Optimizing the relaxivity at high fields: systematic variation of the rotational dynamics in polynuclear Gd-complexes based on the AAZTA ligand

Author(s):  
Lorenzo Tei ◽  
Giuseppe Gugliotta ◽  
Davide Marchi ◽  
Maurizio Cossi ◽  
Simonetta Geninatti Crich ◽  
...  

A homogeneous series of polynuclear structures containing from 2 to 6 GdAAZTA complexes (AAZTA=6-amino-6-methylperhydro-1, 4-diazepine tetraacetic acid) were synthesized covering a broad range of molecular weights, ca. 1200-6000 Da. A...

1989 ◽  
Vol 257 (1) ◽  
pp. G99-G110 ◽  
Author(s):  
M. R. Brown ◽  
C. S. Chew

1,2-Bis(2-aminophenoxy)ethane-N,N,N',N'-tetraacetic acid acetoxymethyl ester (BAPTA/AM), an intracellular calcium [( Ca2+]i) chelator, was used to investigate the role of [Ca2+]i in acid secretory activity and protein phosphorylation in parietal cells from rabbit. Chelation of extracellular calcium [( Ca2+]o) with ethylene glycol-bis(beta-aminoethyl ether)-N,N,N',N'-tetraacetic acid did not prevent the initial carbachol-induced elevation of [Ca2+]i as measured with the fluorescent Ca2+ probe, fura-2, and only partially inhibited [14C]-aminopyrine (AP) accumulation, an indirect indicator of acid secretory activity. [Ca2+]i chelation with BAPTA/AM eliminated carbachol-stimulated increases in [Ca2+]i and AP accumulation but only transiently reduced histamine stimulation of AP accumulation. Carbachol increased phosphorylation of a 36-kDa, pI approximately 7 protein (pp36) and transient phosphorylation of a 28-kDa, pI approximately 5 protein (pp28), whereas histamine increased phosphorylation of 40-kDa, pI approximately 6.5 (pp40) and 27-kDa, pI approximately 6.2 (pp27) proteins. Phosphorylation of pp36 and pp28 were mimicked by the protein kinase C activator, 12-O-tetradecanoylphorbol-13-acetate (TPA) and the calcium ionophore, ionomycin, respectively. Two other phosphoproteins with molecular weights of 66,000 and pIs of 5.7 and 5.9 were also phosphorylated in response to TPA and carbachol. Chelation of [Ca2+]i and [Ca2+]o blocked carbachol-induced phosphorylation of pp28 and pp36 and ionomycin phosphorylation of pp28 but not TPA-stimulated phosphorylation of pp36 or the two pp66s or histamine-stimulated phosphorylation of pp27 or pp40. Chelation of [Ca2+]i alone did not block increases in [Ca2+]i or phosphorylation of pp28 in response to ionomycin. Both pp28 and pp36 were localized in both microsomal and cytosolic fractions of cells, which suggests involvement in cytoskeleton-membrane interactions. These phosphoproteins could be common elements of Ca2+-dependent stimulus-secretion coupling as similar proteins were phosphorylated by carbachol and cholecystokinin (CCK) in chief cells. Based on data with TPA and ionomycin, both protein kinase C and an as yet unidentified Ca2+-dependent protein kinase(s) appear to be activated upon stimulation with cholinergic agonists and CCK.


Author(s):  
Henry S. Slayter

Electron microscopic methods have been applied increasingly during the past fifteen years, to problems in structural molecular biology. Used in conjunction with physical chemical methods and/or Fourier methods of analysis, they constitute powerful tools for determining sizes, shapes and modes of aggregation of biopolymers with molecular weights greater than 50, 000. However, the application of the e.m. to the determination of very fine structure approaching the limit of instrumental resolving power in biological systems has not been productive, due to various difficulties such as the destructive effects of dehydration, damage to the specimen by the electron beam, and lack of adequate and specific contrast. One of the most satisfactory methods for contrasting individual macromolecules involves the deposition of heavy metal vapor upon the specimen. We have investigated this process, and present here what we believe to be the more important considerations for optimizing it. Results of the application of these methods to several biological systems including muscle proteins, fibrinogen, ribosomes and chromatin will be discussed.


Author(s):  
S.B. Andrews ◽  
R.D. Leapman ◽  
P.E. Gallant ◽  
T.S. Reese

As part of a study on protein interactions involved in microtubule (MT)-based transport, we used the VG HB501 field-emission STEM to obtain low-dose dark-field mass maps of isolated, taxol-stabilized MTs and correlated these micrographs with detailed stereo images from replicas of the same MTs. This approach promises to be useful for determining how protein motors interact with MTs. MTs prepared from bovine and squid brain tubulin were purified and free from microtubule-associated proteins (MAPs). These MTs (0.1-1 mg/ml tubulin) were adsorbed to 3-nm evaporated carbon films supported over Formvar nets on 600-m copper grids. Following adsorption, the grids were washed twice in buffer and then in either distilled water or in isotonic or hypotonic ammonium acetate, blotted, and plunge-frozen in ethane/propane cryogen (ca. -185 C). After cryotransfer into the STEM, specimens were freeze-dried and recooled to ca.-160 C for low-dose (<3000 e/nm2) dark-field mapping. The molecular weights per unit length of MT were determined relative to tobacco mosaic virus standards from elastic scattering intensities. Parallel grids were freeze-dried and rotary shadowed with Pt/C at 14°.


