Bovine Chromaffin Granules Research Articles

Cleavage of Proenkephalin by a Chromaffin Granule Processing Enzyme*

Human proenkephalin generated by means of a recombinant vaccinia virus expression vector was used as the substrate for a putative processing enzyme obtained from bovine adrenal chromaffin granules. The adrenal enzyme successfully cleaved proenkephalin to generate low mol wt enkephalins as well as other enkephalin-containing intermediates. Radioactively labeled proenkephalin prepared with this system was also cleaved; however, under identical conditions bovine proinsulin was not cleaved. These results provide support for the notion that the adrenal trypsin-like enzyme is involved in the processing of proenkephalin in vivo and demonstrate the usefulness of protein substrates prepared by expression vector systems in testing the reactivity and specificity of proposed prohormone processing enzymes in vitro.

Chromogranin A-processing proteinases in purified chromaffin granules: contaminants or endogenous enzymes?

It was the purpose of this study to define the chromogranin A-processing proteinases present in highly purified preparations of bovine chromaffin granules. The most active enzyme had a pH optimum of 5.0 and was inhibited by pepstatin. It could be identified immunologically as a cathepsin D-like enzyme and subcellular fractionation established its lysosomal origin. After removal of this enzyme the remaining activity at pH 5.0 was mainly due to a cathepsin B-like proteinase. The presence of this enzyme could also be attributed to lysosomal contamination. In the presence of calcium, a further proteolytic activity became apparent at pH 5.0. This enzyme which was inhibited by p-chloromercuriphenylsulfonic acid was localized in chromaffin granules. A trypsin-like peptidase, most active at pH 8.2, was enriched in a membrane wash of chromaffin granules. Subcellular fractionation indicated that this enzyme is preferentially bound to the membranes of very dense particles probably representing a subpopulation of chromaffin granules. This study establishes that the most active chromogranin A-degrading proteinases present in highly purified chromaffin granules are attributable to lysosomal contamination. Two enzymes with low activity (a Ca 2+ activated proteinase and a trypsin-like enzyme) are, apparently, true constituents of chromaffin granules.

Arginine and lysine product inhibition of bovine adrenomedullary carboxypeptidase H, a prohormone processing enzyme

Carboxypeptidase H (CPH) is one of the later enzymes in the cascade of proteolytic steps required for the posttranslational processing of peptide hormone precursors, including processing of proenkephalin. In this study, CPH activity in the soluble and membrane fractions of enkephalin-containing bovine chromaffin granules was competitively inhibited by its products arginine and lysine. K i values for arginine and lysine were 4.6 ± 1.3 and 7.6 ± 1.9 mM, respectively, indicating that arginine was a more effective inhibitor than lysine. Other amino acids (at 10 mM) had no effect. The in vivo intragranular concentrations of lysine and arginine are similar to the measured K i values, indicating that product inhibition of CPH by basic amino acids may occur in vivo .

High Purity Preparations of Higher Plant Vacuolar H+-ATPase Reveal Additional Subunits: Revised subunit composition

A fast protein liquid chromatography procedure for purification of the V-type H+-ATPase from higher plant vacuolar membrane to yield near-homogeneous enzyme with a specific activity of 20–25 µmol/mg•min is described. When precautions are taken to ensure the quantitative recovery of protein before sodium dodecyl sulfate-polyacrylamide gel electrophoresis, the preparation is found to be constituted of seven major polypeptides of 100, 67, 55, 52, 44, 32, and 16 kDa, respectively, and two minor components of 42 and 29 kDa. The 52-, 44-, and 32-kDa polypeptides do not cross-react with antisera raised to the 67- and 55-kDa subunits of the enzyme, and two independent sample preparation procedures yield the same apparent subunit composition. The additional polypeptides are not breakdown products or aggregates of the previously identified subunits of the ATPase. The ATPase of tonoplast vesicles is subject to MgATP-dependent cold inactivation, and the conditions for inactivation are identical to those for the bovine chromaffin granule H+-ATPase (Moriyama, Y., and Nelson, N. (1989) J. Biol. Chem. 264, 3577–3582). Cold inactivation is accompanied by the detachment of five major polypeptides of 67, 55, 52, 44, and 32 kDa from the membrane, and all five components co-migrate with the corresponding polypeptides of the purified ATPase upon sodium dodecyl sulfate-polyacrylamide gel electrophoresis. The 100- and 16-kDa polypeptides of the ATPase are not removed from the membrane during cold inactivation, but the latter can be purified to homogeneity by chloroform:methanol extraction of the fast protein liquid chromatographypurified enzyme. It is concluded that the tonoplast H+-ATPase is constituted of 6–7 major polypeptides organized into a peripheral sector comprising the 67-, 55-, 52-, 44-, and 32-kDa components and an integral sector consisting of the 100- and 16-kDa polypeptides. The V-type H+-ATPases from animal endomembranes and higher plant vacuolar membranes therefore have remarkably similar subunit compositions and gross topographies.

