Protein synthesis cell fractionation

A wheat germ, cell-free, translation extract was fractionated into three concentrated parts using ammonium sulfate the 0 - 40 % saturated fraction, the 40 - 60 % saturated fraction, and the ribosome fraction. These fractions were tested for their ability to enhance the translational activity of the wheat germ, cell-free extract for dihydrofolate reductase. The fortified cell-free system supplemented with the 0 - 40 % ammonium sulfate fraction enhanced the efficiency of protein synthesis by 50 %. 

The catalytic activities of the fortified wheat germ cell-free systems supplemented with each fraction were investigated (Fig. 2). As shown in Fig. 2, only 0 - 40 % ammonium sulfate fraction showed an enhancement in DHFR protein synthesis. This enhancement of protein experimental results and the fact that the various eukaryotic initiation factors are contained in synthesis was also confirmed by SDS-PAGE and autoradiography (Fig. 3). From the above 0-40 % ammonium sulfate fraction [5, 6], it can be concluded that the amount of initiation factors in a conventionally prepared wheat germ cell-fi extract is deficient for the translation of DHFR with internal ribosome entry site. Therefore, it needs to supplement a wheat germ cell-free extract with the fraction containing the limited initiation factors for the efficient protein translation, and this fortified cell-free system can be easily made by simple... 

Fig. 3. Autoradiograph of SDS-PAGE of in vitro translated dihydrofolate reductase (DHFR) in the wheat germ cell-free protein synthesis systems with (n) 4 pi of ribosome fiaction, (III) 4 pi of 0 -40 % ammonium sulfate fraction, or (IV) 4 pi of 40 - 60% ammonium sulfate fraction, respectively. Lane I is control dihydrofolate reductase produced in the normal wheat germ cell-free protein synthesis system.

These three compounds exert many similar effects in nucleotide metabolism of chicks and rats [167]. They cause an increase of the liver RNA content and of the nucleotide content of the acid-soluble fraction in chicks [168], as well as an increase in rate of turnover of these polynucleotide structures [169,170]. Further experiments in chicks indicate that orotic acid, vitamin B12 and methionine exert a certain action on the activity of liver deoxyribonuclease, but have no effect on ribonuclease. Their effect is believed to be on the biosynthetic process rather than on catabolism [171]. Both orotic acid and vitamin Bu increase the levels of dihydrofolate reductase (EC 1.5.1.4), formyltetrahydrofolate synthetase and serine hydroxymethyl transferase in the chicken liver when added in diet. It is believed that orotic acid may act directly on the enzymes involved in the synthesis and interconversion of one-carbon folic acid derivatives [172]. The protein incorporation of serine, but not of leucine or methionine, is increased in the presence of either orotic acid or vitamin B12 [173]. In addition, these two compounds also exert a similar effect on the increased formate incorporation into the RNA of liver cell fractions in chicks [174—176]. It is therefore postulated that there may be a common role of orotic acid and vitamin Bj2 at the level of the transcription process in m-RNA biosynthesis [174—176]. 

Protein synthesis inhibition. Chromatographic fraction of the dried seed, in cell culture, was active on reticulocyte lysate of rabbits, inhibitory concentrationjf, 15.25 ng/ mL vo84. 

Chinese hamster ovary cells overexpressing the prolactin receptor, was active . Protein synthesis stimulation. Sterol fraction of the extract, in cell culture at a concentration of 25 (xg/mL, produced weak activity on CA-LNCAP. A concentration of 50 (xg/mL was active on CA-PC3 h PSA production inhibition. Ethanol (70%) extract of PC-SPES (a Chinese herb combination of chrysanthemum, dyers woad, licorice, reishi, san-qi ginseng, rabdosia, saw palmetto, and baikal skullcap), in cultured prostate cancer cell line at variable doses for 24 hours, produced a significant effect in supressing cell growth in all the cell lines h... 

In eukaryotic cells the nuclear membrane separates the processes of RNA and protein synthesis. This can be demonstrated with radioactive substrates that are precursors of RNA and protein. Immediately after exposure of cells to labeled precursors, the RNA label becomes fixed in the nucleus, and the protein label becomes fixed in the cytoplasm. Eventually most of the labeled RNA becomes transferred to the cytoplasm, and a fraction of the labeled protein becomes transferred to the nucleus. 

