METABOLISM OF POLYCYCLIC COMPOUNDS. THE METABOLISM OF 1,4-EPOXY-1,4-DIHYDRONAPHTHALENE IN RATS

1. 1,4-Epoxy-1,4-dihydronaphthalene is converted by rats into 1,4:2,3-diepoxy-1,2,3,4-tetrahydronaphthalene, which was isolated from the urine. The synthesis of the diepoxide is described. 2. The monoepoxide also yielded a compound that is believed to be 1,4-dihydro-1,4-dihydroxynaphthalene, but no corresponding mercapturic acid was detected. A number of unidentified metabolites of the monoepoxide were detected that appear to arise by the hydroxylation of the diepoxide. 3. The monoepoxide is converted into the diepoxide by a rat-liver microsomal system. 4. 1,4-Epoxy-1,4-dihydronaphthalene does not appear to be an intermediate in naphthalene metabolism.

GRAMICIDIN AND ION TRANSPORT IN ISOLATED LIVER MITOCHONDRIA

1. Gramicidin caused H(+) production by liver mitochondria; this process was dependent on the presence of Na(+), Li(+), Rb(+) or Cs(+). In the presence of one of these alkali-metal ions and phosphate, gramicidin caused mitochondrial swelling and increased oxygen consumption. 2. Uncoupling agents, anaerobic conditions or respiratory inhibitors both inhibited and reversed H(+) production and swelling. Both these processes could be supported by coupled electron transport through even a restricted portion of the respiratory chain. 3. NH(4) (+) also caused stimulation of respiration in the presence of gramicidin. In this case phosphate was not required. NH(4) (+), in the presence of gramicidin, caused contraction of the mitochondria and a reversal of K(+)-induced swelling and H(+) production. 4. Uncoupling agents or NH(4) (+) together with gramicidin caused the release of Sr(2+) that had been accumulated by mitochondria in the presence of phosphate. 5. These results are discussed in relation to a postulated respiration-dependent H(+) pump located in the mitochondrial membrane. It is suggested that gramicidin allows alkali-metal ions to pass through the mitochondrial membrane.

A FINE STRUCTURE STUDY OF LIPID IN MOUSE LIVER REGENERATING AFTER PARTIAL HEPATECTOMY

The fine structure of liver 3½ to 72 hours after partial hepatectomy has been compared with that of liver from sham-operated animals; all animals were 60- to 90-day old male mice of the C3H strain. Numerous small bodies with diameters ranging from 300 to 1,000 A have been observed distributed randomly throughout the cytoplasm of the hepatic parenchymal cells at early intervals after partial hepatectomy. In material fixed in osmium tetroxide and embedded in methacrylate, they appear as uniformly electron-opaque bodies, but in permanganate-fixed liver, they display only a peripheral rim of electron-opaque material surrounding a clear core. Each of these cytoplasmic bodies appears to be located within a vesicle. A few of the opaque bodies are also present in sinusoids and in the spaces of Disse; these bodies are not located within vesicular structures. Fat droplets of various sizes are easily distinguished in regenerating liver; with the increase in number of these fat droplets at later postoperative intervals, there occurs a concomitant decrease in the number of cytoplasmic bodies. It is suggested that the cytoplasmic bodies contain some lipid component. Possible explanations of the origin, nature, and fate of the cytoplasmic bodies are discussed.

STUDIES ON ISOLATED CELL COMPONENTS. XVI. THE DISTRIBUTION OF ACID PHENYL PHOSPHATASE ACTIVITIES IN RAT LIVER BREI FRACTIONATED IN THE ZONAL ULTRACENTRIFUGE

The zonal ultracentrifuge has been used to separate the major components of rat liver brei (soluble phase, ribosomes, microsomes, mitochondria, membranous fragments, and nuclei) during one centrifugation, by using a 1200 ml sucrose gradient varying linearly with radius from 17 to 55 per cent (w/w) with a "cushion" of 66 per cent sucrose at the rotor edge at speeds up to 30,000 RPM. Liver brei was found to contain a family of phosphatases (phenol disodium phosphate substrate, sodium malonate buffers and Turgitol NPX, a non-ionic detergent). Activity maxima at pH 4.1 and 5.9 were observed in untreated brei prepared in 0.25 M sucrose. The addition of the non-ionic detergent Turgitol NPX selectively caused the release of considerable additional activity between these optima. The activity measured at pH 4.1 was primarily associated with the cytoplasmic granules, while the activities at pH 4.8, 5.4 and 5.9 were found in both soluble phase and particulate-mitochondria and membranous fractions. The activities present beyond the region of the gradient occupied by the soluble phase (sample layer) were all bound to particles sedimentable at 105,536 g (average) in the preparative ultracentrifuge. The data suggest that the different activities are not similarly distributed between soluble phase and particulate fractions. When the data are expressed in terms of specific activity, the area in the gradient between the microsomes and mitochondria now appears richest in all the acid phenyl phosphatase activities measured, while the soluble phase and larger particulate fractions appear relatively poor in activity. This part of the gradient is occupied by small, dense granules which may be the so called lysosomes. Pretreatment of the brei with Turgitol NPX prior to fractionation in the zonal ultracentrifuge resulted in the solubilization of acid phenyl phosphatase activities (almost all the activity was in the sample zone of the gradient) and the non-specific destruction of the formed elements of the brei. Essentially all of the activities present in the original brei measured under these conditions were recovered after zonal ultracentrifuge fractionations.

