Limitations in the isolation and stimulation of splenic mononuclear cells in a dasyurid marsupial, Phascogale calura.

OBJECTIVE: Marsupials suffer from an increasing number of stressors in this changing world. Functional studies are thus needed to broaden our understanding of the marsupial immune system. The red-tailed phascogale (Phascogale calura) is a small Australian marsupial previously used in descriptive immunological studies. Here, we aimed to develop functional assays by isolating and stimulating blood and spleen mononuclear cells in vitro. RESULTS: While peripheral blood mononuclear cell (PBMC) were relatively easy to isolate, only 105 mononuclear cells (> 90% purity and > 75% viability) could be recovered from the spleen, independently of the sex and age of the animal or the centrifugation time and speed tested. The pores of the mesh sieve used for tissue homogenization might have been too big to yield a single cell suspension. Nevertheless, in spite of the overall low number of cells recovered, PBMC and splenic mononuclear cells were successfully activated in preliminary trials with phytohemaglutinin. This activation state was evidenced by a change in shape and the presence of small cell aggregations in the mitogen-stimulated cultures. A non-radioactive colorimetric assay was also performed to confirm cell proliferation in these wells. This work highlights the importance of developing and reporting detailed methodological protocols in non-traditional research species.

Neuroblastoma differentiation involves both the disappearance of old and the appearance of new poly(A)+ messenger RNA sequences in polyribosomes.

The cholinergic mouse neuroblastoma cell line NS20Y was adapted to undifferentiated growth in suspension culture. When suspension cells were transferred to surface culture and treated with dibutyryl cyclic AMP, the cells underwent differentiation as assessed by biochemical, morphological, and physiological criteria. Differentiated NS20Y cells in co-culture with mouse muscle cells had the capacity to form functional neuromuscular junctions with the muscle cells. The sequence complexities of the poly(A)-containing messenger RNA (poly(A)+ mRNA) of the differentiated, process-forming cells (P-cells) and undifferentiated cells in suspension culture (S-cells) were measured by analysis of the kinetics of hybridization of the mRNAs with their complementary DNAs (cDNAs). There were less than 100 high abundance and approximately 8000 low abundance poly(A)+ mRNAs in both differentiation states. Heterologous hybridization reactions and recycling of the cDNA probes revealed that 9.7% and 6.8% of the messages in P- and S-cells, respectively, were specific to those differentiation states. The P-cell-specific sequences included approximately 3 high abundance and 320 low abundance poly(A)+ mRNAs. The S-cell-specific sequences included approximately 3 high abundance and 250 low abundance poly(A)+ mRNAs. We conclude that the increment in NS20Y differentiation results in both the disappearance of old, and the appearance of new mRNAs in polyribosomes.

Isolation and characterization of dihydropteridine reductase from Pseudomonas species.

Dihydropteridine reductase isolated from the bacterium Pseudomonas species (ATCC 11299a) has been purified approximately 450-fold byammonium sulfate precipitation and diethylaminoethyl-cellulose chromatographic procedures. The preparation is at least 80% pure as judged by polyacrylamide gels. Its molecular weight was determined to be about 44,000. Both dihydropteridine reductase and phenylalanine hydroxylase activities were found to be higher in cells adapted to a medium containing L-phenylalanine or L-tyrosine as the sole carbon source than in those grown in L-asparagine. The substrate of the reductase is quinonoid dihydropteridine, and the product is tentatively identified as a tetrahydropteridine through its ability to serve as a cofactor for phenylalanine hydroxylase. The enzyme shows no marked specificity for the pteridine cofactor that occurs naturally in this organism, L-threo-neopterin. The pH optimum for the reductase is 7.2, and nicotinamide adenine dinucleotide, reduced form, is the preferred cosubstrate. Inhibition of the reduced and untreated enzyme by several sulfhydryl reagents was observed. A metal requirement for the reductase could not be demonstrated. Dihydropteridine reductase was found to be inhibited by aminopterin in a competitive manner with respect to the quinonoid dihydro form of 2-amino-4-hydroxy-6,7-dimethyl-5,6,7,8-tetrahydropteridine.

Phenylalanine hydroxylase from Pseudomonas sp. (ATCC 11299a). Purification, molecular weight, and influence of tyrosine metabolites on activation and hydroxylation.

Phenylalanine hydroxylase from Pseudomonas sp. (ATCC 11299a) has been purified 25- to 30-fold by a procedure which has been modified from that previously described for this organism (Guroff, G., and Ito, T. (1965) J. Biol. Chem. 240, 1175-1184; Guroff, G., and Rhoads, C. A. (1967) J. Biol. Chem. 242, 3641-3645). Further purification yielded a preparation which was judged to be about 80% pure by sodium dodecyl sulfate-containing and standard analytical polyacrylamide gels, but the activity in this preparation has proved to be very labile. The enzyme appears to be a single protein chain of between 25,000 to 27,000 molecular weight. Phenylalanine, tyrosine, and tryptophan inhibit the activation of the enzyme by iron in a competitive fashion. The tyrosine metabolites, p-hydroxyphenylpyruvic and homogentisic acids exhibit a biphasic effect on activation, stimulating at low iron, and inhibiting at higher iron concentrations. The hydroxylation itself is inhibited by tyrosine and related compounds such as L-3,4-dihydroxyphenylalanine and dopamine. p-Hydroxyphenylpyruvic acid is a competitive inhibitor with respect to both substrate and cofactor. The data indicate a variety of means by which the bacterium can regulate phenylalanine hydroxylation.

Further characterization of the polynucleotide phosphorylase of Micrococcus luteus.

The purification of polynucleotide phosphorylase from Micrococcus luteus by chromatography on phosphocellulose colums is described. This procedure offers several advantages over previous procedures. Previously determined molecular weights for Form-I enzyme and Form-T enzyme derived from Form-I by limited tryptic hydrolysis were confirmed as 2.7 and 2.3 times 10-5, respectively. Form-I appears homogeneous in the ultracentrifuge, but multiple active protein species are separable by polyacrylamide gel electrophoresis. The multiple species are probably the result of proteolysis. On polyacrylamide gel electrophoresis under denaturing conditions, Form-T yielded a single size of subunit of 71,000 daltons, and Form-I yielded several bands of different molecular sizes. These results differ from earlier determinations. The amino acid compositions of Form-I and Form-T are reported. Form-I contains only between 8 and 10 cysteine residues per molecule and Form-T half that many.