Binding and subcellular localization of tritiated cytochalasin D

Microtubules facilitate the stimulated secretion of beta-hexosaminidase in lacrimal acinar cells

Stimulation of lacrimal acini with secretagogues such as carbachol initiates movement and fusion of acinar secretory vesicles with the apical plasma membrane, resulting in release of protein into the nascent tear fluid. Using rabbit lacrimal acini reconstituted in vitro from isolated cells, we have investigated the organization of the apical cytoskeleton and its role in stimulated secretion. Confocal microscopy revealed a microtubule array emanating from the apical region of the acini; the apical region was also enriched in microfilaments and (gamma)-tubulin. Cytokeratin-based intermediate filaments were apically concentrated, and also detected at the cell periphery. Neither confocal microscopy nor biochemical analysis revealed any reorganization of lumenal microfilaments or microtubules which might accompany carbachol-stimulated release of secretory proteins. However, major changes in the acinar microtubule array induced by taxol or nocodazole were correlated with inhibition of carbachol-dependent release of the secreted protein, beta-hexosaminidase. Major changes in lumenal microfilaments induced by jasplakinolide or cytochalasin D did not inhibit the carbachol-dependent release of beta-hexosaminidase; rather, release of beta-hexosaminidase from jasplakinolide- or cytochalasin D-treated carbachol-stimulated acini was markedly increased relative to the release from untreated stimulated acini. Our findings demonstrate that microtubules play a major role in stimulated lacrimal secretion, and suggest a contributory role for microfilaments.

Cytochalasin B: preparation, analysis in tissue extracts, and pharmacokinetics after intraperitoneal bolus administration in mice

Cytochalasin B (CB) was prepared by methanol extraction of dehydrated mold (Drechslera dematioidea) matte, reverse-phase C18 silica gel batch adsorption, selective elution with 1:1 (v/v) hexane:tetrahydrofuran (THF), crystallization, preparative TLC, and recrystallization. Unit gravity silica gel normal phase chromatography afforded additional CB. Yield per liter of medium was 300 mg of CB greater than 95% pure by NMR, HPLC (60:40 hexane:THF, Lichrosorb Si60 silica gel, 230 nm), and TLC. CB added exogenously to mouse organs at 1 and 5 micrograms/organ was recovered 70 to 100% by methanol extraction, adsorption to C18 silica gel Sep-Pak cartridges, elution with ethyl acetate, and analysis by TLC and/or HPLC. Limiting sensitivity (micrograms/extract) was 0.5 TLC; 1.0 HPLC. Quantitative extraction was confirmed with 3H-labeled CB. CB ip in mice at 50 mg/kg (LD10) distributed rapidly into liver, renal fat, kidney, intestines, mesentery, pancreas, spleen, and blood cells and was cleared from all but liver within 24 h. CB was below detectable levels in thymus, lymph nodes, heart, brain, bone marrow, and lungs. Cytochalasin A is fixed to tissues and not extractable. This work affords a source of CB in quantities permitting in vivo study, provides methods for extraction and analysis, and reveals the pharmacokinetics of ip bolus CB.

Cytochalasin D and cationized ferritin as probes for the morphological investigation of blebbing in two human cell lines

The potent fungal metabolite cytochalasin D (CD) and cationized ferritin (CF) are used in combination to test for negative charge distribution on blebs (knobs). Two established human epithelial cell lines, WISH and HeLa, that display blebs in various phases of the cell cycle or under certain culture conditions are investigated. CD alone, applied at a low concentration (1.0 micrograms/ml) and for a short time period (3 min), causes blebs to appear as the prevalent surface feature. These are filled mainly with free ribosomes. Additionally, feltlike mats, presumed to be disorganized, compacted microfilaments, are formed directly beneath the cell membrane. These are especially evident in the cortical cytoplasm below the blebs or bleb clusters. CF (0.345 mg/ml), applied for a 5-min period after CD administration (1.0 microgram/ml) for 3 min, appears along the surface of microvilli, at the base of blebs, and in vesicles beneath the bleb clusters. In some cases, microfilaments (6 nm in diameter) are closely related to the vesicles. CF does not preferentially bind to the apical cell membrane of blebs. Above areas of the subplasmalemmal microfilaments, CF membrane binding is apparent, even under circumstances where the filaments are disorganized by cytochalasin treatment. These results seem to show the following: bleb membranes are different from the remainder of the cell and do exhibit a loss of negative charge and surface charge may be dependent on the presence or structural integrity of membrane-related 6-nm microfilaments.

