Cytosolic Contamination Research Articles

The Presence of Ubiquitin-Protein Conjugates in Plant Chloroplast Lysates Is Due to Cytosolic Contamination

Chloroplasts were isolated by Percoll density gradient centrifugation from Lemna minor and Spinacia oleracea grown under normal conditions or from L. minor subjected to sulfur starvation, a condition that induces a dramatic increase in the rates of proteolysis, namely in the degradation of the chloroplast enzyme ribulosebisphosphate carboxylase. The presence of free ubiquitin or ubiquitin-protein conjugates was not immunologically detected in the purified chloroplast extracts under either of these conditions. Moreover, no ATP-dependent conjugation of 125I-labelled ubiquitin to endogenous proteins was detected in L. minor chloroplast lysates. Our results support the view that plant chloroplasts do not possess free ubiquitin or ubiquitin conjugating activity. Furthermore, treatment of the mechanically isolated chloroplasts with thermolysin suggests that the presence of ubiquitin-protein conjugates in some chloroplast preparations is due to cytosolic contamination.

Periplasmic location of Brucella abortus Cu/Zn superoxide dismutase

Two types of superoxide dismutase (SOD) have been found in Brucella abortus, a cytosolic Mn-SOD and a Cu/Zn-SOD of unknown location. We sought to determine the subcellular location of Cu/ Zn-SOD in B. abortus ST 19. We report a modified spheroplasting procedure for the release of periplasmic contents from B. abortus cells using a dipolar ionic detergent, Zwittergent 316. This detergent, used in place of EDTA, destabilizes the outer membrane sufficiently to allow penetration of lysozyme and the subsequent selective release of periplasmic proteins by osmotic shock. Cytoplasmic cross-contamination of periplasmic fractions was assessed by assaying for malate dehydrogenase activity. Cyanide-sensitive and cyanide-insensitive SOD activity was measured by both the xanthine oxidase-cytochrome c method and a hematoxylin assay. Results suggest that B. abortus Cu/Zn-SOD activity is periplasmic. This zwittergent-lysozyme extraction procedure may be applicable to the separation, isolation and characterization of many other periplasmic proteins of B. abortus and other Gram-negative organisms especially when cytosolic contamination is undesirable.

Oxygen radical formation in well-washed rat liver microsomes: spin trapping studies.

The generation of hydroxyl radicals by rat liver microsomes was monitored by spin trapping with 5,5-dimethylpyrroline N-oxide (DMPO). The results confirm and extend previous data which demonstrated that hydroxyl radicals are produced by microsomes in the presence of NADPH and O2, and without the exogenous addition of iron. No EPR signals could be detected unless catalase activity which was associated with the microsomes could be substantially diminished. Addition of azide was the most effective means of eliminating catalase activity, but azide also reacted rapidly with hydroxyl radicals, forming azidyl radicals which were in turn trapped by DMPO. Extensive washing and preincubation of microsomes with 3-amino-1,2,4-triazole in the presence of H2O2 were evaluated as alternative methods of decreasing the catalase contamination of microsomes. Although neither method completely eliminated microsomal catalase activity, addition of azide was no longer necessary for hydroxyl radical detection with DMPO. When highly washed microsomal preparations were tested, weak signals of the superoxide radical adduct of DMPO could also be detected. These data indicate that the sensitivity of spin trapping in microsomal systems can be improved substantially when care is taken to eliminate cytosolic contaminants such as catalase.

Studies of the Enzymic Capacities and Transport Properties of Pea Root Plastids.

