Effect of pyridoxal phosphate on the DNA binding site of activated hepatic glucocorticoid receptor

The binding of rat liver glucocorticoid.receptor complexes to DNA-cellulose and nuclei has been studied after activation of the complexes by heating. Subsequent exposure to pyridoxal 5'-phosphate or pyridoxal markedly inhibited this binding. In one system 0.75 mM pyridoxal 5'-phosphate or 6.5 mM pyridoxal gave 50% inhibition. Pyridoxamine 5'-phosphate, pyridoxamine, and pyridoxine did not inhibit significantly. The inhibition by pyridoxal 5'-phosphate is competitive with respect to DNA suggesting that its effect is directly on the DNA binding site of the activated receptor. The inhibition of DNA-cellulose binding by pyridoxal 5'-phosphate can be reversed by treatment with dithiothreitol or by gel filtration, but not if the modified receptor is first reduced using sodium borohydride. These results suggest that pyridoxal 5'-phosphate acts by forming a Schiff base of an epsilon-NH2 of a lysine which may be 1 residue appearing on the surface of the steroid.receptor complex upon activation. However, since pretreatment of the DNA-cellulose with the intercalating drug ethidium bormide also inhibits activated receptor binding, we conclude that the binding of the receptor involves more than electrostatic interactions between receptor positive charges and DNA phosphate groups

Induction of tyrosine aminotransferase in utero by anti-insulin agents

The hepatic enzyme tyrosine aminotransferase, normally expressed in very low amounts until shortly after birth, is prematurely induced in foetal rats made diabetic by the administration of streptozotocin in utero. Similarly, the enzyme is precociously induced in foetuses if the circulating insulin concentration is artificially decreased by the administration of anti-insulin serum. These observations support the proposal that the natural decrease in plasma insulin, known to occur at birth, is a major contributor to the postnatal induction of tyrosine aminotransferase

An albumin-associated PLA2-like activity inactivates surfactant phosphatidylcholine secreted from fetal type II pneumocytes

Type II pneumocytes are responsible for the synthesis and secretion of pulmonary surfactant, which reduces surface tension in lung alveoli, thus decreasing their tendency to collapse during expiration. For this effect to be sustained, the integrity of the surface-active components of surfactant must be maintained. This study has shown that, when cultured type II pneumocytes are exposed to lipoprotein-free serum (LFS), the level of lyso-phosphatidylcholine (lyso-PC) in the secreted surfactant phospholipids is markedly elevated with a concomitant decline in the level of phosphatidylcholine (PC). This effect is the result of hydrolysis of surfactant PC by a phospholipase A2 (PLA2)-like activity present within serum. Anion-exchange chromatography, gel filtration chromatography and preparative electrophoresis of human LFS have shown that this PLA2-like activity coelutes with albumin and is biochemically distinct from the secretory form of PLA2. Furthermore, specific inhibitors of PLA2 such as pbromophenacyl bromide, aristolochic acid, and palmitoyl trifluoromethyl ketone do not inhibit this activity of serum. Commercially purified human serum albumin fraction V and recombinant human serum albumin (rHSA) are almost as effective as LFS in enhancing the level of lyso-PC in the media. The latter finding implies that rHSA directly generates lyso-PC from secreted PC and suggests that this PLA2-like activity may be an intrinsic attribute of albumin

Effect of Methylxanthines on Binding of the Glucocorticoid Receptor to DNA-Cellulose and Nuclei

The binding of [3H]dexamethasone-receptor complex from rat liver cytosol to isolated nuclei or DNA-cellulose can be greatly enhanced at low temperature by the presence of theophylline. Aminophylline and caffeine can mimic this effect; however, papaverine and 1-methyl-3-isobutylxanthine, at concentrations inhibitory to phosphodiesterase, are without effect on glucocorticoid receptor binding to DNA. Furthermore, theophylline can be added when adenosine 3':5'-monophosphate-(cAMP) hydrolysis is already complete and still enhance DNA binding. These results imply that this effect of theophylline is independent of its known effect on cAMP levels. Activation by methylxanthines does not alter the sedimentation of the glucocorticoid-receptor complex in sucrose gradients but does alter the pI and in this respect brings about changes resembling those which occur upon activation by heat. Recently we have shown that pyridoxal phosphate inhibits the binding of heat-activated receptor to DNA-cellulose. Similarly, we have shown here that pyridoxal phosphate also inhibits the DNA-cellulose binding of theophylline-treated receptor. The presence of theophylline also enhances the rate of binding of [3H]dexamethasone to the receptor and increases its apparent affininty for the steroid. The data suggest that the effect of theophylline is on some cytosolic component, perhaps the receptor itself. Enhanced DNA binding as a result of exposure to theophylline at low temperature can also be demonstrated using the glucocorticoid receptor of kidney, thymus and Reuber H35 cells

Lipid analysis of lavage samples from the equine guttural pouch (auditory tube diverticulum)

The guttural pouch is a large, air-filled diverticulum of the auditory tube, present in the horse and other species. Lipid analysis of saline lavage from the equine guttural pouch has demonstrated the presence of phospholipids and neutral lipids in amounts that are variable but consistently greater than in any other species described. A stain specific for choline-containing phospholipids has demonstrated the presence of phospholipid-containing vesicles only within the cells of subepithelial, seromucoidlike glands, suggesting that these cells incorporate phospholipids in their secretions. The functional significance of surface-active agents in the guttural pouch may be different from that proposed for other species because of the unique anatomical design and the different proposed functions of the guttural pouch

Enhancement of disaturated phosphatidylcholine synthesis by epidermal growth factor in cultured fetal lung cells involves a fibroblast-epithelial cell interaction

Epidermal growth factor (EGF) increases the rate of choline incorporation into disaturated phosphatidylcholine in cultured fetal rat type II cells via an indirect mechanism. Whereas-EGF has no effect on the rate of disaturated phosphatidylcholine synthesis when added directly to type II pneumocytes, the growth factor is effective if it is present during preliminary conditioning of the media by lung fibroblasts. This effect is concentration dependent with a maximal effect at 20 ng/ml. When lung fibroblasts are incubated with both glucocorticoids and EGF, there is no significant effect of the growth factor over and above that seen with the steroid alone. This suggests that the two agents might act via a similar mechanism. This is supported by the observation that each inducer leads to the production by lung fibroblasts of a stimulatory factor that has a similar, if not identical, chromatographic elution profile. We conclude that EGF may contribute significantly to the normal onset of lung maturation by elaborating a fibroblast-derived factor that stimulates phosphatidylcholine synthesis in type II pneumocytes