Search PubMed⌕ Search

Biomedical subjects

C L Rutherford

Publications and source records attributed to C L Rutherford.

At least 37 records · Page 2Linked to original sources
PubMed1988

Glycogen phosphorylase in Dictyostelium discoideum: demonstration of two developmentally regulated forms, purification to homogeneity, immunochemical analysis, cAMP induction, in vitro translation, and molecular cloning.

A key step in the cellular differentiation of Dictyostelium is the degradation of glycogen to provide the precursors for synthesis of the structural end products of development. We have found that the enzyme that initiates this degradative pathway, glycogen phosphorylase (1,4-alpha-D-glucan:orthophosphate alpha-glucosyltransferase; EC 2.4.1.1), is developmentally regulated and exists as two forms. During the time course of development, a previously undescribed activity, the "b" form, decreases, while that of the "a" form increases. The "b" form is inactive unless 5'AMP is included in the reaction mixture. The two forms differ in their elution from DE52 cellulose, affinity constants, thermal stability, affinity for 5'AMP Sepharose, subunit molecular weight, and peptide maps. In crude extracts, anti-a antiserum stains a 104-kD protein that is associated with phosphorylase "a" activity and appears late in development, while anti-b antiserum stains a 92-kD protein that is associated with phosphorylase "b" activity and is present throughout development. We have also demonstrated in vitro phosphorylation of the "b" form by an endogenous protein kinase and a corresponding loss of 5'AMP dependence. If intact cells were exposed to exogenous cAMP, "b" activity decreased and was replaced by "a" activity, as well as the 104-kD protein band on SDS-PAGE. In order to determine if the two forms of the enzyme are different gene products, we screened lambda gt11 expression libraries with antibodies against the purified "a" and "b" forms. Three clones were found to be overlapping by Southern analysis. A yeast glycogen phosphorylase cDNA clone (gpy) and a human muscle glycogen phosphorylase clone (HM-11) cross-hybridized with the Dictyostelium inserts, and gpy shared a few common restriction fragments with the Dictyostelium clones on genomic blots. Northern analysis of Dictyostelium total RNA showed that the Dictyostelium inserts and gpy recognize an mRNA of 3.2 kb, while on poly A-enriched RNA, the yeast clone detects preferentially a 3.6-kb message.

Cloning, Molecular↗
PubMed1988

Glycogen phosphorylase 'b' in Dictyostelium: stability and endogenous phosphorylation.

The slime mold Dictyostelium discoideum has two forms of the enzyme glycogen phosphorylase. The inactive phosphorylase 'b' form requires 5' AMP for activity and is present in early development. The active phosphorylase 'a' form is 5' AMP independent and occurs during later development. We here show that the 92 kd 'b' enzyme subunit exists either as a singlet or a doublet upon SDS-PAGE, depending on the method of sample extraction. In the presence of exogenously added Mn2+ and ATP, the phosphorylase 'b' shows apparent conversion into a 5' AMP independent form as measured by enzyme activity. In addition, Mn2+ and ATP also support an in vitro phosphorylation of the 92 kd phosphorylase 'b' subunit. We also demonstrate phosphorylation of the 'b' enzyme subunit in vivo by 32-P incorporation into the enzyme protein. A protein kinase responsible for the observed in vitro phosphorylation of the phosphorylase 'b' subunit is characterized.

Adenosine Monophosphate↗
PubMed1988

Clinical application of transrectal ultrasonography and prostate specific antigen in the search for prostate cancer.

We reviewed 225 men who were followed for 2 to 21 years by periodic rectal examination in an effort to detect prostatic cancer without the glands having been sufficiently suspicious for biopsy to have been recommended. These patients underwent further evaluation with transrectal prostatic ultrasonography and serum prostate specific antigen determinations. When appropriate, ultrasonically guided transrectal needle biopsy of the prostate was performed without analgesia, anesthesia or prophylactic antibiotics. This is a simple, safe and effective means to obtain tissue for diagnosis. Recommendations for the current applicability of these diagnostic modalities by the practicing urologist are given.

Aged↗
PubMed1988

The relationship between the two forms of glycogen phosphorylase in Dictyostelium discoideum.

