Stimulation of phosphoinositide hydrolysis in myelin by muscarinic agonist and potassium

Slices of rat brainstem that had been prelabeled by in vivo injection of [3H]inositol were stimulated with carbachol in the presence of lithium and changes measured in the radioactivity of inositol lipids and water-soluble inositol phosphates. For the latter, significant increases were seen for inositol mono- and bisphosphate but not inositol trisphosphate. Analysis of whole tissue phosphoinositides revealed significantly reduced radioactivity in phosphatidylinositol and phosphatidylinositol 4-phosphate, whereas myelin showed decreases in those as well as phosphatidylinositol 4,5-bisphosphate. These effects were blocked by atropine. Stimulation of the tissue slices with elevated K+ resulted in increased formation of inositol phosphate and decreased radioactivity in phosphatidylinositol. The effect was not blocked by atropine and in the presence of this agent, which reduced background reaction, all 3 phosphoinositides showed significant K+-induced loss of label. Elevated K+ and carbachol thus function through different mechanisms in this system. Carbachol is believed to affect myelin phosphoinositides through direct interaction with muscarinic receptors which were recently shown to be present in this membrane.

Complex carbohydrate composition of large dense-cored vesicles from sympathetic nerve

Highly purified noradrenergic, large, dense-cored vesicles were isolated from bovine sympathetic nerve endings by sucrose-D2O density gradient centrifugation. Their concentration of glycoprotein hexosamine and sialic acid was 6.6 and 3.9 mumol/100 mg lipid-free dry weight, respectively, values which are similar to those previously found in bovine chromaffin granules. However, whereas chromaffin granule glycoproteins are characterized by their high proportion of N-acetylgalactosamine-containing O-glycosidically-linked oligosaccharides (present in the chromogranins), such oligosaccharides accounted for only 17% of those in noradrenergic synaptic vesicle glycoproteins. Fractionation of N-3H-acetylated glycopeptides by sequential lectin affinity chromatography demonstrated that approximately two-thirds of the oligosaccharides were of the tri- and tetraantennary complex type, accompanied by 14% biantennary oligosaccharides and 3% high-mannose oligosaccharides. The vesicles had a relatively low concentration of chondroitin sulfate (less than 5% of that in chromaffin granules) but significant amounts of heparan sulfate (0.4 mumol N-acetylglucosamine/100 mg lipid-free dry weight). No hyaluronic acid was detected. The concentration of ganglioside sialic acid in the noradrenergic vesicles was approximately 1 mumol/100 mg lipid-free dry weight, which is significantly higher than that of a crude membrane mixture from which the vesicles were prepared; the ratio of N-acetyl- to N-glycolylneuraminic acid was 0.8. Several molecular species of gangliosides were detected by thin-layer chromatography, but most of these did not exactly comigrate with bovine brain gangliosides. Cholera toxin binding indicated that approximately half or less of the gangliosides belong to the gangliotetraose series.

Muscarinic receptor binding and muscarinic receptor-mediated inhibition of adenylate cyclase in rat brain myelin

High-affinity muscarinic cholinergic receptors were detected in myelin purified from rat brain stem with use of the radioligands 3H-N-methylscopolamine (3H-NMS), 3H-quinuclidinyl benzilate (3H-QNB), and 3H-pirenzepine. 3H-NMS binding was also present in myelin isolated from corpus callosum. In contrast, several other receptor types, including alpha 1- and alpha 2-adrenergic receptors, present in the starting brain stem, were not detected in myelin. Based on Bmax values from Scatchard analyses, 3H-pirenzepine, a putative M1 selective ligand, bound to about 25% of the sites in myelin labeled by 3H-NMS, a nonselective ligand that binds to both M1 and M2 receptor subtypes. Agonist affinity for 3H-NMS binding sites in myelin was markedly decreased by Gpp(NH)p, indicating that a major portion of these receptors may be linked to a second messenger system via a guanine-nucleotide regulatory protein. Purified myelin also contained adenylate cyclase activity; this activity was stimulated several fold by forskolin and to small but significant extents by prostaglandin E1 and the beta-adrenergic agonist isoproterenol. Myelin adenylate cyclase activity was inhibited by carbachol and other muscarinic agonists; this inhibition was blocked by the antagonist atropine. Levels in myelin of muscarinic receptors were 20-25% and those of forskolin-stimulated adenylate cyclase 10% of the values for total particulate fraction of whole brain stem. These levels in myelin are appreciably greater than would be predicted on the basis of contamination. Also, additional receptors and adenylate cyclase, added by mixing nonmyelin tissue with whole brain stem, were quantitatively removed during the purification procedure. In conclusion, both M1 and M2 muscarinic receptor subtypes and an adenylate cyclase system linked to at least some of these receptors are present as intrinsic components of myelin. The possibility that some of these muscarinic receptors may be involved in regulation of phosphinositide metabolism and the protein kinase activities of myelin is considered.

