alpha-methyl-D-glucoside Research Articles

Sugar transport by the bacterial phosphotransferase system. Phosphoryl transfer reactions catalyzed by enzyme I of Salmonella typhimurium.

The phosphorylation of Enzyme I is the first step in the phosphotransfer reaction sequence catalyzed by the phosphoenolpyruvate:glycose phosphotransferase system (PTS) from Salmonella typhimurium. The characterization of phospho approximately Enzyme I and the reactions in which it participates are described in this report. About 1 mol of phosphoryl group was incorporated per mol of Enzyme I monomer when the homogeneous enzyme was incubated with [32]phosphoenolpyruvate and Mg2+. The phosphoryl group in phospho approximately Enzyme I is linked at the N-3 position in the imidazole ring of a histidine residue. Phospho approximately Enzyme I donates its phosphoryl group to pyruvate (to form phosphoenolpyruvate (P-enolpyruvate)) and to the histidine-containing phosphocarrier protein of the phosphotransferase system (HPr) (to form phospho approximately HPr). In the presence of HPr and appropriate sugar-specific proteins, the phosphoryl group can be transferred from Enzyme I to methyl alpha-glucoside (to form sugar-phosphate). The phosphorylation of Enzyme I by phosphoenolpyruvate requires divalent cation, but the phosphoryl group is transferred from phospho approximately Enzyme I to HPr in the presence of 20 mM EDTA. Kinetic studies show a biphasic rate for Enzyme I phosphorylation, suggesting that the enzyme is phosphorylated in the associated state. Equilibrium experiments were conducted on the following Reactions A and C. (formula: see text). The apparent K' for Reaction B was calculated from K'A and K'C. K'C was found to be about 11. K'A was studied both at very low and high substrate (P-enolpyruvate and pyruvate) concentrations relative to their respective Km values. At low substrate concentrations, the reaction appeared independent of pH in the range of 6.5 to 8.0, and when analyzed according to the simplest expression that could be written for total species of each component (Reaction A), the apparent average K' was 1.5. At high substrate concentrations, about 50% of the Enzyme I was phosphorylated, and this value changed only slightly with large changes in the P-enolpyruvate to pyruvate ratio. Expressions for K'A are derived which partially explain these results by including enzyme-substrate complexes in the equilibrium expression. The K' values were used to derive apparent standard free energy changes for the hydrolysis of the phosphoproteins of the PTS. Since these are similar to those for the hydrolysis of P-enolpyruvate, the phosphate transfer potentials of the PTS phosphoproteins are among the highest of known biological phosphate derivatives. In addition, unlike the reactions which occur during anaerobic glycolysis and electron transport, the high phosphate transfer potential is conserved in the PTS reaction sequence until the last step, the translocation of the sugar substrate across the membrane concomitant with its phosphorylation. Potential regulation of the PTS, in particular the effect of the intracellular ratio of P-enolpyruvate to pyruvate, is considered.

Sugar transport by the bacterial phosphotransferase system. Isolation and characterization of a glucose-specific phosphocarrier protein (IIIGlc) from Salmonella typhimurium.