The cellular slime mold, Dictyostelium disoideum, provides an ideal model system to study eukaryotic cell differentiation. In D. discoideum, glycogen degradation provides precursors for the synthesis of developmentally regulated structural products. The enzyme responsible for glycogen degradation, glycogen phosphorylase, exists in active and inactive forms. The active, or 'a' form, is independent of 5'adenosine monophosphate (5'AMP) while the inactive, or 'b' form, is 5'AMP-dependent. The activity of the 'b' form predominates early in development, while the activity of the 'a' form peaks in mid-late development; their combined specific activities remain constant at any point. Polyclonal antibodies raised to the purified forms of this enzyme showed low cross-reactivity. The anti-'a' serum reacted with a 104-kDa protein that was associated with phosphorylase 'a' activity; the anti-'b' serum reacted with a 92-kDa protein that was associated with phosphorylase 'b' activity and weakly cross-reacted with the 104-kDa protein. Immunoblots of peptide maps of the purified enzyme forms showed that each antibody was specific for the proteolytic fragments of its respective antigen. We also demonstrated in vitro phosphorylation of the 'b' form by an endogenous protein kinase. Cyclic AMP perturbation of intact cells caused induction of both phosphorylase-'a' activity and the 104-kDa protein. Immunotitration data suggested that the 'a' form accumulates due to de novo protein synthesis, although this result must be interpreted with caution.

Cyclic AMP↗
PubMed1987

Glycogen phosphorylase in Dictyostelium. Developmental regulation of two forms and their physical and kinetic properties.

A key step in the cellular differentiation of Dictyostelium is the degradation of glycogen to provide the precursors for synthesis of the structural end products of development. We have found that the enzyme that initiates this degradative pathway, glycogen phosphorylase (1,4-alpha-D-glucan:orthophosphate alpha-glucosyl-transferase, EC 2.4.1.1), is developmentally regulated and exists as two forms. During the time course of development, a previously undescribed activity, the "b" form, decreases, whereas that of the "a" form increases. The b form is inactive unless 5'-AMP is included in the reaction mixture. The mechanism of activation by 5'-AMP is by a 40-fold increase in the affinity of the phosphorylase for its substrates. Both forms were purified to homogeneity. They have identical subunit molecular weights of 90,000 and both exist as a dimer under non-denaturing conditions. The two forms are also identical with respect to salt inhibition, optimum temperature for activity, and pH optimum. They differ in their elution from DE52-cellulose, affinity constants, thermal stability, affinity for 5'-AMP-Sepharose, and their peptide maps. Attempts to demonstrate interconversion of the two activities by a kinase-directed phosphorylation have been unsuccessful. We report here on the existence, the developmental regulation, the purification to homogeneity, and some of the physical and kinetic properties of both the 5'-AMP-dependent and -independent forms of the enzyme.

Dictyostelium↗
PubMed1987

Distribution of cAMP-dependent protein kinase during development in Dictyostelium discoideum.

During the developmental cycle of Dictyostelium discoideum cyclic AMP functions as both a chemotactic signal for aggregation and a regulatory molecule during later events of differentiation. Morphological and biochemical data suggest that cAMP may direct cells during morphogenesis and differentiation. We utilized microtechniques to determine the stage- and cell-specific levels of the cAMP-dependent protein kinase, the probable intracellular cAMP receptor. Kinase activity was low and non-cAMP-dependent in amoebae and early aggregates but increased and became cAMP-dependent in aggregates after the formation of tight cell contacts. Maximum kinase activity and cAMP dependency occurred during the slug and culmination stages. The only differential distribution of the kinase within a single stage occurred during culmination when the activity in the stalks was approximately one-fourth of that in the prespore mass. Preliminary evidence indicates that this difference is not due to an inhibitor. In all other stages tested cAMP-dependent protein kinase activity was equal in prespore and prestalk cells.

Cyclic AMP↗
PubMed1986

Identification of two forms of glycogen phosphorylase in Dictyostelium.

It has been known for 20 years that during cellular differentiation of Dictyostelium discoideum, glycogen is degraded to provide the glucose precursors that are required for the synthesis of the end-products of development. Because this pathway provided a distinct developmentally regulated event, a number of laboratories have investigated the regulation of the first step in glycogen degradation, glycogen phosphorylase. Of particular interest was the possible regulation of this enzyme by cAMP. Cyclic AMP is know to act as a signal in this organism for both chemotaxis and cell differentiation. The phosphorylase activity was found to increase during development and, therefore, it has been used in many studies as a marker for late stage development. However, only one form of the phosphorylase was found, and therefore it was concluded that cAMP was not involved in regulation of this key step in the developmental pathway. Here we report the discovery of a second form of the enzyme. This form is completely dependent on AMP for activity and is found only in the undifferentiated stage. This second form contains several of the properties of the nonphosphorylated enzyme that occurs in systems that are regulated by cAMP. This result and the recent discovery of a cAMP-dependent protein kinase has rekindled the possibility that at least one of the effects of cAMP in this organism occurs via a cAMP-dependent cascade of phosphorylation; that is, the activation of glycogen phosphorylase and subsequent production of the precursors for the end-products of development.

Adenosine Triphosphate↗
PubMed1986

Chromatographic resolution of soluble and particulate protein phosphatases from Dictyostelium discoideum.