OSMOTIC AND METABOLIC ALTERATIONS OF MITOCHONDRIAL SIZE

Sustained contraction (dehydration) of rat liver mitochondria can be readily produced by increasing the tonicity of the outside media, provided Ca⁺⁺ is removed by EDTA, fatty acids are removed by albumin, and a source of chemical energy (mitochondrial substrate or ATP) is present. This was demonstrated both gravimetrically and turbidimetrically. It was also demonstrated that the net movement of sucrose and H₂O under altered conditions of tonicity in mitochondria was dependent on the state of the mitochondria; e.g., in the presence of EDTA, diffusion was blocked, both into and out of mitochondria, whereas, in the presence of EDTA and electron-transport substrates, movement of sucrose and water out of mitochondria was increased. In the presence of Ca⁺⁺, gramicidin, or fatty acids, diffusion of sucrose into and out of mitochondria is very rapid. Mitochondria obey osmotic law only after Ca⁺⁺ and fatty acids are removed from them.

AN ELECTRON MICROSCOPE STUDY OF THE DEVELOPMENT OF A MOUSE HEPATITIS VIRUS IN TISSUE CULTURE CELLS

Samples taken at different intervals of time from suspension cultures of the NCTC 1469 line of mouse liver—derived (ML) cells infected with a mouse hepatitis virus have been studied with the electron microscope. The experiments revealed that the viruses are incorporated into the cells by viropexis within 1 hour after being added to the culture. An increasing number of particles are found later inside dense cytoplasmic corpuscles similar to lysosomes. In the cytoplasm of the cells from the samples taken 7 hours after inoculation, two organized structures generally associated and never seen in the controls are observed: one consists of dense material arranged in a reticular disposition (reticular inclusion); the other is formed by small tubules organized in a complex pattern (tubular body). No evidence has been found concerning their origin. Their significance is discussed. With the progression of the infection a system of membrane-bounded tubules and cisternae is differentiated in the cytoplasm of the ML cells. In the lumen of these tubules or cisternae, which are occupied by a dense material, numerous virus particles are observed. The virus particles which originate in association with the limiting membranes of tubules and cisternae are released into their lumen by a "budding" process. The virus particles are 75 mµ in diameter and possess a nucleoid constituted of dense particles or rods limiting an electron transparent core. The virus limiting membrane is sometimes covered by an outer layer of a dense material. In the cells from the samples taken 14 to 20 hours after inoculation, larger zones of the cell cytoplasm are occupied by inclusion bodies formed by channels or cisternae with their lumens containing numerous virus particles. In the samples taken 20 hours or more after the inoculation numerous cells show evident signs of degeneration.

PHOTOMETRIC EVIDENCE FOR THE OSMOTIC BEHAVIOR OF RAT LIVER MICROSOMES

Electron microscope observations are consistent with the interpretation that the elements of the endoplasmic reticulum are osmotically active in situ as well as after isolation. More recently, it has been reported that microsomal suspensions equilibrate almost completely with added C¹⁴-sucrose and that no osmotic behavior is evident from photometric data. These findings were considered at variance with the electron microscope data. However, equilibration with added label simply attests to a relatively high permeability, and, in addition, the photometric data need not be critical. Osmotic volume changes, measured photometrically, may be masked by concomitant events (e.g., changes in the refractive index of the test solutions at varying osmotic pressures, breakdown of the particles, and agglutination). For these reasons the photometric experiments were repeated. In this work, the reciprocal of optical density of microsomal suspensions was found to vary linearly with the reciprocal of concentration of the medium at constant refractive index. These changes probably correspond to osmotic volume changes, since the effect was found to be (a) independent of substance used and (b) osmotically reversible. The transmission of the suspension was found to vary with the refractive index of the medium, the concentration of particles, and the wavelength of incident light, according to relationships that are similar to or identical with those obtained for mitochondrial suspensions.

