Ochromonas mitochondria contain a specific chloroplast protein

Antibody raised against the small subunit of ribulose-1,5-bisphosphate carboxylase [3-phospho-D-glycerate carboxy-lyase (dimerizing), EC 4.1.1.39] of Chlamydomonas reinhardtii labeled the mitochondria as well as the chloroplast of the chrysophyte alga Ochromonas danica in sections prepared for immunoelectron microscopy by the protein A-gold technique. The same antibody labeled the chloroplast but not the mitochondria of C. reinhardtii. A quantitative study of labeling in dark-grown, greening (32 hr light), and mature green cells of O. danica revealed that anti-small-subunit staining in the mitochondria increased progressively in the light as it does in the plastid. Antibody to the large subunit of the enzyme did not label the mitochondria of either O. danica or C. reinhardtii. In view of the recent demonstrations of homologous DNA sequences in the mitochondrial and chloroplast genomes of higher plants, we suggest that the DNA sequence coding for the small subunit has migrated to the mitochondria from nucleus or chloroplast and is expressed within the organelle.

Immunochemical identification of ubiquitin and heat-shock proteins in corpora amylacea from normal aged and Alzheimer's disease brains

Corpora amylacea (CA) accumulation in the central nervous system (CNS) is associated with both normal aging and neurodegenerative conditions such as Alzheimer's disease (AD). CA is reported to be primarily composed of glucose polymers, but approximately 4% of the total weight of CA is consistently composed of protein. CA protein resolved on sodium dodecylsulfate-polyacrylamide gel electrophoresis showed a broad range of polypeptides ranging from 24 to 133 kDa, with four abundant bands. Immunoblots of the profile of polypeptides solubilized from purified CA, showed positive ubiquitin (Ub) immunoreactivity for all the bands. Antisera to heat-shock proteins (hsp) 28 and 70 reacted selectively with bands of 30 and 67 kDa. These results show that Ub is associated with the primary protein components of CA and that the polypeptides are likely to be Ub conjugates. Immunostaining experiments were performed to specifically characterize the protein components of CA in brain tissue sections as well as those of CA purified from both AD and normal aged brains. In all cases CA showed positive reactions with antibodies to Ub, with antibodies raised against either paired helical filaments or hsp 28 or 70, the most prominent staining being with antibodies to Ub, hsp 28 or hsp 70. The presence of Ub and hsp 28 and 70, which are actively induced after stress, suggests that accumulation of altered proteins, possibly attributed to an increased frequency of unusual post-translational modifications or to a sustained physiological stress (related to both normal aging and neurodegenerative process), may be involved in the pathogenesis of CA.

Ubiquitin is a component of polypeptides purified from corpora amylacea of aged human brain

Corpora amylacea (CA) are one of the conspicuous features of brain tissue in normal aging and neurodegenerative diseases. Quantitative protein determination of purified CA revealed a protein content of about 4% of total weight. Qualitative protein analysis revealed a broad range of polypeptides, with four being more abundant. High performance liquid chromatography (HPLC) fractionation of this protein material showed four peaks which are related to the four major polypeptides with molecular weights of 24 KD, 42 KD, 94 KD, and 133 KD. Amino acid content analysis of the 24 KD, 42 KD and 94 KD polypeptides indicated that distinct protein species are involved. N-terminal amino acid sequence analysis of the 24 KD and 42 KD polypeptides revealed in both cases homology with the N-terminal sequence of human ubiquitin.

Purification and polypeptide composition of corpora amylacea from aged human brain

Corpora amylacea (CA) accumulation in the brain is a normal correlate of ageing. The presence of a small amount of protein in these polyglucosan bodies is a consistent finding, although the nature of this protein material remains unknown. Using sucrose gradient fractionation and density centrifugation on Percoll, a method was developed to obtain highly pure preparations of CA from human brain. The protein content of isolated CA was estimated to be approx. 4% of the total fraction by weight. SDS-PAGE analysis of CA fractions showed several polypeptide bands with molecular weights ranging from 24 to 133 kDa. Four of these bands with molecular weights of 133, 94, 42 and 24 kDa are more abundant. Thus, pure preparations of CA can be obtained that are suitable for protein analysis.

