Development of peroxisomes in amphibians. II. Cytochemical and biochemical studies on the liver, kidney, and pancreas

Immunohistochemical localization and biochemical changes in catalase and superoxide dismutase during metamorphosis in the olfactory system of frog Microhyla ornata

Amphibian metamorphosis is characterized by rapid tissue remodeling and drastic changes in the body structure and function. Like other organs, olfactory system also undergoes a dramatic rearrangement as the animal experiences transition from aquatic to terrestrial habitat. Reactive oxygen species (ROS) are known to play an important role during anuran metamorphosis and role of antioxidant enzymes like catalase and superoxide dismutase (SOD) are believed to play a major role in these processes. Therefore, we hypothesize that antioxidant enzymes in the olfactory system may undergo changes that reflect metamorphic processes. Immunohistochemical study revealed the presence of catalase and SOD in the olfactory receptor neurons and also granular reaction in olfactory epithelium of medial diverticulum during metamorphosis. Catalase and SOD immunoreactivity were seen in the epithelium of lateral diverticulum, vomeronasal organ as metamorphosis proceeds and in the apical lining of olfactory epithelium of adult frog. Biochemical study showed that catalase activity gradually increases in the olfactory system from metamorphic stage 40-46 and adult, while SOD activity decreases from stage 40 to 46 and increases in adult. Thus, the localization and relative levels of catalase and SOD during metamorphosis in the olfactory system suggests that these enzymes may be involved in protection from oxidative damage.

The effects of reactive oxygen species on amphibian aging

To clarify the role of reactive oxygen species (ROS) in the aging process of amphibians, antioxidant enzyme activity and indexes of ROS damage were investigated biochemically using the livers of 3- and 10-year-old Rana nigromaculata frog males and females. Findings revealed no significant difference in survival rate between males and females. Antioxidant enzyme activity displayed an age-related decline. Superoxide dismutase (SOD), catalase, and glutathione peroxidase (GPx) activity in 10-year-old liver decreased 40-80% from 3-year-old liver levels. In contrast, urate oxidase activity in the 10-year-old liver increased more than 200% from 3-year-old liver levels. At the same time levels of ROS damage, including the concentration of inorganic peroxide and thiobarbituric acid reactive substances (TBARS), greatly increased with age. Liver catalase from 10-year-old frogs proved to be more susceptible to aminotriazole and urea, losing approximately 80% of its original activity after 30 min of treatment. It seems likely that liver catalase in older frogs has diverged from liver catalase in younger frogs through oxidative modification. These findings suggest that a decrease in the activity of antioxidant enzymes over time results in increased levels of ROS damage in the livers of older frogs.

A review of morphological techniques for detection of peroxisomal (and mitochondrial) proteins and their corresponding mRNAs during ontogenesis in mice: application to the PEX5-knockout mouse with Zellweger syndrome

In the era of application of molecular biological gene-targeting technology for the generation of knockout mouse models to study human genetic diseases, the availability of highly sensitive and reliable methods for the morphological characterization of the specific phenotypes of these mice is of great importance. In the first part of this report, the role of morphological techniques for studying the biology and pathology of peroxisomes is reviewed, and the techniques established in our laboratories for the localization of peroxisomal proteins and corresponding mRNAs in fetal and newborn mice are presented and discussed in the context of the international literature. In the second part, the literature on the ontogenetic development of the peroxisomal compartment in mice, with special emphasis on liver and intestine is reviewed and compared with our own data reported recently. In addition, some recent data on the pathological alterations in the liver of the PEX5(-/-) mouse with a peroxisomal biogenesis defect are briefly discussed. Finally, the methods developed during these studies for the localization of mitochondrial proteins (respiratory chain complexes and MnSOD) are presented and their advantages and pitfalls discussed. With the help of these techniques, it is now possible to identify and distinguish unequivocally peroxisomes from mitochondria, two classes of cell organelles giving by light microscopy a punctate staining pattern in microscopical immunohistochemical preparations of paraffin-embedded mouse tissues.

