The isolation of a new lipid, triphosphoinositide, and monophosphoinositide from ox brain

Mammalian START-like phosphatidylinositol transfer proteins - Physiological perspectives and roles in cancer biology

PtdIns and its phosphorylated derivatives, the phosphoinositides, are the biochemical components of a major pathway of intracellular signaling in all eukaryotic cells. These lipids are few in terms of cohort of unique positional isomers, and are quantitatively minor species of the bulk cellular lipidome. Nevertheless, phosphoinositides regulate an impressively diverse set of biological processes. It is from that perspective that perturbations in phosphoinositide-dependent signaling pathways are increasingly being recognized as causal foundations of many human diseases - including cancer. Although phosphatidylinositol transfer proteins (PITPs) are not enzymes, these proteins are physiologically significant regulators of phosphoinositide signaling. As such, PITPs are conserved throughout the eukaryotic kingdom. Their biological importance notwithstanding, PITPs remain understudied. Herein, we review current information regarding PITP biology primarily focusing on how derangements in PITP function disrupt key signaling/developmental pathways and are associated with a growing list of pathologies in mammals.

Spatiotemporal cerebral blood flow dynamics underlies emergence of the limbic-sensorimotor-association cortical gradient in human infancy

Infant cerebral blood flow (CBF) delivers nutrients and oxygen to fulfill brain energy consumption requirements for the fastest period of postnatal brain development across lifespan. However, organizing principle of whole-brain CBF dynamics during infancy remains obscure. Leveraging a unique cohort of 100+ infants with high-resolution arterial spin labeled MRI, we found the emergence of the cortical hierarchy revealed by highest-resolution infant CBF maps available to date. Infant CBF across cortical regions increased in a biphasic pattern with initial rapid and sequentially slower rate, with break-point ages increasing along the limbic-sensorimotor-association cortical gradient. Increases in CBF in sensorimotor cortices were associated with enhanced language and motor skills, and frontoparietal association cortices for cognitive skills. The study discovered emergence of the hierarchical limbic-sensorimotor-association cortical gradient in infancy, and offers standardized reference of infant brain CBF and insight into the physiological basis of cortical specialization and real-world infant developmental functioning.

Infant brain regional cerebral blood flow increases supporting emergence of the default-mode network

Human infancy is characterized by most rapid regional cerebral blood flow (rCBF) increases across lifespan and emergence of a fundamental brain system default-mode network (DMN). However, how infant rCBF changes spatiotemporally across the brain and how the rCBF increase supports emergence of functional networks such as DMN remains unknown. Here, by acquiring cutting-edge multi-modal MRI including pseudo-continuous arterial-spin-labeled perfusion MRI and resting-state functional MRI of 48 infants cross-sectionally, we elucidated unprecedented 4D spatiotemporal infant rCBF framework and region-specific physiology-function coupling across infancy. We found that faster rCBF increases in the DMN than visual and sensorimotor networks. We also found strongly coupled increases of rCBF and network strength specifically in the DMN, suggesting faster local blood flow increase to meet extraneuronal metabolic demands in the DMN maturation. These results offer insights into the physiological mechanism of brain functional network emergence and have important implications in altered network maturation in brain disorders.

A Short Historical Perspective of Methods in Inositol Phosphate Research

The multitudinous inositol phosphate family elicits a wide range of molecular effects that regulate countless biological responses. In this review, I provide a methodological viewpoint of the manner in which key advances in the field of inositol phosphate research were made. I also note some of the considerable challenges that still lie ahead.

Homeostatic regulation of the PI(4,5)P2-Ca(2+) signaling system at ER-PM junctions

