Search PubMed⌕ Search

Biomedical subjects

F Solano

Publications and source records attributed to F Solano.

105 records · Page 6Linked to original sources

The existence of apotyrosinase in the cytosol of Harding-Passey mouse melanoma melanocytes and characteristics of enzyme reconstitution by Cu(II).

This paper reports the effect of Cu(II) supplementation on the tyrosinase isozymes from Harding-Passey mouse melanoma. The dopa-oxidase activity of the microsomal and soluble isozymes is increased by incubation with Cu(II), whereas the activity of the unique 'in vivo' melanin-forming isozyme, bound to melanosomes, is not. Other divalent cations are ineffective in increasing the dopa-oxidase activity of tyrosinases. These results indicate the existence of a mixture of tyrosinase and apotyrosinase in the cytosol of melanocytes before reaching the melanosome. The paucity of Cu(II) in the cytosol could be one of the mechanisms of regulation contributing to avoid the formation of melanin outside the melanosome. Some kinetic characteristics of the enzymatic reconstitution of soluble and microsomal isozymes by Cu(II) are also studied, and the results suggest that the glycosylation of apotyrosinase during its maturation yields a conformational change favouring the binding of Cu(II) at the enzyme active site, by lowering the activation energy of the reconstitution reaction.

Animals↗

The effect of polyamines on tyrosinase activity.

The effect of several polyamines on the activity of tyrosinase from different sources has been studied. Diaminoethane, 1,3-diaminopropane and putrescine activated tyrosinase from Harding-Passey mouse melanoma but did not activate frog epidermis or mushroom tyrosinases. 1,3-diaminopropane was the strongest activator (Ka = 0.23 mM). The activation was saturable and dependent on the ionic strength. Cadaverine, 1,6-diaminohexane and spermidine had no effect on any tyrosinase. However, spermine inhibited melanoma tyrosinase more than the mushroom and frog epidermis enzymes. These results show that the effect of polyamines on mammalian tyrosinase is due to direct enzyme-oligoamine interactions rather than to a nonspecific action on L-dopa oxidation products, and suggest that physiological polyamines might play a modulatory role on mammalian melanogenesis.

Animals↗

Intracellular calcium distribution in pigeon erythrocytes.

Subcellular compartmentation of calcium has been studied in digitonin-treated pigeon erythrocytes. The following calcium pools could be detected: A non-vesicular and tightly bound pool of calcium able to reach values equivalent to 5 mumol calcium/ml cells that required millimolar calcium concentrations. A vesicular calcium pool with high calcium affinity that had properties similar to mitochondrial calcium transport. Extracellularly added ATP was strongly hydrolyzed by intact pigeon erythrocytes in the presence of either magnesium or calcium. The hydrolysis of ATP was not coupled to fluxes of either 45Ca2+ or 86Rb+ and most probably took place inside the cells.

Adenosine Triphosphate↗

Comparative study of tyrosinases from different sources: relationship between halide inhibition and the enzyme active site.

The inhibition of tyrosinases from frog epidermis (Rana esculenta ridibunda), mushroom (Agaricus bisporus) and Harding-Passey mouse melanoma by halides is compared. In all cases, the inhibition is pH dependent, increasing when the pH decreases. The order of inhibition is I- greater than Br- greater than Cl- much greater than F- for frog epidermis tyrosinase, F- greater than I- greater than Cl- greater than Br- for mushroom tyrosinase and F- greater than Cl- much greater than Br- greater than I- for the mouse melanoma enzyme. These results are discussed in terms of the active site accessibility to exogenous ligands. The activation energies of the enzyme-catalysed L-dopa oxidation were also calculated, being the values 6.86, 17.01 and 20.25 kcal/mol for frog epidermis, mushroom and Harding-Passey mouse melanoma, respectively. A relationship between these values and the evolutionary adaptation of these enzymes is proposed.

Animals↗

Equilibrium between active and inactive forms of rat liver ornithine decarboxylase mediated by L-ornithine and salts.

The mechanisms controlling the activity of ornithine decarboxylase (ODC) are complex and only partly understood. This study shows that ODC can exist as two different aggregation states, that differ in catalytic activity, the dimeric form being active and the monomeric form inactive. While L-ornithine shifts the association-dissociation equilibrium to the dimeric form, salts produce an opposite effect leading to subunit dissociation. alpha-DFMO, an enzyme-activated irreversible inhibitor of ODC, does not react with the monomeric form and therefore the influence of substrate and salts on the aggregation equilibrium must be taken into account in titration experiments with alpha-DFMO of the total amount of ODC in tissue preparations.

Animals↗

Aggregation equilibria of tyrosinase of Harding-Passey mouse melanoma.

