Incorporation Of 32Pi Research Articles

Role of beta-GP-derived Pi in mineralization via ecto-alkaline phosphatase in cultured fetal calvaria cells.

The permissive effect of beta-GP on mineralization in cultured rat fetal calvaria cells was investigated in relationship with phosphohydrolase activity of ecto-ALP at physiological pH range. Beta-GP present in the culture medium for 8 days exerted a stimulatory effect on 45Ca incorporation into matrix cell layers while the ecto-ALP activity level measured on intact cells with a saturating concentration of pNPP was similar for cells grown either in the presence or absence of beta-GP. In both types of cultures, beta-GP addition inhibited pNPP hydrolysis in a competitive and reversible manner and increased Pi concentration in the medium. The dose dependency of the effect of beta-GP on 45Ca incorporation and generation of Pi was similar (k phi = 3 mM). Levamisole, but not dexamisole, inhibited both pNPP and beta-GP hydrolyses, which were likely catalyzed by the same ecto-enzyme. The rate of 45Ca incorporation into matrix cell layers, which was high (0.90 mumol/4h/mg cell protein) in cells grown in the absence of beta-GP, was inhibited by 50% by levamisole. In cells grown in the absence of beta-GP, the 45Ca incorporation rate increased progressively after beta-GP addition, reaching after 12 h the value of cultures grown in the presence of beta-GP, the increase being totally inhibited by levamisole. In both types of cells, addition of exogenous Pi at concentrations corresponding to medium levels of beta-GP-derived Pi rapidly led to high 45Ca incorporation rate which was unaffected by levamisole. beta-GP removal from cultures grown in its presence reduced by 50% the 45Ca incorporation rate which recovered the initial value after exogenous Pi addition independently of levamisole presence. Thus, mineral deposition did not affect the level and catalytic efficiency of ecto-ALP to hydrolyze beta-GP in cultured fetal calvaria cells, yet it influenced the beta-GP-stimulatory effect on mineralization so as to render this process not sensitive to high medium Pi levels.

Impairment of the liver insulin receptor autoactivation cascade at full-term pregnancy in the rat.

Partially purified liver insulin receptors from full-term pregnant rats show decreased autophosphorylation rates if compared with receptors from virgins. We studied the molecular mechanism of this phenomenon, looking at possible structural and functional changes of several domains. The ATP-binding domain seems to be unaltered in receptors from pregnant rats since Km for ATP was similar to that observed in virgins. In contrast, the Vmax. is decreased some 45%, suggesting changes in the kinase domain. Truncation of a fragment of 10 kDa from the C-terminal tail does not normalize the kinase activity in receptors from pregnant rats, suggesting that this domain is not involved in the inhibitory regulation. Treatment with alkaline phosphatase increases the [32P]Pi incorporation into receptors from pregnant rats; however, the autophosphorylation remains lower than that observed in virgin rats. Tryptic phosphopeptide maps of phosphorylated receptors show that the same phosphopeptides are present in receptors from virgin and pregnant rats. However, the progression through the autoactivation cascade in the kinase domain is impaired in receptors from pregnant rats. Differences in the cleavage by trypsin at the two alternative sites in the kinase domain were observed, indicating possible structural changes in receptors from pregnant rats that could be related to the impairment of the autoactivation cascade. Integrity of the alpha- and beta-subunits, as well as differential expression of the two receptor isotypes, were shown to be unaltered. We conclude that (1) the decreased autophosphorylation rate of the liver insulin receptor from pregnant rats is associated with the impairment of its autoactivation cascade, probably as a consequence of the basal Ser/Thr phosphorylation; and (2) the inhibition of the autoactivation cascade does not account for the overall inhibition of autophosphorylation observed in receptors from pregnant rats.

Inhibition of tumour‐promoter‐enhanced 32Pi‐incorporation into cellular phospholipids by flavonols from genus Chrysosplenium

AbstractFlavonol aglycones from the genus Chrysosplenium showed potential antitumour‐promoter activity. Three flavonols, oxyayanin A and chrysosplenols D and E, markedly inhibited the incorporation of 32Pi into phospholipids of confluent HeLa cells stimulated by 12‐O‐tetradecanoylphorbol‐13‐acetate (TPA), a potent tumour promoter. The potency of the flavonols proved to be similar to those of other antitumour‐promoting flavonoids.

