Effect of VIP on the glycogen metabolism of human colon adenocarcinoma cells studied by 13C nuclear magnetic resonance spectroscopy

Metabolic pathways of glucose utilization have been investigated in a human colon adenocarcinoma cell line (HT29) using carbon-13 Nuclear Magnetic Resonance spectroscopy. HT29 cells were adapted to grow on a polystyrene beaded microcarrier and were perfused when attached to the beads in a specially designed NMR cell. Abnormalities in carbohydrate metabolism already observed in several cancer cells were studied in HT29 cells fed with (1-13C)-enriched glucose. The cells were first perfused with a glucose-free medium for 2 h in order to deplete the intracellular store of glycogen, and they were subsequently perfused with a medium containing enriched glucose at an initial concentration of 5.5 mM. Sequential 13C-NMR spectra, recorded at 100.5 MHz (5 min accumulation), show that HT29 cells were able to utilize glucose through the glycolytic pathway while storing glucose as glycogen (glucose was utilized at a rate of 3.9 mumol/mg protein/hr). The glycolytic activity determined by the amount of lactic acid produced was 4.6 microns/mg protein/hr, corresponding to the formation of 1.2 lactic acid per glucose molecule. Glycogen accumulation corresponded to 16 micrograms/mg of protein. Treatment of HT29 with 10 nM vasoactive intestinal peptide (VIP) induced a transient decrease in the level of labelled glycogen to 50% of the initial value. Control level was recovered 12 min after VIP loading.

Real-time continuous-flow spin trapping of hydroxyl free radical in the ischemic and post-ischemic myocardium

Real-time monitoring of spin-trapped oxygen-derived free radicals released by the isolated ischemic and reperfused rat heart has been achieved by ESR analysis of the coronary effluents using continuous flow detection and high-speed acquisition techniques. Two nitrone spin traps 5,5-dimethyl pyrroline 1-oxide (Me2PnO) and 3,3,5,5-tetramethyl pyrroline 1-oxide (MePnO) have been separately perfused at a concentration of 40 mM during a sequence of 50 min of low-flow ischemia (1 ml/min) followed by 30 min of global ischemia and subsequent reperfusion at the control flow rate (14 ml/min). ESR spectra were sequentially obtained in 5-min or 30-s blocks during low-flow ischemia and reperfusion, respectively. 1. The results show the formation of OH. free radicals in the ischemic and reperfused heart, as demonstrated by the observation of Me2PnO-OH (aN = aH = 14.9 G; g = 2.0053) and Me4PnO-OH (aN = 15.2 G, aH = 16.8 G; g = 2.0055) spin adducts. There is no evidence of significant biological carbon-centered or peroxyl free radicals spin-adduct formation in the coronary effluents or in lipid extracts analyzed after reflow. 2. The OH. generation began 15-20 min after the onset of ischemia and was moderate, peaking at 30-40 min. During reperfusion, an intense formation of OH. spin adducts was observed, with a maximum at 30-60 s and a further gradual decrease over the following 2 min. 3. Cumulative integrated values of the amount of spin adducts released during the ischemic period show a Me2PnO-OH level fourfold greater than that of Me4PnO-OH. It was 2.5 times greater during reflow, reflecting slower kinetics with the more stable Me4PnO. 4. The original ESR detection technique developed in this study allows accurate real-time quantitative monitoring of the oxygen-derived free radicals generated during myocardial injury. It might provide a quick and reliable new means for assessing the efficacy of free-radical inhibitors.

Use of 3,3,5,5-tetramethyl-1-pyrroline-1-oxide spin trap for the continuous flow ESR monitoring of hydroxyl radical generation in the ischemic and reperfused myocardium

A new approach for in vivo spin trapping and quantitation of oxygen-derived free radicals has been developed using a continuous flow high speed ESR detection system. Spin adducts of OH. were detected as 1:1:1:1:1:1 sextets (aN=15.2 G, aH=16.8 G, g=2.0055) in the isolated rat heart when perfused with 3,3,5,5-tetramethyl-1-pyrroline-1-oxide (40 mM) during a 10-min control pretreatment (14 ml/min) followed by 50 min of low-flow ischemia (1 ml/min), 30 min of global ischemia and subsequent reperfusion at 14 ml/min. The ESR signals appeared within 15-20 min of low-flow ischemia and grew moderately during the remaining 30 min at a rate of 2-6 nmoles of spin adduct released per minute. Post-ischemic reperfusion was characterized by a burst of spin adduct formation at 30 s-1 min, corresponding to 51.8 nmoles of spin adduct released between 30 s and 1 min.

