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I C Smith

Publications and source records attributed to I C Smith.

At least 91 records · Page 5Linked to original sources

Dynamics and orientation of glycolipid headgroups by 2H-NMR: gentiobiose.

Deuterium nuclear magnetic resonance has been used to investigate the dynamics and determine the orientation of the headgroup of the glycolipid 1,2-di-O-tetradecyl-3-O-(6-O-beta-D-glucopyranosyl-beta-D-glucopyranosyl )-sn- glycerol (beta-DTDGL), in aqueous multilamellar dispersions. In addition, its anomeric analog, having an alpha glucose-glycerol linkage, was prepared and examined. The lipids were labelled with deuterium at specific positions in the disaccharide moiety. Analysis of the deuterium quadrupolar splittings for the first glucose ring (glycerol-linked) gave segmental order parameters of 0.43 and 0.35 for the beta and alpha isomers, respectively. Both isomers had similar orientations of the sugar ring relative to the bilayer surface, as determined for lipid in the liquid-crystalline phase. 2H-NMR results for the lipid labelled at C-6' are consistent with a single conformation about the C-5'-C-6' bond of the first glucose residue, with a dihedral angle (O-5'-C-5'-C-6'-O-6') of -17 degrees. The results obtained for the second sugar ring suggest that two conformers may be present, which are in slow exchange on the 2H-NMR timescale. Measurements of longitudinal relaxation times, T1z, gave similar values for both sugar moieties in the headgroup, suggesting that the disaccharide does not exhibit the flexibility expected about the 1----6 linkage. Since T1z for 2H in these compounds decreases with increasing temperature and increases with magnetic field strength, the motion(s) dominating relaxation is in the long-correlation-time regime [omega 0 tau c)2 greater than 1). Thus, the gentiobiosyl headgroup undergoes the slowest motion of the glycolipid headgroups studied to date.

Calorimetry, Differential Scanning↗

Interactions of the local anesthetic tetracaine with glyceroglycolipid bilayers: a 2H-NMR study.

We have examined the effects of the local anesthetic tetracaine on the orientational and dynamic properties of glycolipid model membranes. We elected to study the interactions of tetracaine with the pure glycolipid 1,2-di-O-tetradecyl-3-O-(beta-D-glucopyranosyl)-sn-glycerol (beta-DTGL) and a mixture of beta-DTGL (20 mol%) in dimyristoylphosphatidylcholine (DMPC) by deuterium NMR (2H-NMR) spectroscopy. 2H-NMR spectra of beta-DTGL have been measured as a function of temperature in the presence of both the charged (pH 5.5) and uncharged forms (pH 9.5) of tetracaine. The results indicate that the anesthetic induces the formation of non-lamellar phases. Specifically, the incorporation of uncharged tetracaine results in the formation of a hexagonal phase which is stable from 52 to 60 degrees C. At lower pH, the spectrum at 52 degrees C is very reminescent of that of the beta-glucolipid alone in a bilayer environment, while as the temperature is elevated to 60 degrees C, a transition from a spectrum indicative of axial symmetry to one due to nearly isotropic motion or symmetry occurs, which may result from the formation of a cubic phase. Although it leads to an alteration in the phase behavior, the presence of tetracaine does not induce large changes in the headgroup orientation of beta-DTGL. In contrast to the pure glycolipid situation, the interaction of tetracaine with beta-DTGL (20 mol%) in DMPC does not trigger the formation of non-lamellar phases, but leads to a slight reduction in molecular ordering. The presence of the charged form of the local anesthetic near the aqueous interface of the bilayer appears to induce a small change in the conformation about the C2-C3 bond of the glycerol backbone of beta-DTGL in the mixed lipid system. Thus, the major influence of the local anesthetic on glycolipids is a change in the stability of the lamellar phase, facilitating conversion to phases with hexagonal or isotropic environments for the lipid molecules.

Chemical Phenomena↗

Glycolipid membrane surface structure: orientation, conformation, and motion of a disaccharide headgroup.