Plastids have been isolated from pea (Pisum sativum L.) roots with a high degree of purity and intactness. In these plastids, the activity of enzymes involved in carbohydrate metabolism have been analyzed and corrected for cytosolic contamination. The results show that fructose-1,6-bisphosphatase, NAD-glyceraldehyde phosphate dehydrogenase, and phosphoglyceromutase are not present in pea root plastids. Transport measurements revealed that inorganic phosphate, dihydroxyacetone phosphate (DHAP), 3-phosphoglycerate, 2-phosphoglycerate, phosphoenolpyruvate, and glucose-6-phosphate (Glc6p) are transported across the envelope in a counterexchange mode. Transport of glucose-1-phosphate was definitely excluded. The oxidation of Glc6P by intact plastids resulted almost exclusively in the formation of DHAP. The parallel measurement of DHAP formation and NO2- consumption during Glc6P-supported nitrite reduction yielded a ratio of NO2-reduced/DHAP formed of 1.6, which is relatively close to the theoretical value of 2.0. These results show that the oxidation of Glc6P, involving the uptake of Glc6P and the release of DHAP, and the reduction of NO2- are very tightly coupled to each other.

Subcellular localization of ubiquitin and ubiquitinated proteins in Arabidopsis thaliana.

Ubiquitin is a highly conserved, 76-amino acid, eukaryotic protein. Its widely accepted role as a proteolytic cofactor depends on its unique ability to covalently ligate to other cellular proteins. While there is good evidence for the existence of such ubiquitinated proteins in the cytosolic and nuclear compartments, relatively little is known about the presence of free ubiquitin and ubiquitinated proteins in other subcellular compartments. This is especially true of higher plants, which have not previously been the subject of extensive biochemical subcellular localizations of ubiquitinated proteins. We extracted cell wall proteins and purified nuclei, vacuoles, chloroplasts, and microsomes from chlorophyllous tissues of Arabidopsis. Immunoblot analyses were used to compare the profiles of ubiquitinated proteins from purified subcellular fractions to those from unfractionated extracts. Purified nuclei contained, in addition to a complex mixture of high molecular mass ubiquitinated proteins, a strongly immunoreactive 28-kDa protein. In the apoplastic extract, we did not detect any ubiquitinated proteins enriched above the background level of those due to cytosolic contamination. Vacuoles appeared to contribute significantly to the ubiquitinated proteins present in the whole protoplast extract. At least three high molecular mass ubiquitinated proteins were unique to the vacuolar extract. Chloroplast stromal proteins did not react specifically with anti-ubiquitin antibodies. When microsomal ubiquitinated proteins were compared to those found in a whole protoplast extract, a distinct pattern was evident. Microsomal ubiquitinated proteins were not visible in the 10,000 x g supernatant used to prepare the 100,000 x g pellet, indicating that they were probably low abundance proteins in the protoplast extract.

Carnitine biosynthesis in hepatic peroxisomes

We have investigated whether hepatic peroxisomes are capable of synthesizing carnitine. When purified peroxisomes were incubated with gamma-butyrobetaine, a precursor of carnitine, formation of carnitine was observed. These results indicate that peroxisomes contain gamma-butyrobetaine hydroxylase, the enzyme which catalyzes the final step in the biosynthesis of carnitine. This enzyme was previously believed to be present only in the cytosol. gamma-Butyrobetaine hydroxylase activity in peroxisomes was not due to cytosolic contamination as evaluated by marker enzyme analysis. When proliferation of peroxisomes was induced by clofibrate treatment, gamma-butyrobetaine hydroxylase/mass liver increased by 7.6-fold and the specific activity by 2.5-fold. We conclude that hepatic peroxisomes synthesize carnitine and this synthesis becomes substantial under conditions of peroxisomal proliferation.

Purification and characterization of an epoxide hydrolase from the peroxisomal fraction of mouse liver

