The mechanism of plasticization of the abdominal cuticle in Rhodnius

1975 ◽  
Vol 62 (1) ◽  
pp. 81-98
Author(s):  
SE Reynolds
Keyword(s):  
Ionic Strength ◽  
Inorganic Ions ◽  
Ph Change ◽  
Test Conditions

1. The mechanism of plasticization of the abdominal cuticle in Rhodnius larvae has been investigated, using the properties of loops of cuticle under varying test conditions as a model for the behaviour of the cuticle in vivo. 2. It is supposed that plasticization is effected by a change in the intracuticular environment. A number of model mechanisms for plasticization may be proposed, which suppose that the epidermis is capable of regulating (a) pH, (b) ionic strength,(c) Ca and/or Mg, (d) urea, within the cuticle. 3. Analyses of cuticle ash show that models(b) and (c) are not responsible for plasticization in vivo. The levels of inorganic ions within the unplasticized cuticle are not sufficiently high to allow plasticization upon their removal. 4.No evidence for model (d) has been found; urea does not occur in the cuticle in detectable quantities. 5. Exact measurements of the intracuticular pH have not been achieved but straining experiments strongly suggest that a change in pH occurs within the cuticle on plasticization. This pH change is probably large enough to account for the increased extensibility shown by plasticized cuticle.

scholarly journals Effect of pH, ionic strength and univalent inorganic ions on the reconstitution of aspartate aminotransferase

1974 ◽  
Vol 137 (2) ◽  
pp. 199-203 ◽  
Author(s):  
Liliana Gianfreda ◽  
Gennaro Marino ◽  
Rosaria Palescandolo ◽  
Vincenzo Scardi
Keyword(s):  
Ionic Strength ◽  
Aspartate Aminotransferase ◽  
Pyridoxal Phosphate ◽  
Water Structure ◽  
Inorganic Ions ◽  
Halide Ions ◽  
Ph Change ◽  
Effect Of Ph ◽  
Ph Range ◽  
Ph Curve

1. The effect of pH change on the reconstitution of aspartate aminotransferase (EC 2.6.1.1), i.e. the reactivation of the apoenzyme with coenzyme (pyridoxal phosphate and pyridoxamine phosphate), was studied in the pH range 4.2–8.9 by using three buffer systems at concentrations ranging from 0.025 to 0.1m. 2. Although the profile of the reconstitution rate–pH curve in the range pH5.2–6.8 (covered by sodium cacodylate–HCl buffer) reflects the influence of the H+ concentration on the reconstitution process, the profile of the curve in the pH ranges 4.2–5.6 and 7.2–8.25 (covered respectively by sodium acetate–acetic acid and Tris–HCl buffers) appears to be influenced by the ionic strength of the buffer. 3. The reconstitution is also influenced by univalent inorganic ions such as halide ions and, to a lesser extent, alkali metal ions, which are known to alter the water structure.

Scanning Tunneling Microscopy and Atomic Force Microscopy of Enzymes and Enzyme Complexes

1990 ◽  
Vol 48 (3) ◽  
pp. 174-175
Author(s):  
Ronald D. Edstrom ◽  
Xiuru Yang ◽  
Mary E. Gurnack ◽  
Marcia A. Miller ◽  
Rui Yang ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Cell Biology ◽  
Inorganic Ions ◽  
Bulk Liquid ◽  
Soluble Form ◽  
Scanning Tunneling ◽  
Tunneling Microscopy ◽  
Metabolic Channeling ◽  
Simplistic Notion ◽  
Soluble Enzymes

Many of the questions in biochemistry and cell biology are concerned with the relationships of proteins and other macromolecules in complex arrays which are responsible for carrying out metabolic sequences. The simplistic notion that the enzymes we isolate in soluble form from the cytoplasm were also soluble in vivo is being replaced by the concept that these enzymes occur in organized systems within the cell. In this newer view, the cytoplasm is organized and the “soluble enzymes” are in fact fixed in the cellular space and the only soluble components of the cell are small metabolites, inorganic ions etc. Further support for the concept of metabolic organization is provided by the evidence of metabolic channeling. It has been shown that for some metabolic pathways, the intermediates are not in free diffusion equilibrium with the bulk liquid in the cell but are passed along, more or less directly, from one enzyme to the next.

scholarly journals Seminal Plasma: Relevant for Fertility?