THE OXIDATION OF GLUTAMATE BY RAT-LIVER MITOCHONDRIA

1. In rat-liver mitochondria both the dehydrogenase and transaminase routes participate in glutamate oxidation. However, the rate of ammonia production by the dehydrogenase pathway progressively decreases with the time of incubation. 2. Glutamate deamination is stimulated by blocking the transaminase pathway with arsenite or malonate. On the other hand, this process is completely suppressed by succinate, malate, pyruvate and oxaloacetate. Succinate and pyruvate inhibit, whereas malate and oxaloacetate stimulate, aspartate formation. 3. Glutamate deamination increases with increasing concentrations of 2,4-dinitrophenol from 0.05 to 0.2mm, and then becomes inhibited, together with the rate of oxygen consumption. Aspartate formation is progressively inhibited with increasing 2,4-dinitrophenol concentration from 0.05 to 0.8mm. In the presence of 0.20mm-2,4-dinitrophenol the rate of ammonia production is higher than in the presence of phosphate acceptors and decreases much slower and linearly with the time of incubation. 4. The addition of NAD(+) enhances glutamate deamination without affecting oxygen uptake.

THE STIMULATION BY TREATMENT IN VIVO WITH TRI-IODOTHYRONINE OF AMINO ACID INCORPORATION INTO PROTEIN BY ISOLATED RAT-LIVER MITOCHONDRIA

1. Normal and thyroidectomized rats were treated with near-physiological doses of tri-iodothyronine. Liver mitochondria were isolated and incubated with radioactive amino acids. In normal rats tri-iodothyronine caused only a slight stimulation of incorporation into mitochondrial protein, but in thyroidectomized animals the incorporation was doubled. 2. There was a lag period of about 36 hr. after injection and the maximum effect was observed after 2 days. 3. Direct addition of tri-iodothyronine to the incubation medium had no effect on mitochondrial incorporation. 4. The incorporation was not due to bacterial, nuclear, lysosomal or microsomal contamination and the labelled particles had sedimentation properties identical with those of mitochondria, as followed by suitable enzyme markers. 5. Thyroid hormone treatment did not cause any marked alterations in the pattern of labelling of submitochondrial fractions and in all cases the most radioactive protein was in an insoluble lipid-rich fraction. The amino acid compositions of the total mitochondrial protein and the more radioactive lipoprotein were also unaltered. 6. Increases in the content of RNA and various cytochromes per mg. of mitochondrial protein were observed after treatment with tri-iodothyronine. These occurred slightly later than the stimulation of amino acid incorporation. 7. No uncoupling of oxidative phosphorylation was observed and the ATP production per mg. of mitochondrial protein increased. 8. It was concluded that tri-iodothyronine stimulated amino acid incorporation into mitochondrial protein and that the result is consistent with the view that treatment with thyroid hormone results in an enhanced selective synthesis of mitochondrial respiratory units.

DRUG-INDUCED CHANGES IN THE LIVER ENDOPLASMIC RETICULUM: ASSOCIATION WITH DRUG-METABOLIZING ENZYMES

The cellular changes which lead to the increase of drug-metabolizing enzymes following drug administration are explained by correlating new biochemical data with previously reported electron microscopic and pharmacologic observations. Repeated administration of phenobarbital and several other drugs results in a quantitative increase of the smooth endoplasmic reticulum of the liver cell. The marked increase in drug-metabolizing enzymes is found to occur in this enlarged smooth membrane fraction of the endoplasmic reticulum.

A CYTOCHEMICAL STUDY OF THE SOLUBILITIES OF THE HISTONES OF FIXED NECTURUS LIVER

Evidence for heterogeneity in solubility properties of the histones of fixed Necturus liver was obtained by extracting freeze-methanol-substituted tissue with 2-10% perchloric acid, ethanol-HCl, or 0.02 N HCl, postfixing in formaldehyde then staining with the Alfert-Geschwind method for basic proteins and measuring the dye bound to nuclei by microspectrophotometry.

Data was obtained which can be interpreted as indicating that each of the acids extracts a discrete portion of the histone. Information from experiments based on sequential extractions with two different reagents suggests that the portions extracted may represent different subfractions, perhaps corresponding to histone subtypes differing in relative content of arginine and lysine and in other properties.

