Decrease In Alcohol Dehydrogenase Activity Research Articles

MASLD is related to impaired alcohol dehydrogenase (ADH) activity and elevated blood ethanol levels: Role of TNFα and JNK

Elevated fasting ethanol levels in peripheral blood frequently found in metabolic dysfunction-associated steatohepatitis (MASLD) patients even in the absence of alcohol consumption are discussed to contribute to disease development. To test the hypothesis that besides an enhanced gastrointestinal synthesis a diminished alcohol elimination through alcohol dehydrogenase (ADH) may also be critical herein, we determined fasting ethanol levels and ADH activity in livers and blood of MASLD patients and in wild-type ± anti-TNFα antibody (infliximab) treated and TNFα-/- mice fed a MASLD-inducing diet. Blood ethanol levels were significantly higher in patients and wild-type mice with MASLD while relative ADH activity in blood and liver tissue was significantly lower compared to controls. Both alterations were significantly attenuated in MASLD diet-fed TNFα-/- mice and wild-type mice treated with infliximab. Moreover, alcohol elimination was significantly impaired in mice with MASLD. In in vitro models, TNFα but not IL-1β or IL-6 significantly decreased ADH activity. Our data suggest that elevated ethanol levels in MASLD patients are related to TNFα-dependent impairments of ADH activity.

Effect of ADHI on hepatic stellate cell activation and liver fibrosis in mice

The relationship between alcohol dehydrogenase (ADH) and liver fibrosis has been studied, but the mechanism of ADH involvement in liver fibrosis remains unclear. The aim of the present study was to explore the role of ADHI, the classical liver ADH, in hepatic stellate cell (HSC) activation and the effect of 4-methylpyrazole (4-MP), an ADH inhibitor, on liver fibrosis induced by carbon tetrachloride (CCl4) in mice. The results showed that overexpression of ADHI significantly increases proliferation, migration, adhesion and invasion rates of HSC-T6 cells as compared with controls. When HSC-T6 cells were activated by ethanol, TGF-β1 or LPS, the expression of ADHI was elevated significantly (P < 0.05). Overexpression of ADHI significantly increased the levels of COL1A1 and α-SMA, markers of HSC activation. Moreover, the expression of COL1A1 and α-SMA was decreased significantly by transfection of ADHI siRNA (P < 0.01). In a liver fibrosis mouse model ADH activity increased significantly and was highest in the 3rd week. The activity of ADH in the liver was correlated with its activity in the serum (P < 0.05). 4-MP significantly decreased ADH activity and ameliorated liver injury, and ADH activity was positively correlated with the Ishak score of liver fibrosis. In conclusion, ADHI plays an important role in the activation of HSC, and inhibition of ADH ameliorates liver fibrosis in mice.

Improvement of Acetaldehyde Production in Zymomonas mobilis by Engineering of Its Aerobic Metabolism.

Acetaldehyde is a valuable product of microbial biosynthesis, which can be used by the chemical industry as the entry point for production of various commodity chemicals. In ethanologenic microorganisms, like yeast or the bacterium Zymomonas mobilis, this compound is the immediate metabolic precursor of ethanol. In aerobic cultures of Z. mobilis, it accumulates as a volatile, inhibitory byproduct, due to the withdrawal of reducing equivalents from the alcohol dehydrogenase reaction by respiration. The active respiratory chain of Z. mobilis with its low energy-coupling efficiency is well-suited for regeneration of NAD+ under conditions when acetaldehyde, but not ethanol, is the desired catabolic product. In the present work, we sought to improve the capacity Z. mobilis to synthesize acetaldehyde, based on predictions of a stoichiometric model of its central metabolism developed herein. According to the model analysis, the main objectives in the course of engineering acetaldehyde producer strains were determined to be: (i) reducing ethanol synthesis via reducing the activity of alcohol dehydrogenase (ADH), and (ii) enhancing the respiratory capacity, either by overexpression of the respiratory NADH dehydrogenase (NDH), or by mutation of other components of respiratory metabolism. Several mutants with elevated respiration rate, decreased alcohol dehydrogenase activity, or a combination of both, were obtained. They were extensively characterized by determining their growth rates, product yields, oxygen consumption rates, ADH, and NDH activities, transcription levels of key catabolic genes, as well as concentrations of central metabolites under aerobic culture conditions. Two mutant strains were selected, with acetaldehyde yield close to 70% of the theoretical maximum value, almost twice the previously published yield for Z. mobilis. These strains can serve as a basis for further development of industrial acetaldehyde producers.

