Relationship between the length of the forefoot bones and performance in male sprinters.

Although recent studies have reported that the forefoot bones are longer in sprinters than in non-sprinters, these reports included a relatively small number of subjects. Moreover, while computer simulation suggested that longer forefoot bones may contribute to higher sprint performance by enhancing plantar flexor moment during sprinting, the correlation between forefoot bone length and sprint performance in humans has not been confirmed in observational studies. Thus, using a relatively large sample, we compared the length of the forefoot bones between sprinters and non-sprinters. We also examined the relationship between forefoot bone length and performance in sprinters. The length of forefoot bones of the big and second toes in 36 well-trained male sprinters and 36 male non-sprinters was measured using magnetic resonance imaging. The length of forefoot bones in the big and second toes was significantly longer in sprinters than in non-sprinters. After dividing the sprinters into faster and slower groups according to their personal best time in the 100-m sprint, it was found that the forefoot bone length of the second toe, but not that of the big toe, was significantly longer in faster group than in slower group. Furthermore, the forefoot bone length of the second toe correlated significantly with the personal best time in the 100-m sprint. This study supported evidence that the forefoot bones are longer in sprinters than in non-sprinters. In addition, this is the first study to show that longer forefoot bones may be advantageous for achieving superior sprint performance in humans.

Ischemic Preconditioning Enhances Muscle Endurance during Sustained Isometric Exercise.

Ischemic preconditioning (IPC) enhances whole-body exercise endurance. However, it is poorly understood whether the beneficial effects originate from systemic (e. g., cardiovascular system) or peripheral (e. g., skeletal muscle) adaptations. The present study examined the effects of IPC on local muscle endurance during fatiguing isometric exercise. 12 male subjects performed sustained isometric unilateral knee-extension exercise at 20% of maximal voluntary contraction until failure. Prior to the exercise, subjects completed IPC or control (CON) treatments. During exercise trial, electromyography activity and near-infrared spectroscopy-derived deoxygenation in skeletal muscle were continuously recorded. Endurance time to task failure was significantly longer in IPC than in CON (mean±SE; 233±9 vs. 198±9 s, P<0.001). Quadriceps electromyography activity was not significantly different between IPC and CON. In contrast, deoxygenation dynamics in the quadriceps vastus lateralis muscle was significantly faster in IPC than in CON (27.1±3.4 vs. 35.0±3.6 s, P<0.01). The present study found that IPC can enhance muscular endurance during fatiguing isometric exercise. Moreover, IPC accelerated muscle deoxygenation dynamics during the exercise. Therefore, we suggest that the origin of beneficial effects of IPC on exercise performance may be the enhanced mitochondrial metabolism in skeletal muscle.

Correlation amyloid in brain, kidney, and CSF of castrated guinea pigs.

OBJECTIVES: The association between low testosterone levels and Alzheimer's disease (AD) amyloid beta-peptide (Abeta) metabolism was investigated in brain and kidney of guinea pigs. METHODS: The expression of Abeta peptide in the brain and kidney was assessed by using the immunohistochemistry method. RESULTS: No expression of Abeta was seen in both groups of animals. This negative staining was found until the fourth week following castration. The formation of Abeta in guinea pigs is perhaps not a short duration process and may undergo different metabolic pathway compare to humans. CONCLUSION: castration was not associated with the formation of Abeta in the brain and kidneys during a 1-month period and might require a longer period of time.

Cloning and expression analysis of YY1AP-related protein in the rat brain.

YY1AP-related protein (YARP) is a structural homolog of YY1AP, a transcriptional coactivator of the multifunctional transcription factor YY1. We cloned a rat YARP cDNA that encoded a 2256 amino acid protein with 93% homology to the human counterpart. Northern blots revealed significant expression of the YARP gene in the rat brain. In situ hybridization demonstrated its expression in neurons throughout the brain, including pyramidal cells in the cerebral cortex and hippocampus and granule cells in the dentate gyrus. YARP was coexpressed with YY1 in these same neuronal cells. However, there was no evidence of YARP expression in glia. In the developing rat brain, the level of YARP mRNA ( approximately 10 kb) peaked at embryonic day 18 and promptly declined thereafter to reach the steady-state level found in adulthood, by 14 days after birth. These results suggest that YARP functions at a late stage of neurogenesis during perinatal development of the rat brain, as well as in mature neurons.