Isolation of two glycolipid transfer proteins from bovine brain: reactivity toward gangliosides and neutral glycosphingolipids

Two glycolipid transfer proteins that catalyze the transfer of gangliosides and neutral glycosphingolipids from phosphatidylcholine vesicles to erythrocyte ghosts have been isolated from calf brain. Purification procedures included differential centrifugation, precipitation at pH 5.1, ammonium sulfate precipitation, and gel filtration on Sephadex G-50 and G-75. The final stage employed fast protein liquid chromatography (Mono S), producing two peaks of activity. Apparent purity of the major peak (TP I) was approximately 85-90%, as judged by sodium dodecyl sulfate/urea-polyacrylamide gel electrophoresis. That of the minor fraction (TP II) was less. The major band of both fractions had a molecular mass of approximately 20,000 daltons. Both proteins catalyzed the transfer of ganglioside GM1 as well as asialo-GM1, but transfer protein I was more effective with di- and trisialogangliosides. Transfer protein II appeared to be somewhat more specific for neutral glycolipids in that GA1 was transferred more rapidly than any of the gangliosides; however, lactosylceramide transfer was relatively slow. Neither protein catalyzed transfer of phosphatidylcholine.

Detection of choline kinase in purified rat brain myelin

Choline kinase, an enzyme involved in the Kennedy pathway conversion of diacylglycerol to phosphatidylcholine, was detected in highly purified rat brain myelin at a level equal to 20% that of whole brain homogenate. This was an order of magnitude higher than the specific activity of lactate dehydrogenase, marker for cytosol. Choline kinase was also detected in the P1, P2, P3, and cytosolic fractions with highest relative specific activity in the latter. Myelin washed with buffered sodium chloride or taurocholate retained most of its kinase, indicating that adsorption of the soluble enzyme was unlikely. The results of mixing experiments and repeated purification further indicated that the enzyme is intrinsic to myelin. This finding in concert with previous studies supports the concept that myelin has all the enzymes needed to convert diacylglycerol to phosphatidylcholine.

Bidirectional transport of gangliosides, glycoproteins and neutral glycosphingolipids in the sensory neurons of rat sciatic nerve

Bidirectional axonal transport of glycoconjugates was studied in the sensory axons of rat sciatic nerve following injection of radiolabelled precursors into L4 and L5 dorsal root ganglia. After varying time intervals, gangliosides and neutral glycosphingolipids were isolated from anterograde and retrograde accumulation segments and radioactivity determined. Radiolabelled glycoproteins were measured in delipidated residues. These glycoconjugates were shown to undergo both anterograde and retrograde transport, accumulation occurring in roughly parallel manner for the three classes. The velocity of anterograde transport was collectively estimated at approximately 360 mm/day. Neutral glycosphingolipids, previously unknown to be axonally transported, were present in sensory axons and transported in roughly equivalent amounts as gangliosides--as judged by levels of transported radioactivity. TLC-radioautography revealed a number of molecular species in the general region of tetra- and larger glycosylceramides. Fractionation of gangliosides according to sialic acid content demonstrated the presence of mono-, di- and polysialo species at the anterograde site.

Long-chain acyl-coenzyme A synthetase in rat brain myelin

Long-chain acyl-CoA synthetase (EC 6.2.1.3), an enzyme(s) that activates fatty acids prior to incorporation into phospholipids and other substances, has been detected in highly purified myelin from rat brain stem. The high levels relative to microsomes (11% and 15% for oleate and arachidonate, respectively) tended to preclude contamination by the latter membrane as the source of activity. Additional evidence came from sequential purification and mixing experiments. Km values were not appreciably different for the two substrates with the two membranes, but Vmax values were approximately 2-4-fold greater for arachidonate in both membranes. Triton X-100 increased activity somewhat in myelin but not in microsomes; with arachidonate as substrate it reduced activity in the latter. Heat inactivation studies and pH profiles suggested the presence of two different enzymes, as previously shown for other tissues.

