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Biomedical subjects

D Puett

Publications and source records attributed to D Puett.

At least 145 records · Page 8Linked to original sources
PubMed1981

The dynamics of the steroidogenic response of perifused Leydig tumor cells to human chorionic gonadotropin, ovine luteinizing hormone, cholera toxin, and adenosine 3',5'-cyclic monophosphate.

A perifusion system has been developed in which a dose-dependent response of isolated Leydig tumor cells to steroidogenic stimuli, as assessed by the rates of steroid production, can be measured as a function of time. In response to a continuous perifusion for 340 min with a saturating concentration of hCG, ovine LH (oLH), cholera toxin, or 8-Br-cAMP, there is a rapid increase in the rate of progesterone production, which reaches a maximum about 100 min after the onset of stimulus in the medium and then declines to a rate somewhat higher than basal. Thus cholera toxin and 8-Br-cAMP as well as hCG and oLH are able to desensitize the Leydig tumor cells to further stimulation by the same agent. Although a 10-min pulse of a saturating concentration of hCG yields the same steroidogenic response as that elicited by continuous perifusion with saturating hCG, a pulse of a saturating concentration of oLH yields a steroidogenic response only when oLH is maintained in the perifusate. These data establish a substantial difference in the actions of hCG and oLH. The results could be explained by the higher apparent affinity of hCG for the gonadotropin receptor, such that, upon removal of hormone from the perifusate, oLH would be more readily eluted from the receptor. These findings support the hypothesis that oLH and hCG exert their stimulatory effects only while bound to the cell surface. (Endocrinology 108: 632, 1981)

Animals↗
PubMed1981

Contribution of subunits to the function of luteinizing hormone/human chorionic gonadotropin recombinants.

The alpha- and beta-subunits of hCG and of ovine and porcine LH were used to prepare all nine homologous and heterologous alpha beta-recombinants. EAch purified recombinant was assayed in vitro, using dispersed Leydig tumor cells derived from the M5480P tumor, for its ability to stimulate steroidogenesis and to inhibit [125I]iodo-hCG binding. It was found that the potency of a given recombinant in both assays was most similar to that of the hormone from which the beta-subunit was derived. For example, hCG and hCG beta-containing recombinants were invariably more potent than LH and LH beta-containing recombinants. However, within groups of recombinants containing a common beta-subunit, the alpha-subunit exhibited modulatory effects on the biological potencies. The different observed potencies did not result from alpha beta dissociation since the recombinants were stable in dilute solution at 37 C for periods greatly exceeding that of the assay conditions. LH and the LH beta-containing recombinants were found to dissociate more readily from the Leydig tumor cell gonadotropin receptor than hCG and hCG beta-containing recombinants. (These experiments were performed under conditions where internalization was minimal.) However, analogous to the potency measurements, the alpha-subunit contributed to the rate of dissociation. For example, in recombinants with a common beta-subunit, hCG alpha conferred the greatest stability to the hormone-receptor interaction. These results emphasize a positive relationship between receptor occupancy and biological potency. Whereas the beta-subunit of these gonadotropins seems to exhibit the predominant influence in determining potency, it is clear that both subunits contribute to biological activity. This could involve direct effects as well as induced conformational changes in the complementary subunit.

Animals↗
PubMed1980

Preparation and characterization of a novel group of pituitary-derived peptides stimulatory for DNA synthesis in fibroblasts.

Using [3H]thymidine incorporation into Balb/c 3T3 fibroblasts as an index of mitotic activity, several cationic growth-promoting peptide fractions of relatively low potency were identified and partially purified from bovine pituitaries. The most completely characterized fraction exhibited an isoelectric pH of 10.4, and gel exclusion chromatograms under non-denaturing conditions were consistent with a self-associating system. Gel exclusion chromatography in the presence of 6 M guanidine hydrochloride demonstrated that the major reduced and S-alkylated peptides comprising this fraction had molecular weights of 8400 and 9000, and there was no evidence of disulfides between these or other minor peptides. This was confirmed by polyacrylamide gel electrophoresis in the presence of sodium lauryl sulfate and urea. Two other active fractions, each with an isoelectric pH of 9.9, were found to have major reduced and S-alkylated peptides with molecular weights between 6400 and 13 000, and the chromatographic results suggested the presence of intramolecular disulfides. The peptides from all fractions had a relatively high percentage of basic amino acids (approx. 20%); lysine was predominant (10-17%) and histidine was relatively low (less than 1%). Based on various criteria including amino acid composition, molecular weight, isoelectric point, and biological assays, the mitogenic activity in these fractions does not appear to result from fibroblast growth factor. Thus, the pituitary seems to contain multiple cationic mitogenic peptides of low potency for fibroblasts in vitro and their target cells in vivo remain to be defined.