The orientation of the disaccharide headgroup of a lactose-containing lipid, 3-O-(4-O-beta-D-galactopyranosyl-beta-D-glucopyranosyl)-1,2-di-O-tetrade cyl-sn- glycerol (DTLL), relative to the surface of bilayer membranes has been determined via 2H NMR. The lactosyl headgroup is extended away from the membrane surface into the aqueous phase. The headgroup motion has axial symmetry as evidenced by the spectral line shape and order parameter tensor. 2H NMR of oriented multibilayers of DTLL confirms that the director of motional averaging is the bilayer normal. The two sugar residues have segmental order parameters S (glucose, 0.53; galactose, 0.51) which indicate that the headgroup fluctuates about the bilayer normal as a rigid unit. 2H spin-lattice relaxation times T1z for deuterons on each of the two sugar rings are similar, indicating further that there is no substantial motion about the disaccharide linkage within the headgroup. The magnitude of the relaxation times (4 ms) suggests that the rigid body motions of the headgroup are approaching the Larmor frequency; however, they increase with increasing temperature, indicating that the motions are rapid enough to be in the fast motional regime (omega o2 tau c2 less than 1). The conformation about the galactose-glucose intersaccharide linkage, calculated from the 2H NMR data, is shown to differ substantially from those found in X-ray diffraction studies of crystalline lactose and high-resolution NMR studies of methyl lactoside in nonviscous solution. The orientations of the hydroxymethyl groups in the headgroup have been calculated from the 2H NMR data. For the galactosyl residue the data are consistent with the presence of more than one rotamer about the C5"-C6" bond which are in fast exchange on the 2H NMR time scale. The hydroxymethyl group of the glucose residue exists in two rotameric forms about the C5'-C6' bond which have relative populations of ca. 2:1 and which are in slow exchange on the 2H NMR time scale (10(-5) s). The two rotamers differ from those deduced from X-ray crystallography of crystalline lactose and 13C NMR studies of methyl lactoside in solution.

Carbohydrate Conformation↗

1H magnetic resonance of human tumours. Analysis of the transverse relaxation of the methylene protons using continuous distributions of relaxation times.

In tumours, the decay of 1H transverse magnetization (relaxation profile) of the methylene resonances is usually not a single exponential. The conventional sum-of-exponentials approximation often leads to several solutions which fit the experimental data; choosing one solution over another is highly subjective. We have therefore analyzed transverse relaxation data for the methylene resonance of lipids in human tumours, assuming a continuous distribution of relaxation times. We have studied 89 colon tumours (27 with metastasis), 12 'normal' colon tissues, 40 breast tumours (24 with metastasis) and 13 malignant lymph nodes. All were primary tumours and the patients had received no previous treatment. Two continuous distribution approximations were tested. The two-parameter lognormal distribution provides a simple representation of the relaxation profile. The constrained regularization method (Contin) complements and extends the lognormal approach. The average T2 values, mean value of T2, whether derived from the lognormal or the Contin approximations, are consistent and comparable. Tumour and 'normal' colon tissue taken from the same patient show important differences in relaxation behaviour. A considerable broadening of the lognormal distribution, with mean value of T2 shifted to shorter values, is observed for the colon tumours. This is verified by the constrained regularization method. The 'normal' colon tissues are usually characterized by a single, relatively narrow distribution, while tumours show one or more broad peaks. A substantial broadening of the distribution of relaxation times is observed in colon tumours, whether metastasized or not. A similar broadening is noted for breast tumours and malignant lymph nodes, although the range is slightly less than for colon tumours.(ABSTRACT TRUNCATED AT 250 WORDS)

Breast Neoplasms↗

Forebrain ischemia studied using magnetic resonance imaging and spectroscopy.

A combination of magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) and magnetic resonance spectroscopy (MRS) has been used to follow the time course of changes resulting from forebrain ischemia in the rat. The 31P MRS demonstrates that the level of high energy metabolites decreases significantly during the 10 min ischemic period but returns to normal after 1 h of reperfusion. MRI shows no change after 1 h of reperfusion but significant changes in the striatum after 24 h and in the hippocampus after 48 h. These changes correlate well with histopathology. Diabetic rats have shown the effect of hyperglycemia in accentuation of ischemic and post ischemic pH changes. Conversely, diabetic rats maintained severely hypoglycemic with insulin showed little variation in pH during or following the ischemic insult. The results emphasize the importance of both MRS and MRI in following the temporal profile and distribution of ischemic neuronal injury.

Animals↗

The importance of phospholipase A2 in the early induction by crotoxin of biphasic changes in endplate potentials at the frog neuromuscular junction.

In Ca2+-Ringer, crotoxin induced a rapid fall in amplitude of endplate potentials followed by a marked secondary rise but, in Ca2+-free, Sr2+-EGTA Ringer, crotoxin failed to elicit either response. In Ca2+-washout experiments, the onset of giant miniature endplate potentials indicated that binding of crotoxin occurred in Sr2+-EGTA Ringer. Facilitation of endplate potential amplitude due to a closely spaced twin impulse was increased to 162% of control near the peak of the crotoxin-induced secondary phase. These findings are consistent with the phospholipase A2 subunit acting specifically at the active zone.