Ethanolamine kinase activity in purified myelin of rat brain

Highly purified rat brain myelin showed a significant level of ethanolamine kinase, amounting to 17% of the specific activity of whole brain homogenate. This kinase level in myelin was an order of magnitude higher than that of lactate dehydrogenase, a marker for cytosol. Subcellular distribution studies revealed that in addition to myelin, this kinase was present in the P1, P2, P3, and cytosolic fractions with highest relative specific activity in the latter. The possibility that myelin activity resulted from adsorption of the soluble enzyme was unlikely since activity was retained in myelin that had been washed with buffered sodium chloride or taurocholate. Mixing experiments and repeated purification further indicated that the enzyme is intrinsic to myelin. Kinetic studies indicated similar Km values for ethanolamine in the microsomal, cytosolic, and myelin fractions but a significantly lower apparent Km for ATP in myelin. This and other differences suggested the possible existence of isozymes. Establishment of the presence of this kinase completes the list of phospholipid synthesizing enzymes needed to synthesize phosphatidylethanolamine from diacylglycerol within the myelin membrane.

Further evidence for an intrinsic neuraminidase in CNS myelin

An intrinsic neuraminidase activity in rat brain CNS myelin has been demonstrated and compared with the neuraminidase activity in rat brain microsomes. With use of ganglioside GM3 as a substrate, the myelin-associated neuraminidase exhibited a shallow pH curve with an optimum at pH 4.8 whereas the microsomal activity had a marked optimum at pH 4-4.3. Neuraminidase activity in both fractions was optimized in 0.3% Triton CF-54 but activation was much greater in the microsomes. When the neuraminidase activities were examined at 60 degrees C, the myelin neuraminidase activity was more than sevenfold of that observed at 37 degrees C and was linear for at least 2 h; the microsomal activity increased only fivefold initially and exhibited a continual loss in activity. Addition of excess microsomes to the total homogenate prior to myelin isolation resulted in no change in myelin neuraminidase activity. When the two membrane fractions were examined at equivalent protein concentrations in the presence of additional cations or EDTA (1 mM), similar but not identical effects on neuraminidase activity were seen. The microsomal neuraminidase was considerably more susceptible to inhibition by divalent copper ion. Activity in both fractions was markedly inhibited by Hg2+ and Ag+ whereas EDTA had no effect on either activity. The myelin-associated neuraminidase activity was the highest in cerebral hemispheres, followed by brainstem, cerebellum, and spinal cord and was extremely low in sciatic nerve. In fact, the myelin neuraminidase activity was higher than the microsomal enzyme activity in the cerebral hemispheres.(ABSTRACT TRUNCATED AT 250 WORDS)

Changes in axonal transport of phospholipids in the regenerating goldfish optic system

Changes in axonally transported phospholipids of regenerating goldfish optic nerve were studied by intraocular injection of [2-3H]glycerol 9 days and 16 days after nerve crush at 30 degrees C. The four major glycerophospholipids all showed substantial increases in transported radioactivity above non-regenerating controls at both time points, these being maximal (15- to 35-fold) in the optic nerve-tract at 9 days and about half as great at 16 days. In the contralateral optic tectum transported label increased 6- to 13-fold at 9 days and 10- to 25-fold at 16 days in the various glycerophospholipids. While all glycerophospholipids showed absolute increases in both tissues, PS and PI increased relatively more, especially in the tectum. The regeneration-associated increases in transported label of all glycerophospholipids were larger than those previously demonstrated for gangliosides and glycoproteins in the same system.

