Studies of the uptake of macromolecules by cells. I. Uptake of proteins by cells of the Ehrlich–Lettré ascites carcinoma

1968 ◽  
Vol 46 (12) ◽  
pp. 1443-1450 ◽  
Author(s):  
Y. C. Choi ◽  
E. R. M. Kay

The uptake of protein by cells of the Ehrlich–Lettré ascites carcinoma was characterized kinetically by using hemoglobin as a model protein. An attempt was made to show that the process is not an artefact due to nonspecific adsorption of protein to the cell membrane. The kinetics of the uptake process suggested that an interaction exists between the exogenous protein and specific binding sites on the membrane. Acetylation of hemoglobin enhanced the rate of uptake of this protein. Treatment of cells with neuraminidase, phospholipase A, and Pronase resulted in an inhibition of protein uptake. The experimental evidence for the uptake of hemoglobin was supported by evidence that L-serine-U-14C-labelled hemoglobin is transported into the cytoplasm and utilized subsequently, resulting in labelling of the nucleic acid nucleotides.

2001 ◽  
Vol 12 (9) ◽  
pp. 2825-2834 ◽  
Author(s):  
Hanan Osman ◽  
Sébastien Vauthrin ◽  
Vladimir Mikes ◽  
Marie-Louise Milat ◽  
Franck Panabières ◽  
...  

Elicitins secreted by phytopathogenic Phytophthoraspp. are proteinaceous elicitors of plant defense mechanisms and were demonstrated to load, carry, and transfer sterols between membranes. The link between elicitor and sterol-loading properties was assessed with the use of site-directed mutagenesis of the 47 and 87 cryptogein tyrosine residues, postulated to be involved in sterol binding. Mutated cryptogeins were tested for their ability to load sterols, bind to plasma membrane putative receptors, and trigger biological responses. For each mutated elicitin, the chemical characterization of the corresponding complexes with stigmasterol (1:1 stoichiometry) demonstrated their full functionality. However, these proteins were strongly altered in their sterol-loading efficiency, specific binding to high-affinity sites, and activities on tobacco cells. Ligand replacement experiments strongly suggest that the formation of a sterol-elicitin complex is a requisite step before elicitins fasten to specific binding sites. This was confirmed with the use of two sterol-preloaded elicitins. Both more rapidly displaced labeled cryptogein from its specific binding sites than the unloaded proteins. Moreover, the binding kinetics of elicitins are related to their biological effects, which constitutes the first evidence that binding sites could be the biological receptors. The first event involved in elicitin-mediated cell responses is proposed to be the protein loading with a sterol molecule.


1962 ◽  
Vol 45 (5) ◽  
pp. 959-977 ◽  
Author(s):  
Dan Cohen

Specific binding sites for potassium, which may be components of the carriers for active transport for K in Chlorella, were characterized by their capacity to bind rubidium. A dense suspension was allowed to take up Rb86 from a low concentration of Rb86 and a high concentration of ions which saturate non-specific sites. The amount bound was derived from the increase in the external concentration of Rb86 following addition of excess potassium. The sites were heterogeneous. The average affinity of Rb and various other ions for the sites was determined by plotting the degree of displacement of Rb86 against log molar concentration of the individual ions. Interpolation gave the concentration for 50 per cent displacement of Rb, which is inversely related to affinity. The order of affinity was not changed when the cells were frozen, or boiled either in water or in 70 per cent ethanol. The affinity is maximal for ions with a crystalline radius of 1.3 to 1.5 A and a high polarizability, and is not related to the hydrated radius or valency. It is suggested that binding groups in a site are rigidly arranged, the irregular space between them being 2.6 to 3.0 A across, so that affinity is high for ions of this diameter and high polarizability.


1988 ◽  
Vol 71 (2) ◽  
pp. 304-316 ◽  
Author(s):  
Stanley E Charm ◽  
Ruey Chi

Abstract A microbial competitive receptor assay for detecting residues of antibiotic families in milk was studied collaboratively by 13 laboratories. The drugs and levels (ppb) tested in this study i nclude penicillin G, 4.8; cephapirin, 5.0; cloxacillin, 100; tetracycline, 2000; chlortetracycline, 2000; oxytetracycline, 2000; erythromycin, 200; lincomycin, 400; clindamycin, 400; sulfamethazine, 75; sulfamethoxazole, 50; sulfisoxazole, 50; streptomycin, 1000; novobiocin, 50; and chloramphenicol, 800. In this method, microbial cells added to a milk sample provide specific binding sites for which 14C or 3H libeled drug competes with drug residues in the sample. The UC or H binding to the specific binding sites is measured in a scintillation counter and compared with a zero standard milk. If the sample is statistically different from the zero standard, it is positive. The assay takes about 15 min. The binding reaction occurs between the receptor site and the drug functional group, so all members of a drug family are detected. In this case, beta-lactams, tetracyclines, macrolides, aminoglycosides, novobiocin, chloramphenicol, and sulfonamides, including/^-aminobenzoic acid (PABA) and its other analogs, are detectable. The incidence of false negative determinations among samples is about 1%; the incidence of false positives is about 3%. For negative cases, the relative standard deviations for repeatability ranged from 0 to 5% and for reproducibility from 0 to 6%. For positive cases, relative standard deviations ranged from 0 to 13% for repeatability and from 0 to 14% for reproducibility. The method has been adopted official first action.


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