Transcriptional inhibitory role of the tail domains of histone (H3 x H4)2 tetramers.

Histone-DNA templates for bacteriophage T7 RNA polymerase were assembled from a plasmid containing a promoter and a terminator for this polymerase, (H3 x H4)2 tetramers deprived of their tail domains, and H2A x H2B dimers. Histone (H3 x H4)2 tetramers lacking their terminal domains were obtained from trypsin-digested nucleosomal cores. The oligonucleosomal templates containing (H3 x H4)2 tetramers lacking their tail domains, like the control templates with intact core histone octamers, protect approximately 146 base pairs of DNA against micrococcal nuclease digestion. The transcriptional inhibition caused by the association of DNA with core histone octamers is significantly reduced upon elimination of the tail domains of the (H3 x H4)2 tetramers. Apparently, the terminal domains of (H3 x H4)2 must be present to block transcription efficiently. These results show the important inhibitory role played by the tail domains of the histone (H3 x H4)2 tetramers, suggesting the involvement of these regions in transcriptional regulation.

Modulation of glycogen phosphorylase activity and fructose 2,6-bisphosphate levels by glibenclamide and meglitinide in isolated rat hepatocytes: a comparative study.

The influence of glibenclamide and meglitinide, or 4-[2-(5-chloro-2-methoxybenzamide)ethyl]-benzoic acid, a compound similar to the nonsulfonylurea moiety of glibenclamide, on glycogen phosphorylase a activity, fructose 2,6-bisphosphate (F-2,6-P2) level, and cytoplasmic free-Ca2+ concentration has been studied in isolated rat hepatocytes. Both glibenclamide and meglitinide caused a transient and dose-dependent activation of glycogen phosphorylase, with half-maximal effects corresponding to 3.7 +/- 1.6 and 9.6 +/- 3.3 mumol/L, respectively. This enzyme activation occurred without significant changes in hepatocyte cyclic adenosine monophosphate (cAMP) levels and was accompanied by an increase in cytoplasmic concentration of free Ca2+. Parallel to these effects, glibenclamide increased the cellular content of F-2,6-P2, with this effect being associated with a reduction in the rate of glucose formation from a mixture of [14C]lactate/pyruvate. Under similar conditions, meglitinide caused a significant reduction of F-2,6-P2 levels and accelerated the gluconeogenic flux. The mechanism by which meglitinide decreases hepatocyte F-2,6-P2 levels seems to be mediated by stimulation of fructose-2,6-bisphosphatase. This comparative study may help to elucidate which among the hepatic effects of glibenclamide are exerted specifically by the sulfonylurea moiety.

Transcriptional properties of oligonucleosomal templates containing acetylated (H3-H4)2 tetramers.

Direct chemical acetylation of an oligonucleosomal template for bacteriophage T7 RNA polymerase is accompanied by a substantial increase in its capability to support RNA synthesis. The template was assembled from a plasmid, containing a promoter and a terminator for T7 RNA polymerase, plus one (H3-H4)2 tetramer and two H2A.H2B dimers for each 200 base pairs of DNA. Under the employed conditions, acetylation modifies in a preferential way the lysine residues located in the amino-terminal domains of core histones. When the template is assembled with acetylated tetramers and untreated dimers, its efficiency in promoting RNA synthesis is also largely increased. Since a previous work reported transcriptional stimulation upon acetylation of H2A.H2B dimers [Puerta et al. (1995) Biochem. Biophys. Res. Commun. 210, 409], the transcriptional repression brought about by core histone octamers seems to require that the amino-terminal domains of both (H3.H4)2 tetramers and H2A.H2B dimers are not acetylated.

Acetylation of histone H2A.H2B dimers facilitates transcription.

Histone-DNA templates for bacteriophage T7 RNA polymerase were assembled from a plasmid containing a promoter and a terminator for T7 RNA polymerase, intact (H3.H4)2 tetramers, and either untreated or chemically acetylated H2A.H2B dimers. The nucleosomal particles containing acetylated H2A.H2B dimers protect 145 base pairs of DNA against micrococcal nuclease digestion and prevent the reaction with psoralen of 80 to 145 DNA base pairs. The inhibition of transcriptional initiation caused by the association of DNA with intact core histone octamers decreases significantly when the histone octamers contain acetylated H2A.H2B dimers. These results suggest a role for H2A.H2B dimers in the control of transcription, which might be mediated through acetylation and deacetylation of their lysine residues.

Efficient transcription of a DNA template associated with histone (H3.H4)2 tetramers.

A histone-DNA transcription template has been assembled, by dialysis against decreasing salt concentrations, from pGEMEX-1 (4 kilobases), a plasmid containing a promoter for bacteriophage T7 RNA polymerase, and from isolated histone (H3.H4)2 tetramers. Electron microscopy after psoralen cross-linking shows that each histone tetramer protects approximately 80 base pairs of DNA from psoralen action and that, under the employed conditions, an average of 15 tetramer particles are assembled per DNA molecule. This (H3.H4)2-DNA template is efficiently transcribed in vitro by T7 RNA polymerase as compared to naked DNA. The presence of (H3.H4)2 tetramers does not affect initiation, in contrast with the complete histone octamer, (H2A.H2B.H3.H4)2, assembled with the complementary addition of H2A.H2B dimers, which causes transcriptional inhibition mainly by blocking initiation.