Inhibitor and temperature effect on catalase in the liver of adult diploid and haploid Rana rugosa

The authors succeeded in raising a single mature haploid Rana rugosa female to the age of 2 years from an egg artificially fertilized with ultraviolet-irradiated sperm. In order to discover why this particular haploid individual should survive so long, hydrogen peroxide detoxifying catalase in the liver of this individual and age-matched diploids was examined and compared for total activity, temperature stability, and chemical inhibition. Total activity was found to be significantly higher in the haploid frog than in the diploids, suggesting that this particular haploid had a unique system for hydrogen peroxide detoxification which protected the liver against cell death, preventing hepatic failure, and leading to a prolonged survival. Liver catalase from the haploid proved to be more labile to aminotriazole and urea, losing 60-70% of its original activity after 30 min treatment, whereas diploid catalase lost only 40% under the same conditions. Haploid and diploid catalase responded similarly to heat, however. It seems likely that inhibitor-binding sites differ considerably between the catalase of normal diploids and the catalase of this particular haploid, while overall structure is generally similar.

Comparison of catalase in diploid and haploid Rana rugosa using heat and chemical inactivation techniques

The present study examines differences in the hydrogen peroxide (H2O2) detoxifying enzyme, catalase, found in the tails and livers of diploid and haploid Rana rugosa. Investigative techniques include measurement of catalase activity and tests for temperature stability and chemical inhibition. Catalase from the tails of pre-climactic (stage XXIII) haploids was found to be over three times as H2O2 destructive as catalase from similar tails of diploids. Catalase from the livers of newly metamorphosed (stage XXV) froglets, on the other hand, displayed only one third the activity seen in diploid livers. The catalase in haploid tail and liver proved to be more heat resistant, retaining 40-60% of its original activity after 5 min of treatment at 55 degrees C, whereas diploid catalase was totally inactivated under the same conditions. Haploid and diploid catalase also responded differently to inhibition using urea and aminotriazole. These differences suggest that haploid catalase has diverged from normal diploid catalase through molecular modification, resulting in abnormal systems for H2O2 metabolism, which in turn are thought to be responsible for organ dysfunction and early death seen in haploid individuals.

Peroxisomal enzyme activity changes in the tail of anuran tadpoles during metamorphosis

This study attempts to clarify peroxisomal enzyme activity changes in the atrophying tail of anuran tadpoles. Changes in catalase, D-amino acid oxidase and urate oxidase activity were spectrophotometrically investigated using tadpole tails of Rana japonica and Rana nigromaculata. In R. japonica, total catalase activity decreased in tails undergoing regression during spontaneous and DL-thyroxine (T4)-induced metamorphosis, whereas total D-amino acid oxidase and urate oxidase activity increased. In R. nigromaculata, total activity of catalase decreased in tails regressing spontaneously. Total D-amino acid oxidase activity increased during advanced stages of tail regression, but total urate oxidase activity decreased. Specific activity of tadpole peroxisomal enzymes in the above two species was found to be highest for D-amino acid oxidase, followed by urate oxidase and then catalase at latter stages of normal tail regression. Atrophying tadpole tails develop a mechanism for hydrogen peroxide production, which may contribute to cell death in this organ.

Developmental patterns of peroxisomal enzymes in amphibian liver during spontaneous and triiodothyronine-induced metamorphosis

1. Liver catalase, D-amino acid oxidase, urate oxidase of Alytes obstetricans and Xenopus laevis (anuran amphibians) and fatty acyl-CoA oxidase of Alytes were present at all post-embryonic stages. 2. Catalase and D-amino acid oxidase activities increased during spontaneous metamorphosis of the two species. 3. During triiodothyronine-induced metamorphosis of Alytes larvae, catalase and D-amino acid oxidase activities increased after a latent period. 4. Our results suggest that expression of some hepatic peroxisomal enzymes is modulated by thyroid hormones.

Oxidative influence on development and differentiation: an overview of a free radical theory of development

Metabolic gradients exist in developing organisms and are believed to influence development. It has been postulated that the effects of these gradients on development result from differential oxygen supplies to tissues. Oxygen has been found to influence the course of development. Cells and tissues in various stages of differentiation exhibit discrete changes in their antioxidant defenses and in parameters of oxidation. Metabolically generated oxidants have been implicated as one factor that directs the initiation of certain developmental events. Also implicated as factors that modulate developmental processes are the cellular distribution of ions and the cytoskeleton both of which can be influenced by oxidants. The interaction of oxidants with ion balance and cytoskeleton is discussed.

