The chemotherapy of viral infections.
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A mutant alpha3beta3gamma complex of F1-ATPase from thermophilic Bacillus PS3 was generated in which noncatalytic nucleotide binding sites lost their ability to bind nucleotides. It hydrolyzed ATP at an initial rate with cooperative kinetics (Km(1), 4 microM; Km(2), 135 microM) similar to the wild-type complex. However, the initial rate decayed rapidly to an inactivated form. Since the inactivated mutant complex contained 1.5 mol of ADP/mol of complex, this inactivation seemed to be caused by entrapping inhibitory MgADP in a catalytic site. Indeed, the mutant complex was nearly completely inactivated by a 10 min prior incubation with equimolar MgADP. Analysis of the progress of inactivation after initiation of ATP hydrolysis as a function of ATP concentration indicated that the inactivation was optimal at ATP concentrations in the range of Km(1). In the presence of ATP, the wild-type complex dissociated the inhibitory [3H]ADP preloaded onto a catalytic site whereas the mutant complex did not. Lauryl dimethylamineoxide promoted release of preloaded inhibitory [3H]ADP in an ATP-dependent manner and partly restored the activity of the inactivated mutant complex. Addition of ATP promoted single-site hydrolysis of 2',3'-O-(2,4,6-trinitrophenyl)-ATP preloaded at a single catalytic site of the mutant complex. These results indicate that intact noncatalytic sites are essential for continuous catalytic turnover of the F1-ATPase but are not essential for catalytic cooperativity of F1-ATPase observed at ATP concentrations below approximately 300 microM.
In the crystal structure of bovine mitochondrial F(1)-ATPase (MF(1)) (Abrahams, J. P., Leslie, A. G. W., Lutter, R., and Walker, J. E. (1994) Nature 370, 621-628), the side chain oxygen of betaThr(163) interacts directly with Mg(2+) coordinated to 5'-adenylyl beta, gamma-imidodiphosphate or ADP bound to catalytic sites of beta subunits present in closed conformations. In the unliganded beta subunit present in an open conformation, the hydroxyl of betaThr(163) is hydrogen-bonded to the carboxylate of betaGlu(199). Substitution of betaGlu(201) (equivalent to betaGlu(199) in MF(1)) in the alpha(3)beta(3)gamma subcomplex of the F(1)-ATPase from the thermophilic Bacillus PS3 with cysteine or valine increases the propensity to entrap inhibitory MgADP in a catalytic site during hydrolysis of 50 microM ATP. These substitutions lower K(m3) (the Michaelis constant for trisite ATP hydrolysis) relative to that of the wild type by 25- and 10-fold, respectively. Fluorescence quenching of alpha(3)(betaE201C/Y341W)(3)gamma and alpha(3)(betaY341W)(3)gamma mutant subcomplexes showed that MgATP and MgADP bind to the third catalytic site of the double mutant with 8.4- and 4.4-fold higher affinity, respectively, than to the single mutant. These comparisons support the hypothesis that the hydrogen bond observed between the side chains of betaThr(163) and betaGlu(199) in the unliganded catalytic site in the crystal structure of MF(1) stabilizes the open conformation of the catalytic site during ATP hydrolysis.
The effect of the ATPase activity of Manduca sexta V(1) ATPase by the amphipathic detergent lauryldimethylamine oxide (LDAO) and the relationship of these activities to the subunit composition of V(1) were studied. The V(1) was highly activated in the presence of 0.04-0.06% LDAO combined with release of the subunits H, C, and F from the enzyme. Increase of LDAO concentration to 0.1-0.2% caused the characterized subcomplexes A(3)B(3)HEGF and A(3)B(3)EG with a remaining ATPase activity of 52 and 65%, respectively. The hydrolytic-active A(3)B(3)EG subcomplex has been visualized by electron microscopy showing six major masses of density in a pseudo-hexagonal arrangement surrounding a seventh mass. The compositions of the various subcomplexes and fragments of V(1) provide an organization of the subunits in the enzyme in the framework of the known three-dimensional reconstruction of the V(1) ATPase from M. sexta (Radermacher, M., Ruiz, T., Wieczorek, H., and Grüber, G. (2001) J. Struct. Biol. 135, 26-37).
