Mg Of Cell Protein Research Articles

Hormonal and nutritional factors influencing glycogen deposition in primary cultures of rat liver parenchymal cells.

The effect of the glucocorticoids, insulin, and glucose concentration on glycogen deposition in adult rat liver parenchymal cells maintained in a chemically defined, serum-free medium has been studied. Increasing the medium concentration of glucose from 5.6 mM to 30.6 mM in the absence of hormones increased cellular glycogen content from 6.5 to 51 micrograms of glycogen per mg of cell protein. Treatment of the cells with insulin increased the glycogen content by 15 to 30% at medium glucose concentrations above 10.6 mM. The addition if the synthetic glucocorticoid, dexamethasone, to the culture medium resulted in 40 to 105% increased in glycogen content at glucose concentrations greater than 5.6 mM. The addition of dexamethasone and insulin together in the culture medium resulted in an increase in glycogen content that was greater than the additive effect of each hormone alone. This study establishes that glucose concentrations above 10.6 mM stimulate glycogen deposition in the absence of any hormonal stimulus. In addition, glucocorticoids directly stimulate glycogen deposition at glucose concentrations which are greater than physiological (5.6 mM).

Immunochemical studies on cultured fibroblasts from patients with inherited methylmalonic acidemia.

We developed a radioimmunoassay to quantitate material crossreacting immunochemically with human methylmalonyl-CoA mutase (methylmalonyl-CoA CoA-carbonylmutase, EC 5.4.99.2), and have applied this assay to extracts of fibroblasts from controls and from 32 patients with methylmalonic acidemia due to inherited deficiencies in mutase activity. Four control lines had an average of 237 ng of crossreacting material (CRM) per mg of cell protein (range, 193-297 ng/mg). Mutant lines from each of the four cbl complementation groups of inherited methylmalonic acidemia, which have normal amounts of mutase activity in vitro, contained quantities of CRM comparable to those of control lines. On the other hand, 28 cell lines from the mut complementation group, which express mutations at the structural gene locus for the mutase apoenzyme, contained widely diverse amounts of CRM. Each of seven lines from the mut- subgroup, whose residual mutase activity reflects the presence of a structurally altered mutase protein with reduced affinity for cofactor, had detectable CRM ranging from 20% to 100% of control. The 21 lines from the mut0 group, which have no detectable mutase activity in vitro, fell into two populations with regard to CRM: 9 lines had detectable CRM ranging from 3% to 40% of control; 12 others had no detectable CRM (limit of detectability, less than 1% of control). These results emphasize the wide range of mutations at a single structural gene locus that can result in deficient enzyme activity.

Aromatization of androstenedione by human adipose tissue stromal cells in monolayer culture.

Stromal cells and adipocytes were separated after collagenase treatment of adipose tissue obtained from women undergoing elective surgery, and these cells were used to study aromatization of [3H]androstenedione in vitro. Aromatization activity was estimated either 1) by determining the incorporation of tritium from [1-3H]androstenedione into [3H]water or else 2) by determining the formation of [3H]estrone (E1) and [3H]estradiol (E2) from [1,2,6,7-3H]androstenedione. It was established that only 13% of the aromatase activity of adipose tissue resided in the adipocyte fraction, whereas 87% of the aromatase activity was in the stromal/vascular fraction. Subsequent studies of aromatization were conducted utilizing stromal/vascular cells grown to confluence in monolayer culture. In such cells, the formation of [3H]E2 was slower initially but increased with time, and after 48 h of incubation, the amount of [3H]E2 produced exceeded that of [3H]E1. The rate of [3H]E1 formation, as a function of [3H]androstenedione concentration, followed Michaelis-Menten kinetics. The Vmax ranged from 0.8-3.0 pmol and ranged from 0.16-0.67 pmol mg-1 cell protein 6 h-1 in cells from omental adipose tissue. The apparent Km for [3H]androstenedione in stromal cells derived from both omental and sc tissue was the same, i.e. about 25 nM. We conclude that the ability of human adipose tissue to form estrogen is not a function primarily of the adipocytes but rather resides principally in the cells of the stroma.