The phosphocarrier protein, IIIGlc, of the phosphoenolpyruvate:glycose phosphotransferase system (PTS) was purified to homogeneity by two methods. The first method utilized ion exchange and gel filtration chromatography, isoelectric focusing, and polyacrylamide gel electrophoresis, and required several weeks for completion. The second method utilized and antibody affinity column plus two additional steps and could be completed in a few days. By both procedures, two forms of IIIGlc were isolated, which were called IIIGlc Slow and IIIGlc Fast on the basis of their relative mobilities in polyacrylamide gels. IIIGlc Fast is derived from IIIGlc Slow by cleavage of the seven NH2-terminal amino acids from the latter protein. Both IIIGlc Slow and IIIGlc Fast have Mr approximately 20,000; neither protein contains cysteine, tyrosine, or tryptophan. IIIGlc Slow is very stable to heat; only 50% of its sugar phosphorylating activity is lost after 1 h at 100 degrees C. The phosphoryl group in IIIGlc Slow appears to be linked to a histidinyl residue. Direct transfer of the phosphoryl group from HPr (the histidine-containing phosphocarrier protein of the PTS) to IIIGlc slow was demonstrated as well as the reverse reaction. In addition, phospho-IIIGlc Slow served as a phosphoryl donor to methyl alpha-glucoside (or glucose) in the absence of all other PTS components except the partially purified integral membrane protein specific for this sugar, II-BGlc. The loss of the seven amino acids from IIIGlc Slow (giving IIIGlc Fast) leads to a marked alteration in the kinetic properties of the protein in the phosphotransferase system. IIIGlc Slow accepts 1 mol of phosphate from phosphoenolpyruvate via Enzyme I and HPr (the histidine-containing phosphocarrier protein) and participates in the phosphorylation of glucose or methyl alpha-D-glucoside. IIIGlc Fast also accepts 1 mol of phosphate, but phospho-IIIGlc Fast is only 2-3% as active as phospho-IIIGlc Slow in the phosphorylation of sugar. IIIGlc Fast is found only in trace quantities in living cells, and may play a role in the regulation of non-PTS sugar transport systems.

Sugar transport by the bacterial phosphotransferase system. Nanosecond fluorescence studies of the phosphocarrier protein (HPr) labeled at the NH2-terminal methionine.

HPr is a low molecular weight, phosphocarrier protein of the Salmonella typhimurium phosphoenolpyruvate:glycose phosphotransferase system (PTS). This protein was alkylated with the fluorescent reagent (N-iodoacetylaminoethyl)-5-naphthylamino-1-sulfonate under conditions which favor alkylation of the thioether linkage in methionine residues (Link, T. P. and Stark, G. R. (1968) J. Biol. Chem. 243, 1082-1088) to give the corresponding sulfonium derivatives. The isolated fluorescent protein (95-100% pure) was as active as native HPr both as a phosphoryl acceptor protein (phosphoenolpyruvate and Enzyme I of the PTS), and as a phosphocarrier protein in the phosphorylation of methyl alpha-glucoside by the complete PTS. The fluorescent label was shown to be predominantly, possibly exclusively, at the NH2-terminal methionine residue. The decay of the fluorescence intensity could be described in terms of a biexponential function with the time constants tau 1 approximately 7 ns, tau 2 approximately 15 ns, and a ratio of alpha 2/alpha 1 approximately 3 for the pre-exponential factors. The decay of the fluorescence emission anisotropy was found to be consistent with some internal motion of the probe, in addition to the rotation of the protein conjugate as a whole.

A second function of the S gene of bacteriophage lambda.

Infection of Escherichia coli by bacteriophage lambda caused an immediate inhibition of uptake by members of all three classes of E. coli active transport systems and made the inner membrane permeable to sucrose and glycine; however, infection stimulated alpha-methyl glucoside uptake. Phage infection caused a dramatic drop in the ATP pool of the cell, but the membrane did not become permeable to nucleotides. Infection by only one phage per cell was sufficient to cause transport inhibition. However, adsorption of phage to the lambda receptor did not cause transport inhibition; DNA injection was required. The inhibition of transport caused by lambda phage infection was transient, and by 20 min after infection, transport had returned to its initial level. The recovery of transport activity appeared to require a lambda structural protein with a molecular weight of 5,500. This protein was present in wild-type phage and at a reduced level in S7 mutant phage but was missing in S2 and S4 mutant phage. Cells infected with S7 phage had a partial recovery of active transport, whereas cells infected with S2 or S4 phage did not recover active transport. Neither the inhibition of transport caused by phage infection nor its recovery were affected by the protein synthesis inhibitors chloramphenicol and rifampin.

The development of γ-glutamyltransferase in a pig renal-epithelial-cell line in vitro. Relationship to amino acid transport

The pig kidney-cell line, LLC-PK1, possesses gamma-glutamyltransferase with properties similar to those of the purified renal enzyme. gamma-Glutamyltransferase activity increases after cells are seeded at low density to reach values comparable with those found in kidney cortex when the cells are fully confluent. This increase is paralleled by an increase in alpha-methyl D-glucoside uptake. In contrast, the uptakes of L-leucine and L-alanine decrease during this time. These results suggest that gamma-glutamyltransferase is not important as a mediator of the renal transport of neutral amino acids.

