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Biomedical subjects

G Dallner

Publications and source records attributed to G Dallner.

At least 127 records · Page 7Linked to original sources

Ubiquinone biosynthesis by the microsomal fraction from rat liver.

The distribution and biosynthesis of ubiquinone were investigated in vivo in rats and using liver slices. In addition to mitochondria, Golgi vesicles and lysosomes also contain large amounts of this lipid, and even the plasma membrane, peroxisomes and microsomes demonstrate easily measurable amounts. The spectral and chromatographic properties of microsomal ubiquinone were identical to those of its mitochondrial counterpart. When pentane was used to deplete beef heart submitochondrial particles of ubiquinone, NADH and succinate oxidase activities could be restored by reincorporation of microsomal ubiquinone. Injection of [3H]mevalonate into the portal vein of rats and incubation of liver slices with [3H]mevalonate and [3H]- and [14C]tyrosine demonstrated that labeling of mitochondrial ubiquinone was initially much lower than labeling of the microsomal lipid. Furthermore, intraportal injection of [3H]mevalonate resulted in the rapid appearance of labeled ubiquinone in the blood. These results indicate that ubiquinone is synthesized not only in mitochondria, but also on the endoplasmic reticulum of rat liver.

Animals↗

In vitro and in vivo synthesis of dolichol and other main mevalonate products in various organs of the rat.

The relative rate of biosynthesis of dolichol from [3H]mevalonate in nine rat organs was studied in slices and in the whole animal. This biosynthesis was also compared to that of cholesterol and ubiquinone. All tissues examined are able to synthesize dolichol, as well as ubiquinone and cholesterol. Comparison of the data from slices in vitro with the in vivo studies demonstrated relatively good agreement for dolichol and ubiquinone synthesis. Although dolichol of high specific radioactivity was recovered in the blood, redistribution between organs, such as occurs with cholesterol, appears to be insignificant. The highest rates of dolichol biosynthesis were found in kidney, spleen and liver. On the other hand, muscle makes the largest contribution to total body dolichol synthesis. Newly synthesized dolichol also appears in the bile, but excretion by this route is far from sufficient to account for dolichol turnover. Incorporation of mevalonate into the final products is mainly dependent on biosynthetic activity. For comparison of the biosynthetic rates in different organs, possible sources of errors (such as variations in the size of the precursor pool, limitation by the rate of precursor uptake or non-linear incorporation) were investigated the size of the mevalonate pool in various organs. Equilibration of this pool with exogenous mevalonate is a rapid and passive process. The size of the mevalonate pool does not determine the rates of cholesterol and dolichol biosynthesis, indicating the presence of regulatory steps in the terminal portion of these biosynthetic pathways.

Adipose Tissue↗

The alpha-saturation and terminal events in dolichol biosynthesis.

Incubations of 10,000 X g supernatant from rat liver with [3H]mevalonate were performed and the labeling of polyprenols was studied. It was demonstrated that factors like pH, substrate concentration, and presence of detergent not only greatly influence the total incorporation but also the relative distribution of radioactivity among the isoprenologues. The synthesis was shown to be extremely sensitive to Triton X-100. Substrate concentrations of 1 and 100 microM mostly gave polyprenols with 18 and 20 isoprenes, respectively. At a given substrate concentration, pH 6.5 resulted in shorter polyprenols than did pH 7.5. Ozonolytic fragmentation demonstrated that in the initial phase of incubation, polyprenols are elongated by 1 isoprene residue and saturated to give dolichols. No substantial dephosphorylation of polyprenyl phosphates to the free alcohol occurred. The production of dolichol in vitro was shown to utilize NADH for the saturation event. This seemed to occur concomitantly with the synthesis. alpha-Saturation of polyprenyl-P could not be achieved with the procedures employed. It is proposed that the synthesis of dolichol and dolichyl-P do not share the same terminal steps; saturation and terminal isoprene condensation occur in cooperation; and substrate concentration and pH influence the terminal enzyme(s) and the nature of the final product in the polyprenol biosynthesis.

Animals↗

Separation and quantitation of dolichyl esters by high-performance liquid chromatography.

An HPLC procedure for the isolation and quantitation of total and individual dolichyl esters in tissues has been developed. The purified lipid extracts are subjected to sequential reversed-phase, straight-phase, and reversed-phase HPLC, which yield complete resolution and high recovery of the individual dolichyl esters. The isoprenoid distribution in the esterified fraction was similar to that of the free alcohol fraction in liver, kidney, and spleen. All fatty acids present in the total fraction were also recovered in all the individual polyisoprenoids. Dolichyl esters thus appear to differ from other lipid esters in tissues in containing a broader range of fatty acids.