Soluble interleukin-1 receptor type II levels in gingival crevicular fluid in aggressive and chronic periodontitis.

BACKGROUND: Interleukin (IL)-1 is closely related to the initiation and progression of periodontal disease. IL-1 levels in the gingival crevicular fluid (GCF) of subjects with periodontitis are higher than those in periodontally healthy controls, and the levels of IL-1 correlate with disease severity. However, soluble IL-1 receptor type II (sIL-1RII), which acts as a decoy receptor for IL-1s, has not been investigated in detail in periodontal disease. The purpose of this study was to measure sIL-1RII levels in the GCF of subjects with chronic or aggressive periodontitis; the correlation between the sIL-1RII levels in GCF and clinical parameters also was examined. METHODS: IL-1beta and sIL-1RII were measured in 64 GCF samples collected from 47 subjects with chronic periodontitis (CP) and 17 subjects with aggressive periodontitis (AgP). The clinical characteristics of each site were recorded at the time of GCF sampling. IL-1beta and sIL-1RII were measured by specific non-cross-reactive enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay. RESULTS: The disease severity was comparable in CP and AgP. IL-1beta was detected in 98% of CP GCF samples and 88% of AgP GCF samples. sIL-1RII was detected in 55% of CP GCF samples and 35% of AgP GCF samples. However, the concentrations of IL-beta and sIL-1RII detected in GCF from subjects with CP or AgP were similar. CONCLUSION: sIL-1RII was detected more often in CP GCF than in AgP GCF, and there was no correlation between GCF sIL-1RII concentration and clinical parameters.

Molecular cloning of a structural homolog of YY1AP, a coactivator of the multifunctional transcription factor YY1.

YY1 is a multifunctional transcription factor that activates or represses gene transcription depending on interactions with other regulatory proteins that include coactivator YY1AP. Here, we describe the cloning of a novel homolog of YY1AP, referred to as YARP, from the human neuroblastoma cell line SK-N-SH. The cloned cDNA encoded a 2240 amino acid protein that contained a domain which was 97% homologous to an entire YY1AP sequence of 739 amino acids. Two splice variants, YARP2 and YARP3, were also cloned. Northern blotting demonstrated the YARP mRNA (approximately 10 kb), which was increased 1.7-fold after dibutyryl cAMP-induced neural differentiation of the cells. Presence of YARP mRNA was also confirmed in human tissues such as the heart, brain and placenta. Bioinformatic analysis predicted various functional motifs in the YARP structure, including nuclear localization signals and domains associated with protein-protein interactions (PAH2), DNA-binding (SANT), and chromatin assembly (nucleoplasmin-like), outside the YY1AP-homology domain. Thus, we propose that YARP is multifunctional and plays not only a role analogous to YY1AP, but also its own specific roles in DNA-utilizing processes such as transcription.

Double-labeled donor probe can enhance the signal of fluorescence resonance energy transfer (FRET) in detection of nucleic acid hybridization.

A set of fluorescently-labeled DNA probes that hybridize with the target RNA and produce fluorescence resonance energy transfer (FRET) signals can be utilized for the detection of specific RNA. We have developed probe sets to detect and discriminate single-strand RNA molecules of plant viral genome, and sought a method to improve the FRET signals to handle in vivo applications. Consequently, we found that a double-labeled donor probe labeled with Bodipy dye yielded a remarkable increase in fluorescence intensity compared to a single-labeled donor probe used in an ordinary FRET. This double-labeled donor system can be easily applied to improve various FRET probes since the dependence upon sequence and label position in enhancement is not as strict. Furthermore this method could be applied to other nucleic acid substances, such as oligo RNA and phosphorothioate oligonucleotides (S-oligos) to enhance FRET signal. Although the double-labeled donor probes labeled with a variety of fluorophores had unexpected properties (strange UV-visible absorption spectra, decrease of intensity and decay of donor fluorescence) compared with single-labeled ones, they had no relation to FRET enhancement. This signal amplification mechanism cannot be explained simply based on our current results and knowledge of FRET. Yet it is possible to utilize this double-labeled donor system in various applications of FRET as a simple signal-enhancement method.