In vitro stimulation of phosphate uptake in isolated chick renal cells by 1,25-dihydroxycholecalciferol.

Renal cells isolated from vitamin D-deficient chicks had an increased Na+-dependent phosphate uptake when preincubated with 1,25-dihydroxycholecalciferol [1,25-(OH)2D3]. Phosphate uptake in the absence of Na+ and methyl alpha-glucoside uptake dependent on Na+ were not affected. Phosphate uptake was stimulated 15% by 0.010 pM 1,25-(OH)2D3. Maximal enhancement of 30% was obtained with 100 pM. The uptake when fully stimulated by preincubation in vitro approximated the uptake of cells isolated from chicks that were previously repleted with 1,25-(OH)2D3 in vivo. Cells from repleted chicks were not stimulated additionally when preincubated with 1,25-(OH)2D3 in vitro. The increase in phosphate uptake could be measured after a 1-hr preincubation period; full response required at least 2 hr. Phosphate uptake induced by 1,25-(OH)2D3 was blocked by cycloheximide and actinomycin D. Enhancement of phosphate uptake was relatively specific for the 1,25-(OH)2D3 analog of vitamin D3. The potency order was 1,25-(OH)2D3 greater than 25-(OH)D3 = 1-(OH)D3 greater than 24,25-(OH)2D3 greater than D3. Kinetically, 1,25-(OH)2D3 increased the Vmax of the phosphate uptake system; the affinity for phosphate was unaffected. 3H-Labeled 1,25-(OH)2D3 was taken up by the isolated renal cells. It was estimated that the stimulation of phosphate uptake might be initiated by very few molecules of 1,25-(OH)2D3 per cell. It is proposed that 1,25-(OH)2D3 contributes importantly to the mechanisms by which phosphate transport is regulated in the kidney.

Molecular cloning of the crr gene and evidence that it is the structural gene for IIIGlc, a phosphocarrier protein of the bacterial phosphotransferase system.

Sugar substrates of the phosphoenolpyruvate:glycose phosphotransferase system (PTS) normally prevent bacterial cells from utilizing sugars that are not substrates of this system (diauxic growth, "the glucose effect"). We have previously shown that this type of PTS-mediated repression can be completely reversed by a single mutation, designated crr. Two lines of evidence are presented in this report showing that crr is the structural gene for IIIGlc, one of the proteins of the PTS. First, homogeneous IIIGlc was isolated from wild-type and a crr- mutant of Salmonella typhimurium, and the proteins were compared. The preparations of IIIGlc were indistinguishable except as follows: IIIGlc from the mutant showed only 2-3% of the activity of the wild-type IIIGlc in its ability to act as a phosphocarrier protein in the in vitro phosphorylation of methyl alpha-glucoside. In addition, under certain conditions, the two proteins exhibited different behavior on gel filtration columns and in polyacrylamide gel electrophoresis. The second line of evidence was obtained by cloning the Escherichia coli crr gene, which has an estimated minimum length of 0.6 kilobase, into a high-copy-number plasmid as part of a 1.3-kilobase fragment. The plasmid transforms E. coli crr- to crr+ strains and simultaneously directs the synthesis of IIIGlc.

Glucose transport in Streptococcus salivarius. Evidence for the presence of a distinct phosphoenolpyruvate: glucose phosphotransferase system which catalyses the phosphorylation of alpha-methyl glucoside.