Hydroperoxide metabolism of amphibia: tissue catalases of leopard frogs

Catalase activities were measured and compared in liver, kidney, heart, and lung of American Leopard Frogs (Rana pipiens complex). The order of activities was found to be liver greater than kidney greater than heart approximately lung. The liver enzyme was found to be inhibited by aminotriazole, cyanide, and azide and appears to peroxidatively oxidize ethanol.

Effect of hyperoxia acclimation on catalase and glutathione peroxidase activities and in vivo peroxidation products in various tissues of the frog Rana ridibunda perezi

Among vertebrates, adult amphibians are known to be especially tolerant to exposure to high environmental oxygen tensions. To clarify the basis for this high O2 tolerance, adult Rana ridibunda perezi frogs were acclimated for 15 days to water-air phases with either 149 mm Hg O2 (normoxia) or 710 mm Hg O2 (hyperoxia). At the end of the acclimation, various morphometric and biochemical parameters related to oxidative stress were measured in seven organs and tissues. Hyperoxia acclimation did not change either the total weight of the animals or the total and relative wet weights of the organs studied, except for the brain, which showed weight increases in the hyperoxic group. In vivo tissue peroxidation increased in the kidney; decreased in the skeletal muscle and skin; and did not change in the liver, lung, brain, and heart after hyperoxic exposures. Whereas liver, lung, and skin showed glutathione peroxidase (GSH-Px) activities with both cumene hydroperoxide (cumene-OOH) and H2O2 as substrates, skeletal muscle only showed H2O2 GSH-Px activity. Hyperoxia acclimation did not change either catalase (CAT) or GSH-Px activities in any organ, except for the liver in which CAT activity was induced by hyperoxia. Thus hyperoxia tolerance in this species does not need the induction of H2O2-detoxifying enzymes in the majority of the organs. It is suggested that the high O2 tolerance of this amphibian species is related to its comparatively high constitutive GSH-Px activities.

Different levels of hyperoxia reversibly induce catalase activity in amphibian tadpoles

Studies about the proposed antioxidant physiological role of the catalase (CAT) enzyme in relation to different environmental oxygen tensions are reported for the first time in amphibian larvae of Discoglossus pictus and Rana ridibunda perezi during their development. The CAT levels of whole tadpoles increased constantly in both species during the larval period, reaching a maximum during the metamorphic climax. All through development, CAT activity levels were always greater in D. pictus than in R. ridibunda perezi. This correlates well with the already reported higher SOD activity and hyperoxia resistance of the D. pictus species when compared to R. ridibunda perezi. Long-term acclimation to different levels of hyperoxia (40, 60, and 100% O2) showed dose-related increases in the CAT activity of D. pictus tadpoles. These increases did not take place when the animals were subjected to acute hyperoxia (24 h). The increase in CAT activity observed after 15 days of acclimation to acute hyperoxia (710 mm Hg: 100% O2) was reversed after 15 additional days of postacclimation to normal air (149 mm Hg O2). When recently metamorphosed frogs were acclimated to acute hyperoxia, significant increases in CAT activity were observed after 15 days, but not after 7 days. The results are interpreted as supporting a protective role for the CAT enzyme in amphibian larvae and froglets against oxygen toxicity.

Peroxisomes in human foetal kidney: variations in size and number during development