Mitochondrion. An organelle, found in eukaryotic cells, in which oxidative phosphorylation takes place. It contains its own genome and unique ribosomes to carry out protein synthesis of only a fraction of the proteins located in this organelle. 

RIPs are plant protein toxins that are able to inhibit enzymatically ribosomal activity and are therefore highly cytotoxic [98]. RIPs are taken up in the cells by means of endocytosis, and only a small fraction (5% or less) are translocated to the cytosol where the toxins inhibit the protein synthesis and eventually kill the cell. PCI may be used to increase both the efficacy and specificity of these toxins. RIPs are divided into two groups, type I and type II. Type II RIPs, like ricin, consists of two polypeptide chains, one cytotoxic A-chain with /V-glycosidase activity and one B-chain which binds to the cell surface. Type I RIPs, like gelonin, agrostin, and saporin, lack the B chain, which make them poorly transported over the cell- and intracellular membranes to the cell cytosol. Hence, the cytotoxic effect of these protein toxins is usually absent or very low. A considerable cytotoxic effect of type I RIPs has been shown in combination with PCI, both in vitro and in vivo [25, 99]. 

Mechanism and Genetics of Induction in Mammals. Many different mechanisms may be involved in CYP induction. These include increased transcription of DNA, increased mRNA translation to protein, mRNA stabilization, and protein stabilization. Induction can only occur in intact cells and cannot be achieved by the addition of inducers directly to cell fractions such as microsomes. It has been known for some time that in most cases of increase in monooxygenase activity there is a true induction involving synthesis of new enzyme, and not the activation of enzyme already synthesized, since induction is generally prevented by inhibitors of protein synthesis. For example, the protein synthesis inhibitors such as puromycin, ethionine, and cyclo-heximide inhibit aryl hydrocarbon hydroxylase activity. A simplified scheme for gene expression and protein synthesis is shown in Figure 9.7. 

There may be several mechanisms for these metabolic effects. Unsaturated fatty acids have been shown to directly activate specific enzymes and to induce DNA synthesis and cytokine release from lymphocytes (Karsten et al., 1994). The induction of specific protein synthesis may produce the reduction in glutamine metabolism. The increase in the robustness of the fatty acid-grown hybridomas in agitated cultures could be explained by a high incorporation of the available fatty acids into the cellular phospholipids fraction, which is a major structural component of the outer membrane of the cell (Butler et al., 1999). 

Cell-free systems capable of synthesising polypeptides have been prepared from protoscoleces of E. granulosus (7), larval T. crassiceps (588) and H. diminuta (633). In general, these studies have demonstrated that protein synthesis in cestodes, although showing some specificity, is similar to that in mammals in that it requires polysomes, amino acid adenylates, aminoacyl-tRNAs, pH 5 fraction, ATP, GTP, magnesium and either sodium or potassium ions. 

The aminoacyl transfer reaction, one of the latter stages in protein synthesis, involves incorporation of amino acids from soluble ribonucleic acid-amino acid into ribosomal protein. This reaction requires guanosine triphosphate and a soluble portion of the cell. Evidence has been obtained with rat liver preparations that aminoacyl transfer is catalyzed by two protein factors, aminoacyl transferases (or polymerases) I and n, which have been resolved and partially purified from the soluble fraction. Transferase n activity has also been obtained from deoxycholate-soluble extracts of microsomes. With purified transferases I and n, incorporation is observed with relatively low levels of GTP its sulfhy-dryl requirement is met by a variety of compounds. The characteristics of this purified amino acid incorporating system, in terms of dependency on the concentration of its components, are described. 

To evaluate the possibility of postexponential cell wall synthesis occurring without protein synthesis, we disrupted bacteria by shaking with glass beads. Under proper conditions this yields a water-soluble and a water-insoluble fraction. As a first approximation the soluble fraction may be called the cytoplasmic fraction and the insoluble part the wall fraction. Figure 4 shows a study by the glass bead procedure of cells from the exponential growth phase and of 20-hour cells result-... 

Another approach to inexpensive labelling of proteins is by means of cell-free protein synthesis.48 50 These in vitro expression systems use a crude Escherichia coli fraction as a source of ribosomes and other factors necessary for the synthesis of proteins, T7 RNA polymerase for transcription, and dialysis to maintain levels of amino acids and nucleotides. In principle, the technology is capable of labelling proteins at specific sites without isotope scrambling and also of producing labelled proteins from small volumes of labelled medium. 

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