The phosphatidylinositol 4,5-bisphosphate (PI(4,5)P2)-Ca(2+) signaling system is important for cell activation in response to various extracellular stimuli. This signaling system is initiated by receptor-induced hydrolysis of PI(4,5)P2 in the plasma membrane (PM) to generate the soluble second messenger inositol 1,4,5-trisphosphate (IP3). IP3 subsequently triggers the release of Ca(2+) from the endoplasmic reticulum (ER) store to the cytosol to activate Ca(2+)-mediated responses, such as secretion and proliferation. The consumed PM PI(4,5)P2 and ER Ca(2+) must be quickly restored to sustain signaling responses, and to maintain the homeostasis of PI(4,5)P2 and Ca(2+). Since phosphatidylinositol (PI), the precursor lipid for PM PI(4,5)P2, is synthesized in the ER membrane, and a Ca(2+) influx across the PM is required to refill the ER Ca(2+) store, efficient communications between the ER and the PM are critical for the homeostatic regulation of the PI(4,5)P2-Ca(2+) signaling system. This review describes the major findings that established the framework of the PI(4,5)P2-Ca(2+) signaling system, and recent discoveries on feedback control mechanisms at ER-PM junctions that sustain the PI(4,5)P2-Ca(2+) signaling system. Particular emphasis is placed on the characterization of ER-PM junctions where efficient communications between the ER and the PM occur, and the activation mechanisms of proteins that dynamically localize to ER-PM junctions to provide the feedback control during PI(4,5)P2-Ca(2+) signaling, including the ER Ca(2+) sensor STIM1, the extended synaptotagmin E-Syt1, and the PI transfer protein Nir2. This article is part of a Special Issue entitled: The cellular lipid landscape edited by Tim P. Levine and Anant K. Menon.

Counterion-mediated cluster formation by polyphosphoinositides

Polyphosphoinositides (PPI) and in particular PI(4,5)P2, are among the most highly charged molecules in cell membranes, are important in many cellular signaling pathways, and are frequently targeted by peripheral polybasic proteins for anchoring through electrostatic interactions. Such interactions between PIP2 and proteins containing polybasic stretches depend on the physical state and the lateral distribution of PIP2 within the inner leaflet of the cell's lipid bilayer. The physical and chemical properties of PIP2 such as pH-dependent changes in headgroup ionization and area per molecule as determined by experiments together with molecular simulations that predict headgroup conformations at various ionization states have revealed the electrostatic properties and phase behavior of PIP2-containing membranes. This review focuses on recent experimental and computational developments in defining the physical chemistry of PIP2 and its interactions with counterions. Ca(2+)-induced changes in PIP2 charge, conformation, and lateral structure within the membrane are documented by numerous experimental and computational studies. A simplified electrostatic model successfully predicts the Ca(2+)-driven formation of PIP2 clusters but cannot account for the different effects of Ca(2+) and Mg(2+) on PIP2-containing membranes. A more recent computational study is able to see the difference between Ca(2+) and Mg(2+) binding to PIP2 in the absence of a membrane and without cluster formation. Spectroscopic studies suggest that divalent cation- and multivalent polyamine-induced changes in the PIP2 lateral distribution in model membrane are also different, and not simply related to the net charge of the counterion. Among these differences is the capacity of Ca(2+) but not other polycations to induce nm scale clusters of PIP2 in fluid membranes. Recent super resolution optical studies show that PIP2 forms nanoclusters in the inner leaflet of a plasma membrane with a similar size distribution as those induced by Ca(2+) in model membranes. The mechanisms by which PIP2 forms nanoclusters and other structures inside a cell remain to be determined, but the unique electrostatic properties of PIP2 and its interactions with multivalent counterions might have particular physiological relevance.

Phosphoinositides: tiny lipids with giant impact on cell regulation

Phosphoinositides (PIs) make up only a small fraction of cellular phospholipids, yet they control almost all aspects of a cell's life and death. These lipids gained tremendous research interest as plasma membrane signaling molecules when discovered in the 1970s and 1980s. Research in the last 15 years has added a wide range of biological processes regulated by PIs, turning these lipids into one of the most universal signaling entities in eukaryotic cells. PIs control organelle biology by regulating vesicular trafficking, but they also modulate lipid distribution and metabolism via their close relationship with lipid transfer proteins. PIs regulate ion channels, pumps, and transporters and control both endocytic and exocytic processes. The nuclear phosphoinositides have grown from being an epiphenomenon to a research area of its own. As expected from such pleiotropic regulators, derangements of phosphoinositide metabolism are responsible for a number of human diseases ranging from rare genetic disorders to the most common ones such as cancer, obesity, and diabetes. Moreover, it is increasingly evident that a number of infectious agents hijack the PI regulatory systems of host cells for their intracellular movements, replication, and assembly. As a result, PI converting enzymes began to be noticed by pharmaceutical companies as potential therapeutic targets. This review is an attempt to give an overview of this enormous research field focusing on major developments in diverse areas of basic science linked to cellular physiology and disease.