Animals↗
PubMed1980

Lipid composition and gonadotropin-mediated lipid metabolism of the M5480 murine Leydig cell tumor.

The effects of human choriogonadotropin (HCG) stimulation on lipid composition in the murine Leydig cell tumor M5480 grown subcutaneously were determined. The main lipids of the Leydig cell tumor were found to be largely triacylglycerols and phospholipids. Daily in vivo administration of human choriogonadotropin to tumor-bearing mice for 3 days increased the phospholipid content and altered the phospholipid composition of the tumors. There was no demonstrable change in the levels of triacylglycerols, cholesterol, and cholesteryl esters. HCG had no major effect on the fatty acid patterns of the major lipid fractions with the exception of cholesteryl esters, which had a decreased amount of arachidonic acid following HCG-treatment. Results of in vitro incubations of tumor cells prelabeled with [1-14C]arachidonate showed that the label was lost more rapidly from cholesteryl esters of HCG-treated cells than from control cells during (the 12-hour) incubation. Moreover, less [1-14C]acetate was incorporated into the cholesteryl ester fraction of hormone-treated cells than in control cells. HCG stimulated the activity of cholesteryl ester hydrolase in dispersed cells within 3 hours. These results demonstrate that an acute effect of HCG on tumor Leydig cell metabolism is to increase the metabolism of cholesteryl esters, probably by stimulating cholesteryl ester hydrolase activity. The long term effect is an accumulation of phospholipids which may be utilized for membrane synthesis.

Animals↗
PubMed1979

The carbohydrate moiety of human chorionic gonadotropin: lack of competition with HCG for testicular receptors and anti-HCG-serum.

A glycopeptide fraction has been prepared from human chorionic gonadotropin (HCG) by digesting the reduced, S-carboxymethylated hormone with pronase and fractionating the digest by gel exclusion chromatography. The glycopeptide fraction was estimated to contain (w/w) 29% sialic acid, 31% hexose, 23% hexosamine, and 17% amino acids and/or peptides; thus, the glycopeptide mixture is 83% carbohydrate compared to intact HCG which is about 30% carbohdyrate. There was no cross-reactivity of the glycopeptide fraction with an antiserum directed against HCG. Also, when corrected for minimal non-specific effects, the fraction failed to displace 125I-HCG from a rat testicular preparation even when tested at a 10,000-fold (w/w) excess. Thus, any model involving carbohydrate effects in gonadotropin action must include the protein moiety as a necessary component.

Binding, Competitive↗
PubMed1979

Cyclic nucleotide phosphodiesterase activity in 10-nm filaments and microtubule preparations from bovine brain.

Cyclic nucleotide phosphodiesterase activity (3':5'-cyclic-AMP 5'-nucleotidohydrolase, EC 3.1.4.17), which is activatable by Ca(2+)-dependent regulator protein (CDR), has been identified in cycled microtubule preparations from bovine brain. By using various methods to fractionate the microtubule preparation into subfractions (e.g., phosphocellulose chromatography to obtain purified 6S tubulin and soluble microtubule-associated proteins, and gel exclusion chromatography on Bio-Gel A-150m to obtain 10-nm filaments), we found that all the fractions exhibited some enzymic activity, but that most of the phosphodiesterase activity was localized in the 10-nm filament fraction. By using cyclic GMP as substrate, a specific activity of 921 +/- 168 pmol/mg of filament protein.min was determined. Also, 10-nm filaments were prepared directly from brain homogenates by differential centrifugation and gel exclusion chromatography. This fraction also contained phosphodiesterase activity but of slightly lower specific activity (752 +/- 9 pmol/mg of protein.min). The filament-associated enzymic activity was stable during storage (-70 degrees C) and to several salt extractions at moderate ionic strength (0.5 M); the latter finding indicates that the phosphodiesterase is not adsorbed to the filaments via nonspecific electrostatic interactions. Although a chelating agent was present in the initial homogenization buffer and generally in all buffers used in preparing fractions, an activator of a smooth muscle phosphodiesterase was released upon boiling the 10-nm filaments. This activator obtained in the boiled supernatant was Ca(2+)-sensitive, trifluoperazine-sensitive, and stimulated smooth muscle phosphodiesterase to nearly the same extent as purified (exogenous) CDR; thus, it probably represents filament-associated CDR.