Epoxide hydrolase (EH) activity has been reported to occur in most subcellular fractions of mouse liver. The EHs in the microsomal and cytosolic fractions have been purified and characterized; however, the nature of the EH(s) in the peroxisomal fraction is not known. Therefore an EH, pEH, was purified from the solubilized 12,000 g fraction, which contain peroxisomes. Previous studies have demonstrated that the EH activity in this crude solubilized 12,000 g fraction resides mostly in the peroxisomes. Thus the crude 12,000 g pellet from mouse liver, free from cytosolic contamination, was sonicated to obtain a 105,000 g soluble fraction containing 80% of the original EH activity in this fraction. The pEH was purified, using trans-stilbene oxide (TSO) as substrate, by a combination of affinity and hydroxyapatite chromatography. The purified pEH had a native molecular weight of 57 kDa, a molecular weight of 59 kDa by sodium dodecyl sulfate-polyacrylamide gel electrophoresis and a p I of 5.7. The purified pEH was observed to be immunologically similar to the cytosolic EH (cEH). The kinetics of hydrolysis of TSO, however, were slightly different. Lineweaver-Burk plots for the inhibition of pEH suggest a probable noncompetitive, mixed-type inhibition. The purified pEH thus appears to be very similar to the cEH. There are minor differences between the purified cEH and pEH, particularly in the kinetic parameters. However, these minor differences are insignificant. These results demonstrate that the cEH and pEH are substantially similar, if not identical.

Characterization of estrogen-binding sites associated with the endoplasmic reticulum of rat uterus

Microsomes prepared from rat uterine homogenates harbor high-affinity (Ka = 10 10 m −1), low-capacity binding sites for estrogens. Previous work from our laboratory has demonstrated that these estrophiles are located on endoplasmic reticulum and are not cytosolic contaminants of the membrane preparation. Subfractionation of microsomes into granular and agranular membranes and polysomes revealed approximately equal distribution of estrogen-binding activity among each of these constituents. These binding sites were fully extractable with 0.6 m KCl. Microsomal estrophiles solubilized under conditions of low ionic strength and complexed with estradiol migrated as 8S forms on continuous sucrose gradients. In the presence of 0.4 m KCl, the solubilized binding sites exhibit a sedimentation coefficient of 4S. Extracted binding sites do not undergo heat-induced transformation from a 4S to 5S species. The monoclonal antibody JS34/32 interacted with the endoplasmic reticulum-associated estrogen-binding sites when present in 50-fold molar excess, but not at lower antibody to binding site ratios. In comparison, the rat uterine cytosolic estrogen receptor formed complexes with JS34/32 at antibody to receptor ratios as low as 2:1. These results suggest that the endoplasmic reticulum possesses estrogen-binding sites with biochemical properties that differ from those of the classically described cytosolic (loosely associated nuclear) estrogen receptor.

Inhibition of Ca2+-induced large-amplitude swelling of liver and heart mitochondria by cyclosporin is probably caused by the inhibitor binding to mitochondrial-matrix peptidyl-prolyl cis-trans isomerase and preventing it interacting with the adenine nucleotide translocase

1. Isolated rat liver and heart mitochondria incubated in 150 mM-KSCN or sucrose medium in the presence of respiratory-chain inhibitors showed a large increase in swelling when exposed to 250 microM-Ca2+. Swelling was inhibited by bongkrekic acid and cyclosporin A in both media and by ADP in KSCN medium; the effect of ADP was reversed by carboxyatractyloside. These results demonstrate that this is a suitable technique with which to study the opening of the Ca2(+)-induced non-specific pore of the mitochondrial inner membrane and implicate the adenine nucleotide carrier in this process. 2. Titration of the rate of swelling with increasing concentrations of cyclosporin showed the number of cyclosporin-binding sites (+/- S.E.M.) in liver and heart mitochondria to be respectively 113.7 +/- 5.0 (n = 9) and 124.3 +/- 11.2 (n = 10) pmol/mg of protein, with a Ki of about 5 nM. 3. Liver and heart mitochondrial-matrix fractions were prepared free of membrane and cytosolic contamination and shown to contain cyclosporin-sensitive peptidyl-prolyl cis-trans isomerase (cyclophilin) activity. Titration of isomerase activity with cyclosporin gave values (+/- S.E.M.) of 110.6 +/- 10.1 (n = 5) and 165.4 +/- 15.0 (n = 3) pmol of enzyme/mg of liver and heart mitochondrial protein respectively, with a Ki of 2.5 nM. The similarity of these results to those from the swelling experiments suggest that the isomerase may be involved in the Ca2(+)-induced swelling. 4. The rapid light-scattering change induced in energized heart mitochondria exposed to submicromolar Ca2+ [Halestrap (1987) Biochem. J. 244, 159-164] was inhibited by ADP and bongkrekic acid, the former effect being reversed by carboxyatractyloside. These results suggest an interaction of Ca2+ with the adenine nucleotide carrier when the 'c' conformation. 5. A model is proposed in which mitochondrial peptidyl-prolyl cis-trans isomerase interacts with the adenine nucleotide carrier in the presence of Ca2+ to cause non-specific pore opening. The model also explains the involvement of the adenine nucleotide translocase in the PPi-mediated cyclosporin-insensitive increase in K+ permeability described in the preceding paper [Davidson & Halestrap (1990) Biochem. J. 268, 147-152]. 6. The physiological and pathological implications of the model are discussed in relation to reperfusion injury and cyclosporin toxicity.