The participation of phospholipids in the interaction of leucocidin and the cell membrane of the polymorphonuclear leucocyte

1. The interaction of the two components of leucocidin with various lipids has been studied by sedimentation, flotation, light-scattering and changes in the biological activity of leucocidin. 2. Phosphatidylserine, phosphatidylcholine, diphosphoinositide, triphosphoinositide and phosphatidic acid, but not phosphatidylethanolamine, lysophosphatidylcholine, cerebrosides, gangliosides or tristearin, induce aggregation of the F component of leucocidin. 3. The S component of leucocidin does not interact directly with these phospholipids, but interacts with the F component of leucocidin after its modification by lipids. 4. The increased sedimentation or light-scattering induced by low phospholipid concentrations is reversed at higher phospholipid concentrations. 6. The aggregates formed by phospholipids and leucocidin are due, not to adsorption of leucocidin alone, but also to the formation of leucocidin polymers. 7. It is concluded that the aggregation is due to the interaction of the F component with the fatty acid side chains in the lipid micelle. 8. The S component of leucocidin is inactivated by triphosphoinositide at physiological ionic strength; the F component of leucocidin is inactivated at low ionic strength by triphosphoinositide and remains inactive when the ionic strength is increased. 9. It is suggested that in the leucocyte cell membrane the S component of leucocidin interacts with the polar hydrophilic groups of triphosphoinositide and that the F component of leucocidin interacts with the hydrophobic parts of triphosphoinositide.

The polyphosphoinositide content of the leucocyte, erythrocyte and macrophage

1. The polyphosphoinositide content of macrophages and the cell membranes of leucocytes and erythrocytes was determined by an extension of the ;acid-hydrolysis' procedure of Dawson & Eichberg (1965). The estimation was controlled by adding a little highly radioactive polyphosphoinositide to the tissue extracts before fractionation. Several standard methods for determining polyphosphoinositides gave low recoveries when applied to leucocytes, and it is suggested that these cells contain materials that form complexes with the polyphosphoinositides and interfere with the assay. 2. The method for the preparation of leucocyte cell surface membranes has been modified.

'Phosphatido-peptide'-like complexes formed by the interaction of calcium triphosphoinositide with protein

1. The sodium salt of triphosphoinositide partitions in the upper polar phase in a biphasic chloroform-methanol-water system similar to that of Folch et al. (1957). 2. On the addition of 2mug.atoms of Ca(2+) or Mg(2+) per mumole of triphosphoinositide the phospholipid passes entirely into the lower non-polar phase as the dicalcium or dimagnesium salt. 3. When serum albumin is included in the biphasic system, some of the dicalcium (dimagnesium) triphosphoinositide becomes attached to the protein material at the interface. 4. The affinity of Ca(2+) for triphosphoinositide is 2-2.5 times as great as that of Mg(2+) and the salt is not dissociated appreciably by equimolar amounts of EDTA or cyclohexane-1,2-diaminetetra-acetate. 5. When dicalcium triphosphoinositide is mixed with serum albumin a complex is formed which is insoluble in chloroform-methanol (2:1, v/v) but which dissolves completely when 0.25% (v/v) of concentrated hydrochloric acid is added. 6. On homogenizing a chloroform-methanol solution of dicalcium triphosphoinositide with guinea-pig liver the phospholipid becomes quantitatively attached to the insoluble residue, but it can be completely extracted from this with acidified chloroform-methanol. 7. The relevance of these observations to the significance of the phosphatido-peptide-complexes extracted from brain is discussed.

ISCOM vaccine against contagious bovine pleuropneumonia (CBPP). 1. Biochemical and immunological characterization