Liposome-mediated delivery of gadolinium-diethylenetriaminopentaacetic acid to hepatic cells: a P-31 NMR study

Delivery of gadolinium-diethylenetriaminopentaacetic acid (Gd-DTPA) (a magnetic resonance imaging contrast agent) to hepatic cells via liposomes used as carriers was demonstrated and monitored by P-31 NMR spectroscopy at 162 MHz on a perfused rat liver model. The penetration of Gd-DTPA into hepatic cells was reflected by a 41% reduction in the longitudinal relaxation time of the beta phosphorus atom of intrahepatic ATP used as an index of the contrast agent presence. The perfusion of free Gd-DTPA did not affect the relaxation index nor did liposomes devoid of paramagnetic agent. There was no indication of interference of Gd-DTPA, free or encapsulated in liposomes, with liver energetic metabolism. Alterations of hepatic magnetic resonance imaging signal induced by Gd-DTPA containing liposomes might help to assess the functional state of the parenchyma and pinpoint the intracellular compartment as opposed to the intravascular space.

Metabolic changes in undifferentiated and differentiated human colon adenocarcinoma cells studied by multinuclear magnetic resonance spectroscopy

Aspects of energetic and intermediary metabolism were studied in a colon adenocarcinoma cell line (HT29) by multinuclear magnetic resonance spectroscopy. Experiments were carried out on the HT29-D4 clone, which was isolated by limit dilution techniques. This clone, usually undifferentiated (D4-UD), can be maintained in a differentiated state (D4-D) in a glucose-free medium. Metabolic data were obtained by NMR analysis of perchloric acid extracts from D4-UD and D4-D cells. Phosphorus-31 and proton NMR spectra showed the presence of a large amount of choline and phosphorylcholine in the differentiated state (400% and 200%, respectively, of the levels found in D4-UD cells). Other differences appeared in the content of phosphocreatine (absent in D4-D cells) and myoinositol (absent in D4-UD cells). Carbon-13 spectra were recorded from perchloric acid extracts of cells incubated with [1-13C]-labeled glucose or [2-13C]-labeled acetate. The data indicated that both types of cells metabolize glucose through the glycolytic pathway to give lactate, but only D4-D cells were able to store glucose as glycogen at a very high level. A mathematical analysis of fluxes through the tricarboxylic acid (TCA) cycle was developed on the basis of models derived from previous 14C tracer studies. The model was based on the steady-state labeling of glutamate carbons by the 13C isotope and gave the fraction of labeled acetyl-Coa entering the TCA cycle, and the activity y of anaplerotic reactions relative to the flux through the citrate synthetase reaction. The data indicated that y greater than 0.3 in all cases. Only 15% and 30% of labeled acetyl CoA entered the TCA cycle in D4-UD and D4-D cells, respectively, under labeled glucose incubation: these values were significantly different upon labeled acetate feeding, reaching 55% for D4-UD cells and 85% for D4-D cells. The main result of this study is that the process of differentiation of HT29 cells is correlated with a large increase in the activity of oxidative metabolism.

Phosphorus-31 nuclear magnetic resonance study of the C6 glioma cell line cultured on microcarrier beads

The energetic metabolism of perfused C6 glioma cells anchored and cultured on polystyrene microcarrier beads has been studied by phosphorus-31 nuclear magnetic spectroscopy (NMR). The observation of intracellular phosphorylated compounds demonstrates the metabolic long-lasting viability of the perfused cells. The effect of glucose deprivation on energetic metabolism and intracellular pH illustrates the existence of an active aerobic glycolysis. The non-invasive study of anchored C6 cells by NMR provides a direct means to investigate the metabolism of glioma cells.

Cardioplegic arrest superimposed on evolving myocardial ischemia. Improved recovery after inhibition of hydroxyl radical generation by peroxidase or deferoxamine. A 31P nuclear resonance study

Superimposition of cardioplegic arrest on acute low-cardiac-output states, as may occur after failure of percutaneous transluminal coronary angioplasty requiring emergency surgery, is associated with an increased operative risk. This increased risk is possibly attributable to reperfusion, which, after sequential episodes of myocardial ischemia, exacerbates tissue injury mediated by oxygen free radicals. One of the most cytotoxic of these active oxygen species is the hydroxyl radical, which is formed from superoxide anion and hydrogen peroxide through an iron-catalyzed reaction. This study assesses the effects of peroxidase, a hydrogen-peroxide scavenger, and of deferoxamine, an iron chelator, in isolated working rat hearts subjected to 30 minutes of low-flow ischemia (75% reduction in coronary flow) followed by 2 hours of cardioplegic arrest at 15 degrees C and by 30 minutes of normothermic reperfusion. Three groups of hearts (n = 7) were studied. Two groups were pretreated with either peroxidase (10,000 units/l) or deferoxamine (0.03 mM) during the last 15 minutes of the low-flow ischemic period. The third group received no prearrest intervention and served as a control group. In addition to hemodynamic determination, high-energy phosphate content [adenosine 5'-triphosphate (ATP)] and intracellular pH were monitored serially by 31P nuclear magnetic resonance spectroscopy. The two pretreated groups had better recovery of ATP levels and aortic flow values than did the control group.(ABSTRACT TRUNCATED AT 250 WORDS)