Reduced Light-dependent Phosphorylation of an Analog Visual Pigment Containing 9-Demethylretinal as Its Chromophore

9-Demethyl rhodopsin (9dR), an analog of vertebrate rhodopsin, consists of opsin and a covalently attached chromophore of 11-cis 9-demethylretinal. Electrophysiological evidence that photoactivated 9dR (9dR*) undergoes abnormally slow deactivation in salamander rods (Corson, D. W., Cornwall, M. C., and Pepperberg, D. R. (1994) Visual Neurosci. 11, 91-98) raises the possibility that opsin phosphorylation, a reaction involved in visual pigment deactivation, operates abnormally on 9dR*. This possibility was tested by measuring the light-dependent phosphorylation of 9dR in preparations obtained from bovine rod outer segments. Outer segment membranes containing 9dR or regenerated rhodopsin were flash-illuminated in the presence of [gamma-32P]ATP and rhodopsin kinase, further incubated in darkness, and then analyzed for opsin-bound [32P]Pi. [32P]Pi incorporation by 9dR* increased with both incubation period and bleaching extent but, under all conditions tested, was less than that measured in rhodopsin controls. Results obtained with 30-s incubation periods indicated that the maximal initial rate of incorporation by 9dR* is about 25% of that by photoactivated rhodopsin. The results imply that the low incorporation of Pi by 9dR* results from a reduced rate of phosphorylation by rhodopsin kinase and are consistent with the prolonged lifetime of 9dR* determined electrophysiologically.

Hyperphosphorylation of mutant influenza virus matrix protein, M1, causes its retention in the nucleus.

The matrix (M1) protein of influenza virus is a major structural component, involved in regulation of viral ribonucleoprotein transport into and out of the nucleus. Early in infection, M1 is distributed in the nucleus, whereas later, it is localized predominantly in the cytoplasm. Using immunofluorescence microscopy and the influenza virus mutant ts51, we found that at the nonpermissive temperature M1 was retained in the nucleus, even at late times after infection. In contrast, the viral nucleoprotein (NP), after a temporary retention in the nucleus, was distributed in the cytoplasm. Therefore, mutant M1 supported the release of the viral ribonucleoproteins from the nucleus, but not the formation of infectious virions. The point mutation in the ts51 M1 gene was predicted to encode an additional phosphorylation site. We observed a substantial increase in the incorporation of 32Pi into M1 at the nonpermissive temperature. The critical role of this phosphorylation site was demonstrated by using H89, a protein kinase inhibitor; it inhibited the expression of the mutant phenotype, as judged by M1 distribution in the cell. Immunofluorescence analysis of ts51-infected cells after treatment with H89 showed a wild-type phenotype. In summary, the data indicated that the ts51 M1 protein was hyperphosphorylated at the nonpermissive temperature and that this phosphorylation was responsible for its aberrant nuclear retention.

Phospholipid Biosynthesis in Growing and Non-growing Conditions in Candida albicans.

The major membrane phospholipids of Candida albicans (C. albicans) are phosphatidylcholine (PC), phosphatidylethanolamine (PE), phosphatidylinositol (PI), and phosphatidylserine (PS). In Saccharomyces cerevisiae (S. cerevisiae), the most abundant component PC is considered to be synthesized mainly by two pathways; stepwise methylation pathway of PE produced from PS by decarboxylation (de novo pathway) and diacylglycerol (DG)/CDP-choline pathway. However, relatively little information is available regarding the phospholipid biosynthesis in C. albicans. In order to clarify the phospholipid metabolism of this organism, we have investigated the 32Pi incorporation into different phospholipids by continuous and pulse-labeling in cells grown in the synthetic medium (SM) and yeast extractproteose peptone-dextrose (YPD) medium.The continuous labeling with 32Pi in YPD medium showed that the decreases in radioactivity in acidic phospholipids (PA, PI and PS) were followed by the great increase in PC, suggesting the existence of de novo pathway. In SM cultured cells showing no growth, PS and PI were heavily labeled, while PC was much less labeled. By the switch from SM to YPD, the rapid increase in 32P-labeled PC occurred at the expense of PI and PS, suggesting that the principal PC synthesis for membrane biogenesis is via the de novo pathway in C. albicans.