Retrograde axonal transport of gangliosides and glycoproteins in the motoneurons of rat sciatic nerve

Axonal transport of glycoconjugates was studied in the motoneurons of rat sciatic nerve following injection of [3H]glucosamine into the lumbosacral spinal cord. After varying time intervals, the sciatic nerve was exposed, and two ligatures were tied for collection of materials undergoing anterograde and retrograde transport. Gangliosides and glycoproteins were found to undergo fast anterograde transport, estimated at 284-446 mm/day. Both classes underwent retrograde transport as well, with labeled glycoproteins returning slightly ahead of labeled gangliosides. Only minor quantities of labeled proteoglycans were detected. Purified gangliosides extracted from nerve segments were fractionated according to sialic acid number on diethylaminoethyl-Sephadex; the distributional pattern tended to resemble that of brain gangliosides. The similarity between anterograde and retrograde patterns suggested absence of metabolic changes in gangliosides entering and leaving the axon-nerve terminal structures.

Procedure for isolation of gangliosides in high yield and purity: simultaneous isolation of neutral glycosphingolipids

While several methods for ganglioside extraction and isolation have been described, relatively little attention has been given to the effectiveness of separation from peptides, phospholipids, and various low-molecular-weight contaminants. A procedure is described for isolation of gangliosides in high purity and good yield from 1- to 400-mg samples (wet wt). A key step was mild acidification following homogenization, designed to dissociate gangliosides from lipophilic peptides which coextracted into organic solvents. This has proved particularly helpful for myelin and myelin-containing tissues (e.g., white matter, nerve) whose proteins have presented special problems in ganglioside isolation. In this study isolation was effected by consecutive chromatographies on Sephadex LH-20, DEAE-Sephadex, and silica gel following the initial acidification. The method applied to bovine white matter gave tissue concentrations (calculated from yields and radiolabeled tracer recoveries) that were similar to those obtained with three previously described procedures; however, peptide contaminants were an order of magnitude lower. Removal of low-molecular-weight contaminants, including nucleotide sugars, was virtually complete. In addition to ganglioside isolation the method can be used to obtain neutral glycosphingolipids as well. It is believed to have broad applicability to a diversity of tissues.

Evidence for the presence of a ganglioside transfer protein in brain

An extract from rat brain has been shown to catalyze the transfer of ganglioside GM1 from sonicated vesicles to erythrocyte ghosts. It also enhanced the transfer of GM1 to a crude neuronal membrane preparation, whereas myelin took up only a very limited amount. The transfer activity was heat-labile. Similar transfer activities were found in extracts from bovine gray and white matter, that of the former being comparable to rat brain whereas the latter was greater per milligram protein.

Lipid-metabolizing enzymes of myelin and their relation to the axon

The old concept of myelin as a metabolically inert membrane has been considerably revised as a result of the discovery of numerous enzyme activities in the isolated membrane. The high degree of purification and low levels of contamination markers leave little doubt that the measured activities are intrinsic to myelin itself. Slightly more than half of the discovered activities involve lipid metabolism. One such enzyme, neutral cholesterol esterase, is myelin-specific, while the rest occur in other subcellular fractions as well as myelin. These include activities involved in synthesis of cerebrosides, phospholipids, and cholesteryl esters; only a few degradative enzymes are presently known. In vivo studies have shown that various substrates utilized by lipid-synthesizing enzymes of myelin can originate in the axon. Six such substrates have been characterized. The possibility exists that these enzymes may be wholly or partially dependent on the axon as the primary source of substrate, thereby suggesting a possible form of metabolic dependency of myelin on the axon.

Phospholipid biosynthesis in myelin: presence of CTP:phosphoethanolamine cytidylyltransferase in purified myelin of rat brain

Highly purified myelin from rat brain was previously shown to contain the ethanolaminephosphotransferase which completes the synthesis of phosphatidyl ethanolamine. We have now obtained evidence for the presence in myelin of CTP:phosphoethanolamine cytidylyltransferase, the enzyme catalyzing formation of CDP-ethanolamine. Myelin was isolated by two different procedures, one based on the Norton-Poduslo method and the other involving repetitive gradients with osmotic shocking deferred to the end. The fact that activity remained constant through all but the earliest steps suggested that the enzyme is intrinsic to myelin. Comparison of subcellular fractions revealed that approximately half the total activity was in the supernatant, the remainder being distributed among the particulate fractions. Relative specific activity of myelin was 27-31% that of microsomes, thus eliminating the possibility of appreciable contamination by the latter. The possibility of adsorption of the soluble enzyme by myelin was rendered unlikely by retention of activity after washing the myelin with buffered sodium chloride or sodium taurocholate. Furthermore, relative specific activity of the cytidylyltransferase was 10-fold higher than that of lactate dehydrogenase (a cytosolic marker) in myelin. The apparent Km for CTP was approximately the same for myelin and microsomes, but that for phosphoethanolamine was significantly higher for myelin.

