Browsing by Author "Van der Westhuyzen, Deneys R"
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- ItemOpen AccessA Ca²⁺-activated proteinase in chicken skeletal muscle(1981) Smith, Arlene Atkinson; Van der Westhuyzen, Deneys RA neutral calcium-activated protease of muscle (CAP) has previously been characterised and may play a role in myofibrillar disassembly and turnover. In this study both CAP and endogenous CAP inhibitor from adult and embryonic chicken skeletal muscle have been partially purified by DEAE-cellulose and Sephadex G-150 chromatography. CAP from embryonic muscle shows similar properties to the corresponding enzyme from adult tissue with respect to calcium dependence (maximum activity at 1.0 rnM Ca²⁺), pH optimum (7.2) and sensitivity to proteinase inhibitors (inhibited by leupeptin and chymostatin). Both embryonic and adult enzymes were found to have molecular weights of 112000 daltons by gel filtration on Sephadex G-150. CAP activity was present in cultured skeletal muscle cells and increased with cellular growth and differentiation (five-fold). The presence of an inhibitor of CAP was demonstrated in cell cultures by ion-exchange chromatography, the levels of which decreased with a simultaneous increase in CAP activity. CAP activity showed an increase in developing muscle from 12-day embryos to 7-week chicks in relation to cellular DNA (3.8- fold), although the extent of this increase did not match the extent of accumulation of myofibrillar proteins. High levels of CAP inhibitor were found in early embryonic muscle and these decreased markedly during development. CAP inhibitor from embryonic tissue was fractionated into 3 species using DEAE-cellulose in contrast to inhibitor from adult tissue which exhibited only two species. The results indicate that the levels of CAP greatly increase at a time when myofibrillar content of muscle is rapidly increasing and, in addition, demonstrate that CAP activity may be controlled to a large extent by the levels of an intracellular inhibitor.
- ItemOpen AccessThe expression and metabolism of low density lipoprotein receptors in familial hypercholesterolaemia(1989) Fourie, Anne Madeleine; Van der Westhuyzen, Deneys RThe expression of two phenotypically-contrasting LDL receptor mutations was characterized in cultured fibroblasts from the genetically-homozygous Afrikaner subjects, FH1a and lb, and FH3a and 3b, respectively. Surface receptor expression and functional activity were studied by ligand (¹²⁵I-LDL) and monoclonal antibody (¹²⁵I-IgG-C7) binding, and c35s]-methionine pulse-chase experiments were used to analyze biosynthesis, processing and degradation of IgG-C7- immunoprecipitable mutant receptors. Cells from the "receptor-negative" subjects, FH3a and 3b exhibited reduced, but significant (40-60% of normal) LDL receptor synthesis rates. Newly-synthesized precursors were processed slowly (t½ 1.5 hours versus normal t½ of approximately 15 minutes) to mature receptors which reached the cell-surface, but were rapidly degraded thereafter with a half-life of approximately 1.7 hours (normal value 12.6 hours) thus representing a new type of LDL receptor defect. Lysosomotropic weak bases such as ammonium chloride partially inhibited rapid degradation of the mutant receptors, suggesting the involvement of proteolysis in acidic compartments such as lysosomes or endosomes. Fibroblasts from FH1a and lb exhibited normal synthesis rates of LDL receptor precursors that were processed at a severely reduced rate (t½ approximately 5 hours) to functionally heterogeneous mature surface receptors. Onethird of the receptors (20% of normal levels) bound ¹²⁵I-LDL with normal affinity at 4°C and 37°C, whereas the majority were able to recognize only ¹²⁵I-IgG-C7, and apparently showed defective internalisation and subsequent degradation of the bound IgG-C7 at 37°C. The existence of the two receptor populations was further supported by selective intracellular trapping and degradation of only the active, LDL-binding population, in the presence of ammonium chloride and LOL. The abnormal form predominated even in newly-synthesized receptors and reached a maximum of 50-70% of normal levels after 48 hours of upregulation. Upregulation kinetics and degradation rates (t½ = 10-11 hours) of both functionally-active and abnormal receptor populations were similar to normal. A progressive increase in apparent molecular weight of the slowly-processed precursor receptors suggested a possible role for abnormal glycosylation in the formation of both "normal" and abnormal conformations of the same receptor molecule.
