The ion-optical prototype of the low energy neutral atom sensor of the Interstellar Boundary Explorer Mission (IBEX)

The direct measurement of the energetic neutral atoms originating from the heliospheric termination shock and beyond as well as neutral interstellar gas penetrating into the heliosphere requires a very sensitive neutral particle imaging instrument in the energy range of 10-1000 eV. We present the development of the prototype of the low energy sensor for the Interstellar Boundary Explorer (IBEX) mission: IBEX-Lo is a neutral particle mass spectrometer dedicated to the measurement of energetic neutral atoms in this energy range. The response of the sensor to incident neutral hydrogen, helium, and oxygen atoms is discussed as well as the properties of the sensor's ion optics, the neutral-to-negative conversion surfaces, and other instrumental parameters.

CLIP-115, a novel brain-specific cytoplasmic linker protein, mediates the localization of dendritic lamellar bodies

Intracellular localization of organelles may depend in part on specific cytoplasmic linker proteins (CLIPs) that link membranous organelles to microtubules. Here, we characterize rat cDNAs encoding a novel, brain-specific CLIP of 115 kDa. This protein contains two N-terminal microtubule-binding domains and a long coiled-coil region; it binds to microtubules and is homologous to CLIP-170, a protein mediating the binding of endosomes to microtubules. CLIP-115 is enriched in the dendritic lamellar body (DLB), a recently discovered organelle predominantly present in bulbous dendritic appendages of neurons linked by dendrodendritic gap junctions. Local microtubule depolymerization leads to a temporary reduction of DLBs. These results suggest that CLIP-115 operates in the control of brain-specific organelle translocations.

An immunochemical and immunocytologic study of the increase in myometrial gap junctions (and connexin 43) in rats and humans during pregnancy

Myometrial gap junctions are thought to play a necessary role in control of parturition. In this study we evaluated the presence of gap junctions in myometrial tissues with a specific antibody to the gap junction protein, connexin 43, with immunocytochemistry and immunoblots. Immunofluorescence of rat heart showed gap junctions were localized along the intercalated disks, but no change occurred during pregnancy. Fluorescent staining of rat myometria showed punctate staining of gap junctions between muscle cells during term and preterm birth, illustrating the tremendous increase in gap junctions during labor. Similarly, staining of human myometrial tissues was present in specimens from pregnant patients but absent in tissues from nonpregnant women. Immunoblots of myometrial tissues from rat and humans confirmed the existence of high levels of connexin 43 during term and preterm labor in rats and also during late pregnancy in humans.

Proteoglycans and glycosaminoglycans induce gap junction synthesis and function in primary liver cultures

Intercellular communication via gap junctions, as measured by dye and electrical coupling, disappears within 12 h in primary rat hepatocytes cultured in serum-supplemented media or within 24 h in cells in a serum-free, hormonally defined medium (HDM) designed for hepatocytes. Glucagon and linoleic acid/BSA were the primary factors in the HDM responsible for the extended life span of the electrical coupling. After 24 h of culture, no hormone or growth factor tested could restore the expression of gap junctions. After 4-5 d of culture, the incidence of coupling was undetectable in a serum-supplemented medium and was only 4-5% in HDM alone. However, treatment with glycosaminoglycans or proteoglycans of 24-h cultures, having no detectable gap junction protein, resulted in synthesis of gap junction protein and of reexpression of electrical and dye coupling within 48 h. Most glycosaminoglycans were inactive (heparan sulfates, chondroitin-6 sulfates) or only weakly active (dermatan sulfates, chondroitin 4-sulfates, hyaluronates), the weakly active group increasing the incidence of coupling to 10-30% with the addition of 50-100 micrograms/ml of the factor. Treatment of the cells with 50-100 micrograms/ml of heparins derived from lung or intestine resulted in cells with intermediate levels of coupling (30-50%). By contrast, 10-20 micrograms/ml of chondroitin sulfate proteoglycan, dermatan sulfate proteoglycan, or liver-derived heparin resulted in dye coupling in 80-100% of the cells, with numerous cells showing dye spread from a single injected cell. Sulfated polysaccharides of glucose (dextran sulfates) or of galactose (carrageenans) were inactive or only weakly active except for lambda-carrageenan, which induced up to 70% coupling (albeit no multiple coupling in the cultures). The abundance of mRNA (Northern blots) encoding gap junction protein and the amounts of the 27-kD gap junction polypeptide (Western blots) correlated with the degree of electrical and dye coupling indicating that the active glycosaminoglycans and proteoglycans are inducing synthesis and expression of gap junctions. Thus, proteoglycans and glycosaminoglycans, especially those found in abundance in the extracellular matrix of liver cells, are important in the regulation of expression of gap junctions and, thereby, in the regulation of intercellular communication in the liver. The relative potencies of heparins from different tissue sources at inducing gap junction expression are suggestive of functional tissue specificity for these glycosaminoglycans.

cAMP increases junctional conductance and stimulates phosphorylation of the 27-kDa principal gap junction polypeptide

Membrane-permeant cAMP derivatives (dibutyryl- and 8-bromo-cAMP) increase gap-junctional conductance within minutes when applied to voltage-clamped pairs of rat hepatocytes. Glucagon also increases junctional conductances, but the response has a more rapid onset and is more rapidly reversible. The glucagon effect can be prevented by intracellular injection of the protein inhibitor of the cAMP-dependent protein kinase (Walsh inhibitor), indicating that the catalytic subunit of cAMP-dependent protein kinase is directly involved. The 27-kDa major gap junction polypeptide is phosphorylated when liver cells dissociated into small groups are incubated with 32P. Addition of 8-bromo-cAMP to cells increases the incorporation of 32P into the 27-kDa junctional protein. Serine is the amino acid residue that is phosphorylated. When isolated liver gap junctions are incubated in the presence of catalytic subunit of the cAMP-dependent protein kinase, the 27-kDa gap junction polypeptide is phosphorylated with low stoichiometry on serine. The rapid increases in gap junctional conductance caused by agents that elevate cAMP and phosphorylation of the gap junction protein by cAMP-dependent protein kinase suggest that cAMP-dependent phosphorylation of the gap junction channel modulates the conductance of liver gap junctions.