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Synthesis of connective-tissue components. The effect of retinol and hydrocortisone on cultured limb-bone rudiments.

1. The action of excess of retinol on chick limb-bone rudiments cultured in chemically defined media has been investigated. 2. After 6 days in vitro, the hexosamine and hydroxyproline contents of the retinol-treated rudiments were much less than those of their paired controls. 3. Synthesis of these compounds, however, was not correspondingly decreased. 4. The control rudiments released hexosamine- and hydroxyproline-containing materials into the culture medium; a greater proportion of the hexosamine and hydroxyproline synthesized was liberated from the retinol-treated than from the control rudiments. 5. Although hydrocortisone in physiological concentrations prevented excessive hydration of the rudiments in culture, it did not significantly inhibit the changes induced by excess of retinol.

Animals↗

Preparation and properties of sialomucopolysaccharides obtained from rat brain.

Sialomucopolysaccharides were released from the defatted protein residue by the proteolytic action of papain after extraction of rat whole brains with chloroform-methanol (2:1, v/v). Further purification is achieved by dialysis to remove low-molecular-weight fragments and by precipitation of nucleic acids and glucuronic acid-containing mucopolysaccharides by treatment with cetylpyridinium chloride. Gel filtration of the sialomucopolysaccharides through Sephadex G-200 removes the major portion of the impurities that absorb light in the ultraviolet region. The sialomucopolysaccharides were fractionated on DEAE-Sephadex to yield a population of sialomucopolysaccharides that show an increase in N-acetylneuraminic acid content and a decrease in fucose content as the concentration of chloride required to elute the individual components is increased. On gel filtration on Sephadex G-200, those sialomucopolysaccharide molecules rich in N-acetylneuraminic acid and poor in fucose appear to be larger molecules than those rich in fucose and poor in N-acetylneuraminic acid. A structure is proposed in which all sialomucopolysaccharide molecules are assumed to possess the same repeating unit consisting of hexosamine and hexose. The molecules differ from each other in the number of fucose and N-acetylneuraminic acid residues attached to the basic structure. Most of the hexosamine is present as glucosamine, although one fraction was obtained that appeared to contain galactosamine. Most of the hexose present is accounted for as galactose and mannose, although small amounts of glucose were found in some fractions. Methods of analysis for the N-acetylneuraminic acid and hexosamine components of the sialomucopolysaccharides were defined.

Animals↗

The composition of the cyst wall of the beet cyst-nematode Heterodera schachtii.

1. Cyst walls of the beet cyst-nematode (Heterodera schachtii Schmidt) were obtained by sieving a suspension of crushed cysts; about 15mg of dried cyst walls was obtained from 1000 cysts. 2. The cyst walls contained 68% protein calculated from nitrogen content. Glutamic acid, glycine, proline and hydroxyproline made up about 54% by weight of the amino acids obtained on acid hydrolysis. 3. Minor constituents of the cyst wall were hexosamine (3.3%), lipid (6%), carbohydrate (2%) and phenols (2%). The hexosamine was identified as galactosamine. 4. The cyst walls contained inorganic material (ash 17%), most of which was extractable with EDTA, but not with water. Major inorganic components were calcium and phosphorus (1.7% and 1.5% respectively, by weight). Carbon dioxide (about 1% by weight) was liberated from the cyst walls on acidification. 5. The cyst walls of H. schachtii and the potato cyst-nematode (Heterodera rostochiensis) contained different amounts of the same amino acids. They also differed in their inorganic content and in the nature of the hexosamine present.

Amino Acids↗

Replacement of proteoglycans in embryonic chick cartilage in organ culture after treatment with testicular hyaluronidase.

Explants of cartilage from tibiae of 11-12 days chick embryos were grown in organ culture. To one group hyaluronidase was added to the medium during the first 2 days of culture; the treated tissue was then cultured in medium without enzyme for a further 4 days. Control explants grown in hyaluronidase-free medium for 6 days grew rapidly in size and the total hexosamine content more than doubled during this time. After exposure to hyaluronidase, much of the hexosamine was lost from treated cartilage and appeared in the culture medium, but it was mostly replaced in the tissue during the subsequent recovery period. Analysis of cartilage and medium showed that net synthesis of hexosamine increased greatly in treated cartilage. The proteoglycans were extracted by two procedures from control and treated cartilage after 2, 4 and 6 days in culture. The hydrodynamic sizes of the purified proteoglycans were compared by gel chromatography and the composition of the gel-chromatographic fractions was determined. The proteoglycans from controls did not change during culture, but after exposure to hyaluronidase the proteoglycans from treated cartilage were of much smaller size and lower chondroitin sulphate content. During recovery, even though new proteoglycans were formed, they were nevertheless of smaller size and lower chondroitin sulphate content than control proteoglycans. They gradually became more like control proteoglycans during recovery from treatment, but even after 4 days they were not yet the same. After 2 days of treatment with the enzyme, the chondroitin sulphate in the cartilage was of shorter chain length than in controls but during recovery after 4 and 6 days in culture, the chain lengths in control and treated cartilage were similar. It is concluded that the proteoglycans formed in embryo cartilage in response to their depletion by enzyme treatment contained fewer chondroitin sulphate chains attached to the protein moiety of proteoglycans. This may have resulted from a failure under stress to glycosylate the protein moiety to the usual extent; alternatively the synthesis of normal proteoglycans of low chondroitin sulphate content may have increased, thus changing the proteoglycan population.