Studies employing Saccharomyces cerevisiae cpt1 and ept1 null mutants implicate the CPT1 gene in coordinate regulation of phospholipid biosynthesis.

The Saccharomyces cerevisiae CPT1 and EPT1 genes are structural genes encoding sn-1,2-diacylglycerol choline phosphotransferase and sn-1,2-diacylglycerol choline/ethanolamine phosphotransferase, respectively. Incorporation of 32Pi into phosphatidylcholine, phosphatidylethanolamine, and phosphatidylserine in wild type and ept1 strains was decreased in the presence of exogenous inositol. In contrast, inositol did not affect 32Pi incorporation into phospholipid in cpt1 or cpt1ept1 strains. In membranes isolated from wild type and ept1 strains grown in the presence of inositol or inositol/choline, the CPT1-derived cholinephosphotransferase activities were reduced 40-50 and 65%, respectively. Inositol-dependent reductions in CPT1 derived choline-phosphotransferase activity correlated with transcript levels in both wild type and ept- backgrounds. The ethanolaminephosphotransferase activity of the EPT1 gene product in wild type cells was reduced 40% by exogenous inositol alone and 50% by inositol/choline. In the cpt1 strain, however, the ethanolaminephosphotransferase activity was unaffected by exogenous inositol or inositol/choline. The inositol-dependent reduction of ethanolaminephosphotransferase activity observed in wild type cells correlated with reduced levels of EPT1 transcripts; in the cpt1 strain, EPT1 transcript levels were not affected by inositol. These results indicate that 1) a functional CPT1 gene or gene product is required for inositol-dependent regulation of phospholipid synthesis; 2) the enzyme activities of both the CPT1 and EPT1 gene products are repressed by inositol and inositol/choline, and require an intact CPT1 gene; 3) inositol mediates its regulatory effects on phospholipid synthesis via a transcriptional mechanism.

Structures of new coumarins and antitumor-promoting activity of coumarins from Angelica edulis.

From the fruits of Angelica edulis Miyabe (Umbelliferae), three new angular furanocoumarins, edulisin III (1), edulisin IV (2), and edulisin V (3), were isolated along with three known coumarins, 2'(S), 3'(R)-3'-isobutyryloxy-4'-acetoxy-2',3'-dihydrooroselol (4), edultin (5), and 2'(S),3'(R)-3'-senecioyloxy-4'-acetoxy-2',3'-dihydrooroselol (6), respectively. The structures of 1 and 2 were established to be 2'(S),3'(R)-3'-(2-methylbutyryloxy)-4'-acetoxy-2',3'-dihydrooro selol and 2'-(S),3'(R)-3'-propyryloxy-4'-acetoxy-2',3'-dihydrooroselol by chemical studies and spectral analyses. Coumarin 3 was proved to be 3'-(2-methylbutyryl-oxy)-4'-angeloyloxy-2',3'-dihydrooroselol++ + by chemical and spectral analyses and H-C COLOC. Coumarins 1-6 were examined for the effects on tumor-promotor induced phenomena in vitro. Among these coumarins, 3 showed the most potent inhibitory activity on 12-O-tetradecanoylphorbol 13-acetate (TPA)-stimulated 32Pi incorporation into phospholipids of cultured cells.

