scholarly journals Immunolocalization and molecular properties of a high molecular weight microtubule-bundling protein (syncolin) from chicken erythrocytes.

1991 ◽  
Vol 112 (4) ◽  
pp. 689-699 ◽  
Author(s):  
P Feick ◽  
R Foisner ◽  
G Wiche

A protein of apparent molecular weight 280,000 (syncolin), which is immunoreactive with antibodies to hog brain microtubule-associated protein (MAP) 2, was purified from chicken erythrocytes. Immunofluorescence microscopy of bone marrow cells revealed the presence of syncolin in cells at all stages of erythrocyte differentiation. In early erythroblasts syncolin was diffusely distributed throughout the cytoplasm. At later stages it was found along microtubules of the marginal band, as confirmed by immunoelectron microscopy. The association of syncolin with the marginal band was dependent on the integrity of microtubules, as demonstrated by temperature-dependent de- and repolymerization or marginal band microtubules. Syncolin cosedimented in a saturable manner with microtubules assembled in vitro, and it was displaced from the polymer by salt. Brain as well as erythrocyte microtubules, reconstituted with taxol from MAP-free tubulin and purified syncolin, were aggregated into dense bundles containing up to 15 microtubules, as determined by electron microscopy. On the ultrastructural level, syncolin molecules were visualized as globular or ringlike structures, in contrast to the thin, threadlike appearance of filamentous MAPs, such as brain MAP 2. According to ultrastructural measurements and gel permeation chromatography, syncolin's molecular weight was approximately 1 x 10(6). It is suggested that syncolin's specific function is the cross-linking of microtubules in the marginal band and, by implication, the stabilization of this structure typical for nucleated (chicken) erythrocytes.

2008 ◽  
Vol 63 (3-4) ◽  
pp. 181-188 ◽  
Author(s):  
Feng He ◽  
Ying Yang ◽  
Guang Yang ◽  
Longjiang Yu

A polysaccharide was isolated from the broth of cultured Streptomyces virginia H03 which was treated by ethanol deposition and savage method to remove the protein, and was purified using Sephadex G-150 column chromatography. The components of the polysaccharide were determined by gas chromatography. The purified polysaccharide was made up of mannose, glucose and galactose, in a 2:1:1 proportion. Its average apparent molecular weight was 3.76 · 104 Da which was determined by gel permeation chromatography. In addition, several antioxidant assays were adopted to investigate the antioxidant activity of the polysaccharide in vitro. The results indicated that the purified polysaccharide showed significant antioxidant activity against superoxide anion, hydrogen peroxide and 1,1-diphenyl-2-picrylhydrazyl radical, and lipid peroxidation as with standard antioxidants such as vitamin C. Furthermore, the polysaccharide had a better heat stability than vitamin C, which suggested that the polysaccharide might be a potent useful antioxidant


1985 ◽  
Vol 5 (5) ◽  
pp. 1093-1099
Author(s):  
R J Schmidt ◽  
N W Gillham ◽  
J E Boynton

In pulse-chase experiments in which log-phase cells of Chlamydomonas reinhardtii were labeled in vivo for 5 min with H2(35)SO4, fluorographs of immunoprecipitates from whole cell extracts revealed that chloroplast ribosomal proteins L-2, L-6, L-21, and L-29, which are made in the cytosol and imported, appeared in their mature forms. However, in the case of chloroplast ribosomal protein L-18, which is also made in the cytoplasm and imported, a prominent precursor with an apparent molecular weight of 17,000 was found at the end of a 5-min pulse. This precursor was processed to its mature size (apparent molecular weight of 15,500) within the first 5 min of the subsequent chase. As determined by sodium dodecyl sulfate-polyacrylamide gel electrophoresis, the precursor to L-18 formed in vivo was 1.5 kilodaltons smaller than the primary product detected in translations of Chlamydomonas polyadenylated RNA in vitro. Upon a 10-min incubation with a postribosomal supernatant from Chlamydomonas, the 18,500-dalton precursor detected in vitro could be partially converted into a polypeptide that comigrated with the 17,000-dalton precursor detected in extracts of cells labeled in vivo. Under conditions in which the total amounts of chloroplast proteins had been reduced and cells were made to synthesize ribosomes rapidly, the apparent half-life of the 17,000-dalton precursor was extended over that seen in log-phase cells. When chloroplast protein synthesis was inhibited with lincomycin for 3 h before labeling under these conditions, the 17,000-dalton L-18 precursor but not the mature form was found, and the precursor was slowly degraded during a 60-min chase. When cells were placed in the dark for 3 h before labeling, processing of this precursor to the mature form appeared unaffected, but the chloroplast-synthesized ribosomal protein L-26 was detected, indicating that chloroplast protein synthesis was still occurring. We interpret these results to indicate that the maturation of protein L-18 in vivo involves at least two processing steps, one of which depends on a protein made on chloroplast ribosomes.


