Transport Triphosphates

Active Transport. Maintenance of the appropriate concentrations of K" and Na" in the intra- and extracellular fluids involves active transport, ie, a process requiring energy (53). Sodium ion in the extracellular fluid (0.136—0.145 AfNa" ) diffuses passively and continuously into the intracellular fluid (<0.01 M Na" ) and must be removed. This sodium ion is pumped from the intracellular to the extracellular fluid, while K" is pumped from the extracellular (ca 0.004 M K" ) to the intracellular fluid (ca 0.14 M K" ) (53—55). The energy for these processes is provided by hydrolysis of adenosine triphosphate (ATP) and requires the enzyme Na" -K" ATPase, a membrane-bound enzyme which is widely distributed in the body. In some cells, eg, brain and kidney, 60—70 wt % of the ATP is used to maintain the required Na" -K" distribution. 

Ara-A is phosphorylated in mammalian cells to ara-AMP by adenosine kinase and deoxycytidine kinase. Further phosphorylation to the di- and triphosphates, ara-ADP and ara-ATP, also occurs. In HSV-1 infected cells, ara-A also is converted to ara-ATP. Levels of ara-ATP correlate directly with HSV rephcation. It has recently been suggested that ara-A also may exhibit an antiviral effect against adenovims by inhibiting polyadenylation of viral messenger RNA (mRNA), which may then inhibit the proper transport of the viral mRNA from the cell nucleus. 

The energy released in catabolic pathways is used in the electron-transport chain to make molecules of adenosine triphosphate, ATP. ATP, the final result of food catabolism, couples to and drives many otherwise unfavorable reactions. 

The NHR contains also the conserved Calcineurin docking site, PxlxIT, required for the physical interaction of NEAT and Calcineurin. Dephosphorylation of at least 13 serines residues in the NHR induces a conformational change that exposes the nuclear localization sequences (NLS), allowing the nuclear translocation of NEAT. Rephosphorylation of these residues unmasks the nuclear export sequences that direct transport back to the cytoplasm. Engagement of receptors such as the antigen receptors in T and B cells is coupled to phospholipase C activation and subsequent production of inositol triphosphate. Increased levels of inositol triphosphate lead to the initial release of intracellular stores of calcium. This early increase of calcium induces opening of the plasma membrane calcium-released-activated-calcium (CRAC) channels,... 

The cytotoxic activities of the 2, 2 -difluoro analog (775) of 737 against Chinese hamster ovary and tumor cells, in comparison with those of 1- -d-arabinofuranosylcytosine ara-C, a drug for leukemia), have been studied 775 is transported the faster through membrane into cells, more effectively phosphorylated by the deoxycytidine kinase (to the 5 -mono-phosphate) and, after conversion into the 5 -triphosphate, more highly accumulated in the cells, with longer duration time, than is ara-C, but nevertheless 775 is incorporated into the DNA to a lesser extent than is ara-C. These characteristics of 775 were discussed. 

Phosphate condensation reactions play an essential role in metabolism. Recall from Section 14.6 that the conversion of adenosine diphosphate (ADP) to adenosine triphosphate (ATP) requires an input of free energy ADP -I-H3 PO4 ATP +H2O AG° — +30.6kJ As also described in that section, ATP serves as a major biochemical energy source, releasing energy in the reverse, hydrolysis, reaction. The ease of interchanging O—H and O—P bonds probably accounts for the fact that nature chose a phosphate condensation/hydrolysis reaction for energy storage and transport. 

Recent work has shown that bacteria, in common with chloroplasts and mitochondria, are able, through the membrane-bound electron transport chain aerobically, or the membrane-bound adenosine triphosphate (ATP) anerobically, to maintain a gradient of electrical potential and pH such that the interior of the bacterial cell is negahve and alkaline. This potential gradient and the electrical equivalent of the pH difference (1 pH unit = 58 mV at 37°C) give a potential difference across the membrane of 100-180 mV, with the inside negative. The membrane is impermeable to protons, whose extmsion creates the potential described. 