Animals↗

Changes in hepatic dolichol and dolichyl monophosphate caused by treatment of rats with inducers of the endoplasmic reticulum and peroxisomes and during ontogeny.

Rats were treated with various inducers of the endoplasmic reticulum and peroxisomes and the properties and distributions of dolichol and dolichyl phosphate analyzed. The treatment of rats with carcinogenic agents 2-acetylaminofluorene, N-nitrosodiethylamine and 3-methylcholanthrene and with the compounds such as phenobarbital, terpentine, cholestyramine and di(2-ethylhexyl)phthalate have all caused changes in the microsomal or lysosomal contents of dolichol to various extents, but only the latter group influenced dolichyl-P concentration. Shortly after birth, the hepatic content of dolichyl-P reaches the adult level, whereas the level of the free alcohol is low at birth but increases continuously thereafter. Incorporation of [3H]mevalonate into dolichol was also dependent on factors other than de novo synthesis, e.g., the pool size. Rates of glycosylation reactions dependent on dolichyl-P exhibit considerable changes but are independent of the existing levels of lipid intermediate. GDP-mannosyl transferase activity increases greatly with birth, but the enzyme activity returns to the adult level within a day after birth. These results demonstrate that structural and functional modifications induced with drugs can greatly influence the content and distribution of dolichol which are independent of the existing levels of dolichyl-P.

2-Acetylaminofluorene↗

Distribution of dolichol and dolichyl phosphate in human brain.

Autopsy material from deceased individuals between ages 2 and 90 was used to prepare cerebellum, pons, and other selected regions of the brain, the spinal cord, and peripheral nerves. The concentration of dolichol in these different tissues varied greatly and the increase in concentration during the life span varied between 2.5- and 21-fold. In contrast, dolichyl-phosphate (dolichyl-P) was more evenly distributed in these tissues and its concentration increased to a moderate extent only during childhood. The level of cholesterol displayed smaller regional differences and decreased about 15% between ages 35 and 90. Differences in the total phospholipid content were limited. These results demonstrate enrichment and individual regulation of various lipids in specialized regions of the human brain. The independent regulation of dolichol and dolichyl-P levels in the brain and the possible role of dolichol in the function of the aging nerve cell are also emphasized.

Adolescent↗

Effects of prolonged administration of phthalate ester on the liver.

Di(2-ethylhexyl)phthalate (DEHP) was administered to male rats in the diet at concentrations of 2.0, 0.2, and 0.02% for up to 102 weeks. Low doses resulted in moderate increases in certain hepatic enzymes during the initial phase of exposure and in a continuous increase in the activities of these same enzymes throughout the treatment period. An increased level of dolichol and decreased concentration of dolichyl-P were observed. Furthermore, the rate of protein glycosylation diminished. Liver biopsies from patients subjected to hemodialysis demonstrated an increased number of peroxisomes. Phthalate ester seems to interfere with protein turnover, so that the half-life of total mitochondrial and microsomal protein is considerably increased.

Acyl-CoA Dehydrogenase↗

Dolichyl phosphate induces non-bilayer structures, vesicle fusion and transbilayer movement of lipids: a model membrane study.

The effect of dolichol and dolichyl phosphate on fusion between large unilamellar vesicles comprised of 1,2-dioleoyl-sn-glycero-3-phosphocholine (DOPC) and 1,2-dioleoyl-sn-glycero-3-phosphoethanolamine (DOPE) was studied using a fluorescence resonance energy transfer assay. The influence of dolichyl phosphate on the transbilayer movement of DOPC in multilamellar vesicles (MLV) and large unilamellar vesicles (LUV) composed of DOPC and DOPE (1:2) was investigated by using the phosphatidylcholine-specific transfer protein. 31P-NMR and freeze-fracture electron microscopy were employed to study the macroscopic organization of DOPC and DOPE containing model membranes in the absence or presence of dolichyl phosphate. The results indicate that both dolichol and dolichyl phosphate enhance vesicle fusion in a comparable and concentration-dependent way; the amount of exchangeable PC from MLVs is increased by dolichyl phosphate, probably as a result of fusion processes; dolichyl phosphate destabilizes the bilayer organization in MLVs comprised of DOPE and DOPC, resulting in the formation of hexagonal (HII) phase and 'lipidic' particles.