Ascertainment of informative Alzheimer disease families from the IMAGE Project registry for genetic linkage analysis studies

Genetic linkage analysis requires the identification and documentation of large families with many affected members present, preferably in more than one generation. The IMAGE Project has been establishing a population-based Alzheimer disease (AD) registry in the Saguenay - Lac-Saint-Jean region of the Province of Quebec. The population of this region has a well-documented ancestry, with reliable genealogical records (since 1842) computerized by SOREP. We have recently begun to investigate the pedigrees of selected probands (definite, probable and possible) from the IMAGE registry in order to identify informative pedigrees for genetic linkage analysis. Interviews were carried out with close relatives of the probands (at least one informant per sibship) to identify secondary AD cases. The questionnaires used pertain to the accuracy of genealogical records, to family medical history and to a retrospective diagnosis of AD for people with cognitive deficits. By these means, we have documented a large extended pedigree in which a total of 15 individuals with cognitive deficits were ascertained over three generations. Of these cases, 7 are still living and there is autopsy confirmation in another one. Computer simulations using the program SIMLINK revealed that this is a potentially informative family for linkage analysis. Horizontal extension of the pedigree to second cousins of the proband is now being carried out. This will render the family IMAGE/1 even more informative in genetic linkage analysis studies.

HincII RFLP in the human gene for the heavy neurofilament subunit (NF-H)

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Immunocytochemical Localization of Ribulose-1,5-Bisphosphate Carboxylase in the Pyrenoid and Thylakoid Region of the Chloroplast of Chlamydomonas reinhardtii

The distribution of the large and small subunits of ribulose-1,5-bisphosphate carboxylase in the chloroplast of Chlamydomonas reinhardtii was studied by immunoelectron microscopy by labeling Lowicryl-embedded sections with antibody to each subunit followed by protein A-gold. In light-harvested synchronously dividing cells, antibodies to each subunit heavily labeled the pyrenoid, whereas the thylakoid region of the plastid was lightly labeled. By estimating the volume of each chloroplast compartment, it was determined that approximately 40% of the total small subunit in the plastid and 30% of the large subunit are localized in the thylakoid region, presumably in the stroma. In synchronously dividing cells exposed to an extended dark period, the amount of labeling of the pyrenoid region by antibody to the small subunit stayed constant, but the labeling of the thylakoid region decreased. In stationary phase cells, the proportion of the label over the pyrenoid is higher than in synchronously dividing cells suggesting that the pyrenoid may be a storage organelle.

Distribution of U3 snRNA in the nucleolus of CHO cells

Localization of snRNA at the ultrastructural level was studied in the nucleolus of CHO cells by EM autoradiography. In conditions where snRNA U3 is the only RNA species labelled in the nucleolus, silver grains were largely found at the periphery, over the granular ribonucleoprotein component and the perinucleolar condensed chromatin; this enrichment was quantitatively significant. Inhibition of pre-rRNA synthesis with actinomycin D did not alter the concentration or the distribution of U3 inside the nucleolus. The results are consistent with the demonstration that U3 is hydrogen-bonded to 28S pre-rRNA, and thus should be found in the granular compartment where 32S-28S pre-rRNA is assembled into 55s RNP.

Localization of small nuclear RNA by EM autoradiography in Chinese hamster ovary (CHO) cells

The ultrastructural localization of small nuclear RNA (snRNA) was studied by EM autoradiography in Chinese Hamster Ovary (CHO) cells. Conditions were set where most (greater than 85%) of the nuclear [3H]uridine label consisted of snRNA, the most abundant species being U1, U2 and the nucleolar species U3. The label was found in highest density in the peripheral part of the nucleus, especially over areas of condensed chromatin. A quantitative analysis of grain distribution showed that the enrichment observed in the periphery was significant (P less than 0.001). Labelling was also observed over the nucleolus. Labelling conditions using inhibitors of RNA synthesis provided additional evidence that the precursor was incorporated into snRNA. Our results show that in interphasic CHO cells, the greatest abundance of snRNA is found, in situ, over areas enriched in condensed chromatin. Whereas the nature of this association remains to be elucidated, these findings suggest that some species of snRNA might be involved in the structure of chromatin; among the various species, U2 appears as the best candidate.