Transsarcolemmal Movement of Inorganic Phosphate in Glucose-perfused Rat Heart: A 31P Nuclear Magnetic Resonance Spectroscopic Study

Fluxes of orthophosphate (Pi) across the sarcolemma may be important in myocardial metabolism, yet little is known of these in the intact heart. We used 31P NMR spectroscopy to measure net Pi fluxes from changes in the concentrations of Pi, phosphocreatine (PCr), ATP and "total phosphate" ([TP]=[PCr] + 3[ATP]+[Pi]) in the isolated perfused rat heart in response to a change in extracellular [Pi]) from 2 mM to 0 mM. [Pi] decreased to 62% of control with a half-time of 6 min, while [TP] decreased with initial rate 20 mM/h, a measure of net Pi efflux. As [PCr] decreased to 83% of control, phosphorylation potential remained constant. Contractile function was unaffected. Reperfusion with 2 mM Pi reversed all changes, causing net Pi influx at 26 mM/h. Analysed according to a model of net Pi flux, these imply a sarcolemmal permeability rate constant of 13 per h. Insulin in the 2 mM Pi perfusion buffer caused a transient decrease in intracellular [Pi] to 59% of control, while [TP] increased, giving a net Pi influx of 12 mM/h and a permeability constant of 12 per h. [PCr] increased by 28% over 34 min. Thus, insulin caused Pi influx by stimulating Pi incorporation into organic phosphates, transiently decreasing intracellular [Pi] and increasing the outside-to-inside [Pi] gradient. The response to 0 mM and 2 mM Pi perfusion was unaffected by insulin. We conclude that Pi fluxes across the sarcolemma are substantial and may have implications for Pi-free tissue perfusion and clinical hypophosphatemia.

Pheromone-induced phosphorylation of antennal proteins from insects

Protein kinase C inhibitors, such a calphostin C, abolish the transient nature of pheromone-induced rapid inositol 1,4,5-triphosphate (IP3) responses, suggesting that pheromone signalling is terminated by phosphorylation of specific proteins. Challenging antennal preparations fromHeliothis virescens with species-specific pheromones in the presence of [32P]-γ-ATP led to a rapid, stimulus-dependent incorporation of32Pi into antennal proteins. Pheromone-induced phosphorylation was completely abolished by a blockade of protein kinase C. Electrophoretic analysis revealed that upon stimulation with a pheromone blend two polypeptide bands were labelled; stimulation solely with the major compound (Z-11-hexadecenal) resulted in only a single labelled band. The data indicate that pheromones cause phosphorylation of specific antennal proteins which may be receptors for pheromones.

Phosphorylation of Rat Brain Choline Acetyltransferase and Its Relationship to Enzyme Activity

Choline acetyltransferase catalyzes the formation of acetylcholine from choline and acetyl-CoA in cholinergic neurons. The present study examined conditions for modulation of kinase-mediated phosphorylation of this enzyme. By using a monospecific polyclonal rabbit anti-human choline acetyltransferase antibody to immunoprecipitate cytosolic and membrane-associated subcellular pools of enzyme from rat hippocampal synaptosomes, we determined that only the cytosolic fraction of the enzyme (67,000 +/- 730 daltons) was phosphorylated under basal, unstimulated conditions. The quantity of this endogenous phosphoprotein was dependent, in part, upon the level of intracellular calcium, with 32Pi incorporation into the enzyme in nerve terminals incubated in nominally calcium-free medium only 43 +/- 7% of control. The corresponding enzymatic activity of cytosolic choline acetyltransferase did not appear to be altered by lowered cytosolic calcium, whereas membrane-associated choline acetyltransferase activity was decreased to 58 +/- 11% of control. Depolarization of synaptosomes with 50 microM veratridine neither altered the extent of phosphorylation or specific activity of cytosolic choline acetyltransferase, nor induced detectable phosphorylation of membrane-associated choline acetyltransferase, although the specific activity of the membrane-associated enzyme was increased to 132 +/- 5% of control. In summary, phosphorylation of choline acetyltransferase does not appear to regulate cholinergic neurotransmission by a direct action on catalytic activity of the enzyme.

The firA gene of Escherichia coli encodes UDP-3-O-(R-3-hydroxymyristoyl)-glucosamine N-acyltransferase. The third step of endotoxin biosynthesis.

