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Biomedical subjects

N Yago

Publications and source records attributed to N Yago.

At least 37 records · Page 2Linked to original sources

Characterization of cathepsin D in porcine adrenocortical lysosomes.

More than 95% of the apparent cathepsin D activity in the lysosomes of porcine adrenal cortex was due to a genuine cathepsin D that has a molecular weight of 42,800 +/- 800 (mean +/- standard deviation of the mean in 5 runs) as determined by Sephadex G-100 column chromatography. On CM-Sephadex C-50 column chromatography at pH 6.9, the enzyme was resolved into five peaks which were termed Fractions D1 through D5 in order of their elution from the column. Fraction D4 and Fraction D5 together constituted more than 70% of the total cathepsin D, and were purified through chromatographic procedures to constant specific activities. The content of lysosomal cathepsin D was estimated to be about 1% of the total cellular protein. On isoelectric focusing, Fraction D4 was resolved into one major band with pI of 7.34 (termed Form D4-1) and one minor band of 7.20 (Form D4-2), while Fraction D5 gave one major band with pI of 7.50 (Form D5-1) and two minor ones of 7.37 (Form D5-2) and of 7.20 (Form D5-3). All of these 5 bands were enzymatically active. On SDS-polyacrylamide gel electrophoresis, both Form D4-1 and Form D5-1 dissociated into three subunits with molecular weights of 27,400 +/- 500 (termed Subunit A), 24,600 +/- 400 (Subunit B) and 13,800 +/- 600 (Subunit C) (mean +/- standard deviation of the mean in 16 determinations). The three subunits all contained carbohydrates.

Adrenal Cortex↗

Kinetics of suicide substrates. Steady-state treatments and computer-aided exact solutions.

A steady-state differential equation that describes the kinetics of suicide substrate was derived for a scheme presented by Walsh et al. (Walsh, C., Cromartie, T., Marcotte, P. and Spencer, r. (1978) Methods Enzymol. 53, 437-488). Using its analytical solutions, the progress curves of substrate disappearance, product formation and enzyme inactivation were calculated for a hypothetical model system, and were compared with the exact solutions which were obtained by the numerical computation on a set of rate equations. The results obtained with the present analytical solutions were much more consistent with the exact solutions than those obtained using Waley's solution (Waley, S.G. (1980) Biochem. J. 185, 771-773). The most important factor for a system of suicide substrates was found to be the term (1 + r)mu as proposed by Waley, where r is the ratio of the rate constant of product formation to that of enzyme inactivation and mu is the ratio of initial concentration of enzyme to that of suicide substrate. In cases where this term has a value greater than unity, all the molecules of suicide substrate are used up leaving some enzyme molecule still active. To the contrary, in cases where the term has a value smaller than unity, all the enzyme molecules are inactivated with some molecules of suicide substrate being left unreacted. When the term is equal to unity, then all the enzyme molecules are inactivated and all the molecules of the suicide ar converted. Practical methods for estimating kinetic parameters are described.

Computers↗

Reversible aggregation and stability of lysosomal acid beta-galactosidase from porcine adrenal cortex.

1. Acid beta-galactosidase [EC 3.2.1.23] of porcine adrenocortical lysosomes, assayed for its activity towards p-nitrophenyl-beta-D-galactopyranoside, showed two activity peaks on gel filtration profile at pH 7.4, one corresponding to a molecular weight of approximately 270,000 (termed form A3) and the other about 65,000 (termed form A1). 2. Another form of acid beta-galactosidase with a molecular weight of about 130,000 (termed form A2) was found when the high speed extract or partially purified form A1 was chromatographed on Sephadex G-150 at pH 4.5. 3. In the presence of 0.1 M NaCl or saturating amounts of substrate at pH 4.5, the high speed extract showed the aggregation of form A2 yielding form A3. Dissociation of form A3 back to form A1 was observed on incubation at 37 degrees C in 0.02 M sodium phosphate buffer, pH 7.4, and that was followed by irreversible enzyme inactivation. 4. Dissociation of form A3 into form A1 and enzyme inactivation in phosphate buffer, pH 7.4, were prevented by addition of 0.1 M NaCl. 5. The interconvertible enzymic forms showed the same pH-activity profiles and Michaelis constants. 6. These results suggest that the lysosomal acid beta-galactosidase in the porcine adrenal cortex exists in vivo as the dimer, and that the dimer may further aggregate into the tetramer.

