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Biomedical subjects

L Ernster

Publications and source records attributed to L Ernster.

At least 91 records · Page 5Linked to original sources
PubMed1982

Benzo(a)pyrene metabolism by rat liver microsomes: effects of adding purified glutathione S-transferases A, B, and C.

We have examined the effects of adding glutathione and isolated cytosolic glutathione S-transferases A, B, and C to rat liver microsomes metabolizing benzo(a)pyrene. Addition of glutathione alone resulted in the conjugation of 15 to 20% of the total metabolites of benzo(a)pyrene, and this conjugation could be inhibited almost entirely by bromosulfophthalein (an inhibitor of glutathione S-transferases), indicating that it is catalyzed by the glutathione S-transferase present in microsomes. Addition of purified cytosolic glutathione S-transferases A, B, and C yielded about 30 to 40% conjugate formation. Analysis of metabolites by high-pressure liquid chromatography demonstrated that the formation of 4,5-diol of benzo(a)pyrene was decreased by at least 80% by conjugation and that the 7,8-diol was also decreased significantly (40 to 60%). In addition, it was found that glutathione S-transferase B is capable of conjugating benzo(a)pyrene 1,6- and 3,6-quinones.

Animals↗
PubMed1981

Uncoupler-reversible inhibition of mitochondrial ATPase by metal chelates of bathophenanthroline. I. General features.

(1) Certain metal chelates of 4,7-diphenyl-1,10-phenanthroline (bathophenanthroline, BPh) are potent inhibitors of soluble mitochondrial F1-ATPase. (2) The BPh-metal chelate inhibition of soluble mitochondrial F1-ATPase is relieved by uncouplers of oxidative phosphorylation. (3) The uncouplers appear to interact directly with the inhibitory chelates, forming stoichiometric adducts. (4) A complex between F1 and bPh3Fe2+, containing 3 mol BPh3Fe2+/mol F1, has been isolated. The enzymically inactive F1-BPh3Fe2+ complex binds uncouplers, yielding an enzymically active F1-BPh3Fe2+-uncoupler complex.

Adenosine Triphosphatases↗
PubMed1981

Uncoupler-reversible inhibition of mitochondrial ATPase by metal chelates of bathophenanthroline. II. Comparison with other inhibitors.

(1) Trisbathophenanthroline-Fe2+ (BPh3Fe2+)alters the hyperbolic relationship between concentration of ATP and reaction velocity of F1-ATPase to sigmoidal, with a simultaneous decrease in maximal velocity. (2) BPh3Fe2+ binds to the beta-subunit of F1 and competes with the binding of aurovertin. The reversal of this effect uncouplers in enhanced by ADP and diminished by ATP. BPh3Fe2+ also changes the hyperbolic concentration dependence of aurovertin binding to sigmoidal. (3) BPh3Fe2+ stabilizes F1 against the cold inactivation and cold dissociation in an uncoupler-reversible manner. (4) BPh3Fe2+ efficiently protects F1 against the light-induced inactivation occurring in the presence of Rose Bengal, and the effect is reversed by uncouplers. (5) The results are discussed in relation to the reaction mechanism of F1-ATPase and other enzymes catalyzing the reversible hydrolysis of pyrophosphate bonds.

Adenosine Triphosphatases↗
PubMed1981

A study of the dicyclohexylcarbodiimide-binding component of the mitochondrial ATPase complex from beef heart.