The purification of two isoenzymes of tyrosinase has been carried out in Harding-Passey mouse melanoma. One is found in the cytosol and the other one bound to melanosomes. Both migrate as single bands on sodium dodecyl sulphate/polyacrylamide gels, having an apparent Mr of 58 000. Solubilized particulate tyrosinase showed an aggregation equilibrium involving a monomer, tetramer, octamer and a high-Mr micellar form with Brij 35, the solubilizing agent. H.p.l.c. studies indicated a interconversion between those species, the monomer contribution increasing with the sample dilution. The tetramer and the octamer probably represent the predominant forms in vivo. Soluble tyrosinase showed a simpler aggregation equilibrium, involving two forms, monomer and tetramer, with the same interconversion pattern. Fluorescence studies suggested that tryptophan residues were exposed to the aqueous environment when tyrosinase was dissociated by dilution. Tyrosinase shows a tendency to aggregate, at low protein concentration, and a resistance to dissociation by urea or SDS so remarkable that gel-permeation chromatography in 4M-urea does not affect the equilibrium, and the band obtained on SDS/polyacrylamide-gel electrophoresis is a dimer.

Animals↗

Stimulation by calcium and carbamoylcholine of the ouabain-sensitive uptake of 86Rb+ in isolated rat pancreatic acinar cells.

The uptake of 86Rb+ was assayed in isolated rat pancreatic acinar cells to determine the effect of calcium and carbamoylcholine on the ouabain-sensitive and ouabain-insensitive components. The presence of calcium in the medium bathing the cells during the preincubation and the main incubation periods was needed to preserve in optimum conditions the uptake of 86Rb+, the stimulation by carbamoylcholine and the sensitivity to ouabain. In the presence of calcium, the ouabain-sensitive component of 86Rb+ uptake was higher than the ouabain-insensitive. The ouabain-sensitive component was 3-times lower in cells incubated in a medium lacking calcium and containing 1 mM EGTA, as compared to cells incubated in the presence of calcium. Carbamoylcholine, at 5 X 10(-4) M, stimulated the uptake of 86Rb+ and this effect depended on the presence of calcium in the bathing medium. Maximal stimulation by carbamoylcholine was reached at 0.2 mM calcium. The nett stimulation by carbamoylcholine was inhibited up to 85% by 1 mM ouabain. As judged by digitonin-disruption of plasma membrane, the above-indicated effects were limited to a cytoplasmic pool of 86Rb+ and a leaky plasma membrane could be ruled out. The results suggest that in rat pancreatic acinar cells, carbamoylcholine stimulated the ouabain-sensitive uptake of 86Rb+ and required the presence of calcium in the bathing medium.

Amylases↗

Regulation of the cytosolic and melanosome-bound tyrosinase activities in Harding-Passey mouse melanoma.

Mouse melanoma tyrosinases exist in the cytoplasm of melanocytes and also in a particulate form, bound to melanosomes. The cytosolic isoenzyme activity is not expressed in the melanocytes in vivo. One of the mechanisms for the activity regulation is the existence of a soluble inhibitor. This inhibition is non-competitive with regard to L-dopa. Particulate tyrosinase can be solubilized from the melanosome by several agents, Brij 35 and Triton X-100 being the most effective ones. Melanin accumulation in the organelle produces a competitive inhibition of the activity.

Animals↗

The involvement of histidine at the active site of Harding-Passey mouse melanoma tyrosinase.

The nature of the essential residues at the active site of Harding-Passey mouse melanoma tyrosinase has been explored by kinetic and photochemical modification studies. Km for L-dopa depends strongly on pH, so that acidic pH prevents the formation of the enzyme-substrate complex because the protonation of an enzyme group with a pKa of 6.6. Halide ions inhibit competitively the enzyme activity, being F the more potent one. This inhibition is also pH-dependent, showing the involvement of a protonatable group of the enzyme with apparent pKa ranging from 5.9 to 7.0. Tyrosinase has also been modified with visible light using Rose Bengal as photosensitizer, yielding a pH-dependent photoinactivation, characteristic of histidyl residues. All these results strongly support that histidine plays an important role in the dopa-oxidase activity of the enzyme, very probably acting as the ligand of copper at the active site of the enzyme.

Animals↗

FT-IR spectroscopy of natural melanins isolated from Harding-Passey mouse melanoma.

The alterations caused on the structure of melanins by acid and alkaline extraction methods were studied by means of techniques such as Fourier Transform Infrared spectroscopy and thermogravimetry. Acid extraction results in the hydrolysis of aromatic monomers of the pigment, leading to uncyclicized residues and to a less conjugated polymer. Alkaline methods catalyse the covalent binding of proteins present in the melanin extract, thus leading to melanoprotein artifacts. A new method based on the delipidation with ether and deproteinization with SDS of previously isolated melanosomes is proposed. This method shows that melanins present in Harding-Passey mouse melanoma have a bound protein moiety, so that they should exist "in vivo" as melanoprotein complexes. Thermogravimetric data suggest that the chromogen moiety of the melanoproteins in Harding-Passey mouse melanoma is a mixture of eu- and pheomelanins.