Diterpenes↗

Inhibition of dolichyl phosphate biosynthesis by compactin in cultured rat hepatocytes.

Isolated rat hepatocytes were cultured in monolayer for about 24 h. During this period the cells exhibited constant protein and lipid synthesis. When the culture medium contained compactin, a competitive inhibitor of the 3-hydroxyl-3-methylglutary-coenzyme-A reductase, dolichyl-P synthesis was inhibited by 91% at the end of the incubation, as estimated by the incorporation of [3H]acetate and by 77% as estimated by the incorporation of 32Pi. These results indicate that in primary cultures of rat hepatocytes dolichyl monophosphate is mainly synthesized through a de novo process, while phosphorylation through the CTP-mediated kinase is of limited functional importance.

Acetates↗

Effectivity of dolichyl phosphates with different chain lengths as acceptors of nucleotide activated sugars.

Chemical synthesis of different S-forms of dolichyl-P was performed in order to investigate the use of these polyprenes in mannosyl, glucosyl and glucosaminyl transferase reactions. Determination of the Vmax values for a series of dolichyl-P demonstrated that the velocities of transferase reactions with all those dolichyl-P derivatives present in animal tissues are largely the same. The apparent Km values for the various dolichyl-P in the transferase system studied differed, but this property does not appear to have physiological importance.

Animals↗

The influence of prolonged di(2-ethylhexyl)phthalate treatment on the dolichol and dolichyl-P content of rat liver.

Dolichols and glycosyl transferase activities were studied in rat liver fractions after treatment with the plasticizer di(2-ethylhexyl)phthalate, an inducer of peroxisomes and mitochondria. After a few weeks of treatment with 2% plasticizer in the diet, the amount of dolichol is more than doubled in the lysosomes but not in the microsomes while dolichyl-P decreased by 50% in the microsomes but not in the lysosomes. The isoprenoid pattern for dolichol and dolichyl-P, respectively, is modified to longer polyprenols in the two fractions as seen in the percent distribution of the individual isoprenes. Dolichyl-P and protein glycosylation by N-acetylglucosamine and mannose decreased considerably. Incubation with mixtures containing exogenous dolichyl-P did not increase protein glycosylation. Phthalate ester treatment for 2 years increased dolichol content above the control values even when the dose was decreased a hundred times, to 0.02%. The results demonstrate a compartmentalization of dolichol and dolichyl-P distribution, and the induction studies suggest that hepatocytes possess separate regulating mechanisms for these two compounds.

Animals↗

Influence of cyclosporin A treatment on intracellular membranes of hepatocytes.

The effect of cyclosporin A treatment on rat hepatocytes was investigated using both short and prolonged exposure to the drug. During a 5-week period of high dose treatment. body weight, liver weight, protein content, and phospholipid content decreased somewhat, while the protein per phospholipid ratio in the isolated mitochondrial, microsomal, and peroxisomal fractions remained unchanged. Mitochondrial cytochrome oxidase activity increased considerably, and carnitine acetyl transferase decreased. The respiratory control ratio was completely intact and the level of oxidative phosphorylation was unchanged. The two microsomal electron transport chains exhibited inverse behavior: the NADH oxidizing system increased while the NADPH counterpart decreased. Contrary to the known peroxisomal inducers, cyclosporin A decreases beta oxidation of fatty acids in addition to catalase and urate oxidase activities in isolated peroxisomes which may suggest an inhibition of certain steps in protein synthesis. When rats were treated with lower doses of cyclosporin A over a 15-month period, we observed effects that were similar in several aspects to the ones obtained after the shorter period of exposure.

Animals↗

Dolichol and dolichyl phosphate in human tissues.

The content of dolichol and dolichyl phosphate in various human organs was analysed using autopsy samples. The reliability of these measurements was demonstrated by comparison with values for fresh biopsy material. Dolichol was present in all tissues investigated and the content was highest in the adrenal gland, pancreas, pituitary gland, testis and thyroid gland, ranging between 1.5 and 7.1 mg/g tissue. Dolichyl-P was detected in the various organs in highly variable amounts, ranging between 1 and 9% of the total dolichol content. While the main pattern of isoprene composition for dolichol and dolichyl-P was similar in individual organs, some variation was observed between tissues. Dolichol represents the largest lipid component in the pituitary gland, exceeding the total phospholipid content. The high concentrations of dolichol and dolichyl-P in human organs indicate that these lipids may play important roles in physiological and pathological cellular functions.

Adrenal Glands↗