Influence of Glutathione on Yeast Fermentation Efficiency under Copper Stress.

Copper in grape musts can influence the fermentation efficiency of Saccharomyces cerevisiae during winemaking. The present study revealed the impact of glutathione addition on yeast strains with variable copper sensitivity. The antioxidant glutathione increased yeast vitality and fastened sugar metabolism at copper concentrations up to 0.39 mM. A significant accumulation of acetaldehyde at high copper concentrations was mitigated by the addition of 20 mg L-1 glutathione. Low recovery of glutathione added implicated a complexation of both compounds. Specific alcohol dehydrogenase (ADH) activity was inhibited or reduced in the enzyme extracts of the copper-stressed yeast cells. The activity was restored in fermentations with glutathione at a copper concentration of 0.16 mM. At low copper concentrations, glutathione decreased ADH activity presumably due to complexation of essential copper amounts. Results provide important information on the use of glutathione as an antioxidant in winemaking to counteract negative effects of copper-rich musts on copper-sensitive yeast strains.

Arabidopsis thaliana alcohol dehydrogenase is differently affected by several redox modifications.

In plant cells, many stresses, including low oxygen availability, result in a higher production of reactive oxygen species (ROS) and reactive nitrogen species (RNS). These molecules can lead to redox-dependent post-translational modification of proteins Cys residues. Here, we studied the effect of different redox modifications on alcohol dehydrogenase (ADH) from Arabidopsis thaliana. ADH catalyzes the last step of the ethanol fermentation pathway used by plants to cope with energy deficiency during hypoxic stress. Arabidopsis suspension cell cultures showed decreased ADH activity upon exposure to H2O2, but not to the thiol oxidizing agent diamide. We purified recombinant ADH and observed a significant decrease in the enzyme activity by treatments with H2O2 and diethylamine NONOate (DEA/NO). Treatments leading to the formation of a disulfide bond between ADH and glutathione (protein S-glutathionylation) had no negative effect on the enzyme activity. LC-MS/MS analysis showed that Cys47 and Cys243 could make a stable disulfide bond with glutathione, suggesting redox sensitivity of these residues. Mutation of ADH Cys47 to Ser caused an almost complete loss of the enzyme activity while the Cys243 to Ser mutant had increased specific activity. Incubation of ADH with NAD+ or NADH prevented inhibition of the enzyme by H2O2 or DEA/NO. These results suggest that binding of ADH with its cofactors may limit availability of Cys residues to redox modifications. Our study demonstrates that ADH from A. thaliana is subject to different redox modifications. Implications of ADH sensitivity to ROS and RNS during hypoxic stress conditions are discussed.

Salivary alcohol dehydrogenase in non-smoking and smoking alcohol-dependent persons