3',5'-Cyclic-AMP Phosphodiesterases↗
PubMed1979

Heterogeneity of the human chorionic gonadotropin alpha-subunit secreted by cultured choriocarcinoma (JEG) cells.

The cultured human choriocarcinoma cell line, JEG-clone 3, secretes substantial quantities of both biologically active hCG and an immunoreactive alpha-subunit (JEG-alpha). This study is concerned with a comparative characterization, using RIA, of the chromatographic properties (via gel exclusion and isoelectric focusing) of JEG-alpha and standard urinary hCG-alpha. Most of the molecules comprising the JEG-alpha fraction have an apparent molecular weight greater than that of hCG-alpha. Both hCG-alpha and JEG-alpha exhibit heterogeneity on electrofocusing. However, JEG-alpha contains a major component with an isoelectric pH (pI) of 4.8; this is a minor component, if present at all, in hCG-alpha. The JEG-alpha pI 4.8 component chromatographs with an apparent molecular weight greater than hCG-alpha, while a minor JEG-alpha pI 7.0 component chromatographs with an apparent molecular weight similar to that of the standard. Heterogeneity is expected in the carbohydrate moieties of the glycoprotein hormone subunits. Results of studies on the incorporation of 14C- and 3H labeled amino acids into JEG-alpha suggest that heterogeneity also exists in the protein moiety of JEG-alpha. An interesting possibility is that the form(s) of JEG-alpha with larger apparent molecular weight represents a precursor of the alpha-subunit used to form hCG.

Biological Assay↗
PubMed1978

Inhibition of the degradation of receptor-bound human choriogonadotropin by lysosomotropic agents, protease inhibitors, and metabolic inhibitors.

A previous report from this laboratory showed that binding of iodine-labeled human choriogonadotropin to Leydig tumor cells is not a reversible process (Ascoli, M., and Puett, D. (1978) J. Biol. Chem. 253, 4892--4899). Most of the cell-bound hormone was found to be degraded to 3'-monoiodotyrosine before being released from the cells, and the degradation process could be inhibited by the lysosomotropic agents NH4Cl, chloroquine, and Triton WR-1339. It is reported herein that the degradation of receptor-bound human choriogonadotropin is an energy-dependent process, which can be inhibited by compounds that interfere with glycolysis or oxidative phosphorylation (e.g. NaF, NaN3, NaCN, and 2-deoxyglucose). Hormone degradation is also inhibited by some protease inhibitors such as the chloromethyl ketones of lysine and phenylalanine, but not by specific trypsin inhibitors (e.g. p-aminobenzamidine and p-tosyl-L-arginine methyl ester). With the exception of NH4Cl, it was found that the compounds which inhibit hormone degradation also inhibit hormone-stimulated steroidogenesis. However, the present results involving dose dependency, and those given in the following paper (Ascoli, M. (1978) J. Biol. Chem. 253, 7839--7843), indicate that these two phenomena are not related.

Ammonium Chloride↗
PubMed1978

Enzymatic fragmentation of tetanus toxin. Identification and characterization of an atoxic, immunogenic fragment.

Purified filtrate tetanus toxin was subjected to limited digestion with papain and the resulting fragments were separated by gel exclusion chromatography and characterized. One atoxic fragment was shown to react with antiserum against tetanus toxoid and was capable of inducing antibodies in rabbits that neutralized native tetanus toxin, The fragment had an estimated molecular weight of 56,000 by SDS polyacrylamide gel electrophoresis and 62,000 by sedimentation equilibrium. In the presence of a reducing agent, the fragment yielded two components with approximatec molecular weights of 23,000 and 32,000. Thus, it appears that the atoxic, immunogenic fragment is composed of two peptides joined by at least one disulfide bond. The fragment was examined by circular dichroism and data analysis indicated the presence of considerable beta-structure, but little, if any, alpha-helicity. This is significantly different from the estimates for filtrate toxin. 29% alpha-helicity and 23% beta-structure. Above 250 nm, the circular dichroic spectrum of the fragment was also distinct from that of intact toxin.

Amino Acids↗