1987 ◽  
Vol 65 (1) ◽  
pp. 27-34 ◽  
Author(s):  
Scot R. Kimball ◽  
William L. Meyer

Multiple forms of ribonuclease II (EC 3.1.27.5) have been resolved from extracts of crude fractions of mouse liver by ion-exchange chromatography on phosphocellulose and gel permeation chromatography. The forms are designated 6S, 6L, 5S, 5L, 4S, 4L, 3S, 3L, 2, and 1 in increasing order of apparent cationic character. The forms fall into two series of apparent molecular weight. The small series increases from molecular weight equal to 9000 for form 1 to 14 000 for form 6S. The large series increases from molecular weight equal to 22 000 for form 2 to 44 000 for form 6L. All forms have pH–activity profiles with maxima near pH 7. Activity falls to no less than 30% of this maximum at pHs 5 and 8.5. Relative to the other forms, form 1 has a higher ratio of activity in the alkaline compared with acid pH range. Form 1 is found in the cytosolic, "light" particle, and "heavy" particle fractions. The other forms are largely restricted to the heavy particle fraction. In this fraction the proportion of total activity attributable to each form generally decreases in order from form 1 down to form 6. The results are accommodated by models in which one or more gene products give rise to multiple forms of ribonuclease II by processes involving dimerization and glycosylation.


1985 ◽  
Vol 5 (5) ◽  
pp. 1093-1099 ◽  
Author(s):  
R J Schmidt ◽  
N W Gillham ◽  
J E Boynton

In pulse-chase experiments in which log-phase cells of Chlamydomonas reinhardtii were labeled in vivo for 5 min with H2(35)SO4, fluorographs of immunoprecipitates from whole cell extracts revealed that chloroplast ribosomal proteins L-2, L-6, L-21, and L-29, which are made in the cytosol and imported, appeared in their mature forms. However, in the case of chloroplast ribosomal protein L-18, which is also made in the cytoplasm and imported, a prominent precursor with an apparent molecular weight of 17,000 was found at the end of a 5-min pulse. This precursor was processed to its mature size (apparent molecular weight of 15,500) within the first 5 min of the subsequent chase. As determined by sodium dodecyl sulfate-polyacrylamide gel electrophoresis, the precursor to L-18 formed in vivo was 1.5 kilodaltons smaller than the primary product detected in translations of Chlamydomonas polyadenylated RNA in vitro. Upon a 10-min incubation with a postribosomal supernatant from Chlamydomonas, the 18,500-dalton precursor detected in vitro could be partially converted into a polypeptide that comigrated with the 17,000-dalton precursor detected in extracts of cells labeled in vivo. Under conditions in which the total amounts of chloroplast proteins had been reduced and cells were made to synthesize ribosomes rapidly, the apparent half-life of the 17,000-dalton precursor was extended over that seen in log-phase cells. When chloroplast protein synthesis was inhibited with lincomycin for 3 h before labeling under these conditions, the 17,000-dalton L-18 precursor but not the mature form was found, and the precursor was slowly degraded during a 60-min chase. When cells were placed in the dark for 3 h before labeling, processing of this precursor to the mature form appeared unaffected, but the chloroplast-synthesized ribosomal protein L-26 was detected, indicating that chloroplast protein synthesis was still occurring. We interpret these results to indicate that the maturation of protein L-18 in vivo involves at least two processing steps, one of which depends on a protein made on chloroplast ribosomes.