Biology of gangliosides: neuritogenic and neuronotrophic properties

Research on the biologic function of gangliosides has accelerated in recent years following discovery of their pronounced effects when administered exogenously to neurons in culture and in vivo. These effects are of two principal types: 1) neuronotrophic, concerned primarily with survival and maintenance of the neuron, and 2) neuritogenic, involving significant increase in the number, length, and/or branching of neuronal processes. Such neurite-promoting activity has been observed in primary cultures of neurons from brain and ganglia as well as transformed lines of neuronal origin. These phenomena may be related to the remarkable growth of aberrant secondary neurites, often accompanied by synaptogenesis, observed in the gangliosidoses. Several in vivo studies have shown exogenously administered gangliosides to aid nervous system repair in both the CNS and PNS, although it is not clear in some cases whether the observed effects should be attributed to neuronotrophic or neuritogenic effects (or both). This article attempts to briefly review the principal developments that have occurred in this area of ganglioside research over the past several years. It also presents for consideration some of the tentative hypotheses put forward concerning mechanism of action.

Ganglioside changes in the regenerating goldfish optic system: comparison with glycoproteins and phospholipids

Axonally transported radioactivity in sialoglycoconjugates, labeled by intraocular injection of [3H]N-acetylmannosamine, increased significantly during regeneration of goldfish optic axons at 30 degrees C. Ganglioside radioactivity showed the largest increase--approximately eightfold--in the optic nerve tract at 8 days after optic nerve crush while sialoglycoprotein radioactivity increased fourfold under the same conditions. As regeneration proceeded the magnitude of the increase in the nerve tract diminished for both glycoconjugates. In the optic tectum, however, transported radioactivities remained approximately twofold higher than controls between 15 and 25 days postcrush. The zwitterionic fraction of glycerophospholipids, labeled by intraocular injection of [14C]glycerol, also showed large increases during regeneration, but the acidic glycerophospholipids showed only modest increases. Thus while membrane components in general were elevated during the early stages of regeneration, the most pronounced increases occurred in gangliosides and certain glycerophospholipids. The significance of these changes in the regeneration process remain to be determined.

Ganglioside-induced neuritogenesis: verification that gangliosides are the active agents, and comparison of molecular species

Gangliosides were previously reported to induce neuritogenesis in primary neuronal cultures and in some neurally derived cell lines. Because isolated gangliosides usually contain variable quantities of peptides, we investigated the possibility that neurite-stimulating activity could be caused by these contaminants. Ganglioside preparations from bovine brain and other sources were subjected to a three-step purification procedure that eliminated at least 95% of the contaminating peptides. These purified preparations retained their capacity to induce extensive neurite growth in neuro-2A murine neuroblastoma. Proteolytic digestion and a number of additional procedures were used to reduce residual contamination further without loss of activity. Several crude ganglioside samples had negative effects on neurite development until freed of their inhibitory factors, which were derived from the tissue and/or introduced during laboratory operations. This was particularly evident for bovine white matter gangliosides whose activity increased in proportion to peptide removal. When carefully purified, virtually all of 11 different gangliosides tested were highly active, with the possible exception of GM4, which demonstrated only moderate activity in a limited number of tests. All of the neutral glycolipids tested, as well as sulfatides and free sialic acid, were inactive.

Regional variation of brain gangliosides in feline GM1 gangliosidosis

The morphopathologic abnormalities characterizing the gangliosidoses, e.g., meganeurites and aberrant secondary neurites with associated dendritic spines and synapses, show pronounced regional variation. Because gangliosides are thought to be the causative agents, we undertook to detect possible variation in concentration or composition that would correlate with those morphologic findings. A gradient in total ganglioside and GM1 concentration was found corresponding to cerebral cortex greater than caudate = thalamus greater than cerebellum, similar to the morphologic gradient. In addition, the fatty acid compositions were variable, the proportion of docosanoate (22:0) following the same gradient. The possibility that these variations in ganglioside content and composition might influence the growth of aberrant neurites and related structures is discussed.