A spontaneous mutant of Streptococcus salivarius ATCC 25975 was isolated by inoculating an agar medium containing 11 mM lactose and 0.5 mM 2-deoxyglucose. This mutant grew poorly on 5 mM glucose but almost as well as the parental strain on 110 mM glucose. Uptake of 2-deoxyglucose was abolished by the mutation, and phosphoenolpyruvate: glucose phosphotransferase activity could not be detected with toluenized cells under normal conditions when the glucose concentration was below 5 mM. Data from growth experiments, glycolysis, and uptake studies indicated the presence of a second phosphoenolpyruvate: glucose phosphotransferase system that could catalyze the phosphorylation of alpha-methyl glucoside. The activity of this system was detected by a spectrophotometric assay coupled with lactate dehydrogenase and by a radioactive isotope method using methyl alpha-D-[U-14C] glucoside. The phosphorylation was phosphoenolpyruvate dependent. The apparent Km of the system for glucose and alpha-methyl glucoside was approximately 20 mM. Studies with energy poisons ruled out the possibility of an active transport system, and accumulation of alpha-methyl glucoside argued against facilitated diffusion. It was concluded that the other glucose transport system which allowed growth of the mutant strain of S. salivarius was a second phosphoenolpyruvate: glucose phosphotransferase system.

Characterization of factor IIIGLc in catabolite repression-resistant (crr) mutants of Salmonella typhimurium

crr mutants of Salmonella typhimurium are thought to be defective in the regulation of adenylate cyclase and a number of transport systems by the phosphoenolpyruvate-dependent sugar phosphotransferase system, crr mutants are also defective in the enzymatic activity of factor IIIGlc (IIIGlc), a protein component of the phosphotransferase system involved in glucose transport. Therefore, it has been proposed that IIIGlc is the primary effector of phosphotransferase system-mediated regulation of cell metabolism. We characterized crr mutants with respect to the presence and function of IIIGlc by using an immunochemical approach. All of the crr mutants tested had low (0 to 30%) levels of IIIGlc compared with wild-type cells, as determined by rocket immunoelectrophoresis. The IIIGlc isolated from one crr mutant was investigated in more detail and showed abnormal aggregation behavior, which indicated a structural change in the protein. These results supported the hypothesis that a crr mutation directly affects IIIGlc, probably by altering the structural gene of IIIGlc. Several crr strains which appeared to be devoid of IIIGlc in immunoprecipitation assays were still capable of in vitro phosphorylation and transport of methyl alpha-glucoside. This phosphorylation activity was sensitive to specific anti-IIIGlc serum. Moreover, the membranes of crr mutants, as well as those of wild-type cells, contained a protein that reacted strongly with our anti-IIIGlc serum. We propose that S. typhimurium contains a membrane-bound form of IIIGlc which may be involved in phosphotransferase system activity.

A new class of nitrosoureas. VII. Synthesis and antitumor activity of 3-substituted 1-(2-chloroethyl)-3-(methyl alpha-D-glucopyranosid-3-yl)-1-nitrosoureas.

A series of five 3, 3-disubstituted nitrosoureas having the nitrosoureido group at the C-3 position of methyl glucoside were prepared and tested for antitumor activities. Heating of methyl 2, 3-anhydro-α-D-allopyranoside (I) with various alkylamines followed by reaction with 2-chloroethyl isocyanate gave two regioisomers (II and III). The major product (II) and the minor product (III) were determined to be the ureido derivatives of methyl glucoside and methyl altroside, respectively. Nitrosation of II with dinitrogen tetroxide gave 3-substituted 1-(2-chloroethyl)-3-(methyl α-D-glucopyranosid-3-yl)-1-nitrosoureas (VI) in good yields. All the nitrosoureas obtained were remarkably active against leukemia L-1210 and Ehrlich ascites carcinoma. The structure-activity relationships of positional isomers with respect to the nitrosoureido group are discussed.

Receptor-mediated gonadotropin action in the ovary. Inhibitory actions of concanavalin A and wheat-germ agglutinin on gonadotropin-stimulated cyclic AMP and progesterone responses in ovarian cells.