Evidence for regulation of actin synthesis in cytochalasin D-treated HEp-2 cells

In HEp-2 cells treated with 0.2 or 2.0 microM cytochalasin D (CD), the relative rate of actin synthesis increased for about 12 h and then reached a plateau; this increase was suppressed by actinomycin D (AD). When CD was washed from cells which had been treated for 20 h, the elevated rate of actin synthesis declined to the control value within ca 4 h, as the actin-containing cytoskeletal components rearranged by CD recovered their normal morphology. Subsequently, actin synthesis was depressed below control values for a prolonged period; during recovery from 2 h treatment with CD, this depression was of much shorter duration. Re-addition of CD to cells after a 3 h recovery period again induced the cytoskeletal alterations characteristic of CD treatment but did not reverse the prior decline in the rate of actin synthesis. In HEp-2 cells treated with cycloheximide during exposure to CD for 20 h, the relative rate of actin synthesis measured after removal of cycloheximide was twofold higher than with CD alone and such cells exhibited a twofold slower decline in the rate of actin synthesis during recovery from CD in the continued presence of cycloheximide. These effects of cycloheximide, which resemble observations on "super-induction", suggest that actin synthesis in CD-treated and recovering HEp-2 cells may be regulated by a repressor protein. The possibility that the proposed repressor protein is actin and that actin may thus be a feedback inhibitor of its own synthesis is discussed.

Comparative effects of cytochalasin D on the protein discharge induced by alpha- and beta-adrenergic or cholinergic agonists in rat exorbital lacrimal glands

Cytochalasin D altered the kinetics of peroxidase and radiolabeled protein discharge from rat exorbital lacrimal glands in vitro, in response to various secretagogues. The changes were different with each inducer. The discharge due to isoproterenol was immediately inhibited by 95%; the discharge evoked by noradrenaline via alpha-adrenergic receptors was progressively reduced and was inhibited by 50% after 30 min, whereas that evoked by carbachol was not influenced during the initial discharge period and was diminished by only 30% after 30 min. When calcium was removed from the incubation medium, the secretory responses were lowered and the inhibitory effect of cytochalasin D was still observed. The rate of protein discharge inhibition was related to the dose and was maximal with 2 X 10(-6) M cytochalasin D when the discharge resulted from cholinergic, alpha- or beta-adrenergic or dibutyryl cAMP stimulation. Cytochalasin D did not impair cellular energetics nor other stimulations induced through muscarinic or adrenergic receptors. Cytochalasin D effects could be related to interaction with actin, leading to the inhibition of the release of proteins into the incubation medium following the activation of the adrenergic system.

Cytochalasin D induces increased actin synthesis in HEp-2 cells

In HEp-2 cells treated with 0.2 to 2.0 microM cytochalasin D (CD) for 7.5 to 24 h there was a 20 to 50% relative increase in actin content (units of actin per microgram of total cell protein). This augmentation, which was concentration and time dependent, was prevented by treatment with cycloheximide during exposure to CD. A 15 to 20% increase in the relative rate of actin synthesis in CD-treated HEp-2 cells (0.2 to 2.0 microM CD) was detectable after 1 h of treatment and increased to 30 to 50% by 24 h. This increased rate of actin synthesis was apparently responsible for the higher actin content of CD-treated HEp-2 cells. The concentration dependence of these effects of CD on actin metabolism correlated with the pattern seen for CD-triggered changes in cellular morphology and the underlying rearrangements of the actin-containing cytoskeletal structures, suggesting that the effects on metabolism and morphology were interrelated. Since the rapidly occurring cytoskeletal reorganization preceded the effects of CD on actin metabolism, it is proposed that actin synthesis is induced by the cytoskeletal rearrangement resulting from exposure to CD.

