An Na(+)-independent short-chain fatty acid transporter contributes to intracellular pH regulation in murine colonocytes

Short-chain fatty acids (SCFAs) are the major anions in the colonic lumen. Experiments studied how intracellular pH (pHi) of isolated colonocytes was affected by exposure to SCFAs normally found in the colon. Isolated crypt fragments were loaded with SNARF-1 (a fluorescent dye with pH-sensitive excitation and emission spectra) and studied in a digital imaging microscope. Intracellular pH was measured in individual colonocytes as the ratio of fluorescence intensity in response to alternating excitation wavelengths (575/505 nm). After exposure to 65 mM acetate, propionate, n-butyrate, or iso-butyrate in isosmotic Na(+)-free media (substituted with tetramethylammonia), all colonocytes acidified rapidly and then > 90% demonstrated a pHi alkalinization (Na(+)-independent pHi recovery). Upon subsequent removal of the SCFA, pHi alkalinized beyond the starting pHi (a pHi overshoot). Using propionate as a test SCFA, experiments demonstrate that the acidification and pHi overshoot are explained by transmembrane influx and efflux of nonionized SCFA, respectively. The basis for the pHi overshoot is shown to be accumulation of propionate during pHi alkalinization. The Na(+)-independent pHi recovery (a) demonstrates saturable propionate activation kinetics; (b) demonstrates substrate specificity for unmodified aliphatic carbon chains; (c) occurs after exposure to SCFAs of widely different metabolic activity, (d) is electroneutral; and (e) is not inhibited by changes in the K+ gradient, Cl- gradient or addition of the anion transport inhibitors DIDS (1 mM), SITS (1 mM), alpha-cyano-4-hydroxycinnamate (4 mM), or probenicid (1 mM). Results suggest that most mouse colonocytes have a previously unreported SCFA transporter which mediates Na(+)-independent pHi recovery.

Extracellular pH regulation in microdomains of colonic crypts: effects of short-chain fatty acids

It has been suggested that transepithelial gradients of short-chain fatty acids (SCFAs; the major anions in the colonic lumen) generate pH gradients across the colonic epithelium. Quantitative confocal microscopy was used to study extracellular pH in mouse distal colon with intact epithelial architecture, by superfusing tissue with carboxy SNARF-1 (a pH-sensitive fluorescent dye). Results demonstrate extracellular pH regulation in two separate microdomains surrounding colonic crypts: the crypt lumen and the subepithelial tissue adjacent to crypt colonocytes. Apical superfusion with (i) a poorly metabolized SCFA (isobutyrate), (ii) an avidly metabolized SCFA (n-butyrate), or (iii) a physiologic mixture of acetate/propionate/n-butyrate produced similar results: alkalinization of the crypt lumen and acidification of subepithelial tissue. Effects were (i) dependent on the presence and orientation of a transepithelial SCFA gradient, (ii) not observed with gluconate substitution, and (iii) required activation of sustained vectorial acid/base transport by SCFAs. Results suggest that the crypt lumen functions as a pH microdomain due to slow mixing with bulk superfusates and that crypts contribute significant buffering capacity to the lumen. In conclusion, physiologic SCFA gradients cause polarized extracellular pH regulation because epithelial architecture and vectorial transport synergize to establish regulated microenvironments.

Stretching of a single tethered polymer in a uniform flow

The stretching of single, tethered DNA molecules by a flow was directly visualized with fluorescence microscopy. Molecules ranging in length (L) from 22 to 84 micrometers were held stationary against the flow by the optical trapping of a latex microsphere attached to one end. The fractional extension x/L is a universal function of eta vL 0.54 +/- 0.05, where eta and v are the viscosity and velocity of the flow, respectively. This relation shows that the DNA is not "free-draining" (that is, hydrodynamic coupling within the chain is not negligible) even near full extension (approximately 80 percent). This function has the same form over a long range as the fractional extension versus force applied at the ends of a worm-like chain. For small deformations (< 30 percent of full extension), the extension increases with velocity as x approximately v0.70 +/- 0.08. The relative size of fluctuations in extension decreases as sigma x/x approximately equal to 0.42 exp (-4.9 x/L). Video images of the fluctuating chain have a cone-like envelope and show a sharp increase in intensity at the free end.