Animals↗

A distinct terminal structure in newly synthesized chondroitin sulphate chains.

A method was developed for the analysis of non-reducing terminal structure of radiolabelled chondroitin sulphate chains with the aid of N-acetylgalactosamine 4-sulphatase ('terminal 4-sulphatase'), N-acetylgalactosamine 6-sulphatase ('terminal 6-sulphatase'), beta-glucuronidase and beta-N-acetylhexosaminidase. Studies with this method on the non-reducing terminal structure of [35S]sulphate- and [3H]glucose-labelled chondroitin sulphate chains from rat and chick-embryo cartilages showed that the presence of a high proportion of 4-sulphated hexosamine residues is a common feature of the termini of newly synthesized chondroitin sulphate chains. Of the non-reducing terminal 4-sulphated hexosamine residues, about 14% (chick embryo) or 46% (rat) contained an additional sulphate group at position 6. The internal portion of the chondroitin sulphate chains, in contrast, contained little or no 4,6-bis-sulphated hexosamine residue, suggesting that 4,6-bis-sulphated structure may play a role in biosynthetic control at the level of chain termination.

Animals↗

Further characterization of particulate fractions from lysed cell envelopes of Halobacterium halobium and isolation of gas vacuole membranes.

Lysates of cell envelopes from Halobacterium halobium have been separated into four fractions. A soluble, colorless fraction (I) containing protein, hexosamines, and no lipid is apparently derived from the cell wall. A red fraction (II), containing approximately 40 per cent lipid, 60 per cent protein, and a small amount of hexosamines consists of cell membrane disaggregated into fragments of small size. A third fraction (III) of purple color consists of large membrane sheets and has a very similar composition to II, containing the same classes of lipids but no hexosamines; its buoyant density is 1.18 g/ml. The fourth fraction (IV) has a buoyant density of 1.23 g/ml and contains the "intracytoplasmic membranes." These consist mainly of protein, and no lipid can be extracted with chloroform-methanol. Fractions I and II, which result from disaggregation of cell wall and cell membrane during lysis, contain a high proportion of dicarboxyl amino acids; this is in good agreement with the assumption that disruption of the cell envelope upon removal of salt is due to the high charge density. The intracytoplasmic membranes (IV) represent the gas vacuole membranes in the collapsed state. In a number of mutants that have lost the ability to form gas vacuoles, no vacuole membranes or any structure that could be related to them has been found.

Amino Acids↗

In vivo requirement for silicon in articular cartilage and connective tissue formation in the chick.

Studies were undertaken to determine further effects of silicon deficiency in the chick. The diet and experimental conditions were the same as those used in previous studies to demonstrate the essentiality of silicon for growth and development. Skeletal and other abnormalities involving glycosaminoglycans in formation of articular cartilage and comb connective tissue were found to be associated with silicon deficiency. The bones of 1 day-old deutectomized cockerels fed a silicon supplemented diet and killed at 4 weeks of age had significantly greater amounts of articular cartilage and water as compared with the silicon deficient group and also a greater proportion of hexosamine in the cartilage. The greater water content in bones of the silicon supplemented chicks coincided with a larger content of glycosaminoglycans in the articular cartilage. A similar relationship was obtained in cockerel comb. In addition to larger amounts of connective tissue and of total hexosamine in combs of the supplemented group, a higher percentage of hexosamine and a higher silicon content was found. These findings provide the first evidence for a requirement for silicon in articular cartilage and connective tissue formation and that the site of action of silicon is in the glycosaminoglycan-protein complexes of the ground substance.

Animals↗

Biochemical and morphological changes associated with long bone abnormalities in silicon deficiency.