Antitumor activity of lentinan in murine syngeneic and autochthonous hosts and its suppressive effect on 3-methylcholanthrene-induced carcinogenesis.

The antitumor effect of lentinan in syngeneic and autochthonous tumor-host systems and its suppressive effect on 3-methylcholanthrene (MC)-induced carcinogenesis were confirmed using DBA/2 and SWM/Ms hosts. The regressive activity of lentinan against the solid form of Sarcoma 180 was the most effective in DBA/2, SWM/Ms, or A/J mice and less effective in C3H/He or C57BL/6 mice. The growth of a syngeneic MC-induced DBA/2.MC.CS-1 fibrosarcoma (native and trypsinized) was markedly inhibited, and the regression of tumors was detected by the i.p. injection of minute amounts of lentinan into DBA/2 mice, which were the most suitable host in lentinan treatment. When DBA/2 mice were used, lentinan was also effective for even autochthonous primary tumors induced within 15 weeks after MC inoculation, but less effective for tumors induced during the 16 to 36 weeks after MC treatment. Lentinan showed a prominent suppressive effect in MC-induced carcinogenesis using DBA/2 and SWM/Ms mice but not effect when BALB/c, C57BL/6, or C3H/He mice were used. The timing of lentinan administration in the latter result was examined using SWM/Ms mice, and lentinan, when it was given daily for 10 days after the third week of MC inoculation, was strikingly effective (33%), but not so effective (63%) when lentinan was given after the sixth week of MC treatment, compared with tumor-occurrence rate in the control group (88%). The reason why DBA/2, SWM/Ms, or A/J mice were suitable hosts for lentinan treatment is not clear, but the natural killer capability or phagocytic macrophage function in these strains seems to have no relation to lentinan action, because A/J mice are deficient in natural killer function, and in these strains of mice the phagocytic function of macrophages is weak. It may be quite possible that these strains of mice are most sensitive to delayed-type hypersensitivity and/or cytotoxic T-cell response in which T-cells and lentinan play important roles. The tumor-host systems presented here provide a good model in which lentinan retains an inhibitory capacity in syngeneic and autochthonous hosts, and such a model offers the possibility for further study of the host defense mechanism against cancer.

Luseogliflozin, A Sodium Glucose Co-transporter 2 Inhibitor, Alleviates Hepatic Impairment in Japanese Patients with Type 2 Diabetes.

Luseogliflozin, a selective inhibitor of sodium glucose co-transporter 2 (SGLT2), was previously shown to improve the blood glucose and hemoglobin A1c (HbA1c) levels of patients with type 2 diabetes in a clinical setting. Although patients with type 2 diabetes often have hepatic impairment, few reports have been published concerning the influence of luseogliflozin on HbA1c and hepatic function in patients with type 2 diabetes accompanied by hepatic impairment. The present study was undertaken to evaluate the influence of luseogliflozin on HbA1c and hepatic function in patients with type 2 diabetes divided into 2 groups according to hepatic function parameters (a normal group and an elevated group). In this study, luseogliflozin significantly improved both HbA1c and body weight to similar extents in both the normal group and the elevated group, accompanied by marked reductions in the aspartate aminotransferase (AST), alanine aminotransferase (ALT), and γ-glutamyl transpeptidase (γ-GTP) levels. These results suggested that luseogliflozin can be safely used in patients with type 2 diabetes who also exhibit hepatic impairment. The results additionally suggest the possibility that luseogliflozin might be capable of alleviating hepatic impairment in patients with type 2 diabetes.

Induction of peroxisomal beta-oxidation enzymes by dehydroepiandrosterone and its sulfate in primary cultures of rat hepatocytes.