Author(s):  
Ruchama Baum ◽  
J.T. Seto

The ribonucleic acid (RNA) of paramyxoviruses has been characterized by biochemical and physiochemical methods. However, paramyxovirus RNA molecules have not been studied by electron microscopy. The molecular weights of these single-stranded viral RNA molecules are not known as yet. Since electron microscopy has been found to be useful for the characterization of single-stranded RNA, this investigation was initiated to examine the morphology and length measurements of paramyxovirus RNA's.Sendai virus Z strain and Newcastle disease virus (NDV), Milano strain, were used. For these studies it was necessary to develop a method of extracting RNA molecules from purified virus particles. Highly purified Sendai virus was treated with pronase (300 μg/ml) at 37°C for 30 minutes and the RNA extracted by the sodium dodecyl sulfate (SDS)-phenol procedure.


Author(s):  
Dimitrij Lang

The success of the protein monolayer technique for electron microscopy of individual DNA molecules is based on the prevention of aggregation and orientation of the molecules during drying on specimen grids. DNA adsorbs first to a surface-denatured, insoluble cytochrome c monolayer which is then transferred to grids, without major distortion, by touching. Fig. 1 shows three basic procedures which, modified or not, permit the study of various important properties of nucleic acids, either in concert with other methods or exclusively:1) Molecular weights relative to DNA standards as well as number distributions of molecular weights can be obtained from contour length measurements with a sample standard deviation between 1 and 4%.


1992 ◽  
Vol 68 (05) ◽  
pp. 534-538 ◽  
Author(s):  
Nobuhiko Yoshida ◽  
Shingi Imaoka ◽  
Hajime Hirata ◽  
Michio Matsuda ◽  
Shinji Asakura

SummaryCongenitally abnormal fibrinogen Osaka III with the replacement of γ Arg-275 by His was found in a 38-year-old female with no bleeding or thrombotic tendency. Release of fibrinopeptide(s) by thrombin or reptilase was normal, but her thrombin or reptilase time in the absence of calcium was markedly prolonged and the polymerization of preformed fibrin monomer which was prepared by the treatment of fibrinogen with thrombin or reptilase was also markedly defective. Propositus' fibrinogen had normal crosslinking abilities of α- and γ-chains. Analysis of fibrinogen chains on sodium dodecyl sulfate-polyacrylamide gel electrophoresis (SDS-PAGE) in the system of Laemmli only revealed the presence of abnormal γ-chain with an apparently higher molecular weight, the presence of which was more clearly detected with SDS-PAGE of fibrin monomer obtained by thrombin treatment. Purified fragment D1 of fibrinogen Osaka III also seemed to contain an apparently higher molecular weight fragment D1 γ remnant on Laemmli gels, which was digested faster than the normal control by plasmin in the presence of [ethy-lenebis(oxyethylenenitrilo)]tetraacetic acid (EGTA).


1988 ◽  
Vol 60 (01) ◽  
pp. 107-112 ◽  
Author(s):  
Roy Harris ◽  
Louis Garcia Frade ◽  
Lesley J Creighton ◽  
Paul S Gascoine ◽  
Maher M Alexandroni ◽  
...  

SummaryThe catabolism of recombinant tissue plasminogen activator (rt-PA) was investigated after injection of radiolabelled material into rats. Both Iodogen and Chloramine T iodination procedures yielded similar biological activity loss in the resultant labelled rt-PA and had half lives in the rat circulation of 1 and 3 min respectively. Complex formation of rt-PA was investigated by HPLC gel exclusion (TSK G3000 SW) fractionation of rat plasma samples taken 1-2 min after 125I-rt-PA injection. A series of radiolabelled complexes of varying molecular weights were found. However, 60% of the counts were associated with a single large molecular weight complex (350–500 kDa) which was undetectable by immunologically based assays (ELISA and BIA) and showed only low activity with a functional promoter-type t-PA assay. Two major activity peaks in the HPLC fractions were associated with Tree t-PA and a complex having a molecular weight of ̴ 180 kDa. HPLC fractionation to produce these three peaks at various timed intervals after injection of 125I-rt-PA showed each to have a similar initial rate half life in the rat circulation of 4-5 min. The function of these complexes as yet is unclear but since a high proportion of rt-PA is associated with a high molecular weight complex with a short half life in the rat, we suggest that the formation of this complex may be a mechanism by which t-PA activity is initially regulated and finally cleared from the rat circulation.


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