The purpose of this paper was to investigate long bone changes in silicon deficiency more extensively and under a new set of conditions. Long bone abnormalities have been produced in silicon-deficient chicks fed a casein-based rather than amino acid-based diet and under an entirely new set of conditions. As demonstrated previously feeding amino acid diets, the long bones of cockerels fed a silicon-supplemented basal diet and sacrificed at 4 weeks had a significantly greater amount of articular cartilage and water content as compared with the silicon-deficient group. Biochemical analyses of tibia for bone mineral, non-collagenous protein, hexosamine and collagen demonstrated that tibia from supplemented chicks had a significantly greater percentage and total amount of hexosamine and greater percentage of collagen than deficient chicks, the difference being greater for hexosamines than collagen. Tibia from silicon-deficient chicks also showed marked lesions, profound changes being demonstrated in epiphyseal cartilage, especially striking in the proliferative zone. The disturbed epiphyseal cartilage sequences resulted in defective endochondral bone growth indicating that silicon is involved in the metabolic chain of events required for the normal growth of bone.

Animals↗

Composition and subcellular distribution of glycoproteins and glycosaminoglycans undergoing axonal transport in garfish olfactory nerves.

The study examined the subcellular distribution of [3H]glucosamine-labeled glycoconjugates undergoing axonal transport in 100,000 x g soluble and two membranous subfractions of the garfish olfactory nerve. Analysis was made of intact glycoconjugates and of glycopeptides and glycosaminoglycans derived from these molecules by limit protease digestion. Sodium dodecyl sulfate-polyacrylamide gel electrophoresis revealed labeling of a variety of high-molecular-weight molecules with a lower molecular weight distribution in the soluble fraction than in the membranous fractions. Following protease digestion, nearly two-thirds of transported radioactivity in glycopeptides was recovered in the plasma membrane-enriched subfraction, with the remainder equally divided between soluble and higher density membrane fraction. Comparison of the distribution of glycopeptide radioactivity and chemically assayed hexosamine revealed transport labeling of a large variety of different-sized neutral and acidic glycopeptides in all subfractions. Transport labeling of most glycoprotein carbohydrate chains was in proportion of their hexosamine content. Transported glycosaminoglycan label was most heavily concentrated in the plasma membrane fraction, whereas hexosamine was most concentrated in the higher density membrane fraction. The labeling pattern suggested both transported and nontransported pools of these molecules. The specific glycosaminoglycans chondroitin sulfate and heparan sulfate were recovered in all subfractions, whereas hyaluronic acid was confined to the soluble fraction.

Animals↗

Effect of rebamipide on the glycosaminoglycan content of the ulcerated rat stomach.

To elucidate the mechanism of the anti-ulcer effect of rebamipide (2-(4-chlorobenzoylamino)-3-[2-(1H)-quinolinon-4-yl] propionic acid), changes in glycosaminoglycan (GAG), uronic acid and hexosamine contents of stomach tissue were examined in rats treated with the ulcer-inducing agents and/or rebamipide. Uronic acid and hexosamine contents in acid hydrolysates of stomach tissue were increased after diethyldithiocarbamate (DDC, 800 mg/kg, s.c.) or histamine (300 mg/kg, i.p.) treatment, and similar changes in the GAG, uronic acid, and hexosamine levels were observed in stomach tissue extracts. Pretreatment with rebamipide (60 mg/kg, i.p.) resulted in an additional increase in the contents of the above components after DDC or histamine treatment. However, rebamipide treatment alone did not increase the gastric contents of GAG and GAG components in normal rats. Gel filtration chromatography of extracted GAGs suggested that DDC, histamine and rebamipide treatments do not cause a change in the aggregated forms of gastric GAGs. These results suggest that rebamipide stimulates the GAG synthesis in the ulcerated stomach and that this effect may contribute to the healing process of gastric ulcer.

Alanine↗

Connective tissue of "fast" and "slow" skeletal muscle in rats--effects of endurance training.

The connective tissue of two skeletal muscles having different contractile properties was investigated in trained and untrained rats. The animals to be trained were put to run on a treadmill 5 days a week for 4 weeks. The "slow" m. soleus (MS) showed higher malate dehydrogenase activity but lower lactate dehydrogenase activity compared to the "fast" m. rectus femoris (MRF). When whole muscles were taken into account, the concentrations of both hydroxyproline and hexosamines were higher for MS compared to MRF. In the middle section of MS there were more hexosamines than in that of MRF, but no similar difference existed in hydroxyproline. The histochemical staining of collagen, however, suggested that there is also more internal collagen for MS as against MRF. It can be supposed that collagen of MRF and MS is differently distributed in different muscle connective tissue components. Compared to MS, the solubility of collagen was higher in MRF, whereas no significant difference between the muscles existed in the prolyl hydroxylase activity. The concentrations of hydroxyproline and hexosamines or the solubility of collagen were not affected by the training given, but the activity of prolyl hydroxylase was increased in MS suggesting that the metabolism of collagen may be accelerated by physical training.