Increasing attention to the importance of saliva testing is not surprising because smoking and alcohol drinking act synergistically on oral tissues, and their metabolite levels, e.g., acetaldehyde, are much higher in saliva than in blood. The activity of salivary alcohol dehydrogenase (ADH) comes from oral microbiota, mucosa, and salivary glands. The purpose of this study was to investigate the involvement of ADH in the oral health pathology of smoking (AS) and non-smoking (ANS) alcohol-dependent males. The results indicated that the AS group had a more significant and longer duration (until the 30th day of alcohol abstinence) decrease in ADH activity and output than the ANS group (until the 15th day of alcohol abstinence) compared to controls (social drinkers; C). The decreased salivary flow (SF) in alcoholics was observed longer in the ANS group (until the 30th day of alcohol abstinence), whereas in the AS group SF normalized at the 15th day, probably due to the irritating effect of tobacco smoke on the oral mucosa. Because saliva was centrifuged to remove cells and debris (including microbial cells), the detected salivary ADH activity was derived from salivary glands and/or oral mucosa. A more profound and longer decrease in ADH activity/output in smoking than non-smoking alcoholics was likely due to the damaged salivary glands and/or oral mucosa, caused by the synergistic effect of alcohol drinking and smoking. The lower values of salivary ADH in smoking than non-smoking alcoholics might also be partly due to the reversed/inhibited ADH reaction by high levels of accumulated acetaldehyde.

High dosing of α-tocopherol inhibits rat liver regeneration by modifying signal transducer and activator of transcription protein expression and its correlation with cell redox state and retinoid metabolism

Lipid peroxidation (LP) promoted by partial hepatectomy (PH) is qualitatively distinct among subcellular fractions and temporally transient, probably being a necessary physiological event for rat liver regeneration. In fact, α-tocopherol (vitamin E [VE]) exerts adverse effects, partially inhibiting PH-induced rat liver regeneration and inducing decreased cyclin D1 expression. The phosphorylation of signal transducer and activator of transcription (STAT) factors 1 and 3 are involved in DNA synthesis and cyclin D1 expression after PH, which is stimulated by production of retinoic acid (RA). Hence, this study was aimed at addressing these events, and its association with cell redox state and oxidative stress, probably underlying VE effects on rat liver regeneration. PH-enhanced activation of STAT proteins, mainly as activated STAT-3, significantly change the cytoplasmic pool for STATs. The latter was associated to a more reduced cytoplasmic redox state and increased alcohol dehydrogenase (ADH)-mediated retinol oxidation to RA. Whereas α-tocopherol promoted minor changes in the parameters tested when administered to sham (control)-animals, pretreatment with VE blocked the PH-induced increase of reactive oxygen species (ROS), altering the pattern of STAT protein activation, blunting RA formation by decreased ADH activity, inducing higher liver caspase-3 activity and increasing tumor necrosis factor-α concentrations, while levels of interleukin-6 were decreased; altogether coinciding with disturbed PH-promoted changes on the liver redox state. In conclusion, altered activation and translocation of STAT-1 and -3 proteins and inhibited retinoid metabolism seem to be involved in the VE-induced inhibition of rat liver regeneration. Data suggest that a PH-induced increase of ROS could participate in the activation of STAT factors, retinoid metabolism and changes in the cell redox state during proliferation of liver cells.

Transgenic cotton (Gossypium hirsutum) over-expressing alcohol dehydrogenase shows increased ethanol fermentation but no increase in tolerance to oxygen deficiency

Cotton (Gossypium hirsutumL.) was transformed with constructs for the over-expression of two enzymes involved in ethanol fermentation, alcohol dehydrogenase (ADH) and pyruvate decarboxylase (PDC), with the goal of increasing waterlogging tolerance. Four independent transgenic lines transformed with the cotton Adh2 cDNA driven by the CaMV 35S promoter showed ectopic expression of this isozyme in leaves and up to 20-fold greater in vitro ADH activity in roots. Under conditions of O2 deficiency, excised roots from these transgenic plants showed up to 80% increase in ethanol evolution compared to untransformed roots. Conversely, one line transformed with a construct containing the Adh2 coding region in the antisense orientation showed a 65% decrease in ADH activity and a 25% decrease in ethanol production from anaerobic roots relative to untransformed cotton. Lines transformed with a rice Pdc1 cDNA driven by the CaMV 35S promoter showed high levels of expression of the transgene-encoded protein in leaves, but only very low levels of protein and no in vitro enzyme activity detectable in the roots of these plants. Roots from plants transformed with the 35S-Pdc construct did not produce more ethanol than roots from untransformed controls. We tested the ability of cotton roots to withstand low O2 treatments under hydroponic conditions. Neither the ‘ADH’ nor the ‘PDC’ transgenics showed more tolerance than the wild-type on the basis of root growth under a mild stress (5% O2), a strong stress (0% O2 with or without a 5% O2 pretreatment), or in recovery growth following these treatments. Our results show that over-expression of ADH can lead to ethanol over-production (even though the activity of this enzyme by far exceeds that of PDC, its precursor in the pathway), but this is not sufficient to increase waterlogging tolerance in cotton.