The uptake of phosphatidylcholine by small intestinal brush border membrane is protein-mediated

Brush border membrane vesicles prepared from rabbit small intestine are essentially free of basolateral membranes and nuclear, mitochondrial, microsomal and cytosolic contaminants. The resulting brush border membrane is unstable due to intrinsic lipases and proteinases. The PC transfer between small unilamellar lipid vesicles or mixed lipid micelles as the donor and the brush border membrane vesicles as the acceptor is protein-mediated. After proteolytic treatment of brush border membrane with papain or proteinase K the PC transfer activity is lost and the kinetics of PC uptake are similar to those measured with erythrocytes under comparable conditions. Evidence is presented to show that the PC transfer activity resides in the apical membrane of the enterocyte and not in the basolateral part of the plasma membrane. Furthermore, the activity is localized on the external surface of the brush border membrane exposed to the aqueous medium with its active centre probably not in direct contact with the lipid bilayer of the membrane. Proteins released from brush border membrane by proteolytic treatment catalyze PC exchange between different populations of small unilamellar vesicles. Furthermore, these protein(s) bind(s) PC forming a PC-protein complex.

Binding Sites for Growth Hormone in Rabbit Placental Cytosol*

A soluble GH-binding protein, which cross-reacted with a monoclonal antibody (Mab) to the rabbit liver membrane GH receptor, has been identified in cytosol preparations from both fetal and maternal portions of rabbit placenta. Structural studies using gel filtration chromatography and chemical covalent cross-linking techniques have shown that the GH-binding protein in fetal/maternal placental cytosol has a native mol wt of 104,000 and a denatured subunit of about 57,000 mol wt (with or without dithiothreitol). Very low levels of GH-specific [125I]human (h) GH binding were observed in membrane preparations from the corresponding placentae, even after desaturation of any endogenously bound hormone by 5 M MgCl2. No PRL-specific binding was observed in placental membranes or cytosols. Scatchard analysis of [125I]hGH binding to fetal and maternal placental cytosol revealed linear plots with Ka values of 6.1 +/- 1.1 nM-1 (fetal) and 5.31 +/- 0.63 nM-1 (maternal; mean +/- SEM; n = 5). The binding capacity of maternal placental cytosol, when expressed as femtomoles per mg protein (170 +/- 10.10) or femtomoles per g tissue (3245 +/- 123), was about 3-fold higher than that for fetal placental cytosol. Northern blot analysis of fetal and maternal placental mRNA probed with a GH receptor oligonucleotide probe revealed hybridization to a 4.4 to 4.7-kilobase and a 2.2-kilobase species in fetal placenta only. The level of GH-specific binding observed in fetal and maternal placental cytosol did not correlate directly with the level of mRNA expression. A GH-binding protein has also been shown to be present in fetal rabbit serum and is known to be structurally and immunologically related to the rabbit placental and liver cytosolic GH-binding proteins. Scatchard analysis of [125I]hGH binding to fetal serum GH-binding protein revealed a single class of high affinity sites with a Ka of 4.64 +/- 1.29 nM-1 and a capacity of 338 +/- 167 fmol/ml serum (mean +/- SEM; n = 4). Given the relative binding capacities and the demonstration of GH receptor mRNA in fetal placental cytosol, it is highly unlikely that contamination of fetal placental cytosol by fetal serum accounts for all of the placental binding capacity observed. However, no such definitive conclusion regarding contamination by maternal rabbit serum of maternal placental cytosol can be made. The presence of GH-binding proteins in placental cytosol has not been described previously, and these observations suggest that GH may have a role in placental metabolism.