A better vaccine than the existing ones against contagious bovine pleuropneumonia (CBPP) caused by Mycoplasma mycoides subsp. mycoides small colony type (MmmSC) would improve the chances for eradication of CBPP. In such an effort, immunostimulating complexes (ISCOMS) have been prepared from the whole detergent-solubilized cells of MmmSC and characterized biochemically and immunologically. The most efficient detergent for solubilization of the mycoplasma was MEGA-10 which yielded a high recovery of proteins in the ISCOMS. The ISCOMS showed the typical cage-like structure by EM and sedimented as 19S by sucrose gradient centrifugation. The protein pattern of the ISCOMS, analyzed in SDS-PAGE, revealed a great number of bands distributed along the gel as high and low molecular weight polypeptides. The Western blot developed with a serum from a CBPP infected animal detected a reduced number of polypeptides. In samples from whole mycoplasma cells and in ISCOMS, lectin blots revealed more than 20 carbohydrate structures. The ISCOMS induced a strong primary antibody response in mice measured by ELISA and the boost resulted in a 6-fold increase of the serum antibody response. The IgG response was distributed into various IgG subclasses with high IgG1, IgG2a and IgG2b titres while the IgG3 response was low. In cattle the ISCOM vaccine induced strong primary and long lasting secondary antibody responses of similar magnitudes as those of naturally infected animals as recorded by ELISA which persisted more than a year. IgG response was equally distributed in IgG1 and IgG2 subclasses. Also a cell-mediated immune response measured by proliferation assay was induced by low dose of ISCOMS. In the growth inhibition test, sera from vaccinated cattle readily inhibited colony growth already after the first immunization.

THE ADENOSINE-TRIPHOSPHATASE SYSTEM RESPONSIBLE FOR CATION TRANSPORT IN ELECTRIC ORGAN: EXCLUSION OF PHOSPHOLIPIDS AS INTERMEDIATES

1. Subcellular fractions were prepared from the electric organs of Electrophorus and Torpedo and assayed for adenosine-triphosphatase activity. 2. Treatment of the ;low-speed' fraction from Torpedo with m-urea gave an adenosine-triphosphatase preparation that was almost completely (98%) inhibited by ouabain (0.1mg./ml.) and dependent on the simultaneous presence of Na(+) and K(+). 3. The adenosine-triphosphatase preparations were exposed to [gamma-(32)P]ATP for 30sec. in the presence of (i) Na(+), (ii) K(+), (iii) Na(+)+K(+) and (iv) Na(+)+K(+)+ouabain. No significant labelling of phosphatidic acid, triphosphoinositide or any other phospholipid was observed. 4. The results suggest that phospholipids do not act as phosphorylated intermediates in the ;transport adenosine-triphosphatase' system of electric organ.

Guanosine-5'-(3-O-thio)triphosphate-mediated stimulation of phosphoinositidase C in solubilized rat peripheral nerve myelin and its alteration in streptozotocin-induced diabetes

The regulation of phosphoinositidase C (PIC) activity by guanosine-5'-(3-O-thio)triphosphate (GTP gamma S) was characterized in a cholate-solubilized peripheral myelin-enriched fraction from rat sciatic nerve. The GTP analog maximally enhanced PIC-catalyzed hydrolysis of exogenous phosphatidylinositol-4,5-bisphosphate (PIP2) in a dose-dependent manner only within a narrow range of cholate concentrations. Maximal stimulation was attained at 0.6 microM GTP gamma S and could be completely prevented by 1 microM guanosine-5'-(2-O-thio)diphosphate. Neither adenylyl-imidodiphosphate nor adenosine triphosphate (ATP) enhanced PIC activity. Carbamoylcholine (1 mM) added together with GTP gamma S increased the extent of PIP2 hydrolysis over that elicited by GTP gamma S alone and this stimulation was blocked by the muscarinic receptor antagonist, atropine (50 microM). In detergent-solubilized myelin preparations from streptozotocin-induced diabetic rats, a higher concentration of the guanine nucleotide analog was required to achieve stimulation comparable to that obtained with corresponding preparations from normal animals. These results suggest that sciatic nerve myelin possesses muscarinic receptors coupled via a GTP-binding protein to PIC and that this system can be reconstituted in detergent-solubilized extracts. It is possible that the function of G proteins in cell signaling is impaired in experimental diabetic neuropathy.