Insulin synthesis in a clonal cell line of simian virus 40-transformed hamster pancreatic beta cells.

A clonal hamster beta cell line (HIT) was established by simian virus 40 transformation of Syrian hamster pancreatic islet cells. Cytoplasmic insulin was detected in all cells by indirect fluorescent antibody staining, and membrane-bound secretory granules were observed ultrastructurally. Acidified-ethanol extracts of HIT cell cultures contained hamster insulin as determined by radioimmunoassay, radioreceptor assay, and bioassay. One subclone at passage 39 contained 2.6 micrograms of insulin per mg of cell protein. [3H]Leucine-labeled HIT insulin and proinsulin were identical to islet-derived proteins when compared by NaDodSO4/polyacrylamide gel electrophoresis of immunoprecipitates. HIT cell insulin secretion was stimulated by glucose, glucagon, and 3-isobutyl-1-methylxanthine. Insulin secretion at optimal glucose concentration (7.5 mM) was 2.4 milliunits per 10(6) cells per hr. Somatostatin and dexamethasone markedly inhibited HIT insulin secretion. The HIT cell line represents a unique in vitro system for studying beta cell metabolism and insulin biosynthesis.

Transport of ammonium and methylammonium ions by Azotobacter vinelandii.

Ammonium and methylammonium are rapidly taken up by cultures of Azotobacter vinelandii respiring in the presence of succinate. The rate of methylamine uptake increased with external pH from 5.5 to 7.5 but increasing the pH further to 8.5 had little effect on activity, indicating that methylammonium cation rather than uncharged methylamine is the permeant species. The kinetics of methylammonium entry followed the Michaelis-Menten relationship, yielding a K(m) of 25 muM and a V(max) of 3.8 nmol/min per mg of cell protein. At saturating concentrations ammonium was taken up at rates 30-fold higher than those for methylammonium. Ammonium was a competitive inhibitor of methylammonium uptake and gave an inhibition constant of 1 muM. Ammonium derivatives were inhibitors of methylammonium entry in order of effectiveness: hydrazine > methylhydrazine > formamidine > guanidine > dimethylamine > ethylamine; amides and amino acids did not block uptake. Likewise, metal cations inhibited in the order Tl(+) > Cs(+) > Rb(+), whereas Na(+), K(+), and Li(+) produced no significant effect. Methylammonium uptake was blocked in cells exposed to an uncoupler, p-trifluorome-thoxycarbonyl cyanide-phenyl hydrazone or gramicidin D, but not with dicyclo-hexylcarbodiimide or arsenate. Valinomycin stimulated methylammonium entry into cells in a K(+)-free medium but prevented entry in the presence of 10 mM K(+). Monensin and nigericin had little effect on transport. These results indicate that methylammonium and ammonium ions enter A. vinelandii electrogenically via a specific transporter.

Identification and characterization of two phospholipase A2 activities in resident mouse peritoneal macrophages

Resident mouse peritoneal macrophages synthesize and release large amounts of prostaglandins in response to inflammatory stimuli. Release of prostaglandin E2 and 6-oxoprostaglandin F1 alpha occurs at a rate of 1 nmol/h per mg of cell protein. The mechanisms by which substrate arachidonic acid is released have yet to be established. We have therefore initiated studies to characterize those enzymes that can catalyse its release from phospholipid and may be of significance at the cellular level. We report initially the characterization of two phospholipase A2 activities in homogenates of mouse peritoneal macrophages. The first is active at pH 4.5 and is not dependent on Ca2+. The second is Ca2+-dependent and is optimally active at pH 8.5. Either phospholipase A2 activity is capable of hydrolysing [14C] arachidonic acid from [14C] arachidonic acid-labelled phospholipids in quantities sufficient to account for the amounts of prostaglandins by macrophages in culture. Phospholipid substrates are prepared from mouse LM fibroblasts in serum-free Higuchi medium containing radiolabelled phospholipid precursors. Single-labelled phospholipids bear the 14C label in the arachidonic acid moiety. Dual-labelled phospholipids bear a 14C label in the polar head group and a 3H label in the arachidonic acid moiety. Experiments with dual-labelled substrates establish that both phospholipase activities are of the A2 type as indicated by the equimolar recovery of [3H] arachidonic acid and [14C] lysophospholipid. Studies with aqueous sonicated dispersions of purified [14C] arachidonic acid-labelled phospholipid or mixed liposomal substrates formed from mixtures of cellular polar lipids reveal that the pH 4.5 activity hydrolyses phosphatidylethanolamine and phosphatidylcholine more efficiently when they are present in a mixture of other polar lipids. The pH 8.5 activity, however, hydrolyses the purified phospholipids more efficiently.