Animals↗

Magnetic resonance spectroscopy in biology and medicine.

Magnetic resonance spectroscopy has developed from a standard tool of the chemist into a very promising modality for clinical and analytical evaluation of human pathophysiology. We present a brief outline of the method and its parameters, as well as a series of examples of its application. Anatomical imaging is also discussed.

Animals↗

Amino acid efflux in the isolated perfused rat pancreas: trans-stimulation by extracellular amino acids.

1. Epithelial uptake and efflux of the non-metabolized system A analogue 2-methylaminoisobutyric acid (MeAIB) and L-serine were studied in the isolated perfused rat pancreas using a dual tracer loading and wash-out technique. Uptakes of 2-[14C]MeAIB and L-[3H]serine were measured relative to D-[3H or 14C]mannitol (extracellular tracer) during a 20 min cell loading period. Maximal uptake for MeAIB (34 +/- 2%, n = 6) occurred within 2-3 min and decreased to 14 +/- 2% after 20 min tracer loading. Uptake for L-serine reached a maximum (62 +/- 4%, n = 7) within 1 min and decreased to 19 +/- 2% after 20 min tracer loading. 2. When tracer wash-out was monitored during subsequent perfusion of the preloaded pancreas with an isotope-free solution, D-mannitol predominantly cleared from a fast exchanging compartment (0.54 +/- 0.05 ml g-1, n = 9) with a time constant (Tfast) of 0.68 +/- 0.04 min. Although MeAIB and L-serine exhibited similar fast phases of wash-out, a much larger efflux occurred from a slowly exchanging pool with respective time constants (Tslow) of 15.47 +/- 0.45 min (n = 6) and 5.98 +/- 0.46 min (n = 7). 3. A rapid vascular challenge of the pancreas with 100 mM-L-serine transiently accelerated cellular efflux of 2-[14C]MeAIB and L-[3H]serine without affecting wash-out of D-[14C]mannitol. Tracer efflux following cell loading with 2-[14C]MeAIB or L-[3H]serine was not stimulated by a challenge with 100 mM-MeAIB. 4. The time course of amino acid evoked 2-[14C]MeAIB and L-[3H]serine efflux paralleled the extracellular dilution profile of a vascular stimulus, suggesting that the acceleration of efflux was due to trans-stimulation. 5. Trans-stimulation of 2-[14C]MeAIB and L-[3H]serine efflux by a further twenty-two naturally occurring and three synthetic amino acids was then examined. L-Proline, N-methyl-DL-alanine, L-lysine and D-lysine selectively stimulated MeAIB efflux. Efflux of both tracer amino acids was accelerated by aminoisobutyric acid (AIB), L-serine, L-alanine, L-cysteine, L-threonine, glycine, branched-chain and large neutral amino acids, but affected negligibly by D-alanine, beta-alanine, MeAIB, L-arginine, L-aspartate, L-glutamate, taurine or D-mannitol. 6. In summary, we have characterized amino acid exchange mechanisms in the isolated pancreas and conclude that efflux of intracellular amino acids from pancreatic acinar cells may be mediated by at least two transporters with differing specificity for extracellular amino acids.(ABSTRACT TRUNCATED AT 400 WORDS)

Aminoisobutyric Acids↗

Preservation of high-energy phosphates in human myocardium. A phosphorus 31-nuclear magnetic resonance study of the effect of temperature on atrial appendages.

After prolonged exposure to low temperatures (1 degree and 4 degrees C), human atrial trabeculae show poor recovery of contraction. At somewhat higher temperatures (12 degrees and 20 degrees C), recovery is much better (Keon and associates. Ann Thorac Surg 1988;46:337-41). Although better preservation of adenosine triphosphate and therefore improved contractile recovery might be expected after exposure to lower temperatures, it remained possible that, below a certain temperature, adenosine triphosphate-generating mechanisms could be slowed more than adenosine triphosphate utilization. To investigate this phenomenon further, we followed the time course of metabolic changes in human atrial appendages, harvested during cardiac bypass operations, at 1 degree, 4 degrees, 12 degrees, and 20 degrees C using high-resolution 31P and 1H nuclear magnetic resonance spectroscopy. The results are quantitated by correlation with data obtained from biochemical assays on quick-frozen tissues. Initial adenosine triphosphate levels in myocytes of human atrial appendages are 3.3 to 4.3 mumol.gm-1 tissue wet weight. At 20 degrees C, adenosine triphosphate disappears after 6 hours; at 12 degrees C, about half the initial adenosine triphosphate is still observable at this time; at 4 degrees C or 1 degree C, the decline is still slower. Only a small contribution toward adenosine triphosphate maintenance comes from creatine phosphate, since creatine phosphate, inorganic phosphate, and total creatine levels in the appendage are low (less than 2 mumol.gm-1 tissue wet weight). Glycolysis is active at all temperatures; the rate of glycolysis correlates positively with increasing temperature. Adenosine triphosphate generated by glycolysis falls just short of demand at all temperatures, but the difference is small at 1 degree and 4 degrees C. These studies lead us to conclude that the relatively poor recovery of contractile response of human atrial trabeculae, together with contracture reported previously at lower temperatures (1 degree and 4 degrees C), is not due to a failure to maintain adenosine triphosphate levels.

