Characterization of the ion transport activity of the budding yeast Na+/H+ antiporter, Nha1p, using isolated secretory vesicles.
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The Saccharomyces cerevisiae Nha1p, a plasma membrane protein belonging to the monovalent cation/proton antiporter family, plays a key role in the salt tolerance and pH regulation of cells. We examined the molecular function of Nha1p by using secretory vesicles isolated from a temperature sensitive secretory mutant, sec4-2, in vitro. The isolated secretory vesicles contained newly synthesized Nha1p en route to the plasma membrane and showed antiporter activity exchanging H+ for monovalent alkali metal cations. An amino acid substitution in Nha1p (D266N, Asp-266 to Asn) almost completely abolished the Na+/H+ but not K+/H+ antiport activity, confirming the validity of this assay system as well as the functional importance of Asp-266, especially for selectivity of substrate cations. Nha1p catalyzes transport of Na+ and K+ with similar affinity (12.7 mM and 12.4 mM), and with lower affinity for Rb+ and Li+. Nha1p activity is associated with a net charge movement across the membrane, transporting more protons per single sodium ion (i.e., electrogenic). This feature is similar to the bacterial Na+/H+ antiporters, whereas other known eukaryotic Na+/H+ antiporters are electroneutral. The ion selectivity and the stoichiometry suggest a unique physiological role of Nha1p which is distinct from that of other known Na+/H+ antiporters. (+info)
Effects of tacrine, velnacrine (HP029), suronacrine (HP128), and 3,4-diaminopyridine on skeletal neuromuscular transmission in vitro.
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1. The effects of tacrine (9-amino-1,2,3,4-tetrahydroacridine), velnacrine (HP029, 9-amino-1,2,3,4-tetrahydroacridin-1-ol maleate), suronacrine (HP128, 9-benzylamino-1,2,3,4-tetrahydroacridin-1-ol maleate), and 3,4-diaminopyridine on neuromuscular transmission were compared on isolated nerve-muscle preparations. 2. Tacrine, HP029, and 3,4-diaminopyridine augmented responses of chick biventer cervicis preparations to nerve stimulation, with tacrine and HP029 increasing responses to exogenously applied acetylcholine. HP128 blocked responses to nerve stimulation and to carbachol, but increased responses to acetylcholine. 3. In mouse diaphragm preparations that were partially paralysed by tubocurarine or low calcium solutions, tacrine, HP029, and 3,4-diaminopyridine reversed the twitch block. HP128 deepened the block. 4. In mouse triangularis sterni preparations, tacrine and HP029 prolonged the decay phase of endplate potentials and miniature endplate potentials, but had no effect on quantal content at 36 degrees C; above 10 microM, they reduced endplate potential amplitude. 3,4-Diaminopyridine increased quantal content without affecting the time course of the endplate potentials. HP128 (1-10 microM) had no effect on amplitude or time course of endplate potentials, but reduced their amplitude at higher concentrations. 5. Extracellular recording of nerve terminal currents from triangularis sterni preparations revealed that 3,4-diaminopyridine and HP128 had a selective blocking action on the waveform associated with K+ currents, tacrine reduced and prolonged the K(+)-related waveform, and HP029 had nonselective blocking actions only seen at high concentrations. 6. Tacrine and HP029 behave predominantly as anticholinesterase agents, while HP128 has weaker anticholinesterase actions that are masked by cholinoceptor blockade. Tacrine and HP128, but not HP029, have some blocking actions on K+ currents of mouse motor nerve terminals. (+info)
Lesion selectivity in blockage of lambda exonuclease by DNA damage.
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Various kinds of DNA damage block the 3' to 5' exonuclease action of both E. coli exonuclease III and T4 DNA polymerase. This study shows that a variety of DNA damage likewise inhibits DNA digestion by lambda exonuclease, a 5' to 3' exonuclease. The processive degradation of DNA by the enzyme is blocked if the substrate DNA is treated with ultraviolet irradiation, anthramycin, distamycin, or benzo[a]-pyrene diol epoxide. Furthermore, as with the 3' to 5' exonucleases, the enzyme stops at discrete sites which are different for different DNA damaging agents. On the other hand, digestion of treated DNA by lambda exonuclease is only transiently inhibited at guanine residues alkylated with the acridine mustard ICR-170. The enzyme does not bypass benzo[a]-pyrene diol epoxide or anthramycin lesions even after extensive incubation. While both benzo[a]-pyrene diol epoxide and ICR-170 alkylate the guanine N-7 position, only benzo[a]-pyrene diol epoxide also reacts with the guanine N-2 position in the minor groove of DNA. Anthramycin and distamycin bind exclusively to sites in the minor groove of DNA. Thus lambda exonuclease may be particularly sensitive to obstructions in the minor groove of DNA; alternatively, the enzyme may be blocked by some local helix distortion caused by these adducts, but not by alkylation at guanine N-7 sites. (+info)
A real-time fluorescence assay for measuring N-dealkylation.