Properties of the lactose transport system in Klebsiella sp. strain CT-1.

Highly purified [D-glucose-1-14C]lactose has been used to study the transport of lactose by Klebsiella sp. strain CT-1. Strain CT-1 transports lactose by a lactose-inducible system that exhibited an apparent Km of 6 mM lactose and an apparent Vmax of 140 nmol/min per mg of cell protein. Lactose uptake was inhibited competitively by o-nitrophenyl-beta-D-galactoside with a Ki value of 8 mM, but was not inhibited by thio-beta-methyl-galactoside. D-Glucose, D-mannose, 2-deoxyglucose, and alpha-methyl-D-glucoside also inhibited lactose uptake. Phosphoenolpyruvate-dependent hydrolysis of o-nitrophenyl-beta-D-galactoside and lactose-dependent release of pyruvate from phosphoenolpyruvate by benzene-treated CT-1 cells showed that CT-1 transports lactose by a phosphoenolpyruvate:sugar phosphotransferase system. Correlations between the growth rate of CT-1 on lactose and properties of the transport system indicated that transport is the rate limiting step in utilization of lactose.

Effects of combined glutamine and serum deprivation on glucose control of hexose transport in mammalian fibroblast cultures.

Regulation of hexose transport in NIL hamster fibroblasts has been studied in confluent cultures preconditioned for 24 hr in media deprived of glutamine or of serum or of both. Cultures maintained in media containing dialyzed fetal calf serum and 4 mM glutamine accumulated up to 72 nmol of glutamine per mg of cell protein; in contrast, cells deprived of glutamine contained less than 1 nmol/mg of cell protein. Glutamine elicited a general enhancement of hexose transport compared with transport in glutamine-deprived cultures. This enhancement was particularly pronounced in glucose-fed cultures which in the absence of glutamine showed conspicuously low transport activity. When maintained in glucose media, cultures deprived of serum also showed a marked loss of hexose transport which, in this case, was not compensated for by addition of glutamine. However, regardless of the presence or absence of glutamine, these cultures were able to develop the usual transport enhancement response to glucose starvation. Moreover, 2,4-dinitrophenol was also able to elicit a pronounced enhancement of hexose transport in the glucose-fed cultures; this effect surpassed even the transport derepression observed in the glucose-starved cultures. In polyoma-transformed cultures maintained in serum-free media, hexose transport remained relatively high, even in the presence of glucose. However, addition of glutamine brought about an enhancement in both the presence and absence of serum. The various phenomena are discussed in regard to protein turnover in general and more specifically the turnover of hexose transport carriers.

Proton-coupled calcium transport by intact cells of Azotobacter vinelandii.

Addition of ionophores to resting aerobic cultures of Azotobacter vinelandii OP resulted in 45Ca2+ uptake (Km = 60 microM Ca2+; Vmax 1.1 nmol/min per mg of cell protein) which was inhibited by cations (La3+ greater than Mn2+ greater than Sr2+ greater Ba2+). The rate of Ca2+ entry correlated with the magnitude of a transmembrane proton gradient (inside acid) which developed in the respective order: valinomycin less than tetrachlorosalicylanilide less than nigericin less than gramicidin D less than tetrachlorosalicylanilide plus valinomycin. A process of calcium-proton exchange (antiport) is responsible for calcium accumulation under these conditions.

Mouse peritoneal macrophages release leukotriene C in response to a phagocytic stimulus.