Hyperosmotic relaxation lysis of chromaffin granules is caused by interactions between the granular membrane and intragranular vesicles

Bovine chromaffin granules undergo irreversible structural changes during osmotic shrinkage in hypertonic sucrose and salt solutions, such that, on reexposure to isoosmotic conditions they do not regain their original morphology, but undergo lysis (‘hyperosmotic relaxation lysis’). Irreversible alterations of granules were induced by hypertonic incubations lasting for as little as 1 min. Fluorescence and EPR membrane labelling experiments showed that hypertoxicity did not induce membrane loss for instance by inwardly or outwardly directed pinching off of membrane material. The mean sizes of chromaffin granules as a function of increasing and subsequently decreasing osmotic pressure were measured by photon correlation spectroscopy; there was no significant difference in sizes of hyperosmotically pretreated granules as compared with controls. Freeze-fracture electron micrographs showed the formation of ‘twins’ and ‘triplets’ under hypertonic conditions. They also revealed intragranular vesicles of 50–200 nm in diameter in both hypertonically and isotonically suspended granules. ‘Twin’ and ‘triplet’ granules were formed by the attachment of intragranular vesicles to the granule membranes. We suggest that hyperosmotic relaxation lysis is caused by the fact that this adhesion partly prevents the granule membrane from reexpanding, thus, leading to its rupture.

Ascorbic acid analysis using high-performance liquid chromatography with coulometric electrochemical detection

A method for the detection of ascorbic acid using high-performance liquid chromatography with coulometric electrochemical detection and a technique for stabilization of the vitamin are described. Since less than 1 pmol of ascorbic acid can be detected, this assay provides significantly greater sensitivity than nearly all of the currently available procedures. Stabilization of 10 pmol or less of ascorbic acid at room temperature for up to 4 h and for several weeks at −70°C facilitates storage of a large number of samples and measurement of ascorbic acid using an automated sampling device. This method was used to quantitate the amounts of ascorbic acid in human polymorphonuclear leukocytes and bovine adrenomedullary chromaffin granules. The calculated concentrations found for human neutrophils (1.35 m m) and bovine chromaffin granules (10.0 m m) are in agreement with previously published data. The assay is suitable for the determination of ascorbic acid in biological samples where only a small amount of tissue is available or very low amounts of ascorbic acid are found. This method is the first application of coulometric electrochemical detection to ascorbic acid HPLC analysis.

Enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay for chromogranin A.

This is an enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay (ELISA) for determining chromogranin A (CGA) with use of a monoclonal antibody. CGA was isolated from bovine chromaffin granules. The analytical ELISA procedure for bovine CGA was developed and optimized. Typical standard curves ranged from 500 pg to 500 ng of CGA. We then studied human plasma CGA-immunoreactivity as measured by this assay. The curve for dilutions of human plasma paralleled the standard curve for bovine CGA. The intra-assay coefficient of variation for determination of human plasma CGA was 4.56%, indicating that reliable determinations can be performed for human plasma. However, further study revealed the presence of two CGA-immunoreactive substances in human plasma, one of which corresponds to the native CGA. The nature of the second immunoreactive substance still remains unknown. Nevertheless the measured CGA concentrations (ranging from 0.19 to 0.35 mg/L) in plasma are comparable with previously reported values.

