scholarly journals Control of cell protein catabolism in rat liver. Effects of starvation and administration of cycloheximide

1982 ◽  
Vol 206 (2) ◽  
pp. 395-405 ◽  
Author(s):  
F M Baccino ◽  
L Tessitore ◽  
G Cecchini ◽  
M Messina ◽  
M F Zuretti ◽  
...  

1. The loss of liver protein occurring in rats starved for 24 h was largely prevented by the administration of repeated doses of cycloheximide, an inhibitor of protein synthesis. Similar effects were produced on tubulin, a ‘fixed’ liver protein. 2. Starvation accelerated, whereas cycloheximide markedly lowered, the rate of protein radioactivity decay after labelling with [3H]valine or [14C]bicarbonate, indicating that changes in catabolic rates played an important role in the above regulations of liver protein mass. 3. The total activity of several lysosomal hydrolases showed little change in livers of starved rats, but a marked progressive decline developed after the administration of cycloheximide, particularly in the activities of cathepsins B, D and L as well as acid ribonuclease. There was no evidence that these changes might be due to endogenous inhibitors (at least for cathepsin B activity, which fell to less than 30% of the control values) or enzyme leakage into the bloodstream; rather, plasma beta-galactosidase and beta-N-acetylglucosaminidase activities fell progressively during the cycloheximide treatment. 4. Endogenous proteolytic rates, measured in vitro by incubating subcellular preparations from livers prelabelled in vivo with [3H]valine, were markedly decreased in cycloheximide-treated animals. 5. The osmotic fragility of hepatic lysosomes, appreciably enhanced in starved animals, after cycloheximide treatment was found to be even lower than in fed controls. 6. The present data are consistent with the view that in starved animals the loss of liver protein is mostly accounted for by increased breakdown, due, in part at least, to enhanced autophagocytosis. 7. Cycloheximide largely counteracted these effects of starvation, altering the liver from being ‘poised’ in a proteolytic direction to a protein-sparing condition. The present data suggest that, besides suppression of the autophagic processes, a decrease in the lysosomal proteolytic enzyme system may also play a role in this regulation, and they seem to provide further circumstantial evidence for the existence of co-ordinating mechanisms between protein synthesis and degradation.

1976 ◽  
Vol 81 (2) ◽  
pp. 435-448 ◽  
Author(s):  
Michael J. Wilson ◽  
Eugene Spaziani

ABSTRACT Pigmentation of the scrotum of the black-pelted rat, as expressed through melanocyte melanogenic activity, is controlled by androgens. Castration decreased in vitro incorporation of [14C] tyrosine into melanin. Testosterone pre-treatment for 4 days increased melanin radioactivity over castrate controls; the increment in vitro was prevented by an inhibitor of protein synthesis (cycloheximide) added to the incubation. However, cycloheximide only partially blocked melanin synthesis when added to tissue from animals hormone treated for 6 days in vivo, and was ineffective in tissue from intacts. Bulk protein synthesis in vitro (incorporation of [14C] tyrosine or -leucine) was not affected by castration or testosterone treatment but was uniformly inhibited by cycloheximide. The data suggest that new synthesis of specific protein in vitro was necessary for initial hormone-stimulation of melanogenesis, but with longer exposure to hormone sufficient protein was pre-synthetized in vivo to permit melanogenesis during incubation with the inhibitor. Radioautographs of epidermis incubated with [14C] tyrosine showed grains concentrated over macromolecular aggregates in melanocytes, a pattern not altered by cycloheximide. Though available for incorporation into general tissue protein. [14C] tyrosine was apparently incorporated preferentially into melanin by melanocytes. DOPA (3,4-dihydroxyphenylalanine) added to incubations in cofactor amounts did not affect decreased melanin synthesis after castration and appears, therefore, not to be rate limiting in that decrease. Tissue uptake of free [14C] tyrosine or — leucine during incubation was lower than normal in castrate epidermis; uptake was elevated by testosterone treatment. Concentrations appeared sufficient in all preparations to suggest that availability is not rate limiting for synthesis of melanin or protein; however, a possible influence on amino acid permeability for melanocytes remains undetermined. Tyrosinase activity was present in both particulate and cytosol fractions of epidermis but decreased significantly after castration only in the cytosol. Testosterone increased particulate activity after 4 days and soluble activity after 9 days of treatment. These and findings above are consistent with a model that tyrosinase is synthesized and incorporated into melanosome structure within 4 days testosterone treatment; with longer treatment synthesis may then exceed that required for melanosome assembly and tyrosinase appears in the soluble milieu.