2021 ◽  
Vol 22 (9) ◽  
pp. 4368
Author(s):  
Heriberto Rodriguez-Martinez ◽  
Emilio A. Martinez ◽  
Juan J. Calvete ◽  
Fernando J. Peña Vega ◽  
Jordi Roca
Keyword(s):  
Seminal Plasma ◽  
Current Knowledge ◽  
Inorganic Ions ◽  
Vitro Fertilization ◽  
Dna And Rna ◽  
Model Animal ◽  
Sexual Glands ◽  
Species Specific

Seminal plasma (SP), the non-cellular component of semen, is a heterogeneous composite fluid built by secretions of the testis, the epididymis and the accessory sexual glands. Its composition, despite species-specific anatomical peculiarities, consistently contains inorganic ions, specific hormones, proteins and peptides, including cytokines and enzymes, cholesterol, DNA and RNA—the latter often protected within epididymis- or prostate-derived extracellular vesicles. It is beyond question that the SP participates in diverse aspects of sperm function pre-fertilization events. The SP also interacts with the various compartments of the tubular genital tract, triggering changes in gene function that prepares for an eventual successful pregnancy; thus, it ultimately modulates fertility. Despite these concepts, it is imperative to remember that SP-free spermatozoa (epididymal or washed ejaculated) are still fertile, so this review shall focus on the differences between the in vivo roles of the SP following semen deposition in the female and those regarding additions of SP on spermatozoa handled for artificial reproduction, including cryopreservation, from artificial insemination to in vitro fertilization. This review attempts, including our own results on model animal species, to critically summarize the current knowledge of the reproductive roles played by SP components, particularly in our own species, which is increasingly affected by infertility. The ultimate goal is to reconcile the delicate balance between the SP molecular concentration and their concerted effects after temporal exposure in vivo. We aim to appraise the functions of the SP components, their relevance as diagnostic biomarkers and their value as eventual additives to refine reproductive strategies, including biotechnologies, in livestock models and humans.

Responses to Hypersaline Exposure in the Euryhaline Crayfish PAcifastacus Leniusculus: II. Modulation of Haemocyanin Oxygen Binding In Vitro and In Vivo

1982 ◽  
Vol 99 (1) ◽  
pp. 447-467
Author(s):  
MICHÈLE G. WHEATLY ◽  
B. R. MCMAHON
Keyword(s):  
Salt Effect ◽  
Ionic Composition ◽  
Inorganic Ions ◽  
Pacifastacus Leniusculus ◽  
Oxygen Binding ◽  
Complete Saturation ◽  
O2 Delivery ◽  
O2 Binding

The effect of 48 h of hypersaline exposure (25, 50 and 75% SW) on haemocyanin oxygenation properties in the euryhaline crayfish Pacifastacus leniusculus was investigated in vitro and in vivo. In vitro significant increases in affinity and cooperativity were measured, although the magnitude of the Bohr shift was unaffected. In vitro dialysis of haemolymph against physiological salines of variable ionic composition proved that these changes were only partly attributable to altered levels of haemolymph ions, implicating the existence of modulators other than H+ and inorganic ions, the possible identities of which are discussed. Significant depressions of both pre- and postbranchial oxygen tensions (Pv, Ov, O2 and Pa, Oa, O2) were observed, but O2 delivery was maintained by utilization of the venous reserve and by an increase in haemocyanin O2 affinity. This occurred despite a concomitant acidosis whose effect on O2 affinity was directly opposed by the ‘salt’ effect. Under hypersaline conditions, haemocyanin played an increasingly important role in O2 delivery in vivo. Despite a reduction in the concentration of combined O2 at complete saturation of the pigment (CmaxHCyOHCyO2). indicating lowered haemocyanin concentration, compensatory changes in O2-binding and cardiac output precluded an impairment to O2 transfer. Equilibration at the tissues (Et,Ot,O2) in FW was less effective than at the gills (Eb,Ob,O2 but progressively improved with hypersaline exposure reversing this trend. Although effects of increased salinity on O2 equilibrium characteristics were qualitatively similar in vivo and in vitro, some interesting quantitative differences are discussed.

Time course of exchanges between red cells and extracellular fluid during CO2 uptake

1975 ◽  
Vol 38 (4) ◽  
pp. 710-718 ◽  
Author(s):  
R. E. Forster ◽  
E. D. Crandall
Keyword(s):  
Carbonic Anhydrase ◽  
Time Course ◽  
Extracellular Fluid ◽  
Extracellular Ph ◽  
Co2 Uptake ◽  
Sudden Increase ◽  
Red Cell ◽  
Ph Change ◽  
Red Cell Membrane

A stopped-flow rapid-reaction apparatus was used to follow the time course of extracellular pH in a human red cell suspension following a sudden increase in PCO2. The extracellular pH change was slow (t1/2 similar to 3.5 s) considering the presence of carbonic anhydrase in the cells. When carbonic anhydrase was added to the extracellular fluid, the half-time was reduced to less than 20 ms. The explanation for these phenomena is that the equilibration of H+ across the red cell membrane is rate-limited by the uncatalyzed reaction CO2 plus H2O formed from H2CO3 outside the cells. A theoretical model was developed which successfully reproduced the experimental results. When the model was used to simulate CO2 exchange in vivo, it was determined that blood PCO2 and pH require long times (greater than 50 s) to approach equilibrium between cells and plasma after leaving an exchange capillary. We conclude that cell-plasma equilibrium may never be reached in vivo, and that in vitro measurements of these quantities may not represent their true values at the site of sampling.

