Implementing problem based learning.
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Biomedical subjects
Publications and source records attributed to L A Branda.
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The distribution of [3H]oxytocin binding sites among various subcellular fractions of rat myometrium paralleled the distribution of 5'-nucleotidase, a plasma membrane marker enzyme, but not of NADPH-cytochrome c reductase or succinate-cytochrome c reductase, which are endoplasmic reticulum and mitochondrial marker enzymes respectively. [3H]Oxytocin binding to the most enriched plasma membrane fraction showed the degree of selectivity with respect to hormone analogues that is expected for the oxytocin receptor. The binding of oxytocin to this fraction showed an apparent Kd of 1.98 X 10(-9) M and a capacity of 1.28 pmol mg-1. It is concluded that the oxytocin receptor is located on the plasma membrane of the smooth muscle cells of the rat uterus.
Material which specifically binds oxytocin was prepared from a crude preparation of lactating rabbit mammary gland by purification on a sucrose density gradient. On examination of activities of enzyme markers and the molar ratio of cholesterol to phospholipid, this material was considered to be a highly purified plasma membrane fraction. For the determination of specificity and time course of oxytocin binding, a Scatchard plot analysis was carried out for the crude and purified fractions. Dissociation constant (Kd) and binding capacity values were found to be as follows: crude, Kd equals 1.83 X 10(-9) M, capacity equals 670 fmol/mg protein; purified, Kd equals 2.8 X 10(-9) M, capacity equals 1700 fmol/mg protein. Treatment of the purified material with different detergents resulted in loss of all [3H]oxytocin binding capacity. However, preincubation of this material with [3H]oxytocin prior to detergent treatment resulted in solubilization of a receptor-hormone complex. This complex remained in the supernatant even after centrifugation at 210 000 X g for 30 min. Using oxytocin analogs, we have shown this solubilized complex to be oxytocin specific.
The first reported synthetic analogue of a naturally occurring peptide with a residue of L-3,4-dihydroxyphenylalanine (L-DOPA) was prepared by coupling N-carbobenzoxy-S-benzylcysteinyl-L-DOPA azide with isoleucylglutaminylasparaginyl-S-benzylcysteinylprolylleuclglycinamide. The protecting groups were removed from the resultant nonapeptide derivative by sodium in liquid ammonia and the peptide analogue was formed by short term oxidation of the dithiol-containing compound. It was isolated by sequential partition chromatography and exclusion chromatography on Sephadex G-25. It was unstable at neutral or alkaline pH. [2-L-DOPA]-oxytocin was found to possess a minimum milk-ejection-like activity of 54 +/- 9 U/mg and uterotonic activity of 26 +/- 4 U/mg. These potencies are approximately 12% and 5% of the corresponding potencies of oxytocin.
Previous studies have suggested that an aromatic amino acid residue at position 2 in oxytocin facilitates the expression of the hormone's biolgocial activities. [2-Tryptophan]-oxytocin, in which a residue of tryptophan has replaced that of tyrosine in oxytocin, has been synthesized by the method of azide coupling of the N-terminal dipeptide and C-terminal heptapeptide amide. It was found to have approximately 0.1% of the potency of oxytocin in milk ejection and uterotonic biological activities.
1-Deamino-4-glu-oxytocin (1-beta-mercaptopropionic acid-4-glutamic acid - oxytocin) was synthesized by sequential reduction by sodium in liquid ammonia and oxidation by hydrogen peroxide of the octapeptide derivative, S-benzyl-beta-mercaptopropionyl-tyrosyl-isoleucyl-gamma-O-benzyl-glutamyl-asparaginyl-S-benzyl-cysteinyl-prolyl-leucyl-glycinamide. The oxidation analogue was isolated and purified by partition chromatography in two different solvent systems followed by exclusion chromatography on Sephadex G-25. It was found to possess approximately 13 I.U. of uterotonic activity, 34 I.U. of milk ejection activity, and 83 I.U. of milk ejection-like activity per milligram, measured on an isolated strip of lactating mouse mammary gland. 1-Deamino-4-Glu-oxytocin was coupled to AH-Sepharose 4B by the way of the free gamma-carboxyl group of its residue of glutamic acid. The water soluble 1-ethyl-3-(3-dimethylaminopropyl)carbodiimide hydrochloride caused the coupling with approximately 70% effectiveness. The resultant peptide-agarose complex had low biological potency in the assay of milk ejection-like activity.