Overexpression and characterization of the human peroxisomal acyl-CoA oxidase in insect cells

Human liver peroxisomes contain two acyl-CoA oxidases, namely, palmitoyl-CoA oxidase and a branched chain acyl-CoA oxidase. The palmitoyl-CoA oxidase (ACOX) oxidizes the CoA esters of straight chain fatty acids and prostaglandins and donates electrons directly to molecular oxygen, thereby producing H2O2. The inducibility of this H2O2-generating ACOX in rat and mouse liver by peroxisome proliferators and the postulated role of the resulting oxidative stress in hepatocarcinogenesis generated interest in characterizing the structure and function of human ACOX. We have constructed a full-length cDNA encoding a 660-amino acid residue human ACOX and produced a catalytically active human ACOX protein at high levels in Spodoptera frugiperda (Sf9) insect cells using the baculovirus vector. Immunoblot analysis demonstrated that the full-length 72-kDa polypeptide (component A) was partially processed into its constituent 51-kDa (component B) and 21-kDa (component C) products, respectively. Recombinant protein (approximately 20 mg/l x 10(9) cells) was purified to homogeneity by a single-step procedure on a nickel-nitrilo-triacetic acid affinity column. Using the purified enzyme, Km and Vmax values for palmitoyl-CoA were found to be 10 microM and 1.4 units/mg of protein, respectively. The maximal activities for saturated fatty acids were observed with C12-18 substrates. The overexpressed human ACOX protein was identified in the cytoplasm of the insect cells by immunocytochemical staining. Individual expression of either the truncated ACOX 51-kDa (component B) or the 21-kDa (component C) revealed lack of enzyme activity, but co-infection of the insect cells with recombinant viruses expressing components B and C resulted in the formation of an enzymatically active heterodimeric B+C complex which could subsequently be inactivated by dissociating with detergent.

Pharmacokinetics and bioavailability of rhIGF-I/IGFBP-3 in the rat and monkey

Circulating IGF-I exists primarily as part of a ternary 150 kDa complex comprising equimolar amounts of IGF-I, IGFBP-3 and acid labile subunit (ALS). It is also known that in contrast to IGF-I and IGFBP-3 there exists a substantial quantity of unbound ALS in the circulation. As part of our preclinical development program, we have investigated the pharmacokinetic properties of a complex of human recombinant IGF-I and IGFBP-3. Systematic administration of rhIGF-I/IGFBP-3 results in binding of this binary complex to endogenous free ALS and thus leads to increased circulating levels of 150 kD ternary complex (IGF-I/IGFBP-3/ALS). In contrast to the administration of free IGF-I, IGF-I/IGFBP-3 dosing leads to increased systemic IGF-I exposure (i.e. increased area under the time vs. serum concentration curve or AUC) and decreased clearance (CL). Upon administration of equimolar doses of IGF-I/IGFBP-3 to the rat and monkey, it was found that in the monkey AUC was increased and CL decreased when compared to the rat. In addition, the pharmacokinetic profile suggests that saturation of excess ALS occurs at considerably lower doses of rhIGF-I/IGFBP-3 in the monkey than in the rat. Finally, the bioavailability of rhIGF-I/IGFBP-3 was assessed in the rat and found to be approximately 85% and 50% after intramuscular and sub-cutaneous administration, respectively. It was concluded that the formation of the 150 kD ternary complex had a significant impact on increasing the systemic exposure to rhIGF-I when administered as the binary complex (rhIGF-I/IGFBP-3). In addition, IGFBP-3 increases the therapeutic index of rhIGF-I even at doses that significantly exceed the saturation of ALS.