Adenosine Triphosphate↗

Effects of the local anesthetic tetracaine on the structural and dynamic properties of lipids in model membranes: a high-pressure Fourier transform infrared study.

High-pressure Fourier transform infrared (FT-IR) spectroscopy was used to study the effects of a local anesthetic, tetracaine, on the structural and dynamic properties of lipids in model membranes. The model membrane systems studied were multilamellar aqueous dispersions of 1,2-dimyristoyl-sn-glycero-3-phosphocholine (DMPC) and 1,2-di-O-hexadecyl-sn-glycero-3-phosphocholine (DHPC) in the absence and presence of a physiological concentration of cholesterol (30 mol %). The infrared spectra were measured at 28 degrees C in a diamond anvil cell as a function of pressure up to 25 kbar. The results indicate that the effects of tetracaine on the structure of pure DMPC bilayers in the gel state are dependent on the state of charge of the anesthetic. The uncharged tetracaine disorders the lipid acyl chains while the charged form induces the formation of an interdigitated gel phase. The presence of cholesterol in the latter system prevents the formation of the interdigitated phase, whereas in the former system it disorders the lipid acyl chains in the gel state. Moreover, it is shown that the addition of uncharged tetracaine to interdigitated DHPC bilayers does not alter the interdigitated state of the hydrocarbon chains.

Cholesterol↗

Interactions of the local anesthetic tetracaine with membranes containing phosphatidylcholine and cholesterol: a 2H NMR study.

The interactions of the local anesthetic tetracaine with multilamellar dispersions of 1,2-dimyristoyl-sn-glycero-3-phosphocholine (DMPC) and cholesterol have been investigated by deuterium nuclear magnetic resonance of specifically deuteriated tetracaines, DMPC and cholesterol. Experiments were performed at pH 5.5, when the anesthetic is primarily charged, and at pH 9.5, when it is primarily uncharged. The partition coefficients of the anesthetic in the membrane have been measured at both pH values for phosphatidylcholine bilayers with and without cholesterol. The higher partition coefficients obtained at pH 9.5 reflect the hydrophobic interactions between the uncharged form of the anesthetic and the hydrocarbon region of the bilayer. The lower partition coefficients for the DMPC/cholesterol system at both pH values suggest that cholesterol, which increases the order of the lipid chains, decreases the solubility of tetracaine into the bilayer. For phosphatidylcholine bilayers, it has been proposed [Boulanger, Y., Schreier, S., & Smith, I. C. P. (1981) Biochemistry 20, 6824-6830] that the charged tetracaine at low pH is located mostly at the phospholipid headgroup level while the uncharged tetracaine intercalates more deeply into the bilayer. The present study suggests that the location of tetracaine in the cholesterol-containing system is different from that in pure phosphatidylcholine bilayers: the anesthetic sits higher in the membrane. An increase in temperature results in a deeper penetration of the anesthetic into the bilayer. Moreover, the incorporation of the anesthetic into DMPC bilayers with or without cholesterol results in a reduction of the lipid order parameters both in the plateau and in the tail regions of the acyl chains, this effect being greater with the charged form of the anesthetic.

Cholesterol↗

Structure and dynamics of alpha-tocopherol in model membranes and in solution: a broad-line and high-resolution NMR study.