1. The binding of [14C]-dicyclohexylcarbodiimide to membrane proteins of beef heart mitochondria has been investigated using dodecylsulphate/polyacrylamide gel electrophoresis. Upon incubation of submitochondrial particles with low concentrations of dicyclohexylcarbodiimide (5 nmol/mg protein) radioactivity was incorporated into three components with apparent molecular weights of 30000, 18000 and less than 6500. Only the two smaller components were found to be extracted into chloroform/methanol. The same two components were labelled when the isolated ATPase complex or a reconstituted F0F1 system was incubated with low concentrations of dicyclohexylcarbodiimide. High concentrations of dicyclohexylcarbodiimide (20-100 nmol/mg protein) resulted in binding to several mitochondrial proteins. 2. The maximal amount of dicyclohexylcarbodiimide which can bind to submitochondrial particles, the isolated ATPase complex, and the reconstituted F0F1 system was found to exceed the amount required for maximal inhibition of the ATPase activity by several-fold. The distribution of the bound [14C]dicyclohexylcarbodiimide between the different dicyclohexylcarbodiimide-binding components was investigated as a function of dicyclohexylcarbodiimide concentration. The smallest and largest components revealed a high affinity for dicyclohexylcarbodiimide-binding which paralleled the inhibition of ATPase activity. The intermediate component had a markedly lower affinity for dicyclohexylcarbodiimide-binding. 3. The larger dicyclohexylcarbodiimide-binding component of the isolated ATPase complex can be converted into the smaller component by treatment of the ATPase complex with performic acid. Partial conversion can also be achieved by extraction of the band from the dodecylsulphate-polyacrylamide gel after electrophoresis, followed by re-electrophoresis. The observations suggest that the larger component may be an oligomer of the smaller one. 4. Using concentrations of oligomycin and dicyclohexylcarbodiimide which were equal to or greater than those required for maximal inhibition of the ATPase activity, oligomycin was found to diminish the binding of [14C]dicyclohexylcarbodiimide to both dicyclohexylcarbodiimide-binding components of the isolated ATPase complex.

Adenosine Triphosphatases↗
PubMed1981

Induction of drug-metabolizing systems and related enzymes with metabolites and structural analogues of stilbene.

trans-Stilbene oxide has been found to be a new type of inducer of drug-metabolizing systems. In order to identify the true inducer and to determine the structural requirements for induction, rats were treated with metabolites and structural analogues of stilbene. Subsequently, hepatic levels of cytochrome P-450, microsomal epoxide hydrolase, and cytoplasmic glutathione S-transferase were assayed. All three enzymes were induced by cis- and trans-stilbene and cis- and trans-stilbene oxide. In addition, epoxide hydrolase and glutathione S-transferase activities were induced by benzoin and benzil. In contrast, the diols and benzoic acid had little, if any, effect. The main conclusions drawn from these findings are that: (1) trans-stilbene oxide itself seems to be the inducer of drug-metabolizing enzymes; and (2) benzil is more selective as an inducer of epoxide hydrolase than is trans-stilbene oxide. Attempts to induce epoxide hydrolase with other structural analogues of stilbene led to the following conclusions: (1) two phenyl rings are required for induction; (2) the induction is not as great if the rings are substituted or one of the ring carbon atoms is replaced by a nitrogen; (3) a carbon bridge between the phenyl groups generally results in a greater induction, especially if the bridge contains an epoxy group or one or two keto groups.

Animals↗
PubMed1980

The interaction of mitochondrial F1-ATPase with the natural ATPase inhibitor protein.

The interaction of soluble mitochondrial ATPase from beef heart with the natural ATPase inhibitor was studied. It was found that the phosphorylation of small amounts of ADP by phosphoenolpyruvate and pyruvate kinase, and an ensuing catalytic cycle supports the binding of the inhibitor to the enzyme. The association of the inhibitor with F1-ATPase does not increase the content of ATP in the F1-ATPase-inhibitor complex. The inhibitor of catalytic activity bathophenanthroline-Fe2+ chelate prevents the interaction, while the association of the inhibitor with F1-ATPase is delayed if the reaction is carried out in 2H2O. The date indicate that a transient state involved in the catalytic cycle is the form of the enzyme that interacts with the inhibitor. The proton-motive force-induced dissociation of the inhibitor from particulate ATPase is prevented by bathophenanthroline-Fe2+ chelate and nitrobenzofurazan chloride, which indicates that a functional catalytic (beta) subunit is required for the proton-motive force-induced release of the inhibitor. The data suggest a direct involvement of catalytic (beta) subunit in the mechanism by which the F1-ATPase senses the proton-motive force.

4-Chloro-7-nitrobenzofurazan↗
PubMed1980

Control of activity states of heart mitochondrial ATPase. Role of the proton-motive force and Ca2+.