- ItemOpen AccessLipoprotein receptors in cultured bovine endothelial cells(1983) Strumpfer, A E M; Van der Westhuyzen, Deneys REndothelial cells take up and degrade both low density lipoproteins and low density lipoproteins which have been modified by acetylation (AcLDL). In this study, receptors that may be involved in the uptake of these lipoproteins were characterized. The cells used were aortic endothelial cells obtained from a bovine foetus, with subsequent cloning (A₃Cl₂). A cell culture system which closely resembled the in vivo monolayer was established, by growing the cells on gelatin-coated Petri dishes. Endothelial cell and lipoprotein interactions were examined by incubating the cells with ¹²⁵I-labelled lipoproteins under various conditions. The main findings were the following: The receptor affinity of bovine aortic endothelial cells was higher for AcLDL than that for LDL. The half-maximal rates of degradation, obtained from degradation saturation curves which were linearized using the Scatchard method, were about 20 μg protein/ml for LDL and about 2 μg protein/ml for AcLDL. Analyses of binding data were not accurate due to the large amount of non-saturable material bound. However, the bulk of the lipoproteins was taken up and degraded via the saturable process. Competition studies demonstrated that there were two distinct receptors for LDL and AcLDL on the endothelial cells. AcLDL did not compete with LDL for the LDL receptor, and conversely LDL did not compete with AcLDL for the AcLDL receptor. The receptor activities for LDL and AcLDL were examined as a function of culture age. Sparse cultures incubated at low lipoprotein concentrations (10-20 μg protein/ml) had a higher receptor activity for LDL than for AcLDL. In contrast, confluent cultures, catabolized more AcLDL than LDL. In comparing sparse to confluent cell cultures, the rate of ¹²⁵1- labelled LDL degradation decreased about twice, while the degradation rates of ¹²⁵I-labelled AcLDL increased about three times. Whereas the LDL receptor could be regulated, the AcLDL receptor was not as susceptible to regulation. Up-regulation was measured by pre-incubation of the cells with lipoprotein-deficient serum medium (LPDS-medium) for 48 h. Using degradation data, the LDL receptor was up-regulated about 4-fold, whereas the AcLDL receptor was not up-regulated under these circumstances. Down-regulation by incubating the cells with 25-hydroxycholesterol for 24 h resulted in a 96 % decrease in the LDL receptor activity and only a 30 % decrease in the AcLDL receptor activity. Furthermore, both LDL and AcLDL could down-regulate the LDL receptor, but neither could down-regulate the AcLDL receptor. Upon exposing endothelial cells for 72 h to either LDL or AcLDL, it was found that the total amount of cellular cholesterol increased (by about 50 %). However, the increase of total cholesterol was largely in the form of free cholesterol. This is in contrast to macrophages, where the increase in total cholesterol upon exposure to AcLDL is largely in the form of cholesteryl esters.