Treatment of cultured rat-hepatocytes with 50 microM dehydroepiandrosterone (DHEA) and its sulfate (DHEAS) for up to 5 days resulted in a progressive increase in peroxisomal beta-oxidation and carnitine acetyltransferase activity. After 5 days, the increases in activity were 2.6- and 4.8-fold for peroxisomal beta-oxidation and 11.7- and 17.1-fold for carnitine acetyltransferase over the initial activity, in DHEA- and DHEAS-treated cells, respectively. The stimulation of the activity of these enzymes by the respective agents was dose-related; it was maximum with 50 to 100 microM DHEA and 50 to 250 microM DHEAS, although DHEAS was more effective for stimulation than DHEA. Western blot analyses revealed the induction of acyl-CoA oxidase, enoyl-CoA hydratase/3-hydroxyacyl-CoA dehydrogenase bifunctional enzyme and carnitine acetyltransferase in the treated cells. Moreover, induction of fatty acid omega-hydroxylase proteins (P-450IVAS) was also revealed. These results indicate that DHEA and DHEAS act directly on hepatocytes. The induction of hepatic peroxisomal beta-oxidation enzymes and several other enzymes in rats administered with DHEA could be accounted for, at least in part, by the direct action of DHEA and its sulfate-conjugate (DHEAS) on liver cells.

Induction of peroxisomal beta-oxidation by structural analogues of dehydroepiandrosterone in cultured rat hepatocytes: structure-activity relationships.

The structural requirements of dehydroepiandrosterone (DHEA) for the induction of peroxisomal beta-oxidation were studied in cultured rat hepatocytes. The hepatocytes were incubated for 5 days with various steroids, including 3- and 17-substituted analogues and 5-hydrogenated analogues of DHEA, and the activities of peroxisomal beta-oxidation and carnitine acetyltransferase were measured. Among the steroids examined, DHEA, DHEA sulfate (DHEAS), dehydroandrosterone sulfate, androstenediol 3-sulfate, epiandrosterone sulfate and androsterone sulfate significantly induced the enzymes; 4.6- to 14.2-fold for beta-oxidation and 5.1- to 10.9-fold for carnitine acetyltransferase at 50 microM. All of the sulfated steroids were more effective than the corresponding unsulfated forms. DHEAS was the most potent inducer. The 3-sulfuric group was required for the marked induction of peroxisomal beta-oxidation, and the 17-carbonyl group was also important. Furthermore, the relatively planar conformation of the steroidal hydrophobic backbone was crucial for inducing the enzyme. The configuration of the 3-sulfuric group (beta-configuration) and the presence of a double bond at position C5 were not primary determinants for the action of DHEAS. On the other hand, the introduction of bulky substituents to position C17 or aromatization of ring A led to a loss of inducing activity. Thus, there are strict structural requirements for the DHEA induction of peroxisomal beta-oxidation, suggesting the presence of a certain specific recognition site in the cell for DHEAS, which mediates the peroxisome proliferator action of DHEA.

Changes in the activities of dihydroxyacetone phosphate and glycerol-3-phosphate acyltransferases in rat liver under various conditions.

Activities of enzymes relating to the acyl dihydroxyacetone phosphate (acyl DHAP) pathway were determined in rat liver under conditions known to elevate the peroxisomal beta-oxidation activity. In fasted and streptozotocin-induced diabetic rats, DHAP acyltransferase activity showed a small but significant increase, though the activities of glycerol-3-phosphate (GP) acyltransferase and alkyl DHAP synthase were not changed. After 2 weeks, feeding of 20% partially hydrogenated marine oil, the activity of DHAP acyltransferase also increased to 140% of the control. The feeding of 0.25% clofibrate and 2% di(2-ethylhexyl)phthalate (DEHP) increased the activities of both DHAP and GP acyltransferases by 2- to 3-fold, whereas alkyl DHAP synthase activity decreased under the same conditions. A fractionation study showed that the increases in the activities of DHAP acyltransferase and acyl/alkyl DHAP reductase in the liver of rats treated with DEHP occurred mainly in peroxisomes and microsomes, respectively. The phospholipid contents per mg protein of the isolated hepatic peroxisomes from rats were as follows (percent of the control): fasting, 62%; diabetic, 69%; high fat-diet, 89%; clofibrate-treated, 126%; DEHP-treated, 119%. These results suggest that glycerophospholipid metabolism might also be controlled by peroxisomal enzymes under physiological and pathological conditions.

Effects of fat content in the diet on hepatic peroxisomes of the rat.