The ATPase complex of submitochondrial particles exhibits activity transitions that are controlled by the natural ATPase inhibitor (Gómez-Puyou, A., Tuena de Gómez-Puyou, M. and Ernster, L. (1979) Biochim. Biophys. Acta 547, 252-257). The ATPase of intact heart mitochondria also shows reversible activity transitions; the activation reaction is induced by the establishment of electrochemical gradients, whilst the inactivation reaction is driven by collapse of the gradient. In addition it has been observed that the influx of Ca2+ into the mitochondria induces a rapid inactivation of the ATPase; this could be due to the transient collapse of the membrane potential in addition to a favorable effect of Ca2+-ATP on the association of the ATPase inhibitor peptide to F1-ATPase. This action of Ca2+ may explain why mitochondria utilize respiratory energy for the transport of Ca2+ in preference to phosphorylation. It is concluded that the mitochondrial ATPase inhibitor protein may exert a fundamental regulatory function in the utilization of electrochemical gradients.

Adenosine Triphosphatases↗
PubMed1980

The proliferation of hepatocytes and the lipid composition of the endoplasmic reticulum after induction of drug-metabolizing enzymes with trans-stilbene oxide.

Three aspects of the induction of drug-metabolizing enzymes brought about by trans-stilbene oxide have been investigated. (1) The liver hypertrophy in rats treated with trans-stilbene oxide was found to result solely from an increase in the number of cells in this organ, without any increase in the size of each individual cell. (2) Administration of trans-stilbene oxide also produces a 27% increase in the phospholipid content of the hepatic endoplasmic reticulum, i.e., a limited proliferation of this organelle occurs. (3) Furthermore, induction causes changes in the lipid composition of the endoplasmic reticulum. The cholesterol content is decreased, the relative content of sphingo-myelin is also lowered, and a number of changes in the fatty-acid composition occur as well. All of these effects would tend to increase the fluidity of the phospholipid bilayer of the endoplasmic-reticulum membrane and may thus affect drug metabolism.

Animals↗
PubMed1980

Characterization of rat-liver microsomal glutathione S-transferase activity.

Rat liver microsomes were shown to catalyze the conjugation of 1-chloro-2,4-dinitrobenzene with glutathione and this activity has been characterized. It cannot be removed from the microsomes by washing or other procedures which release loosely bound material from membranes. The microsomal glutathione S-transferase can be activated up to eight fold by treatment with N-ethylmaleimide. This activation also affects the apparent Km of the enzyme(s) for both glutathione and 1-chloro-2,4-dinitrobenzene. Upon subcellular fractionation of the liver the N-ethylmaleimide-activateable glutathione S-transferase distributes in the same manner as a marker for the endoplasmic reticulum and unlike markers for the other organelles and for the cytoplasm. Treatment of microsomes with proteases revealed that the enzyme is at least partially exposed on the cytoplasmic surface of the endoplasmic reticulum. Finally, three inducers of drug-metabolizing systems-i.e. phenobarbital, methylcholanthrene, and trans-stilbene oxide-all increase the activity of the cytoplasmic glutathione S-transferases, but they do not affect the microsomal activity. These and other considerations indicate that the microsomal glutathione S-transferase(s) is distinct from the cytoplasmic enzymes catalyzing similar reactions. The microsomal enzyme is likely to be involved in drug metabolism and the possibility of activating it through attack on a sulfhydryl group may represent an important physiological response to certain xenobiotics.

Animals↗
PubMed1980

Thyroid control over biomembranes. Liver-microsomal cytochrome b5 in hypothyroidism.

Hypothyroid rats were prepared by thyroidectomy and maintenance on a low-iodine diet (group A); Group B was additionally pretreated with 0.5 mCi of 131I as NaI, given intraperitoneally. Liver microsomes obtained from hypothyroid and normal rats were compared. After fasting and refeeding on 20% sucrose solution, high levels of microsomal fatty-acyl-CoA delta 9-desaturase (as measured spectrophotometrically by the rate constants for cytochrome b5 reoxidation) were induced in all the normal animals, half of the group A hypothyroid rats, and none of the group B hypothyroid rats. Hypothyroidism did not change desaturase Arrhenius profiles or V and Km for NADH-cytochrome c reductase, but increased content of cytochrome b5. The inability of adequately hypothyroid rats to induce the delta 9-desaturase seems to be specific, in that injection of methylcholanthrene successfully induced microsomal benzpyrene monooxygenase activity and increased cytochrome b5 contents in hypothyroid animals. The defects in overall fatty acyl desaturation reported in hypothyroid animals [Landriscina, C., Gnoni, G. V. & Quagliariello, E. (1976) Eur. J. Biochem. 71, 135-143] are suggested to be due to deficiencies in the specific desaturase(s).

Animals↗