- ItemOpen AccessMonogenic hypercholesterolemia in South Africans : familial hypercholesterolemia in Indians and familial defective apolipoprotein B-100(1993) Rubinsztein, David Chaim; Van der Westhuyzen, Deneys RLDL-receptor mutations and familial defective apolipoprotein B-100 (codon 3500) (FOB), the known causes of monogenic hypercholesterolemia (MH), have similar clinical features. The nature of the mutations responsible for MH in South Africans of Indian origin was previously unknown. Similarly, the mutations in the LDL-receptor gene of a South African Black FH homozygote had also not been characterised. The aim of this thesis was to identify and analyse the LDL-receptor mutations in the Indian homozygotes NS, D, AV and AA and in the Black homozygote JL. In addition, the possible importance of FOB as a cause of MH in South Africans was also assessed. The patient NS was characterized as having two "Null" LDL-receptor alleles. His skin fibroblasts expressed no detectable LDL-receptor protein and very low levels of LDL-receptor mRNA of approximately normal size. Since NS' s LDLreceptor promoter sequence was normal, his alleles are likely to harbour exonic point mutations or minor rearrangements that cause premature stop codons. The patient D was found to be a heteroallelic homozygote. Two new point mutations in the LDL receptor, Asp₆₉ -Tyr and Glu₁₁₉-Lys, were identified. D's fibroblasts expressed about 30% of the normal surf ace complement of receptors that bound LDL poorly. This low number could at least be partially explained by their decreased stability. These mutations were not identified in any other Indian FH or hypercholesterolemic patients. Patients AV and AA were both shown to be homoallelic homozygotes for the Pro₆₆₄ -Leu mutation. This mutation was identified in 4 unrelated Muslim families of Gujerati origin suggesting that the mutation arose from this area in India. Contrary to previous reports (Knight et al. 1990, Soutar et al. 1989), neither LOL nor β-VLDL binding were shown to be affected by this mutation. These mutant receptors were rapidly degraded. Thus the disease FH in these subjects is presumably due to the low steady-state level of mature receptors that are functionally normal but exhibit accelerated turnover. The Pedi FH homozygote, JL, expressed very few LOL receptors due to decreased receptor synthesis associated with low mRNA levels and not due to enhanced degradation. One of JL's LOL receptor alleles has a 3 b.p. deletion in repeat 1 of the promoter (G. Zuilani, H. Hobbs and L.F. de Waal, personal communication). The nature of the defect in his other allele is unknown. The importance of FOB as a cause of monogenic hypercholesterolemia in the South African Indian, "Coloured" and Afrikaner populations was determined by screening hypercholesterolemic subjects with or without xanthomata. The absence of FOB in such patients, in whom the relevant common or founder South African mutations were excluded, suggested that this disorder was rarer in these groups than in North America and Europe. FOB was identified in two different families of mixed British and Afrikaner ancestry. One family contained individuals who were heterozygous for the FOB mutation, as well as the FH Afrikaner-1 and the FH Afrikaner-2 LOL-receptor mutations. In addition, 4 compound heterozygotes, who had both FOB and the FH Afrikaner-1 mutation and one individual whu inherited all 3 defects, were identified. This family allowed us to characterise the compound heterozygotes with one mutant LOLreceptor allele and FOB as having a condition that was probably intermediate in severity between the FH heterozygote and homozygote states.
- ItemOpen AccessPathways of intracellular protein degradation in cultured muscle cells(1981) Bates, Pamela Joy; Van der Westhuyzen, Deneys RTo investigate mechanisms responsible for the turnover of endogenous muscle protein, lysosomotropic proteinase inhibitors have been employed to elucidate the relative contributions of lysosomal and non-lysosomal degradation pathways functioning under varying nutritional states and for different classes of intracellular proteins. Proteolysis in cultured bovine aortic smooth muscle cells was measured as the percentage of ³H-phenylalanine released per hour from pre-labelled cellular proteins. To reduce background radioactivity, the intracellular ³H-phenylalanine pool was depleted by serial extraction at 37°C, effecting equilibration between the intracellular pool and the phenylalanine-free medium. Reutilization of labelled amino acids during subsequent incubation periods was minimized by the presence of excess non-labelled phenylalanine in the medium. ³H-phenylalanine was released at a constant rate of 1,5 % per hour for at least 4 h, from cells pre-labelled for 16 h ('long-lived' proteins). Leupeptin, an inhibitor of thiol proteinases including cathepsin 8, inhibited degradation by 12 %, whereas the general lysosomal inhibitors chloroquine and NH₄Cl inhibited degradation