A standardized respiratory questionnaire and pulmonary function tests were used to examine thirty-four employees of a snow-ski manufacturing plant, including twenty-five workers who were exposed to an epoxy resin system containing the amine hardener 3-dimethylamino propylamine (3-DMAPA). Maximum expiratory flow-volume curves were obtained on Monday and Thursday, before and after each shift, and FVC, FEV1.0, MEF50%, and MEF25% were caculated. Environmental measurements of the total amine levels were found to range from 0.41 to 1.38 ppm. The group with the greatest exposure (0.55-1.38 ppm) showed significant decreases in lung function over Monday and over the week. Although all employees in this group showed decreases in pulmonary function, acute changes were greater in present cigarette smokers and in subjects who reported respiratory symptoms upon exposure to the epoxy resin system. There was no evidence of permanent loss of lung function in subjects with either the highest or longest exposure.
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Storage of frozen fish brings about a decrease of extractability of myofibrillar proteins. There is also deterioration of the texture and functional properties of the flesh. In model systems, aggregation of myosin, actin, tropomyosin, and whole myofibrils have been described. These changes are caused by concurrent action of partial dehydration due to the freezing out of water, exposure of the proteins to inorganic salts which are concentrated in the remaining nonfrozen fluid, interactions with free fatty acids liberated from phospholipids and with lipid oxidation products, and cross-linking by formaldehyde produced in some species of fish as a result of enzymic decomposition of trimethylamine oxide. The extent of protein alterations increases with time and temperature of storage as well as with advanced disintegration of the tissues and intermixing of their components. The role played by the individual factors and the significance of different types of bonds, i.e., hydrophobic adherences, ionic bonds, and covalent cross-links in particular cases are not yet fully disclosed. Retardation of the deteriorative changes of proteins in frozen fish is possible by avoiding high storage temperatures and oxidation of lipids, removing hematin compounds and other constituents promoting cross-linking reactions, and by adding cryoprotectors like sugars, several organic acids, amino acids, or peptides.
3,4-Dichloropropionanilide (propanil) and 2,4-dichlorophenoxyacetic acid (2,4-D) are two commonly used herbicides that are marketed as a chemical mixture. It was hypothesized that the interaction between these two herbicides, when administered as a mixture, would result in a greater effect on the immune system than the individual components of the mixture. The present study demonstrates in a murine model that a mixture of propanil and 2,4-D, when compared to single herbicide exposures, exacerbates decreases in thymocyte populations 2 d postexposure and inhibits the repopulation of T-cells in the thymus 7 d postexposure. Exposure to 150 mg herbicide/kg body weight of propanil or 2,4-D alone had no effect on thymus weight. In contrast, decreases in the ratio of thymus weight to body weight (TW:BW) occurred 2 d after treatment with the mixture of 150 mg propanil/kg body weight + 150 mg 2,4-D/kg body weight (150/150). Thymic atrophy was associated with a decrease in the double-positive thymocyte population (CD4+CD8+) and correlated with sera corticosterone levels from 600 to 1000 pg/ml. Therefore, the hypothesis was tested that glucocorticoids, induced after exposure to herbicides, were responsible for the thymic atrophy and depletion of thymocytes. However, similar levels of corticosterone were induced after exposure to 50, 100, or 150 mg propanil/kg body weight, and 50/50 or 100/100 mixture treatments, doses that did not produce thymic atrophy or cell loss. In addition, RU 486, a glucocorticoid receptor blocker, only partially abrogated the thymic atrophy in mice exposed to the 150/150 mixture of herbicides. These results suggest that glucocorticoids are only partially responsible for herbicide-induced thymic atrophy. This study demonstrates that the effects of exposure to a mixture of chemicals cannot always be predicted based on single exposure data and emphasizes the importance of mixture-based studies.