[Contribution of nuclear magnetic resonance spectroscopy of phosphorus-31 and carbon-13 in the study of myocardial metabolism]

The use of NMR spectroscopy in the non-invasive assessment of myocardial metabolism has greatly increased over the last decade. The initial experiments were performed on isolated perfused heart preparations, but these have since been extended to whole animal and clinical studies. The use of the phosphorus-31 nucleus allows assessment of energetic metabolism and intramyocardial pH. Carbon-13 spectroscopy based on the use of substrates selectively enriched with the C-13 isotope enables the study of a specific chosen metabolic pathway and provides qualitative and quantitative information about the metabolic changes. Research is now preceding in two directions: firstly, the study of fundamental problems such as the mechanisms of ischaemia, the consequences of intracellular acidosis and the precise role of ATP and phosphocreatine: secondly, very active clinical and pharmacological research in using NMR in animal models of cardiac pathology. Finally, recent technological progress suggests that NMR spectroscopy will soon be used for direct studies of the human heart.

Entrapment of gadolinium-DTPA in liposomes. Characterization of vesicles by P-31 NMR spectroscopy

The use of paramagnetic ion chelates to enhance contrast between pathologic and surrounding parenchyma is extensively documented in the magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) literature. Liposomes can be used to increase chelate concentration in the pathologic area, thereby enhancing the efficiency of paramagnetic compounds as contrast agents. Liposomes (50 +/- 20 nm) were prepared by sonicating a solution of dipalmitoylphosphatidylcholine and cholesterol containing 16.5 mM Gadolinium-DTPA (Gd-DTPA) in pharmaceutical formulation (Schering Laboratories, France) and 25 mM inorganic phosphate (Pi). The solutions were dialyzed against 0.9% NaCl before analysis by phosphorus-31 nuclear magnetic resonance (NMR) spectroscopy. Spectra of liposomes displayed a sharp resonance ascribed to Pi and a broad signal arising from the phosphate groups of the phospholipid bilayer. The content of Gd-DTPA in liposomes was directly estimated, based on specific modifications of the longitudinal relaxation rate of intraliposomal Pi. Entrapment ratio was estimated by P-31 NMR spectroscopy and atomic absorption spectroscopy to represent 2.5% to 5% of the initial Gd-DTPA content in the solution. This work illustrates the usefulness of NMR spectroscopy in the characterization of liposomes to be used for MRI applications.

Growth in serum-free medium of human colonic adenocarcinoma cell lines on microcarriers: a two-step method allowing optimal cell spreading and growth

Human colonic adenocarcinoma cells have been successfully grown on polystyrene microcarriers by modifying the culture conditions used in monolayer culture. The method can be divided into two culture phases: a) a phase of spreading, wherein cells were seeded in presence of serum-supplemented medium; b) a phase of active growth wherein spread cells on the beads were allowed to grow in a serum-free medium. Under these conditions, optimal spreading and growth of HT 29 and HRT 18 cells on the microcarriers were obtained. A differential propagation was observed between HT 29-D4 and HT 29-D9 cells (both clonal populations derived from HT 29 cells) on the microcarriers that is tentatively related to the discrepancy observed in the spreading efficiency of these clonal cells on serum-coated culture flasks. An index of spreading efficiency (IS index) has been defined to quantify the efficiency of spreading of each cell line on microcarriers. These data gave the opportunity to develop serum-free, scale-up methods to culture cells like HT 29 which release potentially useful products.

[Nuclear magnetic resonance spectroscopy and hepatic metabolism. Real time study of cell energy and intermediate metabolism in the isolated and perfused rat liver]

Nuclear magnetic resonance spectroscopy is increasingly used to study cellular metabolism in a manner respecting cell integrity. The contribution of phosphorus-31 and carbon-13 NMR is discussed and illustrated by specific examples taken from work on hepatic metabolism carried out in this laboratory. Particular emphasis is laid on metabolite identification, quantitation and fluxes as studied by phosphorus-31 NMR which provides a direct insight of energy metabolism. The analysis of perfused rat liver by naturally abundant carbon-13 NMR illustrates the potential of the method to study non invasively lipid and carbohydrate metabolism in living systems. The use of carbon-13 enriched substrates to pinpoint a specific pathway of the intermediary metabolism is described in the case of excised rat liver perfused with (2-13C)-acetate.