エタノールおよび炭酸ガス処理に伴うカキ‘西条’果実のアセトアルデヒド蓄積ならびに脱渋の特性

Characteristics of removal of astringency in Japanese persimmon 'Saijo' fruit with 80% carbon dioxide (CO2) and ethanol vapor (EtOH) were investigated in relation to acetaldehyde production. Soluble tannin concentration in the flesh decreased rapidly by exposure to an acetaldehyde vapor. A decrease in soluble tannin content in the flesh treated with CO2 was coincided with an increase in acetaldehyde content to 0.15μl/gFW. EtOH treatment, which also resulted in a decrease of soluble tannin content simultaneously caused an accumulation of acetaldehyde to only 0.025μl/gFW but an accumulation of EtOH to 8.0 μl/gFW. Thus, acetaldehyde 'triggered' the tannins to polymerize is questionable. Acetaldehyde evolution from the flesh discs incubated with ethanol or pyruvic acid solution was determined before and 2 days after CO2 and EtOH treatments. Flesh discs treated with CO2 and incubated with pyruvic acid yielded nearly 5 nl of acetaldehyde/gFW, whereas those treated with CO2+EtOH yielded only 0.25 nl acetaldehyde after 6 hr. Ethanol treatment reduced acetaldehyde evolution in the incubated discs with ethanol, whereas the evolution level with pyruvic acid was not affected. The increases in alcohol dehydrogenase (ADH) and pyruvate decarboxylase (PDC) activities were detected in the flesh with CO2 treatment. EtOH treatment did not affect PDC activity in the flesh but decreased ADH activity. Our results demonstrate that EtOH treatment result in the removal of astringency of 'Saijo' fruit, but EtOH may act independently of the accumulation of acetaldehyde in the tissue.

Helicobacter pylori Infection Decreases Gastric Alcohol Dehydrogenase Activity and First-Pass Metabolism of Ethanol in Man

Background/Aims: Ethanol is metabolized by alcohol dehydrogenase in the human stomach. This metabolism contributes to the so-called first-pass metabolism of ethanol which is affected by gender, medication, and morphological alterations of the gastric mucosa. Recently, it has been shown that Helicobacter pylori is capable to oxidize ethanol to acetaldehyde in vitro. Since H. pylori also injures gastric mucosa, the present study examines the effect of this bacterium on gastric alcohol dehydrogenase activity and systemic availability of ethanol in vivo. Methods: Thirteen volunteers (7 men and 6 women, aged 18–52 years) with gastric H. pylori infection diagnosed by a positive CLO test and positive gastric histology received ethanol (0.225 g/kg) either orally or intravenously before and after H. pylori elimination to determine systemic availability of ethanol. In addition, gastric biopsy specimens were taken from all subjects before and after H. pylori elimination for histological assessment of mucosal alterations and determinations of gastric alcohol dehydrogenase activity and phenotype of the enzyme. Results: In the presence of H. pylori the first-pass metabolism of ethanol was found to be significantly reduced (625 ± 234 vs. 1,155 ± 114 mg/dl/min, p = 0.046). This reduction of first-pass metabolism of ethanol was associated with a significant decrease in alcohol dehydrogenase activity (4.8 ± 1.5 vs. 12.1 ± 2.3 nmol/mg protein × min, p < 0.05) and an increase in the severity of mucosal damage as determined by a histological score (p < 0.05). Conclusions: H. pylori infection leads to gastric mucosal injury which is associated with a decrease in gastric alcohol dehydrogenase activity and first-pass metabolism of ethanol. Ethanol metabolism by H. pylori does not play an important role in vivo. However, gastric morphology is one important factor determining systemic availability of ethanol in man.