The kidneys of 15 human foetuses (10-18 weeks of age) were used for morphometric studies on peroxisomes during gestational development and in organ culture. The catalase positive organelles revealed by DAB were round to ovoid with a granular matrix delimited by a membrane occasionally deformed by marginal plates. Generally, the distribution was uniform in cells of proximal tubules. In the same cell, size and density varied. The number fluctuated from cell to cell. No significant difference in the mean diameter was observed from the 10th to 18th weeks of gestation, although the mean value (0.36 +/- 0.1 micron) was significantly less than the adult figure. These results indicate that size modifications might occur later on in gestation or after birth to reach the adult value. During the studied period, the mean number of peroxisomes per 100 micron2 of surface area did not differ significantly from that of the 10-12 week group (10.5 +/- 1.97). No important changes of peroxisome morphology in kidney explants cultured for 7 days were noticed on day 3-4. Thereafter, the shape of many peroxisomes became elongated or irregular; marginal plates were frequent. A decrease in the diameter of peroxisomes began at day 4, became significant on day 5 and more accentuated on day 7. In addition, as the culture matured, there was a progressive reduction in catalase activity, revealed by a diminished density of the peroxisomal matrix. The number of DAB positive organelles per surface area decreased steadily with culture age, and significantly on day 2 (p less than 0.01) to become drastically low on day 5 and negligible on day 7.(ABSTRACT TRUNCATED AT 250 WORDS)

Catalase enzymatic activity and electrophoretic patterns in adult amphibians--a comparative study

Catalase electrophoretic patterns and enzymatic activities were measured in four organs of two anuran species, Rana ridibunda perezii and Discoglossus pictus. The D. pictus enzyme appeared as two distinguishable bands, whereas R. ridibunda catalase was monomorphic. Electrophoretic mobility of the major D. pictus catalase band was greater than that of R. ridibunda. Enzymes from both species showed slower mobility than that from bovine liver. Catalase activities did not show significant differences according to sex in any of the organs tested in R. ridibunda. Enzyme activities were similar in liver, kidney and brain when both species were compared. Only the heart showed much higher activity in D. pictus than in R. ridibunda. The catalase activity levels followed the order: liver greater than kidney greater than heart in both species. The heart showed higher activity than the brain in D. pictus but not in R. ridibunda.

Marginal plates in hepatic peroxisomes of Ichthyophis glutinosus (Amphibia: Gymnophiona). A cytochemical study

The ultrastructure of hepatic peroxisomes was investigated in Ichthyophis glutinosus (Amphibia: Gymnophiona), employing perfusion fixation and the diaminobenzidine (DAB) technique for the visualization of catalase. The majority of peroxisomes is circular or rod-shaped, although elongated particles occasionally occur. They contain a finely granular matrix, lightly stained after the DAB procedure. Their mean diameter is approximately 0.25 micron. Serial sections reveal that the circular and rod-shaped peroxisomal profiles are cross and oblique sections of highly tortuous, tubular organelles exceeding 2 micron in length. In addition to tubular profiles, elongated, rectangular particles, as well as straight dumbbell-shaped organelles with distinct marginal plates are observed. They range from 900 to 1650 nm in length (mean = 1200 nm). In the flattened, thin central portion of the dumbbell-shaped particle, the peroxisomal membranes form a cisterna enclosing one or two uniformly thick marginal plates, which display a definite substructure with a periodicity of 10 nm. These findings indicate that peroxisomes in the liver of Ichthyophis exhibit a complex organization. It is suggested that the organelles undergo a specific differentiation process, morphologically characterized by the formation of enlarged segments of unusual shape.

Development of peroxisomes in amphibians. III. Study on liver, kidney, and intestine during thyroxine-induced metamorphosis

This investigation was undertaken to study the ontogeny of hepatic, renal, and intestinal peroxisomes and/or microperoxisomes during thyroxine-induced anuran metamorphosis. Catalase activity was localized cytochemically after incubation in DAB medium, and studied biochemically by a spectrophotometric method. Our morphological and biochemical investigations suggest the formation of a new population of peroxisomes during the hormonal treatment. This is obvious especially for microperoxisomes of the intestinal epithelium since the larval tissue is completely replaced by a new layer during thyroxine-induced metamorphosis. For the peroxisomes of hepatocytes and kidney proximal tubule cells, our assumption is based on the following observations: 1) The number of peroxisomes increases in liver and kidney during thyroxine treatment; 2) this proliferation is accompanied by an enlargement of renal peroxisomes; and 3) 16 days after the beginning of the hormonal treatment, 5.4- and 2.4-fold increases are found for the specific activities of hepatic and renal catalase, respectively. A temporal coordination exists between the structure and the metabolism of peroxisomes and mitochondria during thyroxine-induced metamorphosis.