Hepatic metabolism during acute ethanol administration: a phosphorus-31 nuclear magnetic resonance study on the perfused rat liver under normoxic or hypoxic conditions

The effect of ethanol metabolism on the energetic parameters and intracellular pH of the isolated perfused rat liver from fed rats was studied by phosphorus-31 nuclear magnetic resonance spectroscopy. This technique allowed us to analyze nondestructively and in real time the role of low oxygen tension on the possible injurious effect of ethanol on the liver cells. A quantitative analysis of nuclear magnetic resonance data recorded on a perfused rat liver within a 30 mm diameter probe has been performed at 80.9 MHz. Under normoxic and normothermic conditions, the levels of phosphorylated metabolites detected by nuclear magnetic resonance were 2.8, 0.3 and 2 mumoles per gm liver wet weight for ATP, ADP and inorganic orthophosphate, respectively. The cytosolic pH was 7.25 +/- 0.05. During a period of 4 min of hypoxia induced by reducing the perfusion flow rate to 25% of its initial value (i.e., from 12 ml to 3 ml per min per 100 gm body weight), the level of ATP dropped to 2.2 mumoles per gm liver wet weight. Concomitantly, ADP and inorganic orthophosphate increased to 0.6 and 3.3 mumoles per gm liver wet weight. Cytosolic pH fell to 7.02 +/- 0.05. Perfusion of the liver with a Krebs medium containing 70 mM (0.4%) ethanol induced a sharp decrease in intracellular inorganic orthophosphate to reach 1.3 mumole per gm liver wet weight and after a lag time of 4 to 6 min, a decrease in ATP level (2.15 mumoles per gm liver wet weight). A large increase in phosphomonoesters (mainly sn-glycerol 3-phosphate) up to 6 mumoles per gm liver wet weight was also observed.(ABSTRACT TRUNCATED AT 250 WORDS)

Growth of a human colonic adenocarcinoma cell line (HT 29) on microcarrier beads: metabolic studies by 31phosphorus nuclear magnetic resonance spectroscopy

A method allowing the growth of a human colon adenocarcinoma cell line (HT 29) on beaded polystyrene microcarriers has been developed by modifying the culture conditions used in monolayer cultures. Under optimized conditions, the cells became confluent 7 days after seeding and reached a density of 2.8 X 10(5) cells/cm2 of microcarrier (65% of the available area occupied). 31P NMR spectra were typically recorded on 300 X 10(6) cells continuously perfused at a flow rate of 15 ml/min in a specially designed NMR chamber in which the microcarrier beads were sequestered within the receiver coil volume. The in vivo spectrum displays a series of resonances assigned to nucleoside triphosphates (ATP and GTP), inorganic phosphate and various phosphomonoesters (mainly glucose-6-P and phosphorylcholine). Diphosphodiester resonances (DPDE, mainly UDP-N-acetyl-glucosamine and UDP-N-acetylgalactosamine) were not detected in the in vivo spectrum and were only apparent in the spectrum of the perchloric acid extract of the cells, indicating that these compounds have a restricted mobility in the intracellular compartment. The intracellular pH of HT 29 cells was 7.2 during the perfusion with a medium buffered at pH 7.3. The internal pH decreased slowly (2 X 10(-3) pH unit/min) during anoxic perfusion, but severe intracellular acidosis occurred after 40 min of ischemia (2.7 X 10(-2) pH unit/min). Sequential recording of 31P NMR spectra has shown that HT 29 cells are able to maintain their high energy phosphorylated compound levels (ATP) when subjected to 100 min of anoxia and 40 min of total ischemia.

Phosphorus-31 nuclear-magnetic-resonance study of phosphorylated metabolites compartmentation, intracellular pH and phosphorylation state during normoxia, hypoxia and ethanol perfusion, in the perfused rat liver

A quantitative analysis of the phosphorus-31 NMR spectra of excised perfused rat liver has been carried out at 80.9 MHz using a 30-mm sample cell. The results indicate that in liver from fed rats, all intracellular ATP is detected by NMR. In contrast, only the cytosolic fractions of Pi and ADP can be observed as indicated by careful analysis of spectra obtained from perchloric acid liver extracts and intact liver under valinomycin perfusion. In well-oxygenated perfused liver the ATP concentration is 7.4 mM. Values of 5.3 mM and 0.9 mM are found respectively for Pi and ADP concentrations in the cytosolic compartment. Cytosolic pH value (pHi) is 7.25 +/- 0.05 and free magnesium concentration 0.5 mM. Addition of 70 mM (0.4%) ethanol to the perfusate of a fed rat liver induces 25% and 38% reduction of ATP and Pi levels, respectively. A large amount of sn-glycerol 3-phosphate is synthesized (up to 11 mM) in the cytosol. After ethanol withdrawal, a large overshoot in cytosolic Pi is observed, which is indicative of a net uptake of Pi across the plasma membrane that occurred during ethanol oxidation. No significant pH variation is observed during ethanol infusion. In perfused liver of rats subjected to 48-h fasts, the concentrations of cytosolic phosphorylated metabolites are 5.3 mM, 0.8 mM and 11.5 mM for ATP, ADP and Pi, respectively. The perfusion of the liver with 70 mM ethanol does not change the adenine nucleotide levels, while the Pi content is decreased by 10%. During a 4-min hypoxia, induced by reducing the perfusion flow rate from 12 ml to 3 ml min-1 (100 g body weight)-1, ATP concentration decreases to 5.8 mM in the fed rat liver. Cytosolic Pi and ADP increase to 8.7 mM and 1.6 mM, respectively. The cytosolic pH evolves to more acidic values and reaches 7.02 +/- 0.05 at the end of the 4-min hypoxic period.