We have examined protein phosphatase activities that are present during the cellular differentiation of Dictyostelium. Utilizing differential centrifugation, ion exchange, gel filtration, and concanavalin A affinity chromatography we found a number of distinct protein phosphatase activities. Three peaks of soluble Kemptide phosphatase activity and a very broad and heterogeneous soluble histone phosphatase activity were resolved by anion exchange chromatography. Histone phosphatase was associated with the particulate fraction, while Kemptide phosphatase was not. The protein phosphatase activities were able to dephosphorylate sites that had been phosphorylated by the cyclic AMP-dependent protein kinase. Therefore it is possible that their function in vivo may be to oppose the action of the cAMP-dependent protein kinase. In addition several paranitrophenyl phosphate phosphatase activities are shown to be largely separable from the protein phosphatases. An apparent heat-stable inhibitor of histone phosphatase is shown to be artifactual in that instead of interacting with the enzyme it acts by complexing with histone.

Chromatography↗
PubMed1985

Percutaneous ultrasonic lithotripsy in the community hospital.

A total of 38 patients underwent attempted percutaneous extraction of upper tract calculi with the Wolf nephroscope. A 1-day interval between radiological insertion of the guide wire and extraction of the stone with the patient under general anesthesia was used. Of the stones 87 per cent were removed successfully. Average operating and hospitalization times were 62 minutes and 9.9 days, respectively. Reduced morbidity and a shorter interval to return to work make this the procedure of choice in selected cases.

Adult↗
PubMed1984

Chromatographic behavior of cyclic AMP dependent protein kinase and its subunits from Dictyostelium discoideum.

An adenosine cyclic 3',5'-monophosphate (cAMP) dependent protein kinase has recently been shown to exist in Dictyostelium discoideum and to be developmentally regulated. In this report we have followed the chromatographic behavior of both the holoenzyme and its subunits. A cAMP-dependent holoenzyme could be obtained from the 100000 g soluble fraction after passage through DE-52 cellulose (pH 7.5) and Sephacryl S300. Under conditions of low pH the holoenzyme could be further purified by flat-bed electrofocusing (pI = 6.8). Application of the holoenzyme to electrofocusing at high pH resulted in dissociation of the holoenzyme into a cAMP binding component (pI = 6.1) and a cAMP-independent catalytic activity (pI = 7.4). Dissociation of the holoenzyme into subunits also occurred during histone affinity chromatography and gel filtration chromatography (S300) in the presence of a dissociating buffer. Although the subunit structure was clearly evident during chromatography, the holoenzyme could not be dissociated by simple addition of cAMP to the extract. The catalytic subunit could be purified further by CM-Sephadex, DE-52 cellulose (pH 8.5), histone affinity, and hydrophobic chromatography. The regulatory subunit was further purified by DE-52 cellulose (pH 8.5) and cAMP affinity chromatography. Proof that the cAMP binding activity and the cAMP-independent catalytic activity were in fact the regulatory and catalytic subunits was shown by reconstitution of the cAMP-dependent holoenzyme from the purified subunits. By using these separation procedures, one can obtain from extracts of Dictyostelium the subunits that are free of each other as well as free of any endogenous protein substrates.

Cyclic AMP↗
PubMed1984

Endogenous substrates for in vitro phosphorylation by cyclic AMP-dependent protein kinase from Dictyostelium discoideum.

Endogenous proteins which could serve as substrates for cyclic AMP-dependent protein kinase in vitro were measured in cytosolic fractions at four stages of development. A peak of cyclic AMP-dependent phosphorylation occurred at the slug stage, coincident with the appearance of cyclic AMP-dependent protein kinase. After partial purification of the slug-stage extracts by DE-52 cellulose and Sephacryl S-300 chromatography, cyclic AMP dependency of six proteins was observed. The apparent subunit molecular weights of the proteins were greater than 200,000, 110,000, 107,000, 91,000, 75,000 and 69,000. Upon further purification of the cyclic AMP-dependent protein kinase by chromatofocusing, the endogenous substrates were separated from the enzyme. In addition, the enzyme separated into catalytic and regulatory subunits. If the purified catalytic subunit was added to heated S300 fractions, proteins with apparent molecular weights of 91,000 and 107,000 were specificity phosphorylated. The results show the stage-dependent appearance of a cyclic AMP-dependent protein kinase and point out several in vitro substrates for the enzyme.

Chromatography, Gel↗
PubMed1984

Localization and levels of cyclic AMP during development of Dictyostelium discoideum.

Cyclic AMP functions as the chemotactic signal during aggregation of amoebae of the cellular slime mold Dictyostelium discoideum. Evidence suggests that cAMP also acts as a regulatory molecule during Dictyostelium multicellular differentiation. We have used ultramicrotechniques and a sensitive radioimmunoassay to measure the levels of cAMP within the culmination stage individual. We show that there is a peak of cAMP at the culmination stage of development and that in the individual at this stage the molecule is localized in a gradient within the spore mass.