1975 ◽  
Vol 26 (6) ◽  
pp. 1063
Author(s):  
LEA Symons ◽  
WO Jones

Incorporation of radioisotopically labelled L-leucine into skeletal muscle proteins was measured in vivo and in vitro, and into liver proteins in vivo in three groups of sheep: (1) infected by Trichostrongylus colubriformis, (2) uninfected, pair-fed with the infected animals, (3) uninfected, fed ad lib. Incorporation of [14C]L-leucine by an homogenate of wool follicles from infected and uninfected sheep was also measured. Incorporation of leucine by muscle, and hence muscle protein synthesis, was equally depressed in the anorexic infected sheep losing weight, and in pair-fed animals, whether measured in vivo or in vitro, or expressed in terms of either RNA or DNA. Incorporation into protein was elevated equally in vivo in the livers of the infected and pair-fed sheep when expressed in terms of content of tissue nitrogen, but not in terms of cither nucleic acid. Incorporation by the wool follicular homogenate was appreciably depressed by the infection and is consistent with the poor wool growth in nematode infections. These results show that the same depression of skeletal muscle and, possibly, elevation of liver protein synthesis occur in a ruminant as were reported earlier for laboratory monogastric animals with intestinal nematode infections. Pair-feeding uninfected animals in both this and the earlier experiments emphasized the importance of anorexia as a major cause of these effects on protein synthesis. The importance of these effects upon production is discussed briefly.


1992 ◽  
Vol 1 (3) ◽  
pp. 37-56 ◽  
Author(s):  
Leonard Friedman ◽  
John Scalera ◽  
James E. Keys ◽  
Edmund L. Peters ◽  
Dennis W. Gaines ◽  
...  

The effects of 2-chioroethanol (2-CE) on rat tissue following in vitro and in vivo exposure were studied. At concentrations as low as 2.5 mg/ml, protein synthesis in liver slices was inhibited; at concentrations of 25 mg/ml and above, RNA synthesis and respiration were also impaired. Single oral doses of 2-CE to young adult rats at levels of 15-40 mg/kg body weight depressed liver nonprotein sulfhydryl (GSH) concentration and liver protein but not RNA synthesis. Liver lipid was increased by 7 hr after a single oral dose of 30 mg/kg. The time courses and dose-response relationship for GSH depletion and restoration and for protein synthesis inhibition and recovery were similar. The livers of female rats were more sensitive than the livers of male rats to the effects of 2-CE. Protein synthesis was also depressed in kidneys of 2-CE-treated male rats but at higher doses than those needed for this effect to occur in livers of the same animals. Liver polysome disaggregation also occurred after oral 2-CE doses of 20 mg/kg and greater. The effects of 2-CE on ribosome profiles and protein synthesis were at least partially reversed by concurrent intraperitoneal administration of cysteine. The possible relationship of these findings to a role of GSH in protein synthesis is discussed.


1975 ◽  
Vol 26 (6) ◽  
pp. 1063
Author(s):  
LEA Symons ◽  
WO Jones

Incorporation of radioisotopically labelled L-leucine into skeletal muscle proteins was measured in vivo and in vitro, and into liver proteins in vivo in three groups of sheep: (1) infected by Trichostrongylus colubriformis, (2) uninfected, pair-fed with the infected animals, (3) uninfected, fed ad lib. Incorporation of [14C]L-leucine by an homogenate of wool follicles from infected and uninfected sheep was also measured. Incorporation of leucine by muscle, and hence muscle protein synthesis, was equally depressed in the anorexic infected sheep losing weight, and in pair-fed animals, whether measured in vivo or in vitro, or expressed in terms of either RNA or DNA. Incorporation into protein was elevated equally in vivo in the livers of the infected and pair-fed sheep when expressed in terms of content of tissue nitrogen, but not in terms of cither nucleic acid. Incorporation by the wool follicular homogenate was appreciably depressed by the infection and is consistent with the poor wool growth in nematode infections. These results show that the same depression of skeletal muscle and, possibly, elevation of liver protein synthesis occur in a ruminant as were reported earlier for laboratory monogastric animals with intestinal nematode infections. Pair-feeding uninfected animals in both this and the earlier experiments emphasized the importance of anorexia as a major cause of these effects on protein synthesis. The importance of these effects upon production is discussed briefly.