Role of catalase in rat gastric mucosal ethanol metabolism in vitro.

To evaluate the possible role of catalase in gastric ethanol metabolism in rats, we studied acetaldehyde formation from ethanol by gastric mucosal homogenate under various in vitro conditions. Homogenized rat gastric mucosa produced significant amounts of acetaldehyde in a time and ethanol concentration-dependent manner, even in the absence of added NAD. Both acetaldehyde formation and catalase activity peaked around the physiological pH, whereas alcohol dehydrogenase (ADH) activity was in that pH range low and reached peak values only at a higher pH of 9 to 10. Catalase inhibitors sodium azide (SA) and 3-amino-1,2,4-triazole (3-AT) had little effect on ADH activity but markedly decreased catalase activity and acetaldehyde formation (1 mM of SA to 56 +/- 13% of control, 5 mM of 3-AT to 67 +/- 3% of control; mean +/- SE). 4-Methylpyrazole decreased ADH activity significantly, but did not affect acetaldehyde formation. Heating of the homogenate at 60 degrees C for 5 min decreased ADH activity only slightly, but totally abolished catalase activity and reduced acetaldehyde formation to 39 +/- 3% of control. Addition of a H2O2 generating system (beta-D(+)-glucose + glucose oxidase] increased acetaldehyde formation in a concentration-dependent manner up to 8-fold of the control value. Our results strongly suggest that, in addition to ADH, catalase may play a significant role in gastric ethanol metabolism in rats.

Analysis of CA Repeats in First Intron of Class I ADH Gene in Long‐Evans Cinnamon Rats Developing Fatal Intoxication after Ethanol Intake

The Long-Evans Cinnamon (LEC) rat is a mutant strain established from Long-Evans rats that displays spontaneous hepatitis and liver cancer. We previously demonstrated that LEC rats died of acute ethanol intoxication after being fed a liquid diet containing 5% ethanol. Furthermore, we found that both alcohol dehydrogenase (ADH) and aldehyde dehydrogenase activities were remarkably suppressed in the liver of LEC rat, compared with Wistar rats. In the present study, we further investigated ethanol metabolism in the non-ADH pathway and what caused the decrease of liver ADH activity in LEC rats. Blood ethanol concentration 5 hr after intraperitoneal administration of ethanol in LEC rats was higher than in the Wistar rats, indicating that ethanol oxidation was impaired in LEC rats. The expression of liver cytochrome P-450IIE1 in the LEC rat was as much as that in Wistar rats. Regarding decreased ADH activity in the liver of LEC rats, we examined an alternating purine-pyrimidine (CA) repeat-length polymorphism in the first intron of a class I ADH gene that would play a role in altering ADH activity. A polymerase chain reaction method was used to amplify the CA repeat in the first intron of this class I ADH gene, a nine CA repeat insertion and a point mutation were detected in LEC rats. These results suggest that this alternating sequence would modify transcription of the class I ADH gene in LEC rats. Thus, LEC rats have abnormal ethanol metabolism in the ADH pathway.

Inhibition of the catalytic activity of alcohol dehydrogenase by nitric oxide is associated with S nitrosylation and the release of zinc.

