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Biomedical subjects

C F Bennett

Publications and source records attributed to C F Bennett.

At least 91 records · Page 5Linked to original sources
PubMed1990

Phospholipids chiral at phosphorus. Stereochemical mechanism of reactions catalyzed by phosphatidylinositide-specific phospholipase C from Bacillus cereus and guinea pig uterus.

(Rp)- and (Sp)-1,2-dipalmitoyl-sn-glycero-3-thiophosphoinositol (DPPsI) were synthesized as a mixture and their configurations assigned on the basis of the stereospecific hydrolysis catalyzed by phospholipase A2 (PLA2) from bee venom. PLA2 is known to be stereospecific to the Rp isomer of 1,2-dipalmitoyl-sn-glycero-3-thiophosphocholine (DPPsC) and 1,2-dipalmitoyl-sn-glycero-3-thiophosphoethanolamine (DPPsE). Since the configurations of (Rp)- and (Sp)-DPPsI correspond to those of (Sp)- and (Rp)-DPPsC, respectively, due to a change in priority, the isomer specifically hydrolyzed by PLA2 was assigned to (Sp)-DPPsI. The DPPsI analogues were then used to probe the mechanism and to elucidate the steric course of the reaction catalyzed by phosphatidylinositide-specific phospholipase C (PI-PLC) from Bacillus cereus and for both isozyme I and isozyme II of PI-PLC from guinea pig uterus. It was found that the Rp isomer of DPPsI is the preferred substrate for all three PI-PLCs. Thus PI-PLC shows the same stereospecificity as phosphatidylcholine-specific PLC (PC-PLC), which prefers the Sp isomer of DPPsC. The ratio of the two products inositol 1,2-cyclic phosphorothioate (cIPs) and inositol phosphorothioate (IPs) was not significantly perturbed by the use of phosphorothioate analogue for all three PI-PLCs, which implies that IPs is not produced by enzyme-mediated ring opening of cIPs and supports a parallel pathway for the formation of both products. In order to elucidate the steric course of the cyclization reaction, exo and endo isomers of cIPs were synthesized and their absolute configurations at phosphorus were determined by nuclear magnetic resonance and other techniques. It was found that exo-cIPs is the product produced by all three PI-PLCs. Thus the steric course of the conversion DPPsI to cIPs catalyzed by all three PI-PLCs was inversion of configuration at phosphorus. These results taken together suggest that the reaction catalyzed by PI-PLC most likely proceeds via direct attack by the 2-OH group to generate the cyclic product, and parallelly by water to generate the noncyclic inositol phosphates, without involving a covalent enzyme-phosphoinositol intermediate.

Animals↗
PubMed1990

Glycerol-3-phospho-D-myo-inositol 4-phosphate (Gro-PIP) is an inhibitor of phosphoinositide-specific phospholipase C.

The deacylated forms of the phosphoinositides were used to determine whether the guinea pig uterus phosphoinositide-specific phospholipase C (PI-PLC I, Mr 60,000) required fatty acids at the sn-1 and sn-2 positions for the hydrolysis of the sn-3 phosphodiester bond. L-alpha-Glycerophospho-D-myo-inositol 4-phosphate (Gro-PIP), but not glycerol 3-phosphate (Gro-3-P), L-alpha-glycerophospho-D-myo-inositol (Gro-PI), or L-alpha-glycerophospho-D-myo-inositol 4,5-bisphosphate (Gro-PIP2), inhibited PI-PLC I in a concentration-dependent manner. Assays performed with 10 microM [3H]phosphatidylinositol ([3H]PI), 10 microM [3H]phosphatidylinositol 4-phosphate ([3H]PIP) or 10 microM [3H]phosphatidylinositol 4,5-bisphosphate ([3H]PIP2) as substrates, with increasing [Gro-PIP] revealed an IC50 = 380 microM. Kinetic studies with increasing [3H]PI substrate concentrations in the presence of 100 microM and 300 microM Gro-PIP demonstrated that Gro-PIP exhibited competitive inhibition; Kis = 40 microM. Ca2+ concentrations over the range 1.1 microM to 1 mM did not effect inhibition, suggesting that Gro-PIP inhibition of [3H]PI hydrolysis was calcium-independent. To determine whether Gro-PIP was a substrate, 20 microM and 500 microM [3H]Gro-PIP were incubated with PI-PLC I. Anion-exchange HPLC analysis revealed no [3H]IP2 product formation, indicating that [3H]Gro-PIP was not hydrolyzed. Assays performed with [3H]PI and [3H]PIP substrates in the presence of 500 microM [3H]Gro-PIP revealed approx. 75% less [3H]inositol 1-phosphate ([3H]IP1) and [3H]inositol 1,4-bisphosphate ([3H]IP2) product formation, respectively, indicating that [3H]Gro-PIP inhibited the hydrolysis of the substrates by PI-PLC I. These data suggest that Gro-PIP does not serve as a substrate, and that it inhibits PI-PLC I by competitive inhibition in a Ca2(+)-independent fashion.