Slow postcapillary pH changes in blood in anesthetized animals

1978 ◽  
Vol 45 (5) ◽  
pp. 674-680 ◽  
Author(s):  
A. Bidani ◽  
E. D. Crandall
Keyword(s):  
Blood Cells ◽  
Ph Change ◽  
Arterial Blood ◽  
Blood Ph ◽  
Pulmonary Capillary ◽  
Before And After ◽  
Equilibration Process ◽  
Contact Surfaces ◽  
Electrode Chamber

To investigate the hypothesis that blood pH and PCO2 continue to change after the blood leaves an exchange capillary, we used a rapidly responding, pressure-insensitive, stopped-flow pH electrode apparatus. Arterial blood from an anesthetized dog or cat is drawn through the apparatus into a syringe. Syringe movement is then suddenly stopped. Temperature and pH of the blood in the electrode assembly are continuously monitored, both before and after blood withdrawal ceases. Hemolysis was reduced by coating all blood contact surfaces with silicone and fasting the animal overnight, anesthetizing it with crystalline pentobarbital sodium, and allowing it to ventilate spontaneously. After stopping withdrawal, pH of blood in the electrode chamber continued to change, rising 0.01 unit with t1/2 of 4.4 s. After lysed blood was returned to the animal to provide carbonic anhydrase to the plasma, no pH change was seen after stopping the flow. The small pH rise occurring in arterial blood in vivo is probably due in large part to disequilibrium of [H+] between red blood cells and plasma at the end of the pulmonary capillary, the equilibration process being rate-limited by the extracellular CO2 hydration-dehydration reaction.

scholarly journals Regulation mechanism of ERM (ezrin/radixin/moesin) protein/plasma membrane association: possible involvement of phosphatidylinositol turnover and Rho-dependent signaling pathway.

1996 ◽  
Vol 135 (1) ◽  
pp. 37-51 ◽  
Author(s):  
M Hirao ◽  
N Sato ◽  
T Kondo ◽  
S Yonemura ◽  
M Monden ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Ionic Strength ◽  
Cytoplasmic Domain ◽  
Insoluble Fraction ◽  
Regulation Mechanism ◽  
Erm Proteins ◽  
Bhk Cells ◽  
High Affinity ◽  
Binding Partners

The ERM proteins, ezrin, radixin, and moesin, are involved in the actin filament/plasma membrane interaction as cross-linkers. CD44 has been identified as one of the major membrane binding partners for ERM proteins. To examine the CD44/ERM protein interaction in vitro, we produced mouse ezrin, radixin, moesin, and the glutathione-S-transferase (GST)/CD44 cytoplasmic domain fusion protein (GST-CD44cyt) by means of recombinant baculovirus infection, and constructed an in vitro assay for the binding between ERM proteins and the cytoplasmic domain of CD44. In this system, ERM proteins bound to GST-CD44cyt with high affinity (Kd of moesin was 9.3 +/- 1.6nM) at a low ionic strength, but with low affinity at a physiological ionic strength. However, in the presence of phosphoinositides (phosphatidylinositol [PI], phosphatidylinositol 4-monophosphate [4-PIP], and phosphatidylinositol 4.5-bisphosphate [4,5-PIP2]), ERM proteins bound with a relatively high affinity to GST-CD44cyt even at a physiological ionic strength: 4,5-PIP2 showed a marked effect (Kd of moesin in the presence of 4,5-PIP2 was 9.3 +/- 4.8 nM). Next, to examine the regulation mechanism of CD44/ERM interaction in vivo, we reexamined the immunoprecipitated CD44/ERM complex from BHK cells and found that it contains Rho-GDP dissociation inhibitor (GDI), a regulator of Rho GTPase. We then evaluated the involvement of Rho in the regulation of the CD44/ERM complex formation. When recombinant ERM proteins were added and incubated with lysates of cultured BHK cells followed by centrifugation, a portion of the recombinant ERM proteins was recovered in the insoluble fraction. This binding was enhanced by GTP gamma S and markedly suppressed by C3 toxin, a specific inhibitor of Rho, indicating that the GTP form of Rho in the lysate is required for this binding. A mAb specific for the cytoplasmic domain of CD44 also markedly suppressed this binding, identifying most of the binding partners for exogenous ERM proteins in the insoluble fraction as CD44. Consistent with this binding analysis, in living BHK cells treated with C3 toxin, most insoluble ERM proteins moved to soluble compartments in the cytoplasm, leaving CD44 free from ERM. These findings indicate that Rho regulates the CD44/ERM complex formation in vivo and that the phosphatidylinositol turnover may be involved in this regulation mechanism.