Intra-epithelial palatine nerve endings and their regulation of ciliary activity of frog palate epithelium

1. Direct contact between intra-epithelial nerve endings and ciliated cells was observed in frog (Rana pipiens) palate epithelium. 2. Electrical stimulation of the palatine nerve to the explant or the explant culture induced an increase in ciliary beat frequency in explant and outgrowth cells. 3. Atropine inhibited electrically stimulated ciliary beat frequency increase in the explant and outgrowth cells. 4. Gap junctional intercellular communication appears to be involved in the propagation of stimulated ciliary beat frequency increase from innervated to non-innervated ciliated cells.

Direct observation of tube-like motion of a single polymer chain

Tube-like motion of a single, fluorescently labeled molecule of DNA in an entangled solution of unlabeled lambda-phage DNA molecules was observed by fluorescence microscopy. One end of a 16- to 100-micrometer-long DNA was attached to a 1-micrometer bead and moved with optical tweezers. The molecule was stretched into various conformations having bends, kinks, and loops. As the polymer relaxed, it closely followed a path defined by its initial contour. The relaxation time of the disturbance caused by the bead was roughly 1 second, whereas tube-like motion in small loops persisted for longer than 2 minutes. Tube deformation, constraint release, and excess chain segment diffusion were also observed. These observations provide direct evidence for several key assumptions in the reptation model developed by de Gennes, Edwards, and Doi.

Relaxation of a single DNA molecule observed by optical microscopy

Single molecules of DNA, visualized in video fluorescence microscopy, were stretched to full extension in a flow, and their relaxation was measured when the flow stopped. The molecules, attached by one end to a 1-micrometer bead, were manipulated in an aqueous solution with optical tweezers. Inverse Laplace transformations of the relaxation data yielded spectra of decaying exponentials with distinct peaks, and the longest time component (tau) increased with length (L) as tau approximately L 1.68 +/- 0.10. A rescaling analysis showed that most of the relaxation curves had a universal shape and their characteristic times (lambda t) increased as lambda t approximately L 1.65 +/- 0.13. These results are in qualitative agreement with the theoretical prediction of dynamical scaling.

Isolation of the human peroxisomal acyl-CoA oxidase gene: organization, promoter analysis, and chromosomal localization

Peroxisomal acyl-CoA oxidase (ACOX; EC 1.3.3.6) is the first enzyme of the fatty acid beta-oxidation pathway, which catalyzes the desaturation of acyl-CoAs to 2-trans-enoyl-CoAs, and it donates electrons directly to molecular oxygen, thereby producing H2O2. The discovery of carcinogenic peroxisome proliferators, which markedly increase the levels of this H2O2-producing ACOX in rat and mouse liver, generated interest in peroxisomal beta-oxidation system genes. The present study deals with the structural organization of human ACOX gene. This gene spans approximately 33 kb and consists of 14 exons and 13 introns. Primer-extension analysis revealed three principal cap sites, which were mapped at 50, 52, and 53 nt upstream of the initiator methionine codon. The 5' flanking region of the ACOX gene was sequenced up to 500 bp upstream of the cap sites. This promoter region is G + C-rich and contains three copies of the "GC box" hexanucleotides. Multiple GC boxes are a characteristic feature of the rat ACOX and bifunctional protein genes of the beta-oxidation system. A + T-rich TATA-boxlike sequences, TTTATTT and TTATT, have also been identified in this human ACOX gene, but typical CCAAT motifs are absent. This ACOX gene has been mapped to chromosome 17q25 by in situ hybridization, using a biotinlabeled probe.