Mouse peritoneal macrophages that had ingested zymosan particles released a polar metabolite of arachidonic acid possessing slow-reacting substance activity in the guinea pig ileum assay. The metabolite was purified by solvent extraction, Sephadex G-25 column chromatography. The purified metabolite absorbed light at 280 nm and contained a free amino group. When macrophages were preincubated overnight with [3H]arachidonic acid, [35H]cysteine, or [14C]glutamic acid, each radiolabel was incorporated into the compound. Direct amino acid analysis revealed glycine, glutamic acid, and cysteine at molar ratios of 0.97:1.00:0.82. The above data were consistent with the structure of leukotriene C, an adduct of arachidonic acid and glutaathione. Quantification of the leukotriene C based on incorporation of [3H]arachidonic acid or amino acid analysis indicated that 6 X 10(7) macrophages (3.6 mg of cell protein) released 7.5 nmol after a maximal phagocytic stimulus. The purified leukotriene C had a slow reacting substance activity of 11,500 units/nmol (1 unit has the activity of 5 ng of histamine in a guinea pig ileum contraction assay).

Uptake and degradation of rat and human very low density (remnant) apolipoprotein by parenchymal and non-parenchymal rat liver cells

1. 1. The relative contribution of parenchymal and non-parenchymal cells to the in vivo hepatic uptake of serum apolipoproteins was measured 30 min after intravenous injection of radioiodinated rat very low density lipoprotein (VLDL) remnants, rat and human VLDL, low density lipoprotein (LDL) and high density lipoprotein (HDL). Using rat VLDL, VLDL-remnants, LDL and HDL, respectively, the non-parenchymal cells contain 4.7, 4.9, 6.1 and 5.3 times the amount of trichloroacetic acid-precipitable radioactivity per mg cell protein as compared to parenchymal cells. For human VLDL, LDL and HDL these values are 5.1, 12.0 and 5.9, respectively. 2. 2. The abilities of homogenates of human liver, rat liver parenchymal cells and rat liver non-parenchymal cells to hydrolyze human and rat iodinated VLDL apoprotein were determined by measuring the amount of trichloroacetic acid-soluble (non-iodide) radioactivity liberated upon incubation at the optimal pH of 4.2. Non-parenchymal cells possess a 8–21-fold higher maximal capacity to degrade VLDL apoprotein per mg of cell protein than parenchymal cells. This factor is 5–6 for VLDL-remnant apoprotein degradation measured at low (suboptimal) apolipoprotein concentrations. 3. 3. It is concluded that, in addition to parenchymal cells, the non-parenchymal cells play an important role in the hepatic uptake and possibly degradation of VLDL-(remnant) apoprotein.

Characterization of neurotensin production by a line of rat medullary thyroid carcinoma cells.

The rMTC 6-23 cell line was derived from a calcitonin-producing rat medullary thyroid carcinoma. During characterization of these cells we discovered that they also synthesize and secrete neurotensin (NT), a tridecapeptide originally isolated from the hypothalamus and not previously associated with C cells. Immunoreactive NT (iNT) was measured with two antisera: HC-8, which recognizes the COOH-terminal eight amino acids, and TG-1, which binds the NH2-terminal region of NT. By use of these antisera, 2 M acetic acid extracts of rMTC 6-23 cells were found to contain 0.7--5.0 pmol of iNT per mg of cell protein. Successive fractionation of iNT from cell extracts by gel filtration, ion-exchange chromatograpy, and reverse-phase high-pressure liquid chromatography showed at each step a peak of iNT that was indistinguishable from synthetic NT in its chromatographic behavior. Biologic activity of the iNT was confirmed by demonstrating the characteristic fall in arterial blood pressure in the rat after intravenous injection of material purified from rMTC 6-23 cells. Calcium (0.5--4.0 mM) stimulated release of iNT in a dose-dependent manner; the effect was maximal at 3--4 mM calcium. K+ (50 mM) stimulated release of iNT that was maximal in the presence of 1.0--1.5 mM calcium. Synthesis and secretion of iNT by these cells were shown during a 16-day growth experiment. These results demonstrate that rMTC 6-23 cells contain NT and suggest the possibility of an association between neurotensin and calcitonin.