Activity and distribution of phosphoinositidase C in rat sciatic nerve

The hydrolysis of phosphatidylinositol-4,5-bisphosphate (PIP2) by rat sciatic nerve cytosolic phosphoinositidase C [phosphoinositide-specific phospholipase C (PIC)] was studied at neutral pH and at ionic concentrations that approximate intracellular conditions. The principal water-soluble product formed was shown to be inositol trisphosphate by anion exchange chromatography. The maximum hydrolysis rate (2.5 nmol/min/mg protein) was achieved at less than 100 nM Ca2+. Hydrolysis was markedly increased to 15 nmol/min/mg protein by inclusion of K+ in the reaction mixture. In the presence of 200 mM K+, the optimum Ca2+ was increased to approximately 600 nM. Higher Ca2+ concentrations progressively inhibited PIP2 hydrolysis. Mg2+ also inhibited the reaction, but the presence of equimolar amounts of ATP and Mg2+ had no effect. Appreciable degradation of phosphatidylinositol-4-phosphate (PIP) also occurred in the nanomolar Ca2+ range, whereas breakdown of phosphatidylinositol (PI) required millimolar Ca2+. The presence of PIP but not PI inhibited PIP2 hydrolysis. Upon subcellular fractionation of nerve, more than 50% of recovered PIC activity was in the cytosol and about 20% was located in a myelin-enriched fraction. Using PIP2 as substrate, PIC activities in nerves from normal and streptozotocin-induced diabetic animals were not different. However, the myelin-associated enzyme from diabetic animals was more labile to freezing and thawing.

Differences in the metabolism of inositol and phosphoinositides by cultured cells of neuronal and glial origin

Phosphoinositide and inositol metabolism was compared in glioma (C6), neuroblastoma (N1E-115) and neuroblastoma X glioma hybrid (NG 108-15) cells. All cell lines had similar proportions of phosphatidylinositol (PI), phosphatidylinositol 4-phosphate (PIP), and phosphatidylinositol 4,5-bisphosphate (PIP2). Neuroblastoma and hybrid cells had almost identical phospholipid and phosphoinositide compositions and similar activities for the enzymes metabolizing polyphosphoinositides (PI kinase, PIP phosphatase, PIP kinase, PIP2 phosphatase, PIP2 phosphodiesterase). Glioma cells differed by having greater proportions of ethanolamine plasmalogen and sphingomyelin, lower PIP kinase, 3-5-fold higher PIP phosphatase activity and 10-15-fold greater PIP2 phosphodiesterase activity. Higher PIP phosphatase and PIP2 diesterase activities appear to be characteristic of cells of glial origin, since similar activities were found in primary cultures of astroglia. Glioma cells also metabolize inositol differently. In pulse and pulse-chase experiments, glioma cells transported inositol into a much larger water-soluble intracellular pool and maintained a concentration gradient 30-times greater than neuroblastoma cells. Label in intracellular inositol was less than in phosphoinositides in neuroblastoma and exchanged rapidly with extracellular inositol. In glioma, labeling of intracellular inositol greatly exceeded that of phosphoinositides. As a consequence, radioactivity in prelabeled phosphoinositides could not be effectively chased from glioma cells by excess unlabeled inositol. Such differences between cells of neuronal and glial origin suggest different and possibly supportive roles for these two cell types in maintaining functions regulated through phosphoinositide-linked signalling systems in the central nervous system.

Studies of surface immunoglobulin-dependent B cell activation

Studies from a number of laboratories have firmly established the potential of surface immunoglobulin-generated signals in B lymphocyte activation. While clearly there are multiple ways of activating B lymphocytes, some of which may not involve surface immunoglobulin, it is clear that crosslinking of surface immunoglobulin whether by antigen or antireceptor antibody can generate signals relevant to B cell activation. Although considerable insight into the mechanism of transduction of mIg-generated signals across the plasma membrane has been realized, a molecular explanation for linking inositol phospholipid hydrolysis to changes within the cytoplasm and nucleus of the B cell is still speculative. A more rigorous definition of the PKC and calcium components of the mIg signal transduction pathway are critical for a thorough understanding of the mechanism of signal transduction by this receptor. The use of tumor cell models allowing selection of mutants within the signalling pathway(s) will be invaluable to fully defining the critical molecular and biochemical events involved in B cell activation.

An enzymatically coupled assay for rat brain polyphosphoinositide phosphodiesterase in an optimized reaction mixture

Bovine intestinal alkaline phosphatase was found to hydrolyze inositol phosphates many times faster than the monoester phosphate groups of the polyphosphoinositides. A convenient and sensitive in vitro assay for the Ca2+-dependent polyphosphoinositide phosphodiesterase was devised in which inositol trisphosphate released from exogenous phosphatidylinositol 4,5-bisphosphate was hydrolyzed by alkaline phosphatase. The resulting inorganic phosphate was measured by an automated method after solubilization of the reaction mixture with sodium dodecyl sulfate. The phosphodiesterase was maximally stimulated by combining the known positive effects of cetyltrimethylammonium bromide (at the optimum detergent-to-substrate ratio of 2.3), monovalent cations (0.1 M KCl), and Ca2+ (0.5 mM) with the additional enhancement by Triton X-100 (0.2% w/v). Activities obtained for rat brain homogenates and microsomal and cytosol fractions were 126 +/- 3.8 (17), 110 +/- 5.7 (10), and 252 +/- 15.5 (8) nmol X min-1 X mg protein-1 (mean +/- SE for n determinations), respectively.