The possibility that the firA gene of Escherichia coli (Dicker, I. B., and Seetharam, S. (1991) Mol. Microbiol. 6, 817-823) might function in lipid A biosynthesis was examined based on its homology to the lpxA gene, which encodes UDP-N-acetylglucosamine O-acyl-transferase, the first enzyme in lipid A formation. Extracts of a temperature-sensitive firA mutant, RL-25, were assayed for their ability to acylate UDP-GlcNAc, using a coupled assay. The results suggested that extracts of RL-25 might be defective in the third enzyme of this pathway, the UDP-3-O-(R-3-hydroxymyristoyl)-glucosamine N-acyltransferase. Living cells of RL-25 also displayed a 5-fold decreased rate of lipid A biosynthesis at the nonpermissive temperature as judged by a 32Pi incorporation assay. In order to examine N-acyltransferase activity directly, the substrate [alpha-32P]UDP-3-O-(R-3-hydroxymyristoyl)-GlcN was synthesized enzymatically. N-Acyltransferase specific activity in RL-25 extracts was reduced to less than 10% of wild-type. When the wild-type firA gene was cloned into a T7-based expression vector, N-acyltransferase specific activity increased almost 360-fold relative to wild-type extracts, demonstrating that firA is the structural gene for the enzyme. The N-acyltransferase displays absolute specificity for the R-3-OH moiety of R-3-hydroxymyristoyl-ACP, as does the O-acyltransferase, consistent with the placement of R-3-hydroxymyristate in E. coli lipid A.

Mitochondrial Heterogeneity in the Parasitic Nematode, Ascaris suum

The anaerobic metabolism of Ascaris suum body wall muscle mitochondria has been well characterized, but little is known about the metabolism of other adult tissues. The present study was designed to further characterize the metabolism of mitochondria isolated from A. suum male reproductive tissues, which contain predominately sperm, and to compare it with that of muscle. Cytochrome oxidase activity could not be detected in muscle, testis, or sperm mitochondria either by diaminobenzidine staining or enzymatic assays. However, the activities of several tricarboxylic acid cycle enzymes, including citrate synthase and isocitrate dehydrogenase, were about 100- fold higher in testis/seminal vesicle mitochondria than muscle mitochondria. In contrast, malic enzyme activity in testis/seminal vesicle mitochondria was about 12-fold lower than that in muscle mitochondria. The incorporation of 32Pi into organic phosphate by either muscle or testis/seminal vesicle mitochondria appeared to be dependent on malate and pyruvate, and incorporation was inhibited by rotenone but not cyanide. Thus, the metabolism of testis/seminal vesicle mitochondrial preparations appears to be similar to that of ascarid muscle, despite the elevated levels of tricarboxylic acid cycle enzyme activities present in testis/seminal vesicle mitochondria. The function of these elevated enzymes is unclear, but the possibility that they are used later in the aerobic metabolism of the fertilized egg has not been excluded.

Characterization of phosphoinositide kinases in normal and sickle anaemia red cells

PtdIns and PtdInsP kinases from normal erythrocyte (AA) membranes and sickle cell anaemia erythrocyte (SS) membranes have been characterized. PtdIns kinase was studied in native membranes under conditions in which PtdInsP kinase and PtdInsP phosphatase do not express any activity. Kinetic analysis of the AA and SS PtdIns kinases indicate similar K m values for PtdIns and ATP but higher V max values for SS PtdIns kinase. PtdInsP kinase was partially purified from erythrocyte ghosts by NaCl extraction. The kinetic parameters of PtdInsP kinase determined under these conditions were similar in AA and SS NaCl extracts. These data suggest the presence of some effector of PtdIns kinase in SS cell membranes, resulting in a greater activity of the enzyme. This leads consequently, to increase the PtdInsP pool and to activate PtdInsP kinase, in agreement with our previous observations of a greater [ 32P]Pi incorporation in both polyphosphoinositides in SS cells relatively to AA cells.

Phosphorylation and subcellular location of alpha-L-fucosidase in lymphoid cells from patients with I-cell disease and pseudo-Hurler polydystrophy.

