phosphorus-radioisotopes and aluminum-fluoride

The size and chemical nature of the stabilizing cap at microtubule (MT) ends has remained enigmatic, in large part because it has been difficult to detect and measure it directly. By pulsing steady-state suspensions of bovine brain microtubules (MTs) with trace quantities of [gamma(32)P]GTP and sedimenting the MTs through 50% sucrose cushions to reduce background contaminating (32)P to negligible levels, we were able to detect a small number of (32)P molecules that remain stably bound to the MTs (a mean of 25.5 molecules of (32)P per MT). Analysis of the chemical form of the stably bound (32)P by thin-layer chromatography revealed that it was all (32)P-orthophosphate ((32)P(i)). The (32)P(i) was determined to be located at the MT ends because colchicine and vinblastine, drugs that suppress tubulin incorporation into the MT by binding specifically at MT ends, reduced the quantity of the stably bound (32)P(i). Taxol, a drug that stabilizes MT dynamics by binding along the MT surface rather than at the ends, did not affect the stoichiometry of the bound (32)P(i). If the bound (32)P is equally distributed between the two ends, each end would contain 12-13 molecules of (32)P(i). Beryllium fluoride (BeF(3-)) and aluminum fluoride (AlF(4-)), inorganic phosphate analogues, suppressed the dynamic instability behavior of individual MTs and, thus, stabilized them. For example, BeF(3-) (70 microM) reduced the MT shortening rate by 2.5-fold and decreased the transition frequency from the growing or the attenuated state to rapid shortening by 2-fold. The data support the hypothesis that the stabilizing cap at MT ends consists of a single layer of tubulin GDP-P(i) subunits. The data also support the hypothesis that the mechanism giving rise to the destabilized GDP-tubulin core involves release of P(i) rather than hydrolysis of the GTP.

Topics: Aluminum Compounds; Animals; Beryllium; Binding Sites; Brain Chemistry; Cattle; Fluorides; Guanosine Diphosphate; Guanosine Triphosphate; Male; Microscopy, Video; Microtubules; Phosphates; Phosphorus Radioisotopes; Polymers; Sea Urchins; Spermatozoa; Thermodynamics; Tubulin

Fluoride, in the presence of aluminum ions, reversibly inhibits the temperature-mediated inactivation of unoccupied glucocorticoid receptors in cytosol preparations from mouse L cells. The effect is concentration-dependent, with virtually complete stabilization of specific glucocorticoid-binding capacity at 2 mM fluoride and 100 microM aluminum. These concentrations of aluminum and fluoride are ineffective when used separately. Aluminum fluoride also stabilizes receptors toward inactivation by gel filtration and ammonium sulfate precipitation. Aluminum fluoride prevents temperature-dependent transformation of steroid-receptor complexes to the DNA-binding state. Aluminum fluoride does not inhibit calf intestine alkaline phosphatase, and unoccupied receptors inactivated by this enzyme in the presence of aluminum fluoride can be completely reactivated by dithiothreitol. The effects of aluminum fluoride are due to stabilization of the complex between the glucocorticoid receptor and the 90-kDa mammalian heat-shock protein hsp90, which suggests that aluminum fluoride interacts directly with the receptor. Endogenous thermal inactivation of receptors in cytosol is not accompanied by receptor dephosphorylation. However, inactivation is correlated with dissociation of hsp90 from the unoccupied receptor. These results support the proposal that hsp90 is required for the receptor to bind steroid and dissociation of hsp90 is sufficient to inactivate the unoccupied receptor.

Topics: Aluminum; Aluminum Compounds; Animals; Chromatography, Gel; Cytosol; Fluorides; Kinetics; L Cells; Mice; Phosphates; Phosphorus Radioisotopes; Radioisotope Dilution Technique; Receptors, Glucocorticoid; Thermodynamics; Triamcinolone Acetonide