Sulfonylureas activate glycogen phosphorylase and increase cytosolic free-Ca2+ levels in isolated rat hepatocytes.

Without causing significant changes in cellular levels of cyclic adenosine monophosphate (cAMP), the addition of either glibenclamide or gliquidone to isolated rat hepatocytes caused a transient dose- and Ca(2+)-dependent activation of glycogen phosphorylase. The calculated concentrations corresponding to half-maximal activation were 5 and 2 mumol/L, respectively. In connection with this, it was observed that glibenclamide provoked a dose-dependent increase in cytosolic free-calcium concentration ([Ca2+]i) in Fura-2-loaded hepatocytes. Moreover, the presence of glibenclamide in the incubation medium accelerated the rate of Ca2+ uptake by Ca(2+)-depleted hepatocytes. These findings suggest that an increase in [Ca2+]i could mediate some of the effects of sulfonylureas in liver metabolism.

Modulation of glucose metabolism by sulfonylureas in primary cultures of adult rat hepatocytes.

Addition of tolbutamide (0.1-5 microM) or glipizide (0.05-5 microM) to primary cultures of adult rat hepatocytes caused a dose-dependent increase of fructose 2,6-bisphosphate concentration. This effect was accompanied by a stimulation of the rate of L-lactate production and by an acceleration of the metabolic flux through the reaction catalysed by 6-phosphofructo 1-kinase. Moreover, the continuous presence of tolbutamide during the first 26 hours of culture mimicked long-term insulin effects by raising fructose 2,6-bisphosphate levels and the rate of L-lactate formation. Glucokinase, 6-phosphofructo 1-kinase and total 6-phosphofructo 2-kinase activities were not found to be significantly different in hepatocytes cultured either in the presence or in the absence of sulfonylurea.

Glipentide and glucose metabolism in isolated rat hepatocytes.

Glipentide, a second generation sulfonylurea, raised the cellular concentration of fructose 2,6-bisphosphate in isolated rat hepatocytes. Parallel to accumulating this regulatory metabolite, glipentide inhibited basal gluconeogenesis and increased the rate of L-lactate production, as well as the metabolic flux through the 6-phosphofructo 1-kinase reaction. Tolbutamide elicited similar metabolic effects to those reported for glipentide, although the latter sulfonylurea was about 10 times more potent. The biochemical mechanism by which sulfonylureas promote the accumulation of fructose 2,6-bisphosphate in hepatocytes seems to be related to a significant increase of the hexose 6-phosphate pool (glucose 6-phosphate plus fructose 6-phosphate), together with the activation of 6-phosphofructo 2-kinase and inactivation of fructose 2,6-bisphosphatase, enzyme activities responsible, respectively, for the synthesis and degradation of fructose 2,6-bisphosphate.

Effect of L-thioproline on the progression and events of the cell cycle of HeLa cells.

L-thioproline (thiazolidine-4-carboxylic acid, L-Tp) reduces DNA synthesis in cultured HeLa cells by about 50% when added to synchronized cultures at the beginning of G1 phase. This inhibition is not observed when the drug is added at mid-S, in G2 or in M. L-Tp almost annuls the burst in 22Na uptake occurring at the beginning of G1 and is as potent an inhibitor as amiloride. It is also able to delay the apparition of the early S-specific cAMP peak and to elevate its intracellular concentration. These results indicate that L-Tp could decrease tumor cell growth by acting at the G1-S boundary.

Oxidation of reduced cytosolic nicotinamide adenine dinucleotide by the malate-aspartate shuttle in the K-562 human leukemia cell line.

The activity of the malate-aspartate shuttle for the reoxidation of reduced cytosolic nicotinamide adenine dinucleotide (NADH) by mitochondria was studied in a line of human myeloid leukemia cells (K-562). The tumor cells showed mitochondrial reoxidation of cytosolic NADH, as evidenced by the accumulation of pyruvate, when incubated aerobically with L-lactate. The involvement of the respiratory chain in the reoxidation of cytosolic NADH was demonstrated by the action of rotenone, antimycin A, and oligomycin which strongly inhibited the formation of pyruvate from added L-lactate. Moreover, pyruvate production was greatly inhibited by the transaminase inhibitor, aminooxyacetate. Under glycolytic conditions, in the presence of aminooxyacetate, the rate of pyruvate production was also markedly inhibited, the rate of lactate accumulation was stimulated, and at 60 min the cytosolic NADH/nicotinamide adenine dinucleotide (NAD) ratio had increased progressively about 5-fold with respect to untreated cells. The maximal rate of the malate-aspartate shuttle has also been established by addition of arsenite to inhibit mitochondrial oxidation of the pyruvate formed from added L-lactate.

Stimulation of pyruvate kinase phosphatase activity by insulin in isolated rat hepatocytes.