Adrenal Cortex↗

Characterization of porcine adrenocortical lysosomes.

Porcine adrenocortical lysosomes were characterized by differential centrifugation, acid hydrolase contents, latency of cathepsin D, release of bound acid hydrolases in soluble form, and isopycnic density gradient centrifugation. Cathepsins D and B, beta-N-acetylglucosaminidase, beta-galactosidase and arylsulphatase were found exclusively in the lysosomes, while alpha-mannosidase and beta-glucuronidase were in both the lysosomal and microsomal fractions. The activity of cathepsin D was remarkably high, amounting to more than 6 times that in porcine liver and to more than 10 times that in liver of Sprague-Dawley rats in terms of units per g wet tissue. Porcine adrenocortical lysosomes showed a modal isopycnic density value of 1.155, but mitochondria a value of 1.145. The validity of these values was studied by investigating the possibilities of agglutination of organelles, damage to lysosomal membranes, disruption of mitochondria due to the hydrostatic pressure and by applying the same procedures of isopycnic centrifugation to hog and rat livers. After these validity tests, porcine adrenocortical lysosomes were concluded to be unique in their strikingly high content of cathepsin D as well as in their low modal isopycnic density which is very close to that of porcine adrenocortical mitochondria.

Acetylglucosaminidase↗

Isopycnic density values for lysosomes and mitochondria in rat adrenal cortex.

Adrenocortical tissues of male adult Wistar rats were fractionated by isopycnic density gradient centrifugation. Fractions were analyzed for density, protein and marker enzymes for lysosomes and mitochondria with rat liver being used as a reference tissue for subcellular enzyme distribution. Both lysosomes and mitochondria of adrenal cortex showed unimodal distribution profiles of marker enzymes with their modal isopycnic density values at 1.165. This value was significantly lower than the corresponding ones for lysosomes and mitochondria in rat liver but was very close to those in porcine adrenal cortex. Modal isopycnic density as well as distribution profiles of marker enzymes for lysosomes and mitochondria remained unchanged 24 hr after 0.1 or 10 units of ACTH (Cortrosyn Z) administration. As in porcine adrenal cortex, lysosomes in rat adrenal cortex were characterized by a higher content of cathepsin D than those in rat liver.

Adrenal Cortex↗

Cathepsin D of mouse leukemia L1210 cells. Unusual intracellular localization and biochemical properties.

Mouse leukemia L1210 cells contain lysosomes, but cathepsin D, a typical lysosomal enzyme, has an unusual localization. After fractionation of homogenates of L1210 cells by isopycnic density gradient centrifugation, most of the activity for all of the acid hydrolases studied, except cathepsin D, is sedimentable and shows a similar density distribution around a peak having a modal density of 1.16. In contrast, much more of the total activity for cathepsin D is not sedimentable, while the sedimentable activity has a distribution around a peak at a higher density of 1.18. After chromatography on Sephadex G-100 of cell extracts, two molecular weight forms of cathepsin D are found. One has an apparent molecular weight of approx. 45,000, similar to rat liver cathepsin D, while the apparent molecular weight of the second form is approx. 95,000. Both forms are 4-5 times more active than rat liver cathepsin D. The high molecular weight L1210 cathepsin D converts to the low molecular weight form with no loss in activity after treatment with beta-mercaptoethanol. In all respects the unusual intracellular localization and molecular weight forms of cathepsin D in mouse leukemia L1210 cells are similar to the situation found for rat thoracic duct lymphocytes.