Turnover of inositol phospholipids and signal transduction

Various extracellular informational signals such as those from a group of hormones and some neurotransmitters appear to be passed from the cell surface into the cell interior by two routes, protein kinase C activation and Ca2+ mobilization. Both routes usually become available as the result of an interaction of a single ligand and a receptor and act synergistically to evoke subsequent cellular responses such as release reactions. The signal-dependent breakdown of inositol phospholipids, particularly phosphatidylinositol bisphosphate, now appears to be a key event for initiating these processes.

Human erythrocyte cytosol phosphatidyl-inositol-bisphosphate phosphatase

A phosphatidyl-myoinositol-4,5-bisphosphate phosphohydrolase (phosphatidyl-inositol-bisphosphate phosphatase, EC 3.1.3.36) was detected in human erythrocytes and partially purified from the cytosol. Hemoglobin was removed by (NH4)2SO4 fractionation and chromatography on CM-Sepharose CL-6B. A 27,000-fold purification was achieved following gel filtration,, ion-exchange chromatography and hydrophobic chromatography. Although the preparation was not homogeneous, the molecular mass of the enzyme was estimated to be 105,000 by gel filtration. The activity was stabilized by a non-ionic detergent (Triton X-100). The enzyme was active with PI-P2 and, to a lesser extent, myo-inositol 1, 4, 5-trisphosphate but not with PI-P nor a variety of other lipid and non-lipid phosphate esters. In the presence of both cationic and non-ionic detergents, the effects of divalent cations were independent of substrate concentration. Mg2+ was required ('apparent' Km = 12 muM). The 'apparent' Km for the substrate was 0.27 mM and the specific activity was 765 +/- 191 (S.D.) nmol/min per mg protein. Inhibition by Ca2+ ('apparent' Ki = 50 microM) was competitive with Mg2+. Neomycin was an inhibitor at 10(-6) - 10(-4) M but only in the absence of Triton X-100. The phosphatase was inhibited by hemoglobin at concentrations higher that 1% (w/v) and by agents which react with sulfhydryl groups, but was unaffected by dithioerythritol and F-.

Rapid incorporation in vivo of intracerebrally injected 32Pi into polyphosphoinositides of three subfractions of rat brain myelin

At intervals ranging from 1 to 10 min after injection of 32Pi into rat brain, myelin was prepared and separated into three subfractions: heavy, medium, and light. The radioactivity of total phospholipids and polyphosphoinositides (PPI) was then determined. There was rapid incorporation of 32Pi into PPI, which contained 50-70% of the radioactivity among total brain lipids and more than 70% among myelin lipids. The myelin fraction had incorporated 32Pi into total recovered PPI in the order of medium greater than heavy greater than light fraction; however, the order of relative specific radioactivities was heavy greater than light greater than medium. Labeling of the PPI precursors, phosphatidic acid (PA) and phosphatidylinositol (PI), was considerably lower in the purified myelin than in total brain. The di- (DPI) and triphosphoinositides (TPI) in heavy myelin exchanged 32Pi rates 2 to 3 times faster than those in medium and light myelin. DPI of all subfractions of myelin exchanged much faster than TPI. The results show that the most active phosphate turnover of myelin PPI occurs in the heavy myelin fraction (probably largely consisting of myelin appurtenant regions). However, medium and light myelin (most probably representing the closely packed layers of myelin sheaths) also showed rapid turnover of PPI.