31P nuclear magnetic resonance study of a human colon adenocarcinoma cultured cell line

31P nuclear magnetic resonance (NMR) spectroscopy has been used to monitor the energy metabolism in a human colon adenocarcinoma cell line (HT 29). NMR spectra were recorded at 80.9 MHz on approximately 2.5 X 10(8) cells continuously perfused with culture medium within a 20-mm NMR sample tube. Typical NMR spectra display a series of well-resolved resonances assigned to nucleoside triphosphates (mainly adenosine 5'-triphosphate), uridine diphosphohexose derivatives (uridine 5'-diphosphate-N-acetylglucosamine, uridine 5'-diphosphate-N-acetylgalactosamine, uridine 5'-diphosphate-glucose), intra- and extracellular inorganic phosphate, and phosphomonoesters (mainly phosphorylcholine and glucose 6-phosphate). Measurement of phosphorylated metabolite concentrations from the intensity of NMR signals is in good agreement with the results provided by conventional biochemical assays. 31P NMR allows to follow noninvasively the effect of anoxia on HT 29 cells. The results indicate that the cells are able to maintain about 60% of their initial nucleoside triphosphate level after 2 h of anaerobic perfusion. Cells accumulate inorganic phosphate during anoxia and the intracellular-extracellular pH gradient increases from 0.5 in well-oxygenated cells to more than 1 pH unit under anoxic conditions. The value of intracellular pH of well-oxygenated HT 29 cells is 7.1. The effect of glucose starvation upon energy metabolism has also been examined in real time by NMR: a rapid decline of adenosine 5'-triphosphate down to 10% of the initial value is observed over a period of 2 h. In contrast, the level in uridine diphosphohexoses reaches a new steady state value representing 60% of the initial one. Refeeding the cells with 25 mM glucose leads to a dramatic drop of internal pH reflecting the activation of the glycolytic pathway.

N.m.r. study of conformational changes in lysozyme around the thermal transition point

Natural abundance carbon-13 n.m.r. at 50.3 MHz has been used to further document the thermal transition that hen egg-white lysozyme undergoes in solution between 20 degrees and 30 degrees. The study focuses on the temperature sensitivity of more than 50 carboxylic, aromatic and aliphatic single carbon resonances for which unambiguous assignments to specific residues are known. The analysis of selective perturbations in chemical shifts indicates that residues located on both edges of the active site cleft and in the hydrophobic box are primarily involved in the temperature-induced conformational transition. N.m.r. results are compared with crystallographic data on low temperature (form A) and high temperature (form B) interconverting lysozyme crystals, taking advantage of the recent availability of quality high resolution maps for B form orthorhombic crystals. In most cases, a good correlation is found at the atomic level between residues involved in the thermal transition in solution and in the crystalline state. Discrete discrepancies are noted for some residues such as Trp-62 and His-15.

Phosphorus-31 nuclear magnetic resonance study of post mortem catabolism and intracellular pH in intact excised rabbit muscle

Phosphorus-31 nuclear magnetic resonance has been used to study the post mortem catabolism of high-energy phosphate compounds and the associated intracellular pH variation in pure fast- and slow-twitch rabbit muscles and in rabbit muscle with mixed fiber types. Comparative results from pure fiber types are reported for the first time. Large amounts of glycerophosphorylcholine (14.1 mumol/g fresh tissue) are found in the internal conoidal bundle (ICB), a pure oxidative slow twitch muscle, whereas the m. psoas major (PM), a pure glycolytic fast twitch muscle and the m. gastrocnemius caput medialis (GCM), with mixed fiber types, are devoid of the same metabolite. The total content of phosphorylated metabolites is constant among the three muscle types. The time-dependent post mortem changes in phosphorylated metabolites display the expected rapid drop in phosphocreatine and a simultaneous increase in intracellular inorganic phosphate. However, the ATP level remains constant during more than 2 h. Rate constants for metabolite breakdown and apparent ATPase activity have been determined. The comparative kinetics of intracellular acidosis at 25 degrees C yield rates of 3.3 X 10(-3) pH unit/min for PM, 2.7 X 10(-3) pH unit/min for GCM and 3.0 X 10(-3) pH unit/min for ICB. Initial intracellular pH values are 7.07, 7.20 and 7.02, respectively. Upon aging, the heterogeneity of the Pi signal reflects the existence of cellular compartments with different internal pH. The results suggest that the more intense low-pH Pi signal arises from the sarcoplasmic reticulum while the less intense resonance would reflect the sarcoplasmic higher pH. The temperature effect on post mortem catabolism in the 15-25 degrees C range has been documented. As expected, phosphocreatine and ATP breakdown increase with temperature but at a higher rate for slow-twitch ICB than for fast-twitch PM.