1968 ◽  
Vol 58 (4) ◽  
pp. 619-629 ◽  
Author(s):  
René Maier ◽  
Matthys Staehelin

ABSTRACT The effect of cycloheximide, an inhibitor of protein synthesis, on the response of the rat adrenal to ACTH was studied. Cycloheximide blocks corticosteroidogenesis in vivo and in vitro, but does not affect the increase in adrenal blood flow in vivo. When the corticosterone production of adrenal slices was studied after ACTH stimulation in vivo, it was found that adrenal slices from rats pre-treated with cycloheximide, secreted corticosterone just as efficiently as adrenal slices from control animals. It is concluded that cycloheximide does not block the primary action of ACTH but that it inhibits subsequent enzymatic processes taking place in the mitochondria. The hypothesis is put forward that the increase in adrenal blood flow induced by ACTH might be due to prostaglandins which could be formed from unsaturated fatty acids released by the cleavage of cholesterol esters.


1996 ◽  
Vol 7 (1) ◽  
pp. 73-80
Author(s):  
H Ling ◽  
S Vamvakas ◽  
M Gekle ◽  
L Schaefer ◽  
M Teschner ◽  
...  

An increase of renal ammoniagenesis has been implicated in renal hypertrophy associated with various clinical disorders such as metabolic acidosis, diabetic nephropathy, and renal insufficiency. In vivo and in vitro studies have shown that ammonia promotes hypertrophy in tubular epithelial cells. To elucidate its role on protein turnover, the effects of NH4Cl on the activities of cathepsins B, H, and L+B, as well as on protein synthesis and degradation in LLC-PK1 cells, were investigated. The results show that NH4Cl (20 mM) induced cell hypertrophy, as defined by an increase in both cell protein content and cell volume (+25.5 +/- 1.3 and +10.4 +/- 0.1% after 48 h). This hypertrophy was associated with the suppression of the activities of cathepsins B and L+B (-57.0 +/- 0.9 and -54.5 +/- 1.5% after 48 h) and a reduction of protein degradation rate (-59.7 +/- 4.1% after 48 h), but without enhanced protein synthesis. The findings were further supported with an additional experiment, showing that the protein synthesis inhibitor cycloheximide (10 microM) did not blunt NH4Cl-induced cell hypertrophy. Moreover, NH4Cl (20 mM) resulted in a persistent elevation of the lysosomal pH, whereas the rise in the cytosolic pH was only transient. This alkalinization in lysosomes may be causatively involved in the impairment of the activities of cathepsins B and L+B. In conclusion, the suppression of the activities of cathepsins B and L+B and the subsequent reduction of protein breakdown due to intralysosomal alkalinization contribute to NH4Cl-induced hypertrophy in LLC-PK1 cells.


1980 ◽  
Vol 58 (6) ◽  
pp. 461-468 ◽  
Author(s):  
Mohammed Saleem ◽  
Burr G. Atkinson

Recent in vivo and in vitro studies with polyribosomes from the tail muscle of T3-treated tadpoles establish that this hormone initiates a regulating effect on tadpole tail muscle which operates at the translational level and results in an overall decreased rate of protein synthesis (Saleem, M. &Atkinson, B. G. (1978) J. Biol. Chem. 253, 1378–1384). This hormone-induced decrease in the rate of protein synthesis is partially, if not wholly, due to the presence of a sarcoplasmic factor(s) inhibiting ribosomal translational efficiency. This research employs the use of a reconstituted, cell-free polypeptide synthesizing system as a means to substantiate the presence of an inhibitor and further elucidate the mechanism by which this inhibitory factor(s) depresses protein synthesis. The results of this study further demonstrate the presence of an inhibitor of protein synthesis in the tail muscle sarcoplasm of T3-treated tadpoles and suggest that this depressed synthetic activity results from an interaction of the inhibitor with ribosomal or polyribosomal constituents.