Preparation of separate astroglial and oligodendroglial cell cultures from rat cerebral tissue.

A novel method has been developed for the preparation of nearly pure separate cultures of astrocytes and oligodendrocytes. The method is based on (a) the absence of viable neurons in cultures prepared from postnatal rat cerebra, (b) the stratification of astrocytes and oligodendrocytes in culture, and (c) the selective detachment of the overlying oligodendrocytes when exposed to sheer forces generated by shaking the cultures on an orbital shaker for 15--18 h at 37 degrees C. Preparations appear greater than 98% pure and contain approximately 1-2 x 10(7) viable cells (20--40 mg of cell protein). Three methods were used to characterize these two culture t ypes. First, electron microscopic examination was used to identify the cells in each preparation (mixed and separated cultures of astrocytes and oligodendrocytes) and to assess the purity of each preparation. Second, two oligodendroglial cell markers, 2',3'-cyclic nucleotide 3'-phosphohydrolase (EC 3.1.4.37) and glycerol phosphate dehydrogenase (EC 1.1.1.8) were monitored. Third, the regulation of cyclic AMP accumulation in each culture type was examined. In addition to these studies, we examined the influence of brain extract and dibutyryl cAMP on the gross morphology and ultrastructure of each preparation. These agents induced astroglial process formation without any apparent morphological effect on oligodendrocytes. Collectively, the results indicate that essentially pure cultures of astrocytes and of oligodendrocytes can be prepared and maintained. These preparations should significantly aid in efforts to examine the biochemistry, physiology, and pharmacology of these two major classes of central nervous system cells.

Characteristics of the transport of alanine, serine and glutamine across the plasma membrane of isolated rat liver cells.

1. Alanine, glutamine and serine were actively accumulated in liver cells isolated from starved rats. 2. This accumulation was inhibited when either Na+ or HCO3- ions were omitted from the incubation medium. In general the degree of dependence on Na+ was quantitatively similar to that on HCO3-. 3. The apparent Km values for the transport of all three amino acids were in the range 3--5mM with Vmax. values in the range 15--25nmol/min per mg of cell protein at 37 degrees C. 4. Alanine and serine transport were mutually competitive; glutamine inhibited the transport of alanine and serine non-competitively. 5. The initial rate of transport of these amino acids was inhibited when the intracellular content of ATP was decreased. 6. Ouabain inhibited the rate of alanine transport without inhibiting the rate of alanine metabolism. 7. It is concluded that a minimum of three transport systems must be postulated to exist in the liver cell plasma membrane to account for the transport of alanine, serine and glutamine. The rate of transport of these amino acids in isolated hepatocytes is unlikely to limit the rate at which they are metabolized.

Uptake and degradation of iodine-labelled chylomicron remnant particles by monolayers of rat hepatocytes.

1. Rat chylomicrons were labelled with 125I with 69--72% of the iodine in the protein moiety. Less than 1 nmol of iodine was incorporated per nmol of protein. Of the peptide radioactivity 44--56% was in apolipoprotein A-1, 30--40% in the C peptides and 11--15% in apolipoprotine B. The arginine-rich peptide, which accounted for about 14% of the chylomicron protein mass as determined by scanning of sodium dodecyl sulphate-polyacrylamide gels, contained very little radioactivity. 2. Chylomicron remnants generated with postheparin plasma from iodine-labelled chylomicrons showed a relative increase in the percentage of the arginine-rich peptide (76--90% of the apolipoprotein mass according to gel scanning). The major portion of the peptide iodine label was present in apolipoprotein A-1 (43--57%), B (22--32%) and C peptides (17--35%). 3. When iodine-labelled chylomicron remnants were added to rat hepatocytes in primary culture, labelled peptides were taken up and degraded by the hepatocytes by a saturable process. The Vmax. for the uptake was calculated to the 300ng of protein/h per mg of cell protein and the apparent Km as 7.7 microgram of protein/mg of cell protein. A larger proportion of the 125I-labelled lipids of the remnants (mainly polar lipids) was taken up. This suggest that these may also enter the cells by a mechanism that does not involve particulate uptake, such as phospholipid exchange. 4. The degradation of labelled peptides was inhibited by colchicine, concanavalin A, chloroquine and NH4Cl, which also inhibit degradation of the cholesteryl ester portion. All these drugs exerted their inhibition mainly after the uptake of labelled peptide. No degradation occurred at 4 degrees C, and also the uptake was markedly decreased. 5. The uptake of labelled chylomicron remnant peptide was 77 times as effective as that of labelled sucrose, which is likely to be taken up randomly by pinocytosis.