Nitric oxide (NO) reacts with the sulfhydryl groups of proteins to form nitroso thiols. Alcohol dehydrogenase (ADH) plays an important role in the metabolism of ethanol. Chronic alcohol administration stimulates NO formation in the liver, and production of NO is increased in alcohol liver injury. The effect of exogenous and endogenous NO on rat or horse ADH activity was evaluated. Incubation of intact rat hepatocytes or cytosol isolated from hepatocytes with S-nitroso-N-acetylpenicillamine (SNAP), a nitric oxide donor, resulted in a decrease in ADH activity. Endogenous NO synthesis was induced in rat hepatocytes by incubation with a mixture of cytokines and endotoxin in the presence of L-arginine. As NO production in hepatocytes increased over a 24 h time period, a significant decrease in ADH activity was observed. This effect was blocked by the competitive inhibitor of NO synthesis, N omega-nitro-L-arginine methyl ester, indicating that ADH was also inactivated by endogenously generated NO. The decreased activity of ADH was not related to lowering of the ADH content as shown by Western blot analysis. To evaluate the mechanism of inhibition, purified ADH from equine liver was incubated with gaseous NO or NO released from NO donors such as the diethylamine/nitric oxide complex (DEA/NO) and SNAP. NO donors inactivated ADH in a dose- and time-dependent manner. Trapping of NO with hemoglobin resulted in protection of ADH against inactivation by NO. There was no effect by analogues of the NO donors which do not release NO. NAD afforded some protection against the NO inactivation of ADH. Measurements of thiol oxidation, S nitrosylation, and zinc release were used to assess the effect of NO on ADH activity. Thiol oxidation, S-nitroso thiol formation, and zinc release correlated with inactivation of ADH by NO, indicating that disruption of the zinc/thiolate active center due to S nitrosylation of ADH results in zinc release, followed by inactivation of the enzyme. Recovery experiments were performed by incubating the NO-treated enzyme with dithiothreitol (DTT) and/or Zn2+. The inhibitory effect by NO was reversible since, after the nitrosylated enzyme was reduced with DTT followed by incubation with ZnCl2 to allow reincorporation of Zn2+, ADH activity was increased from 20% of control values to 70%. These results suggest that cysteine residues contained within the zinc/thiolate active center may be primary sites of NO interaction with ADH. NO may modulate the metabolism of ethanol and influence metabolic actions of ethanol via interaction with ADH.

Liver alcohol dehydrogenase activity and ethanol levels during chronic ethanol intake in pregnant rats and their offspring

The effects of chronic alcohol intake on the ethanol levels in body fluids (blood, amniotic fluid, and fetal intragastric content), hepatic alcohol dehydrogenase (ADH) activity, isoenzyme distribution, and hepatic zinc levels were studied in pregnant rats at term (19 and 21 days), in their offspring at fetal, perinatal, and weaned stages, and in adult virgin rats. Three experimental groups were studied: 1) the alcohol group received ethanol in drinking water (from 10% to 25% over 2 months), 2) the fibre diet group was undernourished on a hypocaloric diet, to assess the effects of malnutrition associated with chronic alcohol intake, and 3) the control group received no alcohol and normal diet. A gradient of increasing ethanol concentrations was found in fetal blood, amniotic fluid, and fetal intragastric contents with respect to maternal blood. A decrease in ADH activity was found in alcohol-consuming pregnant rats compared to controls. This was related neither to liver ADH isoenzyme distribution nor to changes in hepatic zinc levels. Chronic alcohol consumption in pregnant rats produced high ethanol accumulation in fetal fluids and changes in the liver ADH activity depending on the physiological situation (pregnancy, development, virgin state).

Alcohol metabolism in Helicobacter pylori-infected stomach.