Effects of fat content in the diet on rat liver peroxisomes was examined. In the livers of rats fed for one week on the high-fat diet containing 30% fat, the cyanide-insensitive palmitoyl-CoA oxidation was accelerated to eight times that of control and the enzymic activities of catalase, carnitine acetyltransferase and carnitine palmitoyltransferase were elevated by the factors of 1.3, 5 and 2, respectively. In contrast, the activities of D-amino acid oxidase in addition to the three enzymes mentioned above were all lowered by 20% when the animals were maintained on a fat-free diet for the same period of time. It appears that the high-fat diet-induced increase in the activity of carnitine palmitoyltransferase is a result of the raised activity of this enzyme in mitochondria only while the apparent high activity reflects stimulation of carnitine acetyltransferase in all the subcellular fractions. Another notable effect of the high-fat diet was a remarkable increase in the quantity of a peroxisome-associated polypeptide which was separable by sodium dodecyl sulfate polyacrylamide gel electrophoresis. It is noteworthy that this effect of the high-fat diet resemble that of clofibrate. If the diet was deprived of fat, however, this polypeptide species, with an estimated molecular weight of 80 000, decreased to a level slightly lower than normal. On the basis of the electron micrographic criteria, the high-fat diet provoked a marked proliferation of hepatic peroxisomes.

Characteristics of the suppressive effect of nicardipine on peroxisome induction in rat liver.

In vivo administration of nicardipine, a known calcium antagonist, suppressed the clofibrate-evoked induction of activities of peroxisomal enzymes, such as catalase, the peroxisomal fatty acyl-CoA oxidizing system, carnitine acetyltransferase and mitochondrial carnitine palmitoyltransferase in rat liver. On a time-course study, the suppression of induction in the activities of the peroxisomal fatty acyl-CoA oxidizing system and carnitine acetyltransferase was found at 5 days after the treatment, whereas the induction by clofibrate was already observed at 1 day after the treatment, suggesting that in the process of peroxisome induction by clofibrate there might be two steps, i.e., a triggering step and an enhancing step, and nicardipine might act as suppressor for the later step. The precursor-incorporation studies with [3H]leucine showed that the rate of the synthesis of the peroxisomal bifunctional enzyme was increased by 4.2-fold after clofibrate-treatment, whereas nicardipine suppressed this enhancement to only 2.2-fold of the control. The rate of degradation of this enzyme was not affected by any treatment. These results show that nicardipine affects the regulation mechanism of the biosynthesis of this enzyme. Nicardipine showed hardly any suppressive-effect on the hepatic peroxisomal enzyme induction observed in high-fat diet fed rat. Furthermore, the suppression of clofibrate-evoked induction of peroxisomal enzymes was observed also in mice. These interesting findings suggest that there is a difference in the mechanism of peroxisome proliferation and/or the induction of peroxisomal enzymes between clofibrate and physiological conditions, such as high-fat diet feeding. The suppression of drug-induced peroxisome proliferation by calcium antagonists may help in dissecting the causal relationship between the multiple effects mediated by peroxisomal proliferators.

Specific binding of dehydroepiandrosterone sulfate to rat liver cytosol: a possible association with peroxisomal enzyme induction.

Incubation of [3H]dehydroepiandrosterone sulfate (DHEAS) with rat liver cytosol demonstrated its specific binding with a dissociation constant of 72 +/- 14 nM and a maximal binding capacity of 312 +/- 105 fmol/mg cytosol protein. The binding correlated with the amount of cytosol protein, and depended on time, temperature and pH, with equilibrium being reached after 6 h at 0 degrees C and pH 7.5. Boiling or treatment of the cytosol with proteases or sulfhydryl-blocking reagents affected the binding. The apparent molecular mass of the binding entity was estimated to be 160-230 kDa by HPLC gel filtration. In competitive binding studies, free steroids, including dehydroepiandrosterone (DHEA), sulfatase substrates and ligands of organic anion binders such as ligandin and fatty acid binding protein, had no effect on the [3H]DHEAS binding. Peroxisome proliferators also had no effect, except Wy-14,643. Competition with various steroids related to DHEAS revealed strict structural requirements for DHEAS binding, in which epiandrosterone sulfate was almost as effective as unlabeled DHEAS in inhibiting [3H]DHEAS binding. These findings indicated the presence of a binding protein highly specific to DHEAS in rat liver cytosol. The DHEAS binding in liver cytosol was 2-fold higher in male than in female rats. The cytosolic DHEAS binding was highest in the liver, followed by the kidney and heart. The possibility of association between the DHEAS binding and DHEA induction of peroxisomal beta-oxidation is discussed.