Carbon-13 and phosphorus-31 NMR study of hepatic metabolism in the perfused rat liver

Phosphorus-31 nuclear magnetic resonance (NMR) has been used to determine non-invasively absolute concentrations of phosphorylated metabolites in the perfused rat liver. It has been shown that the NMR method does detect cytoplasmic ATP and ADP (ATP:ADP ratio of 15 +/- 3) with no contribution from mitochondrial adenine nucleotides. The concentration of ATP was 7.2 +/- 0.3 mM in the cytosol of well-oxygenated liver, after two hours of perfusion with a Krebs-Ringer buffer. Other phosphorylated metabolites were detected, mainly inorganic phosphate (1.1 mumol/g liver wet weight), phosphorylcholine (1.0 mumol/g wet weight), glycerophosphorylethanolamine (0.34 mumol/g wet weight) and glycerophosphorylcholine (0.30 mumol/g wet weight). The intracellular pH measured from the position of the Pi resonance has a value of 7.2 +/- 0.1. It is likely that the detectable Pi originates from the cytosolic compartment since a pH value of 7.4-7.6 would be expected for the mitochondrial matrix. Natural abundance carbon-13 NMR has also been used to follow the glycogen breakdown in situ by measuring the intensity of the glycogen C-1 resonance in the perfused liver spectrum as a function of the perfusion time. The glycogenolytic process has been studied as a function of the glucose content of the perfusate. Rate of glycogenolysis from 2.7 to 0.16 muEq glycosyl units g wet weight-1 min-1 were found when glucose concentration in the perfusate was varied from 0 to 50 mM. The fate of 90% enriched [2-13C] acetate has been studied in the perfused rat liver by 13C-NMR in order to investigate the mitochondrial metabolism and the interrelations between cytosolic and mitochondrial pools of metabolites. Some compounds of the intermediary metabolism where found to be extensively labelled, e.g. glutamate, glutamine, acetoacetate and beta-hydroxybutyrate. Under our experimental conditions, labelling of glutamate reached a steady-state within 30 min after the onset of perfusion of 20 mM acetate. In addition, the observed incorporation of carbon-13 isotope into glutamine can be linked to the operation of the glutamate-glutamine antiporter and to the high activity of the cytosolic glutamate synthetase. The finding of both active glutaminase and glutamine synthetase activity in the same liver cells is an evidence of the existence of an active glutamine-glutamate futile cycle.

Enhanced cardioplegic protection by a fluorocarbon-oxygenated reperfusate: a phosphorus-31 nuclear magnetic resonance study

Prolonged global ischemia results in a defect in oxygen extraction during early reperfusion. This study was thus undertaken to assess the effects of maintaining cardioplegia at the onset of reoxygenation in view of channeling available energy toward reparative cell processes rather than mechanical activity. Twenty-four isolated perfused rat hearts were subjected to 120 min of 15 degrees C ischemia. Group I (control) was reperfused with the standard Krebs perfusion medium whereas in groups II and III the initial reperfusate consisted of an oxygenated alkaline cardioplegic solution prior to the resumption of Krebs perfusion. Oxygenation of the cardioplegic reperfusate was ensured by fluorocarbons at a concentration of 10% (O2 content: 5.5 vol %; group II) or 20% (O2 content: 9 vol %; group III). In addition to hemodynamical determinations, high-energy phosphates and intracellular pH were monitored serially by phosphorus-31 nuclear magnetic resonance spectroscopy. After 30 min of reperfusion postischemic recovery of aortic flow was better in group II (74.0 +/- 5.9% of control) than in group I (59.1 +/- 5.4% of control, P less than 0.05). This functional improvement correlated with a higher postischemic increase in phosphocreatine levels (103.21 +/- 11.21% vs 74.12 +/- 3.59%, at 3 min of reperfusion, P less than 0.05) without significant differences in total ATP content. Group III hearts exhibited a slow recovery as evidenced by a severe depression in aortic flow, coronary arteriovenous difference, and total phosphate content during the 15 initial minutes of reperfusion. These results show that the protection provided by cardioplegia can be improved by a fluorocarbon-oxygenated cardioplegic reperfusate.(ABSTRACT TRUNCATED AT 250 WORDS)

Glutamate-glutamine metabolism in the perfused rat liver. 13C-NMR study using (2-13C)-enriched acetate