A putative processing enzyme for proenkephalin in bovine adrenal chromaffin granule membranes: Purification and properties

Abstract A putative processing enzyme for proenkephalin, with activity directed toward basic residues, was purified over 2000-fold from washed bovine adrenal medullary chromaffin granule membranes. The molecular mass of this membrane-bound adrenal trypsin-like enzyme (mATLE) is 31 kDa as determined by sodium dodecyl sulfate-polyacrylamide gel electrophoresis, and the enzyme is extremely basic, binding to carboxymethyl-Sephadex at pH 8.5. The pH optimum of mATLE using t-butoxycarbonyl-Glu-Lys-Lys-aminomethylcoumarin as a substrate is 8.5-8.7, and its Km value for this substrate is 2.2 mM. mATLE activity was inhibited by soybean trypsin inhibitor, lima bean trypsin inhibitor, and aprotinin but not by metal chelators or thiol-directed reagents. Sequencing of cleavage products released from Peptide B revealed that the enzyme preferentially cleaves between and following the paired basic residues at positions 23 and 24 of Peptide B (thus generating [Met-enkephalin]-Arg-Phe and Arg-[Met-enkephalin]-Arg-Phe). Dynorphin A was cleaved following a single lysine at position 11 but not at the paired arginine site. Our results suggest that mATLE is a trypsin-like serine protease with the specificity appropriate to that of a proenkephalin processing enzyme.

Zwitterionic and Anionic Forms of a Serotonin Analog as Transport Substrates

4,6-Difluoroserotonin, a serotonin analog with an acidic 5-hydroxyl proton (pK alpha = 7.97) relative to serotonin (pK alpha = 10.73), was tested as a substrate for the biogenic amine transporter of bovine chromaffin granules and the plasma membrane serotonin transporter of human blood platelets. The platelet serotonin transporter transports this analog with identical rates as those for serotonin, both at pH 6.7, where the hydroxyl group is predominantly protonated and at pH 9, where it is largely dissociated. In contrast, the chromaffin granule biogenic amine transporter prefers the form of 4,6-difluoroserotonin with a protonated 5-hydroxyl group. Thus, the KM for 4,6-difluoroserotonin increases, and Vmax decreases (relative to the values for serotonin) as the pH increases from 7 to 9. This effect may reflect a specific requirement for the protonated hydroxyl group in substrate translocation, as opposed to binding, since the KI for 4,6-difluoroserotonin inhibition of serotonin transport is the same as the KM for serotonin from pH 7 to 9.

Ascorbic acid within chromaffin granules: In situ kinetics of norepinephrine biosynthesis

Ascorbic acid requirements for norepinephrine biosynthesis were investigated in intact bovine chromaffin granules using the physiologic substrate dopamine and a novel coulometric electrochemical detection high pressure liquid chromatography system for ascorbic acid. 10 mM external dopamine, 1 mM Mg-ATP, and 1 mM ascorbic acid produced maximal norepinephrine biosynthesis without granule lysis. When external ascorbic acid was omitted, intragranular ascorbic acid was consumed in a 1:1 ratio with respect to norepinephrine biosynthesis. The initial concentration of intragranular ascorbic acid was 10.5 mM, which was depleted in stepwise fashion to 15 lower concentrations over the range of 9.2-0.2 mM. Chromaffin granules containing these varying concentrations of intragranular ascorbic acid were then incubated with 1 mM exogenous ascorbic acid, and norepinephrine biosynthesis from dopamine was determined. The apparent Km of norepinephrine biosynthesis for intragranular ascorbic acid was 0.57 mM by Eadie-Hofstee analysis and 0.68 mM by Lineweaver-Burk analysis. These data indicate that intragranular ascorbic acid is available and required for norepinephrine biosynthesis, that ascorbic acid is a true co-substrate for dopamine beta-monooxygenase, and that intragranular ascorbic acid is maintained by extragranular ascorbic acid. Continued norepinephrine biosynthesis in granules is dependent on both intragranular and extragranular concentrations of the vitamin. Furthermore, in situ kinetics of dopamine beta-monooxygenase for ascorbic acid may be most accurately determined using intact granules and the true physiologic substrate.

Basic Fibroblast Growth Factor in the Adrenal Gland.