by 30 %, presumably the contribution by the lysosomal pathway. In the case of 'short-lived' proteins (pre-labelled for 1 hour), the initial degradation rate was 6,5% per hour, which rapidly declined, reaching the basal rate of 1,5 % after 4 h. Chloroquine and NH₄Cl reduced proteolysis by only 12-15% and leupeptin had no significant inhibition, consistent with the view that the majority of short-lived proteins a degraded by non-lysosomal pathways. Proteolysis rates of 'abnormal' proteins containing the arginine-analogue, canavanine, were found to be significantly elevated (80 %) over controls. Leupeptin had no significant inhibition, and chloroquine and NH₄Cl only reduced degradation by 12-16 %, showing that the rapid removal of 'abnormal' intracellular proteins proceeds mainly via extra-lysosomal mechanisms. Incubation of the cells under nutritional step-down conditions, increased the average degradation rate of long-lived proteins to 3% per hour, and chloroquine and NH₄Cl inhibited degradation by 55-60 %, indicating that the accelerated proteolytic condition is due to increased activity of the lysosomes. Nutritional deprivation did not increase the rate of degradation of short-lived proteins. The results were clarified by the parallel use of the well-characterized LDL degradation system in this cell type, known to occur almost exclusively via lysosomes. This allowed the effectiveness of lysosomotropic inhibitors to be tested. Chloroquine inhibited LDL degradation by over 90 % and NH₄Cl inhibited by 80-95 % in all cases. Other proteinase inhibitors such as chymostatin, pepstatin and the chloromethyl ketones were also tested, and of these chymostatin seemed to be the most valuable because of its additivity to the effect of chloroquine, indicating its selective inhibition of non-lysosomal degradative mechanisms. Incubations of smooth muscle cells under anoxic conditions or with metabolic inhibitors such as fluoride, azide and cyanide, resulted in an inhibition of protein degradation which was greater than, and partially additive to, the effect of chloroquine, i.e. both lysosomal and non-lysosomal degradation pathways have some energy-dependence. The degradation of long-lived proteins appeared to be more sensitive to temperature than that of short-lived proteins, further indicating the activity of distinct proteolytic mechanisms for these two classes of intracellular proteins. Preliminary studies have indicated a role for Ca⁺⁺ in the regulation of proteolysis, since degradation rates were increased by elevated levels of Ca⁺⁺ in the extracellular medium. Inhibition of this increased proteolysis by leupeptin has indicated a role for a thiol proteinase, possibly Ca⁺⁺-activated neutral proteinase. In similar studies with cultured L8 skeletal muscle cells, an average proteolysis rate of 1,2 % per hour was found, which was increased by 50 % under nutritional step-down conditions. Once again, the lysosomal pathway was found to account for only about one-third of basal protein degradation but fully accounted for the increased proteolysis under nutrient deprivation. The degradation characteristics of intracellular smooth and skeletal muscle cell proteins was examined using double isotope labelling. It was found that large molecular weight proteins and glycoproteins tended to be degraded more rapidly than small proteins and non-glycoproteins. In smooth muscle cells, these correlations were markedly reduced or absent under the accelerated proteolysis associated with nutrient deprivation, possibly confirming the increased activity of the non-selective autophagic lysosomal pathway under these conditions. A similar loss of correlations was not so clearly seen for skeletal muscle cell proteins.
- ItemOpen AccessPost-translational processing of the low density lipoprotein receptor(1996) Ozinsky, Adrian; Van der Westhuyzen, Deneys RThe low density lipoprotein (LDL) receptor is a transmembrane glycoprotein that mediates the uptake of plasma LDL and thereby provides cholesterol to cells. During its synthesis in the endoplasmic reticulum, the LDL receptor folds and forms disulfide bonds in multiple cysteine-rich repeats. N- and 0-linked oligosaccharide chains are added in the endoplasmic reticulum and processed during passage through the Golgi apparatus, en route to the cell surface. The aim of this thesis was to study the influence of post-translational events on the synthesis of the LDL receptor. Experiments addressed: 1) the necessity of the compartmental organisation of the secretory pathway for the glycosylation of the LDL receptor; 2) the requirements for the formation of disulfide bonds; 3) the role for the chaperone, calnexin, in the folding of the LDL receptor; and 4) the manner in which folding was disrupted by mutations. Experiments were performed in cultured cells that were incubated with [³⁵S]methionine. Biosynthetically-labelled LDL receptor was immunoprecipitated and was analysed by SOS polyacrylamide gel electrophoresis.