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Biomedical subjects

J Rosenbloom

Publications and source records attributed to J Rosenbloom.

At least 181 records · Page 10Linked to original sources

Immunologic localization of elastin by electron microscopy.

Research on the pathogenesis of experimental emphysema has involved studies of the distribution of and destruction of elastin in the alveolar interstitium. The ill-defined organization of elastin in the alveolar interstitium makes it difficult to identify the elastin specifically by staining procedures ordinarily used for electron microscopy. This problem becomes more significant when the elastic tissue is fragmented during emphysema development and localization of the elastin fragments is essential. Therefore, a specific technique using high-titer antibodies against purified canine lung elastin was developed. The primary antibody was used on preembedded or etched postembedded sections. Localization of the antielastin IgG was accomplished with ferritin-labeled rabbit antisheep IgG as the secondary antibody. Treatment with the preimmune serum gave negligible ferritin background staining. The antielastin antibody did not react with lung connective tissue proteins such as the microfibrillar component of elastin or collagen or proteoglycan. The antielastin antibody appeared to be species specific. The method may be useful for studies of experimental emphysema.

Animals↗

Preferential usage of tRNA isoaccepting species in collagen synthesis.

A new double label technique is described for determining the usage of individual isoaccepting tRNA species by in vitro protein-synthesizing systems. Employing this method we show that of four major species of glycyl-tRNA one which is cognate to GGU and GGC is used predominantly in collagen synthesis by polysomes isolated from embryonic chick calvaria. A similar preferential usage was found for one of two alanyl-tRNA species. No preference for any particular isoaccepting tRNA species was observed in the synthesis of noncollagenous proteins by either calvaria or liver polysomes except for the disproportionate usage of one lysyl-tRNA species. Whether such preferential usage permits translational control of collagen synthesis in vivo remains to be determined.

Alanine↗

Preferential usage of glycyl-tRNA isoaccepting species in collagen synthesis.

Chick embryo tRNA charged with [3H]glycine was incubated in an in vitro protein-synthesizing system using polysomes isolated from either chick embryo liver or calvaria. Using collagenase digestion to measure the fraction of protein synthesized which was collagenous, the results indicate that in the calvaria system approximately 65% of the incorporated [3H]glycine was in collagen. The incorporation of [3H]glycine into protein from individual isoaccepting species was determined by chromatography on a reversed phase system of the charged tRNA before and after incubation in the polysome systems. In the calvaria system, a single tRNAGly species cognate to GGU and GGC and which is found in unusually large amounts in collagen-synthesizing tissues was used preferentially in collagen-synthesizing tissues was used preferentially in collagen synthesis. In the liver system, the rate of incorporation was similar to the calvaria, but no collagen synthesis was detected and only a relatively small preferential usage of any of the four major isoaccepting species was observed. These results support the notion that the complement of tRNA found in a cell may be adapted to the synthesis of a particular protein. It is also possible that under certain circumstances, collagen synthesis may be controlled in vivo at the translational level by the concentration of particular tRNA species.

Animals↗

The effects of ascorbic acid deficiency on collagen synthesis by mouse molar tooth germs in organ culture.

Second molar tooth germs from 2-day-old Swiss-Webster mice, grown in organ culture for 7 days in ascorbic-acid-deficient medium, synthesized about 65% as much protein (measured by incorporation of [14C]proline during a 24-h pulse) as did ascorbic-acid-supplemented controls. The newly synthesized proteins from ascorbic-acid-deficient cultures contained only about 7% of the hydroxyproline content of the controls. Collagenase digestion of the newly synthesized proteins showed that collagen comprised the same fraction of the total protein synthesized under both culture conditions. This result indicates that the ascorbate-deficient cultures made significant quantities of underhydroxylated collagen. Partial characterization of the collagen alpha chains on carboxymethyl cellulose columns showed an alpha1/alpha2 ratio of about 5, suggesting that at least two different species of collagen were synthesized. The alpha1/alpha2 ratio of the chains recovered from the ascorbate-deficient cultures was also about 5 but the chains were slightly underhydroxylated and the total amount of these chains which could be identified accounted for only a small fraction of the total collagen which was synthesized. A large fraction of the synthesized collagenous protein was found in the culture medium, mostly in the form of lower molecular weight peptides. It is concluded that most of the collagen which is synthesized by ascorbate-deficient tooth-bud cultures is not utilized by the component tissues, but is probably degraded and released into the medium.

Animals↗

Radioimmunological identification of tropoelastin.

Antiserum was prepared in sheep against insoluble elastin isolated from embryonic-chick aortae. In an indirect immunoprecipitation test, the antiserum reacted quantitatively with small amounts of radioactively labelled purified tropoelastin prepared from embryonic-chick aortae. The antiserum did not cross-react with chick procollagen, and the antiserum uas used to identify radioactively labelled tropoelastin secreted by chick aorta cells in suspension culture.