1982 ◽  
Vol 201 (2) ◽  
pp. 373-376 ◽  
Author(s):  
Y M Heimer ◽  
Y Mizrahi

Some characteristics of L-ornithine decarboxylase of tomato ovaries and tobacco cells are described. The enzyme has a pH optimum of 8.0. It requires pyridoxal phosphate and thiol reagent (dithiothreitol) for activity. It is specific for L-ornithine and has an apparent Km of 1.4 × 10-4 M. It has an apparent molecular weight of 107000. Putrescine inhibited the activity in vitro. Spermidine and spermine also inhibit the enzyme, but less effectively. It is concluded that the enzyme is similar to that of mammalian origin and likewise fulfils a function related to cell proliferation.


1987 ◽  
Vol 7 (8) ◽  
pp. 2700-2707
Author(s):  
B Boggs ◽  
F Cabral

Eight strains of Chinese hamster ovary (CHO) cells having an assembly-defective beta-tubulin were found among revertants of strain Cmd 4, a mutant with a conditional lethal mutation in a beta-tubulin gene (F. Cabral, M. E. Sobel, and M. M. Gottesman, Cell 20:29-36, 1980). The altered beta-tubulins in these strains have electrophoretically silent alterations or, in some cases, an increase or a decrease in apparent molecular weight based on their migration in two-dimensional gels. The identity of these variant proteins as beta-tubulin was confirmed by peptide mapping, which also revealed the loss of distinct methionine-containing peptides in the assembly-defective beta-tubulins of lower apparent molecular weight. The altered mobility of these beta-tubulin polypeptides was not the result of a posttranslational modification, since the altered species could be labeled in very short incubations with [35S]methionine and were found among in vitro-translated polypeptides by using purified mRNA. In at least one strain, an altered DNA restriction fragment could be demonstrated, suggesting that an alteration occurred in one of the structural genes for beta-tubulin. Assembly-defective beta-tubulin was unstable and turned over with a half-life of only 1 to 2 h in exponentially growing cells. This rapid degradation of a tubulin gene product resulted in approximately 30% lower steady-state levels of both alpha- and beta-tubulin yet did not affect the growth rate of the cells or the distribution of the microtubules as judged by immunofluorescence microscopy. These results argue that CHO cells possess a beta-tubulin gene product that is not essential for survival.


1993 ◽  
Vol 105 (3) ◽  
pp. 729-737
Author(s):  
I.S. Georgieff ◽  
R.K. Liem ◽  
D. Couchie ◽  
C. Mavilia ◽  
J. Nunez ◽  
...  

Using a novel PCR approach, we have cloned a cDNA encoding the entire high molecular weight tau molecule from rat dorsal root ganglia. The resulting 2080 bp cDNA differs from low molecular weight rat brain tau by the insertion of a novel 762 bp region (exon 4a) between exons 4 and 5. This cDNA clone is identical in sequence with a high molecular weight tau (HMW) cDNA from rat PC12 tumor cells and is closely related to a HMW tau cDNA from mouse N115 tumor cells. In vitro transcription/translation produces a protein that migrates on SDS-PAGE with the same apparent molecular weight as HMW tau purified from rat sciatic nerve. The HMW tau protein is generated from an 8 kb mRNA, which can be detected by northern blots in peripheral ganglia, but not in brain. A more sensitive assay using PCR and Southern blot analysis demonstrates the presence of exon 4a in spinal cord and in retina. In combination with immunohistochemical studies of spinal cord, these data suggest that HMW tau, though primarily in the peripheral nervous system, is also expressed in limited areas of the central nervous system, although its presence cannot be detected in the cerebral cortices.


e-Polymers ◽  
2012 ◽  
Vol 12 (1) ◽  
Author(s):  
Xiaohong Hu ◽  
Dan Li ◽  
Feng Zhou ◽  
Changyou Gao

AbstractPhysical structures of a crosslinkable gelatin derivative (GM) were studied in terms of alteration of apparent molecular weight, triple helix content and mechanical strength. The GM with a substitution degree (DS) of 49% and 79% was prepared by grafting mechacrylic acid (MA), which was able to form injectable hydrogel by photoinitiating polymerization. The zeta potential was increased along the increase of DS. After modification, the apparent number-average molecular weight (Mn) detected by gel permeation chromatography was decreased to about 2/3 of gelatin, while the apparent weight-average molecular weight (Mw) was changed within a small range. Differential scanning calorimetry and circular dichroism (CD) revealed that ability of triple-helix formation of GM was decreased along with the increase of DS and decrease of GM concentration. After photocrosslinking, the sol-gel transition of GM49 physical-chemical hydrogel still existed, but completely disappeared for its chemical hydrogel. The physical-chemical hydrogel showed a larger storage modulus at 20°C than at 37°C as a result of additional physical crosslinking.


