ENZYMES OF LACTOSE BIOSYNTHESIS IN NORMAL AND HORMONALLY STIMULATED RABBIT MAMMARY GLANDS

1968 ◽  
Vol 40 (1) ◽  
pp. 81-84 ◽  
Author(s):  
R. J. HEITZMAN
Keyword(s):  
Enzyme Activities ◽  
Deoxyribonucleic Acid ◽  
Late Pregnancy ◽  
Mammary Glands ◽  
Uridine Diphosphate ◽  
Early Lactation ◽  
Uridine Diphosphate Glucose ◽  
Pregnancy And Lactation ◽  
Diphosphate Glucose ◽  
The Difference

SUMMARY The activities of uridine diphosphate glucose (UDPG) pyrophosphorylase and UDPG-4′-epimerase in mammary glands of rabbits were determined in late pregnancy and lactation. The activities in animals during the last 4 days of pregnancy and during days 0–4, 5–9 and 11–21 of lactation increased but the difference in the activities was significant between the days 5–9 and 11–21 only and for the pyrophosphorylase activity between days for 0–4 and 5–9. Prolactin and cortisol acetate given daily for 3 or 5 days to rabbits pseudopregnant for 15 days caused increases in enzyme activities that were several times greater than those found in controls. The enzyme activities in the stimulated glands were similar to those observed in early lactation. The levels of deoxyribonucleic acid/g. wet tissue were the same in the stimulated and lactating glands.

HISTOCHEMICAL INVESTIGATION OF THE EFFECTS OF OESTROGEN, PROGESTERONE AND RELAXIN ON GLYCOGEN, AMYLOPHOSPHORYLASE, TRANSGLYCOSYLASE AND URIDINE DIPHOSPHATE GLUCOSE-GLYCOGEN TRANSFERASE IN UTERI OF MICE

1965 ◽  
Vol 32 (2) ◽  
pp. 245-257 ◽  
Author(s):  
KATHLEEN HALL
Keyword(s):  
Enzyme Activities ◽  
Glycogen Synthesis ◽  
Glandular Epithelium ◽  
Uridine Diphosphate ◽  
Phosphorylase Activity ◽  
Uridine Diphosphate Glucose ◽  
Ovariectomized Mice ◽  
Diphosphate Glucose ◽  
Arterial Muscle

SUMMARY (1) The effects of combinations of oestrogen, progesterone and relaxin on glycogen content, and on amylophosphorylase, transglycosylase and uridine diphosphate glucose-glycogen glucosyl transferase activities in the corpus uteri of intact and ovariectomized virgin mice were investigated by histochemical techniques. (2) Glycogen and the enzyme activities were localized to myometrial and arterial muscle fibres, mobilized leucocytes when present, and luminal and glandular epithelium. Transglycosylase activity was not found in glandular epithelium and no information was obtained about UDPG-glycogen synthesis in epithelium or in leucocytes; otherwise the distribution of the three activities appeared to be similar. (3) In untreated ovariectomized mice no glycogen was detected in vivo and phosphorylase activity was low. In untreated intact mice little histochemically detectable glycogen was found in myometrial muscle at any stage of the cycle and almost no UDPG-synthesized glycogen; amylophosphorylase activity appeared to be increased during pro-oestrus and oestrus. (4) Oestrogen produced increased amounts of glycogen in vivo and stimulated phosphorylase activity in both muscle layers in intact and ovariectomized mice; UDPG-glycogen synthesis was probably also increased. (5) Relaxin had no detectable effect on myometrial glycogen or on phosphorylase activity in non-primed ovariectomized mice, but both were increased when relaxin was given to oestrogen-primed ovariectomized mice or to intact mice at pro-oestrus or oestrus. Only small increases were detected in UDPG-glycogen synthesis. (6) In both intact and ovariectomized oestrogen-primed mice progesterone had a differential action on the two layers of the myometrium: it increased both glycogenolysis and phosphorylase activity in the longitudinal fibres, but inhibited phosphorylase activity in the circular fibres without resulting in glycogen synthesis in vivo. Results on UDPG-glycogen synthesis were inconclusive. Simultaneous administration of relaxin prevented the inhibitory action of progesterone on glycogen and phosphorylase activity in the circular muscle layer and UDPG-glycogen synthesis was also high in these mice. (7) No consistent effects of the hormones were detected on glycogen or enzyme activities in arterial muscle. (8) The histochemical tests visualized total phosphorylase activity but gave no information about hormonal influence on phosphorylase a and b ratios.

scholarly journals Studies on glycogen synthesis in pigeon liver homogenates. Glycogen synthesis from glucose monophosphates and uridine diphosphate glucose

1967 ◽  
Vol 105 (2) ◽  
pp. 515-519 ◽  
Author(s):  
V. N. Nigam
Keyword(s):  
Time Course ◽  
Initial Rate ◽  
Glycogen Synthesis ◽  
Uridine Diphosphate ◽  
Cytoplasmic Fraction ◽  
Uridine Diphosphate Glucose ◽  
Diphosphate Glucose ◽  
Liver Homogenates ◽  
Pigeon Liver ◽  
Glycogen Formation

Comparative time-course studies of glycogen synthesis from glucose 6-phosphate, glucose 1-phosphate and UDP-glucose show that glucose 1-phosphate forms glycogen at an initial rate faster than that obtained with glucose 6-phosphate and UDP-glucose. After 5min. the rates from glucose monophosphates are considerably slower. 2,4-Dinitrophenol decreases glycogen synthesis from both glucose monophosphates, whereas arsenate and EDTA increase glycogen synthesis from glucose 1-phosphate and inhibit the reaction from glucose 6-phosphate, galactose and galactose 1-phosphate. Mitochondria-free pigeon liver cytoplasmic fraction forms less glycogen from glucose monophosphates than does the whole homogenate. 2-Deoxyglucose 6-phosphate inhibits glycogen synthesis from glucose monophosphates. Glycogen formation from UDP-glucose is relatively unaffected by dinitrophenol, by arsenate, by EDTA, by 2-deoxyglucose 6-phosphate and by the removal of mitochondria from the whole homogenate.