Isolation and characterization of the apical surface of polarized Madin-Darby canine kidney epithelial cells.

We have developed a fast and efficient method to isolate the apical surface of Madin-Darby canine kidney epithelial cells. After confluent cell monolayers were coated with alternate layers of cationized colloidal silica and a polyanion, 60% of the apical surface was recovered as large membrane sheets through the application of a polylysine-coated glass surface. Scanning electron microscopy of the cytoplasmic aspect of the apical surface revealed a honeycomb pattern given by the cell borders fractured at or above the level of the tight junctions. By transmission electron microscopy, the apical preparation appeared to be composed of plasma membrane and a thin layer of cytoplasm. Enzyme assays and immunoblots demonstrated a 6- to 7-fold enrichment of an apical marker and a low level of contamination by cytoplasmic and basolateral markers. After removal of cytosolic contaminants and peripheral membrane proteins by alkaline extraction, apical integral membrane proteins were characterized by sodium dodecyl sulfate/polyacrylamide gel electrophoresis (NaDodSO4/PAGE). Lectin blotting and [3H]glucosamine labeling identified two major sialoglycoproteins of apparent Mr 200,000 and 100,000. The apical membrane sheets here described provide a useful model for systematic characterization of the molecular components of the membrane, for reconstitution of lipid and protein transport in cell-free systems, and for study of the interactions of submembranous cytoskeletal proteins with the apical plasma membrane domain.

Lactate dehydrogenase in rat mitochondria

Small but persistent amounts of l-lactate dehydrogenase (LDH) activity were found in mitochondrial preparations isolated from rat heart, kidney, liver, and lymphocytes. Brain mitochondrial preparations were also isolated, but the results were inconclusive. A variety of cytosolic markers were used and it was found that essentially no cytosolic contamination was present except in brain preparations. A bacterial protease was used along with digitonin fractionation to determine localization of the mitochonidrial LDH. Approximately 80% of the LDH activity associated with heart and kidney mitochondrial preparations was on the inside compared to about 40% for liver. Lymphocyte mitochondrial LDH activity was about 70% on the inside. Cytosolic LDH-5 preferentially adheres to outer mitochondrial membrane of liver, kidney, and heart. Agarose gel electrophoresis showed LDH isozymes in mitochondria qualitatively similar to that of the corresponding cytosol except in kidney mitochondrial preparations, where a specific electrophoretic band was found which did not correspond to any of the common LDH isozymes.

Protein kinase C and an endogenous substrate associated with adenohypophyseal secretory granules.

Secretory granules isolated from anterior pituitary glands were examined for Ca2+/phospholipid-dependent protein kinase (protein kinase C) activity as well as the occurrence of granule-associated substrate proteins. Sheep adenohypophyses were fractionated by differential and sucrose-density-gradient centrifugation to yield a granule fraction enriched for luteinizing-hormone (lutropin)-containing secretory granules. Marker-enzyme analysis showed no detectable cytosolic contamination, although there were small amounts of plasma membranes (2-4%) and lysosomes (4-6%) associated with the preparation. As determined by histone-H1 phosphorylation after DEAE-cellulose DE-52 chromatography, protein kinase C activity with a marked dependence on Ca2+ and lipid (4-fold increase in their presence) was evident in the secretory-granule fraction. Phosphorylation in vitro of the secretory-granule fraction by endogenous and exogenous protein kinase C revealed a protein of Mr 36,000, which by two-dimensional SDS/polyacrylamide-gel electrophoresis showed multiple sites of phosphorylation. The Mr-36,000 protein was not found in cytosolic or plasma-membrane fractions and was not phosphorylated by the catalytic subunit of cyclic AMP-dependent protein kinase. Several secretory-granule proteins served as substrates for the catalytic subunit, the most prominent of which were of Mr 63,000, 23,000 and 21,000. From these data, we suggest that phosphorylation of secretory-granule-associated proteins by protein kinase C and by cyclic AMP-dependent protein kinase may be important in secretion regulation in the anterior pituitary gland.