Cytochalasin D induces increased actin synthesis in HEp-2 cells

In HEp-2 cells treated with 0.2 to 2.0 microM cytochalasin D (CD) for 7.5 to 24 h there was a 20 to 50% relative increase in actin content (units of actin per microgram of total cell protein). This augmentation, which was concentration and time dependent, was prevented by treatment with cycloheximide during exposure to CD. A 15 to 20% increase in the relative rate of actin synthesis in CD-treated HEp-2 cells (0.2 to 2.0 microM CD) was detectable after 1 h of treatment and increased to 30 to 50% by 24 h. This increased rate of actin synthesis was apparently responsible for the higher actin content of CD-treated HEp-2 cells. The concentration dependence of these effects of CD on actin metabolism correlated with the pattern seen for CD-triggered changes in cellular morphology and the underlying rearrangements of the actin-containing cytoskeletal structures, suggesting that the effects on metabolism and morphology were interrelated. Since the rapidly occurring cytoskeletal reorganization preceded the effects of CD on actin metabolism, it is proposed that actin synthesis is induced by the cytoskeletal rearrangement resulting from exposure to CD.

Effects of drugs that influence eucaryotic motile processes on motility of Cystobacter fuscus (Myxobacterales)

Cytochalasin B, dbcAMP and EGTA were found to inhibit the motility of Cystobacter fuscus completely whereas colchicine and cAMP only reduced velocity of movement.

Differences in cytochalasin D-induced surface alterations between chronic lymphocytic leukaemic and normal lymphocytes

Cytochalasin D (CD) causes an unusual surface alteration in normal lymphocytes consisting of the formation of focal irregular club-shaped cell processes. Lymphocytes from chronic lymphocytic leukaemic cases did not show this change on exposure to CD. There was either no surface change or, in some cases, clear double-membrane lined vesicles were formed and appeared to be discharged from the cell. This difference in response may be related to the changes in cell membranes known to occur in malignant transformation.

The binding sites of cytochalasin D. I. Evidence that they may be peripheral membrane proteins

Binding sites for tritiated cytochalasin D (3H-CD) on the isolated plasma membrane from HEp-2 cells were reversibly inactivated, but not dissociated from the membrane, by dialysis in 0.6 M KCl. Activity was restored by subsequent dialysis in 0.06 M KCl. Treatment with 0.2 mM ATP at low ionic strength also inactivated these sites, apparently irreversibly. Extraction of the membrane with 6% Triton X-100 removed 75% of its protein, resulting in a two-fold increase in specific binding activity for 3H-CD. Both high and low affinity binding sites were retained by the detergent-extracted membrane; at least 60% of the high affinity sites were resistant to this treatment. Evidence is presented for the attachment to the HEp-2 plasma membrane of both actin and myosin. The results support the tentative conclusion that plasma membrane binding sites for 3H-CD are peripheral proteins on the cytoplasmic face of the membrane. They are consistent with the hypothesis that myosin may be the location of the high affinity binding site and actomyosin may be the low affinity site. Comparison of these observations with those reported for the congeneric drug, cytochalasin B, suggests that CD binding sites differ from the high affinity site for cytochalasin B.

The binding sites of cytochalasin D. II. Their relationship to hexose transport and to cytochalasin B

Cytochalasin B (CB) was able to compete with tritiated cytochalasin D (3H-CD) for binding sites in HEp-2 cells. The pattern of inhibition suggested that CB associates with a low affinity class of CD binding sites. Glucose and maltose did not inhibit binding of 3H-CD to isolated HEp-2 plasma membrane. Inhibition of hexose transport by CD was negligible, but CD did not block the potent inhibition of this transport by CB. These results indicate that CD does not bind to the high affinity CB receptor reportedly associated with the hexose transport system, and that this receptor cannot mediate the morphological effects of CD. Both CD and CB induced contraction-zeoisis in HEp-2 cells; CB was less potent than CD, and their effects appeared to be additive. It was concluded that the high affinity binding sites for CD and CB are different, but that these congeners share a low affinity site. Both high and low affinity sites for CD appear to mediate its morphological effects; only the low affinity class appears to be involved for CB. Possible identification of the common low affinity binding site as actomyosin (detailed in Tannenbaum et al., '77) is further discussed.