ANALYSIS OF RIBOSOMES AND POLYSOMES DERIVED FROM RABBIT MAMMARY GLANDS DURING PREGNANCY AND LACTATION

1971 ◽  
Vol 49 (4) ◽  
pp. 667-NP ◽  
Author(s):  
I. D. HERRIMAN ◽  
G. D. BAIRD ◽  
JUDY M. BRUCE
Keyword(s):  
Electron Microscopy ◽  
Density Gradient ◽  
Gradient Analysis ◽  
Late Pregnancy ◽  
Sucrose Density Gradient ◽  
Mammary Glands ◽  
Pregnancy And Lactation

SUMMARY Whole-ribosome and polysome-enriched fractions were prepared from the mammary glands of rabbits during late pregnancy and lactation. The composition of the fractions was determined by sucrose density gradient analysis and electron microscopy. The range of size of polysomal aggregates was similar in the late-pregnant and lactating gland, with aggregates containing five to nine ribosomal units predominating. However, the amount of polysomes relative to monosomes was invariably found to increase after parturition. The greater portion of this increase was accounted for by the increased abundance of aggregates containing five to nine units.

scholarly journals Enzymic transfer of glucose and xylose from uridine diphosphate glucose and uridine diphosphate xylose to bilirubin by untreated and digitonin-activated preparations from rat liver

1972 ◽  
Vol 129 (3) ◽  
pp. 619-633 ◽  
Author(s):  
J. Fevery ◽  
P. Leroy ◽  
K. P. M. Heirwegh
Keyword(s):  
Enzyme Activities ◽  
Metal Ion ◽  
Glucuronic Acid ◽  
Uridine Diphosphate ◽  
No Formation ◽  
Cell Extracts ◽  
Straight Line ◽  
Standard Assay ◽  
Diphosphate Glucose ◽  
Liver Homogenates

1. Digitonin-treated and untreated homogenates, cell extracts and washed microsomal preparations from liver of Wistar R rats are capable of transferring sugar from UDP-glucose or UDP-xylose to bilirubin. No formation of bilirubin glycosides occurred with UDP-galactose or d-glucose, d-xylose or d-glucuronic acid as the sources of sugar. 2. Procedures to assay digitonin-activated and unactivated bilirubin UDP-glucosyltransferase and bilirubin UDP-xylosyltransferase were developed. 3. In digitonin-activated microsomal preparations the transferring enzymes had the following properties. Both enzyme activities were increased 2.5-fold by pretreatment with digitonin. They were optimum at pH6.6–7.2. Michaelis–Menten kinetics were followed with respect to UDP-glucose. In contrast, double-reciprocal plots of enzyme activity against the concentration of UDP-xylose showed two intersecting straight-line sections corresponding to concentration ranges where either bilirubin monoxyloside was formed (at low UDP-xylose concentrations) or where mixtures of both the mono- and di-xyloside were synthesized (at high UDP-xylose concentrations). Both enzyme activities were stimulated by Mg2+; Ca2+ was slightly less, and Mn2+ slightly more, stimulatory than Mg2+. Of the activities found in standard assay systems containing Mg2+, 58–78% (substrate UDP-glucose) and 0–38% (substrate UDP-xylose) were independent of added bivalent metal ion. Double-reciprocal plots of the Mg2+-dependent activities against the concentration of added Mg2+ were linear. 4. In comparative experiments the relative activities of liver homogenates obtained with UDP-glucuronic acid, UDP-glucose and UDP-xylose were 1:1.5:2.7 for untreated preparations and 1:0.29:0.44 after activation with digitonin. 5. Bilirubin UDP-glucuronyltransferase was protected against denaturation by human serum albumin, whereas bilirubin UDP-xylosyltransferase was not. 6. Digitonin-treated and untreated liver homogenates from Gunn rats were inactive in transferring sugar to bilirubin from UDP-glucuronic acid (in agreement with the work of others), UDP-glucose or UDP-xylose.

scholarly journals The activity of uridine diphosphate glucose–d-fructose 6-phosphate 2-glucosyltransferase in leaves

1967 ◽  
Vol 105 (3) ◽  
pp. 943-946 ◽  
Author(s):  
J. S. Hawker
Keyword(s):  
Sugar Cane ◽  
Sucrose Synthesis ◽  
Uridine Diphosphate ◽  
Leaf Extracts ◽  
Uridine Diphosphate Glucose ◽  
Rate Of Photosynthesis ◽  
Diphosphate Glucose ◽  
Sucrose Phosphate Synthetase ◽  
High Sucrose ◽  
Sucrose Phosphate

1. By using EDTA in reaction mixtures it was possible to determine the activity of sucrose phosphate synthetase in freshly prepared leaf extracts without the complications caused by sucrose phosphatase. 2. EDTA was found also to increase the activity of sucrose phosphate synthetase by as much as 100%. 3. High sucrose phosphate synthetase activities were found in leaf preparations in which sucrose phosphatase was inhibited by EDTA. By contrast with previous reports, the activities were sufficient to allow sucrose synthesis in leaves during photosynthesis to occur via sucrose phosphate. 4. Sugar-cane plants having different rates of photosynthesis also had different activities of sucrose phosphate synthetase in their leaves. 5. It is suggested that the activity of sucrose phosphate synthetase in leaves may play a role in the control of the rate of photosynthesis.

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