ISOLATION AND CHARACTERIZATION OF RIBOSOMAL RIBONUCLEIC ACID

1. Ribosomal RNA has been prepared by extracting tissues with a phenol-cresol mixture, and ribosomal RNA can be selectively precipitated with m-cresol. No rapidly labelled RNA was associated with this material. 2. However, if RNA and DNA are extracted with 4-aminosalicylate and phenol-cresol mixture and the nucleic acids precipitated, DNA, glycogen and s-RNA (transfer RNA) can be extracted with 3m-sodium acetate and in this case rapidly labelled RNA remains associated with the ribosomal RNA. 3. The ribosomal RNA is stable in the presence of concentrated salt solution and, although the secondary structure is lost by heating at 70 degrees in 10mm-sodium acetate, it can be re-formed in the presence of 200mm-sodium acetate. 4. The 28s and 18s components have been separated and their base compositions determined.

A LIGHT AND ELECTRON MICROSCOPE STUDY OF THE MORPHOLOGICAL CHANGES INDUCED IN RAT LIVER CELLS BY THE AZO DYE 2-ME-DAB

The cytological changes induced in rat liver cells by the aminoazo dye 2-Me-DAB have been examined by light and electron microscopy. It is observed that this non-carcinogenic compound duplicates most of the morphological alterations produced by other hepatotoxins, some of which, such as the closely related aminoazo dye 3'-Me-DAB, are potent carcinogens. These non-specific effects involve both the granular and agranular forms of the endoplasmic reticulum as well as the glycogen content of hepatic cells. The arrays of cisternal profiles of the granular reticulum in normal hepatic cells become disorganized and the dispersed cisternae often appear fragmented and irregular. Large cytoplasmic inclusions, consisting of loosely organized tubules and vesicles, are also observed which result from a hypertrophy of the agranular reticulum. The glycogen in the cells progressively decreases in amount. The most specific effect of 2-Me-DAB is to induce an increase in the number of mitochondria per cell. Many of these organelles are characterized by the presence of a median double membrane continuous with the inner limiting membrane of the mitochondrial envelope. Evidence is presented in favor of the view that this partition is directly related to the phenomenon of mitochondrial division. It was noted also in the course of the experiment that an increasing number of cells appear which stain quite intensely with methylene blue and appear denser than normal under electron microscopy. The significance of these cells is not known.

STUDIES IN PHOSPHOLIPID METABOLISM. I. EFFECT OF GUANIDOACETIC ACID AND CHOLINE ON LIVER PHOSPHOLIPIDS

An attempt was made to produce 'forced methylation' and subsequent reduction of lecithin content of livers of rats fed a semipurified diet. The addition of guanidoacetic acid to the diet of the rats did not alter either the total phospholipid extracted from their livers or the liver lecithin content significantly. This constant pattern was observed whether choline was included in the diet or not. However, in animals fed a diet deficient in choline, the ratio of lecithin and cephalin extracted from their livers was altered, although the total phospholipid content remained constant.

EFFECT OF ACTIVE ACCUMULATION OF CALCIUM AND PHOSPHATE IONS ON THE STRUCTURE OF RAT LIVER MITOCHONDRIA

Rat liver mitochondria allowed to accumulate maximal amounts of Ca⁺⁺ and HPO₄⁼ ions from the suspending medium in vitro during respiration have a considerably higher specific gravity than normal mitochondria and may be easily separated from the latter by isopycnic centrifugation in density gradients of sucrose or cesium chloride. When the mitochondria are allowed to accumulate less than maximal amounts of Ca⁺⁺ and HPO₄⁼ from the medium, they have intermediate specific gravities which are roughly proportional to their content of calcium phosphate. Maximally "loaded" mitochondria are relatively homogeneous with respect to specific gravity. Correlated biochemical and electron microscopic studies show that Ca⁺⁺-loaded mitochondria contain numerous dense granules, of which some 85 per cent are over 500 A in diameter. These granules are electron-opaque not only following fixation and staining with heavy metal reagents, but also following fixation with formaldehyde, demonstrating that the characteristic granules in Ca⁺⁺-loaded mitochondria have intrinsic electron-opacity. The dense granules are almost always located within the inner compartment of the mitochondria and not in the space between the inner and outer membranes. They are frequently located at or near the cristae and they often show electron-transparent "cores." Such granules appear to be made up of clusters of smaller dense particles, but preliminary x-ray diffraction analysis and electron diffraction studies have revealed no evidence of crystallinity in the deposits. The electron-opaque granules decrease in number when the Ca⁺⁺-loaded mitochondria are incubated with 2,4-dinitrophenol; simultaneously there is discharge of Ca⁺⁺ and phosphate from the mitochondria into the medium.