Mutagenesis of the paracrystalline surface protein array of Aeromonas salmonicida by endogenous insertion elements

The tetragonal paracrystalline surface protein array (A-layer) of the fish pathogenic bacterium Aeromonas salmonicida is a virulence factor and bacteria which are unable to produce A-layer are attenuated in their ability to kill fish. Ten independent mutants of Aeromonas salmonicida which were unable to produce A-layer were isolated by growth at 30 degrees C. These mutants displayed either reduced synthesis of the A-layer subunit, synthesis of a truncated subunit, or complete loss of the ability to produce the subunit protein. Restriction mapping and analysis by polymerase chain reaction showed that the mutations had resulted from insertion of two different insertion sequence (IS) elements into different sites in the A-layer subunit gene (vapA) and its promoter. Sequence comparisons indicated that ISAS1 is unique among reported IS elements. It is 1223 bp long with imperfect terminal inverted repeats of 22 bp and insertion resulted in a duplicated 8 bp target sequence in vapA. ISAS1 expressed a 42,000 molecular weight (M(r)) protein in mini-cells. ISAS2 was 1084 bp long, expressed proteins of M(r) 38,000 and 39,000 in vitro, had imperfect 29 bp terminal inverted repeats and had duplicated a 3 bp target sequence. Sequence comparisons indicated that ISAS2 was also unique to A. salmonicida; however, the proteins encoded by ISAS2 showed strong homology to the putative transposases encoded by the IS30 family of IS elements. Southern analyses showed that both ISAS1 and ISAS2 were restricted to A. salmonicida strains A449 and A450 where they were present in low copy number. The ability of these two IS elements to mutate the ability of A. salmonicida to produce its paracrystalline surface array provides a novel method for the attenuation of virulence.

Immunocytochemical localization and serologic detection of transforming growth factor beta 1. Association with type I procollagen and inflammatory cell markers in diffuse and limited systemic sclerosis, morphea, and Raynaud's phenomenon

OBJECTIVE

To determine the presence of transforming growth factor beta 1 (TGF beta 1) and inflammatory cell markers (HLA-DR and Factor XIIIa) and to compare these with the presence of type I procollagen, in clinically uninvolved and involved skin from patients with different subsets of systemic sclerosis (SSc), and to analyze circulating levels of TGF beta 1 in SSc patients.

METHODS

TGF beta 1, HLA-DR, Factor XIIIa, and type I procollagen were detected in skin biopsy sections using a biotin-streptavidin-peroxidase system. Levels of circulating TGF beta 1 were measured using a capture enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay technique.

RESULTS

Patients with active diffuse cutaneous SSc (dcSSc) showed minimal TGF beta 1 but significant type I procollagen staining in involved skin, while the clinically uninvolved skin of these patients showed moderate extracellular and intra-epidermal TGF beta 1 immunoreactivity. Patients with limited cutaneous SSc (lcSSc) showed elevated TGF beta 1 staining in both involved and uninvolved skin, as well as procollagen staining. Significant TGF beta 1 reactivity, HLA-DR and Factor XIIIa immunoreactivity, numerous inflammatory cells, and procollagen staining were seen in specimens from patients with morphea. Sequential biopsies suggested the presence of cytokine activity at the earliest stages of disease, which was not maintained with progression of sclerosis. Among the disease groups studied, elevated levels of circulating TGF beta 1 were seen only in patients with morphea.

CONCLUSION

The pattern of TGF beta 1 staining in dermal sections from patients with dcSSc, lcSSc, and morphea suggests that this cytokine is important in the pathogenesis of scleroderma. Furthermore, the presence of TGF beta 1 prior to the onset of fibrosis indicates an early involvement of this growth factor, possibly in the inflammatory stage of the disease.

The RNA of RNase MRP is required for normal processing of ribosomal RNA

We have isolated clones which complement the temperature sensitivity and abnormal rRNA processing pattern of the rrp2-2 mutant of Saccharomyces cerevisiae we previously described. DNA sequencing and restriction analysis demonstrated that all clones contain the NME1 gene encoding the RNA of the ribonucleprotein particle RNase MRP. Deletion analysis showed that the NME1 gene is responsible for the complementation of the rrp2-2 phenotype. A single base change was identified in the nme1 gene in the rrp2 mutant, confirming that the RRP2 and NME1 genes are identical. Our experiments therefore indicate that RNase MRP, in addition to its previously reported role in formation of RNA primers for mitochondrial DNA replication [Clayton, D. A. (1991) Trends Biochem. Sci. 16, 107-111], is involved in rRNA processing.