In oriented, partially dehydrated multilayers, under conditions suitable for X-ray diffraction studies, the sarcoplasmic reticulum vesicles retain much of their ATP energized Ca transport activity [200-202], The Ca transport can be initiated by flash-photolysis of P -l(2-nitro)phenyl-ethyladenosine-5 -triphosphate, caged ATP [203-208], The flash-photolysis of caged ATP rapidly releases ATP and effectively synchronizes the Ca transport cycle of the ensemble of Ca -ATPase molecules [190-192,201,209],... 

Figure 4 Schematic representation of the Ca2+-transporting systems affecting cellular calcium homeostasis during hormonal stimulation, oq = oq-adrenergic receptor VP = vasopressin receptor PLC = phospholipase C PI = phosphatidylinositol PIP = phospha-tidylinositol-4-phosphate PIP2 = phosphatidylinositol-4,5-biphosphate IP3 = inositol-1,4,5-triphosphate DG = diacylglycerol PKC = protein kinase C. (Modified from Refs. 125 and 285.)...

G proteins comprise several families of diverse cellular proteins that subserve an equally diverse array of cellular functions. These proteins derive their name from the fact that they bind the guanine nucleotides guanosine triphosphate (GTP) and guanosine diphosphate (GDP) and possess intrinsic GTPase activity. G proteins play a central role in signal transduction as well as in a myriad of cellular processes, including membrane vesicle transport,... 

In brain, as in most mammalian cells, thiamine occurs predominantly in the form of TDP, the remainder being made up of thiamine monophosphate (10%), thiamine triphosphate (5-10%) and trace amounts of free thiamine. Thiamine is transported into brain and phosphory-lated by the action of thiamine pyrophosphokinase, and inhibition of this enzyme by thiamine antagonists such as pyrithiamine results in decrease synthesis of TDP. Treatment of experimental animals with pyrithiamine results in a generalized reduction of TDP concentrations and an early selective loss in activity of a-KGDH in regions... 

These transport systems use a primary source of energy to drive active transport of a solute against a concentration gradient. Primary energy sources can be chemical, electrical and solar. In this section, systems will be described mainly that hydrolyse the diphosphate bond of inorganic pyrophosphate, ATP, or another nucleoside triphosphate, in order to drive the active uptake of solutes. Transporters using another primary source of energy will be briefly mentioned. 

Because of the possible effects of active and carrier-mediated processes and metabolic biotransformation, the issue of tissue viability is important for in vitro buccal mucosal experiments. The barrier nature of the buccal mucosa resides in the upper layers of the epithelium, where unlike in the stratum corneum, the cells contain a variety of functional organelles [119, 122, 125, 150], and so tissue viability may be an important component of the barrier function of the tissue. Various methods have been employed to assess the viability of excised buccal mucosa, including measurement of biochemical markers, microscopic methods, and linearity of transport data [42], While biochemical methods, including measurement of adenosine 5 -triphosphate (ATP) levels and utilization of glucose, provide information on the metabolic activity of the tissue, this does not necessarily relate to the barrier function of the tissue. In excised rabbit buccal mucosa, levels of ATP were measured and found to decline by 40% in 6 h, and this correlated well with transmission electron microscopic evaluation of the tissue (intact superficial cells) [32], In addition, the permeability of a model peptide was unaltered up to 6 h postmortem, but at 8 h, a significant change in permeability was observed [32], These investigators therefore claimed that excised rabbit buccal mucosa could be used for diffusion studies for 6 h. 

In some cases, enzymes require the assistance of coenzymes (cofactors) to ensure the reactions proceed. Coenzymes include vitamins, metal ions, acids, and bases. They can act as transporters or electron acceptors or be involved in oxidation-reduction reactions. At the completion of the reaction, coenzymes are released, and they do not form part of the products. For some reactions that are energetically unfavorable, an energy source provided by the compound adenosine triphosphate (ATP) is needed to ensure the reactions proceed, as shown in the following reactions ... 

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