Animals↗

Relation of lipopolysaccharide and fatty acid ester release to the ethylenediaminetetraacetic acid alteration of permeability in enterobacteriaceae.

Escherichia coli subjected to cold osmotic shock released 30 to 40% of their fatty acid esters and 42% of their cellular hexosamine. In contrast, Enterobacter, although they released 40% of fatty acid esters, release only 25% of hexosamine. Proteus released less than 15% of either fatty acid esters or hexosamine. These differences are taken to explain the differences among the Enterobacteriaceae in releasing surface enzymes after osmotic shock. It is felt that the release of additional lipopolysaccharide after osmotic shock is necessary for the release of surface enzymes that are not freed by ethylenediaminetetraacetic acid-tris(hydroxymethyl)aminomethane exposure.

Buffers↗

Lysostaphin-induced, osmotically fragile Staphylococcus aureus cells.

Staphylococcus aureus FDA 209P cells when suspended in 24% (w/v) NaCl were rendered osmotically fragile by exposure to lysostaphin for time intervals ranging from 2 to 60 min. Such cells were analyzed chemically and serologically for evidence of residual cell wall material, were plated in hypertonic sucrose medium to determine revertibility to normal, and were subjected to manometric studies to determine metabolic capabilities. Most of the cells (95%) which were exposed to lysostaphin (0.5 or 1.0 unit/ml) for 2 min, although osmotically fragile, retained their cell wall hexosamine and were capable of reverting to osmotically normal cells when plated in hypertonic medium. Cells exposed to lysostaphin for 5 and 10 min also retained much of their cell wall hexosamine, but lost their ability to revert to normal staphylococci. Cells exposed to lysostaphin for 2 to 10 min continued to react with staphylococcus anti-k antiserum. Complete removal of cell wall hexosamine was attained only after exposure to lysostaphin for 20 min or more; these cells failed to react with k antiserum. Lysostaphin-induced L-type colonies were extremely rare in our experiments, even if incubation times and media were optimal for their detection. Lysostaphin-induced staphylococcal protoplasts were as active metabolically in manometric studies as were untreated staphylococci.

Agar↗

Comparative cell wall analyses of morphological forms within the genus Actinomyces.

Comparative cell wall analyses were made of mycelial and smooth forms of Actinomyces bovis and A. israelii to determine the changes which occur in the cell wall composition concurrent with a change in morphology, and to evaluate cell wall analyses as a criterion for taxonomic identification within the genus Actinomyces. Cell walls of the spider forms of A. boyis had little or no aspartic acid and a high hexosamine concentration; cell walls of the smooth forms had a high aspartic acid content and low concentrations of hexosamine. Both forms had large amounts of glutamic acid, alanine, and lysine, as previously reported. A strain of Actinomyces, previously identified as A. naeslundii on the basis of morphology and aerobic growth characteristics, was found to have the basic cell wall composition of A. israelii. When transferred from the Actinomyces maintenance broth to a thioglycolate broth, the cells of this strain passed from a mycelial form through a transient filamentous morphology to become diphtheroidal with continued incubation. Concomitantly, the concentrations of glutamic acid relative to alanine decreased, and the hexosamine content increased. Variation in morphology within the species A. israelii and A. bovis could not be related to any mutual chemical change of their cell walls.

Actinomyces↗

Endotoxic glycolipid from a heptoseless mutant of Salmonella minnesota.