A sampling and analytical procedure for methyl-, dimethyl-, ethyl-, and diethylamine was developed in order to avoid problems typically encountered in the sampling and analysis of low molecular weight aliphatic amines. Samples are collected with adsorbent tubes containing Amberlite XAD-7 resin coated with the derivatizing reagent, NBD chloride (7-chloro-4-nitrobenzo-2-oxa-1,3-diazole). Analysis is performed by high performance liquid chromatography with the use of a fluorescence and/or UV/visible detector. All four amines can be monitored simultaneously, and neither collection nor storage is affected by humidity. Samples are stable at room temperature for at least two weeks. The methodology has been tested for each of the four amines at sample loadings equivalent to air concentration ranges of 0.5 to 30 ppm for a sample volume of 10 liters. The method shows promise for determining other airborne primary and secondary low molecular weight aliphatic amines.
The results of two methods of analysis for measuring glove permeability to pesticides are reported. The standard ASTM F739-85 testing procedure was used to determine breakthrough times and permeation rates for four protective glove materials for two commercially available pesticide formulations. The same glove materials and pesticides then were tested using an in-house developed automated in-vitro diffusion analysis (AIDA) procedure. The ASTM and AIDA procedures both demonstrated no detectable breakthrough of Sevin 50W or 2,4-D Amine 96% for nitrile butyl rubber and polyvinyl chloride gloves. Although no breakthrough of Sevin 50W or 2,4-D Amine 96 was detected for natural rubber or neoprene gloves following the ASTM procedure, permeation was observed in 2 of 3 replicate tests for both rubber and neoprene gloves when using the AIDA method. The observed discrepancy may have been caused by a longer sampling duration for the AIDA method (16 hr) than the ASTM procedure (8 hr). Advantages of the AIDA procedure are discussed.
Photolysis of 1,3,5-trichlorobenzene (TCB) in moderate concentration (0.5 mM) in the presence of several additives was examined in 10 mM of cationic and nonionic surfactant solutions. Additions of small amounts of hydrophobic additives, n-dodecanethiol (1 mM), n-dodecyldimethylamine (<2.5 mM), and N-(n-dodecyl)-N-methylaniline (C12An: <0.5 mM), were effective for photodechlorination of TCB, while the formation of by-products could not be inhibited perfectly. In contrast, exclusive and efficient dechlorination of TCB in cetyltrimethylammonium chloride solution was achieved in the presence of sodium borohydride (<5 mM), which was due to the enhanced local concentration of borohydride anions in cationic micelle surfaces.
The selectivity of Ca2+ over Na+ is approximately 3.3-fold larger in cGMP-gated channels of cone photoreceptors than in those of rods when measured under saturating cGMP concentrations, where the probability of channel opening is 85-90%. Under physiological conditions, however, the probability of opening of the cGMP-gated channels ranges from its largest value in darkness of 1-5% to essentially zero under continuous, bright illumination. We investigated the ion selectivity of cGMP-gated channels as a function of cyclic nucleotide concentration in membrane patches detached from the outer segments of rod and cone photoreceptors and have found that ion selectivity is linked to gating. We determined ion selectivity relative to Na+ (PX/PNa) from the value of reversal potentials measured under ion concentration gradients. The selectivity for Ca2+ over Na+ increases continuously as the probability of channel opening rises. The dependence of PCa/PNa on cGMP concentration, in both rods and cones, is well described by the same Hill function that describes the cGMP dependence of current amplitude. At the cytoplasmic cGMP concentrations expected in dark-adapted intact photoreceptors, PCa/PNa in cone channels is approximately 7.4-fold greater than that in rods. The linkage between selectivity and gating is specific for divalent cations. The selectivity of Ca2+ and Sr2+ changes with cGMP concentration, but the selectivity of inorganic monovalent cations, Cs+ and NH4+, and organic cations, methylammonium+ and dimethylammonium+, is invariant with cGMP. Cyclic nucleotide-gated channels in rod photoreceptors are heteromeric assemblies of alpha and beta subunits. The maximal PCa/PNa of channels formed from alpha subunits of bovine rod channels is less than that of heteromeric channels formed from alpha and beta subunits. In addition, Ca2+ is a more effective blocker of channels formed by alpha subunits than of channels formed by alpha and beta subunits. The cGMP-dependent shift in divalent cation selectivity is a property of alphabeta channels and not of channels formed from alpha subunits alone.