The importance of trophic agents for the development and maintenance of neurons and their presence in mesenchyme-derived neuronal target organs such as muscle is well exemplified by the protein nerve growth factor (NGF) and its synthesis in target areas of sympathetic and sensory nerves. Stringent conceptualization of target organ-regulated neuronal maintenance would imply that neurons were able to provide trophic support to their presynaptic counterparts. We present data suggesting that basic fibroblast growth factor (bFGF), a mitogen and trophic factor for several neuron populations in vitro, may be such a protein involved in retrograde trophic neuron - neuron interaction. Basic FGF or a closely related protein is present in the adrenal medulla and its sympathetic neuron-like chromaffin cells. A polyclonal antibody specific for bFGF recognizes an 18 kD band in Western blots of bFGF-enriched bovine adrenal medulla extracts and immunostains isolated bovine chromaffin cells. This antibody also blocks the bFGF-like activity present in adrenal medullary extracts and chromaffin granule extracts that both promote in vitro survival of embryonic chick ciliary ganglionic neurons. Furthermore, like bFGF, the soluble proteins of bovine chromaffin granules are mitogenic for cultured bovine aorta endothelial cells. Electrothermal unilateral destruction of the adrenal medulla causes the disappearance of 25% of Nissl-stained neurons in the ipsilateral intermediolateral column (IML) of the spinal cord between levels Th7 and L1, which contains the preganglionic neurons projecting to the adrenal medulla. Substitution of the adrenal medulla by gel foams soaked with bFGF prevents neuron losses in the IML. The effects are specific in that NGF and cytochrome C are ineffective. Our results suggest that bFGF is located in chromaffin cells and maintains target-deprived autonomic spinal cord neurons, thus possibly acting as an interneuronal trophic messenger in vivo.

Affinity purified tetanus toxin binds to isolated chromaffin granules and inhibits catecholamine release in digitonin-permeabilized chromaffin cells

Tetanus toxin, a potent neurotoxin which blocks neurotransmitter release in the CNS, also inhibits Ca 2+-induced catecholamine release from digitonin-permeabilized, but not from intact bovine chromaffin cells. In searching for intracellular targets for the toxin we studied the binding of affinity-purified tetanus toxin to bovine adrenal chromaffin granules. Tetanus toxin bound in a neuraminidase-sensitive fashion to intact granules and to isolated granule membranes, as assayed biochemically and visualized by electron microscopic techniques. The binding characteristics of the toxin to chromaffin granule membranes are very similar to the binding of tetanus toxin to brain synaptosomal membranes. We suggest that the toxin-binding site is a glycoconjugate of the G1b type (a polysialoganglioside or a glycoprotein-proteoglycan) which is localized on the cytoplasmic face of the granule membrane and might directly be involved in exocytotic membrane fusion.

Evolution of vacuolar H+-ATPases: immunological relationships of the nucleotide-binding subunits

The evolution of the endomembrane systems of eukaryotic cells can be examined by exploring the evolutionary origins of the endomembrane H+-ATPases. Recent studies suggest that certain polypeptides are common to all H+ pumps of this type. Tonoplast H+ -ATPase from Beta vulgaris L. was purified and antibodies raised to two of its subunits. Each of these antisera reacted with a polypeptide of the corresponding size in bovine chromaffin granules, bovine clathrincoated vesicles, and yeast vacuolar membranes, suggesting common structural features and a common ancestor for endomembrane H+-ATPases of different organelles and different kingdoms. The antiserum raised against the 57-kDa polypeptide of plant tonoplast H+ -ATPase also reacted with subunit "a" of the H+-ATPase from the obligately anaerobic bacterium Clostridium pasteurianum and to the α subunit of the H+ -ATPase from Escherichia coli. There was no reactivity with chloroplast or mitochondrial ATPases. These results are discussed in relation to recent sequence data which suggest that endomembrane H+-ATPases may be evolutionarily related to the F0F1 ATPases.Key words: H+ -ATPase, evolution, immunology, vacuole, endomembrane.