Pretreatment of ovarian cells with concanavalin A and wheat-germ agglutinin blocked the gonadotropin-induced cyclic AMP and progesterone responses and this effect was time- and concentration-dependent. Basal production of either cyclic AMP or progesterone, however, was not affected by treatment of cells with lectin. The effect of concanavalin A on gonadotropin-mediated cyclic AMP and progesterone responses was blocked by alpha-methyl D-mannoside and alpha-methyl d-glucoside. Similarly the inhibitory effect of wheat-germ agglutinin was reversed by N-acetyl-D-glucosamine. Pretreatment of ovarian cells with concanavalin A or wheat-germ agglutinin had no effect on protein synthesis in the ovary as monitored by [3H]proline incorporation studies. Concanavalin A and wheat-germ agglutinin did not affect steroid production in response to dibutyryl cyclic AMP and 8-bromo cyclic AMP, indicating that the inhibitory action of lectin was occurring at a step before cyclic AMP formation. Lectins specific for L-fucose, D-galactose and N-acetyl-D-galactosamine, gorse seed agglutinin, peanut agglutinin and Dolichos biflorus agglutinin respectively, did not interfere with gonadotropin-induced cyclic AMP and progesterone responses. The present studies suggest that gonadotropin receptors may be glycoprotein in nature or closely associated with glycoprotein structures with the carbohydrate chain containing N-acetyl-D-glucosamine, mannose and possibly N-acetylneuraminic acid.

Methyl Glucoside Based Rigid Urethane Polyols and Foam

The properties of urethane polyols and urethane foam based on methyl glucoside are discussed.

Isolation of IIIGlc of the phosphoenolpyruvate-dependent glucose phosphotransferase system of Salmonella typhimurium.

We report a procedure for the isolation of IIIglc of Salmonella typhimurium, a protein component of the phosphoenolpyruvate-dependent sugar phosphotransferase system. IIIGlc is a soluble protein with a molecular weight of 21,000, as determined by gel filtration and sodium dodecyl sulfate-polyacrylamide gel electrophoresis. The purified protein is involved in the phosphoenolpyruvate-dependent phosphorylation of methyl alpha-glucoside in vitro. Its affinity for octyl-Sepharose may be an indication of the partial hydrophobic nature of IIIGlc. A specific antiserum against purified IIIGlc was prepared. Growth on different carbon sources did not affect the synthesis of IIIGlc, as determined by quantitative immunoelectrophoresis. Mutations which lower the adenosine 3',5'-phosphate level, such as cya and pts, do not alter the IIIGlc level. The closely related enteric bacteria Escherichia coli and Klebsiella aerogenes contain a protein factor which is closely related to IIIGlc of S. typhimurium, whereas Staphylococcus aureus does not.

Defective enzyme II-BGlc of the phosphoenolpyruvate:sugar phosphotransferase system leading to uncoupling of transport and phosphorylation in Salmonella typhimurium.

Transport and phosphorylation of glucose via enzymes II-A/II-B and II-BGlc of the phosphoenolpyruvate:sugar phosphotransferase system are tightly coupled in Salmonella typhimurium. Mutant strains (pts) that lack the phosphorylating proteins of this system, enzyme I and HPr, are unable to transport or to grow on glucose. From ptsHI deletion strains of S. typhimurium, mutants were isolated that regained growth on and transport of glucose. Several lines of evidence suggest that these Glc+ mutants have an altered enzyme II-BGlc as follows. (i) Insertion of a ptsG::Tn10 mutation (resulting in a defective II-BGlc) abolished growth on and transport of glucose in these Glc+ strains. Introduction of a ptsM mutation, on the other hand, which abolishes II-A/II-B activity, had no effect. (ii) Methyl alpha-glucoside transport and phosphorylation (specific for II-BGlc) was lowered or absent in ptsH+,I+ transductants of these Glc+ strains. Transport and phosphorylation of other phosphoenolpyurate:sugar phosphotransferase system sugars were normal. (iii) Membranes isolated from these Glc+ mutants were unable to catalyze transphosphorylation of methyl alpha-glucoside by glucose 6-phosphate, but transphosphorylation of mannose by glucose 6-phosphate was normal. (iv) The mutation was in the ptsG gene or closely linked to it. We conclude that the altered enzyme II-BGlc has acquired the capacity to transport glucose in the absence of phosphoenolpyruvate:sugar phosphotransferase system-mediated phosphorylation. However, the affinity for glucose decreased at least 1,000-fold as compared to the wild-type strain. At the same time the mutated enzyme II-BGlc lost the ability to catalyze the phosphorylation of its substrates via IIIGlc.

