scholarly journals Comparison of endogenous and exogenous RNA primers of poly(U) polymerase in rat hepatic ribosomes

1979 ◽  
Vol 177 (3) ◽  
pp. 895-902 ◽  
Author(s):  
T T Hayashi ◽  
K MacFarlane

The present work indicates that RNA primer requirements for poly(U) polymerase in the free ribosomes of the rat liver depend upon the degree of enzyme purification. The poly(U) polymerase activity obtained from a crude free ribosomal preparation was compared with the enzymic activity of a partially purified enzyme. After preliminary purification, the enzyme was fractionated by chromatography on Sephadex G-150 and CM-cellulose. Our results demonstrate the presence of several forms of poly(U) polymerase activities, some requiring exogenous RNA and others possessing their own endogenous primer RNA.

1971 ◽  
Vol 123 (5) ◽  
pp. 959-966 ◽  
Author(s):  
J. Hradec ◽  
Z. Dušek ◽  
E. Bermek ◽  
H. Matthaei

1. Peptide-elongation factors were purified from rat liver and human tonsils and the contents of cholesteryl 14-methylhexadecanoate were determined in fractions obtained during enzyme purification. The relative contents of this compound in purified enzyme preparations was several times higher than that in the crude starting material. Elongation factors from human tonsils contained a significantly larger quantity of the cholesteryl ester than enzyme from rat liver. 2. Transfer enzymes extracted with various organic solvents showed variable decreased activities in both binding and peptidization assay. The decrease of enzymic activity was proportional to the amount of cholesteryl 14-methylhexadecanoate extracted from a given enzymic preparation. In systems containing both extracted elongation factors the polyphenylalanine synthesis was limited by the residual activity of the less active transfer factor. 3. The original enzymic activity of extracted transferases was fully recovered by the addition of pure cholesteryl 14-methylhexadecanoate in quantities corresponding to those extracted. 4. Increase of the relative contents of this cholesteryl ester during enzyme purification, decrease of the enzymic activity after the extraction and its recovery by the addition of this compound indicates that the presence of this ester in elongation factors is essential for the normal function of these enzymes.


1972 ◽  
Vol 130 (2) ◽  
pp. 619-629 ◽  
Author(s):  
G. E. Neal

1. Aflatoxin B1, administered in vivo, inhibits the incorporation of [14C]orotic acid in vivo into rat liver nuclei, and also inhibits both Mg2+- and Mn2+-dependent RNA polymerase activities in nuclei assayed in vitro. 2. Aflatoxin B1 inhibits the cortisol-induced increase in incorporation of [14C]leucine in vivo, but does not affect the control value of this activity. 3. Aflatoxin B1 administered in vivo inhibits the increase in nuclear Mg2+-dependent RNA polymerase activity, assayed in vitro, which results from the treatment with cortisol. 4. Adrenalectomy causes a decrease in Mg2+-dependent RNA polymerase activity. The effect on this enzymic activity of adrenalectomy plus treatment with aflatoxin B1 is no greater than that of treatment with aflatoxin B1 alone. 5. These results suggest that the inhibition of cortisol-stimulated biochemical pathways by aflatoxin B1 is due to an inhibition of cortisol-stimulated RNA synthesis. 6. The cytoplasmic action of aflatoxin is thought to be due to a competition for receptor sites on the endoplasmic reticulum between steroid hormones and aflatoxin B1. No evidence was obtained for a similar competition for nuclear receptor sites between [3H]cortisol and aflatoxin B1. 7. No differences were observed between the activities of RNA polymerase preparations solubilized from control or aflatoxin-inhibited nuclei. 8. No differences in ‘melting’ profiles were observed between DNA and chromatin preparations isolated from control nuclei or from aflatoxin-inhibited nuclei. 9. It is suggested that aflatoxin B1 exerts its effect on RNA polymerase by decreasing the template capacity of the chromatin and that the aflatoxin ‘target’ area of the chromatin includes that region which is stimulated by cortisol. This process, however, does not involve inhibiting the movement of cortisol from the outside of the hepatic cell to the nuclear chromatin.