Studies in our laboratory have revealed that Helicobacter pylori exhibits significant cytosolic alcohol dehydrogenase activity and that the enzyme is fully active at ethanol concentrations prevailing in the stomach during alcohol consumption or after alcohol is completely absorbed from the stomach and is available through blood circulation only. Moreover, even the low levels of endogenous ethanol found in the stomach can be oxidized to acetaldehyde by H. pylori alcohol dehydrogenase. The metabolic significance of the enzyme remains as yet unresolved. Under microaerobic conditions, however, the enzyme could be of importance in the energy metabolism of the organism. In the presence of excess ethanol, H. pylori alcohol dehydrogenase produces significant amounts of acetaldehyde. Acetaldehyde is a toxic and reactive compound and could theoretically be a pathogenetic factor in H. pylori-associated gastric injury. Preliminary studies have indicated that acetaldehyde inhibits gastric mucosal regeneration and forms stable adducts with mucosal proteins. Both of these mechanisms could cause gastric injury. The role of H. pylori-related acetaldehyde formation in vivo, however, needs to be established in future studies. In antral human gastric mucosa, H. pylori infection is associated with a significant decrease in alcohol dehydrogenase activity. Similarly, in specific pathogen-free mice with a prolonged infection, gastric alcohol dehydrogenase activity is decreased; however, this is not clearly reflected in the bioavailability of ethanol or the amount of its first pass metabolism.

Human gastric alcohol dehydrogenase activity: effect of age, sex, and alcoholism.

As various isoenzymes of gastric alcohol dehydrogenase exist and as the effect of sex and age on these enzymes is unknown, this study measured the activity of gastric alcohol dehydrogenase at high and low ethanol concentrations in endoscopic biopsy specimens from a total of 290 patients of various ages and from 10 patients with chronic alcoholism. Gastric alcohol dehydrogenase was also detected by immunohistological tests in biopsy specimens from 40 patients by the use of a polyclonal rabbit antibody against class I alcohol dehydrogenase. A significant correlation was found between the immunohistological reaction assessed by the intensity of the colour reaction in the biopsy specimen and the activity of alcohol dehydrogenase measured at 580 mM ethanol. While alcohol dehydrogenase activity measured at 16 mM ethanol was not significantly affected by age and sex, both factors influenced alcohol dehydrogenase activity measured at 580 mM ethanol. Young women below 50 years of age had significantly lower alcohol dehydrogenase activities in the gastric corpus and antrum when compared with age matched controls (SEM) (6.4 (0.7) v 8.8 (0.6) nmol/min/mg protein; p < 0.001 and 6.0 (1.3) v 9.5 (1.3) nmol/min/mg protein; p < 0.001). Over 50 years of age this sex difference was no longer detectable, as high Km gastric alcohol dehydrogenase activity decreases with age only in men and not in women. In addition, extremely low alcohol dehydrogenase activities have been found in gastric biopsy specimens from young male alcoholics (2.2 (0.5) nmol/min/mg protein), which returned to normal after two to three weeks of abstinence. The activity of alcohol dehydrogenase in the human stomach measured at 580 mM ethanol is decreased in young women, in elderly men, and in the subject with alcoholism. This decrease in alcohol dehydrogenase activity may contribute to the reduced first pass metabolism of ethanol associated with raised ethanol blood concentrations seen in these people.

Isolation and characterization of aDatura innoxia cell line resistant to ethanol

A cell line ofDatura innoxia was selected in suspension culture to be resistant to 1% (vol/vol) ethanol (EtOHR). EtOHR cells were cross-resistant to 1% (vol/vol) methanol and 1% (vol/vol) 2-propanol but not 1% (vol/vol)n-propanol orn-butanol, whereas wild type (WT) cells were resistant only to methanol. Resistance in EtOHR cells is probably a result of a very low level of alcohol dehydrogenase (ADH) activity which was only 9 to 10% of that in WT cells and was undetectable during much of the EtOHR growth cycle. In the absence of ethanol, EtOHR cells have a I50 for the toxic ethanol analog allyl alcohol, which is nearly 3 times higher than that in WT cells. In the presence of ethanol, EtOHR cells have an I50 for allyl alcohol which is 12 times more than WT cells. This difference correlated well with the decrease in ADH activity found in EtOHR cells grown on ethanol. When ethanol was removed from the suspension medium, ADH activity in EtOHR cells gradually increased to WT levels. When re-exposed to ethanol after 200 cell generations, ADH activity quickly decreased and growth resumed after a 4- to 6-day lag period. Lipid analysis showed a 37% increase in total lipid in EtOHR cells, mostly in polar lipids, di- and triglycerides. The fatty acid composition of these lipid classes was shifted toward the more polyunsaturated. These lipid changes were probably a reflection of the increased plastid number in the EtOHR cells and may be a result of growth in ethanol rather than a reason for resistance. EtOHR cells seem to be regulatory mutants able to quickly lower ADH activity in the presence of ethanol.