Localization of l-lactate dehydrogenase in mitochondria

Relatively small but persistent amounts of l-lactate dehydrogenase (LDH) activity were found in mitochondrial preparations isolated from liver of the rat. Using a variety of cytosolic markers, it was found that essentially no cytosolic contamination was present. Respiratory velocities and respiratory control with l-lactate were somewhat lower than with glutamate, but equal or superior to those with pyruvate. Agarose gel electrophoresis showed LDH isoenzymes in mitochondria similar to that in corresponding cytosol. Subtilisn BPN′, a bacterial protease, was incubated with intact mitochondria and enzyme activities were measured. Following mitochondrial disruption, the proteolytic treatment was repeated. Digitonin was also used in the fractionation of mitochondria. These techniques helped to determine the location of the LDH in the mitochondria as being mainly in the outer membrane and periplasmic space.

Phorbol myristate acetate receptors in human polymorphonuclear neutrophils.

Resting or phorbol myristate acetate (PMA)-pretreated neutrophils were disrupted by nitrogen cavitation and were fractionated on Percoll density gradients to identify the subcellular location of PMA receptors. Receptors were found in the cytoplasm of resting cells; neither primary nor secondary granules bound [3H]PMA, and the few binding sites located in non-granule membrane fractions appeared to reflect cytosolic contamination. Contrastingly, PMA-pretreated cells lost cytosolic receptors; greater than 80% of PMA-binding sites were associated with non-granule membranes. Protein kinase C activity similarly shifted from cytosol to membranes after PMA treatment. Indeed, protein kinase C and PMA receptors co-sedimented on Percoll gradients, co-eluted from Ultragel AcA 44 columns loaded with neutrophil cytoplasm, and were identically influenced by various phospholipids. Finally, PMA, mezerein, diacylglycerol, and dialkylglycerol activated protein kinase C with potencies that paralleled their respective abilities to stimulate neutrophil aggregation responses and inhibit [3H]PMA binding to whole cells or cytosol. These results fit a model of stimulus-response coupling wherein exogenous PMA or endogenous diacylglycerol solvate in cellular membranes. Cytosolic protein kinase C binds to the intramembranous ligand, forming an active, membrane-associated complex that phosphorylates nearby elements involved in triggering aggregation and other responses.

Intestinal cholesterol esterase: intracellular enzyme or contamination of cytosol by pancreatic enzymes?

The location of cholesterol esterase in rabbit intestine was re-evaluated. In three different experiments that were designed to eliminate contaminating mucus and pancreatic enzymes from the lumen of the small intestine, it was observed that the activities of cholesterol esterase and amylase in intestinal cytosol and whole homogenate decreased in parallel fashion. After the mucus was carefully wiped from the intestinal mucosa prior to the preparation of cytosol, amylase and cholesterol esterase activities decreased sevenfold. The recovery of the total activity of both enzymes in the cytosol was approximately 15%. When the lumen of the small intestine was filled with phosphate buffer and incubated at 37 degrees C for 20 min, cholesterol esterase and amylase activities in the cytosol prepared from this segment were further decreased. Moreover, the activities of amylase and cholesterol esterase were completely recovered from the lumen. Amylase and cholesterol esterase activities in the cytosol were eliminated if dithiothreitol was used as a mucolytic agent to prepare intestinal mucosa for the isolation of intestinal cells. In whole homogenates prepared from these intestinal segments, approximately 10-15% of the total cholesterol esterase activity remained. This activity, which could not be accounted for by pancreatic contamination, was associated with intestinal nuclei and cellular debris. Progesterone, ethinyl estradiol, and 25-hydroxycholesterol regulated microsomal acyl CoA:cholesterol acyltransferase activity and caused similar directional changes in the rate of cholesteryl ester synthesis in isolated intestinal cells. These same sterols, however, failed to affect cytosolic cholesterol esterase activity in vitro.