Acylation↗
PubMed1990

The regulatory gene areA mediating nitrogen metabolite repression in Aspergillus nidulans. Mutations affecting specificity of gene activation alter a loop residue of a putative zinc finger.

The regulatory gene areA mediating nitrogen metabolite repression in Aspergillus nidulans has been sequenced and its transcript mapped and orientated. A single ORF can encode a protein of 719 amino acids. A 52 amino acid region including a putative 'zinc finger' strongly resembles putative DNA binding regions of the major regulatory protein of erythroid cells. The derived protein sequence also contains a highly acidic region possibly involved in gene activation and 22 copies of the motif S(T)PXX, abundant in DNA binding proteins. Analysis of chromosomal rearrangements and transformation with deletion clones identified 342 N-terminal and 124 C-terminal residues as inessential and localized a C-terminal region required for nitrogen metabolite repressibility. A -1 frameshift eliminating the inessential 122 C-terminal amino acids is a surprising loss-of-function mutation. Extraordinary basicity of the replacement C terminus might explain its phenotype. Mutant sequencing also identified a polypeptide chain termination and several missense mutations, but most interesting are sequence changes associated with specificity mutations. A mutation elevating expression of some structural genes under areA control whilst reducing or not affecting expression of others is a leucine to valine change in the zinc finger loop. It reverts to a partly reciprocal phenotype by replacing the mutant valine by methionine.

Amino Acid Sequence↗
PubMed1989

Solubilization of rat liver vasopressin receptors as a complex with a guanine-nucleotide-binding protein and phosphoinositide-specific phospholipase C.

Vasopressin V1 receptors were solubilized from rat liver plasma membranes with the detergent lysophosphatidylcholine. [[3H]Arginine]vasopressin (AVP) binding to the solubilized preparations was specific and saturable, with a dissociation constant of 0.6 nM. Cross-linking of [125I]vasopressin to the solubilized fraction, studied by SDS/polyacrylamide-gel-electrophoretic analysis, demonstrated the presence of a 65 kDa band which was specifically labelled with [125I]vasopressin. Specific binding of [3H]AVP to these solubilized receptors was decreased by guanine nucleotides, but not by adenosine 5'-[beta gamma-imido]triphosphate. Addition of vasopressin increased specific binding of 35S-labelled guanosine 5'-[gamma-thio]triphosphate (GTP[35S]) to the solubilized fractions, indicating co-solubilization of GTP-binding protein(s) [G-protein(s)] and vasopressin receptors. The solubilized fraction was insensitive to both cholera- and pertussistoxin treatment. Immunoblotting of the solubilized fraction with antibodies specific for a phosphoinositide-specific phospholipase C (PI-PLC I) demonstrated the presence of a 60 kDa protein. Anti-PI-PLC I antiserum immunoprecipitated solubilized vasopressin-binding sites from rat liver (V1), but not solubilized vasopressin-binding sites from hog kidney (V2). Similar results were obtained with an anti-PI-PLC I IgG affinity column. The solubilized (V1) receptors were enriched by ion-exchange and high-performance gel-filtration liquid chromatography. Vasopressin-binding activity was co-eluted with PI-PLC I and GTP[S]-binding activity on a DEAE-Sepharose column. The major vasopressin- and GTP[35S]-binding activities were co-eluted with PI-PLC I activity at approx. 240 kDa suggesting that vasopressin receptors from rat liver membranes can be solubilized as a complex of receptor-coupler-effector by using the detergent lysophosphatidycholine.