1985 ◽  
Vol 100 (5) ◽  
pp. 1423-1434 ◽  
Author(s):  
J C Samuelson ◽  
J P Caulfield

Cercariae, the freshwater stage of Schistosoma mansoni infectious to man, are covered by a single unit membrane and an immunogenic glycocalyx. When cercariae penetrate the host skin, they transform to schistosomula by shedding tails, secreting mucous and enzymes, and forming microvilli over their surface. Here the loss of the glycocalyx from cercariae transforming in vitro was studied morphologically and biochemically. By scanning electron microscopy, the glycocalyx was a dense mesh composed of 15-30 nm fibrils that obscured spines on the cercarial surface. The glycocalyx was absent on organisms fixed without osmium and was partially lost when parasites aggregated in their own secretions before fixation. By transmission electron microscopy, a 1-2 microns thick mesh of 8-15-nm fibrils was seen on parasites incubated with anti-schistosomal antibodies or fixed in aldehydes containing tannic acid or ruthenium red. Cercariae transformed to schistosomula when tails were removed mechanically and parasites were incubated in saline. Within 5 min of transformation, organisms synchronously formed microvilli which elongated to 3-5 microns by 20 min and then were shed. However, considerable fibrillar material remained adherent to the double unit membrane surface of schistosomula. For biochemical labeling, parasites were treated with eserine sulfate, which blocked cercarial swimming, secretion, infectivity, and transformation to schistosomula. Material labeled by periodate oxidation and NaB3H4 was on the surface as shown by autoradiography and had an apparent molecular weight of greater than 10(6) by chromatography. Periodate-NaB3H4 glycocalyx had an isoelectric point of 5.0 +/- 0.4 and was precipitable with anti-schistosomal antibodies. More than 60% of the radiolabeled glycocalyx was released into the medium by transforming parasites in 3 h and was recovered as high molecular weight material. Parasites labeled with periodate and fluorescein-thiosemicarbazide and then transformed had a corona of fluorescence containing microvilli, much of which was shed onto the slide. Material on cercariae labeled by lodogen-catalyzed iodination was also of high molecular weight and was antigenic. In conclusion, the cercarial glycocalyx appears to be composed of acidic high molecular weight fibrils which are antigenic and incompletely cleared during transformation.


Parasitology ◽  
1992 ◽  
Vol 105 (2) ◽  
pp. 297-308 ◽  
Author(s):  
A. P. Page ◽  
R. M. Maizels

SUMMARYToxocara canis infective stage larvae continually produce excretory–secretory (TES) glycoproteins in long-term in vitro culture. The kinetics of synthesis and secretion were studied by metabolic labelling with radioactive [35S]methionine, [14C]serine and [14C]threonine. Maximal incorporation rates required overnight pre-incubation of parasites in medium depleted of the appropriate amino acid. Larvae rapidly incorporated isotope into their somatic tissues, but there was a minimum delay of 10 h before secretion of labelled antigens. Labelling with [14C]serine and [14C]threonine demonstrated a relative abundance of these amino acids in the major surface/secreted glycoproteins of this nematode (TES-32 and 120). Pulse-chase experiments suggested that TES-120 may be derived from a 58 kDa precursor, reflecting extensive post-translational glycosylation. Inhibition of N-glycosylation with tunicamycin and digestion with N-glycanase provided evidence of N-glycosylation in the lower molecular weight ES components (TES-32, 55 and 70). These agents had no effect on the higher molecular weight components (TES-120 and 400) implying that for these molecules glycosylation is predominantly O-linked. The largest ES component (TES-400) was unusual, in incorporating serine and threonine but not methionine, and by exhibiting increased apparent molecular weight following pronase digestion; it is suggested that this molecule is a proteoglycan.


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