Magnetic resonance imaging (1H) and spectroscopy (1H, 31P) of growing chicken embryos

Nuclear magnetic resonance (NMR) imaging and spectroscopy techniques were used to observe in vivo anatomical and metabolite changes, respectively, in developing chicken embryos. Proton (1H) NMR images of the eggs revealed major changes in yolk shape from day 2 to day 6. Embryos were visible from day 6 to hatching, and good embryonic anatomical images were obtained. Two peaks were observed from 1H-NMR spectroscopy of fertilized eggs: one for lipid methylene protons, and one for water protons. Water peak to lipid peak ratios did not vary significantly (P > 0.05) from day 2 to day 21 of incubation. Localized 31P-NMR spectra of developing embryos were obtained with either a 31P surface coil or a double-tuned 31P/1H volume coil. The surface-coil method gave a greater signal to noise ratio by a factor of four. The 31P-NMR spectra indicated two peaks at day 2; these were attributed to phosphomonoesters and phosphodiesters. The three peaks characteristic of ATP appeared on day 11 and increased in size until hatching. From day 19, phosphocreatine was detectable. There appeared to be a good correlation between 31P-metabolite changes detected by in vivo 31P-NMR spectroscopy and literature values for biochemical analyses of developing chicken embryos. The advantage in using NMR imaging and spectroscopy techniques is that anatomical and metabolic changes can be obtained in vivo, non-invasively and repeatedly as an embryo develops. Key words: NMR, MRI, embryo, poultry

Transcriptional analysis of the Aeromonas salmonicida S-layer protein gene vapA

The vapA gene of Aeromonas salmonicida encodes the subunit of the surface protein array known as A-layer. Nucleotide sequence analysis of the 374 bp of DNA immediately upstream of vapA revealed two potential promoter sequences and other possible regulatory sequences. Sequencing and polymerase chain reaction analysis showed that the region was conserved in wild-type A. salmonicida. Primer extension and Northern (RNA) blot analysis showed that vapA transcription in A. salmonicida was directed predominantly by a distal promoter, P1, resulting in a 1.7-kb unit-length mRNA with an untranslated 181-nucleotide leader sequence which contained two predicted low-free-energy stem-loop structures. Northern analysis of cells grown at 15 degrees C showed that vapA transcript production peaked during the mid-log phase of growth (A600 = 0.25). At 15 degrees C, the half-life of the vapA mRNA was 22 min, while at 20 degrees C, the half-life was significantly shorter, 11 min. The amount of vapA transcript produced was reduced by growth in the presence of the DNA gyrase inhibitors nalidixic acid and novobiocin. Environmental factors such as growth temperature and atmospheric oxygen tension also affected the quantity of vapA mRNA. vapA transcript could not be detected in mutants which produced either low levels of full-length or truncated A protein or no detectable A protein.

Part II--clinical information systems: the nursing interface

Given the fact that nurses generate over 50 percent of patient information, usable, automated nursing systems are essential. Neglecting the issues of usability of computer systems in healthcare results in poorly designed user interfaces, leaving nurses battling against extremely difficult and hostile systems. Two state-of-the-art technologies and nursing interfaces needed to develop mission-critical Clinical Information Systems are explored.

Part I, Clinical information systems: a fourth generation

Despite the fact that cutting edge technologies are already at our doorsteps, most nurses are still struggling with old technologies of the 70s. The greatest stumbling block to change involving information technology is the nurses' unfavorable experience with the difficult and inefficient applications currently in place. Qualities of the fourth-generation clinical systems and the urgent need for technology education are outlined to help shape the development of the new generation of systems.