The progenitor of ATP synthases was closely related to the current vacuolar H +-ATPase

The gene encoding the proteolipid of the vacuolar H +-ATPase of yeast was cloned and sequenced. The deduced amino acid sequence of the yeast protein is highly homologous to that of the proteolipid from bovine chromaffin granules. In contrast to other membrane proteins the transmembrane segments of the bovine and yeast proteolipids were much more conserved than the hydrophilic parts. The fourth transmembrane segment, which contains the DCCD-binding site, was conserved 100%. Comparison of vacuolar and eubacterial proteolipids revealed a homology which pointed to a common ancestral gene that underwent gene duplication to form the vacuolar proteolipids. Additional support for this notion came from the amino acid sequences of subunits involved in the catalytic sectors of archaebacterial ATP synthase and plant and yeast vacuolar H +-ATPases, which reveal extensive sequence homology. Slight, but significant, homology between the archaebacterial and eubacterial ATP synthases was observed. These observations might suggest that the progenitor of ATP synthases was closely related to the present vacuolar H +-ATPases.

Identification of high molecular weight peptides in bovine adrenomedullary chromaffin granules using monoclonal antibodies to a preproenkephalin A fusion peptide.

Two mouse monoclonal antibodies (PE-1 and PE-2) raised to a beta-galactosidase-preproenkephalin A(69-207) fusion peptide recognize pro-enkephalin A (pro-enk-A) peptides of 33-5 kDa isolated from bovine adrenal chromaffin granules. The preliminary characterization of the high molecular weight adrenomedullary pro-enk-A peptides recognized by PE-1 and PE-2 is described. The high molecular weight peptides were resolved after Sephadex G-50 chromatography and high-performance liquid chromatography (HPLC) into three components (peaks I, II and III). Immunoblot analysis showed each HPLC peak to be heterogeneous. Peak I contained PE-1-and PE-2-immunoreactive peptides of 33, 29, 24 and 22 kDa; peak II contained a peptide of 22 kDa recognized by PE-2, and peptides of 24 and 22 kDa recognized by PE-1; peak III contained a PE-2-immunoreactive peptide of 15 kDa and PE-1-immunoreactive peptide of 18 kDa. Using polyclonal antibodies to peptide F and methionineenkephalin-Arg6-Gly7-Leu8 (MetEnk-RGL), the 22 kDa band cross-reacted with both MetEnk-RGL and peptide F antibodies, whilst the 24 kDa band was shown to possess predominantly MetEnk-RGL immunoreactivity. The 15 kDa (PE-2-immunoreactive) band was recognized by the peptide F but not the MetEnk-RGL antibody, whereas the polyclonal antibodies did not recognize the 18 kDa (PE-1-immunoreactive) band. We propose that the immunological and size characteristics of some of these peptides (29, 24/22, 15 kDa) suggest their similarity to the peptides of predicted molecular mass 23.3, 18.2 and 12.6 kDa previously found in bovine adrenal medulla. The results also indicate the existence of high molecular weight pro-enk-A peptides shortened at the N-terminus. The use of an immunoradiometric assay designed to measure the proenk-A-derived 18.2 kDa peptide using PE-2 and an affinity purified and radioiodinated MetEnk-RGL IgG has supported these findings.

Reserpine binding to chromaffin granules suggests the existence of two conformations of the monoamine transporter

The binding of [3H]reserpine ([3H]RES) to purified bovine chromaffin granule membranes has been studied at low membrane concentration. Saturation isotherms indicated a dissociation equilibrium constant KD of 30 pM and a density of binding sites of 8 pmol/mg of protein at 30 degrees C. The association rate constant was 4.0 X 10(5) M-1 s-1, and the calculated dissociation rate constant was 1.2 X 10(-5) s-1, corresponding to a half-lifetime of about 16 h. Although this dissociation was too low to be measured directly, [3H]RES binding was indeed reversible since it was lost after addition of the detergent Triton X-100. Dihydrotetrabenazine (TBZOH) inhibited [3H]RES binding in a time-dependent manner, EC50 varying from 37 nM after a 1-h incubation to 600 nM after 16 h. On the contrary, [3H]RES binding inhibition by the substrate noradrenaline was time independent. It is proposed that the transporter exists in two different conformations which bind exclusively either tetrabenazine (TBZ) or RES and which are in equilibrium. The effects of detergents were consistent with this two-conformation model. The transporter solubilized by cholate bound [3H]TBZOH, but not [3H]RES. On the other hand, addition of cholate to membrane-bound [3H]RES solubilized the membrane without releasing the ligand from its binding site. It is proposed that the TBZ-binding conformation is obtained by solubilization with cholate and that RES stabilizes the RES-binding conformation, allowing its solubilization by this detergent.

