Sites of sulfatation in the chondrocytes of the articular cartilage of the rabbit. A study by quantitative radioautography of high resolution

Evidence for rapid metabolic turnover of hyaluronate synthetase in Swarm rat chondrosarcoma chondrocytes

Synthesis of [3H]hyaluronate from [6-3H]glucosamine was investigated in cultures of Swarm rat chondrosarcoma chondrocytes treated with various concentrations (0.1 microM-0.1 mM) of cycloheximide for various times. Concentrations greater than 1 microM inhibited protein synthesis by greater than 90%. Hyaluronate synthesis was decreased, with a t1/2 for 50% inhibition of 80-120 min, depending on the concentration of cycloheximide present. Similar experiments using [1-3H]glucose as a precursor label gave similar results. Experiments using [6-3H]glucosamine as a precursor label and 0.18 mM-puromycin to inhibit protein synthesis inhibited hyaluronate synthesis (t1/2 = 82 min) with similar kinetics to cycloheximide-induced inhibition. Cultures incubated with 3.6 microM-cycloheximide for up to 9 h and supplemented with p-nitrophenyl beta-D-xyloside during the last 75 min of treatment showed increased synthesis of [3H,35S]chondroitin sulphate, demonstrating that UDP-hexose precursors for glycosaminoglycan synthesis are not rapidly depleted on blockage of protein synthesis. Rapid metabolic turnover of hyaluronate synthetase is the most likely cause for decreased hyaluronate synthesis in chondrocytes in which protein synthesis is inhibited.

Effects of actinomycin D on ribosomal RNA and protein synthesis as revealed by high resolution autoradiography

Incorporation of tritiated amino acids and uridine was studied in untreated and actinomycin D treated HeLa cells by high resolution autoradiography. Results showed a non-selective inhibition of protein synthesis by actinomycin, as measured by the decrease in radioactive amino acid uptake. When cells pretreated with actinomycin D were incubated with radioactive amino acids and uridine, amino acid uptake in the nucleolus still occurred, while uridine uptake was almost completely eliminated. These findings suggest that in the absence of ribosomal RNA precursor synthesis, nucleolar protein synthesis continues to some extent, and that this protein is transported to the nucleolus.