Animals↗

Unique biochemical and biological features of cathepsin D in rodent lymphoid tissues.

Cathepsin D, an enzyme consistently found to be lysosomal in many cells, has an unusual localization in rat thoracic duct lymphocytes (TDL). After fractionation of homogenates of rat TDL, most of the enzyme activity, as measured at pH 3.6 on denatured bovine hemoglobin, is distributed differently from the other lysosomal enzymes. The enzyme also has some unique properties: it is not inhibited by an antiserum inhibitory for rat liver cathepsin D; it exists in two molecular weight forms (approximately 45,000 and approximately 95,000) both of which have a higher specific activity than rat liver cathepsin D, as determined by studies using the irreversible inhibitor, sodium pepstatin; the high molecular weight form converts to the low molecular weight form after treatment with beta-mercaptoethanol without any loss in activity. These enzymes appear to be restricted to rodent lymphoid tissues. Reasons for considering them to be a type of cathepsin D are given in the text.

Animals↗

Unique cathepsin D-type proteases in rat thoracic duct lymphocytes and in rat lymphoid tissues.

Two unique cathepsin D-type proteases apparently present only in rat thoracic duct lymphocytes and in rat lymphoid tissues are described. One, termed H enzyme, has an apparent molecular weight of similar to95,000; the other, termed L enzyme, has an apparent molecular weight of similar to45,000, in common with that of most cathepsins D from other tissues and species. Both enzymes differ from cathepsin D, however, by a considerably greater sensitivity to inhibition by pepstatin and by a smaller degree of inhibition by an antiserum which inhibits rat liver cathepsin D. H enzyme is converted to L enzyme by treatment with beta-mercaptoethanol; the relationship between the two enzymes remains unknown. H and L enzyme have been detected in rat lymphoid tissues and in mouse spleen, but they are not present in other rat tissues (liver, kidney, adrenals), rabbit tissues, calf thymus, bovine spleen, or human tonsils. As measured on acid-denatured bovine hemoglobin as substrate, both enzymes have pH activity curves identical with that of rat liver cathepsin D, with optimal activity at pH 3.6. Activity on human serum albumin is much less and also shows an optimum at pH 3.6; hence, neither enzyme has the properties of cathepsin E. Thiol-reactive inhibitiors have no effect on the activity of H and L enzyme; thus they do not belong to the B group of cathepsins. Additional information, discussed in this paper, leads us to conclude that partially purified H and L enzymes are cathepsin D-type proteases.

Adrenal Glands↗

Growth and differentiation of mitochondria in the regenerating rat adrenal cortex.

Diameters of the circular profiles of spherical mitochondria in parenchymal cells of the zona fasciculata in rat adrenal cortex were measured for intact controls and for the regenerating adrenal cortex on electron micrographs recorded at random. The diameter data were then processed by Bach's method which deals with the sphere size distribution. The structural parameters of the mitochondria were computed with the aid of an electronic computer. The total number of mitochondria in all the parenchymal cells of the zona fasciculata were calculated. The surface area of the inner mitochondrial membrane was then determined stereologically. Biochemical parameters were obtained for the protein, the phospholipid, and the cytochrome P-450 content, per averaged mitochondrion. The number of cytochrome P-450 molecules contained in the inner membrane was determined in terms of the unit surface area and of the unit amount of phospholipid. These correlated biochemical and stereological parameters have led to the following conclusions. (a) The genesis of the mitochondria after the adrenal enucleation is almost completed within 10 days. (b) During the period of mitochondrial proliferation, the mitochondria are small in size and also immature both in the structure and in the function of their inner membrane, (c) These small and immature mitochondria grow through an increase of the phospholipid and protein, and this increase is accompanied by expansion of the area of the membrane surface, (d) An enrichment of the inner membrane with cytochrome P-450 molecules occurs, thus indicating the differentiation of adrenocortical mitochondria. The process of membrane differentiation is not tightly coupled with that of membrane growth.

Adrenal Glands↗