Association of endogenous synenkephalin containing peptides with intracellular membranes of bovine adrenal medulla

The association of endogenous synenkephalin and met-enkephalin containing peptides with the membrane of bovine chromaffin granules and physicochemical characteristics of this association were studied. The associated materials were only released at a non physiological pH range and this effect was enhanced with growing salt concentrations (0.5, 1.0 and 2.0 M KSCN). A higher peptide dissociation occurred with membrane solubilizing agents (SDS > Triton X-100 > digitonin). In microsomes the materials dissociated with 2 M KSCN (pH 7.4) corresponded to peptides larger than 12.0 kDa, while in granules corresponded to molecules smaller than 8.5 kDa, displaying synenkephalin and met-enkephalin immunoreactivities. These data suggest that some sequence of the C-terminal portion of synenkephalin may be responsible for the association of proenkephalin derived peptides with microsome and granule membranes.

Exocytosis of Bovine Chromaffin Granules in Ficoll Captured by Rapid Freezing

Exocytosis of cultured bovine adrenal chromaffin cells was examined in a balanced salt solution containing Ficoll using rapid freezing followed by freeze-substitution. In solution without Ficoll, exposure to Ba2+ produced many exocytotic lumina between the cells; in most cases, these lumina were large and empty. When chromaffin cells were exposed to Ba2+ in Ficoll, it was possible to observe a small pore between the plasmalemma and each granule. The granule retained the dense contents when the pore was approximately 20 nm in diameter, and became empty when the pore was widened in 14% Ficoll. The addition of Ficoll made it easy to catch the events occurring during exocytosis of individual bovine chromaffin granules.

The membrane-binding segment of dopamine β-hydroxylase is not an uncleaved signal sequence

Dopamine beta-hydroxylase exists in bovine adrenal medulla chromaffin granules in both soluble and membrane-bound forms. The mechanism by which membranous dopamine beta-hydroxylase is bound to granule membranes has been elusive. Recently, evidence that covalently attached phosphatidylinositol does not serve as an anchor for membranous dopamine beta-hydroxylase was reported (Stewart, L. C., and Klinman, J. P. (1988) J. Biol. Chem. 263, 12183-12186). It was suggested that an uncleaved signal sequence could serve as a mode of attachment for the membrane-bound hydroxylase. Amino-terminal sequence analysis of purified bovine membranous dopamine beta-hydroxylase demonstrates that this form of the enzyme possesses an amino-terminal sequence similar to the soluble enzyme. Additionally, the 75- and 72-kDa bands of membranous dopamine beta-hydroxylase were electrophoretically eluted from a preparative sodium dodecyl sulfate-polyacrylamide gel and sequenced. Both bands had the amino-terminal sequence characteristic of the soluble bovine enzyme. These sequence results eliminate the possibility that an uncleaved signal sequence serves as the membrane anchor.

Monoclonal antibodies to a proenkephalin A fusion peptide synthesized in Escherichia coli recognize novel proenkephalin A precursor forms.

Monoclonal antibodies have been generated to a chimeric peptide comprised of Escherichia coli beta-galactosidase fused to the amino acid sequence 69-207 of human preproenkephalin A. Two monoclonal antibodies, PE-1 and PE-2, were identified by their ability to recognize the same segment of proenkephalin A fused to the cII gene product of the E. coli bacteriophage lambda. The binding domains of PE-1 and PE-2 have been broadly located, with respect to the primary translation product, within the amino acid sequences 152-207 and 84-131, respectively. Immunoblot analysis of total bovine adrenomedullary chromaffin granule lysate reveals PE-1 and PE-2 immunoreactive forms of observed molecular mass 35, 33, 29, 24, 22, and 15 kDa, and an 18-kDa PE-1 immunoreactive form. Separation of granule membranes from their contents reveals differential membrane association of these high molecular weight polypeptides. There is preliminary evidence that PE-1 may be detecting a subset of polypeptides where shortening from the NH2 terminus has occurred. We postulate that the 35-kDa form represents the intact bovine enkephalin precursor of predicted molecular mass 27.3 kDa. This experimental approach should be generally applicable to the generation of antibodies which will recognize intact peptide precursors together with their post-translational cleavage products.