Cell Aggregation↗
PubMed1984

Localization of adenylate cyclase during development of Dictyostelium discoideum.

Cyclic AMP is known to function as the chemotactic signal during aggregation of single-celled amoebae of the cellular slime mold Dictyostelium discoideum. Evidence from several laboratories has accumulated suggesting that cAMP also acts as a regulatory molecule during Dictyostelium multicellular differentiation. We have used ultramicrotechniques and a sensitive radioimmunoassay in the localization of adenylate cyclase, the cAMP synthetic enzyme, during the development of Dictyostelium. We demonstrate that adenylate cyclase activity is localized in the prespore cells of the culminating individual with no activity detectable in the prestalk region. We show that this lack of activity in the stalk may be due to a masking by an endogenous inhibitor of the enzyme. Within the spore mass we found an increasing gradient of enzyme activity toward the base. These data, along with that from the localization of cyclic nucleotide phosphodiesterase, indicate that an enzymatic potential exists for the creation of cAMP gradients during development in the organism. Such a gradient may provide positional information necessary to direct the terminal differentiation of spore and stalk cells.

Adenylyl Cyclases↗
PubMed1983

Purification and properties of a cyclic-AMP phosphodiesterase that is active in only one cell type during the multicellular development of Dictyostelium discoideum.

Cyclic-AMP phosphodiesterase (PDE) accumulates during the aggregation stage of Dictyostelium where it functions in maintaining extracellular levels of cyclic AMP (cAMP). The activity decreases during the subsequent multicellular slug stage and then accumulates again during sorocarp construction, but the enzyme is active only in the developing stalk. Because of the possible significance of this localized activity in only one of the two cell types, we have purified the enzyme from the multicellular stage in order to understand its mode of regulation in vivo. We find that the enzyme which is localized in the prestalk cells is similar in many respects to the extracellular PDE which is active at the aggregation stage. The enzyme from both stages is inhibited by a low molecular weight protein. The mechanism of this inhibition is through a shift in the apparent Km for cAMP from micromolar to millimolar levels. The inhibited form of the enzyme can be activated by preincubation with MgSO4 and dithiothreitol (DTT). This activation treatment releases the inhibitor from the enzyme, thus restoring the low Km form, changes the molecular weight of the culmination stage enzyme from 95 000-100 000 to 68 000 by releasing the Mr 35 000-40 000 inhibitor protein, and causes irreversible loss of inhibitor activity. Although the inhibitor could be obtained in high yield from the aggregation stage by simply heating the extracellular fluid, it could not be detected from culmination stage extracts when prepared by this method. However, inclusion of calcium in the extraction buffer resulted in release of inhibitor from both heated and nonheated samples. The results indicate that the stalk cell specific PDE is regulated similarly to the aggregation stage PDE and opens the possibility of differential regulation of PDE in the two cell types.

3',5'-Cyclic-AMP Phosphodiesterases↗
PubMed1983

Cell type specific inhibition of cAMP phosphodiesterase activity during terminal differential in Dictyostelium discoideum.

Cyclic AMP phosphodiesterase (PDE) activity reaches a peak during the aggregation stage of development where it functions to regulate extracellular levels of cAMP. During the subsequent differentiation of the two cell types at the culmination stage, the activity reappears but only in stalk cells. We found that extracts from the culmination stage contained PDE which could be activated by preincubation with Mg2+ and dithiothreitol (DTT), a treatment which is known to release an endogenous inhibitor from the aggregation stage enzyme. When the culmination stage extracts were subjected to chromatography on Biogel P300, two peaks of activity were eluted, PDE-I (Mr greater than 260,000) and PDE-II (Mr 100,000). Treatment of the fractions with Mg-DTT did not affect the low-molecular-weight enzyme but caused activation of the high-molecular-weight enzyme and the appearance of a third, intermediate form. Kinetic analysis of the two peaks revealed Km values for cAMP of 2 mM and 10 microM for PDE-I and PDE-II, respectively. We tested the possibility that these forms of the enzyme might be distributed differently in the two cell types by measuring the Km for cAMP and the effect of Mg-DTT treatment on isolated sections of stalk and spore cells. The spore sections contained a high Km form of the enzyme (0.3 mM) which was activated by preincubation with Mg . DTT whereas stalk sections contained a low Km form (3 microM) which was not affected by the activation treatment. We conclude that both cell types contain enzyme protein and that the apparent localization of PDE activity in stalk cells is due to the inhibition of activity in spore cells.

3',5'-Cyclic-AMP Phosphodiesterases↗