The endotoxin of a heptoseless mutant of Salmonella minnesota R595 was extracted with phenol-water. Most of this material was found distributed in the insoluble fraction of the extract. The results showed that the R595 endotoxin behaved as a lipid rather than as a lipopolysaccharide (LPS). The preparation, although it does not contain O-specific polysaccharides, does contain 2-keto-3-deoxyoctonic acid (KDO), hexosamine, and several other unidentified compounds. Therefore, the term "glycolipid" is used in this paper instead of lipopolysaccharide. The crude glycolipid fraction, which was soluble in a mixture of chloroform-methanol (8:2), was purified by a procedure including fractionation with organic solvents and by different-column chromatographic methods. Although a chromatographic fraction of the glycolipid showed homogeneity in most systems investigated, the presence of contaminants could not be excluded. Chemical analysis of the glycolipids showed the absence of hexoses and heptoses. Constituents which were found were hexosamine, KDO, fatty acids, and phosphorus, which showed a relatively simple chemical composition. Partial acidic hydrolysis of the glycolipid yielded hexosamine-phosphates, as described in "Lipid A" fractions of smooth LPS preparations. Thin-layer chromatography of the partially hydrolyzed glycolipid showed a pattern similar to "Lipid A" fractions of other strains. The biological activity of the glycolipid was at the same level as that of other gram-negative endotoxins. Pyrogenicity, Shwartzman reactivity, and chick embryo ld(50) values were as high or higher than those of purified Serratia marcescens endotoxin preparations, but mouse ld(50) measurements gave significantly lower results.

Amino Acids↗

Changes in composition of mucin in the mucosa adjacent to carcinoma of the colon as compared with the normal: a biochemical investigation.

Fifteen surgical specimens from patients with carcinoma of the colon and rectum were studied. Scrapings from normal mucosa distant from the tumour and from macroscopically normal mucosa adjacent to the tumour (;transitional') were used for chemical estimation of hexosamines, sialic acid, and proteins. The presence of hexosamines and sialic acid was confirmed in both normal and transitional mucosa. Transitional mucosa showed increased levels of total hexosamines and sialic acid as compared with the normal and this was accompanied by an increase in neuraminidase-sensitive sialic acids. The present data have been compared with previous histochemical and autoradiographic studies and it is suggested that the changes described in the transitional mucosa are transformations representing an early stage of carcinogenesis.

Chromatography, Paper↗

Decreased insulin-stimulated GLUT-4 translocation in glycogen-supercompensated muscles of exercised rats.

It was recently found that the effect of an exercise-induced increase in muscle GLUT-4 on insulin-stimulated glucose transport is masked by a decreased responsiveness to insulin in glycogen-supercompensated muscle. We evaluated the role of hexosamines in this decrease in insulin responsiveness and found that UDP-N-acetyl hexosamine concentrations were not higher in glycogen-supercompensated muscles than in control muscles with a low glycogen content. We determined whether the smaller increase in glucose transport is due to translocation of fewer GLUT-4 to the cell surface with the 2-N-4-(1-azi-2,2,2-trifluroethyl)-benzoyl-1, 3-bis(D-mannose-4-yloxy)-2-propylamine (ATB-[2-3H]BMPA) photolabeling technique. The insulin-induced increase in GLUT-4 at the cell surface was no greater in glycogen-supercompensated exercised muscle than in muscles of sedentary controls and only 50% as great as in exercised muscles with a low glycogen content. We conclude that the decreased insulin responsiveness of glucose transport in glycogen-supercompensated muscle is not due to increased accumulation of hexosamine biosynthetic pathway end products and that the smaller increase in glucose transport is mediated by translocation of fewer GLUT-4 to the cell surface.

Animals↗

Changes in rat gastric mucosal glycoproteins in portal hypertension.

The aim of this study was to determine the effect of portal hypertension (PHT) on gastric mucosal glycoproteins in rats. PHT was induced experimentally by partial ligation of the portal vein (PVL) in 20 male Wistar rats: 10 rats (PVL4 group) were analyzed after 4 weeks and the remaining 10 (PVL8 group) after 8 weeks. In another group of 10 rats (control group), sham operations were performed. The severity of gastric mucosal lesions was evaluated macroscopically by a gross ulcer index. The gross ulcer indices in the PVL groups were significantly higher than those in the controls (p < 0.05). Histomorphometric evaluation of the intraepithelial mucin content, with the periodic acid-Schiff-Alcian blue staining technique, confirmed a significant decrease in mucosal glycoprotein production in the PVL groups (p < 0.05). Quantitative changes in gastric mucosal hexosamines were also used for mucosal glycoprotein analyses, and the hexosamine content of the gastric mucosa in the control, PVL4 and PVL8 groups were 300.7 +/- 7.8, 177.2 +/- 4.9 and 169.1 +/- 3.5 micrograms/100 mg dried mucosa, respectively. The gastric mucosal hexosamine content was significantly lower in the PVL groups than in the control group (p < 0.05). No significant differences were observed between the two PVL groups in the above-studied parameters. These findings reveal that PHT causes a decrease in gastric mucosal glycoproteins in rats, and the decreased mucin content may weaken an important defensive factor of gastric mucosa. We suggest that gastric mucosal glycoproteins may play an important role in the pathogenesis of gastric mucosal lesions from PHT.

Animals↗