Calcium-activated proteolytic activity in rat liver mitochondria

Soluble extracts from sonicated rat liver mitochondria and rat liver cytosol were each chromatographed on DEAE-cellulose columns, and the fractions assayed for Ca 2+-activated proteolytic activity using 14C-casein as a substrate. The mitochondrial preparations were shown to be free of cytosolic and microsomal contamination by the lack of alcohol dehydrogenase activity, a cytosolic marker enzyme, and by a lack of cytochrome P-450 activity, a microsomal marker enzyme. Two peaks of Ca 2+-activated neutral endoprotease activity were resolved from the mitochondrial fractions. One protease was half-maximally activated with 25 μM Ca 2+, and the other by 750 μM Ca 2+. Rat liver cytosol contained only a high Ca 2+-requiring protease peak. This is the first demonstration of Ca 2+-activated proteases in mitochondria.

Postnatal development of estradiol receptor in female and male rats

The concentration of available cytoplasmic estradiol receptor was quantified in the postnatal hypothalamus and pituitary of male and female rats, aged from 4 to 28 days. The uterine receptor was measured in female rats. The method used was designed to avoid non-specific contamination of cytosol from very young animals by plasma proteins, especially alpha-feto-protein (AFP). In the hypothalamus, the concentration of estradiol binding sites was maximal 6 days after birth and declined until day 28 to a low constant level. In the pituitary, the estradiol receptor concentration increased from day 4 and reached a plateau at 13–14 days, whereas in the uterus, the concentration of cytoplasmic binding sites rose up to day 10–12, and then markedly decreased.

Microsomal metabolism of benzo( a)pyrene : Multiple effects of epoxide hydrase inhibitors

The metabolism of benzo( a)pyrene (BP) by rat liver microsomes has been examined in the presence of competitive (styrene oxide), uncompetitive (3,3,3-trichloropropene oxide, TCPO), and noncompetitive (cyclohexene oxide) inhibitors of arene oxide (AO) hydrase. Formation of BP-dihydrodiols was inhibited selectively, with 9,10-dihydrodiol at the lowest inhibitor concentration, and then 7,8- and 4,5-dihydrodiols were decreased at higher inhibitor concentrations. Increased levels of 9-phenol, 7-phenol, and 4,5-oxide appeared selectively in the same order. Appearance of these alternate products did not quantitatively compensate for the loss of dihydrodiols so that there was a net loss of oxidation products. A 1000-fold increase in the concentration of TCPO did not further inhibit BP oxidation. Formation of quinones and 3-phenol was completely unaffected by the inhibitors. The limiting decrease in BP oxidation products was the same for each inhibitor and was greater for 3-methylcholanthrene-induced microsomes (25–30%) than for phenobarbital-induced microsomes (15–20%), which produced a smaller proportion of dihydrodiols. Several mechanisms for this specific loss of oxide-derived reaction products have been considered. BP-oxidation products, particularly 9-phenol, significantly inhibit BP oxidation; however, this inhibition is nonspecific in that 3-phenol, quinones, and oxide-derived products are all decreased. 9-Phenol was far more effective as an inhibitor than as a substrate. Glutathione conjugation of oxides due to cytosolic contamination was excluded by virtue of the near absence of water-soluble products. Reduction of 4,5-oxide occurred, in the absence of oxygen, at a rate which was about half the rate of BP monooxygenation, but this rate decreased 75-fold in the presence of air. Enhanced reduction of BP-oxides in the presence of hydrase inhibitors can explain the action of these inhibitors on BP oxidation if the reduction of microsomally generated 4,5-oxide is several times faster than reduction of added 4,5-oxide. The selective effect of hydrase inhibitors on different dihydrodiols can be attributed to differences in the relative stabilities of the intermediate oxides. The formation of 4,5-dihydrodiol from BP is relatively insensitive to hydrase inhibitors in comparison to the hydration of added 4,5-oxide; this results from the rate-determining monooxygenation step.