Animals↗
PubMed1989

Mammalian phosphoinositide-specific phospholipase C isoenzymes.

Procaryotic and eucaryotic cells have evolved multiple pathways for communication with their external environment. The inositol 1,4,5-trisphosphate/diacylglycerol second messenger system is an example of such a signal transduction pathway which is present in multicellular eucaryotic organisms. Binding of an agonist to a specific cell surface receptor promotes rapid hydrolysis of phosphatidylinositol 4,5-bisphosphate. The pivotal enzyme for this second messenger system is phosphoinositide-specific phospholipase C which hydrolyzes phosphatidylinositol 4,5-bisphosphate to generate the two second messengers, inositol 1,4,5-trisphosphate and diacylglycerol. Recently, much progress has been made in the purification, characterization and cDNA cloning of multiple PI-PLC isoenzymes. The results of the recent studies on phosphoinositide-specific phospholipase C are reviewed.

Amino Acid Sequence↗
PubMed1989

The signal transduction system of the leukotriene D4 receptor.

During the past several years, substantial progress in understanding the receptors and signal transduction processes for peptidyl leukotrienes has been reported. Receptors have been identified and characterized, the major steps in the signal transduction pathway have been described, and the genetic and epigenetic regulatory processes have been characterized. Very recent studies have defined the mechanisms by which LTE4 acts as a partial agonist at the LTD4 receptor. The cloning of the genes for the proteins involved in the major steps of the signalling process has also been initiated. Stanley Crooke and co-authors summarize this recent progress and present their current notions about the LTD4 receptor signalling process.

Animals↗
PubMed1989

Mechanism of phorbol ester inhibition of histamine-induced IP3 formation in cultured airway smooth muscle.

Cytosolic calcium is a key determinant of the contractile state of airway smooth muscle (ASM). To investigate the mechanisms by which histamine affects cytosolic calcium, we measured changes in inositol 1,4,5-trisphosphate (IP3) following the addition of histamine to cultured canine ASM cells. The effect of phorbol 12-myristate 13-acetate (PMA) on IP3 formation was investigated under conditions previously shown to abolish histamine-induced calcium release. In both intact cells and ASM membranes, histamine produced a significant increase in IP3 formation, which was inhibited by PMA. The site of this blockade was investigated by examining the effect of PMA on guanine nucleotide-stimulated IP3 formation and on phosphoinositide-specific phospholipase C (PI-PLC) activity in ASM membranes. Guanine nucleotide-stimulated IP3 formation was inhibited by PMA pretreatment. Membrane-associated PI-PLC activity was also decreased, an effect that was not due simply to a shift in the calcium sensitivity of the enzyme. We conclude that in cultured canine ASM cells, PMA blocks histamine-induced IP3 formation and that this inhibition is caused, in part, by a postreceptor site of action of protein kinase C, possibly via a direct effect on PI-PLC.

Animals↗
PubMed1988

Molecular cloning and complete amino-acid sequence of form-I phosphoinositide-specific phospholipase C.

We report the molecular cloning and sequence of a phosphoinositide-specific phospholipase C (PI-PLC), an enzyme that is of particular interest because of its central role in cell signal transduction. The signals in question are those delivered by hormones to their cell-surface receptors that activate PI-PLC by means of a guanine nucleotide binding protein. Activation of the enzyme leads to the hydrolysis of phosphatidylinositol 4,5-bisphosphate to two second messengers, 1,2-diacylglycerol and inositol 1,4,5-trisphosphate, the second of which ultimately mobilizes internal pools of calcium. There are at least five PI-PLC isoenzymes, whose differences in structure and function are unknown. We have focused on isoenzyme I, which we have recently purified and characterized from guinea pig uterus. We have now determined the sequence of a full length complementary DNA of this isoenzyme from the rat. Although the sequence has little similarity with the only other sequenced PI-PLC isoenzyme, it has a surprising degree of similarity to thioredoxins, protein co-factors in thiol-dependent redox reactions.