Interruption of oncornavirus replication by modified rifamycin antibiotics

Thirteen rifamycin SV derivatives containing 3'-alkylaminomethyl substituents fail to inhibit the activities of the simian sarcoma virus Type 1 DNA polymerase, and of cellular DNA, RNA, and poly(A) polymerases prepared from NIH Swiss mouse embryos. These compounds show a range in their toxicities for NIH Swiss mouse 3T3 cells and in their capacities to inhibit production of foci of morphologically altered cells by murine sarcoma virus (MSV). Three compounds--the N-methyl-N-hydroxyethylaminomethyl, the N,N-dimethyl-aminomethyl, and the N4-methylpiperazinomethyl rifamycin derivatives--are comparable to adenine arabinoside and ribavirin in their toxicity for 3T3 cells, but these compounds show superior focus inhibition. These compounds inhibit oncornavirus production apparently by exacerbation of a delay in growth that results from infection of 3T3 cells with MSV.

Velocity distributions of the streaming protoplasm in Nitella flexilis

Laser light is Doppler-shifted in frequency by the streaming endoplasm of living cells of Nitella flexilis. The frequency spectrum of the scattered light can be interpreted as the histogram of velocities within the organism, with the exception of the intense low-frequency portion of the spectrum. We demonstrate that the lowest-frequency component is the result of amplitude modulation of the scattered light by the array of chloroplasts in the cell. Measurement of the streaming endoplasm in a photobleached "window" region allows correction of the frequency distribution for the modulation component. The complete velocity histogram for the streaming endoplasm is calculated directly from the corrected frequency distribution. Measurements of vacuolar and endoplasmic motions show that the tonoplast, the membrane separating the vacuole and the endoplasm, seems to be flowing along with the endoplasm and vacuolar sap. Placing the cell in medium containing ATP in concentrations greater than 10(-3) M greatly increases the contribution of low velocities to the velocity histogram. Cytochalasin B at high dosages (10-50 mug/ml) does not noticably change the shape of the velocity histogram, while at low dosages (1 mug/ml) there is an increase in the contribution of low velocities to the velocity histogram. Colchicine in high concentrations (1%) has no observable effect on the velocity histogram.

The oral apparatus of Tetrahymena pyriformis, strain WH-6. III. The binding of 3H-cytochalasin B by the isolated oral apparatus

The binding of tritium-labelled cytochalasin B by the isolated oral apparatus of Tetrahymena pyriformis, strain WH-6, syngen 1, was investigated. Equilibrium binding studies revealed approximately 1.4 x 10(5) cytochalasin B binding sites per oral apparatus. A Scatchard plot indicates a single class of binding affinities with an association constant of 10(5) liters/mole. Rapid release of oral apparatus-bound cytochalasin B occurred when oral apparatuses were washed and resuspended in 1 mM TRIS without cytochalasin B. Because cytochalasin B binding to oral apparatus microtubular protein was not detected, microtubules are probably not the cytochalasin B binding site. The probable nature of the cytochalasin B binding site within the oral apparatus is discussed.

The oral apparatus of Tetrahymena pyriformis, strain WH-6. II. Cytochalasin B inhibition of oral apparatus morphogenesis

The effects of cytochalasin B on oral apparatus morphogenesis and cell division were studied in synchronized Tetrahymena pyriformis, strain WH-6 syngen 1. Cytochalasin B brought about the rapid arrest of oral apparatus primordium development when added prior to the completion of oral apparatus membranelle differentiation. Cells arrested in development did not divide. When cytochalasin B was added after this transition point, oral apparatus morphogenesis and cell division were completed. The effects of cytochalasin B could be reversed by washing it from the medium. Even though cytochalasin B (at 400 mug/ml) reduced protein synthesis by 30%, the data are consistent with the interpretation that cytochalasin B prevents an assembly process during the membranelle differentiation phase of oral apparatus development.

Subcellular localization of binding sites for cytochalasin D: evidence from activation energies

The activation energies for binding of tritiated cytochalasin D to HEp-2 cells and isolated plasma membrane were determined by Arrhenius plots. The higher value for intact cells (24 kcal/mol) compared to the plasma membrane fraction (4 kcal/mol at greater than 11.5 degrees C, 18 kcal/mol at less than 11.5 degrees C) was taken as evidence that [3H]cytochalasin D must penetrate the plasma membrane in order to reach its binding sites. The data support the conclusion that binding sites for [3H]cytochalasin D are intracellular, on the cytoplasmic face of the plasma membrane (rather than within the lipid bilayer), and on microsomes (endomembranes).