Allyl Alcohol Selection for Lower Alcohol Dehydrogenase Activity in Nicotiana plumbaginifolia Cultured Cells

One cell strain with stable tolerance to allyl alcohol (AA(r)) was selected from 6 x 10(8) suspension cultured Nicotiana plumbaginifolia Viviani cells. The selected strain contained one-half the alcohol dehydrogenase (ADH) activity of the wild type (NP) due to the loss of two of three bands of ADH activity seen on starch gels following electrophoresis of wild-type cell extracts. Anaerobic conditions, simulated by not shaking the suspension cultures, increased the ADH specific activity to more than 3-fold the initial level in both strains but did not change the number of activity bands or the relative levels of activity. The cell strain with decreased ADH activity lost viability more rapidly than the wild type under the anaerobic conditions. The AA(r) cells were 10 times more tolerant to ethanol than the NP cells and were also somewhat more tolerant to acetaldehyde and antimycin A. The substrate specificities of the ADH enzymes from both strains were very similar. Further selection of AA(r) cells with allyl alcohol produced strains with even lower ADH activity and selection under anaerobic conditions produced strains with increased ADH activity. Genetic studies indicate that the N. plumbaginifolia ADH activity bands arise from subunits produced by two nonallelic genes. This is the first example of the use of allyl alcohol to select for decreased ADH using cultured plant cells.

Loss of growth hormone-dependent characteristics of rat hepatocytes in culture.

The liver of rodents is sexually differentiated, i.e. the female liver differs from the male liver. This differentiation is largely controlled by the pattern of growth hormone (GH) secretion. We have attempted to maintain GH-dependent differentiation of cultured rat hepatocytes. We examined the level of alcohol dehydrogenase (ADH) activity, which responds to GH and is higher in female than in male liver, and the estrogen receptor, which is dependent on GH but is present is equal amounts in males and females. ADH activity was maintained in cells from male rats, but fell by 40% in cells from females in medium supplemented with insulin and dexamethasone. The estrogen receptor content of female cells fell dramatically to undetectable levels within 2 d of culture. Extensive supplementation of the medium failed to prevent the decrease in ADH activity in female cells; similarly, the addition of female sex steroids; rat serum; pituitary extracts; rat, human, or bovine GH; or ovine prolactin failed to maintain the enzyme activity. Insulin, dexamethasone, thyroid hormone plus GH or prolactin, or the combination of all five hormones also failed to prevent the loss of estrogen receptors. Short-term cultures of rat hepatocytes, although retaining the liver-specific expression of ADH at the male level, lose GH-dependent expression of the estrogen receptor and stimulation of ADH activity.

Light-dependent decrease in alcohol dehydrogenase activity of Phycomyces

Specific activities for alcohol dehydrogenase (ADH) are higher in dark-grown than in light-grown cultures of the fungus Phycomyces blakesleeanus. A single electrophoretic band with ADH activity was detected in P. blakesleeanus; this electromorph stained for ADH activity more intensely in dark-grown mycelia than in light-grown mycelia. A protein band, with the same electrophoretic mobility as this unique ADH electromorph, stained more darkly in extracts from unilluminated mycelia than from illuminated mycelia. The light-dependent decrease of ADH activity was normal in five Phycomyces mutants with altered phototropism ( mad genotype). Since two of these strains carry multiple mutations and show extremely reduced phototropism even at light intensities higher than the light intensity used in this work, it is concluded that the light-dependent ADH decrease is not mediated by the mad photosystem.