Mannose 6-phosphate is a recognition marker used by many newly made acid hydrolases for their transport to lysosomes. Previously, we investigated the incorporation of 32Pi into alpha-L-fucosidase of lymphoid cell lines from a healthy individual (control) and an I-cell disease patient [DiCioccio and Miller, Glycobiology, 1, 595-604 (1991)]. Phosphoserine was found in immunoprecipitable alpha-L-fucosidase of both control and I-cell lymphoid cells, but mannose 6-phosphate was identified only in enzyme of control cells. Extension of this investigation to lymphoid cultures of a pseudo-Hurler polydystrophy patient also identified only phosphoserine in alpha-L-fucosidase. Using [3H]mannose instead of 32Pi, the precise identification of mannose 6-phosphate in alpha-L-fucosidase of control cells, and its absence in alpha-L-fucosidase of I-cell and pseudo-Hurler cells, was established. The stoichiometry of phosphorylation of alpha-L-fucosidase in I-cell, pseudo-Hurler and control lymphoid cells was 3, 4 and 10 mol Pi/mol enzyme, respectively. alpha-L-Fucosidase was located in lysosomes isolated from control, I-cell and pseudo-Hurler lymphoid cells by subcellular fractionation on Percoll density gradients. Both I-cell and pseudo-Hurler lymphoid cells displayed normal intralysosomal activity of alpha-L-fucosidase despite lack of the mannose 6-phosphate marker. Thus, I-cell and pseudo-Hurler lymphoid cells must possess a mannose 6-phosphate-independent mechanism for directing alpha-L-fucosidase to lysosomes.(ABSTRACT TRUNCATED AT 250 WORDS)

Epidermal growth factor inhibits gap junctional communication and stimulates serine-phosphorylation of connexin43 in WB cells by a protein kinase C-independent mechanism.

Epidermal growth factor (EGF) stimulated the phosphorylation of connexin43 (Cx43) in WB cells as evidenced by the formation of multiple immunoreactive Cx43 proteins of higher molecular mass which were abolished by treatment with alkaline phosphatase. Phosphorylation of Cx43 occurred within 10 min of EGF stimulation, was sustained for 1 h, and was associated with almost complete inhibition of gap junctional communication in these cells. EGF-induced phosphorylation and communication inhibition were retained in cells pretreated with phorbol 12-myristate 13-acetate (PMA) to deplete protein kinase C. These results show that the EGF inhibition of communication is tightly linked to protein kinase C-independent phosphorylation of Cx43. Further, Cx43 phosphorylated in the presence of EGF did not react with phosphotyrosine antibodies and in 32Pi incorporation experiments was shown to contain only phosphoserine indicating that the tyrosine kinase activity of the EGF receptor was not directly involved.

Inhibition by squalene of the tumor-promoting activity of 12-O-tetradecanoylphorbol-13-acetate in mouse-skin carcinogenesis.

Squalene inhibited the effect of tumor promoter 12-O-tetradecanoylphorbol-13-acetate (TPA), such as increased 32Pi incorporation into phospholipids of HeLa cell membrane, induction of Epstein-Barr-virus early antigen in Raji cell and induction of ornithine decarboxylase in mouse skin. Squalene also markedly suppressed the promoting activity of TPA on skin carcinogenesis in 7,12-dimethylbenz[a]anthracene-initiated mice.

CD3 and CD2 antigen-mediated CD3 gamma-chain phosphorylation in permeabilized human T cells. Regulation by cytosolic phosphatases.

