Inhibition by cromoglycate of histamine release from rat peritoneal mast cells induced by mixtures of dextran, phosphatidyl serine and calcium ions

1 Dextran releases histamine from rat peritoneal mast cells in the presence but not in the absence of phosphatidyl serine (PS). With PS (10 mug/ml) present the effect of dextran was concentration-dependent in the range of 0.2-6 mg/ml.2 PS releases little histamine on its own but mixed with dextran (6 mg/ml) produces a graded effect in the range of 0.3-10 mug/ml.3 The combination of dextran and PS releases no histamine in a medium containing less than 0.1 mM calcium. As the calcium concentration is increased, release occurs and a maximum is reached at calcium 1 mM; at higher concentrations release falls off sharply.4 Histamine release by the combination of dextran (6 mg/ml), PS (10 mug/ml) and calcium (1.8 mM) is inhibited by cromoglycate in the same range (1-30 muM) that inhibits anaphylactic histamine release from rat peritoneal cells.5 Inhibition by cromoglycate occurred with all dextran concentrations tested (0.2-15 mg/ml) but high concentrations of PS (30 and 100 mug/ml) overcame the effect of cromoglycate (2 and 10 muM). Calcium concentrations above 1 mM augmented inhibition by cromoglycate 2 and 10 muM.

Reconstitution of the sodium pump from protein and phosphatidylserine: features of ouabain binding

1. A study has been made of ATP splitting and ouabain binding to the sodium pump reconstituted from protein and phosphatidylserine.2. Ouabain was bound to protein alone, but when phosphatidylserine was added, binding was increased threefold. The stimulation resembled the course of activation of sodium-dependent ATPase activity.3. EGTA partly simulated the activation of ATPase by phosphatidylserine but did not enhance binding.4. The dissociation constant for the enzyme-ouabain complex was 3.5 x 10(-8)M. The turnover number (2,000 molecules of ATP per minute) and the number of receptor sites (3.8 x 10(13) per mg protein) were calculated.5. The results provide further evidence of the involvement of phosphatidylserine in the action of the sodium pump.

The interaction of calcium and strontium with phosphatidyl serine in the anaphylactic secretion of histamine

1. Spontaneous histamine release from isolated mast cells was found to be independent of calcium in the concentration range up to 1 m-mole/l. Phosphatidyl serine did not change the effect of calcium on spontaneous release.2. Spontaneous histamine release was found to vary with the strontium ion concentration. Graded increase in the release occurred as the concentration of strontium was raised from 1 to 10 m-mole/l. Phosphatidyl serine potentiated this action of strontium; the potentiation showed a graded increase as the phosphatidyl serine concentration was raised from 1 to 100 mug/ml.3. The activation of anaphylactic histamine release by calcium was potentiated by phosphatidyl serine; the degree of potentiation showed a graded increase as the calcium concentration was raised from 0.1 to 1.0 m-mole/l.4. The activation of anaphylactic histamine release by strontium showed little, if any, potentiation by phosphatidyl serine.5. The response of the mast cells, in terms of anaphylactic histamine release, to calcium, in the presence of optimal concentrations of phosphatidyl serine, was found to be similar to that observed in the presence of strontium alone.6. These observations are discussed in terms of the concepts of affinity and efficacy of the ions at their receptor sites.

Effects of acidic phospholipids, nucleotides, and heparin on the activity of lipase from rat liver lysosomes

Purification and characterization of endogenous lipid factors that stimulate rat liver lysosomal lipase has led to the identification of cardiolipin, phosphatidylserine, and phosphatidic acid as stimulators of this activity. Bovine heart cardiolipin (half-maximal stimulation at 1.5 x 10(-4) m) and bovine brain phosphatidylserine (half-maximal stimulation at 9.5 x 10(-4) m) were the most potent of the phospholipids from other sources tested. The major rate-enhancing effect of phosphatidylserine is expressed as a 35-fold increase in the apparent V(max) of the enzyme. The effect is produced by acid phospholipids specifically, since in no case was there greater than a twofold stimulation by synthetic detergents, zwitterionic phospholipids, taurocholic acid, or gum acacia. The observed degree of stimulation depends upon the detergent used to disperse tripalmitin substrate and the relative concentrations of factor and detergent in reaction mixtures. The concentration of phosphatidylserine to produce half-maximal stimulation is directly dependent upon the Triton X-100 concentration, but the effects of this detergent on cardiolipin stimulation are more complex. Enzyme activity is inhibited 50% by 1 mm nucleoside triphosphate and 2.5 mm ADP, 80% by 1 mm PP(i), 100% by 20 U/ml heparin and 0.25 mg/ml chondroitin sulfate, and 80% by 10 mm sulfate ion. Inhibition is partially prevented by phosphatidylserine.