Fixation and inactivation of staphylococcal leukocidin by phosphatidylcholine and ganglioside GM1 in rabbit polymorphonuclear leukocytes

Staphylococcal leukocidin is resolved by chromatography on carboxymethyl cellulose columns into two components, which are designated F (fast) and S (slow). Fixation and inactivation of both components were studied as follows. (i) Leukocidin activity was confined to the first 10 min of intoxication, and the maximal effect resulted from treating 10(6) rabbit peripheral polymorphonuclear leukocytes per 20 mul with 0.5 ng of each component of leukocidin. The S component was more responsible for the interaction with the leukocytes than the F component. (ii) The F component was inactivated by phosphatidylcholine at concentrations which corresponded to molar proportions of 1:1 and bound to [(14)C]phosphatidylcholine at equimolar proportions. (iii) The S component was inactivated by ganglioside G(M1) at 1:1 molar proportions, but not by any of the related glycolipids. Ganglioside G(M1) also was precipitated with the S component by a gel diffusion technique. Subunit B of cholera toxin competitively inhibited the binding of the S component to rabbit leukocyte membranes. This indicates that ganglioside G(M1) may resemble or be part of the receptor site for the S component.

The enzymic preparation of diphosphoinositides

A procedure for the preparation of diphosphoinositides is described. Triphosphoinositides isolated from bovine brain are hydrolysed by the triphosphoinositide phosphatase (EC 3.1.3.36) from Crithidia fasciculata in the presence of MgC12 and cetyltrimethyl-ammonium bromide. The diphosphoinositides produced are not degraded further and can be recovered from the reaction mixture in greater than 80% yield. The product is chromatographically pure and has the same structure (1-phosphatidylinositol 4-phosphate) as naturally occurring diphosphoinositides.

Lipid-protein interactions with native and modified myelin basic protein

The basic protein of central nervous system myelin has been shown to form complexes with acidic lipids in vitro. We measured the interaction of myelin basic protein with several charged and neutral lipids in a biphasic chloroform/methanol/water system and investigated the effect of decreasing the electrical charge of the basic amino groups of the myelin basic protein by acetylation. The modified myelin basic protein, which has an average of eight acetyl residues incorporated, was characterised by gel electrophoresis and circular dichroism. Complexes formed between the acetylated myelin basic protein and acidic lipids exhibited a reduction in the amount of lipids bound, a value that could be correlated with the number of modified amino groups. The significance of these experiments with reference to protein-lipid interaction in the myelin membrane is discussed.

Hydrolysis of triphosphoinositides by a soluble fraction of Crithidia fasciculata

Homogenates of Crithidia fasciculata (a species of Trypanosomidae) were shown to contain a phosphatase (EC 3.1.3.36) and a phosphodiesterase (EC 3.1.4.11) which hydrolyse triphosphoinositides. Approximately 30% of the diesterase and most of the phosphatase are present in the soluble fraction. The triphosphoinositide phosphatase is specifically dependent upon Mg(2+) and is stable to storage with or without freezing. The triphosphoinositide phosphodiesterase requires Ca(2+) and is inactivated during storage. Both activities are maximal in the presence of cetyltrimethylammonium bromide and require protection or reactivation by GSH or dithiothreitol. Unlike similar mammalian enzymes the protozoal triphosphoinositide phosphatase does not hydrolyse diphosphoinositides. The two enzymes may be separated by (NH4)2SO4 fractionation and gel filtration on Sephadex G-200.

The subcellular distribution of triphosphoinositide phosphomonoesterase in guinea-pig brain

1. Some properties of the triphosphoinositide phosphomonoesterase from the homogenates of guinea-pig brain were studied. The enzyme has an optimum pH range 6.7-7.3, is stimulated with KCl at a concentration of 0.1m, and under these conditions has K(m)1.43x10(-4)m. 2. A factor from the ;pH5 supernatant' of guinea-pig brain stimulates the enzyme activity over and above the stimulation produced by KCl. Subcellular fractions of guinea-pig brain varied in their response to the ;pH5 supernatant'. Maximum stimulation was observed with the P(1) fraction, containing myelin and nuclei. 3. An assay system for the enzyme was developed that contained optimum concentrations of both KCl and the ;pH5 supernatant'. Acid phosphatases were inhibited by NaF, but, in contrast with previous work, no EDTA was added to the assay system to inhibit the alkaline phosphatases. This reagent inhibited the triphosphoinositide phosphomonoesterase. It was estimated that the remaining fraction of non-specific phosphatases can account for only 14% of the observed triphosphoinositide phosphomonoesterase activity. 4. Subcellular fractions of guinea-pig brain were characterized by electron microscopy and subcellular markers. The triphosphoinositide phosphomonoesterase exhibited a distribution between the fractions similar to that of 5'-nucleotidase, but different from that of alkaline phosphatase.