13C-NMR has been used to follow the metabolism of 13C-enriched substrates in isolated perfused rat liver. The fate of 90% enriched [2-13C]acetate has been studied in the perfused liver in order to investigate mitochondrial metabolism and the interrelations between cytosolic and mitochondrial pools of metabolites. Some compounds of the intermediary metabolism where found to be extensively labelled, e.g. glutamate, glutamine, acetoacetate and beta-hydroxybutyrate. Under our experimental conditions, labelling of glutamate reached a steady-state within 30 min after the onset of perfusion of 20 mM acetate. In addition, the observed incorporation of 13C into glutamine can be linked to the operation of the glutamate-glutamine antiport and to the high activity of cytosolic glutamate synthetase. The finding of both active glutaminase and glutamine synthetase activity in the same liver cells is evidence of the existence of an active glutamine-glutamate futile cycle.

[Study of in vivo cellular metabolism by phosphorus 31 nuclear magnetic resonance]

Phosphorus-31 nuclear magnetic resonance spectroscopy has been recently increasingly used to study cellular metabolism in a manner respecting the cell integrity. Intrinsic advantages of the phosphorus nucleus for in vivo NMR studies are discussed in this review together with some selected applications. A particular emphasis is layed on metabolite identification and quantitation (relative and absolute concentrations), the measurement of intracellular pH and the problem of cellular compartmentation. The determination of metabolite fluxes under normal and abnormal biological and physiological conditions, and the in vivo direct measurement by saturation transfer techniques of kinetic parameters for enzymatic reactions at equilibrium, are illustrated by several examples taken from the available literature and work carried out in this laboratory. Whenever possible, and appropriate, the NMR approach has been compared with other more classical techniques of investigation. The future and the potentialities of phosphorus-31 NMR study of intact biological systems, the clinical applications and the foreseeable interfacing with imaging techniques are evaluated. The concept of "functional imaging" versus "anatomic imaging" is proposed to illustrate the impact of this new technology in the understanding of cellular mechanisms, not only in the intact cell but also in whole tissues or organs after excision or in living animals and human.

Limited trypsinolysis of porcine and equine colipases. Spectroscopic and kinetic studies

Porcine and equine colipases have been submitted to mild tryptic digestion. Proteolysis occurs at the Arg5-Gly6 bond with the loss of the N-terminal pentapeptide. Studies of native and trypsin-treated colipases by circular dichroism and laser chemically induced dynamic nuclear polarization indicate that proteolysis induces conformational changes in the region of the tyrosine cluster. Experiments in the presence of phospholipid provide further evidence showing that these residues are in or close to the region of the protein interacting with aggregated lipids. Kinetic studies of the reaction of bile salt-inhibited lipase with emulsified triolein in the absence and in the presence of lecithin show that tryptic hydrolysis of the protein cofactor increases its affinity for the enzyme in the presence of lipid substrate. In both cases, it was found that the apparent dissociation constant of the lipase-colipase complex is decreased by one order of magnitude. Our results confirm that the biological activity of the lipase cofactor is enhanced by specific tryptic cleavage in the amino terminal region of the polypeptide and support the suggestion by Borgström et al. (Borgström, B., Wieloch, T., Erlanson-Albertsson (1981) FEBS. Lett. 108, 407-410) that the secreted form of colipase is a precursor.

Conformation of colipase. Prediction of the secondary structure, circular dichroism and 360 MHz proton NMR studies of porcine colipase A

The secondary structure of porcine colipase (93 residues) was established according to the predictive method of Chou and Fasman (Chou, P.Y. and Fasman, G.D. (1974) Biochemistry 13, 211--222 and 222--245). The relative composition of the conformational regions was as follows: 5% alpha-helix (region 39--44), 25% beta-sheet (three regions, 7--11, 49--57 and 77--85) and eight beta-turns corresponding to 32% of the polypeptide. Colipase contains a large proportion (about 35%) of unordered structure. Estimated values for the alpha-helix and beta-sheet contents from the circular dichroism spectrum were in good accordance with the predicted model. A less satisfactory value was found for the beta-turns. A characteristic feature of the far ultraviolet dichroic spectrum is the presence of an unusual positive band at 225 nm that might be indicative of a particular spatial arrangement of the chromophores in the molecule. Two tyrosines (Tyr56 and Tyr57) and one histidine (His86) are at close vicinity in the three dimensional structure of the protein as shown by proton NMR studies. These residues are located at the end of two beta-sheet hydrophobic regions(49--57 and 77--85) which might play a role in the association of colipase with the lipid-water interface as indicated by results of the NMR studies of the taurodeoxycholate-colipase complex.