1989 ◽  
Vol 261 (2) ◽  
pp. 509-513
Author(s):  
R Ramirez ◽  
D Zähner ◽  
G Marynissen ◽  
A Sener ◽  
W J Malaisse

The anomeric specificity of D-glucose phosphorylation by hepatic glucose-6-phosphatase was examined in rat liver microsomes incubated in the presence of carbamoyl phosphate. At 10 degrees C, the Km for the equilibrated hexose and phosphate donor was close to 56 mM and 11 mM, respectively. The enzymic activity, which was increased in diabetic rats, was about 40% lower in untreated than in sonicated microsomes. No anomeric difference in affinity was found in sonicated microsomes. In untreated microsomes, however, the Km for beta-D-glucose was slightly lower than that for alpha-D-glucose. The maximal velocity was higher with beta- than alpha-D-glucose in both untreated and sonicated microsomes. These data indicate that the phosphotransferase activity of glucose-6-phosphatase cannot account for the higher rate of glycolysis and glycogen synthesis found in hepatocytes exposed to alpha- rather than beta-D-glucose.


1984 ◽  
Vol 39 (7-8) ◽  
pp. 728-733 ◽  
Author(s):  
Rita M. Fink ◽  
Erich F. Elstner

Abstract Three different methods for the determination of phenylalanine hydroxylase activity have been compared: a) Differential photometric assay of the increase in tyrosine concentration in the presence of phenylalanine; b) Product separation by thin layer chromatography and scintillation counting of the [14C]tyrosine formed;c) HPLC separation and spectrofluorometric quantification of derivatized amino acids. A comparison of the activities of phenylalanine hydroxylase in rat liver and Euglena gracilis clearly showed that only rat liver contains this enzymic activity as shown by methods b) and c) although pseudo-activity of Euglena gracilis preparations was found during the spectrophotometric test a). The HPLC method proved to be the fastest, most reliable and convenient method for direct tyrosine determination and thus for measuring phenylalanine hydroxylase activity.


1970 ◽  
Vol 47 (2) ◽  
pp. 159-166 ◽  
Author(s):  
T. DALTON ◽  
R. S. SNART

SUMMARY Changes in respiration and enzymic activity were measured in toad bladder tissue and homogenates in response to aldosterone and in rat liver tissue and homogenates in response to corticosterone. The results showed that the stimulation of target tissue may be associated with the saturation of two types of receptor sites for these hormones. The mechanism of action of both hormones is discussed in terms of a common effect on the control of respiration of the target tissue, and a second effect on the control of cellular processes such as the entry of sodium into the epithelial cells of toad bladder or increased transaminase activity in rat liver.


1988 ◽  
Vol 250 (1) ◽  
pp. 53-58 ◽  
Author(s):  
F Flamigni ◽  
C Guarnieri ◽  
C M Caldarera

Removal of dithiothreitol (DTT) from partially purified ornithine decarboxylase (ODC) led to an almost complete inhibition of enzymic activity. The inactivation was reversed by addition of millimolar concentrations of DTT, whereas natural reductants such as NADPH or NADH were ineffective, and GSH had only a limited effect. Addition of rat liver cytosol to the incubation mixture resulted in a noticeable re-activation of ODC; however, dialysed cytosol had little effect unless NADPH or GSH was present. Fractionation of rat liver cytosol by gel filtration on Sephadex G-75 yielded two fractions involved in the NADPH- and GSH-dependent re-activation of ODC: one designated ‘A’, eluted near the void volume (Mr greater than or equal to 60,000), and the other designated ‘B’, eluted later (Mr approx. 12,000). The NADPH-dependent mechanism required both fractions A and B for maximal ODC re-activation; the most effective concentration of NADPH was 0.15 mM, although a significant effect was observed at a concentration more than 10-fold lower. The GSH-dependent mechanism involved the mediation of Fraction B only, and operated at millimolar concentrations of GSH. These results suggest the existence of reducing systems in the cytosol, which may play a role in maintaining, and potentially in regulating, ODC activity by modulation of its thiol status.


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