The role of cytosolic and membrane-associated phosphatases in regulating dephosphorylation of the CD3 antigen gamma-chain has been investigated using streptolysin-O-permeabilized T lymphoblasts and Jurkat T leukaemia cells. Permeabilization of T cells caused a rapid extrusion of cytosolic type 2A phosphatases, but a membrane-associated phosphorylase phosphatase activity remained inside the cells. This activity had the properties characteristic of type 2A phosphatases, being resistant to inhibition by type 1 phosphatase inhibitors, though it was inhibited in a time-dependent manner by ATP or by non-hydrolysable ATP analogues, but not by GTP, CTP, ITP or PPi. The membrane-associated type 2A phosphatase in permeabilized cells did not dephosphorylate the CD3 antigen gamma-chain, suggesting that cytosolic phosphatases dephosphorylate the gamma-chain in situ. Cross-linking the CD2 and CD3 antigens with a bivalent monoclonal antibody in the absence of cytosolic phosphatases induced marked phosphorylation of the CD3 gamma-chain, immunoprecipitated using a novel gamma-chain peptide analogue directed antiserum (TG1). Phosphorylation was inhibited by a protein kinase C (PKC) pseudosubstrate inhibitor, indicating that CD2/CD3-induced gamma-chain phosphorylation is a PKC-mediated event. Activation of T cells either with phorbol 12,13-dibutyrate or by CD2-CD3 cross-linking caused [32P]Pi incorporation into the same gamma-chain Ser residues. The site-mapping data suggested that PKC in situ may incorporate phosphate at the CD3 gamma-chain Ser-123 and Ser-126 residues, but that phosphate is rapidly lost from Ser-123 by cytosolic phosphatase action. Our findings underline the importance of the dual actions of kinases and phosphatases as potential regulators of T cell antigen-receptor complex function.

Biochemical properties of the 75-kDa tumor necrosis factor receptor. Characterization of ligand binding, internalization, and receptor phosphorylation.

An expression plasmid encoding the human 75-kDa tumor necrosis factor (TNF) type 2 receptor (TNF-R2) was constructed and used to generate a stable human cell line (293/TNF-R2) overexpressing TNF-R2. Ligand binding analysis revealed high affinity binding (Kd = 0.2 nM) with approximately 94,000 +/- 7,500 sites/cell for 125I-TNF-alpha and approximately 5-fold lower affinity for TNF-beta (Kd = 1.1 nM) with 264,000 +/- 2,000 sites/cell. Cross-linking of 125I-TNF-alpha and 125I-TNF-beta to 293/TNF-R2 cells yielded predominant complexes with apparent molecular weights of 211,000 for TNF-alpha and 205,000 and 244,000 for TNF-beta, suggesting these complexes contain two or three TNF-R2 molecules. Immunoprecipitation of TNF-R2 from 32P-labeled 293/TNF-R2 cells demonstrated that the receptor is phosphorylated. The majority (97%) of 32Pi incorporation was found in serine residues with a very low level of incorporation (3%) in threonine residues. TNF-alpha treatment of 293/TNF-R2 cells did not significantly affect the degree or pattern of phosphorylation. Cell surface-bound 125I-TNF-alpha was slowly internalized by the 293/TNF-R2 cell line with a t1/2 = 25 min. Shedding of the extracellular domain of TNF-R2 was induced by 4 beta-phorbol 12-myristate 13-acetate but not by TNF-alpha or TNF-beta.

Human neutrophil cytosolic phospholipase C: partial characterization

The activity of neutrophil cytosolic phospholipase C on PIP 2 and PI was compared employing [ 3H]inositol-labeled heat-inactivated membranes of differentiated HL-60 cells, into which tracer [ 32P]PIP 2 was incorporated. Hydrolysis of PIP 2 did not require Ca 2+ and was stimulated when the content of PIP 2 in the membrane was increased by incorporation of unlabeled inositol lipid. At equal concentrations of PI and PIP 2 in the membrane, hydrolysis of PIP 2 was faster and no evidence of competition between the two substrates was obtained. Incorporation of PI into PE-[ 32P]PIP 2 vesicles, accelerated PIP 2 hydrolysis also at conditions that favor hydrolysis of PI. Partial purification of neutrophil cytosolic PLC on Q Sepharose, phenyl Sepharose and heparin-Agarose columns is described. From heparin-Agarose column, two PLC activity peaks exhibiting different substrate specificities were eluted. The elution profile of the main PLC species from Superose 12 gel filtration column was compatible with an approx. 150 kDa protein.