Nuclear localization of diguanosine polyphosphates in Artemia embryos

Mitochondrial differentiation during the early development of the brine shrimp Artemia franciscana

During the early development of Artemia there is an increase in mitochondrial enzyme activities of about one order of magnitude, whereas the activities of two cytoplasmic enzymes tested as controls remain unaltered. The mitochondrial enzyme activation correlates with (i) large changes in mitochondrial morphology, (ii) a 5-fold increase in the amount of the H+-ATP synthase beta-subunit and (iii) a dramatic increase in the steady-state level of mitochondrial mRNAs, whereas mitochondrial rRNA concentrations remain mostly unchanged. In contrast, the level of mitochondrial DNA does not change significantly during the first 20 h after resumption of development. After hatching, the mitochondrial DNA content increases twice in parallel with one round of cellular division, thus indicating that mitochondrial and nuclear replication are coupled in Artemia postgastrular development. The data presented strongly suggest that mitochondrial maturation in the absence of significant mitochondrial proliferation is responsible for the dramatic increase in mitochondrial function that takes place after resumption of development in Artemia.

The binding activities of proteins that bind Ap4A, an alarmone, are stimulated in the presence of ethanol or phosphatidylethanolamine

Three proteins binding Ap4A which is known to increase in the heat-shocked cells or to trigger DNA synthesis in G1-arrested eukaryotic cells were purified from E. coli cell extract. For the binding activities of the proteins, glutathione or dithiothreitol and manganese or iron ion were absolutely required. Glutathione, which exists in relatively high concentration in the cells and had been reported to be related to oxidant shock, was far more effective than an artificial antioxidant, dithiothreitol. Ethanol, which has an effect similar to heat or oxidant shock on microbial or eukaryotic cells, enhanced several fold the Ap4A-binding activity. Phosphatidylethanolamine, a major component of phospholipids of cytoplasma and membrane of E. coli cell also stimulated the Ap4A-binding activity.

Diguanosine 5',5'''-P1,P4-tetraphosphate and other purine nucleotides inhibit endoribonuclease VI from Artemia

The activity of the endoribonuclease VI from Artemia is sensitive to several purine nucleotides. The enzyme is non-competitively inhibited by diguanosine tetraphosphate (Ki = 75 microM), a nucleotide abundant in Artemia encysted gastrulae and located in the same particulate fraction as the gastrular ribonuclease. Diguanosine triphosphate and diadenosine tetraphosphate are less efficient inhibitors (Ki congruent to 200 microM). The ribonuclease is non-competitively inhibited by 5'-AMP (Ki = 10 microM) and 5'-GMP (Ki = 50 microM) but is insensitive to the corresponding 5'-phosphates of cytosine and uridine. Other purine mononucleotides inhibit the enzyme activity less efficiently. The modulation of the enzyme activity by these nucleotides is discussed in relation with the changes in ribonuclease activity during early development of Artemia.

Occurrence of dinucleosidetriphosphatase in the cytosol and particulate fractions from rat liver

Dinucleosidetriphosphatase (EC 3.6.1.29) is present in both the 37,000 g rat liver supernatant and precipitate (50 mU/g each fraction). These two activities show matching molecular weights, isoelectric points, substrate specificities, Km values, bivalent cation requirements and inhibition by zinc (II). The particulate triphosphatase and a residual dinucleosidetetraphosphatase (EC 3.6.1.17) are solubilized by freeze-thawing or by Triton X-100. Detergent treatment also extracts an unspecific phosphodiesterase I activity (EC 3.1.4.1) which also splits dinucleoside polyphosphates. The above findings suggest the occurrence of cytosolic and particulate degradative pathways for dinucleoside polyphosphates.

Dinucleosidetriphosphatase from rat brain

Rat brain P1,P3-bis(5'-adenosyl)-triphosphate adenylohydrolase (dinucleosidetriphosphatase, EC 3.6.1.29) was purified 1000-fold. The enzyme hydrolyzed diadenosine and diguanosine triphosphates (Km values 14 and 40 microM, and relative V 100 and 40, respectively) to the corresponding nucleoside di and monophosphates. Dixanthosine triphosphate was hydrolyzed at a residual rate. Diadenosine di and tetraphosphates, NAD+, and artificial phosphodiesterase substrates were not hydrolyzed. Bivalent cations [Mg(II), Mn(II) or Ca(II)] were required for activity, but Zn(II) was a competitive inhibitor (Ki = 5 microM). The optimum pH value was about 7.5. A molecular mass of 34 kdalton (gel filtration) and an isoelectric point of 5.5 (chromatofocusing) were found.