Nuclear magnetic resonance has been applied to study the conformational dynamics of alpha-tocopherol (vitamin E) in solution and in model membranes. In nonviscous solution, 1H nuclear magnetic resonance (NMR) showed that alpha-tocopherol is in rapid equilibrium between two or more puckered conformers of its heterocyclic ring. The most likely conformers to be so involved are the two half-chair forms. Deuterium NMR spectra of specifically deuteriated alpha-tocopherol in multilamellar dispersions of egg phosphatidylcholine, measured in the liquid-crystalline state, were characteristic of axially symmetric motional averaging. The orientation of the rotational axis within the molecular framework was determined. Studies on oriented multilamellar membranes revealed that this axis is perpendicular to the surface of the membrane. The profile of quadrupolar splittings along the hydrophobic tail does not have a plateau, in contrast to that of the fatty acyl chains of the membrane lipids. Longitudinal relaxation times (T1) were short. The presence of a minimum in their temperature dependence shows that molecular motion with an effective correlation time tau eff approximately equal to 3 X 10(-9)s is responsible for relaxation. However, the temperatures and absolute values of the minima depend on the position of the deuterium in the molecule, demonstrating that tau eff represents a complex blend of motions.

Deuterium↗

1H and 13C NMR studies of tissue from normal and diseased mice. Analysis of T1 and T2 relaxation profiles of triglycerides in liver.

The study was initiated to gain a better understanding of the manifestation of disease in the lipid dynamics in tissue. We have performed high resolution 13C and 1H NMR relaxation measurements on the observable lipid resonances in liver and adipose tissue, excised from mice which were normal fed, normal fasted, and infected with the malarial parasite Plasmodium berghei. We have observed that, although the parasite does not invade the hepatocytes, the composition of the liver lipids changes along with nutritional status and disease state. Analysis of the liver lipids using gas chromatography showed that in all cases studied (normal or malarial, fed or fasted) the phospholipid content of the liver remains constant. The triglyceride content, however, shows an increase of up to fourfold in both 24-hour fasted controls and highly parasitized mice. The fatty acid compositions of the triglycerides in 24-hour fasted normal and highly parasitized mice are altered, when compared with fed controls or with mice having a low level of infection. The unsaturation index increases twofold. The 13C T1 experiments on the methylene and olefinic resonances of liver give a single exponential decay. The value for a particular carbon is independent of the origin of the tissue, the nutritional status or the disease state of the animal. In contrast, both 1H and 13C T2 relaxation of the methylene and olefinic carbon resonances can generally be best analyzed as the sum of two exponential decays (based on an F-test). The 13C T2 values and the pre-exponential weighting factors are independent of the origin of the tissue examined. The T2 data could also be analyzed in terms of a distribution of relaxation times, a physically more realistic model. Lastly, our results suggest that the 1H and 13C resonances of lipids in the cells of diseased or normal liver tissues do not give rise to "long" T2 values, as have been observed in cancer cells with metastatic potential.

Animals↗

The use of immobilized ferrite to enhance the depth selectivity of in vivo surface coil NMR spectroscopy.

Ferrite particles immobilized on a flexible support and arranged in a specific pattern will produce localized gradients in the homogeneous B0 magnetic field. The screening gradients are strong enough to cause inhomogeneous broadening of the NMR signals arising from the region of a specimen which is adjacent to the ferrite particles. This technique allows improvement of the depth selectivity in non-invasive surface coil NMR spectroscopy while optimizing both the signal-to-noise ratio and the data acquisition time of in vivo NMR experiments. The ferrite screen method also facilitates the routine application of high resolution NMR pulse sequences to in vivo experiments. The technique is readily implemented without special hardware or software and displays a great versatility in the size, shape and depth of the screening effect.

Animals↗

Synthesis and characterization of deoxy analogues of diphytanylglycerol phospholipids.

Novel analogues of diphytanyl phospholipids, 2,3-diphytanyl sn-1-glycerol-1-phosphoryl-1'-(1',3'-propanediol) (dPG), 2,3-diphytanyl-sn-glycerol-1-phosphoryl-1'-propanol (ddPG) and 2,3-diphytanyl-sn-glycerol-1-phosphoryl-1'-(1',3'-propanediol-3'-p hosphate) (dPGP), were synthesized according to modifications of previously published procedures. The samples were TLC and analytically pure and were characterized by 13C- and 1H-NMR and negative FAB/MS. The pK values of dPGP in aqueous dispersions or in methanol/water (1:1, v/v) were determined by potentiometric titration and compared with those of 2,3-diphytanyl-sn-glycerol-1-phosphoryl-3'-sn-glycerol-1'-phosphat e (PGP). The dissociation constant of the third ionizable POH group of dPGP was more than 2 pK units higher than that of PGP, indicating that the free glycerol hydroxyl group plays an important role in headgroup conformation and stabilization, perhaps through hydrogen bonding with the phosphate group(s).

Chemical Phenomena↗