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Male and female BDVI rats were treated with 1 mmol/kg x week and 0.5 mmol/kg x week of N-nitrodimethylamine (NTDMA) or N-nitromethylamine (NTMA). NTMA induced mainly tumors of the nasal cavity (esthesioneuro-epithelioma) while NTMA induced neurinoma of the spine, spinal nerves and peripheral nerves. NTMA was slightly less potent than the dimethyl compound. Females were less susceptible than males to the carcinogenic action of the nitramines.
Oxidative metabolism of radioactively labeled N-nitrodimethylamine in rats was compared with that of N-nitromethylamine. Within 7 h, 20% of N-nitrodimethylamine was metabolized to CO2 but only 4% of N-nitromethylamine. The poor oxidative metabolism of N-nitromethylamine is also reflected in the blood levels determined after i.v. administration to catheterized rats. N-Nitrodimethylamine was cleared rapidly from rat blood, while N-nitromethylamine was rapidly distributed into body water but had a long elimination half-life. An amount equal to 5.2% of the dose of the monomethyl compound was excreted intact in urine, but only 0.004% of the dimethyl compound. The pharmacokinetic data obtained were compared with the published data on the pharmacokinetics of the structural analog N-nitrosodimethylamine.
Dimethylnitramine (DMNO) was shown to undergo hydroxylation in the presence of 9000 g supernatant from rat liver (S9) to yield hydroxymethyl-methylnitramine (OH-MNO). OH-MNO displayed a 100-fold higher mutagenic activity in Salmonella typhimurium TA100 strain than DMNO, when compared on a molar basis. The mutagenicity of DMNO in TA100 strain in the presence of S9 paralleled the production of OH-MNO. Acetoxymethyl-methylnitramine (Ac-MNO) and methylnitramine (MNO), two synthetic derivatives of DMNO, were also investigated. Ac-MNO was found to be mutagenic in TA100 strain only in the presence of S9, probably through the release of OH-MNO catalysed by esterase(s); under similar conditions, MNO showed no mutagenicity or toxicity to TA100 strain. OH-MNO showed no alkylating activity towards nicotinamide. These findings implicate OH-MNO as a proximate mutagenic metabolite of DMNO. DMNO and Ac-MNO were found to be more mutagenic in a nitroreductase(s)-proficient (TA100) than in a deficient (TA100 NR) strain. After reduction of OH-MNO with Zn/NH4Cl, it yielded an agent(s) which alkylated nicotinamide. The latter results imply a reduction of the nitro group in OH-MNO to yield a hydroxylamino derivative as the ultimate (or penultimate) mutagenic metabolite. The enzymes and reactive intermediates that may be involved in the activation of DMNO are discussed.
N-Nitramines are biologically active compounds of environmental significance. In this study the suggested bioactivation of N- nitrodimethylamine via oxidation at the methyl-group was confirmed, as was indicated by formaldehyde liberation. N- Nitrodimethylamine and formaldehyde as well as the suggested metabolites, N- nitrohydroxymethylmethylamine and N- nitromethylamine were tested for mutagenicity in histidine auxotrophic Salmonella typhimurium strains in a variety of conditions. N- Nitrodimethylamine was mutagenic only in S. typhimurium TA 100 after pre-incubation with bacteria and a complete metabolizing mixture containing 9000 g liver supernatant and NADPH-regenerating cofactors. N- Nitrohydroxymethylmethylamine and formaldehyde were approximately equally mutagenic without the metabolizing mixture in TA 100 and TA 98, but not in TA 1535. The addition of the 9000 g supernatant of homogenized liver increased the yield of his+ revertants induced by the two compounds. N- Nitromethylamine was not mutagenic with or without the metabolic activation system. The results suggest that formaldehyde is possibly the mutagenically active intermediate formed during in vitro metabolism of N- nitrodimethylamine . Furthermore the participation of formaldehyde as the mutagenic intermediate of other non-alkylating N-nitro and N-nitroso compounds is demonstrated.