Characterization of functional receptors for somatostatin in rat pituitary cells in culture.

GH4C1 cells are a clonal strain of rat pituitary tumor cells which synthesize and secrete prolactin and growth hormone. Somatostatin, a hypothalamic tetradecapeptide, inhibits the release of growth hormone and, under certain circumstances, also prolactin from normal pituitary cells. We have prepared [125I-Tyr1]somatostatin (approximately 2200 C1/mmol) and have shown that this ligand binds to a limited number of high affinity sites on GH4C1 cells. Half-maximal binding of somatostatin occurred at a concentration of 6 x 10(-10) M. A maximum of 0.11 pmol of [125I-Tyr1]somatostatin was bound per mg of cell protein, equivalent to 13,000 receptor sites per cell. The rate constant for binding (kon) was 8 x 10(7) M(-1) min(-1). The rate constant for dissociation (koff) was determined by direct measurement to be 0.02 min(-1) both in the presence and absence of excess nonradioactive somatostatin. Binding of [125I-Tyr1]somatostatin was not inhibited by 10(-7) M thyrotropin-releasing hormones. Substance P, neurotensin, luteinizing hormone-releasing hormone, calcitonin, adrenocorticotropin, or insulin. Of seven nonpituitary cell lines tested, none had specific receptors for somatostatin. Somatostatin was shown to inhibit prolactin and growth hormone production by CH4C1 cells. The dose-response characteristics for binding and the biological actions of somatostatin were essentially coincident. Furthermore, among several clonal pituitary cell strains tested, only those which had receptors for somatostatin showed a biological response to the hormone. We conclude that the characterized somatostatin receptor is necessary for the biological actions of somatostatin on GH4C1 cells.

Iodine labeled human and rat low-density and high-density lipoprotein degradation by human liver and parenchymal and non-parenchymal cells from rat liver

1. 1. The abilities of homogenates of human liver, rat liver parenchymal cells, rat liver non-parenchymal cells and total rat liver to catabolize human and rat iodinated high-density lipoprotein (HDL) and low-density lipoprotein (LDL) were determined by measuring the amount of trichloroacetic acid-soluble (noniodide) radioactivity liberated upon incubation at the optimum pH of 4.2. 2. 2. A comparison of the capacities of human liver, rat liver and parenchymal and non-parenchymal cells from rat liver indicated that these different preparations are all able to degrade rat iodine-labeled LDL and HDL, with a 5–6-fold higher capacity for HDL as compared to LDL. 3. 3. Iodine-labeled human HDL can be degraded by rat liver, rat parenchymal and rat non-parenchymal cells with a 5–7-fold higher rate than human iodinelabeled LDL. Human liver homogenate was more active in the degradation of both human and rat iodine-labeled LDL and rat HDL as compared to rat liver. 4. 4. A comparison of the capacities of parenchymal and non-parenchymal cells for the degradation of iodine-labeled human and rat LDL and HDL indicates that non-parenchymal cells possess a considerable higher capacity to degrade these lipoproteins per mg of cell protein. 5. 5. The results indicate that a high proportion of the total rat liver capacity for lipoprotein degradation is localized in the non-parenchymal liver cells and this, together with the active endocytic activity, suggests an important role of these liver cells in hepatic lipoprotein catabolism.

Fatty acid and glucose oxidation by cultured rat heart cells.