Amino Acid Sequence↗
PubMed1987

Purification and characterization of a phosphoinositide-specific phospholipase C from guinea pig uterus. Phosphorylation by protein kinase C in vivo.

Two peaks of phosphoinositide-specific phospholipase C (PI-PLC) activity were resolved when guinea pig uterus cytosolic proteins were chromatographed on a DEAE-Sepharose column. The first peak of enzyme activity eluting from the DEAE-Sepharose column (PI-PLC I) was further purified to homogeneity, whereas the second peak of enzyme activity was enriched 300-fold. PI-PLC I migrated as a 62-kDa protein on sodium dodecyl sulfate-polyacrylamide gels. Antibodies prepared against PI-PLC I failed to react with PI-PLC II. PI-PLC I hydrolyzed all three phosphoinositides, exhibiting a greater Vmax for phosphatidylinositol 4,5-bisphosphate greater than phosphatidylinositol 4-phosphate greater than phosphatidylinositol. Hydrolysis of phosphatidylinositol was calcium-dependent, whereas significant hydrolysis of phosphatidylinositol 4-phosphate and phosphatidylinositol 4,5-bisphosphate occurred in the presence of 2.5 mM EGTA. At physiological concentrations of calcium, phosphatidylinositol 4-phosphate and phosphatidylinositol 4,5-bisphosphate were the preferred substrates. Antibodies specific for PI-PLC I reacted with a 62-kDa protein in both the cytosol and membrane fractions from guinea pig uterus. Quantitation of the immunoblots revealed that 25% of the 62-kDa protein was membrane-associated, whereas only 5% of the total enzyme activity was membrane-associated. Approximately 20% of the membrane-bound phospholipase C activity and immunoreactive material were loosely bound, whereas the remainder required detergent extraction for complete solubilization. The 62-kDa protein associated with the membrane fractions did not bind lectin affinity columns, suggesting that it was not glycosylated. PI-PLC I was identified as a phosphoprotein in [32P]orthophosphate-labeled rat basophilic leukemia (RBL-1) cells by two-dimensional gel electrophoresis followed by immunoblotting. In untreated cells, 32P-labeled PI-PLC I was found in the cytosolic fraction. Treatment of RBL-1 cells with those phorbol esters which are known to activate the Ca2+/phospholipid-dependent enzyme protein kinase C, resulted in a time-dependent increase in the phosphorylation of both membrane-bound and cytosolic PI-PLC I. Thus, in RBL-1 cells, protein kinase C may play an important role in the regulation of phospholipase C through protein phosphorylation.

Animals↗
PubMed1987

Microinjected glutathione S-transferase Yb subunits translocate to the cell nucleus.

We have previously shown that a 30 kDa DNA-binding protein isolated from rat cell nuclei exhibits the chemical and immunological properties of glutathione S-transferase Yb subunits [Bennett, Spector & Yeoman (1986) J. Cell Biol. 102, 600-609]. It was of interest, therefore, to determine whether Yb subunits isolated from rat liver nuclei would return to nuclear fractions upon reintroduction to cell cytoplasms via red-blood-cell-mediated fusion. Labelled Yb subunits were associated with nuclear fractions 60 min after cell fusion. The microinjected protein remained associated with the nuclei for 18 h and was not extractable with low-salt washes. In addition, injected Yb subunits were found to equally distribute between extractable (56%) and residual (44%) nuclear fractions. These experiments demonstrate that glutathione S-transferase Yb subunits isolated from nuclei rapidly translocate to nuclei upon reintroduction into cell cytoplasms.

Animals↗
PubMed1987

Differential effects of manoalide on secreted and intracellular phospholipases.

