Gene/Protein Disease Symptom Drug Enzyme Compound
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Query: EC:3.2.1.31 (beta-glucuronidase)
 7,680 document(s) hit in 31,850,051 MEDLINE articles (0.00 seconds)

The properties of platelet-activating factor (PAF-acether) 42-48ulus of exocytosis in human neutrophils have been re-investigated with particular attention to effects on cells that were not pretreated with cytochalasin B. Release of gelatinase, the most sensitive marker of exocytosis, was determined in addition to that of vitamin B-12-binding protein and beta-glucuronidase. Superoxide production was assayed as a measure of the respiratory burst. The effects of PAF-acether were compared to those of leukotriene B4 and N-formylmethionylleucylphenylalanine (fMet-Leu-Phe). Our results show that PAF-acether elicits marked secretion in untreated human neutrophils, and refute the prevalent view that cytochalasin B treatment is required for responsiveness. PAF-acether induced abundant release of gelatinase, increasing on average from 20% at 10 nM to 35% at 1 microM. This release was very rapid, i.e., almost complete after 2 min. fMet-Leu-Phe induced the same maximum response already at 0.1 microM, but release was considerably slower. Leukotriene B4 was less potent with a maximum release of 20%. Exocytosis of gelatinase was always paralleled by liberation of smaller but significant amounts of vitamin B12-binding protein from the specific granules. In contrast to their effect on exocytosis, PAF-acether and leukotriene B4 were very weak stimuli of the respiratory burst when compared with fMet-Leu-Phe.
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PMID:Platelet-activating factor as a stimulus of exocytosis in human neutrophils. 301 43

Human neutrophils can be permeabilized with the cholesterol complexing agent digitonin and then induced to secrete lysosomal constituents by increases in free Ca2+ alone. In order of increasing requirements for Ca2+, vitamin B-12 binding protein, lysozyme and beta-glucuronidase were released. A variety of guanine nucleotides were examined with respect to their abilities to modulate this response. GTP, along with its analogues 5'-guanylylimidodiphosphate (Gpp[NH]p) and guanosine-5'-O-[3-thio]-triphosphate (GTP[gamma S]) decreased the Ca2+ requirements for secretion of all three granule constituents by one third to one order of magnitude. This synergy was dependent upon the concentration of guanine nucleotides employed. The effects of Gpp[NH]p could be blocked with the inactive derivative GDP[beta-S]. The active guanine nucleotides, particularly GTP, served as stimuli in their own right. At high concentrations of Ca2+ and GTP, degranulation was strikingly inhibited; inhibition was also achieved with high concentrations of guanylyl[beta, gamma-methylene]diphosphate (Gpp[CH2]p). Both GDP and GMP were without any effect. When neutrophils were pretreated with pertussis toxin, granule discharge induced by fMet-Leu-Phe was almost completely blocked, as reported by others. If the neutrophils pretreated with pertussis toxin were then permeabilized with digitonin, the synergy between Ca2+ and the stimulatory guanine nucleotides was maintained. These data suggest the involvement of G-proteins in secretion induced by Ca2+; however, this response either uses a different G-protein or a different pool of G-proteins from those responses triggered by fMet-Leu-Phe.
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PMID:Guanine nucleotides reduce the free calcium requirement for secretion of granule constituents from permeabilized human neutrophils. 353 3

We have recently reported that human neutrophils can be permeabilized with the cholesterol complexing agent saponin and that these cells can be induced to secrete the granule enzyme lysozyme in response to micromolar levels of free calcium. We now report that digitonin can be used in place of saponin and that it has several advantages. Permeabilization of human neutrophils was accomplished with 10 micrograms/ml digitonin in a high potassium medium. Normally impermeant solutes such as [14C]sucrose and inulin [14C]carboxylic acid gained access to one half of the intracellular water space marked with [3H]H2O. Between 30 and 100% of the cytoplasmic enzyme, lactate dehydrogenase, leaked from the intracellular space. The permeabilization process and calcium-triggered granule secretion were critically dependent upon temperature, time and digitonin concentration. Permeabilized neutrophils secreted beta-glucuronidase, lysozyme and vitamin B-12 binding-protein, constituents of both azurophil and specific granules, when exposed to micromolar levels of free calcium. Release of specific granule constituents appeared to be more sensitive to free calcium than release from azurophil granules. Although the amount of permeabilization varied considerably with each batch of cells, release of these granule markers was a consistent finding. Release of granule markers was accompanied by resealing of the cells to high-molecular-weight (Mr greater than 5000) solutes. Electron microscopic evidence also suggested that granule and plasma membranes were intact following digitonin treatment and that fusion of these membranes occurred in response to calcium. These results suggest that elevation of intracellular free-calcium levels is a sufficient condition for lysosomal enzyme release.
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PMID:Human neutrophils permeabilized with digitonin respond with lysosomal enzyme release when exposed to micromolar levels of free calcium. 395 77