Animals↗

Kinetic study of the interaction between frog epidermis tyrosinase and chloride.

The effect of halide ions on frog epidermis tyrosinase has been characterized with the trypsin-activated enzyme. At pH 7, the order of inhibition is I- greater than Br- greater than Cl- greater than F-. Chloride, the most extensively studied halide, shows a competitive pattern with respect to the substrate, L-DOPA. Inhibition is strongly pH-dependent, with a pKa of 6.12 for the responsible protonatable group. Other kinetic constants are also calculated using a novel approach. The mechanism of interaction between chloride and the enzyme is discussed, and a model is proposed in which chloride interferes the tyrosinase activity by displacing a catalytically important ligand, probably a histidine residue of the side-chain, from the copper at the enzyme-active site.

Animals↗

Inhibition by analogues of L-tyrosine transport by B16/F10 melanoma cells.

The effect of a number of L-tyrosine (L-Tyr) analogues on L-Tyr uptake by B16/F10 malignant melanocytes is reported. This amino acid can be taken up by two of the most ubiquitous transport systems found in animals cells, L and presumably ASC. L-Tyr analogues devoid of the amino group, like p-hydroxyphenyl pyruvic acid and related compounds, and L-Tyr analogues devoid of the carboxyl group, such as tyramine, do not affect L-Tyr uptake. The other aromatic amino acids, L-Phe and L-Trp, and the L-Tyr analogues DL-m-Tyr, L-diiodotyrosine and L-dopa, strongly inhibit the uptake of L-Tyr. This suggests that these chemicals are transported more efficiently than L-Tyr. The ASC system does not show stereospecificity, but the L system has greater affinity for L-Tyr than for D-Tyr. The ASC system also has greater affinity for tyrosine isomers with the hydroxyl group in the ortho and meta positions. The presence of a methyl group at the alpha-carbon of L-Tyr and L-dopa also increases the affinity of the ASC system for these agents. In contrast, alpha-methylation decreases the affinity of the L system in comparison to L-Tyr. Finally, L-Tyr esters do not inhibit, but stimulate the transport of L-Tyr, mainly by the ASC system.

Amino Acid Transport Systems↗

Occurrence of melanin granules and melanosynthesis in the kidney of Sparus auratus.

An optical, ultrastructural, and biochemical study of the melanin accumulation nodules found in the kidney of the teleost fish Sparus auratus is presented. These nodules are randomly distributed in the interstitium of the renal tissue. They are formed by large aggregates of cells replete with melanin granules. The melanin granules occur singly or also in aggregates inside the cells. Most of the granules are electron-dense, but sometimes small electron-lucent spaces within them can be seen. Some secondary lysosomes and dendritic processes can also be observed. Biochemical studies have proved for the first time the existence of measurable tyrosinase activity in those nodules. That activity was assayed using three methods: tyrosine hydroxylation, dopa oxidation, and melanin formation. Furthermore, inhibitors of well-characterized plant and animal skin tyrosinases were effective agents for inhibiting those activities in fish kidney preparations. This finding supports the notion of the existence of true tyrosinase in the melanin accumulation nodules of this tissue. Taking into account the results obtained, the origin and functions of the melanin-containing cells found in the teleost fish kidney are discussed.

Animals↗

Effects of treatments with alpha-difluoromethylornithine and hyperthermia on the growth and polyamine metabolism of Harding-Passey murine melanoma.

The oral administration of alpha-difluoromethylornithine (DFMO), an enzyme-activated inhibitor of ornithine decarboxylase (ODC), produced a marked decrease in the rate of growth of amelanotic Harding-Passey melanoma transplanted in mice. The half-life of this compound in Harding-Pasey melanoma was 30 min. A combined treatment of DFMO and hyperthermia did not show any synergistic effect on the inhibition of tumor growth, and no differences in the levels of tumor ODC, S-Adenosylmethionine decarboxylase (SAMDC) and polyamines were observed between single and combination treatments. DFMO-treatment alone produced a decrease of about 80% in spermidine concentration in melanoma, while in other tissues such as kidney, the diminution of spermidine was only moderate. ODC activity was reduced greatly in the kidney and moderately in melanoma. However, the activity of SAMDC increased up to 30-fold in DFMO-treated melanoma, while only a moderate increase was observed in the renal enzyme. Melanoma tyrosinase activity did not increase with the treatment with DFMO. These results indicate that the inhibition of amelanotic Harding-Passey melanoma growth by DFMO is not caused by the stimulation of cell differentiation, and that in this system polyamine depletion caused by this drug does not produce an enhancement in the heat-induced cytotoxicity.

Animals↗