Effects of saccharide and salt binding on dimer-tetramer equilibrium of concanavalin A.

The effect of the binding of saccharide ligands on the reversible dimer-tetramer equilibrium on concanavalin A was studied by the high-speed sedimentation equilibrium technique. Both commercial and highly purified fragment-free concanavalin A preparations were used. In the case of the fragment-free preparation, there was no effect of the binding of alpha-methyl mannoside or alpha-methyl glucoside at 35 degrees C and at a variety of conditions of pH and ionic strength. This implies no difference in ligand binding activity between dimeric and tetrameric Con A, in contrast to an earlier report [McKenzie, G. H., & Sawyer, W. H. (1973) J. Biol. Chem. 248, 549-556]. There was a profound effect in the case of the commercial preparation. Dimers that contain hydrolyzed subunits appear to be incompetent to self-associate in the presence of alpha-methyl mannoside or alpha-methyl glycoside, while alpha-methyl galactoside, which does not bind to Con A, had no effect. The effects of very high concentrations of CaCl2 (to 2.5 m) and NaCl (60 6.2 m) were also studied. The data were analyzed by an integrated form of the Tanford extension [Tanford, C. (1969) J. Mol. Biol. 39, 539-544] of the Wyman linked function theory, which includes preferential interactions with salt and water. The integrated form allows preferential interactions to be described as the sum of salt binding and water binding. The data were well described by salt binding alone; it was unnecessary to invoke any water binding effect. The CaCl2 data did indicate that one calcium per subunit of the dimer binds to a site that is buried in the tetramer. This suggests a site on the dimmer-dimer interface which is consistent with Reeke's identification of the protomers composing the solution dimer [Reeke, G. N., Jr., Becker, J. W., & Edelman, G. M. (1975) J. Biol. Chem. 250, 1525-1547].

Vectorial and nonvectorial transphosphorylation catalyzed by enzymes II of the bacterial phosphotransferase system.

Vectorial transphosphorylation of hexitols, catalyzed by enzymes II of the bacterial phosphotransferase system, was studied in intact cells and membrane vesicles of Escherichia coli. In strains depleted of phosphoenolpyruvate and unable to metabolize the internal hexitol phosphate, internal mannitol-1-phosphate stimulated uptake of extracellular [14C]mannitol, whereas external mannitol stimulated release of [14C]mannitol from the intracellular [14C]mannitol-1-phosphate pool. The stoichiometry of mannitol uptake to mannitol release was 1:1. Glucitol did not promote release of [14C]mannitol from the mannitol phosphate pool but stimulated release of [14C]glucitol from internal glucitol phosphate pools when the glucitol enzyme II was induced to high levels. In E coli cells and membrane vesicles, both vectorial and nonvectorial transphosphorylation reactions of hexitols and hexoses were demonstrated. The nonvectorial reactions, but not the vectorial reactions, catalyzed by the mannitol and glucose enzymes II, were inhibited by p-chloromercuriphenyl sulfonate, a membrane-impermeable sulfhydryl reagent which inactivates enzymes II. Similarly, glucose-6-sulfate, an inhibitor of the glucose enzyme II-catalyzed transphosphorylation reaction, specifically inhibited the nonvectorial reaction. This compound was shown to be a noncompetitive inhibitor of methyl alpha-glucoside phosphorylation employing phospho-HPr as the phosphate donor. It apparently exerts its inhibitory effect by exclusive binding to the sugar phosphate binding site on the enzyme II complex. The results are consistent with the conclusion that enzymes II can exist in two distinct dispositions in the membrane, one of which catalyzes vectorial transphosphorylation, and the other catalyzes nonvectorial transphosphorylation.

