in which proteasome is selectively involved in the pathway used by etoposide to induce cell suicide.

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Effects on protein synthesis of injecting synthetic polyribonucleotides into living cells

Biochemical Journal ◽

10.1042/bj1440011 ◽

1974 ◽

Vol 144 (1) ◽

pp. 11-19 ◽

Cited By ~ 5

Author(s):

Hugh Woodland ◽

Sarah E. Ayers

Keyword(s):

Protein Synthesis ◽

Xenopus Laevis ◽

Potent Inhibitor ◽

Living Cells ◽

Initiation Factor ◽

Rna Molecules ◽

Endogenous Protein ◽

Limited Supply ◽

Inhibitor Of Protein Synthesis ◽

Haemoglobin Synthesis

Micro-injection into the oocytes and eggs of Xenopus laevis was used to ascertain the effects of synthetic polyribonucleotides on protein synthesis in living cells. Poly(U) and poly(A) were not translated detectably, nor did they change the rate of endogenous protein synthesis. The same was true of poly(G,U), poly(A,G,U), poly(A,C,G,U), G-U-G-(U)n, A-(U)n and AUG. In contrast, A-U-G-(U)n was a potent inhibitor of protein synthesis in the cell. This might be because it is initiated normally but lacks a termination codon, or because it inhibits the translation of other molecules in some way not dependent on its normal initiation. Poly(G,U), poly(A,G,U) and poly(A,C,G,U) inhibited haemoglobin synthesis when they were injected into the oocyte with haemoglobin mRNA. The synthetic polyribonucleotides did not inhibit the translation of the natural mRNA when the two sorts of molecules were injected at different times. It is suggested that the synthetic RNA molecules compete with the natural mRNA for a pre-initiation factor in limited supply.

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Increase in alkaline phosphatase activity in calvaria cells cultured with diphosphonates

Biochemical Journal ◽

10.1042/bj1830073 ◽

1979 ◽

Vol 183 (1) ◽

pp. 73-81 ◽

Cited By ~ 69

Author(s):

R Felix ◽

H Fleisch

Keyword(s):

Alkaline Phosphatase ◽

Protein Synthesis ◽

Enzyme Activity ◽

Phosphatase Activity ◽

Alkaline Phosphatase Activity ◽

Heat Inactivation ◽

High Concentration ◽

Control Value ◽

Km Value ◽

Inhibitor Of Protein Synthesis

1. Dichloromethanediphosphonate and to a lesser degree 1-hydroxyethane-1,1-diphosphonate, two compounds characterized by a P-C-P bond, increased the alkaline phosphatase activity of cultured rat calvaria cells up to 30 times in a dose-dependent fashion. 2. Both diphosphonates also slightly inhibited the protein synthesis in these cells. 3. Thymidine, an inhibitor of cell division, did not inhibit the induction of the enzyme, indicating that the increase in enzyme activity was not due to the formation of a specific population of cells with high alkaline phosphatase activity. 4. The effect on alkaline phosphatase was suppressed by the addition of cycloheximide, an inhibitor of protein synthesis. 5. After subculturing the stimulated cells in medium without diphosphonates, the enzyme activity fell almost to the control value. 6. Bovine parathyrin diminished the enzyme activity of the control cells and the cells treated with dichloromethanediphosphonate; however, at high concentration the effect of parathyrin was greater on the diphosphonate-treated cells than on the control cells. 7. The electrophoretic behaviour, heat inactivation, inhibition by bromotetramisole or by phenylalanine, and the Km value of the induced enzyme were identical with that of the control enzyme.

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