Proton N.M.R. study of the conformational dynamics of porcine pancreatic colipase. Titration of aromatic residues

The low-field portion of the 360 MHz proton N.M.R. spectrum of native porcine pancreatic colipase has been studied as a function of pH over the pH range 2-12. Resonances associated with the 26 protons of the aromatic rings of the two histidines, two phenylalanines and three tyrosines have been identified and tentatively assigned to specific residues. Titrations of pH yielded apparent pKa's of 7.9, 6.9, 10.4, 10.3 and 11.3 for His I (His 30), His II (His 86), Tyr I (Tyr 56 or 57), Tyr II (Tyr 56 or 57) and Tyr III (Tyr 53) respectively (tentative assignments). The high pKa value of His 30 is attributed to the vicinity of Asp 31. The mobility of the aromatic ring of Tyr 53 is hindered and an upper bound of 500 s-1 on the rate of rotation can be estimated. The aromatic rings of the 2 other tyrosine residues and of the 2 phenylalanine residues can rotate freely on the N.M.R. time scale. The study of perturbations in titration profiles and chemical shift values reveals a specific interaction of His 86 with Tyr I and, to a lesser extent, Tyr II. The existence of this interaction indicates that the protein folding brings in close spatial vicinity two distant regions of the covalent structure to form a "hydrophobic-aromatic" site which might be involved in the binding of bile salt micelles to pancreatic colipase.

Phosphorus-31 Fourier transform nuclear magnetic resonance study of mononucleotides and dinucleotides. 1. Chemical shifts

A phosphorus-31 nuclear magnetic resonance (NMR) study of adenine, uracil, and thymine mononucleotides, their cyclic analogues, and the corresponding dinucleotides is reported. From the pH dependence of phosphate chemical shifts, pKa values of 6.25-6.30 are found for all 5'-mononucleotides secondary phosphate ionization, independently from the nature of the base and the presence of a hydroxyl group at the 2' position. Conversely, substitution of a hydrogen atom for a 2'-OH lowers the pKa of 3'-monoribonucleotides from 6.25 down to 5.71-5.85. This indication of a strong influence of the 2'-hydroxyl group on the 3'-phosphate is confirmed by the existence of a 0.4 to 0.5 ppm downfield shift induced by the 2'-OH on the phosphate resonance of 3'-monoribonucleotides, and 3',5'-cyclic nucleotides and dinucleotides with respect to the deoxyribosyl analogues. Phosphate chemical shifts and titration curves are affected by the ionization and the type of the base. Typically, deviations from the theoretical Henderson-Hasselbalch plots are observed upon base titration. In addition, purine displays a more deshielding influence than pyrimidine on the phosphate groups of most of the mononucleotides (0.10 to 0.25 ppm downfield shift) with a reverse situation for dinucleotides. These effects together with the importance of stereochemical arrangement (furanose ring pucker, furanose-phosphate backbone conformation, O-P-O bond angle) on the phosphate chemical shifts are discussed.

Phosphorus-31 Fourier transform nuclear magnetic resonance study of mononucleotides and dinucleotides. 2. Coupling constants

Stereosensitive 3JPH and 4JPH phosphorus-proton coupling constants have been measured directly from the phosphorus-31 nuclear magnetic resonance (NMR) spectra of a variety of adenine, thymine, and uracil 3'-mononucleotides, 5'-mononucleotides, their cyclic analogues, and the corresponding dinucleotides, under various conditions of pH and temperature. For all 5'-mononucleotides, the identical 3JPH coupling to phosphorus of the two H5' protons is found essentially independent of the nature of the base, the presence of a 2'-OH on the sugar ring, the temperature, and the pH; the "gauche-gauche" rotamers about C5'-O5' and C4'-C5' remain overwhelmingly (85%) preferred. The "gauche" arrangement during C3'-O3' is favored in all cases for 3'-mononucleotides. However, while no sizeable pH effect is noted on 3'-monodeoxyribonucleotides, the pH dependence of 3JPH3 in 3'-monoribonucleotides strongly suggests an interaction between the 3'-phosphate and the 2'-OH. Molecular features affecting the magnitude of 4JPH coupling constants are discussed together with pH and temperature effects. The time-averaged preferential structural features of mononucleotides are found in dinucleotides with a higher probability; hence, dimerization induces an increase in the statistical conformational purity of the phosphodiester-sugar backbone, even at extreme pH. Temperature studies point out that the thermal unwinding of stacked dinucleotides occurs mainly via rotation about P3'-O3' and P5'-O5' bond axes.

Detection of new temperature-dependent conformational transition in lysozyme by carbon-13 nuclear magnetic resonance spectroscopy

A specific temperature-dependent conformational transition of hen egg-white lysozyme, occurring between 20 degree C and 30 degree C in solution, has been detected by 13-C-nuclear magnetic resonance spectroscopy. Selective changes in the chemical shifts of aromatic residues, together with differences in the chemical shifts, and nuclear Overhauser enhancement in the carbonyl, carboxyl, and alpha-carbon regions of the spectrum point to the vicinity of subsites D and E as the primary locus of the structural change.