Manoalide, a novel nonsteroidal sesterterpenoid, is a potent inhibitor of phospholipase A2 isolated from bee and cobra venoms. This report compares the inhibition by manoalide of phospholipase A2 in crude cytosol fractions from four mammalian tissues with that of four purified extracellular phospholipase A2's. Phospholipase A2 isolated from bee venom (Apis mellifera) was the most sensitive to inactivation by manoalide (IC50 approximately equal to 0.12 microM). Extracellular phospholipase A2 from rattlesnake and cobra venom was intermediate in sensitivity to manoalide (IC50 values of 0.7 and 1.9 microM respectively). Porcine pancreatic phospholipase A2 was relatively resistant to inactivation by manoalide (IC50 approximately equal to 30 microM). The phospholipase A2 assayed in crude cytosol fractions from four mammalian tissues exhibited IC50 values of 30 microM or greater. Cytosolic proteins as well as bovine serum albumin and poly-L-lysine (Mr = 57,000) protected purified bee venom phospholipase A2 from inactivation by manoalide. In contrast, amino acids such as lysine and alanine failed to protect the purified enzyme from inactivation. Proteins and certain amino acids, such as lysine, formed a chromogenic product when incubated with manoalide. These data suggest that lysine is capable of reacting with manoalide, but only when it is present in macromolecules is it capable of protecting phospholipase A2 from inactivation by manoalide. Because cellular proteins protect PLA2 from inactivation by manoalide, high concentrations of manoalide must be applied topically to produce statistically significant inactivation of intracellular phospholipase A2. Finally, a chemical model is presented which explains the formation of a chromogenic product when manoalide is incubated with proteins and amino acids.

Administration, Topical↗
PubMed1987

Inhibition of phosphoinositide-specific phospholipase C by manoalide.

Manoalide is a novel sesterterpenoid which has previously been shown to be a potent inhibitor of venom phospholipases A2. To determine whether manoalide inhibited other phospholipases, the sensitivity of phosphoinsitide-specific phospholipase C (PI-PLC) to inactivation by manoalide was examined using crude cytosolic PI-PLC and a PI-PLC purified to homogeneity from guinea pig uterus cytosol (PI-PLC I). Manoalide inhibited both cytosolic and purified PI-PLC I in a concentration-dependent fashion, exhibiting an IC50 of 3-6 microM. Inactivation of PI-PLC I was calcium- and pH-dependent, with greater inactivation occurring at alkaline pH. Manoalide inhibited hydrolysis of all three phosphoinositides by purified PI-PLC I. The substrate kinetics of PI-PLC I suggest that manoalide does not inhibit purified PI-PLC I by simple competitive or noncompetitive inhibition. Enzyme activity was not recovered after dialysis of manoalide-treated PI-PLC I, indicating that inactivation of PI-PLC I was irreversible. To determine whether manoalide inhibited PI-PLC in cells, the effects of manoalide on norepinephrine (NE)-stimulated phosphoinositide hydrolysis and calcium mobilization were investigated in a smooth muscle-like cell line, DDT1MF-2. Manoalide inhibited NE-induced inositol 1,4,5-trisphosphate and inositol 1-phosphate formation in a concentration-dependent manner. The IC50 for inhibition of inositol 1-phosphate formation was 1.5 microM. Manoalide also inhibited NE-induced calcium transients in DDT1MF-2 cells, exhibiting an IC50 of 2 microM. These data suggest that inhibition of PI-PLC may account, in part, for the anti-inflammatory actions of manoalide.

Animals↗
PubMed1986

Islet-activating protein inhibits leukotriene D4- and leukotriene C4- but not bradykinin- or calcium ionophore-induced prostacyclin synthesis in bovine endothelial cells.

Incubation of the bovine endothelial cell line, CPAE, with leukotriene D4, leukotriene C4, bradykinin, or the calcium ionophore A23187 results in the release of arachidonic acid metabolites including 6-keto-prostaglandin F1 alpha, the stable metabolite of prostacyclin. Pretreatment of these cells with the pertussis toxin islet-activating protein (IAP) results in a dose-dependent inhibition of the release of arachidonic acid metabolites and prostacyclin in response to leukotriene D4 and leukotriene C4. In contrast, similar responses evoked by bradykinin or ionophore were not significantly altered by the IAP pretreatment of the cells. IAP in the presence of [32P]NAD specifically [32P]ADP-ribosylates a 41-kDa protein in membranes prepared from CPAE cells. Pretreatment of the intact cells with IAP resulted in a dose-dependent inhibition of subsequent 32P labeling of the toxin substrate in the membranes and correlates with the uncoupling of the leukotriene responses. These results suggest that the 41-kDa IAP substrate, presumably a guanine nucleotide regulatory protein, mediates the response of CPAE cells to leukotriene D4 and leukotriene C4, but not to bradykinin or the calcium ionophore.