Purification and properties of peroxisomal carnitine palmitoyltransferase in chick embryo liver.

Peroxisomal carnitine palmitoyltransferase was purified by solubilization using Tween 20 and KCl from the large granule fraction of the liver of clofibrate-treated chick embryo, DEAE-Sephacel and blue Sepharose CL-6B column chromatography. The peroxisomal carnitine palmitoyltransferase was an Mr 64,000 polypeptide; the mitochondrial carnitine palmitoyltransferase had a subunit molecular weight of 69,000 on sodium dodecyl sulfate-polyacrylamide gel electrophoresis. The carnitine acetyltransferase was an Mr 64,000 polypeptide. Antibody against purified peroxisomal carnitine palmitoyltransferase reacted only with peroxisomal carnitine palmitoyltransferase, but not with mitochondrial carnitine palmitoyltransferase or carnitine acetyltransferase. In addition, anti-peroxisomal carnitine palmitoyltransferase reacted only with the protein in peroxisomes purified from chick embryo liver by sucrose density gradient centrifugation. Thus, it was confirmed that purified peroxisomal carnitine palmitoyltransferase was a peroxisomal protein. Compared with mitochondrial carnitine palmitoyltransferase, peroxisomal carnitine palmitoyltransferase was extremely resistant to inactivation by trypsin. The pH optimum of peroxisomal carnitine palmitoyltransferase was 8.5, differing from that of mitochondrial carnitine palmitoyltransferase. The Km value of peroxisomal carnitine palmitoyltransferase for palmitoyl-CoA (32 microM) was similar to that of the mitochondrial one, whereas those values for L-carnitine (140 microM), palmitoyl-L-carnitine (43 microM) and CoA (9 microM) were lower than those of mitochondrial carnitine palmitoyltransferase. Peroxisomal carnitine palmitoyltransferase exhibited similar substrate specificities in both the forward and reverse reactions, with the highest activity toward lauroyl derivatives. Furthermore, this enzyme showed relatively high affinities for long-chain acyl derivatives (C10-C16) and similar Km values (30-50 microM) for acyl-CoAs, acylcarnitine and CoA, and a constant Km value (approximately 150 microM) for carnitine. These results indicate that peroxisomal carnitine palmitoyltransferase played a role in the modulation of the intracellular CoA/long-chain acyl-CoA ratio at the hatching stage of chicken when long-chain fatty acids are actively oxidized in peroxisomes.

Compartmentation of dicarboxylic acid beta-oxidation in rat liver: importance of peroxisomes in the metabolism of dicarboxylic acids.

Peroxisomal and mitochondrial beta-oxidation of dicarboxylic acids (DCAs) were investigated and compared. When isolated hepatocytes were incubated with DCAs of various chain lengths, H2O2 was derived from peroxisomal beta-oxidation, the rates of its generation being comparable to those seen with monocarboxylic acids (MCAs), whereas the rates of ketone body production, a measure of mitochondrial beta-oxidation, were much lower than those with MCAs. Peroxisomal beta-oxidation measured by cyanide-insensitive NAD reduction exhibited similar chain-length specificities for both dicarboxylyl-CoAs (DC-CoAs) and monocarboxylyl-CoAs (MC-CoAs), except that the activities for DC-CoAs with 10-16 carbon atoms were about half of those of the corresponding MC-CoAs. In contrast, mitochondrial beta-oxidation measured by antimycin A-sensitive O2 consumption had no activity for DCAs. In the study with purified enzymes, the reactivities of mitochondrial carnitine palmitoyltransferase and acyl-CoA dehydrogenase for DC-CoAs were much lower than those for MC-CoAs, while the reactivity of peroxisomal acyl-CoA oxidase for DC-CoAs was comparable to that for the corresponding MC-CoAs. Accordingly, the properties of carnitine palmitoyltransferase and acyl-CoA dehydrogenase must be the rate-limiting factors for mitochondrial beta-oxidation, with the result that DCAs might hardly be oxidized in mitochondria. Comparative study of beta-oxidation capacities of peroxisomes and mitochondria in the liver showed that DC12-CoA was hardly subjected to mitochondrial beta-oxidation, and that the beta-oxidation of DCAs in rat liver, therefore, must be carried out exclusively in peroxisomes.