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A real-time fluorescence assay system using a series of 9-N-(alkylamino)acridine derivatives (methyl, ethyl, n-propyl, n-butyl, n-pentyl, and benzyl) that are N-dealkylated to 9-aminoacridine (9AA) is described. The product, 9AA, is approximately 27-fold more fluorescent than the substrates using excitation and emission wavelengths of 405 and 455 nm, respectively. Tests using expressed CYP1A1, 1A2, 3A4, 3A5, 1B1, 2C9, 2C19, and 2D6 indicated that N-dealkylase activity is specific for CYP1A1 and CYP2D6. CYP2D6 N-dealkylated methyl, ethyl, n-propyl, and n-butyl substrates, whereas CYP1A1 N-dealkylated these plus the n-pentyl derivative. Activities using 5 microM 9-N-(alkylamino)acridine substrates ranged from 0.1 to 0.9 pmol 9AA/min/pmol P450. Kinetic constants for CYP1A1 N-dealkylation of the 9-N-(methylamino)acridine (MAA) and 9-N-(ethylamino)acridine (EAA) were K(m) 1.09 +/- 0.68 and 0.35 +/- 0.21 microM and the V(max) 61.9 +/- 48.5 and 113.8 +/- 8.4 pmol 9AA/min/pmol CYP1A1, respectively. Kinetic constants for CYP2D6 N-dealkylation of MAA and EAA were K(m) 7.9 +/- 5.4 and 3.2 +/- 1.6 microM, and V(max) 501 +/- 35.4 and 702.7 +/- 257 pmol 9AA/min/pmol CYP2D6, respectively. The experimental binding energies (DeltaG(bind)) were calculated for MAA with CYP1A1 and CYP2D6 to be -8.266 and -7.074 kcal/mol, respectively. The DeltaG(bind) values for EAA with CYP1A1 and CYP2D6 were -8.950 and -7.618 kcal/mol, respectively. The substrates were suitable for monitoring N-dealkylase activity in microsomal preparations (human, rat, and monkey hepatic preparations) and human hepatocellular carcinoma cell suspensions. Assays were conducted by monitoring reactions either in 96-well microtiter plates using a fluorescence plate reader or in cuvettes using a spectrofluorimeter. (+info)
Inhibition of RNA synthesis in vitro by 9-aminoacridine carboxamide antitumor agents. Effects on overall RNA synthesis and synthesis of the initiating dinucleotide.
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A series of 9-aminoacridine carboxamide derivatives of systematically varied structure was assayed in an RNA synthesis in vitro system. Escherichia coli DNA-dependent RNA polymerase and DNA derived from phage T7 or calf thymus were used to measure the effect of the drugs on overall RNA and the initiating dinucleotide (pppApU) syntheses. By means of multiple linear regression analysis it was shown that the inhibition of these reactions depends both on the drug equilibrium binding constant and kinetic parameters of dissociation of drug-DNA complexes. (+info)
Spontaneous mutation at the mtr locus of Neurospora: the spectrum of mutant types.
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We have isolated 135 strains of Neurospora which have mutations at the mtr locus resulting from independent spontaneous events. mtr is the structural gene for the neutral amino acid permease. The mutants have been characterized by their reversion behavior (both spontaneous and induced) and by hybridization studies of restriction digests of their DNA. About half of the mutants (54%) appear to result from single base-pair substitutions. Thirty-four percent have deletions, including some which extend into neighboring genes. Most of the remaining mutants have insertions. Several of the insertions are tandem duplications of 400-1000 bp and these mutants are unstable, reverting to mtr+ with a high frequency. When tandem-duplication mutants go through a cross, they are modified: the mutant progeny are fully stable. This modification is probably due to RIP (repeat-induced point mutation). This process has an important bearing on the comparison of germinal to somatic mutation. (+info)
A comparison of three flow cytometry methods for evaluating mitochondrial damage during staurosporine-induced apoptosis in Jurkat cells.
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Measuring cytochrome c release during apoptosis provides valuable information about the nature and extent of apoptosis. Several years ago a flow cytometric method (based on selective permeabilization of the plasma membrane with digitonin) was developed that has advantages over other techniques. These experiments describe a comprehensive evaluation of that method. Apoptosis was triggered in Jurkat cells with staurosporine and then flow cytometry was used to measure three aspects of mitochondrial damage: (1) cytochrome c release (with the digitonin assay and a commercially available kit based on the same principle), using a DNA-binding dye to define cell cycle stage; (2) loss of mitochondrial cardiolipin, assessed by a decrease in 10 N-nonyl acridine orange (NAO) binding; and (3) loss of mitochondrial membrane potential, assessed by a decrease in tetramethylrhodamineethylester (TMRE) binding. The results from these three assays were compared with an antibody-based assay for cleaved caspase 3. The digitonin assay and the commercially available kit gave comparable results, showing that staurosporine caused cytochrome c release in all phases of the cell cycle and clearly defining those cells that had lost DNA due to internucleosomal DNA fragmentation. The pattern of fluorescence demonstrated that the mitochondrial apoptotic pathway was either the sole or the predominant pathway to be activated and that cytochrome c release in an individual cell was all-or-nothing. However, comparison with the other assays showed that the cytochrome c release assay underestimated the true extent of apoptosis. This was caused by the selective loss of some digitonin-treated apoptotic cells. The flow cytometry assay for cytochrome c release provides valuable information but it underestimates the percentage of apoptotic cells. (+info)
Structure-activity relationships for the 9-(pyridin-2'-yl)- aminoacridines.
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A series of 9-(pyridin-2'-yl)-aminoacridines was prepared and analyzed for their ability to change the thermal denaturation temperature of genomic calf thymus DNA. Development of a QSAR equation indicated that electron withdrawing groups on the pyridine ring promoted the interaction with double stranded DNA. (+info)