Animals↗

Termination of procollagen chain synthesis by puromycin. Evidence that assembly and secretion require a COOH-terminal extension.

Embryonic chick fibroblasts were incubated with [14C]proline and puromycin in the low concentrations of 1 to 3 mug/ml. The molecular weight of the synthesized procollagen chains, as measured by polyacrylamide gel electrophoresis in sodium dodecyl sulfate, was progressively reduced by increasing concentrations of puromycin in this range. For example, at 3 mug/ml the great majority of the [14C]proline was contained in procollagen chains having an average molecular weight of about 95,000 instead of the control value of 125,000. Associated with this decrease in molecular weight there was a marked decrease in the incorporation of cysteine although [14C]proline incorporation was relatively unaffedted. Disulfide bond formation was drastically inhibited as was triple helix formation as measured by resistance of the procollagen to pepsin digestion. Although the shortened procollagen chains were of normal hydroxyproline content, they nevertheless were secreted much more slowly than normal procollagen. Based upon these findings, we postulate that: (a) low concentrations of puromycin terminate procollagen chains before a COOH-terminal extension is completed, (b) these COOH-terminal extensions are required for normal assembly of the three individual procollagen chains and for triple helix formation, and (c) only assembled, triple helical procollagen molecules are selected for normal secretion.

Animals↗

Synthesis of elastin. A rapid formation of lysine-derived crosslinks by chick embryo aorta.

Aortas of 13-day-old chick embryo were labeled for 0.5 hr with [14C]lysine and subjected to a serial extraction after chase for 1-24 hr with [12C]lysine. Substantial radioactivity was found in insoluble elastin after 3 hr chase. The effect of beta-amino-propionitrile on labeling with [14C]lysine was also examined. Each fraction was hydrolyzed and applied to a short column on an amino acid analyzer. Radioactivity was found in desmosine and isodesmosine of insoluble elastin as early as 1 hr after the beginning of chase. The radioactivity increased rapidly at 2 hr and very slowly thereafter. A large count, which was separated into five peaks on a long column, was observed in other lysine derivatives at 2 hr and increased steadily up to 24 hr, while the lysine count decreased from 1 : 0.5 to 1 : 6 against lysine derivatives and from 1 : 0.04 to 1 : 0.9 against quarter-desmosine after 24 hr. The oxidation of lysine residues incorporated during the 0.5 hr pulse was almost completed during the first 1 hr of chase, and these oxidized residues were incorporated into crosslinks during the following 1 hr. It is suggested that poorly crosslinked elastin accumulated in the soluble fractions. The presence of crosslinking derived from lysine residues was also indicated in the microfibril fraction.

Amino Acids↗

Inhibition of the assembly and secretion of procollagen by incorporation of a threonine analogue, hydroxynorvaline.

Hydroxynorvaline (DL-alpha-amino-beta-hydroxyvaleric acid) was shown to competitively inhibit the activation of threonine and valine when tested with tRNA and synthetases prepared from whole chick embryos. However, the hydroxynorvaline was transferred only to threonyl-tRNA and not valyl-tRNA. The hydroxynorvaline had no effect when tested with other amino acids. The Km for threonine was 25 muM and the Ki for hydroxynorvaline was 181 muM. When fibroblasts from embryonic chick tendons were incubated with [3H]threonine and increasing concentrations of hydroxynorvaline, there was a progressive decrease in the incorporation of [3H]threonine so that 1 mM hydroxynorvaline the incorporation into nondialyzable protein was 26% of the control value. A much smaller decrease in the incorporation of other radioactive amino acids was observed. When the cells were incubated hith [14C]proline and 1 mM hydroxynorvaline, the labeled procollagen containing hydroxynorvaline accumulated intracellularly and very little was secreted. Control experiments demonstrated that free hydroxynorvaline did not inhibit the secretion of unsubstituted procollagen. Although the individual pro alpha chains containing hydroxynorvaline were of normal molecular weight (125,000) and hydroxyproline content, only about 50% of this intracellularly retained procollagen was triple helical within the cell as 37 degrees as measured by sensitivity to pepsin digestion. Also only approximately 50% of the pro alpha chains were disulfide-linked to form triple stranded molecules as compared to greater than 85% linkage in unsubstituted procollagen. We postulate that incorporation of hydroxynorvaline alters the conformation of the propeptide extension sufficiently so that: (a) normal assembly of disulfide-linked, triple helical molecules is reduced and (b) assembled triple helical molecules are not properly recognized by the secretory mechanism.

Amino Acyl-tRNA Synthetases↗