6-Ketoprostaglandin F1 alpha↗
PubMed1986

Nonhistone protein BA is a glutathione S-transferase localized to interchromatinic regions of the cell nucleus.

A DNA-binding nonhistone protein, protein BA, was previously demonstrated to co-localize with U-snRNPs within discrete nuclear domains (Bennett, F. C., and L. C. Yeoman, 1985, Exp. Cell Res., 157:379-386). To further define the association of protein BA and U-snRNPs within these discrete nuclear domains, cells were fractionated in situ and the localization of the antigens determined by double-labeled immunofluorescence. Protein BA was extracted from the nucleus with the 2.0 M NaCl soluble chromatin fraction, while U-snRNPs were only partially extracted from the 2.0 M NaCl-resistant nuclear structures. U-snRNPs were extracted from the residual nuclear material by combined DNase I/RNase A digestions. Using an indirect immunoperoxidase technique and electron microscopy, protein BA was localized to interchromatinic regions of the cell nucleus. Protein BA was noted to share a number of chemical and physical properties with a family of cytoplasmic enzymes, the glutathione S-transferases. Comparison of the published amino acid composition of protein BA and glutathione S-transferases showed marked similarities. Nonhistone protein BA isolated from saline-EDTA nuclear extracts exhibited glutathione S-transferase activity with a variety of substrates. Substrate specificity and subunit analysis by SDS polyacrylamide gel electrophoresis revealed that it was a mixture of several glutathione S-transferase isoenzymes. Protein BA isolated from rat liver chromatin was shown by immunoblotting and peptide mapping techniques to be two glutathione S-transferase isoenzymes composed of the Yb and Yb' subunits. Glutathione S-transferase Yb subunits were demonstrated to be both nuclear and cytoplasmic proteins by indirect immunolocalization on rat liver cryosections. The identification of protein BA as glutathione S-transferase suggests that this family of multifunctional enzymes may play an important role in those nuclear domains containing U-snRNPs.

Amino Acids↗
PubMed1976

Cultural diversity in central America and Panama: its relationship to conservation and planning.

The most frequently overlooked aspect of conservation of natural resources and economic development is human cultural diversity. However, conservation and development of natural resources are basically human-oriented endeavors and all conservation and developmental efforts ought to start with a clear understanding of the varied needs of the people. In addition, cultural diversity is a natural resource that ought to be protected along with all the more commonly recognized resources of the ecosystems of which humans form an integral part. Cultural diversity in a large measure is an ecological phenomenon because such diversity includes variations in the ways different people perceive and utilize the environments in which they live. Thus, cultural diversity, in large measure, equates with ecological diversity. It has been well established that a high degree of ecological diversity (including taxonomic, niche, biogeochemical and other measures of diversity) is a necessary attribute of humid tropical ecosystems if such ecosystems are to remain viable over long periods of time. The current land-use trends in Central America and Panama are leading toward ever larger areas being devoted to monocultural use with sharply reduced ecological diversity that poses great dangers for the near and long terms. In addition, the resultant removal of people from rural areas results in growing social, economic and political problems, that are not being successfully met by developing nations. Not only is there a growing wastage of human resources, a weakening of the social structures, and an increasing and dangerous dependence upon monocultures oriented toward export markets, but the ecological diversity of the previous existing land-use systems are being lost. This kind of diversity is probably no less valuable to the ecological health of a nation's agriculture, forestry, and general resource utilization than is the genetic diversity of "primitive" crop plant varieties which biologists now recognize and increasingly seek to preserve as "modern" crop plant varieties become ever more simple genetically and hence ever more vulnerable to disease and other perturbations.

Agriculture↗