Axon-myelin transfer of glycerol-labeled lipids and inorganic phosphate during axonal transport

Axon-to-myelin transfer of lipids precursors have been studied in the rabbit optic system by intraocular injection of [32P]orthophosphate, [14C]glycerol and [3H]glycerol. Choline and ethanolamine phosphoglycerides and myelin showed increasing [32P]-radioactivity between 7 and 21 days following injection, while [3H]- and [14C]-radioactivities remained relative constant. The latter radioactivities decreased, however, in all the axon- and axolemma-enriched fractions during the same period. These findings supported the concept that a portion of substances undergoing axonal transport enters the pool of myelin lipids by two mechanisms: transcellular transfer of intact lipid and axon-myelin transfer of precursors which are re-utilized for lipid biosynthesis by myelin-localized enzymes. The present study shows that inorganic phosphate, possibly generated by catabolic activity within the axon, is able to enter myelin and participate in the re-utilization mechanism as previously described for serine, choline and acyl chains. The relative invariance of the 3H:14C ratio suggested that the majority of glycerol is not re-utilized in this manner but probably enters myelin through transfer of intact lipid. These and earlier results suggest a possible form of metabolic dependence of myelin on tropine substances from the axon.

Gangliosides and proteins in developing chicken brain myelin

Ganglioside and protein content of chicken brain myelin have been studied as a function of development and maturation. Ganglioside concentration remained relatively constant at approximately 225-266 micrograms sialic acid per 100 mg myelin, from 17-day-old embryos to 540-day-old adults. The ganglioside distributional pattern was also constant, GM1 and GM4 each accounting for approximately one-third of total sialic acid. These properties are contrasted with those of mouse and rat brain myelin which previously showed enrichment of GM1 at early stages of myelination and appearance of GM4 at a later stage of maturation. In an earlier study of the mouse total myelin gangliosides doubled in concentration between 3 and 5 weeks of age and full maturity. Myelin proteins of the chicken also remained relatively constant in concentration and distributional pattern during development, although the percentage of basic protein increased somewhat during the first few weeks after hatching. Correlations were observed between molar concentrations of basic protein and various gangliosides, particularly the monosialo types.

Myelin gangliosides in vertebrates

A phylogenetic survey of brain myelin ganglioside patterns and concentrations has been carried out on 16 vertebrate species. Gangliosides were isolated from purified myelin and found to vary in concentration from 25 micrograms of sialic acid per 100 mg of myelin for goldfish to a value of 395 for turkey. The latter species had approximately equivalent amounts of GM1 and GM4 as the two major gangliosides. The 11 mammals studied all had GM1 as the major ganglioside, with variable amounts of GM4; rhesus monkey and human had 20-25% GM4, whereas the others had less than 10%. Amphibia and fish myelin contained the least total ganglioside, with patterns that showed relatively little GM1 and no detectable GM4. Alligator myelin was unique in having a total concentration as high as the avian species, but a pattern with predominantly di- and trisialo gangliosides.

Gangliosides associated with microsomal subfractions of brain: comparison with synaptic plasma membranes

To study ganglioside distribution within subcellular components and test the hypothesis that they are localized at the nerve ending, microsomes and synaptic plasma membranes were isolated from young adult rat brains and compared with respect to ganglioside composition. These were shown to be heterogeneous preparations by fractionation on a discontinuous sucrose gradient into subfractions which had differing ganglioside concentrations. The highest ganglioside concentrations occurred in membranes banding at the 0.8M/1.0M and 1.0M/1.3M interfaces for both microsomes and synaptic plasma membranes. These subfractions had closely similar ganglioside concentrations and pattern distributions. In addition, the kinetics of ganglioside labeling following administration of [3H]-glucosamine were similar for the two preparations. The fact that microsomal subfractions representing heterogeneous mixtures of brain cell membranes showed close similarity to synaptosomal plasma membranes argues against localization of gangliosides at the nerve ending. These results, together with other lines of evidence, support the concept that gangliosides are distributed over large portions of the neuron (and perhaps other brain cells). Data concerning the labeling of gangliosides in different microsomal subfractions indicated a movement of label over time from the more dense to the less dense membranes, as was also noted for the glycoproteins in the same subfractions. Specific radioactivity of the gangliosides increased relative to that of the glycoproteins with time.