AbstractMonolayer cultures of fetal rat myocardial cells can be utilized to examine substrate preferences and interactions. The specific activity of glucose oxidation by myocardial cell cultures was high in sparse cultures but decreased with increased cell density. In contrast, palmitate oxidation was independent of initial cell density. Palmitate inhibited glucose oxidation by 50% in rat heart cultures. Glucose had only a slight sparing effect on palmitate oxidation. This suggests that fetal and newborn rat myocardial cells in culture preferentially oxidize palmitate similar to adult heart. The sparing effect of palmitate on glucose oxidation is accounted for by inhibition of the glycolytic‐aerobic pathway and not by inhibition of the pentose phosphate pathway. Data on oxidation of 14C‐pyruvate specifically labelled suggest that palmitate or a product of its oxidation such as acetyl‐CoA may be acting directly to inhibit the pyruvate dehydrogenase complex. Palmitate oxidation per mg of cell protein was constant from 15 days gestational age to 2 days postnatal age. The observed differences between cultured cells and the intact heart may relate to decreased aerobic metabolism in monolayer cell culture and suggest that the increase in fatty acid oxidation observed in vivo is controlled by the oxygen environment of the cell. These studies show that heart cells in monolayer culture can be utilized to obtain metabolic information similar to an adult organ perfusion model.

In vitro production of bacitracin by proteolysis of vegetative Bacillus licheniformis cell protein.

The action of a sporulation-specific seryl protease on antibiotic-free extracts of Bacillus licheniformis cells yields a peptide that is identified as bacitracin by its biological activity, its spectral properties, and its comigration with genuine bacitracin in both paper and thin-layer chromatography. During proteolysis, a chemical structure is generated with the spectral properties of a delta-2 thiazoline ring. The yield in vitro, 4 microgram of bacitracin per mg of protein, is less than the maximal yield from sporulating cells, 75 microgram of bacitracin per mg of cell protein, but is a linear function of the amount of protein in the reaction system. Approximately 30% of the protein yielding the antibiotic is ribosomal associated, and only 25% of that amount can be removed by washing with 1 M NH4Cl. The substrate protein is a constant fraction of the cell protein throughout exponential growth and very early sporulation stages of culture development.

Two methods for determining the activity of δ-aminolevulinate synthetase within intact liver cells in culture

Two methods are described by which δ-aminolevulinate synthetase activity is assayed within cultures of intact chick embryo liver cells. The methods depend on blocking further metabolism of δ-aminolevulinate with levulinate (25 m m). Under these conditions, the δ-aminolevulinate accumulates, much of it leaking out into the medium. The δ-aminolevulinate is measured colorimetrically in a 10-cm light-path cuvette. As little as 0.5 mg of cell protein/assay is required, and the lower limit of the spectrophotometric assay is 600 pmol/2 ml of culture medium. With the first method, the accumulation of δ-aminolevulinate can be followed during the induction, by chemicals, of δ-aminolevulinate synthetase within the intact cell. The second method serves as a quantitative assay for the amount of enzyme present at any one time point. Method 1 is sufficiently sensitive to measure the low activity of the uninduced enzyme as the accumulation of δ-aminolevulinate over a period of 16 hr. With cells in which δ-aminolevulinate synthetase has been chemically induced, method 1 yields a rate of δ-aminolevulinate production by these intact cells, 50–60% of the rate of δ-aminolevulinate produced by homogenates of the same cells incubated in an optimal assay medium. Glycine added to the culture medium at 5 m m increased by three-fold δ-aminolevulinate production by the induced intact cells. With method 2, the enzyme activity of intact cells which have been induced for a defined time, can be measured merely by replacing the culture medium with an “assay medium” containing levulinate (30 m m), glycine (50 m m), citrate (5 m m) and buffer and then incubating the cells for 5 hr. During this time, δ-aminolevulinate accumulates at a linear rate. The rate is equivalent to that of the homogenates of the same cells. The advantage of method 2 compared with the assay of homogenized cells is that the enzyme can be assayed in small amounts of cells without harvesting. One 3.5-cm dish containing 0.7 mg of cell protein is sufficient for one determination.