PEDIATRICS ◽  
1979 ◽  
Vol 64 (5) ◽  
pp. 745-749
Author(s):  
Jane Pitt

A large number of mononuclear phagocytes are present in human colostrum and milk and are transferred from mother to baby. Although one can only speculate on their role in vivo, there is a modest amount of information about their characteristics in vitro which will be reviewed in this paper. About 80% of the one to two million leukocytes in colostrum and early human milk are mononuclear phagocytes1,2 as determined by esterase staining,3 latex ingestion, and glass adherence. While See Table in the PDF Document their concentration diminishes with longer lactation, the number of macrophages secreted daily is large (Table 1). The milk mononuclear phagocyte spreads avidly onto glass surfaces extending long filamentous processes into the environment (Fig 1). Trypan blue is rapidly taken up into the lysozomes of living cells (Fig 2) as is acridine orange. These cells are lipid laden (Fig 3) and on ultrastructural analysis one sees that the lipid inclusions are not always membrane bound (Fig 4). Mitochondria, an indication of oxidative metabolism, and rough and smooth endoplasmic reticulum, suggesting active protein synthesis, are plentiful. Comparisons between milk and blood mononuclear phagocytes are listed in Table 2. Lysozyme is one of the proteins synthesized and secreted by the milk mononuclear phagocyte. By competitive binding, radioimmunoassay milk macrophages can be shown to release 100 ± 8 ng lysozyme/ 5 x 105 cells into the supernatant; the level is reduced to 20 ± 4 ng when these cells are cultured in the presence of 10 µg/ml of cyclohexamide, an inhibitor of protein synthesis. Moreover, it appears that these cells make C3 and C4.


1964 ◽  
Vol 207 (6) ◽  
pp. 1287-1294 ◽  
Author(s):  
Shiro Saito ◽  
Louis Charles Fillios

Hepatic protein synthesis was studied in rats fed a hypercholesteremic diet, containing cholesterol and cholic acid, and high in fat. If such a diet was fed for periods of at least 4 weeks a lowered capacity of amino acid incorporation into liver protein in vivo and in vitro was observed. The animals selected were rats which had been previously characterized by such a dietary assay as being neither refractory nor susceptible to induction of high serum cholesterol levels. When "hypo-responders" (i.e., rats which are relatively refractory to hypercholesteremia) were compared to "hyper-responders" significant differences in protein synthesis in vivo were observed after only 2 weeks of dietary treatment; the capacity for incorporation of amino acids in the livers of hyper-responders was significantly lower than that in the hypo-responders. Several studies were also carried out in vitro including an attempt to determine which intracellular components of the liver may be affected; it appears that the defect(s) is primarily related to the endoplasmic reticulum. Thus, diet may act as the modus operandi for revealing any purported inherent defect(s).


1973 ◽  
Vol 136 (4) ◽  
pp. 935-945 ◽  
Author(s):  
P. J. Garlick ◽  
D. J. Millward ◽  
W. P. T. James

1. The rate of protein synthesis in rat tissues was measured by constant intravenous infusion of [14C]tyrosine. A modification has been developed for the method of calculating the rate of protein synthesis in individual tissues from the specific radioactivity of the free and protein-bound amino acid in tissue at the end of the infusion. This technique gives greater accuracy and allows a greater choice of labelled amino acids. The specific radioactivity of free tyrosine in plasma was used to calculate the plasma tyrosine flux, an index of the rate of protein synthesis in the whole body. 2. Young male Wistar rats were allowed access to food for only 4h in every 24h. The tyrosine flux and the rate of protein synthesis in liver and muscle at different periods of time after a single feed were estimated. 3. The tyrosine flux did not alter after feeding nor even after starvation for 48h. 4. The average fractional rate of protein synthesis in muscle was 7.2%/day, i.e. the proportion of the protein mass which is replaced each day. The rate rose after eating and declined during starvation for 48h. In addition the rate of muscle protein synthesis correlated with the growth rate of the rat. 5. In liver the average fractional rate of protein synthesis was 50%/day. There was no change in the rate after eating nor after starvation for 48h. In contrast with muscle this suggests that the changes in protein mass were accompanied by changes in the rate of protein breakdown rather than synthesis.


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