Lectin Potentiation of BCG-Contact-Mediated Antitumor Action<xref ref-type="fn" rid="FN2">2</xref>

Concanavalin A (Con A) potentiated the BCG-contact-mediated antitumor action when both Con A (10 microgram) and BCG (50 micrograms) were injected with fibrosarcoma cells (5 x 10(4)) into inbred Swiss mice. BCG (50 micrograms) alone had no antitumor effect. The Con A-potentiated BCG-contact-mediated phenomenon was shown to be immunologically mediated, inasmuch as tumors developed in immunosuppressed mice inoculated with tumor cells mixed with Con A and BCG. The same dose of 50 micrograms BCG was effective in controlling the growth of 10(6) fibrosarcoma cells in the presence of Con A. The specific inhibitor of Con A, alpha-methyl D-mannoside, abrogated the potentiation of the BCG effect seen with Con A. Con A also increased the antitumor effect of BCG in sarcoma 180 ascites tumor. Another lectin, peanut agglutinin, also induced an antitumor effect in the presence of BCG only when the tumor cells were treated with Vibrio cholerae neuraminidase.

The effect of azaserine on glutamine uptake by rat renal brush-border membranes.

Azaserine added directly to isolated rat renal brush-border membrane vesicles inhibits uptake of L-glutamine. Azaserine acts as a non-competitive inhibitor of the low-Km system for glutamine transport, but has no effect on the high-Km system. Preincubation of the vesicles with azaserine at 37 degrees C min is not required for transport inhibition to occur, although it is a requirement for gamma-glutamyl transpeptidase inhibition. Removal of azaserine from the vesicle preparation by repeated resuspensions in buffer results in a reversal of the transport inhibition but not in reversal of enzyme inhibition. Azaserine also inhibits vesicle uptake of L-proline and alpha-methyl D-glucoside, indicating a generalized effect on membrane transport systems. The data cast doubt on the postulate that gamma-glutamyl transpeptidase might act as the carrier mechanism for glutamine reabsorption by renal cortical cells.

Effects of ouabain and ortho vanadate on transport-related properties of the LLC-PK1 renal epithelial cell line.

Uptake of alpha-methyl-D-glucoside (AMG) by LLC-PK1 cells is inhibited by the uncoupler p-trifluoro-methoxyphenyl-hydrazone (FCCP) and by the absence of extracellular Na+, indicating that the transport system is energy- and Na+-dependent. We have previously demonstrated that transport of AMG by LLC-PK1 cells proceeds against a concentration gradient and is phlorizin-sensitive (Mullin et al., '80). Uptake of AMG was also inhibited by ouabain (OUA) but not by ortho-vanadate (VAN). Rubidium uptake also was affected by OUA but not by VAN. VAN, however, caused collapse of the three-dimensional domes of confluent LLC-PK1 monolayers much more rapidly and thoroughly than OUA. Since domes are presumably dependent upon the Na+ pump, yet VAN is not acting on transport-related functions of the OUA-sensitive (Na+ + K+)-ATPase, we hypothesize a direct effect of VAN on the water permeability of these cells. We also suggest that OUA does not act on these cells until domes collapse in normal course, and access of the OUA to the extracellular surface of antiluminal membranes is then achieved.

Changes in the surface membrane during myoblast fusion.

1. During fusion of chick-embryo myoblasts in culture, the surface membrane is affected as follows. Uptake of 2-aminoisobutyrate and 2-deoxyglucose, each of which is concentrated 20-fold relative to its concentration in the medium, is unaltered; uptake of alpha-methyl glucoside and choline (15 mM), each of which equilibrates relative to its concentration in the medium, approximately doubles. An approximate doubling also occurs in iodinatable surface protein (and in total protein) and in cell surface area as judged by light-microscopy. Adenylate cyclase (in the absence or the presence of fluoride) increases by more than 2-fold. 2. It is concluded that, during myoblast fusion cells increase in size, and this is reflected in an increased rate of simple diffusion; the rate of facilitated processes such as the uptake of amino acids and sugars, on the other hand, remains unaltered, though the activity of certain enzymes is increased. These results indicate that specific changes in the function of surface membrane occur during myoblast fusion in vitro.