Addition of insulin (10(-8)M) to hepatocytes, incubated either in the absence or in the presence of a suboptimal concentration of glucagon, caused the reactivation of pyruvate kinase and simultaneously provoked a transient stimulation of pyruvate kinase phosphatase activity (40-70% over control values). The stimulatory effect of insulin on pyruvate kinase phosphatase activity was dose-dependent (ED50 = 1 to 2 X 10(-11)M) and persisted after Sephadex G-25 filtration or ammonium sulfate precipitation of hepatocytes extracts. Our results demonstrate that insulin exerts a short-term regulation on hepatic pyruvate kinase phosphatase activity.

[Hybrid forms of the enzyme pyruvate kinase in human carcinomas]. / Formas híbridas del enzima piruvato quinasa en carcinomas humanos.

The authors study the enzyme kinetics and sensitivity to pyruvate kinase in breast infiltrating ductal carcinoma. Their results show the existence of hybrid molecules between the isozymes K and M.

Mitogen-induced changes in glycolytic enzymes of mouse lymphocytes: influence of insulin on cell activation in vitro.

Activated mouse spleen lymphocytes have increased amounts of the glycolytic enzymes pyruvate kinase and lactate dehydrogenase. No changes were found in hexokinase and in the gluconeogenic enzyme fructose 1,6-diphosphatase. Concanavalin A-activated T cells give higher activities of those enzymes than lipopolysaccharide-activated B lymphoblasts. Insulin treatment results in a stronger increment of the enzyme activity of mitogen-activated cells. Insulin inhibits the initial proliferation induced by either Con A or LPS, but a 50% increase in antibody-forming cells was found in LPS-treated cultures. Insulin may favour the differentiation of activated cells by increasing the rate of the glycolytic pathway.

Calcium transport and translocation of adenine nucleotides in mitochondria from Morris hepatoma 3924A.

The interaction of Ca2+ with Morris hepatoma 3924A mitochondria and its effect on the adenine nucleotide translocation have been studied. The characteristics of the Ca2+ transport process in mitochondria from Morris hepatoma are not significantly different from those of normal liver mitochondria. The Km for Ca2+ is 2 to 3 microM, and the rate versus concentration curve exhibits hyperbolic kinetics. A lower activity of the adenine nucleotide translocation was found, probably due to the high endogenous Ca2+ content of Morris hepatoma mitochondria (123 +/- 15 nmol Ca2+ per mg protein). No further inhibition of the translocase activity was observed after isolated mitochondria had accumulated extra amounts of Ca2+. The total amount of adenine nucleotides in tumor mitochondria is one-half those present in control liver, and a significantly lower percentage of the pool is present as adenosine 5'-monophosphate.

Metabolic control of glycolysis in normal and tumor permeabilized cells.

Our previous reports have presented evidence suggesting the existence in tumor cells of a second control site of glycolysis of pyruvate kinase as a competition for adenosine diphosphate between this enzyme and mitochondria, which is responsible for the Crabtree effect. Now, by using cells partially permeabilized to nucleotides and phosphorylated substrates, we provide evidence supporting the existence in hepatocytes of a partial control by adenosine triphosphate at phosphofructokinase, which is followed by the total control by adenosine triphosphate at pyruvate kinase. The partial or nonoperation of this second site in Ehrlich ascites tumor cells appears to be the cause for the characteristic aerobic glycolysis, Crabtree effect, and low Pasteur effect of these cells.

Action of the antipsychotic drugs thiotixene and thioridazine on isolated mitochondria.

Thiotixene and thioridazine antipsychotic drugs produce a stimulation of mitochondrial respiration in state 3 and state 4 resulting in a complete respiratory control loss, only accompanied by slight alterations of oxidative phosphorylation. This effect may be of biological significance in the action mechanism of the drugs.

Measurement of glycolytic rates in cell suspensions using a recording pH meter.

A method for measuring continuously glycolytic rates in cell suspensions, using a recording pH meter, is described. Under the described conditions the method is very exact, sensitive and reproducible. The method can be applied to different cells and different conditions of assay calibrating in each case the pH range, cell concentration range and the ratio of delta protons to delta lactic acid.

Stimulation of tumor-cell respiration by inhibitors of pyruvate kinase.

In a model system consisting of highly coupled rat liver mitochondria respiring in the presence of substrate, pyruvate kinase, phosphoenolpyruvate, ATP, hexokinase and glucose, the increase in the mitochondrial concentration results in a progressive decrease in the activity of pyruvate kinase. These results are in accord with a role of pyruvate kinase as a determinant of glycolytic activity by competing with mitochondrial oxidative phosphorylation for the available ADP. The addition of adequate amounts of the amino acids, cysteine, alanine and phenylalanine, known as inhibitors of pyruvate kinase, to living Ehrlich ascites tumor cell suspensions results in a stimulation of the respiratory rate and in a decrease of the glycolytic rate of the cells. Concomitant with these changes, there is an accumulation of intracellular phosphoenolpyruvate and ADP, and a decrease in pyruvate and ATP. These results provide additional evidence for paying attention to pyruvate kinase as another key enzyme whose properties and activities may be major determinants for the control of glycolysis and the Crabtree and Pasteur effects of tumor cells.