Changes in membrane surface properties of hepatic peroxisomes of rats under several conditions as determined by partition in aqueous polymer two-phase systems.

Changes in membrane surface properties of hepatic peroxisomes of rats under several conditions were observed by aqueous polymer two-phase systems, which contained 6% (w/w) dextran T 500, 6% (w/w) polyethyleneglycol 4000, 250 mmol sucrose/kg and various concentrations of sodium phosphate buffer. The partition of peroxisomes into the upper phase depended to a large extent on their membrane surface charge. The cross-points of peroxisomes shifted from 5.55 to 5.25 and 5.2 after the administration of clofibrate and aspirin for 2 weeks, respectively, although that of alloxan-diabetic rat peroxisomes was not altered. The hydrophobic properties of peroxisomes, examined by means of a partition containing polyethyleneglycol monostearate, were altered by diabetes and starvation, but no change occurred in rats treated with clofibrate or aspirin. In the liver of rats fed a high-fat diet, the partition of peroxisomes was the same as that of the control. These findings indicate that hypolipidemic drugs such as clofibrate and aspirin induce the proliferation of peroxisomes and lead to the alteration of the surface charge of peroxisomal membranes. Diabetes or fasting lead to an alteration mainly of the hydrophobic properties. Both changes are probably due to alteration of content and/or composition of the proteins and the phospholipids in peroxisomal membrane under the conditions used.

Effects of long-term vitamin E deficiency and restoration on rat hepatic peroxisomes.

Effects of vitamin E deficiency and its restoration on biochemical characteristics of hepatic peroxisomes were studied. Rats were maintained on the vitamin E-deficient diet for 25 weeks and then on a diet supplemented with vitamin E for 5 weeks. Blood hemolysis by hydrogen peroxide and lipid peroxidation in the liver increased markedly in vitamin E-deficient rats. The former returned to the control level after the resupplying of vitamin E, but the latter did not. Of liver peroxisomal enzymes, the activities of catalase, D-amino-acid oxidase and urate oxidase decreased in vitamin E-deficient rats. On the other hand, activities of fatty acyl-CoA oxidase and carnitine acetyltransferase increased significantly in vitamin E-deficient rats. All activities of these peroxisomal enzymes were restored to the control levels in vitamin E-supplemented rats. The activities of the mitochondrial, lysosomal and microsomal enzymes tested showed no apparent change except that the change of mitochondrial palmitoyltransferase was shown to be similar to that of peroxisomal fatty acid oxidation. These results were also supported by cell fractionation techniques. Following the methods of aqueous polymer two-phase systems, the characteristics of peroxisomal surface membranes altered in respect of their hydrophobicity, but not in respect of the surface charge of peroxisomal membranes. These results indicate that peroxisomal functions, especially those of the fatty acid oxidation system, change their activities more sensitively than other intracellular organelles in response to the condition of vitamin E deficiency.

Determination of the cross-points of rat liver peroxisomes, peroxisomal core and the core components by cross-partition.

The cross-points of rat liver peroxisomes, peroxisomal core and the core components were determined by means of cross-partition in two phase systems. The partitions were carried out in the systems containing 6% (w/w) Dextran T 500 and 6% (w/w) polyethyleneglycol 4000 in sodium salts. The same cross-point, pH 5.6, was obtained in peroxisomal marker enzymes in light mitochondrial fraction of liver homogenate, such as catalase, D-amino acid oxidase and urate oxidase. The cross-point as determined by cross-partition of purified peroxisomal core was 6.7. The cross-points of urate oxidase and framework protein fractions obtained by alkali treatment on the purified core were 7.8 and 4.2, respectively, and the ratio of the proteins of urate oxidase to framework protein was 2 : 1. The theoretical value of cross-point of the core calculated from from the relationship between the cross-point and protein ratio of each component of the core coincided with the experimental value obtained by this method.