Filament Formation by Slime Mould Myosin Isolated at Low Ionic Strength

1974 ◽  
Vol 15 (1) ◽  
pp. 113-129
Author(s):  
H. HINSSEN ◽  
J. D'HAESE
Keyword(s):  
Ionic Strength ◽  
Striated Muscle ◽  
Divalent Cations ◽  
Filament Formation ◽  
Selective Precipitation ◽  
Slime Mould ◽  
Preparation Conditions ◽  
Filament Structure ◽  
Low Ionic Strength

Myosin was isolated and purified from plasmodia of the slime mould Physarum polycephalum by a new method. This method is based on actomyosin extraction at low ionic strength after extensive washing, followed by the selective precipitation of myosin at pH 6.1 under relaxing conditions. The yield of myosin was 3-5 times higher than reported for other methods. In contrast to earlier studies a remarkably strong tendency to filament formation was found for slime mould myosin, probably due to a better preservation of some structural properties during preparation. Conditions were worked out under which numerous filaments up to 4 µm in length can be produced. It was established that not only a gradual decrease of ionic strength may influence filament formation, but also pH, ATP concentration and the presence of divalent cations. Compared to the current filament models a difference exists in the structure of the filaments. No central bare zone can be found, and thus, they lack an apparent bipolarity. Along the entire filament there are lateral projections representing the head portion of myosin molecules. A clear periodicity with an axial repeat of about 14 nm was observed, indicating a highly ordered arrangement of these projections. In this paper it is shown for the first time that myosin from one of the primitive motile systems is able to form aggregates of high structural order, indicating that the contraction of non-muscular actomyosin systems is not necessarily effected with oligomeric or randomly aggregated myosin. The possible role of myosin aggregation in vivo and the similarity of filament structure to that recently reported for myosin from vertebrate smooth muscle and striated muscle are discussed.

A FRET-based two-photon probe for in vivo tracking of pH during a traumatic brain injury process

2019 ◽  
Vol 43 (43) ◽  
pp. 17018-17022
Author(s):  
Baoping Zhai ◽  
Shuyang Zhai ◽  
Ruilin Hao ◽  
Jianjun Xu ◽  
Zhihong Liu
Keyword(s):  
Traumatic Brain Injury ◽  
Brain Injury ◽  
Neurodegenerative Diseases ◽  
Intracellular Ph ◽  
Ph Change ◽  
Ph Probe ◽  
Two Photon ◽  
Ph Decrease

Traumatic brain injury (TBI) is a cause of neurodegenerative diseases accompanied by intracellular pH decrease. Herein, a FRET-based ratiometric two-photon fluorescent pH probe is designed to monitor pH change and understand TBI process.

Preparation Of Antithrombin, High Activity Heparin And A Heparin-Antithrombin Complex By A Rapid Two-Step Affinity Method

1981 ◽  
Author(s):  
R Jordan ◽  
T Zuffi ◽  
M Fournel ◽  
D Schroeder
Keyword(s):  
Ionic Strength ◽  
High Activity ◽  
Tight Binding ◽  
Therapeutic Benefit ◽  
Purification Scheme ◽  
The Matrix ◽  
Low Ionic Strength ◽  
Potential Therapeutic Benefit

The tight binding affinity of antithrombin for heparin makes possible a relatively selective purification scheme based on salt elution from heparin-Sepharose. We have found, however, that purity can often be greatly increased if the elution is carried out with soluble heparin instead. This heparin can be removed from the antithrombin, either in whole or part, by a second affinity step on Concanavalin A Sepharose. The antithrombin, which binds to the matrix through its glycosidic moieties, retains its ability to bind heparin at physiological ionic strengths. Thus, the complex of antithrombin and heparin is readily isolated free of unbound heparin species. The complex can be eluted intact with low ionic strength buffers containing sugars which compete for binding to the lectin. Alternatively, the high activity heparin (400–500 units/mg) can be obtained separately by a 1 M NaCl wash which is then followed by a carbohydrate wash to obtain the purified antithrombin.We have made certain preliminary biochemical and anticoagulant characterizations of these materials. Not unexpectedly, both the high activity heparin and its complex with antithrombin show significantly greater in vitro potency in comparison to unfractionated heparin. In vivo anticoagulant efficacy, as evaluated in a rabbit infusion model, confirmed the in vitro findings and further suggests some potential therapeutic benefit may be derived from infusion of a preformed heparin-antithrombin complex.

Sign in / Sign up

Export Citation Format

Share Document