The effect of phospholipids on anaphylactic histamine release

1. Histamine release by antigen from three sensitized rat tissues is potentiated by phosphatidyl serine (PS). The effect is greatest with isolated peritoneal cells. Phosphatidyl inositol, ethanolamine, choline and phosphatidic acid are inactive.2. PS greatly increases the rate of antigen-induced histamine release and only slightly prolongs the duration of the release process.3. PS shows a concentration-dependent effect over the range 1-10 mug/ml. At 10 mug/ml it is active over a wide range of antigen concentrations.4. Calcium ions are necessary for the potentiation by PS of antigen-induced histamine release from rat peritoneal cells.

Complex lipid requirements for detergent-solubilized phosphoacetylmuramyl-pentapeptide translocase from Micrococcus luteus

Phospho-MurNAc-pentapeptide translocase activity in the membrane of M. luteus was lost upon addition of the detergent, Triton X-100, but could be restored by addition of lipid fractions to the assay. By assay in the presence of lipid, the activity of the Triton-solubilized enzyme could be measured. The synthesis of C(55)-isoprenyl-P-P-MurNAc-pentapeptide from UDP-MurNAc-pentapeptide required C(55)-isoprenyl-P, and was stimulated by a neutral lipid. The exchange reaction of UDP-MurNAc-pentapeptide with UMP required a polar lipid fraction, but the reaction was not affected by C(55)-isoprenyl-P or the neutral lipid. Thus, measurement of activity of the detergent-solubilized enzyme requires addition of three lipids, the lipid substrate (C(55)-isoprenyl-P), the neutral lipid, and a polar lipid.

Solubilized myocardial adenylate cyclase. Restoration of histamine responsiveness by phosphatidylserine

We have recently described the preparation of a solubilized cat myocardial adenylate cyclase which is unresponsive to histamine, norepinephrine, glucagon, and thyroxine, the hormones which activate the particulate enzyme. Since hormone receptors may consist of proteins and phospholipids, we determined the effect of several phospholipids on restoring the responsiveness of the solubilized adenylate cyclase to histamine. The addition of phosphatidylserine completely restored the histamine-mediated activation of the solubilized enzyme in contrast to phosphatidylethanolamine and phosphatidylinositol which were without effect. The concentration of histamine producing half-maximal activation of adenylate cyclase, 2 x 10(-5) M, was virtually identical with that observed in the particulate preparation. The antihistamine, diphenhydramine, 8 x 10(-5) M, abolished activation of adenylate cyclase by histamine in both the solubilized and particulate preparations. Phosphatidylserine also restored glucagon responsiveness, but did not restore norepinephrine responsiveness. It would appear that phosphatidylserine produced the necessary molecular configuration of the adenylate cyclase for histamine binding and activation of the enzyme.

Schistosoma mansoni: in vitro transformation of cercariae into schistosomula

The transformation of cercariae ofSchistosoma mansoniinto schistosomula has previously been achieved by passage through membranes of biological origin. This transformation has now been effected in the absence of a membrane. Chemical stimulus for transformation results from contact with human or rat skin lipid and fractionation of the latter led to localization of the active component in a fraction containing phospholipids. The series of processes involved in transformation was subsequently found to be set in motion by the action of egg lecithin-water mixtures on an aqueous suspension of cercariae and yields of 90% of live schistosomula may be obtained reproducibly with crude egg lecithin-water in the ratio 1:50. The juvenile worms were found, by accepted criteria, to be identical to those produced by the normal penetration procedure. Purified lecithin does not produce the same stimulus and the effect of the physical state and of possible impurities present in crude egg lecithin is discussed.

This work was supported by the Conselho Nacional de Pesquisas (Brazil), the Banco Nacional de Desenvolvimento Econâmico FUNTEC contracts nos. 99 and 110 (Brazil), U.S. Army Grants nos. DAHC-19-70-G-0017 (to B.G.) and DAHC-19-70-G-0070 (to J.P.) and by the FORGE Foundation. Contribution no. 18 from the Schistosomiasis Research Unit, Institute of Biological Sciences, Federal University of Minas Gerais, Brazil.