Bis-(5'-guanosyl) tetraphosphatase in rat tissues

The occurrence and distribution of bis-(5'-guanosyl) tetraphosphatase activity towards dinucleoside tetraphosphates between the 27 000 g supernatant and sedimented fraction were studied in liver, kidney, brain, muscle and intestinal mucosa from rat. The p1p4-bis-(5'-guanosyl) tetraphosphate-hydrolysing activities found in total homogenates were 0.77, 1.44, 0.39, 0.36 and 2.14 units (mumol/min)/g respectively. The activities found in the 27000 g-sedimented fractions were 74, 49, 11, 4 and 96% of those present in the homogenates respectively. The properties of the soluble enzymes were investigated. All of them have low Km values for p1p4-bis-(5'-guanosyl) tetraphosphate (from 2 to 50 microM), are competitively inhibited by guanosine 5'-tetraphosphate with K1 values from 10 to 160 nM, have molecular weights of about 21 000, require Mg2+ or Mn2+ and are inhibited by Ca2+. These properties show that bis-(5'-guanosyl) tetraphosphatase (EC 3.6.1.17), an enzyme previously characterized in Artemia salina and rat liver [Warner & Finamore (1965) Biochemistry 4, 1568-1575; Vallejo, Sillero & Sillero (1974) Biochim, Biophys. Acta 358, 117-125; Lobatón, Vallejo, Sillero & Sillero (1975) Eur. J. Biochem. 50, 495-501], is present in all the rat tissues examined. The inhibition of the enzyme by Ca2+ could be related to the effect of p1p4-bis-(5'-adenosyl) tetraphosphate as a trigger of DNA synthesis [Grummt, Waltl, Jantzen, Hamprecht, Huebscher & Kuenzle (1979) Proc. Natl. Acad. Sci. U.S.A. 76, 6081-6085].

Dinucleosidetetraphosphatase from Ehrlich ascites tumour cells: inhibition by adenosine, guanosine and uridine 5'-tetraphosphates

1. An enzyme has been partially purified from Ehrlich ascites tumour cells which specifically hydrolyses dinucleosidetetraphosphates, with Km values of around 2 microM. The products of the hydrolysis are the corresponding nucleoside tri- and monophosphates. Dinucleoside Tri- and diphosphates were not substrates of the reaction. 2. The enzyme requires Mg2+ or Mn2+, is maximally active at a pH value of approx. 7.5 and has a mol, wt of 19,800 as estimated by filtration on Sephadex G-75. Nucleoside mono-, di- and triphosphates were competitive inhibitors of the reaction with Ki values in the 0.1 mM range. 3. Particularly relevant is the inhibition of this enzyme by adenosine and guanosine 5'tetraphosphates. In the course of this investigation, the presence of uridine 5'-tetraphosphate was detected in a commercial preparation of UTP. Adenosine, guanosine and uridine 5'-tetraphosphates were very strong inhibitors of the reaction with Ki values in the nM range.

Selective resistance to desiccation of nuclear ribonucleic acid synthesis in isolated nuclei of Artemia salina embryos during pre-emergence development

The developing gastrula embryos of Artemia salina are resistant to a complete redesiccation during a period of pre-emergence development. Isolated nuclei from these dehydrated embryos could retain a transcriptional activity in vitro comparable with that of non-desiccated controls. On the other hand, redesiccation of both prenauplii and nauplii completely destroys their viability as well as the nuclear transcriptional activity. However, those gastrula embryos that did not develop in a first incubation period could remain viable and develop with a considerable time-lag after a subsequent second incubation.

A supernatant factor involved in initiation complex formation with eukaryotic ribosomes

Embryos of the brine shrimp, Artemia salina, were used in a study of polypeptide chain initiation in an in vitro system from a eukaryote. A protein, isolated from the high-speed supernatant, has been highly purified and shown to have properties that suggest it is the eukaryotic equivalent of the Escherichia coli initiation factor F(2): It promotes the AUG-dependent binding of fMet-tRNA (E. coli) to the Artemia 40S ribosomal subunit, but not to either the 60S or 80S species; the bound fMet-tRNA is placed in a site on the smaller subunit from which it reacts with puromycin upon addition of the 60S subunit; and the activity is sensitive to aurintricarboxylic acid and edeine, specific inhibitors of initiation. The factor, a basic protein of molecular weight about 100,000, is inactivated by N-ethylmaleimide, an SH-binding reagent, and is clearly distinct from the Artemia elongation factors, T(1) and T(2). In addition, the factor stimulates the poly(U)-dependent binding of Phe-tRNA (E. coli) to the Artemia 40S ribosomal subunit. This reaction, though similar to the fMet-tRNA-binding reaction, differs in that the bound Phe-tRNA is largely resistant to release by puromycin.